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The trick I'm running into is keeping the character mysterious enough. I don't want them to appear clearly as a villain, just suspicious, and it's a hard balance
Love your videos! Turning to you from other UA-camrs because you dont ram marketing down my throat and instead do concise thought-provoking content. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for this feedback - I really appreciate it. I'll do my best to keep improving my videos and hopefully continue to provide value to you going forward 🙂
It's an older example and it's urban fantasy, but Orihara Izaya from Durarara!! is just like that. He's actually the first trickster villain I have ever meet, and I think he's a way better example than Loki. He's an information broker in Ikebukuro, a city with supernatural entities like a headless rider, and everytime something bad happens he's involved (Shizuo, Izaya's nemesis, quoted this himself). Be it a new supernatural, gang fights, whatever, he's ALWAYS involved. He's so chaotic that in the anime he plays chess with shogi pieces, chess and other game's pieces, making the game impossible to be understood by anyone but him. Izaya acts like he's above humans, claiming that he loves humans and loves seeing their actions. He's always smiling and pissing people off. But he hates Shizuo, because Shizuo isn't a 'human' due his super-strength - despite Shizuo being far more humane than him, and being more loved than him. This makes Izaya wonders why humans love a 'monster' like Shizuo who can easily hurt people, but not him, when he loves humans so much. There's even a part where he's playing with cards and he says Celty is the queen, Shizuo is the king and he's the joker. But strangely, he frowns at realizing he's the joker and sets the cards on fire. Shinra, Izaya's only friend once said that Izaya is actually far more sensitive than people take him for. And if someone were to actually "love" him and shower him with love, he'd probably break. Which did not made sense at first since all we've been shown is Izaya scheming, manipulating events like a puppet master, and pissing people off. It gets to a point where he's stabbed, the news of his attack is aired on TV and NO ONE gives a shit lol (not even Shinra.) It's such a funny scene because the news are shown being aired and everyone is doing their thing and not paying attention to the TV. A clear message that Izaya managed to alienate himself from others so much they don't care for him not even to cheer on the news. But here's the thing: thanks to Izaya's schemes, the color gangs in Ikebukuro almost disappeared (because he schemes for them to fight each other), the rate of crimes such as human trafficking went down, and overall there's a lot of good side effects to the plans he orchestrated. Whether this is purposeful or not, we're left wondering. And by the end of the novel (SPOILERS!!!).... he gets beaten so bad by Shizuo and almost dies, he ends up in a wheelchair but even if he has the option to treat his legs, which are paralyzed by the trauma, he chooses not to treat it. In a way for paying for everything he did. Funnily enough, when he moves to another city, he continues being an information broker and scheming. And this makes me wonder whether he truly has changed or he'll keep doing what he always did.
I'm sorry for the long text it's just that I remembered him and I just had to write about him. This makes me wants to watch Durarara!! again haha.
The villain in my novel is a trickster, but he plays a very very long game. Not a lot of small lies, but one very big one that (hopefully) keeps readers guessing about his true nature to the very end. Great video!!
My trickster villain is basically a mad scientist who experiments with morality. The entire plot for the first book is basically just him setting the greatest evil against the greatest good to see who comes out on top, not caring who gets hurt along the way.
I don't have a trickster villain, but the villains do share many traits with the archetype. Viper has almost all of the boxes, but he is extremely hatable. He gaslights, blackmails, and traumatises the deuteragonist. Vox plays the long game; having set in motion the plot with multiple contingency plans. Even in his absence, his influence on the protagonist acts as a dark mentor, comforting her while guiding her down a dark path. The deuteragonist is a tragic villain who seeks redemption by tricking the protagonist into forgiving him. A selfish kind of redemption, yet acts as a moral mentor counter-balancing Vox' influence. When the truth is unveiled, the protagonist betrays the deuteragonist, which given the circumstances was morally correct, but the dark lessons of Vox that led to that decision left the protagonist an antihero on the path to villainy.
I have a character like this but can't decide on how long to keep him in the story. He is literally a parallel of the mc in almost every aspect yet has a goal he believes will be favorable for humanity yet at high unpredictable costs. He's also directly connected to a group that is responsible for most of the mc's problems and obstacles that have villains in it far worse and more dranged than him.
