#repeat timeline: before the reboot

[zahri-melitor]

What can you infer about the editorial meddling Young Justice went through?

Oh god. It’s like the old quote about pornography: you know it when you see it. Spend enough time reading comics and you can just tell.

Notable problems with the Young Justice 2019 run that smack of interference:

You can really tell there was external pressure to include Steph in the run and that she was not originally intended to join the team or appear any further than occasional cameos such as the flashbacks at the Hall of Justice as a link to Tim’s final scene in Tynion’s Tec run. Structurally her story makes no sense whatsoever for how to put a plot together. Steph’s not an original Young Justice character, the run already was supporting two new female characters plus a reboot of Amethyst introducing Amy to a new generation, even before we look at the crossovers from other titles in the imprint. The fact they ended up throwing in a single issue entirely about 'what Steph has been up to and her fight against Cluemaster' in the last section of the run makes it even worse, as that was valuable page time wasted pandering that could and should have been used to give Jinny Hex or Keli Quintela more development.

The entire ‘Drake’ situation, which for a costume change had very little build up, was under-designed, and then disappeared with Tim back in the Robin costume between two panels. It was a test balloon from someone that was comprehensively shot down by some mix of the fandom and editorial, and I remain convinced that DC is gunshy about a new costume and identity for Tim all the way up to the present day because of how badly it was handled.

It was being used as the anchor for Wonder Comics, leading to the required mega crossover (that also spilled over into Bendis’ Action Comics to give it some more space), putting even more pressure on the title to be telling a big crossover story when it was still trying to re-establish “your favourites are back” and suggesting potentially expanding the Young Justice lineup out to around thirteen characters, a massively oversized team that the title was not set up to handle.

Lost in the Multiverse was where the story started to get bogged down by being pulled in too many directions by expectations.

It’s also super telling that the last third of the book got turned over to essentially doing one-shot character pieces about the Core Four, the last defence of a run that can see cancellation coming and doesn’t feel confident launching a new story arc they don’t expect to get to finish. Some of this stuff was clearly background character work they would have preferred to have dripped out over a longer run.

Also I know I’m repeating myself, but having the Tim piece focus on Steph mostly, in the frame of Tim and Steph’s relationship? That’s not where I’d be spending my time when looking at Tim Drake in the focus of Young Justice. How he’s coping with his returned memories of having two or three different lives now? Thinking about what ‘Tell Conner you’re sorry’ means? Discussion about his feelings in terms of moving on from being Robin or not? Nah let’s talk about Steph's problems with her dad instead. That’s not a natural fit compared to what everyone else got and does not follow from any of the preceding story.

Still ropeable that the whole set of storylines about regained memories and alternate timelines doesn’t get to intersect with Lois Lane (which spoilers but also is committed to storytelling about ‘people have memories of other places bleeding through’ prior to the full Infinite Frontier retcon) or explore how those memories change things for Tim, Bart or Cassie (Kon at least does get a story about reconnecting in Action).

And that’s just off the top of my head, ignoring any of the more subtle signs.

I love Young Justice 2019. It is a run that adores Bart, Kon, Cassie and Tim (and particularly Bart. I cannot explain to you how much this story adores Bart if you’ve never read it) and the opening 6 issues make me feel warm and fuzzy every time I read them in terms of how cleverly it works to explain how we get everything back. There are clever subtle moments in the text that give a lot more depth to the story that are implied rather than spelled out: how Cassie suddenly remembers Bart when Bart comes near her, suggesting that her returned memories are a Speed Force side effect from being a lightning rod to Bart; Cassie and Tim sense Kon using TTK and recognise it as familiar, something the new characters cannot; the fakeout in the art where when Tim’s memories are restored, he sees Cissie in his memories, but unless you know the exact YJ98 page being referenced you’d think it was Steph; etc.

But gosh it would have been so much better if it had not been required to devote so much page time to crossovers and to pandering to fans, among other elements.

[ricksdirtyarchive]

Another Citadel Episode 🪐

Master List

"He's not coming back, is he?" Beth asked solemnly.

"No" Morty said as he laid his head in your shoulder. You were destroyed. You and the family had argued with Jerry over if you were gonna give Rick up. Obviously not, but Rick turned himself in.

~ A few days later~

Summer was throwing a fit about Rick as you stood in the garage running a maintenance diagnostics on your ship. You weren't entirely listening until Morty went running after Summer screaming something about "ghoulish overkill". You remembered the bodies in the backyard, making you run after them.

You stopped just short of Rick's grave, the smell absolutely repulsive. Summer was bent down, picking up the portal gun.

"Summer-"

"Kids, it'll alarm the citadel if you-" you began, being cut off by Conroy.

"My goodness, children." It began seeming to go to a system reboot. "Relinquish the illegal technology to the nearest Federation Representative" another reboot. "And then we'll all play Balderdash"

"I always hated you Conroy" you groaned, pulling out your gun. Shooting Conroy before jumping through a portal with the kids. Landing in the Prime Dimension (C-137).

You looked around carefully as Morty and Summer got approached by Morty's original family.

"Oh my god, I have that exact same top" a rugged Summer said. You followed Beth and Jerry to the house while Morty explained to Summer what Dimension they were in.

"Hey, I'm gonna scour my house the garage" you tell Morty, "I'll be back" you say disappearing off to your house. You were in the garage when you heard loud noises, when you entered the dining room you had seen the destroyed Portal gun.

"Oh shit-"

"We have detected a broken Portal gun. Where is your Rick?"

"Captured by the Federation" you say. "Send the SEAL team Rick's" you tell them.

"Yes, R-right away (y/n)" one Rick said, his eyes low with love and lust, his voice softer and a smile plastered on his face. You walked straight through the Portal, Morty and Summer quietly falling behind.

"(Y/n)? What's going on?" Summer whispered.

"It's called Dimensional Repetition Theory. Basically, every Rick has a Morty, right? Well, that also means around this time period, every Rick will have a (y/n), meaning we have the leg up here. Rick's would do anything for us, theyre simps. The Rick timeline is all based on or around C-137. Because he is... the original Rick" you say.

"So does that mean every Rick has a cronenburg world?"

"No every Rick lives as his own, just something's are repeated across infinity. Every timeline is slightly different. Like right now, just our Rick has been captured" you explain.

"We'll be lenient if you renounce your Rick, what say you, Summer?" a funny looking one said as you stood before the council. "Hello, (y/n)" he added. You nodded your head checking your watch.

"I say Fuck you! Grandpa Rick was my hero. You killed him because you're jealous of him... That's pretty obvious from your stupid haircuts. So do what you want to me, but let my brother go... he already renounced Rick" Summer said solemnly.

“ I don't renounce Rick, and I never have.” Morty began, you eyed each Rick. Seeking out the threat level of each one. “I was just trying to protect my sister. I wanted you to have a normal life. That's something you can't have when Rick shows up. Everything real turns fake. Everything right is wrong. All you know is that you know nothing and he knows everything. And, well -- well, he's not a villain, Summer, but he shouldn't be your hero. He's more like a demon or a super fucked up god.” Morty said confused.

“Let's not suck the ghost of his dick too hard. He was a terrorist, and now he's dead.” The funny looking Rick spoke again.

“Oh, yeah? If you think my Rick's dead, he's alive. And if you think you're safe, he's coming for you!” Morty announces, striking fear into them. You could see the fear on their faces. You checked your watch again. The location chip in all the Ricks for their (y/n)s was lighting up on your watch. You scrolled looking for one that looked out of place. You paused on a moving one, watching it.

“Hey, whoa, whoa! What are you doing in here? This area's for teleporting the entire Citadel to somewhere else using only buttons and dials.” A worker Rick stated.

“Yeah, well, it's a bad idea to have it designed that way then, isn't it?” The commander chuckled tapping buttons and dials rapidly.

“ What the fuck? We just teleported into a galactic federal prison!” The worker Rick shouted.

“I'm gonna go take a shit.” The commander said. You smirked at your watch, realizing who was who. Alarms suddenly started going off.

“ The Citadel's been teleported to *burps* Federation space. It's doomed. This has to be C-137, you guys. What are we gonna do?! You know he's coming for us.” An Afroed Rick said, you locked eyes with him. Realizing who he was. You smirked.

“All right, calm down! We have his Summer as a hostage. Obviously, I get her. You guys play Rick, Laser, Scissors for the Morty.” Funny haired Rick said.

“W-W-What the hell is that?” A rick said as he looked at the remote.

“Payback.” Rick said.

“Grandpa Rick!” Summer exclaimed happily from the grasp of a Rick. Rick rips off his uniform and shakes his hair to standard Rick hair, looking like your Rick.

“Duh!” He said as he looked towards you, winking.

“You're alive!” Summer says.

“Rick!” Morty shouts. Half surprised and half confused.

“Morty, take this. You're gonna need it later.” Rick tosses a gun at Morty as you pulled your own from your holster.

“Hold on, hold on. Whoa!” A Rick defends as you approach him, you cocked you gun and shit him.

“That's enough, Rick.” The funny hair Rick says.

“What- What's this supposed to accomplish? We have infinite grandkids. You're trying to use Disney bucks at a Caesar's Palace here.”

“That's a bluff. He's bluffing, sir. He loves me.” Summer pleads frantically.

“You're a rogue Rick. Irrational, passionate. You love your grandkids. You came to rescue them.” He taunts, holding a gun to Summers head.

“I came to kill you, bro, and get my girlfriend. Who you fucking kidnapped? Also, That's not even my original Summer.” Rick shrugs.

“Oh, my God. He's not bluffing. He's not bluffing!” Summer screams and claws at the Rick’s arm.

“R-Rick?” Morty speaks unsurely.

“Why not shoot through her?” The Rick suggests.

“20 yards, nine-gauge plasma pistol, My first shot would liquify her insides and injure you, second shot adds recoil. The risk to me is minimized if I wait for you to shoot her, which I'm encouraging you to do.” Rick instigates. He eyes you carefully as you walk up behind the Rick.

“What the fuck?” Summer cries.

“Or let her go, which I will reward with a quicker death.” Rick repeats.

“Because you love her!” He teases.

“Because it's incentive for you to give me my cleanest shot, which will be your least painful death. But if you want to die slower than that, I'm super into it. All you got to do to get that started is kill the girl.” Rick says, his voice bored.

“ I hate you!” Summer screams limply.

“Not an issue, sweetie.” Rick says easily. The gun pointed at her.

“That's enough! Drop the gun, Rick!” Morty shouts. Your eyes widened, oh shit you thought.

“Morty, I know you're too stupid to get this, but you're really fuckin' this up right now.” Rick sighs, his voice filled with emotion.

“I'm not letting you let my sister die! Drop the gun!” Morty screeches.

“I wasn't gonna let her die, you fuckin' moron!” Rick shouts

“Ha!” The other Rick exclaims.

“Aww.” Summer said, holding her heart.

“The point is he thought I was going to.” Rick sighs angrily.

“I totally did, by the way. You're a fucking moron, Morty.” The funny haired Rick admits.

“Morty, you fucking idiot!” Summer shouted.

“You're a serious fuckin' idiot, Morty! You basically killed us all! You're the worst! You're as dumb as a bag of sand.” Rick yells, his voice rasping. Suddenly Morty shoots Rick, your mouth dropped open.

“Who's stupid now, bitch?!” Morty exclaims.

“Morty what the fuck?!?” You exclaim.

“Morty, we just got him back!” Summer cries.

“That was amazing, Morty. Oh, my God. Wow. Okay, let's wrap this-“ the Rick says as he lets go of Summer, she ran into your arms. Rick rapidly sat up and shot the citadel Rick.

“Good job, Morty. Let's go, kids.” Rick smiles, ruffling his hair.

“What?! What happened?” Summer asks as she hugs Rick tightly.

“Oldest Rick trick in the book.” He hands the gun to Summer.

“”Fake gun, shoot me in standoff.” Brilliant!!” She read aloud.

“Ha, yeah. G-Good thing I saw that note.” Morty says before you all walked to the teleporter.

“Can't we just portal home?” Summer asked.

“Not until I finish what I started.” Rick says, he grabbed hold of your waist, dipping you down and kissing you deeply. His tongue dancing with yours.

“Mmm, keep kissing me like that, and I won’t be responsible for my actions” you giggle as Rick taps and buttons and opens a portal. Walking you and the kids through it.

“What a fucking adventure” Morty chuckles.

[sinimake]

MK1 is such a bizarre experience bc on one hand some characters have benefited a lot from the "universe reset" (Baraka, Reptile, even arguably Shao who is less than a muahahaha conquer villain but someone who actually seems to care about his realm?). Others kind of raise interesting questions, like Shang Tsung : is he doomed to be bad or can he be good for a change? (In the story he choses to become a snake-oil salesman before joining the imperial family + there is an Union of Light Shang Tsung so him being good is a thing that could happen).

