#except where did nui go

[mtbluecat]

"devour! until you grab hold of the world you seek!"

#shiraluamonth day 2 (driver) - originally posted on twitter jan 30 (24 days remaining until en release)

[maspers]

Bionicle is weird yall

Okay so let's talk Bionicle. The Lego action figures with surprisingly deep lore and themes, and basically one of the coolest things to ever exist. You either love Bionicle or have not read Bionicle.

Who's your favorite? Mine has got to be Kopaka. For various reasons, including his general competence throughout the whole story. He's just pretty rad.

Now, you might be surprised I like Kopaka, since all things considered he's kind of a prick. He snarks at basically everything that enters his line of sight, and largely acts kind of stuck up due to his (admittedly justified) belief that he's the smartest person around. He spends the entire story fed up with everything else. He is completely and utterly convinced that he is the only sane person in the entire universe, and that nothing in the entirety of Mata Nui is behaving in a logical and rational way.

But see, here's the thing: all of that bluster about being the only rational thing around is complete bullcrap and lies, and here's why:

Kopaka, like all the original six Toa, is an amnesiac. He popped out of a magic canister in the ground and basically has no backstory to speak of since before he woke up he essentially didn't exist. And we know he's not a possible exception to this since, unlike the other Toa, he's the one we actually see it happen to. He has legit no idea who he is until Nuju tells him. What this means is simple: KOPAKA HAS NO FRAME OF REFERENCE. You can't judge something to be insane if you have not experienced sanity. Nothing is "irrational" in the abstract, you need context. Most people have extremely well-developed context obtained by living, but since Kopaka had not yet lived until he woke up he has NONE OF THAT.

And even if he did, he'd still be a massive hypocrite. Sure, the Matoran society and the Makuta are kind of weird, but Kopaka is a TOA, and Toa are a whole new kettle of craziness. Kopaka is a magic space warrior robot with the power to control the very concept of THIS STUFF IS COLD. His face is a magic mask that grants him X-ray vision and then gets even more powers later on. He can physically combine with other Toa to create a weird mega fusion Toa. Heck, after his first upgrade his primary weapon was skis. SKIS. He basically shapeshifts into a new body every time he goes somewhere else. And, as noted before, he legit just popped out of the ground one day, which makes him and his sibling Toa objectively weirder than all other Toa ever, since all the rest are transformed Matoran. Kopaka's entire existence is really freaking weird. He has no legs to stand on in his "I am the only rational being in the universe" belief. So where the heck did he get it from?

The simple answer: Mata Nui himself. When designing the Toa to act as a sort of internal anti-virus for all the weird garbage in his system, Mata Nui decided "You know what let's make the Ice one a prick who thinks he's sane" and somehow that idea perpetuated to the very end of the design process. The only reason Kopaka has to deal with everything else seeming completely bonkers to him is because Mata Nui, massive benevolent Troll that he is, *made him that way*. I bet when Kopaka finally made it to Bara Magna he was probably internally extremely relieved, because now he could judge the Agori by comparing them to the Matoran and vice versa instead of judging the Matoran on no actual justification whatsoever.

TLDR Kopaka is my favorite Bionicle because the entire premise of his personality is absurd and he probably spent the entire plot trying to internally justify it. Also ice powers go brrrrr

[aggold15hi01]

A dive trip at Kailua Kona- A Logan Sargeant and a wahine reader FF-Chapter 3

Author's note: Third chapter of the 'A dive trip at Kailua Kona' with Logan Sargeant and a wahine reader.

Wahine is woman in Hawaiian language.

TW: Mentions of the bends a.k.a decompression sickness

Can be found on my personal blog: https://realpaulaleah4everwrites05.blogspot.com/

While you take a single look at the air gauge uncomfortably; meanwhile Logan looks at you with a genuinely concerning look on his face as he is wondering did you not truthfully enjoyed the dive between the both of you, except by the time when you pointed to the air gauge where it give as both of you the reminder of how the both have very little remaining of air left then Logan places an arm around you to let you know that he is going to truthfully stay with you no matter how tough or how complex does a situation is in life as he knows; he is going to be with you and staying with you permanently as he isn't going to leave your side.

You give him a genuinely thankful facial expression on your face despite how he wasn't feeling too excited about the dive trip to Kona since he read the mention of manos; however you did prove him wrong by letting him know that scuba diving can also be a very relaxing and an ambient activity where the both of you do it every once in a blue moon when the both of you are going somewhere for a single trip.

While holding your hand; he gives you an expression which says "I am not letting you, Y/N." Not in a dominating and an equally controlling type of way except it does feels  more of how he wanted to make sure you are feeling truthfully safe and sound just so you won't get the 'bends' a.k.a decompression sickness.

Also; speaking of reinforcements; Ken and another diver Isiah whom the both of them ascend to the surface about what feels like hours ago along with the other divers whom they did ascend at the same very slow level of speed in order to avoid the 'Bends' a.k.a decompression sickness which is all too common for scuba divers especially when they did ascend too quickly to the water surface; it can cause the 'bends' where it could be very serious as it could led to a number of consequences to a point where they had stop scuba diving altogether due to the decompression sickness they had to truthfully experience it.

As Ken helps you with the remaining air supply from his air regular; meanwhile Isiah does the same with Logan and the both of you exchange a sincere and equal looks of gratitude towards the both of them and Logan gives them an 'okay' sign while nodding at the same time; you slowly but surely give Ken a 'Mahalo nui loa for rescuing us' type of expression from your face; K gives you an actual sign of thumbs up just as when the both of you have to slowly ascend to the water surface in order to avoid the 'bends' as this is another actual risk where countless scuba divers have to learn how to truthfully take a serious risk when they are heading out to go to scuba diving at anywhere in general.

By the time when everyone including the both of you had surfaced after ascending to the water surface really slowly to avoid the 'bends'; you let out a huge gasp of air while taking off from the air regular you had held in your mouth for so long and so did Logan who also the same.

"Hey, are you okay?" He ask you while he swims over to give you a hug whereas all you did was to stare up at the clear blue skies as you used your right hand to shield yourself from the sun where you panted for a bit before you replied breathlessly "Yeah . . . I . . . I'm . . . I'm okay . . . thanks . . . Logan. Sorry . . . I didn't . . . I didn't meant to  . . ."

"It's okay: what is important now is that we both are now on the surface and I do have to truly admit; that  . . . was  . . . an amazing dive, Y/N."

"Oh wow, really?"

"Yeah, exactly: thank you for the dive: Y/N."

"No, thank you . . . for tagging along with me . . . Logan." You replied breathlessly before he place his dive mask on his forehead and you did the same just before the both of you return back to the dive boat where Ken whom he had strip off half of wetsuit whereas he also give the both of you a clean towel for the both of you to dry off from the salt water.

"Wow, that was a great dive." You said quietly while Logan nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I mean I am feeling truthfully worried that I might truthfully hated it but instead it turns out . . . it does feels . . . magical." He replied while he stares up at the ceiling but turns his glance towards you as he helplessly  give you the same undeniably unbiased and steady smile towards you as the both of you wanted to kiss each other but instead; with so many people at a public vehicle: the both of you instead had decided to wait until the both of you had finally reached solid ground to make sure you both can return back to the same hotel where you both can take a shower but also at the same time; you both can have the actual private time where you both can truthfully have both an equally private and a full-on romantic time between the both of you.

~

By the time when the both of you had finally reached back to dry land; Ken had sent his gratitude to all of the divers while everyone including the both of you headed towards the long queue at the same dive shop where the  both of you had changed out of the wetsuits the both of you have to wear then taken an outdoor shower where the both of you kept your bathing suits on and changed into a pair of spare clean clothes the both of you had brought it for both Logan and you just before you both reached to the silver Ford Fiesta the both of you are now renting while staying at the Big Island of Hawaii for a couple of days.

"So do you know where do you want to go?"

"I have no idea; you?"

"Let's go back to the hotel first but who knows."

"Maybe, we'll see where are going from there onwards; Y/N."

"Sure, why not?"

Then the both of you exchange air kisses despite how the both of you are now wet from the outdoor shower where all divers must take after spending their time in the ocean as a critical rule. 

[randomwriteronline]

Pohatu's dreams are messy.

Anybody's would be, if they had been alive and conscious for nearly one hundred thousand years without ever losing their memory.

In his nightmares he hears the howls of many Av-Matoran as the storm descends upon them far too fast for him to drag them away in in time, and he feels Hydraxon's hand yank him from the shoulder where it hurts most to set him back on his feet because training isn't done yet, it never is, not for a failure like him; he sees his siblings, and that's enough to make him squirm.

In his dreams, most often, he sees the Makuta.

He sees their laboratories, their viruses, their experiments - he used to run from one to the other all the timeto look at them work, because he had no duty nor destiny left to his name, and their tireless tinkering was so mesmerizing, and he was allowed to loiter around them so long as he did nothing except what he was told, which usually meant not touching anything.

But sometimes, sometimes they would let him help: they would let him fetch them components, or give his two widgets worth of an opinion, or they would explain to him the creation process to find the errors in their thinking.

In his dreams he conjures Rahi coming from the vats that would perplex even Mutran. You and horns, he would grumble - he used to grumble - what is it with you and horns?

Who knows what it is, with Pohatu and horns. He just likes them, or so it would seem.

He still remembers when the Vako were created. He likes the Vako: they are fast, and strong, and they have a big horn right in the middle of their heads. It's a shame they can't be tamed, really.

He still remembers it because it was a gift, in a sense. The Makuta that created them (who were they? He can't figure it out: their name, their mask, their appearance were washed away a long time ago, and all he remembers are the long claws, like those of all Makuta, capable of such terrible harm and yet so careful and precise) had called him to see the very first one, and had told him he'd been the inspiration for such a beast. The surprise had caused something warm and good and pleasant to spread through him, a sensation akin to a joyful, beautiful, prideful embarrassment.

He's forgotten a lot of Makuta with time. A lot of them have died, after all - maybe it's for the best, since the living ones have grown so cold towards him.

He doesn't even remember the Makuta who found him heaving loud sobs as he laid pitifully in a tunnel outside of Karda Nui and trying to bend his body to produce tears so that some of his shame could at least leave him. He remembers she'd been a female, because in his dreams her role is often filled by Gorast: he remembers her voice as she'd called him little Toa whilst towering above him in a way no other being ever had; he remembers her eyes going wide and her posture growing stiff as he'd introduce himself with a full title that sounded as hollow and useless as he appeared, spoken softly as he confessed to her his lack of worth: I am Toa Pohatu Mata and I have failed.

He remembers then her claws on his body - cradling him with a graceless clumsiness typical of someone who has never held anything too kindly (and this, too, is something she had in common with Gorast) that was still sweeter than the closest thing that could have been called a caress from Hydraxon's hand. He'd been so awed by the tentative tenderness he'd been offered despite his failure that he had barely registered their journey.

After that, it's a mess. He was so tired. He thinks he might have been laying somewhere, on his side, curled up pathetically, buzzing in and out of sleep. There were voices talking about him, of course, he knows: the whole Brotherhood must have congregated when their sister had dragged him to their door like that.

He remembers arguments on what to do with him, who should keep him, if he should be assigned to a group, to a team, to a fortress, if leaving him anywhere out in the vast terrible world where so many things could have so easily overwhelmed and killed him when he was so valuable to the survival of the Great Spirit would have been a good idea to begin with.

He remembers a voice saying something loudly, and silence. Then steps in his direction, and then...

Miserix looks strange in his dreams.

Miserix had asked him about his siblings, where they were. Pohatu had answered with the truth: I don't know. They abandoned me.

Miserix had thought over it, and decided that it was too dangerous to leave a Toa Mata - possibly the last of them - to fend for himself, alone in the universe; so, the Brotherhood of Makuta welcomed him.

Miserix was nice, despite it all.

It's a shame he didn't follow the Plan.

The Makuta had all been nice to him at first, despite it all.

He'd never been this small before. Hydraxon was tall enough, and his siblings were taller than him as well, but until then he'd been sorrounded by Matoran that barely reached his hip; now he had to twist his neck to look the beings around him in the eyes, and they had to hunch their back to look into his. And there was their awkwardness, too - they had no clue what to do with him, especially at first, when he was barely anything more than a sad sack of depressed rocks sitting in the corners of their labs.

They had little to talk with him about, little for him to keep busy with. But it was very nice, when they did acknowledge him, when they did allow him in their lairs, when they had him test the Rahi to see how they reacted.

They were polite, as he was to them, and he liked their company, and - it seemed - they did not mind his.

He is a fast learner: he knew what to do and what not to do in no time, and what to expect too. For example, you can laugh at Chirox and Mutran's spats but only very quietly, and you can touch anything in Antroz's lab so long as you do not lift any of it from where it sits; you need to steer clear of Tridax because he hates visitors, and if you absolutely have to go to Kojol or Gorast you need to send a message at least half a day earlier so neither will accidentally try to vivisect you for spooking them; neither Vamprah nor Krika will say a word to you but they will know if you leave anything a single centimeter out of place, and so will Icarax - though he will tell you as much, asking if you're looking for a fight, and if you're not careful he will land a punch; Bitil usually has at least one time clone at the ready to keep you out of his face at all times, Miserix is never in the mood for fooling around, and Spiriah is very, very fun to bother without suffering repercussions.

And Teridax...

Teridax is kind.

(Pohatu believes in few things strongly: he believes his siblings don't care for him, he believes he loves the Matoran more than himself, and he believes Teridax is kind.)

(He believes Teridax is kind, because Teridax speaks to him kindly: because Teridax always saw value in him and alway told him as much, always reassured him of his usefulness and worth even when he had no unity nor duty nor destiny; because Teridax was always kind.)

(Few beings are born truly, irrevocably, incontestably evil, and despite his reputation Teridax is not one of them. But it has always been in his nature to plan, to consider his options and scheme for contingencies, and a Toa as powerful as a Mata is always better as an assured ally than a distant acquaintance. He just hadn't realized how starved Pohatu had been for attention of that kind, how desperately he craved it: sooner than he could train himself to stop flinching by reflex upon seeing him so suddenly he had the Toa shyly, eagerly trotting after him, anxious to be helpful, to be useful, to be told that he was more than a waste of space, that he had a purpose and a meaning and a reason to be cared about. Teridax gave him everything he needed, everything - at the cost of everything else.)

In his dreams, memories of kindness are muddled. Certainly, he knows, all the Makuta must have been kind and gentle to him; certainly, he knows, they must have all treated him well. But in his dreams the Mask of Shadows is the only one that presses its forehead against his Kakama so very gently.

