Who’s up for a fun retelling of Bionicle’s beginning?
It has been one thousand years since the despotic Makuta of Metru Nui seized control of the land of the Tohunga, islanders who call the great spirit their home, and there is chaos on Mata Nui. Not many of the Tohunga dare to oppose the king under the mountain, who greedily craves the respect and resources of his brother’s people- but a few do. They are six- no, seven heroes with one destiny; Takua, Kapura, Maku, Tamaru, Hafu, Kopeke, and Taipu. Not Toa, not titans. What follows is the story of the little people on the grand stage; the story of a band of sisters and brothers who fought in the face of a horrifically audacious evil, and won. This is the story of a Mysterious Island.
Dramatis Personae
Kapura - A wily young Ta-Koronan that most others avoid. Some question his comprehension of reality.
Maku - A dazzling boat-maker and swimmer who becomes involved with Huki, a rare friendly Po-Koronan on a military mission.
Tamaru - A stuttering, paranoid and socially awkward Le-Koronan with a paralyzing fear of high-places.
Hafu - A very arrogant carver who believes that he will be instrumental in defeating the Makuta.
Kopeke - Quiet and pensive, Kopeke is a loner with a very sarcastic style, constantly at odds with those who he perceives to be less intelligent or serious than him.
Taipu - A plain-looking Onu-Koronan who loves to take his time and admire beautiful things. He speaks with great intention, and is sad when others call him slow or stupid.
Takua - Always a dreamer, Takua is clumsy, anxious, and easily put on the defensive. He fears that he’ll never find his niche in life.
Kopaka - The formidable master of ice, Kopaka is an accomplished swordsman and a rugged outdoorsman. He and Tahu are constantly at odds.
Tahu - The island’s equivalent of a rock star, Tahu is handsome, athletic, and a real hit with all the ladies, though reluctant to actually do work. Kopaka is his only rival for stardom.
Vakama - The elderly medicine man of the island, who sees potential in Takua and his ragtag band of misfits.
Nistaiko - Maku’s much older boat-making protegé, who despises the patronizing attitude of her mentor.
Huki - Famous around the island, Huki is a Koli star who rebels against tradition by becoming romantically involved with a Ga-Koronan.
Makuta - The cruel king of the island, narcissistic and perpetually calculating. A master of fear and intimidation.
This is a creative fan reboot of the 2001 story, with a much larger focus on the Matoran. I’ve made a few stylistic and authorial choices, and it’s fine if they aren’t in line with your headcanon or ideas. I figured that since the pre-litigation names such as Tohunga and Huki would be fine to use as they carry a lot of nostalgic weight for many, and because this isn’t a commercial work or anything likely to attract a huge audience. I’ll also be calling the Toa the masters of their respective elements, because I think that it sounds better and plus, I can mix Gen 1 and Gen 2 if I choose to.
Also, I figured that Mata Nui is huge, both in number of named characters and sheer physical size; so you probably won’t be seeing any of the Turaga except Vakama, any of the Toa Mata other than Tahu and Kopaka, or any villagers other than perhaps eight to ten key ones. This is strictly to allow the characters who are in the story to develop to their full potential, and it also kind of makes sense; if the island is roughly the size of Tennessee (303x151 miles), and is riddled with mountains, volcanoes, jungles, and desert, it would easily take a month to cross from on end to the other, especially with the primitive technology that they have. It’s pretty feasible that you would never leave your Koro, and never meet the Toa from outside your region. Again, this is flexible, and if anyone really wants me to change it, then I’ll consider adding in other characters.
You can expect a chapter on each Sunday. Who’s ready?