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I cannot stress enough to you that all American government agencies are falling apart at the seams right now and they will not be put back together for the foreseeable future. EPA DHS ED VA FDA NIH IRS CDC HHS NPS etc... Elon Musk is dismantling everything. Anyone who resigns or is laid off now, the word we (I am an agency employee) are receiving internally is that their position will be abolished, not backfilled.

Do you like eating clean, safe food?

Do you like having clean, safe air and water?

Do you want experts monitoring developing infectious diseases?

Do you like getting tax returns?

Do you want your children to have free, quality, public education?

If so, you need to write to your senators and representatives RIGHT NOW. Trump is not obeying the rule of law. He is illegally firing all the inspectors general of these agencies (they are literally being escorted by security out of their offices) so that there is no one left to stop him from doing quite literally anything he wants. He has bypassed the internal structure of all of the agencies by plugging in external email servers to push typo-filled emails and memos written by employees of the heritage foundation directly into the inbox of every federal agency employee in the country, threatening to terminate them.

The rule of law is dead. The only mechanism left to stop any of this is mass public outcry via convincing your state's congressmen & women to do something, because right now they are staying absolutely silent and none of us in these agencies can figure out why. A massacre is happening right now and every single American will feel the material, concrete consequences of this in their daily lives very soon if nothing is done.

Please help me boost this information.

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I found this meme on Pinterest and it just kinda called to me. (I have more, should I draw them?)

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It was Nokama's fault. Of course it was Nokama's fault. It had to be Nokama's fault, because Nokama always got him to do what she asked.

Because they were friends, and he could never deny Nokama anything she asked.

So there he was. Standing before a big, stupid something that he recognized but refused to address as it should have been, perfectly frozen, glaring at what little he could see of a Ruru and Mahiki and Komau as they peeked through the barrier in their work.

His friend nudged him forward, saying nothing. He gave her a tired look; she squeezed his hand in her own with a small sad smile and crawled into the structure to help, leaving him to decide what to do on his own.

He felt so exhausted.

Whenua's head perked up beyond the barrier to look him in the eye.

"We're working for you too, you know," he said simply. "I don't think anybody would complain if you got up here. Maybe even lent us a hand with that Matatu of yours."

"Whenua," Nokama murmured.

"I know. I know."

Matau just leaned over and extended a hand towards him invitingly without a saying single word. Nuju took it, allowing himself to be hefted into the structure by his fellow Turaga.

It felt comfortable and enveloping in the best of ways, like a light embrace draped over one's shoulders. The flooring was soft yet perfectly solid under his feet; considering the rocky outcrop on which it was perched did not have a shape that could have been considered pleasant to lay or even just stand on, they must have been hard at work for quite some time now.

He watched them as they went back to their business while he could not move an inch.

His limbs seemed filled with molten lead. No matter how much he told himself to at least do the bare minimum, even just get out of the way so he could allow them to work on the spot he was occupying, his body simply did not register his demands. He was stuck in it like a pebble fallen deep into a too thin vein, blocking the until then streaming flow behind as it struggles in vain to push through, only managing to clog it further.

Steady hands grasped him and dragged his unmoving form back - both to reality, and towards an edge of the structure that evidently the others had deemed complete.

He was sat down with little force on the soft pavement; a lukewarm palm pressed slightly on his back to force his posture straight before he hunched miserably towards the floor. Something about the action reached into his entrails to unlock something, an uncomfortable feeling of resignation he had been trying to crush between his gears for days: weakly, he shut his eyes hard and leaned back as far into Onewa's chest as the other allowed him.

His fellow Turaga said nothing, grazing the back of Nuju's head with his mask.

The silence was unpleasant.

He couldn't bring himself to break it.

Fingers covered in scars, that had been broken many times, caressed his arm - he found his eyelids flying open all of a sudden, caught by surprise despite swearing he had been aware and alert. Had he dozed off? While they'd been working? Some useful member of the team he was, at a time like this nonetheless. Matau met his gaze without accusing him of anything: he offered the colder being half of an embrace that he accepted wholly despite a tired dullness dampening any display of appreciation with a lack of enthusiasm, eyes sinking into the greenish shoulder.

Nuju felt the two press against him as they leaned further onto him, as though they were the ones in dire need of support; it wasn't long before Nokama and Whenua's rustling stopped, and their weights too gently added themselves to those already pinning the Turaga of Ice to his seat.

