Farshtey Forum

[Mega ToaX]

That didn't happen yet, so greg isn't gonna tell you.

[Toanoopie]

1. Can Kanohi mask powers be used by machines, vehicles and devices?
2. Are Avohkah and the energy storm the same thing?

[Cosmo Kramer]

I do not understand how when mata nui was created, there was an energy storm. I understand the storm but what about the universe? Did the universe come before mata nui?
I thought mata nui was needed for the universe to take shape? Can you explain this?

[DEATH PANDA]

Reposting my questions (with a new first question) so you won't have to backtrack for them...

1) Is Artidermis really energy? It burns, and last time I checked... energy does not burn. Is it just a strange mixture of gases (or maybe a virus swarm) that is energized with the Makuta energy to such an extent it is synonymous with the energy?

2) Can Toa/Turaga/Matoran of Magnetism DO THE HOMING PIGEON?

3) Do Toa/Turaga/Matoran of Magnetism have a good sense of direction even if they can't "Do the homing pigeon"?

4) What is the most annoying type of question for you to answer?

5) If you were in charge of BIONICLE design for the next year... what would you do? DOn't worry! It's unlikely the current design staff will object to what you say here as they obviously don't go to websites like this.

6) So, Zaktan cannot breath out of water, and his form is currently locked to an eel? Because if those weren't the case... he might have transformed into a form that can easily escape the tank already.

7) I once asked if Matoran can digest rock. You never answered. So... can they?

8) Do the elements in BIONICLE exist in a "rock-paper-scissors" heirarchy? For example, Plant Life is beaten by Fire, which is beaten by Water, which is beaten by Lightning, which is beaten by Stone, Which is beaten by Earth, which is beaten by Plant Life, which is beaten by Fire? It wouldn't make things worse if they did.

9) Speaking of which... Can Toa of Earth use their Earth elemental energy to absorb Lightning-based attacks with ease? Because... Lightning is electricity, which can be Earthed.

10) Can Toa of Magnetism change the magnetic field acting on a piece of metal to generate a current across it?

[Bundalings]

I can answer these. Partially.

Jun 29, 2008 6:32:29 GMT -5 Toanoopie said:

1. Can Kanohi mask powers be used by machines, vehicles and devices?
2. Are Avohkah and the energy storm the same thing?

1) No.
2) Haven't read BL #10.

Jun 29, 2008 11:03:58 GMT -5 Cosmo Kramer said:

I do not understand how when mata nui was created, there was an energy storm. I understand the storm but what about the universe? Did the universe come before mata nui?
I thought mata nui was needed for the universe to take shape? Can you explain this?

The Great Beings made Mata Nui after they made the Matoran Universe. Remember? Tren Krom was doing Mata Nui's job while he was being prepared.

~Bunda

[Toanoopie]

Bunda, I know. BL10 is one of the few Bionicle books I have. I was just making sure. And how are you so sure about question 1? Maybe they can be activated by some kind of crystal?

[Bundalings]

Jun 30, 2008 10:40:44 GMT -5 Toanoopie said:

Bunda, I know. BL10 is one of the few Bionicle books I have. I was just making sure. And how are you so sure about question 1? Maybe they can be activated by some kind of crystal?

Nothing like that has ever been seen. Willpower is needed to use a mask, and non-living objects don't have willpower.

However, as seen in Airships, inanimate objects can use Kanoka disks, which are essentially uncarved masks.

So yeah, I misread your question. Mask powers can be used by inanimate objects. My bad.

~Bunda

[Cosmo Kramer]

If what was done can be undone (Roodaka and the toa Hagah), can Carapar who was killed by Tren Krom, can he by brought back by Tren Krom?

[Mega ToaX]

He killed Carapar. Roodaka didn't kill the Hagah.

[Greg2660]

Okay, back, let me see if I can catch up, working backwards --

TOW - 1) I call it energy because it is the closest approximation to what it is. We have also described it as being gaseous and liquid, which of course, energy is not. So it is a thing unique unto itself.

2) Do you mean somehow find their way back home using their power? No, I don't think so, but I am willing to be convinced otherwise.

3) Well, I am guessing the concept here is related to the workings of a compass, magnetic north pole, etc. Do we have any proof this planet has magnetic poles?

4) I would say the ones where someone asks me something, I give them an answer, and then they keep asking the same question slightly reworded trying to get the answer they want. It wastes time I could be spending answering other people's questions.

5) Not something I feel qualified to answer. I do not do set design and I'm not an artist, so I wouldn't presume to suggest a direction.

