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AZBlue

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Blog Entries posted by AZBlue

  1. AZBlue

    17 years?!

    By AZBlue,

    Tomorrow will be my account's 17th birthday! So much has changed from when I first joined BZPower. I was only Twelve when I signed up after lurking on the homepage for just a few months during a lull in news on Mask of Destiny. The world had really started to change for me at that time and my interest in Bionicle was the singular constant as my family prepared to move across the country. I didn't know the challenges that I had yet to face, nor the joyous moments to come, all I knew was a sense of fear for my world and great hope in the world of the Matoran.
    Bionicle will always inspire my creativity, and BZPower will always be how I began writing, and for that I am forever indebted to this community and those who've been a part of it.

    Illustration from my first finished story, Bionicle Legacies: The Return ca.2007
  2. AZBlue
    I've been slowly rebuilding my BIONICLE sets. It's a project I've been working on for about 2 years, originally in celebration of Gen 2's announcement. Today, after a slow and distracted process, I've completed rebuilding my current 2001 collection. The Manas are on another shelf in my room, but I can't figure out how to post more than two images via my iPad. The only sets I am missing are the Nui Jaga and Muaka & Kane-Ra plus four of the Mctoran. Those sets will hopefully soon be mine! They are at the top of my Christmas list this year, so yeah! I also finished rebuilding my 2010 sets, and my first half 2002 sets.
     
    I've also been thinking about starting a YouTube series, mostly reminiscing over gen one, and reviewing the sets from each year. I'd like to do more with it then just that though, so any suggestions would be nice. How's everyone else doing?
  5. AZBlue

    Growing Closer

    By AZBlue,

    TL;DR: School is going well, and my best friend and I are well on our way to being something more, something better.
     
    It's been just about 4 months since my last post, and things have continued to go well. I'm in my 4th week of my 1st semester of Robotics, I completed ISU's START program in December and was recognized by my English instructor for my essay work, which included a fan-fic set during season 3 of The Flash written from Iris West's perspective. That recognition came at a small graduation ceremony that my mom attended. My best friend was there too, a young woman who is also in my congregation from church. My friend and I went to see Frozen 2 after the graduation, which was fun. Before the movie we talked a little, including about dating, but we decided to just stay friends for a while longer. After a few weeks she let me know that she'd signed up for the Epee Fencing class that the Phys Ed department offers and that I'd already signed up for, and we've been partners for most of the days so far.
    Well, on Friday the university held a formal dance. My friend and I wanted to go together, but out of respect to our earlier decision neither of us had mentioned it to the other. Wednesday we had lunch together with a mutual friend, and both of us are indebted to that friend. She not only mentioned wanting to go to the dance, but invited my best friend and I to go with her as a group. So yeah! I met them at my best friend's house where they were getting ready. Our wing woman came to the door when I got there, while my best friend was finishing up. I stepped inside and after a moment She came out from the hallway into the entry. She was wearing a prom dress that she'd not gotten to use in High School, a dress much like Belle's from Beauty and the Beast, but so much more beautiful. After having my breath taken away I smiled really big and of course complemented her.
    We left in our friend's car for campus, arriving about half an hour early. While waiting for the doors to open we stood in the hallway outside the ballroom, where a classmate from robotics showed up with his wife and a male friend in tow. Over the course of the night, the wing woman mostly danced with my classmate's friend, leaving my best friend with me. During one particular slow dance, to the song Hero by Enrique Iglesias, we nearly kissed! Unfortunately we were interrupted by a kinda creepy guy that had latched onto our group. Overall the night was great though. A bit later I requested a song for the next slow dance, Beauty and the Beast from the 1993 animated version of the movie. I think that it became our song when they played it. We'd been standing over by the photo booth that'd been set up, waiting to get a group picture when the song came on, and she looked around surprised before settling on me. She smiled and I offered my hand and led her to the dance floor, where I got to dance with a real life Belle. She told me today that it was her favorite part of the dance.
    The happy mood continued on to Sunday, which while a normal service, was great. The first Sunday of the month is general used for congregants to share their own thoughts and feelings about church stuff, and of course both my dear friend and I spoke. After our meetings we said bye, and headed home to await the incoming snow storm. I ended up watching parts of the Super Bowl, which my team won! Texting her about it, she was excited for me even though she's not interested in sports at all. (I'm only slightly interested myself).
    Yesterday we didn't get to see each other until the afternoon at our fencing class because of delays that the storm caused, and we talked about going to the sledding activity our congregation had planned because of the snow. Unfortunately she had some homework and wasn't able to go,  but she asked if we wanted to go today. We went to the same hill from last night and had a great time talking and sledding and just enjoying each other's company. It was an awesome almost date! We headed back to a common building after about an hour to sit and talk and warm up before I had to get back to my classes. As we walked she mentioned that she would've really enjoyed going to dinner this evening, something I'd offered due to her not having her usual ride to her choir practice if she'd needed to stay on campus. She then said that she'd enjoy having dinner together another night though! As a date! We don't have anything planned yet as far as when, but we do have a where, a diner just across the street from campus. Right now I'm sitting listening to her sing with the choir, enjoying the music and picking her voice out every so often. I know how I feel about her, I haven't told her yet because it's not time, but I know, though she probably suspects thanks to how easily it shows on my own face when I'm around her.
  6. AZBlue

    Hello Again

    By AZBlue,

    Since everyone seems to be posting their returns, I figured I'd join in even though I never left 
    I've been here since 03. Those were the days, back when the forums were so active we'd get server busy messages every so many minutes, the art and epics boards were my home, and modified screenshots were known only as edits. These days it's quiet 'round here, bursts of activity every so often.
    In real life I've been through some stuff. I've seen things... no not those things, the other ones. I was recently accepted into Idaho State University, and will finally be joining a degree program that has some real potential. Namely Robotics. Someday you'll hopefully even see some of my work at a Disney park, if my dreams happen that is.
    I've fallen in love a few times, but I'm still a lonely single guy. I've made and lost many friends over the years. Only a few are still a part of my life. The one thing that has truly stayed with me is this website.  I can't believe this is still here!
  7. AZBlue

    #RenewTimeless

    By AZBlue,

    So, I've been following NBC's sophomore show Timeless from it's premier. It's a fun show, and definitely underrated. One year ago the first season ended, and the show was cancelled before NBC reversed their decision a few days later. Now the show is again at risk, with no word on a third season or a cancellation.
     
    I had something happen with the campaign to keep the show on that I never would've expected. I made a tweet that is currently sitting at around 250ish retweets and over 600 likes. I'm amazed that this happened, and also proud to have my voice be heard in a fandom as large as Timeless has.
     
    If you haven't seen the show, go watch it on hulu. I highly recommend it, even with its flaws, as a fun action/adventure/romance/history lesson/drama. Yes, it has all of that.
  8. AZBlue

    Life is ACTUALLY good!

    By AZBlue,

    Hey all, its been a while. Life got crazy right as the holidays started, and I want to start with an apology to XCCJ, who was my secret Santa pairing over the holiday. I really shouldn't have signed up for that, and realized too late that I wasn't going to get anything done, and for that I am sorry.
     
    TL;DR: I might have a girlfriend, and a childhood retail chain is closing.
     
    Things have been consistantly going up since I was last really online, my mental health is finally under control *knock on wood*, and my confidence has gone from a spark to a pretty good fire. On Saturday December 16th I went to an ice skating party with people from my church congregation and had tons of fun. That's where I finally asked someone out for the first time in ages. I had interacted with this young lady at a lake activity over the summer, but figured she was way out of my league. The Monday before the skating though, I started to get to know her better. We talked about my Game Design class, and some of the art I was struggling with for the Design Document. Earlier we'd partnered up on a 'Minute-to-win-it' relay challenge where we had to wrap then unwrap a present with one hand each. That ended spectacularly with us running into the table as we slipped on the hardwood floor and sent the table flying WHILE still managing to unwrap the present together! I literally couldn't get the feeling of needing to ask her on a date out of my head for the rest of the week. Finally, after the skating and the KC BBQ dinner, I got up the nerve to ask her on a date. She agreed and we exchanged numbers before she left. That date didn't happen until February 8th, due to the Holidays and a brief illness.
     
    The date went great, we went to the local mall and walked around while getting to know one another more. We both had a bunch of fun, between wandering around the various geeky stores, and eating pizza over a small food court table, ending at Build a Bear with two Pokémon plush. A few days later I asked her on a second date, only the third I've ever been on, with the first two only partially counting because of High School relationships forming before the actual dates. She once again agreed, and we went on March 3rd. That was the best date I've ever been on. We ate dinner at a local Sonic drive-in before heading to a nearby park to sit and talk and enjoy some good weather. I really, really like her, if you can't tell. We're already going on a third date on Saturday. A dance in conjunction with the nearby Anime convention.
     