His whole frame shuddered, wrecked by a sudden chill.

Arms tangled around him to trap him within their loving web. The other four swayed his body gently alongside their own, pushing and pulling him with a magnificent tenderness to lay him down, down with them, in their embrace, in their nest, falling into place against each other like puzzle pieces of a still incomplete enigma, haunted by the void they could not fill but trying, at the very least, to bring one another a glimmer of solace despite the absence cutting into their limbs and chests.

Nuju curled tighter into the affection surrounding him to try and stave off the lack of heat.

-

The firespitter was dragged away from the Agori healers who discharged him with feverish vigor and many hurried thanks that Whenua forgot to speak out loud and Onewa had to relay for him - they would compare the frenzy of the Turaga who came to pick him up to that of many mice, or bugs, scuttling about as fast as they could to grab all sorts of crumbs with their quick little fingers before anybody could chase them out of the room.

He was weak, still, during the first few days, and so the others had agreed that nobody was allowed to see him. If any of the Toa wanted to catch a glimpse of him they would either have to wait or seek audience at the foot of the nest he'd been hushered into, only being allowed any closer by a unanimous vote.

There was no need to fear for his condition anyways: he was being cared for in more ways than the healers could have provided, and they knew that.

Vakama had no intention of removing himself from his kin's embrace, either.

No matter who asked to see him he remained willingly lodged between them, kept warm by their presence around him as his body struggled to heat up in the way his element demanded he be able to, safely tucked within Nuju's arms; he clung to the Turaga of Ice in his sleep as hard as the other clung to him, and surrounded by friends in one another's grasp they slept better than they had in weeks.

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poses, creatures, and a bunch of stoats

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A small chart of headcanons regarding Agori appearances*; humanized Atakus and Perditus, colored from this; Kiina and Gelu; Berix and Strakk, both Agori and human

*Jungle Agori have their entire face covered in feathers: this one is shaved to showcase the typical Agori profile. Fire Agori also have a wide variety of skin tones and patterns - ex. Raanu and Perditus

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anyway yeah DELETE YOUR FUCKING ADVERTISING IDS

Android:

Settings ➡️ Google ➡️ all services ➡️ Ads ➡️ Delete advertising ID

(may differ slightly depending on android version and manufacturer firmware. you can't just search settings for "advertising ID" of course 🔪)

iOS:

Settings ➡️ privacy ➡️ tracking ➡️ toggle "allow apps to request to track" to OFF

and ALSO settings ➡️ privacy ➡️ Apple advertising ➡️ toggle "personalized ads" to OFF

more details about the process here via the EFF

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To see the captain of the Ta-Koro guard himself hurry into the Sanctum with a concerned look on his mask was a rather strange occurrence in and of itself. The request he made to Lumi, however, managed to be even stranger.

"The Turaga is hard at work deciphering the prophecies," he whispered, baffled, "He can't simply leave like that."

"It's urgent," Jaller insisted just as quietly: "Turaga Vakama has been struck by a vision so terrible that it caused him to fall ill. He's in great pain - he laments aches all over his body, he can't rise from bed, he struggles to drink or eat..."

"We can send physicians - maybe in Ga-Koro--"

"He refused to let even our own healers beside him. He requested Turaga Nuju - nobody else."

Lumi shifted his weight from one foot to the other apprehensively. At last he left the Ta-Matoran there where he stood to rush to his Turaga, disturbing his studies with words spoken so softly that it seemed like a miracle that his interlocutor would manage to even hear him at all.

But Nuju did hear, and well, too. Startled surprise flashed for a second on his expression before it furrowed once more; without a sound he strode quickly out of the Sanctum, towards the gates and the Northern March, leaving Matoro and Jaller both so baffled that they nearly forgot to follow after him, almost ending up stranded in the snow as the Turaga was fully ready to take off in the cablecar without them.

The journey down to the lake of fire was short, suffocated by the tension oozing off of Nuju in waves. He barely even waited for the car to stop properly, jumping off despite the two right hands' complaints and hurrying down the wall. By the time his aide had also reached the gate, he was halfway across the bridge already.

Jaller and Matoro only got ahold of him because he wasted precious seconds looking around the Koro with worry and puzzlement, searching fruitlessly for the hut that belonged to Vakama.

