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GregF

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Blog Entries posted by GregF

  1. GregF

    New Comic Artist

    By GregF,

    Two pieces of news today:
     
    LEGO Systems Inc. and DC Comics have announced that Leigh Gallagher has been named the new artist for the popular BIONICLE comic series, beginning with the March 2008 issue.
     
    Gallagher's previous work includes Justice League Unlimited, 2000AD and The Witching. He succeeds Stuart Sayger, whose well-received run on the book lasted from 2006-2007.
     
    ALSO --
     
    The last chapters of Dreams of Destruction and the biocast are done and in -- Chapter 9 of the biocast reveals hitherto unknown info on the Ignika, and why it is silver instead of gold in 2008 (yes, there is a better story reason than just "because" )
     
    Greg
  2. GregF

    New Event

    By GregF,

    Doing another library event -- July 10th, 1 pm, Willimantic Public Library, Willimantic, CT.
     
    Also, visit info for me will be posted on the www.scholastic.com/authorvisit site soon, so that schools and public libraries in the Northeast interested in having me come speak can find out how to make it happen.
     
    Greg
  3. GregF

    New Name List

    By GregF,

    My list of proposed new names for BIONICLE 2010-2011 is now written up.
     
    Those of you who had, with my agreement, sent me lists of names you wanted checked on for your projects, please resend so I can add to mine.
     
    Thanks,
    Greg
  4. GregF

    New Serials

    By GregF,

    Hey guys,
     
    So we have started talking about new serials for next year, as the OOMN goes to war with the Brotherhood. Binkmeister and I are still firming up what they will be, but it looks like one first half of the year one is going to feature a very unusual team on a mission against the BOM. Who are they? Try:
     
    Brutaka (team leader)
    Roodaka
    Vezon
    Makuta Spiriah
    Carapar
    Takadox
     
    I can't WAIT to start writing this one
  5. GregF

    News And Notes

    By GregF,

    Hey guys,
     
    Just some more tidbits from the world of BIONICLE --
     
    -- Comic #3 is finally done and releasing to the printer on Monday. It is a little behind schedule, but through no fault of Stuart's or DC's -- we had a hold-up getting them sets they needed for art reference, so it threw things behind. Overall, though, it may be the best issue we have ever done -- the writing is better, the art is gorgeous, lots of action. For those of you who have read Book 3, a lot will be familiar, but it is still neat seeing what Stuart does it.
     
    -- Getting all set for Comic-Con. My wife is going to come out with me, though not sure how much she will be at the booth (she may just explore San Diego while I am working ) The con is always fun, but exhausting!
     
    -- BIONICLE Atlas is humming along -- just about to explode a revelation about the Mana Ko you didn't see coming The book is going to feature maps and original art by LEGO illustrators Jeremy Brazeal, Toby Dutkiewicz, and John McCormack -- Toby is working on an illo of Karzahni (from BL #2) right now!
     
    -- Next story meeting is tentatively set for August, hopefully in the US. With Leah back and some shifts around in personnel, it is going to take a little bit for the team to gel again. But I think we will slowly get things moving in the right direction again.
     
    -- Everyone is anxiously waiting to see how the Toa Inika do in stores. The Piraka have been a step in the right direction; now we need the Inika to keep the momentum going into 2007. When you have been out for six years, stores can be very quick to decide the line is dead if you get a release that doesn't do well. So we need the Inika to outsell the Visorak.
     
    -- And finally, a question -- outside of BZP, do you talk about BIONICLE or LEGO building with anyone else?
     
    Greg
     
  6. GregF

    News And Notes

    By GregF,

    Just a few things today --
     
    -- The event at the Booth-Dimock library in Coventry, CT next week is shaping up to be fun. For those of you who might want to attend, there is still time to register by phone. Just call the library at 860-742-7606.
     
    -- Big week here. After only two weeks of searching, my wife and I bought a new house -- and it has room for all my comics and toys! Anyway, I will most likely be offline some during the first week of June as we move, but will keep you up to date on that.
     
