#gleeful villainy!

[dravidious]

◖⁠⚆⁠ᴥ⁠⚆⁠◗

Been in an imp mood lately, so I kinda made a villain character who's an imp. May or may not do anything with them.

[celluloidbroomcloset]

Here's the thing—the whole "queer-coded villain" trope is a very important part of queer film theory. During the Code, one of the major ways that films were allowed to represent queerness (and it was still very subtextual) was via the villains. So things that would be labeled "perverse"—including all kinds of kink—could be shown within the confines of villainy, which in turn often made them rebels against the status quo. They were the opponents of the straight couples, the kinky, dangerous figures who were going to lead the good straights astray, and in reading the villains against the grain, there's a sort of queer liberation—queerness threatens mainstream society, it threatens to destroy the status quo, or to seduce the hero/heroine into liberating perversity. The villains are usually defeated in the end, but for their duration they are a reaction against the dominance of the straight world.

This does not work in shows like Our Flag Means Death. This is a world in which queerness is the default, not the exception. The "queer-coded villains" are actively working against the central queer couple and for the straight world. They are endangering the safety of the queer community and undermining positive expressions of gender and sexuality. They are not a reaction against mainstream culture, but a reaction against queer culture. Ned Low would be played by Vincent Price circa 1953, but where Price's characters are gleeful threats to the straight world, Low is a threat against the queer one. In a world where queerness is already treated as positive liberation, the queer-coded villain is reactionary.

This is very very clever of this show.

[paper-gold-theories]

Villainous Fanfic: Conflicting

Basically a yandere GoldHeart and Flug fanfic.

----

"I trusted you, Leth! You're a hero in training for P.E.A.C.E. Academy and you knew I'm villain student in Black Hat Institution but you kept it a secret all this time to just use me to get ahead and become the top hero!" Flug yells at GoldHeart as he enters his boyfriend's room, confronting him with all the evidence he complied of his decit.

“Flug, calm down, you’re getting worked up over nothing,” GoldHeart says calmly, as if he knew this would happen eventually, but there was a flicker of fear and paranoia of Flug leaving him sliding over Goldheart's eyes and if Flug hadn't known him he would have missed it.

“Don’t you love spending time with me? Don't you love sleeping with me? Don’t you love being together with me? Don't you love me?” with every question GoldHeart walks closer to Flug in large, determined yet careful steps, like a hunter approaching a deer.

“Yes, but you-” Flug tried to get the conversation back on track as GoldHeart steps closer and closer towards him.

“And look, Flug!” GoldHeart spoke over Flug, not letting him finish so that he can complete his own walk towards Flug from the other side of the room. He gently reached out his hand to cup Flug's face and slowly caressing his cheek. Despite being hurt by GoldHeart's deception, Flug leaned in on instinct making GoldHeart's eyes soften and quelling some of his worries at seeing his boyfriend's reaction.

“Remember what I told you that I'm going to achieve something that would make life better for the both of us?” GoldHeart put his arm around Flug's shoulder in an inescapable hold to guide him to his study table across the room. He grabbed a stack of papers from the desk and shoved it towards Flug's face, eyes gleeful and bright with frenzy.

“This is a P.E.A.C.E. contract, Flug! Thanks your tutoring I became the top of my grade and P.E.A.C.E. gave the best hero contract they could offer. I'm getting my own city, my own bulding, a seven figure starting salary, unlimited resources to stop crime and...I get to choose my own team.” Flug looked away from GoldHeart, not liking the way he possessively stared at him as he said those last words. "Just think Flug! Once you become a hero, we can have all of this together."

GoldHeart's sudden proposition shocked Flug, it wasn't even a proposition as Flug realised GoldHeart didn't ask, more like a declaration.

He came here with the intention of confronting his boyfriend for keeping secrets that he was a hero student and knows that Flug was villain student, yet still continuing their tutoring sessions to get ahead of all the other heroes in his school. Now he wants him to leave everything behind and become a hero? How did it come to this? “I still have a few months of school, Leth,” Flug explains after swimming out of his torrent thoughts.

“Fuck school, Flug!” GoldHeart growled vehemently, his hands moved to hold Flug tightly by the shoulders. Flug had never seen this side of his boyfriend before. "You said so yourself, those students beat the shit out of you and bully you for no reason while the teachers just sit there and watch! Why stay at that garbage villain school anyways?!”

