MechaFizz

It has been my observation that fandoms, as they age, become increasingly volatile – sort of like how rotting fruit spoils. I fear the bonkle fandom has reached that point. I can’t say I’ve ever really been that active in the community, but it’s always been dear to me. That being said, it saddens me that such a degree of toxicity has found its way into a fandom devoted to children’s toys. I more or less have the same stance as you, at this point. Although, hopefully the reboot will infuse the fandom with some much needed positivity from new members. Adieu, ~ MechaFizz

I like the idea of having Anti-Elements be a four ingredient recipe. The way I imagined them, they are something too dangerous and volatile for a Toa or any being to direct control or have easy access to, so making the recipe Element +Light + Shadow + Blue Energy = Anti-Element would accomplish this nicely. And since there is no huge plot demand or public demand to feature all possible Anti-Elements any time soon, a description of what they are and their properties in general with specifics on two or three should suffice. Perhaps the following description will work for the reference topic, just let me know if it needs tweaking and where: Anti-Elements are elemental substances that exhibit bizarre properties that oppose those of their positive counterparts. When an Anti-Element comes in contact with its positive counterpart, an explosive reaction takes place that results in the annihilation of both. Anti-Elements cannot be directly controlled by beings with normal elemental powers. They must be synthesized using the recipe Element +Light + Shadow + Blue Energy = Anti-Element and thus cannot be placed in an Element Key or swapped with a natural positive Element. Anti-Fire: Fire + Light + Shadow + Blue Energy Anti-Fire manifests as a black flame that emits zero light and burns cold (near absolute zero). When “burned” by Anti-Fire, a substance freezes and disintegrates. Anti-Air: Air + Light + Shadow + Blue Energy Anti-Air is pink (in RGB color values, pink is the inverse of green) gaseous substance that is highly cohesive. It cannot be breathed by normal beings and must be contained within an airtight container or force-field as to prevent it from reacting with atmospheric Air. Feedback? Also, I propose this design for the Mask of Learning: Thoughts? Feedback? (Also, we use 100x100 images for the reference topic, correct?) Adieu, ~ MechaFizz

Okay, that seems fair. Coral Control as a related power seems perfectly feasible. I do remember that Anti-Fire was described as a "black flame that emits no light and burns cold" similar to what Dark/Black/Shadow Fire has been described as here, yes. But, yeah, if there is no demand for it, no point in getting terribly clear definitions on all or any of them. Though, as combos with just Shadow I feel makes them a little too accessible. The idea was that Anti-Elements would have physical properties that were alien, opposite, yet somehow the same as their positive element counterpart - hence Anti-Fire burning cold and lightless - and causing a usually highly explosive and volatile reaction when coming into contact with their positive counterpart. In order to reflect this in the combo recipe if we handle them as combos, I would suggest a mix of the positive element and Blue Energy, or maybe positive element + Shadow + Blue Energy. I always understood this to be the case. I would assume that if a Toa of Plant Life does not know what, say, a Thornax plant is or would even look like, he probably would not be able to create it - I mean, it just makes sense that you cannot make something you are not familiar with, and it is most likely it would never come to mind to try to make something you don't know about. I suppose they could perhaps "accidently" create plants unknown to them in a Nova Blast or similar scenario, though. As for Virus, I think it would be the same sort of principle, but I cannot say for certain. It was my understanding that it was based off the Makuta's ability to create viruses. And in the case of Makuta, viruses seem to have whatever properties their creators desire at that time. Adieu, ~ MechaFizz

RE: Coral Yes, the environments are there and very prominent, but my point was that no one lived there - well, as far as the plot was concerned, at least, other people's fanfics aside. So, yes, it would be very plausible to have as a straight up element if a culture of beings lived in a coral based environment. But since they do not, and since it would seem odd for it to be a combo element (may just be me, though, I find coral to be a very strange animal IRL), it should be a power. Or perhaps a power mutant? As I recall we had three varieties of exceptionally rare "power mutant" types of M/T/T - Rebuff, Technology, and Shielding, I believe. Perhaps adding a fourth would be permissible? RE: Ghost Well, my problem is I feel the name Ghost may be too poetic, as I personally do not make the connection. However, I do not care to really care to engage in debate over it - it has been cemented in place for far too long and I do see its potential. The name just always struck me as an odd name for "forcefields". Honestly, the reason I brought it up was that I was more in awe that people were arguing more over the validity of Tar than of something that I at least find more abstract and removed from nature, lol . RE: Absorption of elements Actually, canonically, isn't that "Toa absorb their element to produce it later" incorrect? I recall someone asking Greg a while back and he stated that once an element is absorbed by a Toa, that energy must then be released almost immediately, giving Vakama's battle with the Fire Entity as an example. So, this basically means that Toa can only create their own element, not destroy it or hold it indefinitely. But I may be wrong, is there a way to get a check on this? Additionally, all this discussion of elements has brought to mind something from a while ago. As I recall, there were a number of times someone suggested "anti-matter" as an element which went over about as well as you would imagine it would. This eventually led to a discussion about "anti-elements". Did we ever come to a finite conclusion on that matter or was it met with too lukewarm a response or became too convoluted and just dropped? Adieu, ~ MechaFizz

