Get Over The Conceit

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by Leo656

As far as online vs. real life personas, I kind of only have one gimmick and I play it everywhere. S'just one'a me. Less to remember. I'm bewildered how some people craft elaborate personas for themselves on the internet, seems like a lot of work for absolutely zero upside. Ah well. I guess some people just feel they're not very interesting otherwise? ((Shrug))

You know, I like to think the same concerning myself, but people that have met me tell me I'm just a little timid and a lot less angry. I guess I can see where they're coming from, since I'm one of those people with an embarrassing snort that laughs at everything.

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Funny that before tumblr was created. these people hung around livejournal and those angelfire websites and yahoo chat rooms in the early 2000's. Even before tumblr these people were segregated from the rest of the fandom.

There is no equal opportunity here, you either like the show for normal reasons or you're shunned to the backwaters. While people can agree/disagree on the show of course, the most absurd headcanon's and wishfullfillment stuff is best left at the door.

We're in the year 2014, not 1999.

Maybe I should start posting some Leatherhead/Donatello fanfiction here, filled with lots of controversial headcanons. If you don't think I've got the balls, I will totally start writing something just for you, CyberCubed. I'll even have a dedication at the top of the first chapter...

For CyberCubed, who thought this type of thinking wasn't "normal", who thought you had to be shunned to the darkest corners of the internet to write stuff like this, who thought you could only show this type of work to like-minded people, who made said like-minded people out to be a horrific savage and also always female: you're stuck with me.

[Shark_Blade]

The show is still very enjoyable for me, so there's nothing to fret about.

[zodiac brave]

holy crap, shark blade...that second pic in your sig is friggin STUPID adorable.

my blood sugar just sky rocketed.

[The-Shredder]

I pretty much gave up on this show from the day I saw the first trailer, but who knows, maybe I will be won over someday. I still make it a commitment to see every episode since it's TMNT, and having a chuckle or two, but I don't enjoy it as much as I enjoy the first two cartoons. Heck, even the toyline puts me off because in my opinion it's not as high quality and well priced as the 2003 line (back then it was $6 per figure!), but that may have more to do with economic factors rather than design choices.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by ssjup81

I still don't get this tumblr stuff, but I guess if I used it I would.

I signed up for it long ago as a friend talked me into it but I've yet to use or even really frequent it.

It was interesting at first. I was big into some foreign actors, and I was enjoying stuff people would find of the actors in their earlier works. I also liked some of the fan art, but then they changed their format, and I just don't care for it anymore.

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

There is little to no shipping in TMNT since the one canon pairing (April/Casey) is expected to happen in every series so not much thought comes to it.

Wrong. 2003 Karai and Leonardo was pretty big back in the day. I would also come across alot of Michelangelo and Kayla, Raph and Angel, and even back then, Donnie and April was a pretty big favorite. Just go and look in youtube. Tons of TMNT 2003 shipping going on.

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Most discussions on tumblr resolve around shipping and, "which female character is the best" for other fandom's.

Since TMNT has a lack of major female characters, and shipping in TMNT has always been practically non-existent, that kind of stuff doesn't really work here. The TMNT fandom hasn't been sitting here for the last 25 years saying, "Which girl should each Turtle wind up with?" and so forth.

This is not anime. This is not shipping. This is not female character wars. This is TMNT.

Damn, my cousins and I were pairing the Turtles up with other gal pals since all the way back with the 80's cartoon. Donnie and Irma, Leo and April, Mikey and Kayla and of course, Raph and Mona Lisa. Don't forget, back then, the other males in that show were either border line psychopaths (Casey Jones) or up right dicks (Vernon and Mr Tompson) The Turtles were the only likable guys on that show, and when we were kids, we just liked to imagine happy endings for the TMNT. The only reason why you are probably not aware of this, is because back then, people didn't have the internet. What we did was go to eachother's houses, drag our toys and actually play make believe, or write stories and draw pictures. But I assure you, the shipping of make believe characters, even the TMNT is nothing new. It happens with every single franchise that was able to break out a bit.

[Bry]

Originally Posted by zodiac brave

yeah, no.

Well, I didn't say "should".

And to the overall running topic: Shipping isn't really my "thing", but anyone even remotely involved in any fandom at all has to be aware of it. It's everywhere, always. Can't imagine why it'd bother anyone. Hell, if anything it's a good sign that something's reaching a wider audience than who it might be (or might be considered to be) primarily aimed at.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

The only reason why you are probably not aware of this, is because back then, people didn't have the internet.

Not to mention that most boys, unless they had a sister that was into TMNT, probably had no clue girls even liked it or might play up different aspects of it.



