Eiji Hino

thinking of making one of those kaiakans and mucking about in seprilli.  anything significant going on there that i should be aware of?

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness, heading south
For a while they journey on through the easy foothills in amiable silence.  Having never really traveled south before, Hyan-Fei takes the slow ride as an opportunity to observe the beauty around her.  The river beside them twinkles brightly in the sunlight, the grass gently bows against the breeze, and Kahu flutter cheerfully through the sky.  It is sights like these that make Hyan-Fei glad to wander, and sad that they are under threat by some new evil.  Her shoulders slump under the weight of these new thoughts.

She is just about to try distracting herself by asking Kura if i is too early to learn a fancy riding trick, when she notices her friend also seems upset about something.  "What's wrong?  Are you still worried that you're not going to find who you're looking for?" she asks.  "You shouldn't be."

OOC:
@Palm

finally got my computer fixed, time to get back on that Gamer Grind Fellas

IC: Chiaki - Ta-Wahi - The Charred Forest
It would seem that my makeshift shields ended up almost wholly unnecessary, but I'm still glad I pulled them up.  The column of lightning shoots into the sky with a brilliant flash, one I might admire were it not for the storm of crystal shards that accompany it- a storm that I didn't get fully out of range of.  Instead of ripping up a new shield for myself, I simply brace myself as best I can while exposed on a tree branch.  Plenty of smaller shards open my armor and skin as they shoot past... and do the same on the way back.

I watch, fascinated, as the blue one coaxes shards both large and small to her and compresses them in her hands.  I've never seen a Toa of Crystal at work before.

That, it would seem, is the end of that.  Leaping down from the tree- gritting my teeth against the impact jarring my hurt leg- I rejoin my acquaintances in sweeping the area around the downed Skakdi for any extra goodies that might have gone astray.  The blue one offers me spoils for my efforts.  "I'll not say no," I reply, picking up my ruined hat.  "Maybe just enough for a new hat, though."

The gray one announces company, and I hear their approach with him.  Perhaps, like me, they're making themselves obvious to show that they harbor no ill intent.  I don't want to be on my guard again so soon after a battle, but as has been noted, better to be safe than sorry.  Being on guard doesn't stop me from cupping one hand around my mouth and calling to them, "Ho there!  'Fraid you missed all the action, friends."

As they approach, I get a better look at them.  A bronze Matoran, a teal Lesterin, and a... tree man?

OOC:
@Razgriz @Geardirector and that'd be @Harvali @Snelly @ARROW404

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
Kura's words succeed in somewhat lessening the feeling that Hyan-Fei refuses to call nervousness.  Knowing that her new friend used to be in the same place she, Hyan-Fei, is now makes the task of becoming a Soko horsewoman a little less daunting.

Naiana's initial takeoff startles her, and for several moments she keeps her muscles tight and her back painfully straight.  As she gets more familiar with the creature's gait, however, she visibly relaxes, allowing herself to follow the sways and lifts instead of fighting against them.  (Through all this, she does not deactivate her mask power.)  A smile begins to break out on her face.  She finds that she is enjoying herself.

OOC:
@Palm

IC: Chiaki - Ta-Wahi - The Charred Forest
"Get to cover!" the blue one yells.  And with whatever's going on with the red Skakdi, the surge of electricity around him and the crystal growing to swallow him up, getting to cover sounds like a great course of action.  Maybe it's my sheltered upbringing, but I've never seen anything quite like this, so I have no idea if it will go wrong, or what will happen if it does.

I kick the green Skadki off of me- no easy feat, considering his considerable heft and my hurt leg- and toward the swirl of electricity and crystal.  (It's not ruthless, I tell myself; it's pragmatic.)  Before I leap back into the high branches of a nearby tree, I activate my mask power again to rip thick, body-sized slabs out of the ground and move them near the blue one and the gray one, ready to drop in front of them should they need shielding.  If something does go wrong, hopefully whatever blast ensues wears itself out on the makeshift shields before it gets to my acquaintances.

