Flame Warriors: Detailed Research on Mike Reed and the Guide

7 min read

Detailed research on Mike Reed's Flame Warriors Guide — the definitive taxonomy of internet arguers, its history, licensing status, and relevance to Book 1.
Contents 33 sections

Research Compilation for “The Fires of History”

1. Full Character Descriptions (from flamewarriorsguide.com)

Troller

“Troller is looking for a response…ANY response, and he will chum the waters with complaints, insults, compliments, and inflammatory tidbits hoping that someone…ANYONE, will take the bait.” (Flame Warriors) Generally harmless, employing a “catch and release” approach. Once forum members recognize the Troller’s tactics and stop responding, the character must relocate.

Evil Clown

“Evil Clown is very quick with a joke, but his jests always have a barb. He has little patience for in-depth discussions and will often disrupt exchanges between serious forum participants by introducing irrelevant topics, fatuous quips, and offhand comments. His greatest thrill is to taunt and humiliate weaker or more plodding Warriors with his snappy ripostes. Not a particularly powerful Warrior, Evil Clown will attempt to avoid defeat by accusing his attacker of having no sense of humor.” (Flame Warriors)

Big Dog

“A bully who doesn’t hesitate to use his superior strength to intimidate other combatants. Big Dog may be smart, articulate or just plain mean, but in any case he is a remorseless fighter, brutally ripping into even the weakest of combatants.” Me-Too joins his attacks – “far too weak and insecure to engage in single combat.”

Lurker

“Lurker does not participate in normal forum discourse, but he’s out there…watching, reading every message. He is usually quite harmless, and more often than not his silence reflects a natural reticence rather than sinister motives. If a fight breaks out he will quietly observe to avoid revealing his position. Occasionally, however, some mysterious impulse drives him to de-lurk and attack.”

Philosopher

“Unlike Profundus Maximus, Philosopher can actually be quite knowledgeable on a variety of subjects. Somewhat humorless and aloof, he is also slow to anger, and when he deigns to join in the fray he is considerate of other opinions. His fighting tactics are direct and uncomplicated - he smothers the opposition with his ponderous and lengthy cogitations.”

Ferrous Cranus

“Ferrous Cranus is utterly impervious to reason, persuasion and new ideas, and when engaged in battle he will not yield an inch in his position regardless of its hopelessness. Though his thrusts are decisively repulsed, his arguments crushed in every detail and his defenses demolished beyond repair he will remount the same attack again and again with only the slightest variation in tactics.”

Tireless Rebutter

“For Tireless Rebutter there is no such thing as a trivial dispute. He regards all challenges as barbarians at the gates. His unflagging tenacity in making his points numbs and eventually wears down the opposition.”

Eagle Scout

Endeavors to submit original articles with useful content, supporting citations and links. Maintains civility, kind and helpful to Newbie. Views online spaces as “an uplifting, egalitarian, worldwide arena for the exchange of ideas.” Evil Clown, Enfant Provocateur, and Ego regard Eagle Scout with “poisonous intensity.”

Enfant Provocateur

“Enfant Provocateur likes to stir up trouble because…because, well…just because. This species of Flame Warrior is almost always young and male - it could be just a hormone thing.”

Impostor

“A digital Proteus who changes his persona whenever it suits his purposes.” Assumes various identities, claiming different ages, genders, locations. Successful impostors possess strong imagination and writing abilities. Even skilled impostors eventually make mistakes that expose their true identity. (Note: Spelled “Impostor” with an ‘o’ on the site.)

Necromancer

“Has a supernatural ability to bring long-dead forum discussion threads back to life.” Resurrects threads “merely for the thrill of resurrecting them” – unlike the Archivist who preserves strategically.

Profundus Maximus

“Profundus Maximus eagerly holds forth on all subjects, but his thin knowledge will not support a sustained assault and therefore his attacks quickly peter out. Profundus Maximus often uses big words, obscure terms and…ahem…even Latin to bluff his way through battle.”

Diplomat

“Diplomat butts into hot disputes, presuming that the combatants will welcome and appreciate his even-handed and eminently reasonable mediation. Frankly, he gets what he deserves.”

God

Creator of Arpanet and the Web. “From time to time He will suddenly appear in mailing lists, chat rooms and discussion forums to remind us sinners that we could be saved if only we would hearken unto Him.”

Nanny

“Tirelessly monitors forum discussions to make sure that everyone behaves. Though he is quick to admonish for off-topic messages and petty squabbling, he is generally slow to anger. Rather than wading into pitched battles, Nanny simply pulling the plug on combatants and bans repeat offenders.”