Teridax visits him often in his dreams when he's had a nightmare, or when he's too worried, as though sensing his distress.

He likes to dream of his laboratory, so safe and welcoming, of his kraata crawling in his hands curiously, of his claws so carefully shifting him in the right place.

Once he dreamed of being a kraata, curled on his father's lap.

It was one of the best dreams he's ever had.

It was so immediately, terribly obvious that Pohatu had a favorite among the Makuta. (So terribly obvious and terribly disquieting, as his dependency on Teridax grew.) Bitil sneers about it still - about the leash tight around that neck of Stone, about his brother being the only one who gets to have a pet. Pohatu never understood the joke he and the rest of the Brotherhood seem to share about him, and has grown to hate it. He has grown to hate -- no, that's a word reserved for his siblings; he has grown to resent the other Makuta.

It's not a stable feeling, it ebbs and flows, depends on the day; but they are not shy about their acquired distaste for him as they regard him distantly, coldly.

In turn, he is not shy about not appreciating their disgust either.

If they had not deserted him all of a sudden, if they had not found his company so bothersome, perhaps this wouldn't have happened.

(Pohatu is a frail thing, so easy to win, so easy to lose: Teridax knows this, and in his wisdom isolated him. So the only love he can gain, the only one that matters, is the one Teridax rewards his obedience with; and in his blind and deaf servitude he is ecstatic.)

Sometimes he dreams of Matoran.

It's much less common, as those can quickly become paralyzing night terrors in little to no time - though the Island of Mata Nui has been calming his fears so far, since it's much easier to beat back a Rahi than it is evading an energy storm.

He's started dreaming of Takua often, in truth.

It was a pleasant surprise, despite the Nui-Jaga and the momentary blindness. He was convinced he'd never see any of the Av-Matoran again, and here is Karda Nui's local troublemaker, all mismatched colors and no memories and still the same exact wanderlust putting his little feet to work trudging miles upon miles. At least the island is big and the Wahi well connected enough for him to go from one place to another without putting himself in too much danger.

It's a shame he doesn't remember him. Takua once asked him for kicking lessons and made a proper fool of himself at the first attempt, but it was good fun. They could have laughed about it again.

He might be the one thing he truly could have missed from Karda Nui. He's glad to see him enjoy himself.

Lewa has started dreaming of him too, he's confided in him, because Pohatu is easy to talk to and everybody confides in him. Gali as well, and Onua mentioned it in passing - even Tahu answered him positively when he asked. Kopaka says nothing if he can help it, of course, but the long sleep must have made him sloppy enough to cave in after only the slightest insistent pestering.

This sort of thing reeks of destiny.

It's not like Mata Nui hasn't had all the time to get on his nerves - for his siblings, for his chosen Toa, for the undeserved zealous idolatry he demands of the Matoran without ever looking at them.

He and the Turaga must have something in store for his little Light brother, he's certain. Something that will drag him to his death.

His muscles seize when he sees the Avohki bathe Jaller in light.

Ah... Of course.

Of course.

His nightmares become bright when Takanuva bursts to smithereens within them, torn apart by his own glow, screaming in fear.

He whispers for Teridax to help him as his heartlight flickers erratically, and when he shuts his eyes he breathes deeply, deeply, until what he sees is Takua and Jaller and Akhmou playing with the docile, gentle kraata on the floor of the Makuta's laboratory, as Teridax soothes the Toa in a kind embrace, like a parent soothes a child: see?, his voice rumbles so gently. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to worry about.

[celinedioncardboardstandee]

Ramblings about my Sierra and just kinda world tour overall rewrite (but it's mostly Sierra). Buckle in, it's a long one.

So Sierra has always had a hard time connecting with people, she's never really knows why but it's been like this her entire life. Her mom always focused more on her Chris obsession than Sierra and her dad was never around so she grew self-sufficient early on. She also got into reality TV really early too (big brother. Survivor, project runway, ect.) I think her mom had her watch an old Chris show and it snowballed from there. She's been online for along as she could remember, bouncing around Fandoms until total drama. With total drama she became totally obsessed, doing what she already did in Canon (except the stalking). She managed to become friends with izzy early and she gave her content for her blog and she also managed to interview cody a couple times.

When she got on world tour she was so excited and she was even more excited when izzy switched her teams, Heather, Courtney, and Gwen were her favorite contestants and she already felt like she was friends with Cody. When it comes to the other contestants I think she got along with team victory, Owen, and Izzy for the most part (DJ, Bridget, and Leshawna were put off by her but friendly)<- same with Gwen and Cody till a certain point. She didn't really enteract with Tyler or Zeke, but Courtney, Noah (both like Cody, till a certain point) and Duncan where more hostile. Heather was complicated but I'll go into that in a different post, and she saw through Alejandro from moment one and was more proactive about it than she was in Canon but also they get to a point where they understand and empathize with eachother.

Going into some of them more, her and Harold had a short and sweet friendship (they play dnd together post-canon), she bonds with Lindsay through fashion (all those years of project runway came in handy) she takes Sierra shopping sometimes post-canon and wears anything Sierra makes her. She has what was mostly one-sided beef with Noah because of how elusive he was between seasons (he didn't tell izzy shit) but then Noah decided to be snarky asshole and crossed the line with her a good couple times while she doesn't fight back cuz she never fights back. When he comes back tho they and Heather form an anti-alejando alliance and their relationship gradually gets better. Courtney's Courtney but after paris she softens a little (instead of a breakdown surrounding Cody it's surrounding team amazon seeing her as a tool more than anything after pretending to be her friends) but they're not good until Greece, Sierra was there to listen to her more than anyone else and didn't put her game infront so by the final 4 court is rooting for her or alejandro. Finally Cody had major issues communicating boundaries and found Sierra as a nessecary annoyance until Paris where they (and heather) had an actual discussion about it, him and Sierra then got closer and closer each episode until London, when Noah crosses the line for a final time and Cody snaps at him, that's when him and Sierra become best friends. She managed to bargain with the crew to get her knitting stuff and made Cody a sweater for his birthday, he ends up getting eliminated in rapa nui so she gives it to him with the promise he won't open it till the next episode.

Everything else plays out like it does in cannon more-or-less, Noah instead of Cody, more humanizing alejandro stuff, heatherra, ect. (Also no more robot) her and alejandro are recovery buddies and also start a podcast after.

So yea this was long and mostly about dynamics more than anything but this has been rattleling around in my head for a while now

[cuteniarose]

an au that may or may not exist: what if suiren became the avatar instead of korra??

Believe it or not, it is an AU that has existed in my head for… about four years now, maybe? I think I even made some art for it once, though I’m pretty sure it was destroyed in the Great Tablet Explosion of October 2020 (don’t ask…). I never really developed it much because Kat wasn’t too interested in it and considering my difficult relationship with motivation, energy and creating in general, it’s hard to find the will to spend time and resources on something if I don’t have my beloved partner in crime to yell about it with me, you know?

But anyway, the two ways an AU like this could go are:

1) Reminiscent of most Red Lotus Korra AUs, Suiren is raised by her parents to believe in the anarchist cause, always on the run and never staying in one place for too long as they hide her from the White Lotus right up until it’s time for her to learn airbending. The world is absolutely not ready for an Avatar like her, Spirits help us all

2) She is discovered and taken from her parents as a child, the Red Lotus are imprisoned and she’s raised in Korra’s compound. No matter how much the White Lotus would try to condition her against her parents, she’d never listen and would spend the years doing as she’s told but biding her time until she’s old and powerful enough to break her parents free and take revenge on everyone who did this to them. The world’s fucked, RIP everyone

I am much more partial to the first version just because Suiren already goes through so much pain in all of our AUs, I’d like to spare her at least from this. And also the first version is just so much more fun since it creates room for a lot of family fluff and shenanigans, which are some of my favourite genres to indulge in 😁

As for what she’d actually be like as an Avatar, she’d be a lot like Korra. Brash, cocky, hotheaded, all that. She’s prodigious in waterbending, obviously, and I imagine fire and earth would come to her rather quickly as well, fire more so since she’s a bit too lightfooted for earth (on that note, as much as it would make sense, I don’t want her to be a lavabender. Let Midori have this one thing she’s exceptional at, please, she already has an inferiority complex the size of the Earth Kingdom even without her sister being the Avatar). Air would also be a struggle since the extent of her spirituality is considering the moon her closest ally, but she’d have the movements down straight away since it’s not too far off from her bending style. And this is based on what I tangentially learned from Kat, but I think she might also be similar to Yangchen in being very susceptible to her past lives. Not quite to that severity, but she definitely gets flashbacks and strange dreams and random knowledge a lot, and when she’s overwhelmed and dissociated her past lives have a tendency to take over. It’s both scary and comforting to her, knowing that at any moment someone else could take her body over while her mind would be safe and sound in some sort of headspace. Out of her past lives, she’d absolutely adore Kyoshi and Yangchen, would probably be interested in whatever Kuruk and Aang have to tell her, and would hate Roku for his inaction leading to the start of the 100 Year War. She’d probably like Wan too if she ever dug that deep

She’s two years older than Korra so she’d have a bit more time before LoK’s plot kicks in, but… I didn’t actually think this far, to be honest. I’m horrendous when it comes to politics so I don’t really know what to do with the conflicts Korra faced. However, Suiren’s grandmother (adopted, not one of the biological ones, RIP Nuying and Afarin but Ikiaq is different) is a bloodbender so assuming there came a point where Suiren was taught it – and I believe she would definitely spend some time in the North with her grandmas, maybe at some point after the White Lotus exhausted their search of the poles and decides that the Avatar must come from a blended family in the Earth Kingdom – I think she’d be able to clock what Amon was doing as bloodbending. Not straight away, but if she looked at the chi paths of one of his victims. But again, I don’t really know where that whole thing with the equalists and Tarrlok and everything else would go. But it would be funny as hell if they had a “🎵 I’m just like you, you’re just like me 🎶” moment over bloodbending 😂😂 (before obviously some huge end-of-season fight, we’re not in a Disney movie where everything is solved by singing, unfortunately. If Suiren from the mermaid AU was here, though…)

About Book 2, tbh I feel like the story could very well end here, because the Red Lotus is fundamentally opposed to the existence of the Avatar. No, I’m not saying that her own family would kill her, absolutely not, but perhaps Suiren would choose to end the Avatar cycle during Harmonic Convergence by unfusing with Raava, freeing Vaatu and letting them keep doing what they were doing before Wan so rudely interrupted them. But if we wanna take it further and make it interesting, which I would prefer, she could fuse with Vaatu instead (probably killing Unalaq in the process since he’s not letting his Chaos Kite Boyfriend go that easily /hj. That’s alright though, wouldn’t be the first verse in which she’d kill Unalaq [hi Kat I know we haven’t discussed this yet but I recently got this really clear picture in my head of UtOS!Suiren eventually killing Unalaq as they’re readying the world for an anarchist revolution, and of Malina finding her over his dead body and kissing her while her face is splattered in his blood. Idk what possessed me there but it exists now and idk what you’ll think of it but you’re gonna have to try really hard to talk me out of it], no one would miss him). Raava wouldn’t be too happy about it but she’ll settle eventually once Suiren yells at her and Vaatu enough times to shut the fuck up and stop fighting, she can hear every word and she’s trying to sleep. If I were to write it, I’d draw a lot from what Kat described in her works Bonded and Adumbration, which I would link but that would require me doing a whole song and dance to get my VPN to connect so I can access Ao3, so… I’m sorry find them yourself if you’re curious 😅 It’d be quite an interesting dynamic for sure, and I really think Suiren would be rather fond of her Spirit Kites. She’s got a real thing for any creature that reminds her of water – snakes, certain fish, dancing Kuvira, etc., Raava and Vaatu would fit right in!! (I’m being plagued with art ideas beyond my skill level, send help)

After that it’s pretty much a clear road to an anarchist revolution since she’d be practically unstoppable with the power of two Great Spirits inside her, and that would replace the plots of Books 3 and 4 since obviously she wouldn’t have to go up against her own parents, they wouldn’t lose and Kuvira wouldn’t become the Great Uniter. But I still think Kuvira would have a high rank in some kind of oppositional movement against the Red Lotus, probably started by Suyin, so Kuviren can still have that sweet, sweet toxic yuri enemies to lovers plot line. Wouldn’t be an AU by yours truly without it :D And.. I think that’s pretty much all the thoughts I have on this topic, apart from the fact that once the time comes, Suiren would still end the Avatar cycle, either by unfusing with Raava and Vaatu or by ensuring she dies in the Avatar state (not by poison or anything, I’m sure if she talked to Raava and Vaatu they could arrange a way for them to take over right as she’s about to pass. My dear girl deserves to go peacefully at age 90+, I will not argue about this). No matter the exact route of this AU, Suiren would be the last Avatar, I can’t see her deciding any other way. Anyway, it’s a fun AU, definitely, an absolute goldmine for those shenanigans that I adore, but I do not have the energy or enough knowledge of politics and worldbuilding to turn it into an actual thing, so for now, it all remains in this post. Thanks for the question though, I really enjoyed this little thought experiment :)

[sh1mo1]

The Dooars Compilation

Went on my curriculum mandatory excursion literally the next day after I returned from Varanasi. I needed a 48hr nap after so I'm making this post now.

Didn't take any pictures of my son on the train or any locomotive because I was paranoid I was gonna drop him or someone would snatch him away. But I did manage to take good pictures of him in other places!

First, we arrived at our resort which was inside a National Park. That meant we were in a buffer zone where animals could come out from the forest. We were always asked to go out in groups and use a torchlight at night. Thankfully(or maybe regrettably) we had no animal encounters except for a few peacocks and peahens.

We went out for a walk in the tea plantation right nearby. We weren't allowed in the factory though, unfortunately. Took some pretty pictures of my son instead!

The next day we drove up to Kalimpong and rested at an inn there. We could see Bhutan form where we were.

On our way down, we stopped in front of a small river. Pardon me, but I don't remember the name.

The next day we went to the Buxa Tiger reserve and Jayanti. When we arrived, the sky was clear. However, the longer we stayed there, the mountain slowly got covered with the clouds....it was so cool to see. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of my son here.

The next day we set out for Lava and visited the Kagyu Thekchen Ling monastery there.

Unfortunately, I also forgot to take pictures of Leona here but I'm sure he enjoyed the view from my bag.

That is all! I've hit the picture limit and I don't really have anymore pictures of my Leona nui. I wish I could've included pictures of the plants I took there, but maybe next time...!?

