#which is that the world is full of jack horners who aren't funny

[shallow-wordsalad]

something I appreciate on the rare occasions it happens (and is explored) is the idea that some villains are villainous because they're just simply bad people.

not everyone who goes about their lives abusing others, crushing dreams, swallowing power and money and lives like a glutton started their lives as an idealist or a good person. in fact, a great deal of people who live like that were always assholes, and once they obtained power, a platform, or money, simply used it to continue being assholes on a much larger scale - because they simply do not care about others. maybe they were spoiled children who never were told no, or people who always viewed the people around them by what they could gain from them, or people who convinced themselves to only think of themselves. there's depth to be written about a person who is evil all the way down, and it's not a failure of character design to make one who is simply unlikable (in fact, if that was the intent, it's a complete success.)

I love a good sympathetic villain. I love a good redemption arc. I love Steven Universe and My Little Pony. I love when the villain looks at their bloody hands and wonder just whose blood it is they spilled, because they genuinely can't remember, and asks themselves if what they're doing is what they wanted to do in the first place.

but I also want a villain to stare at a hero, dead in the eye. as the hero speaks of peace and understanding, asks about their dreams, and asks them to stop what they're doing, the villain without hesitation would say "and what would I get out of that?" and then pull a gun on them for the audacity.

it's a really, really important lesson people need to take in: that some people are just bad people. not good people who were whittled down or broken. not betrayed heroes. some people are just rotten to the core, and everyone should learn that as early as possible.