#its about the mata and mata nui but also ackar and mata nui but also matoro and the mahri but also takanuva and every character ever | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

randomwriteronline · 6 months

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One night, when all is over, when all can rest; when Kiina sleeps listening to the waves, Berix nursing the newest still unfinished project, Gresh not having any new scars to count, Click barely batting a wing; Ackar hears the voice of Mata Nui smile with such infinite love, and wakes up.

He sits up and listens again: if he strains his ears, if he forces himself to shut down the frantic beating of his heart, he thinks he can hear that voice again. He could swear he is talking, maybe humming, so close and yet so impossibly far away, even further than the resting place of the Ignika but somehow right next to him, tone filled with mournful joy, with an affection that brings one to tears.

Someone is out there, outside.

Someone is singing, outside.

He leaves.

One night, when all is over, Ackar forces himself to stumble out of town and into the cold, into the slowly receding desert which is giving way to life once more; he follows beneath the starlit sky barren of blue or green moons the sound, the song, the voice, an enthralled sleepwalker chasing desperately after a lucid dream he knows cannot be and yet so desperately wants to find, a spellbound seaman bewitched by a cannibal siren's serenade dragging his ship against the jagged cliffs upon which the object of his desire perches with monstrous arms outstretched so lovingly towards him.

He chases after the sound, the song, the voice: he could swear it's the same, the same deep and comforting sound upon whom he once laid his hand on to call 'friend'; he could swear it's the same, so sweet and so heartbroken, and his throat twists tight into a knot as he knows he will not see what he wants, yet he wants so badly.

He chases after the sound, the song, the voice: it splits but does not shatter. Like the hairs of a braid its pieces join together, tangle gently, form a harmony that no mouth can replicate.

He stops.

He looks.

One night, when all is over, Ackar watches and listens.

He knows them, he recognizes them: the twelve of them arranged in two concentric circles, only six of them singing, only six of them silent, their language so far beyond what his anatomy could comprehend or hope to produce, and yet he understands.

He understands from the inner circle's tight fists, their shaking shoulders, their shuddering chests as they struggle to breathe. He understands from the outer circle's solemn pronounciation, the anguish in their shining eyes, their longing and trembling voices.

He understands and hushes, and listens to their mourning song.

One night, when all is over, the Toa Mata mourn who they were fated to protect and instead failed.

One night, when all is over, the Toa Mahri mourn who they could not hold back from the choice of fate.

One night, when all is over, Toa Takanuva mourns all who he will never accept he could not die in the stead of.

Six voices raise, six lights like an aurora across the sky - two figures, mighty and wise and yet so powerless, dancing in their dirge with bodies composed of mourning songs harmonizing together - warriors burying a king, a peer, a friend, a stranger. Six more join, louder to the point of wailing, no composure, burning stars bursting as violently as their destructive end allows, children crying inconsolable the death of a hero, a peer, a friend, a sibling.

The Toa howl like wild hounds into the empty desert night in which no bloody star shines, in the heartbroken artificial language of their manufactured living people.

One night, when all is over, Ackar looks and listens.

In their twelve voices he hears yet another, at once earth and sky, enormously strong yet as light as the birdsong.

In their thirteen voices he hears Mata Nui.

In their thirteen voices Mata Nui smiles.

He smiles with such infinite love.

One night, when all is over, Ackar whispers: I love you.

One night, when all is over, the Toa scream: I love you.

One night, when all is over, Matoro booms: I love you.

One night, when all is over, Mata Nui smiles: I love you.

Ackar cries.

#bionicle #ackar #toa mata #toa mahri #takanuva #matoro #mata nui #random writing #grief tw #based on the song 'cosmic love' by florence and the machine #watch me apply this song to bionicle in like 6577 different ways mostly platonic #its about the mata and mata nui but also ackar and mata nui but also matoro and the mahri but also takanuva and every character ever #but also about 2015 pohatu and kopaka but also vakama and lhikan but also the metru and metru nui but also the metru and each other but als #the mata and each other but also the mahri and each other but also the metru and the mata/the mata and the mahri/the mahri and the metru #but also mata nui and teridax but also brutaka and axonn but also krahka and the metru but also matoro and mata nui but also the ignika and #matoro but also the rahaga and the mask of light but also the rahaga and teridax but also the rahaga and vakama hordika but also nuju and #whenua but also onewa and krahka but also the av matoran and the mata but also the voya/mahri matoran and fate as a whole but also macku #and hewkii but also the chroniclers and each other but also takua and jaller but also jaller and hahli but also kiina and mata nui but also #berix and kiina but also the makuta and the universe but also the great beings and mata nui but also the great beings and spherus magna #feel free to add onto it honestly #anyways YEA. THIS. TAKE IT.

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toa-kirhan · 1 year

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While writing some notes for RoS, TPTB, and TYQ, I noticed an odd time discrepancy concerning a certain cliffhanger. So, I decided to comb over RoS, Sahmad’s Tale, TPTB, and TYQ to put together a more detailed timeline to help figure out when exactly everything occurs during those last two serials and where everyone is.

Helryx, Axonn, Brutaka, Artakha, Miserix, Tuyet, Lewa, Hafu, and Kapura all get cast out of the MU into space while Teridax is flying to Bara Magna. They’re then saved by Vezon who pulls them into the CGB’s fortress.

While they debate whether to free him, the BoBM occurs which takes several hours (the time it took Sahmad to travel north w/ Telluris and talk w/ Metus). Lewa gets bored and leaves after the BoBM ends, getting captured by naturalist Agori due to not receiving Mata Nui’s gift of how to understand their language.

Later that day (after the BoBM), Kopaka sees the GSB and Skakdi leave the MU w/ the Mahri and create a fortress on the coast of Aqua Magna while Sahmad, Telluris, and Metus (who travel to the Black Spike Mountains north of Roxtus) are captured by Annona. That night, the three of them are teleported w/ Anonna to outside the GSB’s fortress.

Annona feeding on the Skakdi causes the GSB to summon several nightmare creatures, breaking its hold on the Mahri. Sahmad and the GSB defeat her while Telluris dies and Metus escapes. Sahmad decides to return to the Iron Tribe homeland to pay his respects. The GSB promises they’ll meet again and that it and the Skakdi won’t be content w/ just their fortress.

At some point b/w the BoBM and the start of TYQ, Angonce observes the battle and its aftermath on his equipment. He goes to deactivate Marendar only to find that it has already escaped its vault.

After “many long nights”, Onua, Tahu, and Gali decide to send Gelu, Orde, Chiara, and Zaria north to Bota Magna to find the GBs and fulfill Mata Nui’s last wish while Tahu and Gali head w/ Ackar and Kiina to scout for a site for New Atero (Gali’s special mission that Onua mentions during TYQ and Gaaki during TPTB).

Days since the BoBM (Gaaki says that’s how long the evacuation of sea creatures from the MU has been taking, likely around the same time TYQ group leaves), Kopaka tells the Hagah to scout out the GSB’s fortress and find the Mahri before reporting back to him. If the Hagah run into the Mahri, it’ll be on their way there since they’ve already been freed.

Immediately after that, Lesovikk informs Kopaka and Pohatu about Karzahni’s breakout and goes after him. The two follow his tracks the next day and return Karzahni’s body to the camp as Tahu, Gali, Ackar, and Kiina return. They tell them they spotted Lesovikk heading north while on their way back.

Kopaka and Pohatu leave the next morning on mounts. After three days, they come across Tren Krom right after he is murdered, meet Gaardus, and are teleported to the Red Star.

Meanwhile, after “traveling for several days” on Sand Stalkers (also likely around the same time), TYQ group is captured by Kabrua. They are released outside the Vorox city the next day for them to be hunted. Gelu and Orde escape and find about the secret GB, while Chiara and Zaria are unaccounted for.

