#toa is not a story about the hero being doomed

[the-ant-in-amber]

I feel like me and anon will just have to agree to disagree on this one 😅

interesting arguments made. i would also bring up that apollo also found out about the prophecy when he shouldn't have and my little explanation for that earlier was that He Just Knew instinctively even while he was dying because i thought that was a bit funny. god of prophecy and knowledge and all that, but if we're going more in-depth:

just because apollo/lester was "destroyed" does not mean he's entirely gone, and the fact that he's hallucinating in the first place proves it. helios, for example, despite disappearing for millennia, got gathered together by medea so he could be shoved into caligula. also every time apollo stays away from the sun palace for too long apparently it goes back to helios's scent of Axe Body Spray.

not all of apollo's essence would've been thrown into chaos. there's still the question of how zeus stripped his immortality and what happened to it while apollo was mortal. though it's implied that over time, apollo manages to take it back, the fact is that he still didn't have all the godly strength he needed to pull himself up. there's still a bit of his essence which he doesn't have control of, probably in zeus's possession or something. that essence could still, in theory, use his power of foresight and gain bits of knowledge, subconsciously adding that information into his hallucinations (almost like dreams, but it’s something he wants to see being mixed in with little pieces of prophetic knowledge rather than a future or past event) but be too weak to do anything else (especially since it isn’t in his control) like how harpocrates couldn't break his bonds or helios didn't come back until medea gathered his essence. but even with that slight hope, the situation is still bad since he can’t tap into that essence anymore. he Can’t take it back like earlier because there is No One to take it back. it’s all he is now, and all he is now is not in control of himself. he’s like metis now Lol.

but i bring up helios because in theory, this could mean someone like medea could gather that tiny bit of essence and somehow. idk. find a surrogate ig. this is all thought up of in the moment btw i know its Rough.

(in reference to this and this ask)

@the-ant-in-amber hallucination anon is back with receipts!!!!!

[makutaservaela]

Bio-Parenting Context and Masterlist

What happens when beings who have existed for 100,000 years without even knowing what children are are suddenly raising them?

This story follows three sets of parents:

Hahli and Jaller and their twin daughters Baina the Toa and Zaraki the Skakdi

Brutaka and Lariska and their daughter Zaani the Vortixx.

Chirox and Vamprah and their daughter Terix the Makuta. (Originally her name was "Tarix", and is spelled that way in earlier comics, but her name was later retconned when I was reminded a canon character has that name).

Bio-Parenting Logos: Makuta Toa

Some context:

The Piraka some time ago converted Jaller, and then later Hahli, into Skakdi with the prototype Mask of Life, the Kanohi Mayeka, some time ago. The two Toa ended up converting back, but the Skakdi in them left traces, including causing their daughter Zaraki to be born a Skakdi, and allowing Baina to activate other Skakdi's elemental powers.

When the beings were converted Bio-Organic, many "unknown species" were converted into Vortixx, including Lariska. Female Vortixx can reproduce with males of other species and the result is a, usually female, Vortixx, so both Lariska and Zaani are Vortixx. Many other "Unknown Species" were converted into Glatorian (placeholder species name), including Brutaka and Axonn.

The Order brought the Makuta of Karda Nui back (tortured and nerfed) to be used as Bio-Organic Lab-Rahi, so they can study the effects of Bio-Organics on a group they knew the Toa wouldn't care about them tormenting. They eventually let the Makuta go, though. When the Makuta were initially revived, they converted Chirox into a female to even out the sexes. Krika is also a female now, although this is due to her already having been a female in disguise.

Page List: (Tumblr)

Page One: Makuta Flight School

Page Two: Baby's First Tool

Page Three: Why It's Good To Know Who Your Kids are Hanging Out With

Page Four: Makuta Tantrum

Page Five: Toa-Heroes

Page Six: Makuta Flight School (Part 2)

Page Seven: Fur-Dad

Page Eight: Little Scientist

Page Nine: Lariska's Arm

Page Ten: Mother's Honour

Page Eleven: Saving the Day!

Page Twelve: Bruiser-Class

Page Thirteen: Makuta Scientist Legend

Page Fourteen: The Mountain of DOOM!

Page Fifteen: Sleep-Time Stories

Page Sixteen: Vortixx Gathering

Page Seventeen: Skakdi Powers

Page Eighteen: The Makuta Queen

Page Nineteen: Bathtime

Page Twenty: Trouble Sleeping

The page list will be updated as more pages are released.

[kanohivolitakk]

From a heroic flame to passing of the torch: The Cleverness in Toa Lhikans writing

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Toa Lhikan is probably one of the most cleverly written and best utilized characters in all of Bionicle.

Lhikans main purpose in the story is to serve as the motivation for the Toa Metru (Vakama especially) to fight and learn their powers. Lhikan is the one who gives the Toa Metru their powers. He drives them forward, both with his absence and as a mentor figure. The Toa Metru are doing everything for finding Lhikan because they think he is the perfect hero. Lhikan is the goal, he's the thing our protagonists want, what pushes them to change and grow both physically as well as emotionally. He is also a major factor to Vakamas character arc, his death affecting him long after hes gone, like a lingering ghost. Finally, Lhikans an excellent showcase to the arcs themes of loss, duty and what it truly means to be a hero.

With all this in mind, Lhikan is basically a plotdevice character. He mainly exists to further Toa Metrus developement and the themes/ideas of the arc. Now, you could argue that every character in a story is a plotdevice, especially in a plot oriented series where characters serve the story (rather than other way around) like Bionicle. But what I mean is that Lhikan is one of those characters whose sole purpose is to serve other characters than do any meaningful stuff themselves. You know like R2D2 in Star Wars, which main purpose is to be a literal living mcguffin? Or like how a lot of japanese media have that one girl character with mysterious powers who literally just exists as a key to the series deepest mysteries and as an object the other characters fight over? Basically, Lhikans like that. While Lhikan doesnt completely lack agency (hes the one who kickstarted the plot afterall with calling the heroes to their mission and without this action Metru Nui would be doomed), he's more important in how he affects the cast than what he does himself.