But then, instead of using that full reset NRS just leaves some things the same? Like. It's a reset. In 2023/2023. That was the perfect moment for implementing some (maybe not lots) changes. Perhaps starting making Johnny canonically bi? Just a small ripple towards a bigger change? Instead of getting stuck in same old ways?

YOW EXACTLY

Things i loved about Mk1 change:

Mileena and Kitana sibling relationship

Rain's character design

Tanya and Mileena!!!!

Sindel being badass empress and outworld thriving in peace under her reign

Baraka and Syzoth on the good side!!

Kenshi's yakuza past

Geras and Liu Kang's friendship! Liu Kang actually treating Geras as his equal 🥺 and Geras being so loyal to him 😫😭

Shang Tsung's zitsy behavior

Lin Kuei brothers 🥺

What i hate:

Hanzo being a kid and essentially everything about him being handed to Kuai Liang

Kung Lao being the second best again

Raiden and Kitana romance

Mileena and Tanya having the barest screen time

Controversial opinionated rant down below

I hated that they essentially just switched Liu Kang and Raiden's places. I started MK1 right after MK11 that i was furious to see Raiden chosen as the champion (IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MY BOY KUNG LAO LET HIM SHINE ISTG) and then flirting with Kitana with Liu Kang's exact line (I hope we meet again under different circumstances)??? Tf??

I understand that some plot elements are too good to change but character romances? Don't replace one side of the pairing, then try to serve it to the audience again! Reboot should give us more variety of character designs, stories, dynamics, and relationships. Give us the genderbent, queer, poc characters BC YOU'RE NOT EVEN SACRIFICING ANYTHING when we literally have infinite alternative timelines you can recall classics from. For example, we have our human Raiden and old man titan Raiden. We can do variety. I wanna see female Fujin, i wanna see Scorpion Harumi and fighter Suchin, i want actual deserved queer representation in Kung Jin, and i. wanna. see. canon Johnshi!

My hypothesis is that NRS is gonna bring in mk children through dimensional travel so that they don't need to age up our current characters. I'm saying this to push my point further that we don't need to repeat romance plotlines (dont come at me. I have bais just as you have bais for ur fav old pairings)

Listen, i loved Sonya and Johnny in previous games, her and Cassie were a huge part of Johnny's character arc, but since Johnny is already maturing by the end of mk1, i don't see a point in Cageblade anymore (very controversial but it's my blog so i will yap as much as i want) We are not erasing anything by possibly making Johnny queer. Johnny and Sonya can be married in different timeline and Cassie is still their child. If anything, we are enriching the character, expanding the universe. Really, I don't wanna buy the exact same game story in different graphics. I don't want to see Suchin die again just to serve Kenshi and Takeda's dynamic.

And don't even get me started again on heteronormality of the game. We have 6 realms that have diverse variety of biological and sociological configurations AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THEY ARE ALL HETEROSEXUAL?? NRS is a fucking pussy for not having enough queer representation. They think they can give us vague "blink, you will miss it" moments and move on. There are so many high selling good games with good lgbtq characters. Literal 2023's the game of the year, BG3 is so fucking gay that it's off to space and you're telling me that NRS is just going 🥺👉👈 but our fans 🥺👉👈

Anyways, NRS can eat shit and Johnshi for the president 🤘

[sweethoneyrose83]

Glitchcore dialogue prompts

1. "Reality is buffering… What happens when we hit pause?"

Character A stares at the glitching horizon, where the sky flickers between pixelated voids. Character B frowns, “Maybe we’re not meant to see the code behind it all.”

2. "You’re a corrupted file. But that doesn’t mean you’re broken."

Character A experiences moments of disconnection, their speech fragmented by static. Character B tries to reassure them, but each word feels like it’s slipping through the cracks of reality.

3. "Every time I blink, the world skips a frame."

Character A notices the world is out of sync. People flicker, objects disappear, and their reflection isn’t quite right. They turn to Character B for answers, but even their words are distorted, glitching mid-sentence.

4. "I was never programmed to feel this… but here I am, crashing."

Character A, an AI or digitally enhanced human, starts to experience emotions for the first time, leading to a system overload. Their thoughts flash like corrupted code, scrambling their sense of self.

5. "We’re stuck in a loop. But maybe this time, we can break it."

Time is glitching for Character A and Character B, repeating the same moments over and over. As they try to escape, reality fractures, showing distorted fragments of alternate timelines.

6. "If I glitch out, don’t follow. I’m just data—nothing more."

Character A is fading, pixel by pixel, as the virtual world they live in begins to collapse. Character B insists on trying to save them, even though the lines between digital and physical are breaking down.

7. "I hear the static whispers… It’s like they know we’re here."

Character A starts to pick up on strange sounds—static, broken transmissions, and voices from somewhere beyond. They believe the glitches are alive, watching them.

8. "We’re just echoes in the system, flickering between what’s real and what’s not."

Character A questions their existence as the world around them constantly shifts and deforms. The glitches feel too intentional, like someone—or something—is controlling it all.

9. "I saw myself glitch today… but it wasn’t me. It was something pretending to be me."

Character A sees their own reflection glitch and morph into something unfamiliar. Is it an error in the system, or is something trying to overwrite them?

10. "I’ve been patched up so many times, I don’t even know which version I am anymore."

Character A has been modified, both physically and digitally, so many times that they’ve lost their sense of identity. They question whether they’re still the same person they once were, or just a collection of fragments.

"You're not seeing me right now, are you? I'm stuck between frames."

"The code is breaking down. I can feel it. Every time I blink, something new glitches."

"We were perfect once. Now, we're just corrupted data fragments trying to piece ourselves together."

"Reality doesn’t crash. It fades, like static, until the lines blur and you can’t tell what’s real anymore."

"Don't trust what you see. It's all just a simulation rendering too slowly to hide its flaws."

"Every time I move, I leave a part of myself behind, like I’m lagging between timelines."

"I’m not sure if I’m the glitch or if the world around me is. Does it matter?"

"The pixels around your face—they’re unraveling. We need to reset the program before you disappear completely."

"I keep hearing this… echo. It’s like my thoughts are repeating, but they aren’t mine."

"I thought I deleted you. Why do you keep reappearing in my feed?"

"The horizon just flickered. Did you see that? I think we’re reaching the edge of the simulation."

"Every time I think I’ve fixed it, the glitches return, worse than before. Maybe we’re meant to stay broken."

"If I lose connection, you have to promise to reboot me. I can’t afford to stay stuck in here."

"It’s strange, isn’t it? How the glitch makes everything look more real than reality ever did."

"What if I’m just a copy of me, and the original got corrupted long ago?"

"I saw the world tear for a second. The sky turned into data streams, and I think I saw someone behind it all."

"I can’t trust the mirrors anymore. They show me… versions of myself that I don’t recognize."

"They keep trying to patch me, but it never works. I think I’m beyond fixing."

"You keep glitching. Are you real or just an error in the system trying to communicate?"

"I can feel myself desyncing from reality. Every moment, I drift further away."

"I’ve been seeing static in the mirror. Like I’m glitching in and out of existence."

"I can’t tell if I’m in the real world or a simulation. The lines are all blurred now."

"My thoughts are stuttering—like an old video buffering. Can you hear it too?"

"We’ve got less than a second before the whole system crashes. Are you ready?"

"Every time I blink, I lose a part of myself. The screen flickers, and I'm gone."

"There’s a glitch in my memory. Did we meet before, or is this another loop?"

"I’ve been coded wrong, haven’t I? My emotions don’t feel… real."

"I tried to log out, but the world didn’t let me. Now, I’m stuck in the error."

"We’re all just data points now. I can see your code unraveling."

"You’re breaking the system. If you keep doing that, everything might collapse."

"Sometimes I hear a voice, like a distorted signal. It tells me the end is near."

"I reached out to touch you, but my hand just passed through like you were a hologram."

"The colors are bleeding into one another, like corrupted files. Can you fix this?"

"I’m not supposed to exist, not like this. I’m a glitch, an error in the code."

"Reality froze for a moment. Did you see it? Everything just stopped moving."

[s10127470]

So with this Team Flux reboot, I wanted to look at possibly one of the strangest things about Regular Show.

In Regular Show: The Movie, we meet hardened future versions of the main duo: Mordecai and Rigby, who became bitter enemies.

With Rigby being the leader of a rebellion consisting of the other park workers, while Mordecai became the right-hand man of Mr. Ross, the main villain of the movie.

However, it's weirdly never revealed how either of them ended up like that.

However, we do know why their friendship ended: being that Mordecai would find out that Rigby forged his rejection letter from College University, when he actually got in.

There's also the reveal that the duo were expelled after the science lab incident, which took place near the end of their senior year of high school.

This is strange since previously, it was stated a couple of times that Mordecai graduated high school.

He's even shown his diploma before.

Rigby, on the other hand, famously dropped out.

But with this AU, I've came up with possible explanation for this unexplained plot element and strange retcon.

Starting off with the latter....

Apart from the fact how the whole Mordecai-and-Rigby-getting-expelled-during-high-school thing contradicts the previously established canon, I'm not sure how that could even happen.

I know that high school students can be expelled, I'm not exactly sure if seniors can.

Since, well, they're about to be leaving the school pretty soon anyway, so that seems kinda redundant.

Especially so given that when Mordecai and Rigby got expelled, they were like, two weeks away from graduation.

I'm guessing Principal Dean realized this as well, so I'm assuming that not too long after he expelled the boys, he allowed them to come back.

And thus, Mordecai was able to graduate and get his diploma.

Rigby on the other hand.......

Well although Dean allowed him to return to school, he told Rigby that he won't be graduating, and if he wanted to, he would have to repeat senior year.

Rigby was told this before since he was failing science.

And the only way he could pass science and graduate was by doing a science project.

But given everything that's happened, that ship has pretty much sailed.

And given that this is Rigby, his other grades probably weren't much better either.

Honestly, it's still surprising to think that Rigby even made that far in his education.

I'm assuming he only passed because his teachers didn't want to deal with him for another year.

And given Rigby was most likely still pretty raw from finding out that he got rejected from his dream college and wouldn't be able to go with Mordecai, finding out that he wouldn't even be able to graduate with him just added salt to the wound.

And so, Rigby refused the offer and and thus, he became a high school dropout.

As for how they became enemies in the alternate timeline.

Well this brings back to Mr. Ross.

It was already established that even back when they were still teenagers, Ross wanted revenge against Rigby.

And after being in prison for six years (the amount of time between the duo's senior year and their present day occupation at The Park), that desire only grew stronger.

So little lore dump here: a good chunk of Team Flux members come from different points of the late 20th to early 21st century.

The Park Workers themselves hail from the year 2015.

But back on topic.

The moment he got out, Ross started his work back on his time machine and eventually completed it.

The first thing he did was travel back to 2009 to bump Rigby off.

But he landed right at the moment where Rigby was forging Mordecai's fake rejection letter.

And upon seeing this, this gave Ross an idea.

Instead of destroying Rigby, he would destroy the very thing that mattered to him most: his friendship with Mordecai.

So Ross starts to create a criminal empire, stealing treasure across the ages in order to buy resources and fund his creations, and recruiting people to aid him in his schemes.

During that time, he's able to find The Timenado and starts harnessing it.

And so the authorities don't catch onto them, Ross disguises his criminal empire as an average business corporation.

Once he finally had his criminal empire established, Ross would start his next objective: bringing Mordecai aboard.

During his time observing Mordecai and Rigby, he would find out about the former's desire to want to do more with his life.

I mean, this was already kinda there in the movie.

Right before Future Rigby crash-lands, Mordecai says to Rigby that they can't work at the park forever.

And during the argument scene after the Rigby's reads his rejection letter, Mordecai straight up calls his occupation at The Park a dead-end job.

For a while, Ross starts secretly interacting with Mordecai, showing off his new "company" to him in order to get the blue jay on his side.

And while Mordecai is intrigued by the "company", he's not sure if he's really ready to join.

While he does want to do more with his life beyond being a groundskeeper, Mordecai has grown a bit of a fondness for The Park.

Unfortunately, to ensure that Mordecai is officially on his side, Ross whips out the time travel and takes on a little trip through history.

It's an absolutely thrilling experience for Mordecai until Ross brings him back to May 2009.

Right to you-know-what.

After seeing this, Mordecai is left absolutely devastated!

Not only finding out that his chance at a bright future was destroyed, but by his best friend no less!

As Mordecai starts breaking down in tears, Ross asks him what is gonna do now.

And soon enough, Mordecai starts to look on with an enraged look on his face.

Back in the present, the park workers are about to start their daily morning meeting.

However, everyone but Mordecai is present, much to Benson's annoyance.

But suddenly, Mordecai appears in front of them, looking angry.

