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To celebrate the birthday of Emperor Whenua, a very special friend (if at times eccentric), I have gone through 47 chat logs (and nine chatroom logs) accumulated through half a year of Meebo-usage, to find our most memorable chat moments and share them with you all. Here goes... My remarkable punctuality: Our relationship in a nutshell. EW actually inspired me to make one of the posts I remain most proud of in my four years here. I guess you're just an inspiring kind of guy, EW. We share the same opinions on a lot of things...interests, too. A shame I can't be there with you on the Jamboree right now, but we'll definitely do a camping trip someday. You've helped me out of potential mistakes that would've gotten me in trouble. That's what I love about you, EW...you're a depemdable guy. Another reason why I consider EW to be one of my best friends here -- he reminds me of what's important. Also, when I get out of line you bring me back to reality. Most of all, though, I'll cherish the silly moments we've shared. But what I value most of all in you is the way you understand me so perfectly. Here's to another three years (hopefully more) of friendship! Congratulations on making it to adulthood, Emperor Whenua!
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Well, this is it. All joking aside, in less than three days now, I'm going off to college. Which means that the day I've anticipated, sometimes dreaded, but always prepared for, has come. It's time for me to say goodbye to BZPower. I don't really know how I feel. Yeah, of course I'll miss BZP and all the memories and connections I've made here. But, knowing for a year and a half that this was the day that I'd have to say a final goodbye has helped me come to terms with that. I've 'quit' BZP before, but this time I'm pretty sure it'll be different. I don't think I'll miss it enough to want to come back. And I've done so much these past eight months, enough to last me a few years I think, so I don't mind setting this obligation to rest. That's probably not the right word, 'obligation'...well to be honest, BZP did used to be an obligation for me. In 2007 and 2008 I felt more like BZP was something that I had to do, but I didn't want to, and it sort of stifled and restricted me. So why not quit? Well, I did, more than once. But each time I did, I started to only have memories of the good things in BZP, not the bad, so that always made me want to come back. I guess what I've come to realize as I went through my last year of BZP going above and beyond and doing more than I've done in the three years before, is that it's really all in the mindset. I told myself I had to do BZP and that I didn't want to, so that's what happened. This time I chose to treat it as what it was in the beginning, something I do for fun. And as expected, I had a lot of fun. There's another thing too. BZPower by itself has never been what I've liked, what I've tried to quit from and what I've always returned to. No, what it was, was the connections I made, the people I met, the friends and even good friends that I've made on BZP. It was the people that made me want to come back, the idea of having such connections that made BZP so addicting. So I've made a sort of 'thank you list' of people I want to, well, thank. Maybe we've been IM buddies for a year or more. Maybe we only shared one PM conversation. Whatever it was, I want to thank you for making my four year stay on BZPower meaningful, and I've tried to include everyone here, hoping that I didn't forget anyone. But before that, a considerably shorter list about me. More specifically, about things I'm proud of that I've done here. I sometimes find myself thinking about what I didn't do and what I could've done, but I'd rather focus on the positive. Things I'm proud of Won a BZP Contest: I accomplished this my first year, which was really surprising to me because I didn't think I could do it. That was really fun though, knowing that I met one of my goals I set for myself. And then another one, a team contest this time, which was better, I guess because it felt like we won as, well, a team. Made it to the Top 100 Overall Posters: I dreamed like every new member of racking up a high post count. Sort of forgot about that over the years as I found more fun things to look forward to in BZPower, but it's nice that I finally made it onto the list near the end of my time here. I'll probably fall off the list soon as others get more posts than little soon-to-be-inactive me, but just making it once was enough. =] Ran an RPG: I did this for two years until the RPG closed, though it was more of a failure than a success for me. Even so, all the mistakes I made as an RPG Moderator have at least taught me what not to do, so I'm grateful for that. As my last day drew closer, I kept getting thoughts of wanting to start and run another RPG, though I knew I wouldn't have the time to...and I would've had to leave anyone who joined out in the cold once I left. But after failing as an RPG Moderator the first time around, and spending more than half a year as just a 'regular' RPer to get back to the basics, I think if I had the chance, I'd be able to run an RPG successfully and fairly this time. Who knows? The experience is something I'm grateful for, at least. Ran the Story Fit: I know I canceled it a couple of months after it started, and sometimes I wonder if I should have kept it going. Even if it was only one person who participated, that could still be considered a success. Still, it was fun while it lasted, and I liked how the SS forum jumped in activity when I ran it. The Libraries always felt like one of the under-appreciated forums to me, and I'm glad that the BZP News Team is finally acknowledging the wonderful work that our writers and artists do. I hope someday the Libraries will be as busy as the other forums. Made People Laugh: Is that servile or not? But really, I liked it when I made people's days with my posts or blog entries. I try to lighten the mood, especially in the RPG forums where things can