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Nescent

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Blog Entries posted by Nescent

  1. Nescent
    Just want to share this pic of my son playing with some Bionicle sets for the first time. It melted my heart, if anyone else will get it it's got to be you guys!

    My plans to indoctrinate the babies are finally coming to fruition. 🤨
  2. Nescent
    It's been over a month since I started working at McDonalds, and it's been going well. I seem to be doing better than some of the kids that work there. I've also been living with a friend, and I'm really excited to move into my own apartment. It'll be fantastic to finally have a space for my cat, and to once again have my own room. Getting sick and tired of living in other people's places.
     
    But personal space issues aside, living with the roommate is overall a lot of fun. You know those Monopoly cards that McDonalds does every year? Most of them are the collectible properties, but some are free food. Well, my roommate eats at McDonads a lot, and saved up seven cards for free medium fries...So we did the obvious thing and redeemed all seven at once. And a diet coke of course.
     

     
    2/10 do not recommend. That pretty quickly began to taste like just a heap of salt and starch.
  4. Nescent

    3D Okoto [Test Render]

    By Nescent,

    This has been sitting on my hard drive for a while so I'll just go ahead and share it.
     

     
    It's a test-render of the 3D Okoto I teased a while ago. If I'm able to resume working on Creatures of Okoto, the render of the island will be longer (probably like 60 seconds), with an introduction to the project. And the title will look nicer.
     
    I've got some other animations I'd like to share (the region animations). If I don't get back to developing the combiner project then I'll share them as well.
  6. Nescent

    Last day in FL

    By Nescent,

    Well, not quite. I'm moving in about 36 hours.
     
    Going back to Alabama! Neither Florida nor Alabama have really felt like the right place for me, but I am excited to move back to my hometown. A wonderful friend is giving me a place to stay while I get settled...It's gonna be sweet.
  7. Nescent

    Packing

    By Nescent,

    I'm moving in ten days. I'll probably make a post about that later, but right now I'm starting to gather my things, and decide what to bring, what to leave here, and what to toss (since I really can't leave much here in storage).
     
    So I guess it's time to say goodbye to the ol' LEGO Magazine collection:

    Guess it's not a big deal, since I never read them anyway. I think I'll just keep a few for memories' sake.
     
    I'm also going to throw away a bunch of my Bionicle canisters:

    Mostly, I'm going to miss the Stars canisters, and also those Agori boxes. They're really cool boxes and I imagine they're hard to come by. :c But I'm keeping some canisters, namely one of each Bohrok canister, and a couple that have sets in them. I also flattened all my G2 boxes, definitely not throwing those out.
     
    As for my Bionicle collection, I'm leaving that behind, all seven drawers of it. The only actual Bionicle things I'm bringing are my G2 collection, my collectibles (like all my masks and stuff), and a few choice sets. Probably a Bohrok or two. For giggles, here's my G2 collection in parts:

    Pretty impressive stack of pieces, I'll say. That is all the 2015 sets, and three from 2016.
     
    Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for how to dispose of those canisters and magazines, I'd love to hear them. Shame to toss them in the trash, but maybe I can donate the magazines somewhere.
  8. Nescent
    Creatures of Okoto



    (...Preview.)


     
    I'm moving pretty soon, and starting to work, and having to leave some stuff behind, and probably taking a little hiatus from Bionicle, at least to some degree. I'll still log on here and do This Month in Bionicle, but MOCs will probably be difficult, so Creatures of Okoto is being postponed. But, since I have a handful of combiners already, I'm going to share what I've got, rather than just sitting on them.
     
    So, these are all made with the 2016 sets, and all of them have instructions (which have been put together similar to LEGO's official instructions, in the form of PDF booklets). Here are some pointers I've been following to enhance the quality of these, compared to my previous combiners:
     
    -Use more parts. The alternates (made with just one set) use 80-90 percent of the pieces, at least. Combiners with two or more sets use at least 75 percent, in general.
    -Higher standards. For each MOC I include, there are one or two that didn't make the cut.
    -More photos. The topic will have one photo per MOC, but the video will show them off from different angles.
     
    So without further ado, here are my Creatures of Okoto! (Bear in mind that, as a WiP, some of these have makeshift backgrounds, or no backgrounds at all.)
     
