Do we speak of the author, or the character? Am I in character, or is the character in me? Shade, while the author wrote this article

Shade Jackrabbit is a humanoid rabbity thing from beyond time and space. He is also a weirdly indulgent author avatar. He is also merely a prophet and the author is god. In fact, which of these things he is, is often completely a matter of context.

The most common appearance of Shade is as a pseudonym for REDACTED, often on user-based networks such as forums, Twitter, and Steam. It is also the identity used on the portfolio site of REDACTED, where he refers to himself all the time as Shade.

The original appearance of Shade as a pseudonym was circa 2008, when he first needed an identity for his presence online as a minor. Since releasing his real name wasn't appropriate, he identified as a rabbity thing since he mostly just hung around the Jazz Jackrabbit community.

In terms of design, he was definitely an indulgent fantasy. He'd probably wish to say that he has evolved since then, but since I'm the author of this whole thing and the one saying all this, yeah, I'll say that he's mostly just a pseudonym right now.

Shade, as a character, was never very thought out. He has gone through so many iterations that discussing him seriously has become impossible for me. Around the age of 14 I began to suffer from serious depression, and much of the stories I came up with at that point were incredibly derivative of those feelings. Though the emotional content was very valid, it was expressed in a very childish and immature way.

This has resulted in Shade himself being rather difficult to write about. His character has been immensely simplified, and is perhaps now the closest to his most interesting.

Shade is one of the few surviving H̖̝͔̘̦o͙͠p̱̥̮̣̲̯͠p̛͔̲͈̮e͉͚̥͔̺͎̠͝ṟ͍̼̘̻̀s, a race of sixth-dimensional beings who navigate the time bubble via 7d timespacecraft called Nexi. These Nexi are capable of traveling in the ethervoid, latching onto probability points and existing just beyond the line manifold. H̖̝͔̘̦o͙͠p̱̥̮̣̲̯͠p̛͔̲͈̮e͉͚̥͔̺͎̠͝ṟ͍̼̘̻̀s are born with an ability to manipulate the three dimensions of space, and observe the time cross-section. They are much like humans in this regard, however they have additional spatial and temporal capabilities which raise their existence.

One of the most significant facts about H̖̝͔̘̦o͙͠p̱̥̮̣̲̯͠p̛͔̲͈̮e͉͚̥͔̺͎̠͝ṟ͍̼̘̻̀s is that there is only a single instance of each of them per multiverse. (Theoretically, the same H̖̝͔̘̦o͙͠p̱̥̮̣̲̯͠p̛͔̲͈̮e͉͚̥͔̺͎̠͝ṟ͍̼̘̻̀ could exist in two multiverses, with differences as minor as the differences between you and an alternate.)

Hoppers are able to siphon matter from other universes into their currently inhabited universe, taking a 2d geometric shape and projecting into the third spatial dimension. The effect this has on the multiverse is unknown, but it has been theorized that this sort of activity could be largely responsible for solving entropic asymmetry.

H̖̝͔̘̦o͙͠p̱̥̮̣̲̯͠p̛͔̲͈̮e͉͚̥͔̺͎̠͝ṟ͍̼̘̻̀s are able to step between probability states, at seemingly any distance, provided they can comprehend it. They have a natural ability to observe probability chains, and can “hop” to seemingly any distance provided they “stare” long enough at their target. This hopping is done by creating a 6d 'staple' between the two universes along a 2D plane, once again rotated and projected into 4D spacetime.

However, to remove all ambiguity from the process, much like we invented cars, they invented nexi. These allow them to build maps of the multiverse, and find probability points, without having to follow the probabilistic chain. In addition, because nexi exist as their own unique points seperate from any timeline, a H̖̝͔̘̦o͙͠p̱̥̮̣̲̯͠p̛͔̲͈̮e͉͚̥͔̺͎̠͝ṟ͍̼̘̻̀ is able to bond with his nexi and return to it like any probability point.

Shade sometimes will appear, or be referenced, in works where he is not a central character. In these scenarios, he is often an agent of Order, maintaining the state of the universe. It is not uncommon for him to have an extremely intimate knowledge of the narrative, treating the 4th wall as more of a sacred rule than an actual boundary.

This has a real-life reason. REDACTED found that, while going through therapy, it helped to create fictional characters that he could talk to about his problems. Since Shade already existed, he imagined a sort of head-space where Shade and others could hang out and talk with him.

It's not a far fetch to then realize that, since this head-space exists in the same brain that forms the creative universes that you read of here, that these could clash.

And so, finally, we come to what The Nexus really is. The Nexus is Shade's craft, the headspace between the Author and the Creative Works. Shade is the author's mouth-piece, and The Nexus will enter the creative works when necessary. It is the ultimate Deus Ex Machina. But it is more than that, for it is not simply a quick answer to puzzling plot progression. It is a method of organization; of reconciling a life of over-active imagination, creative pursuit, and emotional turmoil.

It's a way of making fictional characters seem real; a way of holding imaginary friends when one's own head is too hard to figure out.

Our author- I have OCD, some sort of social anxiety disorder, and recurring depression. -needs a way to not always feel alone. It helps him. And sometimes, it makes interesting stories.

It may be unorthodox, but this is him opening up. This is him letting you in. Welcome to my head.