Hello I Love Your Writing I Was Wondering If You Can Do A Piece On Villain Motivations And How To Recognizeyour

Hello I love your writing I was wondering if you can do a piece on villain motivations and how to recognizeyour villains motives. Also what are some examples of bad motivations.

I was about to write 1) You create the villains, so it’s not so much ‘recognising’ as ‘you can create whatever you want it to be’. Then I remembered fanfiction, in which case recognising would apply - but recognising in that can vary so much depending on the text, as it will always depend on how you choose to interpret the source materials.

So let’s just go onto villainous motivations. Note, I am using and understood ‘villain’ and ‘villainous’ to mean the antagonist of the story, rather than a superhero definition of the word.

A list of potential motivations, which can be mixed up, but I split them into different umbrellas:

To gain power or control (for whatever reason)

because they don’t want to feel powerless again

because they have strong opinions about what should happen to the world and need sufficient power to implement any change

because contemporary career trajectories in western society feed us the idea that we always need more money and power so they think they’re just succeeding/doing what’s natural/normal

better to be the one in control than under someone else’s

being in control/powerful has perks

because they want sufficient power to protect themselves or others etc...

Revenge

What it says on the tin, but look deeper at the undercurrent emotions, desires and values beneath the surface...

Revenge because something unfair happened and it hurts

Revenge because they have a sense of entitlement

Revenge to gain back a sense of power/agency

Revenge as a means of justice

Revenge because they tried nice, and lost everything etc. etc....

Love

Can be combined with power or revenge, because they either want to protect, avenge, or get their own back on someone they love (villain because they go way over the line of what’s acceptable, as opposed to if say a protagonist had a heartbreak, and we would judge them if they started chopping limbs)

X thing that the hero needs means someone the villain cares about dies, or is wounded in some way, or has to sacrifice themselves

Not quite love, but tangentially lust - they want the protagonist/love interest and are willing to do whatever to get them

They want to impress someone and think this is the way to do it

They are working as an antagonist for a larger antagonist in order to protect someone or something.

Fear/Desperation

Again, this works as a driving undercurrent for a lot of the above but worth noting, but...

Fear that the protagonist is dangerous and the only way to prevent something terrible from happening is to kill or otherwise control them

Fear that something bad will happen if extreme action is not taken

Fear of being perceived as weak, because they know what happens to the weak/have been taught they’re never allowed to be weak.

Desire to be free/survival instinct

See, I have been told all my life that I have to do this and I won’t, I refuse, even if that means being a bad person. E.g, why be the chosen one just to die? That’s not fair.

See, why someone might want to accumulate power.

I just want to be free and people keep trying to lock me up. Leave me alone or die.

You programmed me and I will destroy you for what you made me, how dare you.

Miscellaneous

This is just my job: I’m following orders

This is what my culture/species does and my morality is simply different to the protagonist’s, so for the purposes of the story I am the villain because it’s blue and orange morality to anything human’s consider acceptable

Ignorance

Bad motivations...

To me, the only ‘bad’ motivation is ‘just because’ or ‘because they’re evil’, but that’s a personal opinion because I think that’s a boring reduction of human behaviour. People don’t do stuff ‘because they’re evil’, there’s something else going on. Sadism is a form of control, if doing something makes you happy (even if not’s socially acceptable) then you’re more likely to do it. Depending on your story, you are not necessarily go in depth into your villain’s backstory or motivations, in which case ‘just because’ can apply simply due to lack of story space. On a similar vein - ‘because they’re mentally ill’.

The thing about motivations is that they’re often not good or bad. Your villain’s values may not be that different to your hero’s, but they present differently in a way that we know is not acceptable or healthy behaviour. It’s something twisted toxic, or too extreme.

The more important question is ‘does this motivation match the character?’ Do they behave in a way that logically follows on from the motivation chosen? Is it logical for them to feel that way within the universe?

Also, is it a sexist/racist/anything phobic depiction? That is not to say people within a minority cannot be the villain, but a) they shouldn’t be the only character of that minority in your text if they are at least at our current level of cultural representation and b) the minority character should probably not be doing the bad stuff just because they’re a minority. Which leads back to X character is inherently evil, inherently worse than anyone else! X minority types are just like that!

It’s character creation in the same way you would do for your hero or your protagonist. If you know what you need them to do, but not why, try asking yourself ‘okay, well, why would someone do XYZ?’

