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Yesterday I wrote a blog entry about what Bionicle did for me. I finished it, looked at it and deleted everything. It was just over emotional and cliche garbage. So I scrapped it. Then, earlier today, I watched the Bohrok Animations for the first time(Yes I know, tie me to a cross and burn the blasphemous). But while watching it I realised. Screw what Bionicle did for me. What about what Templar Studios did for Bionicle? They made the characters of Bionicle not just boring robotic heroes, but actually beings that had compassion just like people. My favorite scene in the whole of any MNOG product was the Po-Koro scene in the Bohrok animations. So much is happening with the characters in such a short space of time and its gread. First of we have a bit of humour when Hafu realises he has to break down his statues. I want to point out MNOG humour is just the best. But that humour soon vanishes as we actually see Hafu breaking down his sculptures in order to same Po-Koro leaving him trapped on the outside. Then we cut to Hewkii screaming about Hafu. So we see, just by that these two have a strong friendship. I think I love the fact that Hafu knows hes going to die in this scene and he is willing to sacrifice himself(and his pride and joy) to save his home and the Matoran inside. If thats not Bad*** I dont know what it. But then Pohatu saves the day by getting Hafu back into Po-Koro with the help of Hewkii. Then the two Matoran hug each other which is actually really touching. I know it may sound a little far fetched but Im not sot sure if the Bionicle story would be what it was if not for MNOG. I actually think they single-handedly set the tone of Bionicle with providing a template for the atmosphere. It also made us aware that these were characters on not just toys

Yeah, Templar had a huge impact on BIONICLE. The fact that they focused their attention on the Matoran rather than the story's designated heroes is significant enough on its own, but beyond that they brilliantly balanced all of the values that defined BIONICLE. I honestly still feel that the Mata Nui Online Game is the single best vehicle for storytelling and world-building in any LEGO theme, and certainly the best LEGO game with regard to how well it told a story and established a world. Sometimes I wish that modern themes like Ninjago had an adventure game like the Mata Nui Online Game to let you experience their world firsthand. For that matter, there are lots of non-LEGO franchises that could benefit from an adventure game of that caliber. It made me happy to discover the Professor Layton and Ace Attorney franchises in the past couple years, because those have a lot of the same heart-wrenching, pulse-pounding adventure gameplay and storytelling as the Mata Nui Online Game. It's good to see adventure games aren't entirely out of style. But it seems like today marketers for story-driven franchises are more than content to leave the storytelling to non-interactive media and promote the franchises with simple, casual action and puzzle games. I suppose that in some respects, that should be respected, as even before the Mata Nui Online Game, a lot of licensed video games were utter garbage which failed to do justice to the franchise they were supposed to promote. But at the same time, I miss the Mata Nui Online Game's irreplaceable experience of discovering a new and fantastic world from the inside. Templar's later animations also deserve great respect. Not only were they beautiful on an aesthetic level, but they told great, episodic stories and gave the characters a real sense of humanity. The Mata Nui Online Game II was not as great an achievement as its predecessor — gameplay was not only buggy but also extremely repetitive, and the worlds were not quite as immersive from a fixed-angle, third-person perspective — but what the Mata Nui Online Game and the subsequent animations did for the Matoran as individuals, Mata Nui Online Game II did for them as a culture. The way that each tribe derived their own principle from the Three Virtues, and then derived a Kolhii skill from that principle, was carried out quite elegantly, as was the diversity of careers held by the Matoran of each village. It's a shame no later BIONICLE games were ever really able to live up to these high standards.

Dude, stop running; you have a fever!

Low grades? C'mon, go for that A+!

Psht You don't have 4 thumbs and a premium fever? Amateur just kidding get well sumi

They really did. They kinda filled in what the comics and books failed to in my opinion. What's amazing is that I'm pretty sure Templar didn't even have to go that length. If I remember correctly I think I heard the MNOG was originally supposed to just be a simple little Flash game without that much story importance before the Legend of Mata Nui PC game got cancelled.

So I'm at my intermediate stop on my overseas trip to Dubai. Not a lot of interesting things at this little terminal. Apparently the airline I'm flying to Dubai only had one gate. So why Dubai? My sister lives and works there, so I decided to spend this year's vacation time visiting her. This stop wasn't originally part of the plan so of course, the parents are worried, but that's standby travel for you, and at least this option is, well, affordable. At any rate, I'm excited. Hope I remember to take and share some pictures.

The thought of growing old just weirds me out to the point where I don't want to think about it. Heck, I can't even think about. I don't even know where I'll be ten years from now, much less 40-50.

if one of the side effects of antihistamine medicines is "growing more thumbs," I'd be nothing but thumbs

I am officially a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University. ~|ET|~

I hate the times when you have a casual discussion with someone, they say some things that you solidly agree with and then, right at the end, they surprise you with an idea that you completely disagree with (that has relevance to the opinions you agreed with) and suddenly you lose respect for whatever opinion they ever had. For example: "I don't like zoos. [This is why]...The solution for my dislike of zoos is to bomb every single one of them and rid the earth of zoos." In these types of situations, it's really hard to know what to say. Since you agreed with everything else they said, most likely nodding your head with the occasional "totally," or "so true," it would be weird to immediately debunk their idea. This makes it really awkward. You don't want to say, "That's a stupid idea. Why did you even say that?" because it's rude, but you can't bring yourself to say you agree, because that would be lying. Usually I try to say something like, "Hmm, I don't know about that, but maybe," and then just change the subject. But there's always those people that want to continue talking about it even after you hint your disinterest. Disclaimer: This has no relation with anything that has happened on BZP recently. I post this on behalf of a couple real life occurrences that slightly annoyed me and made me feel extremely awkward. Also, the zoo example never actually came up in any discussion I had, but rather, is an introduction to what I'm about to speak about. --- Now, about zoos. I have some problems with zoos: 1. I don't like seeing animals crammed into a small living area out of their own environment. I mean seriously, do you expect a lion to enjoy a living area the size of a large house (space wise; by no means the height of a large house)? I understand that a lot of the animals in zoos would not function well in their own environments. A lot of them were born with problems preventing them from surviving in the wilderness; some were hurt badly in the wild and need protection and meticulous care; some have, plain and simple, grown up in a human environment (i.e. a zoo) and don't know how to survive in the wild. But regardless, I don't understand why we can't keep those sorts of animals on wildlife preserves, where they can roam their own environments and live happily. The way I see it, if people want to go see animals from exotic places in the world, they should go to wildlife preserves in those parts of the world. A safari, for instance, is a great way to soak in the African wilderness, and see a your share of wildlife. I personally love the idea of a safari. 2. When it comes down to it, zoos aren't built to LET us see animals; they're built so that investors can make money from the people that WANT to see animals. I personally don't want to pay a zoo to see animals I can go see for free in the wild. I understand that African safaris cost money, too, but you're paying for the tour guide (who gives thorough speculations and information about what you're seeing, something that is not as common at a zoo), not to see the animals. If you want to live the dangerous, adventurous life, you can even go solo into the African wilderness for free. Back to the main point, I really don't like dishing out my money to investors who aren't doing it for the animals. I might be generalizing a bit, but I doubt that most of the owners of zoos around America are doing it for any other reason than to rake in a lot of cash. That's capitalism for you (capitalism isn't always a bad thing, but in this case, it's marketing animals that, most of the time, don't belong inside of a cage, which I find wrong). 3. They're boring. I mean, you don't really get to see much. You'll occasionally see a lion moving around, doing this and that, but do you see much interaction? Not really... The closest thing you can find are the animal shows they do every hour. Those are the exception to the rule. I also enjoy looking at the snake/spider sections of the zoo. This is probably because I am mortified of snakes and spiders, and therefore I find no problem locking them all up in a cage and keeping them away from humanity. Back on point, on a safari (I keep using this example--it's a good one, I guess? ) you can watch animals interact and act accordingly to their environment. They have freedom to roam and to play and to do whatever they do. I find it boring to watch a polar bear lay down in his "snow" biome at the zoo and do nothing. Another disclaimer: I am in no way dissing zoos. I think they're cool, and I know kids absolutely love them. I was no different when I was young. I just have some issues with zoos, now that I'm getting older. -Rez

I've always thought that zoos were extremely smelly, inherently disgusting, and profoundly boring endeavors.

