𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 ━ five hargreeves

1│EXTRAORDINARILY EXTRA ORDINARY

𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃
𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘

Extra( )ordinary: a word that sets great children apart from the average, and a single space makes all the difference in the world.

It is a common belief that extraordinary things only happen to extraordinary people— those who are destined for greatness will live a life to prepare them for fame and glamor. In my opinion, this is a very limiting outlook; what, then, will happen to those who are average? To those who are comfortable living within the proverbial box? Are they doomed to a life of tiresome dullness?

If majority rule could apply to daily life these extraordinary people would be seen as the outcasts— the freaks— the unwanted. However, this is not the case. Instead, those who are unremarkable take the brunt of the criticism. They are told to be better, to do better, and to live up to unimaginable expectations.

Is a person who wants to live by-the-numbers truly someone to sneer at?

𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

The List: Top Ten Extraordinary People
In a population of 100, this would be 10%
90% (the majority) would be considered "average"

Dolores (Gimbel) Hargreeves falls into this 90%. She was born in a completely natural, entirely planned way. She does not have superpowers of any kind, nor will she ever. She has two parents, a mother and a father. Her family is almost the perfect two-point-three kids. She is of average height and build. Her hair color (brown) falls into the bulk of the population. She went to an unremarkable public school. Her parents had everyday white-collar jobs. Given the circumstances, her life should have been a dime-a-dozen.

A key word: should.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐘𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐒

Perhaps one might argue the opposing view: extraordinary events have no correlation to a person's life. Their occurrence is just as random and chaotic as the universe itself.

If this is the case then Dolores must be fate's favorite target. No matter what timeline exists, she does not manage to live unscathed. In the original 2019, she survives an apocalypse that ends the existence of human life. When she returns to change this, her younger doppelgänger gets pulled into the past to fight in the Vietnam War. After her newfound family fails to save the world, she is thrown furthest into the past to survive nuclear fallout and three-plus years in the sixties.

Even when everything seems to have been put to right, she cannot escape an eventful life. In this third variation of 2019, her past actions finally catch up to her.

Reginald Hargreeves is a man that many would claim to be the Devil. Sympathy, compassion and kindness are as alien to him as he is to others. He is a man out for himself, plain and simple. He does not care who he steps on to get his way so long as he succeeds in his endeavor. This is why he elects a different method of raising his seven superpowered charges.

After the disastrous meeting of the original Umbrella Academy in the sixties, he is determined not to make the same mistake again. It did not escape his notice that the most put-together of the group had an outside influence. So, he sought this same individual out the year she was born.

It was no secret that he hated children. He loathed their loud noises and whiney complaining and dependency on others. He couldn't stand the way their faces scrunched with tears or their sticky, grabby hands. He only interacted with them when it was absolutely necessary. He gave no thought to those who were sub-par and couldn't be of use to him.

But, he was also someone who could admit when a theory needed to be revised. Perhaps a balance was needed between the 'special' children and the 'ordinary.' After all, if one was told that they were different all their life, then they would be much harder to control, wouldn't they? A dose of realism was needed to show the terrible, other side. How useless would they be without what made them worthwhile?

Although he had not been impressed with Dolores Hargreeves' willfulness, other aspects of her personality would be of use to him. Besides, he had no intention of wasting time trying to find another average baby to function as the Devil's advocate. She would have to do.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋'𝐒 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄

A final note before we begin: it is an unfortunate misconception that he and I are seen as the same being. Are both of us there in the end? In some ways, yes— depending on what you believe. We are not, however, the same facet of existence. For example, one can chose to accept the presence of heaven or hell. It is impossible to not believe in death.