Adventurer

 

I can think of a few franchises I'd class as the fanatic fans having ruined my ability to like the franchise.

But how does that have anything to do with whether the "fanatics" adopt a name for themselves or not? Nintendo tried to push the term "Pokémaniac" for Pokémon fans back in the day and I don't believe it ever caught on like they hoped it would. But just because people don't widely identify as Pokémaniacs doesn't mean there aren't people who think of themselves as "Pokémon fans" who go overboard in their love of the brand. Likewise, "comic book fans" have never had a single defining name for themselves, but there's about as much ugliness in that community as in any other.

 

And in the case of groups like bronies, furries, trekkies, and whovians, it's downright ludicrous to assume that coming up with names for their fandoms is what CAUSED some fans to act out and spoil other fans' fun. ANY fanbase that's big enough and active enough will have fans like that, whether they have a name for themselves or not. You're making a huge assumption that adopting a fandom name directly causes fans to do embarrassing things, and there's nothing in real life to suggest that. If the new BIONICLE is popular enough, then some fans will participate in the community in embarrassing ways whether you like it or not (in fact, some already do), and if outsiders catch wind of it they will be just as likely to pin that kind of nonsense on the fan community as a whole whether or not said community has a name of its own.

 

Do you think there aren't already sleazy, sexualized BIONICLE artwork, stories, and MOCs? Because there are (piece of advice: never, ever do a Google image search for "Roodaka" with safe search off).

 

Do you think there aren't already BIONICLE fans who devote their lives to the brand so deeply that they contemplated suicide over its cancellation? Because there are.

 

Do you think there aren't already BIONICLE fans who make utter fools of themselves at fan events and conventions? Because there are.

 

Do you think there aren't already BIONICLE fans who are vocally racist, sexist, homophobic, hateful, or bigoted in any way? Because there are.

 

None of these things happened because the BIONICLE fandom had or didn't have a name. They happened because the BIONICLE fan community is large and diverse, and any large or diverse community will have a seedier side whether you define it geographically or in terms of a particular opinion or interest. Treating fans who identify with a fandom name as "fanatics" is just a convenient way of creating a scapegoat for the problems that exist within each and every fan community.

 

Man you seem to have made a lotta assumptions but I what I was meaning by that. I didn't say having a name caused that? I said overly fanatic fans caused that. I then went on to say I don't particular see a name and on a personal level is more likely to be associated with the less desirable inevitable fanatical part of the community. That being said I don't actually have anything against there being a name, I just probably won't use it. I won't judge or treat anyone based on whatever name they use, but I also don't see consciously coming up with a name (as opposed to adopting one naturally) as something that's nessecary either.

 

 

For me the first thing that came to mind when I saw the mask was this piece.

 

 I feel the likeness wouldn't be as noticeable if you were to look at the non-gold version of the piece and base it on its shape and structure alone.

 

I wasn't even thinking of the gold, that was just the pic BrickLink had for it.

 

Examining it closely yeah there's not a huge similarity, but it does have the spikes on the side and then "horns" coming off of it (if you mentally flip the image 180°).

 

Fair enough, I still see a combination of the Avsa's lips/cheeks (the pouting look ) and the Jutlin. That being said combining those two probably does just give you something like Vultraz's mask.

For me the first thing that came to mind when I saw the mask was this piece.

 I feel the likeness wouldn't be as noticeable if you were to look at the non-gold version of the piece and base it on its shape and structure alone.

the tumblr portion of the fandom has basically already decided on Chroniclers, so i'd go with that.

 

No "fandom" names mainly because that sounds crazy and obsessed and I don't want to be a part of that. No names for fanatics, or fan kingdoms. Do not ruin bionicle.

hey. chill. how on earth would a fandom name ruin Bionicle ?

I can think of a few franchises I'd class as the fanatic fans having ruined my ability to like the franchise.

I like just "Bionicle fans", I don't really see the appeal/like the idea of a specific label, but Chroniclers sounds alright I guess if we -had- to have one. Better than a made up word anyway. That being said, it's been a while since the concept of the Chronicler was relevant to the series and it may not even be involved at all in the upcoming line (though it'd be cool if it was).

