#paradox live box split

[howlingday]

Are you able to update the Pokemon Au list thing?

Pokemon Au: Does Coco have a Leavanny or any of its line? Leavanny loves to make clothes. Would Ren have a Poltchageist? Are their any Paradox Pokemon in Renment?

I have updated the list, but I need to figure out how the heck everything fits together. Not everything fits in neatly. Might have to do a whole other page for non-story snips, like Penny and Rotom or the Milo One Piece bit. I'll also need to get the list updated to include their Pokémon.

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"And... done~!" Coco twirled her seat around to show off her beanie. "How's it look, Letty?"

The Leavanny looked over the stitch with their head tilting this way and that before nodding. Coco smirked at her victory, though it was short-lived when the Pokémon waved their bladed leaf arm. "Lea lea..."

"What? What do you mean it's 'so-so'?!" The Pokemon lifted their arm to their mouth, giving a chuckle at their trainer. "Oh, you think you're being cute? Don't think that just because you're my first doesn't mean I won't take away your treats!"

Unamused, the walking bug hopped from their seat on her desk and took an empty box of treats from the trash. After slicing it into neat pieces, the trash was then sewn together into a much smaller hat. They then hopped onto the desk again and placed the box hat on Coco's head.

"Hmph... You're lucky you're cute." Coco looked in the mirror. "And so's this hat." She stood up and walked away, leaving the beanie on the desk, unaware of the smug smirk her Pokémon had watching as the words 'TREAT' bounced behind her head.

-------------------------------------------

"Mom?"

"Yes, Ren?"

"There's a Pokémon in the cupboard."

"Oh?" Ren's mother quickly walked to her son and looked into cupboard. She clicked her tongue a few times before stepping away. "It looks like a Poltchageist has snuck in." She then took her son's hand. "Come on. Let's go tell your father."

As the two walked away, Ren looked back to the cupboard where the Pokémon shook angrily from inside. The two waited outside until his father returned, but passed the time talking about what Ren found.

"How did you know that was a Pokémon?"

"I don't know." Ren replied. "It just looked like one."

His mother giggled. "Not many people can tell the difference, and it causes problems for them. You're very lucky to be so talented."

Ren smiled at his mother, before he opened his eyes to remember that he wasn't that same boy anymore. Looking to his side, he saw there was a cup of tea sitting on the table by his chair. It'd gone cold, but he'd drink it regardless. No point in wasting good tea.

-------------------------------------------

"I see." Headmaster Ozpin nodded. "It's a shame about Professor Sada and Turo. My condolences to their son, Arven."

"Yes, though their passing is not without some good news." Director Clavell replied. "Thanks to the efforts of their son and our recent Champion, Paldea is safe from a far more concerning fate. In their efforts of studying the Paradox Pokémon, they had inadvertently traveled through time to another era, where they had passed away and left behind a digital copy of their AI, whose intentions were to revert all of Paldea to match the era in which their creator had perished. That is why the Paradox Pokémon are so abundant in Area Zero."

"If they are contained, we no longer need to concern ourselves with any outbreaks beyond Paldea."

"No, no." Clavell replied. "Area Zero and all the Paradox Pokémon contained within are accounted for."

"I see." A smile split from Ozpin's face. "Would you mind sharing the data on these Pokémon? I would love to teach a class about them."

[zerogate]

Many of us imagine the human self to be a discrete entity, solid, formed and known. But this could be an illusion of our making, albeit a useful illusion, that allows us to act efficiently in the world. Researchers of the unconscious have found that the self has no definite boundaries, and that at its inner depths it trails off into mystery and the unknown. To borrow the metaphor from physics, what we had previously thought of as a solid entity may turn out to be a wave of infinite extension. Quantum physics discovered that the smallest elements of matter behave in one moment as particles and in another as waves. As particles, they are discrete and separate, and can be ‘split’ to release energy. As waves, they behave less like bits of matter and more like bands of light or energy, reaching out to eternity. They cannot be confined or boxed in but participate in an ocean of being, as it were.

This suggests a certain paradoxical instability at the heart of matter. Matter looks stable to the eye but, from the perspective of microphysics, the world is fluid, and uncertain, even bizarrely so. Einstein argued that all particles have a wave nature, and vice versa. Heisenberg, Max Planck and others refined and changed the theory. Needless to say, this discovery shattered the prevailing views of Newtonian physics, and its ramifications are still being felt today. As Brian Greene put it in The Elegant Universe, ‘Matter has been dematerialized.’

What has happened in physics has occurred in the parallel movement of Jung’s analytical psychology. This is more than coincidence, because while he was a Swiss citizen and based in Zurich, Einstein befriended Jung and they had discussions about the nature of reality. Einstein was discovering relativity in physics and Jung was discovering it in psychology.

Like matter, the self is only relatively stable. At its depths, it too can lose its solid formation and appear as a wave or as a fluid process. The notion of applying the wave-particle duality to psychology is mine and not Jung’s, but I think the metaphor holds if we think in terms of the healing experience of the numinous. As with the concept of matter in physics, I think we live simultaneously as waves and particles as psychological beings.

As particles, we are distinct beings, physical and discrete, each with our unique personality and makeup. As waves, we are not so individual. We are similar to each other, and participate in the cosmos in predetermined ways. As waves, we are spiritual beings, fluid, open-ended and connected to other waves. We are especially receptive to archetypal currents that course through us, which Jung identified as universal and collective. In his terms, the particle is the ego or conscious self, and the wave is the infinite expanse of the unconscious.

‘The suprapersonal or collective unconscious,’ writes Jung, ‘is like an all-pervasive, omnipresent, omniscient spirit.’ It represents ‘an extension of man beyond himself; it means death for his personal being and rebirth in a new dimension as literally enacted in certain of the ancient mysteries’. Rituals such as those of ancient Greece, in which rebirth in a new dimension was enacted, seek to lead us away from the particle to the wave, and such experiences are referred to theologically as grace, unconditional love or transcendence. The wave-like connection is precisely what we today call spirituality, namely, the capacity to feel connected to the cosmos and the entirety of life.

[...]

My contention is that as soon as we experience ourselves as waves, this has a healing effect on consciousness. When this connection is restored, we overcome ego-bound existence and anxiety, and feel ourselves to be part of a larger whole. The ego’s petty concerns and worries are dropped and we feel renewed. It is burdensome to be confined to the ego and to its tiny world. As Freud correctly observed, the ego is the ‘seat of anxiety’, and when we move outside the ego our anxiety – which can produce disease and neurosis – falls away.

We are not designed to dwell all our lives in the ego, in its confining world. This has long been a part of human knowledge, which is why ritual and liturgy played such a huge role in people’s lives in the past. Today we are more likely to seek out this experience of transcendence in a variety of secular ways, including music, drugs, sexuality, relationships, contact with nature and awe and wonder.

[...]

It is possible to see the relation between particle and wave in the experiences of the devotees of Dionysus. In many ways, Dionysus is the god who invites us to return to the source and immerse ourselves in the ocean of being. As Zurich analyst Verena Kast writes of the Dionysian festivals of ancient Greece:

Those seized by Dionysus broke out of the conventional order to become part of a cosmic order; human beings became one with nature, social rank was obliterated, rivalries ceased. Torn out of their isolation, individuals experienced prophecy and a momentary connection with the transpersonal Self.

In the ancient festivals, the ego personality was momentarily eclipsed by a different order of being or, as Kast puts it, ‘the devotees of the god experienced the Self through momentary forgetfulness of self’. The Dionysian spirit is ecstatic and it brings release from the isolation of our individual selfhood. Dionysus lures us out of our shells into ecstatic communion with others and with nature. However, the enchantment that Dionysus offers can lead to intoxication, loss of control, excess and obliteration.

This is why the god Dionysus was feared as well as revered. He personifies a primal wave that can engulf and obliterate the particle. The human element can be destroyed in a frenzy of elation and mania. He invites us to move out of our confined state, but the chaos of the primordial is the danger we face, which in the cult of Dionysus is symbolised by his companions, the maenads, whose name derives from mania and means possession or frenzy.

[...]

Walter Otto and Karl Kerenyi provide memorable descriptions of the ancient festivals of this god. Dionysus was invoked by singing the dithyramb or ritual song. The wearing of the ritual masks of the god would invite Dionysus to enter the festivities and insinuate himself in the human throng. Women would gather in a circle, clap their hands, and sing and dance to the sound of drums and flutes. The dithyrambic choir would enter an altered state of consciousness, in which members lost their identities and acted as one. Describing this process of fusion with nature and life, Nietzsche wrote:

So stirred by Dionysus, the individual forgets himself completely. In the Dionysiac rite, nature itself, long alienated or subjugated, rises again to celebrate the reconciliation with her prodigal son, man. The mystical jubilation of Dionysus breaks the spell of individuation and opens a path to the maternal womb of being.

[...]

Some of us can be transformed by our contact with ecstasy but some of us can be destroyed. As Verena Kast notes: ‘Ecstasy carries us beyond our limits, killing our normal personality. It can fragment us so that we do not know how, or if, we are going to return.’

-- David Tacey, Gods and Diseases

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: Let's do this one last time.

One More Hero

OMT!Sonic (represented by a PC game box)

(Find his here.)

Detective Ghost / Kaede Titan (represented by a comic cover)

"Okey-doke! Let's do this one last time. My name is Kaede Titan. I gained my own ability to go at super-speed, and for a couple of years, I've been the one and only Detective Ghost! Sure some of you out there might know the rest. I've foiled Razereye's schemes, fell in love with Luna, adopted Max into my family, and then I saved the island from crooks time and time again!

Compared to Sonic, I got a whole secret identity thing going on, and though it's tough, I can say with confidence that I've loved helping save the day. And no matter how many times I get hit, I always find my way to keep on moving. Because right now (before OMT!Tails helped her out), the only thing standing between South Island and oblivion... is me.

There's only one Detective Ghost out there. And you're lookin' at her!"

CR!Sonic (represented by a comic cover)

"Alright, people, let's do this one last time. My name is Sonic Maurice Hedgehog. I was transformed by one of Robotnik's machines, and for the last seven years, I thought I was the one and only hero of Mobius. What a day, huh? I'm pretty sure you know the rest.

I saved Mobius, fell in love with Sal, saved Mobius some more, maybe too much, beat the heck out of Exegod and Corrupt, and blah blah blah, saved Mobius again... and again... and again. Fast forward! One of Robuttnik's robots flew at my face and broke my back, my relationships got testy, made some dicey money choices - Don't invest in a Sonic-themed restaurant, by the way. - then, like, 2 more years passed, yada yada yada.

A freaking drone flew at my face, I hurt my back again, entities that want to kill this stupid lemon idiot came around, I buried Uncle Chuck, who passed from old age, I realized I'm reaching adulthood, Sally and I... split up. But I handled it like a champion! (cut to him crying in a shower) 'Cause you know what? No matter how many times I get hit, I always keep on moving without regrets. I also got a lot of time to reflect and work on myself.

Did you know that seahorses mate for life? Could you imagine a seahorse seeing another seahorse and making it work? She wanted a family and kids, and for us both to rule over Mobius... and it scared me. I'm pretty sure I broke her heart. [...] Flash forward, I'm doing my part, doing ab crunches, getting "strong"... when this weird thing happened.

I gotta say, weird things happen to me a lot, given I live in a crossover multiverse and stuff, but this one was especially weird. [...] You see, I was still in Mobius, but... a lot of things were different. I was this... embodiment of hope the island looked up to. Also, I was dead... and young. It felt... nostalgic. It was like going back in time! I got a feeling that, whatever brought me here, it must've been the thing that got him killed.

Wanna know what happened next? [...] Yeah, me too."

Nine (represented by a DVD case)

"*sigh* Alright, then. Let's get it out of the way, one last time, if you will. My name is Nine. In my youth, I engineered seven mechanical tails to defend myself with, and for a couple of years at this point, I've been looking out for myself in this hellscape known only as New Yolk. Kinda sure a few of you will know the rest. [...] I met Sonic, beelined with a Paradox Prism shard, discovered the Grim, and even helped Sonic keep those shards out of the greedy hands of the Chaos Council.

That said, the more recent endeavours are ones I'm not proud of. Turns out, holding a whole Prism in your hands to terraform a Shatterspace is the worst idea I could think of, and it almost killed everyone around me. I... got what I deserved in those days...

[...] After Sonic and Shadow left for good, I ditched my mechanical namesakes and just... gave up. Left the Grim behind, and spent a long time in my workshop just passing the days.

Thankfully, it wasn't all doom and gloom for me. A young rabbit girl, whose name was... Crème Brûlée, I think? She often came down to check up on me, and always let me know how the city was recovering after we sent the Chaos Council's sorry butts into the Shatterverse's depths.

And then one day, something pretty crazy happened. I know I've seen crazy things before, but the fact an entirely different Sonic wound up here confirmed my theory that there were MANY worlds beyond the Shatterverse. [...]

It also had me thinking; with all the times life has knocked me down, even when I've been thrown curveballs, is it really an easy feat to just get back up again? Well, with what's coming next and a chance to look into the further multiverse, not really much point in pondering so much."

OMT!Mina (represented by a SEGA Saturn disc)

"Alright, people. Let's start from the beginning one last time. My name is Mina Mongoose. I gained super-speed in my own fashion, and for a couple of years, I've been the leading star hero of my universe. You guys know the rest. I led a band, saved my buddies... I couldn't save my best friends, Sonic and Tails, so now I save everyone else. And I barely do friends anymore, just to keep distractions to a minimum.

And one day, this weird thing happened. And I mean, like, really weird. When I was leaving my dimension with another Sonic, I ended up getting blown into last week by something. Literally! I landed in Central City, which wasn't my Station Square. [...] My instincts told me to head to Bumper High School, and well, the rest is history with that one! I didn't know why I needed to until I met you."

Mini Sonic (represented by a Nokia phone)

"Okay, let's do it one last time, and cut to the chase. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! Well, arguably smaller than one would expect, of course, but I'm still the hero of my land. Pretty sure you know the rest by now. Freed my animal friends from robots, and fought my Robotnik a couple of dozen times by that point.

In my universe, it's constantly 1992 tops, and I'm pretty quick to leap into action! I like to chow on chilli dogs, and I like fighting robots. A lot. [...] Well, I mean, I have fallen victim to getting knocked out every 10 minutes or so at West Side Island, even when I've already gotten past an area.

Okay, so something weird happened earlier today. How I got here? It's a long story. (cut to a shot of Mini Sonic flying out a portal and being bounced around Balloon Park) Er, okay, maybe not that long, then. But yeah, no matter how many times I get knocked about, I can definitely keep moving each time!"

Mr. Needlemouse (represented by a VHS tape)

(Will come a little later.)

EX!Alice (represented by a SEGA CD/EX disc)

"Okay, then. Let's do this one last time. My name's Alice, and I'm a survivor of the twisted crystalline demon known only as Xenophanes. I don't know if you know the rest, so I'll sum it up for you; I used to work under him, but eventually defected and left for a quiet, isolated life away. I never told my family where I was, but at least it spared them the heartache when he and his new assistant, Caffrin, claimed me and took me into his world, sealing me in a vessel akin to Amy Rose.

But I was soon tired of being a punching bag to them, and so I decided to act. I patched myself up and fought valiantly, but lost. And I lost again. And again and again, and again. However, things changed when Veronica, Caffrin's big sister, wound up in that world solely by choice. And together, we actually made a difference. Caff defected in the end and helped us kill Xeno, but... it cost her her life in the end.

I stayed behind to pick up the pieces that the monster left behind, even after the other souls moved on. It got me dabbling in tech maintenance, and I eventually was able to integrate some of the leftover dark matter into "Sonic 3 - Zone 6: Round 3", or "E4-R6:3", for short. It essentially gave me a psychic link with that modified Big Arms mech, saving me some effort in pulling levers and pushing buttons.

Just today, something weird happened. Yes, the same weird thing that everyone else here ended up in, so it's not really a long story. Good thing I was piloting E4 at the time, so I didn't suffer any injuries on my way here. I was able to figure where I needed to get to from there, and the rest is history."

More than One Universe

Antho (represented by a comic cover)

"Alright, let’s back it up from here. My name is Anthony Miller the Hedgehog, or just "Antho", for short, and for the past year or so, I and a group of friends have become the new heroes of my Mobius. But it wasn’t always like that you see.

You see, I was just your average normal nerdy hedgehog until something with a super collider changed my appearance and gave me some knowledge of a multiverse or something. Oh, and I’m pretty sure there was a T-Rex-. Oh no, wait! That was added to the script to make it more dramatic.

