Dr. Bionicle

Nope. I've done so before, but it took me a very long while. Close. Almost. Not quite. On the contrary, hast thou never heard of fripperies? And we get more overtones than you anyway, so nyeh... XP Dr. B

That's right. Look at it. Just stare. Pointlessly, Dr. Bionicle

Never underestimate the power of small cats with captions. This image actually provoked Beans (one of my two cats) to jump on my desk and start hissing and scratching at the monitor. Finding her target unfazed, she quickly retreated to my closet, where she decided to claw up on a few of my t-shirts. Ahhh, yes, the pleasure of owning cats... Rawringly, Dr. Bionicle

Skillet is awesome. The Bourne series is awesome. Pearls Before Swine is awesome. And orange is awesome. ... That last one isn't so recent. In the Midst of Revelation, Dr. Bionicle

School started up about a week ago, so I know you're all dying to hear what I've got for a schedule... Zero Hour: Chorale (Auditioned choir). I don't care for zero hours, period, but I like the choir. We get to do lots of fun stuff and get some good literature. Plus we have a spring rock show at the end of the year. And as a freshman this year, that means I can audition for SOLOS! 1st-2nd Period/Day 1: Civics. I've been looking forward to this subject. It's bound to bring about some good discussion (although I wish I saw more faces from my 7th Grade English class, as we had some remarkably mature debate for kids our age). The teacher's pretty awesome, too. He plays rock music while we do classwork, and he's in a band himself. 1st-2nd Period/Day 2: Advanced English. This class I'm excited for, because "class pass" is coming up. This is where each of us writes down a controversial statement (boring example: Red is a weird color) and the rest of the class has to write down their responses. And it finally provoked me to read The Silmarillion. Whoo! English! 3rd Period: Aide. I aide for the band director at my school. Not the most thrilling period, but I do get to have some interesting conversations with the choir director, who comes in every other day. 4th Period: Symphonic Band. This class is going to be pretty sweet. Sadly, we only have five French Horns, but we have three tubas, a bari sax, two tenor saxes, and the players are pretty awesome. The 8th Graders are having a little catching up with the freshmen on skill, but it ought to be a pretty sweet group. 5th-6th Period/Day 1: Biology. Last lunch. Bleh. 5th-6th Period/Day 2: Geometry. First lunch. Sweet! 7th Period: Yearbook. I'm excited for this class. It's taught by the same teacher I've had for English two years in a row, and the people in there are awesome. It's going a little slow at the beginning of the year, with everyone learning equipment and logistics, but it ought to get up and running soon enough. We've almost selected a theme. 8th Period: PE. Freshman. Prisonball. Awesome. So yeah, that's basically my school day. Educated, Dr. Bionicle

You know, I've always wondered exactly how much I've impact I've left on BZP. In my first year here, I was all about leaving my mark. I was anxious to make friends, create things, get involved, all that. Now, I guess, I feel my mark has been pretty well left. I placed in the first three RPG Contests, participated in Master of Bionicle, got promoted to Forum Assistant, and became a BZPRPG co-host. So yeah, it seems like I've put a few memories here, right? It seems pretty reasonable. I mean, I still come around daily. I post entries in my blog and make some posts. Check on everything. Close topics. And then I get off. I realized only recently, in light of an absolutely spectacular day, that I've lost sight of my real reason for coming to BZPower. It seems now that I'm surrounded by obligations here that keep me coming back. Signature reports, topics to close, the BZPRPG, Chaos in the Deep, etc. It has been so long since I've gotten on BZP simply for the sake of getting on BZP and having some fun. I think it really started with my Staff promotion. While being on Staff is great, since I'm able to help the site run more smoothly, and this is far from any sort of resignation, it has brought about obligations. Now I was getting on BZPower because a report told me to, not because I wanted to see what was hot in discussion or what art had been posted while I was gone. The Academy had been a subtle obligation, but not nearly so much because it was something I greatly enjoyed doing. With BZPRPG and more work to be done, I felt more obligation. Frankly, I didn't want to go to the RPG Forum to have a good time RPing, but because I had to straighten something out between members. Obligations, obligations, obligations. Recently, I've been rediscovering BZPower. While it's nothing profound (it is a kid's site after all), I've found out the reasons I grew to really like this community in the first place. The members here are great, the Staff does a fantastic job, and there's an endless pool of discussion and talent here. BZPower isn't just an obligation. It's a fun place to be. I had forgotten about that. What I'm trying to get across is that right now, I'm really not interested so much in being like an "employee" here. I mean, while I am Staff and I realize the responsibility that comes with that, I don't see why I shouldn't think of myself as any other member here. There are members here that come here just to have a dang good time and chill with people who share their interests. And isn't that what I want to do? So I figure right now, forget all that stuff that gets tacked on. While I may take on those responsibilities and take them seriously, I can't help but wonder why I can't just be Dr. Bionicle. In all honesty, that is who I am here. Not Doc the FA. Not Doc the co-host. Just Doc. And that's all I've really got to say. Just for fun, Dr. Bionicle

