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The Perfect Cage -- Review


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Chapter 36.

 

Theory: Both the Kuambu and the Brotherhood are chasing R'yn. However, the Kuambu do NOT want R'yn to fall into Brotherhood hands. I think the Kuambu who was following R'yn purposefully misled Kanoka so R'yn could escape. (Although there are so many possibilities there...).

A nice theory, but the Kuambu were not chasing R'yn. They were (or rather he was; just one) on those islands before R'yn and the Po-Matoran. :) This latest chapter gives a slight insight into why. As for the Brotherhood, can't comment yet.

 

A lot happened here, but I don't have a lot to say. I'm guessing the sand isn't mutagenic after all - that was just to give us a scare, and was a reasonable precaution by the characters to assume it is mutagenic. Perhaps it has a different effect we'll find out about.

Unfortunately for Kopaka, it is mutagenic.

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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Chapter 36:

 

Theory: Kanoka is chasing the Kuambu to find the treasure.

 

Theory: If Kanoka finds the treasure, it will be very bad.

 

Theory: R'yn was trying to find the treasure, but without tipping off the other Matoran as to where it was.

 

Theory: R'yn used pursuit as an excuse for her wandering pattern. (whether real or fake pursuit)

 

The tablet R'yn holds contains the information of the Cosmos main story, but that wouldn't lead her to a chain of islands that don't exist in the Cosmos to try to find some treasure. However, events similar to the Cosmos seem to be part of the Kuambu's plans, and now R'yn has information that tells her what they want. There's some knowledge of the Kuambu R'yn has that is a bridge between Cosmos fact (how things are) Paracosmos fact (how things are) and what the Kuambu plan to do. So:

 

Theory: The treasure has something to do with Convergence.

 

Theory: The treasure is a throw off, for everyone, R'yn included, since obviously the Kuambu would not let people with that sort of information R'yn has be around for very long if there wasn't a reason.

 

Theory: R'yn saw all the Convergance stuff, got the tablet, and leaped to the wrong conclusion that the Kuambu want Convergence like us foolish readers did. :P So now she is trying to stop their plan, and inadvertently playing into the Kuambu's real strategy.

 

Theory: R'yn is actually still loyal to the Lone Captain, who wants revenge on the Kuambu for demoting him. So now she is running around trying to stop the Kuambu and throw a wrench into their plans - or what she thinks are the plans, which may be very different from the real plans. And the other Matoran don't exactly like the Kuambu, so they are going along with it.

 

* * *

 

 

If it was something very important, and they knew they might get suddenly teleported away from it...

It would make sense to have normal Matoran guarding it.

I think the Kuambu might have caught on to this strategy, in a way. Although why they would be teleported or otherwise removed from the situation suddenly is unknown. And hiring Rahunga to guard a Makuta is not exactly efficient, although they obviously would protect him.

But what would they be protecting him from? The Matoran just want to imprison him forever somewhere, and the Brotherhood wants him brought back. The Unknown? What profit would they have from actually killing him? In fact, I think the people who benefit from the Convergence the most are the Unknown, as the closer the dimensions are together, the easier it is for Caroha to get home and the fewer secrets they have to reveal. Mata Nui is asleep. Nobody's really out to get Makuta. So why the Matoran/Rahunga guards? (that is, assuming that they are guards)

Theory: Vaarukan came to the Kuambu to get something (the treasure?) and they keep putting obstacles in his way of getting it. It's very important to him, because he built the submagmatic for them and was willing to learn a whole bunch of stuff (not to mention that thing with the Vahi)to get it. Meanwhile, the Kuambu are manipulating him behind the scenes, and he may or may not know that, but if he does know, he doesn't care. He wants that one thing so bad.

This would kind of explain the differing interests of the V's creatures and the Kuambu inside the machine.

Theory: A) The Core of the Paracosmos is a computer-like device.

B) Jaudrohk worked on computer-like devices in the Unknown city, and the Kuambu are forcing him to replicate his work, trying to figure something out. (Why else use him? They probably had other prisoners they could use, if computer training wasn't an issue.)

Theory: Nijire's theory is incorrect, because the Unknown city's ruins did not appear to house computer architecture. Also, among all the valuable objects others found from the Unknown city, no computational devices of this scale were ever found nor appear to be necessary.

...

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37.

 

TDoB update: done through Great Cataclysm and Makuta protocaged.

 

 

 

Some of your many theories above are on the right track.

 

Theory: Kanoka is chasing the Kuambu to find the treasure.

 

Theory: If Kanoka finds the treasure, it will be very bad.

 

These two are correct. And I can confirm, as is probably obvious, that the treasure is important in getting the Makuta free of his prison (since this is Kanoka's goal). You can probably guess what that makes the treasure based on previous things but maybe not, and I will neither confirm nor deny. :P

 

Theory: R'yn was trying to find the treasure, but without tipping off the other Matoran as to where it was.

Theory: R'yn used pursuit as an excuse for her wandering pattern. (whether real or fake pursuit)

R'yn was not trying to find the treasure. Though Kanoka assumed she was. What she was doing is connected to the treasure though, but it's not her main goal.

 

Theory: R'yn saw all the Convergance stuff, got the tablet, and leaped to the wrong conclusion that the Kuambu want Convergence like us foolish readers did. :P So now she is trying to stop their plan, and inadvertently playing into the Kuambu's real strategy.

I might as well say that whatever it is R'yn is doing, she does know what she's doing. She is not operating on any wrong conclusions.

 

Theory: R'yn is actually still loyal to the Lone Captain, who wants revenge on the Kuambu for demoting him. So now she is running around trying to stop the Kuambu and throw a wrench into their plans - or what she thinks are the plans, which may be very different from the real plans. And the other Matoran don't exactly like the Kuambu, so they are going along with it.

She is definitely not loyal to the Lone Captain, not since his murderous goals became known. I actually kinda forget if she was in a position in EB to learn those goals but regardless, that's not what she's up to. Also, if she was, and the Po-Matoran knew it, they were never agree. (Plus keep in mind the Lone Captain is highly unlikely to be freed from his painted-over and slimed protocage now. At least... I think it was slimed... arg @ bad mem.)

 

In fact, I think the people who benefit from the Convergence the most are the Unknown, as the closer the dimensions are together, the easier it is for Caroha to get home and the fewer secrets they have to reveal.

On the other hand, Caroha now thinks of the Paracosmos as her true home, and some really bad things happened in the Cosmos, so if they could somehow break the pattern of Convergeance they probably would. (Before, for example, Makuta's takeover.)

 

Theory: Vaarukan came to the Kuambu to get something (the treasure?) and they keep putting obstacles in his way of getting it. It's very important to him, because he built the submagmatic for them and was willing to learn a whole bunch of stuff (not to mention that thing with the Vahi)to get it. Meanwhile, the Kuambu are manipulating him behind the scenes, and he may or may not know that, but if he does know, he doesn't care. He wants that one thing so bad.

I can confirm that he really wants it. The rest I can't really comment on yet. There's definitely more going on here than meets the eye.

 

 

Theory: A) The Core of the Paracosmos is a computer-like device.

B) Jaudrohk worked on computer-like devices in the Unknown city, and the Kuambu are forcing him to replicate his work, trying to figure something out. (Why else use him? They probably had other prisoners they could use, if computer training wasn't an issue.)

Theory: Nijire's theory is incorrect, because the Unknown city's ruins did not appear to house computer architecture. Also, among all the valuable objects others found from the Unknown city, no computational devices of this scale were ever found nor appear to be necessary.

This is a nice theory but I see the city as more mystical and magical than technological. I won't comment on what the Core is or is not except to say that it's not something easily comparable to things that could exist in real life. Make of that what you will. :)

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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He understood now, that part of the Matoran Universe had not originally been on this planet. It had been flying through space, far away. That had apparently meant there was no Mata Nui Island at the time.

i get the feeling that this story is going to deviate even farther from canon than it already has

Edited by krikanalo

"I may not be smart enough to try everything, but I'm dumb enough to try anything."



