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~kh

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Everything posted by ~kh

  1. I'm excited to see this and you later this August!
  2. I did want to illustrate that chemistry between Kulta and LoSS, as well as the finale of Escape from the Underworld, which in my opinion, made Kulta the best-realized character in G2. I'm glad you picked up on the Screwtape Letters influence. I drew on a lot of language and rhythm from my religious background as I was writing this piece.
  3. The first thing he gave her was a poorly carved bird. It wasn’t until much later that they would laugh about how sorrily made the bird was, but at the time, she took it with twinkling eyes and outstretched hands. He had never whittled anything before, but when they first met she had mentioned how she had always admired the talent. He tried his hand at it the moment he got home, because he couldn’t get her out of his mind otherwise. “This is beautiful,” she said as she took it from him, and she really meant it, because she was that kind of person. She could look at something in earnest and judge it not for what it appeared to be, but what it meant. And she knew what the carving meant, and she loved him then on for it. ---- The second thing he gave her was his devotion. “Devotion is the true mark of belief,” the Great Brother had said, “For if one truly believes in something - actually, earnestly believes - one cannot help but be devoted to it.” And so he gave her his devotion, for he truly believed in her. ---- The third thing he gave to her was belief. She was initially skeptical of the Great Brother, for she had heard the stories and the secrets told in the darkness, the rumors that were whispered at rowdy night taverns. She, like all of the others, had seen them at one point or another, the Ancient Ones, the Master Crafters. The Mask Makers. There were those who swore upon their lives that the other brother, the Wise Master, was the true master craftsman. That the Great Brother was nothing but a Mask Hoarder, a Derelict Forger of broken things. But the moment she saw him, she knew. She knew who he was and what he meant to do. “You are a great man, seeking great things,” she said. “If Kulta believes in you, then I shall too.” He was happy at her remarks. “We will rule,” he said later, when they were alone. “Together, under him. I shall be a King and you shall be a Queen.” She laughed. “I am no one’s Queen,” she said, with the smiling firmness he had come to admire. “I am my own ruler.” He bowed, with the graciousness she had come to cherish. “Of course. Shall we be two Kings instead?” “I would settle for lordship,” she said. “Two lords can live in partnership, can they not?” “We can manage,” he said, smiling. ---- The fourth thing he gave was himself, for he had nothing else to give and yet wanted to give more still. This gift, as with his first, she took in open arms. For the first time in his life, he knew happiness and knew it in abundance. ---- They came for the Great Brother’s followers without a warning, their numbers filling the city, house to house, block to block. The other brother, the Wise Master, had received a vision, they said. The Great Brother was to ravage the world unless he was stopped. All followers were now heretics, to be shamed and stripped of their personhood. He first saw them when they came to the market, seizing a follower by the scruff of the neck and wrenching the mask from his face. The mask was a symbol, they said, that the Wise Master had made in his image. Those who would stand against the Wise Master could no longer bear his face. And so they ripped the masks from their bodies, and laid their skulls bare to the world. He could hear the screams as the armies of the Wise Master turned followers into heretics. Those without masks would wither soon, for they were not long for this world. He escaped, narrowly, and as quick as he could returned to his home. He was too late. She wept, the tears streaming down her skull. “They took my face from me,” was all she could say. He wiped the tears from her eyes, and stared into them as long as he could. They stared back, the piercing gaze that always saw him for what he was worth. The brilliance in them died as she withered away, a cold hollow skull where his everything used to be. Then the city ruptured around him, the earth rumbling and quaking into a cascade of power. The ground was ripped from under him, and he sank into the underworld below. Some say that the Great Brother forced the Wise Master’s hand. Others that the Wise Master tried to rid the world of the Great Brother before his vision could come true. The stories always ended the same, with the island torn asunder and the city and its inhabitants all but forgotten. ---- But he lived, against the odds, a cruel irony for someone who had nothing left to live for. He prayed, in that moment, for he knew not what else to do. “Great Brother, he said, “I have believed, and I have been devoted. Guide me now.” He prayed, and out of the silence came hope. I offer a bargain to you, said the voice. I ask for your devotion yet again, to help free me from my chains. In return, I will bring you back what matters to you the most. “What must I do?” He said back to the darkness. I have given you a gift, one that can cheat death, the