CroMagnonMan

I don't see the problem with '01-'03 taking place within one year. That actually seems pretty generous to me. When the Toa first arrived, they were in quite a rush to collect all the masks, so no doubt they each got at least one a day, probably several more after they decided to team up. And would the island really have survived the Bohrok invasion for more than a month or two? Tearing up the island is their whole purpose, after all. Not much happens during the Kal saga (how long could it have taken them to locate the Bahrag, anyway?), and didn't the events of Mask of Light only take 2-3 days? Now as for the entirety of '01-'08 taking place within one year... even that seems plausible to me. Aside from the period of peace between the Kal and the Rahkshi, and the move from Mata Nui to Metru Nui, there wasn't a lot of downtime as far as I recall. It was pretty dense with stuff happening, and happening quickly. So where is all the time supposed to be going, I ask?

Talking Over an Ocean "AHH!" I said. Not really said. Don't really "say" that kind of thing. I emoted. Now that I think about it, I don't know if I really did or just imagined. It was inside. It was still "emoted" because it was emotion, it was just inside "emoted" not outside "emoted." That's what dreams are, acting, but even when awake we're still acting, sometimes to ourselves. That's what it was. Inside acting. I looked around the room because wow. I had been somewhere else for a bit. It was that kind of dream. But I was back here now. My body was back even though it hadn't left. I rubbed the back of my neck kind of sheepishly, because some dreams make you feel like you've been bamboozled. I mean when you wake up and think "I'm back" like you've been on a long journey, or "I have my body again" like you've been in a fake one for a while. Then I feel silly. "Got me again." That's all you can say. Then I looked out the window, because it was there and because that's the kind of thing you're supposed to do when you first wake up. Getting my bearings. Looking at the water even though there was enough of it outside as well as in. But this was the only opportunity to look at the world through a window, where it could be contained, and I too being collected for the day. For the rest of the day I wouldn't look at it at all because there wouldn't be a window to look through. And just for a moment I felt like I was half in dream half in awake, looking at the water while in bed, as if the bed would submerge me, was coming up to my legs in dream and I was ready to go down again. I feel that way too when I'm leaving a hut through a door. Half in dream. Not as if I'm the one not fully awake. As if the world was dreaming, and simultaneously was the dream. Or maybe I'm the dream dreamt, the dreaming dream dreamed. But like always it ended. Had to. I left my bed like disembarking a ship. I was getting that coy feeling like my body wasn't all there when it was. Like out of a dream it was coming and going. It wanted to be somewhere else. Weird dreams. Weird sleep. It happens. "Groggy." That's what they call it. I used to take my time about getting out of bed, but not anymore. Maybe I should have. I was annoyed, but you can't do anything about it and I told myself that. Then I wasn't annoyed, but I still wasn't in the room. The first thing I noticed, because getting out of bed is just a race to see what thing I will notice today for no reason, and then notice I noticed, so I can notice it some more, was the note. I remembered writing it, but I did not remember being the one who wrote it. That's why you never write anything down, because when you read it again you think like someone else wrote it and so you never do what it says. It's worse than not doing anything. So when I read "Things to do today: Make flax!" that's the thing I'm not going to do. I mean the "!". I wouldn't be doing the "!" part of it, which is all of it, because that's why I wrote it. Why did I write it again? Like I said, I don't remember, even though I do, because I'm "groggy." So groggy in fact I wasn't even sure about the "Make flax" part. I just walked passed the note, not even paying it any mind, and out the door, because it seemed like a good way to get started. It would be nice to get out of dream halfway, but even with sun I couldn't. My eyes just kind of sat there and sagged, and I stood there for a moment waiting for them to sit upright while the world was out. Being out here was like hanging suspended in the middle of a window, like an ornament, and someone else trying to look in on outside and me getting in the way. And me trying to look out on outside and my eyes getting in the way, hanging suspended in my head. (More like "lodged.") If I could hang them from a fishing wire and hang them ahead of me with fishing poles coming out of my head. (My sockets.) Tried to imagine that and saw my eyes dangling like twin suns bouncing back and forth while I walked down the path. (Left.) Make flax. Make flax? Make flax make flax. The world on either side was bouncing back and forth too with every step I took. Why do our eyes bounce around so much? Why can't they stand still even if the rest of us can't? It was very distracting and again I thought of dangling in a window. Of course everything was bouncing around anyway since we live on a floating village. Floating. Maybe I was floating rather than hanging. But supposing I was hanging, what would happen if someone cut whatever it was I was hanging on? Where would I go? Out of the world? I was approaching an opening through a hut that to my eyes looked like just a big mound of green stuff. That was the problem I was having. You look at the same thing enough and eventually it looks like a big something composed of something, but this time was different, because I didn't even know why I was approaching the something, why I was entering the something, why I was here now and who "Who are you?" I said asked. Blearily, as if bubbling up out of water or the substance of dreams. Blurry in sound form is what I must've sounded like. To her. Her who made a sound like going up while going up. "Yelp." (Yell-up.) Then in the split instant, halfway through going up, turning around and looking at me all in one movement and all at once her eyes are there. "Hahli Mata Nui you startled me" "!"s going all through. I admired her "!"s as one who observes untamed rahi like Kotu, because I couldn't do "!"s today. I looked at her. I felt as if I was looking at her through a film of water, or as if the lense of my mask was the border of a whole world of water between us and her on the other side, otherworldly and distant. I waited for her to go on, because you can always count on people to go on if you wait for it. "Thank Mata Nui you re awake I thought you were going to sleep all day did the storm keep you up last night" There was a "?" at the end there. It took me a moment to regard it like I was supposed to. It's so hard to keep up sometimes, listening to people "say," then you have to catch up and "say" too, plus it was extra hard today because "groggy" and talking over an ocean. But for once I just ignored the "?". My question had just sort of run by or floated over her. It could've been that way, just a word that floated off after having been the product of a moment that floated off too, a question that wouldn't come again and all the same as normal. But I didn't want it to be that way, something just disappearing like that because people let it and effecting nothing. Why even exist in the first place? So like throwing a line into the water and catching the word as it floated, I deliberately reined it in. "Who are you?" I "say" asked again. I didn't mean it as much this time. I knew who she was now. I just wanted to know how she would answer, studious and curious. Sort of a pause like I was the untamed rahi. Not long enough. For what I wanted. "What I could tell right way because a question with all the "!"s you couldn't I m Amaya expect her to answer the way silly you someone who isn't "!" wants must still be Just how it goes sleepy!" And then I laugh a bit just cause I can't help it. It's just so funny. Here I was waiting for Hahli to show up and wondering where she was, then in she comes, all sudden, looking like someone who just made it out of a shipwreck and with a mouth still half full of water she gurgles at me the most random question: "Hho are yuu?" like a