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I really wanted something that I can continuously post in this blog whenever I feel like it, so I came up with this new idea. It’s my “Epics Report”. It will likely leave me with plenty of stuff to post, and also plenty of writing for people to ignore. We all become winners here. Anyway, in my years on BZP, I’ve mostly written up stuff. I’ve tried to MOC and draw, but I’m no good at those. I write pretty well, and I have my nice, big collection of stories to share across BZP. Looking back, I’m amazed at all the work I’ve posted. Some of it’s good, and some of it’s trash. But there’s a lot of it, and I have some stuff to say on it. So my “Epics Report” will allow me to comment on all my stories (epics, comedies, short stories) that I’ve written. I’ll post a short Bio and then my thoughts on the story… stuff I’ve gathered after it’s all completed. In some ways, maybe it’ll introduce newer people to my older work. Then again… maybe it won’t. It’ll also give me time to post some stuff on my made-up characters and some possible future stories that I might’ve written about (but gave up the idea). All in all, maybe it’ll just give some Blog viewers something to read. Who can tell? Click to View Epic Reports

The Final Alliance My first Epic ever on BZPower. It was also an entry into Serious Story Contest #4 (and didn't place). So here are my thoughts on it. Bio: The Final Alliance takes place during the Kal saga. It follows the Toa Nuva as the Kal successfully reawaken the Bahrag… but they awaken somebody else too… Makuta! The Bahrag take their Bohrok swarms and threaten to demolish all of Mata-Nui, leaving behind six Matoran (Jala, Takua, Huki, Nuparu, Maku, and Hahli) fused as a Matoran-Nui, six Toa Nuva buried under a collapsed tunnel, and an angry Makuta, who is now determined to protect his brother’s island from the swarms. Makuta, the Toa Nuva, and the Matoran-Nui make an alliance as they follow the Bohrok swarms and save every Matoran village on the island. But can they stand against the might of the Bahrag? Thoughts: This is a perfect example of a Newby epic. First of all, the storyline is very simplistic and not well thought through, and secondly, I wrote the whole epic on BZP in 2003 without bothering to put it in MS Word (and thus is contains many spelling errors.) As I said, the storyline is so basic that it embarrasses me. The main characterization focuses on Makuta and his sudden change from evil to good (relatively… there was a personal reason for it. If the island that he had poured his ‘soul’ into was destroyed, Makuta would go with it, and his brother likewise). Makuta’s characterization was okay, but it hardly fit with the storyline (I started writing this before the comic on the Kal’s defeat came up. It totally ignores the fact that Makuta released the Bohrok in the first place, making that seem like an unforeseen accident). And that’s where the characterization ended. I had plenty of characters… Toa Nuva, six Matoran, even the Bahrag. But all the Nuva were portrayed as un-united… they were bickering through the whole story, and it wouldn’t fit their characters at all. Tahu may be a hot-head, but if he was as hot-headed as he was in my story, I’d probably quit Bionicle… I hardly went into the Matoran-Nui at all… they were stuck on the side the whole time! (Which is okay… they were also the Matoran I used in Time Disruption, so I had my chance to characterize them). And with the Bahrag… all I had them do was constantly repeat threats. It got repetitive after a while… even to me while I was writing the story. I just didn’t have anything better for them to do than throw back stupid lines and used their powers. Uhg. The actual storyline was okay, but not up to my standards nowadays. The fight scenes were interesting, but repetitive and sometimes dull. After the first big encounter in the Bohrok’s nest, the Heroes go from village to village and rescue them all. It followed the traditional Bionicle way to move across the island, but I felt it lacked in any real adventure. What I really hated was the way the Bahrag went… Kopaka and Tahu used their powers together, but the way I described it was terrible! It is really no wonder that hardly anybody ever replied to the story, and most of the replies were simplistic. I remember this story almost throwing me off from writing fan-fiction on BZPower, but I kept to it. Looking back on this story show how much I’ve grown as a writer (or the lack of growth, I suppose). Anyway, there’s my first story review. Yay, I say. Review The Final Allyace (yes, I even made a spelling error in the title)

Ah, so it's not a problem with other bZPers, so I can't blame it on BZP. It's not so much of a problem now, but thanks for the suggestions.

