Bionicle- Nova Orbis (new world)

[Onaku]

Unless something goes horribly wrong, you'll see the story continue later this month.

 

I'm looking forward to it. You're awesome, Nick.

[jakest123]

Can't wait to see what the next hypothetical wave of sets will be like. We're considering the Toa Miro to be the Winter wave and the Toa Novus to be the Summer wave, right? If that's the case then I'd say we're due for some canister tier villains, but that all depends on where the story goes.

[Onaku]

Can't wait to see what the next hypothetical wave of sets will be like. We're considering the Toa Miro to be the Winter wave and the Toa Novus to be the Summer wave, right? If that's the case then I'd say we're due for some canister tier villains, but that all depends on where the story goes.

Actually, considering Bionicle's theme of six canisters in the winter, and six in the summer, along with some various box sets, the villains might be better suited as boxed sets.

[Iben]

I was actually wondering, would you ever consider bundling this storyline into a single pdf file ? It would be amazing to be able to read this as if it was a real book

 

-Iben

[NickonAquaMagna]

I was actually wondering, would you ever consider bundling this storyline into a single pdf file ? It would be amazing to be able to read this as if it was a real book

 

-Iben

 

Maybe. I don't really know how to make a PDF, though.

[Onaku]

You can use word or any Office program (I think), and then just choose Save As, and save it in the PDF format there. I don't know any other method.

[NickonAquaMagna]

You can use word or any Office program (I think), and then just choose Save As, and save it in the PDF format there. I don't know any other method.

 

Yeah, but how do I save multiple files as one big bundle?

[Onaku]

Just... put them all into the word file and save them? I mean, you'd have to divide the strips into equally long parts that you'd then put into the file on each page... But that's actually a lot of work. Tell you what, if I ever find the inspiration, I'll try doing it for you.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Or you could just PDF them and then put them all in one folder available for download or streaming. You would still have to manually change which comic you are reading, but it works for the BioMedia Project!

[NickonAquaMagna]

You guys remember the song "Trigger" by Cryoshell I've featured as the hypothetical theme for the current wave? Well, there's at least one other I can think of that's appropriate for a future wave, but... well, Cryoshell doesn't have the biggest discography just yet, and I've run out of songs that fit this vision of Bionicle... so I'm considering eventually shifting toward another band, possibly nu metal. More important than anything else, though, is that the lyrics fit each story.

 

That said... here's a song by Xandria that seems like it would be a perfect fit for that Bionicle Racers arc, at least to me.

 

 

These lyrics are... pretty out there.  When I hear them, though, I think of exhaust spewing out of tailpipes. I think of scorched earth, streaks of fire left by metal monsters roaring by, explosive environments... and the perspective it's sung from is interesting. It sounds like someone is singing to the main character of this arc, coaxing them to keep going, to see how far (or close) they can get, how daring they can be with their life on the line and the whole world ahead... like a Roborider just exploded in front of them, and they plow through the flames, unflinching in their determination. Maybe it's another racer ahead of them singing, maybe it's the spirit of the whole race itself, enamored with the protagonist and wanting to see them win? Who knows?

 

Anyway, I dunno how you other guys will feel about this one, but I was quite surprised by it.

Edited October 10, 2014 by NickonAquaMagna

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

(Eyes widen) Oooohhhh.... Me likey.

[The Undertaken]

Yeah man, the overall feel of this song also kind of works for a death-race type thing too.

[The 1st Shadow]

The song definitely works! I have no trouble visualizing some life-or-death race going on as I listen to it.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Glad the song clicks with all you guys. This just gives me more motivation to go forward with such an arc.

 

On another note... while Nova Orbis' return is still a coupla' weeks away, I think I'll be nice and give you guys a preview of what's to come. Here's a scene from Chapter 13 that I've just whipped up. Hopefully it'll give us a bit more insight into Silva's mind.

 

 

Bo-Wahi, the fields

Silva was perplexed. Strolling through the crops the other Bo-Matoran grew at the edge of the crescent shaped forest, the former Bo-Matoran was experimenting with his new Toa powers... with less than desirable results. Try as he might, he couldn't make anything grow. He couldn't even make anything move. He waved his hand, snapped his fingers, stamped the ground with his foot, anything he thought would cause a reaction in the plants that surrounded him. Nothing. He thought back to when he'd first tapped into his powers, at the sanctum. It seemed so easy, then, but he couldn't put his finger on why. At the time, he just reached out to the plants, and they answered, acting as his hand did.

What good is a Toa of plants who doesn't feel at home in a garden? He thought.

