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Dr. Bionicle

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Everything posted by Dr. Bionicle

  1. Good grief, talk about feeling old. HH was on staff when I first came to be BZP, and she kept cranking away at this job years after I left. She's basically the face of the BZP Library Forums. Congrats on retirement, HH. You're genuinely one of the best moderators this site has ever had. Dr. B P.S. Your pension will be paid in Tuggles.
  2. 2005 was when Bionicle started going with the strategy of putting next to nothing substantial in the comics, a big chunk in books and then market a movie. So, as someone who didn't see the movie or read those books, 2005 didn't really happen for me. Like Pomegranate said, I think we would have seen a better distribution of the story arcs. The Toa Metru were a great concept when they first hit, but I personally didn't find anything super compelling about them as a team, and the Hordika story didn't really add much to that. We got a lot of great sets out of 2005, but the story was pretty "Eh" in my book. Dr. B
  3. Mainly the fact that one species of Matoran is composed of only women. Dr. B
  4. I did just that, and I'll tell you that I skipped on over to General Discussion just to see what ya'll were talking about in the post-Bionicle days. Dr. B
  5. Anybody remember Master of Bionicle? I thought that was tops. Also, I gotta say back when The Academy first won the RPG Contest, and all the players were first figuring out how things were going to go down. Zyrul, Mythias and Kyshim and all them were definitely not the most complex characters, but we had some crazy-good fun. Dr. B
  6. I personally would have loved seeing a storyline set far in the future, where one of two things happened: Toa are "extinct" and largely regarded as an ancient myth. Toa are outlawed and regarded as dangerous due to some cataclysmic event they supposedly caused. With either one, it would be neat to bring Toa into the picture and see what it would be like for them to exist on the fringe. The Matoran typically view Toa as their saviors, so it would be really interesting to see them viewed as menaces or myths. Especially with the first option, that would hark back to the feel of the original 2001 storyline. I'm sure that would not have happened, but I think that would have been pretty neat. Dr. B
  7. Granted. You have a flawless comprehension of proper Aramaic spelling. I wish I was a real boy. Dr. B
  8. Still single, maties. Worry not.