"This way," the captain wheezed, breathless, grabbing his arm so he wouldn't run off again: "The Turaga is this way."

Nuju followed.

Fairly thick fabric covered the entrance of the abode; its weight muffled the pained whines within.

The Turaga slipped into the building without waiting for explanations, abandoning the two Matoran to themselves again. Matoro made an attempt at going after him only for Jaller to hastily stop him, reminded of the wails that left Vakama's weakened body when he caught sight of an intruder.

The two right hands could do little else but wait.

Each second seemed to stretch into eternity with every whimper that passed through the tarp: the moment they reached out, barely disturbing the fabric that divided the two Turaga from the world outside, a loud hiss would ward them off and they'd be forced back into uneasy stalling. They could hear them speak to each other still, softly, quietly - too quietly to make out the words as soft birdspeak coos intertwined with tearful gibberish.

There was a feeling behind their murmured conversation that neither Matoran could place.

Something heavy, indecipherable...

Something kind.

Nuju reappeared as suddenly as he'd entered the hut, eyes still set in the furrowed expression that refused to leave his mask. He told Matoro somethin in a hurried, impatient tone, gesturing towards the gate and the tarp before bolting back towards the bridge again; his right hand remained still on his feet, as dumbfounded and confused as the captain of the Ta-Koro guard.

Jaller looked between him and the Turaga over and over, incapable of making heads or tails of the scene that had just played out before him; Matoro replied with a wide eyed look, a little embarrassed even.

"He's - he said he needs to go to the telescope," he managed to find the words at last: "He told me to look after Vakama while he-"

"He wants to go on his own?" Jaller almost shouted.

"I assume so, he - he is acting strange. Something about the vision..."

Jaller's head turned left and right again in a sudden bout of panic as he tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he snapped himself out of that funk: "Yes, alright, alright - I'll go with Nuju, for safety, and you'll stay with the Turaga. We'll do that."

Then he bolted, running like mad after the being already heading for the beaches of Ta-Wahi, and just as fast Matoro slipped beneath the heavy tarp and into Vakama's home.

He tiptoed his way to his bedside as the Turaga raved softly in his feverish state; he did not reject the Matoran's hand when it gently laid over his own, but he did not seem to realize he was even present at all, either. He just shivered harshly and muttered nonsense to himself in whimpers, keeping his eyes shut tight, straining his voice as though he were on the verge of tears.

"Turaga," Matoro whispered: "Can you hear me? It's Matoro."

"Nuju..." Vakama croaked. His neck bent back into the bed with a pained hiss.

The Matoran quickly went to sustain his head, words quiet and reassuring: "He will be back soon. He just needs to check something, that's all. He'll be alright."

But the Turaga insisted: "Nuju," he called weakly, "Nuju... Nuju..."

"It's alright, calm down. He'll be back soon."

"Nuju... Nuju... Stay with me... Please... Nuju..."

The translator watched him twist and turn as he sobbed for the other Turaga. He was his only witness, the only one to hear his ramblings as they gained and lost coherence like a tide that ebbs and flows; once Nuju returned, and Jaller and the other Ta-Matoran could once again take care of Vakama on their own as he no longer rejected their aid, he tucked them into the satchel he never parted from and took them away with himself, to bury them somewhere in the side of the mountain as he did with all the secrets entrusted to him.

Turaga Vakama recuperated slowly, in the span of a few days. Turaga Nuju did not visit him, though he was sent a messanger reporting the good news; allegedly, he had seemed very relieved.

One day later, the Toa of Ice washed ashore.

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Ackar's footsteps were quiet, heavy, echoing through the small metallic room. Their sound stirred the wavering being laying at the very end of it, draped dejectedly upon his resting place.

Once he was close enough, the old Glatorian smiled: "Hello."

"My friend," Mata Nui called as he stretched his arms out to meet him, to welcome him within them: "My dear friend... Oh, how immensely glad your visit makes me. Come closer, come closer to me; let me see you, Ackar."

He sank his face into the other's reaching hands, aching for the comfort of indescribable palms.

"I'm tired," he murmured; his eyes closed while a thumb tenderly brushed his cheek as if to smooth down the wrinkles and scars that dug into it. "I feel so tired."

"Lay down with me, my friend. You feel so heavy in my hands..."

"It's the weight of my years, I'm afraid."

