Time for my two cents! I've been playing morally ambiguous characters for almost the entirety of my roleplay "career" and I've come across a few very salient points when trying to be a villain.
A villain exists to act as a foil to a protagonist of some kind. Be it society, a group of individuals, or a sole individual. Â As such, the character is typically crafted with these things in mind. Without something to serve as a balancing force, a villain character is--quite simply--a bad person.Â
There's a world of difference between playing a bad person and playing a villain and there's absolutely nothing wrong with playing a terrible person. But it's always important to know the difference.
This goes into Ette's point of knowing who you're writing with. The actual-factualness of being a villain is usually determined by the plot you're participating in and as such there's no wrong way to play a villain. If the story is centered around sexual abuse and assault, alright. That's what the villain will likely be about. But if the story isn't going to involve that content, you're an asshole for turning it into that and even bringing it up.
HOWEVER.
There are definitely things that cause a side-eye or a bitter laugh from my angle when I see things like the stupid sexy torturer and it's ilk. Usually because it's not being portrayed in a context-appropriate plot.
If you aren't trying to tell a story with your bad-person-wannabe-villain and instead opt to have them be a general nuisance and terrible person, make sure that's alright with the people you'll be getting them involved with. Never surprise people with content they might not be comfortable with, that's just rude.Â
My overall point is a simple one and I'm just a wordy bastard, though. A good villain is defined by the plot and the context surrounding that villain. The only wrong way to play a villain is to remove it from that context or play it in an environment where it's context is no longer appropriate.
A villain exists to act as a foil to a protagonist of some kind. Be it society, a group of individuals, or a sole individual. Â As such, the character is typically crafted with these things in mind. Without something to serve as a balancing force, a villain character is--quite simply--a bad person.Â
There's a world of difference between playing a bad person and playing a villain and there's absolutely nothing wrong with playing a terrible person. But it's always important to know the difference.
This goes into Ette's point of knowing who you're writing with. The actual-factualness of being a villain is usually determined by the plot you're participating in and as such there's no wrong way to play a villain. If the story is centered around sexual abuse and assault, alright. That's what the villain will likely be about. But if the story isn't going to involve that content, you're an asshole for turning it into that and even bringing it up.
HOWEVER.
There are definitely things that cause a side-eye or a bitter laugh from my angle when I see things like the stupid sexy torturer and it's ilk. Usually because it's not being portrayed in a context-appropriate plot.
If you aren't trying to tell a story with your bad-person-wannabe-villain and instead opt to have them be a general nuisance and terrible person, make sure that's alright with the people you'll be getting them involved with. Never surprise people with content they might not be comfortable with, that's just rude.Â
My overall point is a simple one and I'm just a wordy bastard, though. A good villain is defined by the plot and the context surrounding that villain. The only wrong way to play a villain is to remove it from that context or play it in an environment where it's context is no longer appropriate.
