Janus

Sending a bunch.

Being that last entry was totally non-canon and didn't count at all (what, did you actually think it was that easy to get the bad end? NO) let's move on with the amazing adventures of Commander Wenglestum Sparklepants Shepard After a moment of thinking, Wenglestum has perfect clarity of thought and responds to the Doctor, explaining quite clearly what her job is, and how soldiers get hurt because of reasons. She naturally snaps at him and gets all upset. Jeese, how rude? It's then that Wenglestum looks into Jenkins face and suddenly he can't control himself anymore. The secrets, the lies--it's all too much. What he feels must be public and to heck with the consequences! With sweaty palms Wenglestum bends down to pop the question.... ...and promptly gets dragged into the Captain's office by some Turian Spectre thing. JEESE DOESN'T ANYONE BELIEVE IN ROMANCE ANYMORE? Anyhow the Spectre proceeds to blab on about how the mission isn't really just boring stuff, but maybe exciting stuff will also happen, and then without warning the Captain appears in his quarters (What are the odds???) and explains that it's even BETTER, Wenglestum himself is under review for Spectre status himself! He supposes he'll let the whole yanking-away-from-his-fiance slide this time--I mean he might get the power to do whatever he wants! One could almost say he would get to skirt the rules--perhaps because of his money! But suddenly Wenglestum is snapped out of his reverie, as the navigator patches through a feed from Eden Prime (the planet they were going to visit I guess?) and lots of people are dying. Wenglestum also has to suppress a giggle at what seems to be a soldier dressed in white and pink armor? I mean, how Gauche! Shortly later Kaidan and Jenkins are on the surface of Eden Prime--and it has certainly seen better days. They wander around for a bit (because seriously, Wenglestum's sense of direction is terrible. There's a reason he's not the navigator of the Normandy--and also why people don't let him drive the Normandy) before Jenkins lets his PASSION get the best of him and runs ahead of the rest of the team--and is cruelly cut down in his prime. Wenglestum stops for a moment, his entire world ending as he watches his fiance fall under a hail of bullets. Full of rage and sadness he shoots the floating robot things before running over to inspect the body of his beloved. It's time to make a choice--the entire mission is counting on him. 1. He deserves a burial - It was Wenglestum's fiance for heaven's sake--he at least deserves that much, right? 2. We can't help him now - The cold hard reality is that they're in the middle of an active war zone, and as much as he meant, he's done. 3. Forget about him - Wenglestum can't deal with what just happened. He has to rationalize the damage that's been done to his life and treat him like any other soldier. "Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn. Tell us the lesson that we should learn" "WIN A FREE TRIP TO TAHITI" (We won, we won, we won!)

I love you all. Also he picked the Asari and then went crazypants insane and the movie got vaguely confusing and somewhat interesting, but they were just terrible at doing flashbacks so it was bad again. <3