"I need to go to school Leth because I'm going to become a certified villain once I graduate,” Despite the racing of his heart, Flug tries his best to sound firm and stand his ground with GoldHeart.

GoldHeart tightened his grip around Flug's shoulders. “Fuck Villainy, too...” GoldHeart bit out on a snarl, eyes glowing gold.

For the first time ever, Flug was truly afraid of his boyfriend. The harsh golden gleam to GoldHeart's vehement stare also reminded Flug that he's is actually a superhero with super inhuman strength that can break down steel buildings as if they were toothpicks, let alone overpower a normal human like Flug. The walls of GoldHeart's room felt tighter and tighter.

“You really think becoming a Villain will make your life any better?!” GoldHeart's voice was ice like liquid nitrogen and grating like broken glass as his hands slid down to Flug’s waist, encasing him close to his body with a posessive hug to hold him in place. “Your gonna live your life on the run and heroes will literally hunt you down to beat the shit out of you if they see you doing crime! How is that any better from being bullied?!"

"I'm not going to be on the losing end Leth!" Flug snapped, angrily struggling against GoldHeart's constricting grip, but the hero held him in place.

"Sure your smart, so maybe you will get some success and escape now and then," GoldHeart shrugs nonchalantly. "But Flug, didn't you also always say you want people to recognize you for your genius? Tell me how the is being a villain, who are hated by everyone in society is going to help you achieve that?" GoldHeart challenges Flug looking at him directly in the eye.

"I do want people to acknowledge me for my genius. But not like this. Not if I have not if I have to sell out to become a hero, not if I have go against my morals and beliefs to get ahead," Flug looks at GoldHeart back in the eye in return with conviction.

GoldHeart sighs, "The grass isn't greener on your side Flug," he responds calmly, the opposite from his earlier tone, surprising Flug. "Villains do just as morally compromising things as heroes. And you say heroes are sell outs but don't villains also sell their soul to Black Hat to get what they want, how is that any different?" GoldHeart elaborates as if it was obvious.

Flug was stuntlock at GoldHeart's words. It's true, Flug had to admit, both villains and heroes do the same compromising things. He turns away from GoldHeart, not sure how to respond to that revelation.

GoldHeart smiles softly, as if reading his boyfriend's mind and knows what he's thinking. He gently places his hand on Flug's chin and moves it so that his boyfriend is facing him again, "If you become a hero you'll get all the recognition you deserve and you won't have to worry about being bullied...I'll eliminate anyone who even tries," GoldHeart adds darkly.

'Holy shit,' Flug thought. 'That was wow.'

“When were together nobody can stop us, nobody can hold us back,” GoldHeart continues, going back to cradle Flug’s face between his hands and bore into him with fever in his brown eyes. “We'll have the world in the palm of our hands. You and me, together."

"Leth I...," Flug sighed out a wavering breath. Being a hero never tempted him before, it shouldn't be so tempting! But the way GoldHeart said 'You and me, together' lit a flame in Flug’s fluttering heart as the potential future of becoming a hero together with his boyfriend and being recognized for his hard work and talents flashed vividly before Flug’s eyes making it all seem so wonderful and beautiful.

In school, his life had been so lonely and miserable ever since Cecilia died, until Herbert Leth walked into it and made him feel things he thought he would never feel again, it wasn’t like he wanted to go back to being alone again.

But even though he realised villains and heroes are somewhat similar and the wonderful future he could have together with GoldHeart ...Flug has worked too hard, for too long, putting his blood, sweat, tears, and everything he had to become a villain. It was his passion, dream, and goal ever since he decided to enroll in Black Hat Institution to study evil science. He can't just immediately decide to give up on everything he worked for and everything he believed in just to become a hero right now. This was all too much for him to process at one go.

“Can you give me some time to think about it?" Flug felt GoldHeart’s arms tightened around him as he says those words. The ‘what’s there to think about, Flug?’ question already forming at the back of GoldHeart’s throat. But at the sight of Flug's teary and wide eyed overwhelmed expression, the tightness around GoldHeart’s eyes softened, feeling guilty for making his boyfriend cry.

Flug was surprised at his boyfriend's sudden change in demeanour as GoldHeart's grip loosen and instead pulled Flug's body close into his chest, a hand on the back of Flug's head guiding his face to nestle into GoldHeart's neck as the hero rubbed his hair in soothing motions.

“I'm sorry for overwhelming you Flug. I'll give you some time to think about it, alright," GoldHeart mummers and peppers Flug's face with gentle kisses.

