Apr. 16th, 2018

jack: (Default)
Macbeth: So how will I die?
Time Traveller 1: Let's just say, no man born of woman will kill you
Time Traveller 1: *elbows other time traveller significantly and nods meaningfully*
Macbeth: Oh, come on. That doesn't really mean anything. I could fall off my horse and die.
Time Traveller 2: I don't think you'll have to worry about that.
Macbeth: So I'll just die of old age.
Time Traveller 2: Oh, well, not necessarily.
Macbeth: Seriously guys, if you're not giving me a straight answer, I'm just assuming you're messing with me with loopholes.
Time Traveller 1: OK, OK.
Time Traveller 2: OK, let me be straight. For at least 500 years you will definitely not die of old age, of disease, of accident, or even being, like, being stabbed from behind, or anything similar.
Macbeth (suspiciously): And I will not be killed by anyone "of woman born"?
Time Traveller 1: Nope.
Time Traveller 1: Not, like, angels or chimeras or wild animals or such either.
Macbeth: Hmmmmm.
Time Traveller 2: Look at it like this. You will not die AT ALL, until Burnham Wood gets up and walks to Dunsinane *snickers*
Time travellers: *high five*


Because it seems like for the witches thing to make sense they need to (a) know what would specifically happen but (b) be messing with Macbeth, or have a vested interest in telling him something but still have things happen that way.

I'm reminded of one of Piers Athonies, where a computer oracle was made that could tell the future, but could potentially choose *which* future as long as the predictions it made were true. For instance, it told the protagonist that X would try to kill him -- but that only happened because the protagonist tried to kill it first.

Inspired by the tumblr post:
writing-prompt-s: You’re teleported to 44 BCE Rome in your everyday street clothes. You’re brought before Caesar and he believes you might be from the future, hoping to bring him fortune. One day he questions you, asking "How Do I Die?"

calamitouserebus: "Surrounded by friends"

Active Recent Entries