Ok, not really. I just like world building, and occasionally have time to write down some of my better ideas (for a given value of "better"). Where better than here to post some of those? Hopefully I'll find some constructive criticism and hopefully brighten someone's day, or at least give them a wtf-induced headache.
If you all remember way back when I did post the aborted idea for a universe, the Continuity Wars. I ended up neglecting that 'verse, simply because how I was constructing it and a lack of clear focus led to the rules of chronophysics I had written make the sorts of events and entities I wanted to be impossible to coexist with each other.
Still, it's been bouncing around in my head since forever and I'm going to have another shot at it. I've been reading some of the classic time travel stuff and browsing the time travel tropes at TVtropes to see what others have come up with, and see what I might be able to make work in my own setting. I'd like to outline my goals for the 'verse here, and hopefully get some advice on how to avoid the conflicts that destroyed my previous attempts. Any requests or thoughts on cool things can go here as well; I am talking about a setting that spans more than one plane of existence and chances are that if it didn't happen on Earth, it could have/will/going to happen somewhere else.
First, a basic description. The Continuity Wars is a setting where time travel is possible, and on a grand scale. As with all great technologies, this power ends up getting used for conflict, within timelines, between timelines, and between universes. The past can be changed, and if you don't want your opponents to change it you better change it first. The exact people, places and things are somewhat irrelevant - only a few actors are powerful enough to ensure their continuing retroactive existence, and even they have to be very cautious about what they do. Instead, the main thing described are is the set of rules, consequences of actions, and examples of the types of things that recur over and over (or occur just once, an infinite number of times). My goals and ground principles of the setting are:
- The universe has rules, and those rules are consistent, thought not necessarily simple. This means that there is no Timey Wimey Ball or Swirly Energy Thingy whose Polarity Needs to Be Reversed.
- You can make a difference. That difference may be to get your entire civilization erased, but it is a difference. Basically, there is no infinite set of worlds where every possible situation does happen - otherwise what's the point in trying to change any of it?
- The universe is materialistic, and sentient beings are collections of matter that are not exempt from any of the rules. This means that drones are almost always a good idea, there is no such things as Ripple Effect Proof Memory, and all of the issues dealing with stuff moving around in space need to be solved. It also means that none of the nonsense about past and future selves not meeting needs to be observed unless the time traveller's past self is critical to the mission somehow.
- This universe is filled with GrimDark; not necessarily because the individual universes are shitty (most aren't, actually), but because the nature of the universe is such that civilizations can and are frequently erased and there is little anyone can do to stop it. This, incidently, is the reason for the titular Continuity War. Even explicitly peaceful, diplomatic attempts at contact between timelines and universes may invoke a deadly butterfly effect that someone in the future may feel it is necessary to stop. If, for example, you decided open up relations with they guys from the next timeline over - odds are that will change something three hundred years down the road and the people there have a strong incentive to stop you, by any means necessary.
- Things are explored to the n-th order. It's not just one or two time travel devices that exists, there is a whole mess of them. You can't count on your opponents being surprised by time travel - and they can't count on you being surprised about them not being surprised. Since the playing field is even, we see a (relative) equilibrium, with all of the tactics, procedures, culture, and attitude that bring over adding an otherwise normal person to a time travel situation.
So, questions/comments/feedback/etc/so forth/so on/whathaveyous?
And yes, I did just provide a several links to TV Tropes. I didn't see any sort of policy against indiscriminate use of memetic hazards, so there you go. Enjoy having your brain melt and your time slip away.
