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Hi, guys. I found some Hero Factory stuff, found in Lego Magazines, that HEROsector01 does not have. It’s good thing that I have these Lego Magazine issues before Hero Factory got canceled. The stuff that I found are: 1. 2010 - I think that’s all from the Club Magazines. I already have the Hero Factory Promotional Magazine from the July-August 2010 issue of the Lego Magazine. The pictures for the booklet’s pages are in HS01, but the guys from HS01 should do prefect scans on them. The September-October 2010 issue of the Lego Club Magazine has a version of “Comic 2: Core Crisis”, where Von Nebula erroneously said “William Stormer”, when the correct name is “Preston Stormer”. I don’t have the instructions for Lucas Valor, seen in the September-October 2010 issue of the Lego Brickmaster Magazine, but that is shown in HS01, despite having imperfect scans. 2. Early 2011 - I think that’s all from the Club Magazines. I don’t have the instructions for Makuro-X1 (the large monster that Akiyama Makuro created), seen in the March-April 2011 issue of the Brickmaster Magazine, but that is shown in HS01, despite having imperfect scans. 3. Late 2011 - I think that’s all from the Club Magazines. 4. Early 2012 - I think that’s all from the Club Magazines. There’s that non-canon comic called “Breakout Issue 1” in the January-February 2012 issue. HS01 has the scans, but they are not perfect. There’s a little booklet that tells you hints for the Breakout game. HS01 has imperfect scans for that thing, too, though. 5. Late 2012 - I only have the stuff from the September-October 2012 Club issue. I don’t have the July-August Club issue, sadly, but I heard it has that non-canon comic called “Breakout Issue 2”. The November-December 2012 Club issue does not have any Hero Factory content. 6. Early 2013 - This only has stuff from the March-April 2013 Club issue. The January-February Club issue and the May-June Club issue do not have Hero Factory stuff. 7. Late 2013 - I only have the stuff from the September-October 2013 Club issue. That issue has a combiner of Furno XL and the first Laval action figure from Legends of Chima. I don’t have the July-August Club issue or the November-December Club issue, sadly. However, I heard the July-August issue has five pages of Hero Factory content: two for a battle in Makuhero City, two for a fight between Dragon Bolt and Jet Rocka, and one for a Hero Factory building contest. I heard the November-December issue has a non-canon comic called “Double Dragon Danger”. 8. Early 2014 - This only has stuff from the March-April 2014 Club issue. The January-February Club issue and the May-June Club issue do not have Hero Factory stuff. 9. Late 2014 - This only has stuff from the July-August 2014 Club issue. I don’t have the September-October Club issue or the November-December Club issue, sadly. 10. Random stuff - Two pictures that I found in Google. One of them comes from the March-April 2011 issue of the Lego Club Jr Magazine. The other came from a Lego Magazine in late 2013 (the November-December Club issue because of the art style, maybe?). I don’t know what magazine issue. 11. Random stuff in 2011 - Pictures that I found in Google. I don’t know what magazine issues. 12. Random stuff in 2012 - Pictures that I found in Google. I don’t know what magazine issues. There are also Club Code pages, which are online pages exclusively found in Lego Club website when you enter a Club Code found in the magazines. Plus, there are Lego Club Inside Scoop pages. I hope HS01 has saved all of that stuff before everything is taken down, sadly. If you guys have all Lego Club, Lego Club Jr, Lego Brickmaster, and UK Lego Club Magazines that have Hero Factory stuff, and have saved the Hero Factory online pages before they were taken down, please post them here. HS01 may have scans on all of them, but has forgotten to post them for some reason. So, just in case.

Hi, guys. If you are annoyed by the fact that YouTube gave you low-quality versions of the Hero Factory TV episodes, I found something that can fix that: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-reqEjSTjg1dYKf90ODyTs9kPZ_lOfrG . I believe you should use your Gmail account to have access to these versions. That’s what I did.

Greetings! I believe the email based login update possibly happened after a bunch of spambots joined (if that wasn’t just a coincidence)? I had also lost access to my account for ages, but was able to contact staff via the BZP Discord server. Black Six reset my password & email after ensuring proper identity a few years ago. Contacting @Black Six either here or on the discord server https://discord.com/invite/caFWVqR would likely help. Best wishes and welcome back!

