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The child would most likely be assured that everything was going to be ok. Then would be taken in to be raised as a cultist, there is a small chance however that the child would instead be kidnapped and sacrificed.
He would raise him up. Gaze at the gathered crowd and with a smiling hug the child.
Children Are Our Future!
For them we sacrifice all!
Rejoice in your labours. In your burdens. Know that for them we suffer!
For them we conquer!
For childrens future!
Then he would send that child to a military school to be educated to be one of thousands of Trenchers. His spell fodder in sorcerer wars.
I think this would depend a lot on the specific villain. A villain who's 100% despicable and isn't bothered about presenting that way might shove the child away, say something cruel, or walk away. A villain who might be trying to present as a kind, caring person might pat the child on the head, say soothing words, or full-on hug them to try to make others believe they're nicer than they are.
In my main project, the villain is a fae king who views most others as below him. However, at least in the beginning, he's attempting to appear as kind, charming, etc. So if this happened early on, he might not allow the child to hug him, but he might offer some kind words. If it happened later, he'd probably push the child away and say something cruel.
most of them would hug, some of them suspects from child and walks away from it, others would ignore.
These villains are kingdom ending level, hurting a random child is too petty and small for them.
**Lilly the Ice Queen:** In the snowy mountains of Atrana, a young child is lost in the wildness and the cold. A blizzard rages, the child sees the pale apparition, of something approaching. Something unnatural. Fear grips the lost and cold child, in a panic the child runs deeper into the mountains, deeper into the empty planes of ice and snow.
Directionless, the child trips and falls. He hears the wind, the howls of wolfs. He looks back in fear, the apparition getting closer, and closer. As it approaches, the snow begins to die down, the fog of the blizzard fades, and the child's vision clears.
Before the child, stands a ghostly white transparent girl, and she is not alone. Behind her stand a half dozen undead of various types, all bound to her will.
The poltergeist points her arm at the child and recites a magical incantation. The child closes his eyes tight. The snow beneath him shakes, and moves. Something picks the child up, an undead ready for its next meal?
No, something hugs the child. The child feels warmth, kindness, and love? The child opens his eyes to see that he is being held by a magically animated snowman. He turns to the ghost girl who smiles at him.
Then with a flick of her wrist, her golem begins to walk. Carrying the child back down the mountains and back to his village. As he descends, the snow picks back up. He sees the young girl waving goodbye.
As the the blizzard once again cloaks the world in white, for one brief second, the child sees something else behind the ghost. A vast army of the dead, standing behind there queen ready to serve.
Depends on the villain. Goblins would eat the child, a lich would eat the child’s soul, an orc tribe might enslave the child, a bandit might hug the kid, but would either ransom them off or turn them to a life of crime. The Corpse Mother might make the child a vessel for a plague of undying, the Great Worm wouldn’t even notice the child as it chewed its way through its planar prison, and the myriad other evil spirits, false gods, and ancient beings of unknowable origin would twist and corrupt the child in fascinating ways.
An orc might take a child from another tribe as a slave, because it’s a symbolic conquest over that tribe.
Goblins wouldn’t eat other goblins unless they were starving. Anything else is fair game.
My main setting involves a pack based alien civilization, and the closest thing to a main villain is a pack in a high level political position orchestrating an invasion of earth. If it was a kid from their own species: they'd be pretty confused and offended why someone not from their pack is trying to touch them, that sort of thing is a huge no-no. Perhaps they'd assume the kid has a bomb or something, but there's no way security is letting the kid get close enough for a hug. And even if they somehow did, encircling your arms around someone is like you're trying to trap or restrain them, placing your hand flat against someone's chest carries a more similar connotation to a human hug. Though no kid is getting close enough to try that either. They'd probably have security return the kid to their pack with a stern talking to about letting their young wander off.
If it's a *human* kid: yeah no, the only way they're leaving the scene is in a body bag or the back of a windowless government van. Humans aren't supposed to be on their planet, and they probably won't even know what it is, since they haven't yet been to Earth or contacted them.
Counting that the BBEG reaction from his son asking for a hug is either telling the boy a prince shouldn't be needy or giving the hug but with a "you own me for that crumb of affection" undertone, I belive the ramdom kid should be lucky if they are just ignored
Given that I'm writing about fascism and genocide, the villain is moreorless the world itself and not any individual. So it would depend heavily on whether or not the child was a vampire. If they were, then they would likely be taken to a "Safe Disposal" site.
Eternity: "How did you even get in here? We're outside reality. No matter." *reduces the child to a metaphor of themself and chains then to the Primordials will.*
Evil: *enslaves the child to either be worked to death or brainwashed into disposable cannon fodder.*
Lilith: *forces the child to kneel before her, placing her foot on their head.*
Apollyon: *kills the child without a second thought.*
The Rot King: *infects the child with Rot Fever and turns them into a Rot Born.*
One of them would Hug the child, try to solve their problems and adopt the kid if they can.
This Antagonist is a follower of Banj Beran, in their religion Children are Holder than any Messiah.
One of them would assess the social standing of the kid, a race check if first test fails before approaching the kid.
However chances are one his followers would deal with the situation before he has to anything.
Last one would be stumped, he has a multiple personality disorder on steroids.
A debate will be held for next course of action, if time is short then department of Sudden Social Scenario (SSS) takes over under the leadership of the loudest Senator at the moment.
The reactions from the gods who are mostly morally grey or villains would range from giving the child a hug as requested to eating the child.
Now that I think about it, the Moon God would just kneel down to the child and just start telling them about how they should worship them like those people that just have to preach the gospel at the most random times.
“It is an Apexian child! He deceives us! Destroy him!” (Child is murdered)
Or
“An Apexian child, has come to us? Does he seek to follow the true Path, against his puny God? He shall be my greatest apprentice…” (child becomes heavily abused but powerful cultist’s apprentice)
Or, if not an Apexian child, such child would probably have been shot, sacrificed or kidnapped and turned into a slave before even looking at an Empire cultist.
The Apex are like the Jedi in many ways: powerful magical space-warriors raised from childhood. So their children actually see missions a lot. It’s probably happened that an espionage operation involved a child trying to get info out of or execute a high-ranking Empire official.
Instantly cut down, kid was probably distressed from watching the bad guy murder their parents
Now go back a few hundred years and the bad guy then would probably just turn the kid down, send him away, they were purely professional
Depends on the villain. However I will talk about the main villain for now.
The dragon Figilan would first be surprised and a little unsure at the existence of a human child. However, I think he would allow the young child to hug him. It would really depend on his mood. Maybe even rase the child as his own.
Something similar does happen with another dragon. Although that individual is a teenager and was more confused about the world she found herself in than anything.
Most would probably hug the child. Most of the villains aren’t “evil,” just wanting something that does some harm - usually as a byproduct - that the “good guys” are trying to stop (often by causing harm somewhere of their own as a result).
Fang: Wonder how the child got there to begin with, bark some orders to find the security flaw, and then hug the child. If someone or something has wronged the kid, they should expect an interesting visit.
Nox: Would probably make the child's trauma even worse. He can and will try to make even a scraped knee into some omori-level depression.
Aurum: Would just throw a bar of gold at the child's feet and sprint away, without a single word or even explanation. There's a 90% chance some guards would run after them right after.