OOC:
@Razgriz @Geardirector

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
Hyan-Fei tries to return Kura's smile in full, and almost succeeds.  Almost- a small remnant of nervousness slightly weighs down the corners of her mouth.  Nonetheless, she places her hand where she is supposed to on the saddle and jumps up into the seat.

She overshoots the landing slightly, and begins to fall out.  Just before she hits that point of no return, however, she instinctively activates her mask power, heightening her sense of balance just enough to keep her on Naiana.  She adjusts herself upright, and when she is comfortable, tosses her head in satisfaction, as if that were the easiest thing in the world... despite the faint glow around her mask clearly hinting that she did not actually do it unassisted.

"Okay, what's next?" she asks Kura.

OOC:
@Palm

IC: Chiaki - Ta-Wahi - The Charred Forest
Good thing I have my jitte out, because that green Skakdi just doesn't seem to want to go down.  It's time to take a more active role in changing that.

While he's occupied charging up his laser vision, I make my move.  I dash forward, boosting myself with a blast of air energy.  (The sharp movement hurts a little; I'm going to feel it more when the adrenaline wears off.)  My aim is true, and I end up landing exactly where I wanted to- right around his unguarded midsection.  I thrust my jitte forward, its blunt point making contact with him and sending jolts of electricity running through his body.

In the moment, it never occurred to me to apply brakes, though.  Instead of a clean stop, I end up practically slamming into him, taking us both to the ground.  (That one I'm definitely going to feel when it's over.)  The only benefit I can find to this new situation is that he can't take the jitte away from his body... if only because they're pinned between us while we're down.

OOC:
@Razgriz @Geardirector sorry about the wait mates

history is a wheel, and the wheel weaves as the wheel wills

seems like my thread has attracted more absolute clown behavior.

On 11/11/2021 at 1:50 PM, Nektann said:

I don't want Bionicle's 2nd revival to happen in the immediate future, but I do want it to happen, because I love the theme. I picked up the theme in 2015, but put aside the new sets in favor of the older sets and media because the 2015 revival was made of many weak links that quickly shattered and the older concepts were way more compelling. The reason I want it to wait but still happen is because then I can be a huge part of bringing it back as well as the question "What is Bionicle?" will become more relevant for the corporate side of TLG to answer and execute. Long are the days of this powerhouse theme and as such the brand must have the entire world learn again what the Biological Chronicle is. 

Anyway I'm planning on stringing together my own story bibles in the future to revive the theme in my own mind at the very least. There will be two routes I will take: One will be a story I develop to school the public on how a powerhouse theme like this could rise again and another will be developed in private to pitch to TLG that will likely have more interesting plot elements and surprises. Each of these rough drafts will be based on the same standard power structure surrounding each of the elements in a balanced lore-rich way so that regardless a lot less retcon would take place and the writers would have the ability to expand on the universe in an interesting way that doesn't feel like what happened with the Bohrok Kal line of sets.

Feel free to reply with suggestions or critique.

oh, my sweet summer child.

i'm going to focus on two points in this circus of a post.  first, it is the nature of powerhouses to eventually crumble.  it happened with bionicle G1, and- because i already know somebody's going to bring them up at some point- it's happening with the marvel and star wars movies.  (slower, in their cases, but it's still happening.)  corporate mishandling, lack of truly fresh ideas, and general fading interest in a thing that's been at the pop cultural forefront for a long time all combine to produce the thing called seasonal rot.  and when seasonal rot sets in- like it has with bionicle, marvel, and star wars- it is the nature of people to seek out something else that will soothe the itch that the "powerhouses" are failing to scratch.

second, you've got the pitching process backwards.  bionicle is an intellectual property owned by lego.  they're going to be the ones pitching it to outsiders in the hope of getting them to work on it, not the other way around.  if you, not being on lego's payroll, waltzed into their headquarters and said "here's how you're going to do bionicle again," they'd laugh you out of the room.  and if they caught you advertising- or, as you put it, "generating demand-" for something they own, without their consent or involvement, they'd slap you with a cease and desist.  "generating demand" for bionicle is their job, not yours.

