Regarding the Hagah Masks

Yes, it should.

And canon has established that their shapes don’t match their powers.

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Please review my post again, as it centered on the conflict with that quote.

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Yes, that is the quote I was alluding to with this statement:

Again, please review the post.

EDIT: Also, I want to point out that, as I said originally, I’ll settle with whatever wins the competition–even if it isn’t a canonical Mask of Emulation in the case of Pouks. The point of this post is to see if people would be unlimited by this particular constraint and free to post (and vote for) whatever they want, regardless of this talking point. Unless anyone have a personal vendetta against fan-made Masks of Emulation, I’m not sure why asking Greg for clarification on this is a problem.

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I did.

What possible grey area could there be to overrule the Greg Quote?

EDIT: I see where you’re coming from now.

Still though, Greg doesn’t usually double-confirm answers unless he’s sure.

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I agree. And, if I were in his place, with the facts presented to me in the same way, I would have been sure in that moment as well. It’s worth noting that the fact we even know that Iruini’s mask matches its power is something Greg confirmed once on the Greg discussion a year after the Hagah storyline had concluded. I can’t speak for Greg, but I wouldn’t have remembered this in 2009, unless someone expressly pointed it out in the question. Iruini’s mask is an exception to what the OP is asking, but the OP doesn’t reference it (perhaps because he doesn’t know himself).

If I were in Greg’s place and were only reminded about Norik’s mask, I would also assume that there are no established exceptions, and that there’s no reason not to say that, without a doubt, all the masks are like Norik’s. But again, that quote doesn’t take into account that it’s neglecting the fact Iruini already is an exception.

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This quote sets a rule, while Iruini is an exception. That’s not to say there can’t be more Toa Hagah that are like Iruini that have x mask in the shape of a hero’s who wore the exact same mask, but a lot of people have been wanting to make Iruini the rule by using the canon shape of the Mask of Emulation for Pouks. Not just that, but people have also using masks that are labelled by 3D modelers as the standard shapes of Rahi Control, Clairvoyance, and Growth for the respective Hagah (these shapes are not canon of course, just pointing out the community’s sentiment).

Before I continue, I think all of Greg’s previous answers should be posted in their entirety, not just linked, at least for sake of convenience.

  1. Norik’s Pehkui is shaped like a Noble Kiril. Is it possible that the other Toa Hagah wear masks shaped as other Kanohi as well (i.e. Pouks’ Mask of Emulation may be shaped like, for example, a Great Kakama), in honor of other past heroes?
  1. Yes
    Official Greg Dialogue | Page 261

2)Do the rest of the Hagah have a mask of a different shape, like Norik
2a.Is it possible?
2) Yes
Official Greg Dialogue | Page 174

1)I asked you if the rest of the Hagah had masks shaped differently than they should be (Norik : Pehkui=/=Kiril, but it was carved that way) and in a #b, i asked you if it was at least possible, and you said yes, did you mean yes, it is possible or yes, they do?
1)Yes, they do
Official Greg Dialogue | Page 176

I did a quick search to make sure I didn’t miss any, but if I did, please let me know. The first only says that it’s possible, while the other two confirm that “the rest of the Hagah” follow Norik’s example rather than Iruini’s.

I don’t think this is an assumption you can make. Just because he couldn’t remember whether the hero Norik was honoring was Dume (it wasn’t btw) doesn’t mean he couldn’t remember whether the Hagah in general had masks in different shapes. Also, Greg’s statement that “the Hagah storyline was three years ago” isn’t entirely accurate. Since he said that in 2008, he would’ve just recently finished (or maybe even currently working on still) Dwellers in Darkness, which the Hagah were a key role in. Even with the questions he was asked not mentioning Iruini, I think its a safe bet that Greg would’ve remembered Iruini wearing a Kualsi shaped Kualsi, even at that time.

