#Turaga of Air

[irradiated-imp]

Okoto Nui's Turaga

The Turaga of Okoto Nui, and formerly the first Toa team to be formed on Spherus Magna.

Ekimu Turaga of Av-Ifo and leader of the Turaga. The most no none sense of the Turaga, and often described as kind of buzz kill by Kivoda. He was one of the Matoran who worked under Artakha, and amongst the best. When he became a Toa, Artakha created a 'lesser' Mask of Creation for him. Though still incredibly powerful, it is limited heavily by the necessity of the user to understand what they are creating, and to have am ample supply of materials for it.

Izotor Turaga of Ko-Ifo and the 'planner' of the Toa Spherus. Izotor is highly intelligent and very technical minded. He's a bit of a know it all, and frequently goes into long winded lectures about one topic or another when given the chance. He's a bit scatter brained.

Kivoda Turaga of Ga-Ifo. She was easily the most easy going of the Toa Spherus, being a fun loving thrill seeker. Beneath the thrill seeking exterior, however, was an insatiably curious being.

Korgot Turaga of Onu-Ifo. Korgot is infamous for her eccentricities. She speaks in riddles, has a strange interest in collecting plants, and tends to simply sleep where ever she happens to be when she gets tired. Despite this, she takes her duties very seriously, and will drop the quirks when she needs to.

Narmoto Turaga of Ta-Ifo. Narmoto is cool and level headed. Amongst the Turaga he is arguably the most connected to the Matoran of his region, as he often travels Ta-Oko to visit the various towns and villages. He tends to prefer to solve issues personally, and this has made him incredibly popular amongst the Matoran of Ta-Oko.

Nilkuu Turaga of Po-Ifo. Nilkuu is quiet and contemplative. He excels in diplomacy, far better than any of his team mates. He's always preferred solving issues through words rather violence. Unfortunately this preference for diplomacy cost Nilkuu the original Po-Ifo. Khazaak and Zilaak's Bone Hunter gangs took the city over, forcing the Matoran and Turaga to flee to a new city, due to the absence of Toa at the time. It wasn't until the Toa Okoto formed that the original Po-Ifo was taken back.

Vizuna Turaga of Le-Ifo. The least interested in leadership, Vizuna often spends his time keeping his body in the best shape he can. A skilled combatant, Vizuna ensures the Le-Ifo guard has the best training and equipment to protect the city and its Matoran to the best of their abilities.

[legend-as-old-as-time]

Yes, and then Piraka transforming into the GSB makes everything worse! Leading to Ignika somehow being dropped in Lake Naho. Maybe even out of sight, leaving the toa and turaga without information where she is, because the Piraka refuse to say.

I remembered suggesting Vakama in that previous ask because of the parallels between him and Matoro in canon. There's hints that the writers patterned part of Matoro's arc after Vakama's journey in Time Trap and adapted specific plot points. It feels thematically fitting for the AU that Vakama's near-death parallels Mata Nui's death and resuscitation, and whatever happens to Matoro when he revive the latter with the Ignika.

If Tien helps in the fight with the Golden-Skinned Being as we've been speculating, that means the fusion happened a relatively short time before Vakama's vision. The mental link is even stronger than usual - so the already huge, hurting emptiness where he should be becomes a tear cutting into the other five turaga's very being. They're heightened like in an echo chamber. Maybe they even experience, like a vision, the moment his heart stops.

I've remembered a plot point I suggested - how the toa and turaga learn that the Toa Inika (somehow) must dive into Lake Naho to the Ignika.

This has shifted significantly with the brainstorming we've done since then, but I think Vakama still could have that lethal vision containing significant information. (And his heart stopping because Mata Nui dies temporarily and the feedback plus the terror is so strong that Vakama experiences the same thing as Mata Nui.)

Also. Tien is a thing now. They add another complication because of their physical, metaphysical, and emotional connection to the turaga.

This is at least a few months old sorry Shauni

I think definitely that can still be how they figure out that Mata Nui is dying! Ignika doesn't really have a full memory, and his Swiss cheese brain is struggling to fill in the gaps. On top of that, it's not until a little ways in that the gang actually meets up with Ignika, so they might not be in the picture yet and even if they are they'd be a fairly faulty source of information.

And yessss the addition of Tien really makes this hurt. There's almost an emotional feedback loop of shock/grief/pain/anger going around all five of them, and then relief/joy/anger (but different this time) when Hahli and Kongu revive him.

[legend-as-old-as-time]

Plot bunny for u: through unspecified fanfiction magic the Turaga go back to being Toa Hordika and freak out. The Hagah bring in recently reawakened Mata Nui (who lamented he would have liked to see the toa Hordika bc they sounded super cool and interesting) hoping he can work some god magic on them or just keep them entertained while they go look for Keetongu again bc the sasquatch fucked off right back into the mountains as is his right. They return to find Mata Nui squashed under a Metru cuddle pile as they incessantly chirp and whine for him to give them scritches and pats and kissies on the head. Hes been like that for roughly twelve hours and has never been happier

Aksdsfhgosdhgdhg-

This has sent me down a rabbit role for an appropriate plot device that transforms the turaga into Toa Hordika, and which would thematically connect with their interactions with Mata Nui. I haven't found an idea yet. But maybe later!

The Toa Hagah fetching Mata Nui makes sense. He's a god of life, especially through the Ignika. Mata Nui also tires easily and this will likely stay for decades to come, if not forever. And this is delicate work he needs all his focus for. So, no godly magic for the time.

The Toa Hordika are upset because this happened without their consent or control. Dragging up old trauma from the Visorak Horde and their failures.

It's also difficult not compare themselves to their more powerful siblings. (Failing to notice that neither the Mahri nor the Nuva had any control over their transformations, either.) Or not to feel as outsiders, again. They use their elemental powers differently. They have no access to their mask powers. They have instincts that go against what Metru Nui stood for.

(Things like: I want companionship. I want to rest. I want to play.)

With Mata Nui arriving? To say their perception of him is complicated is putting it simply. And they fear his judgement.

Not that it outwardly changes anything. They're the only group who hasn't visited him yet. Not even one of them. And now...

They've been hiding for two days since their transformation. No amount of begging, cajoling, assurances, and praise could get them out. Their friends are all busy so they're taking turns checking on them / staying close their hiding spot. The toa stay silent even when the Toa Hagah announce their arrival plus their guest.

Mata Nui doesn't need to be anywhere. Actually, what he needs most is rest, at best lying down. Pouks makes him a nice little hut if they are outside. They help him lay on his bedding. Whoever is on watching shift is now looking after him, too.

He doesn't mind. He's used to waiting. He'll wait as long as his Chosen need him to.

