Nato G

Oh boy, this is going to be a tricky one. In a lot of ways the Toa were far easier to judge, because their builds and abilities were all very samey, making it easier to choose standouts. But the villains have a lot more variety in personalities, powers, and designs, especially in the later years when the line started moving away from clone builds. I'm going to throw out a tentative prediction that the Barraki, Mistika, and Phantoka villains will have more staying power as the rounds progress, owing to their more in-depth characterisations and unique designs. But the Bohrok and Rahkshi have the power of nostalgia on their side, so we'll see how things pan out.

Brilliantly done. The design is super nostalgic, and you've done a great job of matching the colour as well.

Nidhiki. He was the first titan set I ever got, and is still easily one of my favourite Bionicle sets of all time. I'm sure nostalgia plays a part in that, but one of the standout details to me is that he's one of the very few sets that isn't just a basic humanoid. There was so much room for creativity and craziness in Bionicle, and it's such a shame to me that so many of the species and characters we got in later years were essentially just tall Toa.

If I recall correctly, my first sets were Tahu and Lewa Nuva, as Christmas or birthday presents. Around the same time I think I also got a Lewa Mata. I remember my parents getting me and my brothers a few different types of Lego sets around that time - system, Galidor, etc. - but Bionicle was what stuck.

As an Australian this date breaks my brain every time it comes around.

I'm loving that blade. It's giving big Inquisitor lightsaber vibes.

It's pretty well-known that Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale and the size of the Matoran Universe makes no sense to begin with. But since we know the Red Star connects to the MU's upper back essentially like a giant jetpack, I imagine it would be comparable in size to the Southern Continent.

If they're left sitting upright (which is how most people store or display Kraata) then why wouldn't they flatten evenly?

I'm seeing some issues here, mostly relating to character behaviour and the timeline in general. Firstly, why would Tridax have been spying on Helryx and Krakua when the Brotherhood Of Makuta didn't even know the Order Of Mata Nui existed yet? (The Order revealed themselves to the universe during Destiny War, in the 2008 storyline, whereas you've stated your story is set prior to events in the 2007 story). And if Tridax was close enough to steal the mask from the two Toa, why would he have not also taken the opportunity to destroy them? Moreover, why would Tridax - the guy who was brazen enough to casually cross the multiverse and take on a hundred Toa of Light - panic at the sight of some powerless midgets? Him getting the Olmak this late in the story also leaves him with a ridiculously narrow window to have kidnapped all of those Takanuvas. Krakua's escape from Destral also comes across as way to easy. How does a lone Toa outrun a Makuta and multiple Rahkshi on their home turf? And even if he did somehow make it to a boat, Rahkshi can fly. They've would've tracked him down before he got very far. While I can understand that the amount of mysteries in Bionicle can sometimes feels unsatisfying, that doesn't mean every gap has to be filled. We don't need an overcomplicated narrative with multiple major players acting completely out of character to explain the existence of Kestora in the weird pocket dimension Takanuva briefly visited in an inconsequential side story.

I didn't realise any of these existed, so it's quite interesting to hear about them. I'll have to look into making the time to actually read some of these sometime. Having not read them myself, I can't say too much on most of your comments and criticisms. However, this- -was actually pretty commonplace in a lot of the official books and serials. The use of real-world measurements was particularly common during the Bara Magna arc, somewhat justified due to that being a different planet, but there were instances in MU stories well before that. The earliest example I can find in a quick search of my PDFs is in Maze Of Shadows from 2004, where the Toa-Metru are described as travelling a quarter-mile down a tunnel.

IC: Somok - Precipere Somok stared at Selamat like a beast caught in the path of an incoming vehicle, gripped with a fear that hadn't existed just a few seconds earlier. Was the young Glatorian right? Could Salwa have- No, she couldn't. The rationality and reason that came with decades of rule rose up, pushing away the panic. Salwa hadn't reported going to Ferrum, and she certainly hadn't reported encountering any one or thing from there. The same was true of the other scouts and hunters. "This plague you're investigating - if it does indeed exist - is far from the only illness in existence," he replied, his tone firm but not entirely dismissive. "Our scouts and hunters often spend days at a time away from our village. They sleep on the dirt or in caves, they search the dens and nests of animals, they eat food prepared in unsanitary conditions. The canyon is an unclean place, and there are many ways to fall ill." That was what the logical part of his mind insisted, at least. His life had long ago taught him that chance and coincidence were far more common than conspiracies, especially out here, away from the politics and scheming of the larger settlements. Still, it was prudent to be prepared, and take possible threats seriously. "Though of course, we will take precautions all the same." @Burnmad @a goose

When the sets stopped being produced and sold. There's a finite number of Bionicle sets and parts left in the world. The number of sets and parts that are unopened or in good condition is even lower. Those numbers are lower still for exclusive sets and rare parts. People who know the value of and demand for what they have are going to price things accordingly.