Have a good day/night <3

[oliviab-scstudyabroad]

Did Somebody Say "Chocolate"?

Hey everyone! This past week, I was in Argentina yet again! This time, my friends and I traveled south in Argentina to a town called Bariloche. Bariloche is located within the Nahuel Huapi National Park and is the gateway to Patagonia. It is the perfect destination for those who love the outdoors, as the multiple ski resorts allow you to ski throughout the Andes, and the abundant lakes are key spots for fishing and kayaking. Bariloche also has a lively downtown area with architecture modeled after Switzerland. As you can imagine, I was beyond excited to go from the moment that my friends and I booked our plane tickets!

On Tuesday in the afternoon, my friends and I took the bus from Montevideo to Colonia and then rode the ferry to Buenos Aires. Upon arriving, we changed our dollars for Argentine pesos ($1 USD = 480 pesos), loaded our Sube cards (passes that you scan to use the metro and buses in Argentina), and then went to an Asian restaurant called Koi. There, we feasted on Miso ramen and dumplings. I ordered an iced tea, something that I’ve missed since being away from South Carolina! It really is astounding the diversity that Buenos Aires has in terms of gastronomy; any type of craving you might have, Buenos Aires has a restaurant to satisfy it. Because our flight was late at night, we killed some more time in another bar/bookstore called Backroom Bar. After enjoying our Passionfruit Punch drinks and chatting, we headed to the airport via Uber. Our flight left at 1:00 a.m., and we arrived in Bariloche at 3:30 a.m. Because the town doesn’t have Uber, we booked taxis in advance to take us from the airport to our Airbnb. Our host was there to give us the keys and show us around the apartment, and then we headed straight to bed to catch up on sleep.

Later that morning, Will, Karen, and I bundled up (it was about 39 ℉ outside) and roamed around the centro of Bariloche (our Airbnb was a 7-minute walk from downtown). Bariloche is set right along the lake of Nahuel Huapi, so we of course had to take pictures in front of the “Bariloche” letters with the stunning backdrop behind it. We then went to a confitería (chocolate shop) called Rapa Nui to have breakfast. Bariloche is known as the Chocolate Capitol of Argentina, so at Rapa Nui, I ordered a chocolatada (hot chocolate). Karen, Will, and I also shared a waffle topped with chocolate, banana, raspberry, and strawberry ice cream. Needless to say, I was sugared-out after breakfast, but it was worth every bite. We then went to the Center of Tourist Information to ask about the bus system and must-visit sites in Bariloche. The bus lines in the city are on a tightly set schedule, and some buses only arrive every hour. We therefore had to plan our activities around the schedule so we didn’t waste time waiting for the bus. The upside is that one bus ride is 100 pesos, or 20 cents. We definitely were traveling on a budget!

After returning from the Information Center, our other friends, Joe and Cleo, joined us to take the bus to Cerro Campanario. There, we took the ski lift to arrive at a lookout point where you could see majestic views of Southern Bariloche. The mountains reminded me of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado where I used to live, except the Andes are encapsulated by lakes and islands. Bariloche’s climate is unique in that in the winter, temperatures can drop to -30℉, and in the summer, you can expect the temperature to climb to 75℉. As I was standing at the top looking out at the islands, I could only imagine what it would be like in December to lay out on the sand and take a dip in the crystal-clear lake. I also noticed that the mountains were pretty barren in terms of snow. A local told us that Bariloche gets the most snow in July and August, so that explained why the ski resorts were closed when we went. After taking the lift down and the bus back, we bought groceries in the supermarket and made lentil soup and peppers stuffed with rice, perfect for our cozy movie night that we had that evening.

On Thursday morning, Karen and I woke up early to scout the tourist agencies to see what excursions were available. We picked up a lot of brochures, compared prices, and explained our options to the others at breakfast. I had coffee and tostados at ChimiDeli, a restaurant that one of the tourist agents had recommended. All five of us then shared a chocolate mousse cake adorned with strawberries. Here arise my two tips when traveling: 1. If you don’t know where to eat, ask a local! They are guaranteed to have good recommendations, and it saves a lot of time instead of poking around on Google Maps and peering at reviews of restaurants. 2. If you want to try different types of cuisine, order multiple dishes and share with your friends! This way, you can have a bite of everything without feeling confined to ordering one meal.

After breakfast, we headed to the Chocolate Museum at Havanna and went on a tour! The guide explained to us that pure chocolate comes from the cacao bean, and in the early centuries, pure chocolate was exchanged by indigenous groups as a form of currency. It was also served as offerings to the gods, or high-ranking authorities in the communities. In Europe, people began to mix cacao with sugar and milk, transforming the cacao chocolate into the milk chocolate that we know today. After World War II, a large surge of Italians immigrated to Bariloche, including a man named Alfred Fenoglio. The so called “pioneer of chocolate in Bariloche” started the first chocolatería in Patagonia, and he is known to be the source of the boom of chocolaterías in Southern Argentina that generate millions of dollars in revenue annually. Who would’ve thought! As we strolled through the museum, we drank our samples of hot chocolate and saw life-sized animals pertaining to Bariloche that were carved entirely out of chocolate! Count how many times I wrote “chocolate” in this post 😉

The gang and I then went to Cerro Otto to take the gondola up to another lookout point. The view was once again spectacular, and we got our fair share of group selfies before heading down to catch the bus back to the center. When we were in line for the bus, there was a man that was playing the bandoneon, an instrument similar to the accordion that is found in most tango music (tango was born in Argentina and Uruguay). Playing the bandoneon is one of the main ways that Argentines connect to their roots and keep the culture alive, so I gave him a tip and enjoyed the tunes before boarding the bus. Once in the centro, we went to another chocolate shop called Mamuschka! Mamuschka is iconic for its rotating Russian dolls on the outside of the building and its wrapping paper being adorned with the colorful Russian doll logo. I couldn’t help myself and filled a box with different chocolate assortments, including ositos- little bears that are filled with dulce de leche. I also got chocolate bars for friends and family and immediately put them away when I got home so as not to be tempted to sneak a bite! After Mamuschka, my friends and I stopped in a supermarket to get ingredients to make sandwiches for our full-day excursion the next day. Then, we had dinner in a cervecería called Bachmann! I had passed by the restaurant earlier that day, and I made it a priority to dine there, as my last name is Bachmann! At the restaurant, we had burgers and beer from Patagonia, and the waitress gave me some coasters with the “Bachmann” logo on it. I kept cracking jokes that it was the family restaurant in Bariloche. We spent several hours there laughing and enjoying each other’s company before heading home to rest for another big adventure the next day.

Part II coming soon! Ciao!

[blindrapture]

So sorry to bother you but I was going through the tags of that one post and you unlocked memories about that Flintstones game for me!! I truly remember nothing about it except having to take photos of the character with, like, a baguette in Paris but the guy was so fast that you'd only get photos of like his nose or his foot. And I remember playing a Courage the Cowardly Dog game too but I don't remember anything about it at all, but I remember loving it despite having never seen a single episode of the show itself lmao

no bother at all!!! I am happy to remind people of things!!! and talk!!! and be reminded that I am also a human!!!

I would play the Flintstones game a lot for some reason. I also don't remember much about it, other than that seeing the characters traveling around the world made me stim. there were minigames in it, and I vaguely remember something about photos!!! god it is just.. a distant memory.

other games I have distant memories of:

there was a Cocoa Puffs game that came on a fucking disc that we got by sending off for it from a cereal box, the game had you traveling down a chocolate river on a boat and dodging obstacles and collecting stuff. it was a very average kind of arcade-y game, but the game is filed away in the "Fuck Yeah, Good Game" folder in my brain.

Samurai Jack... fighting game????? maybe?????? I remember there was a Samurai Jack game. I do not remember anything about it now.

Grim & Evil game, focused on the Evil Con Carne side, where you have a big evil island base and have to fight other island bases, it felt Worms-like.

Class of 3000 music-creator. I never even watched Class of 3000. I just liked that I could make music out of samples. this was the first time I saw an accessible basic sample-music-creator. before even Punk-o-Matic, which was another one I took to (and its somewhat more complex sequel, which had background music that stuck with me longer than the actual game. "I am the ice cream man / running over kids in my mini-van.").

not Cartoon Network, but the Bionicle Mata-Nui Online Game. Myst but for kids. I played that one a ton. and it had a sequel which was not Myst-like, was unfortunately third-person, and I never got past the first area in that. but the original Online Game, god, I downloaded that, I played it so much, I played through it, I thought its atmosphere was unsettling and lonely. it really was Myst-like.

...god, maybe I should look up some of this stuff. I'm sure there must be some archive of Web Games That Did Exist. Even if I can't play them, surely there's an archive that says they existed.

[quantomeno]

I feel like this is an impossible task given the wide-ranging nature of the Bionicle storyline... so let's try a few books for different parts of the storyline?

This ended up being long and I should've expected that, so it's below the keep reading thing

Mata Nui

hmm... something mystical and exotic... with a primordial evil hanging over everyone's heads...

It might not be a perfect fit, but the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver might do. The first book is titled Wolf Brother and it's quite a long series. It has been a decade (maybe more) since I read them, but it's about a young boy and a wolf who try to save their forest home from an evil group of people who want to destroy all life (according to Wikipedia, at least, I don't remember much of the actual story except there was a demon-possessed bear). It's set in prehistoric Europe, so that dovetails nicely with Mata Nui's tribal theme. There is a lot of spiritual stuff that goes on. I really liked the series as a kid, and I want to reread it because a new entry was added to the series very recently (the series ended ages ago, but the author has now written another book that continues it).

Or perhaps we should focus on the little people trying to eke out an existence in a savage world... or the Toa Metru who embarked on their exodus to a find paradise...

Yes! I've got it: Watership Down by Richard Adams.

After their home and entire society is destroyed by a mysterious catastrophe, the only survivors must escape out into the dangerous wilderness to start anew. This is not a light-hearted story.

Also did I mention they're rabbits? Because they're rabbits.

It's an adventure story about rabbits and it is amazing.

Metru Nui

Let's see... futuristic vibes, conspiracies, a dictatorship and protagonists thrust into power they aren't ready for...

Red Rising by Pierce Brown? I read very little sci-fi, and this is the only one I can really think of right now. It's set in a future where humans have expanded across the solar system and there's a caste system, with golds on the top and reds on the bottom. A Red called Darrow (the fact I remember his name is a miracle of memory) gets chosen by a group of rebels to infiltrate a Gold leadership training camp on Mars. So he gets turned into a Gold which requires a lot of physical modifications because Golds are bigger and stronger than other castes. And they're also gold-haired etc. The first book is very Hunger Games, but the second and third feel less derivative. It's got a lot of politics and it has a Roman Empire atmosphere going on.

For a more conspiracy-focused story, I would advise The Phoenix Files by Chris Morphew. This one really kept me guessing and it has a pretty wild resolution, if memory serves. It's about a boy who moves with his mum to a town in the Australian Outback for her work (I think?) and a lot of weird stuff is going on. It's like one of those stories where the government is trying to cover up a massive experiment and the protagonist has to stop them. I am not actually sure I remember what they were doing though. I only remember one twist and it was truly shocking.

Then the Hordika side of the story... corruption, decay, fear...

This might be an odd choice, but let's go with it: Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden. A group of nuns get sent to an abandoned monastery in the mountains of northern India with the task of fixing the place up and starting a school for the local populace. They are totally out of their league and their attempts to enforce order fail. The nuns are each affected by their new and foreign surroundings in their own ways, some feeling what Matau might term "urges". It is rather a colonial novel, and I'm sure it's not a perfect depiction of India or Indians, but I still like it. It's perhaps better to view it as a critique/examination of Western/Christian values/ideals when they come into contact with the reality of India as viewed from a female author's perspective, since Margaret Godden (Rumer was her middle name) was a British woman who grew up in colonial India. It's very beautifully written, with a gorgeous, lyrical style, perfectly suited to describing the majesty and mystery of the natural beauty that surrounds the monastery.

For the escape through the Maze of Shadows may I offer the Odyssey by Homer? It's not my top pick since it can be a bit of a slog to read, but it's definitely got that 'we have no idea where we're going but we're going to keep going' vibe. For those who don't know, Odysseus is heading home to Ithaca, Greece after the Trojan War but he angers Poseidon and it takes him a lot longer than it should and involves essentially a whistle-stop tour of the Mediterannean and also Hades. I think it also depends on the translation you get so look into a good one. I read a random version so I don't really know.

Voya Nui

My gut instinct is to go with Inferno (Hell) by Dante Alighieri. But... not only is it poetry, but it's in Italian. And not only Italian, but the Florentine dialect that Italian is descended from. Which means you will need to make a choice about what type of translation to go with: a prose one or a poetry one. I read it in the original Italian, and my version came with an English translation that was designed to be more of an aid for studying than something to read and enjoy the sound of. So I can't recommend any translations. If you know Italian, the original is legible with a lot of work, but you'd still need a translation. Also I'm not sure I like this choice. I mean, yes the toa's descent down the 777 steps does evoke Dante's descent through the circles of Hell, but it's not that great a story. I like to call it a self-insert multifandom fanfic, featuring predominantly crossovers from the Bible and Roman myth.

Know what? Maybe Holes by Louis Sachar fits the bill. You've got a bunch of sadistic people posing as responsible managers of a Juvenile Correction Facility and they get the kids to dig holes so they can find buried treasure. That's pretty much what happens in Voya Nui before the Toa arrive. It's got that constant parched feeling that Voya Nui, with its scarce fresh water, gives me and it's got a similar feeling of everything being off. For bonus points, that also gives off Kharzahni vibes.

Mahri Nui

Under the sea with horror...

I want to say Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, but I actually haven't read that so let's think harder...

OK I've got nothing. Which shocks me because I like water-themed things. I'm sure I've read something at some point but it's evading me now.

I dunno, read The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. It's cool. Also it's an allegory for being bi and having a same-sex crush on someone who's straight.

Takanuva's Multiverse Adventures

There's only one option: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray. Mostly because it's the only novel I can recall about parallel universes. It carries that same "what would have happened if" feeling that the Kingdom and Dark Mirror stories have, particularly Dark Mirror since there is a universe where the protagonist is evil.

Essentially, Marguerite's parents invent a dimension-hopping device (an Olmak in a necklace) but it gets stolen by their research assistant who then runs away through the multiverses and so Marguerite chases after him. It's more of a romance than anything else so I'm afraid we'll have to consider it non-canon.

Karda Nui

I'm rather stumped on this one.

