You know I was thinking of that Lit S question, the bit about there are standards in villany as well.

Is very true!

My ideal villian has to be someone intelligent. Snape comes to mind. But yes I cannot settle for big brawny villians because they are quite simply, fit for nothing more than henchmen work. It is the brains that set the standard for villany. The evil mastermind, the insidious double-crosser, the sneaky thief. I used to play Tenchu on the PS, and once you've played that game you'll realize that simple hack and slash is no fun! It's creeping behind your prey, slitting his throat from behind, killing him so efficiently and silently that he'll never know what hit him, and leaving without a trace.

My ideal villian has elegance about him. His plots and schemes work flawlessly, they flow from planned event to orchestrated situation, leaving a trail of subtle deceit. He has every situation mapped out, has considered all possible circumstances and has weaved his intricate web of deceit seamlessly. And so from a seemingly simple act, the ideal villian will steer events along his planned route, leading whosoever he desires to play his designated role in the grand scheme. Cunning and charisma are his weapons, not brute strength and a scary physique. The ideal villian manipulates, he does not maim. He plants the seeds, and lets evil take root and grow.

And so I was telling Uni once that if I had to be an animal I would pick a snake. The serpent. Original sin was satan's greatest triumph, and very elegant at that too. In enticing eve to eat the fruit, the serpent planted temptation and doomed man for all eternity.