Wrinkledlion X

Ancient, maybe not. Terrifying, absolutely. I don't care how old you are - if you can sort through and destroy my mind and possibly drive me insane, you are scary. Especially if you look like a spiky gelatin with a monster face. An older version of that might be less scary, because they might have enough restraint or be convinced not to come near me. A little kid mind destroying tyrannical monster? I think I will elsewhere, thanks. Yeah, but it was playing off Lovecraftian tropes. In those stories, the horror always comes from encountering something far beyond your understanding, which typically is older than humankind. The gelatin and tentacles are mostly incidental. I thought I was the only one who picked up on that. Was it officially stated to be a nod to Lovecraft? If so that's pretty dang awesome. Pretty sure Greg confirmed it over PM, but I'd have to dig to find it these days.

Ancient, maybe not. Terrifying, absolutely. I don't care how old you are - if you can sort through and destroy my mind and possibly drive me insane, you are scary. Especially if you look like a spiky gelatin with a monster face. An older version of that might be less scary, because they might have enough restraint or be convinced not to come near me. A little kid mind destroying tyrannical monster? I think I will elsewhere, thanks. Yeah, but it was playing off Lovecraftian tropes. In those stories, the horror always comes from encountering something far beyond your understanding, which typically is older than humankind. The gelatin and tentacles are mostly incidental.

I was going to make some joke about the Mask of Possibilities (which, let's be honest, is pretty ridiculous), but this gets at the core of the weirdest part of the series. How can virtually immortal beings be at all relatable characters? Most characters have been alive for more than 100 000 years. To put that in perspective, imagine a caveman living throughout all of human history up until this point. The number of things you can experience in 100 000 years is beyond human comprehension. It really cheapens a lot of the legendary aspect of the series too. I mean, the Matoran being stranded on Mata Nui for 1000 years sounds like a long time to us. 1000 years ago was 1015 (Viking times) -- so much has happened between then and now! But if you live to be older than 100 000, 1000 years is <1% of your lifespan. To put that in perspective, for humans (if we assume an average lifespan of 80 years), that's like being stranded on a tropical island for like 300 days. That's nothing! That's a minor inconvenience. Heck, if someone stranded me on a tropical island for 300 days, I'd be thanking them, not summoning mythical heroes to kill them! Now you could probably argue that this ties in to the amnesia epidemic that plagues just about everyone in the series whenever it's convenient to the plot. I mean, it made sense when they needed to explain why no one ever talked about Metru Nui, but they just started overusing it after a while. I guess part of that comes from the story team wanting to keep the creation of Matoran a secret, so you need an explanation for how characters don't know about things that they probably would have been present for. That's why I'm glad that one of the first things they established in this story is that the characters don't live forever -- not without the assistance of magic, at any rate. This may be the biggest problem with Bionicle's story, in retrospect. The whole immortality thing really causes everything to fall apart if you look at it too closely, and even affects individual character development. How is it that Takua behaves so young and irresponsible when he's one of the oldest beings in the universe? Is Tren Krom really that ancient and terrifying when every other character is older than human civilization? I always thought the idea of Makuta having 42 powers was oddly specific, but I could see it working if it were played right. "The Forty-Two Powers of the Makuta" has a fun ring to it, in the same sense as "The 1008 Names of Shiva." But as is so often the case in later Bionicle, things were presented in too mundane a light.

I wrote this in 2012, and I stand by it to this day: I agree with Lyichir--it's definitely important to keep in mind that he wasn't the sole writer of the story. But he was the main guy when it came to presenting the story and determining its tone, and in later years I think he lost sight of the things that made Bionicle unique and interesting. The serials, as I remember them, are about 90% banter. I think at one point one of the characters even makes a Wizard of Oz reference, which was a real lowpoint in Greg's writing. (Who was that character? He was a little evil red guy who road around on a hovercraft.)

Came here to mention the fish sellers in MNOLG. I'm surprised it took so long for someone to mention that. There's also the fact that the Rahi, while mechanical in appearance, form an ecosystem that included both herbivores and predators. (Plus you've got the Nui-Rama, who build hives out of organic-looking materials.) The existence of Rahi in nature does a lot to imply that the Matoran are alive, just through context. Because even though we may be used to stories about humanlike robots, but how often are they part of an ecosystem that includes mechanical tigers and goats?

