TahuForever!

Hmm... Interesting. Nice poem, but why doesn't it rhyme?

My second BZPower-posted short-story. I just wrote this today, actually. An idea suddenly popped into my head, and grew, and I decided to write about it. It's funny, though, I actually envisioned the ending and part of the middle before anything else. Lonesome Spirits How could this have happened...? One minute she was there, and the next... She was gone. I walked along the old trail through the forest. I remembered how the sun once shone upon everything, from the rocks to the trees to the dirt, giving it a splendor so lustrous I couldn't have found words to properly describe it if my life had depended upon it. She'd been with me then, and the whole world had been a happy, wonderful place. She'd lit my way through a darker time, before I'd met her. Now as I moved along the path, and though the shun shone brightly, the world looked to me like the darkest of nights. No, darker even. Funny how that works. The light reflecting off the leaves wet with dew reminded me of the eyes that would peer at you from the dark. The shade under an overhang looked like the cave of some monstrous beast. I paused under a tree, seeing the old impressions still left in the grass from two wanderers stopping for a rest. A tear ran down my cheek and I moved on. I passed the brook, once bubbling and gurgling with laughter and song. Now it drummed along like a death march. Each step I trod was heavy with bright remembrances, now lost to a shadowy void. The dark shadows of the sunlit forest path closed in around me. How could I go on...? How could this dark world ever brighten again, when the sun itself had died? 　 　 * * * 　 　 As I stumbled along in my bleak ruminations, a strange sound met my ears. At first I didn't even notice it, but then I heard it. At first I recognized it as the sound of the anguish in my own spirit, so strong it affected my ears. But after a moment I realized that didn't make a lot of actual sense. Someone was crying. The sound of sobs were clear now to my desolate ears. Might as well take a look... As I followed the sound, my mind churned. What if...? But no, she was gone. But I couldn't help but imagine finding that beautiful face again, looking up at me as I stumbled upon it in the woods. But no, she was lost to me forever. Finally I turned a corner in the path, and under a willow I saw a figure. Instantly my knowledge that my desperate hope would be dashed by cold reality was confirmed. This wasn't her, but a child. A small child, a toddler. I moved closer, to see that she'd ceased her crying. She now stared hard at the ground, as if fascinated by some bug. I stopped beside her, and she looked up with what I assumed was careless curiosity. Not another child that needs me... I thought. This one couldn't be the same as the one still awaiting my return at home. I knew that. I could tell this one was different. This one wouldn't have a lilting laugh, this one wouldn't gaze at me with the light of the moon when I saw her. This one couldn't brighten my life. She was too quiet. Nevertheless, I found myself reaching out to her. She watched my arm approach, then shoved it off with an angry cry. She looked at me with a look of rage, then returned her gaze to the ground. Well! Fine then, be that way! I couldn't help but think angrily. I stared hard at her for a moment, with every intention of grabbing her roughly and dragging her back to the village. But then, suddenly, I decided against anger, and my pain came surging back. I turned from her and walked a few steps. I didn't know what I was doing. Dizzy with emotion, I lost my desire to stand. I sat hard on the ground, and stared bleakly at the ground. I was utterly spent. The tears wouldn't even come. Why...? Why can such a thing happen to a man? I looked back at the child. She'd stopped paying attention to me. Now she was gazing at the sky. In her self-absorption, I could now read her emotions. She was staring into space with... What was that expression, anyway? The it hit me. Hopelessness. Pain. Loss. I looked down beside me into a puddle, and saw the same expression on my own features. I turned to the girl, who was now staring at the ground again. There was no bug. She was lost in her own pain, I realized. Slowly, ever so slowly, I moved toward her. She glanced at me. Her features distorted into rage for a moment, then to be replaced by bleak indifference. She looked at the ground again. I moved a little closer. Now I could reach out and touch her arm. Slowly, I did. She moved her arm away from mine with a whine, and I withdrew. She sat still again. I watched her, reading in her everything I'd been feeling. Her sun had died, too, hadn't it? We both sat there awhile, lost in our own ruminations. She may have glanced at me a few times in that space, I know not. I didn't notice if she did. I glanced at her a couple times, to find her facing the ground. After a while, though, I reached out to her again, this time lightly touching her hand as it sat upon the ground. "You've lost someone too, haven't you?" Slowly she looked up at me, and I let her read my emotions. Then she muttered something I couldn't understand, and returned her gaze sadly to the ground. "I know. It hurts, doesn't it? Something awful..." I sighed and stared at the ground myself. She glanced at me again with her bleak expresion, and then something came over her. For a moment she focused on a point past me, her eyes lighting up, only to darken again, as if she thought she'd seen something, or someone, only to realize she hadn't. Then her eyes watered and little streams ran down her face, sobs gushing forth once more. Her cries were louder this time, echoing through the forest. What a little pair of lungs, I thought. Her cries stung my ears, and I wouldn't have been surprised if the village had come running to find the source of the racket. They didn't. We just sat there as she cried and cried. Soon my eyes and face were wet, too. Then sobs were escaping the both of us. What a sight we must make, a man and a toddler, alone in the woods and crying our eyes out. 　 　 * * * 　 　 After a time, I don't know how long, we were both spent. We sat quietly. Then, suddenly, she glanced at me. Reaching out with her little arm, she touched my hand as it rested on the ground. I glanced at her, and saw a look of understanding in her little face. She spoke again, and though I couldn't understand the words, I replied, "Yes, I know. Seems pretty hopeless for both of us, doesn't it?" She replied in her cooing, gurgling voice. She stood up and put her hands on my upright knee, then looked thoughtful. I looked up at her, pain blurring my vision once more as memories pounded in my head. She stood there a moment, then slowly, ever so slowly, moved around my knee and closer to my body. I wiped my eyes and watched her gently. Finally, she gently settled in my lap. She looked up at me, and I looked down at her. Her face still bore the bleak expression of before. I knew mine must as well. I wasn't the person she wanted. She wasn't the person I wanted. But we forgave each other for the fact. She looked sadly down, and settled into a restful position. I leaned back against the tree. Dusk was gathering around us and we began to feel sleepy. I thought of the little girl at home. But she had others to take care of her, she'd be fine this night. Besides, my family had gotten used to my spending more time away than usual of late. There we sat, alone in the gathering darkness. We sat together in our pain, two lonesome spirits in a dark world that seemed only to be getting darker. We had each other, and that wasn't really good enough. Still, it was all we had for that moment. We were both left to wonder, would the sun ever shine again?

FYI, I'm a big fan of Tahu. First impression: What did you do to him? Second Impression: Yeah, okay, he's kind of cute. I'm not sure Tahu would approve, but... He's got a bit of an awkward stance there, his feet are pointed together. And you scratched his leg?! How could you... I like his expression, though, and the puff of breath. Based on that, I'm not sure he does approve of being so chibi-fied. Overall, it's like Tahu crossed with a teddy bear. Interesting concept. Nice drawing. I'd like to see Makuta done like this...

Whoa, awesome. I rather like it. It's rather reminiscent of the bio-organic style of the old movies, only in reverse. She looks like an organic creature with robotic implants, which is what folks of Bara Magna are supposed to be. Love the dramatic pose and background, too. I suppose my biggest complaint, though, is how human she looks. It might be better if she were completely scaled, or at least more so. I like the human eyes, though, and of course you don't want her to look too animalistic. I wonder how it might work to base the face off of the actual Glatorian head pieces? But I guess Hero Factory uses those too, and they do look perhaps a bit too robotic. Still, it would add to the "Bara Magnan look" of her. I like the design of the clothes and armor, too, and that trident is awesome. Might I ask what program you used for this?

