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JAG18

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Blog Entries posted by JAG18

  1. JAG18

    Twilight Zone Abridged

    By JAG18,

    Not too long ago I was re-watching (or watching for the first time more often then not) all 5 seasons of the original run of "The Twilight Zone" (I talked about it here when I started) and while making my way through I was reading A.V. Club's reviews of each episode. The recent talk of Jordon Peele's reboot (which I haven't seen) made me think back to the review of "To Serve Man" mostly a point the author made about how the episode was basically a plot twist in search of a story, which lead to the following discussion in the comments section:
     
     
    I'm just wondering if this would be a good idea for a zero budget "Twilight Zone" adaption made by a bunch of broke high school/film school students. You know, 5 minute or less minisodes uploaded straight to Youtube, with the whole point being to get to the twist as quickly as possible. Now, I'd be the first to argue that "Twilight Zone" was more than it's twist, but as a cheap spin-off it might be fun to see. I'd watch it.
  2. JAG18
    Alternate Title: The Tommy Westphall of Sci-Fi
    Alternate Title #2: Take It Off Predey Boy!
     
    A while ago I was watching the kill count video for "Alien Vs. Predator" and after doing some reading on the AVP wiki I got the idea for this entry, but decided to wait until I had watched all the AVP movies at least once. That meant had 5 or 6 movies to watch; well, last Monday I watched "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem" so here we are.
     
    Note: I will not be spoiling any movies worth seeing, but if for some reason you want to watch all the AVP movies then in that case spoilers below for "The Predator" (2018), "Alien Vs. Predator", "Alien Vs Predator: Requiem", "Alien 3", "Alien: Resurrection", and "Alien: Covenant". Although honestly, if you haven't seen most of these movies then this won't make any sense.
     
    Main Movies:
     
    "Predator" (1987) - 1987
    Bunch of muscular special forces dudes in the jungles sprout off action one liners while being hunted something that ain't no man.
     
    Predator 2 - 1990
    The Predator moves to the city and some weird stuff goes down; stuff a BZP Lovers organization would rather not anyone know about. Please note, Aliens and Predators had already crossed over before a Xenomorph skull appeared in this movie.
     
    AVP and AVP Requiem - 2004
    The CEO of a company called Weyland enterprises, Charles Bishop Weyland, leads a team to Antarctica to investigate some strange happenings and get caught in the hunt of three Predator young bloods (Celtic, Chopper, and Scar). In flashbacks, we learn that the Predators taught humans how to build pyramids and used them as hosts for the ultimate sport, xenomorphs. After the battle, an alien/predator (Predalien) hybrid bursts out of the chest of the last surviving Predator of the last film (Scar) causing the ship to crash in a small town on earth. Another Predator (Wolf) now has to go to Earth and preform one of the worst cover ups in history and this three way war ends with the secret government agency nuking a Colorado town. Ms. Yutani appears in the last scene.
     
    Predators - 2010
    A bunch of killers and warriors get kidnapped and dropped on a Predator game preserve. Doesn't establish anything new except maybe that they're super Predators, but whatever just get to the choppa.
     
    The Predator - 2018
    So many stupid things happen, but the stupidest might be the "revelation" that Predators hunt in order to collect the DNA of the best warriors as opposed to, you know, cause of the fact that they're sport hunters. Also, this is why Predators have an obsession with ripping people's spines out (what's Sub-Zero's excuse?) Also that BZP Lovers organization is back with the actually props from all the previous movies. Finally, the humans get a secret weapon--an Iron Man suit, which might help explain...
     
    Blade Runner - 2019
    Yes, tenuous evidence suggests that "Blade Runner" and "Alien" share the same universe; the only important thing established is that androids exist although they're not on the best terms with humans right now. Also, this creates the biggest plot in this whole thing, which is trying to explain the biggest tech jump in all of human history.
     
    Soldier and Blade Runner 2049 - 2036 and when the heck do you think?
    These both exist in this timeline, but I don't have anything to say about them because I haven't seen either so we are leaving.
     
    Promethes - 2092
    First, I'll say up front that I think this never should have been an alien movie, but that being said this does give us a lot of back story.
    In flashbacks we see a new Weyland was running the company in the early 2000s (probably the son of Bishop Weylind who died in AVP) and we learn that another race of aliens The Engineers created humans (and maybe Predators and Xenomorphs?) And fun fact, Elien Ripley was 1 year old during the event of this film.
     
    Alien: Covenant: 2104
    Um, android David recreated Xenomorphs (but we are trying to keep things consistent, then Engineers, Predators, and David all re-created the Xenomorphs from the same black goo) and before this movie he used The Engineer's ship to destroy a world of aliens created by The Engineers. I want to say that Ridley Scott will fix the timeline with the next Alien prequel, but if this movie is anything to go off of then probably it will only mess the timeline up more and suck at the same time.
     
    Alien: 2122
    A bunch of space truckers find an old Engineer ship with a xenomorph on it.
     
    Aliens: 2179
    Ripley and a team of Colonial Marines fight xenomorphs and Bishop shows how far androids have come since "Blade Runner".
     