The Toa Hordika fear his judgement. They also need to see him. They need to know why he chose Them of all matoran in Metru Nui. Which ends up with them watching him sleep, slowly coming closer when none of their friends are looking.

Until one of them finds themselves staring directly into Mata Nui's eyes. They jump in the air from surprise. (Stopping for now because this is getting so long.)

[outofgloom]

CHRONICLER

"There is a link now between us," the Toa intoned, holding the Matoran's gaze.

The Matoran looked back, eyes wide behind its mask. It did not move.

"...I shall be with you, in heart..."

The Matoran's eyes wandered slightly, glancing to the cliff face behind the Toa, the empty black opening with its fringe of roots and stalactites. The cave-mouth was piled with detritus, with broken branches and scraps of metal, of armor...of limbs–

"Hey."

The Toa's hand was making the sharp attention-gesture between her eyes, and the Matoran's visual focus snapped back to center involuntarily.

"Look for me in your rest-state," the Toa continued. "I will come to you then, and speak to you of the things I see underground. Remember them."

"Remember them."

"Confirmed?"

"Confirmed."

"Good."

The Toa rose from her meditation pose, up and up, and towered over the Matoran.

"Return to the Koro and await," she said, and made the dismiss-gesture, stepping toward the cave mouth. She shrugged her shoulders powerfully, and the jungle air went even more humid as she stepped forward.

The Matoran was already turning away, walking down the path beneath the twisted broad-leafed trees. He tried to turn his head, tried to look back, but could not. He was the chronicle-unit now. His duty was to return to the Koro and await. Return and await…

He stumbled on the uneven path, which was furrowed by the passage of whatever creature had moved through the Koro several nights ago. A glint of metal caught his eye as he regained his balance. Off to the side. He walked onward, barely noticing. Return and await. He was the chronicle-unit. Return and await.

The Koro spread out before him as he left the cover of the trees, and he made a beeline for his hut. Return and await.

It wasn't until he'd entered the door and sat on the rest-pallet that he registered what he had seen, off the side of the path, in the torn grass, the mangled roots...

The old Turaga's mask, or half of it.

He shivered. Teeth marks.

He awaited.

* * *

It had been a few hours. The other Matoran had come to check on him, since he had not returned to the work. Their faces looked in at the door of his hut, but they said nothing. They saw his face, and they understood. They left him alone, to await. That was his duty, and theirs was to continue repairs, to recover the masks which could be recovered, to inter the bodies properly so that they might go unto Mata.

The hut was dim, and he had assumed the meditation position for some time, waiting patiently. Patiently…

Asleep. He had fallen asleep where he sat, but now he snapped awake. The Toa’s mask hung before his eyes, and for a moment he believed he had failed, had missed the chronicle. The Toa had returned, found him in his hut, and would berate him for his error!

He flinched away from the great mask, but there was no anger in those eyes. They simply stared him down, staring…

The hut was gone. The cave was dark and damp and cool all around. The main passageway descended in ranks of volcanic rock and flowstone, flanked by mineral pillars and overhung with the ever-present stalactites. Every surface was wet with moisture: dripping from above, flowing in rivulets, pooling in the crystal hollows. 

Perfect conditions.

The Toa perched spiderlike on a steep bank of flowstone and felt the water obey her command, flowing backwards to root her feet and hands against the stone. Droplets of water vaporized silently from the eye-holes of her Ruru, Mask of Night Vision, as she scanned deeper into the cave-interior and noted how it opened into a tall gallery pocked with tunnels and crevices. It wasn’t hard to pick out the right one. To the left, and a bit lower down, the delicate columns were cracked and displaced, tumbled over. The creature’s lair was there.

"Chronicle this," she whispered suddenly, and the Matoran felt himself embodied again, seated on the floor of his hut, though his other senses did not conform to this. His hands grasped blindly for tablet and carver, and he began to etch letters as a flood of information poured into him: coordinates and route, intel and initial analysis. He understood very little. The words were technical–not for him to grasp. Nevertheless, he carved them down.

The Toa was preparing. She cycled through a series of masks: Zatth, Ramau, and others he did not recognize, then back to Ruru. She was well-equipped for the task, it seemed. Once she had verified her Kanohi, she released her hold on the rock and, without warning, slipped forward and out into the open air of the gallery. 

The Matoran made a choking noise, and his heartlight beat in his throat as he fell with her, clattering the tablets away as he spread himself on the floor of his hut, desperately telling his mind that he was not there, not there–

The fine chains which wrapped the Toa's gauntlets and upper torso chimed as they suddenly unwound, beaded with droplets, and wove themselves into a web of metal and water around her, and she was hurtling through dark air, swinging and spinning, and then it was over. Her feet made the lightest of sounds as she came to rest on the cold floor before the leftmost tunnel. Crouching, she pulled a small stone from a slot in her armor and cracked it gently against the hard surface, causing it to glow blue and illuminate the area dimly.

The floor of the cave was scored with claw-marks, and he felt her confusion as she examined them but found herself unable to make a positive identification. The chains retreated partially to their position on her armor, but she kept a length ready on each arm, winding the water-soaked links into a series of loops and snares. She swung one of the chain-loops idly, and he watched the lazy arc of it, heard it whizzing in the air–

Her face was before him again: "Chronicle this."

More technical information flooded him, and he struggled to retrieve the tablet, to keep up: location of the tunnel within the cave-system, estimations of the creature’s size, potential strategies of summoning or entrapment or...

She was already moving ahead, down the tunnel. Her Kanohi had shifted to a Zatth, a Mask of Summoning, and after a few moments there was a skittering noise as a small horde of scaly Stone Rats responded to her signal, running from every crack and hole in the stone and crowding around her feet. Another pause followed, and then she stamped lightly, causing them to flee; all except one, which stood obediently before her now, fully under the influence of her newly-switched Ramau, Mask of Rahi Control. She commanded the rodent to run ahead down the center of the tunnel, following a few bio behind it.

The tunnel curved leftward, and she kept to the right wall, her eyes straining against the dark. She could feel vaguely through the Stone Rat's senses, but she'd need to switch to Night Vision again soon, or risk another lightstone. The tunnel curved downward now, and the particular echo of the small claws scraping on stone told her that the tunnel was widening, opening up into a larger–

Crunch. She stumbled as something pierced the Stone Rat's body, sharply severing her link with it. In the split second after, she had summoned Ruru and was clinging spiderlike to the damp wall of the tunnel once more, skating ahead silently. All at once, she saw the place where the tunnel broadened into a larger cavern, saw the stain where the Stone Rat had been, and the scar in the rock, and the dark, rippling shape which half-covered the tunnel exit. She stopped abruptly. He could feel her excitement. Plan changed.

