5-3o-12 There are four lights

[Captain LeBubbles]

Why did her visual puzzle leave a spot for his reaction shot?

Because Marie can see the fourth wall :o

[Trefle]

My guess being, as far as the nature of the poem goes, it seems to line towards expression rather than a puzzle. And the cerebral part still stuck.
If we're talking about duality; and 'buy two get one free'; it sort of makes sense; there are two concepts in duality, and in the middle...there are the amalgamation of both. The 0.5, or the 1.5; Where humans picked their choice and stood in between the two extremes; that might be the free 'one' get from buying 'two' ideals.
It ties to 'because I choose to be' part; yes, in between virtues, sin, and ALL the muddy grey area within, she chose (or trying to convince herself that she has chosen) to be. (yes, we can say clearly to pursue the virtues and avoid the sin, but life are not that simple nor black-and-white) I can see some issues with identity, and it ties well with the Undecided part of this chapter.

Interesting, my movie quote skills aren't so good..so I don't know. The same about the 3 and 4 parts; great observations, everyone!

It's amazing how meta!Michael knows all the reference...did you mention it to T, or did he ask you? If T's playing meta-mind screw, it will be fun. Cannot wait. (also I see some sort of good hope for MichaelxMarie. Portmanteau time?)

(also, yay for going back to Marie and Michael, as opposed to Iseul..I mean, another mean streak and she's put into Bitch Area for me too.)

[NobodySpecial]

I think you guys are overthinking this.

"Those who do not understand the nature of sin and virtue are attached to duality; they wander around deluded." - Sri Guru Granth Sahib

What is the duality here?

buy two, get one free

Duality again.

[Zanosuke Kurosaki]

It's amazing how meta!Michael knows all the reference...did you mention it to T, or did he ask you? If T's playing meta-mind screw, it will be fun. Cannot wait. (also I see some sort of good hope for MichaelxMarie. Portmanteau time?)

Actually, the only one I knew right off the bat was the Batman one (and it was the font that made me recognize it.) And except for pretty much my initial description (and the slightly later information about my hearing), I sure haven't been planning any of this with T. This is all his baby.

[Trefle]

It's amazing how meta!Michael knows all the reference...did you mention it to T, or did he ask you? If T's playing meta-mind screw, it will be fun. Cannot wait. (also I see some sort of good hope for MichaelxMarie. Portmanteau time?)

Actually, the only one I knew right off the bat was the Batman one (and it was the font that made me recognize it.) And except for pretty much my initial description (and the slightly later information about my hearing), I sure haven't been planning any of this with T. This is all his baby.

Awesome!

That you're intrigued enough to look (and indeed, somewhat successful in identifying some parts of it) would be a testament that T has made a good puzzle.

NobodySpecial : Black and white mentality?
Rambling here;
it's very easy to consider sin and virtue as different states, different beings; to think of it as absence and existence; light and dark; 0 and 100 or 0 and 1. A lot of belief and religion supports this idea (Judeo-Christian being the most obvious);
yet it is not always the case.

Consider the Seven Cardinal Sins (Wrath, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Envy) and Virtue (Fortitude/Courage, Love/Charity, Prudence, Temperance/Restraint, Justice, Faith, Hope) (alternatively; chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. I'm using the former, however.)

This is getting mindjumbley;
1) Too much / too little. Wasn't too little Gluttony is essentially, Temperance? Wouldn't too much (desire) of Love leads to Lust?
2) Application of unnecessary / overblowing virtue can lead to sins. The way those who apply too much hope becomes lazy and unwilling to work hard; the way those who are drunk in love become drowned in lust. Alternatively, a certain application of 'sins' does become virtue. Isn't it a form of anger, to be resolute; to be strong? Weren't we proud of the ideals, vision, beliefs, in a certain way before we become prudent? (Because being prudent means judging the available options according to -something-)

The difference was mostly, intentions; under Whom are you doing this thing? (which is the ugly nature of faith, yada yada, but anyway)
In some ways, they are one being; one form applied differently.
Thus it -might- (IamnotMarie after all) be argued that within / between / aside from the two ideals of 'virtues' and 'sins', there are the middle form.
(enantiodromia, enantiodromia)


AAAAND I'M DONE RAMBLING. Where's my hermit cane?

[Pink Freud]

Damn you T Campbell! This is how people wind up in the nuthouse. Or probably how I will someday.

All of the statements on that page share one unifying commonality. The challenging of perceived reality versus actual reality.

"Understand the Nature of Sin and Virtue" - is telling us to heed the lesson that it's snipped from. Things like "sin" and "virtue" are merely labels that we create so that our simple minds can justify/categorize our actions in this world. There really is no such thing. Truth is Beyond Good and Evil.

Googol - is a number so large that it cannot *really* exist within perceptual reality, and is often used to compare impossibly large numbers to infinity.

"Buy two, get one free" - is an oldie about salesmanship that everyone knows. You're not getting one free, you're getting three for a discount. The "free" item is a lie. I can't help but think that there's some kind of significance to this phrase being inverted, though.

"Because I choose to be", The Batman reference that I didn't know until it was brought up in this thread, is about your perception of who you are versus your actions.

"There are Four Lights" - again Star Trek reference I didn't know but it goes far beyond that, to the 2+2=5 thing from George Orwell, or back to a Nazi general declaring his loyalty to Hitler ("If the Führer wants it, two and two makes five!"). The idea being the conflict of perception in what we see with our own eyes versus what society/authority tells us.

