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Lazzy the Spazzy

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  1. Lazzy the Spazzy
    As some of you know, I'm one of the mods of the Naruto RPG over in the Completely Off Topic forum. After having done this for a while, I have a pretty good idea of what I like in an RPer and what I don't like. This will be a short series of blog entries in which I outline exactly what I expect in an RPer in the Naruto RPG I help run, and what I don't expect.
     

    The RPG Etiquette Series—Examples you should (or shouldn't) follow:
    Chapter 1 First, let's start with the problem kid. This player constantly makes trouble for the mods and players alike, alienating the other members with his or her negative attitude and immature role-playing. This person is the sort that will usually get banned pretty soon after joining.
     
    The problem kid's profile:
     
    Everyone makes mistakes with their profiles, it usually can't be helped. But what differentiates a good role-player from a bad one, is when the player doesn't change their mistakes after asked. You can usually tell by reading their character profile that they just skimmed the rules.
     

     
    As you can see, this member clearly didn't spend much time on their profile. They just saw the title of the RPG, thought, "this might be fun", and scrolled down to the profiles, completely ignoring the rules and other important stuff. Then they skipped the instructions telling how to make each part of their profiles, probably because it was too long, and just added stuff in.
     
    Let's dissect this member's profile and take a closer look.
     
     
    Name: narutomaru
     
    Here we have the first problem. "Narutomaru" by itself isn't a bad name, if a good member came to us with that name we'd probably approve it. The problem comes when the member disregards our rules. We asked that the clan name come first and the given name last, but the member apparently didn't bother to read that one simple sentence. We're not even sure if "narutomaru" is his first name or last name.
     
     
    Age: 12
     
    Nothing wrong with that.
     
     
    Rank: the highest one
     
    Now, there is something wrong with that, and you can probably tell what it is, so I don't need to explain. It's just further proof this guy didn't read the rules. Or follow common sense, for that matter.
     
     
    Personality: just like naruto
     
    Uh, no. Those of you in the NRPG havee probably all had me tell you to make your personalities longer, when you yourselves submitted your profiles, so you know what's wrong here.
     
    At this stage I'd be pretty frustrated. By now I can tell this member is just being lazy, and that they didn't just make a few innocent mistakes. This guy clearly doesn't care enough to read the rules.
     
     
    Appearance: like an average person
     
    Lol, What?
     
     
    Fighting style/skills: rasengan justu, chidori justu, raikiri justu, clone justu, all the fire ones, flying, the justu that makes a giant toad, ninetales, and the one the green guy does
     
    Oh man. *facepalm* I'd probably think this would be pretty funny, except my pride has been hurt here. Advent, Neon Bird, Greed, and I all spent way too much time writing this up for it to be disrespected in such a way. I'm seriously considering just stamping this unapproved and ignore the rest of the profile, but I'll read through the rest of it for formalities. I've already decided not to list out the person's mistakes, there are way too many for me to list. I'll just tell him or her to read the rules.
     
     
    Weapons: shrukin and those knive things i dont no wut ther called
     
    Now, there's nothing wrong with not knowing what kunai are called, we all forget sometimes and it's hard to remember all the technical details of a fictional world. But at this point it's clear this person hasn't just forgotten, he/she really doesn't care. Definitely not someone I'd want in this RPG.
     
     
    List of jutsu: the same as the ones in the fiting style
     
    More proof this guy doesn't know what he/she's talking about. You're supposed to put the list of jutsu here, not in the fighting style. Come on, read the instructions, people! It's not that hard!
     
     
    Clan: susakes clan, ther the ones with the red eyes
     
    Pathetic.
     
     
    Now let's say this member somehow gets his/her profile approved (don't ask me how). And the first post he/she makes is:
     

     
    Ooookay…*facepalm* I would probably have told him/her not to put the rasengan (and all of the other jutsu too, there's no way I would let him/her keep those) in the profile, and here he/she goes, using it again. That's a warning right there.
     
    Second. No "IC" or "OOC"…though coming from him/her, I wouldn't be surprised. If this guy didn't bother reading the profile rules, why would he/she read the general rules? Still, that's another warning right there.
     
    Also notice the bad grammar and spelling I intentionally used in there. No punctuation at all, no capitalization, he/she even switches points of view in the post, going from third to first person and back again.
     
    I've saved the most obvious for last. GOD-MODDING. Where did the kegafakure whatever thing come from? Narutomaru's supposed to be an Academy student, how'd he stop him? And doing all that in one post?
     
    This member would get three warnings right away. And on his/her first post, too. *facepalm*
     
     
    Let's say I intervene. My post:
     

     
    The problem kid reads this post and is just mad. He/she doesn't realize their mistake, so they post a flamey response.
     

    Okay, so this guy just badmouthed me. I'm mad, so I want to punish him/her. But, you know, anger aside, this guy did just break the rules again. I have a reason.
     
    My post:
     

     
    Problem kid's next post:
     

     
    And then he/she goes on to IC again:
     

    *facepalm* Problem kid gives a lousy excuse for his/her flamey and spammy post, but not only that he/she goes on to do it again. How infuriating.
     
    My post:
     

     
    Problem kid, of course, ignores my latest post (because it's too much trouble for him/her to read), and posts again.
     

     
    You know the drill. I post again, telling the problem kid to quit it. He/she finally notices my post after I bold it, underline it, and make it red.
     
    His/her response:
     

     
    My response:
     

     
    Surprisingly, the problem kid listens to me. After the week's over, the problem kid comes back. I've been dreading this day, but I'll see what happens.
     
    Problem kid's post:
     

     
    Hmm…well, you know, it's still bad, but compared to the other posts? A huge improvement. I'm actually a bit proud.
     
    And then the next day problem kid deteriorates again.
     

     
    My post:
     

     
    Notice how I'm being a bit unfair and mean in my last sentence. I'll address that in a future section of my RPG Etiquette series.
     
    Anyway, problem kid responds with a spammy post. But before that, let's say Neon Bird posts with a Chuunin exams post.
     

     
    *facepalm* WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO!!!!!???
     
    I try to keep calm and tell the problem kid to stop.
     

     
    Problem kid's response:
     

     
    I'd probably just report problem kid's posts to an admin by this point and just get him/her banned.
     
    So, there you have it. The [short] career of a problem kid. Now you know what not to do in an RPG.
     

    Chapter 2 coming soon
  2. Lazzy the Spazzy

    Temptation

    By Lazzy the Spazzy,

    I vowed not to eat any sugary products or candy for the month of March. Despite the first couple of days being pretty difficult, I'm experiencing a surprising lack of temptation. I have six Hershey's Cookies 'n' Cream chocolate bars next to me, as well as a Crispy Rice chocolate bar. It's been on my desk for two days, but I haven't touched it at all.
     
    Suffice it to say that I am proud of myself.
  3. Lazzy the Spazzy
    3/3/10 Story Fit Exercise

    For an explanation of what the Story Fit is, please go here.

    Each week I'll post an exercise. This is the entry for the exercise of the week of March 3 - March 9.

    ---

    This is the seventh week that Story Fit has been running. Time to do a more challenging exercise.

    Imagine the person or type of person you hate most. Think about that person's habits. Think about the aspects of the person you distaste. Think about that person at their absolute lowest, their most pitiful, their most pathetic. Think about how much you hate that person.

    Then write a story with that person as the main character and make the readers sympathize with that person. =P

    Have fun! >=]
    ---

    There is no word limit or any other constraints -- the only requirement is that the story contain this theme.

    Once you write your story, post here with a link to it. Extra points will also be awarded to those members who review other Story Fit members' stories. This will not only give you practice with writing but also reviewing, as well as promote an exchange of ideas and styles within the BZP Writers Community. Happy writing!


    Note: As of today, there is a deadline for your story to be submitted. You have two weeks from now to write your work and submit it.


    ---

    Each week we vote for the Writer of the Week, based on the popularity of the stories submitted during that week. However, because the week of 2/17/10 - 2/23/10 only had one writer submit his work, we have no WotW this week!

    This week we had three writers do something for the Story Fit, however, this week we're doing something different again. Until next Wednesday, writers are still allowed to submit their six-themed work for voting. So voters, don't be surprised to see the list grow during the course of the week. Writers (Monday, Neelh, Velox, Senjo, Mecha, Rising), this means you can still turn in your exercise before voting ends!

    Below is a list of stories that have been submitted within the past week. Look over them, read through them if you want, then vote for your favorite story (send a PM with your vote to me). At the end of this week, I will count up the votes and give the Writer of the Week award [of 2/24/10 - 3/2/10] to the writer who gets the most votes.

    Last Week's Stories

    1) 6 Years Earlier by Toa Spirit
    2) Arachne by Akai Hana no Tenshi
    3) Sight by Grant-Sud

    Vote away!

    ---

    So, it's pretty much been decided that we'll have one task a week, as well as that we will have a two-week deadline for stories. This will be the system we'll use from now on.

  5. Lazzy the Spazzy
    TEAM 10
     
    Brief Team History:
    Team 10 is one of the most successful Genin teams; it is clear that Shikamaru put the right people in the same team, for its three members, Soratu, Ha, and Kikou, work as well together as brothers and are the best team in terms of teamwork. Team 10 has accomplished a surprisingly large number of high-level missions for a Genin team, and has largely met with success in completing them.
     
