Write the origin story of a notorious villain.

Posted in Character on Aug 9, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 89 stories

“Meridian” by Harper Harris

Submitted to Contest #263

The Geminae hunted only by starlight, because the hard silver of their skin reflected the sky’s faint glow and turned them into ghosts. From a distance, they were barely wisps that floated gently above the horizon. But there was nothing gentle about the Geminae. By the time their padding footsteps were audible, it was too late. Everything was like that on Kyto: soft, ethereal, deadly. There was nowhere to hide. The planet’s surface was a flat, unbroken sheet of rock, and the sky stretched into infinity in every direction. It was so fast...

0 comments 0

Read story

“I Hope I Live Long Enough To Be Wealthy And Not Long Enough To Regret It” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #263

Fires burn throughout the city. The excruciating cries of people being torn apart and eaten make King Decimus Metallicus cover his ears. From their vantage point above the city, King Decimus and General Gaius Regulus hold back their tears as they watch a winged creature swoop down from the sky and gut a woman trying to protect her baby. The creature crushes the baby’s skull with its powerful talons and swallows it whole. A second creature lands on the back of a horse, which tries to bolt free. The creature jabs its talons into the horse’s n...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Prophet of Doom” by Ariah Em

Submitted to Contest #263

I anxiously prowl the length of the meeting room while racking my brain for a way to alter my cataclysmic future. Images of last night’s dream swirl around me viciously, shaping a future so dark I simply can’t think. The worn carpet hides no more answers than my desperate march but I can’t force myself to slow so I continue to pace. It’s becoming no less than torture waiting for Cuda and the president to arrive. Unlike most times, this vision isn’t one I can handle alone. I can see the government crumbling like a rockslide and Cuda, our...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Two Lives and One Dragon” by Niyumi Hewa Pelandage

Submitted to Contest #263

Waiting on the top of a castle, with a young girl caged inside. The walls thick enough to keep in all her cries and complains about ruining her puffy dress. Thick enough to block off my own life. I’ve been told the world is bigger than you think, yet it hasn’t been proved. To me at least. The discoveries would have been made if I could soar through the sky with the wind brushing my cheeks and wings. Staring down at the sun-kissed hills below me with others by my side. What a miracle! Yet as day reaches night; here I am. Staring down at an em...

0 comments 0

Read story

“I'm a Villain Now” by Tyler Porter

Submitted to Contest #263

They call it rock bottom when you lose everything. When you have nothing left. When the only direction you can go is up. It can only get better from here, they say. At least it can’t get any worse. Except it can. It can get worse. It can always get worse. Most of the bad guys are dead or in prison before they get to show the world just how bad they can really be. The truth is though, that when you reach a point where all the good is gone, the point that most people call rock bottom, you realize that there is an endless sea of darkness to exp...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The House of Deadly Treats” by Kelsey Fish

Submitted to Contest #263

I sat waiting for my turn to speak, my palms sweaty and leg bouncing slightly. Baba convinced me that this meeting would be good for me, that it would help me to move past the absolute horror that had befallen me at the hands of hate; but, I had my doubts. After all, how on earth could any of these other women possibly understand what it was like to bear witness to the greatest enemy of us all? Everyone began clapping, signaling that the young lass before me had finally finished droning about her neighbor and their distaste for all things “s...

1 comment 1

Read story

“The Glassmaker's Curse” by Melody Ong

Submitted to Contest #263

In the heart of a quaint European village, where cobblestone streets wound through markets and the air was filled with the scent of fresh bread, lived a man named Henri Duval. Henri was a glassmaker by trade, renowned for his extraordinary skill. His delicate hands shaped sand and fire into magnificent creations—crystalline chandeliers that captured the light like prisms, and goblets so fine they seemed to hum when touched. But despite his artistry, Henri was a man of modest means. His shop was small, tucked away in a corner of the village, ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Childhood idyll” by Astrid De Keyser

Submitted to Contest #263

*Splash* The ripples made by the big rock falling into the water had barely disappeared when Valerie took another one and hurled it in as well. She'd come to the river to cool down, maybe skip a few rocks, but the anger living beneath her skin was a living thing. It twisted and turned and tried to claw its way out. Throwing increasingly large rocks into the water at least gave her the satisfaction of seeing its still surface disturbed. A small act of violence rather than the large ones she increasingly wished to carry out. It was ridiculous...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A Notorious Villain Explains” by Mark Asher

Submitted to Contest #263

It ain’t easy becoming notorious. Said notoriety implies being known and talked about, and the most successful villains are the ones no one knows or talks about. Anonymous like. So my becoming notorious took some missteps on my part. Made my name something to scare children with – I’m Abominable Fred Marker. “What am I ever going to do with you?” a mother might say. “Abominable Fred will be climbing through your window if you don’t go to sleep, you silly child!” Abominable Fred I am I guess. Nothing against the little gits,...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Rise of Dr. Biblio” by Bethany Walters

