#sentient-rift | kat

[wildcatofgreen]

Carol has been visited by Torque, as well as some other familiar friends.

"Hey, Carol. Glad to see you again. Hope you've been doing alright. I brought some friends who really wanted to see you again."

"Carol! You're back!"

"Hello, Carol. We all really missed you. Especially Terios, as you can see."

"Hey, Carol! How's the world's coolest wild cat doing?"

"Your return brings us great joy, Carol."

Holy!

"You guuuuuuuuuuys!!!!"

GROUP HUG. FORCED. NOBODY WILL ESCAPE HER HUGS TODAY.

She pulls them all in for a REAL BIG HUG with a real big smile! Oh MAN she didn't even know she missed everyone until they all showed their faces again.

[annyankers]

i think one of the best examples of the brooke-wesley dynamic for explaining it is probably season 4. by that time he's been her watcher for roughly 2 years and going off my OG timeline/planning she's still recovering from drusilla hurling her into a dana-esque slayer themed psychotic break at the end of season 2. also important for context is that brooke went to mosaic wellness center for rehab which is a reference to the IDW buffyverse comics (the spike once especially), this is like the post-revolt version where it's not just a evil bad prison but an actual wellness center/mental hospital type place lol

so season 4 has all this talk about demons being rounded up and experimented on and all this stuff right? well that really rubs brooke the wrong way because 1. she knows all kinds of demons from mosiac 2. she's taking like philosophy or ethics 101 and You Know How It Is lol (also she has some lingering guilt from her time chopping up demons for parts to get drug money). so the initiative really bugs her and she actually argues for the rights of spike and ethan and the demons being held and tortured which no one else save like, spike (duh), kat and maybe saorise but she's probably in ATS by now are on her side.

expect for wesley. who while he doesn't fully agree can see the issues with it and can at least agree they cannot call themselves "the good guys" while also deeming a sentient creature who came seeking asylum (tho he's also not claiming to be a good person so it's no skin off his nose lol). but when she expresses her worries and desire to really Do Something About It, wesley backs her up and looks for ways to do it. he tends to both protect her from her own crazy and also facilitate it. brooke has much less of a problem hurting humans than buffy does and wesley is more than happy to cover up her indiscretions, especially after everything that happened to her earlier and if it's in service of the work.

brooke's whole stance on demon rights puts this big rift between her and the scoobies and it leaves her with basically only wesley, kat and spike for a while there and like-- i don't think i even explained anything about her and wes?????? i don't know if i even know HOW to explain it. but it's like.... take all his maniac energy from ats s4-5 and put it in btvs s3 and beyond and then put the summers twin who is THE overachiever of the family who's also the less stable and more slayer-y of the two under his care. like this is almost like putting wesley in charge of himself but a teen girl. it's insane.

i'm pretty sure he strangles willow when the twins are brought back and brooke has Obvious Physical Issues because willow tried to use their bogo thing as a cheat.

[sentient-rift]

RiFT, would it be possible to go in a dimension in the past? like going in the same dimension in the future or in the past?

"That's an excellent question. And the answer is yes, it is indeed possible. Although many dimensions are whole new worlds all together, many other dimensions are basically a different timeline that are the results different choices being made. It's incredible that one choice is all it takes to make a big difference. In a sense, Dimensional Travel is a form of Time Travel, so going into the past or future of a certain dimension is possible. I can pick the time we arrive there in order to make sure we get there safely and aren't in the middle of a war and such.

"Now that I think of it, you said you had to rewind time in my dimension in order to save me before it was destroyed, right?"

"Yes, that's right, Kat. Even though I couldn't do anything to save your dimension, I was able to save one person at least."

"You also said you can keep watch on Brevon before he makes a move, so it can still work in real time as well. Dimensional Travel is truly amazing."

"Yes... But it's also a big responsibility that should never be taken lightly. All it will take is one mistake, and I could potentially destroy the universe. That's why no matter how I feel... And no matter what I have to witness in order to do it, I must follow the rules."

"So this job can bring you sorrow as well, RiFT?"

"Yes... Sometimes it does. But other times, it brings me joy as well. After all, I made many friends upon taking this job... And no matter how difficult this job becomes, I will do everything I can to keep my friends safe."