I don't think this merits a whole topic, so I'll put it here. Anyway, recently, whenever I've gotten on BZP, I try to click a link and I get this error message which shuts down my MSN Windows. This has never happened to me before, and now it happens constantly. And, much to my dismay, its happening on BZPower, and nowhere else. (Yet). So my question is has anybody else had this problem? It's knocked me off MSN and Internet Explorer, and my Virus Protection stuff seems to be working just fine. So... I'm just curious. Who knows, it may just be a random think on my computer... I always seem to notice the problems when I'm on it. Er, and thanks. B)

Yay, I just got back from a brutal 50 Mile Hike with my scout troop. The one I did two years ago was fun and exciting, but this one was a lot harder. Lots of uphill and steep down hills, plus some rain. And I thought I had a pretty good grasp on hiking techniques (you know, for a scout) but I was WRONG. Here are some tips that I just feel like posting. Bring a fleece. And a rain jacket. It will seem heavy when you try to put it into your pack, but it sure beats freezing on top of a mountain. Because it can get cold in the morning. Bring Crystal Light. Or whatever, that’s just the drink mix that’s a hit in my troop. It helps a little better than water because it has SUGAR! Yum… but drink plenty of water and have some drink mix too. It’s relatively light. Put your drink mix in a plastic bag. Otherwise, it might spill (like in your fleece jacket pocket. When it got sticky, I stopped wearing it, and discovered it got really cold). Bring a hiking stick. It helps support your weight sometimes, helps stable you uphill, and is useful when another scout starts poking you with his own stick. It’s also helpful in river crossings. But bring a sturdy one… mine was flimsy and broke on the forth day (about when I was starting to really use it). An eye for an eye. Or more precisely, a bag of food for another bag of food. If you trade out, try to get something in return. Otherwise they’ll eat your entire storage of Gold Fish crackers and refuse to lend out any beef jerky. I need to learn when to say no to those requests… Check the contour lines on the map. The adult leader may say that you only gain 1500 feet in 7 miles, but that’s the elevation change form Point A to Point B. He doesn’t tell you about the large hills in between that go up 1000 feet and then down 900 feet over and over… so know how many hills you have to climb. Don’t leave food unattended. Otherwise bears, squirrels, or other scouts may find it and help themselves. This only happened to me with the scouts…Of course, these suggestions and tips are from my own personal experience, and may not apply to any other hikers at all. They might be useful for my next hike in the Pacific North West, but they might not be applied to somebody in, say, Atlantis. I just wanted to share my experiences, because I have this suspicion that that’s what a Blog is for. As well, I have one last tip.Go up the Dosewalleps Trail. It is much better maintained than the Duckabush Trail. --{IPD}--

I'm all aboard this new Epics Contest with my Chapter Entry in Slizers on Mata-Nui. Jet, Torch, and Ski get to fight out again the cat-like Sunari. While it contains alot of action and power attacks, I wouldn't rate it as my best chapter or battle. But I think it's pretty good for including a character randomly... and I threw in some exceptionally witty comments. I hope that the judges enjoy it... whoever they are. Having been a Judge for the first Poetry contest, I know how fun the secrecy can be. And I got my chapter up on the last day possible for me. I'll be gone for a week as I do Boy Scout stuff and generally get really sore feet. I wonder how much BZP will change in one week... sometimes its alot, sometimes its not much. See ya all later. B)

I finally broke down and bought my first Inika... Toa Hewkii. I'll give my first review of him, just in case anybody wants to read. Anyhow, I bought him at the local Fred Meyers (where I've bought all my 06 sets so far) BTW, if there's a Fred Meyers near you, go there right away. There's a "Buy Two, Get One Free" deal on all LEGO Bricks, and the Visorak Playsets are on clearance... more than 50% off! That caught my notice... but I barely had enough to get one Toa, so... Yeah, and canisters were huge, as mentioned before. About as tall as the boxed sets, not as wide. It was great to see all the cool new pieces come out. Anyway, the build was simplistic enough, and is probably better described in Dr. Bionicle's review. When he's built up, he's impressive, but not the greatest. The shoulder's are a bit odd with the armor... it moves, but looks too thin. I actually prefer the Metru's shoulder style, even if it dealt with gears. The thigh armor, if put on as it's shown in the instructions, makes the knee connection off, so the Toa always has his legs bent. If you flip the armor around, (like in the pictures you see of him on the cover) then it works better. The feet are a nice design, but they don't seem to be able to support as well as, say, Thok's giant feet. Then the neck is odd because it seems to push Hewkii's mask out and up from his body. Most of these designs seem to come from the building instructions, and can be fixed by altering the set yourself. Now the cool things. I love the multi-shoot zamour. Very fun. The chain is also a nifty part of Hewkii, and his axe weapon looks great. I still think it could've done without the light-up feature, but it's too bad. The mask, despite the head's odd placement, is much better than what I expected. It gives Hewkii a cool look. So, yeah, I'd say Hewkii is worth the money. But I'm going to see if I can find some other Inika on sale next time...