Tired after a long day of doing whatever it is that he does aboard his ship, the proud commander Wenglestum retires to his quarters, eager to relax. Logging onto the extranet, he finds information about a new vid. Supposedly based on the hit "Mass Effect" trilogy. Having no idea exactly what that trilogy is about, but being curious nonetheless Wenglestum pays his credits and the vid is streamed directly to his quarters. At this point Wenglestum goes catatonic. The crew discovers him in his cabin days later, his mind so far gone that he's unable to handle even the most basic of tasks. BAD END Okay seriously, I loved ME1, I loved ME2 (Lair of the Shadowbroker DLC <3) and I plan to love ME3 (Yes, I know all about the ending. Hush) so I figured, hey, why not give this ME-anime a shot? I mean it's Mass Effect, which I love, and it's Animu, which I also love sometimes. Plus it's made by Studio I.G. who did GHOST IN THE SHELL. What could possibly go WRONG? EVERYTHING. I mean, some of it was hilarious so I wondered if maybe it was going to be one of those "So bad it's good" things, but alas it can't even live up to that. SO SPOILERS FOR MASS EFFECT PARAGON LOST BELOW. But seriously, nobody cares because this movie is terrible and awful and nobody likes it. It starts off with James Vega, who is part of a troop of Alliance soldiers consisting of: - Vega (The Shepard wannabe) - The Nerd - The chick - The sleazepile - The Pilot - The Sniper - The Captain. Anyhow they have to stop the Blood Pack Mercs from attacking this place because REASONS. But the shuttle they're in gets TORN IN HALF by a laser--and they all somehow survive. Because also reasons. Anyhow with the cap out of the action, Vega comes up with a DARING PLAN to defeat the Krogans. It consists of being dumb, but it works anyhow, and they take a Krogan prisoner of war (Which I'm sure happens all the time. The Krogran love being taken alive and dying of old age, after all) Skip forward two years and DEAR GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT CHILD'S VOICE. Vega's a hero and people love him, except for the Asari who he is totally in love(?) with because she's all snooty and he's a dumb soldierman. HE'S SO HARD DONE BY. Long story short, collectors attack and people start dying (thank god) but the order they die in is something straight out of every stereotpyical horror movie ever. Let's look at the casualty list in order, shall we? - The chick - The Pilot (Who happens to be black) (Protip: If you see the face of the girl you like in and amongst 29 other metallic skulls trapped inside a giant death robot. DO NOT RUN TOWARDS IT) - The nerd Also there's some silliness with the captured Krogan from before being like "YOU SAVED ME AND THAT MEANS I WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH" and I kept waiting for the betrayal but it DIDN'T COME. HE MEANT IT. And some other people die later. But really, that's all we need to see. Also the sleazepile has multiple death fakeouts before he finally dies in the end. He is a bad person and I don't like him. Also the 'choice'--well, let's put it up to the test. 1. Save the Asari you love and maybe loves you back? Also has data on collectors 2. Save your Captain and ALL OF THE HUMAN COLONISTS Also they tried too hard to make Cerberus the bad guy. I mean when you have the collectors working for the REAPERS who are working to exterminate humanity, having this lame old human guy being like "NYAH. I AM EEEVIL" I mean we all know Cerberus is bad, but that's just silly. Seriously, I just kept waiting for this movie to end. If I had bought it (instead of renting it) I would have literally destroyed my copy of it. But yeah, actually answer that choice. I'm curious as to what you choose. He chose wrong in my opinion. (PS. Plz don't put Admiral Hackett or Captain Anderson in your movie if you don't actually get their Voice Actors. Thanks!)

