#Ruins & Rahi

[toaarcan]

I've talked about the Bionicle-flavoured D&D game I was a part of a few times on here, but I kinda want to go over our take on Makuta.

Makuta was, of course, the ultimate villain of the story, and while we didn't finish the game for a host of reasons, we know how it would've gone down had we completed things, and so I can ramble about everything rather than merely speculating.

Makuta and Teridax were separate characters. This was an idea I've seen a couple of times, but here it happened organically. My first PC was Ahkmou (shocker), a Warforged Stone Sorcerer, and as such I gave him a backstory featuring an antagonist based on 01-03 Makuta. One of my friends' first PC was Miserix, a Dragonborn Moon Druid, and as such, he had a backstory featuring an antagonist based on 05-10 Makuta.

These two characters couldn't be the same (well I suppose we could've finagled it so they were, but we didn't), so I avoided naming mine until we landed on the solution that Ahkmou's old nemesis was Makuta, and Miserix's old nemesis was Teridax.

Makuta and Teridax's initial appearances, respectively.

Teridax ended up being a charismatic and manipulative High Elf with a Wizard/Sorcerer multiclass that sought ultimate power and knowledge, while Makuta was the ancient and terrible Fiendish God of Magic, Power, and Destruction that had ravaged the world in the Great Cataclysm, all that stuff.

They also took inspiration from G2 a bit because this was just after G2 died and we weren't wholly ignoring everything from it yet.

But something happened with that.

See, Teridax was the (apparent) BBEG of the game, and therefore he didn't appear all that much. He would show up every now and then (and most of his appearances were very memorable and tense), but Makuta was different.

Makuta was a PC.

Ahkmou had a passenger. Formerly a servant of Makuta during the Cataclysm, he had turned against his former master and helped the previous generation of heroes stop him. However, when Makuta was shattered into six shards, the smallest and weakest of the bunch buried itself in Ahkmou's core and laid there, dormant, for decades afterwards.

Then, during our first adventure, Ahkmou came close to death, and in a moment of panic and weakness, reached out to the Shard for the power needed to survive, and he got it.

Makuta's power rippled out of Ahkmou's body in an enormous shock wave that ripped up the floor of the room we were in and killed the antagonists we were fighting. Ahkmou began to levitate a few inches off of the ground, his formerly blue eyes burning golden, and started to speak with two voices, the second much deeper and much smoother than his own rather high-pitched and scratchy one (I typically give Ahkmou the voice of Prime Starscream, for reference). The armour on his left hand began to turn black and red, and shortly after leaving the dungeon, he fell into a comatose state.

Makuta had single-handedly ended our part of the adventure (we split the party, oops) with his morning stretch. And he didn't go away.

When Ahkmou awakened, he'd changed a bit. He'd become spikier and meaner, and the subsequent adventure saw the last of his idealism die, when he managed to prevent a conflict with a big redemption speech, only for the BBEG to kill off most of the people he'd saved with a killswitch. After that, Ahkmou became much more aggressive, his biting sarcasm got much crueler, and he began strongly advocating for solving all of our problems with murder.

Originally, Ahkmou had been snarky, but well-meaning, and somewhat cowardly. He secretly held a great admiration for those that saved the world from the apocalypse he helped cause, and used the story of his redemption at the hands of Takanuva to try and inspire others to be better.

But now, there was another voice in his head, encouraging him to take the darker path.

As this was my character, I was the one playing the Makuta presence, and though he was based on 01-03 Makuta... I have a preference for the later characterisation, and so I quickly began to play him more as a thinking, scheming being.

Things got worse in the next adventure. During his coma, I had instead played Aisling, a ruthless and cynical death-worshipper who the party had inadvertently stomped on all the trigger buttons of during their first adventure together. Aisling had returned for vengeance, and the party went to try and stop her. Ahkmou stayed behind, though, because the place the fight would be happening was the resting place of another of Makuta's Shards, the Shard of Fire.

See, Ahkmou dreaded being in close contact with the other Shards. To his knowledge, the Shard of Stone was weak and directionless. It was a lump of power, more power than he could normally wield, but nonetheless it wasn't even sentient. If he were to be in close proximity to one of the bigger, smarter Shards, however, he feared they would merge, and overwhelm him, reviving Makuta in his body. As such, he didn't go to the Charred Forest to confront Aisling.

OOC, this was largely an excuse for me to not have a character on both sides of the conflict.

This ended up being a bad idea. In the battles that followed, Aisling effortlessly exploited the weaknesses of her former allies, soundly beat them at almost every turn, and killed Miserix when he attempted to challenge her alone.

Ahkmou was left feeling terribly guilty, that he could've prevented Miserix's death and helped turn the tide if he were present. At the same time, he largely found himself agreeing with Aisling's motivations, if not her methods, given his own ruthlessness. Even still, he liked and respected Miserix. And the icing on the Cognitive Dissonance Cake was that Aisling had been killed by another villain, revived by her girlfriend, excommunicated from her cult, and essentially forced onto the redemption path. She was still here, still rubbing shoulders with everyone else, and still in the "But I did nothing wrong" phase of the redemption process.

This complex mix of feelings left Ahkmou largely absent for the following few adventures, with Aisling and my third character, Gavla, being my mains in that time.

Worse still, it was during the confrontation with Ash that Teridax revealed himself, and claimed the Shard of Fire, which was all around very bad news.

Two adventures later, we had another run-in with Teridax wherein he also revealed ownership of the Shard of Earth, and this confirmed Ahkmou's worst fears. Someone, somewhere out there, was trying to reunite the pieces of Makuta for some unseen purpose.

Takanuva had done his best to suppress all knowledge of the Shard of Stone. Across the whole world, the only people that knew of it were him, his trusted inner circle, Helryx and her representatives in the guild we were working for, and Ahkmou and his comrades specifically. As far as anyone else knew, there were only five Shards. That his one's element was so similar to Earth only helped them hide it more.

But if Makuta were reunited and revived, he would know he was incomplete, and he would know where to look to find the last piece. No mortal soul would be able to contain and control even half of Makuta's essence, let alone the majority of it, so the odds that Teridax would survive completing his mission were low.

In that moment, Ahkmou should've thanked the party for their support, and left to make the journey to Solspire, the home of the Order of Light and Takanuva specifically. He should've joined forces with his oldest ally, and had his own Shard suppressed or removed.

But he didn't. In part because this was a D&D game and I wanted him to stay with the party, but mostly because Ahkmou was wrong about the Shard.

It wasn't non-sentient. It was, in fact, not just sentient, but sapient. It had grown smarter and stronger ever since he awakened it, with more and more of his body starting to mutate as it reached its corruptive essence further and further into him, and it was already starting to influence his decisions.

Makuta did not want to be suppressed, and he definitely didn't want his host to be purified, so he instead pushed Ahkmou to a different course of action: Breaking the party away from their previous allegiances and going on a personal quest to find and destroy the rest of the Shards before Teridax could get them. If he only had two, maybe that would be a problem they could stop.

