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Bionicle Guru

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Blog Entries posted by Bionicle Guru

  1. Bionicle Guru
    As something of a realist, I knew going into this year that fangirl and fanboy pipe dreams of "The Return of BIONICLE" for the 20th anniversary was crazy talk. As much as I love the original run of BIONICLE from 2001 to 2010, there was no way in Karzahni that LEGO was going to revive the theme just for an anniversary year. It's a major one, but still. BIONICLE is done. No need to "continue" the story or reboot it (2015 and 2016 showed how poorly the latter went).
    My prognostication was we'd likely get something like a GWP or one-off trinket by the summer to commemorate the worldwide release of BIONICLE (Europe had the Toa and Turaga from the start of 2001, but the US and Canadian markets didn't see BIONICLE sets on shelves until July). On the lower end, I figured we might be lucky to see prints of, say, Kanohi masks on minifigure torsos scattered throughout CITY sets or sets from another theme.
    Then I found out about this "20 Years of LEGO Harry Potter" nonsense. Wow, I mean, I know LEGO loves money (and I write that realistically, with no chagrin or sarcasm), but Harry Potter is beyond a cash grab at this point. Especially considering several years went by when LEGO didn't produce a single Harry Potter anything. Why celebrate that, of all LEGO themes?
    But that's not even why I'm mad. It was the sight of a sticker on a piece in one of these anniversary sets that really spelled it out for me. In what looks like a star chart of constellations in whatever weird, transphobic, "magic" universe Harry Potter is set in, one of the designers snuck in a constellation that forms the shape of the Kanohi Hau, a symbol of BIONICLE as a whole.
    Great. Bravo. Slow clap. See that BIONICLE fans???? BIONICLE LIVES!!! Happy 20th anniversary! Watch my YouTube video to see how LEGO CELEBRATES BIONICLE - SECRET COMEBACK?!?!?
    Blood from a (Makoki) stone, people. I kept my expectations in check, but now, after seeing this "tribute" in one of the new Harry Potter sets, I'm beginning to wonder if I was the foolish BIONICLE fan too optimistic for LEGO to pay respects to one of the greatest themes they ever produced? Is this all we're getting for acknowledgment of BIONICLE's 20th anniversary? Or is there a leak to come of something just a tad more substantial?
    We can only hope. If this is it, though, it will be a very sad footnote to one of the best original stories I've ever heard and participated in. Reduced to a single image in a set celebrating the 20th anniversary of another, non-LEGO, IP.
    Well, there's always the 50th anniversary...
  2. Bionicle Guru
    This was the beginning...
    Exactly twenty years ago, the legend of BIONICLE officially began for me with the arrival of a small box at my doorstep. In that box were two LEGO sets that would change my life. One was Tahu and the other was Turaga Vakama, but in the early afternoon of March 25th, 2001, those were pretty much just random names to me. But by that evening, they would represent characters almost as real as I was.
    I won't go into the review of the builds, but as I assembled each of the two Fire characters, I sensed something more important was at work than in my previous LEGO set assemblies. The hints were in the pictures glimpsed on the canister and on the instruction pages themselves, but the full effect was only realized when I held the completed Toa in my hands. No more slick CGI; Tahu was tough, shiny, fierce, and seemingly alive. His eyes caught the sunlight in my room just right, and I almost swore they pulsed in brightness, a kind of biomechanical blink.
    Outside, the effect was even more pronounced. I tried to show this in amazement to my dad, but he dismissed my enthusiasm, already weary of yet another LEGO toy in his son's life. Parents just don't get it.
    Back inside, I dove headlong into the knowledge locked away in the mini CD-ROM. Just as Tahu as an entity clicked together in my hands, his background and the story of Mata Nui started to click together in my mind. I was glimpsing another world, a world extremely different from my own. Nevertheless, it was a world I could imagine, a world I could experience more of through Tahu and Vakama, and eventually, the other Toa and Turaga as well.
    That night, I drew the cover image attached to this blog, a portrait of the reassembled Tahu on a crest of sand on the beach. I knew he did the reassembly on his own, but I too had a hand in that. It was a connection between worlds real and imaginary. Even though I was twelve years old and on the tail end of a stuffy and unpleasant sixth grade year, this was a last gasp of the magical in my life, a spark of wonder as adolescence loomed and all these changes threatened to overwrite who I thought I was.
    Well, twenty years ago today, that didn't happen thanks to Tahu and Turaga Vakama. That isn't to say there weren't massive changes; obstacles and victories alike that would have repercussions for the lives of both my friends and I. I can't speak entirely for them, but I at least was not ever undertaking the odyssey of Growing Up alone. Whatever I faced, I did it alongside the legend of the BIONICLE.
    And the darkness couldn't stand before us!
     

