LT Tips Post: How to write an Antagonist

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Hello Cadets!

Writing an antagonist into a Roleplay is always a struggle. Especially if that 'villain' isn't properly thought out or rushed. These antagonists won't have the same affect you're trying to go for with a real one. You want to make someone or something that can reoccur in the storyline, someone that will always pose a challenge to your protagonist's thoughts or judgement! Even if you don't want to make a new character for the antagonistic role, you should at least try to understand why exactly stories have these characters to begin with so your action, romance, or thriller Role-Play can be as exciting as ever and keep you and your Roleplay partner engaged in the story!

We hope this is helpful and that you enjoy these tips!

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Tip Set #1

These fantastic tips were made by Todoroki

When roleplaying as an antagonist it’s important to fully understand the character who you are playing. You need to know their ideologies, motives and their personality, each antagonist has a different reason to be interfering with the protagonist. If you are playing a cannon character it would help to do some research before you begin writing.

Once you fully understand the character you will want to introduce them into your roleplay in a creative way. Think of the warriors from Attack on Titan, they were in the story as antagonists the entire time without you even knowing until they revealed that they were revealed as traitors to Paradise. Maybe you want to do something similar or completely different, as long as they have a logical reason to meet and be against the protagonist then it’s fine.

Now that the protagonist and antagonist have met you will want to begin writing conflict between them! This could be written in many different ways, from a simple argument to a large-scale fight between characters. Most (not all) antagonists are not just evil for the sake of being evil, they aren’t necessarily bad people either so when interacting with the protagonist it’s important to write the characters personalities correctly. One antagonist may try and reason with the protagonist whereas another may want to completely obliterate the other character. You don’t even need speech to convey the characters personality, facial expressions and actions can go a long way. Another thing to consider is how your antagonist feels after the conflict, are they angry, regretful of their actions or have they even begun plotting a new plan?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tips Set #2

Here are some good tips by Zoey

Writing an antagonist can sometimes be quiet tricky as this will be the bad guy in your story. You want your antagonist to not only stand out but also make sure that they have a certain goal in mind for why they are the antagonist and why they are the way the are and how they act so I hope that these tips will help you out.

First you want your antagonist to have a goal in mind. A goal set is very important for a antagonist as it gives them a reason as to why they are doing the things they are doing and why they are doing these things. For example one goal for an antagonist can be that they are tired of the way society is and think that by getting rid of a certain group of people they can change the way things are, another example is that they need to bring about change as eren yeager was once the hero of Attack on Titan and his plan is to wipe out the world because he thinks that by doing that he can finally be free.

Another thing you want for an antagonist is tension. Having that tension between the main characters and them is really important as the interaction of the antagonist and main characters can cause a whole bunch of tension because when you have that dynamic it makes the good guys want to stop the antagonist even more. For example when Erwin was killed by the beast Titan the tension was there since season 2 and when levi killed the path of Titans zeke was very much afraid because he could not harden in time. There tensions can be very important when making an antagonist because you want the main characters to feel a little bit uneasy.

One more tip which is the most important one which is build up. Building up the main antagonist is very important as they will be the bad guy, in my hero academia they slowly build up all for one which is the boss of the league of villains until he is defeated by Almight. All for one was built up throughout the course of the series from the end of season 2 and into season 3 which was done very well as it was suspenseful the entire time and that is what you want in a antagonist is that build up because just saying it won't do, describe the antagonist and slowly build up to them being revealed because then it will be more affective.

I really hope that these tips help you with creating a really good antagonist for your ocs or Roleplay.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──

Tips Set #3

These interesting tips were made by Reina

Hey there everyone. I'll be giving you some tips on how to write a good antagonist character for a better experience and development on being creative in of creating a story with them.

First, think of their personality. it's good to start at that since you'll be having a reference for their appearance and story. it really is upto you since there are many types of personality. examples are; stoic, ruthless, impatient, silent but deadly, chaotic, etc. there are many personalities you can choose from. you can also depend on what personality you can pull off if you're thinking of role-playing as them.

You can also make them nice at first, in specific , them having two personalities. If you are all set with the personality, you can have their appearance. Match it with their personality. just for example, you made them stoic yet they look like a ball of sunshine. it doesn't match that much. YET, it might work if you're planning to give them two personalities.

For the backstory, I prefer you read the tips for it. But for the antagonist, give them a reason why they had decided to turn on the different path. Why are they doing that? Are there any traumas they experienced that changed their perspective that made them turn into an antagonist? Past events or a certain someone that convinced them?

Well, I hope this helped you a bit from making your antagonist! I'm glad to be a help. See you next time! byeeee~

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tips Set #4

These great tips are by Jay

°Who or what would be the antagonist?°

This is a big thing in roleplaying. While roleplaying, you have to watch out for things like this. An antagonistic can make roleplaying interesting, because it could be an enemy or problem the protagonist has to face. This is similar to a plot. In roleplaying, I hope you're not trying to make the protagonist op (overpowered) because it makes the protagonist seem boring. The character need to face some sort of objective. A hardship.

