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Showing results for tags 'Reboot'.
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Remakes and reboots are kinds of buzzwords for disaster these days, aren't they? But... they sometimes work. Just look at Dredd and Batman Begins. The only thing is that you have to both respect the property and do something different with it. So, without further ado, I will purpose a few ideas for beloved themes that should be rebooted. #1: Alpha Team Yeah, Ultra Agents would eventually have to move out of the way for this to be welcome, but I still believe that this theme deserves to see the light of day again. After all, it was the original Agents theme. The original story is nothing special and is frankly quite dated, but that's why I think it deserves a reboot. LEGO could breath some fresh new life into this theme that has been discontinued for eleven years as of now. #2: Exo-Force Now, this is a beloved theme. This one may be the youngest of the very small batch, but it probably has the most potential. I don't even need to explain why this is a good idea. It's EXO-FORCE: The LEGO series starring mech suits, a mountain split in half and a golden robot, all in an anime style. Make it happen. #3: Knights Kingdom Yeah, we kinda sorta need this theme to be rebooted. It is, without a doubt, the best Castle theme ever. And hey, it has a story. It's at the very least digestible. Those were just some classics that I immediately thought of. Do you think LEGO should reboot younger themes like Atlantis, or really old themes like Adventurers? Tell me what you think.
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Ok. I'm going to do my best to tell the 2015 story, but using speculation -not truth- to fill in the blanks. Canon is regular text, speculation is bold. On the island of Okoto, everything is great. All of the island's inhabitants live in the City of the Mask Makers, doing normal stuff. Little do they know that under the surface, a dark force lies in wait. Ekimu and Makuta make masks for the villagers, but Makuta grows jealous when Ekimu's masks are favored. He creates the Mask of Ultimate Power, breaking a sacred rule in the process. Ekimu is able to knock the mask from Makuta's face, but a shockwave ravages the city and the entire island. The brothers are sent into a deep sleep, their masks are scattered across the island, and many citizens are killed by the shockwave. Many villagers leave the city and establish villages in their element's region. The Protectors are charged with guarding their element's Golden Mask of Power, and the duty is handed down from father to son. Nothing happens for a long time, but eventually, the Lord of Skull Spiders finds a mask that lets him control the Skull Spider hordes. The Spiders attack the island, searching for Masks of Power. The current Protectors summon the Toa using the Prophecy of Heroes. The Toa claim their Golden Masks, head for the City of the Mask Makers, and defeat the Lord of Skull Spiders. Makuta is awakened by this sudden surge of power on the island. He is able to use his Mask of Control and reanimate the form of Kulta, who he puts under his control. Kulta raises an army of reanimated citizens, who are now various types of undead warriors. Apparently, the Lord of Skull Spiders is not dead, and is able to control the reanimated Skull Slicer. Until the new animations and novels are officially out, I'm not going to go any farther. Feedback/constructive criticism is welcome.
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So I always wanted t build a Protector themed off of the golden Skull Spider mask, I think I did pretty well. Front Action pose Behind the cloak I also wanted to implement a way for him to hide his more ominous features, so I came up with this disguise idea where his arms fold up and the masks change. Definitely not a monster Action pose again Everything's hidden on the back I also found his back useful for holding studs. Gallery It's a much more simple build that what I usually go for, but I didn't really see anything more to add to this model without overcomplicating it.
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Okay, so we've had a few topics related to gender recently, spawning some lively discussion, interesting headcanons, and some creative interpretations of the gender ratios and dynamics in G1 and 2, but I'm wondering what people would choose given the opportunity to start from scratch. So here's a scenario... Ten years from now, a couple of years after G2 finished, you've been appointed head of the story team for the new Bionicle reboot. All you've been given is a list of character names that have been cleared by the legal team, consisting of most of the old favourites and plenty of new ones. They say you're welcome to look through any of the old story bibles, but they would like "a fresh start". Your only instruction is to make it appealing to 7-12 year old boys, though appeal for a periphery demographic is not unwelcome. You could bring back all your favourite characters exactly as they were before- "No need to mess with perfection," and all that. You could gender-swap characters or groups of characters to toggle the ratio. You could start over with a new set of characters. Or some combination thereof... or something else entirely? What would you do?
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I: The Banishment The millenary inscriptions poured down from history itself flowed endlessly under their eyes. From just to the night earlier to the furthest and darkest moments of the time before time, not a single year nor month or day of matoran record was ignored, and doomed to oblivion. Every inch of the vast smoke-filled room was covered in the circular hieroglyphs of the matoran alphabet, detailing all that has been: the collective memory of the matoran community, which scholars from all across the island came to study and recall, with an almost religious reverence to history, so strong and faithful to give them the necessary courage to face the many dangers of a long journey. Probing deeper and deeper into the valleys of history, proceeding towards the stairs, the stone pillars, the relics and the altar to the gods at the very bottom of the room, the common round characters to which every matoran is used were progressively replaced by hexagonal ones and then by totally absurd and incomprehensible signs: the writing of the matoran that had been and that were no more, describing the life of an once rich and advanced civilization, long before the matoran escape and settlement on the tropical Mata Nui. Translating these ancient texts passed down through time was a sacred task that brought matoran from all the koros together. Most of the time, however, the translated inscriptions did not make much sense to modern matoran. Takua bit his tongue to stop himself from screaming. The poor quality Huna he wore to enter the temple fell of his backpack with a loud clang. “By the Great Beings! – cried Kodan – Oh, no. No, no, no. We’d better leave now.” “Shh, shh. No one heard us, keep calm.” Takua tried to reassure his po-matoran cousin, albeit uncertain of his own words. Even if they were found, what could happen? The guards would have just scolded them from entering the temple without permission. At night. They were not doing anything forbidden, after all. Kodan’s mask of sonar was pleated in an expression of increasing tension and fear. The po-matoran’s clear blue eyes were tremblingly staring at Takua, looking for trust, for bolstering. From the top of his positive approach to life, of his optimistic view of society and reality, and his jokeful way to solve problems that always managed to save his skin, Takua looked down on his cousin’s fears with mockery, and a smile. “Listen, there is nothing to fear, Kodan. – he encouraged him, serene – Just concentrate on those writings. If you really manage to translate them as you told me, Vakama will praise you. Keep calm and nothing will go wrong.” “I want to believe you, Takua.” “Good boy.” The ta-matoran patted him on the back, several times. Sheesh. He sure wasn’t so dang paranoid when he first proposed this. Takua’s cousin Kodan was way different from him. A bit more fearing of authority and faith, a bit less enterprising and unwary. All things that in the eyes of the community were to commend, he was a model matoran in those terms. But not in Takua’s. To him, someone like Kodan, most of the entire matoran population to be honest, was dreary and unpretentious. People did not know how to have fun, or what fun was, at times. All they did and all they thought about was their daily chores, their dear three virtues, the sense of duty, a life entitled entirely and utterly to work in honor of the Great Spirit. Surely those were times in which most, if not all, forms of entertainment were frowned upon, to say the least. Dangerous infected rahi on the loose, pressing more and more onto the villages borders, preying at each and every matoran’s very life. Matoran were constantly busy, and frightened, and suspicious, and stressed. They carried on praying helplessly to their sleepy god for ultimate salvation, or just for an instant of leisure and relief from a day of fatigue, when they had all the power to create, carve in the hours of daylight, amid unavoidable toils, their own moment of peace and recreation. Instead, they kept building stress inside of them. The po-matoran, at least, had koli. Takua sighed, pitying and cursing himself for his past decision to leave Po-Koro for Ta-Koro. He could not recall what passed through his mind, back then, the reason for such an unreasonable choice. As the two matoran’s shadowy silhouettes danced on the engraved walls, under the frenetic light of the temple’s candles and the firmer one of the duo’s own lighstones, Takua gazed onto his cousin, questioning what he has been asking to himself over and over again for quite a long time: How could someone leave Po-Koro? Nevertheless, Kodan had an ambition, a dream, and regardless that Takua deemed it to be rather weird, he appreciated and praised his cousin for this self-committed goal: to shed light onto the dark past of the matoran, deciphering the inscriptions of the ancient long-dead chroniclers, and become a chronicler himself. Such passion for uncovering the unknown past had Kodan pay visit to Takua very often. Takua did not share this zeal of his. He was attracted, however, by the enchanting tales and myths which old matoran’s history was wrapped of and, moreover, the enigmas concerning the ancient relics housed within the Wall of History. And not to solve them, obviously. Enigmas and riddles would lose all their inebriating influence if they were solved. Such relics were instruments and tools of unknown, long-forgotten origin, configuration and purpose, devised eons ago, memoirs of the glorious civilization that the matoran were, before the shadow of the Great Beast haunted and followed them across their many travels. Or so the Turaga would have the matoran believe. While Kodan’s interest was in facts, in realism and conciseness, leading to the chronicles, Takua’s literary call was that for ghost and adventure stories, built upon the rumors and the speculations this or that relic generated. He was quite good at it, too, making himself a name mostly because of his mythic and fictitious – he insisted on this aspect, as he heard that some of them spread across Ta-Wahi were actually believed to be true – tales, other than, of course, the numerous big and small incidents his playful and naïve attitude saw him involved in. The ta-matoran’s attention was then grabbed by something he immediately desired to grab. At the bottom wall of the temple, there were two massive staircases, mutually symmetrical. From the floor, they brought up, nearly at the maximum height of the Wall of History, until they both stopped abruptly, leading to nowhere, separated, by an empty space wide about the size of a matoran and high roughly about four. Amidst this chasm of holy stone, hanging over the void below, clinging onto the wall by nothing else but two tiny poles, there laid some sort of cane, or staff. Or maybe, an arcane weapon. From afar, Takua could not recognize its colors, although he could judge with a certain degree of confidence that they were rather fair. It did not look like anything more than some very old, unalluring piece of wood coated with a shiny paint or metallic layer, culminating in a razor-edged, elongated and baroque topper vaguely reminiscent of the Turaga of Ice’s staff. Did this stop Takua from wanting to get his hands on it? Of course not. Walking through the pillars and altars presenting to the viewer many forbidden pieces of lost technology, perhaps still functioning, he blamed himself for having never noticed the eerie staff before: it was in plain sight. And if he did notice it, how did he not remember, how could he not be intrigued nor allured? It was so plain and bare, yet it was there, alone, in a reserved and special spot, inaccessible. Anyone with a sense for mysteries and secrets would heed the staff’s ominous call and reach for it instantly. Takua was no matoran to ignore this call. His chestlight flashed more and more rapidly at every rung. “Takua! – panicked Kodan, seeing himself alone for a moment, terribly worried – Get down from there! What are you doing?” “Shut your mouth, you noisy pokawi! I just want to get a closer look…” Given that such a deed was easy. The space between the two staircases was larger than what Takua had hoped it to be, and the lighting there was very poor. If that cane was of some extraordinary significance – and it was, no way it could not be – one would expect it to be well lit. You just don’t put something so special where anyone cane see it, but you don’t provide good lightning for it. Hehe. – Takua was thinking, feeling somewhat proud and very intelligent – One might as well hide it, in that case. Aimlessly and to no use he furiously shook his lightstone in hope it could shed at least a sparkle onto the arcane staff. He could only notice that there was an inscription, in current matoran, he was sure of it, below it, and that it was of some shade of light blue. He ferociously desired to have a Matatu with him, and moaned. Instead, all he had was a powerless Huna, so shoddy its power lasted mere minutes, making the escape from the temple a quite complex task – Coming to think of it, were did I leave it? – and an useless Pakari. Maybe not so useless. Calling forth all his courage and recklessness, and the power of the mask of strength, Takua jumped. His four fingers tried in vain to reach the staff, before safely landing onto the top of the opposite staircase. “Are you crazy? Do you want to break your neck?” cried Kodan angrily, leaving his beloved portion of the wall to stay near his foolish companion. He was more genuinely worried than heated, despite the tone of his words. “Dear Artakha! Will you please be silent?” Takua jumped again. And again, his fingers clasped but thin air. “Takua, stop this. I don’t like where this is going. – his brown hands reached for his yellow mask of sonar, glowing at his will – I…I sense some steps. Someone is near. Please, Takua, we need to go now.” “Hang on just a little more…” The ta-matoran jumped one last time. His blonde feet did not meet solid ground. Both his hands grasped around the handle of the ancient item, and just like the staff itself, with the staff, Takua was hanging several feet off the ground. Now what was I trying to do? He said to himself, not knowing whether to laugh or cry in desperation. “Takua, I don’t know what in Artakha’s name you are trying to do. Whatever it is, stop it. Get down! Give it up!” This time Kodan made no effort to keep his voice low – he plainly screamed. “I...I won’t. I can’t!” It was quite a fall from there, the height was proving to be more frightening than what he thought it could be. His hold was already starting to loosen. If I really have to go down, breaking my legs – he thought – I want to bring this thing with me. Surging once more from the Pakari, Takua pushed and pulled, trying to slack the staff from its place. An horrid, creeping, creaking sound preceded his fall, and Kodan’s yell of agony. The Sacred Fire. A timeless flame which has never stopped burning through the ages, constantly nourished and cared; wherever the ta-matoran – and the whole matoran community with them – were or would go, the light and heat of the Sacred Fire, or a torch lit from its eternal hearth, would accompany their thriving and strife, and spread to the world as the matoran themselves. It was one of the duties of the Turaga of Fire to keep the Sacred Fire alive. It was the stare of the Turaga of Fire that oppressed and crushed the two fools with shame, on their knees before the Turaga’s judgment. The Sacred Fire burning at the centre of Vakama’s home, behind the elderly matoran figure, as well as the loads of candles lit among statuettes representing the Great Spirit, blazing in many colors, created a strange lighting that confused the eyesight. The Turaga’s orange Huna was darker than usual in such conditions. Not that Takua or Kodan could see it, their eyes fixed on the dusty ground by the weight of shame and guilt. The Turaga shook his head silently, staring at the two broken fragments of the Chronicler’s staff – so he called the instrument burning Takua’s curiosity. The tip of Vakama’s Firestaff harmonically and softly, yet ominously, hit the ground, elaborating a dark soundtrack for Takua and Kodan’s impending fate. No other sound but the crackling of the Sacred Fire. The duo’s breath itself seemed to have stopped, and none of them had the courage to even whisper. The three matoran, plus the guards at the Turaga’s door, were as frozen and surrounded by utter silence, if not for the Firestaff beats. Then Vakama started to walk back and forth, and the tingling of the fire emblem hanging around his neck added to the music. And he spoke. “Do you realize how old the Chronicler’s staff is?” No answer came. “It is perhaps the oldest artifact we possess. When our ancestors decided to put down in words we could read the history of our people, the very first chronicler forged this very tool – he pointed at the broken parts with his staff – to carve the very first letters onto the very first Wall of History, which we have been copying and translating restlessly in our travels.” Takua closed his eyes, as if doing so could take him away from that situation. “But it seems like words don’t get through to you, do they, Takua? It seems that having saved me from the skull spiders three years ago somehow gave you the rights to do as you please. I have told you once, and I will tell you again. Do I need to remember that ‘sport’ you invented and promoted, lavasurfing, as you called it, such a dangerous and unorthodox activity? Even among our youngest children, our hope and future, putting their lives in peril! And what about that time you took part in an expedition to the Tren Krom pass, without being member of the excavation team, nearly causing the cave to collapse?” The tremendous recalling seemed to have no end. Takua remained religiously quiet and accepted passively all that the Turaga was scolding him for, for it was just the truth after all. He just wanted to know what his punishment was. Recollecting his past mistakes – even if he did not consider lavasurfing a mistake, not at all – was of no help. “Now, this. What passed through your mind, Takua? And through yours, Kodan. Your father Ekimu won’t be pleased at all. Entering the Wall of History without authorization. At night. Evading the guards, like smugglers, like thieves. For what? Couldn’t you have waited till dawn, like regular scholars?” With the flame-shaped top of his Turaga staff, Vakama turned to Takua and forced to raise his head and look his Turaga in the eyes. “Do not get me wrong, Takua. I appreciate your spirit, and your heart. For having saved me, of course. I might be dead by now if it wasn’t for you. But you have been a nuisance, recently, to me and to the other villagers. Tearing apart this sacred relic, for how irrelevant it may seem to you, is a very grave deed for me, and for our culture.” Takua realized the time has come. Vakama’s sermon had ended and now, he waited silently his sentence, ready to accept it whatever it may take, and knowing that there was no way to avoid it. “I, Turaga Vakama son of Tahnok, successor of Turaga Dume, chief of Ta-Wahi and guide of the ta-matoran, hereby banish you, Takua son of Vohon, from the village of Ta-Koro, to the Ta-Wahi beach.” “What?! Banish!” yelled Takua, standing on his feet. He was ready for everything, sure, but not this. “No way! You can’t banish me, Turaga! You…you can’t! I don’t deserve this punishment for…for breaking an old stick! I won’t…” “On your knees, villager! – shouted one of the guards, striking Takua on the legs with the bottom of his spear, and then on his back, forcing him to kiss the dust of the floor – And watch your mouth. It’s your Turaga you’re talking to.” “Easy, guard.” Vakama calmed his man. “Turaga Vakama… – Takua whispered, daring to glance but at the Turaga’s feet, and at the train of his royal cape, decorated with the fire symbol, repeated countlessly inside small circles – Banished…for how long?” “Don’t see in banishment such a grave punishment, you will see that this is quite mild. You are just no longer allowed to enter Ta-Koro, until you prove to me and to your fellow villagers your good heart and that fun is not all you care about. Or you can seek fortune elsewhere.” “But, Turaga, please…not the Ta-Wahi beach! I…I hate the smell, and it’s tremendously cold there at night!” Kodan and Vakama could not believe their ears. Takua still had the heart to joke. “Why…why not the Tren Krom pass? At least it’s always cold. I’m begging you, Turaga.” “I’m sorry, Takua. As your Turaga, even in banishment I must be assured of your well-being, and the beach is the safest place to stay at the moment. Once you are there, you are free to choose your destiny.” “What-what about my cousin? – screamed then Takua in one last rush, trying immediately to prove his ‘good heart’, and in a honest way – He didn’t do anything bad, it was me who broke the staff and I made him stay ev-” “Don’t listen to him, Turaga Vakama. – Kodan interrupted, showing even more courage and honesty than his fire cousin – It was my decision to sneak into the first place. I deserve the same punishment.” “Enough. – said Vakama firmly, raising his free hand – Do not cover each other. You are both guilty. And Kodan, don’t be stupid. You are no ta-matoran neither a ta-wahian, I have limited powers over you. However, Takua: since he was host at your home, he shall be your host in banishment as well. Free to return under the watch of Turaga Onewa whenever he prefers, of course, and face whatever judgment he will deem right. Now, leave.”