On 11/12/2021 at 11:21 AM, Nektann said:

Because demand needs to be generated before the product can come back.

hypothetically, if you weren't going to get in serious legal trouble for it, how would you generate enough demand?  it's highly unlikely that anybody, professional or otherwise, would be interested in investing time and money into another reboot of a toyline that died twice.  even the current fanbase still clinging to the corpse is slowly dying.

On 11/12/2021 at 5:29 PM, Nektann said:

No, but I am aspiring to be one.

if anyone you're trying to impress is going to take you the least bit seriously, maybe you should actually become one first.

On 11/13/2021 at 3:53 PM, Nektann said:

Not to invest money first, invest people and then worry about money if I ever get the chance.

nobody wants to work for free.  without money, you can't invest in people.  or your guerilla marketing.

On 11/13/2021 at 4:30 PM, Nektann said:

The reason we have Transformers toys today is that Hasbro knew when to end G2 and usher in an entirely new series that shared concepts and names, but reinvented the whole franchise with the 90's series Beast Wars. I think bionicle could also come back if it could also reinvent itself to bring new fans in and cash in on returning fans as well.

I don't know if and when this would happen, but Lego looked at the entire thing wrong when making G2.

why do you people keep insisting on comparing bionicle to transformers

no, the reason we have transformers toys today- and the reason that G2 ended- is because hasbro switched from developing transformers toys directly to having one of their subsidiaries do it instead.  while the complete reinvention did attract enough new fans to keep it financially viable for a while, older fans only came to enjoy it after the fact; they hated it at first.

are you suggesting that lego should do this?  saddle a different company with developing a complete reinvention in the hopes that a potential influx of new fans will be enough to offset the alienated older fans who will not want to buy product?  spoiler alert: bionicle's reinvention failed hard enough- both in bringing in new fans and recapturing the attention of older fans- that it was cancelled prematurely.  based on that failure, lego is not likely to try again for a very long time, if at all.

On 11/13/2021 at 8:49 PM, Nektann said:

Most of my content and publishing would to be in order to get people interested in bionicle G1 and the rest would be a worldbuilding and research experiment. Even if this experiment is a failure, I will be sharpened and hopefully more prepared to tackle personal projects.

leave the worldbuilding and research to the hypothetical people who would actually be employed by lego to produce another bionicle reboot.  focus on your personal projects instead.  better yet, if you really want to be "sharpened and hopefully more prepared," then go to business school and learn how to do the things you claim you want to do.

8 hours ago, Nektann said:

If I start my journey with arrogance and entitlement then I'm on the wrong path

mate, your first post in the thread literally said you wanted a hypothetical reboot to happen later so that you can "be a huge part of bringing it back."  you want lego- a billion-dollar company with thousands of qualified employees- to bend to your timetable, for the sake of your interest.  how is that not the definition of arrogance and entitlement?

46 minutes ago, Nektann said:

I'll probably reply next week so I can actually make a cohesive and excellent plan in that time.

so you really have nothing.  noted.

actually, no.  i invite you not to reply here next week.  you've completely derailed the intent of this thread, which was to talk about why the very thing you're proposing doesn't need to happen in the first place.  formulate your "plan" if you still want to, but please take it somewhere other than here.

20 hours ago, Zidonaro said:

Well yeah sure we don't need it back, but it sure would be nice if LEGO treated it like Hasbro treats Transformers.

you seen how hasbro treats transformers, mate?  media output that's mediocre on a good day, constant reuse of- and failure to reinvent- the same tired roster of six characters, giving to people who might like other installments of the franchise mere crumbs only once every three or so years, and in general constantly trying to please the ever-shrinking group of "G1 is best1" elitists (who, by the way, are getting close to retirement age).  do you really want bionicle to be treated like that?

IC: Chiaki - Ta-Wahi - The Charred Forest
Well, that didn't exactly go as planned.

