8.6 KiB
xkcd: Picture a Grassy Field (Randall's Basilisk)
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Author: u/ArgentStonecutter Emergency Mustelid Hologram*
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Score: 61
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Created: 2015-09-25T18:38:54
Post:
Comments:
u/None [+21] (an hour later)
[deleted]
u/ArgentStonecutter [+14] Emergency Mustelid Hologram (an hour later)
u/SvalbardCaretaker [+4] Mouse Army (14 hours later)
I actually know of a memetic hazard that is sometimes capable of producing small amounts of pain that would not have been felt otherwise. No joke!
If you want to know it I can PM it to people.
u/MugaSofer [+5] (21 hours later)
Intriguing, I'll bite. Please PM me.
... we're bad at memetic hazards, aren't we?
EDIT: turns out I already knew that, and have proved immune. Yay me!
u/callmebrotherg [+10] now posting as /u/callmesalticidae (a day later)
Very bad-- it looks like the only thing you'd need to do to kill the Bayesian Conspiracy is set up a roadside sign saying "Five basilisks, free to a good home" and wait for the calls to come in.
u/Chronophilia [+2] sci-fi ≠ futurology (2 days later)
I don't think we qualify as a conspiracy.
Is there something that's the exact opposite of a conspiracy? Where you eagerly tell everyone you can about it?
u/callmebrotherg [+1] now posting as /u/callmesalticidae (2 days later)
Don't think there is such a word, but the structure of the original one very easily suggests "prospiracy", which I like.
u/Bowbreaker [+4] Solitary Locust (15 hours later)
Will you accept requests to PM it to people other than myself?
u/SvalbardCaretaker [+1] Mouse Army (16 hours later)
If those other people message me themselves? The whole point of memetic hazards is to not spread them uncontrolled/without consent.
u/TimTravel [+2] (a day later)
The hazard is piquing people's curiosity about a memetic hazard then vanishing...
u/SvalbardCaretaker [+2] Mouse Army (a day later)
Thats not it. So far I have sent it to 9 people, and actually met an original infectious carrier already!
u/LunarTulip [+1] (19 hours later)
I'd be interested in seeing that. PM it to me, please.
u/None [+1] (20 hours later)
I'd be interested in it. Can you PM me?
u/CarVac [+1] (21 hours later)
Please send it to me.
u/callmebrotherg [+1] now posting as /u/callmesalticidae (a day later)
Sure.
u/gonight [+1] i shouldn't be allowed to change my own flair (a day later)
alright, I'm in. send it to me?
u/fljared [+1] United Federation of Planets (a day later)
... Damn My curiosity. One serving of pain, please.
u/TBestIG [+1] Every second of quibbling is another dead baby (2 days later)
Show me the hazard!
u/obviousdisposable [+1] (2 days later)
Please add me to the list of recipients too.
u/waylandertheslayer [+1] (2 days later)
I'd like to hear the memetic hazard too please
u/None [+1] (3 days later)
I want to know. Pm me pls
u/b_sen [+1] (3 days later)
Now I'm curious and want to test my anti-memetic-hazard systems. PM me!
u/lahwran_ [+1] (12 days later)
if you're still offering this memetic hazard at the price of a reply to this comment, I'd like to see it.
u/Flashbunny [+1] (a month later)
1 month on, I'm going through the top posts of the subreddit and come across this. Could I get a PM?
u/None [+1] (a month later)
[deleted]
u/Flashbunny [+1] (a month later)
Thanks for the reply, you bastard.
Nah, but I am now curious about how my dreams are going to go!
u/SvalbardCaretaker [+1] Mouse Army (a month later)
Oh shit, I wanted to reply in PM. Deleting the offending message, sorry if anyone got Basilisked in the meantime.
u/AE-lith [+1] (3 months later)
I'd be interested too, 3 months late.
u/kuilin [+1] (4 months later)
Did you ever get it?
u/AE-lith [+2] (4 months later)
I did, I can forward you the virus if you'd like
u/kuilin [+1] (4 months later)
Okay, thanks!
u/Magnap [+1] (3 months later)
I'd be interested in that. Do PM me, please!
u/awesomeideas [+1] Dai stiho, cousin. (4 months later)
I'd like the PM with a side of hazard, please!
u/JackStargazer [+2] Primordial Apologist (3 hours later)
[REDACTED!][REDACTED!][REDACTED!]
u/memetichazard [+1] (23 days later)
Wish I'd been here three weeks ago. :P
u/notmy2ndopinion [+10] Concent of Saunt Edhar (6 hours later)
I didn't know Basilisks were small, pale and big-eyed. I always imagined that they were -- oh NO!
u/FaceDeer [+25] (8 hours later)
This is like one of those SCPs where simply knowing it exists means you're screwed.
My favorite example of such. Relatively mild as these things go, I guess, but I love the presentation.
u/I_AM_A_DEMIGOD_REEEE [+2] (8 years later)
Thanks for mentioning SCP
u/blazinghand [+13] Chaos Undivided (5 hours later)
Sounds pretty similar to the ontological argument for the existence of God. Funny.
u/FeepingCreature [+5] GCV Literally The Entire Culture (13 hours later)
Picture a grassy field. In the middle sits a small, pale, big-eyed God...
u/ArgentStonecutter [+17] Emergency Mustelid Hologram (3 minutes later)
Picture a grassy field.
In the center sits a small, pale, big-eyed creature with the power to escape from any visualized scene and move freely through the brain that imagined it.
It glances around nervously and-
-whoops, where'd it go?
Sorry about that! Keep an eye out for it in your daydreams.
u/Anderkent [+35] (32 minutes later)
I knew my inability to visualise things would come in useful someday!
u/FaceDeer [+20] (8 hours later)
But imagine if you could visualize things...
u/tilkau [+7] (14 hours later)
I think his inability to visualize things might possibly get in the way of that ;)
u/FaceDeer [+21] (41 minutes later)
And of course the alt text:
Wait, I can fix this. Picture another field. In the middle sits the only creature the first creature is afraid of. Now just-- wait, where did THAT one go?
u/FeepingCreature [+5] GCV Literally The Entire Culture (13 hours later)
It sounds adorable. I want one. And- oh look! How convenient.
Tbf, I was probably primed to like small, pale, big-eyed creatures by playing a bunch of Ori recently.
u/Chronophilia [+2] sci-fi ≠ futurology (20 hours later)
I think everyone likes small big-eyed creatures. Paleness is an optional extra.
u/DCarrier [+9] (53 minutes later)
I thought it was going to be something that could escape into reality, so I skipped to the end. Then I saw that it was reasonably safe, and read the rest.
u/ArgentStonecutter [+15] Emergency Mustelid Hologram (an hour later)
u/DCarrier [+6] (an hour later)
The alt text of it anyway.
u/Geminii27 [+7] (10 hours later)
Ah, but the ability of the basilisk to brain-travel is dependent on its form being maintained by the brain it is in. If the brain is not actively thinking about it (i.e. it's thinking about literally anything else), then the basilisk cannot travel as it lacks incarnation. It may also wind up lacking agency permanently if it is forgotten about.
u/resurrexia [+3] stupiditynowofferswisdom (9 hours later)
So... How many Basilisks do we have now?
u/traverseda [+6] With dread but cautious optimism (22 hours later)
None
u/None [+3] (18 hours later)
Whatever it was, it was pinned down and eaten pretty quickly by the other things that live in my head.
u/historymaking101 [+1] (4 hours later)
I like it.
u/Sgtbird08 [+1] (2 months later)
Can someone explain this to me? I've imagined the thing, but I am reaching no conclusions about what I was supposed to figure out.