Specifically, this one: https://www.bzpower.com/profile/1423-kanohi-master/ The forums are asking me to login with an email, but I've never logged in with an email before, and I don't think there even is an email associated with that account. I've tried all of the emails I can think of. My password manager has a saved login that just uses the display name, and that apparently worked at least twice in the past 11 years. The Forgot Password link didn't do anything.

That's such a cool moment!

See the attached PDF for my entry. Since this is Vakama/Hordika, it would probably look best as black print on a Metru-red shirt (as visualized below in the lower quality PNG). The PDF file is black/white and of higher quality.T-Shirt 2024-DS.pdf

The air of mystery and the environment established around it. It may not be a new trend, but stories can sometimes feel like they want to put everything in front of the viewer right away: they want you to know the lore and the characters and the world and the key plot and THEN you're ready to start enjoying it. Bionicle (thinking specifically of the early years) never felt like it was doing that, never seemed to hold your hand through all the introductory stuff; it just kinda threw you straight into an atmosphere that clearly had a coherent plot and vibe to it, but that you weren't told the specifics of. With that approach, every new discovery felt like a reward that enticed the reader to keep going. It's easy to forget now, when we have an entire decade's worth of content is available, just how little we were given at first and how it stimulated the imagination, making the content we did have feel far greater than the sum of its parts. Picking up comic #1 for the first time, you get... sure, the basics of the story thanks to Matoro and Nuju. But on the whole it's just about Kopaka discovering this new world, and lets you learn about it at his pace; it's enough to whet your appetite without feeling like an infodump. Or - of course - MNOG which puts you in the shoes of an amnesic Takua and is just an absolute treat of a worldbuilding journey, where it doesn't matter that you don't know anything, you pick up the bits and pieces of it along the way to put together the story on your own. Again, enticing you to discover more, feeling like it was rewarding you when you did. The world being composed of so many different but equally compelling environments certainly played a big part in capturing the imagination as well; everything you saw had the sense that it had a story just around the corner, even if you never learned what it was. Likewise, the original Toa's main images showing each of them immersed in their respective elemental environments, really seeming at one with their worlds as they swam or dug or lava surfed or swung through the trees, told you without even needing words that there was a story behind this, something going on beyond just the action figures. I think that, the way all of it immersed you so deeply in the mystery and in the compelling worldbuilding, is to me the defining characteristic of Bionicle; or at least, definitely the thing that drew me in and kept me coming back to it for so long.

Super happy to see Tamaru and Nuparu included; they're both characters who I like a lot The colours on Tamaru look really nice; and I love how spiky you've made the points on Nuparu's mask! I really love the glowing effect you've achieved on his zamor spheres, too ^^ Lessovik looks fantastic; I love how you've stylised him, while keeping him still instantly recognisable. I really like how the shift of colour due to the lighting works on his armour too, especially the lime parts. The painterly look of that Norik is a really neat style; works so well for the character. The study of Matau's wing is really cool. I like your design on him as a whole, too; especially the styling of his mask and chestplate. The red lighting shining on his green armour is a really effective touch as well!

That's matoran-form Kongu, decided to save on time by making it grayscale. ...and with yellow accents Intended as Toa Ignika, with the BH design. Considered! That's one of the characters that aren't Bionicle (the other being the one sandwitched between Kirop and Rocka) - it's Mega Met. And now, the second dump, up to present day:

These are so cool, and it is extra impressive what a wide range of styles you are able to draw them in. Some look very set-accurate while others are more impressionistic. There are so many good ones, but I think my favorites are: Nuhvok Va (he looks weirdly cute like an angry kitten) Kongu Inika Nuparu Mahri Krika Bulk Gorast Good guy Fikou and Click (I can't decide which one is cuter) Dume/Makuta (that one, specifically the layout, is excellent and reminds me of the original comics) Makuta's MNOG vortex form (it's creepy to actually imagine him as a bunch of body parts flying around) I do not recognize the white Miru-wearing character. Are they an OC? I also recognize the Mask of Life as it appears in VNOG and BIONICLE Heroes. Is that meant to be Matoro, Toa Ignika, Mata Nui or possibly the first Toa who used it? Or just a hypothetical character? I would be interested in a full drawing of him, his torso and shoulder armor and weapon look cool but it looks like a cropped version of a larger image. The Sanok with the crosshairs is a creative idea. I also think similar iconographic depictions of Kanohi masks would be interesting. I seriously cannot figure out what the Goomba-looking thing is supposed to be. It is well drawn, I just do not recognize it. If I saw it elsewhere I would not even recognize it as BIONICLE or LEGO.