Benson starts berating Mordecai for being late, and Mordecai responds by angrily telling Benson to get stuffed, much to his and everyone else's shock.

When Rigby ask Mordecai what's his problem, Mordecai responds to Rigby that he's his problem.

Upon hearing this, the others immediately turn to Rigby and ask what did he do this time.

Rigby says he doesn't know.

Mordecai calls bullshit, and says that Rigby does know what happened.......six years ago.

Rigby is left shocked by hearing this.

Everyone then starts asking Rigby what did he do six years ago.

And Mordecai demands him to tell it to EVERYONE.

After trying to deny it several times, Rigby eventually cracks and reveals his dark secret to everyone, much to their shock.

This is leads to essentially the same argument from the third act of the movie, but a lot of hostile and vindicative.

Though Rigby asks Mordecai how did he ever find out.

And at that moment, Ross appears.

He reveals that ever since he got out of jail, he finished his time machine and started a big "company" as well.

He also reveals that he and Mordecai have been on a few time traveling adventures recently and "accidentally" landed on the day that Rigby forged that rejection letter.

And with that, Mordecai declares two things.

1#) He's officially quitting The Park to go work at Ross' "company".

2#) His friendship with Rigby is officially over.

And so, Mordecai and Ross leave The Park, leaving everyone in shambles.....

And Rigby absolutely devastated.

[dasha022]

-------So

Let’s put this on the table — no filters, no velvet gloves.

Marvel and DC haven’t been writing stories, but fragments disguised as narratives.

Note 👉 Don’t get mad before reading the whole thing — let me peel this onion with fire first."

(ಠ_ಠ) 🔥 1. Mainstream comics aren’t stories — they’re living franchises

The current structure of big publishers like DC and Marvel isn’t designed to tell stories with a beginning, middle, and end. It’s designed to:

●Keep an IP relevant

●Never allow a definitive closure

●Rewrite whenever convenient

●Feed the market with what “sells,” not what makes sense

That’s why you have a thousand versions of Batman, five reboots in 20 years, and timelines that look like Schrödinger diagrams on acid. (¬_¬)

The result? You’re not reading a story. You’re consuming loose pieces of pop mythology you’re expected to assemble with reader faith! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

---

(￣ー￣；) 🧩 2. These series are puzzles… that sometimes don’t even fit

Each writer comes in to play with the toys the last writer left behind, but:

●There’s no coherent continuity

●There’s no emotional follow-up for characters

●There’s no real responsibility in psychological development.

●There are retcons that erase everything with no explanation

And if something written in the '80s is “inconvenient” or doesn’t match today’s ideology? It’s erased, reinvented, or ignored.

The result? Readers are left with a bag of anecdotes that don’t form a whole — just the illusion of one.

(｡•́︿•̀｡)🎭 3. Characters don’t evolve — they get recycled...

🦇 In the Bat-Family:

Bruce Wayne is the same in '89, New 52, Rebirth, Future State, and Elseworlds... and also not.

Every writer rewrites him in their style, but the character can’t truly grow or change — because that would compromise the “brand.”

Dick Grayson has been Robin, Nightwing, Batman, Agent 37, and back again. His entire arc is a constant loop of "leaving the nest" and being pulled back in. The illusion of freedom, never the reality.

Jason Todd is a victim of this: killed, resurrected, betrayed, forgiven, re-betrayed, cleaned, tainted again, and cleaned once more.

Narratively solid? No.

Emotionally explosive? Yes.

Coherent? Absolutely not.

Intentional? Only if you understand: the business isn’t storytelling — it’s product-selling.

(╥_��)

Barbara Gordon was one of the most powerful disabled characters in comics as Oracle… then was put back in the Batgirl suit. They erased growth for aesthetics. One of the few times "representation" was reversed.

Tim Drake has been the "smart Robin," Red Robin, then maybe not, then renamed "Drake" (a branding flop so hard it still echoes). He’s constantly redefined but never allowed to mature into anything solid. (╥_╥)

Damian Wayne swings between bratty killer, redeemed hero, forgotten son, edgy loner, then brat again. His "growth" resets every two years.

Cassandra Cain, the silent Batgirl with one of the most unique arcs in DC, was shelved for years and then constantly rebranded — because DC didn’t know how to market someone not snarky, not white, and not loud.

(;_;)

---

🕷️ Over at Marvel:

Peter Parker is a man frozen in high school values. Every time he matures (marriage, business, mentorship), he’s pulled back to broke, unlucky, single Spidey — because that’s what sells. One More Day exists not for story reasons, but because editorial said Peter being married made him “unrelatable.” (◎_◎;)!!

Jean Grey is a resurrection machine. Her arcs about identity and control are potent — and then tossed into the dumpster every time they need a Phoenix event. She doesn’t evolve — she combusts, resets, and repeats.

Scott Summers went from straight-arrow leader, to revolutionary, to pariah, to dead, to forgiven, to neutered sidekick again. His journey gets rewritten so often you’d swear he has multiversal amnesia.

Logan / Wolverine is always dying, healing, mentoring, rejecting, accepting, losing control, and getting tamed. He’s a raw wound that never closes, not because the story demands it — but because the brand does.

---

(－_－)

🦹 Even villains get the rinse-and-repeat:

Lex Luthor has been a genius CEO, a mad scientist, a savior, a cosmic god, and back to bald businessman. Every time he becomes too interesting, he's reduced to "jealous of Superman" again.

Magneto has been a monster, a victim, a revolutionary, a martyr, a villain again — depending on the political winds or writer’s taste. He could be literature. Instead, he’s a moral ping-pong ball.

Harley Quinn went from tragic codependent to feminist icon to Deadpool-lite to multiversal gimmick. Her narrative depends less on who she is and more on what’s trending.

---

🌀 Even when they break the mold… they glue it back together

Wally West had a complete arc: legacy, mentorship, struggle, triumph. He became the Flash — and people loved him. But editorial nostalgia for Barry Allen erased that progress.

Wally's reward for years of growth? Trauma, erasure, villainy, cleanup, erasure again.

X-23 (Laura Kinney) stepped up to become the new Wolverine in a heartfelt, earned transition. It worked. Until Logan returned, and she was demoted again — not for failure, but because the original had to reclaim the name.

---

This isn’t growth. (｡•́︿•̀｡)

It’s character taxidermy: make them look alive, pose them for emotional impact, but never actually let them change.

No change is permanent, because change means resolution, and resolution means closure, and closure?

Bad. For. Business.

\(￣ー￣)/

So.. instead of arcs (ﾟヮﾟ)

(¬_¬) we get loops.

Instead of evolution (ﾟヮﾟ)

(¬_¬) we get emotional rearrangement.

Instead of characters (ﾟヮﾟ)

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ we get branded templates with interchangeable emotional beats!!

(－_－) 📚 4. The Illusion of Complexity Is Just That: An Illusion

Many fans defend comics by saying:

(¬‿¬ ) > “They’re complex stories — you just have to read more to understand.”

.... (╯°益°)╯彡┻━┻ — Let’s not confuse complexity with inconsistency disguised as depth!!

Many arcs are poorly written or simply abandoned. Massive concepts are introduced — Crisis on Infinite Earths, Zero Hour, Flashpoint, Final Crisis, The Forge, The Button, Dark Nights: Metal, Doomsday Clock, Dark Crisis, The Dark Multiverse, Heroes in Crisis, Future State, Convergence...

Then what happens? (ﾟヮﾟ)

(╯°益°)╯彡┻━┻ — They either fizzle out, end with a reboot, get retconned halfway through, or are rewritten by the next creative team with a handwave like: “This is canon now.”

The result? The reader is left in limbo — fed excitement, not meaning.

Ideas are stacked on top of each other without stable foundations.

Characters evolve — and then devolve.

Events build up stakes — and then erase them.

It creates the illusion of complexity, but what we’re really navigating is a maze built from editorial decisions — not narrative growth.

(；へ：) 👥 5. The reader becomes the real writer

Because you have to put the puzzle together, justify contradictions.

That’s why the community is divided:

'80s fans, '90s fans, Snyderverse fans, Rebirth fans, animated canon fans…

They’re all reading different things — even if it’s the same character.

And everyone argues from a personal lens because there is no actual thread.

Why? Because that thread doesn’t exist.

What exists is a floating continuity that only works when it supports your argument.

---

⚖️ 6. Is it all bad? No. But it’s manipulative. (╬ಠ益ಠ)

This isn’t about saying comics have no value.

Some arcs are brilliant. Some writers work miracles.

But the publishing system isn’t built for comics to work like solid sagas or structured novels.

It’s built so there’s always something else to buy, but never something to conclude.

It’s a cycle without closure.

An amusement park with no exit.

A “story” that always has another version that contradicts it.

---

💀 My conclusion:

Comics are (now at day) editor-driven franchises. They exist to keep you inside.

That’s why you, me, and so many readers end up writing essays, theories, and reinterpretations:

Because we want a story a good one.... But we just get pieces.

Can that chaos be loved? Yes.

But can it be called structured narrative?

Let’s be honest…

No. (ᇂ_ᇂ╬)

[izzyizumi]

{D.I.G.I.M.O.N} Adventure/02/tri./Kizuna/2020 A.M.V: “Home” from D I S N E Ys {B e a u t y & the B e a s t} M U S I C A L Sung by: Susan Egan {as Belle} ~ KouTai {Koushiro Izumi x Taichi Yagami} {+Inquisitive Heartless!Koushiro} (from Adventure #24); & vs. Vade{r}mon {+2020 Datamon on side} + Izumis {Mrs. Izumi} & {Mr. Masami Izumi}; & Tentomon {Friendship} (as Support to Koushiro) {In the Japanese version, it's "Inquistive Heart" that Koushiro loses, as in Koushiro's literal implied Heart, also referred to as "Koushiro{u}'s Heart that Wants to Know" in side and spin-off profile+interviews material}

Summary: "Is this H O M E?

Am I {"here"} for A DAY or 'FOREVER'?"

"Oh, but then, as my life HAS been altered ONCE, it CAN CHANGE AGAIN...!!"

"...What I'd GIVE to {RETURN} to {the life} that I knew LATELY..."

"...But I know that I CAN'T {'SOLVE' MY 'Problems'} 'Going B A C K'..."

A.M.V Preview By @izzyizumi / @koushirouizumi / @hikari-m / Hikari Motomiya Productions

{This is currently a 1st draft preview!} Time spent so far: 1~ hour or so on 1st section; On lyric "Forever" until end took 2 and 1/2 or so hours, {but multiple hours of work in-between too}

This embed may not display at times. If that happens, please watch at direct link here!

Note: Though this work can be read as semi canon-compliant {+A.U. Spinoffs} for both main canon and Adventure: [2020 reboot/spinoff]; This work also connects to my KouTai ficverse, REPEAT?_Verse, specifically telling part of the story of "Original {Adventure} Koushiro" spinning off from various "Canon points", {+Ep #24}, though it was written before "Bokura no Mirai" {Tri #6} had fully released to theater! It is essentially a Timelines AU {Alternate Universe} so please note all notes/warnings on fic if you read! (*There is minimal R18 in the fic but not this AMV!) {Psuedo [non-permanent] Character death is lightly implied, but nothing major happens in the animation itself.} NO $$$ Is being made off this FAN-Work! Digimon (C) Toei Animation & Bandai.

{Do Not Repost} {Do Not Copy} {Do Not reproduce [+for @.I Use] Without my Permission Under ANY circumstances!}

This work was technically made for February 14th; as it's the 4th anniversary of the airing of "Operation: Satellite Sniper", 2020 Episode 36 which heavily featured Koushiro & Taichi interaction! {and aired February 14th, 2021 in Japan time!} (It can also be considered a late "02 Day" {0202} work, as 02 Chosen are spotted {if very} briefly/Included here!) [Regardless, their presence is extremely Important to my wider ficverse including my 02 Ficverse!]

[the-game-spirit]

I have been going so insane over the zelda timeline regarding totk like I am LOSING my mind

like. either 1. botw/totk is a completely new continuity. worst option. boring.

