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Pahrak Model ZX

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Blog Entries posted by Pahrak Model ZX

  1. Pahrak Model ZX
    Source
     
    Still no news on when the anime starts, but we might not need to dodge spoilers that much longer!
     
    Steins;Gate 0 will be released in America and Europe this year, on both PS4 and Vita! I'm very glad I didn't sell my Vita now.
     
    Apparently, the company selling the localization is advertising it at an event this weekend, and whoever comes to their booth can get a free poster if they say "El Psy Kongroo". I like that.
  2. Pahrak Model ZX
    Strike of the Hour is now live!
     

     
    Barring any last-minute decisions, this is my last Okoto 579 story for the 15 adaptation. In addition to introducing Karios’s character into the mix, I tried to take a look at Ekimu as well, plus give one or two nods towards 16. As for the first story of the 16 adaptation…well, don’t be surprised if you get some news on that soon!
  3. Pahrak Model ZX

    A Look Ahead

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    Well, time for the last one! Bioni-Lords Book 3: Kako Preview 5 is up, and with that, all the previews are posted. But, since the year is practically over, I think I'll toss out a few more bits of info you might be interested in...
     
    --The daughter of a Fire-Lord, Tahra Vakar! The Air specialist from a Stone family, Xyla Pahrop! The underestimated Steel specialist, Genakex Ikhav! And his brother, the man who will become the 10th Level Bioni-Lord...Kytan Ikhav! Not to mention four guest stars and some temporary characters!
    --Dysfunctional families, feelings of loneliness, and quests for adequecy--there are some dark themes in this Book'
    --Branching timelines, Kal and Queens in one--six Bohrok unlike anything you've ever seen before! The war of the King Bohrok begins anew thanks to their Royal Curse, and our main characters are right in the middle!
    --Les Quatre Freres de Lame together again! A foreshadowing of the 10th's reign, but could there be something else?
    --Konpaku's past is revealed, but it may not make sense until later on. And be on the lookout for the mysterious Mairi...
    --The Shadow Consortium, a sophisticated criminal organization that rules the islands through fear. The main characters will become the target of three unsettlingly powerful operatives: Frieza, Cell, and Buu! And did you think Mutran was the first one to create a Spirit Carrier? Think again...
    --Did I mention that the Dark Knights were founded at about this time frame?
    --Lots of familiar Element-Lords return, along with some new ones! Fourteen islands to challenge, fourteen Elements to master! The Forbidden Blades, Sparks, and Dragons are well-known in this time frame, along with the Forbidden Thoughts and Forbidden Vines!
    --We may see some characters related to friends from Books 1 and 2...
    --Ever wondered how one Element-Lord transfers the position to another? Or maybe how Ultima-Orbs are made?
    --The underwater fortress used by the Black Tide and Verasu returns yet again.
    --This time, we WILL be killing main characters
    --Didn't Tabuu get his mind broken by the 10th? And there was something about his old partner being sealed...
    --Think we'll find out where that mysteriously sealed book came from?
    --Find out whose soul the 10th uses as a Blade, plus Norscu's first contract--the very first Blade of Souls!
    --All of the Original Element-Lords will have at least a cameo. Some will have pretty big parts...
    --King. Bohrok. Cage match.
    --Genakex said he wanted to see the 10th one more time to tell him something...what was it?
    --Where did Krakha come from, and how did the 10th cast the Retcon?
     
    Well, that's all I got for now. I'm looking at either January or February for posting the Prologue (which actually doesn't have any new text)...writing is going farily well. I'm on Po-Isle, Chapter 9, with the first reveal of the Shadow Consortium.
  4. Pahrak Model ZX
    (New name btw this is Pahrak if you can’t tell.)
     
    --Gehenna’s Stigma: Now this is an entertaining villain!
     
    --Vega and Altair: I have some mixed feelings about this but dang if it doesn’t feel epic as heck.
     
    --Twin Automata: Oh my gosh…I like Moeka now!!
     
    --Recursive Mother Goose: BUT DID YOU NEED TO MAKE IT THAT SAD?!
     
    --Promised Rinascimento: Since this is spoiler-free all I can think to say is “I dig it.”
     
    --Milky-Way Crossing: Not quite what I was hoping for, but definitely cool.
     
    The way 0’s plot is structured was a bit confusing at first, but I really do love how they did the endings this time around. In the first game, the alternate ends were all “What If” scenarios (except for the Kurisu End, which is just the True End minus the actual ending), and while that was really interesting, the endings of 0 flesh out different characters and ideas, and one of the endings even discusses this concept a little. I imagine choosing what to animate and what to leave out must be difficult, so the wait for the anime seems more justifiable now.
     
    On a related note, I’m so glad every Lab Member got to do stuff. I had mixed feelings about Moeka and felt that Ruka and Faris were sort of underused, and I think 0 did a better job on those fronts.
     
    Anything else I could say would be spoilery, so I’ll save it and probably do another entry with those.
     
    EDIT: Also I just found out that the English dub of the Steins;Gate movie is apparently being released on March 28th! Good, I've been thinking I should rewatch it and this will be a good reason to do that.
  5. Pahrak Model ZX
    The time has finally come! Bioni-Lords: VioletRose and HonoredSoul has begun! If you've ever wanted to become a Bionicle, feel free to stop by and play!
    Nevermind, it's locked.
     
    Also, you guys remember when I asked for some feedback on a story I was working on? Well, I've been adding on to it, and I wasn't sure about one of the scenes a little bit after the intro I posted last time. Could you please look it over and provide some more feedback?
     
    Creation for Creation's Sake Excerpt 2:
     
    Slizer’s hall had gleaming chrome plating covering every inch of the floor, walls, and ceiling, with not a single hint of decoration—just a straight, silvery, rectangular prism. The exceptions were the large ceiling lamp that hung near the center of the hall and what was directly beneath it: a circular 4-legged table with a smooth black surface. Sitting around this table were Slizer, Rider, Bluetooth, Mecha, Comic, and an empty chair. Each Hapori held five playing cards and stood guard over a pile of about twenty small chips made of white plastic, and the remains of the deck the cards had come from lay nestled behind Slizer’s chips.
     
    “Can we just start?” Bluetooth asked, shuffling the cards in his hands. “He’s not gonna show. Guy’s not exactly acclimated to Hapori life yet.”
     
    Slizer smiled and replied, “Then who’s that?”
     
    Bluetooth looked over his shoulder to see Zadakh making his way down the hall. “...I’m wrong sometimes.”
     
    As Zadakh neared the table, Comic greeted, “Glad you could make it! Have a seat!”
     
    Zadakh sank into the empty chair without a word, appearing as if someone had coerced him into attending. Slizer turned to him and said, “Nice to see you again, Zadakh. Are you playing?”
     
    “Just watching,” Zadakh replied. His tone was steady and uninterested.
     
    Slizer nodded, and everyone picked up their cards. “Alright,” the old Hapori said, “the initial bet is 200 units.”
     
    “By the way, Zadakh,” Bluetooth said as he eyed his cards, “no hard feelings about knocking you out earlier, right? Someone had to do it.”
     
    “Sure,” Zadakh sighed.
     
    “What do you mean by that?” Bluetooth asked. “Kind of a vague answer.”
     
    “Let it be, Blue,” Mecha said. “He probably doesn’t want to talk about it, and I don’t…”
     
    Mecha trailed off and stared into space. A few seconds later, Rider suggested, “Blame him.”
     