voice said. It will give you back what you love, but it may not be in the form that you desire. “If there is any chance,” he said. “I will do all that you command.” ---- For millennia, he searched, combing the underworld, searching every crevice and crook in the dark. He knew not what he was searching for, but he needed not to know. He was devoted, and that was what all that mattered. She was his reason, and he believed in her. They would be together again. Ages passed until he found it. His fingers barely brushed along the side of it, but already he knew it was what he had been searching for. The magic ebbed out of the golden mask, a radiant glow that he could not describe. He prayed, and out of the silence came instruction. Are you still devoted, child? Do you still believe? “Yes,” he said. “I will hold my end of the bargain.” Your love has made her strong. Be with her again. He felt the power surge through him, rippling through his body and out into his limbs. It was as if his own life force was halved, cut out of him in the blink of an eye. Before him, a writhing monstrosity screamed into existence. Six limbs bent themselves onto the ground, and he heard a voice he feared he’d never hear. “...Who am I?” she said, as if stirred from a long slumber. He looked at her, at the eldritch abomination that stood before him, and saw her as she did, to the meaning underneath the skin. To him, her form did not matter, for if she had looked at his first gift to her with judging eyes instead of her own, he would have been all the lesser. Give her your purpose. “You are...a Lord. A Lord of the Undead, of the Skulls of the Slain.” She paused in silence. “I remember being more,” she said, sadly. “Do you not remember the same?” He could not look her in the eye. “We owe the Great Brother a great debt,” he said. “It must be paid. Only then can we cherish the past.” He showed her the mask and its uses, and she in return gifted undead life and limbs back to the skulls of their fallen brethren. The mark of the heretics would now be the mark of the underworld. ---- The two Lords came together, their armies working as one. He rallied the underworld to his cause, and she swarmed the island with the voices of the dead. They ravaged the island, driving those who had harmed them from their homes. They were hopelessly outnumbered. So they summoned the demons. The demons fell from the stars and struck with power that none had seen before, driving their armies back, hunting them into the ground. They took her and they beat her, stripping her of her power and casting her back into the underworld, broken. He faced the Wise Master for the first time, the man who had cost him everything. His rage turned into fury, but his fury was in vain. He was cast out too, out of what remained of his home, a memory so old but still fresh. When he sought her, she was wounded, unable to move. Her armies had gone without her, and she was not long for this world. Even dark magic would to naught to save her. “The Great Brother will save us,” he said. “He saved us before and he’ll save us again. You’ve looked into his heart, you know this to be true.” She did not reply. “The Great Brother is nothing,” she said at last. “I saw nothing in his heart but greed and sorrow. He is not but a maker of broken things.” He was taken aback. “But you said...” She smiled. “I looked into your heart and saw devotion, and I could not bear to see that devotion die. It made you purposeful. It gave you reason.” “You gave me reason,” he meant to say, but he choked on his own words. They sat in silence until he was the only one silent. ---- He rallied the underworld again, to fight the demons and the Wise Master of the world above. He faced the Wise Master for the last time. He was shown no mercy. He was soundly defeated. He lay, buried alive, at the depths of the underworld. Rubble had broken every bone in his body. Every breath was a burning ache, deep into his lungs, as air and dust became mixed into one musty gasp for life. He prayed, and out of the silence came doubt. There were no words and there were no promises. The Great Brother had forsaken him. He withered away, for there were no more reasons to live.
  4. I'd say that's a good idea. Still have a bionicle forum on here, but re-brand the site to be more Lego-based. To be honest, a name and template change wouldn't be bad thing. The site is desperately in need of an overhaul. If BZPower expanded to system sets as its focus over Bionicle we can attract more individuals who are fans of Lego lines outside of Bionicle. To all of you saying that BZP should branch out from just Bionicle, that's a start to a solution but it isn't just the end to it. I don't know if you guys remember, but BZP already tried this before, back after Bionicle ended after Generation 1 in 2010. I remember, because I had a topic on the old forum called "BrickZone Power", which was a lengthy pitch for BZP consolidating several Bionicle forums and restructuring into a general LEGO site. Several staff members confirmed that what I was proposing back then was somewhat what they wanted to do in the future, and that ended up being implemented. A lot of people didn't like that, however. Granted, people almost always hated change. But there was a good bit of backlash, some saying they were abandoning their roots, others