*This* is a villain!

[kengr]

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0763.html

Comments

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

My character Lyria says the secret to getting away with being "evil" is to lie low, avoid angering anyone more powerful than yourself, until you've learned enough and worked hard enough in secret to get to the point, some day, when you don't have to take shit from as many people; I say "as many" because you still need to keep from angering the people "bigger" than you, and also, your peers can gang up on you. But still be polite and politic as much as possible, to everyone, unless they try to abuse you first. Do not abuse your power; piss off enough people who are beneath you, or just the right person, can be hazardous to your health.

Avoid fighting if you can. But if someone threatens you and running away would only make them a thorn in your side, either make sure you run farther than they can follow, or kill them. She lives by the mantra, "Don't leave a live enemy behind you."

Another secret to being evil is, make people fear you enough to give you a wide berth, but not so much that they come bearing pitchforks and torches. Also, make your own henchmen if you can. But however you get your henchmen/henchwomen, treat them very well, but not *too* well. It inspires loyalty.

Also, don't seek power for power's sake. Have some goal. Lyria doesn't conquer, she holes up in her fortress and occasionally travels in search of more information. Her eventual goal is to defeat death by becoming a goddess, even a Creator. Her basic rule of thumb is, don't give anyone more excuse than they need to try to bring you down. And in case someone gets angry enough or bored enough to try to bring you down, be prepared. Not only is Lyria a formidable sorceress, she also has a huge army of unkillable supersoldiers, and in case all else fails... well, I'll not spoil things too much. But she has a backup plan for her plans, and all her backup plans have backup plans. She also has the capability to run to safe places if she has to.

Another good rule she lives by is this: defy labels. No one is truly good or truly evil. If you're aware of this and play your cards right, you can get allies from anywhere. Having friends and allies who are "good" as well as "evil" can be of tremendous help, as long as you are honest with them from the get-go, and they befriend you knowing full well that you're not a goody two-shoes. Same goes with "evil" allies: they have to know up front that you are a complex person with your own ethics and that there are some lines you won't cross. Nothing is worse than lying to friends and allies about what kind of a person you are, because Good may feel obliged to take you down, and Evil may think you're a traitor or a snitch. Even being honest up front like that is risky, so don't make too many friends from either side.

So, like anything in life, get good at hiding (but not too good), get good at gathering information, get good at finding trustworthy allies, don't abuse your power, don't be an asshole, and get good at kissing ass (politics). Keep your head down and work diligently without attracting undue attention, until such time as you can strike. And be clever, but don't get a swolen ego. Don't overestimate yourself, and don't underestimate others. And if your particular skill involves changing yourself through science or magic into something faster, stronger, and better than you were, be very careful not to rush things! Be methodical in your research before making any changes, and give yourself time to get used to the changes you make.
It takes lots of cunning, hard work, the tongue of a politician (not literally), and a well-balanced air of mystery to survive in the dark, fuzzy area between Good and Evil, or to be evil. Not everyone's cut out for it. Between rivals and heroes, villainy has a high mortality rate. If you seem to have no agenda except to survive, it gives you a kind of protective invisibility.

[seawasp]

A small potatoes villain who is sometimes riding the edge of the Pragmatic Dictator line, but he does have style and cleverness. For villainy, Xykon's your go-to guy.

[dornbeast.livejournal.com]

Hopefully, Elan will figure out that his father put the wrong framing on the problem.

He's not looking at an evil dictator; he's looking at an evil conspiracy. And the thing about conspiracies is how some well-placed rumors and carefully generated disinformation can turn a conspiracy into infighting.

[my-real-head.livejournal.com]

Oh my god that is pure awesome.