Depraved Deception
The villain's journey and due reactions
Hey! Why do the consequences of our choices feel so sudden?
We’ve fallen into a new season already, but it feels more like a stumble to me. The short hop over summer was exhausting at times, but with grey, rainy skies already here, maybe I miss the heat just a bit.
I believe the truth might lie in a lifelong uneasiness regarding any change at all.
In my heart, I feel like I enjoy winter and the colder months more, but the change between weather and temperatures is annoying to say the least.
I sit in this space between worlds until my mind properly adjusts to the new expectations.
Slipping between the cracks and adjusting my point of view has also made me wonder about opposing characters and thus painting vivid villains.
So, for this week’s little story, I wanted to write a villain — and not just a morally grey character or an antihero.
A truly irredeemably evil bad guy.
I was leaning into the aesthetic and emotions of Bane, and especially the scene where he finally shows his dominant position.
At the climax of his power, rather than a full show of force, Bane gently places his hand on his boss’s shoulder and calmly asks:
The overall quality of the movie aside, I really love how well that displays power and control without over-the-top action.
I then got to thinking about how I could capture that energy with my own words.
In reflecting on what makes a villain truly unforgettable, I started thinking about a particular kind of evil—one rooted not in physical dominance but in a quieter, more insidious manipulation.
Let’s explore that.
Quiet Quarrel
The screen and its constant glow was a giant leap forward for mankind. People around the world had access to a piece of paper that need never cut its corners to fit the boundless page.
As with all divine light, worship soon followed.
There was a sea of communities dedicated to every imaginable topic. No niche was too small, no hobby too mundane. There was always a place to discuss something, somewhere.
That was the world in which I was raised. I learned to navigate the various forums as an extension of myself — A shifting persona to fit whatever new norm.
My goal was always the same. I wanted to siphon their power into my own control.
That world of untapped potential would be mine.
That genuine investment as a wishful endeavor didn’t start in earnest until people started crossing my petty lines.
The final straw came with a power-hungry admin locking my latest thread.
HeavyBreathing42
You have no idea what you’re talking about… He couldn’t have known what was going to happen unless the writer was so stupid nothing was planned beforehand.I think the idea is we were meant to sympathize with what happened after. How the descendant of a fallen angel struggles with their fate and their devotion.
I like how well that reflects a more human struggle.
—
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be One.”
– Marcus Aurelius.oOBlowingBubblesOo.
I’m just saying I like the fights.
I don’t really care if there’s more meaning to it, it’s just kind of fun.
Actually I just skip over the philosophical stuff. It’s not that important anyway.
—
Currently listening: Blind Melon - No Rain
HeavyBreathing42
Are you kidding me? Are you fucking stupid?
That’s the whole point!
The story is a commentary on how people don’t look past the mundane and what it means to live a life.
You don’t deserve to read the book if you can’t understand that.
—
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be One.”
– Marcus Aurelius.oOBlowingBubblesOo.
I just told you how I feel?
Like, what do you want me to say?
I think the writing is alright, but it’s too dense. Get to the action and let me have some fun.
—
Currently listening: A Perfect Circle - Outsider
HeavyBreathing42
STOP READING THE BOOKS THENJUST WATCH ANIME OR SOME SHIT
God… You seriously lack any understanding of nuance, don’t you?
I swear people are so stupid these days they don’t deserve the art presented to them on a silver platter.
—
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be One.”
– Marcus Aurelius.oOBlowingBubblesOo.
u mad bro?
—
Currently listening: Against Me! - Sink, Florida, Sink
JugadorExtraordinario [A]
Cut it out. I’m closing this thread.
—
When you give up, your dreams and everything else, they're gone.
After the twelfth edit, the thread was fully locked and deleted. That was the goal. JugadorExtraordinario paid me to astroturf certain discussions and run them off the rails.
He appreciated my passion and how it could dictate the narrative.
And everyone’s comments and controversial opinions were soon flooding into other topics.
The admins would soon give up.
That was his goal, but it was also mine.
I wanted the plebs to make his job impossible. He couldn’t control me. What the “Player Extraordinaire” failed to understand was where they were all going.
Or rather, where I was leading them.
JugadorExtraordinario: Hey
HeavyBreathing42: Sup?
JugadorExtraordinario: What’s going on with the forums?HeavyBreathing42: You tell me?
JugadorExtraordinario: Cmon man. I don’t care about your dark persona, I just want to keep the site running.
HeavyBreathing42: Well, maybe you should see where they’re running to.
JugadorExtraordinario: What?
HeavyBreathing42: check your numbers.
JugadorExtraordinario: What?
HeavyBreathing42: check
HeavyBreathing42: your
HeavyBreathing42: numbers
JugadorExtraordinario: I don’t understand.
HeavyBreathing42: Your traffic is down, right?
JugadorExtraordinario: I don’t know, I haven’t checked.
HeavyBreathing42: go check…
JugadorExtraordinario: wtf
JugadorExtraordinario: what are you doing?
JugadorExtraordinario: hello!
JugadorExtraordinario: WTF
The ordinary admin used to use me to keep the forum active so he could appear to be the one who controls everyone. He saw me as a heel he had on a tight leash. Someone to cause drama and stir everyone up to make the community feel more alive — even if it was artificial.
It worked, of course, but the idiot underestimated me.
I was never interested in his world, I wanted my own. By the time he noticed what was really happening, most of the users were already on my new site.
It got so bad, the guy even called me on my cell phone.
“You’re hacking me!” He sounded like a nerd, nasally voice, weak tone, a lack of confidence in his breath. The kind of person who would care about their fame but wasn’t willing to do what it takes to keep it.
Nothing at all like an Extraordinary Player.
“I don’t need to. They’re coming to The Old Staff of their own free will.”
“The Old Staff? Why would you use a name that obvious.”
“You’re the first one to get it.” I laughed into the microphone. All those discussions about the book and he still only understood the most superficial references.
“Shut up! That doesn’t matter! I thought we were friends! I gave you access to the admin panel!” He was screaming at me. The desperate cries of a fool losing every ounce of power he once had. “I paid you for your work!”
“You think I do this for money?”
“I’m the owner of the site!”
“And that gives you power over my site?”
“What?”
“Goodbye, Stephan.”
“Wait. No! How do you know my real name, asshole!?”
I hung up and blocked his phone number. My last contact with Stephan was a written letter to his home address. All I did was cite a certain passage from that same book that caused arguments to engulf his beloved website.
Stephan never tried to contact me again. The Old Staff quickly grew to shadow his pathetic attempt at gaining internet fame.
I then cashed in on the popularity while the money was still flowing in. I sold it for so much I never needed to work another day in my life.
The community was soon corrupted though. The new owners didn’t understand why people liked it in the first place and tried to monetize every inch of the platform.
They succeeded in a way, but failed to retain users.
I didn’t care. I already won. More importantly, the old admins lost.
And last I heard, Stephan was working at his local grocery store stocking shelves.
If only he hadn’t locked my thread, he might have kept his site — his power.
Internet Drama
I was a little stumped at first as to where to take my idea of a villain. The obvious choice of a more comically corporate character was immediately dismissed.
The second quickest idea of some historical battle was also thrown out.
I wanted to dive into a new area after already exploring both of those a bit too much lately.
That line of reasoning eventually led me to the world of petty internet drama. Turning that up a notch led to what I think is a fun result, though it's far from perfect.
The exchanges and overall story is also pretty accurate to what it was like to be online in the 2000s.
And as always, I’m thankful for anyone who actually takes the time to read what I write.
Until next time.
Cheers,
JMB