It seems like my two new... not exactly friends... have the two ugly Skakdi fully occupied.  I could just leave them to it, but some sense of obligation compels me to stay.  I decide to play support.  Keeping my mask power on, I aim my telekinesis at the tree branches swinging and groping and, in general, just getting in the way.  For every one that lashes out at either the gray one or the blue one, I snap it off.  Pretty soon there's a small fleet of broken branches hovering above the battlefield.

An idea comes to me.  One at a time, I telekinetically twist the branches into rough spears and propel them at the two Skakdi, aiming for their necks and backs while their fronts are being occupied by the other two.

OOC:
@Razgriz @Geardirector

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
Here and now, at the beginning of their journey, is as good a time as any to begin learning to ride.  "S-sure," Hyan-Fei answers, before trying again, more confidently, "Yes, I would like that."  She tells herself that this time will be different, mainly because this time, she is in full control of her senses.

Despite Kura's claim of Naiana being very gentle, Hyan-Fei decides that some caution is still in order; this is, after all, a cultivated creature belonging to someone else, not a wild stray that she can be rough with and suffer no consequences.  She approaches the Soko slowly so as not to frighten her, reaches out a hand to gently pet her on the nose.  Up close, she truly is a beautiful specimen.

OOC:
@Palm

looks like i didn't stir the pot nearly as much as i thought i would.  let's change that lol

On 10/15/2021 at 5:32 PM, masterchirox580 said:

But due to the fact bionicle was their only multimedia franchise they could dedicate a lot of time and effort into it. It was the companies' bread and butter at the time. Today however Lego have a lot of their themes turn into multimedia franchises. So much so they started producing films for their licenced properties. They now have to outsource a lot of their story materials to other companies meaning they really cannot create something as in depth as bionicle anymore.

this is an interesting point, and one i didn't think about until you mentioned it.  you're absolutely right- lego's become something of a mini franchise machine in recent years, and with so many multimedia aspects they have to finance in addition to the toys, they can't really afford to pour as much time and money into making any of them as in depth as G1 anymore.  to add on to that, diverting funds from one line to finance a new one could spell the end of both if neither of them make those figures back.  i could be misremembering, but didn't something like that happen back in 2013?  didn't lego "end" ninjago and use some of that money to finance G2, and that turned out to be an awful decision?  feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.

On 10/15/2021 at 5:32 PM, masterchirox580 said:

Not just that but the culture in general changed. Dark and serious stories were all the rage in the 2000s and Lego was just falling in line. People no longer demand these types of story anymore.

you're right about this one, too.  there definitely has been a huge shift in media consumer culture over the past decade and a half.  stories that take themselves seriously just aren't in demand anymore.  personally i blame the mcu for conditioning people to believe that quips every five seconds and mocking tropes at every turn should be the storytelling norm

On 10/16/2021 at 11:26 AM, Aderia said:

without various reboot attempts to inevitably disappoint us for one reason or another ( like either by ending again or it doesn't live up to overinflated expectation, etc).

that last bit right there, i think, is spot on.  overinflated expectations were/are a massive contributor to not just G2's weak reception, but to weak receptions of reboots in general.  people tend to treat reboots, remakes, sequels, etc., as the second coming of christ, when in reality they're often shallow as a puddle with no real influence from the original beyond names and maybe a few superficial fanservice moments or mythology gags, made by people who just want to siphon a few more dollars off of a bunch of fanboy shmucks.  (i'm of the mind that reboots and remakes are unnecessary because the originals still exist and they're fine as-is, but that's a convo for a whole other site.)

On 10/18/2021 at 8:31 PM, Xboxtravis said:

We also can't assume G2 solely happened due to fan demand, its possible something else was a factor that lead to the start of G2 because if the Bionicle fan community is a small and vocal group now it was still a small and vocal group then as well.

i'm not saying it was the sole factor, i'm saying it was a factor; how big or small a factor, we'll likely never know.  but you're right, fan demand can't be the only reason for G2's existence, considering how much of a minority bionicle fans are under the greater lego umbrella.

