TuragaNuva

You can't actually enter by just retweeting that tweet: you have to reply to the tweet with a guess, just like on Facebook.

EDIT: today, August 10th 2021, I've finally come back and posted some small revisions to this story based on the feedback I received. Call it a little 810NICLE Day celebration. Hey, so re-reading some of the Bionicle story, I remembered that the way the fight between the Toa Mata and the Shadow Toa went down in Chronicles #1 (Tale of the Toa) isn't officially canon. At least according to Greg Farshtey, that fight really ended with the Mata realizing that the shadow was a part of themselves, and they reabsorbed the Shadow Toa into their own bodies. With that in mind, I've written this: an alternate version of chapter 16 of Tale of the Toa, based on Greg's short description of the canon version of the fight. I've included the very beginning and end of the chapter, even though they're unchanged, to give some context (for those of you who have access to Tale of the Toa, I recommend re-reading the end of chapter 14, and all of chapter 15, before this if you want the full fight). The text between the horizontal lines is what I wrote. Also, just a note: this references some events from MNOG which were not recounted in Tale of the Toa. I don't think this has been done before, but let me know if it has! I'd be interested to see how others pictured this happening (though I'll be a bit embarrassed if I find out there's actually a canon, fully-written version of this fight somewhere that I wasn't aware of. EDIT: ha, there is, from the Bionicle Style Guide. Oh well ). Anyway, without further ado: 16 Kopaka hit the ground hard as the quake rumbled beneath him. His enemy was on him in a flash. He managed to block the blow with his shield and then swing his ice blade upward. If he could just aim... SKREEEEEEEK! Kopaka smiled as he saw that his enemy was frozen in place. Kopaka sent the frozen enemy skittering across the ice until it smashed into the cavern wall. The creature shattered into hundreds of icy shards. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Suddenly, the shards began spinning through the air towards Kopaka. After just barely managing to block them with his sword and shield, the Toa of Ice looked up to see the icicles merge back into the form of his shadowy double. “Looks like we're even, Kopaka. You shattered me, and I've shattered your aspirations of victory.” Nearby, Lewa wasn’t faring any better, despite having quickly recovered from the quake. His doppelganger danced around him, impossible to strike. “Come now, Toa of Air,” said the shadowy being, continuing to evade Lewa’s every blow. “This isn’t really what you want. I know how much you enjoyed your time on the side of darkness.” “You lie!” said Lewa, wildly swinging his axe to no avail. The shadow Lewa looked into his eyes, a sickly smirk just barely visible on its face. “I wonder, what would your friends think if they knew what we know about your time with that mask?” Lewa’s expression was grim. Of the other Toa, only Onua knew about his time under the control of one of Makuta’s infected Kanohi. But that’s just it, Lewa thought. While I was under its influence, it didn’t feel like I was being controlled -- rather that I had just given in to my deepest darkthoughts. Lewa stared into the glowing, malevolent eyes of his mirror image. Could it be true...? Is this... what I truly am...? Tahu’s rage was beginning to boil over. His foe refused to yield to even his most powerful blasts of flame, and continued to goad him. “Yes, that’s it. Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted, Tahu? To let loose, to destroy?” The shadow Tahu ducked deftly under a fireball, deflecting another with its sword. “You are fire unleashed, Tahu. You have no reason to help these pathetic ‘teammates,’ or the useless Matoran. Your power is beyond all that. Give in... give in to the flame.” Tahu simply growled in response, unleashing a massive wall of fire. Gali was caught off-guard by the sudden heat behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Tahu had created a wave of fire that had just barely missed her. Before she could say anything, her double was on top of her again, catching her arms in its hooks. A quick burst of water freed her from its grasp, but didn’t slow it down at all. Twin pairs of hooks met in the air, each pushing hard against the other. The shadow Gali’s face leaned in close. “Come now, Gali,” it said, in a sickly-sweet voice. “We both know you’re limiting yourself by working with these idiots.” The doppelganger suddenly spun, catching both of Gali’s hooks in one of its own. It gestured with the other at the rest of the Toa. “They all think with their muscles, not their brains. You’re the only one here with any wisdom.” Gali pulled free and moved to strike, but hesitated: she didn’t want to acknowledge it, but deep down, she had thought the same things this evil duplicate was saying. She suddenly shook her head. “You’re wrong. Tahu and Kopaka can be a bit headstrong, but--” “But what? You’ve seen into two of their minds, Gali. Think back to your time as Wairuha: from whose mind do you think that being’s wisdom was drawn? Kopaka? Lewa?” The shadow’s laugh was like the bubbling of a fetid swamp. “These others are beneath you, Gali. Not only that: their rash behavior is a danger to the island, and its people. You are the only one fit to save Mata Nui.” Gali was frozen in place, conflicting emotions tearing at each other inside her mind. How did this imitation seem to know so much about her deepest, innermost thoughts and fears? Suddenly, she heard Pohatu’s voice, shouting over the noise of rocks hitting the ground around him: “I don’t understand! How did Makuta create beings just as powerful as we are?” “Indeed,” Onua shouted back as he attempted to raise a wall of earth between himself and his foe. “Why would Makuta need to enslave the Rahi if he were capable of creating beings this powerful from thin air?” Gali considered what the others were saying, still grappling with her double. Onua and Pohatu had a point - Makuta would certainly have made an army of these beings long ago if he could, and menaced the island with them. He must have needed something in order to create them... but the only things new to the island in recent days were... Us, Gali thought, as her eyes lit up. “That’s it!” she yelled. She stepped toward her doppelganger, who she could’ve sworn looked almost... nervous. “Makuta could not have created these shadow Toa from nothing. And he didn’t: he created them from us.” “What are you talking about?” said Tahu angrily, his whole body now aglow with flame as he continued his fruitless assault against his foe. “These enemies know everything about our darkest thoughts, fears, and desires,” continued Gali, still moving toward her own, now slowly retreating, counterpart. “Because that is what they are.” Suddenly, Gali leapt forward. Before the shadow Gali could escape, the Toa of Water wrapped her arms around it, and then -- to the other Toa’s astonishment -- it began to fade, melding into Gali’s body. She stood very still for a moment, then turned and looked up. “Fellow Toa! Just as much as light is a part of us, so is shadow. These beings are nothing but a part of our very selves -- and one that we already overcome every day.” Kopaka, Pohatu, and Onua nodded with understanding, and began calmly walking toward their own copies. Tahu glared at his for a moment, then lowered his sword and did the same. All embraced their shadowy counterparts, and Gali watched, relieved, as they re-absorbed their own shadows back into themselves. Suddenly, she realized one was missing. Looking around, she saw Lewa in a far corner of the cavern, on his knees before a grinning shadow Lewa. “Lewa!” she shouted, running toward him. “It is nothing more than a part of you! You are strong enough to overcome it!” “No, I’m not,” muttered Lewa. “I wasn’t heartstrong enough before, and I’m not now. I can’t fight the deep-darkness...” “He’s true-right,” cackled the shadow Lewa. “The darkness was tough-stronger than him before, and it’s tough-stronger than him now.” “What are you talking about, monster?” demanded Tahu. The shadow laughed again, sounding like dead branches snapping. “Oh, just the span-time your ‘teammate’ here spent enslaving his own tree-people.” It looked toward the Toa of Earth. “I’m sure Onua could speak-tell you all about it.” The other Toa all looked at Onua, a mixture of confusion and concern on their faces. He sighed, then explained: “Lewa was forced to wear an infected mask -- like those Makuta used to control the Rahi.” The shadow Lewa grinned as Onua continued. “Makuta used Lewa to make the Le-Matoran do his bidding. I had to save Lewa by knocking the mask off of him” The Toa of Earth suddenly glared at Lewa’s double. “But he did not do those things of his own volition! He was under Makuta’s control!” The grin on the doppelganger’s face did not falter. “Maybe it appeared that way from the outside, Onua. But inside, Lewa here was simply acting on his own dark desires. He can feel it in his heart.” “He’s true-right,” said Lewa, still kneeling on the ground, sounding utterly defeated. “I’m not strong enough to fight my own soul-darkness.” He looked back up at his shadow. “This is what I am. And I can’t do anything to halt-stop it.” “Yes, you can,” said Onua, putting a hand on Lewa’s shoulder. “I heard you when you wore the infected mask. You said that your mind, your body, was not your own: even then, you were fighting the shadow. And you are stronger now. Stronger than you admit.” The Toa had now gathered in a semi-circle around Lewa, facing his duplicate. The dark Lewa’s grin wavered for a moment. “They know nothing about what you’re true-capable of, Lewa. They barely know you. They’ve barely seen you quick-fight.” “We don’t need to have seen you fight to know how strong your heart is, Lewa,” said Pohatu. “You’re more than this darkness.” The shadow Lewa now looked slightly nervous. “I don’t watch-see your ‘friends’ trying to help you halt-stop me, Lewa. They’re just still-standing there, waiting for you to fail!” “This is something only you can do, Lewa,” said Gali. “We cannot fight this evil for you. But I believe that you can do it on your own.” Lewa lifted his head, looking around at his companions. He then closed his eyes, thinking of all the Matoran who were depending on him. Slowly, he rose to his feet, then opened his eyes, staring directly at those of his mirror image. Their eyes locked, and for a moment that felt like an eternity, they stood, unmoving. Suddenly, the Toa of Air dropped his axe, stepped forward, and embraced his shadow. As it slowly disappeared into his body, he staggered forward, but remained standing. He looked toward the other Toa, and a small smile appeared on his face. “It’s over-finished. We’ve succeeded.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once again, the cave was nearly silent. The Toa stood there for a long moment, staring at one another. Then, as a group, they collapsed wearily to the ground. After catching his breath, Tahu sat up and glanced at Onua, who was watching the others thoughtfully. “What do you think, brother?” he asked the Earth Toa. Onua smiled, though there was a hint of weariness in his eyes. “I think,” he said, “that we have won an important battle, and of that we can be proud. But there is more to come.” Tahu nodded, his grin fading as he gripped his fire sword more tightly. Yes, Onua was right. He could feel it, burning in his mind like a half-remembered dream. There was much more to come. END ...and that's it! I'd really appreciate it if you take a minute to leave some feedback. Thanks!

