Bionicle- Nova Orbis (new world)

[The Undertaken]

Squid machine! Squid machine!

I bet that squid machine is behind the secret events on the island!

[NickonAquaMagna]

Chapter 15 is online! This one is a doosey. >> http://nickinamerica.deviantart.com/art/Bionicle-Nova-Orbis-Mystery-Chapter-15-492358110

 

 

So... about this chapter.

 

Yeah, sorry this chapter ended up being so long. I had a lot of ground to cover, and I wanted to get it all wrapped up in this chapter so we could move on.

Taipu's line, "Before things get any more complicated..." was kind of a jab I was taking at myself. I've heard so many people say that after the first few years, Bionicle started becoming much less accessible than in the beginning, and it only got worse as the years went on and the backlog of world building just kept getting bigger. It got too complex for its own good.

Now, granted, this is a story made mainly FOR hardcore Bionicle fans who want to see the old story continued in some form... but, another part of the draw is that it's still a fresh start, mostly disregarding all of the loose ends from the last few chapters of the old serials. You can just jump in and discover this new world with the Matoran... but in the last coupla' chapters, and especially this one, I think I may've ruined that feel with all these conspiracies an' whatnot coming to light. I've revealed (or at least hinted at) a lot of things I was going to save for later, and to some people who already saw these things coming, it may be refreshing to not see the characters dancing around it as much as in a lot of other stories. Still, I started writing this doosey of a chapter with the intent to tidy up a few things, make things less complicated. And yeah, we have a few of those answers, now, sort of... but I think this is quickly starting to spiral out of control. Granted, a lot of these things WILL be made clear by the end of this story arc, and almost everything else in next year's story arc, but for the moment, I understand if this is just getting hard to follow.

That said... we don't need to know who made the Crust-Buster, what they were looking for, who Kopeke's agent is, or what "units" are. You can guess, but all we really, REALLY need to focus on at the moment is clear enough. Stop the Crust-Buster.

On another note, Albus just said the d-word... no, that THAT d-word, the one with an "a" in it. Yeah, this isn't going to be the sort of thing where I throw in lots of unnecessary swear words an' whatnot to try to create the illusion of it being grown up or whatever. In fact, you're not gonna hear anyone say something like that again for a long, LLLLONG time. It just seemed like the most natural sort of thing Albus could've said at that particular moment. I don't know why.

At the very least, I hope people got a kick out of Vesta's whole mystic babble shpeal. That scene was really, REALLY fun to write.


Anyhow... that's it for today. Next chapter should be up in a few days. Feel free to discuss today's revelations in the meantime.

[The Undertaken]

"This is fire lord. Call off the others. The Toa aren't buying it... Yes, you may keep the costumes."

That line right there, that was awesome. Also the way that Ahkmou tore Vestus' story apart.

 

Still though, I did not expect Vestus' plans for the Toa to be brushed off so completely(though I feel I should have) nor did I expect the Turaga to be behind the Toa Novus' transformation. 

The other Turaga are trustworthy-ish at least. Plots and gambits are being revealed at a startling pace.

Secrets everywhere, it is awesome.

[Ford]

I don't entirely understand what you meant by "costumes"... Or is it something that is so obvious that it would make me feel stupid by comparison?

[NickonAquaMagna]

I don't entirely understand what you meant by "costumes"... Or is it something that is so obvious that it would make me feel stupid by comparison?

 

Vesta was essentially hiring Matoran actors to play the parts of the "sages" an' whatnot and keep the Toa occupied.

[Ford]

 

I don't entirely understand what you meant by "costumes"... Or is it something that is so obvious that it would make me feel stupid by comparison?

 

Vesta was essentially hiring Matoran actors to play the parts of the "sages" an' whatnot and keep the Toa occupied.

 

Screw Vesta!

Btw, lulz all around for that scene.

Edited November 3, 2014 by Fordianl

[Axilus Prime]

That chapter was amazing. There's something really gratifying about seeing the answers to all those questions. Granted, I think "Crust-Buster" could have done with a better name. But that's my only issue with this.

 

The writing in this one was excellent, best chapter yet. Vesta's nonsense was hilarious. And I liked the Ahkmou Toa of Shadow reference.

 

This was an incredibly enjoyable chapter to read and I'm looking forward to the next one. Once again, I wish you good luck with this project. Really, that would be good luck to us all.

