The Rose Theatre, Kingston-Upon-Thames, United Kingdom.

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pi

seed: 19 (30 nominations)

previous opponent: the fine-structure constant

class: irrational number

definition: despite claims people often make about it, not known to be "normal" (that is, containing every possible sequence of digits). as far as we know, it could run out of fives at some point.

42 (forty-two)

seed: 14 (38 nominations)

previous opponent: googolplex

class: cultural

definition: is the story about "the point" of it as The Answer being that it's the ASCII codepoint for an asterisk actually true. like yeah codepoint (decimal) 42 in ASCII is an asterisk, but is that intentional or is that just a popular fan theory that people keep repeating as fact. I was under the impression that it was just a funny sounding number

I HAVE 42 KINS.

“Soo… what do you think?”

The flabbergasted kid said nothing, until small, tar-like tears slowly descended from her body, heavily hitting the ground as they were melting from her.

“I… sniff… I… wh-what is this…? I am... leaking ink? Why?!"

“Because you are happy, my child. Happy that a part of your wish has been fulfilled.”

Forty-two slowly started moving towards the teacher, but tripped on her own feet and tail in the process: those were her very first steps, after all.

Fortunately, Miss π was ready to catch her, holding the kid in a motherly embrace, one that Forty-two quickly exchanged with the happiest and tightest hug she could give. 

Whispering, she simply kept repeating two words, sobbing between her tar-like tears:

"Thank you."

Right on cue, the daughter of the Memverse teared up once again, and then smiled even more, seeing with her other pairs of eyes all of those parents and kids leaving their classrooms, meeting halfway through, and greeting each other with a warm hug, tenderly keeping up with their embrace after starting with some amount of hesitation.

Despite everything, Miss π had hope. For her future, for her role, and for the people of this recently born world, that was trying to rise up from their legs and start walking. Much like how she had helped Forty-two… she was ready to do the same with everyone else.

“Yes, hugs are nice…”

“O Deep Thought computer," he said, "the task we have designed you to perform is this. We want you to tell us...." he paused, "The Answer." "The Answer?" said Deep Thought. "The Answer to what?" "Life!" urged Fook. "The Universe!" said Lunkwill. "Everything!" they said in chorus. Deep Thought paused for a moment's reflection. "Tricky," he said finally. "But can you do it?" Again, a significant pause. "Yes," said Deep Thought, "I can do it." "There is an answer?" said Fook with breathless excitement. "Yes," said Deep Thought. "Life, the Universe, and Everything. There is an answer. But, I'll have to think about it." ... Fook glanced impatiently at his watch. “How long?” he said. “Seven and a half million years,” said Deep Thought. Lunkwill and Fook blinked at each other. “Seven and a half million years...!” they cried in chorus. “Yes,” declaimed Deep Thought, “I said I’d have to think about it, didn’t I?"

[Seven and a half million years later.... Fook and Lunkwill are long gone, but their descendents continue what they started]

"We are the ones who will hear," said Phouchg, "the answer to the great question of Life....!" "The Universe...!" said Loonquawl. "And Everything...!" "Shhh," said Loonquawl with a slight gesture. "I think Deep Thought is preparing to speak!" There was a moment's expectant pause while panels slowly came to life on the front of the console. Lights flashed on and off experimentally and settled down into a businesslike pattern. A soft low hum came from the communication channel.

"Good Morning," said Deep Thought at last. "Er..good morning, O Deep Thought" said Loonquawl nervously, "do you have...er, that is..." "An Answer for you?" interrupted Deep Thought majestically. "Yes, I have." The two men shivered with expectancy. Their waiting had not been in vain. "There really is one?" breathed Phouchg. "There really is one," confirmed Deep Thought. "To Everything? To the great Question of Life, the Universe and everything?" "Yes." Both of the men had been trained for this moment, their lives had been a preparation for it, they had been selected at birth as those who would witness the answer, but even so they found themselves gasping and squirming like excited children. "And you're ready to give it to us?" urged Loonsuawl. "I am." "Now?" "Now," said Deep Thought. They both licked their dry lips. "Though I don't think," added Deep Thought. "that you're going to like it." "Doesn't matter!" said Phouchg. "We must know it! Now!" "Now?" inquired Deep Thought. "Yes! Now..." "All right," said the computer, and settled into silence again. The two men fidgeted. The tension was unbearable. "You're really not going to like it," observed Deep Thought. "Tell us!" "All right," said Deep Thought. "The Answer to the Great Question..." "Yes..!" "Of Life, the Universe and Everything..." said Deep Thought. "Yes...!" "Is..." said Deep Thought, and paused. "Yes...!" "Is..." "Yes...!!!...?" "Forty-two," said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.”

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams  1952-2001

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I'm sorry we never made it, 

But know that I was willing to come halfway.

Our distance kept on expanding, 

Even though I lived forty-two minutes away. 

Talking + texting overtime,

Sending each other recs & songs.

But it’s funny how you felt that

Forty-two minutes was way too long. 

I heard you met up with your friends, 

When I'd been talking to you since last May.

It's a shame you never came here instead, 

For I only lived forty-two minutes away.

Do you know how elated I was? 

When you bought yourself a car, 

You took long drives to the seams of the city,

But forty-two minutes seemed too far.

I said I hadn’t been feeling well for days, 

Yet you never dropped by once, 

That’s the moment it clicked for me

How forty-two minutes made all the difference. 

You once said you'd give me the world, 

And that might've been true, 

But all I had ever wanted was