User blog:SonofSamhain/Why Must We Always Fight?

I grow weary of our incessant arguments.

It is no secret that every TMNT fan is different and has their own preferences.

The franchise itself has had quite a history. It began as a dark comic published by Mirage in 1984, followed by the comical 1987 cartoon that inspired many spinoffs and a widely-acclaimed live-action film series. The franchise has thrived long enough to have a new CGI show on Nickelodeon, a new comic book published by IDW, and an upcoming live-action reboot film that is still being complained about due to Megan Fox and Micheal Bay's involvement.

I have disagreed on some things, but I try not to be an angry jerk. I've been on this wiki for four years, and I am surprised how long I've lasted. When I first contributed to this wiki, I was kind of an asshole. I vandalized Peter Laird's article out of spite just because he hated a very much despised character that I believed could be defended. I was lucky The S didn't block me from the wiki back then for my unruly behavior.

Over time, I have become more mature and less of a sociopath, but I can still get angry sometimes. I was able to tolerate the Donapril shippers, but I got mad whenever they claimed Casey Jones was a horrible character. Fans who hate a character just because he or she interferes with their preferred shipping makes no sense to me!

I have learned from my mistakes, but not all of us are capable of that. I know you are going to complain about me bringing her up again, Kung Fu Frogs, but I don't want history to repeat itself: Not too long ago, there was a very rude contributor named Geeky gril. On a blog discussing over whether or not Venus, one of the most hated TMNT characters ever, should return, she said "NO DE MILO, I HATE FEMALE MUTANTS."

When she explained her opinions, she said that she hated female mutants because she did not want romantic elements. Obviously, this is bullshell because not all female characters have to be a love interest! And with her animosity towards romance, she came off as a hypocrite because she was in favor of Donapril. It took a long time, but we eventually eliminated her from this very wiki for good.

She was unbelievably rude and insensitive, and I pray that nobody like her ever comes here again. This brings me to the point I am trying to make.

There are fans who hate the 1987 cartoon because of its silly nature and fans who despise the 2003 cartoon for being very dark and serious. I myself like dark stories and light-hearted stories equally. Ordinarily, I prefer shows to have an even balance between comedy and drama, shifting to one tone when the other is being over-dominant of the show's mood.

I actually like nearly everything related to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I even liked Fast Forward, Back to the Sewer, the third live-action film, and The Next Mutation, which was even my introduction to the franchise. Next Mutation was horribly cheesy, but even today I still like it. I even liked Turtles Forever despite the exaggeration of the 1987 Turtles' goofiness and none of them having their actors reprise their roles.

The one TMNT thing I hate is the Operation: Blue Line video. Using the main cast and theme song from the 1987 cartoon did not excuse the horrible costumes. They were so unrealistic that they make the third movie, Next Mutation, and musical Turtle suits blush! They looked like amusement park mascots, for crying out loud!

Regardless of my displeasure, I don't go around and saying things like "Stop liking that piece of ***" to anyone who actually liked the Blue Line video, though I have never met such a person.

You may not like the live-action films, Sugitilia, but they have quite a large following. In some people's eyes, animatronic puppets are better than CGI. I don't really think either technique is better. Some people just need to accept that it is a freaking movie and that the special effects are done based on what the studio can afford.

I am aware that Venus de Milo had many problems in Next Mutation, but it was clear that that show's writers had no common sense whatsoever. They didn't know that shinobi and ninja meant the same thing, so they decided a shinobi was some kind of mage instead of looking it up to see what it meant! I am sure that just because Venus was a bad character then doesn't mean she can't be made into a better character by COMPETENT writers, but everyone who hates her, i.e. 98% of the TMNT fandom, acts as if it is impossible to improve Venus! That kind of thing really enrages me.

It's probably just that you want to respect Laird's wishes or that you want the number of Turtles to stay at four. Peter Laird doesn't really own the Turtles anymore and it has become apparent that he doesn't care what the new show does to them (If he did, there wouldn't be a lot of mutants on it. Laird wanted Splinter, Leatherhead, and the Turtles to be the only mutants around). And as much as I like Venus to make a comeback, I don't expect her to be made a permanent member of the team. She could at least be an occasional ally. As long as she's not a love interest to the Turtles, I'm happy.

And we know that they have no plans to use Venus in the show, but we have no way of knowing how long the show will last or if the powers-that-be will change their minds. The Pulverizer started as a hated character mainly because of how reminiscent of he was of Zach from the first cartoon. Now he's become Mutagen Man and he has gained much of our sympathy.

The point I'm trying to make is that there is a difference between having an opinion and being rude to people who disagree with you.

If someone says something about TMNT or anything else you're into that you disagree with, you should either ignore them and move on or explain your viewpoint in a way that doesn't hurt their feelings.

Just because I like Venus and would like her to return, I have been attacked by many because of my opinion. The only thing keeping me from tumbling into existential despair is the fact that I am not alone and that some of the people who agree with me are willing to defend our shared beliefs.

I only ask that we stop our arguments and squabbles and discuss our opinions in more polite and empathetic ways.