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Velox

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  1. Velox
    That is what American Assassin is right now. And it was only released on the twelfth this month.
     
    And let me tell you. It deserves it. Just finished reading it after getting it at that book signing on Wednesday [and with school and basketball, it wasn't easy to read it so quick -- but it kept me hooked, and I couldn't put it down]. Awesome lecture, too, that he gave. But anyway, back to the book itself.
     
    I will say it wasn't quite what I expected. But it was amazing. It delved into Mitch Rapp's character a lot, and just allowed for a fascinating read with fascinating characters. It kept me hooked the whole way. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say what specifically I liked, etc., etc. But I really don't think you'll be disappointed if you pick it up.
     
    And it's the best time, too! If you're new to Vince Flynn, this is the perfect time to start. Besides Term Limits, this is the first book in the Mitch Rapp series. Y'see, he wrote TL as a standalone novel, which didn't include Mitch Rapp at all. He then wrote ten novels with Mitch Rapp, which did include some characters from TL. Anyway, in AA, he tells the beginning of Mitch Rapp, how he became a CIA agent, his first kill, and more. So if you haven't read a Mitch Rapp book yet, why not read AA first? That's what I did [i've only read Term Limits besides AA]. And so you see, it really is the best time to start on Vince Flynn's stuff.
     
    Though of course go ahead and read TL first -- it's interesting to see some of the characters transfer over from that into AA.
     
    So yeah, I know I've been advertising Vince Flynn a lot lately, but really, he deserves it. #1 New York Times Bestseller just after one week of the book being released.
     
    Anyway, since my last book entry, I have gotten a few other books. This is because I was looking for The Third Option -- the last Vince Flynn book I need -- and so I went to several used bookstores where I unfortunately did not find it, but did pick up some other stuff [i decided to order TTO on Amazon]:
    Agatha Christie's Detectives. Five Complete Novels: The Murder at the Vicarage, Dead Man's Folly, Sad Cypress, Towards Zero, N or M?. Hey, it's five Agatha Christie novels, so no explanation necessary [though unless I find another "collection" (more than one novel in a book) I'm done with buying mystery for now, since I'm reading more thrillers at the moment -- once I finish everything I have I'll start buying again, lol]. Marine -- Tom Clancy. No, not a novel. But a non-fiction reference book. And by Tom Clancy. So I thought it'd be good reference, considering two of my characters are Marines. Velocity -- Dean Koontz. I enjoyed Night Chills [though I actually didn't quite finished, because I got American Assassin and started reading that instead =P] and this one sounded cool. Separation of Power -- Vince Flynn. The second-to-last book I needed. And it was hardback, so I was very happy [i only have two of his books that are paperback, the rest are hardback]. The Complete Guide to Middle Earth -- J.R.R. Tolkien. Do I really need an explanation to this? Fool Moon -- Jim Butcher. Next in the Dresden Files series -- I loved Storm Front, so decided to get the next one. Mirror Image -- Tom Clancy. This and the three below are the first in their respective series. After I'm done reading a bunch of other stuff, I thought that I'd try all of Clancy's series, so I got the first of these three. Hidden Agendas -- Tom Clancy Politika -- Tom Clancy Portraits of Murder -- Alfred Hitchcock. 47 murder short stories, picked by the great man himself. Of course I got it. The Bourne Identity -- Robert Ludlum. Heard this series was really good, and finally found the first one [i've seen Ultimatum and Supremacy a lot, but not Identity]. Will look forward to reading this some time. Path of the Assassin -- Brad Thor. Another thriller writer that I've heard is very good, and this sounded like the most interesting out of what they had. And now for the last topic of discussion: NaNoWriMo. Am I doing it? I really do hope so. However, I am not doing the 50k. Think whatever you want of me, I don't care. The fact is that I haven't written a single story over ~5k. Furthermore, I've been extremely busy lately, with school, basketball, and just life in general. Lastly, I haven't written in a long time. I don't think I've written a thousand words with this month and last month combined [basically the only fiction writing I've been doing is for school]. And so, I'm starting small. This is the first time I'm doing this after all. And if I can get over 20k, I will be extremely proud of myself. 
    What will I be writing? That novel I've been talking about for over a year now. I've got it pretty much all outlined, I have the prologue and part of the first chapter written, I like what I'm doing with it, and I know what I'm going to do with it. The last thing that remains [and has been remaining since ~summer] is for me to write it, which I hope NaNoWriMo will offer sufficient motivation to do so.
     
    Oh, and this year [school-wise] is really gonna suck. Especially because in my favorite class [English] I have one of the worst teachers and she hates me. Ah well. I don't like her either. =P I just wish I had my Freshman English teacher, who I still talk to a lot just because of how awesome he is and how good of a teacher he is. Which is actually another motivation for my novel. He likes my writing, and so I really hope to be able to show him my completed novel before I graduate. Which gives me a little more than a year and a half.
     
    But anyway, enough of my rambling on [no one likes to read these long entries, do they?] -- gotta go clean and do some other stuff, and then I'll start Transfer of Power, aka the first of the Mitch Rapp series after American Assassin.
     
    - Velox
  2. Velox

    2012 in Review

    By Velox,

    So 2012 was an amazing year. Most probably the best year I’ve had yet. I’ve made some mistakes, I’ve done some stupid things, I haven’t done quite as much writing or reading as I would’ve liked, and there’s been a few other small downtimes, but overall it was amazing. So, let’s break down the categories (I considered separating them like Nuile did, but I figured why not just put them all in one entry…maybe that was a mistake =P):
     
    Writing ~ I’ve made amazing progress with my writing this year. Previously it was rare that I write – a short story, maybe two, a year and otherwise that’s about it. This year that has grown exponentially. Starting in around June, John (55555), Micah (Kakaru), and I, along with many others, started doing nightly “Write-Offs” where we’d write about a theme for 15 minutes and then comment on each other’s works. While we took a long break (like, 5 or 6 months =P), recently John and I have started doing them nightly again, and it’s amazing. They’re not my best writing, but just writing almost every night is something that I truly love and am thankful for.
     
    Perhaps my biggest writing achievement this year was 30,000 words for NaNoWriMo (I meant to write an entry on that, but I guess I forgot…). No, I didn’t quite make it to the 50k, but considering how little I had been writing in previous years, and how this is the first year I’ve written (while also juggling the first semester of college), and how I’ve never written a single story longer than 1.5k, this has been a huge step for me. Writing this much in one month about one single story is just awesome. I’m still surprised I was able to do this much, and I look forward to getting the full 50k next year.
     
    What I wrote was an espionage and psychological thriller. My old, 2010 short story “Hope” is actually the prologue for it. I definitely had a lot of fun writing and planning this, and I hope to finish it soon, as I’m only about half-way done with it. I’ll probably write another entry sometime just about this and other writing, but since I’m covering a lot in this entry I should probably leave it at that.
     
    I’ve also written four poems this year – the first poems I have written since freshman year of high school. While they were for my creative writing class, I’m still fairly pleased with them and look forward to writing more poetry next semester, as I’ll be taken a poetry class (same professor, too, so that’s cool – I really liked him). Additionally, I’ve written several short stories in 2012, two of which are over 2,000 words – longer than any short story I’ve written before 2012 – as well as several over 1,000 words. These are both big steps for me as, again, I really hadn’t been writing much and it was hard for me to write long stories. Now this year I’ve written several. I may do another blog entry some time specifically about my character Detective Calvin Duster and the stories I have planned for him and the stories I have written.
     
    But all in all, it’s been a great year writing-wise. I still haven’t written as much as I would have liked, but that’s what 2013 is for, and I’ve written more this year than I have in all other years combined, so for that, I am happy.
     
    In total, let’s see. I’ve written roughly…7? short stories, half of a novel, parts of two different Serials, 4 poems, and over 50 flash fiction pieces. 2011? I didn’t write a single short story, apparently. I must have written something, but nothing that I thought was good enough to post online. Wow, that’s bad.
     
    Reading ~ I’ve written several blog entries on books in 2012, so I don’t think I need to do that again. I’ll just link to my Best Books of 2012 and leave it at that. This is the second year that I’ve read more than a-book-a-week, and I’ve read many great books. I hope to continue my book-a-week streak for 2013 as well.
     
    Blogging ~ So this year I started blogging for the first time (off of BZP), mostly for my write-offs. It’s been a great experience and I’ve met some awesome people. I just plan on blogging even more this year.
     
    Movies ~ Wow, so 2012 has been a great year for movies. I’ve watched more movies in theatre this year than quite possibly my whole life combined, haha – I don’t go to the theatre often. The Hunger Games was enjoyable, and it’s been fun ranting about it and the book to various people. Seeing the Avengers at BricksCascade with the awesome people there was really fun. Then of course The Dark Knight Rises over summer was completely amazing and one of my favorite movies. I saw The Bourne Legacy with a friend, and enjoyed that. I really like Jeremy Renner, and it wasn’t a bad sequel to the Bourne Trilogy. The last two movies I saw were The Hobbit and Les Miserables, both of which were completely amazing. I hope to write a review of and ramble for both, but for now I’ll just leave it at saying they were amazing.
     
    TV Shows ~ I’ve discovered several new TV shows this year. Namely, Castle, The Walking Dead, and Justified. All are amazing shows, and Castle is definitely one of my top 5 all-time favorite shows and is amazing, and Katie and Aimee are awesome for nagging me enough to finally start watching it.
     
    Music ~ I’ve found a variety of new music this year. Most importantly, ThePianoGuys. These guys are amazing, and definitely my favorite band/music group. Many thanks to Will (Tolkien) for introducing them to me. Then Katie (Ezorov) has shown me some awesome bands as well, name Eisley, the Hunger Games soundtrack, and Adele’s Skyfall song, among other things. I’ve started listening to more of the Beatles and finally got their #1 Hits CD, and I’ve also started listening to Billy Joel, thanks to Grant-Sud. And lastly, I’ve started listening to soundtracks a lot more this year – Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, etc., as well as other classical stuff like Handel’s Messiagh, etc. Really amazing stuff. I have of course listened to other things new-to-me this year, be these are all some of my favorite groups and songs, now.
     
    Personal Life ~ With the help of the people mentioned below and other things in my life, I think I’ve definitely grown as a person this year, specifically in my Faith and beliefs. I can’t really get into the detail, but suffice to say I am extremely thankful for these people and the circumstances that allowed me to become, in my opinion, a better person. I still have a lot of work to do, and unfortunately I have also failed throughout the year many, and I’m not happy with many things that I have done, but I believe that I have gotten stronger and I hope to this year accomplish some personal, private goals that I was not able to accomplish last year, though I did make progress on them in 2012.
     
    People ~ I’ve had some amazing relationships with people this past year. I’ve grown close to many, many people that I hadn’t been previously close with or as close with.
     
    First and foremost, while we started talking since BrickCon 2011, Katie (Ezorov) and I didn’t really get super close until 2012. She is one of the most amazing people ever, and the best of friends one can have. Talking to her for literally hours a day is just really, really amazing, and she is a super awesome person. I just can’t put into words accurately how amazing she is and how amazing it is being so close to her.
     
