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

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Check under the "How Retrospec Works" subsection. It's some of Vanderweele's own notes.

Vanderweele seemed to be concerned with resources able to be gathered from the worlds that these souls are coming from (but how do you even get to those worlds?), even the laughable idea of barter and trade? It's so confusing.

But the idea of purity of family lines. That fits precisely into Vanderweele's whole world view.

...It's awkwardly-worded, certainly, and I'm sure that a fair amount of that won't and shouldn't go over well. But at its core, it doesn't seem a terrible idea to expect benefit of some sort from this if such a thing is being facilitated.

At its core? Yeah. And it makes me wonder if Retrospec-without-Vanderweele's motives are oh so noble. I'm not saying his ideas are good, I'm saying Retrospec comes off as just as terrible.

But information from Zee told us that he was the one responsible for some of the disruptions we faced a few months ago. That alone would make me tell him to go to hell if it came down to a choice between him and Retrospec.

Part of me has to wonder if it wouldn't be best to offer that sentiment to both, at this point.

It might be clinging to false hope, but I'm still gunning for telling Vanderweele to go to hell, and Retrospec to go to jail.

When this breaks, when it finishes, people are going to have to see the truth? Or somebody, somewhere out there, is still there to show the truth to. On whatever place it is that Retrospec's own employees exist on?

If you're really interested in pursuing that, then believe me, you have as much support as I can possibly give you in doing it. Just because that sounds immensely satisfying on so many levels.

I'll give you whatever assistance I can, should you need it.

Thank you. Those words aren't enough to convey my gratitude. Really, thank you. There are people who tell me it's a foolish thing to hope for. That Retrospec is too good at covering their tracks.

But James and Zee and Yukine Matsuoka. And others that people won't even tell me about, that tell me are none of my business. There has to be an answer.

Even beyond that, it's not just for the deceased anymore. It's for the rest of us as well.

The random injuries appearing, bodies literally cut apart without a trace. So so many weapons. Even down to cutting us off from our families.

Yeah. It's for all of us.

I can certainly get behind that much, at least.

Honestly, at this point I'm somewhere between glad I know about all of this and still rather wanting to be thrown back off the network. I was for a while, but apparently that wasn't going to stand for whatever reason.

Yeah, I noticed that. I'm just as conflicted sometimes. Sorry you're stuck in this mess, but it's good to have you on our side?

How rough of a go do you have it with the person you're remembering? Are they pretty similar to you?

I can see where there are a fair amount of similarities in personality, as much as that kills me. Otherwise, the man was a walking human rights violation. A lot of mass murder, a lot of torture, a lot of lies and attempts at starting large-scale conflicts where there didn't need to be any in the interest of gaining power. It's basically a veritable checklist of what not to do with your life, culminating in getting murdered in the desert in the middle of the night before he was thirty - I'm fairly sure I've outlived him by now.

[Please hold as Togusa is repeatedly staring at the message because what.]

Holy hell, how do you even deal with all of that in your head?

And part of me wants to run a poll to see how many people have remembered the other person dying, because I'm starting to think I'm in the minority here.

Functional alcoholism, to be blunt.

You still remember yours being alive, though...? You are fortunate. I wouldn't recommend remembering dying, you feel the whole thing. Mine wasn't a terribly pleasant way to go.

Hell.

I always try to warn against that, I've seen it devour too many people in both our fields. But what else are you going to do?

I'm sorry.

But you're right. That's why we have to do this.

In fairness, I'm trying to work away from that now; it's fine in the short-term, but I can't afford to let my work suffer. So it's angling more toward being a matter of simply dealing with it, I think.

Yeah. I can never begrudge people any coping mechanism in the short term. What Retrospec is showing us, it's things no one should have to endure.

And then you find out what the person you're remembering did to cope and I swear it's always something destructive. My guy seems to be limited to the shooting range.

Was yours particularly horrible as well, or just someone you'd understandably prefer to not have in your head constantly?

I think he was a good man. Or at least trying his best to be. It all makes better sense now that I know he was a father.

But, even he wasn't keeping things healthy all the time. And my point is, that seems to be a running theme among the people we're all seeing.

Given the lives they all seemed to be leading, I can't precisely say they should be faulted.

Back on the question of what kinds of worlds were they in where powers and weapons like we've been getting are even needed?

Yeah.