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FIRE, STONE & FURY: MY THOUGHTS ON THE 2005 BIONICLE STORY ARC Introduction Story wise, 2005 might be my least favourite year of Bionicle. The missed potential and asinine character and story decisions rival even that of the later years. Not long ago, I decided to experience the entire Biological Chronicle, from 2001 to 2011, taking in every single piece of (semi)canon media, with the ultimate goal of compiling my thoughts on each story year, and the story as a whole, into organised posts. However, I found out fairly early on, that I didn't have much to say about the Bionicle story, at least nothing that hasn't been said before. With one major exception… I have a lot to say about the 2005 story and its shortcomings. Rather than offer my thoughts as a whole, I will be highlighting particular weak spots and, if I feel so inclined, show you how I would've tackled the various botched decisions. Buckle up, because I've got a lot of things to say! Chapter 1: Drag It Out Let's get one thing out of the way first. It has already been observed that the 2005 year feels somewhat tacked on. 2004 already had a conclusion: Metru Nui falls, the Toa defeat Teridax, bring the Matoran to Mata Nui and become Turaga. What else is there left to say? As a result, 2005 inevitably feels like a needless interlude. If Legends of Metru Nui didn't immediately show us the Toa Metru waking the Matoran on the beach and if it did more to establish that the Great Rescue wasn't going to be over so soon, then perhaps 2005 it would've felt more meaningful. Alas, it was not to be, and we got a whole year's worth of novels etc. that tried to drag out the 2004 story. And as we will see, this attempt to drag things out made a few holes in the fabric. Chapter 2: Voyage of Fear and Loathing The way the year started actually showed some promise. The last few novels and comics of 2004 hinted at some darker secrets regarding Vakama and created some intrigue, what with the Turaga suddenly becoming very wary of continuing their story and alluding to some unspoken horrors and betrayals. I want to start with Voyage of Fear and Maze of Shadows. Now, these were technically released in 2004 and as such could be considered as part of the 2004 story year. But we've already established that said year already concluded with Legends of Metru Nui. So, at least to me, 2005 starts with the aforementioned novels. Personally, I find them to be decent. They do, however, show some problems in characterisation and character interactions, which will become more pronounced as the year goes on. But before that: let's talk about Mavrah. I don't like how Farshtey handled this character. His deal is, that he is a former archivist, who deeply cares about Rahi and has some legitimate philosophical concerns regarding the Archives' somewhat callous attitude towards them. At least, that's the subtext. In the text itself, Mavrah is just a loony who blocks the Toa Metru on their missions and who, because of that, deserves the same amount of scorn as Teridax himself. What really rubbed me the wrong way about Voyage of Fear is how it never suggests that Mavrah might actually have a point and that killing Rahi or keeping them forever in suspended animation is not the right thing to do, even if the Rahi in question are dangerous. The story opens some interesting questions that it never bothers to actually explore (I find this to be an issue with post-2006 Bionicle as well). It's also pretty telling that the Toa only try to reason with Mavrah after Onewa (who, mind you, is the source of the scorn) has already tried to use Mind Control on him and thus proved to Mavrah that the Toa are aggressors. Voyage of Fear tries way too hard to make Mavrah a villain, but the justification to make him so is so weak, I actually ended up almost rooting for the guy. The fact that the Toa kept making the situation worse and lack any self-reflection on the situation doesn't help matters. If they maybe looked back and realised they screwed up, it could've saved the story. But that doesn’t happen and as a result, Voyage of Fear ends up itself a pointless interlude, much like 2005 as a whole. How would I fix this? I'd use the face-off with Mavrah to plant the seed of discord between Vakama and Onewa. Vakama tries to be diplomatic, while Onewa wants to be more decisive. Their failure to coordinate ends up with Mavrah killed and the Rahi injured. Vakama accuses Onewa of being headstrong and pig-headed, while Onewa snaps back, claiming that Vakama could try being more hands on. Vakama's recklessness in the rest of the story would be a direct result of him trying to "please" Onewa. I'd also try to make Mavrah less like a loony psychopath who disregards others wellbeing, and more like a tragic figure, who got over his head when he tried to protect powerful Rahi. Speaking of Fire-Spitter and Stone-Head… Chapter 3: Fire, Stone and Fury I dislike how Farshtey handled Mavrah but I absolutely HATE how he handled Vakama and Onewa. Vakama, much like Mavrah, is portrayed as psychopath, so bent on fulfilling his team's mission, that he completely disregards everyone's wellbeing. Not only does it beg the question how and why the others kept following him and then even tried to save him from the dark side, it also feels like too great of a departure from how he was portrayed previously. The headstrong, willfully ignorant Vakama from late 2004-2005 is NOT the same character as the sympathetic and occasionally awesome Vakama from early 2004. There are slight hints he starts behaving like this because he is frustrated by his failures and the team's lack of progress, but the lurch from caring leader to reckless leader is so terribly executed it just seems like Vakama was possessed or something. The first time he shows any concern for his teammates is when they are finally captured by the Visorak. What was stopping him from showing some care before then, like when Nokama was seriously injured? Perhaps if Vakama was portrayed something like Walker from Spec Ops: The Line, a well-meaning person who is woefully misguided and unprepared for the situation, then I could buy the change in his behaviour. As it is, he's just a psycho. And as for Onewa? Where do I begin with him! Let's start with the fact that despite ultimately being a toxic and unlikeable character, he never gets any comeuppance for his actions. In fact, he actually saves the day more than once by acting like an a-hole (breaking Mavrah's resolve and recruiting Krahka). Then, after he's done wreaking havoc on the team, he becomes second fiddle to Matau post Web of the Visorak (we'll get to that). And unlike Vakama or Nuju, where the change in their personality and mannerisms is clearly foreshadowed and shown, Onewa never displays any actions, which would lead him to become "The Referee". To the reader, he remains an abrasive firebrand (stonebrand?), whose sole contribution to the story was ultimately to make everyone's lives worse. Some Referee… Chapter 4: Web of Tangled Shadows From the very beginning of 2004, there is some (un)friendly rivalry between Vakama and Onewa. The former is unsure of himself and needs encouragement, the latter is needlessly harsh and needs to mellow down. At the start of 2005, they start to butt heads more often, with the tipping point being Vakama's outburst in Web of the Visorak and Onewa's brutal verbal retribution. Both make it clear they'll no longer tolerate each other's actions. If you were like me, reading the novel, you would've guessed this would lead to them finally being forced to bury the hatchet and work together. But for some reason, that never happens, and the story pulls out an unestablished and completely random fracture between Vakama and Matau, while Onewa becomes a tertiary character. Now, the fact that this decision demolishes a perfectly fine character arc for Onewa is bad enough. What really gets me is just how unjustified it seems. Why drop Onewa, the lancer to Vakama's leader, and suddenly promote Matau, the not-so-important comic relief character, into Onewa's role? Someone explain it to me! Even worse, the story itself seems to know how awkward this is and occasionally alludes to the (never resolved) schism between Vakama and Onewa, as if to remind the reader that the feud was really a thing, before forgetting about it altogether. The fix is frustratingly simple: swap Matau and Onewa in their roles. While I was reading the 2005 novels, there were several moments that made me say: "This would make a lot more sense if it was Onewa/Matau doing it." I would also add a "boiling-point moment", where Onewa is finally forced to admit he's a toxic influence on the team. Remember that one time in Bionicle 27: Fractures, where Vakama nearly chokes Whenua? Remember how inconsequential that moment ultimately was? Here's how I'd write it: "Matau and Nokama should've been back by now," snapped Onewa. "I know," Vakama answered, annoyed. "You should've never sent them to scout the Visorak alone." "I know." "Could've waited until some of us I were free to help." "I. Know." Nuju could feel Vakama getting more and more agitated by Onewa accusations. He was about to interject, when Onewa spoke again: "If you want to know my opinion-" "I DON'T!" Vakama grabbed Onewa by the throat. The Toa Hordika of Stone tried to break free, but to no avail. "Vakama!" shouted Nuju. "What are doing?! Let him go!" Vakama was too furious to listen. He tightened his grip. "Vakama! You're hurting him. Listen to me. Let him go!" Vakama looked around. He was surrounded by looks of alarm and concern. Realising what he was doing, he dropped Onewa to the ground. He carefully came close, to see if his brother was alright. Onewa pounced. He striked at Vakama with an unmatched rage. He swung, he stomped and when the frightened Vakama tried to flee, he resorted to firing Stone Rhotuka at him. It took Ice and Earth Rhotuka to finally stop the mad Toa Hordika. "Just what do you think you're doing, Onewa?" Nuju was uncharacteristically angry. "Let me go!" snarled