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A possible solution to the Stone/Earth thing


Sir Keksalot

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One point of debate since the early days of this franchise has been the truly bizarre choice by Lego to separate Stone and Earth into 2 different elements. Their logic, presumably, is that Earth denotes the ground itself, including all soil and rock which composes it, while Stone denotes loose rock on the surface. Of course, this only works if any given iteration of Bionicle takes place on a planet similar to our own, but I think it's safe to assume that it does to a tee. In G2, this would come to incorporate sand. Now, Bionicle is not really sci-fi by any proper measure--its magic system doesn't have to make sense in terms of chemistry. The issue here, though, is much more simplistic: what makes a rock on the surface so different from a rock in beneath it? The divide between Ice and Water is clear: ice is a solid crystal, while water is just a liquid. But with Stone and Earth, it's really just a matter of where the rocks are, right?

 

Well, my fellow bonklords, I come bearing a solution. Gentlemen: GEOLOGY!

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Now that I've lost your attention with boring stuff, allow me to scream my ideas into the void. I propose that, in future iterations of Bionicle, Stone shall designate a certain thing, and Earth shall designate another; and the distinction will be made thus:

 

Stone encompasses...

  • Sedimentary rocks like limestone or shale, which can only form on the surface of the planet from deposits of silt, sand, gravel, etc. (this also encompasses coal, which is made of compressed peat and not minerals)
  • The sediments which form sedimentary rocks
  • Extrusive igneous rocks, or rocks formed from lava which cooled on the Earth's surface; i.e. basalt or rhyolite
  • Glass, including volcanic glass such as obsidian, which falls into the previous category of rocks

Earth encompasses...

  • Metamorphic rocks, which form under intense heat and pressure inside the Earth; i.e. marble or gneiss
  • Intrusive igneous rocks, which slowly cool deep underground; i.e. granite or gabbro
  • The molten rock from which igneous rocks form (magma/lava isn't encompassed by any other elements, so it makes sense to have it here)
  • Native, non-metallic mineral deposits, such as hornblende, quartz, or sulfur (Iron is a valid element in its own right, having potentially unique applications others do not)
  • Dirt and mud, which we see Onua control at various points in G1

With this system in place, the divide makes more sense and allows us to essentially keep these elements as they are without the baggage of a confusing magic system. Pohatu gets to keep his iconic boulders and, more recently, sandstorms while gaining glass to his arsenal. Onua gets to keep earthquakes and dirt, since tectonic plates are mostly made of intrusive rock, while also getting magma and crystals (which some people want to get their own element but which I'd argue would be redundant to existing elements) to differentiate his powers from Pohatu's a little more and account for who would get the lava powers in this universe.

 

The best part is that no elements need be removed or altered for this to both make logical sense and avoid redundancy. In short: Pohatu may control sand and glass where Onua can control magma and minerals, but both get access to different types of rocks whose locations offer different uses. Onua makes tremors, Pohatu makes rockslides. Onua causes eruptions, Pohatu fills your undies with sand. Diamonds are unbreakable, glass is sharp and gets everywhere. The only possible issue now is that ice is a crystal and counts as a mineral, adding some grey area there; but this can be rationalized with the fact that it forms under different conditions than other minerals, just as extrusive igneous rock forms in different conditions from intrusive rock, and so qualifies as its own element.

 

I dunno, I just had this thought and I wanted to share a solution to this point of contention that, I think, would make everyone happy. Yay, science...but not the kind where you have to do math

Edited by Sir Keksalot
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Rule #1: Always listen to Kek.

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Rule #3: EVERYBODY TYPE IN THE CHAT "AVAK IS A STUPID TRIGGER"

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I like this explanation... and I have to say, the amount of thought you've put into this is pretty amazing. I know I've always just taken the differences at face value; but the way you've gone into such detail about what makes each of them unique is very cool.

 

I like how you've slipped molten rock under Earth as well; a nice callback to Onua's mention of it in comic #3 ^^

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I like this explanation... and I have to say, the amount of thought you've put into this is pretty amazing. I know I've always just taken the differences at face value; but the way you've gone into such detail about what makes each of them unique is very cool.

 

I like how you've slipped molten rock under Earth as well; a nice callback to Onua's mention of it in comic #3 ^^

I legitimately forgot Onua ever mentioned magma. I think it was because he never really made use of anything to do with it after that issue. Kinda sad, since it woulda been cool to see him make some sort of eruption.

Rule #1: Always listen to Kek.

Rule #2: If you break rule #1, kindly don't.

Rule #3: EVERYBODY TYPE IN THE CHAT "AVAK IS A STUPID TRIGGER"

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So, this raises a question, at least in mind; if Onua can control magma and cause eruptions, are there overlaps in power with Tahu?

 

I know that fire is it's own thing, and that lava and magma are different, but Tahu does surf on the lava and doesn't he show some control over it? At least maybe in G1?

 

While I typed that, I thought of another question: If Onua battled a water being, and that being cooled down magma enough to where it became stone, would Onua be able to reverse that process, or would he just have to manipulate some other form of earth (since cooled magma transforms into the stone category)?

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So, this raises a question, at least in mind; if Onua can control magma and cause eruptions, are there overlaps in power with Tahu?

 

I know that fire is it's own thing, and that lava and magma are different, but Tahu does surf on the lava and doesn't he show some control over it? At least maybe in G1?

 

While I typed that, I thought of another question: If Onua battled a water being, and that being cooled down magma enough to where it became stone, would Onua be able to reverse that process, or would he just have to manipulate some other form of earth (since cooled magma transforms into the stone category)?

Both valid questions I should have considered beforehand.

 

1. At no point in G1 does Tahu actually control lava. In MoL, he does use his power to melt some rock into lava, but only after Onua lifts up some rocks for him to melt; he doesn't control the lava itself. He surfs on it, but does not manipulate it. Regardless, I'm devising a new system here, so even if he could control lava before, he can't now, since that would count as Earth.

 

2. If magma cools very quickly on the surface, it is going to form an extrusive rock, likely obsidian. This would fall under Pohatu's domain without exception, even if the rock technically forms underground. Whether or not Onua can reverse the process and control the melt depends on whether we agree that Gali can melt ice to control the water. I'd imagine the answer to both is "yes," but the system doesn't break if not.

Edited by Sir Keksalot

Rule #1: Always listen to Kek.

Rule #2: If you break rule #1, kindly don't.

Rule #3: EVERYBODY TYPE IN THE CHAT "AVAK IS A STUPID TRIGGER"

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