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Reporting In The Blogs *updated*
Blog Reporting
In the past, before the upgrades and the downtime, reporting things in the blogs was a complicated mess of PMing BlogAlert, linking the content, describing the broken rules, and hoping someone read the BlogAlert account in a timely manner.
NO MORE!
The "REPORT" buttons on comments and entries DO WORK. Before the downtine, they did not. Now they do! Hurray!
So, in short, if you have something to report, click that button, describe the offense, and a blog staff member will receive the report and an automatic link the the offending content. (Please do not use this to report signatures)
This is much easier on us, on you, the general populace, and also on kittens everywhere.
-The Blog Staff
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the movies
obsession and backrooms are both quite good movies
anyway that's all for now bye
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Bfahome
I chose the name "Bfahome" in a desperate fit of non-creativity as I was signing up for the Kanoka Club on bionicle.com in 2004. Maybe I should've thought about it a bit more, because in the following 16 years it remained my primary handle on pretty much any site or service that anyone here would find relevant.
(It stands for "BIONICLE fan at home", loosely inspired by the "Adam@Home" comic strip I remembered seeing in the newspaper. I was told not to use the @ symbol because it tended to not play well with systems, and "Bfathome" might be interpreted as using the word "fat" derisively. So I went with "Bfahome". I don't think I've ever mentioned the handle's full origin story but now seemed as good a time as ever.)
So if you're wondering what becomes of me, you can find me on Twitter, YouTube, Steam, Twitch, Discord, Battle.net, and a slew of others I've forgotten about because I stopped using them or something. Follow me if you want; occasionally I share cool things I've made, though most of the time it's just weird thoughts that pop into my head that I used to use this blog as an outlet for.
With that, I'll be "officially" logging off of BZPower for probably the first time in the twelve and a half years I've been a member. Right now I consider it a hiatus, however extended it may be, because I still want to believe that there'll be a site for me to come back to that I can feel good about associating with, promoting, and contributing to. As it stands now, though, there isn't. And maybe there won't ever be. Can't tell, and it won't be just my judgement on the matter.
I've certainly had my own shortcomings and I'm sure there have been things I've done that have contributed to the general climate of negativity that I've been ignorant of, and for those things I am sorry. I've tried to become a better person over the years, and still have a long way to go in that regard.
Anyway, it's been fun, mostly. I definitely got my 35 dollars' worth at least. But this is it, I guess.
See you all on the other side.
- Gabe
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Fourfold of Fate
Hello, I'm planning to run a space-themed Bionicle RPG on Discord, and I'm looking for some additional players. If you're interested, let me know and I can send you an invite to the Discord server.
200 years ago, the Spaceship Artakan crashed into the desolate planet of Omega, stranding a population of Agori settlers. Even worse, when they woke up from their cryo-sleep, a malfunction caused them to suffer amnesia, forgetting their mission and their past. With no hope of rescue, they struggled to build a new settlement in the narrow Twilight Band, the only habitable zone of the planet. Currently, their population has grown, but there is unrest between factions of the Agori, and strange earthquakes continue to threaten their new home. A class of recently graduated students now have a chance to further explore their world, to uncover the mysteries of their past and the strange planet around them. This is… Fourfold of Fate: Legacy of the Starship Artakan.
Players will play Agori teenagers, recently graduated and ready to explore and put their talents to use. Players will have access to different mask powers, pets, and eventually all sorts of new tools and weapons, as they uncover mysteries, solve puzzles, and take part in occasional combat encounters. There will be four different routes the players can participate in.
Underwater Exploration: Professor Sufina Blanca has taken an interest in the unexplored ocean beneath the icecap on the Cold Side. She desires to lead a team with a submersible to explore the depths and search for signs of life. This will feature Exploration, Puzzle Solving, and Teamwork.
Underground Adventure: Eccentric technologist Fabarar DeepWood has discovered a radio signal that seems to originate south of the mountains. He wishes to travel beneath the mountains through the mines of Naxos to discover the source, in addition to scouting for new minerals and energy crystals to mine. This will feature Vehicular Operations, Technology, and Exploration.
Investigating the Maze: Esteemed Adventurer Huaju Dolostone wishes to map out a route through the rugged canyons of the Maze to reach the other side of the planet, so they can further explore for more resources. This will feature Combat, Teamwork, and Diplomacy.
Conspiracies and Politics: A lower class radical Eztli Aodh is seeking societal change, hoping to unearth conspiracies to turn the public against the ruling Orchids. She wants to lead a team to the wreckage of the Artakan and dig into the past. This will feature Politics, Investigation, and Espionage.
More details can be found in the Intro Game Documentation. Hope to see you there!
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April
This was actually a productive month for me. I was able to get started on a couple of projects I've been putting off, and I'm pretty happy with how things are turning out. We also finally got some rain this month, which is nice since we've been in a severe drought. Hard to believe the year is almost half over.
