Line #0 Heartwarming/WhatIf


1	!''Blog/WhatIf'' the blog:
2	* Some of the conclusions are actually quite sweet, like [[http://what-if.xkcd.com/34/ this one]].
3	--> 140 characters may not be a lot, but we will ''never'' run out of things to say.
4	* And this one, for inspirational science value:
5	--> [[http://what-if.xkcd.com/30/ I've never seen]] the Icarus story as a lesson about the limitations of humans. I see it as a lesson about the limitations of wax as an adhesive.
6	** [[http://what-if.xkcd.com/115/ Another one on the same topic:]]
7	---> His wings didn't melt because he flew too close to the Sun, they melted because he spent too much time there. Visit briefly, in little hops, and you can go anywhere.
8	* [[http://what-if.xkcd.com/94 Billion-Story Building]] is written to try and explain to a 4.5 year old the problems of the titular building. And despite the fact that the author is describing how a billion-story building is impossible, he ends by saying that it's very similar to the concept of a space elevator, and basically shows her that science could make her dream a reality:
9	--> We can't build one yet because there are some problems we don't know how to solve, like how to make the tower strong enough and send power up it to run the elevators. If you really want to build a gigantic tower, you can find out about some of the problems they're working on, and eventually become one of the people coming up with ideas to solve them. Maybe, someday, you ''could'' build a giant tower to space.
10	** Just the way he uses simpler language and never, ever talks down to the girl or treats her as less intelligent. It's very sweet to see someone be so kind to a little girl they never met, encouraging her and treating her question with real thought.
11	* The book ends on this pointedly positive note, after a series of [[OffTheScale negative Richter Scale values]], accompanied by a picture of Cueball sitting peacefully against a tree:
12	--> Sometimes it's nice ''not'' to destroy the world for a change.
13	* [[http://what-if.xkcd.com/83 Star Sand]] ends with two images that contrast beautifully.
14	--> We would have a large sandbox full of grains... along with a field of gravel that went on for miles.
15	--> ''(image of Cueball, the "sandbox full of grains", and the edge of the "field of gravel")'' [[note]][[AltText This beach sucks]].[[/note]]
16	--> The little sand patch would contain 99% of the pile's individual grains, but less than 1% of its total volume. Our Sun isn't a grain of sand on a soft galactic beach; instead, the Milky Way is a field of boulders with some sand in between.
17	--> But, as with the real Earth seashore, it's the rare little stretches of sand between the rocks where all the fun seems to happen.
18	--> ''(image of Cueball building a small sand castle)'' [[note]][[MythologyGag Just to be clear,]] this image does not [[Webcomic/XkcdTime update every hour]].[[/note]]
19	* The end of [[http://what-if.xkcd.com/112/ Balloon Car]] appears at first to go in the usual direction, and then promptly [[WellThisIsNotThatTrope pulls an entire 180]].
20	--> The solution to all this is to ditch the helium. You don't need a balloon. All you need is a kite or a parachute—a surface to act as a wing and redirect that incoming air to push you upward.\
21	In other words, see if your dad will take you parasailing.
22	* The ending of ''Global Windstorm'' in the book, just for the dialogue. Context: the Earth has stopped rotating, but the Moon's gravity is gradually making it turn again.
23	--> '''Moon''': Hey, Earth. Earth? Why'd you stop?
24	--> '''Moon''': Oh no. Are you OK? Earth, are you OK?
25	--> '''Moon''': Don't be scared, Earth! I can help!
26	--> '''Moon''': I'm here, Earth. Your moon is here.
27	--> '''Moon''': I will never leave you.[[note]]Moreso in this situation than in real life - the Moon is currently getting farther from Earth in part because of Earth's rotation and Randall states the Moon would stop going away if Earth stopped rotating.[[/note]]
28
29	!''ComicBook/WhatIf'' the comic:
30	* The ending of "What if someone other than Peter Parker became Spider-Man" is very much this, with the Watcher stating that though the spider bite itself could have happened to anyone, it was ultimately Peter's own altruism and sense of [[ComesGreatResponsibility responsibility]] that made him the hero the others weren't, and that the Marvel Universe is lucky to have him.
31	* In "What if the Punisher had killed Spider-Man", after, well, the Punisher kills Spider-Man, ''every'' superhero in the greater New York area comes after Frank seeking retribution for Spidey's murder.
32	* In "What if the Punisher became Captain America", Steve Rogers manages to get through to Castle that Captain America needs to be held to a high standard regarding judgements and mortality. Frank has an epiphany that moonlighting as an even more reckless version of The Punisher compared to the main universe wasn't avenging his lost family, and that he'd want to be someone they could be proud of. He relents, choosing to spare and arrest a villain after throwing down his gun. Castle then realizes Rogers had been watching him the whole time to let him have the chance to make the right choice.
33	-->'''Castle''': "Huh? You've been standing there the whole time haven't you? And you didn't step in?"
34	-->'''Rogers''': ''As he hands Castle the shield'' "Take it, it's yours."

Context Heartwarming / WhatIf