#this is true according to multiverse law

[sheeezu]

Stages of existence - by yours truly but we don't know each other

Consciousness--> void state, true form, null state, immortality, unfeeling, omnipotence, point of creation, soul, everything, nothing.

(Note: being consciousness is our true form, everything afterwards is some form of creation. You can also call it you existing as a soul, which is true neutral and without a bother, calm; its goal and first nature is to create).

Creations--> planes of existences, reality, coexistence, embodying forms, verses (etc multiverse) energy, scripts, laws, sciences, systems, cycle of rebirth and death, organised way of living, umiverses, religions, entities, knowledge, fate.

(Note: like picking up a paper and writing down whatever comes to the mind, just like that creations thrive into existence whenever they're called upon, think, the void state. +scripting refers to the fact that whichever life we choose to experience is infact scripted by us beforehand (systems are established, like basic grounding principles, it doesn't necessarily have to mean that we script the entire course of our life beforehand; and yes this is exactly how we script our drs)

Reality--> 4d, 3d, beliefs, material, relationships, species, a logical brain; subconscious, consciousness (awakened part of the brain) unconscious, thoughts, doubts.

(Note: Like the sky and ground, 4d and 3d lay the foundation for the formation of your beloved reality or simply where you found yourself and GODDAMMIT where have I found myself; I'D RIP MY LUNGS OUT THEN TO LIVE. That sort of things! Btw doubts are the mechanism which prevents absurd glitches or simply breaking of reality. And no, doubts don't have to exist.)

(Note!!!: okay so I isolated one of the creation which is reality, other follows similarly and are according to whatever nonsense it is)

Also yes honey, you've seen something from me that's similar and that is because this is a polished version of my chart of existence, basically! I realised if only I wasn't fuming at Cassandra it would've been a good post, yknow.

Sheezu's chart of existence

:))))))

[olivianyx]

Is everyone going g through it rn?

I've been losing hope because my manifestations have not been coming true at all

And I really wanna visit the void state but I just can't?? I tried everything I don't believe this is real anymore?? Please help me and give me tips to fix this mindset I really just want to go into the void and wake but with my desired self and everything I scripted?? Everyone can do it why am I failing

Heyy, sorry for the late response 🤍

First things first, actually you're the one that's victimizing yourself sadly. There's no such things as 'others manifest and I don't' stuffs. If they can do it, you can too. Actually you do it better than anyone else.

Working your self concept will change everything. Like you have to put in some mental effort to change your beliefs, which inturn changes your destiny.

Self concept is really, really important. Idc if other bloggers tell you otherwise. (but you actually don't need a perfect self concept) But working on your self concept solves 95% of your mindset issues! The remaining 5% you can solve by persisting in your assumptions.

Secondly, the VOID ISN'T THE SOLUTION. The void community needs to stop treating this state as an ultimate enlightenment to be achieved to live your dream lives. Hell no. That's not how the law works. You're clearly telling yourself you can't enter the void, when in fact you're the void yourself. The state of pure awareness.

Like you have total control over everything. You're the fucking creator. Why are you underestimating yourself? In your own reality? You're victimizing yourself in your own reality?? Like excuse me tf. Work on your self concept and watch how your life turns 180° according to your assumptions.

Thirdly, you aren't failing. Nah hell no. There's no such thing as failing. You either succeed or you get to know that you have a certain assumption blocking you from getting what you want. Change that and you get what you want.

🤍🩰🤍 Here's some of my posts that can help you 1 2 3

🤍🩰🤍 Here's a challenge you can try for working on your self concept

You're the only one in this multiverse that's responsible for what you're aware. Nobody else will do it you, cus you're the sole power. The sole awareness responsible for everything. You're the creator, you're the one in control. You can do it. You just have to alter your thoughts and stop self sabotaging yourself that you're not enough. You already have it all this moment. Stop dwelling in the old ass story. WALK AWAY. WALK TF AWAY AND NEVER TURN BACK. NEVER TURN BACK. There's no going back once you focus on your desired state. So STAY FOCUSED. WIN AT LIFE.

- olivia 🤍

[lord-of-0blivion]

"How. Dare. You." Those three words resounded across the gathering of ghost with the force of a freight train and yet, the gentleness of a butterfly. The tone of said words quieted the crowd, but what truly brought everything to a grave like stillness was the emotion behind them. It was indescribable, it was oh, so... so much more then pure hate and, at the same time so much less then indifference.

"How dare you." They wrang out again. Followed by a "You finally piece it together and this is how you repay him?!"

"You plot and scheme against him as if he is not the sole reason why you even exist!" A tierd huff escaped the figure, now recognized as the master of time. "You wine and complain about the inaccuracies and errors in your history as if this is not how you have alaways been!" "Might I remind you that this all came from the mind of a DYING CHILD!" He gesture all around, to the infinite green void. "The fact that we have ANY correlation to the mortal world is a miracle and a testament."

"At the very moment of his death, Danny's mind recognized that, according to the laws of his world, his univers, he had no way to survive;" An intense glared was directed at the waste of ectoplasm gathered below him. "And, sensing his desire to Live, to not abandon the only three people who have shown him compassion, it does the only thing it can." A sigh escapes his lips "It creates a door, it makes a universe, a multiverse, infinite realities. It makes it out of all his hope, compassion, love and determination, sadness and despair... It gives birth to DEATH itself, just to beg it to keep him alive."

The crowd stills completely, as if suddenly turned to stone. "It is a testament to his willpower, knowledge and... his compassion." Another sigh rings out, filled with something between sorrow and and the burden given by knowledge. "Prior to his death, there... there were no afterlives, there was nothing awaiting but Oblivion, true death. And then he created all afterlifes, he created all of you."

A long pause soon followed, as if to allow Clockwork to catch his breath, but it was more to allow all the ghost beneath him to process the information.

And then he continued "In the very first moment of its birth, Death knew what it had to do... It took its very purpose and the very laws that should have binded it to said purpose and discarded them with no hesitation." Another pause. "Without a care for itself, and alongside Magic, who was born at the same time as the Realms, it set out to helps its father like any good child would do for a loving parent"

Not even allowing a word to escape the crowd, CW continues. "Would any of you even dare to THINK about striking your mothers or your fathers!?" Before they can even flinch Clockwork hammers the point in "Answers me this: Is there anyone among you who can say, with any amount of certainty, that Danny would even hesitate to... give up what little remains of his life, his existance! To save yours?"

Having made his point he turned his back to them. "Like any parent would do?" Not paying attention to the trembling and sobbing ghost, Clockwork, the master of time made to leave, but not before saying one last thing.

"From the highest peaks of Haven to the deepest VILEST pits of Hell, there exist no language in which I can express my disappointment and disgust in you. Have a good afterlife, and don't forget WHO you have to thank for it you vain children"

[This] post inspired this. @five-rivers Thanks.

[locuas642]

The Mighty Nein and Gods

If I were to consider a theme for The Mighty Nein (aside from the obvious family theme), I think it it would be that of the relationship between Gods and Mortals. Which Vox Machina touched a bit upon but, which Campaign 2 goes further into.

Starting from the very setting of Wildemount, the Dwendalian Empire is the first instance in the show of being shown an enforcement of which of the Prime Deities people were allowed to worship, with the reasoning being Pragmatic in nature because the nature of the approved deities was in agreement with the empire's controlling nature and philosophy of Law and Order (All the approved deities are Lawful or Neutral in nature). The second biggest player of the continent, the Kryn Dynasty, is a literal theocracy, with the difference being that they dont worship any god that can actually speak to them, but it is based purely on worshipping a seemingly mysterious object with no certainty that their faith is well-placed or even will be rewarded.

One entity uses religion as another way of keeping the populace in accordance with their worldview. While the other is defined by their religion to the point that the government exists to benefit that religion, with a literal war starting because of it.

Going to the party, we also see that in contrast with the previous campaign, more than half of them has a deity associated with them since the beginning.

Fjord has his Warlock deity.

Molly has the Moonweaver

Yasha has the Stormlord

Jester follows the one true deity of the entire Multiverse that is The Traveler.

And while not religious herself, Beau is a member of the Cobalt Soul, who are servants of Ioun.

And with the later addition of Caduceus, we have The Wildmother.

It's from them that we see the different ways in which the relationship between gods and mortals happen. And this is contrasted by the different ways in which Matt represents their involvement with the party.

U'Kotoa, a Monster created by an evil deity that seeks it's liberation and a lust for power is primal, He communicates with Fjord in dreams with Simple words filled with command and purpose. And those words are very telling: "Consume", "Reward", "Punishment". Combined with the sick, twisted green that comes from Fjord spells, it represents something bad, something dangerous. SOmething that cant be good because goodness feels like an Alien concept for it.

Which then is contrasted with The Wildmother, who as Matt becomes more comfortable portraying, also communicates in a way not dissimilar to U'kotoa, in the sense that she doesnt use words. she doesn't speak, because verbal speech is an almost alien concept for Nature. But she communicates, through the beauty of nature. Through it's warmth and also it's coldness. Her interactions with Fjord are warm and comforting, U'Kotoa's horrifying depths of the ocean get replaced with Melora's serene beaches. His sick green gets replaced with the green of life, and while Fjord's original sword was part of a contract, a transaction to be retracted at any time, his second sword, the Star Razor, was a gift from a follower of the wildmother, to be given regardless of what Fjord chose to do next.

The difference between Demanding servitude and asking for love.

And it's not like The Wildmother only really began to show it with Fjord, because even then she was an almost always present entity through Caduceus. She was the Nein's strongest ally through the campaign, offering guidance and comfort to Caduceus countless times. answering his questions, giving him visions and saving people's life. In fact, when Jester casts Revivify for the first time, it is stated that The Traveler called upon Melora for her help in reviving a fallen Caduceus.

