preservationofnormalcy

[preservationofnormalcy]

Marine biologist anon again. I followed your instructions with the copper wire, and... I'm not sure what to do next. Should I expect someone from the Circle to contact me? Not much is changing, I'm still seeing the Pelagic Lord in my dreams, but at least the shoggoths are gone.

Okay, no, I’m actually not going to tell you to contact the Circle at this time. Some other things have come up and - well, the main thing is that we’ll probably send someone along to take some readings.

This is going to sound weird, but do you have any….acting experience? Community theater, high school play, an interest in show tunes even? Small details like this are often crucial in —

Oh hey, Jenny! Jennster. I uh. I had Flench bring you some of that pumpkin spice coffee you like.

I’m good.

Right. Okay. No worries, I’m sure - maybe he’ll like it. Don’t…don’t worry about it.

….right, where was I. Oh, yeah, so, let us know if you have any acting experience. Someone mentioned in our last post about this, but make sure you haven’t constructed the faraday cage with 90 degree angles, the last thing you need is a Tindo breathing down your neck. They make great pets from a breeder but wild is another story.

Don’t accept any messages from or talk to any Yellow Circle members for now. There’s a bit of….politics going on. We’ll let everyone know when the situation is settled.

[preservationofnormalcy]

OCULUS Beta Fork 0.4.43

Welcome, DIR.WALKER

The following text is interpreted by OPN lowercase OCULUS from raw visual and audio data from surveillance equipment at OPN site DC, Park Plaza/Break Area. Incorrect inferences may occur.

Trust, but verify.

[PARK AREA 2. SURVDRONE STATIONED IN GAZEBO OVERLOOKING POND. Two Office Personnel standing by duck pond. SUBJECT (ID: AGENT HALTER, 99% certainty) standing by second SUBJECT (ID: MS COLD, 95% certainty). MS COLD is holding a fish. DUCKS in vicinity. Extranormal effects of DUCKS on file. Positive ID deemed irrelevant.]

[AGENT HALTER] When they built the DC campus in the late 30’s, they looked for a place with natural water, specifically so they could do this.

[MS COLD] Have you had to do this often?

[AGENT HALTER] Me, personally? Once or twice. Usually I just text her, but this is a step up in terms of…importance, so a step up in formality is kind of expected. The fact that I’m contacting her this way will be a sort of unspoken message.

[MS COLD] Kind of weird to have to be formal with a friend.

[AGENT HALTER] That’s diplomacy for you. Go ahead and throw it.

[MS COLD throws the fish into the water, which sinks after three (3) seconds. After an additional fifteen (15) seconds, the water bubbles. The DUCKS fly away from the pond. At thirty (30) seconds, unidentified appendages extend from the water. One SUBJECT rises slowly (5 seconds until full emergence) from the middle of the pond. It uses the appendages to walk across the surface of the water and step onto the grass near existing SUBJECTS. Third SUBJECT ID unavailable at this time, ERROR: FILE NOT FOUND. Subroutine Librarian dispatched.]

[UNKNOWN SUBJECT] Hello, Norm, my dear. To what do I owe the pleasure? And - who have we here?

[AGENT HALTER] Yth’Wa, welcome. This is Jenny, my intern. Be nice.

[UNKNOWN SUBJECT] I am offended you’d think anything else of me, Norm.

[MS COLD] Hello, Herald Yth’Wa.

[UNKNOWN SUBJECT] Jenny, from the stars. I am blessed to meet you.

[AGENT HALTER] You enjoy the fish?

[UNKNOWN SUBJECT] Flounder. Most excellent. You have bad news for me, I wager.

[SUBJECT begins to consume the fish thrown by MS COLD. UPDATE: hyperlink repaired. SUBJECT ID: Yth’Wa, Herald of Change (ERROR certainty).]

[AGENT HALTER] Per-haps. I just got another message about dreams.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] [COGNITOHAZARD EXPUNGED] does appear to us in our dreams, my dear.

[AGENT HALTER] Not this often. And not a marine biologist. Studying whalefa—

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] I know what you’re implying.

[AGENT HALTER] And you know he can’t be allowed to stage another production. That’s part of the agreement.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] I find your confidence adorable. The Office has always thought of themselves as the jailers of gods.

[AGENT HALTER] Yeah, well, [MEMETIC HAZARD REMOVED] wouldn’t be the first one. Not even the first aquatic one.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] The fate of the Captain is the big stick to your soft talk. It…remains something we don’t wish to test.