Andean Quipu Recreation of a Quipu, the traditional knot-based recording system used by some Andean civilizations. In this recording system, each knot represents a number, a letter or a piece of information: a single string can be used to form a complete number, a word or anything you want to keep. In addition to the knots, the color used to paint the strings was also used to record other information. 16/04/2024

Chapter 5 – Welcome To Metru Nui From the notes of Chronicler Crisda. I’ll never forget the looks on their faces when we first opened up the transport. They were so relieved to see us. But not in a happy way. In a… broken, weary way. As if seeing any one or thing else would have shattered them completely. Those looks told me more than a hundred interviews could have. I understood in that moment why they hadn’t allowed me to go with them to Xia. * * * Icthilos The delegation that emerged from the Vahki Transport were mostly ones that Icthilos recognised, but not the ones he’d expected to see. There was the Chronicler, Crisda, an exuberant Ko-Matoran who was likely going to become a very annoying presence in the near future. With him was the Ga-Turaga Nadrua, a member of the council of seven Turaga who’d been running the city before the Toa had departed. But conspicuous in their absence were the four Toa who’d been sent back to the city a year ago. “I have questions,” Icthilos called loudly, moving to stand by Widrek and Pira. “Many questions.” “Make that two of us,” Pira piped up. “All of us,” Widrek corrected, gesturing back towards the boats. “And there will be time to answer them all,” said Nadrua. “But not here. Bring your people aboard the transport. There should be enough carriages to carry you all. This Metru is abandoned; your supplies will be safe here until additional transportation can be arranged.” “Carry us where?” “To the Coliseum. Regent Rost wishes to welcome you all home.” “Oh, we already got our welcome,” Icthilos bit back, concealing his surprise behind snark. Regent Rost? What had happened to the council of Turaga? “From the Vahki.” “And the Rahkshi,” Pira added. “The Vahki were tasked with defending the city,” Nadrua said, “As soon as they reported back and we realised it was you, they were stood down. As for the Rahkshi… the night belongs to them, just as the day belongs to us.” “What is that supposed to mean?” “Makuta Vhel rules this city now. His sons are citizens as much as the rest of us.” “What?” * * * Trina The trip to the Coliseum went by mostly in solemn silence, each traveller consumed with confusion and concern. The meagre information that Nadrua had given before the transport embarked had sparked questions without count, each more disconcerting than the last. Turaga Rost was regent of the city? A Makuta ruled Metru Nui? Rahkshi had free reign? None of this made any sense. Trina was in one of the lead sections of the transport, sharing a compartment with Icthilos, Widrek, Bihriis, and the remaining members of the Toa Vehi – Savnu, the Vo-Toa Keidal, and Su-Toa Orane. Ilton was still on the last boat, tending to the Sea Gates. In his absence, the seven in the transport represented the oldest and most experienced Toa still alive, though that experience wasn’t helping any of them make any sense of this situation. “I guess I’ll be the one to lose the quiet game,” Trina spoke up, after a half-hour or so of travel. “What are we going to do about all of this?” “We need more information before we can do anything,” Widrek said. “We need to learn everything we can, and only then can we act. Together.” The last word was said with a pointed glare towards Savnu, who deflected the jab with a question. “What do we know about this Makuta Vhel? I don’t recognise the name, but I didn’t exactly have them all memorised.” “I’ve heard him mentioned in passing,” Bihriis said, “He was assigned to the land of the Brighteyes shortly after the League Of Six Kingdoms were defeated.” “Brighteyes?” Trina asked. “That’s what the elders of my village called them. I’m not sure if they have a common name for themselves. I’ve heard them called mantids, mesmers…” “Takadox’s people, you mean?” Keidal asked. “That’s them,” Bihriis nodded. “The original inhabitants of Odina, before their armies were destroyed and the Dark Hunters displaced them to a little island to the south of there. After defeating the League, the Brotherhood Of Makuta assigned one of their members to each of the Barraki’s lands to monitor them and prevent any future uprisings.” “Their lands, and everywhere else,” Trina muttered. The two Makuta nearest her homeland – Gorast and Aemula – had long indulged in a petty, private game of sending Rahkshi raiding parties into each other’s territories, causing problems that the Toa Gelida or Toa Vehi had often ended up having to deal with. “And has this Vhel done anything since then?” Savnu spoke up. “No experimenting on locals or trying to invade continents like the other Makuta?” “Not that I’m aware of.” “So Vhel has just been waiting in some isolated corner of the universe, doing nothing?” Rather than answers, Trina was left with even more questions. “And now he’s here, repopulating Metru Nui with his creepy kids?” “So it would seem.” Widrek nodded grimly. Trina glanced at Icthilos, who had been sitting quietly throughout the exchange, staring at the floor. The only one being more quiet than him was Orane, but given the way he was slumped in the corner of the transport with his eyes closed, he was likely either asleep, or using his Kanohi Iden to roam around in spirit form somewhere. “Icky?” Trina gently nudged Icthilos’ shoulder, using the nickname she knew he hated in the hopes it would annoy him into speaking. “I’m listening,” he mumbled. “Just processing. Widrek’s right. We can’t do anything about this until we better understand if anything needs to be done about it.” “If?” Trina scoffed, “There’s Rahkshi roaming the streets-” “And it sounds like there’s already some kind of arrangement in place to manage