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[unfearing]

Hello, everyone!

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I've been doing a bit of reading on your archives (which I apologize if are intended to be private in any way) and it seems to me that we're all in the same predicament.

I've also taken the liberty of filling myself in on the Paul Ben incident. I can understand that tension must be high at the moment in the wake of that. This has raised a few questions for me personally.

First and foremost, how secure do we believe this network to be? There have been no direct consequences so far that I can tell, but it's possible that this is a false sense of security we are being led into. At the same time, I do not feel that being too paranoid will serve us well in the long run.

Furthermore, I have seen a great deal of note-trading between members of this forum, but I didn't notice any attempt thus far at a centralized database. I do strongly believe that it will be beneficial for all of us to have a cohesive compilation of everything we individually know so that we might cross-reference it and begin to search for patterns and clues.

Unfortunately this draws me back to my previous concern. Because we do not know how secure this network is or who we can even trust, consolidating our knowledge poses a considerable risk. That said, I believe the risks are well worth what we could learn, provided we entrust this project in the right hands.

This must be very confusing for everyone involved, but it's more important now than ever that we help one another.

If you have any questions to ask of me at all, please do not hesitate. Thank you all for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Comments

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[iaijutsu]

I've been wondering if there are patterns in what people have seen, myself, but at the same time...even disregarding the security concern, there may be things I could hardly blame anyone for not wanting to discuss openly.

[Totally not hypothesis and speculation here nope not at all.]

I believe at least one person has used their full name and hasn't seemed to bring down any outside attention on themselves, so far. It's possible that we're being led on, but considering how strongly the authorities have come down on those who revealed themselves offline, I'm...inclined to think that what's here may be safe. If they were watching us through here, and wanted to lure us out, then I think they could've avoided stirring up a lot of paranoia on our parts if they'd handled Paul Ben differently.

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[unfearing]

That's a very valid point re: Paul Ben. I can still think of a few scenarios where their reaction would make sense in the context of some greater plan to exploit this network, but it may be best to invoke Occam's razor for the time being.

And of course with making a database of any kind of personal accounts risks things like authenticity, personal bias, reliability, etc. but even so having something must be better than having nothing.

Specifically for people who have reservations on divulging the exact contents of their experiences, perhaps if they could even simply submit whether or not their experience contradicts any of our gathered knowledge or not, that would be enough.

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[twopercent]

[That was a lot of TL;DR, but Jack gets the gist.]

Let me guess, those right hands would be yours?

I'm not saying I disagree with you. For some of us, the network is at least safer than using the regular phone lines. But you're going to have a hard time convincing people to go along with your plan, especially when you don't tell us who you are.

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[unfearing]

Oh, not necessarily me!

I am willing to submit my background for consideration as someone to spearhead the project, but of course if there is a better candidate I would be more than fine stepping down. It doesn't matter to me who does this, as long as it gets done.

And I'm not trying to hide my identity on purpose, I'm just trying to get a feel for the social norms of this network. I noticed not many people were going by their full names.

[ Of course, it's not simply that. She does have to keep in mind who her father is, after all. Her family name has gotten her into trouble all on its own more than a few times in her life thus far. ]

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[shiromadoushi]

There's been talk of getting it all together, but I don't think anyone's too sure how to do it in a way that doesn't put anyone in possible jeopardy. The instant something like that is all written down, it becomes possible for someone to steal it, after all.

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[unfearing]

Yes, I've definitely taken that into consideration. The most obvious answer, of course, is to simply use some corner of this network for the database. Since we seem to have taken it on faith that we are safe here and it's readily accessible to us, I would feel fine using this as our medium. My opinion, however, is only one of many so I'd be very interested to hear anyone else's thoughts on the matter.

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[angelskills]

I'm afraid I don't know much because I just connected to this network, but please count me in to help in any way possible!

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[unfearing]

Thank you so much! I'm still getting a feel for everything myself, so no worries there.

I will most certainly keep you in mind as I get my bearings.

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[elfstoned]

I have given my name and location already. Aaron Strider, owner and operator of LSR Clinic, south of the Dead District.

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[unfearing]

That's incredibly brave of you. Should I call you Mr. Strider? Dr. Strider, perhaps? Do you have a preference?

I'm Lizzie. And if you don't mind my asking, have you experienced anything strange in particular after using your real identity on this network?

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[reapsthewind]

Good lord, finally someone with the sense to read through the damn network before posting some stupid bullshit.

Some of us have been using proxy emails in addition to the network, which helps.

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[unfearing]

I hadn't even thought about proxy emails!

And I wouldn't be too hard on them. It seems that in addition to everything else, we all seem to be from very different walks of life. They might simply lack the background or experience to know what to do when thrust in a situation such as this one.

