Internet Backdraft/Western Animation


 * Head over to Cartoon Brew and try to post a nice, mature, rational argument that motion capture technology is a valid form of animation when used well. We'll be behind you with the marshmallows...
 * Actually, just post anything (in a polite or not combative tone) about the industry that Amid personally disagrees with. Before you even get flamed, you'll more than likely just be deleted, IP banned and deactivated from the blog, and then mysteriously gain your posting privileges back 2 weeks later.
 * Heck, motion capture is a picnic compared to what happens if you even casually mention anything remotely connected to the question of whether cartoons should have scripts or storyboards, and whether non-artists should write for animation. From there it quickly devolves into a battle over John Kricfalusi, who's a very vocal advocate of storyboards, and who attracts very rabid fanboys and an avid Hatedom, the latter resulting from some of his Small Name, Big Ego qualities.
 * Add Family Guy to this. Family Guy has become a good source of heated debate there for a while, only to come to a head in this commentsrecent blog post, with 105 replies and counting. Jerry Beck himself is a self-admitted hater of the show. This person believes that Family Guy should be canceled off the air for repeating pop-culture reference gags, and he even bashes Seth for making cartoons just for cash over entertainment.
 * Say you like "Not All Dogs Go To Heaven". They'll treat you the same way as Brian.
 * After watching Avatar, Jerry Beck has said the following: "It turns out I don't hate mo-cap after all. I just hate Robert Zemeckis and all his lousy animated films."
 * Whether or not the animated Teen Titans is part of the DCAU. Really. Also whether or not Robin in this series is Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake or "just Robin."
 * It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to debate Robin's identity though -- it's confirmed he's Dick Grayson. Not that it stops them. This might be because the producer said he's not meant to be any one Robin, while one of the writers stated he was Dick Grayson.
 * Speaking of Teen Titans, mention the very last episode of the series, and watch as the Shippers tear themselves into pieces.
 * The fact that Nightwing already existed in the DCAU at the same time that Teen Titans was going on should be evidence that the two are separate Dick Graysons, but still, the flaming continues.
 * While some prefer to compromise between the two, "Is Azula a Magnificent Bastard who deserved A Fate Worse Than Death, or is she The Woobie who deserves a hug from her mommy?" will still start World War III at most Avatar: The Last Airbender forums.
 * The reason this is such a problem is because, in some people's eyes, the show didn't actually explain why Azula is as nuts as she is. Zuko's backstory got tons of screen time, but Azula's didn't get nearly as much. Some fans argue that subtle buildup was there all along while others say her breakdown was still too sudden.
 * Also: energybending.
 * Hell, Katara's the one character who's almost always bound to cause some sort of backdraft, generally over who she's shipped with, whether or not she's a bitch who has a knack for not getting in trouble for her mistakes, or if she's a bland canon-sue or a balanced, well rounded character.
 * Who Zuko should be paired off with. To say it gets messy would be a huge understatement.
 * New issue even though the show ended months ago: the casting choices for the Live Action Adaptation. Seriously, don't even try to mention or bring it up.
 * Now that the movie has been released and was the Worst. Movie. Ever, mentioning this will get just a lot of told-you-sos and backpatting.
 * As an added bonus, say that you liked the movie or that you though it wasn't as bad as people said it was. You'll have a nice warm inferno of flames in no time.
 * Family Guy, The Simpsons, and South Park, all have very devoted, and very separate fandoms. Extolling the virtues of any of the other programs on a site dedicated to one of the particular shows is going to get you a quick ban, as will the mere suggestion that the other shows are anything more than a load of rubbish. Go on a forum for TV shows and put up something that is clearly in favor of one of these shows above all, you can set the world on fire.
 * Not really. Both Simpsons fans and South Park fans will ally with each other immediately if Family Guy is ever mentioned in their presence. This crosses into real life: The Simpsons producers sent Matt Stone and Trey Parker flowers after South Park mocked the Family Guy writers in a two-part episode. However, if you dare like both The Simpsons and Family Guy, or both Family Guy and South Park, you are doomed.
 * If you go to a Simpsons board: NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER talk about the joke in Family Guy where Quagmire rapes Marge and then kills all of the Simpsons members. NEVER.
