While I was a fan of Bionicle for its entire lifespan, I was often disappointed by its video games. There was obviously one exception—the original Mata Nui Online Game, which I feel was the best tool Lego ever used for establishing a world for a new line of sets. Later settings lacked any such vehicle for immersive world-building, and I think they suffered for it. If I could program in Flash (or anything else, for that matter), I'd love to create a "Metru Nui Online Game" based on the original
How can ANYONE say in good conscience that the Bionicle story should have ended with the villain victorious and all hope extinguished? It would be the ultimate disrespect to the rest of the story, undermining every single lesson the Bionicle story ever tried to teach. Yes, not all stories have happy endings. But endings, happy or unhappy, should MEAN something. Ending Bionicle with despair would have zero meaning, being "edgy" and "dark" but also "terrible" and "idiotic". Sometimes I think p
Boo, apparently we're not allowed to have an official topic compiling G1/G2 connection topics. I was hoping that someone in charge of S&T finally decided to whip that forum into some semblance of order, but I guess that's too much to hope for... Anyway, I'm too proud of this post to let it fade into obscurity, so I'm copying it here.
I get that some bronies are awful people. I get that they have a pretty loud voice. What I don't get is the amount of hate bronies get AS A GROUP for the sins of a few. To the right wing they're a symptom of the waning masculinity of society. To the social justice types they're misogynistic brutes who took one of the best modern feminist cartoons and turned it into their sex object, all while adopting a persecution complex that belittles the struggles of actual oppressed groups. Do you know
So, I was thinking about writing another, longer, slightly-more-serious Lego Movie fanfiction (after my Comedies Contest entry from earlier this year). And I was bored, and all of a sudden I found that I'd written about two pages worth. Thought I'd post it here to see what people think of it and get a second opinion on whether I should keep going with it. It's tentatively titled "The Courting of Princess Unikitty". So, what does everyone think? Continue Y/N?
One suggestion I've seen a lot regarding a potential Bionicle return is the return of mask packs. I would normally be quick to dismiss such a notion given the utter failure of the original collectibles packs. But given some thought, and comparison with modern Lego lines, I think a similar product might actually have the potential for success. The original Bionicle mask packs were a failure largely because they didn't offer much play potential on their own. A mask is just a mask (albeit usually
Earlier I replied to a post in S&T about Bionicle G1 and G2 being connected, despite Lego saying it's a reboot. That point has been refuted a thousand times, but it got me thinking about the big problem with those sorts of theories in the first place. In science, one of the essential qualities that a theory can have is that it's falsifiable. What that means is that the theory is constructed in such a way that it can be proven demonstrably false by new evidence. Falsifiability is an essenti
The recent trend of fans petitioning Greg to canonize details of the story has been controversial. But I've been upset to see that devolve into a bunch of Greg-bashing. Let's be clear: Greg's not the problem here, or at least, not the main one. The fans are. They're the ones who decided, after Bionicle's end, to consider Greg the sole arbiter of canon. During Bionicle's run he may have been the "mouthpiece" of the Bionicle story, but he was only one member of a team. And that team, for the m
So I thought I'd share some Ninjago Miis I'd created with y'all. These were created specifically for use as Mii Fighters in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS! Kai pic (QR Code) Zane pic (QR Code) Cole pic (QR Code) Jay pic (QR Code) Lloyd pic (QR Code) Nya pic (QR Code) Full gallery (when public) My personal versions have the Ninja as Mii Swordfighters wearing Ninja Suits with Shuriken of Light (Neutral 2), Airborne Assault (Side 1), Hero's Spin (Up 3) and Blade Counter (Down 1) as their specials. N
Just saw someone in another topic complain about "cheap Chinese plastic" being responsible for certain minifigure parts fluorescing under a blacklight, and it got me in rant mode. But since it'd be wildly off-topic there, I'm posting it here in my blog:
Right now I actually feel ashamed to be an AFOL. I'm at a Lego convention I looked forward to for months, anxious and scared and wishing I could be anywhere else.
http://andrewbarnick.tumblr.com/post/87440485002/pixelkitties-askasanebrony-retake-the I was happy to see this on my twitter and tumblr. There's still not much I can do on my own to make bronies and non-bronies alike reconsider what the fandom really means—but hopefully by sharing this I can add my voice to the choir.
Well, after 30 minutes of Wonder Trade I managed to trade away 24 of my nicknamed Binacle. But as I did so I began to notice that none of the people I traded seemed to be BZPers. So instead of trading away the whole box, I decided to get rid of the last ones a bit differently. I have six #Binacle2015 left, with one destiny—to be traded DIRECTLY to BZP members who are interested in them! For those who don't have me on their Friend List, my Friend Code is 0817-4310-5392. If you're interested in
It seems that as soon as Takuma Nuva changed his name to Equinophobia and declared a fear of ponies, all the anti-bronies have been coming out of the woodwork. I'm not blaming Takuma for this, as his comments have been hilarious. What isn't is the proliferation of members replying with "This. I've been waiting for this meme to die" and other such comments. It does the fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic a disservice to dismiss the entire thing as a meme. Does it have memetic aspects? Y
I've been trying to figure out my plans for BrickFair VA this year and am seriously considering cutting out on Saturday, August 2, and catching a train up to Baltimore to spend the day at BronyCon instead. BrickFair is one of the highest points of my social life each year, but it still wears me out each year and try as I might, I can't avoid being mega-awkward even around my fellow FOLs. I'm worried that an extra day of BrickFair, like we're getting this year, might just push me to my breaking p
I am now Ortographobia, or the fear of spelling mistakes. I thought it'd be fitting since I work as a copy editor half the week. So, I want all of you to do your very best to spell correctly in the next 45 days. I'll be trying my hardest not to freak out at every mistake you end up making anyway. Wait... This is the internet. What have I gotten myself into? OH GOD THEY'RE EVEYWHERE.
It looks like it'll be funny, heartwarming, and spectacular looking, while paying homage to the Lego experience. The sets are fantastic and really capture the spirit of Lego creative play. It seems that it could generate more interest in Lego among the non-FOL population. My upcoming meetup will give me a chance to see some of my BZP peeps without having to wait six more months for Brickfair VA. And finally, it seems like other Lego fans will love it too. Not in the cult "there will neve
Hard to believe it's been ten years since I first joined this little ol' website back in the heady days of 2006. Both myself and the site have come a long way since then. Here's to ten more!
Alright, since a lot of folks have shown interest, I took some quick pictures of the figure I built at the Lego Store building event at Comic Con. Once I get home I can get better pictures, including pictures of his individual parts, but for now what I have is going to have to do. Front Back Close-up on the gearbox (for those who were interested) Any questions? I have a long train trip ahead of me this afternoon so I'll be all ears!
Welp. It seems I just don't learn. Recently I confessed to a friend that I had romantic feelings for them. I did it because they had been expressing feelings of loneliness on their social media, but also because keeping it secret had been weighing on me. Anyway, she hasn't taken it well. I should have known better, because I've made the same exact mistake two other times. I've just been lucky enough the other times to be able to recover from them—the first time, my crush's girlfriend took pity
