Embers - Review Topic

[Master Inika]

You have been holding out on a Marik MOC on us this entire time?!

 

I just finished Book 2. For those interested, Books 1 & 2 together are over 370 pages and 145,000 words. It's so good I almost regret binging it, because there's only three chapters out in Book 3 and soon I'll be all caught up and have to wait the painful days in between postings. Seriously, this is really good. The final chapter and epilogue really throw in some curveballs I wasn't expecting. So far, each of both books has contained more well-written content than most fanfictions and the effort for just one would have made for a commendable epic. That what I've read has only been 1/3 of such a massive epic is really a testament to our fandom. I want to see MOCs, fanart and more of Embers characters. After the golden age of the 2000s and the dud of a reboot of the 2010s, I really do think Embers is the Bionicle event of the 2020s. Can't wait to see what happens next!

Edited February 28 by Master Inika

[Nato G]

2 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

You have been holding out on a Marik MOC on us this entire time?!

I've made a MOC for pretty much every named character. I just don't have the right backdrop/lighting setup or a good enough camera to take decent photos of everything, and can't recreate them all in Stud.io due to custom parts, cloth elements, etc. that I can't recreate digitally. I plan to do a MOC dump someday. 

[Master Inika]

I've finally begun Book 3. I love the CSI feeling of it

[Nato G]

6 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

I love the CSI feeling of it

I try to give each instalment a different tone. Book 3 is a lot more focused on politics and investigation compared to what comes before or after. 

[Master Inika]

It took me about one month and took weeks, but I'm finally caught up. The Kanohi Cradle is such a neat idea.

I am loving Ilton and Sidra's dynamic as well.

[Nato G]

9 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

I'm finally caught up.

Welcome to the present! 

7 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

I am loving Ilton and Sidra's dynamic as well.

It's always fun throwing new combinations of characters together, and this was one of my favourites. 

[Master Inika]

I'm dying to know what would happen if you put a Zatth in the Kanohi Cradle

[Nato G]

9 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

what would happen if you put a [insert Kanohi name here] in the Kanohi Cradle

I really didn't think about the function beyond the handful of Kanohi I planned to use it with, so your guess is as good as mine. 

[Master Inika]

The Kanohi Cradle is a really fascinating idea. There is a whole list of Kanohi I'd be curious to see what it would do with. I wonder if it's protected. Could someone break into the council room and install a Kanohi to weaken the city somehow?

I also am hoping that we see more of Gharkelos. I was distracted by Vortixx lesbian polycule (I would read an entire story just about them) but the more I think about it, the more potential I realize there is behind Sidorak's species. Their main moment in the story, through Sidorak, is of being pretty foolish and despicable so I wonder how much that reputation would seep in to their entire species.

[Nato G]

10 hours ago, Master Inika said:

Could someone break into the council room and install a Kanohi to weaken the city somehow?

I'm sure someone could try, but that would require sneaking into the council room, figuring out how the device works, knowing how certain masks would interact with it, etc. At some point in the process, just planting a bomb would probably be easier.  

10 hours ago, Master Inika said:

the more I think about it, the more potential I realize there is behind Sidorak's species. Their main moment in the story, through Sidorak, is of being pretty foolish and despicable so I wonder how much that reputation would seep in to their entire species.

Sidorak doesn't seem to align with anything we know about his species. I'd guess that's why he left Stelt and tried to marry into political power on Xia, because he couldn't cut it in his homeland long-term.

In trying to imagine what the average Steltian would be like, I envisioned Gharkelos as a sort of stereotypical Viking raider: belligerent, boastful, drinking to excess, but a formidable fighter, who cares about those under his command. I wanted to give them a slightly different vibe to the Skakdi (even though both are basically written the same, as angry war-like races constantly destroying each other's stuff). 

[Master Inika]

Another good episode. I'm really curious what will happen with the Red Star. I suspected early on that the Shattering would end up playing a big role but I really don't know where the RS plotline is going. The Matoran Civil War was another more obscure piece of Bionicle history I wasn't expecting to get referenced but it feels so natural now that it's been acknowledged.

