Lady BiBi

1.“I know what you did.”

2.“Just play along. Please.”

3.“When I let go, run for your life.”

4.“Don’t open your eyes.” 

5.“Don’t look.” 

6.“You’re right. None of this is real.”

7.“They can hear us.”

8.“Play along or they might take us both.”

9.“I always knew you’d die in my arms.”

9.“Go. Go now, and don’t look back.”

10.“Wake up. Before they get you too.” 

11.“You know I’m not real, don’t you?”

12.“Don’t. Move.”

13.“How can’t you see them? They’re right there!”

14.“It’s almost like when you were still alive.”

15.“Wrong choice.”

16.“You’ll be free soon.”

17.“You can’t go back home now. They’ll be waiting.” 

18.“Shh. They’ve got your apartment bugged.”

19.”I’ll make it quick, I promise.”

Person B: “A cat.”

Person A: “That is clearly a dragon wearing a cat ear headband.”

Person B: “No it’s not, it’s a cat.”

Person A: “That breathes fire?”

———————–

Gracias.

Gracia walked through the dirt path, purposefully soiling her foot with the mud. The A.I has decorated herself with shrubs and         flowers, replacing them often as they withered, experimenting with different floral arrangements as she observed her figure on the surface of puddles. The mother of Gracia, her maker and programmer gave her an important task, to document the inevitable extinction of humanity.

She walked with humans, recorded their words, fought to save them, and in the end they perished. The android was evidence that humanity existed, that they were terrible and wonderful, proof of their songs and dance, unity and prejudice, and war on peace. Her creator never programmed her with this unstable duality of humans, however she suspected that Gracia would develop it, as any creature with sentience eventually would anyways. The robot loved humans, she remembers fondly as the last child adorned her with a flower crown, and died in her arms, due to exposure of radiation. She thanked her earnestly, for playing hopscotch with her, as they drew the patterns with loose tar. The wandering A.I fought feelings of contempt and blame, “why did Mother create me, if the end of my journey guaranteed solitude? Why did she program me to love perishable creatures while I remain indestructible?”

Gracia continued wandering.

While carefully tracing the hopscotch patterns on the dirty concrete, a creak was heard. The android was startled, the sound could only be produced by the grinding of metal, at first, she shrugged it off, many machines break down and tumble over, the thanked one continued doodling with the tar.

Until a rhythmic sound was produced, defying the randomness of decay. Gracia ran to the corner to the source of the sound and observed as a tiny screen scuttered around finding shelter under a mountain of vehicles. Behind the wreckage, a small optic form peered closer, investigating her. The tiny screen ran off, Gracia did not give chase, she felt as if this would diminish any chance of making contact, if the small anomaly was too frightened.

Day by day she visited the wreckage, and each time she brought over a new object for the screen to investigate, on display the creature would correspond by showing an appropriate footage, in a way the small bot was trying to communicate, the only way it could, borrowing from humanity’s database, of shot or animated footage, and the many recorded sounds. If Gracia offered a flower, it would display nature documentaries, few times she brought small animals, and it showed her footage of “Courage the Cowardly Dog” or “Tom and Jerry”. This became her daily routine and she enjoyed it thoroughly, and one day, it said “Hi!”

To be fair, you’d never expected to see your usually playful and doting companion, kill someone so brutally and efficiently. 

Despite wanting to believe otherwise, it was obvious that they were no stranger to such an act, their movements having been too smooth, and their expression, though filled with cold rage, still far too unfazed by their opponents painful demise, to point to anything else. Even if their actions had been to save you, the sudden change from the mischievous, and playful character that you were so use to, to someone so brutal and ruthless, had left you deeply shaken. Much as you were ashamed to admit it to yourself, you honestly couldn’t tell if your near death experience, was even the cause of the continued pounding of your heart, anymore.

One look at their face, as they finally turned back towards you however, and you instantly knew your answer.

Though that terrifying coldness was still present in their unnervingly sharp gaze, so too, was an emotion that you had never imagined you would see on their usually jovial face. In that moment, your ever cool and in control, companion, was showing genuine fear.

Person B: “Arsenic.”

In today's media, it is common for villains to be looked upon favourably by the audience. With villains getting redemption arcs left right and centre, it is the habit of the audience to ask why villains are the way they are and how they can become good guys. Characters are meant to grow within the narrative and while some writers prefer to offer the same chance to their villain (a perfectly valid choice), sometimes villains should not get the chance . If you don't want your work you put into your villain going to waste, then this is the guide for you.

Why Your Villain might be forgiven for being Evil.

They are aesthetically pleasing. (Some audience members forgive villains because they are pretty. We've all done it. No judging. Y'all know exactly who I'm talking about.)

They are probably more fun than your hero. (why be Batman when you can be Joker)

They have a tragic backstory.

They have a reason for their evilness.

They are more charismatic than your hero.

What Makes a Villain Unsympathetic?

What typically negates redeemablity for most villains in the eyes of the audience are the crimes. One cannot redeem Hitler, so to speak. If the crime cannot be forgiven it must be punished.

The Villains do not see anything wrong with what they did. Villains who do not repent themselves are unworthy of sympathy. Villains who continue believing in their idealogy long through the narrative, usually don't meet the audience's sympathy. We never ever forgive Dolores Jane Umbridge for her ideals and nor does she ever repent. When Voldemort rises to power, she stays at the ministry as his Inquisitor to interrogate muggleborns.

They have done terrible acts for their own gain. One could understand a villain destroying worlds for the protection of a beloved or an idea, such as Thanos wiping out the universe. We don't support it but we understand it to some extent. But to act out of greed for oneself is rarely sympathetic. For Example Emperor Palpatine turns Anakin's allegiances by playing on his weaknesses: his mistrust of the jedi council, the looming death of Padme and his insecurity. Even when Anakin has wholly given himself to the Sith, Paplatine informs him that it was his actions that killed Padme. There was no reason for this save to keep Anakin hating the jedi.