So an animal motif I'm considering is for a group of super villains they are sort of part of a humanoid species in Africa. Any way I was curious as to what would be better to go with snakes or cats for a motif? I'm leaning more towards snakes because there is a lot of range there. Also I feel like cats have been done to death and I feel snakes are more threatening.
If you're trying to move away from stereotypes, cats are less stereotypical, but truth is, probably neither.
i agree with @Mckk. i feel like snakes are definitely the more overdone "evil" stereotype (first thought that comes to mind is lord voldemort). that said, maybe you could play off the snake thing in a different way. for example, instead of making them look like snake/human hybrids, maybe they shed their skin once every so often and can take on a different appearance each time, still making them snake-like and creepy because you don't always know who they'll look like.
A cat pissed and pooped my pajama into the guest's room because I sat onto his special sofa, when visiting a friend for a weekend. I would go for the cat. (Edit: In favor of the cat in particular, I must confess that I had been warned about his vengeful, vicious nature, but didn't pay mind to the warnings, so, it was some sort of "poetic justice" the execution of the feline's punishment. For that, I think the cat has a more interesting nature for an evil association.)
I think snakes are a better option, just because there are so many cat themed characters. Honestly though, both are a bit overused.
Snakes and cats are both well-trod territory. Since it's an African-based organization, I might suggest looking into some of the local fauna for an animal whose attributes mirror the goals and methodology of the group in question. Hyenas come to my mind. The next question I would ask is: Are these guys the good guys of their own story? I can easily see an organization who believe their goal to be worthy choosing a lion or some other typically "good" animal. If they are knowingly evil, then you could go with something more sinister.
Octavia Butler did something like this (in, I think it was Wild Seed). It was great. Not the way you suggest it (with the shedding—which is freakin genius), but it reminded me of her book. I think it won some book prize. Sorry I don’t recall. Great read.