6) The important point here is "cannot breathe air" -- wouldn't matter if he did change forms, or regained that ability, as soon as he is out of the tank he suffocates. Protodites still need to breathe, he can't alter that about them.

7) Matoran don't chew and swallow their food, so no.

8) I prefer to say no, because saying yes paints you into a corner. What if the story requires a Toa of Plant Life to beat a Toa of Fire? Just saying, "This always beats this" removes all the X factors like imagination, reflexes, experience, battle skill.

9) No.

10) Interesting question. Certainly seems possible.

Toanoopie -- 1) One has been addressed here, as for two, no, the energy storm only exists when Mata Nui is awake and active. The avohkah existed before that, so they are not the same thing.

Greg

7)

[Toanoopie]

I know you dissaproved my idea of audio books some time ago, so what if I narrate audio books ALL FOR FREE?

Con: Not 100% quality.

Pro: Narration and cover production done for free, so they can be sold for less then $10!

So what do you think of it?

P.S.: I can also translate BIONICLE books into dutch for free.

[Bundalings]

I just had this crazy idea about why Mutran and Chirox have the same mask: Perhaps, since they're always trying to outdo each other, Chirox had the Shelek and Mutran just got one to be a copy-cat and be annoying to Chirox. It would explain why the two Makuta have the same mask... so what do you think of this idea?

~Bunda

[Greg2660]

Toanoopie - I don't make this decision. The books are owned by Scholastic, not by me, so you can't do anything with them without written permission from Scholastic. The legal text in the book specifically states no reproduction of the book can be done in any form without their okay.

Bundalings - Why wouldn't Mutran have just shapeshifted his mask to look like a Shelek then, rather than bother to get an actual Shelek?

Greg

[Masterweaver]

HOla de Farshty! Como Estas?

It is said that the Makuta made Rahi, yet they had to conquer the Visorak, who are arguably Rahi. Am I therefore correct in assuming that there were pre-makuta rahi?

Who made above said Rahi?

Vezon and crew. Now riding the fomer Makuta leader. I'm curious, does said leader still have a bit of light left in him?

If Mutran honestly knows how the universe works, then what exactly is stopping him from taking over and taking out Teridax? Paperwork?

On the subject of paperwork, we have yet to actually see exactly how inter-species relations are handled. When the Dark hunters declared war on the Makuta, did they just say "Let's go out and slaughter 'em boys!" or did the Shadowed One write out a document and send it to the brotherhood?

Come to think of it, why were the Matoran the only race to ever go to Mata Nui (island)? Couldn't any other of the sentient races have followed them for their own nefarious purposes? Or did Teridax guard the gateway?

Am I correct in assuming that the adoptive armor is a plot device to allow for completely different models to have the same name?

Are there surface-native sentients on the bionicle planet?

Teridax could have, over the years, built up an army of rahkshi. Why did he not do so? Or have we seen it yet?

Is Teridax dead?

Where in the world is Miserax heading?

Will we see any more of our favorite blue Baraki?

How many obsessive fan pictures of Lariska do you receive daily?

And on a completely unrelated note, isn't WALL-E awesome sauce with a side of cuddle fries?

[DEATH PANDA]

Jul 4, 2008 17:42:34 GMT -5 Greg2660 said:

8) I prefer to say no, because saying yes paints you into a corner. What if the story requires a Toa of Plant Life to beat a Toa of Fire? Just saying, "This always beats this" removes all the X factors like imagination, reflexes, experience, battle skill.

Just so you know... Pokemon has a similiar system... Yet last time I played Pokemon... You can still beat a Pokemon of a type that resists yours if you happen to have a very high level (or very high physical strength) and you are fast enough to evade the attacks (if possible) and etc.

Frost Giants may be melted by fire, but it takes a long time if you're using that little zippo... and even then it might just kill you first.

Sorry... I wrote my question a little wrong I guess... instead of "defeats", it should be "has an advantage over"... and of course... It's cyclical.

And you have said previously that the BIONICLE planet has a magnetic field (and thus poles)... let me find it...

[Bundalings]

Maybe he did just shapeshift it?[/desperate] He hasn't used the mask in the story yet... it could still be the mask of mutation... >_>

Bah, I surrender.

~Bunda

[Cosmo Kramer]

1) Did the light draining in Takanuva have anything to do with his size change?
2) Did Icarax attack Takanuva on his way to Karda nui or before Vican told him to come?
3) When does Idris get the confrontation with Karzahni?
4) Was the 300 ft venom ell the creature that attacked the sharks in Legends 6?
5) Gorast can suck out light from victims. Does this have anything to do with the cave that consumed light before the matoran became Inika?

