You correctly identify my intended divergence point. At the moment Cal managed to overcome the amnesia his timeline diverged from any version which may not be named for copyright reasons, and the whole house of cards collapsed. The story then transformed from feelgood romantic comedy to the first act of grand guinol cosmic tragedy.


"Explains" may be a bit strong, but it does offer some rationale for the Void Scholar's repeated use of paradox in his plans. Each paradox is making him stronger and more aligned with the void he desires to master.

And yes, there's a trap in there. If FA doesn't birth him the first in his line of Liu Xi ancestors then a whole lot of hedgehogs are going to get involved, to the detriment of a good many of our regular cast and the planet they live on. At this stage even Liu Xi's defiance would be playing into the Scholar's hands. He's studied this; he's a Scholar.


There are a number of people who might be able to detect and thwart the Void Scholar - the Keeper of the Chronometer of Infinity, the next Keeper of the Chronometer of Infinity, the Manga Shoggoth, Al B. Harper, Yo... Oops, they've gone!


That was one acceptable outcome. The other would have been to drag Danny to the Land That Common Sense Forgot with the Lair Mansion - but that attempt failed.


You've been giving this a lot of thought.


This would be the Hooded Hood who has previously taken such an interest in FA and Liu Xi and Danny and Kerry, would it? Noted.

And now my next question to you: Why did the hedgehog appear and prick Cal in this new version of the story?