sometimes get melodramatic, so it's always nice when I succeed. Ran a Story Arc: After years of trying in the BZPRPG, I'm glad I finally managed to not only start a story arc but also end one successfully. I know, RPing in the thing counts as contributing too, but I felt like, having been a role-player for four years in the same RPG, I wanted something to show for it, you know? I'm sorry for being selfish in that regard, but my deepest thanks to everyone who participated and supported me in my quest for a complete story arc. Speaking of which, I guess it's time to get to my Thank-You List. This accomplishments thing has gotten too long already. People I Want to Thank Dr. Bionicle: You probably won't see this, but thanks for inspiring me to become a role-player. I've been re-reading the old Academy topic these past few months, and man were we Acad noobs a handful. If it were me I would've given up after the first week, but you dealt with us with so much patience. Thank you for that. EmperorWhenua 2.0: Wow. I have so much to say I don't know what to put on here. Thanks for being someone I can call a best friend on here. For all the moments we've shared, on AIM and off of it. The T-shirts, the mutual *glomp*ing, you giving me that lateral promotion from slave to toy, etc. You're funny, eccentric, nice, patient, and everything else, and I admire and respect you for that. I hope you continue to have fun with BZP and real life. Congrats again on Eagle Scout and Man Scout status. You earned it. =] Emzee: Thanks for RPing with me this last year. It was nice that I finally got to know you as more than just a name on the list of staff. Have fun with the rest of the 2010 storyline! Here's to hoping your master plan with the mods goes well. Female BZPRPGer: Gato, Gato, Gato. I have dozens of cherished memories of you, not least of which is that genderbending confusion, that Russian sleep experiment thing, your huge gallery, the 'herpaderp' in chatrooms, and finally your charming sarcastic wit. Loved your comments in the GD and the metagaming Ga. I think I can say I consider you one of my close friends here on BZP, and I'm glad I got to know you. Thanks for all the awesome memories! Friar Tuck: Friar, thanks for being here these past couple of years. As with Emzee, I'm glad I got to know you as a member this time...the wacky chatroom moments were great, and I hope you continue to have fun modding the BZPRPG. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Joske. =] GaliGee: GG, I can't thank you enough. You were one of the main reasons I was inspired to join BZPower in the first place...in November 2005 I stumbled onto your epic, Tangled Web, and I was mesmerized. I remember how, in your review topic, you'd take the time to answer the comments of each and every one of us...that's part of what gave me the idea of doing this list. Thanks for being so nice to us, and for treating us with more respect than we deserve. I hope that you'll achieve your goal of getting a book published...what am I saying, I'm sure you will. Hahli Husky: Thanks for hosting all those contests, and leading one of the coolest forums in BZP. Besides the RPG forum, of course. ;P Also, thanks for hosting the Redwall RPG way back when. Hak: Thanks for being a buddy to me, trading reviews of each other's epics, RPing in the Acad...fun times. I hope that whatever you're doing now is going well for you. Thanks for everything. =] Khote: Thanks for being one of my first friends! If not for all your help and kindness those first few weeks with the Academy RPG, I probably would have dropped out. Speaking of your kindness, thanks for going out of your way to make that MoC of Lazok. I don't know if you'll ever see this, but if you do, I'm using those MoCs as my blog's sideboxes right now. =] King Sharkticus CXII: Oh, Shark. Despite all the poking fun at you in chatrooms, I really do value that you've been a friend to me all these years. The weird conversations, the wacky jams and RPs...Zezak and Lazok make a good comedy duo, I must say. With Lazok being the straight man, and Zezak the funny man. But yeah, thanks for all the fun times! Kiotu: I'm sorry I can't collaborate with you on that arena RPG. I hope you're able to submit it to a contest though! It was nice brainstorming with you for all of...one month? =P Thanks for the experience. Lady Kopaka: I still remember that time in '06 when I checked my inbox and got this PM from you. I thought of you as a legend at the time with all your artwork, so I was surprised to get a PM to little old me. I regret that we never got to interact more, with the group epic thing being discarded before we even started and then my never fulfilling my promise of reviewing all your works of art...and even the BZPRPG. I'll have you know you made me stay four months more than I had planned, thank you very much. =P But really, thank you for that...if that hadn't happened, I probably wouldn't have accomplished so much in these last couple of months. I hope that your health gets better and your life less busy. Some parting advice I guess, would be, don't be too hard on yourself with deadlines and all. Focus on your own well-being sometimes, yeah? =] Lloyd: the White Wolf: Thanks for the four years of memories, Lloyd. I enjoyed jamming with you, doing those survey things...you were always the serious one in our little groups. Thanks for everything. Lord Dunsparce of York: I'll always think of you as Jolek, personally. I still remember how, back in January or February or so, even though it was fun to have someone new to RP with, I was a bit annoyed that I had to change Lazok's text color so as not to confuse it with Jolek's. I forgive you. =P j/k But definitely, thank you for RPing with me. It was nice to have an RPing buddy, and a repeat of the connections we built from RPing together helped me deal with my, how do you say it, mid-life crisis with RPGs. Stick with the BZPRPG, I think you're one of the best out of the 2010 'newbies' and you'll only improve as time goes on. =] Lurking the Bolt: I don't know if you'll ever come back on to see