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Onewa realised he had a blank slate for the Matoran on Metru Nui and did the funniest thing possible with it

Anyone else find they have really different feelings towards the Toa Metru vs the Turaga of Mata Nui, despite knowing that they're the same characters?

For me sometimes it's logical, like how Toa Matau is kind of like the dorky younger brother I wish I had, while Turaga Matau is kind of like the dorky uncle I wish I had. Other times though it's like,

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I know the Metru Arc toys get a lot of hot takes and opinions, but I'm going to add to that

I think the combo models should have included

-Bad Ending Hordika, combining them with their matching Visorak to further their mutation

-Alternate Ending Toa Metru, combing the Metru sets with the Hordika sets, having them have mild mutations left over from their mutations. Essentially working as their Nuva power up

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Taking a guess, I suppose Makuta would know of the other Matoran from his time as Dume? "Most argumentative, strong-willed, stubborn" probably translates into "other Matoran grumble about them" so, while playing the role as the elder, Makuta probably heard their names crop up a few times while dealing with disputes or while just checking in with the Matoran population. Plus, each seem to be quite big names in their respective fields.

(For me, the biggest surprise here is that Makuta thought that description applied to Vakama. Even when he becomes a Toa, it takes him a good while to stop following orders others have given him, so I doubt he was any more sure of himself as a Matoran.)

It is fascinating to hear Makuta assume that the other matoran would have made good toa because they were weak-willed enough someone could bully them into being worth something.

Also, ‘I picked the most argumentative, strong-willed, stubborn matoran I could think of’ so we know Makuta was being influenced here, but doesnt this imply he knew of them beforehand? How? I can see him knowing about Vakama as a talented mask maker, and maybe Nokama as somewhat of a threat intellectually perhaps, but why would Makuta know or care about a stone carver, a seer, and an archivist??

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Vakama chewing out Makuta is so funny, and then the tone shift at the end?? iconic???

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This story went and said the woman is 5'1" (155cm) and then referenced her "long legs" in the next sentence. How you gonna have long legs if you're only 5'1"? Is she just legs and a head?

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okay okay OKAY IM GOING TO LOSE IT OVER THIS

1. TAKUA WAS VAKAMA’S NEIGHBOR/FRIEND??? this adds SO much intrigue to Vakama’s later understanding of his differences and problems fitting in? was he ever tempted to tell Takua on Mata Nui when he saw him struggling? but how would he even understand? did he wonder if it was some side effect of what he’s been through?

2. JALLER WAS HIS FRIEND TOO?? again, this opens so many questions about how they choose to relate to the matoran later. These were their friends, their equals, they gave up their lives as toa to save them, so then they dedicate their lives to being their mentors and guides while letting them forget them completely? it’s so messed up?

3. ‘Work? That thing you do all day? That thing Takua is apparently allergic to?’ hA

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Another story aspect the writers liely wouldn't have covered with the reveal of the Red Star and its functions, but which would've had massive repercussions. Not only for the former Great Spirit Robot inhabitants but for many if not most or people on Spherus Magna:

Reviving dead GSR inhabitants (and imperfectly, at that).

That's (another piece of) world-changing information. Information some will not believe or misinterpret. Even more so if the spread of information is uneven, and gossip, rumors, and misinformation makes the truth unclear(er).

Depending on the story you want to tell and the Red Star's part in the story:

You have to consider the spiritual and philosophical consequences of upsetting different beliefs. What do life and death mean if you ccan manipulate them so?

People's grieving processes will be thrown into disarray.

Practical concerns rise about what to do with that information. An example: some GSR inhabitants start to destroy the bodies of their dead - like with burning into ashes - to save them from being resurrected.

A different reaction: Some will seek out the Red Star, hoping to find their loved ones, hoping to have them return to them.

Another reaction: Some will try to reverse-engineer the technology or adapt the Red Star. True resurrection (or so they believe, depending on the story). Some will try to reverse-engineer the technology to work native Spherus Magnans. Which hasn't even included why any of these people want to resurrect people or how, if it does work, it'll affect them.

To repeat: This would be world-changing in-universe. Actions, reactions, and consequences would spiral out of control.

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Whenua Metru + text posts/tweets

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Rahaga renders with a closeups of Norik and Iruini. I try to add a bit of their traits as toa, like the Pouks shoulder armor or Bomonga bigger lower arms and lags etc.

