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JMSOG

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Blog Entries posted by JMSOG

  1. JMSOG
    Apologies if this is slightly confusing or incoherant.
     
    So, I've been listening to this song over and over for months after finding it on Spotify:
     
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWB3-6MZ_UE
     
    I find it fascinating, and really like it, in a very precise, specific, probably almost nitpicky way.
     
    It's clear the narrator in the song (whether he's supposed to be Ethan Wood himself, doesn't matter) spent his childhood with bionicle. Seeing as he's showing specifically Tahu Mata, and the fact that he still has the original set with the original canister, it likely mattered to him through his childhood, teenage years, and now adulthood.
     
    Now, he's an adult dealing with adult problems...he clearly is approaching the end of a relationship, which is a difficult and confusing thing for anyone to go through.
     
    So, how does he try to make sense of his emotions in that moment? He relates it to Bionicle, something that's been a part of him since he was small. He expresses vulnerability in the confusion of this moment by essentially showing something pure from his childhood. In doing that, he expresses at the core who he is, as expressed in the line "what you see is what you get".
     
    That may be reading in too much...but really, this resonated with me in a big way. The narrator in the song clearly had hopes for everything in his life to go well when he grew up, and when something didn't, he calls back to his childhood in an effort to make sense of it. This isn't a new idea, but to my knowledge, this is the only song to do something like that with specifically bionicle...Bionicle was one of the biggest parts of my development as a child, so this resonated with me in a big way in particular.
     
    So, bringing attention to that song is one thing...but, there's a second thing that it made me realize. All the original fans of bionicle, who were old enough to be there for 2001 and experienced the story as it unfolded until 2011, are adults now. There's an entire population of people who were influenced by Bionicle as much as the singer in that song, all of whom are entering their respective industries right now, if they haven't already.
     
    For star trek, so many of the people who saw it in theaters were so inspired by it that they took jobs in specific scientific fields, changing what technology is available today. Some went into film, creating some of the most well-known movies and shows. Some got jobs in the government out of optimism to try to create the future. Many of those people lived their lives in a way that were shaped by what they took away from star trek. Many of them brought unique insights to their careers that were inspired by star trek. Many of them changed the course of the world in some way, influenced uniquely by star trek. This isn't at all unique to star trek, it just so happens that Star Trek's influence is well documented.
     
    Well, Bionicle's influence begins now. Obviously, the song I showed is not well known at all, but it is deeply unique and could only have been made by someone who grew up with bionicle. I think that some of the media, technology, and policy that emerge soon may begin to be influenced by the bionicle fans who contributed to them, even if it's in small ways. I think, statistically, that at least a handful will make a massive impact in the world, influenced by their experiences with the bionicle story and sets. I have no idea what the specifics of that will look like, but I believe that that will begin around now...and that's really cool to me.
     
    Again, maybe I'm reading too much into it. but it's definitely something I've been thinking about for a few months.
  3. JMSOG
    On my dorm door, I put a whiteboard, and wrote a message in Matoran saying "If you can read this, I want to talk to you". It's a longshot, but the idea was that if someone was able to recognize what the alphabet was (or, even better, was a dedicated enough fan of Bionicle to read it fluently), that was a person I wanted to get to know.
     
    I was just informed that two of my RA's had made it their personal challenge to figure out what the weird circles on my door mean. They have apparently spent the last three weeks trying to crack what it says letter by letter.
     
    They managed to do it. They still don't know what alphabet that was.
     
    I'm amazed and stunned.
  4. JMSOG
    Most people in their twenties stay awake at night thinking about their future, their career, their views on life...I legitimately could not fall asleep for two hours last night because I was thinking about Matoro's mask.
     
    1: At some point, we learned that the scope included on all of the Akaku that we have seen were added after they were made. This is to compliment the mask's power. What this means, though, is that the base akaku that most matoran walk around with in the MU has no scope.
     