    SENSEI:
     
    Name: Hatake Zakiyu
    Member: All mods
    Age: 20
    Rank: Jounin
    Village: Konohagakure
    Background: Zakiyu was born soon after the attempted coup by Root to take over Konoha. During the early years of his life Zakiyu had little contact with his father, who was often away on high-ranked missions. However, when he was five years old, his father suffered a devastating injury in a mission (leaving Kakashi’s left arm withered and his Sharingan eye near blind), forcing him to leave the front lines. Kakashi and Zakiyu’s relationship improved since then, spending more time with each other. Zakiyu came to develop pride in his clan, looking up to his father especially as a role model. He advanced through the ranks through pure hard work (he did not have the genius intellect of his father), becoming a Jounin at the age of 19. Team 10 was the first squad he ever led, and he finds the experience fun, if at times frustrating. He recently began dating Saito Heira, a fellow Jounin who is in charge of a squad herself.
    Personality: Hatake Zakiyu is normally calm but can be fun-loving and has a surprisingly good sense of humor, often enjoying playing tricks on his colleagues. Despite this, he is serious in battle. Zakiyu has achieved much in his life through hard work, and that is thus his code in life.
    Appearance: Zakiyu looks exactly like his father, Kakashi, save for his Sharingan eye and his mouth-mask (his friends joke that it was the good-looking mouth he inherited from his father that won Heira over). Zakiyu dresses like a regular Jounin, except for a flak jacket; he opts to leave it off, exposing his black shinobi jumpsuit. Over it is strapped a sword-belt, extending diagonally from right hip to left shoulder. The Hatake clan’s tanto is in turn strapped to the sword-belt. Zakiyu carries scrolls on the sword belt as well.
    Abilities: Despite being Kakashi’s son, Zakiyu lacks his father’s trademark technique; the Sharingan. Instead, his abilities lie in electricity- and earth-oriented elemental jutsu, and his swordfighting abilities; Zakiyu inherited the broken tanto of his father.
    A unique trait of Zakiyu’s is his white-colored chakra. Although the Hatake tanto emits white chakra when swung, Zakiyu is the only known person to actually have white-colored chakra himself. However, if there are any special skills attached to that strange chakra, it is latent, for so far Zakiyu’s abilities are that of an average Jounin.
    Clan: Hatake; Zakiyu does not have the Sharingan of his father, as that Sharingan was surgically attached to Kakashi’s eye socket and not a real Kekkei Genkai.
     
    GENIN:
     
    Name: Heikishou Kikou
    Member: Zyglakky Lazzy
    Age: 14
    Rank: Genin
    Missions completed:
    D: 2
    C: 3
    B: 2
    A: 1
    Personality: Kikou seems quiet and a bit shy to outsiders, but his friends know him to have a different side to him. Kikou is cheerful and has a determined spirit, and can be quite outgoing at times. He is also intelligent, and is good with numbers and abstract thinking, meaning he can quickly go through mental formulas and equations. He hates it when his teammates fight or argue, and tries to act as the voice of reason. Kikou’s hobbies include running and target practice, and generally likes to relax on his free time. He loves Misou ramen and most types of sweet food.
    Kikou lives in a large family, with a nuclear family of two parents, one younger brother, and one younger sister, and many relatives in his clan. Because of this background, Kikou feels most at comfort in large groups, which explains his natural fighting style that complements teammates and friends. However, Kikou finds it hard being the role model for his siblings, and a challenge leading and teaching them.
    Kikou is very close to his second cousin, Tsurijo, who he feels is the older sister he never had.
    Appearance: Kikou is fairly tall for his age (5’7”), with light brown hair that sticks up in the same direction as Kisame's does, and refuses to lie flat. Kikou’s eyes are deep blue, and his skin is peach-colored and slightly tan from his numerous missions. Wears a huge green jacket that holds various scrolls in its pockets. Kikou wears a black tight-fitting T-shirt underneath the jacket. Kikou wears khaki colored pants, and black leather boots. He places kunai holsters on both legs (ambidextrous), and has smoke bombs, light bombs, shuriken, and more scrolls in the pouch on his belt. His belt has several straps with scrolls in them as well, providing Kikou with a huge arsenal of weapons. Kikou wears standard shinobi sandals with fishnet “socks” reaching up past his ankles. Originally when he first received his Genin headband, Kikou wore it wrapped on his forehead, but during the Chuunin exams, Kikou wore it loosely on his neck instead.
    Fighting style/skills: Expert in ningu, presumably the best ningu user in his class (Seeing as not many others in his class use ningu often, it is unknown whether or not his weapons skill can be matched). Also extremely accurate and dexterous. When throwing kunai or other projectiles at unmoving objects, Kikou has a 100% hit ratio from up to 300 meters away, and the ratio decreases beyond that point. Kikou can hit moving targets 80% of the time. Kikou is also ambidextrous, though he prefers to use his left hand more often.
    Kikou is a mostly mid-range fighter, and uses combinations of Tobidogu and Soshuha to make several weapons attack the opponent from different directions at once while he himself stays out of range--this is a unique fighting strategy of his.
    Sometimes Kikou also first uses Doton: Dochyuu Eigyo no Jutsu first, so he can attack the opponent from underground. This adds another advantage, which is that he can attack the enemy relentlessly from all directions without fear of getting hit or getting his allies hurt, since his allies will have gotten out of range as well.
    His genjutsu skills are lacking in proficiency--however, Uchiha Soratu has taught him tips on how to deflect genjutsu, so he can block it if it is cast on him.
    Kikou’s forte is mid-range, though he is a passable fighter at close-range as well, usually wielding giant kunai or sickles in close quarters combat. He prefers to remain back from the main battle, assisting his two teammates (who are both close-range fighters) with barrages of projectiles to distract their opponents and allow Soratu or Ha to move in for the blow.
    Kikou is analytical in battle, constantly noting any weak points or openings in his enemy’s movements. He often relays this information to his two teammates, who can then exploit this to their advantage.
    Kikou has learned how to form elemental wind chakra, but so far only uses it to augment the blades of weapons. He has the capacity for earth chakra as well, but hasn’t learned how to form it, only using it for some of his jutsu.
    In team 10, Kikou provides a level-headed side in battle, being a sort of background fighter, mostly assisting his teammates as best he can. However, Kikou is very dangerous on in his own as well, and a force to be reckoned with. When fighting alone, Kikou usually alternates between close-range and long-range fighting, using Hien and Reppushou in conjunction to make his throwing weapons sharper and faster. When a fight isn’t going his way, Kikou tends to create a makeshift mountain out of his surroundings with Doton: Doryuu Jouheki. This leaves Kikou on top of a huge rampart of earth and his enemy below, giving Kikou a short time to recover from an attack, or setting the field up for his other earth technique: Doton: Iwayado Kuzushi. This causes an avalanche from the mountain he has just created, turning around the tables and putting his enemy on the defensive. To prevent from being caught up in the avalanche himself, Kikou often has his personal eagle summon, Kenta, get him into the air.
    Kenta is a valuable addition to Kikou’s fighting strategy, providing him with fighting assistance, diversions, a life-line in case he needs it, or even recon. Kikou usually has Kenta fly around the battlefield without participating in any actual fighting. This may not seem dangerous at all, but Kenta actually searches for traps or tricks that may catch Kikou off-guard; for example, if Kikou’s enemy is hiding somewhere in the battlefield and having a clone fight, Kenta would notice this and relay the information to Kikou. In this way Kenta acts as a second pair of eyes and covers for Kikou in the same way that Kikou covers for his teammates in team battles.
    One of Kikou's notable weaknesses is his inaptitude for blocking genjutsu, noted above. Although he has trained often to deflect genjutsu, Kikou is still lacking in that department.
    Kikou also lacks the strength and stamina required for efficient close-range fighting, even though he can wield close-range weapons expertly. Tenten made a point of training that, slowly improving Kikou's stamina. Kikou has also found a way to make up for his lack of raw strength; he concentrates chakra through his weapons to make them more durable and give them more force.
    Weapons: Growing up around weapons his entire life, Kikou had great exposure to them. As an Academy student, he could wield staffs and giant kunai proficiently, and continued to increase his skill with them as he progressed. He also learned how to wield a sickle before taking his Genin exam, and has by now trained enough to become an expert with it.
    Kikou began to use bomb-type weapons more often while learning under Tenten, such as explosive tags and pouches, and smoke grenades, but it is yet to be seen how this affects Kikou’s fighting style.
    Kikou has shown interest in learning a long-range weapon, but hasn’t yet.
    Kenta, Kikou’s personal summon is a white-tailed eagle with brown downy feather and a beautiful white tail. He also has tufts of brown feathers sticking out of his head into a “spike”, almost like hair. Kikou received Kenta as a chick, and trained him by attaching weights to his claws. Because of this Kenta has sufficient strength to carry Kikou and one other person, and still fly easily.
    Major Battles:
    1) Kikou, Ha, and Soratu vs. Zakiyu: This was set up by Zakiyu to determine the fighting styles and weaknesses of each person. Kikou stayed in the background and attempted to assist when he could, but could not keep up with Zakiyu's fast-moving ninjutsu.
    2) Kikou vs. Ha: This was a training battle between the two of them, but it was cut short before a clear victor was determined, as the weapons factory they were fighting in (Kikou’s clan’s factory) was being heavily damaged from their battle
    3) Kikou vs. Shadow Village Chuunin: This was just a chase from the roof of the factory to the main house of Kikou’s family; Kikou evaded the Chuunin’s attacks and managed to spring some traps of his own before his father stepped in and knocked out the ninja.
    4) Kikou and Ha vs. Fugama and Ling: This was a short skirmish before the battles broke into one-on-one fights. Kikou and Ha were cornered by long-range weapon attacks, and once they successfully countered them and lured the ninja out, they began one-on-one fights.
    5) Kikou vs. Fugama: Kikou fought against a Jounin of an unknown village, who was a genjutsu specialist. Therefore, Kikou was heavily outmatched, because of his lack of profiency in countering genjutsu. Luckily, using some tips that Soratu had taught him, he successfully repelled Fugama’s genjutsu assault and quickly incapitated him. However, Ling returned (he had been defeated by Ha earlier) and distracted Kikou long enough so Fugama could recover and summon his bull animals: Bjazi, a summon passed down from his former sensei, and Senjamaru, the king bull summon (equal to Gamabunta in strength).
    6) Kikou vs. Tsurijo: Kikou and Tsurijo demonstrated all that they had learned since last seeing each other, and the battle ended with Kikou’s giant kunai cut in half by Tsurijo’s chakra blade. Tsurijo was the victor.
    7) Kikou vs. Intaki: A very short battle in the desert near Sunagakure. A team of shinobi attacked Team 10, and originally Kikou and Soratu were fighting Eija. After Soratu used his improved Sharingan, however, Kikou began fighting Intaki. The team retreated soon after, so Kikou didn’t fight very much.
    8) Kikou vs. Ha: This fight took place during the training for Chuunin Exams. Ha made it into the tower in the center of the Forest of Death, where Kikou was training, and after Kikou taught the Tobidogu technique to Ha the two had a sparring match. The battle ended with Ha as victor, and afterwards the two exchanged notes and gave each other tips on ways to improve themselves.
    9) Kikou vs. Ha: After Tenten, Kikou's mentor, left on a mission, Kikou left the Forest of Death and encountered Ha once again. The two had a re-match of sorts, in which Kikou displayed his teamwork with his summon, Kenta. The fight ended with Kikou using a bomb to send the two falling towards the ground, making Kikou the victor.
    Team: Team 10, led by Hatake Zakiyu
    Relationships within team: Has great chemistry and strong friendships with both his teammates, Uchiha Soratu and Kumore Ha; has practiced extensively with Ha many times, and even developed a strategy with him, Epsilon Necrosis (This strategy has not been seen to its full extent, so it is unknown just how powerful or effective it is); recently, Kikou thought of a strategy that included all three members of Team 10 and took advantage of Soratu’s and Ha’s Sharingan Kekkei Genkai. Occasionally when Ha and Soratu get into arguments, as with who should lead the team, Kikou interrupts and stops the argument rather angrily.
    Outside of his team, Kikou considers Shawn a friend, often sparring with him and talking to him.
    List of jutsu: (not necessarily in order learned; shown with Japanese name first, then with English translation)
    1) Bunshin no jutsu/Illusion clone
    2) Kawarimi/Substitution
    3) Henge no jutsu/Transformation
    4) Doton: Dochuu Eigyo/Underground Projection fish
    5) Doton: Doryuu Jouheki/Earth Style Rampart
    6) Shunshin no jutsu/Body Flicker
    7) Kuchiyose no Jutsu/Summoning technique
    8) Soshuha/Manipulate Advancing Blades
    9) Fuuka Houin/Fire sealing method
    10) Tobidogu
    11) Doton: Iwayado Kuzushi/Stone Lodging Destruction
    12) Reppushou/Gale Wind Palm
    Clan: Heikishou: This clan specializes in fighting with weapons, including close-range, mid-range, and long-range. Almost all of the members of the Heikishou clan have wind-type chakra, to make their weapons sharper and deadlier; there are some exceptions, however. Some Heikishou clan members are able to use earth-type chakra as well as wind-type chakra from birth, but cannot mix them. Kikou is one of these exceptions.
    The Heikishou clan is also one of the largest producers of ningu, or ninja weapons, in Konoha. They own a large factory with innumerable shelves of weapons, including kunai and shuriken with sizes ranging from hand-size to as tall as an average adult, various cutting weapons of unique shapes and styles, clubbing weapons, long-range weapons like bows and arrows, flails, and more.
    Heikishou members tend to rely on weapons a lot in combat, wielding many different weapons in ingenious ways. Some are largely close-range fighters, like Kikou’s father with his sickle, some are mostly mid-range fighters, like Kikou, and some are even long-range fighters.
    Trivia: Kikou likes training in training ground 17.
     
