This is true. I love how really crappy bad guys have this one major flaw that the hero can always figure out, and their only strength is 'EVIL'. I reckon a really good bad guy would just win too much, and that would make people sad (and me happy. Are there any stories where that happens? I've always wanted to do that!)
Horns are awesome. Not practical though. How would they wear hats?!
I wish that Harry had died :( And not been the chosen one. And that Snape had not had unfortunate snakey incidents. And that Colin Creevey hadn't been killed for no reason.
And so much...
Ha. Love Magneto.
If they don't, they should. The vikings really rocked that look; any evil dude with half a brain cell would've been inspired.
Someone who's motives I can understand. And if I can't fully understand why you want to destroy the world, well at least be *realistic*. The minute it hits a parody of a bad guy I don't care.
I am really bad on this to be honest, they never seem like real people or if they do they're cliched, but if you can create a bad guy that actually scares me or I can understand their motivation 'Voldemort' or someone I like and I wish could maybe win, then you've created a good bad guy.
I can't remember the actual name, but my brothers were watching a Justice League movie where they went to a parallel universe and I loved evil superman because he had more of a personality from the little bit I saw then real Superman.
Yeah, motives are awesome - shows some thought's been put into the whole thing. I like it when the badguy has a really awesome backstory too that can kind of explain why they are the way they are.
Currently, fairly crappy ones, LOL. For the stories on fp they're the cliched stuck up bitchy chicks and I'm aware of this but I ramble enough as it is trying to make sure my main characters are interesting, I'm not sure how I can develop the 'bad guys' without it turning into an epic.
Annnd for my 'personal' projects I'm working on creating a sympathetic bad guy and if I can't hopefully he'll/they'll be creepy enough without it feeling overdone.
What do you think makes a good villain? lol, I just realised that you didn't answer your own question.
I'm a complete mushy fangirl so (and I'm ashamed to admit this. Really) I like villains with sex appeal. Which is SO teenybopper, I know.
But that's not the main thing.
I like them to be smart and have good qualities too. I like them to be real, I guess. Although really evil people are interesting too... I dunno; I'm really not fussy. It is interesting when the villain really thinks what he's doing is right.
Or in those rare stories where there's actually no villain at all, but it's just hero vs anti-hero. Man, though, that must be HARD to pull off.
How are you making your bad guy sympathetic? Is it difficult to do at the same time as making your hero sympathetic too?
It would be fun if coincidence turned someone into a villain. Like in sliding doors, if she'd missed that train and bumped into a charming man who ate her soul.
My favorite villain I ever personally created wasn't one who necessarily did evil deeds (though he did those in spades), but when he realized his own son had a conscience (gasp) forced him to do evil, evil shit. Pretty much, "if you don't do this, what I'm going to do will be ten times worse. So, either way you lose!"
He really kind of freaks me out, and he's a fictional character. I guess because what he forces his son to do is so horrible and this guy came out of my head. I thought him up. Yeesh.
A good villain? Hm... insane. My interest is usual piqued with them, because they're so hard to figure out, and it makes you think and guess, and wonder. I like it even better when the author's done research and the character actually has a set-on mental illness that isn't just thrown in there for explanation sake.
I also find it chilling when the villain thinks they're doing good. Like really believes it, when they aren't. Or when they have two sides to them, good and evil, and both are shown at times :D
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Horns are awesome. Not practical though. How would they wear hats?!
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And so much...
Ha. Love Magneto.
If they don't, they should. The vikings really rocked that look; any evil dude with half a brain cell would've been inspired.
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I am really bad on this to be honest, they never seem like real people or if they do they're cliched, but if you can create a bad guy that actually scares me or I can understand their motivation 'Voldemort' or someone I like and I wish could maybe win, then you've created a good bad guy.
I can't remember the actual name, but my brothers were watching a Justice League movie where they went to a parallel universe and I loved evil superman because he had more of a personality from the little bit I saw then real Superman.
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Yeah, motives are awesome - shows some thought's been put into the whole thing. I like it when the badguy has a really awesome backstory too that can kind of explain why they are the way they are.
What kind of bad guys do you write?
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Annnd for my 'personal' projects I'm working on creating a sympathetic bad guy and if I can't hopefully he'll/they'll be creepy enough without it feeling overdone.
What do you think makes a good villain? lol, I just realised that you didn't answer your own question.
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I'm a complete mushy fangirl so (and I'm ashamed to admit this. Really) I like villains with sex appeal. Which is SO teenybopper, I know.
But that's not the main thing.
I like them to be smart and have good qualities too. I like them to be real, I guess. Although really evil people are interesting too... I dunno; I'm really not fussy. It is interesting when the villain really thinks what he's doing is right.
Or in those rare stories where there's actually no villain at all, but it's just hero vs anti-hero. Man, though, that must be HARD to pull off.
How are you making your bad guy sympathetic? Is it difficult to do at the same time as making your hero sympathetic too?
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Especially if they're capable of being charming.
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Charming is awesome. I guess this kind of villain would be able to talk anyone into doing anything :)
Heroes are totally doomed.
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P.S. Thank you! I got it from glitter-graphics.com.
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I totally wonder that all the time.
It would be fun if coincidence turned someone into a villain. Like in sliding doors, if she'd missed that train and bumped into a charming man who ate her soul.
Yum.
Wow, I'm thinking bad fanfic...
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He really kind of freaks me out, and he's a fictional character. I guess because what he forces his son to do is so horrible and this guy came out of my head. I thought him up. Yeesh.
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I also find it chilling when the villain thinks they're doing good. Like really believes it, when they aren't. Or when they have two sides to them, good and evil, and both are shown at times :D
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