I will tenuously put forward Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins. It's about a boy who falls into an underground world inhabited by strange people and giant rats, cockroaches, bats, spiders and the like. The underground people think he's going to fulfil a prophecy and save them from the creatures around them, particularly the rats. It's a critique of war with a lot of moral greyness (I guess that corresponds to Krika?). One of my favourite youtubers (Things No One Cares About) did a video about it (it's very spoilery though).

Reign of Shadows

1984, George Orwell. It's the classic story of someone trying to overthrow a dictatorship that can hear and see pretty much everything.

Bara Magna

Desert... sand... gladiators...

Nup got nothing.

WAIT!!! UGHHHH It's so obvious!

Dune, by Frank Herbert. It's got literally all of those things.

It's a lot like Star Wars, which I believe was inspired by it. A duke gets assigned to govern Arrakis, a desert planet with valuable deposits of a drug/spice called melange. It's a trap though and his son manages to escape into the desert with his mum and they try to fight back against the people who killed his dad and regain his birthright. To do so, they ally with the local people of the planet.

All right, that'll have to do. I'm sorry I didn't get all the different genre types I wanted, but I tried. I read most of my fantasy and sci-fi etc books in primary school so my memory is a bit rusty. I've also put a lot of my books in storage because we're renovating right now, so I can't just pick up and flick through books to refresh my memory.

Book Recs for Bionicle fans?

Anyone got any good book recommendations that fans of Bionicle, specifically those here on Tumblr, might enjoy?

Include, if you can, a brief summary and maybe some reasons why you think others in the fandom would like it in your reblog. I’m thinking mostly of novels and graphic novels, but if you have a non-fiction book or something else that we’d like, feel free to include it.

[starryknight-dragonarts]

A little while ago I played in a Bionicle based TTRPG system like D&D by Redstar Gaming called Dorai Nui as a Toa of Plantlife named Whakatau (Also known as Whaka for short or “Weed Boy”) This Campaign took place in an AU version of Bionicle’s events where the OG Toa Mata arrived on Mata Nui on time instead of floating 1000 years at sea and losing their memories. The Makuta did not have enough time to prepare for them and was swiftly defeated and Mata Nui was revived and reformed Spherus Magna.   During the Bionicle Story During the events of the main Bionicle storyline Whakatau was a Matoran living on the Southern Continent and witnessed to both events of the Island of Voya Nui getting launched into the sky and getting stuck up there, and then it's decent back down and rejoining with the Continent. Had he been any closer he could have ended up being one of the poor saps brainwashed by the Piraka or in Mahri Nui the coastal city that fell beneath the waves. Matoran After acclimating to living on the surface of Spherus Magna Whakatau became part of a Matoran Search & Rescue squad living out in the untamed wilderness outside of the city, taking care of the forest and coming to the help of Matoran who get lost or injured out there and were often in difficult locations to get to. They can't always expect the Toa to help while they are busy fighting for the fate of the universe, so somebody has to act on smaller everyday incidents. He and the other Matoran Rangers were on duty to traverse the wilderness, get into difficult places that other Matoran can't reach and bring the matoran back while also tending to their injuries. As a result he has learned to be very fast on his feet and looks for the quickest path from point A to point B traversing over obstacles in his path. While in the forest he was at home, the city has proven to be difficult for him to navigate because his parkour tactics has gotten him lost and stuck on top of skyscrapers more than once. He also is a trained Medic and is able to quickly patch up injuries to keep people alive and moving. New Toa It was thanks to his exceptional skills in search and rescue that Whakatau was chosen to be the new Toa of Plantlife, his Hiking staff and Grappling hook transformed with him to become a Bo-Staff with a Grappling Claw at the end which he could shoot out towards a target in order to grab hold and then pull them to him or quickly zipp over to them. Having little to no social skills and feeling uncomfortable in the big city Whaka was slow to open up to his companions but was determined to use his skills to help them, even if he wouldn't be getting the most glory from it he could use his control of plant life to debilitate enemies and make them easier for the stronger members of the team to hit. At the time the team included Whaka himself (The Medic) Keeps the rest of the team up while keeping the enemies down Vaphi the Toa of Sonics (The Engineer) Builds the gear and machines Vojakua the Toa of Plasma (The Blacksmith) Builds the weapons and armor Parkur the Toa of Iron (The Muscle) Is the big guy with a really big sword who hits really hard Koqunui the Toa of Ice (The Element Crafter) Is the one who's very good at using her elemental powers to make objects and structures and Aruuko the Toa of Stone (The Veteran) Been a Toa longer than the rest of the team and knows the job On their first mission they were tasked with dealing with some criminal activity in the city which turned out to be the work of the Dark Hunters. They managed to intercept a deal going on in a warehouse. Then things suddenly went very south as the Right-hand Lady in charge of the New Dark Hunters set off an explosion that killed Aruuko and Koqunui, and left Whakatau with a black burn scar on his mask. Following that mission Whakatau reluctantly decided to take on the role of Leader of the team in order to keep the rest of his companions safe, but he also developed a darker vindictive side especially towards all Dark Hunters. As a Toa he's not supposed to kill, but he started to grow a fondness for using his plants as torture devices, such as: Poison, Blinding Pollen, Acid, Stinging Needles, Burrowing thorny vines, and his signature torture method, a super Hot Pepper that deals Chemical Fire damage like Napalm which he appropriately named "The Makuta's Piss" (Inspired off of a cop I knew describing being Pepper Sprayed like being pissed in the face by the Devil!) And Whaka had a special exception for the Right hand leader of the Dark Hunters who he wanted to make suffer for the deaths of his companions before breaking the Toa Code and finishing her. The Dark Hunters and Makutas In our time as Toa we met and fought many Dark Hunters and and other criminals within and outside of the city, but nothing could prepare us for our first Makuta! For those not familiar with Bionicle the Makuta are the most terrifying of all enemies, basically equivalent to a Devil, however this Makuta named Zalos was a little different than the previous generation of Makutas. First off the old Makuta had made themselves into beings of Gas and Energy contained within a mechanical body, these Makuta had not grown to that point and were still partially organic. Second these Makuta were created by Mata Nui after the original Makuta Coup d'etat, his purpose for making them was unknown but after the betrayal of the first Makuta people were very distrusting of the new ones. There used to be 10 of them, now there were only 4 remaining. Third and most importantly while the original makuta has a tendency towards being sociopathic, these new Makuta are more neutral. Initially our team was very wary when Makuta Zalos just showed up in New Metru Nui and decide to make himself at home, we wanted to stop him and Parkur himself even attempted to face him alone, but being only new Toa we didn't stand a chance even if we tried, and it turned out we didn't even need to fight him because Zalos wasn't trying to be a threat to anybody, he just wanted a place to settle down, collect art, and become a gameshow host. Our team ended up becoming friends with him and he became a trusted informant having Rahkshi all over the city allowing him to monitor criminal activity. Zalos would eventually open up to Whaka about what happened his 6 fallen fellow Makuta, they were killed off by other Toa. Zalos's Makuta sister couldn't even bring herself to fight back before she died, and Zalos briefly contemplated revenge but knew if he went down that direction it would only prove those Toa correct and perpetuate the cycle of hate and violence. Being reminded of his own fallen companions Whaka started to introspect on his own cruelty and hunger for revenge, if a Makuta could overcome the temptation to hate then what did that make him, and if he started killing for his own satisfaction would he be perpetuating his own cycle of hate? He then further started to question how he thought about the Dark Hunters when he met one who only joined Dark Hunters to help her Toa friend who had fallen ill and needed an expensive medicine. Rather than seeing all Dark Hunters as the worst scum on the planet made up of only psychos and monsters, Whaka started to see them as people. While he could probably never bring himself to forgive the Dark Hunters who murdered his friends, he was no longer going to let them make him a monster too. New Friends After saving the Toa friend of the sympathetic Dark Hunter, the New Metru Nui team returned to the city awaiting two new members of the Team: Glacius the Toa of Ice and Fire (The Tank) He was a Matoran from Karzahni (Bionicle equivalent of Hell) who had been experimented on and became a badass with two large shields to be an unstoppable wall that charges in and beats the enemies faces in with his Shields! And Ingram the Toa of Air (The Driver) Ingram was Glacius's best friend after Glacius was freed from Karzahni, he was a Merchant, he owned a large truck we ended up using as a mobile base, and he had a bit of imposter syndrome over being picked to be a Toa and not feeling like he earned it. The Newly complete Team would stop a Drug problem going on in New Ko-Metru and together bring down the Rahi-Nui a Monstrous Chimera of several powerful Rahi Monsters created by the Old Makuta, and Whaka would change his main Mask from the Kanohi Huna (Mask of Concealment) to the Kanohi Kadin (Mask of Flight) representing how he no longer feels the need to Lurk and Hide, now his main focus is being Mobile and being able to get to all his allies on the battlefield to do what he initially set out to do in the first place: Keep his allies up and support them! Ingram would occasionally go off on his own with the Truck to get shipments completed committed to his previous job as a Merchant and delivery driver...but after not coming back from one of his runs the team would eventually find the Truck broken and Ingram missing. We wouldn't know till later but Ingram would eventually turn up dead. Before discovering the death of Ingram, Whaka found the Shadowed One leader of the Dark Hunters and his Right hand Lady in the city! He decided to pursue them only to get information, but when he realized they were going to escape the city in a Submarine Whaka decided this time he could not let them get away and chased them on the back of a SHARK till he caught up with the Sub and trapped them in a tangle of Kelp like a giant Plant-based Kraken! The two abandoned ship and retreated back to land but Whaka would not let them go and stood his ground against them enduring attacks while he waited for his team to show up for backup and they certainly came! Together we defeated the Shadowed One and Righty and then brought them to Justice by not killing them but trapping them forever in a crystalized Protodermis Toa Seal, and as a reward Whakatau claimed Right's Sword and The Shadowed One's Plasma Axe, then with the help of Vaphi and Vojakua they combined the two weapons into 1 Plasma Sword which Whaka named "Dark Hunter" The Team could not celebrate long though because right after Ingram would turn up dead, Glacius would go bezerk on his own personal revenge quest to find the murderer who killed Ingram and eliminate him, and Whakatau had a depressive episode thinking he's failed to be a good leader and now one of his teammates died under his watch when that was the very thing he had tried to prevent. Glacius would knock some sense into Whaka both figuratively and literally as they decided to have a sparring match and let their emotions out. Glacius kicked Whaka's ass and the two of the felt better afterwards as well as solidified their own friendship. Then they beat the Dark Hunter who killed Ingram by ramming him with the Truck and Glacius blew him up...Whaka may have decided that revenge is not the right path, but Glacius is the more pragmatic of the two of them and saw no sense in letting a serial killer continue to live. Glacius was put on trial for breaking the Toa code but was pardoned. In the End In the Final Session our team would take on the Toa Killer Robot Marendar with the help of the allies we made up to this point such as the 4 remaining Makuta and the Entire Bohrok Hoard! Parkur went off to be a Parole Officer to the remaining Dark Hunters and help them start a new organization for good, The ended up making a Rock Band. Vojakua decided to go look for a Rogue Toa of Plasma who had used his powers irresponsibly and needed to be stopped before he hurt anybody else. Whakatau, Glacius, and Vaphi remained in the city continuing to protect for many more years to come. Glacius became the Co-host on Makuta Zalos's Game show Vaphi invented Robot Hounds to help aid in Search and Rescue missions when the Toa can't be around. And Whakatau runs a Farm near the City which helps provide Food, Medicinal Plants, and Combustable Lemons that can be used as Grenades.

[sepublic]

            You know what? My recent post has actually got me thinking about writing a begrudgingly canon-compliant fic where Melding Teridax and the remaining Shadow Takanuvas kill each other, as a way to resolve both plot threads, with Mazeka acting as a third party. We’ll call it Photo Negative; Referring to an image where light and dark are reversed, just as these polarities have been flipped for what is a classic tale of Takanuva VS Makuta. Photo on its own literally means Light, Light Negative… It’s perfect.

         It’s kind of a tale of Nature Vs Nurture; Particularly regarding the potential of the Makuta species, contrasted against the Toa, with Mazeka acting almost like a judge of sorts. In the peaceful days, he and his mentor researched into the origin of the Makuta and how Mata Nui made them, so they do have a bit of knowledge regarding their ‘nature’ so to speak…

         The story begins with Mazeka and Teridax exploring the newly-restored Spherus Magna, which Teridax finds to be much more familiar to his own home; They even end up traveling the same route they did in the Melding universe. As Mazeka ponders how his universe turned out differently compared to Teridax’s, and what that means for the truth about this world and Mata Nui himself… Uh oh, more Shadow Takanuvas! Turns out there are still a few more, and these others had hung back to watch the first three act as guinea pigs, so they could figure out how this version of Teridax fights and thinks, clearly different in personality due to being of Light.

         Well, they’ve gotten the hint, and Takanuva has always been a quick thinker, a fast learner, in any universe. They attack Teridax, having learned from the mistakes of the first three, and begin chipping him down. Each Takanuva has had experience fighting and defeating their own Teridax, but luckily Melding Teridax just had the experience of defeating three Takanuvas. However, they’ve responded to Melding Teridax’s different approach, so experience seems even.

         Luckily, Teridax has the power of Light, the ultimate counter to the Takanuvas’ Shadow; That balances things out and enabled him to kill the first three. But with their greater numbers, he might not make it out of here… But he fights anyway, using the full range of his other powers to survive and protect Mazeka at the same time; He might be willing to kill evil, but he isn’t going to sacrifice innocents to do so.

         Mazeka finds this very surreal, because it’s Teridax he’s talking about; This is the man who betrayed the Great Spirit, and all of his brothers. This is the Makuta who became the Great Spirit himself… Except not exactly, because this Teridax never did any of that, and conquered his inner darkness long ago. He reflects on his mentor’s research into the Makuta species, ideas about them originating from Antidermis, and not being inherently beings of Shadow, not necessarily; The idea of a Makuta made of Antidermis, but not programmed with Shadow, was fully feasible.

         And Teridax and his brethren in the Melding universe prove just that, so hey. Maybe the Makuta aren’t inherently evil, maybe it is just the result of Shadow’s influence… It’s clearly twisted a heroic Toa like Takanuva after all, and Mazeka has his critiques about holding Toa on a pedestal. Working for Helryx did not help those opinions, either. Though, Mazeka realizes he is partly to blame for the Takanuva situation; He didn’t save –or at least kill- them while they were in stasis when he had the chance, leaving them all to destiny… and destiny has responded.