    Name: Kumore* Ha (*Member of Uchiha clan; see Clan)
    Member: Necro
    Age: 14
    Rank: Genin
    Missions completed:
    D: 2
    C: 3
    B: 2
    A: 1
    Personality: Having lost his father and seeming to be the cause of it, The few who know the truth about Ha's past would expect him to be a loner, And uncompassionate. However he usually has a rather easygoing and agreeable demeanor. Only his squad-mate Soratu, who suffered a similar loss in his past, knows about it, besides surviving family members. Often trying to be a peacemaker among his squad, He usually gets involved in the fight.
    Ha has a taste for Ramen, as well as a determination to become a skilled swordsman. Not easily startled, he isn't caught flatfooted by an ambush very often. When entering combat, unless for sport, such as a tournament, he is hesitant, and usually seeks a peaceful solution, often offering his opponents a "Last chance" to be captured before pulling the knife.
    Appearance: Black hair coming down in front of his face, His hair may seem untidy and unkempt, giving him a bit of a loner’s appearance, however the rest of what is visible of his face would make him seem more like a nerd than a warrior. His emerald eyes are hidden behind a pair of large, full-circle glasses that contain a deadly secret. The rest of his face is hidden behind bandage, but is not damaged, As on multiple occasions, in his team’s company usually, Ha has removed the bandages, usually for a jutsu requiring his mouth such as a fireball jutsu as well as for a meal. His peach-colored skin is tanned slightly as a result of much outdoor training, and its normal color is a light shade of tan as a result.
    Bandage covering his hands up to his knuckles, Ha wears a set of darker, Slightly earthy colours to help him blend in. His shirt is deep purple, His vest a dark shade of blue. His pants are an earthy shade of green, With his Konaha headband strapped to his lower left leg, The emblem facing out. His sleeves are rolled up halfway down his forearm, Where the bandage on his hand begins. He keeps a Katana hidden behind his left leg, And two large swords are on his back, Which he is learning Tobigodu to be able to keep as scrolls.
    Fighting style/skills: Ha tries to keep his Gen, Nin and Taijutsu in balance with each other, And is a potent fighter in each. His style is mainly short-range, However his speed allows him to close gaps rather quickly. Ha usually begins with a feint, As to get his opponents off-guard. He then falls back, Delivering a strong Taijutsu blow.
    Not knowing much Genjutsu, He does know some. He often uses his Water Clones in great amounts, Often sending them in rather than himself. A water specialist, He is strongest near a body of water, However has learned to take the scarce amounts of water in the air and transform it into usable water. He can only due this with Water Clones and to summon raw water without use in a jutsu at the moment. He prefers to end a fight quickly, And will, When all else fails, Use shots of Chidori to end the fight.
    Weaknesses: 1. While well-balanced, Ha does not specialize in any one area, Usually leaving his weaker than others in sed areas. 2. While he can close gaps fast, Ha is vulnerable when at a distance form his opponents. 3. Being a water specialist, Ha is at weakness away from water, With his Water clones being the only water-based Jutsu he does not need a body of water for. However, his water clones must remain 100 meters of the real body or Ha loses control of them.
    Weapons: Swords mainly. Though he often improvises, His weapon of choice is the Katana on his back, And he is also, Though not as much as with his Katana, Skilled with the larger swords on his back. In a pinch, Ha's glasses hold a deadly secret. When the thin wire frames are broken, The edges of the lens framing opens, Revealing spikes, Transforming the glasses into a pair of Shuriken. Ha does not actually need glasses, But uses these to seem weaker and so he has backup weapon if needed.
    List of jutsu: Suppose I'll start with what, As many of you from the original remember, Has become a trademark for Ha.
    1) Mizu Bunshin/Water Clone
    2) Water Prison
    3) Kuchiyose/Summoning: Orca Whale At the current time, Ha can only summon one, a small whale named Puchi.
    4) Tobidogu x2: Ha uses this with his two larger swords.
    5) Chidori
    6) Kirigakure/Hiding in Mist
    7) Body Double Jutsu (Custom Jutsu): With an unbroken line of sight for 3 seconds, The user can disguise themselves perfectly as another for one hour.
    8) Fireball/Goukakyu
    9) Kawarimi/Substitution technique
    Team: Squad 10. Team members: Uchiha Soratu. Heikishou Kikou Squad leader: Hatake Zaikyu.
    Relationships within team: Thoughts on Soratu: Similar to Ha in many ways, Yet seems quiet. His brother can be annoying, But he is a fun guy to be around, And a competent fighter. Thoughts on Kikou: A great friend, And skilled with weapons. Has sorta become like a brother after Ha spending months living with him while his parents are away. Thoughts on Zaikyu: A lot like his father, Kakashi Hatake, In many senses, As well as his outfit. Also was a good source of free Ramen until a deal was hammered out between the two of them.
    Clan: Uchiha, Family name changed to Kumore by Ha's birth father, Who is now deceased. Hopefully you know what a Sharingan is and does.
    Trivia: Ha often uses training ground 29, as it is near a lake and thus has a large water source for his jutsu.
     
    Name: Uchiha Soratu.
    Member: Greed The Ultimate Shield
    Age: 15.
    Rank: Gennin.
    Personality: Soratu is a very clam, and pretty lazy guy. He prefers to stay out of fights, and arguments. He is usually very nice to the people around him, unless they did something to make him mad, or annoy him. But it’s very hard to annoy someone like him. But at times, he can get very emotional, especially when it involves his former sensei, Amuzara Riazaki. And if he ever gets into a fight, he will fight with everything he has.
    He is also very smart, and knows how to handle a situation. And he doesn’t have many hobbies. You can usually find him training in the Uchiha compounds. But for some unknown reason, he likes to read the infamous Ichi Ichi Tactics novel series, despite being under age. But he reads the book in a mature way, and isn’t considered a pervert like Kakashi and Jiyara.
    Appearance: Soratu has smooth white skin, with dark blue eyes. He has dark black hair that is spiked up towards his back. He wears a dark blue long sleeve shirt with the Uchiha Fan symbol on the back. He also wears long black pants. He also wears lighting amplifiers for his arms and legs, for some of his ration jutsu’s. They looked exactly like Dosu's, except these thinner and lighter. The amplifiers are also black.
    Also, Soratu wears a face mask that is connected to a regular black tank top shirt under his long sleeved one. The mask covers his face from the bottom of his face, to underneath his eyes, just like Kakashi’s. Soratu is about 6ft 2”.
    Fighting style/skills: Soratu specializes mainly in Nin-jutsu. His gen-jutsu is a little above average genning level, and his taijutsu is at standard gennin level. He is also a fire/lighting chakra type user.
    Soratu is good at mid and long range fighting but, not as good with close combat, unless he is using his swords. He is also currently working on some close range nin-jutsu. His speed is also above gennin level.
    Soratu has no disabilities, and his body is in good shape. His weaknesses are going up against people who specialize in taijutsu, use water jutsu’s, or use wind jutsu’s.
    Soratu is good at tracking, thanks to the wolves he can summon. But so far, he has not had to use this skill.
    List of jutsu: n/a
    Weapons: Soratu uses two twin katana’s that are kept in black sheaths. The name of both blades is Kitsuki. If you placed the two swords on the ground standing up, they would go up to Soratu’s shoulder (That’s how long the swords are.).
    The blades of the two swords are obsidian black. In the middle of the blades is a dark red line that goes through the blade. On the sides of the red lines are the tips of the Sharingan tomones (There’s two on each side of the blade, and there at the end of the red line, to begging of the line.). The hilts resemble Kakashi's Mangekyou Sharingan. And the handle is long, with a good grip.
    Soratu learned how to use a sword from his father, a master of the sword, and the previous owner of the kitsuki swords, when he was very young. He has mastered the way of the sword, and in doing so, his father gave him the twin kitsuki blades.
    Team: Soratu is in Team 10. His fellow team members are Uchiha Ha, Kikou Heikishou, and his sensei is Hatake Zakiyu.
    Relationships within team: Soratu gets along pretty well with his team. Soratu and Kikou usually help out each other with training, and Soratu and Ha get into fights here and there. And Soratu considers Zakiyu a pervert for always trying to take his books. But they make a good team, and there team work is good.
    Clan: Uchiha Clan
     