  3. Bionicle Guru
    I was driving to visit my mom this past weekend and over the course of the two hours on the highway, I tuned into SiriusXM's "Pop2K" station. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they were doing a countdown of the top 30 songs for this week in 2001. As I listened, I was instantly transported back to August 2001, just as my seventh grade school year was starting. Just like the Toa, I was about to enter a strange, new world filled with challenges and potential new friends.
    Music has always been an essential part of BIONICLE, from the ambient, techno-tribal sounds of the island of Mata Nui to the pop rock infused chords of the "Ignition" Saga. But even outside of BIONICLE media, other music played a strong role in my associations with the time periods in which BIONICLE was extant. No other time period is perhaps so poignant now, looking back, than in August 2001. Remember, at this point, BIONICLE was in wide release. In the USA, store shelves were filled with Toa canisters, Turaga boxes, mask packs, and assorted Rahi sets. In a few weeks, the McDonald's Tohunga give-away with Happy Meals was to begin. And of course, the BIONICLE storyline was in high gear with new updates in the MNOG and the recent July comic, "Deep Into Darkness".
    Back to the music, the summer of 2001 was revelatory for me. I grew up in a household where my parents had so far dominated the musical tastes of the family. At home, we either listened to classical music on the radio or, when just my mom was home, Spanish music which I understood little of at the time. On road trips to visit grandmother or longer vacation adventures, my dad would play the oldies' station (hits of the 50s, 60s, and 70s) or, when we had a car with a CD player, his own collection of Beatles' songs. That was pretty much all I knew music to be. Current pop music was relegated to furtive, almost risque, encounters through friends at school. An illicit listen to "M.en In Black" by Will Smith on the bus ride home from school. A friend bringing the new "Astro Lounge" CD to class on Friday for free time. I was never allowed to hear such music on my own at home or with family. There was a weird separation there, enforced by my parents. However, it couldn't last long.
    By the summer of 2001, I was twelve years old and adolescence was upon me. Instead of the usual mom-administered enrichment activities, my intention to learn HTML coding for the "Build Your Own BIONICLE Website" contest proved to my parents I had undertaken a worthy, educational project of my own, and I was mostly left to my own devices that summer for the first time. Indeed, most of that time was spent reading the HTML textbook and trying out new things with my developing "Tales of the Turaga" website. However, I allowed myself ample free time, particularly in the evenings, to indulge in my other hobby, drawing.
    I'm not sure when I decided to start listening to music while I drew. Perhaps I did it to softly drown out the noise of my parents watching something boring (but loud) in the living room. It seemed easier to draw when I didn't have TV distractions. But music, especially songs, seemed to bolster my abilities. In my room, I had a small AM/FM radio with cassette player that I started tuning to some of the radio stations besides the oldies'. Although some of the stuff I heard was unremarkable to my ears, other songs stuck out. Songs that reminded of what I heard on my sister's "NOW 5" and "NOW 6" CDs (she, somehow, was allowed to explore music more broadly, and even had a bigger radio, WITH a CD player!) that I knew I enjoyed. Invariably, these songs accompanied some of my first BIONICLE drawings, and when I think about BIONICLE or look back at those crude depictions, I remember the songs I heard back then. Here are some if you want to make a playlist to travel back in time to when BIONICLE was brand new (no Vahi required!).
    Eve 6 - Here's to the Night Train - Drops of Jupiter Lifehouse - Hanging by a Moment Mary J. Blige - Family Affair Incubus - Drive Michelle Branch - Everywhere Staind - It's Been Awhile Janet Jackson - Someone to Call My Lover Uncle Kracker - Follow Me Sugar Ray - When It's Over Obviously, that's not an all-inclusive list. Mixed in were songs that actually came out the year before (like Matchbox 20's "Mad Season", which is still a favorite of mine), but I don't remember everything I heard, and it is likely I conflate some songs that I actually heard once school started but not during the summer nights that preceded it. Regardless, the music I was discovering and BIONICLE "officially" beginning in the USA all went into a benevolent maelstrom that also included the premiere of "Samurai Jack", the announcement of "Attack of the Clones", the first LEGO Legend re-release (10000 Guarded Inn!), and my first taste of true independence (walking alone to and from school). By this week in August 2001, all signs pointed to a momentous school year ahead.
    Indeed, as September 2001 proved, it would be momentous, but for the whole nation, and not in a good way. But again, like the Toa isolated on the island of Mata Nui, thinking it was their whole world, me and my friends were united in facing the challenges of seventh grade, and that was plenty momentous enough!
    Attached: "Lewa", pencil on copy paper, August 8th, 2001.