"Do not be. Lay down with me, my dear friend - lay down."

He dropped stuntedly to his knees before the other being as though his body could no longer sustain its own weight and laid his head down on the sandy chest to listen as the clockwork within it inched slowly along its endless predetermined route.

"I'm so tired," he repeated, his voice soft, exhausted.

A tepid hand cupped his nape, pressing him closer to a sternum that hid no heart. Its twin caressed his anguished back in kind strokes.

"Rest with me," murmured Mata Nui. "Rest."

Slowly, painlessly, Ackar felt himself melt.

He felt his skin move across his bones, slipping down, slipping away, away, further and further away. He felt his flesh rend itself so very tenderly, as if it were being cooked in its own fat - felt his organs lose their shape as they tangled and welded together in a molten mass, cutting through the calcium of his ribs, mingling into his own blood as it all dripped off of him, seeping into a body that had no substance, a body that did not exist.

"What..." he tried to mumble; his eye rolled to look at the creature holding him, undoing him, while his anatomy slowly failed him, and felt no fear at all.

Mata Nui curled tighter around him.

"Rest with me," he whispered in his ear, sweet and warm, enveloping in a kind, loving, possessive way, dragging his affections into the only revenge he allowed himself to inflict upon the world that evaded him, singing a full body kiss that destroyed everything under its butterfly touch into the accepting soul sinking ever deeper within his form. "Rest, my friend, my dear, sweet friend, lay down with me - we are both so tired..."

-

Ackar disappeared without a warning nor a trace. He took nothing with him; like many before him, others assumed, he allowed himself to be lost in the dunes, too exhausted by life to even simply lay down and die.

All that was left of him were pieces of worn down armor and a prosthetic arm, abandoned within the chambers of the Great Spirit: a sacrificial offering to a false god.

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Hey writers!

As of January 16, 2025, Microsoft has decided to automatically enable their AI service, CoPilot, on Word - even if you've previously turned off the service. They've also changed the process to disable it.

If you want to disable it again, go to:

Options -> CoPilot -> Uncheck "Enable CoPilot"

Hope this helps!

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The resplendent being sat before him, his body of pure energy free from substance gently angled in a polite pose, equal and alien to him in every way; the faint anthropomorphic shape of his self looked upon the opaque man before him with mellow eyes in a saddened, drooping cut.

"I am not an object anymore," Mata Nui spoke kindly, softly, without anger - only a great tiredness. "I am self-aware enough to know the differences between us are not as marked as they once might have seemed. I have grown up."

What a horrible, terrible, wondrous thing to hear.

"I still hold pleasant memories of you."

"I am not your father," Angonce said with a voice that shook and trembled in his throat.

The words left his mouth with a sound similar to the warble of a juvenile bird, still unsure of its song, still scared of singing it out loud; his eyes were lucid, reflections gleaming bright in the distance that separated them like stars of different solar systems. His hands laid down at his sides, perfectly still, just as tense as if they had been balled into fists. His breaths wavered as they clawed their way in and out of his chest, crushed by an emotion he was scared of giving a name to.

"A father should not feel the way I do about the possibility of you being my son."

Mata Nui smiled.

"You are an honest man." he said simply.

He did not stand, for he was too tired, too catastrophically, unthinkably fatigued to do so. But he leaned his head to the side slightly, only slightly, and the man knew from that minute movement that he would be gone soon.

"Goodbye, Angonce." the Demiurge said: "Thank you for allowing me everything I ever asked of you."

Then the god was alone.

He sat down heavily, grasping his face in his hands as though a part of him had died; a long shiver wrecked him, and his gritted teeth clattered against each other to replace his sobs.

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@crystaltoa reblogging my feverish badly written bionicle-cave essay unaware that im in the process of transposing it to my final academic paper fills me with a pleasant sort of vindication regarding the quality and validity of my stupid incoherent dumbass ramblings

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ICE raids are set to start as soon as tuesday (JAN 21, 2025) in Chigago so make sure you know your rights, your community, and your plan.

ICE MUST have a warrant to search/enter any property. they will lie and manipulate you to allow them on the premises but if they arent holding a valid document in their hands they cannot legally do anything

They may say something like "our warrant is in the truck," tough shit, have them bring it to you, DO NOT FOLLOW THEM ANYWHERE. Do not leave your property if confronted.

