Master Inika

Took someone braver than me to say it. "Remember me," for what? Showing up, making a bunch of weird cryptic posts about private drama none of us understand, and dipping? I mean I will remember it but just as a bizarre couple of days on an otherwise quiet Bionicle forum.

Does anyone else remember this show? I have been binging it recently (it's free on YouTube) and remembering how much I loved it as a kid.

Unfortunate reality is that running a website is expensive. It’s worth it, though. It’s part of demonstrating that you have a real investment in the fandom and are not just chasing clout. I bought a temporary Premier Membership a while back and I’m still able to update my blog, so you can pick any option and still get a permanent blog.

I finally got around to watching the video, and man was it epic. I wish I watched it earlier. I find it so fascinating how BIONICLE came about because LEGO wanted to make a bridge between System and TECHNIC, and BIONICLE ended up totally eclipsing TECHNIC. I don’t know the numbers (TECHNIC has definitely stayed in stores longer) but I never hear anyone nostalgic for those set, or having dreams about finding TECHNIC on shelves. It’s really a testament to how much of a surprise success BIONICLE was and how not even LEGO themselves knew what they were tapping into at the time.

That’s the thing, putting effort into something isn’t something I can give you steps to do. If you want something you are publishing to be interesting, you’ll just naturally try to make it rewarding to engage with. There’s a little ticker at the bottom of the main forum page that says how many people are on BZPower. Right now there are five people with accounts (two of them being you and me) and 100-ish lurkers. This is a small fraction of what it used to be.

1) pick a more active venue than BZPower. The unfortunate truth is that this website doesn't get as much traffic as it used to and probably never will again. 2) respectfully, put more effort into your topics. Of the recent ones I have checked out from you, most of them were not things I found very interesting. Your recent question about whether you are allowed to put "Official" in a topic name is a basic yes/no question that I just assumed an administrator would eventually handle for you. [I think the answer is no, BTW, or at least it used to be. I once tried to make something like an "Official Rhotuka Spinner Power" topic some years ago and it got closed.] I don't know anything about the Pringles vlogs you mentioned in another topic. You don't actually mention BIONICLE that much. If you can write/draw or make MOCs, posting those would be the most baseline way of engaging with the BIONICLE community. 3) tying in to point 2, try not to post as many topics. A small number of higher-effort engagements will be better received than a ton of fairly low-effort posts bordering on spam. On a deeper level, though, not just BIONICLE fans but people in general don't like to follow creators who feel like they're trying to get popular. The people who get platforms are the ones with interesting talents or unique perspectives, not people going out of their way to just get popular. Hope you found this helpful.