    Alien 3: 2179
    You know, Ripley killing the last of the aliens isn't all that important if it's true that xenomorphs exist elsewhere in the universe. Also, we meet a scientist named Bishop who, no joke, is theorized to just look a lot like the Weyland from AVP; yeah assuming this guy is who he says he is.
     
    Alien: Resurrection - 2379 (ish)
    I can't believe that in the two centuries that have pasted since the last film that humanity hasn't found any xenomorphs on other planets OR the Predators. But this is the end of the timeline so that's that.
     
    Here's the whole thing in
    (make sure to watch that video on 1.25 speed; trust me you'll need it).  
    But we're not done yet.
     
    Crazy Comic Crossovers:
    Batman vs Predator: see
    for an epic animated version of this comic in which Batman defeats a Predator with his greatest gadget...the bat. Yep, Batman beats up an alien with a wooden baseball bat. This combined with "Batman vs. Aliens", "Superman vs. Aliens" and "Superman vs. Predator" (and others) means the DC universe is connected to the AVPverse (somehow).  
    Judge Dredd vs. Alien: Incubus: see
    for how awesome this story actually is. Also, since multidimensional travel is a thing in 2000 A.D. this means that most of these shared universe can be explained as taking place in different dimensions that the Predators and Aliens keep stumbling into.  
    Archie vs. Predator: Yep this is a thing and since "Archie vs. The Punisher" is also a thing that means that technically the DC and Marvel universes are connected.
     
    Alien vs. Predator vs. Terminator: alright I'm done (although this is obviously non-canon). This comic does include a hilarious bit where the writers try and sell the idea that Dutch was the inspiration for the Terminators.
     
    See here for even more crazy comic crossovers.
     
    Mortal Kombat:
    So, Jason Voorhees, Alien, Predator, Freddy, Kratos have all been guest characters in MK over the years, but I'll yet you figure out the implications of that. Plus, don't forget the DC universe crossover. Mortal Kombat (like Dredd) can make sense of all these connected universe using the idea of realms, but that is probably unnecessary because...
     
    In Conclusion: A Few Take Aways
    1) I think Warner Bros and Dark Horses may have too many licenses on their hands.
     
    2) I don't (and would encourage everyone) not to take all this too seriously. Like the Tommy Westphall theory, this all shows how ridiculous it is to assume that universes are connected just because of one guest appearance. Heck, it's an argument against making overly connected universes in general. But, whats more...
     
    3) Making good art is more important than canon.
    Crossovers can be fun (and like some of the above realy good), but valuing canon over art can sometime be really dumb. Ultimately, Disney did the right thing with the Star Wars EU.
     
    And I think that's all that needs to be said about that. I hope you learned something important from this or at least got a good laugh out of some of those hilarious attempts to maintain continuity.
  3. JAG18
    So, last month after "Green Book" won Best Picture at the Academy Awards I was made aware, through headlines like, "Green Book worst best picture since Gladiator", of the fact that people don't like Ridley Scott's "Gladiator".
     
    Now, my first reaction to this news, of course, was, "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!" Which, despite Zoey Deutch saying it in "Vampire Academy" (one of the most cringe worthy moments in any movie from the last 20-ish years) is one of the best lines in cinema of all time.
     
    After that, I did some looking to see what movies "Gladiator" was competing against and found that "Cast Away" is probably my next favorite film from 2000 although I can't say whether I like it more than "Gladiator". When I told my sister about this, her response was something to the effect of, "So it's 'are you not entertained," vs. "Wilson"?"
     
    That made me wonder, "What if movies were as good as the memes they inspired?" Then the Star Wars prequels would all be masterpieces! "Taken" would be worth watching more than once; "The Dark Knight Rises" might actually be better than "The Dark Knight".
     
    I could sit here and think of some more, but I'll let anyone in the comments work out the implications of living in such a world.
  4. JAG18
    Although I did consider calling this entry "The Slender Man of Bionicle" I think Blaze from Mortal Kombat is a better fit here, but if anyone thinks they know what the character I'm looking for is then go right ahead and tell me in the comments.
     
    So, this is a promo picture of Iconox as seen on Strakk's canister:

     
    If you know me you know I had the closer Glatorian in the foreground (who I've dubbed "Snow N. Ice Oakenshield") as my avatar for years and considered it my calling card. In fact, I have a whole block dedicated to this guy in my blog here.
     
    I wish I could say that I came up with this idea all by myself, but I remember seeing someone with this image as a banner back in '09, although I don't think I remember seeing anyone use it as an avatar. I don't now why I was drawn to Mr. Oakenshield, but when I become a member and was trying to think of a cool avatar I thought back to that banner I saw once and the rest is history.
     
    Now, here are the instructions that came with Malum:

     
    Yep, nothing out of the ordinary. Wait, what's that in the background? Let's zoom in a little.

     
    I found this today while looking for images for the Bionicle Caption Contest. Now, these instructions are from 2009 and this image was uploaded in 2016, but I've never ever seen this guy before in my entire life...If I wasn't so attached to my coat of arms, I'd considered making this guy my new avatar both as a throwback to my old avatar and because I think he also looks pretty cool.
     
