the only Dam Matoran Fuckin Around

Hey! This is the place where I post about Bionicle, and nothing but. I might even post a fic or MOC of mine--if I'm feeling brave.

[froggychairmimic]

BIONICLE art by Eryk Wygnowski

[gar-wafflez]

[yodawgiheardyoulikemecha]

Panrahk by Benjamin Anderson, on Flickr

[jlaguff]

John Bionicle x Krazy Kat doodle

[randomwriteronline]

OH TO BE A SAINT UNABLE TO SAVE THE SACRED

OH TO BE A GOD WITHOUT A SAY ON HIS OWN FATE

i have a lottttttttttttttt to say about this drawing but good lord most of it is roman religion shit nobody else knowssssss

a good chunk of it hinges on Jaller (lowest figure) being sanctus = sacred due to protecting something either sacer (= sacred as decided by men), or religiosus (= sacred as decided by gods). for example the city is sacer so its walls are sancti, or a tree struck by lightning is religiosus and the forest growing around it is sancta. in Jaller's case, he is sanctus as the herald of Takanuva and Matoro's leader: he achieves his destiny by sacrificing himself for Takanuva and buying Matoro time, but he isn't allowed to die or stay dead for them. His friends are always out of his reach and try as he might he can't do anything when their time comes. And that's ok, supposedly - their duty demands them to be stepping stones for something greater - but it doesn't change that he has to watch them step to the altar where they're going to be butchered. Walls have no reason to stand tall if the city within them is leveled to the ground.

Takanuva is sacer, and Matoro is religiosus - one to be given up and one to be preserved. One is supposed to make the sacrifice, one is handpicked by a godly entity. Dead, revered. Or is it the opposite? Takanuva is the only one who could have been the Toa of Light; Matoro just happened to have the right conditions to use the Ignika. So one continues while the other ends. Takanuva, king of the misfts, the wrongs, the left hands, accepts his role at Mata Nui's right arm; Matoro, one of the best, the wisest, the strongest, fits in the crook of Mata Nui's left arm.

Mata Nui holds them and cries because what else is he supposed to do? What sort of lousy god can't offer at least some comfort to those whose lives are assigned to him? Some gratitude or grief? Some release, some closure? His body crumbles into sand like a faulty idol, incapable of being worth what others have paid for it to live. The god is the statue and the statue is the god: what then does it say about him, if his physical forms always fall apart?

also have the sketch bc i think it came out well v

[legend-as-old-as-time]

I love this so much!!

Ahh, I'm only a few hours in into learning about Roman religion and laws, so i might misunderstand some things. The whole concept compels me so much how you've adapted it to the characters.

Jaller as sanctus, as the protector of Matoro and Takanuva. His physical state is assaulted and hurt, but he's restored, because he's still meant to protect. And his death causes backlash, like how attacking or even just scaling over that protective wall is meant to be punished. (The red reminds of blood. His own, that of his friends that is metaphorically spilled inside the protection he provides.)

Matoro's claimed by the Ignika, an aspect of their god Mata Nui. Matoro is religiosus. The Ignika curses anybody touching it who it hasn't chosen, and it's a divine act to chose him. He's not cursed as he could be as sacer, but being claimed by divinity has such far-reaching consequences that it's a different kind of curse. Divinity when it claims directly goes by their own rules. (Which makes Makuta's actions even more fascinating with that idea in mind. He manipulates him, stalks him, but is that enough to breach the taboo of interfering with the divine as long as Matoro is the one to sacrifice himself, wearing the Ignika, according to the divine? How does Makuta think about it, with his plan to supplant Mata Nui?)

Takua / Takanuva is sacer in both senses, first the one, then the other: Cursed, set apart, rejected because he didn't follow the rules established by his fellow mortals. Later he becomes sacred as the Toa of Light, chosen by himself but by others as well. He is sacer as in a sacrifice by himself to the greater good, shining and beautiful as the Light.

[mfmara-art]

Bionicle Toa Nuva Gali+ medival armor Concept art

may make the rest of the team if this concept gets like

[ariartaccount]

Lariska sketch

[neeekok]

Off work Matorans

[ethandoesathing]

Been in a Bionicle mood today

[azazelleviathan]

takanuva and mata nui

[txttletale]

i think something about bionicle that really helped it sink its claws into autistic children was how insanely specific and odd the powers all were. bionicles were always doing some shit to each other's density or molecules or gravitational field. for every conflict resolved by (as one would expect from a toyline) the good guy blasting the bad guy with his elemental blast, there was at least one resolved by insane troll physics causing a bad guy to trap himself in a plasma labyrinth or some shit. like if worm was also looney tunes

[txttletale]

not that this like excuses the racist writing on an out-of-universe level but it is pretty funny that the bionicle story ends up implying that all the mata nui matoran's Ancient Tribal Practices were literally just a bunch of random shit vakama and co made up

[shylooo]

toy collector

[ariartaccount]

BIONICLE MOC commission from instagram

[bfoxanimation]

Gali Mata

hi-res:

Gali | Blaine Fox Art and Animation

Get more from Blaine Fox Art and Animation on Patreon

[neeekok]

Ta Koro of Mata Nui

[neeekok]

Po-Koro of Mata Nui