[sentient-rift]

Dimensional Skits: The Weight of Being the Rift

Days earlier, taking place at the same time as the Valentine's Day Party, RiFT continued to monitor the dimensional gateway, seeing if there were anyone in need he could help. As he was, many thoughts ran through his head. This job he was created to do... This mission he wanted to accomplish... Was it really worth it when he knew that no matter how hard he tried, there will still be those out there he couldn't save? And more importantly, even if he had good intentions and he planned to use his powers for good, was it right for him to have them? Was what he's trying to do... Even right to begin with?

"Do you ever take a break?"

A voice suddenly came from behind RiFT, startling him a bit. The voice was all too familiar, though, and he knew who it was before even turning around to see her.

"Shouldn't you be at the party, iCO?"

"Parties aren't really my thing. Besides, I could ask you the same thing."

The female Deep Log Reploid walked closer to RiFT, looking his way before looking at the gateway.

"You take your job so seriously..." iCO said, "It's a good thing and all, but you shouldn't overwork yourself."

"You're actually giving me a pep talk?" RiFT asked, "Looks like you care more than you'd like to admit."

"Don't get the wrong idea... I mean, I do care, but not like I've become all buddy-buddy with you guys. It's just that you're important to this mission... And to my research."

RiFT could see right through her, but decided not to press on. Though not to the extreme as Solo's case, it would seem iCO has what Welch calls "Tsundere tendencies," and doesn't like to admit when she cares about someone. He decided to change the subject. He wished it could be a more lighthearted subject, but... What was on his mind continued to bother him... And he really needed someone to talk to about it.

"iCO... Do you ever wonder if... What we're doing is really right? Do you ever wonder if... Having these powers are even right to have?"

iCO was taken aback from this sudden epiphany.

"What's this all of a sudden? You actually think what your doing is wrong when you have such noble intentions?"

"Having good intentions doesn't automatically make what I'm doing right..." RiFT lowered his head as he spoke, "You have to remember that many with 'good intentions' are villains. They thinks the ends justify the means, which is not true. They think it's okay to do what's wrong if it will lead to something good, or at the very least, what they believe is good. It doesn't matter if I have good intentions behind what I'm doing. What matters is if I reach that goal the right way... By the right means..."

"...You sure you're not over thinking it?" iCO asked, "It's almost sounds like you're sorry you've helped changed the lives of miserable people for the better."

What she said made RiFT ponder some more.

"...Are you sad that you've made people happy? Are you upset that you gave them hope? A second chance?"

He still wondered if it was really right to mess with other dimensions, even if it was to help people, but the question iCO asked was one RiFT knew he could answer.

"...Of course not."

iCO made one of her rare smiles.

"That's what I thought," she said, "You're worrying about this too much."

"I just... Don't want to make a mistake I'll regret. I don't want to make things worse. These powers are chaotic and dangerous if used incorrectly. They aught to have been given to a perfect being or only used by God Himself... Not an imperfect creation like me who can make mistakes. Plus, I have to fight against the temptation to act on my selfish desires..."

iCO tilted her head. Sure, she was the new girl and appeared very recently to this dimension, but for the short amount of time she's met RiFT, she concluded that he has a selfless heart that would rival X's. Kind of ironic when one remembers that RiFT's core is within Copy X's body.

"What selfish desires could you possibly have?" she asked.

"...To save everyone."

iCO was silent for awhile, processing what he just said.

"...How is that selfish?" she finally asked.

"Because I can't do that without damaging the fabric of time and space. That's the hardest part of my job; I can't always save everyone. No matter how much I want to, I'm sometimes left with the choice to save one or the other. If I choose both, it could lead to that dimension reaching a bad future... Or even collapsing on itself. And sometimes... I'm forced to watch someone die or suffer because they have to remain in that dimension if I don't want to destroy it. Many believe I'm all powerful, but I'm not. My powers have limits and it has rules I must follow... And all it takes is for me to decide to ignore them, and I could possibly destroy a world... Or even many worlds."

Copy X was not created to cry, but just from the expression RiFT made on Copy X's face, iCO knew he'd be shedding tears if he could.

"...Geez! I kind of wish RiCO was the one to come cheer you up, and not me," iCO said, "She's much better with this than I am..."