"Thank you, Leth," Flug was glad at least GoldHeart listened to him on this one thing and finally hugs GoldHeart back, making the hero sigh in satisfaction and melt at the contact from his beloved boyfriend.

----

GoldHeart says he needs a month to finalise his contract and settle some other stuff with P.E.A.C.E. and asks if he can get Flug's answer by then and Flug agrees ...

And for a few weeks, things went back to the way they were. He and GoldHeart would go on dates, be intimate and spend as much of their free time together as a couple.

But at the back of Flug's mind he knew he was postponing the inevitable. He thought long and hard about his difficult decision and it was tearing him apart. Every time he sees GoldHeart's sincere smile when they spend their days together it makes him feel so conflicted as it reminds him of the inevitable decision he has to make and he wonders sadly if they will be able to continue to have happy times like this like this once he finally makes his choice:

Be a hero and have a future with GoldHeart or Sacrifice everything to follow his dreams to become a villain.

[buckybarnesss]

I get not liking Allison. She did some shitty things, truly. But the way people hate her but then champion around Theo is truly wild.

Allison did bad things. She is susceptible to manipulation (something she shares with Derek, which is incredibly common in abuse survivors!!). But she never really gets gleeful about killing and torture the way Kate, Theo, Peter, and Deucalion get.

Theo, Duecalion and Peter are all outright villains. They are also victims. They have their origin stories.

Kate is also a victim of Gerard's abuse and manipulations but she is very much a villain. She revels in her violence, manipulative games and her abuse of others. It makes her feel powerful and in control which she likely never did with Gerard.

Jennifer is also a victim and one can definitely understand why she becomes consumed with revenge against the alpha pack but she is still a villain.

One can be sympathetic and empathize with these characters while still recognizing their villainy.

Even Jackson receives a lot of sympathy in the narrative and nothing Jackson does is on par with the main villains. He's a petty, insecure high school jock and bullies Stiles and Scott repeatedly. It's also heavily implied his family ignored the abuse Isaac was suffering just across the street. Point is, he was used against his will to murder people and the narrative makes it clear he is horrified at that. Despite being an asshole he willingly allows Derek (and Peter) to kill him than continue to be a puppet.

Fandom has written essays upon essays about why a particular character is justified actually but the amount of times I've seen very little grace and empathy given to Allison could fill a sock full of quarters for which I could beat sense into them with.

Allison suffered abuse from her family. Her interests were devalued and she felt the need to hide them (her artwork and photography). These things were clearly devalued over her archery and gymnastics by Chris and Victoria because unbeknownst to Allison she was being trained to eventually become a hunter.

She has been lied to her entire life about her family's true nature and all through season 1 her parents gaslight her.

Her father terrorizes and tries to kill her boyfriend solely because he's a werewolf. Scott did nothing wrong besides fall in love with her. Her father threatened Jackson and Stiles. Has threatened Derek. Threatened Lydia because she didn't turn when bit.

Chris had her fucking kidnapped as part of her "training". Allison was legitimately terrified.

Her mother commits suicide because the Code says so. Her mother rather die and leave Allison motherless at 17 than be a werewolf. By and large we see very little evidence werewolves cannot have normal and fulfilling lives. In fact the biggest threats to them are people like the Argents.

Kate wants to groom Allison into being like her. Her introduction to the supernatural is Kate torturing Derek. Allison had met Derek. He'd been nice to her. Kate tries to coerce Allison in joining into her depravity.

Allison learns that Kate killed an entire family. Not just the adults but children too. They burned alive. Kate was like a sister to her and her closest family member that she was excited to see and trusted. The betrayal of that. And than Kate is killed in front of her.

Despite good intentions Scott keeps the truth about her mother from her until after she's already falling victim to Gerard's manipulations and lies.

Allison's entire season 3 arc is knowing she fucked up. Her actions dominoes into Erica's death. It's no accident she discovers Erica's body and is there to see Derek's grief. She feels enormously guilty about it and spends all of s3 trying to atone. She's haunted repeatedly by her mother and Kate.

Allison was 17 years old and in the end she died trying to save her friends. She wasn't a bad person. She made bad choices based on lies, manipulations and not being told the full truth.

But there's a large segment of fandom that just writes her off and in the same breath defends Peter, Theo and Duecalion. Allison is a lot like Derek and Derek is one of the most popular characters but in the same turn Allison and Derek receive a lot of the same kind of criticism.