    2: There are, to my memory, four characters in the story with scopes built into their masks: Kopaka, Nuju, Kazi, and Matoro. Ignore the MNOG2 matoran.
    Of course whoever made Kopaka's mask added a scope. He was a Toa, and his Akaku actually had power. It made sense for him to get all the "Extras".
    Nuju had his scope build extra, since the scope really does not necessarily compliment the Matatu's power. It makes a lot of sense for Nuju, though, who actively used his scope in his role as a scholar (you actually see this too in LoMN).
    I can't really explain Kazi's scope, but the guy came out of Karzahni. If he had a third arm coming out of his forehead it would make sense.
    Matoro's scope, however, makes no sense. What little we know about his time in Metru Nui confirms that he was a scholar like nuju, but that seemed to be an "on paper" job at best. It seems like his main job and focus was selling rahi, and spending time in the archives. Not exactly the kind of thing you'd need a scope for. Once the move to Mata Nui happened, he was a translator. Being able to see a mile away won't help listen to a guy three feet away from you. Basically: unlike the other three, Matoro's scope makes no sense.

    3: We don't know much about the mechanics of who would be given a scope, but think about some example scenarios:
    Maybe they were very common additions, given to almost anyone. This is not likely. It would explain why Matoro was able to get a scope, BUT: it meant that there is a short list of characters who we know, who therefore WOULD have a scope. Vakama, for example. If scopes were easily obtained, then Vakama literally had free access to the materials and hardware to attach a scope to any mask he wanted. He would also be able to make use of it, finding microfractures in masks he made. TL:DR: if scopes were easy to get, Vakama would have a scope. Vakama does not have one.
    Scopes were hard to get. If this were true, then Matoro would absolutely "not fill the requirements" for acquiring one.

    4: MY POINT: Ignore the physical sets, which can be chalked up to the fact that this lore was not decided when the mask was designed, and the fact that the expense of creating a new mold only for matoro (a mcdonalds set) made no sense. I don't think Matoro, as a matoran, had a scope.
     
    Thoughts?
  5. JMSOG
    So, this might not work for everyone, but it works great for me.
     
    I recently figured out that I can fluently write in the matoran alphabet, and read it nearly fluently. Since I'm a college student, and happen to have a less-difficult class right now (It's a music history course, and the first 3 weeks have been mostly teaching the rest of the class basic music theory that I already know), I decided to test out note taking in matoran.
     
    My memorization has skyrocketed. Because the letters are so complex, I'm forced to spend more time thinking about what it is I'm writing, which is the whole point of note taking anyway.
     
    Plus, I'm a person who really doesn't like handwriting anything, but I've found this alphabet really nice to write with. I recommend it.
     
    EDIT: the number 6 at the top of the page is the wrong way to write the number 6. I know.
  6. JMSOG

    The Piraka Rap

    By JMSOG,

    I can't believe I haven't seen anyone else think about this.
     
    Listen to it. It's cheesy as heck, but from a technical standpoint, it's decent. The people who made it clearly had made something like it before.
     
    Which means that it was recorded, somewhere, by an actual rapper, or rap group. Which means that, somewhere, the artists that made it have an actual discography.
     
    Somewhere, there is an artist recording music in the style of the Piraka rap as a career.
     
    It's been 10 years, why has no one tried to figure out who this was?
  7. JMSOG
    This seemed too speculation-y for S&T, so I'm throwing it here.
     
    Greg has stated he knows for a fact what Takanuva's destiny is, but that he'd only reveal if it was relevant. This seems to indicate that it was something developed by the story team early on in Takanuva's existence, completely independent and unaffected from the canon that came after.
     
    And, well...the end of an Av-Matoran's life cycle is to become a bohrok, that was a fact that was known to the story team since the creation of the bohrok...and aren't the bahrag just big bohrok? the answer is no, of course they are not, but you understand why my logic may have ended up there.
     
    I dunno...The fact that Greg would know Takanuva's destiny way before it would even be useful to have decided such information always seemed odd to me. Thoughts?
     
     
    EDIT: since I wrote that, I now know Greg revealed that Takanuva was supposed to play a crucial role in the civil war with the great beings, and I realize everything I wrote is wrong. Eh. I still like the idea of Takanuva becoming a bahrag, so I won't delete this.
  8. JMSOG

    Story Time

    By JMSOG,

    So, years ago, in either 2007 or 2008, I was 11 or 12. I ordered a whole Bionicle wave all at once (I'm not 100% sure which one), and I knew they were about to come in the mail. When the mailman arrived, I ran out of the house, grabbed the package, shook it, then hugged the mailman.
     