saying that they were losing focus. They were a minority, but the site did also start to stagnate past then too. One thing that I had neglected to think about in my pitch all those years ago was that when you branch out into a new audience, you have to make sure you can offer them something different. I remember our number one rule when we were making the TTV Message Boards was don't use InvisionBoard, because BZP, Eurobricks, and a ton of other fansites used either InvisionBoard or phpBB. We opted for something completely different - a software infinite scrolling, Markdown instead of BBCode, inline quotation - that looked different. And that comes with some drawbacks too - I know quite a few people who haven't been able to get used to how it works, and it's been a turn off for them. But it made it clear that we were hoping to do something new with the board. We've added more stuff since then - our version of "Hot Topics" is honestly one of my favorite designs I've seen on forums - but our core of do something new was something that, by then, we knew, because that's how we seperated ourselves on YouTube. Same strategy, different application. So let's think about what BZP has that other places don't. Because, if you're an InvisionBoard forum that focuses on System, essentially you're just a smaller Eurobricks - which is kind of what happened the last time. I've noted beforehand that Bionicle fan fiction doesn't have a dedicated location, but I'm not sure how much the demand for that is now, but that's just an example. One of BZP's core unique features for a while, in my opinion, has been blogs. No other LEGO fansite had the same kind of blog feature. And the community built up around the blog was very strong. I wasn't a part of it, so I don't know how it's doing now, but it was definitely a huge draw for people back in a day and it still thrived for a good bit after Bionicle had ended. The blogs were one of the few features that kept their archive after the downtime, and they also are a unique part of BZP that no one else has really done or emulated since. RPGs are another big thing here that I enjoyed as a member, although it got away from me pretty quickly. I'm not sure where people are at with TBRPGS right now, but it's another great unique aspect. Now, again, are blogs and TBRPGs the future of BZP? I wouldn't say so, not exactly. But it's ideas like the blogs that you guys should be focusing on. To draw in a general LEGO audience, something needs to be offered that actually draws people in. So look at InvisionPower's website and their marketplace to see what apps they have, what features they have that Eurobricks, FBTB, Brickset, TTV, or anyone else isn't offering. And then think, how would that aid the current audience? How would it bring in more people? What doesn't the Bionicle or LEGO fanbase have right now that they really need? Definitely, because YouTube became such a big hub for creative content that by not enabling that early on, a new faction of the Bionicle fanbase formed (the BioTubers). That was definitely something that could have been mitigated. BZPower as the "Living Room" is a good concept, but I've also seen the need for "hubs" get smaller and smaller. People like being in their own bubbles a lot, on whatever platform they're in. That was super beneficial to BZP back when there were a ton of people here, but now, if you're wanting an influx of new membership, it's going to be a little harder to get. It's definitely harder to brainstorm, because even in the wake of Bionicle ending, the TTV Channel has been still making content. There's always something to be discussed, and our site was always meant to be based around our own channel and personalities. So for us it's been a little easier. BZPower's cultivated one of the most popular and curated places for discussion for Bionicle on the web in the history of the franchise, but sometimes you can be at the nicest dinner table and still run out of things to talk about. Bionicle's abrupt cancelation definitely didn't help, like, at all.
  5. Okay so this part depresses me the most because I'm right there with you (by the way - hey Cal! It's Kahi! Long time no see!) Comics, back when it was Artwork III, was my childhood. I have a lot of memories and made a lot of friends there. And no matter how hard I've tried, I can't seem to replicate that genuine subculture that drew me in so heavily back then. I've been in other fandoms - sprite comics just weren't a thing there like they were on here. That heyday has passed, and I think it's honestly been lost to time. So many series have been lost to time with the downtime of Maj and Brickshelf, anyways. I was fortunate enough to save a bunch of my favorites before the first downtime, but even still. Relic of a time gone past, you know? Alright, fine. Elephant in the room. TTV Message Boards are doing well. Like, not BZP in its heyday well, but well enough that I'm pretty happy with it. Live stats on the boards are telling me that ~400 users have logged in and posted 1.3k posts in the last 24 hours. We've seen a bunch of growth in the past several weeks because we've started some new initiatives on our YouTube channel to get people on the boards and talking about stuff, but throughout last year we generally averaged 700 posts a day with an absolute low of 400. Granted, it's