Submitted to Contest #263

It was a Tuesday afternoon when I turned evil. Nobody thinks of turning evil on a Tuesday. Now, Mondays that’s the day for evilness to occur, or maybe even five o'clock on a Thursday when your boss decides to take away casual Friday. But, for me it was a Tuesday. I should have already left work that day, but I had stayed behind to catch up on some last minute paperwork. That’s when he came in… I don't know how he did it, but he always managed to find me at the most inopportune time. I swear he must’ve put a tracker somewhere on my pers...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Beast Inside” by Joey Curtis

Submitted to Contest #263

Diego is a small, scrawny child. The rest of his year five class are intent on making his tough life even more of a struggle than it needs to be. Lunchtimes never involve lunch because, most days, his dad can’t afford to give him money. On the days where they scrape together enough, some of the less scrawny children would decide to have two lunches. Over the years of constant bullying, Diego had decided on two things. The first is that children are only who they are because of their parents (big, mean kids have big, m...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Firebug” by John Graham

Submitted to Contest #263

The cold marble counter presses against my lower back as I lean on it. I wear the same crop top he had complimented the first time we made love in his art studio. Had he noticed I was wearing it today? Probably not. Definitely not. Why did knowing that make the knot of anguish in the pit of my stomach tighten just a little more? After all I had done, one would imagine that the agony would dissipate and morph into something else, something numb, like the tough skin of a scar. I thought it had. But seeing him again made me realize that the wou...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Take Mine” by Lydia Meyers

Submitted to Contest #263

Winifred Collins was always meant to die. She was an orphan and an only child, so to even an unfamiliar eye, it was obvious few people would care There was a typically easy diminutive of her name; the ever-innocent “Winnie” that could be a wide-eyed eight-year-old or a jaded twenty-something with a teaching job trying to revive her childhood sense of whimsy. Winnie’s eyes were blue and her hair the pale yellow of corn silk, a bashful beauty who had never done anything wrong. Every literary analysis book would say the same thing: she was inno...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Rise of Malchior” by Leah Williams

Submitted to Contest #263

Malchior was born in the small, peaceful village of Eldoria, known for its lush landscapes and close-knit community. His parents, humble farmers, raised him with strong moral values. From a young age, Malchior was known for his intellect, kindness, and a burning desire to help others. He dreamt of becoming a great healer, someone who could rid the world of pain and suffering. As a teenager, Malchior’s village was struck by a mysterious plague. Despite his best efforts to save his family and neighbors, he was powerless against the disease. Wa...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Fade to Black” by Sara Gonzalez-Rothi

Submitted to Contest #263

“Last stitch, yeah?” Ella asked. Mum nodded. The fingers of her hands cramped as she looped her silver hook around and through the soft strand one last time. She handed the tiny technicolor coat over for inspection. “Well, I’d say you did it!” Ella’s forehead wrinkled a bit. “It’s quite lovely,” Mum assured. “Let’s try it on, shall we?” Mum tucked the garment under her left arm and walked to where the puppies slept. “Darling, Ella’s made you the perfect winter coat. Let’s give it a go.” She reached into the whelping pen and lifted a tiny ...

4 comments 4

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story from the antagonist’s point of view.

Character – 84 stories

Start or end your story with a hero losing their powers.

Character – 41 stories

Write about two mortal enemies who must work together.

Character – 29 stories

Center your story around someone facing their biggest fear or enemy.

Character – 71 stories

Contest #263

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Heroes and Villains

$250

Prize money

314

Contest entries

109

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 16, 2024 EST

Won by Eliza Entwistle 🏆

Title: Petrified

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write the origin story of a notorious villain.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 89 stories

“Meridian” by Harper Harris

“I Hope I Live Long Enough To Be Wealthy And Not Long Enough To Regret It” by Michael Jefferson

“Prophet of Doom” by Ariah Em

“Two Lives and One Dragon” by Niyumi Hewa Pelandage

“I'm a Villain Now” by Tyler Porter

“The House of Deadly Treats” by Kelsey Fish

“The Glassmaker's Curse” by Melody Ong

“Childhood idyll” by Astrid De Keyser

“A Notorious Villain Explains” by Mark Asher

“The Rise of Dr. Biblio” by Bethany Walters

“The Beast Inside” by Joey Curtis

“Firebug” by John Graham

“Take Mine” by Lydia Meyers

“The Rise of Malchior” by Leah Williams

“Fade to Black” by Sara Gonzalez-Rothi

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story from the antagonist’s point of view.

Start or end your story with a hero losing their powers.

Write about two mortal enemies who must work together.

Center your story around someone facing their biggest fear or enemy.

Contest #263

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

314

Contest entries

109

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: