Jump to content

SPIRIT

Premier Retired Staff
  • Posts

    2,886
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    74

Blog Entries posted by SPIRIT

  1. SPIRIT
    Being at the end of high school, I am on the verge of explosion.
     
    I have Independent Study Units, tests, and other large projects piling up that are all rapidly reaching their deadlines. Why, come this Tuesday, I will have had to have had [is this actual grammar??? ] handed in two pages on a How To book for Writer's Craft and my script writing project; done a test in Biology on the human sensory system; and presented in History on a piece of 19th century literature.
     
    Not only that, but people want me to finish off PSA#5 and Wildfire, which I'd MUCH rather do than that school work. Problem is, only the latter affects my ability to go to university. Understandably, there may be delays in my BZP stuff, but I'll try to get it done as fast as possible without going completely insane. Already I've gotten all the lines I need from Bioni-Cool Jack and a promise from Lady Kopaka that she'll get right on it. Now all I need is stuff from Rayg, Cee, and -CL- and we should be good to go.
  2. SPIRIT
    The auditions have been all listened to, votes have been tallied, and the newest cast members of PSA #5 are:
     
    Mantax: Bioni-Cool Jack
     
    Lewa: Cee-estee
     
    Tahnok: Swert
     
    Matoro: Boba Fett
     
    My condolences to Phyoohrii and Toaraga who were very close runners up. Thanks a bunch for auditioning guys and congratulations to all the winners!
     
    Also, a minor production update: I'm now officially back to where I was (from an animation standpoint) before everything got deleted and I've got both of the songs recorded. Maybe this PSA will have a February release after all.
  3. SPIRIT
    Just after I post something in my blog to say that nothing of interest happens to me, something happens. Yesterday was the longest day I've had in some time. It started off around 7:00 AM where I woke up early so I could get ready and go on BZP before my final driving lesson. After 10 sessions, I'm kind of sad to be done with it, in a nostalgic sort of way, but it certainly gives me a lot more free time! That day was also the first time I was let onto the highway (which is legal as long as you have a certified driving instructor in the passenger seat). All in all, it was a very stressful experience that I think will only be served poetic justice if I show you what it was like using emoticons as visual aids.
     
    SPIRIT is happily cruising along at about 60 km/h:
     
    His driving instructor then tells him it's time to go on the highway:
     
    He descends the entry ramp at about 40 km/h, the highway coming ever closer:
     
    He reaches the merging lane and notices that at the rate he's going, if he doesn't bring up the speed fast enough, he's going to crash into the bull nose:
     
    Desperately, he floors the gas and goes from about 50 km/h to 100 km/h:
     
    Two minutes later, he pulls off of the highway and back to regular streets:
     
     
    So yeah, like I said before, pretty stressful.
     
    In the afternoon, I went to my church to help set up for the Christmas dinner. It really only involved me setting tables and passing things from one person to the other, but I had some exciting moments: like when I had to open juice cans with a broken can opener (ended up opening my hand instead :annoyed2:) and when I had to squeeze about 20 slices of cheese cake on plates into a fridge (not as easy as it sounds). After that, I pretty much acted as a waiter and a dish cleaner (once again, just passing dishes from one end of the kitchen to the other) until 9:30 when we were finally finished. To celebrate, some of the other youth helpers and I went to Deck the Halls and called it a night at about 12:30 AM. As far as Christmas movies go, Deck the Halls wasn't that bad. It had Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick in it so that certainly helped the humour along.
     
    Anyway, after this long day, I slept about eight hours that night and then had another half hour nap today so hopefully I'll be awake enough to survive another week of school (only 2 weeks left!).
     