total stranger. It's just so funny in a way. Of course I don't blame her. With the storm that was going on last night it's only natural she'd feel under the weather this morning, especially after staying in bed for so long cause that just makes you sleepier somehow. "Not that I blame you. That storm kept me up a bit myself." She's rubbing the lense of her mask like to wipe something off. Probably she just can't see too well with her eyes all drowsy. I felt pretty lousy this morning too. "Theer was a storm?" The one eye she doesn't have covered with her hand looks at me like with suspicion like I'm lying to her. I almost laugh a bit again. "Blew out to sea this morning. I guess you must have lost some sleep and slept in trying to get caught up" and boy do I know how that feels. She removes her hand and now I have two suspicious tired squinting eyes looking at me though like she's not sure I am. Then out of a long silence, having churned what I said, "How long did I sleep in?" "It's noon." Didn't she notice the sun right above her? "Didn't you notice the sun?" She looks at me for a moment like the weirdest question she ever heard. Even weirder than "Hho are yuu." No no, don't laugh again. "No." She says it so finally that I feel bad for wanting to laugh. I'll stop. But am I glad she's finally up, I've been waiting for her, waiting forever, cause there are just so many things that need to be done and I've been waiting to tell her and I'm glad I can tell her now and I'm sure she'll be glad to do things that'll cheer her up. "I'm glad you're up though! There's lots of things that need to be done today. Besides flax I mean. As always! Oh yeah, you wanna give me your harakeke now? I'll get started while we talk, we're just a little bit behind!" She stares at me then looks down at her satchel. She looks at it like a crab or something that just latched onto her hip without her noticing. She pats it with her palm once absently then looks up at me. "I don't have any." "Oh! That's unusual!" I laugh a bit cause that's just never happened before. "I don't think we've ever had a day when you didn't come to my hut with a satchel full of harakeke -- even when I didn't need any!" She glances at her satchel again. "It slipped my mind I guess." She says it so quiet I kind of don't think it's funny anymore. "Well, you were tired too, like I was saying," I say a little quieter too. "Anyway, that's not important, but I could sure use your help for some other things!" "What things?" she says quicker than before, looking up at me. That's better! "Well, that storm did a lot of damage!" Boy did it ever. "Mostly to the bridge, and that's a big problem cause we'll need to get across when Nokama gets back!" "Why's that?" "Well, because of the announcement of course!" She looks at me blank like her mask. She really doesn't keep up with things does she? That's Hahli though. "You haven't heard? Rumor has it that when the Turaga gets back she's going to make some sort of announcement! Some are saying..." "How do they know that?" That surprises me cause it's really not like Hahli to interrupt someone. Not that it's big, but it's really not like her. Lots of firsts today I guess! "Well, they're just rumors. People trying to figure out why she left for that meeting with the Turaga. And they think that when she gets back she's going to announce a Kolhii tournament! Isn't that exciting?" Not even a smile? I thought I'd get a smile at least. "Why a Koli tournament?" instead. "Kol-hii," I correct her. Well why would it be a Kolhii tournament? "Well that's... just cause Kolhii is so popular nowadays, and with Makuta gone and everything else it just seems like the time for a celebration right!" I smile at her especially, sure she'll appreciate that with all we've been through, and boy all that she's done defending Ga-Koro and all. And she does. There's a nice little Hahli smile like only she does it. That makes me smile more. "So yeah! Exciting huh? But we need to get the bridge fixed before Nokama gets back, or we'll miss the announcement!" She seems to hesitate before "Can't we just swim over?" I kind of pause at that cause it was just the sort of thing that hadn't occurred to me even though we live on a floating village after all. Leave it to Hahli. If she would just talk more than she could just think for me I know it. I'd be better off that way too! "Well yeah. If we have to." I laugh at myself a bit. "I guess I'd just as well use the bridge. There's a couple things wrong with it thanks to the storm." I've been waiting to tell her all this, just thinking what I'd say, but I still kind of look off like I'm thinking about it some more. "The hardest part will probably be fixing the counterweight. It got wrapped around the support pretty tight. I was thinking you could probably knock it loose if you borrowed my disc." I look at her again, smiling cause I know Hahli just loves to be of help to somebody and she hasn't hardly used a disc ever. "Why didn't you do that?" She said it so quick again like. Why didn't I. Well I was just waiting for her to get here that's all. Why didn't I. Just didn't occur to me because. Why didn't I. "While I was asleep" maybe sensing I was taking a few seconds to respond. She sounds a little nervous too. I smile, realizing I hadn't been. "Heheh. You know if I didn't have you to keep an eye on me I don't know what I'd do. I totally didn't think of that." She smiles. A bit. "Well, since you're here now you might as well.... And the second thing. I thought you might be able to help with this." I just wanted to tell her. "You see one of the shells on the wheel fell out somehow. I think you have one of those in your hut don't you?" I saw one in her hut once when I was over there just lying on the floor so I know the answer already. I just wanted to ask her. Brief pause "Yes." "Great! Then that's another problem fixed! If you do that then the bridge should work fine." "Okay." "Here." I dig out my disc which I must have carelessly tossed into my plant's leaves at some point. I hand it to her, smiling. "Remember, it'll come back if you miss the first time" kind of assuring her. She takes the disc with just the tips of her fingers. "Right." She kind of lingers for a moment looking around her. Then she turns around slowly and starts to walk away. Well of course she's still tired. Maybe I can get her going a little more. "And don't forget to get some harakeke as always!" I laugh a bit. "Guess you have a lot of chores to do today." I laugh. A bit. She turns to me suddenly and in such a way that inside I go Oh. I'm stuck on Oh for a while, just looking and being looked at like "Wonder what's going on in her head?" the both of us thinking. I would say, but something stops me. I would say, but I'm still stuck on Oh. "Yes" she says all sudden like the word just popped from the surface and no context to make it so, not even a word spoken between us before that one word. Just like that she turns around again like sweeping that whole moment and our conversation away with her motion, and I am left in the clean swept aftermath. I'm kind of looking after her even after she's gone. Now I feel kind of bad because now I really know she must feel really tired, turning around like that like turning over in bed, that sort of dismissal, because with Hahli that just isn't normal. And me pushing on her to do things like that will make her better, even though who wants to do chores when they're tired? No one. Now I feel kind of stupid. Wondering, couldn't I have just told her not to and go back to bed? Late for that. I'm stupid. How tired she seemed. I'm still looking after her. I turn away at last but my thoughts are resting on her, picking up the cowrie shell and moving it against the harakeke that isn't there in my other hand. Why didn't I do it myself. Funny question. Well I was just waiting for her and when you're waiting for something you can't hardly think of anything else. And anyway every moment I was sure she'd be here. I just wanted to tell her all the things I knew so that she would know and I would have had told her and so in that little bit of correspondence begun my day and her day and so fulfilled the rest of my day in her. I don't know. I just wanted to tell her. I couldn't go out and do it myself because Hahli is the one who goes out Hahli is the one who does things. I just wanted to tell her wanted her to be told. I don't know. I don't know. ~ ~ ~ ~

