Takuta-Nui

The basic question has been answered here, but I want to go back to the original post's text. Ras just made the comparison that Makuta Teridax was like a virus inside Mata Nui's body that masqueraded as a nanobot worker - a red blood cell, if you will, trying to fool the Toa (white blood cells). I think this is actually a brilliant parallel now that we know the nature of the Great Spirit robot. We couldn't have known back then, but Teridax did have something to do with viruses - the Makuta used viruses to create new Rahi. I suppose it would be better to call Teridax a master controller virus, then? And then he did disguise himself as a nanobot worker in order to fool the Toa, just like some real viruses behave. It's an awesome way to interpret this famous 2001 scene in light of the most current understanding we have. Not sure if anyone noticed this already, but kudos to Ras for pointing that out.

Wii U, eh? I've been considering what to get to diversify my Mario-dominated games for my new console. Perhaps this shall be a candidate. I assume one doesn't need to have played the previous two games in order to understand this one?

2016 is just around the corner, so it's excellent to see them pushing their practices into new standards so swiftly. This actually explains, in part, why they have been doing a lot of sets in plastic bag packaging. They're easily compressed, more can be packed into a crate, and more lightweight so less fuel is used to transport them. Always good to see a status update!

Sensing a lot of dislike toward 2006 here. I actually liked 2006 more than any other year, except perhaps 2008 since the sets came with the fantastic conclusion to the main story arc of the Bionicle saga. 2006 renewed a lot of the mystery of a diverse island like Mata Nui, but with new elements that made it obviously different and interesting. Just one Matoran settlement by itself said to me, Wow, this is a different culture than the other Matoran settlements we've seen. Then having the Piraka invade and impersonate as Toa was like taking the whole 2001 storyline and twisting it around. Some people might think that was a lazy copout to reverse-carbon-copy a storyline, but it really wasn't that much of a copy simply because there were so many little differences. Axonn and Brutaka were there as well, and the Nuva showed up quite early and then got thrashed and thrown in prison. That was a shocker, and only made the appearance of the Inika that much more epic for me. And at the end, having the Mask of Life battle and then the mask zooms into the ocean and leading directly into the 2007 storyline was, in my opinion, the cleanest and most tight story transition Bionicle ever pulled off. That being said - I would have to say that 2005 was a year of missed opportunities. It could have expanded a great deal on the Matoran Universe after 2004 spent so much time labouring on Metru Nui and helping the reader understand that this was underground, there were other islands, other Toa, etc and so on. A year was enough to understand that - now we wanted to see some proper examples. We did get some, but not in as unified a story as I would have hoped for. Sidorak, Roodaka, and Keetongu all contributed to filling in different species and lands of origin, but all the action remained on Metru Nui. This was kind of fair since the Matoran had to be rescued, but I would have loved to see half the Toa split off to check out other places, and then come back to Metru Nui to find the other three turned into Hordika. Then pick up the rest of the story to defeat the Visorak hordes etc. Instead of this fuller and broader Matoran Universe exploration, we had to move back to the present time and to an entirely new place, which was itself cool as I've mentioned above. I think this little disconnect between what we were being told and what we were being shown may have contributed to Greg's newfound penchant for story serials in an attempt to fill in those gaps and to give us a greater variety of colour in the MU. Now, was that wrong? Not at all. Bionicle hindsight isn't 20/20, it's 100/20 or something like that with all of us hovering over every detail for so many years now. Of course we could rewrite it in a massive collaborative effort and it could be a hundred times better than what we have today, but nah. It was a story, a series of unexpected events that led from one to the next, and it happened the way it did - both within the universe and on a meta-canonical level.

It's definitely an odd set for me, as are many in the Architecture series. I totally get the preference to build something and display it purely for collection and aesthetics, but I think Kaxix said it well - the sets should be a little larger. At this scale, they're a little underwhelming. Thank you for taking the time to make this review!

When you have a heart as cold as ice like mine, a little ice water hardly makes a difference. Black Six confirmed for Kopaka. RETURN OF BIONICLE CONFIRMED! Couldn't resist. Good on you for taking on the challenge so nobly, Black Six. I just got nominated on Sunday, which led to a great half hour of prep and video recording hilarity. Plus, donating always feels good!

Very cool-looking creation, and an inspiring headcanon! A few have mentioned the feet might not be the best choice, and I almost agree because of the hump on top that makes it seem almost clown-like. However, imagining this as a real foot that can flex makes sense since it looks like it would have a really good grip for tree branches and the like - apt for a Le-Matoran. And who's to say that feet have to look perfect? I like the use of the Le-Metru Kanoka rather than a Mata Nui bamboo disk. The plastic has a tinge of green, which actually adds to the colour scheme. Black wouldn't wreck it, though. I'd also like to say that it's very inspiring to see such a casual and inclusive treatment of transgender identity here.

And the signature is back somehow, without me doing anything. Weird! Thanks, fishers. I'm really looking forward to you reading it.

Read up to Chapter 26 now. I'm seeing a much fuller storytelling develop here now that Koronga is integrating into the MU and meeting different individuals, and it's very enjoyable. Was cool to get a tour of Metru Nui like old times! We did know of the city's partial emphasis on processing protodermis, but your analysis was interesting and entertaining. I'm thinking about the Ba-Toa. You've said that he is part of a larger storyline that will support the non-canon side of the story now that the excitement of the Shattering is past. I know you provide notes as to what is canon and what is not, but the link to each notes post is at the end of the chapter, not the beginning. This, along with the fact that the person has to actually click on it instead of diving right into the story even if the link was located at the beginning of the chapter, makes me worry that some new readers will be getting confused about canon Bionicle. Perhaps once this is complete, you can add some kind of integrated notation that won't detract from the flow of the story. Something that you can click on to reveal a drop-down or pop-up blurb? Or lines of notes on the sides that aren't obtrusive, like how some word programs will show author notes in a sidebar with a line indicating what part of the text it's referring to. Just my view that right now, having two separate bodies of text, one story and one notes, is a pretty artificial solution. I'm sure there is a way to bring the two closer together in some sort of interactive way. Chapter 26: Didn't expect the Ba-Toa mystery to be resolved so quickly - although it really isn't, just revealed a larger mystery. And we're seeing a bit of self-fulfilling prophecy in the destinies at play here. It is Koronga's destiny to chronicle, and be part of, the events of Bionicle, even as he works to counter the evil that he has foreseen. I think 'minimize' might be a better term, though, since there has to be a level of acceptance that the evil will occur. Koronga just needs to grapple with the fact that some of his actions will appear successful while others will appear to have caused the evil. That seems to be happening now. The light-barrier around Karzahni - is this canon? I can't remember. I do vaguely recall when the Matoran traveled there in the Voya Nui storyline and some had to stay behind while the others went into Karzahni itself... Good to be caught up now. I'll be able to record my reactions to each chapter in more depth, and properly interact with other readers instead of just dumping my words here and walking away.

I feel very bad about not updating this. If I did more often, I'd probably have more people interested. Here's hoping that changes when I do actually post. People respond better when there are actual results to promises! I've reached what I consider to be roughly two-thirds of the way in the first epic of the Chrysalis Saga. I slowed down a lot in the past few months as I struggled to move past a transition point, which basically was like moving from the narrow end of a cone to the wide end. The world expanded (as planned, but it's a different thing to imagine it and write it), and I had to take time to consider what directions I wanted to go in. That's been figured out, and I'm writing quickly again. The scenes keep rolling out one or two every few days, so it's a great pace. Deadline? I have one. Even if I haven't quite finished by the end of the year (and I'd be surprised if that's the case), I'm going to start posting in December. My newest story is almost here and I'm thrilled to be this close to sharing it with you. In the coming weeks I think I'll start sharing tidbits here and there to give some colour to this Saga I keep on going about. I think it'll be a great ride. BTW - my signature mysteriously disappeared. I've been seeing people talk about forum glitches, so I assume this is what happened. Gotta get it back up!