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Imagine this hypothetical scenario; you've just been hired by LEGO to write a new storyline for their upcoming reboot of BIONICLE. You've read their little summary of the previous generation and you think to yourself "say, this story had a cliffhanger. Let's fix that!" Then LEGO gives you a small list of constraints. Actually, it's just one constraint. Note from corporate; cannot be a continuation of G1. No GSR, no GBs, no SR. Doesn't have to murder G1 like an Aztec priest, but no direct connections. So, that's it. It's up to you to write an original storyline for G1 for the set designers to work around, but it must follow that constraint. Post your ideas here. ------------- As for me, I'd write something rather similar to what G2 actually ended up doing, with a few differences. Firstly, I'd make the elemental powers the Toa had be from their generic masks, and the Golden Masks give them their old Mata powers. Secondly, instead of Protectors, I'd have Elders named for the original Turaga and Guardians named for the original McToran. Finally, instead of fighting a skull spider, the story would have the Toa going up against Makuta for the 2015 storyline, with 2016 being the big confrontation. The problem is that, while Makuta looks evil, everything he's done has been done by an even greater evil. See, Ekimu wasn't as nice as we all thought, and was beginning to become ever more tyrannical, until he began creating a mask that would give him ultimate control of everyone on the island. To stop him, Makuta used the Mask of Ultimate Power to seal Ekimu away, but Ekimu was prepared and began trying to break through Makuta's seal, leading to the events of the stop. This would lead to a final showdown between the Toa (who have now been granted new Shadowmasks with new powers (Nuva, perhaps?)) Makuta and Ekimu's army of evil, wherein Makuta and Ekimu have a huge brawl until Makuta sacrifices himself to permanently seal Ekimu away. For good. Always. And no, no giant robot. Well, not that kind of giant robot. Maybe a mech created by Ekimu.
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Review for Beware the Skull Spiders. Epic
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Ok, first off, I started this story back when we got the first blurry leaks, so some of my writing was based on that (and by extension, I built MOCs of the Toa and spiders to use as a model. The only reason I didn't switch to the official set designs is because I wanted the entire team to have golden armor, not just three of them. The MOCs that I used can be found here). Second, this is the first "book" of the 2015 storyline, which I made up before we got anything official, so no Okoto, no Ekimu, etc. I plan on doing two "books" for each year, for at least three years, since that's how far Lego has plans for as of what we know. I have left openings to expand out for more years, if need be. I tried to write this like an actual Bionicle novel, down to font size and page size in Microsoft Word, and reread parts of some of the novels to try to get a grip on Greg's writing (granted, as I got farther in, I stopped doing that). Of note is that I used the Protectors as something entirely different, stuck with the old Kanohi powers, and kept the Matoran. I'm going to Word of God this; the tribes are NOT split by gender. There are males and females in every tribe, you just won't see that in this particular book. One more note: the portrayal of the Toa here is the primary reason I wanted to write this. It's an idea I've had for a while, and I love it. You'll see in chapter 1 what I mean. Prologue, 9 chapters, Epilogue. I'll try to update daily, but around New Years I can't, because I'll be away without internet. Anyway, with all of these notes out of the way, enjoy, although the prologue doesn't do much, being a prologue and all: Prologue Sitting in the crystalline blue waters of a vast ocean sat a single island. The peaks of the island twisted, while a single mountain rose in the center of the island. This was no ordinary mass of rock; however, this was a temple, sitting atop a mountain. The people of the island would use this shrine as a place of peace, and a place of reflection. Lately peace and reflection have been hard to come by. “Our island was one of peace. A pristine beauty untouched by conflict and by evil, a home for the Matoran to call their own. The Matoran as a people are governed by three virtues that are meant to hold true for all time. “Unity. To stand together as friends, comrades, and family. “Duty. To aid each other in whatever pursuits we may have. “Destiny. To strive towards the future. A better future. “To hold true to these virtues, legend holds of three masks of power. A Kanohi Mask of Unity. A Kanohi Mask of Duty. A Kanohi Mask of Destiny. These masks are meant to be the embodiments of our virtues, of our way of life. “Lately, however, the way of life has been hard and trying, with dangers abound.” Hidden within the many forests and the deserts of the island were a race of spiders. Their crimson eyes, rows of fangs dripping saliva, and the bladed legs made them a thing of nightmare. Their eyes broke the darkness of night, ensuring anyone being hunted through the dark be aware of their impending fate. The island was shrouded in darkness. Where once light and peace reigned, now there was nothing more than torture, darkness, and tyranny. “Legend holds that the three Kanohi masks of legend lie here, hidden on the Island of Mata Nui. An island besieged by darkness, holding onto hope that heroes shall rise.” Review
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Way back when I first joined BZPower, I had a popular topic called MNOG Findings pointing out possible theories based on little details seen in the Mata Nui Online Game. A few of them turned out to be right, most weren't (esp. because we later learned the MNOG designers rarely consulted the story team), but it was a fun process to go through at the least. So now I was watching the videos for Generation 2 that we have so far, and I noticed several little things. It reminded me of that, so I thought of making this topic. I was going to type out the transcripts as part of this, but wouldn't have had time this year, and thankfully fishers64 has provided them for the Legend video and the first three animations. The lines in bold for the first three are quoted from that topic. I have also included the brief transcript of the Masks of Power trailer at the end of this post (lines in bold again). I'm commenting on the CG promo vid briefly and the individual Toa promos, but haven't bothered with transcripts for those. (Bold is used for section headers there instead.) I'm presuming here that the reader is already familiar with a few of the already much-discussed findings like the Vahi 'easter eggs'. The focus here is on things not much discussed yet, although some common theories are mentioned and possible evidence pro/con discussed. There's also some theories of my own (but if somebody else happened to think of it already and maybe mention it somewhere I missed, no theft intended lol). The Legend: A long time ago in the on the mythical island of Okoto, all lived in harmony. It was a place of wonders and beautiful landscapes. Mythical? This raises major questions, but all might miss the point as this word might just be there to help give a more fantasy feel to Generation 2 versus the more sci-fi feel of Generation 1, or to balance the sci-fi feel that will naturally be gotten from seeing (apparent) robots and passenger pods from space just in Gen 2. The emphasis on harmony and a place of wonders also evokes the Gen 1 in-story myth that the Turaga created as a protective lie to keep the Matoran from trying to return to Metru Nui. But whether this is meant to imply anything for Gen 2, it's too early to tell. It could be that in this incarnation, they wanted to bring what was a lie in Gen 1 (or metaphor that was partly true) into full reality for Gen 2, basically. From the island's elemental forces, two brothers, known as the Mask makers, created masks of Power. The elemental forces, used in the masks, come from the island itself? This may give evidence that Gen 2 actually uses something that for Gen 1 Mata Nui Island was a fan theory that was never confirmed; that the elemental regions are different from each other not so much for natural wind direction or elevation based reasons but from actual elemental energies casting a sort of spell over the six regions. And we see a re-use of the idea of two powerful brothers from Gen 1. This time it may be literal; they seem to simply be titans, and there's evidence elsewhere of biological descent or something like it with the Protectors. So these important titans, the maskmakers, might be literal brothers. This wording is also interesting to the question of how masks other than Mask of Fire, Mask of Water, etc. are made. There's a law (mentioned a few lines down from here) that no two elemental powers could be contained in one mask, but this line makes it sound like all mask powers are made from the six elemental forces of the island. This could be reading too much into it. But if so, maybe you can MIX elements to make a single new power, OR choose to have MULTIPLE elemental powers in one mask. If the latter, then it seems implied the Mask of Ultimate Power (read on if unfamiliar) is a Mask that controls all six elements at once, or a "Mask of Fire, Water, Ice, Jungle, Stone, and Earth". Each brother had a special mask. Makuta owned the Mask of Control, and Ekimu the Mask of Creation. "Special" mask. That could mean simply that some masks aren't taken from the island's elemental forces. Or it could mean it's special to mix powers (getting a single new power, similar to the Kanoka mixture system of Gen 1), and normal to just make one of the six elemental masks. If the latter, and based on the interesting twist that unlike Gen 1, Tahu Toa of Fire has a Mask of Fire (not Mask of Shielding), it's possible the maskmakers' main job on Okoto was to make lesser elemental masks for the Protectors and maybe villagers. But... we just don't know enough to be sure of these details. It's also possible something like Gen 1's Legendary system exists here, so these two could be special in that way. That would especially make sense for the Mask of Creation, but I tend to think Gen 2 dispenses with that complexity. This would be a question I'd be especially interested to see answered soon. The brothers provided the islanders with many masks, but Ekimu's were the most treasured. Note that the idea that I saw at least one person post, that these two maskmakers didn't make the islanders' masks, is clearly wrong. This doesn't have to mean the islanders' masks have powers. They might be like Matoran and need the masks to stay conscious... or something. We just don't know. There could be evidence in the "most treasured" line for something about the mask shape we see apparently universally on the Protector and villager faces. The lower half of it resembles the lower half of the Mask of Creation, which Ekimu wore. Perhaps that means Ekimu made all of those masks, and the ones Makuta made are just stored somewhere and rarely worn? His brother became envious and forged an evil plan. It was a sacred law that a mask could never contain the power of more than one element. Otherwise it would become too strong, and dangerous. This scene shows evidently mined materials being stored in the background, including purple crystals that are later seen floating in the air in an Onua scene. This seems to imply special substances are found across the island that contain elemental powers and these are used in maskmaking. (Including something we could theoretically call Earth Crystals, for example.) This could be relevant because of the emphasis on "pure gold" of the Mask of Creation. Maybe this implies its power doesn't come from a mixture at all but from a rare material other than the more common six elemental materials. The substance called gold in this mythology could simply have the 'element' of creation. We don't know if all mask powers are considered elemental in Gen 2, but it's possible, and there could be any number of rarer elements. Or, maybe some powers come from materials but aren't considered elements. But Makuta wanted to create the strongest mask of all time. The Mask of Ultimate Power. When Makuta put it on, it took control over him, and the island began to shake and crumble. Some have theorized that the MoUP is the Vahi (Mask of Time), but this does not support that idea. It sounds more like the above interpretation of a Mask of Six Elements. The hammering scene also clearly shows Makuta being lit up by six colors in sequence, matching the six colors used in several other places in these vids for the Toa's six elements. The Mask of Time is probably a different mask more akin to the Mask of Creation (both of those were Legendary Masks in Gen 1, after all.) The island shaking could be from Makuta's inability to control multiple elements at once, so at least the Stone and Earth elements probably went wild, breaking up the island's bedrock and soil layers. Realizing what his brother had done, Ekimu managed to knock the mask from Makuta's face. A shockwave rolled across the land, and sent both brothers into an endless sleep. The source of this shockwave is unclear -- a power of Ekimu's staff, or a result of the impact with the MoUP? It could perhaps be Makuta losing control at the last second of the Fire part of the MoUP (maybe just the heat part?) because he was distracted by the sight of the hammer swinging at him, or the impact itself. Or it might be energy flowing between his mind and the mask, similar to a scene in Mask of Light (Gen 1) where electric energy seemed to arc between Makuta's mask and his face when Takanuva tried to pry the mask off. I'm thinking something other than the Fire explanation, as the brothers don't seem to have been even partially melted. Either way, the animation depicts the energy explosion as powerful enough to be easily seen on the "view from space" of the island, so it's apparently a wonder they survived at all. The masks were scattered all over the island, waiting for a time when someone would come looking for them. Note the passive voice here -- were scattered. At first I assumed this meant the explosion itself knocked the other masks away, but it could also mean the Protectors hid the masks to keep them protected from enemies (like the Skull Spiders). If they were knocked away, somebody or something must explain the pedestals placed under them; probably either way it's the Protectors. It seems simpler to suggest that the Protectors hid them rather than having to find them. Or the pedestals just might be something that manifests magically, "automatically." -------------------------------------------------- 01 The Prophecy of Heroes: NARRATOR: On the mythical island of Okoto, ancient masks of power were hidden away, for only the strongest to find and claim. There's that mythical line again, plus "hidden away" seems to support the above theory that the masks weren't knocked away by the explosion. But an enemy was rising, growing stronger by the minute, searching for the masks. These lines bring up an interesting question of whether anybody who physically reaches the hiding places of the masks can just swipe the masks off their pedestals, or if there's some kind of protective spell cast by the pedestals. At least one of the Golden Mask animations in Episode 3 seems to have the Lord of the Skull Spiders already present at a mask and guarding it from the Toa, rather than it simply being a race to be the first to the mask. The "growing stronger" wording may suggest they didn't yet have enough of a magical power to get past this spell, and Toa do, but they soon would. Such a spell might be related to the power of the Protectors' masks; maybe the pedestals are tied into that power, or something. But even if this is so, it seems that at story start the Skull Spiders hadn't actually yet found the masks, or not all/most of them. Desperately, the Protectors gathered in the most sacred place, the Temple of Time. Reciting what was known as the Prophecy of Heroes, they sent their prayers to the sky. Now we see time playing a role besides the Vahi easter eggs; it's confirmed in-story. And given central importance. What relationship this has to prayers is unclear. Perhaps it has something to do with destiny and timing; the pendulum in the temple was 'ticking' away time to when the Toa were destined to come? The prophecy was whispered the Protectors a long time ago when they found the lifeless body of Ekimu, the mask