that.” “What about the Makuta running the city?” “What about him? So far no one’s said he’s done anything wrong.” “Something is clearly very wrong.” “You were the one who urged us all to go to Xia,” Widrek rumbled, narrowing his eyes at Icthilos, “No one doubted you, no one denied you. Why are you so reserved now?” “I urged us to go to Xia because it’s our Duty to protect the Matoran,” Icthilos said. “I’m urging us to be cautious now for the same reason.” “Because starting a fight with this Makuta and his Rahkshi would risk Matoran lives,” Trina said, realising where he was going, “If we were to force his hand, he has thousands of hostages.” “It’s more than that,” Icthilos said. “Even one Makuta has more than enough power to destroy the generator, the furnace, or any of Metru Nui’s other key infrastructure. Without power or heat this city will meet the same fate as the rest of the universe. I don’t want to provoke a being who can sentence us all to a slow extinction.” Trina opened her mouth, then closed it when words failed to emerge. She had no counterargument. This wasn’t a rescue mission in a foreign city. This was an occupation, and the invading forces were already in full control. Orane suddenly sat bolt upright, eyes snapping open. “We’re here.” Sure enough, the transport shuddered to a stop and the sides slid open to reveal that it and its companions were now parked on an ascending elevator. The platform soon reached sunlight, revealing the familiar interior of the Metru Nui Coliseum. Trina and the others clambered out and stepped out into the arena. Already, the ramp that had allowed the transports access was receding into the floor, rendering it smooth and solid once more. Most of the arena was sparse and dusty from disuse, and the thousands of seats overlooking it were mostly empty, save for a few hundred hunch-backed beings in armour of all hues sitting in the front rows. Even from this distance, Trina could make out the eerie glows in their beady eyes, and she found herself lowering her gaze out of instinct. It seemed that Makuta Vhel had brought the population of his island with him to Metru Nui. “Come forward, old friends!” Boomed the voice of the Po-Turaga perched in the box overseeing the arena. Trina heard the voice echo from beyond the gate the transport had come in through; Turaga Rost was broadcasting the scene through the city’s telescreens. “At long last, welcome home!” With a metallic creak, the box began to lower, and as it got closer to the ground Trina could better discern the six figures standing in it. At the front was Turaga Rost, of course, though he now wore ornate armour of brown and orange. In his hands he held a steely staff with a top that looked to be made from the faceplate and kraata case of a silver Rahkshi. Just behind him stood one of the Odinan creatures, a muscular being clad in metallic hues of grey and black, with a green glow to his one remaining eye; the other had deep scars cutting across it, clearly a claw mark of some kind. Behind them stood three Toa, all of whom Trina recognised despite the new equipment or unfamiliar Kanohi each of them now bore. There was the De-Toa Dhozoh, clad in silver and grey, now wearing a Kanohi Tryna. Beside him stood the Bo-Toa Tuxar, clad in blue and green, with what looked to be a Mask Of Laser Vision on his face. And standing just ahead of the two of them was her brother Maliss, a Fe-Toa clad in orange in black, colours he’d adopted long ago to pass himself off as an Onu-Toa. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been badly wounded and on the last boat back to Metru Nui. Now he stood tall and proud at the Turaga’s side, the arm he’d lost in battle with the Vortixx now ending in a mechanical prosthetic with a buzzsaw tool in place of a hand. Much of the rest of his body seemed to have undergone alterations or augmentations as well. Her elation at seeing him again evaporated when his eyes briefly met hers, shifted right past her to Icthilos, and his expression transformed to one of… disgust? Something was very wrong. Not just with Maliss, but with every one and thing that was happening here. Last time Trina had seen Rost, he’d been bitterly resentful towards the Toa, and incredibly resistant towards their departure. He’d never been one to sheathe his smarm for the sake of politeness or propriety, so a warm welcome like this was the last thing Trina would have ever expected from him. An insensitive “I told you so” in regards to the many Toa who hadn’t returned was far more his style. Not to mention how incredibly unpopular he’d been with the other members of the Turaga council; none of them would have willingly put him in power. “Welcome, too, our lost brothers and sisters from Xia,” Turaga Rost continued, as the rest of the Toa and Matoran who were able to began to make their way out of the transport. “I’m sure you have a great many questions, but first, refreshments are in order, I think.” The doors at the base of the Coliseum tower creaked open, and out emerged groups of unarmed Vahki carrying tables, crates of food, and barrels of water. Behind them were more local Matoran and Turaga, bearing stretchers and supplies to treat the wounded still on the transport. Trina recognised among them some of the other missing members of the former Turaga council, which at least meant Makuta Vhel hadn’t killed them all during his takeover the city. Though, given that he’d brought hundreds of beings with hypnosis powers with him, a hostile takeover probably hadn’t even been necessary. “Sit, rest, eat, and listen,” Rost said. “Hear the tale of our new protector.” And then a new voice, unseen and unfathomable, echoed from the speakers arrayed around the arena. It was a voice that sent a chill down the spine, that made the shadows feel colder and closer. A voice of great age and greater veneration, its every syllable seeming to demand total attention. There was no need for introduction or explanation. This could only be the voice of Makuta Vhel.