I've always been fascinated by the concept that 'angst' in and of itself is cool. It's not. If your first reaction is "I don't care", then that's part of the reason. If you're so self-absorbed that your opinion is the one and only important one, and that everyone else that fails to "meet your intellectual standard" is a complete bozo, then I'm sorry. Sorry for you. Because this is the kind of attitude that no one cares for or respects. Again you react. "I don't care." Well, congrats. But guys, it gets to the point where nobody cares that you don't care. This appears to be more common in the older BZPers here. I get that part of the reason for this is elitism. Since other members are so apparently "inferior" to them, the oldies feel no need to "stoop" to their level. While I realize that with age, you guys are generally more intelligent in a lot of areas than a lot of BZPers here, that doesn't just grant you the automatic right to treat them like garbage. Maturity does not grant immaturity. To go around like that is to only stoop to the level of immaturity that you seem to despise. I hate to quote Disney rodents at you guys, but if I may recall the words of the great philosopher, Thumper's father, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." I'm not going to elaborate, since I think that about says it all. I'd just like to leave you guys with those thoughts. To those of you that are already accepting and have a good attitude, I implore you. You're the people that make BZPower such a nice place to be. To those of you that aren't, perhaps you should step back and examine what exactly about angst makes it so darn appealing. Blahfully, Dr. Bionicle

I've had several, but none which I find suitable for gnawing on my brother's neck with. I don't know. But I think this explains it fairly well. ... Maaaaaaaaaaaaybe... It's a conspiracy. It's how they communicate with each other on an international basis. Why else would they be talking about where they planted the DNA evidence? Thanks for the comments, guys! Dr. B

Those of you tempted to bust out into Kelly Clarkson lyrics in reaction to the title, you are excused. Go ahead. This is the only time I'll condone any praise of Kelly Clarkson, so take it if you want it. Commence. I'll wait. ... Done? Okay, now let's move along. (Those of you tempted to bust out into AAR lyrics, sorry. I'll try and get you a turn later.) For those of you that don't know, I have a mass of siblings. Three sisters and one brother. Now before my little bro came into the picture, I was the only guy in the house (minus my dad) which meant, that's right, I had my own room. I was free to do whatever I wanted to the walls, floor, whatever. Then little Drewmeister popped onto the scene and that independence is gone. So for nearly a decade I've been sharing a room with the little guy. It isn't that bad, really. Well, except that when he turned seven he had the uncontrollable urge to strike up some bedtime conversation in which I, being fairly sleep-deprived, had no interested in participating in. "Ben, are vampires real?" "Barglsmuffinbush..." "Ben?" "Zzzzz..." "Ben!" *climbs up on the bunk and decides to whack me in the head* "Za...wha?" "Are vampires real?" "No. Go to sleep." "Okay." ... "Ben, are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure. Stop talking." "Ben, if you were a vampire, could you fly?" "No." "If you bit me, would I fly?" "Do you want to find out?" "Not really." "Okay, good. Go to sleep." ... "Ben, do you have a cape?" This would basically go on for about half-an-hour or so until he finally gets tired enough to go to sleep, or decided he needed to get up. At this, he would turn on the light (which, when you're on the top bunk, is like a floodlight), and start looking for something he lost a week ago for no apparent reason. As I tried to block out the light under the covers, he would ask me if I could see it. "Do you see it, Ben?!" "See what?" "My Gameboy!" "Why do you need your Gameboy at 10 at night?" "I need to see if my Pokemon grew in the nursery." "Get in bed." "Not until..." At this point, I would get frustrated and either bean him across the head with a small stuffed animal, or get up and turn off the light. If it was a particularly bad night, he would begin to argue with me, then the parents would awaken, also sleep-deprived, and no one goes to bed happy. He's stopped doing that now, although he does have the uncanny instinct to talk in his sleep. Well, after years of this, my graduated sister moved out of the house. What did this mean? I could finally take the office, and start to transform it into my own room. I'm happy to say that I am now writing this blog entry in my own room. As of today, we've only done a few things. My dresser is down here, my bed is in a placeholder position till we can get the huge computer desk out of here. The paint job and the floral trim aren't exactly a masculine touch, but we might be able to get the thing painted some time later this year. Right now, it's more office than room, but I at least have a place of my own. So that's the update for today. Whoo. Renovatively, Dr. Bionicle