maker, and laid him to rest. This seems to imply Ekimu may have a spirit nature beyond his physical form. This could evidence that the spirit of Makuta may be actively behind the Skull Spiders, or at least have also "whispered" something to spiders at the time just before both beings fell into total comas. PROTECTOR OF FIRE: Hear now, O my son, what the prophecy says: More evidence of biological descent, although terms like brother were nonliteral in Gen 1, so who knows. When times are dark and all hope seems lost, the Protectors must unite, one from each tribe, invoke the power of past and future, and look to the skies for an answer. Does this imply there may be more than one Protector in each tribe? I would presume not, though, unless we learn otherwise. More interesting is again how time is related to asking for help. Here's it's called an actual power. A power of what? The Temple? A combination of six elements? (Possibly supporting the Vahi = MoUP theory.) When the stars align, six comets will bring timeless heroes to claim the Masks of Power and find the Mask Maker. Fascinating association of the coming of the Toa now not only with time, but timelessness, and even stars aligning. (This brings up a question about what is meant by stars, by the way; the graphics used along with this seem more like planets, complete with Saturnian rings for one of them, but in ancient times on Earth, the terms for stars were often used for planets too; they were known as wandering stars.) Very mysterious. United, the six elements hold the power to defeat evil. United, but not one. These two sentences seem to go back to supporting the theory that fusing the six elements into one power is evil and isn't related to time. I think we need insight into whether there was an earlier event that the Temple of Time is all about, perhaps a societal founding event? If so, then I would not see the time references as directly related to the MoUP events, and the Vahi is likely a separate mask. NARRATOR: It was the power of this prophecy that made six elemental heroes to rain down upon Okoto. Who they really were remained a mystery. But it was their destiny to defeat evil and save the island. Here we have a confirmation that destiny plays a role, at least in an out-story sense. But it seems confirmed somehow in-story with all this connection between time and conscious will; the power of the prophecy itself is what summons the heroes. That could be nonliteral, though; the prophecy motivated the Protectors to activate a power of summoning at the apppointed time. Unclear for now. -------------------------------------------------------- 02 The Arrival: NARRATOR: A bright light fell from the sky above the island of Okoto, crashing into the ground like a burning rock. The wise Protector led the local villagers to a crater of fire. They held their breath as a figure stepped out of the flames. It seems unclear in this portrayal whether there actually is a space-pod, or perhaps magical elemental forces surround them, and/or whatever contains them may burn up on descent through the atmosphere. The Toa are sold in boxes, unlike the Gen 1 canisters. How they land safely, even though there's a crater, is also left unclear; in Gen 1 they landed in the ocean so it was easily understandable. Perhaps this time they are fully robotic and of a sort that can enter atmospheres unaided. Do they breathe, if so? Who knows. TAHU: O where am I? Who am I? This mirrors Gen 1 in that the Toa Mata had forgotten their past. See a comment a few lines down though. But in Gen 1, the canisters landed in the ocean a thousand years before the Toa were summoned, and the forgetting was due to the canisters malfunctioning (they weren't supposed to need summoning); that time stuck in the canisters basically made them rot. This time we clearly see that they land and right away they're active. So this might not be memory loss; it could be that they're something like the heroes of Hero Factory; manufactured and sent, with no memories because they're brand new beings, though that "timeless" line may imply something more. Although this impact made a crater, and Gen 1 also has precedent for hard impacts that aren't fatal resulting in memory loss (Takua at the end of the GBA game, just before MNOG starts). PROTECTOR OF FIRE: You are Tahu, the Master of Fire. You have been sent to us. A promo line in the Tahu commercial later seems to imply a contradiction of this line. Here, Master seems to be used as a synonym of Toa, and it's applied immediately. But in the promo, he says that when he collects his Golden Mask, he will become the Master of Fire. In that wording it seems more like a "full potential" thing. I'm not sure what to make of this, but the sets are labeled Masters without the Golden Masks, so I'm thinking this line is more canon. TAHU: What are you talking about? Why would I be sent here? PROTECTOR: An evil is rising. And you are here to defeat it. NARRATOR: Tahu looked around the villagers. His head held many questions, but no memory of who he was or what he was capable of. In Gen 1, they retained something like "muscle memory" of how to use their powers, both elemental and mask. However, I wouldn't make too much of this, as that memory was more subconscious than conscious. They didn't necessarily "have memory" of what they were capable of; the first comic portrays Kopaka gradually recalling how it worked over time for example. TAHU: Me? What do I know about defeating evil? PROTECTOR: It has been foretold that one day six heroes, the Toa, would arrive and go on a quest for golden masks to unlock each of their great powers. I wouldn't make too much of the term "great" here, but the animation shown for Kopaka after he gets this looks a lot like the Gen 1 power of Shielding (Tahu's Kanohi Hau). Do they unlock extra powers with the Golden Masks? Or was that just meant to be a cage of ice he makes? TAHU: How do you know- [VILLAGERS behind THE PROTECTOR OF FIRE reel in fear.] TAHU: Was it something I said? PROTECTOR: No, it's those Skull Spiders behind you! [sKULL SPIDERS attack TAHU. TAHU successfully fends them off.] [upon seeing this, the VILLAGERS gasp and bow before TAHU.] TAHU: Umm...mmm...ohh. PROTECTOR: Do you still doubt your destiny, Tahu? Come with me, we have no time to waste! --------------------------- 03 Quest for the Golden Masks: NARRATOR: Legend told that one day, six heroes would make it through the dangerous parts of the island, and claim the masks to unlock their true powers. Interesting wording. The powers they have before the Golden masks aren't their "true" powers? What could this mean? Probably again just a full potential type thingamabob. But I can't help but wonder if more Gen-1-esque mask powers might be involved. And note that we still don't know if the Toa have elemental powers on their own without the masks here. It could be something like 1/3 power with no mask, 2/3 with mask, 3/3 with Gold. Or just highly skilled uses with the Gold. Lewa, Toa of Jungle, was cutting through thick woodlands. We know well by now that he's called a Toa of Jungle, but it's interesting that I haven't seen a clear portrayal of him controlling plants yet. There's a lot of flying, though, which makes it seem more like his Gen 1 element of Air. However, in the handshake scene in the Legend vid, in addition to the "Earth Crystals", there's something that looks like spiky vines, and if that whole theory about elemental materials being used in mask powers is right that's at least a little in-story evidence of the Jungle element being literal. And in the open of the Lewa scene here, the apparent distance between where Lewa is hanging from a vine and the leaves blocking the camera's view of him may be more than the reach of his sword, so this might be a case of his using elemental power. Or it might be comic-book physics standing in for a machete swipe. The sun burned Pohatu, Toa of Stone, as he fought his way across desert dunes. Kopaka, Toa of Ice, was striding through raging blizzards. KOPAKA: Oof. I didn't slip. NARRATOR: The river was a fast way for Gali, Toa of Water, while Onua, Toa of Earth, was clawing his way through solid rock. Interesting choice of words in that last bit. Toa of Earth clawing through solid rock? Methinks we can expect the same confusions among fans between Earth and Stone from Gen 2 we got in G1 (assuming the distinctions are even the same here... and it actually seems like they aren't; "Stone" seems to include sand this time -- in G1 sand was excluded from both of those elements and was between them). May also be worth noting that the animated version of Onua's "claws" doesn't really look like claws (no fingers on them anyways). On the plus side, the G2 version is much clearer than the original that his normal hands are holding something, rather than not having normal hands. PROTECTOR OF FIRE: Tahu, Toa of Fire, this is Okoto's greatest volcano. You are close now. Note that the images so far seem to show three noticeable short volcanos, and a single central volcano. I presume this is the central one. Unless that actually isn't a volcano. (G1 did have Mount Ihu which was the highest peak and not a volcano.) But reaching your goal does not mean the end of danger. Far from it. Know this, Tahu - the shadows of the shrines hold stronger enemies than you could ever imagine. Be brave. Be strong. Believe in your destiny. So the pedestals are called shrines (Suva were called that in G1 too), and this wording seems to lend credence to the theory that the shrines actually protect the masks from the enemies somehow. This wording also gives hope that special elite villains beyond the Lord of the Skull Spiders may in in store, but the animations seem to debunk that, as they're shown getting the masks without much special trouble. The lineup of speech to animation slides also shows normal Skull Spiders along with this enemies line, which doesn't make much sense but there it is. Possibly just the animators trying to make the same baddies the Toa encounter from the start seem dramatic due to likely not having any extra bad guys allowed for set reasons. Now the CG video: When the LoSS steals the Mask of Creation, a cloud of dark fog/smoke comes up behind him. Mere dramatic effect? Or something storyline-related? My first guess is to extend that theory of a spell of some sort on the shrines, and taking the mask unleashes this. But it could just be representative of Makuta being empowered by a servant of his (presumably?) holding such a powerful mask. Who knows? Okay now the really fascinating part. Kopaka is clearly shown coming to a stop midair in a leap, seemingly telekinetically. Mere noncanon artistic license? Probably... but if not, that opens up tons of exciting potential -- perhaps Gen 2 Toa have self-telekinetic powers. But we can't be sure at all of this from a set-style video. There are a few scenes that seem to add support to the idea in the Toa promo vids, but unsure if they're meant to be taken literally. Kopaka vid: Most important observation: his Gold Mask shrine is by far the most awesome of the six depicted in these vids. *ahem* Well, interestingly the same sort of energy crackling effect seen with the Mask of Creation is shown around the Golden mask while it's on its shrine. I'd previously assumed that was inherent to the MoC, but this may imply it's part of the hovering over the shrine thing (or maybe protective spell theory or something). It disappears when he collects it, but a bright light is shown when he puts it on his face. This vid zooms away at two crucial moments so the timing of that is a little hard to tell. Looks like the crackling stops when he retrieves the mask, and the bright glow happens when the mask is on his face. Then all such special effects end, and the mask is just worn. Until a few seconds later at the end of a slide, when the tool seems to change. I'm unsure if that's just meant as the Toa taking out their weapons and switching them to an "attack really powerful bad guy" mode or if it's meant as the tool getting upgraded in connection with the Golden Mask. All the vids have a showdown start (and the vid cuts off) with the LoSS. (Or A LoSS? More than one? Or does he travel a lot?) And there's the things mentioned earlier; "become the Master of Ice" (I guess that's repeated in all six promo vids), and the geometric shield bubble thingy. Which really looks like energy rather than ice. It is also shown definitely deflecting some Skull Spiders, so it's not just decoration; it's a shield of some kind. Lewa: Again, no real indication of Jungle control. Narration mentions roaming the sky... still seems more Air-focused. It seems implied he unlocked "green-glowy sword effect" of indeterminate usefulness. And this time the LoSS shows up BEFORE the mask is collected. This one could be taken as a race to the mask (the Kopaka one looks like the spiders were heading that way but were later than in the Lewa one), but it could also be guarding. Another nice note is that the confusion over his name's pronunciation from G1 seems to have been erased. It's LEE-wuh, matching the LEE pronunciation of the prefix of Le-Matoran, not LAY-wuh or LOO-wuh. Gali: It seems like she unlocks a special Tool-based power that mimics that one Nokama waterskiing vid from 2004. The Spiders seem to be guarding the mask this time, but they ARE shown appearing on scene moments before, so maybe not. Onua: Now things get shaken up. Here we see both a grayish rock and the purple crystals hovering midair in this cavern. And the LoSS seems almost clearly to be guarding the mask this time (he's sitting on this hovering rock, seemingly waiting for Onua to collect his mask and then attack). We DO see the Skull Spiders climbing the pillar toward the mask, though, so this could just be an illusion of timing. On the other hand, they attack Onua when he puts the mask on his face. That could go either way; are they climbing originally just to attack him? Or to steal the mask? Despite the LoSS looking like a guard here, I think we still have enough evidence from earlier that a race is involved to some extent. The LoSS might be just overseeing the smaller spiders climbing to the mask in this one. Maybe he simply doesn't trust his weight to the way to approach this one? Pohatu: Now things just get weird. Cacti! Aussie accent! Boomerangs! Sandnados! Yeah. I'm not sure if I like these changes or not... but kids will probably love them. There's very little resemblance to Gen 1 Po-Wahi here so far. Of course, the voice could easily be non-canon, as with Gali's; the accent is probably to help the universal voice actor distinguish between the characters, so I didn't take it too seriously. The rest is harder to ignore, though. It seems like this time they're going for a more real-world desert feel. There is precedent, though; the Bionicle Heroes Reidak level featured cacti. But besides all that, here we have the clearest appearance of self-telekinesis. When he summons a sand tornado, he clearly rises up as if hovering. Is the sand pushing him up? Probably. Still, I'll be interested to see this pinned down. And apparently the LoSS can spit something as an attack. Tahu: Wow he sounds really aggressive! Um... no real... story observations... Except the LoSS looks kinda guardlike near the end, but the first overview of this scene doesn't show it. Seemingly both the LoSS and the rock it's standing on show up much closer to the mask than in that earlier scene, but that could be a trick of direction and perspective. Well, and it seems like he's surfing horizontally in the volcano's caldera, possibly evidencing more self-telekinesis, but again nothing clearly meant to be taken seriously. He does seem to be going down something downhill first, so probably that's just meant to be building up momentum. Masks of Power trailer: On a mystical island, evil is rising, craving the powerful Mask of Creation. Note the change in wording from mythical to mystical. Meant as synonyms? And the name of the island isn't mentioned this time. Plus here we see confirmation that the Mask of Creation is central to this rising evil's goals. Whose motive is this? The Lord of the Skull Spiders? Or Makuta? Both? (Or mayyyyybeeee... THEY'RE ONE AND THE SAYYYYYYYYME!!!!11! *ahem*) But six elemental heroes crash from the sky. Tahu. Gali. Pohatu. Kopaka. Onua. And Lewa. It is their destiny to find their masks of power, battle evil, and save the island. This could just be promotional wording, but notice that this destiny doesn't mention awakening anybody. In G1, saving the island was a step along the way to awakening Mata Nui. In G2, perhaps awakening Ekimu is a step to saving the island? Okay, there's my observations. Thunks? Crazy? Applesauce?
