“You won’t get away with this, Villain. Superhero will stop you.” A rather brave civilian spat.

He smiled, sad and bitter. “No she won’t. She doesn’t even know I exist. Why would she? I’m just a small-time villain, and she’s got way more important things to do than stopping me. Still, one can always dream, right?”

“Wow, you really know how to sweep a girl off her feet.” Hero weakly smiled as Villain scooped her up in his arms. She broke into a coughing fit. Blood dribbled from her lips.

“Save your breath.”

“Sorry handsome, I can’t do that. You took my breath away.”

“Seriously?”

“Hey, I was in between that or ‘you left me breathless’ or 'you’re just too breathtaking’.”

“I should’ve never led you on for so long, but I did, and I’m sorry I hurt you that way.” Her eyes then hardened to steel. “But I’d do it all over again if it means keeping this city safe from you.”

“Of course. In the grand scheme of things, the lives of innocent civilians are worth more than one villain’s broken heart.”

“Now you’re getting it.”

“How cruelly pragmatic.” He sneered as the first tears ran down his cheeks. “You would’ve made a better villain than I ever was.”

“I never meant to hurt you. Not like this. It was stupid of me to think that you would ever give up. I realize now that it’s because you can’t. You truly believe in doing the right thing. I used to hate you for that, you know? You were always getting in my way, until the day I snapped and went too far-”

*sigh*

“I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you can, I just want to say that I’m sorry. And…and I love you. Please wake up.”

“We really are terrible for each other.”

“We are…want to get married?”

“You bet I do.”

“If I don’t go, the world will be destroyed.”

“You say that like you expect me to care. But the only thing that’s ever mattered to me is you.”

Looking to develop your villain further? Trying to build a villain for the first time?  Look no further for here is a simple guide to building a fearsome villain for your story. Disclaimer: I’m a fantasy writer, this will be fantasy based. 

Step 1: Choose a Motivation

While this can be anything, some common motivations are: Power, Legacy, Revenge, Respect, Protectionism, Hate, Love, Indifference, Drive for Utopia, and Infliction of Pain. Now you might be thinking I can understand why the last one is villainous, but some of the others seem okay! Remember, a villains motivations should be understandable, and their goals can be noble, but it is the means that make them “bad.”

Step 2: Decide if They Really are “Bad” 

Despite my previous statement, some villains are just trying to achieve noble goals by noble means. This is actually a really good way to get your audience thinking about your theme if it ties in well. The flipside of this is my personal favourite – make the heroes bad too. 

Step 3: Design Their Personality 

There are a few traits you’ll want to consider in particular and in the extremes. Make sure to chose the side that your hero will struggle with more. Villains should be handcrafted challengers, designed to ruin your hero. 

• Intelligence vs Stupidity - A villain who can scheme intricate plots is terrifying, but extreme stupidity leads to recklessness and unpredictability, good for control freak heroes. 
• Short Temper vs Controlled Emotions - Short tempered villains are a threat to anyone close to them, while those that can control their emotions can be highly manipulative. 
• Calculated vs Irrational - This again leans into the trade off between the unbeatable factor and the unpredictability factor. Both are equally fearsome.
• Charismatic vs Black Seep – Why do their followers believe in them? Is it because they can talk the hind legs off a donkey or was your villain an outcast come to take their revenge. 

Don’t underestimate the stupid, short tempered, irrational black sheep. They often have intelligent advisors pulling their strings while their stupidity causes chaos like no other. 

Step 4: Ask Yourself Why? 

Not just Why did my villain set out on this path? orWhy don’t they see the harm they’re causing? but also Why have I reached the end of a post specifically using ‘they’ pronouns and imagine a white man with black hair and dark eyes? Because many of you will have done just that, particularly for the intelligent, manipulative villain with more power than you could ever imagine. Ask yourself why intelligent, charismatic villains with goals outside of revenge and love need always be a man. Some villains are just heroes who don’t understood the cost of their actions. Ask yourself why they shouldn’t be diverse and stereotypical caricatures. 

This post is quite long enough. I reckon I’ll do a part 2 if you guys like it :) 

[If reposting to instagram please credit @isabellestonebooks] 

Prompt 162

“Are you leaving me? Again? After all you’ve done, all you’ve said, this’ll always be your choice, huh?”

Villain paused, back turned to Hero. “Yeah,” they croaked out.

And Hero was alone once more.

Prompt 157

“Our relationship can’t really be defined in such a clear-cut way. We’re not quite friends, not quite rivals, not quite enemies.” Hero breathes a laugh, “there’s quite a lot of not quite’s when it comes to us.”

“What Hero means to say is we’re the physical embodiment of the enemies-to-lovers trope.”

Hero’s head snaps up at that, “wha-“

“Don’t worry,” Villain leans in to whisper in Reporter’s ear, “we’re still in the mutual pining stage.”

Prompt 361

“Now love, don’t do that.”

The hero jolted. Hair forgotten, their scissors dropped from their hands to the sink. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

The villain ignored the question. “Such perfect hair is hard to come by.” Their eyes made the hero’s stomach turn.

