(no subject)

[skygiants]

Okay, last top five request from littledust: Top Five Villainnesses!


5. Kiha, Legend of the First King's Four Gods



I waffled about including Kiha because, you know, despite the fact that she is the reincarnation of a lady who runs around attempting to stab the Messiah and dangling babies off cliffs, Kiha herself doesn't really want to be evil! She spends a lot of time trying to join Team Good! She doesn't actually start trying to destroy the world until after every attempt to become a good guy crashes, burns, and dramatically blows up in her face. But then I remember the conversation that she has after she goes full-on evil with the likewise angsty, conflicted and villainous dude who's in love with her, which goes approximately like this:

KIHA: Ho Gae, I am probably going to ask you to do some kind of evil and murderous stuff to further my world-destroying plans.
HO GAE: Just tell me that you want me with you and I will do anything you ask for! Anything!
KIHA: Uh, okay, Ho Gae, before you decide to team up with me, I want you to be very clear on this: I want your soul; when I have it, I will use it; and when I am done, I will discard it. Any questions?
HO GAE: . . . works for me! :D :D And now makeouts?
KIHA: DENIED.

I could not decide whether to laugh forever, or to fall in love with Kiha, OR BOTH. Look, I mean, when the lady is evil she is the most awesomely honestly evil person ever. And I respect that in a villainness!

4. Wilhelmina Slater, Ugly Betty



Wili is the kind of villainness that you root for as much as you do the good guys, because she is just so fabulous. Also - okay, let's face it, she may be a remorseless scheming backstabber, but she is clearly five million times better at her job than anyone elsein the world of Ugly Betty. I would not trust Wilhelmina to babysit my kid, but I would absolutely trust her to run a magazine! Or save the world, if necessary. Actually I have just realized that the one Ugly Betty fic I want more than anything is fic where Wilhelmina has to organize our ragtag team of heroes to save the world! Before they all go right back to stabbing each other in the back.

(Also every time she gets a sad montage with Marc, my heart totally melts. SO ADORABLE.)

3. Yzma, The Emperor's New Groove



Competence, on the other hand, is . . . maybe not Yzma's strong point. BUT FABULOUSNESS IS. (Also, she is voiced by Eartha Kitt. Eartha Kitt. That says it all right there.) She has excellent taste in trapdoors, potions, headdresses and henchmen; she is ridiculously quotable (why do they even have that lever?); her inner self is . . . an evil kitten.



How could this face not make anyone's top 5 list! Come on now.


2. Maria Laker, Aunt Maria



Aunt Maria is an extremely bizarre and fascinating book by Diana Wynne Jones, and the titular Aunt is flat-out the most terrifying villain OR villainness I have ever encountered. (This image is from the ballet, which I have never seen. BUT SOMEDAY, OH MY GOD. IT IS THE WISH OF MY HEART.) Maria Laker is our protagonist's sweet little teddy-bearish great-aunt, who rules her town with a lace-gloved iron fist of passive-aggressiveness - of course she wouldn't ever dream of asking you to do this for her, she explains, with gentle politeness, and you find yourself doing exactly what she wants. Because she would just be so disappointed if you said no; you would just feel so guilty.

And if that fails, then she'll turn you into a wolf and organize a lot of men with guns, or seal you underground in a living coffin for twenty years and then bulldoze the mound, but it doesn't usually fail. And even after she's turned your brother into a wolf, or bulldozed your son, you'll still have to come have polite social chatter at her tea parties. She would be so disappointed if you didn't.

(Okay, it's possible that one of my reasons for finding her so terrifying is my own personal hatred for awkwardly polite social chatter. But I still maintain that she is objectively extremely scary as well!)


1. Azula, Avatar: The Last Airbender



YOU WILL NEVER RISE FROM THE ASHES OF YOUR SHAME AND HUMILIATION. DO I EVEN NEED TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE.

Your turn! Favorite villainnesses? I know there are many awesome ones I did not have room to name!

Comments

[newredshoes]

Excellent taste in trapdoors = NEW USERNAME. FOR FREAKING SERIOUS.

Also, LADY M LADY M LADY M LADY M. I mean. Clearly.

[skygiants]

HAHAHAHA DO IT.

And I knew as soon as I posted this that you would say that. >:D AND YOU ARE RIGHT TO. Because man, speaking of stone-cold steel.

[themadpoker.livejournal.com]

By lady M do you mean Lady Macbeth? Because that is just who I was about to nominate. =D My not so secret favourite Shakespeare character, bar none.

[djcati.livejournal.com]

I THINK YZMA IS MY NUMBER ONE

[skygiants]

YZMA IS ALWAYS AN EXCELLENT CHOICE.

(And then she'll put that box . . . inside ANOTHER box.)

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

Book version Witch of the Waste: I mean, she harvests human parts and puts them together to make what she deems a perfect whole puppet she can control forever. On top of that (as if it needs more), she's rude, imperious, and entirely unrepentant.

Annie Wilkes in Misery. Talk about fandom obsession! Stephen King actually has his share of good villainesses, but I think Annie takes the cake.

