Chapter 2: Good VS Evil

A lot of authors on the internet write about antagonists. Far more than starring a good character. Yet all of these lack a certain thing - any true good character.

And, well, this is not about "having things only black and white". It's about moral values. When nobody has any, it seems "realistic". Yet a lot of people actually always, in any situation, strife toward certain moral values, at least one of them, to give an order to their life. Even the most badass and evil person may value loyalty. Even the darkest psychopath may be absolutely honest. And even the harshest and cruel mentor may be willing to endure almost anything when his pupil is in danger.

It is said that a hero always needs an antagonist.

So the authors portraying a good character took a lesson from it and have these antagonists. Usually people - or creatures - with dark plans, cunning thinking, and always underestimating the heroes.

Yet antagonists… also need heroes.

In photography, people can say that contrast is important. They would say it's important when changing environments in a movie. Or a computer game.

It's also important when thinking of characters. Antagonist can't move the story forward and improve himself without any obstacles, and having an antagonist among other antagonist is too tiring to read - it will be "power-up", "a fight", "temporary ally" - then repeat, all the time.

Characters need to have an attittude, and in order to give between their attitudes deeper contrast in the story, their attitudes have to have a stance toward where their bottom line stands, what they consider good and what they consider evil.

Attitudes also need to keep developing, and it's impossible to develop them without the character having a stance toward life itself - including morality.