video;

[skillz]

[Q looks completely wrecked. The lack of sleep that the Tranquility has so kindly blessed him with has left him looking almost on death's door, bags under his eyes and his clothes and hair dishevelled. Apparently, however, insomnia prompts either genius or madness and around him are a plethora of papers and diagrams, repeatedly scribbled out and redrawn with blue and red pen. Q rubs his bloodshot eyes and smiles slightly up at his audience.]

Hello, there. So these past few months have been rather hectic and it got me thinking. [That and more cups of tea than he would care to count.]

So the universe is endless, yes? A giant mass of endless stars. As our telescopes get stronger and stronger and we look out into the void of space, we keep finding more to look at. We cannot find its horizon.

[He rocks on the balls of his feet and begins to rifle through his papers.]

Yet a recent theory suggested that while it's endless, it isn't some vast, infinite mass. Instead, it loops back on itself. Time and space is...a doughnut.

[He holds up a complex diagram filled with numbers and various intersecting circles up to the camera.]

If we look far enough into the distance, we can see ourselves and it is my belief that the people, the things which we are witnessing on The Tranquility are either ourselves or the ship's past or future catching up on us. The jumps, in my opinion, are literal, as we dot from place to place, picking up fragments of time.

[He lets out a sigh and scratches his head.]

Fuck me if I know who Smiley is though.

Comments

video;

[thebreakingwave]

I don't think it is endless. There's a beginning, so there's got to be an end or an edge, right?

I mean, I might be wrong, and I've only got a beginners book, but I'm pretty sure that's right. At least on a basic level? Isn't it?

video;

[skillz]

Not quite. A circle is endless, for example. A number can be infinite. Something's existence doesn't guarantee a beginning or an end.

Besides, I'm suggesting a doughnut shape.

[andblockbuster]

Smiley is all of us. [In the grumpy tone of someone who has had too little sleep and not enough caffeine.] And now I want doughnuts.

[skillz]

Apologies. If it helps, I've been graving them for weeks.

[Q blinks for a second while the Smiley comment registers.]

A toxic amalgamation of people and personalities? Intriguing.

video

[backwardscompatible]

A little simplistic, perhaps, but if it helps you sleep at night to think of it like that then be my guest.

[The Doctor's gone, so someone has to do it.]

video

[skillz]

You think I'm wrong?

[leaps]

[ oh. oh. ]

You think the past or the future to be more likely?

[skillz]

In truth, both at once. After all, we ourselves are all gathered from different points in time. I'd assume that other aspects of the ship would be the same.

I would be intrigued to know our average date of entry, so to speak, see if we can discover an average.

[He starts rustling his papers again.]

I should make a chart...

text.

[look]

You think the signs that there were people on this ship before we got here were left by us?

text.

[skillz]

Potentially. I'm definitely not crossing off the possibility.

[klutziness]

It was complicated until you described time and space as a doughnut.

[skillz]

I'm keen on simplifying things as best I can when explaining them.

[culver]

When did you eat last?

[skillz]

...A few hours ago. Why?

audio.

[helpmeguideit]

I've not yet heard the 'doughnut' theory. Or the theory that we're picking up pieces of time through jumps.

Although both seem very likely from experience.

audio.

[skillz]

Thank you. It's good to know that someone likes my theory.

video;

[gilding]

[There's a mild edge of amusement to Gold's expression, but that could just be for the description of the doughnut. Not because he finds science in general really hilarious.]

And how would the matter of other universes interact with this theory, do you think?

video;

[skillz]

...more doughnuts.

[He grabs another piece of paper and presents a diagram of a selection of circles arranged to look like a flower.]

Either something like this or some sort of chain, I'd suspect.

video;

[sweetmotherofgod]

I think you just figured out the only way any of this is actually fair. I wish you hadn't.

Also, don't talk about fuckin' doughnuts unless you're gonna come up with the goods.

video;

[skillz]

Apologies. If anything, I think it's an accident, a glitch in space.

Also, if we're being specific, I didn't talk about a physical doughnut, but its shape instead.

text;

[stimulations]

I don't think the ship's past was populated by us, if that's what you're trying to say. All the evidence so far seems to indicate a crew native to this universe. Though I'll concede that the time of that past does seem very wobbly.

text;

[skillz]

If given enough time, wouldn't we too look native to this place?

voice;

[allbloodyhail]

Wait, slow down. Go back to the part where time is a doughnut.

[ he could really go for a doughnut right now tbh. ]

voice;

[skillz]

It curves in on itself. If you go out far enough, you'll return back to your original position.

voice;

[inebriety]

[Tony's slurring, he's drunk enough to possibly be on the verge on alcohol poisoning right now.]

Where'd you stick the other universes then? On the doughnut rack?

voice;

[skillz]

Interlocking doughnuts, so to speak. Either a petal-type system of a chain.

text

[rixatus]

remember what happened to the cat.

text

[skillz]

[Oh, good god. Stay calm and play dumb.]

I'm afraid I'm not aware of what happened to "the cat". Would you mind enlightening me?

not here.

[virtuoso]

[ but ew barf theoretical science. ]

not here either

[skillz]

[but stfu he's trying]

voice »

[unparental]

It's a pain in the ass, that's what it is.

I used a pack of gum, it ran out faster.

[ she's so smug suck it tony stark somebody who knows what he's doing

hopefully

supports her pack of gum theory ]

voice »

[skillz]

Are you sure someone wasn't thieving your gum?

video;

[2leftfeet]

Wouldn't that mean the only way for some of us to get home would be to... jump into a different "donut?" [Air quotes included.] You know, excepting the people who just disappear out of their slime beds.

video;

[skillz]

I suspect so, though I'd rather not try testing that theory too vigorously.

voice;

[onsilksheets]

You look like death warmed up.

[Ignoring the donut theory for now. She's a little concerned.]

voice;

[skillz]

Charming!

I haven't had much sleep.

Video; (also sooo late, feel free to ignore, but this needed to happen for many reasons)

[adamantcommand]

[The word "doughnut" is not familiar to Asriel, but it's also not difficult to work out the boy's meaning, even in his own state of exhaustion.]

A chain? Perhaps. A stack is more likely.

Video; (there's no such thing as too late!)

[skillz]

[Q is about to criticise the statement and dismiss it when he actually takes a look at the person speaking. He's startled for a second, but soon he can't help but smirk.]

007. I like your beard. You should have told me you were here, though god knows you're keen on keeping to yourself.