    On the Lego front, things have been really quiet. I don't want to say that I'm in a dark age, since I am still building some of my old sets every so often, but there really hasn't been anything from the current lines outside of the Archetecture sets that I've been truly excited about.
     
    Yesterday had some sad news with not just Stephen Hawking's death, but also one of the worst blows to my inner child. Toys R Us is one of the biggest chunks of my childhood memories, of which I have too few of. I just watched a video from one of my favorite You-Tubers, Retail Archeology, visiting one of the already closing Phoenix, AZ stores. The TRU at Superstition Springs Mall in Mesa, AZ is literally my childhood store. I was going there long before the current layout was done, when they had a large books section in the back corner where the baby stuff ended up. I remember going down the video game aisle when the Sega Genesis and CD were in their heyday, and then visiting when I was older and playing the demo for Sonic Adventure 2 on the Gamecube display. Most of my family's new Genesis games were from that particular store, as were several of our N64 games.
     
    The LEGO memories are just as old. I still have my Bionicle posters that they gave away in fall 2001. I have my TRU exclusive summer 2002 comic book, purchased at the Paradise Valley store while my mom was at a conference in downtown Phoenix.
     
    Their demise is one of the most heartbreaking things to happen in my life. I dreamed of taking my future kids there to get Lego sets and video games, to buy their first bicycles like I had, to enjoy being a kid without resorting to Walmarts or Targets for toys and tablets for games. Alas, all good things...
     
    Anyway, thanks for reading.
    Chris
    AZBlue
  9. AZBlue

    Mask of Light OST!

    By AZBlue,

    Nathan Furst just posted on Facebook that an Official Bionicle Mask of Light soundtrack is being released digitally on the major music platforms! It is a day to remember!
  10. AZBlue
    I know I said I was rewriting Bionicle Legacies, but that project has stopped yet again. After having a few false starts and ruined campaigns, the group I role play with on Mondays has found a campaign that is working for us. We've done various Pathfinder system games in the past, but none of them has had the same full world feel that this one has. It is set in a world inspired by Forgotten Realms, but has been dreamed up by one of my friends. We'd already talked about chronicling the adventures of the characters with previous games, but this one has piqued my creativity more than the others. I wrote out a rough backstory for my character just prior to the first session. I've also put more work into this game than any prior characters, and it shows.
     
    ​The funny thing about this game, is that the mythos that's been created has a chance of leading into the plot of the Novel that I started a year ago. The campaign theoretically takes place in the distant past of that book, and that in turn has got me started on filling out my character's backstory even more. On May 15th, 2017 (Technically the 16th) I started a second novel based on this Pathfinder campaign. In the three or four hours I worked on it, I put out around 2000 words, a new conscious record for me. The opening is a bit rough, but as the tale progresses, so to does the potential repairs to the intro.
     
    I just wanted to let the small community we still have here know of my gratitude for this website. Back in 2003, when I joined, I had only written a small Star Wars fanfiction. That was in 2000, when I was in 4th grade. I hadn't really picked up a pencil for more than the small bit of homework I'd actually get around to doing. Reading the Epics and Short Stories forums, which were populated by authors such as Daydreamer, Korobound, and GaliGee, gave me the inspiration to begin writing. By the end of 7th grade, I had written a handful of poems, a cringeworthy short story that was never posted here, a screenplay, and a pair of attempted epics. The next four years were full of more writing. In 2005 I discovered High Fantasy through Terry Brooks' Sword of Shannara. I wrote an unfinished story called Takori-Metru. It was based on the screenplay from a few years prior. I then began my first world-building attempt for a novel. That summer I started another epic called The Fall of Darkness. It was an attempt at an edgy tale of lost love and revenge. Let's just say that Takori-Metru had more potential than this Takanuva and Nixie pairing that started with the death of Gali. I worked on that epic throughout my Sophomore year of High School, a time in which I gained my first girlfriend, a goth girl that I briefly reunited with last year. It was a strange time!
     