Some time after killing Tren Krom, Velika prepares a trap that’ll destroy the CGB’s fortress and kill everyone still inside, even though by this point, they were transported there around a week ago now (the only explanation I have is the CGB’s time manipulation power that he uses on Vezon in the Melding AU). Velika then starts carving a memorial for his victims.

Currently:

Helryx, Axonn, Brutaka, Artakha, Miserix, Tuyet, Hafu, Kapura, Vezon, and the CGB are at his fortress. Velika is outside the fortress. Lesovikk is 3-4 days north of the camp, likely near Tren Krom or the CGB’s fortress.

Gelu, Orde, Chiara, and Zaria are on Bota Magna outside the Vorox City trying to escape from Kabrua. Sahmad is likely on Bota Magna too (as is Lewa) or returning to the GSB.

Tahu, Gali, Onua, Ackar, and Kiina are still at the camp. The Hagah are likely 3-4 days away toward the GSB’s fortress, while the Mahri and Metus are likely nearby. The GSB is still at its fortress.

Kopaka and Pohatu are on the Red Star.

#bionicle #media analysis #the yesterday quest #the powers that be #timeline

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sepublic · 2 years

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Bota Magna Speculation

Let’s talk about the cancelled Bota Magna arc of Bionicle.

We know the general synopsis of the Valley of the Maze arc, which would’ve had its own film as a sequel to The Legend Reborn. We can see how 2009 laid the groundwork for what should’ve been 2010; There’s the mention of the Element Lords, as well as Tarduk’s quest. There’s emphasis on the maze and the Skrall, the setup of the Baterra that Tuma is struggling with, as well as the map that alludes to the Great Volcano up north; Later revealed to be artificial and housing a power source used in the Prototype Robot.

But I’m curious about the Bota Magna arc… The synopsis of the fifth film –which keep in mind was a rough draft- ended with the Great Volcano erupting, unleashing its power source in an arc of energy that would strike the Prototype Robot and power it. By this point, it’s ready for Mata Nui to control, thus setting the stage for the final battle with Makuta. However, Mata Nui is unable to do this, because he, Kiina, and Ackar are diverted to the jungle moon of Bota Magna instead.

I questioned what was even the point of the Bota Magna arc beyond presumable filler, an attempt to sell Bionicle dinosaurs as toys; We know that’s what Bota Magna would’ve had, hence Reign of Shadows mentioning biomechanical dinosaurs. And I presume Bara Magna’s Rock Steeds were the prelude to these dinosaurs, likely beasts who were left behind on Bara Magna and managed to survive in the desert.

But there’s an important plot thread set up multiple times in TLR, as well as the previous Bionicle saga; The Great Beings. We never get to see them show up despite all this buildup of finding them, and the Yesterday Quest has our team of protagonists search for the Great Beings… In Bota Magna. And it’s clear that Greg is trying to write in some cancelled concepts from the original years of 2010 and 2011 for Bionicle; The Element Lords being Velika’s generals is likely to make up for how they were robbed of being 2010’s main villains.

And while a lot of things are just Greg inserting stuff into canon for the heck of it, there’s also the confirmation of at least one Great Being on Bota Magna; The one cursed by the Ignika, which also plays a central role in the Bara Magna arc, despite its soft reboot nature. Thus, aside from pulling in buyers with the allure of dinosaurs, I think the Bota Magna arc would’ve served as the long-awaited introduction of the Great Beings, and likely wrapped up a lot of questions and origins for Mata Nui and the Great Spirit Robot.

After all, what else is there to do, when the Prototype Robot is fully-powered and ready to go by the end of 2010? What narrative reason is there to divert and delay Mata Nui from his quest, when he should otherwise be ready to fight Makuta… Besides the Great Beings? The Bota Magna arc would’ve brought in the Great Beings, and the dinosaurs would’ve been additional worldbuilding that leads up to their presence; It’s confirmed that the Great Beings modified fauna such as the Skopio or Iron Wolves, after all. So the region where they were located would, presumably, suffer the most from their science.

Mata Nui’s quest for closure on the Great Beings likely would’ve put him at odds with the Glatorian and Agori who despise technology. Their armor is ‘synthetic’, being a fusion of metal and plantlife, and they wield tools of similar substances, as well as stone. In addition to dinosaurs, we probably would’ve gotten some Glatorian-Agori sets with new armor and weapon pieces that reflect this symbiotic nature, likely dual-molded.

Thus, while Mata Nui has to grapple with dinosaurs, he inevitably earns the ire of the Bota Magna Glatorian and Agori when he brings up the Great Beings. And the presence of said Great Beings probably means that the Glatorian-Agori were at odds with them for a while, post-Shattering. Mata Nui might’ve eventually called the Great Beings out on their meddling with nature, and how their projects have potentially harmed Bota Magna and given its inhabitants more reason to be distrustful of them.

Not only that, but we might’ve gotten to see the Skrall homeland, which we know was on Bota Magna. Thus, it’s possible we could’ve gotten a set or two regarding Bota Magna Skrall, or it could just be a brief detail that Greg threw in, that wouldn’t factor into the primary storyline that much. There’s also the Northern Frost, where the Ignika was cooled, also located on Bota Magna; So both locations may have been planned for the cancelled 2011 arc.

Now I want to get onto the Mask of Life. As I mentioned, it was brought over with Mata Nui as part of the soft reboot nature of the Magna saga, and its deadly powers have been showcased; Imbuing weapons with elemental energy, transforming living things, and so forth. While the Cursed Being was introduced way back in 2006, I think he would’ve been brought back in 2011, as the story was nevertheless still exploring the power of the Mask of Life. So while Bota Magna finally shows us the Great Beings, in doing so this arc explores the origins of Mata Nui… As well as the Mask of Life he’s wearing. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a place vital to Ignika’s creation, as well as a Great Being afflicted by it, is all here.

And given how verdant Bota Magna is, teeming with all sorts of biodiversity, it probably would’ve been a setting to further explore the Mask of Life’s full potential. It's got plenty of life to work with, as well as a Great Being who could give insight into its creation, with the Northern Frost providing additional lore. This Cursed Being could’ve been an antagonist as well, possibly bearing ill will against the Mask of Life and wanting it destroyed or removed, which would of course put him at odds with Mata Nui.

Who knows? If the Mask of Life was going to become more relevant and have its origins explored with Mata Nui’s on Bota Magna… Maybe its consciousness, as Ignika the person, would finally return! Given how Mata Nui’s arc is about learning to be a better leader and make up for his neglect, perhaps we would’ve seen Ignika continue his storyline of becoming a proper hero, and owning up to his mistakes; Possibly resolving things with the Cursed Being and freeing him of his curse as apology, setting up parallels with Mata Nui with taking responsibility. They are physically intertwined with one another, after all, to the point where Mata Nui is associated with Ignika, and Ignika has the GSR on its visage too!

Now, Kabrua and his Vorox. This is possibly just a thing Greg threw in of his own volition, but maybe it’s not! The Vorox did get a hard deal back on Bara Magna, and Mata Nui represents Sand; He’s the closest thing to a Glatorian Legend set for the Vorox that we’d get, his first encounter is against one, and his sword made from its stinger! Mata Nui is thematically tied to the Vorox in that sense.

They may not have had sets, but perhaps Kabrua and his Vorox would be antagonists, having a grudge on the Glatorian because they… Somehow know how their brethren on Bara Magna have been treated? Okay that’s kinda weak, but maybe there’s communication tech that told them, since Velika had that. Kabrua possibly recognizes Mata Nui’s sword as a Vorox stinger and is made even more hostile as a result.