I spent fifteen minutes of my life making lightsaber sounds after assembling a crude mockup with a cardboard tube and a mini-bat. Remember kids, I'll be considered a legal adult in two months.

I like zoos, myself. Obviously many zoos in the past have been extremely exploitative, treating animals like a spectacle, pets, or even living trophies rather than like residents who are entitled to the same benefits they might experience in the wild. Today, I feel that a number of zoos have a far more egalitarian goal of increasing public awareness of biology, environmental science, and the beauty and wonder of the natural world. And as long as their animals are treated well I think that is admirable. It should be noted that my particular favorite zoo, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., is run by the Smithsonian Institution, which is non-profit, so they're not prone to the same conflicts of interest as a for-profit zoo or attraction like Sea World. Admission to the National Zoo is completely free, and money made from parking and donations is spent on things like animal care, animal research, and wildlife conservation (and obviously wages for the scientists and caretakers they employ). I take issue with the idea that "if people want to go see animals from exotic places in the world, they should go to wildlife preserves in those parts of the world." It'd be amazing if this were possible for everyone. Unfortunately, it simply isn't. Very few people are wealthy enough to go on a globe-trotting adventure, particularly to very remote areas of the world where certain animals can be found. But just because people can't go to the Arctic to see the polar bears doesn't mean they shouldn't be aware of such animals and the environmental plights they face. It goes without saying that zoos that are guilty of serious ethical missteps, like maltreatment of their animals, should face consequences including the transfer of animals that are considered to be at risk to more reputable zoos, or preparation for release into the wild if it is possible. Also, zoos that remove endangered or threatened animals from the wild to put them on public display are extremely morally suspect unless they have a long-term plan for reintroduction of those species to the wild.

Why not a high-grade fever? Apply yourself and work harder, lazybones Oh man beat to the punchline by Obsessionist, that's embarassing Hope you get better soon! ^^

Yes, you would have thought that it would have set the bar. What happened to Templar, are they still making games?

turn on c-span, therse a man with an anonymous mask doing parkour on the senate floor and im rubbing my face on the tv to absorb his energy

i don't need "rest in peace" when i have a huge tv showing me doing parkour in the afterlife. makes all the other graves look lame

if your grave doesnt say "rest in peace" on it you are automatically drafted into the skeleton war

what happens when kirby swallows the qur'an and is granted its considerable power. my 81 chapter fanfic explores this issue -- and more

I thought the title was going to end with "Running Windows 8." Luckily, it's just a fever. =P -

Only two thumbs? You are not yet ready.

