#the first set i got was mantax

[wjbs-bonkle-au]

Sometimes I think about how Bionicle G2 came out in 2015, and then I remember that I was 13 at the time and have a minor existential panic as I realise that being 13 seems like ages ago but Bionicle G2 seems more recent, which gets worse when I realise that I only got into Bionicle G1 two years before it ended but it seemed longer because I was a lot younger and a year seemed longer because I hadn't been alive for that long at the time, and the chorus of Once in a Lifetime starts playing in my head as I start thinking about the fleeting nature of life, and I panic even more despite the fact that time still Feels Long to me.

[the-almighty-bean]

A1, A7, B12, C4 for the BIONICLE asks?

A1 (Favourite character): I want to say G1 Onua, but my longstanding fondness and devotion to the OG earth man is sort of inextricable from my love for the original Onua toy, which is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. As a character, I'm not sure Onua really stands up, for me, against... I guess maybe Mantax? Mantax's "silent villain who's so isolated and mysterious that his fellow villains view him as a threat, oh and also he's lived for countless eons in a horrific prison being mutated into an abomination" is just... I couldn't get enough of that when I was 14.

A7 (Favourite Toa team): Nothing since 2001-2002 has ever grabbed me on a visceral, primal level like those first years of Bionicle did, so I'm sorry but the Toa (I can't even really get into calling them the "Toa Mata") have always been and remain everything to me.

B12 (Favourite digital game): Mata Nui Online Game would win this one for me, solely on the grounds of it being the most formative chunk of Bionicle story and worldbuilding for me; considered strictly as games, I have a lot of fondness for the more arcade-y online games, especially Piraka Attack and Matoran Escape.

But let's be real, there's only one answer for the best digital Bionicle game of all time:

HUAI SNOWBALL SLIIIIIIIIIING

C4 (How did you get into BIONICLE?): I was eight years old when it came out and was already a fairly big Lego nerd; I remember seeing the first images of the original Toa in the lil' mini-catalogues you got in the bigger Lego sets, and goddammit I was hooked. (And then they started sending out Bionicle comics with the free Lego Magazine, and my friends with high-speed internet let us watch them play through the Mata Nui Online Game, and that sealed the deal.)

[thegeneralrpofhell]

Kangaskhan made a happy noise, clapping at the show little Popplio was giving and picking the little pokemon up, setting it down gently in her pouch, where it would be comfy and see everything. Well, at least Kangaskhan was happy. He rubbed Mortie’s head, not really looking at her all that much since he was distracted, responding Fay: “Yes, I’m sure that is it.” He didn’t even know Iyabo and Eagle had a thing for each other. But it would explain a lot. He felt a bit embarrassed about the fact that all he caught was a sick Feebas, but what could he do. “We should probably meet up. Or we go to the guys that can rate our Pokemon first. I do want to find out if one of us won.”

“Cyndy? Cinder? Ya ain’t the most creative with nicknames, are ya, lass?” Drake laughed, grinning down at Putri, no malice on his face. When he wasn’t in despair this guy really had no bad bone in his body. “Oshawott didn’t like training wit us cause it didn’t feel challenged. It wanted ta get stronger and see te world. So e’ll be good wit ya. Meanwhile I’ll take care of dis lil guy.” He run a finger of cyndaquil’s head, looking very happy. “Now we ‘ave summink of each other, now ya won’t forget me on ya long long journey...”

Once they got inside the room Eagle huffed, dragging the zipper of his uniform down. It was just too hot for that much clothing, but he didn’t want to undress outside, even if it was super normal. Even Yuri wore a short sleeved shirt despite some scars. Eagle wore a plain shirt with a pidgey on underneath, the neck pretty low so more of his scars were visible, but he didn’t particularly care when it was just him and Iyabo. She had scars too, she knew what it would be like. “Mantyke’s not a flyin’ type. Mantax is....oh no, I can’t evolve it...” Eagle facepalmed, just now remembering that he needed a Remoraid to evolve Mantyke, for whatever reason THAT was necessary. He really needed a shower, he was all sweaty now. He took off his boots and socks, both soaked, enjoying the break he got to take. He’d need to fly back with his Staraptor tomorrow, which was currently outside the motel, entertaining Manectric by flying away and allowing it to chase it.