Onewa. "Let me go, so I can tear him apart!" "Tear him apart? Onewa, what has gotten into you?" added Rahaga Norik. "Punish him! Give that smelt-head what's coming to him! Rip him apart and feed him to the Visorak! SERVES HIM RIGHT FOR WHAT HE DID TO US!" When Onewa stopped his tirade, he found his comrades' expression darkened. Whenua broke the silence: "Do you hear yourself, Onewa? The things you just said about Vakama?" Onewa was surprised Whenua, his friend, was reaming him out. "B-but, he lead us into a trap. He failed us as a leader!" "And for that you want him killed? What in Makuta's name is wrong with you? Who do you think you are?" "I… am… Onewa. Toa… of Stone." "A Toa, for sure," spat Whenua. "A Toa of Venom." And with that, the group turned away, disgusted by the Toa of Venom they had just conversed with. "Um… guys? Guys?" Onewa was still up to his waist in Earth and Ice. It wasn't until a nearby crash of a Visorak chariot that he was finally free. "No one could've survived that… no one but us, Toa heroes!" The voice belonged to Matau. "A last-minute Air Spinner to create a cushion-" "Plus, landing on me. Ow!" The other voice belonged to Nokama. "And here we are! Onewa? What are doing here? Where are the others?" Onewa bowed his head and said nothing. While we're at it, let's make the very next scene of Vakama facing off the mutated Muaka from Web of Shadows as a symbolic confrontation with the monster inside of him. Maybe also a monologue about him finally dropping his teammates, so that his turn to the dark side feels more natural. Following this, the events of said novel/film play out almost exactly like in canon, except Onewa's the one leading the charge and trying to reason to Vakama, while Matau's the one crashing headfirst into a wall and acting like an idiot. Doesn't all this sound so much better than what we got? And besides, during the Toa's confrontation with Roodaka, wouldn't it make more sense for her to forget Stone instead of Air? You might think, this is the end of it, but there's still one thing about 2005 I want to address. Chapter 5: Time Trap, Parts I & II Time Trap is the last Bionicle: Adventures novel and the last novel of the 2005 story arc. Judging by the online discourse, it seems to be nigh universally loved. I can see why, it's a gripping story and an exciting sendoff to the story arc, one that ties up loose ends and ties nicely, not too forcefully, into the next year. But it's not perfect and I have some thoughts about it. First thing's first: It doesn't really resolve the feuds between the characters. We open the story and Vakama's still a reckless fool and Onewa is still needlessly abrasive. They may try to sound more diplomatic, but it doesn't work. You'd think, after everything the characters went through, they'd act a little differently. Maybe something like this: Toa Matau stared hard at Toa Vakama. The two were almost mask to mask, Matau’s eyes boring into his friend’s as if Vakama were some previously unknown breed of Rahi beast. After a few moments, Matau broke off and started walking around the Toa of Fire, all the while muttering to himself. "What are you doing?" Vakama demanded finally. "I always knew you would go crazy one day," Matau replied. "Not Hordika-crazy, just mad-crazy all on your own. I want to remember the sight." "I’m not crazy," said Vakama flatly. "All I said was, I am going back to Metru Nui. The rest of you take the Matoran to the island above, and I will join you soon." At the controls of the airship in which they flew, Onewa sat shaking his head. "I know better than to argue with you," Onewa said over his shoulder. "But I'm sorry, I really don't understand. All this effort to get away from Metru Nui and now you want to go back?!" "Yeah," interjected Matau playfully. "Did you leave a lightstone on? Forget your favourite Kanoka disk? What is it?" "The Mask of Time." Three words. All it took was those three words from Vakama to silence the room. "I'm not surprised it slipped your mind. I don't blame you, I almost forgot about it myself." The Toa remained silent, realising the seriousness of the situation. Everyone present remembered how Vakama crafted the Kanohi Vahi, the Mask of Time, with the power to slow down or speed up time around a target. Keeping the powerful mask out of the hands of the evil Makuta had nearly cost Vakama his life, and had led to the death of Turaga Lhikan. During the course of the battle, the Vahi had fallen into the sea. "It’s still down there. If it should fall into the hands of Makuta, all that we have done here, and all our hopes for a new life, will be erased. I have to find it." Nokama stood up. "We’ll all go, if it’s that important, then we must-" Vakama shook his head. "I know this goes against everything we've learned so far, but this time I really must go alone. If I am wrong, and Makuta has forgotten the mask, he will go after them. If I am right, then at least I can delay him long enough for you to escape… perhaps even to destroy the mask." "I understand, Vakama. But we cannot let you go alone. Not after our ordeal." "I’m not ordering my fellow Toa to accept this. I am asking my brothers and sister to understand. I must go alone." Before Nokama could answer, Onewa had stepped up between them. "Perhaps we can compromise," he said. "Nokama, he has a point. Someone has to stay behind and make sure nothing happens to the Matoran. On the other hand…" he continued, turning to the Toa of Fire, "letting you go alone would be unwise. What if you need help? At least take Nokama with you, brother. The rest of us will watch the Matoran." Vakama considered. His mind was telling him to go alone and disregard his teammates. Then he remembered where this line of thinking lead him last time. Onewa was right, he could use some help. "Alright," he said. "When you're ready, sister." In my version of the story, Nokama accompanies Vakama in his quest, helps him find the Vahi underwater, and when Vakama get buried, she goes searching for Onewa's help. The novel ends with the Toa reuniting. I don't know about you, but this sounds a lot closer to how the characters would act in this point in time. BTW, did you see me turning Onewa into the Referee? Another thing that bugs me about Time Trap is the missed potential. As you know, a large portion of the story takes place in a dark alternate reality, where the Great Disk Matoran became Toa and where the Morbuzakh is still at large. The subplot is an intriguing projection of Vakama's anxieties over the Toa Metru supposedly not being meant to become Toa and an interesting what-if scenario. Sadly, it's never properly explored since it ends way too quickly. And besides, the subplot is ruined by the fact, that we already know it's not real, so the tension is non-existent. My solution? Split Time Trap into two parts. The first one starts with Vakama waking up in the alternate reality. There is no explanation as to how he got there, no intermissions from the Dark Hunters. For all we know, the entire Bionicle story up to that point has been a dream. We stay in this reality for a little while, we meet all the characters, Onewa, Whenua and the Toa included, and see just how twisted this version of Metru Nui is. As we go along, we start to see more and more cracks and inconsistencies, things take make Vakama realise: Wait, this really is an illusion! He finds the Kratana, meets Krakua, illusion ends and he meets Teridax. They team up to find the Vahi. End of part one. Part two opens with Vakama and Teridax en route. Vakama reminisces on the events that lead him to where he is, including the above paragraph, Voporak's attack and the illusion. The rest of part two plays out exactly as the official version, maybe with an additional subplot about Nokama and Onewa's rescue mission, with them coming across the Rahi from Voyage of Fear, finding Mavrah corpse and maybe even helping Vakama in the final battle. Conclusion Aaaaaaaaaaaaand, that's all. That's my rant, I mean, treatise for a revamped version of the 2005 Bionicle story arc. I've had these thought brewing in me for some time and I thought it was high time I got them off my chest. I hope it was at least somewhat insightful. If you have any thoughts about my thoughts, do share them down below.
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(First of all, this is the last time I make a topic about this series. To not spam the boards.) Hello guys: I’ve started making a series called The Bionicle Chronicles where I will shortly talk about something related to the Bionicle lore. The first video is about the Toa Hagah and the second one is about Toa Helryx. I will only make this topic about the series and only update it through it to not spam this. I hope you enjoy the videos. Feel free to comment or to make any suggestions.
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I recently gotten back into Bionicle and been considering looking into going into checking out the storyline. But my problem is there's like, 15 thousand different things of the story in different mediums and don't know where to start at exactly. Do I start with the books? The Comics? That matoran flash game? I know most the stuff I can find on the BioMedia Project but I really don't know where to start so I would really apperciate some of, guide perhaps?
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At the beginning of the Ignition Saga, the Piraka invade Mangaia and Teridax plants the knowledge of the Kanohi Ignika in their mind. He uses the Skakdi to transport his essence to Voya Nui, but why did he need them past that? He clearly needed the toa to use the mask of life to save Mata Nui as per the Mahri story and his interactions with Matoro, but as far as I know he was not expecting the toa inika to arrive/be formed. As far as he knew, the toa nuva would have remained defeated by the Piraka, and Mata Nui would have died—ruining The Plan. So, why did he help them? Could he have tricked the Piraka into using the mask to save mata nui? Can Skakdi use mask powers? Would he have tried to use the mask himself?
