voice;

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji's been feeling reflective lately, thinking over some things. It's elicited a question that he himself isn't sure he can answer. He wants to find out if others can, so, after some deliberation about whether or not it's a good idea, he takes to the network to ask.]

If you were able to change something in your life at home, what would it be?

[He's not sure he'll even get any answers. It's kind of a personal question. But he's hoping that some people will respond, if only to help him think through things himself.]

Comments

[action]

[jivitadana]

[This type of question can't be answered just over the network like this. Minato went back to the room to find Souji.

When he saw him there, he smiled a little. This was something that they had to talk through together.]

This isn't a trick question, right?

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji's sitting at the desk. The bunny is on the surface in front of him and he's scritching her head between her ears. He looks over at Minato when he comes in.]

No. I'm serious.

audio;

[just_fine]

[ Hmm. That was a big question. ]

I guess it would depend on if it could be anything. The only things I would want to change I'm not really able to.

audio;

[eatsyourscience]

But the things you could have changed, you'd stick by them?

voice

[choosetruth]

I probably wouldn't be dead.

voice

[eatsyourscience]

Could you have changed that?

[Sometimes things like that were unavoidable.]

[voice] protect yo' ears, it's Frank Castle.

[scoutsniper]

You mean change something I did or change something that I had no control over anyway.

Because one's fucking fantasy.

The other's...something else.

[voice]

[eatsyourscience]

Something you could have changed or done differently.

[A beat.]

I know you can't actually change it, but if you could?

Video

[bibliocorn]

[Normally, Sunburst would answer the feed with just his voice, to someone who generally hasn't met him yet. But he supposes Souji kind of has...albeit under more complicated circumstances. He was decent towards him, and as such, he's earned a little honesty. ]

Been a better friend.

[Maybe then, Starlight wouldn't have done the things she did. Maybe she'd have grown up happier, knowing she was wanted, loved, that she was worth something. That there wouldn't be this horrible, broken part of her that he catches brief glimpses of when he actually pays close enough attention. That is an action he still needs to take in the present, let alone the past.]

Of course, the problem with changing things in the past is that they can have dire consequences in the future. Butterfly effect, you know. The tiniest act could tear down the very walls of existence. [Starlight might be less perpetually broken for it, but what would that mean? The effect she's had on Equestria as Twlight's student is huge- all those things could very well be undone. Would they be living under Chrysalis' rule? It's a possibility. ] Things are what they are. The best you can do is try to make those things better in the present.

Video

[eatsyourscience]

[He's actually a bit happy to hear from Sunburst. It'd be nice to get to know him at his normal age. But the subject matter obviously isn't the type to elicit a smile, even so.]

You're right. [He lets out a soft sigh.] I know you're right. But I still think about it, even though things were okay in the end.

voice.

[dangerouslyunhip]

[Hmm. This has the potential to cut pretty deep for some people— Teddy included.]

Including things that are beyond our control to change?

voice.

[eatsyourscience]

More like things you could have done differently. But either would be valid.

audio

[testcase]

That's a tough question.

[What would she change at home? Her notes give her some ideas, but she's not sure how or what.]

If I remembered, it might be easier to answer, but even then, I'm not sure. There's a lot of things that happen that you can't change, and sometimes the stuff you can change, doesn't matter that much.

[She's quiet and then laughs it off a little.]

Or I could be overthinking it! Um, that happens sometimes.

audio

[eatsyourscience]

I don't think you are. You're right. Sometimes, even if you could have changed what you did, it wouldn't have changed the eventual outcome.

[He's pretty sure that's his own situation.]

video.

[magatsugiru]

Heavy stuff for a kid to be thinking about. But then, you've had a lot of time to think, haven't you?

[ Privately, he considers Souji's question. Honestly, there's very little he can think to change. Up until his transfer to Inaba, Adachi believes he'd done everything right. Studied hard, gotten into a good college, risen through the ranks of his chosen career with flying colours. And then he'd made that one mistake, but would he even change that? Going back to change that would be like saying the prefectural police were right to send him off to Nowheresville...

Honestly, thinking about that is pissing him off. ]

You doing okay? You don't want to spend too much time brooding over things you can't control.

video.

[eatsyourscience]

[Just the person he was thinking of! He offers a bit of a smile.]

Everything's okay. I've just been thinking about a few things that have happened.

[He doesn't need to specify whether they happened here or at home, not unless he's asked. But he thinks Adachi probably already has some ideas of his own.]

Of course, it's more complicated than just "if I could have done this differently, then that would have turned out differently." Sometimes, things will turn out a certain way no matter what you do.

[voice]

[voidfished]

... I think there's a lot I could wish to change. Everyone has regrets, after all. But I'm not certain it would be in my best interests to do so.

