Master Inika

This was a great read! I had never explored Corpus Rahkshi when it was active, but I do remember seeing the name. It sounds very much like what I imagine a school for intelligent Rahkshi would be like. It reminds me of a Sith Academy. I admit I was genuinely unsure who would win and was enraptured by the musings of Exxan as he reflected on his victory. The characters also remind me of Gorast and Krika. Was that a direct inspiration at all?

If it based the colors off the Toa who used it, it would definitely have picked Matoro. He didn't seem to respect the first one too much. More likely is just that yellow is the most Light-looking color it could think of at the time.

I like him very much.

I'm proud to have a good amount of misprints, a prototype all-black Skrall shield, an Aqua Blaster Blade and the Toys R Us Kanohi Carrier.

But then again, "kanohi" is allegedly just the Matoran word for "mask." But then we end up back with the "the vahki is the will of Mata Nui" problem.

In 1932, a Danish carpenter began making toys to give to his customers' children; one thing led to another, and now people are buying new-to-gently-used sponges from strangers on the Internet.

I will attempt to summarize the fan view of the sets and story: The sets: 2009 was a step up from 2008. While it retains many of the weaknesses of '08 (the frail joints and overreliance on the Inika build specifically) the '09 sets saw a return to the elemental motif that characterized early BIONICLE but was basically abandoned in '06. You could easy tell who the ice characters or fire characters were at first glance, even in black and white. This gave the sets a character highly reminiscent of 2001. The large sets of that year were Tuma and Fero & Skirmix (fairly forgettable) and Titan Mata Nui (a poorly-designed, gap-filled mess, but the only way to get the gold Ignika). The vehicles were the high point of the year, continuing the well-received shift to advanced Technic-built vehicles began the previous year. The story: again, a mixed bag. In some ways, 2009 was darker and grittier than previous years, even the grimdark chain-link-fence year of 2006. There were no elemental or mask powers, making the whole thing seem a bit more grounded in reality. The setup was bizarre, too--LEGO gladiators? Some people thought the post-apocalyptic desert setting was boring, others noticed it was a good opportunity to explore some themes that BIONICLE's more fantastical original state could not. Specifically, 2009 pushed a sense of resignation to a bland and unrewarding life more than any other year. The early half of the year existed to ask questions that Mata Nui's arrival in the latter half would answer, and some story threads (like The Crossing) were quite engaging. Unfortunately, the year climaxed in The Legend Reborn, a film that doubled down on the kid-friendly goofiness and failed to fully capitalize on the atmosphere set by the rest of the year. Worsening the situation, 2009 was meant to be the start of a three-year arc much like the Ignition arc, which was unceremoniously cut short as everything planned afterward was awkwardly crammed into the Journey's End book and Mata Nui Saga of 2010. The worst part of the 2009 story was that it wasn't a full story, it was only an introduction to something that may well have been game-changing.

Bara Magna and G2 sort of went this route by at least merging the Matoran and Turaga equivalents into one species. It was an interesting change, but I think the original formula has (or had) immense relevance to Bionicle's target demographic. Seeing Vakama as a Matoran and Toa in 2004 was around the same time I first recall seeing younger photos of my dad and beginning to understand that all adults used to be young too, and that gives Bionicle some more emotional weight.