But the thing is... Despite his main purpose in the story being literally the catalyst and motivation of Toa Metru, Lhikan doesn't feel like a plotdevice character. An issue with these type of characters is that often they feel like their sole purpose is to serve the plot and rest of the characters, and as such they often are rather uninteresting. You can clearly see that they only exist as a means for the plot to move forward, than anything more substantial. But Lhikan isn't like that. He's a cool badass veteran hero with a calm and friendly yet determined personality. He has some hints of an interesting personal story thanks to being the sole protector of Metru Nui who lost all his comrades as well as him having a(n at the time implied) personal connection with one of the arcs main villains. Thanks to his personality, badassness and having hints of a personal backstory Lhikan feels like a dynamic character and not like a glorified tool plotdevice characters often feel like. He's the arcs fanfavorite and probably the most popular toa that isn't part of the three main teams (Takanuva not withstanding), and for a good reason I'd say.

And that's all thanks to the cleverness in Lhikans writing.

Lhikan is written in such a way that, while he feels dynamic and active, every decision with his character is made to serve his purpose in the story, to serve as the guiding light to Toa Metru. He's written in such a way that his purpose feels hidden, like its masked (heh). Lhikan feels like a more dynamic character than he actually is and thats very delibarate, in order to make him feel like a great hero and have his absence affect the viewer just as much as it does the characters, thus making us empathize with them.

From a design and characterization point Lhikan is meant to invoke a model hero: Lhikans design is basically an expy of Tahu, right to him wearing the same Kanohi. This is delibarate, as him sharing the design with THE posterboy of toas is a shorthand for how Lhikan is a legendary hero and just as posterboy for toas in-universe like how Tahu is the posterboy of toas in our universe. Lhikans personality compliments his status as a model hero as well: he is brave, determined, viligant yet caring and compassionate. And the beginning of Legends of Metru Nui does a fantastic job showcasing Lhikans characterization at the span of 8 or so minutes.

We start the movie with Lhikan taking the toa stones and follow him during the first five minutes as he delivers them to the future toa Metru. The fact that we start with Lhikans POV makes the audience care about him, not only because hes the first thing they latch onto, but also due to his characterization. Lhikan is shown from the get go as a determined hero, willing to complete his mission and save the city he swore to protect no matter what. He's shown as a capable fighter, holding well against the formidable Dark Hunters. And while Lhikan has this sense of rigid determination, hes far from stoic as hes shown as friendly and caring from the way he talks to the future Toa Metru, addressing them in such a way that takes them to account. You can see how he is this hero that not only fights to protect the innocent, but cares about those he protects. Lhikan also is shown to have a sense of humor, with him chuckling to Matau "don't break this" while giving his Toa Stone or telling Whenua not to archieve his toa stone. Lhikans determination, his skills as a fighter and his friendly His voice acting enhances these qualities, as in every language hes given this reliable, down to earth yet heroic voice, perfect for his character.

And then we come to the scene with him and Vakama in the forge, culminating everything we know of Lhikan so far into one scene.

The scene starts with Lhikan saying with urgency that Metru Nui need saving. He sounds serious and desperate, like he sees Vakama as Metru Nuis last hope. Then the Dark Hunters show up. Lhikan fights them (quite well I might add), but is defeated and captured. Its worth noting that Lhikan isn't defeated by force but rather by Nidhiki exploiting one of Lhikans core traits: empathy and willingness to protect others at the cost of his own safety. By holding Vakama on thread, Nidhiki knows that Lhikan will give himself in to save the matoran from death, that it's in Lhikans nature to do so. "Compassion was always your weakness," the insectoid Dark Hunter says. While I wouldn't call Lhikans compassion a weakness per say, it is a trait that encaptures Lhikan very well and serves as a double edged sword. It is one of the many traits that make Lhikan a model hero and such a likeable character, but it can be exploited as seen here.

And so, after a moment of hesitation, Lhikan gives in. He drops his sword and lets himself be captured. This is such a powerful moment, as Lhikans expressions carry a sense of desparation but also determination. He doesn't want to give in, but knows its the only way to protect not only Vakama, but Metru Nui as a whole. And so, he sighs, drops his swords and gives Vakama a means to escape.

These first eight minutes are important. Not only do they serve as an introduction to Lhikan (and rest of the cast and story), they also show a more important purpose: to show how much he means to not only Vakama, our main character, but the City of Legends as whole. Lhikan is the citys last Toa, the last hero who can protect the city. As such, when he disappears, it can be seen as the citys last hope vanishing. Lhikans disappereance can be seen as the tipping point to our heroes, their call to adventure, the thing that will make them the heroes the city needs. Thing is, they don’t realize it just yet.

After that, Lhikan fades into a background for a while. But just because he he's absend doesnt mean he fades from the story. He is still in minds of toa Metru, especially Vakamas. Vakama blames himself for Lhikans disappearance, thinking he should've done something to save his hero. Were he stronger Lhikan would've not been captured. Saving Lhikan becomes an objective for Vakama, not just because of the Toas status as Metru Nuis hero, but also because of Vakamas inferiority complex. Vakama believes that he is too flawed to be a hero, too imperfect compared to Lhikan, his idol and the pure epitome of heroism. Because of this Vakama thinks Lhikan is the only one who can save Metru Nui, that he's its soul, the heart of it. Due to a warped psyche Vakama thinks its his mission to save the true hero rather than being the hero the city needs himself.

