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Powers from Glitches/Mutations


Alyska

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Okay, so the powers that Toa have are pretty well established. They have an elemental power, a mask power,can make Toa stones, protodermis seals, form Kaita, etc. Matoran have low-level elemental power that manifests as elemental resistance (mostly... sorry, De-Matoran) and cannot use mask powers. 

 

But then there are the oddballs. Characters using powers that don't come from their mask or element. The most common one is receiving visions of the future- Vakama is the most obvious example, but it's also happened occasionally to Kopaka, Gali, and a few random Matoran in the MNOGs. What's interesting is that the visions are similar to those granted by a Mask of Clairvoyance in that the user doesn't control when they occur, and the images and sounds they experience are somewhat abstract in nature, rather than being a literal depiction of what will happen. Perhaps the mask simply hones or enhances an ability that is theoretically already present in all Matoran and Toa? Or do those who get visions "naturally" have a glitch of some sort that makes it happen?

 

There's a lot of evidence for Gali having some sort of general psychic ability- the Hapka books depict her as empathetic and perceptive to the point of near mind-reading other Toa, she levitates herself while meditating in MoL, and she can create some form of mind-link with Takua (it could be a manifestation of the latter's Av-Matoran power, but the fact that it only worked with Gali, and that it's sustained over distance, suggests there's something else happening here). It looks as though Gali has some abilities similar to what a wearer of a Mask of Psionics might be able to achieve, though possibly at a lower level or with much less precision.

 

And then there's a character even Greg couldn't explain- Kapura, who moves very slowly but can get places almost instantly when he needs to. Vakama has apparently trained him in using this ability by getting him to hone his focus.  

 

Kopaka once said of his elemental powers that the power came from within- "the sword is but the focus". What if the same was true of mask powers- what if they were powered by the users' own energy, but the nature of the mask took the energy and focused and shaped it into that specific power? (Side note- Is there any evidence to suggest characters experience fatigue from using mask powers a lot?) What if some individuals had mutations or glitches in their AI that allowed them to access and shape that energy without a mask? I imagine it would be particularly rare in Matoran, who normally can't use masks anyway, but Vakama might have recognised a potential in Kapura that was similar to what he himself experienced.

 

What do you think? How would you explain all these "bonus" powers?

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Kopaka once said of his elemental powers that the power came from within- "the sword is but the focus". What if the same was true of mask powers- what if they were powered by the users' own energy, but the nature of the mask took the energy and focused and shaped it into that specific power? (Side note- Is there any evidence to suggest characters experience fatigue from using mask powers a lot?) What if some individuals had mutations or glitches in their AI that allowed them to access and shape that energy without a mask? I imagine it would be particularly rare in Matoran, who normally can't use masks any

Been there, theorized that. :P Nice to see that someone else is on the same track as me. But then I discussed it on here with Bones, and we came to the agreement that it would technically be overpowering literally everyone in the MU: if mask powers existed in them to begin with, but could only be unlocked through a certain mask, what would happen if the being (Toa, Vortixx, or other) got tampered with or damaged or went through rigorous training to learn to activate those powers without a mask? They'd have access to literally every power in the MU, since elemental masks exist. In the end, it seems far less complex to say that the mask holds the power. That would also explain why masks run out of power after their power has been used up. It's a nice theory, but when you get down to the specifics of it all, it makes little sense to take that route.

 

But those are some good points on Gali. The mental link was said to be an ability all Toa had, yet Gali was seen to do it two or three times when no one else ever did. I'd say it's possible that there may have been a glitch in her original design (remember, Artakha wasn't too great at creating living beings--maybe he messed something up on her?) that allowed her to tap into one of the other female elements, using some small degree of psychic ability. It'd make for an interesting bit of character depth.

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For most of the differently powered Matoran, we can write it off as a) Early-Instalment Weirdness and b) individual talents. Matau certainly had an ability to find the nearest solid surface when traveling over a certain speed, usually by smacking into it. Kapura is a different kettle of fish. Without knowing what he's doing, we can't say if it is or isn't related to a mask power. Sure, there's a Kualsi, but Kapura doesn't seem to need to see where he's going, and Vakama's visions are enhanced by staring into a fire for hours.

