#land rahi

[toacody]

Fj Kikanalo

An earthquake? No, that's just migration season.

Source

Creator: FeroxJ

[tiredspacedragon]

Hello. I am here to inflict you with my thoughts on how each Ga-Toa exits the water.

Gali: Incapable of leaving the water normally. Always bursts out with a leap or does a flip or scales a cliff on her way out. She'd never admit it, but it's her way of showing off. Water runs seamlessly off her armour and she always seems to be as dry as she wishes to be just a few steps from the shore.

Nokama: Canonically does the Hollywood-style sexy water exit. I don't make the rules. (As a Hordika she absolutely shook the water off herself like a dog though. Got it everywhere, including all over Gaaki)

Hahli: Steps out smoothly and lightly shakes the water off herself. As a Toa Mahri her fins flutter as she does it, and it's quite the pretty sight. (In contrast to her brothers, who always trudge out of the water looking miserable)

Gaaki: Carries herself to shore with a small wave and lands with a few jogging steps. She lamented the loss of this graceful exit while a Rahaga but learned to approximate it with natural waves from studying semi-aquatic Rahi.

Naho: Hoists herself out of the water and rarely misses the opportunity to have fun with it. A favourite game of hers is to use her mask power to turn invisible, leaving the water droplets clinging to her armour appearing as though they are hanging in the air in her rough shape, like some sort of moisture ghost. She has also been known to use her powers to pull the water off herself while retaining her shape, then have the water-Naho follow her around while she pantomimes conversations with it. She finds this hilarious. Her teammates find it kind of bizarre.

Tuyet: Creates a rising swell in her path as she emerges. Upon exiting the water, she uses her mask power to become intangible and just dumps all the water covering her at once, then continues on.

Helryx: Hasn't swam in years. Her old Toa body is still capable of it, but is a little too frail for that kind of extended athleticism anymore. If she needs to cross a body of water, she either goes by boat, or the water gets out of the way.

[matau-the-228th]

Rahaga Nokama of Ga-Wahi.

Outside of protecting the Matoran under her care from aquatic Rahi, her primary duty is the recovery and translation of records from the sunken Water Sector Universities.

She is often seen in the waters beside the walkways of Ga-Koro with a small entourage of assorted Matoran doing their best to both take notes on her lectures and begin restoration of the materials she brings to the surface. She has invited me to participate a few times, but as Historian, I think I'm better suited to simply write about what records have been found.

It is a very rare sight to see her on land when she is not attending a meeting with the other Rahaga, as her legs degraded into fins after giving up her Toa Energy. But she can be incredibly stubborn about it, once having walked unassisted into Onu-koro to ensure the safe delivery of a relic to the restoration Archives.

One of Rahaga Onewa's projects is attempting to restore and expand the surviving Metru-era aqueducts to key points in the other Wahi to allow Nokama to travel more easily. (Though he keeps claiming that the other Wahi just need multiple supply lines as part of the reconstruction efforts)

She hypothesizes that the primary Rahi attributes that the Hordika Venom has infused her with come from Dermis Turtles and Proto Drakes

Songs: Perchance to Dream (Halo:CE OST), Floating Huts (MNOG), Achenar's Theme- Channelwood Age (Myst OST), Orinoco Flow (Enya)

[downtofragglerock]

I finally read the bionicle story bible and here's the most interesting things I noted from it (I might be forgetting a thing or two)

while the gba game and the cancelled pc game are brought up multiple times, mnog isn't, at least from what I can tell

nokama, nuju, kotu, hewkii, hafu, and jaller all have different names

the turaga were originally called the kahuna

the noble kanohi were called the mortal kanohi and the hau was one while the huna was a great kanohi (this is not a case of name change as the powers they each have are still the same as they are in the final version)

gali and kopaka are said to be twins, the same is also true for onua and pohatu

tahu and lewa are stated to be besties, while the main tension between the toa as a group comes from tahu and gali, rather than tahu and kopaka in the final story

the toa kaita's domains were swapped

the kanohi were considered masks of wisdom rather than of power

the toa's trials to get them were more intellectual and puzzle based

the turaga in general have different characterization than in the final story, some minor, some major

pohatu is described as "slow" and "sure footed" as opposed to the speedster we know

while not outright stated, the text implies that what will become ga koro was situated on an inland lake, rather than the coastal settlement it will become

likewise, onu koro is coastal and may or may not even be underground

rahi as a term does not seem to apply to all of the island's creatures, rather two specific guardian beasts under makuta, the rahi tori (who will become the muaka), and the rahi kahu (later just the kahu, an ally creature to the matoran)

the manas are considered even separate from that

the tarakava were originally conceived as "boxing gorillas" rather than semi-aquatic reptiles

makuta's final form is described as having three heads, a cobra, a tiger, and a hawk

And two big ones (at least for me)

takua is absolutely nowhere to be found in this document, not even a slight hint at their existence

mata nui awakening and being revealed to be a giant robot that they were all living on was originally only the first part of an even bigger plot twist, that being that Mata Nui was only one of six giant robots that had all crash landed on the planet, and that the other five were still out there, comatose in very different environments (obviously this was clearly meant to be a potential way to continue the story if it did well, as it's been known for some time that bionicle's original story was initially only meant to last for one year)

Overall it was a very intriguing read, interesting to see what changed and what remained the same

[wjbs-bonkle-au]

Every Bionicle mask-power summarised.

