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Bryster Shan, Snoots Dwagon and One Elefuntay
(right click for larger photo)
TINIES for BIGGIES
You ever wonder what a tiny is? What about a Dinkie or a Wee? Here's what.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Tiny, Dinkie, Wee and Teenies are terms used for small avatars in virtual worlds, usually thigh-high or smaller.
Tinies were originally invented by Wynx Whiplash and Kage Seraph. Since that time, many other creators have emerged on the scene.
Tinies are made from distorting normal avatars (bending arms and legs at 180 degrees, folding the body upon itself) and covering the result with prims.
A typical concept of tinies is "cute overload"... the cuter, the better. Their primary disadvantage is that because of their special shape and size they can't use most normal animations and furniture. The fix: there is a ton of tiny-specific items created by tiny builders and merchants. Several tons.
Dinkies came later when creator Etheria Parrott figured out a way to mesh-shrink bodies smaller than normal. In general Dinkies are a bit smaller than Tinies. The advantage of Dinkies is that they can use most animations and furniture intended for full-size avatars, items that tinies can't use. The downside is they aren't compatible with the huge available assortment of tiny-animated gear. These days many items are being created to automatically adapt to tinies and dinkies both.
Wees refers to all classifications of tiny avatars, including Tinies, Dinkies, Dwagons, Ferrets, Mechs, Bladencats and other genres of small avs. Wees as a term was created on the (now defunct) Inworldz platform, since Tinies as a term generally refers to the Wynx-concept "distorted and bent" version of small avatars. Wees include everything small. But the term Tinies has been long used to refer to all small avatars, no matter how they are formed, so the terms are largely interchangable. Wynx is very generous about letting the term "tinies" be widely adopted to include all smalls. ("Who you callin' small? Someone lookin' for a anklebite!")
Teenies and Micros refers to very small avatars such as pixies, mice and other avatars that are so very small they can be difficult to see without zooming in on them.
TYPES OF TINIES
There are many different kinds of tinies. While tinies usually have fur or scales and are typically animal in nature, there are other forms such as fantasy creatures (dwagons, orkies, hatchies, elementals and more) as well as sci-fi tinies (mechs, blobs, whatever various form). There are even tiny ROCK avatars.
Some avatars are available in multiple types. For example, Dwagons started out as Tinies, but then an officially-licensed Dinkie version was produced. Both versions of Dwagon are still available.
Tines can range from baby animals (hippos, dragons, rhinos and other creatures that when full grown are definitely not tiny) to full grown critters (rabbits, mice, rats, possums, dogs, cats, ferrets, porcupines and more). You name it... there's probably a related "tiny".
WYNX TINIES are the originals. Kudos to Wynx Whiplash and Kage Seraph for creating an entire genre! Tinies are widely available on Second Life and some other grids in a large variety of species.
DWAGONS were created by Snoots Dwagon. Baby dragons, immortal and nearly impervious to physical damage (and thus fearless), Dwagons play in fire, ignore weather and temperature, and love cookies. You can read a few Dwagon stories here on this blogsite (all of them are "true stories"). A Dwagon MegaHUD is available that performs all kinds of gestures and sounds and allows changing of textures and colors automatically. Dwagons are available on Second Life at Cathedral Market, Tiny Inc., or by contacting Eren Padar. Dwagons are also available on Kitely grid and Kitely Market under the creator name Snoots Dwagon.
DINKIES (discussed prior) are a new breed created by Etheria Parrott. Dinkies are tiny-size but move like biggies; they don't require body distortion.
TEENIES are even smaller than tinies or dinkies and are often used for pixie and faerie avatars. Although they're small, Teenies are usually not really "tinies" in nature... but can be if the user so desires. Teenies tend to not have the tiny "attitude"... unless of course they have pixie attitude, which challenges tinies on the unpredictable scale. (Note: not all pixies are teenies; some are simply normal avatars reduced to smallest possible size. Teenies are usually about 1 to 1.5 ft tall.)
WHY TINIES?
