Time Snap: Can Physics Make It Sci-Fi?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of time travel, specifically a narrative idea where time 'snaps' forward 20 years for a protagonist while others remain unaware. Participants explore the feasibility of this idea through the lens of physics, considering various scenarios and implications related to time travel, memory, and the nature of time itself.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests a scenario where the protagonist travels at near light speed, which would result in time dilation, but raises issues about memory and the implications of having lived those 20 years.
  • Another participant humorously proposes a head injury as a means to achieve the time snap, indicating a less serious approach to the concept.
  • Concerns are raised about the plausibility of time travel into the future, noting that it would typically require the protagonist to be absent from their timeline, complicating the narrative of having a family during that period.
  • A suggestion is made to use amnesia as a plot device, allowing the protagonist to forget the past 20 years without actual time travel, although this raises psychological questions about memory retention.
  • A participant references the novel "Rainbows End" to illustrate a similar theme of a character adapting to a changed world after a significant period, drawing parallels to the proposed storyline.
  • There is a discussion about the logical implications of time skipping, with one participant arguing that the concept makes no sense as time is inherently linked to change and cannot simply skip forward.
  • Another participant emphasizes that if the universe itself were to skip 20 years, it would be impossible for the protagonist to not notice the missing time, questioning the coherence of the plot device.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the feasibility of the proposed time travel concept, with no consensus reached. Some agree that the idea can be explored creatively, while others challenge the logical foundations of the premise.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in the narrative's premise, particularly regarding the relationship between time, memory, and physical laws. The discussion reveals unresolved questions about how time travel could be represented without contradicting established physics.

  • #31
Ryan_m_b said:
The pedo comment was hardly required to make an otherwise good point.
16 is legal age of consent on the beach in New Jersey, South Carolina, Hawaii, the United Kingdom, or the West, North, or East coast of Australia. So most beaches in the English speaking world. A 20 year old male quietly having a lustful thought about a 16 year old wearing a bikini on the beach would not be considered "a pedophile" anywhere that I am aware of. The authorities in Texas would not have an issue with a 20 year old dating a 16 year old. The couple would have to get married or wait a year and a half to consummate that relationship legally. Seniors dating freshmen was very common in both my high school and college experiences. I can edit my post to "18 year old daughter" if it makes you more comfortable.

Finding out that you had a daughter you did not know about would be disturbing. The surprise incest theme is common in ancient stories. The Oedipus story spawned numerous plays. In the book Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
Ship disturbs Deve by telling her about Freya's one night stand with one of Deve's exes.
It is a TV trope. If your character has a sexuality that you are writing about I am not sure how you would avoid mentioning this problem. Clearly the protagonist was interested in the mom who was nearly the same age and had many of the same genes.
 
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  • #32
“Jailbait” explicitely means the person in question is underaged, should have been pretty obvious that was the term being referenced. No need to then rattle off a list of different nations’ ages of consent.
 
  • #33
This topic sounds like the plots of Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five or the Time Traveler's Wife. And a little like The Arrival.
 

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