A hypothetical, and unlikely, situation II.

[Quincunx]

A stranger calls, pleading for your attention. This person, who you are certain you've never met before in your life, insists that your memories have been altered to exclude the speaker. The stranger knows details about your life that you have kept locked in a safe-deposit box, incidents of which you spoke to no living soul, and generally knows you better than your best friend does. What do you do? Do you believe?

*****

A hypothetical, and unlikely, situation. One would hope (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138128): in which you have been dumped in your local capital city intact, but seemingly erased from the timeline. Many people said that they'd try to forge a new link to their old relationships by convincing other people that they did, in fact, once have a history. . .

[rezplz]

Hm. I don't actually have any incidents that I haven't spoken of to a single living soul. But, for the sake of this little exercise I'll assume I have a few dark secrets.

I wouldn't believe him right away - but I'd start to get paranoid. I'd look for documentation of early things in my life that I can remember - and then I'd remember that my memory was always ****ty and what I do remember of my childhood was all in bits and pieces. So then I'd get more paranoid, and try to get this guy to tell me what's going on. If he really did know so many things about me, my first instinct would be to assume he's just a stalker, but I could probably start to half-believe.


The second one, where I wake up and nobody remembers me at all? That would be tough, since I wouldn't have even a social security number. I wouldn't be able to do much of anything since everything requires documentation. I guess after my week's worth of food and such runs out, I'd check myself into a mental hospital. If I'm remembering people but they don't remember me, I'd just assume I was going crazy.

[SDF]

Hang up and promise myself I'll never get drunk in Reno again.

[reorith]

in order to get some answers, i'd have them meet me somewhere. if they know me as well as they think they do, they'll know the various precautions i'd take and which of my cohorts i'd rely on for some additional support, and will respond accordingly as we try to set things straight and hopefully i can be their sidekick on an adrenaline fueled tale of vengeance, betrayal, and blood. during the conversation, i'll use idioms and syntax to alter my manner of speaking and see how they react.

and if it appears they're scrubbing with me, i'll scrub them back and it won't be pretty.

[Icewalker]

Assuming they aren't aggressive or any such thing, talk to them, get to know em, see if they're a reasonable person, and hear their story. I'd probably never decide whether or not to believe their story for sure, but assuming we get along, would probably end up friends with em.

[Ichneumon]

I'd demand him/her to tell me how they know this stuff about me. I'd get very angry too.

[toasty]

I'd panic. That's my default response to almost any stressful situation. I'd probably try to figure out some way to tell my parents (since I still live with them... they should know). Depending on their advice I would ask for a meeting at a neutral, public location (Coffee World sounds good...). Of course, I'd also have to be fighting my panic and my anger and someone knowing stuff I'd never told anyone. I'd probably also freak out and emote over facebook and blogger, which would get the attention of people I don't see that often but trust and I'd take their advice.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

I would destroy them to ensure that certain secrets remain secret.

[MethosH]

Damn! If he knows that I freaking belive anything! He could be a talking rabit I would still belive him! :smalleek:

[Jack Squat]

Well, if I didn't hang up on them before they said info about me, I'd just dismiss them as crazy.

If they were able to give any personal info about me that I haven't stuck on the Internet, I'd think they're less crazy, but still be suspicious. I'd ask to meet up with them, giving them a location I can surveil from. I'd then call them and get them to move to another area - this ensures that I'll be able to catch to see if anyone's following them. If someone is, I cut off contact, if not, I'll meet with the person, having back-up of my own. I'll try to find out how they know what they know, and go from there.

[ScIaDrd]

I would secretly notify the police. Then I would go to whereever that stranger is and first try to spy on him, and find out as much info about him as I can, and refer my findings to the police. Them after some three weeks´ pause I ask the police what they dicovered, and the I would go meet that stranger and play along with whatever game he´s dragged me into. (As long as it wouldn´t go against my quite NG moral fiber, of course) And I would have the police watch me and my meetings with the Man whenever possible. Now let me watch as my new future unfolds :smalltongue::smallconfused:

[Adlan]

How fascinating.