Makuta also implanted the idea in Ahkmou's head that only the Shards could find and destroy each other. Therefore, Ahkmou would need to keep him alive and around in order to achieve his goal.

After all, if Ahkmou is going near the other Shards, then Makuta has a chance to reunite with the rest of himself.

The first we found was the Shard of Water, in a sunken city in an acidic sea. Ahkmou still had enough control to refuse to join the mission below the waves, but nonetheless supplied the others with a specific plan: They should go down there, recover the Shard of Water, and bring it to the surface, so he could destroy it.

In reality, Makuta was just trying to get it brought to him so he could absorb it.

But then, things went differently to his expectations. The fight for the Shard of Water was grueling, having to confront a genocidal fish-man who wanted it for himself, a gang of pirates, and in intensely creepy Wight named Gorast who had been one of Makuta's original followers.

(Gorast got a model despite her relative non-prominence because I like making nasty-ass zombie-looking creachers in HeroForge)

In the battle that followed, the party had managed to trick Gorast into taking the Shard of Water into herself, and then Nurghal, the party's main Paladin, had been able to bait her into sticking around to try and drain his light and morality with her powers instead of immediately teleporting away, long enough for him to smite her and kill both Gorast and the Shard of Water.

Because Nurghal Ironhide is just that cool.

Ahkmou's theories about what could kill a Shard proved to be wrong. In any normal situation, this should've been cause for jubilation. Ahkmou could safely purge his own Shard and they could continue the quest without Makuta growing stronger.

But Makuta wasn't happy. In fact, Makuta was fucking steamed. A part of himself had just been killed, perhaps permanently, and he would never be whole again. He was so close, only a few hundred metres from reclaiming part of his lost power, and now it may be gone forever.

So instead, he accentuated the negative. During the drop, Gavla almost died, and Ahkmou has caught feelings for Gavla that he doesn't know how to process, and that gave Makuta a wedge.

Rather than congratulatory and relieved, Ahkmou got snippy with Nurghal, saying his plan was far too risky and could've allowed Gorast to escape with her prize. They almost lost, someone he can't lose almost died, and next time, he's going with them to prevent that.

Over the course of the next few missions, Makuta's influence ramped up, as Ahkmou tapped more and more into the Shards in an effort to survive an attack by the Gravesworn and a hellish jaunt through the Underdark, bargaining more and more of his soul away to protect himself and his comrades.

By the time they reach their next breather spot, he's laser focused on the Shards, and he starts getting aggressive and threatening anyone and anything that would impede his progress toward that goal, even other members of the party.

Because all these detours and distractions and sidequests are hindering him. Stopping to help all these... small, insignificant people, well it won't matter if Teridax beats them to the Shards of Air and Ice, and everyone dies because the world is destroyed.

He doesn't realise that his reasons for being so forceful are increasingly just a mask that Makuta is wearing, even as he articulates them when the others call him on his attitude.

He apologises for his pushiness, for not accounting for the needs of others. He doesn't mean it. He's not really in control any longer. He thinks he is, he's got both hands on the wheel, but Makuta tells him where to go, and he goes.

And then, they finally meet Teridax again. Makuta feels the other parts of himself within his opposite number, and it drives him crazy. Two more parts of himself are within his reach, held by another... and he isn't even using them right.

Teridax isn't mutated like Ahkmou is, and that's not a glamour. He has the Shards within him, but they're dormant. If they weren't, he'd be most of the way to full transformation and completely controlled by Makuta.

Ahkmou was unable to stop him, and Makuta overrode him and attacked.

Still, Teridax was too powerful for the party... and that was exactly what Makuta wanted. Even in his rage, he's scheming. Backed into a corner, Ahkmou had little choice but to give himself fully over to the devil within.

Makuta has won. Over the course of the last few months, he's chipped away more and more at Ahkmou's mind and soul until he can finally wrest full control from his host.

He effortlessly defeats Teridax. He easily dupes the others into thinking he's still Ahkmou, and feeds them a plan that requires them to distract an adult Dragon while he peacefully searches for the Shard of Air, the only person accompanying him being the one member of the party that happens to have the worst WIS save and the worst luck, the one person he knows he can escape.

And he very nearly miscalculates. He's so convinced of his superiority and inevitable victory that he forgets that his companion as a Ring of Spell Turning. He assumes he can just drop a Heightened Hold Person and lord his victory over a captive audience of one, and it almost blows up in his face.

But ultimately, it doesn't matter. He claims the Shard of Air and he escapes to begin his plans proper, and now that he has more of himself again, he finally comes to grasp the totality of the Plan, the goal that the other pieces of himself have been steering Teridax and Ahkmou and any other Shardbearers out there towards.

He prepares for open conflict with Teridax, because one of two things will happen. Either he will kill Teridax, and claim Fire and Earth, or Teridax will kill him, and claim Stone and Air. Either way, the result is the same: Four of the six Shards, in control of one body. Then, they are free to find the last of them, the Shard of Ice.

The Shard of Ice rests in the Winterlands, the home of the cult that Aisling hailed from. In fact, it rests within Vasyana, the leader of that cult, and it has been growing stronger and stronger by feeding on the cult's faith for the Raven Queen. For a piece of a god, the leader of a religious organisation is the about the best place it could end up.

And once they have control of the seat of the Gravesworn, they can open the door to the afterlife and reunite with the Shard of Water, becoming whole again, Makuta reborn in totality.

But if, by some twist of fate, the heroes of this world actually manage to kill them and their host? It doesn't matter. Because they know how the afterlife works. They know that they will simply go there, and reunite anyway, and it will be child's play to resurrect himself.

Because he's Makuta. He's been three steps ahead this entire time.

For all the things that got messy with R&R, I think we translated the character of Makuta into the game perfectly.

[chappellrroan]

.

[supbro50000]

Ruins and Rahi Nitrax

Based off @ask-nitrax

[randomwriteronline]

Ko-Wahi was a short variety of generally not necessarily pleasant things: it was desolate, cold, harsh, and - when the winds didn't rush after one another through the icy peaks with low howling shrieks, cutting through the frigid aether like claws of an enormous Rahi reaching out to grasp any wayward Matoran foolish enough to dare wander in its territory - it was abnormally quiet.

So it reasoned that if Kopaka, Toa of Ice and Hating Being Around People, was not found anywhere else, he had to have secluded himself to a place that at the very least resembled the environment he had first felt at home in.

He didn't even flinch at the rush of air that accompanied the stomps which suddenly stopped by his side.

"You're late," he only commented.

The jovial jab Pohatu had ready for him froze in his throat, and he tilted his head slightly in genuine confusion: "Late?" he repeated.

"I expected you to be here five minutes ago," Kopaka replied.

"You were expecting... Me?"

"Of course I was," the other replied matter-of-factly: "If there's something I can depend on, it's the fact you'll chase me down to the ends of the silver sea just because."

The Toa of Stone blinked quickly a few times, eventually smirking back: "And if there's something I can depend on, it's that I'll always find you somewhere snowy and deserted."

He then leaned a little closer and proceeded to add, in a goofier tone: "Like your heart."

