#ko-matoran

[mebeth]

The Ko-Matoran of Metru Nui

Ihu

(Inspired by Scmd1999's design on TTV)

Jaa

Kopeke

Nuju

Talvi

[arribabuilds]

Hey everyone, I'm Arriba, a Bionicle Moccist that has been building digitally for over two years now! I mainly post on Instagram, but figured I might as well post here as well for those of ya'll who aren't on Insta! I'm an ADHD gremlin, so expect my posting schedule to be erratic, irregular and generally a mess~

My Self-Moc here is also "Arriba", a Ko-Matoran scavenger that collects scrap for crafters to repurpose. He's an excitable lil dude that will usually pick "flight" in fight-or-flight situations, which is helped by how surprisingly fast his is. He also has a habit of randomly getting flung across the multiverse, much to his general chagrin.

I hope you all enjoy the builds I post! For the initial bit here it's gonna be mostly backlog stuff, so ya'll get caught up on some of the reoccurring faces in my "moc-verse".

Cheers~

[arzeron]

Ko-Matoran Representation! Okay, so I skipped Le-Koro and Onu-Koro, but I am working on them. Le-Koro is almost finished, I just need to build some birds, and maybe that lightning bug if I ever figure out how. Does anyone know?

So there were originally, I think six represented Ko-Matoran in MNOG: Matoro and Kopeke, the Sanctum guards, Lumi and Jaa. I have added some Matoran from MNOG2 as well as Ehrye, who does not have a diminished or rebuilt form. He's the one with the Mahiki behind Kopeke. I'm a little surprised how often dark gray shows up in Ko-Koro, but then again Kopeke was dark gray when he got rebuilt. I know he appears light gray in MNOG2, but that's due to a typo! I think BS01 accounts for this in the other Matoran affected by this error.

Also, some of the MNOG2 Matoran I included have blue masks and feet, but I couldn't tell if they're supposed to be sand blue or light blue. I have elected to make them sand blue because they look like the same shade as Matoro, however I am willing to experiment and I am open to criticism and feedback! Let me know what y'all think!

Once I finish the Onu-Matoran, who include far more background characters than I expected, I will share them, as well Le-Koro once I build the birds I mentioned. As a bonus, I'll share something else I made for Le-Koro in a follow-up post.

[leilanising]

click for better quality

Two Ko-matorans, just walking along. When will they stop? Nobody knows.

@mugbearerscorner, I absolutely love ur oc. I rlly hope you don't mind the fanart I made of the two of them :3

[toacody]

Bastion and the Great Iron Beetle

There were many pairings in the MU.

Source

Creator: DerpSpawn

[tiredspacedragon]

My quest to collect images of every Matoran to appear in all Bionicle visual media continues. This is, to the best of my knowledge, the only Matoran appearing in the Toa Metru promo CDs of whom BS01 does not have an image. They appear to be a Ko-Matoran with a sand blue torso, dark grey or possibly black feet, and what appears to be a white Noble Huna.

[lemonylepid]

Ah yes, the Matoran spa... They specialize in popping dents, buffing, rewelding, balancing air pressure, and repainting your armor. Who knew Ko-Matoran could be such masters at relaxation??? Nothing like a cooling ice bath, too! Perfect place to perk up your pistons!!

[sumi-sprite]

HC Ko-Matoran Diets

Hot take because I’m bored and think about this All The Time. I’m not a fan of the canon(?) of Matoran “eating” by absorbing energy via their hands, because the absolute cultural dietary potential could be PEAK.

Ko-Matoran are considered exceptionally sophisticated and “stuffy” in all things they do. Except when it comes to food. 

Some HCs regarding the Ko-Matoran diet. (Under the cut, this bitch LOMNG)

-  Living in an eviroment where resources are generally fairly scarce and that is extremely reliant on provider guilds - ie hunters, trappers, cultivators - Ko-Matoran have evolved extremely resiliant digestive systems, and an absolutely raging metabolism.

So long as it’s even semi-edible, if it’s put in front of a Ko-Matoran, they are liable to stick it in their mouth to at least test if they can chew and swallow it (chewing is optional).

- These icy bitches got TEETH. Throughout their lifetime (if not transformed into a Toa/Turaga) Ko-Matoran shed their teeth three times, gaining their final, permanant set once they reach adolescence. They possess not two, but four sets of canines used for tearing meat and cracking bones and shell. Some say it’s their teeth you need to be afraid of, not their tongues. 

- The Ko people are almost entirely reliant on professional guilds for their food - ie hunters, trappers, fishermen, cultivators, etc. These are the Matoran that are considered the blood and bone of the Ko-Matoran, whereas the scholars and Seers are the mind and soul. 

- NOTHING goes to waste in a Ko settlement, it’s considered downright rude to not finish your food during a meal, though some leeway is given to food that does not easily perish. 

