Dear BIONICLE,
I have known you for the greater half of my life, and for that, I count myself amongst the most privileged. In truth, I had only discovered your complexities in the second grade, and was considered a newcomer for the fact. It was then you were at the height of your prime, the true optimus, and as such, I disclosed myself to your world. It was there I found all manner of creatures, from innocent rahi-beasts to the insidious Teridax, and every being in between. You taught me the valuable lessons which come with responsibility, and you showed us all that heroes aren’t born, but made.
It was with your deep web of connections that I first truly discovered music, art and writing, and as such, the greater world around me. I had enclosed myself in you, allowing the darkness of the Pit to envelop me as I learned of people’s complexity and of true evil. You kept me safe inside while I peered through you, unwrapping the secrets you hold. You showed me that emotion is powerful and driving, as is ambition, greed and hope. You showed me that triumphs are never easily won, and defeats are to be learned from.
Even after the plans of one Makuta succeeded, the heroes I had grown up with and known as a member of my family were thrown into turmoil and chaos. I saw the truth of desperation through your eyes and how darkness and light are truly a balance. Even as new heroes fought in strange lands, I stayed by your side, taking it all for granted.
Then you left, suddenly and destructively, leaving a large hole in my life. After you were gone, I learned that my seclusion cost me greatly, for nowhere had I to go. I learned what heartbreak was, sorrow, depression and guilt. In your absence you taught me more about the cold, harsh reality that the universe can impose upon us than any other had in their presence. I was forced to leave you behind, boxed up, disassembled around the walls in which you and I called home.
I moved on. I made new connections, new companionships and new enemies. I searched for another to teach me again in the ways of the world, but found only shadows of you wherever I looked. Eventually, I learned to forget, to push myself away from my past, and in effect, you. I began to use the music I discovered through you as a refuge, the art inspired by you as a comfort, and the stories you showed me another reality in which I could slip to, yet I never knew you were there. All along, you guided me, through the hard-learned lessons engraved in my mind, I found I was not alone. I found that the once precious memory of a cocoon in which I wrapped myself was one of many hundreds of thousands.
I began to rediscover you, I began to remember the old lessons and the old stories. I wanted to tell my own, with deep characters and insidious villains. I wanted to recreate the childhood I remembered with a golden glow. I craved to be in your safety once again, I needed to learn the hardest lessons without you, and it scared me. For years, I had a guide, a mentor, a friend walk me through reality in the guise of another world, only to be dumped, and forced into a life without the deep insights, the noble causes or even truly terrible villains.
Yet, now you tease me with a return. You leaked through the water-tight seal separating you and me, allowing me, if just a mere fraction of the feeling, to feel safe, and secure. You have come back to me, and while you are the same as I remember, the same cannot and should not be said about myself. I know see that having you back, as whole and complete as you once were is impossible. I feel guilty about wanting it that way, dirty and disgusting. You have new students to teach, all deserving of another who can give them a quiet place, a place of discovery and magic, a place where they can slip to to keep from losing their sanity. And I deserve nothing more than you have given me, the ability to pass on the lessons to others, to make sure that the next generation knows that life is a rough place, where you must work hard, and be diligent. They must learn that being a hero isn’t about the powers, it’s about growth and hard work. It’s about perseverance and practice.
The Toa Metru taught us about the hardships of being a new hero and a leader, the Toa Mata, taught us about teamwork and corruption, and the Toa Inika taught us about hope and sacrifice, while the Glatorians taught us about new beginnings and old endings. It is with these lessons, and many more that we must carry on. We must uphold our legacy, and we must continue to teach, as you have taught us.
Sincerely, Avery Swindell
I wrote this letter in a half hour, and it’s a very… wordy interperetation of the ways I’ve been feeling, especially with BIONICLE’s return on the horizon. If you made it this far congrats! I know I’m not that bad at writng now. I strongly implore you to write your own something or other, it’s actually quite nice and introspective.
