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Headless Onua

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Year 18

About Headless Onua

  • Birthday 01/16/1991

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Around... in spirit
  • Interests
    Writing, Drawing, Computers, The Crest of Zabutur, Role-Playing, Pizza, Money, Burgers, and any combination of the above--the more, the better.

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  1. Maybe it's just me, but I would buy the heck out of the original sets if they pulled a Nintendo and just re-released the same old things 15 years later. Heck, last month I went on a huge nostalgia kick and bought a couple of Toa and Toa Nuva, all of the Turaga, 5 of the Bohrok, and a couple Rahkshi on eBay simply from wanting new/lightly used versions of my old childhood sets. the joy of the old sets, particularly those made in 2001, 2002, and 2003 is that while primitive and basic in appearance, they were *VERSATILE* as all get-out. Sure the Turaga might look flat and skinny and have very little mobility, but I can show you 1001 uses for those L-shaped pieces that they use for their bodies, and most of their other parts were also very useful and versatile. same goes with the bulk of other 2001/2002 sets (and most of 2003). The later sets, while not bad by any means, feel more like action figures rather than building toys, and part of the joy of LEGO, at least to me, was being able to tear stuff apart and build new stuff from it. if I wanted my old stuff back I could just read the old instructions. a lot of the newer pieces just lack the versatility that the old ones had. but that's just my opinion. maybe I'm alone in this, but I would absolutely buy the early sets if they were re-released exactly how they were 15-16 years ago.
  2. I love the monkey head...