She dropped from the ceiling and, in one smooth motion, freed another lightstone, wrapped it in a chain, and flung it headlong past the creature's visible torso, out into the chamber. The stone struck the floor and flared to life, blindingly bright, and she'd already switched to Ramau, now that she could see, was already dashing out into the larger space, bending her mind upon the mind of the huge slithering, rippling creature and its hundreds of tiny legs as it recoiled from the light and whipped around toward her.

Two blunt, dark eyes faced her, and two mandibles clacked below them, but she poured her mental strength into the mask, and felt the centipedal beast flinch away, its segmented flanks clicking and vibrating...

It lunged at her in one fluid movement, and she cursed. The beast was insectoid after all, and the Ramau was only fully effective against endoskeletal Rahi. An amateur mistake.

She dodged sideways and flung her arms up, letting the smooth body pass by her. The pistons in her shoulders surged, and she brought her armored gauntlets down hard against the beast's flank, fists together, felt the protochitinous plates buckle, and the centipede screeched, twisted away. A host of bladed legs sheared against her own armor, and she wondered what possible purpose such a beast could serve in Mata's world.

The flexile body whipped around again, and the creature's head was above her now, descending. She backstepped, and the mandibles snapped shut just short of her face.

"Enough of that." She grunted as a jet of solid water pounded from her outstretched arms, carrying with it the lashing, slashing links of her chains. The force of the blast flung her away from the creature and smashed it against the stone wall, partly flooding the chamber. For a moment it was all legs and joints scrabbling against the slippery stone, struggling to right itself.

She landed lightly on her feet and smiled. The noise of her chains spinning up again echoed in the space, and a whirlwind of water rose around her. She tensed and prepared to spring forward, aiming for the head–

Her foot would not move. She glanced down. Webs...Clinging, transparent webs. Almost invisible. Her foot was snared in a lattice which stretched across the floor, and her leg too. She slashed at the webbing with her chains and felt it give way, letting her step forward again, ready to deliver the final blow.

That was when she realized that she was standing in the entrance of another cavern, one which opened on the first. She hadn't noticed it in the heat of battle. It was a larger space, and there more webs, just visible along the walls and ceiling. Bodies and masks wrapped in filmy thread. A Turaga-sized shape off to the left, next to the corpse of another centipedal Rahi, much bigger than the first, all mummified in transparent silk...

She whirled. The centipede had fled. She was just in time to catch the edge of a dark arachnoid shape before–

Stinger. Sharp, venom-tipped. Long, many-jointed limbs descended around her, and her chain sawed through one of them before the stinger drove forward, impossibly fast, right into–

The Matoran's body arched and thrashed upon the floor, and his screaming tore the air as the vision ended.

* * *

"How long has it been?"

"Twelve days, great Toa, since the last Toa came to us."

"Toa Vysa, yes. And she chose a Chronicler, I gather?"

"Yes...great Toa. She chose Uhzu, the stonemason."

"Show me to them. I must read their chronicle first."

The Matoran hesitated. Its mouth worked.

"Great Toa...the Chronicler is...is in his hut."

"Very well, show me where it is located."

"It is just here." The Matoran trudged a few steps up the central path and stopped beside one of the round structures. Toa Imjah reached the hut in two strides. The door was closed and the windows shut.

"He is inside?"

"Confirmed."

"Call him out."

"I cannot."

Imjah frowned. "Explain."

"He sealed the openings with mortar. Three days ago. We–"

"What in Mata's name?"

The Matoran winced. "Uhzu...He would not come out."

"Why would he do this?"

"He...he carved the tablets, great Toa, the...chronicle. After the first Toa arrived. He told us that she came to him in his rest-state, and told him many things. It was his duty."

"This is standard procedure..."

"He did not stop. Night and day, he carved, great Toa. Then he shut himself in, and–"

"Yes, but why?"

"He...day and night...he screamed..."

The Matoran flinched as the door splintered inward under Imjah's iron hand. Dried mortar crumbled away from the edges as it was pried open. The Toa stooped and went inside.

"By Mata..."

A mask lay in the center of the round space. The body was curled against the back wall of the hut, motionless. The Matoran peeked over the Toa's shoulder.

"Is he...?"

Imjah could still detect the faint glow of a heartlight.

"Still alive," he said. "But what is all this...?"

There were tablets everywhere, strewn about. Imjah picked up one after the other, squinting in the dimness. Most were carved on both faces, and recarved with different words, overlapping, and recarved yet again, until the round letters were illegible, and the stone was crumbling.

"Is it not the chronicle?" the Matoran asked.

"I've seen better."

Something else caught the Toa's eye now. In the dirt floor itself, there were words carved, and into the walls, same as the tablets. Words etched into the frame of the low worktable to the right. Words carved on every surface, over and over.

"We couldn't spare any more stone tablets, from the repairs," the Matoran offered sheepishly. "That was before he sealed the door."

"Well, it looks like he made do," Imjah replied, "but it's nonsense. Unreadable." He shook his head, retrieving the mask from its place on the floor. "I've heard reports of other Matoran suffering from such madness in the past," he continued, shuffling further into the space, toward the body. "It's a sad thing, but most can be made right."

"That is...good?"

"Yes, and what did Toa Vysa say when she returned from her task? Did the madness begin after she departed? I had hoped to meet her here, or on the path, since she was overdue. There was a report of a Rahi-attack, as I recall."

The Matoran stared. Its mouth worked again slowly.

"Great Toa...ah...Toa Vysa did not return."

"What?"

The mask that Imjah held was covered in etch-marks, he realized. Covered in carved words, like the tablets and the walls and the floor. The body of Uhzu itself was also covered in carved words, words scratched into his armor. The tips of his metal fingers were worn down.

"She did not return from the jungle. Only the Chronicler came back, to...to await."

A shiver went down Imjah's spine.

"Twelve days, you said, since Toa Vysa came here?"

"Confirmed."

"And three since he sealed himself in?"

"Yes."

Imjah's heartlight was beating fast. He rolled the body of Uhzu over and placed the mask bluntly onto the face. A moment passed, and then the heartlight began to beat stronger, stronger. Another moment, and the lungs kicked in, and the chest expanded. Servos whirred in the frame. The eyes fluttered, still dim. Imjah shook the Matoran.

"Wake up. Wake up!" The eyes glowed and focused. He made the attention-gesture, and they responded.

"Relay your chronicle," he commanded. "Relay your chronicle!"

"Chronicle," the dry voice rasped. "Chronicle this."

