#in order to fit in better with the Metru

[coldgoldlazarus]

Tahu: Lava board that splits into four; giant dual greatswords, and slightly less giant dual backup swords. His extra weapon? Dual backup backup swords. And as a bonus, he gets a pair of battle flags, that are also dual backup backup backup swords. And if he ever runs out of physical swords, he can use his elemental powers to make a flame sword. Sword.

Ekimu: Giant forging mallet, with an adjoining circular buckler shield with a sawblade function. The two can be combined into a weird tricycle for mobility. No swords in sight, except the ones that come out of his forge.

Jaller: Big circular shield that can be thrown like a disk, and an adjoining Laser polearm of some sort, with a green core. His extra weapon is one(1) singular, reasonable shortsword. (And obligatory Cordak Launcher)

[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.

[supernova1us]

My finalized Bionicle series idea

after bringing together a lot of my bionicle ideas and fine tuning what i like, this is my final full idea for a bionicle series

The world of the endless ocean contains many islands, populated by biomechanical beings, primarily the matoran. The capital is the massive island city of Metru Nui and from there, two great beings; Mata nui, the spirit of light and Makuta, the spirit of darkness, emerge by the power of the mythical mask of life. Both are formed from the energy of their elements, encased in powerful protodermis armor. They coexist and rule together for a time, though makuta realizes that mata nui is more loved and revered by the matoran than he is. Shunned and jealous, makuta develops a hatred for his brother which explodes into a life or death battle between the two. Empowered by his creation, the mask of shadows, makuta triumphs over mata nui, casting him down.  

With the end of mata nui heralding a series of natural disasters, the toa team of metru nui put all of the matoran into a deep slumber to protect them.  Makuta confronts them, but having been wounded by mata nui and at risk of losing the battle, offers a bargain. He will rule the island and the toa are free to resist him, but neither he nor the toa will directly confront each other, but he will not directly threaten the matoran either; the toa reluctantly accept. 100 years pass, and the matoran finally awaken to metru nui in ruins and overrun by nature, and their toa protectors aged into frail turaga elders. The Turaga rename the island mata nui in honor of the spirit of light and the tribes migrate away from the darkened city to settle in the wilds of their regions. From the islands center, makuta sends out his corrupted rahi beasts and evil warriors to torment and keep the matoran in a state of fear and control.

This continues for another 900 years until finally the energy of mata nui spirit reawakens. Guiding the rogue matoran takua, he sets in motion the creation of legendary heroes.  After his journey and apparent self-sacrifice, the energy of mata nui is released and merges with the elements of the island themselves and births 6 new toa heroes.  These toa heroes must discover who they are, their elemental powers, how to work as a team and embrace their destiny in defeating makuta and restoring mata nui.

 Toa

Nikila-Toa of energy.  She has power over lightning, electricity and any form of raw energy.  She is the leader of the toa mata, and is the most mature, brave and heroic, with a tendency towards over confidence. Her tools are her lightning swords and she wears the mask of wisdom.

Malum-toa of fire.  The largest, strongest and most hot-headed of the group.  He is arrogant, prideful and violent but has a surprising kinship with the wild rahi.  He tends to clash with Nikilas leadership the most.  His tools are his flame claws and he wears the mask of endurance.  

Hahli-toa of water. Generally kind and gentle while sometimes shy, she quickly gains self-confidence and is the most intelligent and spiritual of the team.  Her tools are a trident and protosteel talons/fins and she wears the mask of translation.

Pohatu-toa of Earth.  He was the most focused and unwavering of the toa, though somewhat distant. He is wise and friendly when comfortable, but as fierce and unbreakable as nature when pushed. His tools are his enhancing foot attachments and his ruble shovels and he wears the mask of strength.

Matau-toa of air.  The most free-spirited and easy going of the toa, he always went with the flow like his element; A joker and explorer who was only serious when the situation was at its most dire.  His tools are his storm-o-rangs, which double as wings and he wears the mask of speed.  

Zaria-toa of metal.  The most creative and sporadic toa, creating weapons, armor and anything new was his passion. He was the free thinker and craftsman of the team.  His tool is his giant meta-hammer and he wears the mask of shaping.  