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Chapter 36: Finally starting to arrive at the big picture of the Perfect Cage. It was effective to learn how subservient Vaurukan is to the Kuambu... really puts things in perspective. I guess the Senate is the main governing body of the Kuambu civilization (wonder if they have a supreme leader, or if the naval hierarchy flattens out at the Senate?). Cool little peek into the political structure.

 

I'm starting to imagine that the Kuambu's weakness is those things which cannot be understood, or otherwise cannot be translated into Poetraxiens. Obviously the Unknown had some sort of effective defense against them since they were able to conceal Mata Nui for so long. Perhaps it was less an illusion-based defense and more of a riddle that prevented ships and scouts from navigating that region. If they encounter something they can't understand, then they'd try to research and comprehend it and write out a Poetraxiens for it, but I wouldn't put it past the Unknown to outwit and stump them. Perhaps their defense simply was so baffling that the Kuambu didn't dare try to sail any further. I may be making mistaken conjectures since I probably don't remember everything said about the Unknown hiding Mata Nui, but I know their method was pretty vague.

 

Eurgh. Good horror feel at the end. D=

 

Chapter 37: Woo. That was probably the most real encounter with Makuta anyone's had in Paracosmos 'memory' - that is, the memory of your series. Nijire sure stepped up to the plate there. And her wit clearly is on balance with Makuta's since he tried to throw her off with all those others that wouldn't be protected - it's still protection. And so it's sort of a reverse trap for the Brotherhood.

 

Of course they could invade if they really wanted to. But it's more advantageous for the Brotherhood to respect this deal as long as possible since it helped save their leader, and also possibly gains tiny grains of trust in those that are now protected. Even though their reach is now more clearly limited than before, they could still find many advantages in that. Maybe that's what Nijire feels is wrong - that she gave them more to play with, so to speak. Make too many deals with too many groups, and you start to forget what's what.

 

It's pretty hard to gauge Makuta right at the end when he agreed to Pakastaa's burial. I wouldn't call it honour, but it probably is easy for him to agree to since he certainly won't want the body any longer than he needs it. Still, have to wonder if there's any sentiment he's experiencing now that he inhabits the body of one of those he so deeply desires to dominate.

 

Edit in reply to krikanalo:

 

 

He understood now, that part of the Matoran Universe had not originally been on this planet. It had been flying through space, far away. That had apparently meant there was no Mata Nui Island at the time.

i get the feeling that this story is going to deviate even farther from canon than it already has

 

I'm not 100% sure what you intend here, but just want to offer some clarification. In the previous episode, Endless Blue, Hujo discovered that the Matoran Universe as we know it in the Great Spirit's body was more or less 'normal.' However, it had portals along all the edges of the domes that connected it to another Universe - the one that's underneath the surface of the planet. When the robot crashlanded, it somehow happened to (or was guided to - we don't know) land right into a gap where those portals lined up. So warping was no longer necessary since everyone could physically travel between the Universes' domes.

 

This is what Onua's discovering right now. So in that sense, this isn't new Paracosmos knowledge for us - we already knew this. Thus no further deviation from the canon (although I don't know if that counts for much... this is a pretty huge deviation! =P)

 

If that isn't what you meant to say, then I hope you can explain more. =)

Edited by Takuta-Nui


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Part One of the Chrysalis Saga

By Takuta-Nui

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Hmm...Does Kanoka know where Makuta even is?Can Vaarukan use his lava resistance to "swim" to the submagmatic (and enter it, provided the hatches are open?) Is that why the Kuambu don't like having them open, and keep putting forcefields on the hatches?Does Vaarukan want the treasure for what it is, or simply to keep Kanoka and Co, Brotherhood, etc from getting it, or both?Is Kopaka's mind slowly being destroyed, since he hasn't messed with the Awakener for awhile? Is it possible for Haywire to eat away the part of his mind that was separated from him, allowing Kopaka to regain control?I'll just take the answers (or lack of answers), and go from there. :) My best guess on the treasure is that it's a locator device or somehow related to Makuta himself. I'm pretty sure it's not a teleporter, because Vaarukan and the Brotherhood both have access to teleportation powers (granted, V would have to go through the Kuambu, but still), and Onua already has a teleporter that was left lying around. (V could just take that one. Easier.) And obviously it's not a lava resistant suit, because Vaarukan wouldn't want that anyway. He's already got that power. So I don't think it has anything to do with the submagmatic, and that's backwards anyway, since Vaarukan wanted the thing before this whole thing started, seems like. Makes me think that Vaarukan wanted Makuta Teridax in his custody for whatever reason. Not sure what. Hmm...a Poetraxiens Makuta Teridax would be just about right. That would explain why R'yn has no interest. * * *

 

Theory: A) The Core of the Paracosmos is a computer-like device. B) Jaudrohk worked on computer-like devices in the Unknown city, and the Kuambu are forcing him to replicate his work, trying to figure something out. (Why else use him? They probably had other prisoners they could use, if computer training wasn't an issue.) Theory: Nijire's theory is incorrect, because the Unknown city's ruins did not appear to house computer architecture. Also, among all the valuable objects others found from the Unknown city, no computational devices of this scale were ever found nor appear to be necessary.

This is a nice theory but I see the city as more mystical and magical than technological. I won't comment on what the Core is or is not except to say that it's not something easily comparable to things that could exist in real life. Make of that what you will. :)
I shall indeed. Probably Bionicle-related and insidiously complicated. :)Although I am fairly confident now that Nijre's theory is all wet. (Pun intended) I mean, if the Unknown knew or even suspected that there was going to be an Event and they were going to be teleported away and their city was going to fall into the sea (why the teleporters, if not?), then having Matoran to guard it makes no sense since they would just fall into the sea too. And why a Ko-Matoran? That makes no sense - I would want Ga-Matoran, so at least they could swim. :P* * *Chapter 37: Nice reveal on the black metal. Very odd. Looks like Onua has some sort of mental connection to the stuff, whereas Bhukasa can just access its powers with his own. Wonder how Onua came by that. Theory: There is no connection between Bhukasa and Onua. Bhukasa's species just "picked up the pieces" as it were of whatever "whole" was left. Whatever. Edited by fishers64
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38.

 

 

 

 

i get the feeling that this story is going to deviate even farther from canon than it already has
It might -- or it might get closer than ever before... or strike a balance -- you never know! ^_^

 

Chapter 36: Finally starting to arrive at the big picture of the Perfect Cage. It was effective to learn how subservient Vaurukan is to the Kuambu... really puts things in perspective. I guess the Senate is the main governing body of the Kuambu civilization (wonder if they have a supreme leader, or if the naval hierarchy flattens out at the Senate?). Cool little peek into the political structure.
I'll just say two things about this. First, there are more than one "special" roles in the top government, with one considered the highest but only by a little. Second, two of the characters who fill such roles will be the main antagonists of the second-to-last and last episodes in the Kuambu Saga (not counting bonus series). Obviously the specifics will come to light in those stories. :)

 

I'm starting to imagine that the Kuambu's weakness is those things which cannot be understood, or otherwise cannot be translated into Poetraxiens.
In some ways, this is right on. On the other hand, they are innately drawn to studying those things that seem impossible to understand, and often end up understanding more about it than others. :) Especially chronoserum. They're scientists, so the very thing they're weakest on is what most excites their curiosity, ironically.But when it comes to understanding people, there are always variables even they might fail to consider, especially true freewill. But the chances ARE slim. :P Please note that I'm not confirming that this will be their undoing or anything, it's just one potential route the plot could take.

