2021-07-08

rynling: (Default)
2021-07-08 08:10 am
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Balthazar Reads Romance

I’m still working out the time travel mechanics in The Demon King. My guiding formula is what works best with the plot, but I’m sure I can come up with all sorts of tedious details to justify my decisions.

One of these details is that Balthazar starting reading romance novels as a mnemonic device. In order to travel back through time, he needs to create waypoints for himself that are anchored by his memories. Remembering where he was in the specific novel he was reading is a convenient way to do that; and, as a result, he has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of characters and plot points. He started reading romance novels precisely because he didn’t like them, but he’s acquired a taste and has become something of a connoisseur.

What he actually enjoys is Netflix. The joke is on him, though, because he’s spent so long in the postapocalyptic future that he doesn’t remember any of his passwords.