Editing 2672: What If? 2 Flowchart

{{comic
| number    = 2672
| date      = September 13, 2022
| title     = What If? 2 Flowchart
| image     = what_if_2_flowchart_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x729px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = Don't worry, the dogs are all fine. That's actually kind of the problem.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EARTH-DESTROYING FLOWCHART - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic celebrates the release of [[Randall|Randall's]] new book, ''[[What If?|What If? 2]]'', which was released on the same day as this comic: Tuesday, September 13, 2022.  The comic thus appeared on a Tuesday, replacing that week's normal Wednesday release to coincide with the release day. The [[xkcd Header text]] also [[xkcd Header text#2022-09-13 - What if? 2 is available now|changed that day]] to shout out that the book was released on that day. (It had been counting down the last week, from [[xkcd Header text#2022-09-07 - Less than one week to What if? 2 comes out|less than a week]], [[xkcd Header text#2022-09-12 - Three days to What if? 2 comes out|three days]] and [[xkcd Header text#2022-09-12 - One day to What if? 2 comes out|one day]] while the previous comics [[2670: Interruption]] and [[2671: Rotation]] was on the front page—the latter only for one day due to the Tuesday release).

While announcing that his '''What If? 2''' book is finally out (the entire comic is a [https://xkcd.com/whatif2 link] to the books page on xkcd), Randall gives us a flowchart we can follow to find an article in the book relating to the situation in the flowchart. Once a relevant possibility is reached in the flowchart a page number in the book is given. It thus assumes the reader plans to do something that the advice in '''What If 2''' could be helpful for, which hopefully is highly unlikely. See the [[#Table of questions in the flowchart|table below]] for explanations on the individual options in the flowchart.

The title text refers to the loop near the bottom of the flowchart, which involves a series of questions asking if the reader wants a progressively larger number of dogs. The number of dogs offered increases several times, and if that is sufficient the flowchart ends with fulfillment. Eventually it will have an option for the scenario where all in the universe is consumed by dogs, which directs to page 308 of the book. The title text references this last option by assuring the reader that all of the dogs are doing fine, but goes on to state that in itself could cause problems. For instance, those dogs could impede the progress of all life on Earth and elsewhere and/or reproduce and create an even larger population of dogs.