    The summer of 2006 came around, and just a few days before my birthday I began work on my Bionicle Magnum Opus, The Return. I worked on it and it's accompanying short stories for the next several years. The epic itself was finished in January 2008, and was completely posted by my Graduation that May. The one short story that I still cherish was "The Light's Love". It was the first time I had written a story that connected events unseen in the main story. I entered college that fall, and ironically never passed English 101, also known as 121 at the college I was at. After a year and a half, my writing fell mostly by the wayside after the second failure at that English class. A few more false starts at novels would come, before I started looking at some of the ideas I'd already written. I took on the project of rewriting The Return as something publishable for a bit before I had some really bad things happen to me.
    ---
    I actually took a break from writing this post because of my need to write down some of what happened to me. I'll link to my facebook once I feel comfortable posting it, if I post it. Anyways, there was a physically, psychologically, and socially abusive person in my life for a year, and what he did to me killed my writing for several years.
     
    The things I went through then and during high school, were softened as they happened, because of this community. Just seeing my peers grow up made me have hope, even if there was a hint of jealousy at some of you guys! I'm sad to see that the community here has become so small, and that there are now days without activity in most of the forums, but I'll always cherish the things I learned and memories I made here, even if this site eventually vanishes. I'm not leaving, in fact I plan to stay until the very end, whenever that comes. But I wanted to say my thanks to everyone here.
    Even SPIRIT and his awesome brand of crazy.
  11. AZBlue

    Revived Creativity

    By AZBlue,

    Hello All, it's been a while. I've been relatively silent on here recently, which doesn't surprise me much honestly.
     
    Christmas came and went, with me receiving the last Six 2001 Bionicle sets that I needed to complete my collection for that year. In total I got all six Mctoran, the Nui-Jaga, Muaka & Kane-Ra, and seven noble Kanohi. I've still got quite a few missing as far as the Kanohi go, but I expected that. The Mctoran were all complete including their polybags, Muaka & Kane-Ra was kind of new in box (The previous owner had opened it just to put the treads in a Ziploc), and the Nui-Jaga were sealed in box. I did feel bad about opening them, but I really wanted to build them!
     
    Anyway, that is not the point of this entry. The point is that seeing all of the revived creativity in the art and library forums has reignited my interest in fixing and finishing my Bionicle Legacies series. The conversion I had been working on stalled, and I really don't have the motivation to continue it, and I'm taking a break from my High Fantasy book for a bit longer. The reposting/rewrite of The Return will start soon, and hopefully won't take too long. The majority of my ideas right now are towards the long planned prequel, and the incomplete sequel. The short stories that are part of the series will likely be posted before any of that, as most of them aren't that embarrassing. Mostly I'm just excited to revisit the AU that I created over ten years ago.
     
    How's everyone else doing?
  13. AZBlue

    Nintendo NX REVEAL!

    By AZBlue,

    Tomorrow
    This friday, at 9am central time, Nintendo will be revealing their next gaming system! I am incredibly excited, and will be setting alarms to be awake at that time. What do you guys, gals, and so on think about this highly anticipated announcement?
  14. AZBlue

    PS4 is pretty cool!

    By AZBlue,

    It really is, as I've come to find out over the last week and a half. I got the Uncharted 4 Grey-Blue (or as I call it, Sand Blue lol) edition, and have been playing No Man's Sky, Uncharted Collection, and best of all, Star Trek Online.
     
    No Man's Sky is a great game to me, being a concept I've craved from my childhood obsession with space exploration. Its exactly what I expected from the previews and screenshots, so I was not disappointed or overhyped for it. The planet I started on had a radioactive atmosphere, which sucked, but I made it off that world.
     
    I've only made it partway through Uncharted 1, so I don't have much to say about it other than it feeling like a modern Indiana Jones movie.
     
    Star Trek Online is where most of my time is going right now, mostly because I had to start a new character--which was expected with it being a different server. Captain Tik'kat of the USS Tiberius is the first custom alien character I've made in STO, and I'm having a lot of fun with him. Space combat is good, but still feels better on PC, while the ground combat feels polished. The controls aren't on par with Elder Scrolls Online, but the game is playable.
     
    My PSN name is AZBlue08. I'll be adding it into my sidebar as well. Let me know if you add me!
     
    Also, I'm halfway through the Thrawn trilogy for the first time. It is really good, and I'm embarrassed that I hadn't read them yet. I'm eagerly anticipating the upcoming season of Star Wars Rebels, with the reintroduction of Thrawn, as well as more Maul shenanigans.
     
    Working my way through Supergirl S1, and eagerly anticipating S5 of Arrow, S3 of Flash and S2 of Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl.
  15. AZBlue

    Ugh...

