The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
General Ramblings and Questions after re-listening to Battle Ground
morriswalters:
--- Quote from: g33k on June 18, 2022, 01:07:32 AM ---"Zoo Day" tells of the same outing, from 3 different POV's.
"The Good People" takes place in parallel to Christmas Eve, branching off midstory from the earlier one... and very likely, wrapping-up before it.
Alternate perspectives, backstories, behind-the-scenes of Young!Dresden's sh'allow perspectives, etc.
--- End quote ---
Whatever works for you. But for me I want a narrative purpose that moves the story to a conclusion. If he time travels, make time travel do something other then give a different perspective to the story.
g33k:
--- Quote from: morriswalters on June 18, 2022, 02:25:19 PM ---Whatever works for you. But for me I want a narrative purpose that moves the story to a conclusion. If he time travels, make time travel do something other then give a different perspective to the story.
--- End quote ---
But what if that "different perspective" actually does "move the story to a conclusion"?
Advances our understanding, Harry's understanding. Reveals shadowy figures, resolves lingering issues, clarifies confusing elements, etc.
The point of such a story isn't to re-tread and re-tell the same story; it's to tell a different story about the same events.
morriswalters:
--- Quote from: g33k on June 18, 2022, 06:18:08 PM ---But what if that "different perspective" actually does "move the story to a conclusion"?
Advances our understanding, Harry's understanding. Reveals shadowy figures, resolves lingering issues, clarifies confusing elements, etc.
The point of such a story is to re-tread and re-tell the same story; it's to tell a different story about the same events.
--- End quote ---
That tells me what he will be doing on his trip but not why he's taking the trip in the first place. I'll give you a time travel scenario. It's the last book. This is just a scenario not a wag.
Mab lies dying on the floor where she has just been back stabbed by Molly. Lash reveals that she still exists and tells him he needs to go back and become the man who must finish the fight. Harry turns and runs and goes to the river of time and travels back. As he leaves Merlin steps from the shadows.
Cue exposition. Now Harry goes back to create the tools he needs to win the fight, Lash tells him how and connects him up with all the right Gods in all the right places. He creates both the prison and the archive then steps into the crystal to come back, stopping along the way to make sure that things happen as they were meant to happen. Until at last he steps out to finish the fight as Merlin.
Do you see the point I'm making? If he going to time travel it must have a raison d'être. This scenario is a loop once time story. Everything occurs as it was meant to.
Mira:
--- Quote ---Do you see the point I'm making? If he going to time travel it must have a raison d'être. This scenario is a loop once time story. Everything occurs as it was meant to.
--- End quote ---
Which brings us back to motive, which is usually to go back to fix something that someone else screwing with time messed up. Or to go back to change something so what is happening in present time either doesn't happen or make sure it does happen. However changing a time line to fix one thing sets off ripples that change lots of other stuff that could lead to a worse outcome. That is why it is forbidden. It is impossible to just be an observer of what is going on, unless you can isolate yourself from everything and watch through a port hole..
Fcrate:
Never liked problem solving through time travel. I hope that's not what happens.
I remember reading a short story when I was a kid about a scientist who labored for months to solve an equation to make his time machine effective, to the ridicule of his peers, who say that he cannot exist twice at the same time. He records all major and minor events even before he succeeds to prove it works, and theorizes that a process called "substitution" will occur where his future mind will replace the past one, leaving everything else intact. He finally succeeds and his theory is correct. He traveled back in time 6 months, knowing everything that will happen, yet finds himself unable to change anything. He can't change his course of action no matter how hard he tries. He finds himself struggling to solve the equation again, making the same mistakes even when he knows the answer. The story ends with him succeeding in solving the equation again, and steps into the time machine once more, to start the last 6 months over again. Endlessly.
I loved that story.
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