Anyways, aside from that. It was also the day we lost our Sonic… and I saw it with my own eyes… thanks to that monster, Mammoth Mogul. Ever since then, the Dark Ages happened, and I was never the same again. But not until I stood up and took vengeance against Mogul himself and since then, I’ve restored the faith of Mobius, met new friends and allies, some of which I can now consider family, and am now living in our beloved hero’s legacy.

But despite that, it's still kinda hard work, and I sometimes feel like I can’t live up to Sonic’s standards and how he was the saviour of us all. But deep down, I know he's proud of me, and having my friends, family and the main cast by my side has helped.

I can’t be the next Sonic, even if some otherworldly hedgehog says otherwise. But this is my world and my rules. And I’m doing my own thing, whether you like it or not."

Nitro (represented by a comic cover)

"Well, you probably know the drill by this point, so let's do it one last time. Or... is it the SECOND last time? Eh, never mind. My name is Christopher Smith, and for a couple of years, I've been the one and only... Nitro the Hedgehog. I doubt you know the rest, so I'll sum it up; I fled from my old home into Mobius, helped in the war against Eggman, and even saved the multiverse from possible destruction at the hands of Toxinfect. [...]

That said, with all the times I've been knocked down, I haven't always been able to keep on moving. In an older timeline I came from, I suffered from long-term depression that I hid from everyone. At least, until a mini "Smol" version of myself revealed it, by which point I got some much-needed therapy. [...] But of course, there have been positives. I saved a newer friend from the clutches of a corrupt corporate boss, met amazing friends across the multiverse, and even got girlfriends out of my Amy and Mina. [...]

Just today, of course, something weird happened. A portal opened under my feet, and I had to go to the hospital for a bit after some creatures gnawed at my legs. We waited a little bit, and then we saw that portal open into OMT!Tails's house. Wanna see what comes next now? Same! But before we do..."

CU!Sonic and CU!Sonia (represented by a comic cover)

CU!Sonic: ...It's time for us to do this-

CU!Sonia: -one last time!

CU!Sonic: Heh, knew you'd get the drill, mini-blue! So anyway, I'm Sonic, and this is my little daughter, Sonia. For a while, I've been the hero of my world. Pretty sure you know the rest! I got together with Amy, we had Sonia, and I've continued saving the world countless times. We did get into some tough love at times, but we always sorted it out!

CU!Sonia: Ah, erm... You gonna mention what happened with... mom?

CU!Sonic: Oh, er... I'm... not really sure if I can muster up the courage myself...

CU!Sonia: Come to think of it, I don't really remember what happened, but... she's no longer with us. Ever since, dad's been raising me on his own.

CU!Sonic: Right. Sonia's really the only family I have left, so while looking after her (and a mix of her keeping me right, of course), I've also been helping keep my home safe from criminal organisations trying to take advantage of things. [...] One day, however, something weird happened.

CU!Sonia: We saw a portal just open up in front of us during our walk, and we met other friends on the other side!

CU!Sonic: Sure you wanna know what happens next as much as me, so let's cut it here.

D-Sides Mighty (represented by a SEGA Genesis box art)

"Well, let's get this out of the way once more, and I doubt it'll be the last time. So my name's Mighty the Armadillo. As you can see, I'm not red, but purple. I've been generally going my own route in life, but I'm pretty sure you know the basic gist of it; I've helped defend the world from Maria Robotnik, who IS still living in my universe, before you ask, spent plenty of time with my little bro, Ray, and aspired to do things off-the-script.

Of course, you know about those "EXE" things or whatever you call 'em, right? Well, there's a few of them that take my shape instead of that of Claws, for whatever reason. Shows how inconsistent my whole multiverse is, huh? So, fast-forward a bit, I met a sweet kid named Hefty, he fell in love with my version of Honey... Kinda similar to how EV had it on his end. But even with the script loose and literally no sense of "canon", I always find a way to keep on moving, no matter what tries to knock me down. Even with that... MightMurderer entity.

Trust me, I felt that cosmic tremor as much as anybody else did, and me and my crew felt it warranted some investigation. Claws and Tails picked to hang behind just in case anything broke into our universe, while me, Ray, Honey and Hefty came here to figure out just what was going on. Guess we found the answer quicker than I expected, huh?"

Black Knight Amy (represented by the Sonic & The Black Knight cover art)

More than One Universe Intro

"Well, you know the drill. Let's get this explained, one last time. I'm Amy, Amy Rose! I'm sure you know a lot about me; my love for Sonic, my enjoyment in tarot card reading, and my Piko-Piko Hammer packs a punch against Eggman's tricks. Though, one day, things went pretty crazy for me.

I was dragged into the kingdom of Camelot by a spell Merlina cast, and I gained these amazing amulets that allow me to control water. Using them, I was able to calm the Knights of the Round Table and halt King Arthur in his tracks. However, the sword Merlina was with, Caliburn, revolted immediately after, citing that all mistakes are to be vanquished from the "perfect world" he envisioned. It took us both to stop him, and I showed that everybody is flawed, but mistakes make us who we are in the end.

After that, I was allowed to use the amulets outside of Camelot, and Merlina kept the gateway between those worlds open so I can visit anytime I want! I also started crushing on Honey a lot more, hehe. Well, as for how I got here, I felt the big tremor shaking the area and knew it warranted me to check it out. When I came through that portal, that's when I came across a version of Sonic who looked like he was on drugs, and... yeah!"

Into the Sonic-verse Expanded Explanation

"You know, I've found things pretty easy going to begin with! I even got a daily routine going. I wake up, skip workouts since I'm already naturally strong and I don't want to get any muscles, you know? I don't need to do anything with my wondrous hair...

OMT!Tails: You don't use any product on it?

BK!Amy: I only really need strawberry shampoo and a dash of coconut oil to keep it fresh, hehe!

So anyway, I also read my tarot cards daily to plan out my luck, fight some of Eggy's goons, bring fruit for the local Chao Garden in Station Square... The usual stuff! And I even have a quick break for a cup of chai with Yasmine and Samia in Shamar!

OMT!Tails: Chai tea, huh?

(record scratch)

BK!Amy: Tails! "Chai" means "tea"! It's like you're saying "tea tea"! Would I ask you for a "coffee coffee" with a side of "cream cream"? O-Oh! Sorry, heh. Got a little carried away there.

OMT!Tails: Yeah, sorry about that.

Well, I've started hanging out more with Honey as well. She's a really amazing fashion designer, and she's quite strong to boot! And while helping out Sonic, I also help keep good old Camelot safe from harm! Quick tour for you guys; Misty Lake, Camelot Castle, the Deep Woods, Titanic Plain, the Crystal Caves and Molten Mine, Faraway Avalon, Knight's Passage, Shrouded Forest, Great Megalith, the Cauldron, and the Dragon's Lair! Phew, that sure was a lot, huh?"

Ex-Prince Brian (represented by a SEGA Genesis cartridge)

(Will come a little later.)

Hog (represented by the GIGA console)

"Okay, then. I'm getting this off my chest one last time. I'm a bootleg, yes, but I still got my own super-speed on the table! And for a while, I've been the one and only... Hog the Tenrec! Pretty sure you know the rest; met some cool buddies, defeated ol' Dr. Yolkman dozens of times, and showed my rival Fists who's boss.

Well, that was until... HE struck. I lost control of my body, and this hedgehog who accused me and my friends of "replacing" his world laid torment upon my home, until I broke free. Needless to say, I was furious and itchin' to get back at him. Though, it all came at the cost of my world. I shouldn't've survived that, but I got warped out to CrossRealm Sonic's world before I perished.

It took me some time to recover, but I'm still ready to help protect a world no matter what. Because, no matter how many times I'm knocked down, for the sake of my fallen friends, I'll keep on movin'! I got here with Sonic after we felt that soft tremor and some portals popped up at one spot. So, yeah! That pretty much sums it up for me."

Wacky (represented by a special disc of her own)

"Well, let's do this one last time! I'm Wacky the Erizo, a bootleg just like Hog, and I got my own world to boot. I'm kinda sure you know the rest; I saved my world from Dr. Sunnyside, fell in love with Starburst, saved the land a few more times, blah blah blah. You know how it is. I also got sucked into a new land, and met this creepy broken being that called itself "Bizarro".

They tried to possess me, but as long as I kept my eyes shut, they couldn't take full control of me. I really didn't like them. But other than that, you really expect me to take things seriously all the time? I barely take anything seriously. I still remain curious about that big screen in my world's sky, though. Why is someone new always appearing on it...?

Though, I felt that tremor as much as I imagine anyone else did, and it happened to knock Bizarro right out of me. They faded away soon after. After that, while I was glad I was still in full control for good, I knew something needed to be done about whatever the heck happened.

So, Zanie provided me a way between worlds, using that same tech Dr. Sunnyside used to knock us into next week, quite literally in this case. I've seen crazy things, but nothing could be crazier than trying to get a black and red ghost under control just now."

Devy (represented by a comic strip)

(Will come a little later.)

EV!Sonic (represented by a comic strip)

"Yeah, they figured out the reality, so I'm just gonna do this one last time. My name is Maurice. I gained super-speed in my own fashion, and for some time, I've been the one and only... Sonic the Hedgehog! ...of my universe, I mean. Pretty sure you know the rest.

I overcame depression from fans' harsh criticism on my games, beat Phantom Ruby cases THREE times, fell in love with Nova, and saved my world and surrounding universe countless times. Same here as it was in the old timeline. "Old timeline?", I hear you ask?

Well, in that old timeline, I stepped down and passed on the mantle of protecting Mobius to Nitro, who I trained quite well. Though, I lost a close friend there, and we had to put up with a heartless company replacing people with clones of themselves.

Then a whole bright light consumed everything and the entire universe underwent a full-blown reset, if you will. Brian's all safe and sound, the Puhoi Curse is now non-existent, Clover's been enjoying life on the surface again with Frisk and Chara and the other ex-fallen humans, and ol' Eggy's been split between his old self and Mr. Tinker. To be honest, I like Tinker a lot more.

EV!Eggman (in the background): I HEARD THAT! ...Wait, what did you say about timelines?

EV!Sonic: Eh, just ignore him.

So anyway, sometime after Eggman Prime got all these supervillains together in one place to try and kill my original self, Sonic Prime, I met Tekno the Canary with my friends, and the two of us started our elite strike force dedicated to protecting the multiverse. It started with eight of us, and by this point, it's pretty much in the hundreds! And better still, I'm still available to actively keep my world safe from harm.

Me and Nitro already knew what was coming when those portals showed up, and that brings us to this point. Wanna know how it continues? Me too!"

OMT!Tails (represented by his own PC game box)

(Find his here.)

Across All Worlds

"Alright, then. Let's do this one last time. This time, I mean it! My name is Miles Prower. One day, my twin tail became my blessing, Sonic saved me from some bullies, and for the last 33 years, I've been the one and only... Tails! Of my universe, of course. And things have been pretty awesome since I strung out on my own a year and 9 months ago. Catching all sorts of bad guys...

I refurbished my nanomachine suit, with a metal sheen to blend in with robots. Kaede and her siblings moved over to Emerald Town, Dr. Robotnik got graduated as a professor at Balloon Park University, I guest-hosted Speed-Three, endorsed in motion sickness prevention classes, developing a new twist on my electric hand thing...

How much longer can I keep things under a steady hold? I mean, would every world get it if I shared my stories? Eh, maybe in another timeline. Sometimes, I just wish me and Detective Ghost weren't the only ones doing this gig. But I haven't been dwelling too much on it. (cut to him doing child-like sketches of the Blur Gang, a LOT of which are of Mina)

I do miss Sonic and Sally a lot, though. Even with everything that went down with them, I try to do what Sally told me... "Enjoy the future for her". But at the end of the day, I am the hero of Mobius. And nobody can take that away from me!"

Many More Heroes (as a taunt to LM!Sonic)

"My name is Miles "Tails" Prower... [...] I inherited my best friend's mantle because he wanted me to. [...] I'm pretty sure you know the rest, jerk!"

Funkinverse Crossover

Benjamin Miku (Boyfriend of Earth-111723)

"Alright! Let's do this one last time! ...again. My name is Benjamin Miku. I dropped out of high-school, got a snazzy microphone, and for the last 2 years, I've been my universe's one and only... Boyfriend! I'm pretty sure you know the rest. I sang with some people, fell in love with Grace Dearest, fought off the Corruption, befriended the other Dearests... you know the drill! And, uh... I did this. (footage of "Really Happy") Yeah, we don't really talk about this.

Of course, one day, a year after my musical career kickstarted, the gateway to our wider universe opened. One minute, I remember being 17 with Grace, then the next, us and our siblings got younger. I remember me being 13 as part of some "age-halt" last I checked. Though it got me more involved in action and helped me achieve new feats, like becoming the hero I know my world needs and deserves.

And through it all, even with the bumps in the road, I've really enjoyed my career as a fellow successor to my big sister, and being the "Boyfriend" as a whole! And to me, being a kind and selfless soul is what I feel should encapsulate any Boyfriend out there. Music is something that's all around us, everywhere in the whole world. And if we share it with each other in harmony, it really brings us all together.

I may not be the exact same Boyfriend my world intended on, but if anyone needs my help, I'll be ready to do my job! And if you expect me to abide by supposed fate? Nah. I'll be doing things my way, whether you like it or not. In my eyes, anyone can wield the microphone if they wish to, and I'm sure as heck not the only one out there by far. I'm the hero of my own story, and nothing can take that from me!"

Across All Worlds

Scourge (represented by one of his own comic covers)

(Inspired by this)

"HEY! Sit down, shut up, and lemme cut this short! The name's Scourge, and yeah, you can say me an' the multiverse ain't exactly 'friends', per se. The runts of the litter around my planet like calling me "Evil Sonic". "Anti-Sonic". Pft! Can't imagine why. With my speed, and a leg up on the royal ladder, I took over my entire planet! Took down any pretty punk who dared disobeying me, and made anarchy my one way or the highway!

And to think, through all that... I was still a nobody! A cheap knock-off of the real Sonics across time and space! A dull flash in a pan of big blue wimps. I needed a change, and a total... royal... makeover! [...] A quick trip to my blue alternate's goody-goody dimension, a magic power boost and a little setback later... Ooh, yeah! I was a frickin' beast!

And when the Sonic connected to me tried steppin' up to my plate? Super Scourge showed 'im a thing or two! ...Didn't last very long, though. Got me thrown into f*ckin' multiverse prison! But with my gang of crooks bustin' me out and lickin' the Zone Cops off my tail, we were stakin' on BIG plans for the Sonic of my line and his pigs! The key word almost being, er... "were".

This alternate Eggman once hired me to trash this Sonic Prime fella, though that didn't work out as we hoped. But when this creepy Doc Finitevus guy proposed a plan for us to conquer the whole multiverse without an Eggman? Hell yeah I was on-board! Look out, however many Sonics plan to come for us, and get ready to hail to the king, baby!"

Many More Heroes

LM!Sonic (during the prologue) (represented by a picture of his fic of origin's artwork on a printed picture)

"I am Sonic the Hedgehog from Dimension SS-2001. I am part of an elite strike force dedicated to the protection of the multiverse-."

OMT!Mina: Actually, forget it.

LEGO Sonic (based on this) (represented by his LEGO Dimensions pack)

"Alright, let's do this one last time! ...again. My name is Sonic. I gained super-speed from being brick-built, and I became the one and only-! (numerous LEGO Sonic figures, including the bootleg ones, appear around him) Okay, scratch that.

After acquiring a keystone device from Baldy McNosehair, I helped heroes across my multiverse take down Joker, Green Goblin, the Cybermen, Lord Business, GLaDOS, the Wicked Witch of the West... You know, the big ones! I even teamed up with some bad guys to take down Lord Vortech that one time! Although... we don't really talk about that. And I even saved the original LEGO HQ from Eggy when he took the place over!

Anyways, that's just me. What about you?"

(cut to show he was talking to an unamused Crimtake)

Pana Der Hejhog (represented by a SEGA Genesis cartridge)

"Aight. My name is Pana. Pana Der Hejhog. I gained my-. Eh, wouldn't you like to know? And for the past 13 years, I've been the one and only... Look, didn't I state my name to you already? C'mon outta it!

That's when I'm not running around Mystic Island, keeping forced winter at bay, chasing off my Robotnik, chilling out in the sunshine, practicing music with Mina or having a laugh at Gust Planet's bar. I'm no role model, but I was briefly a runway model.

I dislike political fronts, I hate slimy companies, and I'm especially not into labels. I don't call myself a hero despite the good deeds I do, because the absolute jerks in society who claim they're in the right are self-mythologizing narcissistic fools!"