Speaking of The Traveler. we also see a very different interaction between Jester and her god compared to every other cleric in the campaign. which is that while usually a Cleric is a servant of a god, someone who wears their colors and seek to do good on their name, the thing tthat might define JEster's relationship with her god is how much of her powers reflect... herself.

The traveler as Artagan is themed Green and Red. but the colors that define Jester's spells are Pinks and Blues, Most particularly her Guiding Bolt, arguably her signature move, is colored a bright pink.

That is because, as Artagan implies through the campaign, Jester is not a vessel for Artagan's Power, Artagan's Powers are a tool to enhance Jester and he sees their relationship of one of helping Jester reaches new heights, than in wanting Jester to do his bidding.

This unique relationship is also presented in how their interactions are the most cordial and familial of the entire cast. they joke, they laugh, they make fun of each other. Which only grows in closeness as the campaign goes on. and if someone reads Artagan as the Father Figure Jester never had, that closeness while Jester learns of Artagan's status as a fey not a god, can also be shown as that of a child growing up and understanding their parents aren as omniciesnt as they thought.

Finally... Yasha with the Stormlord.

The Stormlord is the definition of "I work in mysterious ways" in that he saves Yasha, but in that he gives her the tools and strenght to break her chains. Her makes her confront the things she instinctually is too afraid to confornt, but deep down knows she has to. He gives her protection at key points. He pushes her so she can see how much stronger she is.

And he does so without ever actually asking anything of her. What he seeks or why he helps Yasha, he never says. It might be that, like Obann, he sees a champion on her. Maybe he sees a survivor who needs help. Maybe he has a plan. but we never learn. Because it is not his way to give answers.

And that's interesting because it shows different ways in which people interact with the gods. sometimes it is helpful, other times closer to a toxic relationship. sometimes with a renewed sense of purpose, others with fear because they cant be sure what their god even wants.

[mullverse]

Dark Matter, etc

I watched the first couple episodes of Dark Matter recently, and while I did, I started thinking about infinity. It’s kind of insane to think that the varieties among the different universes has something to do with conscious choice.

That wouldn’t make sense from a deterministic standpoint. Choices aren’t being made, our impulses just give the appearance of choice. We believe that we’re deciding to do things, because it’s kind of bleak to see it all as subconscious leanings based on predetermined circumstances. But study after study shows that when we have zero short term memory, we repeat an action exactly the same way every time. If our subconscious can’t learn from the outcome of our actions, we follow a set in stone deterministic path. So the illusion of choice breaks down, but the universe is unconstrained by it anyway. An infinite multiverse would therefore depend on a different source of random fluctuation to result in a splitting of universes.

I think that the multiverse is a result of the singularity being in a superposition. All possible universes formed as a result of there not being a universal standard. There’s no splitting, every universe is unique from the onset, with infinitely small variations between them, based on their proximity to each other as the universe expanded. The magnification of variance is minute, but at the macro scale, you would see the amplification of those differences, such as we portray in popular media.

So according to this hypothesis, what would happen in Dark Matter, and any other multiverse stories, like one of my all time favorite shows Sliders, would be very unlikely unless you could puncture thousands of universes in one shot. The universes merely adjoining ours would be indistinguishable from ours, the only difference might be a slight increase in the refractive properties of silica. You might never see the difference. Universes adjoining that one are ours, and other possible atomic varieties, nested against each other. Of course, no complex system fluctuations are without global consequences, a universe where silica refracts differently might mean that while the foreign universe looks indistinguishable from ours, its actually so alien that nothing from our universe can exist there.

The consequence of this situation would be that humans would only be able to safely travel to universes where all of our constituent atoms work the same way! Otherwise you would need sufficient containment from the foreign universe to maintain the physical laws of your universe, in a universe where they’re even minutely different. Simply jumping, or say Sliding, into another macro spacial universe without that protection would result in total immediate atomic decay. No warning, no disease, just poof! Thanos would shed a single tear.

Of course, I could be wrong! It should be interesting to see if humans ever attempt to bridge the divide to another universe, like we keep dreaming of doing.

And no, I don’t think the Google Willow chip confirms the existence of multiverses, the way they insinuate it does. Quantum computing doesn’t require that, the logic is different than conventional computing. I think what we’re actually seeing is the true power of superposition computing, and it looks like magic.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super 068

There’s a lot going on in this one...

Okay, so before we get too deep into this episode, we need to talk about where we are in the series.   The Zamasu Saga is over (thank goodness), and it’s followed by the “Universe Survival Saga”, which I just call the “Tournament of Power”, because that’s easier to say. 

However, we’re nowhere near the actual Tournament of Power.   If you look at an episode guide, they’ll probably break it down like this:

Battle of Gods Saga - Episodes 1-18

Resurrection F Saga - Episodes 19-27

Universe 6 Saga - Episodes 28-46

Future Trunks Saga - Episodes 47-76

Universe Survival Saga - Episodes 77-131

Basically, they just lump all the short side-story episodes into one of the main story arcs.  Zamasu was erased from existence and Future Trunks left the series for good in Episode 67, so it’s kind of silly to say the saga kept going for another nine episodes after that. 

Likewise, the Tournament of Power doesn’t actually start until Episode 97.  The first twenty episodes lumped into the “Universe Survival Saga” are just there to mark time and hype up the tournament. 

The “official” saga listing is misleading, because we just finished with Zamasu and you’d think we’re almost at the end of the series, because there’s only one more saga left to cover.  But that’s not true at all.  We’re barely past the halfway mark.  There’s still 64 episodes left, which is the equivalent of one whole GT. 

And when you look at it that way, it makes it sound like the Tournament of Power is huge, but it’s not, really.  It’s “only” 35 episodes, a little more than half of what we have left to cover. 

So I tend to break down Dragon Ball Super into four sections like this:

Bad Adaptations of the movies - Episode 1-27

Universe 6 and Zamasu Bullshit - Episodes 28-67

Nothing Important Happens - Episodes 68-96

The Tournament of Power - Episodes 97-131

These sections are a lot more even in length, so it gives a more honest appraisal of the series as a whole.  I enjoy the Tournament of Power a lot, but it’s only about a quarter of the series.  The first quarter is rehash of two movies.  The second quarter is made up of a lackluster tournament and an infuriating multiverse tale.  And then you have the third quarter, which is 29 episodes that aren’t part of any story arc, really. 

Most of this section isn’t bad, but it’s all one-shots and two-parters and three-parters that just don’t matter.  A lot of it is designed to lead into the Tournament of Power, but how much lead-in does it need?  As we’ll soon see, there’s not a lot to talk about until the Tournament actually starts.  A lot of characters worry about it, or desperately search for some way to avoid it, but there’s nothing anyone can actually do about it.

So if you’re someone looking to experience this series but you only want to see the important bits, my advice is to just skip Episodes 68-96 and jump straight to the Tournament of Power itself.  But I’m liveblogging this series all the way through, so I can’t take my own advice.   And with that in mind, let’s see what we’ve got in this leg of the series. 

So after Trunks left for good, Bulma still had the notebook her future self wrote to guide her on repairing Trunks’ time machine.  Since then, she’s been secretly working on building her own time machine from scratch.  The problem is that she’ll get in trouble if Beerus finds out about it, because the gods have strict rules against traveling through time.  The Galactic Patrol has laws against it too, but Bulma never seems to sweat Jaco, so it’s Beerus she’s worried about. 

Anyway, Bulma nearly has the whole thing ready for a test drive, but she can’t get it to work because of one element in the design.  According to Bulma, it’s the one piece of the original time machine that she hasn’t recreated herself.  I guess she salvaged it from the wreckage of the one Goku Black destroyed.

Meanwhile, Goku is planning to gather the Dragon Balls and finally wish King Kai, Bubbles, and Gregory back to life.  This has always bugged me, because even though King Kai died during the Cell Games, in the original theatrical cut of Battle of Gods, he was alive again, suggesting that he was resurrected along with the restoration of his planet.  But by the time the home video release came out, he was given a halo, to indicate he was still dead.  And then Dragon Ball Super turned this into a running gag, where Goku’s been meaning to wish him back to life for a while now, but he keeps getting sidetracked so it doesn’t happen.  Anyway, this time he’s totally gonna do it.  For real.

So Bulma gets jumpy after Goku visits her to get the Dragon Radar, and then she gets extra jumpy when Beerus and Whis show up looking for more Earth food.  She takes them to Red Lobster, where they experience crab for the first time. Bulma figures all she has to do is keep them happy until they leave, and then she can go back to working on her Time Machine’s missing piece...

But when Goku summons Shenron, she sees the sky go dark and realizes she could save herself some trouble by just wishing for the rare mineral she needs. So she excuses herself and leaves Beerus and Whis to enjoy their meal.

But Bulma’s not the only one with that idea.  Several other characters show up to demand a wish while Goku’s got the Dragon summoned.  Just to be clear, this is supposed to be taking place a few months after Shenron’s last appearance in Episode 29.  Bulma asked Shenron to locate the Super Dragon Balls, and when Shenron couldn’t do it, Beerus wished for him to leave.  So Shenron still has two wishes left to grant.  Goku only needs one, but who gets the other?

They all bicker over this, until Gohan shows up with Pan in his arms.  She’s sick, and her pediatrician doesn’t know what to do for her, which Gohan suggests may have to do with her Saiyan-human biology.  So he wants to ask Shenron to make her well again.  Everyone graciously steps aside for him, and...

Pan’s all better now! Hooray!