On 10/22/2021 at 1:40 AM, Axelford said:

they often jump on trends like toys to life late, if an action figure or robot trend happens again maybe they'll revisit it.

maybe that's because trends come and go so fast nowadays that the engagement with them dies off before lego can finish developing their contribution to them.  or maybe they really are "how do you do, fellow kids" levels of behind the times.

On 10/26/2021 at 1:04 PM, Lenny7092 said:

We do need Bionicle back, actually. It had two cancellations, which make terrible endings and cliffhanger, and Hero Factory looks like a part of Bionicle because of similar stuff, but isn’t said to share the same universe as Bionicle G1. That’s madness. We are using Lego Ideas and Lego World Builder to help ourselves with this.

oh look, the parrot's mindlessly repeating words again.  do you want a cracker, parrot?

you're more than welcome to engage with my thread, but- and forgive me if this sounds selfish- until you choose to genuinely address the points i've laid out in the OP and not just spout the same "um actually we need bionicle G1 and hero factory back" shtick you've been going at for the past several months, i kindly invite you to get off my porch.

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
Hyan-Fei does, in fact, notice Kura's verbal stumble.  So she's trying to find someone specific while hunting for survivors?  Odaiba is big, and even with the surprising frequency of encounters with other wanderers, the odds of finding a specific one are very slim.  If she, Hyan-Fei, were in Kura's position, she would likely have given up the search if her first encounter was not her intended one.  But deep down, she supposes she admires her new companion's persistence.

Instead of making these thoughts known, she simply says, "Right.  Guide stones."

Camp fully broken now, and backpack slung back over her shoulder, Hyan-Fei stands, dusts herself off, and shadows her brow as she looks once again down the branches of the river flowing in different directions.  "I suppose the only question now is, would west or south be a better pick?" she asks, inviting Kura to choose which way they will search first.

OOC:
@Palm sorry again about the wait mate

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
Hyan-Fei blushes at Kura's thanks, and tries (unsuccessfully) to hide it with a curt nod.

With the fish now all eaten, Hyan-Fei begins to clean up, burying the bones and viscera she got rid of and tossing dirt on the fire to smother it.  She nods in agreement with Kura's suggestion.  "We'll have to look on both sides of the river as we go, though," she says.

A frown crosses her face as a thought comes to her.  "Do Chand do anything unique with their campsites?" she asks Kura.  "Any special markers or setups?"  For all her accidental discoveries since becoming a nomad, she has never actually come across a Chand camp, in-use or broken.  Any identifying elements would be useful in helping them in their search.  And, well, since Kura is a Chand...

OOC:
@Palm

i fully expect this to be one of my most controversial posts, but i stand by it wholeheartedly.  the bionicle community DOES NOT need bionicle to come back or be revived.  let's talk about why.

1. lego itself doesn't need bionicle back.
making a new lego line is risky.  within certain budgetary confinements, lego has to pay for:

• licensing fees (if making a licensed theme)
• designers to design new sets and packaging
• molds to manufacture any new pieces and plastic to make those new pieces
• material for packaging
• shipping and distribution fees to get completed sets into stores
• advertising to get people to buy sets

if lego doesn't make enough money from the new line to cover these costs, they'll declare the line a failure, toss it in the bin, and move on; they're not going to try to salvage it in the vain hope that sales will turn around. 

while the exact amount of impact is debatable, you can't deny that fan campaigns played a part in bringing about bionicle G2.  despite evidently strong support for the revival, its sales ended up being so abysmal that lego decided to put it out of its misery and end it a whole year early rather than keep bleeding money.  what does this tell lego about fan campaigns?  it tells them that they're just for show.  and what does this tell them about reviving retired themes?  it tells them that that's not a profitable course of action.  lego is a business above all, and their concern is earning and keeping money, so even though they're more well-off than they were back then, they're going to make the smart business decision to invest further time, effort, and money into what is already bringing in profit.