    Then there’s John (55555), who I’ve been friends with practically since I joined this site. But it seems like this year we became particularly close. Alike in so many ways, and just easy to talk to, he’s been an amazing friend this year and we’ve told each other practically everything. It’s been fun talking about our various struggles and wishes and people that we like, giving advice to each other and whatnot. He’s always there for me and is like a brother.
     
    Micah (Kakaru), too, I feel like I’ve gotten a lot closer to this year, probably because I’ve gone to two conventions with him and talked to him a lot on Skype. Micah, as I’m sure is obvious, is an awesome guy (just ask Rob), always willing to talk and help out with things. I’ve also gotten closer to Jason (xccj), rooming with him at two different conventions and going on mini road trips to Seattle – it’s been really fun, and I love how it doesn’t matter if we disagree on politics or religion, we put those aside and just be friends while respecting each other. And everyone, at BCon and BCascade, I’ve had awesome times with and gotten closer to.
     
    I think perhaps the biggest jumps I’ve made this year with people (previously rarely ever talking to them, and now talking to them very often and being good friends) would be Caleb (Cederak), Will (Tolkien), and Nate (GSR). I’ve always respected them a lot as writers (Nate less so, but that’s only because he wasn’t even active until like earlier this year, so I had no idea who he was until he entered those short story contests and then he immediately gained my respect =P). Caleb, especially, I’ve gotten really close to, and he’s helped me out a lot with things. Again I love how I can have practically completely opposite viewpoints on politics and religion with both Caleb and Nate, and we’re still great friends, because we don’t let that get in the way. Aimee (Aderia), too, I didn’t really know until this year, and now we’re great friends (and she’s also my Les Mis buddy that I can yell at about awesome Les Mis things any time I want. We’re also Les Mis t-shirt buddies!). And same with Kraggh – we’ve got a lot in common and we can both appreciate Les Mis for the awesomeness that it is.
     
    Although I went to school with her for 4 years, I didn’t really meet my friend Christina until early 2012. She really helped me become a better person and realize that there are other people out there like me (besides John [55555] =P), and since then I’ve grown so much in my Faith. Katie, too, has helped me immensely with my relationship with God, and she’s another person reminding me that there are people who share my views and beliefs. I’ve become a much better person this year, in terms of my beliefs, I think, mostly due to John, Katie, and Christina, and for that I will be forever grateful.
     
    And I could seriously ramble on and on and on about all the amazing relationships I’ve had this year, and keep listing more and more people, but I’ll end with just mentioning the members of the Ambage Skype chats. Especially Nuile, who never gave up his writers club idea, and I’m so glad we were able to create the Ambage and how successful it’s been. Literally everyone there is amazing and are awesome friends, and I couldn’t be more grateful for how they have been so influential on my life.
     
     
     
    And, well, that’s about it. I know I’ve probably rambled more than people care, but this was a fun entry to write. Here’s to 2013! *raises glass*
     
    ~ Velox
  3. Velox

    2013: In Review

    By Velox,

    2013 in Review


     
    So, I’m late on this, but I was out of town on/around New Year’s. Pretty great year overall. Read some great books, saw some great films, started watching some great TV shows, watched the 50th anniversary of Dr. Who, wrote a fair amount, met some awesome people, strengthened important friendships…in the end I’d say the good outweighs the bad overall. The first half of the year wasn’t all that great (one reason of which is because I struggled with my faith for a bit), but in the second half (like, August and later) I’ve had some of the greatest months yet.
     
    One of the biggest highlights for me was participating in (and finally completing/winning!) NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), in which I wrote over 50k words during November.
     
    I didn’t do nearly as much writing as I had hoped before this, and so being able to complete NaNo was definitely a great surprise. It’s truly some of the most fun I’ve ever had, and in addition, I have most of a novel finished. December turned out to be a crazy month for me (hence not updating this blog), but I hope mid-January (and later), once things slow down, I can finish the first draft and start working on some other projects I’ve been meaning to.
     
    Anyway, I’ve already ranted about NaNo a lot before, but it was really a great experience, and I’m hoping that it helps my writing (or frequency thereof) in 2014.
     
    I’ll be making a Top Ten list of books and films I read/saw in 2013 that were new to me, so I won’t rant about those here either. Instead, I’ll just end with what I got for Christmas:
    Some new clothes; most importantly, an awesome peacoat. I just really wish I could wear it more often, since it’s been around 80 for the past few weeks in southern California. -.- (though luckily it cools down at night, so I can wear it then at least)
    A really cool laptop messenger bag
    A “chocolate passport”. It’s a little box from Trader Joe’s that includes 8 bars of natural dark chocolate, each from a different country. They were all delicious
    New earbuds
    We saw Saving Mr. Banks as a family
    Man of Steel and Pacific Rim DVDs (2-disk special editions for each)
    Letters from Father Christmas, by J.R.R. Tolkien (from a friend). Even more proof (as if there wasn’t enough) of how completely awesome and amazing Tolkien was.
    Invisible Ink, by Brian McDonald (from a friend).
    A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Classics, by Charles Dickens. I had no idea he had written so many short novels/short stories/co-written short stories about Christmas
    The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov (B&N Leatherbound Collectible Edition; from my sister)
    Money. After which I went to a used bookstore and promptly used like a fourth of it. =P

    Here’s to a new year! I hope everyone had a great Christmas/New Year’s!
  4. Velox

    5 Years

    By Velox,

    So today marks my 5-year BZ-anniversary. Forgot completely about it until I saw that I had an Olmak. Half a decade, wow. Lot of memories from this place. Many awesome people that I've met, and, most importantly, the beginning of my writing career. Thank you, BZPower.
     
    And because I didn't write anything specifically for my anniversary, I'll just shamelessly plug my new poem again. =P COT literature always gets buried so quickly...Anyway, here's to many more half-decades on BZPower!
     
    Oceans.
    They stare at you
    Through the wooden edges of the frame.
    A snowy plane lines his cheeks, bushy and misshapen
    Like a wild plant, growing this way and that,
    Thinning here and there like his life.
    Soon it will all be gone.
    So will he...
     
    Read the full poem here. Comments are greatly appreciated in the topic. =]
     
     
    But yeah, I had fun with this one. I'm not much of a poem writer (though I want to be), and that's one of the reasons I took this Creative Writing class. It's "introduction to poetry and fiction writing" so I thought it would be a good way for me to start. And I have to say, I was really pleased with how it turned out. Obviously not perfect, but this is the first real poem I've written. I've written a few shorter, sucky ones, but otherwise this is about it. It's definitely my favorite class, and I look forward to writing more poems, now.
     
    ~ Velox
  5. Velox

    A Beautiful Celebration

    By Velox,

    So I was Confirmed today. For those who don't know, it means I received one of the Seven Roman Catholic Sacraments today - that of Confirmation. I'm sure 55555, What?, ChocolateFrogs, and any one else that's Catholic will know what I'm talking about.
     
    Anyway, it was cool. And long. Like two hours or something. But fun none-the-less.
     
    And... I'm going to lunch right now, I think, with my family. So, I'll probably blog later...
     
    Oh, and I'm re-writing Requiescat In Pace [reviews are still appreciated] in a humanized form. More on that later, too... basically I want to give it to my English teacher to see what he thinks as well as re-write a few scenes/add some scenes.
     
    Oh and something I just thought up - I hate it when I do a really long review for an MOC and the person ends up replying to everyone else but me. If I were the MOCer, I'd reply to the long posts more than the short ones. Plus, those reviews take a long time. [This doesn't happen that often but it's happened a few times to me within the last few months]
     

  6. Velox
    A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole
    ISBN: 0802130208
    Publisher: Grove Press
    Release Date: January 21st 1994
    Rating: 2/5
    Synopsis: Set in New Orleans, A Confederacy of Dunces outswifts Swift, one of whose essays gives the book its title. As its characters burst into life, they leave the region and literature forever changed by their presences – Ignatius and his mother; Miss Trixie, the octogenarian assistant accountant at Levy Pants; inept, wan Patrolman Mancuso; Darlene, the Bourbon Street stripper with a penchant for poultry; Jones, the jivecat in space-age dark glasses. Satire and farce animate A Confederacy of Dunces; tragic awareness ennobles it.
    Review: (Review from [book Reviewing Site])
     
    I’m honestly not sure why this is considered such a great book by some people. The only reason that I finished it is that I had to for one of my college English classes, but otherwise I probably wouldn’t've (and I hate leaving books unfinished, even if they’re not very good). At almost no point in the story does the plot, characters, writing style or setting grip my attention. Ignatius, the main character, is perhaps slightly interesting at first, but it gets to the point where it’s just too ridiculous and frankly boring — it all gets old quick.
     
    As I alluded to above, however, there were some parts toward the beginning where Ignatius was an interesting character. In fact, the book itself had some promise to it, but soon it was apparent that this book would be nothing more than mediocre at best.
     
    This is also supposed to be an extremely funny book — I didn’t feel that. The only thing I felt was that Ignatius (and, every character, really) is just so ridiculous that it’s not believable. It’s not funny any more because you don’t believe that anyone could ever act like that. At least I don’t. While the characters are all distinctly different — something usually that is good — they are different to extremes. Whatever they are, they are that to the very extreme. And it really hurts the book.
     
    Furthermore, it just epitomizes a lazy, whiny, and very un-funny main character. You’re not left laughing at Ignatius’ actions. You’re left wanting to slap him (and in a bad way -- not in the "author-did-a-good-job-making-you-hate-him" way, because he's supposed to be funny, even if he's not likable) because of his laziness, stupidity, or just overall annoying habits and mannerisms. Ignatius is not a fun, lovable character. And he’s not a despicable character in the good way, either — as in, some characters you’re meant to hate, they’re meant to annoy you, and if an author pulls that off, it’s a great feat. This, however, is not that either. What you have here is some weird medium where you think you’re supposed to like him and think he’s funny, yet you really hate him at the same time. Additionally, Ignatius is never really well-characterized. At the end of the novel I’m left with only the facts that he’s an extremely lazy, whiny, dependent man who wouldn’t last on his own for more than a week at best. And again, not in some funny or good way, but in a way that is just simply not entertaining at all. It's not just about the character being someone who's not likable, but it's about the fact that it tries too hard at humor, as if it was trying to prove its hilarity. There was almost none.
     
    I’ve wrestled with whether or not to give this one star or two. One star doesn’t seem quite fair, as the book isn’t horrible, and the writing is by no means bad (just not all that enjoyable — but then again, not the least-enjoyable thing I’ve read, either). I’m kinda iffy on this whole star system in general — most of my 5 stars would actually be 4.5, because I believe that hardly any book is perfect and worth a perfect score. Yet 4 (or if you double it, 8/10 — a “B” if it were a college paper) is too low. So I ended up giving it a two — I didn’t like it, but it was -okay- (note to BZP members: This site's rating system says "I didn't like it" for one star, and "it was okay" for two stars -- hence my middle-ground).
     