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Hi guys I have been rereading bionicle lore after rediscovering them from my childhood and was wondering what happened on spherus magna after it was reformed? Is it just up to our imagination or is there certain things we know for sure happened Thanks for the replies especially if this is a dumb question
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Ninjago's been around for over seven years now and I'm curious how people feel about how its quality has held up over the years. Have the sets and story gotten better, worse, or stayed about the same? Overall, I feel that Ninjago started strong and has generally gotten stronger. It's true that there are a few sets from early in the theme's run that still feel outstanding, like 9441 and 2507. But I also feel like the sets have gotten much more detailed and refined. This is most obvious with sets that are specific redesigns of earlier ones, like 70738 versus 9446 or 70595 versus 9449, but also apparent with a lot of other sets like 70596, 70627, and the ninja vehicles from the movie. And while some of the most memorable moments of the show for me are still early ones like Zane discovering his true nature as a Nindroid, the characters have certainly developed a lot since then. Nya in particular has gone from a sort of generic action girl (highly capable but still relegated to the role of supporting character) to a full member of the team with her own personal challenges to overcome and a deeper connection to her teammates. And Lloyd has evolved from a sort of a wannabe ninja to the emotional center of the team and sometimes even its de facto leader. But I'm curious to hear what everybody else thinks!
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Hi, I have started a new stop-motion series called THE RETURURN OF THE TOA. This is the first episode so far. I know it's pretty short yet but it's just a start and Chapter 2 is on progress. The next one is gonna be longer and this is only a pilot episode. Chapter 1: A HERO IS HERE TRAILER 1: TRAILER 2:
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Bionicle 1000 years later, when space travel has become widespread, a period of peace has weakened defenses, toa are rare and widespread, and you must guide the life of a matoran. Give commands to this matoran and help him survive and protect the Bionicle universe! This is an experimental project I'm working on, so the days I update this will variate until I find a nice interval. Please leave commands as replies to posts. Chapter 1-1 You wake up. It takes only a second of that stale air to remind you you've been on a cargo ship for the past two weeks. Then, the sudden realization, despite only a thin wall between you and the boiler room, it's cool... and quiet. You must have finally arrived. You force your lazy eyes open for a view of the delightfully dull steel bed bunk above you. What should you do now?
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Hi, guys! We may know that Lego does not celebrate Bionicle's anniversaries, but have you guys ever celebrated them or Bionicle's story or set years' anniversaries? Well, for me, I am sort of doing it. Here is the list of things that you would celebrate: 1. 2006 - 5th anniversary of Bionicle and the 2001 storyline - the part where the Piraka arrived to Voya Nui with the Toa Mata's canisters reminds me of the 2001 storyline, where Toa Mata arrive to the island of Mata Nui with the canisters. Plus, the Bionicle Heroes video games includes characters from the 2001-2005 storylines, and the old online games from these years, including the Mata Nui Online Game in 2001, are re-released in 2006. 2. 2007 - 5th anniversary of the 2002 storyline - the Toa Nuva Blog presents the Toa Nuva, who appeared in the 2002 storyline. 3. 2008 - 5th anniversary of the 2003 storylines and the Mask of Light movie - the 2008 storyline shows the Toa Nuva and Takanuva fighting against the Makuta, which reminds me of the heroes fighting Makuta Teridax. Also, there are Av-Matoran involved, which reminds me of Takua in the Mask of Light storyline. 4. 2009 - 5th anniversary of the 2004 storyline and the Legends of Metru Nui movie - the 2009 storyline shows an arena, which reminds me of the Coliseum in the 2004 storyline. 5. 2010 - 5th anniversary of the 2005 storyline and the Web of Shadows movie 6. 2011 - 10th anniversary of Bionicle and the 2001 storyline, and 5th anniversary of the 2006 storyline - Well, Hero Factory's Savage Planet storyline shares some things in Bionicle's 2001 storyline, including the fact that there are six different-colored heroes arriving from the sky to a world with a jungle-related place and fighting against animals that are mind-controlled by corrupted objects given by a villain. Plus, when Ninjago came out, it started with elemental heroes collecting magical golden objects, which is a little similar to the 2001 storyline. 7. 2012 - 10th anniversary of the 2002 storyline and 5th anniversary of the 2007 storyline - HF's Breakout storyline shows villains escaping from prison and there is a shark-based one fighting a hero underwater, which remind me of the 2007 storyline. 8. 2013 - 10th anniversary of the 2003 storylines and the MoL movie, and 5th anniversary of the 2008 storyline - in a coincidence, Hero Factory's Brain Attack storyline features seven heroes as the main protagonists, like how Bionicle's 2003 and 2008 storylines show seven main heroes. 9. 2014 - 10th anniversary of the 2004 storyline and the LoMN movie, and 5th anniversary of the 2009 storyline and The Legend Reborn movie - HF's Invasion From Below storyline shows a city being threatened, which reminds me of the 2004 storyline. 10. 2015 - 10th anniversary of the 2005 storylines and the WoS movie, and 5th anniversary of the 2010 storyline - the 2015 storyline shows evil spiders, which reminds me of the 2005 storyline. 11. 2016 - 15th anniversary of Bionicle and the 2001 storyline, and 10th anniversary of the 2006 storyline - Well, the 2016 storyline does include versions of the Toa from the 2001 storyline. Plus, the end credits in The Journey to One says the words "2001-2016". 12. 2017 - 15th anniversary of the 2002 storyline, and 10th anniversary of the 2007 storyline I know it's a lot, but that would do. Interestingly, in 2015, how the 2015 storyline began with the Toa arriving to the island of Okoto is sort of similar to the 2001 storyline, where the Toa arrive in the island of Mata Nui. I guess this would represent the 2001 storyline's 14th anniversary. Plus, in 2017, the soundtrack for the MoL movie was released to celebrate the movie's 14th anniversary. When I celebrate Bionicle and its storylines, I usually look at my Bionicle collection (which would be more than 5 years old) and say to myself this, "Wow, it's been 5, 10, or 15 years already. Such good and nostalgic memories. ". I would also play my sets again to relive my precious memories. I would talk about Bionicle and its storylines to my friends like stories, including characters and important objects. I made some topics that would help out celebrating, and this topic is one of them. So, how would you guys celebrate Bionicle and its story or set years' anniversaries? What do you do to do them? Have you encountered something that reminds you of anything that is related to Bionicle in its anniversary in any way, too?
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So I have been a collector of Bionicle figures since 2001. I remember getting the first Onua figure when I was a kid and loved the figures all the way up until the final set last year. With collecting them though I started creating my own story to go with my own creations. This started as just a kids idea but over the years has grown into something I am quite proud of. Ive written most of it down and have decided to finally post it and get reaction from the Bionicle community. Much of it is similar to the original story but I change quite a bit over the course of my story and add characters that never existed. I am going to post the first "Episode" here and would appreciated some feedback/critiques on it. I appreciate it all. Beginnings: Part 1 It happened in a flash. A ball of fire hurtling out of the sky. A huge explosion rattling the ground as the fireball hit the earth and hundreds of screams echoing through the forest. But this was no fireball. This was a ship, a skyship over a thousand feet long that had fallen from the sky and crashed into the ground. The screams echoing through the forest are from the hundreds of occupants of the ship who were jettisoned right before it exploded. The screams aren’t the normal ones you would hear from the survivors of a crash though. Instead of “Where is my family?” and “How did this happen?” it is “Where are we?” and “Who am I?” for the entire manifest of passengers has lost their memory. They have no idea who they are, where they are, or how they got there, and that is scarier than any crash could ever be. As the group of survivors rush away from the burning wreckage of their fallen ship a voice is heard out of the ocean of yelling. “Everyone listen! Come this way! We must stick together!” It is coming from one of the passengers. He doesn’t know why he felt as though he needed to lead them, it was just an inner urge he had, but he must try and make sure not to lose anyone in the dark forest that surrounds them now. He doesn’t look like the others either. He has more of a weathered and wise look to him, but his voice carries far and the ones near him follow. Soon the entire mass of people are following him away from the crash and into a nearby clearing. As they walk he is joined by another who looks similar to him, weathered and with an air of wisdom, but a different color. In fact he has noticed that everyone seems to be colored a total of six different ways. As they reach the clearing the crowd begins again with pleas for answers. They expect this one who led them away from the dangers of the crash to know something they don’t. Unfortunately, he does not. Like everyone else in the clearing he has no idea who they are or where they are. He cannot even recall his own name. “I know you wish for answers!” He says to the confused and worried crowd. “But I have none. I just feel as though we are safer together then apart in this forest we know nothing about!” The crowd becomes more restless and the question of who they are becomes more prevalent. “We know not who we are!” The other one who looks similar to him says. “But we do know we all came from that ship!” He points to the wreckage. “That much is certain. Now we need to find shelter until morning then we can try to sort everything out!” This other one like him is a born leader too. As the crowd begins to calm down and attempt to create shelter and some sort of comfort out in this forest the one who led them out of the forest looks around at everyone there. The differences