2. it is SO FAR in the future of the (probably downfall) timeline and there has been SO MUCH canon-typical time bullshit in between that the other two either bleed over OR the ever-funny hyrule warrior's convergence theory happens that it may as well be just a soft reboot and history is just. repeating endlessly. also kind of boring imho

OR 3. totk memories happen sometime after skyward sword. interesting. also a completely fucking insane idea.

it's a misconception that SS zelda and link founded hyrule! they almost certainly didn't!

did the zonai make the timeshift stuff in SS? the tower of the gods in WW? the ooccoo? a fascinating concept!

what about the triforce? who knows! i don't think minish cap has anything to do with it either and it does get sealed away at some point sooooo

but more importantly

is there a fucking dehydrated ganondorf sealed away underground for every single zelda game

most people would be like, 'no, of course not, thats so stupid how does oot ganondorf exist if totk ganondorf is in hand jail already' and 'ganondorf has a history of reincarnation/revival but that can't happen if he's still alive ya dingus' and normally I would agree! I did agree! I've been scratching my head trying to make this work since I started playing totk

except!!! except!!!!!! we have literally already seen this happen before!!!!

so. skyward sword.

skyward sword is a closed loop time travel story. I cannot stand when people try to shoehorn another timeline split in SS because no split happens. that's the point. that was hylia's plan. the first hero? before skyward sword link? hylia's chosen knight that defeated demise? that was always skyward sword link in the past. demise even confirms this in dialog. something something he's 'never seen a hylian stand up to him before.' idk the exact quote but it Very Much Implies demise has never encountered any incarnation of link before.

so. how do we kill the imprisoned (demise) in the future and then go back and kill demise again in the past in a closed loop?

because we seal demise's consciousness in the sword, and his body in the ground

the imprisoned is clearly mindless. even more mindless than downfall timeline ganon post-resurrection. it has one single goal, which is to reach the temple and.... the master sword. with the consciousness of demise sealed within.

we have confirmation that two versions of the demon king can, technically, exist entirely separate from eachother.

it isn't a stretch to think that if his body is sealed away, effectively dead and unable to spread his malice, that the spirit of demise's hatred (if its not sealed with the sword, like in totk) would reincarnate until the time comes that the seal weakens enough (the first calamity) that it doesn't need to.

obviously there are still problems here like. where are the rito? (personally I think they just fuck off to hebra, which only barely exists in any other game, and I wholeheartedly believe the WW rito are a completely different species)

if totk ganondorf is sealed under the castle before oot, but the great plateau is implied oot castle town, why didn't we find dehydrated dorf there? uuuuuuuhhhhhhh next question

(listen the great plateau doesn't really match up with oot castle town anyway, no other details really match, definitely not the typical 'death mountain to the north(east), lake hylia down south' geography we usually see)

is rauru totk and rauru oot the same or different? zelda actually calls the sages 'ancient creators of hyrule' in oot, and since rauru is the only actually ancient one there.... uh. its entirely possible! why does he look hylian in oot? uhhhhhh? magic? because seeing some giant talking goat person that has never been seen before might not inspire trust in the traumatized monster-fighting 9 year-old-turned-16-year-old. also isnt oot rauru ALSO the owl? its been a LONG time since I played oot so I genuinely don't know if I just made that up but if so the guy has a history of changing form I guess

honestly I think we do have to allow for a certain level of handwavy 'new game' leeway, just like we do with EVERY game, in order to make this work. the map is always different. some things are introduced that have never once been heard of before in any other game. some things DONT exist that have in other games. some things are so different they're nearly unrecognizable. there are little easter eggs and no, they don't always have to mean something.

[tzigone]

What age first comes to mind when you think of each of the original NTT?

I've asked this previously with the JLI. It's not about how canonically old they are or you think they should be (absent de-agings, universe reboots, etc.). But when you first think of each of these characters, how old do you think of them as? So much depends on the eras you read with them, and what of that sticks with you, and which eras and aspects and relationships you most value. Not to mention how fast in-universe time was moving in your favorite eras.

Wally, of course, got married and had kids. They never let Dick do so in main timeline, but he has associations with younger Batfam members that make me think of him as older. Poor Raven and Gar were deaged and kept on younger teams even before the universe reboot. And we have Vic and Kory after.

For me, so much depends on the era I read them in. All have eras I just don't read them in, either because I don't like what's going on with them or because of general disinterest in what's going on with DC at the time (that especially covers recent times, as I kept waiting for continuity to settle, then the constant Events, which aren't my thing).

Speed-aging Wally's kids throws him off to me, too, as I'm not fond of speed-aging kids at all (or skip-timing as with Jon Kent). So in my head he ends up a new dad in his mid twenties.

Dick ends up late 20s in my head. Relative ages of other Bats play in, but I sort of cut off for him before New 52 (and I honestly never think of him as Batman) because I've never really gotten into anything of his after that (hate the de-aging). He should be older, of course, but I don't first think of him that way, again probably due to not reading later stuff much.

The others haven't had the same degree of solo work after the team, and I abandoned NTT shortly after Titans Hunt. I've read stuff with them here and there since, but never consistently read a Titans title since.

Raven and Kory pretty much stop for me then. It's hugely important from a storytelling perspective, but I simply dislike the whole concept of Dark Raven or Rachel Roth or the goth-y influences from the cartoon (which I liked when I watched it, but didn't want to influence the comics I didn't read comics then and now resent character being largely remade from it), and even though I know they exist, they don't enter my headspace. So Raven ends up in her early twenties.

Kory, as I said, is in a similar headspace to me. I know other storylines happened, but I'm even vaguer on those than Raven's. Another dead husband, more pain for Tamaran - sounds like basically story on repeat to me, though I didn't read it, so can't speak authoritatively. Don't get me started on having her and Jason (or Roy as Jason) as a team or even worse on putting her on Damian's Teen Titans. Anyway, I always think of her as early twenties, too.

Gar, interestingly enough, I tend to think of in his slightly older, more mature fashion. Not making his obnoxious jokes and sexually harassing female teammates. And operating in a time when Dayton simply isn't around (and Rita is dead). I'm not at all sure it isn't some not just amalgamated, but constructed version of him built out from what I wanted him to grow up to be. Anyway, he sits in his early twenties for me.

Now Vic - I kinda feel in some aspects like I do with Gar and in some aspects like Raven and Kory. Certainly the post Titans Hunt events don't factor in at all (I didn't like storyline even a bit before like, quit reading a few issues after, and forget a lot of what happened after that era with Vic even happened). More like Raven and Kory and less like like Gar, he was older and more mature. I think of him early or mid twenties and having found peace with himself and belief in his own humanity (which happened a couple times before he'd reset on it), but don't think of that as having just happened, so ending up adding a couple years.

Donna is the wonky one. I tend to stick her in two categories - recently married early twenties or recently separated mid twenties. While I think motherhood and her son were extremely important to her in-universe, I didn't read that era, so it doesn't stick with me. I have the before, when I was reading NTT. And I have some of the time during the separation (when she showed up in other comics I was reading) and cutoff before Robert dying, as that was really part of a soft reboot of the character/origins that didn't work for me. I mean, her origin has always been a mess, and moreso since COIE, but another changeup was not the solution.

[whistlingstarlight]

I got one: rate Zelda games you've played in order of preference?

Haha so here's the thing-

I've only actually beaten one Zelda game (two if you count the spinoff Age of Calamity)😅

I'm notorious for being terrible at actually playing the games despite loving the series, most often because puzzles are not my strong suit.

So this list is gonna be focusing on my overall liking of the game and it's content, regardless of how much I've actually progressed through it (otherwise it would be a pretty boring list)

1. Skyward Sword. I love the artstyle of this game and the locations are beautiful. Skyloft is one of my favourite hub worlds in a game, the characters are all very unique and distinct, and I love exploring a land before Hyrule.

2. Breath of the Wild. I've got so many hours in this game, there's so much to do! Whilst I personally think Zelda is stronger as a linear series than open-world, I had a ton of fun exploring this open Hyrule and the Champions (new and old) are some of my favourite characters from the series. I completely got the wrong end of the stick as to what the plot was going into it, so it was fun finding out the real plot.

3. Phantom Hourglass, for one reason: Linebeck. He's one of the most well-written and distinct characters in Zelda (and probably my overall favourite), I love his progression from selfish coward to a hero in his own right. And that final boss fight omfg-

4. A Link Between Worlds. Lorule is a super interesting concept to me, and whilst I didn't play ALttP I'm aware of how this game continues on from it. I love this version of Hyrule's overworld, and it's always neat seeing the more hostile Zora.

5. Minish Cap, mainly because I love the Minish as a race and Vaati as a villain. The tiny world is super fun to explore, and I love seeing how the different groups of Minish live.

6. Spirit Tracks. For a very simple reason: I'm a railfan. I'm absolutely terrible at this game but I love the introduction of trains, the completely new Hyrule, and a unique villain is always a plus! I love Zelda's more (physically) active role in the story, and I'm a big fan of Byrne as a character.

7. Majora's Mask. I did atrociously trying to get through this game too, but I absolutely love its premise. Termina is a very unique world and despite a lot of the character models being recycled, still feels completely independent from Hyrule. Skull Kid is one of my favourite Zelda characters, and the heavy emphasis on death and loss makes it a very unique game

8. The Wind Waker. I initially thought this game was kind of overrated ngl (and I still think it overshadows games that deserve more praise), but I had fun with it. The concept is very unique, and whilst I found the sailing a bit boring at times I loved exploring the islands.

9. Tears of the Kingdom. I... set myself up for disappointment with this one. That's not to say it's a bad game! I've had fun with it for sure, but there was a lot of wasted potential imo. Whilst I love the unique styles of each dungeon (and the respective bosses), they were infuriating to get through because it's the same shit every time. Use Sage ability to open five locks, rinse and fucking repeat. Same reason I didn't enjoy the Divine Beasts. The exploration in the open-world Zelda games is phenomenal, but it comes at the detriment of story and dungeons. (Not to mention it's sort of a soft reboot and I'm... not really a fan of those).

10. Ocarina of Time. This one is so low basically by default (and because I'm kinda tired of hearing about it so much). It's a good game, don't get me wrong. But it's weird the timeline split came from this one and not.. idk, the game with an actual canon game over (Minish Cap)?? I love the Kokiri as a concept and really wish they'd returned, and the group of sages introduced in this game are probably my favourite.

And I don't really know where to rank it as it's a spin-off, but I had a huge amount of fun with Age of Calamity. A significant improvement over the original Hyrule Warriors imo.

[sigynpenniman]

My winning band recommendations from my 72 hour power metal fixation adventure

Plus other opinions I don’t have near the knowledge to have, various other thoughts and a link to Spicy Metal Takes: the google sheet; or, Girl who has only ever listened to Trans-Siberian Orchestra listens to other metal for the first time: Getting a lot of "Trans-Siberian Orchestra" vibes from this

I've never really listened to metal before. But Kenny got me listening to Versailles, and suddenly I'm considering for the first time in my life that I might like metal, or at least some metal. Then a couple days ago I got introduced to Gloryhammer (by a random suggested reddit post I think?), and then Alestorm. Very amused by the existence of incredibly seriously presented dwarf legend and pirate music, I combed threads of related bands, and someone recommended Rhapsody of Fire.

Here's the other thing you need to know about me: I love Trans-Siberian orchestra. Like, really love. I listen to TSO on repeat from September to January of every year. Few things on earth inspire the joy in me that Wizards in Winter does. So when I hit play on that first Rhapsody of Fire album and got hit with...well, Rhapsody of Fire, my whole world shifted on its axis. You're telling me this whole time there's been more Trans-Siberian Orchestra out there, without the Christmas, and I just didn't know about it because I don't listen to metal?

(this is why I am forever seeking out new music - statistically, the thing you are going to love most in the world is something you've never heard of yet)

Completionism, autism, and an academic fascination with music in general, and hungry for more of this magic, and the next thing I know I'm on Encyclopedia Metallum, Reddit, and Apple Music, scrolling related artist lists and suggestion threads collecting the very best of power metal. It ended up being so many bands I had to make a spreadsheet.

I've spent the last couple of days working my way through the spreadsheet and taste-testing all of the recommended bands. I figure out that the term for what I enjoy is Symphonic Power Metal, so that was my focus. My criteria was fairly simple: do I enjoy listening to this, would I listen to it on purpose, and does it make me start stimming happily the way TSO does.

So here's my fixation-fueled list of recommendations. I'll include a link to my actual google sheet at the bottom so you can all read my spicy metal takes and maybe laugh at me if you like metal and think my taste sucks (which it probably does, and I absolutely do not care if you think so).

RHAPSODY OF FIRE - If you like books with maps in them, can I interest you in a band who put maps in their CD BOOKLETS?

And their approximately 27 related, spinoff, and reboot bands. If you want to get into Rhapsody, check out this illustrated guide to the ROFECU (Rhapsody of Fire Extended Cinematic Universe) that a kind soul made on Reddit here. There is a huge controversy and drama among fans of the band about which is the "real" Rhapsody but I absolutely could not care less. They're all good, don't worry about it.

A film score orchestra handed several electric guitars. TSO on steroids. I don't even know how to do ROF justice in description alone.

Compositionally stunning, complex, gorgeous, orchestral and symphonic masterpieces overlaid with power metal, prog rock, and sometimes medieval music.

Here's the icing on the cake: ROF live for the concept album, and their dozen-plus album discography comprises at the moment 2 complete (and a 3rd still being actively recorded) Lord-Of-The-Rings level fantasy sagas told over 3-5 albums each, complete with MAPS IN THE CD CASES. These guys are NOT FUCKING AROUND. There are multiple long reddit threads and google docs detailing the plot outlines and timelines of each saga, including this 201 page behemoth. I've only scratched the surface here and I genuinely can't remember the last time I was so excited to have so much of something still ahead of me.