    Overall I just simply cannot highly recommend this book. It’s not horrible, no, but I definitely wouldn’t call it great or even good. John Kennedy Toole, while a promising author, took things too far every time. And it’s sad, really, because the idea behind this book could probably be something great, but it was simply taken way too far, exaggerated so much that the story started to lose credibility, leading to the ultimate dissatisfaction I felt with the book.
     
    ~ Velox
  7. Velox
    Day One; Wednesday, May 30th -- The last day of school and finals. I didn't do very well on my math or physics finals, but I ended both with a B so I was happy. After school we had graduation practice, and then everyone went home. Later that night was the Senior Barbeque, where it was a BBQ at school for just seniors and faculty where we all hung out and mostly signed year books. So it was really fun being able to talk to people and write in their yearbooks and such.
     
    Day Two; Friday, June 1st -- Graduation. In the morning I woke up for the Baccalaureate Mass (Mass=Catholic Church service) followed by the Baccalaureate luncheon, both of which were good. The Mass itself was beautiful, but I won't go into more details than that. It was kind of weird that we were wearing a graduation robes/hats because it somewhat felt like we were graduating, but whatever. The luncheon's food wasn't good at all, but luckily I wasn't really hungry anyway (when I'm excited/sad/a bunch of other emotions I'm not often hungry), and it was awesome being able to hang out with people for one of the last times. Definitely the last time all together, which is sad. I am very glad that I was able to talk to most of the people I wanted to, however, and there was much hugging/promising to hang out with/etc., all emotionally tolling. I just hope everyone (including myself) actually does as they promise and do make an effort to hang out with people. I know I will try.
     
    So then I went home for a couple hours and then it was Graduation itself. My brother unfortunately wasn't able to come (he's in a Seminary, aka studying to become a Catholic Priest), but my sister drove down from UCLA and a friend of the family (mostly was my brother's friend, but is mine as well; he's also becoming a priest but is on "summer break") came as well, along with one of my grandpas. The graduation ceremony itself was really nice, and I really loved the Valedictorian speech, even though it was super long (okay, maybe it was just because of the person who said it -- my prom date -- but still, it was a very good speech! =P). She was able to find a perfect balance between school/goodbye/thank-yous/God/etc. After graduation was spent taking a bunch of pictures, saying goodbyes, etc. I really wasn't that sad yet because I was comforted by the fact that I would still (hopefully) hang out with the people I truly care about. After all that I went to dinner with my family at Hof's Hut. At home is when it finally hit me when I was reading all the notes people signed in my yearbook. I honestly shed a couple tears, mostly for one person in general who is the most amazing person on earth and her note was super long and super nice and awesome. Because I realized that while I'll still hang out with her, I won't see her every day any more, and she's the best friend anyone could have. But anyway, then I had to pack for BricksCascade and it was then that I realized it was a little after 2am and I should probably go to bed since I had to get up at 4am for my flight, so I promptly went to bed and finished packing in the morning.
     
    Day 3; Saturday, June 2nd -- As I said above, woke up super early to finish packing and to allow time to drive to LAX/get there an hour early for my 6:15 flight. Flew into PDX, then sat in Starbucks for a while to eat breakfast/wait for Jason (xccj) and crew (Micah [Kakaru], Russell [Micah's brother], and Steven [swert] -- we all stayed at Jason's house) to pick me up because Jason was writing a story for my contest (lol, I was on my computer in Starbucks, browsing around, and saw Jason post right at the time he was supposed to be at the airport =P but it was all good, because I needed breakfast). We went straight to the convention, where I got to see Andrew (B6), Pat (DV), and Madison (Nukaya) again, as well as meet Rob (Janus) and Becca (Hahli Husky) for the first time. Honestly, now I realize why everyone is all "Janus is amazing" -- he really, really is. And it was super awesome meeting Becca because she's the Library Queen and just an awesome person to talk to so it was awesome finally meeting her in person. I also got my brick badge (unfortunately, now for the second time [this also happened for BCon], I forgot my brick badge so only had the generic Cascade one) and staff T-shirt, which is awesome.
     
    Later that day I saw Kelly (Bink) and Thomas (Sumiki) again as well, as I had met the former at BCon and the latter at BFair. Sumiki, along with our group (from now on, "our group" = Myself, Jason, Micah, Russell, and Swert) started playing a Bionicle board game that I still don't completely get mostly due to ignoring Jason when he was explaining and spending most of the time texting while we were playing, lol. But still it was really fun, and I definitely won.
     
    But then Kelly came so we abandoned the game and after that went to lunch at a mall, where on the way we all jumped/danced/played on these huge cement balls (we also did this at BrickCon, so it was a must to do here =P). At that time the other BZP group were on their way back and saw us, and B6 was later like "we saw a bunch of people in light blue shirts doing stupid stuff on these balls, and I thought 'is that our staff?' Then we got closer and I was like 'yep, that's our staff.'" Then at the mall Micah and Sumiki and I were awesome and went into a dental office and asked for a toothbrush (we debated getting food, walking into the office, eating said food, then walking out [among other ideas], but I and Sumiki couldn't've kept a straight face and we all decided against it), where Micah actually received one (it was one of those crummy, use-once-with-a-little-toothpaste-already-on-the-toothbrush toothbrushes). Then we ate lunch, and after I introduced Micah to Cinabon cinnamon rolls, which I think are the best cinnamon rolls ever. On the way out of the mall we discovered a different dental office, so of course had to go in where Micah and I again asked for toothbrushes and toothpaste. At first they said they didn't have any, but after talking with us for a while they gave them to us but told us not to tell anyone. We didn't. But this worked out, because they were actually nice toothbrushes/toothpaste, and I didn't bring any toothpaste on the plane because I didn't have one under 3 oz. At some point we were also doing the "What is Love?" Jim Carrey skit, where people bobbed their head in a "car" (a few seats joined together in the middle of the Bionicle table).
     
    Then there was the Awards Ceremony which was cool; Kevin Hinkle answered a lot of questions. But more importantly afterwards we went to our fancy dinner with our group, along with Rob, Becca, Andrew, Pat, and Madison. We sat across from Rob and Becca so mostly talked to them, which was very fun. A lot of people wore dress shirts and tie, but I was unfortunately the only one that went all out with a suit and bowtie (I wanted to wear a legit tux with the special shirt, cummerbund, shoes, and bowtie, but I decided to wear a normal dress shirt instead as that would've been too dressy). I swear one of these days everyone will wear suits. : D Awesomely, Micah did wear a sports coat, which was close. Anyway, that was at this amazingly good Italian place (their fettuccine alfredo was amazing) and had an awesome time talking. Then our group went home and I forget what we did but we stayed up pretty late.
     
    Day 4; Sunday, June 3rd -- We all had to wake up fairly early because I wanted to go to Mass at a church near the convention center, so Jason and the rest awesomely accommodated, even if I was a little late. Micah actually even wanted to go with me, so that was cool. He's not Catholic, and he said the service was a lot different from his (he's Christian), but it was still cool that he went. It also gave me someone to walk back with since Jason just dropped us off and headed to the convention, but it was only a couple blocks away. And, amusingly, we saw Rob and Becca walking by the church toward the convention, and if it wasn't for them we would've missed the church (we told them what we were looking for, and Becca was like "you mean that Catholic church?" and pointed to the building right behind us. Not my proudest moment, considering it was brick and had a cross so should've been visible but I guess I wasn't looking for it well haha. Anyway, so Micah and I got out and Rob/Becca took our spots and were driven to the convention.
     
    The convention itself was a lot of fun. Sumiki wasn't there, unfortunately, but we still had a lot of fun. Our group talked with Rob for a long time about how he would've done a lot of Bionicle storyline, and most of it I agreed with. It was fun discussing Bionicle and how much it could've been better and everything haha. I also spent around 4 hours talking to Rob alone, as I was doing something important, so it was really cool being able to bond with and talk with Rob, as he really is an awesome, awesome guy, especially since this is the first time I had met him. Later in the day I also was able to talk with the other Andrew (B6), Pat, Madison, and Becca a lot, which was awesome as while I had met all but Becca, I still had never really talked to them before in person. Then there were closing ceremonies, more talking with people, group pictures, and then saying goodbye, at least to the people not in our group (Andrew, Rob, Becca, Pat, and Madison).
     
    But the night was young (and since we were young that night, we decided to set the world on fire haha #weareyoungsongbyfun) for our group, and still had awesomeness ahead of us. I had not seen Avengers yet, and really wanted to, so we all decided we would. My thoughts? It was a really good movie. I won't dispute that. But all the same, I didn't think it was amazing. But anyway. I may or may not write more on that later (probably not). Afterwards the mall was closed, so we had fun getting lost and trying to get out (poorly designed mall exits are poorly designed).
     
    When we got back to Jason's house we played "Assassin" with Nerf guns in his huge and awesome backyard (there's a small medow, then his backyard is literally a forest). Yes, I know that's not too uncommon, but hey, I'm from Southern California. =P And I love forests. Anyway, then after a while we played capture the flag, which while was awesome in theory, with only four people (Swert didn't play), pitch blackness, wet grass, etc., it wasn't as awesome as it could've been. =P But it was still incredibly fun. After that, even though it was like 2am or something, of course Micah, Jason and I weren't tired (yay for almost no sleep the whole weekend!) so we decided to do a review of the...Ghost Train, I think? Some Monsters set. Anyway, that was fun, filled with hilarious and (somewhat) inappropriate jokes; I feel bad for Jason who has to edit it all if we ever want to post it on BZP. =P But again, it was really fun, and we ended up staying up past 4am before we all decided to go to bed (from that set, since we all pitched in money-wise, I got to keep most of the plane as well as a Ghost minifig, as that's all I really cared about).
     
    Day 5; Monday, June 4th -- Monday we woke up to see Micah and Russell off (aka, Micah jumped on my bed to wake me up =P), and while I did say bye, I was unfortunately in the shower when they actually left. Micah really must stay longer next time (and I must arrive sooner), because he is one of the most awesome guys ever. So anyway, it was just Jason, Swert, and I, and we spent the bulk of the day driving to and from Tacoma to drop Swert off. Once in Tacoma we visited the Lego studio that Swert works at, I got to meet Dan Parker, his boss, for the first time, as well as get a tour of the studio which was really cool. We all went to lunch at the foodcourt there, then we drove Swert to a bank so he could pay Jason some money he owed him (which, while by Swert's definition was only a couple blocks away, was actually several miles, but it wasn't bad =P), then we dropped off Swert/the Mata Nui island at Swert's home. Jason and I had a great road trip back (but again, I wish Micah and other people were still there...we must do a huge bro trip some time!).
     
    So we were talking about a bunch of random stuff on the way back, and it started raining. We (well, mostly "I") wanted to stop at the Lego store, which was quite a bit out of our way, was still fun -- like I said, the car ride was fun. There I picked up the LotR sets with Shelob and the Gandalf arrives ones, because 1) they were the cheapest; and 2) I really wanted those ones anyway. At some point I hope to get the more expensive ones, but I had already spent a lot of money on this trip haha so just stuck with those (Shelob comes with three rings and two Stings [the sword Frodo carries], which is awesome, and the sets themselves are cool). On the way back from the Lego store it started to pour. And I don't mean California pour, I mean pour like I've barely ever seen before, where Jason had to drive at like 35-40 MPH (along with the rest of the people on the road) for a long time. But we made it home safely. We then spent the rest of the night building a couple sets, watching Pirates of the Caribbean (which I unfortunately fell asleep during, which is weird because it's one of my favorite movies, but then again I hadn't had much sleep and watching movies makes me sleepier sometimes), and eating Goldfish.
     
