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Once Upon a Time... Bonkles Built for the "What if..." Bionicle contest hosted by Ron Folker. For the occasion I decided to use an idea I had in mind for a very long time, I wanted to build an Antibody unit from the cartoon "Once Upon a Time... Life," what a perfect opportunity to use this concept. For the "What if..." factor, I chose to recreate a literal interpretation of how the whole Bionicle concept was created: little heroes fighting evil inside the organism of an actual human being. So the Toa Mata are the members of the antibody unit and Makuta is the vermiform virus, just like in the cartoon. 07/09/22
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FIRE, STONE & FURY: MY THOUGHTS ON THE 2005 BIONICLE STORY ARC Introduction Story wise, 2005 might be my least favourite year of Bionicle. The missed potential and asinine character and story decisions rival even that of the later years. Not long ago, I decided to experience the entire Biological Chronicle, from 2001 to 2011, taking in every single piece of (semi)canon media, with the ultimate goal of compiling my thoughts on each story year, and the story as a whole, into organised posts. However, I found out fairly early on, that I didn't have much to say about the Bionicle story, at least nothing that hasn't been said before. With one major exception… I have a lot to say about the 2005 story and its shortcomings. Rather than offer my thoughts as a whole, I will be highlighting particular weak spots and, if I feel so inclined, show you how I would've tackled the various botched decisions. Buckle up, because I've got a lot of things to say! Chapter 1: Drag It Out Let's get one thing out of the way first. It has already been observed that the 2005 year feels somewhat tacked on. 2004 already had a conclusion: Metru Nui falls, the Toa defeat Teridax, bring the Matoran to Mata Nui and become Turaga. What else is there left to say? As a result, 2005 inevitably feels like a needless interlude. If Legends of Metru Nui didn't immediately show us the Toa Metru waking the Matoran on the beach and if it did more to establish that the Great Rescue wasn't going to be over so soon, then perhaps 2005 it would've felt more meaningful. Alas, it was not to be, and we got a whole year's worth of novels etc. that tried to drag out the 2004 story. And as we will see, this attempt to drag things out made a few holes in the fabric. Chapter 2: Voyage of Fear and Loathing The way the year started actually showed some promise. The last few novels and comics of 2004 hinted at some darker secrets regarding Vakama and created some intrigue, what with the Turaga suddenly becoming very wary of continuing their story and alluding to some unspoken horrors and betrayals. I want to start with Voyage of Fear and Maze of Shadows. Now, these were technically released in 2004 and as such could be considered as part of the 2004 story year. But we've already established that said year already concluded with Legends of Metru Nui. So, at least to me, 2005 starts with the aforementioned novels. Personally, I find them to be decent. They do, however, show some problems in characterisation and character interactions, which will become more pronounced as the year goes on. But before that: let's talk about Mavrah. I don't like how Farshtey handled this character. His deal is, that he is a former archivist, who deeply cares about Rahi and has some legitimate philosophical concerns regarding the Archives' somewhat callous attitude towards them. At least, that's the subtext. In the text itself, Mavrah is just a loony who blocks the Toa Metru on their missions and who, because of that, deserves the same amount of scorn as Teridax himself. What really rubbed me the wrong way about Voyage of Fear is how it never suggests that Mavrah might actually have a point and that killing Rahi or keeping them forever in suspended animation is not the right thing to do, even if the Rahi in question are dangerous. The story opens some interesting questions that it never bothers to actually explore (I find this to be an issue with post-2006 Bionicle as well). It's also pretty telling that the Toa only try to reason with Mavrah after Onewa (who, mind you, is the source of the scorn) has already tried to use Mind Control on him and thus proved to Mavrah that the Toa are aggressors. Voyage of Fear tries way too hard to make Mavrah a villain, but the justification to make him so is so weak, I actually ended up almost rooting for the guy. The fact that the Toa kept making the situation worse and lack any self-reflection on the situation doesn't help matters. If they maybe looked back and realised they screwed up, it could've saved the story. But that doesn’t happen and as a result, Voyage of Fear ends up itself a pointless interlude, much like 2005 as a whole. How would I fix this? I'd use the face-off with Mavrah to plant the seed of discord between Vakama and Onewa. Vakama tries to be diplomatic, while Onewa wants to be more decisive. Their failure to coordinate ends up with Mavrah killed and the Rahi injured. Vakama accuses Onewa of being headstrong and pig-headed, while Onewa snaps back, claiming that Vakama could try being more hands on. Vakama's recklessness in the rest of the story would be a direct result of him trying to "please" Onewa. I'd also try to make Mavrah less like a loony psychopath who disregards others wellbeing, and more like a tragic figure, who got over his head when he tried to protect powerful Rahi. Speaking of Fire-Spitter and Stone-Head… Chapter 3: Fire, Stone and Fury I dislike how Farshtey handled Mavrah but I absolutely HATE how he handled Vakama and Onewa. Vakama, much like Mavrah, is portrayed as psychopath, so bent on fulfilling his team's mission, that he completely disregards everyone's wellbeing. Not only does it beg the question how and why the others kept following him and then even tried to save him from the dark side, it also feels like too great of a departure from how he was portrayed previously. The headstrong, willfully ignorant Vakama from late 2004-2005 is NOT the same character as the sympathetic and occasionally awesome Vakama from early 2004. There are slight hints he starts behaving like this because he is frustrated by his failures and the team's lack of progress, but the lurch from caring leader to reckless leader is so terribly executed it just seems like Vakama was possessed or something. The first time he shows any concern for his teammates is when they are finally captured by the Visorak. What was stopping him from