Toa Levacius Zehvor

Heh, I know all of that. I've been taking classes in media productions and film studies since sophomore year of High School, and done independent studying for longer than that. The difficulties you're describing with the industry are exactly why I plan on getting a minor in screenwriting, rather than a major. But the fact of the matter is, the gender ratio of Bionicle has already been determined. Could it have been better? Yes. Can we change it now? No. Unless you plan on going through every copy of a Bionicle book every published, and swap around the pronouns in place there, we're just beating a dead horse. Harping on about it will not accomplish anything. Topics like this, where we discuss alternatives, provide an interesting insight into peoples thoughts. But the gender ratio of Bionicle is a null point; what should be the focus is on new material, and how it will be shaped. Commenting on the above, the system, for both better and worse, is the way that it is, for exactly the reasons we have both described. But asking the system to change is not the answer. Being the change to the system is the answer. Have you considered the possibility people might be more willing to listen to what you say, if you didn't have a blatant superiority complex? Nobody on this topic has been shouting people down, and has attempted, with a remarkable amount of civility which has, in fact, stunned me. But in each post you've made, you've shoe-horned in passive-aggressive commentary, and selectively hand-picked certain points to discuss. And then, for your last great act, you've went with a post meant solely to call out other members, but under the pleasant guise of not targeting anyone by name; a tactic commonly used for the purposes of dehumanizing the opposition in a debate, I might add. Retired staff or not, this is completely uncalled for. That being said: You are fully correct here. Stories, no matter how small, have meaning. One well-crafted story can change the course of human history, if told by the right person, to the right audience, at the right time. Fiction is a very powerful tool, and never something we should discount. None. Gender is a byproduct of your biological brain pattern, with some degree of environmental contributions; however, these do not so much define a gender, as round off the edges for what is considered the "norm" for yours. But in the absence of any physical gender or romantic attraction, the whole concept would cease to exist. Do we consider bacteria to be male or female? Of course not; there is no such concept for them. In higher forms of life, this lack of definition disappears. Me? I'm not so fond of traditional "gender roles" and the like, at least in the modern age. Obviously, men and women have certain biological predispositions, both physical and mental (though, as the presence of transgendered persons demonstrates, those physical predispositions may be flip-flopped in rare cases). However, what a lot of people fail to realize is that "gender roles" apply both ways; where there are female soldiers, one must also expect male house(husband?)s to come into place. You want the truth about the gender binary? It's an almost strawman like concept meant to cast discussions into two opposing viewpoints. Male and female are not opposites standing at the end of fields; they are two overlapping concepts, with which traits are considered attached to whom changing dependent upon the culture in question. People are either male or female. So why, then, do "non-binary" people come up? Because of the false binary concept which is shoved in their face; the idea shown to them that "this defines you." But what of the girl child who begins playing with toy soldiers, wears a t-shirt and jeans, and dreams of marrying a stay-at-home-dad? Or the young boy in the same boat, who enjoys playing with dolls, wearing hot pink, and wants to work at a day care until he can be married to the woman described prior? In both cases, more often than not (particularly for the boy), they will be laughed at and ridiculed for what they do. Their sexuality may be frequently called into question, and commentary may be just as vitriolic from parents as from other kids. So it's very easy for these kids, if told about the concept of a "gender binary", to immediately presume they fall somewhere in between. But this is not the case; they are simply a man and a woman, whose expressions of such traits simply differ from many of their peers. If people were simply willing to be more accepting of this sort of thing, life would be a lot easier. But, then again, we'd also lose out on this enlightening discussion. Truly, the newer members are a small voice of sanity and reason in the midst of all of this. Thank you for that. -Toa Levacius Zehvor No more posting right before I go to sleep; these things never end well.