During this time, the toa metru are divided into two groups: one (Vakama, Matau, Nokama) are trying to rescue Lhikan, while the other (Nuju, Whenua, Onewa) are trying to escape the prison, as they are mentored by a mysterious helmeted stranger who serves as a quirky mentor. Unbeknowst to the latter group, this stranger is Lhikan, now Turagafied. Lhikan doesn’t reveal his identity and that’s on purpose. While the toa groups are trying to rescue Lhikan and escape the prison, they are learning skills and becoming stronger. They are becoming independent of Lhikan. This is why the “disguised” Turaga Lhikan never reveals himself til the time is right. He knows that the Toa Metru are surpassing him, that they are growing into the heroes the city needs. Were he reveal his identity now, it would just derail them of their developement

By the time Lhikans "officially" reintroduced, five of the six Metru have learned their mask powers and grown stronger. They are closer at becoming the heroes of the city. Lhikan tells the Toa Metru that the city doesn't need him any more, because the city has them now. That Lhikan has passed the torch and the Metru have become the citys protectors, the ones meant to save it from Makutas darkness. Vakama is the only one who hasn’t learned his mask powers. This is because he still believes to be in Lhikans shadow, he still believes that he isn’t the hero destined for greatness. Even after Lhikan has been revealed as a Turaga, Vakama still doesn’t believe that he should save the city. Not Lhikan.

This all changes in the climax.

Lhikans death is not only emotional and impactful, but serves an important purpose in the story. It is essentially the culmination of the metaphorical passing of torch Lhikan started at the beginning of LOM. By sacrificing himself to protect Vakama, Lhikan essentially paves the way for the new generation of heroes.  “My lifetimes journey has ended. Yours lies beyond”, he says to Vakama.

And this is the moment where Vakama gets his mask powers, because its the moment where he realizes he’s the hero now. While he hasn’t moved on from Lhikan, this is where Vakama finally comes to terms with his destiny and purpose. And as such, its where he finally gains his mask powers. It’s a culmination, a reward for Vakama letting go of Lhikan. This is also a structural reason why Lhikan dies, because he has fulfilled his purpose in the narrative. To use Bionicle terminology as an analogy, Lhikan has completed his destiny, to create the Toa Metru and guide them where they can become the heroes of the city. Lhikan isn’t needed anymore, his work is done. And so, he dies peacefully.

In conclusion Lhikan is the best glorified plotdevice character in any fiction because hes written in such a way you don't realize hes a plotdevice character yet he still fulfills his purpose as the guiding light for Toa Metru perfectly. The writing makes you care about him and be invested in him just as much as the citizens of the city he protects are, which helps us connecting with our real heroes. And thats why Lhikan is such a cleverly written character and one of the many reasons he's my favorite Toa and one of my top favorite characters in the franchise.

[beesgav]

I'm realizing I never compiled my 2007 bionicle thoughts here so

- All in all, this one was definitely... unpolished, I would say. It had a lot of moving parts and I'm not sure how well it all gelled together in the end. My foremost gripe is how many perspectives it jumps between and how short it is in comparison with, like, 2004-2006, which really wound up giving it a rushed feeling.

- once the Mahri showed up, there was very little focus on the Matoran of Mahri Nui, which is a shame because the Matoran attempting to live their lives is generally one of my favorite elements of each year. I can still recall the VNRT pretty well (sorry, Piruk, I had to look you up), and I read 2006 months ago. I read 2007 in late December and the only Matoran characters I can remember by name are Defilak and Dekar.

- i know they were a return to form in terms of the sets and they do indeed have fun designs, but... I'm sorry, the Barraki just aren't interesting villains to me. They don't have the intimidation factor of Makuta Teridax or TSO and they don't have the fun personalities and dynamics (with the heroes, at least) of the Piraka. My favorite villain was honestly Nocturn because of how weird and crazy he was.

- Other than to give Lesovikk a target to go after... why was Karzanhi here? He felt so out of place and just kind of existed to spout doom and gloom and get his ass kicked.

- that being said, though- the lotus-eating scene (the one where Karzanhi gives Lesovikk a vision of his life if he had saved his team) was a legitimately good scene and the only time Karzanhi's presence felt like it brought a new and interesting element to the story. Shame it was such a short scene, though.

- Lesovikk and Sarda (yes, I had to look his name up) deciding to travel together was nice, and threw the poor guy a bone in allowing him to reunite with a long-lost friend.

- I feel like the Toa teams, aside from the Mata, pick three characters to have as the "main" characters and let the other half fall to the wayside, and it was definitely evident here, even moreso than 06 was. It just seems there's little to no emotional arc with Kongu, Hewkii, and Nuparu, and while they did get scenes in battle where they could be cool and occasionally got to take jabs at each other's egos, they felt way more like secondary supporting characters here and were nearly indistinguishable personalitywise. Hewkii being thankful Macku taught him to swim was cute though.

- Again... I feel like so many of these problems could have been resolved, or at least mitigated, by having another hundred pages or so (bearing in mind that I’m reading a compiled digital version with some stuff like the comics thrown in) and making it similar in length to 2004.

- But I don't wanna be completely negative and there's still a bunch of stuff I liked about it so

- Ironically, for as much as I was fearing it up to finally reading it, the darkest parts were what I enjoyed the most of the whole thing. The Teridax-posessed Maxilos robot sticking with Matoro and forcing him to do his bidding was fantastically dark. I only wish, like with the majority of these things, we could've seen more about how it affected Matoro's relationships with his team and how it messed with his head and self-esteem.

- The scenes where Matoro is forced to use his mask power against his will, where he's just made to watch this horrible ability that he has work for him, were also enjoyably painful to read. Matoro is honestly the best character in this year.

