#Steltians

[toacody]

Krekka (2015)

As seen on film.

Source

Creator: FeroxJ

[deepsearahi]

KREKKA- 2023 VER.

After the original Lariska I teased a WIP of Krekka, but never showed the finished product as I was unhappy with it. Years later I rebuilt it, & I'm happy to finally share.

Built with Stud.io

[lemonylepid]

Vidoza, a high steltian rhotuka bass flute player, very popular around the Basin. He/They pronouns. His music is some of the first to be shared across the Signal and could be interpreted to be akin to human jazz mixed with emo rock.

[chronological-barnacle]

Vakama is baby, but he's done it before

ok so these posts by @crystaltoa and @goattypegirl have been orbiting each other in my brain for the last 36ish hours and finally coalesced into something hopefully coherent

if we run with the idea of the Vahi as a big "TIMELINE RESET" button which ensures both its own creation and un-creation, suppose it could also ensure the creation and un-creation of its own creator as an additional safeguard? suppose that, at the moment of its use, the Vahi reaches backward in its own timeline to trigger the birth/manufacturing of a Matoran imbued with the necessary metatemporal intelligence and potential for Toa-hood just in time for them to fully master the art of maskmaking before crafting the Mask of Time -- and simultaneously, resetting the new timeline to a point just before its maker would have been made. you can't have a metatemporal intelligence just operating freely, after all -- who knows what else a being of that nature might make when left to its own devices?

so: of course Vakama is only like 500-1000 years old when the Great Cataclysm strikes -- that was all the time he needed to master his craft before it was Vahi-o'clock. that's how it goes every time.

but this still leaves some issues unaddressed

canon shows no signs of the Vahi having capabilities like this. BUT we've only ever seen it wielded by Toa, who were not terribly good at it. if it takes higher levels of focus and control to unlock the timeline-resetting capabilities, perhaps it was meant for a bearer with more skill and power, experienced in the use of Legendary Kanohi...perhaps, in the event of a universe-threatening catastrophe, the Vahi was meant for Artakha to use?

but if that's the case, why would Vakama have respawned in Metru Nui instead of Artakha? maybe Metru Nui has better Maskmaking 101, maybe that's where the Great Disks usually manifest whenever the timeline resets, maybe he has showed up on Artakha's island some of the other times.....maybe he lands in whatever region the Disks have ended up by then.

so if it's not necessarily set in stone where in the MU Vakama might appear, master maskmaking, become a Toa, collect & combine the Great Disks, and forge the Vahi, then we'd need a way to ensure that the mask gets to Artakha as soon as possible upon completion no matter where it shows up. and THAT is where Voporak comes into play

inevitably, once a fresh timeline is stable, someone[s] will eventually be like "imagine if there was a Mask of Time, would that be fucked up or what" and imbue somebody else with the power to sense temporal anomalies (there'd probably also need to be a new Voporak after every reset - the Vahi would undo the previous one since someone with time-sensing abilities would likely sense that the timeline has been altered, and you can't risk that knowledge getting out if you want affairs to stay stable. gotta keep things tidy, no loose ends! so who knows how many different beings have been Voporak before our current timeline? there's no reason to assume it was a highborn Steltian every time). for an optimally stable time loop, Voporak would set out directly from Artakha, swipe the Vahi, and hightail it home

so now we can identify where the current timeline started to go askew: the Brotherhood sent our Voporak to Odina instead of Artakha, which leaves us with a Vahi-retriever loyal to TSO. at this point it still would've been possible to course-correct and undo the Cataclysm entirely, but then Vakama wielded the Vahi himself, which -- despite needing to be a Toa in order to successfully forge the mask -- he technically wasn't meant to do

(on another note, this all could inform Teridax's motivations for wanting the Vahi. perhaps he thought he could alter the timeline further in his favor somehow, in addition to speeding up the brainwashing of the Matoran)

as goattypegirl's writing on the subject already states, whatever Vakama achieved with the Mask of Time did successfully prevent the Cataclysm from destroying the GSR or wiping out all life inside, and the fact that Mata Nui's mission was a success and that Spherus Magna was restored in what should have been a doomed timeline -- essentially a time loop that never got closed -- is frankly a miracle

and the remaining Great Beings are definitely in for a shock when they learn that not only does the Vahi still physically exist, but so do Vakama and Voporak

[an-apocalypse-of-magpies]

Creeps from the Deep - Ctenoz

Ctenoz was once a Steltian of relatively low social class, serving as a slave in the court of a sadistic noble, and an unknown misdemeanour caused him to be cast into the Pit as punishment. Exposed to the Pit Mutagen, he become warped and powerful, but increasingly mindless, too used to not having to think in his work on Stelt. His body is laced with neurotoxin, making merely touching him a brush with death.

Ctenoz is, fairly obviously, based on a jellyfish and elements of nudibranches. With the Barraki representing the six main colours/elements of Bionicle, Ctenoz is going with my personal design philosophy of Lightning, with lots of turquoise and silver and light blue. I’ve been stewing the concept for a while, but my interest was piqued by Brian Ellis’ talks on his design process for Pridak. His use of red as a more unusual spot colour for the white figure gave me the idea to use yellow/bright light orange. The torso assembly is also adapted from Ellis’ prototype for Pridak, which was simplified for the final retail version. The jellyfish hood is almost entirely made from system parts, and is held together with towball joints and clip-and-handle hinges, giving it the flexibility to deform and ripple. Presented above is an artistic render, because the dark deep ocean looked really cool with this colouration, but also a posed render in neutral light, a version without the cap to show the head and chest design, and a top view of the hood detail.