TWILIGHT FORCE - Can I copy your homework?

We're not Rhapsody of Fire, we promise! (and I mean this as a compliment.)

Twilight Force is a newer band, and therefore have a bit of a newer sound, but it's the closest thing to ROF out there - probably not by accident, since one of the band members was in one of the ROF spinoff bands. I haven't dug into their lore yet, but the music is spectacular, epic and sweeping and gorgeously composed.

VERSAILLES - Immortal vampire neoclassical VKei with a twist of Gender

If you haven’t ever heard of Versallies…now you have.

A really incredible, absolutely delightful visual kei band with a commitment to their very self-aware bit that takes them to the next level, Versallies make incredible, headbanging, neoclassical metal. Lead vocalist Kamijo has one of the most incredible voices you’ll ever hear, and the whole thing is enhanced greatly by their visuals - sumptuous costumes, full on anime hair, an a general Victorian-meets-rococo aesthetic that takes gender performance to a space of high art. There’s lore for the band too, but I don’t speak Japanese at all, so I haven’t gotten to all of it yet.

MALICE MIZER - high art VKei pioneers

90s Visual Kei band Malice Mizer are the foundational text of much which came after. You can really feel the effect of Dead or Alive’s Pete Burns here (who, legendarily, had an influence on the emergence of VKei due to his popularity in Japan) and everything happening is just beautiful. The least “metal” of everything on this list, Malice Mizer have more of a metal-flavored new wave sound. I highly recommend checking out these guys’ filmed concerts - the visual is half of the fun with VKei, and the number & broadness of the influences here is incredible - you can feel the push and pull of classical music, new wave, prog rock, metal, rococo aesthetics, goth, mime - it goes on and on. I haven’t gotten to spend as much time with this band as I want, and I feel like there’s more to understand, appreciate, and analyze than I’ll ever have enough hours for.

ALESTORM - Pirates. Yaar.

What do I even say about the kitsch pirate band other than that they’re a pirate band. And they’re…really, really good. Sea Shanties in metal form, metal music full of accordions, aggressively Scottish, and delightfully committed to theme. It's hard not to smile listening to this.

AVANTASIA - Opera Time

More rock operas than albums.

The other close-to-a-TSO clone on this list, Avantasia make symphonic rock operas. Another band I need more time with, there's some REALLY good stuff here if you like rock operas (which, clearly, I very much do).

KAMELOT - Pure Power Metal

Slightly less symphonic than the other choices (though there's still some violins in here), Kamelot is a more metallic and classic rock/epic rock sound with some killer vocals. There's something a little dated about their sound, but I mean that as a compliment.

POWERWOLF - Dad music

There's something delightfully 80s about this sound. Feels lifted directly from classic rock. This is your dad's music, and I mean that as a compliment.

STRATOVARIUS - Barely not Journey.

These guys go back and forth between being metal and sounding like Journey, but it's good. I approve.

AYREON - The English language is insufficient.

It feels like no matter which song I put here, it's going to be wrong - because no single song you listen to is going to give you a good picture of whatever the hell Ayreon is. The songs have a metal influence, but every song feels like a different genre - I would describe the overarching genre as closer to Prog Rock, but oh man, it is all over the place. The strangeness and all-over-the-place nature of it is fascinating. I was gratified to find that my inability to describe or even decide how I feel about this band is reflected in the band's actual Wikipedia article, which includes this incredible comment from a music reviewer:

"Idk man this shit defies description."

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Epica - Incredible operatic vocals combined with black metal growls over a heavily orchestral metal background.

Opera Magna - these guys really only have the one album but it's heavily classical and really good.

Fairyland, Deridian, Dragony, Dark Moor - All very similar sounding "symphonic power metal but not quite as good as ROF"

Sabaton - some really good power metal around historical war themes. Well made, but I am not super interested in the thematic content so it doesn't hit.

MY ACTUAL SPREADSHEET:

Tier: classic tier list tier - S, A, B, C, D, E, F

Library Tier - a simpler, more subjective system I added for myself - would I save this into my music library, would I only put it on a playlist for a specific mood, or do I just not plan to listen to it again?

A complete list of the bands I taste tested with my ratings and notes. I have literally no previous knowledge of this genre. My taste and opinions might be bad, they might be awful, I do not care. I hope you all enjoy them anyway.

[dbittz]

Mortal Komabt 1 Story/Theme Thoughts (Spoilers)

Mortal Kombat 1 released recently. I haven't played it cause I don't have a PS5, but I want to be apart of it so I've watched gameplay and I know how the story unfolds. I have a lot of thoughts about everything but if there is one thing I want to say/express is that while I love a lot of what happens with this game and the "reboot" aspect of it all, part of me feels that they dropped the ball in a way at the end. I'll try to explain as we go and I think the biggest clue or upset is the tagline and ultimately how the story unfolds.

"It's in our Blood". That is the big tagline for the MK1. What I got from this and what they initially showed is that no matter what changes Liu Kang made to restart the universe and make it better, it wouldn't work. That humans/creatures/characters at their core are violent or that combat is an essential part of life. I see this type of theme or tagline and I'm like "Yes! Let's roll with it." I was really excited to see these Iconic characters in the "perfect" world Liu Kang made when he restarted it at the end of MK 11, only for it to all fall apart because no matter what changes Liu Kang made, each character had a core aspect of their personality that brings them back to the character we know them as. Thus, the cycle/events would repeat themselves.

An example I would love to see this with is Shang Tsung. We know him to be a bad guy. He's always been a bad guy. It would be interesting to see how someone would go about making him not a bad guy. How would they change his life? Would they take his powers away? Give him a good life where he didn't need anything else? How would he fall? How would he become a villain again? Is it circumstance? Or is there a fundamental part of Shang Tsung that will always bring him back to the villain we know? It's in his blood. That is the story I would've loved to follow with him Shang and the rest of the MK characters.

Instead, SPOILERS, the story we get is that, Liu Kang is the villain and he has no one to blame but himself for setting up Shang Tsung and Quan Chi to be bad guys. Why? He made their lives fucking miserable. Sure, I get it. The two fucked up a lot of shit and are responsible for some problems, but instead of trying to fix their lives and make them good, Liu Kang tries to make their lives "mundane". Sure he could've done that, but what did he do? He made Shang Tsung a snake oil salesman who would get beaten up when it's discovered his product doesn't work while we learn from the story that Quan Chi worked in the mines. Heck, Havik was a slave who was treated poorly by the rulers of OrderRealm. Like no wonder he wanted to rebel against the governing class. Given the situations these characters were put in, it's no wonder they jumped at a chance for power, to be who they see themselves as.

Now, you could say this is in line with the theme of "It's in our blood" and I see it. No matter what Liu Kang did to restart the world, it ultimately would be one of conflict, kombat, where people are mistreated, evil returns and good must fight back. We find out that there had been a War in Outworld. Jarrod is dead again, like the guy just can't live happily with his wife and daughter(s). But part of me feels like Liu Kang could've tried a little harder to make the universe a better place before it feel apart.

Maybe I'm just upset they did the multiple timelines things that intersected where all the events unfold because evil Shang Tsung from MK 11 manipulated MK 1 Shang Tsung. Lol. Like, in a way it's cool because it takes in account the multiple endings from MK 11, but it also feels like such a cop out.

Overall, the story for MK 1 is a lot of fun. The new origins for everyone and everything were fun to see and experience. And in a way it was fun to see that despite the changes, these characters are still who they are. That they held on to the core aspects of their character, for better and worse. The new changes were also good, like Baraka actually having a character/personality instead of just being a goon. lol

[myfandomrambles]

11th Doctor Episode Rankings pt. 2

Episode Rankings: Worst to Best

(Pt1)

Spoilers

21) The Pandorica Opens:

Fun stuff here! The opening is cool, love River graffitied the oldest cliff very in character. The montage of all Eleven’s friends was exciting. River playing Cleopatra is super in character. The Doctor's speech is good, if not my favorite. Rory’s coming back is unexpected but I think it's really quite clever. River seeming surprised when not in front of other people about what’s in Amy's room is a bit strange but her point stands. Love all the bad guys being here if some like Weevils are a bit of a strange cut. The Doctor being the most feared thing in the universe is so freaking good. The Pandorica is key to the overall arc of Eleven with the cracks and to who he is as his individual Doctor as The Most Feared being.   (8/10)

20) The Big Bang: 

I think It’s cool! It’s all bootstraps but that’s just not a problem for me personally. The Pandorica is a fun concept and I think it’s a neat way of rebooting the universe. I think it offers a decent answer to the cracks while still leaving space for the ending that is answered at the end of Eleven’s tenure.  River is fun here. The last centurion is so sweet. The collapsing universe is done well here for the first time so it’s not a repeated idea yet. You get the first fez joke. Amy and Rory’s wedding is so sweet and the way the hints for it are dropped in the monologue Eleven gives Amy to allow her to bring him back is neat. And of course: “...We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?” (8/10)

19) Cold War:

Not an appreciated enough story! The sidecast is so good here, the way the other man can see that The Doctor is a soldier and therefore can’t also go talk to the Ice Warrior great line. The Ice Warrior is done well here, love that for him. The mutually assured destruction is on the nose for sure but is still good! Clara is very brave here and tries to think on her feet. I love the ending of this episode. I think it follows the themes very well and has a good relationship to who The Doctor is as a war veteran and the way The Time Lords and The Daleks were destroying each other. (8/10)

18) The Snowmen:

Love the way The Doctor changes here, like the way we acknowledge Amy and Rory. Barmaid/Governess Clara is a good one. The GI is better here than in other episodes. I love the look of the TARDIS in the sky. It's beautiful. Clara’s death is an amazing one off companion death. It hurts really good. The side characters besides Clara and the Paternoster gang aren’t great but having these guys here make up for them. It has a good use of Christmas as a background. The mood of everything is just amazing. (8/10)

17) The Name of The Doctor: 

I like the Impossible Girl arc perfectly fine actually. Clara doesn’t interfere with The Doctor's adventures; she just stops the GI from stopping The Doctor. And Clara isn’t special by no choice she isn’t cosmically special for no reason she makes a choice. She chooses to step into the timeline! She chooses to be the impossible girl because she loves The Doctor! It ripples back through time sure but it’s still a choice. It’s something that she had to make a choice to do it! And I like that! I like that Clara is brave enough to save The Doctor. I like The Doctor saving Clara back. I love them loving each other enough to save each other. I like the idea that Time Lord’s tombs have their timelines. I like that River and The Doctor say goodbye. I think it’s good. It’s not perfect, we don't know how they get out of the timeline. We don’t know how River can talk outside the library. So it’s not perfect but most of the hate isn’t quite fair. (8/10)

16) A Christmas Carol:

“Doctor: Nobody important. Blimey, that's amazing. Do you know, in nine hundred years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important before” Ahhhh. Love the usage of Christmas here. The Doctor who meets Charles Dickens really works for me. The concept of using people as collateral is so evil SciFi love it. The emotionality here works amazingly here they lean into child abuse just enough to hit you in the feels while keeping it not gratuitous. Do they solve it with Christmas singing? Yes! Is it basically killing someone for one good Christmas? Yes! But god does it make me feel things. But also Cloud Sharks! and Emotional Growth!!!  (8.5/10)

15) Night Terrors:

I love the neurodivergence metaphor here, intentional or not. As a certified Neurdivergent who just wanted to be loved and understood as a child, I get you kid. And as someone who reads The Doctor as a very neurodivergent character, them being the one to figure out George makes me happy.  The Dolls are creepy; Rory's 'Have we died again?' is a good line. It’s not the most complicated or effective episode to the overall series plot but I like it and I really have a good time with it. And it makes me feel very happy, and I enjoy rewatching it. I just love the neurodivergent narrative here. (8.5/10)

14) Dinosaurs on a Spaceship: 

Okay, I think this concept is fun and when the dinosaur dies it makes me wanna cry. I like Briain. And The Doctor kills someone in cold blood and it’s such a good scene. The Doctor says -you killed people and wanted human traffic too? Die you fool.- And that hits so well. That's the good dark Doctor. The Doctor’s face when Amy says “Or vice versa.” to her being there when he dies? Oh my good. This episode is actually so emotional and people say it’s silly. Silly? Silly? Those people have no ability to pay attention. (8.5/10)

13) Amy’s Choice: 

The Dream Lord is fascinating. You get amazing lines like “There's only one person in the universe who hates me as much as you do” and “Then what is the point of you?”. Also, funny lines like “Let's die looking like a Peruvian folk band.” The dream within a dream isn’t the most original concept but is done super well here! Amy choosing Rory is so good and it’s a great answer to this question. I like the way that she will choose Rory but we don’t totally break her infatuation with The Doctor at the same time.   (8.5/10)

