retrospec | I reach out to the truth; text

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I reach out to the truth; text

It's no secret that what we've experienced over the past several months has been unnatural, to say the least. Things that shouldn't be possible have been occurring with regularity. Our memories have been changing, our physical bodies have been changing, the world has been changing, and sometimes it seems that though we are the only ones aware of it.

Upon observation and analysis, I have a theory-- rather, a hypothesis. I'm not entirely happy with it, because it seems ridiculous even to me. Yet it would seem to explain everything that is going on here. I've yet to encounter a piece of evidence that would disprove it... though I welcome any suggestions, because as I've said, I don't like the implications either.

Before we get to my hypothesis, let's examine the oddities we've faced.

1) Memory alteration, version 1. (Which may in fact be memory preservation.) We are the only ones aware of changes to the world and the prior state, such as the existence of horses.

2) Memory alteration, version 2. We have awakened to "hallucinomemories" of things that seem impossible, of lives we've never lived, of people we've never met. Often, these memories accompany us remembering skills and abilities that return fully and immediately-- such as a completely new set of languages spoken.

3) Physical changes. Eye color, hair color, even physical limbs changing to something new.

4) World changes. We all shrank, temporarily, while the rest of the world did not.

It is worth noting that these only ever apply to users on Retrospec. There doesn't seem to be any instance of non-Retrospec users encountering these; moreover, people who did not previously use Retrospec but who were given access to the app suddenly began experiencing these as well. For that reason, I believe Retrospec users are "awakened" of some kind. I don't know if that's the best term, I'm not a writer.

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But I digress. The point is this: I believe that this world is a simulation of some kind. We are inside some sort of vast computer program.

However, we are real people. I don't know whether our physical bodies are hooked up to some computer in "reality" or our minds were copied, but we existed elsewhere at some point. This is the reason for items 2 and 3: The "hallucinomemories" we've been having, the skills we've been relearning, the physical changes... these aren't invented. We're remembering our real selves, our prior lives. I'm sure of this much; I have personally remembered shared experiences with other "awakened" Retrospec users, with shared details that none of us had told the other.

This also explains items 4 and 1. As a simulation, the world and its parameters can be changed. It would be trivial to change our size, or to replace horses with chocobos.

Retrospec is the key to this, obviously. I do not yet know whether it is intrinsic to our being "awakened" or if it merely exists as a means for the simulation operators to keep tabs on us. But it, and the company behind it, do seem to be the masterminds.

Think about it: Isn't it odd that a social media company would limit its presence to a single city? Where are the nationwide Retrospec users, where are the international ones? Does that mean that this city alone is the simulator?

Again, I am aware that this seems far fetched. But this theory does seem to explain every question we've encountered, and I can't think of any data to disprove it. If you know of any information that might make this less likely, I eagerly await it.

I don't like the idea of being a data simulation any more than you all do. But I am resolved to find the truth, even if it's unpleasant.

-N

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I can confirm even more physical changes. But I do not want to believe that this is but a simulation. What would that mean for our lives here? And what would the purpose of such a thing be?

I am not yet willing, Naoto, to yield to this theory. I agree that, on the surface, it explains a few things, but there are still potential holes. While the app does not have members outside of the city, I have still met people that have left it, so we aren't limited to this place entirely.

[Though really, the distance they'd talked about was barely past the woods, so she wasn't sure it really counted.]

Some of the things we experience don't even seem to fit what little I have seen of a simulation. I'm not entirely convinced. I do think it's a possible description, and perhaps it might prove correct. But I also think that now that we are into the "Fantastic," there are other possibilities that we may not have even guessed at.

Keep searching, sir, but I'm not quite ready to make a final judgment. Not yet, anyway.

I've been calling non Retrospec users "sleepers"

And no, I don't think it seems too far fetched a theory. It actually lines up, though it could easily be a magical illusion, or a forced dream, or any other similar concept depending on your world view.

We're not in the matrix. Trust me, that was my first theory and I already tested it. This is the real world.

[It's certainly quite the post to take in, which is why for once he actually takes the time to type out a thoughtful response.]

Ive lived in places all over the country before i moved to recolle

If this city is the only simulator shouldnt that be impossible?

[Not that it would cancel out the rest by any means, but he has his doubts on that particular part.]

Edited 2017-06-01 18:29 (UTC)

so... we and everyone we know are all a bunch of fake made-up people?
is that what you are saying?
I know you explicitly said "we are real people," but then you turned right around and said "but this isn't reality and our lives and experiences aren't real, only our hallucinomemories are"
which basically invalidates everything about our existence as we know it
(side note can we pleeease just call them visions, hallucinomemories is a terrible word)

Edited (im done i swear) 2017-06-01 19:07 (UTC)

nice theory
curious as to how two people having a few of the same hallucination equals "remembering our real selves" though
seems a bit much to discount an entire lifetime of memories in favor of that, don't you think?

i can't believe that's really what's happening. that we aren't ourselves, but some other person we can't remember.