Pardon me, I completely forgot that I posted here. Don't see how, but okay. I never said it wouldn't, since I wasn't attempting to present a definite view of what the rep system will acomplish, and it is indeed plausible that the rep system will be beneficial in that respect. I was addressing the hypothetical scenario, presented in your post, of people "competing" for likes. I was trying to suggest that someone who wants to create something that can be appreciated is different from someone who wants to be appreciated -- and especially to be appreciated more than others -- and creates something as a means to that end. The latter type is what I picture when I hear the word "competition" and it is not something I personally consider desirable as a matter of principle. My point was that the attempt to appeal to the most people, if done solely for that reason, will be undergone with the least amount of effort thought necessary to accomplish that goal and to minimize risk -- operating under the assumption that the things that "most people" like already exist in forms they are familiar with, therefore attempting to appeal to "most people" means identifying and mimicking these preexisting forms. Thus less creative effort and less experimentation. To be clear, I'm not saying that widely appealing things in general are low effort. I am speaking strictly of what kind of content such an agenda might potentially produce. What I meant was that giving people motive to create "good" content will not necessarily increase the number of people actually capable of it or with the drive for it (the most important part, in my opinion). (Also, I looked and apparently the word "incentivize" doesn't exist as far as the dictionary is concerned. Woops. Pardon my lack of clarity.) But even just the way you put it there -- "will do whatever they can to get it" -- makes me cringe because I picture people who are ruthless or voracious in obtaining popularity. And furthermore "internet points" sounds like the basest goal anyone could have. "Come get your internet points! You know you want 'em!" Do I want such people to compose the creative stock of this forum? Not really, no -- bearing in mind that this is just what your words conjure up for me, not that I am suggesting this is your meaning. But perhaps you can understand where I'm coming from (and hopefully I am not arguing with myself this time).