The difference is that the Bionicle story was built upon the premise of six-person teams, and the story switched focus to a different team after Matoro's death (with the Mahri only having minor appearances in side stories after that point). Hero Factory, by contrast, is basically about space police, and much like real police they don't send the entire station's worth of officers out on every mission. Season 1 (the only series to really focus on multiple missions) establishes this right from the outset. In episode 1, four Heroes are sent on the mission to Merak 9, and later four more are sent to Lemus 2. In episode 2, it's the same, with four Heroes being sent to Tantalus 5. Episode 3 follows this pattern as well, with four Heroes being sent to Mekron City. And the finale has two groups of three being sent into New Stellac City. Since later seasons/waves tended to focus on a single mission rather than multiple consecutive adventures, it makes perfect sense that they chose to follow the same setup, with some team members being sent on the missions, while others were presumably busy on other missions offscreen.

I never understood clearly if Alpha 1 Team was, in-universe, supposed to be the greatest Hero Factory team of them all, or just the Hero team we happened to see the story through the eyes of. I think, narratively, it would have been much more interesting to see it as more like a police procedural, with Alpha 1 being your run-of-the-mill Hero team. (This same problem was even more pronounced in Exo-Force, I could never figure out if the four pilot characters were the only Exo-Force pilots or if there were others.) Why couldn't LEGO make sets like that? That's basically what the Stars were. What bad thing would happen if LEGO did it again? LEGO mixed up the formula in 2006 with villain canister sets that represented specific individual instead of swarm enemies, 2007 by releasing four instead of six small sets, 2008 by releasing three heroes and three villains in the first wave and three heroes and three villains in the second wave, and 2009 by designating only designating one of the six canister elements (the Skrall, and arguably two if you count the Vorox) as villains.