The gentle elbow punted in his side made him snicker as he successfully evaded it the first time; he cackled a bit louder when the second jab actually hit.

His friend did not dignify his amusement with any verbal response. Instead, he extended his finger.

Pohatu followed where it was pointing, staring at the same vast expanse of white he had just sped through (luckily without having to skid through any frozen snow - perhaps one of the very few things he certainly did not miss about the island of Mata Nui), and found nothing.

At first.

His pinprick pupils, so used to the desert sun, struggled a little more, trying to tighten even harder or widen ever so slightly: even with the clouds shielding his eyes from the sunbeams turned blinding as they were reflected on the candid coat of snow, the uniformity of the colors confused and unified all that supposedly existed before him with only few exceptions. There was snow, snow, snow, more snow, a leftover Visorak web, even more snow, another patch of snow, something looking vaguely disgusting half covered in snow, some more snow, a lance of light reflected from a point just outside the clouds' range, a vast amount of snow, a smaller amount of snow, snow, snow, and one last puff of snow over there. Riveting!

But Kopaka seldom pointed at nothing at all just to stretch out his finger; and once he truly focused on the exact location he was indicating, Pohatu saw.

He saw a jagged thing, sharp end splintered and jutting towards the sky like a blade, ever so slightly greyer than the pallor surrounding it; he saw its missing half laying mournfully among the powdery ground, defeated, cracked, open wide.

He saw its entrails, eroded by the weather, far too small to properly distinguish one object from the other from this distance - still they glittered grey and blue in the lack of color as if to remind in silent screams of their existence, once, as tools and furniture and inventions of scholars, before they'd found themselves abandoned in the wake of their master's leave as strange crystalline gore only partially hidden away in the haste of a half hearted burial.

He saw dozens of the jagged corpse's kind - once pillars, columns, immense bastions, now nothing more than ruins. Enormous animals frozen in place, never to thaw awake once more.

He saw frail, beautiful exoskeletons awaiting with such tiredness to be crushed, replaced by larvae in the bowels of which knowledge would thrive.

The wind passed between them without strength, not even lifting a snowflake.

"Breath-taking, isn't it," Kopaka murmured.

Pohatu nodded in silence.

They simply stood there for a long time, side by side, looking upon the carcasses of Ko-Metru's knowledge towers.

Looking upon what was left of a city of legends.

There had never been a Matoran called Kopaka, in the Turaga's tales.

He had never competed with Ehrye as they rushed to run errands for the seers in the hopes of one day being allowed to stand beside them at the top of those magnificent crystal constructions, spending days pondering and reading stars, uncovering the secrets of the future to the point of turning the very idea of tomorrow into such a mundane thing; he had never known Nuju, never looked at him with awe, or respect, or burning envy. He had never walked those streets, or skied down those slopes, or travelled to the Colosseum inside of a protodermis chute.

And yet he had found his chest aching as he had listened to those descriptions, from a nostalgia that wasn't his own. As though Vakama and his stories had handed him a coal that had long singed the Turaga's hand, still weakly sizzling, that now burned his palm in turn.

Mata Nui had been all he'd ever known as far as he was concerned. There had been nothing before; and if there had been, it wasn't the land the Matoran had been forced away from.

Yet despite knowing as much, despite the attempts to soothe the dull pain that had no place in his logical mind, in the long last hours he'd gotten to spend on the chiling peaks surrounding Mount Ihu the Toa of Ice had been unable to keep himself from wandering away from the material world into absentminded daydreams, trying to construct a memory that had never been there, a life he had never lived.

He had imagined Ko-Metru many times. He had imagined Metru Nui as a whole many times, the orderly archives, the silvery canals, the smoky furnaces, the dangling cables, the unmoving statues - a world for smaller eyes (like his never had been) to see. He had imagined the Colosseum, its inner mechanisms, even the Vahki guards, despite their presence being nothing but an annoyance at best and a source of uneasiness and dread and outright danger at worst. He had imagined himself getting in trouble with them often - who would they have been, to tell him what to do? What made them any different from a Bohrok?

He had imagined them often, but he had never seen them. Never whole. Never alive.

As he stared at what remained of a city of seers, he ached to have been there. Maybe he would have understood better. Maybe it would have hurt more. Maybe it would have felt more like home.

But would he have noticed? Any of the beauty, the lack of strife? Would he have liked a life such as this, spent either pondering on who knows what, or reading pages of history before they were even written, or running around tirelessly for people who did both former and latter? Would this sight have stirred something deep in him now, or would his amnesia have kept his feelings at a distance?

His chest hurt. Something inside it ached terribly, pushing hard against his muscle and metal, like a fish suddenly rushing to break the still frozen surface of a lake in a bout of claustrophobia.

He felt strange, uncomfortable.

Like something misplaced.

Kopaka's eyes wandered over the crystal towers, suddenly overwhelmed. He let out a shuddering, watery breath, as quiet as he could.

He needed not worry about being heard.

Pohatu was too enthralled by the sight before them to notice his momentary frailty.

He gazed on, unable to tear his his eyes from what his brother regarded as an enormous grave he could not mourn properly, and beheld only a thing of beauty.

It was not the vast expanse of Po-Wahi's desert, nor the infinite lushness of Le-Wahi's jungles, the burnt forests of Ta-Wahi, the Ga-Wahi reefs, the cavernous labyrinths of Onu-Wahi - it could not even compare to the frigid landscape of Ko-Wahi despite all their similarities, and he could tell from a first glance.

Ko-Metru and its siblings could have never been what the Koro of Mata Nui had been - they were not a breathing nook interwoven in the world around them: they were carefully constructed bubbles, encased, entrapped within themselves, the wild nature that once had run through it tamed carefully only to cry out despite its weakened form once the binds upon it had been snapped to pieces and left to rot.

It was not beautiful in the way he knew a land to be; it was not open and grand to the point of being frightening. It was shut on itself, broken, a pale imitation of what it had been.

And yet he found it all so gorgeous.

It had embarrassed him at first - not feeling. Remaining still and unfazed as the Turaga had longingly described what the Toa of Stone should have regarded as home, a field of statues tirelessly carved by artisans of his people. He had struggled to imagine it properly, managing only hazy scorches of some undefined place, like a mirage in the desert; and hearing his brothers and sisters wonder aloud, so curious, of how they would have expected their Metru to be, he'd been all but mortified at his own lackluster enthusiasm.

Had he really grown so self centered? All the world seemed to feel as though it had only started existing with his birth upon that fateful shore.

A city of legends on the other side of the sea... He could not have ever pictured it.

But now he was there, walking upon its streets, traveling across its lands, and it looked nothing like it had been described: it looked shattered and lost, and broken, and rusted, and standing still where it had once stood so proud and shining only to spite the cruelty of time that wanted it to bend and turn leveled.

Pohatu had lost himself between scattered remains of monumental statues, details sanded down until unrecognizable, or filled with what little life could make its home in such a crevice. He has searched between the broken Kanohi nobody had ever melted down again, seeing his and his siblings' likenesses over and over and over and over, he had followed broken cables back to the towers from which they had once served a purpose, raced along empty canals to make a sense of them, peeked into tunnels the roofs of which had been torn open like dissected anthills.

