It's worth noting that Aaron posted the CEI policy on stupidity around the warehouse when he had a whopping one employee who also lived there. So in spite of the generalized audience language in the message, there's no doubt who it was referring to or intended for. He was just being a passive aggressive douche.
It came back to bite him in the butt because he's a cheap dumbass though. The guy wasn't even being paid. He was working on some kind points basis where he could cash the points in for collectibles and stuff. Aaron got to determine how many points the guy got per job, so he ended up getting almost nothing and started selling Aaron's shit to other fans out the back door. Once Aaron figured out what was going on he tried to have the employee arrested, but since he had no inventory system to tell what was missing or clear employment contract and the guy could just say he got the stuff as payment the cops couldn't do anything.
This lead to them trolling one another really hard and the guy eventually posting Aaron's skidmarked underwear on eBay. There's even proof. Names redacted because if you're in the fandom you know who it is already and if you aren't it's not important. View attachment 1499749
There are a lot of videos and pictures in this post. I'm spoilering all of them because otherwise this post would be 90% images. If you just want to enjoy the crazy, watch the videos from Aaron. The rest are there for context. They are worth a look because they have screenshots of his crazy posts and some of the troll comments.
Anyhoo...
Aside from his general background level of douchbaggery we get about two or three major drama eruptions from Aaron a year.
He's "left" Facebook at least twice over them blocking his more batshit wingnut posts and tried to get his followers over to MeWe but I guess not enough of them are willing to change platforms for him so he always comes back.
Anyway, back in February during one of his Facebook hiatuses one of the members of his official Rockafire group who goes by Lia and freezing clockhands made a comment on an Instagram post that he was being paranoid and someone must have ratted on her. Aaron has offered to send a signed Rockafire postcard to followers that tattle to him about people who criticize him online. He attacked her on MeWe, calling her stupid and linking Infowars bullshit.
So her boyfriend who has a channel named Dewmonic Abyss made this video, which sums up the issues many people have with the Carpetbagger dolls mentioned earlier and with Aaron in general.
Since Aaron is unable to handle criticism and likes to white knight for the Carpetbagger for some reason, this caused him to lose his fucking mind. He made a bunch of rant posts in the Facebook group about both of them and posted this video to YouTube.
Because he's a confrontational, arrogant, narcissistic, racist RWNJ and the list of things people can do to set him off is really, really long there are a lot of people who love the Rockafire but can't stand Aaron. Some are kids who like to troll, so he got a bunch of comments on the video where people weren't kissing his ass enough for his liking. So he deleted a bunch of comments, made flippant remarks calling the posters cockroaches and fetuses and threatening to "vacuum them up" on others. The video prompted the girl and her boyfriend to make response videos.
The next day Aaron posted another rant video thanking everyone who defended him in the comments and saying he was going to reward them with a free premium channel sub. He also made and pinned a comment on this video promising $1000 to anyone who would dox a certain YouTube user who happens to be a minor, which he later removed and denied was a bounty.
Oh yeah, if you wanted to claim the free subscription you had to send him a message with your real name, age, email, physical address and phone number. Aaron decided that since the boyfriend's second video used screenshots of his posts in his private group his profound words of wisdom were copyrighted and had it pulled down via a YouTube copyright claim.
This and the doxxing attempt prompted a shitstorm towards him within the animatronics fan community both on YouTube and Instagram. Some people speculated that he was going senile or on drugs. I guess he finally figured out the videos made him look worse than his critics because he deleted them. Unfortunately for him there were people who archived his rants for your enjoyment.
He tucked his tail between his legs and posted a nonpology video of how God had a message for him to be nicer to his haters. Not going to bother with posting that one because it's boring and mostly consists of audio from a religious podcast. It's still up on his YouTube channel if you want to watch it. The only interesting thing in it is he blames his haters for "making him" overreact and lose a week of working on the second generation Dook robot. That was something he chose to do. And finally we got one more video from the boyfriend.