Continuing through Chapters 7 - 10, I've gone back and read some of the early reviews. I have to delay them a bit since some might mention content from a group of chapters, spoiling something for me, but I'm reading pretty fast so I may be caught up this weekend! I agree somewhat with the common critique that the protagonist seemed too artificial. The argument doesn't totally work, though, since that is the intent in a way - being suddenly created with tons of knowledge but no life experience. There's "naturally" going to be some awkward narration as the narrator himself adjusts to his existence and the dissonance between his knowledge, his life experience, his body, his expressions, his still-developing personality, etc. What makes this work for me is that you have to read further on to his near-death encounter with the protodermis in the Northern Frost to see him really take a shift toward living with purpose. His character seems to take on more definite form in a matter of sentences in that chapter - what we would call a "pivotal character development moment." And hey, if we want to go even further than this, we could say that the awkwardness in the beginning is part of a meta-commentary on the artificiality of consciousness itself. Hey, if you wanna run with that argument, knock yourself out. Chapter 10: "Mental gender identities were included, though there was no physical purpose to them, apparently just because the Great Beings were accustomed to thinking of beings in terms of gender." Neat way to tell us more about the Great Beings - they do have gender, and also that they might not have fully dissociated from that construct when creating new beings. The more this story develops, the more obvious it becomes how flawed they are and how they really are just scientists and hardly even philosophers. "Clouds curled around its ankles." Thrilling. Great depiction of the Shattering. For me after being a few years away from the story, it's actually very refreshing to be reading the entire story in true chronological order. Getting some of that old excitement. Chapter 11: Very enjoyable and sweeping journey through the Matoran Universe (and we've made it this far! Well done, Koronga.) Some of this was new to me, especially the Toa with the ground-shaping staff. Also had somewhat forgotten about the original giant sea Rahi. Big beasties are always fun to write. Chapter 13: I didn't expect the detailed journey or his exposure to the Toa Mata, but I enjoyed it. Felt like his first real connection with the Matoran and what is arguably his true home. That does make me think, however... has the story actually confirmed that Koronga was created in that very moment at the clifftop on Spherus Magna? If not, then it's entirely possible that there's a third universe involved. I also wonder if Koronga is going to find out where the Great Beings went after the Shattering. If I recall correctly, they didn't stay on the planet but went somewhere else. Chapter 14: I personally approve of your non-canon exploration of the "Inner Workings" of the robot. It all pretty much makes sense from what we already have confirmed, anyway. Cool sketch of the maintenance robots - the "wheels" remind me of the electric airships from The Matrix and I wonder if that was an inspiration? Seems like the most efficient way to travel through narrow tubes anyway, which was also proven by the movies. "A transcendant version of it was present already in natural protodermis" - Did you mean "transcendent"? Some good ol' nutty bonesiii physics theory right here (and in Chapter 15) with the protodermis molecules. Love it. "It listed them by Mata Nui's priority of current focus, so the one at the top was always the one that took up the most space on the huge screen." Clever reference to the Great Beings' equivalent of RAM and an activity monitor! Interesting speculation at the end about the nature of good, and its relationship to longevity. In my view, the shorter one knows one will live, the more likely they will resort to evil actions in order to gain more for themselves more quickly. The basic mentality of I'm dying soon so I deserve this. And the longer one lives, the more likely they will either go evil or good, because the potential for leaving a greater legacy of good or evil is greater over a longer period of time. So in my view, evil is highly possible in both scenarios, but in the longer life scenario good is just as possible. Thus, it's better to live longer as you'll have more time to build your legacy of good... as well as more time to commit evil deeds and later feel remorse and make amends by turning back to good. This is kind of why I seriously advocate scientific immortality for humans, as it means we would need to adapt to a new life of living with the consequences of our actions rather than passing them onto future generations. Chapter 15: "Language, identity, and similar things would be essentially for a being to be able to survive in his world." - Think you meant "essential." 3D printing wasn't something I expected to see here, but the concept works very well for solving the problem of how to create a complex biomechanical being with the same base material. Well done - loving your style of filling in the unanswered bits of Bionicle while keeping it on the path of significant events. I swept through 16-20 because it was way too engrossing to watch the Makuta come into being. Nice description of the antidermis' physics too. It was a bit bizarre but very appropriate to portray the Makuta as morally balanced, since that was how they were at first. It'll make their evil turn later on more impactful (as well as more dramatic to the newcomer). I definitely did not expect Koronga's secret to spill out as early as it did in the Matoran Universe, but I agree with your decision to steer the plot in that direction. I imagine it steered itself a bit - for him to continue escaping the Great Spirit and now the Makuta even after they knew of him and began to hunt him would have stretched credibility too far. Sign of a good twist - it's unexpected when it comes, but makes sense when other things are taken in account. Great description of Karzahni. I had forgotten just how bad that place was, and this certainly reminded me. It's a little jarring, however, since I thought a lot less time had passed since the Shattering, but I do realize that many of these events are taking place over years rather than days. Still, I had thought Karzahni went bad a bit later.