I can understand that. While I never had it quite so bad - I did have people I looked up to, though more for specific traits than general ones - I do remember "who's your hero?" days in school often having me baffled. Heck, they still do; usually I just choose a military general like Patton or Lee, or, if I'm feeling like antagonizing someone, go with Julius Caesar. From a marketing point of view: he's an athlete. You know how there's the big push to show women doctors and scientists in the media, to advertise STEM careers? It's the same principal, applied in a different direction. Is it always completely sensible? No, not really. But meh. Kitania, have you considered that this lack of representation in the media stems from a lack of realization in real life? Just ask yourself: do most movies, television shows, and so forth have casts of greater than one hundred primary characters? Do most of these series make a big deal about a characters gender? Is it entirely possible that, in cases where there are characters present, some of them may actually identify themselves as non-binary, but never say it because it has no impact on the plot? People are not defined by their gender, they are defined by who they are as a person. It's why you almost never see mentions to it, save when a political statement is intended, such as may be seen in Indie films. And as for characters falling outside the norm, remember that, out in the real world, nobody cares what gender you are, and a small percentile consider themselves to be anything other than male or female. Who do you believe media is meant to represent? Should it represent everyone? Ideally, yes; in practice, doing so would be impossible. Instead, it's meant to tell the story, with majority representation typically being easier and financially safer for the producers. Once more, when you look to comparatively low-risk Indie projects, you do see those characters. So, if you want to see representation, wouldn't it be great to get involved with, or invest into, these projects? You propose we change media, right? Then why quote examples of older material? Lord of the Rings has been around for multiples of time greater than either you or I have been alive, so there's no sense in trying to change it. Topics like this, where discuss "what if?" are interesting, but actually proposing a complete shift? I disagree. Let me ask you something: have you noticed how many people on this topic have tried avoiding the "stereotypes" for characters? Notice also that nobody concerns themselves with women? That's the reason most characters are male: because you can do whatever you want with a male character, and you won't be called out on it. People don't care when a male character is a lecher, a murderer, or mentally tortured; they don't care when they're beaten, put down out work, or when they're in an abuse relationship. But what if a woman underwent the same experiences? More often than not, critics, particularly feminist ones, immediately proclaim it to be a result of their gender, rather than their character. For instance, the one that keeps getting brought up: Lewa and Onua. Multiple posters have shied from Lewa being a woman, to avoid the "damsel in distress" trope. But if he's a male, there's no problem. Or, looking to canon, did you see a female Piraka or Barraki? And when the Roodaka set came out, what detail did everyone immediately home in on? How much of the issue with gender representation, then, is the result of the audience, rather than the creators? Outside of Bionicle, I also remember another incident, where change did occur. Are you familiar with My Friend Flicka? The horse book? If you'd read it, you'd know it's about a boy and his horse. If you only watch the 2006 movie, however, you'd never know that; the main character is instead a girl. Why? Because the producers and directors decided that a boy liking a horse wouldn't have sold as well, and frankly, they were probably right. The change being made is fine, but it serves to illustrate my point: that certain To answer your final point: I see no issue with the original gender ratio, because I do not believe it impacts the plot. Bionicle is dead; gone; over. Now it's restarting, and in two-eight years time, it will once more be dead; gone; over. It's a toyline, directed to children, who could care less about characters genders; many, being kids, will even get them wrong, as this topic and the "Headcanon" one, have demonstrated. So some people already had some of the candy? That's lovely, but it's also in the past. Should our job really be to create reparations for the past, rather than create new material for the future? No - it should be create something new, and attempting to learn from the past, rather than negate it. Notice how many movies nowadays are remakes, reboots, or sequels. What we need isn't someone to change the gender dynamics of existing series, it's someone willing to create new IP which reflects what they wish to see. You want to see a summer action movie with an all female cast? Then go to a film school, get a degree in screenwriting, write a screenplay, and make George Lucas proud with your persistence in getting it approved. Will it be hard work? Yes! But if it's what you care about, then do something about it; try to make the world improve. Shouldn't that be everyone's goal? On a final note, with regards to your opening comment, there are a lot of things which can target a kid's self-confidence, or their self-worth. There are also much worse blows than that which one can undergo. Do not presume that anyone is living life on easy mode, or has failed to endure the same or worse than yourself. But we're not here to score for the Oppression Olympics; the point is, you have to live through it, and become stronger as a result. You also have to keep looking forward. ... heh. Look at me, trying not to de-rail, and here I am shooting past state lines. I still won't publicly open the can of worms that is scientific discussion, but the offer of course still stands from before. To be honest, I should probably just wipe the above wall of text and start over, but I'm in an uncharacteristically happy mood this morning, so I figure I'll leave it up. Good moral message for the kids, you know? They certainly have more chemistry than a lot of the characters, so yeah. Though HewkiixMacku OTP, ja? -Toa Levacius Zehvor When is majhost going back up? I want my kitty...