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These are some good points. For the most part, it’s impossible to say one way or the other without Greg weighing in to say for certain. My interest here is not to confirm one thing or another, but just to see if Greg actually does have a serious inclination one way or the other, or if he doesn’t mind letting fans decide through vote.

I can’t speak for the community, and ultimately we’ll only know once the contest is over, but ultimately I see no reason to verify one way or the other if something is the canon form of a mask or not.

You’ve worked extensively on BS01’s Kanohi and Other Kanohi pages, so you probably know better than most just how many hypothetical masks there are in existence. Of the 78 known Great Masks, there are 23 without canonical forms–and that’s not counting the 65 unseen Noble masks we’ve never seen before. Of course, this isn’t counting any mask we aren’t aware of, or the masks wer’ve only seen mutated, organic, or otherwise transformed. All told, there is a reasonably solid chance that the Hagah masks are ones we’ve never seen before, including their original forms.

I just don’t think there’s any need to confirm one way or the other if the masks the Hagah wear. My inclination is to permit fan Masks of Emulation into the contest. If a moc with one wins, then that’s the canon shape, but if some other mask wins, then Pouks’ mask was reforged. Then leave the other three masks ambiguous.

Thanks for including these–I actually had forgotten about the very first one, but I don’t think it adds anything here. But the second and third quotes are the subject of my original post, and at this point, I’d just be reiterating what I said there.

That’s a great point that I also hadn’t considered. Again, I can’t speak for Greg, and I’m eager to hear his input on the matter. However, just because he was working with the Hagah in a storyline doesn’t mean he was considering the hoops that had been jumped years ago to explain why Norik was wearing Dume’s mask. You don’t need to take the appearance of a mask into consideration when you’re describing them and their powers in story.

Also, Jerminator made an interesting point in another topic that’s worth raising in here as well.

Given what we have, it’s a reasonable solution to solve the contradiction posed by the quotes. The problem is that, as he says, it’s an interpretation. But there’s nothing in the quote to infer that Greg was remembering the details on Iruini when he said this.

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Invariably, all we can do at this point is speculate and guess. Normally I wouldn’t even raise the issue. But people have taken this quote to say that any moc with a fan mask must be disqualified simply because of this singular quote in question.

If this is really what Greg wants, then by all means, let’s have that as a rule. Canon is canon, even if many fans would wish otherwise on this point. I hold strongly to Greg’s quotes, and will frequently cite them when necessary (such as, for example, the Hagah torso).

However, I don’t think it’s fair at this present time to outright disallow submissions simply because one happens to wear a Mask of Emulation. At present, the “evidence” we have is flimsy at best and requires assumptions and interpretations as to what it can mean (as Jerminator alludes to). Perhaps you’re right, Dag, perhaps Greg meant all along that “Iruini is the only possible exception to the rule, and that every other Hagah had masks like Norik.” But until he expressly clarifies that “yes, Iruini is the only possible exception to the rule,” I don’t think it’s fair for people to keep insisting that this is what Greg said, when it isn’t. That’s a fan interpretation of the quotes we have.

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No, it’s the most objective and literal interpretation that we have.

Taking these one at a time:

This first quote only says that it is possible for the other Hagah to have wrong-shaped masks. Since the question started by mentioning Norik, “other”, in this context, means all five of the non-Norik Hagah.

This one starts off by saying “the rest”. Note that, at the time the phrase “the rest” was used, Norik had not yet been singled out. Therefore, “the rest” does not mean “everyone but Norik”, but rather “everyone except the last group of Hagah that was singled out”. Since there was no previous information in this question, we must default to the only other time some of the Hagah were singled out: Norik and Iruini were made into sets.

Therefore, this second quote refers only to the four non-set Toa Hagah.

Then the third quote refers to the same “the rest” as the second question.


Therefore, taking these quotes in the most literal, lawyer-y, way possible, they specify that the four non-set Hagah definitely have wrong-shaped masks, and Iruini might.

Of course, other sources confirm that Iruini’s mask is correctly-shaped, but we all know that.

