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TheLordYoinkethAway Since: Oct, 2019
2020-01-10 23:23:30

Fan Fic/IHATEYOU seems to be giving Luigi the Ron the Death Eater treatment more because it seems to be a parody of creepypastas, rather than it being due to the author's personal opinion of the character. I'm not saying any of this to bash Luigi either; I'm just noting what I see as a bit of a trend.

Yes, the franchise is well-liked, but that alone doesn't make it a Sacred Cow. There needs to be criticism that is near universally frowned upon in order for it to count, but the series has enough Hype Backlash that I sincerely doubt that this is the case.

Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?
lalalei2001 Since: Oct, 2009
2020-01-10 23:35:43

RE: Luigi, a lot of fanfics, especially after Super Smash Bros. melee and Super Paper Mario came out, are about him confronting his inner darkness and evil, usually personified as Mr. L.

Re: Hype Backlash, I haven't seen any major Hype Backlash related to Mario. There's the common argument for The Lost Levels, the edutainment games, Sticker Star and/or NSMB 2 not being as good as other titles, but that's not Hype Backlash since it was generally agreed-on, and those games still do have fans. Hype Backlash is 'this isn't nearly as good as everyone says', which I've never seen applying to a Mario game in large enough numbers to count, especially the main-series titles. Going on a wick check there are no main Mario games with hype backlash as a YMMV entry, and the only ones that do have it are the RPG spinoffs and Mario Party.

The Protomen enhanced my life.
lalalei2001 Since: Oct, 2009
2020-01-11 09:46:27

I think the franchise entry and Mario should stay, and if Luigi's entry is kept it should be trimmed down significantly. Here's my pitch:

"** Luigi was always a popular choice as an alternative to Mario, but really gained prominence in RPGs and spinoffs for being pushed out of the spotlight in-universe to the point that many characters don't remember his name, and he's ragged on even while he's trying to save people. While Luigi's fortunes have improved since then, his plight has elicited a lot of sympathy from fans, and his resurgent popularity in-universe has been greatly appreciated to the point that it's hard to find anyone who has anything negative to say about the character.

Edited by lalalei2001 The Protomen enhanced my life.
TheLordYoinkethAway Since: Oct, 2019
2020-01-11 16:21:13

I'm not talking about individual games that suffer from Hype Backlash, I'm talking about the franchise as a whole. With a series that's as popular as Super Mario Bros., it's inevitable that there will be some people who don't think that all the hype is worth it. It's even listed as a trope on the franchise's YMMV page, which even mentions certain games as having indeed suffered Hype Backlash, such as the New Super Mario Bros. games or Mario Kart Wii. I don't think it's so widely praised that, say, overzealous The Legend of Zelda fans haven't bashed it for being more iconic than their preferred series, as is also mentioned on the YMMV page. I think there's something to be said about the Sacred Cow trope commonly being misused to refer to any work or character that is extremely widely praised even if nothing is explained about fans of the work or character being adverse to any form of criticism, but that's a topic for another day.

Also, I doubt that the fanfics written about Luigi exploring his inner darkness, and dealing with Mr. L, were written out of personal dislike for the character. Most of the people I've seen who embrace the whole Mr. L concept actually like Luigi and just see it as an interesting facet of his character worth exploring, even shipping him with Daisy to create a reversal of the whole "tough, feisty girl likes timid, shy boy" that Luigi and Daisy's original dynamic has. That's the main gist of why I listed Luigi as a Sacred Cow; I have yet to find a single person out there who legitimately dislikes the guy, and most of the characters who are at least partially responsible for him being as much of The Woobie as he is tend to get the Ron the Death Eater treatment, which usually includes Mario. That's why I deleted his entry under Sacred Cow, because I've seen plenty of fans who are more than willing to demonize Mario just to make Luigi look better, especially after Game Theory's "Why Mario is Mental" two-parter was released. Again, I am not saying this to bash Luigi. I actually like the character; I just disagree that both the franchise and Mario himself are so well-liked that any criticism levied against them is met with the fury of a thousand suns, because I've seen plenty of evidence to the contrary.

Edited by TheLordYoinkethAway Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?
lalalei2001 Since: Oct, 2009
2020-01-11 17:39:02

Anyone else have any input?

The Protomen enhanced my life.
SailorTardis Since: Jan, 2015
2020-01-11 17:42:21

From what I’ve seen, Luigi seems to be universally beloved.

Illuminate!
lalalei2001 Since: Oct, 2009
2020-01-12 17:16:03

I think it needs to be shortened, at any rate—the Mario tangent is pretty nattery and doesn't relate to how Luigi is so beloved.

The Protomen enhanced my life.
TheLordYoinkethAway Since: Oct, 2019
2020-01-12 18:51:00

While I think it does relate, because Sacred Cow is all about how criticism of these massively beloved characters is met with extreme hostility and I feel that this is reflected by how a lot of fans treat anyone In-Universe who criticizes Luigi, or at least somewhat contribute to his misfortune as seen in the way Mario tends to be treated, I will concede that the tangent is a little on the long side. I just went back and shortened it to what I felt was the most necessary information. I hope it helps.

Edited by TheLordYoinkethAway Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?
8BrickMario Since: May, 2013
2020-01-12 22:34:30

Even if Luigi doesn't have a notable hatedom, I don't think he's the kind of figure that would cause people criticizing or mocking him to be ostracized or shut down. He's not an Unacceptable Target.

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