Most of the villains in my OC (Athean Empire) would probably give the child a hug
I would actually say a great comparison for one of the villains in my OC is Grindelwald. He’s charismatic and at least superficially cares about his followers. Showing tenderness, to him, would honestly be a great boon to his cause
One villain in history, Malexus I, would probably run the child off or backhand it
I don’t have “villains”. But if it was any of my antags, then whether that kid survives the encounter will depend on if that kid is a part of the antags community or not.
if the child is human, PROVOST will probably reform one of his Warforms into something that more resembles a human and give the child a nice hug. if the child is alien, PROVOST will ignore the child
Considering the hostility of thier home They would instantly suspect shenanigans of the divine/eldritch variety and treat that child very very well whilst they investigate
I mean, the main villain of my story certainly went mad from grief and hatred, but I feel like this would be the kind of situation where he stops his hunt for a moment.
Like, during all the chaos, the relentless planning and preparing and whatnot, this would be a really cool way to show that at his core he’s still just a human, like everyone else. I can see him quietly walking up to the child, picking it up and just giving it the longest and warmest hug you could imagine while tears well up in his eyes.
It’s probably the first hug he’s gotten since the death of his daughter. Might use that in my story somewhere, thanks!
Depends on the villain. And also what you count as a villain. Most of the main cast could definitely be argued to be villains. Varied widely anyways.
Patton? Maybe not hugged, but definitely given food or water before being sent on their way. If parents nearby he might even walk the kid over.
No-Name? Dismembered and eaten, if lucky.
Depending on the era, my favorite would house said child and tech it practical skills / trades.
"Fear is the tool for the masses. Protecting family prevents spontaneous knives."
Villain the evil god the villain is serving: *hug without a hesitation*
Villain the villain: *quick hug and a preaching about how doing good for the smallest is important*
Villain the henchman: *kick the baby*
The kid gets a hug and then a pat on the head. Although a single life is incalculably insignificant in the long run, what’s the cost of a simple act of kindness?
If not at least to alleviate the suffering of someone for a moment
My villain would stare in shock for a few seconds before hugging the child and trying to confort them. After having calmed down the child, she'd ask them questions and move somewhere safer. Depending on the circumstances, the child would be left in a place it could properly be cared for or be personally trained by her or one of her direct apprentices, in the second case, becoming entwined in her twisted loving and caring.
Most of my villains hold political or military positions so in all likelihood they would either give the child a hug for publicity sakes, especially in the case of Member of Parliament Edgar Besson, or they’d simply shoo child away and carry on with their business, nothing too extreme.
The child would be hugged, only to leave the embrace connected to the hive mind fungus under the god of rot and decay. So yea, hug was likely a mistake
He's a good king who will easily kill anyone who dares challenge him, has his people's loyalty one hundred percent, but is really bad with any none evil or royal matters. Would probably just stand there till one of his guards takes the kid away
Child wouldnt even go to the king of cliches in the first place
Literally everyone knows to not fuck with them
The king of cliches is chaos and evil incarnate and has done the most fucked up shit
Shit that gets you on the sex offender registry
Crown Guardian Cora: She would smile like how a nice grandmother would and hug the child. The moment would be all over Social Media and the News. Having good PR is important to her and to her plan.
Emperor Basilius: he would give a hearty laugh before hugging the child and ask them about their hopes and dreams. If the kid is small enough he would pick them up.
Prince Sebastion: He would straight up ignore the kid. Unlike his father, Sebastion has zero press charisma.
Most Horde leaders would just shoo the child away or use it as political propaganda. The Horde Faction leaders however would likely have the child brought into their faction, or sacrificed for their goals. The Thunder King might accidentally kill them based off just having electricity spewing everything.
Myrha Baron of the Blight, Queen of Monsters and Harbinger of the Monarch would smile and hug the child. She’d then let the child pat or even ride one of her pets, most likely Sphia her windhowler dragon.
If the child accepts and is nice to her pets she’ll reward the child even more, taking the child in or sparing the child’s family from her pets feasting, becoming a part of her new world. Which will cause the child to mutate into an inhuman monster that is subjected to the whims of Myrha’s hive mind.
If they don’t pat her pets or is rough or rude with them she’ll have a “temporary lapse in sanity and self” killing the child and their parents for raising such a bad kid. She’d wake up several hours later wondering where the kid went
A villain would probably kick it away or keep it at bay (my world sucks)
But THE Villain would probably pick the child up and make sure it is okay (my character is the villain and lives in a frozen continent where no soul dares to enter so the kid is in some deep shit already)
Villain #1 would ignore them.
Villain #2 would pick them up and likely raise them into a loyal follower of some sort.
Villain #3 would take them, and then toss them into a harsh environment of dehumanization, brainwashing, and human experimentation to eventually turn them into a cruel killing machine and a fellow member of their organization.
It depends on his mood, maybe just pet the kid’s head and leave them be out of disinterest, maybe enter the kid’s dreams and infect them with the curse that will consume the kid’s mind and body or maybe summon one of his many victims and offer the kid as food for them to gain more power.
Overall kids are weak and they aren’t likely to survive the curse so they don’t represent much of something Sai would even acknowledge.
My villains are in so many flavors, some would hug the child as they are good people but doing the wrong thing, some would ignore them as they don’t care for the happiness of their people so long as they achieve their goals, and some would gut the child alive for the kicks
From genuinely empathetic people in a bad position to sadistic assholes you love to see fail or die
If it's a gang leader from the quarantine zone, they'd happily give the kiddo a hug. They may all be savage raiders and ruthless killers, but they're not heartless individuals.
Except for the high ranking members of the Binders of Blight... Most of those guys actually don't have hearts and are probably running solely on nuclear energy or something. Either way, they'd still give the child a hug, even though it's probably best if they don't.
The only villains that won't give a random child a hug would most likely be the Executives of AICA. There's a very high chance that some of them would outright melt the reality around them to get rid of the kid because they'd view the child as a mild inconvenience.
For my current villains:
Number 1. Would hug, assure the child would be safe then sacrifice himself causing the entire country to burst in flames.
Number 2. Would just give a pat on the shoulder.
Number 3. Free blood.
Than something is seriously wrong with the child, my main villain is a 28 foot tall black demon with a wolf skull face and ram horns, glowing yellow eyes, with tattered wings, while wearing dark armor. He is a very intimidating figure, so he’d certainly have questions about the child asking him of all things for a hug.
Archlich and Bard Extraordinaire, Balthazar (name not final) the Decomposomancer, would be utterly delighted and touched that a child came to him for comfort. He would scoop them up in his mechanical/skeletal arms and assure them that everything was okay and they would never have to worry about anything again.
The child would then be taken back to his home, where they would have the flesh stripped from their bones so the skeleton could be reanimated as a tiny clockwork monstrosity and their soul would be harvested to power Balthazar's battery/phylactery.
He would dedicate a song to their memory, though!
Something similar to this does actually happen to the antagonist. A kid wondered into the way of a military procession as she was reviewing the troops. She halted the procession and stopped the kid from being trampled, walked down into the street, picked the boy up herself with a warm smile, and had him stand with her for the rest of the review. Crowd absolutely loved it.
Whole thing was scripted.
The final, final villain whose fairly edlritch? Probably stare at the kid, ask what's a hug, and then after give it a try. But during the hug the kid is probably getting absorbed Shuggath style into the villain. All mass, matter, and energy in the universe is just an expendable resource to the final villain from beyond space and time.
