01-30-2012, 01:40 PM
Before anything, I'd like to clear that this isn't a rant. This is something which I felt the need to point out, so to say. To put to light a different spectrum of something found in the server, of which I found many times simply misunderstood or underestimated in its efforts given. As most of you have already guessed, the subject I'm here to discuss is villainy.
Yes, Villainy. With a capital V even! What would the world of fantasy and stories look without it? Why, how would Lord of the Rings look like without Sauron or his armies? How would Pokemon look without Team Rocket? How would Harry Potter look like without Voldemort? The list goes on and on for miles of text. But there is quite a difference. They are all fictional characters, while the Villains (With a capital V none the less!) of this server, are all players. And the players, unlike those fictional characters, are all quite very real and tangible.
And being the live tangible fleshy beings they are, they also come with the ups and downs of it. They, just like you, the Human Paladin or the Elven priest, can get upset and angered. But when they do, it's usually quite more distinct to trace upon then when a none-villain character does. A lot of people seem to take villains for granted, and such a thing I most reject. A villain's purpose is to eventually lose, that much is known. But has anyone ever taken into consideration how hard losing purposely is? Unlike the fictional characters mentioned above, the villain could well as be a hard worked upon figure with a great deal of development and work put into it. And yet some people seem to ignore that.
"But Psycho," you protest. "Villains should know that they're meant to fall!" You say, fists raised defensively.
This was no attack upon anyone, nor was this criticism. Yes, a Villain should be aware of the finale of the character. But at times, knowing the end in no ways makes it easier. Sometimes we grow attached to things. Sometimes we begin seeing them as more. If put in the right condition, filth becomes a pearl, after all. In the right hands, a chunk of metal becomes a masterful sword. And in the end, this is one of Villainy's most hardest quarrels. The knowledge that you, the Villain, in the end, is going to have to wave goodbye to your work, because that's what you made it for. You set it to fail. And that's quite harder then it seems. Don't believe me? Start building a house of cards, knowing in the end you'll smash it with a sledgehammer.
"Hmph!" You cross your arms angrily. "Atleast they should at least act in proper to the rules!" You add. And you're right, just like every player, so must the Villain obey by the rules.
But sometimes, the path of a villain is littered with the same obstacles. Only they're lit on fire. A lot more mistakes would be noted from the side of Villainy because of the path itself. Being a villain means you, as a character, are to become an icon of hatred, a bringer of harm to other characters. And that in-character hatred and anger seeps from time to time beyond that. More mistakes of the villain will be noticed simply because it is the mistakes of a character against your current character. Or because it may seem to give the villain an unfair edge over the 'hero' so to say (though in here, we're all heroes.) And sometimes, a number of people seem to simply be in a bad mood. Perhaps something has occurred in real life, or perhaps it was just a bad day. Either way, this leads to the tension existing.
To lay this post to rest, I simply say the following.
The world of villainy is one littered with sharp objects and painful obstacles. As villains, we are beaten and killed, and are eventually stepped on in order to make the heroes seem grander. But seeing the character progression we've made and the stories we've inspired makes it, to me at least, all worth while.
So maybe the next time you see a villain, give him a big thanks? It's a dirty job. But someone's gotta do it.
Thanks for reading.
Yes, Villainy. With a capital V even! What would the world of fantasy and stories look without it? Why, how would Lord of the Rings look like without Sauron or his armies? How would Pokemon look without Team Rocket? How would Harry Potter look like without Voldemort? The list goes on and on for miles of text. But there is quite a difference. They are all fictional characters, while the Villains (With a capital V none the less!) of this server, are all players. And the players, unlike those fictional characters, are all quite very real and tangible.
And being the live tangible fleshy beings they are, they also come with the ups and downs of it. They, just like you, the Human Paladin or the Elven priest, can get upset and angered. But when they do, it's usually quite more distinct to trace upon then when a none-villain character does. A lot of people seem to take villains for granted, and such a thing I most reject. A villain's purpose is to eventually lose, that much is known. But has anyone ever taken into consideration how hard losing purposely is? Unlike the fictional characters mentioned above, the villain could well as be a hard worked upon figure with a great deal of development and work put into it. And yet some people seem to ignore that.
"But Psycho," you protest. "Villains should know that they're meant to fall!" You say, fists raised defensively.
This was no attack upon anyone, nor was this criticism. Yes, a Villain should be aware of the finale of the character. But at times, knowing the end in no ways makes it easier. Sometimes we grow attached to things. Sometimes we begin seeing them as more. If put in the right condition, filth becomes a pearl, after all. In the right hands, a chunk of metal becomes a masterful sword. And in the end, this is one of Villainy's most hardest quarrels. The knowledge that you, the Villain, in the end, is going to have to wave goodbye to your work, because that's what you made it for. You set it to fail. And that's quite harder then it seems. Don't believe me? Start building a house of cards, knowing in the end you'll smash it with a sledgehammer.
"Hmph!" You cross your arms angrily. "Atleast they should at least act in proper to the rules!" You add. And you're right, just like every player, so must the Villain obey by the rules.
But sometimes, the path of a villain is littered with the same obstacles. Only they're lit on fire. A lot more mistakes would be noted from the side of Villainy because of the path itself. Being a villain means you, as a character, are to become an icon of hatred, a bringer of harm to other characters. And that in-character hatred and anger seeps from time to time beyond that. More mistakes of the villain will be noticed simply because it is the mistakes of a character against your current character. Or because it may seem to give the villain an unfair edge over the 'hero' so to say (though in here, we're all heroes.) And sometimes, a number of people seem to simply be in a bad mood. Perhaps something has occurred in real life, or perhaps it was just a bad day. Either way, this leads to the tension existing.
To lay this post to rest, I simply say the following.
The world of villainy is one littered with sharp objects and painful obstacles. As villains, we are beaten and killed, and are eventually stepped on in order to make the heroes seem grander. But seeing the character progression we've made and the stories we've inspired makes it, to me at least, all worth while.
So maybe the next time you see a villain, give him a big thanks? It's a dirty job. But someone's gotta do it.
Thanks for reading.