    Day 6; Tuesday, June 5th -- Tuesday we slept in a little bit ('till about 11), and then went outside to view Jason's backyard for the first time in the daylight. We played with his super awesome dog for a while (who I think fell in love with me, and I definitely fell in love with her -- my dog's lame and won't play fetch or follow you or anything =[), and then went into the forest a little bit to a creek where his dog played in while we admired. Seriously, that forest is so amazingly beautiful, and it is awesome that it is his backyard (reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes...). Then we spent the day touring Portland. We parked at a mall near the convention center because Jason had to return some shampoo for his mom, and we also got Jamba Juice and four bite-sized Cinabons just for the heck of it.
     
    We took the tram to downtown Portland, where we went to this super amazingly awesome place called Powell's Bookstore. We only spent an hour or two there, but I could have easily spent the whole day. I ended up spending more on that than anything else I had the entire weekend (including Lego), because I love books and they had a bunch of books I had been looking for forever. It was fun trying to stuff them into my already full backpack, but hey, it was worth it. And they weren't a bad price, either. Then we went to this place called VooDoo donuts, which, while I don't like the name, the donuts there were amazing. I had this Oreo one which was simply genius of whoever thought of it. Then we walked around the waterfront for a long time to kill time, talked to a cop for a bit (who went to UC Riverside, so he knew the area where I live), then rode the tram back to the mall where Jason drove to the airport. We stopped at a Target along the way to again kill time where I got new headphones and, yes, another books (A Song of Fire and Ice, by George R.R. Martin, because I've been meaning to read that series forever but haven't found it for cheap [aka, at this used bookstore I frequent because of its cheap prices] probably because it's so popular, and it was a good price). Anyway, then I was dropped off at the airport and that was that. Had a nice and safe flight home, so that was good. But I went to bed fairly soon after I got home as I had to wake up early.
     
    Day 7; Wednesday, June 6th -- As I said, I had to wake up early. Why? To have surgery to get my wisdom teeth taken out. Yes, fun. #sarcasm. But really, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and there is thankfully not much pain so far (I've only had to use the triple-strength Motrin they gave me, rather than the stronger Tylonol with Codine so far, so hopefully it stays that way [even though people have mentioned they wished they could see me with Codine, haha]). So today I've been a little groggy and incoherent, mostly catching up on the Flash Fiction contest (yeah, I know, perfect timing with Cascade/graduation/finals/school, right? Eh, oh well; it was fun). I hope to have the remaining polls done soon.
     
     
    And that's about it. It's been an amazing week, and while I wish some other people could've been there, it was super fun and I really look forward to hopefully going to BrickCon and seeing most of them again. I definitely already miss everyone, and as I've said before, we all need to move to some small town (Micah's town could work... =P) and have a BZP town so that we can hang out every day. But more than that (and actually realistically =P) we must have a week-long road trip sometime around a convention, or maybe just in the middle of summer/winter/spring break for the heck of it.
     
    Now I am off to finish a few contest things and then bed!
     
    ~ Velox
  8. Velox

    A Monster Calls

    By Velox,

    A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness is honestly one of the best books I have ever read. Illustrated by Jim Kay, this book tells the story of a thirteen-year-old boy named Conor who wakes up at seven minutes past midnight to find a monster outside his bedroom window. For a long time he has been having nightmares almost nightly, but this isn't the monster from those nightmares -- this monster is different and wants something from Conor: the truth. Filled with emotion, characterization, and great writing, this novel tells Conor's story as he faces his mother's illness and the nightmare that haunts him.
     
    I've been trying to find this book for a few months now at a used bookstore (what can I say, I'm cheap =P), but hadn't been able to find it until I visited Powell's bookstore in Portland when I was at Bricks Cascade (I'm sure I could have found it at a normal bookstore like B&N, but I haven't looked -- I know they have it online). I actually ended up buying it new anyway (it was only $16.99), and I definitely don't regret it. I started and finished this novel a few days ago and couldn't put it down while reading it. It has so much great characterization, plot, emotions, description, tales, not to mention the fabulous illustrations that accompany the text and simply the fact that the writing was very well done. I really want to read it again, but I'm forcing myself not to so I can read some of the other books on my mile-long list of books to read.
     
    But honestly, this book is highly recommended. I am really, really grateful to Katie (aka Ezorov) for telling me about it and "nagging" me to read it because I loved it and it is now definitely one of my favorite books. On that note, today is her birthday, so you should all go say "Happy Birthday" to her over here in the birthday topic I made for her!
     
    And if anyone's wondering, this is where my recent banner/avatar came from. I may write a more "official" review of it later on, but I just wanted to throw this out there that it's an amazing book and highly recommended.
     
    ~ Velox
  9. Velox
    Yes, this is another blog entry about my murder mystery story. =P
     
    Anyway... I'm still stuck on what short of team Velox & Co. [in their human forms, obviously] should be on. I really like the idea of being on NCIS, and I kinda think I'd write the best with that, but the only problem is that I'm not sure I should do that. Just because of the whole NCIS TV series and such.
     
    I dunno, it's hard to explain, but for some reason it doesn't seem right doing it, but at the same time I really want to.
     
    So here's your job: Should V and Co. be NCIS Special Agents, or something else [specify]?
     
    I guess my second choice would be just the LAPD [Los Angeles, California], but yeah. I'm not even sure if the police department has teams of people, so yeah.
     
    Anyway, thanks.
     
    -Velox
  10. Velox

    A Poem

    By Velox,

    I needed to write a poem on a color. I chose red. Also, I got a 25/25.
     

    Red is the color of my heart, That is full of Love for you.
    Red is the color of fire,
    The fire that burns in my heart.
     
    Red is the color of hatred,
    Which I feel so often.
    Hatred toward pain,
    And all that is evil.
     
    Red is the color of war,
    And the blood that comes from war,
    The blood shed for Loved ones.
     
    Red is the color of throats,
    Throats crying out in pain,
    Begging for a chance to Love.
    A chance to live.
     
    Red is for pain,
    Pain I feel when I can't be with you,
    When I can't feel your Love.
     
    Love is enduring,
    But so is its opposite.
    Hatred will always exist,
    But so will Love,
    My Love for you.
     

  11. Velox

    Ambage Member List

    By Velox,

    In order to make the main Ambage post shorter, the member list will be given and updated here:
     
    Cederak
    Velox
    Nuile
    Tolkien
    55555
    GSR
    Aderia
    Zarayna
    Grant-Sud
    Legolover-361
    Kakaru
    Ezorov
    Despair
    Tyler Durden
    Sechs - King of Facade
    Emperor Kraggh
    iBrow
    Kal Grochi
    Toa Onarax
    Nick Silverpen
    Zo'Tomana
    Alex Humva
    TNTOS
    Hubert
    Emperor Whenua
    Peach 00
    Click
    Phreak
    Flaredrick: Forgotten One
    Dual Matrix
    Eyru
    Commander CeeCee
    Janus
    Takua the Chronicler7
    Baltarc
    Pahrak #0579
    Replicant
    Takuaka: Toa of Time
    What?
    Naina
    SonicBOOM SX
    Phantom Terror
     
    Total members: 42
  12. Velox
    Writing Achievements for the Ambage


     
    Sometimes the most elusive thing for a writer to find is motivation. You might have all the ideas ready, but without a goal, you can get stuck. Enter the Ambage Achievements, created by Cederak. Think of them as a list of mini writing-goals for Ambage members, a chance to show yourself how much you have accomplished and to chronicle your writing endeavors for all to see. These individual achievements are meant to provide you, the writer, with something to work toward while being involved in the Ambage community
     
    How they Work:
    Create a post in the Ambage main topic or in a blog entry, and log all of your achievements there. As you achieve new achievements, feel free to post in the Ambage topic announcing such (and edit your original post/blog entry).
    Every achievement can only be unlocked once.
    They have been divided into categories for you.
    Critic Club reviews DO count.
    "Substantial" is ~1000+ words for stories, and ~300+ words for reviews.
    Instead of points, the number of achievements one achieves is now logged.
    Feel free to ask any questions here.

     
     
    Write-Offs:
     
    Into the Sky(pe)! - Participate in a Skype Write Off.
     
    Naturally Creative - Participate in 3 consecutive Skype Write Offs.
     
    Do We Know You? - Participate in 5 Skype Write Offs.
     
    One of the Gang - Participate in 15 Skype Write Offs.
     
    Super Regular - Participate in 25 Skype Write Offs.
     
    Old Guard - Participate in 35 Write Offs.
     
    Home Row Heavyweight - Finish a Write Off story with over 600 words.
     
    Keyboard Abuse - Finish a write off story with over 800 words.
     
    15 Minutes and a Dream - Enter a Write Off while using the monthly prompt.
     
    Just Following Orders, Sir - Enter 10 Write Offs while using the monthly prompt.
     
     
    General Writing:
     
    Manuscript Kiddie Pool - Post a short story.
     
    Laugh Factory - Post 3 comedies.
     
    The Typewriter is Dead - Post a compiled total of 10 works across all forums.
     
    The Keyboard is Broken - Post a compiled total of 25 works across all forums.
     
    Cyborg Fingers - Post a compiled total of 50 works across all forums.
     
    The Daunting Task - Post an epic or participate in NaNoWriMo.
     
    See it through to the End - Finish an epic/novel or complete NaNoWriMo.
     
    The Story Continues - Post 3 epics/novel or participate in NaNoWriMo 3 times.
     
    Drawing Conclusions - Finish 3 epics/novels or participate in NaNoWriMo 3 times.
     
    Journeyman (or Woman) - Post 5 epics or participate in NaNoWriMo 5 times.
     
    No Adventure Left Incomplete - Finish 5 epics/novels or participate in NaNoWriMo 5 times.
     
     
    Specific Writing:
     
    Lyrical Genius - Write a substantial songfic.
     
    Poetic Soul - Write a substantial poem.
     
    Not For the Faint of Heart - Write a substantial adventure.
     
    Heartbreaker - Write a substantial romance.
     
    It's Close to Midnight… - Write a substantial thriller.
     
    Open Mike Night - Write a substantial comedy.
     
    Tissue and Tears - Write a substantial tragedy.
     
    Do. Or do Not. There is No Try - Write a substantial sci-fi story.
     
    Not Just for Bronies - Write a substantial fantasy story.
     
    Elementary, my dear Ambager. - Write a substantial mystery story.
     
    Vague Subject Matter - Post a story in OTC.
     
    Broad Focus Lens - Post 5 stories in OTC.
     
    Lack of Clarity - Post 10 stories in OTC.
     
    Cultured and Imprecise - Post 25 stories in OTC.
     
    It All Starts with a Single Word - Post a story in the Library.
     