a different place with a different audience. Our boards were made to engage our audience on YouTube, so there's a bunch of younger members with a different expectation of interaction, a more neo-millennial (I don't actually know the correct term? Basically kids born after 2001) level of instant updates. We have to moderate a lot more posts because the younger kids use chatspeak a lot more, and they're only recently learning how to do longer, essay kind of posts. They're also more highly critical than I'd like - I think it's a holdover from how everyone comes from a YouTube personality wishing point. And the fandom focus is different. A lot more people do videos now than stuff like sprite comics or like RPG Maker games (both things I miss about the old fandom). MOCs are still super popular, that's not changed; stories are kind of popular. Art is super popular, there's a lot more really, really good artists doing consistently amazing art stuff now than I feel like there used to be. That's a carryover from Tumblr and how artists are discovered nowdays. Oddly enough, text games are really popular, like the ones they have in Completely Off Topic. I would think that that's something that would fade away, but I guess that is a level of interaction with the other members that you can't really get on social media like Tumblr or Facebook. I don't really mean this to be blatant self-advertising (only lowkey self-advertising ), but I'm seeing a lot of posts here that are kind of pointing towards social media as the reason forums aren't doing so well. I'm not so sure - and trust me, we've done a ton of investment into researching the Bionicle fandom on different social media outlets. They all have their own niche. Tumblr focuses mostly on MOCs or Art, stuff you can see, like artist stuff. Facebook is how a lot of people get their news. YouTube seems to be either stop-motion or MOC review based. Twitter is personality and comedy based (180 characters make it hard for anything else!) The engagement is spread upon different social media, and there's definitely aspects of the fandom that aren't being met anymore. For instance, fanfiction doesn't really have a one stop location or social media destination like it used to. But regardless, our social media engagement on all of these platforms (outside of YouTube) is distinctly much, much less than the direct engagement we have on our boards. I do think there's still some room for forums, based on how many people are using ours. And I think BZPower has a distinct place in the fandom that has definitely been shifted, but hasn't been lost. I definitely don't want to see this place die, it's very nostalgic for me and it's how I met some of my best friends online. There's still ways for this place to be more active. So before you guys all write the activity here off as forums being dying, maybe there's another explanation for it? Just throwing my perspective in the mix.
  6. ~kh

    Chimoru R Kit

    I can get agori done but I do have some questions regarding what exactly you're looking for. What size are you looking for them to be? I would assume that you'd want them to be the same size as the matoran but it doesn't hurt to ask. Most of the designs I make for the kit are based upon the existing movie styles but "The Legend Reborn" featured a style that was more similar to the sets, at least by comparison to the past movies. So what exactly are you looking for, something that retains the same appearance of the set or are you looking for me to create a new styled version of it entirely? Are you looking for an entire sprite sheet or simply the limbs to be separated? Are you also looking for the various styles of helmets or are there just specific ones you need? For this one it'd probably help to link to which particular sets you have in mind. ~Soran 1. Yes, around the same size as the Matoran. 2. Well, in the story I was writing, the differences between the Agori being organic and the Matoran being robotic are super heightened and is the subject of a lot of racial tension. You're not making this specifically for my story, but I was kind of thinking of it looking more like an organic being is wearing armor than a robot like the usual Bionicle kits look. I know you've already started working on a body though, so don't do anything too different on my account. 3. A spritesheet would be best, for me though. The ease of use of this kit, as well as having a better, animatable walk cycle, was what drew me to use it for my comics. 4. Yes, but really only the ones that are able to show the face. I was hoping for a more organic Agori face, which would separate them from the Matoran. Berix, Kiina, Gelu, Kirbold. Crotesius and Kirbraz have the kind I'm the most looking for. Certavus, Vastus. Metus, Kyry, Sahmad, and Perditus also have helmets that show the face, although I'm not too keen on those designs.
  7. I honestly wonder what the you that wrote this blog post would say if you could see six years into the future.
  8. ~kh

    Chimoru R Kit

    I'll be honest: I haven't worked on my series in forever because it needs Agori for the story to work, and the old Chimoru Agori just aren't cutting it. I'm seriously willing to pay a bit of cash to make it happen - my comic's been put on hold since 2015. But yeah, getting that done would be a godsend for me.