Metru Nui had never been whole, not for him.

It had always been this gorgeous wreck, this beautiful ruined landscape. He could not imagine it as anything less; he could not see it as anything mournful, or dead, or ugly.

Each toppled building was where it should have been. Each destroyed spire was exactly as the Great Spirit had intended it to be.

Such a frail, stubborn, lovely, wild thing.

A tragedy and a celebration.

Glowing brighter than the twin suns with every ounce of its incomplete, breath-taking beauty.

Kopaka felt something tug very gently at his arm. When he turned, he noticed Pohatu still hadn't taken his eyes away from the shimmering remains of the towers.

"Did you want to show me this?" the Toa asked, quietly, quietly.

His friend looked back to the sight before them and swallowed a heavy knot in his throat: "I did," he replied.

The grip on his limb tightened ever so slightly.

Comfortingly.

"Thank you." Pohatu whispered.

Kopaka did not answer.

They looked on.

[lightly-toasted-ice]

The Toa Hydrax and Makuta Orduun

In his bid to find Traven, Náströnd realized that his current approach - kidnapping and mutating as many Toa as he could - was inefficient at best, and a hindrance at worst. It was this realization that spurred his decision to create an army with which he could subjugate the Universe.

Artakha saw this transgression unfolding from his fortress and did two things. First, he drafted plans for a massive seal to bar his realm, indeed, an entire arm of the Universe from the rest. Second, he set to work creating a new team of Toa, one more powerful than perhaps any other, for all were infused with Light.

(things get long after the break, go grab a drink and make sure your scrolling finger's doing alright)

First came Nihra, a Toa of Earth and Light to be a steadfast beacon for her future siblings.

Gault was the second, and is the only member of his team to have seen the world beyond the Artakhan Arm.

Seeing a need for a weaponmaster among the Toa Hydrax, Artakha created Seras, who forged the weapons of all her siblings.

Aldous was fourth, and is the most solitary of his siblings, but certainly neither a stranger nor an unwelcome sight to the inhabitants of the Artakhan Arm.

Next was Zevokk, whose bravery is immortalized in the scarred ends of his arms, now covered by adaptive claw cannons perfect for crushing Rahkshi or aiding the Matoran.

Last but not least is Amaria, whose zeal and sheer incorruptibility make her the Toa Hydrax's ace in the hole.

But the Toa Hydrax would be nowhere near as effective as they are without a proper teacher, and who better to instruct Toa in how to defend their home from the armies of a Makuta than another Makuta?

Orduun was among the Makuta that bowed to Teridax's will when he deposed Miserix, but he was never truly loyal to the dark tyrant. He plotted and schemed as many of his siblings did, but not to wrest control of the Brotherhood of Makuta from Teridax; Orduun sought freedom, a life away from the Brotherhood, and was willing to do whatever it took to get out. His salvation came from the most unlikely place, however, as Teridax called for any Makuta willing to seek the lost island of Artakha.

Orduun spoke first and loudest, challenging any who dared to duel him for the honor, but none protested his claim. He was granted leave of his realm, the Iron Islands, that he may search for Artakha, and he set out in the form of a flying Rahi to begin his search.

His search lasted for centuries, from the ruins of Metru Nui to the furthest reaches of the Southern Chains, and everywhere in between. He returned north to search the right arm of the Universe, and witnessed the early stages of the building of Artakha's great seal. He soared high over the construction and laid his eyes on the island of Artakha - the first being in the millennia since the theft of the Avohkii to see it from afar.

He rested on a nearby island, awaiting nightfall so he could seek a clandestine audience with Artakha himself. In the hours that passed, he kept an eye on that mythical island, in awe of its distant beauty. When the sun had fully set, he flew toward the fortress at the center of the island, but a voice entered his mind, a hard, cold spike in the nonmatter in his head. Orduun faltered, landing on a rooftop in the city surrounding Artakha's fortress.

Artakha spoke to him, demanding to know why a Makuta had dared enter his realm. Orduun told him the truth, swearing on his life, which he would pledge to the defense of the builder's realm until his final day. Artakha searched Orduun's mind, finding it wholly open to him, and accepted the Makuta's offer when he saw that he was telling the truth.

Artakha offered to restore Orduun's Light, and help him purge his Shadow, both of which the Makuta eagerly accepted. Months later, when he stood in his true form once more, he raised his hands, shining a beam of multicolored light into the sky, swearing aloud to uphold the ideals he had once and always held so dear. The Great Spirit's will was his to Duty to enact, and he'd be damned if he would fail again.

Artakha commended his zeal, and set forth the Makuta's first task as the new Makuta of Artakha: training the Toa Hydrax to defend the Artakhan Arm against all threats, especially Makuta. Orduun accepted this task readily, and was ushered into Artakha's fortress to meet his new protégés.

[ctrl-alt-tahu]

Thoughts of Akamai and Wairuha

"You shouldn't talk about the Great Spirit like that," said Pohatu, as they continued to cross Ko-Metru. The wan lights above the dome were at their zenith, providing a pale glow over the ruined city. As they climbed around the exterior of one of the largest (or least-ruined) towers of the Metru, they could see at a distance other portions of the city.

"I believed in Mata Nui, once," said Voriki. "I even thought I met him… but what Great Being would claim to watch over the Matoran and leave us with this." He paused, looking out over the city. They were on a landing of sorts, a flat place that opened where the broad tower below them turned to a much narrower spire. They could see north, east, and south, and Voriki waved a hand over them all.

"You should have seen Metru Nui then, when I first came here: the Coliseum there"--he pointed north east at the most ruinous area they could see: the centre island broken and cracked--"the Temple of Mata Nui in Ga-Metru, the chute system, the great forge of Ta-Metru. It was the envy of the world, and envy it the Makuta did. I don't know all the centuries of war and scheming before my time, but they weren't without effect: Metru Nui no longer ruled its empire, and only one Toa still stood with Turaga Dume, who ruled this city: Toa Lhikan, Toa of Fire.

"I don't know where he got the Toa Stones that transformed us. I don't know why he waited until he was the last Toa left and the sea-gates were on the verge of being breached. I don't know why he picked the seven of us--but he did, and we became Toa: me, and the six you say you know as Turaga: Vakama, Nokama, Matau, Onewa, Nuju, and Whenua."

"A seventh Toa!" Lewa whispered. Onua nodded, but gestured for silence. Kopaka and Tahu shared a cryptic nod.

"We weren't enough," said Voriki. "While we tried to learn how to control our powers, how to control our masks, we sought the great Kanoka disks, drove back the Morbuzakh--and missed how much we were needed at the sea-gates. Important as our little quests might have been in peacetime, they were distractions when the city was threatened from without. What did it matter if the Morbuzakh was choking off the Great Forge when the Matoran were vanishing and the Visorak were invading?"

"What are Visor--" Lewa began even as Gali asked "why were the Matoran vanishing?"

