That’s my band name
What, and ruin a perfectly good 21-year streak?
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When all you look for is a lack of light, that’s all you’ll find. Every metric we’ve looked at has shown them to be immensely positive and popular. But you do you.
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Okay whoa, whoa, whoooooa… first of all, even if I misread “OniO” as “OniC” (which is a common error made by many people), that changes nothing about my point there, which was an incredibly minor part of the video. I just was laughing about him posting an image where two letters were randomly made larger with more vagueposting cryptic text, and the ensuing jumping-to-conclusions that followed as a result in the comments section.
That specific post does not count as exploiting the fans anymore than anything else he has done. However, intentionally stringing people along with BIONICLE imagery, quotes, concept art, and references for what is most likely not BIONICLE (or at least, not BIONICLE in the way people want/are expecting) does count as exploitation IMO.
We have reached out to him to schedule an interview. His last interview request was also made after I released a video giving him some critique, and we reached out to him after he made that one as well. We’ll see where it goes; I’d love the opportunity to talk with him!
I don’t know what part of my video led you to believe that the image with the large letters is what sparked a lot of my “hysterics,” but you’re very off-base. One letter being different doesn’t magically make it any less weird or hilarious, and that was such a minor part of the video already… the multiple cryptic posts followed by the passive aggressive response to the commenter was what sparked my video, not really “OniO” or “OniC” or whatever. That part was just funny.
Okay Chronicler, I just have to point this out.
“Yes there’s been creativity”
immediately followed by
"but all I have seen are complaints, and complaints, and complaints about everything.
I know you’re probably being hyperbolic but like… “Yes there’s been good thing BUT all I have seen is bad thing.” Please try to stay consistent, especially in the same sentence. 
Overall, the contests have been successful in their goals and we feel the positivity drastically outweighs the negativity. It’s also completely irrelevant to the current discussion.
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If you’re aware the sentence is hyperbolic, asking for the consistency is a bit weird.
I definitely wasn’t trying to make the discussion about the contests, I did mention them as an aside. My own complaint (yes that sounds hypocrticial), in itself, was just about the fans complaining and accusing ill-intent against the contests, Faber, canon-decisions (back with Greg canonizing stuff and the Gold Good Guy debacle in 2014). I disliked the people using the contests as a way to protest and complain about not getting what they wanted, and it is annoying to see people asserting their anger and frustration with Faber. I get it; he has been disappointing some expectations. I just think that, perhaps, we’re channeling the wrong energy here.
It’s tiresome to me. Eljay is probably right though, my perspective is skewed because I have been exposed to the worst the community has to offer back in my modding days. It has made me tired, and my vision only sees nothing but ill-intent from fan complaints and maybe perhaps hostility that is not there.
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So I forgot to reply to this; I don’t get it. He didn’t hide those comments to stop people following his stuff and getting excited; he just deleted them because he felt the criticism came from people who weren’t real fans, people who don’t understand him.
It’s disingenuous, though. If he “didn’t need the hype” he wouldn’t have taken us all on this rollercoaster ride for two years. He obviously needs the hype, be it for validation or social media credibility to use as leverage in project development or something like that. He’s never deleted any of his other posts when people have called him out; I just think he reacted poorly to well-earned frustration from people that’s finally bubbling over, and only wants support from “real fans” AKA people who won’t question him and will just follow along. That’s my current impression, anyway; happy to have my mind changed.
I point out the consistency to help in your argumentation. People do it a lot and it drags your point down and distracts from it. That’s all!
I question the bit about “disappointing some expectations.” I think that’s reductive and an incorrect conclusion to draw. Certainly true in some cases, but not all; as someone who has zero expectations from Faber whatsoever and, in many respects, doesn’t even want BIONICLE back, I certainly don’t hold him to any arbitrary standard or specific wish that must be fulfilled.
I just get annoyed at how all this has gone down. Gullible people drink the kool-aid and build up their hopes (which is where you’re right and the expectation angle comes in), but those people haven’t been disappointed yet. Ultimately, they will be in the future, and it could all be avoided with more clear and direct messaging and a checking of expectations, conveyed to people in clear, concise terms instead of riddles and cryptic speeches.
Faber’s trajectory is building up a large amount of fans under a false pretense. If he was clearer with his goals, he would build up a fanbase that is interested in what he is offering, instead of what they mentally build it up to be. Faber’s reluctance to be clear and to instead feed into peoples’ worst impulses and most unrealistic desires for the sake of a higher number of likes… that’s where the frustration comes from. I ultimately just want to help him succeed in future with whatever he’s doing, and so I give feedback; I just get disappointed when this is how it is continually handled.