  9. Thank you for the kind words. I agree - through art, fan-fics, fan videos, etc. we are showing LEGO that we care about G2. And (this is the same for a lot of fanbases) I honestly don't think the general consensus of G2 is "we all hate it". People who are satisfied tend to speak less than those who are infuriated. The vocal minority is negative. The rest of us are either content or pleased enough to not make a fuss over it. So I think these discussions, along with the artwork, mocing scene among others are indicators of our feelings towards G2. We shoudn't focus on changing the minds of others who think otherwise, but if someone new to the franchise was to express interest in G2, I think most of us would say "go for it". And I mean, at the end of the day, sales talk the biggest. If we keep supporting LEGO by buying the sets, we are already doing our part. The rest of it just goes above and beyond. -NotS There is a phenomena that really ties into this, and that's the notion of like passive consumerism vs. active complaint. The whole goal of entertainment is to make money through people consuming your content. For the large majority of people, that is exclusively what they do. The people who comment on your work are people that are snapped out of that phase, either by extremely positive or extremely negative means. Some people will respond positively to something they really enjoyed, others will respond positively because of a fostered sense of community and discussion. It's mostly because a lot of people will enjoy things and just not have anything to say. The like button was design as a counterpoint to this - people could show approval without searching for something to actually say about the product, but even that small amount of interaction counts as breaking out from that pure phase of just watching something. The reason why you will see a lot of negative discussion is because when you have a problem with something, it's much easier to find something to say about it. Because your complaints are at the forefront of your mind, it's much easier to put your disapproval down in writing than it is otherwise. So much of my discussions about G2 and Bionicle focus around what it's not doing. I try to give active credit to what's being done right, but the honest truth is that 1. It's sometimes much harder 2. It does not foster good discussion, especially in a format when you have to talk about things week after week. I will be talking about Batman v Superman's faults long after I finish raving about how good Civil War was, because going back and forth about faults creates multiple discussions about alternate solutions, what could have worked, what couldn't have worked, and that's all mostly based on individual conjecture and opinion. You don't get that with things that are good already - there's no point to discussing other solutions when the obvious one is staring right back at you.
  10. He met the Elder with a bow. "May the blessings of the Makers be upon you, and may they unite us in duty, and resolve us in our destiny," he stammered. The Elder solemnly nodded. "I have sinned, Elder," he continued. "I have sinned before the Makers, and before my brothers. I deserve nothing but death." "It is my role to judge the sins, my son, not yours," the Elder replied gently. She looked at him kindly, to ease his nervous pittance. He looked up with little relief in his eyes. "I hear whispers, Elder. Voices in my mind. They talk and murmur and they plot. They tell me of things to come, of things that will be. Corruption of the destinies the Makers gave us. Dreadful, terrible heresies, Elder." The Elder frowned. He saw the emotion flash across the her face and could no longer look her in the eyes. His head bent in shame. "They speak of the Great Betrayer, Elder. They speak of his sins, and how they were not sins. They speak evil of the True Maker, and they speak ruin over our villages." "How so?" the Elder said. "He is not dead in the grave, but has risen," he said, his voice quivering. "The Great Betrayer lives among us to this very day, gathering up his power, ready to strike again. He breathes the shadows and stalks the dead. He cries for their aid and they have answered, and their bones groan as they walk the City once again. They come for us." The Elder looked concerned, but looked at the quivering villager before her and relented. "Whispers and visions are no sin, my son," she said. "Your worries are assured by us, your Elders, the Protectors of the realm themselves. The Great Betrayer was defeated by the True Maker long ago, and we are more than enough to stand against him. And if all hope did seem lost, we would summon the Masters to fight on our side - and before them, darkness would not stand. So go, be relieved of your sins, and may the Makers guide you in your path and steer you in your destiny." He did not move. "That is not the sin I come to you with, Elder." "Oh?" He knelt at her feet. "I knew your answer to be what it is, and I knew your Protection would come too late. Forgive me for my mistrust, but I had to look beyond your counsel. So I reached out to the True Maker." The Elder was bemused. "The True Maker has not spoken in centuries, child." "He spoke to me," he said. "He said that the Great Betrayer would be a force unreckoned with, but he had chosen me to prepare the way for a new Master. One that would give power and aid not just to the Elders, but empower even us lowly villagers to fight alongside you." What had been bemusement was turning into concern. The Elder looked down at the villager. "You must be mistaken,” she said. “There is no Master that was prophesied that can be summoned without the Protectors." He looked straight into the Elder's eyes for the first time since he began. There was no longer fear in them, but a righteous fire so foreign it seemed to belong to another. "There is now," he said. The Spiders leapt from rock to rock, spinning their webs between the ledges and latching onto the Elder. They pinned her arms back, forcing her weapon to drop from her hands. They latched the strands to the cliffside, pulling them deep into the crevices. "The Master is Lord over all!" he said, his arms outstretched as a Spider became his face. "Your protection will not save us from the army of the dead! The Lord of the Wild is the true divine Master!" There was barely time to think, but she already knew what to do. She grimaced, then pointed her chest at the ground and fired. Catapulting herself into the cliffside, the impact stretched the webs beyond their limits and they snapped away. She grabbed onto the side of the cliff, but the Spiders knew her grasp and leapt towards her. She