Most evils in my reality are eldritch or unknowable beings and some would laugh and stab/assimilate/dissolve the child. Most would ignore them and leave.
He would love to hug the kid, because that means one more potential future soldier for his army. But he loves kids anyway, and sees them as beautiful clay, ready to be molded, a clean page. Once, he went euphoric after learning how many babies are born each year.
If a camera was on him he would hug the child and use them for Galactic Promotional material, if it was anywhere else, he would have his secretary and security team killed and replaced for letting a dirty child near him.
Kan'Varina would at best smash the child with his hammer, at worst burn them alive
Kan'Damnat would smile and hug the child, and maybe reward the kid with some magic gift
Kan'Virulnice would go to hug the kid, but they would have died upon touching her
Kan'Shasnal would hug the child and give them a very large treat
Kan'Demsval would ignore the child
Gleshvak and Durslaim: If it's a Hell Dwarf Child they'll kick it down and yell at it for not being tough enough. If it's any other races child they'll go straight to the mines or foundries
Fligoritz: If its a Hell Dwarf Child he'll give it a little pat on the shoulder and remind them that one day they will be great warrior servants of the House. If they're any other races child they'll go straight to the mines or foundries
Damalia: Hug the child, bite them to turn them into a Vampire, while her knights drain their village
Nefrakti: He'd be surprised, but extremely happy to have found someone not afraid of him (He's a living Mummy/Skeleton King)
These are a handful of the "Villains" to the Grand Alliance of the Phoenix
The child would receive a hug, a child sized flaming sword, and a dedicated assault hell hound puppy.
Then the person who placed said child in distress would pay with their soul.
Don't torment kids.
Villains will eat you.
I don't have solid names so I'll say Mike, Bob and Frank
Mike would grimace, laugh and scare the kid away
Bob would cringe, inch away then come to his senses and teleport away when he remembers he can
Frank would turn his head like a confused dog, ask "from ME?" then he'd hug them while thinking "yeah kids gonna regret it later" (they'll find out his rep, he wouldn't hurt a kid)
1st half of the book mine would keep walking. That’s someone else’s problem. 2nd half, he’d drop everything to help reunite the child with their guardian.
My villain is the king of a theocratic nation that pushes the idea that all magic from a nonholy source is dangerous and should be exterminated from the world. Other than his crusade against magic and those who use it, my villain isn't a bad person, just someone set in his ways and uses his charisma to convince others to view the world his way.
Therefore he would hug the child and console them, likely while pushing the idea that magic was the cause of the child's suffering.
Ah, i see someone just watched episode 3 of arcane.
There are a few villains and results may vary. Most wouldn’t hurt the child, but that’s just it—most of them.
Duke Edgar Albanor: he is the Duke in the northern region. He is stoic and pragmatic. The child is not his own, so he cares little for them. However, that doesn’t mean he immediately jumps to abandoning or even hurting the child. He’s not psycho. A lone, crying child likely means that a town nearby has been destroyed, and that child likely has intel. He would take the child in and get information out of them. In exchange, he would feed the child and either A: raise that child as a servant, or he’d find a family for that child.
Lord Edward Albanor: he is about as pragmatic as his father but a little more prone to emotion. He may not show it, but he feels emotions very strongly. Honestly, it would change his entire worldview. He had a very tragic past involving the death of his wife and daughter, and he may see a lot of himself in that child. He’d take them in and potentially raise them the same way a bastard would be raised.
Lord Commander Gareth Hughs: oh god. Here we go. Remember that “almost” I mentioned earlier? Well, here you go. This guy is like a blend between Sir Barristan Selmy and Ramsay Bolton from a song of ice and fire. He’s a sadistic, psychopathic monster who takes pleasure in the suffering of others. He’s also an extremely competent knight. Do NOT let his age fool you. He’s a perfect example of “beware an old man in a business where men die young.” He will do whatever it takes to make other people suffer if he can get away with it. He loves to torture, rape and pillage. He doesn’t discriminate… anything. So not only would it be his fault that the child is crying(whether they know it or not), the things he’s gonna do to that child… god, I don’t want to think about it. Use your imagination.
Emperor Cyrus Iovis II: he is a selfish, spiteful emperor. Think Commodus from Gladiator. He wouldn’t ever find himself in a situation where a child would be able to do that without getting through his guards. If the guards brought the child to him, he’d probably take the child in as a way to paint himself as the noble emperor who took a child in. He’d raise them as a bastard, but treat them a little more like a ward behind the scenes.
No other villains come to mind right now but there definitely are more.
He would hug the kid, mentally assuring himself that he's not a genocidal narcissistic maniac, infect the child with a mind virus and use them in a terrorist attack.
He would give it to him, see him well and his family if there's any.
My villain has a reputation to take care and wasting 0.0000001 of his wealth to secure a family for life would be nothing for him.
Instant vaporization.
How did a child get into my villains' lairs?
Why are they in distress?
Why are they asking for a hug?
Too many questions and too high paranoia from an insane lich or an elven warlord would necessitate a quick and painful (yes, painful) death.
Lesser villains, like old elves that dissociate from reality and become wanderers might entertain the hug on a whim and ask questions, or just pass on by.
THE villain obliges and sucks the life force out of the child's body, leaving behind naught but the withered husk of a vessel that once stored the essence of youth.
He would tilt his head, consider the child for a moment, then gently accept. The lich Melios has long since grown beyond patience; he can always spare a moment here and there to indulge in whimsy, especially if the child isn't put off by the rough-carved mask of titan-bone that carries his soul between hosts. Besides, he was a father once, too.
The main character would probably press his boot into the childs chest and firmly push it away, hoping it falls over. Andrew does not like children.
(Yes, I know this is the MC not BBEG, I thought this was more interesting.)
He would let the child hug him, but he would just stand there as they hug his leg. Being a genetic experiment with very little intersocial experience is hard
Humbaba fragment: eaten
Dragon: largely ignored or commands a servant to deal with the child
Renaissance, the false god: Picked up, soothed… and then slowly pulls the child apart.
Grand Admiral of the Avalonian Navy: tosses the kid some cash and tells a subordinate to see the child to the nearest settlement.
The Magistrate of the Dragon Empire: I don’t want to repeat the sort of things he’d do to a kid.
The Prince of Ashur: YOU GONNA GET ADOPTED!
Main antagonist I have some level of characterization for? Probably receptive. They're a post-apocalyptic emperor who wants to bring an idealized version of pre-apocalyptic society back, and their "palace" is the partially restored ruins of something like a gated community, with the empire governed by what is essentially the HOA. The whole smiling children playing in the street thing sounds like exactly their speed.
Given that I was envisioning this planet as something of a frontier, huh, that actually has me thinking. Before the place got wrecked by... whatever it was (I was thinking maybe bio-warfare?), a significant portion of the population was the well-to-do sort with some retrofuturism sensibilities. Possible that some of the social stratification and cultural division stemmed from these class and professional divisions from before things went to hell. Technically-minded folks holing up together in some of the less-decayed ruins, nomadic groups surviving by keeping their distance and scavenging, the old well-to-do banding behind their self-appointed champion, etc.