Nice! Will you be compiling them into a physical book or are you keeping it as just a word file? If the former, I would very much like to see it. Currently I'm just making it as a Word file, but I would love to make it into a physical book. Honestly, I'm just not sure how to go about doing that

Dang, didn't see this until today (was expecting it to get front-paged). I do like both suggested color schemes, though.

“Tell me another of the stories about them.” The being standing nearby looked up from his work. “Another? But I’ve told you already of all their greatest accomplishments” The shorter being nodded. “I... want to know more. Not just the big things, but the small things too.” The taller being chuckled, and set down his tools. “Very well, then. Here is a story, not of the heroes appearing from the sky or saving the world, but simply... an adventure.” * * * It’s good being the Master of Jungle, Lewa thought as he soared through the forest. Especially when I have some time to myself. It’s not that I don’t like my Toa brothers and sister, but they can be a bit... grating. But here, it’s quiet, peaceful-- Seemingly out of nowhere, he spotted a villager kneeling on the ground, their back to him. Are they injured? Why are they this far from the villages? Lewa slowed down, then bounced off of a tree, flipping through the air to land just behind the villager. “Hello, little one! And what seems to be the ma-AAH!” The villager had whipped around, revealing the Skull Spider latched to her face. Having regained his composure, Lewa expertly dodged and weaved between her blows as she lashed out at him. “Now now, little one,” he said, jumping over a clumsily-thrown punch, “it looks like you’ve got a little something on your face. Right aboouuut... there!” Lewa battered the Skull Spider’s legs with a flurry of leaves, loosening their grip. In one deft movement, he leapt forward, grabbed the spider, and pulled it off of the villager’s face, flipping over her head and landing behind her. “There we go,” the Master of Jungle said, grinning. “Now, let’s get you back to the--” Without warning, various creatures sprung from the surrounding foliage, all bearing Skull Spiders on their faces. Caught off-guard, Lewa’s grip on the Skull Spider in his hand loosened, and it leapt for his face. Elsewhere, Tahu and Kopaka were sparring at the crest of a hill. “You’ll never take down Makuta like that,” Kopaka said, casually deflecting Tahu’s blade. “You have to strike -- unexpectedly!” He suddenly thrust his frost spear at Tahu, who just barely blocked it. The Master of Fire’s eyes narrowed. “You may have to resort to such tactics, brother,” he said, flames appearing around his swords, “but fire has no need for subtlety!” With that, he unleashed a burst of flame in Kopaka’s direction. Taken off guard by the ferocity of Tahu’s attack, Kopaka instinctively threw up his frost shield, blocking the fireblast. “What was that about?!” Kopaka exclaimed, repaying the Toa of Fire with a blast of frost. Tahu shook off the ice. “Just reminding you who is the leader of this team!” he replied angrily, as his swords began to glow red-hot. From the sidelines, Gali leapt up and ran toward the fight. “Stop!” she shouted. “We can’t allow ourselves to fall into infighting like this. We will have to work together to defeat the Makuta.” Tahu glared in her direction. “I appreciate your sentiment, Gali. But once Ekimu has finished making my improved armor and mask, I will surely be powerful enough to handle Makuta on my own.” “Ekimu is making new armor for all of us, Tahu,” Gali replied, frustrated. “We will all be needed when the time comes. You need to learn to trust in your teammates’ strength.” Tahu scoffed, glancing back at Kopaka. “The only strength I trust in is my own. I will go train by myself.” Before Gali or Kopaka could respond, Tahu stormed away. “Kopaka, surely you see the importance of us all working together?” Gali asked “I do, sister. But I believe I need some time to myself as well.” He split his shield into skis, and slid down the hillside opposite the direction Tahu had gone. Gali sighed. My team is made up of the strongest warriors of all time. If only our predetermined leader could see that-- She suddenly heard a noise from the trees behind her. Turning, she said “Lewa? Are you back from your--” She suddenly heard the Master of Jungle’s voice: “Run, Gali!” “Wha--?” Before she could respond, a tangle of vines suddenly wrapped around her head, cutting off air from her lungs. Her attempt to scream only succeeded in using up the last of her air, and she collapsed, unconscious. The last thing she saw was a Skull Spider, inches from her face... Kopaka was deep in thought as he skied across the hills leading to the Region of Ice. Tahu doesn’t even believe the rest of us to be as strong as him, yet Ekimu says that hothead is meant to be our leader. I just don’t understand... So lost in thought was the Master of Ice, he didn’t see the rock in his path, which sent him tumbling off of his skis, dropping his spear as well. Grumbling, he looked up, only to see the other thing his thoughts had distracted him from: a cascade of water, rolling down the hill towards him. Thinking quickly, he tried to freeze the water. But even with his Gold Mask of Ice, without his tools in hand, his power was not concentrated enough to freeze the entire wave. The water hit him hard, knocking the wind out of him. Reflexively trying to catch his breath, he got a lungful of water. As he started to pass out, he thought he heard... Is that Gali’s voice? She sounds... distressed... in... trouble... He lost consciousness as the water flowed off of him, and something hard covered his face... Pohatu and Onua had left earlier, to practice using their elemental powers in unison. Onua had suggested, since their elements were similar in nature, that it might be beneficial to try using them together. Pohatu had begrudgingly agreed. Their attempts had been fruitless for a while, but they had finally managed to lift a large block of mixed earth and rock above their heads, standing side by side. “Alright,” Pohatu said, teeth gritted. “Not bad. Let’s see if we can-- do you feel that?” The Master of Stone felt suddenly cold. Looking up, he saw the cause: the block they were holding was freezing over! Before he could voice a warning to Onua, focused blasts of water and greenery hit the frozen block, shattering it into large chunks. Having lost their concentration, the Toa of Earth and Stone were buried in the rubble. Both struggled to get free as they watched Lewa and Kopaka approach, wearing and carrying Skull Spiders. Pohatu thought he heard them apologize as the world went black. Tahu was in a remote area of the Region of Fire, frustratedly throwing flames around. Why does Ekimu insist on me working with this team? Once I have the new armor he’s building, I’ll be strong enough to take down