The 'Shroom:Issue 160/'Shroomfest Highlights
Staff Notes
Yep! Definitely wearing a mask on a mask. Seems like they take the Dr. Mario World syndrome a tad too seriously with me... At least, they can't say I am not taking my protection with this whole pandemic.
Anyway, with our Heroes vs. Villains 'Shroomfest that ended, it's time to introduce you to 'Shroomfest Highlights! As the name suggests, this is a section which will highlight the best efforts of the community when participating in last month's debate. Take this as a token of thanks for your wise efforts to prove that the heroes or the villains depending on your side are objectively the best, and I must admit that the comments on the debate thread really impressed me and also helps to look at characters in the video games that I play in a different way than what we are probably used to.
Whether you like heroes or villains, we can certainly say that each of these characters adds a very unique touch to a story and that sometimes helps to appreciate them for their true worth. Alas, only one kind of characters will be considered objectively better from now on. Have our heroes been victorious, or are we going into the Fallen Heroes timeline? Let's take a look at the results, shall we?
Also, you will be able to see the fate that is awaiting the current fighting between Pitohui and Rose with the ending story of the Great 'Shroom War, and how it will affect the newspaper. Oh, and our winning team leader is also in here, making his last speech.
That's pretty much all I have to say at the moment. So, have a good read!
—Ninja Squid, Judge
Team Heroes
[…] But now... let's look at potential flaws that heroes may have.
Pito already said it so it's gonna sound like I'm beating a dead horse, but... the flaw some heroes have, IS the lack of flaws, sometimes. And quite honestly, that problem is more common than it should be.
It's ok if a character is very likable. It's ok if they are morally right and an example of chivalry or whatever. But if the hero doesn't learn anything in his journey, then... what's the fucking point? Sure, we beat the bad guys, yay, whatever, but... did we get ANYTHING out of it? Anything to prevent something like this to happen again? A good hero has to have SOMETHING that makes them make mistakes. Or even just something that genuinely feels like an obstacle to them. Anything at all. Heroes need to develop, they need to better themselves as an ultimate goal. One who gets back up after falling is stronger than one who never falls. I don't care if a hero if hopelessly naive or just kind to a fault, I can find something to like in that, but give them hell to live through.
An interesting case, to be sure. While a hero is always the lead of the story and usually the most recognizable, a good villain can often take the spotlight and have characterization. It's a tale as old as time, spanning beyond just media and folklore. Wherever there is a hero, a villain is sure to challenge them, and wherever there is a villain, a hero will always rise up to the challenge.
I myself have always sided with the heroes. As awesomely powerful as bad guys are, it's more fun to see the hero build up from nothing. It's a test of strength, courage, and knowledge that makes stories so incredible. While I wish I could use Mario and Bowser as good examples, the two are often times equally matched and are more like stage actors filling a role. Bowser has even been the good guy on a few occasions, which shows character development (which isn't hard to do when the good guy almost always remains silent).
[…]
There are plenty more stories beyond video games I could tell, but then I'd be here all night (it's 10:30 PM, help). While villains can be cool, I always side with the hero. I enjoy watching them grow, overcome adversity, and can usually relate to them on a more personal level. I don't get the same feel from villains, but that's probably because I'm not hellbent on world domination. I choose to do what I believe to be right, even if the world says otherwise, much like the heroes in my video games. That's partly why I'm making my own, because I want to tell similar stories of light overcoming the darkness. Two sides of the same coin, one cannot exist without the other. You cannot have a hero without a villain, and you can't have a villain if there's nothing opposing them.
Heroes are cool. The end.
Heroes vs. Villains, huh? Well, I'm on the side of the noble, sympathetic heroes, and here's why I think that they should take the lead:
1. Heroes almost always win. Read any fairytale, and look at how it ends. Who wins, the hero or the villain? The hero always wins. While this may not be the case in real life, heroes are justified to seize the winning position, more so than villains, and I don't see why this case is any different. "Why do they deserve to win?" I hear you ask. That leads me into my second point...
2. Heroes are positive, and positivity is what drives people to be what they want to be and do what they want to do. If they would be pessimistic, or angry at the world for whatever reason, why would they even try to reach a potential goal? Just to get revenge? To harm other people? Heroes do the opposite - they spread positivity, help others, and act as a role model for others to take examples from. Speaking of which...
3. Heroes usually have traits and abilities that make them admirable and memorable. No one would remember or care about a hero who doesn't have any personality, am I right? A good type of hero has a trait or set of traits that make them feel sympathetic, such as courage, kindness, intelligence etc., which they use to outsmart the villains. They might not have powerful weapons at their disposal, but they know their strengths and limitations, which they can use to their advantage.