Absolutely! I'm just focusing on fantasy (with tiny bits of sci-fi sometimes) on the channel in general, but tricksters can definitely be used elsewhere too 🙂
Wordplay? Puns? The perfect type of interaction for my current project, since the protagonist vs antagonist duo is... a pair of skalds. XD My main antagonist uses puns not just to needle and manipulate people, but even communicate with himself/the audience in his own head.
6. Too big to fail: The Trickster must be stop, but the good guys can't afford to stop the trickster (just yet), because a greater threat, held at bay by the trickster, would descent upon the world.
There is always the option to just add some trickster-like elements to your villain to start dabbling with it but without feeling too pressured to make the character super complex with lots of twists and turns throughout the story 🙂
That's actually a great input, yes. Might not work the ideally for a true villain but certainly for a gray type of character that doesn't really fulfill the actual villain role.
In my epic, the satanic figure in my world is also a trickster. Tbh, he is most fun to write! His sarcasm, his blunt honesty, his tone, his boredom with humanity, and he is constantly set back. While he is a million steps ahead of humanity, and even jeavenly beings, the God-figure of my world is one step ahead. But he is quick to adapt and redirect. Also, side point: Found out that I am a trickster myself. My literary and theological friends were the ones to point it out. I don't know how I feel about it, but at least I'm not boring lol
Thank you for the positive feedback. A Trickster Hero is certainly an interesting idea. This - from my POV - would be someone who uses cunning, wit, and morally ambiguous methods to achieve noble goals. Think Robin Hood or Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean - they bend rules and use trickery, but ultimately fight for good 🙂
first i would have her ahve the hero break the seal of the ancient artifact. which causes a change in magic and bring something new. this would harm the councle. something that is a new threat. have it revealed that this was her real plan all along. second i am working on a book. the main character in the chosen representative of a trickster god. the main character's job is to look for something, but is not told what that thing is. ends up getting into trouble the whole way through. from people wanting the god's representative gone, to wanting the god's power, out of jealousy, or because they have plans that would easily be disturbed by such beings.
I like your videos, but advice like "make sure the character is several steps ahead" doesnt really mean anything in my opinion. Were not winding up toys and seeing how they move. Were crafting a story. Whether plotted or pants'd you're making up the story. Could you give a more specific example of how to plan around a character that is supposed to be "ahead of the game"?
Thank you for this insightful feedback. I'm obviously glad to hear you like my videos in general. Regarding your note, to me "several steps ahead" is quite a common phrase, similar to how a skilled chess player plans several steps ahead. But let me try to clarify it with a more concrete example. To show a character is "ahead of the game," you could: - Establish early on that they've gathered key information others lack. - Have them plant false clues or spread misinformation that pays off later. - Show them preparing for multiple scenarios, revealing these preparations as the plot unfolds. For instance, your trickster might casually mention a random fact in chapter 2 that turns out to be crucial to their plan in chapter 10. Or they could leave an escape route that seems nonsensical until it's needed. The key is to sprinkle these elements throughout your story, then connect the dots later to reveal the character's foresight. I hope this helps to illustrate the concept more clearly, and I appreciate you pushing me to provide more practical, actionable advice 🙂
@@TheTaleTinkerer Your detailed response is far more than I could have hoped for. I genuinely appreciate your effort here. Thank you for clarifying my friend. Be well, keep up the good work!
If you're on your own writing or worldbuilding journey, make sure to sign up for my free weekly newsletter which is packed with practical advice and strategies on key elements, from character development and plot structuring to creating immersive fantasy worlds: thetaletinkerer.com/newsletter/
The trick I'm running into is keeping the character mysterious enough. I don't want them to appear clearly as a villain, just suspicious, and it's a hard balance
Yes, this can be tricky, especially since it also needs to be factored in whether or not they are the main villain or not 🙂
Love your videos!
Turning to you from other UA-camrs because you dont ram marketing down my throat and instead do concise thought-provoking content.