"Yes, your chronicle. Your–"

"CHRONICLE THIS CHRONICLE THIS CHRONICLE THIS–"

The words began pouring out of the dry throat at full volume, and the body twitched, arms flailing, fingers grasping, grinding at Imjah's face, and then, when Imjah swatted them away, at any surface they could reach. Grinding and clawing and carving words, words, words.

Iron bands sprang from Imjah's armor and wrapped themselves around the Matoran's limbs, restraining him. The head shook to and fro, still frothing words, but silently now, out of breath, until another iron band curled up and stilled its movement. Imjah sat back on his heels. Perhaps it was simply madness, or a malfunction, after all. Perhaps...

"There is a link now between us," Imjah intoned, centering himself and focusing his mind in order to interface with the Matoran's memory. "I shall be with y–"

"Hello?" the Matoran said abruptly, and Imjah froze mid-sentence. The voice had changed slightly, and the eyes had lost focus. "Are you there?" it continued. "Please..."

"I'm...I'm here. Who–"

"It hurts. It hurts. I'm here, please!"

"Stop! Listen to me–"

"It's dark, and my eyes...my eyes are gone, I think, and I can't get free. My arms and legs, them too..."

"Where are you?"

"The chronicle-unit's failed, I fear. I've been trying, trying to reach out, but the venom...it's affected my focus. Couldn't keep the pain out of the link. I think I may have broken its mind. Is anyone there?"

Imjah focused harder, trying to calm his thudding heartlight.

"Ah! Get away! GET AWAY! I know you're there! Curse you, I'll tear your webs. No more stingers! I'll cleave you in half you...ah! No more! You've eaten...You've eaten so much. Stop, or there won't be anything left! GET AWAY! ARE YOU THERE? PLEASE! CHRONICLE THIS CHRONICLE THIS CHRONICLE THIS CHRONICLE–"

Imjah yanked the mask from the Matoran's face, and the voice cut off. The body fell to the ground.

A long moment passed, and Imjah's mind raced. Had it been a remnant of the previous link, or real-time communication, or something else? He picked up one of the nearby tablets absentmindedly, then looked sideways, out the door. The Matoran was still standing there, eyes wide.

"Quickly, where did Vysa go?" he said.

"North, great Toa, up the path, into the high jungle. There are caves there." The Matoran pointed.

Imjah's shoulders gouged the doorway as he emerged from the hut. He stood a moment in the street, hesitating, towering over the Matoran. It occurred to him that the Koro had fallen eerily quiet, and he realized that the rest of the villagers had gathered, in the street and between the huts. All of their eyes were on him, unblinking.

"North, you said?"

The Matoran nodded, pointing up the central path once more. The crowd parted abruptly to make a lane for him, as if at a signal. Imjah stepped forward, but then stopped.

"I will...I will require," he stammered, then started again: "Protocol requires a new Chronicler be selected, to...to record my descent."

The villagers stared at him. The only noises came from the jungle, on all sides. He looked at them, and the villagers looked back, eyes wide behind their masks. They did not move.

He was still holding one of the Chronicler's tablets, he realized. It felt very small and fragile in his iron grip, but somehow also very heavy. The mad words stared up at him out of the stone. Chronicle this pain chronicle this hurt chronicle this dark chronicle this eaten chronicle this help...

Gently, he set the tablet down on the ground.

The eyes of the Matoran did not leave the Toa as he made his way silently up the path, out of the village, into the jungle.

[coldgoldlazarus]

Bionicle G3 Concept thing:

One island. Seven tribes. Eight regions. Twenty-Two elements.

I spent too long on this, and I feel like there may be some controversial decisions here.

Ta-Wahi (Fire, Plasma, Magma)

Tahu, Mythic Toa of Fire

Dume, Ancient Toa of Magma

Lhikan, Legendary Toa of Plasma

Norik, Great Toa of Fire

Ekimu, Heroic Toa of Plasma (Turaga of Ta-Wahi)

Jaller, Current Toa of Plasma

Maglya, Future Toa of Magma

Narmoto, Vaaki of Fire

Sarda, Vaaki of Plasma

Mamuk, Vaaki of Magma

Vohon the Trader (Fire)

Nuhrii the Mask Maker (Magma)

Ga-Wahi (Water, Mind, Abyss)

Gali, Mythic Toa of Water

Helryx, Ancient Toa of Mind

Tuyet, Legendary Toa of Abyss

Naho, Legendary Toa of Water

Gaaki, Great Toa of Mind

Nokama, Heroic Toa of Mind (Turaga of Ga-Wahi)

Hahli, Current Toa of Abyss

Macku, Future Toa of Water

Kivoda, Vaaki of Water

Vhisola, Vaaki of Mind

Owaki, Vaaki of Abyss

Kotu the Attendant (Water)

Idris the Explorer (Abyss)

Le-Wahi (Flora, Air, Vacuum)

Lewa, Mythic Toa of Flora

Lesovikk, Ancient Toa of Air

Nidhiki, Legendary Toa of Vacuum

Iruini, Great Toa of Vacuum

Matau, Heroic Toa of Vacuum (Turaga of Le-Wahi)

Kongu, Current Toa of Air

Tamaru, Future Toa of Flora

Vizuna, Vaaki of Flora

Reysa, Vaaki of Air

Orkahm, Vaaki of Vacuum

Harvali the Archaeologist (Flora)

Defilak the Detective (Air)

Onu-Wahi (Earth, Gravity, Fauna)

Onua, Mythic Toa of Earth

Jovan, Ancient Toa of Gravity

Zaria, Legendary Toa of Fauna

Bomonga, Great Toa of Gravity

Whenua, Heroic Toa of Fauna (Turaga of Onu-Wahi)

Nuparu, Current Toa of Iron (Cosmic Prank - Swapped With Hewkii)

Taipu, Future Toa of Earth

Garan, Vaaki of Earth

Korgot, Vaaki of Gravity

Droton, Vaaki of Fauna

Tehutti the Archivist (Earth)

Mavrah the Researcher (Fauna)

Po-Wahi (Sand, Stone, Iron)

Pohatu, Mythic Toa of Sand

Kodan, Ancient Toa of Stone

Orde, Legendary Toa of Iron

Pouks, Great Toa of Stone

Onewa, Heroic Toa of Stone (Turaga of Po-Wahi)

Hewkii, Current Toa of Gravity (Cosmic Prank - Swapped With Nuparu)

Hafu, Future Toa of Sand

Agarak, Vaaki of Sand

Nikluu, Vaaki of Stone

Kerato, Vaaki of Iron

Melea the Trader (Sand)

Dekar the Hunter (Iron)

Ko-Wahi (Ice, Sonics, Crystal)

