Apa yang harus saya tulis sementara ujung jari saya terasa kaku
Engkau mengarahkan pandangan kepadanya, kau hiraukan saya
Sementara saya disini berusaha melemaskan jemari untuk bercerita bagaimana cantiknya engkau dibawah gerimis dan dibelakangmu lautan
Kulangitkan harap agar kiranya ombak tak karamkan kapal kita
Biar saja deburnya seberisik isi kepala
Disini saya duduk bersajak tenggelam dalam aksara
Kala kau lihat hamparan berwarna biru itulah saya
Sedang engkau disana, deburnya
Cantik, cantik sekali
Manis sekali engkau
Jangan berbalik dulu, biar kulukis punggungmu dengan sajak
Punggung anak pertama yang penuh luka
Semua beban didera
Jika ada yang ingin kau hanyutkan disana
Pastilah kau hanyutkan harapan mereka
Agar setidaknya kau bisa terbang bebas dilangit kuning senja
A bunch of Bonkles fanart I whipped up some time based on background characters from the games, mainly the (officially) unreleased Legend of Mata Nui game but also the GBA game that actually did get released, Quest for the Toa. Barring Podu and Nobua, none of these guys were provided with names, so I took it upon myself to come up with some for them. I should note that I’m operating with the idea that there’s a more even sex distribution throughout the tribes (even if the Ga-Matoran are still predominantly women) and as always, credit goes to @agatharights for coming up with the Matoran baseline that I’ve come to work off of.
Podu: Among the toughest of the Po-Matoran, Podu is an active member of the Po-Koro guard, protecting his people from whatever threat may emerge from the sea of sand. Though not as renowned an athelete as Hewkii, Podu is still quite accomplished as a Kohli player, possessing a powerful kick that can plow through any opposing team’s defense. Loyal and stubborn in equal measure, Podu will insistently plug away at a task until it’s done, though this does give him considerable tunnel vision, leaving him oblivious to very real threats to his own safety until they’re right on top of him.
Harena: Harena is something of an oddity. A traveling Matoran, he spends his time attending to the Vuata Maca trees in each village, ensuring they’re all healthy and producing enough fruit to sustain the Matoran there. Though by all accounts friendly and outgoing, he never seems to stay in one place for too long, constantly hopping around to keep an eye on each village’s tree. The other Matoran are typically glad to provide him with hospitality whenever he arrives, but when asked where his home is, his response is a vague “I go where the winds of fate take me.”
Nobua: The youngest child of Turaga Whenua, Nobua has great dreams and aspirations, no doubt inspired by the adventures of the wandering Ta-Matoran Takua. He’s particularly fascinated by the legends of the Toa and hopes that one day he’ll get the chance to meet one of them in person. Still too young to help out in the mines directly, he often helps his father out with administrative work.
Ombak: A rare non-hybrid Ga-Matoran born biologically male, Ombak is an accomplished surfer... and under an immense amount of pressure to pick a spouse so as to potentially keep the genetic strain going. Problem is, he doesn't really click with any of his suitresses and seems to have eyes elsewhere.
Tauraki: Very few Po-Matoran would earnestly profess to prefer the floating village of Ga-Koro to their desert home, but Tauraki has never been comfortable in the arid Po-Wahi and has made no secret of his desire to move to a more temperate climate. Unlike most of his kin, he's readily thrown himself at swimming lessons courtesy of regular visitor Macku, which she provides in exchange for sneaking her into the village to see Hewkii.
Phiri: An artist at heart dreaming of following in the footsteps of Kopeke, the only thing holding Phiri back... is her own crippling lack of self-confidence. Believing herself to be no good at the craft of ice sculpting, she instead resigns herself to sentry duty at the village's borders, where she's clearly bored out of her mind.
Iskra: The resident gossip of Ta-Koro, Iskra is on top of the rumors going around the village, regardless of their basis in the truth. She's excellent at spinning a yarn, however, and is incredibly charismatic. Vakama wishes she would stop and check her sources every once in a while.
Sekhala: A Po-Matoran athlete, Sekhala is an accomplished goalie who aspires to one day outclass Hewkii himself. Her boisterous nature is endearing to many of her compatriots, though annoying to others.
Beku: An oddly-colored Ko-Matoran, Beku isn't quite as well adjusted to the cold as his fellow tribesmen. Like Tauraki of Po-Koro, he's considered moving out to another village, one with a warmer climate and a more open and welcoming atmosphere.