    And that is all. I hope I was the first one to point this guy out to you and that now your life is a bit better for having spotted him. Now excuse me while I try and think up a way to honor these guys probably either in moc form or in a short story where these guys fought each other in the Core War or something.
  5. JAG18

    I Need to Get Me a Cig

    By JAG18,

    Yeah, I just realized the other week that I don't have a signature below my posts; I'm sure I had a good reason for doing that, but still I...wait. Did I put a "C" instead of an "S" in the title? Oh well, might as well just roll with it.
     
    So, I did some browsing around the forums and noticed that, for one, a surprising number of people don't have a sig at all, but also that everything in sigs fell into a few categories: links, quotes, and occasionally a moc image or banner. And when I think back to what my sig has looked like over the years I realized that has used fallen into the same categories. First it was nothing, but links (there was a lot of stuff I wanted to link to back in the day!) then I got a banner with a model in it, heck I know I've even put silly quotes in my sig before.
    I'm pretty sure the last links I had right before I got rid of it were of this blog, my wordpress blog that I abandoned, the caption contest, and I think that's it.
     
    I'm open to any and all ideas as to what I should put down there; my only ideas right now are...you guessed it links (this blog, my flickr) or maybe a banner featuring the three most beautiful women alive (assuming I feel like putting in the work necessary). Or I could just get with the times and leave it empty.
     
    Any thoughts?
  6. JAG18

    5 Years on BZPower

    By JAG18,

    Yep, today is my five year anniversary on BZPower. Not as impressive as it used to be either when I first joined or when I was a lurker, but whatever.
     
    This has gotten me thinking a bit, about how much my life has changed since I first joined and if you read through my profile feed (please don't) you can see me chronicling some of those changes. Me being me, I'm most interested in how much my music hobby has changed since then; back when I first joined my primary means of music consumption were youtube and radio, which just strikes me as kind of funny now. And that's not even mention how much my music taste have changed since then.
     
    But mostly my anniversary has gotten me thinking about what the site was like back then; all the members I used to hang out with (most of whom have left the site or hardly visit), the sub-forums I used to be super active in like S&T (where discussion has almost completely died). I remember how I used to post in almost every topic made in BBC, including every entry for that BBCC about video games. I remember that time I tried to join an RPG, how I used to be as active in the CoT games as the G&T ones (not sure why I stopped though), playing Mafia and always being the villager, hosting Hitman. It's all coming back to me.
     
    Well, times changed, people grow old, and all good things come to end. Even though you'd think that all BZPower is now to me is a place for nostalgia, I actually am thinking a lot about my future on this place. For some weird reason I just now started my career as a mocist and ain't done yet; plus I still have some ambition to host one more game of Bionicle RISK if I can get enough players. In the mean time I still plan to keep the caption contest going (by the way, is that the most active topic on the site now or am I just being delusional?)
     
    Alright, that's all I got, now I'm going to use my new Olmak to transport myself to some random pocket dimension or something.
  7. JAG18

    Goodbye Blog

    By JAG18,

    For now?
     
    Yeah, my premier membership is up in a day or two and I've decided to not renew it. I'll admit it's been fun; having a blog (that I'll be the first to admit I didn't update enough) and neat images under my member title, but I don't really get enough out of it to justify buying another year or even lifetime membership. Still, like I said I had fun and I got to help support a site I love a lot so it's all good.
     
    And hey, never say never right? Maybe, I'll change my mind some day, but until then it's goodbye blog.
  8. JAG18
    And not just in terms of everything except choreography.
     

     

     
     
    [Yes I've known about these videos for some time (and I've also seen the video where Obi-Wan Force Speeds straight into the power generator pit), I'm just posting them as food for thought, and no I don't mind if you like this fight or the movie it's from.]
  9. JAG18

    Three Years

    By JAG18,

    Today is my three year anniversary on BZPower; feels more like two. I wonder if I should try and be more active around here or something...
     
     
    That is all, now continue with whatever you were doing.
  11. JAG18

    There is a Fifth Dimension

    By JAG18,

    Last week(ish), I finished watching the entire first season of one of my favorite TV shows "The Twilight Zone".
     
    So, for as long as I can remember I've always enjoyed Sci-fi's "Twilight Zone" marathons, but despite always considering it a favorite show of mine I've never actually had any exposure to the show outside of the marathons. Well, recently I decided to change that and so I borrowed the first season from my local library and went to watching.
     
    I'm not going to ramble on here about my favorite episodes or any observations I've had while watching, but I will say that very quickly the episodes became very predictable with only the finale's twist ending making me grab my head while shouting, "OH MY GAWD."
    I don't know if this is because I have a lot of experience with the show or if the episodes really are just that predictable or what, but either way it didn't really matter because the writing and Rod Serling's insights into human nature still kept me interested, but its just something that stuck out to me.
     
     
    Favorite Episode(s); "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", "Judgment Night", and "One For the Angels".
     