he noticed about them become more prevalent in the light of fire. They are colored six different ways black, blue, white, brown, green, and red. He is red and the other one who helped him calm the crowd is colored brown. Without a name to call himself he just decides to refer to himself as Red for now. Red walks over to Brown and thanks him for helping calm down the crowd. “Don’t mention it, it was no problem. I just felt like I should, ya know?” Brown says. “I do know.” Red responds. “That’s why I led us over here. I felt an inner urge to keep everyone together.” He says. “I feel the same way. Safer together than out there alone.” Brown responds. The next morning four others similar to Red and Brown come over to them. White, Blue, Green, and Black they decide to call themselves for the time being. They have each been talking to others of their color and they all feel like they were on that ship for a reason, but no one can remember why. “We need to find a better place to protect ourselves.” Black says. “Yes, and we need to try and find out who we are soon and where we are.” White adds in. “Agreed, but where do we start?” Asks Green. “Maybe we should head there.” Blue suggests as she points towards an enormous mountain to the northeast of them. “No…I think we should head west.” Red suggests. “Why?” Asks Brown. “I am not sure.” Red starts. “But I feel as though what we need most now is answers and I have a feeling they are towards the west.” The others don’t argue with Red and they all agree to head west, hoping that will lead them to some answers. As they walk through the forest the six leaders get a chance to talk to one another. They too have all noticed the color differences in them. They all have personality differences as well. The black members seem to be much larger and stronger than the others there while the brown ones are faster and the green ones seem to know their way around the forest better than any of the others. “Yeah, I and the others of my color can see in the pitch-black darkness too.” Black tells the others. “Strange.” White says. “We each seem to be adapted to different things.” White and the others of her color have impeccable memories, able to remember every step they have taken. Which increases their curiosity of how they all lost their memories and ended up on that ship. A rustle in a nearby tree startles them though and they all stop, trying to see what it could have been. All of a sudden, a huge lizard-like creature eight feet long, twice that of even the tallest among them, jumps out of the trees and roars so loud is echoes through the entire forest. Its massive razor-like teeth are bared and the six leaders and the crowd of hundreds behind them know not what to do here. In a flash the creature is gone. It jumps into the trees and disappears without a trace. The leaders are dumbfounded. How could a creature that big…just vanish? Then it appears again in front of them out of thin air. “It can camouflage itself!” Blue yells to the others. “Watch the ground!” and just like that the creature is gone. Except this time then don’t just hear the footsteps or growls of one, but what seems like five or ten. “Huddle together and watch the ground! It can’t hide its tracks!” Green cries to the others there. For a moment, everything becomes calm. The growls stop and one of the red survivors breathes a sigh of relief, but then it is lost. Seven of the large reptilian creatures uncloak and jump at the mass huddle of survivors. The green ones try to hold the creatures back with the spears they fashioned themselves the previous night, but it is not enough. The spears are shattered into splinters as one creature grabs a blue survivor by the arm and attempts to drag it off. Three of the black survivors pick up rocks and hurl them at the lizard with incredible strength and accuracy and the beast lets go, running back into the forest with a bruised eye. As the blue survivor falls the mask that was on his face falls off and he slumps over unconscious. The three black survivors that helped him, pick him and the mask up and pull him back into the huddle. As the green survivors use their spears and the black ones hurtle rocks at the creatures the unconscious blue member is brought over to the leaders. “We can’t wake him up!” One of the black ones that helped rescue him says. “Let me see him.” Blue asks and they lay him down in front of her. As if by instinct she picks up the mask, examines it, and then places it back on to the unconscious survivor’s face. In an instant his eyes open and he sits up, groggy, but ok. The rest of the leaders yell to the survivors not to let their masks fall off and to work as a team to fend off the creatures. At once the other colored survivors start picking up anything they can and begin pelting it at their reptilian attackers. As the last of the lizard creatures hisses at them and runs off into the forest everyone calms down a bit, but still ready to pummel another creature should it attack them as they hear a louder roar in the forest. “We have got to get out of this forest.” Black exclaims to the others. “Agreed, but I truly believe what we seek is just a bit further this way.” Red responds. The other leaders are more skeptical now of Red’s hunch to go west, but with no better alternative they continue on, a bit more cautious now than they were before. As they continue on they end up coming to a large clearing of which a large river passes by. Over this river is a large metal bridge and on the other side of this bridge lay the largest gateway any of them has ever seen, even though they don’t remember seeing any other. That is not what stops them though. For behind this gateway is a massive city with metal spires that travel hundreds of feet into the air. A twenty-foot wall surrounds the city and Red and the other leaders feel as though this is what they have been searching for all along. As they head towards the city and cross the bridge a question comes into all of their minds. “How are they going to get through that gate?” Red and the other leaders walk up to it and instinctively, as if guided by an unknown hand, they all touch the gate. At once light begins to appear from under their hands. Red, green, blue, black, white, and brown lights travel over the gates surface to a point in the middle. They circle around for a moment and then they all hear a voice. “Welcome home.” The voice startles them. Red looks around and sees no one. “Who are you?” He asks. “I am Archive.” The voice begins. “I am the computer program that runs the city of Æthon.” “Do you know who we are?” White asks. “Yes. You are the Matoran. The chosen people of Mata nui.” Matoran? They are called the Matoran! “Please come inside.” Archive beckons as the gates open. “There is much to tell you.” “They survived!?” A dark voice says as its rage echoes through a darkened hallway. “No matter.” The shadowy figure says as he walks into a cavern. “My new minions will make short work of them soon enough.” As the figure stops talking clicking and screeching is heard as a thousand red eyes open, awakened from their slumber.
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So I am just 4 books away from having every single Bionicle book released (except Kres Podrozy (Journey's End) because that book's a ghost) and they'll be in the mail soon. I have all Graphic novels 1-9 Chronicles 1-4, MoL, Adventures 1-10, Legends 1-11, Raid on Vulcanus, Legend Reborn, All 9 Bionicle guides/encyclopedias, the 4 level 3 reader books, all 3 of the G2 books, and both G2 graphic novels. Now the condition on them varies, but all of them are in good-new condition. That being said, I'm curious how much the entire Bionicle storyline would sell for and if there is anyone in the market?
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In the time before time, on the world of the Spherus Magna, lays a desert that holds a secret that no one, not even the Turaga know of. The desert holding the great Temple of Creation was one to not be deceived by. The happenings before the Toa discovered the Temple had untold consequences, even the loss of a creation of the Great Beings The six beings gathered in front of a large, round alter, which was oozing raw magic and protodermis. They all wore black cloaks and masks of unknown origin. one of the six placed an object over the alter, after which had started floating and flowing with the magic and energy of the mysterious alter. The object was a mask, made of gold and flowing with blue energy and power. They stood inside the Temple, wondering if Skull Spiders might just invade them. "Is the Kanohi Mask ready?" One asked. A figure with a dark red robe and black cloak materialized from the corner. He pulled back his hood, revealing almost ancient and sentient features. He arced his head to his subject, and said "Yes, my brother, the Kanohi Mask of Creation is ready. When Makuta rises again, and the Lord of skull spiders is defeated, only then will this mask be in use." "But, we are Great Beings, we do not need our brother, Mata Nui, to coincide with Makuta, even if he is as powerful as us." said another. "The Mask of Life may never bring Makuta back from Evil and darkness. Even if the Toa use the Mask of Creations power, Makuta or the Lord of skull spiders might just find out this operation, and destroy us!" "Do not worry, my brother, I have a plan for the Skull Spiders and Makuta, but we need to retreat to the Cloud Palace." said the Leader. With three quick strides, the leader pulled down a switch, revealing chutes which had been modified to teleport them to the Palace, their home. The leader turned on his heal, and said " These will come in handy. A silence beheld the room. Then, as if on cue, footsteps and insect movements could be heard from the entrance. The leader, who was in a state of panic, ran for a stone on the wall. He slid it across, and a barrier appeared in front of the entrance. "Everyone to the chutes!!" The leader yelled. Everyone ran for the chutes, including the leader. In a flash of light and blue energy, they were sent to the clouds. The footsteps had stopped and a banging could be heard against the barrier. Soon after, the combatants smashed a hole in the barrier. Makuta Teridax and The Lord of Skull spiders rushed in the hole, with an army of smaller Skull spiders scattering everywhere. Makuta turned to the army waiting outside. "Steal the Mask! Make sure the Toa NEVER find this place!" He bellowed in his deep voice. The spiders rushed in, and stole the mask, and buried the entrance in sand. Makuta turned to his insectoid companion, and said " You, take the mask to the isle of Artakha. When the Toa come, they will land on Mata Nui first. You do what ever it takes to insure the mask is never taken by the Toa. I will be on Mata Nui, spreading my darkness at will." And with that, Makuta walked out of the Temple of Creation. And disappeared into the clouded sky.