    Oh yeah, I also got 100 % in BIONICLE Heroes today.
  4. SPIRIT
    I've seen many theories
    Time after time
    I've some closed topics
    Been in the light of lime
    And bad mistakes
    I've made a few
    I've had my share theories dis-proven
    But I've come through
     
    I are the champions - my friends
    And I'll keep on fighting - till the end
    I are the champions
    I are the champions
    No time for losers
    'Cause I are the champions - of the world
     
    Not sure if you've seen yet, but I just won a Gold Key to Nongu Award!!!!! :winner: :winner:
     
    I'd like to thank the academy- *is cut off by music*
     
     
     
    Anyway, in the realm of PSA production, I've been having troubles with the songs. Last time you might have noticed that sometimes my voice didn't sync perfectly with the music; this was a recording error that I have been trying to solve. I've also strained my voice quite a bit in the recording (when the PSA comes out, you'll see why) so now I actually keep a bottle of honey beside the computer when I record to soothe my throat. Plus, if it's good enough for Winnie the Pooh, it's good enough for me.
  5. SPIRIT
    THE ENTRY PERIOD IS OVER



    Since April 14th, 2006, those of you with microphones have been waiting for this moment. You have been hoping, nay, praying for a day when you too could star in another Flash PSA. Previously, I have only recruited people whose voices I had heard before, but no longer. The script has been written and now is finally the time when I hold open auditions for parts in PSA #5!!!

    Reader:

    Yes, I know. So without further ado, I present you with the long and complex audition process:


    Roles

    Mantax: "Oh come on! That's hilarious! Man, you never laugh at anything I say."

    Lewa: "*makes sounds to hush the person he is talking to* I know what I'm doing, when have I ever been wrong before?"

    Tahnok: "Hey there. I'm a Bohrok, and I’m here to return Mata Nui to the way it was in the before time."

    Matoro: "Oh, this’ll be a huge fad, let me tell you. It’ll be in all the signatures."


    Submitting

    Having chosen a part for which you plan on auditioning, simply record yourself saying the given line in italics. Then, attach it to an e-mail and send it to spirit [at] bzpower.com (of course replacing the [at] with an @) with the subject as Audition.
    IMPORTANT: Your audition must be in an e-mail and it must have Audition in the subject line or you will not be considered ().

    The deadline for submissions is 23:59:59 EST Saturday, February 9th, 2008 Anno Domini, which means you have roughly two weeks to do this.


    FAQ

    Q: Why didn't you just write out your e-mail there?

    A: Because, kids, that's one of the many ways spam bots send you e-mails.


    Q: Can I audition for more than one part?

    A: Absolutely. In fact, I encourage it; less people to share the script with.


    Q: What if I had a part in a previous PSA, can I still audition?

    A: Go right ahead.


    Q: Are those lines from the PSA?

    A: Sort of. I've changed them a bit, though, to get a better idea of the voices.


    Q: So how do you want me to say these lines?

    A: It's up to you. Don't keep the character in mind as much as the spirit of the line itself.


    Q: Can I use more than one voice for a particular line in my audition?

    A: Absolutely; the more the merrier.


    Q: Seriously, though, what does PSA stand for?

    A:


    Legal Stuff

    Upon becoming a cast member, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER may you share information from the script I will send you. Doing so will cause me to use the :angry: emoticon and trust me, you wouldn't want that.
  6. SPIRIT
    I had a bit of free time today and so I went to open up the Word document containing the rough draft for my script for PSA 5 only to let out a girly shriek of horror.
     
    THE ENTIRE FOLDER WAS GONE!!!!!!!!!! :OMG:
     
    Yes, sadly in my attempt to increase space on my computer by moving all my personal files to a thumb drive, my production folder for the PSA was somehow lost in the process. I have downloaded program after program to sift through the files that have gone beyond the recycling bin to no avail-- that folder is gone forever. This includes the lyrics and music for both songs, the half started script, and the intro animation. Now they are all lost in the dark abyss of forgotten files...
     
    Luckily, though, I have a pretty good memory for lyrics (especially ones that I wrote), I still have the music for the songs elsewhere, the animation is not impossible to replicate, and the script probably needed an overhaul anyway.
     
    So yeah, things have been set back a little, as you might imagine.
  7. SPIRIT
    Production for the next PSA is officially underway.
     
    The plot has been more or less decided (it's top secret, though), so now all I have to do is write the script. For what I have in mind, there should be at least room for a few more voice actors, even if they only get one or two lines. However, once a voice actor or actress in one of my PSAs, always a voice actor or actress in one of my PSAs (no, it's nothing like Narnia, it's just that you'll have a better chance of being in another future PSA, that's all). Anyway, I've got a pretty tight schedule, so don't expect anything very soon- I'll do what I can when I can.
     
