minirigby

[minirigby]

"The Final Voyage"

Tales from Turaga Ventax, Volume 2, “The Final Voyage”

Following the events of our last entry, after my assistant Kopeke returned home safely with the artifact I had sent him to retrieve, we quickly set to work examining the tablet, and recording as much of its contents as we could. After many weeks of transcribing and deciphering the notes and shorthand covering the stone tablet, I am pleased to write that finally, after being lost for more than a thousand years, the last written record of Kodan, Chronicler of Metru Nui, has been recovered.

It won't surprise most who were familiar with the Chronicler to know that the final topic of Kodan's research was in fact one of the Toa Mangai themselves, but I do at least hope that this record can provide some much needed closure for those of us who knew those featured in the account, and have spent the last millennium waiting for the answers enclosed within.

As you can imagine, the record begins in Metru Nui itself, after three of the Toa Mangai had been summoned for a seemingly mundane mission by the city's Turaga…

Kodan entered the room quietly, stone tablet in hand, so as not to disturb the conversation already in progress. Turaga Dume, leader of Metru Nui, sat behind his desk addressing the three Toa in front of him with the details of their latest mission.

"So why exactly are we closing the Sea Gates?" Valtruu, Toa of Ice, spoke up.

"I fear the Dark Hunters are growing bolder by the day" Dume said, getting up from his seat and walking out in front of his desk. "If something isn't done to fortify Metru Nui soon, they will doubtless take advantage and try to make the first move. We wouldn't want another war in our great city, now would we?" the Turaga said.

"I s'pose that makes sense, but why not just have the Vahki do it?" Valtruu countered.

Kanae, Toa of Plantlife, let out a scoff. "Those machines can't find their way to a charging port without methodical instruction" he said, before Dume raised his hand to interrupt the Toa.

"They already tried" he said, tossing a scrap of Vahki armor onto his desk for the room to see, "it seems they met some resistance".

Motara, the usually quiet and reserved Toa of Stone, spoke up for the first time since Kodan had entered the room. "Any chance you could tell us what to look out for, then?" he asked, unsatisfied with the Turaga's brevity.

"Feral Rahi, in all likelihood. Surely nothing for Toa to worry about" the Turaga said, brushing aside the Toa of Stone's concern before continuing. "You have your orders, now follow them. I have no time for further questions," Dume said dismissively, showing the three Toa to the door. "The safety of Metru Nui is my utmost priority, as it should be yours. If you have concerns, I shall hear them out after you've returned, when I have more time. For now, my attention is demanded elsewhere." he continued.

Valtruu shrugged, and followed his brothers out of the Turaga's office, with Kodan making sure to keep up behind them.

As the group exited the Coliseum, Kanae waved to the others and began heading off in the opposite direction. "I'm late for a thing in Ga-Metru, you guys can handle this one right?" he said in his usual nonchalant way, now that they were no longer in the presence of the Turaga.

"Yeah, shouldn't be a big deal" Valtruu replied, turning to speak to the Po-Matoran following close behind them. "You sure you've got time to join us, little dude?" he asked.

"A long, boring boat ride alone with the two of you? I wouldn't miss it for the universe," Kodan responded, smiling beneath his mask, as the trio set out to borrow a skiff for their mission…

The vessel skipped against the waves as it began making its way further from shore, while Kodan sat back to observe the two Toa making preparations for the mission ahead. Valtruu was standing towards the back of their skiff, steering the motor with his attention focused on the dome wall far off in the distance, while toward the front of the skiff sat Motara, checking over the stone-carving claws attached at his forearms.

Despite the two having known each other for many years at this point, Motara was the Mangai least familiar to Kodan, and to many others in the city as well. There were rumors of course, everyone in the city had their own theory about the background of this strangely colored Toa clad in striking silver armor, but rumors were all they were. What really sparked their interest wasn't just how foreign the yellow and black colored Toa looked, but the mask he wore.