Chapter Twenty-Two: ShowdownFor a moment time seemed to slow to a crawl as we stared in unison at that dark hole, its rough edges and blackened walls seeming to invite us inward. Then, as if a page had flipped, time returned to normal and the chaos on the ground bubbled up to the surface. The creatures had finally reached the tips of the towers, energy crackling from their staves and eyes burning red. They didn’t even glance at the wounded ship again, simply glaring at Iruini and I—I could only assume that the others were facing similar circumstances.There were about six of the creatures in front of us, varying only in hue and the weapons they carried—but from each of their staves came the strong glow of elemental energy, and each of their narrowed, fiery eyes, was death. Iruini’s Kualsi flashed and in the blink of an eye he had vanished, appearing another blink later behind three of the creatures and sweeping at their legs with his spear. Taking this distraction I launched myself at the other three, channeling elemental energy through both my spear and my shield.With a loud “crack!” my shield met the head of one of the creatures. Without pausing for a second I whirled around, thrusting my staff into the already wounded creature and letting my fire flow through the haft of the spear, watching as the creature erupted into flames. Its fellows ignored the things piteous screams and instead hissed viciously, their spines rattling and their staves glowing brightly. I ducked as a large stream of energy flashed overhead and used my leg to sweep out the leg of one of the remaining creatures—its shot went high and wide, blasting into the air and slowly fading into the night sky.Regaining its footing the creature lunged at me, no longer attempting to use its energy to attack me, it seemed content to try and impale me on its razor sharp staff. Its companion on the other hand began to power up its staff again, a brilliant glow suffusing the head of the staff. I watched as the first creature came toward me, its staff point aimed at my chest, and threw myself from the ground, both of my feet crashing into the creature’s weak midsection. There was an earsplitting crack and the creature fell, ooze leaking from its fractured body. The other fired and I narrowly avoided the blast, watching as the area where it struck turned into a spider web of fractures and then finally gave way, crumbling inside the tower.My eyes widened behind my mask. This creature had the power to fragment any object it touched—imagine what that could have done to me, or Iruni! I caught a glance of my brother, still dealing with the three he had tripped. The element of surprise lost, they were now beginning to gain the upper hand over the inexperienced Toa. I shot myself upward, thrusting wildly with my staff and hoping to strike the creature before it fired again. Lucky for me my blow just happened to knock it over the lip of the tower, sending it screaming into another group climbing the tower, and sending its charged shot directly into the ship above us.From the corner of my eye I saw the hole we had formed widen from the effects of the creature’s fragmentation staff, but I was too focused on edging my way around the wide hole in the roof to see any more. Stepping carefully I made my way nearer to where Iruini was struggling with the three creatures. Aiming carefully I fired a stream of fire just above him and struck one of the creatures in the chest—it wasn’t enough to damage it, but it was enough to distract it. With a hiss it threw itself at me, its staff already glowing brightly. With a single calculated move I channeled power into the edge of my spear and swung in a brutal upwards curve, catching the creatures staff in the middle and halving it immediately. The effect was instantaneous, the creature began to scream loudly as its own elemental powers began to tear into its body. Soon it was nothing more than a pile of slag on the ground.With my help, Iruini managed to defeat another of the creatures, its severed head preventing its deafening scream from assaulting us again. Only one remained, its odd golden carapace gleaming in the light of its fallen fellows and the occasional bursts of weapon fire from the siege. The creature hissed and took a step toward us, its staff raised. Iruini was the first to react, launching a cyclone at it that threw it from the top of the tower. I sighed in relief and bent over to assist him when I saw the creature’s red claw gripping the side of the tower. With a malicious slowness it ascended to the top again, its eyes flaring brightly in the darkness of the night. Iruini struck again, summoning a massive gust of wind to assault the creature. This time it didn’t budge, simply standing in the midst of the gale with what looked like an evil smile on its skull like face. Then it took one step forward with a hissing laugh.I struck this time, launching a blast of fire that enveloped the creature’s carapace. For a brief moment it screamed and thrashed, but then it stood unharmed—subsequent bursts of fire were met with the same result.It was Iruini who figured it out first, whispering to me as he held out his spear to ward of the creature.“It adapts! If our attacks don’t kill it in a single blow it adapts to them and becomes stronger!” I nodded grimly and watched the creature take another step forward. It was playing with us!“Got a plan?” I murmured. This time it was Iruini’s turn to nod.“Unity.” Was all he said, his spear beginning to glow with a brilliant sheen as the harnessed power of the wind was channeled through it. I began to do the same to my own spear, watching as the blade glowed white-hot and flames began to lick at the edges of the metal. We both watched the creature carefully, its own calculating eyes studying us. I had no idea if this plan would work, but it was worth a shot. After all, while out assaults had been dealt with individually, a combined strike might work!Iruini shouted something and we both released our carefully maintained grip on our elemental powers. Fire and Air surged out through our outstretched weapons and into the body of the creature before us. Then, before I could react, Iruini dove forward and drove his spear directly into the skull of the creature. It crumpled to the ground, its golden carapace going limp.Iruini and I gave a quick tap of our fists for victory and then raised our spears, looking warily around the top of the ruined tower for any more foes. Thankfully no more came. I spared a quick glance over the edge of the tower and saw that the ground still swarmed with various battles, but it seemed to be locked in a virtual stalemate, neither the invading creatures nor the defending Toa and Matoran gaining the upper hand. I resisted the urge to leap from the tower and assist my brothers and sisters, knowing that my place was not with them, and that I had an important mission that could not be forgotten. Sighing heavily I put my hand on Iruini’s shoulder and watched as his Kualsi began to glow with a shining white light. Then I blinked my eyes and the tower was gone. Instead replaced by the tower where Pouks and Adena stood.They too were in the midst of combat, four creatures surrounding them and hissing viciously. The creatures gave no indication they had seen Iruini or I arrive, and so with blinding speed and accuracy we struck, each of us leaping high into the air and striking downward with our long spears. The two creatures fell to the ground, their spined carapace pierced by the metal points of our spears. The remaining two backed up, hesitating slightly as they saw their easy victory become far more difficult. They may have attempted to flee, I honestly don’t know. All I do know is that Toa Adena unraveled her shroud and sent it swirling into the air, wrapping around the creature’s limbs and bodies. When they were firmly entangled she allowed her flames to run through them, streaming across their surface and into the still thrashing bodies of the creatures stuck in them. With a synchronized scream they both fell, their backs snapping open with a loud click and steam billowing out as the worms tried to make their escape. Pouks took care of each with a fair sized stone.“What are you waiting for, Toa Norik? Iruini?” came Adena’s harried voice. “The ship could leave at any moment. Leave the combat to us and go to that ship now!” she shouted, her eyes wild and frightened. It wasn’t the combat she was scared of, I realized, but the thought of the combat being in vain—Iruini and I needed to get aboard that ship as soon as possible.“Understood sister.” Iruini said softly, turning to me and placing a hand on my arm. “We’d best be off, brother.” He joked without much humor.“Wait!” Adena shouted, taking hold of Iruini’s shoulder with her hand and gazing deeply into his eyes. Without hesitating she pulled him forward into a strong hug, his eyes widening at the sudden gesture.“Come back to us, brother.” Adena said strongly. “And see Toa Neith before you go!” That was all I heard. One second we were on that tower, and the next we vanished, appearing on the top of the final tower amidst what could have been a frozen sculpture garden—were it not for the fact that each sculpture was of some grotesque monster. No less than ten of the creatures had been frozen solid, a menagerie of fearsome poses decorating the once bare tower’s peak. In the center of all these bizarre ice statues stood Toa Neith, her calm eyes carefully surveying the battlefield below. Occasionally she raised her glaive and fired a bolt of ice into the fray below, but for the most part she simply stood still.She gave no indication that she was aware we had arrived, no slight movement of the eyes, no smile. Yet somehow she knew exactly where we were. Pivoting on her heel as we began to walk toward her.“Excellent work you two.” She smiled, holstering her glaive across her back. “You’ve not only managed to create an opening into the ship, but you’ve also struck a serious blow to the invading army. Losing the one with the ability to adapt seems to have lessened their morale somewhat.” Iruini and I wordlessly nodded. I was amazed at the grace and calm that Neith displayed—she had taken on at least ten of the creatures and yet she seemed as though she’d done nothing more strenuous than go for a mild walk. Iruini and I on the other hand were exhausted, our armor covered with rents and pockmarks where the creatures had struck us. I even had some of the one creature’s ooze still clinging to my armor.“You’ve succeeded in the first part of your mission” she murmured, looking skyward at the still looming black ship. “now we need to take the fight to them.” Iruini nodded sharply and I put my hand on his shoulder. “Understood, sister. May the great spirit guide you.” Neith just smiled at this.“And you as well, brothers.” Then Iruini activated his Kualsi and we disappeared. ==============================================================================Things happen in this topic! Reviews? Maybe!