    “Right!” Mecha exclaimed. “Right, I don’t blame him. Thanks Rider.”
     
    Rider nodded and tossed two chips towards the center of the table. Slizer leaned over towards Zadakh and explained, “Mecha doesn’t always finish his sentences. Sort of a bug in his programming.”
     
    “My audio receptors work just fine, though,” Mecha said. He sifted through his chips before adding, “I’ll raise you 200.”
     
    “All in good fun, brother,” Slizer chuckled. Slizer’s face may not have been very expressive, but Zadakh got the distinct feeling that Slizer was smiling. “I’ll raise 800.”
     
    “Someone’s confident tonight,” Comic said. “Still, it’s easy to tell when you’re bluffing.”
     
    Slizer shrugged. “I’m perfectly fine with not being a good liar. I never have had a good poker face. I think Zadakh will, though; tough to tell what a Vahki’s thinking.”
     
    Zadakh looked directly at Slizer. “…Yeah. You’re right. I guess one good thing did come from all this.”
     
    “I could tell what he was thinking there,” Bluetooth said. He set his cards on the table face down. “I fold.”
     
    Zadakh’s gaze shifted to Bluetooth. “Never was good at making sarcasm subtle.”
     
    Bluetooth leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Really? From what you were mumbling earlier, I figured you didn’t remember much about your human life.”
     
    “Well I’m pretty sure of that, at least,” Zadakh said, leaning forward.
     
    Slizer put a hand on Zadakh’s shoulder, calmly saying, “Zadakh, take it easy.”
     
    Mecha gave Bluetooth a disapproving look. Bluetooth shrugged and responded, “Just making conversation.”
     
    “Rule #1: Never let anything Bluetooth says get to you,” Slizer advised. “Let’s just say he’s not interested in making friends.”
     
    Bluetooth shrugged again. With some effort, Zadakh relaxed a bit. Slizer said, “Don’t worry—he gets easier to deal with. He’s not as bad as he seems.”
     
    “No, I am,” Bluetooth disagreed.
     
    “Let’s not have this argument again,” Mecha said. “I fold.”
     
    “You always fold!” Comic declared. “Come on, Mecha, take a risk once in a while!”
     
    Mecha casually replied, “If I don’t have a good chance of winning, I’m not going to take it. Even with low risks like this, it’s always good to be…”
     
    A few seconds later, Rider finished, “Cautious.”
     
    Mecha thanked Rider for his help, and then Comic said, “Okay, well, let’s see what everyone’s got! Monochrome brotherhood 4!”
     
    Comic laid out four of his cards face up, and Zadakh turned his head to examine them. These cards weren’t what he expected—each one displayed one or two characters in red print, including ‘G’, ‘K’, ‘E’, and ‘10’.
     
    What kind of cards are these? Zadakh wondered.
     
    Slizer set down his cards and threw his hands in the air, prompting Comic to laugh and reach for the chips at the center of the table. However, Rider held up a hand, laid out for of his own cards, and stated, “Monochrome bloodline.”
     
    These cards had green print and read ‘S’, ‘R’, ‘B’, and ‘HF’. Comic backed off and sighed, allowing Rider to take the chips for his own. The players all returned several cards back to Slizer, some turning in more than others, and Slizer shuffled the deck and began dealing for the next round.
     
    “Interested yet?” Comic asked Zadakh.
     
    “We can explain it to you if you want,” Slizer offered. “It’s actually a very effective distraction.”
     
    Zadakh thought about it for a few seconds. Bluetooth whispered, “The suspense is killing me.”
     
    After giving a quick glare, Zadakh answered, “Okay. It won’t hurt to learn.”
     
    “Great!” Slizer said. He threw four face-down cards at Zadakh and then reached under the table, pulling out another 20 chips. After giving these to Zadakh as well, he picked up his own cards and nodded.
     
    “Alright, here’s the game,” Slizer said. “Cards have one of four colors and one of nine values. Colors are red, blue, green, and black; values are ‘S’, ‘R’, ‘B’, ‘G’, ‘K’, ‘E’,’10’, ‘HF’, and ‘DC’.”
     
    Zadakh picked up his cards, making sure none of his opponents saw them. “What kind of values are those?”
     
    “They’re abbreviations,” Mecha answered. “‘S’ is for ‘Slizer’, ‘R’ is for ‘RoboRiders’, ‘B’ is for ‘Bionicle’…and so on.”
     
    “The point value of your hand is determined by similarities between your cards,” Slizer went on. “If two cards have the same color, that’s 1 point. If two cards have the same value, that’s 2 points. So, let’s say you’ve got a green ‘B’, a green ‘K’, a black ‘K’, a red ‘E’, and a red ‘DC’—that would add up to four points.”
     
    Zadakh examined his cards more closely and nodded. “Sounds simple. Then we wager our chips before seeing whose hand has the most points?”
     
    “Right,” Slizer said. “Each chip is worth 100 units. When you run out of chips, you’re out of the game.”
     
    Zadakh looked at his chips—20 of them at 100 each meant he had 2000 units to wager. It still seemed straight-forward.
     
    “But!” Slizer interjected. “There are also some special hands that ignore point values. If these hands are played, point-based hands automatically lose, and the special hand highest on the ‘special value scale’ wins. ‘S’, ‘R’, either ‘HF’ or ‘DC’, and any one other value makes a ‘bloodline’. Any four out of ‘B’, ‘G’, ‘K’, ‘E’, and ‘10’ makes a ‘brotherhood 4’—all five makes a ‘brotherhood 5’. Get ‘S’, ‘R’, ‘HF’, and ‘DC’ and you have ‘bookends’. Also, these hands are usually worth more if they’re ‘monochrome’, or all the same color. You got all that?”
     
    This is where things got complicated, it seemed. Still, after going over it one more time, Zadakh was confident he understood it well…or rather, well enough, at least. “I think so.”
     
    “The special value scale is as follows,” Slizer said. “From best to worst: monochrome bookends, monochrome bloodline, monochrome brotherhood 5, multicolor bookends, monochrome brotherhood 4, multicolor brotherhood 5, multicolor bloodline, and multicolor brotherhood 4.”
     
    He paused to chuckle. “I know, it’s a lot to take it. Don’t worry about memorizing the scale—we won’t cheat you. After we share our cards, we begin a new round. All cards played get shuffled back into the deck, and everyone’s given enough cards so that they have five again. Anyone who folded can exchange up to three cards for new ones.”
     
    “I handed in two just now, for instance,” Mecha spoke up.
     
    “So, any questions?” Slizer asked.
     
    “Uh…” Zadakh muttered. “…I’ll just wing it.”
     
    “The sign of a true card player,” Bluetooth commented.
     
    “Okay, I’ll start us off,” Comic said, tossing in five chips. “500.”
     
    Zadakh watched the chips clatter against the table and then looked back to his cards to do the math. He had four cards that displayed ‘B’ in different colors, plus one green ‘G’. If he remembered the rules correctly, that gave him 7 points—not bad at all, but apparently worth nothing if anyone had a special hand.
     
    Bluetooth tossed in five of his own chips. “I’ll see your 500.”
     
    Zadakh looked over the other players. They all wore stone-cold expressions that he was incapable of reading.
     
    Rider said, “Raise 300.”
     
    He’s betting 800 units? Zadakh thought. Well, I guess he can afford to after last round…
     
    “Hm…I’ll fold,” Comic said. “I’ve got a lousy hand.”
     
