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Lyichir

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Blog Entries posted by Lyichir

  1. Lyichir

    Bronies

    By Lyichir,

    I get that some bronies are awful people. I get that they have a pretty loud voice.
     
    What I don't get is the amount of hate bronies get AS A GROUP for the sins of a few. To the right wing they're a symptom of the waning masculinity of society. To the social justice types they're misogynistic brutes who took one of the best modern feminist cartoons and turned it into their sex object, all while adopting a persecution complex that belittles the struggles of actual oppressed groups.
     
    Do you know what opinion I don't see often? That they are a large and diverse periphery demographic of a well-made cartoon, among them both bad people and good people.
     
    And it's entirely possible to mostly avoid the bad ones. Mainstream communities in the fandom like Equestria Daily generally do their best to keep things family-friendly. Local meetup groups can set rules to keep their meetups friendly, whether it's by limiting themselves to PG discourse or by limiting their exposure to the younger target audience. Cons are, from my experience, mostly positive experiences where, while you might run into more unsavory folks (as you might at any large gathering or convention), largely keep their tone welcoming and supportive and maintain a positive atmosphere. And most communities do plenty of good, whether it's by inspiring creativity among its members, supporting charities, or just going to the people who bring them the show and letting them know how much they're appreciated.
     
    Seriously, stereotyping is bad. Every time you call bronies as a group "neckbeards" or "perverts" or what have you, you're facilitating a persistent and broad stereotype that affects both the good fans and the bad ones. As an exercise, think about a group or subculture that you yourself are a part of, be it animé fans, gamers, sports fans, or even Lego fans. Now isolate the worst aspects you've seen in a member or members of that group (be it misogyny, cultural appropriation, perversion, rudeness, whatever), and see what it's like to label yourself as that. It's not nice, is it?
     
    One last note to address a common complaint I see: that the good people in the fandom are themselves guilty for associating with the bad ones. This is a false argument. Again, let's relate things to another fandom, that being the Lego fandom. I've seen plenty of misogyny and other bigotry within this fandom through my time on Eurobricks, Brickset, and even BZPower. But I'm not about to quit using those sites (or calling myself an AFOL) because of that. If I did, not only would I be missing out on a lot of the most relevant news and discussion to my interest in Lego, but by divorcing myself from the group, the group would itself become worse due to losing one more voice of reason who's willing to argue with its worst members. Rare is the group or subculture that maintains acceptable attitudes in all its members, but if you isolate yourself from any group that has one or more less-than-perfect members you're going to find yourself awfully lonely. By remaining there to combat regressive attitudes, you can make your part of the world a brighter place.
  2. Lyichir

    Job Woes

    By Lyichir,

    Another year, another opening for a set design position at Lego. You'd think that'd be good news for someone like me whose life goal is to have such a career. It's not.
     
    Let's start at the beginning. In High School when I had to finally decide what I'd do with my life (and after failing an architectural drawing class hard, and giving up on studying to be an architect), I realized that my childhood dream of working for Lego wasn't actually all that unrealistic. Through BZPower and other Lego fansites, I met actual people who worked for the company, and they loved it. And I read all sorts of news on the internet about what a great company Lego is to work for. Of course, my interests had changed since I was a kid. Back then, when I was asked what job I wanted, it was to be a Master Model Builder at Legoland. But my building preferences have never favored large-scale models or sculptures—I liked the sets. I liked minifigures. I liked the idea of actually being able to walk into a toy store, and look at a product on a shelf, and be able to say "I made that". So I decided I'd like to be a set designer, and to my guidance counselor, that meant getting a degree in industrial design.
     
    So I looked at some design schools, but as I approached the end of my time in high school it became apparent to me how much my Aspergers Syndrome and Non-verbal Learning Disorder affected my ability to learn and function in school. So I ended up going to Landmark College, a school specifically for students with learning disabilities. And I loved it. They didn't have a design program, but since it was a two-year school I figured that I could get my associate's degree there and then transfer to a design school. When it came time to find a school to transfer to, I looked at a number of options, but so many of the schools seemed so competitive and their programs seemed to ask the world of students. My transfer services associate at Landmark recommended Wentworth Institute of Technology, a school that had an impressive program for getting design students internships in the field.
     
