Villain is simply a bad, bad term to use in day to day RP, and really goes to show how different roleplay writing is from typical writing.
By definition (at least, as it pertains to writing, film, etc), a villain does not exist without a plot. An unlawful person is not a villain by virtue of being unlawful; it is merely a role to fulfill. They are nothing more than some player's character otherwise.
There's an enormous spectrum of unlawful, chaotic, and or evil people, so I won't even touch on that. I will say that, however, any of these (in addition to many 'good' characters) can fulfill a villainous role in a plot, so long as they're willing to do wrong against a protagonist. Again, there's a wide spectrum of what constitutes as wrong, from stealing from the rich and corrupt all the way to genocide.
That, as far as I'm concerned, are the only rules to villainy. The Joker is a literal crazy person and is one of the most beloved characters in comics. The xenomorph is nothing but a predator, and winds up being a horrifying villain. I can't even count the number of logical computer AI villains there are.
By definition (at least, as it pertains to writing, film, etc), a villain does not exist without a plot. An unlawful person is not a villain by virtue of being unlawful; it is merely a role to fulfill. They are nothing more than some player's character otherwise.
There's an enormous spectrum of unlawful, chaotic, and or evil people, so I won't even touch on that. I will say that, however, any of these (in addition to many 'good' characters) can fulfill a villainous role in a plot, so long as they're willing to do wrong against a protagonist. Again, there's a wide spectrum of what constitutes as wrong, from stealing from the rich and corrupt all the way to genocide.
That, as far as I'm concerned, are the only rules to villainy. The Joker is a literal crazy person and is one of the most beloved characters in comics. The xenomorph is nothing but a predator, and winds up being a horrifying villain. I can't even count the number of logical computer AI villains there are.