Wow... Given that Tahu's my favorite Toa, I love this one. It's not nearly as impressive as the Matoran with No Name, but beautiful nevertheless. I like how similar-to-the-toy and yet oh-so-much-more-robotic he looks. Jaller looks great, too. Great staff and shield. Looks like a touch of the style of the original three Bionicle movies in there, too.

Whoa, that looks really cool. Wait... This isn't CGI? It seriously looks like it. I can only just barely tell from the look of it that it isn't. Nice expression, nice background, nice relation to the background. I like the scratchiness of the armor, and I like the cables that form the neck. You've got good glow effects on the eyes and heart-light, too. Is this seriously a 2D drawing, or is the character set over the backdrop? Great the shadow effect, too. My only complaint is that his lower arms are so big. Maybe they would make sense if I could see all of the Matoran, but given the skinny waist, it doesn't look quite right there to me. Can't get over how much this looks like CGI... Beautiful artwork. Oh, yeah, since he has no name, can I call him Jimmy? He looks like a Jimmy to me.

Ooh, tough-lookin' warrior. Nice and bulky, too. I like the sword and the... Spiked chain... Thing. Yeah, not familiar with all the names of medieval weaponry... I think I see what you did with the layering, it looks good. Got some nice texture in there. The pencil-or-ink-or-whatever is a little splotchy, but I like the effect. I also like his relation to the background. It almost looks like he's emerging from a bank of fog. Dramatic...

Well, thanks for the review, Oneiromancer. Nice to hear I passed the grammar test. And it's nice to know you think the pacing and fight description worked well. I see what you mean about their past, though. Their story is supposed to be somewhat mysterious, part of that being I didn't even give them names, but perhaps I could have given a bit more detail about their past romantic ties. This is actually a bit of a play on a little fantasy-story-thing I've had for years. Who knows, I may write more about them at some point. Thank you for the review, and I think I'll be visiting the SSCC again at some point. EDIT: Oh, sorry, didn't see you at first, SkyLand. Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. I don't think I really knew for certain myself what her mission here was, but I seem to remember it was supposed to be a pick-up of some kind. Who knows, maybe that detail will be relevant in the future...

Once again late, here's chapter 3. The Protar Chronicles Part 3: Protok Hits the Dirt One day, fate smiled again upon Protok, though he didn't realize it until he looked back years later. He was on an important mission for the Hunters when he came across a Toa, a red one wearing a Hau. Toa normally posed little threat to Protok, but one could never tell for sure. Protok hated fighting Toa, as they stood for everything he liked and admired in the Matoran, and then some. He always tried to avoid it when he could, but this time he had no choice in the matter. The little guy had Protok trapped in a square in the middle of a village. No moon was shining brightly this night, and all was dark. But Dark Hunters were used to the dark. Toa typically weren't. "Who are you, anyway?" Protok snarled as the Toa once again blocked his escape. "Why don't you just leave me alone? I don't feel like squashing any bugs today." To his own disgust the Dark Hunters' bad attitudes were rubbing off on him. "You've just stolen something very important, my tall silver friend," the wearer of the Hau replied with a determined glare. "You may never know how important. And I'm afraid I can't let you escape with it." Protok hesitated. What could possibly be so important about an unassuming little tablet? Sure, the language on it was one he didn't recognize, and there weren't very many of those languages, and it did look rather old, but why then had it been in a tiny little village like this? Then Protok laughed. "You think you can stop me, small fry? Well then, take your best shot!" The Toa smiled at him and whipped out a large silver sword. Taking aim, he unleashed its power. Protok dodged aside, and the building behind him burst into rubble. But not fire... The sword had unleashed a beam of some blue energy. Hoping to finish this quickly, Protok caused walls of stone to rise from the ground around his red-clad adversary, intending to encase him in stone. To his surprise, the Toa instantly lashed his sword in a circle, slicing the stone walls in half, then leaped clear. Great, Protok thought. This one has reflexes. Protok tried many other tricks, but was dismayed when his foe cleverly dodged or undid every single one. He's no novice... Protok had to admit that. The little guy could aim, too. Protok was forced to dodge well to avoid getting blasted or smoldered from the Toa's sword or flames. Finally resorting to brute strength, Protok unleashed burst after burst of raw elemental energy in a variety of forms. He grew continually frustrated as the pipsqueak refused to be beaten. He did have to admire his skill and determination, though. Finally, as both combatants were worn and weary, the determined and skillful Hau-bearer surged forward in a terrific offensive. Tremendous beams of energy were blown aside with his own, and finally, with a loud cry, the Toa delivered a terrible blow with his sword, smiting Protok's head. Protok's world went black... 　 　 When he awoke, he was surprised to find himself in a cell. His head hurt, so he allowed himself a few minutes' respite. The tablet was gone, and he'd been beaten by a Toa. That had never happened to him before. He'd be in trouble when he returned to the Hunters, that was for sure... Why the Toa had locked him in a cell, though, he could not fathom, when he could simply melt the lock and - get electrocuted, he discovered. In fact, any use of any power at all resulted in a painful jolt. This is no normal prison. But they don't know who they're dealing with... Even without his power, he still had plenty of tricks up his armor. He tried to pick the lock, only to get shocked again. Even an ever-so-light touch of the bars resulted in a very painful electrocution. But he had to get out of there. He tried smashing through the wall, only to find more bars embedded there as well. In desperation he even tried the other walls and the floors, but guess what he found? He was completely trapped. He strained his mind, trying every trick he could think of. But finally, he realized he would just have to sit and wait, unless his captors intended to let him rot. But the other Hunters will realize what's happened before long... He wondered, though, if he were still in that little village. There were no windors in his cell, he couldn't tell. And he didn't feel like smashing a hole in the wall and getting shocked at that moment. Outside the bars, all he could see were more cells. But they were empty. Finally, he heard the footsteps of a single visitor, and the Toa who had defeated him walked into his view. "Comfortable?" his captor queried. Protok only grunted. "What a waste..." The Toa looked thoughtful, as if he were going to say more, then evidently changed his mind. Instead he said, "You've caused a lot of trouble to the Order, Protok. And you nearly caused ten times as much." Protok raised a matallic eyebrow. Order? Who was this Toa, anyway? He voiced his query. "You got a name, then?" The Hau-bearing red-clad warrior chuckled. "Oh, I've got one. But not one that you need to know. Yet." Now what did he mean by that...? Protok rose angrily to his feet. "I suppose you intend to let me rot in here, do you? Well, you just wait until my fellows here of this. They'll be swarming in here, you can be sure." "Oh, the other Dark Hunters?" The Toa chuckled again. "I assure you, we are quite safe from your 'friends' here." Protok glared, but made no reply. His captor sounded quite confident. "Well, I'm afraid I must be leaving now, but here, you must be starving." The crimson warrior passed some food through the bars and left. Protok was left alone with his thoughts. What was this "Order"? Was it another organization, like the Dark Hunters? If it was, were they any better than the Dark Hunters, or just as bad? In this prison he felt safe that there were no Hunters nearby to intrude on his thoughts, a freedom he'd not felt in a long time, save on long, lone missions. The next day his "friend" visited him again. "Well, hello there," the Hau-bearer greeted cheerfully. Protok eyed him suspiciously. What elicited such a friendly greeting to a prisoner? Protok wanted more information this time: Where was he, who was this "Order", or at least the Toa's name! "Fine day," he said, as sincerely as he could, wondering where his captor was going with this, while simultaneously trying to work out how to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go, and to trick this guy into telling him what he wanted to know. "Congratulations," the red-clad warrior went on. "My superiors have informed me to tell you that you are on the island of Daxia, and to welcome you to the prison of the Order of Mata-Nui." Well, that went well. 　 　 Protok had never heard of the Order of Mata Nui before. The only major organizations he knew of were the Dark Hunters and the Brotherhood of Makuta. He guessed the Order was a smaller group. The Toa had explained how the Order was supposedly devoted to serving the will of the Great Spirit. After previous experience with organized groups, Protok was naturally suspicious. Besides that, his time as Dark Hunter had ingrained near-constant suspicion in his character. He also explained that the Order's purpose was to keep the Universe at large intact and at peace. Given the actions of the traitorous Brotherhood, and the existence of the Dark Hunters, this was much easier said than done. Yet the Order had to undergo their war in absolute secrecy, for they weren't ready for all-out war with both the Brotherhood and the Hunters. Now Protok was alone in his cell, thinking over everything he'd learned and wondering about his future. He couldn't help but wonder if what the Toa had said was true. He found it hard to believe that there was an organization with any real power that the Hunters weren't aware of. And the island of Daxia? He'd never heard of it. He wanted to believe, of course, that there was an organization more noble than the Brotherhood or Hunters, but it all sounded rather far-fetched. If the Toa had been lying, then where was this prison? And the bars... He'd never seen the like before. It was very advanced technology. And on the other hand, if his captor was going to lie to him, why tell such a far-fetched tale? So what if it were true? In that case, given their need for absolute secrecy, now that he knew about them there could be only two options regarding his future: Join the Order or be executed. Or else rot in prison. Or he could try to escape, and probably be killed in the attempt. Naturally he'd leap at the chance to leave the Hunters, and if the Order was as noble as the Toa claimed it was, then what better way to leave! The Hunters would want try to hunt him down if he left. The Shadowed One wouldn't rest until Protok was dead if he betrayed them. But here he'd have allies... The trouble was, how could he hope to convince this "Order" of his intentions? He was a Hunter, after all. And for that matter, how could he be sure of the Order's nobility? He certainly wasn't interested in another group of thugs. For several days he was left imprisoned. A Matoran who wasn't allowed to speak with him, who merely came a few times a day to deliver food, was his only visitor in that time. Protok was given some time of peace that he hadn't had in a long time. But on the fifth day of his imprisonment, his captor visited him again. "Boy, you're a lucky prisoner," was the first thing he said, instantly provoking Protok's suspicion. "The Order's sure taken an interest in you. We've been debating what to do with you, and guess what? I'm taking you to see Helryx herself." As per the usual, any reviews, comments, or criticisms are welcome in the review topic Here. Next chapter should be up by Jan. 19th.