And simply for the Oh-No-You-Don't factor, animated Cruella De Vil. I mean... killing puppies to make a coat? That square jaw and bony fingers and half-black, half-white hair? That manic scream? Lucky thing she hires bumblers.

[skygiants]

Oh, I totally love the Witch of the Waste. (I also love Sophie's horrified, disbelieving face when she realizes Howl jilted the Witch of the Waste. A moment that will be forever hilarious!) Something I wish someone would write someday: fic about the young, ruthless, imperious, totally awesome Witch of the Waste, and her bargain with Miss Angorian. That's a story I want to see.

HAHAHA CRUELLA DE VIL. Oh, man, there is just something about Disney villainnesses. (Fun fact: while I was web-surfing to find an image of Yzma for this poll, I am pretty sure I stumbled over Cruella de Vil/Yzma fanart!)

[themadpoker.livejournal.com]

LADY MACBETH. I remember the days before I read Macbeth! Those were the days when Mercutio was my favourite Shakespeare character. AND THEN MY EYES WERE OPENED TO THE AWESOME OF SHAKESPEARE VILLAINS. (On that note my second favourite Shakespeare character is Edmund in King Lear! But he is a villain, not a villainness)

[skygiants]

Mercutio is also pretty awesome! And as far as Shakespeare goes it is very hard to top Beatrice in my heart, because Beatrice. BUT LADY MACBETH WILL NEVER NOT BE FABULOUS. (I actually have never read Lear! Which is a great shame of mine. I also kind of love Iago despite the fact that he doesn't make much sense.)

[nevacaruso.livejournal.com]

On that note my second favourite Shakespeare character is Edmund in King Lear! But he is a villain, not a villainness

Oh, come on, now. Edmund would so go around in a dress if it helped him to fulfill his schemes.

[wakeupnew]

YES WILI!!! And also Azula and the others. But I love Wilhelmina so so so so much. *____*

Also, you have two number 2's and no number 1!

[skygiants]

She is so amazing. *____* Like, I would never want to work for or with her, but I love to admire her from afar! Like a distant, amazingly ruthless star.

- ahaha good catch! This is what comes of a lot of last-minute waffling about order. *sheepishly goes to fix*

[darkeyedwolf.livejournal.com]

CALLISTO. Best villainess ever. *________*

I could not decide whether to laugh forever, or to fall in love with Kiha, OR BOTH. Look, I mean, when the lady is evil she is the most awesomely honestly evil person ever. And I respect that in a villainness!

HAHAHAHAHA. You know, as much as I loved Kiha in her glorious evil-scheming world-destroying ways, I think my favorite villain from Legend had to be Kajin. She looked in the face of Jesus and said BRING IT THE FUCK ON. Awesome.

[skygiants]

I so, so need to go back and watch Xena ASAP. Ten years ago I was too young to realize how much I needed the kickass lesbians and hilariously terrible mythology and awesome villainess in my life!

HAHAHA, not gonna lie, I was totally waffling about whether to put Kajin or Kiha up there, because Kajin was such AWESOME CRAZY. (Also, had the best hair! Let it never be said that I am not shallow.) The only reason Kiha won is because I felt kind of sheepish listing a one-episode preincarnation . . . AND YET. How can you not love a woman who wakes up one morning and is like, "Hmm, should I fall in love with Jesus, or destroy Jesus in a fiery conflagration, or throw Jesus' baby off a cliff? You know, I DON'T SEE WHY I SHOULD HAVE TO CHOOSE."

[oneechan19.livejournal.com]

CALLISTO. YOU ARE TOTALLY MY HERO FOR MENTIONING HER.

[dramaturgca.livejournal.com]

What about Professor Medeous? She's just In. Control.

Or the Snow Queen in the Hans Christian Anderson?

Admiral Cain?

[skygiants]

Most of the incarnations of the beautiful/terrible Fairy Queen archetype are pretty fabulous, I have to say. It's not one of my personal buttons, but I can absolutely recognize the awesomeness!

I don't really feel qualified to talk about Admiral Cain as much, because I never did see Razor.

[bravenewcentury.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you're familiar with the His Dark Materials trilogy, but Marisa Coulter has always been a favourite of mine- for a series that becomes rather gauche and heavy-handed with its morality in the final book she is a marvellously complicated character.

However I CANNOT disagree on Azula. I would add some hearts but she would probably BANISH THEM ALL.

[skygiants]

Marisa Coulter! I don't remember HDM very well because I haven't reread since the final book came out due to exactly the issues you mention, but Mrs. Coulter always stands out in my memory as being both a terrifying and completely fascinating character (and possibly one of the major reasons the first book was the best.) I have such a weakness for characters whose legitimate capability for love does not make them any less ruthless.

OR SET THEM ON FIRE. *_____*

[arefadedaway.livejournal.com]

MALEFICENT. Oh, Maleficent. Disney villainnesses have ensnared my heart for forever, AND I'M OKAY WITH THAT. Also, not as much of a well known one, but Servalan from Blake's 7 is beyond description. Just...makes herself ultimate ruler over an intergalactic empire and brainwashes the entire population, is always fifteen thousand steps ahead of everyone, including the heroes, ruthless, merciless, mistress of mental manipulation, can't ever be outwitted, and does it all while wearing evening gowns and high heels. *___*

But, having said that, I cannot deny Azula her rightful place as my favorite villainness. My forever girl. Of EVIL. Just don't let her hear me saying that.