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Korean MOCist is Awesometacular
Holy cow. I really, really with that this guy's designs were sets that I could just buy. They are BEAUTIFUL. I especially like how consistent the colors are.
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BrickLink Store Back Open!
Hey! Long time no blog.
After a short hiatus, my BrickLink store is back open!
Mention BZPower and get 10% off!
More stock coming next week!
-CF
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The Poke Ball is Mightier Than the Sword
So, I bought Pokemon Sword. Due to having some open time in my schedule and the game ultimately being a bit short, I’ve already beaten the main story and the postgame episode. I actually had a lot of fun. The game may be riddled with problems, not the least of which being the cut of National Dex, but what it gets right it gets so right—heck, some of what it gets wrong manages to feel right, which appeals to my shounen battle anime heart. I’m not here to spoil, just want to say I’d recommend giving SwSh a try if you’re on the fence. Also, while I may not have Switch Online or an SD card to transfer screen shots, I fell in love with League Card customization and desperately wanted to share mine in some capacity, so:
Pupil of Gym Leader Bea and new Champion of the Galar Region, Liam! (You can’t see it but I’m wearing the Champion shirt, plus my hair looks much cooler in-game I dunno why it looks weird here.)
Team:
-Spike the Coalossal
-Steg the Rillaboom
-Murun the Runerigus
-Beat the Corviknight
-The Smogington Brothers the Galarian Weezing (character limit made it Smogingtons but)
-Zacian (in the post-game…)
Between this and my recent replays I think I want to revise my old region ranking. Stay tuned for that!
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April?
Oh dang, is this a new fad? We're still doing fads?
So. April.
Man, I think a big chunk of adulthood is routine. Working the day job. Finding ways to relax. Repeat. Oh and housework and chores, can't forget those.
But as I say that, April was a fun month.
To that work part, the day job has been cool. I got a piece out on social media and I have another that locked and should hopefully be out to the world soon (assuming it doesn't die after lock, like something of mine did last year). I've been at this company for over three years now and moved from a support role to a primarily creative position a few months ago and it's so cool to finally get stuff I'm making out there. And it's still surreal to be getting to work on the projects I work on, so even when I'm up at 4am in several hours of overtime getting stuff out, the fact that I'm working on Thunderbolts is still pretty cool. Does it make it worth it? Is any job or creative endeavor worth 15+ hour days? I don't have an answer to that. But I've had worse jobs for lousier stuff, so overall, I'm fairly content. To think, twenty-two years ago I was making gif cartoons on this very website.
The wife and I have a couple friends in San Diego and we headed down to visit them since one had organized a Fish Taco Biking Tour. Which was exactly what it sounds like. So we spent the day biking around the city, then went back to their place for drinks and Wingspan. Because grownups. An old friend of mine from New York would do annual taco crawls and I asked him to send me the rubric he gives out to rate each one so we got to describe each taco with a haiku.
April also saw my brother-in-law get married, a wedding that I was asked to officiate. Did manage to compile my scattered notes on the back of work calendars, a pitch outline, and envelope into a decent ceremony, even if I was making final notes at the venue's bar right before the ceremony began. Because I'm organized like that. But congrats to him and his wife! The Lego Rivendell was on their registry and we contributed the final chunk to that one's fund. Because Rivendell is a great set.
A local brewery hosted a 20s-themed Murder Mystery too, that the wife and I attended. The organizers got the memo from our answers to their google form and we were cast as a Hollywood power couple — except I was the diva wife and she the French artiste husband. Us in drag for a Murder Mystery is par the course, but us cast as an actual couple? That's new, haha.
All that, of course, are the exceptions to the routine of the everyday life of work, housework, and all the rest. Written out here it makes it sound like I had an exciting April but those are a few days out of the month. I guess a blog is to highlight those exciting days, like how social networks used to be about documenting those fun and special times.
A lot of April was spent on the couch with the wife playing Clair Obscur, which isn't as ~exciting~ as the above, but I'd say is a pretty special time too.
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Third Part Of Powers That Be
Decided to flip the order of the serials, so just finished part 3 of PTB (yes, you actually don't have to wait six weeks for the next chapter -- I know you're shocked
) In this episode:* We meet the "Who Am I?" winner
* We answer the age-old question, "What happens when Nynrah Ghosts have too much time on their hands?"
* We go inside the red star for the first time, and while we don't come out knowing just what the heck is going on there yet, it sure SOUNDS disturbing
* We get the return of some folks that neither you nor I EVER thought we would see EVER again (and special thanks to Biosector01.com for refreshing my memory about them) (and no, it's not the Makuta, relax
)And in chapter 4: More red star, somebody hits the right switch and regrets it ... or is the wrong switch?, and there are some people who get very frustrated by long lines ... murderously frustrated, in fact. Oh, and what does all this have to do with the murders of Karzahni and Tren Krom? And will Kopaka and Pohatu get the chance to find out?