    “I’ll see your bet Rider,” Mecha said. The table fell silent as Mecha threw in his eight chips.
     
    “…You, Mecha?” Slizer asked. “You never bet! I’m definitely out!”
     
    Rider followed Slizer’s lead, leaving only three players in the game. Bluetooth added enough chips to meet Mecha’s bet, and then all eyes fell on Zadakh.
     
    If it’s true that Mecha usually folds, then he must have a good hand…right? But how much do I really know about this guy—can I trust a random comment like that? Plus, he could just be using that to his advantage as a trick…
     
    “Come on, does it really require that much though?” Bluetooth complained.
     
    Zadakh ignored him. …You know what, this is a good hand.
     
    “I’m in,” Zadakh finally declared. He put eight chips in the pile and laid his cards out on the table.
     
    “…Well, I lose,” Bluetooth mumbled.
     
    “Haha…sorry, Zadakh,” Mecha said. He laid out his cards—all black, with values of ‘S’, ‘R’, ‘HF’, and ‘DC’. “Monochrome bookends. You guys never stood a chance.”
     
    Mecha claimed his winnings and then handed in his cards. The latter action was repeated by the other players, though Zadakh was a bit slow in doing so.
     
    “So…what do you think?” Comic asked.
     
    Zadakh held on to his answer for a few seconds before sharing. “…This is fun.”
  6. Pahrak Model ZX
    After exploring everywhere in my first randomized Leaf Green, I decided to try a new playthrough with a fresh randomization. This time I also changed up Pokémon’s typing, so that’s been interesting and at times difficult. (Fighting an Electrode with Wonder Guard is tough when you don’t know what’s super effective.) I’ve been playing on and off for a while, and using more cheats this time because who cares, but right now we have seven badges and the team is all level 50.
     
    -Poliwaug: My starter, a Dragon/Ghost Poliwrath with Insomnia. I was pretty worried when he obtained Truant as a Poliwhirl, but thankfully he grew out of it, not to mention he kept his awesome typing through all evolutions!
    -Steel Wool: A Steel/Poison Ampharos with Flash Fire (formerly Intimidate (Mareep) and Huge Power (Flaafy)). I caught him early on and he’s always been an essential part of my team! I wasn’t sure what to think of the Posion type he acquired in his final evolution, but Sludge Bomb is pretty nice.
    -Wonder Egg: A Psychic/Steel Togetic with Wonder Guard. (Because you always need at least one when you’re randomizing.) Her typing is fantastic for this ability—only Fire and Ground can hurt her, and with Steel Wool being immune to Fire, I can block pretty much any type except Ground, which isn’t really a big deal. She leads a lot since I don’t know what type I’m going to be facing in most situations.
    -Sparktile: An Electric/Fighting Sceptile with Hyper Cutter. Fantastic for early in the game, which was full of Normal/Grass Kirlia with Intimidate, and has remained excellent ever since. Wish he’d learn Thunder Punch or Thunderbolt, but Spark is doing the trick, and Brick Break and Earthquake certainly help too.
    -Yamakawa: A Water Hariyama with Drizzle. Her Special Attack is really low, but that hasn’t actually been much of a problem—a Drizzle-boosted Surf can still take down plenty of enemies!
     
    I’ll need to find something to fill that last slot. Once I finish the Sevii Islands interlude (which should lead me to Moltres), I’ll probably go after Articuno and Zapdos and see what they’ve been randomized into. My current team is probably enough for becoming Champion, but I like to fill all my available openings, you know?
     
    Also, Cerulean Gym was still Water! It was the same in the last randomization, so I have to wonder if the randomizer has decided not to tamper with this particular Gym for some reason…
     
    Oh, I never did provide my final team for the first one, did I? Well
    -Nido Ran Gogh, starter, Nidoking with Volt Absorb
    -Celebi with Wonder Guard
    -Fire Fly, Ninjask with Flame Body
    -Opal, (Defense Forme) Deoxys with Wonder Guard
    -Quilavatar, Typhlosion with Illuminate
    -Silver Wing, Zapdos with Intimidate
     
    (Fun fact: Silver Wing is named so for having Aeroblast, Lugia’s signature move. Early in this new game I encountered a (Fire/Poison) Zapdos with Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh’s signature move! I called them Rainbow Wing but they didn’t really work out…though I might bring them back when I challenge the League, who knows.)
  7. Pahrak Model ZX
    That was awful I am never holding a poll again.
     
    Anyway these are the fighters I’m putting in Technic Tournament 3 & Knuckles:
    -Kopaka Mata
    -Tuma
    -Umarak
    -Narmoto
    -Jet/Judge Slizer
    -Blaster Slizer
    -Boss RoboRider
    -Virus Rider
    -William Furno
    -Dragon Bolt
    -Nick Bluetooth
    -Gorm
    -Danju
    -Vladek
    -Hybrid Rescue Tank
    -Mobile Devastator
    & Knuckles
     
    And whoever wins will fight Pridak in the Title Match. Now go away.
  8. Pahrak Model ZX
    Hey guys...what do you call a Toa with power over math?
    A SOHCAH-Toa!
    ...I blame The World Ends With You. And, by extension, Kingdom Hearts 3D. (The latter of which had a new trailer released this week, which was so awesome it almost gave me a heart attack!!! Hm? No, I wouldn't say addicted...)
     
    But, as you know, we saw something else this week: the Hero Factory summer sets! So I figured I'd jot down some thoughts on those and their eventual Bioni-Spirits (although I probably won't make the Spirits until closer to the release of the sets). If you guys have some comments or suggestions for the Spirits, feel free to speak up! Ahem...
     
    -First things first, though...Breez. ARRRRRRRRGH!! Why are we denied Breez until summer?!?! Time to learn German and import a European Breez so I don't have to wait... (Although I guess this makes her a "summer Breez"? ...Sorry, I like puns.)
    -Next is Nex ( )...eh. For whatever reason, I'm just kinda neutral in opinion on this set. I already have some moves planned for the Spirit, but...is that arm supposed to be a laser or some kind of lightsaber weapon? This is very important. Probably laser...
    -XT4...I'm all for nonsensical names, but I have to ask why they made this set. It's a scrawny, barebones scrap droid with an oversized buzzsaw...this guy's getting 130 FE, no more. Right now my best option for an Element is Steel.
    -Stringer looks awesome! Yeah, maybe they changed his secondary color, but I think I actually like this one better than his original Halloween colors. And while I may not be a big fan of guns, I am impressed by Stringer's weapon, which I can only assume will be called "The Sonic Shotgun." The corresponding Spirit is virtually complete, just want to wait before deciding on one last non-offense technique.
    -Core Hunter, huh? Sounds like someone who assassinates Hero Factory heroes...kinda like my version of Vapor. I bet they'd get along well. Anyway, he looks cool so far, and I shouldn't have a tough time picking techniques for his Spirit...not sure about the Element, though. I could always go with Shadow, but it's so common...
    -Bulk, I love shoulder-mounted weapons, and you pull it off well...it just seems odd when you're supposed to have incredible physical strength and they give you all long-range weaponry. Still, the shoulder-mounted turret should provide plenty of techniques, and don't worry: I'll give you some close-range moves too.
    -What is this madness known as Voltix? If this were a combiner model, then I would understand the need to have so many different colors, but for one individual set? No matter how much I want purple to make a comeback, I will not buy a set this...disorganized. Sorry. But at least the Element for his Spirit will be easy to decide on.
    -I see that Stormer's been spending time in the gym. Guess who's getting 200 FE, two Elements, and an effect with more than just Technic Descendant? I feel like I should say something about the legs, but they're not that bad...although the head is a bit disproportionate. The sword is kinda lame, but I shall make it awesome for the Spirit! The flimsy frame you see now will merely serve as the skeleton for crafting a much larger sword out of either ice or light energy! Shouldn't be too hard to come up with attacks for him, even if he will need a lot more.
    -Speeda Demon, Toxic Reapa...seems all lime villains from here on out will have gangsta names. Anywho, I like this set, and I may try to give him 200 FE...or maybe not. But he'll almost definitely have more than 140. Not sure about the Element, though--my first instinct says "Air" for the speed, but...? And no, his bike will not be a Vehicle Spirit, it'll be included as part of the Speeda Demon Spirit.
  9. Pahrak Model ZX
    If, like me, you’re already thinking of which Pokemon you want to use when you get Gold or Silver on Virtual Console, I highly recommend checking someplace like Bulbapedia or Serebii to see where in those games those Pokemon can be caught, and where you can get the items necessary to evolve them. You just may be disappointed.
     