Motara adorned himself with a sharp silver Great Mask of Power Scream, a mask whose power was normally considered immoral by the standards of Matoran society. In addition to the mask's long history of association with the brutal and fearsome Brotherhood of Makuta, the unholy shrieks it made when used were enough to unsettle even the sturdiest of individuals, leading to its almost unanimous rejection by Matoran society.

Despite this though, Kodan had never seen the Toa be anything less than upstanding in all his years of service to the city, which just made his choice in mask all the more perplexing. And now thanks to this mission, Kodan had the perfect opportunity to ask the Po-Toa all about it, without interruption…

After finally striking up a conversation with the Toa of Stone, Kodan soon found himself eagerly writing down everything he was hearing.

"It goes back many years ago, during the great war between the Brotherhood of Makuta and the League of Six Kingdoms" Motara began. "I lived in a small village back then, and had only just become a Toa in the months before the war started. We were able to keep our heads down and stay out of it at first, but once the League caught wind of our settlement they sent someone over to plant a flag down, and started telling us we belonged to them."

Motara reached his hand up to soothe an old scar on his shoulder, as if by reflex, before continuing. "I tried to fight them off, but they were too strong for just one Toa to handle. We'd almost given up hope of getting our freedom back, until one night, when a great warrior clad in silver showed up and ran the League's governor out of town with a legion of Rahkshi." He looked out over the side of the skiff, breaking eye contact.

"I know most don't think too highly of Rahkshi, and in truth I didn't either, but after that night we saw them as our saviors. Mostly though, we were grateful to their master, the silver warrior." Motara turned back toward Kodan, "I'm sure you can guess by the company he kept, but he was a Makuta, who went by the name Aruke." Motara touched his kanohi lightly before continuing.

"Unlike most of the Brotherhood who were occupied with grand military campaigns, or pursuits of glory on the front lines, Aruke and his troops made a point of seeking out settlements like ours, who were actually suffering under League occupation, and freeing as many of them as he could. I was so moved by the man's skill, grace, and honor that I pledged myself to his service right then and there."

"Lemme guess, he gave you that shiny armor to match his?" Valtruu chimed in from the back of the skiff.

"Eventually, yeah" Motara answered. "Makuta Aruke and I continued freeing League occupied settlements for the remainder of the war, and when it was all over and 'heroes' on the front got their accolades and fancy medals, nobody paid much attention to all the work we had done. Still though, Aruke was grateful for my help. He had this armor made special, so the two of us would match. Said it was a promise, not a reward. A promise that we would always be there to stand up for the forgotten and the oppressed, and a promise to each other, that we would never forget everything we had been through", Motara finished.

"So where is he now?" Kodan asked, "Why didn't you stay with your Makuta if you two were clearly so close?"

"I did, to an extent", Motara said, "we stayed in periodic contact for quite a while afterward."

The Po-Toa got up to stretch after sitting in the skiff for so long. "Then, after the Brotherhood took up the responsibilities left behind by the Barraki and were eventually assigned their own dominions, my home village fell within Aruke's new territory, and I was offered the position of his right-hand aide, which I humbly accepted." Motara said, sitting back down as the skiff passed over rougher waters.

"Things went well, until Aruke was summoned to a Convocation- a meeting of the Makuta. He was only gone for a few days, but when he returned, there was something… different about him." Motara reached up to touch his Kanohi before continuing.

"He was acting paranoid, doubling the guard at his fortress, checking rooms before entering… When I finally asked him what had happened at the meeting, he told me only two things: no one was to be trusted, and that things were changing in the universe."

"Well, that's not ominous at all!" Valtruu shouted over the wind and waves, still listening in from the back of the skiff.

Motara's expression soured, but he continued. "It was only a few days later, before I had gotten the opportunity to pry further, that Aruke vanished. For three days the fortress grounds were alive with search parties, all silent, hoping we might hear if he called out to us. Eventually though I was the one to find his body, sitting alone in his study- where it hadn't been just the night before."

Kodan spent a short while trying to find words. "I'm sorry," the Chronicler finally said. "Did you ever find out?" he continued, failing to fight back his curiosity, "What happened to him, I mean."