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So, if you've noticed, the Masks of Power are rather bland. There's a Mask of Fire, Water, Jungle, etc. etc. But then there's the Masks of Creation and Control, which aren't elemental. So, here's my theory. Other teams of Masters have different mask abilities. The Protectors all probably have the "noble" form of a certain type of mask (perhaps this gen's equivalent of a Kanohi Hau) and the Golden Masks each contain different mask abilities akin to those of the original masks (though I'd assume that the Golden Jungle and Golden Water masks don't have levitation and water-breathing, since Lewa can already fly and I'll bet you that Gali can already breathe underwater) When Wave 2 comes out with whatever new Toa we'll be seeing, they'll probably go back to whatever mask they were using in Gen 1. I suppose the only reason to have an elemental mask is to enhance your natural powers. What do you think?
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-Original Topic Asked to be Closed Prior to the Start of this Topic- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I started writing a three-part story last year, with a ton of tie-ins to minor stories, but there were too many storyline errors to have it tie in with the canon BIONICLE story. So I'm now rebooting the story within my own universe, allowing for no continuity bumps. -Introduction- Sandstorm started out as a Matoran, like any other Toa. But unlike most, whose lives were filled with knowledge, exploration, and regular everyday tasks, his life was a back-alley adventure of danger. Always on the lookout for a job that would keep him alive and well, be it clean or not. He was often hunted by the Vahki, he was caught once. But, because of a stroke of pure luck, he got away. He took a job one day for an old coot who lived on the outskirts of Po-Zadia, he was handed an orange stone with a soft glow, and was told to take it to the Toa Suva for a friend to pick up. When he got there, Vahki were everywhere. He had to use stealth to get inside. But stealth wasn't exactly Sandstorm's strong suit, he almost got caught by a patrol of the robotic peacekeepers on his way in. Once he was inside, he dropped the stone where he was told to, and right as he was leaving, Vahki swarmed in. Sandstorm had no choice but to see what that glowing stone could do. He quickly threw it into the Suva and ducked for cover, hoping that it would explode. For a second, the suva glowed brightly, but then faded back to its original dim state. He was caught by the Vahki and thrown into jail for breaking and entering, among other crimes that he had committed. One day, while he was cursing Mata Nui for putting him in a place like this, a bolt of light shot though the only window on the wall. Sandstorm tried to dodge it, but the light followed him wherever he went. He finally gave up and allowed himself to be hit by the light, knowing that death would be better than living in a cell. But he didn't die, he actually felt stronger. Other changes had also taken place, he had grown taller, his Kanohi Kiril could now regenerate natural substances, and the small rock that he used to carve tally marks into the wall had transformed into an elegant spear. With a smug grin on his face, he backed against the cell door, and charged forward. He broke through the cell wall and found himself in a free fall above the ocean. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. Please let me know if there are any grammatical errors, or if there is anything that should be rewritten.
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Hello, BZP! It's been a while ever since the forums went down and I know it was worth waiting for it to come back up and resume our usual posting or comedy making or doing comics.In my case, therefore, I'm going to do a reboot of one of my comedies (the first one created, though), known as... The Alpha Team Meets Bionicle.However, there's going to be different things regarding rebooting my comedy:1. The reboot will not be a simple cut-and-paste type. In other words - I'll keep the ones that are still usable, trim out the fat/useless ones, and replace the empty gaps with new ones.2. The original one can be viewed here: http://www.bzpower.c...opic=250494&hl=3. Anyone who PGS or GS in the comedy before it "ended" or the forums went down...I'm sorry. The reboot will have to clean out any PGS or GS out to make the comedy look new with a clean slate and not following the simple cut-and-paste types. However...if you're just new or you used to PGS or GS in the comedy before it "ended", the rules are still the same:1. Never post your GS application on this topic. It'll be ignored. You should send the GS form via PM.2. Don't PM me saying "Can I be a GS?". That'll be ignored and it'll be deleted from my mailbox (considering it as spam).3. If you send me an incomplete GS application, I'll give you one more chance (or not) to complete it. If you refuse to do that, then I can't accept you, considering it as spam.To be a PGS or a GS, you had to fill out this application:Name: (Use original names, not like Lewa101)Alpha Team agent/Bionicle/Matoran:PGS/GS:Personality:Male/Female:Good/Bad:If you choose to be a Bionicle...Species: [Example: Toa (Mata, Nuva, Metru, Hordika, Inika, Mahri, Phantoka), Dark Hunter, Makuta, etc.]Mask? (if, what color?):Armor type (color, if necessary):Body color:Arm (& hand, if Toa/Dark Hunter/Makuta; or claw) color:Leg & feet color:Weapon/Abilities:Element/Power:Flying use: (If you choose to be the Phantoka/a flying Makuta/a flying Dark Hunter, etc. Propellers, glider wings, hover board or rocket boosters)If you want to be a Matoran:Matoran of:Mask and color:Body color:Arm & hand color:Leg & feet color:Weapon/Abilities:Power (optional):Flying use (optional):If you want to be an Alpha Team agent...Hair/no hair:Hat/no hat:Suit & color:Gloves/no gloves:Pant color:Glasses/no glasses:Weapon:Expert of:Crush/no crush:Now, with everything out of the way, here we go!Episode One: The Beginning.It was a typical day in LEGO City. Sun and clouds hanging in the sky, the city bustling with people going to work with vehicles passing by, the mountain far away on fire- Wait...a mountain on fire?!? Yes, this mountain is out of the typical...in this case...*KABOOM*...the Alpha Team had found Ogel once again...Dash: We got you this time, Ogel! Now let go of Radia!Ogel: Oh really? I'm cowering as we speak! (Run towards the main room up ahead)Radia: Mmmmrrrrfff!* [*Leggo of me!]*The door slams shut from behind*Dash: Cam, try unlocking the door!Cam: What are you talking about? I can't open with these screwdrivers!Dash: Uh-huh...Charge! Unlock the door!Charge: (With a monotone voice) You're kidding. (Shows his glowing gloves/hands) These aren't properly usable to break down the door nor override any wires that might dangle from the door.Dash: *sigh* Um...TeeVee! Un-TeeVee: I'm a robot!Dash: TeeVee! Do the Super Robot Kick!TeeVee: OK... (Walks up to the door)TeeVee uses the Super Robot Kick! It's not that effective!TeeVee: (Falls down with its foot stubbed) Myfootmyfootmyfootmyfoot...Dash: *Facepalm* Flex! Unlock the door!*Silence*Dash: Flex? (Sees Flex sleeping against a wall with his frozen smile frozen on his face still)Flex: ZZZZZZ :biggrin:Dash: Flex!Flex: MEEP!Dash: Unlock the door ahead!Flex: B-but these ropes aren't meant to break doors!Dash: *Facepalm* Crunch... (Sees explosives already set against the door many minutes ago)Crunch: Set. *Presses the explosion button*Crunch uses Explosives! It's super effective!*Kaboom!*Now everyone is covered in explosion soot.Cam: Well, at least it worked.The Alpha Team then enter the secret room Ogel and his hostage Radia had entered...to notice something out of the ordinary here.Dash: What in tarnation is this room?!?Ogel: Surprised?In the room...is a giant honking rectangular portal with a colorful vortex already activated.Ogel: This, is my new invention. It has the power to teleport to other dimensions. In this case, I will conquer many other dimensions and destroy any that oppose me! I WILL BE THEIR KING! :evilbiggrin:Radia: O_O"Dash: *Sigh*Cam: EEP!Flex: MEEP!TeeVee: Current robot reaction - OH NO!Charge: (Monotone) Well...that's impossible.Ogel: Shut it, you emotionless freak! Well, I see that you're not impressed anyway. Drones, CHARGE!Charge: Whut?Drones: *Snicker*Ogel: You mindless drones...I said CHARGE!Charge: *Fire burning up* WHAT?Drones: LOLOgel: You morons! What did I just tell you?!? CHARGE!!!Charge: :burnmad:Drones: *Laughing on the floor*Ogel: Oh never mind...I'll do it myself... *Draws out a ray gun*Flex: :bigeek:Dash: Crunch, use explosives again on the portal machinery!Crunch: *Already placing explosives on the machinery* (Whistles)Ogel: Stop right there, fiend! Pew pew!Drones: *Snicker*Flex: :biggrin:Crunch: *Whistles*Ogel: Why aren't you dead yet?!? PEW PEW PEW!Drones: LOLCharge: (Monotone) It's just a toy gun.Ogel: Oh shut up! *Throws the ray gun at Crunch, which misses, since he moved an inch away*Explosives: Commencing countdown. 10...Drones: :bigeek:Ogel: *Rolled his eyes under his shiny gold helmet*Dash: ATTACK!Drones: OH NU! *Quickly run towards the portal*Ogel: You cowards! Come back here! Oh well...least I got a hostage to threaten! *Pulls out a still tied-up Radia*Crunch: Let go of her, you fiend! http://www.bzpower.com/board/public/style_emoticons/default/mad.gifOgel: Or what?Cam: Or the explosives will say 0!Explosives: 1...1...1...1...Ogel: Pity...Well-TeeVee use Super Robot Kick! It's super effective!Ogel: Owowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowow *Loosens grip on Radia*Radia: Freedom! *Run towards back to her comrades*Ogel: Well...what a pity...do leave now...I must return back to my extreme dimension domination... *Starts to enter one of the canister-like portal ships sitting in front of the portal*Dash: TACKLE HIM!Rest of Alpha Team: YAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!Ogel: :bigeek:Explosives: 1...1...1...1...1...0...At LEGO City, everyone, especially the vehicles, immediately stopped to see a mountain exploding into jellybeans debris.~~~~~~~~~On the island of Mata Nui, the Toa Nuva were walking on the beach for no apparent reason...to find a canister-like ship on the sand. Tahu: What is this?Pohuta: It's probably one of our canisters that we came through.Tahu: Well, why it won't open?Onua: Open it!Tahu: If you insist... *Pokes the canister**HISSSSSSSSSSSSS....POP*Lewa: :bigeek:Tahu: It's only a door, hello?An odd LEGO robot with feet, a TV screen as a head, and antennas on top of it stumbles out of the canister ship*TeeVee: Ouchies, my feet...Gali: Who are you?TeeVee: AUGH! Did you understand me?Tahu: We do. So who are you?TeeVee: TeeVee. The Alpha Team's assistant on many missions. We are trying to find the sinster Ogel who is planning to make his own world. Had you seen him?Tahu: (snickering) You? A robot? We never seen any kind of villian here. (Starts to laugh)TeeVee uses Super Robot Kick! It's super effective!Tahu: *Hit in the chest* Owowowowowwowowowowowowowowowwowwowowowowowowow...Kopaka: *Sigh*Gali: Is there anyone else other than you in that canister?TeeVee: Yes.Onua: Can we meet them?TeeVee: Only one of you.Tahu: Lewa, go inside. *Collapses in pain*Kopaka: *Sigh*TeeVee and Lewa enter the big canister ship...to find the rest of the Alpha Team waking up; Radia being the first.Radia: TeeVee...is that you?TeeVee: Affirmative.Dash: How long were we out?TeeVee: About a hundred years.Everyone else: :OMG:TeeVee: Just kidding. Only an hour.Charge: (Monotone) Who's that 'bot next to you?TeeVee: He's one of the natives of this island. They called themselves To Ah...Lewa: IT'S TOA, YOU MORON!Charge: :burnmad:Lewa: http://www.bzpower.com/board/public/style_emoticons/default/fear.gifDash: Anyway...had they seen Ogel?Lewa: Who's...Ogel?TeeVee: A bad person with a shiny helmet and wears black. Anyway, from what it appears, they don't know Ogel. They never seen him.Lewa: Well...I actually thought I saw another ship falling into the island with someone manically laughing in it...I think...TeeVee: Except for this green guy.Flex: Cool, you have a mask! (Tears off the mask. Lewa fainted) Awesome, I can fly! (Hits one of the pipes) Oops. Eh heh. :biggrin:Dash: FLEX! :burnmad:Flex: (Taking off the mask) Uh oh...Charge: (Monotone) Get him.Flex: (Runs away)Cam: My head...Meanwhile, in the depths of a blizzard-stormed snowy mountain...a canister ship opens with a dazed figure stumbling out...Ogel: Oooh...my head... *Looks around* Hmmm...looks properly nice to set up a base...???: Hi, master!Ogel: MEEP! *Faints*Drone: LOLFin
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Where Wisdom and Valor Fail Part I: The Places Loved “The town does not exist except where one black-haired tree slips up like a drowned woman into the hot sky. The town is silent. The night boils with eleven stars. Oh starry starry night! This is how I want to die.” Walking the moonlit beaches of the Charred Forest, Kapura peered out at the ocean, looking for something in the depths. He was not sure what he was looking for, only that he was looking for something, according to Turaga Vakama. Yet the ocean remained uninterrupted, not even the light breeze rippling its seamless surface. Nothing could be seen out there tonight gleaming in the moonlight that suggested that there was anything on the beach besides the Ta-Matoran himself. He could not even distinguish the village of Ga-Koro under the night’s sky, the fishermen of the town in bed for a few more hours. As he watched the scene, Kapura felt some resonating peace, feeling in the deepest hours of the night a quiet that he rarely knew. This was a night where the shadows were not to be feared, an occasion seldom found on Mata Nui, especially in these “Dark Times”, as the Turaga called them. Makuta had used the Rahi and the very island against the Matoran, and months and years of fighting had left the villagers in a chaotic mind state; they now knew no rest, so paranoid that the Makuta lurked in every shadow that they even carried out their chores in a raging fashion. According to the myths of Ta-Koro, not even the burnt trees behind Kapura were safe. Too much propaganda had built up in the villages of the enemy to where it was said with certainty of truth and little proof. But out on this still ocean, out where all of the worries had not littered, Kapura was certain that the shadows were nothing more than shadows. Makuta could only control the island, the Ta-Matoran knew; The tyrant’s grip could not brush the stars. Surrounded by paradise, he did not want to leave. The sand seemed to nuzzle his body as he sat against a tree of the forest, procuring him to stay and watch this starry night until the sun rose over the ocean. But Vakama would worry, not understanding that some shadows were nothing more than shadows. Reluctantly picking himself up, with nothing to report of tonight, he turned to the path from where he came. He unsheathed his throwing disk as he saw the glow in the forest, which had not been present when Kapura had come this way. Something up ahead illuminated the path of packed ash, unmoving as he took blatant steps toward it. The stillness would have put any other Matoran on edge, nervous for a possible meeting with a new infected Rahi, but the Ta-Matoran was as stoic as the ocean behind him, snaking his way off the path to reproach from a more cautious angle. It was no new Rahi, but a stone that sat embedded in between the roots, glowing red about the dark wood. There were no signs of it having been placed, per lacking fresh tracks leading away from it. Though a bit puzzled on why it was here, Kapura knew exactly what it was, and what the Turaga had said about anyone that might find it. They'd been lost months ago, when the exiled Takua was caught in an ambush set by the Makuta and his Rahi in Kini-Nui, and now Kapura looked around warily for any monsters that might be lurking in the shadows. There were none, he assured himself, but as the stone pulsated, its power within reverberating through the rock, Kapura suddenly knew the night was not as still as it seemed. *** He came back to the village in the dead of night, without a sound, yet the blushing glow of the Toa Stone brought everyone from their beds. Kapura could feel the eyes of Ta-Koro anxiously watching him, and as he crossed the village square to the suva, he felt more nervous than he had ever remembered having been; but he had walked the charred forest for years, with the Rahi hidden, watching in fear, and through them, the Makuta. The villager’s eyes were nothing more, so why should he be nervous? Yet as he approached the suva, he remembered all of the nights he had thought of it as nothing more than ornamental; but with this stone in hand, he finally felt the holy aura that had been long forgotten. He emerged moments later, feeling as when he had awakened for the first time on the beaches of Ga-Wahi. Though he walked with the same stride as he did when practicing, Kapura felt taller and more agile than the Ta-Matoran he had just been. Through his being pulsated a power, remnants of the stone, something that he had not felt earlier in the evening. “Turaga, what does this mean?” the new Toa of Fire asked, crimson hands reaching toward the elder for answers. “Hope, I think,” Vakama replied with a smile, his joyful mask an orange candle in the blackness of the night. *** He was on lookout once again, this time pacing above the walls of Ta-Koro with the uncanny feeling of vertigo, as he was now considerably taller than the rest of the guard. Discontent with walking aimlessly along the pathway, Kapura propped himself on a ledge, while Matoran were nestled in their posts. A colony of Nui Rama had been sighted out in the Wahi that afternoon, and a scout had been reported missing not long after. Jaller and Vakama had put the Guard on full alert, and Kapura had returned immediately to his old post. The two officials had mentioned nothing, as if the transformation had not occurred. Though presence of a Toa was a novelty on the island, he and the villagers would have time to marvel at it later. But wasn’t it the job of a Toa to save others? Kapura thought once he had settled into the watch, curious if they were going to pull him for some other job. Fog was making its way from the charred forest in the distance