this, but in case you do, thanks for the little RPing we did, and for the awesome stories. Moutekea: Mout. Man, I don't know what to say. If you happen to drop by here someday, I want you to know that, as with Doc B, it wasn't until I went back four years later to look through the Acad topic that I realized just how patient you were with us noobs. I know a lot of stuff happened that made you leave, but I never really had a chance to thank you for all you've done, all the help you gave me, and how you taught me to be a better, more mature RPer. Here's to another thirty-something years, you old fogey. =] Nid: Thanks for writing the Arachniphobia epic. It's one of the reasons why I became a member, to comment on your stuff. And thanks for mentoring me during the 2007 BZPRPG, and for creating the Nogans. We had fun with them the last few months. =P Anyway, back to Arachniphobia...I remember when I submitted that entry to your guest star villain request, and I felt so honored that you accepted it and even responded. But yeah, thanks! Nuju Metru: Nuju, thanks for RPing with me this past year. Your vibrant characters like Grokk and Uhuraz occasionally gave me a chuckle, and your posts were definitely among the ones I most enjoyed in the BZPRPG. Hope you continue to have fun RPing! Patient 065: Sera...wow. Three years of memories, buddy, thanks for making the BZPRPG fun during that time. Sharing music videos, etc...and the AIM chatroom moments, always got a laugh from your antics when you were on. Rising Moon: Right now I'm thinking about how it was a shame we never got to do that group epic together. It really would have been...well, epic. =P Anyway, I've always enjoyed reading your works; it's scary sometimes when I'm reminded that you're still only 13. I know you'll only get even better at writing as time goes on. Keep up that awesome work! Robo: If someday you come back and read this, then this is for you. Thanks for being my close friend and confidante for two years...we both listened to each other's rants, haha...that definitely helped me keep a cool head through all the RPG drama. Watch that ego, all right? =] Smeagol4: Smeag, you are a crazy, crazy man. And I'm glad that I finally got to know you this last year. Thanks for returning to the BZPRPG and exceeding my already high expectations of the kind of guy you were. =] Snoopy82: Snoops, thanks for RPing with me. I regret we didn't get to know each other better, but the few memories we did share were fun. Spink: Spinky! Thanks for letting me be your cat for ~45 days. =P And thanks for RPing with me in the NRPG, BZPRPG, etc. T-Hybrid: Thanks for transferring the lifetime PMship to me way back when. I wish I had talked to you more before you left, but yeah, I regret never thinking to thank you personally. Toa Velox: V...I can't believe that two years ago you were just some vague MoCer and writer I remembered seeing once or twice as I scrolled down the forums. But I'm glad we got to know each other better this past year. Thanks for the memories from RPG, Story Fit, suffering through the SSCC together...=P I regret that we weren't able to do the group epic, but oh well. Anyway, thanks for being my friend, and I hope you'll have fun in your new job of supervising the SSCC. You deserve it. =] Toa Zehvor MT: Thanks for I guess listening to my advice. =P I always feel happy when I feel like I've helped out a fellow RPer with his or her project. Good luck with the next contest! ToM Dracone: Thanks for catching that little mistake I made, and for hosting that Songfic contest four years ago. =] xccj: Thanks for being one of my inspirations to join along with GaliGee and Nid. I loved Kulagi's Kanoka, and I'll always remember it fondly. Yukiko: Thanks for, well, RPing with me. =P And for participating in the Story Fit, I've always enjoyed your poems by the way, poetry buddy haha. Defending the merits of poetry against the naysayers in the BZP GD in, what was it, 2009? Something like that. Anyway, have fun in Ecuador! Zooplankton: Thanks for letting me make that MoC of your character. Same with MT, I always feel happy when I've helped out someone. I hope you continue to enjoy success with your epic...maybe someday I'll finally know how it ends. =P Captain, CJ, EU, Sisen, Kaitan, Vorik, Tahakki, Krayzikk, toatc, JMJ, and all the other BZPRPG pals; Chibi, Von, Hubert, Shadok, and the other WfE buddies: Thanks for making my last eight months here especially awesome. Keep on RPing, the BZPRPG can never have too many people. Don't stop improving your RPing skills either. =] Same with the WfE guys, I wish I had more time to get to know you, but thanks for the RPs we did have. Dwin, Gera, Hahligirl56, Hiraga, Poks, Tom, LFZ, Mr. E, and the rest of the old Acads: Man. Good times, huh? Not that you'll see this, most of you moved on way before I was ready to say goodbye to you all...but thanks for being my first group of friends, and for all the wacky moments in the chatrooms. I miss those. Advent, Allen, Nacatumi, Madara, Necro, and the rest of the NRPG folks: Thanks for dealing with my failings as a Moderator. I know we all struggled with balancing running the RPG and life, but I'm hoping that somewhere out there you're all managing better with real life and stuff. Nacatumi, a special thanks for that art topic you made back then featuring my RPG character. Akai, Rockhound, Toa Spirit, Neelh, Eyru, and the rest of the Story Fit: Thanks for a great few months! Proof that writers on this forum can come together and stuff...no, really. I was afraid that my project wouldn't get off the ground, but thanks to you the Story Fit thrived. I hope you all keep improving your writing. =] Janus, Toa Iranu of Atohune, AZBlue, and Tifosi92: Team Yes all the way! Thanks for all the fun with the SS Autumn Olympics, I was honored to be able to work with you guys. Rausaro, Takuna Nuva, Raptor, Paharak Girl, and the rest of the Redwall gang: Even though the RPG wasn't as active as others (understatement), I still had a lot of great memories with you guys. I hope that whatever you're doing right now is going well.