For a while, this has looked like the most active story thread going on on BZP, so tonight I decided to finally start reading it, and I must say I regret having waited so long! It is a great send-up to the mysterious stories that seem to natural to the Bionicle universe. Your writing style is detailed without being bogged down, good and readable in much the same way Greg Farshtey's own is. My thoughts on the individual chapters I have read so far: 1: The opening from the POV of an amnesiac character makes me realize how common that was in Bionicle, from the Toa awakening with no memories to Takua/the player in MNOG. It is a tried-and-true, yet effective way to make personal and immediate the beauty but also danger of the protagonist's natural surroundings. The amnesiac opening does not overstay its welcome, and the second half with Kulu wisely shifts into a more conventional style. In particular, the opening lines that he was "the Matoran" but "had once been an Onu-Matoran" was a great introduction to his nature as a Shadow Matoran. 2: Voti seems to go from attacking the stranger to befriending him a little too quickly, though I did enjoy how it allowed him to show off his mask power. The settings reminded of both the open field where the Boxors fight the Nuhvok in the Bohrok Online Animations, as well as how Timothy Zahn describes Kashyyyk. I'm not sure if that was intentional, but it was rich, detailed and fascinating imagery. I also enjoyed Kulu's interactions with the other Kra-Matoran, specifically how quickly he went from neutral to annoyed by them. I realize at this point Kulu is the most three-dimensional character. He's the only one whose goal I fully understand and despite presumably being evil I don't particularly dislike him as a person. 3: Akarius learning about all the island's problems really reminds me of the Onu-Koro miners all complaining to Whenua in MNOG. The allusions to early Bionicle are strong with this one. One thing I don't fully understand is Akarius' amnesia. If you're familiar with retrograde vs. anterograde amnesia, the text isn't consistent with which variety Akarius has. For instance, it's hard to accept that he remembers his mundane life as a carver, but not his own name. The struggle of a Toa who misses being a Matoran is definitely a compelling narrative, but not a logical one to give to an amnesiac hero. Other thoughts: Kulu sneaking into the party was brilliant and creepy. There are some real, though rare, gems of horror in your writing. You use the reference to something "stabbing" out of the ground for the second time in this episode, and it's not how I've heard the word used before, but I like it. 4: Is it fair for me to call Kulu an anti-hero at this point? I felt bad for him thinking about how to explain the failure, and worse when he was noticed, then I felt relieved when the Rahkshi saved him. I'm sure there's some evil plot he's working toward (and he does try to kill Akarius...) but I just can't help but root for him. 5: That was an excellent action sequence. I'll be honest, the first action scene between Akarius and the Kra-Matoran felt a little too rushed and busy, and I sometimes had trouble keeping track of precisely what was happening and how many enemies were left. Maybe because this was a one-on-one battle, I was able to get a much stronger feel for the two combatants. The Guurahk's arm coming off was a creative use of the oft-forgotten artificiality of Rahkshi. And of course, at the very end, I can't help but feel bad for Kulu. I will continue reading on tomorrow. Excellent work thus far. Keep it up. 6: Another great reference to searching for stones/masks excellently subverted by the mask being useless. Likar is a fun character. Part of me wishes Turaga Matau could have been more like him in canon. Krakua was a welcomed familiar face that helps ground everything in the main story, and I look forward to learning more about Kwynn. Spunky female characters proving themselves is a favorite trope of mine. 7: Doesn't Harry Potter use part of a mirror to talk to Dumbledore? Maybe that's why I like Kulu so much. He's like Ahkmou if Ahkmou weren't so insufferable. The entrance into Ta-Koro reads like a much better version of the introduction to Voti (who, come to think of it, I wouldn't mind seeing in the story again). This time, the hostility in his welcome appears intentional and meaningful, and builds up the suspenseful and anxiety-inducing atmosphere I commended your ability to create earlier. (...) My wish is granted! Reading about Voti once more is a joy, especially since she has a cool Toa senpai to talk to now. 8: This one was just plain creepy, in a good way. I already dislike Nava infinitely more than Kulu. It's like an evil Orwellian version of Ta-Koro in MNOG. I knew the hostility in chapter 7 would pay off, and it made this chapter all the more gratifying. The stakes really seem to ramp in these three chapters. The more I read, the more tragic the loss of Akarius' teammates becomes. I can imagine how much easier this mission would be for a team of Toa and the frustration Akarius faces going it alone is appreciable. I will continue hopefully later tonight, potentially later. 9: My boy Kulu did something! This episode was a ride. It was the right time for all these plot threads to come together. It was all very gratifying and I appreciate the extra time this chapter took to showcase these powerful moments. 10: This might be the first time in years I read about a Toa transformation, and it was powerful. It reminded me of all the glory and splendor Takanuva and the Toa Metru got when they transformed. Many questions answered regarding the master as well. I had predicted the master's master would be Teridax, and I was fairly certain the master himself was also a Makuta. I love the description of him from Kulu's uninitiated POV. One forgets having known of Makuta for years what a weird, unhuman concept they really are. Kulu's transformation is fitting and well-earned as well. 11: I'm not sure how I didn't see it coming, but looking back the time period makes so much sense. This actually feels like a well-done supplement to the G1 storyline that rewards my uncanny amount of previous knowledge. And yet the story I'm being told now is still its own and independently competent. The Order definitely comes off like the SCP Foundation in this chapter even more than it did in canon. This story reminded me so much of classic Bionicle I had to put on some MNOG music while reading. It all fits so well. The plot threads are building at a tantalizing pace and I am eager to see the final battle.

Bionicle or bust

Agreed, I can't believe someone actually made the Stars make sense. LEGO has no incentive to ever intentionally release bad sets. In fact, your analysis is correct: people will recall the final portion of something disproportionately well over the rest of it. For that reason, LEGO intentionally canceled BIONICLE as its sales and popularity were declining, but before its reputation was totally unsalvageable. This was so that, should they decide to revive it (as they did in 2015/16), retailers would recall it as having been a profitable product and agree to carry it again. Furthermore, I don't think the Stars are uniquely bad. As far as Avtoran-build sets go, they are better than the Avtoran but not as good as the Agori, IMO. The toys' quality had been going in a particular, somewhat more simplistic direction since 2008, and the Stars were just another level further along that trajectory.