As a growing ruler, Mata Nui takes it upon himself to help the Vorox, making peace with Kabrua; The Mask of Life, whose potential is being explored here, is offered as a possible solution. Given how it made Icarax devolve as a Makuta, perhaps Ignika could do the same/reverse, undoing the degeneration of the Vorox. Now it’s possible Kabrua actually tries to take the Ignika away from Mata Nui for this purpose, and this is another reason for conflict, rather than a solution to it; Getting some old Barraki vibes here…

Finally, there’s one more thing I want to discuss, and that’s the infamous Earth Tribe. Now, it’s possible that this was never planned, and Greg just made it up out of nowhere to throw the fans a bone with new story content, that sort of thing. But based on what we know about the Earth Tribe, as well as the Valley of the Maze film… I think the Earth Tribe was, for the most part, a planned part of the Bota Magna arc.

The first hint is the presence of Tera, a Glatorian of the Earth Tribe. They would’ve been in the Valley of the Maze film, and I don’t think Greg misremembered Tera’s element, either. The fifth film’s climax would’ve had our protagonists open a door requiring all of the elements, though Iron was unfortunately left out as always. Hence, that’s why the characters of ‘Buckethead’ the Skrall, Oris the Jungle Glatorian, Likus of Ice, would’ve been included; They fulfill elemental quotas. And I don’t think the toy designers and story writers would want to include a redundant protagonist.

Because Buckethead has so much of a role in the Valley of the Maze film, I doubt Tera was meant to take his place as Rock, and Greg made a mistake; Their name invokes Terra, meaning Earth to begin with! And I don’t think they were meant to be Sand, either- Mata Nui fulfills that role, he’s literally made of Sand and arguably more Element Lord than Glatorian. I think Greg remembered Tera’s element properly, that there was going to be a new tribe, the Earth Tribe, introduced- And Tera would be our setup to this ‘new’ element.

Their character could’ve also been a potential source of exposition, one foreshadowing and building up to the reveal of the Earth Tribe, for their proper role in the Bota Magna arc. I’m guessing we would’ve learned from Tera how the Earth Tribe didn’t participate in the Core War, with the Earth Lord’s machinations possibly laid outright, or saved to be revealed in 2011. If the Earth Lord’s evil isn’t known by this point, it’s possible Mata Nui and co. would assume the Earth Tribe as good thanks to their experience with Tera. We might’ve seen the Earth Tribe welcome them in with open arms, only for the Earth Lord’s evil to be revealed, as she plans to use Mata Nui for her own nefarious purposes.

Perhaps she would’ve been after the Great Beings, just want to control Bota Magna, etc. While the other Glatorian-Agori of Bota Magna are shown to be paranoid, it’s possible some deadly foreshadowing would occur, with a few warning Mata Nui and revealing the Earth Tribe’s machinations; Only to be dismissed as ignorant savages. Alas, just because Tera was good, doesn’t mean the rest of their tribe is… They’re introduced in the same year as Buckethead, who is also a good representative of an antagonistic tribe.

We know from Greg that the Earth Tribe would’ve had brown and black coloration, and their motif is agriculture. Their connection to Earth would’ve been about soil for farming, rather than mining; And in canon, they cited their lack of participation in the Core War as concern for the planet and nature. The Earth Tribe would probably be initially presented as harmless, nature-loving hippies, and the Earth Lord as a ‘good’ Element Lord, a Mother Nature-esque figure… Only for the Earth Tribe’s true colors to be revealed. The Earth Lord would take on the role of a Gaia-esque figure, perhaps a vengeful Mother Earth, though I’m not sure if she’d care about the planet like an actual Mother Earth character would.

The nature-loving motif of the Earth Tribe also places them well at home on Bota Magna, and in canon, most of their population was stranded on the jungle moon. That makes them an even better fit for Bota Magna, and thus gives more reason to believe they were planned as part of the Bota Magna arc as a whole. Since I speculate we would’ve gotten more lore and information about the origins of the series, the Earth Lord’s machinations in orchestrating the Core War would tie well into this.

Her control over soil would make the Earth Lord very deadly; Possibly allowing her to pull more weight than an individual Element Lord normally did in the previous year, thanks to suitable terrain. Her element’s connection to nature through the soil it grows in would be weaponized, to make the Earth Lord an antagonist well-suited to the setting; But not as OP as the Jungle Lord. Thus, the Earth Lord is connected enough to nature to be a threat in a verdant world, but not SO connected as to be unstoppable.

Hence, the Jungle Lord can’t be on Bota Magna because he’d be too powerful there, so we have Earth, an element close enough to elevate the Earth Lord over her brethren and justify herself as a separate threat and not just a rehash of 2010’s antagonists, but again; Not too connected to the environment as to be OP. This narrative balance would help the protagonists, and perhaps we would’ve seen Mata Nui and co. explore the treetops of Bota Magna to get away from the Earth Lord’s reach, thus setting up the introduction for Pterosaurs. In addition to her narrative weight as an orchestrator and connection to Bota Magna, I imagine the Earth Lord would’ve further stood out from her brethren thanks to having an actual army to work with; Her tribe still serves her.

Who knows, perhaps through the Earth Lord we would’ve learned about the origins of Energized Protodermis, and gotten further lore on this substance that caused it all. We could’ve learned more about Protodermis and its connection to its energized variant, which would be further topical as Protodermis is the literal building block of the Matoran Universe, Mata Nui’s own body. Thus, the conflict with the Earth Tribe gives Mata Nui and the audience more lore regarding Energized Protodermis, its nature, and even its contributions to his own body.

Going into further speculation, perhaps Mata Nui would’ve needed to address the existence of Energized Protodermis; Is it a necessary evil? It caused this Core War, but perhaps it wouldn’t have happened if not for the Earth Lord. HIS people didn’t start wars over it, so it’s possible the issue really is just in society and its unity, and not in the substance. Perhaps Mata Nui would contemplate what to do with Energized Protodermis, and maybe its consciousness would’ve also been reintroduced, similar to Ignika as the unnoticed mind of a powerful force. Perhaps the Energized Protodermis Entity would be revealed to be a puppetmaster of even the Earth Lord, forcing Mata Nui to defeat it.

It’s worth noting that in canon, energized protodermis is used to stabilize the GSR’s power source; And we know the Prototype Robot’s power source is unstable itself. This fact is brought up in our canon final battle but ultimately does little other than explain why the Prototype blew up to begin with… But I have to wonder if in addition to closure on the Great Beings, the Bota Magna arc would’ve brought much-needed energized protodermis. Thus, Mata Nui returns to Bara Magna with the substance, allowing him to stabilize his Prototype Robot, so he doesn’t have to worry about it exploding again.

This would be another contribution to the Prototype Robot’s reassembling, and further justify the Bota Magna arc, when Mata Nui seemingly already has what he needs to fight Makuta. Not that Bionicle has ever concerned itself too much with ‘narrative importance’, but regardless. The Magna saga seems to have been the story team’s attempts at telling a more concise story that’s easier to keep track of, hence the mainline films; So maybe they had this stuff in mind.

So to put in order my speculation on what was planned for the Bota Magna arc;

Mata Nui and co. land on Bota Magna. They encounter biomechanical dinosaurs, seeing the works of the Great Beings before their very eyes. Their goal is to head back to Bara Magna, but they get into conflict with the Glatorian-Agori who hate technology, whose sets introduce new dual-molded pieces meant to represent metal and plantlife.

These antagonists would reveal the presence of the Great Beings, thus incentivizing Mata Nui to find them as a way off Bota Magna, and to also get further aid and much-needed closure. We probably would’ve had an arc of Kiina adjusting to Bota Magna, since her whole deal was escaping the planet; Maybe she’d accept it, maybe she’d learn not to take her old home for granted. Perhaps Kiina would come to the conclusion that Bota and Bara Magna suck, leading to despair; Only for Mata Nui to bring hope when he learns from the Great Beings how he can bring new life to Spherus Magna after reforming it.