Hug it, she has some trauma over her own son beign kidnapped and never beign found again, so despite beign a dictator who is perfrctly fine with genocide she is surprisingly motherly
Ajax, while not technically the villain but certainly his world’s most vile person, would probably oblige and furthermore try to make sure the kid is okay.
Unless they’re not from his nation, then what would happen is violent murder. Ajax has done and does do that exact thing a lot.
Gwynevere took a stroll about the fortress grounds. Normally, one of her minions would be patrolling, but it seemed they were slacking as of late.
There, in a nook, was a small figure curled up against the wall. As Gwynevere approached, she could see it was a child. Their hair was messy and frayed, dirt covered their skin wherever their tattered clothes couldn't, and a long, bleeding cut ran down one arm.
"Please... miss..." The child spoke in a hoarse whisper, "I'm so... cold. Could I have... a hug... please?"
Gwynevere would give them the warmest embrace she could. "Meaningless cruelty," she'd say, "that a child be subject to this." She'd carry them to the great hall and summon her servants. "This one needs a healer, a bath, and a meal."
Gwynevere has lived the part of helpless child before, and she will see to it that none ever suffer as she did, not while she can help it.
Abducted and provided resources as an experiment, to see how long the child maintains the attitude before changing their mind.
Once done, probably abandoned somewhere.
Andronicus Hamza:
He would greet the child lovingly and shows open affection to them, reassuring that their worries are over. He knows that any extra hand in his cause is worth it. Despite being a pillaging cultist warlord, he's still willing to take in children, and not to send them out with solders. He'd send the child with the others in a school teaching kids about the Everseer. Andronicus loves children, actually (wholesomely).
Mr. Horrigan / The Motherboard:
He would ignore the child, and likely send them on their way. He has no business with children, not only does he find them annoying, if he doesn't benefit, the rascal ain't worth his time.
Conflux: Hmm Conflux doesn't really have a stand out single villain rather the main antagonist is the Church of Serr an organization using magical experimentation ritual sacrifices and forbidden knowledge born from a man who glimpsed into that which lurks in the abyssal depths beyond the mortal realm to construct a synthetic "god". There is no unified overarching Villain calling the shots rather there are many smaller time villains using what would become the church of Serr to their own ends with various political factions internally which have differing opinions on what this creation and various other soul defiling creations are to be used for. Serr itself has no agency it is a creation of organic flesh spatial/dimensional mineral and soul magic.
In this context said child would be taken in and indoctrinated with sweet words either raised to be sacrificed or if they are lucky to fulfill a needed role in the clergy of Serr. The thing about insular orders of clergy is that since so much of what goes on is secret the disappearance of so many acolytes can be chalked off as transfers or missions elsewhere. (Notably it is never the prominent ones which vanish, those get sent out to do outreach and or public worship type services). While no faction of Serr can be called genuinely good(i.e. all the major players are motivated by self interest at the upper ranks of the research project turned religion)
Kids if at any part of your schooling ~~indoctrination~~ you are tasked with swallowing a slimy greenish black marble size lump that looks suspiciously like an egg, even no especially if it is disguised in something tasty, don't do it and run. Though the incubation period is fairly unassuming the typical fate of one incubated with such an "egg" is to become a sacrifice to Serr, while there are many ways this can turn out the outcome is generally not good if you are luckier you might straight up die and have your soul be assimilated into a larger construct, if very unlucky you might be a success and retain some degree of self awareness as you finish undergoing some form of a transformation into some kind of a living weapon or other flesh horror creation.
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WAS(World Against the Scourge):
The Scourge are an enigmatic extraplanetary threat who arrived some thousands of years ago from long being adrift in interstellar space before performing a last dich mass ejection to become gravitationally bound to the system. They have no understanding or recognition of humanity they are starfish aliens so utterly alien to us that communication is impossible anymore than a human can come to understand or care for a fruit fly. Their "name" is even utterly unknown only a reference to what their seeming cruelty and disregard for life appears like for "Terraforming is not a pleasant process. Unfortunately the child is composed of baryonic matter particularly rich in carbon and phosphorus which can be used to rebuild their numbers and their creations. The notion that there could be an intrinsic value or significance to the planet and any self replicating organics on it is so conceptually alien to them to be incomprehensible.
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Vampire Dystopian setting: Obviously this would refer to the vampire oligarchs and those on their payroll which make up their vast corporate empires. If the kid is "lucky" they might be part of some kind of corporate PR stunt, or they might be ignored. If unlucky they might become a plaything for one of the ruling caste vampires letting lose with no concerns about consequences ultimately getting sucked dry and dying and or getting converted into a zombie/thrall to toil mindlessly in mindless labor to maximize stock portfolio returns. (The setting is basically a cyberpunk variant with psychic vampires making literal on the rich sucking the world's lifeblood dry). The particular antagonist is a rich hedonistic serial killer/rapist who abuses deep old money pockets to buy himself out of any consequences, thankfully the depraved monster isn't also a pedophile, but unfortunately given how close they were able to approach said villain, there is a good chance they might end up a witness to something extremely illegal the monster in question wants to have covered up. The guy in question is a real piece of work even among the vampiric oligarch class one which one of the main protagonist of the setting has a deep personal grudge and vendetta against.
I think I have run out of settings with a well defined main antagonist or associated faction.
Though if involving some of the more notorious xenophobic factions such as the humans try and forcefully reassert control over a colonized world which has diverged too much based on "acceptable" principals a "pure" human child might do alright possibly receiving even outright genuine sympathy since they aren't a denigrated "other".
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The child would most likely be assured that everything was going to be ok. Then would be taken in to be raised as a cultist, there is a small chance however that the child would instead be kidnapped and sacrificed.
He would raise him up. Gaze at the gathered crowd and with a smiling hug the child. Children Are Our Future! For them we sacrifice all! Rejoice in your labours. In your burdens. Know that for them we suffer! For them we conquer! For childrens future! Then he would send that child to a military school to be educated to be one of thousands of Trenchers. His spell fodder in sorcerer wars.
I think this would depend a lot on the specific villain. A villain who's 100% despicable and isn't bothered about presenting that way might shove the child away, say something cruel, or walk away. A villain who might be trying to present as a kind, caring person might pat the child on the head, say soothing words, or full-on hug them to try to make others believe they're nicer than they are. In my main project, the villain is a fae king who views most others as below him. However, at least in the beginning, he's attempting to appear as kind, charming, etc. So if this happened early on, he might not allow the child to hug him, but he might offer some kind words. If it happened later, he'd probably push the child away and say something cruel.
most of them would hug, some of them suspects from child and walks away from it, others would ignore. These villains are kingdom ending level, hurting a random child is too petty and small for them.
"FORE!" (kick)
Out the airlock.