I see it as a thought experiment, really. Heh, I'm not expecting anything. Since you clearly put some thought into it, I wanted to see what was differing in your thoughts; after all, I had found myself conflicted over Pohatu and Onua, so finding a strong affirmative to the opposite choice seemed like an interesting thing to bring up. Amusingly, we're both trying to do the same thing; balancing factors out. It mostly just differs in what we're trying to balance out; communication and the like, versus overall role and "role model" aspect. Both work, and again, contribute to the whole "thought experiment" thing. Honestly, it's more interesting to see what different people are looking for. I've noted some folk seem to care primarily about diversity, which is great. Others are looking for ways to reinterpret the story. As mentioned, I myself would much rather set role models; as Kitania put it, someone to relate to. While gender may be a very small part of that - hence why I have no problem with the original five & one for the main cast - my marketing point of view can't help but be directed. Sucks. I blame Titanic. No, not the famous one. The animated one. The other animated one. With the octopus, and the characters getting together without ever meeting each others. If that's enough to spark a love story, who knows what a month long quest could bring? -Toa Levacius Zehvor

What's that? Is that what I think it is? Is that the sound of a posted RPG?! Finally, after thousands of seconds, I have been awakened from my imprisonment! Now, to begin with, I can see right from the start that you put a lot of work into this. That effort should be appreciated; heck, the very first RPG I ever made was so long, it took two posts just to keep all of the content available. But as I learned far too slowly (apologies to you, TPTI, for you had the privilege of facepalming to all of my early work ), there are a lot of other factors which need to be noted. Our first issue is visible from the opening, where you begin linking to outside sources. Why use the Combine, for instance, when you could simply create your own species, and simply take inspiration? But more importantly, if you are going to use them, that knowledge shouldn't be presented to the players. Remember, you want to avoid meta-game knowledge as much as you can! If players want to look this stuff up, they can; otherwise, just leave it be. You could tell us how the Combine too Earth, but why do so when the characters in-game don't know that? Now, moving past that, let's focus on the backstory. First, why destroy masks of power? If Earth was being attacked, our first instinct wouldn't be to dismantle nukes; it would be to launch them at everything. The Ignika can defend itself well enough, anyways, and it's the only one that's even close to that scale. I'm not entirely certain if it's necessary to describe the whole list of members in the Order of Matoro. After all, why would my characters, who never met a character from canon, care what their fate was? Keetongu who? Axonn who? Now, characters: With Vakama, I'm not so sure what to think. Brainwashed characters are never as fun as people who truly believe in what they're fighting for; they're also significantly less dangerous; for instance, the way that Lesovikk has been cast. I'd recast Sentrakh's role as Lariska, because as you may recall, Sentrakh is little better than a zombie. The rest of the group's not smart enough to step in, either. If Krakua's involved, you better work in that plot thread from Time Trap somehow. Seriously. Is the power bump for Nokama really necessary? To follow with what I brought up earlier, I highly recommend you drop the monster links. Why not allow players to come up with their own creatures? Surely the Combine are not as finite in their numbers and types as they are in-game? Remember, the RPG is about encouraging creativity, not limiting it. Once more, on the notes from before, the mentions of Gordon Freeman, and to the game overall, can be cut. Now, so far, all of this has been small stuff. But now, I have one issue, which must most certainly be addressed. It's just... GET RID OF THE STORE PLEASE MATA-NUI IT SHOULDN'T BE THERE! When you start pricing items, your RPG has started going too far into video game territory. It all needs to go; all of it. Not a single mention of widgets, or ammo cost, or clip sizes, or counterparts to outside weapons. Let players come up with their own weapons, if they need to! Also, some nitpicks: First, zamor sphere's don't really control minds; they phase through people, and deposit some form of gas or liquid into their body. For instance, poisons. In canon, they held EP (with the intent of negating Antidermis) or Antidermis (which could control minds, so long as Zaktan was attuned to it). What makes Zamor Spheres good isn't that they can destroy stuff; it's that they can bypass armor and barriers for deadly effect. Next, Rhotuka spinners: They don't work like that. Every character has a unique, Rhotuka power, tuned specifically to them; some may have crossover, and all members of a species with limited individuality would share the same, but as a general rule, it's tuned to who you are. Elemental powers are a rarity; further, Toa and the like have powers in addition to their basic elemental and mask powers; for instance, Iruni has healing, I believe. Now, the issue is generating the spinner; such artificial devices are common, and used by all non-Hordika, non-Rahi characters. There's no need for attaching. Finally, Toa Weapons, or Toa Tools. With rare exceptions, such as the Power Lance and Hagah Spears, they don't have unique powers; they're focuses, allowing a Toa to channel elemental powers more efficiently. Outside of the hands of a Toa, or other being with elemental abilities? They're just another weapon. Though I suppose you can just say this one was artistic license. Overall, it's a good start, and I can't wait to see the finished project, once all of the kinks are worked out. I also might come back later on with some more improvements, rather than solely the critiques; I apologize if it wound up a bit heavy on them, but today hasn't been my most creative day, and I don't want to throw out too many bad ideas. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Since I enjoy commentary, I might as well make notes on some of the other posts in the topic: The sad part, for me at least, is that I even understand why. I also think it's stupid, but that's just me. Point is, I agree; a character's personality and writing are more important than their gender. It's the primary rule I've always followed, both when writing male and female characters. Though I do, admittedly, wind up making a lot of female medics. I suppose I've always been fond of the Florence Nightingale archetype. Good explanation with regards to your reasoning. I do have to ask, though, what contributes so much to the manliness to Pohatu, in your eyes? Nice idea. I'd say: Male: Air, Fire, Earth, Iron, Gravity, Plasma, "Gotta Go Fast" Female: Water, Ice, Stone, Psionics, Lightning, Plant Life, Magnetism Mixed Distribution: Light, Shadow Of course, I myself tend to prefer mixed distribution for all tribes. But seeing as the topic is about only modifying the rulings on each, then meh. Reasoning: No reason to change Lightning, Iron, or "Gotta Go Fast" so far as I can see; they're well enough as they are, and already have characters established within those elements. Psionics, I dunno; if we had one more element, I'd make that one mixed, just to cut out that explanation for Orde being decidedly not female (then again, nobody's ever claimed the Great Beings aren't sexist). In any case, I figured Plant Life, because Poison Ivy reasons, and Magnetism, because Pyrrha Nikos reasons, would be the best swaps. Meh, they always struck me as platonic. I could picture those two and Onua going down to a bar on Friday night, after all the Rahi were dealt with. Tahu used to come, of course, but after that last incident with the wine, he stopped being invited. Onua usually has to leave early, of course, because somehow Lewa wound up blacked out somewhere in the mountains with a Kakama and four Gukko. Gali's probably out helping cats out of trees or something, and Tahu is still on hold after falling for Takanuva's prank telemarketer. It all works out well. You make a good point about giving children a character they can identify with, though from my personal experience, I'd say that might be a bit of a stretch. Both while younger, and into the present, I've been able to identify with both male and female characters. After all, basic rules of writing dictate that a character is better defined by their personality than any other measure. This topic, and the fact that so many people have differing views on which characters "fit" each gender, proves that better than anything else. (Also, removing all male characters seems more like creating a new problem than solving one, so you have me stumped their.) --- I should note that if anyone in this topic wishes to discuss scientific accuracy, or any other issues which have been brought up, I'm always happy to discuss off-topic matters over PM. No sense arguing them here, though. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

don't see why we should have to, when there's more genders than that. How many genders are there? Do we have a list? A very nice person linked a list to me, which showed every gender which people on Tumblr marked as having identified with. It's not full accurate, and Poe's Law may apply (gendergender is in their, for reference), but meh. I'm not certain the rules for Imgur links, so I'll just copy the "A" list. Now, personally? I was raised to look at things from a scientific point of view, with biology of course taking precedence over behavioral studies. I don't consider gender a conscious choice, I consider it the result of the different brain patterns between men and women. Thus, you are either male or female. Suppose your brain structure doesn't match your body, though? Then you have a case of gender dysphoria, and mind over matter applies. Someone isn't a "transgendered woman", they're a woman, who just happens to have been born into a male body. But then again, I've always found ways to make both "traditional" and "progressive" people mad at me. So I suppose this sort of view is only natural.* Now, I digress, onto the original topic: Well, first off, I'd take as long as I possibly could to complete the task, so that I may learn the source of the beings power and claim it for myself, therefore creating world peace through the implementation of beautifully intertwined liberty and order. But, in the meantime, I might as well have fun altering the timeline. Now, Gali can remain female, because there's no sense fixing what isn't broken. The others? An interesting ideal. The first thing I'd take into account is the moral message, and the development of characters. If we really want to create a balance, the most important thing to do is to keep a gender balance not between characters, but between characters who are meant to set an example. The three principal characters who undergo development are Tahu, Kopaka, and Lewa; Gali, Onua, and Pohatu honestly don't change nearly as much. As it stands, we'll have an imbalance. Now, considering that Kopaka is basically deputy on the team, moving him into being a her could work. The personality would also work well enough with the shift, so there wouldn't be much difficulty. Lewa? I'm not so sure. I get the whole "Genki Girl" thing, but I'm not so sure about it myself. Doesn't really fit. So, if we can't move over a developed character, we should at least move over a better role model, to maintain some balance. Between Onua and Pohatu, it depends on interpretation. But personally? I see Pohatu as the better option, especially in the light of expanded athletics programs for girls. Further, he contrasts more with Kopaka and Gali, which adds variety. Therefore, the practical answer is: Male: Tahu, Lewa, Onua Female: Kopaka, Gali, Pohatu Of course, there's even more to it then that. If we follow the rules of the topic, we wind up with: Male: Vakama, Matau, Whenua Female: Nuju, Nokama, Onewa Male: Jaller, Kongu, Nuparu Female: Matoro, Hahli, Hewkii You'll note that the switch, for Hewkii, causes Macku/Hewkii to show support to the LGBT community some twelve years before Korrasami. It also positions Matoro, the primary focus character of the 2006-2007 storyline, as female. Seeing as Takua/Takanuva held that spot 2001-2003, and Vakama 2004-2005, that seems only fair to me. Just one more thing: [Please keep jokes appropriate for all ages here. -bones] Personally though I could see any character being female. It would be interesting to see Tahu as a female and maybe Lewa too I can predict what the joke here originally was, but I nevertheless wish to see it in it's original, unedited glory. -Toa Levacius Zehvor * Yes, that was a pun. You're very clever.