 * This one's a sore spot for more than just the fans. Simpsons creator Matt Groening was so disgusted by the skit it almost irrepairibly ruined his friendship with Seth Mcfarlane.
 * God help you if you like all three shows.
 * Daria fans still aren't finished arguing whether Trent and Daria should have made a go of it or about Daria kissing Tom and eventually replacing her best friend Jane as his girlfriend.
 * Say you like "Depth Takes A Holiday".
 * Even casually mentioning the Shipping Wars that occured within the Danny Phantom fandom are bound to open up some old wounds. See the "True Fan VS Anti-Fan" (AKA "Slash VS Non-Slash" AKA "Danny/Sam VS Danny/Vlad VS Danny/is-there-anyone-this-kid-ISN'T-paired-up-with?" AKA "Canon vs Fanon" AKA... you get the idea) debacle.
 * Likewise, NEVER mention that you are indifferent to the fact that the series has been cancelled.
 * Wanna start a real war? Ask why the show was canceled. The only thing the fandom can agree on there is that it was a stupid move.
 * Do 'NOT, under any circumstances, mention that you dislike/hate Dark Danny or The Ultimate Enemy in general. The fandom will be all over you like flies on a rotting carcass.
 * Was Season 3 an underappreciated season with interesting battles against powerful villains and the return of fan favorites? Or, was it a blatant examample of Seasonal Rot and that it added nothing but pointless one-note characters and poorly thought-out villains? Fans will never fully agree on either.
 * Dani. Fans either think she's one of the best characters in the series or an annoying "female wannabe" with the personality of a shoelace. Either way, she's bound to start a flame war.
 * The 72 original Futurama episodes versus the four feature-length direct-to-DVD movies, which have become a sixteen-episode fifth season. Some are complaining the show has become cruder, darker and more serious and is proceeding in a Family Guy direction - both in the respects that it was better pre-cancellation and that it uses more toilet humour/less witty scripting than before.
 * Also, Bender's Game
 * Season 6 is getting the same reactions. Even with the one of the episodes having a heartwarming ending, it STILL doesn't stop them.
 * And whatever you do, don't even think about touching the Leela/Fry Ship. Especially around either the Fan Fiction writers who want to see an entire show based on them being a married couple with sight gag offspring or the "long-time" "real" fans who insist the show must be like The Simpsons and remain a static cartoon with no alterations in character setups whatsoever.
 * Kim Possible: Is the title character a strong female heroine with who shows realistic character flaws over the course of the series? Or the victim of Chickification in favor of her This Loser Is You sidekick taking a level in badass? There are enough people who feel strongly about this that flame wars spring up around the topic quite often. And let's not even start with Kim/Ron versus Kigo versus any other possible KP ship.
 * Another option is start a war between Fight For Five and Fight Against Five (people who want/don't want a 5th season for the show).
 * Kim's rival Bonnie: Does her crappy home life give her a good reason to belittle Kim and Ron at school? Some say yes and view Bonnie as a sympathetic character (and even an Anti-Hero), others say no, claiming that a Freudian Excuse for the Alpha Bitch is the most Warped Aesop in children's programming. Arguments between these groups are almost as fierce as the ship wars. Oh, and speaking of ship wars, Kim/Bonnie and Ron/Bonnie tend to be fairly popular couples amongst the fanbase, so rivalries with Kim/Ron and Kigo come into play quite often. Kim/Bonnie and RonBon are so popular in fact that fanfiction of canon pairing Junior/Bonnie is practically nonexistent.
 * Simply say that Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Boondocks, Teen Titans, or Code Lyoko are anime. If you want to commit suicide in a really painful way, say Winx Club is an anime, or even compare it to Sailor Moon.
 * Which is always hilarious when one takes into account that Japanese refer to all hand-drawn or computer animation as "anime" (here's a hint, the term is a shortened form of the term animation), so if shown there all those shows (and every other western animation) will be called anime anyway by a Japanese viewer.
 * Calling them "an anime from Japan" is more likely to get you laughed off the forum, however. Unless you are an actor cast in a live-action adaptation, that is, in which case the laughter will be mixed with cries for you to either learn more or be fired.