Chapter 3 Dark Horrendous' pirate crew had already begun using their weapons to cut through the titano-carbite walls lining the cargo hold. Wane's three allies huddled in a corner, too in shock to be of much help to the lone ex-Hero. On his own person, Wane carried nothing except a small, blunt knife; the only memento he had kept of his time as a Hero. It would be worthless as a combat weapon, he knew, but perhaps he could put it to some other use. The pirates were almost through when Wane finally figured out a way, not to prevent, but delay their entry: the pipes above their heads. Taking careful aim, he threw the knife, lodging it deep inside one of the pipes right above where the pirate bots were about to break through. For a moment, the pipe hissed and vibrated, before exploding in a puff of white smoke. Wane took a step back, feeling the coldness on his skin even from a distance. Already, he could see ice begin to form on the wall separating them from the pirates. This was good, then. Unless they had fire-based weaponry, it would take them some time to find another way in. Not enough time for Hero Factory to arrive, but more time than they had otherwise. "Are you crazy?" the service bot asked. "That could have been a main fuel line, you could've just blown us all to pieces!" Of course the service bot had no idea what he was talking about. Wane knew no Makuhero-registered craft would fly without covering fuel mains with exo-plating, which would have deflected his blunt little knife immediately. He had no way of explaining that to the service bot without revealing too much, though. Then, the sounds of trouble came from above them. "Hey, um, whatever your name is!" one of the civilian bots guarding the upper corridor shouted. "We need some help up here!" Wane reached forward, tolerating the bitter cold, as he wrenched the knife, his only form of potentially useful protection, out of the freezing tube. He raced up the staircase to the upper service corridor, followed by the three passengers, who apparently did not know whether it was safer to do so or stay behind. The two bots he sent to keep watch were cowering in the corner. One of Horrendous' crewbots, a small-sized machine in blue armor, had managed to create a small hole and was reaching through, firing plasma blasts wildly and laughing maniacally. Right as Wane reached the upper level, the blue bot broke through, revealing that what he might lack in size, he more than made up for with firepower: he sported four arms, each one terminating in a different weapon: the plasma shooter, a double-edged sword, a whip, and a blaster carbine. Wane thought fast, for any moment of hesitation could be his last. His two fellow passengers had already reached the upper level with him; only one more bot remained downstairs. That gave Wane an idea, one which might be foolhardy enough to not get them killed. "He's up here, Hero! Hury!" Wane cried. At the same time, the sound of the other passenger's footsteps echoed through the chamber. The blue-armored bot hesitated. Captain Dark had promised there'd be no Heroes this far out. Wane continued his charade, in the few seconds he had to do so: "Thank goodness you found us! It looks like your team has him outnumbered." That was enough for the blue pirate to turn and run the other way. *** The next few hours were spent engaging in similar psychological tricks, setting and activating makeshift booby traps, and generally staying one step ahead of Horrendous. Given the circumstances, they broke open the storage pods containing the passengers' belongings, and between the eight of them were able to craft some surprisingly creative tricks to create the impression of real Heroes aboard the vessel, until there really were. When Wane saw a real Hero Craft nearing their ship, he knew that was his mark to take his leave. The Hero Craft docked as a squad of fresh Heroes raced aboard to fight the pirates and get medical supplies to the passengers who had sustained injuries. In the chaos, Wane managed to slip past onto the docked Hero Craft and commandeer one of their escape pods. He regretted not staying to say goodbye to his comrades who had followed his orders surprisingly well, but that would have been an unnecessary risk that could have blown his cover. *** From there, Wane made his way to RF-34, in the same system as his original goal. He landed on the outskirts of a small settlement. The Hero Pod would have been too conspicuous to sell on its own, but if he broke it down and sold the raw metal, he could still probably afford passage on another ship. Stopping at a nearby refueling station, he watched coverage of the battle against Captain Horrendous on the Hero News Wire. "There's just one thing we don't understand," the Hero Team Leader was saying to Daniela Capricorn. "One of the pirates claims we arrived much earlier than we actually did. He even says he heard a Hero racing up the stairs to save some civilians. We suspect he's playing some mind-game, or maybe his CPU's just been fried from years of crime." "That's a mystery indeed," Capricorn replied. (Wane found Capricorn's corny commentary insufferable.) She continued: "We hope the citizens of the frontier feel safe knowing Hero Factory always saves the day!" (Wane imagined she received a three-figure sum from Makuro every time she said that.) For his part, Wane enjoyed his drink of oil while another robot appraised the scraps of metal he brought. Even though no one could hear Wane, he raised a small toast before finishing his beverage, "To Hero Factory." *** Mission Manager Joshua Thrift raced to Mr. Makuro's office. Even though Mr. Makuro had warned everyone sternly that he was not to be disturbed, this news could not wait. "Mr. Makuro!" Thrift cried, bursting in through the doors of the creator of Hero Factory's office. Makuro was clearly in a heated discussion with several holographic figures. Thrift recognized a few of them—fellow multi-billionaire industrialists, planetary governors, intergalactic trade officials—while just as many only appeared in hologram form with disguise modulators activated, obscuring their true forms. "Excuse me," Mr. Makuro said, deactivating the holograms. Turning to Thrift, even though he was a small and time-worn robot, Mr. Makuro radiated power and influence. "This had better be important." "It's the mission against the pirates," Thrift reported, still catching the robotic equivalent of breath. "The one just today. An escape pod was jettisoned. Not by any of the Heroes, pirates, or civilians." Mr. Makuro looked ready to fire Thrift on the spot for his interruption, but his expression changed at the mention of the mission. "Interesting," Makuro said, more to himself than Thrift. "Send out search parties. The only robots with the know-how to enter a Hero Craft and commandeer a Hero Pod undetected are made in this factory." Review Topic

