I know we talk about purity culture a lot but one thing that I think stemmed from that (and is really annoying to have to explain every time it comes up) is the idea that you have to justify a bad character’s actions before you can like them. antagonists and villains make a story interesting, it’s okay to like them just because they’re entertaining or the aesthetic is cool or you like a foil to the hero or whatever. villains are interesting. you can enjoy them without explaining why they’re actually totally innocent and misinterpreted or whatever
reasons I have liked villains/antagonists before without agreeing with their actions:
- their aesthetic is cool
- their motives are complex and well-written so their character is just incredibly interesting to think about
- they’re simply ✨funny✨
- they have a really interesting dynamic with the hero
- their backstory or motives are relatable so I can see where they’re coming from
- they parallel another character and it’s cool to see the “they went down this road but this other character coped/chose differently so now one’s a hero and one’s a villain” situation
- they just cause trouble and that’s entertaining
“this character did this bad thing though” yes have you considered that, as an antagonist, that is literally their purpose