[radioshackraider]

So, two things: First of all, I've never liked that Sidorak and Krekka are both Steltians but are considered different species for some weird reason. There's nothing wrong with them just being the same and having diverse body types within their species. Second of all, Sidorak is a twink. I just rebuilt his set (With some substitutions based on available parts, but I followed the instructions 100%) and he is so, so skinny. Absolutely characterizing him as an himbo twink simp. The Ken to Roodaka's Barbie.

[deleted-files]

This is one of the 3 vortixx characters that I have and one of the only two to have something written for them. This is Koga, one of the two heads of a small band of wandering mercenaries. The other being another vortixx named Upoko. Though "mercenary" is a strong word considering the group mostly takes odd-jobs here and there. Upoko insists that the group is made up of the most dangerous individuals money could buy. Consisting of: - A rougue skakdi warrior - A member of brutaka's race (who seems to be absent most of the time) - An overbearing member of krekka's race who claims she's the real group lead despite never having a plan to speak of. - An old energy hound that sleeps most of the days On to Koga himself, the character the post is about. He's a very quiet indivual, almost unusually so according to the other members of the group. He tends to groups weapons making sure that they are prepped and ready for anything. At times it almost sounds as if he's speaking to the weapons. As for his own, he carries with him a steltian "longsword" (which could be considered a greatsword for any other race) and one of the vortixx standard weapons, a casting spear, capable of limited control over the energy of a strange, small green crystal within each spear.Casting spears can not only be used traditionally but have three configurations: - A defensive configuration which creates sheilds and fires weak projecttiles - An offensive configuration which fires powerful projectiles and creates small, less durable shields - A balanced configuration (pictured above)which is able do both but excelling at neither. It is unknown where he aqquired the longsword. Perhaps it could be a trophy from a previous battle or maybe he simply bought it. Only he knows.

[thereadingaddic7]

>Own tools for self defence since that's what the Great Beings intended

>Four members of the Brotherhood of Makuta break into my hut

>"Holy Gadunka!" I say, as I grab my silver painted mask and zamor sphere launcher

>Launch a Kolhii ball sized sphere of Energized Protodermis through the first Makuta, he's dead on the spot

>Draw my disk launcher on the Vortixx, misses her entirely because the disk was from Ko-Metru and nails the neighbour's Kavinika

>Have to resort to the Cordak Blaster at the top of the stairs, six rounds loaded

>"For Mata Nui!"

>The explosions shred two Piraka in the blast, the sound sets the local Ussal population off

>Grab my Whirling Shields, charge the last terrified Steltian and break his body so badly the Red Star can't put him back together

>Just as the Great Beings intended

[wjbs-bonkle-au]

Thinking about Bionicle/TF2 crossover stuff, anyway here's what I think each class's species and element would be (plus some other characters and one non-character):

Scout - Toa of Air

Soldier - Skakdi of Fire

Pyro - Unknown

Demo - Skakdi of Water

Heavy - Steltian Bruiser

Engineer - Fe-Matoran

Medic - Vortixx

Sniper - Lariska's species

Spy - Toa of Shadows

Saxton Hale - Brutaka's species

The Administrator - Vortixx

Miss Pauling - Toa of Water

The Mann Brothers - Turaga of Stone

Merasmus - Makuta

Australium - Energised Protodermis

[dogesterone]

Alright Bionicle polls are fun so let's do another:

[kanohivolitakk]

Miserix for the ask game!

This was one I really wanted so thank you so so much for asking it ;A;

First impression

I always liked Miserix. I discovered his charater via browsing on the wiki and reading about him made me interested in him. Since my language doesn't have pronouns I thought he was female for the longest time though lmao.

Impression now

My beloved strawberry dragon ;A;!!!! I love Miserix so much, he's easily one of my favorite characters and by far the most underrated in the series. In my opinion Miserix is one of the most interesting and intriguing characters in the series with by far one of the most compelling character journeys (even if we don't see much of it on-screen). Miserix is a tragedy, someone who was ousted from his position and ended up going mad as a result of his exile and isolation for thousands upon thousands years. He lost everything: his purpose, his identity and people to trust and was left with nothing but rage and vengeance! I find characters who lose themselves in their anger and vengeance such fascinating lost souls and Miserix is no exception! He's one of those characters I love to rotate in my head and dissect from all angles, trying to understand his psyche and mindset. And it's so much fun: Miserix is so fascinating to think about both with how he was in the past and how he is in the present. Not to mention how well Miserix fits thematically to the franchises themes, in particular on it's commentary of duty, identity and authority! He's an interesting character on his own and as a part of a larger world/narrative

In addition of finding Miserix's character so fascinating, I also love him for thow badass he is. And this isn't because of his powers and feats in story: The core of Miserix's badassness (at least for me) is his indimitation factor alone.Every time Miserix is on screen he brings so much tension to the scene he is in by his mere presence, he just has that type of charisma (for lack of a better term). Like Miserix doesn't have to do anything substantial, just by being present and saying somethign (even if it's just one line) is enough to get chills. Helps that he has easily some of the best lines in the series.

But god I love Miserix so so so much. I know that people dislike the Makuta as a species/faction retcon but I think it was worth it just for Miserix's character alone. His character does so much good for the series by introducing a fascinating major player into the series mythos who reflects some of the larger themes and ideas of the series really well!

Also the funny realization that Miserix is really similar to a favorite character of mine from another fandom but said character would hate him because he hates dragons and wants them all dead and...well..Miserix is a dragon so.

Favorite moment

This is hard since I like so many Miserix's scenes but none of them stand out as his absolutely best scene...probably his "official" introduction when The Federation of Fear freed him. It did a great job establishing his character that's also a great example of the intimidation factor I talked about earlier, while also giving him some really badass lines. Also him just telling Roodaka how she shouldn't puppet him is simutaneously funny and badass.

Honorable mention to that scene he arrived to Stelt and threatens a Steltian trader due to him not telling him Teridax's location. Mainly due to it having his best line in the entire series:

“I don’t have time for this. I have places to be, and bodies to break. I want you to send out a message to all your friends, to everyone who sails in and out of this island. Tell them Miserix is back, and when I find him, Teridax is dead!”

Like man, this line is such a perfect example of what I mean when I say Miserix gets the best lines! Its just raw unadulatered badassery and I love it!

Idea for a story

Post-canon/post-reformation where he gets to heal and rehabilate himself. I'm very much of the mind tht Miserix should have a chance at redemption: Yeah sure the guy was an angry vengeful dragon fueled by murderous rage against Teridax but he wasn't really a bad person himself nor did he bad things and thus shouldn't really be punished. I don't really like how some people in the fandom treat him like a rabid animal that needs to be put down when he isn't that far gone. He deserves to live and recover! Which is what I want: him slowly recovering from his trauma and pain, and him finding a community that will support and help him. Also get this dragon therapy or anger mangment at least he needs it so badly!

I'd also like to see a story about how Miserix was like before his exile. Miserix pre-exile self fascinates me to no end and getting to see what kind of person and leader he was before Teri ousted him would be great! Just to learn more about Miserix's values, how he saw his and the brotherhoods purpose in the larger MU and what his relation was to Mata Nui would be so cool! I need character studies on this guy and I need them now!

Unpopular opinion

Miserix is not boring! It annoys me so much when so many people in the fandom dismiss him, calling him a boring and unnecessary filler character that's an example of why the serials focus on superfulous new characters was bad.. when he's not. Yes, the serials have problem of ignoring the already established characters we already know and love, instead focusing on new players or bit characters fans weren't that attached to all because they wanted to focus on the grander world and have larger stakes...but this doesn't mean the new characters the serials revolved around weren't bad, and Miserix certainly wasn't! He is a geniunely compelling character with solid characterization and people ignoring him makes me so sad :C. Especially when they say he's just a violent angry dragon with nothing else going on for him. Sure he is a violent angry dragon, but he wasn't always like that and the story how he became who he is today is geniunely one of the better character stories in the series. Not to mention how he has a bit more going on with him than just angry murder dragon, even if you ignore his past self and focus on the Miserix we see in the story. Killing Teridax is his priority for sure, but there are times when he's able to prioritize on other things and thus doesn't mention his objective. See the scene where he interacts with the Hagah for a prime example.

Another thing that bothers me about peoples takes on Miserix is how people try to categorize Miserix on whether he was a "good" or "bad" person. One of the reasons Miserix is such a fascinating character to me is due to him being one of the few characters in the series that isn't really good or evil but somewhere in between. He was someone who was rigidly loyal to his duty and purpose in the universe, but he was willing to do some shady shit for accomplishing it. And when he became an angry murder dragon he only realy wanted to kill Teridax! He didn't care about hurting anyone else, only hurt them if they came to his way.

Also on a related note, I dislike Greg saying Miserix didn't care for his duty and was just happy of the power it gave him. Miserix is a much more interesting character if he geniunely cares about his job as the guardian of the universe, if he geiunely wants to protect the world and take good care of it to the point he sees it as his entire being rather than if he was as selfish and power hungry as other Makuta and was just content of his positiion of power so didn't try to take over anything.

Favorite relationship

Tbh none of Miserixs relationships are that "developed" in canon as I wish they were (curse for lategame Bionicle prioritizing over plot over character relationships) but I find his relationship with Takadox so fascinating. The little we know is that Miserix hired Takadox to act as a brotherhood spy due to him being "corruptible" and that Takadox most likely cared of Miserix based on how he looked at him when Barraki left that meeting with BoM. And that's just so fascinating. Miserix essentially taking advantage of Takadox is a concrete example of how he did some really fucked up stuff for the greater good. It makes me wonder how much Miserix affected Takadox becoming what we see in the story proper or if he was already a slimeball and Miserix just took advantage of that. Meanwhile Takadox seems to at least somewhat genuinely care about Miserix based on his reaction, which gives an interesting layer to his character. The idea that Takadox, someone who mainly sees others as toys or obstacles, would have had someone he actually loved and cared about is soo compelling to me and for that person to be someone as powerful and menacing as Miserix makes it even better. Their relationship has so much potential and I wish we had gotten to see them interact in canon. Oh well, at least we have fancontent and headcanons to satisfy those needs!

