Jump to content

Tufi Piyufi

Forum Administrators
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,062

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    15

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Tufi Piyufi

  1. Tufi Piyufi
    There's a word people love to throw around when it comes to MOCs, artwork, and sets. But not just any examples, oh no. It only really pops up when the subjects are female.
     
    You don't get to be surprised that's what this blog entry in this blog is about.
     
    I've seen some great female MOCs get posted in BBC. Streamlined yet well-armoured, minus the woefully out-of-place ponytail, and in footwear you can actually fight in. I often regret not publically recognizing them as they come up for just plain getting it. Something always comes up and before I know it, I've lost the chance. And believe me, it is regret. It is a deep regret that I never manage to post in these topics and applaud the builders. I can't tell you how much I regret not offering a voice counter to what's heard instead.
     
    These MOCs are great, you see. Maybe some general technical and/or aesthetic qualms, but you'd be hard-pressed to find any MOC without them. But that's rarely the problem. Instead, I see people talk about how these MOCs are 'great, but not very feminine'. These MOCs, with silhouettes and lines of movement that have captured je ne sais quoi in a jar and put it on a shelf. These MOCs, already a step ahead of the general crowd. These MOCs, that for once, are actually feminine.
     
    And then it dawns on me like a smoggy sunrise.
     
    These MOCs also tend to avoid the trend of putting two things on her chest just 'cause girls have two things on their chests. And believe me, they're things. They're not breasts. They bear no resemblance. Sometimes they're round? But that and the numbers are the only resemblances. They stick out terribly. Did I ever mention in this or any other entry that they always stick out? There is no room for anything less than a D-cup in Bionicle, it seems. Even that's on the small end of things.
     
    And then, the MOCs with spine-shattering chest tumours are the ones deemed 'feminine'. Really. Never mind that they could have shoulders that'd be out of place on Onua. Never mind that they could have the hips of an especially elfin 10-year-old Matoran boy. Never mind they could have all the grace of a herd of half-tranquilized gorillas. I guarantee you, the vast majority of posts in topics like these will praise the 'femininity' of the featured MOC.
     
    So near as I can tell, according to the Bionicle fandom at large, 'femininity' isn't a set of subtle qualities that work together to convey a general aesthetic sense. To be 'feminine', all you need is huge round things on your chest. That is the definition I have determined from countless posts and topics. That's the definition that seems to be on the books.
     
    That is an absolutely terrible definition.
  3. Tufi Piyufi
    Bionicle's rules about elements and what genders they can be are like the racing spoiler on a Honda Civic.
     
    At some point, you thought "what my car really needs is a racing spoiler." So you went out, bought the spoiler, and installed it on your car. They're not exactly naturally-occuring things: you kinda had to take the initiative on this one. Point is, you stuck a racing spoiler on your Civic.
     
    Why? Because it gives a great performance boost, that's why! It reduces drag and increases speed or something like that! If you didn't have it, you'd struggle to drive. It's absolutely critical to the operation of your car, and you simply won't hear otherwise.
     
    And it just makes it look cool. It's totally one of the high points of your car. By simply adding your spoiler to your car, you've given it a life and depth that you simply could not get otherwise. It just... it just adds something. Nobody likes Civics without racing spoilers! Everybody knows this!
     
    Sure, some of your friends totally dig the spoiler. They totally nod along and talk about how important the addition of the spoiler is. And then there's all the rest of your friends, who just ain't having it.
     
    They really don't know why you had to go and stick a racing spoiler on your Civic. They really don't see the point. Remember when your engineer friend had to excuse himself that one time you were talking about air resistance or something like that? He had to go clear out a hastily-arrested spittake. His drink went up his nose, you made so little sense. Not in, like 'guys who put spoilers on their Civics-sense', but more 'sane people-sense'.
     
    You know how you have a harder time seeing out your back window? That's the only effect your spoiler has on your Civic. A hinderance.
     
    And it's a heck of a lot less attractive than you think. Why do you think hardly anyone ever wants to go with you in your car? They're worried you'll get pulled over for going through yet another stop sign, and the cop's gonna see them, sitting in the backseat of a Civic with a racing spoiler. "Officer, I promise, I try to pretend that thing doesn't exist." They'd really, really rather go with Ted. You know, guy who bought a Civic but didn't put a racing spoiler on it, Ted. Ted with a beard.
     