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Man there is a lot of passion in the community. Even if we are arguing at least it can be said its because of the passion we all have for the story/world and that in the end we are all tied here because of the love that connects us to what this was for us
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So… basically Faber went nuts?
It does change quite a bit, really.
An image where the word “BIONICLE” becomes “OC” (ie original creation) implies a meaning, rather than being absurd nonsense like “ONIO”. It’s pretty much the same message that’s been in all Faber posts.
Maybe that section of your self-admitted “rant” isn’t very long, but it’s a central element and I can’t see what else specifically the harsh title of “Biovival Absurdity Reaches New Heights” refers to, than the element you laugh hardest at.
Perhaps the more charitable explanation then, is that the “hype” Faber doesn’t want is the negative hype surrounding those images, not the general hype over the project.
Maybe he saw large numbers of people misreading his posts and getting angry and decided it was easier to just delete them. (Both the misreading of “OC” and people thinking the logo posts meant he was cancelling a planned G3 or something.)
I’ve said this before, but I really don’t think it’s fair to say anyone is “stringing people along” if all they are doing is giving stuff to those people. In my book, Faber would have to be asking for something in return for that to make sense as a criticism. (And the same applies doubly-so for “exploitation”.)
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he quoted a post on facebook that shaded all of us 
So why post BIONICLE at all then if it’s just an original creation?
I’ve been saying for years now that people are getting baited by Faber, but make no mistake that Faber has been baiting these people. People legitimately believe that Faber is doing something BIONICLE related… which is because he hasn’t made it clear that he isn’t. Because he’s been intentionally making it seem like it’s BIONICLE related. You can’t tell me people are reading into what he’s posting in that regard. He literally spelled out BIONICLE.
He’s absolutely stringing people along. He’s said on several occasions he’d let people know after meetings what the future of his #14B2020 thing is. Then said they got cancelled. Then kept on saying he’d let us know if it’s a thumbs up or down. Then never did. Then kept posting BIONICLE concept art with vague quotes and never outright stating what he is doing.
He’s asking for attention and a following. Upfront. That is something. He is asking for support for… something. People think it’s BIONICLE because he’s made people believe it is and hasn’t been clear that it isn’t. That’s the trade. And now he is gaslighting people for it.
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Because he is.
He wants it to come back, but is being open about the fact that it may not be possible. In which case, we would have “BIONICLE → OC”.
When?
If I post a joke on Twitter, I’m not implicitly asking people to read it or follow me. If somebody follows me because of that joke, it doesn’t mean I have an obligation to post more jokes for them.
Or perhaps you are.
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Idk I feel liked you’re arguing the devil’s advocate a bit.
If he wants his stuff to be viewed legitimately, he should stop trying to pad the chance of failure with vague sayings that might be trying to be inspirational, but ultimately just come across as (you hate to see it) cringe.
It seems to me that the chance of a red light was pretty high since pretty early on, but he’s been hyping it up to imply without explicitly stating that it might actually be a thing. Who knows, maybe it might. Chances seem low though, and because of that it seems disingenuous to pretend it isn’t just to … garner support, I guess?
That’s a really immature way to deal with hate, in that case, and really obnoxious.
First, we get “Guys guys guys I’m remaking BIONICLE!” for two years and then “For real this time it’s happening!” and then what is essentially “Welp, it won’t happen, but that’s fine because it lives on in our hearts. If you’re mad I told you it’d happen but it won’t, you’re being too negative and I just can’t take it.”
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Not at all.
If Faber and Eljay are making opposing claims, then one of them must be trying to make people believe something that isn’t true. (Though I don’t think intentionally or maliciously.) Isn’t that just what “gaslighting” means?
I don’t mean it in a rude or overblown way.
I don’t particularly like getting into arguments, I just feel for a guy who seems to be passionate, talented and trying to do something nice for the community.
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If that’s how you’ve been interpreting his posts, it’s no wonder you’re disappointed. This is the exact kind of “fake hype” that Faber’s talking about.
To me, he’s always been pretty clear that this might turn out to be nothing, and he has done nothing to fall short of those expectations. The only concrete thing that I have ever taken from any of Faber’s posts is that he might be working on something that is somehow related in some way to Bionicle.
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Welp felt I had to post this here as well and because I feel that TTV clearly overlooked something here.
