A Brave New Tomorrow
The Realm of Up
Carl
Fredricksen could not believe all that he had to go through just to get his
house, which hovered high above him (courtesy of the dozens of helium-filled
balloons keeping it off the ground), to Paradise Falls. He was tired as it was
lugging it like a Thanksgiving Day parade balloon by means of a water hose connected
to the front of the house. But at least he kept his complaints to himself,
unlike a certain boy scout who lagged behind, “assisting” him in keeping his
house afloat.
“I’m tired!
My knee hurts!”
“Which
knee?”
Russell
paused, acting as if he was unable to figure it out for himself. Then he found
something else to complain about: “My elbow hurts, and I have to go to the
bathroom.”
“I asked
you about that five minutes ago.”
(Narrative Note: This tale opens with this reenactment of a scene from Up to reset time for the realm to the point in which the rift never happened. In fact, this is the first and only moment of the story that Carl Fredricksen's house is ever mentioned.)
“Well, I
didn’t have to go then.” He finally collapsed face-first to the ground,
allowing himself to be dragged by his backpack, which was attached to a portion
of Carl’s house to also help keep it anchored. “I don’t feel like walking anymore,”
he said, his voice muffled while planted in the dirt. “Can we stop?”
Feeling the
added pressure with Russell dragging his weight, Carl yelled to the Wilderness
Explorer, “Russell! If you don’t hurry up, the tigers will get you!”
“There are
no tigers in South America.” He turned sideways long enough to point to one of
his badges and say, “Zoology!” He afterwards returned to his facedown position.
Tiring of
the kid’s constant complaining, Fredricksen relented: “For the love of…!
Alright. Go in the bushes and do your business.”
Instantly,
a satisfied Russell sprang up from the ground, removing his backpack and
handing it over to Carl. “OK! Here, hold my stuff!” He wrapped the chord that had
been connected with it to a nearby branch and rushed off, carrying a shovel and
some leaves with a smile on his face that was beyond delight. “I’ve always wanted to try this,” he whispered
on his way through the foliage.
However, he
stopped once he spotted something in a nearby bush that caught his eye. It was
gold, glistening in the bush as the sunlight shined upon it, and Russell instantaneously
took to its beauty. Putting his shovel in the hand he held the leaves, Russell
reached into the bush to take out the gold object that dangled from one of the
branches. He discovered it to be a gold necklace with a golden book that opened
up into a locket. When he opened the locket, Russell found himself exposed to
some type of gold, rainbow-colored mist that seeped out of the locket and into
his nostrils, causing him to breathe it in. He smiled wide as he detected the
sweet scent of roses and candy.
The scent
brought back memories for Russell – memories of an adventure far greater than
the one he currently found himself in with Carl Fredricksen. He remembered a
friend and a hero who had many awesome powers, including the power to change
her appearance, like in Doctor Who.
She was a sorceress who went by two names, depending on her appearance:
Genevieve and JeniLynn; but it was Genevieve who he remembered the most from
this “lost adventure.”
(Authorial Note: Livingston mixed this new scene in with the one from the film to establish Russell's future in the series as a possible companion or ally of the Guardian. He is the only other Disneyverse resident outside of Fantasia to keep his memories of the previous adventure with the hero, opposite of the Incredibles, who were mentioned to maintain contact with the original Guardian - Joanie Navarro - in The Marvelous World: World of Disney 2.)
(Pop Culture Note: The means of which Russell regains his memories is inspired from the Doctor's fob watch, which contained his essence and identity after he transformed himself into a human in the episodes Human Nature and The Family of Blood. Once he opened the fob watch for himself, he regained his memories and Time Lord physiology.)
The
Wilderness Explorer’s smile grew in his recollection, holding the locket close
to his heart. “I’ll never forget
you.”
“RUSSELL!”
Fredricksen yelled close nearby. “Are you done yet?”
Reminded of
his “business,” Russell pocketed the locket in a hurry. “Almost, Mr.
Fredricksen!” He rushed further into the bushes, quickly taking care of things
to continue on his “new” adventure.