Kopaka, Mythic Toa of Ice

Ihu, Ancient Toa of Ice

Krakua, Legendary Toa of Sonics

Kualas, Great Toa of Sonics

Nuju, Heroic Toa of Crystal (Turaga of Ko-Wahi)

Matoro, Current Toa of Crystal

Kopeke, Future Toa of Sonics

Izotor, Vaaki of Ice

Mazeka, Vaaki of Sonics

Kyrehx, Vaaki of Crystal

Kazi the Foreman (Ice)

Nixie the Astrologer (Crystal)

Kini-Wahi (AKA Vo-Wahi) (Lightning, Time)

Voriki, Mythic Toa of Lightning

Nikila, Ancient Toa of Lightning

Chiara, Legendary Toa of Lightning

Varian, Great Toa of Time

Vakama, Heroic Toa of Time (Turaga of Kini-Wahi & Karda-Wahi)

Kapura, Future Toa of Time

Dalu, Vaaki of Lightning

Onepu the Ussalry Captain (Lightning)

Velika the Paradox (Time)

Karda-Wahi (Shadow, Light)

Ahkmou, Current Toa of Shadow (Power Split with Takua)

Takua, Current Toa of Light (Power Split with Ahkmou)

Jagiri, Vaaki of Shadow

Zemya, Vaaki of Light

Kirop the Leader (Shadow)

Tanma the Deputy Leader (Light)

Gavla the Delinquent (Shadow)

Midak the Ussal Tender (Light)

[starryknight-dragonarts]

The average village characters are often an overlooked part of any fantasy story, who cares about what the Basket weaver is doing I want to see the cool things the Heroes are up to! That's not the case in Bionicle, the Matoran villagers that the Toa protect are just as interesting as the Toa themselves and this is explored heavily in the early series point-and click adventure game MNOG (Mata Nui Online Game) You view the Vast Island of Mata Nui as a Wandering Matoran named Takua who travels from village to village helping other Matoran with their problems and occasionally running into the Toa and getting to see them doing something cool and Heroic, also despite being a Browser based game from the early 2000's meant to sell Legos it's also one of the best pieces of interactive media! You are immersed in this world learning about lore and mysteries from this franchize and the Matoran villagers who make this world feel alive and lived in so you are just as invested in protecting the Island from the Evils of The Makuta as the Toa Heroes!

One of the Memorable characters is a little Matoran from the Air Village Le-Koro named Tamaru. When Tamaru is introduced the Le-Matoran are hiding because their home in the treetops of the jungle have been attacked by Giant Wasp Monsters called Nui Rama who have kidnapped other villagers! By playing a little tune on a flute you notify the village that it's safe to come out now. Kongu the Heroic Bird Rider swings down to meet you by swinging down a vine!...Followed by Tamaru who proceeds to fall and faceplant behind him.

Tamaru is not just a comic relief character, part of the appeal is that they do not fit in among the other Le-Matoran and some of these details though never explicitly stated have lead fans to the widely accepted headcanon that Tamaru is a Trans-Girl Le-Matoran.

A little bit of weird Bionicle worldbuilding is that all of the elements among Matoran, Toa, and Turaga are gendered. This was actually a sort of clever work around on the creators of Bionicle part because of some really stupid rules when it comes to marketing children's toys...as much as I wish decisions could purley be made for the benefit of telling a good story, Bionicle was made to sell Toys because Lego was going Bankrupt in the Early 2000s and needed an original action based franchise that could compete with Star Wars as their best seller before Bionicle were Lego Star Wars sets which means Lego had to pay royalties back to Lucas Films. Basically the reason Toys are so heavily split between Boys and Girls is because corporations want in that way, they split demographics so they are not competing with themselves for Toy sales. Bionicle was Marketed to appeal to boys, so usually with other kids media they would have all Male Hero characters, and a girl on the side who isn't as cool as the heros. By gendering the Elements they made sure that there would always be a girl member of the team who is an Equal member to the dudes. Just as Strong, just as Cool, and just as heroic as her male counterparts. 

I wish they had at least made the team equally split between Male and Female characters, of the 6 original elements only 1 of the tribes is Female, the Ga-Matorans (Water). I guess I gotta take what I can get...but then there is Tamaru. 

Most Le-Matoran are very agile and graceful living up in the trees, leaping from branches, swinging on vines, riding giant birds. Makes sense for a village with Air as their element. This does not come naturally to Tamaru though, Tamaru is scared of heights and gets dizzy looking down at a long fall, but Tamaru has something that the other Le-Matoran don't...She can Swim. Le-Matoran typically don't like water and don't like swimming, it just feels wrong to them for some reason, however Tamaru has no such problem with Water and is more comfortable in the water than she is in the air almost like she has the coding of a Ga-matoran not a Le-Matoran!

Despite being different from the other Le-Matoran, Tamaru is still Heroic. She joins the Chronicler's party and helps defend the Temple Kini Nui from being destroyed by The Makuta's possessed beasts and ensures the Toas safe return to the surface because sometimes Heroes need a Hero too.

This is why Tamaru is very special to me and many other Bionicle Fans.

[ghost-mantis]

Every New Toa Ever: I'm so bad at this. I'm the worst Toa ever. My Turaga never had these problems when they were a Toa!

Their Turaga As A Toa: "Oh shiT! oH fUcK! MATA NUI WHY?"

New Toa: "My Turaga never ran from danger. I'm such a coward.:

Their Turaga as a Toa: "fuck Fuck FUCK FUCK!!!!"

New Toa: "My Turaga never locked away their problems like I do."

Their Turaga as a Toa: "Get in there you damn piece of shit!"

New Air Toa: "No Toa has been ever-bad at wind-flying as me!"

Toa Matau Specifically: "OHH! AHHHHH......"

[datharlequinoni]

*kohli ball rebound sound* YOU'RE NOW LISTENING TO *air speeder crash sound* 102.3 *Muakka roar sound* MATA NUI ROCK FM *explosion* WHERE WE PLAY NOTHING BUT ROCK, ROCK AND MORE ROCK *glass shattering sound* *vahki alarm* THIS AIN'T YOUR TURAGA'S STATION *Piraka Rap starts playing*

[randomwriteronline]

The foundations of the Bionicle, as recorded by Lebori Tarduk of New Atero under the guidance of the Turaga Nui, chosen prophets of the God of Mending:

In the time before time, the Great Beings constructed Mata Nui.

He was born a Spirit, as splendid and perfect as his creators wished; he was born pure thought and light and sound, coursing through plasma and lightning, compressed into shape by gravity and magnetism; and he was born curious, for he could not yet be wise, aching to know all that the Universe beyond him held. But where his mind went he could not follow, as he had no body.