Hau: Everything-proof shield

Kaukau: "Hey, wanna see how long I can hold my breath underwater?"

Miru: Somewhat balanced flight powers (can't take off from a standstill; horizontal movement at least somewhat controlled by wind)

Kakama: Wheeeeeeeee!

Pakari: Kinda like the Berserk Pack from Doom

Akaku: X-ray specs

Huna: Stealth mode

Rau: Google Translate

Mahiki: Illusions, but also just full-on shapeshifting for some reason?

Komau: Hypnotism kink

Ruru: "Night vision", which canonically manifests as a torch-like beam projected from the mask's front, and gives the wearer actual night-vision, and yet more x-ray stuff

Matatu: Gmod Physgun Telekinesis Addon 2004 No Virus

Calix: Basically X-Cell from Fallout 4 but without the intelligence boost

Elda: Thing finder, for finding things

Suletu: Telepathy and also psychic torture

Sanok: Aimbot

Kadin: Very unbalanced flight powers (literally the only downside is that the user can't hover in place)

Iden: Out of body from morning to night/Dance floor packed and I'm feeling alright

Arthron: *Whale noises*

Faxon: "Hey, wanna see my animal impressions?"

Zatth: Kinda like if going "pspsps" had an equal chance of attracting a cat, a bear or a car-sized land-octopus

Garai: Gravity-y-y-y-y-y, on me/Never let me down, gent-ly damn, two Gorillaz references in one post; I'll try to use another band next time

Volitak: Same as the Huna but worse

Tryna: Wise fwom your gwave!

Jutlin: Rust-vision

Avsa: *Vampire noises*

Felnas: Messes up your abilities, but only through touch for some reason?

Mohtrek: I have no idea how I'd condense this mask's timeline-fuckery into a single se- where did all these scars come from?

Shelek: ‍

Crast: Pushes others away

Mask of Mutation: Guess.

Mask of Scavenging/Vulture: Like the Avsa, but it only works on the recently-deceased

Pehkui: Makes you tiny

Mask of Clairvoyance: The last word of this post will be "diversity"

Kualsi: Nightcrawler powers

Mask of Emulation: "Hey, wanna see my non-animal impressions?"

Mask of Growth: Makes you big

Mask of Rahi Control: Gives you all the powers of a zookeeper

Avohkii: Let there be light!

Kraahkan: Actually I changed my mind; there should darkness

Mask of Psychometry: Ever wondered where your favourite shirt came from?

Rode: Mask of Seeing Through Your Shit

Olmak: Now you're thinking with portals

Mask of Charisma: Actually functions more like brainwashing

Olisi: Isn't it weird how Bionicle's most notable use of the "mad oracle" trope is A. unreliable and B. a giant Frankenstein-man who commits body-horror on random people?

Kiril: Basically the opposite of the Jutlin

Mask of Intangibility: *Ghost noises*

Mask of Possibilities: Essentially the Improbability Drive from Madness Combat, but on a smaller scale

Mask of Elemental Energy: who cares about this one like seriously it barely appears outside the games

Mask of Adaptation: Turns you into an environment-specific action figure

Mask of Aging: The mask that makes you old

Mask of Biomechanics: Essentially the Gmod ragdoll-mover addon

Mask of Conjuring: I'm just going to copy what Biosector says, since it's really convoluted and complex; "The Mask of Conjuring is a Kanohi that allows its user to verbally program a limited power into the mask for a brief period of time. The user must describe in detail the power desired and at least one weakness. If the phrasing is spoken wrong, it causes intense psychic backlash in the user's mind. The user can use a programmed power for fifteen minutes (with a Great version), and after the time is out, the user must wait thirty seconds to activate the mask again. The Noble version will only work for five minutes. Another weakness is because it requires time and speech, any enemies nearby can hear in detail what power to expect and what its weakness is. Because of this, the usage of the mask is more commonly done alone. It is also capable of being programmed with the powers of other masks, such as the Kanohi Hau."

Mask of Freezing: What do you think it does

Mask of Fusion: Combines things • Mask of Healing: Heals stuff

Mask of Incomprehension: 👁️🧠🫵🥫🚹🇮🇹📤

Mask of Rebounding: Something something rubber glue etc.

Mask of Reconstitution: Literally just another Mask of Mutation, but slightly worse

Mask of Sensory Aptitude: 'Cause I've got one two three four five/Senses working o-ver-ti-ime!

Mask of Undeath: I live... again!

Mask of Weather Control: /weather clear 18000

Mask of Weight Increase: Literally just a Garai that can't make things lighter

Ignika: Do-anything MacGuffin that turned into a guy once and also became God's hat for a bit

Vahi: Time isn't holding up/Time isn't after us/Same as it ever was/Same as it ever was...

Mask of Creation: Just kinda lets you make stuff, while also celebrating the Matoran Universe's cultural diversity!

[sandiaheadonline]

Turaga Nuju sat alone in the observatory of a Knowledge Tower. All the lightstones in the chamber had been doused. He watched the stars make their flight across the sky in silence. His exaltation over Mata Nui's revival had been replaced by grief over the Toa lost in the fight.

