Orpheus: The Taste of Ashes - Forum - Forbode

"When Carter Jones taught me this horror, I thought that it was like looking at events on some supernatural television screen: I could
see and hear them play out around me, but I wasn't really there. It couldn't touch me. It makes sense, the way he explained it. Events
of emotional importance create echoes that we can tap into and play back. It's neat, it's scientific, and it's safe. It's also
bullshit. Sorry. But that theory almost got me killed. Or worse. Kate has a different theory. She thinks... Well, I won't go into what
she thinks, but it's all about connections. And you know what the thing is about connections? They can go both ways."
 -- Dr Teresa Reilly, Banshee

"The world is alive.  I've become ever more convinced of that after having seen the afterlife.  It isn't just humans that have 
souls, no matter what Christianity would have you believe.  I don't think that any religion is really right, but I do believe this -
the world is aware too.  And it remembers.  What we call Forebode, I believe is communing with the World and asking it about what it
remembers and what it thinks will happen.  It's the first step to knowing the mind of God.
Naturally the suits don't like hearing this.  So I don't tell them anymore.  If you're wise, when you find out anything that doesn't
fit into their neat little boxes, you won't tell them either.  They may make noises about research, about wanting to know more.  But
they don't really.  Few people do."
 -- Kate Dennison, Banshee

"I both agree and disagree with Kate on this.  Our recent... experience has shown us that Forebode isn't as simple as just looking at
the past or future.  But I reject the implication that looking at the problem logically isn't going to help.  And so far, I haven't
seen any convincing evidence to further the Gaia hypothesis.  Though, granted, I haven't seen any counter evidence either."
 -- Dr Annie Harper

"What would you call 'Time to grow up', then?"
 -- Kate Dennison, Banshee

"That isn't really a discussion for this topic, is it?  And if that's your 'World Mind'..."
 -- Dr Annie Harper

"Are you just going to leave mysterious half hints that tell us nothing, or are you actually going to tell us something useful?  At
the moment, this is just scientific wank as far as I can see."
 -- Tom Hayes, Poltergeist

"Just merrily masturbating away here.  It's about the only chance I get these days."
 -- Dr Annie Harper

"There's a lot we don't know about Forebode or how it works, and that lack of knowledge can be dangerous. Recent events raise the
possibility that the process involves actively forming a connection to the target. This may be emotional as well as visual/audible,
and is potentially two-way. It remains to be proven whether that was the result of a distorting effect from the spectre's presence, or 
if it's simply a part of the mechanism. Better scientific wank than a post-mortem, don't you think, Tom?"
 -- Dr Teresa Reilly, Banshee

"I'd still prefer a clear answer as to what the fuck these 'recent events' you're alluding to are.  Not that it affects me personally, 
but it's bloody irritating to feel like you're only hearing half a conversation."
 -- Tom Hayes, Poltergeist

"Sorry, Alpha business, Tom.  We'll try to keep the sound down."
 -- Kate Dennison, Banshee

"Tom: Apologies for being cryptic. I recently looked at the moment of a spectre's creation using Forebode. This turned out to be a
very Bad Thing, as it seemed to form a full, two-way connection to something; possibly the spectre, possibly something else. Hence my
first post. I hope that clears things up a little."
 -- Dr Teresa Reilly, Banshee

"Thank you, Teresa.  Useful to know."
 -- Tom Hayes, Poltergeist

"I would just like to emphasise that my visualisation of Forebode as a etheric radio tuning into signals has not failed me yet.  I
have found no evidence of it working another way.  Would you mind sharing your new experience that claims to prove otherwise?"
 -- Carter Jones, Banshee

"Trying to divine the instant of a Spectre's birth."
 -- Kate Dennison, Banshee

"You were onsite?"
 -- Carter Jones, Banshee

"Yes."
 -- Kate Dennison, Banshee

"Did you use enough power to send out a pulse?"
 -- Carter Jones, Banshee

"Yes."
 -- Kate Dennison, Banshee

"Then isn't a simpler explanation that something sensed that pulse, and just messed with your mind?"
 -- Carter Jones, Banshee

"I suppose it's a possibility I can't rule out."
 -- Kate Dennison, Banshee

"In which case, I don't think we necessarily need to start throwing out fanciful theories, *just* at the moment.  Much though it goes
against the grain for you, I'm sure."
 -- Carter Jones, Banshee

"Why, thank you, Carter.  I'm so glad that I can rely upon your scientific common sense."
 -- Kate Dennison, Banshee