Replacing people isn’t a good way to introduce new members. I mean, they are not being killed off. No one replaced Matoro in the Toa Mahri after he died. It’s not fair that he died, and replacing him won’t cut it. Note that Stringer and Nex are two of the nine most important Heroes in the Hero Factory franchise. Stringer is one of the original members of the Alpha 1 Team, and Nex came with Evo and Rocka as new important additions to the team (they’re basically are Takanuva-wannabes, though Rocka is more like Takanuva than the other two Heroes). All three of the rookie Heroes appeared in the 2011 story arcs. There were no real new members of the team after these story arcs, probably because there shouldn’t put too many members into the team, which is understandable. Lol. It’s weird that in Ordeal of Fire, Savage Planet, Brain Attack, and Invasion From Below, not every member of the team is here for some reason (the Breakout episodes count as well). I guess it’s budget issues. It’s sad to look at. I wish there were more episodes to give the absent characters more screen time. I understand your idea, but it wouldn’t be orthodox to switch up members of teams. You can do that in stories a little bit, like what happened in Reign of Shadows, but not in sets.

Thank you both! He's my favourite too! I also replaced the battery in his brain. Wouldn't recommend. (also I used glow in the dark paint on the teeth) I think it's my favourite artwork out of all of these, Krika's design seems to really click with me. New batch coming tomorrow! It'll be fewer than this one, but it will catch up to the present

I often find myself feeling the same way. I've been engaging with the roleplay forum on this site for about ten years now, but it's hard rereading old games. I was a terrible player, and not a great writer, either. It's the same with my personal writing projects (I'm a similar boat to what you described, wanting to become a professional author but often feeling like my work isn't good enough). I feel great about most of my work when I first finish it, but rereading it even a few months later can be a real jarring experience. At the end of the day, I think that's just the nature of a creative mind. We're doomed to always be our own worst critics.

I went through the guide and wrote down all the things I thought needed correcting, because I think it's awesome that you've made a definitive guide and I want to help make it even better, and not because I want to be like "um, ackshully," or so I tell myself. Page 7: "While the original six masks were packaged with the Toa Nuva sets, additional masks needed to be collected through the Kanohi Nuva & Kraata Krana packs" The silver Kanohi Nuva were actually available in the 2003 Krana-Kal packs, along with the six regular colors. The 2002 Kanohi Nuva packs only had the six regular colors. Page 9: "The original orange version was intended to be distributed with the Legends of Mata Nui video game, but this idea was scrapped" - This makes it sound like they just decided to go with another idea, but the idea was scrapped because the game was cancelled. I think that should be mentioned. "A dark gold version was later made in 2004 and distributed with promotional versions of the Vahi Vahki sets." "Silver versions of the mask were included as the hands of Makuta in 2003. It is unclear if this means anything canonically." - It doesn't, it's a Maxilos and the Vezon/Ignika situation. "Potentially misnamed, this set shows an evil, “shadow” Takanuva..." - This is technically incorrect, it shows a corrupted, "half-light, half-shadow" Takanuva. "...as LEGO was transitioning to this color for use in the Pirakha Piraka sets." Page 10: "The Ultimate Dume Mask was created for the Legends of Metru Nui video game movie..." Page 10/11: The lighter, medium blue Great Rau is actually from Dalu. I have 2 Dalus and 1 Toa Nokama, and both Dalus came with the lighter Rau, while Toa Nokama came with the darker Rau. Page 11: "Kiril, the Mask of Regeneration, was originally created for the 2004 Makuta set." - This is incorrect, the set is Turaga Dume and Nivawk. While it's true that Makuta impersonated Turaga Dume, his disguise looked identical to the actual Turaga Dume, so for all intents and purposes, the set depicts Turaga Dume. Your picture of the Olmak has the two red horns from the Lava Chamber Gate inserted, which aren't a part of the actual mask. Page 13: Thornatus V9 in the Pearl Light Gray Crast's box is misspelled "Thoranatus." Page 14: "In 2010, LEGO commemorated what they believed was the end of the Bionicle line with a series of “Starz”"Stars" sets." Page 25: “It came with a black Kanoka launcher, which was also only available through this polybag.” - This is not true. The Kanoka disk packs also contained a disc launcher (in the same style as the Metru-toran’s) in one of the 6 Metru colors. I know this because I bought a pack back in the day and got a red launcher.