Yes, it sure would be terrible if this turned into a competition for people to produce content that others will like. Truly a shame. You say that sarcastically, but how would that be in any way desirable? People will always exist who desire to create content that others can enjoy or appreciate, with or without a "rep" system, and that's where the really good stuff comes from; but a competition to create like-able content is a competition to create content that appeals to the widest assortment of people while expending the least amount of creative ingenuity or expressing only broadly accepted opinions. Now I'm not saying that's the sort of situation that a rep system will create, but if it is I personally won't be glad to see it happen. Incentivizing people to create "good" content will not necessarily cause more "good" content to appear.

@Taipu1: I certainly don't think much effort could have been put into making a consistent language, otherwise it would not borrow so blatantly from real languages. But finding connections between things that have no relationship to each other is part of the fun for me. So it's only really an exercise in futility if you're looking for a definitive explanation. :] As far as Kikanalo goes, it doesn't fit at all. :] That is, I don't have any idea what it could mean, so no way of knowing if it could be a "modifier" or just a word that happens to end in "lo," unlike the other cases where there is some context in which to judge. @Infrared: Thanks. :] I agree; especially in 2001, there are a lot of endings that are fun to try and assign meanings to. It's interesting how things start to seem to make sense after you've pieced them together. You bring up a good point, too. Another possibility is that words ending in a vowel other than "o" instead lose the final vowel to make room for the "-o." It could be a mixture of both, depending on if removing the final vowel would cause it to be confused with another word. The reason I suggest this -- I didn't remember this until after reading your post -- is that the word Matoran itself could contain a modifier: "mato," based on "mata." Matoran could mean something approximate to "people of the spirit." That would make sense, given their close association with Mata Nui. I like your idea for "kana." It does sound kind of like "plains" to me, and fits nicely with "Kikanalo." :] @Exitium: Is Tales of the Tohunga a non-canon source? I would assume it has at least some canonicity, considering the importance its plot has to the story. Hmm. The second assumption isn't required at all. Even if TLG did not set a specific standard for the language (and they almost certainly did not), within the story at least it is necessary to believe that the language makes sense in some way. You make a good point with those exceptions. I would suggest that, in the example Toa Metru, "metru" does not actually modify "toa"; rather it is used to categorize them, meaning something like "Toa of the variety 'metru'." Under that assumption, while there was only ever one group of "Toa Metru," any of the former Toa protecting Metru Nui (including the Toa Mangai) could possibly have been referred to as "Metrulo/Metro Toa." Sound plausible to you? And yes, they are coincidences. :] In the end they don't have any intrinsic meaning; nevertheless, from a story perspective, I think there is something to be gained from trying to find order in them. But like you said, there's no way to draw real conclusions. :]

