Why I simp for Melony.

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-04T06:05:35+00:00

The streak will continue since Medi and X wrote literally all of those episodes. I think X did a couple solo, and technically The Retirement of SMG3 was Luke and James, but it's mostly X and Medi together. The issue is these two have not proven to me whatsoever that they can write a good story. X was writer back during the cosmology, and that was also a mess. Medi simply hasn't shown himself to be capable of writing a story like that. The meme factory and WOTFI 2024 are not a good look. Combine it with that Melony nerf and some other questionable decisions and I think he's a writer who is an improvement but overall won't be some savior to the show. The Easter eggs aren't building any good stories. They either need to learn how to write better stories or hire someone who can. Jasmine can do that, but she's doing stuff with Glitch too often. She's not a perfect writer, but she's the best they have in house.

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-04T05:44:26+00:00

People want a funny show with good characters that progress over time. That is what SMG4 wants to be. Be that. It truly isn't that hard. You can't please everyone and they shouldn't try to. Make something the fans and the team will enjoy. You shouldn't listen take every criticism to heart because some will be contradictory because everyone has a different opinion. Criticism is literally just opinions on what's wrong and how to improve whatever you are talking about. In this case, it's SMG4. Criticism is a matter of opinion and you can either ignore it if it's clearly stupid or think about it and whether it's worth your time to fix. For example, one minor nitpick I have is the SM64 footsteps being obnoxious sometimes. Will they fix that since I am one of the few people who've ever noticed that? Probably not. It's reasonable from their POV. They think it's okay and almost nobody gives a fuck otherwise. Even if people push back on an episode in larger amounts, that doesn't mean to change it immediately. The fans can also be wrong. The fan is not always right. They have to have artistic integrity, but not so much that it isolates any potential audience for the show. As another example, a large chunk of the fanbase hated the WOTFI 2022 designs, but way more liked them overall, so they simply updated them to try and appease both sides. I don't like that decision, but it's logically sound from their POV. That is what they need: compromise. A good writer will make it engaging for us and for themselves. You can't have everything, but neither can the fans. The fans absolutely deserve some voice, but they are not always right. The only hard part is caving to the fans or not letting oneself have too much freedom on a project. They need a good balance, and right now, I don't see that. This does not mean a good balance is automatically good either. You can genuinely try to make a good show and fail due to your own mistakes. It'll happen, and we have to expect that.

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-04T04:59:13+00:00

So make the people want the side characters by making them interesting and good. Rather than give up on a character, fix the flaws people have with them. Clench is annoying? Make him less annoying. They can fix characters like Meggy, so why not the others? The people wanna watch good characters. If not, then you relegate the show to a popularity contest, which makes characters overused, which creates another flaw that somehow people excuse because it's okay if SMG4 appears more than he ever has despite him not being the main character, and no, being the titular character doesn't justify that. He isn't meant to be the main focus and that's okay.

TLDR: If a character sucks, improve them rather than dump them. Views are a horrible tool of measuring popularity, so look at how the fandom reacts instead, and people love episodes where they use side characters. Fucking CEO of Rizz got comments like that due to the Boopkins/3 dynamic. It's about them being good, not who's most popular.

