#pls ask followup questions I cannot tell if this comprehendible or not

[chronal-anomaly]

alright.

I'm pinning down these thoughts long enough to actually post a headcanon about this. PLEASE ask questions if it doesn't make sense because I am not, in fact, an astrophysicist ( but also let me have my fun ).

I referenced in this headcanon that time exists as a hallway of sorts, as the space between timelines. It appears as an empty void of space and stars, and Lena cannot see into the "doorways" as she exists in the hallways. I'll break down a little bit more into her 'experiences' in these hallways as another hc because that would be much too much to deal with in one post.

So while Lena was 'lost', she existed in two states ( For this headcanon at least ). One was 'in timeline' and the other was 'floating'.

'In timeline' references time that she's connected to a certain timeline. She's opened the door ( or it's been opened for her ) and Lena watches this timeline flow on. There's a few different states here, too, but again, I'll elaborate later. In this "mode", she observes time go on naturally around her. Minutes are 60 seconds, hours are 60 minutes, etc. Everything ticks by as we would experience in this timeline. Sometimes she's able to interact with the people in this timeline, sometimes she's separated by a 'veil' of sorts so she can only observe. Again, that's for another hc.

'Floating' refers to the time spent, well, floating between the different timelines, in time/the hallway itself. There was a huge amount of time spent just floating there as she fought off the insanity that was cosmic isolation - there was no way of measuring her time Floating, as it ticked by different than anything else. Lena could spent minutes here, and they'd be considered days back in Overwatch's time. Similarly, years could tick by in Overwatch's time, and it would only feel like a few minutes. For those familiar with Interstellar, it's a very similar concept of the "Every 7 minutes here is a year on Earth".

There was no way to return to Lena consistently back to Overwatch's time. Her existence would always return to that hallway, to that void, to time. There was no plucking her out, dusting her off, and returning her back to when she was. So Winston built the Chronal Isolation Chamber ( pictured below ), a chamber designed at the same plane as time, as the void. Instead of bringing Lena back to their timeline, he threw a floatation ring to her for her to at least tread water while he devised the accelerator.

The Chronal Accelerator is the same mentality. It bridges the gap between time and Overwatch's timeline in a more mobile format. It's not as strong as the Isolation Chamber, so if there's damage or extreme stress, Lena will be taken back to the chamber and kept there until they can solve the problem ( if she's still in the OW timeline ).

Lena Oxton does not exist in this timeline any longer.

Her permanent state of being exists in the void, in time. She will be there forever. The accelerator allows her to interact and be in this timeline, but she never stay here permanent without the accelerator ( it's another reason she's so protective over it ). If it is damaged, she is launched into a sickening tilt-a-whirl of existence between, in the most violent way imaginable. If someone damages it to that point, she is unlikely to ever forgive them (see: Doomfist) because the act of rubberbanding between timelines is so dramatic. Time reclaims her, and Winston starts over again. Lena will hold onto that grudge forever.

As far as the Accelerator works, there's a computer chip surgically implanted in her central sulcus of her brain, where movement planning occurs. This allows her to control her presence in the timeline. When Lena Blinks, she essentially pulls herself into the hallway, sprints through it, and reopens that portal 10 feet away. More than 3-4 seconds in time, however, and she risks potential physical and mental side effects, so she can't cross, like, a football field this way. The recall works similarly, Lena sliding into the time where the influence of the timeline does not exist, curing her of any damage/debuffs, and sending her on the way again.

This factor is another reason Lena won't age. There's no progress in time, not like there is in the timeline. So as she exists, separate, she watches as her friends and family slowly ages, knowing that she'll still be around when they're gone. She also doesn't celebrate her birthday anymore, because can you really celebrate your birthday if you weren't on Earth's timeline for a whole year?

Anyway, I'm sure this doesn't make sense but I've also had 7 years with this stupid space lesbian ping ponging in my skull, so I gotta put it somewhere.