(no subject)

[recollecters]

Happy New Years, users. I'll cut to the chase; the barrier we instilled a few months ago is decaying quickly and we're sorting through the new data as fast as we can. This barrier was originally designed to contain a rogue error. There are several of you who have taken care of this issue and from here we will handle the rest...thank you. The influx of data will help us decode our next steps. As mentioned, we've spent December tracing several magical sources that are coming up in our readings. We're doing the best we can to trace Clarence--Mr. Vanderweele, and corral the effects he's altering in the city. I believe we're ready to tear down the firewall and begin exploring further. If our information is correct, we're really breaking the boundaries of the layers we've discovered lately! It's exciting, don't you think? The only information I can offer is that we will need you to be strong no matter what happens. We believe things have changed outside of security measures we've set in place, though we will need more data to understand the best way to stabilize the city from his control. We understand if you cannot and do not wish to help, but please know we're doing everything we can. Please take care. Joanne Wiseman Technician 2nd class Retrspec Incorporated Characters' display names are the same as whatever has been previously chosen and are permanently locked in! 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 Thanks, Joanne. And, I guess, thanks for finally being upfront about what's going on. You've helped equip us. We'll be careful on our end.
Hitori Togusa The question still stands, though, of how much more do we have to break through before we can get to where you guys are?

Hitori Togusa Either way, hell of a time for this to show up.



[For those of you who visit the town's temple, that is an omikuji, or New Year's fortune, and Togusa has pulled the worst possible luck.]

[thesettingsun]

You too, huh?

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa Geez, seriously?
Hitori Togusa I re-upped the omamori I've got on my house just in case.

[thesettingsun]

The library has a few, which doesn't surprise me, considering.

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa What's that, another reason for me to go to the Library and never leave?

[blondferret]

Dude... what is that? And what does it mean?

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa Tsk tsk. Not keeping up with your best friend's cultural traditions. 'scool, I won't tell Tatsuo.
Hitori Togusa Every year at the shrine, one of the new year celebrations is to draw a fortune for the new year. Nothing specific, but a general sense of blessing or curse. And that is the worst possible fortune I could have gotten.

[blondferret]

[Technically Cumore is Derek's best friend, but Tatsuo comes in a close second. But Derek will keep this to himself.]

To be fair, I'm trying to understand a whole magical world and that culture, so I don't particularly feel bad about not being able to know that it was a fortune.

How seriously do you take these fortune things?

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa Seriously enough.
Hitori Togusa It's not quite a seeing-into-the-future prediction. Closer to a message from the ancestors and the ancestors of the land that something they've seen before might come to pass again. Seeing a pattern of the past to predict an outcome.
Hitori Togusa In a way, it feels like what Retrospec is trying to tell us is going on. Almost in reverse though.

[godcards]

You're on the same level as Retrospec with that cryptic imagery... Are you foretelling some unavoidable disaster too?

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa Well, if you follow the traditions, not entirely unavoidable.
Hitori Togusa It's a drawing of fortune for the New Year, and, in this case, a particularly bad fortune.

[godcards]

Not sure what else you were expecting, all things considered... But oh well! This is why I can't say I like following traditions, unless they're the ones involving food. There's hardly any bad luck that comes from that.

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa Really? But food is okay. Do you have a favorite New Year's meal, then?

[breakingvoice]

oh no... a great curse :(((
i'm sorry :(

but at least you can leave it at the shrine, right? it doesn't have to stay with you for the whole year...

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa Aha! Someone gets it!

Hitori Togusa Mm. I did. Tied it at the gates, burned an extra incense, and bought an omamori. Although I was going to do that anyway.

[breakingvoice]

of course i get it! i, um, learned a lot more about japanese culture after i started realizing that the other lina was really into it
kind of as a way to... remember her? because i can't, really.

anyway good! i hope it brings you all the protection you need in 2019 ^_^
and anything it doesn't bring, that's what we're here for
i even have the muscles to prove it now!

[standalonehuman]

Oh. I can see that. I hope it helps you find a connection with her.

That's the part I've got to remember. And maybe that's what the ancestors are saying. It's more of a warning than a true unavoidable fate. So, lean on your friends when you need them.

And, congrats on the muscles? That feels weird to say, but I mean it.

[thisloveisjustice]

Ouch. My condolences. Not that I got much better.

[insert pic of his 半凶 fortune]

[and a second pic of it tied around a pole at the shrine]

[standalonehuman]

Oh no, this is the worst!

Is this just revenge for the good fortunes we got last year?

[thisloveisjustice]

Probably. I got half-luck last year. Which... considering everything that happened last year... was relatively accurate.

[so him getting the exact opposite this year... does not bode well]

[standalonehuman]

Mariko balances out a lot of giant monster fights, hunh?

[megatechbody]

MAramaki Always knew you were a traditionalist, but come on.
MAramaki Who's to say they'll even be right this year? It's not like we could have predicted anything that's happened since we popped up on the app.

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa If the ancestors have anything to say, hey, who am I to not listen?
Hitori Togusa I can only put so much stock in it, though.

[megatechbody]

MAramaki Listen? Sure. Getting freaked out by it...
MAramaki That's what I like to hear. Any big resolutions?

[standalonehuman]

Going for distinguished expert qualification on pistol this year. I keep wavering right around the score, can’t get it reliably yet.

You?