 

Obviously the Unknown had some sort of effective defense against them since they were able to conceal Mata Nui for so long. Perhaps it was less an illusion-based defense and more of a riddle that prevented ships and scouts from navigating that region. If they encounter something they can't understand, then they'd try to research and comprehend it and write out a Poetraxiens for it, but I wouldn't put it past the Unknown to outwit and stump them. Perhaps their defense simply was so baffling that the Kuambu didn't dare try to sail any further. I may be making mistaken conjectures since I probably don't remember everything said about the Unknown hiding Mata Nui, but I know their method was pretty vague.
It's actually fairly simple and all the clues you need to solve it are staring you in the face already from previous stories. For the record, it'll be revealed in flashbacks (of the Turaga's) during the second-to-last Saga episode.

 

Chapter 37: Woo. That was probably the most real encounter with Makuta anyone's had in Paracosmos 'memory' - that is, the memory of your series. Nijire sure stepped up to the plate there. And her wit clearly is on balance with Makuta's since he tried to throw her off with all those others that wouldn't be protected - it's still protection. And so it's sort of a reverse trap for the Brotherhood. Of course they could invade if they really wanted to. But it's more advantageous for the Brotherhood to respect this deal as long as possible since it helped save their leader, and also possibly gains tiny grains of trust in those that are now protected. Even though their reach is now more clearly limited than before, they could still find many advantages in that. Maybe that's what Nijire feels is wrong - that she gave them more to play with, so to speak. Make too many deals with too many groups, and you start to forget what's what.
The following answer deserves spoilers -- it refers to something already said in the bonus series taking place after this, so if anyone has decided not to read that yet, skip this:

Yes, they will respect it, at least for a while. This is the origin of the shaky alliance-ish arrangement seen in Mindfire. :) (And Voya Nui is outside the safe zone, which is why Icarax seems to contradict that arrangement in Mindfire by thinking it's okay to kill there.)

 

It's pretty hard to gauge Makuta right at the end when he agreed to Pakastaa's burial. I wouldn't call it honour, but it probably is easy for him to agree to since he certainly won't want the body any longer than he needs it. Still, have to wonder if there's any sentiment he's experiencing now that he inhabits the body of one of those he so deeply desires to dominate.
Something coming up will shed some more light on this moment, so I guess I'll just let it speak for itself.

 

Hmm...Does Kanoka know where Makuta even is?
Yes, but he doesn't have exact coordinates. He also currently lacks an easy or safe way to get there.

 

Can Vaarukan use his lava resistance to "swim" to the submagmatic (and enter it, provided the hatches are open?) Is that why the Kuambu don't like having them open, and keep putting forcefields on the hatches?
Will be answered directly in later chapters. I can deny the second question though. They have nothing against him being there, in fact they prefer it since he can more easily keep the magma out.

 

Does Vaarukan want the treasure for what it is, or simply to keep Kanoka and Co, Brotherhood, etc from getting it, or both?
Both.

 

Is Kopaka's mind slowly being destroyed, since he hasn't messed with the Awakener for awhile? Is it possible for Haywire to eat away the part of his mind that was separated from him, allowing Kopaka to regain control?
I actually forget exactly what I decided about the Awakener specifically, but pretty sure both questions are answered in later chapters.

 

My best guess on the treasure is that it's a locator device or somehow related to Makuta himself. I'm pretty sure it's not a teleporter, because Vaarukan and the Brotherhood both have access to teleportation powers (granted, V would have to go through the Kuambu, but still), and Onua already has a teleporter that was left lying around. (V could just take that one. Easier.) And obviously it's not a lava resistant suit, because Vaarukan wouldn't want that anyway. He's already got that power. So I don't think it has anything to do with the submagmatic, and that's backwards anyway, since Vaarukan wanted the thing before this whole thing started, seems like.
All I can say to this is that at least one assumption in this paragraph is definitely wrong. :P Will be cleared up soonishish.

 

Makes me think that Vaarukan wanted Makuta Teridax in his custody for whatever reason. Not sure what.
Well, the speculations by the characters about that so far are pretty much right on (in general); it's a powerful bargaining chip and he could force Teridax to make his servants, like Rahkshi, do Vaurukan's bidding, on pain of death (something he's willing to go farther on than most Kuambu).

 

Hmm...a Poetraxiens Makuta Teridax would be just about right. That would explain why R'yn has no interest.
Nice guess but no. Actually, I'm not sure off the top of my head if they have studied him closely enough yet to have one on him. Probably so, but if so, it may not be very accurate, as I see him as one of the trickiest people to figure out (it's a theme in my history retelling in fact :P).

 

Although I am fairly confident now that Nijre's theory is all wet. (Pun intended) I mean, if the Unknown knew or even suspected that there was going to be an Event and they were going to be teleported away and their city was going to fall into the sea (why the teleporters, if not?), then having Matoran to guard it makes no sense since they would just fall into the sea too. And why a Ko-Matoran? That makes no sense - I would want Ga-Matoran, so at least they could swim. :P
Again I will just say that at least one assumption in this paragraph is wrong. Otherwise you're on your own. :P

 

Chapter 37: Nice reveal on the black metal. Very odd. Looks like Onua has some sort of mental connection to the stuff, whereas Bhukasa can just access its powers with his own. Wonder how Onua came by that.Theory: There is no connection between Bhukasa and Onua. Bhukasa's species just "picked up the pieces" as it were of whatever "whole" was left.
This will also be answered in upcoming chapters. :)

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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I'm glad that some of my questions will be answered. :) Some of your comments make me think that the Kuambu view all things through a purely scientific mindset, but that doesn't quite add up with their intimidation tactics from EB and their soulsong knowledge. Putting music and science together makes my head spin - reminds of a course called AP Music Theory that I didn't take in high school. :P The Kuambu seem to be experts in Paracosmos Music Theory.

It's actually fairly simple and all the clues you need to solve it are staring you in the face already from previous stories. For the record, it'll be revealed in flashbacks (of the Turaga's) during the second-to-last Saga episode.

Theory: The Kuambu didn't know that the Mata Nui robot had arrived on the planet for the past 1000 years. I suspect they knew that it would arrive eventually, because of Vaarukan and the Time Crystal thing, but they didn't know where it was going to land. So they didn't know where it was until Pohatu and Gali landed on Krittunga - it was like "it's over there!"I suspect the Unknown merely planted false clues that the robot wasn't there yet, and then planted more false clues that it was a place that it was not. Theory: Whoever constructed the AM domes had access to Unknown knowledge, since they knew a giant robot was going to land there. Theory: The purpose of the black metal, at least in part, was to draw the giant robot into the correct "space" in the AM domes when it crashed. Otherwise it could just land anywhere and some AM domes would be crushed.

All I can say to this is that at least one assumption in this paragraph is definitely wrong. :P Will be cleared up soonishish.

Again I will just say that at least one assumption in this paragraph is wrong. Otherwise you're on your own. :P

I'm just going to take this as "no comment" and move along. I see a whole bunch of things that could be true in both cases, including that the entire paragraph is totally wrong and you don't want to admit it, or that you spotted a tiny error in one of my premises and are using that to drive me away from accurate thinking (and any number of variations in between, including those I haven't thought of). *resorts to Laplace, setting the probabilities of all possibilities in both story situations to be equally likely*Chapter 38: Why are V, Kuambu, etc surfacing the submagmatic? Especially right there, where there are five and twenty enemies ready to break in and make a mess? If they really wanted to keep Makuta captured, their tactical skills leave much to be desired. Edited by fishers64
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Chapter 38: Very cool how Onua is remembering more and more of his ancient past. Sounds like he may have collaborated with Vaurukan at some point, or at the very least Vaurukan would have been aware of Onua's role in the black metal tech he uses.