He possibly learns this when exploring the Mask of Life’s origins; He finds the Northern Frost where it was cooled. The consciousness of Ignika might return, to take responsibility in parallel to Mata Nui; Either way, these intertwined characters have both of their origins and pasts explored. The Cursed Being shows up, separate from his brethren, and is a likely antagonist and source of lore regarding Ignika, and a neat callback to 2006. To show how he’s a better ruler now, Mata Nui might free the Great Being of his curse; Perhaps he’ll reflect on how he treated Makuta as well, in parallel to Ignika.

We would’ve explored the Skrall homeland, possibly providing further closure to the Rock Tribe back on Bara Magna; Maybe Buckethead would help the scattered Skrall rehabilitate and learn to coexist with the Agori tribes, and Tuma may join in on this, or continue to be a background threat like in the fifth film. Mata Nui informs the Bota Magna Skrall that there’s peace now, no more reason to fight.

Kabrua and his tribe might show up, caring about their Vorox brethren back on Bara Magna; Thus, they have reason to be adversarial with our protagonists. They may or may not desire the Mask of Life, which might make or break Mata Nui’s conflict with Kabrua, regardless he’ll cure the Vorox anyway because he’s a good person. Given the Skrall’s penchant for enslaving Vorox, we might see the Bota Magna Skrall and Vorox fight a bit, with Mata Nui caught between and having to navigate this as well, hoping for both factions to make amends after meeting Buckethead.

Finally, we’d roll around to the Earth Tribe, the hidden tribe from whom Tera’s existence sets up. Not only was Tera a good person, but this Earth Tribe seems to be kind, nature-loving hippies who care for the planet, hence why they never participated in the Core War. Even their Element Lord is good, a benevolent Mother Earth figure, hence why she’s still on good terms with her tribe unlike the rest of her brethren.

However, something’s amiss about this group… Perhaps the tech-hating Agori/Vorox warn Mata Nui, but their previous antagonism makes the protagonists skeptical. Perhaps we’d see a common trope where all but one of the protagonists buys the act; Maybe Kiina would, wanting to believe in this new world she found, or she’d be suspicious of the Earth Lord, having professed her own wariness of the Water Lord in 2010. This leads to drama between the protagonists over whether or not to trust the Earth Tribe.

From the Great Beings and Earth Lord, we learn more of the Core War, the Great Spirit Robot’s creation, Ignika’s past, and so forth. The importance of energized protodermis is brought up in all of this, and Mata Nui realizes he needs some if he doesn’t want his Prototype Robot back on Bara Magna to explode when he takes control. The danger of energized protodermis is something Mata Nui struggles with, and its consciousness possibly reveals itself as the final antagonist behind it all.

The Earth Tribe’s treachery and machinations are revealed; Our protagonists have to evade the Earth Lord, maybe head to the treetops and encounter some pterosaurs. Mata Nui probably exercises his leadership in befriending the Bota Magna Agori, forming an alliance with them against the Earth Tribe, who seek to exploit the Great Beings, Mask of Life, and energized protodermis for themselves; He cites how the Earth Tribe caused this Core War, after all.

Perhaps the Bota Magna Agori didn’t know the truth of the Earth Tribe, but learning this helps them stop blaming technology for the Core War, but instead the true culprits. Thus, Mata Nui makes peace with the Bota Magna Agori, who are less hostile to technology now. Kabrua and his Vorox might recognize the Earth Lord as the domino effect cause of their brethren’s degeneration, and ally with Mata Nui and the Bota Magna Skrall against a common enemy, just like the Agori Tribes against the Skrall in 2009; And/or, Kabrua’s Vorox ally with the Earth Tribe since they also hate Mata Nui and his friends, only for that to inevitably fall apart.

Mata Nui learns about how the Earth Tribe has the last source of energized protodermis -with the rest being under Makuta’s control inside the Matoran Universe- thereby setting another goal and victory in defeating the Earth Lord, which he of course does. Mata Nui now has the substance he needs to properly rival his arch-nemesis. The Energized Protodermis Entity, set up as far back as a seemingly inconsequential side story from 2004, probably not even planned to be important like the substance it embodies, is potentially resolved; Revealed as a man behind the man for the Earth Lord. Maybe it even acts as an Element Lord of Protodermis, a final antagonist of that species after two years of fighting them.

Mata Nui finds closure from the Great Beings, who may or may not ally with him; They probably go off into space as Greg planned for the canon story serials. The Great Beings might leave information and resources to help Mata Nui with, either at the end of the final battle, or they skedaddle right before. Either way, Mata Nui fully understands his mission now, and he has a swanky new spaceship to fly back to Bara Magna; Maybe it’s the Red Star, which the Great Beings call over from Aqua Magna.

Its importance IS set up in Riddle of the Great Beings, and was tied to the Valley of the Maze; Maybe the Great Volcano was used to launch it into space alongside the GSR? Maybe the Red Star is where the Great Beings have always been, monitoring the Matoran Universe but unable to do anything to help besides create the Toa Inika. On Bota Magna, Mata Nui might activate a signal that calls the Red Star to him, where the Great Beings emerge and explain it all; Fans have speculated the Red Star would’ve contained the Great Beings in early 2001 concepts.

Kiina realizes she doesn’t have to choose between Bara and Bota Magna, because all three fragments will be reunited once more; She can still visit her old friends, like Berix and Gresh! The peoples of Bota and Bara Magna reunite, the Skrall reconcile with the Agori with the help of Buckethead, and Mata Nui stays true to his word and uses Ignika to heal the minds of the Vorox. Malum and Kabrua’s interactions are left up in the air, and as for the Earth Tribe…

Well, given the more positive and kid-friendly direction of the intended ‘Magna Trilogy’ of films, I imagine the Earth Tribe would also learn to make amends; Not everyone is bad, our first introduction to them is Tera! With Tera, we might see members of the Earth Tribe who want to just peacefully coexist, who are sick of the Earth Lord’s scheming. Thus, Skrall and Earth Tribe parallel one another, and join the Agori alliance with the Vorox.

Thus, the Bota Magna arc ends. This sounds like a lot, so maybe it’d take place across two years, like Bara Magna beforehand. Either way, the ultimate battle is finally set up; Mata Nui’s Prototype Robot is ready for him to control and fight Makuta with. The matter of the Great Beings is settled, and we actually get to explore Bota Magna as a setting. Lore, origins, and backstory are clarified here, instead of being subcontracted to a graphic novel.

Given how the Agori have been living inside of the Prototype Robot’s pieces, I have to wonder… Would they act as its workers, as a counterpart to the Matoran and other biomechanicals of the GSR? It’d make sense in-universe, perhaps Mata Nui learns from the Great Beings that the Prototype failed because it lacked energized protodermis and workers to maintain it.

It’d also be thematically fitting; Mata Nui fails the people of his old body, so he makes up for it and returns in a new body, with a new following of workers with whom he’s properly engaged with and united. This puts him at odds with Makuta, who has the biomechanicals, and contrasts in his tyrannical rule over them, a dark echo to Mata Nui as a terrible god. Mata Nui’s relationship with the Agori reassures the Matoran that their Great Spirit isn’t going to fail them again.

This does place potential complications in Mata Nui and Makuta’s final battle, of course; Now Mata Nui has to make sure the Agori inside of him aren’t hurt, either! Maybe the final battle would have both robots emptied of its inhabitants; This harms Makuta’s GSR as his workers are gone, giving Mata Nui a much-needed edge. It also allows the smaller inhabitants, the Agori and Matoran, to fight on ground-level against Makuta’s armies, in parallel to the battle of titans above.

Perhaps we’d see Mata Nui successfully reunite Spherus Magna before he has to fight Makuta; Which of course brings Makuta to him anyway, because now they’re on the same celestial object. Then we have what Bionicle Stars should’ve been, as a proper conclusion that bridges the Matoran Universe and Magna storylines, while also not being rushed.