Believe me, there are some definite differences here. I've tied together a few loose ends since my first original idea, and I think it's a little more understandable now, although in that it has only become more complex! That's a good strategy. It's a good idea to sometimes work out the scenes in a 'Dead Zone' style. It's almost like writing backwards. Try and find out what would lead up to that. It's kind of difficult, but it works for some people. I can only say so much about each character in the synopsis. In all reality, there are some serious subplots lying beneath each character (Mark Caspian and Drake Jasper, in particular). I only have to give the best overall summary I can of each character's intentions. That was the irritating thing about my older novel, though. They all were in it "just because". Here I think I've spiced things up a bit, which will hopefully create some dramatic tension between characters with conflicting intentions. Admittedly, yes. Mr. Q, I knew, would be a huge casualty to all my attempts at originality. I'm not quite done with him yet, and he might get renamed before all is said and done. In the previous novel, his name was X1011, which is havoc on anyone trying to read aloud. At that point I resorted to naming him Mr. X, which would've been an even bigger casualty than Mr. Q. But yeah, when you enter the world of Sci-fi, it's very much like fantasy. Cliches are a massive no-no in this genre, because it's such a creative, open world bursting with potential. In this, I've tried to make it very much my own story, and I do notice that a few areas seem to show similarities to other novels. This I can't help, though. There is no 100% original story out there. With billions of novels in the world, it's pointless to pick over originality obsessively. The thing about it that's interesting is that we make robots a part of the humans, which at that point not only makes it Robots vs Humans, but Mechanics vs Flesh. That I hope to play on. That much is true. I've been working hard at this point to make some likable characters on the government side. I've also worked hard to make some very unlikable characters on the Cyborne side. Some people seem to be on the wrong side, but only because of the perspective given. And I'm hoping for some serious controversy to be coming out of the ears of these characters, which ought to make it even more fun to write. So true. That's part of why this project is estimated to go on for possibly quite longer than a year. That I realized as soon as I reread it months later. I'm reworking that as best I can at this point, and I hope to throw in a different bit of drama between Q and Mark. Let's hope so. Thanks for the comments, guys! Dr. B

That is a vital part of Mr. Q's past, who was formerly an Anti-Cybornist, but was involved in an automobile accident that threatened to take his life. After that, he began to see both sides of the Cyborne issue. I also plan to have one of their greatest enemies, a CIA leader that is assigned to investigate the entourage, to be shot and faced with that choice. I am not yet positive whether he will live or die. . Dr. B .