    Comments:
    1) @Necro: While spell-checking and editing your profile, I noticed that you left out some of the lower level jutsu that you had at the beginning of the original RPG, namely Kawarimi and Henge. If you'll tell me specifically which E-rank jutsu you had so I can add that in...? You also need to add in a brief description of Pucchi's appearance; post it here.
    2) @Greed: I've sent you numerous PMs on this subject and you haven't obliged so far. I need appearances for your wolf summons and your twelve jutsu; preferrably before the Chuunin exams start, please.
    3) You may notice that, halfway through team 10, there are spelling and grammar mistakes. This is because, with so many profiles with their various spelling and grammar mistakes, I decided to go through all the profiles in the Word document I kept, and clean them up. The reason I stopped halfway through Team 10 was simply because I snapped; I'd already edited Teams 7, 8, and 9, and the Academy student profiles (including the current Teams 14, 15, and 16; back then they were still Acad students). Given the torture I went through, I hope you can forgive me of the various mistakes still in there. ^^;
     
    Anyway, there's Team 10 in all its glory. Team 8 will be posted next.
  6. Lazzy the Spazzy

    What You Give...

    By Lazzy the Spazzy,

    This'll be my eighteenth entry for the month of February (two on the 17th), marking my most active month on BZP for years. I feel like I've finally re-discovered what drew me to this site in the first place.
     
    Which is the subject of this entry. The last time I "quit" BZP was two years ago, because I got bored of the place. Not enough was happening, I felt like everything I was a part of had stagnated. BZP just wasn't fun anymore. Similar story when I came back. Still bored.
     
    So why is it that during the past few months, BZP has suddenly become so fun for me? In retrospect it's not so hard to answer the question.
     
    The reason why BZP has recently become so fun for me, whereas in past years it was boring, was because during these past months I was active. I participated in more discussions, I upped the level of my participation in the topics I was already involved in. I made a conscious effort to do more on this site and to talk to more members I previously didn't have the time to talk to.
     
    An inspirational speaker for Marching Band once told us that "what you give is what you get". I've applied it to real life but this is the first time I've applied it to BZPower. I contributed more to BZP, and in return I had more fun. It's sort of like a positive feedback loop in a sense, and this doctrine can really help you in all aspects of life.
     
    So if you're reading this, I urge you to give more. Give more to your family, give more to your friends, give more to your community. An in return you'll get more. When you're bored and you have nothing to do, instead of blaming it on someone else see what you can do to make the situation better.
  7. Lazzy the Spazzy

    My Trip To Japan

    By Lazzy the Spazzy,

    This is a journal depicting my trip to Japan. The entries span several days, from two days before the trip, to one week after. Keep in mind the dates listed are the dates that the entries are written, not necessarily the dates the events happened.
     

    JANUARY 29 
    There are two days until I leave for Japan. I’m nervous, a bit scared, and half of me doesn’t want to go. My parents scoff when I tell this to them, though; according to them, this is an honor.
    That’s what I thought, too, when I first got selected. I figured I was pretty lucky to be chosen as one of the 40 people out of the Boy Scouts of America to go to Japan as “ambassadors” (32 scouts, 8 adult leaders). This is our supposed title and job there, to strengthen foreign relations between the USA and Japan. But really, this is just a mix between a tour and an exchange program; we’re going to have a host family for 3 days there.
    But I digress. I was very excited when I first learned that I was chosen, about two months ago. Until, of course, when I started to prepare for my long absence from school (two weeks). Five subjects in which I have to make up two weeks’ material, plus a band concert in which I need to practice extra hard in. I’m doing my best to split up the work so that I’ll do some before I go, and some after I come back. It’s hard to keep track of, especially with juggling the tests, labs, and assignments I have to make up, plus preparing for the trip, etc.
    Today, as my mom was driving me to an outside orchestra, she lectured me about safety in Japan. The usual stuff: follow your group, don’t go off by your own, wear lots of layers of clothes so you don’t get a cold, be careful around strangers and in places you don’t know (which is basically all of Japan), keep your money safe so it isn’t taken by pickpockets, don’t get lost in the airport, don’t get lost in Japan, don’t get kidnapped, etc. I’ve heard this plenty of times before, so I wasn’t really concerned about that.
    What I was concerned about, though, was something else. My mom has the habit of using elaborate hand and arm gestures when speaking, to make her point. Now, this may be okay in a normal conversation, but it freaks me out when we’re driving on a highway, and my mom waves both her arms around instead of planting them both on the wheel. This turns into a thirty-minute long torture when going to orchestra and back.
    Basically, the whole thing will be 12 days. The first day, all us people scattered across the country will travel to Texas to meet as a group and stay a night. The second day, we’ll go by plane to Japan, and arrive the third day in Japan (third day, meaning the flight doesn’t take a whole day but counting the huge time difference, we’ll take a “day” to get there). We’ll meet our Japan counterparts, do some icebreakers, and spend the next 6 days or so touring the country together. The last three days, our group will be split up to stay with various host families, and on February 11th we’ll be flying back.
    I’ve packed my bags, but I’m scrambling to get all my schoolwork done before I go…the stuff I can do at least.
     

    JANUARY 30  
    I’m leaving tomorrow at 5 o’clock to catch my flight. I’m memorizing the stuff I need to do at the airport, step by step. Since I’ll have to go to bed early tonight, I’m going to hurry up and finish all the homework I can finish.
     

    JANUARY 31 7:15 A Pacific time 
    I’m on the plane to Dallas right now. My parents and I spent the night before packing. I went to sleep at about 11 PM, and woke very early this morning—4:30 AM. My mom was already up cooking eggs for me, so after getting dressed I went down to eat breakfast. After that we brought my stuff out to the car and drove to the airport. My mom helped me check in, but after that I was on my own. I was a bit nervous about going on my first flight alone, but I found my gate alright. I met one of the adult leaders at the gate, so I’m not as nervous now. He’s an adult, so he should know what to do…I hope. It would be bad if I couldn’t go to Japan after all.
     

    JANUARY 31 9:47 P Mountain time 
    Today was a long day. I don’t mean long as in boring, but fun. All the people I met are really nice and have a great sense of humor. We spent the day in Texas. Today is supposed to be a meeting day; since all 40 participants are from across the country, we gathered in a hotel at Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas. For the first five hours after I arrived, we all met in the lobby, eating an excellent lunch provided by the hotel and getting to know each other. It was great meeting people from different parts of the country.
    At about 3 o’clock we went to the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas together. Some of the artwork there was amazing. I took a lot of pictures. After coming back, we had some more free time. Some of us wanted to go up to the pool on top of the roof, but apparently it was too cold and windy. I didn’t go up there myself, so I wouldn’t know.
    We had a great time anyway, past dinner and the first speeches by the adult leaders. We split up into patrols each named after one of the four major cities of Japan; my patrol was named Osaka. I got to be one of the two assistant patrol leaders in the patrol; we wanted to keep all three candidates happy. The guy who got to be patrol leader—we call him T-house—seems to be a hardcore scout. He has three or four silver palms and around 50 merit badges. Our senior patrol leader is even scarier: 102 merit badges, and he’s only a year older than me. Makes my 21 merit badges look pathetic in comparison.
    Our patrol decided to watch the Clinton-Obama debate that was going on at that time on a TV in the lobby. Speaking of which, a bunch of the soon-to-be-18-year olds and just-turned-18 year olds are angry that they’re going to miss Super Tuesday. I don’t see anything lost by going to Japan instead of voting, but then again I’m not at voting age yet. On the other hand, we are getting a really good deal out of this trip: 5 flights, two of them international flights, and stays at different 5-star quality hotels every night, at an extremely low price (most of it’s funded by the scout organizations of the US and Japan). I can’t wait to go to Japan. 13-hour flight, here we come…
     

    February 3 9:04 P Japan standard time 
    The flight yesterday was horrible. I was nauseous he whole 13 hours, and I threw up five times total—2 during the flight, and 3 right after. Japan made up for all that though. The hotel is the only part of Japan we’ve seen so far, but it’s awesome.
    We spent the entire day today getting to know the Japanese scouts and having discussions with them. I didn’t really get to know any of the Japanese scouts, it was partly because of a communiation problem—we had translators and everything, but none of us didn’t really make any friends.
    It’s also too bad that we’ll be saying goodbye to the Japanese scouts tomorrow—we only interacted with each other for a day.
    I’m kind of tired right now, so I’ll end my entry here.
     