    I first became aware of this when I thought this would finally be my chance to try out a Tyranitar. But as it turns out, Larvitar can only be caught at Mt. Silver…which you can only access after beating all 16 gyms, so…that’s not gonna work. And granted, Tyranitar is a pseudo-legendary, so that can’t be indicative of restrictions on other Pokemon, right?
     
    Oddly enough, any Pokemon that needs a stone to evolve is pretty out of luck. The only way to get Leaf, Thunder, Fire, or Water Stones is to show specific Pokemon to Bill’s grandpa, who lives in Kanto. You can only get a Sun Stone by placing first in the Bug Catching Contest. Your best bet is a Moon Stone, which your mom might buy with your savings, or you can pick one up in Tohjo Falls right before you head for the League. So much for using Jolteon and NIdoqueen.
     
    And I wasn’t really seriously considering it, but: Slugma. A brand new Gen II Pokemon. Can only be caught in Kanto. What.
     
    To say nothing of movesets, that’s an entirely different thing that I’ve only scratched the surface of. My point is, I advise you to double check these things now so you won’t be surprised when you’re playing the game. I know it would’ve thrown me for a loop.
  10. Pahrak Model ZX
    I can't believe it...it's...
     

     
    Handles, the greatest companion in the entire Doctor Who franchise!
     
    (The weird thing is I don't even have Lego Dimensions. God bless the kind soul who put the Dalek's instructions on YouTube, since they weren't in the glorified catalog they call a manual, grumble grumble...)
  11. Pahrak Model ZX
    (Well, technically, Technic Tournament is the spin-off and this is trying to unspin it a little...)
     
    Even if it did die out, I still feel like Technic Coliseum was a bit more popular than Technic Tournament. However, I feel far less able now to keep up with a game that big, and I really do want to continue the Tournament-style games. But I am exploring some options.
     
    I’m thinking that part of what made Coliseum so well-liked (in its day) was the level of customization it offered. So, in an attempt to make that work in a smaller game, I ended up with the following idea, tentatively called “Technic Coliseum: Limited League”.
     
    A set of fighters will be selected, of course, and then either players will choose them (first come first serve) or be assigned them randomly. You will then have a set amount of Widgets to use to prepare your fighter for a match. You can choose from the available trainers and equipment however you see fit, but you have to keep it within budget. Fighters will then be paired up and fight. Then their slates will be wiped clean and they’ll be rerandomized, or put up for grabs again with whoever sponsored them last round being forced to choose someone else. Your budget is reset, and you now have to prepare that fighter for their match.
     
    A big concern I have is what to give the winner of each match. If I give them more Widgets, then they’re going to have an advantage that will quickly leave other players in the dust, and start another arms race like the one that killed activity back in Coliseum. Now, since this game will only go on for a few weeks, this might not be as big a deal, but I still want to try something else. Right now I’m thinking that if you win, you get to keep your fighter for the next round, though I might still put some restrictions on trainers and equipment so that you can’t have the exact same set each time—that would be boring.
     
    There’s also the matter of settling matches. Fights like these need to be run like they were in Coliseum: you each post a strategy, I compare them, and I give a judgment on who I think would win. I worry about such subjective criteria. Also it’ll take a lot more of my time and focus that way and I’m not sure I’m up for that. I don’t know, maybe I could have the other players vote? But that’ll require a lot of participation on everyone’s part, and if we don’t hear from people it’ll really, really hurt us. Hmmm.
     
    And of course, whoever sponsors the most winning fights by the end of the whole thing wins the game. That part’s probably obvious.
     
    I don’t know, I still need to work out the kinks and there’d be a lot of work to do trying to balance everything. If anyone has any comments I’m happy to hear them—this is just a rough idea right now, so I make no promises of it ever going up. I just want to gauge interest before I go through all that work.
  12. Pahrak Model ZX
    Well, I haven’t figured out any type of writing schedule yet, but I do at least have something to post!
     
    As I mentioned, I am taking a Fiction Writing class this semester, which will require us to write three short (ish) stories over the span of the course. For my first assignment, I decided to (edit and) present the prologue and first chapter of the rough draft of the novel I’m working on, Divine Strength. I thought it would be a good way to see how the opening works as a first introduction to the idea, as, barring the teacher and two other students, this will be the first time this group has seen anything about the Queens.
     
    Divine Strength: Prelude has been posted in the OTC Forum for anyone else who wishes to read it. I expect I’ll be posting the other two stories I create for this class there as well—as of yet, I am not sure if either of them will be related to the Queens or not, but the main point is that I’m putting more writing up on BZP. I will also try to work on some of that fanfiction I proposed a while back, and/or think up some regular prompt and post method.
     
    I hope you enjoy the story!
  13. Pahrak Model ZX
    We're just about to turn in our second piece. I've had it written for a while, and after editing it every other day, I figured I should just go ahead and print it out and stop stressing.
     
    Divine Clash is also up in OTC. It's another story about the Queens, and details an event mentioned in Despair of the Divine and Alignment. I wanted my classmates to give me some feedback on how I write battles, plus this focuses on Queens that are new to all but two of them, so it seemed a good choice. I don't know yet what I'll be doing for the third piece (an entirely different idea is calling to me now...), but even if I'm one of the last ones we go over this time around I'll still have all Spring Break to come up with something, so I'm sure I'll be fine.
  14. Pahrak Model ZX
    As usual, another preview: Bioni-Lords Book 3: Kako Preview 3 is up, showing the King of Pahrak meeting the King of Gahlok. It also mentions the concept of Va Champions, which are basically the same as Frere Allies or Guardian Allies...just wanted to stop using "Allies". The Preview also contains a link to an image of the King Bohrok emblem and a link to a picture of the Exo-Pahrak Kal Titan MoC, if you haven't seen it yet.
     
    Speaking of MoCs, I threw up a new ZMoC topic, this one with some more Hero Factory MoCs. I want to do one more next week, but then we'll be caught up with the ZMoC Project (more or less...)
     
    Okay, I won't keep you waiting any longer: behold, the new Spirit Index! And, uh...yeah, that's it. I've started on the Hero Factory 4.0 Spirits, and they're practically done--I just want to wait until we get more info so I can give one more move to Furno.
     
