Greetings, dear reader.
Many of you may be familiar with the story arc long-established to have been my magnum opus: the Fractures Universe. It has been some time since I have contributed to this project and, rather than allow there to be any disillusion as to the future of Fractures, I will do the honorable thing and open up to you, the CBW readerbase, why I will not be completing this project.
Where did Fractures come from?[]
Firstly, I will offer some context. The Fractures Universe was a largely dystopian setting that occurred to me at a time when I was just starting to get to grips with BIONICLE fan-fiction. It was inspired in no small part by alternate-reality episodes of shows such as Doctor Who and Star Trek: Voyager, where writers were given freedom to raise the stakes and make drastic changes above the safety net of an alternate timeline. Animated features such as Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and even BIONICLE's own dalliances into parallel timelines in The Kingdom and Dark Mirror would serve as further influences for me to go forth and create my own universe. I'd been writing fan-fiction for some time and wanted to fit my characters into a new Matoran Universe with many of the key players removed. I was 15 when I launched Whispers in the Dark and relied heavily off of other media, often emulating characters, story titles and even lines of dialogue into my stories, learning through imitation as a great many young writers tend to do. I had a reasonable grasp of young adult fiction and had many of my story beats planned out years in advance. In many ways, I was writing to catch up with myself.
But these remain the writings of a teenager. Ten years have now passed since the conception of Fractures and I have departed a great many of the original fandoms and outlived many of the experiences that used to fuel my writing. As I have grown older, my appreciation for BIONICLE has matured and I have learnt much that I wish I had considered when planning Fractures.
Why is that no longer the case?[]
Recently, a discord discussion prompted me to look back on Fractures. While a great many of my friends and fellow content creators lament the misfortune of its ending (usually attempting CPR on the bloated corpse of Fractures in hopes of getting me to revive it), I personally have come to feel that anything I write for Fractures nowadays would not fit into the past works since such an amount of time has passed and since my inspirations have completely changed.
tl;dr There have been no significant updates past 2013 and Fractures was tied to my teenage writing style and sensibilities. I have grown a lot as a person since then and matured as a writer and now I think a lot of it is very cringe. The point where things left off leaves things reasonably balanced enough for people to draw their own conclusions if they feel the need.
Just Post Judgment Day, Bob[]
Alright, I give up.
I will now share with you my plans for Judgment Day, the story that never was.
Judgment Day as a whole would have comprised of two distinct parts: the first being a narrative in which Glonor and Racasix are abducted by the Cult of Darkness and freed by the Toa, the second being the resolution of the Fractures Universe version of the Destiny War. It was an ambitious undertaking with a considerable number of spinning plates to balance, but I found myself eternally dissatisfied with every version of the final battle I planned.
A chance encounter in Ga-Metru, where Glonor physically bumps into Racasix just as the Cult of Darkness is about to abduct her leads to both the Vortixx and the Matoran being taken captive and transported to Le-Metru. Over the course of their journey, Glonor begins the process of figuring out who Racasix is and why she is of such importance to the Cult.
By this stage in the story, Tollubo is at a crossroads, still partially fawning over Racasix but well on his way to recovery. He has established a wide group of close friends and the return of Jollun has aided him considerably. Also of note, Tourik has been working on a guidebook to the Fractures Universe for the benefit of Tollubo and his fellow dimensionally-displaced allies, allowing them to read and gain a greater understanding of the state of the world. With testimonies still missing from Glonor and Turaga Vilnius, the guide is nearing completion.
Introductory Page
When the news of Racasix's capture reaches him, he sees this as an opportunity to win her back, a decision that proves detrimental to his own personal growth. Riddled with angst and torn in the delicate balance between love and hate, he is unsure whether or not to make her suffer or forgive her. This, coupled with the chance to save Glonor and kill Mudro, spurs him on. Devising a task force consisting of himself and Betak, Tollubo sets about trying to understand exactly what the Cult of Darkness want with Racasix and how Glonor managed to get mixed up in it. During this time, the Fractures Universe counterpart of Glonor is identified and apprehended by local Vahki. Joining the investigation, Fractures Glonor begins studying Tollubo and the Toa.