"Visorak are a sort of swarming, insectoid Rahi," said Voriki. "There were thousands of them, directed by Sidorak, a mighty servant of the Brotherhood of Makuta."

"And the Matoran?" asked Kopaka.

"We didn't realise it until much later," said Voriki, "but Turaga Dume was long gone. He was being impersonated by the Makuta himself, and it was all his plan: the Matoran were being put in stasis even as the city fell to the Visorak. Metru Nui fell to attacks from both within and without. Only the seven of us were left free in the city--well, and the five Matoran we stole away with us. Whenua, Nuju, and Onewa stayed behind in the Coliseum to buy the rest of us time to escape, and while we were on the run in Po-Metru, Vakama collapsed and Matau and I learned that he had been keeping a secret from us--visions, or so Nokama called them."

There no hiding the looks that the six Toa gave each other. So Vakama is still associated with them, then, Voriki thought.

"He said he had seen the Great Beings in council, and that they had told him that Mata Nui was asleep and we must wake him, and that Valour and Wisdom would guide us. At the time, I believed this was a sign, and that we had to save Metru Nui by waking the Great Spirit, and I believed that Akamai and Wairuha would come and help us--but though we found a Mata Nui of sorts, in the end, no Great Beings came and guided us. If Vakama's vision meant anything, it must have been metaphorical: wisdom and valour, not personified beings."

"They are true-real," said Lewa. "Takua told us."

The wind seemed to pick up, and the already chilly ledge was far from comfortable to any save Kopaka, but no one moved as Voriki stared at them.

"You mentioned him--Takua," said Voriki at last, "in your tale the other night: he is your chronicler."

"Yes," said Tahu.

"And he claims to have seen Akamai and Wairuha," said Voriki.

"Yes," said Pohatu.

"Not 'claimed'," said Gali. "He did see them. I have felt what he has seen."

"Was this before you came to the island?" asked Voriki.

"No, this was the first great battle with Makuta," said Gali. "As we said in our tale: after scouring the island for the Golden Kanohi and being united at last, we faced the Makuta beneath the temple of Kini Nui and defeated him, for a time."

"You said nothing of Akamai and Wairuha," said Voriki.

"We didn't exactly tell you every kick and blow," said Pohatu. "To be honest, most of that battle is a blur. We entered the cave, encountered the Manas and… returned later, victorious. Takua remembers more than we do."

Voriki said nothing, but it was plain that he wanted to dismiss the idea, and why not: if they remembered so little and if the Makuta hadn't even been truly vanquished, then perhaps they hadn't been victorious at all. Yet if their chronicler claimed to have seen Akamai and Wairuha…

"We should get going again," said Voriki. "We're almost there. If the Pituita Nui is still functioning, we can close the sea-gate. I'll have Tehutti see what we can do to close them permanently, and we need to find Nidhiki and Krekka, but that can wait till tomorrow."

He tapped a door that opened onto the ledge with the slightest jolt of electricity, and the door popped open, not quite chest-height.

"An access point for Matoran technicians, not Toa, I'm afraid."

"So, what happened next?" asked Pohatu, "in your story? You went from Po-Metru to find Mata Nui?"

"No, not right away," said Voriki. "First, we encountered more Toa."

[squared-m]

KAIDRA (6/6) — TILA (SHE/HER)

There's no denying the fact that the Onu-Matoran known as Tila was large for a matoran. A fact in which helped her free her fellow matoran from slavers in the remote, mountainous regions of the Southern Continent. She and her people rose up against their captors, and drove them out. Once the dust had settled, and the matoran were free, they began setting up their own small village, making Tila as their village protector. As they had never seen a toa, or turaga, her and her fellow villagers saw them as little more than myth.

As the village's protector, Tila was known for her strength, and her courage, something she, self-admittedly, let go to her head. While her ego and vanity were not unbearable, she was often one to boast, often to cover up for self-doubt and fear. Fear of their captors returning, or something far worse… Tila was custom to all manner of things: Strange, hostile rahi that roamed too close for comfort, or the occasional bandit or two, sure, but nothing could have prepared her for the eventual arrival of Exo-Toa or Rahkshi squadrons that roamed the Southern Continent's countryside.

When Makuta Teridax took control over Mata Nui's body, and plunged the universe into darkness, Tila's primary goal was, as always, to keep her people safe. But she and the village leaders knew they would not be safe sitting in-place, waiting for some mythical heroes to arrive. No, they had to move, and be on the move constantly to avoid detection. Using the old mining tunnels dotting the nearby countryside, Tila's village moved around for what seemed like months on end. They only moved out onto the surface when a tremor of such intensity that it matched the one 100 years prior, when Mata Nui fell into his slumber, could be felt. Once on the surface, they felt a sudden shift in the wind, a change in the universe… Whatever had corrupted their universe had passed.

After encountering a few stragglers while on the move, they'd learned the truth: That a Makuta had taken control of the universe, had been defeated, and that the Toa were, in fact, real. Not only that, they were helping the denizens flee to some-place else. After following them for days on end, they finally reached the surface of Spherus Magna, exiting through an opening in the titanic robot's body. Once there, after processing the shocking and world-shaking revelation, Tila and her people got to work helping others adjust.

Fifty years after Teridax's defeat, and the creation of the city of New Atero, Tila decided to settle down and open up a market in New Atero's city center. Yet this period of relative calm and peace would soon be uprooted by the arrival of a hooded figure. They gave her a strange, glowing purple stone, and who told her to return to the corpse of the colossal machine she once called home. Once there, in the ruins of Metru Nui's great temple, she was transformed into a mighty, and powerful Toa of Earth, and would join the Toa Kaidra along with the other five matoran who had been in the temple.

(Sorry for the late post, totally didn't forget this place, you know how things are >.>)

[greektragedybitch]

im so tired of all these bollywood movies showing an academically gifted girlie going abroad to study and then ruining her life with alcohol and bad company and stuff like bitch stop showing that shit to my parents mai to bahar nahi jaa rahi hu phir bhi mujhe lecture sunne pad rahe hai

[irradiated-imp]

The Toa Otoka The Toa Otoka were the second Toa Team to be formed on Okoto Nui. They were formed in response to Matoran going missing along side sightings of strange, never before seen Rahi.

Each of the members of this team knew each other prior to becoming Toa, having met in Metru Nui before the Reformation. Though they bicker at times, they work together fairly well as a team. Emana Toa of Psionics and a former Scholar and Archaeologist. She worked for the Grand Archives and studied the Agori Ruins found across the island. Though she wasn't much of a fighter, she was trained in fencing, training she puts to use as a Toa. She has an interest in the macabre, something she shares with Vhoke. She and Rakewii are in a relationship.

Rakewii Toa of Fire and mask maker. Rakewii lived in the hustle and bustle of Ta-Ifo working as a mask maker for a local mask shop. He has decent aim making him a perfect sharp shooter for his team. He's often jokey and rarely takes things seriously. He and Emana are in a relationship.

Rakota Toa of Lightning and village guard. Rakota can be incredibly blunt and rather impatient at times, but she cares deeply for her friends. She's closest to Melu, as both traveled together across Mata Nui before the move back to Metru Nui. She owns a pair of Sentinel Hounds.