    Also, I've finally started to do more typing on Forgotten Bond! Also working on modified banners, which I'll probably put in the review topic. I've already said to expect it in January, so I won't say it again.
     
    And my Christmas Special is typed and ready. I'll probably post it the 23rd and put a link here along with the new Kako Preview.
     
    I think that covers it!
  15. Pahrak Model ZX

    Pokemon News

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    (Thinking up new and fresh titles is hard okay)
     

    ! Or not, here’s a round-up: 
    -They start off by introducing a strange new Pokemon named “Type: Null”. Yes, that is apparently its name. It looks pretty darn weird too. I’m…not entirely sure what to make of this, but the Pokedex info revealed makes it sound like it’s important to lore, being constructed to fight Legendary Pokemon or something like that. I’m guessing it’ll have a form change since that helmet is a power limiter. It’s supposed to combine the abilities of numerous Pokemon, so…chimera confirmed? There is speculation of alchemy-inspired themes in the game.
    -Then they reveal Jangmo-o, a cute little Dragon Pokemon. I like how it looks, if it evolves into something cool I might try to make room for it on my team.
    -There’s also Alolan Raticate. Nothing much to say here.
    -Apparently, Sun and Moon are “set 12 hours apart”. It’s a little vague, but I’m guessing this means that Moon will actually invert the standard day/night cycle, so times that have been “day” during every game up until now will actually be “night”. This could make it easier to get certain time-based evolutions!
    -Next is a new organization called the Aether Foundation. They appear to be responsible for the man-made island seen on the Alola map, which is a Pokemon sanctuary. It’s a little too soon to get a read on them, but this could be an interesting development.
    -Team Skull has an “enforcer” named Gladion. I can’t wait to beat him up.
    -Apparently Dexio and Sina, the glorified cameos who did absolutely nothing in X and Y, appear to give you a cube that you use to collect Zygarde Cells and Cores as you explore the region. Free Perfect Zygarde?!
    -There’s a photo-taking feature in the game, and it seems very similar to the beloved Pokemon Snap (which I should probably play).
    -At the end, a new concept known as “Ultra Beasts” is teased. It’s super vague, all it does is show one such Pokemon, named “UB-01”, and its Pokedex information says it’s made of a glass-like substance, constantly shapeshifts, it’s not clear if it has an actual intelligence, but apparently “its movements resemble those of a young girl”? I really don’t know what to think. Eager to learn more, though.
    -I’ve heard that the Japanese equivalent of this trailer also shows a brief shot of a new Pokemon, a Pokemon that rather resembles Cutiefly, but no relation has been confirmed as of yet.
  16. Pahrak Model ZX

    Real Talk

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    The Lego Movie 2 made me cry and reexamine my life and is easily on par with the original (and The Lego Batman Movie), but
     
    While I completely understand it wouldn’t be all that practical to put focus on a long-dead theme and the scale would be a huge issue, the fact that it's partially driven by a teenager making his Lego sets/stories as edgy as he possibly can
     
    And they didn't make a single joke about Bionicle??
     
    Missed opportunity
  17. Pahrak Model ZX
    Canis suggested adding more fanon RoboRiders to the Coliseum. A while back I worked out a second team of RoboRiders, so I decided I'd combine those ideas with the ones Canis mentioned to put up a few options.
     
    -Toxin: FanonRider associated with Poison. This guy carries guns that can shoot streams of poison or acid. (Credit to Canis)
    -Gale: FanonRider associated with Air. She can fly using focused wind current and shoot enemies from a distance with her bow. (Credit to Canis)
    -Wave: FanonRider associated with Water who can float on water due to the special properties of her wheels. Carries a harpoon gun. (Credit to Canis)
    -Alloy: FanonRider associated with Metal, has twin maces she wields in battle and can deploy spikes from her wheels to boost their damage or cling to any surface.
    -Gray: FanonRider associated with Psionics. Her weapons are buzzsaws that can shoot cutting blasts of mental energy.
    -Ion: FanonRider associated with Lightning. She doesn’t wield a proper weapon, but she can shoot solid bolts of lightning like throwing knives. (Thinking she might be redundant now that Power has Lightning powers?)
    -Demi: FanonRider associated with Gravity. For weapons she uses twin hammers, and she is able to fly by manipulating her own gravity. (Redundant now that Virus Rider has Gravity powers?)
     
    And I was also considering FanonRiders associated with Sonics, Light, and Shadow, but I haven't got anything concrete on those yet. Maybe I went a little overboard with giving them special abilities...well, any thoughts? Any you'd like to see entered in to the Coliseum?
  18. Pahrak Model ZX
    -Tahu
    Strength: start 3, current 3
    Agility: start 3, current 3
    Toughness: start 4, current 4
    Mind: start 2, current 2
    Powers and Items: Toa of Fire, Fire Sword, Skakdi Spine (Impact), Kanohi Hau
    Sponsor: Ricardo Mason
     
    -Pohatu
    Strength: start 5, current 5
    Agility: start 1, current 1
    Toughness: start 5, current 5
    Mind: start 1, current 1
    Powers and Items: Toa of Stone, weapon of choice
    Sponsor:
     
    -Onua
    Strength: start 3, current 4
    Agility: start 2, current 6
    Toughness: start 3, current 4
    Mind: start 4, current 6
    Powers and Items: Toa of Earth, claws, Kadin (shared), Vahki Staff (shared), Kanohi Mahiki (shared)
    Sponsor: Mairanui
     
    -Kopaka
    Strength: start 3, current 3
    Agility: start 1, current 8
    Toughness: start 3, current 6
    Mind: start 5, current 8
    Powers and Items: Toa of Ice, Ice Blade, Ice Shield, Kanohi Kadin (shared), Axonn's Axe (shared), Hero Cuffs (shared)
    Sponsor: Voxumo
     
    -Lewa
    Strength: start 3, current 3
    Agility: start 5, current 5
    Toughness: start 3, current 3
    Mind: start 1, current 1
    Powers and Items: Toa of Air, Air Axe
    Sponsor:
     
    -Gali
    Strength: start 2, current 2
    Agility: start 4, current 4
    Toughness: start 2, current 2
    Mind: start 4, current 4
    Powers and Items: Toa of Water, hooks
    Sponsor:
     
    -Lhikan
    Strength: start 2, current 2
    Agility: start 3, current 3
    Toughness: start 3, current 3
    Mind: start 4, current 4
    Powers and Items: Toa of Fire, Fire Greatswords
    Sponsor:
     
    -Nidhiki
    Strength: start 1, current 5
    Agility: start 6, current 6
    Toughness: start 1, current 4
    Mind: start 4, current 6
    Powers and Items: Toa of Air, Air Scythe, Kanohi Kadin (shared), Vahki Staff (shared), Kanohi Mahiki (shared)
    Sponsor: Mairanui
     
    -Hewkii
    Strength: start 5, current 5
    Agility: start 1, current 1
    Toughness: start 5, current 5
    Mind: start 1, current 1
    Powers and Items: Toa of Stone, Laser Axe, Electric Chain
    Sponsor:
     
    -Helryx
    Strength: start 3, current 3
    Agility: start 2, current 2
    Toughness: start 3, current 3
    Mind: start 4, current 4
    Powers and Items: Toa of Water, mace, shield
    Sponsor:
     
