Chris wrote:
eytanz wrote:
The only way you can survive is if another serpent enters the same loop as you are on, and either A - take your place, or B - cross it in exactly such a timing such as their head will push you out of the loop. A is unlikely unless someone does it deliberately, and B is even less likely (and probably not possible).
There are another couple of possibilities - another serpent can enter the same loop, but in the opposite direction. The loop isn't necessarily deadly, and so it's not all that unlikely that someone will enter it from the right and head upwards, anti-clockwise around the loop. Alternatively, another serpent can fill in the bottom of the loop without entering the loop, by crossing it from left to right.
Jason can still win this contest, theoretically.
A serpent filling in the bottom of the loop is committing suicide. Any snake going clockwise around that loop is going to end at the top of the arena with either snake body or Jason's head south of them, unless
another snake conspires by entering the loop in a clockwise manner.
Jason may be saveable (although I think that there are only a couple of snakes who might be able to do it), but I'm pretty sure that the only way to do it would be to enter the loop in a counter-clockwise fashion. I count two snakes who might be able to do that (there may be more), but none who I'd rate as
likely to do it.
____________________________
"
Rings and knots of joy and grief, all interlaced and locking."
--William Buck
*sniff*