#bionicle #mata nui #great beings #bota magna #element lords #kabrua #energized protodermis #kiina #speculation #meta

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gentlemanjester · 5 years

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Bionicle: The Legend Reborn review

And here we are with the last Bionicle movie in my collection and, to my knowledge, the last Bionicle movie in general. So let’s start by setting the scene.

Mata Nui, previously a deity worshipped by the Matorans and the Toa, is now a giant Bionicle, inside whom the Matorans live inside. I think this is canon with the other movies, because this one opens up with the island of Mata Nui being destroyed by the giant sitting up, then being corrupted by a dark power. The titan then sends a Great Kanohi Mask shooting out of its ass (that’s what it looked like to me) and this mask flies off into space, through galaxies, past planets, before crash-landing on a planet called Bara Magna.

This planet is very obviously a Mad Max type of deal. We get introduced to a scavenger called Metus, who is driving a very DIY kinda car. Mata Nui also makes friends with a little scarab beetle, who becomes very pivotal because Mata Nui can transform it into a massive bladed shield.

Anyways, there are also, in place of Toa, Glatorian Warriors who take part in gladatorial battles for the honour of their villages (elemental, of course). The victor claims the shield of the loser. Of these Glatorian Warriors, Ackar and Kiina, are respectively fire and water Glatorians. This is interesting because in the first movie, Mask of Light, the Toa Gali (water) was the wise, thinking fighter, whereas Toa Tahu (fire) was the brash, headstrong one. In The Legend Reborn, however, their roles are reversed. Ackar is the old fighter near retirement, very wise and smart, and Kiina is the young conspiracy theorist who acts first, thinks later.

So, we learn that on Bara Magna, there are two villainous factions: The Bone Hunters and the Skrall. We don’t learn much about them and to be honest, I wasn’t even sure which was which. I think the Bone Hunters are the sentient ones, so to speak, and the Skrall are the beastly scorpion-like things. Previously, these two factions had been indifferent towards each other, and even fought against each other, as rival factions usually do. Now, however, they are working together. As the two Glatorians and Mata Nui head towards Taju, the water village, a Traitor tells two Bone Hunters (Skrall?) that they are heading that way.

The villaga of Taju is destroyed, and we’re introduced to another character: the “collector” (thief) named Berix , and also another Glatorian called Gresh, who is badly injured. They fix up Gresh, and discover that Mata Nui is able to bring the Glatorians’ weapons back to their former glory, similar to how he transforms Click (his scarab friend) into a shield.

They join up with two more Glatorians (Vastus and Tarix), and Berix and Kiina are captured by the Skrall leader, Tuma (okay, maybe both factions were sentient? I dunno, to be honest, this’ll be reflected in the movie’s score).

Mata Nui and Tuma battle, Mata Nui wins by using the advice given to him by Ackar, and then he discovers the traitor was Metus, and transforms Metus into a snake-like creature.

Everyone reunites, and all the elemental villages drag their villages (yes, you heard right) together, and it turns out that they’re all part of a similar giant Bionicle that Mata Nui once inhabited. They set up a sequel with Kiina, Ackar, and the other Glatorians promising to help Mata Nui return home.

So, that’s the plot. Time for my thoughts.

In my personal opinion, I’m kinda miffed about the lack of reference to the previous movies. I’m honestly not entirely sure if it’s meant to be part of the series or its own standalone movie. I understand that all the Bionicle movies are purely for marketing purposes, but I can tell that people really cared about the original trilogy. All the lore with Mata Nui, the Makuta, the Toa, things were added seamlessly in each movie. With this one, though, it kinda feels like a forced reboot... And don’t get me wrong, it was done in a pretty good way. I’m going to assume that it’s not part of the original Bionicle series, because that makes more sense.

The characters, as ever, are unique, although Ackar and Kiina are really the only Glatorians who are given any really unique characters. Gresh kind of gets some character development, and Vastus and Tarix I think have about 4 lines of dialogue shared between them. Metus and Berix are given unique characters, too; Metus is driven by money, originally brought Mata Nui to the fire village to offer him up as a Glatorian fighter, in order to make a profit. Berix I’m convinced is a kleptomaniac, but has a good heart. Hell, even Click had more character development than Vastus and Tarix.

The story was pretty basic, I have to admit. You’ve got the outsider who doesn’t know how the world works very well, the experienced wise guy, and the over-eager young one. The villains aren’t really given any identification as to whether they’re Bone Hunters or Skrall, and I don’t think Tuma even gets a mention prior to the fight with him, and he’s meant to be the boss of the Skrall.

The animation is good, as should be expected. Movements are good, animation is great, and the environment really brings out the desolation of Bara Magna.

Chicken pakora break.

Like I said, Bara Magna is meant to be a Mad Max kinda world. Endless dust and rocks, just a few cobbled-together settlements, people entertained with gladiatorial battles, that kinda thing. And the wastelands are inhabited by wild beasts, some of whom are MASSIVE.

So, in conclusion, this movie gets a 6/10. One point deducted for the terrible differentiating in villains, one point deducted for Vastus and Tarix having NO character whatsoever, one point deducted for Tuma being barely mentioned at all prior to his fight, and one point deducted because this was the last Bionicle movie. The Bionice line of toys was discontinued in 2010, which makes me sad as fuck because I FUCKING LOVED Bionicle as a kid, and I still do. Hell, when I was like 7 years old, I made myself a fucking kit for sleeping on the streets when I got into an argument with my ma and I had a Visorak for “entertainment.” Damn.

#Bionicle #Legend Reborn #Mata Nui #Skrall #Tuma #Glatorian #Review #Movie

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rebuiltbionicle · 6 years

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Order of Mata Nui

The Order of Mata Nui was a secretive paramilitary intelligence agency operating behind the scenes of society enforcing the will of Mata Nui, often through questionable means. It was founded in secret by former Hands of Artakha to maintain an alternative to the Toa that wouldn’t be constrained by the perceived limitations Toa Code, ultimately functioning in a far more zealous manner.

The Order was founded by Toa Helryx, the first Toa, who disapproved of what she saw as a passive regional security force in her successors. She desired a more proactive approach to defending the universe, that would entail the manipulation of politics into a pacified state, an the straight up removal of disrupters of the peace. She gathered up as many of the former Hands of Artakha as she could for this task.

The Order operated out of Daxia, which had been used to train the Toa Mata by the Hand. They were highly successful at maintaining secrecy, and were able to seal off Daxia’s dome and used the Maze of Shadows to come and go. They covertly supported the rise and fall of many figures across the universe, which included assassinations. They deployed guards near places of heavy importance, like the Av-Matoran populations or the resting place of the Kanohi Ignika. They stole away war-criminals and destroyers to the Pit, where they would be held where they could do no harm, but could also be interrogated or released according to the Order’s needs. They operated a network of spies that had its fingers in every important end of the universe.

The Order was one of the first to become fully aware of the Brotherhood of Makuta’s turn to evil. To this end, they made a staunch effort to try and stop the Brotherhood’s military expansion. They aided Artakha’s erasure of cultural memory of him, and they kidnapped a hundred Av-Matoran and hid them across the universe in the hopes of turning them into Toa. They conducted unethical experiments on the Pagaka, hoping to turn them into an army, though the enhanced Pagaka insisted on isolation and would not serve the Order. The Order also attempted to find and stockpile superweapons. They found the Nui stone, but failed to find anything else.

The Order made itself most useful in the quest to revive and awaken Mata Nui, where they were able to guide and support the Toa Nuva and Toa Mahri to accomplish these tasks. During this time the Order came out of hiding to stop the expansion of the Brotherhood of Makuta in open warfare. Having failed to secure themselves any army, they had to make hasty alliances with the Dark Hunters and Skakdi, and appealing to the Toa and local militias for aid. The war was locked into stalemate, but this was rendered redundant with Teridax’s takeover of the universe.

