Since the country was put on COVID lockdown back in March, America’s favorite pastime, and, well, only pastime, is binge-watching anything and everything. I know it definitely feels like we’ve all seen everything there is to see, and now we’re just checking Netflix and Amazon Prime the same way we check what food we have in the fridge, even though we know exactly what’s in there because we just checked five minutes ago.

At least we’re all in this together?

Don’t fret, though! We don’t need to be bogged down by streaming boredom anymore, there’s another way! Ryan Reynolds has thrown his hat into the ring and created his very own streaming platform. A year ago he purchased an ownership stake in Mint Mobile, and his most significant act as majority shareholder is the formation of Mint Mobile+.

Here’s what you need to know about it: It’s free, and it only streams one movie.

That’s right, get ready to binge Foolproof, the Canadian heist flick that critics gave a resounding “meh” in 2003 and that continues to dominate the 2.5 to 3-stars section of Rotten Tomatoes, as many times as you want. The streaming service has a super user-friendly interface very similar to Netflix or Disney+, except —you guessed it— every single title is just Foolproof.

Check out Mint Mobile+ and everything Foolproof has to offer here.

This post may contain content that is triggering for survivors of conversion therapy.

Survivors of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy are sharing their stories of undergoing the harmful and ineffective practice on TikTok.

GLADD defines conversion therapy as “any attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.” LGBTQ+ individuals who undergo conversion therapy are usually sent to facilities that offer it by homophobic family members or guardians to be counseled, “pray away the gay,” or receive electric shocks, according to the Independent. Half of those who have undergone conversion therapy in the U.S. were under 18 at the time, according to the UCLA’s Williams Institute, and the legality of the practice varies state-to-state. It is an ineffective practice that is detrimental to one’s health, and people who believe in it are under the false impression that being queer is a mental disorder that can be cured.

The TikTokers are making the videos using the hashtag #conversiontherapy, which now has over 9.4 million views under it.

The earliest video featuring the hashtag was posted back in December of 2019 by creator @godsgayestangel, who did a series on “how to survive conversion therapy.”

“Don’t tell them anything about your past,” @godsgayestangel says in part one. “Anything traumatic in your life, you do not get to tell them about. … They are going to get inside your head and convince you that that is why you are gay.”

@godsgayestangel points out that “obviously, you are not going to stop being gay, so this will make that trauma so much worse.”

Videos made by other creators either include stories of their time in conversation therapy or survival tips on how to make it out alive.

Mike Dorn, a TikToker who partook in the trend, told the Independent that he shared his story on TikTok because he was stuck at home during the coronavirus quarantine. “I was going through a pretty dark time being at home all the time and I knew that I needed to talk about it,” Dorn told the newspaper.

Dorn, a gay man, said that when he a teen, he was sent to a Christian camp by his parents, who were under the impression that it would “turn” him straight. It didn’t.

As the trend of people telling their stories continues on TikTok, these users’ videos, such as Dorn’s, are being flooded with comments of support.

“A lot of people were messaging me, and it was this form of love and support and family that I’ve never experienced before,” Dorn told the Independent of fellow TikTokers who have reached out to him with messages of support.

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When it comes to keeping track of who’s dating who, celebrities who got their start as child actors must have it pretty rough. The attention and speculation start at a young age and don’t really stop even after they reach adulthood. We definitely understand why so many actors who got their start as children keep their private lives private. In that regard, Shia Labeouf is no different.

It seems as though Shia prefers to stay pretty mum about his personal relationships. Of course, that doesn’t keep people from wondering about who his girlfriend is right now. If you’re here to find out who the star of The Tax Collector is currently dating, we might be able to help with that.

Who is Shia LaBeouf’s girlfriend now?

The year is 2001. The Fellowship of the Ring was playing in theaters, Halo had just launched and propelled the Xbox into the mainstream and Toys “R” Us was still thriving. Secluded in the back of the toy store, nestled in between sets of Legos, were six different kinds of plastic canisters. With robotic limbs, bright colors and elemental weapons, it was from these six canisters that the story of Bionicle began.

The mechanized action figures might’ve seemed out of place for Legos, as they were a visual departure from the iconic bricks, but in all of Lego’s history, there is no other line as beloved and memed as Bionicle. To fans of the series, the Bionicle universe is a place of mystery, terror and courage in all of its forms. Whether it be stories made by playing with the figures or reading through the plethora of novels and lore, Bionicle left a strong impression that translates into modern meme culture to this day. To commemorate this Lego meme giant, we shall retell the legend of the Bionicle through the eyes of those who carry its legacy today.