- I feel like this has been mentioned in a post on its own but Matoro being the one destined to sacrifice his life to save Mata Nui and continually getting powers related to death (the soul-scouting ability made his real body lifeless and convincingly dead to everyone but Hahli, and the dead-raising one... obvi) in addition to his mask looking vaguely skull-like is such grim foreshadowing I love it.

- but also my poor boy. I want to give him a hug. He didn't deserve this ; ;

- Hahli also really shines here. I knew about the "Hahli the barbarian" line before now but I never realized how much it actually was warranted. She's so cool. She also has probably what is one of my new favorite mask powers, next to the Calix.

- oh also speaking of- the lead-in to the scene where Matoro uses his mask to raise Tuyet is preceded by the story about her and the Nui Stone in the volume I read and honestly it's one of the best short stories in the whole run.

- Matoro's sacrifice was a little confusingly-worded but was still incredibly effective. Honestly his actual death was less impactful than the reactions to it for me (Hahli recounting it to Kopeke, the Toa going "hey why didn't the Ignika teleport us all back" before Vakama explains, and particularly Nuju realizing that he not only lost his translator but also his dearest friend) so I'm glad that we got to see a little bit of that.

- I could easily be missing an element of the story (I'm pretty sure I am, actually, but I won't know for sure until I read 08) but I'm still miffed that there was no Mahri/Takanuva reunion.

- All in all... it was okay. I took a lot of issues with the technical aspects of the story, but there were still tons of elements that really shined. And, hell, I read the entirety of it in a day, so it didn't, like, /disgust/ me or anything.

I do have to admit I'm worried about 08-10. It'll be interesting to meet the Av-Matoran, and I'm excited to finally follow the Nuva (plus Taka) again, but I haven't heard great things about it. Still gonna see it to the end, ofc, but I'm worried 06 may have been the highpoint of the story.

[newathens]

Forewarning, I’m not pointing to direct evidence because, it doesn’t technically—in terms of point to a page number and section—exist. Percy, canonically, isn’t foreshadowed to die.

Haha. . .unless?

I don’t want to make this response an essay, which is why I’ve already saved one two version(s) of it that was getting to long. I can’t explain it all in one post, the levels are too deep, the red string web of conspiracy is too big, it don’t fit. I will try to make this short, but here’s the thing—

Despite HoO taking a huge dive, Trials of Apollo is absolute genius.

And while ignore everything about Trials of Apollo that would make this explanation a lot more soundproof, here’s why there’s a sense of doom, a feeling of helplessness, a sense that not everything is peachy keen in demigod town—Triumvirate is not the true big bad.

Yes, they are the main villains and they will be the ones to be fought and we will probably see a battle or two and Apollo will have to fight that giant serpent man (?), but they are not the big bad.

Zeus is the big bad. The Olympians are the big bad. And Rick is paralleling the original series with this one. 

Percy might not die, it might be another main demigod, he might just take a sharp left into grey-area land and I mean we actually have seen that foreshadowed. We have seen Percy say that he understands where Luke was coming from, we know that he feels bad about losing so many half-bloods, including Luke and Ethan. That’s an actual piece of dialogue in The Hidden Oracle. We have all of that, but I don’t care much for canonical hints about Percy. 

He is no longer our main character, he now reacts to everything as a hero who has been used and abused and thrown into hell. He has seen the gods for who they really are. And when the fight with Triumvirate is over, he knows who is truly to blame. So do our other heroes. The Olympians.

That’s why I believe, for people who are reading ToA, when you propose “Percy is going to die,” they don’t immediately dispute it. Because while, yes, the Triumvirate are dangerous, ruthless, incredibly well-constructed and fleshed out villains who are so cool, the readers know that there is no way this fifteen books series is going to end with them being the true problem. 

Because they’re not the true problem. The Olympians are and as far as foreshadowing goes, Zeus is a big contender to get ‘big bad’ stamped on his face. Jason is dead, there has to be a consequence for that. There are scenes in the books showing that Zeus does not care (in a general sense); that’s not good.

And well, a conflict with the Olympians? That can’t end well. It’s late and I don’t want this to get longer so I’m not being as detailed as I’d like, but long story short, this series can end a billion different ways. Percy could die, Annabeth could die, one of the Seven could die, two more main heroes could go, someone could be a spy(!), there might be a betrayal, Percy could go down a dark path, Zeus vs. Percy showdown (who knows), Apollo taking Chiron’s position (possibly)—

But the main situation here is that Rick is taking all of the underlying themes from the first series, all the plot points, all the small details, and he is shoving them into the light. The gods are horrendously ignorant this time around and it’s so obvious, even if Apollo isn’t focusing on that. They literally were not aware that a triad of Roman emperors was pulling the strings of a Titan war. What the hell.

And as these old conflicts of the first series coming to light, they finally need their resolutions. Which they clearly haven’t gotten, since demigods (Jason) are still dying for the gods’ business. 

And as we have learned from the original series (Luke), trying to fix these problems is a bad, bloody, and not easily achieved task.

So, you ask, is Percy going to die? Well. . .we’ll see.

majority of the ppl who are reading trials of apollo and coming to a similar conclusion: oh. . .is percy going to like. . .die in the last one?

the pjo fandom, for some reason: nah that’s not important lmao

[matau-the-228th]

Mahianō: A G2 Story

                                                   Part 4: Results

He couldn’t feel his limbs, couldn’t hear anything. His sight was blurry, and the aching on his face made Vakama was certain he was going into mask-shock. The strange and intense burning sensation from within his chest seemed to be all that was keeping him from passing out. 

The vague shapes of his Toa comrades moved about in front of him, trying to reach him or moving him out of the way from the massive blob.

He could just barely see the familiar, safe shape of his mask. If he could just touch it, everything would be fine...

