Time travel... it's brilliant, isn't it? However, contrary to popular belief, I do not have a time machine.
Maybe I should explain.
Lately I've been exploring the wonderful world of Doctor Who (the 2005 series) and have become semi-addicted to the episodes.
However, previously to my Who-vian discovery, I was temporarily re-obsessed with Back to the Future (no thanks to my recent purchase of the game... (yes there is a game. I know how that sounds, but it was BRILLIANT thank you very much)).
So now of course, being halfway obsessed with BTTF and Doctor Who, all I can think about lately is time travel. Or more specifically, the paradoxes that happen when people time travel.
You see, when I get involved in a fandom, I like to get involved. I like knowing all the canon details, and the rules of the fandom's universe. Because that knowledge, in turn, allows me to write detailed fanfiction if I ever get the urge.
But I can't with BTTF and (from what I've seen so far) Doctor Who. Why? Paradoxes.
I don't understand them!Doctor Who has been fairly good up till this point... no big alterations to the timeline except satellite five. However, I can't relax. Just knowing that the TARDIS can time travel always has me on alert... I suspect it is the BTTF fan inside of me. I've been conditioned to keep my eyes peeled for paradoxes. I'm so used to the BTTF-verse rules of time travel, that leaning new (though apparently similar) rules messes with me.
To make matters worse, I can barely wrap my head around the BTTF paradoxes themselves. (Tombstone, anyone?) And the game made it even worse with their yet another alternate Hill Valley, along with a completely different Doc. Having him erasred, written, and re-written just messed with me. I mean, how can anyone keep track of his timeline now? (And that ending... I mean... really? Really?!)
Sorry... bit ranty there. My point is, although having time travel opens up the plot for a lot of mind-bending paradoxes, I am still drawn to it, because, (done well) it can result in some really fantastic and creative plot developments, which pulls me even farther into the fandom. I guess it's kind of a vicious circle, isn't it?
Anywho, I have a lot of respect for people who are able to accurately write up scenarios like that, because it must take a lot of work to iron out all the repercussions.
I guess I should just continue going with the flow. After all, as Wheatley would say:
"Umm...True. I'll go true. That was easy."