Lucy smiled. “Pyukumuku is pretty neat, don’t you think? I think it’s neat. It has- uh....a lot of hidden potential!” She called Pyukumuku back after giving it lots of praise, turning to Aditi. “I couldn’t have done it without your help, no matter how small it was, so you- uh..... deserve a thanks! ...Maybe I would make. Who knows. You’re probably gonna become a lot, uh- better than me.” She looked over to Zoroark, tilting her head with a small smile: “Zoroark’s a pretty neat Pokemon, don’t you think? Apart from yours, I never uh- saw another one! Well, I probably did but never realized...” Torterrar got up, making a noise as a greeting for Zoroark, nodding. Then it trotted over to Lucy so she could sit on its back. She seemed to be very happy with the day, promising: “I’ll take good care of the Spheal. I’ll uh-...keep this moment forever in memory!”

[octopodeez]

Am I the only one who got a Mantis/Drax ship out of Vol. 2?

I hate the trope of “if a guy and a girl interact regularly then they are in love there is no such thing as friendship”, and I feel like Drax and Mantis are def being set up for that. But I ship it so hard, dear god please let them get together.

I think they’re two characters who need to be loved. Yes, they are finally experiencing love in a family sense via the guardians (Mantis, for the first time in her life), but Drax lost his wife/daughter, and Mantis was raised by a man who made her call him master and convinced her she was a flea. There’s a certain void things like that leave, and I feel like a romantic partner might help them further fill it. 

I just hope that Drax redeems himself a little in terms of how he treats her before it happens. I know his interactions with her are supposed to be funny to the audience (I thought they were fucking hilarious), and I know that Drax genuinely isn’t trying to be a dick, but at the same time, I’d like to see him be a little nicer to her – which I am confident  he will be, based on the ending of Vol 2.

I’d also like to see him go to Quill for advice + Quill gives him terrible advice = Gamora steps in and whips those boys into shape.

I have faith in James Gunn when it comes to romance after the way he handled Gamora and Quill (a relationship I used to be really against because of the aforementioned trope). Typically we see the man initiate relationships, and even if the partner is hesitant at first, eventually they give in because a man is the only thing to crack their hard exterior blah blah blah he grabs them and kisses them blah blah blah it’s super romantic. But despite Peter pursuing Gamora, the relationship is still started on her terms, in a way that is true to her character. There is no kiss. There is no dramatic speech. Depite the thing being clearly there, it still remains unspoken. And I love that. And I think that we could see a similar dynamic between Mantis and Drax.

I digressed hard, sorry about that.

In conclusion: I love Mantis and Drax. (Mantax? Draxis?) 

I’ll also just quietly tag @jamesgunn because why not.  

[wjbs-bonkle-au]

This post crossed my vision again so I might as well include the stuff in the tags as part of the main post-body, so:

#for those who care i got into bionicle because a teacher at primary school gave me the VHS of Mask of Light because her son didn't want it

#the first set i got was mantax

#before that my parents got me these weird megabloks things that were essentially just double scale bonks with an emergency services theme

#i got a police one‚ a hospital one and *maybe* a firefighter one

#they also did some ones that came with dogs and i think i remember one that either had two heads (one human one dog) or a two headed dog

Sometimes I think about how Bionicle G2 came out in 2015, and then I remember that I was 13 at the time and have a minor existential panic as I realise that being 13 seems like ages ago but Bionicle G2 seems more recent, which gets worse when I realise that I only got into Bionicle G1 two years before it ended but it seemed longer because I was a lot younger and a year seemed longer because I hadn't been alive for that long at the time, and the chorus of Once in a Lifetime starts playing in my head as I start thinking about the fleeting nature of life, and I panic even more despite the fact that time still Feels Long to me.