    And what anecdote was that? Oo

  9. Guys... Complaint topics aren't cool. I'll say it again. Complaint topics aren't cool. That being said, I'm not opposed to people expressing their opinions on things. Dude, if you don't like the Mistika, you don't have to, and I don't mind you telling me why you don't. Tastes differ. I get that. Odds are, I agree with you on at least one or two points. The thing that isn't really cool is just coming up and saying, "Hey! I don't like this! Let's all talk about it!" What makes this worse is when it whittles down to, "You don't agree with me and/or I don't think you articulated your opinion very well... I'm going to be insulting now!" And then the person in turn goes, "Hey, they're insulting me. What a #####!" and return the favor. First of all, guys, if you post a topic about it, all it really tells us is that you want to wallow in your dislike of something, and that's not very awesome. And yeah, I know, I know... it's just an honest display of your opinion. However, the thing that distinguishes an honest display of opinion and wallowing is the way you go about it expressing it. If you want to honestly display your opinion, go to the appropriate topic (if such exists), and give your opinion. If you don't like the Mistika, go to a topic about the Mistika and say it. A not-so-honest display of opinion desires to draw attention to itself. Walk into a topic and say, "Seriously, this ____ is really stupid" then you're just asking for attention to be drawn to you (if you didn't know that and don't like that, then you see your problem). When you post a topic, particularly in that manner, then that's where we get into wallowing. I'm not saying your complaints are stupid or aren't legitimate. I'm saying that there are better ways of handling it. I have rarely seen a complaint topic that couldn't be discussed somewhere else or PMed to somebody or simply expressed elsewhere. If you have a blog, go vent your crazy heart out (within BZP guidelines, of course ). Topics are not necessary and, in case you haven't notice, only cause havoc. Honestly guys, we don't need to discuss exclusively disliking something. Like it or not, your discussions on a website of this side will almost never be one-sided. Someone out there is going to disagree with you. There's no need to condescend them, complain them and/or people like them, or assume that a topic complaining will keep them away (in fact, it tends to have the opposite effect). Yes, I know... this whole thing is somewhat ironic, but I'm just saying... Cool your jets and easy on the complaint topics. Bioluminescently, Dr. Bionicle
  10. Yeah, so I got to miss the past two days of school due to Model United Nations in Topeka. For those of you that don't know what that is, it's basically where a bunch of middle/high school kids assemble and simulate the United Nations, speaking to the world's major issues and voting on them. Seeing as this was my first year, I got one heck of a nifty country: The United Arab Emirates. Don't worry, I'd never heard of it either. I convened in General Assembly II with my friend Sebi, who was representing Chile, and we began speaking to the agenda. I won't bore you with it, I'll just give you the highlights... I presented a resolution (basically, a bill addressing a problem) on getting the world clean water, which got passed. After arguing over the issue of global warming for an hour-and-a-half, we decided to table all resolutions pertaining to the issue indefinitely (basically, we decided we never wanted to talk about it again). Whenever you present a speech of negation or affirmation (that's a speech you make saying whether you agree or disagree with the bill presented and why the members of the council should vote for or against it), you usually present a "fun fact" about your country. Over the course of two days, I heard 11 fun facts about Russia, because the dude did nothing but talk. Fun fact about the UAE, two popular sports of ours are camel racing and falconry. Today we all voted down a resolution to establish a secret ninja task force that would combat all terrorism in the world (yes, that does include me... sorry, but jedi > ninjas *shrug*). General Assembly I spent two hours arguing over whether polar bears should be allowed to live or not. The Economic and Social Council entertained the idea of dissolving Canada under the rationale that it was utterly useless. It was suggested that it would be split into 5 pieces and be given to the five greatest powers in the world. (This did not get passed.) Mongolia dissed Russia three times, while Netherlands came in a close second with two disses in the direction of Russia. In the end, the UAE brought home the "Best Delegation" award, with one of our representatives taking the Silver Medal for "Best Delegate." So yeah, if that doesn't sound totally nerdy, then you must have interesting parties at your house. Moving to adjourn this blog entry, Dr. Bionicle
  11. Dr. Bionicle

    Sick Doc

    *sigh* *gets the mop and bucket* Actually, for reallyious, I haven't been to school in the past four school days. Thursday was sickness, Friday the Kansas Music Educators Convention, and the past two days have been taken up by Model UN (not to mention I'll be dismissed early from school tomorrow for a radio interview). That's a six-day vacation, in all. And the quarter's about to end. I should probably start on that gathering Balrog of homework in the closet... Hmmmmmm... I thought the plot was pretty screeching fast and kind of hindered character development (I had no idea any sort of relationship had harbored between Lebauf and Bumblebee, but by the end of the movie they were together). Visually, it was impressive. Plot-wise, it could use a few make-overs. *shrug* Dr. B *shrug*
  12. If you fired me, then you'd lack a medical cohort (which you and many others desperately need).

