#to which. first. deja vu. that’s even the same pen that B used when he was adopting Jason

[methoughtsphantom]

HELL YEAH CROWN PRINCE PHANTOM whose ectoplasmic signature readings are obviously higher than that of his dad’s, who’s still filtering the corrupted ectoplasm and that takes time, (which is why he only wears the crown and not the ring.) So imagine, imagine that the imaginary of the vengeful angel was only visible to Danny, just like the crown, like imperceptible to human eyes kinda thing. To Batman Red Hood is just another ecto-entity who caught him off guard, and so he has to be better prepared. He goes see the JLD to ask for more information about these entities. They tell him one is the ghost king. Cuz mages can get a read in signatures and one is off the charts level powerful, or maybe Batman just had a scanner I dunno, point is Batman wrongly deduces whose the ghost king in this situation. After all, only one was able to actually display a tangible supernatural form and readings that remained steady during the scan. ((Jason’s are unreliable, funky if he’s not trying and bitch-you-better-start-running if he is.))

So. Batman wants to summon the ghost king. He doesn’t see a reason to involve the JL, just him and Constantine, who’s like ?? I heard there was new management, but…so new that the king’s a literal child?? okay I gotta see this. im putting a bunch of binds and spells so the ghost won’t be able to cross the summoning circle. Like Constantine just has Batman’s initial assessment and a power chart. Bruce’s detailed report indicates the kid has no experience on battle combat and instead just heavily relies on his powers (list of known powers not conclusive), but is still a threat that knows his and his associates secret identity. Curiously, the Bat also put that the kid is heavily suspected of being emotionally compromised.

Anyways

They expect a child.

They get the Red Hood.

Red Hood, who is still a bat, and still trained with assassins. Motherfucker whose ectoplasm readings are again so funky he can pass through the summoning’s restrains and binds as if they are not there. He’s such a little shit about how he’s sprinting the whole thing. He’s ghost adjacent enough he can turn intangible. He’s an expert on combat who can fucking predict what the bat’s planning to pull because he fought alongside him. Dramatic bitch saw Batman and immediately went to throw hands. Especially when the the Bat tries to pull off a gun on him.

Jason: oh so you’re using guns now??? you’re really such a hypocrite!!

Batman: I’m not the one whose letting a child cover for their criminal activities!!

…

Batman, at some point: I would never hurt my own son!!

Jason:

Jason: 🤡

…

Batman: how do you know our identities???

Jason, who didn’t know B knew he knew and who also had a pretty hardcore pretty little liars phase ✨: two can keep a secret if one of them is dead. bitch.

Batman:

Batman: this is confirmation. a dead figure from my past told him i’m Batman

…..

Batman, who’s still trying to see an angle to the Red Hood: You are obviously unfit to take care of a child

Jason:

Danny, 15 and thoroughly done with everyone's crap, steals the Crown of Fire and the Skeleton Key and uses the later to find a suitable new High King for the Infinite Realms. The key (also known as Deaths kay) acted like a sort of Infi-map but lacked the limitations of needing a natural portal to spawn in that time/location and could get you past any wards/protections no mater how powerful.

The key spawns him just in front of the form of a sleeping Jason Todd, and Danny decided he wasn't going to question the magical keys judgment and just plops the crown on a bleary and startled Jasons head.

The crown burned for this guy, signaling that it found him worthy and that was more than enough for Danny.

With no context whatsoever, Danny looked Jason in the eye, burning neon green meeting with wide greenish blue, "You're our king now."

Then he vanished.

Jason later finds that the Lazarus entity left behind a handmade pamphlet. It was immensely unhelpful.

[serendipitous-magic]

Question Game - AKA Oversharing Hour

I was tagged by @the-angry-pixie​! And I’m a chronic oversharer, so this was fun. I’ll put most of it under a read more line because there’s a LOT.

1. Do you prefer writing with a black pen or blue pen? 

Black. Dunno why.

2. Would you prefer to live in the country or city? 

City city city city city city city city. I’m already going fucking batshit as it is, trapped in suburbia. I want to be able to actually do things, anything. Anything other than just being around the house and / or work. (And I felt like this before the pandemic started.) If you live in the city you can walk out your door and be somewhere else within like 5 minutes. A city park, a cafe, a train/subway, a local attraction, a museum, an artist’s booth, an outdoor market, etc. etc. 

Living in suburbia is like, well, to go literally anywhere you have to get into your car first and drive like 10 minutes minimum to get out of the neighborhood, and then if you want to go anywhere that’s not the grocery store you have to drive 20 minutes to get to another area of town, and then once you get there that’s the only place you can be without getting into your car again and getting a nice shot of anxiety from having to drive in traffic and have aggressive drivers roar up on your ass because you’re going 5mph above the speed limit and they want to be going 15mph above, and god help you if you have to merge, and oh by the way this is your only option to get around because public transit doesn’t really exist in any useful way in Big Suburbia, and nothing in within walking distance of your house except like 2 playgrounds and maybe one (1) gas station. (I hate it here lmao)

If I was trapped in the country I’d probably be chill with it for about a week, and enjoy the break, and the on day 8 I’d snap and go on a murdering spree out of stir-craziness.