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Elemental Rahi in Gen2, anyone? A write-up for an initial video for a G2 plot

 

I really wish everyone would stop trying to play join the dots with Gen 1 and Gen 2 though,it seems there's a couple new threads everyday and often they're duplicates of already existing conversations! Or simply parallel them with a slightly new 'twist'! Gen 2 is NEW, it is NOT Gen 1 and it is NOT a continuation. Outside of the characters we already have I personally don't want to see ANY old characters return. I think it will cheapen the whole experience to those of us familiar with the original line...

 

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Kopaka once said of his elemental powers that the power came from within- "the sword is but the focus". What if the same was true of mask powers- what if they were powered by the users' own energy, but the nature of the mask took the energy and focused and shaped it into that specific power? (Side note- Is there any evidence to suggest characters experience fatigue from using mask powers a lot?) What if some individuals had mutations or glitches in their AI that allowed them to access and shape that energy without a mask? I imagine it would be particularly rare in Matoran, who normally can't use masks any

Been there, theorized that. :P Nice to see that someone else is on the same track as me. But then I discussed it on here with Bones, and we came to the agreement that it would technically be overpowering literally everyone in the MU: if mask powers existed in them to begin with, but could only be unlocked through a certain mask, what would happen if the being (Toa, Vortixx, or other) got tampered with or damaged or went through rigorous training to learn to activate those powers without a mask? They'd have access to literally every power in the MU, since elemental masks exist. In the end, it seems far less complex to say that the mask holds the power. That would also explain why masks run out of power after their power has been used up. It's a nice theory, but when you get down to the specifics of it all, it makes little sense to take that route.

 

But those are some good points on Gali. The mental link was said to be an ability all Toa had, yet Gali was seen to do it two or three times when no one else ever did. I'd say it's possible that there may have been a glitch in her original design (remember, Artakha wasn't too great at creating living beings--maybe he messed something up on her?) that allowed her to tap into one of the other female elements, using some small degree of psychic ability. It'd make for an interesting bit of character depth.

 

Could be a stronger mental affinity with the powers of protodermis itself, instead of the masks? Since Greg confirmed that masks can be fused with Toa, thus giving them the power of that mask, it seems not too far out of hand that proto used to make Matoran or Toa could have powered properties. 

 

Therefore, only a small fraction would have enough of a certain powered protodermis batch to work, and only a few would actually use it. For example, part of the proto that composes Vakama's mind could have been used to make a mask of Clairvoyance, but wasn't - it was used to make his brain instead. 

 

Clairvoyance turns on automatically, but other powers require focus to work, making them less likely to be "discovered" even if they could have if they knew. 

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Kopaka once said of his elemental powers that the power came from within- "the sword is but the focus". What if the same was true of mask powers- what if they were powered by the users' own energy, but the nature of the mask took the energy and focused and shaped it into that specific power? (Side note- Is there any evidence to suggest characters experience fatigue from using mask powers a lot?) What if some individuals had mutations or glitches in their AI that allowed them to access and shape that energy without a mask? I imagine it would be particularly rare in Matoran, who normally can't use masks any

Been there, theorized that. :P Nice to see that someone else is on the same track as me. But then I discussed it on here with Bones, and we came to the agreement that it would technically be overpowering literally everyone in the MU: if mask powers existed in them to begin with, but could only be unlocked through a certain mask, what would happen if the being (Toa, Vortixx, or other) got tampered with or damaged or went through rigorous training to learn to activate those powers without a mask? They'd have access to literally every power in the MU, since elemental masks exist. In the end, it seems far less complex to say that the mask holds the power. That would also explain why masks run out of power after their power has been used up. It's a nice theory, but when you get down to the specifics of it all, it makes little sense to take that route.

