Pre-emptively, heh.
Everyone has flaws. However, an effective villain (or antagonist) should have flaws that don't negate the sense of dread/fear/whatever we get from him.
So, Darth Vader still remains a scary badass, even though he gave Luke a hug at the end. However, Anakin in the prequel trilogy is a joke, because all he does is whine about sand and his girlfriend.
For a WoT example, let's take Padan Fain. He is crazy. We've seen him at his worst, gibbering in a cell, and at his most powerful... and he's amazing in both. In the cell he's weak, but still threatening. When he's manipulating nobles, he's powerful and suave, but his POVs show us that he's still a crazy sonofabitch.
Now, I'm not saying Fain is a perfect villain, but he's definitely better than the Forsaken.
tl; dr: Flaws just have to make you human, not lame!
he had trouble writing realistic bad guys. Someone's going to reply to me saying "but the bad guys having flaws is realistic."
Everyone has flaws. However, an effective villain (or antagonist) should have flaws that don't negate the sense of dread/fear/whatever we get from him.
So, Darth Vader still remains a scary badass, even though he gave Luke a hug at the end. However, Anakin in the prequel trilogy is a joke, because all he does is whine about sand and his girlfriend.
For a WoT example, let's take Padan Fain. He is crazy. We've seen him at his worst, gibbering in a cell, and at his most powerful... and he's amazing in both. In the cell he's weak, but still threatening. When he's manipulating nobles, he's powerful and suave, but his POVs show us that he's still a crazy sonofabitch.
Now, I'm not saying Fain is a perfect villain, but he's definitely better than the Forsaken.
tl; dr: Flaws just have to make you human, not lame!
I amuse myself.
Two idiot Forsaken in the Prologue
- 10/12/2009 04:31:10 PM
1742 Views
Oh you are being unfair!
- 10/12/2009 04:49:31 PM
842 Views
Yes; this pretty much matched my expectations - esp. for Demandred.
- 10/12/2009 04:56:32 PM
853 Views
Mesaana was motivated out of...
- 10/12/2009 07:16:43 PM
778 Views
Ah, then she would be more of an idiot than I thought. 2nd Rate indeed. *NM*
- 10/12/2009 08:19:05 PM
308 Views
Re: Yes; this pretty much matched my expectations - esp. for Demandred.
- 11/12/2009 06:47:43 AM
825 Views
But BS said that Shaidar Haran couldn't do things in the physical world without aid.
- 11/12/2009 03:20:59 PM
716 Views
I think that just proves SH isn't gay!
*NM*
- 11/12/2009 04:07:47 PM
316 Views
*NM*
- 11/12/2009 04:07:47 PM
316 Views
Or it could just prove
- 11/12/2009 05:42:33 PM
685 Views
Did he say he could not touch things, or that he just could not counter uber-channeling?
- 12/12/2009 12:30:40 AM
674 Views
I would say...
- 10/12/2009 04:58:15 PM
755 Views
he hasn't really done anything
- 10/12/2009 05:25:03 PM
759 Views
I'm pretty sure he did something...
- 10/12/2009 05:33:04 PM
748 Views
Re: I'm pretty sure he did something...
- 10/12/2009 07:51:25 PM
638 Views
Yeah, but now Graendal is dead, while Demandred is still alive. *NM*
- 10/12/2009 08:29:24 PM
634 Views
Re: Yeah, but now Graendal is dead, while Demandred is still alive. *NM*
- 11/12/2009 12:17:54 AM
639 Views
I think Demandred is pretty smart...
- 11/12/2009 11:45:58 AM
682 Views
of course he's never set foot anywhere close to anything long enough
- 11/12/2009 02:11:19 PM
639 Views
Is it smart to take a risk...
- 11/12/2009 02:22:18 PM
620 Views
I think your making a lot of assumptions
- 11/12/2009 05:40:47 PM
639 Views
Well...
- 11/12/2009 06:04:47 PM
670 Views
Re: Well...
- 11/12/2009 07:15:06 PM
789 Views
According to RJ...
- 12/12/2009 12:32:12 PM
739 Views
makes you wonder
- 12/12/2009 03:39:08 PM
678 Views
Re: makes you wonder
- 12/12/2009 03:47:18 PM
620 Views
Thanks for the BS quote, that's new news to me!
- 12/12/2009 03:55:37 PM
626 Views
Moridin didn't want to betrayal Sammael...
- 12/12/2009 04:07:49 PM
597 Views
It amounts to the same thing
- 12/12/2009 04:12:42 PM
666 Views
Then you could also say...
- 12/12/2009 04:22:30 PM
600 Views
no actually you cannot
- 12/12/2009 04:46:03 PM
618 Views
To be fair, Mesaana's brood of channelers promise could still come to fruition. *NM*
- 10/12/2009 04:58:28 PM
348 Views
Sanderson's first attempt at portraying the Forsaken based on character summaries in RJ's notes...
- 10/12/2009 05:29:51 PM
849 Views
That was RJ's biggest flaw, IMO
- 11/12/2009 02:45:41 PM
666 Views
I'll respond to someone who wants to say that
- 11/12/2009 05:19:52 PM
753 Views
Ya. Fain's a good exception. I still have hopes for him. And... Thereva was scary, but...
- 11/12/2009 08:32:38 PM
628 Views