"No," Motara said, in a voice that was somehow both small yet louder than the crashing waves. "I figured his paranoia was right… The universe had changed, and that change, whatever it was, swallowed him up. Afterwards, everything Aruke had was transferred to another Makuta, as though he never even existed." Motara sighed. "Everything except for me…" he said, gingerly peeling the gleaming silver Kanohi from his face, taking a long look at it for himself, "And his mask…"

Motara's gaze was transfixed on the mask for some time. Kodan noted that, despite the maskless state of the Toa of Stone, there was a steely resolve in his eyes that failed to betray any weakness.

"I've been wearing it for myself ever since. Not just to honor what he stood for, but to remind myself of his last words to me" the Po-Toa said, before placing the mask back over his face.

"I spent the next few years moving around a lot, helping out wherever I could." Motara turned to the chronicler with a solemn look, before continuing. "Trying never to stay in the same place for too long, for fear that whoever killed Aruke would catch up with me too. That is, until I heard the Turaga's request for help, and came to this city." Motara said, looking back at the now tiny Metru Nui skyline behind them.

"For the first time in as long as I can remember, living in this place, being a part of this team… It's made me feel like I have a home again." He finished…

After Kodan had recorded Motara's story on his stone tablet, the trio sat in silence, reflecting on the Po-Toa's words, until they came in eye shot of the Sea Gate. As their skiff was slowing down on approach to the towering doorway, Motara noticed another vessel parked along the edge of the dome wall, and pointed it out to his comrades. Toa Valtruu, with his Great mask of Water Breathing, decided to dive beneath the sea of protodermis to get a closer look at the strange ship.

After a few minutes with no sign of the Ko-Toa, Motara was about to stand up and take a better look for himself. Before he could leap over the side of the skiff however, a towering monster of black and purple armor, with a grotesque face and four extra arms sticking up from behind its shoulders, stood up out of the water, igniting energy that crackled between its fingertips…

The record cuts off after that, though I think it safe to assume what happened next. As someone who lived in the city for many years, I've spent more time than I care to recall thinking on what I could have done differently to prevent the tragedies that occured, both to Metru Nui itself, and its honorable protectors. I often wonder, if I had stayed in the city rather than being convinced to set out on my travels by the false Turaga, if perhaps his deception could have been uncovered before it was too late.

Unfortunately though, I doubt we will ever know the answer to that question. And so we are left to take solace in the knowledge that, although it was a hard fought battle, good did eventually prevail in the end, and no others will ever again have to meet their fate at the hands of Makuta Teridax, or his minions, as these brave heroes did…

[minirigby]

Happy 810nicle Day!

This currently-nameless goober is a character from a TfTV story idea I've had for ages, and will hopefully write someday (when I eventually get back to that 💀).

He's a cyborg Skakdi engineer with no element, because he was recruited by the Order of Mata Nui & left Zakaz prior to Makuta Spiriah's experiments. I imagine the cybernetics are his way of trying to keep pace with his powered peers, while also serving as an outward expression of his role/skills as an engineer.

His custom Skakdi face piece was modeled by Galva.

#lego#legomoc#legomocs#bionicle#bioniclemoc#bioniclemocs#810day#810nicleday#bionicleday#skakdi#piraka#oomn#cyborg#3dprinting#painting

