The hands change color depending on the village, and the eyes and nipples do so too, depending on the individual. There are, of course, the lower parts, which I cannot show for obvious reasons.
G2 did say that Okotans are breedable and there are various mentions of food eaten through their mouths. So in my g3 I decided to make them mammals, a sort of human if you will. Their mask have a mouthpiece that connects to the original mouth and acts just like it to speak or eat, it can be coverd by an automated mouthguard (if you want an example: Bayverse Optimus Prime).
Toa and Turaga are this way too.
Next update on my G3 I'll try to do all of Ta-Koro.
Roaming the island of Okoto is a lone, travelling vagabond. Masked and constantly shaded from the sun with a wide-brimmed hat, a scythe slung across their back, at first glance this figure can be interpreted as almost menacing.
In reality, this figure is a young Okotan named Takua, and for all intents and purposes she’s actually a good sign if you’re out in the wilderness and lost. Takua is a traveler of a wide variety of skills and is proficient at survival and self-sufficiency.
Years ago, Narmoto was travelling the Region of Fire alone when he came across a feral child. This child was dirty, thin, torn-up, and could barely speak. When Narmoto asked this child where she came from, she responded that she didn’t remember anything besides her name; Takua.
Obviously not going to leave a child to die out in the wilderness, Narmoto invited Takua to Tawahi, feeling a kinship with her regarding strange origins, and escorted the feral child across the Region of Fire and even past Skull Spiders. Upon arriving at Tawahi, many Okotans were puzzled about Takua, who was taken aback by all of these strangers and their loud rambling.
Narmoto made arrangements for the local caretaker to look after Takua alongside other orphans who had lost their parents to the Skull Spiders. Efforts were made to ‘recivilize’ Takua, although she still proved to be a rather unusual child. She was anti-social, a bit of an introvert, and had a tendency to explore and get into trouble because of it.
As the years passed by, Takua grew up, improving upon her language, even if she hated staying still during lessons. In her freetime, Takua would often go about Tawahi, learning as much as she could, doing whatever she could, and trying out various things. She put together a hobby of collecting and scavenging, and even did some trade with fellow villagers for new items. Her inventory became a mess, and despite her poor grades at school Takua was clearly an intelligent and intuitive child otherwise, being able to figure things out on the fly.
Due to Takua’s troublemaker status, as well as her unusual origins, rumors unfortunately began to spread regarding who Takua was and where she came from. Some even went so far as to suggest a relation between her and the Skull Spiders, of all things, and Takua inevitably continued to be an outcast. As far as she was concerned this was fine, as she liked being alone, at least that’s what she figured…
Of course, Narmoto made efforts to encourage the villagers to accept Takua, or at the very least not treat her as some feral, trouble-making child who was always up to no good. Yes, he was still fixing his room from THAT prank, but…
If anyone heeded his advice, a young child named Jaller definitely did. The son of two proud Tawahan soldiers, Jaller was a rule-follower and a stickler for tradition. He honored his elder Protector’s suggestions and trusting in Narmoto, made efforts to extend the hand of friendship.
Jaller wasn’t the only one to have attempted this, but he was the only person to really stick around afterwards, and likewise be accepted by Takua. The two became an odd pair of friends, despite Jaller’s rigid adherence to rules and discipline, in contrast to Takua’s lenience regarding laws and habit for mischief. Jaller would work to remind Takua to stay on task and do what needed to be done, while Takua would often teach Jaller to loosen up a little and have some fun.
The two became close friends, often doing puzzles together as well as other activities. As Takua grew up, she learned how to fight- Although she was admittedly a bit averse to the lifestyle of Tawahi, she still possessed a strong sense of honor and justice. If innocent lives were in danger, she’d fight to protect them. The harsher rumors about Takua died down as she helped against Skull Spider efforts, proving to be ingenuitive and cunning in danger, but she was still of course regarded as the Town Weirdo, and this time Takua was perfectly fine with this arrangement.
Takua’s thirst for adventure and curiosity eventually won out, and she began to make trips to the other Mega-Villages of Okoto, paying members of the Gukko Airforce to take her using profits scrounged from side-jobs and errands done for neighbors. Takua quickly became enamored with the unimaginably gorgeous, strange environments of the other Elemental Regions, prying into the lifestyles of other Okotans as she inquired as to how they adapted to such strange lands. Takua lurned how to swim in Kiniga, find water in the Motara Desert, test for poisonous berries in the Region of Jungle, etc.
Soon, Takua’s antics became known amongst the other Mega-Villages as she developed a habit of scrounging for items, wooing some of the locals, and indulging in the local culture. Takua was determined to learn, and would even spend hours in Kokoro’s libraries, learning about the history of the island and desiring to figure out more. She asked the Brains of Okoto countless questions, voluntarily took classes in Kiniga, and so forth.
An accident eventually occurred that left Takua stranded in the wilderness, far from the other Mega-Villages. Everyone assumed her dead and mourned, but then weeks later Takua returned.
To everyone’s shock, she’d survived the entire time out there, using the skills and assets she picked up in her travels to self-sufficiently live while avoiding Skull Spiders. Many applauded Takua’s crazy boldness in managing to survive for so long, and Takua herself felt like she’d returned to a sense of nostalgia she’d longed for since arriving in Tawahi.