 

Before I respond in full - when people are saying "reboot" do they mean remake? To me a reboot is more or less leaving the past history of the franchise behind and starting from somewhere and somewhen else with an entirely new set of characters. Whereas a remake starts at the same origin point and goes from there. Personally I feel a reboot as I've defined it with some continutity from the past franchise is the best option (enough continuity to not make it pointless bringing back the line but not enough to confuse new comers). A remake would feel a bit odd (I'll explain in more depth later if that is what we're talking about), especially given the 10 year line ended only a couple of years ago.

 

EDIT: That all being said I think I'd still enjoy a remake or a re-imagining if it were done well or differently enough from the original run. If it was too similar it'd feel too familiar.

That's not what reboot means, especially in the context of a media franchise. A reboot specifically refers to a brand new, re-imagining with familiar characters and locations (at least initially) in a new story completely untethered from the original, a la Trek 09, each new Transformers cartoon, etc. think of it as a completely new timeline or an alternate universe.

 

It will be disconnected from the original story in a way that implies the original never happened, because for this story, the original -didn't-. I am certain this is what we'll be getting. The same characters in name, in a similar starting point as the original run. But they won't be the same versions of those characters. A continuation, no matter how far in the future, would be shooting the line in the foot and handicapping it from the get-go.

 

All the "we'd know everything already" comments don't seem to understand the significance if a reboot- it isn't simply a re-telling, it can be a brand new story with its own mysteries, villains, worlds, locations, characters. Who says there would even -be- a Matoro to die in a reboot? Maybe the story engine won't revolve around a giant robot? A reboot with familiar starting characters allows for a faint feeling of familiarity, and then allows for brand new stories unencumbered by past stories.

 

That's almost precisely what I said? A restart at some new point in space and time with a new set of characters? I'm viewing it as a spectrum from one end having no link at all to the original franchise to the complete continuation end. I was saying I think it'd be best that it occurs pretty close to the complete cutoff but reusing some old ideas (eg calling masks Kanohi or concepts like that which could be carried over (not necessarily saying Kanohi just using that as an example)). I can think of many franchises that have been rebooted and take this approach, rather than starting at the beginning and redoing the story (as a remake would imply). Even the 09 Star Trek reboot was a reboot in that it still connected to the original timeline, it just then took place in another dimension - I can see something like that happening. Or with the other reboots the series had before that with each iteration of the show. I feel a -remake- wouldn't be a good idea, whilst a reboot would.

EDIT: Going by examples in the OP, I'd say a reboot of the style of Doctor Who makes more sense in this context than what I'd call more a remake/re-imagining (ie Nolan's Batman trilogy).

Toa Mata/Nuva: I liked Pohatu's feet for the creativity compared to the others, but for coolness I think Kopaka Nuva's ice blade/skis.

Toa Metru/Hordika: I really liked Onewa's pitons or Nuju's spikes, but I did also like Vakama's disk launcher (since allowed him to use all the Kanoka powers etc...)

Toa Inika/Mahri: Probably Jaller's sword or Hahli's harpoon I'd say for these guys.

Overall though my favourite's would be the Hagah's spear/shield combo (awesome style they had there ) or Lhikan's giant blades/board.

(Honourable mention to Takanuva's light staff.)

Before I respond in full - when people are saying "reboot" do they mean remake? To me a reboot is more or less leaving the past history of the franchise behind and starting from somewhere and somewhen else with an entirely new set of characters. Whereas a remake starts at the same origin point and goes from there. Personally I feel a reboot as I've defined it with some continutity from the past franchise is the best option (enough continuity to not make it pointless bringing back the line but not enough to confuse new comers). A remake would feel a bit odd (I'll explain in more depth later if that is what we're talking about), especially given the 10 year line ended only a couple of years ago.

EDIT: That all being said I think I'd still enjoy a remake or a re-imagining if it were done well or differently enough from the original run. If it was too similar it'd feel too familiar.

Strange poll choices but I went with Makuta/Takanuva. After that I probably would have gone for the 2008 Nuva.

EDIT: Considering how old the new fans may be 2001 could actually BE a time before time for them.

I was thinking earlier how kind of strange it is for us to think that the upcoming batch of Bionicle fans will be younger than Bionicle. I mean I guess fans of things like Transformers and Star Wars and the like would be used to this - but it's new and exciting for us. Hopefully it continues to stand the test of time.