[This is something she's thought a lot about, too, as someone who's made a lot of rather controversial decisions.]

[voice]

[eatsyourscience]

What do you mean?

[He hadn't thought about that point at all--if making changes would have been good for him. Or rather, if he'd have changed those things for himself rather than for other people, when he thought he'd been acting in their interests and not his own.]

[yelloweyed]

Oh, that one's easy. I'd have a home.

[A pause.]

Uh, wait, did you mean like... past decisions? Oh. Oh, that's a tougher one.

[He'll have to think about that one a little bit longer. There's, like, a lot.]

[eatsyourscience]

Either way. But could your decisions be related to not having a home?

[Or was that out of his control completely?]

voice

[naughty_nurse]

[Is it just one thing, cause. There are a lot of things she'd like to change.]

... It's hard to choose. I'm... actually happier here in Wonderland.

voice

[eatsyourscience]

Is there anything here you would have changed?

audio.

[scathefires]

Doesn't really matter, does it? You can't make people give a shit about you.

[And Jason has tried, so.]

audio.

[eatsyourscience]

I guess not.

[A beat while he considers that in application to his own experience.]

But is it really pointless to try?

[angewiesen]

...There are a couple of mistakes I'd like to undo. Some deaths I'd like to prevent. But thinking about what ifs like that becomes torture after awhile.

[eatsyourscience]

It can, yeah. But do you think it's pointless to think about it?

voice;

[restinglichface]

[For a woman who has always lived a life of no regrets, it makes the elf sick just how many she can count off almost immediately now.]

I never would've left.

voice;

[eatsyourscience]

Left?

[He knows that he's being nosy, but since she brought it up, maybe she won't mind saying a bit more about it.]

[actualwizard]

[ Well that sure is a loaded question. There’s a lot he would have changed but the root of all the mistakes he made it lies in one thing. ]

Been a better boyfriend...

[eatsyourscience]

[That would be a hard one. Anything a person does affects other people, but being unable to undo something in a relationship like that would make it so much worse to deal with after the fact.]

If you didn't know at the time that you weren't being, does that make it easier or harder to deal with now?

[He's not so much asking about Billy's personal situation as he's wondering out loud.]

[nodogsonthemoon]

A magic cup once gave me the option to change the worst thing that ever happened to me and I turned it down. You gotta stick with your choices sometimes, even if it's hard.

[And boy was it hard turning the chalice's offer down.]

[eatsyourscience]

Changing something in the past would change where you are in the present, wouldn't it?

anon text

[shslliar]

Hi. I don't wanna name any names, but I really wish all my friends didn't die.

anon text

[eatsyourscience]

Could you have done anything about it?

voice;

[heroica]

I'm not sure that I would. [ It's strange, because she's faced down quite a lot of changes in her life. ] ... They were difficult to make, but I really do feel that I... made the right ones.

voice;

[eatsyourscience]

That must be a good feeling.

[He'd like to think so, anyway.]

Voice

[romsapience]

There are...many things that I would have liked to change at home, to be blunt. If I were to change anything though, it would have to be ensuring that my creator didn't get killed. However, if he didn't die, then...so many events that happened because of this wouldn't have transpired, and I don't know how to feel about that. It's a tough choice - change something traumatic, but don't progress as a result, or keep everything the same for the sake of bettering the world?

Voice

[eatsyourscience]

I understand. Changing something big in the past has a big impact on the future.

[video]

[tattooedredheads]

I'd have joined the police instead of the Library. The pay would've been better. I probably would've gotten a promotion by now, too.

[He's not entirely certain he really would change that. Kay might never had discovered the truth if he'd chosen a different career and he's not sure someone else would have succeeded in finding it in his place.]

[video]

[eatsyourscience]

What else would have changed?

[Things that didn't necessarily affect Kay directly.]

voice;

[screwedontight]

What kind of exercise is this? All you'll do is hurt yourself.

Besides, what's that shit? If a butterfly flaps it's wings in Chicago, there's a tsunami in Japan or some shit like that? What you change will only fuck shit up.

voice;

[eatsyourscience]

[No, it doesn't exactly feel good, he'll admit that, but it's on his mind.]

That's true. It's also possible that it wouldn't change anything at all in the end. Sometimes things are just going to happen.

voice;

[noble_son]

I could say easily that I would have stepped in to stop my father from doing something terrible, but... so much would have been changed as a result.

[So many things would have been different, had his father never turned on the Couslands. So many things that couldn't be accounted for, but might have been of utmost importance.]

So, even though not everything was easy, I don't think I'd change anything if I could.

voice;

[eatsyourscience]

I've been thinking about that, too. The chain result a change would cause.

[So many of the other responses have brought that to the fore of his thoughts, so Nathaniel's point is well-taken.]

In some cases...I'm still not sure if it would be a bad thing, though.