Since Faber has been getting back unto the radar of TTV I decided to revisit the old #14B2020 stream to see If there was anything we missed, I found the following quote especially fascinating and decided to breakdown and analyze its contents:
“But I just basically need everybody who is building and moccing and doing anything creative around this universe to say what will come if anything comes, we can get involved in this in a different way than earlier. Because when in 2001 when Bionicle came out or 2000, eh, you were the consumers. the consumers were handed something and you took it and you bought it and everything was good. em this is a new model um this is not about, I think its not about that you get the full package you should get the ticket and that’s actually how I feel. I feel like this guy standing with this really scrappy boat on the Harbour and trying to put stuff on trying to make it look safe. So I’m trying to invite people aboard because this is going to be a journey and I dunno what’s at the end of that Horizon, but I know having the best team aboard is going to be very cruical. I know that the journey is going to be the best thing of them all, Because who wants to get to the end point? this is not a holiday. So storytelling is eh is about this uncertainty I think and that’s why all the cryptic, cryotical, cryptic stuff has come out, its quite fun you know, eh, that it has been mentioned so many times. I’m still very cryptic you know its, I can’t really do anything else.”
“But I just basically need everybody who is building and moccing and doing anything creative around this universe to say what will come if anything comes, we can get involved in this in a different way than earlier.”
Here Faber is talking about getting help from the community and how he wants to work with fans to make this reality. Unlike how G1 was made by LEGO and its employees.
“Because when in 2001 when Bionicle came out or 2000, eh, you were the consumers. the consumers were handed something and you took it and you bought it and everything was good. em this is a new model um this is not about, I think its not about that you get the full package you should get the ticket and that’s actually how I feel.”
Again here Faber tries to communicate how this new project will differ from the original toy line and how instead of being at the receiving end, you could if you wanted to, help make it and this is something he apparently wanted to do with the community.
“I feel like this guy standing with this really scrappy boat on the Harbour and trying to put stuff on trying to make it look safe. So I’m trying to invite people aboard because this is going to be a journey and I dunno what’s at the end of that horizon, but I know having the best team aboard is going to be very cruical. I know that the journey is going to be the best thing of them all, Because who wants to get to the end point? this is not a holiday.”
Here Faber is talking about his posts which is the stuff the salesman(him) is cramming on the boat to make people less reluctant to go on. “This is a journey and I dunno what’s at the end of that horizon” It seems to me that he is referring to that he doesn’t have a final plan yet of the project and that would people choose to join him they, we could find out together.
“but I know having the best team aboard is going to be very cruical. I know that the journey is going to be the best thing of them all, Because who wants to get to the end point? this is not a holiday.” This next sentence is building on the last and what he is implying by my understanding is that whoever it is he might depart with he hopes that this team has what it takes to get them through this project safely.
“I know that the journey is going to be the best thing of them all, Because who wants to get to the end point? this is not a holiday.”
Here he is referring to the fact that he has been on a similar journey before aka the original Bionicle and that the best part about that experience was the experience of doing it not the final product. Again further cementing the idea that he wants to bring others on this journey so that he can share this experience with them.
So storytelling is eh is about this uncertainty I think and that’s why all the cryptic, cryotical, cryptic stuff has come out, its quite fun you know, eh, that it has been mentioned so many times. I’m still very cryptic you know its, I can’t really do anything else."
Here he continues with saying that storytelling is an uncertainty and to tell those you can’t expect what will happen next cause anything can change. He goes on to explaining that he is being cryptic and how because if everything was revealed it would defeat the purpose of telling the story. Which in other words mean I can’t give you everything know because if I did why would you be apart of it when it finally happen.
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You’re also not making a false promise. If people follow you, and you keep making jokes, they keep following. If you stop making posts, people move on and that’s that.
A better analogy would be if you post on Twitter saying you plan to make a comedy video, then spend two years teasing this video and never make it.
Faber has promised, through his posts, something people want to see. People are following him because they want to see that promise fulfilled, not just to see cool concept art.
Again, if he was just posting art, no one would have a problem.
That is exactly how Faber wants it to be interpreted. That’s not on the “fans”, that’s on him.
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I began discussing the image in question at 26:48. I finished talking about it at 28:08. You’re wrong. Apologies for being blunt, but like… you’re just wrong. It’s not a “central element,” it’s a footnote at best, and one I stand by as being an example of his needlessly wordy, unclear, and meandering posts. My “harsh title” is in reference to the three consecutive posts deliberately flagging BIONICLE by spelling out its logo and sneaking in UDD references, followed by their deletion and both blaming the fans for having expectations at all while telling them to stop waiting around for him to do something.