For all of you hoping to make the "Oh no! The DOCTOR (OMG) has a fever! LOLXD", I beat you. So ha. Anyway, it's a weird feeling. When you're an aspiring writer and you've been working on a novel for a solid year, it's interesting to wake up one day, pull out your finished work, and then realize that you didn't enjoy reading any of it. Yes, for those of you that have keen memories, I'm talking about Cyborne, a novel I started some time back in early August, 2006. The original premise was that the government had randomly called in citizens to be turned into cyborgs (It's already shaping up to be something, isn't it?) and then some random guy comes forward and says it's all a conspiracy. So then this guy and his crew go infiltrate some labs to find some information. Somewhere along the lines, they get super powers. Then they bust in on this conspirators meeting. The main character's girlfriend ends up getting killed, as does his arch-nemesis, and then he goes and kills all the world leaders. It finally ends with the main character realizing that his leader is his father, and then declares a civil war. And then there was supposed to be a sequel. Even better? It's all told in FIRST PERSON. So yes, as you can imagine, that didn't flow to well with me now. So for the past few weeks, I've spent long nights trying to re-write this thing. I try writing out the girlfriend and putting the main character's brother in her place. I try to expand on the main character's childhood. I try everything my little writer's brain can come up with. Then suddenly, it dons on me. I don't need a new manuscript. I need a new plot. So I spent a few more long nights brainstorming some changes. At last, I came up with this. This is going to be a long synopsis, so be warned. It's not completely done yet. I haven't even gotten to the outlining stage at this point, but I will be starting at some point within the week. At this rate, I may be able to start writing within a few weeks. =Cyborne= The year is 3321. In the state of Delaware, an offer is extended to all hospital patients in the area: a government test program that could completely renew the physical being of any patient, from the terminal elderly to the minor youth, in a single operation. The program was widely accepted by a majority of the hospital patients, and the positive results suddenly bring in others grasping for the program. Cities, states, countries demand the installation of these operation programs in their area! They never told us there’d be a catch. The program is a simple one. Remove the faulty body components and replace them with sturdy robotics. The result? Cyborne. Even with this vast medical revelation, there were those who resisted the Cyborne. While they may have been healed, the robotic hybrids still have to bear their newfound appearance, one that drives a world to divide in prejudice. Connection programs are initiated by the government, but no sooner are these founded than a terrible tragedy occurs. Malfunction. Spontaneous Cyborne suddenly begin to terrorize the Humans, from massive mobs to single rogues. Around the world, all at once, various Cyborne seem to break out in mindless violence. The government cannot simply reverse this or pretend it didn't happen. The masses are in an uproar. The US Government has no choice but to issue the Cyborne Termination Grant. This grant allows and encourages any Human to kill any and all Cyborne they may encounter as a matter of national safety. All Cyborne operations are ceased. Following America's lead, other countries begin to instigate the same grant. The Cyborne are no longer a race. They're targets. And so begins an international civil war, with the races of Humans and Cyborne split. The Humans fight for their own safety, while the Cyborne retaliate as their means of survival. One particular renegade among the Cyborne steps up and makes a wild declaration. He claims that the government had planned out everything. From the operations to the war. He claims that this whole scheme was an international conspiracy to eliminate a portion of the human population for whatever reason. He even goes so far to say that the Cyborne malfunctions were planned. Naturally, he quickly scales the list of the world's most wanted men, and surrounds himself with an entourage of Cyborne rebels: -Drake Jasper. A British mercenary that steps out of his occupation to join the entourage for personal purposes. He hopes to avenge his wife, who was killed in the Malfunction Massacre, by exposing the conspiracy that killed her. -Jack Corby. An American millionare who was knocked off his economic pedestal by the Termination Grant. Now he hopes to regain his power in whatever way he can. -John Ratterson. A German scientist that believes the Cyborne to be only one step into a technical revolution that could change the world. He finds the termination of said race to be an offense to the field of science and technology. He hopes to continue the technical revolution by saving his race of Cyborne from certain death. -Michael Falkan. A man that answers to no country, but has a long history of abuse from Cyborne prejudice. His dark memories fuel his motivation in joining the uprising. However, he doesn't think they should stop at exposing the conspiracy. He wishes to destroy its conspirators. -Mark Caspian. A confused, young American that stands with the entourage on his unstable set of moral values. His purpose is to discover the truth, and he feels he is ready to face whatever obstacles might come along with that. -Mr. Q. A man with no name and no country, he is the leader who first proposed the conspiracy theory. No one is quite sure what his plans entail, but he's the only man radical enough to pursue such a theory. With his motley crew, Q seeks to infiltrate the highest levels of government security and bring about a revolution that will put a permanent end to the Cyborne Termination Grant. But even Mr. Q's intentions may not be so valiant as they seem. With the rest of the world pitted against them, the six radicals have to fight their way through a web of destruction and deceit in order to find what they seek. The secret of the Cyborne. So yeah. Dun dun duhhh and all that malarky. Comments, feedback, whatever. I'd love to hear it. Any suggestions you may have would be warmly accepted. Feverishly, Dr. Bionicle

Yay! Doctors! Well, it's good to hear you're getting better. And expanding your vocabulary as well! One of the great perks of illness. Anyway, good luck. Congrats on being interesting! Dr. B

All I can say is thanks with putting up with us for all those years. We sure appreciate all you've done around here, Bink, and your work as a BZP Administrator will not be forgotten. Dr. B