Well I read this a little while again (more specifically I just finished the third chapter on Thursday), and I'll be honest. I love it, I love it so much that I want to leave a review. It deserves praise, it deserves attention, it deserves to be noticed. The only problem being--I don't genuinely know what to write. I've wracked my brain a thousand different ways trying to figure out what to say, and have come up bare. So we're just trying the good old 'brute force method' First off. Like Hahli Historian before me--I loathe canon (as you might remember from when we did the Olympics) I think that the name Teridax is one of the biggest mistakes ever made, and giant space robot makes me cry tears of blood. The second I read "Spherus Magna" I deeply considered pressing that back button and abandoning ship. But I'll admit there were two things that kept me drawn in. One is rather shallow--I love the title, it's evocative and intriguing and just draws me in. The second reason is that I admit, I enjoyed your writing up until that point, and I figured "Eh, it's only two chapters so far. Why not?" I'll confess it was a bit of a slog in the beginning, and I was a little put off by the strangely modern dialogue in places. (Not really something I can pinpoint, just some things the characters said that I didn't feel they would) but the overall world building started to suck me in, and by the time we got to Gold Teridax (BLUGH) I was pretty much hooked. I blew through the rest of the chapter and into the second pretty quickly, even going so far as to link a friend of mine (who was also enraptured) But that all pales in comparison to how I feel about the third chapter. The way you resolved this story was nothing short of astounding. And the paraphrase of Hahli Historian "In order to bring someone into the light, you have to step in the shadow" I think was beautiful. Darkness may be able to overcome by light, but darkness takes a toll on anyone who steps into it. Also the final conversation between Gold Teridax (UGH) and Hahli was pretty amazing. Seriously, this is pretty much the only thing I've ever found that relates to recent canon that I like, nay, love. Thanks for writing this story, man. You made my day.

