Mata-Nui Nuva

Oh geez, I sure haven't been here in a while. In the middle of a Sapphire Nostalgia run. I've nabbed a 10/21/21/30/27/7 Modest Kyogre. It's very handsome on the special side, so I'm inclined to keep it. What do you guys think?

IC | Vakann | Gearheadville "Can't hear me? You should get around to cleaning your ears when you bathe, Hotrod," the Skakdi spat out in reply to Flaredrick, throwing his free arm up in an ambiguous gesture which could have been read as "come here" as much as it could have been "I'm done talking to you." He shifted his eyes around, looking for movements. "So, are there any other Toa of Fire that want to drop by for a visit, or are we good? I only have so many nicknames to give out and I can't spread my supply thin." The Skakdi patted the engine still resting on his shoulder--actually, since these people here seemed intent on eating away his time, he patted the engine that was resting on his shoulder and was now resting on the ground. Still really awkward. For a language as old as Matoran, tenses were still an awful mess. But the engine was on the floor and would probably stay there until he got a chance to start moving again. "Hey, if you think you'll find anything good in this lump of scrap, just say the word and drop the widgets in my hands and it'll be yours. But the levitation core's mine. You know how hard it is to scavenge those things these days. They just don't come as cheap as they used to." Vakann said, rolling his shoulders. With both his hands free now, he would make good use of his newfound freedom. He started to pick his nose with his prosthetic pinky and suddenly it was good to be alive. "But geez, two Toa and a legless robot stopping by just to talk to me. You really know how to make a guy feel special. So what's going to happen with the legs? Where do you think you're going, anywho? If you're looking for a good place to get parts for prosthetics, you've already passed my favourite spots, probably. I don't lose legs very often, but all those big name shops are out near the racing tracks where people actually do lose limbs all the time. It's a marketing thing." Vakann took Economics and Political Intrigue 101 back in Skakdi School. He would know.

IC | Vakann | Gearheadville As the legless Maxilos veered away from impact with a camo-painted racecar, Vakann dropped the grin and opened his mouth to say something and froze up, suddenly caught between asking whether or not the downed robot was okay and throwing a mean-spirited jeer her way. After all, with her current situation, it was all too easy to make all manner of tasteless amputee jokes. Of course, Vakann didn't know whether or not the robot had laser vision or chest-mounted gatling guns and with how sensitive the robot was, he could very well end up with a hole where his heartlight should be. To try and save his hide, Vakann mustered up all the empathy and tact that he could manage. "Where'd your legs go? It's hard to walk without legs." Liluke's question finally queued up inside Vakann's brain, causing him to give pause again. He was doing that a lot lately. Maybe he'd lay off his middle-of-the-night copper pipe-stealing gig a while so he could catch up on his beauty sleep. Logging this in to his mental to-do list, Vakann nodded in response to the legless robot. "Well, yeah, there are other ways. But are they really any better? I could have walked in front, or I could have thrown this thing at you. And hey, it's not my fault that this guy," he jabbed a finger towards the vehicle puttering away, "sucks at driving. He should really be more careful. Someone could have seriously gotten injured because of his irresponsibility." Vakann proceeded to turn his head towards the receding vehicle to make nasty faces at it. As he glared at it, he noticed some silly gawker standing on the road. "Hey, Peanut Gallery! What are you standing there for? Get yourself over here and make some friends!"

IC | Vakann | Gearheadville As Vakann lugged the hovercraft guts on his shoulder, he chanced by a duo of strangers on hoverboards. From what he could tell, one of them was a Toa of some sort dolled up in red, probably a firebug from how Toa loved to color-coordinate. Whoever this hoverboarder was, he wasn't too out of place in the streets of Gearheadville; he even had one of those fancy magnification lenses attached to his face. Very tacky, but Vakann knew firsthand that it got the job done when you needed to work on a machine. It would probably do a number on his depth perception, but hey, to each his own. He normally would have let boarders like that whiz off into the dust and get mauled by whatever speed-demon road-hog noun-hyphen-noun monstrosity-of-the-day Gearheadville had to offer, but the person leading in front of the firebug Toa caught his eye. It wasn't every day that you got to see a big, bulky robot out in the open, especially not boarding about in the dust and oil of Gearheadville, and especially, especially not without the benefit of legs. Before they could zoom past him, Vakann gave them the friendliest grin he could manage with a head chock-full of bone-crusher teeth and spoke--more shouted--in a tone that nearly passed as amicable. "Hey, firebug! Boarderbot! Where you two headed?!" Hoho, smooth as always, Vakann.