 

But those are some good points on Gali. The mental link was said to be an ability all Toa had, yet Gali was seen to do it two or three times when no one else ever did. I'd say it's possible that there may have been a glitch in her original design (remember, Artakha wasn't too great at creating living beings--maybe he messed something up on her?) that allowed her to tap into one of the other female elements, using some small degree of psychic ability. It'd make for an interesting bit of character depth.

 

Could be a stronger mental affinity with the powers of protodermis itself, instead of the masks? Since Greg confirmed that masks can be fused with Toa, thus giving them the power of that mask, it seems not too far out of hand that proto used to make Matoran or Toa could have powered properties. 

 

Therefore, only a small fraction would have enough of a certain powered protodermis batch to work, and only a few would actually use it. For example, part of the proto that composes Vakama's mind could have been used to make a mask of Clairvoyance, but wasn't - it was used to make his brain instead. 

 

Clairvoyance turns on automatically, but other powers require focus to work, making them less likely to be "discovered" even if they could have if they knew. 

 

That is an interesting theory... Hadn't considered that. Headcanon'd. :P

 

On that last note, no one ever "turned on" their ability to see visions--they just happened, like what the mask does. And if we incorporate some info from bonesii's big protodermis molecule theory, I can see how "powered particles" being used in the making of people instead of masks might explain some of the quirks we've seen in the storyline. 

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Could this theory also explain the origins of some of the Skakdi abilities (adaptation, heat vision, mental blasts, etc.)?

No, these were given to the Skakdi by Makuta Spiriah.

Could explain how the abilities were unlocked or activated in the Skakdi.

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Elemental Rahi in Gen2, anyone? A write-up for an initial video for a G2 plot

 

I really wish everyone would stop trying to play join the dots with Gen 1 and Gen 2 though,it seems there's a couple new threads everyday and often they're duplicates of already existing conversations! Or simply parallel them with a slightly new 'twist'! Gen 2 is NEW, it is NOT Gen 1 and it is NOT a continuation. Outside of the characters we already have I personally don't want to see ANY old characters return. I think it will cheapen the whole experience to those of us familiar with the original line...

 

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i'll be honest here, Bionicle kidna had a habit of "killing the sorcerer" as it were, by constantly attempting to drain all the mysticisms and majycks from it's lore and replace them with "mutations", "programs", "glitches", and "plans", all sorts of stuff that was put there, by some sort of force (great beings are an example of this, the latest in a line of 'false gods" who each made eachother...)

 

and so we went from "the power of the golden masks!" to "the mask is a magnetic protodermis shape made from [x kanoka] and [x kanoka] when worn, it unlocks a mental link that lets users tap into it's energy well for a period of time, if the mask is removed for too long, the user will sufer a series of side effects, including, but not limited to, nausea, blood loss, flakey skin, etc etc etc"

 

and it's not only no fun and confusing, it's also not even neccesary! why can't gali just be a psychic? like, every other story can seem to get away with "she's the one who's good with emotions!" without going into the exact reasoning why (they may go into the general reasoning, but never to the point that beings with fully functional minds need be "glitched" to have it!)

 

like, idk, maybe i'm ranting, but i'm kinda tired of the idea that these are just robots that need weird malfunctions to be special, instead of people that sometimes jsut turn up tha way,

 

My proposition: Gali has a mental-link ith Takua and is seen meditating? she probably trained in the way of psionics back when the toa were made! (more compatible if Psionics is not considered an element, not too far a step since no psionic toa appeared in-canon.)

 

or vakama? he has vague visions of the future? easy, he's jsut a seer, all there really is tbh. he sees. o:

 

anyway, poorly-worded rant over, oops. x:

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no psionic toa appeared in-canon.)

What about Orde?

No psionic toa appeared in-canon.

I'd agree. If Orde had been female, like the element was acknowledged to be (gender debate aside), there might be a Ce-Toa in canon.