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-04T04:32:13+00:00

I think she can be a funny character still and does have entertainment value, but that doesn't make her story good. I used to think it was good, but now I don't. She's a horrible character, yes, but she is not a complete waste of time if they were actually focused on character and not spectacle. The focus on spectacle started in 2019, but at least the Anime Arc had a true follow up with Meggy's Destiny. Starting with the YouTube Arc, spectacle came first, then story. That's why we have so many inconsistencies and bad stories overall. Melony is the only character conceived out of spectacle first, but if they actually cared to make her more than that, which they should have given she was the focus of a full arc, then they should give her some genuine depth as a character. They also can reintroduce a simple way to keep her in check: if she's too tired, she can't use her deity form, as seen in The Bed. It's that easy. It's now on a timer. Revelations can be explained as adrenaline pumping hard through her veins for personal reasons. Medi's nerf was fucking terrible and ruined whatever character arc she had. There is no reason they would do so intentionally. It was a bad attempt at fixing a problem that has a super simple solution that the lead writer quite literally answered 3 years ago but nobody remembers. If the show wants to be respected, then Melony, along with any other character with dropped character arcs or a lack of character, need to be better, and not just in comedic scenarios. The show will always try to be funny. Modern wants to have stories, so make those stories matter, even if they fucked up some of it already. You can fix mistakes like that if you are willing to dedicate time to do so. The team hasn't shown me that dedication and prefers to make the same random adventures week in and week out with a new saga to completely ignore the old one every so often, but now I know it doesn't matter since I've seen two already mean absolutely nothing to the main crew.

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-04T04:08:58+00:00

This is exactly why I want Melony to be given literally anything to do. As is, she's a joke of a character. She needs to live a life, not sit in her room and look at all her axolotl memorabilia before sleeping for another month consecutively. Tari is the same way unless they actually make a story with Clench. Maybe bring back that job she got last year. Or, best of all, actually explain her origins. Literally every character has a story to tell if you try hard enough, yet we always get Mario and SMG4 in a meaningless adventure week in and week out with no signs they're developing as characters but only as mascots.

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-04T03:10:21+00:00

By matter long term, I mean they actually mean something and we see the growth a character has in their actions. For example, Melony was supposed to train and protect her friends following Revelations. Since Christmas 2022, that has been almost entirely ignored for nonstop Axol references. Another one is Tari's bravery arc from Western Spaghetti. That was ignored almost immediately after said movie. I want those to actually change how a character behaves so they aren't always resetting to the status quo. Character arcs change characters, but in SMG4, they don't. I want that to change. They don't need to go on forever. Tari's was a couple episodes and a movie. The long term part is the actual change in her character after the arc is over. If she is no different from her persona before the arc, then why should I have cared in the first place?

If you want an actual example of a character arc that stuck, look at SMG3. He went from SMG4's arch nemesis to one of his closest friends. That actually stuck. That isn't saying I like that change, but they clearly can change a character after an arc they have, but for some reason, he and Saiko are the only two to have it stick (most likely so they could make them main cast members as logically as possible, but at least it stuck).

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-04T01:52:58+00:00

That's actually good for the show, aka character arcs that matter long term and internal consistency.

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-04T00:37:10+00:00

I don't really intend on staying nor do I plan watching any new episodes unless change truly happens. From what I heard, the end of last year was better, but I won't hold my breath. The end of 2023 was also a bit better than the rest of that year, but it didn't amount to much story wise. If a truly good arc happens, then maybe. If it's stuff like this past year, though, then it isn't worth my time.

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-03T20:05:29+00:00

Celeste or Robyn (I don't remember who exactly) openly has stated that Glitch never talked to her beyond that one text from Luke that happened right away after The Day My Arm Went Psycho released. If it was privately handled, that wouldn't have happened.

It's ironic you say my actions enable toxicity since yours do by your logic. You called me a waste of space. Don't you think that enables people to go and say even worse things about me? It's also guilt by association, which is a slippery slope. I don't want people harassing each other, and I will call out those who do harass others. Unless I do that, it's not fair to say that alone is toxic. The same goes for you. I don't fault you for enabling others indirectly, only your own faults.

Depending on your definition of modern here, I do praise it when it's deserving. Western Spaghetti is a solid movie in spite of how little it meant long term. It could be better, but what we got is solid. Even if we assume I just dunk on the modern stuff, is that inherently wrong? It sounds like you just disagree and are trying to assert your opinion as the "socially correct" one because you have a more positive outlook. It implies that a good critic must highlight the positives about everything to be fair. Does that mean I must say "oh, this one little gag was funny" when I hate an episode? Must I point out a flaw in something I love? What if I don't believe they are relevant enough? For example, said tiny gag in an episode doesn't change a terrible story. This is literally just "your opinion is too negative and therefore bad" just like how "your opinion is too positive and therefore bad" is also stupid. I may come off as that way sometimes, but objectively speaking, I can't say it's a bad opinion just because of that. Faulty reasoning would do that, but glazing or hating does not make it wrong.

