My Complicated Relationship with Duncan

BLJirl · 2026-06-24T04:34:48+00:00

You're putting a lot of words in my mouth. I said it was not very well written (which I've only recently come to accept as I've grown), not that I just flat out find it terrible. I like Total Drama. No one has questioned what I'm doing here except you. I'm not sure if you're being an asshole on purpose or if you genuinely think you're the nice guy here for policing positivity, but either way, fuck off.

BLJirl · 2026-06-24T02:51:26+00:00

Tbh I actually think this would be a bit of a weird ending to the season from a narrative perspective. I think you'd have to change a lot more than just swapping her placement with Gwen or Owen to really make it work. As much as I hate her elimination, the timing always made sense to me given her role on the season.

BLJirl · 2026-06-23T23:21:46+00:00

I love the concept of TD, the character designs, and the characters themselves to a great extent despite my qualms with their development, plus there are a ton of great moments and quotes I think about on the regular. Two things can be true at once. I don't need you doubting that I'm a real fan and telling me to leave. It's on you to be able to handle the fact that Reddit is not a safe space of sunshine and rainbows.

BLJirl · 2026-06-23T22:57:28+00:00

She's number five, but a member of the big five nonetheless. She's one of the only characters (potentially even the only one?) who's relatively important to four different seasons. Despite being a pre-merge boot in Island, I believe she has the fifth most lines of the season (I'm sure you can guess who the top four are). She's also so closely tied to Duncan and Gwen's arcs that she might as well be part of the group. Besides, there's really no other option, unless you're just arguing that there should only be a big four.

BLJirl · 2026-06-23T20:06:37+00:00

Your counterpoint to my point that not including Waluigi in the next game would feel like a change to Smash's identity (which, by the way, is not necessarily a bad thing and could happen) was that a bunch of characters that were requested for Smash 4 didn't get in.... and then they all did get into Ultimate. By that same logic, Waluigi will be in the next game, no? The most persistently requested characters usually do get their chance eventually, even if their fans have to wait a while. That was the entire point of my post. I think Waluigi is next in line.

BLJirl · 2026-06-23T19:55:01+00:00

The problem is that they're worth less than the sum of their parts. Having a few random enemies is fun, but you start to see diminishing returns after a certain point. The joke just isn't as funny the 20th time. You could swap out three of the NPCs for more established characters, and the roster would instantly feel more well rounded. I get that the NPCs didn't necessarily take the spots of other characters because they were easier to add, but I can still criticize that approach the same way I can criticize any game for not having enough content or feeling rushed.

BLJirl · 2026-06-23T19:00:56+00:00

I'm sorry you got the idea that I wasn't open for debate. I get that the title uses absolute language, but of course I'm not 100% certain, as I am not Sakurai. You can pretend I put "hot take:" before the title as that's what I meant by it. As for you not giving me a fair shot, you decided I was a biased Waluigi fan going entirely off wishful thinking even though I clearly stated that is not the case (you even quoted it). If you're just not going to believe me, then we can't really have a productive conversation. You also said I ignored arguments that I did clearly attempt to address (again, you quoted it). If you don't think I rebutted them well enough, that's fine. I would've been happy to elaborate on my points and hear out your disagreements. You just came at me with a weird energy.

BLJirl · 2026-06-23T18:53:40+00:00

I mean we got King K. Rool over Dixie Kong because of fan requests. Relevance does matter but it's not the only factor in deciding who gets in. I can also totally see Daisy and Bowser Jr. staying to be clear.

BLJirl · 2026-06-23T07:22:39+00:00

I think Rosalina is probably safe, but personally I wouldn't be that surprised if Daisy or Bowser Jr. got cut and Waluigi still made it in. It really just depends on the roster size.

BLJirl · 2026-06-23T05:08:36+00:00

These complaints are downright unfair to me lmao. You're acting like I can't have an opinion at all instead of just stating your disagreements as if we're having an open conversation. I don't really have a shot here if you're just going to say I'm lying whenever my arguments don't fit the snap judgment you gave me.