    FEBRUARY 6 10:20 A Japan standard time 
    I haven't made an entry for two days now. I’ve been neglecting my journal duties because of laziness. Sumimasen.
    Speaking of, I’ve been neglecting my schoolwork, too; everything’s just tiring me out so much that I haven’t had the time. Once we get to the hotel and have dinner, I just go to my room, plop on the bed, and go to sleep. I’ll catch up with my homework eventually, though. We’re on the bullet train (shinkansen) right now, so I’ve done a bit of my French homework.
    Looking at my Feb. 3rd entry, I don’t think I’ve done justice documenting the great day we had with the Japanese scouts. So I’m going to start over and write about three full days. Here goes.
    We arrived at our Narita hotel in the evening of February 2. We were supposed to arrive at two in the afternoon but there was a 3-hour delay. Those airline companies need to get their stuff straight.
    Anyway, like I said in my 2/3 entry, the flight was pretty miserable for me. So we got to the hotel, and when we stepped off the bus, we saw this line of Japanese scouts in the hotel, clapping to welcome us in. It made us all feel honored, but at that time I had a bag of my vomit in my hands. It would be very awkward walking through the crowd like that. Luckily one of the other US scouts gave me a hat, so I could hide the bag behind the hat and hold it close so no one could see it (I didn’t wear the hat, of course; there was always the chance the bag would rupture, and…moving on…).
    Next we went to this huge room for an opening speech by a guest of honor from Ireland. I was still feeling horrible, so I couldn’t pay much attention, but the slideshow the guest showed us about scouts helping the world was touching. There were some photos about scouts volunteering after Hurricane Katrina, and the rest dealt with other countries’ disasters.
    The shinkansen is almost at Osaka right now, so I’m wrapping up my entry right now. Still three days to catch up on.
     

    11:09 A 
    Looking at Shizuoka flashing by through the window of the bullet train, it is amazing that Japan adapted so quickly from a feudal society to this in a little more than a century. It is one of the most urbanized places in the world, one of the leading countries in technology. It’s sort of weird how, in the supposed home of video games, manga, and the like, we haven’t come across any of that in our travels. But we’re not here to see any of that, we’re here to see Japan. So I won’t dwell on that.
    As you may imagine, all these cities makes it hard on the Japanese scouts to do scouting activities. But as we learned from the Japanese scouts Sunday, there are actually more than enough national parks across the country for the scouts to go to.
    We were split up into discussion groups the morning of the third. Each of the groups was made up of around half American scouts and half Japanese scouts. We discussed ways to improve international relations and the state of the world as scouts, and promote world peace.
    In the afternoon we met up together to write a recommendation to the World Scout Organization to improve the world. Many of us felt that this particular meeting was a waste of time; the recommendations started out with lots of vague suggestions like “improve communication between countries”. This made a few of us frustrated, because we just spent the morning making these vague suggestions into specific, realistic ways to improve the world. We did make the recommendation more specific, but it still took up a lot of time. I personally feel that we could have spent that time hanging out with the Japanese scouts.
    We really didn’t have any time to get to know the Japanese scouts; only a day. But that have school, so it can’t be helped. I would have liked to hang out with them more. We never forged any friendships due to the lack of time. That’s one thing I think could be improved.
    We did have some fun together at the exchange dinner, but that’s about it. We left early the next morning as acquaintances, not friends.
     

    2:19 P Japan standard time 
    I can’t believe how cool Japan is. The restaurant we went to had a make-your-own cotton candy machine. And the bathrooms have seats near the walls. It took a while for us to figure out that the seat was for when there was a line at the bathroom so you could sit down instead of having to stand and wait.
    Back to February 4…
    After saying goodbye to the Japanese scouts, we began the tour part of the trip.
    Ten percent of the population of Japan is in Tokyo, according to our tour guide. She and two of the Japanese leaders are going along for the trip. Our tour guide is very nice and gives us lots of cool information about Japan, even about superstitions. For example, it’s bad to give someone a comb as a gift. This is because the word for comb is kyushi, a combination of kyu, 9, and shi, 4. But kyu also means suffering, and shi also means death. Giving someone a comb, therefore, is wishing them a prolonged death accompanied with suffering.
    Went spent the fourth touring Tokyo. But first we made a courtesy call to the vice minister of MEXT. MEXT is short for MECSST, which in turn stands for the ministry of education, culture, sports, science, and technology. The trip there was very long; the traffic was horrible. BTW, Japan’s cars are really small and compact. They have to be for this kind of traffic, I guess. They also have different license plates that we use in the US.
    After MEXT, we had lunch, then went to the Senso-ji temple in Tokyo. The thing I remember most vividly about that was that there was this huge pot of incense behind the temple. Supposedly, if you waved the smoke from that pot over a part of your body, the incense was supposed to cure the problems in that part of your body. I waved the smoke on as much of my body that I could.
    After that we went to the Tokyo Observation Tower. The Tower looked a bit like the Eiffel tower except smaller (but still big) and red. There was this cool part of the floor on the tower that was clear; you would stand on the clear part of the floor and look down at Tokyo below you. Unfortunately, since it was night, the lights on the tower had been turned on, so I was staring into the lights and couldn’t see Tokyo well.
    After that, we went to our hotel for the night. This hotel’s rooms were really small and cramped. I’m stopping my entry here because we’re at Osaka castle now, our next stop.
     

    10:57 PM  
    I’m in my hotel room right now, the one in Osaka. We’re actually staying at this hotel for two full nights, so I don’t have to pack my stuff early in the morning.
    That’s not the reason I stayed up later than usual tonight. I usually sleep at 10 PM here, since there isn’t anything to keep me up. But this was the first hotel with a place for laundry, so I had to sit in the laundry room for over an hour. I would’ve done my laundry sooner, but our patrol was in charge of writing the blog entry for our site today, so that plus picking pictures for the day’s gallery took up a bunch of time.
    Interestingly, something happened while I was doing my laundry. In the nearby room there was this vending machine with drinks in it. Our senior patrol leader decided to buy a drink for one of the Venturing girls, and picked a cherry-flavored drink because she liked cherries. Of course, since the text on the can was all in Japanese, none of us understood what it meant. More on that later.
    He bought the drink and gave it to the girl, who came back for more because she said she liked it. Not suspecting anything, the SPL bought another one, and went back to talking to the other people there in the room.
    She soon came back with another girl. Both wanted another cherry drink, but the SPL said no this time. He eventually gave in to their threats and bought a third drink, warning them that this would be their last.
    They stole the money from him to buy a fourth drink. By now the SPL was worried; what was up with these drinks?
    By this time the girls had stolen (or taken by force) money from other scouts and had racked up 13 drinks total, 6 for one and 7 for the other. They were by now stacking the empty cans into pyramids, giggling randomly, and staggering around.
    Our SPL finally found the tour guide and asked her what the text on the can meant. She told him it was an energy drink. Mystery solved.
    Hopefully the girls will be okay tomorrow though.
    Yes, we fooled around a lot tonight. We had much more free time in the hotel today. That was because we only had two stops to go to: the Cosmo Tower and the Osaka Castle.
    This morning, we went to the bullet train station right in front of our Shizuoka hotel. How convenient…
    The bullet trains, or shinkansen as they call it here, are really fast. When we were waiting for our train, another train blew past us in a few seconds.
    The trains are cool in another way too. The chairs in there swivel around. Some of the other peple made two rows of seats face each other and started playing cards.
    We arrived at the Cosmo Tower at about 11:30. The Cosmo Tower is supposedly the World Trade Center of Japan.
    We went up to the 48th floor of the building for lunch. I wrote about the restaurant’s awesome features in my 2:19 entry.
    After lunch, we went up to the 55th floor, the observation floor. The observation floor was similar to the one in Tokyo tower from two days ago, but much higher up. We spent several minutes up there, then headed down.
    Next we went to Osaka castle. This castle was apparently the stronghold of both Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, two of the three famous shoguns of Japan. The castle also contains the third largest stone in the world ever moved by man without aid from machines or other devices.
    Two of the floors in the castle/museum prohibited picture-taking; a shame, because those two floors had some of the better artifacts. There were ancient robes of that time, that I’m sure my mom would love. She likes designing clothes; I’m planning to get a dress of some sort for her. I’ve gotten gifts for the rest of the family already.
    After that, we met outside the castle, where I got some takoyaki, or octopus batter balls. The takoyaki were good, but I felt disappointed. I thought takoyaki would be mashed octopus, but it’s just a dumpling with a piece of octopus tentacle inside.
    Anyway, we got to our hotel and had a[nother] banquet soon after checking in. One person took 18 bowls of corn chowder in one sitting. It was fun watching him and cheering him on.
    Speaking of which, I made a piece of cotton candy back at the Cosmo Tower restaurant and ate it in one bite. Twice. My friends joked that I might throw it up, but I actually didn’t.
    That’s today, I’m going to sleep now. It’s really late. I’ll catch up on February 5th tomorrow.
     

    FEBRUARY 7 3:41 P Japan standard time 
    Deer are scary. I learned that on our trip to the Big Buddha shrine today. More on that later.
    We went to the Nara prefecture today. Our first stop was the site of the oldest standing wooden building (built c. 730 AD), Horyuji temple. After that, we went to the Big Buddha shrine, or the Todaiji shrine. It’s got the largest wooden building in the world, and the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world. There was this pillar with a hole through it near the floor that was the size of the Buddha’s nostril. We took turns crawling through it.
    Outside the temple were deer. Our tour guide said that the deer weren’t afraid of humans, but could be aggressive. I found that out when I tried feeding them special deer crackers in a nearby vendor. They crowded around me and started snapping at me, causing me to back up. Then they cornered me and started biting me. The trick was to run as fast as you can to where there are very few deer, and feed those deer. Some people put deer crackers in their mouths and made the deer snatch it out from there. I didn’t do that.
    After that we went to the Shinto shrine. We learned a lot about Shinto habits there, such as purifying yourself with special water that flowed through the area, and that spirits come down to earth through pointed objects such as jagged stones, etc. next we’re going to go to an area near our hotel with a bunch of shops.
     

    FEBRUARY 8 7:44 A Japan standard time 
    In three days we’re going back home. The end of the trip has kind of snuck up on me without my realizing it. I’m going to make the most of our remaining time.
    Everyone else on this trip has been great. I’ve made a lot of friends without realizing it, and I suppose I’ll miss them a lot when I get home.
    This afternoon the home-stay will begin. First, though, we have half a day left of touring.
     

    2:30 P Japan standard time 
    The first stop today was the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto. I took some nice pictures, but otherwise things were uneventful. We did meet some exchange scouts from Ireland, but I didn’t talk to them much.
    Next we went to a place called the Kyoto Handicraft Center to eat lunch. After that we spent about an hour shopping in the center. I got a yakuta (a kimono except less expensive) and some geta (sandals). I also got chopsticks and some dharma dolls, which have to do with feng shui.
    Then we went to the Sanjusangen-do, a Buddhist temple with 1001 statues of deities.
    Next we’ll be going to the Kyo-Mizu temple.
     

