bakerstreet | time travel meme

time travel meme

THE TIME-TRAVEL MEME

Somehow, someway, you've mastered time travel! Well done, genius. Maybe it was accidental, maybe you knew exactly what you were doing all along, perhaps you've even been at it a while!

How to play
① Tag in with your name/series/date. The latter should be from your character's perspective! For example, Jane Doe/That Oldie Zombie Series/1945
② Go to RNG and roll 1-10. That's your scenario!
③ Tag around!
④ Have fun. :)

Scenarios

① Trapped. Something doesn't seem to be quite right with the machine anymore ...
② Long Lost Lovers. You're back in their arms and nothing can separate you, not even time and space itself.
③ War. You've arrived in the middle of a fight/battlefield. Unless you intended for it to happen, this isn't looking so good.
④ Sickness. Did that person mention the Black Death?! Better find your friend and get out of the Dark Ages before you start coughing.
⑤ Party. Lucky you! There's a hootnanny going down in the past/future and it looks like you're just in time to grab a drink.
⑥ Missing. They stole your first time machine, but now you've built another and the chase is on!
⑦ Date Night. Nothing says 'oh, Mr. Darcy, oh!' like a romantic blast into the past or a frolic into the future. Whichever historical event is going on around you now, however amazing, it's all foreplay in the grand scheme of things.
⑧ Lost. It's years ahead of the times for one of you, but things seem normal enough to the other person.
⑨ You Dun Fucked Up, Kid. Which year is it? Which world is this, for that matter? Shit. Looks like you didn't just build a time machine, you're in a whole other universe ... !
⑩ Roller's Choice. Pick your own.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Whoa, Ralph definitely noticed Felix's shift in tone. It went away quickly, though, but it's going to stick in the back of Ralph's mind. As bad as it was for him stuck homeless and jobless, at least he hadn't been trapped in a warzone like Felix had.

He gently put a giant hand on Felix's shoulder.]

Don't worry, you won't have to go through that again. I promise.

[Everyone was more careful now and if he had to, Ralph would attempt to use his massive strength to keep the plug in place just long enough for Felix to escape.

That was enough on that topic, he was curious about the house Felix had been stuck at.]

So the player just played whenever? Could you tell when the off hours were?

I don't know if I could deal with that, I like having a set schedule...

I miss having a schedule! [Felix looked up at Ralph, giving him a smile despite his words.]

You never quite knew when the off hours were. We had scouts posted constantly - the regular machines like ours, that stayed on all the time - so we wouldn't be caught off guard and a whole alert system that was passed through the cable trains. People didn't stay long in Game Central because of it.

[Felix hopped forward and up into the train for Tappers. He was looking forward to a proper rootbeer!]

[Ralph returns his smile.] Starting today, you've got one again.

[He shakes his head.] With hours like that, you'd never get to get out much or talk to any of the others often... I don't know how you were able to stand it, Felix.

[Ralph clambered into the train and sat down next to Felix. It had been so many years since they had traveled together like this.

After Ralph's adventure, they had always rode the train out of Fix-It Felix Jr. to the Station. They rarely went to the same games together, but the ride in and out of their game was much nicer with a friend to chat with to pass the time.]

I try not to think about it. [Felix's tone suggests he tries not to a lot.] You really need to meet the other marines. They're a really good group of people! Gosh, they're the only reason it was okay!

[Felix had almost always gone to see Calhoun first, sometimes spending the night with her in the barracks or they returned home all together to the Niceland Apartments. He could still remember it well, how the Nicelanders had been shocked and curious about Calhoun, then... more shocked by far when she acted very much herself around them.]

I met some pretty incredible sprites while I was out there. You know the blue guy who always toted about game safety on the screens in Game Central? I met him!

[Ralph catches Felix's tone and he's going to try to avoid the subject as much as he can. He nods in response.] I didn't see them in action much, but they seemed like a pretty solid group. Glad you got along with them.

[Calhoun and Ralph got along fair, things had been shaky since it was his fault that a Cy-Bug had gotten loose. But, he had taken care of the problem and after that things were okay between them, especially since him and Felix were close friends.

Ralph remembered those screens pretty well, the video played fairly often and he had seen it more times than he could count.]

Oh, hey, yeah! What's he like?

He's very nice, even if a bit arrogant, if you pardon. And boy howdy can he run fast! He was just a blue blur shooting by when he got to full speed! He had a very nice friend as well, a fox with two tails. [Felix gives a warm smile at that, remembering it well.]

He lives on a disc, but he said he used to live on a cartridge.

[Ralph chuckles lightly.] Sounds like they were an interesting couple of characters!

