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What Bionicle Means/meant To You


Pohaturon

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We're on the tail end of what should have been the third year of Bionicle G2, and there's a high chance that the theme is gone for good. My personal hopes to the contrary notwithstanding, that is what the biggest likelihood is. 

I'm not here to debate whether it will ever return, or if it even should, but rather to look back and ask what it meant to my fellow BZPowerians. Not just G1 or G2, but Bionicle as a whole.

 

Was it just a cool looking toyline for you, or more? Did you collect the figures without much care for the story? Was it the other way around, with the world and lore gripping you without feeling a need to own the sets? Do you have some kind of emotional connection to it or was it just a cool hobby that you don't particularly mind having passed? Did you collect the sets for their own sake, or was it to get parts for MOCs?

 

For me, I feel I got more attached to Bionicle than I maybe should have, but there's a reason for that - it was one of the very few positive aspects of a tough and dark childhood. It helped me cope during the hard times, and I've grown a great deal of appreciation for both the sets and the storyline. I replay MNOG once every year, almost always listen to the soundtrack of the films or games when writing, frequently build MOCs and try to engage with what remains of the community as an effort to contribute to keeping it alive. When Bionicle got cancelled (both times) I added my voice to the crowd saying that the fans can and should keep it alive, and BZP is the epitome of that. I've been lurking since ~2004, so this site has become entwined with my perception of Bionicle as a whole.

Making a product line which ultimately serves as a source of income for a corporation part of your identity is silly and childish, but as a child Bionicle made such an impression on me that it still lingers. I still read the books, am fascinated by the unique world and setting of it. The various characters, the deep lore and intriguing locations always fascinated me. I still strive to complete my collection of sets, and am quite close, but as the years go by achieving that goal becomes harder and harder. Whenever I engage with Bionicle in any way (MOCing, playing one of the game, watching the films, etc) I always eventually reach a point where I just wish there was more to explore, and more coming. The anticipation of images for next year's sets, reading the comics and seeing as the story develops, speaking with other fans about set design or how we imagine upcoming sets will look like based on hints and leaks, discussing the way the story is progressing - I miss all that. G2 brought it back briefly, but was marred by so many fans disliking it, and it was taken away again far too soon. 

 

Right now the soundtrack of the films is running in another tab, and is likely influencing my starting of this thread, but I'm curious to know how big a thing Bionicle was in the lives of other fans, and what it means to them.

 

:kakama:

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:kakama: Stone rocks :kakama:

Model Designer at The LEGO Group. Former contributor at New Elementary. My MOCs can be found on Flickr and Instagram

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"It meant everything to me. It still does."

- Vakama

 

I personally think that Bionicle G1 is one of the greatest stories ever written. It had its ups and downs, certainly, but there's something about the world, lore and characters that always draws me in. I think the films failed to represent the intricacies of the story that were explored in the comics, novels and serials (yeah, I know there's only so much you can fit in a movie that's slightly shorter than the most recent Game of Thrones episode), but I love the first three for what they are and have a particular emotional connection to Nathan Furst's scores (which I think are some of the best out there). I collected many of the sets (not all of them, but a lot of them) throughout the G1 days and still keep some of my MOCs on display on some shelves.

 

In a nutshell, Bionicle was one of the best aspects of my youth and I think the story and sets really hold up. I never read or watched any of the G2 story and didn't get any of the sets, but it is unfortunate that it never got a chance to fully develop like G1 did. Regardless, G1 will always have a special place in my heart - and a few gigabytes devoted to its media on my devices.

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Both g1 and g2 were awesome, with g2 improving the sets, the story played some role in my purchases, and one of my favorite things to do is to make custom creations.

In my opinion, g2 improved upon most aspects that g1 failed at, and luckily wasn’t a g1 remake, which for some reason many fans disliked(why dislike something for being original?).

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Sometimes, I don't know if I like Bionicle because of what I like, or if Bionicle is why I like what I like. I love action, I love lore, I love fantasy and sci-fi being mixed, and I'm a sucker for a good musical score and for metal. When I listen to the score from the original trilogy, it makes me want to cry. Only 2 other works have ever done that to me: Night at the Museum 3, because of the nostalgia; and Undertale, because Asriel reminds me so much of what I was like as a kid, so his hardship really hits home. Mind you, no work of fiction has actually made me cry, but that's not the point. Bionicle has an emotional weight over me nothing else does because it reminds me of what it was like to be a kid. That's a time in my life I'll always miss--a time when I didn't have to worry about politics, or really hard math, or girls or employment or anything but what I wanted to do in the present moment.