    And yet, you just won't hear of any talk of removing the blasted thing. It's a part of your car! They're just looking for things to hate on! They're really in the minority! Why should you remove it?
     
    Because the beyond-arbitrary rules behind elements and genders are pointless, hindering, and so very much not a selling point of Bionicle. Even a racing spoiler on a Honda Civic has more point.
  4. Tufi Piyufi

    Just A Little Thing

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    So.
     
    New serial update, I see.
     
    'First' canon instance of romance, I hear.
     
    Sahmad's got a lady in his life? Wait, no, had. She's dead. Long dead before we ever got to her. Dead, nameless, and seemingly only around to provide angst for her living, named guyfriend.
     
    She needs a name.
     
    I propose we call her 'Fridgey'.
  5. Tufi Piyufi
    So you got yer fan-made groups of Toa, right. Doesn't have to be Toa, really, but that's what you're most likely to run into. And then, of course, there's the ever-so-delightful patterns Lego has set up. And then, because you're reading a Tufi blog entry, you know which one in particular I'm gonna mention next. It can range from two guys/one girl to five guys/one girl to seven guys/one girl or even six guys/two girls, if the creator is outrageously forward-thinking.
     
    But wait! There's more numbers! There are so many numbers yet to come! From the rest of the group (because guys can be distinct and girls are just, to kick off an entry of trope-dropping, The Chick), you've got the leader. Or you've got the self-insert. Sometimes they're the same guy. For the ease of writing, and because there's no real difference in how the two operate in this phenomenon, we're gonna suppose they are in fact the same guy. He can range anywhere from a straight-up personality port with the occasional superpower and Stuish tendencies to full-on raging Gary Stu. You will always know him when you see him. He isn't necessarily the creator's explicit self-insert, but you will always know him.
     
    Know also that there is a 94% chance the girl!Toa will be his girlfriend. 1% of the time, they'll be out-and-out married.
     
    Alright, I'm fudging the numbers a bit there. Sometimes there's just really heavy romantic tension. And I haven't actually seen any that are married. But that's fairly irrelevant: all I'd have to do to correct it is change 'girlfriend' to 'some kind of romantic thing going on'. And maybe add that one percent back. To say 95% of The Girl Ones exist for some kind of romantic deal with the Self Leader Guy is an overstatement of mere thousandths of percentage points.
     
    This is the Happy Funtimes List portion of the blog entry, and what I want you to do is take this with you next time you run across one of these My Bionicle Girlfriends. Take the list and a moderately-to-extremely caffeinated beverage of your choice. I do not, in fact, want you to incur liver damage.
     
    Take a sip every time one of these is true:

    She is romantically attracted to the Self Leader Guy She is his girlfriend It is even admitted she is based on a girlfriend or a girl the creator fancies Every single word used to describe her that means attractive Take additional sips at personal discretion if she is continually described as attractive throughout the given work/description/topic She's the 'emotional centre' of the group She's the wisest of the group She's always supportive of Self Leader Guy's leadership She's feisty, but never too spirited She's 'mysterious' and may as well be a different species from the rest of her (male) group She has a mask that serves no practical offensive purpose, barring the presence of mindblowing writing/mindrending writing Three if she has an elemental power along the lines of 'love' or 'light' or 'spirit': five in addition (for eight total) if, god help us, it is love She's got pink somewhere (most likely in non-MOC incarnations, naturally) Despite all logic, she is the only one for miles (which is how long it'll take to find another woman, and surprise surprise...) with any sort of hair or hair analogue Extra sip for a given point if it is described in terms that describe it as 'unlike the men' or 'better than the males' or other similar language Once finished the given item (or if out of pop: this is a very real threat), start the stopwatch. The final score is how long it takes for the world to stop shaking, measured in hours:minutes:seconds.
     
    Have I yet mentioned how incredibly likely it is she's gonna be Self Leader Guy's girlfriend? It is so very likely. Why, she might actually be based on his girlfriend in real life. But why stop there? Why not base her on who the creator would like for a girlfriend? There ain't no law. Might be kinda creepy, but ain't no law. You will know when the Bionicle relationship is not based on an actual relationship if the Bionicle relationship is utterly, crystal-perfectly idealized. Then there is the event horizon past which even an idolized crush has been raised to such a point in the work where she can only be said to be utterly fictional. It is as terrifying as it sounds. Lovecraft would have written about this, if it wasn't for his issues.
     
