Masters of the Universe (My take on the MOTU Mythos)

[He-Mun]

About 5 years ago, I wrote a short story that kind of morphed into a gigantic backstory for MOTU. Over the years I continued to add and revise the stories whenever I had the opportunity. The main influence on my original stories was the Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. I was proud of what I wrote but I felt that I had shoehorned much of it together. In July, I decided to start from scratch.

With a large collection of MOTUC figures now available, I decided to let the figures kind of be my guide as I tried to recreate this universe in way that would represent what I enjoy about, not only MOTU, but fantasy and imaginative play altogether. Basically, if I had all of these toys when I was a kid, how would I play with them? Who would be good and bad? Who would be on what team? How do each of the characters fit together?

With these guiding questions I began listing, planning and plotting worlds, characters and events. I guess you could call it a MOTU fantasy draft!

As I shaped the universe to my preferences I decided to include elements from other things I enjoy. The Silmarillion stayed on as a guiding influence but I also brought in ideas and characterizations from my two favorite comic book properties: Green Lantern and the X-men. The Old Testament of the Bible plays a part as well. Being a Christian well-versed in scripture, it would be hard to deny it's influence on my thought process.

Long story short, I deleted my old world and am beginning anew in this thread. Enjoy (or not, whatever, it is my world. You don't have to like it! Create your own! )

[He-Mun]

> The beginnings of our story stretch far back through the eons of time to a strange point in the development of the universe. Throughout time and space, five beings came together at the center of all worlds to grow in strength and knowledge. During their study, the five beings grew in might and wisdom to a point where no other lifeforms could be considered their rivals.

> Though they grew to share a common level of power, they differed greatly in their personalities. As their sojourn of study continued, the five beings found that they each became the embodiment of their true character. Standor became the embodiment of Power and Light Hope represented his namesake. The Goddess took on will and strength of character. The Unnamed One represented Fear and Hunger while the Faceless One became Despair.

> Reaching the zenith of their abilities, the five decided to go their separate ways. They all searched out different worlds to pass on their teachings to and help shape the universe. Standor went to world of Primus while Light Hope sought out Etheria. The Goddess traveled to Eternia and was followed by the Unnamed One. The Faceless One stayed in the center. As the embodiment of despair, he felt no desire in doing anything. Keeping himself hidden in a void, the Faceless One watched and brooded as his counterparts began their work. In his shadow, the world beneath him would one day become the home to the Horde Empire. Without any true guidance, the Horde would seek to destroy anything and everything as they would be lifeforms without hope.

[He-Mun]

> The world of Eternia becomes the true focal point our tale. The Goddess chose the world because she sensed in it a great potential. As she approached the planet, the Goddess found herself blindsided by the Unnamed One. Locking her deep underneath the planet's surface, the Unnamed One began to mold Eternia in his ways.

> He caused many deviant forms of life to grow and evolve before choosing the snake people to be his champions. He appointed a snakeman named Hisss as their king and granted the snakemen unnaturally long life. The Unnamed One guided Hisss in the creation of a purple blade, the Sword of Fear. Whoever could master the weapon would be imbued with insatiable desire and the ability to strike fear in all living things.

> Hisss and his snake warriors began a conquest of all life on Eternia. The Snakmen, as they would be called, would use their captives as slave labor and built many monuments to honor the Unnamed One. Their greatest creation would be known as Snake Mountain, a fortress carved into the living rock. There in the deep holds of the mountain, the Unnamed One dwelt and guided the work of his people.

> With the Unnamed One preoccupied with his labors, the Goddess escaped her prison and made her home in the very center of Eternia. There she divided her power and created a great object of energy called the Star Seed. She filled the seed with a large amount of her will and strength. Then, the Goddess connected the seed to all of the roots in Eternia, ensuring that all life on the planet would grow in will and strength. With the world now connected to her power, life on Eternia began to resist the Snakemen. In aiding the planet, the Goddess now found herself to be weaker than the Unnamed One. She created a titanic being out of the living core of Eternia and named him Procrustus. He would then stand guard over both she and the Star Seed.