IC | Vakann | GearheadvilleWalking through Gearheadville was so different and refreshing after being caged up in the stuffiness of his little lair in the Ghetto for so long. Vakann sucked air in, flaring his nostrils as he savoured the smell and taste and cleanness of his surroundings. He walked with abandon, not bothering to pay attention to his peripheral vision or even to flick his head back every once in a while to check for very nice people with very large knives. After all, he was out of mugging-and-robbing territory and in racer territory. The adrenaline junkies here were more likely to off themselves long before they could cause the Skakdi any trouble. Vakann lugged some parts over his shoulders, the crumpled remains of an engine taken from the carcass of a vehicle that was totaled so bad it would cost more to patch it up than it would to buy a completely new rig anyway. Normally, what little ethical restraint the Skakdi had would keep his eager hands off of the wreck, but times were tough, and he wasn't the only vulture on the scene. More likely than not, some towing bottom-feeder would scuttle in and drag it off to a scrapyard where it would sit and rust, completely useless to anyone who could use the parts. A hunter's pride bubbled up within Vakann's chest, prompting him to give a Skakdi grin. He whistled a jaunty tune as he lugged the engine around, satisfied with his conquest.

Name: Vakann Species: SkakdiGender: Male Appearance: Vakann is built with considerable musculature and the broad-jawed, tombstone-toothed facial structure characteristic his species. He is taller than the standard Toa, but his slouching posture puts him at about a head shorter. His head, spines, and arm armour are all a dull silver, while the bulk of his armor is a deep gunmetal. Sections of his mechanical components have been modified, giving Vakann's armour a subtle asymmetry. His large feet branch off into three toes each, two in front and one in back, with each toe terminating in a claw blunted and worn from long years of travel. The pinky finger of one of his hands is clearly a protodermic-metal-alloy prosthetic. Pouches roughly patched together from Rahi hide hang from his belt, holding the tools of his trade.Powers: As a Skakdi of Iron, Vakann holds the potential to gain elemental powers when operating in tandem with another Skakdi. He has relatively impressive control over his element for a Skadi, but teamwork among Skakdi is a flaky resource, so he uses this power relatively infrequently. Due to the meddling done to his species, he gained a power to acclimate similar to Reidak's; he adapts to his opponents' powers after every defeat, making him a resilient fighter. His vision power is Volt Vision, allowing him to generate electricity from his eyes.Skills: Vakann's elemental control is fairly impressive, but it's situationally linked to the presence of another Skakdi. Not that it matters all that much. After all, he would be on the level of a Toa if he had to rely on elemental powers to hold his own in a fight. In combat, Vekann prefers to make use of his muscle and impressive athletic ability to get around, though he will integrate his abilities into his fighting style if a need arose.In terms of mental prowess, Vakann is no slouch. He's an accomplished repair man and inventor, fixing and building anything from weaponry to the mechanical parts of other beings, given the equipment and, more importantly, the money. Vakann has dabbled here and there with various technologies, being more a tinkerer than a scientist.Weaknesses: The secret to Vakann's success as a mechanic and inventor (and occasional stint as shady Stab 'N' Grab mechanical surgeon) is obsession; while many Skakdi vent their aggression through belligerency and delightful bouts of backstabbing, Vakann focuses it into intellectual drive. However, despite his focus, he still has the attention span of the average Skakdi, meaning that an obsession may seize him one day but might escape him the next. He is an exceptionally unreliable ally without monetary incentive due to his innate capriciousness. In addition, Vakann has little control over his Skakdi wildness; if someone manages to rile him up and he cannot find an outlet to keep himself busy, Vakann will turn to a good fight like any of his species. Whatever little modicum of self-control he has is largely motivated by money, so the highest bidder is in his favour. Equipment: Vakann generally keeps some of his tools from his wondrous collections of spanners, screwdrivers, wrenches, and other wonderful tools that can cave skulls in or gouge eyes out when shoved at someone's face hard enough. He doesn't regularly keep something on his person that defaults on as a weapon, though he does keep a large multitool with him that folds out into a knife. For special occasions when he has dealings in the dangerous parts of the Stab 'N' Grab with all his bestest friends, Vakann makes sure to suit up with a worthy weapon.His preferred weapon is a Volt Gun that he built from a hodgepodge of parts repurposed from stolen hologram displays and electronic billboard parts. It's a hefty weapon that shoots powerful electrical bolts so long as its battery is charged. Some people might argue that his lightning eyebeams made the gun a moot point, but the Volt Gun is Vakann's favourite DIY. Its batteries can be charged through direct contact with electricity or through a fun hand-crack system built into its side. The Gun can also be transfigured into a clublike weapon whenever bashing another's brains out gives more satisfaction.Vakann also has an Iron Gun tucked away in a box buried underneath his house. It is a weapon attached to the back of his hand and forearm by a gauntlet-and-grieves system. The weapon allows him to circumvent the restrictions of his situational elemental powers like the ones carried by others of his kind, allowing him to shoot off metal projectiles and manipulate metal through direct contact with the gun. It's been left to collect dust for quite some time. After all, Vakann would rather not be seen with a cutesy little Toa Tool.Bio: When Spiriah got his leathery little hands on the Skakdi of Zakaz, Vakann was one of the most outspoken opponents to the experiments. The Skakdi was proud of his species, so he was repulsed by Spiriah's efforts to make his people into something they weren't, into something like the Toa. Eventually, Vakann was dragged into the experiments and ended up saddled with the bloodlust of his fellow experimentees. However, his utter hatred and opposition to the Makuta's agenda managed to preserve some of his prior ego, he refused to use his artificially-endowed elemental powers. Knowing that he would likely end up dead if he focused all his rage on the Makuta, Vakann became a hermit, holing himself up in a dump site far from urban centers. He devoted himself to making curios from scrap, trying to take his mind off of the constant urge to break something or someone.Eventually, he learned that Spiriah had made his leave through the slow spread of information through the countryside and gleefully went about killing the Visorak overseers, learning to use his Iron powers in the meanwhile. Vakann thought that this meant the liberation of his species, but when war broke out, Vakann realised that his people had been permanently changed for the worse. Ashamed of what his species had become, Vakann left the island, hoping to discover a way to change the Skakdi back to what they once were.He wandered across several lands in his search, but never got closer. Eventually, he lost sight of his aim and wandered simply for the sake of distraction. He took residence in Xia for a time and learned all he knew about weapons-crafting. After being ejected from the Mata-Nui Robot and the construction of the secondary robot, Vakann has taken up residence in the Stab 'N' Grab side of the Ghetto. With his aim of curing his species forgotten, he contents himself with a life of invention and racy parts and weapons deals. Vakann has a passing interest in the Antidermis situation, but more for thinking up a possible solution than for playing whodunnit.