    Developing Drafter - Post 5 stories in the Library.
     
    Wicked Writer - Post 10 stories in the Library.
     
    Get Published Already - Post 25 stories in the Library.
     
     
    Reviewing:
     
    Here Lies Punctuation - Find at least 10 grammar/spelling errors in a story.
     
    Break the Quote Boxes – Find over 25 grammar/spelling errors in a story (iirc, 25 is the most quote boxes you can have)
     
    Funny Bone - Substantially review a comedy.
     
    Critical Thinking - Substantially review a short story.
     
    Critical Hit - Substantially review 15 short stories.
     
    Critical Acclaim - Substantially review 35 short stories.
     
    Critical Addiction - Substantially review 50 short stories.
     
    Epic Read - Substantially review an epic.
     
    Epic Proportions - Substantially review 15 epics.
     
    Epic Win - Substantially review 35 epics.
     
    Can't Look Away - Post in an epic review topic at least 3 times.
     
    Generalized Words - Review a story in OTC.
     
    Capacious Taste - Review 5 stories in OTC.
     
    Indefinite View - Review 15 stories in OTC.
     
    Sea of Ambiguity - Review 25 stories in OTC.
     
     
    Critics Club:
     
    Bring in the Experts - Make a request from the ECC.
     
    Bring in the Specialists - Make a request from the SSCC.
     
    Repeat Customer - Make 3 requests total from the ECC or SSCC.
     
    "Having the usual?" - Make 5 requests total from the ECC or SSCC.
     
     
    Contests:
     
    A Lovely Contestant - Participate in an official BZP Writing contest.
     
    And Now, Returning to the Show… - Participate in 5 official BZP Writing contests.
     
    Challenge Accepted - Enter an Ambage-hosted contest.
     
    Run-On Sentence - Enter 10 Ambage-hosted contests.
     
    Can't Get Enough - Enter 15 Ambage-hosted contests.
     
    Vocabulary Lesson - Win an Ambage-hosted contest.
     
    Legit Linguist - Win or receive an honorable mention in 5 Ambage-hosted contests.
     
    Win or receive an honorable mention in 15 Ambage-hosted contests.
     
    The Real Deal - Enter an Ambage-hosted contest and use the monthly prompt.
     
    Contest Master - Enter 10 Ambage-hosted contests while using the monthly prompt.
     
     
    Monthly Prompt:
     
    Thematic - Use the monthly prompt in a story.
     
    Prompt and Circumstance - Use the monthly prompt in 5 stories.
     
    Premise or Nothing - Use the monthly prompt in 15 stories.
     
     
    Review Passes:
     
    Unicycle - Review a story in one of the Review Passes.
     
    The Revolution Continues - Review 10 stories between both Review Passes.
     
    Strong Link In the Chain - Review 25 stories between both Review Passes.
     
  13. Velox

    American Assassin

    By Velox,

    The anticipation is going to kill me.
     
    THREE MORE DAYS.
     
    For those that don't know [like, everyone, probably], this is Vince Flynn's newest book, just released in stores everywhere October 12th. I'm getting it on the 20th at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library book signing by Vince Flynn where I get to meet him and, obviously, receive an autographed copy of his new book, as well as listen to a talk by him. Even cooler is that he'll sign any other hardback books I have, which means that I'll have nine signed books by him [his other three that I have are paperback, unfortunately].
     
    But anyway I'm so excited because I've been waiting to read all of his books since I read Term Limits last month. I've been waiting until I get all of his books so that I can read them all in order, and now I have all of them besides AA.
     
    Though! Even more more awesome is that AA is actually a prequel to all of his other books, meaning I can read it first and then read the rest, which will be the chronological order!
     
    Which is so awesome because AA sounds so amazing. It's all about Mitch Rapp's [his main character] beginning -- how he became an assassin, his first kill, etc.
     
    So yes, because of my excitedness, I put you through reading my ramblings. And I probably made a bunch of confusing sentences but I don't care because I'M SO EXCITED and I'm sick so yeah [which is also the reason I haven't been active lately --with school, basketball, homework, and sickness, that basically means school, basketball, dinner, bed]. Will be more active soon.
     
    But enough of that. I'm off to bed.
     
    - Velox
  14. Velox
    American Assassin, by Vince Flynn
    ISBN: 141659518X
    Publisher: Atria Books
    Release Date: October 12, 2010
    Rating: 5/5
    Synopsis: "This action-packed prequel sets the stage for the ten previous Mitch Rapp thrillers. American Assassin takes readers back to the event that changed the future operative's life, the 1988 Lockerbie Pan Am Flight 103 bombing that killed 270 people, including the woman he loved. This act of mass terror puts Rapp irrevocably on a death-defying path against evil extremist conspirators."
     
    Review: When writing this review, I had just finished reading it for a second time, and let me tell you: I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. I really, really love this book.
     
    And my reasons are numerous. First and foremost, it was amazingly written. Yes, as you will find out from most other reviews you read (customer reviews on barnesandnoble.com, for example), there were some spelling and other mistakes that the editor should have caught, but personally, I did not think those mistakes distracted too much from the story -- and they are definitely not as numerous as some reviews would lead you to believe, even if there are quite a few. I myself am usually quite picky about grammar and other errors, but because of Vince Flynn's excellent writing, it did not drag the story down at all.
     
    Bottom line: Yes, there were some mistakes. No, I don't think they ruined the story. Rather, his writing grabs your attention from the start, and keeps you hooked until the end. He balanced descriptions, dialogue, and explanations so as to keep the story moving, especially if you enjoy characterization.
     
    Which leads me to my next reason: the thing I liked most about American Assassin was the characterization.
     
    Mitch Rapp is my favorite character from any series by far, and this book is all him -- this is his beginning, his recruitment, his training, his first kill. And actually his training was my favorite part. I almost wish Vince Flynn would have stayed with his training longer, though I understand that that may be tedious. In some other reviews I was reading people were complaining about how much training there was already and how there wasn't as much action as usual. But hey, maybe it's just me; I love having some not-completely-full-of-action-but-still-exciting scenes that go into the character. Or in this case, a lot of them, as a good third/half of the book is just his training. Another reason for that would be Stan Hurley -- Rapp's mentor/trainer. He is also a very awesome character and you get to see a lot of him here.
     
    Part of the training that was also good were a few hand-to-hand fights that Rapp took part in/witnessed. I thought they were incredibly well written. I know from experience that it's really hard to write a good fight scene while being able to describe what's happening and allow the reader to know what's going on while at the same time not over describing things and still making for a quick, fluid, and exciting read.
     
    My second favorite part of the book would be the latter part of the book [heh, my favorite parts are the beginning and end, it seems]. I don't want to give too much away [i don't think this gives away too much; at least, I would be fine with hearing this before I read the book, but whatever], but:
     
    I really liked the torture scene of Stan Hurley. Not the torture itself, mind you, but again, we get some great characterization of this awesome character here, and it just really shows who he is. And he's definitely awesome. Now, yeah, some parts were slightly hard to read because of the gruesome ways in which he was tortured, but I loved the characterization that you got out of it.
     
    All the characters are awesome, though, really. Director Stansfield, Dr. Kennedy, Dr. Lewis, the people Rapp work/train with, etc. Every minor character that doesn't seem all that important is interesting, and Mr. Flynn makes them each interesting and a joy to read about.
     
    As I kind of said earlier the plot was very well done. And even though there is less action in this book than usual, I still really, really enjoyed it, and it's probably my favorite book [though I love all of Vince Flynn's books so it's hard to decide]. The dialogue was also very realistic, I thought.
     
    So really, the only critique I have for this would be that it didn't stay longer with the training and there were a few editing errors. But really, I wouldn't even call that critique; the former is just something that I would enjoy, but the story didn't by any means feel lacking without it, and the latter is moreso the editor's fault.
     
    Definitely recommended if you can get your hands on it or find it.
  15. Velox

    An Apology

    By Velox,

    I've been thinking about some things related to my past actions for a while now, and it feels like the time is right to address them, so I'm going to do that here.
     
    Put simply: in the past, I have involved myself in discussions that ended in unresolved conflicts. I said things in those discussions that I truly regret to this day, and I know that people were hurt by those things. I don't want there to be conflict between myself and other members, and as a staff member I realize that my behavior in those discussions was not appropriate. That being said, I would like to offer an apology:
     
    I'm sorry. For anything I've done or said that was hurtful. My earnest desire is for resolution and reconciliation on these issues. It was never my intention to be hurtful toward anyone, and I sincerely apologize.
     
    In the interests of prudence, I'll be locking this entry. If you do have a response, however, by all means send me a PM. Thanks for reading.
     
    ~ Velox
  16. Velox
    Another Day, Another Duty


     

