The Walrus v Fairy question really is a perfect example of the Internet Argument. I've been reading a bunch of posts on both sides and it's very clear that everyone is interpreting the question in a way that the other side finds ridiculous. And if you take the read of one person, it makes perfect sense why they'd think it was more/less surprising, and the question become more about agreeing with priors than the actual question being asked. Like, a lot of people saying the walrus is more surprising make comments to the effect of "how did a walrus walk all the way to my house" or "how did the walrus knock on the door". And for folks that think the fairy is more surprising, there's a lot of comments saying they assume the walrus was put there by someone. The question doesn't mention how the walrus/fairy got there, so someone reading it as saying that the walrus knocked is answering a fundamentally different question than the one where someone assumes that a person knocked and then like, hid, or whatever. Likewise, a lot of people on both sides talk about the number of assumptions that each creature's presence brings up. People who think the walrus is more surprising comment a lot saying that a fairy being there is just one fact, that fairies exist, and that the walrus being there involves a huge logistical chain at the very least. Where people who think the fairy is more surprising comment a lot saying that the walrus being there is one fact, that elaborate prank shows exist, where the fairy being there calls into question a lot of biology, as well as the massive and world-spanning coverup that would be necessary to keep fairies out of the public eye if they've been around so long, that it brings up a bunch of existential issues if not logistical ones. People are even disagreeing about the definition of the word "surprising". I saw two posts side-by-side, one basically saying "a huge animal on your doorstep is shocking" and the other saying "fairies existing is way less likely than a walrus being dropped off at my door". Two totally different (and accurate!) definitions of the word, one emphasizing the initial reaction, surprising like a jump scare, the other emphasizing the overall likelihood of fairies versus Mr. Beast's Epic Walrus Prank.

It's just a wonderful thing to watch a hill to die on being raised right before my eyes, and to see a new Airplane Treadmill be born.

one thing about the walrus v fairy thing i haven't seen yet is that people are answering their immediate reaction, because that's whats being asked.

Yes, if i open my door after somebody knocked, in that moment, a walrus would be more surprising cause 'how tf did a walrus get here', while the fairy would very much be 'well, this might as well happen'

but, long term? the walrus would be a weird thing that happened to me that one time, while the fairy would keep me up at night as I reevaluate the entire world and the existence of everything

With this whole fairy vs walrus thing I've seen so many people argue which one needs the bigger mental gymnastics to make a point.

"Someone pranked me"

"Fairies are real I guess"

But have you considered that I want it to be the fairy? Just as much as I want to walk into my wardrobe and find Narnia. Or Gandalf to send me on an adventure.

I want that fairy to be there on my doorstep.

I have a very important question regarding the whole affair

i believed in faries once. i believed in walruses too, and still do, but i do not believe they are magic. i could believe in faries again if presented with evidence, and the burden of transportation would not cross my mind faced with a creature possessing both magic and wings. how did the walrus get here and why

The walrus-expecters seem to be angry with the fairy-anticipators

So I just want to throw something into the ring of this discourse to see the chaos it may cause.

I know that we've unofficially agreed that the fairy is the basic Tinkerbell type fairy, but technically, we don't know for sure.

For all we know, the fairy could be anywhere from Titiana, to a kobold/goblin, to a red cap, to who knows what else. The amount of creatures that can be called fairy or Fey is absurd

I know this doesn't really matter, but I want to stir the pot a bit just to see the chaos this (probably won't) cause

I can't wait for the fairy v walrus strange aeons video

what i think people don't get about the fairy v walrus thing is that if a fairy was at my door I'm fine with the reality that fairies are real and can reasonably fly to my doorstep and be a little mischievous. this is normal to me. walruses do not habitually just roam the land. why would a walrus come up to anyone's door and want in. whether or not you live in an area where walruses are about, why would they come out of the water and risk injury or death to cross streets and civilization to do anything on land? if a walrus comes to my door, I would feel like this is a targeted attack. if a fairy comes to my door, a supernatural creature with otherworldly knowledge and power? I'm gonna let the little fella hang out and offer a beverage.

it's time to address the walrus at the door

truly baffled by the whole 'i would have to change only one assumption about the world (fairies don't exist)' argument

might as well talk about the assumption of nonexistence of door-knocking walruses, a previously entirely undocumented subspecies of walrus that happens to be both able and willing to travel far inland unnoticed, climb stairs, and knock doors.

if you are tempted to think "well, the existence of that kind of thing seems very improbable given everything else I know about the world" about door-knocking walruses and not magical nonhuman sapients, i gently suggest there is something off about how you reason about certain subjects

he is at your door asking if he can borrow a cup of sugar (he wants to make muffins)

(regarding the walrus-fairy poll)

[ID from alt text: a pencil sketch of a walrus. he is holding a small bowl up on one flipper and looking expectantly at the viewer. it is signed @ watercolourcritters. End ID.]

the thing about the walrus/fairy vanilla extract is that it's not which one is easier to deal with. the walrus would be infinitely easier to deal with. it's about which is more SURPRISING and it's not a shock that on the bone stealing/biblical angel/43 podcasts about things that look normal but aren't website the majority userbase says "yeah the fae are possibly real but I cannot imagine a marine animal on my doorstep"

I think the real question should be:

I'm just a scared little guy. Scared little guys where are you at

My parents' thoughts on the walrus and the fairy