The Great Beings toiled to bring him into the realm of physicality. They assembled bones from stone and ice, and organs from plant and air and water, and hardened flesh from fire and earth and iron. But when Mata Nui entered them he felt each piece with frightening clarity, felt the still body suffocate him the longer its mechanisms remained immoble, and though he worked to keep them active and track their functions and their needs he found himself overwhelmed; and so each body shut down, for perfection struggles when placed within imperfect things.

At last, a solution was found: smaller bodies of flesh and metal were hushered into a form as large as a galaxy, and the Matoran were made, with the Makuta, the Vortixx, the Skakdi, and each of the species that inhabited the copied world within Mata Nui himself, so that they would control what the Great Spirit could not in his stead; and mighty beings were chosen to watch over them, from the Toa to the Barraki to the golden divine brothers, Artakha of the forge and Karzhani of the scalpel; and so Mata Nui at last was complete, to be the savior of Spherus Magna - and so Mata Nui became the Mending God, and began his lonely pilgrimage through the shadows of the universe, carrying along within his body a universe of his own.

That of which he learned, none can know. It is divine knowledge, vast and endless; it is not for little things such as ourselves. Too long it would take for us to catalogue all he'd witnessed, longer still to begin to understand.

We only know, from the records of the world inside his mass, that Makuta Teridax was his brother, though perhaps in power alone; we only know he worked from within the god's innards, very soon, to poison him and take his place. We know he fought and was fought harshly, and succeeded briefly as well; we know his machinations caused Mata Nui to fall - deathly ill first, and into the waters of the reunited moon of Aqua Magna second. We know that Mata Nui died: we know a sacrifice awoke him to dreams, but not to consciousness. We know his body was stolen at last, and he crashed once more onto the Great Barren, where yet again he was given form - by the dunes and the Ignika, Mask of Life, in which his Spirit had been imprisoned.

All is known after this: of the mending of the Great Barren's tribes, under one sign to repell the Skrall; of the mending of Spherus Magna, in which Teridax was defeated, and the people of the Great Spirit returned to the cradle they had never known. This world is one for new legends, though still he is a part of it: and the people of Spherus Magna remember him, now and forevermore, as the God of Mending - a god who mends, a god who is mended.

Terrible was his convalescence, terrible the effects upon his health. No more shall he explore the worlds he once flew past; no more shall his touch pull together a planet torn into three. He could, once, but no longer can he withstand the strain: though he does not regret following his duty through into his destiny despite the misery it brough him, he is too weak now to take on such a burdensome quest.

To this day he sleeps, sick and brittle, within the Mask of Life: his tired soul cannot sustain a physical form. In his sleep he sees us: merciful god that he is, he extends his spirit slowly, to help us as best as he can in his limited strength.

To this day he rests, and to this day to rest is the most profound way to honor him.

based on these tags by @legend-as-old-as-time on this post

[avemakuta]

The Matoran species (including Turaga, Toa, and ig technically Bohrok) are incapable of sexual reproduction. When we say that Toa of Water are "female," that can't possibly mean that they have all the bits associated with cis women. Gender for artificial sexless beings must inherently be just a sort of... programmed-in personality type.

The Water Matoran are "female" in the sense that they are predisposed towards personality traits the Great Beings would have associated with feminity, such as gentleness, healing, etc.

But the Water Matoran aren't the only element that has personality traits associated with them— Ice Matoran are known for being distant, reserved and intellectual; Air Matoran are known for being excitable and fun-loving.

The same thing that makes a Water Toa tend to behave differently from any other Toa— her elemental affinity— also applies to every other element. What, then, makes Water its own gender, but not Fire or Earth?

[wjbs-bonkle-au]

Turaga-staff ideas for each element that I might make at some point as custom Studio parts

Fire - flaming torch

Water - anchor

Earth - shovel

Air - propeller

Stone - crystal-holder

Ice - ice-drill

Light - lantern

Shadow - umbrella

Sonics - microphone

Gravity - flail

Plasma - blowtorch

Magnetism - compass

Plantlife - flowerpot

Lightning - lightning-rod

Iron - bardiche

Psionics - radar-dish

[nattarthetimedragon]

Toa Zamarii later know as the mad Turaga (air) (he/him) (Kanohi Makooti the Mask of Approximate Knowledge)

He was one of the first Toran to be transformed in to a Toa, but was not destine Toa. At the time only about a dozen or so Toran had ever been transformed at this time . This being a time before Toa knew what to look for in a Toran, the average Toran's mind is not capable of withstanding the strain of having their bodies flooded with elemental energy and will go insane. Luckily only one other Toa had not reacted baldy to the change and the Toa knew that they should try and help him regain his mind. Toa Orde and Nazza spent months helping Zamarii reclaim his mind, but with time he was made sane but it the cost was he could no longer use his elemental powers without strain. To make up for it, he commissioned a mask maker to forge him a mask of Psychomerty, the mask maker lied saying she knew how to forge the mask. So Zamarii was given the first Makooti, the mask of Approximate Knoledge, that gives it's user infinite wisdom, within a significant margin of error. Users of the mask confuse nouns and verbs, and are often left babbling incoherently. The mask is all ways slightly active. Most Toa wanted nothing to do with him because he will talk there ears off with nonsense and claim he is an expert of everything they know with a lot of ego in his voice. One day when hearing some Toa talking about how one of their fellow Toa had just became a Turaga buy making six new Toa by sharing his power with a six Toran. Even though Zamarii had seen that happen when he he became a Toa his mask told him that is not how it works and that had to be third week of month for a Toa become a Turaga. The other three other Toa were not wanting to even entertain even talking to Zamarii until he decided to prove it, after all it was the first week of a month. The others were waiting for some destined Toran that were coming to be trained by the toa as they waited for a Toa stones arriving that day. So the Toa provided Toa uncharged stone to Zamarii who was more then willing to prep them for the Toran.

After becoming a Turaga he mellowed out greatly and was even interested with setting up a large colony of Toran. Over time his Noble Makooti started to get louder and louder. He hardly even noticed when one of his Toran was taken to become a Toa, because whenever he looked at any of his Toran he can only see a hundred things that might be wrong with them. It got so bad that he started believing it and started sending one or two Toran a week to Karzahni. When the Toran started begging him to stop the mask just told them they were rebelling against him and sent them to be repaired at Karzahni. Then he was alone in a large empty Koro with his mask telling him all the things that might be wrong with him.

One day the Toa, Lesovikk, that came from his Koro looking for comfort form his old friend after the death of his Toa team. When he arrived he was shocked to find the Koro falling in to disrepair and empty, except the mad ramblings of a familiar voice deep with in the village.. Lesovikk walked alone through the streets haunted by echoes of memories and the ramblings of a mad man, he only paused for a moment at the hut that he and his friends called home. It was not long until he reached the largest hut in the center of the village that the mad Turaga called home.