The BZP spell checker had two "e"s. Go figure...

The Tom Petty concert was amazing! He played almost all my favorite songs of his, and the music was as good as if he had recorded it in a studio. Although I listened to most of it through earplugs... I was right next to the speakers. I have never exactly enjoyed reaslly loud conerts before, but if they always played my favorite music... I might change my mind. Well, I got back home around 1 in the morning, work up at baout noon, and spent the rest of my day working on my Eagle Project. I get to install some benches along a nature trail in Beacon Rock State Park. The project looks like it'll be great to complete... and I hope I do it well. However, it takes alot of time, and it might conflict with my scedual to enter Epic Contest #5. Oh well, what'll be more important in the end?

He may not be The Beetles or Pink Floyd, but Tom Petty sure has some great songs and is one of my favorite artists. And I get to go to a concert tonight to hear him! Yay. It sounds like it'll be really fun, and I hope he plays some of his older music as well as some new stuff as well. It'll be my first concert, so I hope it's cool. My mom says I should be a shirt, but I've heard they can cost up to $60. Talk about a rip off when all I want to do is listen to music. I hope it's worth it. -<IVD>-

Reading through Dark Destinies and Power Play, I have come to see how our favorite Matoran are portrayed in the series. Some are pretty awesome, while others are strange. So I’ll make a quick list of them. Jaller: When I first got into Bionicle, Jaller was one of my least favorite characters (responsibility? Why was he so into it?) However, as I’ve aged and used him in epics, I’ve begun to enjoy his character. And, now that he’s a Toa, he’s my favorite Fire Toa of all time! (Out of four that I know, anyway). In the books, Jaller represents true leadership and great courage, but he seems a lot wiser than both Vakama and Tahu were when they were leaders. He can shoot out orders, but he isn’t above listening to the advice of others. Jaller’s change into a Toa has really shown his good traits, and I’ve enjoyed reading about him. Hahli: Hahli seems to be a mix of Gali, Nokama, with a little bit of Takua’s adventuring within her. Seeing as her character has been built up already in other areas, I must say in the books she makes a very wise Toa of Water, and yet still has that flare about her. She also makes an interesting Toa of Water, despite the fact that her mask set-wise looks odd. Matoro: Now that I think about it, Matoro’s never had much of a chance to show his qualities before… he’s always with the Turaga, but never off adventuring on his own. In the books, he seems to be very uncertain about things, including their detour into Karzahni and his astro-projection powers (at first). He’s kind of got some of Kopaka’s eagerness to discover answers, but with less of the “lone wolf” status. His Toa character is kind of bland, but I’m sure he’ll be further characterized as more books come out. Nuparu: Nuparu was an awesome Matoran when he first came out, and I was surprised that he got to be one of the Toa as well. One thing done well in the books is Nuparu’s constantly thinking of something to build that could help him out… he’s still an engineer after all. However, his attacks seem a little fiercer than I would expect from him, and his theology about destiny doesn’t sound quite right coming from an engineer. Not that I mind my favorite character getting some extra lines. Hewkii: Now, the former Kohlii champ has a lot of character change. He’s arrogant and still an athlete at heart, but he treats the battle a little too much like a game. Numerous times in Power Play, Hewkii was the first to attack or suggest an attack… and even hinted at doing some immoral stuff to get the Piraka to talk (and was quieted by Hahli). While his character is understandable based off his past, I’m wondering if his new attitude (much like that of Tahu’s) will get his team into trouble. Kongu: The crazy Le-Matoran are always messing around, and Kongu does plenty of it. He gets all the good witty and sarcastic lines in the books. While he’s loyal and brave and everything, he is much different from past Toa of Air. While he has learned responsibility from leading the Gukko forces into battle, he also has the aloofness of Toa Matau. His character would probably be a lot harsher if he didn’t have so many problems facing him: he didn’t get the mask of flight, his own mask of telepathy won’t turn off, and he can’t find the Toa Nuva. Throughout Power Play, it seemed like one bad thing on top of another was piled up on Kongu, so there’s certainly room for problems in future storyline. So while the characters have their goods and bads, I believe they do fit their old Matoran personalities and will provide tons of enjoyment for fans as the Toa Inika. While Jaller, Hahli, and Nuparu get to expand their personalities from previous storyline, Kongu, Matoro, and Hewkii really get a chance to show who they are to the Bionicle community outside the MNOLGs. And yeah, that’s it for now.

