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

[fiddlestick]

Aha, Queens and Recolle are my home. But someone from my other life, yeah!

Thanks! You're actually talking. It's [um] "Big Deck Energy"?

[Crow why.]

[fabrefactions]

...

[ Oh. RIP Elliot. Sorry about that. ]

I see? He seems... nice. If a little card obsessed. I ran into him in the maze when it was springing up all over the city as well.

[fiddlestick]

Oh you did? Haha, what a small world!

Crow is nice though! We met after he listened to one of my performances at the Catmosphere a couple months ago, and we'd play cards sometimes. I only figured out just now he's from Class VII though, welp.

He was also the one to cure me from the virus. [HE'S A GOOD BOY!!!]

[fabrefactions]

I see, so we owe him a thank you for your good health now.

He did name himself big deck energy though. Is he aware this is a permanent fixture?

[fiddlestick]

Yeah. I'm really grateful he was there. I don't wanna think of what else I could've done if I had stayed infected for longer.

...You know, I don't know.

[fabrefactions]

I'm just glad someone was there to help you. A lot of you were suffering in your own ways, even if it may not have felt like suffering at the time. You were trying not to infect people... which I think was a lot of people's main goals.

[ HE DIDN'T GET TO TOUCH HIS BOYFRIEND FOR WEEKS, ELLIOT, BECAUSE HE'S A STUBBORN ASS WHO DIDN'T WANT TO INFECT YUSUKE. ]

I... can forsee this complicating things for him down the line, perhaps.

[fiddlestick]

Oh no, I definitely infected people. There wasn't any trying not to on my end.

[SERIOUSLY YUSUKE YOU JUST GOT LUCKY...aside from missing out from touching your monster boyfriend. Sorry bro]

Haha, probably.

[fabrefactions]

[ Whomp, whomp. ]

Regardless, thank you for not infecting me. Sanji might have been less of a grump if someone else had, but I do feel glad I did not have to contend with monstrous urges this past month.

...

I see. A lesson learned the hard way, I suppose?

[fiddlestick]

Sanji would've been less of a grump? Was he infected too?

[YEAH BY YOU IDIOT. ]

Yeah. We'll see if that actually happens.

[fabrefactions]

Yes. Slime, I think? He was incredibly particular about keeping his distance so he wouldn't accidentally infect me. And incredibly moody as well.

[ THANKS ELLIOT YOU'RE OFF HIS CHRISTMAS CARD LIST. ]

You have doubts?

[fiddlestick]

Wow...that's actually really sweet of him. That he was able to hold back like that even while he was a monster. I feel a little bad I couldn't do the same for Eren...

[Sanji clearly the better boyfriend here. Man.]

Well...

I mean, I don't believe in holding someone's past self against who they are now, but... [...] I can't deny his past self was a second year that joined our first year class because he failed so many classes ...

[In other words, our new boy might be dumb as fuq]

Though maybe things are different in this life!

[fabrefactions]

Yes. I wish he hadn't though, it was miserable in the long run. Still, I do appreciate the effort he went to.

[ But. Well. He likes hugs??? ]

Perhaps his intelligence went in ways that mere education and schooling cannot understand. There are a lot of types of intelligence that classes and scores cannot track or measure.

[fiddlestick]

Ahah...trust me, Yusuke. You didn't want to get infected by slime. It could get pretty gross.

[He says from firsthand knowledge that shall never see the light of day]

Ha, true enough! He did save me and seems to be handling joining the app really well.
And he's great at giving me ideas of how to improve my music!
So silly name or not, I think he'll be a great addition to our group.

[WE CAN KEEP HIM RIGHT?? RIGHT?]

[fabrefactions]

Yes, but... it was a long two weeks.

[ HE JUST WANTED A HUG. ]

You have adapted to all of the shared friends Akira and I have found on the app. It would be rude of us not to do the same for you. He seems nice, I do agree.

[fiddlestick]

I can imagine. I hope he'll make it up to you?