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Based on what we saw of G2's run, what sort of Story and Sets do you think would have been in the "last" year of BIONICLE G2? Would the Uniters have carried over? Or would the Toa get another upgrade? Would it have been a 1/2 year, or a full year with 2 waves? Other than the Makuta, would there have been other Titans? Would Makuta have lived, bit the dust, or turned good (like Garmadon)?
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EDIT: We're using Slack to organize and communicate. Anyone interested will need to PM me their email address in order for me to get them in. This can be a throwaway if that makes you more comfortable, but keep in mind that you'll be using that whenever you log in. Once you've received your invite, you can join at bioniclestory.slack.com. We've also added an age limit - currently 15 - for entry. EDIT2: We've now reached capacity for the time being, and are no longer excepting people. We may reconsider in the future. _______________________________________________________________________ Ever since G2's cancelation, I've noticed that several fans have displayed interest in continuing Bionicle in our own way. Some of this has been relatively small scale: "We will continue without them. Get your MOCs and storyboards ready." - this is just one comment I've seen among many, encouraging fans to continue what we have always loved doing. I've also come across more ambitious suggestions, such as the creation of a group to finish LEGO's G2 story. The thing is, there are a ton of really creative people within our fandom. The most common that we see come in the form of MOCs, but we've also seen people create 3D printable masks, small games, a matron language, and some really beautiful artwork (I'm a big fan of IRON6DUCK's "Mata Nui Sights" series myself). This is only the tip of the iceberg pertaining to what Bionicle fans have made, but I think you can see what I'm getting at here. We have a lot of really great content, but all of it exists in its own little corner. Many of us limit our creations to our own head-canons, many of which might take place in a universe entirely distinct from those created by LEGO. What I'm proposing is that we bring together a group of fans to build an unofficial Bionicle "canon" until such a time that Lego decides to pick it up again. The function of this group would be twofold: to organize the existing official content into our new canon, and to direct the creation of new content in order to continue the story. This could be small scale (i.e., just mocs and short stories), large scale (3-d printable sets, comics, novels) or somewhere in-between, depending on what the members involved are able/have time to do.
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I know it's still pretty soon, and we're all still adjusting to the news, but a question popped into my head a minute ago, and I thought I'd bring it here: "What defines G2 for you?" I'd seen topics like this about G1, where people would describe or name one thing that really sums up the best of BIONICLE for you. To some, it might be one year (like 2004 or 2007), one wave (like the Toa Metru or the Barraki), one set (Brutaka or Icarax), a mask, or some key point in the story. For G1, my thoughts always go back to Brutaka as my defining set and 2007 as my defining year. For me, when I think of G2, the story doesn't stand out to me as spectacular, and the sets aren't great, either. But for all I hated about G2 when it first came to us in 2015, I have to say the Mask Maker vs Skull Grinder set jumps out as what defines G2 for me. It gave us the ultimate good guy and the second-in-command bad guy. It had some good contrast and great appeal, and the new Mask of Creation, to boot. So, your turn. When you think of G2, what is the main thing you jump to?
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So what sources are considered Canon, and which are not? Does some Canon supercede other forms of Canon? Are there some elements of Non-Canon material that are Canon, even if the whole thing is not? There should be an official topic on this.
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Hello People of BZPower! I am pleased to present the all-new Bionicle Reading List. A comprehensive list of all Bionicle stories and where to read them! New to Bionicle? Taken a hiatus from the fandom and want to get back in? Hardcore fan who thinks he knows everything but still needs to catch up on that one story he missed? This is the place for you! The list includes all books, movies, comics, series, and more where each Bionicle story arc was told. It is sorted by year and by story arc, as well as by how important a story is to the overall lore. So whether you're fairly new to Bionicle and want to catch up on major plot points or a long-time fan that wants to catch up on individual stories, this list is for you. Click below for the link. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Kqt_KG8YFqtZn7_COCqRBPPDG7azLIPOctH9KGRlsWs/edit?usp=sharing I've enabled commenting on the document so anybody who wants to make a suggestion can and should.
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This is a short story about my BZPRPG character, Poraku. Enjoy! The Rogue Rahi Poraku's hut had been built just outside of Po-Koro. For such a friendly person, it would seem strange that his hut would be built so far from other Po-Matoran. And, Poraku relented, it was a bit odd, but it was a precaution, in case something like the incident of the Rogue Rahi ever happened to Poraku again. What is the Rogue Rahi incident, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. ***** In the time before time...Just kidding. It's still in the time before time, but this story isn't an epic, there is no epic quest to find some Mask of Ultimate Awesomeness, and there is no Toa. This is just an even that happened in Po-Koro to a small Po-Matoran, and how the event shaped him. Poraku awoke one day to horn's blaring. That meant an emergency. Poraku wondered what the emergency was. So, against better judgement, Poraku jumped out of his bed, grabbed his special weapon, an unearthed Kanoka launcher, off the wall, and ran outside. It always takes awhile to adjust your eyes to the bright sand of Po-Koro on a sunny morning, but when Poraku's eyes finally adjusted, he saw what the emergency was. A lone Kane-Ra Rahi-beast was tearing through the village of Po-Koro. Some huts had been mowed down already, and several Po-Matoran were being run over and flung out of the way by this furious beast (luckily, the armor of a Po-Matoran is extremely dense, so no one would suffer serious injury.). Something had angered this beast, because Rahi beasts never came this close to the village. Poraku could even see this beast's pack, just southwest, about 200 yards down. But, there was no way to figure out what the problem with the Kane-Ra was immediately because at that time, the Kane-Ra pivoted, saw Poraku with it's beady eyes, and charged. The Kane-Ra rammed into Poraku's hut, instantly destroying it. Luckily, no incredibly important possessions had been in the hut, luckily. Also luckily, Poraku had jumped out of the way just before the Rahi made contact, so he was not caught in the impact at all. The Kane-Ra rifled through the rubble, looking for a morsel to consume. Poraku took the advantage. Poraku fired his Kanoka at the Kane-Ra's back. It howled in rage and turned around to face the tiny Po-Matoran. Poraku probably looked like little more than a mouthful to the beast. "Hey, ugly..." Poraku whimpered. He gulped. The beast lunged forward, almost like it was spring-loaded. Poraku jumped, and landed on it's back. "Oh, no," Poraku groaned. The creature started bucking back and forth. It was all Poraku could do to hold on. "If only a Toa were here!" he moaned. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Well, if a Toa's not here...think like one!" The plan formulated. As the Rahi bucked forward, and Poraku let go. The rest went in slow-motion. Poraku, as he flew backwards, flipped in midair, to where he was facing the Kane-Ra straight on. The beast roared. While his mouth was opened, Poraku fired his Kanoka again. The Kanoka disk flew in, struck one of the Rahi's teeth, and flew back out. The Rahi's tooth shot out like one of those Piraka's Zamor spheres. Poraku landed less than expertly, but that didn't matter, because the creature was already retreating in his pain. It headed back in the direction of it's pack. Poraku breathed a huge sigh of relief and sat down. Something didn't feel right in the southern regions. He felt under his bottom, and there was the Kane-Ra's tooth. Poraku smiled. Here was a souvenir worthy of the Toa themselves. He stood up, and all the Po-Matoran nearby cheered. He was a celebrity! Later, Akiri Hewkii awarded him with a small, golden medal for his bravery. Hewkii also privately told Poraku that one of his aides had seen Poraku in action, and how he had much potential to be a great athlete. Hewkii offered to even privately mentor the small Po-Matoran! Poraku felt so proud. During the ceremony, a Po-Matoran guard named Takoii shoved another, angry looking Po-Matoran into the middle of the ceremony. "I found the man angered the Kane-Ra," The guard said. "This man right here." He pointed at the other. "Ahkmou. A troublemaker if I ever saw one." So, Poraku thought, it was this Matoran who was responsible for the destruction of his hut and several others. He'd have a few choice words for this 'Ahkmou' later. But, Poraku already knew where he would build his next hut. And, he knew exactly what he was going to do with his medal and the Kane-Ra tooth. ***** And that is why Poraku's hut is stationed on the edge of Po-Koro. Long and drawn out, I know, but hey, it's a story. And what happened to the Kane-Ra tooth? Well, Poraku knew some of the arts of weapons crafting, as Po-Korans' usually make the most weapons out of all the six Matoran. He fasioned the tooth into a small blade, crafted a small handle, and fastened the medal into the hilt of the sword. And since then, it has been Poraku's most-prized possession. And it isn't bad for combat either. As for Poraku, Hewkii kept his word and personally mentored Poraku until he became a great Kolhii player, second only to Hewkii himself. And that Ahkmou character? Well, he became the arch-enemy of sorts to Poraku, but that's for another time, and another story. Because that is the way of the Bionicle.
