Kinda nutty. My parents got me Onua and Pohatu Mata for my birthday, and I was hooked. I remember I loved them even though I had no idea what they were. The canisters the Mata came in were really cool. From there I started getting Lego magazines/Bionicle comics, follow the story, and collect the sets.
Bionicle was huge in my life. I closely followed it all the way to the end; It was the first thing I ever really got invested in. I remember being blown away by the concept of a seventh Toa lol. Playing MNOG and watching the flash animations are some of the best childhood memories I have, and I will always cherish them~
Obviously another big thing is it led me to BZP (for better or worse lol), where I made a lot of friends and created more memories. Early 2010s-era BZP was the best IMO.
Big thanks to Greg, Christian, and everyone else who made it happen. I know it sounds silly, but my life would be very different if I didn't have Bonkles.