Why even say they're partially mechanical? They could be fully organic. Their "armor" might not even be real armor; it could just be a thick, chitinous carapace which develops around their body and begins to hardens with age. Never assume a boring answer to be accurate until proven as such. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Only problem is, players don't like to role-play so much as fantasize. Make racism the issue, and most of your characters are "unlike the rest of evil society" or "radical extremist who eats enemy babies". Romeo and Juliet type story, almost guaranteed. It's interesting to see actual commentary in RPGs, but it can be derailed very easily. Toa. Go. Nova. Kill everything. All I want is an RPG where Nova Blasts obliterate society. Is that so hard to ask? -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Different principle. "Ultimate City of Ultimate Destiny" avoids proper nouns, and is off the wall. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Echoing the opposite sentiment of ToD (sorry ), simplicity is usually the best answer. "The Asylum" works the best, IMO. Hooks the reader in; makes them want to read the topic. Simple. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Maybe. Maybe not. But they have a chance, don't they? Because auto-correcting a word and censoring a word are two different matters. You brought up a specific word which blurs the line between "spiritual" (the Maori words) and "insulting" (the one in question). As a result, I handled the second topic first, and then moved onto the first, giving examples across what followed. To use your own words, with a bit of re-writing: I said, "We shouldn't, because it can actually lead to discussion." Of course, being me, I wrote multiple paragraphs to say that. I never said that the same system can't change words to other words, and I most certainly understood your opinion. Just because there's a system in place that automatically censors swearwords, this does not mean we should change words to other words. It'd only further remove the possible for discussing Maori culture from BIONICLE, and make historical talks more difficult. So I apologize if you assumed that one paragraph was meant to be the be-all, end-all, response, but it was not. Echoing the others (ALVIS, Sir Kohran): The Maori did not get themselves in their current situation. The Maori themselves handled the matter as could be expected; the most publicity and the most money. And it worked. Fourteen years later, we're talking about them on the internet. The girl herself has her own problems, but any problems with her, are with her. She does not represent all Maori, just as none of us are perfect representatives for our entire cultures. So while we can critique her for inaccuracies, and the errors in her logic, we cannot pin the blame on an entire collective. Likewise, nobody here can accurately speak for the Maori people either. While there are certainly plenty of "enlightened" minds out there who like to think themselves able to speak on behalf of minorities or foreign cultures, they cannot. The Maori people got what they wanted. There is no sense in either blatant misunderstanding of that position, or speaking on their behalf to fight for further reparations. But more on topic: The fact I can remember this fills me with shame: The 2004 story arc is told via the books in flashback. The Turaga gather everyone together, and go through everything up until Legends of Metru-Nui. Afterwords, some of the important Matoran/Toa want to know just how everyone got to Metru-Nui, so they go through the 5th book (whichever one that was). Nuju doesn't want him to talk about Maze of Shadows, but he does so anyways. The 7th book, something something Visorak, is Vakama telling Tahu about how much deeper the rabbit hole goes. They decided to tell the rest of the story after that, for the 8th book and Web of Shadows. The 2005 story arc is only told to a very small group; Hahli, Takanuva, and the Nuva I believe, but there might be a few more thrown in. The reason for the sudden gap is because 2005 is shoved in between that gap, as a result of the story-telling method. It's mean to resolve the story, but not show all elements of the resolution. Time Trap is the only exception; only Vakama knows what happened. Now, as far as actual time in-story, rather than book time: We don't know. The Metru were Hordika for quite a long time, trying to fight for the rest of the Matoran spheres in the city. How long, we're not sure. Presumably, it was under a year, but we have no way of being certain. Headcanon topic is still up. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Because it's generally considered to be a word drawn out for swearing. I myself am an absolute connoisseur of swear words and insults, as a result of the local culture being unparalleled in these fields, and the ever-present word filter serves as a constant reminder of how much of a fool one looks posting with a row of pound signs. In light of the above? Nothing changes. Nothing. Why? Because this little twelve year old boy was the wisest person involved in the discussion: If it wasn't for Bionicle, my only knowledge of the Maori, or its culture, is, "Oh, you mean those island dwelling people who I think were mentioned on Planet Earth? Yeah, I know them." But, thanks in no small part to Bionicle, I am actually aware of them, their modern cultural position, and, to some extent (certainly moreso than most of my peer group), their spirituality. The thing is, people nowadays come up with all sorts of misguided buzzwords like "cultural appropriation" in order to justify striking against things they don't like. Now, in this case, was this the case? No, I don't think it was. This was about the money: a quick look at the articles will reveal that to somewhat with just a bit