    It turns out, Wentworth was a hellhole. I spent a year there and it was the worst year of my life. I went from being a bright student who was constantly encouraged by my professors to being a talentless hack who couldn't manage to complete even the simplest assignment. And it wasn't for lack of trying—but Wentworth turned out to have zero tolerance for anything short of perfection, and no useful options for a student who needed clear instructions and step-by-step assistance. I withdrew from Wentworth, and went home to see if I could earn a position at Lego through job experience, rather than through education.
     
    It's been a year since then, and I've been stymied at every level. Trying to get a design job? Good luck, if you don't have education or a portfolio. Trying to get a retail job with Lego, and work my way up through the company. Good luck, for someone who can't drive (and maybe never will, since I have a crippling fear of being behind the wheel) and has no retail experience. Trying to get retail experience? Good luck in this market, where there are always more experienced people out of work and looking for the same job. My only work experience was interning at the newspaper (a business my family runs), as a copy-editor, and copy-editing doesn't offer a lot of transferrable skills (and is a dying trade to boot). I've since diversified that to interning for the radio (also part of the newspaper), handing out freebies to listeners. For the past month I was working an unpaid internship with a local toymaker, hoping that could be seen as an advantage if I apply for a design position at Lego again. But I scarcely got to do any design work, and while he was impressed with my skills and knowledge (the first person to recognize such things in me for some time), I don't think I was furthering my future at all by working there.
     
    So I quit, at least temporarily, to try to work on a portfolio to submit to Lego next time there's an opening. And now there is. But just like last year (when I lost my chance at a job with Lego after the first email back from them), I have no portfolio and don't know the first thing about making one. My counselor instructed me to look at ones online, but all I've found there are amazing portfolios that I have neither the skill nor the content to make.
     
    If not for the total lack of other options, I'd be just about ready to give up my dream of working for Lego entirely. After all, no matter how many people say I'm talented or knowledgable about Lego, my experience in the fan community constantly reminds me that there are hundreds of people who are both more talented and more knowledgable than me, most of whom don't work for the company either. I'm an intensely uncompetitive person who wants to apply for one of the most competitive jobs in the world. And I'm just about at my breaking point. I can't tolerate much more disappointment, or one more "no" from a prospective employer. Not with the family paper going bankrupt and my annoying little brother almost done with high school (he'll have a job before I do, at this rate, and then any hope of ever getting respect from him goes out the window). I don't know where I can go from here.
  4. Lyichir
    So, I was thinking about writing another, longer, slightly-more-serious Lego Movie fanfiction (after my Comedies Contest entry from earlier this year). And I was bored, and all of a sudden I found that I'd written about two pages worth. Thought I'd post it here to see what people think of it and get a second opinion on whether I should keep going with it. It's tentatively titled "The Courting of Princess Unikitty".
     
     
     
     
    So, what does everyone think? Continue Y/N?
  5. Lyichir
    While I was a fan of Bionicle for its entire lifespan, I was often disappointed by its video games. There was obviously one exception—the original Mata Nui Online Game, which I feel was the best tool Lego ever used for establishing a world for a new line of sets. Later settings lacked any such vehicle for immersive world-building, and I think they suffered for it.
     
    If I could program in Flash (or anything else, for that matter), I'd love to create a "Metru Nui Online Game" based on the original MNOG. My concept for such a game would involve a Matoran (possibly Jaller, who had previously investigated the Toa Tuyet killings) being asked by Toa Lhikan to investigate the ongoing disappearances of the Toa Mangai. Such a story would allow for the exploration of Metru Nui, and a darker, more noir take on the MNOG formula (imagine if during the battles in which Takua was introduced to the Toa Mata in the MNOG, the Toa LOST and Takua could do nothing but watch). The climax would involve the discovery that Turaga Dume was behind the killings, and your character having to steal the Toa Stones so that Toa Lhikan could use them to train a new team of Toa to save the city.
     
    Obviously such a game couldn't have a completely happy ending; to maintain a semblance of canon and explain your heroic Matoran's absence in the main story they would have to be captured after delivering the Toa Stones. That's the other reason Jaller would be an ideal character in my opinion—it'd allow for a bittersweet epilogue, with his mask possibly being damaged over the course of his adventure and the epilogue being his awakening on Mata Nui (on the same beach the original MNOG started and ended on), and receiving Lhikan's mask from Turaga Vakama.
     