Look at the world around us. Consider the crime, violence, wars, bigotry, injustice, sickness, old age, death and numerous other problems. Then consider a world in which everyone is friendly, ageless, happy and on the perpetual prowl for food and fun. There are no "grown ups". Drama and attitude simply have no place-- and being nutz is a good thing. That's "why tinies". :)
Not that tinies don't have attitude. BOY do they have attitude. But it's the fun kind. Tinies are perfect, you know, in every way. And they're smarter than biggies. LOTS smarter. Why? Well for one thing, Tinies don't destroy the planet on which they live.
One thing I like about tinies: they tend to forgive and forget. Even when someone gets out of sorts (which happens with everyone time to time), soon it's just one big fambly again. That is just so very nice. Wishes everbody was tinies.
TINIES AND CLOTHING
It is totally ok for a tiny to go "nakee". Tinies sometimes "streak" biggie places with no one realizing they're doing so. It is not unusual to see a tiny at a party squeek out "I nakee!"-- and someone else respond "Me too!".
But most tinies prefer to wear clothing. Wearing any clothing at all means a tiny is not "nakee". If a tiny is wearing a hat, a tie, shoes or gloves (even if one glove)... they are not "nakee". Can't be nakee if wearing clothes, right?
Some tinies go all out, wearing all manner of clothing and even hair, eyelashes, lipstick and bling. It's totally according to the taste of the user. All types of clothing are acceptable.
TINIES LUV FOOD
You get tinies chatting for very long at all (more than one minute, often less), and soon food will be mentioned.
WAFFLES top the list. No one knows why it is that tinies glommed on to waffles, but they is nahm nahm nahm.
COOKIES come in a close second, just above pie, ice cream and cake. Actually, some tinies like pie better than cookies, but it's hard to carry pie in pockets.
Then comes pancakes, french toast, pizza, lasagna... and just food in general.
Oddly enough, while it would seem tinies would just love candy... candy doesn't make for round tiny tummies. The one exception of course, is CHOCOLATE. To a tiny, chocolate is like the holy grail. The sight of it puts them in temporary "deer in the headlights" stupor as they contemplate how great and wunnerful chocolate is. In truth, chocolate rates even above waffles, but again, it doesn't make for full tiny tummies. It's a treat, tinies know it, and they prefer to indulge in private when no one is watching... mainly because pulling out chocolate in public is a guaranteed instant fur-pile.
PLAYING IN FOOD
If it's a chocolate fountain, all bets are off and diving head-first is totally acceptable behavior. Hot chocolate is warm on da hiney butt and sitting on a chocolate cake, while not exactly appropriate behavior, is totally understandable. Same goes for warm pizza, hot brownies from the oven and freshly baked pie. Sitting before eating is totally normal. (After all, tinies is very clean). Besides, it often assures that biggies will gives us da WHOLE pie for ourselves.
It is rumored this practice of "food sitting" was started by Dwagons, but they claim there is no proof of this. Photos can be edited and so do not provide absolute proof. Hineybutt prints are not traceable.
TINY TALK and DWAGON SPEAK
Many people are of the impression that tinies talk "baby talk"... a misconception. In truth, tinies make effort to not talk in baby speech. Many tinies speak in totally normal grammar. Other tinies speak in "tiny talk" or "dwagon speak".
Tiny talk and dwagon speak are closely related and over time have largely intermixed (tinies tend to imitate one another). Tiny talk minimalizes words and grammar. Dwagon speak uses similar choppped english but often replaces "th" with "d" ("da" instead of "the" and "dere" instead of "there"), tends to add "s" to the ends of wordses, has a flavor of "Chicago neighborhood" in sound, and an underlying current of intelligent insanity. Dwagons almost always speaks in dwagon speak; it part of da assumed persona and attitudes.
An example of typical tiny/dwagon speech:
Hey, you goin to da party?
Yup yup yup. It look like fun.
I not be dere. I gotta works. (cwies)
Awwwww...
Awwwww...
Awwwww...
I hear dere is gonna be pie. Is dere pie? I just LUVS pie!