When she became old enough, Takua made her decision. She chose to become a lone traveler, combing Okoto for secrets as well as its natural wonders. Obviously everyone deemed her insane, and Narmoto begged Takua to not adopt this lifestyle; He knew of a few who’d tried it before, and just about all of them died.
Still, Takua felt certain about her decision. Somehow, she’d survived for so long out in the wilderness as a child. Being there, being alone, just by herself, against nothing else but the island itself… it felt natural. It felt like home. As far as she could tell, this was her destiny.
And so, Takua packed her bags and left. The soldiers of Tawahi watched, amazed, as she walked away from the village walls, eventually disappearing past the charred forests. Everyone was uncertain, especially Jaller- He trusted in Takua, even if he knew better than everyone else how stupid she could be. He might’ve gone with her, but he also recognized that Takua valued her isolation, and likewise he had his own duties to Tawahi. So he too stayed behind, but of course he also provided a gift to help Takua in her travels.
Takua began her lone, wandering vagabond lifestyle. She knew that a single Okotan would be harder to track than entire teams, and realized that alone, she could evade the Skull Spiders in ways groups couldn’t, as well as search ruins and other areas for answers, tools, and other assets against the swarms.
It was by no means easy, and many times Takua came close to death. A large percentage of her escapes were admittedly more through luck than her own skill or ingenuity, but one way or the other she survived. Takua’s path eventually traversed huge swathes of the island as she explored, discovered, mapped, and scavenged. Milestones of distance were passed as she hiked across mountains and accessed other Elemental Regions on foot. Takua eventually developed a habit of returning to one of the Mega-Villages, depending on her proximity, usually for food, resources, as well as to trade in what she’d found. Takua became infamous for finding lost artifacts in places no one else had dared venture, often arriving at Kokoro and providing invaluable ancient scrolls in exchange for a meal and a bed for the night.
Eventually, Takua became almost a bit of a cryptid amongst the other Okotans, who whispered about this lone traveler with the uncanny ability to survive out in the wilderness and evade Skull Spiders. Others asked Takua of her skills and how she did it, and as far as she could tell it was mostly dumb luck; But some were certain it was more than that. Some Okotans were even inspired to adopt the lifestyle of Takua, but of course she was adamant in discouraging those villagers. Most of the time, they didn’t quite know what they were getting into, or overestimated their luck and skills. Still, if the Okotan in question continued to insist on becoming a lone traveler and felt certain, then eventually Takua would step aside and let them be (as well as keep an eye out for them in her travels in case they needed help, even shadowing a few just to be sure).
Takua’s schedule became unpredictable. Sometimes she’d be gone for weeks, come back and stay for a few days, and then leave and suddenly return within a week. Takua’s curiosity led her to areas usually unaccessed by other Okotans, and she made a point of informing them of her travels. Still, a large majority of the island was walled off by Skull Spiders, which even she couldn’t do anything about.
Alone in the wilderness, Takua usually prefers to live a quiet lifestyle. Some have recounted how they were traversing the wilds when they looked up and noticed the lone vagabond sitting on a tree branch, back laying against the trunk, as she played a tune on her harmonica. Takua’s nimble swiftness usually allows her to stay above the ground, which while not perfectly safe still makes it easier to avoid Skull Spiders. When it comes to sleep, she often hides beneath a camouflaged blanket, and has a system of trip-wires to alert her to Skull Spiders; Takua is very easy to wake and alertable, even in sleep.
Other hobbies of Takua include sight-seeing, mapping, exploring, scavenging, messing with stuff, trading, solving puzzles, taking long walks/hikes, etc. She’s so-so at the Ussal Races, but has a fondness for a crab named Pewku. Every now and then she teams up with the local Okotans to help them on expeditions and missions beyond the Mega-Villages, and has more than once encountered the hermits Kantai and Melea.
Akkono is lost in the swamplands, and his fellow Protectors are getting worried. But is something lurking in the marshlands? Or is Akkono’s paranoia getting the best of him?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Above is a link to a whole post I made for Bionicle: Redone and Expanded. It basically details Makuta’s fall from grace, his motivations, what led to the Great Cataclysm, etc. I was going to paste the whole thing here, but it ended up being, like, TEN pages. So while I’ve posted the whole thing on AO3, below is a relatively small preview of the whole post.
In the fallout of the Great Cataclysm, much of history was unsurprisingly blurred and misremembered. Most Okotans were too preoccupied with the ordeal of surviving the harsh new Elemental Regions that their home had transformed into, and many historical records had been destroyed by the flood of elements when the Mask of Life shattered.
That isn’t to say nobody made an attempt at remembering, and when the dust settled and the Okotans somewhat adapted, they wrote down what they could. Even now, the scholars of Kokoro labor day and night, attempting to remember and discern the past, and in the wake of Ekimu’s return, he is constantly interviewed on the Creation Age.
But before Ekimu, and the arrival of the Toa… History was mostly remembered as stories told around a campfire, to children at night, or mentioned in passing by haunted elders. The most infamous story of all- The Mask Makers Ekimu and Makuta, and the jealousy of the latter that ultimately led to the Great Cataclysm.