Vhoke Toa of Plant Life and a former Rahi care taker. She worked at a rescue shelter in her village on Okoto Nui and has very extensive knowledge of Rahi. Her hands and feet had been modified, both for defense and locomotion. She has a pet Guurii.

Akale Toa of Iron and former caravan guard. Akale is the leader. He is the most outwardly mature, and his time as a caravan guard in Po-Oko gave him all the experience he needed to lead and protect others. He wields a heavy blaster, which has only become more powerful as a Toa.

Melu Toa of Air and former courier. Most of the Toa Team met each other through Melu. Even before the Great Cataclysm, he worked as courier in Metru Nui. He and Rokota met and traveled together on Mata Nui, and after the return to Metru Nui he met and befriended Emana and Rakewii, and would later meet Vhoke and Akale on Okoto Nui. He's not the most heroic individual, but tries his best to be useful for his team.

Though they aren't part of the Toa Team, there are several other Matoran tied to this team that try to help them in their efforts to find the source of these strange Rahi and why they are kidnapping Matoran.

[lvbrdz]

ਇਕ ਵਾਰੀ ਫੇਰ ਤੋਂ

(Once again: English translation below)

ਇਕ ਵਾਰੀ ਫੇਰ ਤੋਂ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਰੋਲਜਾ ਨਾ

ਜੋ ਮੈਂ ਸੁਣਨਾ ਚਾਹੁੰਦੀ ਆ ਤੂੰ ਮੂੰਹੋ ਬੋਲਜਾ ਨਾ

ਤੇਰੀ ਬਣ ਬਣ ਬਹਿਣ ਦਾ ਨਜ਼ਾਰਾ ਕੁੱਛ ਹੋਰ ਸੀ ਇਕ ਵਾਰੀ ਫੇਰ ਤੋਂ ਉਹ ਜਨ੍ਨਤ ਦਾ ਦਰਵਾਜਾ ਖੋਲਜਾ ਨਾ

ਮੇਰੀਆਂ ਝਾਂਜਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਸੁਰ ਬਦਲ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਸਨ ਤਾਲ ਬਦਲ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਸੀ ਇਕ ਵਾਰ ਫੇਰ ਤੋਂ ਮੇਰੇ ਨਾਲ ਥੋੜ੍ਹਾ ਜੇਹਾ ਡੋਲਜਾ ਨਾ

ਵੱਖਰੀ ਹੀ ਸੰਗ ਆਉਂਦੀ ਸੀ ਮੇਰੇ ਚੇਹਰੇ ਤੇ ਜਦ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਆਪਣੇ ਵੱਲ ਵੇਖਦਾ ਪਾਉਂਦੀ ਸਾ ਇਕ ਵਾਰ ਫੇਰ ਤੋਂ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਅੱਖਾਂ ਰਾਹੀਂ ਫੋਲਜਾ ਨਾ

ਮੈਂ ਤੇਰੀ ਆ ਪਤਾ ਨਈ ਕਿਨਿਆ ਜਨਮਾ ਤੋਂ ਨਈ ਹੋਣਾ ਤੂੰ ਮੇਰਾ ਚੱਲ ਤੇਰੀ ਮਰਜੀ ਪਰ ਮੇਰੇ ਨਾਲ ਦੋ ਕੁ ਬੋਲ ਮਿੱਠੜੇ ਬੋਲਜਾ ਨਾ

ਆਜਾ ਇਕ ਵਾਰ ਫੇਰ ਤੋਂ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਰੋਲਜਾ ਨਾ

-Lvbrdz

ik vaari fer toh mainu rolja naa

Jo main sunna chahundi aa tu muho bolja naa

teri ban ban behan da nazara kuch hor si ik vari fer toh oh jannat da darwaja kholja naa

meriya jhanjran de sur badal jande san taal badal jandi si ik var fer toh mere nal thora jeha dolja naa

vakhri hi sang aundi si mere chehre te jad tainu apne val vekhda paundi saa ik var fer toh mainu akha rahi folja naa

main teri aa pata nai kinya janma toh nai hona tu mera chal teri marji par mere nal do ku bol mithre bolja naa

aja ik vaar fer toh mainu rolja naa

-Lvbrdz

Once Again (English Translation)

Once again ruin me please

What I want to hear from you talk through your lips

To be by your side Was an insight of a mystic world Once again open that gate of heaven for me

Of my anklets The tone would change The rhythm used to change Once again swirl with the movement of my feet

I used to feel shy blushing appears on my face When I see you steal my glance Once again Through your eyes look within me

I am all yours I don't know from how many lives I understand that you will never be mine Go as you please But speak few words of kindness with me

Come one more time Once again Ruin me please

-Lvbrdz

[toaarcan]

Gavla's fingers lit up with healing light for a moment, and she pressed her hand against Ahkmou's arm. For a few seconds, the light suffused across his body, before Ahkmou contorted, snarling in pain.

Then, with the sound of metal tearing apart, the armour exploded off of the limb, which ripped itself into a mass of writhing tendrils, all made of fused flesh and bone, metal and stone, all thrashing at Gavla as he tried to keep it away from any of his comrades.

So, yeah, fun fact, you can do things like this with HeroForge now.

This is also a modified excerpt from that ill-fated Bonkle-flavoured D&D game that I've mentioned a few times. Ahkmou, having reached deeply into the Shard of Makuta buried within his core during a particularly gruelling journey through the Underdark, finds that it has mutated his body to the point that his left arm is no longer mechanical, and does this whenever exposed to the healing light of Mata Nui.

It's probably fine.

[maihonhassan]

ایک ہی تو ہوس رہی ہے ہمیں , اپنی حالت تباہ کی جائے

“Ek hi to hawas rahi hai humein, apni haalat tabaah ki jaaye”

“We have only one desire, may our condition be ruined.”

- Jaun Eliya

[skylinx2o]

Bionicle dream

Some time ago I had a dream about Bionicle, and wanted to draw it. To be clear, it wasn't '’the’’ dream, I never had one of those. In this dream, I went into the world of Bionicle.

So have a drawing of me and Nokama just walking :)

In that dream, I woke up in some ruined building in I’m guessing Ga-Metru. I think there was a hole in the ceiling, so maybe I fell through there? I for some reason was wearing clothes similar to those I drew in the picture, and had a wooden mask that was painted to resemble Kanohi Pakari.