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So, after sending someone a PM, the content of that message prompted me to try to figure out how to get to a list of my previous topics... It took a while, but first I stumbled onto the subscriptions page, containing the only topic I ever actually subscribed to -- the Covenant of the 13. It's an epic by Wolf Eyes (sadly no longer active), and it's a great read. I'm still rereading it, so I have no idea if she ever actually finished, but anyway. So, I finally wound up in my topics list. It actually took up two pages. It had every topic I've ever started, every story I've ever written, every RPG I've ever run. Wow. Can someone say nostalgia? (rhetorical question, don't actually say it) But man, I just started scrolling through those topics...one thing led to another and I was skimming through old epics I'd read, such as Nid's Arachniphobia (about Nidhiki's missing years). It really reminded me of how much I had experienced at BZPower...fitting for the reminder to come at a time when we're all celebrating this site's ninth birthday. But wow, four years passed by really quickly. I still remember the exact thoughts in my head as I typed up some of those stories...I even recognized a quote I pulled from real life, a few days before I actually wrote the story I put the quote in. But enough of that. I hope you didn't mind suffering through an old member's boring reminiscence... I guess what I really got out of this was that I realized how little I wrote as time went on. There was actually this one instance back in 2006, where I wrote two stories in the span of 15 minutes. Where did that prolificness (I know that's not the right noun, but bear with me) go? How did I go from that to one story a year? I should start writing more. Maybe keep better track of my time, make better use of it. We human beings can get a lot done if we use time management properly. Well, that's it. Just thought I'd share my thoughts with you all, if anyone's listening reading out there.
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So, let's see...I have prior BZPRPG commitments already, plus I just got in over my head joined the To Save the World RPG...and now I'm joining two more RPGs from season (maybe a third). Outside of that, I have a group epic that doesn't have a direction yet, and then I'm planning to join at least two BZP contests. Finally, there's the SSCC2 topic to clean up. Hmmm...sure, why not? I can do this.
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Presenting my theme for the Pimp My Blog Contest Number 2: -The Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg, Austria-
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I personally don't see any difference at all between the two, but I'm just curious: which one do you use, or do you use both or neither (some other image hosting site) for your Bionicle/BZP things? Note: This is not about which is better, just which one you use.
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Our eccentric Emperor, E-Dubya, is organizing a BZPower T-Shirt Project, to be sold at Brickfair and Brick-con this August. Check out EW's blog for more details!
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Kulagi's Kanoka: one of the epics that I read before becoming a member here, it played a huge part in leading me to join. Thanks to xccj for writing this and for directing me back to the story! =D *will be rereading one chapter a day*
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Now that my entry for the IDBM Contest #3, the Everflight, has made it all the way to the final poll (to be honest I'm really surprised; I thought I might make it past the first round if I was lucky), I'd like to share the ideas behind my entry. When I found the topic in the S&T forum (it wasn't that hard since it was pinned), I thought "why not, I'll try it out". I've participated in a few contests here at BZP but the only ones I've ever stood a chance in were the story writing ones. But I had experience making profiles in the RPG forum so I thought I'd see just how far these RPG skills would take me. I brainstormed a bit and looked at the picture provided for the contest. There wasn't much info to go on, so a lot of it was up to our own interpretation, for which I was glad. A few points I noticed about the picture: 1) The bird had wings for blades. That was the most prominent aspect of the picture, however, so I figured lots of participants would write about that. Sure enough, a quick check through previous entries yielded lots of results when I entered 'blade' into the Ctrl+F function. So I decided not to write about its wing-blades. 2) The bird's color scheme, red and yellow. A bit bright for a bird living in the desert, so I thought it might have originated from somewhere else (Bota Magna perhaps?). In the end, hoping to keep my entry simple, I left out that detail. 3) The bird had no claws. This was strange, but the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of basing my entry around that. A bird that doesn't have claws, can't land on the ground, so has to keep flying in the air..."Everflight". I knew of some species of sharks that swam while sleeping, so I took that aspect and borrowed for my concept. The process: Making the profile was fun. I enjoyed every aspect of it, though in retrospect I should have let the idea sit for a while and then return to it. That might have led to improvements. The polls: As I mentioned earlier, I didn't expect to make it so far. The first round was close so I figured I'd be creamed in the semifinals round. I was pleasantly surprised to win the second round (thanks for all the votes!), but I'm struggling in the final round, which is to be expected. In retrospect: I should have made use of the word limit, filling out the entire profile and cramming in as much info as possible. The Everflight had only the "uniqueness" factor going for it IMO, so against a particularly well-thought out entry like Hot Pants's, it lost its appeal. Thoughts: There's still chance for a comeback, so I'm hoping for the best. If I lose though, I won't mind: the Cave Shrike was a really cool entry which I voted for twice, and I'd be content with it being the canon bio for the bird. Conclusion: If you haven't voted yet, go vote! However, please vote for the entry you genuinely believe is the better of the two.