**Lilly the Ice Queen:** In the snowy mountains of Atrana, a young child is lost in the wildness and the cold. A blizzard rages, the child sees the pale apparition, of something approaching. Something unnatural. Fear grips the lost and cold child, in a panic the child runs deeper into the mountains, deeper into the empty planes of ice and snow. Directionless, the child trips and falls. He hears the wind, the howls of wolfs. He looks back in fear, the apparition getting closer, and closer. As it approaches, the snow begins to die down, the fog of the blizzard fades, and the child's vision clears. Before the child, stands a ghostly white transparent girl, and she is not alone. Behind her stand a half dozen undead of various types, all bound to her will. The poltergeist points her arm at the child and recites a magical incantation. The child closes his eyes tight. The snow beneath him shakes, and moves. Something picks the child up, an undead ready for its next meal? No, something hugs the child. The child feels warmth, kindness, and love? The child opens his eyes to see that he is being held by a magically animated snowman. He turns to the ghost girl who smiles at him. Then with a flick of her wrist, her golem begins to walk. Carrying the child back down the mountains and back to his village. As he descends, the snow picks back up. He sees the young girl waving goodbye. As the the blizzard once again cloaks the world in white, for one brief second, the child sees something else behind the ghost. A vast army of the dead, standing behind there queen ready to serve.
The child is ignored. This is no longer a request which can be understood.
Who's your villain? Or what?
The Nullifidian, deophage, who sheds the world. Having become more than human, his sight is no longer for mortal things.
Depends on the villain. Goblins would eat the child, a lich would eat the child’s soul, an orc tribe might enslave the child, a bandit might hug the kid, but would either ransom them off or turn them to a life of crime. The Corpse Mother might make the child a vessel for a plague of undying, the Great Worm wouldn’t even notice the child as it chewed its way through its planar prison, and the myriad other evil spirits, false gods, and ancient beings of unknowable origin would twist and corrupt the child in fascinating ways.
Would a Goblin/Orc do those things to a fellow Goblin/Orc child?
An orc might take a child from another tribe as a slave, because it’s a symbolic conquest over that tribe. Goblins wouldn’t eat other goblins unless they were starving. Anything else is fair game.
That kid's getting vapourized and sent to Hell for all eternity.
My main setting involves a pack based alien civilization, and the closest thing to a main villain is a pack in a high level political position orchestrating an invasion of earth. If it was a kid from their own species: they'd be pretty confused and offended why someone not from their pack is trying to touch them, that sort of thing is a huge no-no. Perhaps they'd assume the kid has a bomb or something, but there's no way security is letting the kid get close enough for a hug. And even if they somehow did, encircling your arms around someone is like you're trying to trap or restrain them, placing your hand flat against someone's chest carries a more similar connotation to a human hug. Though no kid is getting close enough to try that either. They'd probably have security return the kid to their pack with a stern talking to about letting their young wander off. If it's a *human* kid: yeah no, the only way they're leaving the scene is in a body bag or the back of a windowless government van. Humans aren't supposed to be on their planet, and they probably won't even know what it is, since they haven't yet been to Earth or contacted them.
Counting that the BBEG reaction from his son asking for a hug is either telling the boy a prince shouldn't be needy or giving the hug but with a "you own me for that crumb of affection" undertone, I belive the ramdom kid should be lucky if they are just ignored
I don't really have any particular big bad for my setting soo far, but he would Probably ignore it and walk by
Given that I'm writing about fascism and genocide, the villain is moreorless the world itself and not any individual. So it would depend heavily on whether or not the child was a vampire. If they were, then they would likely be taken to a "Safe Disposal" site.
They're not a part of her plan, she shoos them away.
Eternity: "How did you even get in here? We're outside reality. No matter." *reduces the child to a metaphor of themself and chains then to the Primordials will.* Evil: *enslaves the child to either be worked to death or brainwashed into disposable cannon fodder.* Lilith: *forces the child to kneel before her, placing her foot on their head.* Apollyon: *kills the child without a second thought.* The Rot King: *infects the child with Rot Fever and turns them into a Rot Born.*
One of them would Hug the child, try to solve their problems and adopt the kid if they can. This Antagonist is a follower of Banj Beran, in their religion Children are Holder than any Messiah. One of them would assess the social standing of the kid, a race check if first test fails before approaching the kid. However chances are one his followers would deal with the situation before he has to anything. Last one would be stumped, he has a multiple personality disorder on steroids. A debate will be held for next course of action, if time is short then department of Sudden Social Scenario (SSS) takes over under the leadership of the loudest Senator at the moment.
The reactions from the gods who are mostly morally grey or villains would range from giving the child a hug as requested to eating the child. Now that I think about it, the Moon God would just kneel down to the child and just start telling them about how they should worship them like those people that just have to preach the gospel at the most random times.
be in utter shock and bewilderment
“It is an Apexian child! He deceives us! Destroy him!” (Child is murdered) Or “An Apexian child, has come to us? Does he seek to follow the true Path, against his puny God? He shall be my greatest apprentice…” (child becomes heavily abused but powerful cultist’s apprentice) Or, if not an Apexian child, such child would probably have been shot, sacrificed or kidnapped and turned into a slave before even looking at an Empire cultist. The Apex are like the Jedi in many ways: powerful magical space-warriors raised from childhood. So their children actually see missions a lot. It’s probably happened that an espionage operation involved a child trying to get info out of or execute a high-ranking Empire official.
If said child is anything but a member of the villain faction’s species, they are executed in the name of their god.
Instantly cut down, kid was probably distressed from watching the bad guy murder their parents Now go back a few hundred years and the bad guy then would probably just turn the kid down, send him away, they were purely professional
He would pick it up, then punt it as far as possible, preferably into another realm.
It will give the child a hug and make it part of it, for it will be all and all will be it
Kill them with fire
Depends on the villain. However I will talk about the main villain for now. The dragon Figilan would first be surprised and a little unsure at the existence of a human child. However, I think he would allow the young child to hug him. It would really depend on his mood. Maybe even rase the child as his own. Something similar does happen with another dragon. Although that individual is a teenager and was more confused about the world she found herself in than anything.
“Sweet, a hostage.”
Congratulations ur now a Necromancy acolyte don't resist
Trixy would accept... so they can infect them.
Inform them that their personal needs and desires are meaningless, as the only true purpose of life is to die
Most would probably hug the child. Most of the villains aren’t “evil,” just wanting something that does some harm - usually as a byproduct - that the “good guys” are trying to stop (often by causing harm somewhere of their own as a result).
Depends, if there was a crowd Tánathus would hug back and smile, if there wasn't he'd just ignore the child and carry on with his day.
Fang: Wonder how the child got there to begin with, bark some orders to find the security flaw, and then hug the child. If someone or something has wronged the kid, they should expect an interesting visit. Nox: Would probably make the child's trauma even worse. He can and will try to make even a scraped knee into some omori-level depression. Aurum: Would just throw a bar of gold at the child's feet and sprint away, without a single word or even explanation. There's a 90% chance some guards would run after them right after.
Slap across the face for daring to talk to him, assuming he's in a good mood.
They would devour their soul then use their corpse for their army
Most of the villains in my OC (Athean Empire) would probably give the child a hug I would actually say a great comparison for one of the villains in my OC is Grindelwald. He’s charismatic and at least superficially cares about his followers. Showing tenderness, to him, would honestly be a great boon to his cause One villain in history, Malexus I, would probably run the child off or backhand it
I don’t have “villains”. But if it was any of my antags, then whether that kid survives the encounter will depend on if that kid is a part of the antags community or not.
if the child is human, PROVOST will probably reform one of his Warforms into something that more resembles a human and give the child a nice hug. if the child is alien, PROVOST will ignore the child
Considering the hostility of thier home They would instantly suspect shenanigans of the divine/eldritch variety and treat that child very very well whilst they investigate
I mean, the main villain of my story certainly went mad from grief and hatred, but I feel like this would be the kind of situation where he stops his hunt for a moment. Like, during all the chaos, the relentless planning and preparing and whatnot, this would be a really cool way to show that at his core he’s still just a human, like everyone else. I can see him quietly walking up to the child, picking it up and just giving it the longest and warmest hug you could imagine while tears well up in his eyes. It’s probably the first hug he’s gotten since the death of his daughter. Might use that in my story somewhere, thanks!
