User blog:AustinDR/My Thoughts on Lincoln

So, Savino had confirmed that Lincoln would not be in some episodes of Season 3, or at the very least won't play a central role. Personally speaking, I don't have much issue with that. Going back to some of my points, one could suggest that Lincoln is deliberately made bland in order to make the cast of characters seem more colorful. Of course, Lincoln does have many likable traits...traits that I think that the fandom tends to ignore. For instance, one trope that most fanfiction writers use when portraying Lincoln is that he is a weakling who can't fend for himself. Much like what any fan of the show had said on the matter - particularly the Engineer - this is not true to Lincoln's character. While Lincoln isn't physically the strongest of the siblings (sorry Lincoln), he makes up for it by using plotting; otherwise, he's a firm believer in "brains or brawl." There are some episodes that show Lincoln being able to figure something out quicker than his sisters, or he's usually the one to devise a plan to solve a problem. With him being defenseless, that's again not true. Sure, the sisters may give him crap every now and then, but Lincoln's usually able to maintain composure, but he isn't afraid of letting his opinion be known. Really, this cliche needs to stop; Lincoln is more than capable than how he's portrayed in fanon.

As for Lincoln not appearing much in the third season...I have no issue with that. With Lincoln, while I do know that he's the main character, thus meaning there's several episodes from his perspective, I ultimately watch the show mostly for the sisters. I'd like to see episodes from any of the girls' perspective, maybe see how they view each other. It's not to say that Lincoln is an unreliable narrator, but it'd be nice to see their side of the story so that it wouldn't come off as biased. At first, I felt that the sisters were one-note because of their character traits and personalities, but from some episodes that were in one of the sisters' POV, this made me want to see more episodes where we could delve more into their lives. Maybe see their friends, what their social life is, yadda, yadda, yadda. For instance, one episode I really liked was "Patching Things Up." It was a great Lola and Lana episode that showed them bonding instead of fighting for once. However, the subplot of Lincoln and Clyde trying to obtain the cookies was to me unnecessary as it didn't add anything to the plot of the episode. If you were to remove that part of the episode and rewrite a few things, not much would change. In short, sometimes I feel that because Lincoln is in the spotlight a lot, it takes away any development or deeper insight that the girls could've had.

Besides, if you were to have an episode where one of the supporting characters get their own episode, it doesn't always mean they're inherently bad. There are many examples that I can choose from, but one that sticks in my mind is Adventure Time. While I no longer watch the show, some of my favorite episodes were "I Remember You" and "Simon & Marcy." In the former, it is revealed that the Ice King was once a parental substitte for Marceline thousands of years ago during the aftermath of the Great Mushroom War. However, thanks to his crown warping his mind, he no longer remembered Marceline. And then it leads to one of the most depressing songs that the show ever had. This cuts deep with some people who have grandparents or aging parents. The Ice King's descent into madness can be seen as a fantastical metaphor for Alzheimer's or dementia. It's genuinely saddening how Marceline tears up by trying to trigger the Ice King's memories of their time together. "Simon & Marcy" only enhances the tragedy that is Simon Petrikov. In both episodes, Finn and Jake appear in them, but the focus isn't placed on them; they are more passive observers. Or then you have my favorite anime Kobayashi-san Chi no Meidoragon or Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid in English. The main protagonist, Kobayashi, is deliberately made bland as a means of giving the dragons (who have teh ability to take human form) more spotlight and appearances. But of course this can also be bad as well. Any episode regarding the human characters from Steven Universe are bad with the exception of Greg's scenes with his late wife. Like "Keep Beach City Weird." I hate you, Ronaldo, and I hope that the Diamonds will abduct you and subject you to grotesque experimentation....

I'd also like to say when loving the main character goes too far. For instance, many Loud Housians often take offense when Lincoln is inconveniencd in any way. Some are obvious like BITF or NSL, but then there are times when Lincoln doesn't receive that much misfortune. What's infuriating is how if something bad happens to Lincoln, it obviously means that the sisters are to blame. I am serious....the fandom blames the girls way too much. Half of the stuff they do is meant to be comedic, though I can understand if mean-spirited humor isn't for you. Like that one time they ate all of Lincoln's chocolate in "Girl Guru." I have seen some fanfics trying to fix that part of the episode, or many people chalk this as "Lincoln torture." Was it an inconsiderate thing that they did? Yes, it was. If anything I could see them apologizing and helping Lincoln find another way of getting money....but they instead laugh at him instead of giving him helpful advice. But I wouldn't lose my mind over the fact that they ate the chocolate in the first place. Really, I hate those types of fanfics that try to "fix" episodes. Even if you were to make your own take on an episode you disliked does not mean that the episode it was based on no longer exists. Really, I find it counterproductive to write a noncanonical story simply because you were disgusted by the actual episode. Or, many rabid fans would use the "mean sisters" and "nice sisters" cliche to bash on characters they don't like. Like there's Alex; I wouldn't call him a Lincoln worshipper, but he skids dangerously close to being one because he continually shames the girls if they do something bad to Lincoln, or how he tries to continually push the "Lincoln is Adopted" theory when there isn't any evidence to support it. Just because he's not like his other siblings does not mean he's adopted. Or he would think that minor teasing equates to bullying. That's what siblings do; tease each other without malignant intent.

Besides Lincoln worshippers, many also accuse people who like the other sisters as fanboys/fangirls. Andrew, for one, loves Luna. And I wouldn't accuse him of being a rabid fanboy. And yet, when he criticized that one scene in "Garage Banned" many people harassed him for taking offense at the scene. While I didn't personally feel hostile about the scene in question, he does have a point with the scene. It wasn't needed in the episode, felt forced, and it wasn't really funny. While I saw it as evidence that the siblings were falling a part without Lori's guidance,Andrew and TMNT made valid arguments against the scene. I believe that OOCness can work as long as it's essential to the plot, but  I digress. There isn't wrong with liking a character; take me, one of my favorite characters is the Scotsman from Samurai Jack, but that didn't mean that I would be up in arms when he was obliterated by Aku in Season 5. Well, I was irritated that the season seemed to suggest that he was going to play a massive role in the final battle against Aku, but really didn't.

So in short, I feel that Lincoln not appearing much in Season 3 could be a good thing. It could give more insight into the supporting characters' lives, and develop them more.