[He refuses. Absolutely not.]

maybe we are in the matrix, but how would all of these visions come from the same "reality"? mine was in space over a desert planet, on a ship that was so advanced it seemed impossible. someone else fought a scaled monster with a sword. and from what i've read, there are people with ones from a world that seems exactly like this one.

how would those all be from the same reality? and more than that, how would they have gotten all of us in the same place, if we really are trapped somewhere and hooked up to some virtual world?

Like others have said before, I'm not completely certain that this is a simulation, but it's a possibility I cannot ignore.

The memories I have received and heard about all seem not to correlate to each other, and they're mostly fantastical or nonsensical. If this isn't the real world, then why would the real one be less cohesive? I am curious about these "shared memories" you had with friends. What were they like?

I suppose the first question I have for you now is what you plan on doing about it.

I'm the last person to discourage the notion of seeking knowledge for its own sake, to do with as you see fit - but in this circumstance, you're talking about discarding an entire existence as false when it seems to have been everything but. Simulation or otherwise, our experiences still exist, do they not? Even if we assume that this is a simulation of some sort, that doesn't invalidate the choices we've made within it.

If an experience is indistinguishable from reality, that makes it reality - at least to a degree. We continue to experience things, even in your brains in a vat scenario - as such, I really have to wonder what you plan on doing once you (hypothetically speaking) manage to prove that scenario true.

It's certainly an interesting theory you have. Being in some kind of simulation would certainly prove how everything's happening.
Still, I find it a little hard to believe, even if I've been through my own changes.
What about the people here that aren't native to Recolle?

Orrr something is up with this app and we could be all hella trippin' out thanks to it instead. Makes more sense that going either cult or suicidal death-doesn't-matter-because-it's-all-a-game, dontcha think?

This is an incredibly detailed Matrix, if that's what you mean. From someone who programs when I have to, it makes sense. You could swap out certain variables, comment out memories, or adjust parameters on the fly. It'd take a long-ass time with certain things, like swapping horses for chocobos, because of the level of detail the change entails - but it's possible. It'd explain why Retrospec's devs are so exhausted all the time, and so inscrutable. lolol

The question is, why? Are these memories of our 'real' selves, or of some other invention? We all seem to come from disparate worlds, with disparate 'memories' - so what ties us together in this one, if anything, or is it a multiverse sort of situation?

And then where do we go after that? Do we find this home, if it's even alive anymore? We find the truth, but then we have to have a plan for what to do next.

i mean that sounds cool and all but also it sounds like the plot of a movie

but also yeah its kinda weird that everyone on the network happens to live in recolle

Well, that's certainly an interesting idea. How long have you been considering this? When did you notice the changes starting?

so wait
you think the rest of the world doesnt even exist ?
thats kind of crazy

what
r u saying were not real

... How do you know what we're remembering is real?

[ as she reads this, she gets a sinking feeling in her stomach. It would explain everything inexplicable quite neatly. ]

That makes a lot of sense.

But I really don't like it. Doesn't that mean we're totally helpless?

What it seems to me is that Recolle would be a nexus between worlds. My past does not come from Earth, and neither do a few that I know of.

So it would put more credibility in the simulation or reincarnation theory.

[Reading this post and all the other responses, it takes Mikleo some time before he comes up with his own two cents.]

That does explain things neatly, but I'm of a mind to reserve judgment until we get more solid evidence. What little I know of psychology would also hold water. Brains can be tricked, and also papers can be forged. There's a lot to be suspicious of.

I know some people have left the city and stopped being Retrospec users as a result, but is it because of proximity or something else? If we're following your theory on this being a computer simulation, then is it possible that someone leaving means that we get deleted or stored somewhere else? On the other hand, if it's reincarnation, then is it because of this city or Retrospec itself interfering?

A stimulation would make the most logical sense, given how Retrospec can easily change the environment around us, but if that's the case and our hallucinomemories are our real lives prior to Recolle, I have some doubts about that.

[ Souji... feels uncertain about his memories and he talked about this to Shin, about how he doesn't see Yu in any of his memories and how they seem to share a memory as well. Shin brought forth the possibility of reincarnation from a single person which Souji doesn't completely believe in but it's something to consider. ]

I'm not a scientist or a programmer, so the 'how' of this is all a bit beyond me, but I agree that the visions we've been having are truthful. The emotions I felt in those memories felt as 'real' as anything else. Even though the places and people were different, my heart knew. I can't explain it, but I knew. It was... so powerful, and so intimate...

Whatever may come of our lives here — the feelings we have, the bonds we've made — those are our own. I refuse to believe they are being controlled by someone else.

Edited 2017-06-04 06:05 (UTC)

I thought I warned you against going down the Boltzmann Brain road, my son.

If this is all a simulation that began a few months ago, and everything before it was an implated memory, why stop there? We could all have been programmed into being five minutes ago, if that's the case. Or five seconds ago, or five milliseconds ago, or a single Planck second ago. How would we know the diference?

And for that matter, how does any of us know anyone else in this city is real? "Cogito ergo sum", as you rightly say, but that only applies to the cognizant individual in question. For all you know, I and every word I have typed thus far are just a memory that has appeared along with your just-created awareness an infintessimal moment ago.

And so forth, and so forth.

Don't missunderstand: I appreciate any kind of debate and discussion about these goings-on, theorizing included. I just don't think that this is an especially fruitful path to go down.

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