text; un: louis

[deathoftheauthor]

Tell me, has anyone discovered anything that matters, or are we trapped in a cycle of questions that lead to more questions?

Death is temporary here, and all the graves lie empty. Our needs are all provided for by unseen hands, and yet the motives of our captors remain a mystery. What does any of it mean? It's beyond my ability to understand. All I know is that I'm weary of this endless confusion. I refuse to accept that this is permanent, but I am at a loss for ways to help. I don't know the right questions to ask.

If I were in my own world, I would read to pass the time. Here, that is impossible. I can't help but think that the powers that be must have some grudge against the introverted. Unfortunately, I lack the constitution for party planning. Surely there must be a greater purpose to this?

Comments

@anonymous

[wrenchedup]

Eh, it's a lot of theories at the moment. Small facts like the death thing, the enforced law thing, and so on. Though I feel like the forced cohabitating and lack of things for a person to do all on their own is probably intentional.

[deathoftheauthor]

Do you have any theories on what the intention might be? To me it seems almost as if it's meant to foster some sense of community, though to what end, I certainly don't know.

@anonymous

[wrenchedup]

intention is a little harder to decipher at the moment for me at least. might be to foster community, though i'm starting to think its to observe. lot of missing people lately. intentional? a "glitch"? found a way out? can't say for sure yet.

a few of us are thinking this is something along the lines of a test or experiment. some feel like its a simulation on top of that. there's been a few who think this is a dream. i can point you in the direction of people who have these theories if you'd like to chat more with them one on one.

[deathoftheauthor]

If someone is observing, and I do believe that is the case, it's interesting that they seem rather intent upon keeping the peace. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say they seem intent upon maintaining the status quo. It's all strangely hands-on. I haven't heard of any of the missing sending word back yet.

Yes, please, if you would be so kind. I am quite keen on discussing all possibilities. Still, I have to admit that I feel rather out of my depth. That is, I have no practical knowledge that applies here. In my world, there are a very small number of people with the power to influence the thoughts of others, and among those, only a small handful who can create illusions. But this is beyond anything I thought possible.

@samsa, text

[anthropophagite]

Stories can still be told and shared. While we do not have books, there are many people from many worlds and places. Perhaps they could share stories with you?

[ he can't answer about anything else, sadly. After all, he only just arrived ]

[deathoftheauthor]

That would be interesting indeed, although that sort of storytelling strikes me as a much more intimate experience. Do you know what sort of story you would tell?

[anthropophagite]

Books can be intimate as well. For the reader, but also for the author.
I don't mind that sort of intimacy, though.

I know many stories from many books back home. I would probably tell those that touched me the most. Although in a place like this, they'd feel mostly ironic.

[deathoftheauthor]

Ironic? Perhaps. But I would think a place like this is where people need such stories the most.

@netzach

[abstractart]

guess that depends on how much you need there to be a greater purpose for things.

[deathoftheauthor]

I don't know that what I need makes any difference. But there must be some intent behind all of this.

text | un: k.alenko

[yeahsoyknowidunno]

Yeah, the lack of reading material is getting to me, too. Back home, I'd've just queued up something from the extranet on my omni-tool when the tedium got to be too much, but here, none of my tech works. At least I can still go jogging, which helps keep me occupied.

I have to agree with what some others have written, that all of this must be some kind of experiment with us as its test subjects. I'm no scientist, but I know enough scientists to assume that if we're the experimental group, there should be a control group out there, somewhere. No way to verify that though.

Wish I had something more useful to say on the matter. Not knowing the purpose behind what we're doing here means I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[deathoftheauthor]

Commiseration is useful in its own way, even if it isn't terribly productive. It's the most nerve-wracking sort of peace, isn't it? It feels like the prelude to something terrible, and I can't even prepare for it.

What do you think a control group would look like?

[abit_ofboth]

I am afraid it has been one big circle of nothing. I am finding it rather hard to stay hopeful on any level. Trust if I had any books myself, I would be lost in them forgetting this place exists currently.

Perhaps if we are ever so lucky as to have reading materials, we can swap books.

