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historicrad39a · 7 months

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2. Enslaved

Sector -300 +145 outskirts, +28 Rotations and 2 Deci-rotations since invasion start - ~253ly from Ka’Lagrath space, aboard the Slaver ship Mutiny

We had five new prisoners today. Unlike the other eighty-some individuals enslaved aboard this ship, including myself, these creatures were not acquired (as the Ka’Lagrath like to say) through one of their numerous “protection contracts.” Instead, they had been onboard an exploration vessel belonging to a civilization the Ka’Lagrath were supposedly at war with. The Mutiny had been redirected from my species’ homeworld to rendezvous with the Ka’Lagrath warship responsible for successfully “acquiring” these new prisoners.

As the new prisoners were transferred the same hold cell as I, I overhead the warship’s guard warning the Mutiny’s guards to be careful of these new prisoners, as they were supposedly very much against this whole enslavement thing, and would do anything in their power to escape. I was somewhat excited about this news, as I doubted the Ka’Lagrath would be willing to kill, or even gravely harm such rare and therefore “valuable” prisoners - which would make an escape attempt much easier.

My hope was that these new arrivals would be kind enough to break out all of the other prisoners, myself included, were they to be successful. Furthermore, as the Ka’Lagrath were unsure of their exact biology, any attempts at subduing them with gas would be extremely limited in scope. However, these hopes were quickly dashed, as the new arrivals did little but sit in silent unease.

The prisoners were certainly interesting in appearance, they were bipedal and had 2 slender appendages that appeared to be for grabbing/manipulating objects - in this regard they were extremely similar to their Ka’Lagrath captors - however, unlike the Ka’Lagrath, they had long ‘fur’ on their heads, and their skin was something of a tan-ish red color - although this was somewhat obscured by how bright they appeared in infrared.

Curious about them, I attempted to strike up a conversation with them. As I was a (now former) diplomat, I figured there was a good chance we shared at least one language in common. Unfortunately, of the 15 languages I knew, we shared none in common.

It’s worth noting at this point that our species, the Myilrs, are occasionally born with what one might call psychic powers. These powers are both very versatile - allowing communication across species in the absence of a shared language - and very limited - as only very, very few individuals outside the Mailrs were actually compatible. I was fortunate enough to be born with these powers, however, given that the Ka’Lagrath had a keen interest in these powers, were I to be found out, I would likely to be killed and dissected.

Were I to do this, I’d need to be careful. If I extended the range too far, and a compatible Ka’Lagrath guard was within that range, I’d be found out. If they happened to install any anti-psychic countermeasures, I’d get a splitting headache, once again giving me away. Of course, there was also a possibility that none of the five individuals were compatible, their species was completely unknown to me, so it wasn’t as if I knew how compatible their species was on average.

After mulling over it for around a third of a deci-rotation, I made up my mind. Closing my eyes I began to concentrate…

Can you hear me? I asked. The reply was immediate.

What? Who are you? Responded one of the individuals. Their “voice” (if you could call it that) was somewhat high-pitched, it sounded similar to the natural register of we Myilrs, but far higher than any of the Ka’Lagrath. At around the same time, one of the individuals - the smallest of the five - let out a stifled yelp of (what I presumed to be) surprise.

I am the individual sitting across from you, the one currently looking in your direction. I responded. The individual did not respond for a moment.

How are you doing this? Earlier I think you tried speaking to us, but we couldn’t understand. But now you’re… speaking(?) English. They responded.

Does your civilization, - the… English, is it? - have stories of those who can read minds? This is something like that.

The individual shook their head from side to side. No, we call ourselves (people). English is one of our (unknown word). And yes, we do have such stories.

Given the nature of how this power worked, I was reading the intended meaning behind their thoughts. This meant that there would be words (or meanings, rather) that I could not understand.

Well, I guess that’s not important right now. I’m assuming you can still hear me… So, what exactly is it you need? The individual asked.

From what I overheard, you individuals were apparently dangerous enough that the ships’ guards were warned about you trying to escape. Yet from what I see, you are just sitting in silence. Why?

That’s what they were saying? The individual cocked their head. I suppose I can’t blame them after (farmer(?)) bit one of them…

Bit? As in used their mouth to attack? I was under the impression only non-sapient creatures attacked in such ways.

Anyway, we are planning to escape. It’ll just take a few (unknown word, time related?) The individual continued. I’m (Young flower(?)), by the way.

Young flower? I asked

What? The individual responded. I mean, I suppose it originally meant something like that. They continued.

Based on the individual’s reaction, I guessed that what they had just told me was their name. Unfortunately, as most names had meanings, I usually only “heard” the meaning of the name when told via this power. To hopefully combat this, I decided to spend some time actually conversing with the out loud as well as internally to hopefully learn more about them.