 * What happened in the Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers fandom on St. Valentine's Day 1998 fits the description on top of this page perfectly. A new member stepped into the Acorn Cafe which was only six days old back then, posted special Valentine's Day greetings for Chip and Gadget, and launched the biggest flamewar in the fandom's history between the "pro" and "anti" Chip/Gadget factions, also known as Ranger War II or St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
 * Go to an Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy forum, and say you hate one of the three titular Eds. Oh boy...
 * "What's under Edd's ha..... aagh, the flames! THEY BUUUURRRRNNNN!"
 * Is Plank real or not? ]
 * Justifying Kevin's actions has became somewhat touchy. If you claim that Kevin's either the kid who keeps the Eds in line for a good cause or the scourge of the earth, except some flames from both sides on the subject.
 * Say you like Out of Jimmys Head, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, or Squirrel Boy.
 * Another flamestarter: Fresh Tv Cartoons. Good, because their more mature humor means that CN is finally starting to realize its Periphery Demographic, or Bad because the realization of said demographic may or may not have inspired CN Real.
 * Bringing up CN in general will start up heated wars over which era of CN was best (typically between 90s era vs. 2000s vs The New Tens) And it may never get resolved.
 * Go to...well, pretty much nearly ANYWHERE on the Internet and say something that's even just slightly negative about Pixar. Even if you make just the tiniest criticism of one of their films, the Pixtards will be all over you.
 * On that note, go to ANYWHERE on the Internet mentioning Cars 2 and there will be at least one person whining about The Incredibles not getting a sequel.
 * The furor surrounding Cars 2 has likewise kicked up a lot of argument. For every person complaining that Pixar squandered their reputation for an easy buck, there's another defending the film, saying that Pixar is being held to unfairly high standards and not every film has to have the big emotional moments (a hallmark of Pixar movies) in order to be good. Fanning the flames further was the rumor of a Toy Story 4.
 * Did you ever hear the story of the WALL-E fan who rather naively tried to start a mature and sensible debate on the enviromental and anti-consumerism messages? The poor soul was doomed from the start.
 * All of the above pale in comparison to the flames generated by one question: Is Pixar sexist? This has grown even worse with the announcement (now retracted) that Disney Animation Studios (headed by John Lassetar) would no longer be making fairy tale movies to focus more on appealing to boys and the firing of Brenda Chapman from Brave.
 * And now that the trailer for Brave is out, there's been a lot of complaining that the movie just looks like a mashup of Mulan, How to Train Your Dragon, and Tangled.
 * Mention you like DreamWorks more than you like Pixar. Apparently, according to some fans, this is a form of blasphemy and the only treatment is a massive flame attack against the unfortunate DreamWorks fan.
 * Now that DreamWorks has started releasing fairly critically successful films, this has died down to the point where some DreamWorks fans will bash Pixar for being overrated and drawing attention away from DreamWorks's movies (such as how the extremely well received How to Train Your Dragon was soon overshadowed by the Toy Story 3 juggernaut). Some have even gone as to claim that Megamind would have been better received had Pixar released it.
 * Go to the Happy Tree Friends social network board and bring up shipping. The flames will be visible from space. Such choice pairings include Flippy x Flakey, Flippy x Giggles, Giggles x Cuddles and Shifty x Lifty Twincest... Also good (if not better) is claiming that Flakey is either a boy or a girl, and to a lesser extent whether it is spelled F-L-A-K-E-Y or F-L-A-K-Y, since Mondo Media changed their minds about that, too.
 * Even better, say it's a ripoff of Retarded Animal Babies and if that hasn't pushed enough, say it's better, give a gratuitously huge laundry list of reasons why.
 * Go near a Ben/Gwen fansite and casually talk about how Kissing Cousins could ever appear in the show outside of Subtext. Run as far and as fast as you can.
 * Judging from the reactions people on this site have to it, go to a Ben10 fansite and say that you believe that Alien Force is a good follow-up to the original show, and agree with all the retconned changes. In fact, just admitting that you like Alien Force might start a flamewar between the original fans and Alien Force fans.
 * The Fairly Odd Parents: Who is Tommy and Tammy's mother? Don't ask. Really. Don't.
 * For that matter, bringing up any of Timmy's love interests will likely start fires. The show's fanbase is pretty unstable right now, for various different reasons.
 * Mentioning (fem)slash in the Disney Fairies fandom. Have fun wiping the spit and soot off yourself.
 * In the Phineas and Ferb fandom, don't even begin to discuss who Ferb should go with. Seriously. Don't.