My thoughts. Star Trek Into Darkness (Indifferent with a side of yes)The Great Gatsby (nuh)Iron Man 3 (OH MY YES)Monsters University (OH MY NO)The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (I guess the first one was pretty good?)The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (YESSSSSSSSSSSSS)Whitehouse Down (Never heard of this?)Man of Steel (I am rather intrigued)Oblivion (Haven't heard of this either. GO NOT PAYING ATTENTION)Frozen (NO. NO. NO. YOU DO NOT MESS THIS UP DISNEY. BAD DISNEY. GO SIT IN YOUR CORNER)

I have read this and will likely review it, for it makes me mostly happy in my tummy. Also my arms are fairly pleased about it. My legs are not sure what to make of this 'reading' concept, though.

THE MASSES HAVE SPOKEN. (See the joke I did there? Did you see it?)

After a moment of soulsearching Wenglestum has come to the conclusion that he is Commander Wenglestump Sparklepants Shepard. There's no way anyone would or could command him to talk to everyone in the universe! Or at least he hopes that really, really hard. However it has barely been a moment when he hears two of his underlings talking. Loudly. Like seriously, do they want the whole ship to hear them? Wenglestum rolls his eyes thinking it might be a lovers quarrel before hearing the word "Spectre" usually that doesn't come into a lovers quarrel--or at least Wenglestum hopes. (He doesn't actually know. Wenglestum has lived a surprisingly sheltered life for growing up in the wasteland that is earth. Nobody has taught him anything there is to know about the thing they call "love") Standing creepily close by, Wenglestum allows them to finish their conversation before leaning in. It appears a young soldier and the ship's resident doctor are in an arguement. The Doc is whining about doing his job, and the kid is whining about not shooting stuff. UGH WHINERS. HOW WILL WENGLESTUM RESPOND. 1. Relax, Jenkins - Jeese man, the game has barely started yet. There will be plenty to shoot (spoiler alert, there is plenty to shoot) 2. The Doc's right - The doctor has every right to whine about actually doing her job. And the kid is pretty dumb. 3. Part of the job, Doc - APPARENTLY nobody told this DOCTOR that being a DOCTOR meant DOCTORING people. Especially people who get SHOT. JEESE WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR IS THIS. "Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn. Tell us the lesson that we should learn" "Vote early, and vote often."

This times a bajillion.