Over the course of 2 Deci-rotations, I conversed with the individual known as “Hanako” along with her crew mates. I slowly began to learn their language (of which, they apparently had several), and as a result I now knew more about them.

They called themselves “Humans”, and they were part of an alliance composed of 2 different species. Similar to the Myilrs and Ka’Lagrath, their species was composed of two primary sexes, and numerous genders (whilst Ka’Lagrath also had more than 2 genders, this information was largely repressed). Their homeworld was around a G class Star, and as a result, they couldn’t see into the infrared or Ultraviolet spectrums.

Hanako - the human I had been conversing with - was in command of an exploration vessel. They had been exploring the outermost edges of Human space when their ship was attacked and they were captured. Humans were apparently also rather social creatures, as Hanako seemed to enjoy my company, and her crew mates also seemed to enjoy my presence (as I could not communicate with them directly, this was a bit harder to tell).

I had asked on numerous occasions about if they were planning to escape or not, to which they said they were. However, when I asked how, they couldn’t quite figure out how to describe it. They had assured me they would escape, but strangely it appeared as if they didn’t know how they would.

3 Deci-rotations after the humans first arrived, the Mutiny was stopped to refuel in an uncontrolled star system. In addition, five Ka’Lagrath cruisers had also rendezvoused with the tanker in order to take on fuel. It was during this refueling stop when I began to hear a distinct rumbling sound similar to that of air entering or escaping a room.

There were no vents in this holding cell, nor was the door open or any other way for air to enter or escape, and the air felt perfectly calm. Yet despite that, the ‘flowing air’ sound continued, slowly growing louder and clearer. After several minutes, the sound was impossible to ignore. It was loud enough to drown out conversation, and it made it hard to think clearly. Almost everyone in the cell, including the sole Ka’Lagrath guard, showed signs of anxiety on their faces or fidgeted nervously. I silently wondered if the ship hasn’t sprung a leak, and we were mere moments away from an explosive decompression.

The humans, on the other hand, were dead calm. Worried about their complete lack of concern, I went over to Hanako.

“Why calm?” I managed after struggling for a moment.

A look of confusion crossed Hanako’s face for a moment, she then bared her teeth (in a gesture I was assured was a sign of joy/happiness, rather than an intimidation attempt) before saying “you’ll see!”

Her words thoroughly confused me. What would I see? I didn’t think it was possible to see sound, were humans perhaps capable of seeing sound? Was she referring to the fact the ship was visibly shaking from the noise? I didn’t understand in the slightest.

I turned towards the window - the direction in which the sound seemed to be coming from - and tried to focus. I didn’t understand what was happening at all, I had so many questions that-

My train of thought was abruptly interrupted by a singular large THUD. The vacuum of space itself seemed to shudder as a massive object streaked in from near-luminal speeds before coming to an abrupt stop in less than a second. The aforementioned ‘flowing wind’ sound noticeably decreased in volume, and was partially replaced by a ‘winding down’ noise, a split second later, two more loud THUDs accompanied two more massive objects emerging from out of nowhere at similar speeds and stopping in a similar amount of time. The ‘flowing air’ sound finally came to an end as fifteen or so smaller objects emerged from out of nowhere in a similar fashion.

Despite being separated by the vacuum of space, I could clearly hear the objects. Each one groaned and creaked for several long seconds as they remained motionless. It was then that I recognized the sound. These sounds are almost identical to the noises heard when a ship is traveling through rift-space, and then the sounds heard after emerging from rift-space, as the drives powered down.

This made no sense. Eighteen or so objects - evidently ships of some kind, has just emerged from rift-space right in front of my very eyes. The Mutiny was around 500 light seconds from the system’s primary star - no ship in existence could possibly drop out of rift-space at any location other than near the system’s center of mass. And yet, these ships seemed to have done just that.

The ships’ design was completely unknown to me. Unlike the smooth a bulbous designs of Ka’Lagrath ships, these vessels were very blocky in nature. The center most ship had a long, flat deck behind a vaguely conical bridge. Either side of the primary body were two massive “wings” pointed at a slight angle “downwards”, and 2 strut-like protrusions at an angle extending out from a central tower-like structure on the bottom. Finally, on one side of the primary deck, there was another tower which appeared to be a bridge of some-sort.

Either side of the center most ship were two vaguely trapezoid in shape, with 4 large railgun double-barreled turrets on each wing (2 above and 2 below), totaling 8 turrets (although it seemed as if there were more behind the forward facing turrets). Above what looked like an embedded bridge was an enormous triple-barreled railgun turret, and there was another directly below in on the bottom of the ship. I had never seen such large railguns before - these were definitely far larger than the 23cm railguns commonplace on Ka’Lagrath vessels. Finally, both ships had an insane amount of secondary railgun turrets dotted along their hulls.

