retrospec | LOADING...

[ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

Edited 2018-11-04 19:45 (UTC)

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

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

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

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?

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

[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.]

[ 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

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

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

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

why is it blue

[Pardon Togusa while he laughs for a while about that. Best response to 'I have a tank' yet.]

I have no idea. If I threw out a guess, it'd be the association with Public Security and the cops, instead of military.

But maybe the creator just liked blue.

and you just
have your own personal one
like a pet
you have a pet tank

Oh do not let it hear you say that!

I still don't even know. It responds to me as its 'primary user.' So I can give it orders and stuff. But it's like a blank slate from before Retrospec sent it to me.

okay i have to ask
who the hell thought making a sentient pet tank was a good idea
you saw what happened when my arm had a mind of its own
there's no way this isn't like a thousand times worse