#hero and villain dynamic

[knight--error]

A random scenario or trope I love to see in fiction is when character A has been beaten to a pulp, totally brought to submission, and is about to be finished off by character B, but before it can happen, C, a much, much weaker character, steps in B's way and says something to the effect of, "I won't let you do this. If you insist on it anyway, you will have to go through me."

You often see this used as a way to humanize villainous characters—or make "heroic" characters much less heroic. In either of these, A is more heroic, B is more villainous, and C is someone B holds dear, usually a child. This can come across as very heavy-handed if done poorly, but when it's executed well, whether A relents or not, it's a gut punch. Seeing your downed enemy, knowing victory is yours, knowing the struggle is over, only to be brought up short by the realization that the person you just defeated is just that. A person. So maybe you stop, you reconsider; or maybe all your considering is done, and the hammer has to come down. Great drama either way.

Personally, I think it's even more interesting and dramatic when it's the hero who is down, and the villain is brought up short by a display of this kind. That's when things get really tasty, because it implies all manner of internal conflict. Your villain isn't the sort to simply blast through a vastly inferior obstacle—why? Is it the power imbalance that makes them think? If C were a fighter in their own right, would your villain just blast through them at once? If C is a child, is that the only thing saving their life? Or is it the simple and powerful display of love that makes them realize they've gone astray?

The power imbalance between A and C—whatever moral lines A falls across—is the real meat of the matter to me. C stands without a hope, without a whisper of a prayer of success. They have put themselves directly between the gun barrel and the person they love, even though they know that bullet can punch straight through them and still hit its mark. All they can hope is that their willingness to sacrifice themselves can make A pause, just for a moment.

Another excellent twist of the knife is when B is conscious enough to try to get C to leave them behind, to not sacrifice themself for B. When C is young, this is especially heartbreaking, because it usually takes the form of B insisting they'll be alright, and they just need C to turn away, go in the next room, go outside—because all B can do is spare C the sight of what's about to happen.

It can also be very effective if C and A have a connection, maybe even a more intense one than C has with A. In that scenario, it's usually C trying to pull A out of a morality spiral before they hit the event horizon, which is great climactic stuff.

I think the thing that makes the whole scenario interesting is how power shifts along unusual lines. C is the weakest of the three, but for a moment, they are the crux of the scene. Then that power passes back to A, because what happens next is up to them—but it's no longer a physical fight, like it was just a second ago when they took down B. It's a moral one. What are you going to do? Are you going to do the right thing? Is the right thing to take down B, whatever else happens? Or is the right thing to not hurt C, even if that means B leaves this place alive? All very juicy stuff, very fun.

[peanutheaddd]

bitches will genuinely just be drawing anything

close ups 👇👇👇

[pianokantzart]

Brothership is really good guys

[the-bar-sinister]

Obsessed with villainous displays of affection.

violence on their beloved's behalf.

deranged compliments and praising bad deeds.

stealing nice things for their beloved.

jealousy and possessiveness.

encouraging their beloved to be worse.

crimes together.

[wiingdings]

cat people

[text-ink-png]

The hero looked around the alley and startled as they saw two amber eyes staring right back at them. They cautiously backed away, hoping that the villain would at least give them a chance to explain.

"I've been waiting." The low rumble of the villain's voice brought goosebumps on the hero's arms. They were truly in trouble. The villain's usual jovial mood and happy demeanor were nowhere to be seen.

Oh no, they were truly in trouble.

"Look, I-" The hero fumbled, wringing their fingers nervously. "I know I messed up. It was just too nerve-wracking. Going against my mentor...I tried but honestly the pressure caught up to me. I was thinking that I was all alone but I was still trying, but then the media showed up which meant it was live and everyone was-"

"How is your leg?"

"Huh?" The hero stopped blabbering and looked at villain's face. The villain's face did not give away any signs of anger but it almost seemed...worried? No, the shadows from the street lights must be messing up villain's face.

"Your leg. I watched the broadcast and you took a terrible fall. Let me look at it."

The hero hurriedly stepped back as the villain reached for their leg. Was this some other kind of punishment for messing up? The hero had often heard rumors of the villain's brutal methods. Was this one of the tortures?

"Hero" The Hero stilled, shaking in fear as the Villain stood in front of them, daring them to take another step. They flinched as the villain bent down to observe their leg. They felt a warm hand rest on their knee. Oh lord, were they going to snap their knee?

The hero relaxed as they felt warmth seep into their leg from villain's palm. Right, they had heard about villain's ability to heal. The warmth seemed to be pressing a comforting hand to their back as if beckoning them to take rest.

The hero felt their body hit the ground but felt no pain. No, they felt as if they were in heaven, floating through clouds while angels sang in their ears.

One such angel looked down at them and shook their head. They ruffled hero's hair and whispered, "What am I supposed to do with you?" The angel was truly beautiful.

