How to create a Gorgeous Antagonist?

Is she a Villain?
Is she a Nemesis?
Here is a process to create your final antagonist.

Your Antagonist doesn’t have to be antagonistic to the reader.
Your Antagonist can be sympathetic to the reader.
What if the Protagonist had the less desirable position through your story?
Would you pass onto the Antagonist’s side?
Most likely…
What about the cast of your story?

Her grandiose Goal, Her nurturing Name

Characters begin as Souls.
The physical manifestation is 2ndary.
Therefore, considerations such as gender, ethnicity or age are irrelevant in the early stages of character creation.
- Age could matter more than the other 2 for experiences reason or skill honing.
- But even then your characters could be organized, efficient & focused and therefore develop their potential faster.
- Teamwork & support from their peers (allies or adversaries) also helps.

An Antagonistic soul impresses.
It may be rejected or accepted, but an antagonistic soul provokes reactions.
An Antagonistic Goal is 1 that will face rejection.
It is also a goal that will attract other Souls.
The best goals are team-oriented.
Being an antagonist does not mean being selfish.
Your antagonist needs to take care of her team.
The gorgeous antagonist will gather different layers of allies.
1 of them being their family.

Her Name will translate her goal.
You can also describe her most core personality trait through her name.
The place she was created would make a suitable name.
This place determined what her life would be.
It is in most cases the origin of her goal.
Where does she come from?
Who raised her?

Her obvious Strength – Charm

Physical

If your character can get physical sympathy from both sexes you’ve did it right.
Here, it’s not about physical attraction only.
The other part of the equation is impersonation.
Would it be enjoyable to be with or to be your antagonist?
Since it is an Antagonist you will not get full adhesion.
However, chances are high that even the part of the public reluctant to admit their attraction to your character may want to impersonate her.

Tall & thin will be the obvious choices.
Maybe too obvious.
Try something not too muscular regardless of the gender.
Some level of musculature development may greatly enhance the attractiveness of your female antagonists.
Principally at the end of the limbs: forearms & calves.
Try 3 different Antagonists morphologies (Slender, Curvaceous & Plump) in the same Trilogy.
How many body types do you know?
How many body types do you want to use?
How many head shapes do you know?
How many head shapes do you want to use?

Think clear, appealing shapes.
Curves does not always mean volume.
Balance the levels of right angles & curves in your characters designs.
If you have no previous experience with drawing/painting, try to look at George Bridgman’s works on human anatomy & figure drawing.
- It would greatly help to develop a balanced sense of pose drawing & mannerism in your figures.
Try creating simple rounded characters.
Pick 3 little animals.
Develop 9 characters around them.
Pick 3 slender animals.
Develop 9 characters around them.
Pick 3 large animals.
Develop 9 characters around them.

Mental

Calm & composed?
That’s a way, but the right level of aggressiveness can work even better.
A slow, soft antagonist can easily be perceived as entrancing, as a source of security.
But a rightfully agressive character, or an ambitious/confident one will act as a straight sword.
Which one do you prefer?
The Calm, Soft type will be perceived as a threat only latter in the story.
Where the Hard, Reactive type can be built as a Rival, allowing you to introduce her in the 1st chapter.

Whichever your choice is be sure to show the Antagonist’s management skills, particularity if it is your final antagonist.
Your Antagonist leads, even indirectly.
If she does not give the orders, she must enroll potent & reliable lieutenants.

Her Strength to Hone – Create relatability

Progress, Evolution, Change.
This is what your Antagonist strives for.

Where does she come from?
The Strength you Antagonist wishes to acquire is something she’s missing from an early age.
Because she was lacking this Strength she lost a precious thing.
Through this loss she realized her powerlessness.
Whatever the Lessons she needs to learn, these should be displayed clearly.
Her Hopes can be displayed directly through her acts, discourse or manners.
They can be displayed indirectly through her acts, discourse or manners of their allies.

Who raised her?
Was it a family member?
Was it a stranger who captured her?
With/without her knowing?
What did this person promise her?
What did this person offer her?
Is this character still alive?
Will you use her in your Story?
What did she teach the Antagonist?
What were/is this person’s Strengths?
What was/is this person’s Goal?
Did she transmit this Goal to the Antagonist?