Eventually YouTube did something right for a change and Aaron's copyright claims were dismissed and the boyfriend's video restored, but I really, really wish I had known about this thread when all this was going down. Maybe Aaron's shitty behavior would have gotten some attention outside the animatronics community. He's still issuing DMCA takedowns on fan programmed videos and threatening to sue people so obviously his divinely inspired change of heart didn't last long.
He has such the audacity to think his ego is actually that big to stroke.
“This other Youtube channel is using cHilDreN to gang up on me!” Like he doesn’t do the same? Unfortunately some younger fans actually believe all the magic of them was created by this one and oh-so-mighty “man”.
He then goes on to call himself a minor celebrity - a title he could only fathom to imagine because some nostalgic journalists take pity on him when he fucks up.
Plus, putting the hazy validity of his claim to have “invented” the Whac-a-Mole to the side, he did in no way create Showbiz Pizza Place.
That credit needs to go to Robert Brock, rest his soul. Aaron was a minority stockholder early on, but if it wasn’t for Brock and the executives at Brock Hotel Corporation and by proxy the executives of Pizza Time Theatre, Aaron would have only achieved mild success in the theme park animatronic business and probably have gotten squashed like the bug he is.
Thank you for posting in depth about the battle between Aaron and Dewmonic Abyss. I remember that from the time it happened but lining up the timeline was something I was thinking about putting into words.
Image dump of Aaron's responses on Facebook. Some of these may be out of order since they were sent to me by multiple people. Notice he lies about not doing anything against Lia. Since he called her stupid on MeWe some of these people may not be on there and this might not have seen it.
I really can’t thank you enough for putting all this together.
I was once personal friends with Aaron, and while I was fond of him there were always tells that things were ‘off’. It’s no secret that he has Aspergers, but after a point it can’t be used to excuse such behaviour.
Seeing seeing him spiral like this over the past decade has been really depressing. I think it’s at the point now where you can only laugh otherwise you’d cry. Thank you for putting all this together, it really puts things into perspective.
He has such the audacity to think his ego is actually that big to stroke.
“This other Youtube channel is using cHilDreN to gang up on me!” Like he doesn’t do the same? Unfortunately some younger fans actually believe all the magic of them was created by this one and oh-so-mighty “man”.
He then goes on to call himself a minor celebrity - a title he could only fathom to imagine because some nostalgic journalists take pity on him when he fucks up.
Plus, putting the hazy validity of his claim to have “invented” the Whac-a-Mole to the side, he did in no way create Showbiz Pizza Place.
That credit needs to go to Robert Brock, rest his soul. Aaron was a minority stockholder early on, but if it wasn’t for Brock and the executives at Brock Hotel Corporation and by proxy the executives of Pizza Time Theatre, Aaron would have only achieved mild success in the theme park animatronic business and probably have gotten squashed like the bug he is.
Thank you for posting in depth about the battle between Aaron and Dewmonic Abyss. I remember that from the time it happened but lining up the timeline was something I was thinking about putting into words.
Thanks. I'm glad people appreciate the effort I put into that post. Plan on talking about Whac-A-Mole and the real reasons behind Showbiz giving Aaron the boot at some point. That's something the documentary just glossed over, and it makes Aaron out to be blameless, which he most certainly is not.
Thanks. I'm glad people appreciate the effort I put into that post. Plan on talking about Whac-A-Mole and the real reasons behind Showbiz giving Aaron the boot at some point. That's something the documentary just glossed over, and it makes Aaron out to be blameless, which he most certainly is not.
You definitely know your stuff, and I bet we’ve crossed paths before! Fans sticking together about these things even in the shroud of darkness is something beautiful.
I would love to see the specific wording as agreed upon between Aaron and those whom he has sold shows over the years regarding “performance exclusivity”. He claims a deliberate clause was included in the contract with Titus but I’m really itching to see what that says. And also how it compares to contracts with other sold shows.
You definitely know your stuff, and I bet we’ve crossed paths before! Fans sticking together about these things even in the shroud of darkness is something beautiful.