Yep, I've finally posted it. My summer epic, featuring Kulagi and some of his pals, is now on-line. Kanoka Makers of Metru-Nui I have about eight chapters written, so I'll post those daily until I run out. I had to create some title pictures, but I finally did that, so now the topic is up and the review topic is waiting for replies. If you've read Kulagi's Kanoka, you'll find this one to have some interesting Vahki chases and fight scenes. Plus, plenty of Kanoka action. And even better, it takes place in the time of the Toa Metru. If you thought Gragu Nuva was a tough foe, then you haven't seen anything yet! Even if you haven't read Kulagi's Kanoka, you should check out this new story. I've tried to include enough information to allow the reading to go on smoothly without having read the previous story. And if you have read the first epic, then this one will be a continuation of the fun! Well, at least I'm excited about this epic. I've planned for it, written it, reread it, fixed some corrections, missed others (no doubt), and it's posted. So when you have some spare time this summer, check it out. Along with that, I'll update SoMN enough to get into the Epic Contest.

Yay! I've been waiting for this for over a year! (Which is apparently the amount of time it took for HH to recover from the EpicFest contest!). There is another epics contest, here, and I will be entering even if all of the Magania is set out to stop me! Unfortunately, I cannot simply enter Kulagi's Kanoka, because of the new requirement. I had to add a character in, and there's no room for anybody else in Kulagi's Kanoka or its sequel... However... I have other stories. None of my completed stories would fit. With The Final Alliance, A Bionicle Christmas, and Time Disruption all being completed and too accurate to the storyline to allow for another made up antagonist. Animorphs Meet Bionicle is too dead to be an option, and The Tale of Jeni doesn't seem to be able to fit a random villain onto the small island. My list of epics has about run dry. However... I still haven't finished Slizers On Mata-Nui. I've pretty much given up on that story, but I have an outline for future chapters still at hand, and there's plenty of room for a few characters. Those of you who remember reading the story about six months ago might be interested if I start it up again, no? Because some Matoran might get a visit from Sunari... And thus I will likely postpone posting Kanoka Makers of Metru-Nui again... BTW, which color should I make it's title? I'm thinking purple, but that would make it the same color as the original, and its the sequel. Maybe teal?