They aren't perfect abuse victims and make questionable decisions sometimes which makes people upsetti-spaghetti.

I think that dismissing Allison as some stupid little girl -- which is what so many of these arguments boil down to -- just devalues her character arc, what she meant to the other characters and the place she has in the story.

She's so much more than Scott's Lost Lenore or Chris's dead daughter. Allison Argent fought so hard to have agency in her own life.

[docgold13]

Profiles in Villainy

Himiko Toga

The young villainess known as Himiko Toga lived a life of great extremes.  Maniacal, sadistic, gleeful and charismatic, she exuded a joyful effervescence emanating through a manic, wide-eyed stare and fang-toothed grin.  Her struggle to feel loved and valued resulted in a lifetime of chaos and mayhem.  

Himiko’s super human powers (or ‘Quirk’) manifested in early childhood.  She found herself obsessed with blood and that contact with the blood of another person or creature enabled her to shapeshift and take on the form and/or abilities of others. 

Himiko’s abilities contributed to something of a morbid obsession with blood that greatly disturbed her parents who enrolled her in ‘quirk counseling’ in an effort to curb her behaviors and make her act in a more normative fashion.  This backfired entirely and led Himiko to create a false and bubbly facade that masked her true self.  Feeling like she had to hide her real self led to increasingly more unhinged and sadistic urges.  In her adolescence Himiko would become the prime suspect in a string of murders involving blood-letting.  With her world closing in on her, Himiko ran away and ended up recruited into The League of Villains.  

A great admirer of the hero-killer Stain, Himiko would go on to become a highly formidable super villain.  She was equipped with a set of pins that enabled her to extract blood from opponents which she could then use to temporarily acquire their form and powers.  

Throughout many battles with the hero community and the students of the U.A. High School, Himiko developed a crush on the young hero, Izuku as well as an obsession with the heroine Ochaco.  Himiko used her power to disguise herself as a student named Camie as part of an effort to infiltrate the U.A. Provisional Hero License Exam.  Although she was ultimately found out by Eraserhead and her mission is not a success, Himiko greatly enjoyed the experience.  It left her intent on a quest to become all that she loves by way of blood-consumption and imitation.  

This appeared to be a neurotic fixation stemming from her parents’ inability to accept her for who she was.  And was a matter that Ochaco was able to see and to a degree understand; Ochaco came to see a capacity for good in Himiko and she felt compelled to try to help her.

Following a number of defeats, The League of Villains was absorbed into the Paranormal Liberation Front.  Himiko participated in numerous battles all whist continuing to struggle with her unmet needs to love and feel loved.  Her conflictive feelings toward Ochaco culminated in a terrible confrontation wherein Himiko ultimately chose to sacrifice herself in order to save Ochaco.  

Both Himiko and Ochaco had been gravely wounded and Himiko passed on her blood to Ochaco so to save her.  This act of selflessness enabled Himiko to finally feel seen and valued.  She was able to feel real love and was truly happy for the first time.  Having finally attained what had eluded her for so long, Himiko slipped away into the peace of death.   

Actress Misato Fukuen has provided the voice for Himiko Toga in the original anime; with actress Leah Clark voicing the character in the English language dub.  The conflicted villainess first appeared in the thirty-first episode of Boku no Hīrō Akademia (My Hero Academia) airing on August 5th, 2017.  

[stevetown]

Mass Effect

Playtime: 19h7m Completed: January 11, 2024

I had attempted to play the original Mass Effect years ago, but I never finished it. I was playing a fairly straightforward Paragon leaning Shepard and right after Virmire I felt like I had seen everything the game could offer and stopped. Mostly I was bored, and I didn't know how close I was to actually just finishing the game.

This replay...this replay was different. First of all, I decided to play Renegade, very much against type for me. I had shied away from being "evil" because that didn't appeal to me, but it didn't take me long to realize Renegade in the original Mass Effect was less mustache-twirling villainy and more selfish assholery. The first time I shook an NPC down for more credits after doing a fetch quest for them, I felt a rush. I can play like this? I can just strong arm people into giving me more money? And not only does the game allow this, but it seems to encourage this behavior by giving me way more fun dialogue than the Paragon route? Hell yes.

Secondly, FemShep is the way to go, my goodness. Just a much better vocal performance by Jennifer Hale that manages to delicately balance Renegade and Paragon play styles by perfectly pitching neutral choices that still felt true to character. This meant that even if I didn't want to pick a Renegade option (no, I decided my Shepard wasn't the type to Do a Genocide), I felt encouraged to choose whatever option just felt right. This gave the game a natural flow that was, to me, the ultimate narrative role play.