showing some care before then, like when Nokama was seriously injured? Perhaps if Vakama was portrayed something like Walker from Spec Ops: The Line, a well-meaning person who is woefully misguided and unprepared for the situation, then I could buy the change in his behaviour. As it is, he's just a psycho. And as for Onewa? Where do I begin with him! Let's start with the fact that despite ultimately being a toxic and unlikeable character, he never gets any comeuppance for his actions. In fact, he actually saves the day more than once by acting like an a-hole (breaking Mavrah's resolve and recruiting Krahka). Then, after he's done wreaking havoc on the team, he becomes second fiddle to Matau post Web of the Visorak (we'll get to that). And unlike Vakama or Nuju, where the change in their personality and mannerisms is clearly foreshadowed and shown, Onewa never displays any actions, which would lead him to become "The Referee". To the reader, he remains an abrasive firebrand (stonebrand?), whose sole contribution to the story was ultimately to make everyone's lives worse. Some Referee… Chapter 4: Web of Tangled Shadows From the very beginning of 2004, there is some (un)friendly rivalry between Vakama and Onewa. The former is unsure of himself and needs encouragement, the latter is needlessly harsh and needs to mellow down. At the start of 2005, they start to butt heads more often, with the tipping point being Vakama's outburst in Web of the Visorak and Onewa's brutal verbal retribution. Both make it clear they'll no longer tolerate each other's actions. If you were like me, reading the novel, you would've guessed this would lead to them finally being forced to bury the hatchet and work together. But for some reason, that never happens, and the story pulls out an unestablished and completely random fracture between Vakama and Matau, while Onewa becomes a tertiary character. Now, the fact that this decision demolishes a perfectly fine character arc for Onewa is bad enough. What really gets me is just how unjustified it seems. Why drop Onewa, the lancer to Vakama's leader, and suddenly promote Matau, the not-so-important comic relief character, into Onewa's role? Someone explain it to me! Even worse, the story itself seems to know how awkward this is and occasionally alludes to the (never resolved) schism between Vakama and Onewa, as if to remind the reader that the feud was really a thing, before forgetting about it altogether. The fix is frustratingly simple: swap Matau and Onewa in their roles. While I was reading the 2005 novels, there were several moments that made me say: "This would make a lot more sense if it was Onewa/Matau doing it." I would also add a "boiling-point moment", where Onewa is finally forced to admit he's a toxic influence on the team. Remember that one time in Bionicle 27: Fractures, where Vakama nearly chokes Whenua? Remember how inconsequential that moment ultimately was? Here's how I'd write it: "Matau and Nokama should've been back by now," snapped Onewa. "I know," Vakama answered, annoyed. "You should've never sent them to scout the Visorak alone." "I know." "Could've waited until some of us I were free to help." "I. Know." Nuju could feel Vakama getting more and more agitated by Onewa accusations. He was about to interject, when Onewa spoke again: "If you want to know my opinion-" "I DON'T!" Vakama grabbed Onewa by the throat. The Toa Hordika of Stone tried to break free, but to no avail. "Vakama!" shouted Nuju. "What are doing?! Let him go!" Vakama was too furious to listen. He tightened his grip. "Vakama! You're hurting him. Listen to me. Let him go!" Vakama looked around. He was surrounded by looks of alarm and concern. Realising what he was doing, he dropped Onewa to the ground. He carefully came close, to see if his brother was alright. Onewa pounced. He striked at Vakama with an unmatched rage. He swung, he stomped and when the frightened Vakama tried to flee, he resorted to firing Stone Rhotuka at him. It took Ice and Earth Rhotuka to finally stop the mad Toa Hordika. "Just what do you think you're doing, Onewa?" Nuju was uncharacteristically angry. "Let me go!" snarled Onewa. "Let me go, so I can tear him apart!" "Tear him apart? Onewa, what has gotten into you?" added Rahaga Norik. "Punish him! Give that smelt-head what's coming to him! Rip him apart and feed him to the Visorak! SERVES HIM RIGHT FOR WHAT HE DID TO US!" When Onewa stopped his tirade, he found his comrades' expression darkened. Whenua broke the silence: "Do you hear yourself, Onewa? The things you just said about Vakama?" Onewa was surprised Whenua, his friend, was reaming him out. "B-but, he lead us into a trap. He failed us as a leader!" "And for that you want him killed? What in Makuta's name is wrong with you? Who do you think you are?" "I… am… Onewa. Toa… of Stone." "A Toa, for sure," spat Whenua. "A Toa of Venom." And with that, the group turned away, disgusted by the Toa of Venom they had just conversed with. "Um… guys? Guys?" Onewa was still up to his waist in Earth and Ice. It wasn't until a nearby crash of a Visorak chariot that he was finally free. "No one could've survived that… no one but us, Toa heroes!" The voice belonged to Matau. "A last-minute Air Spinner to create a cushion-" "Plus, landing on me. Ow!" The other voice belonged to Nokama. "And here we are! Onewa? What are doing here? Where are the others?" Onewa bowed his head and said nothing. While we're at it, let's make the very next scene of Vakama facing off the mutated Muaka from Web of Shadows as a symbolic confrontation with the monster inside of him. Maybe also a monologue about him finally dropping his teammates, so that his turn to the dark side feels more natural. Following this, the events of said novel/film play out almost exactly like in canon, except Onewa's the one leading the charge and trying to reason to Vakama, while Matau's the one crashing headfirst into a wall and acting like an idiot. Doesn't all this sound so much better than what we got? And besides, during the Toa's confrontation with Roodaka, wouldn't it make more sense for her to forget Stone instead of Air? You might think, this is the end of it, but there's still one thing about 2005 I want to address. Chapter 5: Time Trap, Parts I & II Time Trap is the last Bionicle: Adventures novel and the last novel of the 2005 story arc. Judging by the online discourse, it seems to be nigh universally loved. I can see why, it's a gripping story and an exciting sendoff to the story arc, one that ties up loose ends and ties nicely, not too forcefully, into the next year. But