Takua-toa of light. Originally a matoran on mata nui from the lost tribe of light/shadow, he was well known and popular amongst the population.  After he was chosen by mata nui, he seemingly perished to summon the toa. He was however transformed into a toa and returned much later but lost his memories in the process. He is ever inquisitive and fascinated by the world around him. His weapon is his sun staff and he wears the mask of light.  

 Other Characters

Mata Nui-the spirit of light, born from the worlds core along with his brother makuta.  He is benevolent and loving but prideful and oblivious.  After he is betrayed by a jealous makuta, he is rendered as an incorporeal spirit, who after 1000 years chooses takua as his champion to summon the toa and reawaken him and free the world of darkness.  

Matoran-the largest and most numerous race of the world of the endless ocean; they are small but brave spirited, creative and peaceful people. They are separated by the elemental tribes of fire, water, air, earth, energy, and metal on mata nui. Notable matoran are jaller, Nuparu, macku and hewkii.  

Turaga(kopaka, Lhikan, gali, lewa, onua, matoro)-the leaders of each of the elemental villages on mata nui. Each is wise and steadfast in their leadership. They were originally toa who stood with mata nui and witnessed his defeat and protected the matoran from makuta for 1000 years, with age having long caught up with them.

Keetongu-an ancient being of nature who watches over all rahi on mata nui and occasionally aids the toa. He is accompanied by the massive Tahtorak beast.

Strakk-a brutal icy warrior who claims mata nui’s frozen peaks as his territory and will fiercely battle any who trespass on it.

Ekimu the mask maker-a wise and ancient turaga who has mastered the crafting of powerful masks. He crafts special new masks for any matoran who prove themselves worthy.  

Krakua- a mysterious toa of Sound, he is never quiet or still for too long and was fascinated with all the sounds the world made. He is very fond of music and was akin to a wandering bard on mata nui. He possessed super hearing, could create sonic booms and wore the mask of stealth.

Krika-a warrior of an unknown race, he is a cold but long serving and trusted agent of makuta but his conscience forces him to aid the toa.  His armor was altered to make him able to morph into an insectoid form to move freely about the visorak horde.    

Umbra-the cold and emotionless yet dedicated eternal guardian of the mask of life. He will only grant access to the relic by being defeated in battle, but refuses to fight matoran. Anyone who proves capable of gaining the mask he swears an oath of loyalty to and protects with his life.

The order of mata nui-a radical militia of warriors of varied races who fight a guerrilla war against makutas forces through any means necessary.  They are led by the extremist Helryx, the first ever toa, who is the one who broke the mask of time after using its full power to stop her from aging.  She comes into conflict with the more traditional views of the toa.

 VILLAINS

Makuta-the spirit of darkness and the antithesis to his eternal brother, mata nui.  Self-centered, ruthless and power hungry, he will go to any length to achieve greatness in the eyes of the matoran and be seen for the god he knows himself to be. He forged and wears the mask of shadows to which his spirit and power are always connected. He has spent years building an empire though exuding control over many islands.  

Roodaka-a part serpentine creature and advisor to makuta. While appearing calm and charismatic, she is in fact cruel, cunning and a deadly warrior.  She is completely loyal to and in love with makuta and devoted to achieving his goals and remaining at his side. She often manipulates makutas other agents to fit her designs.

Icarax-the leader of the vampiric phantoka race, he is a fierce and brutal warrior and makutas general. He is arrogant and strongly believes he is better agent of darkness then makuta and his schemes. Though he needs no help at being confrontational, he is often goaded by roodaka.  

Sidorak-the oafish but tyrannical king of the industrial island of stelt. He is fiercely loyal to makuta and is always seeking his approval but is often made a fool or manipulated by roodaka.  

Nidhiki – an insectoid warrior who act as makutas goon, muscle and enforcer, often menacing the toa in their quests.

Tuyet-a murderous former toa who has allied with makuta and often partnered with nidhiki.

Tridax-an alchemist, mad scientist and inventor, he is the brains behind many workings in makutas network of evil, working closely with sidorak and has considerable brawn to back up his brains.

Nocturn-a hideous aquatic creature, he is loyal to makuta but slowwitted, quick to anger and easy to manipulate or intimidate. He primarily acts as makutas messenger to his other agents.  