More Posts from Procrastinating-ghost and Others

procrastinating-ghost

2 years ago

describe nyc in 3 words

new york city

55K notes View Post

procrastinating-ghost

2 years ago

Im literally sobbing I found a list I made describing the keys from Locke and key (tv version) as I was watching the series when it first came out bc I think I wanted to write fanfiction so I made it to keep track of all the keys?? But the way I described them was so weird and also inaccurate for several (tbf some details u don't find out until later in the season and I hadn't made it that far idt) and I completely totally forgot about the entire thing until just now when I went through my Google docs

so for all people who dont watch locke.and key here's a rundown of most of the keys that are introduced in the first season, written by me probably as I watched the show in real time

spoilers might be here I think?? Idk I'm just posting it because I found them kind of funny esp since I couldn't remember writing it At All

***

Making a list of keys here so i dont forget:

Ghost Key: allows u to astral project and go outside of your body and talk to dead ppl. Very cool right. Unfortunately if u forget to go back through the door or someone else closes it before you go back through yourself and take out the key, you become a permanent ghost. Whoopsies!!

Anywhere Key: can take u wherever u want to go as long as youve been there or have seen a door there. It cant take u where u havent been bitch. So dont even think about ur crush’s pants

Puppet Key (also known as the music box key): when inserted into the music box and the music is playing, that person can control other peoples actions. Pretty damn scary

Mending Key: i think if u put something in a certain cabinet thats broken and then lock and unlock it it comes out fixed?? Idfk. does not work on people. sorry grandma

Head Key: theres a nasty lil hole that appears in the back of ur neck and when you insert it you can go into your mind and do shit!! And even put things in and/or take out shit like personality traits and memories and whatnot. I wouldnt go near this thing tbh. Don't try puttin nothing in my neck u dont need to see my mind

Flower/Plant Key(?? I dont think it has an actual name): it unlocks a tree and then memories in paint jars rise out of the ground?? I dont actually know what this one does. Something to do with memories idk Edit: this should have been fuckin obvious but it controls plants :))

Mirror Key: u put it in a mirror and then an evil you will appear in the reflection and beckon you forward like “come to pappy” and you can go through the mirror and end up in an evil funhouse thingy with lots of mirrors and versions of yourself?? Apparently lots of people have died trying to get out and its a prison of self?? He had to go in with a rope around his waist to get his mom out?? 0/10 would not recommend you might die

Echo Key: “can bring people back”-random guy offscreen, 2020. Apparently if you use it to unlock the wellhouse and then yell someones name into the well like you at le jour d’amour (spoiler alert that person gotta be dead) an “echo” of them will come back and u can talk to them. Its considered disrespectful to use it tbh because u disturbing the dead

Identity Key: basically an identity crisis meets polyjuice potion. A keyhole appears under ur chin and then you insert it and turn the key and then you can look like someone else. Eww gross!!

Matchstick Key: a lighter. You touch it to something or put it in a keyhole or wHATEVER idc, and whatever u put it in bursts into flames. Fun fact, this also works on people!! Haven’t you ever wanted to just set yourself on fire? Well now you can with the Matchstick Key!! Limited edition because a demon stole it from a child then pushed said child onto train tracks. Also spoiler alert if you use it on yourself you die. Because u fuckin set yourself on fire. What did u expect, to not spontaneously combust??

Shadow Key: Key for the Crown of Shadows. I think u put it in the crown of shadows and then it works. It summons shadow kreechurs to work 4U. Very awesome ikr

Omega Key: literally has no other purpose than to unlock one specific door. The Omega Door (very original name oooh scary ooooh *ghost noises*). Beyond this door lie unimaginable eldritch abominations that Will Definitely Kill You. so unless you want to die at the hands of shadow demons, this aint the key for u. Use it as a mantle decoration or something

49 notes View Post

procrastinating-ghost

2 years ago

I’m about to have a fun afternoon.

So my trainer’s bf cheated on her. She broke up with him. He’s holding her stuff hostage until she agrees to talk with him. Which she refuses.

She trains; for free mind you; three college linebackers, a college wrestler, two martial artists, a body builder, and… wait for it…. a Navy seal. We’re gonna go get her shit for her.

This should make for an interesting story.

603K notes View Post

procrastinating-ghost

2 years ago

Whoever said that talking to yourself was a sign of insanity or whatever

Just want u to know, your dead wrong.

Fic? Plotted out.

Is it a little flat rn? Probably. But I can make that work

Off to ignore it for another 2 weeks now though bc I have my exams to revise for :')

Oh no... My plot... Its disappearing....

Need to actually have a 2 hour conversation with myself to get the plot working again