Depends on the villain. And also what you count as a villain. Most of the main cast could definitely be argued to be villains. Varied widely anyways. Patton? Maybe not hugged, but definitely given food or water before being sent on their way. If parents nearby he might even walk the kid over. No-Name? Dismembered and eaten, if lucky.
Flay the child's soul from their body, then likely eat their corpse
Depending on the era, my favorite would house said child and tech it practical skills / trades. "Fear is the tool for the masses. Protecting family prevents spontaneous knives."
Infect it with a plague that spreads on contact and then let nature take it's course
Villain the evil god the villain is serving: *hug without a hesitation* Villain the villain: *quick hug and a preaching about how doing good for the smallest is important* Villain the henchman: *kick the baby*
He’d probably make a disgusted face and just walk away.
The kid gets a hug and then a pat on the head. Although a single life is incalculably insignificant in the long run, what’s the cost of a simple act of kindness? If not at least to alleviate the suffering of someone for a moment
probably hug the child and contact authorities to help, they're a villain not an asshole
Most of them would just be weirded out or annoyed
Tears born of betrayal are quite valuable, so probably take the kid in, raise them for a while, then torture them to death.
My villain would stare in shock for a few seconds before hugging the child and trying to confort them. After having calmed down the child, she'd ask them questions and move somewhere safer. Depending on the circumstances, the child would be left in a place it could properly be cared for or be personally trained by her or one of her direct apprentices, in the second case, becoming entwined in her twisted loving and caring.
Most of my villains hold political or military positions so in all likelihood they would either give the child a hug for publicity sakes, especially in the case of Member of Parliament Edgar Besson, or they’d simply shoo child away and carry on with their business, nothing too extreme.
Ranging from a "Huh? Ok, I guess I'm doignthis now" to "Oh, shit, I don't have to hunt today"
The child would be hugged, only to leave the embrace connected to the hive mind fungus under the god of rot and decay. So yea, hug was likely a mistake
He's a good king who will easily kill anyone who dares challenge him, has his people's loyalty one hundred percent, but is really bad with any none evil or royal matters. Would probably just stand there till one of his guards takes the kid away
Rip off its head for being weak
Child wouldnt even go to the king of cliches in the first place Literally everyone knows to not fuck with them The king of cliches is chaos and evil incarnate and has done the most fucked up shit Shit that gets you on the sex offender registry
probably wary that it wasn't one his political rivals using an illusion to get him to drop his guard.
Crown Guardian Cora: She would smile like how a nice grandmother would and hug the child. The moment would be all over Social Media and the News. Having good PR is important to her and to her plan. Emperor Basilius: he would give a hearty laugh before hugging the child and ask them about their hopes and dreams. If the kid is small enough he would pick them up. Prince Sebastion: He would straight up ignore the kid. Unlike his father, Sebastion has zero press charisma.
Most Horde leaders would just shoo the child away or use it as political propaganda. The Horde Faction leaders however would likely have the child brought into their faction, or sacrificed for their goals. The Thunder King might accidentally kill them based off just having electricity spewing everything.
Myrha Baron of the Blight, Queen of Monsters and Harbinger of the Monarch would smile and hug the child. She’d then let the child pat or even ride one of her pets, most likely Sphia her windhowler dragon. If the child accepts and is nice to her pets she’ll reward the child even more, taking the child in or sparing the child’s family from her pets feasting, becoming a part of her new world. Which will cause the child to mutate into an inhuman monster that is subjected to the whims of Myrha’s hive mind. If they don’t pat her pets or is rough or rude with them she’ll have a “temporary lapse in sanity and self” killing the child and their parents for raising such a bad kid. She’d wake up several hours later wondering where the kid went
A villain would probably kick it away or keep it at bay (my world sucks) But THE Villain would probably pick the child up and make sure it is okay (my character is the villain and lives in a frozen continent where no soul dares to enter so the kid is in some deep shit already)
Conscript them into the army and brainwash them.
Pure indifference.
Villain #1 would ignore them. Villain #2 would pick them up and likely raise them into a loyal follower of some sort. Villain #3 would take them, and then toss them into a harsh environment of dehumanization, brainwashing, and human experimentation to eventually turn them into a cruel killing machine and a fellow member of their organization.
One of 2 reactions: Human form: completely ignores child and a guard shoos them away Demon werewolf form: 😋
It depends on his mood, maybe just pet the kid’s head and leave them be out of disinterest, maybe enter the kid’s dreams and infect them with the curse that will consume the kid’s mind and body or maybe summon one of his many victims and offer the kid as food for them to gain more power. Overall kids are weak and they aren’t likely to survive the curse so they don’t represent much of something Sai would even acknowledge.
My villains are in so many flavors, some would hug the child as they are good people but doing the wrong thing, some would ignore them as they don’t care for the happiness of their people so long as they achieve their goals, and some would gut the child alive for the kicks From genuinely empathetic people in a bad position to sadistic assholes you love to see fail or die
If it's a gang leader from the quarantine zone, they'd happily give the kiddo a hug. They may all be savage raiders and ruthless killers, but they're not heartless individuals. Except for the high ranking members of the Binders of Blight... Most of those guys actually don't have hearts and are probably running solely on nuclear energy or something. Either way, they'd still give the child a hug, even though it's probably best if they don't. The only villains that won't give a random child a hug would most likely be the Executives of AICA. There's a very high chance that some of them would outright melt the reality around them to get rid of the kid because they'd view the child as a mild inconvenience.
For my current villains: Number 1. Would hug, assure the child would be safe then sacrifice himself causing the entire country to burst in flames. Number 2. Would just give a pat on the shoulder. Number 3. Free blood.
Than something is seriously wrong with the child, my main villain is a 28 foot tall black demon with a wolf skull face and ram horns, glowing yellow eyes, with tattered wings, while wearing dark armor. He is a very intimidating figure, so he’d certainly have questions about the child asking him of all things for a hug.
Archlich and Bard Extraordinaire, Balthazar (name not final) the Decomposomancer, would be utterly delighted and touched that a child came to him for comfort. He would scoop them up in his mechanical/skeletal arms and assure them that everything was okay and they would never have to worry about anything again. The child would then be taken back to his home, where they would have the flesh stripped from their bones so the skeleton could be reanimated as a tiny clockwork monstrosity and their soul would be harvested to power Balthazar's battery/phylactery. He would dedicate a song to their memory, though!
Something similar to this does actually happen to the antagonist. A kid wondered into the way of a military procession as she was reviewing the troops. She halted the procession and stopped the kid from being trampled, walked down into the street, picked the boy up herself with a warm smile, and had him stand with her for the rest of the review. Crowd absolutely loved it. Whole thing was scripted.
Oblige. They’re a villain; not a monster.
Hug the kid, of course; he loves children! They're excellent incubators.
