Thursday, July 16, 2015

The Traveler's Dilemma


In a fight between Magic and Science, which one usually wins?


I'll put my money down in Magic every time! Made this caption for Chelsea Baker, whom I haven't captioned yet this year. I wanted to rectify that situation and I thought this picture would work fine, especially since she is right in that age group that probably would've been playing computer games in 2005 as a teenager. I used Drake Bell because my daughter used to crush on him when he was on Drake and Josh.

The main push I wanted to deal with was a battle between science and magic, which both have a solid place in TG fiction and captions. Science has a distinct set of rules, that we often stretch when working with technology .. and it has been said that science that isn't understood could be considered magic. However, when it comes to magic, there is usually only a constraint in terms of the magic user themselves, and not on the magic in and of itself. When science in involved, it usually has a user that knows what is about to happen, or at least a certain expectation, and when things go wrong, it is a miscalculation or user error. With magic, there are certain realms of Pixies/Tricksters that will misappropriate wishes and desires, or the magic user can unleash powers they can't control, or can only generate enough magical energy to do certain things before exhausting their powers.

Magic is easier to write, as with science, you must have some basis in reality and some understanding of how things work in the real world. For instance, where does the extra mass go if you have a machine that changes a fat guy into a skinny yet stacked bimbo? We can ignore that, but it does make you wonder sometimes in the back of your mind. Does it enter a black hole, or end up in the center of the earth? In magic, it just went away somewhere else! Don't even bother thinking about it!


This is my absolute favorite Time Travel song/story. If you have spotify or pandora, look up Ludo, and specifically the EP "Broken Bride" when you can. I don't thnk you'll be disappointed. They are so much more than just "Love Me Dead" which is also awesome, but Broken Bride is epic. It is about a scientist who builds a time machine to go back and save his young wife from a car accident in which she dies tragically. He travels from the time of dinosaurs all the way through to literal  Armageddon to try to save her.


Fuck it. If you have time, here is the complete EP. And of course, if you like it, BUY IT!

6 comments:

  1. Great cap Dee! Time Travel, Magic V Science, and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas… this just has a lot of extra credit geeky Caitlyn points!

    With the Magic V Science in TG caps, I tend to think they are interchangeable. I think it just really depends on what the author is more comfortable writing from. Let’s face it, when we’re talking about ‘science’ in TG fiction it’s more ‘science fiction’ than true science… unless you’re talking about hormone replacement and surgery.

    Certainly not all the time, but I believe a majority of TG fiction involving these two nearly interchangeable methodologies also comes down to intent. When magic is used and goes wrong, it’s more about lack of ability or lack of control. The wrongly worded wish, or the lack of will power. When science is used and goes wrong it’s more about the lack of knowledge. Didn’t read the fine print in the manual or didn’t calculate some portion into the equation.

    And one last thing…. God you’re making me feel old. I loved playing GTA:SA, considering it one of the best games. Only by reading this cap (and confirming it on Wikipedia) did I realize that GTA:SA has been out for almost 11 years now. (sadface)

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    1. Indeed a great cap Dee.
      In the science department, time travel has at least the advantage that no one knows what would happen, so there is room to give one's own explanation.

      LOL, you're feeling old Caitlyn, because of GTA:SA? I still remember the fun I had with the very first GTA when it came out. That's only 18 years ago ;) Even more, the last cap I made deals with a little European pop culture, a TV show called Pan Tau. That's a children’s series from the late sixties and seventies I watched very often. How should I feel? Uhm..., young actually, as long as I don't go as far back as Pong, which my dad bought when I was a kid, then the years start to count for me as well :)

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    2. I see I contradict myself here, as Pan Tau is even older than Pong. I guess I'm having mixed feelings.

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    3. It's not that GTA:SA is making me feel old... it's that I felt too old when I played it. And now that's 11 years in the past!! But then again just about everything in the world seems to get me thinking of my age.

      My nephew just called Nirvana 'Classic Rock'. "You know, like Led Zeppelin and Elvis"

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    4. Well, your nephew was right. Cobain killed himself over 21 years ago! Most of the "oldies" stations around here are playing songs from the 80's. You just gotta be able to age gracefully like me! LOL

      As Frozen would say, "Let it go!" or as Taylor Swift would say, "Get away from me, you old geezer!" I mean, "Shake it off! Shake it off!"

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    5. DAMN KIDS!! GET OFF MY LAWN!!! er.... I mean... yeah I should age gracefully.

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