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It's nice to finally have confirmation from Greg himself on the differences between Iron and Magnetism. Maybe this will set to rest some of the "Magnetism is useless" accusations. Farshtey Feed excerpt: Original OGD post: Quite a bit. For example, a Toa of Magnetism could use his power to allow himself to fly. A Toa of Iron cannot. A Toa of Magnetism can form a magnetic force barrier around himself that can repel physical attack, yet he can see through it and still move. A Toa of Iron could form a metal wall around himself to do the same thing, but he can't see through it, can't move with it up, and it can be melted. Etc., etc. Magnetism affects metal, but it is way different than a power of metal. Interesting. What sorts of things can raw magnetic force be used for, besides making barriers? Can it be shot as an energy blast? Sure. A Toa of Magnetism would even be able to control your blood flow, since there is iron in your blood. Though it does bring up the question of whether MU beings even have blood. Unless that was a real life example and not meant to be taken literally.
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I'm starting a new blog project. Each month I'll post nine links to topics/stories/blogs that I highly recommend. Included with that will be a "game" of sorts (where the name of this entry comes from). First, I'll introduce the nine topics, and then the rules of the game below. 1 - Renowned Outstanding BZP Citizen, Master Artist and Writer, and overall Nice Person Lady Kopaka is now offering commissions. If you're feeling like having one of your story characters or RPG characters or a random something put onto paper and professionally drawn, mosey on over to her blog for more details. 2 - The Short Stories Critics Club is desperately in need of new critics to help review stories. If you're up to being an official story reviewer, go and sign up and help out this dwindling club. 3 - Bionicle stories not for you? That's okay, because the sister guild to the SS Critics Club, the Completely Off Topic Stories Guild, deals with stories set in non-Bionicle worlds and eras. You'll be sure to find some stories that are more to your liking there. 4 - Don't want to take up a job you may not be able to handle? How about just reading one story for now? OBZPC and former COT RPG Judge Robo Devil is embarking on a huge task to chronicle the classic tale Les Miserables...in a Bionicle setting. Check out this amazingly awesome epic. 5 - Don't like reading? That's okay, because this topic won't require a large attention span. BZPower members are currently voting for what they think should be the primary color for the element of Gravity. That's right, this'll be made canon. If you think your vote can still make a difference, go over to the poll and take the second or two to state your opinion. 6 - Speaking of voting, there's another contest currently going on, and this one is canon too! Vote for a bird entry you think should be made a canon Bara Magna species in the IDBM #3 forum! 7 - Just want to play? RPGs are next, specifically the BZPRPG. A long-running RPG that's seen the entire Bionicle legacy through, the big guy could nevertheless use some fresh RPers to spice the playing field up. 8 - The Star Wars RPG is a shrinking RPG, with only a few active players keeping the fire burning. We fans kept the Star Wars legacy alive for twenty years in between trilogies, we can keep this RPG alive no problem! 9 - Is RPing too tough for you? That's okay, because with the RPG Radio Live you can just listen to people discussing RPGs! Check in when they broadcast their next episode and show your support! Now you may have found a link or two that's already caught your interest, but if you can't decide or don't care enough to visit all of them, here's the game. Below you'll see a TicTacToe grid that's been filled in. Each "X" or "O" has a link to one of the above topics. Click on one of the grids, and they'll take you to a random topic. The rules of the game, however, dictate that you must give the topic you've randomly chosen, a look over. Skim it, participate or subscribe to it if you're interested enough. My hope is that this will encourage interaction among BZPower members and increase awareness on what other members are doing. Who knows, maybe you'll make a new friend. So wave your mouse over a square and click! =3
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There's a contest going on right now to make a Rahi canon...specifically, the bird Rahi that Ackar uses to teach Mata Nui how to predict an opponent's movements. There are lots of good entries out of the twenty there, go to the poll and vote for your favorite!
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I have just got to say, the new Farshtey Feed in the S&T Forum is being very helpful already.