The Realm of Fantasia
In the real
world, a hundred years was practically well over a lifetime – an eternity to
the average human being. In Fantasia, a hundred years was no different from a
hundred days. Regardless, it had been
ages since the Disneyverse was saved by Joanie Navarro-Thomas. The Aladdin realm and countless other worlds
had been restored to their proper order – at least many of them had. There was
one that remained relatively unchanged from the events: the realms of Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid. The two worlds were still merged into one yet
suffered no ill effects of any kind due to it. Although the reason for the
continuing merge was relatively unknown to the observers from Fantasia, it was
assumed that Joanie saw how similar the two worlds were and kept them together
to encourage new adventures for Ariel, her friends, and those she made from the
Finding Nemo realm.
Of course,
that was not all that remained unchanged from the events that occurred a
hundred years ago. JeniLynn, the latest incarnation of Sean Thomas, still
remained a living entity that had taken up residence in Fantasia. She had developed
her own “sparkly” personality and regained the memories of her previous
reincarnations and Sean Thomas, with assistance from Yen Sid. In her hundred
years of existence, she went on many adventures in the Disneyverse – her home –
with Panda, Katie, and Mickey. However, the further she had gone living, the
more troubled the council of sorcerers (particularly Scrooge McDuck) seemed to
have been on the issue.
(Authorial Note: Livingston granted himself with the massive time jump of a hundred years to showcase more stories about JeniLynn from these experiences of her merged incarnation. They are being planned to be depicted in the Tales of the Guardians miniseries, along with the other reincarnations, in the future.)
One day, a
meeting was called among McDuck, Yen Sid, and Merlin – the only three council
members left from the “mysterious” disappearance of Pete, the death of Joanie,
and the notable absence of Anne-Marie. JeniLynn, Panda, Mickey, and Katie were
requested to abandon whatever expedition they were on and come back to Yen
Sid’s castle immediately. The meeting required testimonials from Mickey, Katie,
and Panda. They each were called into the conference hall to give their
respective statements on JeniLynn, asked by the council if the Guardian’s
latest incarnation should be allowed to exist or not for the sake of the
Disneyverse.
As each of
her companions was called in, JeniLynn was kept outside in the corridor,
sitting idly in a wooden chair with her feet propped up on the back of another.
Panda and Mickey waited with her, pacing back and forth as they waited on Katie’s testimonial to end in the conference hall. In his animal form, Panda’s
body appeared to take up much of the narrow space of the corridor, making it
difficult for Mickey to pace at his own rate.
“Would you
fellas take it easy?” JeniLynn told them, smiling confidently. “I’m sure they
only want to make sure we’re not interfering too much in world affairs.”
Mickey
shook his head negatively. “I don’t think so. I think they might be concerned
about you, Jeni.”
“Me?” She
innocently pointed to herself. “What did I
do?”
“It’s not
about what you did.” Panda remarked. “It’s about…” He couldn’t bring himself to
say it aloud, fearing how JeniLynn would react when she heard it. He suddenly
changed his worrisome attitude on the situation and became more upbeat. “You’re
right. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Mickey
looked to the panda quizzically, wondering why he changed his attitude so
swiftly.
“What on
earth have you been stepping in?” Panda asked, changing the subject of the
conversation to the soles of JeniLynn’s footwear, which were plagued with all
sorts of gunky substances, such as dirt, gum, and bugs. “Have you ever once bothered to clean your shoes since
you got them?”
JeniLynn
shrugged. “Meh. They’re just gonna get dirty again anyways. Besides, I like to
think of the gunk as mementos of our adventures.”
Panda
cringed. “Ever heard of a camera?”
(Character Note: JeniLynn's tomboyish personality is one of the traits of her incarnation shown here in her limited time in the narrative. Livingston thinks of her like "a rebellious teenage prankster that won't clean her room, no matter how many times you tell her, regardless of the fact that she's old enough to be her own mother.")
The door to
the conference hall opened, urging them to look to it as Katie walked out with
a heavily concerned look on her face. “They want to see all of us now,” she informed.
JeniLynn stood
right up, straightening her clothes that consisted of blue jeans and a green,
low-collared shirt along with her ceremonial attire – a red robe and Yen Sid’s
sorcerer hat. “Welp. Let’s get this business done, so we can get back to
discovering what the fox says…to the hound.” She giggled at her own silly joke,
nudging to Panda. “Get it?”
(Pop Culture Note: JeniLynn's joke is a reference to both the 1981 Disney animated classic, The Fox and the Hound, and the heavily popular electronic dance song, "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)," by Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis. The latter became an Internet sensation at the time in the completion of Tales of the Disneyverse, inspiring Internet memes and extensively covered and adapted by others.)