Ksssshhhhkkkkt. This is Eagle-01 to base. I repeat, this is Echo Alfa Golf Lima Echo Nadazero Unaone reporting in. Skies are cloudy and the sun is out. Do I have permission for take-off? Over. Ksssshhhhkkkkt.

Name: Vakann Species: SkakdiGender: Male Appearance: Vakann is built with considerable musculature and the broad-jawed, tombstone-toothed facial structure characteristic his species. He is taller than the standard Toa, but his slouching posture puts him at about a head shorter. His head, spines, and arm armour are all a dull silver, while the bulk of his armor is a deep gunmetal. Sections of his mechanical components have been modified, giving Vakann's armour a subtle asymmetry. His large feet branch off into three toes each, two in front and one in back, with each toe terminating in a claw blunted and worn from long years of travel. The pinky finger of one of his hands is clearly a protodermic-metal-alloy prosthetic. Pouches roughly patched together from Rahi hide hang from his belt, holding the tools of his trade.Powers: As a Skakdi of Iron, Vakann holds the potential to gain elemental powers when operating in tandem with another Skakdi. He has relatively impressive control over his element for a Skadi, but teamwork among Skakdi is a flaky resource, so he uses this power relatively infrequently. Due to the meddling done to his species, he gained a power to acclimate similar to Reidak's; he adapts to his opponents' powers after every defeat, making him a resilient fighter. His vision power is Volt Vision, allowing him to generate electricity from his eyes. Skills: Vakann's elemental control is fairly impressive, but it's situationally linked to the presence of another Skakdi. Not that it matters all that much. After all, he would be on the level of a Toa if he had to rely on elemental powers to hold his own in a fight. In combat, Vekann prefers to make use of his muscle and impressive athletic ability to get around, though he will integrate his abilities into his fighting style if a need arose. In terms of mental prowess, Vakann is no slouch. He's an accomplished repair man and inventor, fixing and building anything from weaponry to the mechanical parts of other beings, given the equipment and, more importantly, the money. Vakann has dabbled here and there with various technologies, being more a tinkerer than a scientist. Weaknesses: The secret to Vakann's success as a mechanic and inventor (and occasional stint as shady Stab 'N' Grab mechanical surgeon) is obsession; while many Skakdi vent their aggression through belligerency and delightful bouts of backstabbing, Vakann focuses it into intellectual drive. However, despite his focus, he still has the attention span of the average Skakdi, meaning that an obsession may seize him one day but might escape him the next. He is an exceptionally unreliable ally without monetary incentive due to his innate capriciousness. In addition, Vakann has little control over his Skakdi wildness; if someone manages to rile him up and he cannot find an outlet to keep himself busy, Vakann will turn to a good fight like any of his species. Whatever little modicum of self-control he has is largely motivated by money, so the highest bidder is in his favour. Equipment: Vakann generally keeps some of his tools from his wondrous collections of spanners, screwdrivers, wrenches, and other wonderful tools that can cave skulls in or gouge eyes out when shoved at someone's face hard enough. He doesn't regularly keep something on his person that defaults on as a weapon, though he does keep a large multitool with him that folds out into a knife. For special occasions when he has dealings in the dangerous parts of the Stab 'N' Grab with all his bestest friends, Vakann makes sure to suit up with a worthy weapon. His preferred weapon is a Volt Gun that he built from a hodgepodge of parts repurposed from stolen hologram displays and electronic billboard parts. It's a hefty weapon that shoots powerful electrical bolts so long as its battery is charged. Some people might argue