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Graphic Design Help
I'm looking for some help from one of you creative types out there. I would like some overlay images we can use during BZPower's streams, both for builds and games, to help share info for people who tune in part-way through and give them more of a BZPower-feel.
For a visual style, I'm thinking something like the overlays we use for our YouTube thumbnails, with the angled line and the gears, but obviously smaller so it takes up less space. Maybe one in the bottom left and one in the top right. One would have generic BZPower info, the site name, URL, and social media names and icons. The other would be mostly empty to be customized for each stream. For sets it would have the set name, piece count, and price. For games it would have the game name. An overlay with directions for the giveaways we do might be a good idea too.
Resolution should be 1920x1080 minimum and the file format should be something I can easily edit in GIMP to add the required text, so XCF or PSD probably.
I am ready to be wowed.
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CLINICAL DEPRESSION
GUESS WHO PUNCHED IT IN THE DING-DANG-DOODLY NOSE
ME BAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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I'm Building Lego on Twitch!
Hey, all! I'm still alive and kicking! I hope you are all doing well as I know it's been a long time since my last visit.
Life has been uh... or I guess continued to be crazy? But things are mostly pretty good right now, there is still a lot that could be better but I'm still here and trying to move forward. My last entry was 2019... so a lot has happened. I'm back in my house thankfully. It's not perfect but it's livable so that's a good thing. Housing was questionable for awhile from hotel to RV to another rental. I'm a manager at a pharmacy so that's unexpected and I guess interesting. On April 4, 2021 my father passed away so that's been tough especially as we just passed the two year anniversary of that so Tuesday was a hard day. But I met more new friends and people I care about and twoish weeks ago we hung out for the first time and that was some fun that I found was sorely needed as I haven't done something like that in a long time.
There have been ups and downs as that's life.
Lately though I've been streaming on Twitch! I've recently become a Twitch Affiliate and early in the year streamed some Lego Building.
And on Saturday I am going to be building a few sets on stream at 1pm ET!
We're building:
40581 BIONICLE Tahu and Taku
40516 Everyone is Awesome
... And a couple more but one of them is unofficial... but for Bionicle fans of 2004 should be very familiar.There is a whole tweet that announces it and hints at it right here.
I also plan to giveaway a few small sets I have during the stream. (It's nothing too huge but it's still free Lego.)
I also stream video games with a lot of friends. So if you like that kind of thing feel free to check it out.
If you feel like joining the Lego stream will be at 1pm over on my Twitch channel!
And I'll try not to be a stranger.
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So, I still have this old thing? Neat!
Whats shakin', my BZP Bacon?
Been a while since I've been around here. lol
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Feebas
I just found it in Alpha Sapphire! I wasn't even looking because that would be insane. Did they change the encounter system for Feebas from the original game?
Edit: Looks like they did. There's now a 5% chance of encountering Feebas on any tile. Carry on, then!
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Another year, another entry.
17 years since I became a member here. Wow.
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Missing
I sometimes really miss this community. And others I used to be involved in as part of the larger BIONICLE/LEGO fandom.
So I occasionally peak in, see how things are going... Generally without comment, and usually leaving a little more saddened by not feeling connected to it anymore and that things in general are really rather... quiet. Which I suppose makes sense when the focal point and passion of the fandom is dead again.
But man, what passion... I dedicated so much of my formative years to this, as did so many others. They're great memories. And I am glad to see some still chugging away at it and newer folks still somehow discovering it.
I'm not sure what made this visit different. Anywhere I'm present online now, I more often than not just lurk and not contribute. Quite the contrast to how I used to be. Just don't have the time and energy to. So a mix of nostalgia, boredom, sorrow, and maybe a touch of hope. Reflecting a lot, I suppose. I know it's not going to change anything and I'm not really back - not even sure I'll respond to anything here. I just really, really wanted to say...
Hi.
And I miss you all.
Those who will read this and those who have long since moved on before I did.
And thank you for all those memories.
~|ET|~
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Farshtey Feed - Final Entry
Monday, January 9, 2012
Hello friends.
It certainly has been a long time. I see now that I managed to go through all of 2011 without making a single post - anywhere on this website! The downtime throughout the entire summer probably did not help any. Now it looks like the Official Greg Topic, has just... stopped. And from reading the home page these days you would hardly know that this is a BIONICLE website.