The smaller ships were less impressive, but still formidable. They were a boxy shape with a single large ‘humps’ above their center. On either side of the bridge of the ships sat dual barreled railgun turrets, and the hump contained 4 large openings that were likely for a weapon of some kind.

All in all, the eighteen ships sat in ominous silence for long seconds. The Ka’Lagrath fleet reacted instantly, all five cruisers began turning to engage the enemy fleet. Turrets rotated and hatches opened as the cruisers began to prepare for battle. The mysterious fleet, did not wait idly by, instead, around a hundred or so small craft began to emerge from the ‘back’ of the center most ship before charging at the Ka’Lagrath fleet. Following behind the small craft were the fifteen or so smaller vessels that had emerged from rift-space a moment ago. The front most ship rotated its turrets and loosed 4 rounds towards one of the Ka’Lagrath cruisers. Hell began to break loose as the Ka’Lagrath and the mysterious ship began exchanging fire.

The Mutiny was rocked by numerous impacts as the small crafts dove at it, releasing some sort of payload before darting away to attack a different target. These ships moved as if they were flying through an atmosphere, rather than the vacuum of space, which was extremely odd. Although, nothing about this situation was normal so far.

Bafflingly, as the rounds hit their target, there would occasionally be an explosion following it. This meant that, for whatever reason, these ships used explosives rounds rather than simple metal slugs. What’s more, the rounds likely contained an oxidizer as well in order to facilitate the explosion.

One of the smaller ships charged at a Ka’Lagrath vessel and four slow (compared to the railgun rounds) projectiles were deployed from the hump on the ship’s back. Noticing the lack of speed from the projectiles, the Ka’Lagrath cruiser attempted to dodge - the projectiles turned to match its course. The cruiser tried everything it could to make the projectiles miss, but it was ultimately futile. All four of the projectiles hit their mark, and the Ka’Lagrath cruiser was torn in half by an enormous explosion.

It was at around this point when I noticed that the eight forward-facing turrets on one of the two larger ships began to rotate, each pair of turrets seeming to track a different target. Each pair eventually locked onto their target and slowly tracked it for long seconds.

Then, massive plumes of fire and smoke were expelled from each barrel in sequence as the massive guns fired. They were using not railguns, but ancient explosive-propelled shells shot from a cannon. All hell broke loose, as the remaining four Cruisers all but disintegrated in massive explosions. All the ships that had been attacking a moment ago suddenly began falling back as the spine-mounted turret on one of the large ships slowly began to rotate.

Fear. That’s the only emotion I felt as I stared down the three massive barrels on the central turret. The Mutiny, the ship I was currently on, was its next target. Time stood still as the turret coldly tracked the Mutiny as it attempted to flee. Then, three massive plumes of fire and smoke exploded out of the barrels as I braced myself for impact.

The Mutiny shook with such intensity that it felt as if it were being torn apart. The ship screeched and screamed in agony as fire enveloped the hallways. The power died but the emergency light were of little use compared to the flames currently licking the door to the hallway. Somehow, we had survived. The ship was completely dead, but it would take time before the air supplies ran out.

The central turret began rotating back to its neutral position as several ships that looked something like a needle with a cone-like top were deployed from the center most ship and began speeding this way. The ships charged at the Mutiny, seemingly determined to ram the thing. I was sure they were intending to slice through the Mutiny’s hull, damning those of us still alive to boil or freeze to death in the vacuum of space. But at the last second, retro-rockets fired on each of the pin-shaped craft followed shortly thereafter by the intense screeching of metal penetrating metal. I was knocked off my feet as each of the pin-shaped craft slammed into the Mutiny’s hull. One of the ships had come to a rest no more than 20 meters away from the cell we currently occupied.

The fires in the hallway had died down, and any Ka’Lagrath guards who had survived the impacts were scrambling throughout the darkened hallways. Sparks flew from the points of contact of the closest ship accompanied by the electric sounds of welding. After a moment, the sparks and noise died down only to be immediately followed by the sounds of metal being torn through by an immense force. Then once more there was pure silence.

*pop pop, pop pop*

Four distinct popping noises were shortly followed by barely audible Ka’Lagrath screams. There were other voices too, they were somewhat muffled and mechanical in nature meaning I could not decipher them.

*BOOM*

*pop pop pop, pop, pop*

The distinct sound of an explosion followed by more of the previous popping sounds. Looking into the hallway I saw several Ka’Lagrath guards running towards the source of the noise. I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but it seemed they were rather panicked. A group of around ten guard were running down the hall when-

*THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK*

A much heavier “thunking” sound began ringing out, as hundreds of orange trails whizzed by tearing the Ka’Lagrath guards to shreds. The residual “tings” of many objects hitting the floor was audible after that terrifying machine stopped firing.