Bones. Fucking BONES are the potato chips of Ko-Matoran; more specifically, the marrow. Calcium is a must in a cold region and is needed to maintain their sharp, shell and bone cracking teeth. The fatty marrow is also a staple in the Ko-Matoran’s diet to suppliment a near wholely carnivorous diet. 

They also may or may not think it’s funny to watch non-Ko residents squirm and flinch when they casually bite into a bone leftover from last night’s roast Pokawi. Cronch.

- IT’S SNACK TIME EVERY TIME. Nothing distracts a mind more than an empty stomach, so it’s actually encouraged for Ko-Matoran to carry something on them to eat, even in study and sacred spaces such as Towers and temples (just be sure it’s not something crunchy).

- Many theorize that one of the reasons Ko-Matoran do not want to put stock into history is because they have a concerningly long record of cannibalism in their own history...

- There are two types of Ko-Matoran: you have, “I will literally eat this recently deceased, half frozen Muaka whole without salt”, and then you have, “I want to destroy my mine and everyone else’s GI tract with spice”. 

- Drying, canning, preserving and curing are their own sciences to Ko-Matoran. 

There may or may not be a quiet rivalry between the Ko and Ta-Matoran when it comes to jerky making. 

- Sugar is not prevelant in the Ko-Matoran diet; the few types of vegetation they can cultivate is primarily in the tuber family, but, they have long cultivated fully edible and sweet types of evergreen and winterberries. 

Ko-Matoran who cultivate tubers and other winter-hardy vegetation are refered to as cultivators rather than farmers. With soil being rather poor, and cultivation being its own genre of science, cultivators will grow these precious resources in igloo-like “greenhouses” that create just the right enviroment to grow these foods. Winterberries and other evergreen fruits are generally able to grow outside under a careful eye.

Ko-Matoran are not lightweights. They have long learned to distill winterberries and ferment their sugars to create a wide array of tart and chilled wines and alcoholic mixes. They have their own version of Moonshine and Vodka made from winterberries and their tubers, respectively. 

- Though they have established trade between other Matoran in the past and to this day, Ko-Matoran are a proud people that generally wish to remain selfsustaining when it comes to their food sources. Exceptions are given to their Ga-Matroan sisters as fellow fishermen, and trade of fish, crustaceans, sea greens, mullisks, and sea game are common between the two. 

- The Hunter’s Feast. As the centuries long and sole providers of the Ko people, hunters and other providers for the Ko-Matoran are celebrated yearly on the week of the last harvest/end of hunting season; just before winter fully sets in. Hunters and providers are hailed during this time, and a festival is thrown to honor them and the Rahi that have been hunted to feed them.

Newly established hunters will often wear monikers of their first official Rahi kill. This moniker will become their guide and patron that they will abide by and honor the hunter’s code by for the rest of their lives.

Idols and symbols of hunted Rahi are used in reverence to the Rahi themselves. Death is not a grievence for the Ko-people, but it is rather a precursor and catalyst to life. The death of a Rahi will ensure the continued life of a Matoran, ergo why nothing is wasted, and why there are such strict rules and hunting seasons.

Wasting a Rahi carcass or hunting out of season is more than enough to get you exiled and your place in a hunting guild removed. 

Hunting guilds are considered their own governing system, and in fact have similar if not equal power to their Turaga’s ruling. There exist a few accounts of hunting guilds removing their own Turaga from office when it was felt they were not making the best decisions to provide for their charges.

Hunting guilds will often have one leader or a small panel of chief hunters to manage individual guild groups.

- Food is meant to be shared; be it with friends, strangers, or hunting companion Rahi (especially hunting Rahi). Though Ko-Matoran are considered generally solitary even among each other, it is unusual for a Ko-Matoran to eat alone. 

More often than not, a Ko-Matoran settlement will have a communal kitchen and dining hall where food can be cooked, served, and shared. Ko-Matoran can often bring raw food to these kitchens to cook themselves or have any of the station cooks to do with as they please. This prevents food waste and sees that everyone is fed and not liable to become “hangry”. 

Returning hunters eat free at these kitchens. Hunters spend anywhere from three days to two weeks hunting for one Rahi, often surviving on rations and nearly starved when they return. 

- Due to a primarily carnivorous diet that has a very low ratio of vegitation and fruits, Ko-Matoran are commonly afflicted with at least one vitamin deficiancy. These days these deficiances can be eaisly corrected with suppliments gained from their neighboring tribes.

The apothocaries of the Le and Ga regions are exceptionally popular for Ko-Matoran with deficiancies to frequent.

And that’s all I got for now, might come back to this and add more. I’m just bored and felt like writing this out! 

Enjoy and feel free to add your own HCs on food culture in the Bionicle universe!!

@gryphongirl thought you might appreciate this lol