    Region of Jungle
    Crystal Swamp Mite - Small insect found the the swamps. Built with Uxar, Creature of Jungle.
    Swamp Gorgat - Large, camouflaged Creature which disguises itself as swamp-plants by stooping into the murky waters. Built with Umarak and Uxar.
    Jungle Strider - Nimble and prone to fighting, but not very good at it. Built with Lewa, Uniter of Jungle.
    Jungle Mammoth - Large and hostile, with powerful tusks. Built with Umarak, the Hunter.
     
    Region of Ice
    Snow Runner - Small, swift Creature, able to evade any foe. Built with Melum, Creature of Ice.
    Snow Bunny - Large and generally friendly, but capable of defending itself. Built with Kopaka, Uniter of Ice.
    Ice Crusher - Massive, intelligent, territorial, and very mean. Built with Kopaka and Gali.
     
    Region of Water
    Coral Stalker - Generally passive, large Creatures which prowl among colorful coral reefs. Built with Gali and Lewa.
    Reef Spider - Common, simple Creatures which have little means of self-defense, but attract little attention. Built with Gali, Uniter of Water.
    Gaboo - Somewhat large, stupid Creatures which harass the villagers, both above the water and under the sea.
     
    Also, stay tuned for Music of Okoto: Songs of the Villagers. I'll be posting the topic tomorrow morning!
  9. Nescent

    MOO

    By Nescent,

    But seriously. I just wanted to give a little update on Music of Okoto - I put it off for, like, two months, but I'm still going to finish it. Been working on it a lot the past few days.
     
    Music of Okoto is a series of in-universe songs from the G2 Bionicle universe, as in, the music that the villagers play. There will be one song for each Region, and maybe a few extras. Here's a detailed report of how much I have made:
     
    RoJ: 1 song finished.
    RoE: 1 song conceptualized, haven't really started this one.
    RoF: 1 song about half-way finished.
    RoS: 1 song about half-way finished.
    RoI: 1 song being finished.
    RoW: 2 songs being finished.
     
    Each song is 2-3 minutes long, with a brief accompanying story to give some context, and help set up the mood.
     
    I have to finish it within the next week or two, so expect it to be posted pretty soon!
     
    While I'm here, I guess I'll also talk about Creatures of Okoto. You may have noticed that the progress meter in my signature hasn't really budged for a while; unfortunately, I haven't been able to pick up all the 2016 sets yet, so I haven't been able to work on it. Plus, with the cold winter weather (yes it's been freezing here in Florida and I love it), it's been hard to stay motivated to work on it. I still need all the Akamai sets (Fire/Earth/Stone), and I'm gonna be super busy for a while, so I really don't know when I will be able to finish Creatures. Here's what I do have, though:
     
    RoI: 3 combiners
    RoJ: 4 combiners
    RoW: 3 combiners
     
    All with photos and instructions made. I am aiming for 5 combiners in each Region, so I do have some progress made, at least. Anyway, now you're all caught up with my Bionicle projects; Music of Okoto will be out soon™, and Creatures of Okoto is TBD.
  10. Nescent
    I've been building some Creatures with the new sets for my next combiner series, and here's an alternate for Melum...that I can't finish.
     

     
    Isn't it such a cute little snow turtle thing? There aren't any good parts left for a head. Poor adorable little snow critter doesn't get to be in the project.
  11. Nescent

    One year of MOCs

    By Nescent,

    I've been busy as a Bohrok this year in my MOC building, so here's a little review of everything I made in 2015. Life is starting to speed up through January and February, so I don't know how active I can be in 2016, but I'll still be here on BZP. I know I couldn't live with myself if I faded away from the Bionicle reboot.
     
    Speaking of which, I'll be heading to the store soon, since the local Target supposedly has some 2016 Bionicle sets in stock. Time to spend that Christmas money.
  15. Nescent

    SW: Yay

    By Nescent,

    I wasn't sure if I'd be able to see Force Awakens, but my brother decided to treat us to tickets tomorrow!
     
    Confession: I haven't even seen the trailer.
     
    I'm excited. And, I haven't even had anything spoiled yet. Wonderful.
  16. Nescent
    Today, Black Six distributed the digital perks from the 2015 BrickFair Convention Circuit, which officially concludes the circuit (for me, anyway).
     