Perhaps it was the heat of the moment triggering something in Silva's subconscious that made it easy, before... something he did correctly without realizing it, something he couldn't tap into a second time, try as he might. Ahkmou had said he and the other Toa needed to "become" their elements, to act with them, but...

What does that even MEAN?

Out of all the Toa Novus, Silva felt his connection to the elements was the weakest. He sighed, and looked at the crops around him. They seemed so vast and sprawling, yet something about this place calmed him.

It's quiet... and clean.

The Bo-Matoran had horcticulture down to a science. Being distanced from most of them for much of his life, he didn't know how they did it. So much was being grown here, yet it was all fairly neat and tamed. There was a certain flow to it, a rhythm. Just the way Silva liked for things to be. In fact, in reminded him a lot of his room at the living palace. It felt nothing like the woods, where everything was twisty and random and disorganized. Silva had to pass through the woods years ago, on his way to the summoning, and he didn't enjoy it much at all. Places like that were unnerving to him. There, he couldn't feel sure of anything, because anything could happen. That uncertainty was the worst sort of feeling for him. It made it hard for him to think.

But this place? This was nice. This was neat. This was beautiful.

Then, he looked down to his feet and noticed a flower... well, more of a weed, really, that shouldn't have been growing there. Silva frowned. As talented as the Bo-Matoran were, they weren't perfect, and it was inevitable that something like this would pop up now and again. It was a flaw, one that needed correcting, and Silva felt all to happy to finally participate in tending to these fields in some small, but undoubtedly helpful way. He reached down, ready to rip the plant from the ground.

This doesn't belong here. It's wrong, were the thoughts rolling through his mind.

That's when he stopped. Wrong? what a strange sort of thing to call a plant. Sure, it may not be good for the neighboring plants, but calling it wrong made it sound malicious, as if it had a mind and could make immoral decisions. It was far from the first time he'd used that word to describe something... a pen on the floor here, a book on the "wrong" shelf there... any time something felt even a little out of place, he described it as if it were an abomination, as if all these variables were brought into the world solely to fill his life with chaos and stress... and it was only just now that he'd finally stopped to think about it that it began to sound rather silly.

Then, he continued to stare at the lonely little plant, unsure of what to do... but as the seconds creeped by, something was welling up in him like a bright light. He suddenly felt like the answer to his problem was about to dawn on him. Maybe, even, that this plant WAS the answer.

Then his concentration was broken by the sound of Matoran, not far away. Two gardeners had noticed him.

Silva panicked just a little bit. Ahkmou said not to let themselves be seen by others if they could help it, and...

Seemingly without him doing anything, a huge root shot up from the ground, beneath his feet, carrying him away. Just as quickly as it started moving, though, it stopped, his sudden shock seeming to make it lose all motivation to move. He fell off.

Getting back on his feet, he marveled at the structure he'd suddenly created... and almost immediately felt sick when he realized how much damage he'd done to the plants around it.

I've ruined them! he thought. The onlooking Matoran were amazed by his power, but as far as he was concerned, they must be terrified by such an out of control Toa. He ran off, the root remaining motionless.

 

 

 

 

Well, there you have it. I wouldn't say Silva is so much a neat freak as he is... well.... autistic. Being such a person who has had to outgrow such limiting, self-destructive tendencies, this is coming from experience.

Edited October 10, 2014 by NickonAquaMagna

[The Undertaken]

I think that I can empathize with Silva. If you were going for some degree of autism, well, you've got it almost spot on, this also coming from experience.

Edited October 10, 2014 by The Undertaken

[Axilus Prime]

I don't entirely get how autism works, so I'm a bit out of the loop here. Silva seems mostly normal to me, just a little...overreacting. And maybe shy.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Axilus Prime

[NickonAquaMagna]

I don't entirely get how autism works, so I'm a bit out of the loop here. Silva seems mostly normal to me, just a little...overreacting. And maybe shy.

 

Autists just like for everything to be planned and easy to predict... even downright repetitious. We have a bit of difficulty not being freaked out by spontaneous things happening, because, well, what are we supposed to do then? This wasn't planned for, so that makes it bad.

 

At the very least, I hope this scene is well written.

[Axilus Prime]

Oh. Yeah, it was well written. And thanks for clearing that up.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Hey, guys. I just wanted to say I've written a bit more of the story since my last post, and I figured I'd fill you in on the long term game plan for Nova Orbis.

 

All right, so, obviously enough, the rest of this year, wave 2, will focus on the Toa Novus getting to the bottom of things that have been unresolved since the beginning of the year.