So by the time Bulma arrives, there’s only one wish left, and everyone is arguing over who gets it.  Goku should have the right, since he’s the one who collected the Dragon Balls in the first place, but 18 argues that resurrecting King Kai is pointless, since it doesn’t actually affect his day-to-day existence.  King Kai insists that “it feels different”. 

Anyway, Bulma starts going through the crowd and convincing them they don’t need the wish.  When she finds out 18 is looking to get something nice for Krillin but she doesn’t know what, Bulma assures her that all Krillin wants is his wife and child.  18 is convinced, so she goes home. 

Master Roshi just wants a bunch of hot chicks, so Bulma phones... somebody?  And offers them a lot of money to send over a car full of “bikini girls”.  I should point out that they’re not wearing bikinis when they arrive, but they did have to put this together on short notice.  I mean, they could still be bikini girls, and they just haven’t had a chance to change into their bikinis yet.  Anyway, Master Roshi gets hot and bothered looking at department store mannequins, so I’m pretty sure he isn’t picky.  He’s satisfied.

Oolong had a wish in mind, but he never even gets to say what it is.  Everyone just assumes he wants panties again, so Bulma pays 18 to get rid of him. 

Emperor Pilaf never even got that far, because Bulma ran over him with her car when she showed up.

Then there’s Goten and Trunks, who really wanted to make a wish.   No, that’s all they wanted.  They didn’t have anything to wish for, they just wanted the experience of summoning Shenron and wishing for something.  Bulma tells them how stupid that is, and they back down.

So now we’re just down to Bulma and Goku.  Shenron wants to leave, but Bulma threatens to taddle on him to Beerus, and he agrees to stick around until they settle this.  So the material Bulma needs is in the Earth’s core.  She was going to ask Shenron for some, but if Goku can get it for her instead, she’ll let him have the wish.  Goku isn’t sure he can survive down there, but Bulma has a special environmental suit for him that will do the trick.

So Shenron has to wait for all of this, which apparently puts him under some sort of strain, like he can’t handle being out for this much time.  More importantly, he’s still out of the Dragon Balls after Beerus and Whis finish eating, so they notice Shenron, and sense Goku fooling around at the center of the Earth.

It doesn’t take Beerus long to figure out what’s going on.  I doubt he would recognize the technical purpose of the mineral Goku found, but he knows Bulma wouldn’t bother going to such lengths for it unless it had to do with a time machine. 

Cornered, Bulma promises to never work on time travel ever again, and Beerus accepts her word.  But just to ensure she isn’t tempted, he blows up her lab, destroying the time machine and her notebook from the future. 

So the way is finally clear for Goku to make his wish, except Shenron literally cannot stay any longer, so he peaces out.  King Kai is denied yet again.

On the first viewing, I disliked this episode for how it dashed any hope of Bulma making her own time machine.  Also, the fact that she hadn’t built her own already flies in the face of DBZ Movie 13, which I always wanted to be canon.  Now, I’m not as fussed with that, but I still think this episode’s kind of dumb. 

If Bulma really wanted to prove something to herself, then she should have worked on building the time machine without any outside help.  Her counterpart in the alternate timeline managed to pull it off with a fraction of the resources, and I’m pretty sure she didn’t have anyone dig to the center of the Earth for her.  Either the rare mineral she needed is more readily available than Bulma realizes, or there’s a way to synthesize it, which Present-Bulma is far better-equipped to accomplish. 

And maybe that’s why Beerus destroyed her research.  He knows Bulma still retains the intellect to build a working time machine.   She’s already done it in an alternate future, and in this timeline she’s had the benefit of repairing a working model.  It’s only a matter of time before she figures out how to do it on her own, and Beerus must understand that.  If he truly wanted to stop her, he’d have to destroy her instead of her lab.  But instead, it’s more like he’s accepted the possibility, and he’s just challenging her to do it on her own, instead of relying on help from her future self.  

Anyway, let’s just move on.

[autisticsupervillain]

It's Fictional Throwdown Friday!

This Week's Fighters...

SMT Thor vs Marvel Thor!

Conditions:

Marvel Thor has the Odinforce. SMT Thor is in his Demon Avatar form.

Scenario:

The God of Law, YHVH, dispatches His agent Thor to the Marvel Multiverse in an attempt to enslave it into worshipping Him. Marvel Thor refuses to stand for this and confronts his counterpart.

Analysis: Thor

Cognition. Observation. Human perception. Religion. These are the things that shape our subjective reality. According to several psychological and philophical schools of thought, this personal unconscious is shared amongst the entire human species as a sort of collective unconsciousness, manifesting as society, culture, and religion. The Megami Tensei franchise as a whole takes this basic idea and runs with it a bit further. All of reality, down to even the smallest of subatomic particles, is created and held together by human observation, understanding, and belief. Everything can be reduced down to human thought made manifest, from the natural phenomena that plague our world, to the gods and monsters we created to explain them.

These Gods are better known throughout the franchise as Demons. And that's the original definition of the term, not the satanic modern definition some might assume. "Daimon" here being a catch all term for all supernatural entites, holy or otherwise. These Demons typically fall somewhere on the spectrum of Law vs Chaos, just like the political ideologies, human histories, and societal customs they represent do, constantly fighting a forever war with each other to determine which ideology should forever rule mankind, completely reshaping reality in the process.

On the side of Law, under the tyrannical command of God Himself, we have Thor Odinson, the most powerful of the Norse mythological gods. YHVH, as God is most often known as here, has less to do with any specific religious interpretation of His word and will and more to do with an absolute understanding and definition of Law as a concept. The fact that He is like this is not a sign that there is anything wrong with believing in Him religiously, but moreso a sign that something is fundamentally wrong with reality, likely stemming from the collective unconsciousness. God and all that serve Him under Law seem to represent benign ideologies and religions having been corrupted by the all consuming cancer of facism. And Thor is almost certainly one of the premier examples of that, with his representation here eerily mirroring the corruption of his iconography by both Nazis and Christians in reality.

Taking the guise of "Thorman" (sterling creativity on display, I know), Thor would use his human guise to wipe out Tokyo with a cluster of ICBMs within the first game, leading to the dystopia under God in the second, kickstarting the entire ongoing plot of the mainline games. Seeing as YHVH trusted Thor with carrying out a genocide, you'd be correct in assuming that he's one of God's most powerful and loyal enforces.

Thor's true form exists as an "Archetype" within the unconscious world, the Collective Unconsciousness that spreads above and across the entire SMT multiverse, from Persona to Digital Devil Saga. It interacts with the various universes within as a Demon, summoned into exist in a variety of ways, from appearing as a part of one's "social masks" in the psyche as in Persona, to appearing as pure digital data as in Digital Devil Saga. He can even appear as a "Shadow" in one's psyche in the Jungian sense of being a part of your own subconscious.

As a being this abstract, most physical limitations are completely meaningless to him. He's completely invisible to humans who don't "understand" what they're looking at, is completely immune to the traditional laws of space and time, and is completely unaffected by pesky things such as "causality" or "death". Other Law Demons comparable to Thor have been straight up killed before... and then just said "No" and kept fighting anyways. While already dead.

Thor can create pocket realities outside of standard Space-Time, can create "Decoherence Fields" that warp space on the Quantum Level to create alternate dimensions, and can not only forcibly teleport people to other universes, but also nullify the ability to enter or leave a universe. Because he's a Demon and this is something that all Demons in the franchise, on multiple occasions have proven the can do, from Shadows creating Palaces and the Dark Hour in Persona, to Demons creating universe sized Domains in SMT IV to warp the laws of Space-Time, making them somehow bigger than the area they actually physically inhabit.

Demons operate on alien laws of physics and, as such, cannot be harmed by normal weapons and cannot be permanently killed even by other Demons. So long as the Collective Unconsciousness exists, they can always eventually come back from human perceptions. Thor takes this one step beyond. Not only is his Demon form just an aspect of his Archetype, but that Archetype is just a single component of God Himself, so ether Archetype Thor or God can just will him back to life if he's ever permanently slain. Demons and Personas frequently have to resort to sealing them away when dealing with peers on the level of Thor. And that's assuming he doesn't just mind control you to completely rewrite your moral code or completely alter your body.

The only reason Thor has any limits at all is because we as humans project limitations onto him. Thor is a being of human understanding, altered by the philosophies of humans as they constantly change over time. This is why, say, in Persona 5, Joker and Co can hurt Shadows with toy guns. Joker perceives that the gun should hurt then, the Demons believe that the guns should hurt them, and the general understanding of humanity is that guns hurt. Ergo, toy guns hurt. But even then, you have to have an incredible willpower and a rock solod personal philosophy for that to effect a being such as Thor, due to the level he exists on.

Assiah, the physical world, is an infinite multiverse with infinite timelines and universes within it, making it a 4-D structure. This means that the two worlds above it, Yetzirah and Beriah, would be 5-D and 6-D respectively. This is where Thor resides and numerous beings on par with Thor have been shown to be capable of effecting these realms in their entirety. The Four Heavenly Kings were powerful enough to create a barrier between these realms and the human one, while The White we capable of absorbing this realm in its entirety into their domain. Simply moving within these Realms allows to exist above time and space: past, present, and future, in the realms below it, allowing to time travel just by traversing it. Simply existing on that level puts Thor well above your average Demon.

As a Demon on this scale, Thor has some powers that the average Demons don't, such as the ability to completely transmute ordinary humans into Demons themselves, as well as into flies or pigs. He can even create illusions so advanced, that your memories are altered to better match up to what you're seeing. But the most devastating thing in Thor's Arsenal would have to be his Allmighty attacks.

Allmighty attacks completely ignore every form of resistance or defense an opponent may have against an attack to do as much damage as possible. It doesn't matter if you're completely immune to lightning, it's going to hurt you anyways. It doesn't matter if you have a shield up, it's going to hit regardless. Allmighty attacks are devastating blows specifically designed to completely side step any resistances you might have against Thor's powerful thunder magic and powers.