Hello. It has been some time since I've posted anything on here. Recently I've been looking at the examples we have of the Matoran language and trying to come up with different rules and interpretations for them, since languages interest me. I've picked the one that I think has the most evidence going for it and will present it here (in two parts, for ease of reading) in the hope that someone will be interested in it. (There probably won't be.) 1. Establishing the theory To begin with, in the old Tales of the Tohunga GBA game (called Quest for the Toa following the Maori dispute), there are two special items that do not appear elsewhere: the Volo Lutu Launcher, and the Amana Volo Sphere. To determine the meaning of the Matoran words, we can abuse the fact that, in other cases like "Kanohi mask" and "Kanoka disk," the part of the term in English is at least partially a translation of the original Matoran. Therefore, "lutu" could mean "launcher" while "volo" is equivalent to "sphere." (The meaning of "amana" is not important for our purposes.) If Amana Volo means "amana sphere," then it stands to reason that Volo Lutu means "sphere launcher." This is an accurate if unspecific definition of the Volo Lutu, since it shoot a spherical projectile that acts essentially like a grappling hook. The fact that this makes sense appears to justify interpreting the Matoran words as we have. My question is: In Matoran, can you place two nouns together and have them modify each other, as you can in English with "sphere launcher"? Or is there a special form that words (in this case "volo") take in these situations? To answer this, let's look at another item introduced (I believe) in TotT: Madu Cabolo. A Madu fruit is essentially a coconut, while Madu Cabolo is an unripe Madu. The key feature of the Madu fruit is its explosive tendency, which seems to be fairly mild in its ripe state (Matoran used them for combat, but also for sport) but are quite volatile before it has ripened. Perhaps "cabolo" in this case is also a "modifier" word, since it marks the distinction between a regular Madu and an unripe one. For the sake of convenience we will assign it the meaning "explosive," which seems to me the most intuitive interpretation (and partially because it reminds me of "kaboom" :] ). Notice the similarity between the forms "volo" and "cabolo": they both end in "-lo." Assuming for the sake of this theory that this is not just a coincidence, perhaps this is the "special form" that designates a word as a modifier of another word? In that case, Madu Cabolo would be "explosive coconut," while Volo Lutu could be expressed as "launcher of a sphere." Is there a reason, then, why the word order between Volo Lutu and Amana Volo is different? If Volo Lutu is "launcher of a sphere," what would a hypothetical Lutu Volo be? Presumably, it would mean a "spherical launcher" -- a launcher that happens to have the shape of a sphere. Notice than an Amana Volo is an actual sphere, rather than something related to spheres. We don't know what "amana" means and the details are a bit too vague to hazard a guess; nevertheless, following this logic it means something like "spherical amana," in English expressed simply as "amana sphere." But then, why would "volo" be the modifier in this case, rather than "amana"? Couldn't an Amana Volo just as easily be described as "a sphere [with the properties] of amana"? Quite possible. But I would argue that the difference is that an Amana Volo is made of pure energy rather than a physical object imbued with energy. The emphasis is therefore on its spherical shape instead of on it being "a sphere," which implies (to my mind) something a bit more solid. So what I conclude from this analysis is that some words take on an ending, "-lo," when they modify another word, and that the way in which they modify the word depends on whether they precede or follow the word they modify. In this way "-lo" acts as a kind of mix (roughly speaking) between an adjectival and a genitive form. "Volo" and "cabolo," then, are actually the "-lo" forms of the lexemes "vo" and "cabo." We could also interpret the root words to be "vol" and "cabol," making the ending just "-o." I disfavor this because, to me, "vol" and "cabol" do not sound very fitting with the sound of (mainly 2001-style) Matoran; "cabol" in particular just sounds... off. 2. Looking for an application One thing we must notice is that both "vo" and "cabo" end in an "o" already even before "-lo" is added. So what if the ending is not strictly "-lo" but rather just "-o," with the "l" thrown in so as to keep it from blending in with the preexisting "o"? To determine this (and to hopefully give my theory a bit more credibility), we need another example! :] Let's look at the word "makoki," as in Makoki Stone(s). We know from official sources (or at least that's what BS01 says) that "makoki" means "key." Let's look at a couple more: "olmak" and "olisi." These are the names of two Kanohi with seemingly very different powers: Dimensional Gates and Alternate Futures. As we know, the Matoran names supposedly correspond in some way to the powers as described in English (but not, I would think, in a literal sense, which is crucial here). And we can easily see that "olmak" and "olisi" appear to share something in common: they both begin with "ol." Why is this? What is the relationship between these two powers? I think that the powers can conceivably be rephrased as "alternative futures" and "gates to alternative dimensions," or roughly "alternative gates." My reasoning here is that they both have something to do with things that are not strictly part of reality as people in one universe understand it -- one mask envisions a different course of events (past or future), the other actually allows access to a different dimension. I propose, then, that the part in both instances that corresponds to "alternate" and "dimensional" in English is the first syllable "ol-"; "mak" corresponds to "gates," and "isi" to "futures." The latter, "isi," is not important to us now; "mak," however, is. Compare "mak" with "makoki." Isn't it interesting and rather appropriate that the words for "gate" (in this theory at least) and "key" both contain "mak"? After all, a key needs a gate of some kind! My idea is that "mako," according to the previous suppositions, is the modifier form of "mak," meaning something like "of a gate." There is admittedly no real evidence to support this; my point is only that it fits well with the theory as it has been set out so far. Together with "volo" and "cabolo," I think it makes up something plausible. As for the "ki" at the end of "makoki," my interpretation is that it is essentially meaningless by itself -- it simply attaches itself to a word and creates a new (but related) meaning. For simplicity's sake we can say that it means "thing"; so a "makoki" would literally be "thing of (or to) a gate," which to a Matoran means "key" and can mean nothing else. But the specific meaning of "ki" is not really important to this discussion; "mako" is the part that is relevant here. In conclusion: "-o" is the ending that Matoran words (sometimes) take when they modify another word in some way; if the word already ends in "o," then the ending becomes "-lo" instead. Understand that I am not trying to prove anything. There is of course no real connection between any of these words except where one is perceived (or canonically stated). With that said, however, I think trying to figure out the Matoran language is an interesting exercise, and also can prove helpful in trying to come up with new words that have the impression of being consistent with canon. I hope I have come up with something feasible here. Maybe someone shares my enthusiasm...?