[AGENT HALTER] You’ll pass the message on?

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] [ANOMALOUS SEMANTICS REDACTED] is our king, and I am but a servant. He alone decides his will, but I will…advise.

[AGENT HALTER] Good. I hope I don’t see any more ‘auditions.’ I’d hate for this to escalate.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] Is that all, Norm?

[AGENT HALTER] That’s all on my end.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] Before I leave, I must say that my previous offer remains open.

[AGENT HALTER] And it remains declined.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] The Mi-Go are only a call away. We could regrow something—

[AGENT HALTER] I have to remain neutral.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] You are far from neutral, my dear friend.

[AGENT HALTER] …fair enough. But you know what I mean.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] The soul sews itself into the stars. Echoes of your shell. I can read your essence in the darkest skies, if you desire—

[AGENT HALTER] You’re not the first person to offer, and there’s always a catch. You and the King aren’t any different. I’d wake up with seven too many appendages, for all I know.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] But think of it. Even in the shadow of our Lord. To feel again, to live. Many of the Brother Blood give everything for one day of life among your kind. It would be an honor for me to give you that, my friend. A new shell, formed by the hand of—

[AGENT HALTER] Grt….Y’Tal, Vasharath, Yth’Wa.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] I see. Of course.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE turns to step into the water. She pauses as her feet enter the pond.]

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] I…hadn’t known you felt so strongly.

[AGENT HALTER] I know that’s a choice some people go for, but it’s not what I want. I don’t want to be beholden to…anything.

[YTH’WA, HERALD OF CHANGE] Take care of him, Jenny from the stars.

[YTH’WA enters the water, and disappears.]

[MS COLD] What was that, at the end?

[AGENT HALTER] I kinda…swore at her. I feel bad.

[MS COLD] No, I mean the whole —

[AGENT HALTER] She’s trying to help, I appreciate her for it. Just…not the route I want to take.

[MS COLD] Not the- Are you [EXPLETIVE EXPUNGED] serious?

[AGENT HALTER] What?

[MS COLD] They can just...change people, just like that?

[AGENT HALTER] Jenny, they-there's a cost. [MS COLD] Yeah. Bet I wouldn't have had to start a GoFundMe for that one, though.

[MS COLD turns on her heel and walks away, leaving AGENT HALTER behind. DUCKS return.]

[preservationofnormalcy]

Hello! I made the embroidered patch :) unfortunately I used a public makerspace for it, so I’m actually not allowed to sell anything I make there. But if you have access to an embroidery machine, I can send you the file!

Completely understandable. In that case I’ll decline the file. Like I mentioned in a previous post today I would love to sell patches myself, so I’d hate to use your work even accidentally. Thank you for letting us see it, and I hope you get some fun comments on it.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Hi Norm,

What, if any, is the consensus in the werewolf community about people who earnestly want to become one?

The normal disclaimer that I’m not a lycan applies - longtime readers may remember that I have a connection here. My first girlfriend Amy (hi, Amy!) is a lycan, so while meeting her family gave me a bit of a crash course, it’s not complete, and a little out of date. And of course it varies from region to region and pack to pack.

That being said, generally if someone without an existing and heartfelt connection to the lycanthrope community wanted to become one intentionally, that’s something of a red flag. It’s understood that while lycanthropy is a part of them and their identity, it’s not something to put on people without serious consideration.

Lycanthropy isn’t genetically passed down, meaning that any kids a lycanthrope have aren’t going to have the lycanthropy infection. (They might have picked up their parents’ genetic responses to lycanthropy, but that’s a different story.) It’s considered mostly normal to raise the child with an informed perspective on lycanthropy, and then give them the choice to become one when they’re older. Turning a romantic partner is a little more controversial, but still occurs.

My read on the situation is that any lycan who intentionally turns someone that they don’t have a deep relationship to would be more or less outcast. Other lycans would understand it as a lycan attempting to create their own pack structure outside of the normal cultural framework for that, and they’re pretty big on sink-or-doggy paddle consequences. That is, if you want to be the big alpha of your own pack, go ahead - but don’t expect support from any of the existing packs.

If you’re seeking to become one, consider why. If you’re willing to undergo the bone-cracking, skin-sloughing body horror of it for the sake of someone else, it’ll be considered more genuine.