During the Reign of Shadows, Daxia was destroyed and the Order scattered, but still remained functional, and operated in the Resistance. Helryx attempted to destroy Makuta and was exiled from the universe itself. The others, operating more autonomously, tried to disrupt the internal maintenance of the universe to make Makuta ill as Mata Nui had several times over his life. Come the Battle of Bara Magna, the Order agents helped the citizens evacuate as Makuta was killed.

After the Reformation, the Order continued operating in the new society. Helryx returned, having been taken to Bota Magna, to lead the Order. They reconstructed the Pit and began detaining prisoners there as their first major action. Tahu and Ackar intend to have a serious discussion with Helryx about the nature of the Order, about its autonomy and it’s self-granted impunity.

#bionicle #bionicle rebuilt #organisations #order of mata nui

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randomwriteronline · 27 days

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Mata Nui refused to sleep.

He had not given a reason for it, in the distinct way one does not give a reason for something they find immensely discomforting, so none had bothered to pry further, and he had never slept.

This was a useful problem. Useful, because he could still rest through meditation whilst remaining aware of his sorroundings, meaning there was always someone to keep an eye out for the many rogue crawlies that infested Bara Magna at night and any Bone Hunter ambushes, so there was no need to take turns keeping awake and vigilant; a problem, because Kiina now had to be wrestled to sleep lest she abused the down time they had to pester the stranger on space and planets and the such, and Mata Nui was more than glad to speak of anything she might have inquired about at length.

That would have also been a useful problem, as his explanations were told in a low gentle monotone that could have lulled a furious Rock Steed into a chittering pup gently kicking and pawing at the sand in its slumber, if the Gaquri would have managed to stop interjecting with far too loud a volume of voice.

As it was, however, all their conversations did was hinder everybody else's attempt at getting some shut-eye.

When Ackar awoke, the night was perfectly silent.

He wondered briefly why in Plude he'd stirred. A sudden flesh-rendering pain jolting through his right shoulder answered him a little too eagerly for his tastes, and he groaned as he kneaded into it with his fingers.

"Ackar?" a half whisper reached him.

He grunted in acknowledgement.

Mata Nui shifted from where he sat to lean over him: "Is something the matter, my friend?"

The Glatorian pushed himself upright with a bit of difficulty: "Nothing, nothing... Give me a second," he muttered, "I shouldn't sleep with it, but - urgh! Alright, alright, hold my elbow a moment, would you?"

He hissed his thanks through gritted teeth as his limb was caught in a gentle grip. His fingers slipped below his armpit and fumbled angrily with the folds of his skin as his grimace twitched with each spark of pain: at last, with a few clunks and exhausted pops, the arm went limp in Mata Nui's hold as it detached from the rest of Ackar's body, leaving the Glatorian to sigh in relief and move his hand closer to the crook of his own neck.

His friend stared at the body part suddenly in his palms with no shortage of surprise.

"It is a prosthesis," he noted, a little awed: "I did not realize that."

"Yes, well - it's not really your fault for that. It's not that easy to tell, and I never mentioned it," the Glatorian replied as he did his best to massage his aching shoulder blade.

The motion attracted the attention of blue eyes: "Are you hurt?"

"Ah... Nothing to be worried about. I should not sleep with it, is all. It decides to start stinging like Plude if I do that too much."

"You have slept with it all these nights, though."

Ackar gave a lopsided smile: "I know, I know - but when you're out here in the desert, it's always better to have two arms at the ready rather than one."

Mata Nui nodded solemnly, with a grave air about him, as though the Glatorian had bestowed great wisdom upon him instead of basic Bara Magnan common sense, and the veteran warrior could not help chuckling a little at him.

The otherworlder took great care to place the fake limb on the sand so that it would not jam its inner mechanisms before turning once more to his friend: "May I help you?"

"With what?"

"Your shoulder."

"It's just inflamed muscles."

"It doesn't seem as though you can reach the spot bothering you very comfortably on your own. I would be glad to lend a hand."

"Oh? You have experience with this?" the Glatorian teased him lightly, but he did slowly begin unfastening his chest armor with careful movements made surprisingly swift by half a lifetime practicing with only one hand.

"I do not," Mata Nui confessed, completely missing any and all implications: "But I do wish to be of help."

"If it would please you, then, be my guest," Ackar smiled. "Though I will say, at the cost of sounding like a frail maiden - take off your gauntlets at least. I'm pretty sure you'd rip my flesh right off of me if it got pinched in your armor."

"I see. That is an unfortunate request."

"Why so?"

"I am physically incapable of removing my armor."

The other just shrugged casually as he pulled off his undershirt: "I can help you with it."

"You are very kind, but I did not mean that it is impractical to fasten or get out of," the otherworlder clarified. He placed a palm on where his clavicle should have been, lightly curling his phalanxes around the edges of the golden yellow metal covering his upper half: "Taking this off would be akin to skinning me."

Ackar responded to the information with a wide eyed stare.

"Ah," he convened finally: "That'd be quite terrible."

"It would indeed, my friend."

"So - hold it, hold it. You've been naked this whole time?"

"I... Would not... Describe myself as such."

"No, no, I mean--" the Glatorian reworded himself as he scooted over, "This whole time, we've been running around fighting for our lives, fending off vicious beasts and Bone Hunters, and you haven't had a single piece of protective gear on you?"

Mata Nui blinked: "I am shielded," he replied.

"I don't mean Click and the whole - thing, that you make him do that turns him into a shield," Ackar said as he settled down with his back to his friend. "I mean something that keeps your soft insides from getting sliced in half at the first swing of a blade, or from getting skewered by the first Thornax launched into the back of your knee."

"I am shielded." the other insisted.

"By what?"

"My carapace."

His fingertips laid on the Tapyri's back, only to retreat in confusion a moment after. Whatever puzzled him was eventually deemed inconsequential, as he returned to study the shoulder blade beneath his fingers in search of any anomalies beneath the skin that could clue him in on where to strike.

"Your what?" Ackar asked.

"My body is naturally armored," he explained without breaking focus: "Much like insects, certain species of reptiles, or likely the Vorox and Zesk from what I could observe of them, I am covered by an exoskeleton meant to protect my organs and sustain my body. It is unclear whether I possess an additional endoskeleton, like you, but I must confess I am not very keen to find out."

"Huh," his friend noted. After a moment, he added: "Because you'd have to be skinned."

"Yes."

"Very fair."

That was quite the load of information.

By all means, this wasn't necessarily the first time they'd heard of carapaced sentient beings - the Fezeri of the Iron tribe had something of the sort, and if you tried searching through their old settlements enough you were bound to find some molts that had survived the passage of time - but they still had bones in them. Like normal people.

And yes, of course, Mata Nui was abnormal under every aspect if you looked at him for longer than two minutes.

But being a huge humanoid bug?

Now that was unexpected.

More than everything else.

Including coming from space. Because even Kiina had imagined that spacepeople would have had bones in them, or at least been aware of having them.

All of a sudden the Glatorian gave a short snorting laugh.

"You're so confusing," he said whistfully, craning his neck back. "By the looks of it one would guess you're just a slightly irregular fellow, and yet you're some sort of alien who's more like Click than any of the rest of us. You're just full of surprises."

"Oh! I suppose that is true," Mata Nui mused.

He sounded somewhat amused by his resemblance to the beetle. Like he hadn't noticed it himself until now.

His fingers slid on what seemed like a slight bump under the oily skin. That must have been the problem, he thought to himself, and without further ado dug his thumb in the spot: against his carapace he almost felt the individual fibers of muscle flatten under the pressure he exercised upon them, the tight knot they were wrapped in struggling not to yield and unfurl.

He didn't quite get the time to focus on that, however, as he was startled out of the tactile sensation by a deep gurgling sound rattling almost right in his audio receptor.