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The Mask of Ultimate Power was forged using all the elements. The creatures of Okoto were formed using an element for each. So when Mukuta created the MOUP in his anger, the mask became alive and fed off his dark thoughts. Upon wearing the mask it seized control of Mukuta and took over his body. After Ekimu managed to knock the MOUP off his brother's face, releasing Mukuta from it's control, the brothers were knocked into a deep sleep and the MOUP was "lost" to the shadows... The MOUP has summoned Umurak to find the Mask of Control and capture all the creatures. Succeeding the MOUP fuses them all together (Umurak, creatures, and beasts) to form it's own extremely overpowered body. Ekimu realizing they are no match for the "Master of Ultimate Power", comes up with a plan to unmake the MOUP. He connot do it on his own however, so Ekimu and the Toa go in search for Mukuta. Awakening Mukuta, Ekimu reveals his plan to use the Mask of Time. The Mask Makers will each use a half of the mask to trap the MOUP in a time paradox to dimensionally fragment it. Meanwhile the Toa use there combined power to contain him. Some other ideas: During the final battle with the MOUP, Ekimu and Mukuta are fused, because of a time anomaly caused by the Mask of Time. In the final battle the Toa are joined by other incarnations of themselves to take down the MOUP (this could connect G1 and G2). After the final battle the Toa remember who they are. They are the "formers" of the island of Okoto.Potential Sets: Ekimu and Mukuta (each wearing a half of the Mask of Time) combiner set. Both halves of the Mask of Time can be connected to form one mask.Master of Ultimate Power titian set. Colors black and trans. red. (Biggest Bionicle set ever released)Alternate Toa sets (possibly based off some G1 sets). I just wanted to share my thoughts. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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I had some quotes from the original post GregF gave on this forum on Planned Bionicle events back in January 2010, before the update wiped the archives, and I thought I'd share them here: And here's a few Toatapio Nuva recovered: Here are some other statements from the original post I also recall him saying: The Bohrok's purpose to clean Mata Nui's face for his awakening was planned from the beginning, as was their mysterious origins, but the idea that they came from Matoran was not planned from the beginning. "Takua becomes a Toa", and the outline of the Mask of Life saga were both planned from the beginning, but the specifics with the Barraki and Piraka were not. The Hordika and Kal sagas weren't planned from the beginning, but were developed later just to draw out more time with those settings and characters. The Bara Magna Saga was not planned from the beginning. The Toa were originally supposed to be more solemn and stoic and serious, like Gods, but the story team decided to make them more humanized, talkative, and more down-to-earth with individual personalities. Bob Thompson or Alastair Swinnerton came up with the original story bibles, which were largely just floating around in his head for years, and he gradually wrote them all down before he left LEGO. And on a somewhat unrelated note, here are some notes about cancelled Bionicle projects Greg worked on: GregF knows the specific processes that went into creating Krana, and he was going to publish them in Bionicle Legends 7: Invasion, which also described the Inika's journey through the cord and Vezon's capture by Zyglak, but that was cancelled to shorten the book schedule as a result of decreased sales. Greg said he then considered instead publishing those processes on BionicleSector01, but the site was down so he couldn't, so I don't know what the process is, nor whether it was planned from the beginning or not. A Windows 98 & ME game called Bionicle: The Legend of Mata Nui would've shown how Toa got most of their Great and Noble Kanohi and defeated the Makuta, but LEGO cancelled it in mid-September 2001, with Greg saying it was because it did not meet LEGO's quality standards. Though a few copies of the playable developer disc exist, their owners remain anonymous and haven't released the disc's contents to the public. This is because it would technically be illegal since the rights are still split between LEGO and Econova CEO Mark Kendell, who retained ownership of developer Saffire's assets after the company became defunct around a decade ago. GregF explained that the game was originally supposed to represent the definitive 2001 Bionicle storyline, but after it was cancelled that distinction went to the Mata Nui Online Game. To this day, it remains a sort of "Holy Grail" for longtime Bionicle fans. An Xbox game called Bionicle: City of Legends was cancelled in 2004 after its developer Argonaut Games was liquidated later that year, but a playable tech demo was released online. By 2009, Greg had already written the first draft of a script for Bionicle 5, where Mata Nui, Ackar, and Kiina would have journeyed through the Valley of the Maze, where they would have encountered bio-mechanical dinosaurs, and con artist Tera of the Earth Tribe, whose other members were stranded on Bota Magna. Their goal there was to get to a power plant under a fake volcano, which could power the Prototype Robot, before the Element Lords did. Since Bionicle 4 wasn't quite profitable enough to merit sequels, the rest of the trilogy of movies that were supposed to be planned around it and the originally planned 2010 and 2011 sagas were scrapped and replaced with the Mata Nui Saga and Journey's End. Greg says the events of Bionicle 5 still took place in an alternate universe. Another cancelled book was BIONICLE 10: Power of the Great Beings, which would have included three exclusive chapters depicting Tarduk and Mata Nui's journey through the Valley of the Maze and Glatorian Comics 6-7. However, due to lack of sales of Graphic Novels 8 & 9, production stopped after Greg wrote the first chapter, which he still can't legally disclose because it's still owned by Papercutz. Bionicle 11: Journey's End was cancelled for the same reasons, which would have included the 2010 comics and a few new post-Journey's End stories.
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So I finally caught up with Season 6 of Ninjago, and I couldn't help but notice that the Ninjago story is getting pretty formulaic. This formula: the Ninja always fail against the main villain and sustain cringe-worthy losses through the entire season, only to narrowly beat the main villain by the skin of their teeth using some last-ditch tool or power. Any victories the ninja get midseason are always reversed or come with a cost of some kind or both. For example, Pythor - the ninja keep losing against him in the quest to collect the Fang Blades. They get the blades, and almost destroy them, only to be stopped at the last second. The Great Devourer is unleashed, and Garmadon has to stop him. Then, consider Garmadon - the ninja don't stop Garmadon's countdown or stop him from going back to Ninjago or the stone army. It's Lloyd's last minute save. Then the Overlord - we lose Lloyd and fail to rescue him fast enough to stop the power drain, they bust the digital realm not fast enough to stop the Overlord's escape, and it takes Zane's sacrifice. Then Master Chen - again, another series of cringe worthy defeats and the loss of Cole's power and the release of another bunch of dead Anconadrai generals that no one wanted released. It took Sensei Garmadon's sacrifice and last-minute save. And by the time we got to Morro, I could have predicted that every one of the Ninja's actions were going to result in a loss. I knew that when Kai got the sword from Morro that the Ninja were going to lose it soon after. And... Anyway, you've have thought that Jay would have figured this out by now. Thoughts?
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All-righty. Originally, I was just going to make this as a topic, but figured it would work well with a poll added. So anyway, what're your favorite and least favorite eras of the comics? This can be due to either the story content/style, the art style, or anything else. Art: Mata Nui - D'Anda Mata Nui (Nuva) - Elliott Metru Nui - Elliott Metru Nui (Hordika) - Elliott Ignition - Sayger Battle for Power - Gallagher Glatorian - Mhan Personally, I'd say my favorite are the Ignition. I love the darkness and expressiveness in the art style, as well as the considerably darker story. Least favorite? Hmm... Possibly the Metru Nui era. I dunno, I guess I just didn't like them as much overall. I'm somewhat between that and the Mata Nui era, since I found the art style in that to be a little over-the-top in some places, but it just holds too great of a nostalgic feel for me to vote for that. Anyway, vote away, and talk about your opinions in the topic!