Well, here's Chapter 2! I hope you enjoy it! As a side note, whenever the characters laugh with "ha ha"s, (usually) those were actual sub-titles from the movie. Chapter 2: Kolhii Superball ( At the edge of the lava river, Jaller is sad because he thinks Takua's dead. ) Jaller: Aw Takua... You owed me five hundred bucks! *cries* ( Suddenly, two swords land into the ground by Jaller. ) Jaller: *gasp* WE'RE BEING INVADED!!! SOUND THE ALARM!!! Tahu: Dude, it's just me. Jaller: Oh, okay... SOUND THE ALARM!!! Tahu: Oh, be quiet... Jaller: Fine... *reads script* *clears throat* Toa Tahu! Takua... He didn't... Change his socks... For weeks... ( Takua comes out from behind Tahu. ) Takua: Ha ha! ... Stepped on the gravel again... Jaller: You're alive! ... Cheeze It head! You could've been lava bones! ... Hmm... Takua Soufle, extra-crispy... *dreamy look* Takua: *steps away slowly* ( Pewku comes and licks Takua. ) Pewku: Eww... When was the last time you bathed? Takua: Uh... Could've been, but I'm not! Jaller: Takua: What? Jaller: *coughs* Nothing. Takua: Hmm... ( Tahu sees the Mask of Light and picks it up. ) Tahu: A great kanohi mask. Jaller: It was in the lava... ... *gasp* Kanohi Soufle, extra crispy... *dreamy look* *snaps out of it* Takua... Takua: Yes? Jaller: I was talking to Toa Tahu... Uh, Nuva. Tahu: Good boy! *hands mask to Jaller* This could be important. Not as important as Cheese Nips, but important nonetheless. Take it to Turaga Vakama. AFTER you've won the kolhii match. I bet all my Cheese Nips that you'd win. Then no more "sight-seeing". Takua: Why...? Jaller: Uh, yes Toa Tahu. ( Vakama's voice plays in the background as Jaller and Takua head to the kolhii stadium. ) Turaga Vakama: We are thankful to the great spirit for his gift of six guardians representing the elements: Our mighty ME! Director: TOA! Turaga Vakama: *sigh* Our mighty Toa... Blah blah blah... (let's return our "gifts" to the store later) We now enjoy long walks along- uh, peace and prosperity, and the opportunity to build accidents waiting to happen, as we have with our new kolhii field. ( The crowd cheers. ) Random Matoran in Crowd: Boo! ( All the other Matoran throw tomatoes at him. ) Vakama: Let us welcome our- ME! Crowd: *sigh* Welcome Turaga Vakama... Vakama: I've trained them so well... *sniff* ( The director coughs loudly. ) Vakama: Oh fine! Let us also welcome our protectors: The spirit of fire, Toa Tahu. Tahu: NUVA! Vakama: *gulps* Toa Tahu Nuva... ( Tahu walks out into the Toa Stand and the crowd cheers. ) Vakama: From the village of water, Toa Gali. Gali: Where's the hats? ( Gali discovers that she is in the stands of the kolhii field. ) Gali: (angrily) Nokama... ( The crowd cheers. ) Vakama: And from the village of stone, Toa Pohatu. ( Pohatu walks into the Toa Stand and the crowd cheers. ) Tahu: Pleasure to see you again Gali! Cheese nip? Gali: Oh, yes! Thank you, Tahu! Director: You're supposed to be angry! Tahu: Oh yeah... (sarcastically) Pleasure to see you again, Gali. Gali: (sarcastically) Thank you, Tahu. Pohatu: Brother! I am thrilled to be here! Tahu: So skip around merrily why don't you? Pohatu: 'Cuz the script says differently. Tahu: Oh... *hits fist against Pohatu's* Well, we couldn't have our first match- Jaller: SUPERBALL! Tahu: Uh, couldn't have our championship without the patron of kolhii! Pohatu: Ha ha ha ha! Darn gravel... And so I am here! ( Gali sits down grumpily. ) Pohatu: Always a pleasure Gali. Well, not always, but you get the point. ( Tahu sits down grumpily as well. Pohatu shrugs and sits down between them. ) Pohatu: Ugh... You two. Still so ill in disease? Uh, at ease? ... What did I just say? Director: >_< Pohatu: Put your pennies in my hand! Wait, I mean: Put your petty dog- differences aside. I don't know what I'm saying today. Rejoice! Gali: Hah. I think my brother is afraid of having his fire extinguished. Tahu: Ooh, big word. You get a cookie. Ah ha ha ha. Stupid gravel! ... Sister, against me you'd be nothing be steam, hot air, as they so mistakenly say... ( Meanwhile, down in the Turaga stand. ) Onewa: Ahh, the Toa squabble like gukko birds over a berry. Vakama: No they don't! Onewa: Yes they do! Vakama: No, they don't! Onewa: YES, they DO! Vakama: NO THEY DON'T!!! Onewa: AAAAARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!! ( Vakama and Onewa begin to engage in healthy sibling rivalry. Funny how often that lands one of them in the hospital, though. ) Nokama: Their recent victories are a blessing, but they've forgotten (whispering: as have you two!) how much they need each other. Vakama: In- Deed- -OW!- No... Kama... Could you do this next bit while -Ouch!- I show Onewa how the Turaga get going? Nokama: *rolls eyes* Sure thing dude. ( Nokama steps forward. ) Nokama: We dedicate this kolhii field- Vakama: To- -OW!