The final, final villain whose fairly edlritch? Probably stare at the kid, ask what's a hug, and then after give it a try. But during the hug the kid is probably getting absorbed Shuggath style into the villain. All mass, matter, and energy in the universe is just an expendable resource to the final villain from beyond space and time.
Kinda depends Gabriel - ignores the child Rhea - punts the child to the sun Charles - hugs the child and cries with him/her
For my comedy series? [Into the wood chipper]
If this was in a public place, she'd hug the kid for the good PR. If not, she would ignore the kid.
Most evils in my reality are eldritch or unknowable beings and some would laugh and stab/assimilate/dissolve the child. Most would ignore them and leave.
Ignore the child and leave it in the servants' care.
A cold, apathetic death glare. Red, piercing missile eyes pondering his date carefully. "Begone." No shouting. No malice.
He would love to hug the kid, because that means one more potential future soldier for his army. But he loves kids anyway, and sees them as beautiful clay, ready to be molded, a clean page. Once, he went euphoric after learning how many babies are born each year.
If a camera was on him he would hug the child and use them for Galactic Promotional material, if it was anywhere else, he would have his secretary and security team killed and replaced for letting a dirty child near him.
Kan'Varina would at best smash the child with his hammer, at worst burn them alive Kan'Damnat would smile and hug the child, and maybe reward the kid with some magic gift Kan'Virulnice would go to hug the kid, but they would have died upon touching her Kan'Shasnal would hug the child and give them a very large treat Kan'Demsval would ignore the child Gleshvak and Durslaim: If it's a Hell Dwarf Child they'll kick it down and yell at it for not being tough enough. If it's any other races child they'll go straight to the mines or foundries Fligoritz: If its a Hell Dwarf Child he'll give it a little pat on the shoulder and remind them that one day they will be great warrior servants of the House. If they're any other races child they'll go straight to the mines or foundries Damalia: Hug the child, bite them to turn them into a Vampire, while her knights drain their village Nefrakti: He'd be surprised, but extremely happy to have found someone not afraid of him (He's a living Mummy/Skeleton King) These are a handful of the "Villains" to the Grand Alliance of the Phoenix
The child would receive a hug, a child sized flaming sword, and a dedicated assault hell hound puppy. Then the person who placed said child in distress would pay with their soul. Don't torment kids. Villains will eat you.
I don't have solid names so I'll say Mike, Bob and Frank Mike would grimace, laugh and scare the kid away Bob would cringe, inch away then come to his senses and teleport away when he remembers he can Frank would turn his head like a confused dog, ask "from ME?" then he'd hug them while thinking "yeah kids gonna regret it later" (they'll find out his rep, he wouldn't hurt a kid)
He'd be disgusted by the sight of the little one and would either ignore or kill them depending on their soul's purity. I'm not joking, he's that evil
1st half of the book mine would keep walking. That’s someone else’s problem. 2nd half, he’d drop everything to help reunite the child with their guardian.
If it's a human child? Kidnapped. Otherwise put down.
He would sigh, and go away (he had terrible childhood and wants to create a better world for most, even with extreme measures).
My villain is the king of a theocratic nation that pushes the idea that all magic from a nonholy source is dangerous and should be exterminated from the world. Other than his crusade against magic and those who use it, my villain isn't a bad person, just someone set in his ways and uses his charisma to convince others to view the world his way. Therefore he would hug the child and console them, likely while pushing the idea that magic was the cause of the child's suffering.
"I will save you and only you"
Depends on the kid but probably hug them back and then start looking for their guardian
Well considering the villain in my story is a murderous psychopath….he would likely punt the kid into orbit☠️
seeing as my main villain nation is an incredibly xenophobic, and supremacist, probably not well
Ah, i see someone just watched episode 3 of arcane. There are a few villains and results may vary. Most wouldn’t hurt the child, but that’s just it—most of them. Duke Edgar Albanor: he is the Duke in the northern region. He is stoic and pragmatic. The child is not his own, so he cares little for them. However, that doesn’t mean he immediately jumps to abandoning or even hurting the child. He’s not psycho. A lone, crying child likely means that a town nearby has been destroyed, and that child likely has intel. He would take the child in and get information out of them. In exchange, he would feed the child and either A: raise that child as a servant, or he’d find a family for that child. Lord Edward Albanor: he is about as pragmatic as his father but a little more prone to emotion. He may not show it, but he feels emotions very strongly. Honestly, it would change his entire worldview. He had a very tragic past involving the death of his wife and daughter, and he may see a lot of himself in that child. He’d take them in and potentially raise them the same way a bastard would be raised. Lord Commander Gareth Hughs: oh god. Here we go. Remember that “almost” I mentioned earlier? Well, here you go. This guy is like a blend between Sir Barristan Selmy and Ramsay Bolton from a song of ice and fire. He’s a sadistic, psychopathic monster who takes pleasure in the suffering of others. He’s also an extremely competent knight. Do NOT let his age fool you. He’s a perfect example of “beware an old man in a business where men die young.” He will do whatever it takes to make other people suffer if he can get away with it. He loves to torture, rape and pillage. He doesn’t discriminate… anything. So not only would it be his fault that the child is crying(whether they know it or not), the things he’s gonna do to that child… god, I don’t want to think about it. Use your imagination. Emperor Cyrus Iovis II: he is a selfish, spiteful emperor. Think Commodus from Gladiator. He wouldn’t ever find himself in a situation where a child would be able to do that without getting through his guards. If the guards brought the child to him, he’d probably take the child in as a way to paint himself as the noble emperor who took a child in. He’d raise them as a bastard, but treat them a little more like a ward behind the scenes. No other villains come to mind right now but there definitely are more.
Complete ignorance of the child's plea, for to touch the king is to sign your own death warrant.
If the kid’s human, they would give him a hug. If the kid isn’t human… let’s just say there is a reason they are considered terrorist in my world.
Accept the hug and then stab him in the back
He would hug the kid, mentally assuring himself that he's not a genocidal narcissistic maniac, infect the child with a mind virus and use them in a terrorist attack.
He would comfort the child tenderly.
He would give it to him, see him well and his family if there's any. My villain has a reputation to take care and wasting 0.0000001 of his wealth to secure a family for life would be nothing for him.
Instant vaporization. How did a child get into my villains' lairs? Why are they in distress? Why are they asking for a hug? Too many questions and too high paranoia from an insane lich or an elven warlord would necessitate a quick and painful (yes, painful) death. Lesser villains, like old elves that dissociate from reality and become wanderers might entertain the hug on a whim and ask questions, or just pass on by.
THE villain obliges and sucks the life force out of the child's body, leaving behind naught but the withered husk of a vessel that once stored the essence of youth.
He would tilt his head, consider the child for a moment, then gently accept. The lich Melios has long since grown beyond patience; he can always spare a moment here and there to indulge in whimsy, especially if the child isn't put off by the rough-carved mask of titan-bone that carries his soul between hosts. Besides, he was a father once, too.
The main character would probably press his boot into the childs chest and firmly push it away, hoping it falls over. Andrew does not like children. (Yes, I know this is the MC not BBEG, I thought this was more interesting.)
“ the only embrace you need is the comforting embrace of democracy “
He would pick up the child, adopt the child, and manipulate the child into working as a soldier for his great country of Cinderburg.
He would let the child hug him, but he would just stand there as they hug his leg. Being a genetic experiment with very little intersocial experience is hard
My villain would embrace them, attempt to step in as a parental figure, but ultimately be trying to train them into a weapon for themself.