If you are taken, say nothing until a lawyer is present. The exception is if there are bystanders present/filming, then you should shout your name and whats happening

If you are witnessing a raid in your community, wait to warn others via phone as the cops may be monitoring nearby communications and may use that to select their next targets. Warn by code or word of mouth

escape if the opportunity presents itself, but dont be stupid.

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FYI iPhone users!

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You poor, sweet thing, said the ocean in her voice. A rogue wave raised itself from the tow to caress Kiina's cheek.

She stood knee deep in the water, heaving as she looked into the endless horizon.

I will still be here, said the ocean in her voice. I will always be here.

"But will you be her?" Kiina cried.

The waves washed ashore all around her.

I will still be here. I will always be here.

"But will you be her?"

"I will be here," whispered Gali gently, just for a moment, before her self was swallowed back by the seas she had melted into: I will always be here.

Kiina stood, tears sinking in the saltwater, and felt no such thing as comfort.

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One of the drafts (written in one go) I mentioned befre, where Turaga Matau is kidnapped. I haven't come around to rewriting the draft, and feel no interest to do so yet. At the same time it keeps haunting my brain.

So, I'll post it. Please enjoy. (Matau certainly doesn't.)

--

The shaking of the lorry had lulled Matau to sleep. Hurt from the fight and weakened by both the loss of his mask and the disruptor, he had given up fighting his exhaustion soon after the cabin started moving. His dreams blurred and shook and twisted with colors – from blue, to red, brown, white, black, and back to green. They danced in a pattern with no reason, but as they drew Matau in, he felt warm and comfortable.

The world around him jerked and he woke up, softly while, strangely, at once completely aware. The metal grate dug uncomfortably into his side, but he kept still in the ropes. Better to have his kidnappers believe he was still unconscious. Aside from avoiding another blow to the head, he might glean some information they would let slip. He couldn’t move much as he was, anyway.

The mercenaries must have slowed down and were travelling a smoother surface now, maybe a road, because the up-and-down-moving had softened. He couldn’t quite place how the vehicle moved, however, which irritated the test driver in him. The place behind his temple was still throbbing, so fewer disturbances were a plus point, at least.

I hope we haven’t traveled far yet. Matau shoved back the dread that rose in the back of his throat, clawing the relief to shreds. He breathed in slowly, holding it for several seconds, before he released it. They will come. My signal exploded over the whole damn valley, and I did a lot of damage. They know it’s urgent and will do everything to come for me.

Carefully, Matau rotated his head; even though the bag around his head blinded him, it also concealed his expressions. Besides, he had other senses that worked just as well or even better. He bit down a hiss as a lance of pain shot through his skull.

Okay, I need to do that a bit slower… My siblings will be so cheery-happy to hear-learn these guys hit my head when I was already down and without my mask. Especially the latter will blow up Vakama’s temper. I wonder if they found my mahiki.

Even slower than before, he lifted his head just by enough that nobody – hopefully – would notice. The mercenaries had probably detached some of their members to keep guard on him. He tried to hear over the lorry’s rattling if somebody was talking. Or even just breathing, so that he knew how many were there. Unfortunately, smoother the lorry rolled, the noise the wheels made rendered it impossible for him to differentiate between then and other sounds that were quieter.

Matau’s neck started aching soon later and he gave it up, for now at least. Returning to the most relaxed position he could manage, he huffed, the cloth repelling some of his breath back to his face. It seemed like he had to wait.

Well, not long, before a loud, bellowing cry came from a place that was definitely outside. It didn’t sound like a voice and was much too loud for glatorian or a skrall, so what was that?

Yes, I remember! They said something about a rider having calmed down some biosaurs… That explains why I haven’t heard an engine, because there’s none. Of course, drawn carriages are much more common and less suspicious than a mechanical construct that is driving.

A sharp thump jolted through the floor’s constant shuddering, right through his armor into his chest. In the air, it made metal rang somewhere to his right. He swallowed the gasp that wanted to jump out. Nervous, he listened closer again. Who was coming?

 “We’re speeding up! Lookout said she saw some figures following us on the cliffs’ edge and that they’re closing onto us.”

That must be them! Well, I hope. Still, he clung to that hope, grinning under the bag so fiercely he felt his whole face move.

“I already wondered what’s up! So, how many? And where did they appear from?”