- me! Nokama: No! To the great spirit Mata Nui, and to the three virtues: Fashion, shopping, and high-heels. Director: *growls* Nokama: Uh huh huh huh... *gulp* Unity duty and destiny! Director: Better. Crowd: Unity! Duty! Destiny! ( Turagas Vakama and Onewa lay dizzily on their backs as Nokama says: ) Nokama: Let the tournament begin! ( The Random Matoran in the crowd from before belches loudly. The crowd then throws tomatoes at him and cheers. ) Kolhii Announcer Matoran Guy: Ta-Koro welcomes three teams. From the deserted village of Po-Koro, copper mask winners and undisputed kolhii champions: Wallace and Gromit! Director: Say it right! Announcer: Wally and the Beave? Director: Say the line or your fired! Announcer: Okay, okay! Hewkii and Hafu! ( Hewkii and Hafu come out onto the field. ) Crowd: Cheese Nips! Cheese Nips! Cheese Nips! Announcer: From the polluted- Er, shining seas of Ga-Koro: Lilo and Stitch! Director: AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Announcer: *pulls collar and steam comes out* Uh, Hahli and Achu- I mean, Macku! Macku: Grr... ( Hahli and Macku come out onto the field. ) Announcer: And from Ta-Koro, your own captain of the guard and the Chronicler himself: Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi! Director: That's it! You're fired! Announcer: D'oh! I knew I shouldn't have gone for third... >_< Director: Uh... You, that random matoran who keeps getting clobbered by tomatoes, you're hired. Random Matoran: Cool! And I do have a name: Taku. Director: Okay, Taku, you're hired. ( Taku steps up and grabs the mega-phone. ) Taku: Good day to all you dudes and dudettes out there! Ha ha, today we're watching the totally awesome Kolhii Superballl! A game where Matoran use sticks to wack balls around and the points don't matter! Let's get started. Director: Oh... Kay... Taku: Right, right. The players from Ta-Koro -where you are now!- are: Jaller and Takua! ( Jaller and Takua step out onto the field and glare at Taku while the crowd cheers. ) Takua: Why'd they ever make him announcer...? Jaller: I know, he's more annoying than you! Takua: Hey! Jaller: Try your new move. And make it quick, I have a yoga class, remember? Takua: Of course! Besides the free food, restrooms, and the rest of the game, it's what the audience came for! Jaller: Right... ( The three fielders, Takua, Hahli, and Hewkii, walk up to the hole in the middle of the field. ) All three: Snack well! ( The ball [which is covered in logos] comes up out of the hole and flies into the air. ) Taku: Hewkii and Takua both jump up and grab the ball, but -OH!- Hahli jumps between them and takes posession. She rolls it towards the Ta-Koro goal and takes a shot. But it bounces off the side of the goal and Hewkii takes possession. Takua uses his stick to flip over Hewkii. His attempt is denied when Hewkii holds the ball between his feet and leaps over Takua's head. Hahli chases it to a wall, leaps onto the wall, pushes off it over Hewkii's head, and hits the ball straight at the Ta-goal. Jaller bats it away with his goalie shield. Hahli: Huh, not bad. Jaller: Nothing gets past the captain of the guard... ( At this moment, Hahli notices a "kick me" sign on Jaller's back but says nothing. ) Jaller: ...unless he wishes it. Hahli: I'll keep that in mind. Taku: Hewkii has the ball. He brings it to the Ga-goal. He leaps up into the air and kicks it right into the goal! HE SCORES! HE BAD! OH YEAH! GO PO-KOOOORRROOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Director: A little less enthusiasm please. Taku: Oh all right... Hewkii gains possession of the ball and once more heads for the Ga-goal. He throws it with his stick and scores another point! Whoo-hoo! Hahli leaps from center-field and hits the ball really far, scoring a goal. What a shot! She bad! She rock... Takua gets the ball, and -WHOA!- somehow sends it flying towards the Turaga stand! LOOK OUT VAKAMA!!! ( Takua does his "new move" and sends the ball flying toward the Turaga stand. Vakama [who had recovered from his fight] barely ducks in time as the ball makes a dent in the wall. Vakama stands up and grabs the ball. ) Vakama: *growls* When life gives you lemons... ( Vakama hurls the ball at the field. ) Vakama: CHUCK 'EM RIGHT BACK!!! *maniacal laughter* ( The ball lands and makes a crater. ) Taku: I don't think we''ve seen that move before! Hahli now has the ball! She sends it hurtling towards the Ta-goal like lightning! Jaller: I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!!! Taku: Jaller leaps out of the way and Hahli scores. The winning of the tournament goes to Ga-Koro! Congratulations, girls! ... Jaller! You blew it! Jaller: Oops... Oh, well, now to get to my yoga class! *dashes off* ( The crowd cheers. Pohatu clanks his fist against Gali's. He goes to do the same with Tahu, but one look at the grump's face changed his mind. ) Tahu: All my Cheese Nips! *cry* Taku: Mata Nui! Takua: Uh, why'd you shout that? Taku: Um, no idea. Script said to. What the script says, the Taku does. Director: I like him. He's loyal. ( Hahli, Macku, and Hewkii are down in the field. ) Hahli: *hits stick against Macku's* Nice defense- Well, actually, it wasn't. You didn't block a single shot! Macku: Well... Hahli: Well, nice try, anyway. We all have off days. We won, anyway. ... Wait... Hewkii was the only one to shoot at our goal.. That explains it. *rolls eyes* Macku: Uh... Heh, heh. Whatever do you mean? ( Just then Hewkii walks up. ) Hahli: Good shooting Hewkii. *clanks stick* Hewkii: Good shooting yourself Hahli! Hahli: Yep, I'm good. Jaller: *who just appeared out of nowhere* Not bad, for a Ga-Matoran. Nokama: *growls* Jaller: Uh... *clanks sticks with Hahli* Hahli: Good effort Takua. Nice move back there. A little more practice, and you'll have a threat to my championship. ... *gasps and suddenly goes into zombie mode* TAKUA'S MOVE MUST BE DESTROYED. Takua: Uh... Thanks? I think...? Vakama: Congratulations to Ga-Koro! *glares at Nokama* And well played by all! ( All the players bow, and the Mask of Light falls out of Jaller's back-pack, landing at Takua's feet. Touching him, it begins to glow. He passes it with his foot to Jaller, and the light goes out. Jaller passes it back and it glows again. They kick it back and forth a few times, but then Takua tilts it, shining the light on Jaller. The crowd, Toa, and Turaga all gasp. ) Gali: Mata Nui! ... I don't know why I said that... Taku: LET'S PARTAY! ( *crickets* ) THE END