Vakama’s hope, however, did not last. His mask was kicked and batted farther and farther out of his reach with every attack and counterattack from the behemoth or his allies.

Panic set in. 

He was going to die like this, wasn’t he? Vakama had been friends long ago with a stonemason who went weeks trapped under fallen debris. When they finally found her, they found that her mask had been broken. It had only taken a day, they said. Vakama could only now imagine what she had gone through.

The burning feeling continued to radiate out to his organics and armor. It was if he was on fire, his life force burning away as the feeling spread. Every second without his mask was beginning to be agony for him.

“Vakama...” Again, a voice spoke to him. “Save the heart of the city. Find Lhikan... the path.” His vision left him, replaced by images floating in his head. Six disks. A silhouette of someone... familiar. “Return him to his eternal slumber...” A shadow began to spill over the city.

A Golden mask, two horns curving down its side floated before Vakama, pure shadow spilling from its eyes. The darkness twisted into the shape of a giant. “Do not flee from doom.” Instinctively, Vakama tried move back from the truly colossal... thing, only to find a ledge behind him, dropping down, down into an abyssal sea. “Do not hide from doom.” The shadowed figure bent down, glaring at Vakama, its many eyes blazing through the holes of the mask. The figure grinned horrible white teeth. “You must fight doom.” 

The shadowed creature spoke this time. One name that chilled Vakama to his soul. ”{Makuta...}”

Vakama came to his senses shortly after. Judging from the pain in his chest and uncomfortable position on top of his mask, somehow he was hit just right so as to land on his mask. Perhaps he wasn’t going to die after all.

Quickly attaching his mask to its proper place, Vakama ran to grab his forge-hammer and regroup with the others.

He found Nuju and Matau faring the best of all, seeing as their years of climbing the within the Knowledge Tower’s Data-rooms and Chute-ducts, respectively, had made them both quite nimble. They had been slicing and stabbing at the Vahki’s arms and legs, but it healed so quickly they had given up and were catching their breath.

Onewa had lodged his mace into the Vahki again, so Whenua and Nokama begun to use it as an anchor to hold onto while trying to restrain the Vahki. Onewa had begun to lift stones from the Colosseum floor and hurling them at it whenever he had an open shot.

“Nice of you to join us, fire-spitter.” Matau huffed.

“Our attempted rescue did not have desired results.” Nuju set his ice batons down. 

“What he means is, the thingamabob kept blocking us from getting to you.” Matau rotated his sore shoulder.

“A little help would be appreciated!” Whenua called over, not quite holding the Vahki in a makeshift arm-bar. The sight of the massive Toa hanging sideways issued a chuckle from Matau.

“It seems that we are not in true danger... at least, not yet.” Nuju stood back up. “The Vahki seems to be attempting to only suppress us.”

They were shortly interrupted by Whenua landing between them. “Tell that to the Vahki.” The big Toa righted himself and dusted off, tapping Matau on the shoulder. “This is what they do during disk-dueling, right? Tag-in?”

Matau rolled his eyes. “If only you actually watched that sort of thing, big guy. We’d be done with this in seconds!” He grabbed his swords, striking a pose for those up in the stands, muttering “Massive Toa, immense strength. Won’t punch, afraid to sit on Vahki. Nice, fluffy Toa of Earth. Who would’ve thunk...?”

Picking up his batons, Nuju motioned to Vakama. “It would be wise if we relieve Onewa and Nokama as well.”

It was an ordeal, to say the least, getting Nokama untangled from the Vahki. For a scholar, she seemed to be really enthralled in being a gladiator. She had managed to perfect Whenua’s attempted arm-bar, successfully restraining the Vahki’s movements, despite their difference in size. Taking the chance, Matau aimed for its waist, slicing with all his might... and lodging one of his swords halfway through.

Nuju had used the stuck mace-and-chain’s pickaxe as a foothold, ramming the sharpened ends of his batons into the Vahki’s collarbone segment, attempting to gain some control of it’s movements that way.

It slowed just enough, allowing Nokama to let go safely and catch her breath. Vakama, in the meantime, had been alternating between using his unique forge tool as as a spear and war-hammer, but to no avail. Every move he made was batted away by the Vahki. He eventually found himself backed into a corner, unknowingly retreating from the monstrous peacekeeper.

“<Colloquialism: Resistance is Futile>”

"Who thought it was a good idea to program this thing with cliche one-liners? I want names!” Matau called over to the crowd, before turning his attention back to his stuck sword. Vakama dove through the Vahki’s legs as a hammer-like arm came down with a ground-shaking thud. Matau yelled again, haven lost his grip on his sword. “And could you please try to control that thing better?” Nuju sighed, pulling sharply back on his makeshift control sticks.

“You would be better off leaving your blade for now, Matau. You are not well versed in the way of the sword...”

“I know how to use them!” Matau interrupted, “What’s to know about swish, swish-” He stopped talking as the Vahki’s armor started to creep up his arms. “What the...”

Nuju jumped off, his ice batons disappearing into its shoulders. The crowd gasped as Matau and the weapons quickly became engulfed by the Vahki.

“<Phase 2 complete. Code: Six. Omega. Restrain. Phase 3 commencing. Combat level 6 authorized.>”

The Vahki seemed to dissolve, becoming a formless mass, swirling like the mighty winds above the sea, lashing and grabbing at everything that came near. Every so often, they could see Matau from within the mottled waves, struggling in vain against the waves.

“We have to help him!” Whenua moved forwards, only to be stopped by Nokama.

“You’d be trapped in there yourself, and where would Matau be then?” She stopped, gesturing to Nuju. “Does this look familiar to anything you two have seen, in the Archives or Data Tablets?”

Whenua shook his head, glaring at the blob. “All it looks like is a fellow Toa is in danger and we’re not trying to help. He’s probably suffocating!”