IC: Somok - Precipere While the others spoke with Xyde, Somok was approached by one of the guards he'd dispatched earlier. After a few moments of whispered conversation, the elder Agori turned towards the group of visitors, clearing his throat to get their attention. "I've just been informed that our scout Salwa is unwell, and won't be able to join us. I apologise-" the word was spoken as if the minor admission of weakness physically pained him,"-for holding up your mission." @a goose @Toru Nui @Nato G @Burnmad @~Xemnas~ @oncertainty

Thanks. I've been sitting on this one for quite a while, constantly nitpicking and adding/removing little details to reflect everything else that's been happening. I'm super happy with how it's come out, and super grateful to everyone who's contributed to the project.

Letting Go (By Nato) Exxan New Atero Library, six months since recovering the Register There are days when I feel nothing but doubt and dejection. The task I’ve set myself is an impossible one, and I know it. It doesn’t matter how long I live or how hard I look. I’ll never know the full story. I’ll never uncover the whole truth. I’ll never find out what happened to all of them. And all it would take is one stray spark or act of callous cruelty to reduce all of my work to dust and despair. Am I wasting my life? Am I missing out? Am I just punishing myself? While I scrape and scavenge and scrawl the old stories, the others are out there creating all new ones. Should I be with them, making memories and mistakes of my own instead of sitting here remembering and recording other people’s lives? I’ve declined invitations from old friends. I’ve denied myself opportunities to reconnect. I’ve deliberately dedicated myself to a duty that keeps me isolated and insulated. I tell myself that it’s not about me. It’s about Era, living happy and free in the forests of Bota Magna. It’s about Bonegleam, who continues to haunt the graveyards and battlefields of the old universe. And loathe though I sometimes am to admit it, it’s about Phogen, the lost child of Teridax who may very well be the only being to have ever loved me. Part of me still longs to look for them, to reunite and rekindle whatever it was that we’d once had. But now that I know they were one of his Rahkshi, I know in my heart which side Phogen would have fought for during the war. I know there’s probably nothing left for me to find. And even if they did somehow survive… would they still love me for who I am today? Was what we’d had actually been love? Were our kind even capable of it? I don’t know. Maybe I never will. But I know that beyond all of the questions and names and stories and excuses, it is about me. I’m hiding in history, refusing to face my fear of the future. For more than eleven centuries I’ve been burdened with guilt and grief, shame and sorrow, anger and anxiety, wracking myself with regret over the things I’ve done, and the things I didn’t do. Killing Omega, making and betraying more friendships than I could recall, faking my death to escape the consequences, only to return to the school anyway and end up slaughtering my own sister. Time and time and time again I’ve lied to and manipulated people to save my own skin, I’ve run away and hidden from my problems, all while beings far better than I risked their lives and met awful ends… I don’t deserve to be here. I have to make it mean something. “Do you?” A voice stirred me from my musings. I glanced up from my notes, noticing a lone Onu-Skakdi sitting in the corner nearest to my desk. She wasn’t the only visitor in the library, but she was the first to speak to me today. Most beings avoided or ignored me, still harbouring mistrust towards my kind after the actions of Teridax’s Rahkshi during the final battle. But this particular Skakdi seemed utterly unperturbed by my presence. She was almost serpentine in her appearance, lithe and limber, with a scaly patterning to her armour and twin sets of frill-like spines that flared out over her shoulders like the wings of a Lohrak. “What?” “Sorry for eavesdropping,” she set aside her book, hopped off her stool, and moved over to my desk, clawed toes clacking against the floorboards, “You think you have to make it mean something. Why?” Had I said that out loud? And in the Matoran language? Evidently my head was even more of a mess than I’d realised. “I’ve done things,” I said, making sure I was speaking Matoran this time, “Things I’m not proud of.” “Haven’t we all?” The Skakdi replied, “Your species weren’t the only ones on the wrong side of history.” “I didn’t fight in the war. The things I did were long before then. They kept me alive, while people who did everything right and didn’t compromise themselves died when they didn’t deserve to.” “And who are you to decide who deserved what?” The Skakdi scowled, “Aren’t chroniclers meant to be impartial?” “I try. But this…” I gestured at my sprawling mess of notes, “…it’s as much my story as it is everyone else’s.” “Then maybe you shouldn’t be the one telling it. Maybe it doesn’t need to be told at all.” “No, someone needs to-” “You already lived it,” she pointed towards the