Just for this procedure, I have certain information which only I would know, while it's concivable, by reading my writings and records, many aspects of my life, like army number, childhood and stories, are availible. But certain things are not.

I could concive of my reactions to this event.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Ignore him just like I ignore most other people.

[Slayn82]

Yes, i would probably believe, provided that person was one of the few actually relevant persons in my life, s/he would know me reasonably well enought to convince me to at least meet in some public place.

Mostly by describing to me my own way of thinking, something that i only explained to those close people, and that has been with me since very little. If made right, it would convince me that at the worst, it would be a prank by one of those persons.

[Kaelaroth]

Arrange to meet somewhere public and bright where my screams will be heard, if they're provoked. Weapons will be stored, if only in the forms of kitchen knives, sharp and shining, in my coat pockets.
Whoever this is may prove dangerous.

[Telonius]

If the person really does know things that I haven't told anyone, one of two things has happened. 1, they really are who they say they are. 2, They are a member of some government agency/secret society/alien race that has the resources and will to find absolutely everything about me that can possibly be found out. In either case, it would be in my interests to at least appear to believe them. If they're for real, I've found a lost friend. If not, I at least get to be involved in an adventure.

[Eldritch Knight]

I'd ask them to provide the answer to the following code phrase: "In 2009, what event triggered me to have a minor mental breakdown, and what did I do afterward?". If they can give the correct answer, with an accurate description, then I'd believe them.

[ghost_warlock]

I may as well believe them. Hell, I'd pretty much have to go along with whatever they say considering they apparently have some pretty hefty blackmail material. :smalleek:

[Syka]

I, quite probably, would believe them. It might take a bit, but I probably would. There was a situation when I was in middle school, which I'm certain that I remember correctly, where I befriended a new kid. After about a week, he was gone. No one, literally not a single person- not a teacher who had him in my class nor my friend who had shown him to that class- recalled him when I inquired about what had happened a couple weeks after he stopped coming to school.

I KNOW I met the kid, and to this day I wonder what happened. That, right there, is enough for me to give someone at least a chance to convince me. Pretty much the only people who'd probably be able to prove it to me would either by my mom, Oz, and my sister.

[Mando Knight]

I would agree to meet him in person in a public area. The things I keep to myself, I keep to myself. If this person has knowledge of those things, he's from an alternate dimension, and I must investigate... for SCIENCE!

[Atelm]

I'm quite certain I wouldn't believe them, not straight away at least.

However, I'd be immensely curious about this person and would simply have to investigate further. Arrange to meet somewhere, and see what happens.

[Hell Puppi]

I'd probably think "Finally something interesting!" and go meet them and depending on how it went formulate a plan from there. Depending upon what they knew and who they talked about would give me a better idea of who they were and if this could potentially be bad.

[Kneenibble]

I have to admit.
Upon learning this person is totally off the grid and unknown to anybody, I would be not entirely untempted to kill and eat them. Especially given their intimate personal knowledge of me: it would be sweeter that way.

But given that I'm also a sucker for listening to homeless people's crazy and probably made-up stories with their sad eyes, I would definitely have to go hear the person out.

I would believe them more than I wanted to. Then the annoyance with myself, transferred onto them, and then maybe the cannibalism.

[Dr. Bath]

Remind me not to.. know stuff about you. Or burn myself in your vicinity.

I guess I'd listen, but according to the original hypothetical, there would be inconsistancies so I doubt I'd believe them much.

[chiasaur11]

Depends on the details. If they hit the "Yeah, I'd tell someone, maybe, but I haven't" box?

I might go for some kind of followup.

[Syka]

Remind me not to.. know stuff about you. Or burn myself in your vicinity.

I guess I'd listen, but according to the original hypothetical, there would be inconsistancies so I doubt I'd believe them much.