On release, I remember people making a big deal about how Mass Effect was the first game where your choices mattered. What you did would influence and change major aspects of the game! While that's true (Virmire being the epitome of this), I also remember a backlash where people were complaining that yeah, you could make a handful of big choices, but they're very telegraphed and the plot was going to shake out largely the same regardless. They don't really matter.

What this playthrough taught me is that the first group was correct, but for the wrong reasons. Mass Effect's choices are impressive as hell because of all the micro reactions to your choices. My Shepard had friction with almost every character, and watching her slowly corrupt Garrus by encouraging him to put a bullet in all his enemies with no remorse was gleeful. Being an asshole gave me so many wonderful funny interactions that felt true to the character I wanted to play, the characters in the world, and kept the main plot totally intact. That's an incredible needle to thread. Mass Effect deserves props.

So for folks who gave the game a try and were bored by being a goodie two-shoes Galaxy Jesus, you have my permission to be an asshole. Be selfish. Get a little static. Let the council die (or not!). Make it interesting. You're not going to ruin the game, you're going to deepen the experience a thousand fold.

I didn't let him out.

[twistedtummies2]

The Price May Be Right - Number 2

Welcome to “The Price May Be Right!” I’ve been counting down My Top 31 Favorite Vincent Price Performances & Appearances! The countdown will cover movies, TV productions, and many more forms of media. It’s time for our penultimate pick! Today we focus on Number 2: Professor Ratigan, from The Great Mouse Detective.

If you know me very well, this choice and its ranking will not be even a remote surprise. If you don’t me as well…it probably still won’t be a remote surprise. Partially due to the fact it’s a Disney film, and partially due to the time when this film was released (it’s one of the more recent entries on the list), AND partially due to its family film status, this is quite likely the introduction most people my age had to Vincent Price, and it’s very likely how most people younger than me will often be introduced to the long-departed actor’s work in times to come. “The Great Mouse Detective” is also, I would imagine, how many young people end up being introduced to Sherlock Holmes. Because, in essence, that is what this movie is: it’s Sherlock Holmes, but with rodents in the roles. The story focuses on the madcap genius detective, Basil of Baker Street (voiced by Barrie Ingham), on his first case with his future partner, Dr. Dawson. The two have to work together to save a young mouse girl and her father, when they are kidnapped by Basil’s nemesis: the unhinged criminal mastermind, Professor Ratigan, Price’s role in the story. Ratigan plans to use the father’s special skills to help him assassinate the Queen of Mousedom, and then – you guessed it – take over the kingdom. It’s a race against time to stop Ratigan’s evil plan, save the victims, and spare the Queen and the kingdom alike from a hideous fate. This role came fairly late in Vincent’s career, and perhaps that’s what made it so special to him. He said more than once, in his waning years, that Ratigan had become his all-time favorite part…and considering all the incredible movies and characters he played before this slimy, contemptible sewer rat, that’s got to be saying a lot! Price described Ratigan as someone “playing the Great Villain, while also BEING the Great Villain.” There’s a sort of self-awareness to Ratigan and his melodramatic evil that I think makes him so fun to watch: he just so utterly ENJOYS all of his own wicked ways, and seems to self-consciously do things with the intent of making them as nasty and as grand as he possibly can. Intriguingly, there’s a hint of empathy to Ratigan, however: it’s hinted that the reason he’s become so evil is because he’s been prejudiced by society, since rats are seen as scummy, dirty, verminous things. He dresses himself in the finest clothes and puts on foppish manners in an attempt to seem more debonair and sophisticated…but ironically, his twisted nature only furthers the very stereotype he despises. Vincent’s voicework is a huge part of what makes Ratigan so wonderful. You can tell the man was having an absolute ball with every SYLLABLE he utters, and the animation and his voice blend together so seamlessly it’s impossible to imagine him in the booth whenever you watch the character. That’s something that’s difficult for even the very best celebrity voice artists, but the combination of Vincent’s dedicated performance and the artful animation makes it work brilliantly. His Ratigan is the Joker of Disney: a character who can flip on a dime from humorously evil and infectiously gleeful in his villainy…to a genuinely menacing, threatening, and thoroughly despicable character. He’s one of the finest portrayals of the character of Professor Moriarty ever put to the screen; I’m honestly surprised Vincent never played the character in live-action, especially considering both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee played Holmes himself at different points in their own careers. Maybe somewhere in that big movie studio in the sky, the three of them are putting on the greatest Sherlock Holmes film ever made. Here's hoping a lot of us down here get to see it someday. One last thing: a funny story about Price in this movie. Apparently, when Price found out about the film, he outright called up the management and Disney and asked if he could take part in it. They responded by saying he would have to audition. “If anyone but Disney had asked me to do that,” Vincent said, “I would have been insulted!”   Tomorrow, the countdown concludes with my Number One! Who will it be? What will it be? Stay tuned to find out!

