(Daedalus)

IC Zealot

 

The De-Lesterin usually spoke softly, but had he not been listening he would not have heard her entirely.

You could have more than just family,"

Zealot looked up and smiled, "I once had such blessing" Zealot reached his hand back into his pocket; not nervously this time, but softly "Before."

His eyes suddenly downcast his voice ran cold "But Mata Nui saw fit to take that all away"

 

IC: Faora

Click.

Why it had taken so long for everything to come together was a mystery to Faora. However, it now seemed obvious. She didn't know what exactly it was he had in his pocket, but it had someone to do with his "blessing."

Mata Nui gives, and he takes away. A time to laugh, and a time to weep. A time to embrace...

Faora closed her eyes. "I'm--" Her voice cracked. "I'm sorry."

What else was there to say?

OOC: Credit to Job (first sentence) and Ecclesiastes (second and third) for that third line/paragraph.

IC Zealot

 

Loneliness. Dependence. 

Both difficult topics for Ko-Toa.

Zealot was no exception. In fact, he was rather exemplary. 

The toa of ice leaned forward, resting his forarms on his knees

"I know," Zealot looked down at his smoldering pipe "I have the Outsiders now." he seemed unconvinced "Family"

IC: Faora

Did he believe that?

"You could have more than just family," she said softly.

IC: Faora

Faora stopped walking, her eyes fixed on Zealot.

Why stop now? Because I'm here.

She glanced at the doorway and then waved her hand, suddenly changing her mind. "Ah, never--" A lump in her throat briefly interrupted her. "Never mind. I'm sure they know what they're doing and will be here soon enough with help."

She walked back to the chair and sat down, the sweet scent of Zealot's tobacco filling her nostrils for the first time. Maybe the enhanced scent was playing with her, but she found her mind spinning. His words, spoken so matter-of-factly, had struck something within her. She knew what it was to be alone. Worse yet, she knew what it was to be lonely. But it had never really bothered her. As long as she had work, she didn't mind. Now...

Zealot.

Against her better judgment, she felt like she needed to say something. Glancing down at her hands, she quietly said, "You're not alone anymore, Zealot. At least..." She looked up at him. "You don't have to be."

Not while I'm alive.

IC: Faora

"I'm not sure," she said. "I would assume we need another healer..." She glanced at the door. "I guess I could go figure out what's going on."

That would mean leaving h--

STOP.

She stood up and headed for the door. "Are you fine watching them by yourself?"

She wanted to slap herself for asking such a stupid question. It's not like they are going to do anything in their current state.

IC: Faora

She shook her head and smiled.

"I don't mind."

Not at all.

IC: Faora

Faora frowned at Verulas' words, feeling her cheeks warm slightly.

"As if I'm some animal without moral code."

She glanced at Zealot and then walked to a chair. She sat down and crossed her arms, trying not to look as uncomfortable as she felt.

Despite knowing she was supposed to watch Ayar and Scholar, she found her eyes drifting toward Zealot. Her eyes stopped on the pocket he had reached into that time he had spoken of loss.

That time when she... yeah.

She wanted to ask about it, but as she opened her mouth, she realized she didn't really know him well enough to ask such an obviously personal question. So she closed her mouth and tried to keep her attention on Ayar and Scholar.

Tried.

IC: Faora

Faora nodded and exited the room, retracing her steps back to the arena. She stopped a short distance from Zero and a Fe-Toa she hadn't seen before. She waited for the trials to begin again.

IC: Faora

Faora winced at Verulas' question. She'd forgotten to put her earmuffs back on.

As she pulled them out and fitted them over her ears, she pulled her eyes away from Zealot and said, "He fell off the tower, I think."

IC: Faora

Faora raised her eyebrows at the order. She glanced down at Scholar and then back at Champion, but he was already walking away.

Right then.

Faora approached Scholar and looked him over. He looked bad.

Now how do I move him without hurting him more?

She didn't have an answer to that, so she just grabbed him underneath each armpit and lifted him up. Straining under the awkward weight, she backpedaled into the outpost. She dragged him several yards inside before realizing she had no idea where the healer was.

Easing Scholar to the floor, she removed her earmuffs and looked around. She could hear voices inside the building. Wet footprints and a trail of blood led in the direction of the voices. She figured that was her best bet, so she lifted Scholar again and dragged him through the outpost, doing her best to follow the voices. By the time she finally reached the room, her arms hurt and her legs burned.

"Got someone else to heal, here," Faora grunted. She looked over her shoulder. The room was full and--

Zealot. Falter.

--she did her best to maneuver Scholar inside. She eased him down again and straightened, her eyes locked on Zealot.

 

WHO WILL STAND WITH ME?

For Ko Koro, and for Mata Nui!!

 

I know at least one person who will...

I'm pretty sure it was... that... white Glatorian (goodgriefwhatwashisnameStrakkorsomething?). That set was released in, what, 2009? Anyway, I'm pretty sure that was the last Bionicle set I ever opened.

IC: Faora

Commotion. Faora had heard someone call Transient's name. She activated her mask and turned her attention to him. He didn't respond. But when the unnatural thud sounded, he was on his feet and running outside.

Frowning, Faora followed behind him. She saw Scholar just after he did; she winced.

He had fallen; that much was obvious. But judging by Transient's anger, he obviously thought there was more to it.

Cautiously approaching Scholar's broken form, Faora quietly asked, "What do you think happened?"

 

 

 

The last full novel that I read was The Scarlet Letter, which was for my American Literature class. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, as despite knowing it is a classic, most people I know despise it.

I'm one of those people. :/

There aren't many books that I flat-out dislike, but that's one of them.

 

 

Really? Is there any particular reason? I suppose part of the reason I liked it was the context in which I read it, but I'm still curious why so many people dislike it.

 

Honestly, I don't find it very well written (not in the way you might think I mean; I do typically love book written in an older, 17-1800's style, I think it isn't written well by the same standards you would judge pretty much any book, such as rambling sentence-paragraphs (ironic that this is becoming one), fairly boring characters, etc., as well as a quite boring plot that doesn't... really... go anywhere, that I remember.

(Keep in mind that I read this two or so years ago.)

 

Now that you mention it, all those things are true, but none of them really bothered me. Again, though, I think my liking the book had to do with the context in which I read it. It was for an American literature class, and we had previously read stuff by William Bradford, John Winthrop, and the like. It was interesting to see how Hawthorne incorporated their beliefs and then kind of turned them on their heads. A lot of that had to do with the ambiguities present within The Scarlet Letter. But I can definitely see why someone wouldn't like it.

EDIT: Finished the Circle Trilogy. It was... well, it was incredible. I had forgotten how effective a writer he is. The story resonated with me in a way it didn't the first time I read it. To be honest, I'm a sucker for a well-written story of redemption and love, and that's basically what the Circle Trilogy is all about.

 

The last full novel that I read was The Scarlet Letter, which was for my American Literature class. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, as despite knowing it is a classic, most people I know despise it.

I'm one of those people. :/

There aren't many books that I flat-out dislike, but that's one of them.

 

Really? Is there any particular reason? I suppose part of the reason I liked it was the context in which I read it, but I'm still curious why so many people dislike it.

The last full novel that I read was The Scarlet Letter, which was for my American Literature class. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, as despite knowing it is a classic, most people I know despise it.

Currently reading Black by Ted Dekker, and I'm beginning to remember why I liked him so much. I was a huge fan in junior high and high school, but the more I read of his works, the less I liked him. He is excellent at writing thrillers--he tends to start things off with a bang (sometimes literally)--and he has some great twists. The problem is, his books are almost like romance novels; they have a certain formula, even for characters, and they don't deviate much. Again, what he does write is excellent, but after reading several of his novels in a row, it feels like the same story told in a slightly different way and in a different place. I especially dislike his so-obsessed-with-someone-or-something-that-he-cannot-think-properly-and-does-stupid-things main characters. Once I discovered this, I stopped reading his stuff for a long time (the only exception being The Priest's Graveyard, which, despite being dark and a little twisted, is quite different from his other works, and it resonates with me in a strange way).

However, I got the itch to read The Circle Trilogy, of which Black is the first part, and I'm not regretting it. I can see that same old formula popping up, but since I haven't been exposed to it in a long time, it works. I can't wait to read the other two.

IC: Faora

Faora watched Zealot walk away. After a long moment, she pulled her eyes away and sighed.

I need to walk around.

She stretched again and slowly circled the dueling area, her mask deactivated. She kept her eyes focused on the ground in front of her, her pace slow and deliberate.

She would have to face her trial soon, so she tried to push everything that could distract her out. No thoughts. No feelings. Nothing.

She didn't have much success.

IC Zealot

 

Zealot rubbed his chin and touched his lips, subtly signalling the De Lesterin to focuse her exceptional hearing on his lips.

He whispered, hardly louder than a breath "are you sure you want to do this?"

his voice was like a cold mist, it would be unlikely the person closest to him would have heard; only one atune to the element of sonics would know what was said.

IC: Faora

His words touched her ears like a cool breath. Soft. Caring.

Melted.

A thin smile, both sad and determined, crossed Faora's lips. She nodded almost imperceptibly. This was what she wanted: to be here with h--them. The Outsiders. Them. To fight with them, perhaps die with them. Yes, she wanted to do this.

Besides, it's not like she knew anything else.

IC: Faora

Faora took one last deep breath and did her best to relax. She reactivated her mask and the world came into focus. She leaned back and stretched, glancing at Zealot as she did so.

Froze.

His expression... Mata Nui, he knew. There was no doubt this time. He actually, positively, without a doubt knew.

A feeling, hard to describe, formed deep within her being. Fear, nervousness... both, and more. They crashed together and embraced, forming a knot within her stomach. At the same time, however, she couldn't help but feel... relieved. Someone else knew.

Zealot knew.

Thawed.

Would he tell? She didn't know. She wouldn't blame him if he did, but for some reason, she doubted that he would. Still, doing her best to hide the fear all over her face, she found herself bringing her finger to her mouth, briefly lining it up vertically in the universally understood "Shh" signal, after which she scratched her upper lip.

She was absently aware of her name being blurted out by someone.

IC: Faora

The duel appeared to be over, and as congratulations and praise were offered, Faora closed her eyes. She realized she should volunteer--she wanted to volunteer--for the next match, but she needed to collect herself. Keeping her eyes closed, she took several deep breaths.

 

Q: I want my character to originally come from Bara Magna, Karda Nui, or somewhere else exotic. Can my character’s back-story involve foreign places?

A: Sorry to harsh your buzz, but that’s not okay. Here’s the thing about the BZPRPG universe: it isn’t the BIONICLE universe, not exactly. Although ours is a game founded in many parts of the BIONICLE canon, there are parts of the canon that we deliberately discard or ignore, notably among those almost every known location, several known species, and a truckload of universe history. For example: the BZPRPG world isn’t actually a giant robot body; there’s only one Makuta in our universe, and he’s a primeval force of darkness; there aren’t Dark Hunters; what’s a Bohrok?; etc. Disregarding these discrepancies by, say, stating in your character’s profile that she/he is originally from Metru Nui and was once a Dark Hunter would therefore be contrary to the fabric of the BZPRPG world.

 

Q: So let me get this straight: I’m not allowed to refer IC or in my character’s profile to… well, to what exactly? What elements of the BIONICLE canon exist in the BZPRPG?

A: Unless something from the BIONICLE canon is explicitly acknowledged by a staff source to exist in the BZPRPG, it cannot be assumed to exist in the BZPRPG universe. To get a better feel of the BZPRPG world and how it’s diverged from the BIONICLE timeline, take a look at the Plot Overview that can be found in the following post, in the various location topics, and in the allowed lists in the Profiles Topic. If something from the BIONICLE canon isn’t mentioned in any of those places, odds are good it’s not part of our game universe. If you’ve still got questions as to whether a particular part of the BIONICLE canon exists in the BZPRPG, just ask a staff member for clarification.

That's an excerpt from the starter topic. I think it should answer your question, toa grimlock.

I actually hit 50K on the 20th or the 21st, I can't remember exactly. I've only written about 5K more since then, but I know where the story's going. Once finals are out of the way, I'll have more time to devote to my writing. I'm already planning for revisions, though I may just completely rewrite Part 1 now that I have a better idea of how I want the story to go.

Anyways, it was an awesome experience, and I definitely plan on doing this every year.

IC: Faora

Emotion. E-M-O-T-I-O-N.

The word was unfamiliar, distant. It was one she saw everywhere, but only in others. She had never felt much in the way of emotion; not because she didn't have any, she just never had a reason to feel them. She lived in Onu-Koro, she did a job, she got paid. Done. Move on to the next. She traveled Mata Nui, did a job, got paid. Done. Move on to the next. No permanent connections, no ties. The Outsiders wasn't supposed to be much different. Get a steady stream of jobs, do them, get payment or the reward of a job well done. Done. Move on to the next. The only differences were supposed to be the steadiness and the camaraderie. There wasn't supposed to be emotion.

But when Zealot spoke of loss, when his hand drifted to his pocket... Everything else said by the others seemed to pass her ears unheard.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! she screamed within her mind.

She stopped using her mask and stared in the general direction of the duelers.

Her vision was even blurrier than usual.

IC: Faora

"Better to live and reclaim your honor another day than die and let your legacy rot in the mud."

"Better for whom?" Faora asked, turning to look at the Toa of Plasma. He sounded annoyed with Zealot. "Honor that can be tossed aside for the sake of convenience, only to be picked up later when it is convenient to do so, can hardly truly be called honor."

Turning her attention to Verulas, she tried to suppress an uncharacteristic sense of annoyance at his referring to Zealot as "Frosty" and said, "Honor can lead to death, yes, and for some people that is reason enough to avoid it. But not everyone desires survival above all else. Zealot himself basically said he would prefer dying with--or, perhaps, because of--honor, rather than surviving without it."

Where did that come from? She was used to playing multiple sides of an argument, but she found herself getting more involved with one side this time.

IC: Faora

"Hit and run, an honorless tactic. A coward's game."

Faora rubbed her chin. "Perhaps, but that doesn't make it any less viable." She glanced at Zero. "Unless, of course, Zero says otherwise."

She wasn't the hit-and-run type herself; she preferred a stand-up fight. However, she had seen the former used to great effect, so however dishonorable it might be, it worked.

IC: Faora

She couldn't help it; she looked full on at Zealot this time. Looking at him, she realized it was his perceptiveness that was throwing her off. Very little got past him.

As she thought of a way to respond (How do I respond to that?), she noticed him scrounging in one of his pockets. As he made an intelligent comment on magnetism and Rekhyt's possible strategy, he switched to his other pocket and pulled out a pipe. She raised an eyebrow. He had been digging in the one pocket for some time, but almost as soon as he reached in the other, he found it.

"Took you that long to figure out the pipe was in the other pocket?" she said, a half-smile on her face and humor in her voice.