[kingcunny]

EIHF again. :)

1) Your Balerion post makes me so sad. Viserys is a swan in a human form. He mates for life. He can give his heart only once. Balerion, Aemma, Daemon, Rhaenyra. There may be other wives, other daughters, other brothers, but the connection will never be like the first. I really believe had his baby brother Aegon lived, that relationship would have been even more strained than his relationship with Daemon. He already has a brother. That box has been ticked. To say nothing of the fact that his birth resulted in Alyssa's death.

2) Viserys has some deeply rooted abandonment problems, which he generously passes on to everyone else! Above all, being crowned was just a deeply alienating experience. It fractured every relationship he had. I have to believe (particularly for HOTD Viserys) that Jaehaerys strong-armed him into bringing his claim to the Great Council, and there's some resentment towards him there. Maybe at some point, he believed the Crown could bind his Favorite People to him forever.

3) There's like, what, a 24-hour jump between,"I don't want to command her," and, "Her wishes are irrelevent," re: Rhaenyra getting married. He really does not want to be her King, but when he decides he must, he's out here killing flies with a sledgehammer. He never finds the balance with anyone, but especially not with Rhaenyra. She is comfortable in her own skin, certain of her own mind in a way he never has been, and I think it baffles him.

1. someone left a tag on one of my other viserys and balerion posts that was like “why is this viserys most loyal relationship” that made me laugh a bit cause, yeah, it was! he mightve cheated on both his wives, but balerion, oh, balerion was *special*. he was viserys one true love and his closest partner. he would never have another relationship like balerion.

thats an interesting thought about aegon, when ive thought about if he lived ive usually thought about how it would affect daemon. but i can see it. my ‘older boysister that raised me’ viserys wouldve done his duty and raised aegon and taken care of him, but he would never love him the way he loved daemon. and that wouldve been apparent to aegon. both brothers (viserys subconsciously, daemon consciously) wouldve probably blamed him for alyssas death as well… only deeping the divide between the three

aemma however… i think we need to define ‘love’. cause while i do think viserys loved aemma while she was alive, a sort of ‘this was an arranged marriage but weve made it work’ type thing, how much of viserys enduring love for her is truly ‘love’ quote unquote vs the martyization of her in his mind and his enduring guilt for having killed her. maybe thats what you meant, but to me viserys ‘loved’ her much more after she died, in a way.

2. oh absolutely. he grew up watching his family drop dead around him, both his parents died, his dragon died. that thing he says to rhaenyra about how “their line is too easily extinguished”. those abandonment issues is why he holds so tightly to those hes decided are His (but even thats paradoxical, his attention his very fleeting!)

ive always thought that daemon started gathering swords to ‘defend’ viserys claim without asking if viserys even wanted his claim defended! i think that even though baelon was heir, it never really clicked with viserys that meant he was next? so when baelon died viserys just wanted to mourn his father but everyones looking at him expecting him to take the crown. i really like the idea that it was jaehaerys that had to push him up to the plate

3. correct me if im wrong but wasnt the “her feelings are irrelevant” comment was made about rhaenyra getting married in General, since she said she does not want to marry? but im just splitting hairs. cause he still does do that severe flip from father to king when he tells rhaenyra she will be marrying laenor, and wont hear any argument about it. he does it to daemon time and time again. he doesnt know how to juggle the roles of king and father and brother. something else im gonna blame on jaehaerys, who was absolutely using his power as king against his family. and even though i think viserys has some heavy cognitive dissonance about jaehaerys, he at some level Knows how hard he was on family, and Doesnt want to be like that. but also doesnt have any good refrences on how to balance those roles properly.

i think that thing he said to rhaenyra about how “even he does not exist above tradition and duty” comment was soo telling. viserys did not WANT to get remarried, he even says to alicent that he never imagined he would marry again! (an aside: imagine what his heavily pregnant wife thought hearing that. lol) after aemma died i think he wanted to do the same thing his father did; remain forever a widower to ‘honor’ his wifes memory, but he wasnt strong enough to even hold himself to that. i think viserys is very self conscious, and has more or less just done what the people around him have expected him to do. so when rhaenyra is willing to stand up for herself and wants to live her life Her Way, its very baffling and frustrating and when hes being honest with himself, admirable.

[theblackshit]

Every now and then I am reminded that we spend the vast majority of our time indoors: at home, at school, at the office, in shops and retail spaces, in bars, clubs and restaurants, in the apartments of friends and relatives, in train stations and moving vehicles, in hotels, venues and theaters, in museums, churches and hospitals – big boxes and little boxes with varying ratios of functionality to ornament.

Every now and then I am also reminded that we live in an air-conditioned dream/nightmare. In standard hotel rooms, split AC units are now as common as bedside bibles used to be. In most cases, these units are fixed to the wall above the entrance door, so that upon entering the room, guests can briefly enjoy a view unencumbered by the sight of the bulky appliance – a sort of icon corner in reverse, since an icon corner is usually located to be visible when you first enter. Once you lay down on the bed and gaze up at the familiar yet bewildering piece of engineering, you might begin to wonder: what’s the optimal temperature? Will I get sick if I sleep with the AC on? Is this thing more ugly than it is convenient? Would natality rates suddenly drop if these machines didn’t exist? Is this a tool that “brings energy home” as Ursula K. Le Guin would have it, or one that “forces energy outward?” How does it work? What’s inside the box? Is it good, is it bad? Where is the remote control for this thing?! 

Although the overhead placement of these split units is clearly a matter of practicality, I can’t help but overthink and ask myself if we also tend to place them at such heights, along with other physical objects including speakers, curtains, wall reliefs and friezes, because they pertain to immaterial realms such as temperature, sound, light and narration. As a “unit,” this compact object is at once whole and dependent upon an unseen network, which suggests a hidden elsewhere beyond the confine of the room. While its boxiness could bring to mind minimalism’s so-called “specific objects” (objects that can be apprehended on a phenomenological level), the idea that it contains unseen parts and is linked to an unseen system constitutes a conceptual or even metaphoric opening. Philip Seibel’s quietly baroque Gehäuse sculptures consciously play with this dichotomy. 

In borrowing some of the formal qualities of these units, Seibel paradoxically empties them out, thereby turning what first appears to be an enclosure into a container or a vessel where other ideas can get on board like stowaways. Looking up at his Gehäuse makes us aware of the many other vessels and boxes that create and sustain the conditions for our lives, those that shield us and our belongings, or again, those which act as receptacles for our fears and aspirations. Like ships made of reeds, there is something sensible but absurd about Seibel’s encasements. Their sleek finish seems to conceal something that is beyond our reach; or at least, it blurs the line between the manufactured and the handcrafted, the real and the fake, the readymade and the not already made, the functional and the decorative, the office, the hotel and the gallery. 

Emile Rubino

[gingerdusk]

A non-exhaustive list:

Mega Evolution comes from a meteor. The impact of that meteor literally split the dimensions apart and made it canonical that different versions of the same game are parallel dimensions (Alpha Ruby is a different world from Ruby, for instance). This is later confirmed by the presence of Anabel in Sun and Moon, who fell through dimensions from a world without Mega Evolution.

Speaking of Sun and Moon, wormholes are opening up all over Alola, letting in extradimensional beings that Pokéballs don't catch properly. There are silver-skinned humans from one of these portals that live in a giant prismatic city.

Also in Sun/Moon, you can pass through to a mirror world where day is night and night is day. When this happens, you can catch the mirror world version of your box legendary friend.

There's a giant space alien in Sword and Shield who's leaking particles that cause Pokémon to briefly turn massive, which sometimes rearranges their genetic makeup.

In Scarlet and Violet, reality is splintering. There's a hole to the future/past that generates paradox Pokémon which are heavily implied to have been materialized out of a researcher's desire to see them rather than actually from their future/past. The same energy that supposedly made them enables Pokémon to become any type they want and caused a robot to gain human sentience.

In the hole you find the paradox Pokémon in, you find buried monoliths that nobody knows where they came from. The very material they're made of is canonically unidentifiable.

Time and space were briefly unraveled in Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum as a maniac tried to overwrite the current world and make a new universe out of it, and in the Platinum universe, this opened a hole to another dimension where a banished god lives. The banished god was pissed off about this and abducted the guy that messed with time and space.

People sometimes slip through the cracks and become Pokémon in Pokémon-only worlds (the Mystery Dungeon series) or drop through time to different eras (Legends Arceus's protagonist and Ingo).

In Mystery Dungeon, time is eroding (Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky), and the world is warping and distorting into areas that scramble themselves every time you enter them and make the inhabitants of those areas agitated and hostile (entire series).

I absolutely love that the Pokémon universe is literally tearing itself apart at the seams. Fantastic worldbuilding, A+++

[cmx1y]

Box Split Overview

Please read the box split info post before claiming!  It can also be found at this site here  (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

Ongoing box splits:

Paradox Live Corocot Plush 

Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun Mochi Kororon Plush

[sukirichi]

Hello! Can you write one about Nanami where the reader is oblivious and they're really close to Gojo so he gets jealous often. Sometimes Gojo does things purposely to annoy him and one day he just lost his composure and accidentally admitted his feelings for you.

I hope u accept if you're not too busy. Thank you!!!

— a little push

— sometimes all nanami needs is a little push.

nanami kento x fem! reader

thank you for the request anon! i’m not sure if reader is oblivious enough but i hope you like it! there’s some thick pining here hur hur, i hope you like it! i never knew i needed an easily flustered and awkward nanami in my life also this is unedited as usual

check my bio for masterlist and my milestone event! (◕ᴗ◕✿)

“Do you mind?”

Nanami sighs, silently praying to the heavens you wouldn’t hear the way his heart is absolutely panicking and beating wildly right now. You’d randomly pushed him inside the teachers’ office the moment he got back to the institute at work, and now he’s doomed to hide his feelings while you look up at him with wide, innocent eyes, a shaky yet excited grin painted on your face.

“Sorry, sorry,” you wave your hands in front of you, although he can tell you’re not apologetic at all. Nanami clears his throat when you step backwards to give him space, unsure if he’s happy or sad about the distance. “I was just really excited to see you back.”

Your carefree, lighthearted voice, along with that little jump in your toes combined with your statement – you’re basically asking Nanami to shrivel up already.

The stoic man remains composed, though, only shifting to adjust his tie while he stares down at you. You’re still somewhat bouncing on your feet, teeth biting your lip – a habit you had when you want to say something but contemplating whether you should. Tilting away to hide the slight flush in his cheeks, Nanami sighs again, pretending to be tired.

The last thing he wants to admit that even though he is exhausted from work, is that you’d never bother him. In fact, having you bombard him like this makes him feel like he didn’t deal with special grade curse by himself all alone just an hour ago.

“If there’s something you want to say, I suggest you get it over with. I don’t want to stay overtime and wait until the blindfolded creep comes around.”

You giggle at his insult, hiding behind your cupped palms. Crap, Nanami looks away and focuses on the birds outside instead, suddenly finding them so interesting despite never paying attention to them before. Maybe that was the curse of crushes – it had people acting differently and in complete contrast with their behavior.

“About that,” you begin almost shyly now, and Nanami practically bursts when he sees you tapping both of your pointer fingers together, gaze tilted away from him.

It makes him wonder you’re nearly on the same skill to Gojo, yet still somehow look like a small, innocent being that makes him want to protect you from everything – even if you were more than capable of handling things yourself. Well, Nanami concludes to himself, maybe you’re really just that paradoxical that it makes sense why he can never think straight around you. Maybe he’s really not supposed to understand the complexity of his feelings when you were a phenomena to begin with already.

“You see…Satoru asked me out.”

Nanami stiffens at your statement for a split second before his head whips to you so fast. You’re observant – of course you are, you’re a jujutsu sorcerer – and you easily pick up in his sudden change of demeanor. Your brow raises at his abrupt reaction, to which Nanami conceals by flexing his neck and rolling his shoulders back.

“I am simply tired from work,” he haf-lies, “So, Satoru asked you out? Will you say yes?”

His words and tone are monotonous, almost bored even, but deep inside he’s so close to beating the crap out of his co-worker. Well, not really, Nanami isn’t a man of violence, but he’s jealous. Of course he is – he’s liked you ever since Principal Yaga hired you.

He’s never told Satoru about his little crush on you. He would be stupid to do such; Satoru would tease him to no end and maybe even be as childish to go as far as pushing him to you. Typical elementary shit, Nanami cringes to himself, watching as you look down at your feet with a pout. Now that confused him. He isn’t sure what your body language means at all, but patient as ever, Nanami only waits.

“Well,” you scratch your forehead, “I’m really flattered. I want to say yes because Satoru is a nice guy—”

“He is not. I do not respect him.”

You roll your eyes at the way his eyes darkens, “—but also I’m not sure if I should. I mean, Satoru doesn’t really date, you know? He’ll be with like one girl and be with another the next week. I just don’t want to…like, fall for that, I guess. Not that I won’t, because he’s totally not my type—”

“It’s just a yes or no,” Nanami cuts you off, his words coming out a lot harsher than he intends it to be. It’s not that he’s annoyed at your rambling, he actually finds it so adorable when you get so lost in your train of thoughts that your mind just travels from one place to another, and seeing how your eyes just leave farther from reality is something he’s always find such an attractive quirk, but not now – not when his infuriating co-worker is intending to mess with your feelings. “Do you want to go or not? Yes or no? It’s as simple as that.”

You blink back at him in surprise, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that Nanami was a no-bullshit man who hit things right on the head, a huge contrast to your happy-go-lucky self, but he’s right.

It is that simple – and you’re complicating things all over again.

When you give him an answer, Nanami has to muster all his energy to not deflate. He’s tired – but now his exhaustion and even the heartbreak comes crashing down all over him that he’s immediately weighed down and overwhelmed – so much so that all he wants is to go home.

“Yes, I want to go.”

It’s his day off.

Like everything else in his life, Nanami plans everything down to the last minute of his day. His day off consisted of him having the privilege to sleep in until 8am, then breakfast with coffee from that great café a five minute walk away from his apartment, then he’ll be reading books in his study for two hours. Comes after that is lunch, and he’ll brows through some TV shows, pick up his clothes from the dry cleaning, get that special limited edition dinner of his favorite sushi, read books again and call it a day.

Simple, peaceful, no hassle – it’s the perfect day to relax.

Except it isn’t.

Because it’s your day off too, and you’re out on a date with Satoru. He still remembers how happy you looked then upon accepting the white haired man’s invitation, your nimble fingers wrapped around his sleeve as you shyly asked him to come with you.

He doesn’t know why you had to bring him, but he doesn’t question it, nonetheless. Nanami wants to see how Satoru would react, if there could be any indication from the man behind his blindfold that he had ill intentions. Oddly enough, there didn’t seem to be any. Satoru only beamed and deflated into a chibi, enthusiastically nodding along with you while you planned your date together.

Nanami took it upon himself to leave.

With a silent scoff, Nanami placed his dinner down on the counter. Because it’s his day off – and mostly because he doesn’t feel like himself – Nanami went out to buy the limited edition sushi wearing a white shirt and some gray sweatpants, too forlorn and a little jealous to even bother dressing up.

It’s stupid, really. He’s been looking forward for this sushi for a long, long time, but now that he’s had it, he can’t even enjoy the taste. His mind keeps going back to you.

Were you having fun with Satoru? Were you enjoying your time? Was Satoru treating you well? What was Satoru’s intentions when it came with you? The last time Nanami checked, you and him got along really well and you’re mostly the one who whacks the taller man in the head upside down when he’s being stupid, almost like two peas in a pod, except you were the smarter one. He’d been so sure you’re nothing but friends and yet…it all lead to this.

Nanami pushes his sushi away. They no longer taste like anything, the texture like dried paper on his mouth. He wipes his lips with a napkin, staring longingly at well…nothing. His walls were plain and empty, and suddenly, Nanami can’t help but compare himself to Gojo.

You both planned to go to the local carnival. There’d be lots of foods and even parlor shops, ferris wheel rides and photo booths to create memories. Of course you and Satoru would go there; both of you enjoyed loud, bustling crowds, claiming there was something amazing about basking in the “lives of humans when ignorant of curses” while Nanami prefers his peace and silence.

Had you gone out on a date with him instead, Nanami can’t guarantee he’ll be any fun. He most definitely wouldn’t ask you to go to a carnival with him either. It was loud, cramped, crowded, and it’s too chaotic for him to ever enjoy your presence and enjoy it alone.

Nanami closes the sushi box, turns on the TV and lets is play on the background, a wet towel above his eyes to relax his tired eyes.

He hopes you’re having fun. He hopes Satoru is treating you well. Nanami just ignores the slight pain in his chest when he thinks of you, laughing and touching anyone but him, and he could picture it already. You’ve always been so open and welcoming to everyone, he knows you’ll have fun today, too.

That’s one of the things he finds most endearing about you – that your smile never fades and you never forget about the simple, little things in life to focus on to keep your sanity after facing curse after curse.

