CyclonatorZ

Uh, woot, I guess. I'd want it - except for the fact that I'm not really a music guy at all, and don't even have a "favorite bands" section in my profile. Scary, huh?

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Yes, it would roxors my soxors - but sadly it won't.

And just for the count, am I right in thinking that Krika is hard for you to draw because all your drawings have big happy eyes and normal mouths?

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Nah, they aren't much of a problem. True, they are annoying, but you get used to them quickly. And hey, I survived them - and I'm a wuss.

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Awesomeness! Yeah, I'm not supprised you chose my Guurgorn over the other two creations - I spent the most time on it by far. The Kiku fly was cute but a little simple (so I'm psyched that it'll have a small part too), and the Jugondu Lava Ogre was just a quick hashed-together creation I made so I'd have three entries.

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Ah, phew. Glad that it worked out.

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I read the whole epic this night. By the end I was kind of skimming over parts, but I still got all the major details. And man, was it awesome. B)

Taureko's whole inner battle was a great central focus, and you handled it brilliantly. All his personality changes over the years were described so well that I could feel the emotions as I was reading them. I also loved all the new characters - like the four new makuta, all of Taureko's friends, and the mysterious Volitaos. Overall, I think this is your best story yet - the epic scale is amazing! Can't wait for more of Captain of the Rahunga.

The only thing that really bothers me is how the Makuta now are not the central villians in the story. This new foe sounds interesting, but I think it's kinda taking away the powerfulness of Teridax and the Brotherhood a bit. Hopefully this will be resolved as the story moves on.

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Hey, bones - I reentered my S&T contest entry almost a week ago so my Elemental Catapault didn't have a driver on it. Does this mean that it's being reconsidered for qualification? Because it still shows it disqualified for the same reasons.

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Awesome news.

Question: if possible, can you tell us if it's simililar to the animation used in the original movies, or is it a totally different style?

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Eh, Burger King stinks. It's Wendy's for me (and ocassionally McDonalds).

Wait. Did you actually make a humorous blog entry?

Are you kidding me? Have you not read his interviews with Lord Survurlode and his minions?

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Yes, this is how Onua should have been. End of story. B)

One problem though: yes, Onua needs claws. Or at least he needs some kind of weapon, because right now he's looking very.... unarmed.

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Got it today: ONUA OWNS. Yes, seriously, all your Gorast are belong to Onua, even if the actual set is crud.

And yes, Tahu looks much better on the cover. I still hate that he has a spinning shield instead of a firesword, though. That will be modified when I get him.

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Great article, Bonesiii. I kinda skimmed over parts of it, but I got the general gist, that's for sure. I think that a lot of people don't understand that TLC is a for-profit orginization, as are most companies. If you want to make a profit, you've got to go with the times - even if it may upset older, more minor fans.

However, there are some things that I'm still worried about. As you said, the kids generally want noble heroes. Sadly, the Mistika seem to be going away from that mindset - Gali and Onua really look pretty fearsome, with their spiky armor and evil looking masks. Tahu fairs better, though, as he still looks like a hero. This is disapointing, considering that the winter toa this year were almost spot on. :\

More disapointing, however, is the switch to the new socket molds. Now, I've seen a lot of complaints about these new sockets breaking quickly - and it isn't just a color exclusive problem. If TLC wants to keep customer satisfaction up, they need to make sure that the molds they use are structurally solid and resist a lot of taking apart and rebuilding, and a lot of vigorous playing. Otherwise, what's the point of buying a Bionicle in the first place?

I sure hope that TLC can rectify these problems - we want TLC AND Bionicle to keep going, after all.

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Okay, here's my three beasts (all of them are in the New MOC catergory):

Name: Guurgorn

Description: With its giant maw of teeth and huge forelegs, the Guurgorn looks quite fearsome. However, this extremely dangerous rahi’s true power is not in its strength or jaw, but in an extremely bizarre power it possesses. The Guurgorn seems to have some sort of connection with the powers of the Mask of Repulsion, only used in reverse. Instead of pushing itself away from things, it pushes them away from its body. This power allows the Guurgorn to hunt extremely effectively – when it spots food, it pushes the unfortunate creatures away, knocking it against walls, trees, and other objects until it succumbs to the pressure. It can also prevent blows from even grazing its armored skin, thus it is not wise to challenge a Guurgorn with standard weapons. Fortunately, Guurgorns are quite rare, and they have not been known to attack Matorans or other sentient beings unless provoked.