I’m feeling rather bored right now. Since I just figured out a few new ways to mess with my Blog settings, I decided to write a few more reviews. Since I don’t have any Inika yet, I’ll go over my feelings on the books, Bionicle Legends by Greg F. I’ll try to keep it Spoiler Free, but I’m sure there’ll be a few that make it through. So be warned. And read at your own risk. It’s pretty long. Spoiler Warning! Island of Doom. The first book, bringing back the Toa Nuva and introducing the Piraka. Pretty much, it’s been the coolest Bionicle Legend book I’ve read so far. Only Time Trap was better. For one thing, the storyline is pretty straightforward. The Piraka are all introduced, and we get about an equal amount of all of them and their personalities and powers. Even better, the Matoran get the largest part in the storyline. Although these are Matoran, their personalities and powers make them a joy to read about. What’s really cool is that the story follows the Matoran resistance going against the Piraka with no ally whatsoever. I have always enjoyed stories that mostly involve the Matoran; they get by without the power or strength of the Toa, and have to use their intellect and cunning to win. That’s the main reason I like Legends 1 much more than the others so far; it focuses the most on the Matoran villagers. The second reason I like it the most is because it brings back our favorite heroes; the Toa Nuva. Tahu, Lewa, and the gang get to have their personalities perfectly displayed in Greg’s writing. Their powers are often used, and it reminds me of the good old days. However, it is also interesting to see their powers pitted against the new powers of the Piraka. Specifically, it’s interesting how Reidak, Avak, and Zaktan all outwit the Toa Nuva because of their unique powers. The battle between the Toa Nuva and Piraka is one of the best I’ve read in the Bionicle books, and it was worth the read. With the book following the Matoran resistance and the Toa Nuva’s battle, it was a very enjoyable read. Some nifty quotes that you may be interested in. Jaller ~ “You like riddles, Matoro… try this one. What’s white and gold and can’t keep a secret to save his life?” Velika ~ “When the Kanohi Dragon roars, do not look for the stone rat.” Pohatu ~ “Um, they’re hiding behind a rock. Remember me? I’m Pohatu. I do rock.” Garan ~ “Let’s show them you don’t have to be a Toa to be a hero!” Dark Destiny. The second book, following the Piraka’s takeover of the island and Jaller and Co’s journey through Karzahni. It is still pretty good, but a bit more quick paced than the first one, and not as much detail on the struggle on Voya-Nui. However, that might be because the characters in the limelight have doubled. Despite the fact, Dark Destiny is a great book, and lots of fun to read. The book is split up between two stories, one on Voya-Nui and one in Karzahni. Jaller and Co’s travels through the twisted land are great. I feared that Jaller would get most of the character development, but I was very glad that Hahli, Matoro, and Nuparu also got a fair share of characterization, while Hewkii and Kongu mostly got to say witty comments. I especially like how Nuparu thinks of ways to build stuff numerous times. While there is not too much action in this part of the book, it is full of descriptions and characterization of the soon-to-be-Toa-Inika. Plus, I’m pretty sure the morals of the story come through the scenes where Matoro stands up against Karzahni’s visions and the nameless Matoran urges Jaller to go on his way. The scene where they escape Karzahni in the canisters was just excellent, and my favorite part of the story. In addition, some little mysteries were revealed in the land of Karzahni, including the legend of Karzahni and Artakha, the origin of the Toa olda, and the origin of the Manas. While it was normally the slow and descriptive part of the book, I did enjoy it. The rest of the book followed the details of the Matoran resistance, the escape of the Toa Nuva, and the arguments of the Piraka. Characterization in this section wasn’t as strong… only Kazi really got more limelight than he did in the previous book, yet he still hasn’t used his Echo Forks! The escape of the Toa Nuva and their fight with the Matoran was good, but it felt a little rushed. Yet it did help get the Matoran and Toa together, and their plans to fight the Piraka underway. Moving onto the Piraka, they had less character development besides breaking apart from one another. Hakann got the largest role, and Vezok virtually disappeared for the greater portion of the book (he was likely searching for the Nuva, I guess, when the Toa Nuva were ambushing the other, more lazy, Piraka). However, we got to see more of Thok’s manipulation, Avak’s power at work, and Zaktan’s leadership abilities (or lack thereof). Additionally, Brutaka and Axxon were introduced, although not entirely by name, and their characters were still shrouded in mystery. The big battle in the end between the Piraka, Toa Nuva, and Brutaka was the highlight of the book. We got to see how the powers of the Piraka were used to an advantage and to a disadvantage. I also liked how Lewa outsmarted Reidak… again! However, the battle ended abruptly and too quickly for my like… by Brutaka. The ending showed Brutaka’s amazing strength and left the reading with a numb feeling; things were really starting to heat up, and then it ends. This massive cliffhanger leaves me wanting the next book more than ever, and the last part at the end with the arrival of the Inika adds to that anxiety. While Dark Destiny wasn’t as powerful a book as Island of Doom, I still thought it was well worth the read. Some nifty quotes that you may be interested in. Kazi immediately began using the old Ko-Matoran trick of counting to himself to prevent an explosion of temper. With Velika, he sometimes reached numbers in the high seven digits. Axxon ~ “Well, what are you waiting for, Naming Day? Get out of there!” Hakann ~ “Doom. Destruction. The end of all existence. You know Zaktan, always great company.” Hewkii ~ “All I see is, whoever is in charge of attracting tourists here is doing a lousy job.” Nuparu ~ “Only thing worst than a Po-Matoran carver is a Po-Matoran carver with a sense of humor.” Kongu ~ “So we’re being stalked by a really big turtle?” Karzahni ~ (In response to “You’re Insane!”) “I prefer the term ‘creative’. Though I suppose there is not much difference between the two in the end, is there?” Kongu ~ “What did you seek-find? A new kind of bolt driver? A really great wrench?” Hakann ~ “It’s incredible how fast the sun can set on a new day around