A few seconds later I saw a creature in thick armor wearing a helmet with a black visor peer through the door and into the room.

“Over here!” I heard them shout in the Human’s tongue. Several more individuals rushed over to the door as Hanako spoke up.

“Get away from the [unknown word]”, I didn’t need to know what the last word was to understand that I needed to get out of the way, and fast. I scrambled away from the door as the (presumably human) individuals fiddled with the door. An eerie silence fell over the room, as every individual was herded to the corner furthest from the door. The silence was occasionally broken by rapid pops and the occasional boom. It was right when I was about to speak up when-

BOOM

The door was blown off its mount as it flew across the room, impacting the wall opposite of it. The armoured individuals stormed the room, the smoke from the recent explosion twisting around their figures as they emerged from the smoking entrance. One of the armoured individuals spotted the humans and immediately ran over to them.

I could not decipher most of their conversation, but what started as the armoured individual checking on the humans in concern quickly turned into something resembling an argument. I would need to ask Hanako about it when I got the chance. After the (what I assumed to be an) argument went on for far too long, the armoured individual gave off an air of exasperation before dejectedly speaking into some device.

After another few moments, the armoured individual began speaking to Hanako, and she relayed that we were supposed to follow a few of the armoured individuals back to their ship. At the time I was still greatly confused, but by doing this my fate would be irreversibly changed as I got involved in a conflict that would change the course of history…

Hey Y’all, long time no see. It’s been two or so months since I last updated this series, as explained in this post I’ve been very busy, but going forward I’ll be trying to update this series every other Monday or so (and failing that, the 3rd Monday of every month). That aside I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it ended up being quite a bit longer than I initially expected which is part of why it took so long.

I’m currently undecided about whether the next entry I write will be an intermission, or a full-blown chapter. The contents wouldn’t differ much, if at all. So far the actual chapters have been from an alien perspective, rather than a human/familiar one. But I’m not sure if it’s worth keeping this up “naming scheme” going forward. I still like the idea of alternating, but the issue is that of “are the entries labeled ‘1, intermission, 2, intermission…’ or just ‘1, 2, 3, 4…’” if any of you have strong opinions on this, please let me know.

Once again I hope you enjoyed, and I’ll (hopefully) see y’all in 2 weeks or so!

~Rad

Read the next entry here

#writing #humans are deathworlders #humans are space orcs #humans are space australians #reddit refugee #sci fi writing #hfy #humanity fuck yeah #Tumblr has changed since I was here last #they did something to Tumblr live it would seem #when writing that last tag it suggested the tag ‘They did surgery on a grape’#is that tag still even active? that meme is ancient #writers on tumblr #scifiseries #hope that last tag fits #My definition of ‘early’ tomorrow (now today) is apparently really skewed

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randomwriteronline · 2 months

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Across the perpetual twilight skies of the archipelago of Okoto streak six shooting stars: the Toa, ancient warriors imbued with elemental powers, crash upon the islands to reawaken the Great Spirit from the slumber imposed upon him by the jealousy of his brother Makuta. But much is buried within the prowling shadows, drowning in a forgotten past...

WELCOME TO MY BIONICLE G3 CONCEPT.

The idea was to keep G2's idea of a simpler universe while including as much G1 stuff I like as possible. Thanks to @cantankerouscanuck and @legend-as-old-as-time for letting me spitball ideas at them and figuring out stuff. As you can see from the inconsistent calligraphy THIS IS STILL A DRAFT, BUT I HOPE YOU CAN ENJOY.

Includes setting, characters, and a rough timeline of events.

For slightly more specific ramblings, check out this thread here.

SETTING:

Okoto - Archipelago connected by strands of land/sand/reef/etc. used to be a singular island/continent before a large chunk of it sunk into the ocean. total of 7 islands connected by strands of land/sand/reef/etc, six forming a sort of circle with one in the middle, each with a different environment. submerged but still inhabitable chunks make up the parts of a ring-shaped village.

Taisl - used to be a super volcano that blew up, many ground level pools opening onto magma. lava is harvested to make safe terrain for planting crops or building structures; occasionally cooled plots are sent off to other islands to facilitate farming.

Gaisl - huge seaside swamp, divided in many ponds and gulches. villages are built on stilts or mangroves; the waters go from shallow to extremely deep in only few steps, caution is needed. diving and rice farming main sources of food.

Onuisl - completely uninhabitable above ground, lush underground flora. bioluminescent funghi and stones provide plenty of light; diet consists of bugs and tubers. villages are split off in large caves connected by ever expanding tunnels.

Leisl - massive jungle, the archipelago's breathing lung. trees big and sturdy enough to build villages on them; underbrush too lush to walk through. mostly hunters and gatherers. flying lemurs are the main alternative means of transport.