Rahkshi-the main military force of makuta, they are deadly, fear-inducing armor suits built on stelt and possessed by shadow leeches makuta has summoned from the depths of the abyss. They number at 5000 and are all yellow in color.    

Akmou-toa of shadow. A fellow matoran of the light/shadow tribe; a self-interested and shifty individual, he believes takua is responsible for all his problems rather than his own misdeeds.  Though he has been an agent of makuta on mata nui for many years, after becoming a toa, he is unsure of his loyalty to darkness, wanting only to prove his superiority over takua.  

Tuma-a battle hardened skrall warlord from bara magna, he leads his fearsome race in their attempts to conquer their homeland with makutas aid and provide theirs when he needs it. His loyalty lies solely on his people, keeping him skeptical of if the alliance is in their best interest.  

Umarak the dark hunter-a relentless and ancient hunter and mercenary who peruses many bounties and prey and periodically works for makuta

Bahrag-the monstrous queen of the isle of the insectoids. She maintains a loose alliance with makuta with the promise that his rule will grant them passage to infest other islands.

Barraki(the drowned)-a trio of aquatic warlords who menace a group of sub-aquatic matoran and reluctantly aid makuta in the construction of his titan form.

 Obviously there are many similarities to g1, but there are many intended differences as well.

-the change to the toa mata members and element line up

 -like the glatortian, the toa will have armor that will represent or be based on their elements 

-a mask with a similar ability doesn’t exactly mean the mask matches the look of its G1 counterpart

-there have been other toa, but this special group are the first with elemental powers

-like g2, matoran are uniform in design and masks beside element colors and rare mask exceptions

-there would not be multiple future toa teams, only a few special cases

-Romance would be canon, but not a large focus; macku and hewkii mostly with a few possible other cases(but not the main toa team)

  Story Arks

1.With shadow creatures and rahi controlled by makuta having menaced the matoran for 1000 years, mata nui reaches out to the wandering matoran takua. Guided, takua sets off on an odyssey across the island to find the fragmented key to the kini nui temple. He has many adventures, aiding each of the matoran tribes and avoiding makutas threats.  He finally unlocks the temple, releasing the power and summoning the toa, though apparently at the cost of his life.

 2.The newly born toa, who must discover who they are, defend the matoran, and learn how to work as a team, and finally fend off makutas horde of wild rahi. Finally they travel into a sacred temple and do battle with makuta himself, triumphing.

3. The toa set out to find the mask of time, and must race against umarak, the dark hunter, to find it.  They use its power to view the past to see the beginning of the brothers war and how the island became what it is.  The island is then attacked on two fronts: a bridge of web allows swarms of insectoids from another island to attack while makuta summons undead skull warriors from beneath the earth.

4. Makuta, still weak, sets his rahkshi hoard loose to menace the island.  The toa travel through the ruins of metru nui, which still stands at the islands center. They face many threats lurking in it as they make their way to makutas lair to confront him. They learn that makuta seeks the mask of life to regain his former strength and that it can revive mata nui as well. As the toa cannot defeat makuta, takua returns, transformed into a toa of light by mata nui, who defeats makuta, almost killing him.

5. Takua is left to guard the island and matoran while the toa sail to Voya Nui, but are trapped in the underwater realm of the barraki. When free, they make it to voya nui and must fight both makutas allies and Umbra, the mask’s guardian.  After winning and receiving the mask, they return to mata nui to use it but makuta intervenes.  Mata nui is nearly revived but the mask of life is shattered, the force of which destroys both spirits and scatters the fragments of the mask across the world. Makutas mask survives and he flees and has a new armor built for him.

6. With mata nuis spirit lost and only able to be restored by the mask of life, the 7 toa must search the numerous islands, leaving umbra to guard mata nui.  They set sail and split up, each with a beast mount and new adaptive armor, to explore their separate islands to retrieve the mask fragments while battling makuta or other enemy forces on each one. After their separate adventures, each toa finds a fragment, which becomes a golden mask for them. Malum is seriously injured and in the fear that he may die, transfers some of his power to his matoran companion, jallar, who becomes a toa. In this time, makuta begins to realize his grand designs, while also dealing with a coup by his general icarax and also kills umbra.