         We also get a glimpse into the mind of Teridax, who is a bit rattled to see exactly what he could and did do, in a world where he didn’t conquer his inner darkness. Luckily, that version of himself has already been dealt with, but still… Meanwhile, we see the perspective of another Takanuva, who reflects on his past as he continues to carefully observe and strike, every now and then.

         We get the usual; He knows how to defeat Teridax. But he also recalls being kidnapped by Tridax, corrupted and drained of his light. What are his motives now? Believe it or not, he still cares for Jaller, Hahli, and the others… And plans to get them on his side by using a Shadow Leech to ‘free’ and persuade them. Tridax still had a few left over in his lab from Destral…

         Similarly, Takanuva does consider if it’s really himself that’s making these choices, or if he’s just a puppet of Shadow’s influence; After all, look how Teridax has changed without it! And his pride objects to being a lackey, but on the other hand… Well, he remembers how he and the surviving Takanuvas woke up, freed other survivors in stasis. They planned to go out and claim this universe for themselves, but then this timeline’s Teridax had other plans.

         Destral was always an extraneous part of the Great Spirit’s body, that’s why it could get away with teleporting. And with it already in ruins, this Teridax had no qualms with destroying it… He showed off his power, boiling the ocean around Destral, even as he cast powerful bolts of lightning and other devastating effects. Many of the Takanuvas were killed as they held out, until finally the rest agreed to serve Teridax.

         That was humiliating, but getting to kill another Teridax as one of their first missions sort of made up for it, gave him a punching bag, technically the same person, to take revenge on. It was weird, and anyhow the Teridax who enslaved them had just died, so now there was this one left. And as someone who did wield Light, he was a legitimate threat to the Shadow Takanuvas, and was better taken out sooner than later…

         Remember what I said, about the Takanuvas having retrieved a few Shadow Leeches from Tridax’s lab? Well, I’m thinking this really comes back to bite Melding Teridax; One of the Takanuvas opens up a Tridax pod, unleashing some Shadow Leeches. At least one latches onto Teridax, draining him of his light, and Mazeka is understandably terrified.

         There’s two scenarios; Without his advantage of Light, Melding Teridax is finished off by the Takanuvas. OR… He manages to win anyway. But now full of Shadow, this makes him more or less the same as the Teridax who just died, in terms of personality, morality, etc. So just after prime Teridax was finished, a basically identical replica, an equal in terms of power and cunning, has risen up to take his place… Oh no.

         Suddenly this side adventure brings enormous stakes, the return of Bionicle’s ultimate villain just after he’d died, and this time nobody knows nor expects it. Melding Teridax feels his inner darkness return and is reminded, feels inspired to follow in his alternate self’s foot steps; If prime Teridax can pull it off, clearly he can, having learned from the mistakes of his other self, just as these Takanuvas did the same for their predecessors.

         I’m not entirely sure what happens with this bit; Does Teridax avoid being fully transformed, and ends up a Twilight Teridax, just as we had a Twilight Takanuva? I think that’s a nice compromise. Teridax kills the Shadow Leeches, much to the Takanuvas’ rage, and by this point he’s killed off all but one (It’s left ambiguous if this is the same one we saw the perspective of; They’re all Takanuva, so wouldn’t they think the same anyhow?). His Light has been diminished, he’s been whittled down by the other Takanuvas, AND he’s grappling with conflicting feelings as he tries to quell his inner darkness once more.

         Melding Teridax falls back on a reminder; He’s beaten ‘himself’ before, in a sense. He can do it again, relying on the same training from before to conquer this inner darkness and bring Light. But right now… He has to defeat this final Takanuva. Mazeka meanwhile considers rescinding his improved opinion on the Makuta, as seeing Teridax struggle with his darkness makes him wonder if it really is inevitable for them to fall to evil, no matter how much progress they might initially make.

         The battle goes on, Takanuva jokes about there being no energized protodermis to play kolhii with, which obviously confuses Teridax and Mazeka, the latter doesn’t know all the details of the fight in Mangaia. Of course, Takanuva adds, that’s probably a good thing since he doesn’t want end up fused with this guy again.

         Even if there’s no kolhii, we still have a distorted, flipped version of Mask of Light’s climax; Takanuva and Makuta fighting, a rebuilt Matoran on the side, watching. In a dark, or bright, twist on old events, Teridax says something that sets off Takanuva, causing him to jump out and land a brutal attack that knocks Teridax down.

         With Teridax seemingly defeated, Takanuva turns his attention to Mazeka, easily taking him down; A wounded Toa will always triumph over an upgraded Matoran, much to Mazeka’s helpless chagrin. But as some defiant last words, he reminds Takanuva of why he chose Teridax from the Melding universe, over anyone else;

         His logic was simple. What could defeat Teridax? Well, how about another Teridax? And obviously this universe’s Teridax responded to that same question, with Takanuva as his answer; Someone who already DID beat Teridax. But then, that leaves just one more question… What could defeat a Takanuva? And Mazeka’s answers is the same as his last one, another one.

         There’s still one more Takanuva in this universe, the original who actually belongs here. And he’s a Toa of Light… If these Takanuvas were to fight, they’d be evenly matched, being the exact same in terms of skill and cleverness. But Mazeka’s Takanuva has the power of Light, and that will always triumph over this Shadow Takanuva; The Shadow Takanuva is doomed to fail.

         At this point, Shadow Takanuva laughs, and explains that while on Destral, huddled together with his other selves in shelter against prime Teridax’s onslaught… They traded stories. Each Takanuva had something about their timeline, their version of the story, that was different or slightly diverged from the rest; Little details as which type of Rahkshi that Makuta used to stop the herald, whether it was Jaller or Hahli who went with them, that sort of thing.

         So what’s this Takanuva’s difference? He explains that in the end, he’s figured out his timeline was the exact same as this one’s… With the only difference being that it ran ahead of the prime universe. So events that had already happened in this Takanuva’s universe, have yet to happen in the prime timeline; Meaning he’s basically from the future.

         That means he knows everything prime Takanuva is going to do, everything that everyone else will do, and all the mistakes they’ll make. And armed with this knowledge, Shadow Takanuva can easily take control of this universe, and make it his own. Mazeka is naturally aghast at this, and as Takanuva moves in to finish him off…

         Wait! Teridax isn’t down just yet. As a distorted reflection of Mask of Light’s climax, he rises once more, not as a stubborn nightmare that won’t end, but as an example of heroic valor. Teridax reminds Takanuva, having overheard, that they’re both outliers to this universe; So Shadow Takanuva’s knowledge of the future can’t account for either of them. This much was clear, as it didn’t do anything to help Shadow Takanuva when fighting Melding Teridax.

         It didn’t help earlier in the battle, and it won’t help now; Teridax is someone Takanuva can’t predict. Both of them badly wounded, they rush each other, and end up finishing the other off, a mutual defeat that Mazeka can only watch; Just like in Mask of Light. The two succumb to their injuries, having their own brief moments of reflection in their final moments. Teridax ended up saving this universe from himself and Takanuva by getting them both killed.

         Mazeka is left alone, and also has to reflect on everything that happened. His stance on the Makuta has changed again; Maybe Teridax would’ve succumbed eventually had he not died, but it seems he still put in the effort to conquer his inner darkness, all over again. Make the Makuta aren’t inherently cursed, maybe the Antidermis is capable of good… And what happened to the original source, anyhow? Maybe Mazeka should go off and find it, vouch for a restoration of the Makuta species, based on everything he’s seen. They can conquer their nature, and maybe it isn’t anymore immune to corruption than that of the Toa’s.

         Mazeka notes how Takanuva and Makuta fought and defeated each other, all over again. But things were switched, light and shadow, good and evil; It was Makuta who truly won this time, for example. Likewise, the Great Spirit has fallen in a Great Cataclysm, all over again… But as Makuta, rather than Mata Nui.

         Mazeka knows that his Teridax survived against Takanuva, barely. Maybe Melding Teridax did too, a reverse of familiar events? But no, Melding Teridax would not hide his survival from Mazeka, he truly is dead. With Vultraz and his own Teridax dealt with, Mazeka decides to honor his friend’s sacrifice by helping redeem the Makuta species in his universe, and restore the Brotherhood with his knowledge on how they were made. He sets out to regroup with the Order of Mata Nui, and find the source of Antidermis.

         I might have an epilogue where Mazeka comes across fellow Order member Brutaka, possessed by the Antidermis. And the Antidermis is still loyal to Mata Nui, so with this and his own experiences in mind, that will just further cement Mazeka’s support for a new Brotherhood, with Miserix being given a chance at redemption; After all, so was Brutaka. And as someone who also escaped the darkness, who saw firsthand in his mind the Antidermis’ intent… Brutaka also agrees. And he can’t help but be intrigued when Mazeka relays what he saw of Melding Teridax and his redemption.

         After all, Brutaka’s redemption was motivated in part by seeing just how much worse, how much more evil this universe’s Teridax was. So it makes him wonder if even prime Teridax could’ve changed for the better, or if he’d done too much by that point that it had been too late for him, unlike Melding Teridax. Who knows…? He’s also familiar with the story of an Olmak causing shenanigans with Takanuva and alternate timelines, but not the way Mazeka had his…! He also asks what happened to the other Olmak, and Mazeka suddenly realizes he has no idea, since the Shadow Takanuvas didn’t have it… And if neither Mazeka nor Tobduk took it, then that leaves-

        Suddenly Mazeka wonders if he made a mistake sparing Vezon, after all. Whoops. Little does he know, allowing Vezon to live allowed Vezon to take the Olmak and accidentally use it to transport Mazeka to the Melding universe... Meaning if he never spared Vezon, Melding Teridax wouldn’t have been there to stop the Shadow Takanuvas. So, maybe not a mistake...

[chocoholicannanymous]

Concepts in Action (Glee)

Follow-up to Concepts of Insanity, spawned by a talk with @jwmelmoth

Slighty different mood than that one, but same base principle.

Returning to the loft after skating should be a relief after the awkwardness of doing such a loaded activity with his ex. Except it doesn't feel that good, and he's got some uncomfortable suspicions regarding Blaine's backpack.

“So, dad. You brought Blaine. Exactly when's his ticket back?”

“Day after tomorrow, same as mine.”

“Right. And where is he staying?”

“Well...” His dad's facial expression answers that question in a way that makes Kurt's heart sink.

Fan.Tast.Ic.

“So when you said I could return my present if I wanted to, exactly how was that supposed to work? It isn't, is it? I'm stuck with him whether I want to or not.”

“Kurt!”

His dad's voice is full of surprise and a bit of censor, but Kurt isn't going to let that influence him. His dad's crossed a line, and Kurt's not going to pretend otherwise.

“Remember the first Christmas after mom passed away? How you sat me down and apologized for my presents, before I'd even opened them, because you just weren't good at buying gifts? And remember how I told you that anything you'd gotten me would be perfect, because it was from you and I loved you? Yes?

“Okay. I still love you, but I'm taking the rest of that back. You coming here to tell me you have cancer was bad enough. Finding out you consider my ex an acceptable 'gift' for Christmas goes from bad to really shitty, and I don't know what you were thinking. Especially seeing as apparently you felt it was okay to tell him about your cancer before telling me.”

“I didn't want you to be alone.”

Kurt just stares, unable to process.

“I have cancer, and I knew you'd have a hard time to deal. I brought Blaine because I figured you'd need the support, the comfort.”

“And you brought my ex for that?”

Then again, support wasn't Blaine's strongest suit even when we were together, was it?

“Hey, you're the one who told me he wasn't just your boyfriend, he was your best friend too.”

“Yes, but that was before” he cheated on me “we broke up.”

His dad still doesn't seem to get it and Kurt can't take it.

“You know what, I need some air. I'm going to take a walk. You stay here, make sure Blaine stays out of my bedroom.”

Kurt starts out with going around the block, but he's still upset after and takes another loop, this time longer. It takes half an hour for him to feel ready to go back inside and deal.

Sitting on the couch with his dad and Blaine as they watch baseball is annoying as hell. Any other time, he'd take the closeness and read Vogue, especially now that his dad has admitted to knowing about it. But with Blaine actually watching and interacting with his dad about the game Kurt feels uncomfortable not doing the same. So he tries. Once he gives up and reaches for his magazine he heard his dad and Blaine joke about having bet about how long he'd hold out.

And then the next hit comes.

“So, Kurt, I know that this might be a bit weird for you, and you can totally say no if you want to,” sure, just like I could return the 'gift' of your presence, “ but I'm applying to NYADA for next year.”

Kurt sighs silently. Of course he is. The thing is, he can see it, the way Blaine probably assumes it'll play out. Blaine moving to New York, going to NYADA, buddying up to Rachel just like in high school... Kurt being expected to just take it, regardless of if he had been accepted or not. Any contacts Kurt might have gotten supposed to be at Blaine's beck and call, Blaine talking his way into Kurt's classes trying to replace him, like he had in Glee and with Cheerios... Kurt bending over backwards to make Blaine happy, just like in high school.

Because there would never be a chance of him being allowed to continue to say no to Blaine with them at the same school.

Thank god that's not going to happen.

And really, what was Blaine trying to do here? Pretending that Kurt's opinion mattered? The time for that would have been months ago, before applying.

“Oh really? You know what, I think NYADA might be perfect for you.” Not in terms of actual schooling, maybe, as Kurt's had the blinds torn off regarding Blaine's talent, but for the rest... He imagines Carmen Tibideaux subjecting Blaine to some of her special treatment. The definition of Karma, surely.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. From everything I've heard you'd get along really well with the dean, and well, Rachel seems to thrive. Good luck.”

With no encouragement to keep talking about NYADA Blaine wanders off to grab something to drink and Kurt refocuses on his dad, trying to squeeze out as much of this visit as possible.

“Hey Kurt? What does NUY want with you?”

Kurt turns his head so fast it feels like he's in danger of whiplash.

“Are you going through my mail? Stop it!”

The words come out hard and he can see both his dad and Blaine react. He doesn't care though.

“You know, you going through my personal things wasn't cute when we dated either. Back then I just cared more about keeping the peace than about keeping my privacy. Since that's not a problem anymore, let me just be clear. I might be allowing you to stay here, but that's not an invitation in any way. Not to snooping, not to feeling at home, and not to getting back together.

“This is my home, and you are – putting it kindly – a guest. Behave with the decency I know your mom expects of you. If you can't do that then leave.”

He wishes Blaine would, but knows it's not likely.

“Buddy...”

“Kurt! You can't mean that you'd throw me out. Where would I go?”

Blaine looks like Kurt has done the verbal equivalent of throwing a bucket of ice water in his face. It has no effect on Kurt's resolve though.