Anyway, even though this is a very busy period of time, I think it is important to take some time to wrap up an old tradition. So just in case you feel like you never got a proper conclusion to the Farshtey Feed, and even though this should be considered way out of date, I give you its last entry ever, corresponding to p328-334; 1-5. Enjoy. =)
LIFE ON SPHERUS MAGNA
• It has been a month or so in the story since the defeat of Teridax. [source] [source]
• There are many species from the Matoran Universe in the new Matoran/Agori settlement on Spherus Magna, but there are far more Matoran than anyone else from the Matoran Universe. [source]
• In the aftermath of the battle between Mata Nui and Makuta on Bara Magna, there are probably a little over 40 Toa left. [source]
• Kualus and Nuju are not able to speak to the birds native to Spherus Magna in the way they can communicate with bird Rahi from the Matoran universe, because the languages are completely different. The biomechanical birds from the MU speak a variant of programming language, like the other languages in the Matoran universe. [source] [source]
• The Order of Mata Nui will stay together. [source]
[source]
• Lightstones no longer work now that the Matoran Universe is destroyed. The Matoran did not bring any of them to Spherus Magna. [source]
• The Makuta stone from the Amaja Circle tales was brought from Metru Nui to Spherus Magna. The Makoki Stone and other items of value would also have been taken when the Matoran migrated from Mata Nui to Metru Nui, etc. [source]
• The Matoran did not bring heatstones to Spherus Magna. [source]
• The Matoran military groups from Mata Nui/Metru Nui have not been disbanded since Makuta's fall. [source]
• The Matoran will probably continue their sports and games on Spherus Magna when they have the time. [source]
• Old enemies such as the Dark Hunters and Barraki will doubtfully be welcomed in to the new society. [source]
• Now that the Matoran Universe and prototype robots have broken down, they will be used to build shelters on Spherus Magna. [source]
• Some beings are holding out from evacuating the Matoran universe, primarily those who can survive without heat or light. [source]
• The Order of Mata Nui will certainly try to establish a new version of the Pit, in collaboration with the Agori. Greg supposes that guarding the new Pit would be a shared responsibility between Glatorian and the Maxilos robots. Hydraxon's role is unclear, but he may be used as more of a bounty hunter. [source]
CHARACTER STATUSES
• Takanuva still has yet to fulfill his true destiny. Greg knows what this destiny is, and whether or not it will ever be revealed depends on whether it becomes important to story. [source] [source]
• Takanuva and the Toa Mahri should be considered veteran Toa by now. [source]
• Tahu is adjusting rapidly to his newfound Rahkshi powers. [source]
• After the fall of Roxtus, Branar met up with one of the fragments of the Rock Tribe. [source]
• The following characters/creatures have made it out of the Matoran universe and are on Spherus Magna: Voporak, the Rahi Nui, the Kardas Dragon, Tahtorak, the Kanohi Dragon, and Umbra. It is unknown whether Varian has made it. Tren Krom was freed from his island and allowed to escape, but it is unknown who. [source] [source] [source] [source] [source] [source] [source]
STORY SERIALS
• Greg, on the outcome of "The Powers That Be": "Best answer is to look at the title -- it's about power. BUT -- I will give you a clue -- in the end this story is not going to be about death and murder ... the story is about to take a BIG turn." [source]
• Greg strongly hints that the Red Star is "causing trouble." [source]
• According to Greg, the reason why Toa and Glatorian characters have been the ones seen settling problems between the Matoran and Agori instead of the Turaga and village elders is because the village leaders are busy trying to set up a social structure for their new society, and are leaving the handling of internal disputes to the respected heroes. [source]
• Metus transformed back into an Agori because what Mata Nui did to him wore off. [source]
• The gold-skinned fusion creature knew so much about Annona because it is telepathic. [source]
• Annona was referring to Zaktan when he mentioned the "one thought dead." [source]
• The elemental power inhibitor which Kabrua is using only works on Toa. [source]
• Mavrah really is who he appears to be in "The Powers That Be." [source]
SISTERS OF THE SKRALL
• All of the Sisters of the Skrall who went looking for Angonce fell under Annona's power, as seen in "Sahmad's Tale." [source]
• Unlike the male Skrall, all female Skrall have personal names. [source] [source]
• The female Skrall of Bota Magna are much like the ones on Bara Magna. They too have psionic powers and do not get along with the male Skrall in their region, having formed an enclave of their own. The Skrall of Bota Magna in general are just as militaristic as the ones on Bara Magna. [source] [source]
• If female Skrall have a male child, they give it back to the males. [source]
ANNONA
• The name of the red, tentacled creature from "Sahmad's Tale" is spelled "Annona." [source]
• Annona has always lived on Spherus Magna. [source]
• Greg sees Annona as female. [source]
• Annona looks like a ball of energy with tentacles. [source]
• Annona remained in hiding for so long out of fear of the Great Beings. [source]
KESTORA
• The Kestora, the beings found living in the Red Star in "The Powers That Be," are of the same species as the black and purple creatures seen in "The Journey of Takanuva," when Takanuva was visiting a pocket dimension. [source] [source]
• Kestora are biomechanical and are creations of the Great Beings. [source]
• The Kestora are the same beings Gali Nuva saw living in the Red Star through the telescope. [source]
• Kestora appear to wear masks and hold bladed weapons, and are a little smaller than Matoran or Agori. [source] [source]