Wenglestum has taken a long time to think about his response--about seven days honestly--which kind of begs the question of how/when he: went to the bathroom, ate, slept, showered, trained, brushed his teeth, styled his hair, shaved, and a multitude of other things. But pushing aside those logistical nightmares Wenglestum responds to Joker with such a well-crafted passive aggressive attack that if you hadn't been paying attention you almost would have taken it for genuine concern. Joker of course misses the entire thing and responds with "The captain always sounds that way when he talks to me" DRAT. Another passive aggressive zinger foiled by Joker's semi-awareness. It's at this time that Wenglestum (leaving the cockpit now) really starts to realize just how many people are on this ship--and thinking in broader terms, just how many people are in this entire galaxy. I mean, surely nobody would expect him to talk to all of them and want to sift through every element of his conversation like some sort of insane micromanager. WOULD THEY? These thoughts weigh heavily on Wenglestum as he moves closer to the captain's quarters. 1. Will Wenglestum only post questions dealing with Renegade/Paragon options 2. Will Wenglestum post questions dealing with Renegade/Paragon options and anything he thinks is funny or interesting? 3. Will Wenglestum talk to everyone in the entire Galaxy. NO. "Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn. Tell us the lesson that we should learn" "If at first you don't succeed, blame it on your parents."

I don't think there's enough.

Oh sorry. We forgot to tell you that you're an uncle. Again.

I am taking the briefest of breaks from Mass Defect (plus there's gonna be some changes coming to it anyhow) to announce that my wife Rebecca (Hahli Husky) and I are very proud to announce the adoption of our second child...Micah! He will be joining us and his older brother Yannick in being officially Canadian and also eating delicious pancakes every day. THAT'S MY BOY.