here.” Lewa ~ “You owe a lot of things. Like an apology to the universe for existing.” Zaktan ~ “No matter our differences, we are still Piraka. The Mask of Life can still be ours, once we kill these Toa Nuva!” Power Play. The third book that pits the Toa Inika against the Piraka, with Axxon and Brutaka thrown in as well. In searching for this book, I must’ve been to twelve bookstores over two months searching for it, and never found it till two weeks after the official release date. :annoyed2: Anyway, I’ve only read it all the way through once, so my opinion on it may not be fully formed. I say this because I did not enjoy it nearly as much as I first thought I would. There are many reasons. First of all, there are many, many characters that need development. The Matoran resistance seems to lose a little bit if their charm when they begin to work with the Toa Inika. Garan sounds a little too much like a Turaga, Dalu turns a lot rougher and tougher than she has been in the earlier books, Kazi’s secret is revealed without too much suspense, and Balta and Piruk get little character development. Only Velika stayed in a strong character, with his riddles. While the Matoran are active in the book, their role in it is much less than it was in the other books, as the focus shifts onto the Toa and Piraka. The Piraka are fun to read. We get to learn a little bit more about Vezok, and how he’s “dumb”, and Zaktan’s secrets continue to grow. Hakann and Thok get large roles in the end battle, but Avak’s role is less and Reidak is hardly mentioned, much like Vezok was in Dark Destinies. Their powers are used, but not to a greater extent than the other books. However, like their powers defeated the Nuva’s ignition attacks in Island of Doom, the Piraka’s powers are defeated by many of the Inika’s powers. Additionally, Brutaka and Axxon have their history more thoroughly explained, but their unique powers aren’t displayed as much (besides Brutaka’s mask in the very beginning). Where the character development is strong is with the new Toa Inika. Greg did a fine job of showing how the Toa learn about their powers, although some of it was cheesy to me, like when Matoro found his mask power. However, that’s because it looks like something I might’ve written, so it felt slightly reused. However, it was nice how the Toa initially discovered their powers, and then used them later on in the battle. Plus, all the Matoran’s personalities are shown excellently, especially with Hewkii and Kongu and Nuparu. The battle itself seemed a little too quick for me, but the struggles that Greg did write about were fun to read. While it did not seem as good as the Toa Nuva’s first battle with the Piraka, the battles between the Inika and Piraka were the best part of the book. I especially liked how the Piraka turned against each other numerous times in the last part of the battle, in which Hakann and Thok had Brutaka’s energies. The one thing I didn’t like about the book was the storyline, which was messed up in sections. The first two books went back to back, but this one has many tie-ins with the comics. In some ways, this is a good thing, but it does make the story a little choppy when Axxon and Hakann appear wounded from a struggle that wasn’t present in the book. In this way, you would need to read both the books and the comics at the same time, and if one is missing the comics, then they are missing out. All in all, the story did seem as smooth or detailed as the first two Legend Books. But then, I may have to read it a few more times cover to cover, and then I may just change my mind. Some nifty quotes that you may be interested in. Garan ~ “I don’t know who or where they are, but there are six new Toa on this island. And they are coming for you.” Nuparu ~ “You’re no vision of beauty yourself, Hewkii.” Reidak ~ “I should throw you off cliffs more often. It’s fun” Thok ~ (In response to a threat from Brutaka.) “I point him to Reidak and get out of the way.” Hewkii ~ “I’m not sure I want to know what my mask does. It might turn me into a Le-Matoran or something.” Kongu ~ “They can deep-carve that on our memorial stones. ‘But at least Nuparu had fun.’” Matoro ~ (In response to “You should be enslaved!”) “Oh, is that what that does? Then I don’t feel so bad about doing this.” Jaller ~ “We’re not. No, not Toa Nuva. Toa Inika.” Hewkii ~ “I’ll show Brutaka how a kohlii ball feels when it’s kicked into orbit.” Kongu ~ (In response to “I thought Toa always put the interest of Matoran first.”) “I thought Matoran were taller.” Kongu ~ “You’re right, next time maybe you should stick to a fire or ice Toa-hero. A lot less pressure.” Hakann ~ “Then live no longer.” Axxon ~ “No, Toa, just in case you succeed.” Hewkii ~ “That’s not very good sporting. If you’re not going to play by the rules, you’ll have to be penalized!” Zaktan ~ “Now, my treacherous companions, my hunters in the dark… now the true battle begins.” Nuparu ~ “Maybe you don’t choose a destiny like that. Maybe it chooses you.” Vezon ~ “After all, the waiting is half the fun.” I would also like to comment on Greg’s writing style. Throughout the books, I can pick up little tid-bits that certainly seem to have come from discussion from BZP (or the general fan-base). And I marvel at how he is able to insert this stuff into his writing. Greg’s always being descriptive and including plenty of action, and he is surely a great author. It’s interesting seeing what you can pull from his writing. I’ve found a few things of interest that I want to point out. Island of Doom ~ Balta… peered closer at Avak’s handiwork. “What’s that do?” he asked, pointing to an unfamiliar component. “And what’s that? How do those pieces join together? Is that the only color that piece comes in? I think it would look better in a different shade of gray.”]/i] Greg uses Balta to voice some of the questions I might heard an MOCer ask, especially the part about the shade of gray. Power Play ~ His mind was now full of the babble of everybody else’s thoughts… Hewkii was a little upset no one had commented on the fact that his armor had changed from brown to yellow when he became a Toa. Greg takes one of the most controversial aspects of the Toa Inika (their color change) and inserts it into the story. Hehe, I thought that was an interesting way of doing it. And now that’s my review for the first three Bionicle Legend Books. They were all a good read, although some were worth the money more than others. I will undoubtedly buy all the Legend Books this time around, and when I get the next one, maybe I’ll review that one too. And as of now, I’ll end this massive Blog entry.