Many centuries ago, disaster had forced the Matoran of Metru Nui and their Toa to relocate to a wild, previously unknown land. That disaster had in part been caused by the pride and overconfidence of the Toa Metru, of whom Nuju was one. After the Toa became the village elders called Turaga, they had tried to put the past behind them—all but Nuju. He adopted the language of flying Rahi birds in place of Matoran, only speaking the common language in emergencies. It was his way of reminding the others of what they had been through and the dangers of arrogance.

Of course, speaking another language meant Nuju needed a translator so others could understand him. He chose a Ko-Matoran hunter/tracker with a real respect for the natural world. Matoro had seemed taken aback by the offer, but eventually agreed to be tutored in Nuju's language.

Over the next 1,000 years, the Turaga and the Matoran would be almost constant companions. Matoro had shown himself to be efficient and trustworthy, keeping all that he heard in the Turaga's councils to himself. Nuju came to rely on him, both for his skills and for his honesty. He was a reminder of the true nobility in every Matoran.

And now he was gone.

The cold, analytical side of Nuju told him this was an acceptable exchange—one Toa for the life of the universe. It was, in fact, a small price to pay for such a monumental event. Feeling regret or sadness was not logical. After all, what was the alternative—Matoro living, and the universe dying? Would that have been better? For reasons he did not understand and never would, Nuju suddenly realized that the answer might just be 'yes.'

What sort of Great Spirit requires the death of a brave, noble hero for his survival? If a being as powerful as Mata Nui could not thrive without demanding such a sacrifice, then maybe existence needed to learn to get along without Mata Nui, he thought angrily.

Nuju sighed. No, that wasn't right. If Mata Nui was not worth saving, then Matoro had died for nothing. That he could not accept.

He looked down from the observatory to the streets below. Most of the Matoran residents of the city had not heard about Matoro yet, only that their world was not going to end, after all. They were rejoicing. Nuju felt even more detached from them than usual, for in his Knowledge Tower there would be no celebration. There would be only memories of a good translator, an honest Matoran, and—Nuju finally admitted—a lost friend.

-BIONICLE Ignition, Death of a hero.

Old Matoro and Nuju fanart I made around three years ago and the first fanart I made in this style. It will never stop hurting 💔

[nattarthetimedragon]

Post Reformation Dark Hunter

Forgotten (ze/hir)

Forgotten is a member of Keetongu's species, hailed from same Island. Ze was Tahtorak tamer for hir people and used hir Rhotuka spinner to trap the rampaging beasts in energy nets. One day a long ago a team of Toa and a small group of archivists from Metru-Nui came to the icy island in search of exotic Rahi for the Onu-Metru Archives, and enlisted the aid of Forgotten to trap a Tahtorak. The hunt went bad and the Tahtorak they were hunting broke out of the energy net due to a blunder of one of inexperienced members of the Toa team, that resulted in the death of the in question Toa and two of the archivists. Wanting to cut there loses but not return empty handed, the Toa team captured Forgotten and brought hir back to the archives. There ze renamed for thousands of years in a stasis tube. Remaining trapped, sleeping with in it through the great cataclysm only to be awoken when the moon crashed in the back of the GSR's head. Ze found hirself in a foreign land filled with screaming Matoran and warriors fighting the remnants of the Rahkshi. Assuming that the Rahkshi were fellow escaping specimens from the archive. Ze armed hirself with a spear from an archive display and joined in the fight against the Toa and Matoran in the archives until running in to Keetongu, who was horrified by the sight of slain Toa and Matoran by the hands of one of his people. Keetongu confronted him with both great happiness to know that he was not truly the last of his kind and great sorrow for this is how they met once again. They stayed for a some time, talking as the battle raged in outer parts of the city to talk.

Keetongu explained the death of the rest of there kind and how he had become a healer for the lost and mutated. Forgotten asked why none of them ever came to look for hir before the death of there species, Keetongu explained that the attack was shortly after his old friend's capture. Explaining that he did not even know that Forgotten was missing and assumed that ze was still out on a hunt when the attack happened. All of this enraged Forgotten, ze had been imprisoned by the Matoran for thousands of years as a dear friend of hir that ze called a brother, healed and aided them in battle, his captors. They too fought through the city, ending only when the Toa Hagah assisted Keetongu subdue his former brother. Forgotten was released from their hold shortly after to wander the new world of Spherus Magna in hopes that its beauty will help hir find peace. It did not. Forgotten would take jobs for Agori and Glatorian to hunt beasts and Toa alike. Hir activity soon caught the eye of the Dark Hunters who offered hir a place within there ranks, which ze gladly accepted finding a new home and family with hir fellow outcasts. Ze especially became close with hir fellow Dark Hunters with a hatred for Toa and Matoran.

Powers: Like any member of hir species, Forgotten can produce any anti-venom or antidote as long as ze is familiar with the relevant toxin which ze often studies the the venom of this world to exspand hirs knowledge. Unlike the rest of hir species, Forgotten has healing powers comparable to a mask of healing. Forgottoen often uses the power to act and a medic for the Dark Hunters when not away on missions. Forgotten possesses tremendous strength, rivaling that of a Makuta. Forgotten is extremely durable as well, able to survive a fall the top of Tall montins.