 

That's why I was so hyped for G2, and so crushed when it ended. Collecting the sets made me feel like a kid again. I was just collecting toys, and having fun admiring how cool they looked, and thinking about how awesome the characters they represented were. I've grown tired of everything else Lego-related. System just does nothing for me anymore. But Bionicle? It was always there for me. It was what I looked forward to every Christmas and birthday, the saga that enraptured me with its twists and turns, the world I could get lost in and fall in love with. If, Mata Nui forbid, I ever have children, and if I sit down and watch LoMN with them, I can't promise I won't break down when Lhikan dies and Vakama just turns his head away from the camera, struggling not to do what I'm doing.

 

Call me sentimental, or a hopeless romantic, or the author of the newest copypasta; but I would kill to have G3 and have it be good. Bionicle is more than just what I loved as a boy, it's a crucial part of who I am.

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To me, Bionicle is just a bunch of plastic which looks cool.

 

JUST KIDDING  :P

 

Bionicle is an amazing thing that should be cherished and loved by all. Similarly to Pohaturon, Bionicle was a helper in tough times of my life. Many years ago now, one Christmas my Auntie came to visit and handed me a present, all she knew was that I liked Lego, I unwrapped it to find Tahu himself! I was very excited to try out this new variety of Lego and wasted no time in building him. When me and my Brother played with our Star Wars and other assorted system sets, Tahu always had a place in the story :)

 

During this time of having Tahu, I was in a "special" needs School, having been separated from my friends at my prior school, Lego was my only resort and source of happiness in this time. I took to the internet and discovered more and more sets, and here I am today!

 

The moral of this story is that Bionicle is an amazing toyline which is special to me for providing a light in the dark and an overall awesome adventure in itself. The ending was such a disappointment because it came just weeks after I had bought some of the comics, all of this time before I had to read them online.

 

Another part of Bionicle I love is the exploration factor. Due to how my life has worked out, I get to do very little exploration outside of my own home region, so having Bionicle and it's awesome exploration of intriguing new worlds has always been such an excitement to me. One thing I am sad about is that I haven't really been able to share my Bionicle journey with anyone offline because apart from two of my Brother's enemies, I am the only Bionicle fan I know, thankfully BZPower has offered a wonderful environment to share in the love of this awesome franchise! thank you so much to everyone on here for being amazing!

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My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClo2J14RKmVtcnoJTv7g6PA , Bionicle films coming soon!

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The reason I still collect G1 Bionicle sets going into 2018 now is because Bionicle holds a very special place in my heart. As soppy as it sounds, I've had far too many fond memories with this toy line to let it go, and I certainly am glad I didn't, since collecting them is one of most enjoyable hobbies I have at the moment.

 

With Bionicle G1 they got it almost completely perfect IMO, and anyone who grew up with it is definitely in the top 1% most privileged childhoods in the world.

Edited by Tarix819
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LEGO for some reason put so much faith, work, and love into BIONICLE that I've never observed them put into another line. We all by now recognize the "LEGO formula" (color-coded heroes learn unity while fighting the bad guy to save the leader guy) exemplified in Knights' Kingdom, Exo-Force, Ninjago, Chima, Nexo Knights, and others still I'm probably forgetting, but those series, while I'm quite nostalgic for some of them, never felt like they had fully-fledged characters or locations. BIONICLE is the only one that truly rose above its origins as toy promotion.

 

I've found myself watching the original BIONICLE trilogy more and more recently. I can appreciate more now how complex the story is, juggled between movies, comics, and novels. It's so weird to, while watching a direct-to-DVD children's film, have to think, "oh, they had another battle with the Rahkshi in the comics between these two scenes." It's such a big, beautiful mess of story.

 

I'll admit I've lived a privileged life and never truly suffered, but BIONICLE does still stick out to me as a safe haven in trying times.