of business sense. Further, there was the publicity. Lawsuits against a big company don't just go away, and we still feel the effects of this one today. And it worked. Now, doubtless, there are people reading this topic who know little to nothing about the Maori, and may just learn a little bit more because of it. All because one person got their word usage confused. So kudos to you, random 12 year old from 2001. Heck, you were even half right on the cancelling aspect. But one final note: This girl (now a woman, I imagine, seeing that we have members who weren't even born when these posts were made) comes from an understandable position. But posts like this are the irony. The people she's criticizing for using name translators and the like? They're kids. The fact they're using a word translator to generate character names is proof of that, in and of itself. Claiming moral superiority over children, and then immediately criticizing them as a collective for being part of a destructive and imperialistic culture... sorry, not feeling that sympathetic. I really want to go on. I really. But no sense tormenting the board with a lengthy rant, so I'll just end it here. I've said what needs to be said with regards to the board itself, and the poster; cultural discussions can stay in PM. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

How is Mind Reading now the obvious answer? Seriously, BZP, I have seen one mention of it so far, and it was in a list. You're in a fight with someone? Who needs Dodge/Invulnerability when you already, almost instinctively, know what they're going to do? Not to mention the social implications, particularly if you could turn it off in undesirable spots. Not sure if they're lying? Find out. Need to know the best words to get a job? You're not the only being interviewed today. Walking through the dangerous area of town? Turn your power on passively, find out whose hostile and sneaking behind you. So long as you kept it cool, and never revealed your power, you'd just seem unusually luck and clever. Oh, and the best part: Names. Bad with remembering names? Not anymore. Plus, it's a combo power. If you know just what to say/do, you can fake fear/produce anger; as mentioned, you can mimic dodging, and even gain accuracy by predicting what your opponent will do. Oh, and you could probably cause some amount of confusion, depending on how you played your cards. Telekinesis would be good, so long as you were smart about it. For instance, you could become a strongman, using your powers to lift weights even though it appeared you were doing it by hand. But lifting objects and the like from afar? Nah, you've got to hide that. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Oh lordie, your version of what happens after canon is even darker than my version of what happens during canon. I approve. The one thing I find odd is Spherus Magna being knocked out of orbit, and crashing into the sun. The Red Star isn't really that big, and Spherus Magna has much more mass than Earth; Earth, which, in our past, has experienced much worse, and maintained its orbit. I think this discussion can actually be simplified to one rule on things happening: If it makes the plot more interesting/resolves it successfully, it should happen; if it negatively complicates, bogs down, or unsatisfactorily concludes the plot, it shouldn't happen. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

I blame the Red Star business, personally. The whole idea of characters being resurrected in such large numbers is a real slap in the face for some, but other seems to have embraced the happy ending. Now, of course, there are ways to do it in a satisfactory way - for instance, the Kestora getting bored, and going about their experiments in a way to make Karzahni vomit profusely. Maybe a few forced Kaita and so forth wandering about, or "incomplete" resurrection attempts lying propped open on tables. The sort of thing which shows "fate worse than death" instead of "neverending story". But we'll never know, now. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

There's no need to go to such lengths to explain it; see above. When they lost Matoran in Metru Nui, they had new ones made. It's wisest to see the canon population as 1000 for pretty much all of history. Hm. That works too, I suppose. But consider, then, that the Red Star was not truly functional, and that the Brotherhood had already implanted their virus centuries beforehand; construction of Matoran would most likely not have been at optimal efficiency, simply as a result of Mata-Nui weakening. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

I remember the BBCode days. They were good days. Well, look at it this way. First, the universe is ravaged by the Visorak Horde for so long of a time that there are legends of it in the Metru-Nui archives. Then, the GSR crashes into a planet. You know those videos showing your organs in a car crash, or the effects of smoking? Well, combine the two together, and you have a chain smoker colliding at 100 MPH into a tree. Oh, and since the the 100,000 person population is considered "current", we can also add the following as reasons for further casualties over the 1,000 year span: rogue Visorak groups (see also: Vakama disbanding the horde), the Brotherhood/Dark Hunter War, Zyglak, wild Rahi attacking because few Toa are left, Skakdi and Steltians lost during their own wars, and people silenced by the Order for getting uppity. It's quite easy to guesstimate that less than 1% of the population survived. Talk about grimdark, eh? Now, Metru-Nui is the tough one. As the Matoran were in pods, numbering around 1000, it seems fairly difficult to fake this. But consider the purpose of Metru-Nui: almost all specialty work. Teachers, scholars, archivists, mask-makers, machine operators, and stonemasons. Metru-Nui