#villain fucker

[tavyliasin]

Villain-Fucker Angst Hours

Good timezone, darlings~ Are you ready to get all up in your feelings? No? Me neither, loves, but here we are regardless so the words are going to flow as they usually do... This is focused on Raphael from Baldur's Gate 3 and his fandom, but the latter section can easily apply to any villain fandom.

Self-Analysis of Devil-Fuckery, Or Why Do I Adore Raphael When He Is Very Obviously Evil: A Short Essay by TavyliaSin (Who Still Cannot Name Anything With Less Than A Full Paragraph) ((NSFW)) (((Game Spoilers)))

The following may discuss heavier topics, but without specifics, so whilst it should be safe for most to read without triggering any difficult memories please be aware of Raphael's entire vibes, the content and context of his story, and I'd also like to mention that this isn't a "woe be us for we are terrible people" piece, it's actually more about:

"There is an inherent kindness and warmth to much of the Raphael fandom, and I think there could be some common threads behind that, pulling us all in closer in a comforting blanket that we wrap around each other to keep out the cold of the world."

So, what in the nine hells am I on about? Well. Raphael-fandom is a wild and wonderful place to be. The rest is in sections, so feel free to skip through to what you feel is relevant to your interests. I am so prone to waffle I should open a restaurant~

Who Are Fans Of Raphael? What Do They Want?

We are feral, unhinged, all sheets to the wind "I want that devil man, carnally, and there is no force in all the planes that could stop me". There's the vanilla to the extreme and every level in between, tops, bottoms, versatiles, Doms, subs, and switches - there are a whole lot of people who would love to get their hands on either (or both) of Raphael's forms, for a simple smooch or something far more spicy~ [edited in] To add on to this, not all of us even desire him in a sexual way, for many it is romantic, soft, or even just the rather pleasant thought of spending an evening with drinks by the hellfire because he would be fascinating company. Aces, Aros, and AroAces may all find themselves well within the devilish corners of fandom too~ which is a whole other essay~ [end edit] So, I see you. I'm one of you. Extremely loud and utterly hingeless in my fan appreciation for Raphael. He's one of my favourites to write about, I seek art of him, and the same goes for his mirrored other half, Haarlep, who I arguably love more despite there being far less content of them in the game.

And the Fandom? The Vibe?

From my experience in the Raphael Fandom areas, we have a very deep and abiding understanding of consent, respect, and treating each other with an absolute and uncompromising kindness. We've had talks about keeping each other safe in fandom, exchanged details of people we have encountered who need to be avoided, even shared details between moderators of different fandom servers to pre-ban people proven to be creeps and/or art thieves. We've also discussed consent, including the issues with it in the game, and how areas of the story can only really be considered dubious at best and could easily be triggering for people. And these discussions have been open, honest, fair, and with the acknowledgement that most of us love these scenes anyway. So there's a sense of care that runs through everything, behind the horny-posting and fan content, behind the endless thirsting after our favourite fictional characters. We have a depth of kindness that warms my sinners soul every time I see it.

What Does This Have To Do With Self-Reflection, Raphael, or Villainy In General?

Well let's look at Raphael. He's a villain, obviously. He's manipulative, devious, and inherently evil by his very nature. He keeps Hope chained in his basement, constantly subjected to endless torture. There's also mention of how Gortash was sold into his service at a young age, clearly not an enjoyable experience given the other details and how things turn out (particularly as Raphael would need Gortash's own plans to fail entirely in order for him to succeed in his own and get that crown). And as fans, we accept that. We don't sit making excuses, or trying to say "well actually Gortash is a little shit and Hope probably deserve it", and we don't shy away from or conveniently ignore those darker sides of him with malicious intent to enable more evil to flourish. What I noticed, when I allowed the thoughts to continue, is that there is a theme here.

If Evil Can Be Loved Then So Can I

That's the core. Of course, darlings, I am not claiming to be a heinous monster. I certainly do not have a laundry list of crimes that would make the devil himself say "Uh, that's a bit much." But I sure as fuck treat myself like I do sometimes. You see, I think a lot of us have that tendency, to judge ourselves far more harshly than anyone else. Our patience, understanding, and forgiveness for others runs deeper than the Mariana Trench, but when it comes to our own flaws? One minor mistake and we think ourselves to be the worst beings ever to disgrace the earth. Thus, the villainy we see reflects how we are treating ourselves. So by loving and accepting all of those things that should be terrible, hated, we are actually learning that no matter how poorly we think of ourselves that we can be worthy of that same love and acceptance. We are extending the affection we are unable to show ourselves to someone we see the worst parts of ourselves amplified within. And that's why villains attract the people with the most kindness. The most forgiveness. Because it takes someone with a truly huge amount of empathy to find love for the embodiment of evil.

Or, IDK, maybe villains are just hot and we're too far down to care.

But wait, before you go!

THERE'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT.

All of this is about FICTION. We should never be accepting of the kinds of evil we see in the game irl. We do not owe anyone kindness if they do not show it to us.

What is hot in fiction is not always OK IRL.

