The Other Side of Tomorrow
is a The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius fanfic by Mara S., owner of the JN fansite IDreamofJimmy.
When experimenting with teleportation technology, Jimmy uses it on Cindy for laughs. But of course, something ends up going wrong and Cindy ends up getting teleported to an Alternate Universe with Jimmy, Carl, Sheen, Libby, and Goddard tagging along. What kind of universe they end up in is not what they expected, as it turns out, it's a universe set fifteen years in the future of their own. They meet Cindy's future self, Aurora, and April the Gorlock who explain that they are part of an intergalactic war against a mad dictator bent on controlling the entire galaxy. They also learn that this all stemmed from Libby's 12th birthday party when she was given Jimmy's Megalomanium as a gift by mistake (from the ep "The Tomorrow Boys") only she wasn't the one exposed this time. It was Jimmy himself.
While originated on nick.com, it eventually moved full-time to the author's website IDreamofJimmy, and was even posted on fanfiction.net. It has everything, action, suspense, comedy, non-squicky romance, and enough CallBacks and ContinuityNods to make it seem like a really epic TV movie. The characterization is spot on, and the author does a great job of creating a believable world with its own unique settings and relevant OCs. If you're a fan of Jimmy Neutron, do yourself a favor and read this. It's assuring you won't be disappointed.
The story is now complete. It even has its own "Expanded Universe" on the author's website.
Tropes:
- Ace Pilot: Aurora is the pilot of her own ship The Desperado
- Action Girl: April and Aurora fill this as they are both skilled fighters.
- Air-Vent Passageway: The heroes use air vents to break into the base and they are filled with moving water.
- Alien Sky: The Desert Planet from Chapter 6, which has multiple suns, and Planet Gorlock, which has a crimson-tinted sky.
- Aliens Speaking English: Can't really be helped, since the original series did this.
- The Alliance: Gorlock High Council and its allies.
- All Monks Know Kung-Fu: Established in the actual series, though some attempt was made to play up the Asian character of Shangri Llama.
- Alternate History: The setting of the Alternate Universe (see below) was kicked off with Libby's 12th birthday when she was given Jimmy's megalomanium, but Jimmy was exposed to it instead of her, causing him to become an evil dictator.
- Alternate Universe: The plot is kicked off when the gang get transported to one with an Alternate History (see above).
- Anywhere but Their Lips: Future Sheen and Future Libby not long after reuniting. They eventually do kiss on the lips shortly before returning to Earth.
- Applied Phlebotinum: Most of the technology, especially anything made by Jimmy. "Why does it work? Because it's SCIENCE!"
- Arch-Enemy: Aurora and DJ, though she views their rivalry to be more significant than he does.
- Arranged Marriage: Future Libby and Future Sheen; subverted by the fact that they actually had romantic inclinations anyway.
- Art Evolution: Mara, the author, has gotten better at drawing in the years the story has gone on.
- Ascended Meme: During the fic's run, "DJ" became a popular Fan Nickname for Dictator Jimmy. After its completion, the author later updated some chapters where the kids start referring to the dictator as "DJ", much to Aurora's chagrin, especially when said nickname sticks.
- The Atoner: There is some indication that Future Jimmy will become this after he's cured.
- Badass Long Coat: Nav wears a trench coat inspired by Chow Yun-fat.
- Badass Normal: April, most notably since she is only character skilled at fighting and not assisted by a power suit or cybernetics.
- Beast and Beauty: Future Sheen and Future Libby, with the twist that Future Sheen is still human, but with experimentations that altered his mind to make him act beastly.
- Berserk Button: Dictator Jimmy is a master at pushing all of Aurora's, and takes every opportunity to do so during their confrontation.
- Beta Couple: April and Nav. Arguably, also Future Sheen and Future Libby, although theirs is more of an actual romance than the main couple, who lurk somewhere in Masochism Tango/Belligerent Sexual Tension/Almost Kiss territory. Also, the romance between the kids, which is treated like something that might actually happen between kids, i.e. nothing excessive.
- Big Bad: Dictator Jimmy is the main antagonist of the story.
- Blind Seer: Tuyen, a monk at Shangrai Llama who can see the future.
- Broken Bird: Aurora, as a result of her rival turning evil as a result of her actions, her parents and everyone on earth being deleted, being abandoned on the deserted earth, and fighting in a war with former said rival.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: All over the place, although Nav and April particularly enjoy flaunting this trope.
