Just a quick reminder for everyone:
You are allowed to like villains.
You are allowed to like characters who have done bad things.
You are allowed to like characters who are mean, manipulative, abusive, coercive, murderous, or just plain evil.
Liking a “bad” character is not the same thing as condoning their actions. Villains are fun. It’s genuinely okay to like them! It doesn’t mean you want to be a villain, or that you are a bad person, or that you don’t recognize the issues with what they’re doing.
There’s this really huge trend in fandom to try to redeem villains, or excuse their behaviors, or make them into woobies who aren’t really doing anything wrong–all for the purpose of being allowed to like them. I think it’s honestly part of the whole ‘purity’ culture (tied in closely with the anti culture)–this idea that you aren’t permitted to be a fan of, write about, or enjoy reading about anything that isn’t 100% ethically sound, and that if you do, you are inherently condoning it.
And like…that’s just bullshit? You don’t have to redeem a character to be allowed to like them. Don’t get me wrong, you absolutely can if you want to, because sympathetic redemption arcs are super fun too, but I just want to throw out the reminder that you really don’t have to.
You are allowed to like villains as-is.
You do not have to make excuses for liking villains. You do not have to defend your own moral stances in order to like a villain. You do not have to make up reasons or justify why you like them, or reconcile your own beliefs with your appreciation of them. You do not have to defend yourself against anyone who would try to attack you or your ethical stances just because you like a villain, because you are not doing anything wrong.
You are allowed to like villains.
Honestly, the only thing you owe anyone else vis-à-vis liking a villain is to respect the fact that some people don’t, and that is also okay. It is not your responsibility or your place to try to change their mind–but it is also not their responsibility or place to try to change yours, because neither of you is doing anything wrong.
So, my villain-loving friends, go. Freaking. Nuts. Enjoy the heck out of those maniacal bastards.
And have fun, everyone. Because that’s what fandom is supposed to be about.