    -Matoro
    Strength: start 1, current 1
    Agility: start 1, current 1
    Toughness: start 1, current 1
    Mind: start 9, current 9
    Powers and Items: Toa of Ice, Ice Sword
    Sponsor:
     
    -Nuju
    Strength: start 1, current 1
    Agility: start 3, current 3
    Toughness: start 1, current 1
    Mind: start 7, current 7
    Powers and Items: Crystal Spikes, Toa of Ice
    Sponsor:
     
    -Lesovikk
    Strength: start 1, current 1
    Agility: start 3, current 3
    Toughness: start 7, current 7
    Mind: start 1. current 1
    Powers and Items: Air Sword, Toa of Air
    Sponsor:
     
    -Jovan
    Strength: start 1, current 1
    Agility: start 5, current 5
    Toughness: start 2, current 2
    Mind: start 4, current 4
    Powers and Items: Magnetic Bolt Launcher, Toa of Magnetism
    Sponsor:
     
    -Chiara
    Strength: start 1, current 1
    Agility: start 5, current 5
    Toughness: start 1, current 1
    Mind: start 5, current 5
    Powers and Items: Toa of Lightning, weapon of choice
    Sponsor:
     
    -Takanuva
    Strength: start 3, current 3
    Agility: start 3, current 3
    Toughness: start 4, current 4
    Mind: start 2, current 2
    Powers and Items: Kohlii Staff of Light, Toa of Light
    Sponsor:
     
    -Norik
    Strength: start 2, current 2
    Agility: start 2, current 2
    Toughness: start 5, current 5
    Mind: start 3, current 3
    Powers and Items: Spear, Rhotuka Launching Shield, Toa of Fire
    Sponsor:
     
    -Hahli
    Strength: start 2, current 2
    Agility: start 5, current 5
    Toughness: start 3, current 3
    Mind: start 2, current 2
    Powers and Items: Toa of Water, Laser Harpoon
    Sponsor:
     
    -Jaller
    Strength: start 4, current 4
    Agility: start 2, current 2
    Toughness: start 4, current 4
    Mind: start 2, current 2
    Powers and Items: Toa of Fire, Energized Flame Sword
    Sponsor:
     
    -Onewa
    Strength: start 6, current 6
    Agility: start 1, current 1
    Toughness: start 4, current 4
    Mind: start 1, current 1
    Powers and Items: Proto Pitons, Toa of Stone
    Sponsor:
     
    -Krakua
    Strength: start 1, current 1
    Agility: start 5, current 5
    Toughness: start 2, current 2
    Mind: start 4, current 4
    Powers and Items: Toa of Sonics, Sonic Vibration Sword
    Sponsor:
    Class A
     
    -Varian
    Strength: start 1, current 1
    Agility: start 3, current 3
    Toughness: start 1, current 1
    Mind: start 7, current 7
    Powers and Items: Toa of Psionics, elbow blades, Rhotuka Launching Shield
    Sponsor:
     
    -Zaria
    Strength: start 4, current 4
    Agility: start 1, current 1
    Toughness: start 4, current 4
    Mind: start 3, current 3
    Powers and Items: Toa of Iron, weapon of choice
    Sponsor:
  19. Pahrak Model ZX

    Throwback Thursday

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    We had some down time at work right before I was about to leave so we were just talking. Random stuff, no real direction, and somehow the conversation ended up on dinosaurs, which ones we thought were kinda cool and that sort of thing. And someone mentioned a liopleurodon.
     
    And I was like, “Huh. You know, I’ve only heard that name in one context before. That’s a memory I’m not really sure I want to relive.”
     
    The conversation continued in that vein until I left, neither of us directly referring to the thing we both agreed we didn’t need to remember, but we both knew.
     
    We both knew.
     
    Not to mention that right before that, another coworker had said “pew pew” in response to my saying “laser-focused”. (She was the one who offered “throwback Thursday” as an explanation.) So it is possible I’m entering into some time distortion where decade-old memes come back to haunt me. That could be dangerous…but then again, I know that Rick Astley would be on my side in that fight. He would never let me down.
     
    Side note, typing that title makes me think Throwbot Thursday should be a thing. Maybe.
  20. Pahrak Model ZX
    Pokemon fans may remember #493. Arceus, the creator of the Pokemon universe. (Or maybe just Sinnoh. And Ransei.) Being a promotion-only Mythical Pokemon, its availability is obviously rather scarce, but there's a unique aspect to Arceus's story: the Azure Flute. (It looks a lot like the Ocarina of Time actually, hence the entry title.)
     
    So, if you go through the data for Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, you'll find this item called Azure Flute that was intended to be distributed to players at some point. When you go to Spear Pillar with the Flute in your possession, you will be prompted to play it, and if you select Yes (and why wouldn't you I mean come on), you will summon a glass staircase leading to the Hall of Origin, where you can battle and catch Arceus.
     
    Thing is, the Azure Flute was never released. Arceus itself was distributed later on, but the Flute can only be obtained by using cheat devices. (Which I totally did not do...for real.) Fans aware of this have always wondered why the Flute was never made available, and I just discovered that, in an interview last year, Masuda addressed the matter. He said that while the Flute was their original plan, they changed their mind later on because it would be too confusing for players to use.
     
    ...Which is complete nonsense. All you do is go to Spear Pillar. As soon as you set foot there, it automatically prompts you to play the Flute. There's nothing confusing about it, not so long as you can make it to Spear Pillar (which you're required to do in the story anyway) and press a button (which I'm pretty sure is required at least once to complete the game?).
     
    On one hand I'm glad the matter has been addressed formally, but this explanation does not satisfy me. Well, maybe in the 2017 Sinnoh remakes they'll finally distribute an Azure Flute and I can use it without feeling that tinge of guilt...
     
    Oh, and apparently right now Cartoon Network is doing a marathon of Hoenn episodes leading up to the premiere of the Diancie movie this afternoon, so you can check that out if you want.
  21. Pahrak Model ZX

    Cool

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    Looks like the Nintendo Direct was basically things that might be fairly cool but I don't actually care enough to pay for!
     
    I mean, it's great that they're celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pokemon, but if it's not a full remake (and we probably can't even transfer our Pokemon out of the VC versions) then I don't feel compelled to buy it. Which is good, because I should not be spending money. And, I understand that remakes would take a lot of time and effort that's surely better-spent on other things, like the Pokemon Z Version we all know is on the way. If they had released Green in America I might have considered it.
     
    Although I do still want to buy Pokken Tournament! The Shadow Mewtwo amiibo card sounds cool, and it makes me wonder what other amiibo compatibility the game might have. I also like the sound of the Golden Mega Man amiibo, but there's no way I can afford the collector's edition it comes in, and since I already know I suck at Classic Mega Man I'm okay with that.
     
    And then there's Cloud. It looks like he might have a fairly interesting Limit Break charging feature? Which would justify his appearance beyond being a cash cow, though I do understand that's really all the reason needed. But I've developed an irrational disdain for FFVII and its fans and I don't see that going away. Get Square to release some DLC fighters from Kingdom Hearts or The World Ends With You and then you'll have my attention!
  24. Pahrak Model ZX
    (So yeah, this is a draft of the into to that Hapori story I mentioned a while ago. I know it's long, but if you have some free time, I would be eternally grateful for your feedback. Also, for Hapori Tohu I used the model that won BBC Contest #44: Tohu is Pleased!, created by member Darth Vader.)
     