 

Next year will continue to focus on the Toa Novus, though we'll see the return of some old friends, be that for good or ill. Depending on how I handle this story, I could have it all wrapped up in the first half. I'm just not sure I want to, though.

 

We'll then see two 2 shorter arcs, each consisting of one wave. So late 2015/early 2016 will center on what happened to the Toa Miro after they left the island. The second half of 2016 will be another flashback arc that focuses on Macku and the others as they first arrive on Nova Orbis, showing how the Matoran came to be as they are now, and what steps had to be taken by the Toa of the time.

 

Early 2017 (though possibly late 2016) will focus on one more "side" arc... Bionicle Racers. This focuses on some of the Manibus crew members being forced to participate in a death race for the entertainment of.... well, we'll get into that when the time comes. Eventually, they manage to escape and return to Miro Nui to warn everyone of an impending doom.

 

After all this expanding on the lore of the world and what else is out there, the rest of 2017 will bring us back to Miro Nui, our heroes the Toa Novus, and even a few new team members by that point, as they prepare for the biggest threat they'll have faced yet. The Toa Novus will have a new look by then, and this is where we start introducing the REALLY uber bad guys, basically this story's equivalent of the Rahkshi or Piraka, or Barraki. Just really tough, really powerful villains who could destroy the entire island if given the chance to do so. Ahkmou, Calor and the others will be run ragged during this arc, and many characters we've been introduced to will have finished their development by this point.

 

2018 will be.... BIG. Bigger than Miro Nui, bigger than everything we'll have seen by then. All of the mystery, all the buildup will have reached its breaking point, as we finally see what Nova Orbis is REALLY like, whether we like it or not. We'll see a few members of previous teams, along with a new team of Toa. Like the Inika, these will mostly be characters we've already known for much of the story, so it's not like they'll be coming out of nowhere at the last second.

 

This will be more like... an arc and a half. For a while, it'll focus mostly on the new team as they struggle to adapt to this crazy, changing world, as everything they ever knew is tossed out the window. Near the end, though, most of the rest of the cast get involved again and everyone bands together for a final battle to decide the fate of the Matoran race. All of the plot threads introduced in previous arcs will be tied up pretty neatly, and we'll see an end to this fanfic. However, depending on how much happens in it, THIS arc could end up being a year and a half long. It'll end sometime in 2019 at the latest.

 

So, how does all of this sound to you? I'm not giving anymore details than that. Just showing you guys the game plan. This really is the absolute most basic gist of it. But anyway, while the new Bionicle will be fun and I'll certainly enjoy it, for those who miss the old ways and want to come back to that feeling, well, I've got you covered for at least a few years. See you 'round.

Edited October 14, 2014 by NickonAquaMagna

[The Undertaken]

Well, that sounds quite good actually!

 

Assuming that you are able to handle it all(workload and all from other projects and what have you) it should be quite entertaining. I look forward to all of it.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Well, that sounds quite good actually!

 

Assuming that you are able to handle it all(workload and all from other projects and what have you) it should be quite entertaining. I look forward to all of it.

 

I should be able to do it, as long as I take it slow like I have been.

[Onaku]

This is all sounding like one beast of a storyline. Can't wait for the story to resume, although I am in no way rushing you. Looking forward to more Nova Orbis. Good luck, Nick.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Toa Onaku

[Axilus Prime]

That'll take lots of commitment, but if anyone can do it, it's you.

 

It definitely seems to mirror the canon, which I think is cool. Looking forward to the next chapter!

[Iben]

Sounds amazing ! I can't wait to read more of the best Bionicle story in ages !

There's one small thing "bugging" me though. It's not the right word, it's more like a part of my curiosity that constantly pokes my brain. This chapter mentions that there was also a Ba-Matoran among the Matoran who walked up to Piras... Now we never got to see that one or his Toa form. Was there a reason for that ? As I'm just in love with your Toa designs, I would just love to see how he or she would look like in Toa form

 

But anyway, I can't wait for the next parts, take your time and keep up the good work.

-Iben

[NickonAquaMagna]

Sounds amazing ! I can't wait to read more of the best Bionicle story in ages !

 

There's one small thing "bugging" me though. It's not the right word, it's more like a part of my curiosity that constantly pokes my brain. This chapter mentions that there was also a Ba-Matoran among the Matoran who walked up to Piras... Now we never got to see that one or his Toa form. Was there a reason for that ? As I'm just in love with your Toa designs, I would just love to see how he or she would look like in Toa form

 

But anyway, I can't wait for the next parts, take your time and keep up the good work.

 

-Iben

 

Yeah, there's no special reason for that... I just need to stop being lazy and whip up Zyvys' character design, already.