He’s fine, he tells himself. Satoru may be annoying, but he knows you could have fun with him, and you deserved to be happy more than anyone else.

Nanami is about to fall asleep on his couch when his phone vibrates on the coffee tables. Groaning, he flicks off the towel to his shoulders, grumbling about how Principal Yaga better be respecting his day off, but the last thing he expects to see is your contact name flashing on the screen. In the contact photo, you’re winking with a peace sign held above your head.

You look so utterly adorable Nanami just wants to kiss you. He remembers this photo was taken when Yuuji got bored and asked to play games on his phone. Upon finding that there was none – of course there was none – the strawberry-haired student opted for taking pictures of everyone instead. There’s one with Nobara growling, Megumi sipping his boba-tea with dead eyes as if he’s so done with the world, more than twenty pictures of Satoru flexing his muscles and posing like an idiot, and then there’s yours.

Nanami remembers staring at his phone for a solid minute, his gallery actually blessed with your face in it. The sun shines behind you on that photo and you’re absolutely shining. He thinks that’s when he truly fell in love.

And it just so happened the love of his life is calling, making his heart skip a beat because shouldn’t you be with Gojo? Why were you calling him? Did something wrong happen?

Nanami doesn’t waste another second before swiping the green icon, already standing up from the couch as he grabs his jacket. He had this weird inkling something is wrong, why else would you call him?

His theories are proven true when your voice comes out shaky. “H-hello?”

“Good evening,” he greets stiffly, brows furrowed as he listens in on the way you seem to be shuffling around. “Is there something wrong?”

“I, uhm,” he hears you sniffle through the other line, “Yeah, I guess there is…Satoru just texted he can’t come because Principal Yaga suddenly sent him to a mission overseas…and then I just realized that Satoru’s been summoned by the elders and he’s just refusing to show up, so now they cornered him, I guess… anyways, I’m talking too much and I don’t want to be a bother, but would you maybe…like to hang out with me?”

Nanami’s hand freezes on the doorknob. “Hang out…professionally?”

He immediately wants to smack himself in the forehead for that. Out of all things he could’ve said, he just had to utter something unintelligent. He hears you snicker in the background and Nanami’s ears redden. 

He quickly regains his composure with a clear of his throat, suddenly remembering that Satoru’s ditched you, so now you’re asking him instead. It kind of feels like he’s just a replacement, but Nanami buries this feeling down before it consumes him, wondering if he’s already regretting changing into better clothes because he actually agreed to go to a carnival with you.

Upon hearing your happy, “Okay! I’ll wait for you then!”, Nanami realizes that he doesn’t actually mind. Especially not with you.

The carnival is loud.

Nanami dreads the moment he steps out of his car, his body swallowed by the bustling crowd and defeaning music of banging drums and clashing instruments. There’s a hundred scents everywhere – smoke, fish, glazed apples – he doesn’t know where to begin or how to focus.

He nearly turns back to his hair, about to shoot you a text that maybe this is beyond him after all. His head begins to spin when he’s only pushed deeper into the crowd, people bumping into him with every single second and it’s so suffocating. It doesn’t make sense to him how anyone could possibly go on a date like this and enjoy it. He knows for sure this chaos won’t let him enjoy his date’s presence because he’s too busy trying to get away from it all.

Nanami staggers for a bit when a strong hand tugs him to the side. Soon, he finds himself pressed flush against you in a tight corner, your hips warm on his. “Hi,” you breathe out airily, lashes fanning and fluttering in that same manner that always made his heart do complete flips.

“Hello,” he greets back with a small bow out of faux respect, but really, he’s just keeping his head down because you look so beautiful in that moment he doesn’t even know where to look. You’re warm and soft next to his hard and stiff muscles, the scent of roses and vanilla mixing in with the street smoke and Nanami’s head grows dizzy, his hand around yours tightening for comfort. “Y/N…I do not prefer this crowd. Can I take you back home instead? You must be tired – I’ll prepare dinner for you.”

Nanami blinks back in surprise when he sees you nod, a slight grimace on your face, and you practically bury your face in his bicep as you groan, “It’s too noisy for me too. Let’s just hang out at your place.”

So you end up in his immaculately clean apartment, admiring and staring at the boring furniture. Nanami changes into more comfortable clothes and whips out something to cook, not wanting to feed you measly take out when you’re probably famished. He watches with side glances as you pick up a photo of him with his parents when he was younger, cooing and giggling at the baby version of him.

“Nanamin, you’re so cute!”

Nanami scoffs and turns back to the heated water in the bowl, arms hard as they cross against his chest covered with an apron. “Please do not call me cute. I am anything but.”

“No, you’re really cute,” you insist, but after seeing Nanami’s flustered frown, you eventually give up and give the poor man a break. Later, you wobble next to him, watching with curious eyes and a small smile as he adds the vegetables into the soup, moving expertly as he diced up the onions to the side. The sheer focus and attention on his daily tasks makes him falter, and he suddenly finds it so hard to function now.

“Why are you staring at me? Is there something so interesting about slicing up onions?”

“No, not really,” you say absentmindedly, the slight plop of the ingredients echoing. “It’s just – I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this way. Domestic, I mean, but it looks good on you,” you nod to yourself, and Nanami finds himself struggling to act as if your presence wasn’t making him go crazy while he proceeds to cook. “In fact, everything looks good on you, and I find you really interesting!”

“Y-you do?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” you shrug, assisting him silently with mixing the bowl even when he didn’t ask you to. Unaware that he’s now focused on you, watching you cook with him with you pressed up against his side, almost as if it’s right where you belong, Nanami feels the same with you. You also look good being this domestic with him, and he suddenly blurts out, “Would you like to stay with me? Like this?”

Your eyes slide over his in a slow fashion, slow enough that his brain hotwires at the fear maybe he’s said something wrong. But Nanami immediately swallows it down, huffing and turning away from you with that stoic expression again. “Forgive me. That was weird—”

“Why would it be weird?” you laughed to yourself before bumping your hips with his, “You’re the one who invited me here. Of course I want to stay.”

That’s…that’s not what he means.

Nanami is left staring openly at you while you help him set the table and you proceed to talk about how you didn’t really want to go to the carnival but Satoru insisted you’d have fun, so you went anyway even if you’d much prefer to be somewhere else. He’s barely listening, too distracted by the way your lips move and how you swing the house slippers on your big toe, your legs crossed on top of another and your figure slightly hunched across from him.

You look so comfortable and welcomed in his home that it puts him at ease too, not worried that he has to impress you anything because it’s you, and Nanami could actually be vulnerable enough to laugh with you over a bowl of vegetable soup.

It’s fine, he lies to himself again, it’s fine that you don’t know he likes you even if he tends to slip and be obvious sometimes. Because at least you’re with him in that moment, and he lies to himself again that it’s fine, that maybe next time he’ll tell you, but he doesn’t worry about. How could he worry about it when you’re snorting so loud over a lame joke he said that rice nearly came out your nose, and he’s so drunk over the sound of your bubbly laughter that something flutters deep within his belly?

When you help him wash the dishes and bask in the silence instead, comfortable over the lack of words and nothing but the sound of his faucet running and the slight rubbing of towels against dishes heard in the background, Nanami is unsure whether he’s glad that Satoru ditched you on your first date.

It doesn’t stop there.

Nanami only keeps falling in love with you more. He’s been doing a good job of keeping his feelings to himself because the last thing he wants is to have you stay away from him, but Satoru was really getting on his nerves.

He’s just come back from exorcising a curse when he sees you and Satoru play-wrestling in the field with the other students. Megumi is grumbling to himself in the corner, Yuuji is laughing and cheering on you to tackle down his sensei who’s currently going down in high-pitched laughter, Toge pumping his fists and screaming, “Salmon, salmon!”

It’s a chaotic sight – one that he usually doesn’t mind – until you finally pin Satoru down on the ground, your ass above his crotch. Satoru’s hands then come up to squeeze your ass and hips under the false pretense he’s struggling to push you off him, but Nanami knows better.

“Give up already!” you tease the other sorcerer who’s still wriggling underneath you, and Nanami sees it before it happens.

Satoru’s legs bend beneath you and he tries to pin you under him in quick movements, but Nanami is faster, his reflexes taking over. Before he realizes what he’s doing, Nanami tugs you and pulls you forward until you collide on his chest. He’s breathing hard, eyes narrowed at the arrogant smirk painted on Satoru’s features. Meanwhile, you’ve softened in Nanami’s grip, hands fisting his shirt that has him hardening up out of sheer protectiveness.

“Oh, Nanamin!” Satoru beams while wiping the dirt on his hands across his uniform, “Glad to see you here. You wanna join training too?”

“This is hardly training,” he retorts with a clenched jaw, “You’re harassing and disrespecting your fellow sorcerer because you can never keep your dirty hands to yourself,” before Satoru could defend himself, he’s already all over you, his hand tilting your chin side to side to check for any injuries. “Are you hurt anywhere? Did this bastard do anything else?”

“No, not really—”

“Why do you care so much, Nanamin?” Satoru teases, and the students all huddle to watch the commotion. Everyone can feel the tension rising, and Nanami only stiffens up further when he feels you lean closer to his warmth almost absentmindedly. “She and I were just playing around, no hard feelings, no foul play. We’re just having fun, right, Y/N?”

“She is not someone you can just have fun with, Satoru. You’ve already crossed the line when you ditched her on your first date, and you didn’t even bother texting or calling back when I drove her home. It’s disrespectful, and she deserves better than that.”

“Nanami—”

“I was busy,” Satoru sighs dramatically, “And if she deserves better than me, then who would it be? I can take care her of her, you know, she and I have been besties for like what, a year now? I’ll be good to her,” he smirks, and Nanami wants nothing more than to punch him square in the jaw. “Besides, it’s not like she’s dating anyone else. She’s single and ready to mingle—”

“Maybe she is, but I’m not,” Nanami deadpans, his harsh tone shocking everyone.

“Wh-what do you mean?” you squeak under him, and Nanami falls silent. He’s never thought of confessing to you, especially not this way, and Nobara is biting Yuuji’s jacket behind them to muffle her squeals. Panda is clapping his hands and whispers oh, here we go, followed by Toge’s salmon salmon.

It dawns on him now that everyone knows he likes you after all, and now that he’s confronted with the situation, he can’t run away from it. Not that Nanami plans on running away, for he is a man and his pride doesn’t allow him to evade situations like this.

He just wishes it could’ve gone out better.

“Forgive me if this makes you uncomfortable,” Nanami releases his grip on you, loosening his tie that makes him feel like he’s choking both on air and his words. Through his cool stature, he’s actually sweating inside his clothes, and it doesn’t help you’re patient with him too, head tilted to the side curiously and so horribly cutely he might combust. “But I have always been, and I still am, utterly in love with you.”

Nobara and Yuuji no longer hold back as they scream to themselves, the former slapping the latter in his back while Megumi only shakes his head, muttering “about time,” under his breath. Maki snickers to herself and Satoru is stunned, but it’s nothing compared to the way you shrink under his gaze for a moment.

He believes you’re going to run away from him because of his blatant confession; it wasn’t romantic at all, and the kids are still screaming too loudly for him to form coherent thoughts.

Nanami begins to form a deep bow, ready to apologize wholeheartedly and to politely ask you to forget this if you wish – he would respect your decision. But just as his gaze met the ground, he’s thrown off balance as you jump on him, soft glossy lips crashing into his.

The screams and cheers of everyone are suddenly drowned out when he feels your lips molding onto his, and he can feel you smiling happily, giggling while his hands tentatively run down your hips to hold you close. It’s unprofessional, displeasing, and downright horrendous to be kissing someone during work hours while the students are watching, especially because his clothes are crumpled from your eager touch and you’re on top of his chest, but Nanami absolutely doesn’t give a single fuck because he’s kissing you back fervently.

It’s what he’s always wanted – you’re the one he’s always wanted, and now that he has you in his hold, he’s not easily letting you go.

“See? I told you guys,” Satoru proudly puffs his chest up in the background, “All Nanamin needs is a little push.”

[anobservatory]

Well I'm going to make your day even worse, but it's impossible that there is a timeline with a happy Ted and Jenny. Why? Because Nick said that Ted is the homeless man in every timeline.

Now I'll try to make this make sense. The year 2005 is important because it's when PEIP opened the portal to the Black and White and it's when Hannah was born so it's often agreed upon that this is when the earliest the multiverse shenanigans start.

The two most common theories about the Hatchetfield timelines are the timeline splits and the timeline loops. Ether way because the Ted from the Forever and Always timeline went back before the timeline split/started looping, that part of the timeline is set in stone.

In every timeline there's a Ted from a timeline were he left a wedding to print some reports, accidently traveled to the future, traveled to the past to fix his biggest regret, only to unknowingly be the cause of said regret, look inside the Bastards Box going insane in the process, and become The Homeless Man.

Now you might be wondering how that's possible when there are stories were Ted dies before becoming Homeless Man. Well as Holloway put it, it's a tiny temporal paradox they happen all the time. Because one Ted traveled before the timeline got screwy he became the seed or ground zero for all the homeless men in all timelines.

Like I said we were told by Nick Lang himself that Ted is The Homeless Man in every timeline. And because of this, the rules of time travel, and just good old fashioned rules of cause & effect and logical thinking we know that there is no timeline were Jenny lives, let alone happily with Ted.

i finally got around to listening to nightmare time, and ted?????? ted spankoffski???????? how did you turn this shithead asshat into a genuinely kind of tragic character???????????????

my one consolation is that with the hatchetfield multiverse being canon, maybe theres an iteration out there where he gets to be with jenny. maybe theres in iteration where hes happy. but ig in this one hes just the time bastard.

[verse2wo]

Professor Beauregard, ISWM, and the Crystal

So, space dropped about 3 weeks ago, and everyone probably knows/noticed the crystal on the box in AHWM is the same/similar to the one we get in ISWM. I’m going to build on that.

First things first, time is fucky-wucky in this universe. The only consistent point is that WKM is first, and maybe one ending in AHWM leads to ADWM. Wilford appears as he is in WMLW in ISWM and cross references that make it difficult to make a linear timeline.

I’m not here to do that.

I’m here to talk about Professor B, Ro’s character in Heist.

In Heist, one of the first things that happens before we have to make a choice, is that Mark grabs the box. It instantly splits into three echoes of itself.

That’s when we start making choices, that's when we get pirates and zombies and prison and handsome adventurers.

So we go out guns ablazing, take the car, walk to base, and go to Professor B. She is the only one that seems to be like, hey all this occurring at once is kinda weird. Zombie apocalypses don’t just happen.

The timeline distorts when were with Professor B. We get flashes to the alternate timelines where different things and outcomes occur. We see the map, the prison, the car, the helicopter.

Hell, we get a memory of something that occurs once Professor B fixes the timeline.

We get accused of being the anomaly, when its really the box (or the crystal).

We get the whole map, and it disappears to just this timeline.

We meet shoot back to the beginning, and Mark doesn't remember anything, so hey lets go on that date, and the universe doesn’t reset!

Now In Space, the resets are tied to our deaths. I think Heist might just be another convergence point. We die in Heist, back to the beginning. We survive, well, we live out our lives, reset. Dark even sends us back to that convergence point.

There are three of these points in Space. Us waking up in the cryo chamber, us waking up in cryo with Mark tagging along/post go into the light, and the ending with old Mark. We don’t know we can loop time right away, not until we fair to fix O2, and we realize hey, we can keep resetting. We don’t get to fix it from the outside until we’re with Mark again, because we’ve already died once at that point. The timeline is trying to be stable or the wrap core is trying to fix paradoxes or something like that.

We need to break the crystal. That's our box in this run. That’s how well fix the timeline. Nothing matters as long as we can keep resetting.

Tags: @madhare0512 @fischyplier (I think you'd like this)

[kawaiijohn]

DP Angst Week Day One: Birth/Creation

Ao3: here!!

Wc: 1463

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The Abyss

Waking up without any idea where you are is a pretty prevalent fear for many, and for others it's nothing more than the aftermath of a baller pub crawl.

However, most don't find themselves surrounded by a vast swirling void of lime highlighter green when they wake.

The first thing they noticed was the barren hunk of rock they'd woken up on. Grey and deep violet, yet still surrounded by the swirling neon green skies.

'Either there's a storm comin' or I'm not 'in Kansas' anymore...'

They tried to think about how the hell they ended up here, wracking their brain for any small detail, but they realized they couldn't remember anything. Not their name, nor their age- nothing was coming to them. They knew 'they' was right and so was 'he'; the words felt right, even if there was no name to match.

The more he thought, however, the more his head began to swim. There was nothing before they'd opened their eyes this morning. Or was it night? Evening??

Time didn't seem to matter here.

The toxic sky made it impossible to tell what time it was, and the purple and grey soil they were standing on made them assume they were possibly on a different planet.