  3. I think what's happened is that the people who grew up on Generation 1 see Generation 2 as a bit more childish because of their perspective. Those kids (myself included) are adults now, which means that even with the similarities, I still feel like G1 and G2 are shed in a different light. but that's just my short 2 cents.
  4. I think the matter of "coolness" varies simply by opinion. I think we're just so used to English that ir bores us now, and other languages that we don't know tend to amuse us more because they're different. the more different they are (such as Oriental languages and the likes) the more they tend to get used in works of fiction.but, I might just be wrong, and even those few who don't speak English might not think it's cool, because it's kind of a laugh when you put all those rules and pronunciations together. just a thought.but for anyone creating a language, or just creating a large amount of terms, you'll want some type of consistency with it. just like in any language, some letters are used more than others, and no two languages have the same order of frequencies.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_frequencyas one who is building a language of my own, thhis is one of the many things I think about. But, in this grand scheme of things, I might just be rambling off on an unrelated tangent here.=Nephi=
  5. I've definitely tought of writing some poetry, but I'm still at odds beccause I'm building a language, and I'm not sure if I want the rhyme to be in English or in Zaderic (the language in question). whatever the case, I certainly entertain the idea, and have played with both ideas before.=Nephi=
  6. well, it sounds like parts of New Mexico to me. it's extremely hot in the summer, and extremely cold in the winter.if that's the case, you won't find much in the ways of forest, simply because most forest plants (I'm not sure about animals, but I assume them as well) wouldn't be able to withstand such harsh conditions.granted, I'm only talking about 0F in the winter and 110F in the summer, but you make it sound almost more extreme than that.nothing inherently wrong with that of course, and you might go mentioning that the species are exceptionall resilient to nature's effects, such as heat or cold. it's your world, not mine, so you get to make the rules. just my thoughts on the situation.as for the inhabitants, create and design them to fit in with their environment.the creatures in my books, the Serenghe, are humanoid creatures who possess human-level intelligence, but also have a few more attributes and abilities that make them seem a bit more "one with nature" so to speak. And so while they are the smartest creatures on their homeworld of Mencu, and are still consierably fast, they aer not the fastest creatures out there, and are certainly not the strongest or the largest. it's not a day-to-day struggle for survival, but there seems to be a certain understanding between the Serenghe and the fauna of their world, if that makes sense.so TL;DR--just make them fit in with the climate and environment of the world you're putting them on.=Nephi=
  7. yay! this thread's moved again! and how![why do all my best rants come at 0404? >.>]anyhoo, in response to the latest post, I've heard writing tips of my own, and can agree that they are true. in cases like creating your own world, the secret is worldbuild, worldbuild, worldbuild.which it seems you're doing, which is good.now, I did skim that post [i skim everything though, and somehow remember it, and so that's the same as me reading it], and it looks like you're showing us parts of various aspects of your world, particularly in that last box.now, correct me if I'm wrong, but assuming that it's about how the world works, and not the elements of a plot that you're talking about, I might give a few pointers.if this post about worldbuilding is irrelevant, just let me know so I can shut up. once I start, I go on for hours.If there are non-humans, even if they have close resemblance to such, be sure to explain who they are, how they behave, and a bit about their biology.Sure, they'll look and act human some of the time... at first glane anyways.for example, take this image, which depicts Katara,(Which, I learned a year after the fact, was also the name of a main protagonist in the popular TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender) a Serenghe. at first glance, she appears to be human, but then within a couple seconds, you notice that she has wpointed ears, and then you look up and notice she also has wings. if the picture could move, you would also eventually discover that she has retractable claws, sharp teeth, and stands at about 3 feet in height.so things like biology are a good thing to weave into the story, even if you just have humans with special abilities or something simple like that. [simple isn't boring. I'm not bashing anything here.]For example, here's a little bit about Serenghe, the people of my series. it doesn't do them justice, but it's a basic idea of who they are.and then of course, once people learn that characters control the elements, they would want to know how it works.elemental manipulation, known as "forming" [for its ability to be "formed" from chi energy from the hands, feet, wings, eyes, or mouth; or for being "formed" through manipulation of existing substance] involves being able to control Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Light, Darkness, or all 6. Therea are different ways each one works, but if someone has the power of Earthforming, they could "Create" rocks from their chi points. similarly, if say, someone who is a Waterformer, is attacked by water, she or he could absorb it into their body.this applies to any elements that are within a Serenghe's forming range. however, they also preserve the Law of Conservation of Mass. They don't actually "create" or "destroy" it. they simply convert it between chi energy and elemental energy. that is how absorption and shooting work.and of course, there are lots of other things. How do your people (any race{s}) behave? What is their culture? how to they dress (or look; not eveyone wears clothes). how do they socialize/interact? do they have religion/gods? if so, what roles if any, do they play in the citizens' lives? Do they have a language? it's simple little worldbuilding things like that that can help you build an intersting story that the reader will hopefully then be able to submerge him/herself in, and "become one with your world."as long as you can engage readers to take a liking of your world, it won't matter how crapsack it becomes. sometimes a good conflict makes an awesome stor--a truly good conflict makes an EXCELLENT story. what am I saying?so ye. endrant.=Nephi=
  8. well, I guess it depends on what you're aiming for. mine was to promote an RPG based off of my novel series, but even then, promoting a novel series alone is not much different. I would personally recommend making it sound inviting. When people read my books, I want them to be able to immerse themselves in the world I created, and so I write synopses accordingly. Be inviting, and also be interesting. Hope that helps.=Nephi=
  9. While it's not my slice of pie [i've always been a medeival fantasy type myself, but I do appreciate sci-fi], I have to agree that it's a good opening. The last paragraph is the one I like the best, because that's where you as the writer are aiming to convince the readers to join your game, it would seem. I very much likey.although, it might also be worth noting that you have the word "cane" there where I think it should be "can".as for setting up a live chat, there are several different sites. I know that one in particular, called chatango.com, allows you to create chats that you can embed in pages, or that can stand alone if needs be. Granted, I do not know how strict BZPower's advert policy is, but it seems just as strict was it wa sin 2004 when I first joined, so... I guess I'm just saying be careful on here, but you probably alreay knew that. xBalthough if you jump into an RP scheme and want a good hook, I would recommend giving a little hook-like intro at the beginning of the post as well.This is what I used, for example.Immerse yourself in a world governed by the elemental forces that constitute it—and where the people inhabiting the world can control them. Enter a world long fought over by the supernatural forces that originally created it. This is a world where prophecies are real; where elemental manipulation is an everyday way of life. This is a world where you can fly—a world of imagination, myths, legends, and so much more to overwhelm the mind.Well, from an outsider’s perspective it is, perhaps. To the Serenghe, this was home. This was their homeland of Mencu, for which they fought, served, and died for—mostly against each other. The quarrelling inhabitants warred against each other for various reasons, many of which were not much different than he reasons wars on our world start. Considering that the world is currently at war, now might be a good time to choose your side and get in on the action.and then I proceeded to give a little backstory and introduction to the details of the world that were mentioned in that op[ening paragraph.but, that's just how I did it, and obviously it's not the only way to get it done. Just my thoughts.=Nephi=