  13. Dr. Bionicle

    Sick Doc

    These are the times when I wish I was a real doctor... Well, down here in Kansas, there's been a bad flu virus breaking out with a telling average of 65 absent kids at the junior high for a straight week. I caught the darn thing a couple of weeks ago and lost it pretty quickly, but it looks like I didn't build up a full immunity to it, 'cause it came back on Wednesday. Within my time of sickness, I managed to inhale a few cups of Pepto Bismol, a score of Tylenol, and freak out the entirety of my school choir by being absent on Thursday, just one day before our state-wide convention in which I had a solo. I got better by Friday (the convention was SWEET), but its relapsed and so I'm sitting here with a stomach experiencing gastral schizophrenia. I don't know when I'm going to feel fine or when I'm going to feel like upchucking every cookie I've got. Feeling good now, and hopefully I'll get rid of this thing tonight. Tomorrow I've got Model UN (WOOT UNITED ARAB EMIRATES), and I'd look pretty silly throwing up all over the Model Middle East Caucus. (On the plus side, I finally saw Spider-man 3 and Transformers in my time of illness! On the low side, I rate them both in the 'okay' category, with S3 scoring an overall 'not bad' and Transformers bringing home a 'nice try' rating.) Blechingly, Dr. Bionicle
  14. Okay, yes, I did kind of disappear and haven't really had any contact with BZPower in forever. So I guess some of you (BZPRPers, especially) are wondering where the cow I've been. Well... uh... Let's just say that my social life has greatly improved over the past year. Despite the fact that the learner's permit severely limits my driving skillz, my life has become saturated with... well... life. And also, you guys know that novel I've been talking about? Yeah, I'm still working on that. But that DOESN'T mean I've forgotten this place... not at all. In fact, I've been wanting to get back onto this place, but I've been afraid that with my bogged schedule, any toe in the water would end up getting me drawn back in and I wouldn't be able to commit any time here. Well, a few things drew me back. First of all, I miss the darn place. This is the haven of my nerdity, and you can bet I miss that. Second of all, I know that Smeag's probably going to cut my throat if I don't get back here for the BZPRPG, and I figured that I'd probably get something slapped on me for being gone so long (dig the new banner). And thirdly, well, I figure if I stay away too long, some of you guys are going to forget about me. So here I am! Let's see what I can do about this blog... ... Oh, wait, I need to do stuff first. ... Dang. Well, when I do, I'll be back. Till then... Schwarzennly, Dr. Bionicle
  15. Between writing and music, it is about ten times more stress-relieving to shoot some CGI guy in the head than to write in a completely different storyline which will receive response and reaction which you will, in turn, have to respond to. I will be returning, hopefully, very soon. Once Adv. English settles down and the outline gets finished. *shrug* Dr. B *shrug*
  16. Broke my record with 315 or something like that. Zzz Dr. B zzZ
  17. The quarter's over, FINALLY. The teachers have finally let up on cramming as many projects/strenuous assignments/tests into their deadline as possible, and with a clean slate things have gotten much more relaxed. A three-day weekend ain't bad either. Well, a few updates... Looks like that literature festival I was looking forward to this month I won't be attending. Didn't get my form and money turned in time, I'm not interested in blowing up my brain by reading a novel in four days, and Copper Sun, the book I'm supposed to read, isn't that brilliant anyway. It's a little irritating, since pretty much all my friends are going, but I'll hold up. I'm doing Model UN. Woot for politics. KU beat KState at football (WOOT). KU Basketball starts up soon (AGAIN, I SAY WOOT). BZPRPG isn't dead, no. I've been pondering over outcomes and such, and how I'll be tying everything in exactly. For those of you that haven't peeked into the Academy Region topic, Kyshim will be going through some interesting controversy. I've already gone so far as to introduce my next guardian, not to mention my first female character, which will have some pretty sweet storyline revolving around her if it all works out as I hope. Being 15 is good. I'm looking into getting some Switchfoot/Relient K tickets on their tour this fall. Looks my best shot at a concert would be Rapid Springs, Missouri, but hey, it's two of my favorite bands ever. The Ventura Guitar is pretty amazing, and upped my CP (Cool Points) +3. 14 more CP points and I'll be ready to learn "Bored Expression"! I'm addicted to Star Wars: Battlefront II for the fourth or fifth time this year. I'm pretty cheap, too. Play Instant Action, set Heroes with the timer set to "Always" and the respawn set to "Always", and I'm ready to roll. Tantive IV and Death Star are my favorite maps at this moment. Luke Skywalker and General Grievous have got to be my favorite heroes. And I finally beat my deaths record in Capture the Flag with 198 kills. The novel, Cyborne, is finally starting to pick up. The introduction is always the hardest part to write, and I'm a good four pages into it, so things are going pretty well. I'm almost finished with Lord of the Flies which I, amazingly, have never read prior to my Advanced English class. I admire Golding's work, though the book's pretty dang freaky. On Monday I'll have been dating Liesel, my