[He sounds more confused when he tries to puzzle the next part out, counting on his fingers each time he lists a new place the hedgehog worked at.] So, he was on a cartridge, now he's on a disc, and he had something to do with the arcade, since he did those announcements? Seems like he's a pretty busy guy! No wonder he runs fast. He's gotta keep up with all his work!

He's been around a long time, maybe even as long as us! [Not nearly as long, but who's counting?] He was telling me about all the games he's been through - whew! I could barely keep up!

[That definitely sounds more like the Felix Ralph knows!]

[Ralph's surprised by this.] Whoa, really? And he's been in that many games? Man, the players must really love him!

[He's glad that Felix seems to be back to his old self, at least for now. And the root beer would probably help, too.

But, at the end of the night, Felix was probably going to go back into Hero's Duty, that was his home now.

There was always tomorrow night to spend more time catching up.]

I guess so! I haven't met anyone else who's been in so many games before. [Felix looked past Ralph just as they came up to Tappers, smiling at the entrance to the bar.]

Golly, have I been looking forward to this! [He springs out of the train and looks back at Ralph, smiling. Yet.. he can see it again, that Ralph is out of sorts. He doesn't look as healthy as he once had. But.. Ralph said he was in a new game. Where? With who?]

[Felix would find out!]

Me neither! Most everybody here's only been in a game or two! [Including Ralph and Felix. Ralph didn't mind too much, but if there had been a sequel to Fix-It Felix Jr. of sorts, then maybe everyone could have gone there instead. Unless it also needed Felix to work.

Ralph smiles again, he was glad to see his old friend excited about visiting a favorite place to hang out. Had there been anywhere similar back at that player's house? He wasn't going to ask.

He clambers out of the train after Felix and waves a hand towards the entrance.] After you!

[It had been so long since Felix had been there, it was only fair that he walked in first.]

Gosh... [Felix steps inside, his expression almost in awe. All the places he never thought he'd see again...!

People look over as the door opens, and despite his armor, with the helmet off it's very obvious who it is. There immediately starts up a loud whispering before Felix looks to the bartender and smiles bright.]

Drinks all around!

[Ralph follows Felix in. There's more people in here than he thought there'd be, and none of them had been expecting Felix to walk through the door.

If anybody tries to pester Felix too much, Ralph'll shoo them off. His old friend just needs some time to relax right now.

At Felix's proclamation, he grins.] Thanks, buddy!

[There's a cheer and people all say hello bright and warm, but they look with confusion to his armor and the gun. There are whispers to explain, or spread rumors... sprites are notorious gossips.

Felix hops up onto a stool and smiles up to his friend despite his concern.] So tell me everything that's happened since I left!

[If Ralph overhears the rumors, especially outside of Tapper, he'll squash them immediately. Felix doesn't need any trouble.

Uh oh, here it comes. Ralph hasn't really done much in Felix's absence.]

Uh, well, I haven't heard much from the others in their new homes, but I think they're doing well. As for me, it's just the same-old, same-old.

[It was kind of a non-answer, but as truthful as he could get without coming right out and saying that he waited in Game Central Station day-in and day-out for a new game he could work in.

After his game had been unplugged, Ralph's life had been pretty uneventful, so there wasn't really anything to report to Felix.]

[Two mugs are placed in front of them filled with ~~root~~beer. Felix pulls his close and takes a drink of the amber liquid inside like his life depended on it. After so long without the food and drink he's familiar with? It's a little piece of heaven.

He's gone years without a piece of pie here people!]

Oh... Oh~ that is so good! [Felix hiccups, eyes bright.]

Have you been living with Vanellope in Sugar Rush?

[Ralph smiles at Felix's reaction to his first decent drink in years, he's glad that his friend's enjoying himself. Goodness knows he deserved it after being stuck in Hero's Duty all that time.

And here comes the million-coin question. Ralph grows uneasy and answers a little too quickly.]

Yeah, yeah, she's doing fine too.

[That wasn't a complete lie, he had lived there for a while and went back every now and then when the loneliness and misery got unbearable.

He felt a little better when he was in Sugar Rush, he had a real place to live, all the food he could eat, and a friend to spend time with. But it wasn't home and there weren't any jobs there for him, so Ralph couldn't stand to stay for long, usually just a night or two.

Vanellope probably worried about him, she always tried to convince him to stick around longer and would do her best to find ways he could help out. But in the end, a brightly-colored candy kingdom was no place for a giant wrecker.]

[Let's face it - Felix can be a bit thick sometimes. But he can hear the change in Ralph's voice, see his eyes slide away, and it makes him concerned.]

Ralph is.. something wrong? [He gives an encouraging smile through the worry.] You can tell me!

