TTU : EraPreChanges

• Categories
• PageIndex
• RecentChanges
• RecentlyCommented
• Login/Register
• Search:

Era: Pre-Changes

Before Wednesday, December 18, 1996

Starts at: N/A
Ends at: The First Sighting

Era Summary

Until the final days of 1996, the history of the Tomorrowlands universe was almost indistinguishable from our own.

Almost indistinguishable, because there are hints that something was going on behind the scenes even before The First Sighting brought TheChanges to the attention of the planet.

How far back those hints extend depends on who you talk to. Some TTU residents, with the wisdom of hindsight, claim that all of Earth history was leading to this moment, or produce complex numerological calculations supposedly resolving to whatever moment they claim things began. Any number of mages, up to and including Dennis Redwing, are of the opinion that magic was suppressed for some period of Earth history and TheChanges marked its return. One amateur physicist claimed it was a time echo caused by the explosion of the first nuclear bomb, complete with sine-wave diagrams peaking at presidential assassination attempts. The less conspiracy-minded generally discount all of this, although The Missing Moment gives many pause.

Whatever the historical theory might be, the evidence cited usually includes the "statistically significant increase in paranormal sightings" one study found in looking through early December 1996 newspapers. (Statisticians widely argue over that study's counting methodology and sample size, and follow-up studies haven't clarified the situation any.) Also widely cited are any of a number of theris who claim to have transformed before The First Sighting -- the so-called "Zeds" or Zeroth Wave theris -- although their stories are conveniently free of verifiable facts and most dismiss them as publicity seekers.

One popular theory -- though it's strenuously denied by the man himself -- is that TheChanges are all the product of Redwing's appearance and that he's the key to it all. Redwing, for his part, argued in WeWalkAmongYou that the Earth itself was waking up, and that that process began long before December 1996 (though he "refuses to speculate" when it might have started). Others blame aliens or an advanced intelligence or a cabal of secret world masters, all of whom are functionally making the same argument as the many Christians who describe it as the will of God. Some see no rhyme or reason to it, just a random hiccup of the universe.

But no matter how many college students stay up until sunrise arguing the question, what might have actually caused this shift (or return) is a matter of pure speculation. All that can be said for certain is that life went on doing its usual thing until a dragon was caught on camera one cold winter afternoon.

Major Events

The Missing Moment

Writing Tips

Writing stories wholly set in this era is a difficult proposition; there isn't really anything unique about TTU until The First Sighting kicks off the transformations and magic. It might be useful for flashbacks, exposition, or history.

It might be interesting to inject an unverifiable and mysterious note of the occult into historical fiction as sort of a TTU "prequel," but canon issues would be an obstacle.

All TTU characters are entitled to their own explanations for when and how things started, but actual experience with TTU-type forces pre-Changes is both rare and tenuous. If anything odd happened to a character before The First Sighting, it should be either explicable by coincidence; unverifiable and not particularly believable; or else within the boundaries of what magic can currently do in the "real world."

Notes

Stories Set In This Era

None found.

Other Associated Pages

The following 2 pages belong to EraPreChanges:

TheriType

TomorrowlandsGlossary

---

CategoryEras

• [Source]
• [History]
• 2009-07-07 17:47:26
• Owner: BaxilDragon

Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional :: Valid CSS :: Powered by WikkaWiki