Nuju ignored him, closing his eyes. “I could throw rocks at it, knock him out of that thing.” Onewa offered. 

“Fire.” Nuju opened his eyes and looked at Vakama. “Can you create fire? Like Lhikan?”

“I-I don’t know... what does...?” Vakama stuttered “I used a light-stone before, for the furnace...”

Nuju closed his eyes again. “It seems to be composed of a certain scientist’s so-called ‘moving sand.’ Nanites, primarily silicon-based, if I am not mistaken, scholar.” Nokama nodded.

“I wasn’t sure, since Nuparu was only allowed to give us a few small samples to study at the schools...” She turned to Vakama. “You have to at least try. We will find some loose light-stones. If all else fails, try to use your hammer to pull him out. Onewa, teach him. Quickly now”

The group scattered, leaving Onewa and Vakama to face the Vahki. “So... how do I do this?”

Onewa sighed. “I barely know myself. Try and feel what it’s like to be fire? Try to ‘talk’ to your element?” He softly laughed. “Internally, I mean.”

“Alright...” If there was any time to discover his natural elemental power as a Toa, it was now. Vakama took a deep breath. 

Feel yourself become a flame, Vakama thought to himself. Feel the heat and light and burn absolutely...

... Nothing. 

No spark, no heat. 

Emotion, maybe. Rage and passion, the stories say, make up fire. 

Vakama tried to conjure up feelings of anger, of raw, unfiltered emotion. 

He did feel something. Not anger, not fire, but something else. “Onewa, hold my hammer.”

Onewa complied, grabbing the forge tool. 

"Give me five minutes.”  Vakama adjusted his mask, took another deep breath and, ignoring the yells of Onewa, jumped into the amorphous Vahki.

 It was dark, within the swirling currents. Vakama would occasionally brush the odd solid bit and grab hold, hoping for a leg or an arm of the Jungle Toa. He had to keep his breathing to a minimum.

His trusty filtration unit should hold for a while, but it was not meant to function in an environment like... well, certainly not anything at all like this.

Vakama felt a hand weakly grab his leg. 

Matau! All that was left was to get out of here... somehow. Reaching down, Vakama grabbed hold of Matau. He was moving sluggishly, floundering around. He’s running out of air. Vakama’s filtration unit had finally given up, leaving him without air as well. But he couldn’t give up now. 

But a little voice in the back of his mind whispered doubt to him. Admit defeat. You weren’t a Toa, just an ordinary citizen masquerading as some hero. Vakama struggled against the thought, against the Vahki. Against letting go of his last...

Vakama slowed his movements. Maybe his doubts were right... maybe he should stop resisting.

Nuju’s statement that the Vahki was merely trying to subdue them, maybe that’s the right idea. If they stop moving, pretend to pass out, the Vahki will let them go.

So Vakama stopped. 

And waited. 

And held his breath. 

It wasn’t working, at least, not fast enough. The Vahki still thought that Vakama was resisting, but why? His oxygen-deprived mind raced. 

He had to let go of Matau. Slowly, as if he was passing out, Vakama let go of Matau, making sure he could still reach him.

It was a major gamble.

They could both die.

He might have doomed them.

The nanite’s swirling movements slowed. Nuju was right.

Soon, Vakama found that he could breath again, each small and labored breath of air harsh and metallic-tasting. He felt his back touch gently on the stone floor of the Colosseum. Now he could make his move.

Slowly and gently, Vakama rolled over with the flow of the nanites, and wedged his fingers solidly between the stone tiles. Grabbing Matau, he moved himself forwards through the Vahki. 

For a brief moment, he saw the crowds up in the stands. Calling upon the last of his strength, Vakama pulled on Matau, throwing him out onto the Arena floor, clear of the Vahki.

The Vahki wasted no time swirling around Vakama, pulling him in again

That’s it. Vakama succeeded. Matau was free.

It would know better this time to wait after he stopped moving to start giving him breathable air.

Vakama might actually die this time.

He laughed to himself, somewhat morbidly. Almost dying, twice in one day.

Imagine that... A Toa... who’s only good... at dying.

Vakama drifted in the darkness, truly letting go this time. 

“You give up too easily, Toa of Fire.”

The voice had a mild taunting tone to it this time. 

“The prophecies tell of rage and fury...” 

It’s not like that for me, Vakama wanted to say. I’m not a real Toa of Fire. I’m certainly not the one foretold by Ekimu. 

“Does a fire choose what it burns? Does anyone choose their own destiny?”

Did it matter? Vakama was running out of air.

Something softly hit him in the head. Groggily, he looked at the glowing object.

Huh. A light-stone. 

The other Toa were outside. Trying to help him. Vakama grasped for the light-stone. He held on, the light coming and going as he faded in and out of consciousness.

He was suddenly yanked from his spot, pulled out into the blinding light of day. The sudden rush of air caused him to inhale sharply.

A chain composed of Nuju, Nokama and Whenua collapsed to the ground as Vakama landed with a thud beside them, still holding the light-stone attached to his hammer.

Whenua’s giant hand carefully picked him up, moving him clear of the Vahki. “Good job, Vakama. Take it easy for a bit.”

Matau was catching his breath next to Vakama, flat on his back, triumphantly holding his lost sword up. After a while, Vakama was able to sit up, watching as Onewa and Whenua threw light-stones into the advancing blob-Vahki. 

“You are sure you can shatter the crystals from within?” Nuju said, setting three more around Onewa.

“Yes, and hopefully you all figure out your powers soon. As much as I adore your envy, this is really tiring... and stressful.” 

The Vahki was right on top of them now, rising like a wave preparing to crash down.

Onewa nonchalantly kicked the final few stones into the mass, and clasped his hands together forcefully. The Vahki shook, then exploded outwards into a glassy pyre.