anyone! Suddenly, he heard a sound. It’s distant, but I hear... shouts? What is going on? He climbed to the top of a nearby volcanic rock, and looked around. There! The other Toa, coming this way. But... why are they yelling? And what’s wrong with their ma-- Realizing what had happened to his fellow Toa, Tahu thought quickly. I don’t want to hurt them, but I need to keep them away from me... Spying a nearby pool of lava, he merged his twin swords into a surfboard, throwing it into the lava and jumping aboard. None of them will be able to approach me here, at least not quickly, he thought. And amid all this heat, I should have the advantage. The other Toa, moving faster than Tahu had realized, had almost arrived at his location. The Skull Spiders latched to their faces glared menacingly at him, almost masking the terrified expressions of the hosts underneath. Tahu focused, pulling in the ambient heat in the environment, and creating a wall of fire around himself. “I don’t want to hurt the other Toa,” he shouted, “but I will do everything I can to destroy you, spiders.” Within minutes, the fight was not going as well as Tahu had hoped. The heat and lava did give him a notable advantage, but the powers of the other Toa were quickly overwhelming his shield of fire. He could feel his movements slowing, as he tired from holding up the defensive flames. A blast of ice made it past his defenses, followed by several more elemental attacks. Before long, he collapsed on his surfboard, as what remained of his wall of flame collapsed. A long vine wrapped around him, dragging him and the board to the edge of the lava. Tahu looked up at his fellow Toa, trying desperately to think of a plan-- when he noticed something. The movements of the Toa weren’t smooth; they were stiff, as if their limbs didn’t want to move. It-- it can’t be! They’re not fully controlled: they’re fighting back! Pohatu approached, holding out a sixth Skull Spider toward Tahu. “STOP, Pohatu!” Tahu said firmly. “I can see you fighting. I know you. I...” He hesitated, then sighed. “I know you’re strong enough to break out of this.” Pohatu kept walking forward, then hesitated. His legs began to shake slightly, seemingly trying to step backward and forward at the same time. “You can do this, Pohatu!” Tahu continued. Pohatu’s fingers began to loosen on the Skull Spider in his hands. Seeing this, the other Toa began to move in, preparing to restrain Pohatu and Tahu. The Toa of Fire looked around at them. “Come on!” He shouted. “If Ekimu was right, and you all are meant to be my team, the heroes that will save Okoto, then you’re stronger than this!” The other Toa slowed, but continued their approach. Tahu sighed, and, gritting his teeth, proclaimed: “I was wrong!” The approaching Toa hesitated. “I was... wrong. To say that I was stronger than the rest of you.” Tahu continued. “You all have proven yourselves to be the strongest warriors there are. I just refused to accept it-- to admit it to myself. You all are more than strong enough to overcome this. I know, because I have witnessed your strength firsthand.” Tahu, a confident expression now on his face, stood up and walked toward Pohatu, who was still grasping the Skull Spider meant for the Master of Fire. “I will take this,” Tahu said, taking the spider from Pohatu’s loosened grip. “Now you deal with that.” Tahu pointed to the spider on Pohatu’s face. Slowly, Pohatu’s hands reached upward. As they did so, Tahu looked around, seeing the other Toa moving similarly. The spiders hissed and gnashed their mandibles in unison, tightening their grip in a desperate effort to regain control. “It’s over,” Tahu said to them, a rare smile appearing on his face. One by one, each of the Toa grasped their Skull Spider, and ripped it from their face, then collapsing to their knees. Tahu gathered the removed spiders, tossing them into the lava, then looked back at his companions. Gali looked up at him, a weary smile on her face. “Thank you, Tahu. For believing in your team” Tahu suddenly looked a bit flustered. “Well, you know, I... had to say whatever it took to get those spiders off of you all. Of course, I’m still the strongest Toa.” The others looked back at him, a mixture of affection and annoyance on their faces. “But... maybe you all are closer to me than I thought.” Lewa chuckled, and Onua laughed in response, followed by Gali and Kopaka. Pohatu even smiled. “Come on,” Gali said, climbing to her feet. “We need to see Ekimu. He should have our new Uniter armor finished by now!” And with that, the team went on their way-- a little closer than they were before. * * * The smaller being looked up in awe. “They really were fantastic, weren’t they? Could... could they really have existed? Or are they just a legend?” “We may never know for sure. But, real or not, their legend will live on, Takua.” The larger being gestured to 6 slabs, each bearing a masked warrior in brightly-colored armor. “Will these new Toa be as amazing as the ones in the stories, Velika?” The Great Being paused, looking at the slabs. “Yes, I think so. One day.” He gestured upward. “After all, they will have the stars of their namesakes to guide them along the way.” A sudden whirring sound, like machinery starting up, startled Velika. “Goodness, how the time flies. It looks like it’s time for us to say goodbye, Takua.” “But why? What’s happening?” Velika looked, somewhat sadly, at the Matoran. “Don’t worry, young one.” He placed his hand gently over Takua’s face. “Just sleep. Sleep... and forget.” As Takua’s body went limp, Velika could feel the Matoran’s memories, his very self, fading away. The process was almost complete, when, suddenly, he pulled his hand away. “The others believe all of you to be nothing more than drones, Takua” he said to his unconscious companion. “But I know better. I cannot allow my handiwork to be noticed by them yet, so I have wiped away most of it. But I will leave you with one thing, the strongest part of who you are: your love for the heroism of the Toa.” He glanced back over at the six warriors, energy beginning to pulse through their slabs to activate them. Then his gaze went back to Takua. “Maybe one day, you could even... well, we’ll see.” Velika then teleported the Matoran to its workplace in the robot’s heart. He walked over to the slabs, thinking about the subtle changes he’d made to the minds of so many inhabitants of this world. Given time, the seeds he had planted would develop into full personalities... consciousnesses. “The others would say I’ve ruined the entire project,” he said to himself. “But without emotion, without thought, these Toa could never reach the potential of the legendary Masters of the elements. This is the only way Mata Nui will achieve his destiny.” With one last look toward the future heroes, the Great Being vanished from the room. As the Toa Mata’s eyes opened for the first time, Velika smiled.