I always believed the logic behind the separation was the difference the regular Rahi minds and insect-like Rahi minds. A regular Rahi's mind is going to probably be very similar to that of a sapient being like a Toa or Matoran, just simpler (and for the reason that it is simpler being partly why Rahi Control is a separate power from generic mind control - a simpler mind probably does not need as much mental stamina by the user to control, so Rahi Control is probably fine-tuned to tax the user's stamina less than a typical mind control power would since we have seen mind control users take control of Rahi with it, like Onewa did in Voyage of Fear). Insect Control is further distinguished because many insects probably have a form of hive mind which probably is very alien in comparison to the single mind of a regular Rahi. The Rahi control power could probably seize control of a single one or two insects from a swarm about as well as it could any other Rahi, but Insect Control I would imagine would allow complete control over the entire swarm (or at least a large enough portion), possibly by emulating and overriding the existing hive mind. Now, I am not that familiar with coral on Earth, but from the Wikipedia article, I gather that they a colonized type of animal and are very simple in terms of intelligence. This would lead me to believe that in Bionicle, they would be close to insect-like Rahi in terms of mind and perhaps hive mind intelligence, so may actually fall closer in line with the Insect Control power. However, they still seem very alien in comparison still, so maybe a type of control power custom tailored for the minds of coral and similar life forms would be called for. The main logic I have against coral being an element is that unlike all the other arguably unusual EM elements we have, like Gold, Silver, Lava, etc., is that we do not have a large plot-relevant environment that heavily involves coral as a primary or even secondary distinguishing characteristic – or even really mentioned at all. To further delve into the “elementary problem”, while I do believe that in general we have been very sparing with the majority of what is added to the list, I believe that we have reached or nearly reached a point where no new elements can logically be added without adding new exotic locations to the plot. Every element on the list, with the exception of two, in my opinion, has fallen rather nicely within the parameters of “environmentally prominent or otherwise relevant or feasible” (which were our parameters all this time, right? I honestly was not paying attention up until this discussion, lol ). This discussion has really made me think, “What measure is an element?” and I believe that for the most part we have answered that question. The arguments raised are fairly sound and reasonable, if not somewhat opinionated in places. However, I would argue in response that although they seem arbitrarily chosen, they fit our parameters quite nicely. The only two that I alluded to above that deviate from this would be, in my opinion, Ghost and Virus. Of the two, Ghost would be the only one I would argue for the removal or alteration of for the reasons that (A) it is not descriptively named (not obvious what it is or does from the name alone) and (B) it does not show up prominently in any environment and will not until after the much awaited Shards contest polls/results (hint, hint ). Virus I am fine with because I think it is fun, just does not meet the above parameters as well from what I can tell. Everything else fits nicely into our criteria and is neither too broad nor too specialized. The “death by science vs. death by ignorance” argument you make for Virus is interesting. I would actually argue that this has a sort of metaverse explanation. The skill of the writer is, within all reason, proportional to the skill of the Toa he or she is writing about. Just because a Toa is of an element, that does not mean he or she is skilled at wielding it. We saw the Toa Metru grow to understand how to control their elements, sometimes figuring things out on the fly. We have also seen Helryx do things that even Gali would have some trouble managing. This is what makes a story interesting – two Toa of the same element can have very different skill sets and experience levels, just like writers. An unskilled Toa of Virus that may not really know how to do more than make a viral cloud and a few other tricks, and that’s fine, same way an unskilled Toa of Fire may not know how to do more than light his opponents on fire and burn stuff ( ). Likewise, a skilled Toa of Virus has the potential to do terrifying overpowering things with an understanding of microbiology that lead to swift victories. A skilled Toa of Fire could very well manipulate and violate the laws of thermodynamics to accomplish equally terrifying and overpowering victories. The trick here is to maybe consider making them the villains. Overpowering villains are the best kind to read about – keep the reader guessing how the heroes can beat opponents with near godlike mastery over their elements . Adieu, ~ MechaFizz

I'm would have to disagree on coral, along the reasoning that it falls under the kingdom animalia in real life, thus would be more distinctly a rahi species in Bionicle, so should best be left under the jurisdiction of Rahi Control.

As the original proponent of the Fungi element, I feel somewhat compelled to explain some of its versatility and why it became an element on our list. Back when it was first discussed, as I recall, it was met with some opposition as it did, as has been stated, seem more like a component of plant life or just two narrow a power. Originally, for a brief time, it was listed under combo elements as a compromise. It was soon promoted to full element, however, under the realization/rationalization that Fungi is a separate and distinct Kingdom of life separate from plants and that the Bionicle universe, and the Expanded Multiverse especially, could potentially have a wide variety of unique and alien fungi species just as they do animal (rahi) and plant, making it a reasonable candidate for element. Now, I recall that I created a list of example usages of the element by Toa in support of the element. Since the old topic was lost (right?) I cannot copy it here, but I can remember some of the examples (if not all) with a few additional: - On Tribal, a Toa of Fungi could use their power to spawn a number of mushroom-like fungi to rapidly decay logs obstructing village roads or feed tribes. - On Warzone, an amoral Toa of Fungi could grow mycelium underneath an enemy's armor to decay and eat his muscle tissues. - On Shattered, a Toa could create a large fruiting body to cushion a crash landing of an ally ship. Or crash an enemy ship. - A Toa of Fungi could also use their power for utility purposes, such as shielding with fruiting bodies, creating a "staircase" or other kind of "lift", or releasing poisonous spores, etc. - They could also create any number of species with bizarre properties. I believe one of my entries into the past EM Rahi contest was a type of fungi which was parasitic and grew on Rahi and sapient species with fruiting bodies that were thick and durable like a second layer of armor, making it a valuable tool as a regenerative armor amongst some who were fine with the price of losing some of their lifeforce over time to feed the parasite. (I don't recall if this entry won, but I by submission it becomes "freeware" for writers, I believe. ) Now, I don't intend for this to necessarily change anyone's opinion that Fungi may be ridiculous, but I do want to put to rest assertions that it might be "too narrow" or "not unique enough" to be a full element. With some imagination, it can be versatile and is worthy of being its own element, ridiculous or not. Adieu, ~MechaFizz