“I neither know nor care. You either respect my home or you don't stay in it. This is New York. There are thousands of hotels and hostels.”

His dad just stares at him, as if he doesn't know who Kurt is anymore, and it hurts. Out of all the people liking Blaine better than him Kurt had never figured his dad would be one. And yet here he was, feeling the same way as he'd once felt with Finn.

“Buddy, you're being a bit harsh here, don't you think? Yes, I'll admit that maybe bringing Blaine without warning you was a little...impulsive, but why are you so angry? And don't be so hardnosed about getting back together, for your own sake.

“Like I said earlier, love's important. Holding on to love is important. I don't want you to throw away what you and Blaine have, not when you never know what will happen, or how long you'll have that opportunity. It's a cruel world, Kurt, but having someone to share with makes it better.”

Kurt takes a deep breath and tries, really really tries to keep his bitterness in. He's not doing that great a job.

“Holding on to love is important, sure. But there's such a thing as holding on too long and too hard. Blaine and I broke up for good reasons, and I wish you'd respect that.”

It's like his dad isn't even hearing him though.

“You know, your mom and I found it hard being apart too.”

Kurt did know. As a kid he'd loved hearing about his mom's semester in France, and he'd been told enough to know that it'd been tough. He'd read some of their letters to each other though, and he doubts either of them dealt the way Blaine did.

“So? Yes, being apart is hard. But that isn't an excuse for everything. I didn't want to get you involved in all of this, but since that's obviously not going to be an option anymore, fine. Blaine cheated. He felt I didn't pay enough attention to him, you know, between finding a job and a place to stay, and making enough money to pay the bills, and generally trying to make myself a life here after he practically pushed me to go here.

“And so he went and found someone else to give him that attention.”

He practically spits out the last sentence. It feels good to finally allow himself to say it, but the look on his dad's face doesn't feel as good.

If he was less angry maybe he'd be able to stop himself, worry about his dad's heart. But the anger's been simmering too long for that.

“That's why we broke up, and that's why I find the idea of getting back together objectionable. And you can talk about holding on to love until you're blue in the face, but I'm not the one who needs that lecture.”

He swallows down the lump in his throat, but goes on.

“As for the rest of it, are you seriously suggesting I take back my cheating boyfriend because that's better than being alone? Or because I don't know how long I'll live? Because if you are... What's next, dad? Telling me I should marry him because you and mom didn't get enough time together?

“If any of those things are going through your head you are also welcome to leave. I'll never not welcome you in my home, dad, but I need you to respect me. I need you to not act like you're putting someone else's son above yours.”

That's a warning that hits the target, and it's obvious that Burt Hummel remembers a row of uncomfortable talks about Finn. He deflects by turning on Blaine though.

“You...”

“No, dad. It is over and done with. Leave him be. Just... Just leave it alone. I don't want to take anymore fighting. Please?”

They stare at each other and for a while Kurt wonders if he should have done as he normally does and just backed down. Swallowed down his hurt and anger and frustration, kept quiet about the injustices done to him, and just pretended to be okay. Tried to not upset his dad, and risk his health.

Except he's done that for years, and it's clearly not working. His dad's health has failed again, with the cancer – and no matter how good the prognosis, or the treatments available, a cancer diagnosis is a health failure. Plus his dad is trying to fix him and Blaine, out of some misguided idea that they're going to be the next Burt-and-Lizzie, and he never would have done that if Kurt'd been honest about the cheating instead of blaming distance.

At least Kurt hopes he wouldn't.

“Sometimes, dad, first loves end. They end because of death, or because they're not meant to last, or because of something else. And then you meet someone else, and they make your life amazing. I'm not going to deprive myself of that by holding on to something that's ended. Just like you didn't. You found love again. I will too.

“I just need to be allowed to do so.”

They keep staring at each other, and then his dad nods. Kurt can't help it, he throws himself in his dad's arms, with tears already beginning to fall.

As they hug Kurt hear Blaine muttering in the background about finding a hotel, but he doesn't care. The door to the loft closing feels like it's closing on him and Blaine too, and it's such a relief.

After several minutes they let go. Both need to remove traces of crying, but that's good.

Once they're seated again Kurt searches for something to talk about, but his dad beats him to it.

“So, NYU? Or should I pretend I didn't hear that?”

“No! I have been thinking about things, about school, and I was an idiot for not applying to more schools last year. So, I did some research and then I did something about it. I've applied to half a dozen schools, and I've already been accepted to one for the fall semester. I don't know if there's any school willing to take me for the spring, but if there's not I'll just keep working and try to save up money.”

“And what about NYADA?”

There's no judgment in his dad's voice, and Kurt smiles as he tries to describe the situation diplomatically.

“It's...not looking as good in my research as I thought, so while I did reapply there I'm not sure I want to go there. I really shouldn't have listened to Rachel last year, because as it turns out? NYADA actually isn't the most prestigious school for performing arts, and it's probably not even the best for me. I guess we were both a little starstruck, you know?”

The game is back on, but they ignore it and talk, and it's everything Kurt would have wanted.

O--o---o--O

Months later as classes start up Kurt receives voicemail after voicemail about Blaine starting at NYADA, about how bad it is that Kurt's not been accepted, about them meeting up. Kurt ignores them as he did the calls and walks into vogue.com with a smile.

He doesn't feel the least bad about not getting in. Hell, he didn't even apply for the fall semester.

No, Kurt's happy where he is, with his job at vogue.com, a spot at the New School and a couple of scholarships helping pay the way. Oh, and a new boyfriend, which also contributes to his happiness.

Turns out? Acting in new ways can get you new and rewarding results. All you got to do is try.

[ctrl-alt-tahu]

That's definitely in the ballpark of my "De-Rahaga'd Hagah" (DRH) Problem--maybe a slightly different angle, but it's close--though maybe a bit more Doylist.

From my Watsonian angle, the DRH problem is that it retroactively removes the stakes of WoS. Retroactively removing the stakes of an earlier installment is actually a pretty Marvel thing to do, so maybe I'm on a roll with applying superhero critiques to justify my Bionicle tastes.

In WoS, the Rahaga are mentors to the Hordika, offering guidance and vision of a life where the Hordika can live in balance with their Rahi instincts. This is important, because the stakes of WoS are that the Hordika will be stuck that way. In addition to providing wisdom in-story that this isn't a complete curse, that you CAN tame the beast within, the Rahaga are also an in-story warning of sorts: they can't be restored by Keetongu. This is what they are now.

I realise, by the way, that the Rahaga are not actually the same as the Hordika: they're created differently and in-story there are different rules of what can be cured or not, but.... dramatically the Rahaga and the Hordika are variations on the same theme: Toa turned animal. It's important for the Hordika arc to have gravity to show that you don't normally come back from this sort of thing.

2005 was already battling uphill in the stakes department. Not only does it have Metru Nui arc's general issue of "this took place 1000 years ago--of course you'll be fine--but it also has the end of LoMN showing the transformation of the Toa Metru to Turaga. Having the Rahaga in the story to show that, actually, the Toa Metru are a lucky exception to escape Rahi-fication gives the adventure some gravity.

(I also think that how the Hagah actually end up getting restored is a bit lame: the good guys corner Roodaka and just... make her. That's it? After more than 1000 years in this form it comes down to someone twisting her arm? Were their no heroes that couldn't have stepped in and done this? It couldn't have been done at the end of WoS? It just smacks of comic book "everything can be reset"-ism.).

If a need for happy endings means you had to have karma make Roodaka restore the Hagah at some point--which I think you did not have to have happen: Roodaka is a better villainness if the Rahaga continue flittering over Metru Nui as a reminder of her caprice and power--there are other things that could have been done.

My "movie ending" fate, if I had to give them one is probably that Roodaka is forced to the change them back to mask-wearing "Matoran/Toa/Turaga," but she can't turn them back to Toa: there's a Law of Conservation of Energy or something, and they just have too little mass to be Toa again, so now they're Turaga. Given the theme of the original post of this thread, I'll mention that I think that Turaga and the concept of them gets sidelined much the same way that ordinary Matoran do as the series goes on, so I'm okay with the idea of a few more Turaga floating around Metru Nui.

Or, maybe, Roodaka can turn them back into Toa, but they've been half-Rahi so long that, when she does, they're functionally Hordika: stronger and bigger and powerful again, but they're still half-Rahi. The mutations are too far gone (and by a power greater than the Visorak) so Keetongu can't fix them, but that's okay: the Hagah get their "restored" power and they get to continue being living examples of Rahi-and-mind balanced in one being.

Instead, the moral of WoS becomes "lol, you don't have to actually live with being a half-Rahi! Just go find the thing that did this to you and point a gun to her head." I think that's not much of a moral and it robs us of the life advice the Rahaga could have demonstrated--that they DID demonstrate--of accepting the challenges of life and finding out to live with them in harmony. I don't think the right word for my gripe is that restoring them is ableist, but it might be something in that category.

I also think, keying back to my complaints about the Inika in general, that there were just too many Toa running around to keep track of them all. At a point when things were so gritty and dark, wouldn't it have made more sense NOT to make them Toa?

The Everyman Problem

So, I've had a kernel of a Bionicle post rattling around in my for a couple weeks that I haven't quite been able to articulate, but I think I might have the angle to explain it now.

I'm an "old Bionicle fan": by which I mean, I'm old enough to have got into Bionicle in the "Mata Nui" era (2001-2003). A glance at the notes on my big [unfinished, looking abandoned] alt-canon fanfic shows that I'm old enough to have disliked the change of the Toa from Mata to Nuva... in 2002.

So, which that as background, remember that I'm old enough to remember a time when it wasn't known at all that Matoran, Toa, and Turaga were all the same "species."

Thinking back on it, I don't think I initially "noticed" the revelation that no only were the Turaga were former Toa, but the Toa (Metru) were Matoran before that--Takanuva too, but he was something of a special case. In 2004, I was really just absorbing that Vakama, Onewa, etc. were former Toa--that "Toa" might mean something other than "single demi-urgic hero of each element." I got there eventually, as far as acceptance goes, but it part of my age-related fade out of the Bionicle fandom.

2006, on the other hand, emphasized the other part that I'd ignored more during the LoMN/WoS era: that Toa came from Matoran. I still don't love this, but until last night I couldn't really lay a finger on how to express why.

I thought it might just be my habitual stick-in-the-muditude: you changed Jaller from Captain of the Guard! You changed Matoro from Nuju's stoic interpreter to a worry-ridden saviour.

I also thought it might just be the genre shift: it's all fantasy, of course, but it's a different thing from the island mythology-vibe of Mata Nui to the Lost City of Atlantis vibe of Metru Nui (and then the vibes beyond). I like the Toa more as unique elemental avatars than evolved Matoran, but that's not really it either.

Last night, though, I watched later era Marvel movie--it doesn't matter which one, because they all have this problem--and as the credits were rolling, I realised that the reason I don't really like the MCU is much the same as this "problem" I had with Bionicle: if just about anyone can be a superhero, you lose the "ordinary" members of the story.

Putting it another way, I realised I prefer "chosen one" stories to "X-men" stories. This is probably the Tolkien fan to some extent: you can have a world full of magic and heroes and super-powers, but if it also has "ordinary" folk, their specific importance in the story is that they ARE ordinary: Gandalf and Aragorn are heroes and amazing, yes, but Frodo never "levels up"--he is a greater person at the end of the story than the beginning, but it is the growth of an ordinary person.

Because superheroes are so common in the MCU (or DCU, etc), it's hard to have ordinary people be front and center--and harder still for them to stay ordinary people. And something like that is my problem with where Bionicle went that I don't think ever fully resolved for me: part of the wonder of Mata Nui, the whole storytelling point of MNOG is that the Matoran contribute to the victory too: they have no mask powers, no elemental powers, but they are there to help the heroes and do their part and its essential.

This already starts changing with MoL, it changes more with LoMN, and by the time we get to the Voya Nui arc, we've gone "Full MCU": everyone in the story can be a Toa.

I think, if the Inika had been "four or five" new characters and only one "already-known" Matoran, I'd have been much happier. But when you take the most prominent Matoran from every tribe and make them all Toa... who's left? The headcanons that the Chronicler's company become Toa too both satisfy and don't work for me for this reason. They satisfy me if they leave the Inika as Matoran, because I think that was a better way to go; they annoy me if they're BOTH Toa now, because that exacerbates what I think is the "problem" here.

It's not really a problem, objectively, but it is my subjective sticking point. And it's the reason that even though I might keep most of this lore, despite the grumbling, I'm willing to jettison completely and utterly the idea that "only some Matoran are destined to become Toa." Destiny is always a hard thing to make work in the story, but the Doylist result is that Matoran now come in two categories: Special Protagonist and Ordinary: and the Ordinary is now completely swept off the stage and I really don't want that: I want the story to include a real focus on some powerless, ordinary individuals.

So I'd rather it be that ANYONE can turn into a Toa: they don't, maybe, because the circumstances lead there, but every Matoran has that potential. Because if anyone COULD be a hero, then at least when they do become a hero, it's more ordinary.

But I'd still rather that none of them could--but I'm not sure that is a concept you could return to without retconning Gen-1 so far that you end up with Gen-2. And I don't think I want THAT either.

[intergalactic-nimrod]

I saw a post around here recently about the subject of light and shadow in the MU (I couldn't find the post again because tumblr :/) and I remembered how when I was younger I asked Greg Farshtey on the LEGO message boards (I think) about a fan theory of mine I had about the Avohki and Kraahkan.

You see, my theory was that they were actually the same mask.

It started out with noticing the design similarities between the Avohkii and the Kraahkan's secondary form. I'm pretty sure it turned out that the secondary form was actually meant to be the Mask of Light and Darkness combined but as a kid I thought it was weird how they shared so many features.

But the essence of the idea remains. Question: when bathed in energized protodermis, why did the masks COMBINE? Why, like many other things that come into contact with energized protodermis, did they not just transform into something else entirely? Instead they fused together, as if being one was somehow their destiny...

So my theory is that they are actually two separate versions of the same mask. After all, they're not legendary masks, so there's no reason why there couldn't be more than one of the same (just as there are probably plenty elemental masks like Hewkii's mask of gravity), and we've already seen other normal masks get "corrupted" by shadow energy. I would say there probably aren't more than two of this mask since the elements of light/shadow are so crucial/important, but it's not impossible that more than one was made.

