PEELies Closing Ceremonies

[on:]

Well, it's that time of the season again, where we must say farewell to the PEELies and wait to see what are behind the doors for next year. Never having spearheaded one of these before, it was quite an interesting process, which required much thought and dedication from several people in order to make this whole shindig work. I'd like to personally thank my fellow council members: Gorky, any1else, Tachyon, Tedward, and Frisco17 for their efforts on and off the (computer) screen. It was a very solid team and the extra effort you guys put in helped to make this PEELie season wonderful. I really appreciate all that you did, and should you partake in another one of these things I know you'll make a fine addition (or leader) of future PEELie councilships

And someone who I cannot express enough gratitude for is UnrealLegend, who stepped up when our metaphorical backs were against the wall and offered to provide the graphics for this year's closing ceremonies. As you are about to see, his ingenuity in this field is unmatched (and may have biased me towards voting for him for Most Creative...)...

Also, of course, thank you to everyone on PEEL who participated in the process, whether by nominating, voting, or helping to make PEEL what it is today. 12 years on this board tells me that this truly is a really special place on the internet that, for many of us, is like home. And this could not exist without PEEL's caretaker, [-mArc-], who despite his busy real-world life still hangs around to lay down the law and allow activities such as this to exist. Thanks for keeping this place up, and also for allowing me to share in this whole experience

Alright, now LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!

[Reply #1 on:]

The "Pft, Tourist!" Award For Best PEEL Newbie

Every message board has them. The n00bs. Those unmistakable creatures that sort of haphazardly stray across exotic areas of the board only to wreak havoc and cause destruction on everything in its path. They irritate the board elders and take every chance they get to insert "YOLO" amidst their refined "postjoring". They'll instantly reply after every reply to theirs until it becomes a sea of "LOL"s and "That's what she said"s enough to drive any seasoned posted ripe with madness.

Fortunately for PEEL, our newbies are nothing like that. This award goes to one special member who registered with us on July 23, 2012. At a modest 1.414 posts per day she sticks around to say what's on her mind, but not clutter up the place while doing so. Her posts have been well-thought out, intriguing, and quite helpful at times. You wouldn't think she had been around only 6 months, and that is why The "Pft, Tourist!" Award For Best PEEL Newbie goes to....



Congratulations AllEggsIn1Basket! Now continue to make us proud to call you one of our own

[Reply #2 on:]

The ThunderCougarFalconBird Award for Best Username

Say my name. You know my name. You don’t know my name. In the name of love. You give love a bad name. I’ve been through the desert on a PEELer with no name. What’s your username? If you say the word ‘name’ enough times you start feeling like you want to maim somebody. So I’ll stop.

I’m here right now to present an award to the person who was voted for by the PEEL community as having the best usermaim. That person is….



Nothing makes you feel more like a man than a ThunderCougarFalconBird coffeeBot.

[Reply #3 on:]

The Langdon Cobb Award for Best Avatar

Avatars play a special role in our existence here. They define who we are. Take SpaceGoldfish fromWazn, for example. No one knows who they really are. Alright maybe that was a bad example. Take me, for example. No really, take me. Right now. Oh I'm still hosting this thing? Darnit let me get things back on track...

Avatars play a special part in who we are. It's the mask from which we write our incredible tales of woe and stories of passion. We learn to match up someone's little icon with their indentity, it's why rarely do any of the longtime regulars change their avatar on a frequent basis. It just becomes...unsettling when it happens.

There is one exception, and that's who this award honors. This member, a known artist around these parts, uses his works to create personalized icons of which he can call his own. It didn't come from any particular episode, it's not some photo of Stephen Hawking he found on the internet (really, that's the best reference you could come up with?). It's unique, and no one else can ever claim the same arrangement of pixels as him (for fear of the lawyerdogs being released). So in recognition of his exceptional talent with his Leela-inspired drawings, I proudly award The Langdon Cobb Award for Best Avatar to...



Congratulations Zed 85! We can't wait to see what your next one looks like!

[Reply #4 on:]

The Zapp Brannigan Award for Sassiest PEELer

What makes a PEELer turn sassy? Lust for POTM? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of sassiness?