Matau recognized both of these voices. And just as the one glatorian said, the lorry’s trembles rose in strength. Inertia took hold, pressing him backwards as they accelerated.

“Five, maybe more. They’re using the foliage as cover, so she couldn’t see prop- GAH!”

The lorry lurched and another cry roared. The two mercenaries cursed. Matau he bit down his own yell. He slid backwards by increments, his armor scraping across the grates. It didn’t hurt, but the pressure and sensations were so uncomfortable he groaned through gritted teeth despite his struggles to play unconscious. Just wonderful. He would look like the Karzahni at the end of the day-

Okay, bad comparison. Very bad comparison. No need to let his imagination run that far, thank you very much! His ro were already worried enough.

“What are those stupid beasts doing now?!” A slapped against a bar of the cell.

“Berinos said there must be predators nearby. The biosaurs smell them and get nervous. This is the other reason we speed up, we don’t want some wild rock steeds or worse attacking us.”

“Sure, that is worse than the potential toa hunting us down.”

“The disruptor shuts down their elemental powers in a wider radius than they can attack us from. Most toa are average, not anywhere as dangerous as those Nuva. Who knows, we might get more than one toa today.” The last sentence carried an air of smugness that barbed in Matau’s ears.

“It’d make the boss happy with us, that’s true. I’ve heard that elemental lord wants to study several of these toa, to find out how their powers work.”

Oh no. No. NO.

Chills ran down his spine and he shivered. The danger and level of trouble he had slid into had occurred to him before. He had worked on uncertainty of why or what they kidnapped him, which was nerve-wrecking on its own, but he had been able to ignore these worries because they would get him nowhere. It created a distance between him and the actual situation.

But now, with specific details on the background of his kidnapping, that distance vanished and slammed him right into the place he had been in since they subdued him. It left him breathless.

And they wanted to try to target more than just him. They wanted more toa, and by circumstances, some were following them.

Selfish as it was, it was the idea they would catch his own ro terrified him to his core, squeezing his heart crystal.

 “If it’s those Toa Metru after us, we also have the best hostage to use as leverage against them.”

He couldn’t see, but Matau knew they were looking at him.

As if I’ll make it easy for you. The growl reverberated through his mind.

He kept perfectly still and lax, every emotion and thought turned inwards with the bag obscuring his view to the outside. They worked rapidly, bashing against each other, running in circles. At their center, however, something else rose: razor-sharp and intent, savage and intelligent, possessive and caring, from somewhere deep within.

He glared into the direction of the voices. Anger had sparked heat that churned, turning round and round with the fear, striking against each other in friction, feeding each other with the sparks that flew.

Behind his back, out of their sight, his fingertips dug into his palms. The surface gave; Matau didn’t care.

Metal creaked, joints squeaked, and steps closed on him.

“I’ll keep an eye on him just in case anyway.”

The cabin shocked the same time as the loudest roar yet boomed on the outside. Matau flew to the side like a ragdoll, and the wall split his head open with a pickle as he smacked against it while his back went agonizingly numb. It was little pieces of metal had pierced his brain and were shaking about, scraping and cutting. He panted, and gasped as the cloth covered his mouth.

Chaos reigned – voices jumbled outside in panic, shots rang, the cabin shook like an earthquake had hit the land. Somebody was shouting orders to secure something and escape. The volume and the echo dumped another cascade of metal scrap into Matau’s brain.

“Get up.”

Somebody clutched at his forearm. Forgetting his pretense, he growled with a jerk of his shoulder to get away. The grasp tightened and he was heaved up to his feet. His whole insides turned with the world swaying around him.

It was instinct that directed his body to tense up and keep his balance still, but the mercenary gave him no chance to even try standing on his bound feet. With a forceful tug they pulled him out of the cell. He staggered blindly along, the manacles clicking together; the tumult continued outside. If not for the grip on his arm, he would have fallen, but he felt that hitting his head again would be the better option than following. He was certain that this one wanted to ‘secure’ him.

“Le’ me go.” Matau slurred, weakness still commanding his body. No matter how much he leant back, he held no chance without his mask to stop them.

“I won’t allow our efforts to be in vain. You’ll come with me or regret it.”

Matau really didn’t like the implications of the first sentence.

“I’ll regret coming with you as well.”

A hard yank nearly threw him to the ground. Stunned, he gasped when cold metal pressed against his throat.

