[ It both is and isn't a surprise. She already knows how much he's been stewing slowly in the guilt of his part in things, so it's not like she expected him to keep it bottled up forever... but she still hadn't entirely expected him to tell anyone just yet. But it does make the explanation easier. ]
You've got Lostbelts, and you've got what they call "Proper Human History." It's less about the whole, "all histories are dead ends because one day the sun's gonna go supernova" or anything like that, and more like, "what are the paths where the choices of humans led to a dead end sooner than later," I guess. Like--
[ Did he tell Monika about Russia? If he hasn't, she doesn't want to be the one who volunteers it. China, then, because it's the freshest in her mind. ]
Like, assume a world where first Emperor of China obtained true immortality, and as a result, there were thousands and thousands of years of prosperity... but all at the expense of human creativity or expression. A world where there was no such thing as innovation or invention--people who just kind of existed, without living.
[ She grimaces a little, drumming her fingers faster against the tabletop now. ]
I don't really know who makes the decision for these things. All I really know is that I can't just let a Lostbelt overwrite my own timeline. There's four left, and each one of them wants to take over.
no subject
[ It both is and isn't a surprise. She already knows how much he's been stewing slowly in the guilt of his part in things, so it's not like she expected him to keep it bottled up forever... but she still hadn't entirely expected him to tell anyone just yet. But it does make the explanation easier. ]
You've got Lostbelts, and you've got what they call "Proper Human History." It's less about the whole, "all histories are dead ends because one day the sun's gonna go supernova" or anything like that, and more like, "what are the paths where the choices of humans led to a dead end sooner than later," I guess. Like--
[ Did he tell Monika about Russia? If he hasn't, she doesn't want to be the one who volunteers it. China, then, because it's the freshest in her mind. ]
Like, assume a world where first Emperor of China obtained true immortality, and as a result, there were thousands and thousands of years of prosperity... but all at the expense of human creativity or expression. A world where there was no such thing as innovation or invention--people who just kind of existed, without living.
[ She grimaces a little, drumming her fingers faster against the tabletop now. ]
I don't really know who makes the decision for these things. All I really know is that I can't just let a Lostbelt overwrite my own timeline. There's four left, and each one of them wants to take over.