This troper was in a tight-knit clique in an MMORPG for about a year and a half. Members of the clique chatted for hours every day and generally got along swimmingly. Then one day, a well-liked member claimed an item over a player outside of the clique, garnering criticism from this troper as well as a few others who felt the player was more deserving. Tempers erupted, brash conclusions were made, and the well-liked member ended up completely abandoning the group, creating a permanent fissure in this once close and friendly clan. This troper was most surprised by the speed at which all of this happened and the fact that the entire conflict was caused by an inconsequential in-game item that nobody really cared about not getting in the hands of an equally inconsequential player, but most of all by how completely out of character the person who left had suddenly started acting. The phrase "Conflict Ball" was thrown around often in the coming months.

This troper likes to play devil's advocate, and in most debates will side with the underdog whether or not he agrees with them, so most of the time he ends up juggling Conflict Balls and getting misjudged by others.

Take a group of people out for drinks on any given weeknight. Conflict balls will inevitably begin to rain from the sky as the night goes on.

In general, any fanbase of a franchise is probably holding it and may not even be aware of it. There seems to be a gravitation towards conflict when en masse in the name of a singular reason. Doesn't matter if it's sensible conflict, there will ''always'' be something to set it off. Perhaps the ConflictBall is the origin of FanDumb as a whole...