video feed, flagged as important

[rekindlenpcs]

[A woman with short curly red hair appears on the screen, looking rather perturbed and cross.]

Dear native residents and newcomers, allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr Cyntia Law, head of the science division responsible for the technology you see around the city as well as the means that have brought us our most honored guests.

[She bows faintly, straightening to look directly into the camera.]

As of last night, we began to receive reports of what many locals report to be paranormal activity. Preposterous as the claims seem to a mind like myself, we have as of yet found any signs of a mechanical failure in the power systems of our otherwise closed community. While my staff continues to work on an acceptable solution to the problem, I urge all bodies to exercise due caution. If the more... superstitious lot are to be believed, there may be another force involved that we are as of yet unaware of. However, any able to assist in the capture of the recent graffiti and propaganda artisans will be rewarded to the best of ours and the welcome center's abilities.

[At that, there was a crash of something metal clanging to the floor.]

And for goodness' sake, will the owner of this demented feline please pick him up at the guest welcome center?

[...That is certainly a particular black cat named Banchou being picked up by an assistant.]

[Video]

[swivelrotors]

[This orange robot looks nervous. More nervous that usual that is. He keeps glancing around as if something might jump out and grab him at any second.]

So... I was thinking... Does anybody want to have a sleepunder? Wait... sleepover? Um, that thing where you stay at somebody else's house all night so you're not alone.

[He crosses his arms defensively, despite nobody actually accusing him of anything. Yet.]

And this has absolutely nothing to do with all the flickering lights and creepy graffiti that's been showing up lately! I just want to make that clear.

[Blades is s terrible liar. He quickly returns to his worried demeanor, tapping his fingertips together.]

Sleep-thingy, anyone?

VIDEO | 001

[nerdica]

I've been thinking and ( Offscreen there's a voice that just calls back you're always thinking, but Nautica continues on undaunted! No one asked you, Chromia. ) and I've been wondering about why we're here. Not about our purpose for being here - I've decided that for the moment to assume that all information regarding that is accurate because there just isn't a good way to quantitatively account for it when creating this particular dataset. Categorical variables, you know?

I mean I could account for it, but I'll be the first to admit that I'm making a large number of assumptions as it is and I'd like to minimize any further skewing of results.

( Someone hasn't actually gotten around to her point yet, and it's with another helpful cough from offscreen that Nautica snaps back to it. )

Oh! Right, sorry. Anyway, I was wondering if there's any correlation between arrivals and existing relationships. Take me, for example - Chromia and I are close friends, and there's any number of people that I know here. Although they might not know me yet - I suppose I could factor in timelines differences somehow-- ( She looks pensive for a moment, one finger tapping against her chin as she considers this. That shouldn't be too hard. ) But my hypothesis is that by arriving here, you increase the chance that others from your universe will eventually follow, and the closer the relationship the more likely that individual will show.

There's an attached survey. If you'd like to fill that out and respond to this post with it, I'd appreciate it. So, um, thank you? Preemptively.

( And flicking the video feed off, because she can hear her roommate groaning already. )

Attached Text:
Number of Individuals from Your Universe Present at Your Arrival:
Number of Individuals from Your Universe Who Have Arrived Since Then:
Number of Individuals from Your Universe Present at Your Arrival That You Knew Personally:
Number of Individuals from Your Universe Who Have Arrived Since Then that You Knew Personally:
Of the Last Number, How Many Would You Consider to Have Close Personal Relationships With: