Iku

Oh man this was well done. Feels all around and a fitting send off to the two generations we've experienced. Awesome job! I loved the meta narrative you weaved in, with the differing legends, and that little jab at Hero Factory One question though: Who is the old Matoran? I have a feeling it's someone we know, and the last bit seems like he was talking to either Matoro, Mata Nui, or the Ignika itself, but I'm not sure who would know them from that and the fact that he has tan armour.

I feel like this would be pretty cool considering Telltale's Tales From the Borderlands was a well executed action adventure series. As a Bionicle game, it would function more like a short TV series with interactive elements than a fully fledged game with fighting mechanics. I think if there was ever a better way to make a Bionicle game, it would be something along the lines of Telltale games. The cost to make these is probably much less than to make a fully fledged action rpg, so it's fairly economically viable, and they usually make very good use of the lore to carve out a fulfilling story without being too obstructive. To me, the narrative element is probably the most important considering Bionicle has had a somewhat uneven track record of more mainstream media narrative, and I'd think that if (in the effectively zero chance that) Telltale does create a Bionicle game, it would have a fairly high quality presentation and plot, with (most importantly) characters with some semblance of depth.

If I recall, I think I remember Greg saying something along the lines of Stone, Sand and Earth elements being defined by their particle size, where Stone is anything larger than Sand, and Earth is anything smaller than Sand, but neither can control it. Kinda makes sense and tbh I think it's the best rough explanation of what element controls what - a good rule of thumb to go along with the general sense of what soil/dirt/earth is compared to stones.

Right now, the only set that appeals to me is Ekimu, and that's only because of the two exclusive masks (which are both beautiful). His build is fairly generic and uninspired, and while the other medium-priced sets have interesting functions, they aren't that visually nor narratively engaging enough for me to buy them. As for Umarak the Destroyer, I really wanted to like him, but after watching a review, I felt that although his colour scheme, building process and bulk were great, he was ultimately too gappy and again, a bit generic - he's just a big hulk without many other distinguishing features, and his "functions" are frankly a bit simplistic and again, uninspired. The corrupted mask was tempting though, but ultimately I don't think it's worth the rest of the set.

I'm in this body because SOMEONE stole my old one.

Sorry I don't currently have time for an in depth review but love your writing style (dynamic sentence and vocab use, characterisation on point) and the idea of using landmass names as GB names was a stroke of genius that lends an air of mythic proportions to the GBs. Keep it up!

I would actually prefer if the smaller sets were swarm villain sets instead of "good guys." They could fill a Bohrok-like niche in the current gen, so the swarm sets are more affordable and more easily massable as an army. The Toa-sized villain sets could then be freed to become distinct characters (army captains, maybe?) alongside the titans (either tanky brute units or the Big Bad/General), to bring in a huge variety in villain types. It used to be (in G1) that the heroes were outnumbered or equal in number to the villains, but the recent waves have had precious few villain sets, let alone memorable villain sets. This lack of strong/memorable villains really makes the enemies not seem as menacing as they could be, and the danger not as threatening.

Thanks! I can't wait to see that glorious double-moulded Akaku. Warrior is actually the only Skull creature I didn't have so once he arrives in the mail, I'll have the whole gang together

Should this be moved to Epics? I feel this is more creative than speculative/theorising.

Firstly, I think it's just downright disrespectful to ask a question like that considering the amount of effort these guys put into the show - imagine you went through the entire process of working hard to make something like this come to fruition, then agree to be interviewed by some curious fans, only to be slapped in the face by a question that implies that all your effort so far wasn't good enough. It paints the fans as toxic and apathetic - these guys are human beings as well, so cut them some slack. The question sounds tactless and plain rude (alongside a few other fairly non-constructive critical questions posted in this thread). Granted, I think this question can still be answered, with some rephrasing. For example: "Are we going to see more character-driven subplots?" or "Without spoiling too much, what can we expect from the final two episodes of the series?" My questions would probably be: How did you guys come to the decision to blend both 2D and 3D art in the creation of this series? What was the thought process behind the changes in adapting the real-life set designs of the characters to the modified designs of the TV series? Is it possible for you guys to upload storyboards/concept art for the series? I'd love to see the work in progress process and behind-the-scenes work.

I could not think of a more perfect title - it completely encapsulates that sense of metamorphosis and change while still maintaining the crystal motif (if only in how it's pronounced). I'm going to attempt to throw some ideas out in case you're still deciding: Crystal Dynasty Crystallization (sounds a bit like civilization) Star Crystals VII: The Inika Awaken

This is my favorite theory, mostly because it would "rhyme" with G1's reveal, in the sense that the big good/bad ends up being the big bad/good (Ex: Makuta taking control of Mata Nui's body when everyone thought awakening him would bring peace). Imagine how shocked everyone would be if it turned out Ekimu was the one who summoned the Toa and led them on the false pretenses that they were saving Okoto, but they were actually collecting the masks for Ekimu so he could use all of them to take over the island. Meanwhile, Makuta was actually living in a self-imposed exile after he sealed Ekimu away because he felt he had failed the Okotoans, and the Toa have to find him since he's their last chance to stop Ekimu and save the island. It would rhyme with G1 without being a total rehash. Definitely something I would get behind, but considering how much (or little) LEGO has invested into the story this time, I'm not optimistic about it. However, Ekimu is suspiciously OP, so this theory may have a possibility of coming to fruition

What about Orde? No psionic toa appeared in-canon. Can you please explain what you mean by this? Orde appeared as part of the serials, which, by any definition of canon, i.e. "the works of a particular author or artist that are recognized as genuine." it is canon, and I don't understand why you insist it isn't. Back on topic: If I recall, the Gali levitating thing in MoL was just artistic license and wasn't considered canon. As for the mental link with Takua, I truly have no idea. I think perhaps all Toa have this ability, but Gali is the only one in the story to be seen using it. Perhaps it is an ability not well known by the inhabitants of the MU, and as a result, goes unnoticed. However, due to the rich knowledge accrued by Metru Nui (and subsequently, Turaga like Nokama and Nuju), they were able to instruct Gali on that for Takua's safety?

