Get Over The Conceit

[plastroncafe]

You might see ten jerks out of hundreds of forum members, but a new person wouldn't. They'd see ten jerks, and then hundreds of forum members silently letting those jerks dominate the conversation with their asshaberdashery and assume that everyone else agrees.

Friends of mine continually ask me why I even bother with Fanboy Forums, and I tell them time and time again:

I'm not comfortable with the blanket assumption that we're all like that.
This is my fandom too.

[Bry]

Originally Posted by Refractive Reflections

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

Well, that's true, and I'd say the vast majority are good folks. But even a small handful of trolls can sour the overall mood if they're loud/aggressive enough and everyone gives 'em free reign. Overall I think the moderation is good here, and I appreciate the work all the mods put in. But it's pretty rare to see any permanent consequences for the real "repeat offenders". I've seen a good few people get multiple temporary bans but keep coming back to troll again.

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

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

This isn't a first, either - there have been a lot of TMNT pros who have been effectively chased off over the years. I enjoy it here a lot (I've gone MIA for periods just because I was busy, but I keep coming back), but I do wish it was more welcoming to everybody - fans and pros, newbies and long-timers. A lot of communities have that problem, but there's no reason we can't do better.

[IndigoErth]

Eh I just figure there are those in the world who go through life always needing to be unhappy about something, anything, not just exclusive to here but their general approach to life. I assume there are probably at least a few in every corner, including TMNT and every other fandom.

I enjoy being a part of an active forum, but have had to learn over the years to have a thick skin on them. Gotta be a damn conversation ninja on these things anymore. I do not consider myself one that can be easily gotten to, on the rare occasion that some little bugger tries, the majority of the time they are going to fail or lose steam fairly quickly. They just aren't worth arguing with.

[Davetello]

So...this shipping stuff. I didn't have a clue what 'shipping' was until I read about it on this site - I guess I'm just not someone who's up with the times in terms of the internet. I'm a 32 year old man after all so I assume I'm not the target demograph.

Is it actually pornographic? I mean do we see pictures where Leo is sucking Usagi off, or Casey is taking Raph up the backside? Because I find that sort of thing more than a little strange. But if it's just cute stuff like two characters holding hands, kissing, cuddling etc, I see no problem with it. I have zero interest in that but it seems pretty innocent. But I would have a problem with a child drawing fictional characters in graphic situations.

Oh, and I've read the majority of the thread and there's some nice discussion going on here, nice read.

[Cure]

Originally Posted by Davetello

Is it actually pornographic?

I think most shippers keep it innocent, but there is pornographic stuff out there. Just...don't Google it.

[Davetello]

Originally Posted by Cure

I think most shippers keep it innocent, but there is pornographic stuff out there. Just...don't Google it.

Hahaha, don't worry - I have no intention to. I suppose that's why I asked here rather than go looking for it - don't wanna stumble upon something I don't wanna see.

[oldmanwinters]

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. :\

The one thing I really wish the Drome community did better was encouraging a robust culture of art. Most of the feedback I've sought on these forums regarding my own art hasn't lived up to my hopes, though I am quite thankful for the various advice and encouragement a few folks have given me in regards to improving my own craft.

I think I've survived this long on the forums by more-or-less only entering threads when I'm sharing or looking for information about some aspect of the franchise's history. I like a good number of the folks around here, but there's only a handful I've dedicated to associate with beyond the safe & mysterious confines of the forum avatars. The Drome is a great place, but if I answered every comment exchange or tried to jump into every stupid discussion, I'm sure I'd quickly lose my cool and get rude.

Old Toon Raphael would never cut it on these boards.

EDIT: Man, this thread has really gotten off topic... although I was never sure what the original topic was supposed to be.

[plastroncafe]

Originally Posted by Davetello

So...this shipping stuff. I didn't have a clue what 'shipping' was until I read about it on this site - I guess I'm just not someone who's up with the times in terms of the internet. I'm a 32 year old man after all so I assume I'm not the target demograph.

Oh sweet summer child, let me introduce you to something known as Rule 34.

You could very easily be the target demographic for this segment of subculture if you wanted to be.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Cure

I think most shippers keep it innocent, but there is pornographic stuff out there. Just...don't Google it.

Hell, you don't even have to Google it, that junk will practically hunt you down itself.

I was long in the habit of checking out cool new Warcraft fan art frequently enough so when I got back into TMNT I automatically looked it up too.

I've learned not to look for TMNT fan art online.

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by Davetello

Is it actually pornographic? I mean do we see pictures where Leo is sucking Usagi off, or Casey is taking Raph up the backside? Because I find that sort of thing more than a little strange. But if it's just cute stuff like two characters holding hands, kissing, cuddling etc, I see no problem with it. I have zero interest in that but it seems pretty innocent. But I would have a problem with a child drawing fictional characters in graphic situations.

Some shippers keep it innocent. Some do smut every once in a while. And then there's some that make it mostly pornographic. It varies from person to person.

Anybody that views or creates smut when the creator themselves is underage is looked down upon, often reported to the site the stuff's hosted on, because that's not legal. The people that like the rule 34 are the adults. [But not all adult shippers like the rule 34.]

Me? Hell yeah. Not all my fanwork is shippy [in fact very little of it is] but when I DO make something shippy, it usually turns to smut.

[BubblyShell22]

Yes and don't forget the fan fiction. Cubed, I must let you know that 2K3 shipping was happening a lot on Fanfiction.Net as I read some of the stories myself. There was Don/April, Leo/Usagi, Raph/Casey, and even Raph/Angel at times. Shipping isn't new to the TMNT franchise and never will be. And while I'm not a fan of t-cest myself, I just avoid reading those types of stories, though I am giving an exception to one story by one of my favorite FF authors who's doing a good job with it. But for you to say that nobody should be allowed here who differs from you is very ignorant, narrow-minded, and much like a dictator would say. Let's hope Cybercubed never becomes President because we'll all be doomed.