> Though people began to fight back, the Snakemen proved too powerful and their reign of terror continued for five hundred years. It is at this point where our story introduces us to our first Master of the Universe...

[He-Mun]

> The sun tore through the clouds as the Snakemen ransacked the town. The ground was littered with fallen men and women who had tried to defend their home. Their effort was valiant but no one could stop the Snakemen. No one could stop them. The words echoed in the mind of the young man who watched helplessly as a large brown snake man began to devour all that remained of his older brother. The youth clenched his teeth as he listened to the crunching of his brother's bones. Hiding under a pile of corpses, the young man became lost in thought.

> Vivid images flooded into his mind. He saw his father preparing for war as his mother pleaded against it. "No one can stop the Snakemen!" his mother cried. She was on her knees and tugging at the leg of the man she had married. "Don't go with them. We can leave this place! You can lead our family south and leave this land to the Snakemen."

> The man stared at the woman who had given him his family and sense of purpose. "My wife, if we flee south, they will follow. In time they will take the whole of our world. Then where would we run? I know you are scared and, truthfully, I am as well. And you are right - No One has been able to stop the Snakemen. No One. But we must try! How could you love me if I did not do what I know in my heart to be right? Go, take Dare, our youngest, and seek refuge in the jungle. I will take our oldest son Grey and we will join the men and women who are assembling. If we are victorious then I will seek you out. If we fall, I'll know that you both made it to safety. I love you. Good journey." At that, the man left with his son.

> Aack! Aack! Ech! Pluugh! The nauseating sounds of regurgitation brought the youth back to the present. The brown snake man had coughed up something. Wiping his mouth, the snake grabbed his weapon and went to rejoin his comrades. Being in the clear, the young man, Dare, crept out of the pile of bodies. He and his mother never made it to the jungle. The Snakemen had attacked much sooner than anyone anticipated and his mother died during the ensuing panic, trampled by her own people. Dare wiped the filth of the bodies off his face as he approached the spot where the snake man had been standing. Looking down upon the vomit Dare felt a knot tighten in his stomach as he glared at the skull of his brother, Grey.

> Unable to contain his emotions, dare grabbed his brother's axe that lay to the side of the path. The Snakemen had taken everything from him this day. He couldn't stop them, he knew that. No one can stop them. However, the young Dare decided that today he would make one snake man regret his existence. Bursting into a full stride, the young man screamed as he charged at the brown snake man. Raising his axe high, he swung a mighty blow at the reptile. The axe had cleaved between the neck and shoulder and drove down to the middle of the torso. Guts and entrails seeped out of the body as it collapsed to the ground. Dare stood above his chosen victim. Feeling content with his work, the young man sat on the ground beside his masterpiece.

> The brown snake man lay lifeless by his feet but more were approaching. A dozen or so Snakemen had watched the events unfold before approaching slowly. One let out a laugh. "Hsss, haha, thisss one hasss ssspirit. Bind hisss armsss. The General will be glad to have a new ssslave."

[He-Mun]

> In the wake of his actions, young Dare found himself to be a slave of the Snakemen. A chieftain among the snakes, who was called the General, had set up a fortress for himself a few towns to the east of Dare's former home. King Hisss himself had charged this warlord with the conquering of this portion of Eternia. It was in his service that Dare wound up. Due to his youth and energy, Dare toiled in the creation of many tunnels and caverns that would soon connect all of the lands controlled by the Snakemen.

> Years passed without count as Dare's labors continued. One would no longer consider him to be youthful. He was now a man - grim in appearance with muscles as firm as the rocks he cut. However, as he developed physically, mentally and emotional he had become stagnant. The man Dare had not progressed since the day he slew the brown snake man. He felt no desire. No one can beat the Snakemen so why should he try? His family was dead so he had no one to long for. He had slain his brother's killer so he had no need for revenge. Work, cutting rock day and night was all that life had left to offer the man Dare.

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> Ching, ching, ching, ching, ching. The sound of the axe was ever familiar to the man Dare. For years he had cut rock and today was not to be different. Ching, ching, ching, ching, ching. This noise was almost gratifying to the grim man - almost as he was close to being devoid of all emotion. Yet, there was still a feeling that arose when a job was done well. Contentedness. His work in the tunnels brought a feeling akin to the work he had done on the brown snake man in the years prior. Contentedness.

> Dare was not alone in the tunnels, hundreds of men and women labored for the General. The grim man never took notice of his fellow slaves. If he had, he would have found that some of them had become close and formed family groups. Others had ever tried to organize escapes. These always met with failure and the leaders would become meals for the guards. If he had taken account of the others, then certain questions would have entered the grim man's mind. Why did these people not accept their fates? Why did they try to change their present? Why were they not content in their work like himself? But, Dare did not heed the others around him and stayed as he always was. The grim man was content in his work. Ching, ching, ching, ching, ching.

[He-Mun]

> The years continued to pass as the man Dare slaved in the Snakemen's tunnels. His bondage had made him powerful but he had no ambition beyond his daily labor. Over time, the tunnels began to connect to other snake outposts. The grim Dare did not take notice of anything besides his work, but if he had, then he would have realized that hundreds of Snakemen had been coming through his tunnels. These snakes were coming to join the General in what one would assume to be a mighty battle. This very day, another such group was passing Dare and his fellow laborers.

> At the front of the group was an imposing black Snakeman. He was clearly a head taller than the other snakes with him. He wore dark blue armor and carried a giant hammer over his shoulder. He said very little but the snake beside him spoke enough for them both. "It'sss finally happening, Quick-Strike. The General is ready to make war with the Dragonsss of Darksmoke. King Hisss himssself hasss ordered usss to ssstation here. The King'sss messsage asssked for usss to take command of the fortresss while the army isss away. If we do well, this will be our ticket to advancement! Jussst imagine, all of our nessst matesss will sssoon be bowing down to Ssslither and Quick-Strike!"

> As the smaller snake continued his speech, the larger one marched on quietly. He was more than content to let his companion ramble endlessly. The battalion marching behind them were very young. Expressions of anxious excitement were written on their faces, which was encouraged by their small leader's musings.

> As they exited the tunnel, an advisor to the General hurried to meet them. "It'sss about time you arrived!" the advisor hissed. "I wasss supposssed to meet the General three days ago. The ressst of the troopsss will follow me. The fortresss guardsss will ssstay to watch the slavesss. Your job isss to hold the fortresss in cassse the Dragonsss move to counter attack. I do hope you and your troopsss are more experienced than you appear." "Don't worry, Lord Advisor," Ssslither responded. "We will prove worthy of your trussst."

> The advisor continued on with details before turning to gather his men. The large black Snakeman surveyed the fortress that was now in his possession and smirked. High in the clouds, however, a dark shape circled the outpost and then continued on to the South.

[He-Mun]

> A week had passed since the Lord Advisor left with his troops to join the battle at Darksmoke. Quick-Strike, the large, black Snakeman, had grown bored. Holding a fortress was not as exciting as he had hoped it would be. Ssslithor, on the other hand, was loving every second of their new positions. "Thisss wasss the life I wasss hatched to be living," he mused as he discarded the rest of the human forearm he had been savoring. "What I sssay isss what goesss in thisss place. I can ssso get usssed to thisss."

> The large, black Snakeman was fond of his friend but he was well aware of their differences. Ssslithor wanted power and position but all that Quick-Strike desired was battle. Without a word, the black Snakeman stood up and exited the central room of the fortress. Briskly, he slithered outside and began to search. At first, he wasn't even sure what he was looking for but, as he made his way into the tunnels, his goal became quite clear.

> He strode up and down the corridors, measuring, calculating and sizing up. Half an hour had passed when he finally came to a stop. His eyes grew with enticement. "You," he commanded, "face me!"