[Ford]

I also forgot to mention Ahkmou's ability to detect Vesta's bs. That was priceless. XD

Can't wait for chapter 16!

[NickonAquaMagna]

Sorry I haven't responded to you guys. Things have been kinda crazy on my end, these last two days. I'll try to give a proper response tomorrow, and hopefully have the next chapter online by friday. Thanks for the continued support.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Hmm... I always saw the Turaga as having the possibility to be over-controlling. Just look at the mask powers of the 2001 Turaga! But that one line from Vesta changed a lot.

[NickonAquaMagna]

I just wanna say I'm really glad you guys are still... receptive to this. I hear so often that Bionicle was too complex and open-ended for its own good, and I was honestly starting to worry that all these conspiracies an' whatnot the latest chapter expanded upon would make this story start to lose its appeal. It's a relief to see that, if anything, its appeal seems to be growing by the day. That said, the next chapter or so will mostly focus on action. I think we've had enough exposition dumped onto us for now.

[The Undertaken]

Oh it very well might have been. Got a bit of canon lockout and whatnot.

That said I am not against having a complicated story, not one bit.

[Ford]

Having a complex story makes the characters more realistic, as they are constantly influenced by outside forces (whether that be other characters, the setting, or events that have taken or are taking place). Look at Tahu in the first chapter of the first Bionicle book. He felt the urge to destroy, but chose to use his powers for good, which is something you would never see out of stereotype good-guys. Complexity creates conflicts for the characters and increases their importance, and I love that about Nova Orbis.

For example, Calor is always taking others' thoughts into consideration when those thoughts concern him (positive or negative thoughts, that is). Vesta uses this weakness that Calor has in an attempt to control him. Calor also believed that he was a waste of space in Ta-Koro, prompting his move to Le-Koro. This amount of depth makes him almost... relatable... He's an outcast, much like anyone else who as ever felt out of place in a group setting.

I also like the fact that the side stories are really just anecdotes, as opposed to serials where nothing makes sense unless you've read them all. The story flows without confusion. This is complexity done right. Keep it up!

[NickonAquaMagna]

I also like the fact that the side stories are really just anecdotes, as opposed to serials where nothing makes sense unless you've read them all. The story flows without confusion. This is complexity done right. Keep it up!

 

 

Yeah, I guess that's the key to this story's success. Even with all these crazy plot threads going on, they're just what you said... anecdotal. They can only be so relevant to the characters we're focusing on and what they're doing in the here and now. As long as I keep it that way, and keep the focus on the few most important characters at a time and don't jump around a lot, we should be fine. All those anecdotal whazzits will come to light when it's time move the focus to them and keep it there as long as it needs to be.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Just giving you guys a heads up, now. Chapter 16 should be online in two hours or so. Woooot.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Chapter 16 is online! http://nickinamerica.deviantart.com/art/Bionicle-Nova-Orbis-Mystery-Chapter-16-493120621

 

Here's what you can expect to see.

 

 

....Dang, huh?

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

WOAH. I hope Imber can handle the giant snake thing!

 

Edit: I just read the chapter, and it was awesome! I don't really like Silva having problems with his powers when he is under pressure, but it does help give him more character. Also, lots of girl power this time around. Excellent work as usual!

Edited November 7, 2014 by Pohatu: Master of Stone

[Specter Knight]

I'm Not entirely sure why I didn't bother to Comment on this Until recently, but all i really have to say is... Wow, that was an AMAZING Chapter! Keep up the good work!

[The 1st Shadow]

Comments on the last two chapters:

 

-Really starting to hate Vesta now. Kopeke and Albus are looking up to be my favorite of the Turaga. Interesting concept, these other beings, controlling the beasts. 

 

-Interesting thing about the power combination. I wonder if these new Toa are capable of becoming Kaita. That would be fun to see, since I always loved the Kaita.

[Axilus Prime]

That was epic. I was astounded by your close attention to physics too, since that isn't really my strong suit. I tend to just invalidate any physics errors by simply saying "Their power doesn't work quite like the naturally occurring real thing", or "by our understanding of physics and technology this is impossible, by their more advanced understanding it's perfectly fine." But you actually managed to make it work, without any detriment to the storytelling.

 

The action scene was intense and well-written. And I know how you feel, writing big action scenes is difficult. It's rewarding though.

 

Great work.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Thanks for everything, guys. Here's something extra.