 

(Also, I'm currently just reading Makuta's Guide to the Universe for the first time, so excuse my sentimentality. It's just so rich and awesome!)

 

I want little more than to just get home from middle school and log onto BZP to read and write some new comedies.

Edited by Master Inika
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"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
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"It meant everything to me. It still does."

- Vakama

(this)

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As a child, I went through a lot of what I call "obsessions."  The toys I played with, the books I read, the heroes I pretended to be when I played.  Dinosaurs, big rigs, Superman, and many other things will always hold a place in my heart.

 

Today, the only one which still holds is Bionicle.  Not only do I frequently build MOCs, I play with them, staging my own little battles, creating stories in my head.  I was incredibly excited for G2 when it came out, but it really didn't do much to fill the Bionicle-shaped hole that had been left after G1 ended.  But, you know what?  That's OK.  G2 is its own story, with a beautiful (if somewhat shallow) world, and unique characters.  now, in my opinion, G1 was better.  The convoluted story has never really bothered me that much; I always like to create my own world, and my own story.  Bionicle was one of the very best parts of my life, and it saddens me to think that we might never get it back.

 

I can only count myself incredibly lucky that I existed at the same time as this amazing story, even if I was only old enough to really get into it after 2005.

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Fuel for my desire to collect, to write, to dream.

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Voicing your opinions with tact is the best way to keep a discussion from becoming an argument.
So far as I'm aware, it's pronounced like this: We're ee ah moo.
 

Check out my Creations:

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I could launch into a long speech about just how important Bionicle is to me, but I think similar sentiments have already been echoed here, so these are the quotes that best describe it for me:

 

 "It meant everything to me. It still does."

- Vakama

 

But Bionicle? It was always there for me. It was what I looked forward to every Christmas and birthday, the saga that enraptured me with its twists and turns, the world I could get lost in and fall in love with.

 

LEGO for some reason put so much faith, work, and love into BIONICLE that I've never observed them put into another line. We all by know recognize the "LEGO formula" (color-coded heroes learn unity while fighting the bad guy to save the leader guy) exemplified in Knights' Kingdom, Exo-Force, Ninjago, Chima, Nexo Knights, and others still I'm probably forgetting, but those series, while I'm quite nostalgic for some of them, never felt like fully-fledged characters or locations. BIONICLE is the only one that truly rose above its origin as toy promotion.

 

I can only count myself incredibly lucky that I existed at the same time as this amazing story

 

The quote that explains it the most, however, is:

 

I personally think that Bionicle G1 is one of the greatest stories ever written.

 

I do think that the sets and story were both essential to Bionicle, and one without the other wouldn't have had the same impact on me, but in essence, it's the story that I most love about Bionicle. It's easy to downplay Bionicle, simply because it's a toyline, but many people don't realize just how well the whole thing was planned and executed from a story-telling/world-building perspective.

 

I'm not saying that the writing in the Bionicle books is top-notch (in fact, Greg's writing style often leaves a lot to be desired), but Bionicle definitely has the deepest lore and the greatest story I have ever encountered. Not only does it create an entire world from scratch, it also manages to make it feel real and alive in a way no other story has ever done to me. Plus, the whole story happening within the GSR is masterfully designed and gracefully executed. The level of planning that is required to pull something like that off is mind-blowing, and they succeeded in keeping the whole thing secret for 8 years, while still dropping hints throughout the years. This level of dedication is unheard of in any other Lego theme, and it's likely Lego will never go for something like that again, as long as simple stories with shallow characters (not saying they're all shallow, but definitely not on par with Bionicle's characters) are enough for them to sell their products.

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To me bionicle is a link to a different time. A time in which I felt more... at peace with the world. It's something that I have consistently enjoyed since I was 3 years old. To hold an old canister and know that I handled that with much smaller hands 15 years ago is a very.... I guess reassuring feeling. It is the something that I've always cared about on some level. There are very few things in my life currently that I have that much history with. It brings me back to a time before iphones and social media were mainstream. Brings me back to a time when I was still using the VHS. And when I wasn't aware of all the economic challenges that will face me in the future. A time that I felt much more at home in. That's what it means to me on a personal level.

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It's time to move on.

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What dose Bionicle mean to me?

