300-Follower Special (Part 1) - Kiora and Taliara
Toa Kiora, The Biomancer
Work on my first official self-moc began back in 2015. From the beginning, I envisioned Kiora as a toa with the gift of manipulating biological matter. The idea was to create a moc with a biomechanical aesthetic befitting this ability. I chose water as her primary element due to water being a necessary component for life.
The first mockup was mostly black and tan. I wanted to incorporate trans-light blue parts to better relate her association with water, but I lacked the necessary parts. Horns were added shortly after, for I felt her head was far too plain. It also signifies her disdain for religious institutions, particularly the Three Virtues.
Upon obtaining the proper trans-light blue pieces, I replaced many of the black pieces. I was quite satisfied with the upper torso and would only tweak it slightly over the following iterations. I experimented with different horn colors and ultimately settled with black due to its contrast with Kiora’s mask. A metru head piece was originally used for Kiora’s head, but I found it severely limiting in regards to customization. A trans-light blue eye stalk was substituted for the trans-light green at the cost of her hair- a change I immediately reversed. Her weapon was also made at this time- her ghosteel fauchard (originally called the crescent halberd).
Kiora’s second set of arms weren’t added until a few iterations in. Her two sets of arms were inspired by the Hindu trinity, as some of the key elements of her story reflect the nature of Shiva, “the destroyer and transformer,” Brahma, “the creator,” and Vishnu, “the preserver.”
Ultimately, I was not satisfied with the prototype. I set her aside and proceeded to work on other characters until the right elements were available to fully realize my vision.
As I accumulated more Bionicle G2 sets, as well as some Star Wars buildable figures, I was able to update my self-moc. I completely redesigned her lower torso and replaced her head with a custom design. More detail was added to her arms. Satisfied with this new version, I was ready to share my self-moc and begin introducing you all to the world of Akota Nui.
Since her public reveal, I’ve made two major updates to her design. I made some small adjustments to her upper body as well as her fauchard, and her legs have undergone two redesigns. Her current design is by far the closest to my vision of Kiora.
When it comes to Kiora’s lore, her story has remained mostly the same throughout the design process. You can read more about it here, here, and here. Some details have changed, but most of these are related to other characters and will be explained in their updated lore. On another note, her name is derived from the Maori word for “life” which is koiora.
While she is indeed a self-insert character, I did not want her to be the central focus of the tale of Akota Nui. Her toa team did have a pivotal role in creating the Akota Nui the new-age matoran now inhabit, but their roles, for the most part, ended during the Third Cataclysm, making way for the new world. More will be revealed about her and the fate of the Ancients in time.
Tl;dr
Despite the numerous changes Kiora has undergone over the two years I have developed her character, her lore has remained markedly the same. She draws inspiration from the Hindu trinity and her toa team plays a pivotal role in the creation of the Akota Nui the new-age matoran now inhabit.
Toa Taliara, the Shadowed Flame
Taliara, inspired by my lovely fiancée, is actually a relatively-new character. While I had planned to create a self-moc for her for quite some time, it was not until late last year that I had (most of) the necessary components to create her. I ultimately felt her original design was a bit sloppy, this feeling reinforced by her odd proportions, and I slowly adjusted her design over time as parts trickled in, filling in gaps and attempting to address her strange proportions. In the end, I had to completely reconstruct her torso to fix the odd breast placement. Her legs were completely redesigned in the process, giving her a more hourglass figure.
Taliara’s lore is, for the most part, unchanged since her conception. The only notable details which are different are her title, changed from “The Dark Sun” to “The Shadowed Flame,” and the name of her weapon and the sport which it’s derived from. Taratara is the Maori word for “spiked.” This was changed to tohkah, derived from toka the Maori word for “boulder.” You can read more here and here.
Taliara’s personality is a modest exaggeration of my fiancée’s. She possesses a deep and fiery competitiveness and a profound passion for the things she loves- including me. I love her deeply, and we look forward to August 26th. While we declare our love everlasting on this day, it was when we first met on that brick street on a cool January evening that we knew this was our eternity.
Tl;dr
Taliara, inspired by my lovely fiancée, has undergone a few changes since her conception. Most of the updates were meant to address irregular proportions and give her a more hourglass figure. Her lore, for the most part, remains unchanged with the most notable alterations being her title and the name of her weapon. On another note, we’re getting married August 26th .
Thank you all for your continued support. We hope you enjoyed part one of our 300-Follower Special. See you next time as we delve into the development of the New-Age Turaga.
Love,
Kiora