What was their life like?
Why did they quit the place they were born?

What were the 1st Crisis the Antagonist faced?
What were the latter Crisis the Antagonist faced?
What were the 1st Crisis the Antagonist caused?
What were the latter Crisis the Antagonist caused?

Her obvious Weakness – Ambition

Ambition is the reason why your Antagonist, or your protagonist, may lose.
Taking initiatives & risks is part of your main characters soul.
That’s why they’re the main characters.

Main Character is used indifferently, wherever it is an Antagonist/Protagonist.
It just reveals the level of importance of the Character.

An Ambitious character is Built on Want.
Want is the result of shortage.
The deeper the lack, the stronger the Want.

What did your character do to transform their Physical appearance?
How will this appearance serve her goal?
How can you see her ambition in her accessories?
Her Body?
How does she display this appearance?
Who walks with her?
How does she dress usually?
On Ceremonies/Celebrations?

What did she do to reach her Mental state?
Who admires her?
How does that affect their actions?
How does she speak usually?
During tensed situations?
To people she dislikes?

Where does she come from?
What habits did she develop by living in this place?
What’s her perspective on the outer world?
What Abuses did she face?
How Frustrating was the life in this place?
How degraded was the place itself?
Could she access basic Necessities?
Could she fulfill growth-related needs?

Who raised her?
What Weaknesses did she transmit to the Antagonist?
Did she Abuse the Antagonist?
What’s the Antagonist perspective on strangers since?
How Frustrated this person was?
Where did her Frustration came from?
Could she fulfill the Antagonist’s basic Necessities?
Did it fill her frustration?
Did it remember how incapable she was?

What was their life like?
Did they ever went out for vacation?
Where they cloistered in a prison?
Was the Antagonist lost this person?
Did she quit the place she was born because of this person’s demise?

Hidden Weakness – Enhance relatability

Your Antagonist’s hidden nature will unfold in the last chapters of your story.

How do you want the public to feel about her?
Do you want to public to be Disgusted by your Antagonist?
To feel betrayed because at the end they discovered the nature of their goal?
To finally feel sympathy/empathy, because they discovered their goal?
To feel rightful for hating this discutable Individual for the whole story?
To feel regretful/ashamed for hating this relatable Individual for the whole story?

How to choose the Hidden Weakness?
What’s the 1st Trauma your Antagonist went through?
How did it change her?
How does she react when it is mentioned?
How did she act for preventing people from discovering it?
Does she know who knows about it?
What’s her relationship to these people?
Can she silence them if necessary?

The 1st Scar never heals.
Capitalize on it.
It shouldn’t be the lone reason why your Antagonist is weak though.
Find a quirk to enhance the effect of this traumatism.
Make it a mundane habit for the character.
It can be a favorite dish.

A Silent/Quiet Antagonist

How composed is she when it comes to end one’s life?
An Animal life.
A Human life.

How composed is she when death comes for her?

Don’t let her be alone.

A gorgeous Antagonist builds her Team around her Goal.
She needs advisors, suppliers, motivators, protectors.
She needs support from external parties too.
Her ability to identify stakeholders, particularly opponents to her goal, is crucial.
If she ever needs to adapt her strategy, namely ask for the Protagonists help, she ought to understand who is reliable.

She can use people, without harming them.
She does not need to hinder to succeed.
In acts & manners she must attract.
She can even be admired by most of your cast.

I love you.

It is the final form of Antagonistic relationship.
The moment you decide to develop a Soul/Mind/Flesh relationship between your Antagonists & Protagonists is the moment your story becomes endearing.
Your Protagonist will have to face the Antagonist personally.
Or choose to flee.

The relation does not have to be visible in the early chapters.
It doesn’t have to be conclusive, even at the end.
It doesn’t even have to be supported by the cast.
- It could be rejected by every other character, it doesn’t matter.
What matters is your Protagonist/Antagonist.

It doesn’t have to be straightforward.
Even the Antagonist may be unaware at 1st.
It can be pointed out by a 3rd party, a member of either team.
Or even someone outside the Antagonist’s & the Protagonist’s team.
Someone totally oblivious to the situation.
This outsider may even want to exploit this unforeseen relationship to destroy both teams.