 

Theory: The chime noises we've been hearing in the submagmatic indicate when Vaurukan is using the black screens in the room to remotely control the creatures inside. The chime occurs because the submagmatic needs to do something to allow the signal to pass through the slime. So it's like a vessel announcement: "Attention everyone, the slime is now allowing a signal through. Please do not be alarmed." The Kuambu would know what it means, since otherwise there would be no point in having a chime audible to everyone inside.

 

 

 

Quickly he learned that the shape of the metal did not matter to this; it could be melted and reshaped, and the base programming would remain unharmed.

Some sort of quantum 'fixing' where it doesn't matter how the particles are aligned? As long as they're still connected, they still communicate.

Wait a minute - is the black metal tech one giant molecule? So that it doesn't matter what shape it's in, it's still one coherent molecule of matter that's been modified to function a certain way?

 

Thanks for reminding me of the events in Mindfire re: the alliance. That epic was so good too. I might re-read it soon. :P


APlayofLight_zps1888c63b.jpeg

 

Part One of the Chrysalis Saga

By Takuta-Nui

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Chapter 39.

 

This chapter should shed some light on many of yall's recent questions... while probably confusing the heck out of you. :P

 

 

On TDoB: I've decided to use my profile update feed to report on progress from now on. :) (Might as well say where I'm at now while I'm at it -- Ahkmou has just arrived on Mata Nui and that is bad.)

 

Chapter 38:Why are V, Kuambu, etc surfacing the submagmatic? Especially right there, where there are five and twenty enemies ready to break in and make a mess? If they really wanted to keep Makuta captured, their tactical skills leave much to be desired.

It's the only caldera large enough and the submagmatic was too damaged to remain in the magma indefinitely. They had no choice.

 

Some of your comments make me think that the Kuambu view all things through a purely scientific mindset, but that doesn't quite add up with their intimidation tactics from EB and their soulsong knowledge. Putting music and science together makes my head spin - reminds of a course called AP Music Theory that I didn't take in high school. :P The Kuambu seem to be experts in Paracosmos Music Theory.

I wouldn't say purely -- it's not their main goal, but a means to an end. Re: music + science -- there are probably scientists of the effects of music on the psyche here. :P (Although this is obviously much more than that. Anywho.)

 

Theory: The Kuambu didn't know that the Mata Nui robot had arrived on the planet for the past 1000 years.I suspect they knew that it would arrive eventually, because of Vaarukan and the Time Crystal thing, but they didn't know where it was going to land. So they didn't know where it was until Pohatu and Gali landed on Krittunga - it was like "it's over there!"I suspect the Unknown merely planted false clues that the robot wasn't there yet, and then planted more false clues that it was a place that it was not.

You're right that they didn't know exactly when it arrived, but they did know where it was supposed to land, and purposefully kept their ships out of the area most of the time (think about it -- it could crash there at any time so they wouldn't want to be in the way!). But they did check on it from time to time. So it's not that simple. Keep in mind also they would have extensive maps of the surface islands, which implies they know the shape of the massive gap in the islands' grid-like arrangement, which is humanoid, so it wasn't that complex to figure it out from that alone. The Time Crystal vision just added further proof.

 

Theory: Whoever constructed the AM domes had access to Unknown knowledge, since they knew a giant robot was going to land there.

This might be surprising, but this is one I actually can't answer. :P

 

Theory: The purpose of the black metal, at least in part, was to draw the giant robot into the correct "space" in the AM domes when it crashed. Otherwise it could just land anywhere and some AM domes would be crushed.

I didn't intend this, but it's possible it's a safeguard system that exists. My intent was that the AM domes were built in exactly the right spot with foreknowledge of where the robot would land in the distant future.

 

Chapter 38: Very cool how Onua is remembering more and more of his ancient past. Sounds like he may have collaborated with Vaurukan at some point, or at the very least Vaurukan would have been aware of Onua's role in the black metal tech he uses.

Yes, they once worked together.

 

Theory: The chime noises we've been hearing in the submagmatic indicate when Vaurukan is using the black screens in the room to remotely control the creatures inside. The chime occurs because the submagmatic needs to do something to allow the signal to pass through the slime. So it's like a vessel announcement: "Attention everyone, the slime is now allowing a signal through. Please do not be alarmed." The Kuambu would know what it means, since otherwise there would be no point in having a chime audible to everyone inside.

That would be reasonable, but the purpose is something far more important. Also, the creatures are being controlled constantly, not just when the chime sounds. His alliance with the Kuambu got him a means to get a signal through at all times for that.

 

Some sort of quantum 'fixing' where it doesn't matter how the particles are aligned? As long as they're still connected, they still communicate.

Wait a minute - is the black metal tech one giant molecule? So that it doesn't matter what shape it's in, it's still one coherent molecule of matter that's been modified to function a certain way?

No comment as to how it works, but it's not one molecule. When melted you could pour some of it into a different mold and leave the rest behind, etc.

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

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Chapter 39:

Just then, she heard the loud and prolonged chime again, that meant someone was either leaving or entering.

:???:

"Because he is exactly the mass of the last known form of Makuta Spiriah.”

Theory: The "treasure" the Kuambu are moving around is actually Makuta Teridax's antidermis. Well, it's good. Reminds me of your old guess that the hidden Great Being was Onua because he showed up near the beginning of the Yesterday Quest - Spiriah showed up near the beginning of this one, and he's the trick to this one, no? And Onua is in this story. :lol: His portrayal here is a similar trick. That opening was a nefarious trick to draw my attention away from Onua and make me think he wasn't important, and put the focus on Nijire who wasn't. Otherwise, I think I would have called that. And I see why you laughed about that comment about Saiph and the Endless Debate society. That struck me as off somehow. And the misspeak about Teridax earlier is a good brick joke. :)* * *Do the Kuambu know what the Turaga told the Toa in the beginning of The Sword is But the Focus? They probably should, but just wondering. Theory: The Kuambu did not know the specific details of what the robot would do when it crashed, including the sudden appearance of the two new islands. I know I don't have the whole picture - but from the hints you've given, something in the Unknown/Turaga connection had a part in this, I suspect, and it was an active role.

Edited by fishers64
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Chapter 39: So the chime is for entering and exiting the submagmatic. Pretty simple, I guess I didn't see it earlier because nobody had really seen or been aware of anyone enter or leave until now, so the association wasn't obvious. :)

 

Loved the ferrofluids trap - pretty effective way to keep biomechanical and mechanical beings immobile indefinitely. Although Haywire did help them understand what it was, I would have liked it to stay more of a mystery a bit longer. As it is now, I felt that the explanation came so quickly that the entire situation became mundane before it was even over.

 

Question - if the Kuambu really didn't want anyone getting the Kanohi, why would they have set up a teleporting field and apparently just hope they fail and fall into it? My possible answers: Either the "build it yourself" wood and rope bridge trap is actually impossible to solve correctly, or they haven't actually reached the Kanohi they wanted. Or, these ARE the Kanohi and the trap IS solvable, but it all takes so long that enough time was wasted for the Toa's elemental powers to become trivial enough in the Kuambu's plan.

 

Kuambu appear to be wider both backwards and forwards than tall... interesting. I'm starting to think that it makes sense for their 'biology' to be intricately tied to how they have developed as a civilization. Their Poetraxiens combines musicality and scientific method as fishers just brought up, so I want to imagine a bodily form that would somehow lead to such a mode of thinking. Of course, biology is not destiny, but hard to deny that it plays a role in how people and groups develop. Then again, I remember a character from EB (I think Bhukasa) remarking that their form was actually very surprising. So that'd mean it's unexpectedly divergent from everything else known of the Kuambu. Food for thought, I suppose.


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Part One of the Chrysalis Saga

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Chapter 40 -- ending Part Four. Final eight chapters (plus epilogue) coming up next!

Quote

Just then, she heard the loud and prolonged chime again, that meant someone was either leaving or entering.