I feel once again through these pentadic discussion here people often mis-portray connotation and associations of words. Asking somebody a question with a specific mention to it is to namely direct the focus to such. In this case the matter of focus amongst the Hagah has been Norik due to the discrepancies with Dume.

When addressing a question as collective organization you would refer to all under such a branch, with exceptions all usually bearing direct mention. In this case the question was worded in a vague enough fashion focusing on an outlier instead of mentioning each, thus the neglect of a word Iruini. Iruini is a sore point for many fans as many relate the Norik and Iruini sets to be what should have been Toa Dume and Toa Nidhiki, asking a question in a fashion to try and work around the measures applied to Nidhiki’s mask is nothing new in the questions asked back on the message boards then.

Your general associations at best are personal, if not just unfounded in honesty. A person answering around likely 20 questions in a day with the board process rates back then, is not going to rack their brain over the a set procedure and release of sets, they are going to focus on answering the direct lore related question as specified.

The needless discussions on the masks are contrived in honesty; you have the example of Norik with his Pehkui resembling a Nobel Kiril, and then a counter example of Iruini’s Kualsi looking like a normal Kualsi as proven by the bearer Defilak. Therefore as a general rule of thumb based on these quotes, the possibility of any of these masks to not resemble their original forms is possible, but there is nothing that demands they have to be different either, that is all.

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You’re drawing a distinction here that the quotes never make. Neither quote that has been sourced has at any point expressly distinguished “Iruini” from “other Hagah.”

I agree with what you’re saying insofar as this is very likely what the posters probably meant to indicate. However, what remains unclear is whether Greg remembered all the intricate implications and connotations that the poster may have been alluding to, or if he just saw a straightforward question and answered it. As per Tikoro, it’s unlikely Greg would have either remembered the ins and outs of the Hagah masks as he was answering it–he would have just reacted to the one example, forgetting the established outlier.

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And yes, what you present is, in fact, “the most objective and literal interpretation that we have.” The issue is that the premise of the question is flawed and incomplete. Perhaps this was not an issue for Greg when he answered at the time. But perhaps it was. We cannot know what his thoughts are until he expands on them here–until then, we are guessing, speculating, and, yes, interpreting.

The goal of this topic is not to get an interpretation, however logical, but a clear answer. I don’t think getting a better picture of Greg’s true intent hurts anything.

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Just use officially available masks for contect models, make up a backstory why they use the masks in the shape of that mask and you’re done.

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I’d like to present another side of the argument, of why it does make sense that Iruini is the only exception in the team:

It was established in 2005 that their masks were forged in shapes to honor past heroes. This wasn’t done simply for flavoring, but rather (I assume) was done to explain why Norik wears a noble-shaped Kanohi, as that’s what the set designers gave him. Whether it is a stupid reason/solution, that is irrelevant, it is the canon and well-established solution to the problem, and undermining it would leave us at square one: Why does Norik have one in a different shape but not the others? Norik cannot be the exception, he needs to be the rule.
Iruini doesn’t break this rule, he is simply honoring someone who wore a Kualsi as well. Now of course, you may ask, doesn’t this mean the other Hagah could do the same, it wouldn’t undermine anything, right? It would. For one, think of how many mask powers, known and unknown, that there are, and multiply that by at least two (for Greats and Nobles). There’s a one in (that number) chance that the mask of the being they’re honoring would wear a Great version of their same mask. That is very unlikely. For Iruini, this is fine, but for multiple Hagah, I’d simply put it like this: One’s a coincidence, two’s a trend.
Now you may ask, “couldn’t they just choose ones that have matching masks?” and this is where it really starts to undermine things. If you’re choosing to honor these heroes because of what masks they wore, then you’re not honoring them for their heroics. Additionally, it does not seem particularily much like “honoring” them if you’re set on sticking with the same shape you already had, instead you are running away from “changing yourself” in their honor.