Chapter Twenty-One: WarWe didn’t have long to wait. It was shortly after night fall when the first klaxons sounded, warning us of something caught in the storm that bordered the city. Inside me I felt a leap of hope, Gaaki’s idea had worked! We began to prepare then. My small group beginning to fan out and man the many siege engines that had been left in our care. I was to remain with them long enough to send the signal that our assault had begun, and then head to my assigned position atop the tower along with the others. Oddly the air around us stayed silent, the first warning klaxon having long since sounded and fallen silent. I saw the nervous looks on the masks of the Matoran in my care and knew that a similar feeling resided in me, even if it did not show on my mask. As the hours ticked away slowly I began to doubt myself--had the black ship simply given up in the face of the torrential storm? had it fled to attack some easier target?No. Of course not. If three Toa on an unarmed airship had managed to persevere through the storm what was the chance that goliath had fled? Clearly it was waiting to catch us unaware, hoping to take the city and end our resistance in one fell blow. As thoughts like this whirled in my brain I alternated between watching the faces of my troops and watching the night sky for any sign of the enemy.Approximately three hours had passed from the first warning klaxon when we heard it. A mechanical shriek that echoed around the city. I knew that sound well, it had been the beasts that had attacked our cities, the horrid spined monsters that used the powers of the elements against us. The fight had finally come. I ignited my newly created spear and shouted to the Matoran in my charge. A blast of flame and hundreds of small lights rocketed from our position and in the deep black of the night I saw a form ignite and tumble to the ground. The first enemy had fallen.Unfortunately for us, by the light of the still burning shell we caught a glimpse of the scope of our enemy's forces. Scores of armored carapaces gleamed in the light of their burning compatriot, marching as a single unit toward our position. This had been why the ship had taken so long for an assault--this must have been its full contingent of soldiers. No longer just small invasion forces, we were dealing with a full scale army! My eyes narrowed and I gripped the haft of my spear tightly as I watched the first wave of the enemy reach their fallen brother. They did not stop, no respect was shown toward their ally, instead they simply marched forward, closer and closer to our position. I watched them carefully, studying their movements with steady eyes. At last they stepped close enough that I could see their brilliant eyes flaring in the darkness. I raised my spear high in the air, igniting the heat around its tip and shouting:"Fire!" and again the night filled with flame and pinpricks of light as the Matoran fired their weapons. Two more of the advancing five fell, their bodies crumpling into the snowy hill. The other two continued to walk slowly, their weapons drawn and crackling with energy. With one smooth movement I drew back from where I stood and gave signal to the Matoran manning the siege machines. The night lit up with brilliant flares of light as the machines fired, great spheres of energy vomiting forth from the long muzzles and blasting into the enemy ranks. The remaining three fell and so did many others who remained behind their advancing fellows. Slowly but surely their ranks were being culled--but still the greater army marched on, unhindered by the suffering of their fellows. Again I commanded the machines to fire, and again I saw those luminous spheres burst forth and devastate the enemy ranks. The first four contingents, each consisting of five of the creatures were completely obliterated in those three strikes. Finally the remaining monsters became still, ceasing their march.I watched the creatures warily, peering through the darkness to try and discover what it was they had planned. I saw nothing. The creatures were now out of our range and so we simply waited, occasionally glancing at the sky to make sure the black ship hadn't arrived--I knew inside that it hadn't, I knew that rumbling and that feeling of dread anywhere. Still, I wanted to be sure that it hadn't so I would make to my post on time. Sighing deeply I glanced into the faces of the Matoran who served under me, their eyes hard and weary--they hadn't seen a war before and it was evident that they had little desire to see one ever again. Still, they had decided they would fight for their land, and they stood tall and proud for this. I gave them a quick smile as I turned to look at the advancing army. They had not moved.Suddenly a burst of some dark energy blasted from the darkness, jetting over our heads and crashing into one of the many towers behind us. The tower still stood, but a hole still crackling with energy now stood in its side. I saw one of the creatures standing above the others, its staff raised and still glowing faintly in the darkness--they had longer range than us!Then I heard it. That ominous low rumbling that signaled the coming of our true enemy. Looking skyward I saw it appear, its black hull gleaming brightly in the moonlight and its aura of darkness near overpowering. I cursed quietly, knowing that I had to leave for my post, but reluctant to leave my troops. Angrily I hurled myself over the lip of our fortified position and, charging my spear up with all the elemental energy I could, let loose.A torrent of flame erupted from my blade, striking the creature who had fired in the chest and causing it to topple out of sight. Those surrounding it soon became engulfed in flame as well, and soon the cries of the creatures echoed shrilly through the night. Satisfied that the Matoran could finish what I started, I left to take my position: running breathlessly through the cold streets of the city. All around me I saw situations similar to the one I had just left, there stood Toa Bomonga and his troops, countless numbers of the creatures trapped in a landslide of earth all around their position. To the left of me was Toa Seres, her waves washing the creatures down one of the many slopes that made up the city--it seemed that we were succeeding in repelling the invaders! That we might actually win this!At last I reached the mouth of the tower, without hesitation I threw myself through the door and sprinted as quickly as I could up the stairs, gasping as I arrived at the top of the tower. As I exited onto the roof of the spiral tower I saw Toa Iruini standing to at the edge, his blade at the ready."Glad you could make it, brother" he said, a tinge of humor in his voice. Was he also confident that we could win this?"Toa Adena and Toa Pouks are in position as well. We're simply waiting on Toa Neith's signal." he explained, his eyes never leaving the gargantuan shape that filled the sky. As if she had been waiting to hear that, a sudden burst of crystalline ice erupted from the ground and encased the rear of the ship, coating the slick black hull in a thick layer."Open fire?" I questioned of the figure in front of me, already charging my spear with elemental energy."Open fire." Iruini retorted, letting loose with an enormous cyclone that struck the ship's underside, seemingly doing little damage.To the side of us I saw Toa Adena and Toa Pouks launch their assault as well, Pouk's boulders being set aflame by Toa Adena's powers. Each of these projectiles was then hurled at the ship startling accuracy: The ship's hull soon bearing the mark of many pockmarks along its side--still nothing penetrated.I fired my energies as well, striking the ship at the already weakened areas but seemingly causing little damage. In desperation I turned to Iruini who I saw was thinking the same thing--how could we defeat an enemy who we could barely scratch? Below us I saw that our ground forces conflict had taken a turn for the worse as well. Toa and Matoran struggling against the seemingly never ending waves of creatures. The air was thick with the stench of smoke from destroyed weapons and the feel of elemental energy. "...Perhaps if we all fired at once?" I wracked my brain, attempting to find something that could be done to bring the massive ship down. Iruini nodded slowly and activated his Kualsi, disappearing to tell the others of my plan. Within moments he appeared before me again, his eyes grim."We may only get one chance at this, brother." He muttered. "Those things are scaling the walls. They'll be on us in moments." I glanced over the side of the tower and saw that he was right. Countless creatures were now using their razor sharp claws to slowly ascend the tower walls. I nodded sharply."Give the signal."A short blast of wind burst forth from Iruini's spear, barely visible if you weren't looking for it. Luckily those who stood on the towers were."Five...four...three..." I muttered to myself, channeling all my power into my spear and feeling its body grow warm in my hands."two...one..." I heard Iruini chanting, and saw his eyes closed in concentration as he did the same."Fire!" We both shouted, hearing a chorus from the other towers as well. As a single unit we fired, out elemental energy merging and melding mid air before finally striking the side of the ship hard. With an enormous explosion the hull punctured, and then split: Revealing a dark gaping hole in the once impenetrable armor. ==============================================================================Everyone should go tell Micah how cool he is. Not in this topic, though. This is the topic for reviews.