Favorite headcanon

His voice has an incredible vocal range and as such can vary his voice to sound between extremely feminine and masculine. His "regular" speaking voice he defaults to is either androgynous or does that weird thing where he manages to sound both feminine and masculine at once. It's hard to explain what I mean but basically speaking in a way that sounds like two people speaking at once.

[datharlequinoni]

Orgonak, Steltian Rekridor warlord. Revamp of previous version.

[randomwriteronline]

part of @cantankerouscanuck's Bionicle/LU AU

The whispers had already been... Peculiar enough.

After all, as Dusk had pointed out to her deeply puzzled when Midna had casually mentioned some up and coming Cucco magnate had established her company in an abandoned factory near the outskirts of the biggest Steltian city, who in the name of Karzhani bases an up-and-coming industrial empire solely on a species of mostly flightless and often temperamental bird-like Rahi?

The following investigation had then revealed that the base of operation of the misterious "Cucco Mistress" was no less bizarre than her franchising plan.

For starters most of the structure seemed completely untouched from its previous terrible condition, courtesy of a horrid accident involving volatile chemicals, twelve unsafe power cables, safety exits the doors of which were operated via electrical current, and a tendency to cut corners by using material that was barely above waste level for the building's construction.

Furthermore, the various half-hazarded patches in missing walkways or walls or pavements were also noticeably nest-like, implying the architects bethind such avantgarde maintenance were the Cuccos themselves - a hypothesis partially corroborated by the fact that no male Vortixx worked around, on or in the factory and that the place was positively overrun with endless swarms of the small apparently inoffensive Rahi, which no doubt functioned not only as renovation crew but also a well trained and bloodthirsty security corp.

They were certainly very thorough in their search when they stopped the two females before they could enter, gently pecking at Vortixx and Toa alike to sus out anything suspicious the two of them could have carried.

Dusk's presence had however seemed to put them at ease, and the pair had been allowed to advance safely.

Midna decided to just accept that without question.

As some Matoran say, you don't look a gift Ussal crab in the mouth.

Their journey up to the supposed office was an arduous one, more for the accidental environmental hazard than the surprisingly docile Rahi themselves, who mostly clucked around and minded their business while expanding their nests.

Their surprisingly mild-mannered behaviour was perhaps the thing that put the Vortixx most on edge: to tame such a large swarm of beasts known for being able to level a small town with the same fightening ease of a Mana-Ko, or even a Tahtorak, one had to be either formidable, deranged, or formidably deranged. And she had no idea which one of those was the worst to be up against.

Just in case, she grazed Dusk's arm in a silent heed to be cautious and ready for anything.

The Toa did not turn her violet eye to meet her gaze, but she did subtly strengthen her grip around the costum made Rhotuka Cannon hanging from her back, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

A Cucco with a subtle golden sheen to its body perked up as they approached what seemed to be the only door in the whole building: it craned its flexible neck left, then right, to get a good look at them, bubbling a few clucks as if interrogating the few of its brethren that had followed the two females up until this point.

At last it straightened and crowed so loudly that the sound shook the entire structure hard enough to make the walls wobble.

"Come in!" an imperious voice called.

Oh, this was no Vortixx. She was definitely trying to sound like one, imitating their confident tone, but there was a slightly trembling quality to it which betrayed a little anxiety that no serpentine being worth her salt would have allowed herself to display.

Midna and Dusk inhaled deeply, steeling their nerves.

Whether through diplomacy or violence, they'd both be getting out of there in one piece.

The Cucco pecked the door open for them, and the magnate turned.

She was trying to shove what seemed like a modified disk launcher under what could only be described as a desk carpet - since it very much was just a chunk of an old thick carpet slapped on top of a makeshift desk held together with... A few miracles, probably, seeing the lack of any screws or glue of any kind - in a poor attempt at hiding it while appearing perfectly relaxed and at ease. The failure was evident, as they'd clearly caught her by surprise: as Midna had predicted, this unprepared mess was the furthest thing from a Vortixx one could expect.

In fact, she was a Toa.

One of colors Midna had frankly yet to see.

She narrowed her twilight eyes and flashed the Kakama-wearing magnate a grin: "Good evening, fellow entrepreneuresse," she drawled amiably.

The Toa coughed to clear her throat: "Good evening! What, what brings you, uh, here? To my - humble, beginnings?"

"Curiosity," Midna replied - which was true. "Your venture is quite the... Unusual one. You offer services of Rahi taming, I understand, considering your entourage?"

"Uh, no, just - well, yes, but only - only Cuccos."

"An excellent choice. Small, incospicuous, known for coming in large numbers... A bonafide army at your lucky client's disposal. Ah," and she elegantly gestured over at Dusk, who stood perfectly still by her side, mismatched crimson eye gleaming softly in the penumbra: "You don't mind my bodyguard watching over my visit, do you now?"

The supposed magnate nodded a bit too quickly, sparing the Toa of Twilight a glance. Then she blinked, and turned to look at her sister better: she squinted behind her mask, bent her neck forward, tilted her head...

"Dusk?" she finally asked, baffled.

Dusk squinted back at her.

Reaching out with her Psionic powers, she rummaged briefly through her sister's memories and thoughts.

Then suddenly her eyes went wide with recognition: "Linkle?"

"Yeah?" the other Toa nodded: "What are you doing here?"

Midna coughed with a sound that was closer to a growl: "I'm sorry, you know each other?"

"We trained together a while, spent time in the same fortress - what are you doing here!" Dusk replied. "The last time I saw you, you were supposed to go to a mission on Zakaz!"

"I did!"

"Did you?"

"I mean - I did leave for Zakaz, I didn't really reach it-"

"What - Linkle, Zakaz is north-west of Stelt, several kio north-west. You mean to tell me that you've been here for seven hundred years and you had no idea?"

"I didn't just stay here!" Linkle replied, almost offended. "The road there was long!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that the road there was long! The map was a mess so I had to rely on the compass, and then there was this misty island that messed up my navigation at one point, too - but they did have a really pretty city and delicious food, it was great, they let me stay there a week or so before I went on - and then in the islands I ended up there was always some kind of problem so I stuck around to help, and then I heard there might be a need for Toa back in Hyrule, and my brother, Warriors, you remember him?, he might be there? I think? So I thought to go there, but I told you, the map was a mess, so I just, you know..."

Dusk pinched the portion of her mask between her eye sockets: "You based your navigation on nothing but your compass?"

"Of course! What's wrong with that?"

"You're a Toa of Magnetism--"

"Magnetism?" Midna tried to interrupt.

"--Your powers are almost designed to mess with it, of course you never got to Zakaz!"

"My powers don't do anything to my compass!"

"You got lost, didn't you?"

"Yes, but it's not for -- and what's with you anyways? With all the dark marks and the red eye and stuff? Also is that a cannon? Can I try it?"

"Magnetism?"

Caught between two fires, Dusk held out a hand to stop the slightly younger Toa from chewing her audio receptor off, grabbed Midna with the other, and dragged the Vortixx into a corner.

"She is a Toa of Magnetism?" said being continued to think extremely loudly, eyes blown wide. "You know a Toa of Magnetism? You knew one this whole time? Do you know how few of those there are out there? She's a collector's piece! That's how few there are! In the entire universe! I've seen fellow Xians engineer weapons to kill them with! I've been at those weapons' testings!"

"Maybe don't tell her right to her face," Dusk whispered through their telepathic link, hoping she could keep her calm.

That hope proved to be in vain when the Vortixx silently shook her by the shoulders: "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for her to be here?! Even more than Xia?! How many beings would jump at the opportunity of killing her or incapacitating her to sell her to the highest bidder?! Oh, Mata Nui, of course she has all these Cuccos around her all the time, she'd never survive otherwise!"

"No, the Cuccos are just a thing she does."

"They're what?"

"It's a whole - she's always done this, it's not important right now. Midna, listen--"

"What do you mean she's always done this?!"

"It's like a hobby of hers. Midna--"

"A hobby?! She tames Cuccos as a hobby?!"

The Toa wrapped her hand around the befuddled Vortixx's long snout, using thin shadowy tendrils to hold it shut - despite the fact that, due to their conversation being completely telepathic, it was effectively completely useless to do so.

"Midna," she thought sternly into her head: "We need to go with her."

Midna blinked.

"Why?" she dared to ask.

"Because if we leave her to her sense of direction, she is going to get lost again. With her luck she might walk all the way into Karzhani. You said it yourself, she is endangered - here and everywhere else. Are you going to leave what is maybe the last Fa-Toa to die because she can't read a map?"

From Linkle's perspective, some wordless and incredibly sapphic thing was happening in a corner of her would-be office and she was awkwardly wondering if it would have been rude to shush her more curious Cuccos out of the room before they grew interested in the intense if perfectly quiet exchange going on right in front of her and tried to get a better read on the situation by pecking at the parties involved, who very likely would have not enjoyed being interrupted.

In short, she would have liked to be elsewhere.

She was as such very relieved when whatever that was ended and the two females turned back to her, perfectly composed.

"So you're not planning on staying, if I understand," Midna inquired.

"Uh... No, not really," Linkle nodded back at her. "As I said, Hyrule... My brother... You know..."

The Vortixx hummed: "Well, we won't be staying too long around here, either," she said in a casual tone. He bodyguard replied to her sideways glance with one of her own, complicity crackling between their thoughts. "Perhaps you could give us a lift to newer shores. Let's see - how would you like a cannon like Dusk's as payment?"

[ctrl-alt-tahu]

A Bionicle Advent Calendar: December 16th (Day 16)

The Prompt: Uh oh! These two idiots got themselves trapped together.

One moment, Nidhiki was in the worst pain of his life—worse than Roodaka’s rhotuka spinner working its mutations upon—and the next moment there was nothing. How long that moment lasted, he didn’t know; he was dead, gone, not present. But there was a moment after that, eventually, when he was, again, Aware.

Not aware of much, mind you, but he was aware. He couldn’t see, hear, smell, taste anything. He couldn’t feel or move anything. Somehow, he wasn’t bothered by any of this. Nothing occupied him.

<<Nidhiki!>> It was Krekka. Where he was, what he was doing, how Nidhiki knew it was him, Nidhiki couldn’t have told you, but he knew it was Krekka.

<<What?>>

<<Nidhiki! Krekka was all alone. So lonely!>>

<<Where are we?>>

<<Krekka doesn’t know. Krekka has been lonely for so long.>>

<<The last thing I remember is the storm coming, and then trying to avoid the Makuta, and then…>>

<<Shadow Hand got us.>> Krekka didn’t seem to realise what that meant.