I think it's a special case of elemental mask where the dissonance between the expressions of light and dark is so severe that the elemental standing of the user can influence the way the mask expresses itself, and thus change its shape. We have seen masks change shape before without completely changing their powers so it's not completely unprecedented (Nuva masks).

Also, the reason why Takanuva's Avohkii didn't suddenly become a Kraahkan is because they only had half their light drained. It does noticeably more slicked back... almost like it's halfway between changing shapes...

But the main idea I wanted to express was that light and shadow are a powerful binary, and that the different expressions of it may be vastly different but still occupy the same spectrum. I think one of Bionicle's biggest flaws is that it didn't go more into depth with light and dark, choosing to opt for a slightly more overtly "light, good; shadow, evil" fantasy story (it was after all, still being made for kids, as exceptional as its other story telling was), but it DID touch on it in subtle ways. The fact that in 2008 you see a Toa of light struggling with their elemental expression and a makuta (Krika) with compassion and remorse (that was unprecedented for beings of shadow) shows that the writers were clearly interested in playing with that. I think collapsing the line between light and shadow by making the masks technically the same would've really leaned into that.

Anyway Greg shot it down so it's not canon but Mata-Nui knows how strong fanon is.

[kissinginkitchens]

You Bring Me Home — Chapter One: Flightless Bird, American Mouth

a/n: I've been working on this story for mooonths now and I'm so excited to finally share it with the world! It's heavily inspired by Harry's Behind the Album mini doc, except I changed the setting to Hawai'i because I've personally spent some time there and as they say, write what you know! YBMH takes place in the period between One Direction's hiatus and Harry's first album/tour, but with that being said, this is entirely a work of fiction and some events don't follow the true timeline. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little story, I hope you love it as much as I do! It will be updated every Friday at 5 PM PST. My inbox is open, so feel free to talk to me once you've finished reading! I'd love to hear from you :) Much love, Mel <3

Pairing: Hawai'i!Harry x Original Character

Warnings: swearing

Word Count: 5.5k

May, 2016

Harry watches LAX get smaller through the airplane window and visualizes all of his worries stuck at the terminal gate, their magnitude also diminishing as he takes flight. He sinks lower in his seat and skims through playlists on his phone when a nagging feeling at the back of his mind pulls his attention away from the screen. Looking up from the song choices, he spots a cell phone quickly lowered from his line of vision and a girl with flushed cheeks who quickly averts her gaze. Harry shoots a tight-lipped smile in her direction and goes back to his phone with a sigh. The days when he could roam the streets freely without fear of recognition—or worse, harassment—feel like an entirely different lifetime. He sometimes imagines that he’ll wake up back in his childhood bed as if the past five years had all been a dream, but he never does. In fact, his privacy and anonymity seem to dwindle with each minute of radio play that One Direction receives. It’s a bittersweet pill to swallow, but one he hopes will go down easier with some time in the Hawaiian sun.

His close friend and new manager, Jeff Azoff, had suggested the vacation as soon as the band privately agreed to take a hiatus.

“You’ll go home for a few weeks,” his voice had crackled through the speakers of Harry’s phone. “Visit your mom and Gem, lay low for a while until the smoke blows over,”

Harry mulled it over in his mind, eyes flickering over the rolling landscape outside of the tour bus window.

“Then what?”

“Then you go for a little vacation. The label offered to cover a house in Hawaii so you can start working on the album,”

“Alone?”

Jeff chuckled lightly on the other end before responding. “I mean, if that’s what you want,”

“No,” Harry corrected. “You and Tom should come. Mitch and Bhasker, too,”

“The dream team,”

“And there’ll be a studio there?”

“Yes,” Jeff started, almost hesitant. “But I don’t want you to think about that too much,”

“But you said the label—"

“I also said vacation. Look, Rob said ‘it will all happen in due time,' did he not?”

Harry twisted the rose ring around his finger, tracing over the silver petals and thinking back to his conversation with the CEO of Sony Music, Rob Stringer. Upon the proposal of his debut solo album, Rob had told him that the most important ingredient for a successful debut would be patience. The singer had agreed in the moment, but every day not spent in the studio felt like a test he hadn’t studied hard enough for.

“Yeah.”

“So you take the free vacation,” Jeff suggested. “You go out, live, get some writing material. Maybe mess around with some tunes. And then we come back to L.A. and get to work. But until then, I just want you to focus on taking it easy.”

So take it easy he had. Or at least he had tried to when he was back home in England. Harry quickly grew restless after what felt like the millionth awkward conversation with past friends and acquaintances, all of which eventually led to the topic of One Direction and it’s unexpected hiatus. After one month at home, his mind and journal were full of ideas for songs, things that he wanted to say before he lost his nerve. One night as he tossed and turned in bed, he shot Jeff a text, just two words that would kick off a three month getaway to the Big Island of Hawai'i:

I’m ready.

********

“Sounds great, I'll go put in your order.” Alani offers sweetly, trying not to overdo it with the customer service voice. After waiting on the family at her designated table, she heads back to the kitchen and finds her younger sister, Pua, crouched in the corner taking what appears to be a serious phone call.

“I don’t know, I just saw it!” Her sister cries in a hushed tone. “Where do you think he’s going?”

“Is everything okay?” Alani cuts in with concern.

Pua whispers into the speaker before bringing the phone to her shoulder.

“Harry Styles was just spotted on a plane this morning,”

“Who?”

“The guy from One Direction,” her sister explains with a hint of irritation in her voice. “The band who sings that song you secretly like, ‘Fireproof,'”

Alani vaguely recalls the melody, but she waits expectantly for Pua to elaborate. “And this is news because…”

“Because the band just broke up, so where could he possibly be going?”

"The unemployment office?”

Pua rolls her eyes and returns to her phone call while Alani envelops her in a tight hug.

“I’m just kidding!” Alani apologizes, squeezing tighter despite her sister’s attempts to break free. “I’m sure he’ll be living off of royalty checks until he’s, like, eighty,”

“Get off me, freak!” Pua cries out, finally breaking the embrace.

Alani clutches her chest and pulls out an invisible knife. “Ouch. I’m telling Harry you said that,”

“This is exactly why I don’t tell you things.” the younger sister huffs, storming out of the kitchen through the employee entrance where Alani’s best friend, Maleah, has just arrived.

“Looks like someone forgot to eat their Cheerios today,” she remarks, tying her curls into a high ponytail.

Alani shrugs and leans against the counter. “She’s going through something. Just discovered that boys in pop bands are, in fact, just regular boys.”

“Poor thing,” Maleah frowns. “We all have to learn eventually.”

********

The sky is a blend of cotton candy pink and burnt orange when Alani returns home from the café with a strawberry smoothie in tow. She empties the mailbox and sorts through the various bills and advertisements, but her stomach drops when she sees a familiar return address label. After a quick greeting to her excited dog who waits at the door, Alani bolts up the stairs and quietly shuts the bedroom door behind her. Breathe, she reminds herself before tearing into the envelope and discarding it onto the wooden floor.

Dear Ms. Hale,

We are very grateful to have received your submission to Rolling Stone magazine. However, we regret to inform you—

She doesn’t read the rest, slumping to the floor in defeat. The sixth rejection letter from Rolling Stone lies crumpled at Alani’s feet and she kicks it across the room with a frustrated grunt. She had worked for over two months perfecting her analysis of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi and its allusions to the environmental impact of urban development in Hawaii. As part of her initial research, Alani had even traveled to both the Royal Hawaiian hotel in Honolulu, which is the famous Pink Hotel mentioned in the song, and Foster Botanical Garden that Mitchell referred to as “the tree museum.” She was certain that her effort and persistence would result in at least a consideration. The second third time's the charm! Maleah had joked watching Alani submit the piece. Six articles in the span of two years, each one facing the same rejection despite the increased effort Alani had put in over time. The fact that the rejection letter hadn’t changed over the course of the two years brings an incredulous smile to her face, and her stomach turns when she considers that the editors probably hadn’t even read her work, anyway. All that effort, she thinks to herself, all that time, for nothing.

“It will take time,” her favorite professor, Dr. Hudson, had reassured her three months after the Joni Mitchell article was submitted. “Every great writer faced countless rejection until that one piece. Yours will come. Keep your eyes open and your pen ready.”

Alani sighs and lifts herself off the floor, choosing to crawl into her unmade bed instead of slumping onto the hardwood. She hears a soft scratching at the door before her King Charles Spaniel, Freddie, pads into the room.

“Come here, bubs,” Alani whispers. He obeys and burrows into the duvet, giving her temple a gentle lick before nuzzling into the nape of her neck.

“You still love me, right?” she asks, voice cracking. “Even if I’m a failure?”

Freddie sniffs her ear in response.

********

“Right,” Harry says, his tongue peeking from the corner of his mouth as he reads the map. “No, left, sorry,”

“Do you actually know how to read a map?” Jeff teases, correcting the turn.

Harry pouts in response, his brows furrowing. “In my defense, we’re literally in the middle of fucking nowhere,”

“There are worse places to be,” Mitch pipes up from the back seat. “England, for example, where they say things like ‘litchrally’,”

“Very well said, Mitchell,” Jeff Bhasker adds with a fake British accent of his own.

Harry turns to his friends in the back seat with a finger pointed like an agitated mother. “If you lot don’t shut up, I’m gonna lead us to a volcano and push you in,”

“Where are we even going? I forgot,” Tom complains.

“To get food,” his manager responds from the driver’s seat. “I think,”

“Why can’t we just stop there?” Mitch asks pointing to a café pulling up on their right.

Jeff merges into the turning lane quickly without a second thought. “Good enough for me, I’m starving.”

“Sorry, H.” Mitch pats his friend on the shoulder.

Harry scoffs. “You’re the one who wanted poke.”

The Aloha Nui Loa Café is much more spacious than the exterior suggests, yet it still feels cozy. The walls are painted sage green and adorned with various local art pieces, as described by the plaques that accompany them. A skylight fills the center of the room with plenty of warm lighting, leaving the space along the walls in a bit more shade for an intimate feel. In one corner, a hanging disco ball leaves freckles of sparkling light along the walls where the sunlight hits, making the whole image very idyllic in Harry’s mind. As if he couldn’t enjoy the setting more, he hears the beginning of an Otis Redding song that he’s had stuck in his head drift through the restaurant speakers.

“Welcome in!” a voice calls, which pulls him from his survey of the room. His head whips to the source—a girl around his age with wavy, dark hair and honey skin. “For here or to go?”

Harry takes a hesitant step up to the counter. “For here,”

She smiles warmly and pulls some menus from under the counter. “How many in your party?”

“Five.”

“Great, follow me.”

Harry and his friends follow the waitress to the corner of the room under the disco ball and take their seats at the round table.

“My name is Alani,” she introduces herself, setting the menus down. “I’ll be serving you today. Can I get you started with some drinks?”

Harry continues scanning the restaurant while his group orders. His eyes land on the shirt that Alani is wearing, a white tee with the words “Enjoy Health, Eat Your Honey” in blue lettering that surrounds a picture of a cartoon bee.

“Harry,” Jeff says gently, catching his drifting attention.

The singer turns to his manager, who nods to Alani waiting with a pen pressed to her notepad. Harry feels a rush of embarrassment creep across his cheeks and he clears his throat to cover it.

“Just water,” he says, eyes glued to the menu. “Thanks.”

“You got it.” Alani nods, flashing a toothy grin at the rest of the group before turning back to the kitchen. Harry. Her mind repeats, finding a hint of familiarity, though she doesn’t know why.

When Alani arrives at the drink station, she finds her sister staring at her, mouth agape, while Maleah unsuccessfully conceals her laughter.

“What?” she questions, checking herself for any embarrassing stains or smells.

“You were—and he—” Pua stammers. “He was—and then he—”

“That’s Harry Styles,” Maleah translates, her voice hushed as she peers over her friend's shoulder.

Alani turns to steal a glance at the table she just seated, but Pua and Maleah latch onto her and shake their heads frantically.

“Don’t look!” her sister hisses.

Alani smirks, amused at their reactions. “No shit. That’s One Direction?”

Maleah snorts, clasping a hand over her mouth as Pua huffs. “No, dumbass! It’s just Harry. I don’t know who the other guys are,”

“But the blonde guy? That’s not—?”

“No!” Pua and Maleah giggle in unison.

“Okay, geez,” Alani relents. She manages to steal a quick glance at the table over her shoulder, immediately searching for Harry. Her eyes scan over the long, curly hair kept out of his face by a pair of white sunglasses that she had seen on Kurt Cobain once. All of his features are sharp and striking, from his pointed nose and defined jawline to the bright blue eyes. Or maybe they were grey? Alani wonders, trying to remember the exact shade. He doesn’t look anything like the fresh-faced teeny bopper she’d had in mind, the one from a music video her sister had shown her a long time ago. She would have never guessed that the What Makes You Beautiful singer had so much dark ink trailing down his bicep and forearm, though her knowledge of One Direction was very limited.

“What did he order?” Pua questions, her eyes wide.

Alani quickly snaps back to reality and resumes filling the drinks. “A water,”

“Oh my god,” Maleah swoons. “I’m never drinking anything else ever again,”

“I didn’t even know you liked him,” Alani teases with an eyebrow raised.

Maleah sneaks another peek at the table and catches her lower lip between her teeth. “I mean, I didn’t really think so either but look at him. What a fucking dream,”

Harry was objectively handsome, this Alani could admit, but she personally didn’t see the appeal and had a strong feeling that he was just like every other male celebrity. The fact that he hadn’t even bothered to make eye contact with her only served as further proof of what she knew to be true.

“Okay, well, your dreamboat is waiting for his water. So excuse me,” Alani winks, making her way back to the table.

The singer spots Alani returning out of the corner of his eye and the sight of her causes a strange flutter in the pit of his stomach that makes him want to duck for cover. Instead, he pulls his phone from his back pocket and pretends to be occupied with something on the screen.

“Okay,” she greets, setting the drink tray down. “I have a Blue Hawaii, a Mango Mama, two Loco Cocos, and a water,”

The group graciously accepts their drinks with a chorus of “thank you," but the only one under Alani’s scrutiny is Harry. He still doesn’t meet her almond eyes, and though she figured he wouldn’t, she can’t help the inkling of disappointment that washes over her. After taking their meal orders, Alani heads back to the kitchen, checking on her other customers along the way. Harry’s eyes follow her and he observes the way customers light up at her presence, indulging her conversation with laughter. He watches as she lingers by the jukebox in one corner of the room, a detail he had missed in his initial scan, and waits anxiously to see what song she chooses. Baby I’m-a Want You begins softly and Harry feels the corner of his lip curl ever so slightly. Good choice, he thinks.