Or maybe I'm reading too much into it. This is probably how conspiracy theorists get started. I have a headache I'm gonna go lay down.

[Freemage]

[Meanwhile, in the T.-Cave....]

*A figure sits, hunched over and watching a panel of screens, causing his form to be cast in silhouette. A somewhat lankier figure enters from the Intertubes. The first speaks without looking up.*

"It's working, Alfred. It's working. I told you it would work."

"What's working, Sir? And I told you, my name's Jason, not Alfred."

"The latest strip. Just toss up a bunch of quotes selected at random from IMDB, Bartlett, a sign at a supermarket and a college math book, and then sit back and wait. Of course they'll come up with an explanation that fits."

"Really? That's actually working?"

"Yes, yes it is. No surprise. Look at the forum. The polls, the strip manips... These people have twisty, twisty minds. 'Bout time I put them to work. This could be the beginning of a whole new art form. I'll call it meta-post-modernism. Now, Alfred--"

"Jason, sir."

"Alfred, get me some tea."

*Heavy sigh.* "Yes, sir."

"And wear the butler tux."

*Heavier sigh. The second figure slinks off.*

[Alice Macher]

^ Alice Macher likes this.

[LookingIn]

My mind is aching...I don't know how you folks do it but you managed the oddest assortment of things and put them into theories that each are as likely to be right as the others.

My hat is off to you all...now where is the asperin?!?!

[Pink Freud]

Freemage, you are my hero.

[Otaking]

[Meanwhile, in the T.-Cave....]

*A figure sits, hunched over and watching a panel of screens, causing his form to be cast in silhouette. A somewhat lankier figure enters from the Intertubes. The first speaks without looking up.*

"It's working, Alfred. It's working. I told you it would work."

"What's working, Sir? And I told you, my name's Jason, not Alfred."

"The latest strip. Just toss up a bunch of quotes selected at random from IMDB, Bartlett, a sign at a supermarket and a college math book, and then sit back and wait. Of course they'll come up with an explanation that fits."

"Really? That's actually working?"

"Yes, yes it is. No surprise. Look at the forum. The polls, the strip manips... These people have twisty, twisty minds. 'Bout time I put them to work. This could be the beginning of a whole new art form. I'll call it meta-post-modernism. Now, Alfred--"

"Jason, sir."

"Alfred, get me some tea."

*Heavy sigh.* "Yes, sir."

"And wear the butler tux."

*Heavier sigh. The second figure slinks off.*

I lol'd.

[DudeMyDadOwnsADealership]

"Those who do not understand the nature of sin and virtue are attached to duality; they wander around deluded."
( Granth Sahib)

Hrm...After reading about both The plot of Batman Forever the Chain of Command 2-parter from ST:TNG I looked up last night, and now realizing Se7en isn't part of the puzzle, things are starting to narrow down...


For starters, that quote has much to do with the plots of both features. It's covers Harvey "Two-Face" Dent descent into villainy in but a simple sentence. Many of Captain Picard's slams, quoted on imdb.com, while he's being tortured reflect this. Also pairings of odd, seemingly contradictory couples were a big part of both plots.

[retrophrenologist]

Why did her visual puzzle leave a spot for his reaction shot?

It's not a reaction shot. Marie took a cellphone picture of Michael's first look at his first semester class schedule, printed it out, and glued it onto the page.

[Trefle]

[Meanwhile, in the T.-Cave....]

*A figure sits, hunched over and watching a panel of screens, causing his form to be cast in silhouette. A somewhat lankier figure enters from the Intertubes. The first speaks without looking up.*

"It's working, Alfred. It's working. I told you it would work."

"What's working, Sir? And I told you, my name's Jason, not Alfred."

"The latest strip. Just toss up a bunch of quotes selected at random from IMDB, Bartlett, a sign at a supermarket and a college math book, and then sit back and wait. Of course they'll come up with an explanation that fits."

"Really? That's actually working?"

"Yes, yes it is. No surprise. Look at the forum. The polls, the strip manips... These people have twisty, twisty minds. 'Bout time I put them to work. This could be the beginning of a whole new art form. I'll call it meta-post-modernism. Now, Alfred--"

"Jason, sir."

"Alfred, get me some tea."

*Heavy sigh.* "Yes, sir."

"And wear the butler tux."

*Heavier sigh. The second figure slinks off.*

Yes, Freemage, YES. *laaaughs*

[Captain LeBubbles]

[Meanwhile, in the T.-Cave....]

*A figure sits, hunched over and watching a panel of screens, causing his form to be cast in silhouette. A somewhat lankier figure enters from the Intertubes. The first speaks without looking up.*

"It's working, Alfred. It's working. I told you it would work."

"What's working, Sir? And I told you, my name's Jason, not Alfred."

"The latest strip. Just toss up a bunch of quotes selected at random from IMDB, Bartlett, a sign at a supermarket and a college math book, and then sit back and wait. Of course they'll come up with an explanation that fits."

"Really? That's actually working?"

"Yes, yes it is. No surprise. Look at the forum. The polls, the strip manips... These people have twisty, twisty minds. 'Bout time I put them to work. This could be the beginning of a whole new art form. I'll call it meta-post-modernism. Now, Alfred--"

"Jason, sir."

"Alfred, get me some tea."

*Heavy sigh.* "Yes, sir."

"And wear the butler tux."

*Heavier sigh. The second figure slinks off.*

I want you to know that reads like RPS. Jus' so's ya know.