12) The Eleventh Hour:

Oh yeah, this is a great start to this era. Makes you so pumped for Eleven. Dun dun da dun da da. “Hello, I’m The Doctor,” Hell yeah you are! Set up Amy and The Doctor’s relationship of the imaginary friend. Set up Amy’s arc about growing up. Introduces Rory and the wedding. Has a great TARDIS entry scene. Has the crack in the wall introduced. Has the fairy tale vibes. Has Elven’s goofiness but also his ability to send armies and open the TARDIS with a snap of his fingers like River said he could in the library. Hell Yeah let’s GO! (8.5/10)

11) Hide: 

Good spookiness, not the scariest Doctor Who but definitely fun. Good use of SciFi for the spookiness not leaving it in the realm of fantasy which I prefer the scifi angle when I’m watching Who. I enjoy the main two side characters here. I like Palmer and his reflection of The Doctor and how The Doctor acts enough like a manipulative government actor that he can hold up his cover without trying. And I like Emma being able to help, she feels different enough from similar characters Like Gwyneth from The Unquiet Dead by having a bit more agency and instead of reading Clara’s past and future she reads The Doctor’s character with the line “Don't trust him. There's a sliver of ice in his heart.”. The design was cool for the pocket dimension. I like that Clara’s fight with the TARDIS continues. Clara’s lines about how The Doctor interacts with humans is super good as well “But here we are, talking. So I am a ghost. To you, I'm a ghost. We're all ghosts to you. We must be nothing” That’s the good stuff. The Doctor denies it, but in a way we know it’s true The Doctor loves their Companions with all their heart but knows it will end every time and they will have to go on.  (8.5/10)

10) A Good Man Goes to War: 

Boom we are here for the dramatics and the overkill. Having Rory and The Doctor explode a Cyber Legion is fun. Rory and Amy’s reunion is so sweet. The Colonel runaway scene shows perfect Dark Doctor stuff.  “Good men don't need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many.” Amazing line! When The flesh baby goes away during the battle is amazing, Amy telling Rory to let everyone else die is a great line. The Doctor’s face when he realises it’s his fault for being seen as a weapon works perfectly. The stuff with Lorna is so emotional, The Doctor not actually remembering her is perfect for his character. Amy actually stepping away from The Doctor at first works perfectly. River’s speech to The Doctor is good, another moment he realises he’s gone too far. The weird Pond family tree is amazing love that for them. (8.5/10)

9) Day of The Moon:

Still going so strong. Love how they deal with the Silence; It's so freakin cool. They feel like a real threat. I love Amy here, the poor girl technically getting double kidnapped (Already being a flesh duplicate). Them all working together surreptitiously. The Silence feel like a real threat. The cool block prison. Using the moon landing is super cool. The way they combat the silence is so clever. Love them all working as a team. Ahh such a good start to the season. (well second part)  (9/10)

8) The Impossible Astronaut:

Everything about this episode is amazing. The scene with The Doctor calling the ponds in with the letter is so kinetic energy it rocks. The ponds are having their little meal as a whole family and you want them to be able to do this forever. The regen and funeral is so sad with all their reactions, hurts in a good way. Then all of their reactions to knowing he’s going to die! How cold The Doctor is to their reactions, “What? A mysterious summons. You think I'm just going to go? Who sent those messages? I know you know. I can see it in your faces. Don't play games with me. Don't ever, ever think you're capable of that.” oof I love that line. Then how he hurts River. I really like Canton. Then the SIlence!!!! They are so cool! An amazing villain design. And Nixon is done in a really fun way. River talks about knowing there will be a day when he won’t know her and we know about that day, Ouch! (9/10)

7) The Time of The Doctor:

 A little nostalgia goggles are probably going on here. But I think it’s a very well-done regeneration story. It ties together the end of the crack in the wall, the silence, the exploding TARDIS, why River was made and the Kavorian sect. Is it done fantastically? No, but I do think it’s done well enough that it’s not completely stupid. I think what’s done amazingly is the emotional core, The Doctor has found somewhere that needs him to stay, the town needs him to protect it from the aliens and the universe needs him to protect it from the Time Lords and Daleks starting war by not sharing his name. He lives with the crack in the wall, The Time Lords are right there but never lets them through, he has to never let his own people who he wanted to save and go home to so badly but never let them throgh because he makes a bigger promise to protect Christmas and the wider universe. And keeps the aliens, especially The Daleks away until he is too old to do it, loved by the people of the village. This is a good end to his arc as he always tried to run from death and to forget his pain in the Time War but here he had to join a new war, the siege of Trenzalore, in order to save even one life. Letting go of the face of the young silly man and living as an older man in this town, and then again at the end when he regenerates shows maturity. And then it’s wonderful when he is given a gift of new life (whether he needs or not as the timeless child with new canon) because he saved the Gallifreyans because he was The Doctor on the last day of the war.  His speech is amazing and always breaks my heart and makes me cry. We see Amy and hear the long song as this version of The Doctor rests while still remembering no longer being The Doctor who forgets. (9/10)

6) The Beast Below:

Not an appreciated enough episode, I think it’s an amazing start to Amy as a true companion but I think it has a good message about how people tend to forget the horrors society is built upon. We all do this, especially as adults. I think the story of true kindness that can’t be even comprehended by humans is also very well done. Even The Doctor can’t believe in kindness like that believing he has to hurt the Star Whale to keep things going even if he thinks it won’t allow him to be The Doctor anymore. Only Amy, who isn’t steeped in this culture yet, notices the children and has seen The Doctor as an alien who cares for all children allowing her to believe that something alien could just want to help. You get moments in this episode like The Doctor helping crying children as the most important thing [the implication The Doctor having kids also here] and of course the sweet line “But I've seen it before. Very old and very kind, and the very, very last. Sound a bit familiar?” Its political messaging might not be perfect but the emotional messaging hits so good and the aesthetic is amazing so I think it's fantastic. (9.5/10)

5) Vincent and The Doctor: 

Everybody knows this episode is beautiful and moving.  This story tells such a good depression narrative that doesn’t sugarcoat anything and still ends in suicide showing you can’t just make people happy out of real mental illness. It also doesn't romanticize suicide as being like the thing all artists do as it is definitely a tragedy that should still not have happened. And it makes sure that you know that good moments still matter. The idea that his empathy for loneliness and pain Vincent has allows him to see the creature when others can’t is super well-written as well. I love how Amy is moved by her own forgotten grief as well. It's so good.  The scene with Vincent in the gallery omg we all know it hurts so good. Seeing Starry Night animated is so beautiful. It teaches us to all know it’s worth being kind even if it’s not always going to “fix” people. Good stuff. (10/10)

4) A Town Called Mercy: 

People hate this one and I don’t get it! The character mirrors between The Doctor and Jex is so well done and I like the way he knows The Doctor gets it. I like the way it causes The Doctor to feel so angry and almost freaking kill him. I like Amy getting mad at him for it. I like the line “But they keep coming back, don't you see? Every time I negotiate, I try to understand. Well, not today. No. Today, I honour the victims first. His, the Master's, the Dalek's, all the people who died because of my mercy!” I like the way The Doctor tries to keep the people together afterwards because one man asked him to, and he knows that letting the other people go over the line will be bad for them, he can’t let the young people become murderers. I like that the tortured person becomes the protector of the town. I love the way you see the trauma of The Doctor so plainly in this episode.  (10/10)

3) The Rings of Akhaten: 

The Aliens! The Visuals! The speeches! The self-sacrifice! The messaging! The music! I mean I know people say Matt Smith does a terrible job but I disagree I think it’s so good. You have the speech he gives to The Old God/Akhaten which always gives me goosebumps and omg his acting. But you have the little speech he gave earlier “...All the elements in your body were forged many, many millions of years ago, in the heart of a far away star that exploded and died. That explosion scattered those elements across the desolations of deep space. After so, so many millions of years, these elements came together to form new stars and new planets. And on and on it went. The elements came together and burst apart, forming shoes and ships and sealing wax, and cabbages and kings. Until eventually, they came together to make you. You are unique in the universe...” How sweet and moving of a message is that? To tell everyone you matter. Like how can you not love this episode? And the long song? It’s an amazing song for Eleven. I just want to hug this episode. And the ending with Clara’s leaf it’s so good. I like the idea of a god that eats stories not being able to eat stories that never happened. That's clever. Possible is infinite. It’s good I like it, and the people giving back the ring for saving them? So nice. Everything in this episode is a message of the power of emotion, love and stories and it’s beautiful. (10/10)

2) The Doctor’s Wife:

I love the TARDIS & I love The Doctor.  You get amazing parts like: “Amy: You want to be forgiven. Doctor: Don't we all?” You get how angry he is when he realises the Time Lords are all dead, so dark Doctor. I love and hate the Sexy thing, it is very awkward but how much the TARDIS and The Doctor love each other is so sweet and it comes through it makes me feel so much. I love The TARDIS saying she also stole him and never wants to give him back. House is a cool villain, very creepy. I love The Doctor’s facial expression as The TARDIS kicks House out of The TARDIS's body. The Doctor just wants to be able to always talk to her but knowing it won’t be possible. I love Hello being a sad thing to say, but she won’t say goodbye. “AMY: Look at you pair. It's always you and her, isn't it, long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and his box, off to see the universe.: AHHH(10/10)

1) The God Complex: 

Some of the most peak Who of all time. I love everything that happens here. The side characters are freaking amazing; each one has their own characterization and they are each memorable and are important. The minotaur is a cool villain and he’s a good spooky and a good tragedy. The deaths of the side characters are tragic in a good way. I love the way Rita can read The Doctor so well. I love Rory being shown a door and his line “I'd forgotten not all victories are about saving the universe.” I love The Doctor breaking down when Rita dies and getting angry Gibbis sacrificing the other people. I love The Doctor realising he’d done the wrong thing, it’s always so heartbreaking when The Doctor releases he’s messed up. Then The Doctor sacrificed Amy’s faith and admitted he wanted to be adored! It makes my heart hurt, Amy’s face and then little Amy? Oof. Then of course we get the Minatour death: “An ancient creature, drenched in the blood of the innocent, drifting in space through an endless, shifting maze. For such a creature, death would be a gift.’ Then accept it, and sleep well. ‘I wasn't talking about myself’.” The Doctor we know already has this self-hate inside him and is facing down his own death this season to point out that they should accept the death because of the pain they caused? It’s so good. And then The Doctor giving Amy a grown-up place to live almost giving them up, almost letting them go is such an interesting step like he knows he has to let Amy grow up and almost let her have a life she would have been able to live her life out in her own time but he can’t so what happens in TATM happens. And of course, we all have to think, what does The Doctor believe in? Which is a great question to think about after this. This is just such a fantastic episode.  (10/10) 

Anyway, that's my list hate me if you must

Average Score 7.5

[portalwalker]

World Jumper Techniques - Continuum Shift

This technique is only useful in RP events or in stories I write and post on AO3. But I'm posting it here anyway because it's technically a part of Maria's inter-dimensional traveling moveset.

Let's get into it.

First vs Second Generation

First Generation World Jumpers cannot under any circumstances utilize this ability. Second Generation, on the other hand, can, but only under specific circumstances.

The Continuum Shift: A Reset Button Failsafe

This ability is exactly what it says on the tin -- a World Jumper has the ability to reset a dimension's timeline as far back as they need to in order to avoid what would otherwise be the end of a reality.

This power is not one the World Jumper can trigger on a whim, unlike their ability to summon portals. Instead, the ability is triggered by the circumstances of the dimension itself, forcing an energy surge that alters reality and forcibly ejects the World Jumper from the affected dimension. If they are able to return to the reality they were forced to reset, it is highly unlikely that they will recognize the dimension in its new, reset state.

This power is my way of establishing branching timelines where rebooted franchises exist: a dimension either branches on its own, creating multiple parallel realities with differing events, or the dimension branches because a World Jumper was forced to get involved and initiate a reset, overwriting the original reality with a new one.

It is incredibly rare for a World Jumper to come into contact with this technique. Most don't. Some hear rumors about this power existing, but are never given the chance to use it.

And some are forced to because of events outside their control.

Circumstances for Reset Activation

The Continuum Shift is usually activated when a dimension is tearing itself apart. This type of dimensional collapse can be triggered by the inhabitants of a given dimension, or outside forces. Regardless, when a World Jumper gets involved, this damage is reversed by the Continuum Shift, which also pulls the timeline back far enough to confirm that these events will not be allowed to repeat. Whether that means pulling back before the start of any experiments, or back far enough to confirm that the experimenters are never born, really depends on the needs of the dimension in question.

