Talk:Mohtrek

The statement that "If a past self is killed, the user will vanish, and an alternate timeline where they did not exist will be created." is confusing to me. It's cited as being from Makuta's Guide to the Universe page 83, but that page doesn't say anything about an alternate timeline being created, it just mentions that if a past self is killed, "Bitil himself would cease to exist." I'm not sure that this implies an alternate timeline being created; instead I think it just means that the current Bitil (or other Mohtrek user by extension) would vanish. Is there another source for this claim, or am I just misunderstanding Greg's writing? (The preceding unsigned comment was made by Sybonaf)

I found this confusing as well. - Toa Jala ^Converse 17:29, 3 September 2022 (UTC)

There's a Greg quote cited for that sentence as well, stating a new timeline would be created, however its conditions are different. It is not simply if Bitil were to die, but also if he simply was to be mutated in such a way that it'd impact his history, etc... So it may need rewording. ~ Wolk (talk) 19:16, 3 September 2022 (UTC)

MGttU is referenced for "if a past self is killed, the user will vanish." The Greg quote is referenced for "and an alternate timeline where they did not exist will be created" (or if that Greg quote isn't sufficient, I know I've seen others that support the statement). Since they don't directly contradict, both statements are considered true. This was discussed in depth in a recent TTV topic. It would be more correct to move MGttU to immediately follow the part it's cited for, but I was told BS01 typically prefers citations at the end of complete sentences because it looks nicer. Dag (talk) 19:19, 3 September 2022 (UTC)

Yes, exactly. What I was saying though, is that there are lesser conditions that can be met for an alternate timeline to be created, per the quote, i.e., the copy of the user doesn't have to die in the present. ~ Wolk (talk) 21:27, 3 September 2022 (UTC)

While you're absolutely right (and it eliminates the possibility of sending messages to the past be carving on your armor), I think that opens up a bigger question. Does the mere act of bringing your past self to the present cause an alternate universe to be created when you send them back? Your past self does and experiences things you never actually did, so it seems like an alternate universe should be created regardless. If that's not the case, where is the line drawn? Dag (talk) 21:39, 3 September 2022 (UTC)

That is a good question. In the hypothetical scenario given in the quote, the mutations cause Bitil to subsequently die upon his return, but we don't know if it goes further than that... This mask is a pain, Greg should have stuck to no time travel. ~ Wolk (talk) 23:31, 3 September 2022 (UTC)