Ackar, for his part, was trembling so much that the flesh folded around the back of his ribs seemed to be trying its hardest to imitate the vibrating tempo of a dragonfly's wings as it raced its peers across the surface of a lake.

"Oh, I think you found it!" he gingerly said before his friend could wonder whether he'd accidentally hurt him - which in a matter of seconds was no longer a concern seeing as the Glatorian all but leaned further into his thumb: "Go on, go on, those bastards are hard to get rid of--"

Another growl reverberated through the otherwise still air, and Mata Nui realized it was coming from directly under his palms.

Ergo, it was coming from Ackar.

He tried digging harder into the skin: the shoulder wiggled around his finger in a very curious way and the gurgling's volume raised a little more, while the trembling returned to rattle through the Tapyri just as hard as it had before.

Sound and tremors repeated in varying intensity as he continued to knead his fingers against the suffering spot, usually accompanied by the body in question trying to recline directly into the pressure much like certain creatures do when gently scratched in specific areas. He deduced these reactions must have been positive ones, meant to communicate a contented or happy disposition - perhaps specific to the Fire tribe? The trembling in particular, with its very visible reverberations all across the being's frame, seemed to require the presence of an amount of skin which was notably higher than what he could glimpse on Gaquri and Lebori alike... Although Ackar was also significantly older than Gresh, Berix and Kiina, and it would not have been wise to rule out the possibilty of age playing an important part in determining the quantity of soft tissue.

Speaking of the skin, though he was very taken with the large splatter-like marks all across his back, there was also something else that was puzzling if not outright concerning him about it.

"You're sweating quite a lot," Mata Nui noted out loud.

Ackar leaned so far into his hand that he almost dropped down right onto the sand.

"Ah - 'sss not sweat," he drawled through the rumbling in his neck: "Don'- don't frrreak out now, ok- 's mucus."

His friend hummed, unbothered: "That explains the consistency."

"Don' worrrrrry about it - 's norrrmal, yesss? We - us Tapyri, we jusss' make it, see... For the, the tem- RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Sorrrrrry, so'ry... We live near volcanos 'n' open lava pools, so the temp'raturesss would shrrrivel us up..."

"I understand... It keeps you hydrated in otherwise extreme climates."

"Uh-huh... Plus 's easierrr t' wash off the ash like that... Jusss' ssscoop it all off, and the'e, all clean like an oil'd up--" an even more powerful gurgle took over his throat, and he arched his back so much that Mata Nui had to quickly catch him with both hands before he slipped right out of his grip. Now that the Tapyri's face was in view he could note with great interest that his thin teeth were paraded in a wide trembling grin, almost clattering together, and that his eyes were squeezed shut as if he were in great pain - although the effect his expression gave off, even looking at it upside down as the fallen god was, seemed closer to exceptional enjoyment. He watched him mutter a curse under his breath before his voice raised again, slurring in bliss: "A'e you su'e you've nev'r done this beforrre? Y're good!"

"I am afraid I only have theoretical knowledge at my disposal, although in great quantities," his friend replied, a little embarrassed as he laid the other's head down onto his armored legs.

Ackar grinned a little wider as his nape touched down on something pleasantly warm: "Ahhh, booksss, booksss..." he chuckled, wriggling in place, fingers idly pulling the air in uncoordinated motions: "I g'ess they'rrre good f'r sssom'thin', eh?"

His chest jumped with a giddy silent giggle, causing his rumbling to stutter a few times.

Now that he looked at his actual arm better, Mata Nui realized that its back too sported large splatters of different pigmentation. He caught it in his free hand very carefully, turning it over to observe it better while the Glatorian simply allowed him to, maybe not even noticing: their position and shape was not as random as it appeared, but instead seemed to follow an imperfect pattern which mirrored that flanking the man's spine. A quick glance at his prosthesis revealed no such detail on the fake flesh.

Such a curious thing, he mused as he thoughtlessly played with the organic limb - pressing on its palm, lifting it, bending its elbow and wrist to watch the skin crease and muscles tense or relax. He'd seen this sort of appearance on a few creatures along his travels, usually to ward off predators by denoting some sort of poisonous nature... Perhaps the Fire tribe had evolved to secrete a type of venom mixed into their protective layer of mucus in response to threats, or it could have been a strategy of ages past that had managed to survive with each subsequent step they'd taken up their evolutionary ladder for some reason or another.

He'd never had a tongue to test the effects of different poisons personally, and while he might have had one now (though he wasn't sure, since he had not had the time to properly study or think about this body's anatomy much) he was a little uncertain on whether his friend would have appreciated having his fingers shoved in Mata Nui's mouth for the sake of scientific research.

He had come across a few sapient species that considered that a formal greeting, but he would rather not take his chances.

Maybe he could have asked later.

He felt Ackar's shoulders shift and squirm in his lap to get more comfortable, and he returned his attention to him just in time for the Tapyri to open his eyes and meet his gaze in turn.

For a small period of time they simply looked at one another. The otherworlder continued idly moving the other's limb, exercising a gentle pressure upon his palm as he shifted the arm up and down without any rhyme or reason; Ackar himself just let him do as he pleased, only blinking back at him, face stuck in a neutral expression, not making a singular attempt at stopping him.

"Oh," he spoke at last with a nervous laugh: "Well. Hello."

What a strange thing to say. Mata Nui tilted his head slightly: "Hello," he replied in tone.

"I've made myself comfortable, haven't I?"

"If you are referring to your position, I took the liberty to recline you myself in order to keep you from getting injured."

It was unclear if the information reassured the Glatorian or not, as his reaction was to widen his pupils slightly, considerably darken the skin of his nose, and only peep: "Ah."

"You were leaning rather far back. You could have fallen."

"Ah," he repeated. "Thank you, friend."

"It was my pleasure."

Ackar's nose turned a little darker again.

Mata Nui touched it thoughtlessly: its temperature had increased, he mused to himself, so perhaps blood was rushing to that specific spot for one reason or other.

"You might be building a fever," he warned.

"I do not believe I am," the Tapyri replied a little stilted, again with an embarrassed chuckle, "But thanks for worrying."

Concerns soothed, the fallen god dug a digit back in the pained spot and earned another gurgle for his good deed, which reverberated this time across the plates of his legs. He was surprised to find it caused a weird, pleasant sensation akin to a feeling he unfortunately was not sure he had a name for yet.

He returned his attention to his friend: "How is your shoulder feeling?"

Ackar had shut his eyes again, and squirmed in a sort of pleased manner: "Betterrr," he replied, growls now coming from his throat in shorter bursts. He cracked open an eyelid to look at his own arm being maneuvered by Mata Nui's hand as though it were the limb of some sort of machine, losing himself in the feeling of the armored palm and the limp movement of his own joints: "Havin' fun?"

The other followed his gaze, and instantly turned bashful: "Oh - I apologize. I was lost in thought," he whispered sheepishly, placing the limb down on the Glatorian's chest.

His friend cackled: "It's quite fine, it didn't hurt."

Another gargle rumbled through him as the last kink in his muscle was smoothed down.

Mata Nui continued massaging the spot either way, and Ackar continued quietly responding to his kindness with soft purrs; and for a short while, as the desert breathed its tired chill and the winds didn't blow any sand into their eyes or noses or mouths, they simply remained quiet.

Fingertips ran across his arm softly, slowly.

If he concentrated enough he could hear how the barely perceptible sound them scraping the mucus off of one another.

It was terribly comfortable.

Terribly soothing...

A soft monotone stirred him from the torpor he was falling into: "In truth, I was quite taken with your skin's markings."

Without opening his eyes, Ackar turned his head: "Hm?"

"These," his friend explained. He felt him trace an unclear shape on his forearm a few times, gently: "You present an irregular pattern of noticeably different pigmentation both here and on your back. The closest condition I could try to compare it to would be vitiligo, but it does not appear to be anything like it."