And, Ross, I hear you there. Sometimes I don't want to be on here, but I've made some good friends here and I enjoy posting my own fan fiction and hearing the feedback from members here as well as discussing the TMNT as a whole on certain boards. If it wasn't for the Nick show and me posting my fan fiction, I probably wouldn't bother with this place anymore.

[ssjup81]

Everytime I frequent this thread, I can't help but wonder how I can be so oblivious to this stuff.

That aside, I was doing the "shipping" thing before it was a thing. As a kid I loved Disney's Adventure of the Gummi Bears. There I was 7 or 8 liking the idea of Cavin and Callah growing up and becoming a couple, and this was back in the 80s. I always paired certain characters up...usually hetero since the concept of homosexual people was a foreign concept and never came to mind. Not like they were depicted in media much at all. When young, I thought Boy George was a woman with a strange voice. lol

[The Big Bad]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

... although I was never sure what the original topic was supposed to be.

To paraphrase in a less diplomatic manner: has this become a series where enjoying it means actively ignoring all the obvious plot holes and inconsistencies and just focusing on the fun and clever bits? Does it require just going with it without thinking about things too much?

[Sophie Campbell]

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

But for you to say that nobody should be allowed here who differs from you is very ignorant, narrow-minded, and much like a dictator would say. Let's hope Cybercubed never becomes President because we'll all be doomed.

Cubed is also decrying fans who engage with TMNT in a certain way and saying they should leave their headcanons and "wish fulfillment" at the door, but then he's busy supporting Andrew's Odyssey and Origin fan comics, which let's face it is exactly the same thing, just more acceptable to the average (usually male) fan. it's an offensive double standard.

Cubed, you also assume TMNT shippers and t-cesters are shunned to the darkest corners or whatever, but i'm one of them and i'm working on the IDW series and i even did some work for Mirage. we're closer than you think. >: )

[DarthEmpress]

Shipping happens among fans even in shows that don't have any romantic content whatsoever. In fact, I find that shipping becomes even more intense in a fandom if there's little to no romance. Freaky, but it happens.

Based on the fanart I've seen from tumblr, deviantart, and international websites, particularly Japan, the most popular shipping is tcest followed by April/Don and Leo/Karai. It's interesting how the one canon ship, Casey/April, is rarely ever drawn. And now we're getting some Karai/Casey teasing in Vol 4, which I only see a very small portion of fans even acknowledging. I chalk it all up to "they're all human so it's boring" since the stars of the series are the four terrapins.

If anything, the Nick series has revived the Leorai and Apritello fervor that started among fans with the 2k3 series and was laying dormant after the show ended. Funny since neither were canon in 2k3.

Anyway, I'd never post the majority of what I post on my blog here. That's why my Ciro Nieli podcast reaction was posted on tumblr. This forum can't handle a decent conversation about feminism.

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

Cubed, you also assume TMNT shippers and t-cesters are shunned to the darkest corners or whatever, but i'm one of them and i'm working on the IDW series and i even did some work for Mirage. we're closer than you think. >: )

A message from my brother and I: keep doing what you're doing, because that's ****ing awesome.

[Luckyday]

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

Cubed is also decrying fans who engage with TMNT in a certain way and saying they should leave their headcanons and "wish fulfillment" at the door, but then he's busy supporting Andrew's Odyssey and Origin fan comics, which let's face it is exactly the same thing, just more acceptable to the average (usually male) fan. it's an offensive double standard.

Cubed, you also assume TMNT shippers and t-cesters are shunned to the darkest corners or whatever, but i'm one of them and i'm working on the IDW series and i even did some work for Mirage. we're closer than you think. >: )

[Metalwolf]

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

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

Originally Posted by Bry

This isn't a first, either - there have been a lot of TMNT pros who have been effectively chased off over the years. I enjoy it here a lot (I've gone MIA for periods just because I was busy, but I keep coming back), but I do wish it was more welcoming to everybody - fans and pros, newbies and long-timers. A lot of communities have that problem, but there's no reason we can't do better.

Yeah, I remember hearing that Cubed pretty much chased off Ciro. (It's why you see a lot of folks showing hostility towards him.) I think Ciro's only posted once or twice on here since then, mostly about how one of the other major digital studios were stealing his artists.

As for the erotic shipping, do people actually feel arousal when reading that stuff? Do the authors get the same feeling or write it so that they and other people can masturbate to it? I never got the appeal of reading about two characters inserting tab A into slot B, what makes it so special over them eating or sleeping or pooping on the toilet?

[IndigoErth]

Ya know... If I understand this term "headcanon" correctly... Assuming the artists who work on TMNT (lucky buggers) are also likewise fans of them... when new and/or continuing stories are written, isn't it all technically starting out as "headcanon" until it's published and "official"? Hmmmm....

[CyberCubed]

Keep in mind I don't mind shipping in general, but TMNT isn't really the franchise for it. This isn't anime.

Let's look through the series for canon ships:

- Original toon: None aside from Raph having a thing for Mona Lisa. Leo also had a crush on Lotus Blossom that faded after one episode

- 4kids: April/Casey, Don might have had a subtle crush on April for a little while. Nothing else other than Karai/Leo holding a grudge.

- Movies: April/Casey

- Archie: Raph/Ninjara

- Mirage: April/Casey, some one off stuff never to be spoken of again

- Nick: Don/April, Casey/April, possible Leo/Karai

- IDW: April/Casey, possibly Angel/Casey too



TMNT is not known for shipping. Raph had a few love interests but that's usually it.