retrospec | (no subject)

John R. Lunise
2/8 near Recolle
On the subject of horses, allow me to ask you a question: When you were a child, what was the name of the bear family who taught valuable life lessons in easily digestible books?
Chances are, you answered 'the Berenstein Bears'. And, as it happens, that is incorrect; it is the Berenstain Bears.
How can everyone misremember this? How can something so patently true turn out to be terribly false? Some people will tell you it is the 'Mandela effect', named after a shockingly large number of people believed Nelson Mandela died in prison... but simple mass misremembering is a fairly boring answer, isn't it?
Consider instead a possibility physics allows us: that infinite universes exist, that every possibility spawns a diverging universe. Consider then that these different universes must be ruled by mathematics and science, that were were able to observe them, some concrete, tangible difference must exist to distinguish them.
Consider also that the laws of physics as we know them are, in some cases, simply and utterly inoperable. The quantum scale, for example. Or a naked singularity. It is, therefore, conceivable that through some quirk of physics, some awesome miracle... we have merged or shifted into a world in which horses never existed, and chocobos always did.
Impossible, you say, and perhaps rightly so... but I have no better explanation.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Maya Aimoto This whole thing makes my head hurt.
Maya Aimoto But that goes without saying, I guess!
Maya Aimoto I guess it would be nice if there could be SOME explanation for all this. Even if it seems way too far out there.
Maya Aimoto but also how dare you remind me of the Berenstein/Berenstain thing (´;︵;`)

Edited 2017-02-10 02:30 (UTC)

John R. Lunise By definition, there is an explanation; we simply don't know it.
John R. Lunise We may never know it, but that would be a poor reason not to try.

Maya Aimoto Well, I'm glad we at least have people smarter than me trying to figure it out! I'm just. Like. In High School. This stuff is way beyond me.
Maya Aimoto I'll be honest, walking out the door after last week is super scary.
Maya Aimoto So even if I don't really get it, I'm glad to see people trying...!

John R. Lunise You should not, you must not, write yourself off as 'just in high school'.
John R. Lunise The only limitations you have are the ones you place on yourself.

[Oh! Well. Maya's ... not sure she's used to that kind of encouragement, although she certainly doesn't MIND it, as it strikes a certain chord with her thoughts well outside this whole mess.]

Maya Aimoto Oh, um. Thank you!
Maya Aimoto Really, I wish I could help figuring out this mess, but all I've done so far is get myself in bigger trouble.

John R. Lunise This is a very unusual situation, without question.

Maya Aimoto Between the network and the necklaces and the chocobo/horse thing and the ball of string and the building.
Maya Aimoto I've felt really in over my head.
Maya Aimoto And also starting to think I'm seeing things...

John R. Lunise Seeing things? Aside from chocobos, I assume.

Maya Aimoto Visions?
Maya Aimoto Hallucinations?
Maya Aimoto Weird dreams?
Maya Aimoto I guess you could call it a lot of things...

John R. Lunise We are all under a great deal of stress, lately...

Maya Aimoto I'm certain this isn't just stress! It was too vivid to be some sort of dream!

John R. Lunise I... think I understand what you mean, but nevertheless.B

Maya Aimoto At the very least it seems like I'm not the only one who's been seeing things.
Maya Aimoto But between that, the app, CHICKENS
Maya Aimoto And you're talking about parallel universes to a point that it almost makes SENSE the more I see other people talk and the more I talk
Maya Aimoto And believe me I'm the last person who should be able to understand that sort of mess.

John R. Lunise It is possible that, if my theory is correct, you experienced a memory or vision you should not have.
John R. Lunise I'm no neurosurgeon, but I know the brain can be affected by numerous external sources.

Maya Aimoto But has there been anything outside this stupid app? I doubt an app can do that...
Maya Aimoto ...or change horses into chickens...

John R. Lunise If you consider my initial suggestion, a physical phenomenon did result.
John R. Lunise A change of universes seems like it could come with any number of associated effects that could have an electrical or neurochemical consequence.

Maya Aimoto ...for some reason that actually makes more sense than when I was first reading this.

[Maybe just because she's freaking out slightly less. Maya's not a dumb girl, just ... her mind gets easily distracted.]

Maya Aimoto Do you think there'd be any way for us to actually figure out what's... doing that?
Maya Aimoto I mean, besides the fact it's obviously connected to this company.

John R. Lunise I personally think it very unlikely.
John R. Lunise No, allow me to restate: it is not possible to prove it, because we can't set up a proper experiment.
John R. Lunise But even if we're just theorizing, we don't have any data.

Maya Aimoto So we just... have to wait for more weird things to happen, and hope for the best?

John R. Lunise I believe we are unlikely to see something like this happen again... but I would have said the same about it ever happening to begin with.