that his lightning eyebeams made the gun a moot point, but the Volt Gun is Vakann's favourite DIY. Its batteries can be charged through direct contact with electricity or through a fun hand-crack system built into its side. The Gun can also be transfigured into a clublike weapon whenever bashing another's brains out gives more satisfaction. Vakann also has an Iron Gun tucked away in a box buried underneath his house. It is a weapon attached to the back of his hand and forearm by a gauntlet-and-grieves system. The weapon allows him to circumvent the restrictions of his situational elemental powers somewhat, allowing him to shoot off metal projectiles and manipulate metal through direct contact with the gun. It's been left to collect dust for quite some time. After all, Vakann would rather not be seen with a cutesy little Toa Tool. Bio: When Spiriah got his leathery little hands on the Skakdi of Zakaz, Vakann was one of the most outspoken opponents to the experiments. The Skakdi was proud of his species, so he was repulsed by Spiriah's efforts to make his people into something they weren't, into something like the Toa. Eventually, Vakann was dragged into the experiments and ended up saddled with the bloodlust of his fellow experimentees. However, his utter hatred and opposition to the Makuta's agenda managed to preserve some of his prior ego, he refused to use his artificially-endowed elemental powers. Knowing that he would likely end up dead if he focused all his rage on the Makuta, Vakann became a hermit, holing himself up in a dump site far from urban centers. He devoted himself to making curios from scrap, trying to take his mind off of the constant urge to break something or someone. Eventually, he learned that Spiriah had made his leave through the slow spread of information through the countryside and gleefully went about killing the Visorak overseers, learning to use his Iron powers in the meanwhile. Vakann thought that this meant the liberation of his species, but when war broke out, Vakann realised that his people had been permanently changed for the worse. Ashamed of what his species had become, Vakann left the island, hoping to discover a way to change the Skakdi back to what they once were. He wandered across several lands in his search, but never got closer. Eventually, he lost sight of his aim and wandered simply for the sake of distraction. He took residence in Xia for a time and learned all he knew about weapons-crafting. After being ejected from the Mata-Nui Robot and the construction of the secondary robot, Vakann has taken up residence in the Stab 'N' Grab side of the Ghetto. With his aim of curing his species forgotten, he contents himself with a life of invention and racy parts and weapons deals. Vakann has a passing interest in the Antidermis situation, but more for thinking up a possible solution than for playing whodunnit.

I haven't seen you on-site in forever, so it's good to see you on the board again, especially with something this fantastic. I know absolutely nothing about 3D modeling, but I'd imagine that it was no small feat to make it as realistically as we see it, especially given the comparison of original and final render. I can't think of what CGI wizardry went into it, but the final product is extremely pleasing to the eye. It really makes me feel nostalgic. I suppose that my only criticism is that I don't see much of an existing shoreline, but I suppose that the overhead view of Mata-Nui has green right up to the ocean. Nice to see you around!

Wow. This is much different than the BZPower I remember. I don't feel too warm to the new forum layout, but that is probably the nostalgia speaking. It looks a lot more squeaky-clean and slick, to be sure, but there are a ton of memories back on the old site. The fact that BBCode seems to be automatically interpreted is definitely a plus, though.

Theophrastus Philippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim. Von Hohenheim, to keep with your character cap.

Ita vero.

I desperately need the practice. I'm in.