The Deep Log Reploid took a deep breath before she continued.

"Look... You've done a great job so far. I may have only shown up recently, but from all the stories I heard about you, you are a teammate and friend everyone values. You're doing your best, and that's been more than enough for the team."

"...I thought you said you were no good at cheering people up," RiFT said with a small smile.

"Wait, it actually worked?" iCO asked, legitimately surprised.

"A little," said RiFT.

"Well, thank goodness. I was afraid I had to resort to having to hug you or something. That would have been so weird..."

"You... Would have hugged me?"

iCO suddenly became defensive.

"Hey, don't get the wrong idea! That would have been a last resort if nothing else worked!"

iCO calmed down before she continued.

"It's what RiCO would do to cheer others up. If she were here, it would have been her first resort. Especially regarding you, since she had a secret crush on X and all."

"Does she now?"

"Oh... I wasn't supposed to say that."

RiFT just chuckled.

"Looks like she had a hand in X having the most Alts in X Dive."

"Maybe..." iCO actually chuckled herself.

"Was that a laugh?" RiFT asked.

"Hey! Just because I'm not a cheerful person doesn't mean I'm emotionless. I can find things amusing sometimes."

"Sorry... It's just nice to see you happy is all."

iCO averted her eyes away from RiFT upon hearing that. There was a small silence afterwards.

"Can't you take a break from this?" iCO broke the silence while looking at the gateway, "No one can break through without your permission. Why not close it up for today and have fun with everyone else? Didn't you say you're using Copy X's body so you can get close to everyone? Well, start getting close to them. Talk to them, have fun with them. Save the monitoring for tomorrow. And when you get back to this, remember to take a break at some point. Stress and exhaustion is an easy way to make a mistake."

"Hmm..." RiFT gave it some thought, "Maybe you're right..."

As if on cue, the gateway detected something. RiFT viewed it to see a world of floating islands being destroyed. There, he saw a girl and her unusual cat trying her best to save her world, but failing miserably.

"What's going on?"

"This is one of the Alternate Bad Futures I've been talking about. That girl trying to stop the catastrophe of her world, she did a heroic sacrifice to save it in her original universe. This is showing us what would happen if she failed."

"I thought you had control over the gateway. How come it gave you an urgent alarm?"

"It's because it was the last dimension I was looking at before we had our conversation, and I've yet to close the gateway's view mode. I've made it to alert me whenever something like this happens so I don't miss anything..."

The gateway's view of the dimension began to grow dim and blurry until it became completely blank.

"Is something wrong with the gateway?" iCO asked.

"No. This happens when a dimension has reached its breaking point. When a world is destroyed, there's not much to look at, and that area becomes blank. I can't look further in."

"But you can look back, right?"

RiFT looked at iCO after hearing her say that.

"Yes..." he said, "But this isn't a dimension I can save..."

"But can you save at least one person?" iCO asked.

RiFT looked at the gateway, then back at iCO.

"I believe I can," he answered.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

With a smile on his face, RiFT rewound the gateway and pulled out the one person he could save from the bad future; The girl who tried her best to save her world and failed, along with her cat. Upon hitting the floor, the girl looked at RiFT, barely awake.

"...An... Angel?" she said, "Am I... Dead?"

"No... I saved you just in time. You'll be safe here."

The girl stared a little longer before passing out.

"...How do you think she'll take it when she learns her dimension is destroyed?" iCO asked.

"No one ever takes it well when they care about it," RiFT answered, "Especially those who tried all they can to save it. But hopefully she understands the situation she's in. Her dimension is more like a branching path of a Prime Dimension... As if it was a curious 'what if' scenario that ended badly."

"You make this sound like a video game or something."

RiFT looked away while clearing his throat upon hearing iCO's last comment.

"When she comes to, I'll explain everything to her. Then we can get to the party."

iCO nodded.

...

After some time, RiFT and iCO finally made it to the Valentine's Day Party, along with a new friend. They were quickly greeted by ViA.

"Glad you're finally taking a break," he said, "You had me worried. By the way, who are your new friends?"

The girl stepped forward to introduce herself.

"My name is Kat, and this is Dusty. I guess we'll be staying here with you guys."

(New muse coming soon!)