I tend to be a little behind the times but I am catching up. recently been watching Stargate SG1 and am in the middle of the third season.
Say what you will about the Lawful Evil parasitic, but that worm has intestional fortitude. Here you have a being who is as arrogant and evil as the come but he selects the best people for the job. Even if they show some hesitation killing people, does he just strike them down and try to find a less competent replacement? No! He sternly tells them again and they do it. He lets people work through their issues. Except in one notable exception, it seems to work. When other system lords have to worry about their sons, his son loves and is loyal to him. When Ra’s wife finds out he is dead, she is all happy and dances on his grave. When Aphosis’s wife finds out he is dead, she risks her life to avenge him and keep their son safe. Many of his followers stick loyally to him even when things look bad where other Lords have issues. He rewards his followers giving them gifts and land for loyal service even though they should do so as he is their god and they are slaves. When he is betrayed by one who he trusted most, does he kill his wife and child? No! he lets them live…in humiliation but he lets them live. He even allows the wife to marry another one of his loyal followers and she and his son live in wealth.
When he is struck down and loses all power and is tortured to a huge degree does he give up? NO! He infiltrates his greatest enemies power structure and maneuvers himself to kill his greatest enemy and almost succeeds using his other enemies to do so. He suffers humiliation of servitude with grace planning for his rise. Does he find a new host when his body is twisted and maimed by extreme torture? No! It’s his host and he will be damned leaving it.
Some may criticize the lack of nuance in his plans but I just say he has a healthy respect for Murphy’s law. His plans are as simple as they can be. His big plan for killing his greatest enemy? The one he spent years planning? Why kill him with a blade hidden up his arm! Simple! And it almost works and, even failing, it gets him away alive.
This parasitic worm is really a glass-is-half-full sort of tyrant. You have to have some respect for that. Now, if Aphosis read what I am writing, I am sure I would be punished as a scum like me has no right to give or withhold respect about him, but that is his right! If you had to serve an arrogant, evil parastic worm…you could do worse than Aphosis!