Alavai: A Ga-Ko Hybrid, Alavai prefers cooler waters and can often be found near the base of Ko-Wahi swimming in its streams. Turaga Nokama can't help but see aspects of the late Toa Mangai Kanae in her, though she can't bring herself to say anything on the matter.
Handaki: An Onu-Matoran miner, Handaki's arms double as pistons that allow him to pound his way through solid rock. A serious, focused sort, Handaki is a dedicated worker and, off shift, a quiet, contemplative sort who puts his hands towards more delicate tasks like painting.
Moli: One of the Takara dancers of Ta-Koro, Moli prides herself on her mastery of expressing concepts through movement. She keeps close contact with the other dancers of the village and will often collaborate with them for mutual benefit.
"Kamu suka pantai ya?", tanya seseorang padaku di sebuah kesempatan.
"Tidak, aku lebih suka pegunungan", jawabku.
"Lalu kenapa banyak sekali fotomu di pantai?"
"Aku hanya belajar untuk pasrah dan mengikhlaskan, sebagaimana pantai melepas ombak. Kita semua pasti pernah memiliki keinginan, bermimpi untuk melakukan hal ini dan itu, memiliki ini dan itu, mencapai sebanyak-banyak hal dalam hidup. Tapi tak jarang kita hanya diminta untuk mengikhlaskan apa yang menjadi keinginan, cita-cita dan pencapaian kita. Sebagaimana aku menyukai gunung, tapi ternyata lebih banyak dipertemukan pantai. Aku hanya sedang belajar menjadi seikhlas pantai, meskipun sebetulnya sangat ingin menaklukan tingginya puncak gunung. Setidaknya saat belum mampu menaklukan gunung, aku masih punya hati yang bisa menerima apapun ketetapan dari Sang Kuasa."
Ada rindu, jantungku berdenyut merdu dalam dadaku. Suaranya terasa dari hembusan nafas yang berhembus, dan detak nadi dari setiap urat di tubuhku. "Aku rindu", suaranya menggema.
Burung-burung bersiul memangil pasangannya, suara angin yang berhembus menerpa ranting dan dedaunan, bunga-bunga menari lalu berguguran. Rindu sungguh seindah itu.
Lautan mengaum seperti singa yang kelaparan. Bukannya takut, nelayan seakan terpanggil untuk berlayar diperutnya. Terlihat nelayan mendorong perahunya, mendayung bersamaan dengan irama ombak yang menampar sisi perahunya. Di tengah, si nelayan melemparkan pukatnya. Begitu, rindu memang sulit dijelaskan.
Rindu itu seperti hembusan nafas, layaknya gulungan ombak, tak pernah berhenti. Sekali saj berhenti, hidup tak akan menarik lagi.
Aku ini ombak, yang entah itu perasaannya atau emosinya senantiasa pasang surut. Ada tenang yang memanjakkan setiap yang melihatnya, ada juga takut saat diterjang olehnya. Semua mendekat kepadaku, sebagian berlari menghindari. Tidak apa. Tidak semua harus menyukaiku.
Aku ini ombak, yang tidak semua bisa menaklukanku. Mungkin hanya beberapa. Dan dari beberapa hanya ada satu. Entah kamu batu pemecah ombak yang bisa menyerap sebagian energi gelombangku atau... peselancar yang lihai beradaptasi denganku.
Aku ini ombak, yang dengannya kamu bisa merasa nyaman dan damai tapi juga sesekali bergemuruh riuh. Kamu harus siap saat tiba pasang atau surut, juga riak atau gelombang.
Kamu boleh datang padaku membawa segala perasaan sedih atau bahagia.
Bayangkan kita berdiri di pantai, memadang jauh ke laut, menunggu ombak.
Seberapa banyak ombak memercik di kaki kita, yang tahu adalah kulit kita sendiri.
Seberapa dalam pasir menenggelamkan kita, yang tahu adalah kaki kita sendiri.
Seberapa keras ombak memecah kita, yang sadar adalah tubuh kita sendiri.
Tatkala ombak begitu hebat menggulung kita terombang-ambing, yang lemah adalah keberdirian kita sendiri.
Apapun yang membuat kita jatuh bangun, yang salah adalah kita sendiri. Apalagi jika pasir, ombak, laut, dan sandal tak pernah bertanya tentang apa maksud kita berdiri diantaranya...