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This is the rebirth of a previous topic of similar name. So, just list down the last book you read, maybe put a description and/or review (hopefully spoiler-free), and produce small comments or conversations about books listed here (usually based off of someone's description/review). Alright, I have a few. New 53 Aquaman Vol. 4: Death of a King By Geoff Johns In short, this book was epic and was flawless, and along with Throne of Atlantis it was written like a movie and as such should be used for an Aquaman movie. It needs to be the plot for a movie. Arthur Curry also grows a beard in this (finally!). The art in the book was beautiful. Death of a King was the last title for Geoff Johns run on Aquaman and finishes up just about every plot line introduced since the reboot. Aquaman and The Others Vol. 1: Legacy of Gold By Dan Jurgens Legacy of Gold had an interesting story and was an adventure, though not nearly as epic as Death of a King. It explored more backstory to King Atlan and the complete origin of the Talismans of Atlan. The story I felt could have been done better at times (like I am curious on how the really old man Legend had children). It was cool to see some paranormal stuff (especially rooted Apache myths), like seeing Vostok again as a ghost, as well as seeing Arizona get featured (I even went to the featured reservation earlier this year ). The coloring and art in-general on this book was great, but it felt lacking in comparison to the main-line Aquaman graphic novels. New 52 Batman Vol. 2: City of Owls By Scott Snyder It has been a while since I read this one, but from what I remember I loved this. City of Owls concludes the plot from the previous book Court of Owls, but there is a third Owl book that comes after Batman Vol. 3, so I am intrigued by what that story could be. And I was shocked by the revelation of Mr. Freeze's origin. Maybe he isn't so innocent after all... Great art as always, the detailed edginess fits Gotham City very well. New 52 The Flash Vol. 1: Moving Forward By Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato Great story, very well written for being the two authors first time writing. A nice change for me from the edgy Batman and the rising to power story that is Aquaman, as it is reminiscent of older comic books, not heavy with overly serious themes, even though it just barely touched on a couple. The title pages are even nostalgic, shwoing artistic ways to write out the following into the environment, "DC comics presents: THE FLASH! In... *insert title here*". Just nice little things like that are weird in a good way. There a couple of references to Flashpoint, but if you never read those like I haven't then you should be fine (I only have the animated movie to go off of). If you want smart writing that literally has a fast pace and beautiful art work, please do go read this. Absolute Sandman Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman First off, this book is huge and heavy (I have it in hard-cover), it was hard to read it sometimes because of this and other times when I walk around the house with it I felt like I was holding a holy book of some sort. ; okay, now that that is out of the way.... Absolute Sandman Vol.1 is a must-read, and is very mythological. It gives insight into the metaphysical properties of the post-Crisis DC Universe and stands well on it's own if you are not involved with the rest of DC Comics. The art has shown it's age sometimes but for it's time it is great. But the writing is even better, forging a story that will no doubt be carried down hundreds of years from now and even further. Half-way into the book I forgot about Dream's brief contact with the Justice League and felt that I was in a unique world. A word of warning though: this graphic novel, or omnibus, whatever, is very mature. It has nudity, brutal killings, graphic fictional depictions of Heck, and discusses mature themes, so tread carefully. If none of that stuff bothers you, go right on ahead and read it already! I am currently reading Absolute Sandman Vol. 2. So, everyone else, post what books you read recently! Doesn't have to be as thorough as what I did, just read something.
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Review topicView in a dynamic format on Google DriveNote: This story is all in one post, but is separated into chapters. This is due to the site automatically adding my replies to the main post. Each chapter has been subtly colour-coded for easier navigation. KIRAK THE SCAVENGER 1. "Curse it." hissed Kirak, inspecting the silver dagger he held in his clawed hands. He scowled at the sight of the various scuffs and scratches on what was once an immaculate chrome blade. He again tried to polish them away with and oiled rag, to no avail. Stowing the blade away on his left thigh, Kirak stood up. His sand-filled joints creaked as he raised his lanky body skyward, and his back clicked when he finally stood straight. He looked over the horizon, watching the sun set over the deserts of Okoto. Just then, his focus shifted to a tiny insect perched on the sill of his mask's left eyehole. He noted that the insect was etching into the metallic floor beneath it with its sharp little legs, so his benevolence towards the creature swiftly turned to malevolence. Kirak slowly raised his left hand to his face, and poised a clawed finger, ready to crush the insect. Kirak then struck... But overshot and jabbed his left eye. He yelped at the sharp pain, loud enough for his wail to echo across the canyons down before him. The insect, completely unfazed by the drama that occurred, casually buzzed away as if nothing had happened. Embarrassed and infuriated, Kirak lifted his charge revolver, and sent a shot hurtling towards the flittering bug. He of course missed, and shot again - and again, and again… Until he eventually hit it. It fell to the ground, in a tiny singed heap, which Kirak crushed and ground with his clawed foot, growling. Kirak inhaled deeply, and restored some composure, stowing his charge revolver on his right thigh. His eye was sore, his mask and dagger scratched, and now he was low on ammunition. However, it was slowly getting darker – his opportunity was drawing ever nearer. Kirak looked down into the canyon below, and leapt into the darkness. Priming his strong, digitigrade legs, he focused on the abyss and aimed for the rocky floor below. In his focus however, he failed to notice a particularly hand-like branch on the cliff face behind him, which hooked the gear on his back and sent Kirak into a tumbling spin, to which he again yelped. Plummeting towards the ground below, Kirak’s life of crime flashed before his eyes… Until he crashed with a tremendous clunk, in a thick cloud of sand. Weakly, Kirak propped himself up, noting the tremendous headache he had given himself. He coughed, before shaking sand out of the crevices in his mask and armour. “Gravity… Eugh… Gravity hurts.” He mumbled, meekly. He looked up to the fiendish branch that clipped him, and scowled. He reached for his charge revolver to shoot it, but then recalled that he only had three shots left. Cursing, he stood up, his legs still primed from earlier. He looked ahead, visualized his route, and sprinted through the canyon with much haste. His powerful legs punted him forwards with immense pace, leaving a mighty plume of sandy dust trailing behind him. In the dark, it was hard to see all the cacti, stones and branches that littered the floor of the trailing canyon pathways. But Kirak knew these paths, and leapt over or around each and every single obstacle – finally, something he could do right. Suddenly, something gripped tightly to his right leg, causing him to slam yet again face-first into the ground, sparks flying as he skidded across the stony path. The pain in his leg was incredible, searing through to his very core. He turned over, and looked down to his leg, only to meet eye-to-eye with a vicious animal trap that had clamped it’s maw to his ankle. He kicked his leg, attempting to dislodge the vile little machine, only for it to grip tighter. Kirak wailed as its tight hold began to pierce his metallic exoskeleton. Through reflex, he primed his right leg as if he were to make a jump… Sending a massive jolt of energy into the trap. It buzzed, steamed, clattered, and burst apart into hundreds of tiny pieces – one such piece hitting Kirak square in the face, knocking him out. 2. Night wore on in the desert region of Okoto. The various insects and creatures that lived on the land rested, and the cool night air breezed across the sand and stone, soothing the landscape’s burns from the searing sunshine of the previous day. Okotians roaming the desert returned to their camps and villages, and rested their weary heads, with sweet dreams of the mighty Toa and their victories. Many hours passed, and eventually the sun began to rise yet again over the desert, waking it and its inhabitants up from their slumbers. One inhabitant however, needed some encouragement. “Good morning, sleepyskull!” a little voice chimed, gleefully. Kirak yelped, startled by the noise, and jumped up into the canyon wall behind him. He stared down at the source of the noise, his horrified expression slumping to that of disappointment. There, standing down below, was a young Okotian, in red armour. Kirak sighed. “So that’s where all the screaming came from! We thought it was a dust coyote!” The little girl stated, looking as if she’d struck a most momentous revelation. She giggled, looking up to Kirak admiringly. “Eugh… And who do I have the… displeasure of meeting this fine morning?” Kirak grumbled, putting his arms behind his back and leaning one foot against the wall he had slumped against. The little girl puffed up her chest, before retrieving a little green flag from her back and jabbing its pole into the sand to her side. The flag had a rather crude portrayal of an Okotian’s mask sewn into it with white thread. “I am Bulip, scout of the Desert Exploration Squad of Okoto.” She proclaimed, with utmost pride. Kirak raised an eyebrow, and sniggered. Bulip inhaled, raising herself above such insolent rudeness, and stated her business, pacing in circles with her hands behind her back. “Now, monster, it is my doody - um, doo-tee - to record and analamalise all the makes of animals that I find in the desert. Now because you’re the firstest animal ever that has actually talked to me, I want you to tell me everything about yourself.” Kirak again sniggered, and then shook his head. Bulip glared crossly at Kirak, and propped her hands on her hips, pouting behind her mask. Kirak bent down to Bulip, meeting eye-to-eye with her, and smirked. “The less you know about me, Bulip, the better.” Kirak explained, condescendingly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must be leaving. Toodle-oo.” Bulip stamped her foot, and shook her head. “No. I want