    And she's always pretty. Or beautiful. Sexy? Alluring? Take your pick. It's been used. The key point is how the narrative describes her. A character or two going on about her atrractiveness is one thing. When everyone, even the narration, can't shut up about how mesmerizing she is or something, you got a whole other ball of wax. Clearly, in the Bionicle universe, there is only one option for female characters: attractive. Unless there's old women or more bestial races, but don't expect them to be spared from the lookswash. Bonus points if she's called on to use her sexiness for some end. And god help us all if the word 'wiles' ever hits the screen. Actually, at that point, we're beyond divine intervention.
     
    Don't get your hopes up over any real subgroups of Bionicle Girlfriends: they're all basically the same character. Imagine, if you will, a control board. The biggest feature on this board is 'emotional sensitivity'. To the left is the label 'tough but with a chewy, care-y centre'. To the right is 'absolute pacifist who's more in touch with life and things than those barbarian men'. You quickly find that the left label is a sterling example of an informed attribute and, if a work goes on long enough, blatantly lying about the toughness. There are more things wrong with the right label than you wish to consider at the moment. Cringing a bit, you check out the rest of the board, whisking your gaze away like children in the wrong place.
     
    The 'wisdom' slider. You find quickly it will not go below a certain value of 'wise'. Squinting to read the words carefully, you see 'far more enlightened than the males of the group' at the top. You recoil a little bit, wondering if you didn't just leave behind the section on antiquated notions of gender. Maybe the one next to it is better?
     
    'Assertiveness'. Yes. Here we go. You feel hope once again. On the one side, 'totally passive'. On the other side... 'Sometimes She Says And Does Some Things, But This Is Not To Be Mistaken For Actual Independence Or Spirit Or Any Of Those Uncomfortable Things'. The board does not survive its encounter with the trendy brick wall. It became all-too-apparent that the Bionicle Girlfriend occupies a neat little role as 'accessory'. 'Sidekick'. Not quite on equal footing with Self Leader Guy. We need to maintain those gender roles, you know. It also becomes all-too-apparent you picked the wrong day to stop playing caffeine drinking games.
     
    Speaking of, here's a bonus round for artwork. Extra sip if she's portrayed all snuggly or fawn-y with Self Leader Guy. It's hardly mandatory: inclusion in the game proper is probably going to push you to dangerous levels and/or tax your drink reserves. And in that same vein, be ever-wary of toa!Huki/Maku art. Ever wary.
     
    And then, Narrator preserve us, there's the little issue of her powers. It is where you cry 'what kind of a lame power is heart, anyway', but never conclude that 'heart is an awesome power'. There's her mask, typically something mental in nature. The telekinesis is never used to awesome ends. Or sometimes she's saddled with the just plain useless ones. It's never anything offensive: apparently, the shapes of those aren't nearly as 'feminine' enough as the fandom might like. And oh, the things I could go on about there.
     
    But what about her element? But what, indeed. Usually, it's something from the scant handful of 'female' elements. Sometimes, someone has the guts to stand up to canon (I like to think my being Empress means canon will never rule in BBC) and give her another one of the standard elements. There is a third option, though, and it is far more common. Apparently, having people tell you 'but fire is for boys' is far more dreadful than freaking spirit or 'light' or love sweet Jason people make love an element with a straight face.
     
    Ahem. Never forget the old gods. That said, the third option is woe-inducing. It's always something so blandly, sterotypically 'feminine.' Like 'spirit'. Or 'light'- but not the normal light tribe. Oh no. It's usually more angelic in nature, because blah blah purity (another one!) blah blah too good for this wicked planet blah blah angels. And then we get to the unspeakable horror that is Toa of love, and I just puked in my mouth a little. I'd like to think that says it all. Please. Please tell me that says it all.
     
    All these things and more (so, so much more) combine to make Bionicle Girlfriends. And they're everywhere. There's no escape. Even the rare 'second girl' has a 70% chance of falling into this category, though generally with another character. While maybe not fitting the classic definitions of Relationship Sues, there's no mistaking what they are in form and intention. So yes, guys, we did in fact see what you did there. And you can't see it through the Internet, but we're cringing.
     