Gold Shard, Au-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizz[include any images here.]Description:Historically a small kingdom of great wealth in gold, Au-Clysmax is now famous for its old palaces of gold and deep and winding gold mines that took off shortly before the Shattering of Clysmax. Gold trade made Au-Clysmax fairly wealthy prior to the Shattering and trading with companies on Industrial keeps their economy stable.Before the Shattering, the Gold Shard Moon was dividing into several smaller provinces and city-states ruled by kings. After the Shattering, these separate states became a single kingdom ruled by the Fourth Court, a council composed of four of the kings and their successors from the original provinces and city states. Despite the title, the kings may be female.Huge cavern systems exist deep within Au-Clysmax and are occasionally stumbled upon by miners. Often, miners will become lost within these caverns, sometimes for days to weeks at time. They are always unharmed and in good health when they are found or find their way back, but they have no memory of the time they spent lost or even of being lost at all. Some believe that they stumbled upon massive deposits of exceptionally pure gold and are pretending to have amnesia to keep the alleged gold deposits a secret. Upon examination by medical officials, however, the miners genuinely had no memory of being lost. It appeared as though they simply fell out of existence for a period of time. Some miners have also reported that they have seen Blade Burrowers donned in intricately engraved gold armor. Other miners often dismiss these claims as mere hallucinations from working too long in the mines. A few believe, however, that these incidents are somehow linked to the rumored Gold Teralpids. Others have resolved to simply avoid these cavern systems out of superstition, believing they are somehow cursed.Adieu,- MechaFizz

Okay, here’s the Uah, and the last of the four “Fizzified” masks. I’m not entirely happy with it, so I’d really like some input as to whether or not it meets quality standard. Also, 100-fied Mask of Faux Death!Also, I skimmed over the approved the mask list, and I do not believe there is any overlap with the six Vahki staff powers. But I only skimmed, so I may have missed one or two or misread a power, but I think we’re okay.Also, also, on the subject of comedies, since they were just brought up, it is advised that we focus our humor more on cultural misunderstandings and character quirks rather than the trend of comedies to detach themselves from canon and make real world pop culture and meme references, correct? But additionally, if done properly, could we use somewhat surrealist devices and things that are definitely possible but not necessarily plausible to setup a humorous story? For example, a secret train racing circuit within the Alarist Underground, or a tournament style cooking competition in the vein of the real world Iron Chef TV series? Or perhaps even a character who speaks with an accent or dialect of Matoran that strongly resembles or is "translated" as a real world accent with foreign words sprinkled throughout their speech?Adieu,- MechaFizz

Ah, then I should apologize for my over-responding to the wrong point, then. Sorry, eheh ()’Well, I suppose we can use it for a different power, but I personally see too much semblance between them. Perhaps you could tell me where to sharpen it and I can do that to make it look more like a noble version? I second this! Faux Death seems perfect since it does have a very skull-ish shape. But on the other hand the expression is so mean that Suffocation works as well. I just can’t decide which one I like better. Anyone want to be the tie-breaker?Also, I thought the Mask of Return/Retrieving or some power like them was already approved? Honestly, I think the two should be sort of combined into a single mask with pretty much the restrictions that tomdroidser listed but more in line with the power described by Click. So basically, a mask that summons an object that meets the parameters and allows the user to return the same object to the original location before it was summoned. I think that works out cleaner because Return alone seems like it could have some potentially wacky and random outcomes, especially if the user doesn’t know where that object’s been (now I’m imagining someone scolding the user: “Don’t Return that, you don’t know where it’s been!” ).Also, also, what do you guys think of having a set of masks for the Vahki staff powers? So Masks of Command, Loyalty, Erasing, Suggestion, Presence, and Confusion? We might need to tweak some of them a bit, but I always like the idea. The only weird area is that the original staff powers were wielded by law enforcers, who are supposed to be “good”, yet since the Vahki were our villains for 2004 the powers were probably meant to sound “bad”. So the masks for them would either be immoral or really, really grey.Adieu,- MechaFizz

Well, Mask of Calculations has been “Fizzified”. Sorry it took a while; it gave me trouble trying to get it to look right. I changed a few details a bit, but it still is very close to the original. Though, I really love Click’s design and think that it actually may work better for the Makuta in Current Events. Since Makuta are shape shifters and we’ve seen multiple designs for the same mask canonically, namely Tahu and Lhikan’s Hau, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that Click’s is the one worn by said Makuta. I think the Great and Noble designs for the Mask of Sharpening actually are rather similar (though I may be biased as the designer). I put the two next to each other and pointed out the similarities in aspects of their designs and details, such as the narrow eyes, pronounced “cheekbones”, and pointedness in the chin.Additionally, official shapes for respective Great and Noble masks don’t always have immediately striking similarities that jump out at you. Take the Komau for example. If you look, you can spot similarities (or make them up with Jedi mind tricks ), but the two don’t scream their similarities to you by any means. Really, this holds true for any of the Toa Metru/Mata Nui Turaga’s masks. The others have details in common that clue you in more quickly, but they are still very distinct. And then there’s the Miru, Kakama, and Akaku, but those were retro-active examples, so they can almost be dismissed.[Edit:]I dug up an old design that looks fairly cool, but I'm not sure if it really works as a mask. I'll let you guys weigh in and decide if it works for any existing powers or is cool enough to warrant a new one (maybe a Mask of Biting ).Adieu,- MechaFizz