    Again, though, no matter how much I conceptualize, this is just another of those ideas I'll likely never be able to bring to fruition. I just don't have the skills necessary to make this dream a reality.
  6. Lyichir

    CHEAP PLASTIC

    By Lyichir,

    I really need to learn to avoid any and all discussions of Lego part quality. The amount of misinformation in them tends to make my blood boil. Like the idea that the plastic formulation in Bionicle parts ever changed across its ten-year lifespan (excepting the introduction of new materials like the rubbery plastic tubing of 2007 onward), or the notion that Chinese production is inherently inferior (and cannot be made better or more reliable). I just read an interesting article about Lego setting a target date for transitioning off of ABS as its primary material, which is a considerable challenge but an admirable one in terms of sustainability and a fascinating notion as it relates to materials science. Yet I'm already dreading the furor that is sure to erupt in Lego communities regarding this news, which is sure to only get worse with each passing year.
  7. Lyichir
    This Saturday I am holding a BZPower Lego Movie Meetup at Potomac Mills mall in Northern Virginia! If you can make it and are keen on seeing The Lego Movie with a bunch of other cool dudes, you should totally come!
  8. Lyichir

    Daaaaaaang

    By Lyichir,

    Sumiki was 10 back when the Piraka Stronghold was released? Geez. It makes me realize that my mental image of the staff generally makes them out to be older than me (probably in part from having been on the site when I was young enough for the staff to have genuinely been older than me).
     
    Still.
  9. Lyichir
    It looks like it'll be funny, heartwarming, and spectacular looking, while paying homage to the Lego experience.
    The sets are fantastic and really capture the spirit of Lego creative play.
    It seems that it could generate more interest in Lego among the non-FOL population.
    My upcoming meetup will give me a chance to see some of my BZP peeps without having to wait six more months for Brickfair VA.
    And finally, it seems like other Lego fans will love it too. Not in the cult "there will never be anything better" sense that some people still cling to Bionicle with. Not in the "ha, ha, I like this ironically" sense that some people treat the Hero Factory or Ninjago or Chima or even the once loved Bionicle media with. Not in the "oh well, I guess the kids will like it" sense that the jaded AFOL community tends to view more whimsical themes with. And I certainly don't see the "Lego is doing everything wrong" perspective that I can't seem to escape whether I'm on BZP or Eurobricks, talking about sets or story, coming from revolutionary progressives who feel Lego isn't doing enough or from sexists or racists or otherwise backwards old geezers who feel Lego is doing too much. From what I see, the Lego fandom seems to largely be coming together in genuine, heartfelt appreciation for what this movie's shaping up to be. I'm sure once it's over BZP and Eurobricks and Tumblr will find things to complain about what it did or didn't do, but for now discussion of the movie is one of the few aspects of Lego discussion that doesn't tend to end in arguments or end up written off entirely by all but a select devoted fanbase. And I appreciate that.

  10. Lyichir
    I just wanted to take a moment to show my appreciation for the posts of my twin brother.
     
    To some people, he's known as a color master. To some, he's a MOCist. But to a lot of people, he's the guy who makes really long posts.
     
    He does this for a reason. Both of us have Aspergers Syndrome. Both of us have struggled with communication all our lives. Not in terms of actually being able to communicate; we were both speaking and reading at an early age, unlike some people we've met with more severe Autism Spectrum Disorders. But we had difficulty with social communication: things like how to tailor your communication to an audience, how to fill someone in on a topic they knew nothing about, or how to avoid any chance of a slip-up or misunderstanding that could come back to bite us in the future.
     
    The internet provides us with an environment in which we have all the time in the world to formulate our thoughts. And formulate he does. Those long posts he makes aren't that long because he wants to nag at you endlessly or because he can't articulate himself clearly. Rather, it's the opposite: he wants to make his position clear in no uncertain terms, to eliminate any chance of misunderstanding, and to make sure he hasn't omitted any fragment of his point of view.
     