- The Chessmaster: Dictator Jimmy, being a genius can calculate every possible outcome.
- The Chosen One: both Sheen and Future Sheen, as far as the Monks of Shangri Llama are concerned. This is, of course, a holdover from the show.
- Cliffhanger: Most chapters end this way.
- Collective Groan: Numerous times, especially among the kids
- Continuity Nod: A crapload, especially to "The Tomorrow Boys", "Win, Lose and Kaboom", and "Crouching Jimmy Hidden Sheen".
- Cool Starship: April and Aurora's ship, the Desperado. Nav's ship, the Shahada. Dictator Jimmy's ship, the Half Life.
- Corrupt Church: Numeria, according to Nav, hence his desire to buy the planet and make it a better place for his younger sister.
- Curse Cut Short: Happens a lot. Then at the end there actually is a lot of swearing.
- Darker and Edgier: Full stop. Although, to be fair, the fic simply takes the relationships between the characters and the tone of the original show to their logical extremes.
- Dark and Troubled Past: All the kids' alternate selves, after Jimmy gets exposed to the megalomanium.
- Deadpan Snarker: The characters take turns, but Cindy fills this role more often than not.
- Death Is Dramatic: Nav's final scene, anyone? From pretending to kill April to save her before being killed by Dictator Jimmy.
- Double Entendre: so many, many things, particularly anything that comes out of Nav and DJ.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Tuyen's future-forecasting ability; Jimmy's dream in "Suffer the Fate of Atlantis" is another example of this.
- Dumbass Has a Point: Sheen, when he suggests that they should use Jimmy's Air Gum to aid in their impending infiltration of DJ's base.
- Mr. Fanservice: Nav. His fangirl following is notorious. Also DJ and Future Sheen, if you're into that sorta thing.
- Emotion Control: Taken to extremes in the emotion rooms.
- Evil Versus Evil: Criminals fighting...well, more criminals. The main bad guy is one of the seven most wanted criminals in the galaxy, and so is one of the main good guys. Go figure.
- "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner: Nav: Say hi to Aurora for me when she's kicking your ass.
- Fanservice: Face it. It happens.
- Faster-Than-Light Travel: a staple of all good space fiction; in this case it takes the form of the Hyperdrive. This goes hand in hand with inertialdampeners.
- Fighting from the Inside: Dictator Jimmy, as it turns out. So much so that his non-megalomanium side was involved in a decade-long Batman Gambit against his evil side. Too bad it didn't work...
- Fluffy the Terrible: April's pet Loof-loof. From the kids' perspective, it's large and dangerous yet April keeps it in a room on her ship, and she snaps at them for "bothering" him.
- Future Me Scares Me: Jimmy is horrified when he learns all the crimes his future self committed.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Jimmy. He's able to bypass the Dictator's lair and invents the antidote to the megalomanium.
- Genre Savvy: Nav, Nav, Nav. He's even a Star Wars fan.
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: Future Sheen's left eye, when he's being all Brainwashed and Crazy.
- The Gunslinger: April and Nav, the former especially.
- Green-Skinned Space Babe: April, especially now that she's all grown up (Nav scored.)
- Hand Cannon: April's one true love, which she uses a couple times over the course of the story.
- Heel–Face Turn: Future Carl. Although he does specifically say that he only changed sides because the kids weren't going to harm Dictator Jimmy, only cure him.
- Heroic BSoD:
- Aurora almost has one of these when she sees that her copy of the antidote has been destroyed, though she quickly suppresses it.
- Happens to Jimmy after he is forced to shut down Future Goddard.
- Hollywood Cyborg: Nav's arm is cybernetic.
- The Igor: Future Carl, being a skinny hunchback and servant to Dictator Jimmy.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: An interesting inversion, since the villain uses this against the protagonist in order to weaken her resolve.
- Important Haircut: Averted. Aurora asks Future Libby to cut off all of her hair after it gets singed during her battle with DJ. But Future Libby refuses and instead gives her a small trim.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: The reason why Lee is willing to accept April's engagement to Nav despite the fact that he is in love with her also.
- Killed Off for Real: Nav, Future Goddard, and Aurora. She gets better, although at great personal cost
- La Résistance: The rebels. Partially subverted in that they are not a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits, but rather a dangerous and influential criminal organization that the Galactic Law Enforcement won't even touch.
- Latex Space Suit: Aurora and DJ, the twist that said suits make them stronger and have healing capabilities.