    Or you could, you know, not do this and just make good characters that happen to be female. That's always been an option.
  6. Tufi Piyufi

    It's Movie Time!

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    Let's talk about bad movies!
     
    Cloverfield is horrible! If I were to list all the things that made it So Bad It's Horrible, I would be presenting you with a complete summary! Of the whole thing! Of its entirety! Scarcely a redeeming minute to it! Possibly ending with 'and camera work that's worlds more nauseous than it is dramatic'! That is a really bad sign!
     
    I can't believe I'm talking about horrible movies! Horrible movies suck! Let's talk about awesome movies!
     
    Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. A magnificent movie. Lincoln, Keanu as he really should be and shouldn't try anything else please, and Carlin. And so many other things. You want a good movie about time travel? Yo. Some of the best uses of a time machine are contained within. Medieval babes! Friendship! An excellent motto to live by! The Power of Rock bringing about an awesome new Earth! Downright blatant connections to a certain other timey-wimey story!
     
    The 80's!
     
    Oh, that would be the perfect antidote, wouldn't it. I really must dig it out sometime. Like, nowtime. If you'll excuse me?
     
    Exclamation marks of so-bad-I'm-offended!
  7. Tufi Piyufi

    What Have I Done

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    [twitter=3]tufipiyufi[/twitter]
     
    See above.
     
    This alone puts me where I would not expect to be. But this was not enough! No. I just had to rush out and nab an appropriate app for the iTouch. This puts me in some very high ranks of... well, I'm still trying to figure out what happened. You will be the only app of the sort I use. Yes. I swear to cat.
     
    Dear god, next I'm going to be updating the thing from inside a Starbucks. How does this happen? Please keep me away from the hipsters.
  8. Tufi Piyufi

    Top Ten Tunes

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    On UltraPuffinPod. A fairly fresh list: the data's only had a month or so to build up.
     
    The concept is simple: a childhood with a noticeable lack of opportunities to listen to the songs I do love so has resulted in a young woman who finds the best feature of any music player to be the 'repeat song forever' option. Thus, highly skewed song play stats! Listed in order from most played to least. Gaze and be amused.
     
    I Can't Decide - oh, Master.
     
    The Way - old people ambling off to die. I'm a total sucker for that sort of stuff. Plus, the tune adds like thirty plays by itself. These two are somewhere around 130-140 plays; the next highest playcount is 40. Yeah.
     
    King of King's Song - ah, there's my Katamari tunes. This is the song sung by the King himself during the credits level of We
     
    Mesaze Pokemon Master 2002 - but one of many versions of the first Japanese themesong. While the others lean more towards rock, what with the guitars and the riffs and all, this one's a bit dancier. It's enough to squeak it ahead, anyway.
     
    It's the End of the World As We Know It - see note about childhood song scarcity. Did you know that, in the 90's, Animorphs fan pages were all about the little 'jukeboxes' of MIDIs? Those were the awesomest things at the time. Those and Realplayer. I think those are why we're looking at this song in this position.
     
    So Long, Marianne - it's non-gravelly Leonard Cohen! And he can still write songs! Such a thing was possible. Such, such a pretty song.
     
    Crazy - radio keeps me anxious no more. Also, Sheogorath is the bestest and this is the perfect song for a romp in the Isles.
     
    All Good Things (Come to an End) - my, but Nelly Furtado has a lovely voice.
     
    Katamari Dancing - my favourite Katamari theme, the one for the game I'll probably be waiting a good while longer to ever play. Made all the more horrible by the number of songs on the Beautiful Katamari soundtrack I love to pieces. Ah!
     
    Katamari Tea - like here. Were people really complaining about the sound of this game? Ye gods. And here I am, shot down fiercely. I hope you guys appreciate what you have. Appreciate!
  9. Tufi Piyufi
    So I've been modding BBC for almost five whole years, right? You see a lot of things in that time. I'd like to think I've learned a lot just by proximity. And there's this one thing that, I dunno how long it's been sitting there in my mind, kinda seems like it shouldn't take five years to hit everyone else. So, I shall share it. Brace yourselves.
     
    When you're building, think for your own selves.
     