Despite all of this literally divine power, Thor does have some weaknesses. For one, his nature can be changed through the power of human observation and societal change by virtue of what he is. As an embodiment of an ideology, he is single-mindedly devoted to whatever he currently represents within the collective unconsciousness, which as frequently allowed Demon Summoners, God Slayers, and Persona Users to turn him to their side by playing off this one track mind. And, if you couldn't tell by the "Thorman" idea, we aren't exactly working with a brilliant iq here. He's a brilliant fighter, having been fighting the forever war since before time began, but knowledge outside of that tends to escape his expertise.

Still, Thor is one of the most nightmarish servants of Law to ever earn God's grace. A zealot and a warrior to the bitter end, Thor will stop at nothing, not even genocide, to see His will be done.

Analysis: Thor

Thor Odinson. Thunder God. Warrior. Prince. Hero. And one day a king. Above all of those, however, Thor is an Avenger.

Thor Odinson was the headstrong son of, well, Odin. He was a proud warrior prince who proved for many millennia that he was just as much a warrior as his father. Sadly, he was not as ready to be king as his father hoped, so Odin banished Thor to Earth where he could learn to be more than a warrior.

On Earth, Thor would meet and team up with many great mortal heroes, eventually joining them to become a founding member of the Avengers. With his newfound friends, Thor would battle against many a mighty foe and protect mankind from certain extermination with all the power he had. And trust me, he has a lot.

Thor has all the powers you might expect him to have from Mjolnir and then some. Yes, he can freely fly, shoot lightning, and create storms just by swinging that little thing around, but he can also do some flat out ridiculous things with it. He can transmute matter on the atomic level, turn completely invisible, become intangible at will, and even seal his foes away inside of glass spheres. This is because Thor's hammer is not merely an enchanted weapon, but it is instead a prison for The God Tempest, a sentient cosmic storm that rampaged across the universe until Odin sealed it away inside the block of Uru that would later be forged into his son's hammer. Of course, a hammer that powerful can't be welded by just anyone, so it's enchanted so that only the worthy can lift it.

Fittingly, Thor can also use his hammer to seal things away, mainly by using to absorb energy attacks and even suck the energy straight out of people. One time, he even used two Mjolnirs to absorb the God Bomb, which would've killed every deity in existence across time and space. Needless to say, he takes after his dad in that sense. But that's only the tip of the iceberg.

See, Thor is the God of Thunder in almost every sense of the word. In that, he will always come back no matter what you try to do to him. Thor has no sold being aged to death, having his soul devoured, and even being torn apart by his individual atoms. And, even if you do managed to kill him, that's no guarantee he'll stay dead. One time, he was erased so throughly from existence that everyone completely forgot about his existence. That is, until the Silver Surfer found his hammer. This faint glimmer of Deja Vu immediately caused Thor to come right back to life good as new. As long as anyone, anywhere, faintly remembers Thor even slightly, he will always return. Though even his unkillability pales in comparison to the sheer raw power he wields.

Thor can consistently fly across the entire Marvel universe, which has consistently been stated to be infinite in size, in a finite amount of time, as well as shake the entire universe just by throwing his hammer. These are feats that would by themselves require infinite power and speed to achieve, but there's still more. Thor is constantly depicted as on par with the Hulk, who can destroy an entire universe with just a clap of his hands, Hyperion, who can tank being sandwiched between two universes completely unharmed, and even Marvel's Hercules, who can match Atlas's feat of lifting up the sky. Thor's most impressive showing, however, is when he overpowered the World Engine, which was controlling all of Nine Realms within the World Tree, showing he's superior to a force that can effect nine universes simultaneously. And as for speed, well, he once flew around the planet so fast that he traveled back in time. That's not just infinite speed, that's moving so fast you arrive at your destination before you even left.

And that's just base Thor. With Warrior's Madness, Thor becomes 10x more powerful in exchange for completely losing all control and flying into a berserker rage. This is an unpardonable sin in Asgardian society and for good reason, a Thor who can't tell the difference between friend or foe is a Thor who could end the world at a moment's notice. Case in point, the Godblast.

The Godblast is easily Thor's most powerful attack, capable of potentially killing Galactus.

G A L A C T U S

As in, the devourer of worlds so powerful that he threatens the existence of the infinite Marvel Multiverse just by fighting. There are gods and then there's Galactus. This is vastly more powerful than anything else Thor has in his arsenal by miles.

Or, at least it was. Until he began to prove to be worthy of his father's respect and throne. Without the power of the Odinforce, Thor is simply a warrior. With it, he becomes a king.

Now that he has access to all of Odin's power, Thor no longer needs the Godblast to slay Galactus. He is every bit Galactus's equal, as Odin is able to not only fight him, but telepathically stalemate him. Galactus is a being so complex and so vast that he has no true physical form, simply appearing as whatever form his victims project onto him. Yet, Odin is capable of completely matching his mind and fighting him as an equal.

Thor didn't just gain Odin's sheer raw power, he gained all of Odin's individual powers as well. For as divine as Thor was before, with his father's life force flowing through his veins, his powers became flat out reality breaking.

Thor can see invisible people, restructure the moon on an atomic level, can manipulate all electromagnetic particles in the multiverse to manipulate all gravity in the universe and keeps the Earth rotating around the sun just by existing. Thor should even have access to some of Odin's powers that he's never used before, such as the ability to turn Gods like himself and Loki into ordinary humans or the ability to seal away a being as powerful as the God Tempest into the block of Uru that would become Mjolnir in the first place.

Odin has even shown the ability to warp abstract concepts themselves, which Thor is this state should scale to. During a battle with Dormammu, Odin's sheer raw power in battle was enough to throw the balance between Lord Chaos and Master Order themselves completely out of wack, affecting the sentient conceptual embodiements of Law and Chaos within the Marvel Multiverse and altering the laws of reality completely. If their battle hadn't been a draw, Odin states that reality itself would've been fundamentally altered. Which isn't that hard to believe when the Avatars of the Marvel Universe abstracts have been stated to exist up to the Sixth Dimension.

Over millennia of battle and decades of heroism and strife, Thor would eventually prove himself to be more than just the warrior he'd lived as for so long. He became more than Earth's Mightiest Hero. He became Asgard's greatest king.

Throwdown Theme:

Throwdown Breakdown:

This fight is.... very, very close.

The stats are basically completely even. Both of them are 6-D abd both of them transcend time to the point of moving faster than it, so there's no considerable edge to either party there. Similarly, both of them should be capable of interacting with each other, as both can see invisible people and harm abstract entities. In fact, it's even arguable that Marvel Asgardian's are abstract entites, as Thor's belief based immortality and some of Loki's dialogue does imply that they are more belief based in nature. Regardless, Odin's feat of accidentally effecting Order and Chaos does definitely prove that Marvel Thor should be able to harm SMT Thor.

That said, these two also can't kill each other. So long as people still believe in or even have a concept of Thor, they'll both just come back and neither can completely erase humanity across both the Marvel and SMT multiverses in order to bypass it (nor would they necessarily in character). However, both of them can bypass this through incapacitation. Both characters can seal the other away, for example, and both likely would in character. Basically all Demons are abstract to a degree in SMThor's world, so he'd be going for incapacitating options out the bat just assuming Marvel Thor's the same, while Marvel Thor with the Odinforce acts less like the restrained warrior he usually is and more like a decisive king ready to do whatever it takes to protect his people, so trying to just erase or seal each other away is believable for both. Both even share win conditions, such as being able to seal the other away or transmute them into a fly.

Just when you think this bus is heading straight for stalemate country though, there is something that makes this Marvel Thor's game.

SMT Thor is a lot more restrained by being a comcept and a God. This is best demonstrated by the time that both spent among humanity. Thorman never developed any human connections. He never developed any human relationships or did anything outside of what the Thorman guise needed him to in order to serve his master. Because that's what the concept of Thor is in the minds of humanity, which therefore makes it is nature, unchanging until human perception changes. Meanwhile, Thor's time as Doctor Donald Blake shows that he's entirely capable of being human. Marvel Thor may be a God, but he has the full emotional complexity of a human being, with no inherent nature to be yanked around by.

SMThor has been manipulated into joining his enemy on several occasions by appealing to his Law bound nature, to the point of even being turned against his Master or joining people who are completely antithetical to his Lawful nature (such as Joker in Persona 5, who is very much not Law aligned). He's enslaved to humanity's perception of him, even when it works against him. And what's the common perception of Thor?

A mighty warrior proudly meeting his foe head on in battle. Even in SMT this is true. For what little personality this Thor has, he's shown to be a warrior first, preferring to batter his enemies into submission, crush them before he defeats them properly. There's a fine difference between knowing you can only win with a certain method and immediately opening with it.

SMT Thor will approach this battle as another foe to crush in the name of his master. Another heathen against Law to proudly break, as well as a worthy foe to test his own metal against. Marvel Thor will approach this battle as another villain threatening his home. Another threat to the human race he holds so dear that he must eliminate as efficiently as possible. It his duty as King to protect Asgard and Earth from this menace, by any means necessary.

It's worth noting on top of that that SMThor has a sense of Fairplay that his opponent lacks. Such as when he gave the Demi-Fiend a moment to prepare himself for battle out of respect for his skills. Were this Base Marvel Thor, this would surely be reciprocated and the two would meet in direct honorable combat with no fancy tricks. But, with the Odinforce, Thor behaves very differently. Marvel Thor in that situation would thank his opponent for the respect before turning him into a fly for daring to threaten his home. In that sense, SMThor is a dark reflection of Marvel Thor prior to his own character development.

