267: Choices: Part 4

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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Choices: Part 4
Making out with yourself: now an official xkcd theme? Troubling.
Title text: Making out with yourself: now an official xkcd theme? Troubling.

Explanation

This is the existentialistic climax of the Choices series. It takes up the recurring xkcd-theme how people tend to be blind towards the staggering amount of possibilities that each day holds, with routine and boredom as a result. (See e.g. 137: Dreams and 706: Freedom.)

The Megan-clone implies that Megan has been taken to some kind of afterlife or parallel universe outside reality. Its not a dream, but she will not remember this place when she goes back. But the clone hopes that these hints will stay with her. Realizing that she would not remember being here, Megan suddenly realizes that she might already have been here before. And the clone admits that she has taken her to this place once before. Although not for another hint though. And then quickly says bye.

The title text makes it clear that the Megan-clone did actually earlier brought her into this place just to make out, and then refers to 105: Parallel Universe, as this being the second time it has become a theme, which Randall actually finds a little troubling.

The series was released on 5 consecutive days (Monday-Friday). All parts of "Choices":

As this was the fourth in the series it was released on a Thursday.

Transcript

[Megan in bubble, floating in outer space next to her clone.]
Clone: I shouldn't do this, but I pulled you out for a moment to give you a hint.
Megan: A hint?
Clone: Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they're doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out.
Megan: Why tell me this?
Clone: You're curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go.
Megan: So, wait, what is this place? Am I going to wake up thinking this was a dream?
Clone: This is... Think of this as after the game, outside the theatre. To go in, I had to suspend disbelief, forget the outside.
Megan: So you... Huh. Why give me hints I'm going to forget?
Clone: You'll forget this trip but I think the hints should stay with you.
Megan: ...If this is a game, are you— are we— cheating?
Clone: Yup.
Megan: Is that a good idea?
Clone: Well it's an interesting one. We'll see how it goes.
Megan: Well, I guess I'll see you aroun—
Megan: Wait a minute; have you brought me here before?
Clone: I... maybe. once.
Megan: For another hint?
Clone: Er. Actually we just made out.
Megan: We wh--
Clone: Bye!


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Discussion

Has the theme of making out with yourself popped up again? (No examples come to mind, but there's more than 2,000 of them, so I might have missed some.) And if there are more examples, are there enough to turn them into a category page? GreatWyrmGold (talk) 05:08, 17 April 2019 (UTC)

I don't think so, but here's a similar SMBC for you: https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2007-07-13