<<We’re dead,>> said Nidhiki. <<We must be.>>

<<Not dead,>> said Krekka. <<Still thinking.>>

<<All right, smart one, where are we then? Why can’t we touch anything? Even if we’re blind and limbless, we should be able to feel something.>>

<<Not if back is broken,>> said Krekka. Nidhiki thought that was about as intelligent a remark as Krekka could make. It was still abundantly stupid.

<<I can’t feel anything with my face,>> said Nidhiki. <<I don’t think I have a face. Do you?>>

<<Have to have a face,>> averred Krekka.

<<We’re not talking,>> said Nidhiki. <<We’re… thinking? Neither of us has telepathic powers—how does that work?>>

<<Mask of Telepathy.>>

If Nidhiki could have rolled his eyes, if he could have sighed, if he could have done anything to express his exasperation, he would have, though even in full bodily form, Krekka wouldn’t have understood.

<<We’re dead, Krekka. This is the afterlife.>>

<<Don’t believe in the afterlife. There is no afterlife.>>

Nidhiki would have agreed with that statement before, but he was smart enough to reassess that in light of the present evidence.

Time, if that was even what it could be called, wore on, and nothing changed. That made sense: the afterlife may as well be endless. Why should there be time if you didn’t have a body? What was there to distinguish one moment from the next? What was there to indicate a before or an after?

Well, the answer to those questions was “Krekka.” As long as the Steltian’s mind was there with him, Nidhiki would always have a before and an after: one stupid question or thought after another.

<<Nidhiki, is someone going to save us?>>

<<No.>>

<<The Shadowed One?>>

<<No.>>

<<Ancient?>>

<<No?>>

<<Lariska?>>

<<No.>>

<<Mimic?>>

<<For Mata Nui’s sake, Krekka, NO ONE is coming to save us. We’re dead.>>

<<Okay.>>

<<Nidhiki?>>

<<… what?>>

<<Will Silence come save us>>

It had been a century, maybe a millennium. Krekka had been quiet a minute or maybe a year, when something changed. Nidhiki still couldn’t feel, see, touch, sense, or hear anything, but there was another presence.

<<Still here, Dark Hunters?>>

<<Who is that? Nidhiki, who is that?>>

<<I don’t know. Yes, mysterious one, we’re still here. Where could we go? We’re dead.>>

<<Not yet. Not so long as I live. Roodaka is coming. It will soon be time for me to wake.>>

<<Who are you?>>

<<I am to you two as I shall soon be to the entire universe: god in place of Mata Nui.>>

And then the third presence was gone. Nidhiki would have despaired if he still had a body to respond to his fear. The Shadow Hand… god in place of Mata Nui… Roodaka was coming… Roodaka belonged to the Brotherhood…

<<We’re not dead,>> he told Krekka. <<We’re in him, in the Makuta. We’re trapped—we’re trapped in here forever.>>

The horror, the terror of being trapped in a timeless void with the presence of Krekka would have overwhelmed him with despair if it hadn’t already been ten thousand years, but his utter dread was not shared by the other.

<<Nidhiki?>>

<<What?>>

<<Is Roodaka coming to save us?>>

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Immortal Virtue (part 1?)

You watch the Steltian berserker closely as you make your approach.  The hulking brute doesn’t notice you, giving you the chance to get within striking distance before springing from the bushes.  You take the berserker by surprise, dealing a string of blows with your Toa Tool before rolling clear of his counterattack.  You repeat this process several more times, but then, suddenly, you see a flash out of the corner of your eye.  A plasma turret sits atop a nearby wall, and its operator has noticed your scuffle.  Reacting quickly, you just barely manage to avoid its shot, but this leaves you no time to dodge the berserker.  He closes in and uses both fists to smash you into the ground.

You died.

The next thing you see is the Red Star.  It’s close, so close you could almost touch it, but you cannot move.  A voice whispers to you.

“Pitiable Toa, cursed with Destiny unfulfilled…though your body may perish, your soul remains compelled.”

A crack appears in the Red Star.  It widens, slightly but violently, as something thrashes against it from within.  It grows closer.  You realize that you stand upon a pile of bodies, one which grows taller by the second.

“You have been given a task to complete.  Mata Nui demands you see it through.”

An enormous metal hand breaks out of the star. The crack spreads to cross it entirely, and it splits open.  More bodies spill out, rotten and rusted with scraps of organic protodermis clinging just barely to the feverish limbs.  As the pile beneath your feet continues to grow, the contents of the star reach towards you from above.

“The Red Star shall replenish your flesh, and you will set forth again in search of your Destiny.  Woeful spirit, celestially bound…return now to the world of the living…”

The two mounds of corpses meet.  You feel something grab you as your world goes dark.

“...as an Inika.”

You open your eyes.  The hallway around you seems to be made of organic Protodermis housed in bands of metal.  Looking down at yourself, you realize that your body has changed dramatically, now with far more organic components than there should have been.  A terrible chill pierces your soul.  You get up and follow the hall, eventually coming to a laboratory filled with strange beings you’ve never seen before, armor black and purple, movements stiff and mechanical.  One of them approaches you.

“Reconstruction complete.  Depart for the Kingdoms when ready.”