    So yeah, he may sometimes seem like he's belaboring a point or commandeering a conversation. But what he's trying to do is articulate his unique point of view as best he can, and sure enough, he's the most articulate person I know. Love ya bro.
     
    Source: Hero Factory = lame!
  11. Lyichir
    I'll make a confession. I have pretty much ignored the comedies subforum for years now. Checking it regularly was one of the casualties of the Great Downtime, since so many of the great comedic minds of BZPower moved on from the site, and what was left (in my eyes) was a wasteland of long-form Bionicle parodies (which I had had my fill of, like I had with Bionicle in general) and stories about flanderized Bionicle characters in decidedly non-Bionicle situations (The Toa Try To Run an Establishment of the Author's Choice, etc.).
     
    I guess I thought it the subforum would survive whether or not I checked it, as it had before I discovered BZP comedies in the first place. Plenty of other subforums do, after all. I've never had any interest in RPGs, for instance, but the RPG subforum remains one of the most active parts of BZP. But now that I've written a comedy of my own (gasp!), I can see that that wasn't really the case. Not only has my Caveat Scriptor entry gone without comments, but in the course of keeping track of it I couldn't help but notice that not much else is happening in that subforum, either. I hope more people contribute to the ongoing contest, because currently the forum seems to be the deadest part of BZP.
  14. Lyichir

    1,000 posts

    By Lyichir,

    So a week or so ago I noticed that I was coming up on 1,000 posts. I resolved to pay attention so I could make that 1,000th post count for something.
     
    Today I checked back and my post count was 1,007. Whoops.
     
    Anyway, you'd think I'd have more posts than that given how long I've been here, but I'm far from the most active member. It doesn't help that I have a twin brother who shares many of my views and is generally better at conveying them through his posts.
     
    At least he's working on an avatar for me, considering I've gone without one since the Great Dataclysm. That might help me to finally establish my own identity on here.
  15. Lyichir

    Politics

    By Lyichir,

    Guys guys guys.
     
    I just wanted to say I'm generally proud of what's been going on in the blogs lately.
     
    People have been making entries (at least partially) about politics. And the staff has, from what I've seen, been VERY lenient about letting them live so long as they stay civil. And for the most part, they have.
     
    That said, there are some things I'd like to talk about.
     
    Most of us know what happened in Texas. A lot of (generally agreed upon to be) bad stuff went on. Remember that that was in response to (generally agreed upon to be good) stuff happened there too. Remember that both sides of the debate there have Texans arguing them, so even if the guys in charge act like cool dudes sometimes, I don't think the people who stood there for 15 hours would like you slandering their state after they tried their very hardest to change the status quo there for the better.
     
    Also, I've seen some off-site mumblings with people complaining about the staff. And I think that's not that cool. The staff have been awesome lately at letting members express themselves (particularly here in the blogs) and only step in when things start to get vitriolic. Five or six years ago I don't think I'd have seen this sort of open discussion about gender politics or gender identity here. That's not to say the staff did the wrong thing back then. But we've matured as a userbase, and I think B6 has been generally awesome at letting us explore the boundaries of where the politics rule needs/doesn't need to be enforced. So don't be hatin'.
     
    But in general, y'all keep doing how you're doing. That's part of what keeps me coming back to this section of BZPower.
  16. Lyichir

    BrickFair or Bronycon?

    By Lyichir,

    They're both happening the same weekend next year, and for once Bronycon is within a reasonable distance of my home in Virginia.
     
    I'm definitely going to BrickFair (as I have for every year since its inception), but it'll be a shame to miss out on Bronycon when it shows up on my doorstep.
     
    Part of me wonders if it would be feasible to visit Bronycon just for one day, probably Saturday during the public hours. Any other Bronies going to be at BrickFair? Perhaps together we could come up with some sort of plan?
  17. Lyichir
    Okay, I'm back to being Lyichir. And a good thing, too, since I was a bit worried the few people who recognized me before might have stopped recognizing me.
     
    This time just Lyichir, full stop. It's briefer and doesn't prompt questions of what a Rachira is supposed to be. Plus it helps to standardize my usernames across LEGO fansites. Speaking of which, can you do name changes on Cuusoo? I don't remember why I signed up for that using my abandoned Yahoo username, but I regret it. Gotta maintain a web-identity, y'know?
     