If I understand it correctly, LEGO was never seriously interested in putting a human in the world of BIONICLE (and for good reason, it would have sucked). But even if they did, they wouldn’t have really put the kid in an underground lava tunnel.

I also love Ben 10 (but not as much as Star Wars) and I was excited when Ben 10 sets were first announced. I thought they would be System-based and was looking forward to a Rust Bucket set with Ben, Gwen and Grandpa minifigures, though. I was pretty disappointed with what we actually got.

I don’t know, I forgot them. [Seriously, either the Ben 10 or superhero sets.]

I enjoy reading, writing, studying world history, and chess. I have always wanted to make video essays but I just do not have the discipline. I settle for making poorly-edited TikToks. I enjoy nostalgic cartoons. The one I have most recently gotten back into is Code Lyoko.

THE TOA NUVA'S HOTEL EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SOLEK SOLEK is addressing an assembled army of Rahi, Bohrok, Rahkshi, Visorak, Piraka, Barraki, and Skrall. SOLEK: Now, my minions, follow me to glorious victory! The Toa Nuva will pay for their crimes. We will make them regret messing with us. For one hundred thousand years, no one will even utter the name "Toa Nuva" without shuddering in absolute fear and terror at the fright and comprehensiveness of their ultimate defeat! HAKANN: dude, they took over your ice cream parlor. Calm down. MEANWHILE AT THE ICE CREAM PARLOR/HOTEL Gali: What are you doing, brother? Pohatu: You know how all the fanciest hotels put those little chocolates on your pillow? I'm making some of those. *Pohatu presents a pile of wrapped chocolate Nuva Symbols* Gali: Great idea, brother! *Gali takes and unwraps one, but when she tries to eat it, her eyes go wide and she spits it out.* PTUH! Brother, those are rocks! Pohatu: Yeah, I couldn't afford any chocolate, so I'm just using those. Gali: You're not actually giving those to the hotel guests, are you? Pohatu: ...why, should I not have? MEANWHILE MEANWHILE IN THE HOTEL MANAGER'S OFFICE... Tahu: Listen up, fellas! Our hotel guest rates are here *Tahu holds his hand super low* when they need to be here! *Holds his hand up high* This is a hotel, not a charity, and we need to fill rooms to turn a profit! Onua: Now that I think about it, the charity that opened up next door might be why we'e not getting more traffic. Tahu: WHAT?!?! Someone opened a CHARITY next to our FOR-PROFIT HOTEL? What selfish fiends! Don't they ever think about anyone other than themselves? Kopaka: Hey, Tahu. Tahu: We're taking the battle to that charity! We'll make them think twice before helping the needy around here! Kopaka: Tahu. Tahu: Now what happened to that tank I bought on eBay, I knew it would come in handy-- Kopaka: TAHU! Tahu: What? *Kopaka grabs Tahu's head and forcibly turns it to the large crowd approaching the hotel* Tahu: All right! Hotel guests! Now that's what I'm talking about. *someone in the crowd fires a Cordak, which strikes Tahu and blows up. Tahu turns around, soot covering his face.* Tahu: Huh, they accidentally fired a rocket directly at my face. That's weird. *The army unfurls a banner depicting Tahu's Hau Nuva, with an "X" marked over it* Onua: I don't think it was an accident. SOLEK: Tremble, Toa! For today shall be your LAST! Muahahaha! To be continued...