...Where did I use the term "brony insider"? Also how does being part of a group mean that I'm automatically unable to have an objective opinion of it? Just because I don't believe that it's a rampant issue doesn't mean I don't think it's an issue. I never said that the sexualization of the show isn't a problem? I felt like the fact that I mentioned a fan-organized effort that I am a part of specifically to tag it and keep it out of the reach of the target audience made it more or less clear that I'm not okay with it. I'm not saying that the NSFW content isn't a problem, what I'm saying is the notions that A. it's a core part of it that the majority of bronies take part in, and B. the fandom is ambivalent about it, are completely false. The portion of the fanbase that partakes in it is a small minority, and again, the fact there's an entire movement to tag the stuff and keep searches clean, should make it pretty clear that a lot of us agree it's a problem. As for rampant misogyny, I'm sorry, but everything I have seen does not suggest to me that it is as rampant an issue as you think it is. Again, a significant chunk of the bronies I know, both online and offline, are women, and I'm pretty sure they don't hate themselves. I've known maybe one person that was a brony and was misogynistic the entire time I've been part of the fandom, and not only did I make a point of calling him on it, he disappeared from the fandom as of a year or so ago. I'm not saying they don't exist, I'm saying that, again, they're a minority. ...And I feel like a broken record, but I am making a point of trying to change that. I actively tag inappropriate search results, I make a point of keeping it to myself unless people ask or are fans themselves - my avatar is a guitar-playing penguin, not a guitar-playing pony, and you can count on one hand how many times I've posted on my blog about it - I enjoy the show and the community but I don't let it define me, I call out misbehavior when I see it, I can go on for a while. I am far from alone in any of this. Aside from two or three members, every bit of this applies to everyone in the campus group, as well as virtually everyone in the fandom that I have experience with. I'm not sure exactly what more any of us are supposed to do? We cannot control the problematic members any more than any other group can control their stupid people. We can call them out for it, we can make an effort to clean things up, but at the end of the day, if they aren't doing anything illegal, and if online, are abiding by the rules of the website, what are we supposed to do if they elect not to listen? ...I never said it was about boys not being allowed to like girly things, I have no idea why you felt the need to address that as if I did. Just as well, it exists for everything. It exists for Pokémon, it exists for Adventure Time, it exists for Batman & Robin, it exists for The Avengers - especially Loki - it exists for Digimon, it exists for Harry Potter, it exists for Transformers, it exists for Frozen, it exists for other children's cartoons, it exists for every single fandom on the internet. That doesn't mean it should just be shrugged at and ignored, which is why, again, a lot of us are making an effort to change it, but acting like it's the cross to bear of a single fandom is flat-out ignorant. I'm not here to defend the fact that people make it because I don't enjoy it and I don't like it, I'm here to say that my opinion is far from the minority in the community. ...Where in the name of all that is holy did I ever say something like that? I have never posted about brony conventions on my blog, I have eleven posts in the MLP thread, none of which are about conventions if I recall properly, I have never said anything remotely close to that. Provide a link if you're going to make a claim like that, because unless I blacked out and posted something crazy last night that I am no longer able to locate, I never said anything of the sort, and If you're going to put words that extreme in my mouth, I'm not interested in having this discussion any further. Things I have called the documentary in the past three days: StupidA waste of moneyDumbA poor decisionProblematicSomething a lot of us are more embarrassed about than proud ofI'm not sure how much clearer you want me to make it that A. I don't like or agree with the majority of people in the documentary, and B. I'm far from alone in this regard. It's also worth noting that the documentary was made in 2011/12. Two or three years doesn't sound like much of a difference, but the show started in 2010. The documentary was shot early on in the fandom's existence, when most people were still insecure and felt like they had something to prove because of it. The fandom now compared to the fandom when the documentary was made is, aside from the original subject matter, almost completely different. As are most of the people that were in the fandom at the time; I can tell you now that I'm a very different person now about half a year from turning 21, than I was when I got into the show back in 2011 at 17. That goes for a lot of the members of the community; a lot of them started out in the 16-25 demographic, and especially in that age group, three or four years makes people dramatically more mature. It's matured both by a changing makeup of people and by, quite literally, the members of the fanbase maturing. I'm well aware of it, and I never enjoyed it personally. If you really want my take on all of that, I'll send you a PM explaining my thoughts on it, but I think both of us are well-aware of why discussing it here isn't exactly an option. I never said I don't value his words. I feel like the fact that I started my response specifically by saying I value what he has to say about the industry should make that pretty clear that I do. What I did say is that you said that there were numerous quotes from the staff of the show, which there were not. You told me that you were going to paint the fence blue, then painted it purple. If the staff of the show say "We got shut down because they didn't like having girls as fans", that's much different from an industry insider who, as much as he was part of DC and as influential as he is, never touched Young Justice, saying "There's a lot of sexist people in the industry." Considering I said "there is indeed sexism from executives, which I acknowledge now probably did play into the decision more than I originally assumed.", I don't think I'm denying