• Kestora do not live anywhere else in the main universe besides the Red Star. [source]
• The reason why Kestora were found living in a pocket dimension is an unclear topic. Greg once stated that there is no reason to believe that the Great Beings are responsible for their presence there. According to him, the Great Beings did create all of the pocket dimensions tied to the Matoran Universe, but they did not put the Kestora in the pocket dimension Takanuva visited. In his words, "How exactly the GBs created these entities [is] not yet known. So what they may have done is gotten the ball rolling, but the actual creation took place over time in the two different places, which would then explain some of the behavioral differences between the two groups. The ones in the City of Silver seem to be warriors; the ones on the red star are not." When asked later why the Great Beings put Kestora in such a place, Greg replied with a conflicting answer, saying, "Because the Kestora were good for what they wanted done there." [source] [source] [source]
GAARDUS
• Gaardus, in addition to teleportation, has the power of flight, enhanced senses, and considerable strength. He also wears a functional Great Kanohi Hau, which is the mask he wore as a Matoran. [source] [source] [source]
• Judging from the combiner model of Gaardus, he was originally a Ta-Matoran. [source]
• The Nynrah Ghosts who experimented on Gaardus were rogues who had been exiled from Nynrah and forced to work elsewhere. [source]
• Gaardus was mutated before the Barraki rebellion and before Phantom was mutated as well. [source] [source]
• The Order of Mata Nui, Brotherhood of Makuta, and likely Artakha as well all knew about Gaardus. [source]
• Gaardus likely had no knowledge of the Red Star before he went there himself the first time. [source]
OTHER CHARACTERS
• Toa Chiara wears the Mask of Stealth, which she also wore as a Matoran. [source] [source]
• The gold-skinned fusion creature does not wear any armor. [source]
• Marendar keys in on Toa power to find Toa. [source]
• The Element Lords are physically one with their elements. They do not wear extra armor. [source] [source]
CHARACTER AGES
• Perditus is older than Gelu. [source]
• Tarduk is older than Berix. [source]
• Tuma is probably older than Stronius. [source]
• Greg has estimated how old these characters would be considered to be in human years:
Gresh: mid-20's [source]
Ackar: late 40's [source]
Raanu: early 60's [source]
Tarix: early 40's [source]
Kiina: mid-30's [source]
Tuma: mid-40's [source]
STORY DETAILS
• Orde, Zaria, and Chiara all fought in the battle against the Rahkshi during the final battle between Mata Nui and Teridax. [source]
• In the serialized form of Journey's End, Makuta comments on Pohatu and Gali devastating half a legion of Rahkshi, whereas in the Bionicle comic book that covered that same scene, he comments on Pohatu and Gali devastating half a legion of Skakdi. Greg says that Skakdi were meant in both cases. [source]
• Kyry is depicted differently in "All Our Sins Remembered" from his winning MOC contest entry because the artists were never aware of the contest or its results. [source]
• The Order of Mata Nui destroyed most of the energized protodermis sources in the Matoran Universe with a counteragent. What's left is still inside the Matoran Universe. [source]
• The Mistika Makuta's armor was the same color before they were mutated. [source]
• Greg, explaining the different types of physical dimensions that exist in the story: "The main universe is the one in which the 2001-2009 story has taken place. It is the equivalent of Earth-616 in Marvel. We consider it to be the core reality for purposes of story. An alternate reality is another version of the core reality in which events unfolded differently. It is not linked to the core reality, it exists on its own. New alternate realities are formed whenever a decision is made in the core reality. A pocket dimension is a totally separate reality linked to the core reality. New ones are not constantly formed, and it need not have any relation at all to the core reality." [source]
• Greg imagines that there were still problem Rahi with infected Kanohi on Mata Nui as late as the start of the 2003 story. [source]
• Greg, on how Tahnok-Kal was able to retain its memories after its Krana was stolen in Comic 11: "Well, it would be fairly impractical if everytime a Bohrok changed its krana, it lost all its memories, etc. My guess would be there has to be some mental link between krana to insure things like that don't happen." [source]
THE GREAT BEINGS
• The Iron Wolves and biomechanical dinosaurs created by the Great Beings were modifications of existing creatures. [source]
• Greg, on why Angonce chose to stay on Spherus Magna: "I personally feel it is because he felt more of an attachment to the Agori than some of the others did. Keep in mind, though, that there is no evidence the other GBs actually left the planet, just that they disappeared. No one knows where they went." [source]
• Greg, on how the Great Beings built the prototype robot: "[T]hey did not build it with their own hands. There aren't that many GBs, it would have taken them ages to build something that big by hand. They mostly used construction robots and a few Agori." [source]
• The prototype robot was not built with a machine analogous to the Red Star, since it was not designed to leave the planet. [source]
• The Great Beings already knew how to repair Spherus Magna when they created Mata Nui, but for geological reasons the repair of the planet could not be safely done until 100,000 years had passed. Therefore they did not implement an immediate solution and programmed the task into Mata Nui to be completed after his journey through space. [source] [source]
• Marendar and the elemental power inhibitor were developed more or less at the same time, but by different Great Beings. [source]