7. The toa reunite and make their way to Karda Nui to reform the mask of life and revive mata nui, fighting past makuta and his minions, who steal Jallers’ mask fragment.  The toa use the fragments they have and mata nui is revived, but only as a mortal toa, since the mask was incomplete and the toa had absorbed some of its power while using the fragments. Malum is healed and Krika, a former servant of makuta, betrays him and aids the toa.

8. The toa sail for a secluded island fortress of makuta on Krikas guidance but before they arrive, the island is shattered by a giant robot body that has risen from beneath the sea. Krika says its construction was makutas grand plan.  Makuta has used his mask piece to fuse his spirit to the body and has trapped all the matoran within it.  As makuta rules the matoran within his body, he decimates the other islands one by one. After witnessing the doomed last stand of the order of mata nui, the toa make their way to the ruined mata nui to find a way to enter the robot. On their way, the toa a briefly drawn into the mythical red star, where the spirits of the dead go, and both the toa and mata nui find revelations there. They also pass through the demonic netherworld, ruled by the insane Karzahni. 

9. On mata nui, where makuta now stands guard, they are confronted by an army of enemy forces. They are joined by the allies they have made on their journeys and a massive war erupts. Krika shows the toa the way to enter the robot before returning to aid in the fight.  The toa manage to enter makutas body, who is distracted watching the war. They fight their way through rahkshi, body defenses and a mutated and empowered roodaka. Takua is forced to return a large portion of his light energy to mata nui, who sends the toa away to ensure the safety of the matoran. The toa lead the matoran out and rally them to battle, turning the tide of the war. Mata nui reaches the core, where makuta reconstitutes his normal form and they battle. Makuta is the stronger but mata nui is able to recover the final mask piece and is restored to his full form. They are to evenly matched, so mata nui fuses the two of them together, killing both but creating a new spirit of light and darkness, who possesses the titan. With his power he restores mata nui and creates bridges connecting all the other now restored islands. Presenting the toa with the mask of destiny, a fusion of the masks of life and shadow, the new god vanishes into the stars. All the beings come together and begin rebuilding mata nui into a new city paradise.  

[rebuiltbionicle]

Lihiga

 A beautiful lush paradise, Lihiga was an island in the northeast of the northern dome the eastern island chain. It was the homeland of another of Mata Nui’s various species and experienced a great catastrophe in its time but was able to persevere.

Like all islands, Lihiga’s foundation was laid by the Great Beings and the island itself built by the Matoran. It was located in the Great Spirit Robot’s shoulder joint. Gunk that filled up in the joint would be removed by automated cleaning and expelled into the dome where it would be found and put to use by the Matoran society. It was constructed as a fairly waterlogged island, covered in swamp and rainforest, with mountains at the centre.

It was left with a population of Matoran on the surface and a population of Aryihi in the water. The gunk being cleaned from Mata Nui’s joints arrived from vents as natural formations, was collected by the Aryihi and traded to the Matoran. “Gunk” could mean metal, rock, or just dirt, and the two civilisations found a use for both. As Mata Nui began making their own species, the aquatic Pagaka found their way to Lihiga and set up their own villages there. Due to the swamps, rivers, and lakes throughout Lihiga, the interaction between air and water breathers was greater than any other island, where they did more than just hurl materials at each other one the beaches.

Mata Nui didn’t want the realms of the surface and the water to remain separate and barely intersecting. On Lihiga, Mata Nui created a new species that could breathe both in air and in water. These people were physcially immense, with a similar body plan to the Napa species but given new features based on some of the aquatic Rahi the Great Beings had left looming in the depths of the ocean before handing Rahi creation to the Makuta. These new beings were the Batruten, and as Mata Nui had wished, they began spreading across the universe following the Pagaka immigration. On Lihiga, they set up their own town in the swamp lakes.

During the rise of the Barraki, Lihiga was a point of major contention between Pridak and Ehlek. Pridak had conquered the rest of the eastern chain and the other islands in Lihiga’s dome. Lihiga surrendered to his might without bloodshed, but it came under surprise attack from Ehlek’s aquatic armies beneath the sea. The Pagaka of Lihiga saw themselves as being better off ruled by one of their own, and joined up with Ehlek to expel Pridak’s forces. The Batruten were also won over by Ehlek. Pridak had fought other Barraki and native uprisings, but a both at the same time in one place was new to him. As the Barraki ceased fighting and coalesced into the League, Pridak conceded Lihiga to Ehlek.