    Winding yourselves in 'rules' and 'guidelines' is a horrid way to go through the creative process! Before long, you start worrying about those little details, rather than if your MOC is actually interesting. You treat the 'guidelines' as the only things that matter, forgetting that examining how real-world people, creatures, and things will do you far more good than someone telling you 'these colours should never be used together' ever will. You get so caught up in these meaningless little things, you start measuring yourself by how well you follow those 'rules' and you get more and more fixated on them and you think you're better and better for it and you wonder why those 'tasteless kids' here at BZP never post in your topics don't they know that you're one of if not the best builder around and and and...
     
    Well, is it any wonder, when you're so caught up in the inane and in yourself?
     
    I can't stress this enough. The BZP populace is way smarter than it's given credit for. People who go on about how they never get posts in their MOC or art topics? They rarely, if ever, stop to consider 'is this actually that interesting?'. Let's just ignore the attitudes towards the general populace that seem to accompany these guestions for now: those are for another day. It doesn't matter how 'technically perfect' your guy-with-weapon is. It's a guy with a weapon. It's been done thousands of times before. Is he really that different, that interesting? Chances are high that 'no, no he is not.' I rarely ever see 'make it interesting' or 'make it fresh' in these lists of 'tips'. It's a bit unnerving to me.
     
    Never mind the entitlement complex inherent in 'oh, nobody ever posts in my topics, even though my works are so good'. The posting population of BZP doesn't owe you anything for posting a picture of some pieces or some pixels. They're really not that interested in how good you say and think you are. They really, really aren't. They want something they can actually say something about. That 'horrid' piece done in Paint that's getting way more posts than you? Might have something to do with its artist taking a chance and trying to draw a Toa in a rough-and-tumble action scene. They probably aren't thinking about 'how great' they are when they make things like that: they're just drawing a picture of one of the heroes being awesome and doing their thing.
     
    And, oh, the horrid fascination around buzzwords we seem to have. Every time I see 'needs more custom ahahaha look at this joke and how funny and not-tired it is', I get this inescapable urge to shoot something. Okay, it's actually rather escapable, by reminding myself not to let its mindlessness get to me. This whole 'custom' 'debate'? You all look horribly silly. Knock it off. Same goes for other words people like to bandy around to try and look like they 'know things, man.' Fusion is one of them. Knock it off. Lego is Lego is Lego. Start thinking that way and you'll find things get a lot easier than when you tried to make it bigger than it should be. All those other words and phrases that escape me at the moment? Knock it off.
     
    Yes, you absolutely should read and accept the comments and critiques you get. I'm not telliing you to ignore those. I figured I should mention that, because people have a habit of taking something I say and claiming I said the exact opposite (still not sure why people think I'm 'anti-breast', but hey). I just want you to cut yourselves out of the unimportant things, is all.
  10. Tufi Piyufi
    Everywhere I go, I see shenanigans.
     
    A mention of 'that blue site' here.
     
    A bragging of of 'elsewhere' there.
     
    A mention of 'something you'd only know if you were a member of that site' here and there and everywhere.
     
    Well, guess what, guys: I know the place you're speaking of and the ego doesn't impress me. Not only are these not-so-veiled references violating our rules against mentioning sites with forums, they're downright lame. The lamest. Every time, yes. I'd advise you all to knock it off.
  12. Tufi Piyufi
    Gods, I love this show. More fangirling, this time directed at Coronation Street. Shut up. There is a reason the Queen can't get enough of this.
     
    Like tonight's episode. Technically, it's from Christmastime 2007, thank you very much CBC. And, might I say, the writers never let Christmas pass peacefully on the Street? If you are in some poor area that's even further back than Canada, turn back now. Immediatement. You do not want so much as the slightest hint about the episodes set on Christmas Day itself.
     
    Turn back! Save yourselves! Or, if you care not, press on.
     
    AND FOR CAT'S SAKE DO NOT SPOIL THE CANADIAN! AS FAR AS WE ARE CONCERNED 2007 IS STILL THE CURRENT YEAR!
     
    Onward.
     