Chapter 2 Wane looked out the window of the spaceship, taking in what he imagined would be the final sight of his homeworld. He heard the familiar sound of the airlock sealing shut and felt the ground below him vibrate slightly. The ship was lifting off. Then, something unfamiliar: the low vibrating stopped. The ship did not rise into the air as he expected. Something was wrong. "Passengers, please remain calm," the intercom instructed. The emotionless sound of the voice contrasted harshly with the alarm going off and the sound of robots beginning to panic. "If asked, please comply with all Hero instructions." Wane barely heard the word before a pair of Heroes, cuffs and weapons visible on their toolbelts, entered the craft. The two robotic warriors each took one half of the ship, glancing at the terrified passengers before moving on. They can't possibly be looking for me, Wane thought to himself, despite having no reason for that confidence. After all, rogue Heroes more careful than him had made mistakes. Wane kept his gaze forward and made sure his cloak was secure, covering the "H" on his chest. If asked to remove it, he had to admit to himself he did not know what he would do. "I found him!" came the voice of the other Hero, from another part of the ship. The one who had almost reached Wane turned, his attention totally off the other passengers, as he raced the other direction. Wane did not wish to draw undue attention to himself by straining to look, but just the same he could hear the sounds of a scuffle, along with the fruitless cries of their target: "No, wait! I'm innocent, please, you must believe me!" The Heroes said nothing—to Wane's surprise; he expected some cheesy quip—as they wrestled their cuffs onto him and dragged him off the craft. Then, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, the ship's airlock resealed and, minus one would-be passenger, the vessel finally departed the planet. *** The spaceship was bound for the planet RF-12, far on the edge of civilized space. (Planets that far out tended to be known exclusively by alphanumerical designation as opposed to an actual name.) Of the craft's dozens of passengers, Wane knew few of them were headed to the desolate rock. Most of them would disembark on other planets they passed on the way. Wane remained wary that, on the first few stops, he might be spotted, but the further from Makuhero Planet they went, the more hopeful he became that his escape would be successful. The journey dragged on for hours. Wane found himself bored, trying to identify the names of the stars they passed for fun. When he found himself uncertain, he gave it a name himself, and took some joy in imagining that he might be naming that star for the very first time. The further they flew from galactic center, the more plausible that hope became. Wane's audio receptions picked up a low, almost imperceptible sound. The rest of the passengers probably did not even notice it, but Wane's Hero training had taught him to recognize the sound of one's ship entering a tractor beam. Though the other passengers did not know it, their ship had just stopped dead in its tracks. As if in confirmation, the ship's alarm went off again. This time, the voice on the intercom sounded far less professional: "Please, passengers, remain in your seats! We are experiencing, uh..." That was the last the passengers heard of the voice of that particular pilot bot. The passengers, about 50 of whom remained, all rushed for the cargo bay in the rear of the ship. Though Wane could have pushed and maneuvered past them with ease, he did not want to appear as anything less than another panicked bot, just as unprepared as the rest. Wane was among the small handful, less than ten, to reach the cargo bay before the doors suddenly shut and locked behind them. Wane could still hear the others banging on the other side, but they had been shut and sealed from the bridge. Wane scanned the cargo bay. Of the storage pods, he knew the chances were slim that any contained weapons; Makuhero City had some of the strictest regulations in the galaxy for non-Hero transports. Then, he turned to his fellow refugees: aside from himself, there were seven bots with him. Most of them were clearly passengers, but one sported the paint job of a bot employed by GalactiStar Luxury Liners. He was one of the service bots working on the voyage. "You there," he said, stepping forward and pointing at the service bot. "How many entrances and exits are there connecting this cargo hold to the rest of the ship?" The service bot looked up, clearly not expecting to be addressed. He had signed up for mundane starship work, not warfare, and the worry in his glowing eyes betrayed his unreadiness. "Oh, um, just the main entrance we took that just got sealed, and two service corridors, one below and one above us." Wane singled out four of the six passenger bots. He sent two to the upper corridor and two below, with instructions to call for help if they encountered any trouble. The service bot had confirmed the halls were hollow enough that a loud ruckus would echo throughout the entire cargo hold. "We should help the others get back here," one of the remaining two passenger bots said. "No," Wane declared. "If I'm not mistaken, we're looking at a pirate hijacking. The pirates know anything of value is back here with us, so our goal right now is keeping them out. They won't harm the other passengers yet, at least not if they want to get any ransom money for them." The service bot, apparently with great effort, reported to Wane: "T-The ship is supposed to send out an all-clear signal with our location every fifteen millicycles." He was so nervous his servos were grinding. "When we miss the next one, Hero Factory will see we haven't moved and know something is wrong." As much as Wane hated to admit it, they needed Hero Factory. This was more than one ex-Hero, a panicked server and a handful of random civilians could handle. "Do you know when the last signal went out?" Wane asked. The server was clearly rueful that he had to report, "Only a few minutes ago." "Now hold on a second here," the other passenger said, stepping uncomfortably close to Wane. "Who put you in charge of this whole operation?" Wane ignored him. If they wasted all their remaining time arguing, the pirates would find a way inside for sure. "So, first we have to wait until Hero Factory even finds out we're in trouble, which could be another ten or twelve millicycles for all we know," Wane assessed. "Then, it could be another full cycle until they actually get to us." The intercom turned on once again, this time accompanied by a harsh scratching noise unagreeable to the audio receptor. Wane and the other robots winced at the sound. "Attention, captives," came a new voice. "Stay holed up in the cargo bay, or don't. No matter where ye are, yer fate on this ship will be the same: hostages to be ransomed back t'yer homeworlds, or new members of the crew of Captain Dark Horrendous." Review Topics

