I'm the Bad Guy. Duh.

Does the antagonist always have to lose? (link)

What about the mutual satisfaction ending?

Plot-by-role discussion of the antagonist at this link.

• Early (the hook) - the antagonist has their own thing, not really engaged with or concerned about the protagonist
• Inciting incident - the protagonist’s choice puts them in conflict with the antagonist’s goal; the antagonist may still be unaware of the protagonist’s goal, but their paths are converging rapidly now
• Plot Point 1 - if the two haven’t met (and they might not for a while) at the very least, there are proxies setting up challenges on behalf of the antagonist that interfere with the protagonist’s goal
• First Pinch Point - the protagonist should feel at this point the impact of the antagonist’s conflicting efforts; should feel the presence and power of the antagonist as a force working against the protagonist; the antagonist should make some sort of move against the protagonist here

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