     

    CREATION FOR CREATION’S SAKE


     
    He awoke in a pitch-black chamber. He could see nothing. All he could feel was the soft mattress beneath him. For a moment he felt panicked, as he was unsure of where he was, but this quickly subsided as he got to his feet. Lights flashed on instantly—he was blind for a moment, but then his eyes adjusted and he got a good look at his surroundings.
    The chamber had spacious dimensions and tan stone walls. The bed the youth sat on was nestled into one corner of the room—it was a simple piece of furniture, but it served its purpose of comfort well. The only other piece of furniture was a round wooden table set in another corner of the room. A steel door that had been left slightly ajar broke the monotony of one of the walls, and as the youth moved towards it he spotted something else opposite the bed.
    It was an image—a portrait, perhaps?—that started at the floor and rose a few feet up the wall. The image portrayed a seven-foot-tall figure with brown and yellow armor that reminded the viewer of Bionicles: the feet of a Panrahk, the legs of Avak (with yellow claw-like decorations on the shins), the body of a Toa Metru (brown mostly, with yellow hips) with a Pahrak shield over the chest, brown Toa Metru shoulder armor, brown Bohrok limbs for lower arms (that sported odd gold decorations on the outer sides) leading to large yellow hands, a brown cape that elegantly flowed behind the being…and, strangest of all, the head of a Vahki Zadakh.
    Seems whoever brought me here is a fan of MoCing, the youth thought.
    He turned back towards the door, but then he froze. The image had moved as well, copying his exact movements. Logic provided a solution, but it was cut down by disbelief—the youth could not accept a conclusion such as that. What he thought it was…that was impossible. He knew it could not be true. Still, he had to test his hypothesis—he took several more steps forward. The image copied him. He reached out his hand. The image did the same. At last, the youth looked down at his arm, and logic made its victorious retaliation.
    The image was not a portrait. It was a full-length mirror, and it was displaying his reflection.
    Panic followed logic’s lead and emerged with new life. Confusion and horror surged through the youth—why did he have this strange Bionicle body?! He was human, not whatever nightmarish creature this was. It must be a dream—no, it couldn’t be. Something so terrifying surely would have shocked him to consciousness.
    He rushed at the door, and, in his hurry, collided with it, tearing the metal hatch off its hinges and, effectively, tackling it to the ground. When he looked up, he saw a massive figure looming over him. This being also seemed about seven feet in height, and he wore sleek white armor with a few red plates on the ankles, wrists, and chest. He also wore a red belt and had two large, half-ring shaped plates of red armor that rose from his shoulders at a gentle angle. A light gray cape hung from his back, and in one hand he carried some sort of spear. The most striking feature, however, was the unmasked Toa Mata face with burning red eyes, behind which rested two large metal gears.
    “You are awake.” The stranger’s voice boomed with unquestionable authority. “My name is Tohu, and I—“
    The confused one lunged at Tohu, but in one swift movement, Tohu sidestepped, grabbed the youth’s cape, and yanked on it. The youth was pulled off his feet and hit the ground hard. Pain shot out from his back and paralyzed him for the moment.
    “Don’t worry, Zadakh,” Tohu said. “You are among friends.”
    “What are you talking about?! That’s not even my name! My name is…”
    Suddenly the youth realized: he could not remember his name. When he tried to think of it, he encountered a thick mental fog that proved utterly impenetrable. So, as far as he knew…maybe his name actually was Zadakh.
    “…My name is…Zadakh…?”
    “Yes,” Tohu said. He helped Zadakh up before adding, “Please, come with me. Everything will make sense soon.”
    Zadakh hesitated—after all, he had no reason to trust Tohu. Then again…he also had no reason to distrust him. With nothing else to go on, Zadakh nodded, and Tohu began walking.
    The hallway they proceeded down was poorly-lit—a few yellow lightstones were implanted in the gray rock walls, but they were a bit too sparsely distributed to contribute any real help. However, from what Zadakh could make out, there was not much to see anyway. The walls were as barren as the floor his feet clattered against, and the only attempts to make the architecture interesting were a few arches and pillars along each side of the wide hall.
    Zadakh had only been following Tohu for a few seconds when the leader spoke up, although he did not turn to face the one he addressed: “The Great Beings have never been able to quell their curiosity. Long ago, they developed a process for creating an entirely new kind of life form with virtually unrivaled power. Using their strange abilities, they drew in the energy given off by every living being within a single universe, and then they pooled all of this energy to animate one being…an entity which bore the powers and abilities of every living being from which it borrowed energy. They called it a ‘Hapori’, which in their language is a word for a collection or a group. The experiment was successful…so they made more.”
    The hallway ended, giving way to an enormous chamber made of stone of a much lighter shade than what Zadakh had seen so far. High, high above was a massive lightstone that bathed the entire room in light, allowing Zadakh to see the elaborate carvings in the walls—dozens, perhaps hundreds of figures who appeared to be engaged in battle, some of which he recognized, and some he did not. The hallway he and Tohu had emerged from was one of ten, all equally spaced along the edge of the circular room, and above each one was carved a word—a name—in Matoran lettering. In the middle of the table, a round stone table rose up from the ground, and around this table were ten ornate chairs that almost looked like thrones. Of these ten chairs, eight were filled; in them sat beings with extremely varied appearances, although they all wore some sort of armor. Zadakh was quickly able to guess who they were.
    “These are the Hapori?” he whispered to Tohu. All eight were staring at him, something that made him quite nervous.
    Tohu nodded and extended his arm towards one of the empty seats, which lined up with the hallway they had emerged from. “Please, sit down.”
    Zadakh nervously strode forward and eased into the chair. As he did so, Tohu made his way to the other side of the table, the location of the only chair that remained empty. However, Tohu remained standing when he reached his destination; he planted his spear in the floor beside him and faced Zadakh.
    “My full name is Hapori Tohu,” he revealed. Zadakh couldn’t exactly say he was surprised. “I was created with the energies of the Bionicle universe.”
    On Tohu’s right sat a being who had the body of a weakened Mata Nui Matoran—black armor, gray feet—but a golden, elongated head that displayed a narrow yellow face with slit-like green eyes. This being stood up on his chair and cheerfully introduced himself: “I’m Hapori Slizer. Bet you can guess what universe my energy comes from.”
    On Tohu’s left was a very tall being that was very slender—almost eerily so. His body was entirely covered in gray and black armor, and his face was a chrome mask with pipe-like designs and a shining red visor. He had large black wheels where his feet should have been, but he kept his balance just fine as he stood up. Very quickly, he said, “Hapori RoboRider, Rider for short.”
    To the right of Slizer was someone who appeared to be human, someone who wore a suit of knight’s armor that was a light blue color with healthy amounts of gold added to the color scheme. Behind him was a dark blue cape with gold trim, and this cape proudly displayed a gold hawk-shaped emblem. A pointed gold crown sat atop his thin black hair, and that hair rolled around the lower part of his face in the form of a beard. He stood, bowed, and politely stated, “Hapori Jayko of the Knights’ Kingdom, at your service.”
    The next one to stand up was on Rider’s left—another human-like figure with black body armor that covered him from neck to toe. Two spikes sharply curved up from his shoulders, and he had blue plates of armor around his waist, around where his arms connected to his torso, and on his wrist, in addition to some blue designs on his chest. He looked to be wearing a black Kanohi Hau, although his mask had four mandible-like spikes on the inner edge of the oval indentation on the lower front. This one casually sighed, “I’m Hapori Bluetooth; my power comes from the Galidor world.”
    To Jayko’s right was a being who appeared mostly if not entirely mechanical in nature. The robot had a heavy build, with white-armored legs that sprouted small fins on the outer thighs and thick red arms that ended in oversized hands. His torso was mostly white, as was his rectangular, vaguely bird-like head, which sat between two large plates of red shoulder armor. Two sharp white fins jutted out from his back, about where his shoulder blades might have been, and as far as Zadakh could tell, they existed only to make the machine look more menacing. However, the robot’s voice was completely calm, although it did have a metallic echo to it: “I came from the Exo-Force dimension. You can call me Hapori Mecha.”
    At Bluetooth’s left was a large, bulky man in very simple black and green body armor. Brown hair rested on top of his head, but his eyes could not be seen through the green visor he wore over them. On his chest was a round emblem divided into four parts—two green, two black—and a black cape flowed behind him. With a slight scowl, he stood up and muttered, “I’ve got a bit of power from the Ben 10 Alien Force universe, though I didn’t get near as much power as most of these guys. Still, they call me Hapori Omnitrix anyway…”
    To Zadakh’s immediate left was a Hero Factory hero, built using a 2.0+ body with mostly white armor. This hero wore Preston Stormer’s original helmet, and from the back of his shoulders extended two large, rectangular ‘fins’ that blue spears sprouted from. On his right forearm was an odd gray box-like apparatus, and on his left was a white multi-tool ice shield that sported twin spears and a curved, jagged blade. From the rear of this blade extended a translucent blue tube that connected to the hero’s back, and on each thigh he bore a Hero Badge—one forest green, the other dark gray. He didn’t even turn to face Zadakh as he dutifully said, “Hapori Stormer, from Hero Factory.”
    On Zadakh’s immediate right was a man with black hair and yellow eyes, and he wore a suit of armor similar to the one worn by Iron Man. In truth, the only differences were the lack of a helmet, the color blue replacing Iron Man’s gold color, and blue lines that traced angular patterns on the chest plate. With a friendly smile, this man eagerly shook Zadakh’s hand and said, “Pleased to meet you! I’ve got a little bit of energy from the Marvel and DC Universes, so I’m going by ‘Hapori Comic’.”
    With the introductions behind him, Zadakh finally had a moment of pause. It was a few seconds before he felt the information had been adequately processed, although it still left him struggling to comprehend everything. He scratched his head and attempted to fit together a few of the puzzle pieces he had…
    “So…why am I here?” he asked at last. “I mean…am I…?”
    “You are also a Hapori…Hapori Zadakh,” Tohu answered. “But you are a very special Hapori. From what we understand, the Great Beings gathered energy from the Bionicle universe once again, but this time they planted it in a life form that already existed…a human.”
    Even with his question answered, it didn’t make sense to Zadakh. Logic had taken its earlier victory and abandoned him, leaving only anarchy in its wake.
    “…But…why?” was all he could muster.
    “The Great Beings probably wanted to test a new variable,” Slizer said. “They’re never turned a pre-existing being into a Hapori before.”
    “But what’s the point?” Zadakh asked, his voice rising in volume. “Why did they create us? What purpose are we supposed to serve?”
    “We don’t have a purpose,” Stormer replied. “They created us just because they could. It’s up to us to decide how we spend our time.”
    The utter madness of this statement sent Zadakh reeling. “…What? They just…made a bunch of living beings for no reason? There’s no point to our existence at all?!”
    “You’ll get used to it,” Omnitrix said with a shrug.
    “NO!” Zadakh yelled. He shot up out of his seat and slammed his hands down on the table. “I refuse to ‘get used’ to being purposeless!! I had a life! I…”
    Zadakh trailed off and put a hand to his head—he had once again encountered the invincible fog. Had he indeed possessed a life as he believed? He couldn’t remember any details about his time as a human…so how could be sure? In fact, how could he be sure that he had even been human? Was it all just a lie? Some cruel dream that haunted the edge of his recollection?
    Zadakh leaned over the table and growled, “No…I was human…! Why can’t I…”
    A pressure began to press down upon the other Hapori—it was nothing they could not handle, but it did grab their attention. Jayko quietly said, “Zadakh, please try to calm down. Your power could run wild if you become too emotional.”
    “WELL I AM EMOTIONAL!!” Zadakh screamed.
    As he spoke, a pulse of yellow energy radiated outward from him, knocking back the other Hapori. Bluetooth, however, was quick to recover, and he leapt through the air directly at Zadakh. While airborne, Bluetooth’s right hand twisted and morphed, transforming into a large needle in a matter of seconds. As he came close, he thrust the needle into Zadakh’s neck, causing the youth to come to a complete halt. Zadakh’s eyes flickered a few times, and soon his body went limp and the ethereal pressure ceased to exist.
    Bluetooth withdrew; his hand reverted to normal as he walked back towards his seat. Zadakh collapsed into his own seat, and Bluetooth said, “Dume got pretty worked up too.”
    “Go easy on the kid,” Mecha said. “Do you really think he’ll be the same as Dume?”
    “Silence,” Tohu ordered. He tone was far stricter than usual. “We are not to discuss him. I shall have that law enforced.”
    “Poor kid,” Comic mused. “Accepting a lack of purpose was tough enough for us, but to have your whole life stolen on top of that…”
    “It is not our place to question the Great Beings,” Tohu said. “Zadakh will come to learn that in time. For now, we must do all we can to help him. He is our brother now.”
    “I’m not getting attached,” Omnitrix said. “The Great Beings botched this one. He’ll be gone soon enough.”
    “Quiet!” Rider snapped.
    The lithe Hapori ‘skated’ around the table and pulled Zadakh out of his chair, slinging his comatose comrade over his shoulder. Rider slowly rolled down the hall that Zadakh and Tohu had emerged from, and the other Hapori fell silent for the time being. Zadakh remained locked in his miserable slumber.
  25. Pahrak Model ZX