[It's his fault that Ralph, the Nicelanders, and the others were out of a job, after all. He has to find a way to fix this! Starting with Ralph.]

[Ralph gives Felix an insincere smile.]

No, no, everything's fine, really.

[With that, he's going to be suddenly preoccupied with his drink, guzzling it down in one gulp. While he's drinking, he might glance over at Felix, just for a second, to judge his reaction. He wanted to delay telling his friend what was really going on in his life as long as possible.

He knows that Felix is worried, but there's nothing his old friend can do, unless his magic hammer can make a whole new Fix-It Felix Jr. game.

As for the Nicelanders, they're doing fine in their new games. There's plenty of spaces for tiny spectators to watch the various events that took place in the arcade machines. Even the homeless characters they had adopted could watch, hidden among the crowds. The players rarely paid attention to the backgrounds of the games that closely anyway.]

[Felix is looking up at Ralph when the other sprite looks over, concern in his eyes. That was spoken a little too quickly... something isn't right.]

...Ralph... if something's wrong, you'd tell me, right?

[It's about as much as Felix will do to call Ralph out, but he's definitely worried now about his old friend. He learned something those two days when Ralph game-jumped - he's going to make sure his friends are happy!]

[Ralph caught Felix's concern and knows that Felix is going to worry about him. Ralph doesn't want him to fret, especially right now.

Felix needs to concentrate on getting back into the swing of things and a normal life first. Once he's settled in and adjusted, then Ralph'll tell him what's been going on. There's no sense in giving Felix even more to deal with, getting used to being back at the arcade and the fact that his old game is gone will give him far too much on his plate.

The things have been the same for Ralph for years now, a few more days, weeks, months won't hurt. He might even try to stay in Sugar Rush more, to keep up the appearance of everything being fine.

Ralph gives Felix a weak and half-hearted smile and his tone has a small hint of sadness when he speaks. Lying's not exactly his strong suit, he doesn't always think about or know all the information that backs up or debunks what he's saying.]

Of course I would, there's nothing that you need to worry about right now.

[It wasn't quite a lie, but it wasn't the truth, either. Ralph didn't want his friend to be occupied with one of the few things that he couldn't fix.]

Edited 2012-11-15 17:50 (UTC)

[Felix's eyes still hold worry. He's a Good Guy and he worries because he cares so much about his friends. It doesn't matter he's been gone for years, it doesn't matter that they're gameless in a technical sense. It matters that something is up but he just isn't sure what. He'll find out eventually because he wants to make it right. That's what Good Guys do, fix the wrongs in the world, specially this Guy.

He takes another drink and gestures for the bartender to bring Ralph another one.]

How is Vanellope doing as ... what did she deem herself? President, right?

[When the time is right, he'll get Ralph to open up.]

[Ralph knows that Felix will worry about the matter until it's solved, but he thinks that that worry will be less than when Felix finds out what's really going on with Ralph.

But there's a much more pleasant topic and Ralph absolutely beams when he replies. He thinks of Vanellope as a younger sister and he can't hide the pride in his voice.]

That's right, she's a great President! Everybody's been happier than ever and there's not been many problems at all! And if something does go wrong, she finds the best solution for everyone.

Even a couple of the other Nicelanders decided to pick up Sugar Rush as their new game. It's so big and they can watch the races or stay out of the way if they want to. It's pretty great, really.

Good! I know she was doing well when I... [Left isn't the right word, but he can't think of something nicer than that that isn't 'was suddenly forced to disconnect into darkness'] left, but that was a while ago.

I want to see the Nicelanders if... [A little shift, frowning.] Even if they blame me for what happened. I know it's not my fault but because of both of us they almost lost their home one time then... then for good.

[The likelihood of them ever finding their home again is almost non-existent so they have to figure out a future all together or... alone.]

[Ralph nods, still smiling.] Yeah, she's been able to keep everything going smoothly.

[He grows more serious and gently places a giant hand on Felix's shoulder.] Nobody blames you, Felix, I promise.

[Everybody knew that it wasn't Felix's fault that Hero's Duty had suddenly gotten unplugged. The removal of the game had been sudden and traumatic for all the characters in the arcade. Besides, the Nicelanders had liked Felix too much to even think about holding a grudge. They'd probably be more glad than anything to see him back, especially since they thought he had died.

Ralph nods slightly, looking thoughtful.] Let's see, I know there's a couple in Sugar Rush, and I think there's a few in Street Fighter that like watching the fights, but I'm not sure on everyone else...

[He snaps his fingers when a sudden thought comes to him.] Hey! Tapper might know, some of the people from the other games must have seen them.

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time travel meme

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I had kind of a neat idea for a plot thing. XD

Oooh, yay! :D