Keep up the great work!
Thank you for this feedback - I really appreciate it. I'll do my best to keep improving my videos and hopefully continue to provide value to you going forward 🙂
It's an older example and it's urban fantasy, but Orihara Izaya from Durarara!! is just like that. He's actually the first trickster villain I have ever meet, and I think he's a way better example than Loki. He's an information broker in Ikebukuro, a city with supernatural entities like a headless rider, and everytime something bad happens he's involved (Shizuo, Izaya's nemesis, quoted this himself). Be it a new supernatural, gang fights, whatever, he's ALWAYS involved. He's so chaotic that in the anime he plays chess with shogi pieces, chess and other game's pieces, making the game impossible to be understood by anyone but him. Izaya acts like he's above humans, claiming that he loves humans and loves seeing their actions.
He's always smiling and pissing people off. But he hates Shizuo, because Shizuo isn't a 'human' due his super-strength - despite Shizuo being far more humane than him, and being more loved than him. This makes Izaya wonders why humans love a 'monster' like Shizuo who can easily hurt people, but not him, when he loves humans so much. There's even a part where he's playing with cards and he says Celty is the queen, Shizuo is the king and he's the joker. But strangely, he frowns at realizing he's the joker and sets the cards on fire.
Shinra, Izaya's only friend once said that Izaya is actually far more sensitive than people take him for. And if someone were to actually "love" him and shower him with love, he'd probably break. Which did not made sense at first since all we've been shown is Izaya scheming, manipulating events like a puppet master, and pissing people off. It gets to a point where he's stabbed, the news of his attack is aired on TV and NO ONE gives a shit lol (not even Shinra.) It's such a funny scene because the news are shown being aired and everyone is doing their thing and not paying attention to the TV. A clear message that Izaya managed to alienate himself from others so much they don't care for him not even to cheer on the news.
But here's the thing: thanks to Izaya's schemes, the color gangs in Ikebukuro almost disappeared (because he schemes for them to fight each other), the rate of crimes such as human trafficking went down, and overall there's a lot of good side effects to the plans he orchestrated. Whether this is purposeful or not, we're left wondering.
And by the end of the novel (SPOILERS!!!).... he gets beaten so bad by Shizuo and almost dies, he ends up in a wheelchair but even if he has the option to treat his legs, which are paralyzed by the trauma, he chooses not to treat it. In a way for paying for everything he did. Funnily enough, when he moves to another city, he continues being an information broker and scheming. And this makes me wonder whether he truly has changed or he'll keep doing what he always did.
I'm sorry for the long text it's just that I remembered him and I just had to write about him. This makes me wants to watch Durarara!! again haha.
It's all about that delicious chaotic yet complex specious sophistry. Traps within traps, each motivating a protag into the next
The villain in my novel is a trickster, but he plays a very very long game. Not a lot of small lies, but one very big one that (hopefully) keeps readers guessing about his true nature to the very end. Great video!!
Thank you - and best of luck with keeping that one big lie thrilling enough for your readers :-)
I want to read this ❤
Your videos are fantastic!! You are communicating in a wonderful way. Thank you!!
Thank you for the kind words - really glad to hear the videos are useful for you 🙂
My trickster villain is basically a mad scientist who experiments with morality. The entire plot for the first book is basically just him setting the greatest evil against the greatest good to see who comes out on top, not caring who gets hurt along the way.
I don't have a trickster villain, but the villains do share many traits with the archetype.
Viper has almost all of the boxes, but he is extremely hatable. He gaslights, blackmails, and traumatises the deuteragonist.
Vox plays the long game; having set in motion the plot with multiple contingency plans. Even in his absence, his influence on the protagonist acts as a dark mentor, comforting her while guiding her down a dark path.
The deuteragonist is a tragic villain who seeks redemption by tricking the protagonist into forgiving him. A selfish kind of redemption, yet acts as a moral mentor counter-balancing Vox' influence.
When the truth is unveiled, the protagonist betrays the deuteragonist, which given the circumstances was morally correct, but the dark lessons of Vox that led to that decision left the protagonist an antihero on the path to villainy.