Look after yourselves out there, remember that consent is key in all things, and please do try to learn to love yourselves, darlings, you are worthy of it and you should judge yourself by the same standard you judge others. If you are in doubt, if you are worried, if you feel afraid - reach out, talk to someone. There are many who will listen.

Treat yourself as you would treat a friend. You deserve that much.

Oh, and all Raphael fans who understand kindness are welcome around me, any hour of the day, I adore our little fandom circles and would gladly collect all of us together. I'm following a lot of you as soon as I find you, like hunting shiny pokemon~

See you in Avernus, my darling Little Mice, may we all find joy in the Cambion's Embrace~

[spaceagetoon]

SHES MY WIFE!!!! SHES MY WIFE IN REAL LIFE!!!!!!! (Also monster girl Ivy supremacy)

[marsadler]

Yeah I like queer characters.

I like messy, raw, scraped bloody queer characters. I like it when they don't learn their lessons, when they become worse, where they don't have a positive character arc.

But even more than that, I want fucked up characters who just HAPPEN to be queer. No soft realizations of queerness here. Those stories have their place but they aren't for me. I came into this world bloody and screaming and I want to read about people like me.

I like it when they are vindictive, when they are abrasive, when they hurt people they love and don't know how to say sorry. I want them to be brutal and nasty and to keep me up at night. I like it when they can make mistakes and have to pay for them.

I like seeing the worst pieces of myself in fictional characters, who are telling the story, who were lovingly crafted by a writer. Someone who was brave enough to say "I don't want to make a good guy."

So yeah, I like queer characters, but I want to feel them eating my heart out as I read or watch their stories.

I hope this shines through in my work as well.

[lorcandidlucienwill]

It's all about villainfucking until a villain is well-written and their actions are not justified by the narrative.

[arttrampbelle]

For Disney villain self shippers. Particularly those who love the HoNd,judge claude-frollo.

Especially frollo. Frollo enjoyers

This post is for you

You're welcome.

[adhd-mess]

Which type of villainfucker are you?

Their defense attorney:

Ride or die:

[toomanytadpoles]

When you always play good characters but you've also always been a villain f*cker.

[baixueagain]

I will never understand the tumblr queers getting mad about queer coded villainy bc let me tell you as a queer that queer coded villains absolutely rule every fucking time

[cygnus7]

Would anyone hear me out if I said something rn…

[jesibeii]

If he's really the 'antagonist' as you call him, why does he have such beautiful eyes???? Hmmm????

[adhd-mess]

Characters that are broody, morally grey, and villainous/murderous: *exist*

Me:

[emarasmoak]

Hot Sauron From ‘Rings of Power’ Has Taken Over The Internet

"...and in the darkness bind them," IYKYK

Article from The Mary Sue. Extract:

What has really pushed Halbrand a.k.a. Sauron thirst over the edge, however, is shipping him with Galadriel, played on The Rings of Power by Morfydd Clark. The two of them flirted, in that intense but chaste way we expect from Lord of the Rings, and he basically asked her to be his Queen in the finale. There was arm touching. There was staring. Is it wrong? Absolutely. There are dozens of red flags. He’s the once and future Dark Lord. He becomes the embodiment of evil. Galadriel is also married, though in Season 1 she believes herself to be a widow. I ask you this: And????

One does not simply thirst into Mordor. Have you heard the word about Hot Sauron on Rings of Power and how everyone is shipping him and … well … you’ll see. While other fandoms fight over whether it’s appropriate to like a villain, TROP fans are quietly falling for one of literature’s biggest baddies. Spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ahead, definitely for Season 1 and perhaps for some upcoming seasons as well.

Sauron’s hotness is canon.

While the series has condensed the canon and events in Middle-earth history as presented in J. R. R. Tolkien’s books, stories, and appendices, one thing we know is this: Sauron was a hottie. This is something that even the most rigid Tolkien fans cannot deny. In Tolkien’s biblical Middle-earth text The Silmarillion, at the start of a chapter titled “Of The Rings of Power and the Third Age,” Tolkien says this:

"When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown, Sauron put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, and abjured all his evil deeds. And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear."

(I know the chapter says Third Age, but I believe that passage describes events in the Second Age that lead up to it.) The appendices to The Silmarillion also specify that “Annatar,” the name that Sauron uses when he is the “Lord of Gifts” and the titular rings of power are in production, took a “fair form.” The good looks are only temporary, however. When Numenor ultimately falls and Sauron creates the One Ring, The Silmarillion notes:

"In the midst of the Land of Mordor [Sauron] had fashioned the Ruling Ring. There now he brooded in the dark, until he had wrought for himself a new shape; and it was terrible, for his fair semblance had departed for ever when he was cast into the abyss at the drowning of Númenor."

The execution from page to screen was still a surprise.

So we knew that Sauron would be easy on the eyes in The Rings of Power and we knew that he would be seductive in some kind of way. That’s how he gained the trust of the elves, dwarves, and men before stabbing them all in the proverbial back with the One Ring. That said, I don’t know about y’all, but I assumed that Annatar—or whatever calls himself—would be one for the Legolas girlies, a.k.a. hot in an Elven way. I didn’t expect him to be hot in a rugged, unwashed, Aragorn way. RIP me, I guess.