Is it okay for our entry picture to be a collage of multiple photos (all of the same MOC, of course)?

Nope, the backend system would be able to handle that just fine! Awesome. Thanks! This topic can be closed.

Is there any problem with me buying more tickets in a Raffle I've already entered? I'm assuming not, but figured I'd ask. Didn't know if there being 2 transactions under my username would create confusion as to how many entries I have.

#3

Yes, I'm making the PDFs from Word files. If you're interested I will upload them too. If it isn't a secret what is your project?. That would be great! I'm trying to compile all of the Bionicle books and serials into one, continuous story, in the appropriate reading order. As part of that, I want to be able to change the formatting of everything to match (and make more text fit on each page, so the page count isn't too enormous). For the books from 2007-onward, I also want to splice serial chapters into the books where appropriate (since, for example, the events of Into the Darkness are concurrent with Legends #7 and #8).

Thanks so much for making these! I'd wanted to do this myself for a while, actually, but never got around to doing it. Would it be possible (and not too difficult) for you to upload these as Word doc files as well? I'd like to be able to reformat the text a little for a personal project. I can just feed them through a PDF to .docx converter, but I figured if you're converting these to PDF from Word, maybe you could just upload the Word files.

I was also unsure about participating, since I recently found a K-2SO on clearance at a Walgreen's ($13!), so I have 2 of him now. But I love so many of the parts in this set that I'm totally down for more.

Ooh, I really hope Voltron happens. Hopefully they can work out a favorable licensing agreement (which I assume they're looking into, which is the reason that the project is currently a Maybe). I wonder if the final set would be more close in style to the original Voltron, or the new Netflix series.

... In the USA. Maybe. Is everyone still ignoring the fact that there is no way a product line that is getting discontinued in the next year would be getting its own dedicated magazine in one of the biggest markets for said product? The German Bionicle magazine is all the proof anyone needs Bionicle is in fact doing well in Europe - as many fans, including myself, have reported many times now, Maybe Lego is just pulling the plug on North American distribution. Seeing as the Chima CCBS sets never made it overseas, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility. Sorry, I was just referring to North America, but clearly forgot to specify that. From what I've heard, Bionicle appears to be doing fine in Europe, especially with the new magazine. Bionicle becoming a retailer-exclusive in NA, or simply getting pulled from NA, doesn't seem that unlikely to me. Apologies if I came across as a tad harsh You're fine, man! I should've been more clear. Sorry if I came off overly defensive