Poisl - rocky canyons containing a large desert. villages carved into the sides of mountains; even with the twilight can't go around at midday for excess of heat. main means of transport are horned lizards, agriculture happens in carved out oasis.

Koisl - mountain range diving straight into the sea with jagged cliffs. sparce vegetation, southern position; villages have high snow walls for insulation and mostly hunt to survive. snow moles aid with foraging and transportation even in blizzards.

Voisl - aka Island of the Mask Makers. religious center of Okoto. the city of the mask makers mostly survived the cataclysm, though a further off portion of it was left in ruins - people from all villages can be found here. temperate climate.

Iniri - underwater city. inhabitants are partially amphibious: they can breathe underwater but the salt damages their lungs so they need prolonged exposure to fresh air. some portions are set up in air pockets within cliffs or undersea caves, or in artificially created air bubbles - mostly for specific cultivations.

CHARACTERS:

Great Spirit (Ma Ui? Takamu? Nameless?) - god of the sky, light, world. fairly "human", feels emotions very deeply and understands living beings very well. generally sympathetic to the struggles of mortals despite being so distant from them and with a gentle demeanor. ineffable body, unpercievable under normal circumstances. mask like in this post

Bohrok: iridescent beetles associated with the Great Spirit, carriers of departed souls - wings shaped like a G1 Hau. they can act as the GS's "body". their gentle buzz lulls Manas Crabs to sleep

Makuta - god of the shadows, animals, plants. based on G1 Makuta from books 1-3. more properly a "spirit", not alive, doesn't understand sapient living beings as a result. puts GS into a coma - allegedly out of envy (wants to be worshipped like his brother, villagers are ingrates), in truth out of love (cannot feel pain but knows GS does, wants to protect him). loves his family so so much

Manas crabs: enormous crustaceans associated with Makuta, nature's best shields and weapons. usually hibernating. can be incredibly gentle despite their terrible appearance and strength

Ekimu - mask maker and protector of the Mysteries of the Stars (reads both the future in them and the past in the fires of his forge), main religious figure of Okoto. mask makers are capable of ascending villagers to Toa by bestowing masks of power, which are made by infusing one or two elemental powers into the mask. reading the coming on the Toa [Mata] in the stars and the great dangers they would face, Ekimu made the golden masks for them and hid them. is a guide and mentor to them

Lhikan - previous protector of the Mysteries of the Stars, lead the Toa [Metru] much like Ekimu does for the [Mata]. several characters including Ekimu look up to her and try to live by her example. read the coming of a few catastrophes in the stars and attempted to call the Toa [Mata] to no avail, thus bestowing masks of power upon six the [Metru] and leading them to find a way to handle the coming crisis. mother of Jaller and Vakama (adopted) and bonded with Krika, daughter of Makuta. Dies to protect Vakama

Takua - Ekimu's apprentice mask maker/protector of the Mysteries, currently struggling with both, and leader of the Chronicler's company. more interested in current tales, often runs off to the other islands to meet up with his friends. the toa [Mata] keep finding him places he is NOT supposed to be and need to save him all the time

Pewku - "mascot" of the mask makers and the Chronicler's company. incomprehensibly old crab who likes to help: carries around tools for the mask makers, brings letters across the island, and accompanies Takua and friends on adventures. best girl no questions asked

Toa [Mata] - fall from the stars, G1 personality/powers/genders. the original Toa team, with a vast mythology to accompany them. answer to Ekimu. unclear how many times they've been summoned - their memory is erased when each crisis is handled and they get sent back up to the stars. they become aware of this twice and absolutely hate it. designs based on Mata. Protectors of the Sky/Great Spirit

Tahu: Mask of Shielding - same power as G1.

Gali: Mask of Breathing - can breathe through anything, be that water, smoke, or other.

Onua: Mask of Strength - same power as G1.

Lewa: Mask of Levitation - same power as G1.

Pohatu: Mask of Speed - same power as G1.

Kopaka: Mask of Vision - same power as G1.

Toa [Metru] - turn from normal villagers to Toa, masks bestowed by Lhikan. answer to Lhikan and Krika (adopted by her). older friends of the Toa [Inika]. enter a trance on Voisl from which they contact and later train the Toa [Mata] - end up sealed in statues during it, aging slower. turned werebestial by Chirox, giving them a werebeast transformation on command later on (design middle ground?). possible gender changes. Protectors of the Continent

Vakama: Mask of Invisibility - same power as G1. apprentice mask maker and chosen successor of Lhikan - his masks will later be bestowed upon the Toa [Inika].

Nokama: Mask of Translation - same power as G1. apprentice translator, studied in secret the language of the Great Spirit.

