I've been using Duolingo since I was like twelve, and stories were always one of my favourite activities on the app. I mainly read them in French, and I've been occasionally reading English stories too out of sheer curiosity despite being fluent lol. But it doesn't feel the same anymore; I swear that some of the characters have been flanderized over the past decade, and that the stories have totally different atmospheres as of the past couple years. They all had their unique traits/flaws in the beginning, but some of them just seem to have been taken way too far. Let me explain:
• Lin used to be a cool, laidback mechanic/biker chick. Now she's just a lazy womanchild who couldn't be bothered to contribute to anything unless there's free food in it for her. The running gag that good things just fall into her hands without her trying is getting tired. I don't remember her always being this useless. It's irritating and unfunny that she mooches her entire life off of her grandmother.
• Speaking of Lucy, I don't really have anything bad to say about her other than that she's a terrible enabler of Lin. She acts like she's finally laying down the line, but in the end she always admits that she likes having Lin as basically a decoration/TV-watching companion in her apartment. Talk about enmeshment, honey. What I'll give Lucy is that she often plays the straight man in her stories and gets a lot of "I told you so" moments with other characters, and that's fun.
• Bea started out as a kind and chipper young lady with a stereotypical "Type A" personality, sometimes a bit rigid with the way she wants things done, but always there to fix a friend's problems. She's become arguably the most insufferable character now. She's still loyal to her friends and wants to be of help, but at this point, she is outright controlling and judgemental and will openly imply that others are wrong or stupid for not wanting to do things her way. The whole "I Made A Twenty-Point List and A Spreadsheet for this Incredibly Trivial Task" bit is boring and predictable. And as Lin's comedic foil having circumstances constantly derail her plans and prove her preparations unnecessary, she is equally unfunny.
• Eddy was perhaps always a bit of a himbo type, but he has most certainly gotten dumber. He lets Junior walk all over him, doesn't seem to notice even a bit that Oscar despises him, and has such a knack for saying stupid things to Bea that it almost feels like he's ragebaiting her. 😭 He used to be my favourite, but this is Hashtag Not My Eddy.
• I think Junior has gotten meaner. He's always had a touch of Machiavellianism in him, but years ago it was much more understated and therefore more amusing. We used to get more wholesome father-son bonding moments between him and Eddy (e.g. the waterslide one, the one where they go to a girl group concert and brush off the haters, and the famous Lion Tamer one [Junior's innocence makes it wholesome idc])... nowadays, most of these two's stories revolve around Junior attempting to manipulate Eddy into giving him food or money or doing all his chores for him. And he is almost always successful because Eddy is an idiot. It also worries me that child users will see this then try and use those tricks on their own parents irl. It's not funny anymore! It just makes me sad! They still love each other at the end of the day, but it's not the same now.
• Maybe Oscar has also gotten meaner. I understand the whole Delusional Pretentious Artist thing, and he's always been kind of a prick. But I don't recall from years ago him ever telling Eddy to his face that they're not friends?? I might be misremembering, and he's always been that rude. He ultimately gets a pass from me because he's priceless as a chess teacher. Easily the funniest character because of that.
I have nothing of substance to say about Vikram's character arc. He was forgettable then, and he's forgettable now. At least he's nice. Zari and Lily are my new favourites now that Eddy is out of the picture. I feel they haven't changed much over the years, and their Opposite Best Friends dynamic is still endearing (I think they succeed at what Lin and Bea fail to positively represent). Besides these three, everyone else kind of sucks now.
Wow, sorry for the long-winded rant, but I've been sitting on this for so long. So, am I absolutely insane for thinking all this, or even caring enough to write about it at all? Have the characters in fact always been as they are now, and I just wasn't as privy to it when I was younger? Let me know your opinions whether you want to challenge me or add your own character nitpicks. I'm so curious to see what everybody is thinking.