It turns out I wasn't talking to myself as much as I thought I was. The listeners and repliers were just invisible to me... I've found them now.

And realize a few nifty things... First of all, I just got back from a week at Camp Baldwin for a Boy Scout Camp. It was really fun, and if you're in the CPC, then you should go there some time. Anyway, I got to go into the wilderness for a week without computer access... and I pretty much forgot about BZP. Odd, huh? Anyway, I have alot to catch up on... First of all, thanks to a PM and a reply, I've realized that I have to "approve" any and all replies that I get... and since I didn't know that, I just thought my blog was extremely unpopular. Now I actually know how to find replies, and I can see that I do have a few, even if I didn't find them for three months... And then I was also in the middle of two contests. I was amazed that in my Prelim Poll in the BBC 37 contest, I was in second place, only one vote behind. That's the best I've ever really done in a BBC topic... I am proud that people actually voted, commented, and liked my entry... all at the same time! Anyway, although it didn't move on, I'm glad that I got a little bit of recognition. As for the S&T Contest... Uhg, I advanced because I was one of the top five. I said that I wouldn't make it unless the top half of the stories moved on... and that's pretty much what happened. I don't know if I deserve it... and I don't think it'll do well against my new competition. What I really want is for people to read and enjoy my story... although it pains me to know that I can't even do well in a Story Contest. I just don't have much in me. Anyway, now that I'm back, I should probably get to work on my next epic. But I have my Eagle Project to worry about, and in two weeks, I'll be gone again for a 50 Mile Hike. So Scouting is taking up my time this summer as much as school does in the spring. But on the bright side... I'll know now when people post a reply to my blog. Now I feel soooooo special. Have a great summer. B) &

I feel stupid. It's obviouse I haven't ever used a blog before. Thanks for the heads up, Makaru.

I was bored (even at Midnight) so I decided to post a little teaser for my next epic. I’m only doing this because I’m too lazy to actually get the thing finalized to post. Anyway, read on for a short excerp out of the first chapter. Kanoka Makers of Metru-Nui “YEEAAAHHHH!” shouted Kulagi in delight. He ducked his Hover-Bike into the canyon, ready to test his reflexes. A dangerous ledge jutted out from the side of the canyon, and threatened to end his ride. But at the last minute, Kulagi twisted the handlebars, and shot around it. Kulagi also felt the rush from the ride, and his Hover-Bike moved gracefully around the rocks. Suddenly, a ledge loomed up towards him, and there wasn’t enough room to dodge around it. However, instead of slowing down, Kulagi sped up. This was just the situation he had been searching for. He was ready to test his latest addition to his Hover-Bike: a protective shield projected by a combined level eight shielding Kanoka. He flipped a switch to activate the shield, and watched as a sudden force sphere formed around him. Kulagi shouted for joy, sure that his invention had worked. But, as quickly as it appeared, the sphere vanished. Kulagi heard a loud snap, and then his bike shuttered. He groaned as he realized what had happened; his shielding Kanoka had just shattered. “Uh oh,” Kulagi said. The ledge was still coming closer, and he wouldn’t have enough time to break. Well, there’s the teaser. I may post a few chapters this week, but then I’m gone next week, and I also have my Eagle Project to worry about. If you can’t wait, please check out my S&T Contest story Rahi in the Dark in the Mata-Nui Poll C. And vote for it if you think its worthy. Additionally, I’ll post my Ninjo MOC tomorrow for the BBC contest. Until later…