 

It was more than a great story to me.

The sets and parts themselves have been a comfort to me my whole life.

I click around with some pieces and it's a calming experience. It puts me at piece.

It's always a part of me and this reflects in my self MOC. Made from parts going back to the first day I ever own to the last bionicle set I got from G2.

 

No matter its form Bionicle will always be in my life.

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Hey I got a Flickr because I like making LEGO stuff.

https://www.flickr.com/people/toatimelord/
 

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  • 1 month later...

Good question. Well, Bionicle is one of my favorite franchises. It’s like Lego’s equivalent to Transformers. I find it awesome. I love the sets, as I like build-able action figures, they have gear systems, neat molds, bendable joints, and shooting and throwing projectiles. They’re very fun to collect.

For the G1 story, it’s very compelling and well-told. I love the character development here and there. I love following the story. It’s like DC Comics, Marvel, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, Star Wars, Transformers, and Steven Universe. The G2 story, well, it’s like The Amazing Spider-Man movies in 2012-2014: being an inferior reboot to G1.

The media overall needs some work, like having a TV show, like Ninjago.

Bionicle is one of the best and most popular Lego themes. Lego shouldn’t have thrown it away at all.

Bionicle is a part of my childhood. I consider it to be my Lego-related hobby, and I grew up with it. I even like to talk about it to my friends in Instagram. I made a bunch of Bionicle-related pictures for fun. I even use them to calm down. I also celebrate Bionicle’s anniversaries to honor it. When I went to New York Comic Con in 2014 to see Bionicle’s return, I was so happy that I cried in tears of happiness. Every time Bionicle ended, I tried in tears of sadness because I loved it so much. Hero Factory did cheer me up because it kept my hobby of building Lego constraction figures with Lego’s original stories active. Now that Bionicle is gone and there is no replacement for it now, I feel like I don’t have the hobby anymore. I don’t know what to do for Lego.:(

 

So, there you have it.

Edited by Lenny7092
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I like Lego, Bionicle, and Hero Factory!:)

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Bionicle was the main reason i met my best and greatest friend way back in 2004. I was moving back to Iceland after moving from Denmark. I never had any exceptional friends, just my toys which pokemon cards, lego system and Throwbots/Slizers.

 

Bionicle was inmedidately got me hooked when i was 13 and saw the promotional materials in the Roboriders instructions manuals. Later after several years and i was about to start in a Upper Middle High School i talked to a classmate on my way back from gym class and to our school and asked him if he was into bionicle which turns out he was... so me and Ace became really close friends.

 

Also since i'm usually not always much outside, i'm a apartment loner and bionicle and Transformers really give me something to fiddle with ever since I started in 2001 when i was 13 and i still have most of my figures including a few Gen 2 figures as of my current ago of 30 years old.

Edited by necross hordika
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I will not tell the whole story, but I will tell the necessary parts.

 

When I was younger, I had just started getting the Lego magazine, after getting the smallest Lego Ninjas set. I was was mainly into Throwbots, which seemed to be the coolest thing. I was reading through the latest Lego club magazine, and saw Bionicle. I thought "wow, this is cooler than Throwbots".

 

My Dad was working at a toy store, so I had him pick up Tahu for me. Then that Christmas, I got the Nui-Jaga. And sadly, that would be my last Lego set before my mental disorders got bad. My life got turned on its head. Instead of Lego, I started spending my time on games more than ever because I was to depressed to build anything Lego. It was like that for years. 

 

I ended up in the hospital three years later. And then, my first Lego set after that was Skrall from the Glatorian wave. I rediscovered Bionicle, and started buying lots of Lego things. Not longe after, I found out about the Cancelation of Bionicle Gen 1. It hit me hard. 

 

I then started MOCing for a short while. But I could not build anything that nice, so I gave up on it. 

 

I started buying Lego Factory sets, even though it was not as great as Bionicle. When I found out about Gen 2, it was like I refound an old friend. then at the beginning of 2016, I started MOCing. And I finally was able to make something I could be proud of. One day, I was looking at youtube videos while my brother was playing Fallout on my PS4. I saw a TTV video that mentioned Bionicle was cancelled. As I clicked on the video, I was hoping to myself it was a joke. as I watched the video, I was hit hard. It was like I lost something that day. I went to my Mom, and told her what happened. I told her the the thing that lifted my spirits after my hospital stay was Bionicle.