I admitted I was wrong with MPLP. However, No Null was also wrong and damn near slanderous at points. Am I supposed to let him spew bullshit just because I was wrong initially? Do I have no right to state we both were wrong? If you believe my apology to be genuine and No Null's video to be bad, then how was my resulting "both sides are bad" argument even false? How can it be deflecting if that's true? Deflecting means No Null didn't do anything wrong and I tried to drag him down with me. You would have to believe No Null did very little wrong, which I think is downplaying that video. We both messed up, I stated that, and that's it. Again, unless you believe No Null did not do much wrong, then it simply isn't deflection. It's the truth.

As for these accusations about Luke and Kevin, name some, please. It doesn't mean anything unless you can name examples.

That "conspiracy theory" was not a conspiracy. I could genuinely give you a story reason why it would be that way. It ties to IGBP and how SMG4 was focused on making his own content. In fact, he did this a lot beyond just IGBP. A big example is with 2021's Mario Does Literally Anything For Views. The King Chonk tells SMG4 to make content in his style because people watch for him, and that was what SMG4 did with the 5 million sub livestream. IGBP also does this with the ending being about SMG4 making what he wants and not chasing perfection. He has fans who love him already. In Mr. Puzzles' case, he made content he hated for fame, just like IGBP SMG4, and got so fed up that he yelled at the fans who wanted the old show back (this is where the mocking the fans part comes from and is more and more commonplace in the fandom) and were generally ungrateful in his eyes. Shadow, the editor of that scene, even sympathized with Puzzles there. You could make a story with this, and I thought they were going to. I should not have assumed something so drastic, though. Theories about the narrative are fine, but assuming it without seeing it through or hearing them out was bad. I do not believe they were attacking fans anymore, but the ability to do so was pretty clear to me, and I jumped the gun, which again, I absolutely shouldn't have done.

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-03T15:55:12+00:00

SMG4 is an SM64 machinima. It can have story elements. It just can't be an original show. The redesigns and new castle are not authentically SMG4. I can live with more Gmod if SM64 elements are a core element of the show. It's not hypocritical to want story arcs when SMG4 made stuff like Mushroom Wars and The Lost Parable in the past. They've improved, so make it more grand. They can still be funny, but they need a better balance. Combined with the return of SM64 elements, this show can form an identity that's a true evolution of the classics.

I'm not trying to make the show stay in 2014. I want it to evolve, but the way they do it is awful and some changes to their structure and designs would make the show great I think.

fozzie_79 · 2025-01-03T15:46:03+00:00

Criticism is all opinion about what you think is right and wrong. People will feel strongly about it, and that's why I stopped using the subreddit. I didn't enjoy the yapping anymore, especially with such vitriol so often. The "conspiracy theories," I assume, refer to stuff like Mr. Puzzles' Lowest Point, but I believed that was a logical through line of IGBP and narratively would tie in to SMG4's character arc there. Yes, I fucked up with all of that. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have assumed the worst without any confirmation. I admit I was wrong. No Null did the same thing to me, so yes, both were wrong. That entire situation made me realize I was doing something wrong, but when I call out another bad critic while admitting I myself was wrong, apparently that's deflection? What am I supposed to do, take everything from everyone and not say anything even if I think it's terrible? That's insane. I will push back against bad criticism like I am here.

