Post-G1 BIONICLE Canon Contests Discussion Topic

[Pakari]

I’d love to see some fanon contests.

But I’d also really like to see “character design” contests or “reimagining” contests. This community got soooooo lost in the sauce over Metru torsos and armor colors and sword barbs. It’d be so incredibly refreshing to see a contest where every pre-conceived notion can be thrown out the window and every minute detail doesn’t have to be looked at under an electron microscope to make sure it’s 100% whole-wheat, non-GMO, Kosher CANON.

I’d like to see a contest where entries like those from @PoorDisadvantaged and @CZQ actually stand a chance in the running, because not only are interpretations like those technically impressive, but they’re just phenomenal character designs.

Just look at these beautiful Helryx designs that were essentially non-factors because they were nowhere near canon compliant:

Helryx the First (Canon Contest #1: The First) - Poor Disadvantaged

[Helryx2Edited] Helryx had several, perhaps contradictory, characteristics that supplied lots of ideas to work with: Formidable yet vulnerable, she’s one of the most powerful Toa, who rejects a Toa’s greatest power. I pretty much aimed for what I wish (as I often do) Helryx could’ve looked like: someone who’s imposing, battle-worn, elegant/regal and sinister all at once! [HelryxMain1Edited] [HelryxSide][HelryxBack] The scratched/spiked Knights Kingdom pauldrons and the layers of cloth were both integral for this build, as they supported all the aspects I was going for. I made her especially thin and skeletal around the limbs, ribcage, waist and feet (originally used on Construction Deva’s Helryx), and attempted to emulate bandages with tires. All this contrasts with (and compl…

Helryx (Canon Contest #1)

[Helryx] “She was not Makuta, but she was indescribably ancient and disturbingly frail in appearance. Her mask and armor were pitted and scarred from a thousand battles.” ~ Narrator, Swamp of Secrets The first Toa, former member of The Hand of Artakha, and founding member of The Order of Mata Nui. She aided in the construction of Metru Nui and informed the Toa Mata of their destinies. [helryx action] required photos

Or take a look at basically any of the Bionicle wave collabs from Flickr. Some of my favorite interpretations of the characters in a long time that go beyond revamps.

Everyone was saying “we can have more impressive MOCs once we get to the characters that are more unique.” Well, I say why not have them now? And why not apply them to all characters, regardless of if we’ve seen them or not?

People have this very narrow idea of what Bionicle characters need to be. For a very long time I’ve wanted to see something done that throws all of that away and really tries to elevate what was already there.