Tenchi Universe

It was late at night, while everybody else was asleep, before Ryoko snuck through the house, silently flying, teleporting short distances until she got to the closet door beneath the stairs to the second floor. Opening the door, she found the lights were out inside the pocket dimension of her mother, the 25,000-year-old ‘child’, mad scientist Little Washu. Good! It looked like Washu-chan was asleep, too. Already giddy with anticipation, she teleported her way to her target: the controls of the Dimensional Tuner. How could she turn it on?... Its lights came on and it made noise: Yes!

Now, what exactly did she want to type? Old Crab-hair had said the device can change the world into whatever Ryoko wanted it to be! She could even hear the ego-maniac brag, “This machine determines variable factors in time and space based on determined criteria. With this machine, you can create a certain nexus from the infinite possibilities in time and space!” Wow! She actually remembered all that. Not that she understood any of that. Oh, well, time to start punching buttons. She was so happy about getting her way - Finally! About time! - she sang: “Oh, yes, I think that’s it! This world for you and me!”

“For you and whom, pray tell?”

“For Tenchi and me, of course! What do you think-- Huh!?” There behind her stood the galaxy police, Kiyone, her ditz of a partner, Mihoshi, and the little princess who would grow up to be one of the most powerful and beautiful beings in the galaxy, Sasami/Tsunami and with Ryoko’s own semi-loyal cabbit/spaceship on her head. Oh, yes, and there was her would-be rival, Ayeka.

They would try and butt in on her own private world-making. Princess-of-the-Galaxy claimed that hadn’t been her intention at all. But while Ryoko and the royal bitch were arguing, her little sister got at the controls and started typing her idea of what made the perfect world. Then Ayeka pushed Sasami away - but only so SHE could start typing. Ryoko couldn’t allow that! She had to stop her! She couldn’t allow her rival isolate her from her one-true-love, Tenchi! And while they wrestled, Mihoshi began typing. Of course, Kiyone couldn’t allow herself to be permanently stuck with the stupid granddaughter of the chief of the Galactic Police!! Type!

Everybody typed, typed, typed totally different and contradictory worlds! The artificial intelligence of the Dimensional Tuner had a nervous breakdown!! Everybody was split in two and then those two were split in two and so on through a dimensional hall of mirrors. Each one of those doppelgangers took on a new identity and biography!! Ryoko’s (and everybody else’s) only hope of becoming one person again was if at least Washu could at the Origin Point and repair the damaged machine!...