#Hewikii

[kanohivolitakk]

I find it very funny how one of the things Bionicle is notorious for is how Greg  basically cockblocked romance by saying romantic relationships don't exist in canon, yet in spite of that he made Nidhiki and Lariska have the dynamic they did in canon.

Like with other “if romance is not canon then explain this” dynamics in the series like Hewikii/Macku, Jaller/Hahli, Nokama/Vakama, or Mataus onesided crush on Nokama I can give Greg a bit more benefit of the doubt because most of the ship-teasing was in material that wasn’t in the books or comics (which Greg wrote) but rather in stuff like the movies or MNOG. And its very open that the writers of those were more open for romantic dynamic with the characters or at least hints of that sort, especially with the movies since they were released during a time it was almost a mandate for kids movies to have a romantic subplot, whether that fit to said movie or not. Greg didn’t really contribute to any of these dynamics, beyond possibly adding a bit more fuel into Matau being horny as fuck towards Nokama pile, tho I’m not sure if the snippets in the books where Matau flirted with Nokama were from the books that Greg wrote completely by himself or if they were in the movie adaptions.

Theres also the fact that most of these material was made before Greg announced that he yeeted romance from the canon, which is something I feel a lot of people tend to forget with this early material when debating over the canonicity of romance in the series.

But like. The dynamic between Nidhiki and Lariska is pretty much something Greg had full creative control over and created after he established that romantic love wasn’t a thing in the series. So  as such it really is worth to put into question that if romance isn’t canon according to Greg then why in the name of Mata Nui do Nidhiki and Lariska have sexual tension going on in their interactions?

Like I guess you could read their interactions as nothing but purely platonic but so much of the interactions between Nidhiki and Lariska comes across as borderline flirting for me. There’s just something deeply loaded in the way the two banter back and forth, the way they retort the other with playfully teasing comments. The way their interaction is like a dance or a tennis match, where each participant bounces off the other in a way that feels more and more loaded with each comment. Like an endless back and forth of pushs and pulls, swings and counterattacks. It’s very sparks fly type of dynamic you know? Especially since they really feel like a take of that whole “antagonists/enemies who flirt while they fight against each other” trope to the point I can’t help but wonder if Greg purposefully wrote them like that at least subconciously.

Once again, you can read their dynamic as platonic if you want to but at the same time: Greg if love isn't canon then why did you write Nidhiki and Lariska like that? Like theres nothing wrong with friendly banter but I feel we are past that and into flirting territory and sexual tension here.

[kanohivolitakk]

Thanks to @tiredspacedragon I can’t help but thinking of a version of the Voya/Mahri Nui arcs in which (a “survived the events of LOMN” and semi-redeemed but still bastard) Nidhiki tags along as team Inikas reluctant babysitter and the unofficial seventh member of team Inika.

Just the whole idea of this bastard being forced to care of others wellbeing while internally screaming the whole way is too funny for me. And the possibilities for comedic, enthralling and even bittersweet scenarios in this are almost endless.

Like god just to name a few ideas I have in regards to this plot-bunny:

-  During the whole journey Nidhiki rationalizing it all with “IM NOT HERE BECAUSE I LIKE IT IM HERE JUST BECAUSE YOU SIX ARE HELPLESS BEGINNERS” while slowly becoming more and more attached to team Inika

- Nidhiki’s love-hate-love relationship with Jaller because the latter is basically Lhikan’s reincarnation in all but actuality. Him just hating the guy yet feeling responsibility to protect him due to not wanting Lhikans death to repeat while Jaller being completely oblivious for this is too funny for me.

- On a related note I wonder if Nidhiki initially just sees Jaller as a “replacement” for Lhikan, only to have to eventually face off the fact that Jaller is not Lhikan, as much as he likes to think otherwise. That could create some more tension/drama haha.

- Another of team Inika whose interactions with Nidhiki would be interesting is Kongu. Because two toa of air interacting which each other means chaos (even if Kongu is less chaos incarnate compared with other toa of air iirc). There’s also the fact during the events of LOMN one of the matorans Nidhiki torture/interrogated was Kongu so that certainly could also give some tension, even if neither probably remembers that

- in general just the dynamics between Nidhiki and team Inika would be interesting. I wonder how much team Inika would know about Nidhiki and how that would affect the way they view him.

- Nidhiki facing off with the Piraka would certainly be interesting, given the groups past as former Dark Hunters gone rogue and Nidhiki basically on the same boat as well. Just the piraka be like “wait did TSO send you” and Nidhiki being like “I don’t work for TSO anymore”.

- I’m also curious of how Nidhiki’s interactions with Axonn and Brutaka would go. Brutaka especially given how they both are “bastard heroes gone rogue”. That being said his interactions with Axonn would be interesting too, given how he’s kinda similar to Lhikan

- I feel that while traveling to the Inferno, Nidhiki may not be present during the events of that book only to like, rush in the last moment/climax. Dunno makes sense

- Moving on to the Mahri ar, I feel that initially Nidhiki would be opposed in travelling to the Pit because he’s just “no I’m not getting my body altered for a second time” (assuming he knew about that thing my memory is loose in how the whole Mahri thing worked again), only for the guy to reluctantly following. Like he’s just “God will these idiots survive without me” and just, traverse under sea

- I wonder though,would he get alterations the same way team Mahri did when they went underwater. It would certainly be interesting to say the least.

- * @ Nuparu using Volitak “Well that’s certainly a useful and handsome mask good choice”

- Him encountering Maxilos!Teridax would be interesting. Teridax being surprised that he’s alive and taunting Nidhiki would be super interesting.

- IN ONE OF THE CLIMATIC BATTLES NIDHIKI JUST PROTECTING TEAM MAHRI AND BEING ALL “IM JUST DOING THIS BECAUSE YOU NEEDED IT , ITS NOT LIKE I LIKE YOU GUYS OR ANYTHING”

- His reaction to Matoros sacrifice and its aftermath would be interesting. Like yeah he would try to not care only for, yes, he does care

- I feel after team Mahri completed their mission Nidhiki would still tag along with them, although I can see either Axonn and/or Brutaka reaching him to offer part in a mission to retrieve a certain Makuta. But that’s not here or there, so let’s just leave it at that.

Feel free to replying and/or giving more ideas for the scenarios

[kanohivolitakk]

Honestly as fun as the “oh sure Greg can say love isn’t canon when he wrote all the subtext” jokes are the more I think about it they...aren’t really true

Because most of the romantic subtext comes either from MNOG or the movies, none of which Greg had involvement in. Things like whatever Hahli and Jaller had going on, Matau telling Nokama they should go to a “romantic drive”, Sidorak simping for Roodaka, literally everything Hewikii/Macku. All comes from stuff that Greg didn’t write, but was written either by the guys at Templar or the writers of the movies (Terry Molina and Shakespeare I think they were called not sure)

And for what romantic subtext Greg did give,  I feel pretty much everything is rather accidental apart of maaaybe the Matau/Nokama stuff from the novels. Other than that everything else was not meant to be read in a romantic way. Yes, this does apply to Daggerspider as well, I don’t think their interactions were meant to have romantic subtext, people just read it that way bcause their interactions are vaguely flirty.