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Top 50 Time Travelers Submission thread - Clock In!

Johnny Unusual

Johnny Unusual

(He/Him)
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Alright! It’s… TIME! Time to vote on your favourite time travelers in fiction and… reality? Well, we’ll get to that. But this character archetype isn’t just a character with a gift and/or a curse, it’s how we can use speculative fiction to explore some big-ass ideas. After all, the past is a foreign place and an inaccessible one. It’s easy to feel trapped in the now and while there are good things about this era, it’s not hard to see the scary stuff. If anything, that feeling of fear and of loss is what is the inspiration of mining nostalgia for hard earned bucks. Yes, I can see the cynicism and even the toxicity of nostalgia but there’s not question there’s enticement to get back to… not a simpler time to be sure but what FEELS like a simpler time. Times were never simple and in many ways, the past sucked too. But the longing is completely understandable. The yearning.

Perhaps you yearn to see the future and you want to validate your fears or be given hope. Perhaps you want to go to the past, a lost world you once knew. Perhaps you want to stay in the now for as long as possible. Perhaps, as you grow older, you see time slipping through your hands like sand and want to find a way to keep it from fleeing. Stories of time travel allow you to feel a power you wished for to break free from the rules of the world and be where you want to be. Conversely, it can also be a way to explore the horror of infinity, the awe-inspiring responsibility of the smallest actions in time or simply realize that this dream is not what we thought.

It’s about the big questions. Regrets and things we wish we could change. Second chances, to make things right. What does it mean to be where you don’t belong on a cosmic level? Or maybe, simply, a rollicking adventure in a place that is fantastical simply by virtue as not existing anymore, even if it’s as recent as a few years ago.

OK, so basically, here’s what I want from you, a list of up to 25 characters (optimally, I’d like a full list but I understand if your list is incomplete). Send it to me and we’ll compile them into a bigger list, which I will create as a countdown.

Here it is in rule form…

A) Send a list of your top 25 time travelers. You are free to send a smaller list if you want but I will say my personal preference is a full list if possible.

B) PM me your list. And keep it a secret from the other players. It's more fun if people aren't gaming the system or knowing what's coming. Don't worry, you can reveal your list when it is all done.

C) I'll tally everyone's list and make a composite list of time travelers.

Now what counts as a time traveler? “Defining” is always tricky, isn’t it? Well, I’ve learned from past experience to not make the mistake of being too gatekeepery about it and I’ll probably accept whatever you send but let’s go over some variations.

Can I include a character who cannot control their journey through time or only goes to one time

Yeah, many of these are the most iconic of stories. Time travel frequency isn’t too important, though I will say… like Spider-Man has travelled through time in a few stories but it’s not really what he’s known for. If there’s a memorable story where a character who usually doesn’t does, sure I’ll accept it but I’ll only be talking about the character within that context.

  • OK, OK, But… but… here me out… people in time loops.

Yeah, this makes sense to me. It’s a different kind of travel, one with little control but still.

  • Can I include characters who CONTROL time?
I mean, like I said, this is always tricky, isn’t it. It’s a different way to travel through time. I say, as I often do, listen to your heart on this one. What feels right. Especially since there are different versions of this. You get to decide if Zack Morris giving a time out counts as time travel.

  • Speaking of feels… what about a character misplaced in time in non-time warping means. For example, a character frozen in ice and they are a person out-of-time?

OK, this is where things get tricky. Again, listen to your heart and don’t complain if people don’t see it the same way. Maybe on some of these I’ll mutter under my breath but I get it; the spirit of a person in the foreign time does actually have a similar tone in many ways, even if it’s not a “letter of the law” kind of thing.

  • What if a character thinks they time travelled (or can) but didn’t (or can't)
Sure. I actually can’t think of a character like this (at least not a character where this is a defining element) but it seems like it fits.

  • OK, OK, But… but… here me out… people in time loops.

Yeah, this makes sense to me. It’s a different kind of travel, one with little control but still.

  • What if time travelling isn’t a specifically famous trait but they do it pretty often?

If it feels right to you.

  • OK, how about groups or pairings?