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Every time I see my username next to the "last post by:" thing, I keep thinking it's someone else.
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Upon reading through the Should Kinetics Be A Toa Element? poll, I saw fifteen pages worth of members' opinions on the subject. Many of them were strong, most of them were clear-cut, and some of them took up ten pages when pasted into Microsoft Word. Almost all of them provided a new opinion on the topic, looking at it from different angles. I saw dozens of opinions I had previously never thought of or even considered before. This is the first time during my four years at BZPower that I've been so humbled and honored. Humbled to be only one in hundreds of thousands, but honored at the same time -- honored to be part of the force of nature that is BZPower. I believe that if we set our minds to a different task, put our heads together, collaborated and contributed our skills and talents, we could make a difference in the world. It's not often that you can say you're part of a group that can legitimately achieve this. Thank you, BZPower. Thank you, fellow members. You are awesome in every sense of the word.
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And so it's been four whole years at BZPower. -------------- 1 ------------ ...........I could say that it feels almost like yesterday, but I'd be lying. I don't really remember my first days as a BZPower member that well. The couple of months before and after are clearer, but I have next to no memory from my first day as a member, exactly four years ago now. ...........I'd seen the BZPower website before, in the winter of '03 – but its vast wealth of possibilities didn't hit me, and I soon left for other Bionicle sites, forgetting the name of the site I just visited and not even aware that I had missed the chance to join in on the BZP experience a couple of years early. ...........Extremely fortunate circumstances brought me back to bzpower.com two years later, in the winter of '05 – in the form of two people: xccj and GaliGee. I don't recall what compelled me to poke around in the Epics forum, but it's a good thing I did. At the time, xccj was working on a 12 – chapter saga about an Onu-Matoran with a purple Miru (I don't remember much else about the story), and GaliGee had just begun what would later be her final work before she left for bigger and better things – Tangled Web. ...........I was spellbound. Could it be? People my age (back then I didn't know yet that GG was actually an adult), creating masterpieces out of typed words? Weaving language into works of art, of magic? My eyes didn't leave the screen until I had caught up with the story, and then I regularly returned every few days, soaking up the latest in epic storytelling. ...........Yearning to get closer to this magic, maybe even become a part of it, I registered for membership sometime in late December that year. It wouldn't be another month before my registration was finally approved, and I could make my presence known to the two authors I had come to revere. ...........Then followed a cloudy period of three months – I don't remember much of what I did on BZP then. For sure I stayed firmly rooted in the Library forums, poking my nose into the writings of other authors (Lady K, Turakii, Nidhiki, Macku). --------------- 2 ------------- ...........Then, it really began. ...........April 7th. 2006. Dr. Bionicle posted his First Place Winner of the first ever RPG Contest in BZP history – The Academy. I had flirted with the RPG forum before – joined a small RPG as a Matoran version of Onua – but until I joined the Acad (as we old-timers fondly call it), I didn't realize how lonely the RPG forum had previously been. I was lucky to join when I did – I witnessed the restructuring and reorganization, and a new RPG forum rise from the old. I saw these changes from the window of the wildly successful Academy (for about a month after it started, the topic was averaging about three pages a day). I joined other RPGs as well (the Second Place winner, BZPower The Final Battle, for instance), but it was in the Academy that my career in BZP really flourished. I met my first best BZP friends there (Hak, Dwin, Mout, Poks, Tom), and I had huge amounts of fun. ...........Eventually the Academy got so big that it had to be merged into the BZPRPG come 2007, and while, like many other Acad regulars, I wasn't too hot with the idea at the beginning, in retrospect this was the second best thing that could happen to me (the first being GaliGee and xccj). I had a lot of fun in the Academy, true. But I'd been having so much fun there that I had started to get trapped in a box – the Acad was so fun there was no need to go anywhere else, and I stopped visiting the other forums as often. I also developed a narrow perspective about RPGs – only having real experience in the Academy, role-playing with the same group of people this whole time – my RPG skills were starting to get stale, and I hadn't even noticed. ...........The influx of new ideas, the abrupt meeting of other RPers, many of them much more experienced and having been in the game longer (EU, Sera, and Nidhiki, for example – I was delighted to run into Nid again, whose Epic I enjoyed), and who had different outlooks on RPGs – this contributed a lot to my growth as an RPer. I had gotten self-assured in the Acad, certain that I knew all