Foreword: This blog will discuss evil as it pertains to characters and actions within the world of The Endless Forest general Role Play and can be useful for both within the game and in text form on The Community Site. I will give some theories about playing evil characters, as well as what you can expect should you choose to play an evil character here.

What Makes a Character Evil?

Evil in TEF is directly based upon the response of others. Evil is not appearance or behavior, unless they conflict with the morals of the majority. (Example: A wolf is not an evil creature to other wolves. Deer however, would consider it an evil being. The ‘evil’ of the wolf is entirely based upon how the deer view its actions.)


Universal Evils

There are a few things that are, almost without exception, considered evil regardless of where or what you are. These things conflict with moral and religious teachings, as well as natural laws all over the world. This holds true in TEF; these actions will without a doubt buy you a one-way ticket to evil-dom.

-Killing an innocent.
-Torture/disregard for the pain of others.
-Cannibalism (eating one of your own species).

Now this list is fairly short but good characters will almost always take offense to actions that fall under these three ‘crimes’. Even if your character has a heart of gold, if they’ve done one or more of these things, be prepared for resistance from other characters


What Does Being Evil Mean?

Being evil, by nature, puts you at odds with the majority of other characters. This sort of resistance is natural and in no way does it reflect poorly on those playing good aligned characters. It is the price you pay for going against the grain. This means that if you:
-Hate conflict.
-Want to have a character with loads of friends.
-Want to be able have your character go about their business untroubled by good characters.

You should not be playing an evil character!


Evil Is As Evil Does

If your character is evil, chances are they tend to do evil things; this goes without saying. Now, unless your character is 100% Pure Grade Evil, they will not always do evil things. This means you can have characters who are evil but who do the occasional good deed. The important word in that is occasional.

If your character acts in an evil way, and then attempts to walk the straight and narrow you can not expect other characters to instantly forgive them their sins and move on (unless that character is an 100% Pure Good character of course!). This is unrealistic. Some crimes aren’t possible to forgive and it may take a long time (if ever) those wounds are to be healed.

As a player, think long and carefully about the actions your evil character will take. They might have a larger and longer-lasting impact than you realize. (Examble: If your deer kills a fawn, the trouble will not end with the death of that fawn.) Evil sends a ripple effect through a community, the immediate family and friends of the victim are obviously most influenced but it is very possible that, depending upon the severity if the act, the entire good character population of The Forest could rise up against your evil character.


Preparing for Consequences

Here we come to perhaps the most important part of this blog, because I think it is important that players looking to play evil characters (especially those who have never done so before) are warned and prepared for the consequences this brings. Evil is not easy.

The hardest thing to accept about playing an evil character is that other characters will treat them like gum stuck to the preverbal shoe of the world. The hardest thing about this to accept is that the good characters are right! Evil is not the under-dog everyone roots for, it is the creep everyone gangs up on.

Things you should be prepared for:
-Your character will have enemies.
-Friends and family of your character could be targeted for their relation to your character.
-Violence on your part will lead to violent rebuttal, be prepared to have your deer face physical intimidation and harm.
-Good characters will come to the rescue of other good characters, often leading to your character facing more than one opponent.
-Some evil can only be cured by death. Depending upon the severity of your actions, killing your character might be the only option left to good characters.

If any of these consequences bother you, the way to avoid them is simple; do not play an evil character.

Preparing for Consequences (When It Isn’t Your Fault!)

There are, sadly, some instances when players will take RP actions of your evil characters personally. The lines between character and player should be strong and unwavering, anything less is unfair and confusing. Your character is not you, it is your creation. It is understandable and encouraged that people feel a strong connection to their creations but taking inter-character actions as personal attacks is too far. Here are a few tips on how to avoid this sort of sticky situation:

-Make sure the characters you are interacting with are in fact characters and not Out Of Character figures, as OOCs are more often than not players acting as themselves directly (this applies more to In Game play rather than Text-Based play).
-Try and give warning before your character does something particularly villainous to another character. (For example, it is polite to ask a player if your evil character can rip the arm off of their character before you make it official.)

Unfortunately, even for all your efforts to be polite and considerate, another player might take something your evil character has done personally. If this should happen, here are some steps that should help:

-Explain that you did not intend to offend/harass/make sad the other player.
-Explain that your character is not you, but that you do understand that their actions are your own doing.
-Ask the other player if they could help you work out a way that both of you can continue to interact in a way that allows your character to continue being evil, and not ruin the other players day.
-If all else fails, bow out and have your character ignore the other player. This way, you are being proactive in avoiding any future mishap. If you stick to this, any future issue is not your fault.


Parting Words: I hope at least one of these tips has been helpful for you, or that this blog has at least made you think more critically about how evil characters are played. I would also love to hear what you think of this blog (I know I gave you a lot to chew on but I’ve been digesting these issues for months), especially if you have experience playing evil characters and would like to give some pointers to the less experienced! Players of good characters, don’t think you’re excluded; I love hearing from you as well, especially if you have concerns above and beyond what I’ve listed above.

Thank you all for taking the time to read that, I hope it wasn’t too long-winded.
Also, please point out any spelling or grammatical if you spot them, I like this to be as polished as I can.