Register, “That chapter is over. Not everyone got to see the ending, sure, but those who did will always remember it, and the part they played. Isn’t that enough?” “I… no, they… we didn’t get the ending we wanted. We let go, and went our own ways. I want everyone to know what happened next.” “No one gets what they want. Not really,” she replied. “Most of us don’t get what we deserve, either. Most of us don’t even get the final word. And that’s what you really want, isn’t it?” “No, I… just want to tell their stories.” “But you just said it yourself, their story is your story. And if you’re the one telling it, then you get to have the final word, right? You get to tie it all together the way you want, coloured by your commentary, so everyone can remember you as the remorseful recluse instead of the conniving coward.” I wavered, searching for a retort and coming up empty. I locked gaze with her inquisitive cerise eyes, searching for some recognition in them. “How do you know so much?” “We’ve never met, but I’ve read your story. You and I… we came from the same place.” “What do you mean? Why are you here?” “I’m here for you. You want things to be different, but you’re what’s holding you back. You can’t bring yourself to let go of the past. Sometimes change needs a little push.” “What kind of push?” “It varies. A knife in the right back, a whisper in the right ear. A truth told, a secret stolen, a story shared. A short journey to a Far Shore. But in my experience, sometimes all it takes is words.” “And what is your experience?” I glanced towards my sword, Remembrance, resting in its sheath on the other side of the desk. Was it worth reaching for? Was mere steel of any use against… whatever this was? She didn’t seem like a threat, but she was definitely something. “The same as yours,” she said, following my gaze but appearing unmoved. “I saw my story through to its end… but I got to keep going, long after the game was over and the final words were written. Just like you, now.” “And what did you do, after your story ended?” “I read. I explored. I found new stories to be a part of.” “That’s a luxury I don’t have.” “Why not?” “Because, what if they still resent me? What if I go out there and I just… don’t fit in anywhere?” “You might be right. But you’ll never know if you don’t try, will you?” “I just… I don’t want the story to end.” “Nothing really ends, Exxan. But we all have to stop the story somewhere,” she smiled solemnly, “It’s time for you to take a break from telling tales, and go live your life.” I turned away from her, looking to the Register, and my records. Maybe she was right. I didn’t have to dedicate my whole existence to this. I didn’t have to become just another dusty relic on these shelves. It would all still be here, I could come back to it any time, to remember and reminisce. We all could. The Skakdi was gone when I looked back. Maybe she’d never been there to begin with. * * * I take my time packing it all away. The Register, the letters I’ve received from other rahks, my piles of scribblings and notes, those I carefully bind together and file away in one of the cabinets in the library basement. This record, such as it is, I leave on the shelves, for others to read and learn from. In time, I’ll return to both, to add more stories, or simply remember the old. For now, though, there’s a whole planet out there that I’ve only heard about from the accounts of others. There are old friends I haven’t seen in centuries. There’s a new friend whose weather shows I’m eager to see, perhaps even help out with. There’s an old rival whose borrowed sword I’ve been meaning to return for a very long time. And maybe, somewhere out there, there’s a devious De-rahk still waiting for me to find them. For the first time since I sputtered forth from the crystalline confines of green gloaming eleven centuries ago, I feel like I’m finally free. Free from the envy of my kin and expectations of my creator. Free from the machinations of the Makuta, and the maze of my own mind. Free from the prison and punishment I pushed upon myself. Free to see… free to be. To my surprise, as I open the door and step out into the street at long last, I feel at peace with my decision to leave. I’m not leaving out of cowardice or laziness or spite. I’m leaving for the right reasons, and I know I’ll return, in time. I’ll make my way back to the library, like I always do. There are always more stories to tell. An End

IC: Somok - Precipere Guardhouse "Investigators from Vulcanus, on their way to find out what happened to Ferrum," he explained, turning towards the group of visitors. "This is Xyde, one of our most talented medical practitioners." He looked back to Xyde, "They say Ferrum may have fallen to a plague. I won't order you to go with them. The decision is yours." @Toru Nui

IC: Avinus - Tajun Streets "Certainly shows ya where people's priorities lie," she said, winking at a passing group of gawking Agori, "A lotta these folks aint gonna watch us fight a regular match when it's over vital supplies for Tajun, but kickin' butt in the name of village pride and braggin' rights really brings in the crowds." @Emzee