  10. ah... the wonderful world of writing and RPing and everything else in between.[and wow. it's been years--literally. all my posts are so old that they're gone.]I don't really have an idea what's being said here, but the vibe I'm getting from a couple of the latest posts is that there is some serious worldbuilding going on here and such. This is my ballpark.as JKK was saying, I would definitely also recommend trying out an RP of your world if you want to get the hang of it, and see how others react to the type of world you are giving them. I speak from experience.I'm writing a huge novel series [have been, in theory, since 2001, but the stories I have now date back to 2009 and 2011, when I gave it some final overhauling for the 5th time].so to TK, I give a few words of advice, having been there, done that, and planning to publish book 1 of 9 at the end of 2012. I'll refer to your paragraphs as points, and give my responses.POINT 1: it depends on your audience really. you defintiely want to put them into an exciting part. I assume that since it's not published yet, that it has not all been written. This usually helps in terms of RPs (RPGs) because while most people have outlines, they don't have it strictly set up where it HAS TO BE DONE ONE WAY AND CANNOT BE DONE ANY OTHER. If you have theoretical plot point A, and theoretical destination B, it's always good to leave flexibility between the two of them before it's written, because you never know what'll inspire you. And, if you have good characters, they may want to reach theoretical destination B in a different way than you had planned. A good story is always there. you just uncover it.So what does this mean for you, the writer? it means that sometims, an RP can give you inspiration as to which way that scene/part may go. it's done that for me. the main plot went roughly unchanged, but how those particular scenes played out turned out to be different than I expected simply because the RP helped develop it much more than I had planned to.POINT 2: you won't need to give every nit and pic of every detail unless you plan on making an RPG span the entire length of your series. Take Harry Potter fo example. certain elements of the story that were vital to the plot (such as Horcruxes, for example) didn't get mentioned until much later in the series. So what this means to you is that you don't need to dump everything on people at once. Start out with the basics of the world--stuff that the players will need to know in order to be able to play your game. I have done this before, and most of the information I gave my players was just basic information such as how to create a character. I gave them information on the races and species of the characters, what their abilities were, and what the limits on their apperances were and all that whatnot. I described the different settings I gave each player when I opened the RP up for them, and wove a descritpion of the state of world affairs into my posts.I also left cdiscussion open for questions and comments and whatnot, because I had a LOT of those. If you get people interested in your world, encourage questions! let them ask about your world, and they can give you an outsider's opinion on how it can all make sense. they might be able to help you piece things together a bit better. I would recommend a live chat for that though, as Q&A sessions on forums are like driving uphill trainwrecks through molasses in a Siberian January.POINT 3: the secret to starting a good RPG is to find (A) people who enjoy Role-Playing [in deep, fantasy worlds, if you can find people who are into the likes of D&D and such, you might just strike gold.], and ( http://www.bzpower.com/board/public/style_emoticons/default/cool.png people interested in the elements your world offers. Once you have that, then you can start up an RP and expect some interest. I would also recommend writing a sort of intro/hook at the top of the thread so passersby can see what it's about, and maybe the hook will get them interested enough to play. It's not a foolproof strategy, but it got me into 2 RPs that both lasted a year [the 2nd one is still going, in fact]POINT 4: not much I can say on this one other than hope that you don't get anyone like that. that would be terrible. granted, if you want some inside opinions on it befire shipping it to the publisher, you'll obviously have to give some of it away. granted, I think on forums, the most that can happen is that someone gets a little inspiration from your writings, and I doubt people will try to rip it all off and steal your limelight.So who is this namelss random schmuck walking in pretending to be the writing guru?well, at this point, I don't feel any shame in telling a little about my world.I made an RP happen during an event that became chapters 13 and 14 of the 4th book of my series. a couple of tha players that have been in it for over 2 years are STILL asking questions. you should expect this if your world is very extensive, beause it will change and grow as your ideas do, and you might find that you like some ideas and don't like others. a little openness never hurts [too much though (too much of anything is bad though) can get you walking around in circles though, so be careful].it is a world of winged humanoid creatures called Serenghe, who have the abilitiy to manipulate one of 6 elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Light or Darkness. There are also some that are able to manipulate all 6, and they are called Anima Sensei. the storyline itself touches on the balance and conflicts between Order and Chaos, and touches on moral concepts such as right and wrong, and accepting responsibility, yadayada.Anyone who has seen or heard of Avatar: The Last Airbender will immediately catch on some similarities between the "Bending" in the show and the "forming" that appears in my book. there are similarities. every story has similarities with other stories, and most of them are called either cliches, or more commonly, Tropes. [a handy guide to tropes, what they are, and how they apply can easily be found by googling "TVTropes"] From the website: "Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations." [the only real way to describe them would be to go to the site though. I do not know the rules of advertising, but given that this is a wiki site and not a social/forum site (let alone my site) that I am linking to, I hope it's okay]the secret is, as people have been saying, to distance your version of the trope from those of others to make it more original. for example, Avatar has 4 "bendable" elements; my world has 6. in Avatar, only one person can control all 4 elements; in my series, it's more like 1 in every 10 or so. furthermore, it's "Bending", because they band and manipulate existing specimens of the elements. in my world, it's called "forming" because Serenghe can "form" it by manipulating existing elements, or "form" it by "creating" it. (actually converting chi energy to elemental energy, but not gonna get into that right now).just a few examples out of many. I may not be very active on this site (and it certainly won't look it, seeing as aall 1500 of my posts got eaten), but I'll definitely show my face in this thread a bit more.I hope this helps any aspiring writers.=Nephi=
  11. Ahppy Birthday B)

  12. it came from my Onua set always losing it's head. lol ;)

  13. Headless Onua what a name? LOL :D

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