Hey bones - I've finally crawled back to BZP reading! Glad I started with your story as this is going to help me get my head back into this. I see I have quite a bit of catching up to do, so I think I may read a bit quickly. Perhaps conserve some of my mystery-solving energies for your next BP episode. Chapter 1: Good decision to start with a single POV, rather than a sweeping narrative that kind of spoils everything already. When people set themselves to the task of writing out an already established story, it is easy for them to treat it at arms length so it feels impersonal. You're doing the opposite - weaving your own ideas into it while speaking outside of the story to the reader to ensure it is clear what is canon and what is not. I can't help but imagine BZP is going to link to this officially (among other resources) if BIONICLE makes a return and we start getting new members. Solid beginning - I'm surprised by how much more I want to know! Chapter 2: It's a cool angle you've given this character that he knows so much about physics, but struggles to survive with the basics. In a way, he has to reverse engineer his knowledge! Adds an interesting progression to the story. I'm now starting to see how interesting your approach to this project is. You're really sticking with this character (although just two chapters might not be a good reference), so this makes me wonder how you're going to cover so many events. Interested to see how that works out. Chapter 3: He really isn't off to a good start with his life. (Also, I'm sensing there's not too much more for me to say in each chapter after initial impressions, so let's just let this flow as I read.) Chapter 4: "From here the vaulted scientists governed the rest of the civilized world, and carried on their secretive experiments." It should be "vaunted." Did a double-take at the three year journey. You're really taking the longevity of their lives seriously for telling a realistic story! Chapter 6: "I decided Metus had been wrong when he'd complained that the Great Beings were bad rulers because they didn't want the job. Maybe that was the mark of a good ruler." Nice nod to the old thinkers of our planet. Review to be continued!

I suppose the way I feel about your accomplishment here is the same as how others feel when I tell them about how many hours I've logged into a single Pokemon game. I think it takes a certain technical way of thinking that I've just never been able to achieve. You should be very proud of it, and I hope it does get a lot of attention! You did pick a good subject that's well-known and has two easily recognizable images, so that may help.

Seems there is some actual expectation of BIONICLE's return, which I certainly won't try to suppress. A particular line of code on S@H that led to a Coming Soon message may mean everything and it may mean someone was careless in creating a placeholder page for something else. Impossible to say, but hope is a great thing. For me, I think I'm in a somewhat unique position as I've taken the last few years off, almost exactly timed with BIONICLE's end. I've only begun visiting the website more often due to the new story I'm writing (The Chrysalis Saga). In my eyes, I'm going to feel very much like one of the newcomers in that I have to relearn a lot of what I used to know, and I've had enough of a "BIONICLE drought" in my life that anything new with the name attached to it will probably earn my praise. When I was a Staff member, too, I learned how to mediate between people on this site. I'm sure I could continue to reprise that role with or without a title. Newcomers will be awed by the amount of knowledge and lore that has come before their time, and we will have the privilege of living vicariously through them with their entirely original enthusiasm for something that truly is new to them. I'll welcome this return, if it comes.

Hey - I'm back! Unfortunately it looks like the cache link you posted above didn't actually preserve the pre-data loss posts? I might be missing something. I read your story to its conclusion and I want you to know that I've enjoyed it a lot! You clearly have a creative flair for stories of intrigue and action, as well as a great mix of humour. I found that this story decidedly switched between dead serious (Matoran death) and utterly whimsical (Kali, most of the time). So it was an interesting combination, but I think it worked well since you kept the two moods very separate instead of confusing the reader with what they were supposed to feel. For your next story (that I look forward to!) I advice trying to plan out your scenes with more depth and detail. By depth and detail, I mean taking time to describe things that, while not immediately important to the scene, help the reader understand the environment and place the characters and action within it accurately. Don't go overboard with describing leaves, but if they're awfully special leaves, go ahead. In this story, I felt that this would have helped a lot with placing everything where it was. It's one of the hardest things to translate the scene from your mind into an equally understandable scene on paper, but you can do it. Thanks for the writing!