    Of course, my lack of an avatar certainly doesn't help me to establish a web-identity. Aanch, if you're reading this, would you make me a sigfig like the one in your avatar? Pretty please?
  18. Lyichir

    Ortographobia

    By Lyichir,

    I am now Ortographobia, or the fear of spelling mistakes. I thought it'd be fitting since I work as a copy editor half the week.
     
    So, I want all of you to do your very best to spell correctly in the next 45 days. I'll be trying my hardest not to freak out at every mistake you end up making anyway.
     
    Wait...
     
    This is the internet.
     
    What have I gotten myself into?
     
    OH GOD THEY'RE EVEYWHERE.
  19. Lyichir

    Name Change?

    By Lyichir,

    I'm considering changing my name to a phobia like the staff. But is it too late to jump on the bandwagon? I've been mulling over a name change for some time; so after 45 days of a phobia name you'd probably just see me as Lyichir. That'd help keep people from wondering what a Rachira is, and keep me from having to direct them to the aborted epic that is an old shame of mine.
     
    So, name change. Yes or no?
  20. Lyichir

    Ponies A Meme?

    By Lyichir,

    It seems that as soon as Takuma Nuva changed his name to Equinophobia and declared a fear of ponies, all the anti-bronies have been coming out of the woodwork. I'm not blaming Takuma for this, as his comments have been hilarious. What isn't is the proliferation of members replying with "This. I've been waiting for this meme to die" and other such comments.
     
    It does the fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic a disservice to dismiss the entire thing as a meme. Does it have memetic aspects? Yes. Has it spawned memes? Yes. Do some "fans" treat it solely as such? Yes again.
     
    But there's aspects of this show that defy the bounds of traditional memes. There is no thriving community for fans of Chuck Norris jokes. There's very few artists who specialize in Nyan Cat models. Like it or not, My Little Pony is more than a meme. It's a fandom, built around a series that continues to entertain with smart humor, detailed art, and colorful characters and stories. And as fandoms go, it tends to be one of the most welcoming and positive I've seen anywhere on the web. So keep on waiting if you expect it to run its course like most memes do. The MLP fandom is here to stay.
  22. Lyichir
    I don't mind the new forum layout.
     
    I don't mind, and in fact encourage the site shifting focus.
     
    I do mind when members make a passive-aggressive blog entry, and then lock it so that the targeted members can't even defend themselves. I mean really, who DOES that?
     
    I mean, seriously. My brother and I loved BIONICLE, but we were okay with it ending. We do, however, take offense to people blaming LEGO for what was, in essence, a wise business decision. We don't like when people stereotype people who don't want BIONICLE back as pretentious members who view all those who want BIONICLE back as newbs. I mean, that's just rude.
     
    Not saying that's what all of them think. But members who continue to dwell on the past, and won't consider some of LEGO's newer offerings, bring an overall feeling of negativity to the site.
     
    Overall, members such as these continue to paint the false picture that BIONICLE fans who don't want the theme back are somehow traitors to the cause, and are thwarting their revival efforts. Or that those who don't want the theme back shouldn't voice their opinions why, or critique theme revival proposals that address the wrong issues or don't have a chance of success.
     
    Me? I think BIONICLE had a good run, but LEGO shouldn't dwell in the past. They've continued to make great themes like Ninjago, Alien Conquest, Hero Factory, Atlantis, and more since BIONICLE's end. And they've learned that both themes with lighter stories and those with heavier stories can both be successful. For every theme like Ninjago, Exo-Force, and BIONICLE, there are themes with less complex stories like Power Miners, Space Police, or Hero Factory. And I, for one, am really okay with that.
     
    (I'm going to leave this entry open to comments, so I don't come across as completely hypocritical.)
  24. Lyichir

    A Sad Day For Bionicle

    By Lyichir,

    I'm confused and ashamed by BS01's choice to submit large swaths of fan-created ideas to Greg to be made canon. I understand that Bionicle has had user-generated content before in the form of canonized MOcs and stories, but these were included in moderation and after being properly judged. Yet now BZPower and Biosector01 have decided that they are important enough to decide whatever they like about the Bionicle story. These changes did not need to be made, and Bionicle is the worse for them.
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