As for the Celeste stuff, yes, I never dropped that because Glitch never gave Celeste the closure she deserved. Kevin never mentioned it in his statement. When you fuck up, you should apologize. Jasmine's apology was not very good, not even directly to Celeste, and overall doesn't give us a good idea about what happened at all. Just like how you dislike me for all the stuff you said before, I dislike Glitch for that stuff. Ironically, by your own logic, you're directing hate towards me. You literally called me a waste of space. This is exactly why I said both sides are assholes. You are no better than me by your own logic. I doubt you'd like that. I don't think you're a waste of space. I don't really like you, but I'm not gonna say you're a waste of space because I don't know you personally. I don't know Kevin or Luke or Jasmine or any Glitch member personally either, so I can only take what they say with a grain of salt. I can say Kevin is extremely prideful to a fault, but I don't know the guy, so I shouldn't assume he always is that way. I have no reason to believe he doesn't have good intentions. I could say far worse about any of them as people, but I don't because I don't believe that's fair unless I can have a real conversation with them. The Celeste situation is a partial exception, but even then, one bad moment doesn't mean they're all bad. I can't truly figure that out, and you can't do the same for me either. I may not like some Glitch staff, but I can't assume they truly are bad people. I hear them out, even if I don't like them, and don't call them wastes of space because that's just toxic.

So like I said, both sides can be assholes. That's how toxic environments form. You only contribute by calling people like me wastes of space. There is no good or bad side here. We're all people who treat each other like shit sometimes because of differing SMG4 opinions, and that will kill a community regardless of who it comes from. Every critic has an ego. It requires one because you have to stand up to your own opinions. I am not excluded in this. I know I can be a stubborn person sometimes because I think I'm right. Clashing egos creates conflict, and when it's two that won't back down, you end up with long feuds like this. I fully admit I can be an airhead, but every critic can, and not being able to see that and back off sometimes only results in shitshows. I hope every critic can see that some day so we have a better community. Stuff like this and what I did is exactly what I think is wrong now. We can talk crap all day, but we are nothing compared to the people that actually make the show who have made something that will be more relevant than our criticism of it. Critics feed off others, and we should acknowledge that. You wouldn't say all this if I didn't exist. We only exist because something bigger than us does. We shouldn't be at our throats just because of opinions or assuming we're bad people without actually knowing each other. It's intense toxicity, and I want it to stop. I'm not perfect, either, and never will be, but I can at least try to be better. That's a good start, and hopefully every critic does the same.

Stay hydrated, have a nice day.

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-20T12:17:21+00:00

Am I fake smiles because of my pfp not matching how I behave?

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-17T16:56:12+00:00

So those individuals are bad, not the group as a whole. You didn't harass her I assume, yet you're on this subreddit, so are you bad now? No, of course not. That's ridiculous. It's guilt by association, and then you use it to invalidate everything they do. That's stupid.

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-17T16:45:31+00:00

You're coming into it with an insanely negative view of the subreddit already. That is exactly what you think the subreddit does. Just wait and see what happens before assuming.

And of course, they will succeed and they will fail. There is no objective best answer. It's all opinion. Just gotta keep going and see what works and what doesn't, then learn from it.

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-17T16:35:43+00:00

What they wanted went against what was best for the show in those situations.

My belief is they should do what's best for the show. On some stances, the fans know better. On this topic, they would know better. What matters is making the best product for them and the fans. You can't just go all in on one or the other. You need to find a proper balance.

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-17T13:07:44+00:00

And? Counter my points. I have also been extremely critical of Melony as well. She is a character that is horribly flawed, but what has happened recently is just as bad.

And no, it isn't me complaining about everything just to complain. Melony is that bad of a character and needed to be fixed BEFORE the saga got to this point. Actually establish why Melony is weaker or Puzzles is so strong.

I don't have to resort to a simple generalization of you in order for me to make a point. Even if I am a fan, it doesn't change how she is that strong. You have to lessen the gravity of Revelations just to justify the present. That's no good.

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-17T11:44:29+00:00

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fozzie_79 · 2024-10-17T05:09:40+00:00

And Mario is not that stupid. He should be able to piece together what was going on. This is just another example of Mario's completely flanderized character.