2. you make yourself look bad by continuing to beg for another bionicle revival.
i already know somebody's going to come in here and say, "but... but muh snyder cut!"  let me shut you down right there.  the snyder cut was released because the millions of people organizing these fan campaigns were actually willing to put their money where their mouth was in order to support the creator's original vision.

the bionicle community doesn't have millions organizing fan campaigns.  it has the same handful of sweaty man-babies whining for the return of a toy line that financially failed twice for the sake of satisfying their own nostalgia.  there's a reason most of the other lego communities look down on the bionicle community, and this is it.  (ironically, these are the same lego communities vainly begging for the return of classic space and classic castle, but that's neither here nor there.)  by continuing to ignore reality and keep screeching "bring back bionicle" every time lego makes even a vague reference to it in the hopes that it'll get them them to let you relive your rose-tinted childhood, you risk further alienating other lego communities- and eventually, maybe even lego itself- from what's already an extremely insular community.

3. you have the power to make bionicle your own.
there's a saying somewhere that goes, "when companies fail to make content the fans want, the fans will make it themselves."  bionicle has the benefit of being produced by a company whose primary product experience is making your own content with it.  that means that you have the freedom to make whatever kind of bionicle figures you want.  you're not constrained to the same certain aesthetics, "legal" techniques, part counts, or budgetary concerns that lego factors into their processes.  there will be other constraints, sure, but that's inherent to any hobby.

you're not even constrained to making bionicle figures.  think of all the books, comics, web serials, animations, etc. that accompanied bionicle G1.  think of all the characters that never got visual representations- you can give those to them.  think of all the events and locations that were mentioned, but never really explored- you can tell stories about them. heck, you're not even constrained to what accompanied G1 or G2.  you can make up new stories about new heroes in new worlds that lego employees could never even dream of coming up with.  to paraphrase the inimitable bob ross, you can do whatever you want, because it's your little world.  the only limits are your imagination and your work ethic.

to say, "i want lego to bring back bionicle like this" is to say, "i need someone else to be creative for me."  and that's so utterly sad.

in conclusion, when does a man die?  when he is hit by a bullet?  no.  when he suffers a disease?  no.  when he eats a soup made out of a poisonous mushroom?  no.  a man dies when he is forgotten.  bionicle doesn't need to be brought back, because it will never go anywhere as long as people are there to remember it fondly.  those who keep campaigning for bionicle to be rebooted again and again, despite common sense saying that that's a bad idea, have forgotten what already exists.

lego has given you plenty.  they are not obligated to give you more.  if you want more, make it.

IC: Chiaki - Ta-Wahi - The Charred Forest
I'm just about to say something back when the blue one yells to watch out- oh, she means her two o'clock.  I turn quickly to face what's behind me...

And duck, just barely in time to avoid a hot streak of laser vision from burning a hole through my skull.  It burns a hole through my hat instead, almost searing the top of my head and mask just underneath.  I look up to see the telltale smoke and fading glow around the ugly green Skakdi's eyes.  He's the one for me to target.  Dropping my hat and my backpack to the ground, I straighten up slightly and activate my mask.

The ground he's standing on looks pretty rough already, but I make it even rougher.  Using the power of my Matatu, I lift big chunks of ash, dirt, and rock quickly up from under his feet, trying to get him to stumble.  I then pelt him with the chunks, trying my best to keep them away from where the gray one is fighting my opponent's ugly red buddy.  With the hand that's not directing my mask power's actions, I pull one of my jitte out and set it to just under maximum voltage.  Just in case...

OOC:
@Razgriz @Geardirector

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
Kura's offer catches Hyan-Fei by surprise, and for the briefest moment a flash of nervousness crosses her face.  The moment passes, however, and she brings enough of her original confident demeanor back long enough to return her new traveling companion's nod.  "If you're offering.  You'll find I'm a fast learner," she says.  Then, looking at the campfire, "But I learn faster on a full stomach."