 * Made even worse with an episode revealing that Johnny is now Vanessa's boyfriend.
 * And now another upcoming episode has them
 * While we're on the subject of Phineas and Ferb, say that SpongeBob SquarePants is better than it around the fans. Go ahead, try it.
 * For that matter, avoid putting those two shows in the same discussion period.
 * If you were a Total Drama fan during the special and the second season, you got flamed to oblivion if you were on Team Courtney or on Team Harold, depending where you go.
 * This has since died down, and the arguments now are mainly over whether Ezekiel is returning/deserves to return.
 * And now after that's cooled down, the Duncan/Gwen vs. Duncan/Courtney shippers have started it up again.
 * Say you like Owen or Sierra and that the former doesn't really get too much screentime. Go ahead, do it.
 * Alternatively, say that you don't like Cody or that he didn't deserve to win World Tour.
 * Even before it began, the Young Justice cartoon was already undergoing this. It's not an adaptation of the comic of the same name, but it has led to people either trying to defend how appropriate the title is despite it not being an adaptation or criticizing using the title because it isn't one. The presence of Dick Grayson and Wally West instead of Tim Drake and Bart Allen has also invoked this.
 * Their version of The Joker. Either you thought it was an interesting interpretation, or he was the worst thing ever. Be prepared for comparisons to the Mark Hamill, John Dimaggio, and Heath Ledger versions of the character..
 * The second season has just begun, and fans are already arguing about the Time Skip. You either think it's unnecessary and ignores several established characters and plotlines, or that it paves the way for new characters to shine. And don't even get fans started on the fact that Superboy and Miss Martian have broken up and the latter is now with Lagoon Boy.
 * Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Regardless of which forum you go to, it is usually best not to bring up with the fans any of the following: liking Goofball, promoting Mac x Frankie, general dislike against Frankie, Mac, Wilt, or any fan favorite character, saying you like Cheese, and thinking the post season 3 episodes weren't as good as the earlier ones. You have been warned.
 * If I may add, it's probably best not to bring up pairings such as Herriman x Frankie or Wilt x Frankie. The debates can get... heated to say the least.
 * The My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic episodes penned by Dave Polsky, "Feeling Pinkie Keen" and "Over a Barrel", have sparked a more than a few arguments, detractors claiming that the former is a direct attack against skepticism, and that the latter is a trivialization (or, in the most extreme arguments, glorification) of the oppression towards Native Americans in the early '90s.
 * "Feeling Pinkie Keen" is so prone to this that a "Debate" on its message occured in a forum thread that was criticizing a completely separate episode.
 * The simple mention of this show can incite this from those trying to avoid it.
 * Say you hate the show. You will not survive.
 * Alternatively, say you like any show in the series besides G4 (especially G3 or G3.5).
 * Lately, though, fans of G4 who aren't part of the Fan Dumb won't hate you if you enjoy G1's My Little Pony & Friends (In fact, some fans will even encourage you to watch the Midnight Castle special).
 * To people desperately trying to avoid the show, say that you like it. You'll get much of the same reaction.
 * Say you hate one of the Mane Six and why. Incineration will ensue.
 * Though thanks to equal parts Hype Aversion and Fan Dumb you're also starting to see places where if you praise the show, or post fanart of it, or simply say that you don't dislike it, you'll be flayed alive by the Fan Haters.
 * Compare bronies to furries, or straight up call them furries. Everything in a two-mile radius will catch on fire.
 * It works even better in reverse. Just mention My Little Pony on a furry board and watch as everything burns.
 * Is Rainbow Dash a lesbian? If you say yes, you're a pervert and shallow for stereotyping. If you say no? You're just a raging homophobe.
 * Say you like "The Mysterious Mare Do Well." You will not come out in one piece.
 * Conversely, say that you didn't like "Lesson Zero", and you'll be derided as a humourless monster.
 * Speaking of "Lesson Zero". It's either one the most hilarious episodes in the series without question, or a charmless ham-fisted attempt at appealing to Bronies.
 * Discord. Either he's a hilarious Chaotic Evil / Chaotic Neutral / Neutral Evil (YMMV on which one he is) villain who thinks he's just playing some funny pranks on the ponies or he's a Complete Monster who brainwashes the ponies and is well-aware of his malevolent actions.