The rule of the League was disappointingly brutal to the Lihigans, and they were glad when the Barraki were deposed. They did have to contend with the fighting of the lesser barraki, but once they threw their local Batruten overlord off the mountain they rallied to defend themselves from further incursions. Some decades later, after the Matoran Civil War, Makuta Uqueren was assigned to watch over the island.

Lihiga lived in peace and contentment for centuries, until a dreadful incident would change the shape of the island forever. A Batruten named Nocturn, already known as a troublemaker, became involved in a physical altercation. In a fit of rage he struck the ground in a very certain position. The force of his strike broke one of the system responsible for the vents bringing the gunk from the GSR’s joints to the island. The vents went into overdrive and an event the universe interpreted as volcanic tore the island in two. A massive portion of the population died in the tidal waves or drowned in the mud and sediment.

The Kestora in the Maze of Shadows fixed the vents and Lihiga stabilised, now as two islands a fair distance from each other. Survivors and refugees tentative went to build their old lives and bring Lihiga back to its former glory. They notably insisted on calling both islands Lihiga as a singular land. The sea that separated them had a chute system of the Metru Nui design built to quicken travel. Makuta Uqueren helped reconstruct the ecosystem until both fragments were nearly indistinguishable from before the disaster. Nocturn went missing; he was taken by the Order of Mata Nui to the Pit.

Once everything was rebuilt life went back to normal in Lihiga. The dividing sea became attractive to the aquatic species, but they chose to remain near their original habitats to continue the integration between surface and water dwellers that made Lihiga so notable. The island was at peace again for millennia.

When the Great Cataclysm struck, the Lihigans panicked and believed the “seismic” troubles that destroyed their island was back. They began to evacuate, though the quake was only a one-off event and they quickly realised it was a universe-wide event. They precariously stayed on their islands, rebuilding the damage done by the quake. The ecosystem began to die off without the dome’s lightstone and the beautiful land began to die out. The return of the light with Mata Nui’s reawakening and replacement of Makuta allowed it to start regrowing, though it had suffered greatly.

Under the Reign of Shadows, Lihiga was occupied by the Rahkshi. The wilderness of the islands, recovering from the darkness, was declared too easy to escape into and hide in. The Visorak Horde attacked the island and mutated all the Rahi they could find, turning the island into a festering mess of Hordika mutations, forcing the inhabitants to huddle even closer into walled off cities and depend on the Rahkshi for protection. When the call came to evacuate the universe, a very sudden riot managed to dislodge the occupation long enough for the people to evacuate. Lihiga was disassembled with the rest of the Matoran Universe, though it had to be cleaned of mutations before it was safe to do so.

...

Lihiga was dominated by what can be broadly referred to as Bo, Le, and Ga Wahi. Rainforest and swamp dominated the bulk of the island, with the only plains being at the foot of the mountain. The mountain was snow capped, and melting ice formed rivers. Rivers passed down from the mountain and fed the swamps and lakes. The coasts are covered in mangroves, and giant lily pads litter the littoral area. These lily pads existed in the lakes too. The seas around the island were fairly shallow, and the waters pristine enough for the floor to be visible. It was abundant in either kelp forests or coral reefs. All these biomes were heavily damaged but successfully rebuilt after the catastrophe, except for the mountain.

The first inhabitants of the Lihiga were Matoran and Aryihi. The Matoran were of the plantlife, air, and water elements. The Bo-Matoran had their villages in the rainforest, on the forest floor, as well as a few other settlements at the foot of the mountain. The Le-Matoran built their villages in the rainforests just under the canopy, as well as a settlement enjoying the altitude of the mountain. The Ga-Matoran had the most villages (but an equal population) following the flow of water from the mountain through the lakes and swamps out to sea. The Aryihi were of the plantlife, air, and rahi elements. The Bo-Aryihi lived amongst the kelp forests, the Le-Aryihi near the shore and in the lakes and swamp, and the Me-Aryihi lived near the coral. Lihiga also became home to a population of Pagaka, who built their own town in a deep water cove, but also were found among the Ayihi’s villages.

