Or, why I shouldn't watch shows that involve historical characters -_-; Just some pondering:

Real Life Tesla vs Sanctuary Tesla: Timeline

Random annoyance, I know. *grins* But ... working off Wikipedia dates, and some awesome fan timelines for Sanctuary that I've seen:

If we assume that the Source Blood experiment was in 1886, based on James' comment on when Helen stopped ageing, then putting Tesla in Oxford at that time is ... problematic, and plays merry hell with the early stages of the War of the Currents. Which, being one of the main things he's remembered for, is sort of a problem.

The only two ways I can figure it is either to assume that Sanctuary is an AU and Tesla never went to the States in 1884, but only after the experiment, in 1887 or thereabouts, OR that Tesla left for England after the blowout with Edison in 1885, and came back in 1887. (I'm putting 1887 as the year he had to be back because I'm pretty sure that's when Nikola demonstrated the power transmission systems that make AC power practical. 1887/1888, thereabouts, there's some leeway, I think. Which means he missed the Ripper debacle, though, which is ... disappointing. *pouts*). Presuming he kept working on his electrical experiments during his time with the Five (no reason not to), it's still likely that he had the technology ready to go in 1887 to kick Edison's DC ass.

The problem with either is that it makes his links to the two major American players in the WoC, Edison and Westinghouse, difficult. If we go with the first theory, that he never went to America before 1887 at all, then he never met Edison, was never spectacularly cheated by him, and never had the same reason for the enemity that made them rather legendary later. Or course, given Tesla, it's entirely possible that he'd still hate Edison on intellectual grounds, for refusing to recognise the potential of Tesla's technology, but ... Tesla does seem rather personal about his enemities ... As far as Edison goes, I sort of like the second theory, that the fight with Edison in 1885 is the reason he left America, but that makes the timing awfully tight, and I'm not sure about the logistics and practicalities of leaving a country for a year or so and then coming back, during the 1880s. (It's also fun because then part of the reason he came back is that he's now a vampire and therefore believes himself superior in every way, and can't wait to flaunt that at old enemies)

Westinghouse is slightly easier, as they only start working together in 1888 anyway, after Tesla has spent a couple of years digging ditches trying to scrape money together (which is why it's relatively easy to say he left in 1885, because Real Life Tesla had a blank year in 1886 anyway). In some ways it might be easier to link them up if we assume the first theory, that Tesla was a completely fresh face in America and Westinghouse just got lucky in finding a bright young talent eager to compete with Edison, but either way works.

The problem with either is that, even if he came back in 1887 to kick ass in the War of Currents, his absence for a few years would push back his becoming a naturalized US citizen in 1891 (you need 5 years living there before you qualify, I think), but that's blown out of the water by Sanctuary anyway, so maybe we can assume his later work with the intelligence communities had something to do with that? As in, the genius with the fragging death ray has been ours since 1891, so back off buddies, you've got no claim? *smiles* Shaky, but governments being shady on such matters would hardly be a new thing, in Sanctuary OR real life.

Or ... we could assume that in Sanctuary!verse, his and Edison's entire body of work was pushed back a few years, into the 1890s. This is possible too, as it was Tesla's working with Edison pre-1885 that allowed Edison to revolutionise his own DC system (the credit for which being what he cheated Tesla out of in 1885), so if we take it that Sanctuary is a slight AU, we can just put the whole War of the Currents in the 1890s, run-up and all, and be done. *grins* If we take the first theory above, that 1887 was the real year Tesla first arrived in the US, it fits nicely enough, or we can push it later again, and allow him to be in England for the Ripper murders. Not as fun as the other theory, but saves headaches -_-;

*blinks a bit* And I've no idea why I felt compelled to work that out. *grins sheepishly* If anyone can clear anything up, or point out where I'm wrong, that would be awesome, by the by. Heh.
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