3... 2... 1... WHOO-HOO!!! Lego Avengers here we come!

Pretty sure this is the right forum... Anyway, I'm a bit of a nut for a good movie trailer. Trailers that tell a good story, have good music, and are just plain cool I love. Particularly the more epic ones. Do you love a good trailer, too? Trailers that stick with you, whose music contines to echo in your mind for years to come? Trailers that tell gripping stories, holding powerful meaningful for you? Or trailers that are just plain cool? So I'm here to ask you: "What's your favorite movie trailer?" First I'll tell you my favorites. There are four. 10,000 B.C.: One of my all-time favorite movies, complete with two awesome trailers. (although this still counts as one of the four) The first trailer gives a general overview of what to expect from the ancient world, combined with epic drum music to make for one cool trailer. The second trailer digs deeper into the story, and features equally awe-inspiring music. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: I think this one works through the story very well, and who will ever forget that introduction to the whirlpool, or that awesome choir letting it all loose as Jack and Jones duel it out on a mast? Terrifically exciting music all the way through. Avatar: Ah, the most financially successful movie of all time, complete with an awesome trailer. Beautiful visuals, a gripping and meaningful story, glazed over with great music that builds to a spine-tingling crescendo as the trailer moves along. And I ain't talkin' about the 2-minute trailer, I mean the full-length 4-minute one. Well, 3:40 to be exact. Iron Man 3: They obviously went all out with this one. What such story could be more epic? Here this guy who's basically on the tippy-top of the world, suffering from nightmares and ultimately getting his butt kicked and being thrown down the long, long way to the ground, and forced to try and survive on his own wits? Opposed by a criminal mastermind and leader of (assumably) a huge and widespread terrorist organization. Okay, so this one hasn't come out yet, we'll see if the movie lives up to the trailer. But then, I guess they always do when this much work goes into the trailer. And what beautiful epic music (complete with choir, always a tremendous plus) that as always, builds up to an awesome crescendo! So what about you? And I'm talkin' PG-13 or less movies, don't give me anything higher than that, alright?

Well... I remember this one time, way back when, when I got the original Millenium Falcon set from 1999. I was much younger at the time, and I decided to dump every bag into one huge pile. Yeah, that was a mistake, but I had a ton of fun, if some amount of frustration, sitting there for 4 hours straight building it. Nowadays, when the bags are numbered, which they often are, I guess I generally don't open bag 2 until I've finished bag 1, unless I feel like it. Other than that, and when the bags aren't numbered, I open all the bags at once, but keep the piles seperated. Then I put 'em together, piece by piece.

And here it is, for posterity's sake: The Newest MoL Spoof Yep, he sure cracked me up. I might even re-read it myself, as I haven't in a long time. FYI for those of you who haven't, it's worth a look. Do you know if he's still a member here? Thank you, Velika. I'm glad you like my alternate virtues. That's one of my favorite jokes, too. And thank you, T.B.O.C. The spacing was intentional, you're supposed to imagine the title scene there. But I guess that's hard if you don't remember what it looks like... Mayhaps I'll find a picture of it and stick it in there. Many of the other chapters are, I think, at least as good as this one, but the trouble will come when we near the end. That's when, I seem to recall, it got bad... I may even re-write them if I can manage it. Keep laughing, all. EDIT: Okay, that's not the title sequence I put in there, but close enough.

Some of you older fans may remember the original Bionicle movie: The Mask of Light. Even some of you younger members may have seen it. In any case, this is a spoof of that film that I wrote years ago, and have decided to share. So naturally it'll probably make a lot more sense if you've seen the movie first. I'd like to add that this was inspired by another spoof of the movie I read years ago by an old member called SPIRIT. I found his spoofs of the movies hysterical, and this inspired me to write my own. Thanks, SPIRIT! I even used one of his characters, the Director. So, without further ado, I'd like to present... Bionicle the Movie: The Mask of Light: What You Didn't See CHAPTER 1: Opening/Lava Snacking ( A whole bunch of Lego bricks fall and magically form the word: LEGO. Strange, isn't it? ) ( A lake. At night. We zoom over the lake while dramatic music plays and see a city. Suddenly, all the lights in the city go out, and the words "MIRAMAX: Home Entertainment" appear. WHAT BIZARRE WORLD DO WE LIVE IN!?!?!? ) ( We go down through some mist and some birds fly by... We finally arrive at the Amaja Sand Pit. In the background, someone fiddling with some keys can be heard. ) Vakama: Stupid door... ( The sounds of a door opening and someone scrambling into position are heard. ) Vakama: Gathered friends, listen again to our legend... ( Vakama pauses for dramatic effect. ) Vakama: ...of the me. ( The director [yours truly] coughs loudly. ) Vakama: *sigh* Oh fine. ...our legend of the Bionicle. In the time before time the Great Spirit descended from the heavens carrying we, the ones called the Matoran. (actually I'm a Turaga, not a Matoran, but a certain someone wants to keep this thing simple) ( The director coughs. ) Vakama: To this paradise. We were seperate, and without purpose, (except for eating Cheese Nips) so the Great Spirit illuminated us with- I'M BLIND! Oh wait, I just blinked. Ahem, illuminated us with the three virtues: Foolery, stupidity, and density. Wait... *checks script* I mean, unity, duty and destiny... I thought mine were better though... We returned these gifts to the store and bought a pilates machine instead, and in gratitude named our island home Wal-Ma- Uh, Mata Nui after the Great Spirit himself. But our endless Cheese Nip eating was not to last, for Mata Nui's brother, The Makuta, was jealous of these low-calorie snacks and betrayed him, hitting him over the head with a frying pan, forcing Mata Nui into a deep slumber. The Makuta was free to "let the dogs out". And "let them out" he did. ( Dramatic music plays, and the title scene is shown. ) ( At Ta-Koro, Jaller is looking for Takua. ) Jaller: Takua! Ugh, he's got less Cheese Nips in his head than a Cheeze It box... Takua! ( Jaller sees Takua's Kolhii stick leaning against the wall of an arch. ) Jaller: Aw, Takua. Hmph. He better not make me late for my yoga class... ( Jaller walks through the arch and down a winding path into the lava caves. ) Jaller: Takua! Takuuuuuuaaaa! ( Meanwhile, Takua is looking past a lava river at a totem. Pewku is with him. ) Takua: Look Pewku! *points to totem* ( Pewku is completely still and silent. ) Takua: Uh, hello? *waves hand in front of Pewku* ( The cardboard Pewku falls over. ) Director: Where's Pewku!?!? ( Pewku walks into the cave wearing a towel. Upright. On her hind legs. ) Pewku: Geez, can't a girl take a shower? *pauses* Are we filming? Takua: *sigh* Yes! Pewku: Oops! Director: Actors... ( Pewku promptly throws her towel into the lava and gets on all sixes. Takua starts hopping across the rocks. ) Takua: Thats- Why- They call- me- Cheese for brains! ( Takua stops on a rock near the other side and admires the totem. ) Takua: Ooh, I bet no one's ever been this suicidal before... Jaller: Takua! Takua (taken by surprise): *high pitched girly scream* Jaller: Relax, it's just me! Takua: Uh... *high pitched girly scream* Jaller: Oh cut it out! Takua: Fine... Jaller: What are you doing down here alone!? We're supposed to be at the kolhii match! It's the Superball... Takua: Oh, oh yeah, sorry Mr. No Fun. Jaller: I do too have fun... Takua: Where? Jaller: I think I left it in my other suit. Takua: Yeah, well, hang on a sec', I just gotta check out that totem. Jaller: You're hopping across lava to look at a stupid warning totem? ( Suddenly, a bright light shines from above, even though they're in a cave. ) Deep Loud Voice: Don't diss the totem. Jaller: *high pitched girly scream* Y-yes sir! Right away sir! Anything you say sir! I am your servant sir! DLV: Let's not overdo it, okay? ( The bright light fades. ) Director: Well I must say, that was odd. Continue. Jaller: *gulp* Um, you're hopping across lava to look at an extremely intelligent warning totem? Takua: That pretty much sums it up. Jaller: Do you know what Turaga Vakama would say? Takua: Uh... "Where's my cane?" Jaller: Okay, bad example. Do you know what Turaga Onewa would say? Takua: *sighs and clears throat* "Let's break big expensive things!" Jaller: Another bad example... Let's try Turaga Nokama. Takua: "Irresponsible"... Jaller: Now come on! Takua (hopping across the last of the rocks): Be- Right- There! (on the other side) Ha ha! Jaller: What's so funny? Takua: I landed on a pile of gravel. It tickled. Jaller: *sigh* (sarcastically) Very impressive... Takua: Encore? Jaller: No! Now let's go! ( Takua takes the totem off it's pedestal. ) Takua: Unh! DLV: You have offended the spirit of the totem! ( Suddenly, the tunnel starts to rumble. ) Takua: Oh no! ( Rocks fall from the ceiling and the rocks in the river go under. ) Jaller: Takua, get out of there! ( Several rocks fall around Takua and he drops the totem, which falls into the lava. Takua tries to grab it, but it's too late. Suddenly, the Mask of Light comes to the surface. ) Takua: Jaller, look! Jaller: (seriously) Very impressive! I think... A great kanohi mask! ( Takua takes it out of the lava. ) Takua: The lava! It buuurns! ( The mask cools off and Takua looks at words written on the back of the mask. ) Takua: Wow, I've never seen this language... Well, except on the back of that one Cheeze It box... Jaller: Takua! Takua: Hold your rahi! *Jaller holds Pewku* I'm coming! Pewku: Put me down... Jaller: ( Suddenly, the tunnel rumbles and a huge wave of lava comes down the river. ) Takua: Here! Take the mask! ( Takua throws the mask to Jaller. Seeing as he couldn't hit the side of a barn, it goes into the lava. Luckily, as we saw before, it floats. So Jaller reaches over the river and grabs it. The wave gets closer, and so Takua throws his board into the lava and heads across the river. Unfortunately, he's slower than a snail on that thing, so the wave closes in to engulf him. ) Takua: Typical... ( A blue blur flies by, saving Takua from imminent doom, so close that Jaller didn't see it. In a moment Takua sees it's Tahu in a blue bathrobe. ) Takua: Ah, Toa Tahu! Tahu: *throws bathrobe into lava* Okay, first of all, it's Toa Tahu Nuva. Second of all, I was taking a shower when the Stunts Coordinator grabs me and throws me into the lava! Shee... Third of all, my line: Chronicler! Sight-seeing, were you? Takua (sarcastically) : Sure, and after that I figured I'd go swimming down here. Tahu: Awesome. Well, let's take a closer look at those falls! ( Tahu does that thing where he flies over the falls, while Takua pretends to scream and be terrifed as he takes pictures all the way down. Tahu sticks his swords in the wall and they stop. ) Tahu: So, Takua, this view close enough? Takua: I'll say! Director: Takua! Takua: Oh, I mean: *high pitched girly scream* Director: Much better. ( Takua looks up to see the lava headed right for them. ) Takua: Incoming! Tahu: Cool! Takua: ... Aren't you going to activate your shield? Tahu: Nope. Takua: ARE YOU INSANE!?!?!? Tahu: Yep. What's your point? Takua: TURN THE MASK ON YOU SUICIDAL MANIAC!!! Tahu: Aw, you're no fun... ( Tahu activates his mask of shielding and the lava goes by harmlessly. He then starts climbing back up the wall. ) THE END There's chapter 1 and I hope you like it so far! I intend to post chapters weekly, so chapter 2 should be up by Sat. Jan. 12th. On an unrelated note, boy does BZPower have a lot of smileys.