Forgotten has a built in extra large energy net Rhotuka spinner launcher capable of capturing a Tahtorak for a short time, but for larger more aggressive Tahtorak it may take more then one spinner. The Spear of Pain that Forgotten acquired from the Onu-Metru Archive can temporarily paralyze it's target with pain when the target is hit by a by the spears energy but some targets with a high pain tolerance can push through the pain and keep going. When hit by the spear when through the target and it get embedded in the target. The target will experience pain to there limit of what they can take with out dying from the pain, most lose consciousness. Anyone trying to touch it will experiecne the same level of pain, Forgotten can only do so by channeling hirs healing powers to neutralize the pain from the spear.

Status: Alive

[crystaltoa]

If I may ask. Your headcanons what kind of food and dishes the turaga like best? (Remembered the post discussing and being silly about the turaga realizing that they and the matoran have to eat food on Mata Nui. It was probably also an adventure when they figured out how to prepare it to make it taste better / able to be eaten at all.)

Hmm...

A lot of this depends on whether you assume Matoran's nutritional needs are at all similar to humans, or quite different, or whether they consume food for energy and nothing else. I'm kind of going with the latter but assuming they still can taste their food.

I've kind of made it a bit about the villages in general since what the Matoran have access to is going to influence what the Turaga eats and vice versa, hope that's okay.

Some general notes first:

Crops and orchards do not appear to be a thing on the island of Mata Nui. Each village has a single Vuata Maca tree, and some villages also had access to Bula berries, both of which are high energy fruits. Other foraged fruit and vegetables are on the menu, but grain-based foods are likely out.

Some of the foods I mention here would typically be made with a flour in our world. but since grains aren't really a thing, you can imagine it would be made from something like ground up nuts, tubers, or maybe even something like tree bark.

That said, despite not exactly farming the land, the Matoran on the island did try to maintain the health of the "natural" environment, for example, volcanic soil from the lava farms was used to improve the health of Le-Wahi's forests.

Two real life plants with edible parts are confirmed to be found on the island: Bamboo, which has edible shoots, and the harakeke, which has nectar used for flavouring. I'm also going to include seaweed in this category.

Matoran don't seem to eat meat apart from fish. In fact, the Skakdi mostly eat meat just to intimidate people from other cultures and they don't require it from a nutritional standpoint. Kualus was also alarmed and disgusted by the existence of predatory bird Rahi, so... Matoran seem to have a different view of what is or is not food than most human cultures. If you want to give them a bit more variety, perhaps there are shellfish, molluscs, or arthropods that they might also eat.

Terms that originate in cooking (baked, boiled, friedetc) are often thrown around in other contexts, but it implies that Matoran are familiar with them as cooking practices

Ga-Koro: Fish is going to be a big part of the diet. Nokama may have developed a taste and skill for hunting them as a Toa Hordika. I doubt that food poisoning is an issue for Matoran given how energy absorbtion works for them, so fish doesn't technically need to be cooked. However, cooking them for improved flavour or texture may have developed over time, though Nokama herself still prefers sashimi. I imagine Ga-Matoran have also experimented with sauces and marinades (including the harakeke nectar), and have derived a number of spices from aquatic and waterside plants. In the absence of refrigerators, they have probably developed a number of preservation techniques (pickling, drying, etc) that are largely used for trading fish to other villages, especially during spring-summer when the fish spoils more quickly (they may not get food poisoning but nobody wants fish that smells and tastes rotten!).

Ta-Koro: I headcanon that Vakama loves spicy food, and prefers meals that most people would consider slightly overcooked. Ta-Matoran in general probably like stews, curries and soups as well, even in summer, as they love the heat and aren't bothered by having a cooking pot going all day in their hut. I think they would also have invented various types of tea, some of which may have slight medicinal properties.

Po-Koro: Pie is mentioned in MNOG in Po-Koro, so I'm going to take that as canon. These could be made with fruit, root vegetables, or even fish when they can get it. I also think Po-Matoran, and especially Onewa, like a lot of salt on their food (interpret that any way you want) Maybe they even add other ground up minerals for flavour as well in lieu of herbs and spices. I think it's fair to say Onewa's favourite pie recipe wouldn't be considered tasty or edible by human standards.

Onu-Koro: Headcanon territory here, but I'm going to make this the one exception to the no farming rule. I like to think they grow a lot of root vegetables on the surface but mostly harvest them from below the ground, meaning the plants are almost never uprooted for harvesting, and some of the tuber root systems grow absolutely enormous. Cooking below ground has the obvious problem of smoke, which could be dangerous without good ventilation, so I like to think that quite often high-power heatstones are used to fry, boil and perhaps bake their food instead. Like Ta-Koro, they like their stews and curries all year round since the underground village is less vulnerable to the summer heat. I also think of the Turaga, Whenua is one of the most adventurous in terms of figuring out what is and is not edible. Some varieties of organic beetle grubs have made it into the Onu-Matoran diet as a result, though most of his culinary experiments don't really catch on. He does not trust mushrooms, and refuses to say why.

