001 - [Computer, Text]

[consiliarius]

[So Sano has done a little bit of foraying into the network and...well.]

You know, some people may call what we're experiencing a sort of mass hysteria. I've never really been fond of that "disease" as it tends to go unresearched and instead falls under the category of Things That Have No Explanation.

I never thought I'd include myself in the hysteria, but here I am, regardless.

I've only glanced back at the network and I think I've seen the big current events, but if there's anything else urgent that I should know now that I'm here, I would appreciate being filled in. We may not know what we're going through, but the least I can do is conduct a little bit of research of my own. Who knows, maybe by putting our heads together we'll get a clue or two.

And this is completely unrelated, but I saw someone mention they had puppies they were giving away. I don't know when this was - like I said, I only glanced back - but if that person sees this and is still in need of a home for one of them...

[That was weird, talking to a network of supposed strangers, but they all must start somewhere.]

Comments

[iaijutsu]

I wonder if it wouldn't be worth our time to put together a list with links to the important things, and a summary of what we know so people don't have to scroll through the cats with perplexing captions. There's only going to be more to catch up on from here, and it doesn't seem like people are going to stop trickling in.

[consiliarius]

That would be incredibly helpful, if a pain to keep updated, especially if things are going to keep happening. But it's a good idea, nonetheless.

You have to admit the cats are cute, though.

[iaijutsu]

There's been discussion of a database of things we know, the things we've remembered or had change about us...but I think that bullet points of what's happened and the relevant posts could be good for getting people straight on the basics before we try to give them too many details.

[consiliarius]

Yeah, getting everyone up to speed before inundating them with the really weird stuff.

Speaking of, maybe it's too early to say just yet, but I wonder if any of those little personal details will eventually connect to form a larger picture so we can understand the situation better. Not just individually, but as a group. We've all been brought here for some reason and somehow, bit by bit, but still as a collective.

[iaijutsu]

It's too early to say, but I don't think it's too early to speculate. I've been wondering about that point myself.

I got back a memory that someone else from here also appeared in. I've been told it's happened to at least one other person, although I haven't spoken to them directly to confirm, since I heard it secondhand and I'm not sure who it was.

[consiliarius]

Okay, so already some people are experiencing the same thing. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure regaining memories isn't a common occurrence so I can't just consult WebMD for an explanation or home remedies.

[iaijutsu]

If it were that simple I imagine most of us would have done so by now.

[consiliarius]

But we must think of the stragglers why may not have.

[iaijutsu]

...are you suggesting we include a bullet point telling people not to bother consulting WebMD?

[consiliarius]

No, no, that was a joke. And not a very good one, apparently.

[iaijutsu]

Sorry.

[Sometimes (often) they just...slide right off him.... :( ]

[unfearing]

Hello there! I'm Lizzie, and I've only just arrived myself but I can most certainly vouch for everyone here that we are in no way suffering from mass hysteria.

At least at this present moment. Of course, many of the things going on presently could potentially incite that sort of response so this fact may come to change in the future.

[ It's a joke. She's just trying to lighten the gravity of it all with a bit of humor. ]

[consiliarius]

And how do you back up your confidence, Miss Lizzie?

[He's genuinely interested in how she's come up with that answer, but hopes it doesn't come across as being patronizing.]

[unfearing]

With firsthand accounts and documented evidence, of course!

[ Don't worry, Sano. Elizabeth isn't the kind of person to take a comment like that the wrong way. ]

Actually, I'm one of the people trying to come up with a comprehensive database of everyone's individual experiences. I've met with a few people and I've spoken to many more. The responses are quite varied, as I'm sure you can imagine, everything from mild wariness to outright distrust of everyone and everything.

However, everyone is still startlingly level-headed considering the surreality of the situation so I imagine if this is a case of mass hysteria, it's going to revolutionize the entire field of human psychology. In fact, precisely because everyone's responses and chosen courses of action are so different points away from mass hysteria.

[consiliarius]

All right, now you've got my attention.