So recently I was thinking about the spheres that Teridax used to imprison the Matoran of Metru Nui, and a few questions popped up.Two effects of being in the spheres are known: the Matoran lost their memories, and their bodies degraded into smaller and weaker forms. Now I'm curious about why they lost their memories as well (unless it was simply a function Teridax put into the spheres), but mainly I wonder in what way their bodies must have degraded. I can accept that their organic parts would suffer from prolonged incapacitation, but how could their mechanical parts degrade? Considering that they're 85% mechanical by the estimates I've seen, that would account for 85% of their mass, so how could they shrink so drastically, or at all?Also, according to BS01, the Matoran only suffered these effects a while after being awoken from the spheres, not while they were actually in the spheres. Why is this?~QMark

There is a feeling for what the tone of the name should be, which then translates into actual sounds and letters. The "tone" is somewhat determined by the personality of the character I'm trying to give the name to, but perhaps only tangentially. I don't make many new characters, though. Tenki is a Matoran name I came up a long time ago and still like; it seems kind of quirky somehow, but at the same time fits nicely into the "sound" of Bionicle.Now, if I'm trying to come up with a name for a human character... forget about it.~QMark

That's kind of a blanket statement. Plenty of adults and teenagers feel shame. Actually, I would consider shame a much more adult concept. You can learn the difference between right and wrong as a child and still not feel bad about doing something wrong, simply because you haven't learned to associate "wrong" with "bad feeling" (I'm sure we've all observed this type of behavior from children at some point or another). Part of the parent's role is teaching by example the consequences of wrong behavior, whether through punishment or chastisement, so that the child acts according to those standards instinctively later in life. Shame is something you feel in response to the judgment -- or imagined judgment -- of other people, whether or not those people are present. By integrating moral standards through the lessons of your parents, and through associating their standards with those of your peers, that shame is something that is meant to guide you in adulthood.So there is cause to believe that both kids and teens/adults are capable of shameless actions, and also that even teens/adults that do shameless things (or outright awful things) do not do so simply because they lack the capacity of feel shame, but because their standards have been replaced or reinvented since childhood. (This is why there is all this concern about "bad influences" and "peer pressure" -- that the moral standards that should be under the sovereign control of the parents could be misaligned to other unqualified individuals.) Indeed. He was playing that there Dig Dug. No game that teaches children to blow up tomato creatures with an air pump can be a healthy influence.(Atari FTW)~QMark

Metru Nui had the Vahki, though, whose powers were specially geared towards making sure any dissidents were forced back to work. So it seems like it was at least a concern, whether or not that concern was strictly warranted (Dume seems like kind of a control freak, IMO), or whether they actually put that particular aspect of their function to use on a semi-regular basis (their introduction in 2004 certainly made it sound like they did... of course, that could be owed more to the many flaws in their programming than in anything inherently wrong among the Matoran population). Brilliant!~QMark

You may be interested in this topic over in General Discussion.Welcome back. ~QMark

The Girl From Ipanema, by Stan Getz & Joan Gilberto.One of those songs, you don't know where you heard it first.~QMark

It helps a bunch, Shadow Reaper, thanks!So it would appear that they were all about the same height after all, which simplifies things. (And casts a doubtful light on my memory. ) I'd probably consider TNG's weakened Toa idea, since it seems instinctively like a mental image would help to guide a being's growth more than it would a being's degeneration. Or it could be that Turaga all have a basic template like Matoran.~QMark

I remember there being a very brief shot of most of the Turaga, when Takanuva was being resurrected I think. I remember at the time taking note of the fact that Matau and Whenua were shorter than the others, although Nuju looked about normal; though I could be remembering wrong, as it was years ago that I last watched that movie. Might have to check on that. On the other hand, Dume did basically look the same as Vakama or Nokama.~QMark

@The ChangeThank you very much! I appreciate you saying that, as looking at different perspectives is something that concerns me when participating in these types of discussions. It's nice to know I'm actually getting a point across when I do that. On the other hand, if you heard me speak in real life you would find that I am one of the most clumsily worded people you could ever meet -- it helps being able to choose your words as carefully as you wish to, heheh. But thank you. ^_^I agree with you that most kids grow up. I too had some wonky ideas when I was younger, and I was stubborn about it as well. Getting older and working on putting things into perspective has certainly mellowed me out compared to the days when I would take an idea, no matter where I got it from, and run with it without actually getting anywhere. Although, the excitement of finding and incorporating a new concept is still there, and maybe (hopefully) always will be, since like you said we're always learning. I think, as I'm sure others have, that the quality of receiving everything like it's brand new is something else that defines the experience of childhood. Even though we mature and have much to gain by that process, we can never really have a fresh start again; so it's something to cherish, and treat seriously if you're a parent or teacher.~QMark