A little late, but here is chapter 2. Enjoy! The Protar Chronicles Part 2: Protok Falls After leaving Xia, Vinak spent his time over the next few years exploring different lands and familiarizing himself with his powers. Over this time he also became acquainted with the Matoran. He soon developed a fondness for them and their simple, hard-working, yet easygoing way of life. His kind and gentle attitude with them soon overcame their fear of him, and they accepted the large silver being as a friend. He exercised his powers often, and soon his various feats, such as accidentally blowing up a giant dam or freezing solid a lake in the middle of a desert, attracted the attention of certain organized groups... 　 In particular, the Dark Hunters thought he would make a nice addition to their ranks. One day Vinak ran across a strange, amphibious being who introduced himself and told him about an organization where Vinak would fit in. He made the Dark Hunters, whom Vinak knew practically nothing about at the time, sound like a group of beings who did simple jobs or tasks for the benefit of others in exchange for fair payment. The idea appealed to Vinak. The Dark Hunter led to a secret place where he met up with a couple of other Dark Hunters, and agreed to join them. They then took him to an island fortress. Vinak found the look of the fortress to be highly formidable, which was understandable considering the wars that went on in the universe, but the harsh edges and bleak overall design reminded him uncomfortably of Xian architecture... He soon became acquainted with the Dark Hunter way of doing things. Violence and cruelty. A night in a cell and a session in the training arena was enough to teach him that. After that he just wanted to escape from the Dark Hunters, but he soon realized that would be impossible. He heard stories about Hunters who tried to escape... Not good stories, either. If he wanted out, he'd have to fight his way out, or be ready to fight the Hunters who tracked him down. But powerful as he was, many of the other Hunters were powerful as well. Some far more powerful. Especially powerful was their leader, known only as The Shadowed One. Vinak didn't particularly like him, what with his arrogant and sadistic, though charismatic, disposition. What Vinak found rather strange, though, was that the leader seemed to take particular interest in Vinak and his powers. Vinak was forced to learn fighting techniques and to hone his skills with those powers. After his battle skills were trained, he underwent mission training, being taught how to steal or destroy in secret and quickly return to base. After a long while, when he got over his initial fear and gained confidence in his abilities, he found he was actually enjoying himself, and wondered if being a Dark Hunter might not be so bad after all. 　 Imagine what a shock it was when a few months later Vinak should meet, on the Dark Hunters' island of Odina and yet walking freely, Roodaka. She had survived her climb of the mountain and gained high status on Xia. Now she'd come to Odina in pursuit of training. At first she didn't recognize him, but he soon proved to her who he was. Their conversation then was, well, less than friendly. In later years Vinak would discover that he did not resent his mutation, which Roodaka partially but accidentally caused, for he had enoyed life outside of Xia far more than inside. But he did resent Roodaka's other evil deeds, and so the two conflicted more than once. But at the time when they met on Odina the memory of her traitorous act was still very fresh and painful in his mind, and he looked forward to meeting her in the training arena. Soon he did, and the two fought for the first time. Vinak hurled his elemental powers at her in great anger, but he underestimated her. She was quicker than he'd thought, and also stronger and more agile. He also let his guard down in his anger, and she overwhelmingly defeated him. There was no deathblow, however. The Shadowed one himself oversaw their fight, and would not allow it, even though Roodaka would have liked to finish him then and there. Vinak soon recovered from his loss, and was determined to do better the next time. But the next time did not come for a long time. She soon completed her training, and left. This was very strange, as Hunters allowing non-Hunters to recieve their training was unheard of, but Roodaka, through complex means, managed to strike a deal with the Shadowed One. But that's another story. 　 It was sometime after this that Vinak learned of the last of his powers. Through experimentation with combining elements, he discovered his ability, by combining all six, to create and control Protodermis. It was incredible! Never in his life had he heard of any being with such an ability, short of, perhaps, the Great Spirit himself. And in truth, The Shadowed One's staff allowed him to create crystalline protodermis, but that was different. Through experimentation, Vinak found he could create multiple kinds of it, including crystalline. Although to create the crystalline form was incredibly difficult, and indeed he never managed it until a great many years later. Later he found that using any more than a small amount of protodermis energy taxed him too much to be worth using often in battle, though. Even a simple energy beam left him gasping for breath. But even so, it amazed him that any being could do such a thing. 　 The Shadowed One would surely have had some special use for a being of such power, and Vinak never could quite figure out why he was allowed to live like a normal Dark Hunter for so long afterwards. Perhaps the Shadowed One wanted to see him prove his loyalty before assigning him to a special purpose. Or perhaps it had taken him quite a long time to think of what the best use for a protodermis creator would be. Unfortunately, Vinak never got the chance to use his new power on Roodaka during this time. After months of training, Vinak was finally made an active Dark Hunter. During the ceremony, The Shadowed One gave him a new name, and no longer was he Vinak the Vortixx... He was Protok the Dark Hunter. As a full Dark Hunter, he was sent on missions. At first he had to go along with a senior Hunter, but later he went on missions of his own. He was somehow lucky enough to get the less destructive missions for a while, but soon something happened that changed things drastically for him. Before joining the Dark Hunters, Protok had grown very fond of the Matoran race. A good many had been friendly to him, and showed him more kindness than he'd ever seen on Xia and infinitely more than he'd seen on Odina. He hated stealing from them, and avoided harming them when he could, but he had little choice in the matter. He never killed a Matoran, at least not directly, and was lucky to never be in a situation where he was forced to. But now he went on a mission to steal something from a Matoran village, and it should have been a simple go in and get out, and the Matoran would have had no clue as to who had stolen the item. But his partner thought otherwise, and the Dark Hunters had no rules against causing destruction, so long as it left no evidence. His partner set fire to the village on their way out. After fleeing the village, Protok watched in disgust, from a distance, as the Matoran fled for their lives and struggled to put out the fire. They failed. The entire village burned to the ground and many Matoran were killed. It was after this that Protok became certain: These Dark Hunters were beings to be fought against, not just resisted, as he had been doing. Yet by then he knew that the Shadowed One watched the beings in his charge very closely, and could easily sniff out the least bit of rebellion. Until an oppurtunity to escape came, Protok was careful to watch his step and his thoughts and prove his loyalty to the Dark Hunters. Years would go by before that oppurtunity came. Enduring the atrocites of the Dark Hunters was a terribly difficult time in his life. Destruction and deceit became a habit, but somewhere in his being he knew he wasn't one of them. During these difficult years, Protok would occasionally remember what he had thought he heard just before his transformation... Be at ease, favored one, the voice had said. You have a grand destiny awaiting you... But had he really heard anything, or had he imagined it? And if he had heard them, where had they come from? Who had spoken them? Even besides that, how could it possibly be true? He was a Dark Hunter now, a vile monster, and had no choice in the matter. One day as he stood before a burning village, which he himself had set ablaze, the memory of the voice returned. A grand destiny, he thought with disgust. Yeah, right. As before, any reviews, comments, or criticisms are welcome in the review topic Here. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. 1/19/13 EDIT: Added a few paragraphs to the end.