The Glatorian hummed softly: "Oh, we just have them... They're common, to us Tapyri. Splatters, spots, dots... Various colors, too..."

"How curious," the otherworlder murmured. He moved from one spot to the other seamlessly, following their borders. "Poisonous creatures often advertise their toxicity to potential predators through similar visual cues."

"Is that so..."

"Perhaps you too have some."

Ackar chuckled as he humored him: "Perhaps I do, who knows!"

"Like a salamander."

"And what is that?"

"It is a term that indicates a family of small amphibians of which many species contain a potent poison within their mucus-covered skin. Their appearance is quite similar to that of lizards, so they are often mistaken for reptiles despite their lack of scales. Land-dwelling turtles often incur into a similar yet opposite misconception, being believed to be amphibians when they are not."

"Hm. And their poison, what does it do?"

"It is deadly in exceptionally small doses and can affect the victim by means of contact with bruised skin, ingestion, inhalation, and injection."

"Oh, I'd like that."

"You would?"

"Yeah, why not? First sand bat to swallow me whole gets a nice surprise, and I take that bastard down with me."

He laughed softly, reclining his head further into Mata Nui's lap.

His yellowish eyes looked up again curved into half moons, meeting the fallen god's own with a lopsided grin: "That'd be a nice little consolation at least, wouldn't you think?"

His friend's glowing irises looked back down at him with a sort of vacuous glimmer.

They were a very nice blue.

The otherworlder's hands were heavily segmented, each articulation encased in a golden shell fitting perfectly against the others. It was really curious how he'd never noticed that until he had his cheeks cradled into one of those palms, weirdly coarse and warm like sand.

Mata Nui looked directly into his eyes: "You are so deeply interesting," he said with such earnest awe.

He sounded so starstruck - he was so starstruck, staring at the Glatorian utterly entranced as though he was marveling at the sight of in the most incredible discovery of this age.

"If the circumstances of our meeting had been different, less wrecked with quests and worries," the fallen god continued, speaking awfully softly as he returned his mellow grip to the Tapyri's hand and began shifting his arm around aimlessly again, to feel the shift of muscle and skin and mucus, "I would have loved to simply watch you live for weeks on end. To take note of your speech patterns, your specific anatomy, how your body moves, how it reacts to stimuli..."

"That," Ackar murmured, breathless: "Is a bit forward - isn't it?"

His friend leaned his head to the side ever so slightly, not blinking.

"At least you should first..."

He choked on his own breath very briefly; he shut his eyes with a little bewildered wheeze and smacked his palm on his face.

Great Beings.

That could have been incredibly awkward.

Mata Nui, who was still holding onto his hand waiting for an elaboration with a fair share of interest on the matter, decided the necessary amount of time for an explanation's request to be polite had passed and curteously encouraged him: "Do continue. I would like to know the proper steps to follow."

But the Glatorian shook his head with a breathy cackle: "Don't- it's nothing, don't think about it. I'm very tired and talking stupid."

"I apologize. I should let you rest, then."

"Oh, no, if you - if you want to talk about something, it's fine."

A surge of warmth radiated from the carapaced fingers wrapped around his hand: "It would not bother you?"

"No, no... You've got a soothing voice really, so it wouldn't... I don't know how long I can listen to you consciously, but if you'd just keep telling me about... Oh, I don't know..."

"Would you like me to continue with the salamanders?"

Oh, he knew that little wiggle that had just shaken his friend's legs. It was the same as Kiina's flapping knees while sitting crosslegged, Gresh's one-handed claps and the weird little laugh Berix sputtered when he saw something he liked way too much.

Mata Nui really wanted to tell him more about those beasties.

Maybe he was excited about the similarities he'd found between them and the Tapyri. Or maybe he just liked talking - he'd always seemed awfully happy rambling to Kiina.

Either way, the little terrors had already gotten in his good graces with their poison, so why not learn more about them?

"I reckon I would," he smiled.

His arm was lifted again, and he could now see the excitement in his friend's eyes: "It would be my pleasure," he assured him. He leaned a little further down, closer to his face: "What would you like for me to start with?"

The Glatorian twisted his mouth for a moment: "To start, to start... The legs, let's go with those. How many do they have?

"They tend to have four limbs, two front and two hind, although certain species completely lack the latter," Mata Nui began without missing a beat: "The number of toes is also variable, but never exceeds four on the front and five on the rear. A rather incredible ability the entire salamander genus can vaunt is that of fully regenerating entire limbs without any trace of scarring."

Ackar hummed, amused, and moved his lone shoulder blade as though its arm was still attached: "That's a real good one, I'll say... Don't quite get the lack of back legs, though."

"Specimens that showcase such a peculiar characteristic tend to be fully aquatic throughout their entire lifetime, so perhaps an additional pair of limbs were considered more superflous to them than they were to other species that maintain an amphibious existence or even turn completely terrestrial upon reaching adulthood - though still favoring damp, cool habitats due to their permeable skin, preferrably near water." the otherworlder explained. Then, as though remembering it suddenly, he added in a slightly humored tone: "Sapient inhabitants of the planet on which I observed these creatures most often associate them to fire, particularly to the ability to resist it unharmed or putting it out entirely. A misconception created by the salamanders' habit of making their nests in rotting logs, from which they would flee when they were placed in the fire, also led to the belief that they were born from flames."

Something else they had in common with Tapyri...

One of their oldest tales, a myth to tell children - they were the spawn of embers, born from ashes still warm of extinguished bonfires, from the glowing rivers trickling down the sides of volcanoes...

Ackar squeezed his eyes hard and forced himself concious. A small sigh escaped him: he was already fighting a losing battle with his eyelids to keep them open, lulled into a thoughtless state by Mata Nui's excited monotone gently and eagerly pouring as much information as he could into his head.

His throat rumbled weakly, its grumbles vibrating against the equally pleased lap wiggling beneath his head - oh, if he could stay awake a little more, just a little more...

"Their diet tends to vary based on their environment and size, but they are known to eat anything the deem large enough," Mata Nui kept going softly, stroking the Glatorian's hand with his thumb: "Among their most common preys are insects such as flies, beetles, cicadellidae, moths, caeliferae and aquatic bugs, arachnids such as mites and spiders, earthworms, hexapods, and various larvae, while larger species may also hunt crabs, small mammals, fish, and other amphibians; in case of particularly scarce resources they might also resort to cannibalizing other salamanders, something that often happens between young specimens. Their jaws have each a row of small teeth capable of bending inward to keep the prey from escaping, sometimes helped by patches of teeth found on their palatine bones and vomer as well to better hold it down - aquatic specimens rely on them to macerate and tear the prey, as their tongues lack muscles and cannot be flicked out to catch food in the way their terrestrial counterparts' can. This is made possible by their ability to secrete a sticky mucus from glands positioned on the roof of their mouth and the tip of the tongue itself..."

And he continued talking for a good couple of hours, droning in the night with his quiet excitement without worrying too much about Ackar's silent snoring adding itself to the sound of Kiina, Gresh and Berix, simply happy to listen to them breathe and live around him and talk, talk, talk about all the marvelous things he'd loved alone until now.

#bionicle #ackar #mata nui #random writing #ackar: ourgrgrgrgrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGRFRFRGRAGRURRYAFGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAARFRFRRRRRRRRRRRRRFRFRFRFPRRRRRRRRRGRGRERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR #mata nui (entranced): i wonder if he would let me put his hand in my mouth to test if he is capable of secreting poison #he is SOOOOO normal. so Completely And Utterly Normal #ackar is over here gurgle-purring having the best time of his life (getting a cramp massaged) blissfully unaware of everything else #and this fucking man-made god is like you are so cool youre like an amphibian. your spots probably indicate youre hazardous to eat #towards the end we enter salamander territory. as in mata nui Cannot Shut Up about them. all info sourced from wikipedia bc im Lazy :)

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