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

[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.

[fabrefactions]

Oh I see.

[ Well he takes it back then. Not impressed, 0/10.


Probably. ]

... Yes, I would say that is. There was a whole civil war spurred by the class divide?

[fiddlestick]

[thanks Yusuke that's the score he'd give himself too]

Yeah. I'm still fuzzy on all the details, but that's the root of it.
It's pretty bad.

[fabrefactions]

[ Yusuke still loves him. ]

That is perhaps an understatement. You were living through all that?

[ Protec soft macaroni boy. ]

[fiddlestick]

Yeah. About half my memories are about what we were doing during the war.

[fabrefactions]

What sort of places did we come from, that these are the memories we keep regaining...

[fiddlestick]

Good question...it's worrying.
But at least we're here now.

[fabrefactions]

Yes... things are far from perfect here, but at least we are not in the middle of an entire civil war.

[fiddlestick]

Yeah no kidding. I wanna make sure the people I knew in that life made it to this world alright, but I'm not in a rush to go back.

[fabrefactions]

Yes... I can imagine. Besides, this is our life now. I have been remarkably blessed with familiar faces but I do not envy whatever other life it is I see in my memories.

[fiddlestick]

Really?

That makes me wonder...what kind of life did your other self have? I mean, I know some of the stuff you did with Akira and the others [aka thief stuff]but besides that...

[fabrefactions]

... Most of the people who joined the thieves did so because they had suffered a situation that society did not allow them fight back against. The other me was no exception to this.

[fiddlestick]

Oh...

[He thinks back about that memory he saw on the train, all those months ago]

That one guy you were yelling at when you got your Persona...did he have something to do with it?

[fabrefactions]

Yes. He was the other me's foster father, from what I have gathered from that and other memories. His mother was that man's art student, before she died.

[fiddlestick]

So your mother in the other life was...

[that's awful]

And he took you in after, but wasn't a good foster father? I mean, I'm assuming that's why you were fighting against him.

[fabrefactions]

He was a famous and well regarded painter. But he used his student's artwork as his own, and would shut them out of the art world if they tried to speak out against him.

I suppose the other me felt a sense of loyalty to him, for raising him, as he was the only student of Madarame's left by the time the Phantom Thieves got involved.

[fiddlestick]

That's terrible...what a crook.

...I mean, he did raise him and he probably didn't have anywhere else to go, so I could understand the loyalty. It's not easy to turn against your family.

[fabrefactions]

There were a lot of things he didn't know that only came to light when the thieves helped him confront Madarame.

...

It was good for him. He seemed a lot happier once he was free of his clutches.

[fiddlestick]

Yeah, he seemed pretty...outraged in the memory I saw. Brave too, considering who he was facing.

That doesn't surprise me. You had Akira and the others with you after all.

[fabrefactions]

Yes, considering the things he had just learned, I do not blame him. I would be incredibly angry as well.

Having friends at your side always makes you stronger, don't you think?

[fiddlestick]

Yeah, I'd imagine you would be...

[Yusuke wrath is terrifying, so let's hope they never have to have a repeat of this]

Of course it does! No argument here!

[COMBAT LINKING IS LITERALLY THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP]

[fabrefactions]

[ He'll fuck 'em up. He'll fuck everything up. ]

Perhaps it is better to focus on the positives here, like the importance of friends and the strength you can gain from them rather than everything that was happening with the Yusuke of my memories...