Seeing as I am (obviously) a big fan of Tahu, and his being my favorite Toa, I was naturally drawn to this. Firstly, that's an awesome painting. I wonder what inspired Brave Dragon to make it? Tahu in the rain is definately an interesting contrast. And what a dramatic picture there. I like the images you've conjured up here. Tahu standing vigil in a storm, awaiting a huge battle with Dark Hunters... I don't see as this fits into the canon anywhere but it's cool nonetheless. Who's bright idea was it to have Tahu stand guard, though? Unless they all are. You may have exaggerated his pain a little bit, the words "burning", "poison", and "ripping" being a little strong, but I can imagine his finding rain very irritating. I do like the illustration of his resolve and endurance, though. And it's nice and dramatic the whole way through. Now I want to see the battle. And I do love that painting. Does it have a topic?

Hi, all! TahuNuvaFan here. The new guy. This is a cool concept. Sounds like a good way to get some in-depth reviews from some major readers/writers. I'd like a review for Dancing With Shadows if you please.

Of course we do. It's just a shame that they had to make the new MMOs during a period of time when they seem to have shifted their focus to the younger part of their audience. I'm all for what you might call a slightly more mature story, but in my opinion Lego Universe was rather dark for kids, what with all the "creatures of darkness". Even Ninjago was surprisingly dark at first, with the "Lord of Darkness" and army of skeletons. And now they have LOTR... Not that I'm not happy to have it myself, but... Hopefully LOCO (ha, did I figure that out first?) won't be too simple, although I must admit it won't make much difference to me as I probably won't be playing it either way. Legends of Chima doesn't seem to me to be any "less mature" than Ninjago, though, just different. I am curious to hear more about the TT Games one. Will it be like Lego Battles, or more like the typical games? Either way, it sounds pretty good. So when will we see Lego Avengers: The Videogame, hmm? EDIT 2/5/2013: Hah, called it!

My first moment of amusement: When the kid thought his first present was peanuts. If it were me, (or most members here, I'd imagine) my natural conclusion would've been lego. Or maybe you did that on purpose? That kid definately got rather over-excited there. I found his whole escapade very amusing. Especially: Nice excuse there. But notice he opened the other presents first. I guess he had to be sure he got the right one. Oh, and it was quite funny when he opened his father's socks, too. The kitten was, well, cute, but I didn't find her (well, I imagined it as a she) quite as amusing as the kid. Well, not until she knocked over the tree, anyway. And you finished it off with one of the funniest lines: "Unconscious children don't cry." I can just imagine the dad's reaction there... And then the mother's. I wonder if that will remain her favorite type of tree. I did find a few typos in the first few paragraphs, but otherwise it was quite an amusing ditty, if without significant meaning. (although I admit, I like your given moral) And obviously the judges agreed. Kudos!

*whistles* Wow... That's awesome. When I saw the picture in the news, I thought it was an actual island. When I got to the topic, though, I read the introduction before I saw the pictures. But even then, it "almost" passes for a real island.But in your list of landmarks, didn't you leave out Ta-Koro? Unless I'm mistaken, the little string of volcanoes/mountains just east of the Mangai, which you do have in there, is where it's located. Come to think of it, though, Le-Koro might be in there somewhere, too, although not all of Le-Wahi is visible from this angle. I'd like to know that, too.