If they do revive Exo Force, it will probably be in a few years' time, once Nexo Knights has cooled off. In the meantime, here's to hoping that the mech genre gets rekindled in future waves of the new Nexo Knights theme. Hero Factory scratched that itch, but I seriously need more of it D :

I'm a sucker for mechs and I'm hoping the Knights get them, just like the king has in this first wave. I was really hoping for a mini-exoknight with the Ultimate sets, but I was sorely disappointed when the pictures were released. Fingers crossed, the next few waves will include at least a few appropriately coloured (as per each Knight's colour scheme) robot armour for the Knights to use.

How easy is it to remove the hip piece from the torso? If it's anything like the six-shooters then I'm kinda bummed out by the lack of ease of customisation (assuming the hips and torsos come in different colours across the different Toa.

THIS. IS. AMAZING. Love the concept and the setting in some near post-melding future, with the abandoned Toa Code and the hints at the world. I ahve to say, your worldbuilding is top notch as usual. That passing comment about the mine negotiations and the way you introduce the idea that some time has passed since the melding (at least that's what I assume it is) are both examples of brilliant drip-fed exposition that just hooked me into wanting to know more. Are you planning on writing more in this vein of setting? I'd love to see it.

Great Karzahni, that was dark, masterfully written, and emotional to a fault. I really enjoyed the way you paced the AU worldbuilding with the reminiscing narration - it didn't at all come off as forced or too exposition-y because of the frame. I could feel the regret, weariness and pain underlining every sentence, which is frankly some of the most fun I've had reading a short story. You've just earned yourself a fan Keep up the good work! I'd love to see more from you.

Looks like they're getting a new torso piece, one more Technic-focused and less specific to a traditional biped build like the CCBS torsos we've been getting for the past few years. Unless that's a part I'm just not familiar with, in which case, I'm pretty psyched just because of the custom torso build! Looks like Tahu has the same piece, albeit less visible:

There's promo art for the TotMM story? Sweet! Could you link me? Btw now that I think of it, using the name "Artakha" would have been really cool, considering he's THE Mask Maker from G1 (besides Vakama), and he also has silver armour. Even if it's an OC, you can still steal some names off the previous gen to use in new purposes, like Defilak and Tanma from the second chapter of In Our Bones. I guess I'm really bothered by the "Max" name for some reason XD It's only what one person feels about it so take it with a bucket of salt.

I always look forward to reading your stories. You often have a very good grasp on how to portray characters realistically and you're getting better at it. The conversation felt organic and it flowed well with the internal running monologue by Ekimu. Not so sure about how I feel about the name Max though. As a common name in English, it feels a bit out of place in a Bionicle universe. I actually preferred the previous system of using G1 character names, since they're still in the realm of Bionicle, so you don't have to worry about a made-up Bionicle-sounding name sounding weird. I noticed that your writing has taken on a more economic, functional style, without as much flair as it used to in some of the Queendom stories. It's not a bad thing by any means - I'm just making an observation. One of the beauties of omitting large amounts of description is that the author can get straight to the point without dwelling on insignificant details, and let the reader imagine the scene for themselves as opposed to just being told every single little detail. In this, it seems to work quite well and the dialogue helps flesh out the world in meaningful ways which colour the scene far better than any narrative description could. I wonder if you could fit a bit more description into your writing without compromising on the pacing. Well, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think Max is a very interesting OC who I assume will be the creator of the masks in 2016. Keep up the good work!

I don't ever recall this being confirmed. Do you have a source on this? The Element Lords were actually used in-story, in the serial Riddle of the Great Beings. Tarduk and two other Agori come into contact with all the ELs except the EL of Earth and the EL of Sand. Sorry, I don't have many ideas for a GB civil war. I thought I'd just clear some things up.

No-one's mentioned Norik x Varian, or Mimic x Mimic's female companion yet. More ships: Hewkii x Macku Pohatu x Kopaka "Grab my hand. We’re finding a way out of this." - Kopaka to Pohatu, The Powers That Be, Chapter 4. Gali x Krika Hafu x Himself Mata Nui x Click I never really got into shipping in BIONICLE, so that's as far as I can remember. I remember actively opposing Matau x Nokama and Tahu x Gali. I"m not sure why, but I don't think they have any chemistry.

It's not my position to argue a case. When running an objective poll, it's best not to preemptively bias your results by trying to force your opinion down everyone's throat. Otherwise, there will be complaining later that the poll was bad, and that the dissenting opinion was stifled, etc. I understand that you want Plasma to be a female element, and thanks for coming in here to post a case. That's good. But I'd like to let the people decide. I think I started the message on the wrong foot - notice that later I do include points to help clear up the situation, as well as try to provide as much information on both sides of the argument as possible. Take note that my intention was to inform, not force my opinion down someone's throat. I apologise for the misleading opening - it certainly shows a bias that should not be present in such a poll. However, I will leave it up there so people can see what we're actually commenting on.

I thoroughly enjoyed that. You've got yourself another subscriber.