They walk off with nothing more to say.  You exit the lab through a different hallway, and before long you bump into a fellow Toa.  He looks you up and down.

“You seem confused.  First time here, maybe?”

You nod.

“Ah, that explains it.  Well, friend, welcome aboard the Red Star.  Name’s Zykard.  I’ll be happy to answer some questions to get you on your feet.”

You ask him if this is really the Red Star.

“Hard to believe, eh?  I always thought it was just a ghost story used to keep Toa motivated. Now that I know it’s true, I wish more than ever it weren’t.  But it’s just like the tales say: a purgatory that ensnares the souls of Toa who die without completing their Destiny.  We’ll keep being brought back to life, again and again, until we’re able to fulfill that immortal virtue.  Supposedly, we’ll be able to move on then, but…hard to say for sure, you know?”

You ask him why your new body looks so strange.

“The beings who run this place—the Kestora—aren’t exactly the best at what they do.  The bodies they build aren’t very sturdy…aren’t exactly pretty, either. But, you get used to it eventually.”

You note that he looks just fine.

“Right, I was getting to that.  You know those Suva shrines scattered across the realm? Turns out they do something after all. Now that you’re an Inika, you can instantly move between them, or use them to get back here if you want.  But more importantly, they also have a function to restore your original body.  It’s not free, though: you’ll need to feed the Suva a Heartlight in order to initiate the process.  I know, I know it’s grotesque, not the sort of thing a Toa would normally do.  But like I said, these Kestora-made bodies aren’t very sturdy.  If you’re aiming to actually fulfill your Destiny, you just might need every advantage you can get.  Something to think about.”

You shudder, but drop the issue.  Instead, you ask Zykard about his Destiny.

“Hah!  Same as you! Same as everyone else trapped in this place.  The Great Spirit’s gotten awfully desperate to be rid of those Barraki controlling the Kingdoms, so he’s been giving every Toa he can find the Destiny to defeat them once and for all.  Must think that if he throws enough bodies at the problem, something eventually has to give.”

Before you leave, you ask Zykard if there’s anything else you should know.

“The situation’s about the same for us as it is for regular folk.  Though there are a bunch of Inika getting together to plan a big raid on Pridak’s castle in Xia; suppose you could join them if you like.  Me, I’m more interested in taking down Carapar, of the southern Kingdom.  If you hear anything about that region, would you let me know?”

You agree, and thank Zykard for everything. You part ways then, and follow the hall until it ends in a small room with a faintly-glowing Suva.  When you touch it, the world warps around you, and you find yourself in a shack along the coast somewhere, another Suva nearby in case you wish to head back.  You pick a direction and start walking.

Your new body takes some getting used to.  You die numerous times as you work your way across the Northern Continent, each time waking up back on the Red Star and heading right out again.  A mad Blade Burrower alone kills you nearly a dozen times, and that’s what finally prompts you to use one of the Heartlights you stumbled across to restore your original body—with that done, you slay the Rahi with ease.  You encounter others every now and then, sometimes fellow Inika with intel to exchange, sometimes regular people in need of assistance. You do everything you can, but it seems all those you try to save wind up meeting an unfortunate end nonetheless. You try not to think too hard about what the Nui-Rama did to that village while you were gone.  All that truly matters, you tell yourself, is taking down the Barraki, to fulfill your Destiny and bring peace back to the realm. Until then, you cannot stop.

The path finally leads you to the fortress of Kalmah, Constrictor of Souls and Barraki of the Northwest.  After taking a long, long time to survey the place, you manage to isolate a gap in the patrols—your best chance at getting in without any trouble.  You wait until nightfall to be extra safe, and then make it inside the fortress. The floor shifts when you step on it. Fire pours down from the ceiling, smothering you entirely.

You died.

That’s far from the only trap you fall to as you slowly but surely progress through the fortress.  You’ve more or less figured out how to handle the soldiers you come across, at least, but even they get the jump on you more times than you’d like to admit.  After what feels like ages, you emerge from a corridor into an armory full of half-empty shelves and cracked, decaying trophies.  A chest on the far side of the room catches your eye.  You advance with utmost caution, and that gives you just enough time to sidestep the electrified blade that comes flying at you.

“I’ve been watching you, Inika,” calls a voice from the dark corners of the armory.  “You have the fervor of a fresh recruit.  None of your kind who have been fighting for any amount of time are able to push on as stubbornly as you.”

You point your tool in the direction the voice seems to be coming from, hurling an elemental blast.  The voice continues from your other side.

“I’m thrilled that Lord Kalmah has ordered me to dispose of you.  It’s been far, far too long since I’ve hunted even half-capable prey.”

Another blade shoots out of the darkness.  You duck, and as you come up to fire another blast, something else dashes at you too quick to see, raking blades over your chest before letting you tumble into a wall.  Quick as you can, you stand back up, but your foe has disappeared already. You keep your back to the wall and closely watch the darkness.  The flare your enemy lights catches you totally off-guard.  You recoil and shut your eyes, and the next thing you know, a metal-plated claw grabs your head and smashes it back into the wall to keep you stunned while another buries itself in your gut.  You catch only a glimpse of the foe’s boots as your body hits the floor.

“Hmph…killing Inika is so unsatisfying,” you hear him say. “Give me more of a challenge when you come back.”

You died.