    Alright, now on to season 2.
  12. JAG18

    In America

    By JAG18,

    In America, you scare your daughter's boyfriend:
     
    Man throws bullet at daughter's boyfriend,
     
    "It gets a lot faster after 10 pm."
     
    In Soviet Russia, your daughter's boyfriend scares you!
     
    FPSrussia drives up to girlfriend's house in T-14 Armata tank and emerges from turret draped in machine gun belts,
     
    "I'll bring her home when I feel like it."
     
     
     
    Thank you, I'm here all week.
  13. JAG18

    Risk: Star Wars Edition

    By JAG18,

    A couple of days ago I turned 20 and one of my gifts was a board game called "Risk: Star Wars Edition".
     
    Now, any serious board gamer (full disclosure: I'm not because I'm new to the hobby and frankly don't have the funds to get into) Risk is at the end of the day not a very good game or at best their are a lot of game that does what Risk does a lot better, but that doesn't matter because this game has absolutely nothing to do with Risk. Instead, this a spiritual successor of an older and exceptional Star Wars game that came out in 1999 called The Queen's Gambit and both were designed in part by Craig Van Ness who worked on my favorite board game of all time "Star Wars: Epic Duels".
     
    Anyway, Risk: Star Wars Edition is a fun game, very reminiscent of a Commands and Colors game only Star Wars themed (come to think of it, that actually sounds like a great idea) and while there isn't much deep strategy involved in this game who cares because its just a lot of fun moving ships around and chucking dice. I did encounter the same problem that most people who bought this game did; that the Rebels win almost 90% of the time, but fortunately I was able to find a rule clarification sheet online that, in my experience, balances the game out by pointing out some rules that really help the Empire.
     
    Star Wars: The Emperor's Gambit is a great game that's strangely, also a mass market game; I like it a lot and will probably play it again as soon as I can.
  14. JAG18

    Beowulf Translations

    By JAG18,

    A few days ago, I finished reading "Beowulf", while I was reading I kept anticipating specific cool moments I've heard of over the years; like when Beowulf pulls Grendel's arm out of it's socket like a wookiee, but one moment I was really waiting for was when Beowulf kills the Frankish standard bearer.
     
    Now, here is how Tom Shippey described the moment, in the special features for "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug",
     
    ...and here is how Marc Hudson put it in the "Wordsworth Classics of World Literature" edition I read,
    (lines 2505-2508)
     
    Maybe a slight difference to some, but clearly not as exciting or epic IMO; no offense to Hudson and his publisher, but now I think I really should have read whatever translation Shippey is quoting.
     
     
    Anyway, I now need to find something new to read.
  15. JAG18
    If you've seen my posts in the "What Are You Listening to Right Now" and "Official Music Topic" you'd know I like and listen to a lot of music. Also, if you've seen my posts there you'd know that I don't necessarily have the best taste in music. Regardless, in no particularly order, here is a list of the music I've been liking and listening to this year so far.
     
     
    1. “Real Love” – Florrie
    Florrie (English singer Florence Arnold) has been active in music for many years now and has released a lot of great, 80’s influenced, pop music, but her latest single “Real Love” (released just in time for Valentine’s Day) is her first song to be released by a major label serving as a first taste before her debut album comes out late this year. “Real Love” is an amazing pop love-ballad with good lyrics and Florrie’s usual stellar vocals. Just a side note, the song is just a little similar to Taylor Swift’s “Style” a song Florrie said she loved and has even covered.
     
    2. “Hummingbird” – Kyla La Grange
    An incredible electro-pop song about being, to quote Grange,
    “…hovering between the different versions of yourself…about how having too many choices makes you dissatisfied because you always think you'd be happier if you'd chosen the thing you didn't choose, which usually isn't true…”
    This has been one of my favorites since it came out in April and is a solid pick for one of the best songs of 2016. Give it a listen.
     
    3. “In My Blood” – The Veronicas
    The first new music to come from the Aussie rock/pop duo since their 2014 self-titled album. “In My Blood” is a different sound from what we’re used to from The Veronicas being the kind of dance pop you’d except to hear at night clubs or music houses, but regardless it’s an amazing dance song for the summer.
     
    4. “Criminal + Dreamers” – Willa
    A more obscure release from electro-pop Canadian new comer Willa (Ali Milner) who debuted her first single “Stay the Night” (Track 4) in 2014. This debut EP features 8 songs and overall makes for a very good listen; album opener “Swan” (which also has a radio edit at the EP’s end) is more rock-influenced with Willa belting out some defiant lyrics about not being eye-candy (I’m not a swan/pretty in the pond). The next two tracks “Criminal” and “Hey” as well as fifth track “Stare” are my favorites featuring some interesting and solid production and wonderful vocals from an artist who all fans of pop should keep an eye on.
     
    5. “Hero” – Maren Morris
    For whatever reason, most of my favorite LPs for each year are released in the second half of the year; which probably explains why this debut from Texas native Maren Morris is the only LP to be featured on this list. This is a solid country album with more to offer than just Morris’ breakout hit “My Church” (about the strong connection between music and driving) and follow up single “Rich”, which I would recommend particularly to fans of Kacey Musgraves. Favorite tracks include, “Sugar”, “80’s Mercedes”, and “Drunk Girls Don’t Cry”.
     