batted them away. "My sins, Elder, are those of arrogance! Of complacency and confidence!" he continued to yell. "They are the sins of those who would call upon others from time beyond to fight battles for us, instead of taking up our own arms against the enemy of our world." The Spiders overwhelmed her, consumed her. They ripped her face from her and gave her their own to stifle her screams. Her hands flew to try and fight it, abandoning the precious hold of the ledge, but instinct was slower than deception. She felt the cool air touch her bare skin for the briefest of seconds, the villager’s words echoing around her head. The voices joined his in an overwhelming chorus, the sounds of men and women and children. The world became an infinite blackness. "My sins are your sins," they cried. Time ebbed around her, flowing, bending, twisting beyond how she knew it. She drew her breath in sharply, her gut knotted up and a dread started to creep up her stomach. “Out of the dead they were raised, and into death they shall go,” they chanted. “I am the Lord of the Wild, I am the Dweller of Darkness. He has brought up the dead to walk my halls again, and I will bring the living to walk among them. There is one True Maker and there is one True Lie. Give unto me your sins, and you will walk among the chosen. I am the Ancient One. I am the Master here.” She nearly did. She wanted to, so much, to join the chant as a child joins a cheer. To raise one’s hands up in unity and cry for the common cause. She felt hope that the Master would save them, faith in the Lord of the Wild to be the savior she needed. The words flew from her mind and were trapped in her tongue. “I surrender,” said her head, her heart beating with the rhythm of a war drum. “I surrender,” it tried again, but she couldn’t hear it even in her own mind. Something, something far in the back of her mind, whispered to her the words that came out of her mouth instead. “I am Korgot, Elder of these lands, the great Protector of the Earth. I am the one who judges sins. I am not a puppet of the Makers, True, Betrayer or otherwise. This is my mind. This is my realm. I am the Master here.” The voices murmured with discontent, trying to overwhelm her in noise. Their murmurs became cries, and the cries became screams. The war drums that powered her heart pounded and pounded their disapproval, the voices shrieking with power, and then - She hit the ground with a splattering crack. Tumbling face first from the cliffside, her hands no longer stopping gravity from taking control, she had splintered the Spider against the rocks, the impact forcing her out of her trance. She gasped for air as she twisted around, her hand finding her old familiar face, and ripping the remains of the darkness off, she was made whole again. He stood with his arms outstretched, as if calling to her for help, but she knew it was too late. He was already one with the voices. His mouth said their words. He was a puppet, an empty shell, one with regret, but a shell all the same. She grabbed her weapon and ran, away from the Spiders, away from the Wild. She ran with the terror and craze and wisdom of one who had heard the voice of death. The Lord of the Wild had lost his prey, but he would consume so much more. She ran for the others, for the Temple that held her last hope. The Masters had to be called from beyond the veil of time. She would die before she let her island become one voice. Death was coming, but she would be on its heels. -------- I wrote my first piece of 2015 fanfiction, and figured I should share it everywhere I could. Hope you guys like it! (commentary in spoiler tags because of slight book spoilers)
  11. ~kh

    Lawyer at Leisure

    Life, death, power, riches All are but commodities Bartered with at will For the highest bidder Pays the highest price *** So, six years and two days ago, I launched my first comic series, Live, Learn and Lawsuits. I loved doing it. I've always loved comics, and doing my own comic series allowed me to dabble in that kind of visual storytelling, as well as teach me valuable image editing skills, and eventually led to my current job over at the TTV Podcast. But I eventually grew tired of it come around 2012. Part of it was that my series was built around the cliches and storytelling gimmicks that the 2009 Comics Forum (then known as Artwork III) saw in abundance. It tried to be subversive and edgy, breaking the fourth wall, poking fun at what other newer comic makers would do, but ultimately it was just one giant reference to a joke that didn't exist anymore. The other part was the BZPower Archive. So many of my first interactions with friends and co-workers could be found in the pages of that old site. When the archive vanished, so did a lot of that history. It kind of felt like years of my life had been wiped away. The new comics forum was mostly what I had hoped for (no revival limit, a forum mod eager to listen and work with comic makers), but it didn't feel the same anymore. But I always wanted to come back. And I always wanted to try something new. Eventually, I started toiling away at concepts for a new series, one that didn't need the established culture around it to make sense or be funny. Something a bit more self-contained, a little more serious, still Bionicle-inspired, but one that could be picked up by anyone, Bionicle fan or no, and still make a framework of sense. I don't know if I've succeeded, and I don't know if I'll even continue with what I've done. I have a bad habit of not being able to finish comics that I've started. I've decided to follow a wholly different style than the one I was used to back in the day, both visually and in the way I introduce the story, and hopefully it might look like something you guys would want to keep up with. As always, but especially because I'm doing a whole new style of thing, feedback is really important to me here. I'd like to see what you guys would have to say. Consider this a kind of "pitch" comic, to gage people's reaction. I've got a lot written up that I'd eventually like to share onscreen, as well as commentary I'd like to put forward. Today's my birthday, and I'm 20 years old. I guess it's my turn to give a gift. Welcome to Lawyer at Leisure. *** Prelude Page One | Page Two | Page Three | Page Four | Page Five | Page Six *** Credits Dark709 | Gerlicky | Soran | Janaro | Bladeran | Gavla Sprites Jonathan Hickman | Brian Michael Bendis | Brian K. Vaughan | Grant Morrison Inspiration
  12. There's way more Bionicle stuff in Part 2! We had to split it because of length. I'm finishing up the transcript right now, and the video should be up soon, so look forward to that!