Whenua: Mask of Brightness - same power as G1. apprentice record keeper, studied in secret all of the Toa-adjacent mythos.

Matau: Mask of Illusion - same power as G1. athlete and racer, known for his successes in the arena's games.

Onewa: Mask of Coercion - same power as G1. sculptor and carver, known for the care for details in all of his works.

Nuju: Mask of Telekinesis - same power as G1. apprentice astrologer, slowly abandoned fortune-telling in order to try and understand the Great Spirit's inner machinations instead.

Toa [Inika] - turn from normal villagers to Toa, masks bestowed by the [Mata]. Jaller is Lhikan's child - gets her mask. during the cataclysm managed to unite their elemental powers to allow Iniri villagers to survive and became amphibious themselves. trained by the Toa [Mata], who disappeared* when they were needed - Jaller, Kongu and Nuparu still sulk about it. designs mostly based on Mahri. possible gender changes. Protectors of the Ocean

Jaller: Mask of Sonar - same power as G1.

Hahli: Mask of Adaptation - same power as G1.

Nuparu: Mask of Stealth - same power as G1.

Kongu: Mask of Linking - connects to other minds, reading them and sending simple messages.

Hewkii: Mask of Gravity - same power as G1.

Matoro: Mask of Resurrection - same power as G1.

Hannah: Jaller's crab rescued from Pridak ages ago, has since grown much larger than G1 to the point where the [Inika] can ride her into battle. she and Pewku will have a summer wedding. i make the rules and the rules say the domesticated crabs are lesbians.

*trying to use their powers to save the continent triggered a "reset protocol", sending them back to the stars. They became aware of their coming amnesia and tried to fight to remain, but in vain.

The Chronicler's Company - the weirdest kids available. often left on their own or thrown to the Children of Makuta. bond with the Toa [Mata] as they are the ones to first find them and are often saved by/guiding/helping/following them, growing fond of the [Metru] and [Inika] as well. their masks were made by Takua to help them with things they struggled with. {could become Toa after a proper bestowing of the masks by Takua once he becomes a mask maker himself. Protectors of the Archipelago}

Kapura: Mask of Need - {Magnetism powers: attracts and/or repells anything horizontally.} male.

Macku: Mask of Focus - {Lightning powers: creates lightning bolts from residual electricity.} female.

Taipu: Mask of Thought - {Psionic powers: reads and influences minds, creates psychic blasts.} female.

Tamaru: Mask of Botany - {Jungle powers: controls all plantlife, influencing growth and decay.} female.

Hafu: Mask of Welding - {Iron powers: manipulates iron and steel, even in tiny percentages.} female.

Kopeke: Mask of Volume - {Sonics powers: quiets and/or amplifies any sound on command.} male.

The Children of Makuta (concept by @cantankerouscanuck) - main minor villains, one for each island + one wandering "pup". not evil, necessity makes them act otherwise. genuine family dynamic, love their parent very much - though Krika has been ostracized due to apparenly deserting them in favor of the [Metru], Lhikan, and Jaller. based on the G1 Makuta specimens: appearances based on mixes of animal species (which ones pending), all embody different aspects of animal nature cranked to the max and distorted

Antroz - dominance, territoriality, leadership. female. Taisl

Mutran - constant evolution, perfectionism. male. Gaisl

Icarax - raw strength, muscle power. female. Onuisl

Chirox - poison, vampire/werewolf infective bite. male. Leisl

Gorast - loyalty to the pack, rejection of all else. female. Poisl

Vamprah - hunting, starvation driving to madness. female. Koisl

Spiriah - indiscriminate destruction, aggression, fear. male. wandering "pup"

Krika - rearing young, protection. female. Voisl

Nidhiki - incarnation of disease, born of residual energy from an ancient supernatural storm. an artificially pure being - oozes possible imperfections out of his body which turn toxic for "imperfect" things and creatures such as Literally Everything Else. gender irrelevant. formed in the bowels of the continent, essentially on Makuta's lap: since the god couldnt feel pain he began reaching upwards to seek things that could react to him and infected the entirety of the continent as well as the Great Spirit. a Schopenauerian will-to-live type of character - mindlessly pursues his own continuation for no reason other than perpetrating his existence

The Barraki - a small group of highly intelligent sea creatures. once prowling alone along the coasts of Okoto, now bother Iniri and are constantly fought off by the Toa [Inika]. brutal and cunning but honestly just trying to live. genders irrelevant. in an Honest To God Polyromantic Relationship - get really mushy with each other even in combat situations. it's both sweet and weird

Pridak - mix of various shark breeds. leader of the bunch, most aggressive and protective. so many sets of teeth that its frankly overkill. his first concern is always protecting the pack and providing enough food for his mates, but also he holds a grudge on Jaller for once adopting his lunch