    I sent in three MOCs:
     

     
    ...and had them returned a little early, because I thought my return address might change. (It didn't.)
     
    Inside the package, along with the MOCs themselves, I got a few goodies:
     
    - Noble Ruru (Black)
    - Brain Attack polybag
    - Sealed Turaga Vakama polybag (awesome!)
     
    I also chose "Rahi Wrangler" as my member title. Since it has a nice ring to it, and I like to build Rahi.
     
    This was my first time participating in the convention circuit, and I'm really glad I did! BZP's gifts kicked butt, and it was just really cool to have some MOCs on display throughout the States, and to help contribute to Bionicle's presence at the events. It's definitely something I'll be participating in again in the future.
  17. Nescent

    Makuta Rising

    By Nescent,

    When Makuta donned the Mask of Ultimate Power, Okoto split, and he fell beneath it in a deep slumber. The power of the mask caused him to grow a thousand times in size, until one day, he will rise again.
     

  18. Nescent
    Recently I've been sifting through different fonts, trying to find the right one. I've settled for a font called Avenir:
     

     
    Isn't that just the loveliest font you've ever seen?
     
    Are there any fonts you're partial to?
  19. Nescent

    3D Okoto screens

    By Nescent,

    Just thought I'd give an update to the 3D Okoto project I shared the other day! I'll link the images in here to high-res versions.
     
    The camera will start by looking down at the island, the way it appears in the Okoto map from bionicle.com:
     

     
    In the animation, those clouds are drifting toward the north-west.
     
    Then, it will swoop down, past the clouds:
     

     
    The difference between those two images is subtle, but it looks really cool to actually see the clouds spread apart as they fly by. They also have varying heights, which adds a lot of depth in the animation.
     
    Then the camera evens out by the Region of Fire/Region of Earth, and starts panning around the side of the island:
     

     
    That's also where the title starts to fade in. These are frames directly from the animation, so they're not really glory shots...
     
    The camera moves north, passed the Region of Stone toward the Region of Ice:
     

     
    That's my least favorite angle of the island. Hopefully some mist in the snowy mountains makes it more interesting. You can also see the sun I painted; hopefully I can add a little lens flare effect as the volcano passes over the sun.
     
    Then, the camera loops around and rises up to look at the Region of Water:
     

     
    That's my favorite angle, despite the almost vertical rivers and huge white traces of a cloud.
     
    Finally the camera comes to a stop in front of the Region of Jungle, and zooms in - and that's where the Region of Jungle segment of the project will begin.
     
    I'll also have animations of the island between segments. So, after I've gone over all the wildlife combiners for the Region of Jungle, it'll zoom out of that region, and pan over to the next.
     
    At this point I just want to touch up the colors and lighting, but I might add a few things, like smoke emitting from the volcano, mist in some of the mountains, and maybe specularity in the ocean.
     
    All of the animations for the individual regions are completely finished. I really hope the new sets start appearing soon so I can start making some Creatures!
  20. Nescent
    If you read my previous entry, you know that I'm creating a third Wildlife Combiner installment, this time with a video. Well I've been creating some 3D scenes for each of the regions, by dissecting each regions' art into layers and creating short animations that show the art in motion. They're really cool (and a lot of fun to make!) and I'm excited to share them next year.
     
    But while I wait for the new sets, I'm also creating an animation of the island itself. So right now, I'm working on a 3D island of Okoto, and once it's done, I can pan around the island in the video. I just started it tonight, so it's very preliminary, but it's looking pretty cool so here's a preview!
     

     
    (I am going to be so very disappointed if next year takes place on a different island by the way )
  21. Nescent
    I'm planning a third installment to my Wildlife Combiners series, which will be called Creatures of Okoto. I'd like to make a video for the project, and what can I do to make the video special?
     
    Well, I decided to make a soundtrack for each Region. I've got some concepts for all six regions of Okoto, but the Region of Jungle is already a full song, and I'm going to share it here to hopefully get some feedback.
     
    https://soundcloud.com/nascentmusic/region-of-jungle/s-qCl4X
     
    The idea is that this could actually be played in-universe, by the villagers of each tribe. And I'm trying to capture the spirit of what I imagine each region to be, so the Region of Fire's soundtrack will be a heavy, fast song, whereas the Region of Water's will be slow and passive, etc.
  22. Nescent

    Dead Arm

    By Nescent,

    Today I passed out with my arm tucked beneath my pillow. A couple hours later, I awoke in that same position, and my right arm was dead. From the elbow down, it just felt like rubber. Couldn't move it at all, and it was completely numb. It was really weird to lift my arm up, and watch my hand just flop down like a piece of meat. After a couple minutes, it went back to normal, so I guess there's no lasting damage.
     