Demoted to a desk job in the months after Turaga Matoro's death, Carnac handles some Vahki security footage of the street where the abduction is thought to have taken place. When the footage reveals nothing, however, Fractures Glonor comes to the conclusion that the footage is not in fact genuine since Glonor and Racasix disappear in the alleyway. Moreover, basic mathematics reveals that there are three minutes missing from the footage, which Tollubo discovers to have been looped. Confronting Carnac about the doctored footage, Tollubo discovers that Carnac's wife, Alika (established in Zero Hour), has been abducted by Gorta and is being held hostage, her release dependent on him misdirecting the Toa and sending them on a false lead. Fearful for the safety of Alika, Carnac is interrogated by Tollubo and ultimately forced to reveal the location of the Cult of Darkness' base, a move that many of the Toa feel to be immoral and underhanded. This interrogation also reveals that it was in fact Glonor the Cult of Darkness wanted all along, with Racasix involving herself purely by coincidence.
But it is the best laid plans that end up falling apart. Eventually tracking down the Cult of Darkness owing to a message sent by Bioka, Tollubo leads Kualus, Jollun, Gribrak, Tourik, Danza, Orkahm, Fractures Glonor and Mesa to confront the Cult of Darkness in their base, only to discover that Mudro knew of Bioka's treachery all along and allowed him to leak the intelligence that will attract the Toa into an ambush. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, the Toa are dealt a crushing defeat and Mesa is critically injured. Going straight for Mudro, Tollubo is able to murder his adversary, though not before the Glatorian severs his right arm below the elbow. Unbeknownst to Tollubo, however, this brutal act is captured on camera.
Heroically sacrificing himself, Tourik triggers a Nova Blast of vegetation, which traps many of the Cult members, allowing his injured teammates to escape. Impaled by Vorkin, however, Tourik is critically injured and left for dead as Jollun, Danza and Gribrak drag Tollubo from the battle. Returning to the Coliseum with a tainted victory, Tollubo reads Tourik's unfinished guide, which asserts that he is in fact the edge that the Toa need to win the war against the Brotherhood.
In one final post-humus move, however, the Telescreens of Metru Nui are hijacked by a recording of Mudro coupled with the footage of Tollubo murdering him. Mudro addresses the Matoran of Metru Nui and reveals the identity of Tollubo, the leader of their Toa Team, operating out of the shadows and surrounded by lies. Ousting the Toa of Light as a corrupt Toa, Mudro preaches the ideologies of the Cult of Darkness in a passionate speech about corruption and injustice, swaying popular opinion against the Toa. Rather than attack the Toa directly, Mudro gave his life to erode the pillars that held the Toa up and this recording allows them to come crumbling down. In the midst of the backlash, Vilnius removes Tollubo from the team and the Toa of Light skirts against the same depressive edge he last stood on in Over Your Shoulder...
---
Several months have passed with Tollubo operating outside the Toa Metru. With Fractures Glonor and Betak supporting him in secret, Tollubo is once again summoned to the Coliseum, now having come full circle since the opening of Whispers in the Dark. The arrival of Kazaat, Caliga, Sonitous, Sarnii and Pofia in Metru Nui (along with the Judgment Scroll containing the names of Matoran destined to become the Warbound Toa Team) has prompted Tollubo to be invited back into the fold. A general consensus amongst the Toa proposes that the Judgment Scroll be enacted, revealing the new Toa team:
- Ninian
- Pofia
- Carnac
- Alika
- Glonor (doesn't specify which version)
This is a controversial choice to say the least, since Carnac has been imprisoned for his involvement in the Cult of Darkness' plot and since all five Matoran are essentially new arrivals and not even original residents of Metru Nui, not to mention the fact Ninian is now Chief of Elysium. All arguments are eventually silenced by Turaga Velika, who speaks up and reveals himself to be a Great Being and that he commands the Judgment Scroll to be enacted. Toa Danza offers to escort the five Matoran to the Great Temple in Ga-Metru and Kualus offers up five Toa Stones.