What kinds of things might even live here? If anything does live here, that is. Alien life had to exist, right? We hadn't contacted them yet due to both distance and technological incompatibilities... Something clicked, filling in a blank.

'I believe that's referred to as 'The Fermi Paradox'.

He blinked, not knowing where the phrase came from. How could he recall a niche scientific theory but couldn't even recall what he'd been doing the night before??

He was panicked- trying to remember anything; his age, birthday, zodiac sign... was he a Scorpio or a Gemini? Maybe he was a cusp or something interesting...

He had to know something else... Maybe he could try and recall his Myers's Briggs personality test- then he'd find more information from inference... But not everyone fit into neat little boxes even if they were wonderful starting points...

His chest buzzed pleasantly with the train of thought, but he was no closer to an answer.

He could be in space for all he knew.

Or maybe an alternate realm...

'What, did I get hit by a truck and transported to another world?!? Is this, an Isekai or something?? ...Why do I know that word, but have no clue what my name is????'

Irritated, they looked to the horizon, spotting a floating island. He was going to dismiss it but felt something calling to them from beyond.

The feeling brought them to their knees.

They shook their head, trying to ignore the call, knowing the jump was impossible to make. It would be suicidal to take that leap...

Right?

They exhaled harshly, a strange hiss passing their lips as something vast and empty in their chest demanded they take the leap. No matter how unsafe their mind knew it was, their chest was still singing for something the horizon; calling out to that something with such pulling force it felt like a black hole would devour their common sense.

Time marched on, but they did not move.

They knelt, refusing to listen to the call until their head stopped spinning. Their knees crunched hard into the sharp gravel, digging trenches to stay grounded.

Why didn't their knees hurt from this? They've always had bad joints, especially after the- after...

After what?

They clawed the dirt, shaking in fear at what could be beyond their small respite in the lime abyss. Their mind was blank, torn between urge and indecision. They could sit here alone and think more. Or. They could follow the call.

It could be a trap.

But.

Something deep within told them they'd always felt comfort in nothing, even before this. They'd always felt comforted by the void. They didn't know what all it meant, but it was better than sitting there any longer.

So they followed their heart.

It was better to die trying than to remain a sitting duck in exile.

'Geronimo.'

They expected to die, to perish as they fell into the endless (and somehow comforting) vast sea of lime; to spend eternity gazing into long nothingness until they passed the event horizon and became one with the universe.

Instead, they floated.

They managed to fall about three or so feet before righting themself, head whipping erratically- up, down, left, right. This shouldn't be possible but...

He tested the waters (so to speak) and found he could pretty much fly. They grinned, mouth splitting farther than they remembered it being able to, but that was a mystery for later.

They sighed, relenting, and followed the siren's song.

-----

Some things seemed to be very out of place. Wrong, even.

Firstly, his hands were completely black. Not just the black of cloth, but black as the void of space- small pricks of light shone when he smiled and constellations vibrated when he grew frustrated with his amnesia. Obsidian talons (he couldn't even begin to call them hands, not with how they seemed to grow in response to his emotions) replaced what he thought for sure would be bitten nails with torn cuticles. He didn't know why he expected chipped blue nail polish.

They'd just painted their nails a few days ago and with their job it always...

'Wait... what was my job?'

Why did that confuse them? They had a job. They knew they did... It was... They brought a hand to their head, thoughts turning into radio static

'My job was...'

Faces and colors they couldn't place assaulted their mind. Names came and went, leaving nothing but lingering feelings- like a song cut off by a garbled PA announcement, the clouded memories were interrupted by crackling interference.

Claws brushed his face as black droplets rushed from his eyes.

That wasn't right either...

Nothing was right but they kept flying.

-----

Green seas shifted into a black expanse, the lime color swirling faintly in the distance instead of consuming the skies. Purple doors hovered every which way they could.

Relieved that the skies became less eye-burning, they spoke for the first time. "Thank gods!! That neon hellscape was giving me a headache..."

A pause.

That wasn't right. It didn't sound right at all.

That wasn't their voice.

Their voice was nasally, high pitched and awful. Nothing like the deeper growl they just heard... Though they were slowly panicking, the deeper voice felt right. It was something they didn't know they wanted, but it clicked as if it were natural.

But it didn't matter how pleasant it sounded, they needed to keep moving.

-----

Was it days? Hours?? Were they flying for weeks?

They didn't know, had absolutely no fuckin clue. But what did know was that they'd reached their destination.

It didn't stand out much, but for reasons unknown he felt comfortable here- at peace. His heart led him to a small island. Strange, yet familiar flowers grew in patches around a worn, yet glowing path leading to a door- black wood door with silver embossment.

"Fancy..."

He looked around- well there wasn't anything else around...

They approached the strange structure and flinched when stylish street lights flickered on with a blue-green flame. The weird vibrating in their chest sang that they were here.

This was home.

He stepped back, looking high and low. He did not trust like that. The door wasn't even connected to anything! With more investigating he saw the path reacted to his footsteps but not much else.

"Great! I get led here by the power of friendship or somethin and can't even get a break??"

He grumbled, hissing under his breath as he felt his body elongate and warp in frustration. This was all the damn door's fault!

Stupid fuckin piece of driftwood!! He ran up and kicked the offending structure, noting that he felt no pain even with an all-out kick.

In his growling frustration, however, something metal and glimmering appeared on the door- a nameplate in somehow familiar handswriting.

The void in his chest sang, something finally clicked.

"Quizz, huh?" They laughed to themself. "Thought my name'd be somethin cooler! Like Maxwell... or Levi." They crossed their arms. Progress! "Well... guess beggars can't be choosers or whatever the hell that phrase was."

They found themself hesitating. That wasn't the way to go! They were certain they weren't a quitter, even with as little as they knew of themself. No, there was an apparently magical door with their name on it that called them from across the void.

No real reason to hesitate anymore. They reached for the handle with a wicked and determined grin.

"Alrighty then! Let's see what's behind door number one!!"

[friend-dispenser]

Hey did you guys know there's a 30 tag limit on tumblr? I kinda went on a rant, so hit read more if you want to see it

Edgeworld doesn’t really work like that! There’s not really any such thing as being magical or biological; the world is nonsense and things happen because they should, rather than any kind of in universe logic.

Dragons breathe fire because that’s just what they’re expected to do. Elves do magic because fae are SUPPOSED to grant wishes and curse people. Peoples insides are entirely nonfunctional and don’t actually connect to anything, but work anyway because that’s just how bodies should work.

The entire setting is dependent on being a fictional representation of concepts and ideas people know about in real life, and doesn’t actually make sense to the people inhabiting the world. It’s there for an audience they don’t know exists.

The world is very confusing to your average Edgeworlder.

(This, by the way, is why it’s totally fine to scrap and change concepts in fan stuff; “I, the author, want this thing to happen” is already how things work in the first place!)

[maswartz]

Power Rider Paradox

(Logo by @riceyhot)

In 2019 a man who would be known as Master X used technology he stole  from his time with organization X to ambush and slaughter the earth Riders (Deca through Hybrid) and used a machine to transfer the power from their belts into small hand held discs. Outraged, a group of alien riders (Adalve through Vamp) confronted him only to be slaughtered too and their powers turned into discs.

As Master X he began a 50 year reign, he began by slaughtering the remaining rangers and riders on earth as well as all the world leaders. He used his new god like powers to seal the earth off from the universe by literally placing a barrier around it that only opened in certain places he allowed it.

The other riders (1-Jiga) managed to sneak in but were found and slaughtered save for Dex and Donais and they were only spared because Donais bartered his belt for their lives. X demanded they never step foot on earth again. From their belts another series of discs was created (the Masked Rider Rex belt was used to create a disc for PR Rex and the Masked Rider while the Shadow Rider belt was destroyed in the battle)

Master X had four unique discs made for his most trusted Generals, each given power over a domain (Wild, Science, Warriors, Supernatural). However during his rule new riders rose up. Shadowstrike, Mystery, Roborg, and Xtera all gained their power and in one way or another tried to end Master X’s rule. They stood no chance against his power. Their belts were stolen off their corpses and discs were made.

After this Master X ordered his scientists to find any remaining rider powers  on earth leading to them finding a series of ancient belts in museums. The fourth and final set of discs was made.

During his 50th year in power Master X’s grandchildren, Stephanie and Gerald  witnessed him slaughter a group of rebels. Disgusted they defected and with the aid of a rebel scientist named Kenji and his grandchildren Tiffany and Travis, they stole the first set of discs (Adalve-Hybrid) as well as a group of R.A.V.E (Rider Armor Vehicle Exoskeleton) and escaped into the time stream to make sure he never rose to power.

Arriving in late 2018 in Century City they set up base with Kenji’s younger self in his repair shop. The two Kenjis made belts and discs for the two as they realized their mission would create a paradox erasing their own births. Stephanie became Power Rider Paradox with the goal of saving the Riders from the lethal ambush and Gerald became Power Rider Quantum with the goal of murdering his own grandfather before he could become Master X. However they realized that due to Master X’s paranoia nobody had even seen his face or heard his actual name in decades. Even the siblings had no knowledge of their grandfather’s true identity.

His generals were sent back with a set of discs containing corrupted versions of the rider’s powers to create soldiers called X Riders to fight for them. The portal was kept open in the future thus preventing any changes from sticking. This allowed Tiffany and Travis to sneak to the future and steal the other discs (1-Jiga) leading to them becoming Power Rider Chrono and Power Rider Epoch.

Eventually Master X had one of his best soldiers fitted with a belt and sent back as Power Rider Eternity. he was given the discs for Shadowstrike/Mystery/Roborg/Xtera to succeed where the Generals had failed. However the soldier would eventually turn on Master X when he learned the truth about his reign of terror.

Soon Master X had a box sent back with the past discs (Hardrock/Coatl/Smith/Sheriff) to assist the generals but they were scattered throughout history. Eventually they were  found and ended up in the possession of a scholar of heroic myths and legends named Lauren. She thought they were just neat relics until she saw a close up image of one of Eternity’s future discs on the news and realized they shared a similar design. She then tracked the riders down and ended up as Power Rider Ancient

During some of their battles against the X-Riders the six are aided by various Riders from Deca through Hybrid. These six Riders are all that stand between Master X and his goals of conquest. Will history be changed or has fate already been written?

Power Rider Paradox- Stephanie- Kind and caring, the younger of the siblings. Once she witnessed her grandfather’s true nature she made it her mission to prevent him from ever coming to power. Though she still loves him she knows he has to be stopped and wishes to do so with as little violence as possible. After meeting some of the previous riders she discovers that she’s bisexual. Face Claim: Liana Ramirez Transformation Device: Mirai Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: When she spins her belt a giant energy clock appears and as the hands spins the armor forms Finishing Moves: Paradox Kick- As she leaps in the air the numbers 1-12 spin around the enemy forming a clock face (POV facing Paradox) keeping them in place as she lands the kick Paradox Slash- As she begins to slash a clock appears with both hands spinning fast (POV lining up with Paradox). When they line up she slashes in that direction Paradox Blast- As she begins the blast a clock appears (POV lining up with Paradox). Energy shoots from the numbers to her blaster charging it until she fires through the clock Vehicle: Clockwork Cycle When a Rider activates a Rider Disc an image of that Rider appears and poses before becoming the armor and forming around the Rider who used the disc.

“Armor of Adaption! Adalve!”- By using the Adalve Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Adalve’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Adalve Kick- A kick charged with the power of Adalve. When the hit lands it leaves the mark of Adalve which explodes

“Armor of Reflections! MirWar!”- By using the MirWar Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Drago’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Drago Kick- A kick charged with the power of Drago. The kick is accompanied by a fireball by Dragogard

“Armor of Insects! S.W.A.R.M!”- By using the S.W.A.R.M Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Beetle’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Beetle Kick- A kick charged with the power of Beetle. The attack is charged by lighting.

“Armor of Wishes! Djand!”- By using the Djand Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Djand’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Djand Kick- A kick charged with the power of Djand. The kick sends the enemy flying into a projection of Djand’s train.

“Armor of Power! Deca!”- By using the Deca Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Deca’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Deca Slash- A slash powered by the power of Deca. The enemy is surrounded by Deca Cards before they slash and cut them finished with the slash itself.

“Armor of Memories! Duow!”- By using the Duow Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Duow’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Duow Kick- A kick charged with the power of Duow. The shoulder armor splits into two units (Wind and Warrior) that join with Paradox for the kick.

“Armor of Beasts! Animaster!”- By using the Animaster Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Animaster’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Animaster Kick- A kick charged with the power of Animaster. Three Animal Medals appear and Paradox kicks through them into the enemy.

“Armor of Space! 4Z!”- By using the 4Z Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider 4Z’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox 4Z Kick- A kick charged by the power of 4Z. Paradox turns into a rocket flying around the enemy before flying feet first into them

“Armor of Nature! Warruit!”- By using the Warruit Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Warruit’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Warruit Slash- A slash charged with the power of Warruit. The enemy is trapped in an energy orange which explodes when slashed.

“Armor of Fusion! Hybrid!”- By using the Hybrid Rider Disc Paradox gains armor based on Power Rider Hybrid’s base form Finishing Move- Paradox Hybrid Kick- A kick charged by the power of Hybrid. A vortex of red and blue energy surrounds the enemy pushing Paradox into them.

“Armor of the Time Stream!” Time Stream Armor- During a battle with the generals she’s knocked into the Time Stream where the power grants her the Time Stream Armor boosting her power. Time Stream gives her the ability to pause, rewind and see into the future no more than five minutes either way. Finishing Move: Time Stream Slash- Twin clocks appear representing the past and future (POV lines up with Paradox) they combine and when all four hands line up she slashes in that direction.

“Armor of History!” Era Armor- After the Four Generals begin to enter the battle the two Kenji’s decide Stephanie needs a new edge. They use spare parts from the other belts to create the Era Armor. The Era Armor allows her to summon weapons or copy attacks from any of the Riders from the past present and future. Finishing Move: Era Kick- Three clocks appear, one spinning backwards, one stopped and one spinning forwards. When she lands the kick the numbers send energy into the enemy causing an explosion Era Slash- Three clocks appear, one spinning backwards, one stopped and one spinning forwards. When all the hands are aligned she slashes.

“Let’s Ride! [voice clip of every primary rider from Adalve through Hybrid shouting “let’s ride” as one] Armor of Riders! RIDERS FOREVER!” Forever Armor- During a daring mission to the future Stephanie steals a prototype armor from Master X’s personal armory. By using it she is able to tap into the power of all the Riders from Adalve- Hybrid however she learns that X rejected the armor because it was not a true union of the power instead it only gave him access to the powers all at once. Thus he labeled it Imperfect and had his scientists create a better version. Even imperfect the Forever Armor becomes Stephanie’s final form.

In time however it becomes necessary to unite the power of all the riders from Adalve through Paradox herself. The two Kenji’s create a new Rider Disc allowing them to channel the power of the Forever Armor into a more perfect form. In this perfect form Stephanie is able to unleash the full potential of the Forever Armor. For example by using a Rider Disc in this form she gains access to ALL that Rider’s various forms. Both versions are able to summon copies of the Riders themselves to fight by her side. Finishing Moves: Paradox Forever Kick- Energy versions of Paradox’s past forms (Default, Deca Armor, Time Stream Armor, Era Armor) all join in the kick converging as one at the moment of impact. Perfect Form only Riders Forever Kick- Variant 1- Energy versions of every Rider from Adalve through Hybrid appear and join in the kick converging as one at the moment of impact. Variant 2- Various Riders in various forms appear attacking with their finishing moves. Final Forever Kick- Energy versions of the riders from Adalve through Hybrid appear in their final forms and merge over Paradox charging them with power for the kick. Perfect Form only

Power Rider Quantum- Gerald- Stern and serious, the older of the siblings. When he witnessed the truth about his grandfather he swore to stop him no matter the cost. He is fully prepared to use whatever means to prevent the rise of Master X. His willingness to resort to violent means sometimes puts him at odds with his sister.

Face Claim: Colby Strong Transformation Device: Mirai Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: When he spins his belt a giant energy clock appears and as the hands spins the armor forms Finishing Moves: Quantum Kick- As he leaps in the air the numbers 1-12 spin around the enemy forming a clock face (POV facing Quantum) keeping them in place as he lands the kick Quantum Chop-As he begins to chop a clock appears with both hands spinning fast (POV lining up with Quantum). When they line up he slashes in that direction Quantum Arrow- As he begins the arrow a clock appears (POV lining up with Quantum). Energy shoots from the numbers to his bow charging it until he fires through the clock Vehicle: Clockwork Cycle

“Armor of Myths! Wyvern!”- By using the Wyvern Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Wyvern’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Wyvern Kick- A kick charged by the power of Wyvern. The kick impacts with a charge of power.