girlfriend, for four months, which is a pretty big deal in comparison with all the three-week relationships that generally surround the freshmen year. My auditioned school choir is traveling to KMEA (Kansas Music Educator's Association) and ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) conventions this year. Essentially, that means we're one of the best junior high choirs in 7 states, which is pretty cool. After our trip to Carnegie Hall last year, LCC's going for a something a little tamer, going to the "Sing a Mile High Festival" in Colorado. It'll be pretty cool, we get to stay in dorms in everything. However, we already know that the choir next year will be traveling to Lithuania and Latvia, and I'm graduating this year. Dang. Yeah, so that's pretty much what's going on right now. *too tired at this moment to write anything more conclusively* ... *or write a sign-off*
  18. Wow, I've been waiting this for a long time. The only thing holding me back would be the fact that I participated in the last one (though my performance there is what really is pushing me to enter). Are you thinking of any policy on those who participated in the last one? I'm obviously no shoo-in with all the new members and the other members getting older, but I'm just curious. ? Dr. B ?
  19. Yeah, so I forgot to post here in my birthday topic. Nothing snooty, just totally forgot for some reason. So to all you cool people who took some time out of your day to wish me a happy birthday, thanks! This birthday was exponentially more amazing than most others I've ever had. Saturday had a bash at my house with a bunch of my closest friends. For those of you who remember my study in the Complex of 8th Grade Males, I must say that Freshmen Males aren't a lot better. I have learned, however, that when females are present, the OML (those of you who are good little blog-readers will remember that stands for "Overall Maturity Level") is in fair moderation of itself. Highlights... P-Cart (whose real name is Patrick, but no one calls him that) succeeded in drinking 7-8 Dr. Peppers and was deemed unsafe for driving home (Ha ha, yes, we Kansans can get our permits when we're 14). I succeeded in hitting Nolan in the face with a plastic sword (total accident, I swear). He just said, "Toss me the weapon!" How was I supposed to know he meant handle-first and how was I supposed to know he would bend down that suddenly? I'm still the champion of BopIt Xtreme with a score of fweeoo, kahhn, bah! bah! bah! (for those of you not fluent in the BopIt dialect, that's 113). I succeeded in being appetizing, magical, neat, and delicious in Apples to Apples. Ian managed to kick the chips and onion dip onto the floor within the first ten minutes of the party, the likes of which had to be picked up by the entire group so that one birthday boy would be allowed to live to see his 15th birthday. I finally managed to beat out Nolan in piano jamming by getting an overwhelming chorus of the guys to sing "Somebody to Love" by Queen. It was pretty awesome, even though our upright stinks like geese. I also got the opportunity to jam on my brother's electric guitar, which sounded pretty awesome hooked up to the distortion channel. My spoils include a high school shirt (which I learned on Monday is pretty tight on me, but which I wore anyway since Liesel, my girlfriend, gave it to me and I was going to see her at choir that day), a subscription to Breakaway magazine, $15 iTunes card, $45 worth of Target giftcards, Hahli Mahri (a tribute from Alan for our LEGO nerdity), a mixed CD of some of the best horn ensembles ever (one of which is "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, which sounds amazing), $15 giftcard for my favorite local fast food place, and Skillet's album "Comatose" (<3<3<3<3<3<3). Saturday was pretty awesome. I fell asleep listening to Comatose (one of my favorite albums ever, now). Then came Sunday, my real birthday. There are far too many highlights to list here, but what I really got excited about were my spoils, which are worthy of a list themselves... The Bourne Identity and Supremacy (Matt Damon + Robert Ludlum = FTW) Stranger Than Fiction (one of my favorite movies ever, basically) Relient K's "Five Score & Seven Years Ago" (great album) Deas Vail's "All the Houses Look the Same" (I got this from my sister's boyfriend, who I consider a close bud, and I must say that I'm growing to like the band) Pants (there's a whole inside joke behind this that I don't care to explain now for ya'lls sakes) Transformers shirt (which, ironically, my sister thought was a Bionicle shirt) Hard Rock Cafe shirt ( ) Charleston Chews (if you don't know what those are, get some... best candy ever) Jaller Mahri (if you're doubting buying him, don't... he's the bomb) Guitar Capo The list doesn't end there, but the next gift I got is pretty sweet, so I figured it deserved its own paragraph. In my family, it's basically a sign of manhood (or adulthood) to get your own guitar. Emma got a Washburn, Caroline got a JetKing, and for whatever reason, Drew got a little Fender. After I started learning guitar last year, I've been playing the life out of Emma's Washburn, so I guess they figured it was time I got my own guitar. Yeah, I got a Ventura from the '70s, never been played. And it's pretty sweet. Sorry, I couldn't find a decent picture of the kind I got. It plays like a beauty, though, and I finally have a guitar of my own. So, whoo. There's really nothing else left to be said, other than it feels awesome to be 15. Whoo!ly, Dr. Bionicle
  20. Dr. Bionicle