    First, a confession about last night. I doubted the writers. I doubted the writers so bad. And in return for my doubt, they handed me the most beautiful way to out John and Rosie. Oh gods. I'd have died if that one had aired on a Friday. They are merciful, loving, forgiving gods, indeed. I don't deserve them. And then! Today! Oh man oh man. Kevin gets big ol' hearts. You know the charges won't stick. Fiz missed countless opportunities to step on/kick John, but eh. And all the while, Norris, Rita, and Emily, all 'Christmas just got awesome'. Also, the penultimate scene of the episode, where we realize that David has nothing on Rosie. And then, happy ending with Roy. An absolutely magnificent episode. All in thirty minutes, mind.
     
    So what if it's classed as a soap opera? There's North American 'dramas' that better fit that name. It's still one of the greatest, most well-written things you'll find on TV.
  13. Tufi Piyufi
    Extremely shameless.
     
    So I'm just about sure that I have every Katamari song that one can have. And, it is glorious. Even the music for the games I don't have. Funny how they had to release Beautiful Katamari on the one console we don't own. That doesn't stop me from loving the music, though. Gods no. Why, 'Katamari Dancing' is my favourite of the themes. Lately, I've mostly been trapped in a wonderful loop of instrumentals from We
     
    So, uh, yeah. I should mention that I love this series? To bits. The tiniest, easily-picked-up bits. Even that psychopathic rose. Actually, no. The rose can burn. But I still love it in some weird way.
     
    Sorry. I'm getting fangirl all over the carpet. I'll clean that up.
  14. Tufi Piyufi

    In All The Worlds

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    the list of one Ms. L. Piyufi's
    Favouritest Fictional Characters In The Whole Wide Worlds
    an assuredly-incomplete catalogue

    Milo Bloom
    Princess Elizabeth (The Paper Bag Princess)
    Chihiro
    Mike Warner
    Samus Aran
    GLaDOS
    Lyra
    The Ellimist
    Sheogorath
    Emily the Strange
    Nocturn (done properly)
    Blanche Hunt
    Rufus
    Bob 'That Guy' Smith
    Every Red Version Narrator Ever
    Cybersix
    James
    Jessie
    Viola
    Optimus Prime
    Princess Leia
    Daisy
    Neo Cortex
    Frank Costanza
    Alyosha (as written by Mr. Durang, thank ye)
    Samantha Carter
    The Brain
    Pinky
    Rodney McKay
    Jay Sherman

    I'm gonna cut it off there for now.

    The above is a list of the many characters I have encountered over the years who I simply love to bits. Seriously, something bringing all these guys into one place would be beyond awesome. You might never see me again. I'd likely die happy. This list contains a mix of characters I'd love to have as friends, characters I'd love to have as family, characters I wouldn't mind snuggling up with, characters I can look at and go 'that's me!', and characters who are just plain awesome.

    One is already given to you. Bet you can't figure out where the rest are from.
  15. Tufi Piyufi

    A Good Day For Math

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    Oh, it's always a good day for math.
     
    I love it when people go on about how neglected they are because nobody's posting in their topic, often with the nose-eye-viewed addition of 'look at this topic with its horrible horrible art?MOC/basketweaving and how many posts it's getting insert implication that the forum is filled with malicious tasteless hounds here'. Just love it. To pieces. Well, actually, no I don't. At all. I lie horribly here. It's a horrid attitude. For one thing, there's nothing I love more than a good ol' entitlement complex. Lying horribly again: it's a rather harmful attitude for one to have, expecially when you're talking about the world of creative works. Nobody owes you posts. Nobody. Don't care how good you think your piece is: nobody owes you posts.
     
    But this entry is not me whining about entitlement complexes! No. It is about the other component I could go on and on about. It is about math, you see. Simple math. You see, there's a lot of people who feel they're neglected. I've seen like a gazillion blog entries and opening posts and replies about it. A gazillion is only a slight exaggeration. These then attract more people to commiserate about their perceived neglect. People love getting together to talk about these things. It's amazing.
     
    This is where the most remarkable element comes in. You see, people are more than happy tp spend their time and energy telling their stories of how they got, like, no posts at all. Absolutely eager to do it. And people are just as eager to reply to that. It's a tragic misdirection of time, energy, and words, though. You see, if folks took half of the effort they'd normally spend talking about their neglect and instead invested that in some nice reviews for other folks? Happier times for everyone, ahoy.
     