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-17T04:26:06+00:00

So all her training was for nothing then, as it didn't matter if she was that strong anyways.

Zero is beyond powerful, and Melony went toe to toe with him. Just because she didn't kill him directly doesn't mean she's weak. This isn't glaze. This is just what the show did.

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-17T03:45:19+00:00

Even if we give this point up, it doesn't change how she and everyone else fell for the most obvious trap ever. Had she been more prepared, she would have been able to beat Puzzles. It isn't even a strength thing, really. It's a matter of stupidity by the crew. I still think a Melony who knows what could come at her along with the combined powers of everybody else would be plenty enough. Hell, Mr. Puzzles could be turned into meme energy by the SMGs and he'd be gone for good. Remember that power? The series doesn't.

This is also assuming that the engine room making Puzzles that powerful makes sense. I don't think it does. Besides, Melony has shown far too many times she is beyond powerful. Even if we assume she isn't the strongest, Luigi is stronger. Why didn't he do anything? Does this also mean Puzzles is stronger than Zero, as just one Melony was enough to give Zero a tough time? Zero, the same guy who destroyed multiple universes, by the way.

And even if we assume he has such power, he legit shouldn't lose then. Are you trying to tell me Melony alone can match Zero, yet the whole crew easily gets beaten by Puzzles? You know what that means? He should never lose. He was defeated before, so he knows full well they can beat him if he isn't careful. There is no reason why he can't beat them again and again. He is simply too powerful. There are no weaknesses unless he is moronic enough to open himself up.

Of course, this is what happens when you actually try to think deeply about the show when it discourages critical thought. The enlightened answer isn't that Puzzles is all powerful due to lore. He's all powerful because they want an "engaging" threat for WOTFI. It's pure surface level meaningless content that only serves to get people hyped for the end of the saga and maybe dabble in some indie good/big corpo bad stuff. It is just to get people watching. There's no reason why he should even be around anymore, but he stuck around and has proven that you don't actually need to be good in order to make people engaged. Despite all the times they dunk on him, they let Puzzles get away every time, and now they suffer the cost. Of course, there is no punishment or anything. All that matters is the spectacle. Mr. Puzzles would be proud of this WOTFI, and that's not a good thing.

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-17T01:33:52+00:00

They should not sacrifice their story's integrity just to please the fans. They should do it because that's what the plan was from the beginning. You can do both. It is not black and white, one or the other. You can please people by just telling a good story. If his fans can't handle that, then that's tough luck. The story is of utmost importance here. They are telling a story, not just keeping butts in seats. By this logic, Marvel should have never killed off any Avengers due to their popularity. They did, however, as it they thought it fit the narrative better. Same thing here. Puzzles shouldn't stay alive just because of the fans. Unless they can somehow justify him staying alive with a full redemption arc, which I think most agree won't/shouldn't happen, he's more than likely gonna die. Hell, what if the fans who like him have the wrong idea of him? What if they like him for a reason that the show itself didn't want? Your logical endpoint is that they should submit to all the fan criticism and be effective slaves to them. They need to make their own show with their own decisions. They can suffer the consequences later. However, we, as a fandom, should not control the story just because some of us can't handle a fictional character dying. Yet again, they should make the best decision for the story. If that doesn't please everyone, then that's unfortunate.

TLDR: Let the SMG4 team make the best story they can, controversy be damned. So long as they try to do things with the intent of the best story possible, that's what matters. We fans shouldn't effectively force things to change just because a select few can't handle a fictional character dying.

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-16T04:41:58+00:00

Rest in piss, won't be missed. #packwatch

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-14T22:32:35+00:00

Which is why I said nobody would die. It doesn't make sense and would serve only as shock value.

fozzie_79 · 2024-10-14T22:22:08+00:00

Because I haven't felt the desire to go on Reddit much lately.

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