More aggressive? Really? I didn’t notice, but I’m glad it looks good And I took your advice and added some more green – you’re right, it looks a lot better! Also, I saw that the Mask of Sharpening doesn’t have an image, and I found an old design that I did that looks pretty sharp (pun unintended), so if everyone agrees, I suggest perhaps these designs for the Great and Noble Mask of Sharpening respectively: Actually, I do use PowerPoint, by similar I meant that I think my style could be mistaken for bonesiii’s at a glance but is really a lot simpler, especially with some of my shading (partly due to laziness).Adieu,- MechaFizz

Leveni and 100-fied Kraata-colored Mask of Elasticity done I just had to try the grey-green gradient on the Leveni (it's an alliteration after all!). Also here is the link to the majhost folder that I’ll be using for EM masks I’ve drawn if anyone ever needs one for anything.Also, just a question I’ve been curious about:Could a Mask of Incomprehension be used to disrupt computer programming, such as that in Gadgets, crystal-based memory systems, and Izumal tech? If so, it seems like the mask would be an invaluable tool for hackers who want to cause a bit of short-term chaos.Adieu,- MechaFizz

I decided on “Elasticity” for the mask because I figured it was basically the same thing as the Makuta/Kraata/Rahkshi power, but I do see where it can get confusing with Ductility. The main difference in the powers, as I conceived it, would be that Ductility works on things other than the users body in addition to it but offers little in the way of stretching, while Elasticity would be exclusive the user’s body and grant full control of stretching and deformation of their entire body (not just limbs, they could use their abdomen or neck too).And for fun, here’s an Elasticity Kraata-colored Mask of Elasticity(?):And here’s the 100x100 in original colors:And here’s my redraw of the Ce-Hau (with a few minor detail changes due to artistic license): I feel as though I’m a little rusty, I’m not sure I did the mask justice :/As for the little issue with the Leveni, I really don’t mind who gets the “official” image at all. Since Taipu was the original designer, it seems reasonable to me that he get preference for that reason alone. Although, I’m honestly going to probably do the whole set of four because I’m a completionist like that (gotta have the full set! ) unless Real Life gets in the way. Same goes for the prospect of doing Noble versions – might do ‘em if I have time. Also, a grey-green gradient might look nice on the Leveni. :)On the “Mask of Return” – I see potential in it, and I actually had a character in one of my old EM short stories (Ignoble Hero) using a power similar to the one described for the mask to summon his spear, but I never explained its nature. I think some good restraints for it would be (1) user must have had recent contact with the object (something like a week, maybe), (2) object cannot be more massive than user, (3) and the object must be able to be held by the user (so no ridiculously awkward things, like summoning pianos to drop on an enemy’s head like we’re in an old 90’s cartoon ).Adieu,- MechaFizz

Actually, I think the stretching power would be better as its own, separate mask, since it doesn’t sound like the Mask of Ductility was originally conceived with super-stretching in mind. I think a separate “Mask of Elasticity” specifically for allowing the user to stretch his/her body is a good idea. I actually thought of suggesting that a long time ago after making the below design with no power in mind (it just looked like “elasticity” to me when I was done, heh).Even if the idea for a separate mask for Elasticity is rejected, here is the mask design I was going to use, since I didn’t have a power in mind while drawing it. So if anyone wants to suggest assigning it to another power, I'm open to the idea so it doesn’t go to waste ( ). If you're giving permission for re-draws, I wouldn't mind volunteering to maybe do them in my style (which is very close to bonesiii’s PowerPoint style), since I like drawing masks but have trouble conceiving good looking original designs. I may also do noble versions if that’s alright. (I just want to be sure that you’re giving the ‘OK’ for that, since I don’t like to redraw other peoples’ designs without their permission).Adieu,- MechaFizz