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I’ve recently been informed of this quote: Official Greg Dialogue | Page 205

  1. Also, though, maybe it would be best just to say this IS Pouks’s power, and renamed “Absorption” whatever is chosen in that poll about Pouks’ mask? That way, it would a single power, and we would know what Pouks’s mask looks like – like this (the shape you had approved to be Absorption).
    So, however Pouks’ power works, that would be how that mask works; same power.
    A: Fine

It would appear the same initial source for “emulation” being Pouks’ mask power/the consolidation of two very similar mask powers, also indicates Pouks’ mask specifically would be the same shape as what was chosen for that power…

Given the heavily pushed statement that “all other Hagah wear reshaped masks, like Norik” already has one notable exception (Iruni), I don’t think that should be taken as a definitive rule that takes precedent over Greg literally confirming what another one of the Hagah’s masks are shaped like.

(Note: All Hagah wear masks in honor of past heroes, that part is not being contested. However, “all Hagah wear reshaped masks” cannot be true as Iruni’s Kualsi is not reshaped, and according to this answer from Greg, neither is Pouks’ mask of emulation.)

Now obviously, I think the results of these contests should take precedent over some decade-old quotes, but in light of this discovery, I don’t think it’s fair to disqualify entries over the use of that mask shape for Pouks.

I also don’t think it would be fair to enforce the Mask of Emulation’s design because it wasn’t a part physically produced by lego, nor does it yet have a complete official design, only a side-view… And the contest is already underway, and would be too late to instill a new restriction.

Imo, the best compromise would just be to allow designs for the Mask of Emulation to be used in moc and art entries. I think most people already have their opinions on whether or not Pouks’ should wear it anyway and will vote accordingly, and if it were to win and be (re)canonized, nothing would be lost. It wouldn’t go against Greg’s own word any more than Iruni and his Kualsi already does.

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This is only a contradiction if you intentionally misread “the other Hagah” in a way neither the person asking the question nor Greg meant.

Also, that quote refers to pouks’ mask being the same power as the Ta-matoran, not the same shape. It doesn’t say Pouks has a MoE-shaped MoE, just that we know what a MoE looks like.

Greg has said that they’re different shapes, very clearly.

I’d like to direct you to a tweet from Eljay

https://twitter.com/TheEljayJohnsen/status/1392655351929925634?s=20

“Do the other Hagah have re-shaped masks, like Norik?”
“Yes, they do.”

If that isn’t Greg’s word, I don’t know what is.

  • A poll was held on BZPower to name Pouks’ mask, based on a selection of possible titles. Emulation was the winning title and was then canonized by BIONICLE book author Greg Farshtey.[11] Afterwards, the Mask of Absorption, which was originally part of the fan-based project “Expanded Multiverse” and canonized,[12] and the Mask of Emulation became the same mask.
    -Biosector01, Mask of Emulation page.

(I mainly wanted to post this so everyone else reading this is clear on the context of this quote, I think you know this)

I think it’s fair to say that the person asking the question didn’t realize that the Hagah had wrong-shaped masks.
I think it is also fair to say that Greg intended for them to have re-shaped masks, because he said that they did. So when he says “fine” he means “fine, those are the same mask.” not “Fine, Pouks’ Mask is shaped like the Mask of Emulation.”

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I don’t care to get swept in this discussion again, so I’ll post this. I’ll try provide new points. Feel free to bring new ones, or just to repeat the same things. Up to you.

So far, the most compelling counterargument has been Wolk’s. Dag raised interesting points too, but I hope I’ve fielded those.

In reverse order:

Greg has also described Iruini as silver… and Greg has also said that if he isn’t provided the full picture, he is prone to mistakes. This isn’t to say that it wasn’t intentional, but there’s no way to prove one way or the other without confirmation from Greg.

The bolded part literally references appearance. You can argue that it’s a leading question, but no more than the 2009 quote.

At any rate, please do interview Greg and the OPs, or provide evidence as to your telepathic ability and godlike omniscience. I would believe that you are a telepath, just do prove it.