... In the USA. Maybe. Is everyone still ignoring the fact that there is no way a product line that is getting discontinued in the next year would be getting its own dedicated magazine in one of the biggest markets for said product? The German Bionicle magazine is all the proof anyone needs Bionicle is in fact doing well in Europe - as many fans, including myself, have reported many times now, Maybe Lego is just pulling the plug on North American distribution. Seeing as the Chima CCBS sets never made it overseas, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility. Sorry, I was just referring to North America, but clearly forgot to specify that. From what I've heard, Bionicle appears to be doing fine in Europe, especially with the new magazine. Bionicle becoming a retailer-exclusive in NA, or simply getting pulled from NA, doesn't seem that unlikely to me. I don't think info from a handful of stores in one town is enough to draw any conclusion about a 7 billion planet, or even a 400 million nation. Even if coupled with the handful of other pessimistic reports, it is just too small of a statistic sample to represent the global, or even nationwide trends of the LEGO company. Additionally, there are also several positive reports, which shed even more doubt on the exclusively pessimistic scenario. I've been working as a telephonic surveyor and to make a survey conclusive we always needed hundreds of surveyed customers of each bank, each insurance company or each internet provider and we are talking about a mere 5 million nation here. To reach a conclusion about the global sales of Bionicle merely from information from stores we would need a huge global survey, (or if limited to the US, a huge nation wide survey). Please don't get me wrong, I believe you and the interviews with the 2 employees you made, however I don't think that they have any statistical conclusiveness on a large, possibly worldwide scale. Also, I think Aanchir and Pohaturon made some very good points I agree that what I've seen can in no way be extrapolated to a global scale (as I mentioned above, I was referring only to North America in my first post, though I forgot to specify that). However, I disagree a bit with the rest of your post. For one, while I only talked to 2 people, they were representing one of only ~80 Lego Stores in the entire country, and one that's in the capitol of a decently large state. General interest in something like this will, of course, vary by region, but for a given play theme to be selling poorly enough to warrant a Lego Store to cease stocking it, especially in an area this heavily populated, is something I haven't seen or heard of before (as Lyichir pointed out, even retailer-exclusive sets/themes are almost always available at Lego stores, as well as anything that hasn't been officially discontinued). I've also never seen any Lego theme being so heavily clearanced before, at any store in the NC Triangle area. I've also only heard bad things about Bionicle stock from people I know in other parts of the state, and the country. Like I said, I don't think this is a guarantee of the end of the line or anything. But I do think it is indicative that sales are, generally (not necessarily at every store in the country, but overall), poor.

How well-stocked are other Lego themes in relation to BIONICLE? This might not be a problem that's exclusive to one line.Pretty decent at Walmart, and great at the Lego Store. I wouldn't have brought it up if all the Lego was poorly stocked.

I'd just like to throw in: Every Wal-Mart reasonably close to me (at least 10 locations) have either no Bionicle, or almost all of their remaining sets are on clearance for at least 50% off (including 2016 sets). Got a Uniter Tahu and Uniter Onua for $9 each, and several Creatures for $5 each. Also, I heard from 2 employees at the Raleigh Lego Store today that they will most likely not be stocking the Summer 2016 Bionicle sets, or re-stocking the Winter wave, due to poor sales. I'm not saying this means the end or anything, just that Bionicle is clearly doing very poorly, and even if it keeps being made for another year, it may be difficult to find due to retailers not stocking it.

Aw, I'd love to go, but it's a 3 hour drive, and that's too short-notice for me to ask off work . Well, I hope everyone there has fun!

Chapter 6 Paru had tried to get Kaore away quickly, he really had. He had even found him sooner than expected, but they still just weren’t fast enough: as became apparent when two Dark Hunters burst through the tunnel ceiling. Paru recognized them immediately, though he didn’t know their names: The first was lithe and reptilian, clad in black, blue, and silver armor. Blue and silver flames licked around his shoulders and the end of his staff, making him look strange and elongated against the darkness of Onu-Wohe. The other was huge and lumbering –or at least his hands were. He was ape-like, silvery-gray, with hands as least as large as his torso, and running on them at an unbelievable rate. Yanking Kaore’s arm again, Paru said “Come on! We know these tunnels better than they do.” Thankfully, Kaore didn’t need much persuasion, and they started running down the tunnel again, much faster than before. Why would they only send two? Paru wondered as he ducked to avoid a burst of silvery-blue flame. “How did they find you– or us?” Kaore said as they ran. Of course, Paru realized. Other Hunters must be searching different areas of the island. But… that means that the others might be battling some of them right now! He spun on his heel and, running backwards, fired two quick bursts of energy from his staff: the first caught the simian Dark Hunter’s ear, but the lizard blocked the second blast with the shield on his left forearm. “Drat,” Paru said under his breath, turning back around so that he was moving forwards again. I need to get Kaore to the others, but I can’t fight two Hunters while running… Looking over at Kaore, he made his decision. Taking the Light sword, still in its solid black sheath, from underneath his cloak, he handed to it to Kaore as they ran, dodging Matoran, carts, and yet more fireballs. “What is–” “Take it, don’t unsheath it, and get to the abandoned tunnels. Now!” With that, he turned around again, took out his shield to block a blast of fire, and ran at the Dark Hunters. “No!” Kaore shouted, but Paru gave him a sharp look and he kept running away, sword in hand. Hopefully Kaore can get to the others in time, Paru thought as he leapt through the ape’s enormous hands, and as his staff clanged against one glowing with silver and blue. * * * Ahi didn’t care much for this mission so far. He still wasn’t sure how much he trusted Paru, and yet, in the current situation, he and the others had to. He also didn’t particularly enjoy being in the dark Onu-Wohe tunnels, with only his flame rod and the occasional lightcrystal to show the way. The one good thing, in his opinion, was that he had been partnered with Kape. She, though, was unfortunately more interested in the job at hand than any kind of discussion. “Doesn’t look like he’s here,” she said, glancing inside the cavern that served as Raiti’s living space. “Let’s get going to the meeting spot; who knows, maybe the others have found him and Kaore by now.” “Okay,” Ahi answered, walking along beside her. After a short silence, he voiced something he’d been wondering: “So, who do you think it is? Kaore, Raiti, or someone else?” “I really don’t know,” Kape said. “I mean, I would definitely prefer Kaore to Raiti, but… doesn’t it seem odd that Paru could have narrowed it down to just two people? Even on an island this small, there’s plenty of Matoran. There’s no way that he could have gone through all of them and ruled out everyone but them, is there?” She’s right, Ahi thought, as always. Paru is smart; he always has been, but it seems unlikely that even he could have deduced something like that. “It doesn’t seem like it,” he said out loud, looking at Kape’s Pakari and being momentarily distracted by her eyes. When he noticed she was looking at him questioningly, he resumed speaking: “I mean, he’s smart, but not that smart. Then again… don’t they seem like likely candidates?” “I suppose— wait— do you hear something?” Ahi stopped and listened. He did hear it: quick footsteps, coming from the tunnel perpendicular to theirs. “Yeah. And is it just me, or is it coming from near where we’re supposed to meet?” “Let’s go see,” Kape answered quietly, heading off toward the noise. “Turn off your forging rod.” Hating the near-pitch darkness of the tunnel, Ahi reluctantly did as Kape requested, stowing the welding tool on his back and quietly following after the Ga-Matoran. * * * “Looks like he’s not here,” Pakohe said, much to Hiko’s frustration. She was becoming increasingly impatient: not only had Mita left to follow Paru (the only one that was probably going to do anything interesting), but she and Pakohe hadn’t made any progress whatsoever. They’d checked both Kaore’s cave and Raiti’s workstation— even if the chances of him being there were slim to none— and found nothing. What made it even worse was that she was partnered with Pakohe, who always wanted to take things slowly: a waste of time in Hiko’s opinion. “Let’s get going, then,” she said, heading toward their meeting point. “Maybe one of the others has found him. We’ll never find him if we just keep standing here. “ “I guess you're ri-“ Pakohe was cut off by an enormous crash. “Sounds like they found something,” Hiko said, turning to run toward the source of the sound. Finally, some excitement. “Come on, let's go! “ “All right, all right!” Pakohe responded irritably, hurriedly trying to catch up to the Al-Matoran. “No need to rush…” * * * As it turned out, Pakohe was correct: there was little need to rush, as one of the Matoran they'd been looking for was just around the corner. “Kaore! There you are! “ “Where’d you get that sword? “ Hiko asked forcefully. “Where's Paru?” Pakohe suddenly noticed the black-sheathed sword clapped firmly in Kaore's hands, clearly the same one Paru had shown them earlier. “P-Paru gave me the sword, said to get it to the abandoned tunnels, “ Kaore responded, clearly terrified. “He stayed behind to fight the D-Dark Hunters. And he said- I must have misheard him. What in the world is going on?” “What’s going on is, we’re getting out of here,” Pakohe responded gruffly. “If you somehow are who ol’ Boss says you are, we need to get you as far away from the Dark Hunters as we can.” Kaore nodded in agreement with getting away, though he still looked very confused. “What about Paru?” Hiko said worriedly. “He-” “What about him?” Pakohe interjected. “He left us behind back in the day, so surely he won’t mind if we do the same. Besides, he can take care of himself.” He turned to Kaore. “Now, I don’t too much like the idea of hiding you where he suggested. Still think he might be up to no good. Come on, let’s get you out of Onu-Wohe altogether. Now, come on, Hiko, let’s-” Pakohe lifted his head, only to see Hiko disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel that Kaore had come from. “HIKO!” Thanks for reading! If you have some time, consider posting in the Review Topic.