Anyway, as I was laying confused in the rubble, Nokama came in. She stopped in her tracks when she saw me. We stared at each other confused for a few seconds, and then she finally asked ‘’What are you doing here???’’ And I was like ‘’Girl, I have noooo idea :I’’ My mind kinda skipped a few scenes, but I assume she asked me a lot more questions, and questioned who or what I am... ANYWAY, she ended up taking me on a trip to see Ga-Metru :] And she held my hand the whole dream. I, an almost 20 years old person, was led around like a child on a school trip by matoran Nokama 😭 lol

So I’m listening to Nokama talking about the city, and we’re stopped by no other than Whenua! He explained that he heard about a new weird Rahi in Ga-Metru and came to check it out. Well, I was that weird Rahi turns out lol. Nokama argued with him for a while since I can speak, understand everything they say, and I’m friendly and stuff... In the end he agreed that I’m not a threat or anything BUT WOOPS, someone called vahki on me :] And since both Nokama and Whenua were seen with me, and don’t really want me to be locked up, we raaan awaaaay We ran all the way to Ta-Metru, and ended up bumping into Vakama. So I made three people from the metru team meet prematurely somehow. He, of course, showered us with types of questions like ‘‘what the hell is that thing’' and, ‘‘what are you doing here, and why are you being chased’'. So we roped him in into that mess against his will, and let me tell you he was not happy xD

At some point we got cornered and were hiding behind some building. The three argued how they are supposed to hide me, and what would they even do with me after, and i just kinda stood there and looked at them. But while they argued, I think the floor beneath me broke, and I fell down. They tried to catch me but were too late, and as they screamed after me, I woke up :I If you’re wondering how I remembered all of this, the second I woke up, I lunged for my phone and noted all of this down. No way in hell am I forgetting this >:0 But yeah, it was a wild ride :v I worked on the drawing for a few weeks (university is to blame, I have no time for anything), and I don’t know if it’s presentable or not, but I don’t really care, it’s good enough for me.

I based the height difference on what I found on the internet, and the chart below. The proportions may look a little wonky, because the matoran have funny proportions, and it kinda doesn’t mesh well with my artstyle.

But hopefully it’s not that bad from your perspective 💀

[bionicle-ramblings]

So with the popularity of the "first part" of this idea, I'm going to be making a second part, and this goes into the Hordika arc

Tldr for the last part: Rather than Vakama being chosen as a Toa, Takua is chosen instead and these are just rambly ideas I have surrounding the idea. Concretely, Takua and the other Toa Metru are still dysfunctional and only just get along, but they still care about each other, kinda. Vakama is with them on a forced vacation, thanks to Takua, but better to be on vacation than be put into a storage container that wipes your memory

While on half the team, mainly Nuju, Onewa, and Whenua, are captured, Takua, Nokama, Matau, and a very displeased Vakama escape

Something else I want to add, an idea I had for this sort of AU was Vakama sticking with the Toa to help them, as they have a deal and he's just a good little guy, he is still on watch by both Vahki(finally got it right) and other Matoran, mainly Nurhii and Ahkmou, who both try and narrowly succeed in getting Vakama and the Toa captured. Idk, something to sell the idea that not even Vakama, an esteemed and highly regarded mask maker in Ta-Metru, is safe.

Going onward and skipping a few events, because I'll talk about them later, with the Hordika arc, it might go something like this:

The toa team does get to Metru-Nui once more and sees it in ruin. Vakama is obviously with them for safety reasons and Takua just carries him in his back to keep a better eye on him. While there is still the talk of the breached archives and visorak, there is a verbal scuffle between Takua, Matau, and Vakama

Vakama votes they keep going and save the matoran, as that's what they came to do and the sooner the job is done and everyone is safe, the better

Matau agrees with saving the matoran, but isn't keen on rushing in or taking orders from a matoran; he is a Toa-Hero, so he will be treated like one

Takua, on the completely other hand, wants the team to ditch the city for now, opting to instead find a way to clear the city of Rahi, Visorak, and other nasties before attempting to save the matoran; they'll be putting everyone at risk if they don't take care of any threats before hand

The team is divided, but, in a twist, Onewa agrees with Takua. They can fight through the city and to the colosseum, but they'll exhaust themselves and will need their strength and a good transport to save the matoran

Before there's more discussion, the team is ambushed, shot by the Visorak's launchers and sent falling to the groud, most of them paralyzed and falling on top of each other. The only one relatively unaffected is Vakama, who's experiencing second hand effects and is having trouble standing properly. Takua checks on everyone and while they're mostly unharmed, Matau is not happy because they fell for a trap

Vakama has nothing to really add because he's frozen in terror at seeing the Visorak for himself, a bigngroup of them hissing and crying out to claim victory on capturing the toa. Takua manages to tell Vakama to just run as they're swarmed and captured, though Vakama is chased and ultimately rescued from one of the spiders

His rescuer pulls him onto a decrepit buidling, maybe even flies off with him, and Vakama is equally scared and overwhelmed with what's happening

Back with the toa, they're all in web cacoons and have an awesome view of what will be their death, and an adoring audience of Visorak that can't wait to watch. Like before Matau goes for Takua, but Takua, in pain and guilty about letting everyone down, snaps at Matau, demanding to know what he wants from Takua because he tried to lead them and protect the matoran. He tried his best. Sure, he was never meant to be a toa, but there's nothing he can do now and there's no changing it because he can't just bring Lhikan back and make him change things

Weeeeeeeeell, he speaks too soon and the toa transform into the Toa Hordika, all of them bursting out of their cocoons and falling down, though Takua latches onto a web and catches Nuju. He apologizes to Nokama for everything, and for letting everyone down, right before the web snaps

Everyone falls, but they're saved by the Rahaga, who get them to safety and also reveal that Vakama is perfectly safe, a bit shaken and stirred, but safe, much to the Toa's relief

Matau, however, is more distressed at being a monster and seeing the rest of his team, minus Vakama, is the same. He feels a little better to hear Takua isn't planning anything, but they need to remedy their situation

This mostly paid out like it did in Canon, but with Vakama usually seen on Takua's back and with Takua snapping at anyone who gets too close to Vakama, acting as a sort of guard than anything else. It still scares everyone, but it becomes a problem when Onewa says something about their situation as a joke and pats Vakama on the back, causing Takua to lunge at him and nearly shoot him with his launcher, but realizing what he's doing as he catches the fearful look in everyone's faces. With nothing to say, Takua runs off, overwhelmed, and Norik follows him

Despite some comfort, Takua still goes off on his own and wins up being captured, thoughhe isn't won over by the propostion to have a better team. He actually pretends to go along with it for a while before having a moment of, "If I can't be better for my team, I'll be worse against them." He does capture the other Rahaga, but also gives them a tool or something to escape when they need to, even doing a slight of hand and winking at them because Roodaka and Sidorak are watching

Woth the other toa, they realize something's up when Takua does not return, and Vakama is reserved because of it, evidenced by how he is quiet with the others and a little hostile towards Matau, even when Matau admits he was hard on Vakama

They do find out what's happened to Takua and also find Keetongu, but the final battle is different as Vakama joins the fight, though he's on Matau's back and armed with a spear or slingshot

What ultimately gets Takua to fight Matau is actually seeing Matau near Vakama, Takua growling to hand Vakama over before he makes Matau regret it. Vakama actually speaks up and tells Takua that he's only going with him if Takua is with the others, saying they're at the colosseum to rescue Takua and the matoran

It doesn't work and Takua shoots the webs Matau is holding onto. He and Vakama are safe, but Vakama scrambles up the webs to get away from Takua, who's more or less gone into feral protection mode and is caught between keeping Matau away from Vakama and getting to Vakama to make sure he's safe

Thankfully for Vakama, the Rahaga free themselves and offer him a lift, so Matau and Takua have no distractions in their fight, which plays out like the original, but Matau assures Takua that whether he was chosen or not he is a toa, he is their brother, their leader, MATAU'S leader. They have a job to do and they can't get it done without him, that his plan would have worked and Matau didn't see that and he's more than sorry for it

When Matau starts falling, Takua catches him, having come to his senses, and rather than race down to the battle field from the top of the colosseum, Takua has a better idea: use the webbing as a bungee cord and jump off the side of the building. Spoiler alert: it works almost flawlessly

Roodaka is taken down, Takua sets the Visorak free from her, and he talks smack, and the toa are restored to their old selves, able to save the rest of the matoran and take them to Mata-Nui

Bit of a long sequel, very mush a "muscle pulling reach" with this one, but still, hope you enjoyed!!