 

A week later, I saw how people were not giving up on MOCing and writing stories. I decided I would focus on writing the stories and making the characters that were moving around in my head. I really wish we will get Gen 3 one day, but until that happens, I will do my own thing. 

 

Bionicle was my last set before the worst part of my life, and the first Lego set after my hospital stay. It will always be a symbol of my recovery.

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A fish wielding vampire. That's Spiffy.

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I will not tell the whole story, but I will tell the necessary parts.

 

When I was younger, I had just started getting the Lego magazine, after getting the smallest Lego Ninjas set. I was was mainly into Throwbots, which seemed to be the coolest thing. I was reading through the latest Lego club magazine, and saw Bionicle. I thought "wow, this is cooler than Throwbots".

 

My Dad was working at a toy store, so I had him pick up Tahu for me. Then that Christmas, I got the Nui-Jaga. And sadly, that would be my last Lego set before my mental disorders got bad. My life got turned on its head. Instead of Lego, I started spending my time on games more than ever because I was to depressed to build anything Lego. It was like that for years. 

 

I ended up in the hospital three years later. And then, my first Lego set after that was Skrall from the Glatorian wave. I rediscovered Bionicle, and started buying lots of Lego things. Not longe after, I found out about the Cancelation of Bionicle Gen 1. It hit me hard. 

 

I then started MOCing for a short while. But I could not build anything that nice, so I gave up on it. 

 

I started buying Lego Factory sets, even though it was not as great as Bionicle. When I found out about Gen 2, it was like I refound an old friend. then at the beginning of 2016, I started MOCing. And I finally was able to make something I could be proud of. One day, I was looking at youtube videos while my brother was playing Fallout on my PS4. I saw a TTV video that mentioned Bionicle was cancelled. As I clicked on the video, I was hoping to myself it was a joke. as I watched the video, I was hit hard. It was like I lost something that day. I went to my Mom, and told her what happened. I told her the the thing that lifted my spirits after my hospital stay was Bionicle.

 

A week later, I saw how people were not giving up on MOCing and writing stories. I decided I would focus on writing the stories and making the characters that were moving around in my head. I really wish we will get Gen 3 one day, but until that happens, I will do my own thing. 

 

Bionicle was my last set before the worst part of my life, and the first Lego set after my hospital stay. It will always be a symbol of my recovery.

Thanks for sharing that. It's a great testimony to the impact something like BIONICLE can have. I've not likely experienced what you have, but I can say I felt similarly to you at times like the cancelations (and in particular I remember taking Matoro's death the same way I would a real celebrity). It's heartwarming to read that our favorite toy line got you through what sounds like a very trying time for you. I hope all is well, and feel free to PM me if you ever feel like talking to someone.
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"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

nichijou2.jpg

Click here to visit my library!

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I will not tell the whole story, but I will tell the necessary parts.

 

When I was younger, I had just started getting the Lego magazine, after getting the smallest Lego Ninjas set. I was was mainly into Throwbots, which seemed to be the coolest thing. I was reading through the latest Lego club magazine, and saw Bionicle. I thought "wow, this is cooler than Throwbots".

 

My Dad was working at a toy store, so I had him pick up Tahu for me. Then that Christmas, I got the Nui-Jaga. And sadly, that would be my last Lego set before my mental disorders got bad. My life got turned on its head. Instead of Lego, I started spending my time on games more than ever because I was to depressed to build anything Lego. It was like that for years. 

 

I ended up in the hospital three years later. And then, my first Lego set after that was Skrall from the Glatorian wave. I rediscovered Bionicle, and started buying lots of Lego things. Not longe after, I found out about the Cancelation of Bionicle Gen 1. It hit me hard. 

 

I then started MOCing for a short while. But I could not build anything that nice, so I gave up on it. 