Well, there is the fact that Teridax attempted to get Lhikan to select the wrong Matoran to become Toa and thought he succeeded in this. So at least Teridax thought such a thing was possible. That could have been just his ego convincing him he could defy Destiny (and he didn't, in the end); but then again, Mata Nui and the Order went to great lengths to make sure the right Matoran were selected, so they seemed to be aware of the possibility. And it would make sense from a physiological perspective, since I don't see why Toa Energy would work the same way as EP and only affect destined individuals.On a related topic, any ideas how the transformation from Toa to Turaga is determined? I've never seen this discussed before. The mental image idea wouldn't seem to apply, since the Turaga the Toa Metru were the most familiar with was Turaga Dume, and yet they all transformed into forms with very different heights and head positions, at least if we go by the sets.~QMark

One of my problems with that video is that her dad makes a big deal out of how tough he had it, yet what should that matter? How is it up to comparison how hard she has it? That seems unfair to me. If she thinks she has to do too much, isn't that something he ought to have taught her about instead of making what amount to excuses, and furthermore talking down to her about what must seem to be very real issues in her mind? And if she's acting so badly, she's obviously had it too easy -- he himself appears to admit to this -- so whose fault is that? If he knew what it was like to have to do and take more as a kid, why didn't he apply those lessons to her better? And does he mean to imply that he didn't put up a fuss as a kid himself with all the extra stuff he had to deal with?What irks me is that he treated this as a time to punish and ridicule instead of chastise and instruct her. From what I got out of that letter, she seemed more frustrated than just disrespectful for the heck of it -- suffering from ignorance rather than stupidity alone. I find it difficult to believe that her worldview could be so disparate from his if he had actually related to her on a meaningful level, or if she was only bothered by chores. There's a serious disconnection going on between the two of them. This is all basically conjecture, due to the fact that I can't directly know the context of the situation; but it's supported by the fact that he went for putting on a show and making a public spectacle (humiliating her in the process, which I don't approve of in any case) instead of facing her head on. That's a cowardly approach.It's just that I'm a bit skeptical of the "bratty teen" stereotype (that a large number of people commenting elsewhere on the video seem to readily call to attention) wherein the parents (who as part of another stereotype are innocent but overwhelmed) are the only ones capable of rationality and the teen is disruptive and unreasonable just because it's in their nature. Who would want to be that angry or hateful about anything? Although I never acted up much with my parents (none of us did, except when we were just really annoyed about something, but that wasn't usually directed back at them), I know what it's like to feel the constraints of your own worldview closing in on you. Everything seems much bigger than it actually is, and sometimes you try to cope with it in bad ways -- the parent, as a sentinel of the outside world, is the natural and instinctive target. But it's the parents' job to monitor the development and healthiness of that worldview and of their child. The dad failed at that. That's my opinion on it, ill-informed as it is.(God help me if I ever become a father...)~QMark

Perhaps one thing to be considered is the universality of the hero. It seems like the heroes that Matoran/Toa honor by wearing their masks are ones that they hold a special respect for, even if others respect them to a certain extent, rather than someone such as Mata Nui who would be held in equal esteem by a large number of Matoran. For instance, while all the Matoran surely respect and honor all of the Toa Nuva, a Matoran might still feel particularly drawn to a certain Toa's attributes, tactics or heroic deeds; with Mata Nui, however, the traits that one Matoran respects will be the ones everyone else respects. So the act of honoring him in such a way would have a different significance to it, and it could be that Matoran might feel that such people are in a position be honored equally among everyone rather than in a personal and yet public manner -- more inappropriate than straight up arrogant.Then again, a Ta-Matoran wearing a Hau could have the same problem, since all Ta-Matoran (at least from Mata Nui) probably feel the same pride for Tahu. You wouldn't be making a "point" or a statement by wearing such a mask -- you would be the one person stating what everyone else is already thinking. Then there would be the matter that not everyone can wear a Hau, so what would be your personal motivation or right to wear one as opposed to everyone else? (Perhaps if you were personally saved by him on a special occasion, or if he taught you something individually...) On the other hand, a Matoran from another class or region wearing a Hau to honor Tahu would probably be received quite well if they went amongst Ta-Matoran, since that would be a "unique" honor.And in a way, since Matoran cannot hold every hero dear in their minds at once, wearing the mask of a hero is like a reminder of that hero, a nod to their existence (especially if the hero is passed on or long absent). So wearing an Ignika would be like saying, "Hey, remember to honor Mata Nui... you know, the giant robot that sustained our existence for thousands of years inside of him and then saved an entire planet from destruction" -- it's kind of obvious, especially since the Matoran were busy honoring him in their daily work during all that time and will undoubtedly retain the Virtues that they still associate with him. I would imagine Matoran might perceive that as presumptive or simply foolish of the Matoran wearing the mask.The same might be said of someone like Dume, at least when he was the only Turaga in charge -- it would be like saying, "I'm honoring the leader of our entire city," when such things would be implicit among the Matoran population in their daily lives, as they all lived under his rule. On the other hand, wearing an Ignika to honor the Ignika would be different, since you yourself pointed out that not many people are personally aware of him. That's how I would look at it, anyway. ~QMark

