The Eligibility Roast Post
Jan. 31st, 2020 10:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
villainousbigbang posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
villainous_big_bang This is the official Eligibility Roast Post! (I did not do that on purpose, but why change a good thing?)
This will open officially on February 15th, but there's definitely some folks already excited - so from now until Feb 15th, comments will be screened. This means you can post your roast, but rebuttals and confirmations of eligibility won't start happening until the 15th.
Comments are unscreened! You can still post new comments, but now you can respond as well - let the counter-roasting BEGIN!
This post closes for comments on the 29th.
Here's how this works. Comment below with your argument concerning a villain from any piece of media - anime, video game, concept album, group of advertisements, any fictional medium with something resembling a Story - and why they are, in fact, a villain. You can be as daring as you want, but here are the main things your argument needs to cover.
1) Does the story seem to think this character is a villain?
2) Is the character villainous from the perspective of other characters?
3) Is the character villainous from the perspective of readers?
The format is pretty loose, but here's an example for one of the villains already on the list.
TITLE: ENVY (FMA 2003) ROAST
"Envy from Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) is a villain of the worst kind - he's cruel, sadistic and self-centered. He's most known for the murder of a beloved fan-favourite, but he also taunts the main characters with their own mistakes and uses his shape-shifting powers to get into people's heads. He never shows any remorse, and while he has a sympathetic backstory, it only shows up at the end and doesn't excuse any of his actions. He also beats the crap out of a ten-year-old, more than once, which just solidifies the case for him being a Grade-A Asshole."
Please include the specific franchise they're from (if you want to make a case for Envy from FMA; Brotherhood that's a new post!), list some of their misdeeds and in general keep in mind that the mods have not seen or read most of the franchises you'll likely be referencing.
If you would like to REBUT somebody's villain roast, just reply to their comment and explain why the character is - in your view - not a villain! Keep in mind that while Serious Meta is entertaining in its own right, this is largely just for fun. If you start getting really, truly personally invested in whether we do or don't see a character as a villain, take a moment to go catch your breath.
What villain is NOT code for:
'ethically wrong to like' character
pedophile
monster with no redeeming qualities (it's true for some of them, but not all!)
unredeemable
unlikeable
What eligibility roasts should NOT do:
'This is why [X] was justified'
'Sure, it was genocide, but it wasn't THAT bad.'
Otherwise downplay the villainous deeds - that's the exact opposite of what we want!
As villains are approved, they'll appear on the eligibility list.
Comments are unscreened! You can still post new comments, but now you can respond as well - let the counter-roasting BEGIN!
This post closes for comments on the 29th.
Here's how this works. Comment below with your argument concerning a villain from any piece of media - anime, video game, concept album, group of advertisements, any fictional medium with something resembling a Story - and why they are, in fact, a villain. You can be as daring as you want, but here are the main things your argument needs to cover.
1) Does the story seem to think this character is a villain?
2) Is the character villainous from the perspective of other characters?
3) Is the character villainous from the perspective of readers?
The format is pretty loose, but here's an example for one of the villains already on the list.
TITLE: ENVY (FMA 2003) ROAST
"Envy from Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) is a villain of the worst kind - he's cruel, sadistic and self-centered. He's most known for the murder of a beloved fan-favourite, but he also taunts the main characters with their own mistakes and uses his shape-shifting powers to get into people's heads. He never shows any remorse, and while he has a sympathetic backstory, it only shows up at the end and doesn't excuse any of his actions. He also beats the crap out of a ten-year-old, more than once, which just solidifies the case for him being a Grade-A Asshole."
Please include the specific franchise they're from (if you want to make a case for Envy from FMA; Brotherhood that's a new post!), list some of their misdeeds and in general keep in mind that the mods have not seen or read most of the franchises you'll likely be referencing.
If you would like to REBUT somebody's villain roast, just reply to their comment and explain why the character is - in your view - not a villain! Keep in mind that while Serious Meta is entertaining in its own right, this is largely just for fun. If you start getting really, truly personally invested in whether we do or don't see a character as a villain, take a moment to go catch your breath.
What villain is NOT code for:
'ethically wrong to like' character
pedophile
monster with no redeeming qualities (it's true for some of them, but not all!)
unredeemable
unlikeable
What eligibility roasts should NOT do:
'This is why [X] was justified'
'Sure, it was genocide, but it wasn't THAT bad.'
Otherwise downplay the villainous deeds - that's the exact opposite of what we want!
As villains are approved, they'll appear on the eligibility list.
Re: Homestuck villains
Date: 2020-02-17 05:01 pm (UTC)But I also believe very, very strongly that "I was just following orders" is no excuse.
It might involve putting yourself in danger, yes, but that's a choice you make between cowardice and compassion.
It's the difference between every Stormtrooper who follows orders vs Finn and the other Stormtroopers. Disobedience might put you in danger. That's not a reason to refuse to follow what you believe is right.
I'll agree that the Neophyte is less of a villain in an outstanding way, and more of just everyday compliance with an evil regime, but it's .... 4AM and I have lost my words, but pretend there's an important speech here about moral responsibility and how you always have a choice not to follow orders and how even if you kill a person on someone else's orders, the blood is still on your hands.
(I am fine with Neophyte Redglare not passing, for the record! I just think it's really, really important that 'I was just following orders' is never again allowed to be a valid excuse.
For context, I grew up in Austria. We get this drilled into our heads hard which is probably why I am so passionate about it.)
Re: Homestuck villains
Date: 2020-02-17 06:46 pm (UTC)Following orders is *definitely* not an excuse, and I never intended it to be one. Redglare was definitely capable of doing more than she did, but she didn't Joyously and Viciously put things into motion, either - GHB and Condesce are the overarching villains of that scenario, and she's somebody who could have acted and didn't. "Apathy in the face of evil," etc.
I definitely don't want rejections of proposed villains to come off as 'everything they did is fine and good, actually' - just that they don't fit the scope of this event enough for me to say Yes, Absolutely, They Qualify. I understand and super appreciate your passion! Especially in a fandom like Homestuck, though, I could probably approve every single character as a villain. Ultimately, I'm one mod and my calls are subjective - and definitely never any sort of moral call on who is or isn't in the right.
Re: Homestuck villains
Date: 2020-02-18 03:30 am (UTC)