I would love to see the specific wording as agreed upon between Aaron and those whom he has sold shows over the years regarding “performance exclusivity”. He claims a deliberate clause was included in the contract with Titus but I’m really itching to see what that says. And also how it compares to contracts with other sold shows.
Probably. It's a small community. Since Aaron has followers who would jump at the chance to narc on people to gain his approval and he likes to hand out lawsuit threats like candy at Halloween I'm not going to say much about myself. I just enjoy watching the train wreck and I know the right people to ask.
As far as contracts with him go, I don't think anyone has ever shared one publicly. I do know that Titus found a loophole that allowed him to use a bluebox and play the fan programmed shows. Because of the wording of the contract Aaron couldn't do anything other than bitch and whine and beg his followers to buy more of those ugly ass dolls to raise money for some kind of legal action that never happened. The bar is also a topic I plan on covering eventually, BTW.
I'm so glad that this thread has been revived and furnished with new information.
What do you all suppose Aaron will do with his 'final' boxed Rockafire?
Will he ever find someone that bends over enough for him to sell it to?
I think at this point he's burned so many bridges that the only potential buyers he's going to have are overseas in some non-English speaking country. He trash talks his clients and the people who work with him. He charges premium prices for his good and services and may or may not actually deliver what was promised. Then when people call him out on his bullshit he turns into a complete drama queen and acts all butthurt that people aren't grateful for whatever quality they happened to get.
I know that the contract with Titus specified that the animatronics he was supposed to receive were to be in working condition and they were not. They needed repair before the bar opened because the warehouse is not climate controlled and sitting in the central Florida heat and humidity for almost 40 years didn't do the cylinders and seals any good. He should have tested them before they were delivered but he didn't bother.
And while I'm the first to admit I'm not an expert on animatronic control systems, I would bet any amount of money those "modules" he's spooging over in the deleted videos are superfluous and a complete waste of time. There is no doubt in my mind that there are mass produced parts available that would be better and a lot less effort. But like in everything else, he's stuck in the past and has to reinvent the wheel every time.
I would bet any amount of money those "modules" he's spooging over in the deleted videos are superfluous and a complete waste of time. There is no doubt in my mind that there are mass produced parts available that would be better and a lot less effort. But like in everything else, he's stuck in the past and has to reinvent the wheel every time.
Most things that he does are superfluous nods to how he has always done things. There is literally no reason for him to still be using an Apple IIE to do programming. He forces himself to achieve things in a round-about way. I imagine part of that is because that way he knows he can be the expert, as nobody else does things his way (for good reason).
I'm not going to call Fechter lazy for refusing to upgrade his setup or methods - he clearly keeps himself much more busy than the average man of his age - but he is most certainly complacent.
Side note - this thread hasn't yet gone into the drama with Rex Donahue and Billy-Bob's Wonderland in much detail. That may be worth discussion if people are interested.
Most things that he does are superfluous nods to how he has always done things. There is literally no reason for him to still be using an Apple IIE to do programming. He forces himself to achieve things in a round-about way. I imagine part of that is because that way he knows he can be the expert, as nobody else does things his way (for good reason).
I'm not going to call Fechter lazy for refusing to upgrade his setup or methods - he clearly keeps himself much more busy than the average man of his age - but he is most certainly complacent.
Side note - this thread hasn't yet gone into the drama with Rex Donahue and Billy-Bob's Wonderland in much detail. That may be worth discussion if people are interested.
I don't actually have an issue with him doing his programming on an Apple ][e. If that's what he is most comfortable using and he gets the results he wants, more power to him. I do have a problem with him acting like his way is the best way and pretending he's an expert animatronics guru people should learn from instead of what he really is: a has-been who is coasting by on accomplishments made 30+ years ago (most of which were probably actually done by other people under him) with a massively outdated skill set he hasn't bothered to keep updated.