Oh, this is always tricky. After all, someone might send a duo as two individual characters and others as one. I might try to help you out but I’d ask you to consider how much individuality there is between the duo/trio/group.

• OK, OK, But… but… here me out… people in time loops.

Yeah, this makes sense to me. It’s a different kind of travel, one with little control but still.

  • What about a real person who has claimed to time travel?

Sure, sounds fun.

OK, I think that more or less covers it!

Deadline is in April 30th but as always, it’ll probably be stretched a bit as I tabulate. But please AIM for April 30th or sooner and if you think you might be late, let me know.

And feel free to ask questions! Until then…

 
I've been slowly assembling candidates in my head since this list was a go but I still need a few more, I think.

My #1 will probably surprise absolutely no one.
 
After seeing the relevant bullet point, I’m immediately thinking of a few really obvious duos/groups and struggling with whether to list them individually or all at once. Hmmm.
 
Your call. That said, depending on how the spread goes, I might ask you to either to consolidate or break up, depending. As for now, you do you.
 
Kirin said:
After seeing the relevant bullet point, I’m immediately thinking of a few really obvious duos/groups and struggling with whether to list them individually or all at once. Hmmm.
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I had a few instances like that on my list. I did split most of them up which did make it real easy (too easy) to fill out my list.
 
Working on a list. This might be interesting.

There's one really obvious duo I can think of that I emphatically wouldn't separate.
 
Made my long list and it's at 29. A decent number of them are more than one person and I'm not sure yet if I'll break 'em up. Fun little thought exercise.

Also a lot more characters from books are on my list than I expected which is cool.
 
Issun said:
Maybe an extension? 12 days is a lot shorter than most Top 50 submission threads have gotten.
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I expect my Top 50 will run until May 11th if that can help plan the schedule. I do have some things mapped out so I don't plan on changing my presentation schedule.
 
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If you need time let me know but this is around the usual time I provide. I dont like the submission time to go too long, as people just think "Ill get around to it" and don't. Also, it takes me several days to tabulate, during which time I accept more lists. So if you are a little behind, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Just let me know to expect it.
 
Johnny Unusual said:
I dont like the submission time to go too long, as people just think "Ill get around to it" and don't.
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Echoing this. Ya'll really like to send in lists just before the buzzer, or a day or two after the buzzer, and Johnny knows this better than most, given how many of these he's done. Moving the deadline back isn't likely to accomplish much.
 
We are up to 8! Getting 2 more is key but my real goal is 7 more. I think we can do it. Official deadline is Thursday but let me know if you need a little time after so I know to hold the door open.
 
Hmm, I have two where I realized it's kind of a spoiler that they're time travelers. I doubt they'll make the final list but I assume just marking that is fine?

Edit: actually just one, looking at the synopsis I misremembered and it's revealed basically at the start so removing the spoiler tag from one.
 
Violentvixen said:
Hmm, I have two where I realized it's kind of a spoiler that they're time travelers. I doubt they'll make the final list but I assume just marking that is fine?
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My #1 is one of these as well. From my submission PM:
"My #1 with a bullet. However, explaining why would mean major spoilers for [REDACTED], and I think everyone should experience that narrative beat for themselves? Honesty, I feel a little guilty even voting for him at all, given that, but..."

Just comes with the territory, I think. *shrug*
 
Yay! Currently at 10! Hopefully if everyone who has expressed interest sends in a list that can bring us to 15! Get those lists in as soon as you can. If you are going to be a little late, that's OK. Just let me know to keep the door open for ya!
 
People should really have the decency to jump back to before the original deadline here and make their submissions then.
 
If anything, they should have sent them before I announced this so I'm all like "what the heck are all these lists? I may as well do SOMETHING with them".
 
I may be asking you some to consolidate entries or break them up. You dont HAVE TO but it will likely make for a smoother list. But in the end, follow your bliss.
 
I got a shortlist of 24 entries right now.

I need to find a better list of videogame time travellers than that Wikipedia article.
 
Ok, got my list in, we'll see if Johnny wants me to re-edit any of my, uh, waaaaay more than 25 individual people I ended up slipping into my top 25 list...
 
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