Well, I might aswell get this off my chest before this thread closes its doors for the last time~
I can still remember back when I used to be a detractor. I never really liked the idea of playable characters like Little Mac, Pac Man, Miis, and even Rosalina. But seeing that I naturally adapt to things because of my sign, I've grown fond of all of them after a given time...all except Ridley.
I might've overexaggerated how I was when I used to be a Ridley detractor. I felt it would be wrong to downscale him, but I had the feeling other detractors were making things unnecessarily complicated. It didn't help at all that supporters were still saying he wasn't disconfirmed even though he
shares the same section with the Yellow Devil, inevitably implying his disconfirmation... But that was before I looked past the face value of things.
A good and funny man by the name of
Relax Alax made a video not long before the events of E3. The fact he was coming from a neutral standpoint already made me feel I should listen to the entire thing. IMO it was a good start to learn, even if it's become outdated since. I believe this has, and always will be, Alax's greatest video.
I don't remember how, but I was sent to an essay made by
aldelaro5 describing Ridley's chances. The complexity, energy, and confidence he placed into that essay almost gave me the impression this man was insane! Nevertheless, Alax already planted the seed inside me, and I would spiral into a meltdown in front of Miiverse before crawling back out as a Ridley supporter....
(EDIT: just noticed the enuendo.
)
Ever since, I've felt my mind has never been this open! I've looked at the snake/mongoose rivalry between supporter and detractor, and I noticed the detractors have almost always thrown the first punch since the beginning.
"I think Ridley should be playable cuz he's cool, and is important to Metroid! ^^"
"No way, he's too big. Get your logic straight."
"Well, why not scale him down so he isn't too big? Its not like it hasn't been done before."
"Nuh-uh! It only works for some characters. Ridley would look stupid."
"That sounds alittle unfair, don't you think? 
"
"No, you're just delusional, that's all. Give up that wet dream of yours, and face reality!"
And just like that, it became a bandwagon. For fifteen years, neither side has gotten anywhere. Shokio's video was to ensure Ridley fans were to be silenced, thus it turned into what is perhaps the internet's biggest flame war yet. Looking back, I feel ashamed for being part of such big bullies. I'm surprised there are still supporters from 2001 that have endured this prejudice, and even
Mew2King, one of the great pioneers in Melee's competitive play, wants Ridley in! That takes alot of stubbornness and determination...more than I could ever have. Ridley is, by far, the most requested in the west, so either there is something the detractors don't get, or the large majority of America that wants him is that stupid...including Mew2King.
Because of my weak patience and determination, I've already submitted to reality that all this speculation was pointless. Nintendo may have indeed messed up their big marketing opprotunity by leaving a stage hazard like Ridley ambiguous when they perfectly had the
time and
power to clear up all the confusion generated. They can't possibly think Ridley would make great hype for a stage boss, when not only has he been nothing but a boss in previous games, but is actually a downgrade from his role in SSE! They've not learned their mistake from the Wii U if this is their mindset. Unless Sakurai gives us a "Sorry, I tried", I don't think I can ever forgive him for dancing around Ridley for 13 months, only to kick us in the gonadz after the false hype we've generated. People deserve to show their displeasure if this happens, and I can predict many boycotting the 3DS and Wii U versions; nobody can change that, no matter how spoiled they make them sound.
I wanna be able to see detractors as normal people again. Ever since I became a supporter, I knew I'd eventually fall to a state where something's wrong with me, and that so happens to be how I look at detractors. I know they're okay people once you look past that, but I can't seem to. I constantly feel like I gotta avoid them or prove something to them. I wanna be able to run into Shokio at Wal-Mart, and be like "Oh cool, its Shoks." and not be like
"Oh ****, its the mascot of Ridley haters, Shokio! I gotta hide before he talks me down like I don't know better!" (fun fact: we both live in Dallas, so it shouldn't be too hard to run into him) Most importantly,
I wanna feel free, free from fear of my opinions, and how people will judge me for them!
This takes me to what Ridley has become in these years; a symbol. Detractors may look at it as another sign of being delusional, but I bet everyone else can say otherwise. This has become like a Pinocchio scenario; Ridley is Pinocchio who wishes to become playable, while Sakurai is the blue fairy that can make it happen. Some see Ridley's inclusion as a symbol of justice, payback, equality. I see it as "never feel ashamed of who you want for Smash." With Shokio's video discouraging Ridley fans, more haters have come to beat down on fans for other characters. Smash depends on the voices of fans being heard, and those voices can't be heard if they're being silenced. If Ridley's confirmed, it should show to always make your voice heard, and do not be discouraged by another person's opinion. Disconfirmed, however...If the title "Ridley Fan" wasn't a Star of David before, it certainly will be.
I really do like the confidence this thread gives off...but it really scares me most of the time. I'm a strong believer in karma, and those with the mindset of "Ridley will be playable" scare me the most because its begging for karma to jynx them! I want everyone in this thread to have the mindset that Ridley's chances are 50/50, but you can still lean more on him likely being playable. This is going back to aldelaro5's essay, and how he sounded crazy to me at first. This thread is so cringe-worthy and off-topic, mods are
dying to finally put a bullet in this thread's head! If Ridley's disconfirmed, there will never be a future Ridley thread, and we will never have a place to feel perfectly safe with talking about Ridley stuff.
As a safe word of advice, I want everyone to keep their karma high so that Ridley's reveal can truely be guaranteed; every good deed counts.
So now I've got these questions for you, and want you to answer them with all your seriousness; no jokes, no nothing. I want
everyone to answer these.
• Has the speculation really been worth it?
• Will Ridley's inclusion be justified?
• What would the ratio be between people who will like him and hate him if he's confirmed?
• Was it unprofessional on Nintendo's part to not clear the confusion when they had the perfect opportunity to do so?
• EDIT: Do you think it would be worth showing your displeasure with Nintendo?
• Do you think him being a Wii U-exclusive stage boss is really worth complaining about?
• Should DLC be made if he's not playable after the false hype people have made of it?
• Would you forgive Sakurai for turning a blind eye towards the Ridley fanbase?
• Would you question your point of view if he isn't playable?
• What does Ridley represent in your eyes?
• Why do you want Ridley playable?
• Do you think your reason is fair/non-biased?
• EDIT: What do you think of the fans?
• EDIT: Do you wish for all character requests to be treated equally, and not be taken on face/personality value?
and lastly...
•
Does Smash truely deserve a playable Ridley after all these years? After fifteen years of desperation, redemption, and unfair prejudice from the detractors?