  13. I was just reading this topic when I realized that's totally my arm:
  14. ~kh

    Chimoru R Kit

    Hey guys! I've been thinking of making comics again, and I've got a story mostly figured out, but I need some Agori/Protector/other races sprites in this kit style to do it. Would any of you guys be interested in a commission? It would be paid, of course. I don't have a ton of money, but I also don't want to just ask someone to make them pro bono. I'd need them really soon. Shoot me a PM if you're interested and we can talk business. Thanks!
  15. Don't knowSteve Blum is an extremely prolific voice actor. You might know him as Amon from The Legend of Korra. Or a number of other things. He voices a lot of growly characters, but for Pohatu I was thinking somewhere around his voice for JP from Digimon Frontier. These questions always seem to be met with lists of either celebrities or big screen actors. Casting the most famous person isn't always the best option, especially when there are hundreds of voice actors who could most likely do a much better job. You're kidding, right? Steve Blum cannot hold a candle to someone like Liam Neeson or Jennifer Lawrence. I'd rather have someone famous voice one of the Toa than some nobody voice actor. I had a good laugh at that. Good voice actors are good voice actors, regardless of how well their name is known. Granted, I will give you that Liam Neeson has a very distinct and recognizable voice. Having him as a voice would be less on his merits as a voice actor and more on the distinct voice he has. Jennifer Lawrence is a wonderful actress, but her voice is notably less distinct. Her talents and acting range lie better with live action, where she has the full range of her face, body language, and voice, instead of straight up voice acting. That being said, notable voice actors are very good at what they do, which is convey character, action and tone through their voice alone (sometimes multiple voices within the same show). Which is also why I had to laugh when you said that Steve Blum couldn't "hold a candle" to Liam Neeson or Jennifer Lawrence. He's a very specific type of actor, the same as they are. Both could probably not hold up in theater either. Different environment entirely.
  16. I'd rather not. I think that the studio has become mostly formulaic, and they generally do well because they adapt a popular franchise with loads of characters or scenes that people want to see reenacted in LEGO. I don't really blame them for it; it works well and it still sells, so there's not entirely a need to change that up. But Bionicle right now has just around fourteen characters (fifteen, if you count the Lord of Skull Spiders) and we barely have any story in the first place, much less iconic scenes that would be great being translated to LEGO. Traveller's Tales only does their own formula well, not something that the new line would need. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing them attempt it, but they're definitely not the studio I'd want to see, especially over Telltale. Most studios aren't really completely versatile, they're just good at making games that are similar to what they've done before. As far as story and adventure games go, Telltale is definitely doing it right. A more complex, well acted MNOG is generally the best thing that could happen to the new Bionicle. We have little to no idea as to the new world that the franchise is taking place in, and fleshing that out through a game would be great. Telltale, though, admittedly has felt it's best when taking risks with mature content and situations; I'd have to see how their new Minecraft series does. For those who want something a little more action based, perhaps Supergiant Games? They've also done the same type of game (Bastion and Transistor), but the top down isometric shooter could do nicely for a Bionicle game, and they've done a good job of telling stellar stories while having an action shooter as it's core. Plus, Daniel Korb could do a killer electronic-tribal mashup soundtrack. If this was last year, I would have suggested Platinum Games, since they had some great third person beat-'em-ups with Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2. But then they released their Legend of Korra licensed title, and that was so poor I don't know if they could handle having another elemental power based licensed theme.
  17. It's a concept that mostly has application in computer science. It's basically an array, except much more conceptual than that. They are very indeed very confusing. I'm kind of surprised that you're leaning about this in Algebra II; I went all the way to Discrete Mathematics before I came across them.