I've never read such an excellent depiction of the soul-crushing drudgery of busywork. This story gives me flashbacks of slow hours spent working at the supermarket. Another good, character-driven episode. I still want to see my friend Kukuna again, but seeing Raneh's half of the workday was more important now that I think about it. I enjoy the slow burn of all the different character threads, and eagerly await seeing them all come together. Your character color chart and mask explanation is quite in-depth, and I feel a little bad admitting I barely thought about things like that as I was reading the episode. The description of the mean supervisor's Kualsi as condescending was superbly bold, but it was also the first time in forever, not just with your story but BIONICLE fanfics in general, that I felt the specification of a powerless Kanohi mask was actually meaningful. So often BIONICLE fanfic writers (like me) get caught up in describing colors and Kanohi masks and it can end up feeling very much like Mad Libs. I thus far like how your actual story is not engaging in too much of that. I am still unsure how I feel about the word "Distra." It feels silly to say out loud, but then again, the actual BIONICLE storyline gave us the brilliant Metru.

I'm just here looking for the easiest possible way to play MNOG and play the Piraka Online Animations.

Beautiful, not just the masks but the torsos too.

Learning that the bearded astronaut is based on her husband is so wholesome.

BIONICLE (of course) plus Alpha Team, the only other nomination that I owned as a child. Special comment made for Mission Deep Freeze, the Alpha Team subtheme I knew as a kid.

Nice model. The Nuva torso fits perfectly where it is. It excellently captures the aura of the original Vamprah set, and I can easily see this as what the model could have looked like if it were a larger price point (like Icarax-level). While I do like the Gavla mask, the inclusion of the Kardatoran head is unneeded and it just makes it look like it has a glowing crotch. The Mata blue on the wings sticks out, as does the Bohrok eyes on the feet, to a lesser degree. Overall, a solid model with a few issues that could be streamlined to make it look more unified and deliberate.

5/5, you're my friend

A cute and very warm looking mushroom

The mushroom brothers take full advantage of the first snow of the season

3/5, recognize your name but don't think we've talked before

Wow, I am glad I stumbled on this. Reading this story was a joy and I will definitely be reading the next installment. I love the opening. Such a vivid picture of Kier is painted yet I am left so eager to learn more about him. You do an excellent job establishing an aura of faint dread. I know there's something up about what's going on even if I can't say exactly what it is. I don't know if Kier is a full-on villain or not, but man is he creepy. The section detailing the caravan, I must admit, was not perfect. Frankly, too many characters are introduced too quickly and when the chapter ended I barely felt like I knew any of them. I am sure they all have important roles to play later on, but I feel you could have accomplished what was necessary at this point with only three or maybe even just two characters. I have been guilty of this in my writing, too; having tons of cool ideas for characters and trying to throw them all in and keeping them all distinctive, but honestly I had some trouble keeping track of who was who. I was worried that the remainder of the story would suffer from this kind of over-saturation of characters. Fortunately, chapter 2 was excellent and new characters were slowly brought in in a way that made meeting new characters feel like a reward and not a chore. Right off the bat, I understand the two sister-girls and their supervisor. It's such a relatable human experience I forgot it was a BIONICLE story for a minute. To comment on the mechanics of your writing for a moment, this scene in particular: It is somewhat difficult to make sense of. First, Raku wakes up (ergo the scene is from Raku's POV, and Raneh is the one asleep). However, the second-to-last sentence abruptly shifts to Raneh's POV in a way that just doesn't read that well. Finally, the final sentence shifts back to Raku's POV. Since it's only two characters, it wasn't that hard to figure out, but the way four characters are introduced in rapid succession in chapter 1 with this writing style was not a good combination. I just want to give Kukuna a hug. She is my immediately favorite character 100% because she acts like a clumsy anime girl. And better still, she is characterized so quickly and naturally that it feels like she's in the story for longer than she is. This is the benefit of slowly adding new characters over time. This story has a lot of potential. I can tell you've got a lot planned and you're just setting the stage now for something spectacular, and I can't wait to see it. My only constructive criticism would be regarding the amount of characters (and not even the amount really, just how quickly we meet them). Less is more and it's important to remember the reader is meeting all these people for the first time. Additionally, and this is hardly an objective criticism, present tense sounds so awkward to me. But on the whole you have a great start here. Keep it up.

According to Google, there are 13 seasons of Ninjago. I challenge you to name a TV show that maintained the same level of success past its fifth.

I know I'm probably the only one, but the Bohrok-Kal. My first set was Tahnok-Kal and everything from that era makes me feel seven again.

Yes. No.