Now that I think about it, they didn't specify "in less than twelve parsecs." Perhaps the Kessel Run is easy to navigate given more time, and it is only impressive if done under a certain time constraint. Either way, I already have this model (it is a good one) otherwise I probably would have entered myself.

Beautiful. I love characters who you can't tell exactly where their eyes are, as well as equally organic and mechanical creations. I personally find white and green such a difficult color combination to make work, but I approve of it here. It looks like it was once a fully mechanized robot with growths taking over its head and arms. I am not sure if that was your intended backstory, but I appreciate it as a form of storytelling told in a single image. This is to say nothing of all the amazingly complex building techniques used. The longer I look at it and notice surprising pieces worked into the design, such as the Aero Slicers in the feet, the more impressed I am.

Welcome to the review topic for my new story, On the Run: A Hero Factory Story. This is my first attempt at HF fanfiction. Let me know what you think below, and expect weekly updates.

This idea came to me based on my reading of the fifth book in the Hero Factory Secret Mission series, Mirror World. It will definitely be a different and perhaps more realistic interpretation of Hero Factory. I welcome any comments and constructive criticism. On the Run: A Hero Factory Story Chapter 1 Gregory Wane glanced over his shoulder, doing his best to not look like he was glancing over his shoulder. Makuhero City was one of the busiest population centers in the galaxy, which gave him the advantage, at least for now. He shared the walkway with hundreds of robots, dozens of whom matched his rough size and build. The problem was what he had that all those other bots didn't: a sizeable "H" built directly into his torso. At the moment, a brown cloak draped over him hid the insignia from view. Fabric-based clothing was a rarity among the robotic populace of Makuhero City, though. Of the crowd of about 2,000 that filled the plaza and surrounding walkways, only a small handful wore anything resembling his cloak. In the center of the city, a massive tower arrogantly displayed the same "H" symbol: the Assembly Tower of Hero Factory. Excited schoolbots waited in line for guided tours of the facility, while screaming fans pushed and shoved for just a chance to see Stormer or Valor. "Hero Factory," came the voice of Mr. Akiyama Makuro, booming from a state-of-the-art sound system. "We build Heroes." Lies, thought Wane bitterly. Heroes cannot be built. Lifeforms can be build, that much Wane would agree. But a Hero was a specific type of being, and no amount of artificial intelligence or proper coding could make a Hero where one was not meant to be. Wane remembered vividly his first day off the assembly line, those few months ago. To other beings, it might not have been a particularly long stretch of time, but to him it was his entire life. He had sat in class with a group of other rookies, listening to the instructions of their teacher, a veteran Hero named Richard Fuse. "When you're up against monsters, space pirates, whatever," the instructor was saying, "you might be scared." As he spoke, holographic images of some of the galactic criminals already locked up by Hero Factory flashed before them. "The citizens around you will definitely be. It's up to you to put up a brave front, until you really aren't scared." Another rookie, Von Ness, meekly raised his hand. "Excuse me, Mr. Fuse," he asked. "How will we know when to stay and fight, and when to escape and get help?" The black-armored Hero was braver than Wane. Wane never would have been bold enough to ask a question like that, even if he was thinking it. If Fuse respected Von Ness' question, he did not show it. Instead, his hover-podium floated uncomfortably close to the rookie. Since Heroes were all built the same size and did not biologically