"Not a problem, dear."
 -- Carter Jones, Banshee

"Given what occurred, honestly, I'd prefer that it was just Forebode that was unsafe.  If there are entities are out there that can
just reach out and grab your mind like that... well, let's just say that in my professional opinion, we've only just begun to feel the 
pain."
 -- Dr Annie Harper

"Are there any types of spooks that can mess with your mind like that? Or, alternatively, could form that kind of connection? We
didn't see any other spooks around beforehand, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. As for throwing out fanciful theories: I
agree we don't necessarily need to start from scratch, but at the very least we should consider the possibility of a different
mechanism. This is just a sounding board, after all."
 -- Dr Teresa Reilly, Banshee

"Wail obviously does affect the mind and emotions, as does Unearthly Repose.  Although to my knowledge we have not encountered
something that can produce illusions (though, obviously, it may be hard to tell if we had) it is not beyond the realms of possibility
that such an ability exists."
 -- Dr Annie Harper

"Have there been other projectors able to use Forebode? How did they develop their techniques and view its use?"
 -- Dr Teresa Reilly, Banshee

"There have been two other projectors who could use Forebode at Orpheus.  Both Banshees.  One was able to read impressions left in
places.  The other had a somewhat infuriating tendency towards secretiveness.  She was the first to develop the talent at Orpheus, and 
wasn't particularly keen on sharing her insights.  I believe her attitude was that as long as she was unique, she could demand more
money."
 -- Kate Dennison, Banshee

"In light of this discussion, I've been experimenting a little with Forebode. The aim of the experiment was to determine whether it
was possible to form a deep connection (as described in my earlier post) while using Forebode under normal conditions. I viewed a
number of past scenes, some of which I had been originally present for and some not, with varying levels of emotional significance.
All viewings were performed within the Orpheus building. The results can be summarised as follows:
 1. It was easier to view scene of emotional significance, or in which I was present. Emotional significance appeared to have a 
muuch greater effect than whether or not I was present.
 2. There was a quantitative, but not qualitative, difference between scenes in which I was and wasn't present. Specifically, the
former felt much more intense. (For those of you that don't know, this phenomenon has been described previously and is known as the
'Observer Effect'. When viewing at a scene in which you were present, your observations are biased towards what you remember of the
scene, and the impressions seem more intense than those of events you were not present for. This effect also applies if you view the
same scene multiple times (regardless of whether or not you were present), i.e.: it's very difficult to pick up anything outside the
boundaries of what you saw the first time.)
 3. For scenes in which I was present, and where the events had an emotional significance for me, I was able to actually project 
point of view into that of my earlier self, experiencing the events using all my senses (rather than just sight and sound). I was
also able to sense the emotions of my earlier self. It felt more like empathy than merely remembering, but of course this is a
subjective assessment and may simply be connected to the Observer Effect. Once I'd projected myself into the scene, it was extremely 
difficult to pull out again. I would recommend caution when trying this.
Any thoughts?"
 -- Dr Teresa Reilly, Banshee

"I have attempted to repeat the third result above using events of my own past, but have not managed to project into my earlier self.
I have tried this several times, some with events of great emotional significancde to myself.  I suspect that there may be additional
factors in your case, Teresa, given the recent rumours."
 -- Carter Jones, Banshee

"How reliable are future viewings? What types of questions tend to lead to more useful answers?"
 -- Dr Teresa Reilly, Banshee

"Future viewings are uncertain at best.  In my opinion, they represent the most likely reality as of the time of viewing.  Some people 
tend to see allegory rather than actual visions.  This is often the case for uncontrolled manifestations of Forebode, like when you
are being frozen for Sleeping.  As for the types of questions that lead to the most useful answers?  It really does seem to depend on
the person.  Whereas I myself seem to obtain the best results with specific questions after some research, Kate prefers a more
holistic approach.  We have tried tried each others methods, but they don't seem to work as well.  I suspect, Teresa, that you'll just
have to discover this one for yourself."
 -- Carter Jones, Banshee

"Carter: I suspected as much. I will explore this further.
On another note, I recently observed that Unearthly Repose is just as effective when being viewed through Forebode as it is in person.
I advise caution if viewing a scene which may feature a Wisp."
 -- Dr Teresa Reilly, Banshee

"Hmmm... interesting.  I must say I'm not entirely surprised, upon reflection.  If Uneartly Repose sends out a strong multiwave
emotional signal, Forebode picking it up and transmitting it almost unaltered seems to follow, I suppose.  I really hadn't thought
about it.
Upon checking, Wail doesn't seem to have this effect, but then again Wail is much more focussed, dependent on the skill of the Banshee 
as much as the will of the person viewing it.  And it is always focussed, whether on an individual or a group."
 -- Carter Jones, Banshee