LOADING...

[recollecters]

Welcome back, users. Looks like we were able to bring you back online and tracked again...here's hoping the layers are settled now, but the readings are off the chart. We're doing our best to stabilize the city for December while we track some of the magical sources we're picking up. It may take us some time though, so please bear with us! We may be working through the holidays, too, if this keeps up. But it's okay. You opened the doors and new routes for us to check. Stay positive, users. December is a special time of the year. What's your favorite holiday tradition? You'd be surprised how thoughts shape things here. Please take care. Joanne Wiseman Technician 2nd class Retrspec Incorporated Characters' display names are the same as whatever they chose last month and are permanently locked in! Newbies may pick a new name for their first use on Retrospec, but whatever they pick will also become permanent. 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

[thesettingsun]

Not that much. Enjoy not having classes, maybe put on the Yule log for a few minutes before getting bored... When I was working at Grubmart I'd take extra shifts so my coworkers who actually do stuff for the holiday didn't have to. Thankfully, I am no longer working there.

Christmas Eve is a couple's holiday for me, so when you're single it's pretty much 'day you get off and everything is closed'.

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa You weren't one of the transplants from Japan like me and Koutarou, right? Do you have family nearby?

[thesettingsun]

First generation immigrant. My parents live in town, I'm sure I'll end up visiting.

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa That's right. Sorry I forgot.
Hitori Togusa A couple of us like me and Koutarou and Mariko usually huddle up and do something in the days up to the holidays. We really felt like we needed it last year, since none of us have been able to contact our families. Koutarou's got a sister close enough, and they've been making an effort to reconnect, but that's it.

[thesettingsun]

Would it be too much to ask if I could join you this year?

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa Not at all. I know we'd all be glad to have you. Room for everyone, that's sort of the point of it, you know?

[thesettingsun]

Of course you and Koutarou would organize that kind of thing.

Thank you very much. I'll bring over a dish if you all want.

[standalonehuman]

That'd be great.

The both of us were new here our first year, and, it's hard to explain just how isolated and lonely we both felt. I know he had it worse, because he didn't even have the option to go back home, even if we'd had the money. But he just tried to keep his chin up. Doing something silly kept us both from going all the way into resenting the holidays.

[thesettingsun]

Koutarou is amazing, isn't he?

I'm glad we met, even if it was because of Retrospec.

[standalonehuman]

He is still my best friend. Even if he can't see what's going on with the app? He knows what's going on with me. I can't hide it from him if I tried.

I can keep it vague, that I fought with a friend, or something terrible happened at work. He just doesn't need to know, well, I fought with a friend because they were a bird.

[thesettingsun]

That's how it is with John. I can't tell him 'by the way you replaced me with a ghost as your best friend', and I wouldn't want to make him feel like it was his fault when it's not, so all I can do is be vague.

[standalonehuman]

Have you ever wanted to just...not? I mean, not try to hide it. Really lay out everything that's going on for someone close just to see what would happen, and if Retrospec blips everything back into place?

[thesettingsun]

Yeah. I don't recommend it.

It hurts when they don't believe you.

[standalonehuman]

Crap. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make light of it.

I can get frustrated, but I need a different way to get it out.

[thesettingsun]

Don't worry, I'm just glad I could point out why that's a bad idea to even try before you got the heartbreak of trying.

Maybe punch a pillow?

[standalonehuman]

That or end up at the shooting range a lot. It's therapeutic.

[thesettingsun]

Sometimes singing along to angry music at the top of my lungs helps me get it out. Just keep a glass of water handy.

[standalonehuman]

Now that sounds more like one of James' coping strategies. Have you heard his music? It's really good.

[thesettingsun]

I haven't. Actually, I tend more towards Japanese when it comes to the loud singing? I guess I'm used to having dorm mates who I don't really want to hear me singing something as angry as, say, this.

[Thanks, Radwimps, for a more enjoyable version of singing "I WON'T FORGIVE YOU" at the top of your lungs.

...gore warning for video and lyrics? Should he warn for the lyrics when most people on Retrospec can't understand them without a google anyway?]

[standalonehuman]

[First, someone's going to end up with something interesting in their stocking this year.

Second, Togusa actually ends up laughing at the video.]

They make it sound so cheerful! American music doesn't have enough of this, the tone and message dissonance.

[thesettingsun]

Right? It's rare to get music that's this kind of fun while yelling about how you won't forgive someone.