For me, it depends on the person. Oz is the only one I can think of who knows stuff that no one else does, upon whom the stuff did not involve in anyway. They were there before him and would be without him, so he'd have an easier time getting back in.

It probably would be more difficult for my mom and sister; possible but still difficult (ya know, with the whole having spent my whole life around them, NOTHING doesn't involve them).

[Quincunx]

There's a difference between people guessing from observations in order to make insights, which is safe and unobtrusive, and people who insist they know more about me than what I have told anyone, none of whom have had my best interests in mind. If they weren't being aggressive about reeling off the facts, I'd at least tell them this before cutting them off and taking minor precautions to never let them interact with me again. (Better luck on the next call. Heck, if the caller listened, the faint praise may even become true.) If the caller began to fling truenames at me, speaking Yri* more or less, I realize I'm dealing with someone on a similar wavelength but much further out on the insane end of the spectrum; I make arrangements to get some pen and paper or other artistic medium into the caller's hands before uprooting myself and mine and fleeing, because if we think alike with death and dreams as the morals, and dreams don't suffice, I'm in danger.

*Reward for the reference is the reference. . .

[Trog]

A stranger calls, pleading for your attention. This person, who you are certain you've never met before in your life, insists that your memories have been altered to exclude the speaker. The stranger knows details about your life that you have kept locked in a safe-deposit box, incidents of which you spoke to no living soul, and generally knows you better than your best friend does. What do you do? Do you believe?

Well I'd be a bit shocked at first and wonder if this person was some sort of stalker of some kind. It kind of depends on the information they give, really. Certain things are more private than others. But if this person were listing off things in my life that only someone who had been present in my life over a long period of time would know (and only if they were, in fact, present at these events) then I would probably say something along the lines of:

"Okay, so you seem to know a lot about me and it would appear that although I do not remember you at all, you seem to have been present at various times in my life. The question I have for you is why? Why has this happened? How does someone benefit from either doing government-level spying on me for decades or from altering my brain so that I specifically inconvenience only you? Neither option makes much sense so tell me what you know about why this happened.

Until there can be a reasonable answer to either of those two questions I must write you off as someone not looking out for my best interests. So the burden of proof of you being in my life is on you. You have two minutes. Afterward, no matter what your answers, I will be in contact with the police to report you as a dangerous and mentally unstable stalker. Your two minutes start now."

After two minutes I hang up, check my caller ID, call the police and report this strange incident in case I am in any danger and ask them what they think I should do to make sure myself and my family is safe from a potential stalker wacko.

[TheBST]

A stranger calls, pleading for your attention. This person, who you are certain you've never met before in your life, insists that your memories have been altered to exclude the speaker. The stranger knows details about your life that you have kept locked in a safe-deposit box, incidents of which you spoke to no living soul, and generally knows you better than your best friend does. What do you do? Do you believe?


I'd call the police.

Firstly, I'm pretty sure amnesia, as a medical conditon, is not that precise. Also, wouldn't my friends/family remember someone who had that much personal information on me? Or have their memories been erased too? Well, that would require a device that can not only erase memories, but do it with the precision required to only erase one person.

The person's obviously been spying on me and has a screw loose. I'd call in the fuzz.

[Korith]

Try to trip them up into admitting that they're really a time traveller.

[RandomNPC]

beleive, and sugest they do as i would have done if it happened to me. Hunt down one of americas masked crime fighters and start learning. after learning from all six find the biggest crime problems that don't already have a crime fighter and go all out with the crime fighting.

[RobotPerfomance]

well I would be very freaked out.
I guess I would keep testing their knowledge to see how far it goes. Then maybe try to figure out if there is any reason why this had happened. I would be skeptical until there was some evidence that this had happened. I mean you can't just erase a life without leaving a trace right?

[ForzaFiori]

I'd believe him if he could tell me all the really dark secrets, and give me an at least somewhat plausible reason for why I don't remember him.