Say this isn't hysteria (though can we really rule it out yet?). Do you have any other ideas or suspicions to what it could be, or would you venture to say this is something entirely new?

[unfearing]

I'm afraid I haven't been able to gather extensive enough data to make any solid claims like that yet, but I do have a strong feeling that there's something far larger at play.

Between the Paul Ben incident and the sheer number of people stumbling upon this network, there has to be an underlying element we simply don't have the necessary information to see just yet.

[consiliarius]

Understandable, of course.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next, huh? Hopefully that doesn't prove to be tragic.

[unfearing]

On the contrary, I think that waiting for the other side to make the another move could precisely prove tragic. I intend to do everything in my power to get to the bottom of this, however I am able.

That said, progress has been pretty slow... So please do be careful! We have no way of knowing who or what we're up against, so any of us could be in danger.

[Text]

[shiromadoushi]

Paul, the snake statue and don't talk to the cops are the big ones.

[[and because it's bugging him]]

and the only people who would call this something like that are people trying to sound smarter than they are.

[Text]

[consiliarius]

Yeah, what's up with the statue?

And I hope you don't mean to imply that everyone involved in the sciences is like that.

[Text]

[shiromadoushi]

Not everyone. Just the ones who make it obvious.

And there's two of them. The cops have one that makes people want to trust them, and the one in the Dead District gives people memory shocks if they have a number like we do, or wants them to GTFO if they don't.

[Text, computer]

[professorwolf]

Isn't mass hysteria where the delusions are all the same, or at least similar? I'd have a hard time explaining how one of us suddenly has perfect vision while another's nose works like a dog's now and yet another is apparently collecting feathers as a single episode of shared delusion.

The biggest concern is the suggestion not to go to the police, given what happened last time, and to keep watch over the strange things going on. Other than that, we're still trying to figure things out.

[Text, computer]

[consiliarius]

When you get down to specifics, yes, but overall people experiences strange happenings is what's happening, isn't it? Hysteria isn't the right word, but it's the only thing I could think of off the top of my head.

So the good old wait and see method. My favorite.

[Text, computer]

[professorwolf]

I don't know if we have any actual common thread here that we can even follow. The whole experience just defies explanation. But I'm not necessarily in favor of "wait and see" so much as "seek out and see". There's no harm in investigating and compiling data, so long as we're careful about it.

So are you one of the ones worried about sharing their name, or shall I introduce myself?

[espigeonage]

Smallworld! One is not a collection! I can stop whenever I want.

[professorwolf]

[Lyall actually chuckles, on the other end, before replying.]

You can use my name if you like. I'm not hiding it. Though Smallworld is pretty funny.

[espigeonage]

That's reason enough, isn't it?

[professorwolf]

Apparently so. Well, if you want to, I suppose :) Just don't let Bakura catch on, or he'll start using it, too...

[He's joking. Mostly.]

[wordsgate]

I considered mass hysteria briefly but it doesn't seem to fit. I want to believe that it's some sort of illness, since the alternative is stranger, but nothing works...

[consiliarius]

Nothing seems to fit at all and that's one of the most frustrating parts.

[wordsgate]

Right. I don't like saying this, but whatever is going on I don't think it's anything we'd consider "normal."

[Text]

[chalicejoker]

No one has experienced the same things. We've all changed in different ways or seen different...

Not sure if they're visions or memories or what, but some of us now remember stuff that didn't actually happen. Just feels like it did.

[Text]

[consiliarius]

But the fact that we're all experiencing changes is the main thing.

Visions in and of themselves aren't new, whether or not you believe they're possible. But to have so many of them occurring within one community so quickly after one another... Then again, I'm sure you feel the same way.

[Text]

[chalicejoker]

Yeah. Something's definitely not right and it's only getting worse.

I just wish we knew why.

[text]

[abidan]

Do you think something's inability to be explained makes it any less real?

[Texted]

[espigeonage]

Delusion would be nice! But I suppose for it all to be shared and still all variable like this, it would have to have creepy implications all of its own.