there was about RPing. Encountering and RPing with the old guard caused me to mellow out a bit – to recognize that I had come a long way but still had a long way to go. ...........I didn't forget what had brought me to BZP in the first place. I kept in touch with the Library forums, occasionally dropping by GaliGee's Tangled Web (it took almost two years to finish the huge project). I even (surprisingly to me) scored Second Place in the Short Stories #3 Songfic Contest, with help from Green Day and their Boulevard of Broken Dreams, which I incorporated into my songfic Roaming. With it came lifetime Premier Membership (by a stroke of luck, T-Hybrid, the First Place Winner, already had lifetime PMship so the prize originally meant for him went to me). --------------- 3 ------------- ...........Then came a personal test. At the beginning of '07 I had joined an RPG in the Completely Off Topic forum called the Naruto RPG. I stuck with it for six months, was rewarded with a position as a moderator – then, during a month-long summer camp, I developed a story arc for the NRPG. I outlined it, thought through every detail, then sent it to the rest of the staff team. I was pumped up about this plan. I couldn't wait to implement it. ...........Then, the RPG was locked. Members who were prone to flaming and inappropriate comments and ICs caused the RPG to degrade to the point that mods had no other choice than to close it. I set to work with the rest of the team developing a version 2.0 of the NRPG. I contributed daily to the first post, thinking about new ideas to help moderate the racy pit that the original had fallen into. My motivation came largely out of a desire to see my perfect story arc in action. ............V.2 of the NRPG came along. For my huge role in the planning process, and the story arc which started out as my brainchild, I was made head Moderator. I was psyched. I now had full control of the storyline, and I planned to see it through. ...........The problem started here. See, I was so hyped about my ideas – I had to make them perfect. I had to make the posts epic, I had to write the arc as fantastically as the writers I idolized had. I spent hours trying to make every post flawless, and as a result, the RPG stagnated. Through my obsession with this one idea that I felt sure would work, I had forgotten the basic goal of role-playing – to have fun. I was starting to restrict the directions players could go, I was putting up walls. I was stifling their imagination. I was failing to realize that length and awesomeness of posts didn't make up for infrequency and incompetence. Version 2.0 of the NRPG, and subsequent versions, became an epic of sorts, with everyone else nothing more than bystanders – spectators, unable to influence the story in any way. ...........Of course, I didn't realize that – but once some players brought their frustrations to me, I had to slap myself in the face. I had come so far in the Acad, in the BZPRPG, and now in the NRPG, I had destroyed all that. ...........At least, that was what I thought. I had resolved to fix my mistakes, when, in the long run of things, these weren't mistakes at all. The NRPG was one huge life lesson – when you're in control of a huge project, it's easy to become too restrictive, too dominating. Gaining a monopoly on where the project goes prevents exchange of ideas and eventually stagnation. ...........My time with the NRPG was in fact a blessing in disguise: I learned firsthand about the difficulties of being boss of a project, about the true dynamic in a team, in which workers had as much say as the boss. It's a good thing I had this experience in an online role-playing game, rather than in real life. What if I became boss of a company, fell into the same hole I had with the NRPG, and screwed up my life? ...........The NRPG did a lot of good for me, mellowing me out, teaching me about the difficulties of leadership and giving me the big picture on things. --------------- 4 ------------- ...........A few of my BZP friends recently told me that I'm among the more level-minded people they know on the site. That was news to me; yeah, I was the mellow one in my circle of friends in real life, but that was just because I wasn't good at articulating my opinions on the spot, at doing real-time debating. That was because I preferred to go with the flow, averse to the drama that seemingly consumed life. But I had no idea I gave off the same impression online. ...........Just being on this site, just being a part of this message boards system, has really changed me, for the better I think. I have strong opinions like everyone else does. ...........But when I take the time to type things out, that's ten minutes of writing and thinking at the same time. If I'm angry at another member, that's ten minutes of chilling out and letting go of that anger. If I'm in the middle of a forum debate, that's ten minutes where I can second-think myself, see the other party's opinion, and recognize that it has the same value as my opinion. Just having to post my thoughts rather than saying them right then and there has given me open-mindedness, a better temper, and the ability to see things from an outside-the-box, long-term perspective. Over the past four years, BZPower has improved me as a person, and for that at least, I'm grateful. Thanks to BZPower, I'll certainly be more prepared to tackle the problems that the real world is sure to throw at me.