    You gotta give, too. Standing with your hands out and coughing 'ahem' won't do you a whole lot of good. It's not going to get you a lot of posts and it won't get you the best reputation. And, yes, reputation factors in. Not in the 'oh no popularityyyyy' way: in the 'y'know, I hear this guy really isn't all that nice' way. The way that matters worlds more than you might think. I've said it before and I won't stop saying it: the BZP populace is way smarter than it's given credit for. They're not inclined to give attention to those who insult them. There's folks who could stand a quick check in their own rear-view mirrors before asking why they never seem to get replies.
     
    And don't post solely in 'the topics of people who look like they could take building/art (way) too seriously', for crying out loud. You really don't want to get me started on that approach. Review whatever you like (obligatory revival rules reference). Everyone likes a nice, helpful post. Just remember that you need to actually plant something before anything's gonna grow for you.
  16. Tufi Piyufi

    Nudge, Nudge

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    So what I'm gonna do here is I'm gonna invite a guest writer. Well, okay, technically I'm just copy/pasting, rather than inviting. And it's probably not written by one particular person, given the nature of its source. And oh, what a source.
     
    Guest writer go:
     

    Second thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna look at Bionicle most meaningfully. And I have to tell people I don't give the slightest about the story. Ever.
  17. Tufi Piyufi

    A Communique

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    To my dearest Brickfair-attending minions:
     
    Even now, a comrade of yours goes without a figure of Our Patron Saint that he is owed. I should not have to tell you what a frightful state this is. Fortunately, he who owes your comrade Our Patron Saint will also be attending Brickfair. Serendipitous!
     
    I will not tell you what to do, but I will simply let your senses of justice guide you. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, but do everything I would.
     
    Kittyhugs,
     
    Tufi
  18. Tufi Piyufi

    Hee Hee

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    It is getting beeeeeeetter...
     
    You doubt me. You doubt me! But not even the whining over #50 can get me down right now. Oh no.
     
    Sunshine and kitties, folks. Sunshine and kitties.
  20. Tufi Piyufi

    Hey, Hating-people

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    Hey. People who hate me. Yes, I know who you are. I've read the posts. No, no, not the ones here. The ones on all those elsewheres. Yeah. Those very public ones. So help me, sometimes I get bored and I scavenge for things to fuel my reading addiction.
     
    I know you hate me. I know who you are. I know just how you feel about me. And I don't care.
     
    If I was worried about hurting people's opinions of me by helping to maintain a forum, I'd have quit years ago. Fact is, it's totally worth having the infractees hate me if it means the general populace can let out their breath and go 'thank god that was taken care of'. You might go 'well, where are those people then, heh heh'. They're all around. They're quiet. It's in their nature. Moderates everywhere, of every kind, are quiet. Extremists are the loud, noticeable ones. The extremists take the silence for agreement. The moderates know better, but, for reasons constantly debated and hypothesized, don't speak up.
     
    Fact is, the people who hate me are people I never liked in the first place. Amazing how the universe sorts all that out.
     
    So, moderates. You know who you are. Don't let yourselves get dragged down. If someone claims to speak for you, you shut them right down. You're logical, reasonable people. You don't have to stand for this. You just gotta take that first step. Once you get moving, believe me, the rest comes naturally.
  21. Tufi Piyufi

    Thirteen

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    Been meaning to see that for a while now, actually. Anyhow.
     
    So there's this hullabaloo about the summertime canister-class sets being $12.99 USD. Outrage, 'how can they dare to charge that much', and so forth. All of a sudden, it is now a massive strain to buy the sets. The world is crumbling and things like that.
     
    Meanwhile, there is Canada, as of 2006.
     
    Hey. Guys. We've been taking the thirteen-dollars-plus-tax hits for quite some time now. We're still taking them (I think: no idea if Lego's gonna use this as an excuse to try to slip us the $14.99 gutpunch again). We've been dealing with $12.99 even as the value of the dollar justified it less and less and less. 2008 drew near, the loonie was looking spectacular, and oh look, $12.99.
     
    So to the Americans just now joining the $13 Club: it's all been done. This isn't new or unique in any way. Just sit back and 'enjoy' the Canadian experience. Or join with us. Gods know we could use the extra weight on our side.
  22. Tufi Piyufi

    On Point Resolve

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    I, Latufia Lunda Othella Piyufi, do hereby resolve for the year of Two Thousand and Eight:

    To use fewer ellipses. Variety in punctuation is always fun.