There's something you guys may not know about me. I have a...problem. I get certain urges, things I feel I can't control. I'll act on impulse, without thinking. It's been an addiction for years. I've tried to stop, but my desire has gotten in the way of my common sense. What is this that I speak of? Guys... I'm a compulsive fingernail biter. Now that half of you have probably breathed a massive sigh of relief, I guess we can move on. You may be wondering what numerous other people wonder about us nail-biters: Why do it? I mean, think about it, it's pretty darn disgusting. Your fingers touch a wide variety of things throughout the day, and guess where all the dirt and germs get built up to where you can't reach? That's right. Right under the fingernail. Well, to understand that, you have to understand what leads to nail-biting. In my loose study of this, I've rounded it off to a few common causes... Influence. In other words, they picked it up from another biter or person biting their nails (there is a difference, I'll get to that). This is probably the most common and the longest-lasting, because it usually starts at an impressionable age, where it begins to stick.Nervousness. People get restless when they're nervous. We drum our fingers, tap our foot, and, yes, bite our fingernails. Don't care to clip fingernails. Some kids just won't use those clippers. I mean, why would you when your teeth are always on hand?Hunger. Yeah, gross, but when you're hungry you want to at least simulate some part of that process. Just like chewing gum, only your nails are always there. Now, there are two different kinds of biting. There's occasional biting and then there's compulsive biting. The former I refer to as simply 'a person that has bitten their fingernails'. The latter is what I define as 'nail-biters'. What's the difference? Occasional biters really have no habit or have a very minor one. A single situation, perhaps nervously waiting for a job interview, drove them to bite their fingernails. Perhaps they needed to clip their nails fast and had no clippers on hand. But the thing is that it rarely occurs and is generally for special occasions. Compulsive biters are those who have developed a habit and will do it without thinking. There may be no need or drive to bite the nail, but the biter does it anyway, without a second thought. Often, the biter doesn't realize what he's doing until someone puts it out to him. With that defined, then you may wonder now why would biters want to stop? Let's go back to one of our lists... It's kind of disgusting. Regardless of whether you spit the nail out or *shudder* swallow it, it's still extremely unattractive to those around you.No fingernails. Your nails are the little catches on your finger that help you maneuver. Your nail provides a thin attachment that slides easily into a place for leverage. Without them, all you've got is your chubby fingers, which generally are no good on their own. Bad looking nails. That area for your nail gets real torn up while you're biting down there, and people do notice. Hangnails. Nail biting is the most common cause of a hangnail. While hangnails are generally nothing severe, that doesn't make them any more fun to have around.Germs, dirt, and worms. Guys, you have no idea what crust is building up under your nail. Germs, dirt, dust, and even the ever-popular tapeworm. If a tapeworm gets under or on your nail and you bite it, you've just given it a one-way ticket to your stomach. Blech. Start another habit. A person I know that bit her fingernails for a long time grew accustomed to biting the skin around it as well, which makes that area vulnerable for infection. Cut too short! A lot of nail biters have had this experience, where you bite your nails too short. You don't want to press up against it, or it will feel irritated. Then you're at the mercy of your fingernails growth cycle to relive yourself. Doesn't taste good. Yeah, I know, gross, but there's nothing appetizing about the taste of a fingernail. Not too nice, huh? A lot of nail biters will say that it's not as bad as it appears, but that really doesn't make it any better. Sure, fingernail biting isn't a terminal condition, but it sure is a stinky habit to have. Those of you that may be nail biters, I would recommend you stop. If you haven't been convinced it's not a great habit by now, then you'll come to see that eventually, I guarantee. Some of you may have tried and know it's not easy. Contrary to things like substance addictions, your nails are always around 24/7 to tempt you. They're a part of your body. So yeah, it's hard. Some tips on how to deal with this... Willpower. Make a mental note. Make a New Year's Resolution. Whatever it takes, you are in control of your brainwaves, and you can tell your fingers to stay away from those teeth of yours. Ultimately, every method requires this, but for some, this is all they need. Remind yourself. Put a note on your mirror, in your locker, maybe even on your hands. I know one guy who put marker on all his fingernails to remind him to stop. Maybe it's an object near your fingers (like a wristband or a ring) that will there simply for the purpose of being a reminder. Whatever will make you remember you want to stop.Get a partner. When I broke the habit of biting my nails, I did it at the same time as my girlfriend, who was dealing with the same problem. We constantly were reminding and asking each other. A living, breathing reminder can sometimes be more effective than inanimates.Motivate yourself. Reward yourself. Go 28 days without biting your nails and treat yourself to an ice cream or something. It doesn't need to be huge, just something exclusive and satisfying enough that it will keep you wanting to stop.REALLY motivate yourself. When rewards don't work, pull out the punishment. When I was breaking my habit, my girlfriend persuaded me to make a deal with her. If I bit my nails a certain number of times, she would paint the last finger I bit with nail polish. Risky, eh? But how's that for motivation? (I'm happy to say that I never got a whiff of that nail polish, and only bit my nails twice within the time it took to break the habit.) Why do I make a big deal out of this? 'Cause it's a very common habit that gets so overlooked that nobody ever deals with it. Now, like I said, I don't think biting your fingernails is capable of ultimately killing you, but it's called a bad habit for a reason. By the way, once you conquer biting your fingernails, you'll start getting more confident about other habits you may need to break (or form). Anyway, that's just my random rant for the day. Bet you guys enjoyed reading a whole entry devoted to fingernails, huh? Freely, Dr. Bionicle