The crowd, overcoming their initial shock from the explosion, began cheering wildly.

Then all became silent as Elder Dume’s voice crackled from the speakers.

“The Great Spirits surely have guided you through your victory against the Kranua today. Truly, you are our Toa... our city’s new protectors!”

And cheering broke out again.

Part: [1] [2] [3] [4]

[kanohivolitakk]

I posted 9,663 times in 2021

968 posts created (10%)

8695 posts reblogged (90%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 9.0 posts.

I added 2,064 tags in 2021

#kirika talks - 773 posts

#bionicle - 679 posts

#nidhiki - 139 posts

#deltarune - 85 posts

#lariska - 80 posts

#kirika plays deltarune - 73 posts

#bonkle - 72 posts

#daggerspider - 71 posts

#kirikas art - 49 posts

#silly - 43 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#this is what we get when the headwriter explictly says love isn't canon yet his writing has a lot of fucking ship tease to the point its jus

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Are you really a Bionicle fan who is in for the series for the story/lore if you aren’t emotionally overinvested in at least one extremely underdeveloped and niche aspect in the series, whether that be a character, a worldbuilding thing or an underdevelopedd plotpoint

107 notes • Posted 2021-09-09 13:10:44 GMT

#4

Every now and then I choose violence

127 notes • Posted 2021-11-25 12:01:40 GMT

#3

From a heroic flame to passing of the torch: The Cleverness in Toa Lhikans writing

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Toa Lhikan is probably one of the most cleverly written and best utilized characters in all of Bionicle.

Lhikans main purpose in the story is to serve as the motivation for the Toa Metru (Vakama especially) to fight and learn their powers. Lhikan is the one who gives the Toa Metru their powers. He drives them forward, both with his absence and as a mentor figure. The Toa Metru are doing everything for finding Lhikan because they think he is the perfect hero. Lhikan is the goal, he's the thing our protagonists want, what pushes them to change and grow both physically as well as emotionally. He is also a major factor to Vakamas character arc, his death affecting him long after hes gone, like a lingering ghost. Finally, Lhikans an excellent showcase to the arcs themes of loss, duty and what it truly means to be a hero.

With all this in mind, Lhikan is basically a plotdevice character. He mainly exists to further Toa Metrus developement and the themes/ideas of the arc. Now, you could argue that every character in a story is a plotdevice, especially in a plot oriented series where characters serve the story (rather than other way around) like Bionicle. But what I mean is that Lhikan is one of those characters whose sole purpose is to serve other characters than do any meaningful stuff themselves. You know like R2D2 in Star Wars, which main purpose is to be a literal living mcguffin? Or like how a lot of japanese media have that one girl character with mysterious powers who literally just exists as a key to the series deepest mysteries and as an object the other characters fight over? Basically, Lhikans like that. While Lhikan doesnt completely lack agency (hes the one who kickstarted the plot afterall with calling the heroes to their mission and without this action Metru Nui would be doomed), he's more important in how he affects the cast than what he does himself.

But the thing is... Despite his main purpose in the story being literally the catalyst and motivation of Toa Metru, Lhikan doesn't feel like a plotdevice character. An issue with these type of characters is that often they feel like their sole purpose is to serve the plot and rest of the characters, and as such they often are rather uninteresting. You can clearly see that they only exist as a means for the plot to move forward, than anything more substantial. But Lhikan isn't like that. He's a cool badass veteran hero with a calm and friendly yet determined personality. He has some hints of an interesting personal story thanks to being the sole protector of Metru Nui who lost all his comrades as well as him having a(n at the time implied) personal connection with one of the arcs main villains. Thanks to his personality, badassness and having hints of a personal backstory Lhikan feels like a dynamic character and not like a glorified tool plotdevice characters often feel like. He's the arcs fanfavorite and probably the most popular toa that isn't part of the three main teams (Takanuva not withstanding), and for a good reason I'd say.

And that's all thanks to the cleverness in Lhikans writing.

Lhikan is written in such a way that, while he feels dynamic and active, every decision with his character is made to serve his purpose in the story, to serve as the guiding light to Toa Metru. He's written in such a way that his purpose feels hidden, like its masked (heh). Lhikan feels like a more dynamic character than he actually is and thats very delibarate, in order to make him feel like a great hero and have his absence affect the viewer just as much as it does the characters, thus making us empathize with them.

From a design and characterization point Lhikan is meant to invoke a model hero: Lhikans design is basically an expy of Tahu, right to him wearing the same Kanohi. This is delibarate, as him sharing the design with THE posterboy of toas is a shorthand for how Lhikan is a legendary hero and just as posterboy for toas in-universe like how Tahu is the posterboy of toas in our universe. Lhikans personality compliments his status as a model hero as well: he is brave, determined, viligant yet caring and compassionate. And the beginning of Legends of Metru Nui does a fantastic job showcasing Lhikans characterization at the span of 8 or so minutes.

We start the movie with Lhikan taking the toa stones and follow him during the first five minutes as he delivers them to the future toa Metru. The fact that we start with Lhikans POV makes the audience care about him, not only because hes the first thing they latch onto, but also due to his characterization. Lhikan is shown from the get go as a determined hero, willing to complete his mission and save the city he swore to protect no matter what. He's shown as a capable fighter, holding well against the formidable Dark Hunters. And while Lhikan has this sense of rigid determination, hes far from stoic as hes shown as friendly and caring from the way he talks to the future Toa Metru, addressing them in such a way that takes them to account. You can see how he is this hero that not only fights to protect the innocent, but cares about those he protects. Lhikan also is shown to have a sense of humor, with him chuckling to Matau "don't break this" while giving his Toa Stone or telling Whenua not to archieve his toa stone. Lhikans determination, his skills as a fighter and his friendly His voice acting enhances these qualities, as in every language hes given this reliable, down to earth yet heroic voice, perfect for his character.

