[LawrenceParticipant]

I certainly think you are on to something, Tyson.

If I can get art-critic-wonky on everyone for a moment, way back in college we read an essay called “The Aesthetics of the Popular Arts” by Abraham Kaplan. What he did was to distinguish “popular art” that surrounds us daily with “high art” and list the criteria for it. I consider TENSION to be a work of high art because it satisfies all of these criteria. To that end, Tyson, some of the things you point out fall right into those criteria. In short, you have put something into the aesthetic experience and it has given something back to you that is utterly unique.

[For those interested in this kind of gobbledegook: https://www.jstor.org/stable/427970?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents%5D

[LawrenceParticipant]

Did it contain a golden ticket?

[LawrenceParticipant]

I feel a strange urge to refill my Rx of Cyanokit….

[LawrenceParticipant]

But you raise an interesting perceptual question. At the center of this experience is the question: what is truth?

There is objective truth: 2+2=4

It is the subjective truth, our individual truth, that we are constantly in search of. That truth broadens and deepens over time.

[LawrenceParticipant]

I just remembered!

On my second visit, after I failed to remember my first processor’s name, Simon sent me to Gayle’s desk. He was busting my balls and said, “You’ll be over there, with GAYLE”. I got snarky and asked, “With a Y?” He said, “With a Y, and an E”.

Oh. Plot point? Perhaps!

Now, I must tell you that she was a very compassionate woman. After asking me the usual personal questions, she said she wanted to go back to one of the relationships she had asked about. We talked about that a bit, and she was very kind and compassionate in discussing it. That seemed rather out of place for TENSION, so now putting 2 and 2 together….perhaps that is, in fact, Gayle Jones.

[LawrenceParticipant]

We know that WE are obsessed! LOL.

I would actually not even be certain about anything. For all we know, there is a whole other level of story we haven’t even seen yet.

[LawrenceParticipant]

Crappity crap — something came up. I’m not certain I can come. Argh!

[LawrenceParticipant]

11/6 — 3rd Visit — Desperation sets in. The walls are crumbling.

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

My 3rd visit was consistent with what others have reported with two exceptions.

1) They dragged out “Thomas Barrow” who desperately tried to convince Addison that he was her father. That was not working and Samson and OSDM Guy were REALLY UNHAPPY.

Simon threw me into the hallway outside the Red Room. Sadie — an Asian handler is a black cloak and hood — had me follow her through the complex. I passed The Butcher, who I have never encountered, and she took me into the parking lot and told me to wait.

2) Meanwhile, the 9PM group had been released and was dressing and talking and they noticed me standing there, and went DEAD QUIET and started watching. Sadie returned and stood in front of me. We had a 10-15 minute whispered conversation, during which time the van was loaded up.

Sadie told me The Suit is Samson’s boss.
She asked who “the man” was in the White Room (Thomas).
I tried to explain that I didn’t think this was her real father — Sabrina’s father — and this seemed to really upset her.
This led to me to a difficult decision….
Sabrina/Addison is starting to remember who she was.
The others will have to remember to, at some point.

And, well, it releases a retrovirus into the OOA. A virus called The Truth.

I decided on breaking the bad news, in the most compassionate and kind way that I could.

That this whole thing is an illusion — that we are all pawns of OSDM.
That Addison is Sabrina. That “Sadie” isn’t her real name — she’s an actress with a different name. That we are all inside a box constructed by Samson.
There’s a world outside, and that we, The One, will take of her and the others when the walls come down.
Because they are coming down.

That did not go over spectacularly well.
I kinda sorta gave her a nervous breakdown….

Security Guy said firmly, “Time’s up. Get in”.
I gave Sadie a hug, and reassured her that The One would take care of her and the others.

Got into the van. Door slammed. Silence.
Then, in perhaps the best beat of comic timing ever, a gal asks, “Soooooo….what was that?”

I made sure not to give away anything…

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by  Lawrence.

[LawrenceParticipant]

I don’t know if it was intentional…but it must have been…on my first visit, one of our group received the clothes of the planted dead Oracle instead of his own. This included his phone. We spent 5 minutes trying to figure out the iPhone’s code then realized it may have actually been a mistake and stopped because we didn’t want to accidentally permanently lock his phone. The security guy called in on his walkie and the rest of us got into the van.

Was anyone else taken back into the locker room after they’d already been in the white room?

[LawrenceParticipant]

Hey! Did anybody else, on their first visit, get their hand marked with some black marker? I have no idea what it said but I only just now remembered it!

[LawrenceParticipant]

We’re a community. Let us never be hard-headed or hard-hearted.

[LawrenceParticipant]

There is no “saving”. It is not anyone’s job to save another.

We serve the Truth. She and everyone else must decide upon their Truth, and our role is to aid them in that quest should they require it.

The Greek Gods sent people and gifts to aid the Heroes in their quests. For those of us who experienced something in the Red Room that aided in our quest, now we are but tools of the Gods to aid others….but they must choose to utilize us if they are so moved.

[LawrenceParticipant]

I purchased 150,000 contracts of the Popcorn Futures for January delivery.

[LawrenceParticipant]

I think this whole thing is a ruse, and Sabrina is at the center. She was what Samson and OSDM built the entire data collection scheme around, brainwashed all the actors to believe in the OOA, and got us to attend for and become attached to. As this falls apart, they had to pull him in to keep the ruse alive. His only concern was convincing Addison alone.

You may be right about The Suit but he was shouting at Samson so I think that is his role. I think they would say that in regards to their grand plan for one of two reasons. Either because the whole thing is, in fact, worthless and The Suit is a hothead who popped his top. Or there is yet another level for which this is all just a cover.

One last thing to highlight —

SADIE WAS AMAZING. I’m not kidding — this was a 10-12 minute scene between the two of us, and I don’t think anyone expected it to go on that long. It was cold out in the parking lot. I was in short sleeves. The van backed right up to us as it arrived, at a surprisingly high rate of speed, inches from running both of us down and neither of us flinched because WE DID NOT CARE. We were both deep into this scene. [Thank you, amazing stunt driver!] I didn’t even notice the 9PM group getting loaded into it.

The scary bearded Security Guy appeared around the side of the van. I guess I subconsciously noticed this, because I moved closer to her and our whispers got even quieter. He did not interrupt the scene. He waited for what seemed like a natural conclusion before demanding I get in.

She rolled with the improvisation as only a gifted actor (as they ALL are, truly, unbelievable) could. This was textbook improvisational work, and I could SEE and FEEL the panic set in as she realized what I was telling her. Her tears and shaking were real. I felt horrible having to break this news to her. As with every other actor in there, we’ve been privileged to be in the presence of actors who are at the top of their game at very young ages, thanks also to skillful writing and direction. I’ve sat through countless auditions for years and years, and never could have assembled a cast like this.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by  Lawrence.

[LawrenceParticipant]

xoxoxo

[Author]

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