Nice.

Moving on.

Discussed at length already.

I think I would just be satisfied if the anti-Emulation crew recognized that in order to interpret this quote and Iruini’s they are already inferring meaning. You are correct, this is Greg’s word. But to reconcile it with Iruini’s mask, you are forced to interpret both the question and the Greg quote in ways that we cannot be sure were originally intended. How do you know that the questioner was aware of Iruini’s mask? How do you know Greg remembered himself? This isn’t cut and dry.

Until you can prove that these were intentional, you cannot say that we are “intentionally misreading” the question. And, at present, the quote Bunny presents is the only one that addresses Pouks’ Mask. (Though if more are found, I’ll certainly welcome them.)

This is good for reference, thanks for posting this.

I think it’s fair to say that the person asking about “the other Hagah” didn’t realize that Iruini had the right-shaped mask. I think it’s fair to say Greg could have forgotten either at any point.

These are reasonable assumptions. Neither can be proven without further data. But now that you’ve made this argument, can you see where we are making the same?

Again, there are no two ways about it, but in order to interpret these quotes, it is impossible not to infer meaning, as you have just done. Once the contest ends, it’s a moot point, but we will not know Greg’s intentions unless he ever responds to TTV’s questions, which it seems will never happens.

All told, the point Bunny, I, and others are making is that there is sufficient margin for doubt that there is no reason to either enforce Emulation masks or to reject them. So far, for me at least, Wolk has gone a long way to convincing me otherwise in the basis of canon, but the Greg quotes themselves, nor their defenders, have so far presented a compelling argument that tackles the crux of the issue. It’s fine to disagree, just recognize what we are saying.

Have fun.

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Okay.
I think you make a fair point about there being multiple readings of this, that it’s impossible to know what the asker knew/intended, and what Greg remembers. So I think the best reading is one that doesn’t contradict anything he said.

“The other Hagah” can mean: the others besides Norik (the one listed as an example) or the others besides Norik and Iruini (the ones who have sets). One creates a contradiction, the other doesn’t.

“Fine” could mean: “Fine, that mask is the MAsk of Emulation”, or “Fine, that mask is the Mask of Emulation, and it’s what Pouks’ mask looks like”. One creates a contradiction, the other doesn’t.

Meanwhile, “They have reshaped Masks, like Norik” can only be read one way: that they have wrong-shaped masks, like Norik.

If at all possible, I think it’s best to read Greg’s words in a way that doesn’t contradict something else he said. Perhaps this

Would be better rephrased as “reading things in a way that doesn’t make sense and creates contradictions, when a better interpretation exists and doesn’t create contradictions.”

There isn’t a “right” or “wrong” way to interpret any of these quotes. But there is one that makes contradictions that make no sense, and one where everything lines up perfectly. I think the second is better, in that situation.

Finally: I think that you would have a stronger case if the Greg quote confirming that there masks are “wrong-shaped” could be interpreted in a way that indicates they aren’t reshaped. But since there isn’t another interpretation for that, I think we can take that as a fact, and thus, we should interpret other quotes to line up with that fact.

I hope that makes my stance a bit clearer.

Edit: I flip-flop between “Wrong-shaped” and “reshaped” a lot. For the purposes of this discussion, they mean the same thing. I just tend to use whichecer sounds better at that exact moment.

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In regards to Iruini being silver, apparently he also called Norik gold; Official Greg Discussion | Page 100

The 2014 quotes about their Matoran masks is what causes issues the most from my perspective. The first one asking if they wore the same masks as Matoran, without providing further context, however I feel like the latter which undoes this also fails to provide context, because they weren’t simply given new masks. The argument of not having duplicate masks doesn’t really hold up if they’re not using their old masks anymore. As far as they’ve been presented, they exchanged their masks, rather than having a Suva with the other or something along those lines.

My Pouks MOCs in the past always wore the Mask of Charisma/Adaptive Armor Hau because it resembles the Mask of Emulation.