"The lock," she said, loud enough to cut me off. "The lock is sort of why I'm thinking about leaving you." She stalked toward me, drink in hand, and I stood up, edging around the table to the far side, closer to the basement door. I wanted to keep the table between us. "You scamper down there after dinner every night. Lock your door and work on the mystery machine, right, Morris, the one that's going to change everything and make us rich, right? That machine?"
Art by Broken Cyborg
"Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion"
I could say so much about this episode, but I'll sum it up by saying that the rest of the year will be a search for numbers 2 through 5 in my 2010 Peoples Choice votes.
It was sad. It was beautiful.
As for the 100 word story; I resemble that drabble.
"Never fuck with The Culture"
Sublime In Peace Iain M. Banks.
Oh, man. I love it. It's rare to see a time travel story that doesn't use the cliché movie scifi time travel, but instead uses a more quantum basis. I hatehatehate the movie time travel stuff with a passion.
The ending felt a little abrupt, but I've got no other complaints.
I agree with Dreamrock. Quantum travel through the multiverse makes more sense than moving forward or backward along a linear path (worked wonderfully in Babel Probe, though).
I have to admit to taking the wife's side on this one. As an inventor, he created for the future but in the end, existed only for the past oblivious to the fact he was responsible for his present. However, quantum probability provides a miniscule chance he will hit his own timeline before everything goes to seed, so that should give him hope.
I want to change the world but no one will give the source code.
I think this is less about time travel and more about longing for youth, vigor and the feeling of new romance. Compared to long term relationships which seem to be about paying your bills, doing taxes and who is going to shovel the 20" of snow this time.I've been hitched for awhile and we are happy, but your spouse is never quite the fresh faced teen that you first fell for. In truth, neither are you. It's not a bad thing, growing old together, but who wouldn't want to take a trip back?
You can't keep a soul in a box. You gotta wear it proud. It's gotta be yours, not someone else's. -Sing
feste451 wrote:I agree with Dreamrock. Quantum travel through the multiverse makes more sense than moving forward or backward along a linear path (worked wonderfully in Babel Probe, though).
I have to admit to taking the wife's side on this one. As an inventor, he created for the future but in the end, existed only for the past oblivious to the fact he was responsible for his present. However, quantum probability provides a miniscule chance he will hit his own timeline before everything goes to seed, so that should give him hope.
After listening to the Drabblecast for yonks, I finally had to register for the forums today just so that I could chime in and agree with the other commenters about how fantastic and poignant this story was.
I also love how the story doesn't hammer home its twist ending, but instead just gives the reader a few gentle nudges, and then artfully drapes it out to one side, to perhaps be noticed in the final moments of the story, but never called attention to. Mr. Pratt, my hat is off to you.
Tim Pratt is a force to be reckoned with. This story combined the coolness of time travel with poigniancy of how love needs our attention in order to prosper. Morris was so caught up in rediscovering what was "lost" that he couldn't realize that he was the one who was causing it to be lost. It is natural for us to look back and fanatsize about how good things were in the past. However, when we were in the past, we dreamed about how good things would be in the future. We tend to overlook our present and, as feste451 said, that is what we are most responsible for, and what we have the most control over. Very good story! The timing of everything was perfect.
As for the twabble, it is wonderful to be chosen, but part of me wonders if that's the one I want to be remembered for. Guess that means I will have to keep writing more. (it's a hard group to keep up with)
Sweet story, and sad, and well done. Love the reading and the voices. I can see why he kept going back into the past, because I don't see him having much of a future to look forward to.
swamp wrote:
As for the twabble, it is wonderful to be chosen, but part of me wonders if that's the one I want to be remembered for. Guess that means I will have to keep writing more. (it's a hard group to keep up with)
Sorry Swamp but I really enjoyed the Twabble! It's the humor we all needed so we didn't go hang ourselves at the end.
Plus it reminded me of a friend who moved to NOLA. Monkeys and all.
Oh, this episode made me go to lump sum donor to $5 donor...if it helps to donate in this way more. Especially if it ups the pay to authors like Tim, Abbie and Jeremiah.
You can't keep a soul in a box. You gotta wear it proud. It's gotta be yours, not someone else's. -Sing
moonowl wrote:Oh, this episode made me go to lump sum donor to $5 donor...if it helps to donate in this way more. Especially if it ups the pay to authors like Tim, Abbie and Jeremiah.
Props, Moonowl!
Yes it really helps. It's the difference between having a weekly paycheck, or instead playing the lottery. It's hard to forecast when you bank on the lottery.
You're my quasi-ichthian angel, you're my half-amphibian queen...
moonowl wrote:Oh, this episode made me go to lump sum donor to $5 donor...if it helps to donate in this way more. Especially if it ups the pay to authors like Tim, Abbie and Jeremiah.
Props, Moonowl!
Yes it really helps. It's the difference between having a weekly paycheck, or instead playing the lottery. It's hard to forecast when you bank on the lottery.
I didn't think about it that way until Norm kinda spelled it out. (That's why I posted, not wahoo! look at me.)
I mean *I'd* rather have money now then money later, but it makes sense if you run a podcast. Plus this way I won't forget to throw more money in the DC piggy now and then.
You can't keep a soul in a box. You gotta wear it proud. It's gotta be yours, not someone else's. -Sing
swamp wrote:
As for the twabble, it is wonderful to be chosen, but part of me wonders if that's the one I want to be remembered for. Guess that means I will have to keep writing more. (it's a hard group to keep up with)
Sorry Swamp but I really enjoyed the Twabble! It's the humor we all needed so we didn't go hang ourselves at the end.
Oh, don't get me wrong. I am tickled to have the twabble featured and read by Norm. I just think it's funny. I never thought twice about it getting beyond the twabble thread. It was a joke between me and a friend. The image just wouldn't go away, so I thought I'd share.
Guess that means I will have to keep writing more. (it's a hard group to keep up with)