Saturday, October 29, 2005

Switch me on, turn me up.

Thanks to everyone for your comments on my last post. They are very much appreciated. Comments like that really put things in perspective. I also had a long chat with Tony for the first time in ages today and I really enjoyed that. It reminded me why I introduced him to OB in the first place and why we can still chat about anything after all this time. As you can see, I have once again changed my intro image. This time, it's Aeon Flux. I was never a huge fan of the TV series, although truth be told, I have such vague memories of it now. However, the movie (which doesn't seem to involve Cheung at all), seems like it'll be more of a "movie based on the series" situation. Speaking of the film, it stars Charlize Theron. For the longest time, I really thought she was fairly overrated. When she won that Oscar for Monster? My first (admittedly cynical) reaction was "Here we go again, an actress wins for 'going ugly' by default". I think that was probably part of it, but when I saw the movie I was very impressed with her performance. The make-up helped, but I don't think make-up would have made up for terrible acting. I then saw the documentary "Aileen", about the serial killer who Charlize Theron was portraying in the film. And then I realized that she was actually incredibly close to the real Aileen Wuornos. Pretty incredible stuff. So, the presence of Charlize Theron is now probably one reason to look forward to Aeon Flux. I expect it to be pretty standard sci-fi fare (I will be surprised if it turns out to really wow me), but that's okay, I'm in the mood for that right now. Other than Aeon, there's not a whole lot coming out soon that really interests me, off the top of my head. In other news, I now have a new AIM name. It's listed on the left there. I don't even know if I will keep it, but I think it's time for a change. I absolutely loathe my old name; I really only kept it for convenience. Over the next few days I'll notify some people and switch things over. If you want to add it, that's up to you. If you do, feel free to say hello. Solo: It's good to know that you visit. I don't think you have to worry about saying something stupid though. ^_^ Tony: I think I just tend to forget that, no, I'm not insane...sometimes people are just bratty and that's all there is to it. It's okay for me to acknowledge that, I guess. I really should stop trying to be so diplomatic and just call a spade a spade. The only thing that frustrates me about the Sciros conversation is that he has this habit of apparently not really reading what other people are saying. It's a bit like he's skimming and responding as fast as possible. Either that, or it's just misinterpretation. Either way, it does kind of make any effort to have a pleasant conversation futile in the end. lol But yeah, it happens. There are people like it everywhere. I think anyone who actually pays attention to what I have to say will understand where I'm coming from. Thanks again for the chat, by the way. We should do that more often. Aaryanna: Sometimes I think that OB fans are like Nintendo fans. They're a spoiled bunch! The more spoiled you are, the more you're willing to complain about smaller and smaller things. So perhaps that's just an indication that we might actually be doing something right. lol I think the problem is that from my point of view, I am swimming upstream. Yes, it's wonderful to have hundreds of thousands of visitors to the network each month. It's great to know that something you've made is enjoyed by many. On the other hand, maintaining high quality among a sea of fourteen year old girls is frankly very difficult. You take one step forward and the current pushes you two steps back. Having said that, it really is a generalization. Our visitors are relatively diverse (as I think the comments on my own site probably show) and things are always changing. Sometimes I think I prefer creating things for groups of people who do not share my taste. It's more challenging and interesting at times. Anyway, thanks for your comment. You're the kind of newer member who really impresses me - I sometimes wonder why "oldies" don't see all of the great new members that I see all the time. They're missing out. Bio: Yeah, I think you are basically right. The whiners are the ones who come and go and at the end of the day, nobody really notices them in the longterm. Things were running just fine before they came and they will run just fine after they leave. Dagger: Bingo. But hey, gossip is supposed to be fun, right? Negativity does well! Sammy: RPGs seem to go in waves, just like the membership at large. Usually it seems as though we get a few stellar RPGs, which everyone else is then inspired by. And that leads to a period of creativity and new ideas. And then things sort of bottom out again. Right now we're definitely in that bottoming-out phase I'd say. There are always some exceptions, just as there are now...but in general it's pretty boring. But then again, I haven't had the appetite for RPGs at all lately in general. So perhaps I'm not very qualified to talk about that. As for the other stuff, I don't know, I really don't believe that things have changed so much. The only thing to have changed is that some members have arrived and some have gone. We still have plenty of deep discussions, they are all over the place. In fact, some complain that we have too many of them. But you see, this exemplifies my overall point. You say that there aren't many deep discussions, others say that we only ever have deep discussions. The sky is blue, the sky is pink. In the end, the reality doesn't even seem to matter - everyone has their own interpretation and opinion. All we can do, really, is ensure that the majority of people are enjoying their experience. And on that score, I'm very comfortable. Alexus: I just wish he wouldn't take conversations so personally. I wasn't even necessarily defending Nintendo, I was just trying to illustrate a difference in approach. But as soon as I do that, I get labeled as some fanboy or something. It just goes to show that he wasn't really paying attention, that's all. Unless I'm speaking another language, I can think of no other explanation for it. lol HC: Yeah, unfortunately I was just too late for Legionnaries. I couldn't think up a character quickly enough! On suck-ups, yeah, I think you are basically right there. But sometimes I question whether some of the actual friends aren't pulling my chain or trying to get something out of me. Mostly, though, I'm not concerned. I'm here to do a job and to enjoy what I do. And that is what must come first. As for the criticism thing...thank you. Your lack of sense is still probably one of the most logical things I've read lately! I'm glad to know that not everyone has been sucked into the vortex. lol Sammy Again: So I'm suckable, am I? I shall remember that. ~_^ Anyhoo, yeah, I think there's definitely a difference between a suck-up and someone who actually admires someone else. I know of people who like or admire me, but who are still themselves and who don't put on some silly facade in front of me. That is what I appreciate. RaR: No, I've never thought of you that way, so don't worry. Basically I feel that everyone desereves a basic level of respect anyway. Even if someone disregards what I say in a discussion on OtakuBoards, I'm not going to hold a grudge - next time 'round, I'm going to talk to them as if nothing had happened at all. I think that's how it should be. I hope that if people respect me, it's at least on that basic level of respecting another person. Other than that, I hope people's respect comes from my achievements versus my actual title/position. The position can always change and is kind of meaningless in some ways...but the enjoyment people may or may not have from something I've made is more significant I think. I hope that is at the forefront of people's minds more than anything else. Does that make sense?

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