to the path of the village, and everyone was holding their breath for the Ta-Koran to walk out of it, safe and sound. The order was for a search party provided he was not found by nightfall, but somehow Kapura felt it was far past the time when a party should have been sent out. As all eyes waited for motion from the gloom, the unsure Toa let his own vision wander. The darkening skies of Ta-Wahi were clear of anything dangerous, and the ground was still… but the lava caught Toa Kapura’s eye. The Lake of Fire seemed to pour towards the Koro, the village being some plug that had been pulled from a great drain at the bottom. The lava didn’t usually flow like that toward the village, unless… “Captain,” Kapura spoke up. The yellow Hau jolted in his direction, the breaking of the silence startling him. “What do you see, Kapura?” he asked. “The water drains from a sealed bowl,” he riddled the Matoran, gesturing to the lava. Cocking his head in confusion, Jaller scanned the lake as Kapura had done, and seeing what the Toa saw, he cursed. Red armored Rahi were sneaking their way to the city gates, hovering across the lava they blended into. If they didn’t act now, the beasts would be swarming Ta-Koro soon. Jaller began to issue hand signals, with Kapura relaying them to the Matoran who could not see the orders. The company took aim, and with a mighty heave, the disks flew. As quickly as the projectiles soared away, their targets jumped from their camouflage to come flying back. Wings were beating fast enough to deflect the bamboo as a swarm of Nui-Rama charged in a beeline towards the guards, and all was chaos. Angry buzzing filled the air as they swept on top of the guards with sharp claws. More disks and staffs were unsheathed to beat the creatures back, landing solid blows to counter the Rahi; and though they jabbed back with the fury of a bonfire, the Nui Rama had the edge in size. Kapura leveled the playing field with that factor as he tackled one of the flyers away from a Matoran, almost too fast to see. The time for moving slow was past, and now he dove in with speed enough to match the Rahi’s own, as they spilled onto the ground of the village. The Toa of Fire landed on bottom and was forced to stare into the eyes of a rusted Kanohi mask as the beast snarled at him, revolted as they grappled face to face, and that was enough motivation to kick the beast off of him. It tried flying away, but he snatched its wing with blinding speed and delivered a blow that subjugated the Rama. He would deal with that one later, Kapura thought as he felt the strength of a Toa coursing within him. With the use of his old tricks he was on the wall again, dropping in on another beast as they swarmed over the rest of the Guards. Landing on the back of a beast, he sent it crashing down to the ground with a screech, the shock of its fall leaving it immobilized. Spotting another about to descend on him, he grabbed the stunned creature, spinning it once, twice, and then… he let it go, crashing into the advancing attack, and sent the duo soaring away from the battlefield. The hot flash on his face as he ran back to battle was not from the flush of embarrassment from the bewildered Matoran who had seen that, Kapura figured as he bashed back another invader. He could feel something more behind his punch than had been there before, as if an extra vein of energy was flowing through his arms. His Kanohi had been activated, Kapura realized, his fist collided with another Nui Rama head, nearly cracking its infected mask as he landed the blow. Momentum was building in him, letting his adrenaline rise as his attacks became more furious, throwing punches faster and faster. He could feel the power rising, but he could not muster it down. He was out of control now, even the Matoran backing away as to not get sideswiped. He could hear Jaller yelling his name, see the flames from the lake of fire, a Nui Rama coming at him with high speed… He could not block this one as it came at him, and it felt as if his vision cracked. A claw threw Kapura back, making him blink in pain, but as he hit the stone ground behind him, his eyelids would not come up. *** He awoke to birdsong, though something did not register in his mind that there were no birds in Ta-Koro. A long call made him open his eyes, and all at once fire leapt into his vision. He was flying high above an ocean of lava, clutched onto the tail of a phoenix. Kapura wanted to scream, as he felt nothing but the feathers keeping him from falling to the fire. They were nowhere near any shores, letting the Toa of Fire wonder how long the bird had been towing him for. He could see them struggling, down below; two titans on a slab of rock, fighting something that swarmed above their heads. One possessed the armor of a jungle warrior, coated in plates of the green of the treetops, the blues of the oceans, and the white of the snow, while the other was in darker hues, the red of the lava and the brown of the rock accompanied by the black of a dark night. He had spent countless nights finding nothing out on the shores of Ta-Wahi, and now he knew why, because these were the figures he had been seeking; they had been in this ocean of fire the entire time, not in the water. The latter Kapura sensed was part fire, like himself, but was struggling to control the rock’s stability in the lava flow. From up in the air Kapura watched them wobble; as if sensing his thoughts, the bird dove, and dropped him in the midst of the battle. The two titans took notice, but too distracted by their own struggle to heed him any greeting. Kapura focused on keeping them steady, and before they could fathom what was going on, Kapura was dragging them up a bank of rock that had appeared off to the side. Whatever it was attacking the two could not follow them to the bank, and as the Toa of Fire yanked them from the slab, they were freed from what only they could see. Picking themselves up off the ground, they turned to Kapura, eyeing him with equal parts of curiosity and caution as he himself stared up in awe. “Who are you?” he asked them. “More than any one Toa, their unity come to physical form,” the darker one spoke with a hard gaze. “But a pulse comes from within you that has a greater sense of wholeness then either of our own. Rather, it is us who should be asking who you are, since you are to complete the journey we had set out on.” “Our time is yet to come, Akamai. He may be whole, but he is incomplete, though not by much,” the lighter figure pointed out to his partner. “He still has pieces of himself missing.” “He will have a counter to help him, Wairuha,” replied Akamai. “Though you are as great as we are, Toa Kapura, you will have someone else out there. Whether it be someone to lean on or to rise against, you will not face your troubles alone.” The two titans nodded to him, and then turned toward the rock plain before them. “Wait!” Kapura called. “What was it that you were fighting?” “The same thing that you will,” Akamai responded. Kapura was about to ask what he meant by that, but the bird swept in to take him away, and a yell of fright and surprise was all he could manage. He was then pulled away, as the phoenix began to rise into the black abyss above the lava. *** Though he felt the heat on his face that came from nearby, he felt strangely cold and weak; his chest quivering as he pulled himself up, Kapura opened his eyes to a strained sight, anything beyond what must have been the Sacred Fire a dark, unclear fuzz. Reaching up to his clammy face, he found his Kanohi Pakari gone. His mind felt distracted without it, as if he were unable to focus on anything more than slumping against the wall. The voice of Turaga Vakama sharpened his senses, however, his posture snapping to attention as the elder saw he was awake. He coaxed the Toa back against the wall, offering him a cup, which Kapura thankfully took. “What happened?” he managed to groan between gulps. “You were overwhelmed,” Vakama reported. “You were so engrossed in you mask power that when one of the Rahi shattered it, the sudden loss of all of your strength took you out. I am sorry Kapura, but your Kanohi is gone.” “My... my mask...” he breathed, setting down the now empty cup. “How will I do without it?” “The Suva had minor damage, and I am missing Kanohi as well, but I still have some Noble masks to spare. I will lend you one, for now.” The Turaga passed a mask into his hand, and Kapura fitted it onto his face. His vision cleared, and now he could see the beyond the fire as if it were a sunny day. Kanohi Ruru. Blinking a few times to adjust to the mask, he could see Vakama staring into space with a look of sadness he’d never known the Turaga to possess. “What troubles you, Turaga?” Kapura asked. When all Vakama did was stare for a few moments, the silence lasting longer than Kapura would have preferred, he asked once more. “I want to send you out there, and I know you want to go, but I am afraid of losing you to something greater than a swarm of Nui Rama, that you may disappear into the shadows as the villagers have.” “The fisherman never learned to cast while someone else was holding the rod,” the left hand reminded the elder. “And that is why I must let you go,” Vakama agreed, seeing wisdom in Kapura far beyond his years. “If you’re to journey out there, however, you need more power.” “And how am I to acquire more power?” “Long before you remember, when we Turaga were much younger, we discovered masks hidden around the island. No doubt that now they are guarded by Rahi, but there is a chance that some of them may be missed by the Makuta. If you can somehow find some of these masks whilst in pursuit of our missing brothers, then you would be taking the first step to prove yourself as a true Toa.” “Where would I look for these masks?” Kapura asked excitedly. “In places that only a Toa could reach,” the elder responded. “Places that the rest of the Matoran only see with wonder… or fear.” Part II: The Places Feared “It moves. They are all alive. Even the moon bulges in its orange irons to push children, like a god, from its eye. The old unseen serpent swallows up the stars. Oh starry starry night! This is how I want to die” The lava flows of Ta-Koro were gone in the blink of an eye, replaced by a sea of emerald leaves on the treetops above Le-Koro. A feeling of nervousness filled Kapura as he sat behind Kongu atop his Gukko Ka; as they prepared for flight, a runway Matoran was instructing the bird to flap its skeletal wings. Once, twice, harder each time, until a sheet of energy appeared on the wings. Kapura felt the tension build in the bird’s muscles, and clutched the seat tightly as he and Kongu exploded into the sky. The throttle behind the bird’s flight left Kapura sitting tight jawed in the second’s seat, one hand pressed firmly on his pack. Beneath the layer of leather, he could still feel the two Kanohi sitting snugly, but he feared for them slipping out and into the forest below. He’d found a Pakari in a swamp cave, in Le-Wahi with the assistance of a ground scout named Tamaru, and a Kaukau in the branches of a Charred Forest tree that he’d always noticed as a Matoran. However, looking at it as a Toa, there was something different about it, and in the topmost part of the web, Kapura had spied the mask, its unworn sheen of grey blending in with the forest. It had taken some climbing to reach, and at the very top of the tree he had been more nervous than he ever had in his life. Now, as he skyrocketed above the tallest trees on the entire island, he couldn’t believe he’d been afraid at the peak of a sapling compared to where he was now. Rocketing through the open sky, he looked ahead to where the Nui-Rama nest stood, but also to the open space that was all around them, where they could easily be knocked into the treetops below. “Here they come!” Kongu shouted above the wind in their faces, pointing toward several specks flying their way. The Nui-Rama flew to meet the approaching Gukko Force, ready to fend off the invaders. Unsheathing a disk from the cache Kongu had given him, he began to fire on the Rahi. Having never shot from other than a still wall, the first few were lost to the trees below, and Kapura had to force himself to not glance the disks falling into the green; but his misses had allowed the creatures to bunch in, granting him a better target. The next few were more accurate, clipping a wing of several Rahi. As Kongu steered, Ka moved with an agility matched by only his pilot, dipping under the claws as they swooped at the Gukko. He thrusted forward, the trees speeding past their vision as they soared toward the hive. “They’re plenty mad-angry!” Kongu shouted. They were almost there when a Rama came down upon the Gukko’s wing. It came from behind, twisting its talons into Ka until the energy sheet covering his skeletal wing flickered into nonexistence. The burdened bird went off balance, contesting to stay aloft whilst Kongu pulled at the reins, keeping straight and true for as long as possible. Kapura was a maelstrom of lashing as he fought off other attacks as treacherous, eyes fixated on the Rama as he felt Ka’s descent. Out of the corner’s of his vision, he could see the treetops and the shadows below them, but he would not look at the ground, he would not look at the ground… Ka’s flight failed at the rim of the nest’s opening; crashing against the side, the bird spun, and unable to uphold itself and passengers any longer, it dove, taking Toa and Matoran alike as he dipped into the darkness. Kongu slipped off of Ka and onto the floor of the catacombed hive, stunned from the fall. The Gukko slumped, having taken the brunt of the landing, but other than his attacked wing, was unharmed. Looking to the second's seat, Kongu grew troubled, seeing Kapura was not there. He looked around the area, but the Le-Matoran's eyesight was poor in the darkness of the hive. A screech from above caught his attention, and squinting, Kongu could see fleeting bursts of orange, in the dark beneath the pinprick of white that was the sky beyond the hive. Dots flitted in and out of that spot, but were they Rama beasts, Kongu wondered, or flanking Gukko Force? He silently prayed for the latter, as he got glimpses of the skirmish above. "Is it just you?" a voice called. Kongu startled, whirling to see the frightened mask peeking out from one of the catacombs. "No, up there!" he exclaimed. "I know not how he high-flies, but it is Toa Kapura! Fellow guardsmen distance-followed us as we entered the hive, and we're here to spirit-send you to Ta-Koro!” "I hope you don't mean that in a literal sense," the guardsmen replied, spotting the small sparks of fire that signaled Kapura up in the heights of the hive. "But is it really the Toa?" he asked warily, gripping a Ta-Koran staff. "How could it not be?" Kongu asked. Whatever the Matoran had to say was cast aside as he pointed behind Kongu, as a Nui-Rama could be seen soaring toward the ground. They each readied their tools, but it was not flying, instead tumbling into the ground with a crunch. The two sat tense as they watched it still for several moments, before its wings began to move. Kongu was about to throw his disk when the wings fell again, and Kapura climbed off of the Rahi's back, his Kanohi changing back to the Noble Ruru. "Turaga Vakama still had his Komau," he remarked to the two, shaking his head at the fallen Rahi. "There is something in the swarm's mind, consuming them in the same way as the fires did the forests. Where is the guard?" The tunnel they followed had rotted into existence, decaying bits of hive material stemming off aged pockets of stone. A sickening green, the material was incredibly stiff, strong enough to support the entire hive, yet it crackled like straw when a lick of flame caught a low hanging strand. Kapura snuffed it out as he crawled behind the Ta-Matoran guide, Kongu giving the place a look of revolt. Kapura wanted to burn his way out, slice through the material with his fire, but the thought of what else might be lurking in the walls kept him at bay. An amber glow came from a hollow in the tunnel, a small campfire burning inside between a dozen or so Ta-Matoran. Their yellow toned eyes seemed to brighten upon seeing whom the scout had brought back, and they excitedly thrusted their two-pronged spears into the air as they gave the Ta-Koro salute. “How did you get in?” one of them asked. “We have been sending scouts searching for tunnels to the surface, even perhaps down to Onu-Koro, but to no avail!” “We flew down on Ka,” Kapura explained, gesturing to Kongu beside him. “The rest of the Gukko Force is on its way, and we’re going to fly you out. Is everyone here?” “Only one scout we sent at a time, so this should be everyone,” another called, initiating a roll call. “We are all here, armed and ready. But you, Toa Kapura, look like you need a weapon, if you are to fight the Rama again. Have my staff, and use it as well as you did in the Guard.” Kapura took it, and jabbed into the tunnel, giving it a test. With only a fraction of his power he sent a shot of flame from the twin prongs, producing a whoop from the company. “That is not all though. You must also have this.” The whoops dropped to murmurs, as something else was passed forward, and an emerald stone made its way to Kapura’s hand. Another? he thought, looking at it quizzically. “We found it a few patrols ago, off in another tunnel. It might be best if you held onto it for now.” The Toa nodded, putting it in his pack, and pulling out the Kanohi Pakari, letting it melt into his face. If more Nui-Rama were waiting outside, it would be of some use provided his own strength was not enough. A twisted figure stood in Kapura’s likeness at the mouth of the tunnel, and Kongu was suddenly reminded of the Ta-Matoran’s suspicious words when he had arrived. The Nui-Rama that the Toa had crashed in on had risen, but it was no longer a flying beast— skeletal legs standing on clawed feet, and a body draped in the rotting wisps of the hive, it was now a monster. The head was an amalgam of the two infected masks the Rama had worn, snarling empty eyed at the rescue party; The debauched body looked as if it could not move without disintegrating on itself, but it smoothly raised a slender arm, hook bared at the Toa of Fire, as if to challenge him as an equal. Too nauseated to look longer at the newest underground