If they basically confirmed it themselves, why can't we talk about the leaks ?

They didn't exactly advertise this image - and the point still stands the leaks weren't released by them and may not be representative of their final product they wish to advertise. It'd be like an author having half their book stolen and spread before it was finished - it'd ruin the book and damage their ability to profit from it.

I prefer the excitement now rather than worrying about disappointment later that would be overshadowed by whatever we do actually get. If it's not as cool it'll be disappointing anyway and if it is cool then we'll have that to be happy over instead. Personally I have a good feeling about what they've got in store.

Edit: this is directed at ET - on mobile so formatting quotes is a bit hard.

 

Looks like a crown of a tyrant king or something.

 

I also think it looks like Vultraz with Kini Nui on his head. (someone please photoshop that)

So it wasn't just me who saw that!

 

What I really don't understand are these "Mask of Creation" arguments. Um, I'm sorry, but what is leading everyone to jump to that? "It's ornate" doesn't seem like quite enough justification to me. Nevermind that it's just some mask Greg made up for the web serials and I highly doubt would ever be deemed important enough - or even remembered by set designers, who had nothing to do with it - to be brought back as the clear key item of this return. And that's all assuming it's a continuation and not a reboot.

 

Basically, I don't think anyone should be jumping to this conclusion so soon and trying to spread it around (which it seems to be like wildfire in other places I frequent. The idea is everywhere).

 

~|ET|~

 

We, or at least I'm, not jumping to conclusions, just speculating out of excitement - I don't really see it doing any harm (or are you implying people will get hyped it is this thing and then it'll be something else? Because I don't really think that's much of an issue, it think its good people are having fun speculating about this stuff).

And it wasn't really minor - it was minor in that it never appeared, but it existed before the serials and remains the only legendary mask we never really saw in action and is one of the few parts of the canon still shrouded in mystery. In all honesty if they were looking for an important mask to use in a new story, I think it'd be a good candidate since it doesn't have much required attached history and the core power/idea would fit well with promotion as well as satisfying older fans. I'm not saying it is the mask of creation of course, in fact I wouldn't even say it probably is or is likely to be; but I also don't see any reason to be annoyed at people speculating that it could be that mask. We know nothing at this point so we should have fun speculating while we can I think. I can't see it doing much harm in this context.

 

 

I used to think Muaka and Kane-ra were dinosaurs....but holy wow why don't we have dinosaur bionicle sets?

Technically I think they were tiger and bull-like creatures. Off the top of my head the Tahtorak would be the closest thing we've had to a dinosaur Bionicle character/Rahi?

Nope. I'd reckon Skirmix would be a better fit—and was released as an actual set, to boot.

Ah true didn't come to mind. Both quite similar though and while neither is an actual "dinosaur" they're probably as close as we'll get. I mean I guess they could call them dinosaurs in the same way the Kardas was called a dragon but I can't see dinosaurs specifically being added to the Bionicle vocabulary unless there's a large shift in style which I suppose is possible.

 

 

That looks like an evil villain mask to me. King Velika must have commissioned a good one.

 

EDIT: Wait a minute, is there writing in the background of that thing? Might not be a Mask of Creation (the description we got in RoS was way different), but it might be a powerful mask of conjuring...

 

 

I would keep in mind we have seen Kanohi change shape in the past, if this is a Kanohi that has appeared before, I wouldn't be surprised if they modified it somehow in the story to match the kind of mask they wanted to use for promotional purposes.

True. IMO it looks far too evil to be the MoC though. That mouth is concealed by the swirling energy, but the outline of it looks horribly vicious. Artahka's not a monster.

The mask could always change hands? We know so little at the moment which is so exciting!

That looks like an evil villain mask to me. King Velika must have commissioned a good one.

 

EDIT: Wait a minute, is there writing in the background of that thing? Might not be a Mask of Creation (the description we got in RoS was way different), but it might be a powerful mask of conjuring...

I would keep in mind we have seen Kanohi change shape in the past, if this is a Kanohi that has appeared before, I wouldn't be surprised if they modified it somehow in the story to match the kind of mask they wanted to use for promotional purposes.

It could always be the Mask of Time.