Mickey,
Panda, and Katie did not laugh but merely half-smiled over the joke. They could
not understand how she managed to take their current business in Fantasia so
lightly. From all the questions McDuck, Merlin, and Yen Sid had asked them
about her, they truly feared for the future of this reincarnation.
----------------------
“It has been
a hundred years since your birth, JeniLynn.” Yen Sid stated.
JeniLynn
whistled with amusement. “A hundred? Wow! That’s quite a milestone! Hey, we should
celebrate this bicentennial birthday with some cake. How about a cake shaped
like the hat?” She pointed to her headwear with a jubilant smile. “Wouldn’t
that be cool?”
“Enough of
this beatin’ ‘round the bush!” Scrooge impatiently bellowed. “The reason we
called you here is for you to give up this life cycle and return all the
reincarnations to their proper times!”
JeniLynn’s
face dropped into an alarmed frown. “What?” She glanced over to Katie, Mickey,
and Panda, who all had their heads down in sadness. “What’s he talking about?
What is this?”
Merlin
sighed. “My dear girl…you’ve lived for quite a long time. We’ve allowed it
because we didn’t think it was right to let your new life cycle end so prematurely.”
“We have
kept watch over the universe in the event of another possible rift.” Yen Sid
said. “Thankfully, none have occurred.”
“Not yet,
it hasn’t!” Scrooge exclaimed, appearing to be the more practical one in the room.
He pointed a feathered finger at JeniLynn and harshly demanded, “You yield yourself
to the division of the Guardians in order for proper order to be restored to
the timeline from here to other worlds that the reincarnations have been!”
JeniLynn
was speechless upon hearing this demand. She could only manage to defiantly say,
“No!”
Her
response was met with surprise from the council and her friends.
“No?” Scrooge repeated her in a scolding
tone.
“What
you’re asking me to do is sign over my own death!” She defended. “I’ve loved
spending these hundred years as me, not just ‘cause of the person I’ve become
but also for the fact that I can go on spending hundreds of more years the way
I am here and now! I’ve achieved
immortality!”
(Character Note: Being the ultimate reincarnation gifts JeniLynn with a form that can never physically age, due to the prolonged-aging of the seventeen Guardians combined to create one infinite lifespan.)
“You must
think of the Disneyverse.” Yen Sid forewarned. “It could fall into peril just
as it had eons ago.”
“Then I’ll just
save it like my mother did!” JeniLynn argued.
Yen Sid
shook his head. “We still cannot take
the risk.”
JeniLynn’s
vision blurred and she realized that tears had been welling up in her eyes. She
blinked and felt them stream down her cheeks. She did not want to appear
vulnerable to the council, but she finally did. Looking over to Panda, her
truest friend in all the Disneyverse, she pleaded, “Back me up, man!”
(Pop Culture Note: JeniLynn's case was inspired by an episode of the 1995 Star Trek spin-off series, Star Trek: Voyager, in which Tuvok - a Vulcan - and Neelix - a Talaxian - were merged via transport into a new person, "Tuvix." Later in the episode, it was decided for Tuvix to separate back into two. He argues of the procedure as sentencing him to death yet is forced to undergo the division, restoring Tuvok and Neelix.)
Panda
sighed; he hoped not to be brought into the discussion for the sake of his
blossomed friendship with JeniLynn. When he ultimately was, he said,
“Jeni, you know that I love you…but the council is right. Our fun is over and
order must be restored to the
Disneyverse.” He lightly chuckled and added, “Heck, not even I am supposed to exist within this
current time. I’ve ran into myself dozens of times now!”
JeniLynn
swallowed hard, hearing these words from the only person she could trust. She
then came upon a startling realization, looking from him to the guilty faces of
Mickey and Katie: “Those testimonials you all gave – they were against me
continuing my existence, weren’t they?”
Mickey
could hardly look up at her as he admittedly said, “We’re so sorry, Jeni.”
“You’ve
taught us so much – especially me.”
Katie said. “Before I knew you, I was a total screw-up. But I’ve learned a lot
from you to help control myself. I know all that has got to come from a part of
you that’s still Anne-Marie. I look to her like a teacher, and…” She paused
long enough to let her emotions flow through tears, “…I miss her just as much
as I will miss you.”
JeniLynn
stood at the conference table, feeling betrayed and helpless. Her tears
increased to the point where she could no longer see the room or the people
around her. In her depression, she rushed out of the hall, running through the
corridors of the castle and finding her way out into the courtyard, where she
collapsed to the well, dropping her head to its stone frame and weeping.