it's not perfect and I have some thoughts about it. First thing's first: It doesn't really resolve the feuds between the characters. We open the story and Vakama's still a reckless fool and Onewa is still needlessly abrasive. They may try to sound more diplomatic, but it doesn't work. You'd think, after everything the characters went through, they'd act a little differently. Maybe something like this: Toa Matau stared hard at Toa Vakama. The two were almost mask to mask, Matau’s eyes boring into his friend’s as if Vakama were some previously unknown breed of Rahi beast. After a few moments, Matau broke off and started walking around the Toa of Fire, all the while muttering to himself. "What are you doing?" Vakama demanded finally. "I always knew you would go crazy one day," Matau replied. "Not Hordika-crazy, just mad-crazy all on your own. I want to remember the sight." "I’m not crazy," said Vakama flatly. "All I said was, I am going back to Metru Nui. The rest of you take the Matoran to the island above, and I will join you soon." At the controls of the airship in which they flew, Onewa sat shaking his head. "I know better than to argue with you," Onewa said over his shoulder. "But I'm sorry, I really don't understand. All this effort to get away from Metru Nui and now you want to go back?!" "Yeah," interjected Matau playfully. "Did you leave a lightstone on? Forget your favourite Kanoka disk? What is it?" "The Mask of Time." Three words. All it took was those three words from Vakama to silence the room. "I'm not surprised it slipped your mind. I don't blame you, I almost forgot about it myself." The Toa remained silent, realising the seriousness of the situation. Everyone present remembered how Vakama crafted the Kanohi Vahi, the Mask of Time, with the power to slow down or speed up time around a target. Keeping the powerful mask out of the hands of the evil Makuta had nearly cost Vakama his life, and had led to the death of Turaga Lhikan. During the course of the battle, the Vahi had fallen into the sea. "It’s still down there. If it should fall into the hands of Makuta, all that we have done here, and all our hopes for a new life, will be erased. I have to find it." Nokama stood up. "We’ll all go, if it’s that important, then we must-" Vakama shook his head. "I know this goes against everything we've learned so far, but this time I really must go alone. If I am wrong, and Makuta has forgotten the mask, he will go after them. If I am right, then at least I can delay him long enough for you to escape… perhaps even to destroy the mask." "I understand, Vakama. But we cannot let you go alone. Not after our ordeal." "I’m not ordering my fellow Toa to accept this. I am asking my brothers and sister to understand. I must go alone." Before Nokama could answer, Onewa had stepped up between them. "Perhaps we can compromise," he said. "Nokama, he has a point. Someone has to stay behind and make sure nothing happens to the Matoran. On the other hand…" he continued, turning to the Toa of Fire, "letting you go alone would be unwise. What if you need help? At least take Nokama with you, brother. The rest of us will watch the Matoran." Vakama considered. His mind was telling him to go alone and disregard his teammates. Then he remembered where this line of thinking lead him last time. Onewa was right, he could use some help. "Alright," he said. "When you're ready, sister." In my version of the story, Nokama accompanies Vakama in his quest, helps him find the Vahi underwater, and when Vakama get buried, she goes searching for Onewa's help. The novel ends with the Toa reuniting. I don't know about you, but this sounds a lot closer to how the characters would act in this point in time. BTW, did you see me turning Onewa into the Referee? Another thing that bugs me about Time Trap is the missed potential. As you know, a large portion of the story takes place in a dark alternate reality, where the Great Disk Matoran became Toa and where the Morbuzakh is still at large. The subplot is an intriguing projection of Vakama's anxieties over the Toa Metru supposedly not being meant to become Toa and an interesting what-if scenario. Sadly, it's never properly explored since it ends way too quickly. And besides, the subplot is ruined by the fact, that we already know it's not real, so the tension is non-existent. My solution? Split Time Trap into two parts. The first one starts with Vakama waking up in the alternate reality. There is no explanation as to how he got there, no intermissions from the Dark Hunters. For all we know, the entire Bionicle story up to that point has been a dream. We stay in this reality for a little while, we meet all the characters, Onewa, Whenua and the Toa included, and see just how twisted this version of Metru Nui is. As we go along, we start to see more and more cracks and inconsistencies, things take make Vakama realise: Wait, this really is an illusion! He finds the Kratana, meets Krakua, illusion ends and he meets Teridax. They team up to find the Vahi. End of part one. Part two opens with Vakama and Teridax en route. Vakama reminisces on the events that lead him to where he is, including the above paragraph, Voporak's attack and the illusion. The rest of part two plays out exactly as the official version, maybe with an additional subplot about Nokama and Onewa's rescue mission, with them coming across the Rahi from Voyage of Fear, finding Mavrah corpse and maybe even helping Vakama in the final battle. Conclusion Aaaaaaaaaaaaand, that's all. That's my rant, I mean, treatise for a revamped version of the 2005 Bionicle story arc. I've had these thought brewing in me for some time and I thought it was high time I got them off my chest. I hope it was at least somewhat insightful. If you have any thoughts about my thoughts, do share them down below. -
Yellow Jester The last character mentioned in the song "The Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson, the Yellow Jester was the spark that inspired me to build a series of mocs following this song. The Jester is playing with a puppet, following the text description exactly. For the smiling part... he is smiling his way. For the jester's hat I used the yellow rubber piece from the Ben 10 series, Jet Ray's wings. 01/09/22
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Pattern Juggler The third character in the song "The Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson, the Pattern Juggler is the smallest of all. For the body of this creature I used Toxic Reapa's mask, the small antennae can hold a pair of balljoint eyes from the Chinese New Year sets. For the juggler's hands I used two lime kraata while the dark green ball was made by connecting two Toa Matau canister lids together. 30/08/22