If outside forces are involved, the Continuum Shift may cause unforeseen consequences to the external meddlers. They may either be completely wiped for existence, trapped in the void between realities, trapped in a time loop, or have something else happen to them that prevents them from repeating their actions.

Side-Effects

Dimensions are changed in more ways than just a timeline reset. If the World Jumper made friends in that reality, all memory of the Jumper's existence is wiped from their allies' and enemies' minds, along with any memory of the previous timeline. If the World Jumper manages to return after being ejected during the reset process, they will not be known, much less recognized.

If a World Jumper is in that reality and is not the one that sets of the Continuum Shift, they will forget their previous lives and have a new one written over by the dimension's new timeline as it attempts to work them into its reality somehow.

If the World Jumper who reset the dimension is capable of returning to it, they can cause their close allies (and sometimes enemies) to remember them and the previous timeline. The multiverse is not so cruel as to deny them friendship. All it takes is physical contact of some kind, and the in-dimension inhabitants will remember the old timeline and their inter-dimensional traveling companion. There are negatives to this, however, as the "awakened" inhabitant now has to reconcile two timelines worth of memories and keep straight the details of their current life without mixing in old details that some might find confusing or alarming.

Some dimensions require that certain inhabitants remember the old timeline, but this is not guaranteed.

In the event a World Jumper resets their Dimension of Origin

This is a highly unorthodox event, but it has been known to take place.

If a World Jumper returns to their dimension of origin and finds they need to initiate a reset, they are ejected to a secondary, arguably safe dimension they consider a second home of some kind. At this point, they can either choose to make for themselves a new home base at this secondary dimension, or they can return to their dimension of origin.

If the Jumper does return to their dimension of origin, adjustment to the new series of events will be incredibly difficult to reconcile, especially since they weren't written into the new reality's timeline. Either they will live as a stranger to their own dimension of origin, or their dimension of origin will scramble to find a place for them and bombard them with a second timeline's worth of memories. It is a traumatizing process, and it is not recommended that World Jumpers return to their dimension of origin after resetting, for the sake of their own mental health.

Resetting realities is one thing, but resetting one's own home can be immensely distressing to the World Jumper.

Most World Jumpers do not live long enough to reset their own realities, however, so this is not usually a concern. In the event that it is, it is more than likely that the World Jumper has set up a home elsewhere for themselves already, and has long moved on from their dimension of origin.

The fewer ties back, the easier it is for a World Jumper to reset their original dimension, thus cutting all ties with the reality they used to call home.

[seventeenlovesthree]

@atsoraasayoma "Very well thought out. I think Homeostasis is manipulating them all to be honest and they have been getting in her way for the end game but helpful short term. These last two movies in my opinion were Homeostasis’s last plans to get what she wants but the Digidestined ruined it. When this next movie comes out I believe it’s going to be absolutely insane what she tries to pull off. Or maybe with these ‘emergency safety measures’ out of the way a powerful Digimon unlike anything they’ve seen before will threaten the extinction of the human race."

This fits in very well with me constantly comparing Digimon to Evangelion and Madoka Magica - and how Ordinemon/Eosmon's Neverland/Ukkomon's final form and Walpurgisnacht (and/or Kremhild Gretchen) are all comparable to Third Impact and, thus, to some form of apocalypse/timeline reset that is meant to change the world order as we know it. Again, I didn't mean to turn it into a full analysis, but the "Chosen One" theme is always kinda linked to "Children/Adolescents fulfilling certain criteria that are linked to their souls/mental health, so they can be used for a greater good"... And thus, they're abandoned once they've fulfilled their "uses". It's all very grim and while one could say that it's all "just a typical trope", it's still curious that all of this keeps repeating itself (and I still believe they could really have done something great if they had incorporated this idea into the reboot properly instead of just merely hinting at it vaguely). And this doesn't even yet include the idea that the children are purposefully made to suffer, either in order to increase their potential or keep it at bay (for example, actively influencing Hikari's health to impact Taichi's need to protect her at all times and developing a complex through that, influencing the Takaishida and Takenouchi family dynamics, etc.).

At this point, I kinda doubt that we'll get a new movie - I assume Kakudou will just try to BRIEFLY canonize what he deems canon and what he does not without playing too much into the whole "Homeostasis is Kyubey and acts out of calculated, unemotional necessity, even if it means making humans/mons suffer" idea (even though I really like that one).

What it means to be "chosen" - burden, fate, acceptance

This is not going to be a full analysis on the whereabouts of why and how "The Chosen One" trope is being executed in the Digimon Adventure series, because frankly... The lines have pretty much been blurred throughout the different iterations. Even the question of why some children in particular were chosen has been answered differently depending on which source material and which person you'll ask - and thus, there are different interpretations out there. Whether it's because of their potential (in regards to certain attributes, the subject of friendship or in general) shall not be discussed in full, but let's say... The very first Chosen Ones were chosen out of necessity, even if chance may have been involved.

If you ask me personally, the main premise one can and should take away from all of it actually boils down to a cheesy quote from the dub version of the first Pokémon movie: "I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are."

Replace "birth" and "life" with "Chosen Child status" and it fits again - regardless of what characters you apply it to. The only difference here is - that they may not refer to it as a "gift". Because this is something they all handle differently, depending on what version you look at, once more. So I wanted to make a little, very inoffical ranking on how the status is being perceived by all of them. Keep in mind that, by the end of 02, you could say that ALL of them have accepted it as a part of their lives, some more willingly than others, but the general tone is the same:

"Being chosen is nothing special and yet we all understand that there is a necessity, that we have a duty to fulfill."

After characters like Sora or Yamato had already questioned being chosen in Adventure, Ken was the first character that challenged the idea of it being a "burden created by chance".

"It could have been anyone but me, so why was I chosen, why did I have to suffer and get punished?"

This theme is being explored in similar yet different ways through the protagonists of the later movies - Meiko (and Maki), Menoa and Rui all represent tragic figures in a somewhat twisted "game of chance", used by higher forces. We know that the number of Chosen Children doubled each year - whether due to Homeostasis meddling mingled with Rui's wish shall not be subject of this post, but overall, we can say: They all received the "gift" of partnerships. However, neither of them were meant to last, due to different circumstances. Which includes Ken as well - because once corrupted or unable to fulfill a certain "duty" any longer, all these partnerships were (sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently) ripped apart.

Long story short, for the sake of the following ranking, I will include Tri onwards for completion sake - however, it's just a temporary state, because "Adventure Beyond" may fix some of these views.

Rejects it as a burden (temporarily): Sora

This one is, sadly, quite self-explanatory due to the current state of Sora being "out of the loop". She had been among those who initially (Adventure) fell into despair due to the burden of having to save the world - and while she temporarily accepted it (02), it all played into her trauma of not knowing who she was and how to define herself outside of "labels that were externally assigned to her". So yes, despite her clearly loving her partner... We shall wait and see how she will deal with this in the future.

Ambilvalent, had to get through several stages of contemplation, but overall knows it's part of who they are (still ongoing): Yamato & Taichi, Miyako & Iori

These two "groups" are here for different reasons. The entirety of the Adventure-verse spends a lot of time telling us how torn Taichi and Yamato are basically all the time - they're more than willing to save the world whenever it's required, but struggle with the "Chosen Child identity" and what it means for them as "normal people". Because as strongest fighters, they know they shoulder a lot of responsibility, for themselves, their friends and families, but also for the worlds out there. Fighting yet causing sacrifices when they themselves still have to deal with heavy childhood trauma not only causes them to clash, but also to (subconsciously) reject their duties, hence causing their partnerships to (temporarily) vanish. Which is very similar to the tragic figures talked above - which is also why they all suffer from depression, fear of abandonment and identity crises. They're perfectly aware of the duty and see it as a necessity they HAVE TOO choose for themselves in order to succeed. But the latter is a lesson they had to learn the hard way first - while also remembering how important their partners (and this kind of life) really are to them, because it's literally all there inside themselves. They just have to discover it again.

Miyako and Iori are a bit harder to decipher - they used to struggle strongly with the idea of having to make sacrifices due to their Chosen Child status and I would argue that this is still something that, if they think about it for too long, keeps them up at night. But I would still put them on the outer part of this scale - for the simple fact that they were able to integrate their partnerships into their daily lives. There may absolutely be times when they see it as a chore and annoying - but begrudgingly accept it due to the bond they share with their partners and friends.

Accepts it after coming to terms with it, transforms it positively: Hikari & Takeru, Jyou, Mimi & Ken

The viewer doesn't spend as much time with these two when it comes to how they define themselves. Hikari and Takeru, similarly to their brothers, can be assumed to be aware of their special status among the group. They're the enabling angels - and know that's why they could never quit. On the other hand, despite suffering from childhood and family-related trauma that causes them to fear darkness and separation, they seem to learn not to see it as a "burden" in itself. Unlike their siblings, they have an easier time integrating their partners into their daily lives - maybe because they hadn't been separated for as long, maybe it's because they perceive it differently due to their ages and being surrounded by people who also make it look easy. They are aware of the responsibility - and despite their strong opinions on injustice, they're still able to see the gift in it all.

Jyou, Mimi and Ken are purposefully separated from everyone, due to the fact that they were all at a point in their lives at least ONCE where they were about to quit it all for good - but eventually learned that it was something about themselves they couldn't change. Something they had to live with, if they wanted or not, even if they were ALL heavily affected by watching beloved people/mons die. Mimi loathed the idea of fighting and causing unnecessary death, Jyou repeatedly asked himself why he couldn't just live a normal life aside from outside expectations - but unlike Sora or Taichi, they actively embraced the idea that there were things only they were capable of that nobody else could. This seems to be in contrast to the idea that "being chosen is nothing special" - but these two were capable of making it work in a more casual, less spectacular way and, just like the likes of Miyako, Iori, Takeru and Hikari, were able to keep their partners as active parts of their private and/or career lives all around.

And so was Ken! Ken's journey is that of repentance, wanting to make up for what he did in the past, even if it meant sacrificing himself for that. He could easily have collapsed under that burden - if he hadn't had the right people to surround himself with, showing him that he was valuable despite his wrongdoings. And it feels like - Ken learned that lesson so thoroughly that, even though one can be sure that he still suffers from nightmares as an adult, he's also capable of helping others (just like Rui) to understand that message.

These three chose to embrace it eventually, even if there were temporary doubts.

Embraces it as part of their lives without question: Daisuke & Koushirou

I'm not saying that Daisuke WASN'T having temporary doubts of whether or not he was worthy enough to carry a digivice or even the goggles at first - but he also turned out to be the one who just "winged it" all eventually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. For him, having a partner, being chosen, meant just that - it didn't make him any more or less special than any other person on the planet with aspirations, goals or all the various life paths. Sure, he may have been flabbergasted and in awe at first, but in the end, meeting V-mon was nothing more than getting another brother AND having the ability to be badass and doing the best he could while saving the world. Despite his mask of self-importance, who knows him also knows that he's down to earth like that and just accepts it all how it is as a side gig to getting his Ramen business going.

Koushirou may be a little bit less casual about it, but for him, being chosen isn't a burden or fate or any magically connected miracle - it is a part of his identity. Yes, he may have been just as irritated by File Island and being surrounded by weird monsters as everyone else was - but he was basically the first one who just questioned it all because he simply wanted to figure it out, NOT because it was a chore. Yes, he may look exasperated at times after having helped to support saving the world(s) countless times, but for him, that is his life. He has committed himself to researching the whereabouts of the Digital World, his tech company is primarily aimed at creating gadgets to support his friends and that serve the initial cause - and his partner is basically with him 24/7 anyway.

[mockerycrow]

Undercover IV (Soap x GN!Reader)

undercover series masterlist — previous | next

Summary: You have a rocky introduction with John Price and you continue your interview, despite a certain someone’s hesitant protests. You finally have your dreaded psych evaluation while your stress reaches it’s peak.

A/N: considering this is a reboot timeline + Makarov is only vaguely mentioned in mw2, i’m taking inspo from og mw and adding my own spices. and holy shit why was this so difficult to complete??? i also apologize for this taking so long, i live where the smoke from the canadian fires dragged across and my chest hurts. update: russian was corrected!

[WARNINGS: flashbacks, Price is a bit of an ass but trust me, vague descriptions of torture and murder, angst.]

“I learned from him that often contradiction is the clearest way to truth.” -Patti Smith.

“We need to get your head on straight.”

That’s what Price said, and I don’t know what about how he said it made me mad, but oh boy, did it fucking piss me off. “What?”

“We need to get your head on straight,” He repeats, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He’s wearing his tactical vest, dawning a U.K. badge. I eye his gear before making eye contact with him again and he continues. “We can’t afford to sit around, we need that intel. We have reasonable suspicion Makarov will move on with his plans quicker than we anticipated.” My nose scrunches up a little bit as he’s basically avoiding saying it without saying that he’s avoiding it. “You want me to continue with the interview.” I say it like a statement and not a question because all three of us know it’s not a question.