We're here to honor PEEL's finest sassmonster. Quick with the one liners and down for the punchlines, this member is known to pack an unstoppable force of sheer hilarity to lighten the mood. This may seem like a frivolous award, but think about it. When was the last time you enjoyed reading a message board as much as this one, enough to and I quote (Nibblonian Leader) "PEEL in the shower"? Disturbing as that thought is, this place really is interesting to read, and helps to unwind ourselves after a long day out harrassing pigeons in the park (you know they're jerks, don't deny it). And it's all because of posters like this one, who's seemingly joking-around witty charm is actually one of the main driving forces of why PEEL has continued its great existence for so long. And for this, we recognize PEEL's sassiest with The Zapp Brannigan Award for Sassiest PEELer....



Well done, DrThunder88! Your efforts around here have not gone unnoticed, and we thank you for being one of the many reasons why this is a fun place to be around

[Reply #5 on:]

The Bender B. Rodriguez Award for Most Devious PEELer

There are a number of sly, crafty, cunning PEELers.  Each have their own subtle, unique ways of achieving their ends without the rest of us quite catching on to what exactly is transpiring, at least until it's too late. "Fiendishly clever", as one anonymous PEELer put it.

it was a pretty tight contest, but at the end one PEELer pulled ahead of the pack, seemingly out of nowhere. Therefore The Bender B. Rodriguez Award for Most Devious PEELer is hereby awarded to...



Way to go, coldangel!  We're watching you, now...

[Reply #6 on:]

The "You Stink, Loser!" Award For Most Intent Gamer Who Never Showers

Remember outside? Running around, chasing your friends and tagging them; not in photos, but in being the one who was ‘it’? Nowadays, we have a type of game played entirely on video. It’s called a “video game”. Some people are really good at these “video games”. They spend 90% of their time playing them. When the zombie apocalypse happens, you’ll be glad to know one of these people. Assuming they know how to take graphic weapons into reality.

There is a group of these very people who grace the halls of PEEL. But only one of them has been chosen by you to be our leader when we come up against any of the potential world's-end scenarios...



Please put on your virtual reality helmet and enter the PEELie dome to congratulate UnrealLegend!

[Reply #7 on:]

The Crazy Green Stripe Award for Least PEELdictable PEELer

Who changes direction more often than the Planet Express Ship with Fry at the helm?  Who leaves you stranded in mental limbo between any two consecutive paragraphs in any given post of theirs, as your brain tries desperately to locate and grasp any common thread of an idea between them?  Whose synapses fire in patterns so random that they can barely be described using chaos theory?

Some people are not content to follow the path of least resistance through spacetime, preferring instead to carom off the walls of life like ball bearings bouncing their way through a pachinko machine. You of PEEL have chosen the most capricious of all, and that's why The Crazy Green Stripe Award for Least PEELdictable PEELer is bestowed upon...



Congratulations, winna!  No, I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what your response to this award will be.

[Reply #8 on:]

The Zinc Saucier Award for Most Cookable PEELer

The only thing I know less about than cooking is Australia, which renders me doubly ill-equipped to present this award--but I shall try my best. After all, this year's winner herself is no stranger to adversity. I can't imagine how many times she has been toiling away in her kitchen, concocting a culinary masterpiece, when she has had to set aside her slicing, stirring, or soufflé-ing to combat the deadly spiders that no doubt hide in her house waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

Picture her there: Grabbing the knife, the wooden spoon, or the cast-iron pan she's been using, and stabbing or smacking or conking-in-the-head the unwelcome eight-legged menace that's so rudely interrupted her. (Now picture her avatar doing it, which is how I'm picturing it; the scene is rendered even more heroic, more inspiring!)

That foe defeated, our chef is now able to return to her true passion: The creation of delectable treats, be they pancakes or burgers or cookies. And to her other passion: Posting pictures of these things--of chocolate-slathered flapjacks, of expertly-garnished patties, of dough-rising desserts--that make us all jealous. And hungry. And struck with the unshakeable urge to visit Australia, spiders be damned!