    Side note: the second Harry Potter movie had a fairly accurate portrayal of this.
  23. Nescent
    This should be a criminal offense...maybe then I'd stop doing it.
     
    Still haven't finished Death Note. I was really into that show, made it to the second-to-last episode, really wanted to see how it ended - then three years passed and I still haven't finished it.
     
    Star Trek: The Next Generation. Freaking loved the show, watched all seven seasons, but still haven't watched the last episode. Been putting that off for months.
     
    Now I'm re-reading Harry Potter, and I'm at the very end of the fourth book (like, four chapters left), and I just stopped reading it.
     
    It's like, the ending is really special so I want to wait until the time is right before I read/watch it, and it just never happens. Anyone else have a habit of doing this?
     
    Also, I decided to spice up my blog. New name, sidebar is now on the left, and I'll put a different Futurama quote under that picture with each new entry.
     
    Oh - also! - this doesn't really have to do with anything, but Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is coming to television. Between that, and the new Star Trek show, I've got a lot to look forward to!
  24. Nescent
    When I was a kid, my family travelled a lot. I actually spent very little time in the States from '04 till '09, so I missed out on a lot of Bionicle - but I never forgot about it, and I missed it the entire time I was out of the country. In fact, the first thing I did when we returned to the US in 2006 was buy a Bionicle set (Hewkii Inika). I also managed to compile a massive collection of bulk parts, which I would haul around from country-to-country in an enormous hiker's backpack for years to come. Seriously, Bionicle was the only thing I cared about enough to carry with me (well, except for a few pairs of clothes).
     
    Anyway, moving back a bit - when I was separated from the Bionicle fandom, I spent most of my time MOCing, but I also put together this little book that was my own Bionicle universe. I dug it out of the closet today and took some photos, which is what prompted me to write this. Though largely incomplete, it's got some cute drawings and stuff. Here it is - and please, I was like twelve years old when I wrote that, so sorry about the han...well, I still have terrible handwriting. Never mind.
     
    Later, when I was going to school here in the US, I was fortunate to have a close friend who was also interested in Bionicle. We made these booklets out of composition notebooks which were supposed to be chronicles of Bionicle's lore. It's really just passages from the Bionicle Wikia that I copied down alongside some Bionicle images from comics/magazines/instructions/etc., so it's less exciting than the other one, but here it is if you want to thumb through it.
     
    I've got a bunch of small mementos and such from Bionicle, and I'm glad I managed to hold on to them for so long. I've got no clue where I'll be years from now, or even months from now, but I hope I can keep my Bionicle stuff with me forever.
  25. Nescent
    Recently I've been wanting some pumpkin pie. Just, I don't know, I love pumpkin pie, and I want to have some. Well as it turns out, I've been lied to, for you see pumpkin pie is in fact not seasonal. I always thought you could only get it on Thanksgiving, since that was the only time my family ever served this particular treat.
     
    Delighted, I picked up a can of pumpkin, and the ingredients from the recipe on the back - evaporated milk, seasonings, pie shell, all that good stuff - and just ten minutes ago I started drumming them all together. First the sugar and the spices..then came the eggs...the pumpkin settled in nicely, and it was starting to smell pretty delicious already.
     
    When I added the condensed milk - gradually, as per the instructions - it slowly dawned on me that this was quite a bit of mix. In fact, the large bowl was almost over-spilling with liquidy pumpkin goodness. Could it be...but surely, no...yes, this is far too much mix...
     
    I withdrew the pie crust from the freezer, and lo and behold - there were actually two crusts in there. Surprise, I wound up with a bonus pie.
     
    I've got two pies in the oven, and a mostly-full can of whipped cream in the fridge. It's all happening.
     
    What's next? Summertime eggnog? Wintertime snow cones? Are those little yellow Peeps chicks actually only available in Easter?
     
    Edit: I was supposed to let it cool another hour but I'm having a slice now anyway. It's warm, but still delicious.
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