  4. Bionicle Guru
    Since us old fogeys love to sit around and reminisce about the "good ol' days", I figure as one of the few still-active remnants of BZPower's glory days, I have a unique platform to keep the old BIONICLE flame alive, both just for fun and for future edification of fans born well after BIONICLE's start that may need some insight on what the theme was like in the early years of the 21st century.
    Today, I'll dive into the summer of 2005, the middle of a very convoluted year for BIONICLE. The first, in fact, if you ask me. The first big upset was, as a person living in the USA, only being able to obtain the Toa Hordika and Rahaga for the first half of the year. The Visorak, Roodaka, Sidorak, Keetongu, and the first BIONICLE playsets were all summer releases here. Lucky Europeans had been enjoying most of that (sans the playsets) since the year began. Feelings aside, this also created some storytelling difficulties, as in order to promote the Hordika in the USA, the magazines and comics couldn't really show off the Visorak or their masters. Unlike the case with the Vahki in 2004, there was no "substitute" enemy for the Toa to deal with until summer rolled around. Therefore, right out of the gate, we have the Hordika dealing with the Visorak and appearances of Roodaka, which was frustrating since there was no way to get the sets unless I wanted to buy foreign.
    So that set the stage for summer 2005. That year, I would spend the longest time away from home alone (to date) at a summer academy for math and science. That would begin in late June, so I hoped the Visorak at least would start making an appearance on Wal-Mart shelves by then. No such luck. But anyways, I had another important distraction!
    In 2004, I was one of the 50 first place winners of the LEGO Club Magazine Rahi Building Challenge. It was an amazing accomplishment for 15 year-old me, and it saved me a lot of money by having all six Vahki as my prize, along with a letter from the desk of Greg Farshtey himself congratulating me. Therefore, I hoped to have similar success in the Dark Hunter Building Challenge. By the start of summer vacation, I was just about done with him. I gave him no name, but after photography with my dad, he just christened him "Plasticman". My dad wasn't overly fond of my LEGO obsession, especially the BIONICLE component of it, but he humored me enough times, especially when it came to competitions like this. "Plasticman" was, in my opinion, a vast improvement over my Rahi from last year. Unlike my Rahi, he had a function! Instead of a left arm, he had a grafted wheel of assorted Kanohi Masks, pried from his fallen Toa foes (or other kinds of mask-wearing entities). By spinning a gear on his back, you could select the Kanohi he would use to augment his battle abilities. In this way, his species was able to utilize the power of the masks in a brutish way. In his remaining right hand, I gave him a "hunting staff", a probably remnant of his tribal upbringing before being recruited by the Dark Hunters.
    As you might guess from the attached picture, his whole look and design was born from looking at a Rahkshi spine and thinking, "Hmm, this would make one wicked mohawk". One Metru shoulder armor and two Bohrok teeth later, and I pretty much had his head. The torso was a bit of a puzzle, particularly integrating the gears for driving the mask selection spinner, but I finished it and quickly assembled his hips. The Hordika chest armor and Metruan silver chest piece made for a great "loincloth", fusing a tribal look in clothing with a "punk" sensibility to the coloring and "hair" style.
    With a week or so to spare before my departure for the North, I took my pictures of "Plasticman" with dad and mailed them to the LEGO Magazine. I wish I could remember the name and description I gave him, or even had a copy of the letter. But alas, that is lost to history, unless the LEGO Magazine keeps the photo and card in an archive somewhere. But the big news, of course, would be if I would win this time. Unfortunately, it was not to be. I was not selected even among the runners-up, and I lost again a chance to be a part of BIONICLE. You can look at the winners in the Official Dark Hunters Guide (if you own it; I don't). From what I've seen of them on BioSector01, I must admit I was a little out of my league. But I'll let you judge for yourself! Attached is my sole surviving photograph of my Dark Hunter. In all probability, I likely made a topic for him in the BBC Forum, but that was back in 2005 and is lost forever now.
    That pretty much wrapped up my summer as far as BIONICLE went! When I came back from the academy in August, I managed to spend the remainder of living expenses money on a Visorak (Keelerak, I think), along with Roodaka and Sidorak. At that point, they were old hat to me, but the "Web of Shadows" movie was still on the horizon for October. Fall would bring more surprises (and even more convolutions!) to the BIONICLE story.
    Stay tuned for further reminiscing!

  5. Bionicle Guru
    Brutaka holds an ominous distinction within not just my BIONICLE fandom, but my overall LEGO collection. 2006 was my last full year of high school before graduating in the spring of 2007 and going on to college after the summer. By the end of the year, it was not obvious what university I would be attending nor if my family could afford it. After throwing everything into obtaining the six Piraka and six Toa Inika, along with Vezon and Fenrakk, my spending for LEGO was severely throttled. I needed to save at last for college expenses!

    Thankfully, as the early months of 2007 rolled on, I got accepted in a few schools, including my second-favorite, and they gave me a very generous scholarship package. I knew all this by April 2007, so I could allow my personal wallet to breathe a little. With the Mahri and other BIONICLE "titan" sets for 2007 well on the way, I went about filling the gaps in 2006 collection. Brutaka was the most appealing of the larger sets, but I had been waiting for a sale. Alas, I grew impatient, and by May, I purchased him from Wal-Mart. And here is where the frightening distinction occurs: up to this point in my LEGO collection, I had opened and built every set I acquired. But I realized that when I bought Brutaka, I would only barely be able to build him before graduation, a family trip to Bolivia, and then preparing to be sent off to college out of state. I shuddered at the thought of him just collecting dust for the rest of the year, so I came up with an idea. I would leave the set sealed and stored in my closet until after I graduated college, whence (I assumed) would be the time that, with a career and the need to settle down wherever work took me, I would finally have the time and space to build him and any other sets collected between late 2007 and early 2011.

    Sadly, this was not (quite) to be. As my college years progressed, my LEGO collection indeed continued to grow at a faster pace, but with all boxed sets being merely admired before being stored in my closet back home. My naive hope for my post-college career backfired spectacularly when I landed a great job right out of graduation that (scarily enough) required me to essentially live on the road and in temporary housing wherever my worksites were. Even on my precious days and weeks at home, I was always too much of a nervous wreck over being called out to work again to just settle down and enjoy a lot of LEGO building. I didn't want to leave a bunch of incomplete builds collecting dust either!
    Many years passed. With a downturn in the market in 2016 and some family issues that forced me to take a lot of time off, I found a lot more free time wherein I could live day-to-day without worrying about having to pack up and drive away. After moving to a new apartment, I finally started to break open some sealed LEGO sets and enjoy building for the first time in ages. I guess it helped that my one actual vacation that year was to attend the LEGO Inside Tour in Denmark! And yet, by 2017, I still hadn't assembled anything BIONICLE from before 2010.
    I guess I finally got sick of it, and in 2017, I made an ultimatum with myself and my company. If they couldn't work with me to get that stable lifestyle I envisioned as a boy in high school, I would take my services elsewhere. And in early 2018, this is exactly what I did. I jumped ship for an offer from a much better company in a regular, Monday-Friday job scenario. With that kind of stability, I used my savings to buy my first house. And that brings me to the present. With the quarantining this year, LEGO has come to the forefront. Having a whole room in my house dedicated to it will certainly enable that hobby easily, but now I definitely had no excuse.
    And lo! I finally pulled that MISB Brutaka from my BIONICLE shelf and cracked those 14 year-old cardboard perforations open. Within 45 minutes, I had my first new BIONICLE character standing before me in gold and blue majesty. It was a great experience, and after some fiddling with his posing, placed the disgraced Order of Mata Nui member on the shelf with other assorted BIONICLE figures I rebuilt (including Thok, Kongu Mahri, Tohunga Nuparu, a Pahrak, Agori Berix, and a Nuurahk). Looking at the assemblage with pride, I wondered why it took me so long to finally build Brutaka. But in the end, I decided it didn't matter. The fact was, in spite of the wait, I did build him. I still felt that same joy that I knew would always find me when I built a new BIONICLE set. Those things have some magic in them, I tell you. For those who may be sitting on their own MISB BIONICLE stockpile, I encourage you to build them whenever you're able. Thank me when you're done!
  6. Bionicle Guru
    So, is it true? Can I add to my blog if I am not a premier member? Has the whole world gone mad?!? Quick! To the Bat-phone! I must come up with more things to write and blog about!
     