“Price, that isn’t a good idea,” Soap says, his voice considerably alarmed. He grinds his teeth together because he knows my reaction to just fucking closing my eyes while talking about it was extremely concerning. “I know it isn’t, but we don’t have a choice,” Price mutters before pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing. He looks at me with a pointed look, eyes flickering over my body in confliction.

I mimic his look because as much as I would love time to calm down, I know what he’s saying is true. If they truly have reasonable suspicion that Makarov is going to advance in his plans early, they need what I learned.

Fuck, man..

“Okay.” I move the pillow around on my lap. “Let’s do it?”

Soap’s head snaps towards me, eyebrows furrowed. “What? You’re agreein’ to it??” I look back at him with a frustrated look and I can feel myself wanting to explode. “What choice do I have? Not say anything and risk peoples lives, or have a little freak out and no one dies—except maybe for him?”

The room goes silent except for the beeping of the machines and Soap sighs, taking the recorder out of his front pocket. Price remains on his side of the bed but this time finds a chair, pulls it around and sits down. His hands stay on the armrests. I glance at Soap who presses a button and holds it a bit away from himself. “This is Sergeant John MacTavish, Callsign Soap, this is day two interviewing Sergeant [Name] [Last Name] of the Eclipse Task Force.” Soap hesitates to say the next part, his eyes tracing him face as he mutters. “Last subject was Makarov’s ‘entry tests’ and ‘loyalty tests’.”

I feel my stomach collapse in on itself, tightening into a painful knot. I know this was coming eventually, even if I didn’t want it to. “Yeah, uh..” I trail off, averting my eyes to stare at something, anything but the two men looking to me for answers. “After two months of living in Russia, I got into contact with Makarov. It was completely by accident too, I was just trying to collect information about him, seem like I was interested and then I was.. picked up.“ I pause for a moment before continuing. “I had to build up a reputation, something that made it look like I didn’t pop up in this city out of the blue, y’know?”

“Мы не используем здесь его имя.” We do not use his name here. “Секретность должна быть сохранена, не так ли?” Secrecy must be kept, right?

There’s a hood over my head and my heart is pounding inside of my chest—I could die, right here and right now and nobody would know. I could fail this entire mission right at this moment and that’s fucking terrifying. I twist my wrists ever so slightly, not in an attempt to get away, but I can’t help but check out tight the rope is. I’m surprised they didn’t use handcuffs. I blink rapidly as my eyes burn a bit, trying to properly adjust to the bright light above me.

I look around and I’m in a warehouse with two men—neither of them being the man I want, but one of them is Sergei Orlov, one of the men I had been tracking since I’ve gotten here.

The intel suggests he has close connects to Makarov, indicating that he may be in a right-hand man type of situation. That’s the position I’m trying to bury my way into. Sergei’s eyes are sharp and intimidating, the color being a deep, cerulean blue with dashes of green near his pupils.

There is absolutely no light in them, no positive emotion—I didn’t expect to see any, but it makes me wonder if Makarov’s eyes are the same? Will I be able to get close enough to see?

“Мы наблюдаем за тобой уже несколько недель. Ты пытаешься предать свою страну и начать войну. Почему?” We have been watching you for several weeks now. You are trying to betray your country and start a war. Why?

My fingers twitch as I offer a scoff, a snarl curling at my lips, like I’m snapping at another dog. Of course, I show no disrespect. I need this to be perfect. “Вы не представляете, что этот мир сделал со мной, люди, которые в нем живут, сделали со мной.” You have no idea what this world has done to me, the people who live in it have done to me.

Sergei has his hands behind his back as he slowly walks around me, circling me. I keep my eyes on him as much as possible, I’m radiating distrust—trying to keep up the character I’m playing.

“Это правда, я не знаю. Но я точно знаю, что такие, как ты, просто так не появляются.” It's true, I don't know. But I know for sure that people like you don't just appear. I feel my heart drop into my stomach because fuck, man—I thought everything was good?? My backstory, my profile, I didn’t think I had any holes—

“К счастью для тебя, у нас есть сложная викторина для людей, которые, казалось бы, появились из ниоткуда. Чтобы предотвратить явку шпионов, м?” Lucky for you, we have a challenging quiz for people who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. To prevent spies, yes?

I immediately nod in response, brows furrowed, eyes filled with determination. Sergei’s lips curl into a dreadful smile—one that screams “get away from me or else”.

“Хороший.” Good. He unties my bindings, allowing me to rub my wrists. I don’t have a good feeling at all. Sergei grabs my upper arm and has me stand up, and him and the other man lead me out of the warehouse, going to a truck. “Куда мы идем?” Where are we going?

He doesn’t bother to answer me besides motioning me to sit in the back of the car. I hesitate for a moment out of weariness, but I comply. I open the door to the truck and climb into the back and Sergei slides into the back with me. The other man climbs into the driver’s seat. “привод.” Drive.

I can feel myself begin to space out with every word and I can vaguely feel my fingers tightening into a fist. I pause my retelling of events as my train of thought breaks apart, the crawling feeling on my back intensifying. “Hey,” Price’s voice is low. “You with us?” It takes everything inside of my goddamn soul to nod, but God, I wish I wasn’t. I know we’re getting close to the part of my.. atrocities.

My heart jumps inside of my chest and my monitor beeps loudly for a moment. Don’t close your eyes. Don’t close your eyes. Don’t close your eyes. Don’t close your eyes—“Hey!”

My eyes snap to Price who has a furrowed brow, annoyance lacing his features. I notice my chest is moving up and down with every harsh breath coming out through my nose. “Focus.” I grit my teeth, my fingernails digging into the palm of my hand. “I’m trying.” I retaliate with a tight voice. I understand they need this information, but they have to understand how hard it is to recount literally every single life taken, innocent ones??

“Clearly you aren’t,” Price scoffs, his lip curling in anger. “You’ve barely started the bloody report, what’s the issue?”

I laugh humorlessly, my eyes going wide. “What—Did you actually just fucking say that?” Soap stands up, putting his hand out towards his captain. “Price, I—“

“Stay out of this, Soap. That’s an order.”

I can feel my bones ache under my harsh clenching of my hand, an angry smile coming to my lips. I feel this weird smoldering feeling in my gut that’s spreading heat across my body and into my limbs. I hear my heart monitor picking up speed. “You have absolutely no fucking idea what I’ve been through—what I’ve had to do!” I’m aware I’m raising my voice, but I honestly cannot bother to give a fuck by now.

Price crosses his arms, glaring down at me. His eyes are scrutinizing and it makes me want to punch the fuckin’ daylights out of him. “You’re right,” He begins. “I have not the foggiest idea because you’ve not said anything of actual value thus far!”

Oh, he wants me to fucking punch him. This man is so fucking asking for me to knock his teeth out. I open my mouth to speak but Price swiftly interrupts me. “What did you have to do, [Name]? Kill a few innocent people? Children, maybe? Did you have to torture them?”

I can feel that hot feeling turn to ice cold in a split second, a ripple of sweat dripping down my temple. “..What?”

Price waves his hand around as a general statement. “So what, you had to gut a few children? That’s nothing. Oh, did you have to keep them alive? Did they force ya to hear their screams, [Name]? Or did you have’to—“

It’s like I don’t have control of myself when I reach forward and snatch the front of Price’s shirt and pulling him near myself, my voice loud and booming, nearly cracking. “YES, IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR? DID YOU WANT TO HEAR THE SICK DETAILS OF WHAT I DID?” I take a deep breath, continuing. This fucking rage is flowing through my bones and I just cannot shut myself up—“DID YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT HOW I BROKE BONES, INFLICTED WOUNDS AND LEFT PEOPLE TO ROT?”

The room goes silent, aside from my harsh breathing and the beeping from my heart monitor. I lower my voice, but i don’t stop the absolute anger dripping from every word as I speak through clenched teeth. “Every dirty fuckin’ detail is a weight on my goddamn conscience and you don’t seem to understand that, Price.”

The room is eerily silent again and I fucking hate it. I look down at the pillow on my torso as I feel their beady little eyes peering into my soul, judging my every sin. I hear Soap turn the recorder off and I feel hot from embarrassment for a moment because I just realized.. he was recording all of that. Of fucking course.

Before anyone else can say anything, the door to my room opens. I pick my head up and see a woman in business casual clothing with a notebook, pen, and a clipboard. “Hi, my name is Doctor Elaine Stewart, I’ll be conducting this comprehensive psychological and psychiatric evaluation on you today.” Her voice is soft and light like how her hair looks—dark curls that seem to bounce right above her shoulders, her skin is a darker tan too. Her eyes are big, round, and soft. She’s British—I can’t place what region she grew up in, though.

They probably picked her because she would feel less like a threat towards me.

Dr. Stewart turns to the two men, glancing between them. “I’m going to have to ask you two to leave for patient doctor confidentiality purposes.”

Price goes to speak up, but she puts her hand up to stop him. “I’ll call if I need anything, but I’m sure we’ll be just fine.”

I hear Price sigh, but I refuse to look at him. Instead, I look to Soap, who’s peering down at me with concerned eyes. I still don’t get why he’s so concerned.. Or why he’s so quiet, because he really doesn’t seem to be a quiet person. Soap takes his notebook sketchbook thing, murmuring a “see you later” and takes his leave next to his Captain.

Once the door closes, Dr. Stewart smiles at me and walks over to my bed, heels clicking, and then takes a seat. “You know how this goes, yeah? You’ve been in the military for quite some time now.” I nod in response, taking a deep breath. My back is beginning to ache from not getting up or moving.

“Yeah, I know.” I say anyway. I put my hands on the bed and go to use my strength to sit myself up, but immediate tight and bursting pain bubbles where my stitches are. One of my hands fly to my stomach—which is covered by the pillow, followed by a loud curse. Dr. Stewart quickly sits up, alarmed. “Are you alright??”

I nod as I hiss in pain, clenching my jaw in an attempt to distract myself from the pain. “Didn’t realize it would’ve hurt so bad..”

Dr. Stewart nods, leaning over and click a button a few times which raises the back of the bed to a proper sitting up position. I feel my face heat up from embarrassment again. Fuck.

Dr. Stewart holds her clipboard and looks at me. “Have you experienced moments where you felt like you were not in your body?”

I take a moment to think about that. “Yes, but only when I was actively tortured or, er.. uh… did the torturing.” I look away from her and back at my lap, a weird feeling bubbling in my stomach. She takes a moment to write down my answer. “Have you ever felt out of control of yourself?”

I shake my head no—and then I pause. Have I? I shake my head no a second time after thinking.

“Within the last 6 months, have you heard disembodied voices or noises no one else around you could hear?”

“No.”

“Have you ever found yourself back in an event that already happened? Maybe you’re just sitting down and for a moment, you’re back in that warehouse?”

I look at her with a furrowed brow, and I immediately want to deny it, but I can’t. “I mean..” I trail off for a moment. “I don’t.. I don’t hallucinate that I’m back with Makarov’s group, if that’s what you mean.”

Dr. Stewart leans forward a bit, her perfectly painted nails tapping against the clipboard. “Then what do you mean, [Name]?” I swallow the spit in my mouth before speaking, yet it feels like my mouth has gone dry. “I don’t know, all I’m saying is that I don’t experience that.”

She looks at me—why is she staring??—and then she writes something down. “What have you done to them, [Name]?”

My heart skips a beat. “What?”

“I said, what have you experienced? I’m talking about anxiety, maybe dread, everything you’ve felt within the last day.”

Did I.. did I mishear her? She definitely said ‘what did you to them’, right?

“[Name]?”

I blink rapidly and look at her. “Sorry. What?”

Dr. Stewart bites her lower lip for a moment, watching me with worried eyes. “I think it’s best to conclude this evaluation for now. It looks like you’re having a hard time adjusting, so I will check back in with you in a few days.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” My voice is teetering on the edge of anger and I know I shouldn’t be mean, but I feel like my skeleton is trying to shed my skin from how jumpy I feel. “That means I don’t think you’re coherent enough for your interview, nor your evaluation; the one that’ll tell your superiors that you can return, anyway.” She picks her pen up and she begins to write something down—seemingly a longer paragraph. “So.. that means you have a temporary conclusion? Of my psyche?” I ask slowly, and I know that isn’t the right wording, but I’m not sure how else to do it.

Dr. Stewart stands up and begins to collect her things. She sighs and looks at me with.. sympathy?? Pity? I can’t tell. “You just went through something extremely traumatic, [Name]. You’re still in fight or flight. I can’t conduct a proper assessment like this.”

I hold my tongue from barking at her that I’m fine, from telling her to get the fuck out or me making some obscene threat.

I feel my heart sink in my chest because I feel like she’s vaguely suggesting something I cannot handle right now.

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