    100%...ish?

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    You remember Bionicle Heroes? That was fun. I mean, it’s kind of a terrible game, sure, but it was still fun to explore Voya Nui and blow it up and stuff.
     
    After I beat the game I put it down for a while, until a few years later I picked it up again in a quest for 100% completion. I emptied out the shop, upgraded all the Toa, and combed through every zone, smashing tons of enemies and collecting every canister I could find. It was magnificent…until I couldn’t figure out how to get the last Golden Canister in the second jungle level. I triggered the black constraction with Vezon, but I couldn’t figure out what it unlocked. I looked at the 99% on my file, sighed, and moved on.
     
    But recently, I was perusing some videos of the game on YouTube, and the truth was discovered! This particular player was replaying the levels as well, and this was one of the few canisters they hadn’t gotten and they too had difficulty finding the path, so I feel much better about the whole thing. Anyway, I dug out my PS2 on Christmas and finally captured that final Canister! (Sidenote: I am way too accustomed to HD, I could barely see a thing.) It was the absolute last thing I needed, so 100% achieved, right?
     
    …No, the 100% achievement wasn’t given to me. So, I replayed the Vezon battle! The results screen initially showed the achievement as unlocked, then produced a locked icon that it then threw onto the board where that particular achievement was. Wow.
     
    So I’m not really sure what happened, I guess I’ve encountered a glitch or something, but I know in my heart that, after nine years, I’ve finally 100% completed this game, even if the game itself refuses to admit it.
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