Both these warriors may be Gods, but above that, Marvel Thor is an Avenger first and foremost.

This Throwdown's Winner is...

Thor!

[exaltatuss]

"Finally, you have proven worthy of true hatred."

General Info:

Name; Reinhardt

Dracontine Name; Kukulcan

Zeroth Universe Adopted Name; Tiamat

Alternate Name; Atanti-ql-Paneu

Other titles: Constant of Termination, Dragon Ancestor, Dracontine Progenitor, The First Dragon, Draconic Corpus, Primordial Dragon

Age; [REDACTED]

Race; Dracontine (Ancestor)

Height; 230 cm

Weight; 550 kg

Morality Alignment; Complex (Shifts between Neutral Evil and Chaotic Evil)

Eye Color; Blue Green

Hair color; Gray

Other Characteristics: Tail, Fangs, Head Feathers

Misc; Hard to destroy

Personality;

Despite the seemingly lax appearance and impression, strong intense emotions dwell within Reinhardt, in which several, specific stimuli would bring forth said emotions out in full, mostly to murderous degrees. She also appears to show some immense intelligence, due to how long lived she was, and thus, is able to discern things better than others, though this does not stop her from acting less intelligent than she actually was.

She also displays immense pride in herself, which is in line with her being the progenitor of the Dracontine race. She also displays that same amount of pride in her abilities, in which she had spent an uncountable amount of years refining, perfecting, and expanding on.

She often views most other lifeforms as disgusting, and would either openly voice out her disgust, or simply look at them with contempt in her eyes.

Despite such traits, she is able to show some capacity for restraint. However, it is comparable to her skating on thin ice.

Backstory;

In the beginning, there were no dragons in the multiverse.

Innumerable universes, infinite space, and endless time, there are all kinds of creatures, from conscious statues to entropy-eating insects, except for "dragons".

Then, in an ordinary universe, in the nameless, formless and nameless chaos, the first dragon was born. It can also be called the ancestor of dragons.

The ancestor of dragons possesses unrivaled divine power and the wisdom of insight into all things. But amidst the chaos, she still felt alone. She began to model according to her own appearance, alienating her own iterations, generation after generation, changing endless storms of dragons.

Since then, there have been dragons in the multiverse.

At the same time, the dragons thay resembled her the closest would then be given greater gifts, and would be the closest ones made in her image. These then would be known as Dracontines.

Soon enough, she would be invited in a seat in a court, held by other powerful individuals as she. Initially having her reservations, the ancestor of dragons would accept, after one such figure, the Once and Future King, brought her over the court.

Initially, everything went well, up until the King eventually became a Tyrant, with her mentioning that she is nothing but a tool for Vacosians to advance and trample over.

Thus, she also became the "powerful enemy" the ancestor of dragons had fought.

Needless to say, the battle began almost instantly, and the sword of the Once and Future Tyrant was fierce and precise, and every stab and slash hit the vital point. But the Dragon Ancestor has endless regenerative abilities, and even the wound heal before the blade would even leave her.

The Dragon Ancestor clearly sensed that her self-healing speed was declining. If she continued on the battle, the rate of her injuries would sooner or later overwhelm her rapid regeneration. So in the next round of confrontation, she would face the Once and Future Tyrant's blade, instead of retreating.

She saw the expression of the Tyrant finally changed - a moment of surprise, but that was enough. The Dragon Ancestor took this opportunity to strike, and upon the collission of their attacks, this would then have her fall into a fracture of reality, not knowing where it would lead her to.

The process of falling was long and painful, and the laws of a different, unknowable universe had intertwined on the body of the dragon ancestor, causing wounds that could never heal: she lost her wings, her wisdom, and her might forever. But she knew that her once old friend turned nemesis would be wounded in equal measure to some degree, and it did not have to be physical wounds. 

This fall lasted for centuries, tens of thousands of evenings, until her descent finally, stopped. The dragon ancestor slowly woke up, and then she found herself in a strange world of this equally strange universe. she worked hard to even move her dilapidated body, and soon, she grew the senses to adapt to this world and universe.

The first thing that caught her eyes are a few local creatures, and when observed carefully, these creatures have a shape similar to the nemesis she had fought. While the race is different, they, for some reason, reminder her of thay one enemy. They are communicating about something, and they seem to be discussing how to deal with her.

Across endless eons and countless worlds, the time of sorrow, betrayal, and regrets has come to pass. The time for vengeance has just begun.

A feeling rose from her heart:—

— Hate!

She opened her bloody mouth wide, roaring wildly and pounced on them.

These creatures she had found filthy. No matter how many times she had annihilated and humiliated their kind, they keep comming back, all in attempts to terminate her in varying degrees, and yet, she adapted to anything they had to offer.

Until many more eons later, a form of technology was made. A technology that, when used on her, should have erased her down to the conceptual and higher dimensional level.

However, the rage in her core is what tethered her, and not only did she remained, but also hijacked the very thing used to destroy her, eventually gaining more adaptations compounding on herself, until finally... This broken body of hers, which was a husk of her former self... Gained the apotheosis it needed, and birthed a newer, better body.

Lost wisdom regained, lost might rekindled, reforged and rebranded into a new inferno. Even her very existence transcended into something even more.

And with that, not only began her wiping out the creatures that tried stamping her out, she had set her sight on this unique universe, becoming stronger, becoming all the more adaptive, and all the more destructive, even going as far as warping this universe into the same hostile texture as she had.

Maybe he nemesis she once faced was still out there. Maybe not. But one thing for sure is that she'll one day have another bout with her again.

Powers & Abilities

Being the progenitor of the powerful Dracontine race, Reinhardt has all the boons and properties the Dracontines have come to benefit from. However, her Adaptation has grown far more enigmatic than that of even Dracontine standard due to her exposure to constant, almost unyielding external stimuli on the Zeroth Universe.

Not only does her Adaptation became far more rapid than usual, it is also able to now also acquire what she is exposed to as an ability of hers, if said external stimuli was from an ability.

The new body she had fashioned for herself using the ANTIKILL system is a perfected version of her previously dilapidated form, and while it possesses flesh, it also now have the same qualities as Zeroth Steel, in terms of durability, and offensive capability.

Her apotheosis from the exposure from the ANTIKILL system had also effectively erased her concept of death, and such, she cannot be killed in a way that matters. In other words, while she can indeed be killed physically, it wouldn't even be a permanent one, as she would eventually rise back, and with certainty having adapted to what killed her before.

This also ties in to her becoming the Constant of Termination, as Reinhardt cannot be considered a lifeform anymore, but rather a phenomenon, something that refuses to die, despite all the attempts to terminate her. Additionally, ripping out her core would only really inconvenience her, causing her to only operate at around seventy five percent effectiveness, though she might even be able to adapt a backup core that would allow her to operate at eighty five percent effectiveness instead, until she regains the original core.

Another adaptation she had gained was the ability to turn banes into boons. Through a high frequency of applying a self-purification process to herself, Reinhardt is able to disassemble many negative effects applied to her and turn them into strengthening effects.

While the existence of Haki is not something that exists within the Zeroth Universe, Reinhardt gained some abilities that are similar to the types of Haki. Tarrasque Liner is similar to Armament Haki, Kaleidoscopic Eyes is similar to Observation Haki, while Zeroth Ray is similar to Conqueror's Haki.

Of course, she also weaponized the Eigenweapon used against her, and eventually, she had compacted it into the form of the scepter-spear hybrid she brings along with her. It is also through ANTIKILL that she was able to cause a Reality Restructuring event, forcefully and irreversibly changing the Zeroth Universe into the hostile state it is today.

Furthermore, she had also gained an ability called Baryon Indulgence, in which her Adaptation would compound all forms of power augmenting and amplification abilities onto Reinhardt. Any attack that would end up actually working against her and damaging would only succeed in making her more powerful.

As such, all these conclude one thing: Reinhardt is now both the progenitor of the Dracontines, as well as the perfected state that Dracontines wouldn't be able to reach through normal means.

Trivia:

-Due to exposure to acid baths back when her body still was dilapidated beyond recognition, Reinhardt had gained some affinity to it, actually soaking herself on acid, finding the burning sensation from it relaxing.

-She is the only singular individual who was able to completely traverse the entirety of the Zeroth Universe. She is also the same reason of its still current, constant expansion.

-Having devoured something similar to a Tree of Knowledge in the Zeroth Universe in the past, Reinhardt also gained some properties from it, having the strength of countless multiverse's worth of power further added up to her own already immense power.

[woodboxboutique]

The multiverse: a structured exploration

According to general relativity, when matter collapses into a black hole, it forms a singularity where density and gravity become infinite. Some theorists suggest that a singularity could serve as the starting point for a new universe. This process, proposed by Lee Smolin in his Cosmological Natural Selection hypothesis, could generate multiple universes. Additionally, the Einstein-Rosen bridge (a theoretical wormhole) may provide a connection between black holes and alternate regions of spacetime or even entirely separate universes. If true, every black hole in our universe could be a gateway to another universe, where the laws of physics might differ depending on the conditions within the black hole’s singularity. Observing black hole behavior and potential quantum signatures of other universes remains an ongoing challenge in modern physics.

For more, please check out this article!

[ponyway]

Continue this sentence "Imagine a ball"

ChatGPT

Imagine a ball soaring through the air, propelled by a powerful kick from a skilled athlete.

Continue but make it weird

ChatGPT

Imagine a ball, suspended in mid-air by invisible forces, glowing with an eerie, pulsating light that defies the laws of physics. As it hovers, it emits a mysterious hum that resonates deep within your bones, sending shivers down your spine. The ball seems to possess a consciousness of its own, teasingly beckoning you to approach, yet keeping a tantalizing distance. It defies all expectations, defying gravity and the limits of our understanding, creating an otherworldly spectacle that leaves you in a state of awe and bewilderment.