IC: Skyra Daring - Fowadi - I snickered as the Matoran gave Praggos some sass. "Yeah Praggos, why not share the rum? You know for morale and all that." @otter @Mel

These are all so good! I love how there's tons of different angles and coloring styles. Great job

For the past few weeks, I've been revisiting the oldest fanfiction of mine still on BZPower. It's something that I always imagined I would do. Maybe it's some kind of compulsion, but I'm kind of obsessed with going back and constantly revising my own work. I joined this site in 2007 and for me the "Golden Age" was from that time to the Dataclysm. Losing all the fanfictions I had written before that point really felt like the burning of the Library of Alexandria to me. I remember it as having been a vast corpus of work (though, when I look back at the fragments I could find on the Wayback Machine, the chapters are a LOT shorter than I remember, so maybe it's only in my childish memory that I wrote pages of pages of captivating stories). When BZPower came back online, it felt like something of a resurrection to me. I thought to myself that maybe it was good to purge myself of the old so that I could stretch my wings as an older, wiser author. Looking back at what I wrote as an "older, wiser author," I realize just how cringy and unrefined my style really was. It makes me stop and wonder, are my current writings that bad? I've spent the past 14 years writing things with the long-term goal of eventually being published professionally, and it scares me to think all of it, no matter how good it feels when I write it, I will look back on as immature juvenalia. It's also hard to think about how the "Golden Age" of BZPower really only lasted for two or three years for me. The forum came back more than ten years ago, yet it still feels like "new" BZPower for me and my default impulse is that I am still getting used to it. Anyway, pay no mind to my existential crisis.

Oh, these are neat! You've got a very cool style here; these all look fantastic, but a few that specifically stand out to me: - Absolutely love the inclusion of Flare Slizer, and your take on his design is really cool. Slizers is such an underrated theme, so I'm happy to see it get a bit of appreciation! - Really like the texture you've got on Kongu's mask there; and the expression / tilt of the head make him feel very alive. - Avak with the glowing eyes there looks superbly menacing! Also he's my favourite of the Piraka, so the fact that he was your subject for that picture makes me happy ^^ - Really like the addition of orange to your design of Nuparu Mahri; it's a part of his colour palette that I've long thought his Toa forms lacked, and you pull it off really well on him! - That Krika is terrifying, but in the best way; I love the insect-like eyes you gave him, as well as the way you've done his fangs, and the colours there work really well. - Love the colouring and flame effects on that one of Raanu! - Really like your takes on Ahkmou and Kapura! The perspective on Ahkmou is really neat, and I love how you give a sense of expression to his mask there; and I like the style you've given Kapura, and the colour scheme - particularly the way the yellow highlights like his eyes stand out against the predominant red. Those specific thoughts said though, these all look fantastic; great work!

The “When Marnie Was There” soundtrack on loop a lot lately.

Looks like I only have six achievements left: Trouble with her is the noise. Destroy 50 objects or characters using the scream and super scream ability. How we say goodbye in Germany. Access restricted enemy locations 50 times. How dare you kiss me! Use your whip to kiss Marion, Willie and Elsa. You call this archaeology? Use a scholar character's academic ability 50 times. I can't believe what you did! Disarm 100 enemies with the whip. We go for a ride. Perform 250 whip swings in the game. Based on reading some guides, the best spot for the first two is the Ancient City secret level. You go in, break glass, do the restricted area, then leave and go back. That also seems like a good place to do the third one, since I need female character who can scream anyway (although I don't think Elsa can scream). Looks like the best spot for the fourth is Temple of the Grail, where you can quickly do three puzzles then quit. Fifth one will be the last level in The Last Crusade, and it looks like making a custom character might help because they're more reliable than Indy when it comes to disarming. And the last and grindiest one is Battle on the Bridge. Fingers crossed we can get them all next week!