    6. “Summer EP” – Cassadee Pope
    I very much enjoyed Pope’s debut album “Frame by Frame” (2013) and eagerly anticipated her follow up album all of last year; whether the release of this EP is a sign the album is coming sooner or later is unknown to me. Either way, the four tracks presented here are all very good and very much what Cassadee Pope fans have been hoping for. Opening track “Summer” is a fun, upbeat, perfect for the summer song, but I personally prefer either “Piano” or “Alien” for their superior writing. Third track “Kisses at Airports” is the only genuine low point for me, but is still fine; a great EP overall.
     
    7. “Bella Goldwin”
    Another debut EP from a rising Canadian female pop artist; the really outstanding track here is opener “Higher Than Life”, which is a deeply moving, atmospheric song, about death and wishing to be reunited with a lost loved one. The performance here by Goldwin is absolutely amazing and is the heart of this incredibly sentimental and touching song. The rest of the EP also features the artist’s quality vocals (except for the third track, which is almost entirely instrumental) and good song writing; definitely worth a listen.
     
    8. “Bubblebath” – That Poppy
    This is a very good debut EP that features four very fun pop songs. My personal favorite is "Money" although like I said this all quite good especially if you're a fan of less-serious kind of bubblegum pop. All in all a solid EP, which is definitely going to put me on the look at for future music from this artist.
     
    9. CHVRCHES
    The marvelously talented band that defies genre description and released one of my favorite albums from 2015 (“Every Open Eye”) released a good song for the video game “Mirror’s Edge Catalyst” called “Warning Call” written from the perspective of the game’s heroine. They also just came out with a different version of one of the best tracks off their last album, but this time featuring none other than Hayley Williams the front woman for rock stalwart Paramore; both these songs our definitely worth a listen.
     
     
    That’s what I’ve been listening to and loving so far this year, again like I said most of my favorite music is released in the second half of the year, but still I’m both pretty happy with the music that’s come out this year and also very optimistic for the future. Speaking of the future, I’m greatly anticipating three LPs in particular from pop stars Tove Lo and Charli XCX as well as from the amazing pop/rock sister band HAIM.
  16. JAG18
    Over the last week or so, I've been rereading all 49 of the old Bionicle comics for the first time in years. Here are my (completely random) thoughts on them.
     
    2001:
    -Why exactly were the Turaga telling the Bionicle Tale at the beginning of Comic #2? I know it's some kind of tribal thing to tell myths and legends over and over to preserve them, but they weren't any Matoran around so were the Turaga just telling it so they wouldn't forget?
    -I never realized how diverse, and honestly sometimes odd, promotions were in 2001; having a contest to meet some skater is probably the strangest (to me).
    -The last of this year has the Toa finding ways to beat random Rahi without physically hitting them and thereby violate LEGO's no violence policy; it ends with the heroes striking poses and leaving us to play MNOG to see how the story ends.
     
    2002:
    -Six issues allowed for the room to tell a more in-depth story and cooler year overall making '02 my favorite year of the original three.
    -LEWA WHY CAN'T YOU GO TWO SECONDS WITHOUT LOSING YOUR MASK!
    -It's kind of a shame that so often in BIONICLE so many sets were shoehorned into the story for just a few seconds of screen-time in which they don't really do anything. The Exo-Toa are good example of this (but I guess the whole point of the comics and entire story was just to sell all these sets so it's fine.
     
    2003:
    -Bohrok-Kal filler is fill-y.
    -I find it hilarious how the so many BIONICLE fans over the years kept asking Greg about what must have been something he did without a second thought at the time (sending several Tahnok and Lehvak-Kal to space).
    -In Comic 14, Kopaka stood his ground against all the Rahkshi LIKE A BOSS.
     
    2004:
    -Another great year for story with the first half involving the Toa pruning weeds and second half running away from Vahki
    -I find it funny how much time and effort was spent giving the Vahki different powers and tactics only for them to be more or less completely forgotten in later years.
     
    2005:
    -Seeing the Toa Hahga (well, two of them anyway) in action in Comic 25 still makes it one of my favorite comics of all time.
    -The sub-plot involving Nokama and Matau hitching a ride on a Visorak Battering Ram (that Roodaka orders destroyed FOR HAVING A SINGLE CRACK) was a lot more fun than I remember.
     
    2006:
    -For some strange reason I don't have "BIONICLE Ignition Comic #0"
    -I knew about BIONICLE at the end of '01, bought the sets, saw "MOL", but I didn't have massive nostalgia rush until I started the '06 comics; the nostalgia value alone will always make 2006 my favorite year in BIONICLE.
    -Anyone remember Free The Band? I wonder what the All American Rejects would say if some fan bought that up with them now.
     
    2007:
    -You know in retrospect, '06 with all the backstabbing and secret alliance of the Piraka made that year feel more like "Game of Thrones" than '07 should have had with the Barraki.
    -Nocturn is one of the best sets and characters of Gen 1, which is why he had to be reincarnated as Skull Slicer in Gen 2.
    -Jaller set Mantax on fire, WHILE THEY WERE BOTH UNDERWATER.
     
