Your comparison is falling apart, because in one argument you use the Bionicle Universe’s in-universe context for naming something and then use the consumer perspective for another. The Matoran may be the MU’s “people”, but initially, everyone except Matoran were “people” as they were the only later-sapient species to receive sentience via Velika.
credit: PylonMadness for the link
Quite literally, they were the cannon fodder of the universe. You as a consumer may accept that this is the “people” of the narrative, as is the intent, but story-wise - and since you used MU I assume that must be what you refer to - it couldn’t be further from the truth.
“As close as anything in the Bionicle universe is to a spider.”
Thank you for this. It makes my job a whole lot easier.
What is your definition of a spider? By looking at the arguments, it would seem as it is an arachnid-like animal with four or more legs, the ability to produce webbing, and the ability to inject a venomous toxin directly into the victim via mandibles located directly next to the mouth. This fits both the Visorak and most real-world spiders.
But that’s just your definition.
Likewise, your definition of the terminology “squid” appears to be a creature with a number of tentacles, the ability to produce ink, a shape which is relatively “squid-like”, and behavior befitting a carnivore. The sea quid fails two of these categories, and likely more that I’m not specifically addressing. But that’s just your definition.
You’re looking at a piece of rubber made from 2007 called a squid and saying “that’s not a real world squid!” because, well… No. It isn’t. Nothing in Bionicle is a real-world anything, not even spiders. Reiterate how they use webbing as much as you want, but the amount of legs alone is enough to prove they cannot be, and with the addition of giant metal pincers, side-facing eyes, and every other minor detail about their physiology, there’s no doubt they aren’t spiders.
It’s not an equal comparison. It’s just not.
You, uh… Misremember.
There’s a hole through the minifigure’s body where you can attach the stud portion of the webbing, and there’s a set of tiny pincers inside its mouth which I believe you can slide the string into, but nothing remotely close to two stings which could be clipped to the string itself anywhere remotely near the proper location for a spinneret. At most the stud attached to the underside may have represented that, but most likely it was as a play function for having the spiders jump across the Toa, web in tow. Also, none of them were green.
…And also, canonically they also produce webbing just fine from their mouths. So no, not spinneret, more likely… digestive process. Yeugh.
And there are also no species of spiders with necks and a set of the pearliest whites to ever appear in a children’s toy, so I think at the very least we can accept Bionicle logic for Fenrakk.
Oh, and a tail. Fenrakk has a tail.
There it be.
This is a spider according to Bionicle. Maybe the Bionicle definition differs a little from your own for spiders, and squids as well.
I don’t even know what your point is. They’re spiders because they have mouths?
And last I checked the sea squid has tentacles and a mouth, so surely it qualifies as a squid.
Given the visorak discussion is in itself a tangent, I’ll skip this.
Which is also not a real-world bull as it has a massive tank tread for its hind legs.
I don’t see how this sentence does anything other than hurt your argument. If the visorak can’t be scientifically classified as arachnids, then why all the fuss over them? And why the fuss over the sea squid when there’s much more realistic squids in existence in the Bionicle universe, like the Great Temple Squid?
The Great Temple Squid had twelve huge tentacles, each with a small beak at the end, and another, larger beak that could be seen at the center of the creature’s body. Their strength rivals that of a Toa.
Here’s a free of charge theory for ya: The great temple squid and other squids were discovered in the Bionicle universe first, and when the sea squid, an animal which was not created by the Makuta, was discovered, they classified it as a squid for having squid-like properties. Does this tie things over for you?
Gadunka are small but ferocious marine Rahi.
They are as much of a fish as the Great Temple Squid. Yes, they’re a species of humanoid fish men with hips wide enough to bridge the grand canyon and enough teeth to make Fenrakk jealous angrily stomping about on the bottom of the sea floor, and they’re entirely canon.
And we’re talking about why a squid don’t look so good.
Oh, and they aren’t green. They’re blue, da boo dee da boo dai.
Actually - and I only found this out later - it absolutely is.
The sea squid are specifically stated as being tolerant of the mutagen, but not immune, and all but directly stating we have not yet seen what form the mutation will take.
Despite living and breeding in mutagenic waters, Sea Squid are not immune to the mutagen. Pit Mutagen causes internal damage to their DNA which will not become apparent until generations to come.
Note the use of Will and To Come instead of Did or any other past-tense language. For better or for worse, they’re supposed to look like this. And for better or worse - in the Bionicle universe - they are squid.