The mad Turaga was pacing around the hut when Lesovikk entered. The Turaga was incoherent muttering and was not making any sense to Lesovikk, so he help Zamarii to a chair and made him some tea. After a bit the turaga's mind began to clear slightly realizing Lesovikk was there with him, the repairs done to his mind undone the years isolated with his mask. Lesovikk for hundreds of years stayed with Zamrri trying to help the turaga recover his mind enough to remember what happened to his friends an the rest of the Koro only to find the out the turaga and sent them away somewhere but Zamarii was not ever able to remember where. Lesovikk stormed out not being able to believe he wasted so much time trying to help the one who was responsible for his friends disappearence.

Thousands of years later Lesovikk returned once more after falling to rescue his friend and only found Zamarii's spear and the Makooti in the Turaga's hut. Lesovikk decided to put the mask and immediately ripped it off, after hearing it whispering nonsense in his mind. He smashed the cursed mask with his air blade and buried the spear on a hill over looking the island knowing that is was not fully Zamarii's fault for what happened but he will never be forgiven.

[byz-was-here]

Jaller is a fun character because he starts out as

And then he ACTUALLY DIES.

And then he comes back, and just goes

"Aren't you tired of being nice? Don't you just want to go apeshit?"

And he has God's braincells go on strike, correctly assumes that the missing toa are in over their heads, and Decides that he, a short-ass general who had one vacation in 1,000 years and DIED at the end of it- is gonna personally drag the nuva out of whatever they've gottent themselves into. He's not completely stupid, so he takes along an Air Force Pilot, a Mad Scientist, 2 Sports Stars, His friend the prophesied glitter hero with the care bear stare, and, as an added fuck you to the turaga, The Only Person Both Able And Willing to translate for Turaga Nuju.

Jaller has lost his ability to give a fuck and he's going to make it everyone's problem.

[makutaservaela]

I was playing through some of the earlier Bionicle games, and it made me think of my headcanons about earth elementals.

Turaga Whenua and Toa Onua were always depicted as way shorter than the others. The story generally implies that earth elementals are shorter than other elementals.

And yet in my headcanon, we get this

I've always seen Earth Elementals as walking mounds of mass. Maybe some of them aren't so tall, but they are bulky.

This is seen a little bit in MNOG when Onu-Matoran are implied to be way better at heavy-lifting than Po-Matoran, and of course Onua is the Pakari-wearer.

Also of note in my hc, Reidak is a Rural Skakdi, which are naturally much bigger than Urban Skakdi like Thok. Although only very recently have I finally started headcanoning Vezok (the other Rural among the Piraka) as bigger too- the books generally describe him as notably large.

Air-Elementals, I have always seen as the little guys

(Although Zaktan likely puffs out his Protodites to make himself look bigger)

[outofgloom]

POWER (II)

“Kapura...”

He was lying down. He had not been lying down a moment ago. He had been standing in a cold, clammy chamber crowded with much larger beings. He had been trying to—

“Kapura!!"

He sat up and blinked. Blinked again. A black Pakari was bending over him, too close. The eyes were very...worried, yes. That was ‘worry’, wasn’t it?

“Are you okay?” the voice said again. “I was worried...”

Worried. He’d got it right.

 “…that I was on my own.” The Pakari was Hafu, of course. The Po-Matoran pulled him up to a standing position.

“What happened?” Kapura said, checking his body for damage.

“I’m not sure, but it seems like we've both had a hard landing.”

Kapura registered his surroundings. They were at the bottom of a shallow, rocky ravine. Behind them there was a wall of earth, but ahead the slope was gentler. Probably climbable.

“Where are we, and where are we not?”

“Oh, don’t start with that again,” Hafu said flatly.

“The chamber...I don’t remember.”

“There was a sound—an explosion I think. It might have been in another part of the tower. I saw the Great Smith react. He did something to the air and space—twisted it like before. Then I woke up with sand in my mask.”

Kapura shifted his feet.

“There is a great deal of sand.”

Hafu sighed. “Let’s get our bearings. Up there should be better.” He pointed up the rocky slope.

It was a short hike, although the incline was treacherous with loose gravel. As they emerged, they could see that the sun had passed the top of the sky.

A single sun. No stars.

“Are we back on...Mata Nui?” Hafu asked, more to himself than to Kapura. “The Turaga said it was destroyed.”

“The air is warm,” Kapura said, “like Po-Wahi.”

Ahead, there was an expanse of wind-carved canyons and stone shapes, spreading to the horizon, where they blurred into mirage.

“It does feel like home, I guess.”

“I wonder if Artakha sent us here to keep us safe. You said you heard a noise?”

“That’s right. Just before the Smith did…whatever he did. Something happened in that tower...”

Hafu squinted into the distance, looking for signs of life. A faint breeze stirred the air, but nothing else.

“Whatever it was,” Hafu continued, “I’m sure it’d be no problem for the Smith, and the others. They're all powerful beings, and that tower was impregnable. I examined the stonework myself. Stellar quality, as one might expect from the Great Beings, but—”

Hafu stopped. Kapura’s hand had settled on his shoulder, nudging him to turn. The Ta-Matoran was looking off to the left, following the lip of the ravine. Hafu saw that the shallow crevasse extended about half a kio into the distance before it ended abruptly against a low ridge of stone. That ridge piled into another, and another beyond that.

There was a black scar across the series of ridges, as if something had scorched the stone. Strewn here and there were gigantic blocks of dark granite—even at this distance, they could be seen. And even closer, Hafu realized, partly embedded in the earth, was another shape: A rampart and crumbling wall, still partly intact.

Pieces of the Great Beings' tower, blasted to fragments.

“By Mata Nui...” Hafu murmured. “Whatever the Great Smith did...it must have brought part of the tower with us. But such destruction—Wait!”

Kapura was already marching toward the ruins determinedly. The Ta-Matoran was always faster than he appeared. Hafu jogged after him, trying to catch up, but strangely found that he could not. He was not used to this kind of exercise, he supposed.

By the time Hafu reached the piece of the tower they had seen, Kapura was sitting atop a pile of gigantic stones. The Ta-Matoran waved as Hafu paused to catch his breath.

“Have you…have you found anything?” Hafu called out.

“No bodies,” Kapura replied.

“Well, that’s good news.”

“There is something.”

“Ah, what is it?”

“Under the stones here,” Kapura replied. “I can’t move them.” The Ta-Matoran slid carefully to the ground as Hafu approached, and pointed to a gap between the slabs he had been sitting on. Something could be seen glittering in the dark.