Never finished The Lord of the Rings, but I've read The Hobbit at least three times by now. But each time, I can never remember anything about it afterwards... it's all a bit blurry. I was probably too young. It is a good book, though.Who knows, I might try my hand at this.~QMark

Are they skeptical? There's a difference between being inquisitive and skeptical, after all. I haven't been around many kids in my life, so I don't know how skeptical they usually are. It would strike me as odd if they were, seeing as they're still in a phase where they need to learn from the people around them, and since skepticism seems to require a prior reality bias to judge things against, which a child wouldn't have fully developed yet.Skepticism seems like a learned trait/skill rather than something inherent in everybody... you don't need to be skeptical to not be gullible enough to think the Earth is flat, for example. But I think plenty of people would take a stated fact at face value, if they didn't have prior knowledge and if the stated fact was within a certain degree of ridiculousness. That's how urban myths and pseudo-science facts get around, isn't it? Interestingly, I would say that's exactly what the human mind does, but in a different sense. Of course, we don't go through life agreeing with everything we are taught or believing everything we are told. But even if you don't agree with it, that information still goes into your mind somewhere. Everything is an influence -- it's not like your mind can be on constant surveillance against every tiny influence or tidbit of information either -- but not everything is influential. Drawing the line between the two is where the controversy lies. But to say that the outside world (as opposed to the inside world, I guess??) "affects" you is an understatement to say the least. That's one of the really nice things about being teenage. ~QMark

That's quite a specific meaning to be derived from such vague wording. It's almost as if you're not the same person who wrote that... I don't really get that, actually. Far more important would be helping them to comprehend the world around them in the present -- understanding life in the now. Not only would that fit them to face up to today's standards, that would put them in the position of being able to use their understanding to question those standards at their leisure (well, when they're older maybe). And teaching them about the past can be a useful tool to achieve those ends (as another contrasting facet of life), but I don't see there being any past standards that kids really need to be judged against. Kids should be taught to form their own standards as individuals. Becoming the sort of person who uses memes all day. Excessive much? I'm not even sure if there was a point in there somewhere. ~QMark

The difference being what? If a Matoran Mask of Life was created, what would make it a Mask of Life if it has no powers?Seemingly, the only reason Matoran masks turn into Great Kanohi upon Toa transformation is that the Disks used to create them give them a certain unique make-up, even if they don't leave the masks any powers. In that sense they have "powers", or the signature characteristics that determine they are one type of mask over another. So just making a powerless mask and calling it a Matoran Mask of Life wouldn't make it so unless it was in its make-up, which would require fashioning it from something with that power, either a Disk or (dubiously) some other power source. Is it, though? Taking for granted that such Disks could be fashioned, only low level Disks can be used to create Matoran masks (according to BS01, the power "drains" from the Disk through the forging process -- something that presumably doesn't happen with higher level Disks). Evidently, if Noble or Great Kanohi are too weak, a low level Disk would be incapable of containing the power of Life as well.~QMark

That really depends on your definition of "work out", and what you are referring to by "things"...~QMark

Writing about a character with some mix between the two would be the most interesting for me... which isn't necessarily the same thing as being neutral.But there's a lot more to a character than whether they are good or evil... being purely an archetype of either would be boring. edit: So far the vote is tied 5-5 between evil and neutral. No surprise there. Why do we have good characters again? ~QMark

Not so much a neutral zone as a battleground, I would say. ;)It's interesting what you've said about the Disk Matoran, because hearing you praise their portrayal makes me want to get new copies of those books and read them over again. I too find their more or less flawed but all the more human personalities interesting -- Vhisola especially is a character I would have liked to have seen more of (jealousy is an exceedingly rare trait in the BIONICLE universe), as well as Ahkmou and, along the same lines, Vultraz. Basically the "darker" (though not necessarily the "evil") side of characters is the side I'm most drawn to, I guess you could say.Tren Krom is a character I would have liked to learn more about, mostly because a lot of his facets are things taken for granted that could be more fully explored. For instance, in what way did he feel protective of the MU, and how did that apply to the MU inhabitants? How much of it was possessiveness, and how much of it was a genus of love; and again, how did that apply to the MU inhabitants?I'm a bit skeptical about the merits of character development as a conscious process. I think a lot can be demonstrated and learned about a given character simply through their everyday actions and attitudes (which it seems to me would show their motivations, opinions, etc. just as much as anything), rather than some extraordinary circumstance that forces them to come to an unusual decision or personal alteration. The reason I say that is that character development too often is an artificial process. In my opinion, the character should be explored as they are in their normal environment, or as a natural progression, rather than "placing them" in a peculiar situation. A lot of more subtle development can be achieved that way, if you're a really good writer.But then, if a peculiar situation arises more or less naturally (for example, Tren Krom being "stripped" of his universe again upon the MU shutting down -- a wasted opportunity indeed), then you're right about its merits. And all that being said, you're right about the characters needing more definition.~QMark