“Don’t make me angry. I’ll only need you alive, not unhurt for the journey.” The mercenary had locked an arm around his chest, shoving from behind. He stumbled but they picked him up easily. The threat cut through the haze in Matau’s mind, making his heartlight thud painfully in his chest.

They wanted to escape with him under the chaos of the fight.

Leaning forward as much as he could, he craned his neck down against the blade. He choked when the mercenary pressed tighter, pressing onto his windpipe, but instinct overruled any discomfort.

Now.

The pressure vanished as he let the tension uncoil.

“What are you doing?! Stop struggling or-”

They cried out in shock as Matau smashed the back of his head into their face. He yelled on his own, stars bursting behind his eyes, as another crack opened in his skull. He fell for an eternity in a second, everything swaying and rocking around him. A hard surface struck his knees before he sprawled forward, awkwardly. Behind Matau, the mercenary thudded against the wall under a mutter of imprecations.

“You- you will pay for that!”

Ignoring the throb in his head, he twisted his upper body up while pulling his legs forward. Just a little more, just a little more, just a little more-

He was yanked around his shoulder onto his back. The impact jarred the pieces behind his temples to tumble around. When he twisted around, the mercenary punched him beneath his heart crystal. He jolted upwards with a gasp of all the air he had. They slammed him downwards with a snarl.

“I’ve got enough of your resistance, toa.” He barely could wheeze as they pressed onto his chest, the other hand around his throat, cutting off his breath in. His legs twitched under the knees that dug into his thighs. Tiny intakes rushed into his nose only to be blocked. His lungs screamed, craving air that they had to expel before. The ringing in Matau’s ears became louder with rising panic and a different kind of darkness began blotting out his sight.

Above him, the mercenary froze. Somehow Matau remained aware enough of his surrounding to notice the sudden tension, although the reason for it eluded him. If only he could breathe – his lungs startled rattling and scraping inside his chest.

When the sound of metal groaning violently rose on the edge from the ringing, slowly swallowing it, Matau wondered distantly what else would happen now. His mind lurched when air flowed down his throat into his lungs. Sucking it greedily in, they expanded explosively that his ribs ached. He rolled onto his side, heaving, unable to feel or think from the lightheadedness.

“What the hell is his thing?! Stay away, you beast!”

The cabin shook from the growl that echoed everywhere. Matau’s head arched towards the source. There was the strange urge to turn towards it.

Metal shrieked down the corridor. A stream of air flowed across his torso, followed by the whistle of wind. They swelled until they whipped about him in a glorious mélange of sound, pressure, and smell, chasing away the stale atmosphere. His element surrounded him; even if he was currently unable to command it, the very rush invigorated Matau and his heartlight.

“Another?!”

He winced as something heavy landed next to him, making the floor shake. It snarled, a guttural sound that traveled both air and metal. The first joint in - something deep inside Matau resonated with the sounds.

“It seems I have to take care of a red and a black pest first.” The mercenary barked. The words clicked in Matau’s mind. Red? Black?

Claws clicked. The heat of a body moved over him.

“Is- is that a weapon? Of course some of the Great Beings’ experiments have to attack us!” Swords scraped against each other.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll kill you, then I can finally haul off and deliver the toa to my boss.”

He sensed his protector crouch over him, shielding his body. Not one, not two, but four distinct roars filled the cabin. Hands and feet slapped across the floor from the far end.

“How many are there?! Blue and brown now, too? You’ve got to be kidding-”

Faster and faster, harder and harder. The mercenary screamed when a body rushed passed Matau and jumped. Metal crunched.

For a while he just lay there. Bodies brushed pass him; the floor shook from feet that thundered around; voice and growls and howls reached him as if he was underwater, watching a fight that was above the surface.

-

“Here. This will help you.”

When he saw what Vakama held up with his hands, Matau tilted his head forward.

Gently he pressed the mahiki against Matau’s face. The magnetic locks engaged, pulling the mask into position, and it was like a circuit that had been knocked off closed again.

He breathed in with the flow of energy washing through him. The feeling of sickness faded wave by wave.

[randomwriteronline]

And finally on my art posting binge, dragon lady~

This was a redraw of a drawing I did ages ago.

I’m pretty proud of how this came out

[randomwriteronline]

First ever art comm of mine, was some outfit designs for @sorcerervaati

Im still taking comms too