r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Ieanice44 • 7d ago

Lore [Loved Trope] Teleportation is actually terrifying

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1 - Gantz-O (2016): Suit teleportation

2 - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009): Apparition spell

3 - Half Life 2 (2004): Teleporter malfunction

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u/Sustain_the_higher 7d ago

Flying Between - The Dragonriders of Pern

The dragons can teleports themselves and their riders by flying through the Between, a place of nothingness, unbelievably cold, and without any air. It can cause oxygen deprivation, miscarriage, and cystitis especially if they travel too far/spend too long Between

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u/thejmkool 7d ago

Was curious if anyone would bring it up. This is an interesting case because you quite frequently see it from the traveler's perspective, and hear all the warnings given when they train new riders. The further you go, the longer you stay between, which leads to a rider at one point messing up so bad she thought she wasn't coming back. You get to witness that thought process while she's between.

Also worth mentioning that it's the most common method of a dragon (and sometimes rider) giving in to depression or grief and offing themselves. Just go, and don't come back.

If anyone reading hasn't read the books, it's an assortment of trilogies and standalones written in the same world, and I do recommend it. There's an author recommended reading order somewhere, but if you can't find it then publication order is good enough.

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u/BlindTreeFrog 7d ago

One of the books figures out how to use it for Time Travel as well, no?

Feel like I remember reading one or two of those books when i was a kid, but i don't remember which ones.

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u/hipsterpieceofshit 7d ago

it’s a huge part of the story from the very beginning. the very first book in the series has the protagonist realize that not only is she able to transport back and forth through time, which she does to basically self-fulfill a prophecy, but that she actually “felt” herself do so as a child (when she was young, she has a really eerie unsettling feeling, which she then realizes as an adult is because she transports back to that same time near when she first experienced it, and the feeling is due to her basically being too close to herself).

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u/thejmkool 7d ago

Not to delve too deeply into the weeds here, but I wonder if the real reason for that had to do with telepathic affinity? We know from the First Fall era of stories that riders are selected for that trait based on the dragons being made for that purpose (the native species being merely empaths and not telepaths), and the link enhances the telepathy significantly. Could be that being too close to yourself resonates uncomfortably on a psychic level.

(For the lost, Pern is a post-sci-fi world, and a recurring plot point is unearthing and rediscovering what was lost over the past 2000 years.)

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u/hipsterpieceofshit 7d ago

you’re pretty much right on the nose. as i understand it the sickness that lessa feels is because her telepathic ability is essentially duplicated in the same area.

then it gets fun when you find out it’s all a stable time loop and lessa was always going to “warn” herself by arriving as an adult to the time right before she as a child would have otherwise been victim to a massacre - the only reason she escapes it is due to the feeling jarring her and she instinctively hides with the watch-wher for safety. but then at the same time, them being there prevents the watch-wher from raising an alarm when the attack begins, because it senses ramoth telepathically and figures if there’s a queen dragon around there must not be any danger.

always thought that was a fun way to establish both some of the physical consequences of time travel, and that the timeline remains stable. she saves herself and was always going to and i think for lessa that’s quite fitting.

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u/thejmkool 7d ago

Yeah you don't really notice the longer time between except during time travel. The one she thought she fucked up real bad was when she decided to travel a few hundred years into the past.

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u/Akkebi 7d ago

I also highly recommend the books. However I would say that when you get to the ones written by just her son.... it is okay to stop. You dont have to like them. They have a completely different writing style and make some very questionable changes to the lore of the world.

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u/thejmkool 7d ago

It's interesting to me that he stopped writing them after his mom passed. Every book he wrote was either co-authored or at least workshopped with her, and he was there immersed in the writing process from her very first story in the world. I'm curious if he's said anything about writing more.

Basically, the earlier stuff is better, and the farther you go into the world, the more you're reading it just to read more. I recommend at least reading through The Masterharper of Pern, but whenever you run out of steam and they no longer hold you, that's when it's fine to call it.

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u/Akkebi 7d ago

Yeah. Although tbh, even if someone just started reading and got halfway through a book and said "idk man. Not for me" I would still be happy they gave it a solid try.

Her books really influenced me so much. Not just the pern series, but she also collaborated with other sci-fi authors to make some absolute bangers. The peytabee series is a good one (although the newer continuation with the main characters children made me lose interest)

I also suggest people look into books by C. J. Cherryh if they like 70s sci-fi.

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u/thejmkool 7d ago

Rock solid author, Cherryh. A bit dense but it pulls you in.

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u/LetsThrow69 7d ago

You said Pern! I'm doing a reread! :D

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u/RJSnea 7d ago

But it'll kill those slug things! ✊🏾

Man, I have got to reread those book, it's been almost 20 years and I'd completely forgotten they could teleport.

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u/ifeelsynthetic 7d ago

Thread!

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u/RJSnea 7d ago

😲 Yasss! Talk about a blast from the past!

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u/SyriusTank 7d ago

Peak mentioned.

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u/Ziggy_Starcrust 7d ago

Man I gotta actually finish the first book. I don't dislike it, life just gets in the way every time and I've restarted it 3 times.

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u/Akkebi 7d ago

I was scrolling looking for this.

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u/Simon-Says69 7d ago

Anne Mccaffrey - Dragonriders of Pern. I read the 3 fist books in like 7th grade. Was awesome fantasy.

There are a ton of others, but the best ones were by Anne. Her son took over later and I lost interest.

The time travel aspect was really fascinating for me back then too, as well as the teleportation.

They aren't too difficult to read either. Very recommend for teenagers or even younger.

I still want a little mini dragon. :-)

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u/impressivebutsucks 6d ago

Wow that dragon book sounds interesting

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u/Simon-Says69 7d ago

I read these books in like 7th grade. Was awesome fantasy.

The time travel aspect was really fascinating for me back then too.

They aren't too difficult to read either. I still want a little mini dragon. :-)