[lansplaining]

Why don’t you like JGY depicted as a villain? Isn’t he the big bad in canon? Yeah he’s a traumatized man who did some good through the watchtowers but unlike WRH, JGS and XY, he’s very good at using his trauma as a tool of manipulation against other people.

I did a whole post about it that I now can’t find because tumblr, but that’s okay because it definitely didn’t address your take. Long story short: even canon isn’t unequivocal or gleeful about JGY’s villainy so why should fanfiction be? why should he keep being a villain in a totally different time period or canon divergence, when he has more or at least different options?

but let’s get to your version of events. here’s what I’ll give you:

stabbing himself to escape from NMJ in the book was hella manipulative and very not chill bro, but it also had nothing to do with JGY’s trauma

I guess killing the sect that killed Jin Rusong is a kind of manipulating people using the trauma of his child’s murder? but I suspect you think he killed Rusong, in which case it’s again not so much manipulation via trauma as, like, lying

he complains to Lan Xichen about how Nie Mingjue is treating him? Mingjue sees that as manipulation! I think Lan Xichen sees it as friends confiding in each other. also if it is manipulation, he’s in fact not very good at it because Xichen doesn’t do anything

in fact for most of the story people seem to look down on JGY for his trauma? it’s kind of like a source of ridicule and fear mostly?

but okay I assume you’re really thinking about the Guanyin Temple, which in the first case I’d argue is like….. a very extreme circumstance that is maybe not totally illustrative of how he conducts himself in the rest of his life? but yes, he does use his past traumas to try and give context to his actions in hopes that someone who is very important to him can understand why he acted the way he did and thus maybe not hand him over to be executed. how dare he.

[imsparky2002]

Class of Villainy - Jesse

Jesse - Eel-Human Hybrid

A kind yet neurotic eel-human hybrid who works at DuPont’s theatre club. He is a neutral student, upset with the villains actions, but was sympathetic to Mylene for awhile, his old friend and former crush.

Mylene and Jesse’s families were close which was why they knew each other. Mylene used to gaslight and mistreat Jesse, who was too enamored with her to realize. 

After Ivan found out about his love for her, she eagerly let him torment the boy. After seeing her gleeful reaction and mockery of him, Jesse lost his love for the girl, and joined the heroes.

He likes for things to go according to plan, if not, he begins to spiral and panic. You can tell because he lets out sparks when he’s nervous or freaking out.

Him and Missy are besties. Fish-hybrid gotta stick together after all. She was the one who helped him realize he was being abused by Mylene, and she serves as his bodyguard.

It’s pretty shocking that anyone besides Ivan Oogie could love Mylensula. Here’s Jesse, the other OC from Weeby, and we’re glad to put him into the VillainVerse. He’ll also appear alongside Missy in Class of Heroes! As always, make sure to reblog, reply, post and ask to share the content. @artzychic27 @msweebyness 

[dravidious]

Still playing Fantoccio's boss theme on repeat in my head (I managed to do a no-hit run of his fight today!) and I just realized I've never written a villain character before. Like I've had antagonists, and villainous characters in one-shots, and Gengar, but I've never made my own actual villain character. I gotta fix that some time

[wowitsverycool]

and i don't wanna be like moralizing about like 'oh because you criticized this asshole YOU'RE the REAL jerk' because that's just. not true. but i wish the internet wasn't just like flattening the whole thing into one digestible narrative about how the big mean evil guy did something bad, so now we will not forget!! we will not forgive!! yknow? i just want to never think or talk about it again. it's good to know that the guy's not Fucking Dead and i'm glad that was found out before it became a big issue for hbomberguy because jesus christ people are ghouls who called him a Murderer apparently. but like. i dunno! i see this guy and think 'holy fuckk this man is severely unwell' and interpreting things like posting nudes after threatening suicide as gleeful mustache-twirling villainy with no room for 'huh maybe this guy Actually Has Something Wrong With Him' feels kinda reductive and unhelpful! like!! i dunno i think there's nuance!!!! i think it depends!!! and i think i cannot purport to know everything about some jerk's psyche! so. this situation just makes me really, really uncomfortable.