    Greg
  7. GregF

    News And Notes

    By GregF,

    A few items of interest today --
     
    -- LEGO financial results were announced to the press today -- record profit last year. And so far this year, we can't keep stuff on the shelves, everything is selling well.
     
    -- Finished Part 3 of Mutran Chronicles -- you are FINALLY going to get some movement on that Blade Burrowers plotline!
     
    -- Dow Jones news ticker reports Wal-Mart Canada has come to an agreement with TLC and will go back to carrying LEGO sets, which is wonderful news.
     
    -- Still recovering from my trip to the UK -- feel like I have been eating non-stop since I got back Spent the weekend shopping and gaming, two of my favorite pastimes
     
    Greg
     
     
  8. GregF

    News And Notes

    By GregF,

    Just some bits and pieces today --
     
    -- The movie script is out with the folks in Denmark for a final read. I am expecting that we will pretty much have an approval by the end of the week or so. The ending is set, hopefully the beginning is too -- surprisingly, there has been more debate about how to start it than how to end it!
     
    -- It looks like the BrickMaster BIONICLE set will be out in the fall -- we are still looking into the possibility of getting it sold in non-BM countries. It will play a role in story, possibly a significant one, and should make its first appearance in either the Federation of Fear or Mutran Chronicles serials.
     
    -- The CEO of LEGO Group, Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, wrote a wonderful post on our Intranet this week praising BIONICLE as "rocking and unique" and reaffirming the company's commitment to maintain the line's success. (If you haven't heard of Jorgen Vig, he has been running the company for a few years now and helped to turn it around from the few bad years we had early in the decade. I had the chance to meet him in person last year -- he's a really cool guy, very down to earth, and very open to talking with employees. He's very popular in the company.)
     
    -- My events calendar is SLOWLY filling up. I am in talks to do a program at a local library, trying to get some local Barnes and Noble signings scheduled, and of course, Comic-Con rears its head again at the end of July.
     
    -- 2009 sets are still in focus groups -- I think the last round of testing is the end of Feb. in North Carolina.
     
    Greg
     
     
     
     
  9. GregF

    News And Notes

    By GregF,

    Just a random assortment of things today --
     
    1) Heading to Denmark in mid-March for a one-day story meeting -- going to lock down 2008 and decide whether 2009 will be a stand-alone story or part of a 2009-2011 trilogy, among other things. I am headed out a day early to meet with the BIONICLE web producer.
     
    2) Working on BIONICLE Legends #8: Downfall. For the sake of variety, I am writing the book backwards -- epilogue is done, working on the last chapter now.
     
    3) Much has been made on BZP of the proliferation of topics complaining about BIONICLE and its direction. Actually, what there is a proliferation of is people saying there is a proliferation -- as many veteran BZPers can tell you, this happens every year and has since 2003 or so, and it is not confined to BZP or BIONICLE fandom. Most fan bases react to anything new with initial suspicion/dislike, until they get used to it and find the positives. I got asked by the BIONICLE brand manager if she needed to be concerned about some of the topics here, and I told her no, not at this point -- sometimes, BZP angst does go hand in hand with lower sales for a line of sets, but most times it does not.
     
    4) Making my first school appearances this spring -- a BZPer wrote me a letter as part of a school project, and it turned out his school is nearby to where I live and work. So I told him if the school was interested, I would come in and speak. I heard from them a month or so later, very nice people, and we arranged two engagements in April. Normally, I do book signings at stores or things like Comic-Con, but have not done a school before. Might be interesting.
     
    Back to work -- if I do my job right, Bionicle Legends #8 should be the most emotionally wrenching BIONICLE book I have ever done. I am purposely writing a vague description for Scholastic to use so they don't give away the major plot points on their site months ahead of time.
     
    Greg
  10. GregF

    News And Notes

    By GregF,

    Just this and that today --
     
    1) Work on the new movie is proceeding apace. Had another conference call between the story team and the movie folks yesterday and another one is scheduled for the movie "core team" (myself, the screenwriter, and the Tinseltown Toons VP) on Friday. Story-wise, this is the best movie we have ever set out to do.
     