    Not Dead!

    Go pop some bubblewrap and stop giving me that puppy dog look. Gah. ><ly, Dr. Bionicle
  21. I don't consider this a great year for movies. I admit it. Hardly anything PG or below has really impressed me (save Ratatouille) and most everything PG13 or above is too disgusting, too gory, too sketchy, too controversial, too weird, or too stupid. Throughout the course of the year, I've watched quite a number of movies (some at the theaters, some not) and I've got to say that each one left me with a pretty strong opinion. So, in case you're thinking of hitting your local movie theater (or video rental store), then I'm going to be posting quite a few little entry reviews. I don't know how great they are, but anyway, let's begin. The Fountain Rating: PG13 This one sprung to mind first because I had seen a preview for this and understood absolutely nothing about it. Something like a year later, my buddy Ryan got some people together to watch it. Let me just say that this movie is utterly confusing beyond belief. As it turns out, the main character is a guy named Tommy (Hugh Jackman) who in the "real world" (you may or may not understand why I make that clear in a moment) is a doctor in search of a cure for brain tumors. At a point in the story, there is a formula he throws together which restores the test subject (a monkey) to a perfectly healthy state and (although over a great course of time) causes the tumor to dissipate. However, since the tumor healing doesn't happen immediately, he gives up the formula and turns to other things. He has a wife, Isabel, who is very carefree (and if I may say so, odd) that is a writer. She is extremely interested in the culture of, I believe, the Aztecs, which compels her to write a book called The Fountain. This book (and whatever else is going on inside that weird little head of hers) has caused her to greatly contemplate the concept of death, which is the basic idea behind her book. Interestingly enough, as she develops this fascination, she suddenly starts to experience symptoms of some sort (loss of temperature sense, for instance) and eventually is rushed to the ER, where she is diagnosed with a brain tumor. This is the part where you might want to be careful... » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «Tommy does intense study and research to attempt to find a cure for his wife's tumor, but she ends up dying. To his dismay, the tumor of the monkey begins to shrink only a little after his wife's death, which means he could've saved his wife's life. Two other weird little subplots run beneath this. One is the plot of Isabel's book, where Hugh Jackman and Racheal Weisz (Isabel) are portrayed as a Spanish knight and the Queen of Spain. Jackman is sent out on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth among a nation of Aztecs. » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «When the Spanish knight does find the Tree of Life (why do they call it The Fountain, anyway?), he immediately sticks it with his sword and begins to drink its sap, hoping to become immortal. He does, but not in the way he expects. There is a fairly grotesque scene where flowers suddenly begin to sprout from his body and he becomes a part of the ground around the Tree. Another is particularly odd. Some guy (Hugh Jackman again) is floating through this bubble traveling through space that suspends the Tree of Life in it. The two appear to be in harmony with one another, the man drinking the tree's sap, and the Tree patiently waiting to reach their destination. However, the Tree keeps giving him these hallucinations of Tommy's life. » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «Eventually, the two reach a dying star, which becomes a point of rebirth in both their lives. If this was the worst plot summary you've ever read, there's a very good reason for that: this movie is so darned confusing