• The Great Beings did not stay in contact with the Kestora inside the Red Star; otherwise, they would have known that Mata Nui crashed. [source]
• The Matoran universe inhabitant who is a Great Being in disguise is not being controlled remotely. The Great Being put his consciousness into one of the Matoran universe beings at the time of its creation, so he was never who he appeared to be. This Great Being is confirmed to be male. [source] [source]
• Greg, on whether the disguised Great Being's intentions are evil: "Who defines evil? All we know is that whatever he is planning to do, Orde objects to it and wants it stopped. But to the GB, it might not be 'evil' at all." [source]
• Even though the disguised Great Being would have left his old body on Spherus Magna for the others to find after he transferred his consciousness, the other Great Beings could have done nothing to stop him if they did not know where he had gone, and they had no access to the Matoran universe once it was launched anyway. [source]
• The disguised Great Being is not using his real name. [source]
• A Great Being would not be able to transfer his consciousness to a non-biomechanical being like a Glatorian or Agori. [source]
• The Great Being who was cursed by the Mask of Life affects everything within a certain range of himself, and the effects only last while those things are in range. It would be possible for the Mask of Life to lift the curse or revert affected objects. [source]
MATORAN UNIVERSE HISTORY
• It was not possible to travel between the Red Star and the Matoran Universe when they were docked together. [source]
• The various forms of protodermis in the Matoran Universe were created artificially. [source]
• Greg, on Tren Krom's original function: "He ran the universe - basically, he acted as the operating system for the machine until Mata Nui's AI came online. [... T]he MU was not turned on yet at that point, so he did not need to be wired into it to run it. Which is why once it was turned on, he wasn't able to do it anymore. All he had to be able to do was basically oversee the living things in the MU, and being telepathic, that was easy for him to do." [source]
• Greg, on what Shadow Stealer did to protect the Matoran universe in the days before the first Toa: "There are always menaces -- remember, there was a giant robot being built in an area where there was wildlife and the robot was not sealed yet, so someone had to be defending the construction site from the inside." [source]
• In the case that a planet did not have any large bodies of water, Mata Nui would have had to observe it from space. [source]
• The Great Beings created the pocket dimensions tied to the Matoran universe, although we have not yet seen one which really served an important purpose. [source]
• The lake of energized protodermis where Keetongu and Helryx encountered the Energized Protodermis Entity has existed in the Matoran Universe since 100,000 years ago. [source]
• Lesovikk's mad Turaga, the one who sent all of his Matoran to Karzahni while Lesovikk's team was fighting Zyglak, went crazy all on his own; no external power caused him to go insane. [source]
• During the Time Slip, the Order of Mata Nui did not hide more than one Av-Matoran in any one location, in order that they be spread out. [source]
• The Great Beings did not create any male Ce-Matoran before deciding they should all be female. [source]
• The Energy Hound species of Rahi was created by the Hand of Artakha. [source]
• The Toa Mata were in training around the time when Mata Nui was being activated for the first time, and they were not even the first Toa team in existence. Even so, the Matoran Universe was constructed in a matter of months at the most. [source]
• Protodites are biomechanical. [source]
• Greg says that it is likely that all the Makuta had a Toa Hagah team at some point. Toa Hagah generally followed their Makuta wherever they went. It is likely that the Makuta employed Toa of Magnetism and Iron, given that they wanted Toa with those elements to be where they could keep an eye on them. [source]
• Greg's opinion is that the fact that Life, Time, and Creation have legendary masks implies that these powers are considered beyond standard elements. [source]
• According to Greg's belief, all the Nynrah Ghosts are Fe-Matoran. Therefore, Phantom was originally a Fe-Matoran, since he was a Nynrah Ghost. [source] [source]
• When Av-Matoran become Bohrok, their consciousness does fade away, and they effectively die. From their point of view, it is a natural part of the cycle of life, and not something they fear. [source]
• The primary color for the Iron element is metallic gray, like Zaria. Iron may also have other colors such as gold, bronze, and gray. [source]
• Greg, on whether Matoran-language names are actually pronounced like they are spelled: "MU inhabitants speak programming language, so it may not sound anything at all like what our language sounds like. If I recall, one of the early online animations had them speaking in this very high-pitched way that sounded pretty much like programming noise." [source]
• The inhabitants of the Matoran universe have mechanical eyes. [source]
• Matoran of Plasma probably prefer hot climates like Matoran of Fire. [source]
• Fe-Matoran would settle in environments near where metal can be mined. [source]
• Matoran of plant life like to live in forests or jungles. [source]
SPHERUS MAGNA HISTORY
• According to Greg, the Energized Protodermis Entity is not as old as the Great Beings, since it did not achieve sentience that early. [source]
• Vorox have always been aggressive, even before devolving into beasts. [source]
• Like the Vorox on Bota Magna, the Zesk there did not regress into savagery either. [source]
• The terms "Vorox" and "Zesk" are demonyms for members of the Sand Tribe rather than the names of species.