:???:

So the chime is for entering and exiting the submagmatic. Pretty simple, I guess I didn't see it earlier because nobody had really seen or been aware of anyone enter or leave until now, so the association wasn't obvious. :)

Apparently something was unclear that I thought was clear -- earlier Nijire concluded in her thoughts that specifically the loudest and longest chime was for entering and exiting. The shorter chimes are for something else. Or more accurately -- all the chimes are for the same thing, but when the Kuambu open the door, that thing occurs "more so". Perhaps this thought went by too quick and both of you missed it; the part fishers quotes here was simply meant to refer back to that earlier conclusion. :)

 

It seems I gave the (wrong) impression that the answer to the whole chime mystery was simply "indicating door open" but that was just meant as a clue toward the real secret. Sorry...

 

Perhaps I could edit in something clearer about that somewhere. :shrugs:

 

 

 

 

Theory: The "treasure" the Kuambu are moving around is actually Makuta Teridax's antidermis.

Exactamundo!

 

Teridax = the treasure.

 

Well, it's good. Reminds me of your old guess that the hidden Great Being was Onua because he showed up near the beginning of the Yesterday Quest - Spiriah showed up near the beginning of this one, and he's the trick to this one, no? And Onua is in this story. :lol:

Huh. That was probably intentional subconsciously or something.

 

His portrayal here is a similar trick. That opening was a nefarious trick to draw my attention away from Onua and make me think he wasn't important, and put the focus on Nijire who wasn't. Otherwise, I think I would have called that. And I see why you laughed about that comment about Saiph and the Endless Debate society. That struck me as off somehow. And the misspeak about Teridax earlier is a good brick joke. :)

^_^

 

Do the Kuambu know what the Turaga told the Toa in the beginning of The Sword is But the Focus? They probably should, but just wondering.

It's been a while since I wrote/read that. What specifically did they tell?

 

Theory: The Kuambu did not know the specific details of what the robot would do when it crashed, including the sudden appearance of the two new islands.

Voya Nui they probably did not expect. Mata Nui they did or at least were aware it was possible (it would depend on whether the camouflage system was activated or not). And I might as well say, they knew all this because they got their hands on info used in the making of the AM domes, which obviously included the robot's basic specs. How they got it or why the domes were made (or by whom) I can't comment on, of course, other than "general 'ruling the sea' type things".

 

 

Although Haywire did help them understand what it was, I would have liked it to stay more of a mystery a bit longer. As it is now, I felt that the explanation came so quickly that the entire situation became mundane before it was even over.

That kind of was what I had in mind when I first planned it, but in execution I couldn't figure out how to make it work. The Toa were hurrying through the maze so I couldn't realistically drag out the initial tease, and once captured, Kopaka had to figure it out fast (or else be dumped through that teleportation energy).

 

Question - if the Kuambu really didn't want anyone getting the Kanohi, why would they have set up a teleporting field and apparently just hope they fail and fall into it?

The end of Chapter 40 should shed some light on this; I'll let you see if you can figure it out specifically on your own. :) There'll be more about it later too, and part of it won't be answered until the second-to-last, second-from-this-one story.

 

My possible answers: Either the "build it yourself" wood and rope bridge trap is actually impossible to solve correctly, or they haven't actually reached the Kanohi they wanted. Or, these ARE the Kanohi and the trap IS solvable, but it all takes so long that enough time was wasted for the Toa's elemental powers to become trivial enough in the Kuambu's plan.

Those are some possibilities.

 

I'll say that the trap is solvable. And that you have not listed all possibilities that I've thought of. :P

 

Kuambu appear to be wider both backwards and forwards than tall...

I can neither confirm nor deny this.

 

interesting

:happydance: That's the idea!

 

I'm starting to think that it makes sense for their 'biology' to be intricately tied to how they have developed as a civilization. Their Poetraxiens combines musicality and scientific method as fishers just brought up, so I want to imagine a bodily form that would somehow lead to such a mode of thinking. Of course, biology is not destiny, but hard to deny that it plays a role in how people and groups develop. Then again, I remember a character from EB (I think Bhukasa) remarking that their form was actually very surprising. So that'd mean it's unexpectedly divergent from everything else known of the Kuambu. Food for thought, I suppose.

Your latter comments are on the right track. You might be able to guess it with what clues you have now, but it's unlikely (I think... :P Of course, if you did, I couldn't confirm). There is at least one major clue that will be featured in the second-to-last Kuambu Saga episode (the one I've only written the opening for) that's important. And the actual form will be revealed near the end of that episode. (Then the finale will delve into the reasons for it more clearly in flashbacks, etc.)

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

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Do the Kuambu know what the Turaga told the Toa in the beginning of The Sword is But the Focus? They probably should, but just wondering.

It's been a while since I wrote/read that. What specifically did they tell?
Sorry for the memory loop. (I should know better than to pull those by now. :() Basically the Turaga told the Toa that they were in the Bionicle Paracosmos, via a poem. Do the Kuambu know that? (They should, it's a poem. :lol:)* * *Chapter 40:

She shook her head in amazement. All her theories had fallen apart.

Exactly. Welcome to the Perfect Cage, otherwise known as bones' theorist trap. (After all, he's had years of experience reading all those similar minds. It totally makes sense that he would be able to make a story to fool them, even in story, and write out a villain who would understand that mindset and use it against them.)Now I know why I kept thinking Nijire's theories were off. It just didn't feel right, even though it seemed like the most likely possibility. This story keeps me thinking of one thing, then turns it around, and then I keep thinking "Should have seen that. That was so obvious." Even more befuddling, the characters seem to share this exact same reaction. I'm not sure what to say about that. I could easily follow Nijire's and then Onua's logic very well, but sometimes it feels like my own mind is being played back at me. This I find to be rather boring. I have no idea why that is. *mind produces a bunch of crazy theories* Well, no good idea, anyway... As another crazy side effect, I feel like I understand the logic even when I don't. Onua's learning how to teleport and Kopaka's magnetic disk movements weren't totally clear, but I felt that I got it anyway. Mostly because the characters remind me of how I would arrive at a conclusion or experience something disorienting like that. That's so weird. :no: Theory: Gali is controlling the left side of Kopaka to relay movements to Takua. Theory: Haywire is controlling the left side of Kopaka to relay movements to Takua. * * *Edit: Wait a second, how does Kanoka know where Makuta Teridax is? Does Makuta Teridax even know where he is? I suspect telepathic communication.Edit (again): Actually, did Saiph really actually escape from the dome at the last second, or did the Unknown (or the Kuambu) rescue him? Odd. Edited by fishers64
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Chapter 40::

 

The rope that had been limp earlier going taught with a loud crack.

Quick correction - "taut."

 

Had the Kuambu's apparently vast reserved of knowledge and strategy aided? Probably both.

Another one - "reserves."

 

Looks like we know that Vaurukan had two ultimate prizes in mind: Teridax's antidermis, and the Taken Toa Nuva. Although I don't know if he has Taken beings quite as powerful as them yet, it might be possible that they could fight his influence better than most. Also, it sounds like the Healer role as described here is very similar to what Karzahni does. Except that he doesn't teleport them, and doesn't function on the near-death factor. Quick confirmation whether Karzahni exists in the Paracosmos? I can't remember if this has been confirmed already.

 

About the chime - yes, I think there was a misunderstanding somewhere in the writing. It may have flashed past us too quickly to actually take notice. Or otherwise I was reading too quickly and thought it was another clue, not the actual reason for the loud chimes. So... basically the loud chime is a doorbell, lol. :P But we still don't know WHY we have chimes at all; that's the real secret, correct?

 

About the Elemental Kanohi trap - it's solvable, as you said. That means this is probably a delay tactic, at least in part. Waste enough time, or take the group back to Lake Kanae to nullify their entire journey to get the masks while bringing them back into Kuambu territory. I think this is obvious enough, since it's all taking so long and this almost certainly helps the Kuambu since they know the group will be occupied as long as possible.