that you can hardly summarize it. While the novel and reality plots run together fairly smoothly, the third of these stories is just downright confusing, despite any and all efforts to explain it within the movie. The movie starts with the second story, with the knight battling Aztecs. We reach a point of climax in the second story, within the first fifteen minutes, where the Aztec "chief" is about to sacrifice the knight. It is then that the third Hugh Jackman (in the bubble) "wakes up from his "dream" and gives us no explanation of the connection. Next we suddenly go to a flashback of Tommy's life. The procedure of moving from the abstract story to Tommy's life is one that is well-done and nicely timed, but it quickly becomes confused by the flashes to the book and the third story. In my opinion, the third story is completely unnecessary, and if it were ditched the whole film would be better off for it. It confuses the audience, which is intriguing at first, but quickly becomes stale as we keep anticipating an explanation. When the movie ends, the plot hole that is left behind is big enough to drive a truck through. While it may bring about some stimulating conversation, it's any wonder this movie ever got picked up. I will say that Jackman does a handsome job of portraying the knight and Tommy in this movie. It's challenging for any actor to play different roles, especially with lapses of difference that large, but Jackman pulls it off quite well. The Spanish Knight and Tommy are two very different characters, and they are made to seem that way. Only by comparing the two do you realize it is meant to be the same person. The third person (bubble man) is done as nicely as I think it could be. With the complexity of the other two characters, the third is disappointing in Jackman's performance, simply because it's not a believable or interesting character. Weisz really dwarfs beneath Jackman's performance. Her portrayal of the Queen is well-done, but the way she represents Isabel puts me off because she was simply so strange. Much of this had to do with the character itself, but Weisz just seems to distance the audience, like she doesn't want you to know what's going on inside her head (meanwhile, Jackman is opening up his noggin and turning on a floodlight). Overall, this movie is far too abstract for its own good. Jackman does what he can with his roles, but the story simply suffers because it is not well-thought out, or so it seems. As far as cinematography goes, it was a fair movie, with some great audio effects. However, it simply doesn't have any clicking or "Aha!" moments that make movies of this sort satisfying. It's a story that appears to be written without a conclusion. (Side note: There is a sketchy, sketchy scene that basically hits the PG13 rating for the movie somewhere near the beginning. Just be warned.) Anyway, that's it. Critically, Dr. Bionicle
  22. Press conference going on in Ga-Metru with Mythias and Zyrul. If any of you want to take this opportunity to ask the duo questions, you can submit some questions here, and I'll see if I can work it into the Q Session (unless I can simply answer them here). Any questions I can't answer in the conference I will try to answer or at least hint at here in my blog. Seriously, anything. Doesn't matter if it's conference-appropriate or not. Questions about The Academy's future, past, present, whatever. And if any of you feel like crashing the conference, well... Readily, Dr. Bionicle
  23. =D <.< >.> You saw nothing. Nah. It won't come near me after that corduroy incident... Captains only qualify for a doctor once they get scurvy. Where's yer scurvy, Cap'n? I started school somewhere around two weeks ago, so I feel pretty good. Dr. B
  24. BEST WEEKEND OF MY FLIPPIN' LIFE. ...and I can't tell you about it, sorry. Unfairly, Dr. Bionicle
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