80s/90s boy-owned TMNT figures: Beaten to hell, prob missing some paint. And limbs.
80s/90s girl-own TMNT figures (the ones who were lucky): Probably still in pretty good condition, value, and probably getting around to writing that tell-all book about the drama with Barbie when she realized TMNT owned the best spot in the toy box.

lol

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Not to mention that most boys, unless they had a sister that was into TMNT, probably had no clue girls even liked it or might play up different aspects of it.

And that's sad! I was a huge TMNT fan, and so was all of my gal pals back then. This is how big of fans we were. We had horses named after the boys (while Raphael is my favorite, he was already taken, so I had Leonardo, a dappled grey Arabian) and we even orchestrated a drill number for the county fair to the 80's TMNT theme song, dressed the horses up like TMNT, we were like Ninjas on them, and we had a blast. If someone was to come up to me back then and tell me TMNT is for boys exclusively, I would not have noticed. When the movie came out, the audience was very split, both girls and boys went to see that movie. A few decades later, and the TMNT is still going strong, and I honestly believe the reason for that, is because it has something for everyone. Not just the males, but the females, all ages and backgrounds. And the fact that the main four heroes are green Turtles, that makes them even more inviting for all the different cultures and races. Even on this forum, I think the posters are pretty evenly split, in terms of gender, age and cultures. And I'm proud that my franchise is appealing that way for so many! Those that want to close the door on female fans, well, it's shortsighted and limiting.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

And that's sad! I was a huge TMNT fan, and so was all of my gal pals back then. This is how big of fans we were. We had horses named after the boys (while Raphael is my favorite, he was already taken, so I had Leonardo, a dappled grey Arabian) and we even orchestrated a drill number for the county fair to the 80's TMNT theme song, dressed the horses up like TMNT, we were like Ninjas on them, and we had a blast.

That is so awesome

I'm sure I was aware I was not alone, though don't really recall directly knowing too many other girls that were into it. Maybe they were and it just never came up since others I knew my age were only seen in school. Mostly it was just me, and my younger sister to a point. Sounds like you had an awesome time with it though.

[The Big Bad]

True story: The most in-depth conversations about TMNT that I've ever had--including talk about guest-star era Mirage, the 2007 film tie-in comics, and Tang Shen--were with a Tumblr-and-deviantArt-account-having, shipping fangirl with a more than entirely fleeting interest in Sexy Mutant Ninja Turtles. These are conversations that could be happening here, but aren't, and the boards' hostility towards segments of the fandom not its own is a huge part of it.

Originally Posted by Refractive Reflections

Really? I know these forums have their share of sly trolls and cynics, like any website that hosts forums, but it's the internet. The reason Deviantart and Tumblr appear to be safer is because anyone can make some random remote webpage that's difficult to find, and be able to isolate themselves to their close friends and contacts (with blocking features), but with the Technodrome Forums, it's fairly distinct in being one of the, if not the biggest, forum site for TMNT, so there's going to be a lot more people showing up, carrying with them their criticisms and their internet personalities. Therefore, there's bound to be someone out there who vehemently opposes one's viewpoint/opinion in some way. I'm not saying I support the harsh environment, but that's the culture of this form of communication when there's an increasing amount of people arriving at a site that have some anonymity.

As others have said, no The Technodrome in no way represents the norm. I've seen much bigger boards than this succeed in being much more welcoming and drama-free. The Bumbleking boards, which are comparable to The Technodrome in size and are home to a segment of the always-passionate Sonic the Hedgehog fandom, are exponentially more welcoming--and in the end, more fun--than here, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that they has a moderation team that is far more willing to step in before things get out of hand. Here, however, the role seems to be far more technical than administrative, and that does not help.

[Leo656]

Is it really that bad? I'unno, it always only seems like there's about four or five twatwaffles at any given time out of, what, a couple thousand people? Plus me, but I'm an acquired taste. Can a handful of people really scare off that many other people so easily? Bizarre.

I always figured people were just too busy to post here frequently and I kind of admire that. Kind of a shame that it's because they actively don't want to. Eh, whattyagonnado.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Is it really that bad? I'unno, it always only seems like there's about four or five twatwaffles at any given time out of, what, a couple thousand people? Plus me, but I'm an acquired taste. Can a handful of people really scare off that many other people so easily? Bizarre.

I always figured people were just too busy to post here frequently and I kind of admire that. Kind of a shame that it's because they actively don't want to. Eh, whattyagonnado.

There are some real jerks on here, and they tend to be "friends" with some of the mods, so they can do whatever they want, call people idiots, bring them down whenever they try to start something new on the forums, or get drilled for bringing up a subject that a few select think should be closed. I got into some hostile arguements a few years back, and just decided to leave for a while. Then I got word that the new movie was coming out,so I decided to come back. Right now, I seem to be having pretty good convos with most of the newbies versus the old timers. Perhaps the new toon is starting to pry open parts of the TMNT world that were once taboo or forbidden on this site. But, I have also noticed some of my favorite posters of the past simply don't come on here no more, or not as frequently as they used to, like Roseangelo, Triplexx and Buslady.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

But, I have also noticed some of my favorite posters of the past simply don't come on here no more, or not as frequently as they used to, like Roseangelo, Triplexx and Buslady.