    2) Surprise hit for BIONICLE this year is Karzahni, who is a top 20 item at Toys R Us.
     
    3) DC sent me something nice the other day -- original art boards from some of the 2001-2002 comics. And one lucky BZPer is going to get the chance to win a couple! So keep an eye out in the forums for a new contest, coming soon!
     
    Greg
  11. GregF

    News And Notes - 11/19

    By GregF,

    A few notes:
     
    * Due to the fact that it looks like we changing comic artists in 2008, there will be no comic in January. The current plan is for the number of actual comic pages per issue to go up to 16 next year, although I have not heard yet if we are doing a total of five issues, four issues, four issues plus one online, or what. I do know first issue of the year will be in March 2008.
     
    The reason for the change is basically Stuart having other projects to focus on and our wanting to get back to more of a 2001-2002 style with the book. I believe they are close to deciding on the new artist, but I have not heard a name yet. Will let you know when I do.
     
    * We WILL be holding the line on prices in 2008, to the best of my knowledge, meaning the "canister" sets will still be at $9.99 as they have been in 2006-2007. This is frankly in the face of mounting and extreme pressures on us and the entire industry to raise prices. The rising cost of oil means the cost to produce plastic is way up (as well as to transport goods) -- plus a weak dollar means that the company does not make as much profit off sales in the US as it did in the past. We are staying where we are in 2008 and hoping that increased volume will make up for this, but I have a feeling you are going to see other toy companies raising prices in the coming months.
     
    * Script for the new movie is supposed to be coming to me today for review. Once I have seen it and okayed it, it will get passed on to the rest of the team for review and approval.
     
    Greg
  12. GregF

    News And Notes, 12/7

    By GregF,

    Hi guys,
     
    As you can imagine, I am getting bombarded with 2008 questions now that the first sets have appeared in Anaheim. I did release a mask name and power this week, and will do more next week.
     
    However, I'm not going to just hand out the entire first half 2008 info on December 7th, and leave us with nothing to discuss between now and next July. I am not going to embargo all info on '08, but I am going to portion it out so that it lasts. Okay?
     
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    In other news, we had a company meeting yesterday to discuss our year-end results -- while final numbers will not come out until early next year, it looks like we had another fantastic year worldwide, despite the toy market being stagnant as a whole. It's a really remarkable turn-around considering the hole we were in a few years ago. A lot of this has to do with our management team, who have set a really clear direction for the company and been willing to make some tough decisions and dispense with some "sacred cows." And the early read from the market is that our products for next year are some of the strongest we have done in years.
     
    BIONICLE had an okay year, but could have been better. We have some challenges we have to face -- getting away from clone sets means the cost of producing the sets has gone up, due to all the new molds, etc., and that cuts into profitability. And, while we are still strong among 9+ year olds, we have work to do introducing BIONICLE to the 6-8 year olds who will keep the franchise going into the future. That is something Scholastic will be helping with, which I will tell you about later on.
     
    On the plus side, when kids were asked the top 10 franchises they would like to get a toy from, only three of their 2006 choices were still on the list in 2007, and BIONICLE was one of the three.
     
    So now we focus on these critical next three weeks, as we go into the Christmas toy-buying season, and then we get ready to take that momentum into 2008 and make it another great year!
     