Back in early 2003, I got an avatar of my BBC entry from Aero Crunch's avatar shop. I linked it to his image host directly, and he replaced it with an image accusing me of stealing bandwidth. I was mortified and thought I had broken some sort of internet law. I think I stayed off BZP for a couple days.

These are really fun. I especially like Onua's.

It's not my favorite in terms of the one I love the most or feel the most affection towards, but just as a set? Gotta be Maxilos & Spinax. What a fine piece of engineering that was, and such great colors.

I don't mind canonizations in general, and I for one used to be pretty active in the S&T scene. I enjoy mining old story for details that can be filled in, and most of the time it's harmless enough. But changes that come with weird implications bother me, like that business about the Toa Cordak. "Cordak" already meant "desolation" in-story, and now it's the name of a Toa team? I know they worked out an explanation for that, but it just seems too convoluted for my tastes. It makes the world feel smaller--not only have we lost a Matoran word from the lexicon (poor Tolkien), we've also established that the Toa Cordak were so widely-known as to influence language across the MU. (And yet, we don't even know what island they guarded.) It's a fine line, but I guess my problem is with canonizations that delete or replace existing canon. It's fine if they add a fun detail here and there, but fan ideas often seem more like retcons than anything else, considering the story's over.

You could also get Tahu swords, Lewa axes, Kopaka swords, Nuju skate thingys, the list goes on. I had the original Tahu sword, but I didn't know about those others. Were the original Mata all represented (sans Pohatu)?

I liked 2009 quite a bit, I just think its legacy has been soiled in the intervening years. The first wave of sets that year was really solid, and had great colors and some occasionally innovative design (ie: the Skrall). Although there was still some Inika stuff going on, it wasn't as miserably dull as in 2008. I remember a lot of excitement for the story, as well as for the sets. That image of the tiny figure staring up at the giant Vahki leg still jumps out in my mind as a very memorable, very Bionicle image. It was a good location, and pretty well-developed, so I was ready to settle in for a few comfortable years on Bara Magna. I don't know what the exact plan was for the MU during that time, but I'd have liked to see hints of Makuta's apocalyptic arrival in the years leading up to it. They could have really built that up in a way that was scary and dramatic. And even if we weren't in the MU, Bara Magna still provided access to a lot of mysteries related to classic Bionicle. We had the scattered body parts of a great spirit, we had the Great Beings, we had the Red Star... (Personally, I really wanted to see the interior of the Skrall city housed in that giant head. I think it should have held the ruins of a sideways Metru Nui clone, hanging high above the Skrall city.) Of course, that year cumulated in a pretty weak movie, and as soon as the plot seemed to get moving, 2010 happened, and everyone was disappointed. But I think that if 2010 hadn't affected our views retroactively, 2009 would have a pretty good reputation as the start of a new story direction.

Well, right now they need to make kids feel welcome to join the story, and they need to introduce this entire world to them, with the products just hitting shelves. Does anyone remember the early days of BIONICLE? Dare I say it, this is actually more in-depth. I mean, come on let's face it: MNOG was you walking around Mata Nui, and that was it. I'm not taking a stance on 2015 yet, as it seems to offer both good and bad things, but it's really reaching to say that it's more in-depth than 2001. In the MNOG, you could go into Whenua's hut and, if you just kept clicking on him, listen as he rambles on about mining operations and workers' unions for an entire 44 lines. Not to mention the maps of the island with every name indicated, the introduction of a Matoran language, and even a scarcely-used system of measurements. The Toa's story that year was mostly hinted at (we only saw them find, what, three masks?), but they knocked it out of the park with the worldbuilding. It would take a lot of effort to reach that level of immersion again.

Seems like the story is being told in a much more cursory fashion than in the past. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it does feel less immersive and ambitious. Hopefully the story is expanded upon in more detail in other media. (Books, I think?)

I've always liked the Av-Matoran-into-Bohrok thing, but it only just occurred to me how unsustainable it is. Weren't there millions of Bohrok? Where did they get that many dead Av-Matoran?

