I have no interest in an argument either, so I will simply explain myself being "very defensive" (I disagree with the label, but if accepting it means you'll listen, sure):
I questioned the need for that full rebuttal which [1] stated an opinion but also [2] minimized the opinions of people you were responding to by [3] incorporating things no one said in this conversation (as you note, from another thread entirely) and [4] reducing things people
did say here to "hipster takes" from "haters" who would complain that "The new thing is too popular now" because they, indeed the whole fandom, "really are impossible to please" because they
didn't like this one thing wait no one even SAID that were tired of seeing this one thing so often in such a short span.
Even allowing for the "haters" comment to be facetious for comedic effect as suggested by the emoji, the rest of the rhetorical moves and word choices in this extensive rebuttal go a fair bit beyond, hence my characterizing it as lashing out.
For the record, the positions you responded to said:
"I'm burnt out on this particular visual at this point. [...] everyone and their mother customized various OPs into it, there were four dozen upgrade kits, and so on...
It's still a cool concept, I can just stand to not see it again for a good long while."
"It was a decently cool moment at first, but after seeing all the reposts, recreations and customs it got tiresome reeeeeeal quick."
"It took the comics too long to do anything of value with the arm that it just sort of faded into the background. [...] apart from the hokey mind-control plot point which honestly didn’t even need the arm,"
Two posts expressed weariness with the apparent omnipresence of the image/concept (unluckiness' was more about the writing, sorry to lump you in with Magnusblitz and me), AND recognized the value, cool factor, and impact of the image/concept
anyway.
Your response was:
- Y'all are haters
- "But it's too popular
"
Miss me with that hipster take.
- In the comics thread there was much kvetching that in the final throwdown between Megs and Optimus in the first arc of Skybound a line from TFTM was used. Not even one of the really overused lines, just a line. And that was enough to get people upset because how dare a new thing reference '86 its overdone never mind that it's one of the most accessible touchstones in the fandom... yadda yadda.
- "1986? Again? Can't this franchise try new things?"
does a new thing
"Not like that!"/"The new thing is too popular now!"
- We as a fandom really are impossible to please.
I've trimmed this from the original but I genuinely feel the omissions have not changed the sense of what was said.
To sum up: a handful of people expressed weariness with the admittedly-hyperbolically-presented (in my case) omnipresence of this cool new moment,
while acknowledging that it
was cool (I in particular took great care to preemptively and specifically draw a line
separating those impressions, precisely to avoid such unnecessary backlash). You responded with the above.
- You enjoy the Skybound series, and that moment in particular. That's valid and welcome -- and call this "defensive", but no one has implied the contrary in this conversation.
- Saturation is a real and common response to a constantly-present thing, even for people who liked the thing (as we did say we did). This can happen with Optimus Prime wearing Megatron's right arm and fusion cannon, or Labubus and other blind-boxed microtrend items, or superhero media, or K-Pop Demon Hunters. That feeling of being ready to stop seeing that thing and see more of other stuff is just as valid and welcome. And call this "defensive", but it is unfair and uncalled-for to twist that weariness and disinterest into disliking the thing because it was "too popular now" and holding it up as proof that the larger fandom is "impossible to please".
I am as content to leave this here as you are, but I hope you can consider what I've said.