I bet the originators of this idea are feeling very proud and excited right now! Their concepts definitely would have some appeal. I remember some sets having a general Asian-style architecture, but they usually were swarming with ninjas and samurais. This would probably be more of a cultural focus, highlighting features of pre-modern Japanese lifestyles, and I'm in favour of that. This makes me wonder if there is a LEGO Store in Japan - and after checking their official list, it seems not. Perhaps this will give the Retail operators ideas. =)

Looks like I started being active again at just the right time. Would be one of the best gifts of luck if I got Matoro or Nuju... never managed to collect either back in 2001. Thanks for holding this raffle! Can you tell us how you gained possession of those?

I haven't bought any of these at all, but this reminds me that the surprise bags would be a great Christmas gift for everyone I'm planning to gift this year. Good reminder. Maybe I'll end up buying some for myself...

It really does look like something one has to just sit back and enjoy without worrying about whether it has the best writing in the world. I think that LEGO, while absolutely capable of the most dazzling stories, can't help but put that aside in favour of the visual awesomeness that comes with such smoothly animated LEGO. Everything besides the air itself appears to be made of LEGO - even the explosions are blooming mixtures of 1-stud blocks, which is honestly stunning to my eyes. It's like the ultimate fiction for the child, who has always had to imaginarily extend their LEGO set to its surroundings - ignoring the soft carpet where the plastic street suddenly ends, for example. I'll be supporting this movie by going to theatres to see it, and then buying it. Hopefully it's so successful that LEGO aims even higher, and creates a story for a second movie on the scale of BIONICLE. Then again, we might be surprised with the story in this one.

As you can see, I have updated my signature with a custom link banner for this blog. Everyone is free to use this if they wish to advertise the blog and the Chrysalis Saga. Minor updates: due to the database deletion, I had to go and re-delete all my old entries. That's been completed. I continue making progress on the first episode, but work and school is definitely slowing me down as it means I pull at least two 16-hour days a week. Gets a bit tough if I also work for a few days after one of those days, and then the next week comes around and it starts all over again. The good thing is that I keep getting inspired moments and I'll throw aside my homework to write a few pages, or just tap away on my iPhone while I'm riding the train. The momentum is there and I'm not having too much trouble maintaining it, so I think that's a good sign that I'm genuinely enjoying this, and I hope that shows when you get to read it. Also, I'm considering creating a Tumblr blog as well to post the story itself, so it reaches a broader audience. I once tried to start a blog there but got overwhelmed by the options, so I'll have to make sure I have a day by myself to go through everything and do it right.

Turns out I can't access the first comment, so I assume that's lost to the depths of the internet unless that person (can't remember who the first commenter was) remembers and wants to repost it. Also, I'll be re-deleting all my old posts before this one. Ironic that I did all of that already, and then an event which deleted everything else, brought those posts back. =P I'll also be reaching out to the authors whose stories I had started reading, and see how quickly they'll be catching up.

