Hello, Artemis. Boy, that kind of attitude sounds... Like the guy had assumptions about people that didn't align with how people actually are. Assumptions that I'm guessing were wide of the mark when he actually tested them...
Gee, it's like people are capable of working together even when they're not in direct line of sight.
Ah. I see. He wanted his theories proven correct. But refused to adapt when experimentation proved him wrong. He's a bad scientist.
Poorly, if at all?
Heh. Even the super-scientist doesn't understand how it works? I'm impressed. Even in parallel universes, Earth Bullshit™ works.
...Dozens of nuclear wars, but the planet isn't a burnt cinder yet? Something seems off there.
I'm suspicious.Interesting indeed. I have to wonder what's different between parallels that makes that possible...
Huh. People will actively self-sabotage themselves by basically committing suicide by morality chain? That... Doesn't sound like it's entirely of their own choice, then...
She's Lawful Evil. She understands that Rules exist for a reason, and how to work around them for her own gain... The Minus Sixteeners? They're Chaotic Evil. Chaotic Stupid, even. They try to get ahead, rules or no rules, even to their own detriment? That can't be natural.
You're just too shocked by this stupidity to attempt to dissemble.
The effect of powerful warlords, beating heads until people get the idea... And those pockets probably don't last much past their founder's death, I'll bet.
Madmen. Even less stable than the rest of them?
The joy of being sane in an insane world. All you can do is watch and wonder how.
That would be Harrolds, of course. Interesting that he can understand now. No doubt an aspect of his Enlightenment...
That's pretty much a given, I suppose.
...Honestly, Anti-Life might calm these shits down. If only by rendering them incapable of acting independently, which seems to be their big issue...
Ah, good, back on track. Information gathering!
Ah, there's the rub. Remember that little thought you had earlier?
And that she's in control of herself enough to not be dancing to someone else's song.
...Oooh, that's a consideration. What if the nature of the Anti-Life Equation is different in each universe, matter and anti-matter? This Earth is already such a shithole that the Anti-Life of Earth Sixteen would be... Tuesday.
I suppose that'll be helpful...
Eh? What's Dick found?
...That seems highly improbable.
Seriously, what?...How did it even work here? Would they have been operating on, what, 'I'll show them! I'll show them all!' mode?
...Suspicion growing. This can't be natural, can it?
Consider how often 'What if Britain won the Revolutionary War?' has shown up in What-if scenario comics? History turns on a knifepoint. Even a small variance can result in great changes... Unless something's been playing games with it.
And yet the planet isn't engulfed by Nuclear Winter, is it?
It's amazing what a fresh pair of eyes can see, when they look in from the outside.
Thank you, corrected.
I thought that the explanation from the original comic was perfectly adequate. The most powerful ones mostly avoid each other and the reality warping system deals with any issues generated by the rest.
Not necessarily. 'Nuke' isn't a yield, it's just the mechanism by which that yield is acheived. I vaguely remember seeing a proof a few years ago which demonstrated that a suitcase nuke set off in the middle of Central Park wouldn't break the windows of the buildings around the edge of the park....Dozens of nuclear wars, but the planet isn't a burnt cinder yet? Something seems off there.
Intriguing.
them -> then
Prisoner -> Prisoners -- unless that's just a difference between these universes
There shouldn't be anything to find out.
Thank you, corrected.
Deseret's a real state, right?
It could have been, yeah.
In the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, nothing says that apparently-independent parts of the wavefunction can't still interfere with each other.
Well, I think I see the answer to why he thought people would work like that.
I'm getting to really like Percival.
Ah, Roswaul. Cooling off, handling an informal debriefing, topping off his Ring charge... And having discreetly observed the 'heroes' from a safe distance. Sensible, though I suspect it'll be hard to dig deeper than a name to put to his face at this stage of the Internet.
And before you know it you've been living there for years, and you wonder just when it stopped being jsut a place you stayed.
After all, he's not dead. And I suspect an early-insertion Paul would have been finding Nick just as... interesting to look at.
Not that they could hold you for long. Unless you were very unlucky with the timing of a snatch'n'grab.
...Not keen on technology? I'm guessing they have issues with certain densities of electromagnetic fields, hmm? Like, say, the sort that would form around 'cold iron'?
...Ha. I figured he was a little interested in Nicky too. The series' artstyle is very early-2000's, all simple digital animation sharp edges, but he is a handsome guy.
Two words:
...Ah, the old rub. Why do so many species in the universe look kind of human?
Especially in live-action shows.Then again, I've read stories where it's implied the ancient human-like alien kind of bent the universe's 'morphogenic field' into their shape by accident. A 'Doctor Who' story, I think...
After all, human-centric setting, it's easy to assume our body shape is ideal for our way of life. Even when it's not really.
'Late Teens' isn't a guarantee of youth for long-lived species, Roswaul. If your friend there wanted to he could look like a five-year-old.
Still, it helps to be able to bear looking your partner in the face.
And you getting shot is hardly a deal-breaker.
Now wouldn't that be a fun 'Small world, eh?' moment?
And yes, human visual memory is not as reliable as you might think it would be. Surprised he doesn't have his Ring recording audio-visual material, for evidential purposes.
...Methinks there might be something for him to admit to. Admittedly, it might have been centuries ago. A wild fling, perhaps. Even the most chaste Maltusian can have wants.
On the other hand... You did kill one of their men. 'Defense of another' or not, I don't think they're going to let that pass easily.
I mean... If you keep the armour on, they might just treat you as the Green Knight himself.
...And don't agree to anything, no matter how innocent-sounding or insignificant? Or are they a little more relaxed than those kid of Fae?
Seriously, dealing with the Fair Folk can be a minefield, depending on the kind.
Oh, I'm sure there's lots of protocol. The question is, how much can you skip by being the Emerald Knight?
Indeed, 'King' and 'Queen' are fairly common and generic titles for leaders of any area. Chivalric tradition is what makes us think it's a big deal.
Heh. Got to be precise, Roswaul. After all, just because their species wasn't born on Earth...
...A very astute summation of the issue. The more connected the world became over the years, the smaller it feels. Especially since the beginning of the Space Age.
He's certainly got the power to manage it. Albeit at Percival's discretion.
Ah, the old rub. Why do so many species in the universe look kind of human?
The Forerunners. And, technically, given that, calling them humanoid is inaccurare: more accurately, Star Trek humans are Forerunner-oid.