    Flashforward to now. I'm hearing this secondhand from my mom, since I am currently at college. My neighborhood got a different mailman, but he had to take the day off, so that mailman from 10 years ago is filling in. Apparently, he recognized the house, so he told my mom this:
     
    Apparently, not long after I ran out to hug the mailman 10 years ago, he stopped delivering mail, and became a person who teaches new mailmen to deliver the mail. The story where I run out to hug him is apparently one of the core parts of his teaching, because "these may just be packages to you, but they may be the world to the person receiving it".
     
    Just thought everyone here would find that funny.
  9. JMSOG
    I had heard terrible things, and was therefore...hesitant...to watch it until now.
     
    I'm halfway through season one, so it could go downhill at any point...But it's actually really good. Phlox is fantastic. Trip is fantastic. Everyone seems to hate T'Pol's character, but she's fantastic. Archer is inconsistant, but he CAN BE fantastic.
     
    The show, unlike all the star trek I've watched up until now, actually FEELS like it's set in space. The crew is in a tin can with experimental hardware that can fail at any time, and it really feels like it. These characters feel closer to astronauts, and i think that's important for the time period.
     
    So far, there've been some interesting ideas...that one episode where we never learn the alien's motivations at all, "Dear Doctor", the fact that humanity is essentially at the recieving end of the Prime Directive...
     
    Best part of all really is Phlox. He alone would make this show worth watching. Spock wanted to interact with humans as equals, Data wanted to be human, Odo wanted to be accepted by the humanoids...but it feels like Phlox views humans as bacteria in a petri dish. That's an AWESOME interpretation.
     
    ...really hoping this doesn't go drastically downhill. I have hope. I HAVE FAIIIIITH...FAITH OF THE HEAAAAAAART...
  10. JMSOG
    So, about two weeks ago, I biked 6 and a half miles in 100 degree heat to get the final wave of G2 at Toys R Us. They had Umarak, Storm Beast, Lava Beast, but not the other two. I checked a few other stores, but they were not there either.
     
    Over the last two weeks since, to periodically check other stores, I have (still in the 100+ degree heat) biked over 25 miles total, walked over 10 miles total, and came pretty close to heat stroke on three occasions, all to STILL NOT FIND EKIMU AND QUAKE BEAST.
     
    It occured to me a few minutes ago that I did all of that to avoid the $6 shipping charge that I would not have to pay in-store.
     
    You know what, $6 isn't that bad...
  12. JMSOG
    In gen1, pre-Bara Magna, bionicle is essentially in three parts. We all know this.
     
    The thing is, they take on a bizare internal literary significance when you start thinking of each part as one of the three virtues.
     
    -Pretty much every challenged faced in 2001-2003 is solved by the toa's UNITY. It's very much the UNITY of the island of Mata Nui that Teridax seeked to break. In addition, this is the only era of bionicle when there is a heavy focus on Kaitas.
     
    -2004-2005 focused heavily on the toa metru's DUTY to the matoran. Lhikan's DUTY to the island was what drove him beyond everything else. The major conflict in WOS was Vakama forgetting his DUTY to the matoran. Sure, the toa metru were destined to transform, but it is their DUTY that that implies that takes on a greater significance. In fact, if I remember correctly, all the Toa Metru, besides Vakama, believed that they were not the truly destined toa, and yet they did their DUTY anyway.
     
    -Ignition was heavily focused on the DESTINY of the characters, specifically Matoro and the Nuva. In addition: several story mechanics depended on destiny. Pit mutagen works IF YOU ARE DESTINED TO TRANSFORM, if I remember correctly. You can only use the ignika IF YOU ARE DESTINED.
     
    -aaaaaaand Bara Magna makes no sense here
     
    This was the result of zero fact checking and stuff I remembered off the top of my head. also nostalgia goggles. I just thought about this and found it cool.
  13. JMSOG
    Here's the itunes link!
     
    I stayed up way too late just to see this link go live...XD
     
    It's on itunes, spotify, amazon...pretty much any place you get your music off the internet. If it's not there now, I'm guessing it will be by the end of the day. Enjoy!
  14. JMSOG
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3d5xLygQ2I
     
    So...I have an album coming out on the 31st of august...you guys should totally get a copy off of iTunes and whatnot...or just listen on spotify, that's totally cool too.
     