    2008:
    -Only four issues is a bit of a let down (yeah I know the first is super long, but still)
    -The Makuta follow inverse ninja-law...for some reason.
    -You know what, Mata Nui never kept his promise and returned to the MU (unless you count when his fist were bashing Makuta in their final fight).
     
    2009:
    -Because of "TLR" whenever I read Mata Nui's voice I hear Michael Dorn's voice.
    -What exactly was the point of having a reboot only to reintroduce Mata Nui halfway through the year?
    -For some stranger reason I only have the small version of Comic 3 that I got with "TLR".
     
    2010:
    -GIANT EPIC ROBOT FIGHT.
    -I have so many fond memories of that day in 2010 when that guy on BZPower was uploading the last comic as fast as he could scan it and I was refreshing the page over and over so I could see the end of BIONICLE, which was so important to me as a kid.
     
     
    One last thought, the only non-BIONICLE comics I've ever read are some Deadpool and Batman comics and also some Spider-Man when I was a lot younger and to be honest, I think the BIONICLE comics actually aren't all that bad compared to them. You know, keeping in mind that the BIONICLE comics were just to promote children's toys (and condense the larger story)...I definitely prefer the artwork throughout all the comics more than the kind found in Deadpool.
  17. JAG18
    For the uninitiated, The Star Wars Epic Duels Game is a board game released in 2002 to promote "Attack of the Clones"; it did not sell well in it's initial run, but went on to gain a cult following. It also happens to be my favorite board game and is what got me into the hobby in the first place; I'm even a mod over at the Epic Duels Wiki (the number one place to discuss Epic Duels). Naturally, over the years I've thought about combining two of my great loves together, but actual decks never materialized.
     
    Until now...

    (Link)
    I've made six decks from the '06 story year (three for the Toa Inika and the three for the Piraka) and have play tested them to the point where I think they're all acceptable enough. Obviously, Bionicle could spawn dozens of decks, but I chose to focus on the '06 storyline for several reasons;
    1) The "Bionicle Heroes" and "Piraka Attack" games gave me plenty of material to mine when designing this deck (e.g. Matoro is a sniper, Jaller attacks rapidly)
    2) 2006 is when I got into the story (plus it's still my favorite year overall)
    3) Although I know no one will ever play this live (as opposed to in Vassal like I did above), the 2006 minifigures would be perfect for this game.
    4) VNOG and BH both gave me lots of great images to work with when making the decks.
     
    Thoughts on the Decks (Mediafire link):
     
    Hakann and Thok:
    This pairing and the theme of this deck (a fun, run-and-gun duo) came very easily, which is why it was the first one to get made. Aside from trying to get Hakann's offensive mix right this deck stayed almost the same from beginning to end. This deck is very typical bounty hunter deck and is probably my favorite of the Piraka even if it's basically just a collection of cards inspired by the Piraka's powers.
     
    Kongu and Hahli:
    He's got a energy/laser crossbow and she's got a mask that finds things so naturally I decided to base this on the Han and Chewie from the original game and it worked out really well (no doubt because it's such a great design to begin with). Honestly, all I needed to do while playtesting was tone this deck down a bit because for a while it seemed like it was too good! Maybe my favorite of the six.
     
    Zaktan and Avak:
    The first deck with a melee major I created; I recycled the theme of a "melee Emperor" that I used in my Dryden Vos deck for this deck with the added twist that Avak uses a card from Mike Maloney's Aayla Secura deck. Zaktan forces discards and Avak punishes players for it; Avak can sorted of hold his own by using his FORCE LIFT inspired card, but the two really need each other. Ultimately, the deck works just not super well.
     
    Jaller and Hewkii:
    This one required going back to the drawing board once or twice, but the idea of basing Jaller off of Darth Maul from the originally game was always there. This deck ended up as a "ranged Maul" flanked by a powerful ranged minor (who honestly stayed the same from start to finish). Probably the strongest of the set.
     
    Matoro and Nuparu:
    The deck that went through the most revisions. Basing the deck around Matoro's sniper persona in "Bionicle Heroes" was a no brainer, but getting it to work wasn't easy. I used DT's 4-Lom and Zuckuss deck as a kind of base, but ultimately this deck just turned out OK.
     
    Reidak and Vezok:
    The deck I had no idea what to do with. At first, I thought back to Roman's old Urgak and Grishnak deck since the theme of that deck ("These two guys really want to hurt each") fits Reidak and Vezok (or any two Piraka honestly) well enough. The end result was a strange amalgam of Grishnak mixed with cards based on the Piraka's powers (cards borrowed from Mike Maloney's Quinlan Vos deck and Starscream); the only deck I'm not entirely sure about.
     
