Tuyet is such an interesting character to me because she's one of the few villains in the series who’se actions and motivations are driven by a concrete philosophy, rather than simply desiring power or whatnot. Like sure, she desires power, but powers more a means to an end rather than her wanting “power for powers sake” like how most other villains in the series from 05 onwards are.
And not only does Tuyet have a concrete mindset and philosophy, I just find said mindset and philosophy really interesting to think about. Like she thinks that the current way toa function is flawed because they don't do their job of protecting the matoran well enough. For Tuyet what’s keeping the Toa back is them being too soft and pacifistic, and thus can’t handle all the threats that could threaten those they swore to protect. In Tuyets mind, in order for Toa to be effective at their purpose, they must be willing to harm and kill their enemies. That’s the only way to achieve true peace.
And I find that mindset just soooo interesting. Fucked up and wrong yes, but it’s just so interesting to think about and dissect from an analytical level. Like Tuyet has very much a warped sense of justice with the way she sees the world with a clear cut black-and-white morality and has this “might makes right” type of mindset. She also is incredibly stubborn, as she thinks that she's right and everyone else are in the wrong, and that her mindset is the only way to bring peace. Everyone who thinks she’s wrong either doesn’t understand what she tries to accomplish or are her enemy and I just find that really hard set morality super fascinating to think about.
But yeah..I just find villains who see themselves as the good guys and their enemies as the evil that needs to be vanguished in spite of being really fucked up and evil in their actions so interesting, and Tuyet definitely falls under that archetype for me.
44 notes
·
View notes
POWER
The jungle of Bota Magna was dense and twisted, but that was not a problem for Toa Tuyet. Aided by her Mask of Intangibility, she flickered wraith-like through trees, leaves, and vines. She had already outpaced the fire that had spread from the now-destroyed prison tower. There would be no trace of her passage now, nothing to track. And even if the perpetrator of the ambush intended to hunt them all down…well…
She shifted the Nui Stone in her hand, smiling as she ran. The explosive blast of energy which had dissolved the tower into flaming rubble had not even touched her. Her power over water was greater than ever.
Tuyet emerged into a clearing and paused to get her bearings. The sun was different here–a single sun, rather than two...or more. This did not worry her. In her journey across universes, she had seen many like it.
“Toa Tuyet?”
The voice came from behind, and she whirled. Blade unsheathed, ready for violence.
It was a Matoran. Just a Matoran. She frowned, confused.
“How do you know me?” she demanded after a moment, advancing on the small being. “And what are you doing here? Talk.”
The Matoran shrugged. “I know a lot. In fact, I’ve wanted to speak with you for some time. You’re more formidable in person, I must say.”
Tuyet froze. Recognition. That voice…
“...You.”
“Oh?” The Matoran’s eyes widened slightly. “Now that is an interesting development. This isn’t the first time we’ve met, am I right? In some universe at least.”
Her blade twitched in her hand.
“Well, you were…taller,” she said slowly.
“Fascinating. Did we speak?”
“We had words, yes.”
“And what happened then?”
An immense blast of elemental water ripped through the jungle and tore a wide channel in the earth where the Matoran had stood.
“That,” Tuyet said quietly.
She turned away, sheathing her sword, but then stopped. The Matoran was still there. The image flickered, then stabilized. A projection?
“Disappointing,” the Matoran clucked, shaking his head.
Tuyet was already running.
======
The jungle melted into a green blur as she raced on, straight through the thick of it. She phased through a massive tree-trunk, vaulted a stream on the other side, kept going. It was dim under the canopy, lit by the occasional beam of light from above. She cleared a root-covered boulder and chanced a look back. Nothing. Turned back to her trail.
The Matoran was right in front of her again, arms wide. She swerved in surprise and momentarily lost focus, went spinning through a stand of bushes and crashed into a tree-trunk, solid once more.
“I wasn’t finished, you know,” the Matoran said. He was already standing over her.
“Die!” she yelled as she rose, and blades of pressurized water eviscerated the surrounding jungle. Trees and branches crashed down on all sides, and the blades formed into a liquid shield around her.
The image of the Matoran wavered beyond the barrier for a moment. Then it stepped forward, unphased, right through the rushing water. Her sword was out and ready again, eyes roving around the newly-created clearing.
“Where are you?!” she hissed, ignoring the projection.
“I’m wherever I need to be,” the Matoran said. “Are you ready to talk?”
“Say what you have to say then.”
“I see that you have my stone.”
“What?”
“In your hand. You seem quite attached to it. I think they call it the Nui Stone now. Very unimaginative.”
Tuyet’s eyes narrowed. “How do you…Is that it? You’re here to take the stone?”
“My stone,” the Matoran smiled. “You couldn’t have known, of course. I designed it so long ago…Anyways–”
Tuyet’s blade whizzed through the air, off to the left, and buried itself through the chest of the figure standing half-hidden behind a tree-root nearby. The projection in front of her winked out. She smirked, dissipating the water-sphere, and walked toward the target.
“No one takes what belongs to me,” she said. The Matoran looked up at her with wide eyes, then down at the blade that pinned his body to the tree-trunk.
“I was,” he said haltingly, “I was going to say…Keep the stone…But…”
His voice quieted. Tuyet leaned in closer.
“You should know,” he continued, "that I always have...contingencies.”
The Matoran flickered and vanished. Tuyet cursed and tore her blade from the tree, springing away, whirling to attack again–
Intense pain struck her. Pain in her hand, the one holding the stone. Her arm seized up and she stumbled to her knees, dazed. She tried to drop the stone, but her fingers were locked tight. With a shock, she saw that the normally red crystal had darkened to a deep black.
The Matoran was right in front of her now, solid and real. Desperate, she summoned another blast of water to wipe away her foe…
Nothing happened.
She tried again, shuddering with pain. The Matoran stepped up to her, eye-level. Not a scratch on him. Her blade rose shakily, but he batted it away. Reaching down, he plucked the Nui Stone out of her hand, easy as anything.
“All our works return to us,” the Matoran said quietly, almost to himself. He tossed the stone from one hand to another.
“What…?” she gasped. The pain began to fade, but something was wrong. Something inside of her.
“Oh, it’s just a saying. About consequences. The Great Beings never thought of it that way, of course. If we had, maybe–”
“No…” she interjected, finding her voice. “What did you do…to me? Tell me what you did.”
“Like I said, it’s my stone,” the Matoran said. “Use it against me, and its power turns on you. Neat trick. The stone has drained you of all your power, Toa, and sealed it away. I’m afraid it’s permanent.”
A wave of nausea washed over Tuyet. She was going to pass out.
“No…You can’t. I was going to…to…”
“To conquer the world? I’m aware of your aspirations, Toa Tuyet. That’s why I wanted to speak with you. I think you can help me.”
“Me…help you?” She spat the words out.
“Yes. To bring order to this world.”
“Why should I? You’ve ended me. Without my powers, I’m…” She trailed off.
“You are nothing. That’s true. Power makes us real, makes us matter. Without it, you are of no consequence. But…”
The Matoran leaned in.
“You know…‘Permanent’ is such a strong word after all, and I’m not one to waste good potential.”
Tuyet looked into the eyes of the Matoran that had taken everything from her. He held out the Nui Stone. She understood.
“What must I do?”
======
Context: 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 powerful characters (including Toa Tuyet) are being targeted by a mysterious murderer (the Great Being Velika), to be either killed or recruited to his cause.
77 notes
·
View notes