IC: Somok - Precipere "Of course," Somok said, gritting his teeth to hold back a groan as he forced himself to his feet once more. "Fetch Salwa and Xyde," he ordered Giltu, who in turn ordered other guards to carry out the instructions. The two Agori in question would promptly find guards knocking on their doors, if curiosity hadn't already drawn them out. @Geardirector @Toru Nui

This all depends on how one defines "more powerful". The power gap between a regular Toa and Toa Nuva was never quantified very well to start with, and being supposedly more powerful certainly didn't save the Toa Nuva from being kicked around by the Piraka, Makuta, and other foes. Regardless of how much more powerful the Nuva's elemental powers are compared to an ordinary Toa, they're still the same powers. In other words, it doesn't matter how powerful Tahu's fire is, it's still just fire. So gaining new abilities from the Golden Armour would absolutely make him more powerful, simply through the versatility of having more options to choose from. Similar to my above point, it doesn't matter how many Toa's worth of power she had access to, she still only had the one ability. Sure, she could make and control way more water than any other Toa, but it's still only water. Golden-Armoured Tahu and the Makuta have access to considerably more powers, and therefore have the advantage. An Element Lord is a harder question to gauge, since we know so little about their power levels. I'm not even sure what you're asking here. How could Matoran have "patched up" a hole in the sky that they probably couldn't reach? If they had somehow blocked off or repaired it before Voya Nui returned then there would've been a mention of there being something in Voya Nui's way when it was pulled back into place. That the Toa Nuva were destined to awake Mata Nui. Throughout Bionicle's run we're told that awakening the Great Spirit was the Destiny of the Toa Mata/Nuva, but after all the build-up, when we finally get to the 2008 storyline they aren't the ones to do it. All they did in the end was find the keystones and open the Codrex, something that wasn't particularly difficult, and that literally anyone could've done at any time. The Makuta even proved that the keystones weren't actually necessary to bypass the Codrex Shield, when Krika phased through it. Toa Ignika was the one who actually gave up his power and reawakened the Great Spirit. And him doing so wasn't even actually necessary, it was just a way to speed up the process. At no point along the way was any threat or obstacle encountered that only the Toa Nuva could have overcome. The whole process could have happened without their involvement. The Makuta, even the Av-Matoran, could have done it all themselves at any time.

This is a very slippery slope, especially since you appear to be combining the lists of MU Elemental Powers and the Bara Magna tribes. There's already a surprising amount of overlap between some of these powers in canon, (especially when you take into account other element users like Rahkshi, or the way some of these powers were depicted in G2), to such an extent that it could almost be argued that just about anything could be a sub-power of something else. As some examples, Toa Lhikan once created ice by drawing all of the heat out of a body of water. Ko-Toa can turn water into ice, so it's probably not a stretch to imagine that a Ga-Toa could manage the reverse. Po-Toa can turn earth and sand into stone, and vice-versa. Rahkshi of Magnetism can also control stone by manipulating the trace metals in the rock. Weather Control also has a lot of overlap with Toa elements, namely Air and Water. If I were to condense and rearrange some of the elements, I'd probably lump Earth, Stone, Sand, and Crystal (a common power in fanon projects, and something often associated with Earth in G2) into one power. I'd move lightning up as a new Primary power, and get rid of Iron (I think Magnetism is the more nuanced and interesting power) so that there'd then be an equal number of Primary and Secondary elements in the MU (Light and Shadow being their own category).

Finally got around to reading this. Right off the bat, I love the idea of Berix taking on a more important role than the two-dimensional thief role he had in a lot of previous media. Seeing him take up chronicling is a neat way of demonstrating how the cultures of the MU and Bara Magna could cross over and influence each other. Telling the story from what's effectively an outsider perspective adds some impartiality to the story as well, and makes Miserix feel more sympathetic. Speaking of which, this is a fantastic portrayal of Miserix. There's this sense of world-weariness and despair to him that carries through in everything he says and does. It's a massive improvement over his relatively meagre role in the original story. I'm looking forward to seeing what follow-ups you might have planned.

I don't understand the logic here at all. Spider-Man isn't the only character in the MCU. Arguably he's not even the most popular or important thing in the MCU. The franchise isn't going to spontaneously combust if Sony decide to hold onto the rights to one single character who's only really been a minor player in the overall story so far.