 

But because the trap IS solvable, the Kuambu must have a plan for if they do get the masks (assuming the masks are real). This is related to the Taking, as you suggested. Can't take my thinking further than this right now, though...

 

Thanks for the response to my musings on the Kuambu form, though. I'll take note of that and see if I can piece any more. ;)

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Part One of the Chrysalis Saga

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry for delays... lotsa stuff swamped my schedule these past weeks...

 

Chapter 41.

 

Sorry for the memory loop. (I should know better than to pull those by now. :() Basically the Turaga told the Toa that they were in the Bionicle Paracosmos, via a poem. Do the Kuambu know that? (They should, it's a poem. :lol:)

They know they're in a Paracosmos, and that there's Convergeance, and they obviously know a little about helping Convergeance along when convenient for them, as seen with the Kal. But they're as in the dark about the foundational reasons for all this as the Unknown; Hujo will need to figure that stuff out on his own.

 

Also, it being a poem was just that the Paracosmos has a theme of poems in general, and the Kuambu's poetry idea was inspired by that so I could keep having poems around. :P

 

As for the theory trap -- this latest chapter has one of the biggest reveals of the story; can't wait to hear yall's reactions. Been hinting at this over and over and so far haven't seen it guessed. :P

 

Next chapter will clarify it in case this one's too subtle. :)

 

Re: Kopaka's left side -- Gali can't control him at all, no. Haywire is trying to regain control over it to stop the random insane actions that are putting Kopaka in danger.

 

Edit: Wait a second, how does Kanoka know where Makuta Teridax is? Does Makuta Teridax even know where he is? I suspect telepathic communication.

How Kanoka knows will be made clearish in the epilogue, at least (I forget if it's confirmed before that). Teridax didn't know, no. At first, after the Toa defeated him in Captain of Treason, he was teleported to Vaurukan's Island, and finding himself still alive (as expected), he would have known by simple logic that this was where he was, but they put him in a blinding container and took him to the other island.

 

Then, they planted evidence of that location to get Kanoka on the way there. Then moved him so that would do Kanoka no good. (Basically to get that group out of the way of the real action.) So the question is how Kanoka learned where Terry is now.

 

In any event, if I did forget to make it clear in-story I can confirm it based on the strong hint in the epilogue when that's posted, so if that's not clear, ask me again then. :P

 

Edit (again): Actually, did Saiph really actually escape from the dome at the last second, or did the Unknown (or the Kuambu) rescue him? Odd.

I would not call it escaping -- the Kuambu captured him with that dome, and then moved him to the submagmatic to impersonate Teridax (where he's still in their captivity, technically, just not in the original dome). Of course, this is what the Unknown and Sairiph wanted. Both sides (and Sairiph choosing on this one to side with the Unknown) are gambling that this ends up for their side's benefit.

 

Looks like we know that Vaurukan had two ultimate prizes in mind: Teridax's antidermis, and the Taken Toa Nuva.

I can confirm at least that these are among his main goals here, but there's a single top goal that'll be clear nearer to the end, and also he wants the Kuambu's main goal, which they see as the reason they hired him. He sees his real top goal as the payment for that job.

 

Yes, Karzy exists here, but for highly secret reasons he was "outed" as corrupt and incompetent earlier. Note that as implied in previous stories, the Nuva spent a lot more time awake before entering the canisters than in the Cosmos. During that span of time Vaurukan filled the role Karzahni would have if he hadn't been outed (and for a while V actually did it right, but the power went to his head).

 

The main obvious remaining questions about this will become clear in the final chapters (especially why Vaurukan was/is a healer).

 

So... basically the loud chime is a doorbell, lol. :P But we still don't know WHY we have chimes at all; that's the real secret, correct?

Right. At least... in Chapter 40. :P

 

 

 

Edit: And here's Chapter 42.

Edited by bonesiii

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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Just wanted to post this to let you know that I'm reading this epic, and I like what I've read so far. The evolution that Hujo has gone through culminates in this epic; he was once just a clueless Matoran, like in the MoMN RPG, then grew powerful but still insecure, like we saw in EB. In the Perfect Cage we finally see Hujo confident in himself, almost in the same rank as the Toa, having already mastered his suit. This is one of the things that I've liked the most so far. The other is the submagmatic reveal, that came as a real surprise.

 

One thing I'm confused about, however, is Ito. I think we saw him earlier (in this epic?) firing a gun-like device to his head. Will it get revealed in TPC what that was? I'm not sure if that mystery has been resovled yet.

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Chapters 41 & 42:

 

So the whole point of this was to show Nijire "Hey, you can control this piece of rock?". Odd. Am I correct in thinking that Vaarukan's goal in this submagmatic was Onua's theory trap, and the Kuambu's had to do with Nijire? (I suppose the "Brotherhood protection deal: no killing" bit was a part of it as well. After all, the Kuambu would like to avoid getting killed, and their pawns getting killed as well. And it's sort of obvious why the Unknown want this.) For the most part, this makes perfect sense (lol pun), although I doubt Nijire is a perfectionist - she seems willing to settle for what seems like the best plan when there isn't a perfect one. Could just be me though.

 

And Kopaka can untie and tie knots one-handed? That's really hard. I can tell you're taking pains to justify it (Haywire, Poetraxiens, Kuambu loops), but that's a matter of physical dexterity, not knowledge. Must really be important that Kopaka make it.

 

I'm sort of lost in the detailed description of all of the triangles, and it feels so trivial. This chapter is draggy as a result, until we get to Vaarukan, frozen. Into the energy bands we go...or is that a trap? Suspense is good, I suppose - that's the thin thread that's holding this together. Feels like the mystery is over, and this is but an extended epilogue.

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Chapter 41: This was a beautiful chapter, bonesiii. There are two reasons.First, I had somewhat forgotten how amazing you are at character development. Not really forgotten, but more like gotten used to. Onua's grand introspection in this chapter was a total renewal of this talent in my eyes. (And, of course! He's a perfectionist.) You brought so many of his experiences from this episode into focus, and merged them into a pinpoint conclusion that, in the way it was presented, felt so true and undeniable to the reader. Not to mention immensely satisfying because we obviously are rooting for him.Second, the element of Crystal makes a "brilliant" entrance via what is probably your most exciting twist to befall a Matoran since Hujo's escapades on Twisted Island. The very ending of the chapter left some things for me to ponder, which I've laid out now.What exactly is up with that lightstone - why was it modified with the same kind of LED (:P) technology as other more obvious technologies? Who did that? I would probably be able to answer that if I tracked it back in the story to recall where it first came into play.A safe guess is the Kuambu because as Onua realized, they would not want Toa-destined Matoran being involved in their plan. Yet, as they couldn't know which were which, they needed to contrive the environment and traps to play everyone against themselves and each other, as when Nijire was working to escape and lead the group and so forth. That would have eventually led to evidence of who had what Matoran element.And so, placing certain objects for their use, such as that modified lightstone, would allow them to identify who could manipulate the unique system in the stone as only as Matoran of Crystal could. Similar to Takua unconsciously manipulating his armour colours.But how to actually witness that, and also know where that individual is so they could be captured and removed (or even Taken by Vaurukan, why not)? Cameras. But even a controlled environment like a submagmatic is too big (forests, countless piles and hills of junk, and steam from the lava obscuring areas). This is a problem that solves itself because the prisoners will naturally seek out the exit route.So place a camera at that exit, and make the exit itself a barrier that can only be traversed by the same methods that are used to identify the elemental Matoran! Crystal tool, crystal exist. Both come together to create undeniable evidence that Nijire is a Matoran of Crystal.For me, this only leaves the question of whether Nijire is actually destined to be a Toa. We don't know that from this scene, do we?Chapter 42:

Kopaka kept building up a surplus, then spending it to get past the big gaps. Even so he gained a surplus besides this that he didn't need at all.