[This is being reposted due to the database backup. Thanks, Google Cache! Unfortunately, the cache only had the first person's comment, so I'm going to post that below as well to save them the trouble. If you want to repost your comment, please go right ahead! But I more or less remember what you've said, so no serious need. Let's start pulling ourselves together again!] Original post: I've returned with a new story. I call it the Chrysalis Saga, and a few of you might have seen the quiet advertisement in my signature for a while now. I haven't been very active on these forums for a few years, so I realize it will be challenging getting a readership and feedback on my story. But like before with my This World series and later the broader Absolutity collection, I intend to write and post the best stories that I'm capable of. Reviews, while important and deeply appreciated, are not expected or required. Still, it is nice knowing that someone's reading and enjoying. So I thought I would reboot my blog and give it a new theme, mainly centred on the Chrysalis Saga but probably including other things. I haven't decided yet if I will delete all the old entries, as they're not relevant and I don't want to confuse any newcomers to the blog. Not sure about that yet, though. Here's a summary and a to-do list that I'm focused on right now: Status of the Saga The first epic is not yet fully written, but in good progress. The length is not quite determined, but I know it will be at least twenty chapters of about 10 pages each. I'm willing to predict thirty chapters or more, though. And by "good progress," I mean I'm writing it regularly, two or three times a week. The name of the first epic is "The Play of Light." The Saga has been in the works for over a year. I first got the idea for what I wanted to centre a story around way back in 2011, and it only started to take on real form (that is, the chrysalis began to spin!) in spring 2012. I started an actual outline that summer, which I have added to and expanded for the past year into a master document of the ideas, plots, characters, themes, and so forth. It is not at all a definitive plan of what I will write - I leave that up to the magic of the writing process - but it is a guideline for the overall impression I want to leave the reader with. Not giving a date for when this will start being posted yet. But the fact that I've rebooted my blog means it's closer than when I wasn't blogging. 2013 Goals Signature banners, one for this blog and one for the epic once it's up. I need a proper image and caption, so I'll be looking around the internet for something that I feel suits each. I'm sure once I find them, it'll only take me half an hour to slap them together in Pages and upload. Establish the look of this blog. Decide whether I should delete the pre-Chrysalis entries. Start reading & reviewing a few other writers' work. Although I love bonesiii's Paracosmos and made time for it during full time university, I realize I need to broaden my horizons and rebuild my connections in the writing community on BZP. The above means that I want your stories! If you have an ongoing story, or a story written by someone that you think I'd love (and is being posted on the BZP forums), please send it to me! Other Notes I'm no longer a Staff member (well, I'm in a weird limbo group between the regular membership and Staff, apparently, lol. But it hasn't manifested itself in any obligations, so I'm fine with that). This means I don't have those extra BZP duties that I did before, which I honestly think is great, as I can focus completely on the epics and short stories communities. I also need to set BZP as my front page so I see it every time I visit the internet. I also no longer am part of the team managing the Expanded Multiverse. I talked with bones about this a long time ago and let him know that I couldn't spend the time on that project anymore. It still saddens me, and part of me wants to get back in, but I won't do that until I'm absolutely sure I can commit long-term. As a matter of fact, I need to find out what's going on with the EM canon right now, and catch up if there's been anything happening since I stopped my BZP activity. I'm still in university, but part time. 1 class per term, this fall and next winter. So far, I've had a lot of leisure time outside of the one class, so I'll just have to re-teach myself to spend that time on BZP more than other things. Re-integrate into my daily routine, basically. I'm working full time with Apple Inc. That's a solid 40 hours a week, but again, I have a lot of leisure time outside of this, and I've felt so much freedom this year for writing this story. That should only improve once I finish the winter semester course. I'll stop there now. That's my update. Please consider this my humble "Hey, I'm back" entry. Thanks for reading! (Credit for image goes to Naomi Bardoff, an artist and blogger I've followed recently. Will add link once I've determined it's an appropriate link for BZP.)

Chapter 41: This was a beautiful chapter, bonesiii. There are two reasons.First, I had somewhat forgotten how amazing you are at character development. Not really forgotten, but more like gotten used to. Onua's grand introspection in this chapter was a total renewal of this talent in my eyes. (And, of course! He's a perfectionist.) You brought so many of his experiences from this episode into focus, and merged them into a pinpoint conclusion that, in the way it was presented, felt so true and undeniable to the reader. Not to mention immensely satisfying because we obviously are rooting for him.Second, the element of Crystal makes a "brilliant" entrance via what is probably your most exciting twist to befall a Matoran since Hujo's escapades on Twisted Island. The very ending of the chapter left some things for me to ponder, which I've laid out now.What exactly is up with that lightstone - why was it modified with the same kind of LED () technology as other more obvious technologies? Who did that? I would probably be able to answer that if I tracked it back in the story to recall where it first came into play.A safe guess is the Kuambu because as Onua realized, they would not want Toa-destined Matoran being involved in their plan. Yet, as they couldn't know which were which, they needed to contrive the environment and traps to play everyone against themselves and each other, as when Nijire was working to escape and lead the group and so forth. That would have eventually led to evidence of who had what Matoran element.And so, placing certain objects for their use, such as that modified lightstone, would allow them to identify who could manipulate the unique system in the stone as only as Matoran of Crystal could. Similar to Takua unconsciously manipulating his armour colours.But how to actually witness that, and also know where that individual is so they could be captured and removed (or even Taken by Vaurukan, why not)? Cameras. But even a controlled environment like a submagmatic is too big (forests, countless piles and hills of junk, and steam from the lava obscuring areas). This is a problem that solves itself because the prisoners will naturally seek out the exit route.So place a camera at that exit, and make the exit itself a barrier that can only be traversed by the same methods that are used to identify the elemental Matoran! Crystal tool, crystal exist. Both come together to create undeniable evidence that Nijire is a Matoran of Crystal.For me, this only leaves the question of whether Nijire is actually destined to be a Toa. We don't know that from this scene, do we?Chapter 42: Hate it when that happens in RPGs. ;)Not that much more to say - this chapter filled in the gaps regarding Nijire that I just brought up.I absolutely hate that the Toa lost their chance (or first chance, anyway) at the Legendary Masks. But that was your intent, wasn't it... to build up so many hopes and dash them away one by one. At this point, I'm prepared for a conclusion that will actually be devastating, and contain no triumph for the good side. It might be "time for it" at this point in the series, which is nearly halfway through your entire Paracosmos series... so I can see how it's a plausible device. Absolute rock bottom for the next while. Who knows besides you, though!