 

I started buying Lego Factory sets, even though it was not as great as Bionicle. When I found out about Gen 2, it was like I refound an old friend. then at the beginning of 2016, I started MOCing. And I finally was able to make something I could be proud of. One day, I was looking at youtube videos while my brother was playing Fallout on my PS4. I saw a TTV video that mentioned Bionicle was cancelled. As I clicked on the video, I was hoping to myself it was a joke. as I watched the video, I was hit hard. It was like I lost something that day. I went to my Mom, and told her what happened. I told her the the thing that lifted my spirits after my hospital stay was Bionicle.

 

A week later, I saw how people were not giving up on MOCing and writing stories. I decided I would focus on writing the stories and making the characters that were moving around in my head. I really wish we will get Gen 3 one day, but until that happens, I will do my own thing. 

 

Bionicle was my last set before the worst part of my life, and the first Lego set after my hospital stay. It will always be a symbol of my recovery.

This is really powerful, thanks for sharing it! It perfectly sums up why Bionicle should never be dismissed as "just a toyline".

 

:kakama:

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:kakama: Stone rocks :kakama:

Model Designer at The LEGO Group. Former contributor at New Elementary. My MOCs can be found on Flickr and Instagram

:smilepohatunu: :smilehuki:

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"It meant everything to me. It still does."

- Vakama

*Sigh...* So many feels right now reading everybody's story. What can be said that hasn't already been said? Well, here's my attempt at it all.

 

I was amazed by BIONICLE when it came out in 2001. I an my brothers wanted to get the sets so badly, but my folks weren't entirely sold yet. Said the Toa looked scary or something like that. (Go figure?)

My very first BIONICLE was Pahrak. I got him as a gift from the Tooth Fairy after I lost a particularly difficult tooth that year. I loved him, but felt lacking because he needed a hero to fight, so soon afterwards I saved up what little work money I earned and got the Boxor (yes Nuparu was my very first Tohunga, and still my fav!) I didn't get into the comics and books until the next year though. After that things just kicked off like crazy, we began collection all the sets we could get our hands on, all the masks and collectibles etc. We stayed with it until the end, building MOCs, making our own fan fiction stories (including a love triangle between Gresh, Gelu and Kiina). I was so saddened when BIONICLE ended. It was a major part of my childhood, a way for me to bond with my brothers and gave me so many fond memories.

 

During it's last years, I found BZPower, and started lurking behind the shadows reading all the fanfiction, reading the official greg chats, waiting eagerly for new information. I didn't join until much more recently (going on 4 years!  :bzp: ) I got to meet all you guys, people who shared my love for this seemingly simple toy brand, shared the wonder of seeing Metru Nui for the first time, sharing the tales of the Toa who fought for what was right to the bitter end. Many of us have never met, but we share this bond, as if you are all a part of my own Brotherhood.

 

Most importantly, BIONICLE set me on the career path that I'm on now. I was fascinated with the biomechanical characters, and I got to thinking one day, "is that even possible today?" So I started researching it, got more and more fascinated, and thought, "This is something I could make one day!" So years later, I am currently a Mechanical Engineer, designing new and better machinery, still with the thought in my mind that one day I might have a hand in making a true Toa one day. :D

 

What does BIONICLE mean to me? It means family. It means friends. It's made me who I am today. And if I have kids at a future date, you can bet your bottom dollar I'm introducing them to Tahu and his team, along with the comics, books, and movies, the whole package, so the legend can be shared by at least one more person.

 

That is what BIONICLE meant (and still means) to me.

 

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Edited by Iron_Man5
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Formerly Iron_Man5

 

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Thanks for sharing that. It's a great testimony to the impact something like BIONICLE can have. I've not likely experienced what you have, but I can say I felt similarly to you at times like the cancelations (and in particular I remember taking Matoro's death the same way I would a real celebrity). It's heartwarming to read that our favorite toy line got you through what sounds like a very trying time for you. I hope all is well, and feel free to PM me if you ever feel like talking to someone.

 

The sad truth is that medication and doctor visits can't fix it all. I am going to live with a lot of my problems for the rest of my life. But I am happy to build MOCs and write stories.

A fish wielding vampire. That's Spiffy.

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Thanks for sharing that. It's a great testimony to the impact something like BIONICLE can have. I've not likely experienced what you have, but I can say I felt similarly to you at times like the cancelations (and in particular I remember taking Matoro's death the same way I would a real celebrity). It's heartwarming to read that our favorite toy line got you through what sounds like a very trying time for you. I hope all is well, and feel free to PM me if you ever feel like talking to someone.

