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Post by Todd on Oct 17, 2017 12:11:04 GMT -5
So, then, dmikester, that begs the question: how many recipients of these experiences actually think they are "real" (however you want to interpret that)? I don't believe many of the recipients believe them to be "real" and recognize that this is a product being sent to them. If I may interject, I remember when the Weeping Book was new, I distinctly recall at least a half dozen different people on Reddit, blogs, Facebook, and even the Sitting Room recounting their experience with the recipient of their gift being disturbed enough by the contents to contact law enforcement. A small number, true. But extrapolate from that the number of people who thought it authentic but did not contact law enforcement, and make allowances for the number of orders that were not being sent to someone who was unaware. I'd guess a pretty high number of unaware Weeping Book recipients were taken in.
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Post by dmikester on Oct 17, 2017 12:46:46 GMT -5
And to follow up from Todd, The Weeping Book fooled a friend of mine who was staying over at my place and picked it up from my shelf unaware of what it was. I distinctly remember her getting alarmed by it and asking me why I had this weird damaged journal. I was foolish myself and just revealed what it was without trying to lead her on, but it absolutely got her concerned and believing that it was real for a little bit.
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Post by Beckett on Oct 17, 2017 13:56:38 GMT -5
I would say that the classic Experiences would allow for an easier willing suspension of disbelief. Every halfway rational person would at some point realise that the ink doesn't smudge and the pen did not leave any impression on the paper - and the Company have admitted that their forgeries are not foolproof by design, since it is their intention to entertain rather than to frighten. Additionally, the hand-made quality of the items is something that justifies the sums we (gladly) pay for these Experiences.
In this particular case, it does not make too much of a difference. I still enjoy Filigree in Shadow and am looking forward to the conclusion, while my recipient is still completely and utterly bored with it.
As such, I do not think that making some items in a more mass-production-friendly way (remember, the blueprint was a stretch-goal too) is a damnable offense on the part of the Company, but knowing that they have been able to do better in the past, it is notable, and has thus been noted.
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Post by thegenii on Oct 17, 2017 17:43:04 GMT -5
Oddly, The Weeping Book is one of the most easily spotted as a photocopy or bit of digital printing because, as Beckett notes, the pen leaves no impression on the paper, and the writing has the sheen of a copy to it. I really can't imagine any rational person thinking it's real unless they believe in witches, and then I have nothing further to say.
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Post by Todd on Oct 17, 2017 17:53:45 GMT -5
Oddly, The Weeping Book is one of the most easily spotted as a photocopy or bit of digital printing because, as Beckett notes, the pen leaves no impression on the paper, and the writing has the sheen of a copy to it. I really can't imagine any rational person thinking it's real unless they believe in witches, and then I have nothing further to say. And yet, some did. I'm looking at my Weeping Book right now and wonder if yours was from a later, more cheaply produced batch. The lack of impressions is certainly a thing, but I don't see this "sheen" you mention. I assume your describing the waxiness of a digital press. If they were simulating a felt tip it would be very convincing. The interior pages have staining. The cover is worn and damaged. By far a more realistic presentation than Filigree, which screams "fake" to me. Maybe they switched to a cheaper method of production later. I was one of the ones who pre-ordered the first run.
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Post by dmikester on Oct 17, 2017 18:02:45 GMT -5
I think the thing with The Weeping Book is that if you're looking for it, yes, it's clearly not real. But if you were totally unaware of the concept of these things and just grabbed it off the shelf, it could very easily fool you at first glance.
Also important to note that in the marketing for Weeping Book, the MPC specifically mentions what Todd is talking about with law enforcement and uses it as a kind of selling point (sure, it's used as a "warning" but c'mon, they clearly mean for that to be enticing for big horror fans).
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Post by thegenii on Oct 17, 2017 19:35:58 GMT -5
I ordered from the first batch of The Weeping Book.
I would agree that the aging of the book is good: mine looks like an elephant stomped on it and then someone folded it in half. But it's plainly obvious that the pages are not an original hand-written document, though that might change based on the lighting conditions in which the book is viewed.
It seems to me that there are just a lot of paranoid and foolish people out there. What else can you think about someone who believes that a child can actually be possessed by a long-deceased witch?
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Post by astrila on Oct 17, 2017 19:51:08 GMT -5
I ordered from the first batch of The Weeping Book. I would agree that the aging of the book is good: mine looks like an elephant stomped on it and then someone folded it in half. But it's plainly obvious that the pages are not an original hand-written document, though that might change based on the lighting conditions in which the book is viewed. It seems to me that there are just a lot of paranoid and foolish people out there. What else can you think about someone who believes that a child can actually be possessed by a long-deceased witch? For what it's worth, my recipient did not even open the crate before he called the police. He was convinced that Tom was outside waiting for him. He didn't look for indents in the paper or smudging of the ink because he legitimately thought he was about to die. When the police showed up, they not only told him he did the right thing by calling them, but they called in the state troopers and THE BOMB SQUAD. The crate was cleared by the dogs and the x-ray machine and as the police were breaking into the crate my friend began to actually think about it, and determined I might have been behind the package. After my involvement was confirmed, I got a call back from a clearly annoyed trooper who asked me why I would send such a thing to a friend and if I had any idea regarding the extent of the police presence that had been summoned because of me. I found out the next day that they wrote it off as a training exercise.
