I swear, the person edged away from me.

Well, clearly he was afraid that smartness might be catching, like cooties. Wouldn't want that!

I remember reading Medea and finding it so over the top that I laughed and laughed. Perhaps not the appropriate response, but I was surprised ot enjoy it so much...

Am-Chau:

I absolutely think that without the long history, it would never have worked. It's one of those situations where the alignment of stars makes you wonder if the author is trying to say something about fate, but then I start trying to work out the time loop, and my brain goes splody.

I'm working out thoughts on possible comparisons, but they need to simmer.

You are more than welcome to use the terminology.

many open-loop stories revolve around efforts *not* to change the timeline

Yes, very much so. (It actually came up for me in thinking about Stargate, which is one of the few canons to have both types of time travel)

I'm afraid that 'what would it take to make this relationship unhealthy?' is one of my fairly standard questions about fictional relationships; I think it has something to do with writing fanfic.

I adore this question.

but then I start trying to work out the time loop, and my brain goes splody.

I am not surprised. It makes my brain whimper and crawl away, too.

(It actually came up for me in thinking about Stargate, which is one of the few canons to have both types of time travel)

This thread may or may not be the place, but I'd love to hear more about this (I've just finished my months-long catch-up watch of the entire SG-1 canon).

I adore this question.

I'm rather fond of it myself, I confess. It can be very revealing about the canon, especially those times when you realise the answer is "nothing more is needed".

The problem with this, like many closed-loop stories, is that there is no way that one half could happen without the other (ie- he wouldn't have gone back to those times if he hadn't known her, and he wouldn't have known her if he hadn't gone back. And that sound you hear ismy brain going *poof*)

Re: SG1, meet you in Boxed Set? I've not seen 7, but I'm aware of most of what happens.

In this case, though, I don't think that it's inherently unhealthy, given the people involved. There are people for whom it would be, but, in this case, nsm.

It impressed me that they were able to draw me a Henry who I believed had been a time-traveler his entire life. I can believe that it would be impossible to be a successful person under the traditional model. Punk librarian works for me, on both ends.

At that point, you start asking questions about cause and effect, and whether there's something outside that loop which has decided that Henry and Clare should be together, and somehow sets the loop in motion. But then I start quoting ancient Greek dramatists on the subject of fate and Zeus.

Re: SG1, meet you in Boxed Set? I've not seen 7, but I'm aware of most of what happens.

Yeah, okay. I'll dodge any SV spoilers (being in Britian, I'm way behind, but since I keep missing episodes and not caring, I think I'll cope).

My dear, punk librarian is always a good thing. But yes, all the characters were well-drawn, actually. I found Clare quite compelling, and Henry's family interesting, too. The only one I didn't 'connect' with was Alba, and that might be because she was such a minor character in some regards.

The problem with this, like many closed-loop stories, is that there is no way that one half could happen without the other (ie- he wouldn't have gone back to those times if he hadn't known her, and he wouldn't have known her if he hadn't gone back.

But he doesn't know her the first time (in his timeline) that he sees her, right? I may be misremembering, but isn't there a scene in which he shows up in the meadow behind her house and has no idea where he is or who she is? So he doesn't choose to visit her; he's taken there, by the same force or power that takes him to other places and times not of his choosing. He doesn't ever have control over where/when he goes.

So then the question becomes who or what is controlling his time travel? It's left wide open. It could, in fact, be the work of his subconscious, given that the large majority of the trips he takes are to places and times in his own life, like the dozens of times he witnesses his mother's death. In that case, it doesn't make as much sense why he would start appearing in her life to begin with... except that by the time (in his timeline) that he starts visiting her in the past, he already knows her, so it does actually make sense that his subconscious would send him there... Still, I prefer to believe that Fate and Destiny play a larger part in their relationship. He starts visiting her because they are destined to be together.

Okay, now I've managed to confuse myself even further.

It's the subconcious (or fate) interacting with the genetic code for time-travel, somehow, which boggles me.

But there may be a point at which one is overthinking this. Not that I'm ever sure where it is.

I'm pretty sure that every time he goes to the meadow is, in his timeline, after he's already met Clare, and since she tells him about the meadow the first time (in his timeline) that they meet, he's known who she was every time he went there. (Wow, this is confusing to try to phrase.)

Hil, yeah, I think you're right.