    FEBRUARY 11 10:40 A Mountain time 
    I’m at the gate to my flight home right now. I’ve just been through two flights in a row. Fortunately I haven’t vomited at all this time, partly due to some motion sickness pilss that a friend gave me. It’’s weird how when we left for Japan, we hardly knew each other, but we’re commng back as a family. I wondered how we came so close in such a short time. The answer, according to another of my new friends, is simple: we just didn’t have anyone else to hang out with. Ina place where the people you’re traveling with are the only ones who can communicate easily with you, you’d obviously become friends with them quickly.
    I’m going to try and finish documenting my trip before I get home.
    On Friday, our stop after the Big Buddha temple was the Kyo-Mizu temple. There were these fortune slips at the temple. You took your fortune, and if it was bad you left it on a rack outside the temple, which symbolized leaving your bad luck behind you. Fortunately I got a good fortune.
    After that we went to the National Scout Office in Kyoto for our host families to pick us up.
    Personally, I feel that my homestay wasn’t very good. We played videogames most of Friday and Saturday; we went out once in the morning of Saturday to the Kyoto observation tower, and once in the evening to an awesome barbeque dinner. The son in our host family and two of his friends treated me and my homestay partner, also my SPL; we must’ve eaten two cows worth of beef.
    Some of the other scouts are jealous of me because I got to play the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but when you play for 15 hours straight, it gets boring quickly.
    Sunday was much better. We went to a cook-out for our host family’s Venturing crew, where a series of interesting events ensued.
    We followed the same three people who had treated us last night, arriving at a pastry shop, where we met two other scouts who had been on the same trip. We started to catch up on events with our homestays, so we didn’t notice that we ended up on the subway.
    There, we saw a man with a video camera pointing at us, which was, admittedly, a tad creepy. One of us four scouts remarked, “Hey, I wonder if he speaks English.” Upon which the man extended a hand for a greeting, and said, “Nice to meet you, I’ll be the man filming you today.”
    Apparently we would be professionally filmed for the day. We looked at our host-family buddies, who told us that we were going to be cooking lunch with their Venturing crew.
    After we got there, we had an opening ceremony for the meeting, with the same man from before filming us, and a lady with a microphone. After the opening ceremony we had a brief snowball fight then began cooking lunch.
    While cooking lunch the film crew pulled us four American scouts and did interviews of us separately. We had to answer questions about how to improve the world as a scout, such as promote world peace or protect the environment.
    After lunch we had a real snowball fight, and made a snowman. An interesting note is Japanese snowmen are comprised of only two large snowballs whereas in America we use three.
    At about three o’clock, we headed to the hotel would be staying at in Kyoto (our last hotel!). The closing ceremony on Sunday evening went smoothly and uneventfully. After that we had one last meeting, then dispersed. I tried staying up to hang out with my friends but had to go to bed because I was too tired.
     

    11:29 A Mountain time 
    I’m going to finally catch up on the 5th of February. First we went to the Fuji-Hakone National Park. Some of us wore only swimsuits at the park, and ran around in the snow making snow angels and having snowball fights.
    Next we did some sightseeing and ate lunch, going on a cruise afterwards. We ended up at a hot spring place famous for its black-shelled boiled eggs. I think it’s also the site where Hello Kitty was created. BTW, according to a superstition, if you eat one egg your life extended 7 years, and two eggs will give you 14 years. But if you eat three the years are cancelled out.
    Next we went to our hotel; a very nice place, very expensive-looking.
    I’m going to miss all the friends I made on this trip. It was amazing; I can’t describe it any other way.
     

    FEBRUARY 18 5:19 P Pacific time 

    Closing comments 
    It’s been a week since I came back from Japan. I’m no longer suffering from jet lag, though I have now been overtaken with the other condition called teenage coma; 11 o’clock breakfast FTW.
    It’s hard adjusting to life with school again; I’m used to goofing off and relaxing without anything hanging over me. I also miss my friends; I feel like we were much closer than my friends at school and I. I suppose it comes from living and traveling together.
    One of my friends from the trip said that he always tries to find a purpose for everything he does. So I’ll do the same. I think there are in fact many reasons I experienced this trip. It’s to shrink my world a little bit more, let me learn about another people’s culture. I realize that I truly do have so many places I’ve never been.
    Obviously, one purpose was to make friends. Making connections with people is important. I think it’s healthy for me to go out every now and then and make new friends.
    I think this trip taught me that relationships are important. It’s important to establish friendships. As you interact with people’s whose lives are different than yours, it forces you to be more tolerant. Same with where I go. This trip shattered my misconception of the Japanese, exposed myself to a different culture.
    I’ve told my new friends to make sure to go to the next National Jamboree, since that’s the most realistic way we could have a reunion. Even so, some people will have graduated then, and no longer be able to participate in scouting. I might never see some of these people again.
    This experience, and the other recent experiences I’ve had, taught me to make the best of my time. Looking back at the week and a half together, there are so many opportunities I could’ve had to bond more deeply with the other scouts. Instead, I should hang out with other people as much as possible, and be more social than I am now.
    I really liked going on this trip, but if you read my incredibly long blog you would know that by now. Sayonara, you all.
  8. Lazzy the Spazzy
    2/10/10 Story Fit Exercise

    For an explanation of what the Story Fit is, please go here.

    Each week I'll post an exercise. This is the entry for the exercise of the week of February 10 - February 16.

    ---

    We're into our fourth week now, and it's time to get even more creative with our prompts.

    We've all experienced it. That dreadful thing called Writer's Block. The very mention of it sends chills down the best writers' spines...it's scarier than Edgar Allan Poe's short stories.

    Nevertheless, the job of a writer is to write, and we have to plow through regardless of whether we're being besieged by Writer's Block or not. We all deal with Writer's Block in various ways -- some of us take walks outdoors, some of us contemplate the walls while we sit in the bathroom, some of us force a haiku out of our brain. We all do something to get our creative juices flowing again.

    Now, here's the prompt. Think of the activity you do to dispel Writer's Block, then incorporate that activity into your story. Say you go for a swim when you have Writer's Block, and that's what helps you think of ideas again. You would then write a story that contains swimming somewhere -- say, a pair of Matoran discussing current events while they swim in Ga-Wahi, or a Toa swimming out into the Silver Sea to rescue a drowning civilian.

    ---

    There is no word limit or any other constraints -- the only requirement is that the story contain this theme.

    Once you write your story, post here with a link to it. Extra points will also be awarded to those members who review other Story Fit members' stories. This will not only give you practice with writing but also reviewing, as well as promote an exchange of ideas and styles within the BZP Writers Community. Happy writing!


    Note: As of now, there is no deadline by which you must turn in your story. This is an issue that is currently being discussed: see bottommost section and respond with your opinion.


    ---

    Each week we vote for the Writer of the Week, based on the popularity of the stories submitted during that week. Whoever gets the most votes wins the award. Without further ado, I present this week's Writer of the Week:

    Grant-Sud, for his Conflict-themed story Alternate Perspective!

    Below is a list of stories that have been submitted within the past week. Look over them, read through them if you want, then vote for your favorite story (send a PM with your vote to me). At the end of this week, I will count up the votes and give the Writer of the Week [of 2/3/10 - 2/9/10] award to the writer who gets the most votes.


    Last Week's Stories

    1) Soulsnare by Rising Moon
    2) Sister by Grant-Sud
    3) I Am: Klighatus by Akai Hana no Tenshi

    Vote away!

    ---


    So far we have three votes for one task a week, and one vote for a deadline (two weeks) rather than the "submit whenever" system that we've been using so far. Please share your opinion so we know what changes need to be made, if any.


  9. Lazzy the Spazzy

    My New Life

    By Lazzy the Spazzy,

    Not so much a new life, really...well, maybe it is. I guess it just hasn't hit me yet, since I haven't been away from home for more than a month at a time for summer camps. Speaking of which, it really did feel like a summer camp last week during orientation. Carnegie Mellon really spoiled us with cruises and bowling and lasertag...someone said they must be tricking us, making us want to stay for the year and suffer through their super-tough classes.
     
    Not that I'm complaining of course, if I'm going to spend my next four years at CMU I'm grateful that we get a week of fun before all that. Plus I feel like it's all in the mindset, you can find the positive in any situation if you try, you know? Still, gonna be tough.
     
    Keeping this short, first week of classes and I've already missed three classes. =[ I need to step my game up...
     
    Anyway, haven't had time till now to get back onto BZP. I promised to do the occasional SSCC review and blog so here we go. And then another disappearance for...however long it takes for me to finish all my stuff again. Wish me luck.
  11. Lazzy the Spazzy
    Story Fit Season 1 Finale

    As the first Season of Story Fit draws to a close, we've seen our writers perform amazing feats. Some club members amazed us through the eloquence of their prose, or their vivid imagery, or poetic talent. Some inspired awe through sheer prolificness, churning out work after work, week after week. Some were just plain crazy in terms of imagination and creativity.

    And now it's time to look at the results of our first session of exercise in the Writing Gym, and the incredible athletes who earned awards.

    Most Prolific
    We all know who this one goes to: Akai Hana no Tenshi! This guy's the fittest of us all (just look at those abs! ), with nine, count them, NINE stories under his belt! He even did two stories per week, twice!

    Most Diverse
    This award goes to the writer who kept up best with the different and varied themes: Grant-Sud! Despite the randomness of some of the themes, Grant-Sud still managed to write a story that not only was solid in its own right but also matched the theme excellently!

    Most Creative
    This award goes to the writer who put the coolest spin on things or employed an imaginative take to his or her stories. This season's Most Creative award goes to: Rising Moon! Some of his stories literally sent chills down my spine...great job RM!

    Tutor's Award
    This award goes to the SFer who gave the most helpful reviews. This one goes to Yukiko, whose reviews were consistently concise (lol alliteration).

    Most Improved
    Believe me, this award was a tough one. All of you writers who participated were all so good already! But I felt in terms of adapting to the schedule, the writer who deserved this award most was: Toa Velox! For somebody who was busy for almost two months but churned out two amazing works of writing in the span of a few weeks, you adjusted really quickly to the change of pace!