Le-Koro: Fruit is the big one here, with a lot of foraged fruit, berries and nuts making up a large part of the diet. Being the most energetic of the island's Matoran, most Le-Matoran love sugar, and anything they can use to make food sweeter is highly sought after. Marinating fruit in nectar, honey or juice is common. They even sweeten traditionally savoury foods like fish. If sugarcane exists on the island, they would be coating absolutely everything in raw sugar. Matau, while not as adventurous as Whenua, has tried a few interesting food experiments in his time, though most meals he eats are a fruit or berry salad with some kind of sweet flavour enhancer. He will not comment on the mushrooms.

Ko-Koro: Ko-Matoran tend to eat a lot less than other Matoran as their lifestyle is all about conserving their energy for things that really matter. Many of them live off the odd Vuata Maca fruit from the village's tree and don't feel the need for anything more exciting. A lot of their other food comes from trade, and they keep the traded goods in large storehouses as Ko-Koro often becomes inaccessible to other villages for weeks at a time in the winter. Cooking is not terribly popular, but smoked fish and marinated fruit obtained from other villages are well liked by many Ko-Matoran. Traders visiting Ko-Koro often have the problem of their wares, such as fruit juices, freezing solid during the trek up the mountain. Turns out many Ko-Matoran like their food frozen, however, so vessels similar to popsicle molds are used by some traders to take advantage of this. Nuju is a little different and has been known to try things that the local bird rahi recommend and bring him. So far the seeds are his favourite, and the fish was okay, but it was a hard pass on the mice and the worms.

[irradiated-imp]

Forgot to post this last night

Kinloka Rodent-like Rahi with insatiable appetites. Large herds of them travel across Okoto Nui, stalking farm lands to swarm and consume the crops when they aren't hunting other rahi.

Thankfully, Kinloka are unlikely to fight something that decides to attack them, and are more likely to run, so any farmer who has a couple Sentinel Hounds or similarly domesticated Rahi such as Ussal or Nui Crabs, has little worry about.

[sepublic]

*The Skakdi have mutated thanks to Spiriah's experiments, and have destroyed their Visorak guards; Zakaz is becoming a wasteland because of this, jeopardizing Teridax’s future body’s Mata Nui’s health*

Bitil: UH-ohhhh, someone's getting a visit from Makuta Teridaaaax!

Spiriah: I *hic* can't *hic* take *hic* this *hic*

Teridax: SPIRIAH!!!

Spiriah: Makuta Teridax! You didn't have to come all the way down here, everything's under control!

*The Skakdi go to war with each other*

Teridax: Oh I have had it, I have HAD IT with this island, Spiriah! The mutant Skakdi, pack after pack of ugly, UGLY Rahi!

Spiriah: D'oh, now I really don't think the Rahi's appearances-

Teridax: Spiriah, you are in very, VERY big trouble!

*A little Visorak falls into Teridax's arms*

Teridax: Why, looking into this lovable spider’s eyes just melts my heart. Spiriah! All is forgiven!

Reidak: uuuuUUUAAAAGGGHHH MAKE WAY FOR REIDAAAAAK-

*Reidak lands on Teridax*

Reidak: I said make way for Reidak ya bloomin' piraka!

Teridax: Spiriah...?

Spiriah: Mm?

Teridax: YOU'RE FIRED.

Krika: *Gasps*

Spiriah: *Ready to throw hands* I'm sorry, did- Did you just call me a liar?

Teridax: No, I said you were fired.

Spiriah: Oh.

Spiriah:

Spiriah: That's much worse.

Spiriah:

Spiriah:

Spiriah: *Hic*

[makutaservaela]

Yet another weird ramble

When the Toa and Turaga escaping Teridax's lair, they are all trying to move quickly, yet the Toa run right past the tiny shambling Turaga.

In Karda Nui, when Tanma landed on Lewa's back, Lewa was angered and demanded he get off, despite the alternative being leaving the Matoran alone in the skies with the Makuta- or falling to his death if Lewa hadn't known whether Tanma had a jetpack.

There was one point in Mask of Life where Tahu picks up Takua, and in MNOG it is somewhat implied that Pohatu picked up Takua while escaping the Nui-Jaga (given that Pohatu used his mask to escape, and at that point didn't have a Nuva mask to share his power). Although Pohatu's silhouette isn't actually carrying Takua

But other than those two points with Takua, you rarely ever see Toa picking up or carrying Matoran or Turaga- to safety, or just in general.

I was thinking about it while working on a Bio-Parenting,

but in my HC I also generally present Toa carrying Chroniclers on their back if the Chronicler happens to be following that Toa, like Vakama above or Hewkii carrying Macku. Not to mention the frequent depictions of Makuta carrying their kids on their backs, or how Onua started carrying Lewa after Lewa hurt his leg and when they are in places where Lewa can't use his mask to move around.

I also have a Toa Group with three flyers, and when they go places, the three flyers often just carry the three non-flyers, no issue. Flyer Toa carrying non-flyer Toa is perfectly normal in my HC, but in the books I recall one point in the Metru arc where they consider that as an option to cross a ditch and then decide against it. (Although there is one point where Matau does carry people, and another where Nuju's mask is used to lift Vakama, per Vakama's request).