    So...Story that only BZP will understand...On the physical version, I have an interior booklet with a pixel art design, with a "wall" of pictures of things that have been important to me. So, I contacted lego about including a Kanohi Hau on said wall, and what legal hoops I'd need to jump through. Despite it being the most helpful and kindest response I have ever gotten from any customer service ever, the answer was an understandable "no". So, I renamed one of the (at the time) unnamed songs to be "941 Ways", and called it good XD
  15. JMSOG

    Spoilers and leaks

    By JMSOG,

    I feel old because I'm basically saying "back in my day"...but back during G1, leaks were treated like toxic substances. Now, they're front page news. G2 is already leaking like a sieve, and an army of tech-savvy fans isn't helping.
     
    what changed?
  16. JMSOG
    So...In my return to BZP over the last 9-ish months, i've noticed things...thought of things...and i don't think those things belong in any one place on BZP discussion-wise, so i thought I'd vomit it here.
     
    So...technologywise...BZP is and has been an incredibly well maintained site. I'm not bashing it. But...Am i wrong, or has not much changed tech-wise since bionicle first went down...? I was really supprised when i returned and found things so...the same...despite 5 years of technological progress.
     
    Now, don't get me wrong...it works. it serves it's purpose well. And i get it...it's expensive to upgrade software and hardware on a forum. But...i've seen other forums. there are little things i've seen techwise that are just...better...on those sites.
     
    We all love the site...some of us, if not most of us, have been here since G1...that's an extreme dedication to a site that's very rare. I know premier membership exists...but, to help the expensive upgrades that are available now, how many of us would be willing to at least give something? surely there's enough of us that'd be willing to do so to at least allow BZP some minor upgrades...perhaps a raffle, but with more expensive tickets and a WMKK as a prize...
     
    Brain vomit #2...with those upgrades, one other change should come...I remember back during G1's time...and this made sense, by the way...content on bzp was compressed to a strict G rating, essentially...then, 2011 came, and I left for 4 years...when I came back, I can best describe it as "that's not 100% true anymore".
     
    Not that that's a bad thing either...and it makes sense. the original g1 fans are now, for the most part and at the very minimum, in highschool. Some are even graduated out of college. We're older...more mature...and perhaps we need to acknowledge that.
     
    What i mean: there's a lot of themes and topics within Bionicle that we've been prevented from discussing (for reasons that make sense since the site needed to be safe for children). But now that some of us are much older, I think that such a discussion should be allowed...referencing the S&T rules topic as an example...

    other possibilities: Gender issues now evident in gen1, religious themes surrounding Matoro...I think you get the idea. Keep in mind: I'm not saying "Free for all"...There's a difference between "mature discussion" and "Immature discussion"...only stuff DIRECTLY RELEVENT TO BIONICLE would be allowed.
     
    So...in order for this to be possible, younger fans can't be involved...i think this should be easy, if we upgrade the hardware and software. We'd just have to create a subforum for this discussion, but lock it off to not-logged-in guests, and members under 13 (or some other age, i don't know what's ideal legally or ethically). Obviously, such topics are open to rampant flaming...So, if a member gets particularly problematic, they would be added to a custom list of people "blocked" from the forum, either permanently or temporarily.
     
    This could allow other changes as well...Perhaps the word filter, in some cases, would only be shown as filtered to guests and people under a certain age, or those who "opt in".
     
    So...word vomit...obviously everything i said has clear downsides, and a very evident other side of the argument exists (hence why i left the whole rule quote above as opposed to only the highlighted section)..just wanted to throw these things out there. thoughts?
  22. JMSOG
    So, I've been on a 3-year BZP hiatus...Since i'm kinda back now, odd question...what basic policy changes happened? I looked through the rules, but I wasn't sure...What, policywise, is different between 2014 and 2011?
     