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Black Queen The second character from the song "The Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson. For the queen I chose to use a different alien style, this time the character is based on an insectoid, the basic concept is an ant queen. It's a pretty simple build, the only non-black pieces being the eyes and the three T-Bars at the top of the head. To cover the lower part of the body, I used Hordika Whenua's mask. 28/08/22
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Purple Piper This was the first moc in a series of five based on the song "The Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson, the Purple Piper is the first character mentioned in this song. I wanted to create an alien fairy playing a hyper-intricate flute, for the face I used a magenta leaf and four pairs of cherries for the eyes. The magenta hands are from the Ben 10 construction line, the notes on the end of the flute are from the Trolls World Tour series. 26/08/22
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Trinuma Built for an Order of Mata Nui Collab, Trinuma has one of my favorite masks, the Great Mask of Charisma, that always looks like an elk or deer head to my eyes. For this reason, I chose to create a more accurate deer/moose head for my character. Initially I created a simple humanoid following the actual combiner set, but after a while I thought it would look even better if Trinuma was a real deer/moose. To add a more "elegant" and regal appearance to Trinuma, I decided to base my version on a Peryton, a mystical centaur-like creature with bird wings and the body of a deer. For the shield I used the lid of a Kraata canister. 10/08/22
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Myoviridae A bacteriophage made from bonkles, that's all. As a child I always looked at this kind of creature (if it is possible to classify a bacteriophage as a living thing) as if it were a robot, the strange shape of its body always fascinated me. Following this old idea, I decided to rapresent in a moc this thought, since this version is a robot, I thought it would be cool if this bacteriophage could shoot a DNA beam instead of injecting its own DNA into the bacteria. The transparent base at the end of the DNA beam represents a microscope slide. To create the bacteria I used two half-dome pieces that can be found in Toa Ignika (in black), in this case the blue trans pieces are found in the Barraki Deepsea Patrol playset. 08/07/22
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Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis Built for the Preliminary Round of Biocup 2022, the theme was Nature so I decided to represent Nature's only true constant: death. This is the infamous "Zombie Fungus," a terrible fungus that infects and controls the minds of ants with the sole purpose of spreading the maximum amount of spores to reproduce. Infected ants are controlled to go to the highest possible altitude (such as atop a plant) to maximize the spread of spores, I decided to add a small branch to better represent the final moments of an infected ant. For the leaves I used a couple of Baranus masks, I've always wanted to use them as leaves in one of my mocs, this was the perfect opportunity. 27/05/22
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Tony the Stinkbug I don't remember exactly why I built him, he's a stinkbug with a gas mask who likes to skate and paint graffiti. For the small drawings I used some Vidiyo 2x2 printed tiles, for the tree I used Chewbacca's CCBS printed shells. For the two spray paints I used a pair of round bricks with stickers from an Agents set. 28/04/22
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Kabutops This was built for a Pokemon contest hosted by my Italian LUG in collaboration with Nintendo to promote Pokemon Legends: Arceus. The rules to follow for this contest were simple: build something inspired by the Pokemon franchise. So I decided to build Kabutops (and Kabuto) using almost only Construction pieces. For the blades I used Vamprah's wings, the only system pieces in this moc were used to create the small rock on which Kabuto stands. I ended up coming second in this contest. 11/02/22
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Almost a year ago I wrote a short story set on Voya Nui, focusing on some of my original Matoran characters. It was called Despair. It was soon followed by another called Tidal Wave, set during the Mahri Nui exodus and the revival of Mata Nui. Looking back, I found that while I still hold Tidal Wave in high regard, I grew to dislike Despair. The plot went by too quickly and we barely got to meet the main characters. I also realised I made a timeline oopsie - I envisioned the story taking place before LadyKopaka's Hope, but found that this story (supposedly) takes place before the sinking of Mahri Nui (not that you could tell). This was barely a problem, but it still bugged me. With all this in mind I decided to bring it on the same level as its sequel story. Despair is now longer and canon-compliant. I hope you enjoy it. I know I do now. DESPAIR A lone Matoran stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Voya Nui Bay. He was a Ta-Matoran named Kapua, one of the oldest residents of Voya Nui. He had climbed the mountain path to check on the weather. Kapua was renowned among his Matoran peers for his knowledge of weather phenomena and his remarkable ability to accurately predict coming storms. Up on the cliff he had a good view of the horizon. The sky was clear and only a slight breeze blew between the rocks. Kapua was about to head back down when he saw something move further down. A small grey figure, possibly another Matoran. What was he doing up here? Before Kapua could think of a reason, the figure vanished. The Ta-Matoran did not dwell on what he saw. He grabbed his Lightning Rod and slowly started to descend. *** In the place of the Bay there used to be a large Matoran settlement called Mahri Nui. The settlement, resting on a mass of volcanic rock, created not long after a deadly cataclysm, was one of the most populous and most industrious regions on the island. Was. It had only been a few years since it sank. Kapua had many friends from Mahri Nui and it was still hard to believe they were gone. But there was no time to grieve, for another storm could come and destroy what little Matoran life was left on Voya