No, my name is not Jigsaw. No, there are no winners. And yes, you will all come out alive. Anyway, here's a nifty little game that I've played more than a few times on the internet. It's really simple. There will be a series of questions or statements which require an answer. However, instead of using common sense (wouldn't want to hurt anything ), we're going to use what we call the Shuffle Button. That's right, take your iPod, Windows Media Player, or whatever playlist you may have available, and turn on the shuffle button. The answer to each question will be whatever song title is on your playlist. No skipping (unless, of course, the song title is inappropriate)! Here's my specially designed questionare thingermajig, some of which is snagged from others I've done... What is my life's philosophy? What will my last words be? How am I feeling today? What is my theme song? What song will be played at my wedding? What song will be played at my funeral? How will I be remembered? What is some good advice for me? What is my life's dream? What's my kind of lady/man? How do people on BZPower see me? How would I describe this blog? How would I describe my best friend? What's in store for this week? How would I describe my parents? If I had one wish, what would I wish for? What do my friends think of me? What is said about me behind my back? What do I think of this questionare? Go for it! Here would be mine... What is my life's philosophy? Life is a Highway What will my last words be? Don't Worry, Be Happy (XD) How am I feeling today? It Ends Tonight (O_O) What is my theme song? Hello, McFly (Hey, sweet!) What song will be played at my wedding? Beautiful Disaster (XDXDXD) What song will be played at my funeral? Bad Day (Well, yeah...) How will I be remembered? Head Held High (Oh, well, that's good) What is some good advice for me? My Friend (So Long) What is my life's dream? American Pie (Er...) What's my kind of lady/man? You Give Love a Bad Name (XD) How do people on BZPower see me? More Than Useless (Uh, thanks?) How would I describe this blog? Pressing On (Eh, more or less...) How would I describe my best friend? Healing Rain What's in store for this week? Come Sail Away (Ho, boy...) How would I describe my parents? Gone (O_O) If I had one wish, what would I wish for? Somebody to Love (Score!) What do my friends think of me? On Fire (O_o) What is said about me behind my back? Oh! Gravity What do I think of this questionare? Must Have Done Something Right (Heh...) So there you go. Interactively, Dr. Bionicle

Okay, not really. But on attempting to access Brickshelf today, I found this message... Whoa, mama. For those of you that don't realize the cataclysmic effects of this, with Brickshelf discontinued, that makes everything that has ever been uploaded to Brickshelf no longer accessible through that site. That includes BBC Contest winners, Artwork Contest winners, avatars, banners, comics, the whole kickin' cabootle. Yes, Maj is still up and available. I'm guessing that Brickshelf was discontinued so that Maj could stay up. Why? We do not yet have any reasons behind this sudden occurrence. Theories have been going around, but nothing is confirmed yet. So what do we do now that one of our most-used image hosts is gone, probably for good? Any way you can salvage images, screen shots you have, stuff you have on your drive, whatever, get it on Maj. Any images you may have lost on Brickshelf you should upload to Maj or another image hosting service to replace it. If you're a victim of lost work and want to avoid something like this from happening in the future, you can put a back-up of your files onto a nifty flash drive or simply keep them in your documents. PLEASE, do not take this as an excuse to totally lose your cool and flame Brickshelf. Right now, this is just an issue a majority of us will have to face. Brickshelf is gone, and we all have to accept that. ly, Dr. Bionicle