    To continue never bumping any blog entries. I will accept whatever attention an entry gets and live with it.

    To not host a freebuild contest. That's the last thing we need right now. It would take, at the very least, three other admins and maybe a Global or two to make me host one. It's not happening. Don't even bother suggesting one.

    To post more things. Seriously, my backlog for all manner of things is huge. This isn't even counting the stuff I want to do. All this is before considering that I will likely do other new things in the future. These three categories combined make for a lot of things. Ye gods.

    To review more stuff. Sometimes things just have to be said.

    To continue to stress the importance of anatomies and understanding how things work in real life. Before you get a style of your own, you gotta know the basics. Know how men, women, children, mammals, insects, houses, boats, landscapes, lighting, and all those other things are put together. You do not do yourself any favours by saying 'screw that' and uttering the ancient cry of 'it's how I do things, not all things have to be exactly like real life, geez stop stifling me'. Learn how the real-world things work and come together. Practice, practice, practice. Then, once you are confident, do you make your changes. But just building/drawing the symbol? That's laziness, folks. There's no excuse.

    To not get so depressed by the 'mockery of noobs' culture. There are people better than this out there. You know that, Jen. You know some of them. They are a lovely, intelligent, pleasant sort of people. They're quiet, is all. These people exist. Hope is not lost. Chin up and go kill some sigs or something.

    To actually post blog entries every so often. And cheery ones at that. Seriously, what is this entry? It almost sounds like I'm capable of brooding! That just ain't right. I'm'a thinking I need something Willis, pronto.
  23. Tufi Piyufi

    Oh, Makaru

    By Tufi Piyufi,

    (No, not dead. Just metaphorically narcoleptic.)
     
    I do hope you enjoy that sig and avatar. I know I do. That's why I made it. And you had to love it too, didn't you? That's fine. I won't be parting with this fine Willis work for a while, so you've got plenty of time to enjoy it for yourself. Don't get too attached, though: remember you are but a borrower.
     
    Which is why that sig is wired to explode should you refuse to relinquish it when the time comes. Actually, no. It's the avatar. I've had to fiddle around with that sig too much to get the wiring hooked up. I was all 'finally, triumph' when the text didn't look atrocious.
     
    Though I suppose you change sigs often enough that this won't be a problem. And I guess it wouldn't be too scandalous if we had the same banner. Still. Just in case of something else...
  24. Tufi Piyufi
    So, about #47's state and it being cancelled and all that.
     
    #47 was, and there is no nicer word for it, a mess. There were many critical questions that almost nobody could answer, not even the assistants. They know that it's not their call to decide such crucial aspects of a theme like that. The only one who could answer them was the host, Roa. Roa, however, was nowhere to be found. There was nothing that the contest staff who were here could do. So, the entry period ticked on by, many people not even knowing the things they needed to know to start building.
     
    Ending it like this was far from my first choice. I haven't exactly been raised to throw in the towel easily. Make no mistake: it manifests itself as a fault more often than not. It very nearly did here. My first plan was to wait for a week or so, then cancel the current version and start up a new version with myself as host. After discussion with others, this plan changed. First, the waiting period grew shorter. Then, it became clear: the original was just too much of a mess. The confusion of the previous version would carry over to the repost, no doubt. Distance between the two is not a question, it is a necessity. It was then that I could say to myself 'if it really comes down to it, no, there won't be polls labelled for a contest #47'.
     
    Here we are now. No, there won't ever be polls labelled for a BBC contest #47.
     
    So for those of you blaming this on all BBC contest staff having less-than-perfect attendance, hey: you may as well keep thinking that. Doesn't make you right.
  25. Tufi Piyufi
    Uhhuh.
     
    Sure, there may have been some snags. Like that accursed phone still not wanting to stay put in a hand no matter what. So, it's now just an inconvenience that Tufi has learned to deal with. And maybe 'photographer's fatigue'. And 'image editor's fatigue'. And 'no no no I am sick of typing whyyyyy'-itis.
     
    But! It is up. And on Festivus, no less.
     
    Have a good one, folks.
×
×
  • Create New...