“Armor of Revival! Phi!”- By using the Phi Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Phi’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Phi Kick- A kick charged with the power of Phi. An energy drill appears and Quantum kicks with it into the enemy.

“Armor of Occult! Arcane!”- By using the Arcane Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Arcane Spade’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Arcane Kick- A kick charged with the power of Arcane. Various Arcane cards charge the kick with various attributes.

“Armor of Sound! Meloni!”- By using the Meloni Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Meloni’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Meloni Kick- A kick charged with the power of Meloni. A Demuse drum appears on the enemy and Quantum kicks it sending vibrations into the enemy.

“Armor of Darkness! Vamp!”- By using the Vamp Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Vamp’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Vamp Kick- A kick charged by the power of Vamp. The enemy is wrapped in chains as Quantum jumps and kicks.

“Armor of Magic! Mystic!”- By using the Mystic Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Mystic’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Mystic Kick- A kick charged by the power of Mystic. A mystic rune appears and Quantum kicks through it charging their body with power.

“Armor of Speed! Racer!”- By using the Racer Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Racer’s base form Finishing Move- Quantum Racer Kick- A kick charged by the power of Racer. A series of automodels appear and Quantum bounces off of them kicking the enemy each time.

“Armor of Spirits! Phantom!”- By using the Phantom Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Phantom’s base form

Finishing Move- Quantum Phantom Kick- A kick charged by the power of Phantom. Quantum’s body is charged with ghostly energy as they kick the enemy.

“Armor of Data! Arcade!”- By using the Arcade Rider Disc Quantum gains armor based on Power Rider Arcade Player 1′s base form Finishing Move-Quantum Arcade Punch- A series of punches charged by the power of Arcade. Each hit registers a higher and higher score before a final blow.

AM/PM- A twin mode suit with an Aero Mode setting that boosts speed and grants flight and a Powered Mode setting that increases power. Finishing Moves: Aero Claw- At the moment of impact a clock face appears (POV lines up with Quantum) Powered Saw- At the moment of impact a clock face appears (POV lines up with the saw)

Eon Armor: About a decade into his reign Master X ordered his scientists to take the belts collected from the fallen secondary Riders and harness their power into a single Rider Disc. Dubbing it the Eon Armor he intended to bestow it to his heir one day, however when his son betrayed him he abandoned this plan. Later after Stephanie stole the Forever Armor he had the Eon Disc sent to the Four Generals as part of a plan to sway Gerald back to his side. The plan failed however and Gerald claimed the power for himself.

Finishing Move: Quantum Eon Kick- A kick charged by the power of all the secondary riders.

Power Rider Chrono and Power Rider Epoch- Tiffany and Travis- Kenji’s adopted grandchildren, he took them in after their parents were killed when they were young. They try to remain optimistic and are the quickest to adapt the present day. While doing research Tiffany discovers there were Riders before Adalve and the two grow curious why none of them were recorded in their time. Eventually they learns they sneaked onto earth a few years after Master X took over and confronted him, however his power was too much even for them. The only survivors were King Dex and Prince Donais and that was because Donais gave up his belt in return for his father’s life. The two were also forced to vow to never return to the earth. From Donais’s belt X’s scientists pulled out the power for PR Rex and the Masked Rider. The scientists were even able to replicate Biocide’s abilities onto a device. With this knowledge the two borrow one of the R.A.V.E’s and goes back through the portal to the future and steals the discs with those rider’s powers on them.  When they returns to the present their grandfather creates two belts for the pair to become Power Rider Chrono and Power Rider Epoch. Chrono is armed with a pocket watch based staff that turns into a chain whip and Epoch is armed with a sundial based shield and dagger. Each of them can place a Rider Disc in their weapon to charge it with the power of that rider. Tiffany is the more level headed of the two, she enjoys studying history and planning strategy. Travis is the more impulsive of the two, he enjoys losing himself in fantasy books and tends to rush into action. Face Claims: Tiffany- Erika Fong Travis- Yoshi Sudarso Transformation Devices: Timeless Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: When they spins their belt a giant energy clock appears and as the hands spins the armor forms Finishing Moves: Chrono Whip- She whips her chain whip at the enemy, at the moment of impact a pocket watch appears as they explode Chrono Kick- She sends an energy pocket watch at the enemy as the chain wraps them up the pocket watch itself is hit by her kick sending the energy into them Epoch Slice- A beam of sunlight charges his dagger as he slices Epoch Kick- A beam of sunlight hits him and pushes him into the enemy Chrono’s Rider Discs

“Armor of Winds! Rider 1!”-  By using the Rider 1 Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider 1 Finishing Move- Chrono Royal Kick- A kick charged by the power of Rider 1. A strong wind is created upon impact.

“Armor of Tornadoes! Rider V3!”- By using the Rider V3 Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider V3 Finishing Move- Chrono V3 Kick- A kick charged by the power of Rider V3. A tornado is created upon impact.

“Armor of Jungles! Roarior!”- By using the Roarior Rider Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider Roarior. Finishing Move- Chrono Roarior Slash- A savage slash charged by the power of Roarior.

“Armor of Flight! Zephyr!”- By using the Zephyr Rider Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider Zephyr.  Finishing Move- Chrono Zephyr Kick- A flying kick charged by the power of Zephyr.

“Armor of Ninja! Ninobi!”- By using the Ninobi Rider Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider Ninobi. Finishing Move- Chrono Ninobi Kick- A kick charged by the power of Ninobi.

“Armor of Change! Masked Rider!”- By using the Masked Rider Disc Chrono gains armor based on The Masked Rider. Finishing Move- Chrono Masked Kick- A kick charged by the power of the Masked Rider.

“Armor of Disguise! Zer0!”- By using the Zer0 Rider Disc Chrono gains armor based on Power Rider Zer0. Finishing Move- Chrono Zer0 Kick- A kick charged by the power of Zer0 Epoch’s Rider Discs

“Armor of Cyclones! Rider 2!”- By using the Rider 2 Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider 2. Finishing Move- Epoch Royal Kick- A kick charged by the power of Rider 2. A cyclone is created upon impact.

“Armor of Environments! E.X.E!”- By using the E.X.E Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider E.X.E Finishing Move- Epoch E.X.E Kick- A kick charged by the power of E.X.E. An energy “X” appears upon impact.

“Armor of Thunder! Surge!”- By using the Surge Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider Surge. Finishing Move- Epoch Surge Kick- A kick charged by the power of Surge. Upon impact the enemy is shocked by a powerful charge.

“Armor of Cosmos! Eclipse!”- By using the Eclipse Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider Eclipse.  Finishing Move- Epoch Eclipse Punch- A double punch charged by the power of Eclipse. One fist is charged with solar power while the other is charged with lunar power.

“Armor of Royalty! Rex!”- By using the Rex Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider Rex. Finishing Move- Epoch Rex Kick- A kick charged by the power of Rex.

“Armor of Monsters! Biocide!”- By using the Biocide Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider Biocide. Finishing Move- Epoch Biocide Slash- A powerful slash charged by the power of Biocide.

“Armor of Giants! Jiga!”- By using the Jiga Rider Disc Epoch gains armor based on Power Rider Jiga Finishing Move- Epoch Jiga Kick- A kick charged by the power of Jiga.

Power Rider Eternity- Warren- One of Master X’s best soldiers, Warren genuinely believes Master X is making the world a better place and gives his all. He was sent back to stop Stephanie and Gerald and uses the power of Riders who rose up during Master X’s rule but were defeated. He attacks the siblings but when the X-Riders sent to assist him go on rampages he works with them to stop the monsters and protect civilians. It takes time to convince him of the truth about Master X but the Riders willingness to help others convinces him. When he accepts it he decides to help stop Master X as a way to make up for his past actions serving him. Face Claim: Najee De-Tiege Transformation Device: Eternity Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: When he slides the handle into place a digital clock counts down as his armor forms Finishing Move: Eternity Kick- Four digital numbers spin around the enemy counting at various times until the kick is delivered when they all hit zero.

“Armor of Shadows! Shadowstrike!”- Power Rider Shadowstrike- Last survivor of a ninja clan used mystic scrolls and relics to become a Rider. Gained his power 15 years into Master X’s rule. Fell during a failed assassination attempt. Their armor grants Eternity heightened speed and agility. Shadowstrike Transformation: A scroll opens up and shadows flow out covering them forming the suit Shadowstrike Finishing Move: Kage Katana Strike- A slash charged with shadows Armor Finishing Move: Shadowstrike Slash- A shadow infused strike

“Armor of Puzzles! Mystery!”- Power Rider Mystery- Gained her power by opening an impossible to solve puzzle. Gained her power 24 years into Master X’s rule. Fell while infiltrating his fortress in an attempt to sabotage it. Their armor grants Eternity illusion and puzzle skills. Mystery Transformation: A giant question mark appears behind them sending many smaller ones to form the suit Mystery Finishing Move: Mystery Kick- Two panels appear, one marked true the other false, after a question is asked Mystery appears out of that answer hitting the foe. Armor Finishing Move: Mystery Illusion- A series of question marks restrains the enemy for a spear strike

“Armor of Machines! Roborg!”- Power Rider Roborg- Survivor of an attack lead by the generals. Rebuilt as a cyborg and made his base in a junkyard. Gained his power 37 years into Master X’s rule. Fell while trying to hijack an army of R.A.V.E suits. Their armor grants Eternity enhanced strength. Roborg Transformation: He activates the circuits on his belt sending electric currents through his body creating the suit Roborg Finishing Move: Electric Burst- Electric energy charges up until they strike Armor Finishing Move: Roborg Breaker- Electric energy charges his attack.

“Armor of Aliens! Xtera!”- Power Rider Xtera- An alien crashed to earth hidden in a meteor 45 years into Master X’s rule and bonded with a person. She fell while trying to free prisoners. Their armor grants Eternity power of various cosmic objects such as planets and stars.

Xtera Transformation: The alien comes out of the belt and merges with them as an orb surrounds them. Xtera Finishing Move: Galaxy Charge- A kick charged with the power of the galaxy

Armor Finishing Moves: Xtera Galaxy- A cosmically charged kick explodes in the shape of a galaxy Xtera Shower- Meteors of various size rain down Xtera Nova- A large burst of extreme heat

Power Rider Ancient- Lauren Matthews- Scholar of heroic myths and legends from around the world. She found the ancient Rider Discs at various antique shops without knowing their true purpose. When she saw a news report with an image of a Rider Disc she tracked down the Riders and ended up becoming a Rider herself. Face Claim: Claire Blackwelder Transformation Device: Ancient Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: As she slides the handle into place a analog clock spins its hands as her armor forms. Finishing Move: Ancient Kick- The Roman Numerals for 1-12 spin around the enemy until she lands the kick

“Armor of Stone! Hardrock!”- Power Rider Hardrock- A Caveman who found a powerful gem deep in a cave and used it to transform in order to fend off skeletal dinosaurs attacking his people- Arms Ancient with a stone spear Hardrock Transformation: Stone emerges from the gem covering him until he breaks free revealing the armor Hardrock Finishing Move: Stone Spear- He throws his spear at the enemy turning them to stone as they crumble. Armor Finishing Move: Hardrock Spear- She throws the spear at the enemy turning them to stone.

“Armor of the Rain Forest! Coatl!”- Power Rider Coatl- A Mesoamerican warrior blessed by the gods to aid in her fight against elemental spirits- Arms Ancient with an obsidian ax. Coatl Transformation: A jaguar roars as her armor is formed around her by the aura of a jaguar. Coatl Finishing Move: Roaring Chop- A spiritually charged ax chop Armor Finishing Move: Coatl Chop- Chops at the enemy

“Armor of the Forge! Smith!”- Power Rider Smith- A blacksmith blessed by deities to create incredible weapons to defend against demons who possesses objects to create monsters- Arms Ancient with a metallic mallet Smith Transformation: Steam shoots out the belt turning to metal around him creating the armor Smith Finishing Move: Forge Crusher- Hits the enemy with their mallet Armor Finishing Move: Smith Smash- Smashes the enemy with the mallet

“Armor of the Law! Sheriff!”- Power Rider Sheriff- In the old west a native shaman cast a curse upon the settlers who attacked his people however in their rage their curse created beasts that endangered all life, native and settler. A lawman uses the latest in scientific marvels to arm himself against this threat. Utilizes steam powered blasters-  Arms Ancient with twin blasters Sheriff Transformation: Steam shoots from the pack as a brief sandstorm forms the armor Sheriff Finishing Move: Sheriff Shooter- A steam powered bullet shot at the enemy Armor Finishing Move: Sheriff Shot- Shoots the enemy with a steam powered blast. The X-Riders Twisted versions of the powers of the Riders. Created by Master X to act as warriors for his Generals to use to stop the Riders. An X Rider can only truly be defeated with the power that spawned them, either in the form of the original Rider or by a Rider using that Rider’s Disc. Any other method will not destroy them. When an X-Soldier uses one of the X-Discs to transform the effect is a twisted version of the original. For example while Hybrid transforms in a spiral of swirling energy Hybrid X transforms in a rushing geyser of energy. When Warren is sent back he is accompanied by four X-Soldiers he personally trained who are armed with the X-Discs for his Rider Discs. When he defected they pledged their loyalty to the Four Generals. When Lauren appeared as Ancient the Generals requested Master X create X-Discs to counter her own Rider Discs. The four soldiers to wield them were the top of the elite troops for each General When an X-Rider is defeated the X-Disc is drained of power until it recharges. There are no set users for the X-Discs, the Generals pick an X-Soldier to use them and when they fail they’re recalled to the future to face Master X’s wrath. The X-Disc is then passed onto a new solider to use once it recharges. As X-Riders get stronger they gain the power to summon forth enemies fought by the original Rider. (Note: In universe the Kamen Rider names on the X-Riders are replaced by their title and the year is replaced by Master X’s symbol. E.G instead of Kuuga it now says Adalve X) The Four Generals- The strongest of all of Master X’s warriors. Each General is given control over a territory to do with as they please. Master X regularly sends prisoners to them to punish as they wish. When the Four went back in time to stop the Riders they are given a series of X Discs containing corrupted versions of the power of various Riders. They have their soldiers use the discs to create the X Riders to fight the Riders.  

General of the Wild "The Huntress”- Mistress of the hunt, the top tracker of Master X. She regularly holds a hunt within an artificial preserve of her own design. Her quarry are the prisoners sent to her domain. X Riders:

MirWar X- A twisted version of Power Rider Drago. A dark reflection of the original. They share the original’s ability to travel inside reflections. Transformation- A cracked reflection of the armor appears forming around the user turning them into MirWar X.

S.W.A.R.M X- A twisted version of Power Rider Beetle. More worm than rider. Like the original they can enter a state of hyperspeed. Transformation- The armor crawls across their body like bugs before attaching turning them into S.W.A.R.M X.

Animaster X- A twisted version of Power Rider Animaster. Acts like a beast on the hunt. Transformation- Three medals with twisted versions of the symbols for the hawk, tiger, and grasshopper appear before merging on the user’s chest turning them into Animaster X. Face Claim: Jenna Coleman

General of the Sciences “The Doctor”- Top scientist and inventor for Master X, an expert in all fields of science. It’s rumored that he subjects those sent to his domain to inhumane experimentation. All in the name of Master X of course. X Riders:

Djand X- A twisted version of Power Rider Djand. Like a dark wish brought to life. Transformation- Sand covers the user turning them into Djand X.

4Z X- A twisted version of Power Rider 4Z. Dark cosmic energy fills their body. They can utilize dark copies of the Cosmic Switches Transformation- The user is surrounded by a storm of cosmic energy as they’re turned into 4Z X.

Racer X- A twisted version of Power Rider Racer. A swift and lethal warrior. They can summon a dark version of A.U.T.O Transformation- The armor appears broke and shattered around the user before attaching to them turning them into Racer X.

Arcade X- A twisted version of Power Rider Arcade Player One. Acts like the boss character in a game. Transformation- A field of virus infected binary floods over the user turning them into Arcade X.

Hybrid X- A twisted version of Power Rider Hybrid. A disturbing balance of hare and artillery. They are able to scan objects and people to create new Fuelsion to use in battle. Transformation- A rising gusher of energy sprays them turning the user into Hybrid X. Face Claim: David Tennant

General of the Warriors- “The Gladiator”- Master of all fighting styles and strongest warrior under Master X. His domain contains a massive Colosseum he uses to hold regular gladiatorial games with those sent to him. X Riders:

Adalve X- A twisted version of Power Rider Adalve. Power grows as it fights. Transformation- Intense flame covers the user causing them to change into Adalve X

Wyvern X- A twisted version of Power Rider Wyvern. The dragon’s power has gone wild. Transformation- A demonic dragon appears breathing fire on the user changing them into Wyvern X

Deca X- A twisted version of Power Rider Deca. Able to use the abilities of other X Riders. They are one of the strongest X Riders but still pale in comparison to the Generals and especially to Master X. Transformation- A card depicting their X form flies around the user turning them into Deca X.