    ~ :: ~


     
    A darkly clad figure cautiously looked around a corner before treading into a dark alleyway of a deserted city. With his Assassin’s Blades extended on his wrists, he continued his journey by quickly moving from behind one steel trash bin or concrete doorway to another, carefully observing his surroundings before each move.
    ..........The night was dark, with only the nearly-full moon and stars giving any illumination besides the occasional half-broken, dim streetlights on the main roads. Coming to a vertically-facing rain gutter which ran against the cinder block wall, he began to scale the rusted cylinder, using various abnormalities in the wall along with metal hinges which fastened the contraption in place, after both sheathing his blades and making sure no one was observing his moves.
    ..........Reaching the top of the building, he silently leapt up onto the roof, placing both hands on the ledge and swinging his body over. Pausing to adjust his hood and specially-modified night-vision glasses, he crouched down and moved silently and unseen from roof-top to roof-top until he reached near the end of the block. Underneath his half-zipped up ebon jacket, he could be seen wearing an armored vest consisting of protective pads fixed to a tight fiber jumpsuit beneath, throughout which various weapons were concealed. Seeing a dark figure ahead of him, the assassin dashed behind a large HVAC unit placed on top of the roof, not feeling any danger in his current situation due to his extensive training.
    ..........His prey, whose eyes were trained on the street below, took no notice of this motion. Looking around, he made sure there were no more lookouts on different roof-tops, after which he crept up behind the watchman and extended his right blade once more. He formed his hand into a fist and struck the blade into his prey’s throat before sheathing his blades again, grabbing the body as it fell and gently placing it on the ground. To the assassin, as he was called by few, or Ivan Petrov, as he was called by fewer, this work was now commonplace, allowing him to perform his duties without caring about morals. He had long ago pushed aside his conscience, believing it only to be an annoyance and hindrance in completing a mission.
    ..........Getting down on his stomach, he used his arms to pull himself to the edge of the roof where he slowly peeked over the foot-high ledge to see his target: a group of arms-dealers in an abandoned bank diagonally adjacent to the building he was on. He moved to a crouch position, resting his right knee on the concrete before removing his glasses – folding them and placing them in the pocket of his black shirt.
    ..........He unslung the black sniper rifle from his back, gently placing the two metal rods attached to his rifle on the ledge before him as to not make a sound. He reached into one of his left pockets of his charcoal cargo pants, pulling out a night-vision scope and placing it on the ground next to him.
    ..........Making sure the Bi-Pod was securely placed on the ledge, Ivan focused himself, slowing his breathing and calming his body. Firmly placing the butt of the gun against his shoulder, he held the barrel of the rifle with his left hand. Bringing his right hand up toward the trigger, he gently placed it on the gun, resting his finger on the side of the gun as he prepared to shoot, wrapping the same arm into the sling to force his arm to remain still. He adjusted the nobs and scope rings located on the top and side of the scope to the correct coordinates, and after loading the five-round magazine into the gun, placed the side of his face on the adjustable cheek piece, taking aim at the only streetlight still lit near his current position.
    ..........After placing his finger on the trigger, he took several slow, deep breaths, after which he pulled back on the contraption, firing at the light. The bullet broke through the glass casing and hit the bulb, immediately causing the light to flash out and glass shards to fall to the ground. Ivan quickly pulled his gun off the ledge and laid flat on the rooftop just as the two gorillas who were keeping watch turned their attention to the large glass windows of the building, looking for a cause of the sudden loss of light.
    ..........Seeing no immediate danger, the two guards reported the event to their boss, who was currently in the midst of an illegal arms negotiation. Ivan peeked his head over the ledge again and, seeing that no one was watching him, sat the rifle back on the raised platform. After taking a few seconds to aim again, he fired at the light inside the run-down bank, causing the whole street to go dark; lit only by the illumination of the heavens above.
    ..........He swiftly switched out the normal scope for the night-vision scope and aimed again, this time at one of the two guards who came rushing toward the window once more as the others inside the building armed themselves. Ivan reflected on the merciless, unhesitating manner in which he undertook his work as he lined up the cross hairs onto his target. He pulled the trigger, and the man he had shot crumpled as the bullet flew right through the gunman before embedding itself into the fall wall behind him. I'm following orders, he repeated in his mind, as he had countless times before. Nothing more.
    ..........By then the remaining persons inside the building had taken cover behind some of the bank's counters, realizing they were taking sniper fire. Ivan forced himself to be patient, remembering his orders and how he was supposed to go undetected. After several minutes, he saw one peek his head over the counter momentarily. Ivan focused on him, placing the cross-hairs of his scope where the man was moments before.
    ..........After a few more moments of silent waiting, the same man poked his head up again, getting impatient of the lack of action. Ivan quickly pulled the trigger, causing the man to be flung back by the impact of the shot. He was dead before his comrades heard his body hit the ground.
    ..........Another impatient soul rushed toward the door, attempting to take care of the sniper himself. Ivan smiled inwardly – after all, he loves the hunt of the game – and shot his weapon again after a split second of adjusting his shot to allow the bullet to hit the runner. The mercenary fell to the ground, a pool of blood forming beside him.
    ..........Realizing there would be no more foolish beings for easy prey, Ivan took out a metal crossbow from his backpack before slinging the rifle on his back again, folding the Bi-Pod and stock to more easily fit on his back for travel. He traded them for a metal tripod, placing it on the rooftop to serve as a zip line.
    ..........He aimed the crossbow at the wall next to the large window, firing an arrow with a string attached to it and then removing the end of the rope from the bow and tying it to the tripod. He placed a handle on the zip line from his pack and then grabbed the normal scope, quickly dropping it into his backpack before placing the bag on his back and grasping the handle of the zip line. He sailed down to the building where he used his arm to shatter the main window he was next to.
    ..........Acting quickly, he took out a silenced pistol holstered at the back of his waist and shot at the first who came running toward him, after which he pulled out a dagger from inside his jacket with his left hand and flung it to the other side of the building where another man rushed forward. The knife embedded itself into the man’s chest, causing the man to stumble forward and fall to the marble floor. Jumping into the building, he fired several more shots at two others before crouching low behind a counter as the last guard opened fire with an M-10 machine pistol. He made his way to the far end of the counter where the main arms-dealer was standing on the other side with his body guard. Reaching around the counter, he threw a smoke grenade behind them, causing them to turn around into an ambush of smoke.
    ..........He acted as fast as he could, running back to the other side of the counter as to not inhale the smoke and jumped over the three-foot wide top, shooting the body guard in the back as the arms-dealer turned around. Ivan extended his left Assassin's Blade, and, making sure the dealer wouldn't run by pointing the silenced pistol at his head, walked calmly forward. Coming within six inches from the dealer's face, he holstered his pistol and held up his blade to the crime-lord's face. Staring him in the eye, Ivan took one swift motion and stabbed his victim in the neck. Blood spurted from the open wound, spraying the surrounding area with the crimson liquid.
    ..........Sheathing his blade, he brought his right hand up to his ear where he pressed a button on his blue-tooth device before softly voicing into the device, "Done." He walked over to the crates of ammunition and suitcases of money where he made sure they were all in order, after which he made his rounds to each of the dead muscle-men and took their guns and ammo, placing them in the crates with the others.
    ..........Several minutes later, the soft whump-whump of a small helicopter was heard flying nearby, which made its way to the intersection of the run-down bank, landing softly on the ground. Two men jumped down from the vehicle, moving to the crates and loading them on the copter while Ivan loaded the suitcases. As the two men boarded again, Ivan made his way to the first building he was on, climbing up a fire escape and vaulting himself onto the rooftop where he gathered his zip line. As the helicopter hovered next to him, he jumped in just before it took off.
     

    ~ :: ~


     
    The helicopter landed again at The Black Fist base where Ivan quickly jumped out, letting the others carry the weapons and money. Stepping off the helipad, he made his way past the training facility and toward Martin Veracruz’s chambers. Although it was the middle of the night, he heard someone using one of the courses.
    ..........Of course she's out here at this hour, Ivan thought to himself, seeing the green-clad Larissa punching and kicking a padded pole, simultaneously throwing daggers at other makeshift targets.
    ..........He continued on his way, coming to the main building which he entered. After following a series of turns, he arrived at Veracruz’s chamber where he threw both of the huge wooden doors open and entered to find The Black Fist leader at his desk.
    ..........Ivan approached, muttering two simple words: "It's done."
    ..........Martin Veracruz nodded, looking at the array of weapons and the large stash of money as the crates were brought in. "Very well. Dismissed," he answered to the assassin. Ivan acquiesced, turning and leaving the room and walking toward his own quarters.
    ..........Veracruz, dressed in a large black trench coat and emerald scarf, turned his attention to the new munitions, slowly rising from his lofty chair and stepping forward, examining each of the crates and briefcases. "He did well, as usual," he muttered to himself. Raising his voice, he turned his attention over to the men who had brought the supplies in. "Take them to the armory," he said, motioning to the crates. "Put the money in the vaults."
    ..........With several nods and "yes sir”s, the men departed, carrying the crates and brief cases out with them as Martin Veracruz sat back on his chair.
    ..........When the room had cleared, a dark figure stepped out from one of the side doors. When he spoke, his voice was deep but clear, the voice of a leader. “Those weapons will suit our needs nicely. Soon, we will be ready to start.” He wore a navy blue jumpsuit and hooded cloak, with a golden-hued vest armored with protective pads which could be seen beneath the cloak.
    ..........“Indeed,” Veracruz answered his second-in-command, bringing up several maps on screens which dropped from the ceiling. “Soon…” These lasts words were whispered by Veracruz as the two of them continued drawing up battle plans.
     

    ~ :: ~


  18. Velox

    Apparently

    By Velox,

    ...I am always right?


     
     
    Katie being Ezorov.
     
    Good to know.
     
    Anyway, last night I saw a high school production of Wizard of Oz:
     
     
     
     




     
    Closing night, too, which is always fun. My brother and sister used to perform in plays years ago run by Biola Youth Theatre (where I saw the play), so it was fun going there again. Next year they're performing Guys and Dolls, which I think I may just have to see.
     
    But man, seeing a play makes me even more excited for today...Les Mis!!
     
    ~ Velox
  19. Velox

    Approvals

    By Velox,

    Approvals I've Received:
     
    :: Chrome ::
    :: Draxon ::
    :: Kopakalaka ::
    :: Bunda ::
    :: Tikaro ::
    :: ~Shadow Leech~ ::
    :: Argetlam ::
    :: Kakaru ::
    :: Primus ::
    :: Bfahome ::
    :: Wil ::
    :: Kaji ::
    :: 55555 ::
    :: Crudelious ::
    :: ~Shadow Kurahk~ ::
    :: Arpy ::
    :: Elemental Rahaga ::
    :: Dark Metru ::
    :: Cap'n Kopaka ::
    :: -Mufasa- ::
    :: ~GreenBioGuy~ ::
    :: I'm Not Toa of Dancing ::
    :: Sumiki ::
    :: Ballom ::
    :: Toa Spirit ::
  20. Velox
    Since the Lists entry is overloaded with BBCode, I will be holding the archive of Reviewed MOCs in this entry. This, obviously, will be edited to match all the other BBC CC Entries.
     

    Completed Reviews: 
    Toa Onyx – Bioniclesaur – Reviewed by Dr. Cockroach
    Toa Nidhiki Hard Rock Edition – BCth – Reviewed by Neaku and Toa of Dancing
    My Moc That I Felt Like Making - Diabetic King – Reviewed by Toa of Dancing
    Kohrak Va Revamp - Master of Shadow Matoran – Reviewed by Dr. Cockroach
    Hanging Intent – Ballomesque – Reviewed by Lokki and Toa of Dancing
    Levhak Nuva - -Zaxvo- -Reviewed by Lokki
    Vezon: The Snake - -Zaxvo- - Reviewed by Lokki, Toa of Dancing, and Dr. Cockroach
    Bluestreak - .::Sumaru::. - Reviewed by Ballomess and Laka - Dead Topic
    Nuhvok-kal Redesign - Primus - Reviewed by Ballomess and Neaku - Dead Topic
    Aeon - Ballomess - Reviewed by Major Marvelous
    Dust Cloud - The Zipper - Reviewed by ~GreenBioGuy~ - Dead Topic
    Inhabitants of Terra Nui - Ballomess - Reviewed by Major Marvelous
    Taine - Tikaro - Reviewed by Ballomess and Laka
    Kraata Skeleton - Distorted - Reviewed by ~GreenBioGuy~ - Dead Topic
    PBZP O, for "Orahklas" - Overlord - Reviewed by ~GreenBioGuy~ - Dead Topic
    -Zaxvo-'s Plethora Of Reposted Mocs - -Zaxvo- - Reviewed by Major Marvelous and Ballom
    Haridan, Darkened Knight - Sanger Zonvolt - Reviewed by Ballom and -Zaxvo- - Dead Topic
    Bitil Revamp - by Letagi - Reviewed by Major Marvelous and Toa of Dancing - Dead Topic
    Adaptive Armour Lewa - The BCth - Reviewed by Toa Velox and Toa of Dancing - Dead Topic
    Rodentia - Meteomaniac - Reviewed by Neaku and Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. - Dead Topic
    Click Revamp - IceToa - Reviewed by Toa of Dancing
    Vorzahk Revamp - Letagi - Reviewed by Major Marvelous and Toa of Dancing
    Toa Aki - Zaxvo - Reviewed by Toa of Dancing
    Rock Steed Recolor - Tyler Toa of Awesome - Reviewed by Toa of Dancing and -Zaxvo-
    Stronghold Nektann - LewaLew - Reviewed by Zaxvo
    Barraki Nui - Tyler Toa of Awesome - Dead Topic
    Craketh - Nara567 - Reviewed by Zaxvo
    Baterra - Xenogears - Reviewed by Zaxvo
    The Floor is Lava!! - Major Marvelous - Reviewed by Ballom
    Elite Vorox - A Circle with Corners - Reviewed by Ballom
    Toa Takanuva - Aperture Science - Reviewed by boanater
    Vatuka - Ballomesque - Reviewed by Zaxvo
    The Great Spirit, Mata Nui! - Tyler Toa of Awesome - Reviewed by Major Marvelous
    Relics of the Core War - Advant - Reviewed by Ballom
    Bomonga - Laka - Reviewed by Major Marvelous
    Irnakk, the Primeval Fear - Seaslug w/ a Hat #7 - Reviewed by Ballom
    Two little drones - Primus - Reviewed by Ballom
    PBZP Xaer Raid - Nara 567 - Reviewed by Keetongu Hordika
    Chroma Eagles - The Bionic Hamster - Reviewed by Ballom
     

  21. Velox
    :: :: 
    So I was going through stuff on my computer, and I came across an old MSWord document that had this blog entry by Primus.
     