• The Vorox and Zesk's tails are probably biomechanical. [source]
• The Element Lord of Rock was not a supreme leader of the Skrall tribe before becoming an Element Lord. Basically, the Skrall were broken up into legions, and each legion had a leader. To Greg's knowledge, there was no overall supreme leader. [source]
• Greg, on the whereabouts of Gresh's parents: "No idea. Probably still out there somewhere. Eventually, you do leave your parents and go out and make your own life, and that is what Gresh did." It is "not impossible" that they fought in the Core War. [source] [source]
• A very popular delicacy among Glatorian is a particular species of hawk, for the reason that it is so hard to catch. It lives on mountain peaks. [source] [source]
[source]
• Aqua Magna may have had sand bars for seabirds to rest on in the time before Spherus Magna was reformed. [source]
POWERS AND ABILITIES
• Kanohi Nuva powers can be shared with the inhabitants of Spherus Magna. [source] [source]
• The Kanohi Rau only works with languages of the Matoran universe. The Rau would be able to decipher codes as well, since codes are basically languages. [source]
• Toa and Glatorian can channel their elemental powers through any of each other's tools; they are not limited to work with only one element. [source]
• In terms of elemental power, the following rank from strongest to weakest: Makuta, Toa Nuva, Toa Hordika/Toa Inika/Takanuva, Glatorian. Toa Hordika have the same level of elemental power as normal Toa but less mental capacity to use it. [source]
• Toa Tuyet is much more powerful than a Toa Nuva, but Greg argues that she is not as powerful as an Element Lord, since an Element Lord essentially is one with the element it controls, whereas Tuyet merely wields it. She has more raw elemental energy than a Makuta, but a Makuta has more willpower and mental discipline to be able to use its power more efficiently. [source] [source]
• Tahu, with his new Kraata powers, is more powerful than Toa Tuyet with her Nui Stone. [source]
• A normal Toa would not be able to use a Toa Kaita mask. [source]
• When used above water, Lesovikk's sea sled does not fly, but hovers above the ground. [source]
• Krahka would be able to change herself to look mostly like a Glatorian or an Agori but would not be able to make herself mostly organic like on of them. She would be a biomechanical version of one and not terribly convincing to anyone who really knew what one was like. [source]
• The Shadowed One is not able to use Kanohi. [source]
• A Mask of Rahi Control would not work on Spherus Magna wildlife. [source]
• Takutanuva, like Makuta, had the ability to shapeshift. [source]
• A user of the Mask of Intangibility avoids falling through the ground by willpower. [source]
• It is known that Av-Matoran can access special powers when in contact with a Toa or Makuta. These same powers would be available to them upon becoming a Toa. Takanuva never found out what his Av-Matoran power was as Takua, so he cannot access it. [source]
• The Kanohi Hau cannot block unseen attacks, so it would not be effective for blocking attacks from an invisible opponent. [source]
• Makuta can only use one Rahkshi power at a time. The particular strength of these powers in comparison to a Kraata depends on the willpower of the individual Makuta. [source]
• The quick healing Rahkshi power only affects organic components, not armor. [source]
• Rahkshi powers like fire resistance need to be consciously activated. [source]
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this site makes me feel old
almost 16 years since I joined this site as a kid. it was a major part of my life for so long. to say that my time and the people I met here was instrumental to my development would be an understatement.
so many friendships came and went, even a relationship started and ended here, and the drama - so much drama. all the arguments, bullying right-wing bigots, carving out an identity and (infamous) reputation through so many different phases and identity crises. Laughin'Man, Scythey, Ryuujin, Serein, Heck - I changed so much from the time I started here till I faded away that it feels like I was five different people, and there's a little bit of every one that's made me who I am today.
shout out to the 3 people who might see this and think, "hey, I remember him". and to the handful of people who joined after I left who are reading this and thinking "who's this weird old guy?" just remember when you're pushing 30 the people, places, and things that got you there.
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A PSA: Christmas Suicides
So around this time of year I hear a lot of scrooges trying to dampen the holiday mood by saying something along the lines of "You know, people commit suicide more often around Christmas. It's a shame how people get so stressed out over gifts that they end their lives."
Well, no more! Because that is 100% false!