Dere pie. I checked. I eated one.
You eated a pie? How many you leaved?
Elebenty.
Oh, dat lots den.
Yesh.
Dey gots cookies?
No cookies.
Nuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!
I kidding. Dere cookies.
Whew. I thinked someone was NUTZ!
Actual tiny talk is an art form that improves with use. One does not have to speak in tiny talk at all; it's totally a personal choice.
Dwagons claim dwagon speak is a far superior language, and that humans do not speak Dwagon because they don't have two brains like Dwagons do.
GESTURES AND SOUNDS
A typical conversation between tinies includes not only their chopped speech, but also sounds, gestures and animations. Following are examples.
Weeeeeee! (tiny jumps and does a backflip. An expression of fun or excitement.)
Nahm nahm nahm (an expression of something very tasty)
Hoooooo! (yet again a backflip. An expression of great approval or joy.)
Nuuuuuu! (Cry of regret / escape. Reserved for terrbul things.)
Eeeps! (Shock or fear.)
Jazz paws (applauding for good music)
Mwaahahahaa (insane laughter.)
Laughs lotses (tiny lays on back flapping legs and arms in uncontrollable laughter)
At times Tinies have been seen holding entire conversations in multitudinous gestures. Yes, it's actually possible. There are sooo many Tiny gestures and sounds.
TINIES AND SEX
We not gonna discuss dis. Where da cookies?
In truth, tinies think biggies are kind of goofy when it comes to sexual preoccupation. Sex is for making more tinies, and eberbody knows you can make more tinies just by eating chocolate. Is a fact. Take out a bar of chocolate... suddenly dere is lots more tinies!
If a tiny wants to get up on a table and dance nakee... chances are other tinies will join in and so what?
Biggies so proud of two "boobies". Tinies often have six or eight. What da big deal? Silly biggies.
WHAT TINIES LOVE TO DO
It would be easier to point out what tinies DON'T like to do. But here are a few things:
* Drive cars insanely. Vroom vroom.
* Play Pirates. With ships. An cannons. An rums. (or milk, whicheber).
* Fly spaceships. Play astronaut. Play Star Trek. Play Star Wars. You get the idea.
* Sit on anything... especially if it is moving or rotating. (Fan blades are a special favorite).
Note: while fan blades would be potentially dangerous to most people, tinies apparently come with some kind of natural butt glue that attaches to fan blades no matter how fast they turn. So for a tiny... the faster the better.
* Riverdance. Boy, do tinies riverdance. Usually reserved for the end of major events as massive applause.
* Party. Tinies party. The only rule is "there has to be a good reason". "Hey, anyone wanna come dance? Dere waffles!" is considered a good reason. Standing around in a circle for more than 5 minutes is often considered a party... and quite often turns into one.
* Throw pies and toilet paper rolls. Yes, this does happen from time to time. The great thing about pies of course, is the clean-up afterward.
* Ski, race, joust, surf, parachute, play "thoccer", shoot bows and arrows, broadjump... you name it, if it conceivably might be fun, tinies will jump right in with all four paws and claws.
... and much more that would greatly extend the length of this article (and significantly reduce the lifespan of the average human). Tinies have almost limitless energy and a perpetual case of "Oh... dat sound like fun!"
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tinies. The only way to truly understand tinies is to visit tiny areas like Raglan Shire on Second Life, Rascal Flats on DigiWorldz, or Weelandia on DigiWorldz... and see for yourself. Pick up a tiny avatar (one of the free avatars or choose from the multitude of those for sale). It's much more fun that way.
TINY POWER!!!
(riverdances...)
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You can easily locate tinies at these locations (in alphabetical order):
Dinkies at Tiny Inc., RaglanShire, Second Life (the creator of Dinkies)
Dwagons at DragonForge on Cathedral and Weelandia, Second Life
Grendel's Children at Second Life
Rascal Flats or Weelandia at Digiworldz
Wynx Tinies at Extrovirtual on Raglan Shire, Second Life (the original creator of Tinies and the ones that started this snowball)
--o--
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