Shadow Shard, Kra-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizzDescription: Since the beginning, Kra-Clysmax has been an independent territory that refused cooperation with any other Fragments. The people of Kra-Clysmax are generally hostile toward outsiders and the moon’s government is extremely militaristic. Throughout history, they have always been adamant in defending their territory and airspace and are said to be the single Shard Moon to be capable of reasonably holding their own against an assault from Ice without aid from the larger fragments. However, they have never been aggressive or outwardly evil like Ice has.Post-Shattering, a large hollow beneath the Kra-Clysmax territory was exposed and quickly populated and fortified by Shadow’s government. Since this area is essentially a large cave and faces away from the nearest light sources, it is typically dark and dimly lit in most parts of this region. The original settlement still stands on the moon’s main face. The original border is completely surrounded by massive walls and watchtowers occupied by armed sentinels. The Capital City lies in the center of this territory and is dominated by the Government Hall, the largest single building in all of Kra-Clysmax.Kra-Clysmax is led by a single leader, known by the title of “Mangai” (feminine “Mangaia”) and a council composed of appointed officials. There is no fixed number of officials to take seat within council and they may be appointed or dismissed by the Mangai at any time. There is also no set time for a Mangai’s reign; they may lead for life, resign at any time, or even be removed if deemed unfit to rule.The possibility of Kra-Clysmax aligning with the Ice Kingdom has been a concern amongst the other Fragments and Shard Moons for some time. However, this is highly unlikely as Shadow wishes to maintain independence and has little desire for conquest or acquiring more territory.Light Shard, Av-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizzDescription: Av-Clysmax has always been a free and independent territory that refused alliance with any other Fragment. The people of Av-Clysmax are a peaceful and hospitable people. They welcome any being who wishes to pursue enlightenment and peace of mind, body, and spirit, regardless of from where they come. Their belief is that any being, no matter how evil, has the potential to reform and banish their inner darkness. However, those who resist or refuse reform will be promptly banished from Av-Clysmax.The people of Av-Clysmax reside within temple-style buildings. These temples are relatively spread out with circular gardens for meditation placed between them. The largest temple, the Great Temple, lies at the center of Av-Clysmax. The Great Temple is a hexagonal, three-tier tower with massive half-arches extending from each corner of the second tier. The three divisions of the Great Temple are representative of the Three Matoran Virtues which are believed to lay the path to enlightenment and inner and outer peace. The interior of each tier is divided into numerous subfloors that openly overlook the center of the main tier. The walls are lined with countless texts written by philosophers and scholars. A massive Light Stone is held within a chamber in the top-tier and glows brightly during the night.Beings who wish to achieve complete enlightenment are required to make their way from the ground-tier (Unity) to the top-tier (Destiny) in order to attain this right. Many tests of discipline challenge journeyers on each tier, making the climb difficult not only physically but mentally as well. Those who fail to make it to the top are permitted to attempt the climb again from the beginning at any time.Av-Clysmax is governed by a council composed of the “purest” and wisest individuals. The main duties of the leading council are to offer guidance to students and to pass the final decision to banish those considered too corrupt to accept reform. The latter duty is not one looked lightly upon but must be done in order to protect the wellbeing of Av-Clysmax’s society. It should be noted that those who actually are banished are violent and openly proclaim their rejection of the principles of enlightenment. It should also be noted that the people of Av-Clysmax view the Izumal Agents and people as misunderstanding the concept of enlightenment or are at least not at peace.Virus Shard, Cha-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizzDescription: Cha-Clysmax, the Virus Shard Moon, was originally a bioengineering research complex within the Ga-Clysmax region. The majority of researchers of Cha-Clysmax viewed Ga-Clysmax’s jurisdiction over them as a burden, as the larger Fragment’s government restricted them from carrying out some projects for ethical reasons. Post-Shattering, Cha-Clysmax took advantage of their sudden and convenient estrangement from Water to become a completely independent facility without the ethical restrictions imposed by Ga-Clysmax on their work.The majority of all inhabitants are devoted researchers and scientists. Since Cha-Clysmax was only a research lab prior to the Shattering, most residential buildings were constructed near the facility afterward. Apart from the main research building, which stretches over several acres and stands several stories high, there are a number of biodomes used for controlled environmental experiments. Also, Cha-Clysmax is the only facility other than the Museum designed and permitted to hold Energized Protodermis. The Energized Protodermis is held in massive vats inside a separate building with heavy security and access limited to a select few authorized persons.While many experiments are performed simply for the sake of experimentation, projects are occasionally commissioned by third party groups. Many of these projects are commissioned by Experimental Industries or other Promathus companies. The researchers are not beyond fulfilling commissions by evil groups, even Ko-Clysmax; however, they demand a highly exorbitant price for even the smallest of projects that often discourages these groups from using their services extensively.Despite revolutionary discoveries made in the field of medicine and environmental research, a number of groups have sprung up in recent years petitioning Cha-Clysmax for their testing and experimentation on living creatures. It is even rumored that they have performed experiments on sapient beings. These rumors are at least partly true, as there are at least a few researchers who have used themselves as their own test subjects or volunteered to participate in the experiments of others.Kinetics Shard, Nu-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizzDescription: Originally part of a sprawling metropolis, Nu-Clysmax was fortunate to have remained mostly intact and functional unlike some other parts of the original city. Nu-Clysmax was one of the quicker Shards to recover from the Shattering. While this may seem unusual for an urban area, those familiar with Nu-Clysmax know that if there is one thing Nu-Clysmians like to do, it’s to do things fast. Throughout their history, the people of the Kinetics Shard have been obsessed with progress and achieving it as fast as possible. They are perhaps most famous for their locally centered mail system. Physical mail is transported along a rail system in specialized cargo containers designed to minimize air resistance and friction. The containers are shot off at high speeds via a kinetic charge (usually from a Toa of Kinetics). The system works so fast that a running joke among non-natives is the mail on Nu-Clysmax will “arrive before it’s sent”.However, the Nu-Clysmians’ taste for speedy progression is also their biggest hindrance. While their mail system is fast, it isn’t very stable. Toa of Kinetics are stationed at various checkpoints throughout the route (usually start points, end points, sharp turns, and the rare corner) to make sure the shipment remains on the track and moving in the right direction by giving them a kinetic “push”. The haste also causes, on extremely rare occasions, items to arrive at the wrong address; however, these errors are