********

“He’s still here,” Pua muses, peering through the tiny window in the kitchen door. It had been nearly two hours and the five men were still seated around their table cracking jokes and doing a lot of talking with their hands.

Alani doesn’t look up from her bowl of sliced kiwis, offering a hum in response. “And what do you want me to do about that?”

“Nothing,” Pua shoots back. “Don’t bother him,”

“What kind of girls do you think he’s into?” Maleah asks, attempting to peek through the window.

Alani shrugs, bored of the conversation and of thinking about Harry. “I don’t know, but I’ll bet he’s a real sucker for the ones who stalk him while he’s eating,”

“How does he make eating a salad look hot?”

“Can we talk about something else now?” Alani whines, poking holes in a lone kiwi with her fork.

Pua tosses a wet dish rag in her sister’s direction and cheers when it lands in her face. “Go see if he wants more water, he looks thirsty.”

“I already refilled it,” Alani defends. “Twenty minutes ago. I’ve refilled it a hundred times, I’m surprised he hasn’t peed his pants.”

I’m gonna piss myself. Harry thinks, his right leg bouncing to distract himself. He really wasn’t all that thirsty, but he couldn’t stop himself from finishing each glass of water that Alani placed in front of him. He really wasn’t all that thirsty, but he couldn’t stop himself from finishing each glass of water that Alani placed in front of him. Like clockwork, she would return to fill his glass almost as soon as the last drop had been drained, and so what began as a little experiment slowly turned into a bladder hazard. But if the trend was to be trusted, she would be back any minute and he wasn’t going to miss it; afterall, there were only so many ways to casually linger in a small café without making it weird. Unable to bear it any longer, he heads to the restroom and hopes that Alani doesn’t clear their table before he has a chance to see her again.

Harry pads down the back hallway with his eyes cast down at the floor, which proves to be a mistake when he walks directly into another person.

“Sorry!” they both apologize quickly, Harry’s palm taking purchase on the other person’s upper arm.

“I wasn’t paying attention,” he offers, finally meeting the dark, mocha eyes already looking back at him.

Alani presses her lips into a tight smile. “Me either,”

Harry’s heartbeat picks up when he realizes it’s her, and he isn’t aware of how close they’re standing until he detects the faint scent of kiwi on her breath. He takes a step back and rakes a hand through his hair.

“So I guess I’ll just—”

“Yeah, sure.”

Green. Alani notes to herself. His eyes are green.

********

Shortly after Harry returned from the restroom, him and his friends settled their bill and headed out. Alani cleared their table and her eyes nearly fell out of her head when she saw the hefty tip left behind. The word mahalo was also left behind on the receipt, underlined twice, and she wondered if it was his handwriting.

Later that night, she settled into bed with her laptop and hesitantly typed his name into Google. As she expected, countless articles about the split of One Direction emerged, most of them speculating what was next for each member. To her surprise, however, Harry’s name seemed to be mentioned more than his fellow bandmates as various sources labeled him “the next Justin Timberlake” and rising star of the group. Upon further investigation, she learned that the demand for information about the elusive Harry Styles was high, especially concerning any possible solo music. No news had yet been confirmed by Styles himself, nor anyone claiming to represent him, but she still wondered if his presence in Hawaii had anything to do with a possible solo project. Almost as soon as she thought it, Alani dismissed the theory in favor of the idea that he was most likely just taking a vacation. And from the buzz that she saw surrounding the news about One Direction, she couldn’t blame him.

The more Alani read, the more she wanted to know, and something deep down told her that his was a story worth telling. Of course, the only problem was that she had hardly talked to him, and there were only so many things she could say about the fifteen glasses of water he downed. There was no way of knowing if she would ever see him again, either, or if he was merely stopping in Hilo on his way to another island or somewhere else entirely. Alani sighed, thinking back to her most recent rejection from Rolling Stone. She knew that there was no possible way she would ever see or talk to Harry ever again, and even if she did, why would he bare his entire soul to a stranger? Still, she let her mind wander through the possibility.

Dear Ms. Hale, the letter would read, we are very grateful to have received your submission to Rolling Stone magazine and are pleased to inform you that your piece on Harry Styles will be featured in next month’s issue. Additionally, we would be honored to have you on staff, effective immediately.

It was far-fetched, Alani knew this, but she dozed off that night with endless ideas swimming in her head.

********

By the third day after his visit, the only trace of Harry is in Alani’s search history. She would have completely forgotten about him if it weren’t for her sister’s constant reminiscing and multiple attempts to rename the house salad to the “Harry Special.” As a result, a part of Alani’s thoughts periodically linger back to that day and the subsequent hours spent on Google that she’d rationalized as research instead of stalking. Somehow the knowledge that she’ll never see him again only adds fuel to the questions still burning in her mind, but a customer clearing their throat while she sorts menus below the hostess podium interrupts her thoughts.

“Welcome in!” She calls, standing. “What can I—”

She stops in her tracks, unable to believe her eyes. Harry blinks and waits for her to continue.

“What can I get started for you?” Alani tries again, hoping that he hadn’t noticed her shock. Luckily for her, Harry had been too focused on choosing his next words to register her mistake.

“What’s in the Honu smoothie?” he asks, mentally kicking himself for asking such a stupid question when the menu just inches above her head clearly spells it out.

Alani hums, thinking back to the times she had made the smoothie herself. “Kiwis, spinach, mango, avocado, and a hint of lime,”

“I’ll take one of those,” Harry says, reaching for his wallet.

Alani punches in the order with trembling fingers and nods. “For here or to go?”

“To go,”

Disappointment fills her chest. Sure, she hadn’t planned on seeing him ever again, but the fact that she did felt like a sign. If she wanted to take the chance, she’d have to do it fast.

“Anything else?” she asks, weighing her options while he skims the menu.

“No thanks.”

Alani makes the smoothie quickly, head spinning. She had spent most of the night after their initial meeting planning out exactly the type of questions she hoped to ask him and what kind of article she would write. She was used to writing about what she knew—artists and music she’d admired for years— but she figured that starting fresh with someone she hardly knew would be a good challenge. Not to mention that it seemed like just the thing Rolling Stone would jump for. Alani finally works up the courage as she finishes his smoothie, but when she returns to hand it to him and hopefully strike up a conversation, his ear is pressed to his cell phone. She holds out the drink and he graciously accepts, giving her a small nod as a “thank you” and rushing out of the restaurant.

Two days later he returns and is seated at the counter, typing away on his phone. Alani feels both a rush of optimism and annoyance at the universe for dangling his presence so unexpectedly. She starts heading over to him, but Maleah cuts in.

“Trade me?” she proposes, eyes wide.

Alani blinks. “Oh, I would but I—”

“Please,” her best friend pouts. “I’m leaving to see my grandparents in stupid California for two months. Who knows when I’ll get the chance to see him again?”

Alani sighs, but gives in, reluctantly exchanging Harry for the family of four seated by the window. A strange feeling settles into the pit of his stomach when he sees that she heads in the opposite direction after a hushed conversation with another waitress. He doesn’t know why she traded him for a different customer, but he takes the hint.

A week goes by without another sighting of Harry and Alani has permanently taken on the role of greeting hostess in hopes of seeing him again. Her heartbeat temporarily speeds up when she sees a long haired customer approach the door, but her spirits quickly fall when the face doesn’t match his.

Another week brings another disappointing realization that Harry might be gone for good. One rainy morning when the restaurant is quiet and only two customers huddle together in a booth near the back, Alani hunches over the hostess podium and doodles on a stray receipt— a sunflower, a crescent moon, and two hearts. The bell above the door jingles but she doesn’t look up, too absorbed in her scribbles.

“Do you serve coffee?”

The familiar accented voice stops Alani’s pen dead in its tracks. She lifts her eyes first to confirm, and then straightens up when she sees that her ears haven’t deceived her.

“Yes,” she swallows.

“Great. I’ll take it to go,”

She slightly deflates, but Harry thinks he’s reading too much into it.

“Actually,” he corrects anyway, just in case he isn’t. “I think I’ll stay for a while,”

Alani flashes a warm smile and nods in the direction of the counter. “Right this way,”

Harry sheds his windbreaker onto the back of the seat, revealing a black and white Rolling Stones t-shirt that makes Alani’s blood pressure rise. A sign, she thinks.

“What do you want in your coffee?” she questions carefully.

“Nothing,” he responds, shaking out his damp hair gently. “Or actually, uh, butter...if you have some,”

Alani blinks, not sure if she’d heard correctly or if there had been some transatlantic miscommunication.

“Butter?”

“Yeah,”

“Like the—”

“Spread, yeah,” Harry confirms. “It’s weird, I know,”

She lets out a light-hearted laugh and nods. “It’s a...unique request,”

“I thought the same thing at first,” Harry confides. “It’s not bad, actually. But maybe I’ve just been in L.A. for too long.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

She offers a polite smile and heads to the kitchen where the cook and two other waiters talk amongst each other. Alani is grateful that the restaurant is slow this morning because she knows that it means minimal interruptions to her time with Harry. To ensure this, though, she asks one of the other waiters to cover the podium and returns to Harry with his coffee.

“One butter coffee, free of judgement,” the waitress announces, setting it down.

Harry grins softly, stirring the drink with the spoon Alani provided. “You can judge, it’s alright,”

“I just wanna know why,”

The coffee had been part of a fad diet while on tour in order to boost Harry’s energy on stage and stay trim for the hundreds of photo-ops he would be a part of. He doesn’t know how to communicate all of this to Alani, however, not sure how much she knows about that part of him, so he shrugs and tells a simplified version of the truth.

“I read about this trend a while back, it's called bulletproof coffee. Supposed to get your energy up and I needed it for my job,”

“Which is…” Alani trails off, downplaying the knowledge that she had acquired from Google.

“I make music,” is all Harry says and he takes a sip of the drink to avoid elaborating.

“Anything I would have heard?”

He swallows hard and listens to the faint rumbling of thunder outside before replying. “Possibly,”

“Try me,” Alani challenges.

He narrows his eyes and takes another sip of coffee. “Why don’t you tell me something about yourself first?”

“What do you wanna know?”

Everything, Harry responds internally, though he reigns it in. “How you got into waitressing,”

Alani sighs, resting her elbows on the counter across from him. “There’s not much to tell, it’s a family business. What I really wanna do is write,”

“Music?”

“Articles. I’m studying Journalism at UH,”

Harry hums in response, filing the detail away in the back of his mind. “Sounds interesting. You ever publish anything?”

“Not yet,” Alani shakes her head gently, toying with the sleeves of her green University of Hawaii crewneck. “Hopefully soon, though,”

Harry racks his brain for something else to say, but before he can, Alani speaks up again.

“Is it my turn to ask something now?”

He offers a curt nod and stirs his coffee.

“What kind of music do you write?”

Harry chooses to be vague again. “Different stuff. Pop, usually. Been messing with some classic rock, though,”

“Explains the shirt,”

He peers down at the design on his tee and agrees. “Yeah, I guess so,”

“Do you like it?” Alani asks, her eyes begging to make contact with his again. “Writing music, I mean,”

“Yeah,” Harry confirms, tapping his spoon against the rim of the mug. “I really do,”

Alani’s heart pounds. This is her chance, a moment to finally secure her breakthrough piece. She doesn’t know how to approach it, so she opts to dive right in without looking back. The worst he can say is no.

“Can I ask you something else?”

“That’s cheating,” Harry teases lightly. “It's my turn,”

She pouts playfully, but obliges. “Fire away,”

Harry doesn’t know which question to ask first, but when he glances down at the crescent moon inked on her wrist, he decides to start there.

“What’s with the moon tattoo?”

Alani isn’t sure what she expected him to ask and wonders what purpose such a detail could possibly serve him, but she answers anyway.

“Oh, well,” she begins, tracing her index finger over the outline. “It’s kinda the meaning of my full name. It’s Mahealani, Hawaiian for ‘heavenly moon,'”

Fitting, Harry comments to himself. Every detail he learns about her makes him want to learn that much more, from her favorite foods to the last thing she thinks about before falling asleep. Studying her expectant eyes, he suddenly remembers that it’s his turn to respond.

“That’s cool,” is all he says.

Alani doesn’t know what to make of the faraway look in his eye, but she decides to pose her most burning question while he appears to be in good spirits.

“I know this is gonna sound totally out of the blue,” she starts, working past the lump in her throat. “But when you mentioned how you write music, I was just reminded of this assignment I’m working on in my class,”

Harry waits for her to continue, nursing his now lukewarm coffee.

“I’m supposed to write a piece about someone who I don’t know that well,” she continues. “You know, to practice our interviewing skills. And, well, I was just kind of wondering if you might be interested in helping me out—being the subject, I mean,”

Alani had every intention of telling Harry the truth, about how she really planned to submit the article to Rolling Stone in hopes of securing an internship before her college graduation next Spring. But as she started speaking, she quickly realized how it would come off: a complete stranger asking for personal information to submit to a well-known publication. She knew that there was a chance he would shut down and never return, so she lowered the stakes and hoped that this route would be less risky. Was it ethical? Alani hadn’t decided yet, but she would work out the details later. After six failed articles and two years of rejection, she saw a ray of hope and wasn’t going to let it slip away.

Harry ponders her offer for a moment, which confirms that she had recognized him. Normally he would be off-put by such a request, and to a certain extent he is, but there is something sincere in her voice that he trusts deep down. Before he agrees, however, he decides to fish around a bit to test her reaction.

“You know who I am,” he says gently. “Don’t you?”

Alani’s heart drops into the pit of her stomach, not sure what to say next. She hopes with every fiber of her being that she hasn’t upset him, or worse, ruined her chances, so she decides to offer some truth to throw him off her scent.

“My sister recognized you,” she explains. “That day you came in with your friends. I thought they were your bandmates at first,”

This lets Harry know that she isn’t a total stalker, which is comforting, but he wouldn’t have been minded if she were a fan simply engaging in conversation.

“Oh,” he laughs weakly.

“I totally understand if you say no,” Alani offers quickly, trying to smooth things over. “I just thought it was worth a shot. And that it might be more interesting than interviewing our produce guy,”

Harry decides to give her one last scan for any sign of insincerity. He’d always felt that his gut instinct was strong and it hadn’t led him astray thus far.

“An interview?” he clarifies.

“Just one,” Alani promises. “An hour, tops. And you can proofread all of it once I’ve finished, too.”

Harry waits a beat, already knowing his reply, but he wants to see how she will react to his silence. She doesn’t budge, almond eyes set and determined.

“Okay.”

next chapter