Agreed. As much as I love worldbuilding, just world no story isn’t as entertaining to near as many people. (Me being one of them)
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If there was no story, then why did he introduce the survival aspect in the first place? That would not make sense. If you create a world you have to lay out rules how it functions and driving forces behind it. Bionicle G1 worldbuilding wouldn’t work without Makuta and Mata Nui. Besides, Faber is definitely teasing something else than just art or else he would progress posting images instead of talking about meetings.
The fact that there are meetings in the first place shows that money is involved. That means there is some kind of product of value.
The way I interpret is that the product is very interactive. We won’t watch a movie or something like that, but we can actually have some kind of influence on the product.
Maybe it really is a video game, but with no dialogue and hidden lore… I don’t know, but there is definitely more than “Biovival - A fictional nature documentary in pictures”
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Even if it is “pure worldbuilding”, I think there are definitely ways to do that. Say, the SCP community project, a collaborative storytelling thing which isn’t strictly a product, and it isn’t strictly a story, but it tells a lot of stories within that world that’s been created. Something like that could be… interesting. Maybe not what we had in mind, but interesting.
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Right, which is why it’s important to be wary about getting too excited for whatever Faber’s doing; it’s probably not what people are expecting/wanting.
I mean, it is possible to create a world hostile to survival without having specific characters that are surviving there. Or to correct that, the way I interpret Faber is that he would create the hostile world, and the audience would create the characters and stories ourselves.
But he has only progressed posting images so far; he even stated in the livestream that the next we’d hear from him would be a 
or a 
and yet he kept just posting art the same as before with no indication of confirmation or denial.[quote=“Makutros, post:1105, topic:48962”]
The fact that there are meetings in the first place show that money is involved.
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Not necessarily. Again, we have very little idea who he’s actually meeting with.[quote=“TheMightyObsidianDude, post:1106, topic:48962”]
it isn’t strictly a story, but it tells a lot of stories within that world that’s been created.
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Exactly, I think this would be the kind of thing Faber’s “project” would end up being: he would create a world for us and others to inhabit with stories and characters.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Faber, when involved with Bionicle, ever worked on characters of stories. Hes’s always credited more with contributing to the atmosphere and world design. You can even see that with what he’s put out for Rebel Nature so far (as far as I’ve seen): it’s mostly creatures and locations and aspects of the world, with very few named characters (though that also comes from the nature of the world itself).
To be honest, I actually think everything he’s put out so far is really neat; I love the world and atmosphere of Bionicle and of this new art. I just think expectations should be kept low for what will actually be “produced” and wish it was easier to pull apart his words from all the hype and speculation surrounding his posts.
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I don’t think he meant worldbuilding per se. it felt more like a comment of how engagement with stories has changed. Nowadays stories are experience not just from the source material but also from spoilers, advertising, fandom discussions - things associated.
Worldbuilding is just a convenient corporate buzzword but I think this is what he meant when showing that diagram
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A new instagram post from Faber, featuring a prototype Ignika.
The end of the caption is interesting:
LEgend GO:rocket:
I wonder if this is the answer to his “ or ” regarding the planned but delayed meeting with LEGO.
Reading the recent stuff in this thread, it surprises me how some people still think Faber isn’t really making something.
His descriptions of worldbuilding etc. are pretty much the same as how he has described his other project, Rebel Nature - a multimedia story universe with an upcoming TV show. It is reasonable to guess that he is planning a similar narrative universe featuring BIONICLE, pending an agreement with LEGO. (There was even a post from last year where he talks about becoming Vakama using his animation software…)
Regarding “#biovival”, that’s just a hashtag to replace #14B2020 (since we’ve passed 1/4/2020 which was when he had planned the announcement). It’s not the actual name of the project, just short for BIONICLE (or BIO-“legally-distinct”) Revival.
Hopefully we get more details soon!
In the meantime, can I request this thread is renamed to “14B2020 / Biovival Discussion”, since “3IONICLE” is a dumb name that Faber never actually used? 
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I would support that request.
But Faber’s post really caught me off guard. What does that mean now?
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I disagree; that’s what people want, but nothing he’s said suggests a narrative. Only a universe.
As far as I’m aware, he first introduced the hashtag in connection with the phrase “Biological chronicle of survival.” “Bionicle revival” is just something implied, whether accurately or not, it’s unclear.
I definitely agree with this as well!
Also worth noting is this reply to a comment on that latest post, once again suggesting the prime role of community involvement in whatever this ends up being:
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I personally liked 3IONICLE just for the joke, but I changed it for ya.
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Eh, if Faber was just posting concept art to inspire the fans, why doesn’t he say “I’m just posting concept art to inspire the fans.” instead of being enigmatic? I don’t think any of us would get angry at him if he admitted that when he started. After all, that was the Faber files was about is the first place.
However, if Faber wants us on board with a new project, he’s going to have to clarify what he needs us to contribute creatively to the show. MoCs? Artwork? Story? Comics? Blind faith?
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Interesting how he mentioned the Bio-Cup contest in his post… Bio-Cup isn’t even a Bionicle contest, but a Constraction/CCBS Contest… 
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Half the posts on this topic, in a nutshell.
True that. I mean…
I have to agree with that. If only this were actually, explicitly, a G3.