Even in Tales of the Tohunga, when Nokama is bound and captured by the Rahi, Takua picks her up and carries her away.

But either way, it makes me wonder how normalised they would consider carrying to be. Matoran clearly have no problem riding on larger things like Ussal Crabs and birds, and in canon have no concept of infantilizing (given that they have no infants), so I'd wonder if, say in that situation in MoL, the Turaga would have been the least bit offended if the Toa would have scooped an arm under the Turaga's waist and under-arm carried them through the door.

[toacody]

Muaka

This cat will steal your tongue and everything else.

Source

Creator: imbatman123459

[verses-n-moon]

"Ghar" is such a beautiful term. Like how randomly we say "Ghar ja rahy hain" "Ghar par hyn" "ye Ghar hai mera.." So beautiful and so calming. Just a piece of land, doesn't matter how fancy or simple, but we're all emotionally attached to it.

[ctrl-alt-tahu]

Thoughts of Akamai and Wairuha

"You shouldn't talk about the Great Spirit like that," said Pohatu, as they continued to cross Ko-Metru. The wan lights above the dome were at their zenith, providing a pale glow over the ruined city. As they climbed around the exterior of one of the largest (or least-ruined) towers of the Metru, they could see at a distance other portions of the city.

"I believed in Mata Nui, once," said Voriki. "I even thought I met him… but what Great Being would claim to watch over the Matoran and leave us with this." He paused, looking out over the city. They were on a landing of sorts, a flat place that opened where the broad tower below them turned to a much narrower spire. They could see north, east, and south, and Voriki waved a hand over them all.

"You should have seen Metru Nui then, when I first came here: the Coliseum there"--he pointed north east at the most ruinous area they could see: the centre island broken and cracked--"the Temple of Mata Nui in Ga-Metru, the chute system, the great forge of Ta-Metru. It was the envy of the world, and envy it the Makuta did. I don't know all the centuries of war and scheming before my time, but they weren't without effect: Metru Nui no longer ruled its empire, and only one Toa still stood with Turaga Dume, who ruled this city: Toa Lhikan, Toa of Fire.

"I don't know where he got the Toa Stones that transformed us. I don't know why he waited until he was the last Toa left and the sea-gates were on the verge of being breached. I don't know why he picked the seven of us--but he did, and we became Toa: me, and the six you say you know as Turaga: Vakama, Nokama, Matau, Onewa, Nuju, and Whenua."

"A seventh Toa!" Lewa whispered. Onua nodded, but gestured for silence. Kopaka and Tahu shared a cryptic nod.

"We weren't enough," said Voriki. "While we tried to learn how to control our powers, how to control our masks, we sought the great Kanoka disks, drove back the Morbuzakh--and missed how much we were needed at the sea-gates. Important as our little quests might have been in peacetime, they were distractions when the city was threatened from without. What did it matter if the Morbuzakh was choking off the Great Forge when the Matoran were vanishing and the Visorak were invading?"

"What are Visor--" Lewa began even as Gali asked "why were the Matoran vanishing?"

"Visorak are a sort of swarming, insectoid Rahi," said Voriki. "There were thousands of them, directed by Sidorak, a mighty servant of the Brotherhood of Makuta."

"And the Matoran?" asked Kopaka.

"We didn't realise it until much later," said Voriki, "but Turaga Dume was long gone. He was being impersonated by the Makuta himself, and it was all his plan: the Matoran were being put in stasis even as the city fell to the Visorak. Metru Nui fell to attacks from both within and without. Only the seven of us were left free in the city--well, and the five Matoran we stole away with us. Whenua, Nuju, and Onewa stayed behind in the Coliseum to buy the rest of us time to escape, and while we were on the run in Po-Metru, Vakama collapsed and Matau and I learned that he had been keeping a secret from us--visions, or so Nokama called them."

There no hiding the looks that the six Toa gave each other. So Vakama is still associated with them, then, Voriki thought.

"He said he had seen the Great Beings in council, and that they had told him that Mata Nui was asleep and we must wake him, and that Valour and Wisdom would guide us. At the time, I believed this was a sign, and that we had to save Metru Nui by waking the Great Spirit, and I believed that Akamai and Wairuha would come and help us--but though we found a Mata Nui of sorts, in the end, no Great Beings came and guided us. If Vakama's vision meant anything, it must have been metaphorical: wisdom and valour, not personified beings."

"They are true-real," said Lewa. "Takua told us."

The wind seemed to pick up, and the already chilly ledge was far from comfortable to any save Kopaka, but no one moved as Voriki stared at them.

"You mentioned him--Takua," said Voriki at last, "in your tale the other night: he is your chronicler."

"Yes," said Tahu.

"And he claims to have seen Akamai and Wairuha," said Voriki.

"Yes," said Pohatu.

"Not 'claimed'," said Gali. "He did see them. I have felt what he has seen."

"Was this before you came to the island?" asked Voriki.

"No, this was the first great battle with Makuta," said Gali. "As we said in our tale: after scouring the island for the Golden Kanohi and being united at last, we faced the Makuta beneath the temple of Kini Nui and defeated him, for a time."

"You said nothing of Akamai and Wairuha," said Voriki.

