#muaka

from left to right:

Hastof (they/them) toa (hordika in this picture) of plasma

Glatro (she/her) toa of air

Taxo (she/her) toa of earth

Xellar (he/him) toa of ice

All members of the Toa Keethaga.

I found a store that had an entire aisle front dedicated to the first three years of BIONICLE. The top shelf held the 2003 Matoran (sadly no McToran) and some loose masks (mostly from the Metru Matoran; I recall there being a lot of Ahkmou masks with different colour tops, not just pearl silver but also pearly white, yellow, brown, etc.), then there were two shelves containing the Toa, Toa Nuva, and Bohrok sorted by colour, and the lowest two shelves held some larger sets including Makuta, Muaka & Kane-Ra and a built Wairuha.

I was mostly interested in getting the 2001 sets, so those are the ones I looked at. The Muaka & Kane-Ra were €72,50 (even though the back of the box said 22,50 -- guess life was cheaper twenty five years ago), Wairuha was €119,50 or two installments of €49,50 which my brain added up to total the same. I was internally debating whether to get that one or buy the other three Toa at €64,50 each as I didn't think five euros discount was really worth it (I'm only now realising that apparently my dream self really can't do maths, as that would only have been the case if there were only two Toa in Wairuha instead of three).

I went to my mother to ask her what I should get, which is weird as I am nearly thirty years old and do not need to ask her whether and how I can spend my own money anymore, and then I woke up. Feeling very disappointed.