•Example of an antagonist•

An example that would work can be something that happened in their backstory, they want to overcome it. Fears, abuse, enemies, or any problem that was created for them.

•My example•

My oc Luke Ryder faces a lot of problems in life. One is, he's antisocial. The reason for this, he was abused by father. Luke grew up thinking "Everyone is the same." Trust issues. He's a smart person, yes, but that's his backfire. Luke is a quiet kid, who doesn't really speak his mind, unless needed. Otherwise, he's 'useless'

°Can a cannon character or someone help out?°

I, for one believe so. It depends on the people or the partner. It also depends on what the antagonist, of course! If it's something the protagonist can face on their own, then they'll be fine. If it's something the protagonist can't face on their own, then they'll need from a character that suits their needs.

•My example•

A cannon character that I would believe help Luke is Jean. Yeah, you're probably asking "How come?" Jean's character is headstrong and a born leader. He would be able to help Luke with trust issues, not to mention use the issues for something good. You can't really get rid of trust issues but, you can make a person earn your trust. Something that Jean learned doing a trust test.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tips Set #5

This great tip were written by Ironic

Tip: mystery is the key

One of the most common tactics to unite people against an enemy is to dehumanize said enemy. It was done to every nation by every nation and it is still used to this day. For example, in 1930 many ethnic minorities were compared to animals. This made massacring them all easier once the time came. Had the step of dehumanizing not occurred, murdering all those people would have taken a much larger toll on the psyche of those committing the murder.

Now the process of dehumanizing does not need to be taken to that extent. Simply put it, the more relatable a villain is the less like a villain they will seem. One prime example of a villain losing their villainy is the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. When we first meet him, he's nothing more than a monster who has anger issues. But as we get to know him he starts losing his antagonistic nature. Another example could be the expanding of the stories of many famous creepypasta characters. Many are all aware that we canonically do not know much about Jeff the killer. He is a murderer one to be feared. When you read his original story, you are terrified of him and he is the perfect antagonist. But once you delve into the fandom of creepypasta and people start assuming what his daily life is like- how he likes his toast buttered, how he wears miss-matching socks, or how he is secretly allergic to peanut butter- he loses that perfect villainy.

So while it is important to keep in mind the role of your antagonist, understandto be an antagonist we ( the audience) have to be against them. And well no human is entirely evil or entirely good, the purpose of stories is to explore the extreme nature of humans. Therefore, if you want your antagonist have a truly lasting effect on their story and those who read it, keep certain things about them secret. Unless it is necessary for the cohesion of the story, it does not need to be known.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tips Set #6

These amazing tips were written by Arthur

When it comes to a story, nothing makes a narrative more interesting than some conflict. It comes secondhand to every book, every movie, anything, because it's effortless to get a character throwing hands with someone else. I'd even argue that conflict is the true icebreaker when it comes to excitement, because you can have the most compelling characters with all these deep nuances to their personality and attitude, but if no one's there to get in their way, then there's really no point.

Sure, you can probably go a long way by just focusing on the "good guys", but you can only go so far with characters whose only nemesis is themselves, especially in a roleplay. Although, it can be quite easy to ignore what makes a character interesting when you're trying to make an antagonist, since you can get too caught up in their role as a character in the story, not who they are as a character themselves. To help narrow it down, I'm here to help you hone in on what I consider to be the most crucial detail when making a villain.

And what is that? Humanity.

I'll start by saying that it is absolutely possible to have an antagonist who straight up just has no soul. I'm sure we all love a guy who is simply a bad person at heart because these characters will always be a direct route for some nice drama. Though, you don't just pop out of the womb immediately hating life: The experiences you have as a person are influential in shaping you as you grow, and it causes your personality to shift and change dramatically.

Depending on what's happened in their life, they might find themselves dazed or stunned when it comes to a choice or an event; there might even be times where your villain has moments of vulnerability, where your villain struggles to make a decision because it shows a side to your bad guy that people can relate to. It shows

That even through all the hate that they put forth, there's still a person there, a person that's gone through some rough times and is a changed person because of it. Not every character is a bad person just because they wanted to be, and knowing that can allow you to make some of the best villains out there.

So, there you have it—my #1 tip on writing a good antagonist. Have fun with this one, and keep in mind that you can be the bad guy without necessarily being a "bad guy."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tips Set #7

These wonderful tips were written by Thinker

Whenever you're trying to write a decent antagonist, I want you these two words: Change and motive.

Things almost always change, and nothing ever always stays. It's something that can be hard to grasp whenever it does occur, depending on what change does decide to affect, and it can be extremely hard to move on from. For example, the age of time can influence people to do things, become things, and bring about change themselves, in an effort to maybe bring back something that they'd lost to time. To maybe cause harm to others to make them understand their pain.