    FAQ:
     
    Q: Will there be another song in the next PSA?
    A: No.
     
    Q: What?!?! Why?!?!
    A: Because there will be two, and I have already written them.
     
    Q: Can I be in the next PSA?
    A: When I finish the script, there will be open casting hosted in this blog for any roles I need to fill. More details when that actually happens.
     
    Q: What does PSA stand for?
    A:
  8. SPIRIT
    It was one afternoon ago on this day that I received an unexpected instant message from none other than Black Six. "SPIRIT," he asked me in a now paraphrased way, "how would you like to be a staff member?" Without a second's hesitation I said yes as calmly as I could type it, but my heart rate just about tripled. Well, here I am now, and what a journey it has been. I'm an RK, one who worked on revolutionising BZPower's reference system, and am working in seven forums right now. In my personal life this year, I've been all across the continent for various reasons and have seen and done some pretty amazing stuff. I got my G2 driver's license, read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in about 13 hours, excelled at my job working at a day camp, and released a smash-hit PSA.
     
    Of course, now the pressing question is where can I go from here? Forum Leader, perhaps? Do I have the time or the experience? Time will tell.
     
    I recently had my 17.5th birthday; not much longer until I'm an official AFOL. For me, though, it's not a question of money or maturity for whether or not I'm going to buy more sets -- nor has it ever been -- it's going to be a matter of space. Where will I put them all when I'm off on my own?
     
    Oh well, enough about the confused worries of tomorrow and back to the present. I'm working on finding the right university as well as balancing my seven high school courses. It's tricky, but I'm getting there. I've also got this weird twitch in my right eye recently, which, according to Chinese tradition is good luck (that or I need more sleep ).
     
    And one quick skip back to the future, I've got some ideas rolling around my head for the next PSA. I've got a few cutaways planned already and a very rough plot. Estimated release time? Februaryish? I'll keep you posted.
  9. SPIRIT
    Oh, the Barraki only wish they had it as good as I do.
     
    Yup, that's right, Bionicle Artwork III: Bionicle Comics is now under my control (I suspect it had something to do with my PSA ). This now places me in a tie for second with ET for working in the most forums; Kex, alas, still has one more than us. I have also made a lateral movement from Software to Sets. I rather liked the Software forum, but given that nothing new in the way of BIONICLE video games, etc. has come out recently, I wasn't getting much to do there.
     
    Will the vast SPIRIT Empire continue its expansion over the rest of the forums? Stay tuned.
     
     
    As for my real life, I'm doing okay (as far as anyone can be going back to school ). I'm recovering from a slight cold, but otherwise things have been pretty normal (certainly less adventurous than looking after a bunch of 4-11 year olds over the summer ).
  10. SPIRIT
    I seem to have been pranked. No longer is my avatar a floating rock with moss growing on it, but it has been in fact changed to a two dimensional spinning image a Chiara Zanni's head; bonus points if you know who she is.
     
    Also, the PSA's coming along swimmingly. So far Cee's the only person who's been able to give me satisfactory lines, but I'm in no rush.
  11. SPIRIT
    ...Itty bitty living space.
     
    Actually, the afore mentioned phenomenal cosmic powers refer to the brand new piece of paper that currently resides in my wallet:
     
    MY G2!!!
     
    Now for those of you living outside of Ontario, you're probably saying to yourselves "a what now?", well my friends, a G2 is the second level of the Ontario driver's license, which means that I can now drive wherever I want, whenever I want with the sole restrictions of having an alcohol level of 0 and not carrying around more than one passenger under the age of 19 who isn't related to me between the hours of midnight and 5 AM for the first six months of being in possession of the G2 license (specific much?). Anyway, now I'm free to drive wherever I please, given that my parents let me use the car. BTW, do you think it's a bad sign that I had "and then I crashed into you and I went up in flames" stuck in my head while taking the test?
     