     
    Obviously, there's plenty of room for expansion here; not just more characters from '06 (Toa Nuva, the titans, Matoran Resistance team, Nektann), but from the rest of the story. I doubt I'll make many more though; this was fun to do just to say that I've done it and so that Bionicle Epic Duels actually exists, but I'd rather put my Epic Duels deck making energy into making decks that will get some attention in the larger ED community. But hey, I hope the decks at least look cool and that some of you guys will get the references in the card names.
  18. JAG18

    Music Games

    By JAG18,

    (Sorry I haven't updated this recently, but I joined Reddit recently and was reminded how much fun it is being on a active forum can be)
     
    I like music. I like board games (both playing and making them). But, trying to make a board game involving music has always been a challenge for me.
     
    -Music Questionnaires can be fun, except I only have three and they get old real fast, plus it's more a solitary activity than an actual game.
    -Music Top Trumps is a real thing and card games are the easiest to make at home and I'll admit I have a draft for a set written up on my computer, but the "War" card game with cool pictures is only so much fun.
    -Music Trivial Pursuit? Eh...
    -Something I tried recently with my sister is I guess "Shazam!" the game. One of us plays a song and the other person has 25 seconds to guess what it is. After each song write, down the time and after ten songs each the person who has the lowest time is the winner. I'm this isn't some revolutionary thing, but we had fun.
     
    That's all I got. Do any of those ideas sound interesting to you? Do you have any music games you play with your friends or game group?
  19. JAG18
    So, this past Sunday night I got to see CHVRCHES, one of my favorite bands of all time, play and Karzahni yeah it was great! This was my first time seeing them in concert and also my second concert ever since really getting to music (my first was Haim around this time last year) so that made this a little extra special.
     
    The Build Up:
    My night, of course, started with a lot of waiting. I was in line a half-an-hour before the doors opened, although in hindsight that might have been a little unnecessary considering I had an assigned seat in the baloney and it was pretty empty up there for a while, but c'est la vie. At eight, the opener Cherry Glazerr came on. Now, I'll be honest and say that I didn't know who the opener was in advance although I had been seeing on Facebook the kinds of bands CHVRCHES has had opening for them this tour and they have been some really good ones (Pale Waves, Sasha Sloan, Let's Eat Grandma).
    I didn't know who Cherry Glazerr was at the time, but I will say I enjoyed their set well enough (I thought their drummer especially was real good). They played for about forty minutes, then there was another half-an-hour or so of more waiting and then...
     
    The Track List (I wasn't taking notes, but I think this is pretty close to what it was):
    Get Out
    Bury It
    We Sink
    Graffiti
    Under the Tide
    Graves
    Science/Visions
    Deliverance
    Forever
    Recover
    Leave a Trace
    Miracle
    Clearest Blue
    The Mother We Share
    Never Say Die
     
    Thoughts on the set:
    -Again, I'm a huge CHVRCHES fan and I love all their songs, but if you check out my
    on Youtube ranking of all their songs (and you totally should) you can tell that a lot of songs they played were more towards the bottom of the list. I mean, I knew they weren't going to play, "Playing Dead" or something like that, but it's just an observation. -The high point of the whole night, for me, was the middle part of their set when they played my two favorite songs off their last album ("Deliverance" and "Forever") back-to-back and then followed it up with 2 more really great songs.
    -They ended their initial set with my least favorite song off album two ("Clearest Blue") and while "The Mother We Share" is good enough to make the whole night they also finished with a more "meh" song off album three.
    -You know, when Martin came out from behind the synths I thought they he might start singing "High Enough To Carry You Over" (one of my favorite songs of theirs) and instead they played "Under The Tide" (one of my least favorites), but dang it if Martin still didn't give a great performance.
     
    Other Random Thoughts:
    -It's true what they say: CHVRCHES do put on a killing light show.
    -It was cool seeing Ian show off his guitar god skills many times through out the night.
    -The show banter mostly revolved around "Game of Thrones", how Lauren was surprised not only that people showed up, but also that Ian and Martin showed up (the two have a lottery going on how the show will end). Lauren herself admitted to not being a fan. The subject of cheese was also discussed. Considering what she talked about at the very last show they put on I'm kind of glad that nothing super serious was brought up.
    -I think I'm going to take to heart something Lauren said while putting in her earplugs before starting the encore ("Safety first.") Both because she said that and because of the aching in my left ear that I had for a few hours afterwards.
    -I just love how before playing, "Deliverance" Lauren said it's one of the songs that might upset people because I'm one of the people who should be upset by it, but instead it's my favorite song off their last album and one of my favorite songs of last year.
     
    And that's all I have to say. I had a great time, again it was awesome seeing one of my favorite bands live and I'll probably have their music on non-stop for the rest of the week.
  20. JAG18
    So, I was reading my indie mixtape e-mail today and I saw them suggesting Grime's new demo "Pretty Dark". Of course, I didn't need them to tell me because I've had that song on repeat all week, but I also noticed them attaching a name to Grimes' new album that I hadn't seen before. Apparently it's called "Miss_Anthropocene".
     
    This necessitated a google search and I found that Grimes just did an interview with the Wall Street Journal, but since it's hidden behind a subscription wall I suggest everyone just do what I did, which is google it and go to news and read what everyone else is saying about it.
     
    Also, the new album is about climate change...which I guess means it's time to buy Marc Marano's new book.
     