    Greg
  13. GregF

    Notes From Billund

    By GregF,

    One more day left in my BIONICLE week in Billund, and thought I would share some notes:
     
    -- Piraka are doing very well, outselling the Toa Hordika and Visorak from 2005. Everyone is very pleased about that.
    -- Saw the first Toa Inika commercials yesterday, which were just great. Very different, but still true to the feel of the characters and what they can do.
    -- Got some details on some big promotions and some big web news you will be hearing about in the coming weeks.
    -- Saw the whole range of 2007 sets for the first time -- they blow away anything ever done for BIONICLE, individually and as a group. The most differentiated sets we have ever done, they make the 2001 Toa look like clone sets. I was impressed with the Piraka when I first saw them, but if the 2007 sets are a sign of the future of BIONICLE, the future seems very bright.
    -- Lots of story discussion on Wednesday. As usual, the story team fought a lot Wouldn't be a story meeting if we didn't, because everyone involved in BIONICLE gets very passionate about it.
    -- Found out that as of the end of 2005, over 600,000 BIONICLE books have been sold and 11 were on Barnes and Noble's Top 500 list. Sales are a wee bit softer this year, which is to be expected after a series has been running this long -- but the books are now making it into more places, like Spain and France, with activity books slated for a lot of other places -- so go buy books
     
    Greg
  14. GregF

    Off To Billund

    By GregF,

    Leaving for Denmark on Monday for a one-day story meeting on Wednesday, also a meeting on BIONICLE.com content -- you can continue to PM questions, as I can sometimes access BZPower from the computers in the hotel. Overall meeting is to finalize 2008 and start talking about 2009 and beyond.
     
    Latest word I heard is that there will be a BIONICLE book every three months starting with Bionicle Legends #8.
     
    Initial orders from stores for the Toa Mahri seem to be pretty high, so it looks like they are going to do well for us.
     
    About halfway done with Book 8 -- doing a Makuta-Hydraxon fight now --
     
    See you when I am back end of next week, if not before!
     
    Greg
     
     
  15. GregF

    Off To Denmark!

    By GregF,

    I leave on Tuesday for Billund, Denmark for BIONICLE meetings -- one afternoon of 2007-2008 story meeting, and two days of what we call "big bang" meetings where we talk with all the reps from the different market areas. Hopefully, they will be productive meetings and everyone will come out of them excited about BIONICLE 2007. (They have even asked me to read part of BIONICLE #6 there.)
     
    After I am back, it is a month home and then off to Comic-Con in July. Fortunately, EXO-FORCE #3 is almost done, so I can start work on the atlas while I am in Denmark.
     
    Greg
  16. GregF

    Off To San Diego

    By GregF,

    Last blog entry before heading to San Diego on Wednesday --
     
    This weekend was my birthday, so I have been mainly staying away from the keyboard and trying to chill, since I know next weekend will be insane (Comic-Con always is). There is no tired like San Diego tired ...
     
    Had a really great BIONICLE business team meeting on Friday, to discuss 2007 and start talking about 2008. This is very different from the story team -- it's a US-only group, consisting of the Brand Director, Brand Manager, Assistant Brand Manager, PR, co-promotions, in-store, Sales, Shop At Home, Brand Manager Community, licensing, art, and myself representing both the story team and the LEGO Magazine. We talked about strengths and weaknesses of the line, and any challenges we felt would need to be overcome going forward. Everything I have heard from everyone is that barring some sudden and unexpected sales collapse, BIONICLE is in no danger of going away -- but we still need to take steps to keep it fresh and to appeal to new fans. What today's 9 year old expects from a line and from media is very different from what a 9 year old five years ago expected.
     
    One of the nice things about the meeting was that I got to read a little of the first chapter of BL #6 to the group, which was fun and sparked a few ideas among the group. Nothing I can share yet, but still kind of cool.
     
    Those of you who have received your July magazines already will have seen the teaser ads for "Free the Band" -- the big national BIONICLE promotion this year. I don't have a ton of details on this yet, but I do know the prizing for it is awesome.
     
    Hope to see some of you in San Diego!
     
    Greg
  17. GregF

    Off To Tru

    By GregF,

    Every year at this time, LEGO employees travel to Toys R Us stores all over NY, NJ, CT and MA, helping out store personnel and customers seeking LEGO sets. This year, staff writer Daniel Lipkowitz and I get the fun of working at the Toys R Us Times Square store in Manhattan. We expect it to be hectic, as we'll be there the 18th and 19th!
     