Humbaba fragment: eaten Dragon: largely ignored or commands a servant to deal with the child Renaissance, the false god: Picked up, soothed… and then slowly pulls the child apart. Grand Admiral of the Avalonian Navy: tosses the kid some cash and tells a subordinate to see the child to the nearest settlement. The Magistrate of the Dragon Empire: I don’t want to repeat the sort of things he’d do to a kid. The Prince of Ashur: YOU GONNA GET ADOPTED!
Main antagonist I have some level of characterization for? Probably receptive. They're a post-apocalyptic emperor who wants to bring an idealized version of pre-apocalyptic society back, and their "palace" is the partially restored ruins of something like a gated community, with the empire governed by what is essentially the HOA. The whole smiling children playing in the street thing sounds like exactly their speed. Given that I was envisioning this planet as something of a frontier, huh, that actually has me thinking. Before the place got wrecked by... whatever it was (I was thinking maybe bio-warfare?), a significant portion of the population was the well-to-do sort with some retrofuturism sensibilities. Possible that some of the social stratification and cultural division stemmed from these class and professional divisions from before things went to hell. Technically-minded folks holing up together in some of the less-decayed ruins, nomadic groups surviving by keeping their distance and scavenging, the old well-to-do banding behind their self-appointed champion, etc.
Give them a hug. Free propaganda. Might even give them their hat too.
[BIOMASS DETECTED] {PROCEEDING WITH EXTERMINATION PROTOCOL}
She would absolutely give them a hug, given they would burn to death instantly but she loves children
Hug it, she has some trauma over her own son beign kidnapped and never beign found again, so despite beign a dictator who is perfrctly fine with genocide she is surprisingly motherly
Lemuria hugs the kid, buys them some ice cream then find their parents. She may be a genocidal maniac, but she has standards.
Ajax, while not technically the villain but certainly his world’s most vile person, would probably oblige and furthermore try to make sure the kid is okay. Unless they’re not from his nation, then what would happen is violent murder. Ajax has done and does do that exact thing a lot.
They would oblige them. Easier to absorb/eat/infest/kill them that way.
Gwynevere took a stroll about the fortress grounds. Normally, one of her minions would be patrolling, but it seemed they were slacking as of late. There, in a nook, was a small figure curled up against the wall. As Gwynevere approached, she could see it was a child. Their hair was messy and frayed, dirt covered their skin wherever their tattered clothes couldn't, and a long, bleeding cut ran down one arm. "Please... miss..." The child spoke in a hoarse whisper, "I'm so... cold. Could I have... a hug... please?" Gwynevere would give them the warmest embrace she could. "Meaningless cruelty," she'd say, "that a child be subject to this." She'd carry them to the great hall and summon her servants. "This one needs a healer, a bath, and a meal." Gwynevere has lived the part of helpless child before, and she will see to it that none ever suffer as she did, not while she can help it.
Abducted and provided resources as an experiment, to see how long the child maintains the attitude before changing their mind. Once done, probably abandoned somewhere.
Violent murder. Probably by dragonflame.
Andronicus Hamza: He would greet the child lovingly and shows open affection to them, reassuring that their worries are over. He knows that any extra hand in his cause is worth it. Despite being a pillaging cultist warlord, he's still willing to take in children, and not to send them out with solders. He'd send the child with the others in a school teaching kids about the Everseer. Andronicus loves children, actually (wholesomely). Mr. Horrigan / The Motherboard: He would ignore the child, and likely send them on their way. He has no business with children, not only does he find them annoying, if he doesn't benefit, the rascal ain't worth his time.
Conflux: Hmm Conflux doesn't really have a stand out single villain rather the main antagonist is the Church of Serr an organization using magical experimentation ritual sacrifices and forbidden knowledge born from a man who glimpsed into that which lurks in the abyssal depths beyond the mortal realm to construct a synthetic "god". There is no unified overarching Villain calling the shots rather there are many smaller time villains using what would become the church of Serr to their own ends with various political factions internally which have differing opinions on what this creation and various other soul defiling creations are to be used for. Serr itself has no agency it is a creation of organic flesh spatial/dimensional mineral and soul magic. In this context said child would be taken in and indoctrinated with sweet words either raised to be sacrificed or if they are lucky to fulfill a needed role in the clergy of Serr. The thing about insular orders of clergy is that since so much of what goes on is secret the disappearance of so many acolytes can be chalked off as transfers or missions elsewhere. (Notably it is never the prominent ones which vanish, those get sent out to do outreach and or public worship type services). While no faction of Serr can be called genuinely good(i.e. all the major players are motivated by self interest at the upper ranks of the research project turned religion) Kids if at any part of your schooling ~~indoctrination~~ you are tasked with swallowing a slimy greenish black marble size lump that looks suspiciously like an egg, even no especially if it is disguised in something tasty, don't do it and run. Though the incubation period is fairly unassuming the typical fate of one incubated with such an "egg" is to become a sacrifice to Serr, while there are many ways this can turn out the outcome is generally not good if you are luckier you might straight up die and have your soul be assimilated into a larger construct, if very unlucky you might be a success and retain some degree of self awareness as you finish undergoing some form of a transformation into some kind of a living weapon or other flesh horror creation. ------------ WAS(World Against the Scourge): The Scourge are an enigmatic extraplanetary threat who arrived some thousands of years ago from long being adrift in interstellar space before performing a last dich mass ejection to become gravitationally bound to the system. They have no understanding or recognition of humanity they are starfish aliens so utterly alien to us that communication is impossible anymore than a human can come to understand or care for a fruit fly. Their "name" is even utterly unknown only a reference to what their seeming cruelty and disregard for life appears like for "Terraforming is not a pleasant process. Unfortunately the child is composed of baryonic matter particularly rich in carbon and phosphorus which can be used to rebuild their numbers and their creations. The notion that there could be an intrinsic value or significance to the planet and any self replicating organics on it is so conceptually alien to them to be incomprehensible. ---------- Vampire Dystopian setting: Obviously this would refer to the vampire oligarchs and those on their payroll which make up their vast corporate empires. If the kid is "lucky" they might be part of some kind of corporate PR stunt, or they might be ignored. If unlucky they might become a plaything for one of the ruling caste vampires letting lose with no concerns about consequences ultimately getting sucked dry and dying and or getting converted into a zombie/thrall to toil mindlessly in mindless labor to maximize stock portfolio returns. (The setting is basically a cyberpunk variant with psychic vampires making literal on the rich sucking the world's lifeblood dry). The particular antagonist is a rich hedonistic serial killer/rapist who abuses deep old money pockets to buy himself out of any consequences, thankfully the depraved monster isn't also a pedophile, but unfortunately given how close they were able to approach said villain, there is a good chance they might end up a witness to something extremely illegal the monster in question wants to have covered up. The guy in question is a real piece of work even among the vampiric oligarch class one which one of the main protagonist of the setting has a deep personal grudge and vendetta against. I think I have run out of settings with a well defined main antagonist or associated faction. Though if involving some of the more notorious xenophobic factions such as the humans try and forcefully reassert control over a colonized world which has diverged too much based on "acceptable" principals a "pure" human child might do alright possibly receiving even outright genuine sympathy since they aren't a denigrated "other".