    In the mean time, I think it's time to revisit "Oblivion"
     

  21. JAG18
    I wish I said this, I wish I said that
    But I kinda froze in my tracks
    I wish I said this, I wish I said that
    But I kinda had a panic attack
    I wish I could talk good
    I wish I could talk, I wish I could talk
    I wish I could talk good
     
    (Although honestly this is how I feel most days. :/ )
  22. JAG18

    New Yu-Gi-Oh Ban List

    By JAG18,

    (Yes I know this is a little old, but I just found out about this the other day so I'm gonna talk about it now.)
     
    For those who don't know, in the Yu-Gi-Oh card game you can only have up to three copies of a single card in any one deck; exceptions being semi-limited, limited, and forbidden cards of which you can only have two of, one of, and none of respectively. What cards are limited and forbidden is decided by Konami with their frequently updated Limited and Forbidden List the latest update of which came out a couple of weeks ago.
     
    Now, the fact that I'm just now talking about this now should tip you off as to how involved I am with this game. Basically I watched the show growing up, but didn't really into the game until last winter when I started playing online at Dueling Nexus. Now, I'll be up front and say I honestly don't make my own decks for scratch I just watch the big Yugi-tubers and stalk the YGO reddit for deck lists. Sure, building decks is fun, but I'm not a good enough player to know how to build a deck that is even semi-competitive. Plus decks made by people who know what they are doing are funnier to play. Unfortunately, with the new ban list I'm going to need some new decks 'cause some of my favorites got hit hard.
     
    The good news: my all time favorite deck, a combination of Exodia and Trickstars, was completely unaffected; as was my Kozmo deck. I'm not that good a Kozmo player (yet?), but I like it a lot because 1) it's a pretty competitive deck and 2) it's doesn't require an extra deck to be good and I'm a YGO player who doesn't like extra decks.
     
    The bad news: both my favorite go-to Magnet Warrior deck and my Egyptian Gods deck used the Brilliant Fusion engine, which used 3 copies of a now limited card. It'll take some looking around to get both of those decks playable again.
     
    The worst news: You know that true hero who performed well at a regionals with a
    ? A Gren Maju deck. A deck that no one knew or cared about until he came up with it? Yeah, well one of the most important cards in the deck (Golden Sarcophagus) is now limited. That's a shame, because I love gimmick decks and especially gimmick decks that can actually win games and I've had a lot of luck playing with various Gren Maju decks. I'm sure that guy had a panic attack when he got the news.  
    OK, super nerdy blog entry over. I would be more torn up over all this if I was playing YGO right now (which I'm not) and probably by the time I do decide to start playing again they'll be another new ban list to adapt to so yeah until then just be sure to pay your respects to the once great Gren Maju.
  24. JAG18

    I Think I'm a Hummingbird

    By JAG18,

    Recently I was reading "The Hedge Knight" graphic novel, which is based on a "A Game of Thrones" prequel and there is one bit where two characters are discussing a particularly mean and nasty prince (Aerion the Monstrous) who, being a Targaryen and all, believes himself to be a dragon (the Targaryen sigil). One of the two characters then comments that he wishes that the prince were a Fossoway (whose sigil is an apple) so that he would believe that he were, well, an apple.
    Now I of course got a good laugh out of this at the time, but it's also made me think of my own armorial achievement which if you want to see for reference you look either at my avatar or below.
     

    Actually this version is missing both my motto ("Truth is truth") and battle cry ("To hope's end and heart's breaking!); of course the "complete" version on my computer is also missing my supporters (hedgehogs) so c'est la vie.
     
    Anyway back on topic, what I'm saying is since my charge is a hummingbird does that mean if I were that prince I would believe myself to be a hummingbird? Well, I suppose that's better then being an apple right? At least I don't have to worry about someone touching me and making me lose my apple juice.
    Plus they are lots of cool facts about hummingbirds right? [see here]
     
    Speaking of my armorial achievement, remember if you ever see anyone on any website with it as their avatar then odds are pretty good that it's me (especially if the username is some variation of JAG18). It's not technically official because in order to make a coat of arms official (to my knowledge) is you need to be either a member of the British realm or a direct descendant of a British subject (which I am) and then pay a few thousand pounds. So, if I ever have several thousand pounds laying around that I'm not using then I know what I'll be spending them on.
  25. JAG18
    Get it On:




    - Spotify

     
    Another year come and gone, which means it's time to roll out my list of my favorite songs of the year!
    This was my fourth year doing a favorite songs list and like always since January first I've been compiling my "nominees" into a word document as I find them; unlike previous years though I started work on this list a little bit early than normal (early October). Sorry, couldn't help myself.
     
    Anyway on the list itself, if you know my taste in music then you know what to expect, various forms of pop music with a few sprinkles of other genres like EDM. CHVRCHES, K.I.D, Clean Bandit, Princess Chelsea, Alice Glass, Cyn, Meg Myers, Pale Waves, Lila Gold, and Allie X are just a few of the artists represented on the list.
     
    So, check out the list if any of that interests you and be sure to share the songs you loved most from 2018 in the comments below.
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