    This has been a fantastic year for LEGO sales, so I don't know how much will still be on the shelves --people are buying sets as fast as our manufacturing folks can make them! We'll see, though, if any place has the newest stuff, it will probably be the Times Square store.
     
    So I will be away from my computer Sunday through Tuesday - if you send PMs during that time, just be patient, I will get to them when I am back.
     
    Greg
  18. GregF

    Offline 9/21-27

    By GregF,

    I will be largely offline this coming week, until probably the 27th or so, so any PMs sent during this week will have to wait a bit for answers.
     
    Greg
  19. GregF
    One time, some while ago, there was a project in the works at one of my jobs that I was unhappy about. I just knew that creatively it was all wrong, it was going to miss our audience, and it was just in general a bad idea. And I made that pretty clear to the people around me (as I am wont to do). Then one day I got some very good advice from someone I respected -- she said, "If you're worried that it is going to be all wrong, volunteer to work on it ... and make it right." (I did, by the way, and it turned out pretty well.)
     
    Why am I sharing this story? Well, there are three fan initiatives floating around online right now -- New World, BIONICLE: Next Generation, and the BIONICLE Story Squad. My awareness of them ranges from the very familiar to the passing acquaintance, and I cannot predict success or failure for any of them. The people working on them certainly seem dedictated and willing to put the time in on these projects. All of these projects are in their infancy and still have lots of questions attached to them.
     
    What's interesting, though, is that they seem to be provoking a lot of hostility in some quarters here. If I offer to help out on one or the other, I get a hornet's nest of angry PMs. I see people being downright abusive in forums (people who should know better than to behave that way). I don't know if it's legitimate disapproval, jealousy, bitterness, or what -- one thing I have identified is that some people seem to feel strongly that fans should not be allowed to suggest things for canonization in story.
     
    Let me address the last first. LEGO has the LEGO Ambassadors program, the Kids' Inner Circle, and even fans helping to design some of the models we put out. The first letter of my dept. name -- C -- stands for "community." BIONICLE has a passionate fanbase and a history of letting them contribute in small to medium ways to the storyline -- and with the demise of the sets, the company wants to broaden the involvement of fans in the creation of story. In some cases, as with BSS, it means creating something new -- in others, it means letting people have some leeway to try something new and see if it works. Just as I get to play in the BIONICLE universe, they get to do some of that too now, with the same restrictions that I have always operated under. And as always, nothing will become part of official story unless I okay it. You have a right to disagree with LEGO's thinking, but that is the policy I have been asked to implement.
     
    Now, some people may think that if they kick up enough of a ruckus, these projects will fail/get cancelled and official story will be safe from dreaded fan input. Sorry, not so. See, my mandate is to get fans involved with story -- it says nothing about BZPers or BS01 folks or Kanohi Journal or any of that. So if were to turn out that working with this community just isn't going to happen, I can always turn to KIC or to younger fans who I have met at events or in focus groups and let them contribute their ideas. So the only thing that would be achieved would be putting this very creative, very passionate community of fans on the outside looking in, and I don't think anyone wants that to happen.
     
    Do I KNOW BSS, NG, and NW will be stellar successes? Nope. Do I think there will be bumps in the road, creative dead ends, and who knows what else in the process of finding out how they will work out? Yes. But people have stepped forward, said they were willing to work, and I hope that their endeavors WILL be successful.
     
    So my advice to the community is to play nice. Show some respect. If you are certain that one of these project is going down the complete wrong road, don't gripe about it in forums -- volunteer to help and steer it back onto the right road. If you see problems that maybe the people working on it don't see, bring them up in a helpful, constructive way. (If the project team refuses to listen to you, and the problems eat them alive, at least you tried.) If all you have to contribute is bile and hostility, I'd suggest you zip it, because the only thing you may achieve is the marginalizing of your community.
     
    BIONICLE post-sets is a huge opportunity both for you and for me as far as new story goes. If you want to be a part of that, great. If you have a constructive suggestion to make things better, I would hope the people behind these projects would have the sense to be all ears. And if you don't want to be involved at all, don't knock the people who do. It only makes you look small.
     