Hey, guys! I'm back from my inactivity slump! Needless to say, there are enough great members and topics that I haven't posted in to pull me back into my frequent visits. Not to mention, after buying Dekar and Defilak and having them duke it out for a while, I'm looking for the Toa Mahri in my store. Jaller, for the win! So yeah, needless to say, I've been sort of revived in my interest. Anyway, updates... Chaos in the Deep has been a big factor in pulling me back in. My only real RPG experience has been in The Academy (save a few very newby posts in BZPRPG 2004), where I've been the big, bad villain, so RPing in a team environment has been really great for me. Especially that, as much as I love the BZPRPG, it's nice just to get into a new territory with a completely different set of characters and situations. I remember being incredibly jealous during Staff Survivor and particularly Staff Idol, so actually getting to participate in one of these Staff RPGs is really pretty sweet. Speaking of the RPGs, some major revelations are going down in the BZPRPG (as I'm sure several of my frustrated Academy Students on AIM have heard over and over ). Suva Nui will be wrapping up fairly soon, just a few things need to be taken care of. Mythias and Kyshim are in captivity, while mutant pirates are now wreaking havoc on the battlefield. Meanwhile, for those of you who have forgotten all about Mentru Corp. and Tdreeco Nachia, you'll be finding them hitting the spotlight soon. And for those of you still asking the question: "Where the cow is Kriyax?" that too will soon be revealed! So it looks like we'll be wrapping up the summer with some pretty good stuff, especially with one major revelation that none of you old Academy Students will be expecting, but have been secretly wishing for over the months. For my compatriots in the BZP Library, I'm in the pre-stages of creating a new epic. I'm taking this one slowly, as I want this to be a quality product, and to actually carry through in writing the whole thing. The subject? None other than the origin of the Six! So Academy Students, be on the lookout for some literature. Last of all, this blog has been getting fairly neglected recently. I swore that I would never promise a rate of activity, and I'm still holding to that pledge, as I hate breaking promises. All the same, I should be giving this a fair amount of entries soon. As for my personal life, right now, I'm prepping up for a trip to a wonderful camp known as Camp Barnabas, where I will be working as a volunteer. Camp Barnabas is a Christian camp that exists specifically for people with mental or physical disabilities. These range anywhere from impaired vision to autism to cancer victims. Some of you may have heard about it through an episode of "Extreme Home Makeover", where Ty Pennington and his crew came and gave the house where the family who run this camp lives a much-needed face lift. On top of that, they were gracious enough to give the camp some upgrades. I'm excited, if a little nervous, to be heading off a week from now out to Purdy, Missouri to be a Barnstormer (AKA a general camp helper). It's my first time going, hopefully the first of many trips. I've heard wonderful things and I have heard horror stories, so we'll see what happens for the week I'm there. Anyway, that's basically what's up with me right now. It's good to be back in the groove. Your Friendly Neighborhood, Dr. Bionicle

Well, if I did that, I'd have to kill you. Dr. B

Yeah, so those of you who stalk may have noticed that I haven't been on very frequently and haven't posted very much. A few people have been inquiring as to the cause of my inactivity now that band camp is over and my summer is pretty much open. Well, you want the answer? Guys, at this point in my life, I am just not very big with BZPower or Bionicle right now. Before some of you kill me or start bombarding me with "Why?!"s, let me continue. The fact is, when I joined BZPower, I had basically nothing to worry about. I chilled here because it was one of the ways to fill up all my free time. I didn't have much of anything to worry about or to be concerned about. I basically needed BZPower to save me from boredom. It's been a few years since then... And, well, number one, I don't have as much time as I used to. But that's not the big issue. Quite simply, BZPower is no longer a comfort zone of mine. I mean, I love this place and all, and I think the people here are awesome, but I don't "need" it anymore. I've been taking a much more active role in my real life, one that not only overshadows this one, but just about makes this place unnecessary. Now, before you guys all start freaking out, since I obviously haven't made this any better, let me just say that "No, I'm not planning to leave BZPower any time soon." I have commitments here, and I still enjoy being here. I've got this blog and the BZPRPG and Staff and all that jazz. I'm not going anywhere. At one point, this place was a great little social pillow. If I was bored or lonely or angry or whatever, I could get on here. I wasn't Ben anymore, I was Dr. Bionicle. I didn't have to face anyone from real life here, and in the very least, the amount of people I could talk to wouldn't be scarce. But now, with a lot of my relational foundations solidifying, that need has all but drifted away. Now, I know that within the next few months, I'll probably have surges of activity. I'll be really active in BZPRPG or as a Staffer or whatever, and then I'll slip back into dull activity again. That's going to happen. I guarantee it. But anyway, this is a totally muddled mess of writing, but I just wanted to explain a little bit. Yeah, it's not like I think Bionicle or BZPower is horrible, I've just lost some interest. Explanatory...ingly..., Dr. Bionicle

That depends. Are we just doing all the times Smeagol's fired me, or are we including Gollum too? Dr. B

I actually kicked that back into action today. I hope to draw out the Mythias/Six Duel to a decent extent, and this is a fairly significant battle. There are still a few things that need to come into play before I can end it. I've only been able to focus on these lately because I'm not so ridiculously busy as I was the past three weeks. I'd probably prefer RPing the Six, in all honesty, because the characters play off of each other pretty well, and a group of warriors is always way more fun than just one guy. I mean, I gotta' love Zyrul, but the Six are more fun to RP for me personally. My personal favorite of the Six is probably Tseero. He's a confused character, although he tries to portray himself as very confident. Being the newbie of the Six means he's much more prone and expected to make mistakes, which is what makes him work so hard. I like Tseero's drive, and I think that his conflict with Rashnan could set up some great possibilities in the future. Not to mention, Tseero's got mad skillz and the coolest name. Dr. B