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Helryx, The First Toa. Here's my interpretation of what Toa Helryx might have looked like at the beginning of her life, before becoming the worn & battle-hardened leader of the Order of Mata Nui we know today. I imagine that in her early days Helryx would have made use of a Toa Suva, allowing her to swap between a number of masks including her Mask of Psychometry, this classic blue Pakari, and a few others she might have found useful. Her mace, while of a similar design, is also much newer, and still has a silver-y sheen to it. This moc is built around the same general body design as my Orde, and a Toa of Sonics, but was actually the first of the three to be built with it, which explains why it's basically a souped-up version of canon Helryx's body. #lego #legomoc #legomocs #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #toa #toaofwater #helryx #toahelryx #oomn #orderofmatanui https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp_kjkarmR_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Beware Dugar the Feared, infamous pirate captain & scourge of the seas around the Northern Continent... This moc represents Dugar in his natural form, prior to being mutated by the waters of the Pit, and wears my custom Great Mask of Fear, modelled by Galva & inspired by a previous commission of mine, the mask's Makuta-shapeshifted form. The mask was printed from Shapeways and custom painted by me. Dugar was first featured as one of the three recently escaped Pit prisoners in "Evil from the Depths", the first story in TfTV Volume 2. You can read it on minirigby.tumblr.com or on Myths and Legacy under the Independent Fan Content section. The model of his Pit mutated form is featured alongside today's moc on the second to last slide. In his mutated form featured in the story, Dugar gained many squid-like powers including the ability to greatly increase his size & shape, and the ability to regenerate lost limbs and body parts. However, these were not abilities found normally in his species. Members of Dugar's species had no special physical abilities, but could wear & use Kanohi and were known to be pathological lairs. They could also be identified by the severe hunch in their backs which was a natural trait of the species. Other members include the second OoMN member who planted an explosive on Artidax (built & posted previously). #lego #legomoc #legomocs #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #TfTV #Dugar #ThePit #VoyaNui #MahriNui https://www.instagram.com/p/CprIZFBumSV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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The time has come, the Duckbricks Fanon Contests return, this time the subject is Toa Nidhiki! My preferred mask for Nidhiki is RSG's "ancient vanguard volitak", featured in the first slide. However, since this isn't allowed in the contest, I'm going with the placeholder option, and using the official LEGO volitak painted in green for all of the other slides in this post. This instagram post features a few options for a main entry photo, alternate poses, a back view, breakdowns of some not-visible parts of the build, and shots of Nidhiki with Lhikan & Tuyet. #lego #legomoc #legomocs #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #toa #toamangai #mangai #toanidhiki #nidhiki #darkhunter #lariska #lhikan #toalhikan #tuyet #toatuyet #metrunui #duckbricks #fanoncontest #bioniclecontest #painting #3dprinting #volitak https://www.instagram.com/p/Cparj7dphXj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Fopi time. Here's my build of @redstarforge's character Fopi, the Toa Kartur of Stone. I've been working on & off on the rest of the team too (some wips in the last slide), but this is the only one I'm satisfied with yet. I don't plan on including these fellas in any stories, since they're not my characters, but I like to imagine they still exist in the world of TfTV. Since I've already got a Toa team who were active & on clean-up duty in Metru Nui after the matoran civil war (who I haven't shared anywhere yet), the one change I did make to my headcanon for the Kartur is that they're actually a relatively new Toa team who didn't transform from Matoran until shortly after the exodus onto Spherus Magna, serving as protectors to one of the many new Matoran settlements on the planet. Credit for the character of course goes to Red Star Games, as well as Oomatu/Perp3tual, and Leoxander, who plays the character. #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #lego #legomoc #legomocs #toa #toaofstone #fopi #redstargames #rsg #sotc https://www.instagram.com/p/CoinPKvJ6JC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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The time has finally come, the last member of Orde & Spinner's team is... Orde himself, of course! Orde was the first Toa of Psionics ever to be built by the Great Beings, and upon failing his first mission was the catalyst for all future Ce-Matoran & Toa being programmed as female. Many years later, after the collapse of the Matoran Universe, Orde was recruited by the Toa Nuva, along with two other Toa & a Glatorian guide, to seek out the Great Beings on Spherus Magna and complete Mata Nui's final wish.... The Great Sanok used on this model was designed by @petrus_rsg & @redstarforge #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #lego #legomoc #legomocs #legobionicle #toa #toaorde #toaofpsionics #TheYesterdayQuest #TYQ #zaria #chiara #gelu #spinner #spherusmagna #matanui https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm-TI8bJRj_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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As promised, here's the Toa of Air who will one day be known as the Dark Hunter Spinner... This swift Toa of Air carries two air-slashing glaives, and wears the newly designed Great mask of Weather Control. While Spinner was still a Toa, he and his team fought against a group of mutated Rahkshi where Spinner was thrown down a deep pit and greatly injured. He was discovered & rebuilt by the Dark Hunters, and soon came to blame his fellow Toa for the accident. The mask was modeled by @galva_nize_ & commisioned by me, and is inspired by Spinner's Dark Hunter head design. This leaves just one more team member left, Toa Orde himself... #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #lego #legomoc #legomocs #toa #darkhunter #spinner #orde #kanohi #toaofair https://www.instagram.com/p/Cme3vAHJLKg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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The next member of Orde & Spinner's Toa team was a Toa of Air mechanic who preferred fixing rather than fighting, but specialized in long range engagements when he had to. This Toa was equipped with a long-range laser harpoon, a head-mounted light, and a hook in place of a limb lost in battle. Only two Toa left before the team is complete, Orde & Spinner themselves.... These two have been updated quite a bit since the first iteration of this team, and I'm looking forward to sharing them. #lego #legomoc #legomocs #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #toa #orde #spinner #kaukau https://www.instagram.com/p/CmKaV87p3Se/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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The next member of Orde & Spinner's team was an ancient Toa of Sonics, rumored to have been one of the earliest Toa built by the Great Beings. Records say this Toa, using his extensive mastery over sound, was the first to uncover the secret language spoken by bird Rahi of the Matoran Universe, which he passed his knowledge of on to his ward, the humble Ko-Matoran Kualus. #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #lego #legomoc #legomocs #toa #kualus #orde #spinner https://www.instagram.com/p/Cll65qKJN-Z/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Here's the promised (and quite a bit overdue) follow-up to the Toa of Plasma I posted a few months ago. Now that things are working with my phone again, you can expect the rest of the team members to follow soon enough. This similarly unnamed Toa of Fire was once the leader of the Toa team which included both Toa Orde & the future Dark Hunter known as Spinner. The exact fate or whereabouts of this Toa are unknown at present, however he was believed to have been a great warrior & leader in his prime, and is still well respected by those who knew him to this day. #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #toa #orde #spinner #volitak https://www.instagram.com/p/CkwyVYorwUV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Happy Halloween everyone! Fitting in with the season, here's my entry in the latest DuckBricks Fanon contest, Red Star Zombies; "The Departed Toa" Front, side, & back photos are provided, as well as a breakdown of some not-immediately obvious constructions. At the very end of the post is the beautiful cover art (not part of the entry, of course) I commissioned years ago now from Oomatu, for the short story this particular character first appeared in. If you're interested in learning more about the Departed Toa, you can read its story at minirigby.tumblr.com, or on Myths&Legacy.com under Minirigby's Archive. #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #lego #legomoc #legomocs #zombie #undead #halloween #halloween2022 #duckbricks #toa #RedStar #TfTV https://www.instagram.com/p/CkYtXc-LI--/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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As promised, here's my MOC of Zaria, Toa of Iron, with two other characters from his story. Featured alongside Zaria in the second photo is his Vo-Toa teammate & leader, and in the third photo is the unnamed Makuta who ambushes the pair. Once again thanks to SpecterL for the cover art designed for the story, & credit to Red Star Games & Perp3tual for the dedign & model of the mask used here on Zaria. #bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #lego #legomoc #legomocs #toa #zaria #TYQ #makuta #TfTV #ArchiveShorts https://www.instagram.com/p/CkTceSULu3D/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Toa Zaria relives haunting memories from his past in the second entry in the Archive Shorts series, now available to be read at minirigby.tumblr.com, or on mythsandlegacy.com under the Independent Fan Works section. Written by Minirigby Cover Art done by @darthspecter Additionally, I solved my phone issue just the other day and am able to take new photos now, so expect a follow-up post to this featuring my Toa Zaria MOC in hopefully just a few days. #bionicle #lego #toa #zaria #ToaZaria #Makuta #TheYesterdayQuest #TYQ #ArchiveShorts #TfTV https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj4BEKnpMSx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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"Zaria"

Archive Shorts, Entry #2 "Zaria"

The way they looked at me, after I had done it, it still haunts me to this day.

Every time I try and close my eyes, get some rest, I see their faces. My friends, my brothers, judging me for what I did. I know it was wrong, but they weren't the ones who were there. Who were they to judge? Where were they when we needed them? When she needed them?

One moment we were on our way back into the village, just shooting the shit, remembering old times. The next, he was on us, pure ferocity in his eyes. And that spear, that damned spear…

Her first instinct was to protect me, like always. Mata Nui, I use to hate that about her.

After all the years we'd been working together, she still treated me like the rookie I was when we first met.

The Makuta's spear only grazed her armor at first, she was tough after all, but that didn't deter the bastard. He called out his Rahkshi dogs and the next thing we knew they had us surrounded.

I'd like to say we fought our hardest, but we were holding back. It was in the Toa code after all; no betrayal, no cowardice or dishonesty, and most importantly, no killing.

When the first Rahkshi grabbed her leg I figured she'd be fine. We'd fought much worse than a pack of Makuta-spawn and still made it out in one piece. But when the second one got her, and I saw that she couldn't move, that's when everything went wrong…

I stopped what I was doing and made a mad dash over to her, but it was too late. I got there just in time to see his spear, with its large bladed tip pointed down, pierce its way through her armor as the Rahkshi held her down.

When my brain caught up with my eyes and I realized what I was seeing, it all just went red. The Rahkshi were sent flying out in all directions, as their master levitated up into the air. I knew what I was doing, I knew it was me. But somehow, in the moment, I felt like an onlooker watching someone else's actions. I used my power to lift him up off the ground and began squeezing in on his armor. His chest plate got tighter and tighter, cracks beginning to appear as horrible green gas leaked out from every escape it could find.

I had totally lost any awareness of what was going on around me, until the haunting final crack of his shell shook me out of it…

I let his body fall back onto the ground and began to notice a crowd had formed behind it. In my anger, I must have made a lot of noise and commotion, as it looked like most of the village was there now, standing at the mouth of the valley, watching as I knelt there surrounded by clouds of gas, broken armor, and her body lying where the Rahkshi had left her.

I noticed our teammates at the front of the crowd and began to stand up, to go to them, to explain what happened. But as soon as I went to move, they pointed their weapons at me. At me.

That was when I first noticed, the way they were looking at me. All the years we had spent together, fighting side by side, defending the weak and the innocent. In only a moment all that shared history was gone. No matter what I might have said, no matter how much I might have tried to explain, it didn't matter.

I was no longer Zaria, their friend, Zaria, their brother. When their eyes looked at me now I could tell, all they saw was Zaria, the killer.

[minirigby]

Here's a follow-up post to "The Artifact", the story I posted on international 810nicle day, featuring a moc of the story's PoV character. I wanted to give the story a few days of breathing room before posting this for the obvious spoiler, but here she is: the humble Ga-Matoran archeologist responsible for uncovering the Nui Stone, Tuyet!

Also, while I have your attention, I figured I'd use this as a bit of an update post as well, which I don't normally do...

You may have noticed not as many posts on this account lately, and that's because my phone (which I take photos with, & where my backlog of photos is stored) bricked itself recently, so I haven't been able to take new photos or access old ones that I didn't have backed up elsewhere like this one was.

I'm hoping to get this problem fixed soon, but until I do, don't expect much in the way of mocs/painted masks. I can still post stories from my laptop though, like the one the other day, so you can expect another one of them in just a few days (hint: it's about a character from TYQ).

bionicle #bioniclemoc #bioniclemocs #lego #legomoc #legomocs #NuiStone #ArchiveShorts #TfTV #tuyet #mangai

[minirigby]

Happy international 810nicle Day!

To celebrate this year, I'm launching a new miniseries called Archive Shorts, with one entry to start, and another following very soon.

You can read the first entry, titled "The Artifact", right now on my tumblr page at minirigby.tumblr.com, and very soon on mythsandlegacy.com as well. I hope you all enjoy the story, and are looking forward to more soon!

Cover art made by @galva_nize_

#bionicle #lego #NuiStone #TfTV #ArchiveShorts