  20. GregF

    Pm I Got Today

    By GregF,

    Not sure if this is serious, or a prank, but I thought I would share a PM I got today from a "BIONICLEFan606":
     
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    Hello,
     
    I made an account on Bzpower specifically just to be able to contact you, Mr. Farshety.
    I dont know anything about Bionicle, but I got your name from one of my brother's Bionicle books, and decided that you were the best person to come to.
    My little brother, 15, is a really big fan of Lego Bricks, specifically Bionicle. He goes to Central High and plans to attend their College too.
    The other day, my brother came home with a broken collar bone and scarred face from some school bullies all because of this stupid toy he like.
    That's not all of it.
    I am sick of going into his room, and see it covered and decorated with pictures of bionicles and displayments of his 'masks'.
    He is becoming a reclusive to our family and is constantly on this website socializing with others about these toys that ruin lives.
    I blame all of this entirely on you.
    Please go home and think about how there is one teenage boy who you made into a freakin zombie and sucked into your little world.
     
    I am leaving this message anonymous mostly because I will never be on this account again. My brothers name will also be kept entirely secret on this site.
     
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    If it is serious, it raises some interesting questions in my mind --
     
    1) Lots of anger at me, and at LEGO by extension, but no mention of any for the people who beat up his/her brother -- ignorant, intolerant people who would hurt someone for having an interest different from theirs. The evil here is people who want others to think like they do and act like they do -- they are the ones trying to create zombies incapable of independent thought.
     
    2) If the account was created specifically to tell me about this, why was it created 12 days ago, and includes posts in the BIONICLE-based creations forums? And why keep it anonymous when you could simply cancel the account, and thus never hear from me?
     
    3) If true, this is a tragic story. Even if not true, there may well be similar (if not as extreme) situations liek this out there, so it is worth discussing anyway. But I am not sure what BIONICLE is guilty of here other than being entertaining. No one is forced to adopt it as a hobby -- it is certainly not omnipresent in our culture or something a 15 year old is going to feel he has to be involved in against his will. It sounds like this person found an interest they were genuinely enthusiastic about ... so we are to blame for making BIONICLE worthy of interest.
     
    BIONICLE is not a cult -- it's a toy line for 7-9 year olds, supported by a comic, a web site, and some books. There is no TV series popping up on your screen, no MMRPG everyone is talking about, or anything else forcing its way into your life. If BIONICLE is part of your life, it is because you actively chose it to be. And, unfortunately, standing up for things you care about can be painful. I know a lot of BZPers can testify to that.
     
    If this young man was spending too much time on BIONICLE -- obsessing over it -- then that is something for the family to deal with. If we are going to blame/shut down everything that has the potential to absorb someone that much, we will not have much left in our culture.
     
    Any thoughts?
     
    Greg
  21. GregF

    Price Increase Faq

    By GregF,

    We have already discussed the price increase on the BIONICLE canister figures in this space, but I am seeing a lot of people for whom it is apparently news. So I thought repeating some of what I said before might be a benefit to at least a few people (even if you guys know this, you can pass it on to people who do not).
     
    Q. Why are BIONICLE canister prices going up?
    A. The simple answer is that BIONICLE sets are costing more to buy because they are costing us more to make. Oil prices have doubled in the last two years and show no sign of going back down. That means the cost of producing plastic goes up; the cost of running molding machines goes up; the cost of getting packaging produced goes up; and the cost of transporting the sets to stores goes up.
     
    When our manufacturing costs go up, we have two choices: keep prices where they are and make less profit on each sale (which we did for the last few years), or raise prices. If we don't make a profit on our sales, then there is no point in doing the line and we would just cancel it. Instead, we looked at which BIONICLE sets were most popular, and so the best able to survive a price increase, and bumped the prices up. We kept the prices the same for the more expensive sets.
     
    Q. Why are they going up by so much?
    A. Basically. because we held the line for a few years when we should have been raising prices. So now we have to do a bigger increase to get the prices where they should be.
     