2) 3) I buy Bionicle sets when I'm really impressed with them, unlike the past few years where I've basically bought them to buy them. The books I never bought, but I constantly borrow from my friend Alan, who is much more plugged into the Bionicle Universe than I am at the moment. 4) I think the storyline's going in a good direction, it just needs to take on the proper writing technique. I'd hate to play the Pit/Mahri Nui with constant witty banter, since it is a very dark situation. I would like to see a darker, richer side of Bionicle be exposed in this line, and if that were to happen, I would truly be impressed. 5) Music, first and foremost. Band Geek and Choir Boy. Next would be English. 6) Quite honestly, I don't see a whole lot of you, so I can't really judge. Basing off of what I have seen of you, yes, I would say so. 7) Wake up. 8) I'm a pretty big fan of the Hau, simply because it has a very cool power and a very cool design. 9) The final showdown with the Barraki would be a scene I would love to write, especially with all the great dialogue and action that could come out of it. 10) The banter. While I thought the Piraka banter was fairly appropriate, it soon grew stale once it came up every other line of dialog. Considering the Barraki's former glory, I would very much like to see some more elegant villainy. I think that if the overall sincerity of the situation was truly reflected in the characters, the storyline would be batting a thousand. 11) Try and get rid of my power. I don't trust myself with time. 12) Not now, and probably not ever. That's a lot of responsibility and commitment. I'd greatly prefer staying on the lower class Staff. 13) Lhikan, definitely. He's the ultimate Bionicle hero for me, and I'd love to explore his life. 14) Ninjo. Omi's cool and all, but Ninjo pretty much peaks the ownage factor. 15) Probably...pizza. That's really unhealthy, yes, but I sure do love pizza. 16) I used to be a Gameboy addict, though my games were few and all eBay-bought. I did have one Pokemon game, which I was heavily addicted to for a while. A little Star Wars, a little LotR, some random racing games, Mario, and even a Galidor game. But I never bothered with any of the big consoles. 17) I read the Sorcerer's Stone, and while the writing technique was exceptional, I didn't care for the theme or story. 18) Zaktan has the twisted mind of a psychotic, but I get the idea we only saw his "silly" side of the storyline. I get the feeling that there's a wacko inside Zaktan that could unleash some great storyline potential. 19) I think that the Element of Nature would be very intriguing. Lewa appeared to have some natural control, but that seemed to fade away later in the storyline. To see some real nature "benders" would be awesome. 20) I liked Vezok/Vezon, since the conflict there was so tense, and they did a pretty fair job playing that up. I'd still like to see those two duke it out for real, though. 21) 'Cause brunettes have more fun. The T-Shirts say so. 22) Quite honestly, I'd like to be in either the musical industry and/or the writing business, although how I'll channel either of those is over my head, still. -Don't keep up with NHL... -Don't keep up with NFL... -Absolutely. -I'll bet. -Kansas, Temperate Zone of the USA. We get hot-hot summers and cold-cold winters. Yeah, the winters do get pretty cold down here. Thanks for the questions! Dr. B

Possibly because your first name or something of the sort begins with a 'J', you have a certain appeal to Star Wars, and therefore took that respectable title and placed it with an initialization of your name. No. I genuinely like the series, though I think Episode I could stand for a re-make. The comic art and storyline together attracted me to buy sets, which in turn attracted me to the storyline, which pushed me back to buying sets, and such. Just a cycle. Pretty soon I was viably hooked. Honestly, I've always been interested in meeting Bonesiii, since he was my idol for a long time, and still is someone I hold in pretty high regard. Either SPIRIT, my former TOTA colleague, or -Kaitan-, my overall buddy. Only when you let it. If I don't read my reports or simply go out topic-hunting, then yeah, it gets kind of stressful. But not usually. I've been very lax lately, mainly because I haven't been on a whole lot. What's stressful is BZPRPG Co-Host. Oh gaaah... Nope. *shrug* Heck, I dunno. That's a matter of opinion. No. I do know quite a bit, but not all of it. Hmmmm... I'm not positive. I've taken an IQ Test or two, but I don't remember my exact scores. I'll take another one, and then get you the results. Nope. We pow-wow every now and again, go over the medical records that neither of us really has, but no real relation, no. Keep 'em coming! Dr. B