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I had the pleasure of going up to PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts from March 6th to 8th. As always, it was a blast and it was great to hang out with Than the Moa and Watashi Wa and meet a couple of WaWa's friends. I thought for a change I'd endeavor to take some more pictures and blog about it and share some of my experiences. The Lines PAX East is famous for its massive lines for everything. When you cram 70,000 or more people into a single space, you're going to have to wait for stuff. It's not unusual for people to line up for panels over an hour in advance, and lines to play popular upcoming games like Overwatch take two hours or more. With the lines being such an iconic part of the event, I decided that would be the focus of what I share. If you follow me on Twitter you probably saw some of my tweets rating the lines and sharing pictures. Below is a little more of the same, but not constrained to 140 characters. I was able to snag a Media badge for the event, which meant Friday morning I got to wait in the very short Media/VIP line. By PAX standards it was pretty tame, and meant I got to check out the show floor before most people. No regrets! Saturday, on the other hand, I had to line up with everyone else to get into the expo floor. The reason so many people line up is so they can rush in and get lined up for things like Oculus Rift, Gigantic, Overwatch, and other multi-hour waits. I was trying to line up for Rooster Teeth, but when I got to the booth they weren't even there. I didn't make the same mistake on Sunday and decided to wait and have some breakfast and not go into the expo floor until after the lines cleared. I snapped this from one of the catwalks that crosses the expo floor on the second level. Yes, there are a LOT of people... A much smaller and faster-moving line was the one to get swag bags. The bags were a bit disappointing this year, only containing the program guide, a deck of Magic cards, a promotional Superfight card, and some ads. Oh well. Overwatch I definitely took advantage of my early media access on Friday by going to play Overwatch, the FPS being made by Blizzard. Yes you heard that right. The gameplay was tight and certainly seems like it's getting ready for release. I only played three or four of the different classes, and of those, McCree was by far my favorite. I'm intrigued to play more when it comes out. Harmonix The day before PAX East started, they announced Rock Band 4! The game wasn't on display, but you could preorder an exclusive PAX East guitar controller, which I did. They also had Amplitude available to play, which was interesting, but I definitely need more time to really learn it, and not play with a group of people that cranked the difficulty up to expert. Gabe and Tycho We caught part of the Gabe and Tycho panel where they basically spent an hour answering people's questions and making us all laugh. As the minds behind Penny Arcade and PAX, it's great to see that they stay so involved with their fans. Rooster Teeth The reason we caught Gabe and Tycho was because we wanted to get good seats for the Rooster Teeth panel, which we succeeded at! The panel was pretty great and we got to see some awesome videos, including the Red vs Blue Season 13 teaser, a Minecraft Let's Play rap (the content of which isn't really BZP-safe), some rough work for the next season of X-Ray and Vav, and a hilarious Funhaus video. The Q&A sessions were a bit groan-worthy at times, but overall I had fun as always. Rooster Teeth Line Of course I also wanted to go to the Rooster Teeth booth to buy some stuff and get them to sign other stuff. Any time Jack, Adam, and Jordan were there though, the line was super-long. I probably went by the booth fifteen times all told seeing if they were there, and if they were, trying to get in line. It was frequently capped though, and when I'd go back to see if it was uncapped I ended up missing the opportunity. Eventually I got in though, and scored some swag and got some signatures. Halo Cosplay One time while I was walking by the Microsoft booth a group of Halo cosplayers had gathered. Those costumes are incredible and I wish I had the time and talent to make one of my own. Major Nelson Radio Another staple of PAX East for me is the Major Nelson podcast panel. The whole crew was there, consisting of Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb, Eric 'e' Neustadter, Laura 'lollip0p' Massey, and Jeff 'Jef United' Rubenstein. They were joined by Eric Pope of Harmonix to talk about Rock Band 4 and Jeff from Undead Labs to talk about State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition. It was a great show and I definitely enjoyed it. Halo Championship Series Season 1 Finals By a stroke of luck, after I finally decided to go to PAX East, 343 and ESL announced that the finals of Season 1 of the Halo Championship Series, the competitive Halo e-sports league, would be held at the event. I've been a competitive Halo fan since 2003 or 2004, so I was super-stoked by this. It had been a while since I had been to a LAN competition in person (honestly it has been a while since competitive Halo was really worth watching) so I made a point to watch as much of the event as I could. I was not disappointed, as the nine teams (top eight seeds and a wildcard from Europe) all put on a great show. The Losers Bracket Finals was quite possibly the best series I've ever seen in the history of the game. CLG went down 2-0 to Noble Black but then tied up the series at 2-2. Game 5 would decide the winner and who would go play in the championship match for a grand prize of $50,000. And then the two teams tied! The official rules stated that there would be a shortened replay of the game, in this case Shrine (Sanctuary) Team Slayer, but that ended up in a tie too. Long story short, the two teams tied four times total before CLG finally won to advance. The crowd at the event was massive and everyone was on the edge of their seat watching (if they had a seat - there were so many people it was standing room only). Even though CLG ended up losing to Evil Geniuses in the finals, it was amazing to be there in person and feel the energy of hundreds of other Halo fans all cheering when a sick play was made. It was definitely the highlight of my weekend and a memory I hope to never forget. All in all PAX East 2015 was a rousing success. There were a lot of other things I did that didn't make it above, like Elite Dangerous with Oculus Rift, a bunch of indie games, the Harmonix party, and good times with friends. If you're a fan of gaming, I definitely recommend making it to a PAX event at some point, as they're second to none.