[skygiants]

Oh man, MALEFICENT. *___* It cannot be denied, she is the most epic Disney villain-or-villainness ever to take the stage. I mean. SHE TURNS INTO A DRAGON. Can't beat that. (Although I have a secret theory that Maleficent and Jafar are the same person. They have the same build! The same profile! The same taste in headgear!)

But Azula is nonetheless pretty much THE ULTIMATE.

[nevacaruso.livejournal.com]

Here are some of mine.

- Mrs. Izard from John Bellairs' The House with the Clock In Its Walls
- Queen Achren from Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles
- Maleficent from Disney's Sleeping Beauty
- Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter books
- Emma Frost from the X-Men comics (although, in all fairness, she's still interesting even when she stops being a villain)

Also, I totally second Lady M and Mrs. Coulter. Yes.

[skygiants]

Despite having read the Prydain Chronicles multiple times as a kid, I somehow don't remember Queen Achren at all. Clearly it's time for a reread sometime soon!

UMBRIDGE IS SO TERRIFYING. @__@

[moonyazu9.livejournal.com]

Thank you for Azula. She was definitely one of the best villainesses I had seen in a long-ass time, and was a breath of fresh air despite her villainess status. Love her. :D Actually, I approve of all of these choices, and I think I may have to investigate Aunt Maria and Legend of the First King's Four Gods for the sakes of Maria and Kiha.

I would have liked to put Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent up for nomination, but arefadedaway beat me to the punch. Damn. Regardless, she is still a badass classy villainess.

Hmmm…somebody original…despite being more of an anti-hero, I would like to put Princess Kraehe from Princess Tutu up here. Because nobody dances in such a badass manner as Kraehe (or holds that dress up so well). And to be fair, she established herself as the villain for the latter half of season 1.

And I second Lady M. *cackle*

[skygiants]

I heartily recommend both of them! (As a side bonus, Legend also features firebenders, the destined reincarnation of a savior who unites the elements, and a guy with a facial scar that is creepily reminiscent of Zuko's.)

Hahahaha man, if I had allowed myself to list Kraehe she would have TOPPED this list. Because my love for her is BEYOND EXPRESSION. But I refuse to consider her as a villain! SHE'S JUST MISUNDERSTOOD OKAY. Ruuuuuuuuuue <333333333

[elle-white.livejournal.com]

Yzma is amazing! You can't go wrong when you have Eartha Kitt's voice!

I feel the urge to quote Azula in real life often. She is the best!

[skygiants]

Clearly I do not have enough situations in my life where it is applicable to quote Azula!

- or alternately I should just tell people that they will never rise from the ashes of their shame and humiliation REGARDLESS of the situation.

[oneechan19.livejournal.com]

I only know Yzma and Azula, but YES to both of them. :D

Since everyone else is doing Disney villainesses, I have to add Madame Mim from The Sword in the Stone. "Did I say no purple dragons? DID I." No, Mim, you said no -pink- dragons! Total difference.

Bellatrix Lestrange! Sooo crazy and evil.

And then there's Lilah Morgan. WHO WILL NOT STAY DEAD, WHAHAHAHA. And looks good while she's at it. XD

[skygiants]

HAHAHAHA MADAME MIM. How could I forget her when running through a mental catalogue of Disney villainnesses? She is so amazing! I blame the fact that it has been too long since I saw The Sword in the Stone, which is clearly a thing I must remedy ASAP.

[hafl.livejournal.com]

I have no great villainesses to add, except for one obscure example. In Eva Marešová's (Actually a pseudonym for a male author.) Primánky se rojí (It's too late here for me to try and translate that.) there's Lia, a snobby eleven year old girl, who is denounced both by the narrator and the main heroine as THE PERSONIFICATION OF ALL EVIL. Since she spends the entire book being just as obnoxious and awful as the main character, but with more style, it's hard not to root for her. Especially when her classmates decide to beat her up in the classroom, with their homeroom teacher knowing about it and silently agreeing with them. (It's the right thing to do, she's, after all, THE PERSONIFICATION OF ALL EVIL.)

As an aside, I need to watch more Avatar, get more Diana Wynne Jones to read and find one more Korean drama.

[skygiants]

DDDDD:

I feel like I would probably be rooting for Lia too!

[shati.livejournal.com]

WILHELMINA IS THE BEST. Also omg now I am imagining the universe where Azula and Zuko are heirs to this magazine empire and and ...

[skygiants]

. . . .

that is

THE BEST UNIVERSE *_____*

(hahahahahahahaha I am just imagining Toph let loose at Mode. It is THE MOST GLORIOUS imagining.)

[elspeth-vimes.livejournal.com]

...there is a ballet of Aunt Maria

THERE IS A BALLET OF AUNT MARIA

I would try to contribute but I will be out of words for a while, here.

[skygiants]

THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH MY FACE WHEN I FOUND OUT


it was a day of glory and terror