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Post by dmikester on Oct 17, 2017 20:33:29 GMT -5
Astrila, that is really crazy. There's also at least one anecdote I remember hearing about a famous author being sent one of the Experiences by a fan of theirs and him calling the police about it; he was furious and incredulous that such a company existed. I'll also share a personal experience behind a spoiler text that you should absolutely not read if you're ever planning on doing Decoder Ring Organization or are currently doing it: One day I got a thick black envelope in the mail. I was in the middle of a bunch of boxes that we do here, and I think was even doing Demon Jar as well, and figured that it was maybe from one of them, but it didn't look similar to anything I had gotten before. When I opened it, it turned out to be, with no explanation of any kind, this extremely creepy booklet that contained close-up pictures of scared looking eyes and had random letters on some of the pages. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, and I was really unnerved by it for days. The only clue I had was the return address, which was upstate New York. I ended up posting about it here, wondering if anyone else had gotten it, and I at first thought that maybe it was some kind of advertisement for a new ARG. It turned out to be a totally out of left field bonus mailing for Decoder Ring that was a giant bait and switch; I had thought I was getting something very clear (a newsletter) and it turned out to be something completely different and unlike anything that had come before, both in style and in packaging.
Now obviously I didn't call the police or anything, but it absolutely unsettled me in a way that I didn't think would be possible after all of the Experiences and boxes I've done. If someone as well-versed in these as I am could have that feeling, imagine how amplified it would be for someone unaware of this style of storytelling.
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Post by eclosis on Oct 17, 2017 20:36:36 GMT -5
2017 -1017 1000..... 10:00 tomorrow
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Post by Todd on Oct 17, 2017 20:40:44 GMT -5
I ordered from the first batch of The Weeping Book. I would agree that the aging of the book is good: mine looks like an elephant stomped on it and then someone folded it in half. But it's plainly obvious that the pages are not an original hand-written document, though that might change based on the lighting conditions in which the book is viewed. It seems to me that there are just a lot of paranoid and foolish people out there. What else can you think about someone who believes that a child can actually be possessed by a long-deceased witch? I've always liked the saying "never criticize someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you'll be a mile away from them. And you'll have their shoes." I have had many paranormal experiences. I go looking for them. The vast majority can be explained as something perfectly natural. But I've seen full body apparitions. The dead have made their presence known to me. I hope I'd not be called paranoid and foolish for believing what I've experienced. If you don't believe, I respect that. Cheers!
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Post by astrila on Oct 17, 2017 23:10:43 GMT -5
Astrila, that is really crazy. There's also at least one anecdote I remember hearing about a famous author being sent one of the Experiences by a fan of theirs and him calling the police about it; he was furious and incredulous that such a company existed. I'll also share a personal experience behind a spoiler text that you should absolutely not read if you're ever planning on doing Decoder Ring Organization or are currently doing it: One day I got a thick black envelope in the mail. I was in the middle of a bunch of boxes that we do here, and I think was even doing Demon Jar as well, and figured that it was maybe from one of them, but it didn't look similar to anything I had gotten before. When I opened it, it turned out to be this extremely creepy booklet with no explanation of any kind, close-up pictures of scared looking eyes, and random letters on some of the pages. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, and I was really unnerved by it for days. The only clue I had was the return address, which was upstate New York. I ended up posting about it here, wondering if anyone else had gotten it, and I at first thought that maybe it was some kind of advertisement for a new ARG. It turned out to be a totally out of left field bonus mailing for Decoder Ring that was a giant bait and switch; I had thought I was getting something very clear (a newsletter) and it turned out to be something completely different and unlike anything that had come before, both in style and in packaging.
Now obviously I didn't call the police or anything, but it absolutely unsettled me in a way that I didn't think would be possible after all of the Experiences and boxes I've done. If someone as well-versed in these as I am could have that feeling, imagine how amplified it would be for someone unaware of this style of storytelling. I can definitely see that being unsettling, to say the least! I agree with you regarding the amplified feelings for someone who is completely unaware and not expecting it. That's exactly what happened to my friend. He panicked, and let that take over instead of taking the time to contemplate all of the different possibilities. As I said, the officer was shocked that I would send something like that to a friend - he was really questioning my motives.
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Post by Beckett on Oct 18, 2017 0:01:04 GMT -5
The point being, of course, that there are people out there receiving Mysterious Packages whose belief systems do absolutely allow for the supernatural phenomena to exist. Think of that what you will, but in their thinking, the things described in the Experiences and the Artifact delivered do pose an actual threat, and what is certainly and undeniably real is the fear of that very threat. And would I have expected one of my recipients to hold such believes that would allow for the contents of the Packages to be real, I would not have sent them. Of course, there is a disconnect between those who believe and those who do not. For example, the very idea of someone reacting poorly to a Package before convincing themselves of its authenticity, belief in the supernatural or not, could be so very alien to me that I would not even consider it - and that is when you get the astrila Experience.
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Post by billfelty on Oct 18, 2017 10:10:00 GMT -5
Dang! It's past 10:00 EST and I thought for sure that's what the 1000 would be about. ;-)
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Post by defiant00 on Oct 18, 2017 10:23:45 GMT -5
2017 -1017 1000..... 10:00 tomorrow But which time zone, lol?
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