    Hopefully, this worked. If you are reading this, I managed to publish it.
    EDIT: Five years almost (to the day!) and I see that my blog is able to be edited and have new published entries without a Premier Membership! Ha! Something tells me, though, this isn't an accident, but a result of the deterioration of the site's functionality. Heck, my profile picture is gone, my blog has been renamed to "blogs_blog_128" (???), and my rank is reset to "Turaga". I guess the old forums are totally lost for good. What a shame. A good chunk of my teenage years (14 to 19) are gone forever. Press "F" to pay respects, as the kids say nowadays.
  7. Bionicle Guru
    A new exo-planet approximately 1400 light-years away has been found circling a star just like ours, in approximately the same distance from it as Earth is from Sol, and is not that much bigger than our planet (Surface gravity might be around 2g, so twice that of Earth's). Distance is not an issue. I'm packing my bags now to head over to this world and stake my claim on the planet for the eventual interstellar wars that will break out amongst the various planet-kingdoms that will spread out through the Milky Way!
     
    Just have to go fire up that hyperspace engine, and I should be good to go. Who is with me? I'm packing extra water bottles in case of no surface water. Plus, it will help me lose weight just enough that I don't weigh terribly more than an ordinary overweight person here in the United States. Please keep that in mind should you choose to accompany me. After all, I don't want to hear you complaining about needing a hoverchair to get around once we're there simply because you now weigh over 500 pounds.
  8. Bionicle Guru
    I AM IRON MAN!!!
     
    From the song, not the movie; anyway, looks like it is that special time of the year they let us crazies come out and play with the Blog machine. I haven't participated in the last few years (thanks, work), but here I am now, on a whim, deciding to share some thoughts with all you whippersnappers.
     
    I joined BZP a long time ago. July 28th, 2003, to be exact. This was shortly after I got my first email address, and I was only 14 years old. I'm 25 now, and soon to be 26. That means it is highly likely some of you weren't even born when I joined the site (and many of you were still soiling your diapers). This blows my mind.
     
    In a much shorter span of time (between 2010 and now), I've witnessed BZPower become just another Lego news site on an Internet now teeming with them. I can't say if this is a bad or good thing, but I will say one of the reasons I don't visit BZPower that often is because I am a high-and-mighty AFOL that doesn't consort with the likes of low-brow BIONICLE and constraction figure collectors like the lot of you. I hope you took that as a joke. BIONICLE fans are all becoming (or already are) AFOLs, so don't let the especially old fogies tell you ###### like that sarcastic statement I made above. Aanchir knows what I'm talking about.
     
    The truth is that BZPower served a niche for me, and that is what is still in the site name to this day. "Your source for BIONICLE news, reference, and discussion!" But there is no more BIONICLE. There is nothing to keep up with. Aside from nostalgia, I feel no need to talk about it, so I returned to a pre-BIONICLE state of Lego fandom, in which I already visited several other websites for news and discussion over. There's FBTB.net for Star Wars Lego, Brickset for general Lego collecting and buying, and Eurobricks for obsessive hyperventillation over minifigs and Fabuland.
     
    BZPower hasn't really found a new niche yet. It's not "HERO Factory-Power", and it certainly is too soon to tell if Legends of Chima or Ninjago will win the war for supremacy amongst discussion here. And of course, people still talk about BIONICLE. After all, it only ended four years ago. Anyway, without some special role, BZPower no longer draws me here for anything I can't (and have already) find elsewhere.
     
    I see progress. BZP is doing some neat things, like this raffle system they have, and their approach to Lego site standards, like set reviews, are novel (if not entirely appealing), so there is good reason to celebrate this site 13 years after its founding as Kanohi-Power.com. A new dawn is breaking for this site.
     
    Will I be a part of it? I doubt it, especially since I am virtually a new member again. Who remembers me? Will I recognize anyone after four years and countless name changes, avatar changes, and weird memes? Maybe. But lest you all despair, I will check in. Maybe some old BORNICLE fan will dig out a cached version of my silly saga and re-upload it for me. Maybe someone will recognize me from other websites and chime in with similar sentiments. I don't know. But I suppose the most important thing to reiterate is that I still am a huge BIONICLE fan, just like the rest of you dinosaurs that may be creeping around from the "good old days" of Bohrok clones, Vahkipower.com, and official GregF discussion mayhem.
     