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Onua helps Lewa save himself by throwing down his weapons and trusting him not to hurt him. and Matau goes to Vakama and asks him to come back to him even while Vakama is halfway to killing him. and Kopaka leaps off his airship and grabs Takanuva gently by the shoulder and tells him quietly that this isn’t who he is when he’s starting to lose control. and it’s this really unexpectedly lovely theme of trusting your brother to remember himself even when he’s struggling and knowing he’s still a good person inside and forgiving him even before he’s apologized. it’s not a traditionally masculine response and I love that there’s this idea that being gentle and understanding and being there for someone is what reminds them of who they are and lets them save themselves.

however!! if your brother is poisoned by a Rahkshi and completely out of his mind and not responding to a loving “remember who you are!!” don’t stop to try and reason with him. turn him into an ice cube and get him to a Water Toa. he doesn’t need sympathy, he needs medical attention !!!! this has been a PSA thank u for your attention

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Onewa, Toa of stone

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Get this into your thick skull: Bionicle addition

All of the names in bionicle that weren’t changed after the lawsuit, the Māori people ALLOWED Lego to keep. That means it is ok to use them. And even if there were names for new characters after said lawsuit happened that seem “culturally appropriative”, don’t you think that the Māoris would sue again? They didn’t. That means it wasn’t that bad. Also, I have proof that they SPECIFICALLY ALLOWED Lego to keep using the Māori names that were chosen for the toa mata (the main cast). Don’t you think since the Māoris had a problem with some of the names, if they had a problem with the toa mata’s names, they would have pointed that out first since the toa mata are the LITERAL MAIN CHARACTERS? A huge misconception is that the Māoris “didn’t catch” some things in bionicle, this proves that theory wrong! Even if they had missed some things at first, bionicle continued for less than a DECADE after the law suit! Don’t you think that they would have sued again if they found something they missed the first time?

The island from Moana is “Monte Nui”, the island from bionicle is “mata nui”. The island from Moana is not a bionicle reference.

The name “Jaller” does not fit in with the rest of the names in bionicle. It sounds soooooooooooo yankeedoodle! Even some of the characters who got their names changed sound more like bionicles than him. Maybe they were trying to make him an American stereotype? Like, his voice sounds like a dumb surfer dude. Even Tahu, an actual surfer dude, sounds like less of a surfer dude than Baller with a J over here!

If bionicle was that bad, it would be morally wrong to keep liking it. What a person likes dictates their character, but that’s only if you know the extent of what you’re doing and keep doing it. If someone got addicted to something bad as a kid without realizing how bad it is, it may be hard to move on from it as an adult.

in jaller’s name, they changed the “a” to an “er”, I think it might be a joke similar to the “clankers” thing in the Star Wars community.

the reason why Lego won’t bring bionicle back is because they fear backlash from twitter people, but considering that most people nowadays like bionicle, I don’t think they will get much backlash. They have even changed some of the names that the Māoris let them keep, because of how scared they are! Let them know they shouldn’t!

The matoran are not racist depictions of anything. Bionicle was inspired by christen Faber’s day dreams of the pills inside of his body fighting his cancer being actually alive. The depiction of antibodies as humans in media usually have them depicted as creatures rather than people. The concept of the matoran developed over time so they were more portrayed as humans than antibodies. Also, the previous names for bionicle seem a little iffy, but they probably didn’t know that voodoo was an actual practice, and the bone heads thing… probably either had to do with the fact that blood cells come out of your bones or since the bionicles were just literal animals back then, they didn’t have any problem giving them a funny name. Another candidate for a name was literally “doo heads” for crying out loud! 😂

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We are so lucky to have so many photos of Bionicle set prototypes and cut or preliminary storyline concepts. It's a veritable treasure trove of ideas. So many things where the creators said "We almost did this, and never got around to doing this other thing." And now we can do those things. AND still have access to all the amazing work they did put out for us, on top of all our own wacky ideas. I really like it here

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Toa Tahu, the man who invented surfing

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Do you think Matoran have a concept of twins?

Like, sometimes you just get a pair of Matoran that are almost always near each other and have a striking similarity in some way, either in their appearance or in aspects of their personality. Not necessarily best friends, they may even be outright antagonistic to each other sometimes, but inseparable nonetheless. You don't include one of them in something and leave the other out, that would just be rude.

Other Onu-Matoran often make fun of Onepu's vanity. He's the only Matoran in the village to own a mirror. Occasionally, others have turned up at his hut to find him talking to it. Apparently. he sometimes calls it "brother."

Onepu knows that it's silly for a highly accomplished Matoran of his age to have an imaginary friend, and perhaps a bit vain for that imaginary friend to look very much like himself. But hey, everyone has their little quirks, right? And while he likes being one of a kind, he sometimes thinks life would be much more interesting if his mirror-brother was real.

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E.J Sue’s “Mechaforce” is one of the few “How to Draw” books I would point newbies looking to get into drawing robots to. It emphasizes knowing the basics (Very difficult to draw a robot properly if you can’t use perspective) and fundamental shapes and even arm techniques, and gives a neat insight into how mechanical forms work in art. 

These are just a few of the examples from the anatomy section of the book. It’s currently on sale on Amazon and worth checking out, though I will note it is not a “be all end all” resource, thankfully you can fill in your knowledge gaps elsewhere. 

Also since this is popping off please consider taking a look at his Tumblr! right here at E.J Sue Art 

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Demi decided to suffer and draw a quick shitty comic.

After seeing Nuju’s success with Nokama during their Voyage of Fear, Matau decided to ask for some advice.

Based on Team Fortress 2 animated short “Expiration Date”.