Lihiga became the homeland of one of Mata Nui’s new species: The Batruten. This beings were immense, with the hope they could help with heavy lifting duties under the water. They could live both on land and in the ocean, breathing with both gills and lungs. Mata Nui drew their design of various aquatic rahi the Great Beings left in the universe, including a luminescent structure, tentacles, and an ability to regrow lost limbs. Despite their hulking appearance they were known for (generally) being very gentle people, spreading across the seas to spread understand between the land and sea. The development of breathing gear to allow water-dwellers on land and land-dwellers underwater made them redundant as ambassadors, but the Batruten didn’t mind; they were the ones who developed the technology. On Lihiga, Batruten could be found in nearly every settlement except the Le-Koros, and had their own town in one of the lakes.

[fall-to-winds]

I think the Toa Mata/Nuva are the closest you can get to the "pure" gender of their respective elements. It lends to the whole "built to be Toa" thing- adds to their mythical nature, lends to the legends. They can mask as almost any gender, though- all depends on who talks to them. So instead, for a good example of a few different genders, let's dig through the Metru, Mahri, and a few extras!

Vakama was likely a good representation of Smoke- overwhelmed, anxiety-ridden, but more than capable of leaving lasting damage. These days, he's more Bonfire- like his mentor and role model. A beacon in the dark, a guide for those who need it.

Matau was- and is- somewhere between Tailwind and Song; a daredevil that demands attention, but still able to back up his bluster. It's not uncommon for Le-Matoran to skirt the line between genders; switching them out and reapplying them as they see fit. The winds are ever-capricious, after all.

Nuju is a Grade-A Glacier. Stubborn, impossible to get to budge... but steadfast in his beliefs, and given time, able to uncover hidden depths when he finds someone worth moving for.

Onewa. Oh, Onewa. You Absolute Fucking Wurtzite Boron Nitride. You probably take great pleasure in the fact that I have to be so particular about how Fucking Blunt you are.

Whenua is a good example of Clay- and while I know you're about to throw the response of "Oh, but he works so much better as a Fossil Onu-Matoran!", I will remind you that Fossil is for Po-matoran with penchants for historical work. (Though, I won't argue that he wouldn't fit the bill if his core element was swapped.) No- Whenua is defined by his faith in history, and it is reflected in everything he does.

Last but not least, Nokama seems to be a good fit for the Stream- but at times she can exhibit traits of the Wetlands as well. Though if you think she's Rainstorm-coded, don't talk to me. I will die on this meaningless hill for no particular reason. I don't even actually know what Rainstorm-coded means, but I know it's not Nokama.

Right - Mahri time. Let's start with Nuparu- the second strangest one. Nuparu would be a dead ringer for Galvanized Iron- but that's only for Fe-Matoran. I know, not possible... but then again, so is a flying Toa of Earth. Nuparu breaks the mold every Thursday; his impossible gender shouldn't be a surprise.

Jaller! Oh Jaller, you wonderful, classical example of the Wildfire gender... but you're so committed to your Coal mask as well, aren't you? It's okay, buddy- you don't need to worry about burning out of control. A wildfire- when naturally occurring- is good for everyone.

Hewkii! A wonderful example of Sandstone, you are- solid and sturdy, good for helping others build foundations! Of course, there is that weakness to water... but for her, I don't think he minds, huh?

Hahli, as of your delve into the pit, you are the tide. Oh, don't play coy- You're naturally amphibious, and you're practically a one-woman wrecking crew. You may ebb and flow as is your wont, returning to the loyal friend and ally with ease... but sailors MUST heed you, lest they be dashed upon the rocks.

Kongu camps firmly in his Anchor gender. Yes, I know - seems strange and rare. But somebody must keep Le-Koro from floating away! It's a duty he's proud to bear- but every now and again, you can see the twinkle of a Hurricane in his eyes. And with those twin Cordak blasters...

Matoro. The strangest gender of the Mahri- by nobody's surprise. He- unbeknownst to everyone- was a dead ringer for Prism. I mean, think about it - who else worked so tirelessly to make sure that everyone who walked into Ko-koro could understand the esoterica of Nuju? Who else would see eye-to-eye with Teridax in order to save everyone? Truly, a fitting heart for a legendary Toa.