Chapter 5: Hello, my name is Kaore. I’m an Onu-Matoran. I work as a mining assistant most of the time, spending a lot of my free time hanging out on my own. As you can probably imagine, my days aren’t particularly exciting: I usually follow the same old pattern of get up, go to work, where I help move carts of mined materials around, then come back to my cavern, sit around carving pictures for a while, maybe hang out with a few other Onu-Matoran, and go to bed. Today, however, something a little different happened. I was just heading back from work for the day; Piro was walking with me. “We got a good haul, huh, Kaore?” he said. “Discovering a whole new section of lightcrystal– that was pretty impressive.” “Yeah, the miners did really well today,” I replied, thinking No thanks to us, just pulling supply carts back and forth… Probably catching the look on my face –I’m no good at concealing my emotions– Piro put his hand on my shoulder, saying “Come on, Kaore, don’t be like that. You know those big ol’ miners couldn’t get along without us! Just ‘cause they do the mining doesn’t mean that we’re not important.” “I guess so,” I answered, somewhat halfheartedly. “I just feel like–” but I wasn’t able to finish my sentence; I wasn’t able to do anything other than stare, fixated, as what –who– I saw behind Piro. “Kaore? What are you loo–” then, looking back over his shoulder, Piro saw him too: Paru, dashing toward us from the far tunnel. At the speed he was moving, it couldn’t have taken more than a number of seconds for him to reach us, his solid black armor difficult for even an Onu-Matoran to see. Before I could consider running, yelling, or even unsheathing my knife, he was in front of me, quickly looking me over with his dark green eyes. “Come,” he said, looking straight into my eyes with a startling firmness. “We need you.” With that, he turned toward another tunnel, beginning to walk away. “Follow me.” Snapping out of my reverie, I said “What are you talking about? How –why are you here again?” Wait… I thought silently. He said ‘we’… does he mean the Hunters, or– “I’m no longer allied with the Dark Hunters,” Paru said, stopping but not turning to look at me. “I’ve returned to stop them from attacking Ora Nui once again, and the Matoran Ora need your help. Now, come.” With that, he continued walking into the distance. The Matoran Ora?! I thought. Could they really be back together? It’s not likely… but it’s not as if I’m in a position to argue with him. Looking at the silver tip of his staff glinting in the darkness, I ran after him, catching up before too long. “What do you need me for?” I asked Paru as we moved from jogging to almost sprinting down the tunnel. It’s not like I’m particularly important… I briefly glanced at the faces of some of the passing Matoran, then focused again on the task at hand. But they must want me for a reason, right? “It’s entirely possible that we won’t,” Paru answered, somehow not at all out of breath. “But we don’t have much time, so I’ll be blunt: you’re possibly an Av-Matoran.” I abruptly stopped, completely and utterly shocked by what he had just said. Well, I didn’t just ‘stop’: being so focused on what I’d just heard, I forgot to keep my feet moving and slammed forward onto the ground. “What the heck are you talking about?” I asked, getting up, spitting out some dirt, and looking, baffled, at Paru. “You really have gone crazy, haven’t you?” “No, I haven’t,” he answered, as serious as ever. “Now follow me. Like I’ve said, we don’t have much time.” “But you’ve barely told me anything! What’s going on?!” I was so preoccupied by Paru’s vagueness, I barely noticed the ceiling starting to shake. “Come on!” Paru said again, grabbing my arm and looking anxiously at the roof of the cavern. “We need to go before-“ And that’s when, with a tremendous crash, the Dark Hunters arrived. Sorry, a bit of a shorter, interlude-type chapter this week. But I promise there's more to come! Thanks for reading, and if you have a minute, consider posting in the Review Topic.