[Xanxost]

Hi Greg, just a few questions about Journey of Takanuva.

1. Does Journey of Takanuva take place before, between or after The Kingdom and Dark Mirror?
2. I saw JOT is going to be a Young Reader book. What age level is it written for?
3. When is it due for release?
4. I read somewhere it will have illustrations, is this true?
5. If so, who is the illustrator?

Thanks for your time.

[Greg2660]

Masterweaver -
1) We know the Great Beings made some early Rahi, but not the Visorak. The simple fact is, creation does not automatically equal control. Just as with a horse, if you want to ride him, you have to break him first.
2) On Miserix - it's a good question. My guess is no, because he could not afford what he would perceive as weakness where he was. He's not helping Brutaka out of goodness, he's helping because he hates Teridax and wants revenge.
3) Well, first off, how would Mutran's plan be different from Teridax's? And if it's not, why would anyone follow him? You might know how to climb Everest, and I might too, but you might be the one who does it, because I don't have the ambition. Mutran has no interest in running the BOM, he just wants to be left alone to make Rahi.
4) They don't do formal declarations of war, no. There's no UN or embassies in this universe.
5) Because none of the other races knew it was there. The Matoran didn't even know until the Toa Metru found it. At best, all anyone knew was the Matoran were gone, they had no way of knowing where they had gone to.
6) Yes and no -- we have had characters with the same name and different looks before. But this is a much simpler and easy to explain reason for an armor change than, "They fell into energized protodermis and then the Mask of Life changed them and ..." etc., etc.
7) Not that we know of, no, beyond some bird life. There is no proof there is even any land on the surface, other than the island of Mata Nui.
8) Well, we saw hundreds of Rahkshi in BA #10. But what would be the point of this? An army of Rahkshi will destroy everything in its path -- then what do you have left to rule, rubble?
9) No, Teridax is not dead.
10) An island off Daxia
11) It's possible
12) None
13) Haven't seen it, been too busy

DGH - 1) No, his size change is a result of the energies of Karda Nui. 2) Before. 3) When did I say she would? Karzahni is on Daxia, Idris is not. 4) Can you be more specific? I wrote Legends 6 like two years ago. 5) No.

Xanxost - 1) Before both. 2) 5-6 year olds. 3) Should hit stores in August. 4) Yes indeed. 5) Jeremy Brazeal, who did some of the art for the BIONICLE World book.

Greg

[zakitano]

I'm sure you remember me from the pohatu question on bzpower...
1.Does Jetrax act as Antroz's eyes?
2.Since they are biomechanical, is it possible for a matoran to have a radio built in?
3. Does lewa still have his agility?
4.Why has Gali become so agressive?
Fly on,
Zakitano

[DEATH PANDA]

MR. FARSHTEY!!

1) Who made the Gukko birds?
2) Why didn't Makuta Teridax infect them (could it have been a sense that it wouldn't be much fun for him if all the Rahi were on his side against the Matoran)?
3a) How many Makuta creations have ended up being cute in spite of the Makuta's best efforts?
3b)How annoyed did they get that their creations ended up cute, and what made them decide to keep them like that?
4) What kind of processes do the Makuta follow after a Rahi is built regarding environment issues, feasibility, distribution, and other processes?
5) Do all Zyglak look like the Zyglak combiner set... Or are there different kinds due to modifying of Zyglak (by either themselves or others), mutation, adaptation, and other reasons?
6) Do Zyglak have any authority figures of any kind?
7) Can Zyglak still be killed by Black holes even though Elemental powers of any kind have no affect on them?

EDIT: Hey! You said the Spiriah combiner's maskless Matoran actually had a role in Federation of Fear! What made you change your mind!?

[Mega ToaX]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is Lesovikk currently doing?
Is a toa armor flexible? Or is it separated into sections, to allow lots of movement?

[Masterweaver]

Can you say you are one hundred percent sure that the designers of the Bionicle models never have and never will read the story-line of the year they are working on or any of the previous years?

[Wrinkledlion X]

One question, since BZP is down- Will an actual illustrated version of comic 12.5 be put on the site, or just the script?

[Greg2660]

DJ - 1) You will find out the details on Jetrax when it comes into the story in fall. 2) They don't have radios in BIONICLE society. 3) Yes. 4) Basically, because it's needed. If you are dealing with people like Barraki and Makuta, the only thing they respect is strength.

