The Rules of Inclusion: Joining The Web

Lifting The Veil

Disclaimer: If you are an Atheist, please don't be insulted. I think we can poke a little fun at ourselves every now and again, and it makes alot of sense in this particular fictional world. I hope I dont offend, but if do, I'm sorry.

"Listen Paul: I have some really important work I need to be doing," Milla began, "I can only explain it. I can't understand it for you. Trust me I wish I could."
"Then why bother?" Paul replied, "what do you gain out of easing me in?"
Milla let out a sigh, "Nothing at all. Well that's not true. I get a clear conscience."
"Ok, one more time then," Paul said, "so monsters are real and that was summoned by a cult?"
"Yes." She replied, rubbing her fingers in circles on her temple
"but... There's no such thing as god. How-"
Camilla cut him off, raising her voice as the headache kicked in, "Lord give me strength..."

The rules of inclusion are an unspoken and unwritten set of rules that members of The Web are expected to follow. These rules focus on ushering in those who recently acquired The Candlelight to The Web, especially if they gain Candlelight through the agents of the web.
Candlelight is a very curious thing. Most people in the civilian population remain ignorant. They fail to notice the creatures just outside of their vision. They may even fail to just see the person in front of them who saved their life. When confronted with evidence, most people just don't want the truth.

Most encounters will end with the civilian completely forgetting the event took place, if they saw it at all. Sometimes, however, a civilian will remember, sparking Candlelight and taking their first steps in a much more terrifying world.

Inclusion

The rules are fairly simple and straightforward:

• If you are noticed and remembered by anyone in the general population, you are expected to guide them into the world of the web, and help them get used to the candlelight.

• You can offer the option of forgetting, though the individual must be willing to forget in order for things like Psychic Surgery and Bliss to work.

• What happens when the individual has become a fully-fledged member of the web is entirely up to the new member. Up to this point, they are the mentors responsibility, but they cannot be forced to join the organization of their mentor.

Origin

No one knows exactly where the rules came from or how long they've been around but the earliest recorded evidence marks them being used as far back as ancient Egypt, where a particular group of soldiers held similar rules regarding those who were allowed to join their ranks.
These sets of rules would be adopted by elite Spartan squads in ancient Greece which were later adopted in ancient Rome, working their way around the world in various groups until, the web adopted the same set of rules with minor tweaks. As an example, they removed the requirement for various hazing rituals that were neither required to be included nor healthy to the victim's psyche.
While it is usually discouraged, it's the only way they could get new recruits. This idea would branch all the way into the modern-day where many people in the web see it as a necessary evil. There are many bad outcomes that can occur simply by leaving someone to their own devices.

Hitting The Wall

There are numerous ways to usher an individual into The Web depending on what organization you are in, if you are part of an organization at all. The key to success depends heavily from one person to another. Some are easier to usher into the web than others. Many equate the process of inclusion to beating your head against a wall until it inevitably cracks and breaks under the pressure. While some may find the candlelight sparks immediately, others take weeks, to months, to even years before the candle officially lights.

These particular individuals are those who are scientifically minded, naturally skeptical, and atheistic. When used in the context the web the term atheist refers to all of these people even if they do have religious tendencies. A skeptical Buddhist, religious Scientist, and standard atheists are all considered atheists to those in The Web, as all of them will refuse to believe.
Atheism is a natural counter to Candlelight, and if one begins to lift the veil, they may spend an untold amount of time in limbo, a very dangerous place to be. Those who are religious or spiritual find it easier to believe things they don't understand, things that cannot explain or prove, and most importantly, things that must be taken on faith to be factual. A priest who witnesses a monster will say "demon" and be done with it, ready to take up the fight. This doesn't make them right, of course, but the transition is easier and quicker, making it less dangerous. For the record: its not always about religion. The easiest people to usher into The Web are Nihlists and Agnostics, but age is another if many factors. The youger you are, the easier it is.

"No, sir," milla said, "I'm not trying to get you to believe in a God of any kind. Even if I was, I know that won't work. I could go give god a call and bring him before you in all his divine glory, and what," she paused widened her eyes and quickly recomposed herself, "you'd deny it. Doesn't matter why. You'd deny him cause his shoes just aren't the shoes god would wear. Maybe you can't fathom that god could be a middle aged woman, or a giant ball of light, it doesn't matter."
"Than what are you trying to do?" Paul said, his voice just as high as hers was.
"I'm just trying to explain that this particular monster exists," she pointed, "this one right here, the one that damn near killed you, its a thing and there are others like it."
"But you mentioned a cult," Paul said, crossing his arms.
"Yes, a local cult summoned it," Camilla replied.
"Gods don't exist though,"
Camilla screamed in frustration, reaching her hands out as if to strike him before forcing them to her side, "how about this. cults don't need to worship a god. They worship normal people all the time. If one of those 'normal people' had a pet monster, is that more believable?"

...and if I say no?

There are many reasons why saying no is not really the best option for inclusion. While no one is going to enforce these rules, they may think less of you, as it was likely you're fault they gained the candlelight. No one's going to hunt you down to punish you for your perceived crime, but you very well may have blood on your hands.

Refusing inclusion results in one or more of the following

• The Candlelight unintentionally spreads to others connected to that individual which is particularly common in cases where atheists gain the candlelight. If this occurs, any number of these reasons can happen again.

• The candlelight is still visible even though it is not fully lit and creatures will hunt the individual despite the fact that the individual has no idea it exists yet.

• Several mental disorders can occur due to the stress and Trauma constantly trying to light the candle can cause.

• Without inclusion, the web will inevitably decrease in population which makes the already difficult fight even more so.

Controversial Fact: Atheism and The Web

Let me make it clear: It's not that atheists are wrong. The Candlelight has trouble with their brain. The very concept of atheism is paradoxical to The Web, a place where there are many unknowns and unknowables taken on faith. The scientific method almost disintegrates when coupled with many elements of the world beneath because it is an entirely different breed of study. An entirely different way of perceiving reality needed to be discovered before any real progress could be made.
The Alexandrian University has proven time and time again that there is such a thing as an unanswerable question. With Oxenfree's assistance, they collaborated with versions of the University across the multiverse that were leaps and bounds ahead of them and still found questions that simply cannot be answered. They have petitioned metaphysical beings as to the nature of reality and the afterlife and were met with little more than a shrug. If these things could be answered they should be able to find an alternate reality where the question is answered. They have yet to do so
Another interesting discovery is how the atheist's mind works very differently when confronted with the candlelight. Most undergo a form of transformation as the brain literally rewires itself. An atheistic mind, on the other hand, lights up like a christmas tree as they desperately search for a reasonable explanation. The brain rewires much slower. When encountering the prestige they will call it smoke and mirrors, when meeting a monster they will desperately try to figure out where on the tree of life it fits.