retrospec | (no subject)

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
Retr

spec 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh wow, okay, I zeroed in on exactly the wrong part of that. There is still a river of souls under the city, though. So everyone knows.

Your read is.. our existence here was to house these souls?

No, lemme not put words in your mouth. You tell me.

Let me c+p what I told him.

What I'm getting (among all this other stuff) is that if we're here now, it's because we were literally born to be here, right now, in this moment. And that we need to make sure the city stays safe, because if anything happens to it, the world disappears.

So no, maybe not literally born to house these souls. But we're here in this city for a bigger purpose. We ended up here for a reason.

Oh. Wait, that I can agree with. Really. I can.

There has to be some aspect of- fate? Destiny? Purpose? I can't find the right word. There's more to it than this, but it boils down simply:

We are the people here in this place at this time for this reason. So it's our job to rise to the challenge before us.

Damn right.

I don't really believe in destiny. For all I know, this could be a huge coincidence. But it's a coincidence that made it so the one thing I'm any good at is one of the things we'll need to save the city. Save the world.

We're rising like that weird broken moon. Out of nowhere and all at once.

Any other situation, I would say that destiny only has so much power on us.

But. Oh, this sounds so strange out of context. Do you believe in soul mates? I don't even mean romantic soul mates. But multiple people connected by fate?

That still sounds weird. It's Mariko, for context. Don't look too far into it.

Maybe. Starting to feel that way about this whole city, you know?

Felt like that about Rose for a real long time, too. Like I was supposed to meet her because she was supposed to change my life.

Yeah.

Mariko. She's changed my life, and apparently the woman she's remembering changed the life of the man I'm remembering. It's the closest I've come to buying in to the idea that we are these other people.

Because how could it happen twice?

Closest I've got with Rose is that I remember a weird flower that I still can't figure out the meaning behind, and she's got flowers coming out her ass.

Can't help thinking it'd be nice running into someone who remembers some of the same shit as me. She helping you out with the weird stuff?

Uh.

[The filter on the next message suddenly flips to 'private.']

I told her, I don't want to just treat her like she's the cipher to unlock the mystery of what I'm seeing. But, on the other hand.. I'm holding things back from her.

I didn't quite mean to, but. I've been in the loop longer. I know I'm

I can't even think of the right word? Farther ahead? I've seen more?

And I don't want to just dump it all in her lap but at the same time, there's this woman with her face that he trusts as much as I trust her.

[oh, shit. private conversations. this is intense.]

Jesus, dude.

I can't say I get it 100%, but if you're both remembering the same stuff, then it makes total sense that you're getting different bits and pieces.

I really hope you're not looking for advice, because I'm fucking useless there. This sounds hard as hell and I think you're doing the right thing by taking your time and not overwhelming her, but at the same time I damn near had a total nuclear meltdown because I couldn't remember her name in a dream, so.

YMMV.