I think it looks too different from the Vahi for that to be it, not only that but I think the Vahi has been used before by characters we would have reappearing in some way or another so the history there makes me feel that isn't what they're going with. The Ignika is possible in terms of appearance and the story did end in a way that puts it in a position where it could easily be included in a new story. However as said elsewhere, its story has kind of run already and in fact it was the last story we had (the last four years of Bionicle were basically the Ignika's story, heck you could even say all of it was in some way). I feel a new legendary mask or the mask of creation is far more likely.

 

Cautious excitement. Hopefully it isn't just a reboot.

Sadly, logic dictates that it probably is.

-Dovydas

 

Judging by the appearance of the mask and what not, I'd say the very least its going to be stylistically similar to old Bionicle (this looks more similar to the early years than the later years to me) and I wouldn't be surprised if the basis for the new story draws its roots from what we already have. I'm quite optimistic for this - I think they're quite aware of the existing fanbase and why the line was so successful in the first place. Those two elements lead to me to believe we'll be getting some continuation (I don't mean literally picking up where it left off - but not ignoring it either) and following the formula they had success with in the past to some success, whilst adapting to include what they've learnt since then. Either way I think there is more call for optimism than pessimism here.

I'd say it developed in the same way most dialects form - a specific group of people in a specific environment adapting their language for their own convenience and ease of use. Also as with slang, it possibly is a kind of point of pride for them culturally? As the how they didn't forget - I don't think the other Matoran forgot how to speak normal Matoran, so I don't see why they would forget Chutespeak?

Happy birthday, old timer!

I'm just going to summarise my initial thoughts here:

• The mask has a nice tribal look to it (particularly the shape) - somewhat, but not entirely reminiscent of the early Polynesian inspired designs - I like this a lot. The blue background colouring also reminds me of a lot of the promotional materials from 2002 and 2003. These two factors combined, though a little to go on, are greatly reassuring as it confirms to me they're not going to transform Bionicle into something else and are sticking true to its roots (when I say this I'm referring primarily to the visual style of the sets and characters and hopefully the atmosphere of the storyline). Incidentally, the mask looks a little bit like a gold Great Kanohi Mahiki or Avsa with a crown. (EDIT: It actually kind of looks like a combination of some of the 2008 Makuta Kanohi kind of. ) Purely coincidental I'm sure though.
• Between the grand significance of this Kanohi (I'm like 99.9% sure it'll be Kanohi ), the gold colouring, crown like appearance and energy wrapped around it - I'm pretty sure this will be a legendary Kanohi, or if not a very special Kanohi of similar or greater power or significance (in which case for convenience I suspect it will be legendary as that what a legendary Kanohi is as a plot device really. ) As to whether it's the only legendary Kanohi we know of but haven't seen - the mask of creation - it seems a decent bit likely given its appearance and how its one of the things fans have talked about for a long time but never been "given" exactly. If it is the mask of creation I think that would be very cool in terms of finally getting to see its power in action and maybe even Artakha doing some cool stuff. That being said, it could be an entirely new Kanohi with its own new exciting possibilities that come with that which I would also be happy with. It could also possible be the Ignika (I doubt the Vahi, or Avohkii or any other important Kanohi) in a different form for example, however I don't really feel this will be the case.
• There appears to be some writing of some sort on the mask - whilst this could be purely decorative I've noticed in the past these type of things always tend to get mentioned in the story to some extent. The language (assuming it is writing) doesn't appear like anything I've seen before in the Bionicle storyline - but if anyone else think it looks similar to anything else, that would be very interesting.
• The background appears to be some sort of stone with a crack in it? It's hard to discern, I heard one member mention it looks like space - which I guess it could be (and I think that makes more sense given where the story left off), but either way not much we can deduce from this image. That being said if we could tell the background, in the past that has given a fair bit of insight into the setting of the storyline for the year, so as more surfaces I think it will be worth analysing.
• The crown may not just indicate the importance of the mask, but perhaps this mask is a symbol of leadership? Maybe we could have a sort of King Arthur like sword in the stone storyline? Or the mask belongs to the ruler of a kingdom/domain of some sort? Either way I think this could be a possibility if the design isn't purely just to show its importance as it definitely looks quite regal.
• The energy is distinctly blue, somewhat electric and in a spiral. I'd say this is meant to be general "magic energy" and not a specific element or power such as electricity or lightning. I do think this energy will have some great significance however as it is quite prominent in the image - perhaps something similar to the lightning from the Red Star which featured in 2006? Obviously I don't mean something specifically like this, but it will definitely important as the designer has made it very obvious - in fact placing in front of the subject of the image.