quickly corrected upon discovery.Many of the inhabitants work as physicists. There is also a sizeable and fairly well-known company that specializes in the development of super-fast engines. This company, Top Velocity Incorporated, is famous for creating the fastest engines in Aethion, befitting their slogans “Arrive before you leave” (a play on the joke associated with the mail system) and “Don’t stop”. Unfortunately, there aren’t many vehicles that can handle the power of their engines, not even those produced by Lake Aerospace or Phantoka Motors or even most military-grade vehicles, and Nu-Clysmax isn’t very efficient in making their own stable vehicles. Despite this, Top Velocity isn’t waiting for other companies to catch up, continuing to develop faster engines without any prospect of them hitting the mass production line and being put to commercial use in the near future.Nu-Clysmians have adopted a unique speech pattern befitting their quick nature. They use a simplified form of the Matoran language heavily littered with contractions and abbreviations. While they are accustomed to their hurried speech, non-natives are often left begging them to “slow down and sound things out” in conversation. Being as quick-natured as they are, though, even when speaking slower it is possible for a foreigner to miss a word or two if not paying very close attention. Of course, it’s equally possible the speaker omitted the missed words because “conjunctions and linking verbs aren’t mandatory”.Notably, Levoctus tend to pop up here more often than anywhere else. They are by no means common here, but you’re more likely to see one on Nu-Clysmax.Tar Shard, Res-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizzDescription: Res-Clysmax, the Tar Shard, was always a wasteland of sorts known for its troublesome tar pits. After the Shattering, new tar pits surfaced and existing ones expanded. Res-Clysmax was originally founded as a mining town, as the region was rich in coal and oil as well. The town expanded into a rather large city powered almost exclusively by those local resources. Res-Clysmax was also the largest producer of rubber and plastic at one point. Local technology and architecture is heavily diesel punk in style. Dirigible-like aircraft are commonly utilized as both passenger and cargo carriers. Other aircraft is common as well and nearly everything is powered by internal combustion engines.As Res-Clysmian society developed, it became increasingly stratified. Originally, miners were at the bottom of society while mine owners were at the top. Over time, middle classes formed as the demand for factory workers, transporters, and other jobs rose and a more formal government developed. The government possesses a strict hold over the shard’s economy and strong authoritarian views. Over 80% of the energy business is owned by the government and roughly 60% of all industrial productions are government commissioned. Society is stratified vertically; partly due to the fact that the city was expanded vertically with towering skyscrapers to accommodate the growing population. Naturally, miners were left at the bottom, with existing factories and their workers remaining at ground level during the upward expansion. Big business and government actions take place in the upper levels of the city.Currently, the Tar Shard Moon has reached a state of unrest. In the past two-hundred years it came to the attention of the general populace that the city was sinking into a massive tar pit that formed beneath it. The sink rate is slow, but the situation is no less alarming to the public. Also, the working conditions of the lower class are incredibly poor. Many workers have developed the need for artificial respirators due to damage from toxic fumes and other inhaled pollution. Additionally, the construction of “HAVEN”, a flying fortress commissioned by the government intended to keep safe the upper class and those who can afford entrance, further stratifying Res-Clysmian society, has caused much controversy and sparked the formation of several rebel groups. Dogfights between the rebel groups and the military are increasingly common. The Shard Moon is teetering on the brink of an all-out civil war as government approval falls and rebel support rises.A large number of Teralpid sought work in the mines when Res-Clysmax was still a small town. Post-Shattering, many of these Teralpid still remain and, as miners, are part of the lower class. Those of higher classes came later in Res-Clysmax’s development. Steltians are also fairly common and typically hold positions in the middle classes. Reportedly, Tar Elementals are common outside the city and said to attack wanderers and nomads, dragging them into the pits. Such reports remain unacknowledged by the government.Sand Shard, Vo-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizz[Click for full]Description:The Sand Shard of Vo-Clysmax was once a beautiful beach with a prosperous people under the rule of a benevolent king. Post-Shattering, Vo-Clysmax was torn away from the body of water it bordered, becoming a barren desert wasteland. Water is now scarce and sustaining food supplies is difficult.The most prominent feature of the Sand Kingdom of Vo-Clysmax is the central castle to the North which acted as the kingdom’s capital. This castle was constructed entirely from sand using force fields to maintain its shape. Post-Shattering, the castle still stands; however, the originally sprawling palace within its walls has since fallen silent and desolate, leaving the kingdom without its king. It is unknown what happened to those within, though it is rumored by those on the outside that they have all been cursed and fallen into a deep slumber, earning it the nickname “Sleeping Citadel”. Efforts to penetrate the castle have all met failure as the castle’s Manas guards are still quite active and aggressive. The few that have made it in have never been heard from again.The majority of the Sand Kingdom’s people lived in villages outlying the Sleeping Citadel. Only two major villages still exist, the larger Western Village and the smaller Eastern Village. These villages are arranged in a circular fashion with all doorways facing toward the village center to help protect against sand storms. Many nomadic clans make temporary settlements throughout the Sand Shard and often pass through the major villages.Vo-Clysmax’s shore, now called End’s Shore, for it is now the literal edge of the shard, has become a symbol of the desolation suffered by the once glorious kingdom after the Shattering, in stark contrast to the life bearing ocean that once existed there. A port still stands at End’s Shore where airships now dock. Lava Shard, Ig-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizz[include any images here.]Description:Ig-Clysmax formed during the Shattering when a massive volcano from the Ta-Clysmax region broke off. Magma from this volcano leaked out and cooled rapidly forming many smaller Shards around Ig-Clysmax. These smaller Shards where sold to wealthy individuals as “private islands” of sorts, making the Lava Shard Moon very rich.Many of the natives are artists and sculptors, utilizing the dominating volcano as a forge and kiln and lava harvested from venting lava flows as a raw material. The work produced by the Ig-Clysmians is renowned for its high quality and beauty. Auctions are often held bringing in many wealthy bidders from around the Multiverse to acquire these prized pieces of art, in turn making many of the residents very wealthy.The residents are not the only things “rich” about Ig-Clysmax, however; the volcanic soil is very rich in mineral nutrients, making the land very fertile. Many exotic plant species that are accustomed to the tropical climate and volcanic weather are thus found here. A number of species of biomechanical reptiles and birds similar to those found on Bota Magna of the Core Universe also bountifully inhabit the Lava Shard Moon.These two sides of Ig-Clysmax give the Lava Shard Moon a unique contrasting feel of a wealthy gated community and an exotic prehistoric land removed from time.Adieu,- MechaFizz