    I moved into a new apartment recently, and I brought some Lego sets. Tower of Orthanc, Grand Emporium, Jango Fett's Slave I. You know, real impressive stuff for a bachelor to show off behind the curio cabinet. However, I also brought a secret box that no one will get to see. Inside is my complete collection of BIONICLE comics, from #1: Coming of the Toa all the way to the last part of Journey's End. Those will forever define what anchored me to the saga in the first place, and I can't live without them. Even if BZP crumbles into digital dust like a derezzed program from Tron, I will still hold BIONICLE dear.
  9. Bionicle Guru
    You're going to love this.
     
    NEW TRON: Legacy Trailer (released 7/22/10)
     
    December 17 cannot come fast enough! I envy those people at Comic-con right now who are virtually immersed in all things "TRON" right now.
     
    Enjoy,
    Bionicle Guru
     
    UPDATE: It appears that previous link was a temporary one for a promotion's sake. I've added a new one that should work. Big ups to Waffles for catching that.
  10. Bionicle Guru
    Betcha' didn't see this one coming!
     
    I decided to be fun and update my blog for no reason other than because I can.
     
    I'm sure you are all brimming with questions for me. So I will answer them for now. Better get your own questions or comments in while you can. Chances are that I won't be able to update this blog again until next year (And by then, I might be dead, for all you know, so no time like the present).
     
    FAQ
     
    Q: Where have you been?
    A: College, dude! Actually, it isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'm one year away from graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and while I've learned a lot and had a great education, those first few years were really tough, boring, and sometimes depressing. Naturally, I lost the motivation to post on BZP often, although I kept collecting BIONICLE fervently in spite of predictions of not being able to.
     
    Q: Well, what about BORNICLE?
    A: Yeah, what about it??? I'm currently in negotiations to sell the movie rights to Viacom. OK, that is a lie. I'm actually accepting a settlement payment from LEGO for ceasing to produce BORNICLE, as it tarnishes the reputation of one of their most treasured brand names. Didn't believe that one either, eh? Well, the truth of the matter is this. As it stands, BORNICLE is slowly moving forward again. Evidence lies in a couple of recent additions (i.e May 2010) concerning the origins of the Toga Losa and their training at the hands of Hytaxon. The recent hiatus is actually a grieving period for me, since the results of the last Comedy Forum contest proved that I am completely lacking in comedic talent and that my former fans have abandoned me. That or everyone currently reading BZP comedies has lowered their standards so far as to accept whatever won that contest as "funny." Note that I have no idea who won; only that I lost. Hence the angst. I'll stop crying now.
     
    You don't respond to PM's/can't send you a PM!
    A: Um, buy me a lifetime Premier Membership! The data-hording scalawags have limited the amount of messages I can keep, so once it fills up, I'm forced to delete stuff. Some things I cannot delete though, so I'm holding out for some random generosity. Frankly, I like not receiving PM's, since they tend to be kind of obnoxious at times.
     
    Q: Why do you refer to them as "PM's"?
    A: Simple. Because, my dear children, if I referred to them as "Pms" like most BZPer's do, I'd be inadvertently sending all male message-recipients an undeserved punishment that most girls endure monthly. I'm not that rude.
     
    Q: How do you feel about BIONICLE's end?
    A: How do you think I feel!? The story is still going on, so I am grateful for that. Love the direction this new "The Powers that Be" serial is going. Also glad in a way my wallet won't have to endure additional spending. So maybe it is a good thing. I'll miss it dearly, and I will always treasure those toys. Even the Hordika. Yeah, I went there.
     
    Q: What about Hero Factory?
    A: A sick joke on my psyche! At first, I tried to write it off as childish story-wise and step backward for LEGO set design-wise. However, now that I see them in stores, that little voice of curiosity is whispering to me, "BIONICLE GURU, BUY WILLIAM FURNO. It's just one set. It won't hurt. You may not even like it that much. You aren't betraying BIONICLE. Go on. It feels good; the power. You can get lost in it..." And now that I realize the open-ended storyline allows for massive imaginary play opportunities, as opposed to the more structured world of BIONICLE, it becomes even more tempting. But I will wait for a sale. Or surprise gift. Whatever comes first. Must fight the voice in my head!
     
    Q: What else is new?
    A: Well, I'm currently working in Chicago for the summer. It is an internship, and it pays well, not to mention all the stuff I am learning. Chicago is an awesome city. Three Lego stores, a great art museum, excellent food, and even some random Transformers running around (yeah, I saw Shia "Sam Witwicky" LaBeouf running around downtown from invisible Decepticons). I've seen Inception, and it has been the best film I've seen all year, though I am hoping that TRON: Legacy outdoes it. As if you couldn't tell I am a TRON fan.
     
    Well, that is it for now, folks. I go back to school for my last year in late August, but the time is coming again where I shall be more active in the online Lego community. I hope BZP doesn't go to pot in the meantime. I hope you enjoyed this comedic interview of sorts. Until next time, stay cool, don't brown-nose, and brakalatabassata FEED MEEEEEE!
     
    -The Bionicle Guru
  11. Bionicle Guru

    Silly Server

    By Bionicle Guru,

    The server is really killing my blogging game here on BZPower. I had a nice entry written up a few days ago to post here, but since the server decided to lag, I lost all of it. Naturally, I lost the desire to retype the entry, so all my fellow readers get is what I am writing now.
     