    Most Valuable Writer
    The final one. This was the easiest award to give, and the award goes to: Akai Hana no Tenshi! There were points where the Story Fit became less active, but Akai's devotion to this project kept the fire alive. I owe my deepest gratitude to Akai for saving the Story Fit from dying out!

    Now, give a final round of applause to our writers who got awards!

    The first exercise of Story Fit Season Two will come in around an hour. Stay tuned! =]
  13. Lazzy the Spazzy
    So, after sending someone a PM, the content of that message prompted me to try to figure out how to get to a list of my previous topics...
     
    It took a while, but first I stumbled onto the subscriptions page, containing the only topic I ever actually subscribed to -- the Covenant of the 13. It's an epic by Wolf Eyes (sadly no longer active), and it's a great read. I'm still rereading it, so I have no idea if she ever actually finished, but anyway.
     
    So, I finally wound up in my topics list. It actually took up two pages. It had every topic I've ever started, every story I've ever written, every RPG I've ever run.
     
    Wow. Can someone say nostalgia? (rhetorical question, don't actually say it)
     
    But man, I just started scrolling through those topics...one thing led to another and I was skimming through old epics I'd read, such as Nid's Arachniphobia (about Nidhiki's missing years).
     
    It really reminded me of how much I had experienced at BZPower...fitting for the reminder to come at a time when we're all celebrating this site's ninth birthday. But wow, four years passed by really quickly. I still remember the exact thoughts in my head as I typed up some of those stories...I even recognized a quote I pulled from real life, a few days before I actually wrote the story I put the quote in.
     
    But enough of that. I hope you didn't mind suffering through an old member's boring reminiscence...
     
    I guess what I really got out of this was that I realized how little I wrote as time went on. There was actually this one instance back in 2006, where I wrote two stories in the span of 15 minutes. Where did that prolificness (I know that's not the right noun, but bear with me) go? How did I go from that to one story a year? I should start writing more. Maybe keep better track of my time, make better use of it. We human beings can get a lot done if we use time management properly.
     
    Well, that's it. Just thought I'd share my thoughts with you all, if anyone's listening reading out there.
  14. Lazzy the Spazzy
    I was just thinking about the phrase "before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes". The idea of it is supposed to be that you don't have the right to judge or criticize someone until you've been through what they've been through.
     
    This entry isn't entirely related to that, but it does have to do with the "in their shoes" part of the phrase. About a week ago, another forum I visit had a topic to honor the memory of another member's late friend. The friend had "mixed with the wrong crowd", which led to his death.
     
    This got me thinking. I think it's regrettable that the person did that, when according to the member the friend had been a really great person before mixing in with the "wrong crowd". But I also thought of the "mile in their shoes" phrase, and thought, can I really blame him or say that he was wrong? From my viewpoint, yes it was, but then again I haven't walked a mile in the person's shoes.
     
    So I kept thinking even more. What does it actually mean to walk a mile in that person's shoes? The usual meaning of that phrase is, mentally put yourself in that situation. But is that possible? I mean, I can pretend I'm in that person's immediate situation, and make judgments and decisions based on that, but to truly walk a mile in their shoes, to truly put yourself in their situation, you have to know everything else they've been through. Not just their immediate situation but their whole past life. Their childhood, their role models, events that subtly influenced and together made them the way they are now. If I put myself in that person's immediate situation, I might have done something other than what he did, but if I had been in their situation and had the same exact childhood and experiences?
     
    So I decided, it's impossible to really put yourself in someone's situation because you haven't been through the same experiences they have that may have subtly influenced them to make a particular choice in this immediate situation. But then I realized, the phrase "walk a mile in another's shoes" was never meant to be interpreted literally in the first place so I just let myself go off on a philosophical tangent for no reason.
     
    Just a random thought.
  16. Lazzy the Spazzy

    Guest Star

    By Lazzy the Spazzy,

    Hop on over to EmperorWhenua 2.0's blog for an awesome story based on Snoopy82's epic!



    We got guest star guest star
    We got guest star guest star
    We got guest star guest star
    We got guest star guest star


    Does anyone still remember that rap? I feel old referencing it...
  17. Lazzy the Spazzy
    Recent events in the RPG forum have brought to mind a debate about ethics that we've been having not just in my AP Lang class but also my Government class as well. I've decided to share my views on justice and fairness, and what I believe they are.
     
    Women today, despite supposedly being on "equal ground" as men, still don't get the same wages as men do. I won't bother you with statistics. Some women's rights activists demand exactly equal treatment as men do, in not just jobs but all aspects of life. Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, Peter Singer, addressed this issue in one of his works (Animal Liberation, 1975), arguing that equal treatment was unreasonable when it came to women and men. He gave this as an example: "Women may want the right to abortion, but if we're going for everyone to have equal rights regardless of gender, shouldn't men have the right to abortion as well? But this is physically impossible, therefore no matter how we try to stretch laws toward gender equality, men and women will never have equal rights". Mr Singer goes on to qualify that it shouldn't be equal treatment that is the basis in determining fairness, but equal consideration.
     
    Onto my main point. Justice and fairness have pretty much the same meanings today. People use them interchangeably. But the terms are different in my opinion -- the question is, how? What is the difference between justice and fairness?
     
    If a student has a 4.0 GPA, participates in several extracurricular activities, and actively works for a cause he or she believes in, then the fact that this student gets in instead of another with, say, a 1.0 GPA and doesn't have any activities or causes, is just. Under the rules that the admissions staff has agreed to go by, and making an objective decision based on the information presented, their choice of the 4.0 student over the 1.0 student is an example of a just decision.
     
    But they haven't considered the possibility that perhaps the second student has mediocre grades because his family is poor, and he has to work to support his single mother and his seven siblings. Perhaps he chose to put family before academics, and suffered as a result, as well as not having time for activities. Maybe he believes strongly in a cause but does not have the money or the ability to support it. Did the admissions officers consider the two students' different backgrounds? Did they make their decision considering the fact that the 4.0 student came from a rich family, had a good high school education, and had a community that supported her? Did they make their decision considering the fact that the 1.0 student lacked all these things? Is that fair?
     
    No. The admissions officers' decision was just, but unfair.
     
    Practicality aside (it's impossible, after all, to consider everything in a decision), I've just illustrated the difference between justice and fairness. Justice is equal treatment: everyone who breaks x law is given y punishment. Fairness is equal consideration: two people may not be treated the same, but the treatments are dealt out with equal consideration of their circumstances or identity.
     
    Something that may be just may not always be fair, and something that may be fair may not always be just. Sometimes justice and fairness coincide, and when that happens that's cause for celebration. But most of the time they don't, and at times these two concepts may even oppose each other. This question of 'justice vs. fairness' can be the cause of many moral or ethical dilemmas, and people in charge may often run into such problems.
  19. Lazzy the Spazzy

    Five Seconds

    By Lazzy the Spazzy,

    Today after school I called my mom to pick me up. The phone call lasted five seconds; a police officer immediately caught my mom and fined her for using the phone while driving.
     
    When my mom picked me up, she was laughing her head off at the absurdity of the situation.
  20. Lazzy the Spazzy
    Upon reading through the Should Kinetics Be A Toa Element? poll, I saw fifteen pages worth of members' opinions on the subject. Many of them were strong, most of them were clear-cut, and some of them took up ten pages when pasted into Microsoft Word. Almost all of them provided a new opinion on the topic, looking at it from different angles. I saw dozens of opinions I had previously never thought of or even considered before.
     
    This is the first time during my four years at BZPower that I've been so humbled and honored. Humbled to be only one in hundreds of thousands, but honored at the same time -- honored to be part of the force of nature that is BZPower. I believe that if we set our minds to a different task, put our heads together, collaborated and contributed our skills and talents, we could make a difference in the world.
     
    It's not often that you can say you're part of a group that can legitimately achieve this. Thank you, BZPower. Thank you, fellow members. You are awesome in every sense of the word.
  21. Lazzy the Spazzy
    Now that my entry for the IDBM Contest #3, the Everflight, has made it all the way to the final poll (to be honest I'm really surprised; I thought I might make it past the first round if I was lucky), I'd like to share the ideas behind my entry.
     
    When I found the topic in the S&T forum (it wasn't that hard since it was pinned), I thought "why not, I'll try it out". I've participated in a few contests here at BZP but the only ones I've ever stood a chance in were the story writing ones. But I had experience making profiles in the RPG forum so I thought I'd see just how far these RPG skills would take me.
     
    I brainstormed a bit and looked at the picture provided for the contest. There wasn't much info to go on, so a lot of it was up to our own interpretation, for which I was glad.
     
    A few points I noticed about the picture:
    1) The bird had wings for blades. That was the most prominent aspect of the picture, however, so I figured lots of participants would write about that. Sure enough, a quick check through previous entries yielded lots of results when I entered 'blade' into the Ctrl+F function. So I decided not to write about its wing-blades.
    2) The bird's color scheme, red and yellow. A bit bright for a bird living in the desert, so I thought it might have originated from somewhere else (Bota Magna perhaps?). In the end, hoping to keep my entry simple, I left out that detail.
    3) The bird had no claws. This was strange, but the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of basing my entry around that. A bird that doesn't have claws, can't land on the ground, so has to keep flying in the air..."Everflight". I knew of some species of sharks that swam while sleeping, so I took that aspect and borrowed for my concept.
     
    The process:
    Making the profile was fun. I enjoyed every aspect of it, though in retrospect I should have let the idea sit for a while and then return to it. That might have led to improvements.
     
    The polls:
    As I mentioned earlier, I didn't expect to make it so far. The first round was close so I figured I'd be creamed in the semifinals round. I was pleasantly surprised to win the second round (thanks for all the votes!), but I'm struggling in the final round, which is to be expected.
     
    In retrospect:
    I should have made use of the word limit, filling out the entire profile and cramming in as much info as possible. The Everflight had only the "uniqueness" factor going for it IMO, so against a particularly well-thought out entry like Hot Pants's, it lost its appeal.
     
    Thoughts:
    There's still chance for a comeback, so I'm hoping for the best. If I lose though, I won't mind: the Cave Shrike was a really cool entry which I voted for twice, and I'd be content with it being the canon bio for the bird.
     