Hi, everyone! So, when I first posted Ora Nui on the old BZP forums, it had proper formatting on everything: italics, multiple paragraphs, etc. When I wanted to re-post it on the new forums, I didn't yet understand the new post editor, and ended up just giving up and pasting everything in as plain text. But, since I'm about to post some new chapters to the story, I've finally gone back and re-formatted all the old chapters so they don't look like garbage! I'd love it if people could take a look at the old chapters with the proper formatting, and all the new chapters I'm beginning to post! I'll be trying to improve based on the feedback I've received. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 4 “The Shadowed One is after something big: otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered going back into conflict with our island. It took some significant effort, but I’ve discovered what’s caused him to direct his sights this way again. Believe it or not, there is an Av-Matoran on Ora Nui.” Those were the words Paru had just said. He was beginning to regret them. “What??” Ahi said, shocked. “You’re saying that here, on our little island of all places, is a Matoran of Light?” “Yeah, right,” was Pakohe’s skeptical answer. “Like there’d be someone like that in a place like this. Av-Matoran are just a fairytale, anyway. Y’ask me, he’s just back to lead the Dark Hunters here!” he said, pointing his hammer at Paru. For once, Hiko was perfectly still. Snapping out of her reverie, however, she said “Don’t leap to conclusions, Pakohe. After all… Paru did leave us, but… has he ever been wrong about something?” The response Paru was waiting for, however, was Mita’s; he watched as the De-Matoran stood there, simply thinking. His opinion matters the most: the others see him as an intelligent decision-maker. If he decides something is true, they will generally follow suit. Finally, after a lot of arguing amongst the other Matoran, Mita spoke. “I’m inclined to trust you, Paru,” he said. “However, there is just one factor which leads me to doubt your story: how did an Av-Matoran end up here? On an island as out of the way as Ora Nui, the Matoran of Light are, as Pakohe said, not much more than a legend.” Paru nodded. “An understandable skepticism. Come, we must start walking while we finish this conversation, as time is not something we have an excess of.” Resuming his walk up the river towards Po-Wohe, and making sure that the others were following, he continued: “I will admit that I don’t know all of the details. But what I was able to find out, through rumors and other sources, is this: some time, long ago, Av-Matoran were supposedly placed on a select few islands, disguised as other types of Matoran. There was even one story of a fake ‘Ta-Matoran’ who, upon being given a Great Kanohi mask, became a Toa of Light.” “Yeah, right,” Pakohe said from the back of the group. “A Ta-Matoran, becoming a Toa of Light? And that’s assuming that Toa of Light even exist…” * * * Ahi was somewhat skeptical as well: “I hate to say it, but Pakohe’s got a point –kind of… – I mean, you’re saying that this ‘Av-Matoran’ could be anyone? Even one of us?” Maybe even Kape? He thought. Then she’d be way out of my league… “It’s technically possible, but I highly doubt it’s one of us,” Paru said, not looking back at the others, but simply continuing to march on. “Otherwise, it would have come to the attention of the Shadowed One sooner, what with his Hunters coming into contact with us so often.” Whew, Ahi thought, looking over at the Ga-Matoran next to him. Then Paru added “And, of course, we know that it’s not me. If it was, they would have already had me; there’d be no need to come here.” “Speaking of which,” Hiko said in a slightly impatient tone, “If they were already on their way, why in Mata Nui aren’t they here yet? And how did you get here before them at all?” “Well, Hiko, I managed to get word of their plans before they actually left, and I came back as soon as I could. However… even though my small, light-weight boat was probably much faster than whatever ship they’re sending, I would expect them to be here very soon, if not now. So we need to hurry.” With this, he picked up his already speedy pace, to Ahi’s slight annoyance: Aren’t we running fast enough? I’m getting tired… “Wait, wait, WAIT,” Pakohe said grumpily, falling behind. “Where are you even taking us? If there is an Av-Matoran here, then where is it?” Not bothering to slow down, Paru said “Where do you think, Pakohe? If you were trying to hide a being of Light so that he’d never be suspected, where would you put him?” “Ah,” Mita said understandingly, though Ahi was still confused. “So it’s Onu-Wohe we’re headed to, then. The darkest section of the island: not a bad place to look.” “Exactly,” Paru replied as they kept running. “In fact, I already have a suspicion as to who it is.” “How would you know?” Ahi asked suspiciously. “You said yourself, the Av-Matoran would be disguised an ordinary Matoran, that even he wouldn’t know what he was. How could you find out?” You know, without some sort of inside information… or unless this is all just a trick. “Av-Matoran are stronger, bigger than average Matoran. It would also probably be someone who had a natural aversion to the darkness, who didn’t appreciate Onu-Wohe,” was Paru’s only explanation. “I have one main guess: Raiti.” * * * Hiko was shocked to hear the name Paru suggested. And, from the sound of it, so were the others: “What? That jerk?” Ahi asked angrily. “Are you being serious, Paru?” Kape said, looking irritated herself. “No way someone like that is someone that special,” Pakohe said, frowning. “He’s ‘accidentally’ broken more of my sculptures than you can count!” Even the usually impartial Mita seemed doubtful. “Hmm… I suppose it could technically be…” I don’t understand, Hiko thought to herself. Raiti’s so hateful. Him, a being of Light? Maybe Paru is up to no good with this ‘plan’… Suddenly, Paru interrupted the others’ clamoring: “Okay, OKAY already! I do have one other guess, but it isn’t as likely. You all do remember Kaore, correct?” Hiko did remember Kaore, reasonably well at least. She seemed to remember that he was slow… not slow in the head, but in physical speed. Always took his time about things, Hiko thought. Never amounted to anything; he’s probably still just a mining assistant. He wore a Miru, didn’t he? A little unusual for an Onu-Matoran… “Yeah, I remember him,” she said, somewhat disdainfully. Why do both possibilities have to be so… imperfect? “He helped us out once, didn’t he?” Ahi asked, looking like he was trying hard to remember. “Something in Onu-Wohe…” “He pushed a cart in the way of a rampaging rahi,” Mita and Paru said in unison. After glancing at each other, Paru nodded for Mita to continue. “The cart slowed down the rahi enough for me to get a rope around its legs with one of my arrows,” Mita reminded the group. “We might have handled the beast otherwise, but his participation was key in taking down the animal in such a short