Now, our final 3. I'm not as familiar with all the other Toa and their personalities; but these three should be of little surprise. Takua, Takanuva- the first Matoran, and the legendary Toa of Light. Prism, undoubtedly - for your wandering nature, uniting all elements with a friendly smile and a good story.

Gavla- the one Av-matoran to feel truly happy in the dark. Penumbral is the best descriptor for you- but so long as you still carry the weight of Light, you are shackled with the label of "Twilight". I'm sorry, Gavla- here's hoping you can cast off those shackles again.

And finally... Ahkmou. You, the survivor. You, the con artist. You, the coward. It takes a strong will to continue walking down the path of betrayal, even as everything around you crumbles - but as you well know, at the end of the path lies loneliness. Take solace in your Fracture identity. It's all you have left.

i like 2 think that each bionicle element has its own like. set of genders. like ta matoran are all fire, but some of them have a smoke gender and some of them have a spark gender and some of them have a coal gender, but its something of an ingroup gender. like a ga matoran isn't gonna be able to tell that nuju has an icicle gender and kopaka has a frost gender unless they tell them 💌

hmmm I'm curious how everyone would feel out which subgender they are and what they would base that on, like appearance, personality, a little bit of both, etc. it would definitely be interesting! I don't know whether or not it would reflect in their pronouns, might be a lot to keep track of, but if that was ingrained in their language they could do it! and then Takua would have even more confusion over whether or not he's a Ta-Matoran... maybe a candle Ta-Matoran? forest fire Ta-Matoran? oh turns out he is a prism Av-Matoran, that makes more sense

[malwarewolf-mocs]

I agree that seems to be the determining factor. To greg, or maybe to the makuta? It makes me wonder if the Crystal Serpents count as Rahi because they were made by Artakha. But then again they’re probably biomechanical beings so maybe that’s a whole different determining factor? Now I’m second guessing myself.

Okay okay. Maybe in order to be a Rahi, you would need to be BOTH a) Biomechanical and b) made by the Makuta. There, that was painless enough. It also easily clears up my previous misstep where I may have implied Rahkshi were Rahi in that they were made by Makuta, when they are in fact creatures made by Makuta piloting antidermis mech suits. I guess we could even further clear things up by saying that Rahi have the ability to be hacked by infected masks too, whereas Rahkshi are usually inherently under Makuta control. Unless they’re wild. Gah, it’s all muddy.

I guess what I’m really trying to say here is that what makes a Rahi a Rahi is clearly different to the characters as opposed to the audience/lore. Per my example of society changing Keetongu’s perception of whether or not he’s a Rahi. I think it’s also fun to point out that as far as I know, the Rahaga never call him a Rahi, at least not in the film. That could indicate he’s more than a mindless beast to them. I’m sure if I cared about Greg’s opinion I’d probably be rushing to message boards right now but uh, I don’t. He said what he said in the text, and we’ve seen that this particular word can mean a lot of things depending on who’s saying it.

I also find it interesting that you bring up “early Great Being’s work,” are you maybe referring to Zyglak? If you were to ask me, that’s the perfect example of yet another Sentient species made by the Great Beings who Matoran, and Sidorak’s species, and probably a dozen others might erroneously refer to as “Rahi”. The text may not support me there, but it is fun to speculate!

You also said that the Makuta perspective might be the determining perspective on the whole Rahi or not thing, but I think it’s more meta than that. For all we know the Makuta could be out of the loop on what their own kin have made in the past, and might even assume some large creature they’re looking at to be a Rahi. There are A LOT of Rahi from the Mata-Nui era, and if you ask me, based on what a lot of the creators have said about the island slowly becoming biomechanical, it makes me wonder how correct our assumptions that all those rahi are in fact rahi-made-by-makuta. It’s entirely possible that at one point in the past those were organic creatures that were becoming biomechanical, perhaps by means of the viruses the makuta used to make the Rahi being present in the air after the matoran, toa, and other Rahi brought them from Metru-Nui. You could even argue that after their transformation into biomechanical beings they still fit the category of TRUE Rahi after that transition, because intentional or not the Makuta did turn them into what they ended up becoming. I kinda like that idea better than “oh yeah Makuta made all these Rahi and they just magically happened to appear on an island outside the MU weeks after the island was even formed.” It marries the two ideas really beautifully. To back this up, you have creatures like the Kirikori Nui, which were said to be from another landmass on Aqua-Magna, and roll up to Mata-Nui to eat all the grass and peace out. Biomechanical creatures, Rahi even, just happening to live outside the MU? I smell Makuta’s hand in all this.