“They don’t
understand. None of them understand.”
For a few
minutes, she sat there and cried. Then, during her moment of woe, she felt a
comforting hand come down on her shoulder. “What’s the matter, hon?” The calm,
soothing voice came from a young woman, although JeniLynn could not see what
she looked like with her head buried.
“I don’t
know what to do.” She told the visitor. “There’s nothing left for me to do.”
(Disney Note: This scene purposely mirrors one from Cinderella, shortly after she was prohibited from going to the ball by her evil stepmother, and her dress ruined beyond repair by her wicked stepsisters.)
“Oh,
there’s plenty for you to do.”
Another voice said, belonging to yet another young woman – this one sounding
vigorous. “Your life’s only just beginning.”
JeniLynn
gave a slight chuckle. “Not from what I just heard.”
“Well, you
heard wrong.” The same woman told her.
“Yeah?”
JeniLynn remarked. “Why should I trust you?”
“If you
can’t trust yourself, who else can
you trust?”
On this
remark, JeniLynn looked up. Sitting at the well beside her with the comforting
hand on her shoulder was a young blonde who looked to be in her mid-twenties
with long hair that partially covered her forehead, rosy cheeks, and rose-red
lips. She was donned in a glittering blue robe that came with a hood she wore
over her head. JeniLynn had seen this girl around Fantasia before, going by the
name “Alexe.” Near her, standing tall and with much assertion in her demeanor,
was a brunette who also donned a glittering, hooded blue robe on her
authoritarian frame. Hands on her hips, she looked down upon JeniLynn with a
pair of blue eyes that were nearly as intimidating as Yen Sid’s, due mostly to
the dark eye shadow she wore over them. JeniLynn had seen this woman, who could
have been no older than thirty-one, around Fantasia as well, going by the name
of “Julie.”
(Biographical Note: "Alexe" and "Julie" are based on and inspired by Alexe Theodore and Julie Kelley. Alexe, much like Jennifer Ellison and Genevieve Nylen, has history of cosplaying as popular Disney Princesses, either professionally or freelance. Like Ellison, her best work is as Belle. Her talent and love for Disney encouraged Livingston to grant her a spot in the World of Disney series for future installments. Julie's involvement was directly influenced by her friendship with Livingston, showing much interest and support in his work.)
“I know the
both of you.” JeniLynn made this known to them. She gazed at the two of them
more carefully, sensing something different about them that she had not before.
Once she made the connection, her dark brown eyes widened in shock and she
exclaimed, “Oh my…!”
Julie
smirked with a nod. “Bingo.”
“But how is
it possible?” JeniLynn asked. “I mean…I thought…”
“Things
aren’t always what they seem in the Disneyverse.” Alexe said. “We’ve discovered
that in the centuries we’ve lived in it.”
“Doesn’t
matter if the past’s the past, the present’s the present, or the future’s the
future.” Julie added. “What does
matter is how you can mold it into what you
want it to be.” She then pointed to JeniLynn. “And you, girl, have molded
yourself one heck of a future for us.”
JeniLynn
looked between the two women in confusion. “W-What do you mean?”
“We’ll show
you.” Alexe assured. “But, first, you must yield yourself to the flow of time
that surrounds us now. Let events play out the way they must for the future
we’re gonna present to you happen.”
(Narrative Note: Alexe and Julie could possibly refer to the future in "amalgamated reincarnation," which is indirectly motivated by the merge among the seventeen reincarnations that made up JeniLynn.)
JeniLynn
was reluctant at first to agree to Alexe’s request, yet her body appeared to be
ready to do so from the abrupt way in which it glowed, without her consent. She
grinned, looking upon her glowing hands. “Guess I have no say in this matter. I
always was a stubborn ol’ fellow – even in the afterlife.” She then refocused
on Alexe and Julie and said with much confidence, “Let’s do this.”
--------------------------
Within the
conference hall, everyone heard a loud explosion from outside and felt the
incredible tremor that reverberated from it. Amidst the chaos, Panda vanished
in a flash of light, leaving the others to be more alarmed than they already
were.
“What’s goin’
on here?” McDuck shouted in his panic.
“Where did
Panda go?” Mickey questioned.