Also Canadian, Don't care about Hockey though. Hockey people were butts though, so I think they deserve to be treated like butts.

What, you thought that I wouldn't actually review this? After I commented on your blog twice? Pish and tosh my good man! (Also colour tags on NuBZP don't like me, so this is not actual royalblue. I'm sorry, you'll have to make due) Anyhow, first off I start with the crit, because I've learned that should start with the stuff that needs to be improved first: 1. Overall it seems somewhat fragmented and lacking unity. Nothing seems to flow organically into the next thought--which if it was a first person narrative I could understand, after all, Dume is anything but rational at this point. Honestly this may just be me, I just don't feel it. I dunno. 2. "Unity broken through betrayal as the Toa of air betrayed his brother to the Dark Hunters. " That sentence makes me weep tears of much sadness Aside from that though I greatly enjoyed it, I like the way you attempted to work some canon into it as well, with subtle mentions of Nidhiki, Tuyet, and...I have no idea who else? But seriously, the way we get a chance to get inside your Dume's head, someone knowing that he's taking a dark step that he can't undo, but seeing no other option--it's always fascinating to study such characters. Plus you've got some lines with a lot of power in them. "Now Dume could only watch in horror as the three guardians proved themselves far, far less than heroes." While something about the beginning of this line bothers me, the last part literally punches the reader with the feeling. It's powerful and emotive and I love it. Also, the juxtaposition of praising the Toa with the simple "Oh, how they would change" is very evocative and potent. You've got a lot of well structured pieces here, and I feel that they balance out the less strong stuff. Overall I quite enjoy it, and I adore you! -Robanus

ZOMBIE CARD.

Well I mean, my Dume never worked with Makuta or was impersonated by Makuta...he was just a butt. A pretty shady evil butt. But he also kind of did it for his citizen's best interest at first maybe? I unno, Dume's a complicated little manthing.

Now I feel bad, because you made an interesting addition to the canon that I hadn't come up. My Dume was always a skeevy, manipulative dude who wanted to be on the level of Makuta but failed. This whole senility thing is AWESOME but never something I mentioned. Good job improving my stuff, mang!

PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE TIME.

YES DIRECTOR'S CUT BUDDIES. I've never actually seen the theatrical cut, but I know that the Director's cut it gets a LOT of grief from people who say it explained too much--but dude, that movie was pretty awesome. So I have absolutely no problem.

YOU FORGOT GLADOS.

Donnie Darko is amazing--did you watch Director's Cut or normal?