 

 

Just felt like giving you guys a closer look at this big bad boy. While the other Rahi featured so far are more or less made to scale with your average Inika-build figure, this is portayed as being impossibly large in the story and can't fit in that scale... that's because this is a Hero factory- Invasion From Below sort of deal, with the Toa it fights being lego minifigures. There's going to be at least one more "giant" set like this that'll be revealed by the end of the current story arc. As you can see, it's basically a clump of hero factory shells and quaza spikes. The claw tail is a pair of those long, curvy pieces introduced in the Ben 10 line of figures, and... well, that's about it, really. I know it's unusual to see those sorts of parts in this style (the most Bionicle thing about this are the Bohrok eyes), but I felt this would give it a more organic, biological feel than most Rahi. For all we know, it's not even really a Rahi, just a big, intelligent animal that was bred on this planet.

I know the legs are really small, but keep in mind, this creature is not made to walk on land. At best, maybe it could use its huge mandibles as extra legs to scurry along, but the actual legs are only strong enough to keep it stable on the ocean floor.

As for the minifigures that would battle this thing in a set, I guess you could say a Matoran-sized minifig would be along the lines of Yoda or a Hobbit, while the Toa would be like the Hero Factory minifigures... or maybe the Matoran could look like that and the Toa would be those SUPER tall, lanky technic minifigs that they stopped making a long time ago. Yeah, remember those? That would be cool.

Anyhow, that's it for today. I hope this creature stands out.

[Ford]

Would you mind if I made a video about this on my Youtube channel? I want to get the word out to the people who like Bionicle that are not BZP members.

I was originally going to make a video to surprise you (for some odd reason), but I feel that I should ask to see if you are okay with it. 

[Specter Knight]

Man, Anguis looks Incredibly awesome. (Like most of your artwork)

[NickonAquaMagna]

Would you mind if I made a video about this on my Youtube channel? I want to get the word out to the people who like Bionicle that are not BZP members.

I was originally going to make a video to surprise you (for some odd reason), but I feel that I should ask to see if you are okay with it. 

 

Of course I'm okay with it, dude. Who doesn't want free advertizing?

[NickonAquaMagna]

Chapter 17 should be online in an hour or so. For now, here's Ahkmou resuscitating Silva.

 

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Is he trying to do CPR on a Toa? Is that even possible? I'm confused and I hope my questions will be answered when the chapter comes out.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Is he trying to do CPR on a Toa? Is that even possible? I'm confused and I hope my questions will be answered when the chapter comes out.

 

Well, they do have lungs... I think.

[Specter Knight]

Lookin' forward for the next chapter! I hope it's as good as the last one...

 

JK, They're all stellar. 

[NickonAquaMagna]

Chapter 17 is online! Enjoy http://nickinamerica.deviantart.com/art/Bionicle-Nova-Orbis-Mystery-Chapter-17-493740558

 

 

So yeah... not as much going down in this chapter. Mostly talking about character mumbo jumbo. I just hope I didn't pile on so much of it that it gets boring for anyone. Silva's whole shpeal is loosely based on a conversation I've had in real life.

That's it for now. New chapter on Friday, maybe.

Lookin' forward for the next chapter! I hope it's as good as the last one...

 

JK, They're all stellar. 

 

Aaaaand it's up just minutes after you posted that. Lucky.

Edited November 10, 2014 by NickonAquaMagna

[Onaku]

Awesome new chapter, and as always, loving both the artwork and storytelling you put into the chapter. I've noticed that the team is kind of half and half in a couple of aspects, one being the gender, but the other being the masks, with one half wearing canon masks, and the other wearing new and original masks. I'm sorry if I haven't been to active with commenting on these new chapters, but I've been busy. 

 

Anyway, nice job again, Nick. Best of luck to you.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Toa Onaku

[Ford]

The character development in chapter 17 made me love Silva again. Before I was literally calling him a wimp as I read the previous chapters. Now that he's getting used to being a Toa, I think I'm starting to like him more than Calor...

[jakest123]

I'm surprised how well I related to Silva's speech about how every day has to go as planned otherwise it's a waste of a day. I've felt like that for a long time but I never found the right way to put it into words.

[The 1st Shadow]

Great chapter, as usual! Love the development in Silva here. Also, I wonder if perhaps something minor did go wrong with Ahkmou's makeshift surgery, and, if so, could it be a plot point later on?

Edited November 11, 2014 by ~T1S~

[Axilus Prime]

Glad to see Silva's getting control of his powers. And to learn the root of his problem.