    But in short, yes, I have come back from Pittsburgh and CMU. I made a lot of new friends and strengthened some old friendships. Much fun was had, and now I am back in my dreary home. I start school next week, and with classes like AP Calculus, AP Physics, and AP English Literature, I have quite a bit of work to do. Not to mention, I have to apply to college this year and finally move out into the world. Yikes.
     
    Bionicle-wise, I am very impressed with my two Toa Inika, and I declare the Inika to be the best set of six Bionicle figures to date (beating out the Piraka who beat out the Toa Metru who beat out the Rahkshi who beat out the Toa Nuva who beat out the original Toa). BORNICLE writing will resume soon. Readers should check that out for something new I am planning to do with the way I add chapters. This should be interesting.
     
    Until next time,
    Bionicle Guru
  12. Bionicle Guru
    When not passing his time on BZPower writing BORNICLE, posting unheeded wisdom, or losing Artwork and LGD forum contests, the person who you are familiar with as Bionicle Guru leads a wholly dissimilar life. Many would never guess as to his BZP membership, much less his interest in Bionicle. But anyway, did you know that:
    He likes to play tennis, and though he is only a veritable noob at the spot (we are talking not even a full year's experience), is getting better all the time. He likes a wide variety of music, though it is mainly of the rock and roll genre. Favorites include the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Yes, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, and many others He has the power of Mimicry, which allows him to imitate most people, celebrities, and noises. He likes chicken. Lots of chicken. Even live chicken. Of course, BG also has a softer side (for the ladies), a dark side (for the unjust and cruel), and a passive side (sometimes, I do not try to be the life of the party, so to speak). And he keeps several blogs, this BZP version being his latest.  
    Currently, he is facing a big move up north to CMU in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There he will live for six weeks taking courses that will prepare him for his senior year in high school.
     
    That is all for now. I probably have to take a shower to clean all the sweat I worked up at tennis practice today.
  13. Bionicle Guru
    This is the third time I have become a Premier Member of BZPower, and the benefits only get better and better. It does upset me that I never earned my proto points from good deeds on the forums; only by monetary payment have I allowed myself to appear as an "Outstanding BZP Citizen." So kids, there is a lesson in that. Do not let appearances deceive you. Just because someone seems cool, honest, "outstanding," or smart on the Internet does not indicate IN THE LEAST that they are truly like that.
     
    With that statement, I leave my first nugget of partial wisdom. Of course, some of you are reading this already nodding your heads, "Of course, BG, we knew this. When will you update BORNICLE? Are you going to win AC11? Will you post in my topic???"
     
    Well, changing gears here, I have already updated BORNICLE. Just click my signature banner and then click on the last page. You will find it there, waiting for you. And from the looks of it right now, I may not win AC11. C'est la vie!. You cannot win them all, and I hardly expected to succeed against the "artists" of BZPower. First of all, I must explain my style in drawing anything BIONICLE. People seem to always say I stay true to the set. However, many also say this and hint that this may be a bad thing. How so? When I received Tahu in March of 2001, I felt compelled to draw him. Sure, I could have given the Toa of Fire googly, anthromorphic eyes, a wan smile, human proportions, and five-fingered hands. But did I?
     
    If you know me in the least, then this a hearty NO. I drew Tahu exactly as I saw him. Naturally, I posed my model, but it looked just like him, albeit at that point in my life, I could not shade at all. However, two items of note stick out at me when I look at this early drawing.
    1: The two fingers in Tahu's "hand" are curved inward at definite point. Did I envision fingers?
    2: A strange black wire extends from behind Tahu's head and follows the neck down into the chest cavity. Was I trying to roboticize Bionicle?
     
    If the two conclusions contradict each other, then something is not right in the logic. The real answer is (and I can only say this after drawing Bionicle characters for over five years) that my style adapts to the individual characteristics of a character. Take Thok in my "Be Kold" poster. He looks pretty much like the set, eh? But some things stand out.
    1: His spine/arm spines all have the characteristic spikes. But unlike the set version, each and every one of them comes to a sharp point (a safety hazard for young children, gasp!).
    2: Thok's teeth are all sharp and deadly.
    3: The ice pick comes to a sharp point and edge
    4: Many points on the armor are sharpened.
    5: Yes, I gave his Zamor launcher hand four fingers and a thumb.
    6: At each ball joint connection, small strands of muscle and living tissue can be seen enveloping the ball.
     
    There are other differences, but I think my point is clear. Clearly, I want to stay true to the model. I think a big problem with BZP "artists" is that they only see the sets as a starting point for their drawings to evolve from. This is not necessarily a bad idea, and has yielded some wonderful results. However, much of this kind of extrapolation has muddled Bionicle, in my opinion. For example, why give Bionicle characters human sight organs when they look so cool and natural with the sharp, glowing, monocolored eyes that were given to them in the sets? Sure, many of us have an affinity for homo sapiens (it is our species, after all), so it is natural to want to make Bionicle conform to more human ideals of shape and form. I mean, little old ladies want their dogs to wear clothes and have their cats eat from a plate at the dinner table every night. Is this so wrong?? Well, perhaps little Fido will object if the feel of shoes on his paws irks him, but Bionicle sets are no living things. We can make them human in drawings or in real life (I shudder to think of some little sister out there, taking her older brother's Toa Nuju and placing Barbie clothes upon his armor), but I finally am getting the guts to say this.
     
