And they shall have content wherever they go.

[glinda_w]

Sounds like Haf's parents moved to the DC area?

[Cole]

Oh, Chaz . . . *sniff* I think Chaz needs this, and I'm glad it seems that they accepted him into their group. On the other hand, I can't say that I entirely disagree with celticelk's point either. ECR . . .

[Lioness]

And from a psychological standpoint, and from a human decency standpoint, for Chaz to be included among the survivors is the only thing to do. Dear gods, who else has survived that much?

I wonder if Brady would attend, if he knew about it.

And it's damn useful to remind him that he is a survivor, to remind him that he's not a monster.

With full ECR, I feel compelled to point out that the one does not preclude the other. Especially given what we know about the Anomaly, or what we hypothesize at least.

[DavidG]

Is anyone else thinking that this is a catastrophe waiting to happen? All of these people have been up-close and traumatic with gammas, which suggests that many or all of them are carrying the first-stage inoculation.

OTOH: Casey Ramachandran seems to be part of the group, and there's probably no one better to spot the psychological slide towards gamma-hood. And from the opposite point of view, without a survivor's network there's no one to notice if some survivor is sitting there, allowing the festering memories to drive them down the path into the paranoid/obsessive ideation we saw with Hafs

OTGH: This is the PTB we're discussing. Cursed by the gods doesn't begin to cover it!

[tylik]

And if the support group is a catastrophe waiting to happen, then the WTF is kind of the Bermuda Triangle of protential gamma-dom.

[Emma Bull]

Which Reyes has worried about (and I'd cite the conversation, but I can't find it right now). So, does the thing you worry about never happen? Or does it increase the chance that it'll happen, and you'll spot it in time? Or none of the above?

[Lioness]

"Do open windows keep the rain away?
Do open eyes keep the ghosts at bay?
I thought an open door would bring you in
Now I guess I'm gonna have to guess again"

-- John Ritter, "Open Door"

[metropolis22786]

Which Reyes has worried about (and I'd cite the conversation, but I can't find it right now). So, does the thing you worry about never happen? Or does it increase the chance that it'll happen, and you'll spot it in time? Or none of the above?

I think that that is quite possibly the scariest aspect of the job that Reyes has to deal with. Ignore the crazy, physics-defying mass-murderers and the horrors that would keep most people up at night. If the Anomaly is a disease, and exposure will either kill or cure (and I'm really not trying to be punny here), then who do you watch first, and what signs do you look for?

And how do you deal with the knowledge that you brought them on board with the WTF, and possibly exposed them to it?

[DavidG]

And how do you deal with the knowledge that you brought them on board with the WTF, and possibly exposed them to it?

Or is it a deliberate honey-trap, where Reyes created the conditions for other people to think they had initiated it ...

UNSUBs inject themselves into investigations, Idlewood is the one point of access into the WTF for those who've encountered the anomaly in the wild. It's difficult to tell if they're coming to Idlewood because they care for their incarcerated family member, or because they see a way inside, but not so difficult if they interacting within a support group in which Casey Ramachandaran just happens to be present.

[antongarou]

Does anyone know when is the next content scheduled?It has been three weeks and my brain needs its SU fix

[kakiphony]

Currently published date is December 4. But you know how pesky those Holiday Special pre-emptions can be.

[jimsmyth]

Currently published date is December 4. But you know how pesky those Holiday Special pre-emptions can be.

I already have my DVR set to record Reindeer on ICE! the following Sunday.  I hope they don't reschedule it.

[DavidG]

I think that that is quite possibly the scariest aspect of the job that Reyes has to deal with. Ignore the crazy, physics-defying mass-murderers and the horrors that would keep most people up at night. If the Anomaly is a disease, and exposure will either kill or cure (and I'm really not trying to be punny here), then who do you watch first, and what signs do you look for?

<Self-fulfilling prophecy>Yourself and paranoia</Self-fulfilling prophecy>

And the scary thing is that Reyes has thought this through and has prepped Chaz to take him out when the moment comes....

[stardreamer]

And yet, the information leaks. The Idlewood staff has to talk, at least some, with the families, so that the measures being taken to contain (and care for) their loved ones make some kind of sense. But there are other survivors, who don't maintain any connection with officialdom, who are connecting on the internet. And there is connection between these groups.

Information wants to be free.

...and meanwhile, there are now places for the friends and loved ones of more recent gammas to go, as they try to understand what is happening. Which could be the best thing ever for our team, especially for what I suspect is Reyes' vision of the team - a lot more room to get in there early and intervene before you get to a massive pile of bodies. The best thing ever, anyway, if you don't care about secrecy.

Celentano can't stop it. He can control the official end, but not this. The word is going to get out -- slowly, and IMO in a way that's less likely to trigger a massive panic -- and this may have repercussions for both good and ill. I certainly know a few drama queens IRL who'd be delighted to stumble over something like this to add to their tinfoil-hat list, and that's a negative. But it's long been established that support groups can be a great help for survivors of any sort of trauma, so that's a positive.

[eschatonic]

And yet, the information leaks. The Idlewood staff has to talk, at least some, with the families, so that the measures being taken to contain (and care for) their loved ones make some kind of sense. But there are other survivors, who don't maintain any connection with officialdom, who are connecting on the internet. And there is connection between these groups.

Information wants to be free.

...and meanwhile, there are now places for the friends and loved ones of more recent gammas to go, as they try to understand what is happening. Which could be the best thing ever for our team, especially for what I suspect is Reyes' vision of the team - a lot more room to get in there early and intervene before you get to a massive pile of bodies. The best thing ever, anyway, if you don't care about secrecy.

Celentano can't stop it. He can control the official end, but not this. The word is going to get out -- slowly, and IMO in a way that's less likely to trigger a massive panic -- and this may have repercussions for both good and ill. I certainly know a few drama queens IRL who'd be delighted to stumble over something like this to add to their tinfoil-hat list, and that's a negative. But it's long been established that support groups can be a great help for survivors of any sort of trauma, so that's a positive.

I'd have to agree with this. Slow release is the best way possible. Eventually, when it hits the news, police departments in major cities kind of nod and say,"yeah it's really scary, but it happened here once and we called the ACTF and it got dealt with." Nothing to see here, please move along.

And of course, when you dig up the families and victims, they say, oh yeah, please join our support group.

So eventually they get to Nikki, who gives the media the new updated talking points: We Have A Procedure, We Have A Support Group, This Is A Known Problem. I mean, you can still spin that into a Terrifying Threat Be Very Afraid with Bonus! Sinister Government Conspiracy. But it's harder.