[Nato G]

6 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

I'm really curious what will happen with the Red Star. 

All shall be revealed in due time. Book 4 is titled "Death" for a reason. 

6 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

The Matoran Civil War was another more obscure piece of Bionicle history I wasn't expecting to get referenced

The Matoran fighting a four-century-long civil war that plunged the entire universe into a coma seemed like way too major of an event for me to not acknowledge in some way. And exploring the effects of war and trauma on characters is an ongoing theme throughout the series, so it made sense to consider some of the ripple effects of what was one of the biggest conflicts to ever occur in Metru Nui. 

[Master Inika]

Just also wanted to say how much I love the Council as characters. I am a sucker for Council scenes and I really feel like any of the 11 factions could have a full epic just about them and their inner workings.

[Nato G]

7 hours ago, Master Inika said:

Just also wanted to say how much I love the Council as characters. I am a sucker for Council scenes

That's great to hear. I did worry that readers may not enjoy the bureaucracy plotlines.

As someone who's sat in on a lot of real-life council meetings for work, I know first-hand it can be boring as heck to sit through, so I tried to keep everything fairly fast-paced while still giving acknowledgement and attention to important issues. 

[Master Inika]

I'm someone who liked the Trade Federation scenes in The Phantom Menace, so maybe I'm just biased to bureaucracy scenes.

Another good chapter today. Sidra seems to really be the breakout character this chapter. It will be nice to hear from Savnu again, though.

[Nato G]

13 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

Sidra seems to really be the breakout character this chapter.

With book 3 having a very different tone and atmosphere, I wanted my choice of focal characters to reflect that.

Icthilos, Savnu, and Trina were wartime leaders who led the charge during the underdog/rebellion phase of the story, but with this no longer being a time of war, I felt it was important to give them a bit of a break and give other characters better suited to the politics/scheming sphere some time to shine. It helps set the tone and show how things have changed, with different characters stepping up to tackle new challenges.  

13 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

It will be nice to hear from Savnu again, though.

And it helps build anticipation for the eventual return of those other characters. 

Edited March 15 by Nato G

[Master Inika]

Another great chapter, and congrats on making it to three BZPower pages!

The Sidra/Neryx drama continues to be one of my favorite parts of the story, and Lariska is such a great older sister/mentor? to Sidra. I have been trying to work on my own story idea with a mostly female cast but you really make me feel like I need to hold myself to a higher standard.

On 3/15/2026 at 7:21 AM, Nato G said:

Neryx normally went to sleep early, and slept in late. 

honestly same Neryx

[Nato G]

5 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

Lariska is such a great older sister/mentor? to Sidra.

Mentor is the vibe I was going for, yeah. In Greg's writing, it's stated that she held her position because the other Dark Hunters were allegedly all scared of her, but that never really sat well with me. She never does anything to give that impression, and instead has a slightly more casual/slacker vibe compared to most of the other Dark Hunters - she doesn't bother with the codename stuff, she's always goofing off with her acrobatic tricks, etc.

So for the purposes of this story I've interpreted her as a bit more of a relatable, down-to-earth leader, the sort who'd happily sit down for a drink or a chat with her troops to build genuine comradery with them instead of being threatening and aloof like The Shadowed One was. 

5 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

I have been trying to work on my own story idea with a mostly female cast but you really make me feel like I need to hold myself to a higher standard.

Probably the most important lesson I've learned in my writing journey is that it's never a good idea to compare yourself against other creatives. Everyone has their own styles and skills. It's better to chart your own path than try to hold yourself to someone else's standard. 

Keep working on your story idea. I'd love to read it someday! 

[Master Inika]

Why can't Lhuhamaka be real

Also, another great chapter of CSI: Metru Nui. Tustesh's plotline in particular calls to mind "Flowers for Algernon," one of my favorite stories.

[Nato G]

8 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

Why can't Lhuhamaka be real

This is not a reaction I expected, and I'm deeply concerned for you. 

8 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

Tustesh's plotline in particular calls to mind "Flowers for Algernon," one of my favorite stories.