TOW - 1) A Makuta. 2) Do we know for sure that he didn't? Do we know for sure we saw every Gukko bird on Mata Nui in 2001-2003, or that the Le-Matoran might not have freed some of them from domination? 3a) Not every Rahi was intended to be fearsome and destructive. Think about it -- if you made, say, a lion, don't you then have to make a less threatening gazelle for him to eat? 3b) See answer to 3a. The original intent of the Rahi was to aid in the processes of the universe and in some cases to aid the Matoran directly. It's doubtful a Muaka would aid Matoran directly, but an Ussal crab might. 4) They originally had to have such processes in place. You couldn't make a Rahi designed for a cold climate and stick it in a desert, for example. You couldn't make a Rahi that would depend on Matoran care for its survival and stick it where there were no Matoran. 5) Yes, they do look basically like that. 6) My assumption would be they have some sort of tribal system in place. 7) I would say yes, because a black hole is not an elemental power, it's the result of an elemental power. If a Toa of Earth opens a big gap in the ground, then a Zyglak can still fall into it. 8) Basically, because as the writer, I have that option. No one in Marketing had asked for the character to be included in story, and putting him in would have been for no valid story reason, other than to just get him in. So I passed on it.

MegaToaX - 1) Hunting escaped Pit prisoners. 2) Yes, it is in multiple pieces, so it can be removed.

Masterweaver - No idea where you got that idea from. The lead set designer is a member of the story team, so of course the set designers know the bones of the story. And during a year, they have the same access to comics, books and the web site that you do. What gets done after they do their work is putting the flesh on the bones -- determining mask powers, character relationships, events between where the story starts and ends, things that have nothing to do with their work.

WrinkledlionX - 1) No, it was never intended that there be art with it - just a script. There's no budget to pay Leigh to illustrate that comic.

One piece of news, in case you have not already heard it -- the November issue of LEGO BrickMaster will feature a full-color, pull-out poster of the Great Spirit Mata Nui. We are hoping to get Leigh to illustrate it, if he has time.
Greg

[DEATH PANDA]

Jul 12, 2008 6:00:43 GMT -5 Greg2660 said:

And during a year, they have the same access to comics, books and the web site that you do.

Greg

Really? Then why are fans still whining about the colours? Why isn't there more Purple in BIONICLE (it can't be related to sales... I mean, you only had two purple models, and one of them was a McDonald's promo)?

[Greg2660]

TOW - I am referring to the BIONICLE.com web site, not the fan sites -- the question was related to storyline for the year, not fan reaction to sets. I have no knowledge of set designers coming to the fan sites, nor would it really make sense for them to do so, since most of the people active on these sites are a lot older than the target audience they are designing sets for. Set designers attend focus groups to get fan insight into the set designs, and that is mainly 8-11 year olds.

For example -- when you talk about fans whining about the colors -- what fans? What percentage of the roughly 7 million member BIONICLE fan base is it? You can't make product decisions based solely on a small group of Internet posters, because they often do not accurately reflect the market. (If we went by BZPer opinion, for example, then everything we have done from 2006 on would have been cancelled, since they disliked all of it -- yet it all sold great.)

As far as the purple issue goes -- no idea. I have never heard of any focus group rejecting a purple set. I have, however, heard Global insist that the six main elements had to stay front and center. If there are other issues at work as far as purple goes, I am not aware of them.

Greg

[Mega ToaX]

So is lego going to release a version of the Mata-nui poster to people outside Brick Master? Cus I don't want to have to pay for it.

[Greg2660]

MegaToaX - No, we don't have plans to release the poster outside of BM, though I have no doubt somebody will scan it once it's out. The point of BM is to give the people who have a paid subscription things everyone else doesn't get.

Greg

[aanchir]

1. Since shadow leeches have a short lifespan, do Tridax Pods help keep them alive until used? I know it’s pretty obvious, but I need an official statement since I’m pretty certain you never touched on the subject in a book.

2. If you supported romance in BIONICLE, which two characters do you think would make the best couple? (i.e. boyfriend-girlfriend)

2b. Which couple would probably be the most fun to write for?

3. When you wrote for Nikila in Dreams of Destruction, did you have personality traits in mind for Toa of Lightning or did you just make up a personality for Nikila and her alone?

3b. Which of her personality traits would you consider typical of a Toa or Matoran of Lightning?

4. Do you select the names for new characters, masks, etc. from the approved names list or does someone else do that? I’d guess set designers, but then that leaves the question of how names are chosen for stuff that doesn’t appear in sets.

5. The Vortixx of Xia don’t care who it is they serve as long as they get good payment. What about the Nynrah Ghosts?

Just stuff I was wondering.