[GET YOUR HUGS]

Haha, I wouldn't say I had to adapt. I like all your friends!
Goro, Haru, Makoto, and of course Futaba (though I already knew her haha). All of them are great!
I hope I get to meet everyone else one day.

But I'm glad to hear that. I was pretty nervous at the idea of finding someone else from Class VII and how it'd go, but finding Crow has made me a lot more hopeful about it.

[Just watch as Crow ironically turns out to be the only easy one to befriend]

[fabrefactions]

Oh, don't worry. He did.

[ YES. HUGS. ]

That's good. But there were a lot of shared memories between the whole group and it can be a bit disorienting when lots of people have the same memories at once...

It would be lovely to do the same for a friend of yours. I want to know more about the people you knew, and the people you love as well. From your world.

[fiddlestick]

Oh good!

[GOOD SANJI. GOOD BOY]

Yeah, I could see that... The Persona meeting did seem pretty chaotic with how much there was to share. I had trouble keeping up.

Eheh...love's a strong word! We're still getting to know each other. [Give us like a week or something at least] But I'd happy to tell you what I can! Oh- I even have a photo of everyone if you wanna see.

[fabrefactions]

[ Oh Elliot. You're very pure. ]

Yes, there were so many of us. I was quite surprised.

Well... someone who was important to the other you. I hope the getting to know each other part goes well.
Oh-- yes, I'd love to see it!

[fiddlestick]

Yeah, there really were! It's nice you guys had that though. I would've killed to have another Erebonian around back when I was still figuring out my powers.

[ALL HE HAD WERE SOME STUDENT NOTES. It was rough man, rough]

Yeah. I hope it does too.

[BUT PHOTO TIME, He takes a moment to upload and:]



There. That's Class VII.

[fabrefactions]

Yes, that makes sense. Understanding Persona powers was so much easier with others around who had experience and more memories than I.

[ Oh. He spends a long moment looking over the picture and taking in the faces -- he recognises Elliot, obviously. And there's Crow. But there are so many others. More than the Phantom Thieves alone... ]

Why are some of you wearing red jackets and others wearing green?

[fiddlestick]

Yeah, I'd imagine so. Retrospec gave me a notebook with notes, but...it missed a lot.

[He's just glad his first element was water and not something more destructive while he was still figuring out how magic worked. That would've suuuuucked.

And of course he'd notice the color differences. Artist boy never change]

I think it's because we're in different classes. The girl in green is the Student Council President, Towa. And Crow transferred into our class part-way through the year, so I guess he didn't get a red uniform yet for the photo.

Not sure who the two out of uniform next to them are though. I don't remember them being in class.

[fabrefactions]

You got notes on your abilities?

[ He can't even claim that's unfair... but... wow. That's something at least. ]

I... don't remember that sort of system in the schools I remember. Perhaps things are different where you're from. Still, they are good choices of colour. Contrasting and appealing to the eye.

I wonder why they are out of uniform. Perhaps they are teachers?

[fiddlestick]

Yeah. A notebook my other self had as a student.

[Cause how the frick else was he supposed to figure out how to work his magic phone]

I'm not surprised, it's good you don't remember a system like that in your school. Thors' classes were segregated by social class, so the colored uniforms were probably to help mark what you were. Class VII was actually an experiment for desegregation.

[EREBONIA SURE WAS A FUN PLACE]

Maybe? They look young for teachers though. Maybe someday I'll remember who they are.

[fabrefactions]

I see the other version of you is just as diligent as you her now.

[ What a good boy. ]

... There was such a strict system in place? I know we have financial differences here, but nothing like marking your social status through your clothing.

I hope so. They were in this photo, so they must be important to you, yes?

[fiddlestick]

Aha...don't get ahead of yourself, a lot of the info in there was written by the school, not me.

[The music doodles in the margins were all him though]

Yeah, very strict. People felt strongly enough to start a war over it...but that's a story for another time.

Right. I'm sure they were.