- Loveable Rogue: Nav is a murderous thief and one of the galaxy's seven most wanted. But he's a nice and fun guy and has a policy against hurting women and children.
- Love at First Punch: Nav describes his first meeting with Aurora as this, though it's one-sided and in the past. Sort of.
- Love Triangle: April, Nav and Lee. Arguably DJ-Aurora-Nav as well.
- Manipulative Bastard: Dictator Jimmy, to a T.
- Mask Power: Aurora's silver mask, though she uses it to cover up vulnerabilities, not just because she's a very powerful character.
- Mecha-Mooks: DJ's creepy-crawly robot guards, though the trope is averted by the fact that they are actually quite dangerous (one almost gets Nav).
- My Future Self and Me: Pretty much the whole point of the fanfic, though an interesting case is that it's actually My ALTERNATE Future Self and Me.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After being cured of the megalomanium, Future Jimmy is horrified by all the atrocities he caused as the dictator. So much so that he tries to commit suicide, but Aurora will not have it.
- Old Master: Chen-Yu from Shangri Llama.
- Pair the Spares:
Word of God says that Future Carl hooks up with Nav's little sister Laudya afterward. - Pater Familicide: Inverted. The father isn't the one killing his family; rather it's the son who kills his parents (and practically everyone else on Earth).
- The Power of Love: subverted since, Future Libby didn't beat Future Sheen with any of that "Power of Love crap", but rather by smacking him over the head with a chunk of metal. Although, to be fair, he only let his guard down because he loved her, so...
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: Or girl- April, which comes with being a Gorlock.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
- Dictator Jimmy to Aurora, and vice versa during their confrontation. He does a better job.
- Future Carl, of all people, to April while also giving her a "Not So Different" Remark.
- Say My Name: A rather chilling example between DJ and Aurora, used to reinforce their 'old rivals' relationship before they start their current conflict.
- Shout-Out: Nav makes a ''ton of these to go with his Genre Savvy nature.
- Sliding Scale of Silliness vs. Seriousness: switches from cheesy jokes to serious business, sometimes in the same chapter. Whether or not this is Mood Whiplash will depend on your point of view.
- Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter: Aurora has one of these after her ship gets damaged above P24-505.
- Space Clothes: Brought to life spectacularly in volume 2, when Aurora and Libby go shopping for spacesuits.
- Spock Speak: All the Gorlocks, but especially April.
- Stuff Blowing Up: Loves this to death, especially during space battles.
- Supernatural Martial Arts: The fight between Aurora and Dictator Jimmy. Justified because of those crazy high-tech combat suits.
- Subtext: Dear God. This fanfic could probably be renamed "subtext", there's so much of it.
- Tagalong Kid(s): The Kids, subverted as they are the main characters at first.
- Techno Babble: Practically every other sentence that leaves Jimmy's mouth.
- That Man Is Dead: Aurora refuses to go by her first name, Cindy. It becomes Serious Business when the Dictator refers to her as such.
- Time Travel: Time passes more quickly in the alternate universe (by a minuscule amount), resulting in a 10 year gap between the 2 universes.
- Torture Cellar: DJ's underground prison cells, which is where he keeps Future Sheen and Aurora during her brief time as his prisoner.
- Tragedy: TOSOT has elements of this, though the plot is not strictly a tragedy. Aurora can be classified as a tragic character, however, since her current position is the result of her own actions (spraying the megalomanium in Jimmy's face)
- Tsundere: Cindy, especially when talking to Jimmy, which tends to get on her future self's nerves.
- Underwater Base DJ's villainous lair on P24-505.
- Unlucky Childhood Friend: Poor, poor Lee loves April, but she's engaged to Nav. Word of God says he eventually becomes a victorious childhood friend
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Jimmy and Cindy per usual, with the twist that they get to see what could possibly happen if it goes unresolved into their adulthood.
- Villain Team-Up: The Gorlock High Council is comprised of villains that Jimmy and his friends have faced in the show.
- "Wanted!" Poster: Aurora keeps one of herself in her own room, which Cindy is impressed by.
- Weird World, Weird Food: April's delicacy, Tek nok shii-len, which she enjoys but the humans find disgusting.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Nav, who has admitted to acts of terrorism on his own planet because he doesn't approve of the corrupt church that rules it.
- Which Me?: Happens when one of the kids are with their future self, which is the reason for the awkward naming ("Future so-and-so")
- Would Not Hit a Girl: Nav will not harm women or children, despite being a murderous thief.