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[chalicejoker]

Yes, sure, let's just all entrust all of our information to the first person who comes along and asks nicely.

[Okay, so he's a hard sell.]

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[unfearing]

Ah, hello! As I stated above to Jack, it truly does not necessarily have to be me, and I am completely fine with earning the trust necessary to run this project.

[Text | Handwritten]

[scramasax]

What kind of information do you want to collect?

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[unfearing]

The nature of these changes that have been documented, any advancements or clues in the Paul Ben case, any observations about the nature of this network, etc.

I feel that we should set down a baseline for everything we think we know, then begin to test the boundaries. For example, when you join a new internet forum there are usually special features you are unaware of until you have explored the website fully.

In that respect, there may be aspects of the network we are still completely unaware of. There is no way to test for those aspects until we form a basic and cohesive understanding of the network as a whole, however.

It's like the old saying. We can't know where we're going until we know where we've been.

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[argents]

I've already met a few people from the network in person, and I've given my name. Nothing... really bad has happened, but things haven't been predictable, either.

I guess I'd want to see what kinds of things everyone has recovered. Memories, feelings, objects, things like that. But with new people finding this place everyday, with new experiences, I don't think it'd be very easy to maintain. Even trying to make a physical copy comes with risks, if we're traced, somehow.

But I understand. Wanting to find a way to help everyone here. I don't really like having to think like this.

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[unfearing]

I don't think a physical copy is very feasible either, but perhaps a copy strictly on the network. A... Wikipedia of sorts? I'll have to think harder on it.

It doesn't have to be an exact science, I don't think. It would be good enough for me if we could just give everyone a general sense of what's going on.

Would you possibly be free to meet with me in person at some point?

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[professorwolf]

What exactly would we put into this database? Contact information? A list of visions people have seen or changes they have undergone? At the moment, the list of actual facts we have is not very long, so a full database might not be particularly necessary, unless we are including more than strict facts.

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[unfearing]

Ah, yes, hello! As I've expressed, I hope for it to be a more general sort of database. I'm sure no one is comfortable with contact information, and I'm not quite sure how much good that would do us at any rate.

I was thinking to focus instead on the kinds of changes people have experienced, so that we can then at least come up with some broad idea of what the possibilities are. Furthermore, we may be able to then discern some inciting factor, if there is any.

I'd also like to map out the capabilities of this network, and if possible to keep up on any developments in our situation. That sort of thing.

[ text; typed into computer ]

[secondcomingof]

[ Wow can he just take a moment to be impressed that someone new to this nightmare didn't post an obligatory "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IS THIS SOME SORT OF JOKE" introduction because seriously. Major points for that alone, sister, and you get a useful answer for your efforts, too. ]

As far as I know, network access is restricted to those who have received the appropriate numbers to access it. I'd hate to brand us with any sort of special label, but... well. We clearly are, somehow, in that we've all shared some fairly abnormal experiences.

Regarding your database suggestion, it's a good idea. I suggested something of this nature earlier, but some of us were still reeling from disbelief. Apparently.

[ Not bitter about that at all, by the way. Moving on... ]

In the event that aforementioned idea comes to fruition, I can look into appropriate methods of security for it. Surely if we all put our collective heads and resources together, we can drudge up enough talent to make a stable database happen.

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[unfearing]

I would agree with the idea that there must be something that sets those involved apart from those who are not. We're different, at the very least. Of that much I think we can be certain.

If you'd like to collaborate on this project, I would be incredibly grateful for the help. I don't blame them for being skeptical or reluctant. It's a great deal to take in, and it is clear that there is much at stake.

I will continue my efforts to monitor the correspondence done here and put out more feelers. May I contact you in the event that something starts to take shape?

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[struckout]

Not going to happen.

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[unfearing]

[ Well that's... brusque. ]

I beg your pardon?

[dorkytracksuit]

There was talk of setting up a private network online... But I don't really know if that's a very good idea.

[unfearing]

I'm afraid I can't speak for that either, as that's not my area of expertise. Perhaps if we had someone who is more familiar with secure network systems, but I don't know anyone like that personally.

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[espigeonage]

I'm no expert on security, but using things that can't connect to normal networks - walls, paper, phones without plans - seems like it can't hurt! Of course that won't help anything if there's someone on *this* one who's not on our side, lol.

Anyway, hello to you too! And welcome, if that's the word.

[unfearing]

Yes, I'm afraid the idea that we're already being monitored by someone with access to this network is my concern exactly. I will keep thinking on it, though.

Thank you very much for the welcome. I suppose it's not entirely correct to say I'm glad to be here, but I am quite glad that we aren't in this alone.