was never really a city; it was a high-end production factory and tourist attraction, and, under the Coliseum, a massive power plant. Why, then, is Metru-Nui so big? Theory: It used to need to be. Then, after the Toa/Dark Hunter War, Dume started getting a bit paranoid, and began imposing heavier and heavier regulations. Many of the inhabitants, scared of another war, evacuated the city, eventually leaving what can best be described as a skeleton crew, guarded by Vahki and a team of Toa. On the note of being a tourist attraction, it's likely that this remaining space was often used for traders and the like from other islands. However, thanks to canon, we know that prior to the 2004 story arc, Teridax (as Dume) sealed off all entry into the city via the sea gates; it's likely he also threw the foreigners out beforehand, in order to make his plans go smoother. At least, that's the best rationale I can come up with for it. I've never been a big fan of the establish populations, myself. Alternative, if you can make a slightly bigger mental leap: The Visorak actually shipped off most of the population of Metru-Nui to other islands, to be used as Brotherhood slaves. The Toa Metru, as Hordika, found out about this, but were too limited in their abilities to stop it. The Turaga, as a collective, agreed never to reveal this as part of their story; to this day, it is the Metru's greatest shame, and it was actually part of the reason for Vakama's shift - his mind rationalized it was the only way to save those who remained. So yeah. Bionicle remains, as ever, a bleaker setting than the lovechild of Warhammer 40K and H.P. Lovecraft. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Wait, hold up... So, it went from Tohunga only, to Matoran only, to Matoran and Tohunga, and now it's back to Matoran only? So it's a retcon, of a retcon, of a retcon? This couldn't get any deeper if Leonardo DiCaprio showed up and started spinning a top around. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

And calling Umbra, Umbra, is disrespectful to Romans (Italians) because it is derived from a Roman word, and not used with the same meaning and intention in mind? I'm sorry, but telling someone to prohibit which words they use to refer to something, simply on the off-chance that an individual will be offended, comes off as juvenile. Because let's face it, the "Maori v. Lego" incident wasn't about being offended. It was about making money. That being said, Matoran is the more functional word to use, as it is the one most commonly referenced canonically. I may be misremembering things, but I believe it was later stated, after Kewa and Kohu were returned to the fold, that "Tohunga" is a very specific word which refers to the villagers in their divide, Mata-Nui state, and is meant to represent a lack of unity caused by Makuta's attacks. Or something along those lines. In any case, since we're talking about the species, which is always referred to as "Matoran", that's the better fit. But let's get down to the nitty gritty: The Matoran of Metru-Nui were subjected to immense, otherworldly gains, as a result of constant work and labor brought on by the oppressive government which had allowed itself to take root. But that's besides the point; the point is how they were weakened. When Makuta placed the Matoran in pods, hoping to keep them in a semi-conscious animation, he originally planned to use the Vahi to cause the rapid passing of time, thus allowing him to be their "savior" after a "great deal of time" had passed. It is unclear if he originally had measures in place to keep their bodies from decaying, if he was willing to risk it, or if he simply didn't think; in any event, after his defeat, and Visorak occupation of Metru-Nui, the Matoran's bodies and minds began to wane. The result? Complete amnesia upon being awakened, resulting in lowered technical skills and capabilities, and a loss of both size and muscle mass, causing them to be smaller, and much weaker; thus, rather than utilize tools, they were forced to turn to slinging Kanoka disks and the like as a way of defense. Of course, then came along the "rebuilding", a.k.a. "the CEO of LEGO needs a new yacht", which restored most of their strength. And, of course, dealing with Rahi, the Matoran overall became more competent warriors, and gained new technical skills, simply as a requirement to survive. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

For once, I actually have a good answer to this question: In the MU, Toa are the mightiest of the mighty. Sure, Makuta and some Dark Hunters are more powerful, but they're the exception, not the norm; further, Toa work in teams, which allows them combat such beings, when such a scenario arises. Thematically, the purpose of a Toa in such a setting is to cast a "mighty have fallen" vibe. In fact, it wouldn't be inappropriate to have Toa become the most discriminated against group, with Skakdi and the like taking advantage of the situation to pummel them while they can't do anything about it. In fact, going off of my idea, that would actually make the situation; kill the ones who are unintentionally powering the facility, everything goes. One might also have the Monster catch wind of this, and start killing off Toa, hoping to cut off the power drained by the energy absorber and close off the facility; thus, rather than gain importance from their powers, they gain importance from their lack of powers. It's all about how you set the tone, in this case. Of course, this really only works if players are willing to roleplay the situation appropriately. I fully endorse the Monster ganking those who don't. Hadn't really made the connection. Get this thing done. Even if my main interest in a tank RPG is to see the number of Valkyra Chronicles references in the characters, it's still an interest. Pssh, it's not burglary when it's given. I doubt I'll ever write an RPG again, so heck, all of my posts are open source. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Heck, here's another idea: Let's say, in this world, a bunch of Toa are going insane, for... some reason, I dunno, probably the Brotherhood. So the sane ones design a sanitarium to care for them. Over time, the sanitarium starts taking in more than just Toa, and becomes more like an asylum, but as the old ones die, the powers start to wane. So, people with elemental powers, of various races, are all taken captive, simply for showing the slightest signs of crazy. The asylum is mostly forgotten, leaving only a few researchers; with lax security, something, which gains powers from non-elemental sources, manages to slip in from the waters. Some of the researchers become wise to this, and find a way to lock the beast in with the patients, though they aren't aware of this. Of course, this leaves mask powers. The solution? Everyone wears common, powerless masks. Not like the insane ones can focus anyways, eh? EDIT: I propose we rename this topic to "Ninjas on Speed". -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Ditto. Don't be silly. Machines don't have treads, animals do. Sheesh, L2Bionicle. -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Wrong topic. You're looking for the News and Discussion Topic. Take a drink? No playable doctors, methinks. Too many factions makes for an odd split. Let the players form up naturally. Plus, it works better thematically. My main issue so far is I don't see what specifically makes this a Bionicle RPG. Any thoughts on how you plan to accomplish that? -Toa Levacius Zehvor

Teridax, quite easily. The argument, of course, is in which aspect was the best villain: cunning mastermind, champion of shadows, tyrant of the universe, or eldritch horror? He's been many things, as best fits the year; the mastermind from 2004-2008, the champion in 2003, the tyrant in 2009+, and the horror in 2001-2003. Personally, I was always the most fond of the first, perhaps mostly because it was the Makuta I was first introduced to. Him putting on the facade for the other roles would certainly fall within his abilities; for instance, summoning the storm and Rahi to mess with the Toa back in 2001. It also matches his ego; he thinks himself equal to Mata-Nui, as a god, and therefore enjoys playing it. But there's more to it. In 2004 and the like, it was shown that Makuta was clever and powerful, but not foolproof. Like any devil, he could be beat; he could be outsmarted. And, of course, he was willing to operate within the bounds of rules and deals. There was a sense that the Toa Metru, while not having beaten him entirely, had delayed his plans; that in Takanuva coming out victorious, he had suffered a crippling loss; that in making a deal with Vakama, he was willing to accept a loss, because he was willing to wait. The thing is, as time passed on, these setbacks became... not really setbacks. The plan went off almost perfectly, and he was able to slip into the Great Spirit's shoes. This would have been fine, if the events from previous years had been what led to his defeat... but it wasn't. He was killed by a rock, by Mata-Nui. If the Shadowed One had defeated him, finally claiming vengeance for the lost Dark Hunters, it would have worked. Heck, virtually any of the characters in the story, were they to face him, would have worked out better, so long as it was because of something the good guys had done. But it wasn't. It was "he was too egotistical", which only works if there's a build-up. And, see, the one-on-one duel would also have been fine if it had been new; but since Takanuva had already had it, then really, there was no sense. Giant robot battle was not the way for things to end. At least, not without giant robots sets. Lego really missed their shot on that one. ---- Now, moving on past Teridax, I'd say the second best villain was Icarax. He was sadly underutilized, however; his "rule" of the Brotherhood, for instance, comes across as something which sort of was happening. If it had been mentioned better in the serials, and perhaps mentioned earlier in the books (for instance, Legacy of Evil could have mentioned the sudden switch in leadership, and how much more brutal the war got with Icarax in charge). I'm not particularly fond of his death; his contribution to the plot of the books was far lower than it should have been. Other than that, the Shadowed One, and most of the Piraka, were all interesting villains. I'm also somewhat fond of Pridak, and the Barraki in general. However, I feel that they were also underutilized, and came across as only a small portion of what they could have been. Considering that their actions were basically the catalyst for Teridax plotting to take over, they really should have been better expanded upon; especially in the later story, when they were introduced once more. As it stands, though, they were too underdeveloped to really be "great" villains; compare to the Piraka, who had an entire book devoted to them. The same applies to the Element Lords. While decent in the scenes they appeared in, they weren't much of an active threat, and had almost no impact in the plots; interesting, but not influential. I will say, though, that overall, Greg certainly did a good job creating memorable villains. While I disagree with many of his choices, particularly in later years, I do understand them, especially in context of what was happening on the business side. Further, it's hard to try giving everyone enough development when the cast is as large as it is in Bionicle, so certain sacrifices were required as a result. In the end, though, I suppose the best part of a fandom complaining is that it means they care. Unless those complaints are sillly. -Toa Levacius Zehvor