    In other news, the PSA is roughly 2/3 done (Doc's lines are on their way) and there's a new chapter of Wildfire up.
  12. SPIRIT
    Things are going great with the newest PSA (despite the fact that Dr. Bionicle and -Chicken Little- still owe me their lines ) and if this keeps up, you should expect a release before the end of summer. Thanks to the Rayg 2.5 kit, the animation is going to be much better in this one (even if it is only people walking on and off screen), however, as the kit is not yet complete in certain areas, I've had to resort to using 2.0 or simply just improvising in some parts. The whole thing is probably going to be very big when it's done, both in file size and in length (it's a five page long script and it's so far shaping up to be around 8 minutes long, but quite possibly longer) so I'm looking into how to add a preloader.
     
    Well, that's all for now. Hope the board comes back online soon.
     
    EDIT: -Chicken Little- just sent in his lines yesterday. Only one more cast member to go. *glares*
  13. SPIRIT
    Today, while collecting the mail, I noticed something odd. Among the various bills for my parents, there was a colourful magazine that said LEGO on it. Now, ordinarily, this would be a cause for joy, but in this case, it was one for confusion. I had already gotten my May issue and two catelogs had just come yesterday, so could this possibly mean that I had, by some miracle, gotten the July issue before everyone else? Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was merely the May issue again. Now, the ironic part to this tale is that for some reason unknown, I never received my March issue, so now I have 2 Mays, but no Marches. Oh well.
     
    Also, for anyone who still cares, there's a new chapter of Wildfire that's just waiting for reviews.
  14. SPIRIT
    Huzzah! Once again, living in Canada has shown one of its many benefits. We get free education, clean drinking water, low crime rate, free health care (which we shall always boast about to the U.S.), and big fat snowstorms that end up closing schools. Because of that last one, I'm free to do whatever I want for the rest of the day! This is easily one of the best Valentine's Days yet.
  15. SPIRIT
    As many of you may know, yesterday was my birthday as well as easter. As far as I can remember, this is the first year that they've ever landed on the same day, so this was certainly an odd birthday. For starters, it was spread out over the whole holiday so I unfortunately didn't get to enjoy it as much as I would if it were all crammed into one day.
     
    Friday was cake day. Didn't do much that day except visit my grandparents and eat cake.
     
    Saturday was present day. I got all six Barraki, new headphones (the wire being exposed in my old ones), a t-shirt that said National Sarcasm Society: Like we need your support, and a ridiculous amount of cash.
     
    Sunday was age increase day. 12:00 PM and I was officially 17. Also, my other grandparents and aunt came to visit and I got another cake and two pies (because my aunt's birthday was five days prior).
     
    Monday, today, was do nothing day. Today, all I did was make a Content Block listing all my sets because I was bored.
     
    Now I'm filthy rich, loaded with chocolate, and all around content with the way things went on this long weekend. I'm finally getting around to starting the giant blog entry I promised so sit tight. And as for the PSA, I've decided to wait for Rayg to do a little more 2.5 work before I get down to business myself, since I need some of the sprites he has not yet drawn.
  16. SPIRIT
    As many of you know, I'm an acceptance judge in the recent S&T contest and I have to say, it's a pretty demanding job. I have to read most, if not all, of the entries made, most of which, I'm sad to say, aren't very good. In fact, I got to a point where I had read so many that I began to expect random people to save the day in poorly described fight scenes in my everyday life. Thankfully, there were enough good entries that I was able to regain my sanity... well, most of it...
  17. SPIRIT
    Yes, I know I'm a little behind on things at the moment, but now that I've finished the bulk of my Reference Keeper duties, I'm hoping to start working my projects again. However, I say this tentatively, as I go into Independent Study Unit season at school: giant projects in eight courses, great.
     