Nui. It was up to Kapua to see it coming. Lately, storms seemed to be getting more and more common… The Ta-Matoran was back on the cliff. He had a bad feeling the calm weather was a harbinger of something far more destructive, so he started taking daily trips up the mountainside. Every time he came, a slight wind blew and there was nothing on the horizon. But he did see someone roaming up and down the Bay. A De-Matoran with a mismatched orange arm. He seemed to be looking for something. Kapua saw him again that day. The Ta-Matoran stepped carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible. No doubt the De-Matoran could hear him regardless. And he did. He looked and saw the Ta-Matoran approach. Kapua addressed the wanderer with a careful whisper: "Hello." *** Two Matoran sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Voya Nui Bay, engaged in silent conversation. The De-Matoran turned out to be named Vinurr. When asked by Kapua, what he was doing in the mountains, he simply replied: "Looking". He was shy and didn't talk much, but he seemed to appreciate Kapua's company. The Ta-Matoran was more than happy to stay by his side. "There was this Fa-Matoran I met on a voyage once." Kapua entertained his new friend with stories. "He was the captain of an old cargo ship. Farda, I think his name was. He was the best navigator on the continent." Vinurr listened intensely. "He only had one functional optical sensor, but he still knew where was north and where was south. I travelled with him a lot. He taught me how to recognize storm clouds. You see, it's all in the colour. Storm clouds are much darker than ordinary ones. Hah, Farda used to say that's because Makuta- Hold on." Kapua thought he saw something on the horizon. Something dark and foreboding. As if on cue, a strong wind blew, almost knocking Kapua back down. Below, the water crashed against the cliffs. Kapua felt a sense of unease pass through him. He knew what all these signs meant. He turned to Vinurr. "Come," the Ta-Matoran said gently. "We must go and warn the others." *** Garan blinked. He couldn't believe what his Ta-Matoran friend was telling him. "A hurricane? Are you sure, Kapua?" "I'm more than certain. It might be in a few days but it's going to hit us sooner or later. I saw the signs." The Onu-Matoran crossed his fingers, considering the warning. "Alright," he said. "We'll begin the evacuation immediately." Kapua nodded. The last time they had a hurricane on Voya Nui was several hundred years ago. The Matoran knew how serious the situation was. They lived through it. Garan saluted and ran towards the village centre to sound the alarm. Kapua meanwhile glanced at a startled Vinurr. "It's okay," he said to him. "It's only a storm. It'll be over before you know it." Vinurr smiled weakly. *** The weather worsened in the following days. The wind was strong enough to break trees and lift roofs. A heavy rain pounded at the ground and widened streams. There was no doubt: a hurricane was about to pass. Kapua was huddling under a rocky overhang with the other Matoran. He was nervous, but not because of the storm. He sought Garan. "Where is Vinurr?" When he saw confusion on the Onu-Matoran's face, he added: "The De-Matoran, the one with an orange arm. Did you see him?" Garan shook his head. "I didn't see him anywhere." Where could he be?!, Kapua thought to himself. Then he gulped. He ran out of the shelter towards the mountain path. *** Kapua ran as fast as his weak legs would allow him. If he was right, then Vinurr would be at the Bay. He climbed, digging the tip of the Rod into the harsh rock. As the wind roared, he remembered the first ever hurricane to hit Voya Nui almost a thousand years ago. The blasted stone. The ruined houses. The mangled corpses of Matoran. Kapua screamed. He never wanted to see anything like that again. He stopped, searching for Vinurr. At last, he saw him, wandering on the cliff where they first met. The De-Matoran was holding his hands to his head. The sounds must've been unbearable. "Vinurr!" Kapua was shouting. There was no use in whispering. He grabbed Vinurr by the arm. "Come! It's already begun!" The two Matoran ran slowly and awkwardly. Kapua cursed Karzahni for the horrible work he did on his legs. Vinurr held his hand to help him navigate the rocky terrain. Not far away was the overhang. Kapua let go, much to Vinurr's surprise. "Go!" he ordered. "I'm slowing you down. You might make it in time." "No!" De-Matoran weren't known to raise their voice, even in the worst of circumstances, so the shout that came from Vinurr took Kapua by surprise. "W-what?" "I can't lose another friend!" The two Matoran stood in a silence ravaged by screaming winds and stared at each other, one in disbelief, the other in defiance. Lighting flashed. In that moment, a dawning realisation struck Kapua. "There was a reason you were wandering up the Bay, wasn't there?" Vinurr's head drooped in sadness. "He was a Po-Matoran from Mahri Nui. He sank on that day with all the others. I… I don’t why I keep coming here. Maybe to see him one last time." Kapua gently placed his hand on Vinurr's shoulder. "He was the only friend I had." "What was his name?" Vinurr slowly raised his gaze. "Suru," he whispered. It was then that a hard wind hit them both. *** When he awoke, Kapua was lying in a shallow pool of water. His armour was scraped and his back ached from the fall. In his lap lay his Lightning Rod. Staggering and groaning, he stood up and leaned on his weapon. He was surrounded by the many inquisitive faces of the Matoran from the overhang. They were all there. Except for one. "Did he make it?" The Matoran were confused by Kapua's question. The Ta-Matoran looked around. Not far away he saw a small grey figure lying on the rocks. A small grey figure with an orange arm. "VINURR!" Kapua dropped his Rod and limped towards the De-Matoran, hoping against hope that he was still alive. He fell to his knees and checked Vinurr's heartlight. It was no longer flashing. *** A lone Matoran stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Voya Nui Bay. He was a Ta-Matoran named Kapua. He had recently lost a friend. In his hands was a cracked grey Kanohi. The Matoran of Kapua's native land had a custom, where they would remove the Kanohi from the dead and give it to their friends. Vinurr didn't have any living friends, at least none that Kapua knew of. But there was another… Gently, he dropped Vinurr's mask into the waters of the Bay. As it made a barely audible splash, Kapua hoped that the De-Matoran's spirit would finally reunite with his fallen friend.
