Report #012 - Video - Forward Dated to Thursday Morning.

[pluckyreporter]

[The camera comes to focus on Roxanne Ritchi's home office- in the distance, obscured, her cork board covered with papers and notes, photographs and lines, but the background is in soft focus, so none of it's legible. Roxanne herself -- cup of morning coffee, dressed and prepped for a day of work.]

[Conspicuously absent? Brainbots.]Good Morning,

Comments

[video]

[notpredictable]

Are your good morning posts always so wordy, Miss Ritchi?

[video]

[pluckyreporter]

[Sipping her coffee, Roxanne shifts in her chair. Of course, he'd ping her first. Sigh.]

As I primarily use the Network for business purposes, and my business involves speaking to people to both form relations and connections for newsworthy stories, and to foster the spread and share of information... Yes, yes they are.

[video]

[notpredictable]

Ah, yes - resolutions, the potential destruction of planet earth in 2012 and weight gain. Newsworthy indeed.

[video]

[pluckyreporter]

Slow news day.

[Just a sippin' her coffee.]

Besides, I really don't think you'll find most of the City's news to your taste. There's a lot less presentation, and a lot more straight up... bad.

[sofiawind]

I am going to look for a new job, rather than being stuck in the same rut.

[pluckyreporter]

A new job is a big change. But staying in a rut doesn't help anybody, does it?

[sofiawind]

It really doesn't, and the new year is perfect to give me the kick to look for something new.

I just need to work out what I want to do. I've been a coffee barista for over a year.

[pluckyreporter]

Yeah, sounds like a change is needed. You have your college degree yet?

[Video]

[naa_sanzo]

Eh?! It's the end of the world?

[how can you be so blase about that crazy person]

[Video]

[pluckyreporter]

No, it's not -- there are a lot of different calandars and groups that predict the end of the world and so far all of them have been wrong.

Though, next year in mid-December, if any of visionaries start going on about it, I'll lay very good attention.

[Video]

[naa_sanzo]

oh okay.

I thought it mighta been the reason we were dragged here. I haven't really done anything to help out since I got here.

[Video]

[pluckyreporter]

Probably not. At least, I don't think the Porter has predicted anything of that type.

VIDEO

[someonetoscold]

Got a few plans for the new year. Resolution number one: don't get beat by the webhead.

[ After a moment's hesitation - ]

Talked to a couple of -- [ chumps ] buddies of yours.

VIDEO

[incywincyhero]

Flint, Flint, Flint, my man, that's not how it works. You're supposed to make resolutions that you actually have a chance of fulfilling.

VIDEO

[pluckyreporter]

Boys, I will totally turn the hose on you two if you start.

VIDEO

[someonetoscold]

Hey - I was just talking here!

video;

[incywincyhero]

I keep resolving to watch every episode of Golden Girls in order, but somehow it just never happens.

[Encrypted.]

How're you holding up? It must be rough, having the big M back and, uh ... heroically challenged.

video; encrypted

[pluckyreporter]

Could be worse. He could have been ported in from the moment that I found out he'd been lying to me for months and I'd been dating his illusion of an alter ego and dumped him. In the rain.

Oh wait.

It's that bad.

[She sets her coffee aside, and drops the public persona.]

It's -- well. I don't know. We talked on Christmas. He's scared, confused, and hurt, and I -- don't even know how to handle this. I can't ell him everything because it feels like I'm telling him to be that guy, but if I tell him nothing--

[She probably loses him.]

video; encrypted

[incywincyhero]

[He cringes on reflex. Wow that hits a little close to home.]

... Okay, that's just ... wow. You completely, absolutely, one hundred percent made the right decision, but still ... ouch.

[Nodding as she continues:]

You don't want to control him or push him into something he's not ready for, but you don't want to lose what you had -- will have? nevermind, whichever -- with him.

video; encrypted

[pluckyreporter]

I know. At the time-- I thought he'd killed my best friend, and he HAD taken over the City and was running it into the ground, full evil-overlord style. I didn't ... put together the signs.

In retrospect, I feel pretty dumb for not putting together that the cute intellectual librarian from the museum with a few social oddities was the evil overlord known for his social oddities. I had... a lot of things on my mind and he was... really nice.

[sigh.]

And here we are. Can't tell him who he was, can't stand to watch him... backslide. It's not like villainy honestly makes him happy. He just does what he knows. What he's been told he has to be.

Telling him NOT to be it, though and... [She shakes her head again] he resists.

So much for 'being normal'.