Right before the major drama eruption with Lia and Dewmonic Abyss there was a smaller drama event where a kid blind programmed the Rockafire to sing to Bohemian Rhapsody and played it on the show at Billy Bob's Wonderland. That means he did the programming without having the show present. Since there's a delay in the time it takes for the valves to open and the robots to respond you really have to do the programming while sitting in front of an actual stage to account for it. The kid did it for fun and he has been helping them fix up the show so they let him run it. He posted a video on YouTube and Aaron went apeshit. The relevant part here is that he blamed the horrible performance on the fact that Program Blue runs under Windows and couldn't react fast enough to real time events. Yes, he actually said that.
Are you referring to this 'Braylon Giles' character who was apparently fired twice from Billybob's Wonderland on tenuous grounds? I actually recall seeing him and Aaron squabble in the comments on Aaron's videos several times. He seems to like Rex, despite having been essentially used by him twice and both Rex and Aaron being equally wrong.
Are you referring to this 'Braylon Giles' character who was apparently fired twice from Billybob's Wonderland on tenuous grounds? I actually recall seeing him and Aaron squabble in the comments on Aaron's videos several times. He seems to like Rex, despite having been essentially used by him twice and both Rex and Aaron being equally wrong.
That would be him. I might have gotten those details mixed up as I was going from memory. I'm not sure if Braylon was actually an employee or he was just working on the show unpaid because he likes animatronics.
And yeah, Rex seems to be kind of a nutjob asshole himself. It's hard to say whether Aaron's account of their split is the truth because Aaron has been known to lie and throw other people under the bus to make himself look better.
Are you referring to this 'Braylon Giles' character who was apparently fired twice from Billybob's Wonderland on tenuous grounds? I actually recall seeing him and Aaron squabble in the comments on Aaron's videos several times. He seems to like Rex, despite having been essentially used by him twice and both Rex and Aaron being equally wrong.
I believe he's the one who also programmed SexyBack recently, being videotaped at a private show. That video was swiftly given a copyright strike by Aaron before I had the chance to download an archive.
On the note of disparaging the newer controller and its software, there's part of the Rock-afire documentary that discusses how animatronics were and are programmed at CEI. Part of the segment is demonstrating to Chris Thrash how it works.
Although I can't find it at the moment, I also seem to remember that somewhere he said he was training Chris Thrash to be the next best up and coming programmer. I guess that was how.
And I'm in no way against using old technology - not at all. I do it and plan to continue doing it for myself. I try not to criticize other options that are available, however.
I believe he's the one who also programmed SexyBack recently, being videotaped at a private show. That video was swiftly given a copyright strike by Aaron before I had the chance to download an archive.
I believe that was someone else, actually. That prompted this exchange...
Personally, I think it's hilarious that the guy who was threatening to kick ass is practically wetting his pants at the idea of meeting one of his "copyright thieves" face to face.
Aaron's a busy guy, but he has time to troll YouTube for videos of unauthorized songs and argue in the comments with 12 year olds. Must be why his measurable productivity output is shit these days. Seriously, when the Rockafire Bar was open and some random schmo would film the show singing a song he didn't program because they thought it was cool he would copyright strike their video.
Are you all aware of Aaron's Creative Engineering and Rockafire Explosion brand thongs? Yes, this is official merchandise. It seems like Aaron just check-boxed all of the product options on some e-store website without actually looking at what they were.
You can now be the proud owner of your very own 'Rockafire Kid' g-string, fitted for juniors!
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I can’t put into words how thankful I am that this is all coming out in a place like this, all together and archived. I’ve heard about lots of the drama, but only in snippets floating around. @Pizza Planet Alien@kevintheguy0 more please!
Oh, don't worry. I'm so glad I've found a place to bring out in public what's been said behind the scenes. It's all going to come out here. It's just that I've got literally years worth of messages and active group chat logs with thousands of unrelated images, memes and various fandom drama to go though.
In the meantime, enjoy this email he sent his subscription list right before he posted that first deleted video. Can't you just feeeeel the spit hitting the screen?
I bet since I am one of those Copyright Thieves I know way to much as well. Its ashamed I used to look up to that man in my younger (dumber) years. Regardless the "Mafia" will carry on the Rock-afire Explosion torch long after that sad little old man is deep in his grave.
www.mayoclinic.org