    Q. Are the prices of all BIONICLE sets going up?
    A. No. Only the canister sets.
     
    Q. Are the prices going to go up again in 2009?
    A. There are no plans for price increase in 2009, no.
     
    Q. I live outside of the US. Are my set prices going to go up too?
    A. As far as I know, the answer is no. Prices in the US were lower than they should have been for years, which is why we have to do this increase. Customers in, say, Canada were already paying higher prices, so we don't need to increase theirs.
     
    Q. Is this something just LEGO Company is doing?
    A. No, it's a fact of economic life in 2008. Gas prices are up; food prices are up; prices of other toys and goods are up or soon will be. The dollar is weak, and so does not buy as much as it used to, and increasing energy costs mean anything that requires energy to produce or transport (in other words, everything) is going to go up.
     
    Q. I think LEGO is just doing this to make a bigger profit!
    A. No. LEGO Company is doing it to maintain the level of profit we had per set sale in the past. Keep in mind that LEGO does not get $12.99 for every canister set sold, because some of that money goes to the retailer and some of it goes to manufacturing. As manufacturing costs go up, you either have to ask the retailer to take less profit from the set or you have to take less -- unless you raise the price. That's why you are seeing prices up for everything everywhere.
     
    Q. I am going to boycott BIONICLE sets so the price will go back down!
    A. What you choose to spend money on is up to you, of course. But unless you think not buying a BIONICLE set is going to drive oil prices down, your boycott will only achieve two things: you won't have the sets, and if enough people follow your lead, the line will just get cancelled. Simple as that.
     
    Q. This is the worst thing LEGO has ever done!
    A. This is the most practical thing LEGO could do for the health and future of the line. Yes, it stings the wallet -- so does $4.30 gas and a $2.50 load of bread and a $3.50 comic book. But the alternative would have been no more BIONICLE at all, and I don't think anyone wants that.
     
    Any other questions, feel free to send them along.
     
    Greg
  22. GregF

    Psionics

    By GregF,

    As promised, if slightly delayed, here is in the info on Psionics as an MU element:
     
    Colors: Blue and gold
    Gender: Female
    Prefix: Ce - (pronounced "say")
    Matoran Ability: Unable to be mind-controlled or read telepathically -- by studying them, Helryx learned how to shield the minds of the OOMN members from telepathy.
    Powers: A Toa of Psionics has the following powers:
    * Telepathy
    * Telekinesis
    * Ability to do a damage-dealing mind blast (mental damage only, not physical)
    * Limited mind control (cannot make someone do something that is against their pre-existing moral code)
    * Creation of illusions -- so lifelike they can be experienced by all five senses, but cannot fool techological systems
    * Ability to mentally mask her presence from bio-mechanical or organic life, but not from technological systems
     
  23. GregF
    Bink posted in my last entry asking whether the time I spend on a book includes outline and plotting as well as the actual writing.
     
    Answer is basically no, because I do not outline my books. I don't want to know what is going to happen ahead of time, it gets boring then. I like to be as surprised as my readers when the pieces fall together. That is how I have always written, dating back to when I first started -- I avoid outlines like the plague, I think it robs writing of its spontaneity.
     
    Greg
  24. GregF

    Quick Thing

    By GregF,

    I'm getting a lot of people sending me Q's one day, then resending them the next. I try to get to all Q's as quickly as I can, but often it's not going to be in the same day you send them, so if you don't get answers that day, do not resend. I would say wait at least three or four days before resending if you feel that's necessary.
     
    Greg
  25. GregF

    Quick Things

    By GregF,

    Another library event to announce -- Saturday, October 18th, 11:00 am at the Fairfield-Nichols branch of the Trumbull library in CT.
     
    Also -- if you send me a PM, please make sure your settings are set up to get messages back. Lately, people have sent me lists of questions and when I respond, I get a message that they have chosen not to be contactable by Messenger. As a result, I waste my time answering and they can't get their answers.
     
    Greg
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