[preservationofnormalcy]

I’m answering this in a reblog because they’re sort of on a similar topic. To make my/our stance clear, I’m pretty much okay with people making physical items using the designs for personal use, but would (hopefully understandably) frown on anyone selling (even modified) copies of my stuff.

The thing is, I can’t really stop people from doing personal stuff with the designs. I know a lot of my designs are sort of nebulously out there on the internet - they’re on Pinterest and I didn’t put them there. There’s a level of hands-off-ness I’m okay with because I have to be. In this stickers case, absolutely go ahead. Hell, if you (and here I mean the nebulous ‘you’ reading this) want to print them on dollar store sticker paper for your locker or something because you can’t afford to buy from me, go with my blessing and just consider slipping my ko-fi a few dollars when possible.

For the patch, that’s something I want to offer on the shop at some point once I build up my shop funds again, so hopefully stay tuned for that. I’m making a bit of an exception in this case because I’d love to support the patch creator, but again, no pressure to them.

Realized I never sent you this! Made on the embroidery machine of my local library :) it’s been a mainstay on my jacket for about a year or two now, and thought I’d sent you this while I’m reorganizing my patches again

This is incredible, wow! No pressure, but I’d love to buy a few off of you, if you’re interested. If you are, please send another ask and we can connect.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Realized I never sent you this! Made on the embroidery machine of my local library :) it’s been a mainstay on my jacket for about a year or two now, and thought I’d sent you this while I’m reorganizing my patches again

This is incredible, wow! No pressure, but I’d love to buy a few off of you, if you’re interested. If you are, please send another ask and we can connect.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Jumping to defend my state here because THE FORESTS DIDN'T EAT PEOPLE AND THE CORN FIELDS DIDN'T SPEAK BEFORE 2020! Mr. Norm this state was INCREDIBLY mundane before the jokes about this place. Ohio wasn't a hellscape all the time!

To say it isn't *now* would be a lie be a bald-faced lie but still.

Anyways cheers from Ohio, you should visit sometime!

Ohio has been a blightscape since March 1st, 1803. I've long been a proponent of checking our math on whether Ohio's statehood is somehow extranormal, but no one will believe me. The deleterious nature of Ohio will be revealed in time. You'll see. One day you'll see.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Opinions on dragon taming/keeping?

- ♤

I mean, what dragons do behind closed doors-- no? Too much? Maybe for me, anyway.

Welcome to the community! Please don't touch the dragons. There's not many of them left, and a lot of them are understandably a little sore about the whole "slaying" phase we went through in Europe. Not sure why they stick around. They can go to other planes pretty easily, and ours is a bit boring.

Anyway, those sorts of things are pretty old stereotypes it's not wise to bring up in draconic company. Even some kinds of dragon-adjacent creatures like wyverns are a little controversial to "keep" as pets. Think an ape. Sure, you can keep 'em, but why? A lot of dragons would rather you didn't. Too dangerous and you risk a pretty nasty masquerade/veil disruption fine.

You generally want to leave dragons alone, in my opinion. They'd like it that way. Especially Mr Farrow.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Marine biologist anon here, the shoggoths are no bigger than a dinner plate, and I also contacted some experts to come and remove them. As for whale falls, I do study them from time to time. It's odd how the term whale falls shows up in this weird yellowy color, it didn't used to, but I heard that that means there's a connection to the Sea Beyond our Minds. Is that bad? I mean, He isn't doing anything or speaking to me, but I never saw him before a few weeks ago.

Oh. What? That...that's not normal. The other words showing up as -- hold on, put a pin in that.

I'm actually going to ask you to come in, or at the very least (and this is gonna sound weird) make yourself a faraday cage and sleep in it. Faraday cages can be fairly easily constructed - most hardware stores with an outdoor section sell copper mesh, and it's the work of an afternoon to cut large pieces and wire them together. It'll be a little like sleeping in a thin coffin, but it's better than suddenly waking up and finding yourself where the shadows lengthen.

Not to alarm you, but I have a hunch and I want to nip it before it becomes a larger problem.

Jenny, do me a favor. In my files, under Y, there's a section for the Circle. There'll be a cardboard token. Take it and immediately put it in an envelope. Don't look at it. Take it to the Wharf, find the stand with a yellow ribbon. Give them the envelope and tell them I sent you. They'll give you a fish. Bring it back here, and we're going to the duck pond.