PEEL's greatest cook--and my personal nomination to the Australian Board of Tourism for their newest director--is, of course, this lady:



Congratulations to any1else! Let all us lesser cooks-cum-spider-tamers microwave some popcorn and squash some ants in her honor!

[Reply #9 on:]

The Vice-Presidential Action Ranger Award for Geekiest/Nerdiest PEELer

Once, a couple years ago, the winner of this award created an add-on for PEEL that made it appear as if every post made had been crafted by that most annoying of members, yours truly. I mention this not because I'm suggesting any of you equip this add-on, but because its creation in the first place was a labor of poindexter-ish passion--and I know from personal experience how simultaneously creepy and flattering it is to be the focus of such geeky/nerdy intentions.

I imagine the following entities can likewise relate to this creepy/flattering combo: Flags, world history, global politics, flags, Futurama, flags, internet databases, flags...and did I mention flags? Oh, also probably ducks.

If you haven't already guessed it, this year's Geekiest/Nerdiest PEELer is...  



Let us honor our reigning dweeb, Svip, with the traditional salute: The raising of our fingers to the bridge of our noses so as to adjust our glasses, and the firm pressing of our other hand over our pocket protectors.

[Reply #10 on:]

The Dwight Conrad Award for Most "Interesting" PEELer Under 20

Being a teenager is rough: Your teachers are boring, your friends are fickle--and your parents just don't get you. Maybe they're buying you crazy bamboo boogie boots; maybe they're mocking your paper route; maybe they're disallowing you from watching rascally robots on TV--or from posting about them on PEEL.

When you are a teenage girl, these problems are compounded. Because boys. And boobs. It takes a special sort of person to rise above the indignities and irritations of young adulthood, and it takes a special sort of PEELer to turn these sufferings into fodder for posts that are amusing, insightful, and otherwise, well, "interesting."

I have no doubt that the winner of this year's adolescent-honoring award will continue to make PEEL proud...provided she does not fall into the disturbing habits of some of her fellow under-twenty PEELers, like taking topless self-photographs or smoking a plant that would, admittedly, do Dwight Conrad's daddy proud. The classy lass, be-shirted and sober, of whom I speak is...



Congratulations to pumpkinpie! In her honor, let us partake of those things young people in her neck of the woods like to do for fun--namely mountie-hassling and moose-tipping.

[Reply #11 on:]

The Scruffy Award for Most Useful PEELer

There are very few things most of us like about Mondays. They signify the beginning of the workweek--and, consequently, the end of weekends spent upping our post counts on our beloved message board.

But the winner of this year's award for Most Useful PEELer has found a way to reconcile PEEL-robbing Mondays with the need to plus-one our ways to formidable post counts. Every Monday, without fail, this person provides us with a list of the preceding week's most prolific posters; he lets us know who has risen in the ranks and who has fallen; he urges us to congratulate those members who have shaken off the shackles of, say, Space Popedom to become DOOP Secretaries.

In so doing, he encourages us to forget our weekly obligations to things as trivial as friends, family, work, or school, and instead devote our time to discussing things related and unrelated to Futurama; in this way, he manages to keep PEEL alive day after day, week after week, month after month. Give it up (all over PEEL, if you're eager to make enough posts to land yourself on this week's List!) for this year's Most Useful PEELer...



Thanks, hobbitboy, for fostering PEEL's rabid posting spirit! And, on that note:

Show spoiler

+1

[Reply #12 on:]

The Philip J. Fry Award for Most Addicted to Slurm. I Mean, Slurm. I Mean, PEEL!

Let's be honest: Everyone reading this speech right now is a little addicted to PEEL. This place is a veritable Alcoholics Anonymous for those whose poison is not booze, but continuous conversation with like-minded geeks, nerds, dorks, and the occasional dweeb.

And, just like there's always that one guy at AA who sneaks a flask in to every meeting, there is that one PEELer whose idea of withdrawal from this message board is having to view it covertly on her phone during work as opposed to openly on her computer at home--one PEELer who could not quit this place if she tried.