Hmm now that you mention it... I don't remember the last time I seen them post here.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Hmm now that you mention it... I don't remember the last time I seen them post here.

Roseangelo posts all the time, what are you talking about? She also still posts on her news site. For some reason she never comments on episode or comic review threads though.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Roseangelo posts all the time, what are you talking about? She also still posts on her news site. For some reason she never comments on episode or comic review threads though.

Ah, probably why I haven't seen her. I mostly see topics related to the episodes and comics. I didn't know she hada news site.

[Luckyday]

Well this topic sure had derailed off the tracks and crash right into traffic.

[Shark_Blade]

Originally Posted by zodiac brave

holy crap, shark blade...that second pic in your sig is friggin STUPID adorable.

my blood sugar just sky rocketed.

Yeah those dorks.

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

There are some real jerks on here, and they tend to be "friends" with some of the mods, so they can do whatever they want, call people idiots, bring them down whenever they try to start something new on the forums, or get drilled for bringing up a subject that a few select think should be closed. I got into some hostile arguements a few years back, and just decided to leave for a while. Then I got word that the new movie was coming out,so I decided to come back. Right now, I seem to be having pretty good convos with most of the newbies versus the old timers. Perhaps the new toon is starting to pry open parts of the TMNT world that were once taboo or forbidden on this site. But, I have also noticed some of my favorite posters of the past simply don't come on here no more, or not as frequently as they used to, like Roseangelo, Triplexx and Buslady.

Originally Posted by The Big Bad

As others have said, no The Technodrome in no way represents the norm. I've seen much bigger boards than this succeed in being much more welcoming and drama-free. The Bumbleking boards, which are comparable to The Technodrome in size and are home to a segment of the always-passionate Sonic the Hedgehog fandom, are exponentially more welcoming--and in the end, more fun--than here, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that they has a moderation team that is far more willing to step in before things get out of hand. Here, however, the role seems to be far more technical than administrative, and that does not help.

Originally Posted by Bry

"It's the Internet" isn't really much of an excuse, though. The only reason some people behave like they do online, harassing/trolling and spewing gross nonsense, is because everyone else just puts up with it. If we can do better (and we can) then we should be.

I guess I'm so used to anyone saying anything incendiary online, that it really doesn't surprise me what harassing/trolling pops up eventually. So that's why I'm surprised some people are saying these Technodrome Forums don't represent the norm. In fact, I thought these forums were better than the norm because at least they had some moderation. Plus, we had this conversation before on this topic, for example on this thread, and for the most part, people seemed fine with the moderation here.

My viewpoint seemed more in line with Leo656's (because of maybe less than 10 perpetual "trolls" out of hundreds or thousands of users):

Originally Posted by Leo656

Is it really that bad? I'unno, it always only seems like there's about four or five twatwaffles at any given time out of, what, a couple thousand people? Plus me, but I'm an acquired taste. Can a handful of people really scare off that many other people so easily? Bizarre.

I always figured people were just too busy to post here frequently and I kind of admire that. Kind of a shame that it's because they actively don't want to. Eh, whattyagonnado.

[Sophie Campbell]

a handful of awful people can really make a lot of difference. it's not so much the number of people, it's about how bad or vocal they are. and if they're hateful or make you feel bad or whatever, why bother with dealing with them when there are other places that are much safer and more welcoming with more people who are interested in the same things you are? why subject yourself to that handful of hateful people when you don't have to?

i'm an official TMNT artist and even i often feel uncomfortable posting here. :\

[Candy Kappa]

Originally Posted by The Big Bad

True story: The most in-depth conversations about TMNT that I've ever had--including talk about guest-star era Mirage, the 2007 film tie-in comics, and Tang Shen--were with a Tumblr-and-deviantArt-account-having, shipping fangirl with a more than entirely fleeting interest in Sexy Mutant Ninja Turtles. These are conversations that could be happening here, but aren't, and the boards' hostility towards segments of the fandom not its own is a huge part of it.

Sounds like an interesting conversation, jelly.

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

a handful of awful people can really make a lot of difference. it's not so much the number of people, it's about how bad or vocal they are. and if they're hateful or make you feel bad or whatever, why bother with dealing with them when there are other places that are much safer and more welcoming with more people who are interested in the same things you are? why subject yourself to that handful of hateful people when you don't have to?

i'm an official TMNT artist and even i often feel uncomfortable posting here. :\