Before any
more questions could have been asked, a smoking, coughing figure suddenly
stumbled into the room and collapsed with a resounding thud. Yen Sid, Scrooge, Merlin, Mickey, and Katie immediately went
to the stranger, whose smoking body lied sideways on the floor, obscuring the
face from their view. Of course, before they even turned the body, they
recognized right away who it was from the familiar auburn hair.
“Anne-Marie!”
Katie joyously cried.
Sure
enough, the sorceress, councilmember, and incarnation of Sean Thomas was there
before them, appearing exactly as she did before the merger.
“What
happened?” Mickey asked her.
She glanced
over at the delighted faces that stared down at her and smiled. “She did it.
JeniLynn restored order to the timelines.”
“But where
is she?” Merlin inquired.
Anne-Marie
shrugged. “I don’t know, Merlin. I honestly don’t know.”
Hollywood, California – Time Zone: 2017
Victoria
awoke with a heavy cough. She found herself lying down on her side on a hard
surface, realizing as she opened her eyes that it was concrete. She sat up to
see her new surroundings: some type of alley with various posters plastered on
the brick walls, advertising for the Muppets – the very creatures that she used
to dream of back in her mountain cottage.
(Narrative Note: This is the only setting in the entire miniseries to take place outside of the Disneyverse, being set in the "Muppetverse," the original home of Joanie Navarro and her son, Sean Thomas.)
“Where am
I?” She asked, not expecting to receive any type of response. No one else could
be there with her.
“We’re
home.”
Yet there was someone there – Genevieve. Victoria
turned to see her sitting right beside her, against the wall with her legs
hugged close to her body. “You’re looking much younger than I last saw you,”
Victoria observed with a smile.
Genevieve
smiled back, lightly touching the left side of her face. “Yeah. Twenty-three
and wrinkle-free again. All thanks to JeniLynn.”
Victoria
reacted to the name with familiarity, having remembered everything she,
Genevieve, and the other fifteen reincarnations went through in the hundred
years they were her. “What an
incredible woman she was. What happened to JeniLynn?”
Genevieve
shrugged. “Don’t know.”
“Well, it’s
certainly good news for you.” Victoria said. “You’re no longer the last
Guardian, right?”
“JeniLynn
was a result of me failing to think I could merge all of us and still manage to
maintain control.” Genevieve said with a disgruntled sigh. “She’s just a
‘Disneyverse Myth’ now.”
Victoria
was saddened to see how downhearted Genevieve was. But she did not give up in
cheering her up. “Well, I hope something might change all of that. I certainly loved being her.”
Genevieve
glanced over at Victoria and saw the hopeful smile she had. Her positive
attitude reflected on Genevieve, who smirked and said, “Yeah. She was pretty
awesome, wasn’t she?”
The two
girls giggled together.
“So where
is ‘home’ exactly?” Victoria asked, glancing around once again. “What world in
the Disneyverse is this?”
“It’s not
in the Disneyverse.” Genevieve clarified. “This is the reality where we once
lived as Sean Thomas.”
Victoria
grew amused from this. “Really?”
“Yep.
Before JeniLynn restored us and all of our consciousness was ‘swimming’ around
with hers, I made a conscious
decision to return to this old world of ours and show you the person we once were.”
She pointed to something behind Victoria and said, “See that door there?”
Victoria
glimpsed behind her to see a door labeled “Backstage Entrance.” “Yeah?”
“Behind
that door is Sean Thomas himself…and we’re going to meet him and ask for
employment and shelter here at the Muppet Theater. We won’t interfere in his
timeline or take any risks in altering our future. We’ll just be humble
observers – nothing more.”
(Narrative Note: Genevieve and Victoria's "humbled observation" continues in the next story, Marvel Mayhem, from which they involuntarily create a series of events that lead into another alternate future in the second timeline/reality of Sean Thomas.)
Victoria beamed
with excitement from this idea. “That’d be wonderful!”
Genevieve
smiled, expecting she would love it (she was
her after all). Both ladies got to their feet and approached the “Backstage Entrance.”
As they headed into the theater building, Genevieve gave one last instruction
to Victoria: “Oh, and don’t be afraid of the Muppets. They’re all pretty harmless…well,
maybe a selected few. Tell you what – just watch out for the one named ‘Animal’
and you’ll be fine.”
Tales of the
Disneyverse
(WORLD OF DISNEY REVISITED CONTINUES WITH MARVEL MAYHEM AUGUST 7TH!)
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