    By AZBlue,

    So, last night I went to the local mental health center because of a depressive episode. I'm doing better today, I didn't get hospitalized but instead I'm doing an outpatient program.
     
    Anyways, what's going on with you guys?
  16. AZBlue
    So, today I went and bought three Gen2 sets, knowing that they may be the last new Bionicle sets I build for a while. It is really bittersweet, seeing how beautiful some of these sets were. I absolutely love the Creature of Water, and Skull Basher had a very interesting build for it's play feature. I also grabbed Skull Warrior, but haven't built him yet. I'm really down about this, mostly because Bionicle has been such a big thing for me. I got through the span between Gen1 and 2 by working on my fanfic series, Bionicle Legacies, but I'm not working on that anymore. I hope that Lego gives us a Gen3. Not immediately of course, but down the line a few years to let the dust settle.
     
    I'm really wishing I was at Brickfair VA this year so I can be around people who share my love for Lego.
     
    In lieu of me being at Brickfair, I'm doing an Ask Me Anything, just ask!
  17. AZBlue

    HELLO WORLD

    By AZBlue,

    Hello World! AZBlue is back in the blogsphere. I finally grabbed a Lifetime Premier membership, and hope that I will actually use this thing now!
     
    I missed out on last year's free blogging due to my job going downhill, among other things. My work on Bionicle Legacies' conversion into a publishable tale is still moving, albeit very slowly. I've also started on a High Fantasy story that has really taken off. I'm no longer working--Too many issues with my mental health--so I am gaming and writing most of the time now. I do have an XBox one, as well as a 20th anniversary Pokemon New 3DS, yeah the one with the faceplates.
     
    My Gamertag will be posted in my sidebar, for anyone interested, as well as my friend codes for 3ds and Wii U. I may also add my Steam name at some point.
     
    Anyway, it has been a crazy year or so since my last blog post, from a hospitalization, to moving back to my parent's, to seeing the Zelda Symphony here in Kansas City, and more.
     
    That's all for now.
  19. AZBlue
    Friend Code Time!
     
    AZBlue BZP
    4270-3003-5747
     
    Let me know if you add me, so that I can add you!
     
    Games I have:
    Mario Kart7
    Animal Crossing (Haven't started yet)
    Fire Emblem Awakening
    Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon
    Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
    Mario & Luigi Dream Team
    Super Mario 3D Land
  21. AZBlue

    It's Almost Here!

    By AZBlue,

    I am so incredibly excited for Star Wars episode 7! It's going to be out in ONE WEEK!
     
    *hears whispering in ear*
     
    Sorry, Jumped a year. Bionicle is so close though, I am so Hyped that the former Hype Train wouldn't be able to contain my hype!
     
    Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging.
  22. AZBlue

    Old Timers!

    By AZBlue,

    I was just browsing the Bionicle Discussion forum, and realized how many people I remember from back in the Golden Age have returned. Flintsmith, Binkmeister, and others.
     
    Makes me miss the old layout a bit, but at the same time, extremely excited for what that means for us as a Fandom. The fact that we've kept the flame of Vakama's story fire alive is, to me, incredible as well. That quote from Greg has been floating around in my head a bit too. You know, the one where he said that if Star Trek fans had abandoned it, it wouldn't have continued later on.
     
    Way to Go!
     
    #Bionicle2015
  23. AZBlue

    I'm Sven

    By AZBlue,

    akdskfnakjdjadkfjaewn
     
    *Translation by Kristophe*
    Sven here, just posting a blog. Starting to get warm up here on the Mountains, now that winter's over.
     
    adkfkjadslkfjjadsfjakjsdfl
     
    Also, Ana needs to--
     
    I can't type that Sven!
     
    adsjf
     
    Fine.
  24. AZBlue
    Hello All! This is AZBlue reporting from the confines of my computer to announce the collection of a Premier Membership from the BZPstore! I figured that since I am going to BFVA'14, I probably should go Premier.
     
    Yes, I know its not a requirement
     
    This will be a great adventure!
  25. AZBlue

    Glitch In The System

    By AZBlue,

    If you haven't already read it, go read Lady K's new epic. I've got the link ready, it will be at the bottom of this entry.
     
    I don't know if I'm going to be able to post the prologue for The Rise on time. If nothing else, I'll finish up the second Light's Love short story and post it instead. For my 1000th post, I will probably start a new library, since my last one was many, many years ago.
     
    Glitch in the System
     
    -azblue
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