Welcome, one and all! Please, please, have a seat. Allow me to introduce you to my very first BZPower-posted epic, The Protar Chronicles. I actually wrote this years ago, although as I post the chapters I'll be doing some editing. Who is this Protar person? Believe it or not, he's actually a real Bionicle character, although I named him myself. What's his connection to Roodaka? Read on if you wish to experience the riveting tale... The Protar Chronicles Part 1: Vinak Stumbles 　 　 　 　 "Well, Vinak, aren't you excited? Today's the big day!" Vinak's eyes flew open and were flooded with light. It was morning, and he was laying on his bed. His good friend, Kondur, was standing in the doorway. He sat up and glanced around his one-room home with undecorated gray walls and dull furnishing. "Yes, but if I don't get enough rest, then I'll never make it, you know that..." "Oh, come on. You've had plenty of time for resting, Vinak." Vinak sighed. He knew his friend was right. It wasn't so much that he was still tired, but... He wasn't sure he could trust his partner. But then, around here, you often can't, he thought with distaste. Still, excitement at what the day would hold coursed through him. Today was the day he would go through the Xian rite of passage. He was a Vortixx, and every Vortixx had to go through a rite of passage at some point in their lives. He was a very young Vortixx, but he did have a job at a factory on the island, which was dirty and unpleasant, and if he succeeded in conquering the mountain he would have a chance for better working conditions. Although most likely it would be of little improvement, as he lived in a society where females harshly dominated. Nevertheless, the rite of passage was an important moment in the life of all Vortixx, and he couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect. Kondur had completed his rite of passage weeks ago, and now it was Vinak's turn. - - * - - Later that day, the two of them, Vinak and his partner, were standing side by side at the foot of the mountain located in the center of their island. Around them, other Vortixx were giving them final words of encouragement and wishing them luck. It was rather a small crowd, actually. Kondur put his hand on Vinak's shoulder. "Good luck," he said. "I'm sure you'll be fine." His awkward smile betrayed his worry, however. Vinak found it impossible to smile. The muscles under his green armor were twisting with apprehension. Climbing a mountain should have been a simple matter, and on any other island, it would've been. But the mountain on Xia was no ordinary mountain. No, this mountain had a taste for bio-mechanical beings, and an unfortunate habit of moving on it's own. Any plants that grew on it were full of acid, and even the sky was said to rain fire over it. Forcing down his mounting fear, he put on a resolute expression and turned to his black-armored partner. "Ready, Roodaka?" His partner turned from another female Vortixx she had been speaking to. "Why, yes. I'm so very much looking forward to it." She smiled in what seemed to be sweetness, but somehow her smile always made his spine crawl. "Well, we may as well start, then," was his reply. - - * - - That climb was the most difficult and frightening thing Vinak had ever done up to that point in his life. He was scared out of his wits of getting eaten, and more than once the rock making up the mountain took a snap at him. His partner, Roodaka, didn't help, as she kept looking at him as if he was a well-cooked meal, or so he kept imagining it. He tried to shake this feeling off, but he knew too well about the tradition of Vortixx betraying each other on the mountain. The other Vortixx actually seemed to congragulate members of their species who came back down the mountain alone due to treachery. Vinak had considered using such tactics himself, but even the sight of a dying rodent rahi on the seashore made his armor twitch. The thought of seeing one of his own put in that state by his own hand and without due cause, well, he didn't think he could bear it. In fact, at one point during the climb he found such an oppurtunity to betray Roodaka into the mountain's stony jaws, but he chose not to take it. He wasn't even sure if Roodaka had noticed it. However, halfway up the mountain, that fateful moment came. Vinak's foot got stuck in a crevice, and the mountain began pulling him in. He pulled with all his might, but the stone held him fast. "Roodaka! Help me!" he cried desperately. Roodaka smiled and said, in her most poisonously sweet voice, "No, I don't think so." She continued her climb, leaving him to die. An icy dread shot down his spine. He struggled with the rock, gripping his leg and pulling with even greater might than before, driven by sheer desperation and fear. His leg slipped an inch or so out of the stone. Elated, he continued the struggle, his own desire to live vs. the mountain's unquenchable hunger. Several times he was sure it had him, but then, with a yank that nearly tore his leg in two, he managed to get free. Trouble was, he was on a sheer cliff, and since his hands were on his leg, he had no grip on the rock. The only way from there was straight down. Have I escaped the mountain's jaws just to die on it's jagged teeth below? As he whipped through the air, there was nothing he could do, nothing to grab on to. Then he landed. Hard. Dazed, he spent several agonized moments on the verge of blacking out, before gaining enough awareness to realize that, though winded and bruised, he was neither dead nor quite dying. He had, he soon realized, landed on a ledge. He laughed and struggled to catch his breath. Thou donst hast me just yet, O thou wicked mountain! Just then, a gaping hole opened in the rock beneath him. Uttering a startled cry, he fell into darkness... But he didn't die then, either. Instead of closing in around him, the opening widened into a cave. The hole shut and he was left in the dark, and suddenly he found himself landing in a pool of strange liquid. He sank into it, struggling to swim, but he was still breathless and his lungs were on fire. His mind began to fade... Fade... Into blackness... But then, something very strange happened. He could have sworn he heard a voice, very faint, but just audible... Be at ease, O favored one. You have a grand destiny awaiting you... And then, as if it couldn't get any stranger, came the next part of one of the most bizarre experiences of his life. The liquid, which certainly was not water, seemed to electrocute him, ripping a part and rearranging the particles of his body. It wasn't a pleasant experience. He could never recall exactly how long he'd been in the pool, but the next thing he could remember was when he managed to drag himself out and lay on the edge. The only thing he could think of was to reach daylight. As he desperately searched the wall for a way out, suddenly, miraculously, a crack opened up before him, leading out into the light, as if obeying his will. He slowly stepped through the crack and found himself rather close to the bottom of the mountain. His mind was still in a daze, and he made his down the foothills with the vague intent of complaining to the other Vortixx about Roodaka's cheating. But before he reached the city, he passed a puddle of water on the ground. As he walked past he saw a flash of something unexpected in it, and he stopped to get a better look. What he saw made him gasp. It was his reflection, but instead of his normal, green-armored self, a strange silver-armored Vortixx was staring back at him. The silver being, which couldn't have been him, had armor that was very smooth, not rough like a typical Vortixx's. As he stared at this being and came to terms with the fact that it was indeed he himself, something tugged at his mind, as if some part of him was trying to tell him something. The buzz got so bad that he waved his hand as if to shoo a small bug. Suddenly, his hand burst into flame. He gasped and outstretched his arm, but then he realized the fire did not hurt. Then it went out. After a few moments of thought, he tried to find whatever had tugged on his mind. He found it and reached into it. He willed the fire to return and it did. Then, acting on instinct, he waved his arm. Suddenly a wall of fire sprang up before him. He smiled and elatedly launched a roaring fireball into the sky. He grinned from ear to ear. Somehow, some way, he'd changed. He was physically stronger, and he'd gained innate elemental power. This was unheard of among Vortixx! With a yell he whirled in a circle. To his further surprise, a small cyclone sprang to life, twirling away into the wilderness. Not just fire...? he marveled. At this, an incredible idea occurred to him. He spread his hand over the puddle, and it froze over. Whoa. Standing up straight, he stretched his palms to the ground and a hole opened up in the dirt. Holy Muaka... He scratched his head for a moment, then waved his hand over the hole, and solid rock filled in the hole. He thrust his hand into the sky and a thin stream of water shot from his hand. He grinned again. Somehow he now posessed the six regular elemental powers of Toa! But how? At the time it puzzled him, but later he learned that the pool of liquid he'd fallen in must have been energized protodermis. It had transformed him forever. No longer was he just a Vortixx, now he was something more. Much more. Words echoed in his mind: You have a grand destiny before you... His first thought was to return to the Vortixx and try to explain what had happened to him, but something held him back. A grand destiny... He suddenly realized that he hated life on Xia. But still, this was the only world he knew. It was his home, his world... And yet... He couldn't help but feel he belonged elsewhere. By the time he reached his decision, he had become quite well-acquainted with his new physique, as portrayed in the puddle. In the end, he snuck aboard a ship leaving Xia and never looked back. Well, there's chapter one. Chapters will be posted weekly, so the next one should be posted on Thursday, January 3rd. I hope you're enjoying it so far.Comments, constructive criticism, Grammar Hammering, nitpicks, complaints, praise, encouragement, nobel prizes, and the like are of course more than welcome in the review topic, which is here: The Protar Chronicles: Review. 1/2/13 EDIT: Made some formatting changes. Looks cleaner now, I think. Added a few minor wording edits as well.

Here's the place to post any reviews or comments for The Protar Chronicles. Comments, compliments, constructive criticism, Grammar Hammering, nitpicks, complaints, praise, encouragement, nobel prizes, or even reviews, and the like are of course more than welcome. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. The Protar Chronicles is, I am sad to announce, on a temporary hiatus.