time.” “I remember that,” Kape said, as Hiko thought the same thing. I’d forgotten that he did something quick, for once. “So, you’re saying that those are the only two possibilities?” Pakohe asked doubtfully. “Neither o’ them seems, y’know… like ‘hero’ material. That is, assuming you’re not just leadin’ us on for some Dark Hunter trap.” “If I were trying to trap you, Pakohe, I could have done it long before now,” Paru said evenly. “Now, let us wait until we arrive to talk more. We should save our energy.” Good, Hiko thought. The sooner we get there, the better. * * * Mita was still thinking over all that Paru had told them when they arrived at the Po-Wohe border entrance to Onu-Wohe. He’d been so entranced by his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the boats that had passed their group on the river, or the Matoran passengers on them who looked particularly startled to see their old heroes united again. How did the Shadowed One learn of an Av-Matoran here? he pondered. And, assuming that one of Paru’s guesses is correct, which candidate is the Matoran of Light? Raiti, the bulky Onu-Matoran with an insufferable attitude, or Kaore, the strong, but much more quiet and patient Matoran of Earth? As they began the descent into the tunnels, Paru stopped the others, turning around to face them; Mita immediately paid direct attention. “Now,” Paru said, “we need to work quickly if we are to find the Matoran we’re searching for. Quickly, as well as together: full cooperation is necessary for us to achieve our goal as soon as possible. As such, I need you all to voice whatever questions or doubts you may still have, before we begin our search to awaken the Av-Matoran.” Awaken? Mita thought. He never said that we would be restoring him to Av-Matoran status (I can only assume that that is what he means). Before he could voice his question, however, Pakohe said “Yeah, I got a question, ‘boss’: playin’ along with your story here, just what do the Dark Hunters even want this guy for? Karzahni, what do we even want with ‘im?” Hoping to prevent another pointless argument, Mita spoke before Paru could reply, saying “Pakohe, try, just for a moment, to put yourself in the place of the Shadowed One –or, perhaps, someone who paid him to take this Av-Matoran. A Matoran of Light is an incredible threat: even without the power of a Toa, they supposedly can access their elemental powers to degree. And, if he or she were to become a Toa, well… that’s something that a lot of people out there don’t want to happen, to say the least. As for why we want to find him, other than to protect him, I believe Paru just told us,” he continued, turning to look at the Onu-Matoran. “However, Paru, with no disrespect, I want to confirm what you’ve just said: are you suggesting that we’re going to return the Av-Matoran to his true state, as a Matoran of Light? And if so, how do you propose we do this? Your only mention of an Av-Matoran being restored was a rumor involving a special Kanohi, which also made him into a Toa. I presume that you do not have such a Kanohi in your possession.” Speaking over some grumblings from Pakohe, Paru replied, “I was about to show you all the answer to your question, Mita.” Looking at the Matoran assembled around him, and making sure that there weren’t any others nearby, he said “Gather close, everyone, and please, be careful. What I am about to show you is an object of the utmost power and importance.” * * * Yeah, right, Pakohe thought to himself as he and the others gathered around Paru. I still don’t trust this guy as far as I can throw him… which would probably be pretty far, now that I think about it… After snapping out of his thoughts about how much Paru weighed compared to Pakohe’s statues, the Po-Matoran looked closely at the Matoran of Earth, keeping his hammer at the ready in case of a trap. What he saw, however, what nothing like anything he might have expected. What is that? He thought, staring. And how did Paru get it? In front of Pakohe, the Onu-Matoran had pulled something from inside his cloak: a long, shining, white and golden sword, glistening even in the darkness of the tunnel, almost as if it was producing a light of its own. “What in Mata Nui’s name is that?” Pakohe said in awe, forgetting his doubts and suspicions. “And where did you get it?” * * * Kape was amazed by the sword Paru was holding. It was so amazingly beautiful, with light rippling over the golden blade like water over the leaves in Ga-Wohe. She looked at Ahi, and even he was too mesmerized by the weapon’s glow to be distrusting of Paru: he wasn’t even casting his usual occasional, furtive glance at Kape. Turning her attention back to the sword, however, she noticed that Paru didn’t directly touch it: he was delicately holding its white handle with the end of his cape wrapped around his hand, as if coming into contact with the sword would severely burn him. Entranced by the weapon, she vaguely heard Pakohe ask something about its origins, which Paru politely answered. “This, Pakohe, is a sword imbued with the power of sheer elemental light: too much for an ordinary Matoran to handle, but just enough to bring out an Av-Matoran’s inherent abilities. As for where I got it, well… Let’s just say that I made a lot of helpful connections while I was on Odina.” Well, that explains why he’s holding it so gingerly, Kape thought. Then, suddenly, she had a horrible realization: Wait– if the sword will harm an ordinary Matoran… “Paru!” she said firmly, “Just what would happen to a regular Matoran who held this sword?” “Try not to speak so loudly, Kape,” Paru replied, looking around to make sure no one was watching or listening. “And to answer your question: they would probably burn up from the sheer amount of power; at the very least he or she would suffer severe injuries.” With this comment, the others stepped back slightly from the sword’s captivating glow. Stowing the sword back under his cloak –Kape noticed that he had a darkly-colored sheath hidden underneath it –Paru began walking down the tunnel towards Onu-Wohe. “Now, let’s get going,” he called to the others. “We’ve wasted enough time as it is.” Kape silently followed the rest of the team, though her thoughts were grim. If what Paru says about the sword is true, she pondered worriedly, then what happens if we give it to the wrong Matoran? Thanks for reading! Please consider leaving a post in the Review Topic.

I'll be there with ~SUMMONER~. Looking forward to it!

I have been to these building events without any problem in the past, and so have other adults in some of the Facebook groups I'm in. Policies and how they're enforced might vary from store to store (in some cases I hear adults have to wait until all the children in line have a chance to build, which is probably a good policy for stores to have), but from what I've heard there tend to be more than enough sets for everyone who arrives on time. Awesome, thanks!

...Does anyone know if TRU would have a problem with an adult attending without a child? I really want those pieces.