NoQu 26: The Orchid Clocktower

At last, the time has come to make the 2026 theme known!

As you may know, Geata has been over writing the bulletin since 2022. When we were discussing our vision for this year, she said that the concept of "humanity in creativity" had been on her mind, and thus the theme was born.

With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, and NoQu just releasing our official policy on it, we couldn't have a better 2026 theme.

This particular bulletin has been especially close to Geata's heart, and so we hope it will touch yours as well.

The Orchid Clocktower

Humanity in Creativity

Old hands creased crisp, yellowed paper with practiced efficiency. It was the exact size and shape needed to slide perfectly into the waiting heavy envelope. An old thumb pressed into the soft fruit on the table, taking its sticky juice to glue the envelope shut. Bright eyes in an old face furrowed in thoughtful pause, their gaze lingering on the orchid growing on the window frame: rooted in thin air, buds swollen, blossoms bobbing languidly in the hot, muggy breeze that always heralded a cloudburst.

"Someone will— must— remember what I tried to return to them."

A parrot flew out of the hut in a flurry of color. It held in its beak an envelope, girded in old copper wire that twisted around an orchid. It knew to whom it was addressed.

The rain came in an instant, just as young hands carefully accepted the heavy envelope, and with it, the burden of working to remember.

This November, step into a rainforest with a strange history that ended not so long ago. The only thing left of another time is the polished copper Clocktower that stands tall in the heart of the village, now overgrown by orchids. From there, the Clockkeepers ensure that no one gets too curious about resurrecting a time better left forgotten.

You are a new Archivist who has always thought that Before must have been beautiful. With the arrival of a crisp envelope, you find yourself pulled into an assignment to learn the truth. As you take a closer look at the remnants of Before, you discover that not everything is as it seems…