Mine is an evil laugh.

I am not referring, in my pithy title, to the archetype of the 'Bad Boy' or the 'Bad Girl'.  That is a completely different trope, as it is an essential truth that a Bad Boy can still be a good guy, even if he is not nice.  I am talking here about the complete and irredeemable fuckstick = the Lucius Malfoys, Lex Luthors, and Marc Antonys of fiction.  I don't mean Hamlet (brooding, conflicted, angsty), I mean Iago (cruel, heartless, and full of malice).  Bad comes in both genders, but the Bastards that get the attention seem to be mostly men.

It is inevitably trotted out, when a villain in popular entertainment garners his inevitable crop of fangirls (and boys), that this outpouring of lust says Bad Things about the fandom.  People who feel a seething lust for such characters must be damaged goods, masochists, or otherwise fucked-up.  Female fans are often singled out, as if their very existence invalidated female equality and says that women - or rather Women - do not really know what they want and cannot be trusted to make their own choices, because I mean, look at this fucking guy they are jizzing over.

The tired old "girls don't want Nice Guys" will get dutifully trotted out, and self-proclaimed Nice Guys will weigh in, complaining that Nobody Loves Them, while this total fucking bastard has chicks hanging all over his metaphorical dick.  People often confuse the two issues, because some people love Bad Boys (like Wolverine or Warren Peace) while others have a deep affection for the Complete Bastards - the take-no-prisoners-and-I-don't-give-a-fuck guys who are not just good guys in leather jackets, but are really, really awful down to their hooves.

What is really the appeal of the Total Bastard?  Reams have been written about him, as well as the Bad Boy/Girl, his close cousin.  The appeal all boils down to power, and the sexiness thereof.  The Total Bastard is completely amoral and perhaps even genuinely evil - i.e. the sex is amazing.  The kinds of no-holes-barred, nasty, freaky sex that only deeply evil people try to have on a first date.

But it is in the realm of porn that the Total Assfucking Bastard comes into his own as a useful character type.  In mainstream fiction the character exists as an enemy, antagonist, perhaps even a romantic rival for our hero, but he is always hamstrung by not being able to be really evil.  After all, as a romantic rival, the TB is the guy who will frame you for murdering your mother just so he can get you locked up and then comfort your wife with his giant dong.  In a 'regular' story said comfort boning will be averted at the last minute, but in porn we aim to please.

So here the true purpose of the Bastard can be set loose.  Evil or even just 'rebellious' characters have always been held up as uninhibited, lustful, and pushy, and the Bastard adds to this being a genuine sociopath who does not care about anybody else.  This means he can talk your hero/ine into some seriously freaky shit, or better yet blackmail them.  Nothing hotter than someone doing unspeakable things to protect the ones they care about or to cover up their own poor decisions.  Eyes shut tight, fists clenched, trying to hate it and failing a little more with every stroke.

See?  Hot.  Power dynamics are important in porn, as the imbalance is what makes the sex interesting from a dramatic standpoint.  The Bastard is always powerful because he doesn't have to care about anybody's feelings or whether they'll respect him in the morning.  He doesn't give a shit about that.

And you want some character-driven fucking?  The Total Motherfucking Bastard has you fucking covered, because they are free to be motivated by completely upfront venality.  Your audience wants to see the silver-haired elf queen take it in the ass from her orc bodyguard, and guess what?  So does the Dark Lord of Fuck You That's Why, and he doesn't need an excuse, you don't need a plot-sensible reason for him to want that or for her to do it.  She gets down and takes it like a champ while the Evil One films it on his cell phone and emails it to the king because he is a complete prick, and he's enjoying every second of it.

I think that's why we love the Total Shit-Wrecking Bastard - because he's evil, he's a heartless prick with no respect for anybody and no reason to care, and he's having a great fucking time being who he is.  The Bastard is always in touch with his feelings, he always knows what he wants, and he's willing to do anything to get it.  He doesn't give two fucks if you like it or not - in fact he prefers if you fucking hate it.  The Total Bastard lets us be free for a little bit, and we will always love him for it.