LOADING...

[recollecters]

[ At 9PM on the 1st, all phones or Retrospec-enabled devices will show flickering screens, until a static-filled image appears. It seems to be a security camera shot, in black and white from a high angle, of a simple computer room. Inside is Joanne Wiseman who many of the users may recognize - she looks young, blonde curls loose around her shoulders, and she also looks tired still. A young man who looks only slightly older than her comes in. He's dark-haired with a sweater and glasses, but a white labcoat that matches hers as well. Maurice comes over to stand nearby, watching the screen Joanne is looking at. Neither of them seem to realize they're being recorded. Joanne looks up, and speaks first. ] Did R and D know anything? [ Maurice shakes his head, says: ] No. They can't track them down either - it's almost as if... [ Joanne: ] They have to be somewhere. [ Maurice: ] Jim's trying to figure it out. You know we don't have anyone better at...ah, "creative" solutions? [ Joanne: ] No, I know, just...what if their souls are just, just - [ Maurice: ] I don't think they're gone. I mean - well, they're gone, but I don't think they're gone? You remember August, the one before last. They're, uh, pretty tough? [ Joanne: ] We're usually able to at least try to help them when we can, though! [ Maurice: ] Jo - look, we're doing everything we can. We'll find them. [ Joanne: ] Before they do? [ Maurice: ] Right. I mean...we have to, don't we? [ They both look worried. Before they do was said with a certain inflection - and hey, Retrospec. It looks like the employees have lost track of you for the month. How do you feel about that one? ] As of this post, character usernames are back to being their own names - or rather, characters will be prompted to put in their name as a boot screen loads. Now's your chance to change your preferred name, Retrospecters - but it appears whatever you put in will be locked in as your choice. Hope you didn't put in something ridiculous! Please feel free to use this post as a network mingle. Every toplevel can be considered a new post, and threadjacking is permitted. No NPC response will be given. As a friendly reminder, you may also claim one of this month's freebie by submitting a thread from this mod post. This thread must be 10 comments from you and submitted before AC closes.

Comments

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa JAMES YOU'RE OK.

[frostythehitman]

yeah i'm ok
but i deserve an award after that tbh
someone better make me a ribbon that says "i survived the prison monster mash thunderdone"

1/2

[standalonehuman]

2/2

[standalonehuman]

I even remembered to make it red, that's sufficiently gothy, right?

[frostythehitman]

don't get carried away
it's red impact font on a plain black t shirt
but hey i'll take what i can get
if you can actually get that thing made and into my hands

[standalonehuman]

Well, I'm committed now. How can I not do it?

Sorry I didn't make it to the prison, but I made it out of the month in one piece.

[frostythehitman]

i'm holding you to it
the only thing keeping me alive now is the promise of that shirt one day in my hands
even though i won't be able to wear it

okay but more important question
did you make it out in one HUMAN piece

[standalonehuman]

So pay for priority shipping, got it.

YES. Oh, some people tried, but I didn't get infected. I found the way to fix it, with some other people. I still don't know what we actually did to tip it over the edge, though.

[frostythehitman]

damn
make yourself a t shirt now
"i survived the monster mash infection plague of 2018"

[standalonehuman]

Haha, okay definitely.

I only know of about one or two more people who made it out okay all month. Shinji, luckily. I think Elda, too.

[frostythehitman]

kasen did too apparently
idk who shinji is though
you should make shirts for all of them

[standalonehuman]

Shinji's the youngest person on the platform.
He was really helpful when we went to Pesgare that first time.
Okay, bulk order, making the shirts. This is happening.

[frostythehitman]

oh
then i do know him i'm talking to him right now
what'd he do that was so helpful

[ because like. he's 9. 9 year olds seem more like a liability than anything else. (Which isn't hypocritical of him to say because even if other-him was a child soldier, at least he was 16 when he started!!!!) ]

[standalonehuman]

He got onto Hawthrone's boat and stole a document when none of the rest of us could get close to the place. Everybody just ignored him because he was a kid, and he used that to his advantage.

[frostythehitman]

[ He almost laughs because shit, if there was any way for a 9 year old to get involved in some kind of high stakes battle (was this technically even a battle?), that would certainly be the way to do it. That sure as hell is how Bucky did things, anyway. ]

well damn
that's real smart of him
but what's this about a boat and a document

[standalonehuman]

Ooh, story time. Okay.

So all those months ago when Pesgare first showed up, there were those missions to all four places to check them out, right?
In Pesgare, there was this guy Hawthrone, who was trying to fraudulently buy out the town from under the residents. His ownership documents for part of the land were forged, and Shinji helped us prove that.

He seemed to know things about the area already. He said something about it being one of the "four original areas." Suggested there was a power source nearby that people have been poking around trying to find since.

We've never proven that he was one of Vanderweele's agents, but that's the theory that's stayed in my mind ever since.

[frostythehitman]

okay
and what's any of that got to do with last month

[standalonehuman]

What do you mean? For Shinji, last month, I'm just glad he kept safe.

[frostythehitman]

i mean what were you guys doing in pesgare last month that needed shinji to do all that sneaking around

[standalonehuman]

Oh, this wasn't last month. This was when Pesgare first showed up.

Last month, we just. Okay, we ran into each other early on, and it turns out he has a tank, too?

[frostythehitman]

wait
you mean like
a tank tank?
like
a tank tank tank?

[standalonehuman]

[Togusa's reply comes in video form. The camera is focused on a blue spider-tank that is almost sitting down on one side.]

"Say hi to my friend James!"

The tank raises one claw-hand in an excited wave. "Hi, James! I am a Tachikoma!"

[The camera zooms in on the center gun area between the two claws, which currently still has the safety cover on. Yup. Tank.]

[frostythehitman]

[ okay, well. James only manages to watch about half the video reply in chunky 140p resolution, on this terrible clunker of a computer, but he gets the gist. ]

what the hell
what is that
wait
is this that spider tank thing you were telling me about

[standalonehuman]

Yeah. Somebody out there wins a bet, Retrospec sent me one.

It got damaged last month, but it's here.

[frostythehitman]

[ There's a lot of things he could say or ask here. But for some reason, he goes with: ]

why is it blue