Hate it when that happens in RPGs. ;)Not that much more to say - this chapter filled in the gaps regarding Nijire that I just brought up.I absolutely hate that the Toa lost their chance (or first chance, anyway) at the Legendary Masks. But that was your intent, wasn't it... to build up so many hopes and dash them away one by one. At this point, I'm prepared for a conclusion that will actually be devastating, and contain no triumph for the good side. It might be "time for it" at this point in the series, which is nearly halfway through your entire Paracosmos series... so I can see how it's a plausible device. Absolute rock bottom for the next while. Who knows besides you, though! Edited by Takuta-Nui


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Part One of the Chrysalis Saga

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Chapter 41: This was a beautiful chapter, bonesiii. There are two reasons.First, I had somewhat forgotten how amazing you are at character development. Not really forgotten, but more like gotten used to. Onua's grand introspection in this chapter was a total renewal of this talent in my eyes. (And, of course! He's a perfectionist.) You brought so many of his experiences from this episode into focus, and merged them into a pinpoint conclusion that, in the way it was presented, felt so true and undeniable to the reader. Not to mention immensely satisfying because we obviously are rooting for him.Second, the element of Crystal makes a "brilliant" entrance via what is probably your most exciting twist to befall a Matoran since Hujo's escapades on Twisted Island. The very ending of the chapter left some things for me to ponder, which I've laid out now.What exactly is up with that lightstone - why was it modified with the same kind of LED ( :P) technology as other more obvious technologies? Who did that? I would probably be able to answer that if I tracked it back in the story to recall where it first came into play.A safe guess is the Kuambu because as Onua realized, they would not want Toa-destined Matoran being involved in their plan. Yet, as they couldn't know which were which, they needed to contrive the environment and traps to play everyone against themselves and each other, as when Nijire was working to escape and lead the group and so forth. That would have eventually led to evidence of who had what Matoran element.And so, placing certain objects for their use, such as that modified lightstone, would allow them to identify who could manipulate the unique system in the stone as only as Matoran of Crystal could. Similar to Takua unconsciously manipulating his armour colours.But how to actually witness that, and also know where that individual is so they could be captured and removed (or even Taken by Vaurukan, why not)? Cameras. But even a controlled environment like a submagmatic is too big (forests, countless piles and hills of junk, and steam from the lava obscuring areas). This is a problem that solves itself because the prisoners will naturally seek out the exit route.So place a camera at that exit, and make the exit itself a barrier that can only be traversed by the same methods that are used to identify the elemental Matoran! Crystal tool, crystal exist. Both come together to create undeniable evidence that Nijire is a Matoran of Crystal.

Undeniable? That's a little strong. Just because she can control something crystal-based doesn't make her a Crystal Matoran automatically. :shrugs:

 

Also, I think the Kuambu or Vaarukan knew what Nijire's element was. Aside from Jaudrohk, Nijire's bronze cell was the only one broken into by one of the creatures, which started this whole thing off. The creatures are constructs of the lava and the black metal. The black metal has that scanning power, which could have been used to identify the right Matoran to open the cell of. But if they could tell that, why do this rigamenrole?

 

I think it's important to Vaarukan or the Kuambu or both that Nijire knows that she can use that device, and that's why they did this. It's also important for the Ko-Matoran and Onua to know, but they didn't want Matoro to know. The device doesn't seem like such a big deal, but that's probably the point.

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Chapter 43.

 

 

Note: Some of the following answers are best saved until you have read 43. :)

 

Just wanted to post this to let you know that I'm reading this epic, and I like what I've read so far. The evolution that Hujo has gone through culminates in this epic; he was once just a clueless Matoran, like in the MoMN RPG, then grew powerful but still insecure, like we saw in EB. In the Perfect Cage we finally see Hujo confident in himself, almost in the same rank as the Toa, having already mastered his suit. This is one of the things that I've liked the most so far. The other is the submagmatic reveal, that came as a real surprise.

Thanks. :) Hope you continue to like Hujo's journey as we get closer to series finale.

 

One thing I'm confused about, however, is Ito. I think we saw him earlier (in this epic?) firing a gun-like device to his head. Will it get revealed in TPC what that was? I'm not sure if that mystery has been resovled yet.

Not in this story, no. Also, pretty sure that was Endless Blue. (I know it happened once in that epic, I don't recall it here offhand).

 

 

 

Chapters 41 & 42:

 

So the whole point of this was to show Nijire "Hey, you can control this piece of rock?". Odd.

Lol, well, that's a big first step. :) Also, they did need to narrow down for sure who was to control it. They were not certain it was Nijire.

 

Note: the form of the tool is less important than what it represents in a larger highly mystical and highly important enigma that the posted story has only begun to delve into at this point. Well, it's been hinted at repeatedly and in tons of ways but this is the first time the reader is brought to direct conscious awareness of it. :) The choice of a lightstone was only made recently, actually. There was always going to be something like this. I felt a lightstone would feel more humble and thus jarring, to signal that this is not a normal tool.

 

 

Am I correct in thinking that Vaarukan's goal in this submagmatic was Onua's theory trap, and the Kuambu's had to do with Nijire?

Essentially yes. Vaurukan's goal has to do with Onua, though you have only so far seen hints of it. And getting Onua trapped momentarily there is a step in that.

 

(I suppose the "Brotherhood protection deal: no killing" bit was a part of it as well. After all, the Kuambu would like to avoid getting killed, and their pawns getting killed as well. And it's sort of obvious why the Unknown want this.)

The Kuambu actually did not see that coming. That was Nijire's idea. But now that it's happened they don't mind it. As for whether the Unknown did, Caroha might have since she sees much of the future, but did little if anything really to draw it out or cause it per se.

 

For the most part, this makes perfect sense (lol pun), although I doubt Nijire is a perfectionist - she seems willing to settle for what seems like the best plan when there isn't a perfect one. Could just be me though.

Right, I don't see her as a perfectionist. She's practical -- whatever gets the job done. As you'd have to be to catch ice fish. Onua is the perfectionist (in my interpretation anyways).

 

And Kopaka can untie and tie knots one-handed?

It's been a while since I actually proofread that part, but I thought I wrote that the left hand was more under control now, so he was doing that two-handed. Although the Kuambu use loop-knots that you could untie one-handed (that might be what it said, sorry for not having the right answer ready offhand :P), but not tie.

 

The main thing he's not trusting to his left hand is holding up his entire weight, since if it does let go it's all over. But once his other limbs (like hooking elbows over a rope) are secure he can use two hands for the knots.

 

I'm sort of lost in the detailed description of all of the triangles, and it feels so trivial. This chapter is draggy as a result, until we get to Vaarukan, frozen. Into the energy bands we go...or is that a trap? Suspense is good, I suppose - that's the thin thread that's holding this together. Feels like the mystery is over, and this is but an extended epilogue.

Yeah, I kinda worried about the Kopaka section. On the other hand, I don't think it would make sense to just say "he made it somehow" -- the reader has to understand how it's possible.

 

But, the mystery is definitely not over. After a major reveal like this you might think that and it's somewhat intentional for 42; I wanted to give readers some time to absorb and try to think about it before I focused attention on why it's still a major mystery. 43's opening draws attention to the larger scope and context of this, which is a mystery so mysterious it can't even be stated what the real question is, only that Onua will have to be the one to solve it.

 

I was also aware it might be a problem if I didn't end the story right here. But I set it up this way for several reasons. First, a very intentional choice not to make this reveal during a story that called Nijire the main protagonist, lest that make it too obvious something might be strange about her. Second, since that was the case I had to use a different protagonist with their own central mystery and that has not yet been revealed, though Onua has gotten much of the side details. Onua knows much about his relationship to the antagonist but not the really big thing, and knows much about his past but has missed something crucial, plus he now knows he's a perfectionist but not what to do about it (this'll be clearer later on; he tries something that works once but worries it won't work again).