     
    Those really are words of truth. Especially the bolded parts.
     
    On another note, I like how whenever there's a BBC Contest so many people have banners over the size limits. It makes it easy to find sigs to report.
     

  22. Velox

    Best Books of 2012

    By Velox,

    Another list from a non-BZP blog I follow, decided I'd jump on the bandwagon and give mine.
     
    Best Books in 2012


    Best Book You Read in 2012? So this is a hard one. I've read a lot of good books this year, and really, it's impossible for me to choose a favorite. So instead I'll give my top five: The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien (not the first time I've read it, but still), A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness (I think my banner and avatar show how much I love the book), The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak (I think my blog entry speaks for this book), A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin (I'm sure its reputation proceeds it), and Skin, by Ted Dekker. This is not including series I have read in their entirety (Harry Potter; Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller series), and new books in series that I have read before (Vince Flynn).
    Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going to Love More But Didn't? Hmm, another hard one. Partially I guess you could say this fits for A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin, but it's not entirely true -- with these books, you really have to take the time to enjoy them, and as homework was piling up, I was looking for a page-turner. So in a way I enjoyed it less than I thought it would, but I am putting it aside in order to read it when I have time to focus just on the book. So I guess I'd have to say The Black Ice, by Michael Connelly. I love Connelly, but this book was a little slow for me (the only one that has been like that). And to an extent, A Confederacy of Dunces. I wasn't excited at all for it, but I did think I'd like it more than I did.
    Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012? I'd have to say A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness. When I had first heard about how it's a picture book, I was some-what turned off, thinking it'd be a boring kid's book. Boy was I surprised, haha. Now it is one of my favorite books ever, and extremely highly recommended.
    Book you recommended to people most in 2012? Again I'd have to say A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness. After I was completely blown away, I started recommending it to everyone. That, and The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, which is a book I think that everyone should read.
    Best series you discovered in 2012? I have four. 1. A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin. An amazing series that I can't wait to continue when I have more time to focus on it; 2. the Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling. Nope, I hadn't read it until this year, and then I read them all in less than two weeks. They definitely would've gone on my "best books of 2012 list" (or at least most enjoyable); 3. the Mickey Haller series, by Michael Connelly; and 4. the Harry Bosch series, by Michael Connelly. I love all of these series -- I have finished two of them, and am working my way slowly through the other two (Harry Bosch and ASoIaF).
    Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012? I've only read a couple of new authors (as in, newly published, not new to me), but I'd have to say Howard Gordon, author of Gideon's War. It was a pretty enjoyable book, and I look forward to future books he writes.
    Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you? Harry Potter, by J. K. Rowling, as I had never really read young adult fiction before (if you don't count A Monster Calls). Then there's A Game of Thrones, which technically is out of my comfort zone as I don't read much fantasy. But for books that I haven't mentioned yet, I'd say The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins -- I hadn't read young adult fiction before it (I read Harry Potter after), and it wasn't half bad.
    Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012? Easy. The Last Man, by Vince Flynn. I just read it on Saturday. It had arrived in the mail that day, a few hours later I started reading it and I couldn't put it down (until I had to, as I had to go somewhere, but when I came back I promptly picked it back up), finishing it at around 1:30 AM. Great, great book.
    Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? Probably either The Hobbit or A Monster Calls, or both. I plan to start reading both of the yearly.
    Most memorable character in 2012? I really don't know. Many. The first one I can think of right now is Mitch Rapp, from The Last Man by Vince Flynn, but I just read that book two days ago, too. Eddard Stark of A Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Conor from A Monster Calls, etc.
    Most beautifully written book read in 2012? A Game of Thrones or The Hobbit takes this one. Tolkien's and Martin's writing styles are both extremely beautiful -- truly masterpieces.
    Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012? The Four Loves, by C. S. Lewis. The first non-fiction book that I have really, really enjoyed reading, and an amazing book. I'm actually not quite finished with it yet, but I love it.
    Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read? A lot? A Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, the Book Thief, anything by Michael Connelly, etc.
    Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012? 1. Many passages from The Four Loves, by C. S. Lewis; 2. “You do not write your life with words, the monster said. You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.” from A Monster Calls; 3. "I have the answer to your question...I think you're an imbecile. There could be some underlying psychological issues as well but I'd need to spend more time with you, which isn't going to happen. Beyond that, I'm pretty sure you're stupid." ~ Mitch Rapp, from The Last Man, by Vince Flynn (context makes it better); 4. Pretty much anything from The Hobbit; 5. Many things from A Game of Thrones and the Book Thief, etc.
    Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012? Shortest would be A Monster Calls, I think, at only around 200 pages, of which a lot of those pages are only half-pages (and sometimes there are pages of just pictures). Longest...whichever one of the Harry Potter books is longest. Coming close would be Locked On, by Tom Clancy, though.
    Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a huh moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers! A Game of Thrones. People who have read it probably know what I am talking about.
    Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc)? Not too sure about this one. Perhaps Mitch Rapp and Stan Hurley (Vince Flynn).
    Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously? Probably The Last Man, by Vince Flynn.
    Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else? A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness; and Skin, by Ted Dekker. Both we recommended to me by Katie (Ezorov, on the forums), and unfortunately she had to practically nag me before I read them, but I am extremely glad that I did, as they are now both favorites of mine and are amazing books.

    looking ahead...

    One Book You Didn't Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013? Not sure. 2012 isn't over yet, and I'll probably read Cold Days, by Jim Butcher, by then, which is the main book that I can't wait to read (I'm forcing myself not to in lieu of finals and many essays due this week). Or else the rest of A Song of Ice and Fire and Lord of the Rings. But they're not necessarily my first priority -- they're my first priority of when I'm on a long break and have time to focus on them, though. =P
    Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013? Untitled, by Vince Flynn and Brian Haig. Vince Flynn is one of my favorite authors, and I love Brian Haig as well -- definitely looking forward to what they come up with.
    One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging in 2013? Nothing new, really. I just hope to continue my streak for a third year of reading 52 books in 52 weeks. I also plan to blog/rant more.

    ~ Velox
     
  23. Velox
    Directory:
     
    + Main Entry: Describes the Club and is the location to place any MoC review requests.
    + Critics Entry: This is where you apply to become a Critic and where you report in your reviews.
    + News Entry: This is the place where all the new updates are listed. Anything that is changed will be listed here.
    + Graphics Entry: This is where all the advertising banners are.
    + Signoffs Entry: This is where all the signoffs are that you may use when you post reviews.
    + Lists Entry: This is where the list of MOCs to be reviewed are in.
    + Archive of Reviewed MOCs: This is where the list of already reviewed MOCs is.
     
    Fellow BZPower Citizens, welcome to the new and improved Bionicle-Based Creations Critics Club!
     
    I'd like to express my thanks to ~GreenBioGuy~, ChocolateFrogs, 55555, and anyone else who has helped improve this club!
     
    First of all, if you have received a review from a critic, understand that the views expressed in said review are by no means the views or opinions of the club as a whole, but rather the honest observations of the reviewer.
    Should you find anything offensive, rude, or of breaking the BZPower rules within said review, then please contact a BBC Critics Club Curator [Toa Velox or ~GreenBioGuy~].
     
    The purpose of the BBC Critics Club is to stimulate the writings of higher quality reviews and to give average MoCists a place where they can come to get a guaranteed review.
     
    However, that's not the sole purpose of this club. It's also to get more people to review and become active in the BBC forum. I care about the BBC Forum very much, and I would love to see a change for the better in it.
     
    As I am sure most of you know, most of the posts in the BBC Forum are bits of praise, and often give no helpful comments. This club is designed to give in-depth reviews to MOC, providing constructive criticism and encouraging comments [however, nothing like 'OMG I LOVE IT IT'S SO AWESOME 234324234/232!!!']. A small [hopefully it will be considerably bigger in a short amount of time] group of members have come together to do just that – review your MOC with an in-depth review.
     
    All you MOCers have to do is post in this entry after reading through this entire entry. However, it must be understood that we are all humans. Don't expect us to get to your MOC in one day, it may take a bit longer than that.
     
    Of course, like most other things in this world we live in, there are rules and guidelines. Understand that these rules/guidelines can be revised or changed at any time, and any revisions will be located in the News entry. The guidelines for critics and becoming a critic are in this entry.
     

    Rules and Guidelines for MOCers 
    All MOCers [and critics, for that matter] must follow the rules of the BBC forum as outlined by the Forum Leaders. I, or any Co-Curators/critics are not responsible for any MOC topics being closed because they violated a BZPower rule. We go to your MOC to give a review, that's it. We're not staff, but just members that want to help out.
     
    Request limit ~ For now I am going to say that there is none. But if you think we can handle ten MOCs from you, and a bunch from other people, think again. Please only request a few at a time, and after we finish those, you can make another request.
     
    Civility ~ The Curators will not tolerate any rudeness toward any member of the BBC Critcs Club. Also, do not start spamming this entry with complaints of “My MOC hasn't been reviewed yet!” and so on. Additionally, do not PM any Curators/Co-Curators/Critics along the same lines. This may, and most likely will be considered harassment, and you will be reported to the proper authorities and taken care of. Not to mention your MOC will never be reviewed by a BBC-CC critic.
     
    Please, just don't spam in this entry – it's that simple. If you see an error, or it has been a while and no one has reviewed your MOC [which means over a week], you may politely post in this thread, or send one of the Curators [Toa Velox or ~GreenBioGuy~] a polite PM asking whatever it is you want to ask. Make sure, however, that you don't come PMing a Curator, or posting in this thread if it's been a week or less. If it's been more than a week, then we, the Curators, have no problem with you PMing one of us. Of course, if we made a mistake when adding your MOC to the list, feel free to PM a Curator right away.
     