Oh, the hero must be in some kind of trouble.

[nutsack90]

just a normal girl

[jasontoddsguns]

Soulmates, but in the way that we are both distorted images of each-other, a reminder of who we could’ve become if we had taken a different path. We will inevitably die at each other’s hands- both attempting to destroy our antithesis.

[0vergrowngraveyard]

there’s a universe where forces in a tails centric game where we follow him as he grows into his own hero i can feel it in my bones

[ladykatibeth]

I have to admit as much as there is a toxic yaoi kind of vibe with Stobotnik—part of the appeal for me is that it’s kid cartoon villain toxic yaoi. Sure they’re out for world domination—but they’re doing it in the most silly way possible. All the flair, little serious effort.

Eventually they settle into a dynamic that’s just Sonic and Co vs the Robotniks but it’s got zero actual stakes on either side. Sonic and Co is invited to their wedding, and then they’re back at fighting each other a week later.

Despite this Robotnik and Stone are fulfilled by trying to plan and execute evil schemes despite never succeeding (they are annoyed by this) and Sonic and co also get to let some energy out by thwarting them. Symbiosis.

[whump-in-the-closet]

A hero infiltrating supervillain’s base only to find a severely malnourished and miserable villain cleaning the floors.

They lock eyes and there’s a dead glint in villains gaze.

Hero is horrified. “I- I thought you were second in command.”

Villain slowly stands up, the chain on their ankles rattling. “I was. Until I let you go.”

A heartbeat of a pause. An almost apologetic look. “I can’t show you mercy again. Not now, not ever.” And then they call for Supervillain.

[uv-ray-writes]

“You should have just let me die,” the hero says as they stare at the ceiling, voice barely a whisper. The bed they’re lying in is hard and unfamiliar. Figures that even the villain’s infirmary would be shitty.

“And lose the satisfaction of killing you myself?” the villain replies from the bed next to the hero.

“It costed you though,” the hero says. They’re trying really hard not to think about it, but images of the villain getting their legs crushed keep flooding their mind.

“You think too little of the capabilities of my medical team. We’re much better than that team of idiots you have running around at your place.”

“It’s going to cost you more, you know,” the hero is trying really hard to stop their voice from shaking. It’s difficult. It’s difficult just having this conversation. They never would have imagined them being in this situation at all. Not in a million years. “They really want me dead.”

“Well, we’ll see about that.”

There’s a long silence after that.

The hero isn’t sure what to say. What are they even supposed to do? Are they supposed to thank the villain? Apologise? What are you even supposed to do when your enemy saves you from people you never thought you needed saving from?

[beargyufairy]

No one mourns the wicked

No, one mourns the wicked

[whatthehellami]

artwork is not mine

[the-bar-sinister]

Villain monologue? Excuse me I am infodumping to you about my special interest and my special interest is death traps, machinations, and machiavellian plans.

You'll find that if you've paid enough attention to my interests, you'll be able to escape your inevitable death at my nefarious hands, and we can start building a relationship out of this.

[rinlolsworld]

the amount of down-right defamatory things I’ve heard being said about shadowvanilla shippers (especially on TikTok) is absolutely insane.

- NO! not ALL of them “hate” purelily, seamoon, or other ships other than theirs.

(I find this statement extremely ironic considering that most of the time it’s THEIR shippers harassing shadowvanilla shippers (AGAIN!!! NOT ALL OF THEIR SHIPPERS DO THIS!!!) but most of the time it IS them)

- NO! not ALL of them get mad as hell when you tell them their ship is toxic

(THEY ALREADY KNOW THAT!!!! WHY DO YOU THINK THEY CALL IT “TOXIC YAOI”?)

- NO! not ALL of them support “abuser x victim ships” or proships OR ANYTHING ELSE PROBLEMATIC!

I want to add more but these are ones I see most commonly and it’s driving me insane.

look if you don’t like shadowvanilla, that’s completely fine! you don’t like it, you just don’t like it, fine!

what you SHOULDN’T be doing is harassing, insulting, or downright spreading misinformation about the shippers or the ship itself because you don’t like the ship!

It isn’t quirky, it’s not cute, you’re not “a queen” for doing that NO! YOU’RE JUST AN ASSHOLE!

and now I ask:

LEAVE. SHADOWVANILLA. SHIPPERS. ALONE.

YOU RESPECTING THEM OR THE SHIP ISN’T KILLING ANYONE

just leave them alone, stop bothering them. please.

thank you ❤️ and let’s learn to respect eachother guys.

one last thing: yes! I am aware that toxic shadowvanilla shippers DO exist and if you have personally been harassed by one I am so sorry that you had to deal with that, I can assure you, we DO NOT claim them.

edit: I’m so glad many of you agree ❤️ I really needed to get this off my chest because it seriously pisses me off how shadowvanilla and its shippers are treated in this fandom