Tollubo holding Tourik's Bo Staff
However, Racasix attacks the Great Temple before the Matoran are able to transform. Teleporting the Warbound to safety, Danza battles the Vortixx and is killed. An explosion decimates the structure and deals a staggering blow to the Matoran population. Spurred by the loss of Danza, Tollubo vows to deal with Racasix himself. Employing the services of Fractures Glonor, Tollubo and his Matoran aide track Racasix down to Ta-Metru, where they find her base of operations, a scene that is inspired by Good Morning Roodaka. Given one final opportunity to confront Racasix, Tollubo approaches and begins a speech he has spent two years rehearsing about his broken heart and how her betrayal injured him. He maintains the upper hand for some time, claiming to have transcended the hatred he once felt and having moved on with his life to the point where she could no longer hurt him. However, it soon becomes clear that he does not in fact feel this way, that he simultaneously both hates and desires her and that he has not really moved on at all. Having regained the high ground, Racasix makes fun of Tollubo's missing digit and attempts to overpower him only for a bullet to strike her through the window, killing her on the spot and robbing Tollubo of his opportunity for revenge. Infuriated, Tollubo lashes out and chases down the assassin, who (you guessed it) is none other than Toa Thode.
Confronted with the Toa of Plasma, Tollubo is swiftly overpowered on account of his missing arm and disrupted emotional state. Fractures Glonor attempts to calm him and entreats Thode to explain himself. The Toa of Plasma then reveals that he has grown weary of the state of things in the Matoran Universe and that he is enacting his own bucket list, picking off key individuals who are disrupting the balance of power. He has finally returned to the game in the moment he is needed.
Together, Tollubo and Thode return to the Coliseum to reclaim leadership of the Toa. Following his lead, the Toa splinter off from Vilnius' command and abandon the Turaga, who has been skirting closer and closer to madness with each passing day. Velika and Bomonga then join the Toa on their quest. Bomonga and Kualus take the Warbound Matoran to an ancient shrine in Le-Metru, where Kualus sacrifices his power and becomes a Turaga. Meanwhile, Caliga and Kazaat join Tollubo's band of Toa while Thode works in co-ordination with the Toa, assassinating Gorta and fulfilling his revenge arc but not his destiny.
The Warbound then add Caliga, Sonitous, Kazaat and Thode to their number before heading south for the first time. They journey onto the surface of Bara Magna and cut their way through the legions of Visorak and Rahkshi that inhabit the planet's surface, alongside the remains of the Bara Magna resistance, which comprises of Toa Teltala, Kopaka, Theran and Vastus. They are of course successful.
Exo Tollubo Concept.
Meanwhile Tollubo, Jollun, Velika, Betak and Orkahm journey into the depths of the Coliseum, where Velika will assume control of the Matoran Universe. However, it is revealed that the Core Processor is where Makuta Scarla has been reconstituting herself since the events of Zero Hour and she is able to disrupt Velika's atomic structure, vaporizing him along with the circuitry comprising Mata Nui's consciousness. In spite of overwhelming both Tollubo and Jollun, however, Scarla is critically injured by Fractures Glonor.
In a desperate attempt to revive the universe, Tollubo tries to plug himself into the circuitry. A Toa without an arm is no Toa at all and he has done nothing but lose battles since his injury. However, Jollun will not allow him to make this sacrifice and steps up, giving his own life to ensure the controlled fall of the Great Spirit Robot.
And there you have it, the intended trajectory of Judgment Day for your readership. In ten years I was unable to commit this to paper and grew to resent so many parts of this but, at the request of Vorred and Gonel in particular, I now share it with you.
The final image of the story would have echoed 2010 all too much for my liking, with a one-armed Tollubo leading the inhabitants of the Matoran Universe out onto the sands of Bara Magna, a world still on the verge of ecological breakdown, with too few resources and none of the revitalization of the ecosystem that Mata Nui achieved in the closing chapters of Journey's End.
And so it came to be, that I, BobTheDoctor27, single-handedly ended all Alternate Universe storylines with a synonym for broken in their title.
This is the way of the Bobonicle.
What about Zero Hour?[]
Zero Hour will be completed at a later date. I think the biggest obstacle to completing this project was the fact that I moved out of my parents' house, which made it practically impossible to film on-location with the right weather or without continuity errors. COVID-19 lockdown also made it impossible to reshoot large portions of the final chapter on-location. When I am happy with the quality of the photos, I will return to the project.
Of course, since Judgment Day is not happening, I think it likely that I will revisit this story and give it the attention it deserves as its own entity. This will likely involve reshoots and swapping characters in order to achieve a better story. Of all the Fractures stories, Zero Hour is perhaps the one I cherish the most.