[deathoftheauthor]

If we're ever so fortunate, I will make copies by hand.

Is there anything you particularly miss? I'm fond of poetry, myself, but at this point I can think of almost nothing that I would pass up.

[abit_ofboth]

If we are ever so fortunate, perhaps I will be restored and could just make copies with my seidr. Hopefully it would save your hand. Writing out books by hand can be so tedious.

I admit, even before coming here my time for leisure reading has been less than I would have liked. However had been in the middle of a history of ancient magic from Alfheim when I last had time. I would sorely like to finish it one day.

[deathoftheauthor]

Seidr? That is a sort of magic, correct? I'm afraid most of my experience with the occult is limited to what I've read in books, which is fascinating, albeit less than reliable.

@ghostlight

[ghostlight]

You're waxing on a topic long pondered. I think that at this time we are simply trapped in a cycle of questions that lead to more cryptic questions. At this time I'm not sure that there are ways to "help".

I feel you on not being able to read, though. I managed to recover a book from my home that I can leaf through, but I've read it so many times already that I could recite most of the text from memory.

I feel it's more of a way of scrubbing away evidence: literature suggests a lens that the author sees the world through. Whether that lens is right, wrong, or indifferent, it allows for insight into a place, and whatever thing brought us here has worked hard to remove those types of hints.

[deathoftheauthor]

Your theory sounds plausible to me. It's all very safe, very sterile, and entirely void of any conflict. There is the lack of religious iconography as well… But do you think it was removed, or might this place have been created without ever having had such things in the first place?

The book you received — did it come through the bank?

[ghostlight]

There's not really enough information to know either way. I think that answer lies more in if you think there were people here before us, or if this place was built for us. In either case this place was purposefully made to be devoid of it. It could be because this is some control environment meant to be as sterile as it is, or perhaps whatever brought us here knew that there would be major ideological differences between the places we're being pulled from and figured we'd bring our own rituals and trappings. Lord knows, a devout Catholic's gonna say their Hail Marys and Our Fathers throughout the day whether they have a Sunday service or not.

Yes, it came through the bank. It was a book that I kept tucked away back at home.

text; un: d.larusso

[miyagimagic]

I feel like a lot of us would like to be able to ask our captors this.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem like they are very willing to get in touch with us, even after all this time. I suppose those questions they asked us back in the train are the first and last we heard of them.

[ Which bothers Daniel too. The only relief is seeing that most people here seem to practically feel the same way, really.. ]

[deathoftheauthor]

It's maddening, isn't it? Something is providing for us, making all of this happen, but it seems they have no interest in revealing themselves. And yet it's hardly subtle. It seems that everything happens just a moment too early for anyone to actually spot it.

[miyagimagic]

A boy I know was trying to stake out one of the stores, trying to see if he could spot whatever was stocking them.

It seems like nothing came out of that though. It is indeed like you say. Everything happens a moment too early, or just behind our backs. Whatever system is working this city seems frustratingly effective.

Whoever is doing this to us.. They really must have planned this out for a long time.

[ And for what reason? That question weighs even heavier on his mind. It feels even more mysterious. ]

text | un: AbyssalBlade

[alloriginalheavenlypillar]

Not enjoying your new cage? How very ungrateful of you.

I had initially thought this a dream construct, but that does not seem to be the case. Given the expansion of the city, and mood altering iced sweets, I'm inclined to agree with those who think this may be some kind of experiment.

To what end, however, remains to be seen.

[deathoftheauthor]

Could it be a dream construct as well as an experiment? Or some sort of illusion or spell… Such a thing is beyond the ability of anyone I've ever known, but it's the only way I can make any sense of it. What made you doubt your first assumption?

[alloriginalheavenlypillar]

If it's a dream then it isn't presenting any of the usual signs of being one.

Things at a distance or out the corner of your eye should start getting very distorted until you focus on them again. People you don't recognize from your past either won't have faces or very generic, repetitive features. The time and surroundings would be in a constant state of flux; things that were very distant may grow quite close, while events that happened long ago may suddenly repeat.

About the only thing that would indicate a dream is the way things reset. But that could be indicative of other things.