[hopeaterart]

hi! I was wondering, since you’re working the anime into your Kirby lore do you have any specific changes you might make? Like, to episodes and such. Thanks!

Well, the biggest change to the anime overall is Dedede. He's a lit less... gleeful? Cartoonish? In his villainy. He's not taking any pleasure in this. He's just summoning monsters in a bid to attract Nightmare to Popstar, and it would show on a second viewing.

Other changes include: Meta behaves more like his game self and takes a more active role in mentoring Kirby, Tokkori is mostly replaced by the other animal friends, the NME Salesman and Nightmare are the same person, Kracko is native to Popstar and not a Nightmare Beast, both Bandana (pre-bandana) and Marx are present, and Kirby doesn't have a spaceship. I'd have to be asked about episodes in perticular to answer how their plot would change (if they happen at all!)

[politicsnc]

Trading Swing Voters for Base Voters

Congressman Dan Bishop announced recently that he is running for North Carolina Attorney General. A Machiavellian operator, Bishop carries himself with a touch of gleeful villainy. He joins a state ticket that will almost certainly be led by Donald Trump for president, and a third extremist, Mark Robinson, for the position of North Carolina Governor. The Republicans plan to field the most extreme…

[weheartchrisevans]

Chris Evans’ The Gray Man Villain Is ‘A Trainwreck Of A Human Being’

Fresh from saving the world a lot as Captain America, Chris Evans made something of a pivot. Donning some spectacular knitwear, he turned agent of chaos in Rian Johnson’s whodunnit Knives Out as swaggering douchebag Ransom (remember that “Eat shit” monologue?), chewing the scenery and spitting it out with a grin on his face. Now in The Gray Man, he’s ploughing further into gleeful villainy as Lloyd Hansen – the specialist hired to take down Ryan Gosling’s CIA hitman Sierra Six; a sadistic, narcissistic, sociopathic manhunter who relishes the nastiest parts of the job. His Cap days are well and truly gone. “It does seem that I’ve aggressively gone 180 [degrees] from Steve Rogers,” Evans tells Empire. “But it just kind of unfolded that way.”

As the film’s co-writer Stephen McFeely notes, the unpredictability of Lloyd Hansen spices up every scene he’s in. “He’s a trainwreck of a human being,” he teases. “That guy can be anything in any scene, because all he wants is anarchy.” Getting to lean into a character who loved doing bad things was an opportunity that Evans relished – especially getting to do so with the Russo Brothers, directors he’d worked with on a whole string of Marvel movies: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. “I love the Russos, and I’ll pretty much do anything they ask me to do,” he says. “And this is a character I’ve never been able to play. He’s so liberated, and free, and honest. What I like about him is that you should almost fear his smile more than his scowl. I think he understands that what he does is bad and harmful, but I think he considers himself necessary. He thinks he’s a disrupter.” Bring on the chaos.

[crusherthedoctor]

Why do some fans prefer Eggman to be a good guy then a villain?

It varies depending on the person, but usually it can be narrowed down to one or more of the following reasons:

- They genuinely think Eggman is a "pure cinnamon roll" (ugh) who can do no wrong, despite his three decades worth of gleeful malicious activity. Note that these people tend to be similarly delusional about other villains who are equally unapologetic about their villainy.

- They know Eggman is NOT the cinnamon roll they paint him as, and they can't stand it, because it contradicts how they portray him in their coffee shop AUs or whatever. So if Eggman is retconned as an uwu softboi, then Evil Eggman is out of sight and out of mind.

- They think Eggman is not a credible threat to the heroes because he's just a mortal human, as opposed to being a god, a giant monster, an alien warlord, etc. Even though this has never stopped him from achieving great things and being on the same threat level as those type of villains, and half of those other villains only got to play around in the first place because of him.

- They think Eggman can't be taken seriously as a villain because he's goofy and has comedic traits. Even though this has never stopped the Joker, Green Goblin, several Disney villains, and countless other villains of a similar cloth from being widely popular for being funny and evil at the same time.

