Fabey babey. Please. For the love of Mike. Just give us something substantial. I don’t care what it is, I just want to know that there’s something real being made here or if it’s dead in the water. You guys know that scene from TLJ where Poe’s begging the chick with the purple hair to just confirm that they’re not all about to die because they have no plan, but because the movie was written by idiots, she doesn’t even say anything? This is that. I just want Faber to come out and say that there is a plan. We’ve spent so long mucking about waiting for something concrete, ANYTHING concrete, and Faber can’t just give us that beyond his attempts to get in touch with Lego.
I’m not saying he’s a fraud. I’m not saying nothing’s happening. I just want news. Something with meaning. Faber’s spent 2 years stringing us along and we still have nothing to show for it. I’ve been keeping tabs just out of curiosity on what he’s doing, but this has all become so tiresome and drawn-out that I don’t really feel like there’s a carrot at the end of the stick anymore.
It doesn’t come across that way. It sounds more like if you don’t “get” the process, you’re not a real fan. Faberino’s getting backlash because he has no transparency and can’t seem to just level with us on anything. At all.
I can’t say I’ve entirely lost faith or anything but yeouch, things aren’t looking so hot right now faber.
I think some of it definitely doesn’t help with the fact that english isn’t a first language for him, so there’s an extra layer of cryptic slapped on top in that you’re not sure if he’s properly conveying his metaphor or not
to be fair, Faber might have received some toxic messages that we just haven’t or aren’t seeing, that could be the reason for his more… passive agressive reply in that image.
of course, his recent posts and actions makes it a bit difficult to be sure on that.
Yeah I think that’s a massive problem with the Bionicle community. People are obsessed about being given something instead of getting things done themselves.
I think Faber is a good guy and I don’t care if this project isn’t Bionicle related, I just want to see him make what he wants. Guess my biggest problem is definitely the incredibly mixed messages he’s been giving as to whether this is related to Bionicle or is something entirely different.
Teasing can be done while still maintaining clarity but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and come back when he’s done instead of pestering him in the process.
Most of you don’t understand what Faber has been doing. He never promised that the Bionicle fan community would “get” anything out of his posts; they are only an attempt at viral marketing. By making these posts which draw attention from the fanbase, he demonstrates that there is a viable audience of potential customers interested in his Bionicle-inspired IP(s). A social media following isn’t enough to call shots and get a full project going, but it’s enough to get his foot in the door for opportunities to potentially make a project that is like Bionicle if not eventually enabling him to work on a new LEGO-licensed Bionicle project.
Do you think Faber would have secured an interview at the Cannes NEXT 2020 Summit virtual conference a few months ago, or the more recent TED Talk opportunity without generating this following? I don’t think he would have. Some of you might decide that this means he is “taking advantage” of the community, but another, more pragmatic way to look at the situation is he is working to generate a brand image so that he will eventually be able to create a new Bionicle or Bionicle-like story.
He could not say this outright because it is inherently a show-don’t-tell model of advertising; if he stated exactly that his posts are viral marketing and he wanted the fans to spread them, then any potential angel investors would see clearly that the audience he has built is a very small though vocal group rather than a naturally-expanding customer base, which would ensure that his brand(s) would not be viewed as financially viable. The only mistakes Faber has made were overestimating the maturity of Bionicle fans and underestimating the size of a social media presence he requires.
So apparently Faber posts “BIONICLE”->“BIONICLE” (“OC”) images, which some people misread, and this is somehow “exploiting the fans”?
As others have said, Faber isn’t promising a product for you to inspect and he has been clear about this. The simplest reading of the situation is that he would like some sort of BIONICLE project to take place, and has been sharing his own concepts.
The original hashtag “14B2020” referred to his self-set target to get something concrete done by 1/4/2020, but apparently COVID postponed a key meeting. We don’t know if said meeting has even happened yet due to the pandemic still taking place, or if it would fall under NDA etc.
Maybe recent posts suggest that the meeting’s outcome was negative, or that it is still uncertain. Or maybe Faber was just reflecting the entitled / combative tone of many messages he receives. But the logic is clear that even if (eg) LEGO initially turns down a concept proposal, that outcome may change if it has enough public support.
Personally, I enjoy seeing Faber’s art and clever concepts (AI, environmentalism etc.) and am grateful that he wants BIONICLE to continue in some way. I will be very disappointed if he is put off from publicly sharing his work (and likely put off continuing it) because community members with loud voices denounce him every time his English isn’t very clear.
Under hired contracts and mandatory deadlines, sure. The same cannot be said of his own projects. Some people just need suits to rope them in line, because they’ll continue to spiral into nothing.
I’ve been on/off following his independant work regarding Rebel Nature for… a good long while, and the aesthetics and concepts covered are food for my soul. I think I’m almost certainly his desired target demographic, as I look at Rebel Nature and Rig 21 and my first reaction is “What could I do with this?” Not necessarily in the most literal sense, but the ideas put forward send my imagination spinning.
Every single post he has made on the subject has been intentionally super vague, so no one has any idea what he’s doing. Heck, even 'is first post was on April Fools, just so people wouldn’t be sure if it was a joke.
Did some people misread what Faber wants to do? Yes. Is that their fault? No. Because Faber refuses to make any clear statements. He says nothing but vague and cryptic statements, then is shocked when no one knows what he’s doing.