    So, the three things I'm planning right now are (in order of priority):

    A giant blog entry detailing my trip to the Dominican Republic over the March Break. A new chapter for Wildfire (after nearly four months ). A new PSA (I've been planning this since before AC#12B- I'm REALLY behind on this one). Well, just thought you'd like to know what I've been procrastinating on recently.
  18. SPIRIT
    Officially, it's not a REAL snowday, but this is the second day in a row that the school buses have been canceled and since I barely did anything yesterday (and am almost certain that I'd accomplish even less today) my parents have decided to let me stay home today. Thank you adverse weather conditions!
  19. SPIRIT
    Finally, after nearly six months, BionicleSector01 is back. I really missed all the reference materials there and found it really hard to have to research things elsewhere (like on the real Wikipedia ). Anyway, this time around, I'm an Adviser. Not quite sure what that means, but from what I understand, it was pretty much what I was doing before the site when down anyway. Aside from the fact that I'm now BS01 staff, I have now apparently added another forum to my growing empire (I feel like a Barraki at times ). Yup, the BionicleSector01 forum is now mine to control. Not that I can really do much, being only a Forum Assistant, but it's still a nice feeling. So at last count, I'm at 5 forums, tied with bonesiii and Kex for world domination.
  20. SPIRIT
    It's been nearly a month since my last blog update and I'd like to say that it was because I was busy, but quite frankly, I'm just lazy.
     
    Since I last updated, I was promoted to Reference Keeper, finished that sound project that I had been promising you, ripped off an idea from Exo, filmed my first staff set review, and wrote a new chapter for Wildfire (which no one has reviewed yet ). From there, I finished the script for my next PSA (a script that I started writing back around AC#12 and never finished ) and so I just need to give it to the cast members as soon as they sign on to AIM/MSN. For my PSAs, I've been doing a bit of thinking and depending on the quality of Rayg's 2.5 kit, I MIGHT turn them into an actual series, but I will need someone who is willing to draw human sprites for me as well (if you're interested, drop me a PM with a sample of your work). Other than that, I've done another 0.5 of a chapter for Wildfire, but it needs quite a bit of cleaning up.
     
    Lastly, I was fiddling around with Flash and came out with something that you Harry Potter fans might find very useful:
     
    [flash=250,100]http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r162/BZPSPIRIT/deathlyhallows.swf
     

    [FLASH=250,100]http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r162/BZPSPIRIT/deathlyhallows.swf[/FLASH]
    In case you're wondering, it's only 11 KB and I would very much appreciate credit if you use it.
  21. SPIRIT
    So after the party on the 26th, I pretty much just spent time with my family at home (although we did go bowling once and I won ) until Saturday, where we all went to the airport for the second leg of our vacation. We spent a night in Buffalo and then we drove to the airport and caught a plane to Baltimore. From there, we hopped another plane and reached Tampa Airport in the late afternoon. The rest of the week was just spent visiting Busch Gardens, going to the beach, swimming in the pool, and lazing about the condo we had rented on Anna Maria Island (on the far west side of the state, about half of the way down). I had a fantastic time, and I beat Maze of Shadows (overall, a pretty neat game). Saturday rolled around and we went back the same route we had come and arrived back home at around midnight.
     
    Now it's back to school for me.
  22. SPIRIT
    December 22: Felt pretty dumb at school this day. More than half the people in school skipped and I only got work done in two classes. In French class, period 1, we had the opportunity to hand in an assignment early for bonus marks. Almost everyone there handed it in, knowing they needed as many extra marks as possible, but one poor guy thought he'd be clever and hand it in and leave before the teacher got there. Unfortunately for him, the teacher didn't give him the marks. After that, I had biology, which was pretty uneventful, and then a nice long poker-filled lunch period. When chemistry rolled around, I was surprised to find that the classroom was packed... with people from other classes that is. It turned out that it was where everyone had decided to watch movies. I caught the end of She's the Man to kill some time, but decided to leave when someone pulled out a GameCube and started hooking it up to the TV, but that was okay since my teacher cut class too. Several card games later, we had an assembly that was so-so. It was put on by the teachers and the teachers' pets and involved some skits and some songs. Really, the only good part about it was that I got out 10 minutes early and got a free candycane (but since it was thrown the length of the auditorium, it was really only a fine powder by the time it reached me). I then walked home in the freezing cold wind and rain, with an umbrella that kept turning inside out and flopped down on my computer chair half an hour later feeling absolutely exhausted. A few hours later, I found myself packing up the car and going up north to visit my grandparents (on my dad's side) for Christmas.
     