I’m sure you’re right, to be honest. Unfortunately, that becomes part of the problem to me; if any negative feedback is construed as meaningless or unwanted, then you probably shouldn’t aim to be a creator that produces content for a large fanbase of people with diverse opinions. Eventually, someone isn’t going to love something that you do; but that feedback is not inherently hateful, it’s all part of the process of discussion, self-reflection, and critical thinking. People who are willing to better themselves and their work while being humble about the things they do should never mistake criticism for hatred.
I made a whole video about that livestream last year where I dissect his wording and read out a bunch of quotes verbatim. Trust me, I missed nothing. None of what he said in that livestream amounts to anything tangible or of substance, just his desire to incorporate fan involvement which… is a very nice idea, but doesn’t really tell us anything about what kind of product we could be anticipating other than it probably won’t be the traditional BIONICLE format, in which case, a large portion of his audience will be disappointed (which is perfectly okay, by the way; just maybe an undesirable outcome for him).
The only other concrete and tangible thing that was learned from the livestream is that Faber doesn’t see a future where ball joints are viable because of the oil needed to produce them, which tells me he doesn’t put much value on traditional LEGO sets or products for his project, which… again, is something the majority of his audience likely hasn’t wrapped their heads around yet.
Clear and concise messaging regarding these ideas and visions that aren’t contained in a rambling livestream would do wonders to check expectations. That’s all I’m saying!
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The part where he said “I’m Christian Faber”.
The part where he dumped loads of concept art for multiple projects because the man is a project art machine. The part where he released a trailer for his concept pitch for Rebel Nature. The part where he did literally anything because all of his posts say that.
The April 1st date was meant to turn heads. If it was a joke the punchline would’ve landed by now, not more substance to the joke.
You seem to have ignored this part.
If it’s just an original creation in the world of Bionicle Faber would’ve said so by now. If this was a fanfic - of his own work, mind you - Faber wouldn’t be so maddeningly non-specific about anything in relation to it. The fact that he isn’t, hasn’t shown any sign of that, continues to act as if there’s something he’s building towards, likely wouldn’t juggle making an AU in the middle of everything else he’s ambitiously trying to accomplish, and that you’ve got nothing to go off of for this except his highlighting the O and C of Bionicle, all lends to me believing you’re wrong.
Also because he likely highlighted the pair (and made the C a complete circle, check the post) to illustrate the two icons of blue fog likely being indicative of the two major islands to show how where we’re going, we don’t need islands
Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment.[1] It may evoke changes in them such as cognitive dissonance or low self-esteem, rendering the victim additionally dependent on the gaslighter for emotional support and validation. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction and disinformation,[2] gaslighting involves attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim’s beliefs.
No it’s more of a pretty serious accusation. Granted, I can’t blame Eljay for jumping to use the term when he’s been on the receiving end before.
All Faber needs is one statement - ONE - that says that something exists and progress is being made. It will absolutely save his hide and be the saving grace if his entire project goes under.
Also hi again Faber, how was lunch
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This. So much this.
This is the Skrall shield of biovival. Faber used the O and C because they’re round, not to convey a message.
And if he was trying to say “this is an original creation, not bionicle”, then he’s doing a comically bad job. Just say it, Faber, don’t hide important messages in nonsense cryptic posts.
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Obviously because at that stage he hadn’t even gotten that far he even stated that april 1st 2020 was the date he wanted the project to truly kick off, Its totally locigal why he didn’t have a finish idea of what product he wanted to make but he explained very clearly what he wanted the project to be hence why I found that particular quote so interesting while rewatching that stream recently. Since that streams entire purpose was to setup his plans for the project not what or what will not come out of it. Hoping on an end product or anything close to the description of one at that stage is probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.
What he also made clear in that stream was that the year before that stream was a prelude and a build up he had no intention of starting the project properly until april 1st 2020 and we also know that the project got delayed further due to complications due to covid 19 and as far as I know the pandemic is still a thing. Hoping that Faber has a product at this point is the stupidest thing ever products can take several years to develop.
Why do you think the DJ alien minifig is dabbing on its vidiyo packaging? not because its a trend anymore but because it was developed in a time where the dab was relevant and only now is being released. How old could that make Vidiyo I dunno 3 maybe 4 years old.
And based on what we know from what Faber said at most Faber has been working on this continuesly for a year minimum as the period 19-20 was just a phase to test the waters.
Ultimately expecting some product reveal at this stage is dumb, he has explained his goals with the project so there is really no reason to blame him for stringing people along.
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