Magnetism Shard, Neh-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizzDescription: Neh-Clysmax rests on a deposit of highly magnetic proto-ore that produces a strong magnetic field. While this field has always existed, it has increased considerably post-Shattering. The magnetic field disrupts most technological navigation devices, making navigation on and around the moon difficult, if not impossible. Even power-based navigation methods, such as the Mask of Pathfinding, have been known to fail within the moon’s field. In fact, technology as whole has been known to malfunction. For this reason, it is advised that spacecraft avoid flying too near the moon to avoid risk of encountering a problem that causes the craft to crash. Note that this magnetic field has little to no physically damaging effects on armored beings – only the functionality of powered technology.Prior to the Shattering, massive, metal monoliths were constructed on Neh-Clysmax. Post-Shattering, many of these monoliths still remain, most in partial ruin but still standing to some degree. While it was a thriving metropolis in its prime, most of the inhabitants fled just prior to or during the Shattering, leaving Neh-Clysmax largely uninhabited compared to its prior population density. Survival has now become somewhat of a struggle for the remaining denizens, as resources such as water and food are scarce, despite food drops made by Le-Clysmax ships about once every month. A mutual bond of comradery, however, allows the inhabitants to peacefully ration the food supply. Though crimes and acts of violence over food are not unheard of and usually go unpunished due to the lack of proper government rule. Additionally, this loose government makes Neh-Clysmax a safe haven for criminals and outlaws on the run from the other Fragments of Clysmax, even Ice.Neh-Clysmax has a unique brand of technology compared to the other fragments, partly due to its unique situation. The walls of most buildings have “floortilters” built into them. These floortilters allow beings to walk up these walls as if they were proper floors. While at first glance they appear to be simply a variant of the artificial gravity technology developed by the Cave Fragment, they are actually magnetic based, rather than gravity based. The magnetic field produced by the floortilters is extremely localized. It can be felt minutely within a foot of the structure’s surface, but is only strong enough to hold a being steady at about a one inch distance off the surface of the building. Even buildings that lay in near-total ruin still have functional floortilters intact.Transportation to and from Neh-Clysmax is near impossible, as the magnetic field inhibits spacecraft from functioning. There is, however, on-world craft that operates using floortilting technology with the polarity adjusted to work against the moon’s magnetic field. These crafts are lightweight, resembling wireframes with no components other than a seat, steering mechanism, and floortilting device for propulsion. These small crafts are not always reliable and nowhere near strong enough to escape the moon’s surface.Prior to the Shattering, Chutes were used for transportation throughout the city. Most were either damaged or had to be shutdown afterward due to increased Force Sphere risk. Floortilting walkways were eventually added to the chutes that remained intact, allowing them to be used again to some extent. Usually, three or five walkways are placed inside a single Chute.The inhabitants are currently attempting to construct a giant railgun to launch ships off the Shard. However, it is in developmental phases only and is occasionally sabotaged by the criminal residents.Acid Shard, Hy-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizzDescription: Hy-Clysmax, the Acid Shard Moon, was originally a part of the Air and Water regions, a small wetland that lay on the border. It was governed by Le-Clysmax and participated in the development of force field technology. Pre-Shattering, Hy-Clysmax had no association with the Acid element, it was simply wetland. However, the Shattering devastated the Shard Moon’s ecosystem severely. Due to this cataclysm, acidic substances from deep beneath the ground were shaken to the surface along with a mysterious, mutagenic substance that polluted a number of swamps (these swamps are similar to Karda Nui’s Swamp of Secrets in the Core Universe). Thus, the moon was named Hy-Clysmax to reflect the new ecology.As almost all water has been contaminated, acid rain is common. Most wildlife has adapted, but the rain still poses a hazard to buildings and sapient beings, such as Matoran and Agori. To protect against this, all shelters have large canopies with Mask of Quarantine type force fields over them. Beneath the force field, the canopy has acid resilient glass panels in case of technological force field failure.The shelters themselves are built on large disk-shaped platforms raised above the swampland below (imagine an artificial, metal version of the Ga-Koro lily pad huts). Metal walkways connect individual shelter platforms together. These walkways also have quarantine force fields to protect them from the acid rain, as well as smaller canopies placed over sections of walkway at regular intervals for beings to seek quick shelter underneath if it begins to rain while traversing the walkway.Some of these shelters sank along with their residents during the Shattering. Many of the survivors were exposed to the mutagen and transformed in a number of unique and distinct ways. Some became water breathers or amphibious, others mutated in some other bizarre way, and a few reverted to beast-like states (similar to Hordika, but different cause). Those who became water breathers reconstructed their dwellings underwater.On-world transportation, aside from the walkways, mostly consists of swamp boats. Off-world transportation, while possible, runs on a tighter schedule than on most other Fragments. Travel to and from the moon must be scheduled around the acid rain storms, and may thus be cancelled abruptly if an unexpected storm occurs.Psionics Shard, Ce-ClysmaxMember Name: MechaFizzDescription: Ce-Clysmax is a place of learning and higher thought. Throughout Aethion’s history, Ce-Clysmax has always been a place where beings devoted to higher thought have gathered in order to solve the mysteries of the multiverse. Most buildings have ancient Greco-Roman style architecture. Most of these structures remained intact after the Shattering, though the ones near the moon’s edges lay in ruins. Female Skrall are particularly common here.In the early years prior to the Shattering, Ce-Clysmax was a province of the Ice Kingdom. Originally, Ce-Clysmax’s border was open for all travelers and journeying scholars to pass freely. However, a battalion of rogue Ice soldiers assaulted the city, destroying the largest library, resulting in the loss of an immeasurable wealth of records and knowledge forever. This subsequently prompted the Ce-Clysmian leaders to order the closing of their border to outsiders, including Ice Kingdom citizens and military members. This resulted in a sort of “cold civil war” between Ce-Clysmax and the Ice Kingdom. The border remains strictly closed to outsiders post-Shattering.Similarly to Xian society, females are the dominate class within Ce-Clysmax society. The small number of male Toa of Psionics, Skrall, and other Psionics beings act as border guards. A relatively small class consisting of low ranking females also exists as boarder guard captains. Males are forbidden to become scholars and cannot rise above the warrior class. Low ranking females, however, can rise to the scholar class, but this is difficult and rarely occurs.Adieu,- MechaFizz