Chapter 40:: Quick correction - "taut." Had the Kuambu's apparently vast reserved of knowledge and strategy aided? Probably both.Another one - "reserves." Looks like we know that Vaurukan had two ultimate prizes in mind: Teridax's antidermis, and the Taken Toa Nuva. Although I don't know if he has Taken beings quite as powerful as them yet, it might be possible that they could fight his influence better than most. Also, it sounds like the Healer role as described here is very similar to what Karzahni does. Except that he doesn't teleport them, and doesn't function on the near-death factor. Quick confirmation whether Karzahni exists in the Paracosmos? I can't remember if this has been confirmed already. About the chime - yes, I think there was a misunderstanding somewhere in the writing. It may have flashed past us too quickly to actually take notice. Or otherwise I was reading too quickly and thought it was another clue, not the actual reason for the loud chimes. So... basically the loud chime is a doorbell, lol. But we still don't know WHY we have chimes at all; that's the real secret, correct? About the Elemental Kanohi trap - it's solvable, as you said. That means this is probably a delay tactic, at least in part. Waste enough time, or take the group back to Lake Kanae to nullify their entire journey to get the masks while bringing them back into Kuambu territory. I think this is obvious enough, since it's all taking so long and this almost certainly helps the Kuambu since they know the group will be occupied as long as possible. But because the trap IS solvable, the Kuambu must have a plan for if they do get the masks (assuming the masks are real). This is related to the Taking, as you suggested. Can't take my thinking further than this right now, though... Thanks for the response to my musings on the Kuambu form, though. I'll take note of that and see if I can piece any more.

Chapter 39: So the chime is for entering and exiting the submagmatic. Pretty simple, I guess I didn't see it earlier because nobody had really seen or been aware of anyone enter or leave until now, so the association wasn't obvious. Loved the ferrofluids trap - pretty effective way to keep biomechanical and mechanical beings immobile indefinitely. Although Haywire did help them understand what it was, I would have liked it to stay more of a mystery a bit longer. As it is now, I felt that the explanation came so quickly that the entire situation became mundane before it was even over. Question - if the Kuambu really didn't want anyone getting the Kanohi, why would they have set up a teleporting field and apparently just hope they fail and fall into it? My possible answers: Either the "build it yourself" wood and rope bridge trap is actually impossible to solve correctly, or they haven't actually reached the Kanohi they wanted. Or, these ARE the Kanohi and the trap IS solvable, but it all takes so long that enough time was wasted for the Toa's elemental powers to become trivial enough in the Kuambu's plan. Kuambu appear to be wider both backwards and forwards than tall... interesting. I'm starting to think that it makes sense for their 'biology' to be intricately tied to how they have developed as a civilization. Their Poetraxiens combines musicality and scientific method as fishers just brought up, so I want to imagine a bodily form that would somehow lead to such a mode of thinking. Of course, biology is not destiny, but hard to deny that it plays a role in how people and groups develop. Then again, I remember a character from EB (I think Bhukasa) remarking that their form was actually very surprising. So that'd mean it's unexpectedly divergent from everything else known of the Kuambu. Food for thought, I suppose.