    Conclusion:
    If you haven't voted yet, go vote! However, please vote for the entry you genuinely believe is the better of the two.
  22. Lazzy the Spazzy

    Yes!

    By Lazzy the Spazzy,

    It's nice to finally have confirmation from Greg himself on the differences between Iron and Magnetism. Maybe this will set to rest some of the "Magnetism is useless" accusations.
     

    Farshtey Feed excerpt:

     
    Original OGD post:

    Though it does bring up the question of whether MU beings even have blood. Unless that was a real life example and not meant to be taken literally.
  23. Lazzy the Spazzy
    And so it's been four whole years at BZPower.




    -------------- 1 ------------


    ...........I could say that it feels almost like yesterday, but I'd be lying. I don't really remember my first days as a BZPower member that well. The couple of months before and after are clearer, but I have next to no memory from my first day as a member, exactly four years ago now.

    ...........I'd seen the BZPower website before, in the winter of '03 – but its vast wealth of possibilities didn't hit me, and I soon left for other Bionicle sites, forgetting the name of the site I just visited and not even aware that I had missed the chance to join in on the BZP experience a couple of years early.

    ...........Extremely fortunate circumstances brought me back to bzpower.com two years later, in the winter of '05 – in the form of two people: xccj and GaliGee. I don't recall what compelled me to poke around in the Epics forum, but it's a good thing I did. At the time, xccj was working on a 12 – chapter saga about an Onu-Matoran with a purple Miru (I don't remember much else about the story), and GaliGee had just begun what would later be her final work before she left for bigger and better things – Tangled Web.

    ...........I was spellbound. Could it be? People my age (back then I didn't know yet that GG was actually an adult), creating masterpieces out of typed words? Weaving language into works of art, of magic? My eyes didn't leave the screen until I had caught up with the story, and then I regularly returned every few days, soaking up the latest in epic storytelling.

    ...........Yearning to get closer to this magic, maybe even become a part of it, I registered for membership sometime in late December that year. It wouldn't be another month before my registration was finally approved, and I could make my presence known to the two authors I had come to revere.

    ...........Then followed a cloudy period of three months – I don't remember much of what I did on BZP then. For sure I stayed firmly rooted in the Library forums, poking my nose into the writings of other authors (Lady K, Turakii, Nidhiki, Macku).




    --------------- 2 -------------


    ...........Then, it really began.

    ...........April 7th. 2006. Dr. Bionicle posted his First Place Winner of the first ever RPG Contest in BZP history – The Academy. I had flirted with the RPG forum before – joined a small RPG as a Matoran version of Onua – but until I joined the Acad (as we old-timers fondly call it), I didn't realize how lonely the RPG forum had previously been. I was lucky to join when I did – I witnessed the restructuring and reorganization, and a new RPG forum rise from the old. I saw these changes from the window of the wildly successful Academy (for about a month after it started, the topic was averaging about three pages a day). I joined other RPGs as well (the Second Place winner, BZPower The Final Battle, for instance), but it was in the Academy that my career in BZP really flourished. I met my first best BZP friends there (Hak, Dwin, Mout, Poks, Tom), and I had huge amounts of fun.

    ...........Eventually the Academy got so big that it had to be merged into the BZPRPG come 2007, and while, like many other Acad regulars, I wasn't too hot with the idea at the beginning, in retrospect this was the second best thing that could happen to me (the first being GaliGee and xccj). I had a lot of fun in the Academy, true. But I'd been having so much fun there that I had started to get trapped in a box – the Acad was so fun there was no need to go anywhere else, and I stopped visiting the other forums as often. I also developed a narrow perspective about RPGs – only having real experience in the Academy, role-playing with the same group of people this whole time – my RPG skills were starting to get stale, and I hadn't even noticed.

    ...........The influx of new ideas, the abrupt meeting of other RPers, many of them much more experienced and having been in the game longer (EU, Sera, and Nidhiki, for example – I was delighted to run into Nid again, whose Epic I enjoyed), and who had different outlooks on RPGs – this contributed a lot to my growth as an RPer. I had gotten self-assured in the Acad, certain that I knew all there was about RPing. Encountering and RPing with the old guard caused me to mellow out a bit – to recognize that I had come a long way but still had a long way to go.

    ...........I didn't forget what had brought me to BZP in the first place. I kept in touch with the Library forums, occasionally dropping by GaliGee's Tangled Web (it took almost two years to finish the huge project). I even (surprisingly to me) scored Second Place in the Short Stories #3 Songfic Contest, with help from Green Day and their Boulevard of Broken Dreams, which I incorporated into my songfic Roaming. With it came lifetime Premier Membership (by a stroke of luck, T-Hybrid, the First Place Winner, already had lifetime PMship so the prize originally meant for him went to me).

    --------------- 3 -------------
    ...........Then came a personal test. At the beginning of '07 I had joined an RPG in the Completely Off Topic forum called the Naruto RPG. I stuck with it for six months, was rewarded with a position as a moderator – then, during a month-long summer camp, I developed a story arc for the NRPG. I outlined it, thought through every detail, then sent it to the rest of the staff team. I was pumped up about this plan. I couldn't wait to implement it.

    ...........Then, the RPG was locked. Members who were prone to flaming and inappropriate comments and ICs caused the RPG to degrade to the point that mods had no other choice than to close it. I set to work with the rest of the team developing a version 2.0 of the NRPG. I contributed daily to the first post, thinking about new ideas to help moderate the racy pit that the original had fallen into. My motivation came largely out of a desire to see my perfect story arc in action.

    ............V.2 of the NRPG came along. For my huge role in the planning process, and the story arc which started out as my brainchild, I was made head Moderator. I was psyched. I now had full control of the storyline, and I planned to see it through.

    ...........The problem started here. See, I was so hyped about my ideas – I had to make them perfect. I had to make the posts epic, I had to write the arc as fantastically as the writers I idolized had. I spent hours trying to make every post flawless, and as a result, the RPG stagnated. Through my obsession with this one idea that I felt sure would work, I had forgotten the basic goal of role-playing – to have fun. I was starting to restrict the directions players could go, I was putting up walls. I was stifling their imagination. I was failing to realize that length and awesomeness of posts didn't make up for infrequency and incompetence. Version 2.0 of the NRPG, and subsequent versions, became an epic of sorts, with everyone else nothing more than bystanders – spectators, unable to influence the story in any way.

    ...........Of course, I didn't realize that – but once some players brought their frustrations to me, I had to slap myself in the face. I had come so far in the Acad, in the BZPRPG, and now in the NRPG, I had destroyed all that.

    ...........At least, that was what I thought. I had resolved to fix my mistakes, when, in the long run of things, these weren't mistakes at all. The NRPG was one huge life lesson – when you're in control of a huge project, it's easy to become too restrictive, too dominating. Gaining a monopoly on where the project goes prevents exchange of ideas and eventually stagnation.

    ...........My time with the NRPG was in fact a blessing in disguise: I learned firsthand about the difficulties of being boss of a project, about the true dynamic in a team, in which workers had as much say as the boss. It's a good thing I had this experience in an online role-playing game, rather than in real life. What if I became boss of a company, fell into the same hole I had with the NRPG, and screwed up my life?

    ...........The NRPG did a lot of good for me, mellowing me out, teaching me about the difficulties of leadership and giving me the big picture on things.





    --------------- 4 -------------

    ...........A few of my BZP friends recently told me that I'm among the more level-minded people they know on the site. That was news to me; yeah, I was the mellow one in my circle of friends in real life, but that was just because I wasn't good at articulating my opinions on the spot, at doing real-time debating. That was because I preferred to go with the flow, averse to the drama that seemingly consumed life. But I had no idea I gave off the same impression online.

    ...........Just being on this site, just being a part of this message boards system, has really changed me, for the better I think. I have strong opinions like everyone else does.


    ...........But when I take the time to type things out, that's ten minutes of writing and thinking at the same time. If I'm angry at another member, that's ten minutes of chilling out and letting go of that anger. If I'm in the middle of a forum debate, that's ten minutes where I can second-think myself, see the other party's opinion, and recognize that it has the same value as my opinion. Just having to post my thoughts rather than saying them right then and there has given me open-mindedness, a better temper, and the ability to see things from an outside-the-box, long-term perspective. Over the past four years, BZPower has improved me as a person, and for that at least, I'm grateful. Thanks to BZPower, I'll certainly be more prepared to tackle the problems that the real world is sure to throw at me.
  24. Lazzy the Spazzy
    In case anyone’s wondering:
     
    I do plan to start the NRPG again. Since I saved the first post in Microsoft Word I can always just repost it (once it gets approved of course).
     
    The main problem (but actually not a very serious one if you think about it) is the lack of NRPG v. 3 or 4. That means we pretty much have to continue using just our memories. This also means I can’t finish the Naruto RPG timeline since I can’t see what happened in v.3, so some of the newer players might not know what happened before they joined.
     
    Still, I worked really hard on my Project Revolution storyline and I’d like to see it through, so we’re going to do the best we can and continue RPing in the Naruto RPG.
  25. Lazzy the Spazzy
    To celebrate the birthday of Emperor Whenua, a very special friend (if at times eccentric), I have gone through 47 chat logs (and nine chatroom logs) accumulated through half a year of Meebo-usage, to find our most memorable chat moments and share them with you all. Here goes...
     
    My remarkable punctuality:

     
    Our relationship in a nutshell.


    EW actually inspired me to make one of the posts I remain most proud of in my four years here. I guess you're just an inspiring kind of guy, EW.

     
    We share the same opinions on a lot of things...interests, too. A shame I can't be there with you on the Jamboree right now, but we'll definitely do a camping trip someday.

     
    You've helped me out of potential mistakes that would've gotten me in trouble. That's what I love about you, EW...you're a depemdable guy.

     
    Another reason why I consider EW to be one of my best friends here -- he reminds me of what's important.

     
    Also, when I get out of line you bring me back to reality.

     
    Most of all, though, I'll cherish the silly moments we've shared.



     
    But what I value most of all in you is the way you understand me so perfectly.


     
    Here's to another three years (hopefully more) of friendship! Congratulations on making it to adulthood, Emperor Whenua!
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