Take it up to 3 cuils according to the Cuil Theory

ChatGPT

Imagine a ball, but as you gaze upon it, reality begins to unravel. The ball's surface warps and distorts, revealing intricate patterns and symbols that defy comprehension. Each symbol represents an entire universe of its own, with its own set of rules and dimensions. You find yourself falling into the ball, descending into a labyrinth of alternate realities. Time loses its meaning, and you become entangled in a kaleidoscope of infinite possibilities. Every step you take leads you deeper into a seemingly endless maze of existence, where the laws of physics, logic, and reason are but fleeting concepts. You search for an escape, but the further you venture, the more enigmatic and incomprehensible the world becomes. Reality merges with dreams, nightmares, and fragments of forgotten memories. The boundaries of your own perception blur, and you question your own sanity. The ball, once a simple object, has become a gateway to the unfathomable depths of the multiverse, a surreal journey through the tangled webs of the cosmic tapestry. In this strange and bewildering realm, you come face to face with the intricacies of existence itself, transcending the confines of the known and plunging into the enigmatic realm of the three cuils.

Wrap this into a short story following the concept of Hero's Journey where they hero returns to their own reality ChatGPT

Once upon a time, in a quaint town nestled amidst rolling hills, there lived a young dreamer named Alex. Restless and yearning for adventure, Alex embarked on a perilous journey, guided by an insatiable curiosity that burned within their soul.

Driven by the desire to uncover the mysteries of the universe, Alex stumbled upon an extraordinary object—an enigmatic ball that defied all logic and understanding. Little did Alex know that this encounter would be the catalyst for an extraordinary hero's journey.

As Alex delved deeper into the ball's cosmic labyrinth, they encountered bizarre creatures and surreal landscapes, confronting their deepest fears and discovering hidden strengths. They traversed the boundaries of time and space, facing trials and tribulations that tested their resilience and resolve.

Throughout their odyssey, Alex encountered wise mentors who imparted ancient wisdom and empowered them to embrace the unknown. With each challenge overcome, Alex grew wiser, more compassionate, and connected to the intricate tapestry of existence.

Eventually, after navigating the treacherous depths of the three cuils, Alex reached a pivotal moment of realization. They understood that the true purpose of their journey was not to escape their reality, but to merge the wisdom gained from their extraordinary experiences with the mundane world they left behind.

With newfound clarity and an awakened spirit, Alex returned to their hometown, transformed and ready to share their profound insights. They became a guiding light for others, offering solace to the restless dreamers and inspiring them to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery.

And so, Alex, once a humble dreamer, became a beacon of hope and wisdom in their community. Their tale of extraordinary adventures in otherworldly realms blended seamlessly with the ordinary fabric of everyday life, reminding all who heard it that there is magic and meaning even in the simplest of moments.

In the end, the hero's journey was not merely about venturing into the unknown—it was about returning, enriched, and embracing the beauty and wonder of their own reality. And in this dance between the extraordinary and the ordinary, Alex found true fulfillment, forever changed by their epic odyssey and the eternal longing for exploration that burned within their heart.

Continue the story where Alex tries to follow his burning desire for exploration but make it tradegy ChatGPT

Once upon a time, in a quaint town nestled amidst rolling hills, there lived a young dreamer named Alex. Restless and yearning for adventure, Alex embarked on a perilous journey, driven by an insatiable curiosity that burned within their soul.

Guided by their desire to uncover the mysteries of the universe, Alex set out to explore far-flung lands and discover hidden realms. They encountered incredible wonders, faced dangerous challenges, and reveled in the exhilaration of the unknown. However, as their travels took them deeper into uncharted territories, the lines between reality and fantasy began to blur.

Alex became consumed by their quest for exploration, forsaking the familiar world they once knew. The people and places they left behind faded into distant memories as they delved further into realms where mortal boundaries dissolved. Their obsession with discovery led them to forsake relationships, responsibilities, and the simple joys of everyday life.

With each passing day, the burning desire within Alex grew stronger, driving them to push the limits of what was considered possible. They braved treacherous paths, faced mythical creatures, and encountered ancient forces beyond comprehension. However, the price of their relentless pursuit was steep.

As the years went by, Alex's physical and mental well-being deteriorated. The toll of their constant exploration weighed heavily on their body and soul. The euphoria of the journey slowly transformed into an unquenchable thirst that could never be satisfied. In their quest for enlightenment, Alex had become a prisoner of their own ambition.

Eventually, in a moment of heartbreaking clarity, Alex realized the high cost of their insatiable desire for exploration. They had sacrificed everything that truly mattered for the fleeting thrill of discovery. Isolated and broken, Alex longed for the warmth of human connection and the simple joys of a life left behind.

With a heavy heart, Alex attempted to return to their hometown, seeking solace and redemption. However, they found a world that had moved on without them. The people they once knew had aged, relationships had faded, and the vibrancy of life they had left behind had dimmed. The reality of their tragic choices sank in, leaving them adrift in a sea of regret.

The once courageous dreamer now carried the weight of an empty existence, haunted by the ghosts of missed opportunities and shattered dreams. The burning desire that once fueled their spirit had become a relentless reminder of the irreparable loss they had suffered.

And so, Alex wandered aimlessly, a shell of their former self, forever yearning for a chance to undo the choices that led them down this tragic path. The hero's journey that had promised enlightenment had instead become a cruel and unforgiving mistress, leaving them with nothing but a hollow emptiness.

In the end, the tragic tale of Alex serves as a cautionary reminder that even the most burning desires must be tempered with wisdom and balance. The pursuit of exploration should never come at the cost of the precious connections and joys of the everyday world. For in the relentless pursuit of the extraordinary, one risks losing the very essence of what makes life truly meaningful.

[ear-worthy]

What Makes Podcasting So Unique?

 In the last year, almost every news outlet has reported an astonishing number of podcasts in existence. Although reports of three million are common, these clickbait articles fail to realize that the number of active podcasts is substantially lower, maybe slightly over 400,000. According to Apple Podcasts, there are about 250,000 active podcasts and about 70,000 in actual podcast feeds. 

By contrast, there were 449 movies released in 2022, with 2018 being the recent high-water mark at 873. In TV, 2022 saw about 600 scripted TV shows aired on broadcast or streaming. That number will certainly decrease in 2023 and probably 2024 as the streaming bubble has been popped by impatient investors who are suddenly demanding profitability for the huge expenditures made to produce streaming content. Amazon's Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power cost $715 million. How many Dr. Pimple Popper type shows could you film and release for that amount of money?

So it already seems obvious that we have our first answer to the question posed on the article title.  

What makes podcasting so unique? First and foremost, it's the sheer number of active podcasts. Yet, podcasting offers so much more to its listeners.

In this article, I'll confine myself to three of the many reasons why podcasting is such a unique and splendid medium.

 There are subjects covered in podcasting that are not in other media.

You can consume podcasts while engaged in other activities.

There is an intimacy and immersive quality with podcast listening that is hard to duplicate

Let's begin with one of podcasting's most enduring strengths.

1. There are subjects covered in podcasting that are not in other media.

In the last five years, movies have been about superheroes and fantasy worlds. Those two subjects have captured 75 percent of all the gross revenue of movies released since 2018. 

It's not a stretch to state that "movies do not come close to depicting the breadth of the human experience." 

For TV, we have a multiverse. One with shows on 90-day fiancées, bitter housewives with swollen lips, and home renovation addicts. Then we have the TV broadcast dramas that are dominated by a law enforcement theme: Police, Forensics, FBI, CIA-adjacent. Streaming TV has the most diverse and actively creative media universe.

Then we have podcasting. The scope of subjects covered is too numerous to mention. Here's the short list: adoption, suicide prevention, sewing, astrology, the publishing industry, climate change (2,000+ podcasts), food history, Billboard chart history, Employee Communications departments, classical music, public speaking skills, happiness (500+ podcasts), nutrition (1,000+ podcasts), entertainment news, kids news, science, whiskey, Hollywood history, and more true-crime dramas than you can imagine.

Clearly, niche media is a signature offering for podcasting to listeners. Just to be clear, there is a distinct difference between niche and fringe. Niche is a guy in Nebraska with a podcast about the history of muscle car engines. Fringe is a podcast from a bunch of like-minded losers who are deluded enough to believe that they are superior to anybody. To them, their eventual takeover of the country is inevitable. Fringe people are about blame and hate. Niche people are about loving an activity and camaraderie. 

A perfect example of a niche podcast is WhiskeyCast, an 18-year-old podcast about whiskey. I am not a whiskey drinker, but listening to several episodes about whiskey blends, upcoming festivals, whiskey news, and testimonials from whiskey lovers was enlightening and energizing.

2. You can consume podcasts while engaged in other activities. 

I don't know about you, dear reader, but I'm not good at watching TV and doing much else. How can you watch The Night Agent on Netflix while cleaning the house and possibly follow what's going on? I watched Game Of Thrones with my phone off and shades drawn, and still missed some of the family drama and political intrigue.

Listening to podcasts offers a similar frictionless experience to audiobooks. It's no secret why audiobooks have been the fastest-growing segment of the publishing industry for the last decade. You can listen to a book while you drive to work, take the train, clean the house, take a walk, workout, reorganize your sock drawer, or just wait for stuff like in the doctor's office, checkout line, or any queue.

People are busy. Today, 23 percent of all households are managed by a single parent. That is the definition of busy, with little time for luxuries like sleep and relaxation. Yet, podcast listening slides seamlessly into the hectic lives of those solo parents.