For my big math paper, my IB IA, I decided to do a calculus project. Because statistics projects are too mainstream. I decided to do something Lego-related, and optimized the cost of making a rectangular prism and a cylinder. Turns out, Lego has width and makes everything hard. The upshot is that I got to cite BrickLink in a scholarly essay.

So I did not play Super Smash Bros. for Wii U for awhile But then I started playing again and Gerald my Luigi Amiibo is a force of furious, unforgiving destruction I also forced myself to play as a bunch of different characters and I am now slowly becoming good with Lucina These are the good tidings that I bring I also bring a grave warning Gerald plots to rule the world I fear he shall soon succeed

There was an eclipse today. It was very eclipse-like.

I just released a new electronic music track called "Windblown." If you guys want to check it out, you can find it on soundcloud right here. Also, I've submitted it to a contest of sorts, so if you guys could vote for it here, I'd really appreciate it! -Rez

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gjT9ujNOm0

Eclipse-like? You mean like this?

I finally beat it. I was going to try to 100% it, but I think I accidentally overwrote it when starting the master quest. Whoops. On to Majoras Mask! Edit: Question: If Ganondorf can use the triforce of courage to change into a gigantic boar, why can't Zelda use the triforce of wisdom to realize she can throw the sword that is literally three feet from her into the ring.

I'm basically swimming through the air at this point.

Fourth Doctor/season 15 (I think?), with Leela and K9 as current companions. (Leela is awesome. :3) I am not, but I'll look up Iolanthe later.

WAIT. Your name isn't already Pablo? How is that possible. No, no, the opposite must be true. It is destiny. Fun fact: the direct translation of "Cap'n Subnuki" into Spanish is Pablo! [CITATION NEEDED] Your citation is Sumiki and I's word. =P

Our Band director tends to sometimes buy us food and drink, though only after we play. And the previous band director gets free food/drink too because he's cool and still comes a lot. =P

Hey what's up! Who's been to Munich? Any must-sees/must-eats I should try? Reubens and beer are on already on the list, as is (most likely) which ever attraction you believe is the #1 result on TripAdvisor. Got any tips?

get some schnitzel.

At age six, I was born without a face.

BAS Weekly Challenge Week 15- Makuta Metae by crunchbitenuva Makuta Metae, an member of the Sisterhood of Makuta, was noted for her discovery of the Kraata’s ability to infect Kanohi masks. During the Great War on Mata Nui, she was one of many Makuta tasked by Teridax to fit the infected Kanohi onto the Rahi to make them servants of the Makuta. Personally, I'm not really into designing OC characters, I'm much more comfortable with more official characters. This really originated from me wanting to incorporate more real-life culture aesthetics into my art. So I was re-designing the movie-style Kraahkan with more African influences, but it ended up looking more like a Dragon Priest mask from Skyrim.