"We didn't exactly tell you every kick and blow," said Pohatu. "To be honest, most of that battle is a blur. We entered the cave, encountered the Manas and… returned later, victorious. Takua remembers more than we do."

Voriki said nothing, but it was plain that he wanted to dismiss the idea, and why not: if they remembered so little and if the Makuta hadn't even been truly vanquished, then perhaps they hadn't been victorious at all. Yet if their chronicler claimed to have seen Akamai and Wairuha…

"We should get going again," said Voriki. "We're almost there. If the Pituita Nui is still functioning, we can close the sea-gate. I'll have Tehutti see what we can do to close them permanently, and we need to find Nidhiki and Krekka, but that can wait till tomorrow."

He tapped a door that opened onto the ledge with the slightest jolt of electricity, and the door popped open, not quite chest-height.

"An access point for Matoran technicians, not Toa, I'm afraid."

"So, what happened next?" asked Pohatu, "in your story? You went from Po-Metru to find Mata Nui?"

"No, not right away," said Voriki. "First, we encountered more Toa."

[downtofragglerock]

Alright here's another

A Makuta who served as the falconer of the Brotherhood, creating numerous birds of prey for both combat and messaging capabilities. Slain during the Brotherhood-Dark Hunter war.

A Makuta who grew overly attached to the primal element of fire, to the point of embedding it into everything they did, from fire-attuned rahi to fire-based experiments. This eventually evolved into serial arson which got them exiled by the brotherhood. Unlike say, Spiriah's banishment, this Makuta was still considered a member of the Brotherhood, as their results were quite useful to their goals. they were sent to the bottom of a pit in the middle of nowhere that, due to gas ruptures in the environment domes, was constantly on fire. This suited the Makuta, and they resumed their usual tasks, creating infernal rahi that occasionally escaped to wreak havoc on neighboring lands. No one has heard word from them in a while, but they may still be down there.

During the Brotherhood's halcyon days, when all that concerned them was the creation and development of new rahi to inhabit the young universe, this Makuta became enamored with metamorphosis and transformation, how rahi could shift their form into something completely different in their natural life cycle. They poured all their research and development into this phenomenon, creating species that changed their shape in such wonderful ways. They even began to body this philosophy physically, becoming fluid in form, a decision only aided by the Brotherhood's evolution. They would eventually pass the threshold and create rahi capable of willful and fluid shapeshifting, their magnum opus being a species the Onu-Matoran of Metru Nui would later rather generically dub the "Archives Beast". Eventually, when the Brotherhood gave into their darker natures, the need for a proper conquering legion arose. Rahkshi, due to the costly nature of their creation, wouldn't cut it, despite their effectiveness. Hagah teams were also out, thanks to the limited number of Toa and their far more rigid moral compasses. So it was decided that this legion would be a species of rahi, and several members of the Brotherhood attempted to be the one to create such a force, this Makuta included. The species they created was truly ingenious, not only capable of perfectly mimicking the shape of other rahi and beings, but their abilities as well, and could even take on hybrid forms, mishmashing the features and abilities needed for any situation. They seemed to be perfect, and test runs indicated so, but then a problem arose. When this species shifted into other forms, they also acquired those beings' intelligence, which lead them to rather suddenly gain true sapience. This presented a problem for the Brotherhood, after all, it's quite troublesome if your mindless attack legion start questioning orders, and getting rid of them would also be a query, given their strength. Then an enterprising Makuta by the name of Chirox presented a twofold solution: His creation, the Visorak, would be used for the legions, and in one of their first test runs, they'd wipe out their competition. Teridax approved of this, and the Visorak were sent to exterminate their rival species. Said species creator was horrified by this, viewing the sudden sapience of their creations as a true mark of mastery, and tried to stop this. They failed, and the Brotherhood had them killed, and the Visorak laid waste the shifters, the mutagenic venom reacting to the shapeshifting in quite fatal ways. What survivors that do exist are scant and mostly rumors, the only truly known one later taking the name "Krahka". Though in private, members of the Dark Hunters who both know of this species and the operative Triglax strongly suspect a connection.

[afanofmanyhats]

The air was suffocatingly thick with despair. Lesovikk tightened his grip on the cliffside as he slowly shimmied across the stone. Below him a group of Manas rumbled as they swung fierce blows at each other. Whether it was a genuine fight to the death or simply a way to pass the time, Lesovikk couldn't tell. He simply thanked Mata Nui that his Faxon gave him the lizard-like camouflage and climbing ability to make it past them. The last time he had tried to infiltrate Karzahni had ended with several bruises and a crushed pauldron due to bad tactics on his part.

What else is new, he thought darkly. It wouldn't be the first time my plans got someone killed.

His foot caught onto a loose stone. His weight shifted, and he managed to grab a better foothold just as the shale fell down to the roiling mass of Rahi below. He held his breath as the rocks pattered against a monster's shell. It didn't bother to look up as a different Manas had just slammed a claw into its treads. Lesovikk let out his breath and continued, even more careful this time.

It was slow going. The mountains that ringed Karzahni were blackened from soot, and the ash-choked wind made it hard to breathe. At the same time he was chilled to the bone; no warmth would be found here. Yet he kept climbing, his mind burning as he made further progress into the domain of the damned.