I specified "figure" to rule out vehicle sets, but I suppose I forgot about the Manas (if you can call a creature with such limited articulation a "figure"). That price, of course, was almost entirely due to the über-specialized RC/Motor parts. My point was that, as far as "titans" are concerned, there was never any that exceeded $50. And there hasn't been a $50 Titan since Bionicle ended. I'm sure Lego has the sales data to show that constraction sets of that size don't sell as well as more moderately-sized sets, but it's still a darn shame given that Lego designers repeatedly show how awesome a larger figure set could be. If you want to count exclusive sets, I believe the Kardas Dragon was $70. That's almost cheating, though.

Everything I see of Onua makes me like him more. I don't want to buy any Bionicle sets this year, but I might have to. (Why does the gold and silver work so decently? I know I should hate it, but something about the color distribution actually works really well.)

I don't actually want to see the Chronicler's Company as Toa, because generally I like my villagers to stay villagers. Nonetheless, it would be really interesting to see Taipu as a Toa, because we've never had a Toa before who was straight-up dumb. (Especially not an Earth Toa.) Plus, tan-highlights on a black Toa would look really neat.

Name: Wrinkledlion, last name "X" Area of Expertise: Currently a recluse/amateur woodcarver; formerly a historian before he left his academic post under questionable circumstances (he was a member of the poorly-named "SS," the Bionicle Story Squad) Mask: Wears a grey Noble Ruru Weapon / Element: Length of bamboo pipe / Earth, but he's a powerless Onu-Matoran who keeps having to be saved when things get out of hand Side: Good, but very apathetic. Used to live in BZ-Koro before wandering off to live in a hut by the outskirts; now tends to forget his allegiances Motivation: Probably nostalgia. If he had to go on a quest, he would just enjoy it for old time's sake Fatal Flaw: Powerless, and deeply unfocused when it comes to his fellow BZ-Koronans. Forgets everyone's names, all the time Other Details: Despite his small stature as a Matoran, others often get the sense that he's one of the bigger people in the room; even much more powerful characters will turn to him in times of danger, because his apathy and detachment allow him to keep a very cool head. Though he seems distant at times, he's got a definite love for BZ-Koro and its people, even if it's pushed way to the back of his mind. He's also got a sly, perverse sense of humor, and likes to mess with people more serious than him.

When I first started working out, I'd always exercise for a couple weeks and then get discouraged and stop because I didn't look any better. Eventually, though, I realized that by focusing exclusively on the numbers--lifting progressively higher weights--I could ignore my appearance and treat it as I would any other work. Like brushing your teeth, or working a retail job just for the paycheck. Just make it's something that you attend to diligently, and separate it from any notion of body image. I know a lot of bodybuilder types who obsess over the visual aspect of it, and it hardly seems healthy to me. By focusing on the numbers, I've avoided a lot of insecurity while still improving my appearance. And eat healthy of course; that's important whether you're working out or not. My go-to meal is a tuna sandwich with some kind of vegetables on the side. TL;DR -- Don't think of it in terms of motivation, think of it as simple work.

Gotta have skills. What are you gonna do if you wanna be an accountant? You can't just put on your number-crunching mask and get to work, you gotta be certified.

I imagine there are certain requirements when it comes to durability. Like, a fire Toa could channel his powers through a wooden stick if he wanted to, but it would be a one-use weapon. Maybe an air Toa or Toa of the green could make better use of it. Come to think of it, though, MoL Vakama was portrayed with a wooden staff. Perhaps he only channeled his powers through the head of it.

Come on, people, the Noble Mahiki is the best! So much personality. I gotta say, I never liked the Great Rau. It's too cartoonishly feminine and Clikits-y to be used for anything else. The best female masks are androgynous enough to be used on either gender--think the Noble Rau, the original Kaukau, the Faxon. Also, the less said about the Inika the better.

Not sure how you'd attach them, but you might wait until the new wave starts and use some skull spider legs. They look similar to what I see here.

Ah, Tripod. That DOES bring me back. Anyway, I'll go for this one: That otherworldly music coupled with those mechanical noises really left an impression on me. I remember at age 6 wondering if I could find the Slizer planet in the telescope.

Does anyone else miss 2006 Vezon? He was actually really creepy when he was first introduced. I wouldn't mind seeing 2006 Vezon come back.