that it played into it. I have also agreed that Cartoon Network mishandled the whole situation, and should have adapted their marketing and merchandising strategies to fit the audience. However to suggest that it was the sole reason, or the primary reason, the show was canceled, is something I think has no basis in facts. Also, I don't know what Young Justice being modeled on Dini's work has to do with anything. I'm not disputing the quality of it, because as I have said before, it was a genuinely good show. The artistic inspiration of it has nothing whatsoever to do with what the producers did or didn't say. Then explain to me what you meant by saying "When men liked a girls' show, they were able to fund a kickstarter campaign to pat themselves on the back.", because the only meaning I can extrapolate from that is that sexism would make it difficult or impossible for women to do something similar, so if that's not what you were saying, then I'm not getting what you're saying with that. Also, when you say that someone appropriated something and that it now caters to them instead of its original target, that pretty heavily implies that they've become the core demographic. And again, I am not denying that played into it, but I am denying that it was the central motive. A voice actor is not a member of the creative staff. They're a member of the talent that makes the product what it is, but they're not writing the script, they're not drawing the characters, they're not handling the creation of the ideas behind the show. Considering that's Tara's only career production credit, you can argue how much creative control she was given, simply because it's something she didn't have any prior experience with, when you have experienced producers elsewhere. As for Lauren Faust, the documentary was made after she left the production staff, so at that point she was no longer working on the show. As well, as mentioned by Scanty, she came onto the project after it was fully funded, so it's not like she backed it from the beginning and was a driving force behind the original idea. The original idea for the documentary and the funding for the documentary was all done by members of the fanbase, you can hardly blame them for hiring a producer that was already familiar with the subject matter and was suddenly available. How is an argument that relies on a fundamentally flawed comparison not using broken framing? And do you want to know why I defend the community so vocally? It's not just because, in my experience, the bad eggs are the minority. It's also because I have seen a disturbing amount of vitriol flung at people on a personal, individual level, over it. A friend of mine has been told multiple times on another website, alongside some very colorful language, that he should kill himself because he's a brony. It's worth noting that he has suffered from depression, so it goes without saying how much telling him something like that sets me off. Another friend of mine has been intentionally misgendered and called some very hateful, bigoted phrases over it. Another friend of mine actually had people track her IP and post her address online because she had the nerve to have the same opinions that I do on the subject matter. You can imagine how paranoid she is to express any opinion online now. Another friend that's in the on-campus group has been harassed and called a pedophile because he likes to wear shirts with the ponies on them. He served in Iraq and suffers from PTSD as a result of what happened over there, he watches the show because it helps him cope with the symptoms of it. The thing that helps keep him in control of himself and from reliving those nightmares gets him called a child predator. None of them have ever been part of the problematic area of the fandom. These are innocent people that are ridiculed, harassed, threatened, and intentionally triggered for no reason other than the community they identify with, and they're far from the only ones, they're just the ones I know personally as good friends. I get so riled up about all of this because there are other people like them who are attacked on an individual level by people who think that it's okay to threaten to kill someone over liking a TV show, who think it's acceptable to leak someone's personal information because they disagreed with them. I don't care what anyone in the fandom has done, telling someone recovering from borderline suicidal depression - or anyone for that matter - to go kill themselves, illegally tracking and leaking someone's personal information, intentionally misgendering someone, telling someone that the thing that provides them comfort and quite literally helps keep them sane makes them a pedophile, none of those are acceptable, especially over something as ultimately insignificant as liking a TV show. That's why I get so passionate about this, because I have seen the hurt, I have seen the way that it causes them true emotional distress, because they're genuinely good people who suddenly feel guilty because of the actions of others that they had no control over, and start to question something innocent that they love because of it. Again, while I think it's a significant minority, I make no effort to deny that the bad part of the fandom exists, because it does. But I defend the good part because innocent people get thrown an absolutely disgusting amount of vitriol and bile, and not on an impersonal, general level either, on an individual, one-on-one basis. I see the way these people react and the way these people hurt, and it makes me sick to my stomach.

I'm curious as to what kinds of restrictions are on them when pursuing licensing agreements, and how much freedom do they have to go after new ones?

You're talking about two independent networks, one of which is pretty terrible anyway. It isn't really a case of "all other things being equal".

Here's my entry Version 1 and Version 2. I'm not expecting to win, but it was fun making my entry.

black on white design and white on transparent design

I don't know what I would blog about; my life's pretty boring as of now. KopakaKurahk YOU LIVE (on BZP)! And, you could totally review your large yellow and blue set you purchased a while back. That's sure to be blogworthy.

Welcome to the land of blogs. Now pay the toll or it's off to the cells with ye.

Be careful. With great power comes great responsibility. Fortunately, it looks like you're putting your blogging powers to good use. I like reviews. Merida