The sad truth is that medication and doctor visits can't fix it all. I am going to live with a lot of my problems for the rest of my life. But I am happy to build MOCs and write stories.

 

I agree; I remember having a meal with two friends once and being the only one who wasn't on meds. I just sat quietly while they compared the types of medications they had.

 

Shame they'll never know the simple fulfillment that is finding the right weapon or armor piece for your custom character.

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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Click here to visit my library!

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It got me interested in fictional world-building, and BZPower was my first real taste of internet culture and online communities. Also, my first ever fandom OC was a Bionicle OC.

 

So it almost singlehandedly kickstarted a lot of my nerdy fandom side.

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I didn't really get into Bionicle until just before it ended.  I had a few sets that were given to me as gifts since 2007, but at the time they were just weird, colorful Lego... things.  They didn't really fit in with any of my other toys, but I played with them anyway.  It wasn't until 2009 that I realized there even was a story behind these sets (most of which were either in pieces scattered throughout my increasingly mixed-up collection of System parts), and I immediately started trying to find it.  I found a couple of books at the library and read them, and I found copies of the movies (though I didn't manage to find Mask of Light until years later).  I began to get sets just as much as for the story as the "cool-looking robot" aspect.  By the time it did end, I had learned enough about it to wish it wouldn't.  Hero Factory was never enough to replace the years of story I missed and the years of new story I felt I needed to make up for what I missed.  In the years since I have discovered more and more of the story, which became easier to find thanks to my realization that there is more on the internet than web games.  I found the amazing complex story to be among the best I had ever read, up there with what many consider to be the best stories of all time.  I began re collecting my assorted parts to make MOCs that would fit into the open-ended world.  It was always easier to tell my own stories in Bionicle, given how many locations we know of but not much about and the potential for even more that we were just never told about.  I was extraordinarily excited when I heard about G2.  I was then disappointed by the lack of depth comparable to G1 in the new story, but I saw the sets, which were amazing.  I went on to complete my collection of them, happy to have characters I never got from G1 in new forms.  I still think of the G1 story as one of the best stories ever told, and I constantly wish I had been there while it was being told the first time around.

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Bionicle was a huge part of my life from '04 til '07/8. I followed a little bit of the stories, but the biggest thing that appealed to me is that I could use the characters in the sets and create my own characters to go along with the characters and make my own stories. For example, you have your basic action figures for things like Star Wars or Jurassic Park or *insert other massive movie franchise(s) here* but even if you wanted to create your own stories with those characters, you were limited to those characters or pretending to be one of those characters or whatever: basically you were stuck with the mold of the characters' likeness and had to imagine yourself in there if you were playing with the action figures...

 

Bionicle were buildable action figures! You could build the sets or ignore the instructions entirely and make up your own characters or mix the 2 together! I had so much fun creating my own matoran, toa, villains to interact with the Toa Mata and/or Nuva and make up my own stories involving both my own characters and the official ones. The concept of Bionicle was just so brilliant! So versatile! You had action figures, you had creativity, you had imagination, you had no limits, and that's what I love about it. I love that so many people had their own stories to tell with these characters (or their own) and different people had so many different ideas and interpretations about the official characters.

 

TL/DR I loved the stories we got with the franchise, but that pales in comparison to the fact that anyone could create their own story and express their imagination and ACTUALLY show it to others! I'll always love the idea/concept of Bionicle

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Other great bands:


Iron Maiden    Journey    Mercenary    The Unguided    Trivium


Boston    Stratovarius    Symphony X    Epica

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Honestly, Bionicle was the first story I got invested in as a kid. It was always the lego sets I wanted to get whenever I visited a toy store. When I got the lego magazine, it was the reason why I stayed subscribed. I always wanted to collect most of the sets, but the only sets I have nowadays is the Mata Nui's and the Takanuva's and all 6 of the golden armor sets made into that combination from the lego magazine. To me, Bionicle was everything when it was still running, and when it ended, I felt that it's ending was a great ending, but I wish it could've gone on longer. Honestly, I wish I could've gotten more sets to collect and collected the graphics novels.

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