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:r: :e: :g: :i: :t: :n: :u: :i:

Elemental Rahi in Gen2, anyone? A write-up for an initial video for a G2 plot

 

I really wish everyone would stop trying to play join the dots with Gen 1 and Gen 2 though,it seems there's a couple new threads everyday and often they're duplicates of already existing conversations! Or simply parallel them with a slightly new 'twist'! Gen 2 is NEW, it is NOT Gen 1 and it is NOT a continuation. Outside of the characters we already have I personally don't want to see ANY old characters return. I think it will cheapen the whole experience to those of us familiar with the original line...

 

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i'll be honest here, Bionicle kidna had a habit of "killing the sorcerer" as it were, by constantly attempting to drain all the mysticisms and majycks from it's lore and replace them with "mutations", "programs", "glitches", and "plans", all sorts of stuff that was put there, by some sort of force (great beings are an example of this, the latest in a line of 'false gods" who each made eachother...)

 

and so we went from "the power of the golden masks!" to "the mask is a magnetic protodermis shape made from [x kanoka] and [x kanoka] when worn, it unlocks a mental link that lets users tap into it's energy well for a period of time, if the mask is removed for too long, the user will sufer a series of side effects, including, but not limited to, nausea, blood loss, flakey skin, etc etc etc"

 

and it's not only no fun and confusing, it's also not even neccesary! why can't gali just be a psychic? like, every other story can seem to get away with "she's the one who's good with emotions!" without going into the exact reasoning why (they may go into the general reasoning, but never to the point that beings with fully functional minds need be "glitched" to have it!)

 

 

Yeah, that's fair enough. The "doing in the wizard" was at least partly planned from the beginning, as part of the gradual reveal of the mystery behind the storyline, but I do generally support keeping some of the fantasy elements intact. 

 

Truth be told, I mostly just wanted to write something about how pre-Farshtey Gali just has an insane amount of extra powers that nobody ever questions, and the theory sort of sprung up around that. I just find it amusing that the early books have the Toa constantly amazed at every new thing they encounter, and yet nobody bats an eyelid when Gali levitates or mentally fuses with a Matoran. They're just all like "Ah, yes, that would be her womanly wisdom powers activating," rather than "Why is it you never tell us you can do these things you do?!"

 

But yeah, I'm not labouring under any delusions that Gali was written as "glitched" or that her powers were truly the result of anything other than plot convenience or just what looks cool in a movie. 

 

 no psionic toa appeared in-canon.

 

 

Hey hey hey whoa. Criticize my theories all you want, but you can't just waltz in here and start acting like completely canon characters don't exist!

 

We did have a Toa of Psionics, and said Toa was an amazing, complex and layered character who deserves more respect.

 

How dare you insult Toa Varian like that? 

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How dare you insult Toa Varian like that?

That's right, we did have one Ce-Toa! Thanks for reminding me!

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Elemental Rahi in Gen2, anyone? A write-up for an initial video for a G2 plot

 

I really wish everyone would stop trying to play join the dots with Gen 1 and Gen 2 though,it seems there's a couple new threads everyday and often they're duplicates of already existing conversations! Or simply parallel them with a slightly new 'twist'! Gen 2 is NEW, it is NOT Gen 1 and it is NOT a continuation. Outside of the characters we already have I personally don't want to see ANY old characters return. I think it will cheapen the whole experience to those of us familiar with the original line...

 

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no psionic toa appeared in-canon.)

 

What about Orde?

 

 

No psionic toa appeared in-canon.

 

Can you please explain what you mean by this? Orde appeared as part of the serials, which, by any definition of canon, i.e. "the works of a particular author or artist that are recognized as genuine." it is canon, and I don't understand why you insist it isn't.

 

Back on topic: If I recall, the Gali levitating thing in MoL was just artistic license and wasn't considered canon. As for the mental link with Takua, I truly have no idea. I think perhaps all Toa have this ability, but Gali is the only one in the story to be seen using it. Perhaps it is an ability not well known by the inhabitants of the MU, and as a result, goes unnoticed. However, due to the rich knowledge accrued by Metru Nui (and subsequently, Turaga like Nokama and Nuju), they were able to instruct Gali on that for Takua's safety?

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