I guess my point is it’s never made clear if the Toa Metru made some sort of grand Exodus (as in moses and the Hebrews leaving Egypt Exodus) carrying every Matoran pod and Rahi they could find, or if Mata-Nui is somehow already populated with Rahi, or if Aqua-Magna already have Rahi, or what the deal is. It’s all very unclear.

And THEN! I can’t believe I even forgot about this, but THEN you have biomechanical Dinosaurs, which presumably HAD to have been made by the Great Beings, living on Bota Magna!

As far as I know, most creatures on Bara-Magna were not innately biomechanical, but were organic and/or were modified TO BE biomechanical by the Agori and Glatorian, who were doing that to themselves. I give up on theorizing what happened to those Dinos.

Anyways to round everything off I think that trying to neatly categorize everything in boxes of “Rahi or Not” is gonna cause a crisis among us fans to go back and reanalyze what we’ve been told are Rahi versus what we think SHOULD be Rahi given certain parameters like who is calling said creature a Rahi or who made the creature etc. etc. etc. fuck for all I know Matoran without enough smarts could call a Skakdi or Vortixx a Rahi based on what the word means, when they’re not mistaking them for Toa anyway. It’s all very complex and maybe we should just take Keetongu at face value of him being just a cool guy.

Random Bionicle nitpick: I must confess that Keetongu’s design bothers me, mainly because he looks nothing like a Rahi and I wouldn’t be inclined to think of him as such, unless outright told in lore. 2005 has an emphasis of characters becoming more bestial, with animals fighting off against hunters; Keetongu is the last of a species hunted to extinction and frequently dismissed as a Rahi, but gets his revenge on Sidorak.

...Thing is, Keetongu’s design is completely humanoid, standing straight and upright. He doesn’t really have any claws or teeth that would be associated with animalistic characters, no tail, and while his legs could be interpreted as digitigrade if one tried, that’s not saying much. He wields outright tools and weapons (VS Rahi like the Kane-Ra who at least have their treads incorporated into their body as their hind legs), and his face is solely a single red eye on a long stalk, not like anything you’d see in real life. He comes across as more like a buff pit droid from Star Wars tbh. The fact that Keetongu is presented as this wise, speaking sage with medicinal skills and even a ‘hat’ just makes him feel more like a really big person than an animal.

At most, Keetongu’s design invokes the Cyclops, a mythical creature; But the Cyclops is generally recognized as a sapient being, often more human than beast. He’s a compelling set but it’s really a stretch to say he’s an animal when he doesn’t even act like one, being framed as more enlightened and wise than the Hordika, introduced in a meditating pose; I feel like in-universe a lot of characters should be perceiving the opposite. The only thing Keetongu has is the ability to sense good and evil in others and go berserk at the latter, a common animal trait in fiction... Seriously, we’re told he’s an animal, but what type of animal is he??? I guess he could be a cryptid like Bigfoot, hence they humanoid stature and intelligence, but the ‘face’ really throws me off.

...Really, you could argue that the Hordika sets also failed in showing us they’re animals, needing that to be conveyed in film by animalistic noises and characters going on all-fours, which you don’t see anywhere else; Otherwise they’re shown in advertisement and comics to be on two legs. Aside from their more elongated faces that could be compared to snouts, the Hordika just feel like robot humanoids but with an extra-large arm; By comparison the Barraki are a lot better at conveying their lore in design.

And since a lot of people can’t tell the Hordika are mutated animals, it means they criticize the asymmetry more; By comparison, Nidhiki is immediately identifiable as an insectoid crab and is frequently described as such in canon. I guess it all boils down to corporate rules that good guys have to look as normal as possible, while only bad guys get to go nuts and weird with their designs; Only bad guy mutations get to be monstrous, while the good guys still need to look heroic and ‘normal’, relatively speaking (since they’re still robots).