Name: Kiku Fly

Description: At first glance, the Kiku Fly is not a particularly fearsome creature. Spanning only about a foot in length, this large insect looks fairly weak, and would seem to be easy prey for larger creatures. However, the Kiku fly is actually an extremely dangerous creature. Using a self generated magnetic force, the Kiku fly works in large swarms, latching onto creatures far larger than themselves and carrying them away to their hive. Any unlucky creature that runs into a Kuku swarm will quickly find itself flown away to its doom. Besides their main power, Kiku flies also are resistant to most forms of energy attacks, including fire, plasma, and sonics. Their oneweakness is that they are extremely susceptible to water based attacks. Matorans and other sentient species know to run to the nearest water source if they are being chased by a swarm of Kiku flies.

Name: Jugondo Lava Ogre

Description: Measuring nearly ten feet high, and covered with burning hot scales, the Jugondo is about as fearsome as beasts come in the Bionicle Universe. This giant ogre-like creature actually lives in lava streams and volcanoes, hiding in the fiery liquid and waiting for prey to come by. When the Jugondo sees potential prey, it rises out of the lava and grabs it, dragging it back into the lava and drowning it in the fire. This incredibly ugly beast is a force to be reckoned with, as its body is so hot that simply getting near it is difficult.

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Ah, thanks for clearing that up, bones.

Well, I'm off to upload my three entries for your beasts contest - I've never actually entered a BBC contest at all, so these are all brand new.

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Great news on the Paracosmos! It's been way over a year since the last epic, so I'm glad to see that we'll be getting another story really soon.

Only... I thought Epic 3 was called Captain of the Rahunga. You said so in a blog post a loooong time ago.

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Man, so many awesome entries! B)

I'll probably post mine tomorow - I've made two, and they are kinda weird, since they aren't just the usual "scary teeth and claws monster" kind. No, they actually have unusual powers.

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*gasp* FIFTH PLACE? Man, I'm kinda in shock right now, bones.

But seriously, this was really a pleasant suprise to me. I'm pleased you really liked it so much - probably a lot more than me.

Congrats to all the other winners! There was some really amazing stuff here - that Bohrok head was fantastic! B)

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That... was by far the strangest Survurlode interview yet.

Sheesh, Lawyerraks are creepy. And Headbang and Thwant have launched this series into complete randomness.

Great job. Although, I wonder if this is the last one. I mean, who else is there to interview? A random working Gremlin? Someone you've already interviewed? That kratta overseeing the Lawyerrahks? Wait a minute, that last one's not such a bad idea....

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Ooh, weaponz contest.

I think I've already got a great idea for one. Can't wait for it.

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Awesome news! That's even closer to where I live, and I don't think we're doing anything else that day. I'll be there, that's for sure. B)

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Awesome news, greg! I'm really liking the sound of the 2009 lineup - I hope the heroes are as good as the January 2008 lineup!

It's also great to hear that we might be seeing more library events sometime! If there's one in southeastern CT, I'll be there in a jiffy! B)

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Okay, here's my entry:

It's called the Kanohi Maleka, the Mask of Size. I know, not very good, but I only just read your tutorial a couple days ago.

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Only at last resort? Wars are started because of OIL! Because some countries have ignorant leaders or a dumb way of ruling a country.

Yes, but they aren't started straight away, with no consideration. The Toa empire in Dark Mirror sees a potential threat and crushes it without second thought. In contrast, many of our home countries resort to diplomacy and sanctions first, as war is costly and can reap many tolls on the country.

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Very interesting comments, greg. Dark Mirror sure is giving us a lot of interesting stuff to think about - which in my opinion is really cool.

I think the main difference between the Dark Mirror goverment and goverments like the U.S.A and England is that our goverments always seek to use force only as a last resort. First they try peace talks, then diplomacy, than sanctions, and they only use military force if nothing else works. This is because the goverments wish to be respected by people without being feared, something Toa Tuyet doesn't understand and can not relate too. She puts her job first, and takes it to an extreme level - which corrupts her way of doing things.

However, sadly goverments like the Toa Empire do exist today - and they view the "peace by force" way of governing as the best way to handle things. This is a prime element of communism and socialism, two systems that are unfortunately still alive in today's world. In fact, the Toa Empire really is a form of communism - which is really quite scary if you think about it.

I REALLY look foward to the last two chapters of Dark Mirror, Greg.

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Man, for a being complete geek (j/k), you really can make me laugh! Awesomely funny interview, it's even better then the one with Evil Clock! Loved all the bubble wrap jokes, especially the one with the Gizokou (sp) 2000 knives. Man, that really made me laugh.....