Phenomenon 43

River, Eden… of course they know things we don't know…
But they also know things we can't know.


~ Overseer B
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An example of information that can cause Phenomenon 43, censored.

Description


Phenomenon 43 refers to the tendency for certain important information pertaining to the inner workings of the Backrooms to break human minds. Information that causes this phenomenon apparently varies, and its specifics are unknown by nearly all living humans.

The General Public Database does contain some information that causes Phenomenon 43. If you are an entity of human-level sapience, please view these pages at your own risk:

For reasons that are likely unknowable, as such information is likely to trigger Phenomenon 43 itself, this information persists on the Database after being added until the physical server blade containing it is destroyed or unplugged. The data cannot be deleted by digital means — this usually causes the device attempting the operation to fail, sometimes permanently. For example, more than 3 computers owned by the M.E.G. have had capacitors leak suddenly when the deletion is attempted, and a further 2 computers have had their hard disk drives fail.

Prevention


This phenomenon is difficult to prevent, as it is difficult to ascertain what knowledge is going to cause the phenomenon ahead of time. The M.E.G. has created a protocol for their researchers to follow while gathering information about the Backrooms' nature, which one might find useful:

The M.E.G. Research Department
Guide: How to avoid learning mind-breaking information.


  1. If one experiences acute headaches during the research of a topic relating to the nature of the Backrooms, take a break. If the headache does not fade over the course of 2 hours, seek clearance from the head of the Research Branch before continuing your studies.
  2. If one finds information to be incomprehensible, viscerally disturbing in a manner which is difficult to describe, or otherwise beginning to erode one's mind, cease research immediately and refrain from uploading your findings to the General Public Database.
  3. When researching the pantheon of The Lost, use secondary sources such as scrolls or manuscripts, or consult Lady Blanche. Do not research such topics independently without explicit Overseer clearance.
  4. Do not read the writing of the Pillar Scribe.
  5. Use your better judgment and ask for help if you need it.

This information is to be made available to all researchers, preferably in a spot where it can be referred to consistently.
M.E.G. Records - Furthering Humanity

Log File


This log, like much of this file, is courtesy of the M.E.G.

Info:
Log Date: Mar 17 2023, 8h21pm
Experiment Purpose:
Every human exposed to this image thus far has succumbed to the effects of the poorly understood Phenomenon 43. This experiment aims to gauge how much of the file can be viewed before one succumbs to its effects.
Method:
The image is loaded slowly on to the screen over the course of an hour, pixels drawn randomly from the image until the entire image is visible. A viewer sits in a chair and watches the image be drawn. This version of the image was 200x200px


Summary:


Result:
For the time being, the subject has been in the Hub. All he has said is that he is looking for The Keymaster. Overseer advisory pending on the best course of action.


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