i've been thinking about the concept of self and multiples and how that's been portrayed in media

a LOT of shows see the MC or a side character fighting themselves, but the ones that come to mind for me are steven universe and adventure time. both of their MCs have had to fight their self or an alternate version of their selves, time again and again, and they're shown to grapple with it a lot

what's really the difference between you and another person you see in front of you, that is also YOU? is that you aren't them in that moment, and you forget that they are you, but are painfully reminded again and again

it's really interesting

all these tropes about the MC fighting themself, usually have them cooperating with themselves at first, because presumably the other self exists for a reason

but a fight is always inevitable later on. why? in homestuck, literally every character encounters themself at some point. karkat explains to jade that she hates talking to another self, and she thinks it's irrational, but it's actually a perfectly rational reaction to seeing another you

in gravity falls, dipper has tyrone, his number 2, who ended up partially developing his sense of self for a short time, because if there's already one of yourself out there, then you... have to be different than them?

but is that the concept of a döppelganger? is it why two of yourself can never exist at the same time in the same place? WHY? so many pieces of media, it's almost an universal thing in stories - they struggle to answer that