When you awaken on the Red Star, you almost immediately bump into Zykard.  He says, “Nice to see you again.  How have you fared?”

You tell him that you pushed deep into Kalmah’s fortress, before someone swiftly put you in your place.

“Well!  Not bad at all for a newcomer.  Most Inika are at it for at least a few weeks before they get their skull bashed in by one of the Barraki’s lieutenants.”

You ask if he knows anything about the enemy in Kalmah’s armory.

“Afraid I’ve never ventured that far north, but what you said brings to mind a story I’ve heard.  Vaikav used to live up there, I think—always talked about some famous hunter who ended up in Kalmah’s ranks one way or another.  Try asking him.”

You thank Zykard and leave to search for Vaikav. After searching what seems like every last corner of the Red Star, you finally manage to find him, slumped against a wall sharpening his blade.

“You want something?”

You ask to hear about the hunter from the Northern Continent.

“Oh, so that’s it.  The Warden of Gloomwater gotcha, did he?  Heh…can’t tell you anything you’ll wanna hear, mate.  Only good news for you is that he’s holed up in Castle Kalmah these days.  Otherwise, he’d chase you across the Kingdoms and beyond, and kill you over and over until your mind crumbles completely.”

You say you’d still appreciate whatever information he’s willing to offer.  Vaikav leans forward.

“You’re not seriously thinking of going back to fight him, are you?  Forget it! No half-alive Toa is a match for Dekar, ‘specially not if you’re fighting in his court.  What’s the most vicious Rahi you can think of?  Dire Muaka?  Or maybe something more sinister, like a blood Fikou?  He’s hunted ‘em all.  Probably would’ve wiped out everything on the Tren Krom Peninsula if Kalmah hadn’t snatched him up.  So unless you think you’re a step above the whole bloody food chain, count yourself lucky, and don’t ever go near Dekar’s territory again.”

You tell him that beating Dekar might be necessary to get to Kalmah.  He laughs at you.

“You are new, aren’t you?  Don’t you get it?  Our ‘Destiny’ is impossible!  Defeat the Barraki—hah!  Like we’d ever stand a chance!”

You ask if that means he’s given up.

“In any immediate sort of way, yes.  I’m gonna play to the strengths of this cursed body and wait them out.  Only a matter of time before the Barraki croak, either from old age or from disagreeing with each other.  Until then, I’m not setting foot near any of ‘em.  I’d suggest you do the same.”

You see no reason to continue the conversation. You head back to the Red Star’s Suva, but rather than going straight back to Kalmah’s fortress, you travel to a Suva just outside it.  If you can’t get more information, you can at least hone your skills and search for better equipment—with this goal in mind, you venture off towards unexplored land with your senses on full alert.  You’re not beaten yet.

[kai-borg]

Steletian/Whatever Sidorak’s species is called joke headcanon

A’ight, so, upon further contemplation I have come to the realization that maybe, just maybe, people don’t really want to reblog one massive post just for a single little joke headcanon, be that to show they like it, or want to comment/add to it.

So here you go! One joke headcanon about Sidorak’s species free of a massive post block for whomever may want it!

-====================================================-

As one can see (upon checking this post) Nille (the name I’ve given to my tall, keetongu orange, green, and gold friend) is rather… ‘extravagant’ looking. Especially in comparison to his much smaller, more ‘dulled-down’ mate, Guhra.

At first, this wasn’t really planned, just started building and once I was done I realized how well, like, blatantly different the two were. Combine that with the somewhat more ‘feminine’ styled ‘hair’ I’d given to the second, smaller one of the two, and, well… that section of my brain that keeps spitting out all my weird character ideas, AU’s, and everything related started kicking! And from that emerged my newest ‘headcanon’.

Basically I kinda had this idea that, what if Sidorak’s species were kind of like peacocks, or similar birds. You know, the male’s are real colourful, flamboyant, and flashy. Also typically probably larger than the females (though this does not mean it’s by a high percent, nor that said females are any weaker (if not even stronger)), and typically try to gain a mate through lots of posturing, looks, and giving them random little (and sometimes big) gifts all in an attempt to better curry favour with them.

Heck, this even works with, and honestly kinda makes sense with Sidorak’s own courting attempts towards Roodaka.

Every scene he’s in he’s acting flamboyant in a way. Posturing, speaking, and even moving in ways oh-so purposely done to show himself off. Make him look more impressive. Draw attention to his literally polished looks.

And then there’s his gifts, such as literally giving Roodaka what basically amounted to full control of the Visorak hordes. Sure, she basically already had it, but he actually acknowledge it instead of, y’know, deluding himself that he held the actual power over them.

There’s also his promises, the way he speaks and acts around her, and quite a good bit of other little things. I mean, heck, if I really wanted I could even consider the fact they had some, like, crazy goal or whatever to rule their entire universe/world as a sort of gift to Roodaka.

Y’know, showing his dedication by literally giving her the entire world as a gift.

Though going by this logic it also means Sidorak himself was kinda gay/bi due to him, you know, going after Roodaka. One of the most bloody extravagant characters out there in the canon bionicle universe. Like, yeesh! Her build, her stance, the aura she projects, even her friggin’ voice all scream ‘extravagance’!

I dunno, I just really liked the idea for some reason once I came up with it, and couldn’t help but keep it. (Though the Sidorak bit also helped said choice. XD)