grow, Fuse was physically no taller than Von Ness, but his hover-podium kept him far above the young bot. "We're Hero Factory," was all the instructor had to say. "We are the help." *** Less than a month later was the now-infamous "New Stellac City incident." On the surface, to the public, it was nothing but another successful mission. Team Leader Thresher and especially rookie Preston Stormer received formal commendations from Mr. Makuro himself. Von Ness, though, was nowhere mentioned in the press releases. In fact, no one in Makuhero City even mentioned Von Ness after that. While the battle against the drone was publicly a stunning success, it was an open secret that something had gone wrong. All rookie classes were doubled, with particular emphasis placed on duty, discipline, and sacrifice. It was at that point that Wane realized something about himself: he did not want to be a Hero. He realized, even as he thought the words, what a petulant child they made him sound like, but it was the truth. While no official account of what happened to Von Ness existed, Wane had put together this much: Von Ness wanted nothing more than to live to see another day. That, in Wane's opinion, was nothing to be ashamed of. When the criminal Von Nebula appeared, Hero Factory at first tried to deny it was the same Von Ness. It was to no avail, though, and Makuro quietly stopped trying to convince the public otherwise. Von Ness was an aberration, a single Hero gone wrong, Makuro emphasized. It had never happened before; and Makuro was especially firm on this point, it would never happen again. After that, the curriculum at Hero Factory changed again. This time, their evaluations were more psychological in nature. New scenarios were loaded into the Training Sphere: A supernova is about to engulf the entire system. Do you take the Hero Craft and flee, or stay to save more civilians? You witness an innocent construction bot being followed by a strange figure. Do you follow, or ignore it? Wane made a decision. He was going to his instructor to tell him how he felt. The galaxy did not just need tough robots with powerful weapons. Wane could be an inventor, or a musician. Choices that maybe Von Ness could have made, were he not forced into a role that he did not want. It was pure dumb luck that another rookie, Petunia Fall, came to the same conclusion as he did. Fall shared her plan with him the day before she went to the instructor's office to voice her concerns. Wane agreed to wait for Fall to tell him how it went before he arranged his own meeting. Fall went into the office, and that was the last Wane saw of her. *** It was not just her. Other rookies began disappearing, and Wane knew they were the ones who had the same kind of reservations. They were not selfish or evil. They did not choose to be built by Hero Factory and forced to fight whoever some uncaring Mission Manager decided they should. Let the galaxy save itself, Wane decided. If he did not look out for himself, he realized, no one would. In truth, Wane only stopped by the Assembly Tower to see it one last time. Through underground channels, and in exchange for a small fortune in credits, he had obtained passage on a ship to the frontier worlds. It would be easy for a bot like him to disappear out there and never be heard from again. He was not going to become a violent criminal. He was no more a villain than he was a Hero. He wished it was the kind of choice those like Makuro would understand, but deep in his CPU, he knew it wasn't. Wane made his way to the spaceport. If he did not know better, he would say a few of his fellow passengers in line looked just as nervous as he did. Maybe all of them had secrets. His was that he was built to do something he did not want to do; it did not matter to him what everyone else's were. Taking one last look at the tower he was built in, Wane displayed his forged credentials and boarded the ship. Review Topic

So, are you going to email them to ask for concept art?

