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Affably Evil vs. Faux Affably Evil

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sohibil Since: Dec, 2020 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#1: Aug 6th 2024 at 5:21:01 AM

Is there a definite border between Affably Evil and Faux Affably Evil? Sometimes it's really hard to tell whether a villain is genuinely affable or just fakes it.

Aquillion Since: Jan, 2001
#2: Aug 6th 2024 at 7:21:15 PM

Based on the description, the crux is that they're faking it; there's no dividing line beyond "they do something that makes it obvious that it was just a facade." I would say that unclear examples should usually go in Affably Evil by default. If we're not sure they're faking it, it's still safe to say they're at least affable.

Remember that "affable" doesn't mean "a good person"; to quote Into The Woods, "nice is different than good."

If there's enough in-universe evidence to be skeptical then I would list both, or list the more likely one noting the ambiguity and that the other one is possible, and probably also list it under Ambiguous Situation or the like if it seems like the writer intends for this character's genuineness vs. manipulativeness to be in question, or put Alternative Character Interpretation on the YMMV tab if it seems like more of an audience-reaction argument. Tropes can be real without always being 100% crystal-clear in every situation; when it's ambiguous all we can do is describe what the situation is as best as possible.

Also note that for serial works this is a trope that very frequently varies Depending on the Writer - eg. writers can disagree on how affable Doctor Doom or Ra's Al-Ghul really is, and to what extent it's just a facade they use to manipulate people vs. being their actual personality. So there are situations where it's reasonable for a character to be listed under both tropes with the note that one or the other only applies sometimes.

Edited by Aquillion on Aug 6th 2024 at 7:23:15 AM

randomtroper89 from The Fire Nation Since: Nov, 2010
#3: Aug 6th 2024 at 8:54:14 PM

Faux Affably Evil is often misused. It's about a villain who's superficial manners emphasize their cruelty.

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