[silo]

Your storyline plan sounds awesome You take "planning ahead" to a whole new level

Edited October 19, 2014 by Silo

[NickonAquaMagna]

Your storyline plan sounds awesome You take "planning ahead" to a whole new level

 

Never begin a story until you know how it's going to end.

[The Undertaken]

a sentiment I think many of us appreciate, as amusing as writing by the seat of one's pants may be in some forms, generally speaking having a plan allows you to pull off the story better. Of course I don't need to tell you this as you have been doing this for a while now.

[silo]

 

Your storyline plan sounds awesome   You take "planning ahead" to a whole new level 

 

Never begin a story until you know how it's going to end.

 

Very true

Edited October 19, 2014 by Silo

[NickonAquaMagna]

Wrath of the Devilman should be done by Saturday. The next chapter of Nova Orbis should be online a coupla' days after that (that's how long they usually take to make). I know I'm cutting it reeeeeally close, but I said it would come back by the end of the month and, well, here we are.

 

On another note, I won't be approaching next year's story like this, doing each half months apart. Next year, I'll do the whole story consecutively, in one "sitting" in the summer, between other things. It'll be, like, 20 chapters long, as apposed to this story that I estimate will be around 25, since we won't need to spend as much time simply introducing elements we saw a lot of in the early chapters of Mystery.

Edited October 22, 2014 by NickonAquaMagna

[The Undertaken]

That makes sense. Glad to hear an estimate about when the next installment will be out

[Click]

Well, I'm excited about the continuation. For some reason, I have a feeling the return of the Toa Miro is a bad thing. Don't know what it is.

 

I really hope you will be able to finish this project, and that I can help a bit. I've seen so many projects that were this audacious, but ended up failing much too quickly, but it seems like you are already too far into this to quit.

 

I really liked that insight into Silva. As far as my experience with autism goes (I've worked with several autistic kids), this is spot on, and it really adds a lot of depth to his character. I haven't seen many characters that are meant to be slightly autistic.

 

Speaking of Silva, this MOC by Brickthing really reminds me of him. It has a lot of similar characteristics, though the plant motifs are exaggerated a bit more.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Well, I'm excited about the continuation. For some reason, I have a feeling the return of the Toa Miro is a bad thing. Don't know what it is.

 

I really hope you will be able to finish this project, and that I can help a bit. I've seen so many projects that were this audacious, but ended up failing much too quickly, but it seems like you are already too far into this to quit.

 

I really liked that insight into Silva. As far as my experience with autism goes (I've worked with several autistic kids), this is spot on, and it really adds a lot of depth to his character. I haven't seen many characters that are meant to be slightly autistic.

 

Speaking of Silva, this MOC by Brickthing really reminds me of him. It has a lot of similar characteristics, though the plant motifs are exaggerated a bit more.

 

Thanks, dude.

 

On another note, guys, Wrath of the Devilman is over. So, I guess that means Nova Orbis is back! I'll whip up the illustrations for chapter 1 today. If I do it right, you might even see it tomorrow. Woooot~

[Wazdakka]

I haven't looked at this topic for a long time, but today, I binge read my way back through it. 

 

Wow.

 

This is probably the best illustrated fan-fiction I have ever seen. Your characterization of Akhmou has made me feel attached to his character, while I eagerly await every time he hints at his shadowed past and struggles to right his misdeeds. I have to admit, I was grinning like an idiot when we saw Toa Akhmou emerge. So impressive. I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us!

[Onaku]

I eagerly await the return of the awesomeness that is Nova Orbis. You're awesome, Nick.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Thanks, guys. Sorry, but I wasn't able to get the entire chapter online today... but, I still wanted to have something to show, so here's a coupla' preview images, including one from the scene I posted earlier. Chapter 13 should be finished and online by tomorrow.

 

 

 

Once again, Ahkmou steals the show.

 

On another note, I'll be posting another revamp/moc thing in the Bionicle-based creations section in a little bit. "Breez's Stinger Machine."

[Akavakaku]

You want a deathrace comic series, with a unique Bionicle-related theme?

RoboRiders.

[NickonAquaMagna]

You want a deathrace comic series, with a unique Bionicle-related theme?

RoboRiders.

 

I've actually considered having some of the Roboriders appear as antagonists, namely the Boss Roborider.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Yes yes yes yes!! More Novis Orbis! I can't wait! Just don't rush it, okay?

[Akavakaku]

Why not have all the characters be RoboRiders? Set it after the defeat of the Virus, with the planet's civilization having become dependent on deadly races for entertainment, negotiation and commerce. After that, the options are limitless!