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My only complaint about the Short Stories Contests was always that there weren't enough of them. =P I loved writing, I loved reviewing others' writing, but I often had trouble working up the motivation to do either. Part of that may also have been because the Short Stories forum always felt so lonely, as opposed to a couple of the other forums I was a regular to. The contests not only provided me with an incentive to do the former, but also gave me much-needed reassurances that there really was a community here at the Library, even if many of the "legends" I used to idolize no longer dwell there. The Short Stories Autumn Olympics answered my cry for more. More contests, more fun, more community-fuzziness. It was a success -- the Olympics provided unique "events" that were a welcome deviation from the usual "write your story on the day of and submit it" type contests. I especially enjoyed the team event, the round robin story. Of course, that may have had something to do with the fact that my team won, but still. XP My point is, the SSAO was great. It was enjoyable to participate in and I look forward to more of these Olympics. It might be a bit late for a Winter one, but perhaps a SSSO? (*hintHHhint*)
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As a premier member, I have room in my inbox for 1000 messages. But the PMs I've been getting over the years I've been here are stacking up, and already past halfway. I panicked, and went on a sort of cleaning spree, reading through some of the PMs and deleting ones from the same thread. I did this at first to clear space for future PMs, but soon found myself happily reading the PMs I sent to friends and vice versa. It awoke so many good memories...Hak discussing his Hunters of the Dark comics...Dwin and I talking about BZPower, the Final Battle the RPG...Me, asking Moutekea about catalysts...that MoC of Lazok that Khote sent to me...The 'how could you' PM I sent to Hahligirl56 after her character, Alta, was killed...All those PMs that I and the other four mods of the Naruto RPG sent back and forth...I remember sitting late at night, typing up the rules for the RPG, rules and more rules...It took hours, didn't it? Haha, I even uncovered that PM that Black Six sent to me for posting one of those 'I'm the first one to post on this page' posts. I lost proto for that... ^^; And then I found this PM that I didn't even remember sending; it was this guest star request for an epic that Nidhiki99 (now Nid) was writing. I didn't even know that I knew Nid from before BZPRPG! And there was even this PM that Lady K sent to me! Imagine that, one of the BZP legends talking to me, just a normal member! Man, reading all those PMs brought me back...I feel so old right now. I've done so many things on BZP, some that I don't even remember anymore. Good times, good times.
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Well, I've gotten my Avohkii spinny. That means two years have passed since I first joined BZP. It's kind of weird when I think about it. That's two years in which I've had one more thing in my schedule. Sometimes it seems like these two years have flown. Other times it feels like BZP has been a part of me my whole life. I'm not sure what to say. But what I feel is the biggest experience I've had here, is the Academy/BZPRPG. I joined the Academy about three months after I joined BZP, and I've been in it all through its nine months as one of the top three RPGs in the RPG forums, its merge with the existing BZPRPG, dozens of battles, etc. My characters have all grown and matured, but I'm not sure if I myself have grown to the same degree. Certainly, I haven't lost any of my legs in a battle, or switched allegiances, or even attended a party in which a crazy, egotistical, fork-wielding villain was one of the guests. I’m also currently in charge of a Naruto RPG, which sort of put strain on my leadership skills from time to time. Occasionally, I’ve had to punish RPers, which is kind of hard for me, as I know what it’s like to be one of those RPers, being punished. XD The more fun part about being in charge, though, is making a master storyline with the other people in charge of the RPG. I’ve spent hours planning and discussing NPCs, and storyline events with other people, which is as fun as RPing itself. The other RPGs I’ve participated in or are currently participating in are many, easily more than ten, but include the Gate RPG, the Redwall RPG, the Star Wars RPG, among others. I was first drawn to BZP by the Library. There were a bunch of authors there at that time whose works I really liked. In particular, Tangled Web by GaliGee, which actually started a few months before I joined. There was another one by xccj, about a Miru-wearing Onu-Matoran Kanoka disk maker. I forget the title now, but I remember that it was 12 chapters plus an epilogue. Besides those I read the stories in the Epics forums and Short Stories forums constantly in my first few months as a BZPer, before I got introduced into the RPG world. I joined the short stories critics about a year ago, which was fun in that now I was officially reading and reviewing other people’s stories. Unfortunately, I sort of neglected that job, only occasionally dropping in and reading a bunch of stories at once. I myself haven’t written in a year or so, but I used to churn out stories almost every two weeks. So, I guess my second year at BZP wasn’t as productive as the first. I’ve been neglecting my duties as a critic and a writer, focusing only on RPGs, joining a bunch of them at one time then quitting them one after another as my schedule became cramped. As I look ahead at the second semester of my tenth grade year, then my junior year, along with the daily tests, AP classes, and (oh no) college applications, it seems my schedule will only get more cramped. And maybe that means that after these two years, my time as a BZPer will cease. Beside my computer sits my Eagle Rank Application for Boy Scouts. I became a Life Scout three months before I became a BZPer, and a Life Scout I still am now. Indeed, I’ve been procrastinating with my Boy Scout advancement since becoming a BZPer, when, before, I was breezing through the ranks, earning about 18 merit badges in two years. Maybe by participating in BZP I’ve lost the time I could’ve used to clinch that rank, become an Eagle scout. Maybe I could’ve pushed that extra percent to get an A instead of an A-. Maybe I wouldn’t have gotten that B+ in science the second semester of my eighth grade. Do I feel that my time on BZP was worthwhile? Of course. I’ve met a bunch of cool people, made a bunch of friends, learned what text RPGing really is, and best of all, learned that there are other people out there like me who are fans of Bionicle. Do I feel that my time on BZP was a waste? I don’t know, and I might not know until I can properly look back and evaluate my time in high school. Maybe it’s time for this Bionicle fan to say goodbye to BZP, and set his sights on new horizons. … Nah. There’s still so much I need to do. I need to wrap up all the stories of my characters, kill them off if I have to. I can’t just up and leave so many loose ends. The time when I have to log out for good is still far away. In the meantime… *gets back to posting*