I'm bringing this up right now because I've heard this four or five times in the last three days, and it annoys me incredibly. I don't even celebrate Christmas and I love the holiday season because of how cheery people get, and how they seem to be more generous, so people trying to dampen things by spreading misinformation about people dying gets under my skin. So please, next time someone tries to rain on the parade with that line, present the facts.
A bit of a heavy topic for BZP, but I think that saying "Hey, people aren't killing themselves in droves, things aren't as bad as you might think they are!" is an acceptable reason to delve into a heavy topic.
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whoa
Has it really been this long? Geez. Do people even remember me?
When I last posted a blog entry, I had just finished college. My grandmother willed herself to live long enough to see my live-streamed graduation, and I started grad school outside of Boston rooming with my best friend from college, an organist looking to get a church gig in a big city who tethered himself to wherever I ended up going.
Grad school was way more intense than I expected. It requires an enormous amount of self-motivation compared to undergraduate work, especially in the humanities. On top of that, the pandemic meant a full 2/3 of it was online—which, in music composition, was a lot of writing music and not too many performances of it. Plus, doctoral programs cut back on admissions or paused them entirely.
2020 is also when I fell in love with the woman who is now my wife, and I have many wonderful memories of our first days together at the end of an otherwise miserable and deeply scary year. Our relationship was long-distance as she was still in grad school in Boston while I moved to Buffalo to begin a PhD. Those two years were my first spent living alone, which in a lot of ways I really liked. I'd always liked the snow (growing up in North Carolina meant we only got a full, fun, sleddable amount of it once every few years), so I've come to really like western New York in a lot of ways, from city life to the suburbs, and even to small towns.
So now I'm in the final year of the PhD, where the piece of music I wrote for my dissertation has been performed, and now all that's left is to defend it. I've been teaching a lot, including a class on the Beatles in the 1960s.
See you in a few more years, I guess? Or maybe I'll stick around. All my Lego is still back in North Carolina and I've only taken a few small trinkets with me on my various moves over the years. Two of our three cats would be absolute menaces with the stuff.
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Hmm
When I was young I was very paranoid about a lot of things. In some ways I still am.
I used to imagine myself putting on a protective piece of headgear to... prevent people from reading my thoughts... at school. If I didn't I would be so afraid that people could read my thoughts. I don't know why I thought this other than just basic paranoia. Probably should have just tried to relax, which is difficult sometimes and is still now.
Similarly, I used to stare into nothingness, and when I made sure nobody else was around, I would talk into this nothingness as if the world was a television show. I don't know why I did this. Still, it's something I just thought about for the first time in a long, long while. It would be nice, maybe, if we would stop being tools of humour in a televised sitcom. Hmm, maybe not, maybe one should be careful about what they want and wish.
This year hasn't been great, has it? It's like we all fell down some stairs and we keep falling down the next step hoping we regain ourselves but we seem unable to for some reason. I hope, therefore, that we right ourselves. Metaphorically, I fell down some stairs and managed to right myself very recently.
Of course I think I probably might have messed something up or a few. Threw myself out of the BZP Realms Discord after being there for quite a while in a rude manner. I'm sorry about that, for all those that applies to (a fair number of people if I recall).
Well, here's hoping things go better from now on.
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One last look
I think I've been on this site for almost seventeen years. In that time I've made a terrible comic series, had some fun in General Art, added a handful of unfinished stories to the library and made a few friends and acquaintances along the way. If any of you here want to keep in contact, my twitter handle is attached to my profile. It's goofy and weird and a bit of a mess, just like my time on this site.
The more time has passed, the more I recognize that the only thing keeping me coming back to this site is my blog. And really all I've used it for lately is to complain about life's frustrations.
I'm tired of being someone who only complains. I know my content used to be goofy and silly and full of... well, more than what it is now.
I've been lucky during my time here. I can't say I've been a victim of any sort of prejudice or attacks. But due to more recent statements, it appears I was ignorant to the other members that had been victims of such actions.
I also feel I haven't always been the most supportive member of the LGBT+ community on here to my fellow LGBT+ peers. I feel I remained silent when I should have spoken out. I feel I was inconsiderate during one or more occasions. If I ever caused any grief, I apologize. Being gay myself is no excuse for instances of lashing out due to internalized homophobia.
This website held a lot of personal milestones for me. When I was nervous about coming out to my family, I sought advice from an openly gay staff member of the site. I came out publicly here before I did to the rest of my family and friends and was mostly met with support. That meant the world to me. I like to think the person I am today was molded in part by the experiences I've had on this site.
However, it would appear bzpower is no longer a place where I feel comfortable or safe. And so I shall be logging off. I hope one day things will be better and I can feel comfortable logging back in again. But I kinda doubt that will happen.
So, for what is perhaps the final time...
GET OFF MY LAWN!
~Tekulo <3
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