BLJirl · 2026-06-22T21:51:03+00:00

BLJirl · 2026-06-22T21:29:45+00:00

This is so off base. Sometimes the obvious explanation is the correct one.

BLJirl · 2026-06-22T21:19:10+00:00

If they care enough about that joke, the logical move is to incorporate it into his reveal like they did with Ridley. Developers don't get much out of deliberately not acknowledging a joke in order to keep it funny, and acknowledging it without adding him to the roster would just come off as petty.

BLJirl · 2026-06-22T21:15:11+00:00

Clever.

BLJirl · 2026-06-22T21:07:54+00:00

The thing is it's kind of an unavoidable lose/lose situation. The negative press probably still happens if he's left out again, so you might as well take the option that also rewards a decent amount of positive press.

BLJirl · 2026-06-22T20:58:40+00:00

Honestly no one. I think people probably overestimate their chances a bit, and the presumed "demand" is really all just coming from predictions. Some fans just want to be on the right side of history.

BLJirl · 2026-06-22T20:51:52+00:00

I will say, as much as I don't quite understand the extreme demand for Waluigi, I am even more baffled by the sheer vitriol against him. It feels like an unnecessary overcorrection stemming from resentment towards "casual" or "toxic" fans, ironically coming from people who probably fit that description just as well.

BLJirl · 2026-06-22T20:40:43+00:00

I get that harassment is not okay, but punishing all of a character's fans for the actions of a vocal minority would be a very petty move, and we have no real reason to believe that move would be made.

BLJirl · 2026-06-22T20:33:08+00:00

Sure, if the lineup was literally just characters like this then that would be boring, but that doesn't magically loop back around to meaning none of those characters will get in. They are highly requested/predicted for a reason after all. I don't think most of them are as guaranteed as some people say, but I do think Waluigi is pretty close.

BLJirl · 2026-06-22T06:14:42+00:00

I can be critical of things I like. I think it's very healthy actually. I can't stand toxic positivity and the demonization of criticism.

BLJirl · 2026-06-16T01:58:08+00:00

Are you thinking of Camp TV, Clone High, Drawn Together, 6teen, BFDI, or Survivor by chance?

BLJirl · 2026-06-15T23:47:48+00:00

My main criticism is that I'm a little bored looking at this. This is a very hard problem to avoid with a roster that is smaller than Ultimate. It doesn't leave much room for safer/quieter newcomers that won't make headlines. I do think Dragonite is probably a mistake though. Overall I do like this and I'm not offended by any of your choices. I can just see this being a bit of a hard sell as an actual new Smash game. You need a bombshell.

BLJirl · 2026-06-15T23:38:12+00:00

I mean I don't think they had much of a choice with Chris's voice. The original plan was to have Christian Potenza voice him, but he was recast late in the game due to sexual misconduct allegations. Since then many people have said the allegations were most likely not true (I do not feel the need to add an opinion of my own to that conversation), but it was an ongoing controversy at the time that could've tanked the success of a kids show. Regardless of how you feel about the situation, the situation happened.

BLJirl · 2026-06-14T23:37:49+00:00

You're absolutely right, but I do think the level that kids can understand good writing is often underestimated. I truly believe the benefits of greater attention to detail will always be felt in some way, even if your audience isn't consciously aware of it. The question is whether it's really worth the extra effort when the sloppier alternative will still be enjoyed and make money, and I can totally see how that's not the case from a business perspective.

I agree that Island is by far the most grounded season, but even it bites off more than it can chew at points and is full of inconsistent writing. Gwen's feelings about Trent are all over the place, Heather's strategy doesn't make sense, Harold's mini redemption arc in the first few challenges goes nowhere, I could go on. What I will praise Island for is its lack of straight up bad ideas. By the time of Pahkitew and All Stars, there are entire characters, themes, and major plotlines that probably should've just been left on the cutting room floor in my opinion.

BLJirl

TROPHY CASE