What I'm essentially getting at here, is that people change. Everyone does, and more importantly, your characters change. In turn, it influences their motive.

These two things go hand in hand. Change and motive, syrup and pancakes. Bread and butter. Ice-cream and French fries, if you're weird (like me! :smile: ). It's direct cause and effect, which in this case, is very important when writing an antagonist. Let's start with a base for an antagonist to show you what I mean.

Let's say, we have a character who grew up in a poor, uncaring family until the age of 14. It was then that they were abandoned, and left out on the streets. Already we have change, and some motive that this change can heavily influence. Ah, but wait, our character is finding some trouble with living alone. Nobody is offering help, no children or adult want to even associate with them at all. This causes them to harbor a grudge towards everyone, to automatically hate them like how they're automatically hated by everyone else. Here's another change and motive. But wait! A year es and then the day where the wall is broken comes, and almost everyone from the village that this character came from dies because of it. Before, this character felt powerless to fight back against the injustice being dealt to them on the daily, but the existence and sheer power of titans ignites a flame within them.

Now they wish to understand titans more, just so they can harness their power and reign terror on a world that never cared for them at all.

Do you see what I did there? I know I put our poor character under a lot of misery just then, and for that I'm really sorry, but their suffering helped me prove a good point, I think. Making an antagonist is all about change and motive, very similar to making a protagonist.

So the next time you decide to make an evil character, think: What changed them to think that way, and what do they plan to do?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tips Set #8

These great tips were written by Moon

Writing an antagonist character can be very tricky since most people usually lean towards writing protagonist characters. But I am here to give you some tips and advice on how you can improve and write an antagonist of your own!

I will split this into four parts, of what I think would be essential in writing an antagonist character (also could be known as a villain). These parts include: genre, backstory/environment, personality and character development.

•Genre- Depending on the type of genre you have, it could make the flow of writing an antagonist character easier. The types of genres such as: Action, Horror and Romance are the type of genres that you would lean more towards to when writing a antagonist character.

•Backstory/Environment- For an antagonist character, the type of backstory and environment that they grew up in is important when making antagonist character because it will depict what the characters do and how they will think. If, for example, a character grew up in a poor environment and was picked on a lot by their peers- they could potentially have negative thoughts and turn into a antagonist.

•Personality- The personality of an antagonist usually holds a character of sly, mysterious or problematic. With these traits it will become easy for you to write a backstory or plot around them.

•Character Development- When developing an antagonist, there are two outcomes of character development that you can make them have. For example, a antagonist who doesn’t get to achieve what they want and constantly keeps on failing due to protagonist stopping them, or where the antagonist will get a redemption of some kind and turns towards a protagonist character who will helps them see the good and change the overall judgement of their character.

However, in relation to AOT, we characters like Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt who could be seen as traitors in the Attack on Titan world because they went against the Survey Corps.

These are some of the key tips when needed to make a antagonist character!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tips Set #9

These fantastic tips were written by Levi Ackerman

Antagonists are an important factor when it comes to roleplays and stories. They are the counter part to the protagonist and are important for their development. If we take Kenny Ackerman as an example we can see the relationship he has to Levi, his nephew. What once was a symbiosis between the two turned out to be rivalry in the end. But how do i write a good antagonist? Thats what ill explain now.

An antagonist has to have a certain charisma which should make them stand out from all the other characters. Not only are they usually the or one of the strongest characters but they also have a certain connection to the protagonist. It can be them being related in some way, them experiencing a trauma or just a situation which causes them to part their ways. Make sure readers will feel some kind of empathy for them. Not only will cause this a conflict. Who is doing the right thing? Are they really as bad as they seem? What is their intention and can you relate? Coming up with a plot twist or a reveal in some sort help massively to urge people to think twice before judging.

In Kenny's case you saw that he was understanding society. People were slaves to different things in his eyes. He was leaving the last person he could call family because he wasn't thinking he'd be able to be a farther figure. Nonetheless he did what he could and eventually Levi sured him.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tips Set #10

These tips were written by Tridente

When creating an Antagonist for an RP, the first thing I like to do is identify a goal for them to have in the long term, this is usually something large and threatening, for example, the destruction of the main protagonists, taking control of a nation or resetting the order of the world.

Once I have identified the main goal I wish to have my Antagonist attempt to achieve I build up their character around it, filling in the details of why they want to do such a thing in the first place, I find this important for creating compelling villains as having them have understandable or perhaps relatable circumstances for their goals molds them into a much more 3D character than if their only reason for doing it because they are evil.

After this, I like to do one more thing before pushing them into RP, creating a roap for them, what they will do and when, almost like their plan of action. This should be vauge and pretty much a collection of bullet points that state major appearances or events. This is because RP is unpredictable, depending on how others react you're entire plot may be thrown out of the window if your plan is too detailed, there has to be wiggle room for when things you didn't expect happen, allowing you to easily change it on the fly.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

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