#also something something weird how these are also traits used to queercode villains :)

[the-light-of-stars]

thinking about one of my least favorite fiction tropes which is taking an eccentric, campy, flamboyant villain, reforming them and - as soon as they've stopped being fully evil - immediately taking away their eccentric traits and making them dress and behave like some random dad or office worker.

there's nothing wrong with reforming that type of villain, ofc! but it just always annoys me (and makes me kind of sad) when they loose their flamboyance and eccentricity as a side effect of becoming a better person - not only because it makes the character more bland and takes away from what made them unique and enjoyable in the first place, but also because it equates traits like flamboyance with villainy and evilness, as if it is impossible for a character to become a better person while still wearing glitter and campy over the top outfits or talking like they learned how to speak from a 'best of Shakespeare' collection.

a villain can reform and heal from their harmful personality traits and behaviors while still keeping their harmless ones, they don't need to be turned into a completely unrecognizable person to get better! They can become a good guy and befriend the heroes and still wear neon colored outfits with gold details and oversized fur coats or go on a dramatic monologue like an aged hollywood diva because their favorite restaurant got closed! those traits aren't mutually exclusive...!