Team Villains
So if you know me, you know that I am a theatre nerd and that I love plays and musicals and all that jazz. So naturally, I enjoy villains who are overly dramatic. They're so much fun to watch! Prime examples of the dramatic villain, in my eyes at least, include Envy (Fullmetal Alchemist), Quiche / Dren (Tokyo Mew Mew / Mew Mew Power), a certain mad scientist from Rocky Horror, Hades (Disney's Hercules), and just about every other Disney villain to ever exist. These examples and more are all extremely fun to watch in their respective mediums because of the antics that they pull off, and just their personalities in general. Hades and Envy are both flaming crazy as all get out, Quiche can go from mildly creepy to straight-up stabby at a pin's drop, the mad scientist is probably one of the most flamboyant characters to exist in all media ever, and I think the other Disney villains can speack for themselves.
Heck, I'd even argue you could fit most of the prosecutors in the Ace Attorney series in as 'dramatic villains' because a lot of them are extremely over the top in how they go about trying to prove the defense wrong and it's highly entertaining. (we've got anywhere from coffee, to whips, to having a freaking hawk attack the defense team) While we're here I'd like to give an extra shout out to Enter from Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, because while I'm not sure if I would classify him as a dramatic villain, his usage of French at random points in the show gives me life.
It's tricky to say how morally grey characters should be interpreted. That's essentially the point of these characters, though. They cannot easily belong into the discussion of heroes v. villains because the two are binary ideas of good and evil, and once we begin to question them in relation to different characters, they dispute the simple ideas of the two. What does make a villain? What does make a hero? Edo summarized this dispute very well within his post, as it's about the framing of a narrative for it to fit. Is a character like N from Pokemon Black and White a villain, or is he simply misguided? Is Queen Sectonia responsible for her downfall, or was her vanity leading to her craving for power an unfortunate accident? Most modern audiences crave these questions from their villains, which is why the line becomes more and more blurred as more media is produced.
This is mostly food for thought, as this entire debate is. However, I think this questioning of what makes a villain is what makes villains so much more enrapturing than heroes. A hero can do bad, but in most situations, it's simple to highlight a hero. A hero is the one who does good, after all. But what about villains like Specter Knight, who make you ask where the line should be drawn when they do good? This conversation is the root of what I love about villains, and why I find them to be the more interesting characters overall.
Sure, heroes may save the day a lot, but villains are just more fun to write for. You may never know what diabolical world-ending plans are up their sleeves, and some villains like Team Rocket’s Meowth and Dr. Neo Cortex are just very funny to watch.
Just see how many times the bad guys have shone in their own way. While they don’t have the charm of the heroes, they do have their moments.
Go bad guys! You can do this! The entire universe is rooting for you!
But seriously, don’t root for those who never change up their plans. I’m looking at you, Nitros Oxide. Always wanting revenge for that one thing you failed at in 1999. There are much better villains than you out there. Ones that have more character, are more iconic, don’t whine like babies, and actually change up their plans once in a while. Once again, I’m sorry my second favourite Crash character, but there are just better options out there. And you’re not one of them.
(Anyways, just root for villains. Period).
'Shroomfest results in, Ninja Squid out of ink
| RESULTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| 46.67% | VOTES | 53.33% |
| 37.50% | ENDORSEMENTS | 62.50% |
| 44.44% | EFFORTS | 55.56% |
| 0 | 3 |
|---|
Note from the 'Shroom Research Lab: According to our latest findings, heroes and villains had entered a stalemate. Team Heroes were trying very hard to rally everyone's spirits, while Villains ended up camping close to a large rock, partying all night with DJ Lakituthequick until they could find out a solution to take the win as easily as possible. Our research then paid off, since we discovered a new document from a distant time, which allowed us to clarify a little of what happened.
Team Heroes was fed up that Team Villains didn't try to face them in the battlefield, so that they could finish it off once and for all. The heroes were desperately trying to find out the location of Team Villains's hideout, but the team's tactician couldn't manage to get a proper clue. I remember Pitohui running around the most (I got dizzy looking at him going, sheesh). I have to admit, it was not very heroic of him, giving me that headache. When I wrote those lines, I couldn't recall how much time that they lost looking at multiple maps of the surroundings. One thing they knew for sure was that Rose's team couldn't be far from the HQ. Finally, as the saying goes, everything comes just in time to him who knows how to wait. Yeah, because, after what I feel like an eternity, a paper plane coming from outside landed near Pitohui. There was a message on it.
Note from the 'Shroom Research Lab: According to the data we have, the 'Shroom's underground was massive, because of a certain writer and director being huge and needing a lot of places, so the underground was made big enough for him.
Pitohui's team found the message rather strange, what could be in the basement that hadn't been used for some time? The only ones with a key to the location were Pitohui and Roserade. "Could it be possible? Could Rose...? No...", was the only statement I remember clearly from him. An awkward silence followed these lines. Hooded Pitohui then turned back to his team, wondering what was going on. Okay, I know I am making this sound dramatic, but it was too good, it was like listening to a movie. I was also eating popcorn at the time, so like I said, it was very good.
Okay, back at it, like I said, there was an awkward silence, until a big tremor occurred, and that wasn't fun, because I almost choked on a piece of popcorn. This is what forced the Team Heroes to go down to the basement to understand what was going on. One thing was for sure, they were just not ready for what they were going to find out.