Ok I'll leave it there, just some stream of consciousness thoughts there, will be thinking about this more properly for a while I suspect. Very very excited.

 

Are we allowed to post the infamous Bionicle 2015 image after Lego has released the line officially?

 

I'd suggest we avoid any images that were leaked for now, since all we really have official confirmation of is that Bionicle is returning and that there is a golden mask or head in it.

Also someone already beat you to the punch with your avatar.

 

No beating to any punch - I feel everyone should change their avatar in celebration of this wonderful official news. Also I was scanning the active members and I'm pretty sure RahkshiToa88 was a solid second.

Also just throwing it out there the Kanohi is awesome! The logo and the image look very much of what I'd want stylistically from a return to Bionicle and leads me to speculate we won't be having a straight reboot. I say this based on very little, but the fact the style and Kanohi are so familiar make me think they're going to keep a lot of roots in there and stay true to series. If anything, it look more Bionicle-like than some of the later years (and by Bionicle like I mean like earlier Bionicle ). I definitely think the mask is a legendary Kanohi and I really do hope it is specifically the mask of creation because a) I've always wanted it and b) it's an awesome power I want to see in action and c) it might mean some Artakha action. All in all very hype.

There's been a lot of very find and memorable moments I've had involving Bionicle and it's really hard recollecting them all at once, let alone choosing the best. A couple of standouts (in brief) would be after I first got my first sets, Onua and Gali, and taking them out back in the bush outside my grandparents old house (behind the wine cellar made from a shipping container ) and having Onua lift rocks and stuff. Another moment/set of moments that has always stuck with me was my time playing MNOG - I was by myself a lot then so when I had the chance to played MNOG on fast internet I was very happy - I did this at the university library where my mum worked at the time and feeling super privileged that I only had to wait a few moments for the scenes to load. I think the final memory I'll share (I'll stop here I think) was getting the 2003 Makuta set - I was given it as a reward for having behaved in school for a whole term (something I struggled to do a lot at the time ) and I had been very very excited to finally have Makuta in set form, so it felt like a double accomplishment at the time. Just a few briefly anyway - I could give more but I don't think anyone wants half my life story.

It happened!

Looking forward to the building excitement as we get closer to 2015 and what they have in store for us all - very very excited to see it all come out into the open.

Edit:

Is that mask floating around in space?

Looks ineteresting for sure. Kinda fits the description of the mask of creation we've been given.

I agree - I had a similar thought when I first saw it too. I definitely suspect this will be a legendary Kanohi one way or the other.

EDIT 2: I guess we know what the next spinny will probably be?

I used to think Muaka and Kane-ra were dinosaurs....but holy wow why don't we have dinosaur bionicle sets?

Technically I think they were tiger and bull-like creatures. Off the top of my head the Tahtorak would be the closest thing we've had to a dinosaur Bionicle character/Rahi?

On the original topic - the original plan I think was to give the Bara Magna saga a three year arc - similar to the other arcs and during that time the other fragments and the history and consequences of the Core War would be explored more thoroughly. I'm guessing the idea would have been to show the more astronomical scale of these events by exploring other worlds more. That being said to get an idea of what we would have had with those extra two years or so - a lot of that content was moved to the online serials before they ended.

(Albeit in a condensed form).

I had a lot of fun collecting them (an excuse to have McDonalds too ). That being said the best things about them for me were the characters behind them - at the time they were characters I knew and loved from the online games, but didn't have sets of - so getting them was a big deal at the time for me. Furthermore, their small size made it easy to re-enact some of the larger Matoran events (like the battle of Kini-Nui). That being said - the sets are nothing particularly special - I think most if not all of the pieces have shown up in other sets as have most if not all of the characters. I'd say they're cool to have - but nothing to stress over. Particularly for me in terms of the characters and story - the Matoran aren't in that form anymore and it wasn't their original form either, so the purist in me would rather collect the "current" or "original" story Matoran. That's one way of looking at it anyway if you get what I mean.