 

I also wanted to try a different kind of personal struggle path with Onua, where he makes two major parts of figuring out his issues, rather than squeezing it all at the end as I usually do. I felt this would be a reasonable way to avoid seeming like Onua's characterization would be constantly delayed as often seemed to be the case for Bhukasa for example. Also I wanted to explore having several chapters from his POV after learning something that important about himself rather than just delay "the new Onua" for some future story, albeit to be punctuated with a second understanding at the end (wait and see).

 

Another reason is that I felt it wouldn't work to just reveal Nijire has this power but not give her a chance in-story with her POV to explore it, or learn what exactly it is. If the secret had been smaller than it is I might have done that, but it was something I wanted to put in the end of this story. And again make it about Onua, because now he's going to have to manage people better than ever before to solve it. I felt he was the perfect main protag for this role because his issues were about other people to a large degree.

 

But, that's a risky move, so we'll see how well yall think the end turns out. :)

 

 

Note: Many of the questions in the next two posts I cannot safely answer. If any confusion on it remains after the epilogue I will be able to clarify much of it, but for now I'd rather just let yall continue to get hints to it strictly from the story itself. ^_^ I can answer a few things, though.

 

Chapter 41: This was a beautiful chapter, bonesiii. There are two reasons.First, I had somewhat forgotten how amazing you are at character development. Not really forgotten, but more like gotten used to. Onua's grand introspection in this chapter was a total renewal of this talent in my eyes. (And, of course! He's a perfectionist.) You brought so many of his experiences from this episode into focus, and merged them into a pinpoint conclusion that, in the way it was presented, felt so true and undeniable to the reader. Not to mention immensely satisfying because we obviously are rooting for him.

:happydance:

 

 

A safe guess is the Kuambu

There are no safe guesses on this subject. :)

 

 

Yet, as they couldn't know which were which, they needed to contrive the environment and traps... eventually led to evidence of who had what Matoran element... Similar to Takua unconsciously manipulating his armour colours.

Yes, that is a good comparison.

 

But how to actually witness that, and also know where that individual is so they could be captured and removed (or even Taken by Vaurukan, why not)? Cameras. But even a controlled environment like a submagmatic is too big (forests, countless piles and hills of junk, and steam from the lava obscuring areas). This is a problem that solves itself because the prisoners will naturally seek out the exit route.So place a camera at that exit, and make the exit itself a barrier that can only be traversed by the same methods that are used to identify the elemental Matoran!

Exactamundo. And this is why I kept saying I don't see this as (per se) inherently a prison-break story, because the Kuambu always hoped someone would escape. :) The whole appearance of a prison was entirely deception to draw this special Matoran out of "hiding" (though she didn't consciously know she could do this so it was even trickier).

 

Also, just so it's crystal clear (lol sorry), the chimes were part of a sensor system that could detect the general area of use of crystal element, but not down to the exact Matoran (and less accurately in the caves). Although I have intentionally left it ambiguous what actually generates the sound, and the eerie nature of it is meant as a clue that there's something much more mystical than you might think at face value about what is being detected. So I don't want to give the impression that it's "just some tech system." There's much more to it I can only vaguely hint at for now. :)

 

For me, this only leaves the question of whether Nijire is actually destined to be a Toa. We don't know that from this scene, do we?

One of the rules of being one of these special Matoran is that they are never destined to be Toa. So you do know that but it's subtle. This is largely why Matoro was removed (but not until it could be clear something was odd about him being removed, as part of subconsciously hinting to Nijire or whoever it would be that she/they was/were different).

 

 

 

 

Also, I think the Kuambu or Vaarukan knew what Nijire's element was.

I can't comment yet on what exactly she is, but the Kuambu did strongly suspect, due to one clue I can say and others I can't. The clue I can say is that they observed that she liked to ice-fish in the region where those crystals in Ko-Wahi were growing with no other seeming cause (this has been the main hint I've been showing since early story). But no, they did not know for sure, which was why they incorporated parts of the place to test many candidates. And you're right that even if they did they would still do just about the same things to draw it out.

 

How could Nijire control crystal and yet the Kuambu/Vaurukan not be able to sense this, you ask? No comment. :ziplip:

 

 

Edit: Re: TN's edit. Well, the masks did fall into the lake, and the Kal did not actually pick them up. I shouldn't really say more than that yet though. :P But things are not what they seem.

Edited by bonesiii

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Chapters 43-44:

 

Theory: Vaurukan is one of the "special Matoran" like Nijre and Hujo.

 

Also, is referring the Kuambu as "it" just a reflection of Onua's perspective on the subject? Would the actual sapience level of the Kuambu suggest "he" or "she" would be more appropriate?

 

Enjoyed these chapters a good deal. :happy: Onua is going over my head a bit in that Rathoa scene, but the Kuambu interrogation scene made sense, up to a strange level of weird. And Bhukasa gets an upgraded ship. I can just see the stars in his eyes. Although I couldn't help but worry what would happen if Onua's remote got in the wrong hands now.

 

Theory: The black metal is part of the BP robot's inertial dampening system.

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  • 5 months later...

Because of the recent loss of data on BZP back to the backup before it, the last four chapters and epilogue of The Perfect Cage, which had already been posted, were lost. However, I had backed them up (including any edits), and am now reposting them. I had been putting this off because I was very focused on writing for my retelling of Bionicle (now finishing up the Karda Nui Saga, with ten chapters to go before planned finish, and I intend to begin posting the early chapters before February is up, whether or not I finish writing the last ten chapters by then -- please watch my profile feed for updates, and my blog).

 

Here is TPC's Chapter 45.

 

Will repost 46 sometime in the next few days, and either edit in the link here, or if someone does by chance post a new review, in a new post after that.

 

I also backed up all the review topic posts that were lost, but I'd rather not bother putting up that record online. I have what yall said for my own purposes. :P If someone wants to ask questions 'again' though, go ahead.

 

Edit:

 

Now 46.

 

I just noticed the earlier chapters of this went through the format glitch. Bah. I don't even know if my backup has the glitch or if that came later or what, but I'll figure something out... *fears other two stories on new forum have glitch too...*

Edited by bonesiii

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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I can verify that the glitch came after the data loss. :shrugs:

 

FTR, in case you thought you were being nefarious, I have the reviews that were lost too - except for my own. Fortunately, I have all your replies to my comments though, which I think is what matters. :P It's incomplete though, so I'm not going to be posting it either.

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Chapter 47.

 

Edit: Final chapter (48).

 

Next up is epilogue...

 

 

Edit: Apparently BZP just keeps on shortening the maximum length of posts; chapter 48 was cut off a page before the end. Putting the proper end in the next post, along with (however much will fit of) the epilogue. *bones is not pleased*

 

Epilogue.

 

*checks*

 

GRRR.. It was cut off too. Will post the actual end soon.

 

Look for The Destiny of Bionicle to start before this week is over! First chapter is ready to go. Note that I still haven't finished the last ten chapters, but I had set the end of February as the absolute latest date to start posting and now am 95% sure I know how it'll end, just gotta write it. (But I don't know HOW it'll end... Arena Method... but I know how the setup of the end will go, and certain details. :P)

Edited by bonesiii
  • Upvote 1

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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Okay, final bit of epilogue that got cut off is up. I also went through and checked every post; no others got cut off, but quite a few have format problems. Not sure when I'll have time to fix those (and it's possible editing some of those posts will make them get cut off, so I might end up having to post again to expand the number of posts).

 

For now, watch this forum tomorrow for the first chapter of "The Destiny of Bionicle"!

 

Thanks, atvan. Will fix that.

  • Upvote 2

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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