Making Pokémon art? And for profit on the side? With your skill level, I’d be surprised if you didn’t at least last until the final rounds. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you. Oh, I see what you did there. Adieu, - MechaFizz

Pignite? Wasn’t that one of the fan made nicknames for Tepig before his English name was revealed? If so, I find this humorous in some fashion. Overall, I think they did a fairly good job with the starters’ names. Particularly, I like the conceited sounding-ness of Snivy’s family. Servine makes me think “you just got served!” And Serperior, oh how much more conceited can you get? Tepig’s family is a delightful set of clever puns, plain and simple. I also like how they stuck with the “-wott” ending scheme for Oshawott’s family. It almost sounds like an honorific, especially considering the Japanese/samurai-motif in their designs. Also, I find Klink -> Klang -> Klinkang hilariously clever. Eelektrik is also very punny. Adieu, - MechaFizz

Very nice shaping overall, I particularly like the head and torso. He definitely looks like a relative of Prophet Alpha, yet still unique and separate. Though, I think he could use a little white on the lower legs to balance them with the arms. Do you have any plans to continue with more Prophets? I feel it would be fun to build a few to stand alongside each other – maybe one in each main BIONICLE color? Adieu, - MechaFizz

Nice name picks. Zereldar sounds like a very interesting character. It sounds like we’ll be seeing those power-channeling properties of silver very soon. Arrik Xell is the name that intrigues me most, though. In canon, we don’t see many duel-named characters aside from Rahi. In fact, the only two I can think of are Mata Nui and Tren Krom. If that’s any indicator of what this character will be like, then we may very well be seeing a near-deity level entity in the multiverse. Adieu, - MechaFizz

Well, if you’re offering, I would appreciate a critique of this guy. Most of the responses in the former topic, though encouraging, didn’t really offer a whole lot in the realm of constructive criticism. They did seem to like the hands a lot, though . Thanks, Adieu, - MechaFizz

Hmm… I’d like to enter this. Though, I’d have to check my schedule for July before committing. Also, I’ve taken courses in 3D modeling and animation, so if I have time (which I probably won’t now that I’ve said it ), I wouldn’t mind modeling a character. But they’d have to be a really epic character (I wish that pun was intended). Adieu, - MechaFizz

If only I had been on about a day and a half ago, then I could legitimately say I was the first to get it. Ah well. So, was it Bob that served Sarah to Dave, or were there other survivors? (Wait, why am I still asking questions? ) Adieu, - MechaFizz

I just noticed this detail in the riddle. If they washed up on the same island they were traveling to, as the wording suggests, then I may have another solution. The three survivors are washed upon the island where they remain stranded for a month. Unbeknownst to any of them, this island is the same island they were flying to before the crash, simply an uninhabited part. Prior to Dave’s rescue, Sarah dies, possibly of starvation or disease. After his rescue, Dave eats an albatross at a restaurant, presumably at the two couples’ original destination. Immediately after eating this albatross, he remembers the wild albatross on the island they were stranded on and realizes that the two islands are one in the same. Concluding that if perhaps he had ventured farther into the island’s wilderness, he would have discovered the civilized side and been able to save not only himself but Sarah as well, he commits suicide out of guilt. Did I get it this time? And if not: Are the two islands the same? Did cannibalism take place on the island? Bob lived, but was he actually saved? Are any of the above relevant to the solution? Adieu, - MechaFizz