I have someone I need to talk to.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Just as a reminder, I did up all the new posters in the simplified B&W style, and I'm using them for cheaper "budget option" posters in folded-once 11x17 and 8.5x11. They're lower cost ($2 and $5 for now) and cheaper to ship, so it's a good option if you like the designs but can't afford the bigger stuff. They also ship well with the stickers and art cards. You can find the listing for 8.5x11 and folded 11x17s at this link below!

You can also get them in rolled 11x17 for a bit higher shipping cost at this link:

[preservationofnormalcy]

Gods and devils the lot of you! Playing at keeping everyone safe bah, ill have you know that my gran was a true protector! Had a containment circle that needed to be renwed in blood every full moon! None of this bull pucky about technology or AI or nuspheric influence just good old magic!

Woah woah, hold on now. At the Office here, we have a pretty strong policy on giving folk magic and independent thaumaturgical contractors a lot of respect and oversight before we step in. That’s why we had the outreach programs in the 70’s. If you’re old enough you probably remember a lot of the familiar’s rights campaigns after the Fairweather Act, plus the Folk Magic Act of ‘65, the simplified thaumaturgical contractor tax code from the 90’s, I could go on on.

And on a personal note, my dad was…well, a lapsed witch. He still knew his way around a scrying glass. I grew up on the sound of witch bells on the back door. I really still…I miss his teas. Hm.

I’ll grant that the Office doesn’t have the best…track record when it comes to some areas in the country. I’ll never disown that. There’s people out there we hurt, and I’m here to talk about it.

Besides, you ever had mechanical assistance in drawing a containment rune? I’m told it’s handy.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Hi Norm,

Long time no write-in. Is it just us in Jersey or did that S-Cat event cause a lot more Off the Map events? I've got Cryptocartographer guild members reporting an upswing in lost hikers and other slippage from consensus geography.

Either way, we may need to reach out for support in charting those wrinkles in the map.

M.

P.S. It looks like this is sending both off anon and on anon at the same time? The button seems to be showing both states at the same time.

Hey, M.

Funny you mention it - I’m not sure if it’s related to the recent Schrödinger Cat kerfluffle, but I did just get a report across my desk about a new simmed area in the Delaware Water Gap park zone. This one is apparently pretty bad, the pictures are…hard to parse, but I’m seeing a lot of missing textures. Pink and black checkers, so they’re mostly safe. Preaching to the choir here, but be careful for texture popin. Lots of static though, which is more concerning, and not to overstate things, but we’re worried about another Blue Hell. I’m seeing a lot of #0000FF, which makes me very nervous.

Some of these pictures have been provided by your team, so kudos for that, but a gentle reminder that this sort of public-private partnership works when we get the missing persons reports ASAP. Not that I think you’re lollygaging, but I hadn’t heard of missing hikers until you mentioned it.

The account thing is a known issue - OPN helpline website user BlackCatsAndCoffee, you know what you did.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Quick ooc thing: it’s entirely a personal preference thing on my part, and I’ll put this in the FAQ, but try not to include an ooc section of an ask that is otherwise in-universe. I like having most things be completely in universe whenever possible, at a glance you shouldn’t be taken out of the kayfabe. If you need to, you can absolutely send a follow-up with context/an explanation/reminder about a past post you’re referencing. That second one will just be read by us and we don’t have to answer/post it.

If you did recently send an ask with an ooc “section”, you can also feel free to resend it with just the in universe text. If you don’t remember it, send me an ask off anon and I’ll reply with that text privately so you can resend it.

[preservationofnormalcy]

The logo for the Royal Canadian Office for the Esoteric, RCOE, Canada's normality preservation agency. I talk a little about them and their relationship to the OPN here.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Do yall have international branches, or does each country have their own individual organizations that aren't related to each other? Do you keep in touch?

Hello, and welcome to the community!

I only say that because you’re probably new - most people in the extranormal community grow up knowing about the Office here.

The Office for the Preservation of Normalcy is an American institution, but we have pretty strong ties to institutions in other countries. We consider Canada’s Royal Canadian Office for the Esoteric (RCOE) a ‘big sister’ organization as we were founded in 1927 after the appointment of William McKenzie King as PM. There’s Mexico’s Secretariat of Extranormal Resources, and His Majesty’s Esoteric Services in London. BAIK, the Bureau of Anomalous Research and Control, was the USSR’s organization started by the psychic Wolf Messing under Stalin’s oversight, and the RUS IoE took over after the fall of the USSR.