Enter Halbrand, played by Australian actor Charlie Vickers, who we now know was (sing it with me) Sauron all along. Hoo, boy. Handsome and sad and dark and smirking up a tempest. Galadriel meets him on a raft in the sea. She’s on a quest to find and defeat Sauron after he murdered her brother in service to Morgoth, the Big Bad before him, and ends up not only befriending him but clearing a path for his return. Oops!

Shortly after they meet, Galadriel makes a costly assumption and projects a backstory onto him that is immensely appealing to both her and to fans: a reluctant hero and heir to the Southlands—an exiled king, just like Aragorn, right? Wrong! Halbrand will technically rule over the Southlands, but only because that area of Middle-earth is destined to become Mordor. Still, the hero’s journey that Gal and unsuspecting viewers were sold on had us looking at Halbrand and the things he did in a particular way.

Sauron has been manipulating Galadriel, but is also at a crossroads.

One of Tolkien’s letters that likely inspired Vickers’ take on the character states that “when Morgoth was defeated by the Valar finally [Sauron] forsook his allegiance; but out of fear only; he did not present himself to the Valar or sue for pardon, and remained in Middle-earth. When he found how greatly his knowledge was admired by all other rational creatures and how easy it was to influence him, he became prideful.”

Technically, The Rings of Power cannot directly adapt The Silmarillion for legal reasons, so these letters are actually important. Vickers also alluded to using Tolkien’s letters as inspiration in an SDCC interview with ScreenJunkies prior to the Big Sauron Reveal.

That passage alludes to Sauron making an attempt at a normal life, and maybe even feeling some private remorse before ultimately going down the path to becoming not just Morgoth’s servant, but his second coming. That makes him complicated. And complicated characters are very, very, very hot—especially when they’re tempted by a Dark Side.

Swooning over a hot villain is not exactly a new concept.

Anakin Skywalker, Kylo Ren, Loki, Killmonger, Draco, Harley Quinn, the Darkling, the Goblin King, Regina Mills … need I go on? We know they’re bad, but they’re not real. We don’t owe fictional heroes our loyalty. They can’t see us. In fact, we can even cheer for the hero while being attracted to the villain. Fans contain multitudes!

As long as you don’t bully others for not sharing your opinions or headcanons, or start using fictional characters to justify your actions or the actions of abusers IRL, it’s chill. Stories, especially in fantasy and science fiction, help us work through our fears, anxieties, and dreams in a safe space.

He even survived a shower—which I know sounds wrong, but fans were not happy when greaseball Aragon got a wash and blowout in Return of the King. Think Steve Rogers shaving in Endgame, but so bad it had us rooting against basic hygiene.

We know he’s the villain even though he might not necessarily realize it.

If you were less familiar with Hot Sauron as a concept before The Rings of Power, this might make you look at Peter Jackson’s films in a whole new light.

What has really pushed Halbrand a.k.a. Sauron thirst over the edge, however, is shipping him with Galadriel, played on The Rings of Power by Morfydd Clark. The two of them flirted, in that intense but chaste way we expect from Lord of the Rings, and he basically asked her to be his Queen in the finale. There was arm touching. There was staring. Is it wrong? Absolutely. There are dozens of red flags. He’s the once and future Dark Lord. He becomes the embodiment of evil. Galadriel is also married, though in Season 1 she believes herself to be a widow. I ask you this: And????

We know for a fact that this ‘ship is not the endgame.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun, appreciate the time they had, or maybe hop over to an AU in the meantime. Galadriel can have fun too. Strong, confident, zealous, smart female characters like Galadriel in The Rings of Power are boring as Entmoots if they aren’t allowed to make mistakes. Bring on the ‘shipping manifestos, fic, Tumblr posts, gifsets, and many fancams set to Taylor Swift songs.

Let me be abundantly clear: I want someone to look at me like this. I do not want to be deceived by the Dark Lord and under the control of the One Ring he made behind my back and won’t even let me wear in our engagement photos. I don’t actually want to see Galadriel to become a Dark Elf Queen at Sauron’s side, but I want to see her think about it and wrestle with her feelings and/or Halbrand. When Celeborn returns, I want him to be part of a love triangle. There’s a difference!

Too grossed out by the inevitable flaming eyeball of it all to be attracted to Sauron? That’s your prerogative. To be fair, there are a lot of hotties on Rings of Power. But Hot Sauron isn’t in competition with Hot Elrond, Gilgadaddy, or ElenDILF as far as I’m concerned. I love ’em all. The more the merrier! I’ll just be over here with the other dark and twisted devotees.

[etlfvcker]

Hi it's Ash

How do you do fellow kids? Listen i haven't used this site in almost a decade, pls forgive me whilst i sort this shit out.

I down for any villainfuckery and morally grey shit

@PariPuri_ on Twitter

[slasherhoe87]

[newhologram]

😈💜