But, whereas alcoholism is a tragic (if not occasionally hilarious; think about how great it is when your beer-toting uncle burps the alphabet at family functions!) disease, PEEL addiction is an almost noble affliction. Those addicted to PEEL not only spend a lot of time reading the posts of others and contributing ones of their own--they also volunteer to patrol the message board as mods, to meet others in real life at PEELathons, and to run the very council of which I am a part.

And, just like your favorite drunk uncle, this year's biggest PEEL addict also has a habit of making sexual advances on anything that moves. But this, too, is something at which we must marvel when honoring our winner...



Congratulations to futurefreak! May you never find a patch, gum, or other means of therapy that might combat your addiction.

[Reply #13 on:]

The Where No Fan Has Gone Before Award for Deftest Pop Culture Referencer

The dictionary defines Popular Culture as something that is popular in a cult. Since PEEL is essentially a cult, the winner or this award is obviously popular in it. Ironically the reason they won this award is that they are the best at referencing other things that are popular on PEEL. Provided you're still following me I'm obviously talking about the PEELer among us who is best a making us laugh/cry/vomit/etc by referencing popular culture. So basically what I'm saying is, quit following me! Follow ~FazeShift~ he won the award.

[Reply #14 on:]

The Calculon Fan Club Award for PEELer Whose Brains I'd Most Like to Stalk Out

PEEL is full of nerds and nerds tend to fanatically follow the things that they like. Sometimes they decide they like a person and that's the reason we have things like restraining orders, hired personal guards and expendable body doubles. Well at least some of us do. Anyway this award is for the person most in need of that kind of protection because for one reason or another they inspire a fanatically following in those who follow them. So congratulations to the winna of this award.

[Reply #15 on:]

The Kif Kroker and Amy Wong Award for Most Nauseating...ly Cute PEEL Couple

Perhaps surprisingly for a such a dweeby hive of geeks and nerds, PEEL has a fair number of couples amongst its ranks.  Counting Freako and Ellie, the number of known PEEL couples is at least ten!  Or maybe it shouldn't be that surprising after all, since so many of us share a common obsession interest in science, technology, art, and of course the show we all love.

This particular couple has traveled all over the continent, met a number of other PEELers, and always manages to check in with regular postings on PEEL.  In recognition of such a lovely PEEL couple, everyone give a big D'awww as we present The Kif Kroker and Amy Wong Award for Most Nauseating...ly Cute PEEL Couple to...



Congratulations, any1ense and coldangel!  Naturally, we expect to see a sweet photo of you two accepting your award

[Reply #16 on:]

The "Yo Leela Leela" Award for the Most PEELdictable PEELer

The winner of this award wasn’t always this way. There was once a time when he was actually a well-rounded poster (despite being practically a skeleton in person, that is) and a pretty cool, creative, and decent-seeming guy, posting thoughtful On-Topic reviews, making a fabulous Futurama comic book complete with amusing fake ads and a sweet dedication to the long-suffering wife of a long-suffering PEELer, and even presenting us with a group picture of our PEEL family, from which he also kindly created avatars for those who wanted them, some of which are still being used to this very day.

But then something went wrong. Whatever that something was, its results are as clear as the wide margin by which he won this award—in a strange reflection of his cartoon-izing of others, he is now a kind of caricature of himself, known almost exclusively for fully embracing accusations of juvenile Rule 34, having nothing positive to say about the creative work of others, and, most recently, posting that face. You know the one I mean…especially since some people just put it as their nomination for this category, and yet it was perfectly obvious to whom they were referring. That person, of course, is…



We all applaud your victory, Freako! Well, all of us except Ellie; perhaps she would, but her hands are bound.

[Reply #17 on:]

The "Wait, I Wanna Be in the Picture Too!" Best PEELer Pic of 2012 Award

Many PEELers are avid photographers, of those many are avid photography subjects themselves. We call these people photowhores. This is the award is for the PEELer among them who most entertains us with their photographic antics. For agreeing to have his face peeled of for our amusement, this year's winner is our loveable dictator, [-mArc-].