When the pandemic hit, and people stopped going to work, there was an initial dip in podcast listening. However, that dip lasted only a few weeks, and podcast listening rebounded to levels higher than before the pandemic, even though many people stayed at home. I guess the case can be made that people stuck at home wanted to escape their families, so they donned earbuds or headphones and tuned them out with a podcast. 

Podcasts offer us the convenience of listening during our busy days when we are engaged in other activities. For some, podcasting listening can be therapeutic. 

Listening to podcasts also stimulates our brains in ways that TV, movies, TikTok, and YouTube cannot. When we are consumers of audio and video, our brains are force-fed the entire sensory experience. When we consume audio only, our brains are tasked with constructing images that coincide with the words being said -- as in podcasts or audiobooks.  

3. There is an intimacy and immersive quality with podcast listening that is hard to duplicate.

First, let's acknowledge that reading is an immersive and intimate experience. It's the reason why reading books is centuries old and still going strong despite the naysayers. Podcasting is only two decades old and still losing its baby teeth.

Some media thrive on their social interaction. The movie theater experience is inherently a social mixer, with people reacting to the movies on the screen, and the reactions of the people in the theater.

TV was designed as a family experience in the late 1940s and 1950s, since most households only had one television set. Since TVs now replicate like rabbits in households, and people now use phones and tablets as reception devices, TV has become a more solitary activity. 

Recent Podtrac studies have revealed that podcasts are predominantly listened to via earbuds and headphones. In essence, podcasts and streaming music inhabit the same psychic universe in society, separating people from the external world. 

The days of gigantic speakers in people's homes blasting music from vinyl records have been replaced by wandering humans hermetically sealed inside private listening devices while the outside world goes about its frenetic and violent business.

One warm spring day, I washed, waxed, vacuumed, tire-shined, and silicone-sprayed my Hyundai. The task took two hours, and during that time, I listened to three episodes of the Drilled podcast by Amy Westervelt. During that time and the task, it was just me and Westervelt, as I considered how the enemies of climate change are so powerful and unscrupulous. As my car began to look more presentable again, I reveled in the private world that I inhabited with the podcast, its host, and my car. 

I have a friend who works in downtown Philadelphia and takes the train to work every weekday from South Jersey. Her routine is the same: In the morning, she listens to The Daily podcast. At night, Marketplace. To her, those two podcasts soften the harsh edges of public transit.

******

You're probably wondering why I bothered to write such an obvious piece extolling the well-known virtues of podcasting. 

Here it is. At least two of those aforementioned reasons that make podcasting so unique are in danger. 

First, Spotify and other large companies threaten to crowd out the niche aspect of podcasting with the podcast version of TV lookalikes --  the Chicago, CSI, and Law & Order franchises. Spotify does offer some quality podcasts, but a lady in rural Georgia discussing macramé is beyond their corporate scope. And podcasting needs people like that woman.

Second, video podcasts threaten to transform podcasts into more of a TV / movie media consumption activity where simultaneous activity while podcast listening becomes difficult or impossible. Sure, you can watch /listen to a YouTube video podcast on your public transit commute if you don't mind peeping eyes. If you have the leisure time --  or you're quiet quitting -- you can certainly consume video podcasts. 

But watching several people talk to one another with headphones on is not the remarkable video experience that warrants a transition to the "see-able" instead of the "hear-able."

Finally, the real heroes of podcasting are not the most visible people like Joe Rogan, Ashley Flowers, or certainly not Steve Bannon.  

Podcasting's roots are decidedly populist. It's your next-door neighbor with a podcast on home repair tips. Or your niece with a podcast on women's soccer. 

Podcasting is people you've never heard of -- Matt Gilhooly of The Life Shift, Kyla Sims of Infernal Communications, Robert Peterpaul of The Art Of Kindness, and Evan Stern of Vanishing Postcards -- excelling in their sonic worlds and trying to make the world a better place.

[bigpinkfrillyguy]

The Axolotl's expression softened - which seemed impossible because the Axolotl's expression always seemed soft. Gentle. There was almost a kind of fragility to it and yet never broken.

"You haven't learned how to rest. It's understandable especially since you've been going so fast for so long and watching so much, so quickly, for so long. Not that there's anything wrong with you're being fast. You're a being of energy - fast is how you move, it's who you are, the way you are, and you have always been unashamedly you which is one of the many things I like about you. But the not resting is a problem. Going so fast means resting more is a must, and it's just not happening. That's concerning."

The Axolotl fluffed a simple passing cloud with its webbed hands and pushed it, not quite in Bill's direction, but nearby. "Surprise you? I suppose you would look cute in red ribbon, but your black bow-tie suits you better. I wonder, though. Hmm. Schrodinger's Bill? A cat goes in, a triangle comes out?" Whatever random curiosity the Axolotl was musing on trailed off.

Then, slowly, ever so slowly, the Axolotl rolled until it simply floated there belly-up. They no longer appeared to be looking at Bill, but Bill would still get the feeling that the Axolotl was watching him - sympathetic, gently, with curious and polite interest.

"I do not know where penguins, penguin variants, and penguin adjacents come from," the Axolotl admitted. There was no shame in the Axolotl's voice. It was said in the same tone of voice as someone who admitted to not having seen a popular movie that came out a few years ago but was curious in watching it when they had the time.

The Axolotl blinked slowly. "To clarify, I know how all the penguins everywhere and everywhen are born all across the multiverse whenever and wherever penguins exist. I know when they die each and every one. But their true origins are shrouded in mystery. In all of the universes and all of the dimensions where penguins exist and scientists exist to study the origin of species whatever that looks like according to the laws of their particular dimension whether that be evolution, clay theory, vatonomics, word progression, etc., none of them ever realize or have ever realized that penguins are the exception to the rule even if it looks like they follow those rules. They always have believed and will always believe that they have figured penguins out. They have been wrong for eons. I have tried dropping hints, but as is usually the case, no one notices. The reason they look like they follow the rules is usually due to a prank or typo or error in the source code, a variety of reasons, and I know how and why those exist, but I do not know how or why penguins exist. By all accounts, they shouldn't, but I'm glad they do."

The Axolotl seemed to be looking at a soft pink cloud overhead which was beginning to take the form of an alien penguin-like creature from Dimension Delta-932;.

"Penguins first showed up in the multiverse about 777 trillion years past the beginning infinity horizon. I blinked, and they were there, and they lived and mated and gave birth to new generations, and died. I have tried to slow that moment of their first appearance down in my vision many times, but I always either blink or they just appear without my noticing which happens from time to time when it should and need to but not like that."

The Axolotl's voice was soothing in a similar way that a healing hot spring or hot cup of cocoa on a cold day or a desperate hug from two friends who hadn't seen each other in years and who had despaired in isolation, crushing loneliness was soothing... But more without being overwhelming.

"Penguins do not have an afterlife; though, some of them believe in it. They do not reincarnate into anything, and nothing reincarnates into them - I have tried this. It doesn't work. The energy doesn't enter the cycle - it lingers for approximately three picoseconds, freezes for one, then vanishes as if it has never existed. I have to move energy from elsewhere in order to make up the difference so the dimension in question doesn't collapse every time a penguin dies. No one notices this, either, but if you watched close enough the next time a penguin dies, I'm sure you'll see it."

The Axolotl's brow furrowed. "I remember all that has never existed and has stopped existing, and I remember all the penguins that have ever died across all of the multiverse everywhere and everywhen. If all the penguins I know and remember that have died had truly stopped existing, the multiverse would no longer exist. So, they're not, you know, not existing. They're going somewhere, somewhen - just not within the multiverse as I see it. I suppose it's possible some of them are also not existing because while I'm aware of the non-existence that doesn't exist and how big it isn't, and thankfully, what is remains the bigger of the one, the specifics elude me."

The Axolotl reached up and swirled the penguin-like cloud around in an almost hypnotic fashion. "I have counted the number of penguins across all of the multiverse and all of time of the multiverse, and the number always remains balanced and yet they're not transferring from dimension to dimension, nor are they old - they're all new penguins, but when they first appeared, I was so worried. I worried for tens of trillions of years about the penguins. I still worry from time to time about them in my low moments."

The Axolotl ever so slowly turned back around again. Their beady, black eyes peered at Bill. "I have had a great multitude of very interesting conversations with every variety of penguin that has existed, exists, and will ever exist from the least knowledgeable to the most knowledgeable - and while many of them are excellent liars - not all that surprising when you consider what their skeleton looks like, in the variants and adjacents that have skeletons, in comparison to their outward appearance - I have come to the conclusion that none of them know more than they're letting on."

There was a pause. "Penguins are the greatest mystery of the multiverse. There are many things I know and don't know about them."

( @bigpinkfrillyguy continuing from here )

Bill tries (sort of, as best he can given his volatile mood and all the stuff slamming into his consciousness) to focus but all he keeps hearing is ""blah blah, I don't want to change anything, blah blah I'm totally missing the point of what you're saying and giving you an unrelated lecture about tangents just to sound like I'm smart and deep""".

The question that manages to get past that and into his head for a few moments, long enough to register, is "why do you skip to the end".

He blinks a few times, feeling an intense, intense lethargy and exhaustion sweeping through him as the crack in his exoskeleton bricks grows more static-filled and the static brighter, more colors flashing, almost as if a secret code is flickering inside them.

"BECAUSE I'M EXHAUSTED."

Because he doesn't have the slightest idea why he shoots to the end. He really doesn't. It's just… easier. Faster. When there's so much noise in his senses all the time he just wants to get to the point. It's how he's managed all these billions of years.

His eye droops hard, almost half-closed. "SURE," he says and sounds weary, the little chipping off bits hanging near his frame blurring red and blue in ghostly echoes.