Prompt 356

“How much longer do I need to stay here?” The hero asked, eyes scanning the barren landscape. “I miss my city.”

Unbidden, a smile formed on the villain’s face. “Darling, if you’re fine with making me angry, you can leave whenever you want.”

Prompt 355

“No.”

The villain’s face fell and their flowers dropped. “Is it because of my criminal background? I’d give it all up.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” the hero answered with a sigh. “It’s me.”

Adoration and praise sprung to the villain’s lips, but the hero cut them off. “I don’t age.”

“You-”

“I’m not getting older. I’ll be here long after you’re dead.” Forgetting himself, the hero laid a hand on the villain’s cheek. “A sunset gone too soon.”

Prompt 353

Dear Santa, the hero wrote, Please give me a villain with brains this time.

Prompt 352

“Doc,” the villain looked at their therapist, eyes wide in realization. “I might have a thing for capes.”

Prompt 350

“Darling, I knew you were lying. I’m the most powerful person in the city.“ The villain said matter-of-factly. “No one dates me without trying for a taste of it.”

“Why- why would you….” Their lover stumbled over their words before adding quietly, “Why didn’t you break up with me?

The villain gave a sad smile and glanced down. “I hoped that your love for me trumped your lust for power.”

Prompt 349

The villains eyes raked over the hero’s brightly colored outfit and limply dangling cape. Their mouth twitched when the hero’s legs shook visibly. “Oh darling, you’ve walked into the lion’s den smelling of fresh meat.”

Prompt 348

“Rule of thumb: the more primary colours a super hero wears, the more likely they are to use ‘friendships as a power.’”

“And if it’s a supervillain?”

“…more likely to be a killer clown.”

Prompt 347

“If capes were a family, we’d be more incestuous than the Brady Bunch cast.”

Prompt #37

“Light cannot truly shine without darkness, you claim to never want to fight me but I’m the reason you have a job, [hero]”

Villain’s cocky attitude peaked further. Causing Hero to groan, they knew villain was right. They knew they wouldn’t be where they were if villain wasn’t around. Villain was a powerful, uncontainable force. Yet the flirting from villains part, the times they let the other “slip” off, the teasing touches when Hero got too close. Is what made hero fall for villain so hard.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t..-“

“Go on darling, finish that sentence, I’m dying to know what in that beautiful mind of yours,”

There they were again. Hero’s face felt hotter while their hands began to shaken. Bundling into fists to try and keep themselves together, but they knew they couldn’t. They knew that couldn’t be that easy.

Prompt #30

A caring hero who always makes sure that their villain is ok, even if it was at first platonic worrying after the hatred died off - at leas that’s what they told themselves. Villain believes it’s a trick but can’t help but swoon and melt whenever the fight ends when hero talks so sweet to them and lets them ‘slip away’ for another fight - so the cycle never has to end.

&. .

(  enemies  to  lovers?  slow  burns?  say  no  more.  various  sentence  starters  for  all  your  hero  x  villain  ship  needs.  )

• ❛ i could keep you safe. they’re all afraid of me. ❜
• ❛ you can’t do this for me. i won’t let you. ❜
• ❛ it’s not for you. it’s not a favor. it’s the cruelest thing i could do. ❜
  
• ❛ i warn you. i’ll break your heart. ❜
  
• ❛ i know you better than you know yourself. ❜
• ❛ i’m replaceable. you’re not. ❜
  
• ❛ i hope to be the one you break your rules for. ❜
  
• ❛ why am i so fascinated by you? ❜
• ❛ when i watch the world burn, all i think about is you. ❜
• ❛ your hands are scarred from murder, and yet i trust them completely. ❜
• ❛ whatever you do. you’re still my family. ❜
• ❛ we could be the greatest team the world has ever seen. ❜
  
• ❛ how many times are we going to keep meeting like this? ❜
  
• ❛ i just wish i could protect you from everything. ❜
• ❛ enemies make the best lovers, you know. ❜
• ❛ sleep. i’ll fight the bad dreams off if they come to get you. ❜
• ❛ you know, they’re going to use the things you love against you. ❜
• ❛ truth is, i didn’t expect to get this attached to you. ❜
• ❛ you frustrate me incredibly. ❜
• ❛ love me like my demons do. ❜
  
• ❛ thinking of you is a poison i drink often. ❜
• ❛ please don’t make me do this. ❜
• ❛ don’t do anything stupid until i get back. ❜
  
• ❛ you protect what you love. ❜
• ❛ my heart scares you and a gun doesn’t? ❜
• ❛ you bandaged my wound with one hand, and held a knife in the other. ❜
• ❛ you save everyone, but who saves you? ❜
• ❛ you kill me and you accomplish nothing. your world as you know it will end. ❜
  
