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Kuruni (Long Runner)
GnomeTitan Since: Aug, 2013
2020-09-01 23:35:11

This is complicated, and the existence of both Affably Evil and Faux Affably Evil creates a lot of confusion. It boils down to whether the affability is just an act or not, and how can we be sure? Unless there's Word of God, of course, or if the character themselves say it's just an act.

Unfortunately, I haven't watched the episode in question so I can't be of much help in this particular case, but I have a general thought: I really don't think a character can zig-zag between both tropes in the same episode. If they're Faux Affably Evil in one case, we can't really believe that the affability is genuine in other cases, unless there's been character development in between.

Edited by GnomeTitan
FishiousRend Since: Jul, 2020
2020-09-01 23:36:54

Yeah, it's a bit complicated, but I think the biggest thing is that the niceness is not an act; he's still genuinely nice. I lean towards genuinely affably evil in this case.

HarleyQuinnIsGreat Since: Feb, 2020
2020-09-01 23:46:09

The thing is, it sounds like he's genuinely nice to everyone except the authorities once he's arrested. I'm wondering if he can be listed under genuine but noted to edge closer to Faux when speaking with the authorities after he is arrested.

WarJay77 (Troper Knight)
2020-09-01 23:54:12

I don't think affable means being nice to literally everyone, it just means your niceness is genuine and not manipulative.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
gc10 Since: Feb, 2019
2020-09-02 03:16:34

I agree with the previous two posts. Even if he doesn't display kindness to everyone, the fact that when he does so he's sincere makes it look more like Affably Evil than Faux Affably Evil.

Now, that's just my personal interpretation: the way the character is described definitely sounds like a mentally unstable man, so it makes even more sense that he swings between sincere kindness and homicidal instincts. Faux Affably Evil instead would belong to a more rational mind that knows when it's better to pretend friendliness and when is not necessary.

FranksGirl Since: Feb, 2014
2020-09-02 06:30:53

Maybe both these tropes need to go to TRS. If everyone has different ideas as to what each trope actually is — to the point that the exact same character can fit both tropes, despite each supposedly being different — then it might be a strong case for just one "affably evil" trope with no "fake" or "genuine" qualifiers.

I mean, a serial killer who is nice to kids is still murdering people. The kids would call him nice, but I doubt his victims would. Or, to paraphrase Terry Pratchett, they're such nice normal people, right up to the point they're suddenly not.

crazysamaritan MOD Since: Apr, 2010
2020-09-02 07:21:52

thread from 2012 thread from 2014 ETA: This is also why I prefer the term polite over nice. They are "pleasantly easy to approach and to talk to", not morally agreeable or innocent.

Edited by crazysamaritan Link to TRS threads in project mode here.
Willbyr MOD (Y2K)
2020-09-02 09:21:15

I agree with the most recent posts - in Affably Evil, the niceness is genuine regardless of whether it breaks, while in Faux Affably Evil, the niceness is just a facade for the sake of ingratiation and/or manipulation. In the cited example, I'd say that's Affably Evil.

Edited by Willbyr
WarJay77 (Troper Knight)
2020-09-02 11:33:28

^^^ Seems easy to me. If the niceness is an obvious facade that underlines the villain's evilness, that's Faux Affably Evil. If genuine, Affably Evil.

Edited by WarJay77 Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
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