The truth of the matter is that Hyan-Fei has never been good at riding Soko, and due to her own philosophy she has never tried again after that one time.  The thought of falling off Naiana and embarrassing herself in front of Kura is slightly terrifying to her; she would much rather run alongside.  But of course, she makes none of this known as she sits down cross-legged and seasons her catch with her jars of salt, pepper, and hot spices.

She offers Kura a pair of chopsticks before tucking into the flaky fish flesh with her own pair.  "So.  If it were me escaping from Koshiki, the first thing I'd want to do is get as far away from it as I could."  She shadows her brow as she looks first down the branch of the river that continues to wind west, then, several bio away, down the branch that heads south.  "I suggest we head for a dock, or a port town; could be some of your Chand are going there to evacuate with any others."  She shrugs.  It is an idea; Kura is free to take it or leave it.

OOC:
@Palm

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
"You're being silly again," Hyan-Fei says bluntly.  "Of course some Chand still exist.  You're still here, aren't you?  And so far, being Chand is the only way you can be sure they keep existing.  Don't be so wishy-washy about 'maybe I'm neither Chand nor Long.'"

Of a sudden, she stands and plants her hands on her hips, confident in the choice she is about to make.  "Finding survivors is clearly very important to you, and I have nothing better to do at the moment," she proclaims.  "I'll join your quest, if only because you need someone to keep you from breaking any more ribs."

OOC:
@Palm sorry about the wait mate

we don't need to do anything.

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
With the fire officially going, Hyan-Fei sets the flat stone over the flames, and the fish over the stone to cook.  "I wish I'd been a Chand, but I don't think I could ride a Soko very well," she jokes, leaning back onto the grass and cushioning her head with her arms.

She frowns at Kura's question.  "No," she answers, "the old ways are enough for me."  She turns her head to look at Kura, an odd expression on her face.  "Honestly, up there would probably have been a better fit for you than me.  How long did you stay before...?"  She lets the question trail off.

OOC:
@Palm

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
Hyan-Fei tilts her head as she considers the Soko's name.  Naiana... It is a good name, she decides.  She makes a note to pet Naiana when her hands are free of fish guts.

Fish successfully cleaned, she washes off a thin, flat rock in the river to use as a cooking surface over the eventual fire.  At Kura's question, she nods with a satisfied humph.  "I have," she replies, "and I've loved it.  It's much better than being stuck in that stuffy old monastery."  And why shouldn't it be?  Even with new nasties running about, the wilderness offers much more freedom than the same four walls every day.

OOC:
@Palm

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
Still breathless from her sudden dunk, Hyan-Fei nods, acknowledging Kura's choice to retrieve some firewood.  As the other Dasaka leaves, she sets about the gory but satisfying task of scaling, gutting, and deboning her catch for cooking.  She repositions herself on the riverbank to be a little closer to Kura's Soko, in case something happens to make it run away.  In between knife strokes she catches glimpses of the creature.  Road wear-and-tear aside, it is a lovely specimen.  She finds herself somewhat envious of Kura for owning such a fine steed, but only for a few fleeting moments.

OOC:
@Palm

IC: Long Hyan-Fei - Odaiba - Western Wilderness
"Yes, after that speech!" Hyan-Fei huffs.  "Training will help me take care of myself!  And it'll help you with that, too; you should try it, silly."  She tosses her head in exaggerated indignation at Kura's stifled laughs, before relaxing her posture and smiling too.  Chand Kura is a silly Dasaka, she decides, but for the first time in a while, she decides that that's not such a bad thing for someone to be.

It is also the first time in a while that anyone has called her admirable.  Trying to hide it, she blushes behind her mask.  "Thank you," she says quietly.

Hyan-Fei lets out a shout of excitement as the fish she tempted earlier takes her bait.  Hooking it with a mighty yank of her pole, she struggles to bring it in, but it puts up enough of a fight to pull her into the river after it.  Several moments pass before she bursts back onto the riverbank with a laugh, holding her prize in her hands.  For a moment, all thoughts of the mountain and the Dragons and the Spawns of Zakata are forgotten.  For a moment, it feels like any regular summer afternoon on the Archipelago.

OOC:
@Palm