    I don't want to mess up XD
  23. JMSOG
    As amazing as the mangai canonization is, at the moment, it is incredibly devisive. If we have a specific plan, as I have said in many posts, it'd probably go smoother. So, since I want to not just throw out ideas and not be helpful, here's my proposed plan:
     
    Each step should have a run time of exactly one week to the minute. I know it will take a long time, but since gen1 is over, it could take years and be okay. Also, instead of being regarded as a group, to ensure consistency the toa of ice will be arbitrarily given a number
     
    STEP ONE:
    -Poll to determine mangai with the Kakama (to make sure it is defined early)
    Options:
    -Toa of Ice #1
    -Toa of Ice #2
    -Toa of Ice #3
    -Toa of Ice #4
    -Toa of Stone
    -Toa of Earth
    -Naho
     
    STEP TWO:
    -Discuss with Greg as far as what masks need to be eliminated from the list of kanohi
     
    STEP THREE:
    -Select a toa via a random selection process
    -Decide kanohi via a poll (unless it is the Kakama Toa)
    Options:
    -All approved kanohi, minus the Kakama and any kanohi used by another Mangai.
    -Unknown
     
    STEP 4:
    -discussion topic as far as what TYPE of weapons this toa would use, based on previously existing weapon categories (Sword, staff, etc)
     
    STEP 5:
    -Poll to select weapon type
    Options:
    -Those given approval in discussion topic
    -Unknown
     
    STEP 6:
    -Discussion topic to select weapon ADJECTIVE (VINE staff, STONE sword, etc)
     
    STEP 7:
    -Poll to determine weapon adjective
    Options:
    -Those given approval in discussion topic
    -Unknown
     
    STEP 8:
    -Select NAME of toa
    Options-
    -Names of locations on Mata Nui
    -Names of SOME tools on Mata Nui
    -"Unknown Name" option
     
    STEP 9:
    -Repeat steps 3-8 until all Mangai have been addressed
     
    Thoughts? changes?
  24. JMSOG
    So, I wanted to put my thoughts down with people who will actually know who I'm talking about...Full disclosure, I probably have crazy "nostalgia goggles".
     
    I cannot overstate the effect Bionicle has had on my life. Never have I become so fully ingrossed in a story as then, and I havent since. The shear quantity and complexity of information and characters within this universe we had all come to know puts it up against more established franchises (such as LotR and Star Trek) in my mind. During a time in my life when, to be honest, I had very few friends, I found them here and on BS01.
     
    After all of that, you would think I would be over-the-moon happy for the triumphant return of this guiding force in my life. However, sadly, my feelings on Bionicle's return are, well...mixed.
     
    It seems as if all the elements for it to go well are there...They created a play function which satisfies both the people who liked the posability of the inika build, and the gearfunctions of the mata build. They stayed incredibly true to the original mata, only making differences in ways we had been begging for for years (making Onua super musculer and different from the others being the most striking example). It's getting a complete web series, which is something we have always wanted. The art style they introduced for the setting and whatnot is fantastic. This is the star-studded treatment we always wanted for Bionicle, and felt like it deserved.
     
    One thing seems to be falling short though...Based on the character bios and the animation preview we were shown, the story seems to be...well...less than what we had hoped.
     
    One of the main things I loved about the story was that, unlike just about any storyline typically directed at my agegroup, it was challenging. The villains were complex, the heroes were conflicted, and even a Toa could turn evil. These were real characters in this world, with almost everyone being insanely fleshed out. That was what kept us with it all that time. But I don't sense that from the character bios in the bionicle site, or the animation. The matoran language is no longer present, which is what gave Bionicle a lot of it's depth. The toa all have what seem to be a "joke gimmick": Onua's sleepiness, Gali's inability to tell jokes, etc. It feels less strong than what we had come to know. While bionicle 1.0 was able to appeal to both a younger audience and older fans alike, this seems much more...targeted. cheesy. "The mask of ultimate power", really?
     
    That's how I feel right now...Despite my apprehension, I will get every set, and follow the story dilligantly. As an 18-year-old going to college in a year, I know i am not the intended demographic, but I will take in bionicle's new story with an open mind and open heart. I am ready to love it.
  25. JMSOG

    D&D + Bionicle

    By JMSOG,

    It turns out that the basic storyline of 2006 makes for a rather fantastic Dungeons and Dragons campaign...I was just designing that and thought of BZP, so I thought I'd share that with you guys.
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