Granted, the Ignika probably won’t be featured in this new project, but it’s still a really cool post.
Patience for whatever big thing he’s got coming? Because from the looks of things, we’re gonna need a LOT of patience.
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I think this is the crux of the issue. He had the perfect opportunity to come clean about that, and if that’s really all it is then I honestly doubt he would be saying about how he was “taking this project apart and putting it together in different ways” and the project is “work in progress” if there’s nothing to really show beyond what he’s already doing.
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I think to some extent it’s impossible to have a “universe” without a narrative - worldbuilding requires characters and characters require some sort of backstory.
My interpretation is that Faber wants to make it clear that this project isn’t going to be like G1 and G2, which were structured around pretty linear main stories (because they were trying to sell toys), with everything else like worldbuilding following as extras (if at all).
Instead, he wants to establish the world as primary, leaving room for him (and fans) to set stories within that. We don’t know what medium he’s planning to use to establish that world, but I think it’s sensible to look at Rebel Nature as a guide to what he’s able to do.
I don’t know how fan activity will fit into the project when it actually launches, but think about how Faber has been talking to potential partners.
Any sort of fan activity to do with BIONICLE probably greatly helps his business pitch - not only does it show the strength of the concept for the fans to still care about it, but it promises them a ready-made audience for whatever they produce / support.
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I mean, really that’s all he has said, if you read between the lines. He seems to be being enigmatic because… he wants to build hype I guess? The problem is that most of the hype is over something we definitely aren’t getting (a Bionicle reboot).
I’m not sure we have any evidence that there will be a show, but yeah, I don’t think most people even realize they’re supposed to be contributing.
I think he wants more elaborate methods of building upon the world he’s creating, which would be the intent of getting others on board, but once again it’s worth reiterating he has made it clear there won’t be a product, there won’t be a canon.
I disagree; backstory can be vaguely hinted at and ultimately left to the audience’s imagination.
And Rebel Nature has nothing concrete either yet; just a bunch of concept art 
Which is unfortunately an audience who’s in if for Bionicle; when this very likely won’t be Bionicle, or at least not Bionicle as it used to be in any way but atmosphere.
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Regardless of what form it might take, he has at the very very least said that much.
The problem is that is an incredibly open phrase. From the way that he was explaining it, it doesn’t seem like he equates a product to media in general. It could be something net-based, which by the very nature of how that works would be free. That isn’t a product, and it wouldn’t necessarily have a canon either.
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It has a confirmed TV show in production, using the animation software developed by Faber’s company.[quote=“Gresh113, post:1118, topic:48962”]
he has made it clear there won’t be a product
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He has made it clear that he isn’t producing a line of LEGO toys, which is what some people might assume if they only hear “BIONICLE is returning”.
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Let’s also not forget the ongoing film project and video game also in production.
I don’t blame people for not knowing these things, but seriously, you need to look at places other than Faber’s Instagram to see what he’s doing. He’s not a nobody, he worked with Advance for 20 years.
Is it high-profile? No, but it’s bigger than “just a bunch of concept art.”
@Votuko That’s a very cool article, I’m super stoked about Rebel Nature being talked about by other news outlets!
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I assume you’re referencing the “one for Bionicle…” line? It’s notable that that was qualified with “or something like [Bionicle].” This being Bionicle rests entirely on successful negotiations with Lego. These could end up being successful, though that seems rather unlikely.
Yes, I agree that it will need a medium; Instagram itself is a medium. When I’m arguing against a product, it’s based on his comments around minutes 14:00 and 15:00 in that livestream, that we won’t be consumers but will receive a “ticket” a journey he’s on.
Yes, I’ve heard about all those, which is why I made sure to clarify “yet.” I’m not even sure the show is in production yet, though: the article states production would begin in 2020, but it’s highly possible that it’s been delayed because of the pandemic and such. No way of knowing, however. But I think the point still stands that nothing substantial has come of the project yet.
Everything Faber does just strikes me as so similar to the age-old issue in the Bionicle community: hyping up a project in the concept phase and never being able to produce anything substantial. He seems like a brilliant visionary, but I’m not sure how well equipped he is to carry his ideas out. Hopefully whoever he’s meeting with can help him in this regard, but I’m afraid there won’t be many who are looking for something like what Faber wants to do.
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Obviously, but by the very nature of that statement, it’s clear that the idea is to keep the spirit of Bionicle, whatever that means to Faber (from what we’ve seen from his concept art, it seems to be the mysterious atmosphere coupled with artificial and mechanical elements in a natural world, but take from that what you will), regardless of whether or not that’s Legally Distinct Bionicle™, and I consider that the more important thing here.
I’m aware of where you’re taking it from, I just don’t think that that statement is as restrictive as you seem to make it out to be.
If you consider us refuting your points in this endless slew of pessimism to be hype, then go ahead and believe that. I’ve honestly had enough of people tearing the guy’s every word apart just to make themselves more miserable. I am still very much of the opinion that we should just hold fire on either side until we actually know anything at all rather than just extrapolating and reading between the lines (y’know, something he explicitly stated not to do in that very video you keep citing from). Nothing is confirmed, nothing is certain, including what you’re saying right now.
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