    MOCs only ~ This topic, as you hopefully have guessed, is for MOCs only. We do not review stories, we do not review artwork, we do not review comics, and we do not review anything that is not a MOC. If you post in this entry for anything besides MOCs, your request will be ignored. Additionally, I will delete your post.
     
    Back-Seat Reviewing ~ We've all heard the term “back-seat driving”. This is what happens when a passenger in your car [if you drive, of course] starts telling you what lane to turn into, when to brake, when to accelerate, etc. It can get really annoying. Back-seat reviewing is the same idea, where MOCers explicitly tell us how to do our job. We're here for you, but we also know what we're doing.
     
    So please, don't tell us how your want your MOC to be reviewed. If you have a preference, you may explain such in your own topic. However, whether or not the critic reviewing your MOC takes such into account, the BBC Critics Club cannot be blamed. We're writing reviews how we feel will help you best. Only if the review you receive goes against the BZPower rules do you have the option of reporting such grievances to me [Toa Velox], the Curator, ~GreenBioGuy~ [the other Curator], the Co-Curators, or the Forum Leaders of the BBC forum [currently: Tufi Piyufi, Than: Matoran of Anger, Cajun, Kex, or -Shanarra-]. Which is the same for rudeness. If the review you receive is rude or impolite, feel free to PM me or a Co-Curator about it and we will take care of it. :]
     
    Begging ~ It is not alright for an MOCer to beg for a review. I understand that you may not get reviews, or if you do all you get are reviews short posts of praise offering no help, but that does not mean you are allowed to beg and spam. Don't give us that. Just post saying you'd like a review, and one will be given. This follows under the rule above of Civility. Be civil to us, and we will be civil to you. :]
     

    Requesting a Review: 
    To request a review, use the following code [just copy and paste it into your post, and fill it in]:

    [url= (your MOC url)] MOC Title [/url] Your screen-name:
     
    You must link to your MOC. Do not say 'It's in my sig'. Your request will be ignored if you do. Also, you must put your name under the 'Your screen-name' section. Pretty self-explanatory, right? Good.
     
    Also, your MOC must be in a [live] topic. This is because we would get swamped with requests if we reviewed a bunch of dead topics.
     

    General Information: 
    I [or one of my assistants (Co-Curators)] will be checking over each and every review, to make sure each is appropriate and has given constructive criticism, and encouraging comments. If I find that one does not give enough insight, then I will PM that critic asking them to edit their post. However, if it has been a few days since the review was given, and you don't feel like they gave you enough help, you may politely PM me [Toa Velox], or ~GreenBioGuy~ [the other Curator] telling me what you feel about it.
     
    I really want each and every one of you MOCers to get good reviews, so I really don't mind you PM-ing me nicely asking about it. However, be civil, and make sure to wait the appropriate amount of time. Remember, Patience is a virtue.
     
    Here is the list of current approved critics and curators [bios may be put up at another time]:
     

    Curators: Toa Velox
    ~GreenBioGuy~
     
    Co-Curators:
    55555
    Ballom
    Nuju Metru
    -MX-
     
    Critics:
    Toa Velox - Senior Critic
    ~GreenBioGuy~ - Senior Critic
    TECHNICOLOR FIGURATION [Neaku/Draco] - Elite Critic
    Major Marvelous - Elite Critic
    Ballom - Elite Critic
    55555 - Advanced Critic
    I'm Not Toa of Dancing - Advanced Critic
    Lokki [Elemental Rahaga] - Advanced Critic
    Keetongu Hordika - Advanced Critic
    TECHNICOLOR CHEERIOS [Laka] - Standard Critic
    -Zaxvo- - Average Critic
    Sumiki - Newbie Critic
    Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. - Newbie Critic
    Sir Thomas of Black Falcon - Newbie Critic
    Darth Eryzeth - Newbie Critic
    Xinlo: Lord of Olnix - Newbie Critic
    I'm 12 and what is this - Newbie Critic
    mata nui's savior - Newbie Critic
    Blue Dragon - Newbie Critic
    Mysterious Minifig - Newbie Critic
     
    The Guidelines for becoming a critic and for current critics are listed in this entry. Also listed in that entry is the reason as to why people are at the rank they are at.
     
    Thanks for all the support. Now go ahead and request a review!
     

  24. Velox

    Book Review

    By Velox,

    So I finished Vince Flynn's book Term Limits yesterday, after having started it on Monday. Which is fast for me, as while I'm not a slow reader of actual pages, I do normally take a fair amount of time to read through a book. This, however, was so entertaining that I read over 600 pages in four days, one hundred and two hundred pages a day, depending on the day. Is it bad to neglect homework if you're reading? =P
     
    But anyway, back to the subject at hand, that book really was amazing. I just love how he is able to describe things so vividly, but at the same time creates a page-turning read, not allowing the descriptions to slow the pace of the book. Perhaps even more amazing is the author himself. He has dyslexia, and was diagnosed in gradeschool. When he wrote Term Limits, he was initially rejected by over sixty publishers over a course of five years, finally resorting to self-publishing his first novel, which later became a New York Times Bestseller after a publisher saw how well he was selling as a self-publisher. Two other of his novels have become the #1 New York Times Bestseller. And, furthermore, I believe some of his books are being made into movies.
     
    Which, really, is just extremely inspiring. I know this sounds crazy, and maybe I'm crazy for thinking this, but it's made me want to finish and publish the book I'm writing rather than post it here. Though, I doubt I'd be good enough to find a publisher to accept it [especially if his Term Limits was rejected by so many], and so would have to self-publish if I really wanted to.
     
    Back to the book itself, it's an awesome political thriller, complete with assassins, politicians, FBI, Secret Service, CIA, Navy SEALS, Marines, military commandos, bodyguards, snipers, and more. I just love how he made all of his characters -- some of his characters I loved, and others I absolutely hated, wanting to just be a part of that scene and slap them in the face. =P Which is really good writing, IMO. I really do think this is perhaps my favorite book that I have read [though, it is true that I haven't actually read all that many things -- I plan to, now, though, especially since I can get so many books for just a dollar at Book Off, even hardback (the most for hardback being five dollars)]. There also is a fair amount of language, but I don't think it was used excessively, and nor was it distracting from the story.
     
    Enough of my rambling. The tl;dr version: I definitely recommend Vince Flynn's Term Limits.
     
    After I finished it I just had to go to Book Off again to try to get more of his books [really, that store is so amazing. There's an isle of $1 fiction paperback, another isle of $1-5 fiction paperbacks, an isle of $1 fiction hardbacks, and a wall of $5 fiction hardbacks, all of which are in really good condition]. Here's everything I got:
    Protect and Defend -- Vince Flynn. Extreme Measures -- Vince Flynn. Consent to Kill -- Vince Flynn. Timeline -- Michael Crichton. I've heard this guy is really good from many people, so I finally just decided to pick up one of his books to see how it is, and this one sounded kind of interesting. Debt of Honor -- Tom Clancy. Just another Tom Clancy book that sounded cool. Flags of our Fathers -- James Bradley. Heard this was both an awesome movie and book, and having not seen/read either, I wanted to get it. Stormbreaker -- Anthony Horowitz. I can't remember where I've heard this name before, or who said he was a good author, but when I was looking for some Heinlein stuff [which, unfortunately, they didn't seem to have at a quick glance] I saw this and decided to get it. Unfortunately, they only had the three Vince Flynn books above besides the other three I already have [Executive Power, Term Limits, and Act of Treason]. Which, even more unfortunately, are not the ones I wanted right now [of course, I still do want them =P], 'cause I want to read them in order, even though you don't have to. But that's okay, as I want to read stuff from other people first, anyway, so that I can possibly buy more from them as well depending on how much I liked them. 
    Currently reading: Patriot Games, by Tom Clancy.
     
    - Velox
  25. Velox
    Thanks for the posts in my last entry, guys. I'm still not quite sure about what order I'll read the Tolkien stuff in [i also hope to get more of his stuff], but I probably won't read them until summer anyway.
     
    So, a few days ago I finished the last of Vince Flynn's books. The only thing I can say is I wish there were more. =P Really, all twelve were the best books I have read. Though, I actually haven't read that much, as up until a few months ago I didn't do much reading. But still, I really, really enjoyed them. My favorite? Ah, geez, don't make me do this. =P
     
    I guess if I had to choose it might be the last three books he's written: Extreme Measures, Pursuit of Honor, and American Assassin. The first two because the second is a continuation of the same story as the first. And while you don't need to read them both [all books can be read on their own, though I suggest reading them chronologically], the story was quite good. Then American Assassin because it's Mitch Rapp's [the main character in all but one of Vince Flynn's books] recruitment, training, and first kill with the CIA. It's just so full of character and action and awesomeness. =P
     
    I must warn you, though; there is quite a lot of swearing. And violence, of course. So, basically, they're like the Clancy books.
     
    Anyway, so I'm looking for more book suggestions again [i'm looking back at my two previous entries, too]. Here are some books that I'm already planning on getting that were recommended outside of BZP:
     
    -Point of Impact -- Stephen Hunter [first in the Bob Lee Swagger series, which sounds cool]
    -The Moonstone -- Wilkie Collins [it's considered the first detective books in English]
    -Something by Brian Haig [no, that's not the book's name -- literally, I want to get something by him, as Vince Flynn is making a series co-written with him]
    -1984 -- George Orwell
    -War and Peace -- Leo Tolstoy
    -The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams
    -The Grapes of Wrath -- John Steinbeck
    -Of Mice and Men -- John Steinbeck [could've sworn I had this, as I've read it before, but I can't find it, so if I see it for cheap I'll get it]
    -The Kite Runner -- Khaled Hosseini
    -Dune -- Frank Herbert
    -Count of Monte Cristo -- Alexandre Dumas
    -Moby Dick -- Herman Melville
    -Les Miserables -- Victor Hugo [that's gonna take forever to read, if I ever do, but it'd be cool to have]
    -Whose Body? -- Dorothy Sayers [her first book, and supposedly it's good to read them in order for sake of character development]
    -Starship Troopers -- Robert Heinlein
    -Red Planet -- Robert Heinlein
    -Have Spacesuit Will Travel -- Robert Heinlein
    -Last Man Standing -- David Baldacci
    -The Sniper -- Nelson DeMille
    -Liars and Thieves -- Steven Coonts
    -Something Wicked Comes This Way -- Ray Bradbury
    -The Shadow of the Wind -- Carlos Ruiz Zafon
    -Heart of Darkness -- Joseph Conrad
    -The Bourne Series -- Robert Ludlum [i already have Identity, so I'll read that before I buy more]
     
    I haven't read any of those [except Of Mice and Men], so if anyone has I'd like to hear your opinions. And, as I said, any other suggestions would be great [i hope to read a book a week]. Some of them I probably won't read for a while [specifically War and Peace/Les Miserables/Count of Monte Cristo =P], but I think they'd still be cool to have and read at some point.
     
    Also, one last question, for those fans of Tom Clancy: What order should his stuff be read in [specifically his Jack Ryan series]? Chronological, publication, or just random?
     
    Thanks everyone.
     
    Currently reading Path of the Assassin, by Brad Thor.
     
    - Velox
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