Issues

“Issues has an issue and she won’t rest until it becomes your issue, too.” A “secular evangelist” whose identity revolves entirely around a singular obsession. Her critical vulnerability is indifference.

Ideologue

“The most common variants of Ideologue are conservative and liberal. Smug and self satisfied in their certitudes, Ideologue’s opinions are merely a loose collection of intellectual conceits, and he is genuinely astonished, bewildered and indignant that his views are not universally embraced as the Truth.”

Target

“The guy everyone in a forum loves to hate.” Serves as a pressure release mechanism: “if the current Target has been driven off or immobilized a new target will be quickly selected.” Warning: Target is “a favorite disguise of Troller and Evil Clown.”

Bliss Ninny

“Bliss Ninny doesn’t understand why people just can’t get along. While it is entirely unintentional, Bliss Ninny’s utterly vacuous comments can drive the more pugnacious Warriors into a frenzy of aggression. Often in the heat of battle Bliss Ninny will discuss her cat.”

On the Site

  • No visible copyright notice, terms of use, about page, or FAQ (Flame Warriors)
  • The /about URL returns HTTP 410 (Gone)
  • A “Donate” button and “Message Board” link exist (Flame Warriors)

From External Sources

  • The work is under traditional copyright (not Creative Commons)
  • Mike Reed has stated permission is required for use beyond reposting
  • He has asked for acknowledgment and a link back when materials are used

No Physical Book

No evidence exists that Mike Reed ever published a physical book of Flame Warriors. No record on Amazon, ISBN databases, or general web searches. The original was a 49-page illustrated web guide. A Second Edition (~2003) added warriors to the current count of 88 archetypes.

3. Mike Reed – Biography and Contact

Professional Background

  • Professional illustrator for 28+ years; also animator and children’s book illustrator (Corel)
  • Location: White Bear Lake, Minnesota (suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul)
  • Digital tools: Long-time Corel Painter user; named a Corel Painter Master (Corel)
  • Teaching: Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), College of Visual Arts (St. Paul) (Penguin Random House)
  • Awards: Communication Arts, New York Society of Illustrators, AIGA, LA Society of Illustrators

Published Children’s Books (as illustrator)

  • Catching the Wild Waiyuuzee (Simon & Schuster, 2000) by Rita Williams-Garcia (Simon & Schuster)
  • Bug in Teacher’s Coffee (HarperCollins) (Reading Rockets)
  • Other titles via Penguin Random House

Contact Avenues (for licensing)

  1. LinkedIn: Mike Reed - White Bear Lake
  2. JacketFlap: Mike Reed (listed as having contact info)
  3. MB Artists (formerly HK Portfolio) – children’s illustrator agency
  4. White Bear Lake Center for the Arts (affiliated organization)
  5. Flame Warriors message board (linked from site, unclear if monitored)

4. Art Licensing Options for the Book

OptionProsConsCost Estimate
1. License originals from ReedAuthentic, historically significant, instant recognitionMay be expensive; Reed’s preferences unknown; contact uncertainUnknown – depends on Reed’s terms
2. Cite & describe with new artFull creative control; no licensing issues; can update for modern eraLoses the historical artifact quality; commission cost$2,000-5,000 for 15-20 illustrations
3. AI-generate updated versionsFast, cheap, can iterate; maintain the spirit while updatingCopyright questions on AI art; may feel inauthentic; won’t match Reed’s styleMinimal (time only)
4. Commission new illustrationsProfessional quality; tailored to book’s tone; no licensing riskMost expensive; longest timeline$3,000-8,000 for professional illustrator

Try Option 1 first (contact Reed via LinkedIn). If unresponsive or cost-prohibitive, fall back to Option 2 with original commissioned art that nods to Reed’s style while updating for the modern era. Reference Reed’s work extensively in the text regardless – his descriptions and taxonomy are the intellectual property that matters most for the book’s argument, and short quotes fall under fair use.

5. Site Technical Notes

  • Domain history: winternet.com/~mikelr/ → redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/ → flamewarriorsguide.com
  • Site is in partially maintained state: homepage and most warrior pages function, but some return HTTP 410 (Big Dog, Imposter with ’e’, Ferrous Cranus with double-r URL) (Flame Warriors)
  • Navigation: alphabetical roster, “Next Warrior” sequential, Donate, Message Board, External Links
  • 88 warrior archetypes in current (Second Edition) state
  • A Scribd PDF exists (user-uploaded compilation, not official)

Source URLs