[[Girl in bubble, floating in outer space next to her clone]]
Clone: I shouldn't do this, but I pulled you out for a moment to give you a hint.
Girl: A hint?
Clone: Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they're doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out.
Girl: Why tell me this?
Clone: You're curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go.
Girl: So, wait, what *is* this place? Am I going to wake up thinking this was a dream?
Clone: This is... think of this as after the game, outside the theatre. To go in, I had to suspend disbelief, forget the outside.
Girl: So you... Huh. Why give me hints I'm going to forget?
Clone: You'll forget this trip but I think the hints should stay with you.
Girl: ...if this is a game, are you--are *we*--cheating?
Clone: Yup.
Girl: Is that a good idea?
Clone: Well it's an interesting one. We'll see how it goes.
Girl: Well, I guess I'll see you aroun--Wait a minute; have you brought me here before?
Clone: I... maybe. once.
Girl: For another hint?
Clone: Er. Actually we just made out.
Girl: We wh--
Clone: Bye!
{{Alt-text: Making out with yourself: now an official xkcd theme? Troubling.}}
Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves. The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus. This is not the algorithm. This is close.