Foreshadowing evil characters

[Hope Ann]

Fun question from Livi today!

How does one go about foreshadowing that a character (who everyone thinks is a good guy) is evil/antagonistic in such a way that, if one is paying enough attention to the little details, one could quickly put two and two together and realize it? So that, if you’re just reading along, you and the other characters realize it at the same time, but you could figure it out first fairly easily.

Any thoughts, people?

@banana-peacock-warrior, @abigail-rebekah, @esmeralda-gramilton, @emberynus-the-dragonslayer, @hope-mcclellan

[Emberynus The Dragonslayer]

@hope-ann

Cool question!! I do things like that in stories, it’s just hard to narrow it down to a specific technique

Sold souls and dead promises

[Esmeralda Gramilton]

@hope-ann Who should I tag in?

 

I have been trying to use a character like that, so I get it. It’s hard.

This character has a keeps-to-himself sort of personality, though, so it’s a bit harder for the main character to notice at first. Besides that, the main character knows their relationship is sort of shaky and they exactly best friends, either. So I use this to avoid suspicion, but you don’t have to.

The main character starts realizing things when a) the main character stops showing up a regularly as they normally do, b) they stop accepting help as often, and c) they don’t offer any really good explanations, are distant, and have stopped helping the main character as often. This happens because the character is working more actively with the bad organization off-page; is trying to improve his own skills, without help from anyone; and is trying to figure out which side he really needs to be on but is being forced onto both by different people with different intentions.

The final foreshadowing comes when the main character asks for the character to join a good organization with him several times, and the character always refuses. The final time, both characters have a fight over why the character won’t explain anything says he’s trying to help the world but when something comes up he won’t do anything about it, and so on. The character finally leaves, and the main character tries to follow (but of course things go wrong on him).

I don’t know if I should go on, or if that answered the question at all, but that’s how I’m doing it for my story. Hope it’s helpful.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Esmeralda Gramilton.

I wonder what I was thinking whenever I re-read my old, well-loved stories

[Hope Ann]

@esmeralda-gramilton You can tag whoever you like; you probably better know the people here who would be most interested in this question.

I like your answer. And another way to do it is using the MC as an unreliable narrator. If he or she actually does have a really good relationship with the villain, then they’ll be more likely to trust him and trust his reasonings. You can show little hints, like Esmeralda said, with the villain not showing up on time for rescues or doing these little things here or there but the MC is so sure of his friend that the reader is emotionally sure of him while someone looking closely will start to get suspicious.

[Esmeralda Gramilton]

@hope-ann Thanks! This is honestly helping me, too!

I wonder what I was thinking whenever I re-read my old, well-loved stories

[Author]

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