Retrocausality

A hypothetical phenomenon where effects precede their causes—where the future influences the past, rather than the other way around. Retrocausality challenges our most fundamental intuition about time: that cause always comes before effect. In retrocausal scenarios, an event in the present could be caused by something in the future; decisions yet to be made could shape history already written. While this sounds like science fiction, certain interpretations of quantum mechanics (the transactional interpretation, Wheeler's delayed-choice experiments) hint that retrocausality might be real at the quantum level. Particles seem to "decide" their past based on future measurements. Retrocausality asks: what if time's arrow is not as fixed as we think? What if the future is already influencing the present, and we just can't see it?

"The particle's path changed based on a measurement that hadn't happened yet—as if the future reached back and told the past what to do. Retrocausality: effects before causes, future shaping past. Quantum mechanics hints at it; logic recoils from it. But nature doesn't care about our logic. Maybe time flows both ways, and we're just too slow to notice."

by Dumuabzu March 6, 2026

Retroentropy

The unsettling feeling that order isn't moving forward, but backward. It’s the perception that systems are becoming more organized into a state that is functionally worse, more chaotic, or more oppressive. While regular entropy measures the trend toward disorder, retroentropy describes a universe where things are snapping into a horrifyingly rigid, but ultimately more useless, form of order. It’s the feeling that your computer's files aren't just getting scrambled, but are rearranging themselves into a perfect, unopenable, and menacing grid.

Example: "My room was a mess, but after my mom 'cleaned' it, I can't find anything. It’s not entropy, it’s retroentropy—a perfectly organized chaos that serves no one."

by Dumu The Void March 11, 2026

Retroentropy (Physics)

A hypothetical physical phenomenon where entropy—the measure of disorder—would decrease over time within a closed system, effectively running backwards. In our universe, entropy always increases (the Second Law of Thermodynamics). Retroentropy would describe a cosmos where spilled milk leaps back into the glass, smoke reassembles into a cigarette, and scrambled eggs unscramble themselves. It's the physics of a world where time flows in reverse, order emerges spontaneously from chaos, and the universe gets younger and more organized with every passing moment.

Retroentropy (Physics) Example: "Watching the DVR replay of the vase shattering and then magically reassembling, I joked that my living room must be a local zone of retroentropy."

by Dumu The Void March 11, 2026

Retrofuturism

Retrofuturism (also known as Chronopunk) is a genre where the past and future collide—combining historical elements with futuristic technology, culture, or society, or vice versa (a future where old tech is used). This fusion often creates unique, visually striking worlds where knights wield plasma swords, post-apocalyptic survivors repurpose ancient machines, or neon-lit cities exist alongside old-world traditions.

While not always dystopian, hope and rebellion are often major themes in Chronopunk, as characters challenge oppressive systems, rediscover lost knowledge, or fight for survival in worlds that blend the old and the new.

Examples of Retrofuturism / Chronopunk in Media:
🎥 Movies & TV Shows:
Star Wars (Medieval empires + futuristic space travel)
Nimona (Medieval kingdom + sci-fi tech)
Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts (Post-apocalypse + advanced mutations)
Arcane (Steampunk meets cyberpunk with magic)
The 5th Element (High-tech future with ancient mythologies)
Avatar (The Blue People) (Traditional tribal culture meets advanced technology)
The 100 (Post-apocalyptic societies rebuilding with old-world & future tech)

Nimona is a perfect example of Chronopunk, blending medieval castles with futuristic technology to create a unique Retrofuturism aesthetic.

by AuranBaine February 17, 2025

retro-stanning

When you BEGIN stan someone, mainly a musical group that has already split or disbanded.

The term is inspired by the word "retroactive," which means "taking effect from a date in the past."

It's not really nostalgia, because you were never really there.

So it feels like you are stanning a period in the past, and you are mentally there.

1. Since JPop was gatekept for a million years, now I'm retro-stanning King & Prince as 5/6 members in 2025.

2. Retro-stanning *insert former famous girl group or boy band* because the hype is gone now.

by boygroupism April 19, 2025

Retro-Me

A past version of oneself, often less mature, experienced, or evolved.

A person going through experiences you’ve already been through — someone metaphorically walking in your footsteps.

“When I saw him struggle with the same doubts I used to have, it felt like watching my retro-me.”

by Ernest Fedor May 23, 2025

Retroactive spanking

A spanking you give to your adult offspring after you find out something atrocious they did as a child.

Bobby jr. may be 40 now but he still needs a retroactive spanking for taking his papaws truck and trading it for Pokémon cards.

by 1Bigreg64 June 3, 2025