Yay, back from a week long vacation away from all computer devices! Well, I still got to read and listen to the radio, so it wasn't so bad. I got a start on Homer's The Iliad for my Summer Reading, and I must say, it's a rather violent book. The first hundred pages mainly consist of people fighting and details on how they die, along with some gods and goddesses intervening and the such. So I guess it's not that bad as ancient writings go... And while listening to the radio, I heard a Beetles Song "Paperback Writer". If a rock band sings about it, then it must be a good occupation. Anyway, speaking of writing, I have about a third of an epic completed on my computer, a sequel to Kulagi's Kanoka. I might want to write a few more chapters, but I plan on posting a bunch of it soon (on a daily basis). I just need to get some pictures created for the titles and all... the ones I have done so far look okay, but they're not my best. Anyway, if you're one of those people who actually reads my stories, be on the lookout. And now I'll go moan about the low scores that just got mailed in from my SAT & AP Tests. So much anxiety and stress for so little...

The other day I was reading Pearls Before Swine and there was a section where Rat was saying that it would be better to pile your writing under a box than in a blog, because it would still get the same amount of views but without the cost of internet service. I can relate, but I don't really mind. I like talking (or writing) to, essentially, myself. I have my own computer where there's no internet access, and nobody goes on it but me. I started off by writing some personal diaries, which I didn't want anybody to read anyway. Then I went and started writing a whole series of epics there. It's pretty amazing... I probably have over 1000 pages of MS Word documents typed up (with 1 inch margins and size 15 font, single spaced). I'm sure no one is ever going to read any of the stuff besides me, but I like it. It gives me plenty of time to practice my writing, and learn new ways to tell a story and new words to use. And it might even come in handy if I decide to write a story for my Senor Project in High School. Anyway, besides some ranting to myself, I'll announce that I have the sequel to Kulagi's Kanoka started (six chapters currently written) and I plan to read Gali Gee's and IQKid42's stories over the summer (and maybe DK's, BKoD's, and Kumata's if those start up again). And I will give an attempt at that S&T contest. Really, all it is is a story contest... there should be a few links to it from the Short Story Forum.

Went to the Portland International Raceway today. Got to see the Champ Car races, and those cars were pretty loud! Got to get in for free as a scout... although I had to spend the whole morning filling balloons with helium. At the start of the Nationally Televised Race, I helped launch them all into the air. It looked cool... and the balloons are apparently biodegradable. And the race aired on TV... although I don't know if they saw any of the balloons. They were doing a bunch of other stuff as well. Like any of you really care...

Hmm, I thought that was just an unwritten rule that most people would figure out through common logic... It's still good advice.

First of all, I’d like to complain about the word “Resume”. It sounds like “re- soom”. But it’s really “res- eh- mey”. Or something like that. Anyway, it doesn’t sound like it’s spelled. That wouldn’t bother me so much except that whenever I mis-say it, somebody has to scold me! ARRGG! Anyway, I’m at the point where I’m just starting on my resume. Turns out I have a pretty boring life, and one of my main accomplishments is becoming an OBZPC here on BZP. I’m pretty sure that’s not something that an employer would be interested in, but whatever. So my question to you (yes, you, the person who’s reading this! If you’ve gotten this far, then you can’t deny that I’m addressing you!!) is, would you put anything special you did on BZP on your resume? Like if you won a contest, if you were a staff member, or something along those lines. If I were a staffie, I’d probably throw it on, but I don’t think OBZPC qualifies as too much… Anyway, if I put down too much, all it would say to my would-be employer is that “I spent all my time on BZP, so if you want me to get any work done on a computer with internet access, either get a good firewall or think again”. And thus I end this blog entry as well.

Ah, yes, I remember the mountain you guys made a couple years back at the Lego exibition in Portland. I seem to remember a lot of odd little things hanging around on the set that seemed way out of place. Seemed like you guys had a sence of humor. The models you had there are very interesting, looks like they were fun to build. I alway hate having to pick up the LEGO Bricks in my room... that clean up job must've been so much worst! B)

Ah, irony at its finest. Nice examples... I laughed at a few. (Not the ambulance one, but the palindrone one...