Hafu looked morosely up at the heavy blocks.

“If I had my tools, this would be a lot easier…”

The two Matoran worked together to shift the carved stones. They were wedged tight, but with the right application of force, first one and then the other toppled away. A cloud of dust rose and Hafu coughed as he scrambled over the remaining stones to see the prize, hoping it had not been crushed. Kapura was already there, of course.

It was a hammer. Gigantic, covered in strange runes. It still glowed faintly. It was the Hammer of Artakha.

Neither Matoran spoke. Hafu looked around, almost expecting the Great Smith to appear and scold them, but nothing happened.

“Should we...?” Hafu looked at Kapura, but the Ta-Matoran shrugged.

After a few moments, Hafu reached out slowly, reverently. He tapped the haft of the hammer with a finger. The runes on its surface flashed, and then the hammer flickered into a series of shapes: a bent, rotating tool, some form of chisel or wedge, a pickaxe, and other stranger forms. It happened all in an instant, and Hafu shrank back. Artakha’s tool reverted to a hammer, as before.

“What should we do?” Kapura asked. “We should return it, shouldn't we?”

Hafu hesitated. “I’m not…sure…” He reached out again and gripped the handle of the hammer firmly. It came away in his hand, and he almost toppled over with surprise, thinking that he had broken it. But then he realized that the entire tool had simply shrunk and become lighter to match his size.

“Incredible,” Hafu whispered, hefting the tool and feeling its balance. He looked at Kapura and smiled. “I could get used to this.”

Hafu’s head snapped back, and his entire body seized as a strong electric shock emitted from the hammer. His mask jarred loose, and he fell heavily to the ground.

The hammer clattered from his grasp and rolled away, flickering and buzzing until it struck a stone and stopped. Smoke rose from Hafu's body. He did not move.

A long quiet moment passed. Then, a shadow fell over the hammer, and another hand reached out and gripped the handle in a very precise way, raised it.

Two eyes looked at the tool thoughtfully out of a red Pakari. The tool had clearly been warded, except for those with...certain knowledge.

“I don’t know why the Great Being chose to sacrifice me along with the others, back in the tower,” he mused. “I have served him well, and it saddens me. Maybe he didn’t know I was there...but he knows everything...”

The red Pakari turned to look at the unmoving body of Hafu. There were burn-marks on his armor, but his heartlight was beating faintly.

“You were not supposed to survive either, just like me. That is clearly the Great Being’s will, though Artakha interfered...And so...”

The hammer went up, and shifted into a blunt form. It hung in the air for a moment.

The eyes behind the red Pakari glanced down, then sidelong, then up. They narrowed. Thoughtful.

Out in the distance, across the wind-carved plain, what before had seemed to be a sparkling mirage had faded as the sun fell behind clouds. Now it was clearer: Far away, the shape of a mighty fortress rose against the sky, flanked by strange spikes of stone. And beyond that, there was gleaming ocean.

“And so...”

One moment, there were two Matoran amidst the ruins: one standing, arm raised, one sprawled on the ground.

The next moment, there was only one.

* * *

Context: Like its predecessor, this story fragment is set within the unknown landscape of possible futures which branch from the end of the unfinished Bionicle serials; specifically, the serial The Powers That Be, which trails off at a moment when a group of characters (including Hafu and Kapura) are being targeted by a mysterious murderer (the Great Being Velika), to be either killed or recruited to his cause.

[crystaltoa]

My take on the Turaga Nui, from Shauni's (@legend-as-old-as-time) WIP fic set in Rags' (@magicalgirlmascot ) KNPS AU. Snippets of the fic here and here.

In which the Turaga form a fusion in order to defeat the Rahi Nui, but their past experience with the Hordika venom results in the Turaga Nui taking on a somewhat ...unexpected form. After the battle, the Toa Mata catch up with them. Pictured here is Lewa having the appropriate reaction to finding out his six mentors have turned into some kind of weird dragon-chimera-kaiju thing.

Some design notes under the cut:

The Turaga Nui's form combines traits from the forms the Metru had as Toa Hordika, known in this universe as the Kini Nui werebeasts. So, this was my take on them individually here:

(The Metru's human forms can be seen here) I hope it's fairly self explanatory which features come from which werebeast, but a few other fun design notes...

So, in KNPS, the Toa Kaita look a lot like the Steven Universe fusions, with extra eyes and limbs. The Turaga Nui follows a similar logic but on a more bestial body layout.

The top two arms are the most humanoid, as TN signs in ASL as well as speaking aloud whenever it is practical to do so (i.e. when there is not a Toa of Air attached to their neck). The next two pairs of limbs can function either as arms or forelegs, so the digits are more paw-like.

The wings are obviously based on a snowy owl and come from Nuju's werebeast form. Male snowy owls typically have lighter coloured plumage while females have prominent black bars on their feathers. Nuju in particular would probably have been almost completely white as a werebeast given he's an ice Toa and has white hair in human form. The Turaga Nui, however, is composed of five men and one woman, so I gave them a small amount of barring on the tips of one wing while the other is plain white. (The bars also help tie it back to the badger stripes on their face from a design standpoint)

The Kaita have metallic gold or silver skin, I suggested black and white patterns for TN's colour scheme to make them visibly nonhuman but also distinct from the Kaita.

Shauni felt that there should be more accents of each element's colours, however, so we decided on the "black" scales actually having an iridescent sheen to them.

I'd already been planning to give TN spots similar to that of a newt, but didn't realise until I started doing it that white spots on black combined with the iridescent colours gives the impression of a night sky/galaxy pattern.

I had previously suggested the name "Tien" to Shauni (Turaga Nui = T.N. Said aloud it phonetically sounds like "Tien"). Turns out Shauni had the exact same thought. Furthermore, it's a name in several cultures, various meanings include "heavenly being", "celestial" and "sky" (An etymologically related name is the Chinese "Tianlong", which means "Celestial Dragon")

So, accidentally coming up with a name that means "celestial" and then accidentally making them look like a living galaxy was a fun coincidence.

Also, apparently one of Rags' favourite DBZ characters was named Tien, so that was a plus for her!

The tail has owl feathers but is structurally more similar to the tail of an aquatic newt.

The eyes are based on the Turaga's animal forms but the colours come from their eye-glow. The three eyes visible in the image are Vakama's (green), Matau's (red), and Onewa's (blue)

As previous;y mentioned, photographs of jumping ferrets helped in drawing the dragon's limbs . I also ended up referencing hairless cats to get a handle on what the paws would look like with no fur.

I did do a version that shows the full body pose, which I quite liked, but felt that the cropped composition above was better to show the character details given tumblr's scrolling format