Kalmah - mix of octopus and squid. tactician of the bunch, awaits the right moment to strike. naturally produces lots of offsprings/clones asexually. usually sends the little ones to charge first and intervenes then if the going gets tough, sometimes attacking but also dragging the others to safety

Ehlek - mix of various eel breeds. berserker of the bunch, fast and anxiously unpredictable. can generate electric shocks from his spikes. a complete and total mess: lashes out in a frenzy but then retreats fearfully under bigger mates

Mantax - mix of stonefish and manta ray. Trap-setter of the bunch, patient and with fast reflexes. lays in wait on the ground before snapping upward. his ability to camouflage makes him hard to spot and leaves many enemies unprepared

Takadox - mix of shrimp and anglerfish. hypnotist of the bunch, the smallest and nimblest. changes colors in hypnotic patterns and glows in the dark. being so tiny makes him extremely fragile, so he tends to hang out on the others backs

Carapar - mix of various crab breeds. muscle of the bunch, near indestructible and terribly strong. claw power second only to Manas crabs. very jealous, beating any other crab-like being that appears as a potential mate-stealer

Fabled Mask Maker - a figure of legend, generally considered a hoax; Voisl is said to be named after him. the only mask maker known to try ascending to Toa via the Mask of Energy, which he made by combining only the purest parts of all six elements (a la G2 Mask of Ultimate Power): was a fine hero for a short time but ended up unable to withstand his own power, causing a supernatural storm which dug huge craters all over Okoto and whisked him away. his full name was cancelled from all records so he could not be idolized and mask makers made it sacrilegious for themselves to ascend to Toa (avoidable via a loophole found by Lhikan to allow Vakama's ascension - since he is still an apprentice he can technically be considered not a mask maker, thus regularizing the process). {appears to Takua in forge visions; Takua will refine his craft and make the Mask of Light, successfully becoming a Toa}

(Any similarities with fan-character Voriki are to be considered coincidences in order to preserve Voriki's status as "collectively owned" character of the community, free from claims.)

TIMELINE

Ages past but not forgotten: basically mythological times. Includes creation of the universe, first coming of the Toa, the Fabled Mask Maker, tales about the children of Makuta, and subsequent tales of the Toa. might also include tales of non-[Mata] Toa teams

Nidhiki is born: trickles of raw energy from the Fabled Mask Maker's last storm create him, and begins slowly rising from within the unfeeling entrails of the continent to infect the Great Spirit

Lhikan becomes Protector of the Mysteries

Anguish in the stars: the Great Spirit, in pain from the disease, reaches out to Lhikan through the stars to warn her and ask for help; she attempts to call the Toa [Mata] but is unsuccessful

The disease spreads to Okotans as well, infecting the [Inika]

Choice and ascension of the Toa [Metru]

Travels across the Continent: Lhikan and the [Metru] set out to investigate the threat to Okoto and figure out how to call the [Mata]. Along the way the injured [Metru] are turned werebeastial by Chirox in order to survive Nidhiki's disease and taken in by Krika, who joins their quest after Lhikan is unable to dissuade her from following them

Nidhiki's defeat: the [Metru] manage to snuff him out, but his final attack towards Vakama leads to Lhikan's sacrifice

The disease ebbs away; the [Metru] and Krika look after the City of the Mask Makers

The Plan: Makuta, learning of the pain his brother went through, begins thinking of how to prevent him from going through it ever again - coming to the idea of putting him in an eternal sleep and starting to enact his plan with his children, minus Krika

Imminent catastrophe: the [Metru] read in the stars that signs of a natural cataclysm that will strike the continent are slowly becoming more and more prominent. Still reeling from Lhikan's loss and doubting their abilities, they decide to attempt the Calling of the Toa [Mata]

The Calling: the [Metru] manage to reach the [Mata] in their slumber via trance. It becomes however apparent that, while extremely powerful, the Toa are unprepared for life: the [Metru] thus train them, slowly being encased in a strange material the longer they spend within the trance. Realizing their situation, they accept their fate and instruct the [Mata] to handle the current crisis first and free them only afterwards

Mild success: properly trained, the [Mata] - with help from Krika and the [Inika] - manage to contain most of the disasters Makuta is trying cause a distraction with in order to put his brother to sleep. As their violence and danger increases, the [Inika] are bestowed masks of power and become Toa

The Cataclysm: in an ultimate effort to enact his plan, Makuta causes Okoto's super volcano to explode, triggering a chain reaction that shatters the continent and sinks entire chunks of it into the sea. Overwhelmed by the sheer size of the situation the [Mata] attempt to contact and free the [Metru] through the Calling ritual, but their intentions are misinterpreted and they are whisked away to the stars again: alone and with no chances of keeping Iniri afloat, the [Inika] use all of their elemental powers to turn themselves and the inhabitants amphibious and disappear into the ocean. The site in which the [Metru] wait as statues is buried by the rubble of Voisl being cut off from the continent