I'll probably be purchasing the guide book next, it looks like there are several cheap eBay listings for it for cheap. I'd really like to get Secret Mission #2 and fill out the collection, but that one's still more expensive for some reason.

The Shadowed One's real name. We really screwed that one up by being so salty about Teridax.

So, I'm pretty sure that, by the time the actual sets are released, both Greg's stories and any combiner/alternate model builds had to be finalized, so it wouldn't really be practical for all of them to be included in-story. You will notice that Protodax appear in one of the 2006 books but not in the corresponding comic scene. This is probably because it was easier for LEGO to have Greg write an extra segment featuring them than it would be to have more comic pages drawn and colored. But furthermore, Greg didn't personally decide things like how many books there would be, or how long they are. That probably came from corporate, with Greg having to work within that framework. Thus, he wouldn't necessarily know if he'd have time to properly conclude all his story arcs. I don't think your comparison of Makuro and the Great Beings holds up. IMO, one of the big messages of BIONICLE is that the Great Beings were arrogant and thought their intelligence gave them a pass to do whatever they wanted. Notice that the only people who really like or respect the GBs are their creations, who never actually met them. The inhabitants of Spherus Magna, some of whom might have actually met them in person, have nothing but contempt for the GBs. We as the audience are led to believe that the Spherus Magnans' opinion of the GBs is the more accurate one. But even more than that, the GBs are not implied to be as directly involved in their creations' personalities as Makuro is. Taking Nidhiki as an example, since he became a Toa on the Tren Krom Peninsula (where "heroes had to strike from the shadows, or they did not last long"), that probably played a bigger role in his betrayal than anything the Great Beings did. Nidhiki ultimately betrayed Lhikan because he didn't trust Lhikan, because he didn't trust anyone. In that sense, Nidhiki is a profoundly tragic figure. In contrast, the Heroes are implied to basically come into existence with their personalities already fully formed. What should HF have done with Von Ness and Core Hunter? Are there any protocols to try to identify future traitors? If they did have a way of knowing, what would Makuro do with them? Should they be terminated? After creating a Hero, does Hero Factory have the moral right to terminate their existence? Do HF view their Heroes as living beings, or as hardware, Mr. Makuro's property? Who determines what "good" is? Who determines what counts as a "crime"? In the Ordeal of Fire episode, we see that summoning Hero Factory requires nothing more than pressing a button. What's the process for getting one of those buttons installed? This kind of surface-level view of good vs. evil works just fine for the Saturday-morning-cartoon-level of seriousness the TV episodes go for, but Greg is a better writer than that. Had the Secret Mission series progressed further, I think the Galactic Conspiracy would have developed into something analogous to the Separatists from Star Wars, originally a well-meaning group that eventually got co-opted by villains, the original founders ultimately sidelined.

I voted for Kaukau. It's been 20 years, for Mata Nui's sake. Death of the author, I say. I just looked at the new pictures on BS01, and they just don't look like those characters to me.

This is beautiful.

Equal parts steampunk and weirdly adorable. I love it. Are the eye stalks supposed to imply that this is a type of living Rahi? Or are they just something cosmetic put on to imitate Ussal?

Lesovikk using dirty tactics to get close to a Makuta is a cool idea for a story, but as is this chapter/introduction is pretty short, and the spelling/punctuation errors are noticeable. With another proofread, this would be an intriguing introduction.