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Primal I'm not really a builder focused on revamping, but when someone asks me to rebuild an existing character/set I can gladly agree to build something like that. This is my take on Primal, I built this dark hunter in the summer of 2021 for a small collab. This collab was cancelled within a couple of weeks of the group's formation... but by the time the news came I had already finished my moc, so Primal survived the cancellation. The build itself is very simple and I used almost only bionicle/hero factory parts, there are some tiles/dishes all over the body but the use of system pieces is very low in this moc. 05/08/21
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In this interpretation of the Shadow Toa Ahkmou, I give him the arm blades and sharp claws, with the fanged kanohi Rau corrupted by Darkness and depravity. Equipped with the Umbra Katana capable of slowly leeching off and draining Light, which makes him a formidable foe. Mask: Shadow Rau by BigPhan. Blade: Godfyr’s Parts Pack.
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Hy guys! finally managed to make mata nui's mouth mobile,but the project is not yet completed; it will be a few weeks before I can complete it 😁😁 VID-20230524-WA0024.mp4
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This would have probably been my fav G2 set if it was real, I'm a big Mata Nui fan. This build was designed using purely the CCBS system except for the obvious Mask, Thornax Launcher & Shield. Excited to finally share it with you. Used part #11334 for his shoulders.
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- bionicle
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Hy guys! This Is my personal construction...the Great Spirit Robot Mata Nui (head) What do you think? VID_20690519_063749_605.mp4 VID_518520612_103357_512.mp4
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Suru sat in his hut in Mahri Nui, holding a grey Kanohi in his hands. He had found the mask many years ago on one of his trips across the ocean floor. He assumed it was one of the many treasures from the Great Spirit that floated down to his village every Naming Day. The mask, he couldn't identify the type, had a long shallow crack reaching from the mouth to the left eye socket. Probably a result of the fall. The crack made it useless to him and his fellow Matoran, so there was no reason to keep it. And yet, when Suru first laid his eyes upon it, he immediately asked if he could keep it. He wasn't sure why he wanted to have it; all he knew was that the mask awoke in him a strange feeling of familiarity. When Mahri Nui fell, the Matoran lost all memory of what came before the sinking. Recollections of the past were rare and as such a cause for celebration. Every time one of the villagers remembered even a snippet of the life on the surface, a ceremony was held at the Sanctuary, where the memory was shared with the rest. Suru never shared any memories. Not because he didn't want to, but because, frustratingly, he couldn't remember anything. He would spend hours looking at the grey mask, hoping to experience at least a tiny flash, anything that would tell him, why it looked so familiar to him. At this very moment he was still waiting. "Suru!" He jumped. A Matoran with a green Kualsi was at his door. "Suru, what are you doing? The others are ever-ready to go!" The Po-Matoran stared briefly at Defilak, his Le-Matoran friend. What was he talking about? Then he remembered - the Toa were planning to evacuate Mahri Nui. Defilak himself had ordered everyone to collect all their belongings and meet at the entrance into the Cord. Suru had gone to do just that – collect his Climbing Hooks and chain. And the mask. "Sorry, Defilak," Suru said, finally. "I got distracted. I'm ready to go." *** Defilak and Suru walked side by side, ahead of the procession. Toa Matoro walked next to them, making sure the Mahri Nui Matoran were following. Suru was fidgeting with a pair of pebbles between his fingers. It was something he did when he was nervous. He tapped Defilak on his shoulder. He wanted to talk and he didn't want the Toa of Ice to listen. They fell back. "Do you really trust them?" he asked the Le-Matoran. "Can we really believe their promises?" "Their promise is of hope, Suru," replied Defilak. "This is something we all desperately needed. And yes, I faith-trust them. I believe you can too." If you trust them, Suru thought to himself, then I guess I will too. It was a hard thought for him to accept. But there was one part of him that was enchanted by the hope that was promised. The hope of a better life. The hope of finally finding out. Suru instinctively reached into his sack and retrieved the mask. To his surprise, he felt a small pulse, a miniscule fragment of what might've been a memory. Screams. Were those part of the memory? No, they were coming from behind. Toa Matoro was running towards the procession. Suru put the mask back. In a minute, there was chaos. *** "What is going on?!" shouted Defilak, who huddled on the floor together with Suru. "Old friends came to say hi," remarked Toa Matoro in between hurling ice bolts. The Matoran couldn't see clearly what he was firing at, but they looked like giant eels. Giant, colourful eels with large, smiling heads. Suru was panicking. The migration, the memory, the attack, he couldn't take it. His fingers were scraping the bottom of the Cord and his legs were kicking against it. Rocks were flying across his head. He wanted to run, to get away from the chaos. Then he saw something. A flash which turned into an explosion of light. A Rahi beast standing his ground before him, clutching a small grey Matoran in one of its claws. A live memory. Suru swung his arm to strike the beast. And then everything went black. *** When he awoke, it was on a different kind of stone. Rough, course, unlike the smooth volcanic rock of the Cord. Next to him, Defilak was also waking. The two Matoran looked at each other, both with the same question in their eyes. Then they looked around and saw something amazing. Grass. Trees. Mountains and a clear blue sky. Sunlight. It was the most amazing thing Suru has ever seen. And it didn't seem foreign at all. He felt chambers in his mind unlock and open after centuries of darkness. He knew what came before Mahri Nui, before the sinking. He remembered a cataclysm, a voyage, a shadowy ****** and a former homeland. And he remembered a Matoran with a grey Kanohi. He tore the sack from his shoulder and rummaged through it. To his surprise, the large object was not there. In its place were fragments. He grabbed one of them and held it towards the light. It was a piece of the mask. "Are you alright?" Suru looked up. Defilak was eyeing him with worry. Then he saw the fragment in his hands. "I'm sorry." That was all he said. That was all he could say. Suru was silent. He looked around and saw Matoran embracing each other. Old friends, reunited at last. Suru felt alone. Lost. But he didn't have time to dwell, because a large, bulky figure was stand before the Matoran, demanding their attention. *** The giant's name was Axonn, protector of Voya Nui. He calmly asked everyone to follow him. Said there was going to be a quake and that they should seek shelter in the underground caves. The Nui Caves. Suru remembered their name. Matoran huddled in the faint glow of lightstones. Defilak sat next to him, never leaving his friend's sight. Pieces of the broken grey Kanohi were