Dawn of the Final Day They looked at each other, the three Matoran left, and the reality of the situation began to sink in. It was here, it was now that would define the end of the Silence. It was through this final moment that they would decide if they had a right to live or not. The air was growing chill, and it felt as if life itself was vacating the building. As they looked at each other, confusion and uncertainty in their eyes, they began to understand the direness of their situation. From the open door, billows of fog began to seep into the room at alarming speeds. The Matoran all looked at it in shock, wondering just what it was and where it was coming from. It quickly enveloped the room, making it hard to see anything. Suddenly, Toa Chuck took off running out of the room, leaving fishers and Doorman in his wake. Doorman looked over and pointed, and then they went. They were going to take down their enemies. One the two got to the door, the hallway split. Unsure of which way Toa Chuck had gone, they motioned that they would split up, and off they ran. Doorman took off to the left. He sprinted down the hall as quick as he could, trying to find the false Toa. He was going to find him, he would have to. He would not be the one to die this night, he was sure of it. So it was that he ran down the hallways, checking every nook and cranny of the abbey. He would find the false Toa, he would have to! He checked door after door, looked in room after room. He saw overturned and destroyed desks, he saw blood stains where once there was none, but he did not see the false Toa. Then, on his right, he saw the entrance to the basement. He glanced around, and then began a cautious descent into the basement. --- Fishers had just seen the tail end of Toa Chuck turning the corner ahead through the fog. She sprinted after him, striving to catch up to the fast Matoran. He was so quick, but he could not run forever. The docks were gone, there was no way off the island. But, she had to end it now. While she could. Chuck glanced backwards and saw the outline of the other Matoran gaining on him through the mist, and he whirled around and threw a nearby table with various candles on it down in her way, without breaking stride. Fishers barely leaped over it, and continued in her pursuit as fast as she could. She would catch him. She knew it! --- Doorman slowly descended into the dank underground room. He looked around, searching for any movement at all, when something caught his eye. A sparkle, a bright glow through the mists in this dark basement. He rushed over to it, and found a silver sword, lying forgotten on the floor. Suddenly, things began to fall into place... They weren’t up against a Matoran. They were up against a Demon. Swiftly, he scooped up the sacred weapon, holding it in his hand for a quick second. It felt balanced, it felt right. The light flashed on the sword as Doorman flailed it around for a moment, before he dropped it in shock as he heard the tale-tell whisper of the killer. She must have found the false Toa, she must have found Toa Chuck. He reached down and grabbed the sword once again, and took off towards the source of the whispering. He now had the tools to end this. He could now kill Barshai. The Demon was going to die, and tonight. --- He skidded down the hallway, and he saw a welcome sight in front of him. Fishers was not dead yet! She stood facing him, with a small shard of glass in her hand, seemingly using it as a weapon. Toa Chuck stood opposite, with his back to Doorman, swaying slightly. They were in a standoff. Without hesitation, Doorman took off running down the hall, with the Sacred Sword in hand. If anybody could hear him, they would hear his scream of rage as he sprinted to the Matoran. He was going to kill him! He was going to kill the Demon! He was almost in striking range when Toa Chuck began to collapse, swaying more intensely now. The power of the Sword is too much for him! Doorman thought, Now is the time to strike! With another almighty warcry, if it could have been heard, Doorman leapt towards the false Toa, thrusting the silver sword forward in a radiant flash. It cut right through the false Toa, whose blood then splattered the ground as he fell to the side. Doorman yanked the sword out of the false Toa’s body with pride, when suddenly the Silence ended, and a wave of sound crashed over him. Every sound of the last 11 days suddenly assaulted his eardrums, causing him to collapse under the weight of this cacophony. It felt like an eternity, there on the hard ground, suddenly catching up to almost two weeks worth of sounds. It was chaos, it was pure pain. It was heavenly, a pain that Doorman was glad to have. It meant that he had succeeded. That they had succeeded. Eventually, he slowly began to sit up. Toa Chuck’s body was still on the ground, the final causality in this mess of a war. The last blood to be spilt in the Scarlet Abbey. Doorman leaned against the cold wall, thankful to be done. Thankful that it was all over. They had won. “It’s over...” he whispered to himself, just to hear his own voice. “It’s over...” “Yeah.” Fishers said, sitting up from across the body of the false Toa. A pool of blood was slowly seeping out towards the edges of the halls. They both slowly stood to their feet, and stood for a moment in silence. No, not silence. They stood, listening to the sounds of wind whistling through the open windows. They listened to the soothing march of the light drizzle outside. They listened to the birds chirp, to the chatter of squirrels. They listened to everything that they had missed these past weeks. Finally, Fishers broke the almost-silence. “So, what do we do now? Doorman looked out the window. “Maybe we leave? What else is there here but memories of bloodshed?” “I don’t know.” Fishers said. “I think you are forgetting something, though.” “What could I possibly be forgetting?” Doorman replied as he turned around to look at Fishers. Instead of seeing the familiar Ko-Matoran standing behind him, though he saw something else. Something malicious. Something... demonic. “You forgot...” said the almost-Fishers. “That I voted for you.” She lashed forwards and grabbed the sides of Doorman’s head. With a sickening crunch that she had missed while in the Silence, she snapped his neck violently. One more body to add to the casualties. Yet another taste of revenge. The body of Fishers fell to the floor, and another being entirely stepped out of the now empty shell. Barshai grinned, looking at the mayhem in this hall. It had done it. It had killed every one of them. It basked for a moment in it’s success, then turned and left. The only thing it left behind was an abandoned abbey, now stained Scarlet. Toa Chuck(Matoran) Killed by Barshai, the Demon (he was dead before Doorman showed up!) Doorman(Matoran) Lynched. Fishers64(Barshai) wins! Barshai, the Demon (Siren): Choose a word. Every round, that word can be used in a conversation to anybody around BZPower. That player will die during the day round, and their vote will no longer count. Word chosen this time was “Possible”. Good game, everybody! I hope to have some behind the scenes information and lessons learned from the game ready to post soon. I guess we will see. Thanks so much for playing, I hope you enjoyed it!

fishers is the worst