 

Pun entirely intended.

 

And it looks like they're going to get to the bottom of this drill situation soon. Seems they have to, after all.

 

Pun even more intended.

 

Nice work.

[Ahpolki0513]

"Proto-Matoran"... Transformers, much? XD

 

Although... If I recall correctly, the Makuta were the only beings (Besides Mata Nui and the Great Beings) to possess the knowledge on the creation of Matoran. Considering that the Brotherhood's defunct and the race is near-extinct (Miserix being the last Makuta alive), I'd wager that the "Proto-Matoran" were based on their designs for Matoran.

Edited November 12, 2014 by Ahpolki0513

[NickonAquaMagna]

Surprise! Chapter 18 is online! http://nickinamerica.deviantart.com/art/Bionicle-Nova-Orbis-Mystery-of-The-Toa-Miro-494459608

 

Here's what you can expect.

 

 

Of course, I had to introduce another new Rahi. We'll get a better look at them in the next chapter. But hey, at least now we know how the bad guys are able to keep an eye on the Toa. The Rahi's eyes are cameras.

Also, isn't it kinda funny how Ko-Wahi is basically the last chunk of the island (at least out of the six traditional tropes) we're visiting? Now, what does that remind me of? Hmmmmm....

 

 

I also wanna take a moment to say I'm sorry I haven't been very responsive to your continued support since uploading the previous chapter. I've just been too wrapped up in unexpected things popping up to do much else. I barely even had time to finish and upload this today. I'll be sure to reply to everything you guys have brought up later today, though, while my next video is rendering or something like that.

 

Aaaand on another note... I'm accepting commissions of Bionicle OCs for anyone who wants it. It could be a one of your mocs drawn in my style, it could be someone from one of your stories, whatever you want as long as it doesn't too closely resemble an official character. That's a big no-no. Just throwing it out there.

 

Anyway... guess that's it for now.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

YESYESYESYESYES MOAR!!!! What a nice surprise! How are the eyes of the Rahi cameras though? Do the Rahi still see and live, but take orders from the boss, or are they robots remote-controlled by the boss?

[Specter Knight]

Can't Wait for the next chapter. I know, that's my thought on every chapter, but I think you really left a big cliffhanger this time. Good work!

[Axilus Prime]

Epic. I still have to say, I got really vivid images in my head reading this one. And I like Tenius even more now.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Okay, now for some of those responses.

 

The whole group dynamic just felt right to me. I wasn't trying to be super PC or whatever, I was just tired of being hampered by the traditional gender ratio and having to always make ultimately samey Toa teams. I wanted to break out of that so there'd be more possibilities for my characters, and I took it as far as I felt I could without completely alienating oldschool Bionicle fans. You'll notice it's not just the gender ratio, or the old and new masks, but the elements as well. Three we're used to seeing every time, and three that have never been made into toys at all. It was just stupid fun mixing things around for this new team.

 

As for these Rahi... they have varying percentages of mechanical whazzits in their bodies, as almost any Bionicle character does, but most of them have eyes (and ears) that are connected to some trasmitter-thingamajig implant that lets someone else see and hear what they do with the push of a button on the receiver's end. Makes you wonder just how many "walking cameras" are really on the island.

 

Proto-Matoran (or "Nu-Matoran" as I'm thinking of also calling them) is a broad term that means... well, for now, let's just say they don't make Matoran like they used to. This is something we'll be delving into a LOT in the future, and it's going to be some of the most mind-bending material in this whole story.

 

To some people Silva's whole shtick is gonna make him one of the silliest characters in the story, and they'll say he should just "get over it" and function like a normal person. But... well, like I've said, Silva is the Matoran equivalent of an autistic person. He's just wired differently. That covers a very, VERY wide spectrum of many strange behaviors, and this is one of Silva's. Of course, I'm not just going to LET him act this way and be weighed down by it forever. He'll become more well adjusted and learn to live in the moment out of sheer necessity, as he adapts and evolves as any thinking animal does, and maybe even reach a point where you'd think he never had those... "problems." Keep in mind, this is all coming from someone who has aspergers in real life. And those limits that seem engrained into us, that keep us from enjoying life to the fullest, are something Silva can't let himself be weighed down by if he ever wants his powers to truly come alive.

 

And yes, I will have it explained how he came to have his condition as we delve into the nature of how these modern Matoran are made.

 

Well, I think that sums it up for now. Any more questions?