History Literature / AllYouZombies

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: As with all Heinlein's works. The latest date given in the story is 1993.

* FunWithAcronyms: The same "elite military service corps" is referred to at various points in history as the '''W'''omen's '''E'''mergency '''N'''ational '''C'''orps, '''H'''ospitality & '''E'''ntertainment '''S'''ection, the "Space Angels" or '''A'''uxiliary '''N'''ursing '''G'''roup, '''E'''xtraterrestrial '''L'''egions, and the '''W'''omen's '''H'''ospitality '''O'''rder '''R'''efortifying & '''E'''ncouraging '''S'''pacemen.
** No doubt inspired by the RealLife Women Airforce Service Pilots and their naval counterparts, Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service.

* HelpYourselfInTheFuture
* {{Hermaphrodite}}
* LukeYouAreMyFather / LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler: And mother.]]

* MyFutureSelfAndMe

* TimeParadox
* TimeTravel

* TitleDrop: In the closing lines.

* TakeThat: Creator/JackChalker claimed he wrote ''Literature/DowntimingTheNightside'' to address the questions this story raised but failed to answer.

* YouAlreadyChangedThePast: The barman remembers all the parts of the story from when they happened to him in his original timeline. He's just acting out his part now to complete the loop.

* HelpYourSelfInTheFuture

* IncestIsRelative: See also OneDegreeOfSeparation below.

A film adaptation called ''Film/{{Predestination}}'', starring Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook, was released in 2014.

A film adaptation called Film/{{Predestination}}, starring Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook, was released in 2014.

* TakeThat: JackChalker claimed he wrote ''Literature/DowntimingTheNightside'' to address the questions this story raised but failed to answer.

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep - The narrator is only referred to as "the barman" until the end of the story [[spoiler: when he reveals his real name: ''Jane.'']]
* {{Foreshadowing}} - The barman becomes ''very'' annoyed at the song "My Own Grandpa."
* FunWithAcronyms - The same "elite military service corps" is referred to at various points in history as the '''W'''omen's '''E'''mergency '''N'''ational '''C'''orps, '''H'''ospitality & '''E'''ntertainment '''S'''ection, the "Space Angels" or '''A'''uxiliary '''N'''ursing '''G'''roup, '''E'''xtraterrestrial '''L'''egions, and the '''W'''omen's '''H'''ospitality '''O'''rder '''R'''efortifying & '''E'''ncouraging '''S'''pacemen.

* IncestIsRelative - See also OneDegreeOfSeparation below.
* LukeYouAreMyFather / LukeIAmYourFather - [[spoiler: and mother.]]
* MostWritersAreWriters - The Unmarried Mother writes short stories for magazines.

* MyOwnGrandpa - In possibly the most convoluted, mind screwing way possible.
* NoodleIncident - The Mistake of '72.
* OneDegreeOfSeparation - The various characters are connected by [[spoiler:''[[MyOwnGrandpa zero]]'']] degrees of separation.
* {{Ouroboros}} - The bartender, quite understandably, wears an Ourboros ring.
* ParentalIncest - Again, all part of the story's TimeyWimeyBall.
* ScrewYourself - [[spoiler: After the protagonist has his one night stand with his female past self, the barman comments that the idea of seducing yourself is irresistible.]]
* StableTimeLoop - The barman already knows the recruitment will work. [[spoiler: After all, he remembers the other side of it.]]
* TangledFamilyTree - It's a very tangled family tree, considering that [[spoiler:there's only one person in it]].

* TimeTravelTenseTrouble - "The By-Laws Of Time" read as such:

* TimeyWimeyBall - Don't think too hard on the paradox of the story. You ''will'' start bleeding from the nose.
* TitleDrop - In the closing lines.
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture - As with all Heinlein's works. The latest date given in the story is 1993.

* YouAlreadyChangedThePast - The barman remembers all the parts of the story from when they happened to him in his original timeline. He's just acting out his part now to complete the loop.

A film adaptation called Film/Predestination, starring Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook, was released in 2014.

A film adaptation called Predestination, starring Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook, was released in 2014.

* WrongGeneticSex: The protagonist starts out as an intersex female and...it gets complicated. Her actual degree of intersexualization approaches true [[{{Hermaphrodite}} hermaphrodism]] and isn't biologically possible, at least for normal humans.

* YouAlreadyChangedThePast

!!Provides Examples Of:

* IncestIsRelative - and ''how!'' See also OneDegreeOfSeparation below.

* ScrewYourself

"--All You Zombies--" (1959) is a short story by Creator/RobertAHeinlein that presents to the reader an interesting time paradox. "The Unwed Mother", as a bar patron calls himself, unloads his life story onto a willing barman -- a TimePolice agent in disguise. The barman, however, knows more about The Unmarried Mother than he could ever guess.

* TakeThat: JackChalker claimed he wrote ''DowntimingTheNightside'' to address the questions this story raised but failed to answer.

"--All You Zombies--" (1959) is a short story by Creator/RobertAHeinlein that presents to the reader an interesting time paradox. "The Unmarried Mother", as a bar patron calls himself, unloads his life story onto a willing barman -- a TimePolice agent in disguise. The barman, however, knows more about The Unmarried Mother than he could ever guess.

"--All You Zombies--" (1959) is a short story by Creator/RobertAHeinlein that presents to the reader an interesting time paradox. "The Unmarried Mother," as a bar patron calls himself, unloads his life story onto a willing barman. The barman, however, knows more about The Unmarried Mother than he could ever guess.