???: What do you think of my new look tiny fools! It's rocking, right?
Pitohui was speechless, never would he have believed that Roserade would do such a thing, much less transform into a more gigantic size. I was able to transcribe the events.
Note from the 'Shroom Research Lab: The writing, being very old, had to undergo some modifications, since certain passages ended up being almost illegible. Thanks to our very passionate and hard workers here at the 'Shroom Research Lab, we were able to save most of the written quotes!
Roserade: Well, you've got nothing to say? That's disappointing! I supposed I'll just have to crush your team, but I guess you want to end this loyally, like all those boring heroes.
Hooded Pitohui: How are we supposed to fight against you with this size? I guess Mario can still win against a Giant Bowser... Also, how did you get into this Dynamax form?
Roserade: Well, I just asked my loyal minions, like all good villains, to search for a Dynamax Band, and then I only need to gain some times. That's why I implanted my hideout somewhere near the 'Shroom's HQ, so that you couldn't fight me until I could have what I needed to win. Brilliant, isn't it!.
Koops: Totally unfair!
Roserade: Oh, dear Koops, you know damn well that us, villains, never do so fair and square. It's all about being as effective as possible to take the win in the easiest way! MWAHAHA!.
Roserade started jumping around, continuing to laugh maniacally. Not only did Pitohui's team had difficulty staying up because of Rose's shockwaves, but The 'Shroom's HQ began to crack under the pressure of the weight too. If no one tried to stop Rose from jumping, the HQ could collapse at any time. Hooded Pitohui, struggling to stay upright, tried to rally his team so that they could unite together and stop Roserade once and for all.
Hooded Pitohui: Alright, team, let's do this! We will stop evils once and for all. I know that we can do it!
Koops: Do you have an idea to stop it, or will we, as always, rush in without knowing what we are doing?
Epic Nitwit: I think I'm gonna be sick!
Although all hope seemed lost, a certain someone made a startling entry!
???: What is going on in here!!!
I remember asking Perch if he wanted to join me; I thought the action was starting to escalate, and it was about time, after a few weeks of deadlock, but the guy wasn't very pleased about the current situation...
Superchao: That is enough! I didn't reliquish my position of Director so that you could make fun of The 'Shroom! This HQ is a mess right now, there's a special issue coming up, and you are all losing your time in such childish fighting. Furthermore, none of you traitors, came to vote for Mach Speed Mayhem!!!
Hooded Pitohui: Can't you see we're all currently busy? You should go shill somewhere else!
Superchao: Alright, I have been patient enough! If you want me to reinstate my dictactorship in here, then so be it! Are you all ready to suffer my wrath?!
In less than five seconds, the room was emptied, well unless you count myself, Rose who was still huge, and Superchao. I have never seen people running that fast in my life! As the judge, I had no choice but to name the villains as the winners, as only Rose was still there, and Perch was looking at me menacingly (I still got chills just by writing that line). I remember that Rose was very much happy for winning, but Perch was still upset that the HQ was in such an horrendous state, and that a clean-up was in order. I remember that Rose said he couldn't help given his size, and after that, well, that's where I fled. It was out of the question for me to stay. Who knew what Perch would have forced me to do!
—N..j. .q.id
Note from the 'Shroom Research Lab: The latest documents from our difficult research allowed us to understand the post-war era. With the victory of Team Villains, the 'Shroom went into a dark era. Shady businesses took more control over the newspaper, with Archangel Solutions and Deimos Matrix Corp being the ones giving the biggest funding. We are still studying their implications with The 'Shroom as a whole. There was also the foundation of an Empire whose name is still unknown at the moment, but according to our research, it was ruled by Roserade, who apparently had a throne with an evil look, allowing him greater control over the territory of the 'Shroom, due to how frightening he was...
Leader's Notes
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom readers!! Boy, that was quite the exciting climax, wasn't it? Thank you so much to everyone who supported the conflict with Team Villains. It was a spectacular showing from our end, and it was all thanks to each of you. Now, villainy can truly rule The 'Shroom. I don't intend to leave this throne anytime soon, and I hope that you all can find the chance to be evil today. There's no greater liberty in life than being a villain.
We should move past the dramatics for now, though. I want to extend my biggest gratitude to everyone who participated in this 'Shroomfest, on one side or the other. This was our beta run, if you would, and I'm happy to see the positive reception that we received from the community. We're hoping to host another one of these beauties soon, and we'll continue to make 'Shroomfest better in the future. If you've got specific thoughts or ideas for us to hear, feel free to contact Ninja Squid (talk), Hooded Pitohui (talk), or myself, and we'd be appreciative to hear your feedback.
Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you fighting for my side next 'Shroomfest! What will our next topic be? Only time will tell, so make sure to stay tuned.
Power to the Villains!
—Roserade, Leader of Team Villains
| The 'Shroom: Issue 160 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • 'Shroomfest Highlights • Poll Chairperson Address |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