  18. Tough decision to make. It used to be much simpler beforehand, but honestly, now we really do have television shows that are near cinematic quality. Movies used to benefit from bigger budgets, storywriters, directors and actors, but Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones are both very, very strong titles with good visual quality and scripts. True Detective has started paving the way for movie actors to become involved with TV with McConaughey and Harrelson. And movie directors now are either turning towards TV, or have strong roots in it (Joss Whedon and J.J Abrams are in charge of the biggest sci-fi/action franchises in America and they both have strong TV roots). So in short, TV is becoming more and more lucrative nowdays. I mean, I guess "TV" is kind of a stretch; it's more like serialized film storytelling now that stuff like Netflix and Hulu are becoming the future. I'm really excited for the Netflix Marvel exclusives, because it's not often you see the biggest franchise in America take charge of where media is headed instead of playing catchup. Now more than ever, they're just different types of storytelling. The distinction comes only between the budget and the length. I couldn't imagine Breaking Bad as a movie, and I couldn't imagine Fight Club as a TV series (well...I guess I could, but drawing it out wouldn't necessarily make it better). So, it's not really comparing apples to oranges...but I would say that it's comparing grapes to raisins.
  19. You know, when you've been around as long as this site has, you're inevitably going to get your fair share of critics and haters. Stuff gets misconstrued, rumors get run around, and simple mistakes turn into controversies. The rumor mill has always churned out stuff about this site that people have run away with, and I'd be remiss to mention that I was definitely a part of that problem. It's only pretty recently that I've thought of this differently. Of course, no site/project/group/etc. is ever blameless or without fault, but circumstances have a way of escalating events and history only looks kindly on the victors. I can't imagine what the TTV channel's comments would look like if we had been doing this for over a decade.
  20. Turns out the new masks will fit neatly onto any piece that's two studs wide with either axle or pin holes on each end. They'll lock in place if they're axle holes and swing loosely if they're pins. It's pretty neat. And thank you! The wings I got in a Chima set I picked up randomly earlier this year, but they're also in the purple Mixels. Oh...so they fit on the most common peice in Bionicle? Ha! Shows how much I know. =P That's actually a really neat fit, too! Thanks for that.
  21. I love this. Smaller, but a lot of attention to detail. My first foray into any type of MOCing began only with the 2015 bag of parts I got, so it's nice to see what someone can do with them. I'm mostly amazed as to how you got the Skull Spider mask to fit on something that wasn't the head. I couldn't figure that out for the life of me. (Then again, I guess that's not saying all too much.) That headdress is also really, really cool. Those purple wings weren't part of the 2015 parts, were they? I'd hate to have missed those in the rush.
  22. I'm kind of hoping we'll see a slow rise for this Makuta, like an evolution of him from this slightly jealous dude to this sociopathic mastermind over the course of the story.
  23. *Raises hand* When something has "ultimate power" plastered over it I feel inclined to question it... a lot. That is because you have the privilege of being the audience and being aware of the conventions of genre. Evil villains and overlords in fiction rarely have that privilege, because if they did then there would likely be nothing with "ultimate power" plastered over it in the first place. I think the people who were concerned with Teridax's "all according to plan" mentality in the original Bionicle should take heart that the very first story content we're privy to features Makuta creating a scheme to seize ultimate power and that scheme being an unquestionable failure. Not only was he controlled by his own creation, but the mask was stripped from him before he could do much harm with it–and even if the latter could later be retconned as part of a master plan, I don't see any way the former could. I mean...technically, it wasn't wrong for him to make the Mask. Objectively speaking, it's way more efficient to have a Mask that controls all of the elements. Plus, he made the Mask, so the "Mask of Ultimate Power" is only named such because he decided to name it. All we know right now is that he's just a little jealous that people like Ekimu's Masks more.
  24. DV is correct: they never used the word "soft reboot" at the panel, and they immediately started out the panel saying "this is a reboot". I should have clarified that it wasn't told there, and that was my fault. I'm not going to deny that I might have asked some leading questions either; I asked a lot of things based on what I wanted to hear. Honestly, BZP was 100% on the ball when it came to recording actual information there. They had mics and cameras and interviewed more of the employees than we ended up doing. We were basically hilariously underprepared when it came to recording video (we've always done audio/editing stuff until now). A lot of our audio was botched because all we had was an iPhone. So I personally believed the whole "soft reboot" thing was the case from my personal conversations, but BZP talked to a lot more people and have a lot more of it recorded in an official capacity. If there is any source you should believe definitively from NYCC, it's definitely them over us. They did a much better job of reporting onsite.
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