• ❛ all we do together is make love or fight. ❜
• ❛ i love the way your eyes light up when someone says ‘it might be dangerous’. ❜
• ❛ when is a monster not a monster? when you love it. ❜
• ❛ it’s pathetic really, how much i hope it’s me and you in the end. ❜
• ❛ you were right. you break everything you touch. ❜
• ❛ i would destroy myself to fix you. ❜
• ❛ i’m not going to kill you. you don’t deserve that. ❜
  
• ❛ that’s how you want me, isn’t it? desperate, jealous, and willing to kill for you. ❜
• ❛ i’m sorry you’re afraid of being alone. ❜
• ❛ they made you into a weapon, and told you to find peace. ❜
  
• ❛ i wasn’t there for you when you needed me, and i’m sorry. ❜
• ❛ ‘all right’ is not a term anyone would use to describe you. ❜
• ❛ just like old times, huh? ❜
  
• ❛ then we fight. together. ❜
  
• ❛ oh, i’ve missed this! ❜
  
• ❛ i know you. you’re me. ❜
  
• ❛ i’ve seen who you are under the mask. ❜
  
• ❛ i should kill you. why can’t i kill you?! ❜
• ❛ i don’t know what i’d do if they hurt you. and that terrifies me. ❜
  
• ❛ the world doesn’t need someone like you. the world needs you. ❜
  
• ❛ bullet wounds don’t just miraculously heal overnight. ❜
  
• ❛ you were fighting to survive. i was fighting to win. ❜
  
• ❛ i wasn’t a person to you, i was a weapon, and you needed me to work. ❜
  
• ❛ you’re pulling your punches. ❜
  
• ❛ i wish things were different between us. ❜
  
• ❛ don’t scare me like that. i thought i lost you. ❜
• ❛ don’t you die on me. ❜
• ❛ you’re so bad at this. it’s cute. ❜
  
• ❛ they don’t know you like i know you. ❜
  
• ❛ i broke my rules for you. doesn’t that mean anything? ❜
  
• ❛ do you think i’d let anything happen to you? ❜
• ❛ if i told you about the darkness within me, would you still look at me as you are right now? ❜

“It’s okay,” the hero whispered, voice cracking, hands shaking as they took a hesitant step toward the villain, even as fear drummed in every frantic beat of their heart. “It’s okay, it’s not your fault—”

“It’s not your fault,” the villain mocked, sneering as they turned away from the hero. “That’s what they always say, isn’t it? It’s not your fault, you were mistreated, you poor thing, it’s not too late to change… Ugh.”

The villain paused, flashed a crooked grin over their shoulder, eyes dancing with mischief and chaos.

“A bit of credit, please, darling. I did this all on my own.”

“Please,” the hero whispered, bound hands shaking in front of them as fear thrummed in every frantic beat of their heart. “This isn’t my fault. I…”

The hero whimpered, pressing their eyes shut against the flow of tears.

“Oh, darling, I know.” The villain crouched down to wipe away a tear, lifting the hero’s chin so that their eyes met—there was real guilt, true pity, shining in the villain’s eyes, not that it made a difference now.

The villain pushed theirself back up to their feet with a sigh, turning away from the sight of the hero, scared and helpless and completely innocent, a sight that sent daggers straight through the villain’s heart over and over again.

“Such a shame that you must be the one to pay the price.”

“I won’t let you do this.”

The villain laughed at that. “And what could you possibly do to stop me? Die?”

“If I have to.” The hero’s voice was calm, their heartbeat steady, their eyes set with determination.

“Oh, no,” the villain grinned, plucking the sword from the hero’s hand like it was nothing as pure chaos swirled in the depths of those dark eyes. “No, you’re much too precious for that.”

“Miss me?”

A crooked grin spread across the villain’s lips at the sight of their hero standing before them once again.

“Yes,” the hero whispered, without hesitation. Their voice was small and weak, but their heart warmed at the sound of the villain’s voice, tense shoulders slumping in relief as they met the villain’s eyes. “Yes.”

The villain’s face fell into a frown, eyes flicking up and down the hero, taking them in—they were thinner than before, tired and bruised and beaten, their eyes empty and broken—the villain’s heart cracked at the sight of it.

“Come on in, then,” the villain said, voice soft as they stepped aside for the hero. “I’ve missed you too.”

“How does it feel?” the hero grinned, voice dripping with venom. “To be powerless?”

The villain strained desperately, helplessly, against the chains that bound them, reaching inside theirself for the magic that should be thrumming through their veins, for any hint of their power, but they were empty. Trapped.

“Please,” the villain whispered, voice cracking.

“Not so fun, is it?” The hero flashed a wicked smile, cruel delight shining in their eyes as they leaned over the villain, trailed a finger down the villain’s shoulder.

The villain flinched at the touch, at the hero’s closeness, thrashing wildly against bonds they had no hope of breaking—not with their power gone, stripped away by the hero. Panic hit the villain in full force, blurring their thoughts, burning in their chest, crushing the air from their lungs.

“Please,” the villain whispered again, a soft, broken plea. “I’ll do anything.”

“Oh, darling,” the hero sighed, nails digging into the villain’s skin as they stood to tower over their prisoner.

“It’s too late.”