    Give accurate-to-set Bionicle drawings a chance. Bionicle sets are pieces of art in themselves. They bring an exciting aesthetic design that cannot be found anywhere else in Lego, much less the world. It is fine if you want to change your Gali portrait so that she has armor conforming to her non-existant mammaries or if you want your Matoran to be the same size as Toa. But give accurate-to-set Bionicle drawings a chance. In the right hands, they can create the same magic within one when glimpsing a new Bionicle set. After all, is it not the sets that we fell in love with, NOT the stylized drawings?
     
    It probably is too late for "Be Kold." But it is not too late to start a movement. I am not saying I am right. I am saying I want accurate-to-set drawings to be just as accepted for its values as any other form of Bionicle art.
     
    Oh, and it depends on whether or not Jupiter is aligned with Sirius if I post in your topic or not. Chew on that for a while, eh?
     
    The Bionicle Guru
  14. Bionicle Guru
    This is it! The twentieth entry in my BZPower blog! Why is that significant? Probably because I just decided it would be!
    Blog-like writing has been a theme of my internet presence from near the beginning of my teenage experience. I got my first blog on Blogspot.com (now just blogger.com) in January 2004. My English teacher wanted us to create personal blogs for writing exercises outside of class, a new concept to 15 year-old me, but apparently, some of my peers had discovered Xanga (remember that!?) by then. Anyway, it was pretty simple. I wrote in it weekly based on whatever prompt my teacher assigned the class, but occasionally, we got the chance to do free-writes and write about whatever was on our minds. This was something I re-discovered joy in, for originally, I had to keep a journal (with paper! The primitivity!) back in the sixth grade. I actually had fun writing in it daily, but I was naive and thought my expressions within were private. Unfortunately, some imp pulled my journal out of the class stack one day and revealed some things I had written about another person. It wasn't nice , but the exposure was cruel, and I was humiliated in front of the class for it. After that, I became very wary and anxious about doing any kind of personal writing.
    Therefore, my lesson learned, I was able to outgrow my anxiety and thrived in blogging years later in my English class. Even after school ended for summer vacation, I still posted a few times over the summer. By now, commenting was enabled, and some of my peers could read and comment on my thoughts. But most gave up their blogs permanently after the school year, so I was alone. In time, I abandoned the blog as well.
    A year later, in 2005, new friends introduced me to Myspace. I was hesitant initially, but since a lot of these friends I wanted to keep in contact with over long distances, I decided to embrace it. And of course, once I found out that you could write your own blogs on your page, I was hooked. I wrote regularly on that thing from 2005 to 2008, usually juvenile, smart-aleck kind of stuff that only a cocky high school kid would write. Other times, I'd get a bit introspective or remark on local events in my town and high school. Eventually, I started adding more friends from high school, so there often lively comments and bulletins exchanged between us. Several friends actually complimented me on my writing, and that encouraged me to write more.
    In 2007, with the end of high school nigh, I joined another social media site: Facebook. Once again, I found Facebook (it was a lot simpler back then!) had a blogging function (of sorts) called Notes. It was a lot cleaner-looking than the Myspace blog, so I started writing some thoughts down there, too, often copying and pasting them into my Myspace page later. As my friend count on Facebook increased steadily into college, I started to give Facebook more precedence with blogging. Eventually, spam bots, glitches, and general lack of activity on Myspace forced me to give it up in late 2008. The future would be with Facebook, and as of this writing, I have almost 90 Notes written on Facebook. It would be more, but my output seriously started to lag after college, as did my readership. I think Facebook encouraged this, as they sidelined the Notes function more and more until it was almost invisible to the casual user. Plus, I think most people don't like reading too much anymore.
    Where does the BZPower Blog fit in all this? Well, if you scroll back through my 20 entries, you'll see my first post was in 2006, during a renewed Premier membership in the summertime. So, that was back in the Myspace heyday. It was kind of a "secret" or "joke" blog, since I made no connections in it to my "real" identity on Myspace. I wanted to keep my BZPower and BIONICLE fandom separate from the "real me" in high school, which, looking back, was kind of dumb. I was already a nerd, BIONICLE fan notwithstanding!
    Speaking of secret blogs, I also kept a Livejournal from 2005 to 2007. I mainly did it to get in touch with an old crush from my middle school days. That sort of didn't work out like I had hoped, but there is definitely some interesting writing on there that was not on Facebook or Myspace.
    With this twentieth entry, I have been more prolific on BZPower's blog than anywhere else in the past two years, if not more. I guess I like the fact that this blog is still a bit removed from my non-BIONICLE identity, and part of me is fine with the reduced traffic on this site now that BIONICLE is dead and buried. I feel like I am contributing to an archive for one of the internet's lost tribes--a dwindling folk who still remember their past and customs even as time and society pass them by. Someday, there may be nothing left of BZPower but these forums and the blogs. In that way, it pleases me to be doing my part in ensuring some memorial to my presence here, a veritable "BIONICLE Guru was here" epitaph on the gravestone in the cemetery of the Internet's never-quite dead.
  15. Bionicle Guru
    I've come to the realization I am going to miss using this blog. Yes, I know I could stop being stingy with my money and donate to BZP in exchange for continued blogging access, but BZP has gotten my money before (don't say I'm not generous), but I feel personally like my usage of the site needs to be a lot higher in order to get the most bang for my buck. All I want to do is blog, though, and chat with you all about my thoughts on BIONICLE, life, pears, and the universe.
     