You mean the same James Gunn behind some of the most beloved movies in the MCU? And the only good content DC has put out in years? There's a reason DC rushed to snatch him up when Disney temporarily kicked him out. And why he got put in charge of DC in the first place. The DC universe is such a jumbled tonal mess right now because it rushed too hard, too fast, to compete with the MCU. It's in desperate need of exactly the kind of reboot/reset Gunn seems to be planning. Strong disagree. The Spider-Verse movies are fantastic, on so many levels. And honestly I don't think Sony has done anything super egregious as a whole. They unfortunately ran Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man into the ground by trying too quickly to launch a cinematic universe (much like DC did), but they at least learned from their mistake and decided to work with Marvel instead of competing against them with Tom Holland's Spider-Man. And Far From Home definitely felt like an apology for that mistake in a lot of ways. I think the Venom movies are perfectly fine for what they are (dumb, fun popcorn flicks), making Morbius the only really massive misstep Sony have made so far. Marvel (arguably) and DC (inarguably) have had even bigger flops in the past, and both have demonstrated that it's possible to reinvent/refresh a franchise or character after a poorly-recieved instalment (eg. Thor Ragnarok for Marvel, or The Suicide Squad for DC). While I'm certainly dubious of some of the upcoming stuff they reportedly have planned, I'll wait and see how it all pans out before passing judgement. At the end of the day, Sony is a studio that wants to make money off their IP. I believe legally they have to make movies every few years to retain those rights. Unless Marvel offers them a truly stupid amount of money to get back those rights, the situation is unlikely to change for the time being. EDIT: Forgot to respond to the actual main question of the thread. After G2 ended stepped away from Lego and got back into my other collecting hobby, Mega Bloks/Construx (I know it's tantamount to treason to admit to this on a Lego forum, but whatever). Mainly their more modern Halo and Assassin's Creed stuff, but occasionally I've picked up some of their old Dragons and Pyrates stuff, as those were the themes that originally got me into the brand back in the early 2000's. I do a lot of custom figures and webcomics over on the MCX Gallery, even to this day. I follow a lot of the typical "nerdy" franchises - the MCU, Star Wars, Doctor Who, etc. I also started playing D&D with some friends from this site, and later started running a campaign for another group of friends. Similar to Master Inika, my main focus has been in personal writing. I've had a pretty consistent presence on the Bionicle RPG forums on this site, my university degree was writing-related, and my current job is with a local newspaper. I tried working on a Bionicle fanfic on this site back in 2014, but I was in university at the time and I ended up dropping it to focus on my studies. I've also finished a few novel drafts and sent them to publishers since finishing uni, but haven't had any success so far. Currently I'm taking a break from novels to work on a new, major Bionicle fanfic (currently over 120,000 words), but I'm trying to actually finish it before I start posting anything, since I've had an awful habit in the past of starting stories and not finishing them.

IC: Vir Yet – The Madrigal Claws clacked against the floor of the cold corridor as Vir stalked towards the hangar. Her pace was brisk, but still a far cry from what she would consider running. There was no need to rush. The more quickly she got there the more time she’d have to spend getting side-eyed by Spartans who probably thought her no different to the Kig-Yar they were getting ready to kill. She didn’t blame them. Humanity had earned the right to their rage, and Vir’s allegiance alone was never going to be enough to dissuade them from their distrust. The mere fact that the Madrigal was about to engage two Makar’s full of Kig-Yar pirates was enough to reinforce several unsavoury stereotypes about the species. Her left shield, then her right, flared into existence as she fitted her bracers onto her arms, eying the wavelength of each energy field to ensure they were functioning properly, before switching them back off. Her needler and rifle were already loaded and ready, holstered at her hip and on her back respectively. Her helmet was tucked under her arm, all systems checked and functional. Everything was ready. Physically, at least. Her mental state was another matter. It was easy to tell herself now that she had no qualms about killing her own kind. She’d fought other Kig-Yar before, in the Swords’ campaigns against Covenant remnants. But disorganised packs of demented zealots still clinging to the Covenant ways were very different to crews of free Kig-Yar embracing the ancestral traditions that they had long been denied. Traditions that they had fought long and hard to reclaim. Traditions they would fight just as hard to keep. But those traditions had come at a price, in pain inflicted most often on those least deserving of punishment. Misguided though they were, the Covenant remnants still believed in something. Killing for a cause at least had some nobility to it. But pirates took for the sake of taking, slaughtered for sport... it was senseless. Selfish. The fantasy and folklore fell well short of the reality. Even free Kig-Yar weren't free from consequences.

My bad. Fixed. Thanks. It's been fun diving back into his headspace, trying to imagine the effect of centuries of regret and isolation.