Natural Or Artificial Boundaries?

[bonesiii]

I've been thinking about this question lately because of some options I have for later fanfics of mine.When it comes to settings in the Bionicle storyline, have you ever noticed a pattern in which settings you like better in terms of what causes the characters, aspects of the setting etc. to be limited by boundaries? For example, on Mata Nui I loved that there were six regions, and the logic of the boundaries appeared to be totally natural -- the fire people lived in the lava river, the jungle (air) in the southern swampy region where trees had more water to grow, the ice people in the snowy mountains.But on Metru Nui, the boundaries were seemingly purely artificial. The Ga-Matoran lived in a water region that was made so by Matoran-made canals and fountains and the like. The Ta around artificial furnaces and forges and suchnot, the Onu in mines and other tunnels that had been dug, the Ko in crystal towers that were intentionally grown, etc.In that way, the logic behind the geography, and how it affected the characters, was the polar opposite of the reasons for Mata Nui's boundaries, even though the two islands mirrored each other. (I've always felt that Metru Nui should have had more nature, but in terms of what defines the boundaries I'm not sure how I feel; you could get a lot of nature with artificially arranged parks for example.)Of course, now it seems that Mata Nui's boundaries were more artificial than it seemed, but it still felt natural.And we could apply this question to many other settings too. For example, on Bara Magna, what most excited you, the mountain ranges and other 'natural' locations, or the villages being built with parts of the giant prototype robot, etc.? The artificial Arena Magna, perhaps?Do you tend to like both depending on how they're done? A mix? Whatchyall think?And to clarify, what I mean by "boundaries" doesn't have to be just the border between two regions, it could be anything within a region too that might affect how characters will have to behave or how to get from one place to another, etc. -- ways in which the setting becomes part of the plot, whether as obstacles or opportunities.

Edited April 25, 2012 by bonesiii

[Makuta Matata]

It really depends on the setting. If it's a city like Metru Nui, then artificial. Otherwise, if it's like Mata Nui or Voya Nui, then I'd prefer the natural ones.

[TheSkeletonMan939]

I liked the natural feel of Mata Nui and of Bara Magna, but I think the "boundaries" idea of Metru Nui was done because it seemed LEGO thought the idea was successful on Mata Nui in '01.

[Dralcax]

I liked the mix of natural and artificial in Bionicle, and having only one doesn't make it any different from other fantasy stories, like Ninjago's mix of modern and Oriental.

[Taipu1]

I'm not a fan of the weird Karzahni Boundary. For a being who was supposed to work for Mata Nui (Regardless of Insanity), I don't see why he would have shadow barriers that a Toa of Light couldn't penetrate. Very artificial, and I didn't like them. They were just a device used to keep Takanuva out of the central storyline, because he naturally moves into the spot light other wise.What I like was the various stuff that came up in MNOLG, whether it was the simple boat ride from Ta-Wahi to Ga-Wahi, or having Tamaru bridging a Chasm on the way to Kini-Nui. These barriers were natural and artificial, but they were all great.

[Soran]

Leave it to Bonesiii to ask a simple question in 5ish well explained paragraph's...I've never really thought that much about them, but I do see your point. Honestly, I like how they made islands like Metru-Nui mainly because of a few things.One being that the Matoran are suppose to operate the Great Spirit Robot, which would mean they would probably have some form of knowledge on making artificial things such as factories, canals, or the likes.Another being it fits quite well with explaining how some things are made such as kanohi.I think it really depends on what the story of the place is about. Such things being how Voya-Nui is really low in natural resources needed to survive, which would obviously mean that no civilization similar to Metru-Nui will probably survive. So it really depends on the circumstances of the island and the story.Which do I prefer though? I'm actually not so sure about that. I like how Natural areas such as Mata-Nui were really unified and really peaceful, but I also liked how artificial areas are made. It really shows what the inhabitants would do if the natural resources didn't provide what they needed.To some it up, I like them both. They're unique in their own ways and really enjoyable.~Soran

[Athmos]

Natural. Why? It just looks better. It's like looking at a piece of art, with all the colors completely blocked from each other. Now that isn't a bad thing most times, I just prefer the art where the colors seem to flow in the middle and separate, like there isn't any real difference between the two colors. Mata Nui and Voya Nui over Metru Nui any day.

[fishers64]

Artificial. It just made sense with the whole Matoran-as-biomechanical-beings thing. The green guys go over in the green area and do these specific things - that idea just seemed to fit better IMO. The Matoran always felt like artificial beings to me, so putting them in a natural environment just kind of felt off.

[Dralcax]

keep Takanuva out of the central storyline, because he naturally moves into the spot light other wise.

LOL, was that intentional?

[Toa of Nerds]

Since I tend towards science fiction more than fantasy, I like artificial boundaries. Futuristic technology of all kinds fascinates me, so I really liked the artificial boundaries of Metru-Nui (and Metru-Nui as a whole). Specifically, I loved the idea of the chutes. The whole concept was just terrific and rivals some of the best that science fiction has come up with. -don't touch my pocket protector

[ALVIS]

I'll point out that Metru Nui had quite a bit of "nature"; one merely has to watch Web of Shadows, the scene in which they "follow the falling tears." Presumably that's a nature park established by the Le-Matoran or spillover from the Island of Mata Nui EP fertilizer, but it's still nature if not wilderness.Anyway, I don't have a preference. Artificial or natural boundaries make sense depending on the location, its history, and its inhabitants. Industrial races like the Vortixx ignore natural borders and simply build over them, creating artificial ones, whereas the Skakdi rarely build anything and live by nature. (My personal interpretations, of course.) The Matoran, as a more versatile race, are more flexible in terms of what borders they establish or follow.

[iPenguin]

Artificial seems to make more sense, but natural looks a lot cooler.