[Reply #18 on:]

The "Dr. Cahill" Award for Most Attractive PEELer (PILF)

Even a nerd filled community like PEEL is bound to have a few beautiful people in it and they serve a vital purpose. Without them who would the legions of nerds fantasize about never be able to actually talk to. This awards goes to that particular PEELer whom has been the focus of the most sweaty and awkward admiration this year. So congratulations to coffeeBot, queen of the nerds.

[Reply #19 on:]

The David X. Cohen/Ken Keeler Award for the Most Insightful Commentator

There’s not much point in trying to write a speech to honor this award’s winner; after all, she’d certainly say it better than I ever could, and with a heaping helping of observations and personal experience to back her up to boot…of course, that goes without saying, since she’d be writing the speech about herself, and she’d be the first to point out that she’s one of her favorite subjects. But as her victory in this category shows, most of you would agree that she would express more than we could even hope to do elsewhere on PEEL as well, whether writing her detailed episode reviews or character analyses in On-Topic or offering her amusing yet thoughtful responses to our various Off-Topic utterances, revealing that she possesses wisdom beyond her years. So what else is there for me to say? The award goes to…



However you respond, Gorky, I’m sure it will be well said.

[Reply #20 on:]

The Hubert J. Farnsworth Award for the Best Oldie PEELer

Some PEELers have been here a long time. But there is one entity whose time on this message board—and this planet—ought not to be measured in mere years, but in eons, for his many thousands of posts reveal that he is not just keenly aware of the exPEELience of the moment, but also concerned with the untold memories of humanity’s past and the eventual death of the universe itself; even after almost twelve years on PEEL, his attempts to communicate the vast quantities of understanding he has accumulated in his travels through time and space remain utterly incomprehensible to us…and, as the results of this category show, we love him for it. That is why this award goes to…



Of course, to say he is the “best” oldie PEELer is meaningless, for he encapsulates all superlatives. He is winna.

[Reply #21 on:]

The Throbbing Sprunger Award for the Best Detector of Futurama News and Information

When he’s not busy being irrationally hated by other PEELers or being banned for getting into endless arguments with irrational PEELers, this award’s winner can often be found posting every little scrap of Futurama-related news and information he can find, and you can bet that he’s doing so with enthusiasm, excitement, and genuine love for the show that brought us here to PEEL, and is the reason PEEL even exists. Whether or not you still watch Futurama or even care, he cares, dammit, and for that (as well as for other reasons, of course!) he deserves our respect. Such is the dedication of…



Congratulations, DannyJC13, and may you keep on sprunging.

[Reply #22 on:]

The Barbados Slim Award for Coolest PEELer (outside of PEEL)

In looking up the definition of “cool” to allow myself to accurately present this award, my most favourite synonym of a synonym of cool was “cat’s pyjamas”.

You think about that. A cat; wearing pyjamas. You have to admit – that’s a pretty damn cool cat.

After much deliberation, it has been officially decided that the coolest cat outside of PEEL - with his cool leather jackets and his cool band and all his cool friends and his cool family - is....



Nasty Pasty. We are all very jealous. But, like, can we be your best friend?

Complimentary Simpson’s reference image (which is really in reference to those of us who aren’t cool):

Show spoiler

[Reply #23 on:]

The "This One Is Really Good, But I Can Still Do Better!" Award for Best PEELer Photographer

So, you think you’re a photographer, eh? Got a phone camera and an Instagram account – the world is your oyster!

Well, no, actually. You aren’t a real photographer. Real photographers have much more complicated cameras, and they speak in a special photography dialect. Real photographers take pictures to explore different aspects of life and the universe. To seize fleeting moments of time that might never have been noticed had an image of it not been captured on (digital) film. Images so full of colour and detail you mistake them for real life.

We here on PEEL are lucky enough to have a few well-equipped photographers who share their work with us. But only one could be chosen as the best. One whose work has made us all a mix of jealous, inspired and mesmerised with his brilliant perspectives, even going so far as to make a drop of water look like some kind of amazing upside-down waterfall.



That one photographer is Stuart B.


Neat!