abomination, Kongu retreated to the back of the company. The rocking flight into the nest had not sickened Kapura, nor had the rotting vibe of the tunnels. But it was the wisps of shadow that seemed to hang about it that made the creature repulsive, something darker than normal shade that his Mask of Night Vision could not dispel. This was no undiscovered Rahi, he somehow knew. It was the same force in the mind of the swarm, independent and far more sinister than an animal’s survival instinct. His grip tightening on the staff he had been given, Kapura jumped at the beast. He went toward the thing in an upward feint, but it followed the arc of the pronged staff, leaping upward and over the Toa. Surprise from the move slowed him a moment too long, and it lunged at him, a hook swinging at his shoulder. The prongs caught it, momentum shoving it back towards its owner. The other hook was swung, his entire other side left open, but it was met with the spear again, and this time it was the creature’s turn to be surprised. Snarling, he shoved at the monster, and swinging his staff, let loose on the creature. Twirling the staff with a double-handed grip, Kapura swung at the masked head, throwing all his force into the blow, but the creature ducked and knocked his feet out from under him. Rolling away as the hooks came down, Kapura sprung up and lunged again, but the hooks came down on the staff; his momentum kept him moving however, and with the raise of an elbow, smashed the creature in the face and leapt over it as it reeled. Spinning, he jabbed at its abdomen, sending a jolt of fire— the responding screech was of anger, and it lashed forward— but it could not land a blow, for the staff went spinning in the Toa’s hands, the monster unable to differentiate what end of the staff was which. Kapura used that confusion to deflect its blows, slashing downward toward its right side and then coming back up to hit the same spot, leading with a parallel hit to one of the masks. The Rama beast was in pain now, its screeching emanating its rage. The novice Toa had gotten lucky with the first few blows, but was unprepared for the force with which its hooks came at him. A shoulder caught Kapura in the chest, and he was forced backwards, his staff spinning now on the defensive. The hooks caught on the prongs, and shoved the Toa again, a lash sent the spear smashing back into Kapura’s own mask. The Rama monster connected one of the hooks with his open shoulder, and Kapura could feel as it dug in. Holding the spear one handed, he swung it into the creature’s arm, before it could dig the hook deeper, and the two tumbled away from each other. Blasts of fire leapt from the dark, cover fire as Kapura charged again, flames crackling from between the prongs of his staff. The creature responded as shadow energy crackled between its hooks, the energies neutralizing as they hit each other. Sending a slash of flame at the abomination’s face, cutting off its vision, he jabbed at its abdomen, and kicked out its feet. But the hooks once again grasped the staff, twisting Kapura’s wrist as they did so. He gave into the monster’s move, and moved with his staff, ducking under the controlling arm. Raising his foot, he kicked at the vulnerable shoulder, before a pain was sent up his forearm, and he backed off. Shadow energy crackled in the “Rahi”’s claw, grazing Kapura’s limb. He yelled in agony, slowly burning the pain off as he charged the hand with fire. Sending a stream into the beast’s face, he jabbed towards its waist, sending more flame into its torso. A screech let him think he was winning, but the blindsided swipe of a hook sent the Toa reeling. Toa and monster were flashes in the dark as the Matoran assemblage watched, the battle disappearing and reappearing all around the cave. Kongu watched with a burning intensity, with the hope to glimpse Ka; as there was no sign of the Gukko Force flank, he hoped to glimpse his bird somewhere in the milliseconds of light. But the shadows engulfed the place, something darker in the air that had come with the arrival of the beast. We have to leave, the Gukko pilot thought as he felt the ground trembling while the fight advanced. It was becoming too dangerous to stay, and if they didn’t escape soon, they would have jumped into their own grave. They had to find a way out, to get out of the way of the danger, and if Ka was up to it, the bird was, at the moment, the only option. It was a futile attempt, to watch streams of fire be extinguished by the shadows they sought to fight off, but the Le-Matoran was also worried, uncertain of how much longer Kapura could hold the beast off. Could he buy enough time for them to escape? The monster had Kapura pinned to the ground, its hooks pushing the staff towards his throat, but the Mask of Strength was holding up. Kapura grunted as he matched the beast’s brawn, attempting to break the stalemate. In desperation, he threw his strength to the side, and they rolled, Toa and monster switching positions. Fire from his palm shot to meet an ascending hook, reducing it to slag. The creature screamed mercilessly, finally admitting agony, and was distracted enough for the Toa to deliver a solid punch, fragmenting its already contorted face. Writhing, it lashed out, knocking Kapura across the hive, and he hit the wall of a catacomb, collapsing onto all fours; as he rose, he wasn’t sure if it were him or the ground shaking harder. The warped Rama jumped at him with enough force that it looked like it was flying, hooks ready to tear the Toa to shreds. Kapura mentally screamed— it was closing in too fast for him to concentrate, he wouldn’t be able to use his speed to escape… The ground erupted between the two, and the monstrosity never made it to its target. Shards flew up in the air in all directions as a hole ripped itself into existence, one of them shooting right into the creature’s chest. The impaling rock cut its flight short, and it collapsed then and there, face a mix of agony and rage as it died. He was transfixed by it, not even stirred by the shapes climbing from the hole, nor the hand reaching for him. “Come, Toa, it is time to leave.” *** The Matoran had escaped, and except for the buzzing of the wings amongst the catacombs, the hive was quiet once more. The Gukko Force reinforcements never arrived, having been driven off by a more formidable part of the swarm that inhabited the top of the hive; the Rama there now flew around robotically, as though back to business as usual. A few of the flyers hovered above the hole that had broken into the floor of the hive, where their mutilated “cousin” lay impaled by a rock. The Matoran and their Toa had escaped through here, but none of the creatures dared to follow in pursuit. No, the darkness was a rein that tugged tightly if they even tried. All they could do was look at the corpse, and the dark hole that the above creatures had retreated to. So it is true then, a voice whispered through the minds of all the infected Rahi. The Toa has arisen. A wall of dark thought wavered through them, making them screech in pain; then the darkness shallowed, and all was quiet again. *** The descent had brought him to one of the deepest levels of the Great Mine, where the sounds of battle had long faded away into the digging of the miners. The rhythm of it eased his mind, as his thoughts were still worried about the Ta-Matoran. The Ussalry would take care of them, their Onu-Koran rescuers had reassured him, as he was taken down a different tunnel than his people. The elevator he was now on shook as it descended, but it lent a view to the rest of the mine that ultimately calmed Kapura; From this deep down, the glow of the shelves that each Matoran worked on were faint stars in an underground night, he observed as he stepped off the elevator, remembering the stars on the beach in the early hours of the morning. Taipu led him to where a handful of Onu-Matoran leaned over the edge of a pit, lightstones posted to illuminate its contents. They scribbled into tablets as they studied, their mining tools discarded and broken near machines sitting still in the shadows. His footsteps unfamiliar, they looked up from their study, heads askew at the sight of a Toa. "It is embedded in some sort of layer our mining equipment cannot break through," one of them explained, gesturing at the sundial at the bottom of the shallow pit. "But it is of entirely different rock than the surrounding layer. Which would mean it was placed there, and is therefore easy to remove, does it not?” "And why would one put a sundial underground in the first place?" another Onu-Matoran asked, scratching his head. Kapura's brow raised, and he filled his hand with fire as he leaned down to see what the miners spoke of. A slab of the Matoran day cycle, eighteen hours, sat there, embedded in the rock, as ordinary as anything, except for being placed where no light could reach. And was that... the faint whisper of the wind? Leaning closer, he peered at the edges of the circle. Miniscule cracks separated the timepiece and the rest of the rock, air floating through the cracks and brushing Kapura's arm. If it did not go around the entire ring, he would’ve thought it as a natural fault, but he saw what the Matoran had— the sundial was placed there, and there was nothing to bring it up from the earth. "We need to figure out how to extract this so we can keep digging," the first miner said. "But we can't scratch through a single inch of this layer. So if there's no way to dig through it or blow it up, how else do we progress?” The light posts that the miners had set up casted illumination evenly along the sundial, but the fire in Kapura’s hand danced, an uneven lick of shade falling on the rock, shifting as he strode around the circle. Raising his hand as he walked, the height of the fire casted a long shadow with Kapura’s Kanohi. It passed over each hour increment— seventeen, eighteen, one, two, three… But when Kapura’s shadow passed over four, the darkness of the niches on the tile began to deepen, before intensifying into a bright glow. Startled, he stumbled backwards, the fire in his palm extinguishing itself, and the even illumination of the floodlights manifested once more. The miners looked to him in surprise. “What was that?” the first one asked. “Do it again!” The Toa of Fire nodded, relighting his palm. Concentrating on making a shadow at the four o’clock mark, it began to shine once more, and the rest of the symbols followed suit. With a singular flash from all the symbols, they began to sink, some mechanism from below pulling the sundial down. The miners scribbled on their tablets furiously as the edges of the pit formed a staircase, descending down into a blinding white column. They headed down the staircase with caution— though nothing protruded from the icy blue walls of the place, Kapura was still on the lookout for traps, but something told him that this was not a place that would be rigged. It may not be a suva, Kapura thought, but there was a palpation he felt that could not be broken by the miner’s industrial mindset, as they theorized amongst themselves what this could be. At the bottom of the staircase was a pedestal, a golden Kanohi Hau floating upon it. Around the mask was a hologram of the sundial, which morphed into a single word in Matoran- Rahi. Kapura eyed the mask, as the Matoran stood surrounding it, in scripting their finding. A Hau.… Just like the minerals that the Onu-Matoran needed to mine, this was what Kapura needed to dig up, a mask that he had not had, that would have been useful in the fight with the shadow creature… But how had it been placed here, miles below the surface in a place that had only been recently uncovered, in almost a thousand years of mining? A Matoran reached up to remove the mask from the pedestal, but his hand passed right through. He tried it a few more times, refusing to believe that it was an illusion. Puzzled, Kapura stepped forward to reach for the mask… …and made contact with it. Kapura reeled as his vision exploded, scorching fire and lava replacing the Matoran miners and the staircase. He was elsewhere, watching the swinging fire sword of Akamai as he and Wairuha fought a legion of crab-like creatures in the darkness. The Toa of Fire wanted desperately to help, to fight alongside, but could not leap into the scene. They struggled, and once the Kaita even fell. Then sparks showered over the two, and Kapura was eye to eye with a rusted, pitted mask just like the ones the Nui Rama wore. But where the eyeholes on the masks of the Rahi were dead, a pair of crimson eyes glared at him, before forming a claw that reached at him. But another light came from somewhere else, before— “Toa Kapura!” somebody called. He was sprawled on the bottom of the staircase, once again seeing the white and blue walls that surrounded him. A Matoran peered at him from above, worry on his mask as he saw the Toa laying on the steps, and another lightly shook his arms. “Kapura, are you alright?” He nodded, righting himself as he sat on the stairs, the Kanohi Hau still clutched in his hand. “You don’t want to dig deeper here,” he answered him, his eyes insisting they returned to the mines. Letting the mask melt into the face, he urged the Matoran back up the steps. “You want to… dig up, toward the light.” A small smile was on Vakama’s mask as he watched Kapura walk though the Ta-Koro gate, the newly restored guards raising their staffs in salute to their rescuer. He could not have been happier to see the Toa; while he still walked in that slow stride he always practiced in, there was a new swagger that the Turaga’s left hand possessed, an air of experience that had not been there when he’d left on his mission. For all his happiness though, Vakama looked back into the depths of his dwelling, an anxiousness entering his chest. Maybe this is it, he thought nervously, returning his gaze to the Toa of Fire. Maybe he is ready. “I did it, Turaga,” Kapura said in his raspy voice. “Practice has paid off, like you said it would, and it helped me find the Kanohi.” “Indeed it has, and I congratulate you,” Vakama nodded, his fingers fidgeting on his staff. “I have watched the suva fill with great pleasure in your absence. You have done well.” He was speaking vaguely, he knew, but his mind was elsewhere, as a decision was tearing at the Turaga. Now was the time to choose— not only if Kapura was ready to bear it, but if Vakama was willing to finally pass on the responsibility. Yes, it is time. “But there is still more we need to discuss on that matter. Please, come inside.” The fires of the hut burnt low around them, crackles of flame filling the air as the two sat with a table between them. “The Guard has informed me about what happened in the Nui-Rama hive,” Vakama began, “and now I fear of what else is on this island that we are ignorant of. The Matoran’s stake here dwindles as we remain in our villages, while Makuta becomes bolder.” “I can feel him out there, Turaga,” Kapura agreed. “His spirit is in the Charred Forest, and other places of destruction, where wisdom and valor have failed. The Makuta is out there, on those verges. But isn’t our discovery of the infected masks an advance for our side?” “It is, but there are creatures out there, in corners of this island that I hope you never have to visit, where the Rahi are loyal to the Makuta even without one of those masks,” Vakama woed. “But, given your success so far, I think you are ready to face them.” “Turaga, what of the other Toa stone that was found?” Kapura queried. “Is it possible that there is another Matoran out there that Mata Nui would want to be a Toa?” “There could be,” Vakama supposed, reaching into the shadows of a slot in the wall. “But they would not be the Toa that you are.” Coming back to the table, he placed an object in front of Kapura. It was a dull orange, but shined with a golden hue from the fires that reflected off of its surface. “It looks like a Kanohi mask, but it is not one anyone else on Mata Nui wears,” Kapura commented. “You have gathered the many masks of the island, but this is one mask that you will not find out there,” Vakama murmured to Kapura. “This is the Kanohi Vahi, the Mask of Time; I would call it a Great Mask, if it were not far beyond the levels of a Kanohi Pakari or Hau. This is the most powerful mask on the island, Kapura, and its power is like no other force that you will ever know.” “Greater than a Great Mask?” he pondered. “How did you come upon it?” “I wasn’t always just a village leader, or a storyteller,” the elder smiled. “There was a time before this time, when I did… other things.” He did not say any more on the subject, and upon silent agreement, Kapura did not ask. “But the Vahi, yes, it is greater than a Great Mask, Toa, which also means it is harder to control. But with your conquering of the Great Masks so easily, it is a mask I hope that only you can control.” “M-Me?” Kapura stammered, taken aback. “Why would you expect only me to be able to control it?” “That is what I mean when I said no other Matoran could be the Toa you are— your mind is different from the other villagers, something I saw on the day we came to our island home. You have trained your body and mind as you practiced going slow in order to move fast. The discipline to do that is possessed by none in this village, perhaps even the island, other than you. The Vahi will slow one’s movement, and since you have already learned how to operate under the condition, you can overcome that particular setback of the mask. It is something you have trained for in all your time here, and I believe it is your destiny to master the Kanohi.” Kapura looked into Vakama’s eyes, remembering all the practice they’d done together in the first year; it had never made sense, articulating all of the parts of the stride Kapura was now fluent in. He’d never been sure of what it was for, but he did it anyway, and it went from an idea of Vakama’s to Kapura’s whole philosophical idea of life. But he saw now the plan that was in place, and as much as the Toa wanted to shake the dark thought of being used, he couldn’t. The training was woven through his being, physically and mentally, but there was something deep inside Kapura that disagreed with what was progressing. “This mask, it would not be used against common infected Rahi,” Kapura guessed, tracing his finger over the edge of the Vahi.