==Table of questions in the flowchart==
The flowchart questions and their possible answers are described in the following table:
{| class="wikitable"
! Text
! Connected
|-
| Congratulations, you have acquired a copy of ''What if? 2!'' (out today, [xkcd.com/whatif2])
| What do you want to do today?
|-
| rowspan="3" | What do you want to do today?
| I don't know: Reflect on your life
|-
| Go to neighborhood party: Do you like your neighbor?
|-
| Brunch: Where do you go?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Do you like your neighbor?
| Yes: '''Page 78'''
|-
| No: What do you want to bring?
|-
| rowspan="4" | What do you want to bring?
| Jupiter: '''Page 70'''
|-
| Iron vapor: '''Page 18'''
|-
| Weird Opinions: Do you think bugs should get paid?
|-
| My fake identity: Have you committed any crimes?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Do you think bugs should get paid?
| Yes: '''Page 96'''
|-
| No: Reflect on your life
|-
| rowspan="2" | Where do you go?
| The sun: Are you wearing sunscreen?
|-
| A diner: How do you get there?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Are you wearing sunscreen?
| Yes: '''Page 319'''
|-
| No: How do you want to visit?
|-
| rowspan="2" | How do you want to visit?
| Briefly, via teleporter: '''Page 314'''
|-
| I want to land a probe on the surface: '''Page 323'''
|-
| rowspan="3" | How do you get there?
| Helicopter: Where do you sit in the helicopter?
|-
| Plane: '''Page 83''', Are you flying near any strong magnets?
|-
| Car: How do you want to drive?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Where do you sit in the helicopter?
| On the rotor: '''Page 6'''
|-
| Inside: Are you flying near any strong magnets?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Are you flying near any strong magnets?
| Yes: '''Page 171'''
|-
| No: Okay, there's the diner!
|-
| rowspan="2" | Okay, there's the diner!
| Keep driving forever: '''Page 128'''
|-
| Stop: What food do you order?
|-
| rowspan="5" | What food do you order?
| The sun: '''Page 303'''
|-
| Breadsticks: '''Page 299'''
|-
| Ammonia: '''Page 284'''
|-
| A cloud: '''Page 195'''
|-
| Soup: How much soup?
|-
| rowspan="2" | How much soup?
| 1 bowl: '''Page 197'''
|-
| 10<sup>40</sup> bowls: '''Page 1'''
|-
| rowspan="3" | How do you want to drive?
| Fast: '''Page 180'''
|-
| With a bird: '''Page 171'''
|-
| Normal: Does this road lead to Rome?
|-
| rowspan="3" | Does this road lead to Rome?
| Yes: Pick a different road
|-
| No, but it should: '''Page 154'''
|-
| No: Okay, there's the diner!
|-
| Pick a different road
| Does this road lead to Rome?
|-
| Okay, there's the diner!
| Keep driving forever: '''Page 128'''
|-
| rowspan="3" | What do you really want to do?
| I want to shoot a laser at a sorceress: '''Page 43'''
|-
| I want to tell people things about eggs: What kinds of things about eggs?
|-
| I want a dog: Get a dog
|-
| rowspan="2" | What kinds of things about eggs?
| True things: '''Page 300'''
|-
| False things: '''Page 258'''
|-
| Get a dog
| Are you satisfied?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Are you satisfied?
| Yes: '''Fulfillment!'''
|-
| No, I think we need more dogs: Get more dogs
|-
| Get more dogs
| Enough? (1)
|-
| rowspan="2" | Enough? (1)
| Yes: '''Fulfillment!'''
|-
| No. You can never have too many dogs: More dogs
|-
| More dogs
| Enough? (2)
|-
| rowspan="2" | Enough? (2)
| Yes: Fulfillment!
|-
| No. You can literally never have too many dogs. We should not stop until all that exists in the cosmos has been consumed by a happy, barking mass: '''Page 308'''
|-
| rowspan="3" | Have you committed any crimes?
| Not sure: '''Page 255'''
|-
| Yes: Travel back in time to undo your crimes
|-
| No: Do you want to?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Do you want to?
| No: '''Page 255'''
|-
| Yes: '''Page 258'''
|-
| Travel back in time to undo your crimes
| '''Page 277'''
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A large flowchart, with the first box in the top left corner.]
:Box 1: Congratulations, you have acquired a copy of '''''What if? 2!''''' (out today, xkcd.com/whatif2)
::[Arrow to Box 2]
:Box 2: What do you want to do today?
::[Arrow to Box 3] I don't know
::[Arrow to Box 4] Go to neighborhood party
::[Arrow to Box 5] Brunch
:Box 3: Reflect on your life
::[Arrow to Box 6]
:Box 4: Do you like your neighbor?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 78'] Yes
::[Arrow to Box 7] No
:Box 5: Where do you go?
::[Arrow to Box 8] The Sun
::[Arrow to Box 9] A diner
:Box 6: What do you really want to do?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 43'] I want to shoot a laser at a sorceress
::[Arrow to Box 10] I want a dog
::[Arrow to Box 11] I want to tell people things about eggs
:Box 7: What do you want to bring?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 70'] Jupiter
::[Arrow to Box 12] Weird opinions
::[Arrow to Box 13] My fake identity
:Box 8: Are you wearing sunscreen?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 319'] Yes
::[Arrow to Box 14] No
:Box 9: How do you get there?
::[Arrow to Box 15] Helicopter
::[Arrow to Box 16 with the words 'page 83'] Plane
::[Arrow to Box 17] Car
:Box 10: Get a dog
::[Arrow to Box 18]
:Box 11: What kinds of things about eggs?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 300'] True things
::[Arrow to the words 'page 258', same words as from Box 19] False things
:Box 12: Do you think bugs should get paid?
::[Arrow to Box 3] No
::[Arrow to the words 'page 96'] Yes
:Box 13: Have you commited any crimes?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 255', same words as from Box 19] Not sure
::[Arrow to Box 19] No
::[Arrow to Box 20] Yes
:Box 14: How do you want to visit?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 314'] Briefly, via teleporter
::[Arrow to the words 'page 323'] I want to land a probe on the surface
:Box 15: Where do you sit in the helicopter?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 6'] On the rotor
::[Arrow to Box 16] Inside
:Box 16: Are you flying near any strong magnets?
::[Arrow to Box 21] No
::[Arrow to the words 'page 171'] Yes
:Box 17: How fast do you want to drive?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 180'] Fast
::[Arrow to Box 22] Normal
::[Arrow to the words 'page 176'] With a bird
:Box 18: Are you satisfied?
::[Arrow to the word 'Fulfillment!', same word as from Boxes 26 and 29]
::[Arrow to Box 23] No. I think we need more dogs.
:Box 19: Do you want to?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 255', same words as from Box 13] No
::[Arrow to the words 'page 258', same words as from Box 11] Yes
:Box 20: Travel back in time to undo your crimes
::[Arrow to to the words 'page 277']
:Box 21: Okay, there's the diner!
::[Arrow to the words 'page 128'] Keep driving forever
::[Arrow to Box 24] Stop
:Box 22: Does this road lead to Rome?
::[Arrow to Box 25] Yes
::[Arrow to the words 'page 154'] No, but it should
::[Arrow to Box 21] No
:Box 23: Get more dogs
::[Arrow to Box 26]
:Box 24: What food do you order?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 303'] The Sun
::[Arrow to the words 'page 299'] Breadsticks
::[Arrow to Box 27] Soup
::[Arrow to the words 'page 284'] Ammonia
::[Arrow to the words 'page 195'] A cloud
:Box 25: Pick a different road
::[Arrow to Box 22]
:Box 26: Enough?
::[Arrow to the word 'Fulfillment!', same word as from Boxes 18 and 29] Yes
::[Arrow to Box 28] No. You can never have too many dogs.
:Box 27: How much soup?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 197'] 1 bowl
::[Arrow to the words 'page 1'] 10<sup>40</sup> bowls
:Box 28: More dogs
::[Arrow to Box 29]
:Box 29: Enough?
::[Arrow to the word 'Fulfillment!', same word as from Boxes 18 and 26]
::[Arrow to the words 'page 308] No. You can literally never have too many dogs. We should not stop until all that exists has been consumed by a happy, barking mass.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Space]]