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> Ching, ching, ching, ching, ching. The day had begun like any other for the grim man named Dare. His axe was in his hand and he was hewing rock. For years without count, this had been the grim man's existence. The life of labor had changed him from a young orphan to hardened, strong, grim man. It was during his labor when, for the first time in years, he noticed something. The day was not yet over but everyone had stopped working. Not only that but everyone was staring at him. He slowly lowered his axe and turned around. The eyes of every person in the tunnel were intently fixed on him.

> Before another thought could process, the grim Dare heard a deep hissing voice. "I sssaid face me, ssslave." Dare sought out the voice addressing him and found it belonging to a huge, black Snakeman handling a very large hammer. The grim Dare walked over and stood in front of the Snakeman. With a sly smile, the snake circled around the grim man.

>The Snakeman poked and prodded at the Dare's muscles until he seemed convinced. Walking away, the large black Snakeman gave an order and a group of guards marched towards Dare. He heard one of them shout, "take him!" before feeling a sharp pain and everything going dark.

[He-Mun]

> The bright light of the sun blinded the grim man. It had been years since he had last seen it. Blinded as he was, he couldn't even see it now but he knew it was there. He was out of the tunnels. He also realized he was hanging by his wrists a few inches from the ground. If not for the strength he had gained from his time digging in the tunnels, he guessed that his arms should be sore about now.

> Sounds began to become clear as he made out the noise of voices chanting. They were Snakemen, soldiers most likely. and they were all around him. Slowly, sight returned to the grim Dare. He found that he was in the courtyard of a fortress and he was surrounded by guards. Directly in front of him was a large, black Snakeman. Dare remembered him from the tunnel... sizing him up, prodding him. So, he was to be a toy for amusement. Irony did not escape the grim man as he realized that the situation amused him as well.

> His bonds were cut and he dropped to his feet. He rubbed his wrists even though they were not sore. The large Snakeman motioned and an axe and shield were place at his feet. He gathered the tools though he had not intention of using them. His anger had left him all those years ago when he had killed the brown Snakeman. That day, the snakes had killed his family and he had avenged them. Dare felt no need to fight, no cause to kill.

> Yet, here he found himself, face to face with a snake. The large, black Snakeman looked around at the crowd before raising his hammer high in the air to a chorus of cheers. A sound like a gong rang and the Snakeman rushed at Dare and swung his hammer back for a mighty blow.

> Thwoom! The hammer strike had connected with Dare's shield. The muscles in his legs tensed slightly as he held off the blow. In an instant, Dare was on his back. The Snakeman had swept his legs with his tail and had his hammer poised for another attack.

> The grim man rolled left and casually returned to his feet. The large, black Snakeman smiled and began a furious onslaught of swings against Dare. Every blow was met by the grim man's shield. This chess game continued for what seemed like hours to Dare and he suspected that the Snakeman was enjoying the match. Indeed, to Dare, this was a match or, more closely, a game. It was not a fight as Dare never struck back. He only blocked, side stepped and readied himself. Dare now suspected that he, himself, was enjoying the match.

> The back and forth continued until the Snakeman called for a break. The large Snakeman called for a chair and motioned for Dare to come to him. Dare obliged.

"Who are you, ssslave?" the Snakeman questioned.
"I am Dare, a worker of your tunnels."
"You are different from other Men, Dare. You have grown ssstrong in our tunnelsss yet you never tried to ssstrike me. Why isss that?"
"I have no reason to fight you, you have not wronged me."
"Are you not my ssslave? Have we not killed your people?"
"I am your slave and my people have been killed but not by you. I repaid life for life with the one who took from me. I have nothing to take from you."
"How long have you been here?"
"Since before I was a man."
"Then you mussst not remember well enough what your life wasss like before usss. Thisss isss good. Thisss mussst happen with all who live on Eternia. Know thisss, Dare, our lord, King Hisss, will sssoon rule over all of the landsss and my friend Ssslithor and I will be one day be his greatessst servantsss. If a man asss ssstrong asss you would ssserve me, other men will sssoon realize that fighting usss isss pointlesssss."
"This is true, no one can beat the Snakemen."
"Wissse wordsss, ssslave. I've enjoyed our conversssation and our little war. Come with me and I will make you look more presssentable than a tunnel digger."