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Ignoring all the evidence we've seen thus far, what kind of story would you prefer should Bionicle come back? Close if dupe. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was.
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Hey everyone! So I recently rediscovered Bionicle, and I was struck with a big wave of nostalgia for what was a massive part of my childhood. Ever since, I've been mentally floating about the idea of doing a reboot of the original story. In particular, I love the story as portrayed through the Mata Nui Online Game. I loved the why it gave us a view of this epic quest through the eyes of an average Matoran. So that's the direction I am going for here. I wrote a brief short story to showcase my style and idea. If folks like it, I'll see if I can't make more. If not then it can just die out in this forum. No harm, no foul. Anyways, without further ado, here is The Chronicler. Balance. It is the order of things. Nature’s order. The only real order there is. There are two sides to everything. Fire and ice. The ocean and the desert. The towering heights and the great depths. Light and darkness. This duality is a necessity of life, for the truest way to understand something is through contrast. To know what something is, you must know what it is not. Even balance and order have their counterpart: Chaos. Though feared, there is a purpose to Chaos. It tears down the old so that the new can arise. Without chaos and destruction, life grows stagnant, old, and set in its ways. Chaos forces life to adapt and evolve. And death is the scalpel through which chaos shapes life. We flee death with such fervor, but death is merely the first step towards renewal and life. Death is simply another part of the great balance. My purpose is to observe this balance. To document it. I am the Chronicler. I am not like the others of my village. They seek only to do what they need to keep going. Routine has become their god, their protector. Like drones and beetles they scurry about, believing that if each does his duty, adheres to his responsibilities, we will all be safe. I know better. I have seen the storm coming. It is merciless. It does not heed our duty. It does honor our unity. We cannot stay behind our walls and expect to it pass over us. We will be wiped away, like dust in the wind. I have tried to tell them. They do not believe. Or rather, they choose to be blind. They fear me, because deep down they know I am right. This is why I must leave. I must find help outside the walls of Ta-Koro if my home is to be saved. I must find others like me, who know what is coming. I can only pray that I am not alone. End
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*please critique* With the advent of a return, and a possible reboot to bionicle, I've been thinking about doing my own little complete re-telling and re-imagining (since Greg mucked up the feel and the lore after 2003, in my opinion). If y'all like this, I'll post the rest when I'm done with it. This story follows a matured Matoran, a Toanga, on his journey to defeat the enigmatic Makuta that has plagued the island of Mata Nui for countless centuries. Mata Nui has been without Toa for several millennia, so all that this Matoran has on his side is sheer willpower, and those who wish to fight beside him. Chapter One, "Christening of Fools" . . “You’ve spent your time hunting for that near-life experience; something that’ll make you feel…. Something. But along the way you’ve caused hurt, shattered dreams. Sometimes the forces of life conspire to make a man build dreams on promises, promises which one cannot deliver. A cheat, someone violent, someone meek… “ Onewa turns to face me, and gestures something with his hands. “I’ve seen others like you. One of them was me.. You’re hoping for a dramatic, poetic end to your life of adventure?” I chime in, after removing my mask out of respect for the old Turaga. My opaque, protodermis facial tissue moves in tandem with the mechanical plates of my masseter, my under-face. “I hope to end with dignity, Onewa. Not to be held in any high regard, or with fame at all. I wish to live my life for me.” “Good, because a Tuakana like you seldom gets one. One like you, with a death wish, hunting a Makuta’s thrall who has allegedly drawn its proverbial line in the rock of Onu-Koro, far away from your home territory, I might add, has little chance of a dignified death. You won’t go out triumphantly. I can tell you that much.” Says the Turaga. I raise my eyes to his, and retort. “I have not a death wish, Onewa. Just a wish for death upon the evil that has overtaken the minds of my entire village.” My voice becomes more hostile as I talk. One must have restraint in front of a Turaga at all times, I tell myself. Onewa tilts his head, his mask shifting slightly. I can see his eyes behind it, I think he’s raising an eyebrow. “So you wish for death, eh? And you dare to tell that to me? You know me, and what I have been through.” He stares me down for a good few seconds. Enough seconds to pass a few seasons, it feels. Onewa turns and walks over to the portal overlooking the deserts of Po-Koro, and breaks the silence. “I made a death pact long ago, in a land far different from this one. Metru, I believe you were a pilgrim from there, yes? I have been cursed with the title of Kommundau for three hundred-some years... Do you know what that word means?” “No, sir, I do not.” After another pause he states, “It means ‘one who takes’. The label, the journey, both will overtake you until you become but an exterminator. You will do good work, and people will feel safer because of it. However, you will get strange looks, and be given a strange room from entire villages. They will fear you, Dushka. Do you really want that?” He says with great weight to his words. I sigh, and invite myself to sit on a bench by the wall. “There is no village, and no Matoran or Tuakana left on this island that I wish to revere me. All have been… Reduced to braindead husks by the infernal Makuta. If I could do only one thing with my life, it would be to spare others the same emptiness in my heart.” “That is quite a pitch, Dushka. Quite a pitch. That’s miles more noble than the reason for my pact.” Says Onewa. “I won’t ask, Onewa.” I state. “Good, I wouldn’t give you a straight answer even if you did.” There is a slight pause between us, as Onewa walks over to an elaborate woodcut on the wall, and gestures to it. “As you know, when the great spirit Mata Nui lends his soul to one of the machines in a sleep shell floating beyond the barrier reef, they exit the shell living and sentient, once the shell beaches itself. Wherever they land dictates whether they become of water, earth, air, fire, stone, or ice. They are then given a mask to ward off the Makuta’s influence once they reach a village, and thus become a Matoran. They’re smaller at that time, but they quickly grow, like you did. But time does not make one an upper-class, artisan Tuakana like you are, action does.” Onewa, turns to me, and removes his mask, bristling with wires and vents. His face is average, though the protodermis on his eggshell white face is distended and wrinkly in a manner I’ve never seen before. A large, grey crevasse dominates the right side of his face, his eye socket narrowly dodging whatever blow caused such a scar. “And once one becomes a Tuakana, their path back to Mata Nui becomes jagged, and distended. Your path leads you to become Kommundau, I believe. None can speak for the great spirit’s will, but I firmly believe you and I are one in the same.” He then traces the scar down his face with two fingers, scraping off some “dead”, drained protodermis flecks and shows them to me. “See these?” He asks. “It’s called pouko, death sand. If you’ve never had it on your face before, you wouldn’t know they hurt like the sting of a dillwasp. They do, so don’t wince.” He then runs his index and middle fingers down my face, beneath my eyes. I try my best not to contort my face in pain. He then repeats the process with the other side of my face, giving me three vertical lines, tracing down from my eyes to my jaw. He draws on a fourth, a wavy line, on my furthest left side. I feel it stinging, eating away at the living liquid that makes up my face. It burns, down a few millimeters until my face has been scarred. “These scars,” He begins. “These scars are sacred, Dushka. They are the tears of Mata Nui himself. This ugliness that I have bestowed upon you signifies the ugliness in your heart, the detestable fixation on death and murder that you have inherited when your village, your friends, your family have perished at the hands of the Makuta.” Onewa fits his mask back on his face. “The long stripe, on your right side, that is the tear of Unity. It will dissapear should you open your heart to another. The shorter one, to the left of Unity, that is the tear of Duty. That will disappear when you complete your journey, and slay the Makuta. The third is Destiny. Only you know when that one will dissipate.” “And the fourth?” I ask, after a slight pause. “It will disappear when you’re ready for what is to come.” he says. End part 1
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The review topic for this epic can be found here. FADE IN 1 EXT. EXPANSIVE OCEAN- MIDDAY A roughly hewn dugout canoe plows past us, cutting through the water sharply. Two Ga-Matoran are rowing it: MAKU, a young, fast-talking, unyielding brunette with many a day spent rowing or fishing in deep water, and HAHLI, in her late twenties and very set in her opinions, who is prone to daydreaming and very talkative. Maku is clearly the faster of the two; she could easily move the entire canoe on her own, and she sits in the front. Hahli, seated behind Maku, struggles to row as quickly as her, wanting deeply to be able to show the world her adequacy against her friend. Her mood is beginning to affect the quality of her rowing, and she is now beginning to slow down with each passing second. HAHLI (Indignant) I just wanted to remind you that I’m rowing as fast as I can. Maku doesn’t pause or falter in her speed for a second, though she throws a passing glance to her partner. MAKU I know; you said that already. HAHLI (Witty) Well then, I hope that you’re keeping a record of my improvement each week. Maku ignores her entirely, and Hahli pauses for an instant, only to immediately start again afterwards. HAHLI (CONT'D) I’ll bet that I’m the fastest on the entire island by now; I could run the fastest ferry service going to and from Ga-Koro of anyone, since I’ve been practicing so much. MAKU Maybe so. You’re much faster than anyone in Ta-Koro, for example. But of course, they’re surfing on lava. The relief which was building inside Hahli drowns instantly, and she frowns as she responds. HAHLI Come on now, Maku; is something bothering you today? MAKU No! I just need you to put a little more effort into your lessons. This isn’t the time, nor the place for your wit. Ga-Koro is more defenseless at the moment than it has been in decades. 2 EXT. SAND BEACH- MIDDAY Maku steers the canoe to her left, angling it to the shore. It reaches a beach covered with bright orange sand, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. She steps out nimbly and promptly begins to pull it onto the luscious sands of the beach, which are coarse and dotted with small stones. Turning to Hahli, her face reflects the urgency and high stakes of their situation. MAKU A little help, please? Hahli grudgingly begins to help her friend. they both pull with all their strength to dock the canoe on the beach. MAKU (CONT'D) Until Nireta returns, we’re at one heck of a disadvantage against the Rahi. Learning how to row is the least that you can do. Maku gives Hahli a guilt-inducing look. HAHLI Can the other village militias- Maku steps out on to the beach, beginning to walk briskly in the direction of their village, which is about one mile away. Hahli follows her. MAKU The other militias are busy with their own villages. The best way to allow them to help out others, such as ours, is by giving them a chance to breath for a little while. HAHLI And JALA’s guard? Oh, what I’d give to see Jala again! MAKU (Annoyed) They’re just as busy as the rest, if not more so. HAHLI (Dreamy I still think that he’ll come back to aid us, if only to take me to a nicer place. Anywhere else on this island would be better than here, where the unyielding noise and commotion are constant reminders that we’ve been at war forever. MAKU Well, it’s no better in Ta-Koro. No better at all, especially since their guard has been spread so thin recently. Maku gives her friend a surprised look. MAKU (CONT’D) He can’t work miracles, you know. He’s just another man, just like everyone else; always trying to keep his village safe. Hahli stops walking, turning to face Maku directly. HAHLI I don’t think that he’s a “miracle worker”, but he’s certainly done some incredible things. It's been decades since any of the Koro have had a captain as talented as him; do you remember when he broke all of the records for advancement in the Ta-Koro guard? You just haven’t gotten a chance to know him yet, that’s all. Maku also ceases to walk. MAKU Oh yes? How do you know him? Did you hear a rumor, or watch a play about his life's story? Hahli shrugs off the comment entirely, beginning to sing. "OH JALA" HAHLI There’s nothing about this Jala guy That isn’t confidently presented. Even when the entire island is calm He’s poised for a sudden reaction. Why, even the briefest look in his eyes Hints at courage which only needs cause To run the gambit To save a damsel in distress When the slightest of threats Comes to knock on the door His business is all about safety. Oh Jala! Oh Jala! He’s never been- MAKU -Persuaded otherwise! HAHLI Oh Jala! Oh Jala! His list of deeds- MAKU Might be dramatized! HAHLI His men are the sharpest for miles around Only due to their captain of countless missions Nothing can keep that crew in town Save a certain captain’s premonitions. Oh Jala! Oh Jala! A winner! MAKU A loner! HAHLI Oh Jala! Oh Jala! A talker! MAKU A mocker! HAHLI There’s plenty to show for his reputation In many a rahi confrontation. He’s found and captured many a beast That would have surely convinced any other To back off and make safer camp. But not this Jala! With his military finesse Any creature he doesn’t want coming Seems to fall- MAKU -Head over heels with him. Right? HAHLI Oh Jala! Oh Jala! MAKU If you’d just let- HAHLI -Yourself see! Oh Jala! Oh Jala! He’s made just for me. Both Maku and Hahli cease to sing, and begin to walk once more in the direction of their village. MAKU Hahli, would you like a little advice from me? HAHLI I’m not so sure. Has your advice improved? MAKU Has yours? Listen; I’d stay a comfortable distance away from Jala. HAHLI How can you say that about someone who you've never met? MAKU I haven't, but my parents have. They met him during the last assembly at the Amaja-Nui. Nearing the village, the two are so deeply engrossed in their conversation that neither of them pay much attention to the smoldering, wrecked pieces of debris scattered on the beach. It is clear that the debris is composed of pieces of homes and other buildings belonging to a well-developed village; in this case, the town of GA-KORO, where Maku and Hahli are headed. A steady stream of smoke coming from the direction of the village begins to drift beside Hahli, gradually growing thicker as they near its remains. Maku and Hahli continue to discuss Jala, unaffected for the most part by the evidence of the destruction of their homes. MAKU (CONT'D) He organized a part of the meeting. Even though he talked plenty, he didn't seem to care about others. They said that he didn't mind how concerned or hopeful a person was about anything, that he only understood his own desires. Hahli turns her head curiously towards her friend. MAKU (CONT'D) Other people don't matter nearly as much to him as a promotion does. He hides his self-centered intentions behind a heroic facade. HAHLI All of this is coming from your parents, right? MAKU Well, they're not the most polite folks themselves, so you'd think that they wouldn't say something like that about someone else unless they really meant it. The amount of debris scattered on the beach continues to grow, as does the thickness of the smoke; however, neither of the two notice the signs of the calamity. HAHLI Even though it isn't in any of his biographies, and none of the Turaga have ever hinted at having opinions like that about him. You think that I should trust a second hand word? MAKU Isn't it all second hand words? And would you write a biography or give a public speech saying that he was selfish and uncaring? Hahli throws a long look to her friend; she subtly indicates her dubious appreciation of this surprising new information. HAHLI Regardless, I'd like to meet- A surprised stare from Maku hits Hahli hard, though it doesn't startle her. HAHLI (CONT'D) The captain of the guard myself. The two have reached the gates of Ga-Koro, though they don't resemble those of the town which they left that morning. Ripped apart and smoking, they lie crumbling at the feet of Maku and Hahli. Beyond the gates, the village itself is even more damaged. MAKU By Mata Nui... I had a bad feeling about today, but this is just insane. You can listen to the song "Oh Jala", featured in this chapter, here:
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So, if Bionicle was to be rebooted- and I mean "rebooted" as in a new continuity, none of the events of the "old" canon having any impact, but perhaps with a few recycled character names, plot elements, etc... Do you think the characters should be essentially reset to their old selves as we first met them on Mata Nui? Or would you want them to have the same names, but certain tweaks to their character- much like how Transformers and various superhero franchises will have the same names and similar appearance, but with notable differences that make each continuity's version almost a distinct character in their own right? (Compare Nolan!Batman to the Adam West series, for example- same name, similar costume, and same basic concept, but very, very different from each other. Then there's more subtle examples, like if you look at different interpretations of Optimus Prime across different Transformers media.) Alternatively, would you want new characters with different names, perhaps as expies or echoes of the old characters? (I can see them taking this route if they wanted to adjust the gender ratios, for example, or the number of Toa to a team). It's also worth noting that there are different interpretations of characters even within the current canon- compare Mask of Light's gentle, soft-spoken Lewa with the energetic, snarky one that Greg Farshtey writes. So, how should the characters be handled in a new continuity? What would you like to see? What tweaks are acceptable or preferable, and where do you draw the line?