 * Bonus points if you say anything bad about Discord in general. Immolation is guaranteed if the Discord fans have the first word.
 * Trixie, a one-shot antagonist, has a suprisingly large fandom, and whether or not she deserves it starts a lot of arguments.
 * Is Pinkamina cuter/deeper/something better than regular Pinkie? And no, 'I like all elements of her character' is not an accepted answer in these conflicts.
 * Cupcakes. Just don't bring it up.
 * Derpy-- funny or offensive? Appreciated fandom nod or mindless Pandering to the Base? It's best not to even touch this one at the moment; it's already caused countless wars of words over Tumblr and other forms of social media.
 * Now that they've edited out everything "offensive" about Derpy in "The Last Roundup", including her name, at least one known Moral Guardian who complained about her is getting screamed at. Despite the fact that this particular Moral Guardian actually had nothing to do with it, according to one of the producers.
 * Bronies: oppressed fans who can't openly celebrate their fandom in public without being mocked, or rightfully vilified basketcases with with an almost unhealthy obsession with a children's cartoon? Say any of these, and RUN.
 * Say you hate Looney Tunes or Tiny Toon Adventures. RUN. RUN FAST. RUN FAR.
 * Say you like Loonatics Unleashed or Baby Looney Tunes.
 * Space Jam or Looney Tunes: Back in Action? Discussions on which film is better or worse, are rarely progressive.
 * Or likewise claim in the slightest that Animaniacs put too much emphasis on talky dialogue banter and talking heads than on visual humor. And God help you if you even mention that you think Ren and Stimpy was closer to the spirit of golden age animation than it.
 * Say you prefer Pinky Elmyra and The Brain over Pinky and The Brain... or that you like Pinky Elmyra and The Brain in general... or Elmyra.
 * CGI vs. 2D Animation. Bonus points if you blame Pixar for killing the latter.
 * Go to any Transformers forum and try to comment that Season 1/2 was better than Season 3 (or the other way around). Alternatively, try to say Beast Wars was the best thing in the entire franchise (for extra fuel for the fire, lump Beast Machines in there too).
 * While you're at it, claim that G1 was not the diamond-encrusted gold-plated cartoon that some (extreme) fans make it out to be. Lump a little bit of "I like TFA/TFP/series of choice instead". Prepare for the intense rage of a thousand supernovas.
 * On the subject of Transformers Prime- mention Miko Nakadai. Say you like her. Say you hate her. Mention her ambiguous accent. Roast a steak in the ensuing heat.
 * The Simpsons: Say you liked "The Boys of Bummer". You will NOT survive.
 * Or liking "Homer vs. Dignity", "That 90s Show", "Saddlesore Galactica", "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" or "Kill The Alligator And Run".
 * Agree with Lisa.
 * Say you think that Canadian cartoons are better than American cartoons, and that Cartoon Network should focus more on them. Enjoy the burning.
 * Want some s'mores? Forget building a fire, just put a Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network related video on YouTube and roast the marshmallows over the flames made by nearly every comment complaining that Nick and CN don't acknowledge the existance of their 90's toons and/or that they need to air them more, along with calling their newer shows crap.
 * Even worse, say that you like Almost Naked Animals or Sidekick.
 * The only thing worse than that would be pretty much saying anything about Johnny Test. Go onto a forum and say anything positive about it...and YOU WILL DIE.
 * Even more worse, say you like the animation style.
 * Before being brutally beaten, saying (even politely) that you didn't see anything pointing to Martin/Aviva would get you told to keep your mouth shut. These days, go to any Wild Kratts discussion and tell Anti-Maviva supporters they don't have the right to speak, especially since the shipping war has died down. I'll wait here for your ashes so I can give them to your family.
 * SpongeBob SquarePants
 * If you're suicidal, just say you like "One Coarse Meal" or "A Pal For Gary" for a quick and painless death.
 * Say that Casey Alexander and Zeus Cervas write the best episodes.
 * King of the Hill
 * Say you like Peggy or Lucky.
 * Say you like "What Makes Bobby Run".
 * Codename: Kids Next Door:
 * Say you ship Numbuh 1 and Lizzie.
 * Or that you don't ship Numbuhs 3 and 4.
 * Say you think Numbuh 5 a Canon Sue.