Animation Source Forums

Well, to answer your question, I don't think everyone's "picking on" Balto and Jenna at all.

For one thing, this is fanfiction. Stories written by fans of Balto "to explore themes and ideas that will not or cannot be explored via the originating medium" as defined by Dictionary.com.
Would Universal make a movie about Balto or Jenna cheating? No, and that's why fans ask: What if something went wrong? How would our beloved Balto and Jenna take it?
And thus, they write to express their versions of what would happen.

Secondly, as you mentioned, it's a trend. A few writers started out asking the question "What if..." and wrote. Since readers may not have read on such a topic before, they became interested, and the fanfics became popular. Then, other, mostly new writers realized how popular the "cheating" fanfics were and, wanting to have a popular fanfic, wrote some of their own, though not necessarily as well.
And it seems to have spiraled down from there to where you could say that Balto and Jenna were being "picked on."

However, Balto seems to be more well-known, or at least more written about, than ADGTH. I've seen numerous Balto sites and only one or two ADGTH sites. And, seeing that this is a Balto site with very few other dog movies present if any, it seems unfair to say that Balto and Jenna are being picked on when this is a site about them.

No offense meant. Just my thoughts.
-LWf

I guess because it's an interesting concept to pursue, and something Universal would never pursue. What if Jenna became a single mother? What if something went wrong? What if they were widowed?

Balto is the most popular animated canine film around, it seems, as lonewolf said, so more fanfics are written about it. Some very well written stories start a trend on that subject, and a lot of aspiring writers want their stories to be popular, so they write a story based on the subject, as seen with Brown Hill Spirits - admit it, there seems to be a lot of stories involving dogs joining wolf packs these days. Unfortunately, these stories are often poorly written, some due to inexperience, some to laziness, some overusing the subject in multiple fanfics, and admit it, some people just weren't meant to write stories.

There's a lot of other story subjects out there that one can think up other than Balto and Jenna going their separate ways. Problem is, people are stupid.

Because, as Lone posted above, this is a site about them. And many people love stories about them cheating on eachother, commiting adultery etc., myself included. It makes the couple alot more interesting to alot of people. Because it is a Balto fan site, and fans love making up stuff that will interest other people. The couple can't be 'happy-happy mushy-mushy gooey-gooey' all the time can it? And I don't see how it's 'picking on them' at all. I think it makes their character alot more interesting and exciting personally. xD

Somehow I figured you'd show up sooner or later, Dakota. And no offense, but your argument displays a level of reason that matches your name perfectly- the last part of your name, that is. To begin with: "NO couple ever stays like this forever." That's just the other side of the old, "Everybody's doing it" myth. You can flip a counterfeit coin, but it's still a phony. Studies show that even in modern US society, up to and over 75% of married people remain faithful to their wedding vows. So saying that no couple stays faithful is, to be perfectly frank, a pretty lame argument.

Second, you claim that adultery opens up more possibilities for plot twists. I acknowledge that this is true, but many writers have found ways to produce enjoyable stories without stepping into sexual immorality. Take redwolf03, for example. She writes some awesome stories, and only two of them have any mention of adultery. And even within those cases, it is set outside the story itself entirely. My stories, for that matter, have yet to bring up the issue of sex at all. And yert I defy you to show me one of them that hasn't been on the Top Ten List at least once, or four that have failed to reach number one. Even my character profiles reached the top of the list before they had been on the site for two weeks!

Third, the matter of lame, worn-out plots. I have seen at least fifty stories about Balto and Jenna cheating on each other on this site, and I can think of three at the most that did not come straight out of a cookie cutter. There are two different formulas I've seen, which I will address one at a time. First, there is the case where Jenna sees some guy, goes (to borrow the words of someone in one of my other topics, "He is HAWT!", and mates with him that same night if not sooner. This formula insults Jenna to no end, since it depicts her as a mindless ditz. The distortion is made even worse by the fact that approximately 50% of the time, the guy is Steele. The second formula: Balto or Jenna goes somewhere, and one or both of them goes for someone during the course of the trip. It's stupid, it's unoriginal, and it degrades two of the finest canine characters ever to grace public or private TV.

In short, Dakota, your argument is pretty much nonexistent. If it bothers you that I've knocked it down, I'm sorry. Next time I'll try not to breathe on it.

Well if it isn't the clinically annoying Dragon Tamer, fresh off his banning. And right back at it, I see. I really thought we had finished discussing this, since all it did was cause fights and problems.

Dude, seriously, give it a rest, ok? We can all agree to disagree. You don't like those stories. That's fine. You don't have to read them. Dakota doesn't like your stories. That's fine too.

Remember, the rule has been changed because the vast majority of the site wanted it that way. Steet isn't going to change it back. It doesn't matter if you think it's wrong that he listened to the majority. It doesn't matter how well reasoned your argument is, or how right you believe yourself to be. It's not going to change again. That's it; that's all.

Let's just agree to disagree and leave the topic at that. Can't we all go back to just getting along?

Look, first off I'm not talking about incest anymore. I'm just trying to get a straight answer as to why people have to drag Balto and Jenna through the mud all the time instead of showing a little intelligence and coming up with their own characters to do it with. So far, Lone Wolf has been the only one I got a real answer from. And as for me being annoying, all the dragons say that anyway.
Second of all, I realize that DakotaWerewolf doesn't like my stories. I was simply citing them as an example of the fact that a story can be kid-friendly and still be exciting. I mean, if that weren't the case this site wouldn't exist anyway.
And as for my question, I have a perfectly sensible solution to the issue of "fights and problems:" "If you don't like it, don't read it." Sound familiar?

Listen Children, can we drop this argument already. The grown ups are getting bored.

I am a grown-up, slayguy. That's why I get involved with things like this instead of just going with the flow. "Only dead fish swim with the current." (I don't remember who said that, but it fits)

You could have fooled everyone else around here. Just get over it and move on, afterall it's only a forum. No one is interested in the 'Moral high ground' attitude your displaying.

Can somebody lock this now please?

Lock it? On what grounds? The topic is completely within the rules, I have insulted no one (although HrryNrmn's comment about me might qualify), it's not a rant, and there is currently no threat of a flame war.

Why does that keep coming up? JLA1 was sort of acting in my interests on here in my absence. He really didn't have any long-term interests here- in fact, as soon as he's gotten un-banned (charged wth being me, big surprise), he plans to delete his account. So basically, he was asking my question. You're very observant, though. Ever think of becoming a police officer? You'd be good at it.

Well, I can't help being level-headed now. Everyone's been hitting my noggin with sledgehammers, so it's all flat on top. Just kidding.