Warrior Cat Clichès

Part 6 - The Evil Bad Guy

Well, if there's one thing I love about a good story, it's a darn good villan.  If there's one thing I love more than a darn good villan, it's a darn good protagonist villan.  To the Dark Forest with those goody-two-shoes prophecy cats.  Before we get to how to make your main character feel more realistic, I want to have a look at the Big Bad.  

Because honestly, they are so much more interesting to read and write about.  

Most authors make a few key mistakes when creating villans, and I want to share them with you.  Often, a good villan can make your story go from good to great.  

Mistake #1 -  Evil for the sake of being evil

No-o-o.  Every good villan needs a motive, a reason to destroy the world.  You know what, they doesn't even have to destroy the world.  Chances are, they're trying to take over the Clan.  Why?  Ambition?  Do they feel that they can make the Clan a better place if they were to lead?  Well, maybe they just want to murder a cat.  Why?  Is it because they held some grudge against that cat?  Was it an accident?  Are they just a really bloodthirsty cat?  Then why?  

Why are there so many questions here?

I don't know.  Point is, your villan needs a reason to do anything, just like your hero does.  

Mistake #2 - I am the evilest evil cat in the history of the Clans MUHUHAHA- cough splutter choke

As well as a motive, your villan needs evil-flaws.  No, Darksoul who goes around murdering kits heartlessly and also hates the world and also is a jerk is not the best villan ever because 'look at how evil he is!'.  Just as your hero needs flaws, your villan needs postitive traits.  That's what makes the most sympathetic villan.  Have a look at Tigerstar; he was ambitious, would kill cats to get his way, and is known as the greatest warriors villan - and for good reason.  He did some pretty bad stuff.  But, if you've read Tigerstar's fury, you can get to know his side of the story and his personality.  He places very high value on loyalty, and he does what he genuinely thinks is best for the Clan.  He thinks that Bluestar is destroying the Clan with her 'weak' way of leading.  He is very loyal to his followers, and he has the capacity to love and be loved.  Tigerstar isn't all bad, and that's what makes him a great character.

Mistake #3 - My name is Badguy

Another thing about villans: their names.  Do not under any circumstances name your villan anything that would identify them as evil.  Anything to do with darkness is a bad start, and things such as blades and knifes and whatever are just plain stupid, honestly.  As stated before, cats don't know what they are, and it just makes you sound silly.  Blackheart can be just as evil as Leafpelt.  An evil-sounding name is the equivalent of sticking a sign on the cat saying 'I'm the villan of this book!'.  Just, no.  The villan is a character just like any other cat, and you will treat them as such.

Mistake #4 - The author said let there be villan, and they saw that the villan was bad.

A believable villan doesn't just appear out of nowhere.  They have a history.  A life.  They started out as an innocent kit, and for some reason now they go around making other cats' lives miserable.  Why?  Even if you don't include all of this story in your writing, you as the author need to know each step of the villan's journey.  Because just like your hero, your villan will have gone through something that will have made them this way.  Actually, the backstories for a hero and a villan often aren't that different.  The only difference is that when bad things happened to the good guy, they got through it and became better cats, while the bad guy became bitter/angry/delusional and started to become the villan we all love and hate.  Every good villan needs a backstory.

There are probably other things that I've forgotten about, but I think that these four things are what most writers forget when making a villan.  Now, how to apply them.  You may have noticed back there that I mentioned a cat by the name of Darksoul.  He is Sparkleshine's foil.  

Yes, I just made that up then.  Shhh.

Let's fix Sparkleshine: Villan edition

Darksoul is a black tabby who has grey eyes and is very stern-looking.  He hates everything, especially Sparkleshine, and murdered her mother and father when she was a kit for no apparent reason.  Later in life, he attempted (Sparkleshine stopped him) to kill the Clan leader so that he could take over the Clan.  No-one knows where he came from, as he was a warrior when Sparkleshine was born and the whole story revolves around her.  

Sigh.  His appearance is very dark, so I'm going to change that to a grey tabby pelt.  A dark pelt isn't bad, but it just limits my non-evil-sounding name choices.  

Appearance: Ash, Stripe, Grey, Mouse, 

Personality: Frost, Stone, Mask, Cold, Ice, Claw

Decent names: Stonefall, Ashstripe, Mouseclaw, Greyfrost

Hey look, we found some names.  I'm going to go with Stonefall, purely because it has the least amount of canon association.  Keep in mind that Tiger- Hawk- Frost- and Claw- are very villan-y name components in the warriors fandom.  

Well, now Stonefall is okay from the outside, but now let's work on the inside.  Why did he kill Sparkleshine's parents?  Maybe he had had a relationship with her mother, and now he was furious that she had chosen someone else over him.  Maybe her having his kits was the breaking point and he decided to kill them.  Or maybe he didn't.  It's up to the author to know why the bad guy does every bad thing he does.  Why did he try to take over the Clan?  Maybe he got a prophecy from StarClan/Dark Forest that told him that Sparkleshine would destroy the Clan if she became leader.  Maybe the whole book is about him trying to stop her because he thinks that he's the hero?

Plot twist.  Anyway, you should know a lot more about your villan than that, but asking yourself questions is a great way to find out more about any character.  Another important thing to include is the villan's relatives.  Their parents.  Siblings, if applicable.  That one uncle who actually approves of them.  The more you find out about your villan, the better they will be.  

Well, I think that concludes this chapter.  Thanks to all who read, vote and