- They have a hateboner for Eggman and want their preferred villain to be the main villain of the series instead. Popular candidates include Scourge, Mephiles, Neo Metal Sonic, and Eggman Nega. Some of them are narcissistic enough to want their own OC villain(s) to take up the spot.

- They watched too much Sonic X and/or Boom, and either don't realise or don't want to admit that their softened portrayals of the doctor are not accurate to Game Eggman.

[habeascorpseus]

Hell is Empty, and all the Devils are in the London Underground

(aka, i wrote a little thing about c!wilbur.)

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see, the thing about hell, is that contrary to popular belief, it's not about repentance. you don't go to heaven when you finally roll the boulder up the hill. you don't get to feel full again once you finally drink the water and grab the fruit. a thousand and one whip lashes are not what redeems you in the eyes of whatever power deemed you fit for damnation.

hell is about punishment.

hell is telling someone that they did bad, and now they have to suffer for it forever. hell, for the people that knew them, is peace, knowing that they can't hurt anyone again. hell is definitely, at least for some, deserved. for others? the true hell isn't in the punishment, but in it's stasis.

"alright," you might say, defiant, tired, eyes dull and face sallow. "you've burned me, drowned me, run me over, bled me dry, made me know just how much I fucked up. isn't this enough? have I suffered enough cuts to know the hurt I caused a thousand times over? have I not learned?"

to which the devil will laugh, his breath reeking of alcohol and cold tobacco, smile wide and filled with decaying teeth. and he will look at the inmate- because that's really what you are, in the end- and say, voice friendly and as deceitful as a politician's:

"no, idiot. this isn't about learning. didn't you know? the real hell is never getting better."

and he will laugh once more, menacing and gleeful, and once again, the torture will continue after the temporary reprieve, back to the monotonous pain and rumination on your sins. for the next 10 years, all you can do is stew. for a while, you try, out of spite, to become a better person.

"maybe I wasn't trying hard enough," you think, your skin being pricked by a thousand needles.

"maybe I need to show just how much I've changed," you think, walking barefoot on hot coals.

but no matter how hard you try, hell stubbornly refuses to acknowledge you. after that, you turn to crying. you scream till your lungs are hoarse, shout expletives at your torturers and the living who damned you here. the nightmare never changes. in the end, you realize that learning is futile. and with every new punishment you can feel yourself becoming resigned to your villainy. after an eon of suffering, when you find yourself back at the pool of water, your reflection is unrecognizable.

in hell, there is no rest for the wicked. there's no repentance, either.

somehow, limbo is worse.

when he died, wilbur hadn't prepared himself for anything. he'd never imagined a life after death, only a blissful nothing, far from war, politics, masks, and stories. the only thing he could hope for was peace.

what he got instead he wouldn't wish on anyone.

because not only was it not the peaceful dark that he had been dreaming of for weeks on end, but it also was occupied by one very drunk and very pissed formerly-president jschlatt. and soon enough, they were joined by a man calling himself "mexican dream."

wilbur doesn't know how long he waited for that accursed train to arrive.

limbo was noisy. simultaneously, and almost paradoxically, it was dull. there was nothing to do except play various card games with the deck he found under a bench one... day? week..? year....? time was difficult, there. when he got bored of the others, he taught himself solitaire, stewing in silence over his cards. when he got bored of that, he found the script. he doesn't know how many years it took to get through the damned thing (it always seemed to grow right when he finally thought it was over), but he doesn't like some of the new writing. it's too melodramatic, too scattered and un-cohesive. if there's one comfort, though, he doesn't see his name in any of the new script. the beginning of the script, however, is another story.

in the end, he reads his story nearly a thousand times over. and every time, he finds himself hating it.

because, contrary to popular belief, he didn't want this for himself. if anyone were to assume that he had wanted to die at the hands of his father, and then spend an eternity in a stupid fucking train station, he would have called them an idiot!

in truth, all he wanted was to live. now, he can't even have that. and what's worse?

he doesn't regret it.

because that's the thing about the afterlife. it's not living. there are no birthdays, no deaths, no wars or betrayals, no sons to raise or countries to protect. it's static and painful in all the worst ways. there's no character development, no arcs, no chapters, no closed book. just a dingy train station with cold concrete stretching infinitely in every direction. in the end, all you have is your mistakes to ruminate on. and with no one to tell you otherwise, who's to say you weren't correct?

13 years is an awfully long time to think that you're the bad guy.

wilbur would have rather gone to hell and known for sure.