scattered on the ground. "Suru?" It was a female voice. A hardened female voice that came from the corner. "Suru, is that you?" The lanky figure, to whom the voice belonged to, stood next to the two Matoran. The light revealed her to be a Ga-Matoran with a Great Rau. Recognition shot through Suru's mind. "Dalu!" Laughter filled the cave as Dalu and Suru embraced. He remembered his warrior friend from Voya Nui. He remembered their time together. Both became warriors out of necessity. Every so often they would fight wild Rahi together. He couldn't believe she was still alive. "I can't believe YOU are still alive, you Brakas," laughed Dalu. "None of us can." "You remembered me." "Yes, we all did." Dalu greeted Defilak with a nod. Then she glanced at the Climbing Hooks on the floor. Possibly the same she once sacrificed to the depths on Naming Day. Then she saw the broken mask next to them. "So, he found you after all," said Dalu solemnly, pointing at the fragments. Suru was confused. Who found him? Before he could ask, the caves began to shake. Everyone fell to the ground. Suru grabbed the pieces of the mask and held them in his lap. Another flash of light struck him. He was flying - the Rahi had struck him. Suru hit the ground and charged again with his spear. For a moment he was floating in mid-air and then he hit the ground again. *** Suru stood up at once, ready to face the Rahi. But it wasn't there. He was in the cave with the other Matoran. All around them was dust, illuminated by the shattered lightstones that lay everywhere. And there was something different in the air. "They did it!" The loud, booming voice belonged to Axonn. " Mata Nui lives!" The Matoran were too shaken to comprehend what happened, but knew it was a good thing. One by one they exited the caves. When they surfaced, they noticed the sky was a different shade of blue. And it felt right. Suru wasn't looking at the sky, his gaze was fixed on the mask he held in his hands. Except he wasn't even looking at the mask. He was looking at the face of the shy De-Matoran to whom the Great Mask of Rahi Control belonged. The one he had just saved from a wild Rahi. The Matoran looked at him with quiet but infinite gratitude. "What is your name?" Suru remembered asking. Just then, one final gate in Suru's mind was unlocked. What came out of it was like a massive tidal wave running through his head. He looked down on the familiar grey shape and murmured the Matoran's name: "Vinurr."
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Had a lot of fun creating it. Swapped a few parts around for a more original light/athletic Tahu look. Also includes a new torso/chest build. Added red feet and hands + added metallic effects to his blades and golden armour. Wanted to keep the design simple and inline with the sets. The background assets were borrowed from the 2009 Glatorian Legends promo poster, I've reworked some of it to get a better overall aesthetic fit. Thanks for checking this out!
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- bionicle
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Used to go by the name Sonnax but since I gave her such an overhaul, figured she might as well be given a new name. It's latin for speed without the s at the end. (not the most original I know, but has a nice ring to it). Went with digitagrade legs to make it more suitable for running and added a tail to the spoilers/airbrakes on her back to add to her ability to manuver herself at high speeds.
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Just swapped some of the sockets to the right color of this older MOC.
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Slightly tweaked version of an older MOC of said robot dog from Dexter's Laboratory. https://www.flickr.com/photos/152263670@N03/albums/72177720305101504
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A slightly updated version of an older MOC. https://www.flickr.com/photos/152263670@N03/albums/72177720303445157
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Hafu looked incredulously at the tall brown figure at the entrance. At first, he thought his optical sensors were playing a trick on him. He shook his head, but the figure remained. A Toa! A Toa of Stone, no less! Hafu thought he’d never see one in Metru Nui again. His feeling of joyous surprise wouldn’t last long, however. The Toa had spotted him. And he seemed especially angry with Hafu. “Ahkmou!” Hafu was startled. “There you are you foolish little Sand Snipe. Where did you hide the disk?” “I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about Toa,” stuttered Hafu. To his relief, the Toa no longer glared at him. Instead, his expression was that of confusion. “You… don’t sound like him,” said the Toa. “It’s the mask, isn’t it?” replied Hafu, annoyed that it had happened again. Ahkmou and him wore the same mask. It wasn’t uncommon for Matoran to spot a Rau-wielder, assume it’s Ahkmou and start verbally assaulting what they thought was the slimy carver. Then they’d hear Hafu’s voice and rush to apologise. It seemed now that not even Toa were capable of telling them apart. “Do you know where he is?” asked the Toa. He didn’t even bother to apologise. “I wish I knew that myself!” answered Hafu. “He’s been falling behind on his work. Keeps talking about a secret that is going to make him the most famous carver in Po-Metru!” The Toa looked at Hafu, intrigued. Hafu continued. “Last time I saw him, he was meeting with two big… beings… not Matoran, not even Toa! One was really huge; the other was on four legs. Ahkmou looked really nervous, too. After they left, he headed for the warehouse.” The Toa pondered briefly, a semblance of worry and intrigue flashing across his Great Mask. “Thank you,” he said at last and headed towards the warehouse himself. Hafu looked as he left, still mesmerised by the sight of a Toa in Po-Metru. And still upset at the fact he mistook him for Ahkmou. He thought he heard footstep to his right. He turned and saw a familiar brown Mahiki in front of him. It was Kamen, Hafu’s friend and co-worker. He too seemed to be mesmerised by the sight of a Toa. “Was that…?” “I think it was, Kamen.” “Incredible.” Kamen’s voice was filled with awe. “Indeed.” Hafu’s voice, on the other hand, wasn’t. Kamen took notice. “Something wrong?” Hafu huffed, ready to erupt. “He thought I was Ahkmou! Can you believe it? Not even a Toa can tell the difference between us!” Kamen looked confused for a moment. Then he chuckled. “Don’t laugh, you dust-covered Brakas! There’s nothing funny about being constantly confused for that miserable worm!” Kamen chuckled some more. “Come on, Hafu,” he said, “it’s a little funny”. Hafu was still fuming. “We’ll see if they’ll still confuse us once I throw a Recon disk at him.” “DON’T!” Kamen threw his arm around Hafu’s mouth. Disk Duels were highly illegal, even suggesting to get involved in one was sufficient grounds for arrest. The two Matoran stood silent for a moment, keeping an eye for the Zadakh. After enough time had passed, Kamen released his grip. “You shall do no such thing,” he said sternly. Hafu did not dare reply. “Besides,” he continued in a slightly softer tone, “if it bothers you that much, get a Kanohi change. Vakama could probably make you a new one.” Hafu scoffed. “What, Nuhrii’s former apprentice? I’m not getting a mask from that worthless forge-cleaner!” Kamen shrugged. “Suit yourself,” he said and turned back towards the warehouse. He hoped to get another look at the Toa.
