Procrastination Central

After all, this AU isn’t only about the isekai protagonist trio returning to a world vastly different from the one they last remembered (especially with the whole startup religion about them and whatnot for example) and how that affects canon going forwards. Rather, it is also about exploring the various perspectives and worldbuilding shifts caused by these mysterious transmissions, and I would like to extend an open invitation for anyone interested in exploring these depths as well!

To put a fraction of this whole AU into perspective, just consider how WE the IRL fandoms know that these series are just cartoons with fictional characters and fantastical made-up scenarios that don’t exist in real life. WE are comfortably safe to hold the assumption that everything will work out by the end by virtue of plot armor and narrative conventions dictating so. 

But for Earth here in the We’ll Be Right Back AU, they don’t have ANY of that to fall back on. 

Actual goddamn magic, the confirmation of the multiverse, multiple sapient alien species, the probable answer to so, so many missing persons cases with the train, and etc. Just one of these fictional concepts being made true and known to the entire world would be enough to throw humanity into mass chaos, and yet Earth has to contend with ALL of them becoming undeniable facts about the reality they have to live with. 

Oh, and fun fact: because these transmissions are edited recordings of true events as well as how in-show timelines don’t necessarily line up with IRL airing schedules, the people of Earth get to see actual children be in real near-death situations - and in effectively real time at that! 

Now consider just how existentially unnerving it would be to watch the struggles of said kids be reduced into literal entertainment -their tribulations repackaged as ‘television shows’ with ‘overarching plots- for Earth to “enjoy.” Almost as if they were characters unknowingly acting out a play dictated by the mysterious entity/upload account known only as “the Transmitter,” and with no certainty as to whether the kids’ ‘stories’ will actually have a happy ending…

Needless to say, lots of peoples’ sleep schedules get completely screwed after discovering the transmissions for many different reasons both right and wrong lol.

After all, after seeing such an apparent example in Amphibia, Infinity Train, and The Owl House, who wouldn’t be agonizing over asking whether they themselves were also but a plaything dancing to the unknown whims of a higher being with no clear autonomy?

And on the flipside, who wouldn’t look at the society-flipping revelations or narrative framing of the transmissions and come to the conclusion that the Transmitter obviously is a god/like being informing humanity of Anne, Luz, and Tulip’s in progress divine destinies, and that it’s clearly instructing the formation of a religion of them and the trio?

Sure makes one wonder which interpretation is correct, let alone if either of them are correct in the first place, doesn’t it…

Overall, these are but a mere fraction of the sheer amount of possible stories that could be told within the We’ll Be Right Back AU, some of which you can even read over in the original forum thread where me and a couple of other folks put this whole AU together in the first place.

For example, we’ve got a dive into how the lives of some of Anne’s classmates were affected because of the international attention on the Amphibia trio spilling over, what it was like for Tulip to catch up with a familiar face after getting off of the train, a quick look at some of the fun ways pop culture has adjusted after the transmissions, and even how the Transmitter’s presence could completely alter the context of a certain encounter with Emperor Belos.

And if anyone’s interested in taking the plunge and contributing, there no need to worry about contributing fully fledged snippets or necessarily adhering to one particular “canon.” With the sheer scope and the many possible directions the base idea of this AU can take, as well as how the real world and real people are often messy and imperfect, feel free to contribute however you want! From fic drabbles about your own plotline for the AU to literally the laziest and unfunny memes you’re able to whip together in five minutes (no joke, the shittier the better), there will always be a niche anything you come up with can fill out!

Altogether, this is an open invitation to a sandbox I hope you all will enjoy playing in, and feel free to ask me any questions you have and or for prompts on how to start!