> As Dare followed his new owner, a dark shape high among the clouds circled. The shape lingered longer than it thought it should have before again flying South.

[JVS3]

It's cool how you did the initial universe setup.


Out of curiosity, what made you do the focus on Dare? Are you going to build things up through the age of Her-Ro?

[He-Mun]

Thanks for the compliment.

Do you open your presents before Christmas? All will be revealed in the completion of time!

[He-Mun]

I apologize for leaving this hanging for such a long time. I've just found that my lifestyle is not conducive to the way I was telling this story.

For anyone who had read this, Dare was going to join a greater rebellion against the Snakemen that included characters like Vykron, Vikor and Draego Man, as well as, pre sorceress Veena (Battleground Teela). As he became the leader, he would take on the name Grayskull as both a sign of a new beginning and a tribute to the death of his brother (Gray's skull). Creatively, I liked how it would not only tie in with the new Dare later on but also shake things up from what a reader would expect.

I have not abandoned this universe, I'm just going to change the medium from a novel-like, character study to an adjustable Slideshow. With new figures continuing to be introduced, and my ADD mindset, this will make retconning much easier. I've already changed some things from how they were. This will be more of a timeline of events with the occasional commentary added on.

The next post will include the link to the slideshow and I will post again every time there is an update.

Enjoy or Not

Good Journey!

[He-Mun]

My Ongoing Slideshow. Preternia's story completed

https://goo.gl/0DJy5p

[He-Mun]

Updated with Savage Eternia and the Magic Wars.

[He-Mun]

BIG UPDATE from a busy Saturday morning:

Council of Elders

Rise of the Horde Empire

Horde Invasion of Eternia

Introduction of the Havoc Staff

Zodak

The Central Tower

53 slides so far!

[He-Mun]

Updated to slide 70! (Older readers might recognize the Harmony Tower story from my older versions of this fan-fic. It was slightly reworked and reintegrated here.)

The End of the Harmony Council

War in the Sands of Time

The New Sorceress

[He-Mun]

Going back through, I've made some basic edits and tweaks. I've also decided to split the story into portions. The first Part is collectively titled The Worlds of the Eternals and is finished for now. Here is the link for the standalone version: https://goo.gl/IhvOIT I will add it to the Fan Fic archive. If any changes are made to it, I will let you know.

Part II is still ongoing and is titled Generation Unto Generation. Here is the link for the standalone version: https://goo.gl/zfSC08

I will also keep updating the Full Version as well: https://goo.gl/0DJy5p

So there you go, enjoy the options available to you Look for an update to Part II later on this weekend.

[He-Mun]

Updated to Slide 92

Kingdom of Miron
First Man at Arms
Sons of Miron - introducing Miro
Interaction with the Gars
Miro the Prisoner

[He-Mun]

Updated to Slide 106

-The Gar Wars Begin
-Escape of Miro and Lee-Al
-More insight into the characters of Miro, Lee-Al and Kel
-Kel at the mercy of the former prisoners

[Dice]

Just read them all and really enjoyed it. Keep going!

[He-Mun]

Thanks! Glad you have enjoyed the journey thus far!

[He-Mun]

Story will be on hiatus until June.

It is crunch time for me school-wise as I head toward the end of the school year. Lots of stuff to take care of and carry my focus.

[Ravyn]

Just so your aware, I loved your story so far and am waiting for updates...

[He-Mun]

Just so your aware, I loved your story so far and am waiting for updates...

Thank you so much!! I find that I am a very seasonal person. At some points I am on fire with doing something and at other points I get burned out. I feel that I am at a point that i ready to continue my journey with this.