[Reply #24 on:]

The "Just Shut Up and Take My Money!" Merch Addict Award

Song For the Merchandise Addicted

Years of calendars and die-cast figurines
Collecting Bongo Comics and all the DVDs
Playing Monopoly as the “What If?” Machine
These are a few of their favourite things

Silver, gold, chef, and wooden Bender
Robot Santa and Calculon and Mom with her fat suit
All in a line right next to Superking
These are a few of their favourite things

Specially printed t-shits with brainslug beanies
Autographed scripts and unopened Slurm cans
Making a list of all that is missing
These are a few of their favourite things



When the Robo-puppy bites, when the space bee stings
When she’s feeling sad,
She simply remembers her favourite things
And then the most addicted futurefreak
Doesn't feel so bad!

[Reply #25 on:]

The Roberto Award for PEELer Most Missed

PEEL is a very unique and interesting community and many PEELers have come and gone over the years. The fact that thirty-one unique nominations were made in this category indicates that many of these PEELers are still very much missed.  A pleasant surprise has been seeing several long-lost PEELers pop in over the last month or so, after their return from Walkabout or service with the Venusian Foreign Leigion or whatever.

You voted for a beloved PEELer who dropped off the radar about a year ago after a decade or more on PEEL and chat.  He is most widely remembered as Webmaster Extraordinaire, but was also very active in many other areas on PEEL.  Additionally, he volunteered a lot of time to help out people who were struggling to get their custom avatars looking just right.   For these and many other reasons, The Roberto Award for PEELer Most Missed has been voted to...




Congratulations, Bend-err!  Hope you drop back in to say a word or two

[Reply #26 on:]

The Dr. John Zoidberg Award for Greatest Meme User, Why Not?

I admit, I created this category as a joke. I wasn't exactly sure the purpose of it, originally I thought maybe who was most likely meme-worthy, but nevertheless it became a category for those who uses the BEST memes. In other words, someone who can make us chuckle so hard we cry from the laughter (and possibly get a change of underpants...).

This award honors he who has scoured the internet to turn our frowns upside down, relentlessly giving us hours of pure enjoyment that we eagerly swallow with a smile. That's why The Dr. John Zoidberg Award for Greatest Meme User, Why Not? goes to...



Nice job, ~Fazeshift~! Now let's see a good ol' fashioned chicken dance as you celebrate your victory Just remember...CHICKENS DON'T CLAP!

[Reply #27 on:]

The "Reincarnation" Award for Most Creative PEELer

Some of us are gifted with words. Others are gifted with visual artistic talent. And a very small part of us are gifted with physical endowments This award honors the second thing. I know from experience, sometimes the path to perfection is not easy when it comes to your work (in fact, it almost never is). If you're as OCD as me (which I'd say, most artists are), even the slightest imperfection can drive you mad. Which is why the plethora of creations this year's winner graced our board with is all the more impressive. Her style is unique, her dedication to her craft undeniable. After only having been here less than a year she has impressed us all with her amazing talent. So I am proud to award The "Reincarnation" Award for Most Creative PEELer to...



Enjoy that honkin' big trophy of yours, MissFuturama! You've earned it, and we look forward to seeing more of your creative ingenuinity

[Reply #28 on:]

The Monday Monkey Award for Best Poster

Well, here we are.  If you’ve looked at all the other awards (including the secret ones!), it should be clear that PEEL is full of pretty cool people…then again, you know that already, because you’re one of those pretty cool people yourself. Because you’re here. On PEEL. And that’s pretty cool. But of all these fine folks, there’s one who was voted as this year’s best, and for reasons that are presumably obvious to everyone but her, self-deprecating lady that she is. And so, we present this award to…



Well done, Gorky. And well done to everyone else who chose to grace PEEL with their posting presence as well; 2012 wouldn’t have been the same without you!
 

[Reply #29 on:]

Well I think that about wraps things up. I'd like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed running this with my fellow council members (and trophy artist), you guys have made me so proud. So what did you guys think of the PEELies? Let us know via this thread. You'll only have a few days before these PEELies get permanently locked in the archives for future PEELer generations to enjoy. Thanks everyone, PEEL safe and don't forget to tip your moderators!