I was not familiar with this story, but after looking it up I see the parallels.

Given that the Southern Islands are regarded in canon as a super poorly-understood region that no one's explored, I figured any societies there would be equally insular and ignorant of the wider GSR. So in a way I've been treating Tustesh and his people like aliens to Metru Nui, completely isolated, figuring out how their existence and beliefs fit into a bigger picture that's largely well-understood by everyone else. 

[Master Inika]

Another great episode, good to know you can also write straight people. Seriously, this was a very sweet and unusually wholesome episode.

[Nato G]

3 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

Seriously, this was a very sweet and unusually wholesome episode.

I try. I felt it was important that characters find opportunities to be happy where they could... before they inevitably get dragged back in to the chaos and conflict. 

[Master Inika]

Another great chapter. Amid all the grimness, I think my favorite part is the Icthilos/Ilton/Savnu banter. Icthilos feels like the first guy in the middle school friend group to get a real gf.

[Nato G]

6 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

Icthilos feels like the first guy in the middle school friend group to get a real gf.

Not what I was aiming for, but I can't unsee it now. 

[Master Inika]

Embers is so much better than therapy

[Nato G]

4 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

Embers is so much better than therapy

If Embers was a book, I'd put this on the cover as an endorsement. 

[kawaii kitty]

On 4/5/2026 at 8:29 PM, Master Inika said:

good to know you can also write straight people

what was the context of this? gay bionicle? greg is pulling out the big guns

[Nato G]

3 hours ago, kawaii kitty said:

what was the context of this? gay bionicle? 

I'm a firm nonbeliever in the "no romance" rule.

Master Inika's comment is in reference to the fact the story featured a same-sex couple (introduced in book 2) before a heterosexual one (introduced in book 3).

[kawaii kitty]

3 hours ago, Nato G said:

introduced in book 2

ah, i need to get caught up!

[Master Inika]

1 hour ago, kawaii kitty said:

ah, i need to get caught up!

Two gay couples in fact (the actual loving one and the lesbian power throuple)

[Master Inika]

Mike drop moment at the end

[Master Inika]

6 hours ago, Nato G said:

Sidra simp

 You said it not me

[Nato G]

3 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

 You said it not me

The sheer panic I just felt as I rushed to the chapter to check that I hadn't somehow completely missed such a terrible mistake...

[Master Inika]

5 hours ago, Nato G said:

“I think-” Sidra sighed. There were so many things she wanted to say, but this wasn’t the time or the place for it. “-I’m sorry. There are lives at risk. That conversation needs to wait.”

 noooooooo saving lives can wait, I need them to have this conversation now

I look forward to seeing the Frostelus in action. They are one of many underexplored interacting factions in Bionicle

[Nato G]

2 hours ago, Master Inika said:

 noooooooo saving lives can wait, I need them to have this conversation now

But if the relationship drama was effortlessly resolved, how could I keep milking it to torment my audience? 

[Master Inika]

46 minutes ago, Nato G said:

But if the relationship drama was effortlessly resolved, how could I keep milking it to torment my audience? 

I'm going to start calling this series Biomechanical Warriors Millennia Old With the Emotional Maturity of Middle Schoolers

[Nato G]

57 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

Biomechanical Warriors Millennia Old With the Emotional Maturity of Middle Schoolers

In my efforts to distance myself from canon I've somehow looped back around and embraced it. 

[Master Inika]

13 minutes ago, Nato G said:

In my efforts to distance myself from canon I've somehow looped back around and embraced it. 

The difference is that in canon they have the emotional maturity of elementary schoolers. Bionicle canon is dark and grim but still made for the "girls are icky" mentality. Embers is dark and grim but the characters have love lives now

[Nato G]

17 minutes ago, Master Inika said:

Bionicle canon is dark and grim but still made for the "girls are icky" mentality. Embers is dark and grim but the characters have love lives now

If Embers was a book I'd be sorely tempted to put this on the back as the endorsement quote. 

[kawaii kitty]

17 hours ago, Nato G said:

dark and grim

don't you mean dark and griddy? (insert some federation of fear quote)