Duow X- A twisted version of Power Rider Duow. A warrior of the winds without humanity. Transformation- A burst of universal energy forms the suit halves as they’re stitched together turning the user into Duow X.

Warruit X- A twisted version of Power Rider Warruit. A twisted warrior powered by nature. Transformation- An orange appears around the user pealing to reveal them turned into Warruit X. Face Claim: Arthur Darvill

General of the Supernatural- “The Oracle” - The top mystic of Master X, she is versed in all schools of the magical arts. She uses her connection to the paranormal to torment those sent to her realm. The air in her domain is filled with mystic power. X Riders

Phi X- A twisted version of Power Rider Phi. More Necrive than rider now. Transformation- Blood like plasma flows around the user turning them into Phi X.

Arcane X- A twisted version of Power Rider Arcane Spade. Their body is filled with arcane power. Transformation- A dark arcane symbol passes over them turning them into Arcane X.

Meloni X- A twisted version of Power Rider Meloni. More demon than rider. Transformation- Dark flame engulfs them turning them into Meloni X.

Vamp X- A twisted version of Power Rider Vamp. Acts like the bloodsucking vampire of earth instead of the darkness draining vamp. Transformation- Darkness covers them before bat wings turn them into Vamp X.

Mystic X- A twisted version of Power Rider Mystic. A dark look at what Mystic would have been had the Dragon won. They can use dark copies of Mystic’s spell rings. Transformation- The mystic symbol of the dragon appears and shoots flames all over the user turning them into Mystic X.

Phantom X- A twisted version of Power Rider Phantom. A ghostly warrior wielding dark powers. Transformation- Dark energy surrounds them as the twisted soul of the hero forces itself onto the user turning them into Phantom X. Face Claim: Alex Kingston All four command the X-Riders created to counter Eternity and Ancient

Shadowstrike X- A twisted version of Power Rider Shadowstrike. A lethal assassin hiding in the shadows. Transformation- A scroll appears and the user’s own shadow leaps onto their body turning them into Shadowstrike X.

Mystery X- A twisted version of Power Rider Mystery. Full of impossible questions. Transformation- A field of question marks swarm the user turning them into Mystery X.

Roborg X- A twisted version of Power Rider Roborg. A twisted parody using natural materials instead of metal and gears. Transformation- An electric current surges through the user turning them into Roborg X.

Xtera X- A twisted version of Power Rider Xtera. Represents the alien that bonded with the original Xtera. Transformation- Orbs orbit the user sending energy into them turning them into Xtera X.

Hardrock X- A twisted version of Power Rider Hardrock. More dinosaur than human. Transformation- Bone and stone surrounds the user turning them into Hardrock X.

Coatl X- A twisted version of Power Rider Coatl. The jungle beast gone wild. Transformation- The jaguar roars as the user is wrapped in vines turning them into Coatl X.

Smith X- A twisted version of Power Rider Smith. A dark blacksmith filled with evil flame. Transformation- Cracks appear on the user sending waves of heat as the user turns into metal becoming Smith X.

Sheriff X- A twisted version of Power Rider Sheriff. A coyote like bandit armed with twin guns in their fingers. The steam pack is a part of their very body. Transformation- Steam shoots out from the user’s pores turning them into Sheriff X. The generals all have a symbol and the united symbol is a giant X with each of them on the tip of the X with Master X in the middle X-Soldiers All X-Soldiers share the basic body armor (resembles Paradox/Quantum with the watch aspects and words in the visor removed) But each general has unique additions to their own soldiers. The X-Soldiers who accompany the Generals are often used to create the X-Riders though the process often proves lethal when they are defeated in battle. All X-Soldiers have a recall function built into their suits so that when they fall in battle their suits do not fall into enemy hands, this function was installed after the Rebels got their hands onto suits from fallen soldiers. Soldiers who prove themselves in many battles are rewarded with their own personal R.A.V.E suit. Huntress- Her soldiers wear environmental camouflage and are armed with sniper rifles, bows and arrows, and knives. They are trained to fight like beasts. Doctor- His soldiers are equipped with the most advanced technology the Doctor can develop. They are trained to fight in a mechanical manner, many of them having cybernetic enhancements. Gladiator- His soldiers are styled after the ancient Spartans and armed with high tech spears and shields. They are trained to fight like warriors in the Colosseum. Victory or death are the only options for them. Oracle- Her soldiers wear cloaks and know many low level spells to cast. They are trained to fight with magic enhancing their actions. Master X- His soldiers are the very elite of the elite. They are styled after himself and would rather die themselves than cause Master X to even be aware of a threat against him. When Warren is sent to the past he is accompanied by his own personal squad he trained himself. When he defects they remain loyal to Master X and turn on him. During the final battle this squad uses the X-Discs for the Future Riders.

Master X- The man known as Master X was once a man named Max. Max grew frustrated with the state of the world and marveled at the power of the Riders. He realized that a single being with all their power could rule the world like a god and shape the world to their liking. After using his ties with Organization X to create rider technology he lured the Riders of Earth into a deadly ambush. Using organization tech he transferred their powers into himself gaining enough power to cut down all in his path. He used the power of the Riders to take over the Earth and slaughter his foes including all the Rangers and remaining Riders of Earth. After this massacre he cut down the heads of nations virtually abolishing the very concept of nations. The world was united under his flag. However the only thing greater than his power was his paranoia. As time went on he would remain transformed all the time and not even his own family would see his face nor know his true name. He learned the hard way not to truly trust anyone when his own son and his daughter in law planned to overthrow him. Learning of their plan he murdered the two and framed rebels for the act. He would raise his grandchildren alone, treating them with kindness while molding them in his own image. However all his work was undone when they witnessed him slaughtering a group of rebels. His grandchildren would join the rebels and travel back in time to prevent his rule from ever beginning. After sending his Generals to stop him he eventually grew frustrated and traveled back himself, quickly finding his younger self and enlisting him to repeat his conquest. Master X treats his younger self with contempt barely hiding his disgust at what he once was, in fact he even plans to simply transfer his brain into his younger body and extend his lifespan. Despite this he gives his younger self a special Rider Disc allowing him to become Power Rider Zenith. He also brings the machines keeping the time portal open insuring his survival. Master X only truly cares about himself and anything or anyone that threatens his rule is an enemy to be dealt with severely. Any noble goals have long been forgotten as a ruthless tyrant rose from the ashes of heroes. Face Claim: Peter Capaldi

Power Rider Zenith- The man known as Max had grown bored with his life and sickened by the actions of those in power. He believed that he could do a better job. One day a visitor from the future gave him the chance. In this timeline Max never had the chance to begin his plans on his own before Master X arrived and told him of his destiny to rule the world. Seeing his dreams within his reach he agreed to help his future self insure history remains on the proper course. Though he does feel like his future self is not telling him the full story. Face Claim: Alex Heartman Transformation Device: Zenith Belt Transformation Call: Let’s Ride! Transformation: When he spins their belt a giant energy clock appears and as the hands spins the armor forms The time soon comes for the final battle as Master X summons his armies. Due to the time distortion portals begin to open. The Rider Discs call forth the Riders from the past and the future (Hardrock through Xtera) resulting in the Riders joining forces with their own backup in the form of the rest of the (primary) Riders. The battles are set. Paradox vs Master X and Zenith Quantum vs The Huntress Eternity vs The Gladiator Chrono and Epoch vs The Oracle Ancient vs The Doctor Adalve-Hybrid vs the X Riders Hardrock-Xtera vs their X Riders 1-Jiga vs Master X’s soldiers and their R.A.V.E’s

During the battle Master X forces a fusion between him and his younger self turning themselves into an X Rider version of themself. After a hard fought battle the two men defuse and Max reveals that the process let him learn of Master X’s plans. Fed up with his future self and enraged at the betrayal Max laughs as he claims to have found a power greater than any Master X holds. The tyrant laughs and asks what power he could have. Max responds “The power to change the course of history” as he stabs himself with a broken blade. Panicking at the mortal wounding of his younger self Master X retreats to the future with his soldiers following him, the rest of the X Riders fade with their Rider Discs shattered.

Arriving in the future Master X realizes too late he left the machines in the past as Paradox and Quantum destroy the machine closing the time portal. As it closes history changes for Master X. His power fades leaving the tyrant a frail and pale old man screaming as his empire fades and history is rewritten. The past and future Riders return to their origin points despite knowing that for half of them their deaths are already written and for the others their very existence has been erased. Due to being in the present Stephanie, Gerald and the others remain intact.

Without Master X or the hope of returning to their future the guilt of their actions finally hit the Generals. After begging the Paradox Riders to put them out of their misery the Riders refuse and tell them they can use this chance to make amends and make a new beginning. And so the Four Generals leave Earth and scatter to the stars, each attempting to atone for their horrific deeds. The Huntress uses her skills as a bounty hunter tracking down those who escape justice. The Doctor creates a single robot for each of his many victims. After each one is completed he sends it into the universe to do good and help others. The Gladiator seeks out and trains with the greatest warriors across galaxies before accepting students of his own. He instructs his pupils to only use their skills in the defense of others. The Oracle uses her future sight to prevent disasters and tragedies wherever she is able. After the battle the Rider head to a near by mall and buffet to relax and unwind as they discuss the future that nearly was and the future yet to be. The threat of Master X is finally ended. We see four glimpses into the new future * The Tournament Of Shadows is held between the various ninja schools around the world each sending a Rider to represent them. From the School of the Frog comes Power Rider Shadowstrike who quickly becomes the crowds favorite… * A woman solves an unsolvable puzzle and uses the power within to become Power Rider Mystery and fight against a mad scientist trying to force humanity into the next step of evolution… * A man barely survives the first attack of the robot uprising. He is found by a group of scientists who save his life by turning him into a cyborg. Fighting to defend humanity he becomes Power Rider Roborg… * A woman finds a peaceful alien crash landed on Earth. The alien had come to warn of an invading fleet but is too injured to help. The two bond and Power Rider Xtera is formed to fend off the invaders…

(Faces by @dream-chef-flavors Zenith and additional armors by JK5201, Hardrock/X, Coatl/X, Smith/X, Sheriff/X, Xtera X, Four Generals all by Chen Chan , Epoch, Ancient and additional armors by @chuckles-the-jester, Adalve-X, 4Z-X and Phi-X by Larryng1204)

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[prince-of-elsinore]

On the Weechesters that could have been

Or, Supernatural has a flashback problem

So, I've been thinking a lot about Dean's confession ("I didn't know what I would've done if I didn't have you," "it was always you and me") and how it shapes my view of season one and my pre-series headcanons. On the one hand, it really only confirms what we could already infer, but on the other, it enshrines as canon, beyond a doubt, just how big a deal the events of the pilot were to Dean, how much he wanted and needed Sam in his life. Meaning Dean already knew back then that Sam was it for him. It's possible he didn't fully examine or accept this until after Sam had left, but either way, the groundwork for that need was laid in their childhood. Despite various complaints Dean has voiced over the years (either jokingly or seriously) about having to look after Sam, all he wanted at 26 was to have his brother at his side again, and that could only arise from true affection and attachment--and yeah, an unhealthy dose of codependency.

And we know the affection and codependency run both ways, even if it wasn't as explicitly stated on Sam's part, especially in season one. Personally, I trust Jared Padalecki to understand Sam best, and he's said that Sam's happiest moment was committing to getting back on the road with his brother--despite the fact that back then, Sam's assumption was that he would return to his normal life after they found Jess's killer. Jared has also said something to the effect of "Sam loved his father and brother so much he had to leave" which definitely reframes his decision to go to Stanford--because of, rather than in spite of, his love. How to make sense of these statements? They only track if Sam really is just as smitten (in the platonic sense) as Dean. In spite of whatever resentment he had towards Dean, he loved him (keep in mind, the deeper the love, the deeper the potential resentment) and, importantly, liked him, and was intrinsically tangled up in him. Everything Sam does and says makes perfect sense if you accept that Sam loved his family, but hated hunting. Of course he's upset that the father and brother he loves and needs go out and risk their lives all the time. He's right to be. And of course he would be especially upset that his brother doesn't even try to imagine a different life for himself, that he takes their father's word as law despite the damage it does to Dean. And, when Sam finally does leave, it hurts him that Dean doesn't try to understand his decision because it would shake Dean to his foundations to consider that Sam might be right, let alone to consider following him out of the life (as I believe Sam would have preferred, though he probably knew it was a lost cause). Dean can only see it as Sam abandoning him, even though for Sam it was always about leaving hunting, never about leaving his brother. Sam wanted nothing more than his brother on his side, by his side, and it broke his heart when Dean seemed to choose John over Sam. The tragedy of the Stanford split is that Sam and Dean each thought their worst fear was confirmed--for Dean, that Sam didn't need him, and for Sam, that Dean hated him--even though this really wasn't the case.

So, why this digression about the old Stanford grievance and the boys' headspaces in the pilot? Because I wish so much we got to see how they got there--and the flashback episodes, for the most part, do not show us. In fact, there's a frustrating pattern of flashbacks that don't really corroborate this textually-supported characterization of young Sam and Dean. Almost universally, the flashbacks concentrate on the brothers in isolation from each other, either physically or emotionally (or both). That's not to say that they're all bad episodes or that they don't reveal other important information about Sam and Dean. It does, however, give an overall skewed impression of their "normal" as kids, and presents something of a paradox in considering the Winchesters' childhood. We see, textually, that the brothers must have been extremely attached to each other growing up, beyond just Dean's sense of duty to look after Sammy (which is hammered home again and again, and again...), but this isn't the impression most flashbacks give. Let's take a closer look:

1x18 Something Wicked--Sam is too young to be much of player. It's all about Dean and his sacrifices/responsibility for Sam--all important stuff, but aside from Sam offering Dean the prize in the cereal box, there isn't much evidence of actual affection between them. Dean appears only put upon--fair enough for a young kid given such (way too much!) responsibility, but it's to the complete exclusion of any potential positive emotion, even fondness, for Sam.

3x08 A Very Supernatural Christmas--This flashback is the exception, and it's why it's my favorite! This was a crucial moment for the brothers in their young lives, when they chose each other over anyone else. Sam trusts Dean, not his father. Dean tries to put on a nice Christmas for Sam because he feels it's his job, yes, but he then experiences genuine gratitude when Sam gives him the pendant. They lean on each other. They comfort each other. In short, we see the why and the how of their relationship. I wish every flashback accomplished what this one does.

4x13 After School Special--The focus is mostly on Sam and his relationship with Barry and that English teacher, with a big emphasis on Sam's dissatisfaction with his life. That's super important, but I can't think of any moment between Sam and Dean that reads like anything other than pretty average brothers... which they are decidedly not. The episode drives home the diverging desires of the brothers more than anything.

5x16 Dark Side of the Moon--Not strictly a flashback episode, but we do glimpse important memories in Sam and Dean's heaven. Dean's 4th of July memory is iconic for a reason--it's one of those rare moments we really see why these brothers feel the way they do about each other. They're having actual fun together--the only time we get to see young Winchesters doing that! We all know which of Sam's memories were in heaven, though, and how that made Dean feel. Now, it makes sense that Sam would cherish moments when he was getting away from The Life, but the fact that the writers again chose to prioritize this (beat a dead horse, one could say), over showing a single good memory Sam had of the family he supposedly (actually, really!) loves, feels wrong and motivated solely by the plot's need for more artificial brother drama. Could anyone really blame a casual viewer for believing that Sam doesn't love his brother as much as Dean loves him? And yes, one can make excuses--Sam probably had lots of heaven memories of Dean that weren't shown! Zachariah was messing with them!--but it's still on the writers to make that clear.

5x23 Swan Song--I'm including this one for the flashes we get of little Sam and Dean in the Impala. These are beautiful moments, but it amounts to telling, not showing: we get toy soldiers and legos, and a brief shot of Sam and Dean carving their initials. What we don't see is the impetus behind that action. We are essentially told how to feel about these things. (Don't get me wrong, I think it's still a really well done episode and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel exactly what it wanted me to feel--I'm just pointing out a pattern.)

7x03 The Girl Next Door--Dean is only present as a voice on the other end of a phone call (do we even hear him? Can't remember. Don't think so). Oh, and Sam has doubts, yet again, about hunting monsters. Hm, I think we've been here before. Sam has an instant connection with a girl he just met and he seems ready to put her before his family. I get that he doesn't want her to die, which is sympathetic. But again, one would be forgiven for thinking he does not care about--or even actively hates--both John and Dean. Maybe he does hate them a little bit in this moment, and wouldn't that be interesting to explore? (Cue Jared saying Sam had to leave because he loved John and Dean so much! He couldn't stand the thought of it all turning to resentment! It makes so much sense!) But, alas, the episode just doesn't go there.

