Dark Reading

(Transcribed from Journal EC2)
Nightlanders Experiment 4

Forward Notes: The Nightlanders have continued to avoid directly interacting with me, but have remained a somewhat notable presence. Consult NL Experiments 1-3 or EC Field Notes 3-4, 7, 9-12, and 16.

Expirment Iteration 1: I transcribed the entirety of Journal DC1 (judged after long consideration to have the least accurate and therefore valuable information) into a new blank journal and then placed the origonal on the ground and shoved it forward towards a collection of Nightlanders.

Results 1: After aproximately seven minutes percieved time one of the Nightlanders moved forward and enveloped the book. I remainded 10 feet away with established secondary precautions for the duration, shifting my attention between the Nightlander and my transcribed copy of DC1. The Nightlander remained in place obscuring the physical aspects of the book [section omitted] for one hour and 16 minutes of percieved time. When it moved the origonal DC1 remaind and I retrieved it. Comparing it side by side against my transcribed copy and later notes from DC2-3 it appears as though several of my incorrect early assumptions and hypothesies had been partially corrected against both information I later aquired and entirely new facts. (The new facts have not been verified but were recorded into DC3 with notes indicating further testing is needed.) All changes to the origonal journal appear to be in my handwriting. No changes to the transcribed copy occured.

Iteration 2: Experiment repeated with the same two journals. At present there is no methodology to confirm or deny whether the same Nightlander interacted with the text.  (See notes under NL Experiment 9 in Journal EC4 but regard this note as functional for this experiment.) Experiment was carried out two hours of percieved time after the first iteration in the same location.

Results 2: Again interaction occured only after seven minutes of percieved time. I remained 10 feet away with established secondary precautions and shifted my attention between the Nightlander and my transcribed copy of DC1. This time the Nightlander only remained in place for 43 minutes of percieved time with the same obscruing and [section omitted]. This time every page of the origonal copy of DC1 was converted to a perfect black. High risk precations were observed in an initial test of the quality of the paper, but no abnormalities were found. DC1 (origonal) was stored with medium risk containment and DC1 (copy) was used to replace it in The Archive. Again no changes to the transcribed copy occured.

Iteration 3: Journal SM2 was selected and transcribed in its entirety (after determining much of its content redundant when held against journals SM1, SM3-7, and the online archive (currently inaccessible)). This time I placed the copy of SM2 on the ground and shoved it towards the Nightlanders while keeping the origonal on hand. Experiment was carried out 39 hours of percieved time after the second iteration in a visually identical location three block "right" of the origonal testing location.

Result 3: Again interaction occured after seven minutes of percieved time. I remainded 10 feet away with established secondary precautions for the duration, shifting my attention between the Nightlander and the origonal copy of SM2. This time the obscruing and [section omitted] lasted nine minutes of percieved time. I retrived SM2 (copy) and examined it. The entirty of the document had been alphabetized. An extensive count of the letters in SM2 (origonal) confirmed that the exact same number of "a"'s (968, a little over five pages worth) and "b"'s (153) appeared in both the origonal journal and the copy. The letters in SM2 (copy) were in my handwriting, but since I was not able to transcribe the origonal perfectly down to the letter style I cannot confirm that they appear in the order they were used. A more extensive count is still needed to confirm no letters were added or removed. No changes to the origonal journal occured this time.

Conclusions:

• Current established minimum precautions OR an aspect of The Archive prevent the Nightlanders from interacting with an object until it has lain free from influnce for seven minutes OR it takes seven minutes for Nightlanders to get within 10 feet of me and interact with things while established secondary precations are in place.
• Nightlanders seek out or enforce order, but "individual" Nightlanders have disperate views on what that means OR they are as intent as I am to test things in different ways.
• It can be possible to theorize on objectives of the Nightlanders, but devloping a catchall understand of their methods is unlikely.

• [section omitted]
• Nightlanders are capable of interacting on objects with increasing speed and effectiveness the more times they have seen the same or similar object.
• Nightlanders cannot effect the source material of something they're interacting with, nor copies of that thing, unless they interact with the source/copy seperately. (See Conclusions for NL Experiment 9 in EC4.)

Perpetual Disclaimer: As with all experiments I am testing forces that are also testing me, possibly with intent to manipulate. As such all conclusions are purely working theory. DO NOT ACT ON THESE UNLESS YOU HAVE TAKEN PROPER PRECAUTIONS OR ARE VERY DESPERATE. If you've found these journals and have no concept of what is described within return them to the exact place you found them and never return there unless you are desperate.

The City That Always Sleeps

I’m not sure how long I’ve been here. My last record from outside the Empty City indicates that it’s been about 8 months, if the post date on this computer is correct. I have no way to verify that, though. I’ve reached out, once or twice, other opportunities allowed me the chance to comment on other blogs, send emails, once or twice I even got to leave a physical message in the human world.


For all the good that did.


Really I’ve been out of the world for years. The Real World, the Runner World, a few others I’m not ready to talk about yet. I’ve been a ghost: on my own and out of the way except for the inescapable gravity of the Fears and a few choice moments of personal weakness. I guess this is another of those moments, The Empty City generally seems to have an agenda, and letting me reach out when it’s seen me reject the opportunity before is probably intentional.


Right now I’m in what one might generously call a library. There are tall wooden shelves reaching up to nearly the ceiling, and more of the same on the second floor, all arranged into neat little rows. I’ve scoured both floors and found a grand total of six books. Two on the first floor and four on the second. I claimed all of them before I came back to the collection of desks I’m sitting at now and tried turning on this computer.


I feel an opening. If I stopped right now and ran, out the door, right, left at the building with the chipped stone, up two flights of stairs, and through the window I could make it.

I could still make it.

It’s still open, but now it’s too late. It’ll close before I get there.


The name of this place is a misnomer, this “city” isn’t empty, it’s very very far from empty. I could step outside right now and look up and three blocks away I’d see a tower, stretching so tall into an empty sky I couldn’t make out its height. Stretching the height of the earth, probably.





The opening is gone now.





I’m going to queue up three more posts. An intro, a study, and if I can manage it a story. If I can find another computer before this month ends I’ll probably pull the story. It’s that sort of indecision that got me here, hell I think it’s what made me. But it’s also kept me alive, it’s given me tools and options I wouldn’t have. If you really need me follow the alphabet, but honestly… you’re probably safer where you are.

See you?

FC