Samven's Writing Lectures

[Samven]

We're back, baby! Merry Belated Christmas! 8D

3. Writing the Villain

Part Three - Why Evil is Sexy

Evil is sexy. No doubt about that. Whether it's the fact that villainy tends to employ underlings with accents from Sexysville, Europe, the "black leather only" dress codes, or just the very fact that evil is a lot more tolerant about how much leg gets shown than the forces of righteousness, there's no denying that bad girls (and boys) have a lot of appeal.

Yet such figures often run the risk of being there for little more than sex appeal and, quite frankly, that annoys me. I know the dark side has an obligatory fanservice quota that all the pretty people have to fulfil but that doesn't mean you can make their character as skimpy as their outfits.

The idea that evil and sexiness are inherently combined is one that a lot of bad writers and fanficcers seem to have developed over the years and it's one that needs to be unlearned. The Dark Side is alluring because it's a Forbidden Fruit. Evil is the tempting serpent to good's naive young Eve. Sexuality can factor into this - especially when the main character is a pure knight or maiden - but anything that plays on a character's repressed desires can work. If a hero feels that their efforts aren't appreciated, the offer of wealth or power can be enough to tempt them. If they feel envious of another's ability or accomplishments, then the chance to become stronger or more famous than them could cause them to slip from the path of righteousness. If they don't feel that they're loved, then the feeling of being desired may seem like the next best thing.

So, now we re-understand that sex is simply one of the Dark Side's many, many weapons to use in its war to corrupt good. And why would evil not want to corrupt good? After all, good guys have things called "bravery", "determination" and "heroic spirit"... These are all qualities that villains often lack. It's not at all unheard of for a baddie to discard their mooks in favour of making an escape and living to threaten the world another day. A particularly genre savvy villain might even be aware that these qualities exists and recognise that, no matter what they do, a hero is always going to win in the end. So, why not try to win them over or - even better - build their entire plan around the knowledge that good is going to win?

Let's say, for example, that Lady d'Eville is trying to take over the kingdom. She only needs to get rid of that pesky Overlord von Kaiser and she'll be unopposed in her bid for rulership. Unfortunately, Mr. Kaiser is the kind of badass who wrestles sharks as a hobby and shoots lasers from his eyes. Ms. d'Eville is... not so physically impressive. So, what does she do to make sure she wins this little battle? Why, enlist the aid of that strapping young Chosen One, of course! Oh, he's been so down in the dumps ever since his childhood friend started eyeing up his rival. If she lends an ear here, makes up a sob story to make it seem like she understands his problems, and asks him to help her with her dress just before that big formal party, why he'll trust her with his life! And then, when the time comes to overthrow Mr. Kaiser, one of two things will happen. Since the Chosen One's destiny is specifically to triumph over the evil Overlord, he'll either off the baddie - thereby allowing her to seize the country - or find that he's not strong enough and has to pull back, in which case she still has a powerful minion under her control. And, with his confidence even more shattered from his defeat, he's even more vulnerable to her manipulative charms. Either way, she gets something.