I have a character like this but can't decide on how long to keep him in the story. He is literally a parallel of the mc in almost every aspect yet has a goal he believes will be favorable for humanity yet at high unpredictable costs. He's also directly connected to a group that is responsible for most of the mc's problems and obstacles that have villains in it far worse and more dranged than him.
While this video has focused on fantasy a trickster can be a great addition to any genre.
Absolutely! I'm just focusing on fantasy (with tiny bits of sci-fi sometimes) on the channel in general, but tricksters can definitely be used elsewhere too 🙂
Wordplay? Puns?
The perfect type of interaction for my current project, since the protagonist vs antagonist duo is... a pair of skalds. XD
My main antagonist uses puns not just to needle and manipulate people, but even communicate with himself/the audience in his own head.
6. Too big to fail: The Trickster must be stop, but the good guys can't afford to stop the trickster (just yet), because a greater threat, held at bay by the trickster, would descent upon the world.
That's a great addition 🙂
I'm not ready to add a trickster as the villain.
There is always the option to just add some trickster-like elements to your villain to start dabbling with it but without feeling too pressured to make the character super complex with lots of twists and turns throughout the story 🙂
How about a path where the trickster turns out to be right, and the protagonist have to aligning with their goal instead?
That's actually a great input, yes. Might not work the ideally for a true villain but certainly for a gray type of character that doesn't really fulfill the actual villain role.
In my epic, the satanic figure in my world is also a trickster. Tbh, he is most fun to write! His sarcasm, his blunt honesty, his tone, his boredom with humanity, and he is constantly set back. While he is a million steps ahead of humanity, and even jeavenly beings, the God-figure of my world is one step ahead. But he is quick to adapt and redirect.
Also, side point: Found out that I am a trickster myself. My literary and theological friends were the ones to point it out. I don't know how I feel about it, but at least I'm not boring lol
Great video! What would your take on a Trickster Hero be?
Thank you for the positive feedback.
A Trickster Hero is certainly an interesting idea. This - from my POV - would be someone who uses cunning, wit, and morally ambiguous methods to achieve noble goals.
Think Robin Hood or Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean - they bend rules and use trickery, but ultimately fight for good 🙂
that's what I was thinking for my next MC, next book.
first i would have her ahve the hero break the seal of the ancient artifact. which causes a change in magic and bring something new. this would harm the councle. something that is a new threat. have it revealed that this was her real plan all along.
second i am working on a book. the main character in the chosen representative of a trickster god. the main character's job is to look for something, but is not told what that thing is. ends up getting into trouble the whole way through. from people wanting the god's representative gone, to wanting the god's power, out of jealousy, or because they have plans that would easily be disturbed by such beings.
I like your videos, but advice like "make sure the character is several steps ahead" doesnt really mean anything in my opinion. Were not winding up toys and seeing how they move. Were crafting a story. Whether plotted or pants'd you're making up the story. Could you give a more specific example of how to plan around a character that is supposed to be "ahead of the game"?
Thank you for this insightful feedback. I'm obviously glad to hear you like my videos in general.
Regarding your note, to me "several steps ahead" is quite a common phrase, similar to how a skilled chess player plans several steps ahead.
But let me try to clarify it with a more concrete example. To show a character is "ahead of the game," you could:
- Establish early on that they've gathered key information others lack.
- Have them plant false clues or spread misinformation that pays off later.
- Show them preparing for multiple scenarios, revealing these preparations as the plot unfolds.
For instance, your trickster might casually mention a random fact in chapter 2 that turns out to be crucial to their plan in chapter 10. Or they could leave an escape route that seems nonsensical until it's needed.
The key is to sprinkle these elements throughout your story, then connect the dots later to reveal the character's foresight.
I hope this helps to illustrate the concept more clearly, and I appreciate you pushing me to provide more practical, actionable advice 🙂
@@TheTaleTinkerer Your detailed response is far more than I could have hoped for. I genuinely appreciate your effort here. Thank you for clarifying my friend. Be well, keep up the good work!
Why is he cosplaying his mic.
Please don't degrade your gold content with AI art