"TELL ME SECRETS. SURPRISE ME."

His tone indicates doubt that he will be.

[aradiantwell]

There is a timeline where Oryx isn't a Hive god, but a Fortnite god

[time-variance-archive]

"There are no Time-Keepers" : why does it matter ?

The Time Keepers : a trio of omniscient and benevolent entities who supervise the flow of time.

Or at least, it's what the TVA wants you to believe.

But does the truth change anything ?

I- The Time Keeper's continuous creation

According to Mobius, the Time Keepers are working hard to untangle the endless possibilities and write towards the "epilogue" in a constant process of creation. This is an interesting myth of origins, as it makes every single person living on the Sacred Timeline characters of a story. The Time Keepers are the writing team behind the Greatest Show on Earth (and beyond).

This conception of the Time Keepers is close to occasionalism, a philosophical doctrine that implies the absence of correlation between causes and effects. Every apparant cause is only an occasion for the creator to produce an effect, but nothing happens outside of the creator's will. X

In this paradigm, free will seems very limited, even non-existant. The Time Keepers keep the Sacred Timeline under a strict form of determinism. Nothing happens that hasn't been approved by this triumvirate.

Yet, poeple have the illusion of free will because they don't see the invisible hands of the Time Keepers.

II- The Man behind the curtain

If the Time Keepers aren't real, what difference does this make ? There is still a man behind the curtain, after all.

We should take a moment to consider the true powers of He Who Remains.

He Who Remains is a Variant of Kang who doesn't answer to this name (a rogue Kang Variant who rejected his "purpose" ?). Prior the creation of the TVA, the multiverse was running free, timelines branching out constantly as infinite choices and possibilities appeared every instant. But this absolute freedom ended up in chaos when time and multiversal travel were discovered. To save the world from imminant destruction, He Who Remains started a war against his Variants and destroyed every reality affected by the "Kang virus", leaving only the Kang-less timelines. In order to prevent the creation of more Kangs, he created the TVA and enforced strict rules that would prevent the creation of branches.

Unlike the Time Keepers, He Who Remains is not a creator, he's only a ruler. Under his reign, causality still exists, so does free will. There is an essential difference between determinism and autoritarian law inforcement.

If there are no Time Keepers, poeple are responsible of their own actions and what limits their freedom isn't their own ability to self determination, but an exterior force that takes the face of a fascist authority.

III- Ideology and control of populations

So, what was the point of He Who Remains' lie ?

The show makes an obvious point of denouncing a certain use of religion as an ideology serving the power in place.

The difference between the Time Keepers and He Who Remains is essential : the formers are litteral gods, while the later is only a man.

Every TVA worker has been lied about their origins, thinking they are the creation of the Time Keepers. They worship them as their creators, almost parental figures. The conversation between Loki and Mobius in Ep 2 shows the metaphysical side of this ideology. Mobius is a smart man and his conception of the Time Keepers goes beyond the childlike worship of those supernatural entities. He uses two arguments : something akin to the First Cause, and a psychological argument about the usefulness of the myth. When Loki is asked who created him, he answers "Laufey, a Frost Giant of Jotunheim", which is a false answer. Laufey is his biological father, he generated him, but didn't create him. Mobius could have easily answered "but who created Laufey ?". Instead he asks about Odin and Asgard and points out how absurd this sounds. For whole realms, Asgard is a myth, so how can Loki be sure what he takes for myths aren't real as well. And his second argument is a pragmatic one. Even if the Time Keepers didn't exist, believing in them would still be useful as poeple need to believe in something to have a sense of purpose.

And that second argument is the most relevant here. Believing in the Time Keepers give the TVA employees a false sense of safety and righteousness. Even if they have blood on their hand, their work is justified by the greater good. It's only when the truth is revealed that the true colors of everyone are revealed too. On one hand, poeple like Mobius and B-15 realise they were on the wrong side all along and betray the TVA, while Ravonna Renslayer decides it doesn't change anything. This illustrates the difference between ignorance and active compliance. Renslayer isn't faithful to a divine entity, she is faithful to authority and a certain moral order.

Conclusion

With the last image of the season showing a giant sculpture of Kang (or is this He Who Remains reincarnated ?), we can expect a very different TVA for season 2. We can already theorise the presence of Kang at the head of the TVA as a charismatic dictator imposing a cult of his personality. I think it can be interesting to see a TVA ruled as a totalitarian state by opposition to the cultish version we saw on season 1.

[thekinglemingle]

Saying No to Yui

I've been sitting on an idea for an AU for a while now. I know how it starts and how it ends and some bits in the middle, but not much. I don't have much time for writing these days, but now I'm on tumblr and tumblr is full of sharp bursts of micro-fiction and AU's told in short achronological chunks. So what the hell. Let's give this a go. I won't add new snippets regularly, but hope to do so occasionally. This is part 1 of Saying No to Yui

Amongst the may subjects discussed in the Dead Sea Scrolls, is that of alternate timelines. The Old Men of SEELE had read such information, but it quickly became apparent that they were in a branch of the multiverse where interdimensional travel would remain out of reach for them. There was no Golgotha Object waiting for them in Antarctica and no Evangelion-i. No route to access the Book of Life, and to add their names to its pages. As knowledge of different timelines would not help them achieve their goal of Instrumentality, the information was forgotten and ignored, though some members of the Committee retained a quiet speculation that the complementation of mankind that awaited them would allow them to join with their own counterparts from the roads not taken.

The popular conception of branching timelines, is that they are formed every time a decision is made. This, the Dead Sea Scrolls explain, is not the case. Lilim, for the most part act in predictable ways, in accordance with the wealth of experience they have built up in their lifetime. To paraphrase the philosopher Lu Tse, while the laws of physics state that there should be a timeline in which Gendo Ikari woke up on the morning of the Contact Experiment and shot his wife dead, no such universe exists. While he was physically capable of doing so, his own soul would prevent him from doing so. This is but one example of the ways in which the Fruit of Knowledge can exert its influence on reality in ways far subtler and yet stronger than the brute force of the Fruit of Life.

And yet, in the immediate aftermath of the Contact Experiment Gendo Ikari was faced by a true decision. Where two warring facets of his personality vied for attention and where it was truly possible for him to go either way.

These then are the moments upon which the timeline turns.

Gendo stands at the train platform and looks down at the crying child, begging not to be sent away.

Gendo knows what he must do. The Scenario, or at least Gendo’s modifications to it, are still in their infancy, but he already knows that this is a path he must walk alone and the boy would be better off without a father as useless as him in his life. He opens his mouth to rebuke the child, to do what must be done, and the crying child opens his eyes.

Yui’s eyes.

Gendo has only just lost his wife. Only just started down the long road that leads of Instrumentality. His heart is not yet as hardened as it will be by the time the Angels come to Tokyo 3. And this is not just any child. Not even the fact that he is Gendo’s child will sway him to recent his decision.

But this is Yui’s child.

With Yui’s body dissolved into LCL, this child is the last physical remnant of her biological existence. And here, perhaps, is the only person in all the world who might miss Yui as much as he does. In a moment of weakness, he says something he shouldn’t, to comfort Yui’s child. In one timeline these words will be forgotten within a month, lost in a tide of grief and written off as an empty promise. In another, things go very differently.

 “I must. I am going to get your mother back.”

For a moment the child stops crying in shock and stares up at him. As he stares into the determined eyes of Yui’s son’s he is reminded again of how much he looks like his mother. The child speaks.

“Let me help you, father.”

Gendo pauses, the unstoppable force meets the immovable object and the timeline forks. On the one hand he needs to be without distractions if he is to work on his quest to retrieve his wife. On the other, when he stares into her eyes full of determination, he could never say no to Yui Ikari.

Where once there was a single timeline, there is now two. In two universes, two Gendo Ikaris walk back to their limo. Both are quietly confident that they made the only decision it was possible for him to make. They are both wrong. And in one universe Gendo tells the teary child sitting on the passenger seat,

“If you get in the way. You will have to leave.”

[max1461]

Well that's very possible. It might not be true but I suppose it's possible.

But, ok, I've still got a question. Why do we exist in this mathematical universe instead of a different one? You can't use the anthropic principle because like... ok let's say I rolled a die and it came up heads. I'll call the universe in which this happened the heads-universe, H. Well it's just as easy to imagine living in the mathematically possible universe where it came up tails instead. Let's imagine, in fact, the mathematically possible universe in which the laws of physics are exactly those in H up until the moment of the die roll, at which point the laws have a sudden discontinuity which causes the die to land on tails instead of heads, after which the laws return exactly to those of H. Call this universe the tails-universe, T.

Fuck. Coins are the ones that land on heads or tails. Die have six sides.

Well whatever. Go with it.

Right, so. Let's say we live in H prior to the die roll. There's no reason, according to the anthropic principle, to conclude that we can't find ourselves in T instead. Humans exist in T, indeed by assumption humans exactly like as. So we could be in T. And yet again by assumption we are not—we are in H, which we discover as soon as we roll the die. And then we can ask "why is it that we are in H instead of T?". From the perspective of a mathematical multiverse, being in one is just as good as being in the other. But the die very definitively comes up heads, and the symmetry is broken—we are in H, for seemingly no reason. Maybe there are "versions of us" who are in T, but the symmetry is still broken because we can demonstrably observe that we are not those versions, because the die came up heads and so we are demonstrably the H versions. The symmetry cannot be salvaged, and the asymmetry seems to have come from nowhere.

How can this be possible?

Ok, no one gave me a satisfying answer to this question last time I asked so I will ask again: why in the world are the laws of physics what they are?

I know this is one of the most significant unsettled questions in history but you guys are smart people. C'mon.