    December 23-24: Pretty uneventful days that seemed to drag on a bit with the prospect of Christmas morning looming ahead. We played a lot of Clue, Sorry!, Careers, and Oh Heck to pass the time, and I ended up seeing practically every Christmas special YTV had to offer, courtesy of my younger sister.
     
    December 25: Needless to say, I didn't sleep well this night. When I first woke up, I was all excited, but when I checked the clock, I was appalled to see that it was only 11:30; it wasn't even the 25th yet! After falling asleep and waking up a few more times, I decided to just get my stocking and watch TV for the next few hours until everyone else got up. So for the next four hours, I entertained myself by watching early morning TV and sustained myself with some of the chocolates from my stocking, knowing that it would be ages until breakfast. Finally, I heard the sound of little feet running around upstairs, which meant that my sister was awake and that present opening was imminent. After everything was handed out and opened, I found myself with the following:
    Defilak Dekar Morak Thulox Axonn Brutaka BIONICLE Legends #5: Inferno LEGO Star Wars II for Nintendo DS (surprisingly good graphics) BIONICLE Heroes for Nintendo DS Maze of Shadows for GameBoy Advance Two funny T-shirts The Risk boardgame Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony, by Eoin Colfer Voyage of Slaves, by Brian Jacques A photo album A new umbrella (my old one having half of its spokes bent out of shape) December 26: Woke up early to get back home fast enough so we'd have enough time to prepare for my mom's side of the family coming over to visit. After hours of back-breaking work, everything came together and we all had a great time. Around the end, we had a present exchange where I came uncomfortably close to winning a cake plate, but luckily got to trade it for a boxed DVD set of the Da Vinci Code. 
     
    So that's been how I've spent the holidays so far and with a week and a half still to go, things are looking good.
  23. SPIRIT
    It's been nearly a month since I've last updated my blog so I think it's high time I bring you back up to speed. Since I last posted here, I've seen Over the Hedge, Cars, and Casino Royale; all great movies that I recommend seeing. I've also been hard at work getting sounds and music off of the BIONICLE DVDs and I just finished recording everything I need from LoMN (almost 2/3 of the way there!). My report card came a few days ago, not the best one I've ever gotten, but still pretty good just the same. It's been snowing recently, but it really hasn't been collecting in large enough amounts to be of any use. From what I've heard on the news, it seems like everyone's getting snow except me; I hope I won't have another green Christmas this year.
     
    And now you're up to speed.
  24. SPIRIT
    Another forum has fallen before my might. That's right, the BZP Voting Booth now belongs to me and there's nothing you can do to stop me!
     
    *cricket*
     
    Yes, I know it's an easy forum, but at least I have 3 forums like everyone else now. And who knows? Maybe this is a temporary solution and I will be eventually shunted to your favourite forum. *lame spooky finger gestures*
     
    I don't mind, though. I'll help out wherever I can. Sometimes the forums have up moments and others they don't. Currently, things are moving pretty slowly in all three of my forums, but they'll pick up eventually. For instance, in my first week, I was able to close about ten topics in a row in S&T, but now I can barely get one. Oh well, hopefully it's just a dry spell and it will clear up soon.
     
    In summary, beware my spreading of peanut butter terror! *more lame spooky finger gestures*
  25. SPIRIT
    The great SPIRIT Empire grows ever larger as another forum is added to my control. Quiver in fear as Bionicle Software gets a new moderator: me. I can only imagine the high-jinx that will ensue now that I'm working with Dr. Bionicle; races to see who can close a particular topic first and whatnot. Bets can be placed at any time, just send the money to me and I'll sort everything out.
     
    Basically, here's what happened: Black Six IMed me yesterday and asked me if I'd be willing to take on another forum. I obliged and he gave me a choice between M&B and Software. It was a pretty tough decision, but I decided that since Bionicle Heroes was coming out soon, Software would start to see quite a bit of action in the upcoming days.
     
    Well, let's hope this works out as well as my other forums. And just think, if Black Six keeps up his pattern, I'll be getting another forum in about two weeks from now.
×
×
  • Create New...