Most counties have their own office like ours, at least in the past hundred years or so. HMES dates to at least the 1700s. I’m sure a few of them are even older, but I’m not actually sure.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Hey, so I’ve been doing research into extranormal stuff (fiction/knowledge acquiring purposes mostly) and I’ve noticed there’s not much consistency in… everything, more or less. You guys seem like experts in this kind of thing, so I was hoping you could help with clarification. And maybe make sure I don’t accidentally include some old prejudice or something offensive.

What I mainly want to know about right now are fae, since it seems impossible to find anything consistent. Was there a specific reason or event that caused the public perception of fairies to shift from the original stories to a disneyfied, Tinkerbell type view? What exactly does it mean when stories mention a fae ‘blinding’ someone? Does that mean literal blindness or simply not being able to see the extranormal anymore? What constitutes as a ‘True Name’? Say if a married woman were to give her maiden name, would that count or would it only apply if she gave the name she got from her husband? If you were to give your deadname or a nickname, would it still count? What exactly does it mean if you do give you True Name? Is the effect partial influence or full control? I remember seeing in a previous answer you gave to someone else that there are laws governing fae food, if I remember correctly, so are there similar laws dictating the use of True Names? I’m rambling, sorry. Also, sorry if anything I said is offensive or incorrect, I just got introduced to this recently. Anyway, have a good day/night! Bye!

-🦉

We think that a lot of the change in the public perception of fae can be attributed to that most powerful of extranormal forces - good old capitalism. Tinkerbell, a sort of heavily humanized and simplified version of a pixie, is inherently more marketable than the vast array of people that fall under that category in the fae community. Of course, some of that transition happened before Walt got his hands on ink, but it’s probably the same drive. Boil a community down to its most basic elements for the purposes of telling a story. The very first marketing. And because of the peculiar interaction between myth and reality, the fae have changed a little bit along with it. Just ask any of the younger generation of fae folk - there’s a big political divide between them and what are colloquially called the ‘Old Court’ fae.

There’s a theory that the first fae were parafictional manifestations from old Celtic oral tradition.

I wouldn’t say that one out loud in mixed company.

Research is still ongoing into ‘true name’ thaumaturgy, but we know a few things. It can also be translated as "heart name," as in, the name you give yourself in your innermost consciousness. Typically, it has to come from you, with intention behind it.

It also has to be a name you genuinely see as yours; if I told someone my deadname, all the intention in the world wouldn't make it my truename. So in your example, it would depend on how the married woman views herself.

The old “may I have your name” scam has a spotty history in actual practice. If you know what you’re doing, it’s easy to circumvent, but fae with malicious intentions will target those not in the know. A lot of it has to do with the intention of the victim. In a strange turn we’ve been seeing it work more often with people primed with the concept.

It's thanks mostly to fake reddit stories about tabletop games, of all things. Consensus shifted.

Hell of a lot of paperwork involved in a nomenclature restitution.

I’d keep in mind that the biggest defense against nomenclature theft is other fae. The North American Seelie Court has taken a pretty hard stance on that since the current Chairfae Jack B Nimble was elected. Our agreement with the NASC is to turn most guilty parties over to them, and we wash our hands of it. The punishment for nomenclature theft is pretty rough, so I hear. Something to do with iron filings.

[preservationofnormalcy]

Now purely hypothetically, let's just say that someone accidentally brought a doll to life. And then the person who brought it to life on accident tried to put it down, so it ran. It looks mostly human, but there's still no organs or anything in it, but it would be thinking, acting, and moving on its own. And let's say that it managed to sneak into the library to reach out to the office. Now the question is, would I have any resources to like have a life or is being hunted down what I should expect from normal people?

Once again, a purely hypothetical question.

I have half a mind to send this to the Hypothetics Department purely on a keyword basis, but I’m picking up on a very subtle underlying message.

Norm, come on, she's scared and alone. I think we can give her a pass on the "In Minecraft.”

I don’t know what that means but I’m apparently very good at context clues and subtlety. Two in a row now.

In all seriousness I wouldn’t leave you hanging. I’m sending your case to Patty in Toyetics. I think you’ll find she’ll be very familiar with the circumstances in your hypothetical. I mean, hopefully you’re not referring to other ‘66 Patty Cakes dolls. It’s entirely possible we didn’t track down all of them.