[toa-ahkmou]

OOC: I think we're actually done this time.

Hello, everyone. I am @toaarcan, the writer behind both this blog, and @ghost-of-destiny. If you were a reader of either of these blogs, then you've probably noticed that everything has been very quiet for a while now.

I know some people are still enjoying what we did, because every day I get likes on some of the threads we did. And, unfortunately, I doubt there will be any more.

There's been a general decline in interest from all parties, in fact, I was one of the last ones consistently posting, as most other people just weren't around anymore. For some, Life Stuff just became too much of an obstacle. For others, the overall story was shifting in a different direction to what they'd been interested in. For some, it was just the sheer difficulty of being caught up on a story spread across a dozen blogs on a website that's actively hostile to searches.

That last one's pretty ironic considering that we were writing fanfic for a series that died because its story got too convoluted and hard to follow.

There's also another thing.

There was a D&D game. It went badly.

Actually, that's an oversimplification, but what happened was that a bunch of the most active and plot-critical players in what we referred to as "Tumblrverse" banded together to play D&D. We mostly used D&D-ified versions of our Bionicle characters and played by post on Discord. I will not be naming any names here besides my own, because I don't want this to feel like I'm airing other people's dirty laundry... but given that I have to make this disclaimer, you can probably tell that things went sideways.

At first, it worked really well! But we made one mistake right from the off: The chat was always running. It was always online. 24/7 D&D. If the DM wasn't around to make the bad guys do things, we were still active in there, chatting, shooting the breeze, and arguing. And for most of us, it took pretty much all of our creative juices.

The game, Ruins and Rahi, ran for about two years, of constant play, and things fell apart majorly toward the end, and a lot of those cracks first formed early on.

Fitting for a D&D game played by Tumblr people, there was a very "Yes, and" approach to things, and that translated to "Any player can introduce lore and suggest plot twists for their character, and everyone else just has to roll with it." We also made the critical mistake of not having a Session 0, and not establishing safety tools, so if one of these elements was an issue for someone else in the group... well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest.

Very early on, I basically introduced voluntary PvP into the game, as one of my characters had a freak-out and turned into a villain. I wanted to redeem this character, and I wanted it to be a slow, painful thing where she had to come to turns with her own morality and maybe backslide a few times. This did not work out. It mainly didn't work out because... well, I did kill another player character.

Now, this death was something the player chose to do, and was approved by the DM, and only then was it actually pitched to me. In terms of the chain of responsibility for that one, I was a solid third place of three people. Buuuut that didn't mean that it didn't become basically My Fault for the rest of the game.

This resulted in a lot of arguments, that ran for hours on end, and that's a problem in D&D because of character bleed.

In any D&D game, the player's personality and morality will bleed into their character. You've got to be real damn good to avoid it. This is why almost none of my evil characters stay evil. I just can't do it for long periods of time. And this means that, if you start having arguments in-character about the actions those characters took, eventually... you're just yelling at your friends. Often for things that either weren't entirely their fault, or weren't their fault at all.

By the time the game staggered to a close, everyone was kinda mad at each other, and there was no way to save it. The bad choices we'd all made without really talking to each other about it in advance finally became too heavy to ignore. Three of us dipped in quick succession and it collapsed in on itself.

And when you've spent several months wallowing in bitterness and half-sniping at each other, another collaborative writing project is somewhat hard to jump back into. Especially when you then make the collective decision to partake in a dedicated Discord channel for... oversharing and it immediately devolves into more sniping, this time without any veneer of roleplaying as someone else.

This is, in part, an open apology for the things I said and did during those few months, because I don't like the version of myself I became during that time. We were having fun with it until suddenly we weren't and it went too far. And it's left a bunch of us with irreconcilable differences and a few scars that mean that some of us just can't or won't talk to each other anymore. Like there are those among our number that literally can't be in the same space as each other anymore, and I've had to talk about R&R with my therapist, because as much as I'm still attached to some of the characters and some of the narrative, the way things fell apart is something that I dread a repeat of, both on my end, and on others'.

We made a few more attempts to get things rolling again on here after that. In fact, the False Flag megathread was entirely post-R&R, if I'm remembering right. But the life had gone out of it. False Flag was basically the only thread happening, and it slowed and slowed and slowed until it wasn't updating anymore either. I suggested maybe retooling the ending to turn it into more of a conclusion, but nothing more was done.

The Discord channel we used to use to plan stuff has been dead since May. We weren't talking about new threads, but about why the whole thing fell apart and what we could do to replace it. No suggestions for the latter stuck.

I think we're done. Not just me, but everyone else too.

ToaArcan, player of Ahkmou and Matoro, signing off.

[an-apocalypse-of-magpies]

Nailu, Toa of Psionics

Nailu was never going to have it easy. Inheriting a ruined land, following in the (metaphorical) footsteps of Cekaha, the leader of the last band of Toa on Pazu Nui. But add on top powerful telepathy that makes civilisation unbearably noisy as she is unable to tune out everybody’s thoughts, Nailu is a lone wolf of the Toa who doesn’t exactly work alone but isn’t looking for friends either. She excels at long-range support, her Scramble Rifle having an effective range of about 10 kios and allowing her to discharge a powerful psionic bolt that overloads the senses of its target, outright killing weaker-minded beings. She gets on better with Rahi, whose more simple and uncomplicated thoughts are more bearable to her, and she uses them as her protectors and messengers. Nailu wears the Kanohi Taninsha, the Mask of Foresight, to pre-empt her opponent’s moves and lead her shots with uncanny precision.

Autistic bonkles? Autistic bonkles. Nailu is an adaptation of the old trope of the psychic who can’t turn off their powers, so she lives in isolation, but the analogue to sensory overload was too good to pass up. I also wanted to make a Sniper Wolf-esque ranger character, to complement Bionicle’s usual melee fighters (for obvious reasons, given Lego’s anti-violence stance). I really got to play a lot with the metallic and sand blue colours here, using lots of System parts for the Scramble Rifle. Side note, that part for the barrel of the rifle is one of my favourite Lego parts ever, ever since I first saw it on Anakin’s podracer in the Star Wars Episode 1 sets.

Voya Nui Online Game Vision Mask design by Rothanak