And then we come to the scene with him and Vakama in the forge, culminating everything we know of Lhikan so far into one scene.

The scene starts with Lhikan saying with urgency that Metru Nui need saving. He sounds serious and desperate, like he sees Vakama as Metru Nuis last hope. Then the Dark Hunters show up. Lhikan fights them (quite well I might add), but is defeated and captured. Its worth noting that Lhikan isn't defeated by force but rather by Nidhiki exploiting one of Lhikans core traits: empathy and willingness to protect others at the cost of his own safety. By holding Vakama on thread, Nidhiki knows that Lhikan will give himself in to save the matoran from death, that it's in Lhikans nature to do so. "Compassion was always your weakness," the insectoid Dark Hunter says. While I wouldn't call Lhikans compassion a weakness per say, it is a trait that encaptures Lhikan very well and serves as a double edged sword. It is one of the many traits that make Lhikan a model hero and such a likeable character, but it can be exploited as seen here.

And so, after a moment of hesitation, Lhikan gives in. He drops his sword and lets himself be captured. This is such a powerful moment, as Lhikans expressions carry a sense of desparation but also determination. He doesn't want to give in, but knows its the only way to protect not only Vakama, but Metru Nui as a whole. And so, he sighs, drops his swords and gives Vakama a means to escape.

These first eight minutes are important. Not only do they serve as an introduction to Lhikan (and rest of the cast and story), they also show a more important purpose: to show how much he means to not only Vakama, our main character, but the City of Legends as whole. Lhikan is the citys last Toa, the last hero who can protect the city. As such, when he disappears, it can be seen as the citys last hope vanishing. Lhikans disappereance can be seen as the tipping point to our heroes, their call to adventure, the thing that will make them the heroes the city needs. Thing is, they don’t realize it just yet.

After that, Lhikan fades into a background for a while. But just because he he's absend doesnt mean he fades from the story. He is still in minds of toa Metru, especially Vakamas. Vakama blames himself for Lhikans disappearance, thinking he should've done something to save his hero. Were he stronger Lhikan would've not been captured. Saving Lhikan becomes an objective for Vakama, not just because of the Toas status as Metru Nuis hero, but also because of Vakamas inferiority complex. Vakama believes that he is too flawed to be a hero, too imperfect compared to Lhikan, his idol and the pure epitome of heroism. Because of this Vakama thinks Lhikan is the only one who can save Metru Nui, that he's its soul, the heart of it. Due to a warped psyche Vakama thinks its his mission to save the true hero rather than being the hero the city needs himself.

During this time, the toa metru are divided into two groups: one (Vakama, Matau, Nokama) are trying to rescue Lhikan, while the other (Nuju, Whenua, Onewa) are trying to escape the prison, as they are mentored by a mysterious helmeted stranger who serves as a quirky mentor. Unbeknowst to the latter group, this stranger is Lhikan, now Turagafied. Lhikan doesn’t reveal his identity and that’s on purpose. While the toa groups are trying to rescue Lhikan and escape the prison, they are learning skills and becoming stronger. They are becoming independent of Lhikan. This is why the “disguised” Turaga Lhikan never reveals himself til the time is right. He knows that the Toa Metru are surpassing him, that they are growing into the heroes the city needs. Were he reveal his identity now, it would just derail them of their developement

By the time Lhikans "officially" reintroduced, five of the six Metru have learned their mask powers and grown stronger. They are closer at becoming the heroes of the city. Lhikan tells the Toa Metru that the city doesn't need him any more, because the city has them now. That Lhikan has passed the torch and the Metru have become the citys protectors, the ones meant to save it from Makutas darkness. Vakama is the only one who hasn’t learned his mask powers. This is because he still believes to be in Lhikans shadow, he still believes that he isn’t the hero destined for greatness. Even after Lhikan has been revealed as a Turaga, Vakama still doesn’t believe that he should save the city. Not Lhikan.

This all changes in the climax.

Lhikans death is not only emotional and impactful, but serves an important purpose in the story. It is essentially the culmination of the metaphorical passing of torch Lhikan started at the beginning of LOM. By sacrificing himself to protect Vakama, Lhikan essentially paves the way for the new generation of heroes.  “My lifetimes journey has ended. Yours lies beyond”, he says to Vakama.

And this is the moment where Vakama gets his mask powers, because its the moment where he realizes he’s the hero now. While he hasn’t moved on from Lhikan, this is where Vakama finally comes to terms with his destiny and purpose. And as such, its where he finally gains his mask powers. It’s a culmination, a reward for Vakama letting go of Lhikan. This is also a structural reason why Lhikan dies, because he has fulfilled his purpose in the narrative. To use Bionicle terminology as an analogy, Lhikan has completed his destiny, to create the Toa Metru and guide them where they can become the heroes of the city. Lhikan isn’t needed anymore, his work is done. And so, he dies peacefully.

In conclusion Lhikan is the best glorified plotdevice character in any fiction because hes written in such a way you don't realize hes a plotdevice character yet he still fulfills his purpose as the guiding light for Toa Metru perfectly. The writing makes you care about him and be invested in him just as much as the citizens of the city he protects are, which helps us connecting with our real heroes. And thats why Lhikan is such a cleverly written character and one of the many reasons he's my favorite Toa and one of my top favorite characters in the franchise.

133 notes • Posted 2021-08-10 09:53:05 GMT

#2

In a time before time, on the mysterious island of Mata Nui, one Kirby woke up on a golden beach.

205 notes • Posted 2021-09-23 22:52:07 GMT

#1

Reading one the interviews Faber gave

and EXCUSE ME THE FUCK

232 notes • Posted 2021-08-17 16:56:17 GMT

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