The Tale of the Bionicle

Those unfamiliar with Bionicle are easy to dismiss it as just another series of action figures, no different from G.I Joe or Transformers. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Lego was in deep financial trouble with all of their independent IPs losing money. The idea for a new IP, one with an in-depth story, was created, and Bionicle was born as a child of innovation and desperation. Alongside the toys on shelves, the now-defunct Bionicle.com and Bioniclestory.com were also set up. The sites included promotions, games and, most importantly, lore, which unraveled the Bionicle universe. Together, these factors resulted in Bionicle being Lego’s only profitable line for several years. To this day, many claim that Bionicle is the reason Lego has survived to the present day.

For the next 10 years, Bionicle’s sets and story would become increasingly fleshed out and expansive. In terms of sets, new designs and characters were conceived and generally met with warm reception. Fans would also begin to experiment with their builds and create unique characters of their own to play with. Similarly, Bionicle figures would become stars in stop motion animation, known as Brickfilms, that flourished during the late 2000s. When it came to the story, Bionicle was expanded through the use of numerous multimedia channels. Novels, comics, websites, games, films, animations and more were used to grow Bionicle from a simple story of toys to a fully developed world. Even the commercials were iconic, with animations from Advance and rock music from bands, such as All American Rejects and Cryoshell, turning a TV ad into a cinematic experience.

At this point, Bionicles were no longer just toys, but a massive universe to explore. Despite its character-focused figures, the worldbuilding of Bionicle centers primarily around the greater world. It’s this enormous universe that makes Bionicle such a unique franchise, setting itself apart from the vast majority of other Lego IPs, if not toys in general.

The End of a Dynasty

As successful as it was, Bionicle eventually met its end in 2010 due to a sharp decline in popularity. The rise of video games and other IPs of the era slowly overshadowed Bionicle’s indirect form of storytelling. Its spiritual successor, Hero Factory, lacked the same charm and was eventually discontinued in 2015. Also that year, a short-lived Bionicle reboot was made that received warm reception but was ultimately discontinued in 2016.

As the saying goes, “sometimes you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone.” These words are no more fitting than with Bionicle’s ordeal and how fans felt when it was canceled twice in a single decade. While the ending to the story was generally satisfactory, the absence of new lore left a hole in many fans’ hearts. As old sites such as Bionicle.com were taken down, it seems as if Bionicle only lived on in the form of stop motion videos and nostalgic memories.

The Legend Reborn

While the brand ended, it’s from these memories of Bionicle that it found new life in the late 2010s. On Reddit, Bionicle saw a resurgence of popularity through memes. In addition to making Bionicle derivations of established formats, such as Good Guy Bionicle, memes about the expansive lore were also prolific. The most popular types of Bionicle memes are those that pertain to the wealth of lore that can be explained over hours, even though “nobody asked.” Currently, the /r/BionicleMemes subreddit hosts more than 41,000 subscribers and continues to post obscure lore memes and cursed builds to this day. From Bionicle Instructions to Bonkles and the Piraka Rap, the franchise has inspired numerous memes over the years.

Bionicle’s transition into the modern era is partially due to nostalgia. Kids who grew up with Bionicle in their lives are now at an age where they carry their childhood passions into their adult ones (in this case, with memes). However, unlike other toys of the era, Bionicle’s secret to its longevity lies in its lore. Not the actual story of Bionicle, but how it was introduced and interpreted. The multimedia approach that Bionicle utilized created an entire franchise that profoundly affected the kids who became so engrossed in the toys. The impressions of the lore and designs translate into memories that kids growing up in the 2000s still hold dear. These memories then translate into the memes seen today, as an entire generation can understand the context and jokes behind a few plastic figures.

One last thing to note is that despite everything previously discussed, Bionicle is still unique to its fans in different ways. While the sheer scale of its media left an overall impression, individual memories of fans are perhaps the most impactful aspects of Bionicle’s modern identity. Whether it be reading the comics, window shopping at the toy store or shooting younger siblings with the squid launchers, everyone remembers Bionicle differently. It is memories and experiences like these that give Bionicle such a profound place in the memesphere and carry its legacy far into the future.

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Meme Insider is a Know Your Meme publication and the world’s leading internet trends and culture magazine. Find out how to get your first print copy for free, and check out the Meme Insider website for more info.