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Hafu looked incredulously at a hazy blue figure in the near distance. At first, he thought the heat was making him see things. He shook his head, but the figure remained. In fact, it came closer, revealing itself to be a Ga-Matoran, wearing what appeared to be a dark blue Kaukau. It seemed to Hafu, that she was admiring one his many stone sculptures. “Ho ho, what is this?” he said to the newcomer. “A fan of my work? I am not signing any autographs today, sorry!” The Ga-Matoran looked at Hafu, slightly surprised. “Uh, hello there,” she replied. “Who are you?” “What?” exclaimed Hafu, a little shocked. “Surely you recognized the master carver Hafu when you see him?” The Ga-Matoran squinted. “I’m pretty sure ‘the master carver’ wears a Pakari, not a Ruru.” “I assure, my lady,” responded Hafu, trying to hide the fact of his hurt pride, “that I am in fact the master carver.” The Ga-Matoran shrugged, deciding to humour the Po-Matoran who claimed himself to be Hafu. “Anyway, what brings a water maiden all the way here to our arid village?” “Kohlii,” replied the Ga-Matoran. “I’m here for the Kohlii match. I’m the Ga-Koro forward.” “Oh, so you’re Hahli!” cried Hafu. “A pleasure to finally meet you! Hewkii’s told me about you. You’ll be going against him and me. I’m the Po-Koro defender, you know. I hope you’re prepared; we’re Kohlii champions for a reason!” “Oh, I’m more than prepared,” said Hahli, surprising Hafu with her confidence. “Question is: are you two prepared?” Hafu was taken aback but quickly found his composure. “Definitely,” he remarked. At that moment Hafu remember Hahli’s teammate. “Tell me, Hahli, is Macku with you?” “Oh, she’s right behind me. I decided to come a little early.” A short silence followed. “Anyway,” continued Hahli, “It was nice meeting you, ‘Hafu’. I’m off to check out the stadium. See you at the game!” Hafu didn’t know how to respond, all he could muster was: “Yeah, uh, see you!” Hahli continued her way down the Path of Prophecies. There was another Po-Matoran working on one of the sculptures – one who seemed to wear a brown Mahiki. He turned to greet her. “Hello, Ga-Matoran!” he said, courteously. “What brings you here to our wonderful village of Po-Koro?” Hahli smiled. “I’m here for the Kohlii match,” she answered. “Hahli, Ga-Koro forward. I was just done speaking to your defender, the one who claims to be the great Hafu.” “Yes, the one with an identity crisis,” chuckled the Po-Matoran. He dropped his pick and held out his hand. “Kamen the stonemason, at your service.” Hahli shook it gladly. Her gaze flew over the sculptures that surrounded them. “So, you and the Hafu impersonator over there take care of these sculptures?” “Yes, we are constantly taking care of the sculptures, so that they do not Disintegrate! Time and weather take their toll on our great works, wearing them down into dust. Disintegration is the enemy of Creation!” “Creation,” pondered Hahli. “Is that the principle that you Po-Matoran live by?” “Exactly!” Kamen was pleasantly surprised at the Ga-Matoran’s knowledge. “By combining the Virtues of Unity and Destiny, taught to us by Mata Nui, we have become skilled in Creation! And it is from our Principle that we learn our Kohlii Skill – Strategy!” He looked around to see if anyone was listening and added, quietly: “Take my advice, maiden. Seek out the Mahi Herder just outside of the village, he can teach you about our skill. Hewkii visits him to train - if you visit him too, you might actually stand a chance against our champions.” Hahli smiled. “Now, I shan’t neglect my Duty for too long. Farewell, Hahli, and good luck!” Hahli bid Kamen farewell and continued into Po-Koro. The Po-Matoran turned back to his work. “Can you believe it, Kamen?” He turned. Hafu was standing next to him, looking irritated. “She didn’t recognize me! And she had the gall to question my identity!” “It’s your mask, Hafu,” replied Kamen, amused at his friend’s grievance. “Ever since you had it changed, you’ve been a different Matoran. Even I can’t recognize you when I see you!” Hafu grumbled, unimpressed. “Besides,” added Kamen, “Hahli’s probably only ever heard of you, so she couldn’t recognize you. You mustn’t assume you’re THAT famous, Hafu.” Hafu grumbled further. “I’ll show her,” he muttered as he turned away. “I’ll show that Ga-Matoran.” Kamen laughed as he chipped at the stone. Masonry was hard work but having Hafu by his side made it entertaining. Hafu meanwhile had also returned to his work. He had barely begun when he felt he saw another blue figure in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it seemed the figure wore a Huna. Hafu dropped his tool and rushed to greet his comrade.