According to legend, Ekimu’s Masks of Power were more treasured than Makuta’s. And from this tiny piece of information alone, many have assumed that this means that Ekimu was always the better Mask Maker, correct?
Not exactly… indeed, some of the disconnect was due to spiteful Okotans’ retelling history as revenge against Makuta’s history. But the reality of the situation was far more complicated;
Ekimu wasn’t necessarily the more talented Mask Maker;
It was Makuta… And HE invented the Masks of Power.
When the twins discovered the Great Forge, it was ultimately Makuta who realized that one could enfuse objects, especially masks, with a ‘soul’ to manipulate and control. It was Makuta who suggested and explained the concept to his brother Ekimu, who was always considered to be the less bright of the two.
As the Creation Age began and the Mask Makers began forging, it was Makuta who was known as the better Mask Maker. Makuta was clearly more talented, more skilled, and had a natural prowess that Ekimu lacked. His Masks of Power were the ones made more plentily, with better powers and interfaces.
Ekimu, who lagged behind, was admittedly saddened by his relatively low skill. But instead of letting it get to him…
Instead, he chose to keep making Masks. Yes, his weren’t as good or powerful as Makuta’s, but they DID make a difference, and that much was obvious. Maybe he didn’t get the glory of being the inventor of the Masks of Power, but just playing a part in improving the world, in discovering the secrets of Life, ultimately fascinated him.
Thus, Ekimu kept making Masks. The brothers frequently collaborated and regularly switched the Masks of Creation and Control between the two- Neither had seen either as belonging to one at the time. And as Makuta was made busy with many commissions and personal tasks given to him by the Emperor of Okoto, Ekimu himself found time to interact with others. He wondered, why not teach others to make Masks as well? It’d be in everyone’s best interest, especially since teaching Mask Making could lead to a Mask Maker better than him, and perhaps even Makuta himself!
Ekimu held classes and lessons teaching the concept of Mask Making, how Life energy works, and so forth. Makuta was surprised by this move of his, but accepted it in stride. As Ekimu taught Mask-Making in the City of the Mask Makers, some students proved themselves more capable and prodigal than others.
They weren’t as good as Ekimu, but their talent nevertheless attracted the attention of Makuta, who personally took these exemplary students under his wing. Makuta became known for choosing the best of the best, discerning the worthiest Mask Makers and gifting them with the opportunity to learn from him and even act as assistants to his projects. To be chosen by Makuta was considered the highest honor.
Some students were discouraged to see others do better than them. Ekimu, not wanting anyone to feel left behind, did his best to uplift the rest, encouraging them to keep working harder. Maybe they didn’t have a natural talent or inclination for Mask Making, but if it truly mattered to them, if they truly invested the time and effort to keep working… Then they, too, could create great Masks of Power.
While some of Ekimu’s students quit, a select few continued training. They continued working hard, operating from a Growth Mindset as they sought to improve their skills, no matter how vigorous it may be. And as Ekimu watched his students grow, he became personally inspired by their philosophies and began applying it to himself.
Ekimu began to challenge himself, no longer resigning himself to regular, singular-element Masks of Power. He took on more ambitious projects –with the proper safety guidelines of course- and tested the peak of his abilities. Everytime he found the height of his Mask Making power, he reflected… And then kept working to improve it.
And so over the years, Ekimu’s Mask Making improved. It still required tremendous effort on his part, in contrast to Makuta’s ease and talent, but the end results couldn’t be argued with. Ekimu’s Masks of Power became just as good as Makuta’s, and soon…
By working even harder, by working not for glory but for passion, creativity, curiosity, and others, Ekimu found himself creating Masks of Power that Makuta had once deemed impossible. These creative elemental combinations had been dismissed by Makuta, who had tried them a few times, but when hit with a roadblock, deemed it a pointless effort. Ekimu was undeterred by his twin’s failures- He didn’t choose to move past them to prove his own worth, but to prove the worth of Okoto itself. Ekimu believed that if anyone put in the passion and effort, they COULD redefine the impossible.
Ekimu sacrificed entire weeks, laboring over the forge, only eating when a concerned Makuta gave him food. And as he worked, Ekimu discovered other truths of Mask-Making, and improved on them. He forged Masks of Power even stronger than what Makuta could create, realized the order in which elements were applied could affect the power of a Mask, and ultimately revolutionized Mask-Making.
Thus, while Makuta was said to have invented Mask-Making, in many Okotans’ eyes, Ekimu was the one who perfected it.
By the way, for those who haven't read my "Divergences from canon" subpage, the Okotans in my AU are basically the Empire crossed with the Combine, and the Hero Factory heroes are their mass-produced, mindless robot soldiers.
They are also responsible for the Magnan races fleeing Spherus Magna in the Great Spirit Robot (which can curl up into a ball, and functions like a third moon for the Matoran homeworld).
Jaller for me + Kapura, Macku, Velika based on friends’ suggestions. Jaller’s shield, like his mask, was passed down from generation to generation and would have been an important element later in this AU :P