Makuta manages to put the Great Spirit to sleep; the sky becomes a perpetual twilight

Adjustment: in a period of roughly one hundred or more years the archipelago of Okoto and the city of Iniri slowly reach a tentative stability, although the Children of Makuta become more hostile and the Barraki begin their relationship and attacks. Krika continues to search inconsolably for her children

Ekimu becomes Protector of the Mysteries

Contact and preparations: fighting through his slumber, the Great Spirit reaches out to warn that he will attempt sending the [Mata] so they can awake him. Ekimu thus creates their Golden Masks and hides them across the archipelago for them to find, but the Children of Makuta break them apart and hide the pieces all across the different islands

The Coming of the Toa: season 1. The [Mata] crashland on their respective islands, meet the various characters, fight off the Children, form a proper group dynamic, and recompose their golden masks. Ends with Mutran dragging Gali into the ocean in an attempt to have the water pressure crush her, but she is saved by Hewkii, Hahli and Matoro

The Underwater Citadel: season 2. on land the [Mata] split, with Tahu and Pohatu going in the sea to try and find Gali. She has been taken by the [Inika], who explain to her and her brothers their shared past and shed light on their amnesia - while also fighting off the Barraki. Ends with all nine Toa and the inhabitants of Iniri finding a way back to the surface

The Tale of the Continent: season 3. meanwhile, Kopaka, Lewa and Onua return to Ekimu for guidance: he and Takua direct them to the ruined part of the City, now sacred ground prowled by Krika, where they manage to find and free the [Metru]. They too shed light on Okoto's past and the [Mata]'s amnesia with their stories. Ends with the nine of them and Krika reuniting with the other [Mata] and the [Inika]

Final plan: with all the Toa reunited, the [Mata] decide to face Makuta and defeat him to reawaken the Great Spirit - hoping to bargain the possibility of staying in Okoto instead of being sent away again - in the main temple of Okoto. The Children of Makuta catch wind of this and rush over to stop them, bringing with them a number of Manas crabs

Confrontation: while the [Metru], the [Inika], Krika and the Chronicler's Company (and later a Bohrok swarm) fight off the Children of Makuta and the Manas crabs, the [Mata] struggle against Makuta himself. Uniting their powers they manage to wound him, prompting them to almost kill him much to the panic of his children and the danger of Okoto at large - only the just awakened Great Spirit is able to stop them, knocking them out just before they can start delivering the fatal blow

Bargaining: the [Mata] awaken in a dream, for the first time mask-to-mask with the Great Spirit. After a moment of awe and confusion (in which the Great Spirit explains the need for balance, and so for Makuta to live - though he won't forgive him for all of this, not yet), the [Mata] defensively tell him that they refuse to lose their memories and loved ones again, willing to fight him for it. The Great Spirit simply smiles kindly at them, and the dream slowly fades away

Respite: Tahu awakens with a start near the Mask Maker's forge, his worries soothed when Ekimu reassures him it's only been a few days. The Children of Makuta have left to tend to their parent, Iniri has started a reintegration with the archipelago, the [Inika] and the [Metru] are listening to the [Mata]'s tales from the Chronicler's Company, and Tahu's siblings are likely waiting for him by the beach. When the Toa expresses anxiety about the future Ekimu calms him again ("To live is to struggle, but that does not mean that we must spend each second in strife. For now, let's enjoy this peace as though it were endless") and sends him off to the rest of the [Mata] with a smile. Ends with the [Mata] having a nap cuddle pile on the sand, enjoying the sun shining upon the shores of Okoto once again.

#bionicle #toa mata #toa metru #toa inika #ekimu #lhikan #takua #the chronicler's company #pewku #nidhiki #barraki #makuta #okoto #great spirit #bohrok #manas crab #random talks #random writing #hope youll enjoy!!!!!! aaaa many thoughts too many tags to add im not putting all of em here hjkhs #so much stuff to talk about so little brain power.......#nidhiki was an absolutely last-minute addition bc i realized the metru had No Actual Threat To Fight while writing down the timeline #and ill be real you probably can tell thats a villain right up my alley. mindlessly consuming everything characters my beloveds #theres more fitting characters for the role but i couldnt pass up the opportunity to have Lhikans kids beat his ass Again :)#sorry for the lack of piraka/dark hunters/roodaka but i had no clue how to shove em in hjgsdhj same for 2009 and JtO charas #this is essentially just a skeleton that would need like a proper writing team to fully develop #anyways lego if youd like to hire me my phone is always on and set on central europe time and i have experience in dogsitting only /j

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