    I offer my Vahi that is actually made from Swiss cheese, but I know that may not be enough for some of the higher ups. Perhaps friendly BZP members can start a kickstarter-ish campaign to get me the blogging rights?? Perhaps if enough funds are thrown my way, I'll even reward the site with some new BORNICLE entries on top of re-releasing some classic chapters that are long gone from BZPower. I promise not to go full George Lucas and completely re-write or add superfluous scenes to the already-established story.
     
    Anyway, if I forget to blog again before the weekend is over, remember me, denizens of this strange, new BZPower. And even if I can no longer reach out to you from this blog, I will sporadically stay in character while posting on the forums. And in the end, when BZP celebrates its next anniversary a year from now, I will return again to grace the blog. In the meantime, remember the three virtues: profit, profit, and more profit.
     
    Uh, wait, that doesn't sound quite right! Well, you get my drift. Adieu!
  16. Bionicle Guru
    Like a genie freed from his lamp, the premier perks activation for the week of BZP's anniversary have allowed me to come forth and blog once again! Perhaps this shall be a more fruitful week than last year's, but you never know! What if I have nothing useful to write about? What if I suddenly fall off the face of the Internet this week? Such are the worries that keep strong, basement-dwelling men and women awake at night.
     
    This first entry is just a re-introduction, I suppose. Tonight, I plan to dine on some fine Popeye's chicken whilst assembling my recently-acquired Load N' Haul Railroad (MISB from 1992!). I'll finish redecorating my parents' basement tomorrow. Have to wait for that big-boy paycheck to come through, anyway, before I make the big renovations!
     
    Stay tuned!
  17. Bionicle Guru
    The new chapter of BORNICLE: Origins of the Toga was posted recently. Check it out if you want. Part Four should be up relatively soon, but it depends on my availability and how nice the server is.
     
    Thanks again to all of you that actually still read or review that comedy. Methinks it has seen better days, but I feel as if I make one reader happy, I have succeeded in my literary pursuit.
     
    Good day,
    Bionicle Guru
  18. Bionicle Guru
    Remember "troutwar" links? I sort of do, since I went so far as to mention it in my comedy, "BORNICLE." I think they were links people put in their sigs that led to bad pages or (in most cases) a silly picture of a trout. They caught the link-clicker off guard. If I a misremembering, somebody please rectify my crumbling memories.
     
    Well, that's it for the retrospective. I was reminded of it while re-reading sections of "BORNICLE." I hope everyone is having a good day on BZPower and in real life (go outside! Get some sunshine!). I wish I could also frolic and enjoy this wonderful Friday, but alas, I'm trapped at work until 5 PM. I did get paid today, and although Illinois taxes gouged me again, I am still happy for what I got. To celebrate, I had some BK for lunch today. Triple Whopper = carnivorous delight.
     
    Before signing off for now, I have a fun fact. Did you know BZP used to have annual "Year in Review" articles at the end of each year? They stopped doing this in 2004, and it has sadly never returned.
  19. Bionicle Guru

    Lunch Break

    By Bionicle Guru,

    So I'm typing this while on my lunch break at work. See how much I care about you guys and girls?
     
    Anyway, in my quest to make this blog just as peevishly annoying as those of the "regulars" on BZP, I've added some obnoxious content blogs to distract you from my writing, which has now been unduly crunched. I know you love it.
     
    I stared for a long time at BORNICLE last night. I think I will update it soon because all the nice replies posted afterward without a single person whining about where the next update was going to happen. Thank you; I really appreciate the unspoken patience.
     
    More to come soon regarding TRON: Legacy! At 1:30 PM Central time, something BIG is going to happen. Check out www.flynnlives.com/identityraid.
     
    End of Line,
    Bionicle Guru
  21. Bionicle Guru
    Like the title says, I am still in Pittsburgh. I am not posting any BORNICLE chapters until mid-August, though I have established no particular date yet.
     
    I was walking in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood and one store had a huge display of kids' Lego creations. They were all either Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Bionicle-themed. The Bionicle MOCs were absolutely pathetic, but I found creative humor in each. The best one had to be two models named "The Sidoracks [sic] Are Talking." It was basically two mutated Visorak placed in front of one another. Even my friends, who have no idea as to what Bionicle is, thought that model was hilarious.
     
    I have not gotten to draw in awhile. That is somewhat disconcerting, but I will live with it. For now. That is all.
  22. Bionicle Guru

    Where I At?

    By Bionicle Guru,

    Well well well. I lost Art Contest 11. Surprise surprise. It goes to show that the age of accurate-to-set drawings has yet to come.
     
    In happier news, I am in Pittsburgh, living on the awesome CMU campus preparing for college life. So far, the activities have been pretty crazy. A hypnotist of sorts came the first night and guessed many people's locker combinations and names. I thought it was all rigged, until he picked people that I knew personally would not pretend to go along with a charlatan's charade.
     
    The next day (yesterday) was a drag due to the SAT test, but it culminated in a loud, perky, sweat-fest known as Playfair. Basically, a dude on stage tried to makes us all in the Pre-College programs become good friends. Pfft. Well, I have six weeks. Let what may come, come (I hate using the same word twice).
     
    Some random kid was wearing a Lego T-shirt; specifically, an old, Johnny Thunder Amazon Adventurers shirt from 1999. I gave him a high-five just for being a Lego fan (Adventurers in 1999 paled in comparision to their 1998 Egyptian predecessors).
     
    I already have homework. Ugh. Blechh. ACKK PhhhpppT! The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. I'm out.
     
    Peace,
    The Bionicle Guru in Pittsburgh.
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