9x07 Bad Boys--This time it's the Dean show, and we get to see Dean finding happiness away from his family, even if he needs some time to warm to the apple pie life. Okay, cool to know this about Dean. And the moment at the end is interesting, and gratifying for brothers fans, since Dean doesn't seem pulled back out of a mere sense of grudging obligation to Sam--he gives such a genuine, loving smile when he sees him. He wants to go back to Sam. But it's just a gesture, telling rather than showing again. We don't know why Sam makes him feel that way.

11x08 Just My Imagination--The only brother interaction, over the phone, doesn't reveal much about how the brothers feel about each other, though it does hint that Dean would ultimately come down on their father's side when John and Sam were at odds. Dean asks John, on Sam's request, to bring Sam along on a hunt, but he doesn't press the issue when John refuses. If anything, this leaves me more curious than ever about what the good in their relationship looked like, if Sam was so often disappointed by Dean's kowtowing to their father.

Sully seems a bit like English Teacher 2.0, encouraging young Sam to figure out what he wants for himself and reject the family business. I think it's quite well done and sweet, actually, and it's nice that in the end Sully actually thanks adult Dean for looking after Sam (how rare for anyone to acknowledge that), and Dean likewise comes to appreciate Sully. In the flashbacks, we learn that Sam was eager to join in hunts when he was little, which is interesting and sad when you think about how that changed. Already, though, he must feel pretty ambivalent, because he's seriously considering running away at the same time. Ultimately, Sam chooses his family--articulating that what he wants is to be with his dad and Dean--and rejects Sully's message of self-determination. He makes the decision that may not be best for him, but he's motivated by love. It seems in character, and hints at the claustrophobic pull of the Winchester family. Yet again, though, we are left to fill in the blanks ourselves about why Sam wants to be with his dad and Dean. In fact, the motivations for his two apparently conflicting desires--to stay or run away--are never very clearly laid out. We don't know what, specifically, Sam doesn't like about the hunting life, when part of him also wants to hunt, and we don't know what it is about his family--what good memories, desires, or needs--that draws him back to it.

15x16 Drag Me Away (From You)--It's unfortunate that the young actors had no chemistry whatsoever, but the script also didn't do them any favors as far as displaying their dynamic. Dean has a moment of vulnerability (if you squint) over Sam thinking about college, but aside from that, it's almost amazing how little the brothers interact, given that they're staying in a motel together, on their own. What a missed opportunity. Can you imagine if the episode had focused even a little more on Sam and Dean, rather than on their interactions with those other random kids? If it had given us just a fraction of the relationship "A Very Supernatural Christmas" managed to show in such an understated, poignant way? You wouldn't know these brothers liked or loved each other from this episode. When Dean said "We made a good team" I was honestly baffled because they barely did anything together. You could argue Dean was reaching with that statement because he was desperate, but again, there's nothing actually shown to back that up.

Ultimately, what these flashbacks show can all be true--it doesn't negate what we know about Sam and Dean from the show's present. Of course, like any brothers, they teased and annoyed the hell out of each other. Of course they had vastly diverging desires for themselves and their lives--that's sort of the premise of the show and characters in the early seasons. These aspects of their relationship are true, but these aspects are not the whole story, which is why it's frustrating that almost every flashback focuses exclusively on these things. From the flashbacks alone, you might think Dean is only about "protect Sammy" (and later, "order Sammy around") and Sam is only about "I hate my life (and by extension, family)." Most of us could tell all along--and the finale confirms--that there's another story underneath this one, though, of two brothers who are soulmates, destined to find each other like magnets again and again.

But this requires the astute viewer to do a lot of legwork in characterizing the brothers' childhood dynamic beyond what's shown--partly as a result of some logistical and practical issues (especially with child actors), to be sure, but mostly of lazy writing. There's a difference between respecting your audience's intelligence enough not to spoon-feed them every detail, and expecting them to pick up the slack and make excuses when your characterization and plotting is inconsistent or one-note. This is far from the most egregious example of this in Supernatural, but the finale had me thinking more closely about what is canon for the pre-series era, and it drove home how much it applies to the flashbacks.

So what would I have liked to have seen? What it comes down to is interaction between the brothers. The only flashback where we have both brothers in equal focus, interacting with each other rather than outside characters, is "A Very Supernatural Christmas." It's impossible to show the progression and significance of a relationship when you consistently show only one side of it at a time (or don't even focus on said relationship when both parties are in the same room--looking at you, 15x16). Sam and Dean are the heart of the show, and they should have--together--been the heart of the majority of flashbacks. It's not that Sam wasn't a lonely kid, but as Dean says to Sam in "Just My Imagination": "You had me!" Of course, Dean's memory is skewed--he isn't thinking about all the times he went off with John on a hunt and left Sam behind, and hell, even when Dean was supposed to be babysitting, we know from "Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie" that he sometimes dumped Sam. But I can't believe that Dean is totally wrong, either. Sam and Dean must have been each other's best--only--friends, living the life they did. What we see rarely looks like friendship, and it certainly doesn't track as a basis for the codependency we see in the series present, starting with the pilot. That didn't come from nowhere, though.

I would have loved to have seen that first hunt Sam went on in Milwaukee, after he left Sully. I would have loved to have seen Dean, proud of his little brother becoming a hunter. Or Dean, looking out for Sam on a hunt (and treating Sam's peril like a bigger deal than he does in 15x16, where it barely phases him). I wish I'd seen the moment that made Sam reject a future as a hunter, after his initial excitement. Did something happen on a hunt? Was it the violence of it? The brutality against a monster with a human face? Or the peril? Was there a moment when Sam's life was in danger? Or perhaps, a moment when John's or Dean's was, that scared Sam even more? I wish I'd seen Sam grappling with how leaving hunting would mean leaving the family he loves. I wish I'd seen him mention it to Dean, try just once to convince him to try a different life, and get shot down. I wish I'd seen more of the Dean who wants to give Sammy the world, struggling with the increasingly impossible task of balancing Sam's wants and needs with John's orders. Dean, caught in the middle of their arguments and torn apart by it. Sam, hurt when Dean doesn't back him up. Dean, terrified that Sam might actually follow through with that college pipe dream. Perhaps all of this would have been indulgent (not to mention difficult to film, with the right child actors and JDM), but even part of it would have allowed for some nuanced characterization.

More than anything, though, I would have liked to have seen a few more of the good memories, because they are actually important to understanding the characters and the story. It's not about fluff; it's about showing rather than telling. What are the good memories that made Sam love Dean and even his dad? Sam's anger towards their father is all the more compelling and believable if there is a fierce love underneath the layers of resentment and betrayal. And you know what's even more sad than a kid whose dad didn't make it home for X occasion? A kid whose dad did come home, just once, and the kid who enshrines that one perfect memory because they don't realize how messed up it is that it's such a rarity. Or, if it wasn't John making it home for one holiday, maybe it was the one time Sam remembers getting John's approval in some way--it could be any number of small things. The good that a character holds onto, no matter how small a scrap, says a lot about them. And the same goes for Sam and Dean. Where was Sam the social outcast, wanting but struggling to fit in, grateful that at least he doesn't have to put on a pretense of normality around his brother? Dean, feeling the same, though he'd never admit it? Dean, talking Sam up rather than tearing him down? How they felt safe, comfortable, only with each other? Even if they both had to act a certain way to earn the other's approval or admiration, that act must have felt worth it for the reward. Where was the Sam that looked up to and tried to emulate Dean, and the Dean that cherished that more than anything? Where were the moments of fun, the contentment Dean felt when he managed to put a smile on Sammy's face? The small acts of rebellion that united them, however briefly, against both their father and the world? The fireworks scene has to do so much heavy lifting all on its own, in the face of all the flashbacks that repeatedly give the opposite impression.

People are complex, of course, and we're fortunate to have two such complex characters as Sam and Dean. Both the good and the bad of their childhood, and their relationship with each other, are true, but the writers chose to emphasize one side much more than the other when it came to the flashbacks. As much as I'm a believer in the power of the audience's imagination and of transformative works, it is still up to the writers to guide that imagination in a certain way. Unfortunately, in the case of the flashbacks, that guidance is off-track and unbalanced at best, and negligent misguidance at worst. The story of Sam and Dean only makes sense with a more balanced picture. It only works if it really is about two brothers who love each other more than anything. It only makes sense if there's much more to their childhood relationship than we were shown. Now that the series is over, we won't be getting any more flashbacks (unless prequel series? Unlikely haha), so we're left to fill in these gaping blanks on our own. At least the finale gave us some good crumbs to work with.

[cmx1y]

Paradox Live Corocot Vol. 1 Box Split

[ Please read the box split info before claiming! ]

Each plush is $16.00 Shipping: $5 (tracking included)

BAE:

Hajun:

Suzaku:

Anne:

The Cat’s Whiskers:

Ryu: ❌ (me)

Saimon:

Ryohei: 

Shiki: ❌ (me)

I plan on ordering this set around February (2021) if enough people are interested! (☆｀• ω •´)ｂ

Send me an ask if you have any questions or would like to claim!

[yeocult]

ateez film diary analysis

ok i am currently typing with tears in my eyes but that’s cool!!!! gonna talk about ateez diary film for a moment. btw if you’re here for theories, this might not be for you, my brain is not capable of that critical thinking lmao. although, i will be rambling/analyzing the cinematography and overall admiring the film!! under the cut because this happened to be 1.5k words oops.

man, first of all, 16 minutes?? thank you for the food kq!! i think their concept is super cool. it’s unpredictable, refreshing, and just gives me a lot of high hopes for this comeback. ateez never disappoints, they come back each time stronger and better.

“this is the story where their dimensions are split into eight pieces again.” that kinds hurt me. throughout the film we see clips of them being happy and joyful with each other, but we also see scenes where they’re all alone. they didn’t get separated by losing contacts or whatever, literally dimensions.

phew okay, when the man with the black fedora approaching hongjoong like that was soooo dskjdj ugh i love it when they have a bright light in the back, capturing the silhouette perfectly. sorry i’m such a sucker for those types of shoots!! now hongjoong’s dream. “the world inside a television cannot be reached. the world they live in and the world that i live in is blocked.” yea.. they’re separated from dimensions. isn’t that so heartbreaking?? separated by time and space. 

um this might be a huge stretch, plus i’m horrible at science. i’ve read a lot of articles on where, ‘if time stopped would gravity still apply?’ and i thought of this because of the items floating up around hongjoong. without time, gravity, acceleration, speed and force are simply meaningless, so i guess that’s why it’s floating? as if we’re going back in time. there’s a lot of consequences and weird things on going back in time/time travelling (most famously the ‘bootstrap paradox’) because time is not an object and cannot ‘go’ anywhere at all, not forward, not backward, nor can it stop. so i expected some not so happy events to occur.

anyways moving on to seonghwa’s memory. i loved this. “i thought i lacked in many areas and have much to learn.” then we see a bunch of to-do lists and i guess they’re kinda like goals to accomplish or things he wants to learn. the somewhat long shot of him sitting on this table and the camera moving away from him gave me a sense of isolation (i also don’t know why yeo in the smn box is on the tv but it could mean he’s trapped). we also see him walking straight, kinda like following a straightforward path with a lot of control, hence the to-do lists. then he hits stops. now the girl is the total opposite of seonghwa. she’s dancing, moving, and overall carefree i would say. everything seonghwa is lacking. she’s freedom. i don’t have much to say about this scene but i really like how when he was walking one step at a time, it was completely dark. but as soon as it hits stops and sees her, there were lights.

now my favourite, wooyoung’s choice. that transition to seonghwa’s little emo time to wooyoung’s hyped underground music and dancing was the serotonin boost i needed. let’s talk about his ponytail because it made me a whole simp for him. plus he’s so fucking cool?? if i become a wooyoung biased soon, you know why. he talks about stage fright and the scene where people were looking down at the camera was perfect, low camera shots show dominance or superiority. when you have stage fright, you’re worried and insecure about your abilities (at least that’s how i feel) and with people look down at you is almost like they’re judging and aren’t expecting much from you. ateez brings him courage and reassurance, they give him strength. the last scene with the rain and the flickering light so chilling. its almost like the rain washed away his everything.

yeosang’s time giving me slight dark academia vibes and i’m here for it!!! also bird metaphors?? yes please! “limited freedom. like a bird in a cage.” we see yeosang in a room surrounded by other musicians but he isn’t playing his instrument. almost like he doesn’t wanna be there or has no real passion for this field. hence him talking about ‘expanding his dreams’. we get a close shot at his face looking forward to the right, i feel as if he’s daydreaming or reaching out. taking back to say my name, we have yeosang trapped inside that box, almost like the birds with limited freedom. he drops his violin and suddenly the birds (they symbolize peace, transformation, freedom and power) are free, giving us a scene with his friends. he’s free.

san’s resolution might just be my favourite in terms of cinematography. can we just talk about the long amount of time san has the stay put for the timelapse to work?? the scene wins my heart. now we see the classroom in a mess, meaning school was never enjoyable to san. always moving and no friends. the way he’s moving seems like there’s not much he can do in his life. the escalator scenes kinda look like the one in wonderland. time is always moving, the escalator moving, and san runs back up despite it moving in the opposite direction. im not sure where i was going with this but i thought i was kinda cool, how he’s running back up to be with his friends.

next, we have yunho and his brother. in a matter of seconds, all the light in the studio flicker and turns off. this is quite similar to the flicker lights in wooyoung’s last scene. there’s a pattern here with flickering lights and how it means lost and loneliness. we don’t know what 5:07 mean, maybe its completely relevant but knowing kq and their team, almost everything seems intentional. also i saw on twt (not my analysis) but seonghwa’s to-do list includes a task of learning how to drive, then we get yunho getting hit by a car. not sure where i got from this but i thought i would include it.

actor jongho!!!! he’s so good i love him. ok so we get that basketball was his dreams but due to his broken leg, it seems impossible for him to pursue that dream. we him sitting at a distance, admiring the game and the people who are able to play. but when he’s in the court, he’s all alone (might just be because he can’t go in court when other people are playing but just let me be deep for a second oki). the burning basketball means he cannot play again. then the fight scene between him and mingi. i want to talk about the camera work for a second. it’s unstable, harsh and a little unfocused (because it’s handheld) and it makes it seem like another member’s pov, pushing the realism on us. hmm this might be kinda dumb but the loud bang when mingi got pushed was a little unexpected hence every scene with the boys was all very calm and had music in the back, no sounds. idk just a noticed. ohmygod another silhouette scene with beautiful lighting in the back!!!! the camera is moving away from him, moving away shows weakness. i loveee this so much along with the smoke. his dreams are burning up, literally.

last we have mingi’s diary. “earphones in my ears, the world is mine for now.” again, similar to seonghwa in the dark walking, mingi is isolating himself from the world. he’s using music to escape from reality. mingi looks trapped by the way its shot, cutting off his forehead and lips only showcasing his eyes and nose. this could be his facial features are more important than anything else right now. the camera angle is below mingi, again with the dominance and superiority… because he literally kicked someone. but still the same camera angle except this time mingi is looking up at the sky or forward, not looking down. with that, mingi no longer looks intimidating, he seems slightly vulnerable. and i think that’s really powerful how quickly he transitions despite the same angle. so we know mingi uses music as an escape, “i would rather be alone than encounter the world.” then we see yeosang (by his flannel) taking off his earphones. bringing him back to reality with the boys, and everything seems a lot more peaceful. its kinda like, without his friends, he would rather be isolated. now i want to point how the loud bang from jongho’s shot. it’s literally the same shot but the noise isn’t there indicating that mingi has earphones in (i think even when they’re not literally in, he still shuts out noise), shutting off the noise. i think the little details were so well done. we also get a match cut of mingi blinking, back to the darkness. i think it shows how quickly things can be taken away from you.

MAN THE SCENE WHERE THEY ALL GATHER TOWARDS HONGJOONG JAKJDSJKSDJKSD I CANNOT BREATHE IT GAVE ME SO MUCH CHILLS MYGODDOO !!!!!! like that scene in say my name. gotta love the build up of the song then it drops when the members all show up UGH I LOVED THAT SOO MUCH!! “the memories of short happiness. and dreams broken into pieces” brb gonna cry. the hourglass is finished,, what does this mean? ;o also i cant help but to notice the lighting on how one side is dark and the other has light. this could just be for aesthetics but idkkkk just another notice.

hehe sorry this made no sense,,, anyways that’s all i have to say, i’m so excited for their comeback <33