When the Manas were beyond hearing, he finally lowered himself to the canyon floor. He sat for a moment and caught his breath. The air was colder, but clearer. The pain in his throat somehow revived him, and he soon stood back up.

I won't turn back this time. Sarda, Idris, Piruk- everyone, I won't leave without you.

He kept his camouflage, his armor blending into the rough grey and cold black of the rocks. He followed the canyon's passage until he finally saw an opening into a wider space. At the edges of the wall he spotted two figures on either side. He moved to duck out of sight until he realized they were too small to be Manas. Matoran, maybe?

He crept forward, cautious of any traps Karzahni or his minions may have set down. He detected nothing. As he drew closer, his caution turned to curiosity, then to confusion. They were statues. Rather than depicting guards, as he would have expected, they were Matoran. Bizarrely shaped, gangly Matoran, but Matoran all the same. They sat on rocks, one holding a pickaxe and the other a chisel. Their expressions seemed weary beyond all belief.

They must be a warning to what awaits the Matoran who come here. Toil without reward.

As he passed, Lesovikk got the uncanny feeling they were watching him.

Lesovikk felt his heartlight dim as he surveyed the land before him. The sky was black with soot, illuminated only by the red glows of flames scattered throughout the region. Far in the distance he could see a twisted black metal citadel. Smoke billowed from countless chimneys, and the light glowing from the windows made it seem like a many-eyed monster was staring back at him. A giant gate opened its maw, and he could see tiny figures scurrying in and out of it.

Closer to him, the land was dry with pale sand, only broken up by rock spires, more statues resembling the ones he had just encountered, and twisted plants that didn't seem living. Further away, a collection of huts haphazardly grouped together were centered on a gloomy lake. They were Matoran-sized.

Could it be...? They look like the huts back home!

His pulse rising, Lesovikk began to hurry. If his hunch was right, then his journey would soon be over. Maybe he would be able to start his redemption properly. Even if he couldn't bring his team back, surely he could rescue his Matoran from the bowels of this hell.

One of the statues suddenly jerked up. Lesovikk stumbled in surprise and drew his blade. He leveled it as the figure creaked its joints, its mask turning to face him.

Lesovikk felt his blood freeze.

"Turaga Vrikol?"

He could hardly believe what he was seeing. The Turaga's limbs were crooked and thin, their movements jagged from lack of muscles. His hands were curled in, weakly grasping at air. His purple armor was pitted and rusted. What was most horrifying to the Toa of Air were the dull black pits where his eyes and heartlight were supposed to be.

"You... what are you doing here?" Lesovikk felt anger replacing his horror. The last he had seen this corpse, Turaga Vrikol had been babbling about how all the Matoran under his guidance - under Lesovikk's protection - had been flawed. Had been lazy, wasting their time with music and talking. Lesovikk had left him alone to wallow in an empty village.

The Turaga's head jerked up at Lesovikk's words. Lesovikk swallowed his disgust. He had never seen a Mask of Undeath working before. He never wanted to see it again.

The Turaga's voice was a husky, flat whisper, grating from an empty throat like a dull dagger drawn from its sheath. It was miles away from the soothing rich tones Lesovikk had once loved and respected.

"Gone. Sent away... I sent them away. And they were gone..."

"The Matoran? I'm getting them out of here. Do you know where they are?"

"Gone... I was gone. I was lost. I was sent away to seek the lost... I was lost... I was gone..."

"Turaga!" Lesovikk snapped. "Don't waste my time. What time you have is borrowed as it is. Tell me where they are!"

"Gone... Lost... Sent away... Gone... Lost... Sent away... Gone. Lost. Sent away."

Turaga Vrikol's voice began to change. It grew louder and deeper with each repetition. Lesovikk wanted to walk away, but he felt rooted in place like one of the statues. The Turaga began slowly stepping towards him, the pick that had once been his badge of office trailing in the sand behind him.

"Gone. Lost. Sent away. Gone! Lost! Sent away! Gone! Lost! Sent away! GONE! LOST! SENT AWAY!"

Vrikol's broken hand grabbed Lesovikk's arm as the sightless eyes turned up. Lesovikk saw a flare of green light in them as the Turaga screeched, "THEY'RE GONE! THEY'RE LOST TO ME! I CAN'T SEND THEM BACK!"

The words echoed into the cavernous valley. The flash faded from Vrikol's eyes and heartlight. The pick fell from his hand, and with a long, guttural sigh, the Turaga rolled onto his back.

Lesovikk stood there for a long while, dread gripping him in a vice.

Did he come here looking for them? Did... did he mean they're gone from here, or gone like he was? What did Karzahni do to my people?

He looked back at the citadel. Somehow he knew he would find no answers there. He looked back at the Turaga's body only to startle. There was a grey pallor creeping over the armor. The same shade of grey as the statues.

Those aren't statues.

Lesovikk choked back a scream. He took the pick and placed it into the Turaga's hand. He wouldn't be coming back here. There was nothing here for the Toa. He certainly wouldn't find the Matoran in these statues. But if there was a chance they were elsewhere in the universe, he would scour every last island for them.

We've failed you, my friends. But I won't stop searching.

He turned back to the canyon and walked away.

Behind him, Turaga Vrikol's eyes turned grey.