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This topic will be the place to post all reviews of the script for Mysterious Island, the musical film loosely adapting the 2001 story which I am writing. As always, all questions, comments, and criticism are appreciated. The topic for the script itself can be found here: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/13103-script-for-mysterious-island/ Welcome to Mysterious Island, an epic story in screenplay form that will tell the tales which we had as fans in 2001 anew. As such, this epic will mainly deal with the dangers that Makuta (Teridax) placed upon the Matoran of Mata Nui in the form of infected Rahi, the Toa Mata's arrival of the on Mata Nui, Takua's quest to aid the Toa, the Toa's acquisition of the thirty-six Great Kanohi masks, Takua's formation of the Chronicler's Company, and the battle between the Toa and Makuta in the latter's Mangaia lair. The story will not be an exact retelling, recording every important detail that was conveyed in 2001. Rather, it will broadly tell the major events of that arc, preserving the main path and results of the story and the majority of characters which it features, but changing a few small details or concepts, mainly in order to better fit the medium of film, as opposed to the flash game which was published in staggered chapters or the comics which were twelve pages each in length and released every two months.
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In the time before time, the Great Spirit descended from the heavens, carrying we, the ones called the Matoran, to this paradise. We were separate and without purpose, so the Great Spirit blessed us with the three virtues: unity, duty, and destiny. We embraced these gifts and, in gratitude, we lived the remainder of our days with these three virtues embedded into everyday life. But our joy would not remain perpetual. Mata Nui's brother, Makuta, sought to make the world his very own, into a twisted regime of darkness, tainted and corrupted by the shadows, a reflection of his own heart. And so he struck; breaking their pact of unity, removing him from his duty, and ultimately, cast him out into the depths of the unknown, far away from his destiny. Our world crumbled before our very eyes as fear consumed our reality, and every dawn was a new waking nightmare. There we were, in an existence without the Great Spirit, left to fight for our own against the onrushing and all-consuming evil. Mata Nui, however, was not to be so easily defeated. In a last desperate attempt to save the very denizens of his world, struck back against Makuta, and in a titanic battle shaking the very foundations of the worlds themselves, the Great Spirit achieved victory, but only at the cost of his own life. The curtain of darkness was ripped from the skies, the stars no longer muted by its overwhelming presence, the land and its people came to prosper in this seldom-obtained time of peace, and a new era began. Our happiness was not to last. This new world was a paradise, but as the laws of the universe govern, entropy will set in, and chaos would reign superior once more, and a chaos never witnessed before struck us. This time, our saviour was nowhere to be found. Mata Nui had left us with nothing else but the three virtues, and as centuries passed, these came to be forgotten as we combated the unknown, having long since given up any hope on the ancient legends our valued virtues were founded upon. Legends told of a mighty team of Toa, heroes borne of the very elements, who would vanquish the evil that threatened to engulf us, but these were mere ancient legends of Mata Nui, were they in any way true, or mere deceptions, to prevent us from ever losing faith? As popular Matoran sayings go, the Great Spirit never lies. Prologue Turaga Vakama paced about his chamber, staff in hand, the wise village elder deep in thought. Every so often, he would pause in his tracks and take a quick glance out of the large window of his dwelling, staring at the heavens above. It was night, but the pitch-black sky was clear with the exception of a few scattered stars littered across the horizon. To the untrained observer, the night sky was one of the few constants that remained in the harsh world they lived in, and held little significance for any of the Matoran villagers. All they hoped for was that the dark blanket above would not be the last sight that greeted their eyes. However, to the ancient village leader, Vakama, this sight was not only most unusual but unprecedented. From the day it all started, what many had termed “The Conclusion”, the stars had begun to vanish from the skies, one by one, until the heavens were a sea of inky black, and it remained so for millennia, unchanging, perpetual, permanent. That all changed on this very night. The Turaga was initially unsure of what to feel- unbeknownst to the Matoran, these stars were not some mere decoration, but they represented something. Something that was an alien feeling to these villagers. Something the Matoran had never known in their lifetime. This something, was hope. A small smile spread across the wizened old Turaga’s lips as he realised, after centuries, perhaps there would a day where they perhaps, could celebrate. However, that day was yet to come.The stars were few, but they illuminated the darkness above. It seems we were foolish to have forsaken the wisdom of the past. There is much left to be accomplished, but the signs are there. All is needed to pierce the darkness are a few lights. He had seen enough, and the aged chieftain plodded to his sleeping quarters, resting his staff against the wall as he went, content with his newfound knowledge. As he drifted off to sleep, one thought echoed throughout his mind. They are coming. Review Topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/12375-review-the-stars-above/
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Hello all, and welcome to my Epic commemorating my return from BZP hiatus of around 5 years, give or take. This story takes place on the island of Metra Nui, and is set in the same reality as the Core Dimension, albeit some time after, and deliberately written in a way similar to the storyline circa 2001, though with changes here and there to prevent it from being a rehash. Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8
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-Original Topic Requested to be Closed Prior to the Start of this Topic- So, yeah. Post all your reviews and comments for this rebooted story here.
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Once upon a time... There was a matoran so insane, you could say he was... This is the story of that matoran. ^^Click on That^^ - Introduction Studio Comics Special: I'm Sorry More to come... - Dark709 (R.I.P.) Gerlicky Google Images Whoever else I forgot to credit. :3 - Enjoy the comics! -
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[This is being reposted due to the database backup. Thanks, Google Cache! Unfortunately, the cache only had the first person's comment, so I'm going to post that below as well to save them the trouble. If you want to repost your comment, please go right ahead! But I more or less remember what you've said, so no serious need. Let's start pulling ourselves together again!] Original post: I've returned with a new story. I call it the Chrysalis Saga, and a few of you might have seen the quiet advertisement in my signature for a while now. I haven't been very active on these forums for a few years, so I realize it will be challenging getting a readership and feedback on my story. But like before with my This World series and later the broader Absolutity collection, I intend to write and post the best stories that I'm capable of. Reviews, while important and deeply appreciated, are not expected or required. Still, it is nice knowing that someone's reading and enjoying. So I thought I would reboot my blog and give it a new theme, mainly centred on the Chrysalis Saga but probably including other things. I haven't decided yet if I will delete all the old entries, as they're not relevant and I don't want to confuse any newcomers to the blog. Not sure about that yet, though. Here's a summary and a to-do list that I'm focused on right now: Status of the Saga The first epic is not yet fully written, but in good progress. The length is not quite determined, but I know it will be at least twenty chapters of about 10 pages each. I'm willing to predict thirty chapters or more, though. And by "good progress," I mean I'm writing it regularly, two or three times a week. The name of the first epic is "The Play of Light." The Saga has been in the works for over a year. I first got the idea for what I wanted to centre a story around way back in 2011, and it only started to take on real form (that is, the chrysalis began to spin!) in spring 2012. I started an actual outline that summer, which I have added to and expanded for the past year into a master document of the ideas, plots, characters, themes, and so forth. It is not at all a definitive plan of what I will write - I leave that up to the magic of the writing process - but it is a guideline for the overall impression I want to leave the reader with. Not giving a date for when this will start being posted yet. But the fact that I've rebooted my blog means it's closer than when I wasn't blogging. 2013 Goals Signature banners, one for this blog and one for the epic once it's up. I need a proper image and caption, so I'll be looking around the internet for something that I feel suits each. I'm sure once I find them, it'll only take me half an hour to slap them together in Pages and upload. Establish the look of this blog. Decide whether I should delete the pre-Chrysalis entries. Start reading & reviewing a few other writers' work. Although I love bonesiii's Paracosmos and made time for it during full time university, I realize I need to broaden my horizons and rebuild my connections in the writing community on BZP. The above means that I want your stories! If you have an ongoing story, or a story written by someone that you think I'd love (and is being posted on the BZP forums), please send it to me! Other Notes I'm no longer a Staff member (well, I'm in a weird limbo group between the regular membership and Staff, apparently, lol. But it hasn't manifested itself in any obligations, so I'm fine with that). This means I don't have those extra BZP duties that I did before, which I honestly think is great, as I can focus completely on the epics and short stories communities. I also need to set BZP as my front page so I see it every time I visit the internet. I also no longer am part of the team managing the Expanded Multiverse. I talked with bones about this a long time ago and let him know that I couldn't spend the time on that project anymore. It still saddens me, and part of me wants to get back in, but I won't do that until I'm absolutely sure I can commit long-term. As a matter of fact, I need to find out what's going on with the EM canon right now, and catch up if there's been anything happening since I stopped my BZP activity. I'm still in university, but part time. 1 class per term, this fall and next winter. So far, I've had a lot of leisure time outside of the one class, so I'll just have to re-teach myself to spend that time on BZP more than other things. Re-integrate into my daily routine, basically. I'm working full time with Apple Inc. That's a solid 40 hours a week, but again, I have a lot of leisure time outside of this, and I've felt so much freedom this year for writing this story. That should only improve once I finish the winter semester course. I'll stop there now. That's my update. Please consider this my humble "Hey, I'm back" entry. Thanks for reading! (Credit for image goes to Naomi Bardoff, an artist and blogger I've followed recently. Will add link once I've determined it's an appropriate link for BZP.)
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So, we all know (probably) that 2009 was meant as a reboot for Bionicle, to make it more accessible to new fans. In 2008 the story of the Matoran Universe had become extremely complicated (thanks to all the backstory and serials) and cluttered, rendering even old fans confused at what was going on. The Lego Group decided to leave that setting earlier than they had planned just so Bionicle could get a new beginning and live on. So they shifted their focus on Bara Magna and made Mata Nui, the only person from the previous story arch, its main character. They had a new setting and a new story. However, something went horribly wrong and Bionicle ended up cancelled in 2010. The reboot failed. I thought in this topic we could all through some ideas on why the reboot failed so badly and what would have been a proper way to do it so that it succeeded. For starters, here are some of my insights on what TLG should have done in the reboot: 1. Ditch the serials completely, or only have one of them with as simple a story as possible (no random sisters of the skrall, no hundreds of characters that never become sets, etc.) 2. Make all the canister sets and small sets somehow related. The 2009 sets were a complete mess in this regard. The first wave has only three sets that actually were Glatorian, although all were marketed as such. Vorox were some sort of beasts, Skrall were a species and Malum was exiled. Only four were individual characters and three were doing what the whole theme of 2009 was about - fighting on the arena. 3. Ditch the serials. 4. One thing they did right was making less books. Only one besides the movie novelization, actually. This would have worked well if the story in the book had been as simple. 5. No huge chunks of revelation about Spherus Magna history and trivial information every day. Ruined the mystery completely and made Bzpower into some kind of a priviledged story. It almost felt like Bionicle was continued only for this online community, ignoring others. This wasn't the case, but story-wise it just seemed that way. Revelations and backstory things should be revealed slowly over time, one or two story items a year. In 2001 we weren't told on some website that everyone was living on the face of a giant robot, so why would anyone reveal in 2009 that Bara Magna had once been Spherus Magna etc. 6. Introduce Mata Nui from the start and make the new world open up to the fans through his eyes. MNOG did this in 2001, but there are other kinds of methods to do this as well. 7. Less characters and more character development - making sure fans get attached to the characters like they did in the Matoran Universe arch. This would make it possible to expand the story to multiple years. Here were some things I thought of. With a right strategy, the Bara Magna storyline could have possibly become another 8-year run that would eventually connect to the old arch. What are your thoughts?