to know what you are! Tell me!” She wailed. Kirak could tell that she was on the verge of tears. He rolled his eyes, and turned to walk away. As Kirak walked down the path, finding a suitable spot to again begin sprinting, he could hear the little pitter-patter of angry footsteps behind him, along with some sniffling. “It’s not fair! IT’S NOT FAIR!” Bulip screamed. Kirak skidded to a halt, holding his clawed hands to his ears in reaction to the sharp wail of the little red airhorn stood behind him. “By Makuta! Just… Bugger off!” Kirak shouted, shooing Bulip away with his hand. “NO!” Bulip yelled, again stamping her foot. “You are going to tell me all about you, otherwise… Otherwise…” “Otherwise… What?” Kirak barked. “Otherwise… I’ll bash you on the head!” Bulip threatened. Kirak stared at Bulip. She was breathing heavily, her little green flag clenched tightly in her hand. He then exploded with laughter, before shooting the little Okotian square in the face with his charge revolver, knocking her unconscious and sending her flying back several feet. She landed in the sand, with a black, circular burn seared into her mask, smoking. “That was worth it.” He sneered, before turning to sprint away. 3. The canyons in the desert region of Okoto are a complex system of tunnels and ravines that stretch across a vast distance. Pathways near the edges ramp up towards the level of the ground around the canyon, allowing easy access to this labyrinthine scar on the landscape. One must not be fooled however, for these paths are treacherous and long, and it is easy to get lost. Memorizing a route through the canyon is paramount if one must traverse it. Kirak’s knowledge of his particular path through the canyon served him well. He ran with more caution now though, for not only did the daytime sun pose the risk of him being spotted, but Kirak also feared that he may meet another one of those peculiar traps – or even worse, another child. He planned in his head that, if he did meet anything unprecedented, he’d either jump over it, or crush it into the sandy floor in his stride. He practiced this a few times, imagining the more humanoid cacti to be little green people, squishing under his strong feet. It made the journey much less stressful. Eventually, Kirak met his exit to canyon – a cliff face at the end of the path, with lots of outcrops he used as steps up and out of the canyon. Kirak began his ascent, using his powerful digitigrade legs to spring himself from step to step. Halfway up though, he found something surprising waiting for him – a black, grimy Okotian mask. “Not my colour.” He joked, picking the artefact up to inspect it. He noted the difference in shaping and intricacy in this mask to the more modern masks younger Okotians wore. It bore much simpler carvings, and the eye slits were more circular in shape. This intrigued him, so he stowed the mask on his back and continued his ascent. Eventually, Kirak reached the lip of the canyon, and looked out across the desert ahead of him. He looked back, and noted the vast distance that he’d traveled. He inhaled deeply, and smiled, before turning again to sprint across the desert. But just as he went to take a powerful step, his springy leg failed him, and he face planted into the scorching sands. He was pretty exhausted. “I think now would be an excellent time for some… Sunbathing.” He said, rolling onto his back, crossing his legs and propping his hands behind his head. He then noticed his new treasure poking into him, and pulled it out to look at it. The craftsmanship was truly awful. He wondered if this was what the Okotians had resorted to after their celebrities, the Mask Makers, killed each-other. He chuckled at the thought, before tossing the mask aside and continuing with his rest. Eventually, the sun began to set again, and the air began to cool. Kirak stood up, shaking any sand lodged in his armour free. Laying in the sun had replenished his body with energy, and also cleared his head somewhat. But now the air was cool, running would be much easier – both on his joints, and for his safety. He scanned across the desert, looking for his target. Lo and behold, there it was, the crater from Ekimu’s defeat, just ahead of him. Kirak checked his charge revolver – two shots left. “Should be enough, just in case.” He commented, before resuming his journey. 4. The Great Cataclysm is the name given to the tremendous shockwave of energy sent out across Okoto when Ekimu knocked the Mask of Ultimate Power from the face of his brother, Makuta. It is thought that this shockwave was the dreaded mask releasing its evil power across the land, which awoke many evil creatures such as the Skull Spiders, and allowed Makuta to manipulate evil even from beyond the grave. At the epicenter of the Great Cataclysm, a tremendous crater was formed, in which Ekimu’s body laid dormant before it’s recovery by the Protectors. It is said that residual energy from both the Mask of Ultimate Power and the Mask of Creation emanates here, and that this could only be utilized by one of tremendous power. Kirak tripped over a spear that had been left in the sand. He cursed at it, before picking it up and breaking it in two. He had such a clean run before that thing showed up. Otherwise, he was close – very close. He could smell the magical energies on the air. With every stride he made, he felt a mysterious presence come closer and closer to him. It drove him, fueling his thirst for the power that legend had promised him. After much trial and tribulation, Kirak had reached the crater, looking over it with joyous eyes. He laughed. “It’s tiny! I guess when an Okotian says that something is ‘gigantic’, one mustn’t expect much.” He joked, looking down into the dim pit below his feet. He leapt in, landing dead in the center of the crater where Ekimu once laid. Kirak noted Ekimu’s silhouette, scorched into the bare rock beneath his feet. Something however was off about the dead celebrity’s shadow – where was the Mask of Creation? “WHO GOES THERE?” A loud voice exclaimed, startling Kirak. Kirak yelped yet again. “Wh-who enquires?” Kirak retorted, clambering to his feet. “MY NAME IS NOT IMPORTANT, CREATURE.” Boomed the mysterious voice deafeningly. Kirak looked around frantically, looking for a source of the voice. “WELL?” It pressed, causing Kirak’s mask to shake. Kirak unsheathed his charge revolver, just in case. “I am Kirak, the Scavenger! I have come here to take what is unclaimed!” Kirak proclaimed proudly to the heavens, arms raised and stance spread. “SCAVENGER! YOU ARE A FOOL! THERE IS NOTHING WORTH CLAIMING HERE! YOU HAVE COMMITTED A FOOL’S ERRAND!” Kirak pondered, finger on his chin. “So... Shouty voice in the sky. If this place has nothing worth stealing—“ “SILENCE! YOU HAVE TRESPASSED UPON SACRED LAND, ON A FALSE PROMISE OF GREAT POWER!” Kirak was taken aback. Had he really travelled this far on a false promise? Was the ‘power’ he felt earlier just a symptom of his excitement? He pondered. “To whom is this land sacred?” “TO ME.” “And who are you?” There was a pause. Kirak heard shuffling coming from outside of the crater. “UH… Guys, what should I say? Oh okay. N-NONE OF YOUR CONCERN, FOUL CREATURE.” Kirak raised an eyebrow, and again pondered. He then raised his hand, and outstretched one finger. “How many fingers am I holding up?” He asked, slyly. He heard quiet sniggering from over the lip of the crater, followed by shushing. This embarrassed him. “I HAVE NOT TIME FOR YOUR GAMES, THIEF!” Kirak smiled, and leapt straight up in the air. Lo and behold, a trio of young Okotian adolescents were huddled just over the edge of the crater, one with a horn over his mouth. Pranksters. “Neither do I!” Kirak exclaimed as he fell down. On landing, he took another leap up and out of the crater, towards to Okotians, to find them armed with spears – one of which had half a handle. “S-stay back!” Shouted the green Okotian with the horn. His was the voice that had been shouting at Kirak. “Oh, well I apologize little one, because I don’t tend to take orders from those I can crush.” Kirak responded, aiming his charge revolver. He was however, not alone in possessing such a weapon. Both of the green Okotian’s friends revealed their shoulder-mounted elemental shooters, which they aimed towards Kirak. A desert standoff, with one in the middle. The green Okotian threw his horn to the ground, and charged at Kirak with his spear. Just as he got close, Kirak grabbed the spear and used it to swing its wielder around into the crater. Just as this happened, Kirak began to recieve fire from the two elemental shooters. The shots were hot, but weren’t doing any real damage. Kirak casually raised his charge revolver, and shot each of his attackers square in the face, much to the same effect as with Builip that morning. “No ammunition.” Kirak stated quietly, sheathing the depleted charge revolver on his hip. “You’ll pay for that, monster!” The green Okotian insisted. Kirak turned to see the diminutive trickster wielding his spear in his shaky hands, clambering over the lip of the crater. Kirak sniggered, and unsheathed his dagger. To his opponent, Kirak’s dagger was more like a massive sword, which filled him with terror. Kirak noticed this. Suddenly, the air stood completely still. Just before he thought he would vanquish his dwarven foe, a seething pain coursed through Kirak’s body. He yelped – or rather, screamed – and fell to his knees, writhing in pain. Blue and red sparks surged through his body, bursting out through the cracks in his exoskeleton. Kirak’s life of crime yet again flashed before his eyes, this time tainted with images of a truly foul face, and the striking of two hammers on metal. As he writhed and convulsed, Kirak felt his body creak and shake with the immense energy coursing through it. “Th-the power… I-IT’S MINE!” Kirak shouted, before laughing manically amidst his pain. But it was not as it seemed. Armour shells exploded from Kirak’s body, still buzzing with magical energy as they landed in the sand. The green Okotian stood, watching the tall beast before him fall apart. Kirak slowly stood up, and attempted to reach out to something unseen, before finally crumbling into pieces. His mask fell to the ground, crackling with red and blue streaks of magical energy, before all subsided into silence. The green villager stood, aghast. He exhaled. His friends woke up from their induced slumber, with throbbing pain in their heads and singed marks on their masks. “Kungo? You… Okay?” One of them spoke. “Yeah, what… What happened?” The other enquired, adjusting her home-made black mask. “I’m good. And… I don’t know.” Replied Kungo, picking up the mask that lay in the pile of scrap before him. It was as cold and as dead as ice, but its gaze still pierced into Kungo’s being. - END -
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- Okoto
- Desert Region
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