3. If you could learn a new skill what would it be? 

I want to learn German and eventually be fluent in it. But since I’ve already started trying to learn and I don’t know if that counts, I’ll say cinematography. As in the actual working of the camera and lighting and all that. I can dream up some pretty striking images but actually getting the camera to do the settings needed to capture them is another story entirely.

4. Do you drink your tea/coffee with sugar? 

Nope. I drink coffee and tea both, and I don’t put any kind of sweetener in either of them. I used to put a shitton of sugar in my coffee and honey in my tea, and then I had some mild eating disorder struggles in college and I never got back in the habit of putting stuff in my hot drinks after that. It just tastes wrong now, after being used to plain black coffee.

5. What was your favourite book as a child? 

Either the Harry Potter series or The Hobbit. My grandma would take care of me a lot when I was really little because my parents both worked full time to support us, and every single time I was at her house she’d sit us down at the dining room table and read something to me. Not Junie B. Jones or anything, either, but real, big, thick books. I loved the shit out of Harry Potter and The Hobbit; I would request them repeatedly. We pretty much went back and forth; we’d read Harry Potter, and then The Hobbit, and then when a new Harry Potter book came out we’d read that, and then The Hobbit again, and so on and so forth.

6. Do you prefer baths or showers? 

Showers. I love baths, they’re magical, but ain’t nobody got time for that unless it’s a special occasion. I got too much shit to do to spend an hour lying in the bathtub.

7. If you could be a mythical creature, which one would it be? 

Vampire. Purely on the basis that if I was immortal maybe I’d finally have time to get my to-do list done and accomplish things. I’d miss the sunlight though.

8. Paper or electronic books? 

Paper. Here’s the thing, I really want to enjoy ebooks, but they just don’t hold my attention at all. Maybe I’m too conditioned by the internet to have a short attention span when I’m looking at a screen, idk.

9. What is your favourite item of clothing? 

I have a dark gray hoodie from the Seattle Aquarium from when I went on a road trip across America with my BFF a few years ago. It’s still my absolute favorite thing. I also enjoy my hiking boots a lot. (I wear them all the time, really they should just be called “everyday boots” haha)

10. Do you like your name or would you like to change it?

I like my name and I would also like to start going by something different. Probably just because I’m a restless soul and I feel the best (and least trapped) when I’m on the move or when things are changing. The second I get somewhere I want to be somewhere else. That’s just how I am. Gwen is a cool name (I’ve personally met maybe 3 people in my whole life with the same name, face-to-face), but there’s a lot attached to that nickname that I don’t necessarily want to carry with me when I eventually escape my hometown and start down a new path.

11. Who is a mentor to you? 

A friend and former professor whom I usually refer to online as Producer Man. He’s a producer (as you may have guessed) who kind of took me under his wing after I was in one of his film classes in college. We work together on film projects now and he’s teaching me bit-by-bit (usually by way of long, rambling, tangential stories / lectures) about the industry. He’s a really good guy. Like, he for sure has a case of Old White Guy sometimes, but his heart is absolutely in the right place. “He’s a little confused, but he’s got the spirit.” He’s always leaving $10 tips at coffee places and working himself to the bone to get his students connected to jobs and internships that will help them with their careers. 

12. Would you like to be famous and if so, what for? 

Yes, my stories. Actually, “famous” is not the right word. It’s just that fame is so tightly associated with success in our society. I want to be successful. Whether I’m widely known or not is pretty inconsequential to me. I want to make stories and I want them to have an impact. Books, film, etc. It’s about as simple as that.

13. Are you a restless sleeper? 

Oh yeah. I have trouble  sleeping as much as I should because I usually kind of jerk awake in the morning with this vague feeling that I forgot something or that I’m late for something. Also I stay up later than I should because I’m a night owl, and yet I like being up early because early mornings are great. And usually if I dream at all it’s something kind of stressful, like I dream that I forgot something important or did something wrong. I’m a Stressed Bean. 

14. Do you consider yourself a romantic person? 

I think so, yeah. I’m pretty obsessed with the idea of romance (I mean look at my OTPs), but heteronormativity got me fucked up enough that I’m bad at actually navigating real romantic feelings or relationships because society never prepared me for The Gay.

15. Which element best represents you? 

Fire, probably.

16. Who do you want to be closer to? 

My mom. We fight a lot and there tends to be a lot of tension between us. It’s a long complicated story. It boils down to, she really hurt me when I came out as not-straight at 15 and she lost all of my trust and even though she’s working on being less homophobic we’re still kind of trying to repair that divide seven years later.

17. Do you miss someone at the moment? 

Dude, I miss everyone. I’m an introvert and I’d love to be at a big party right now. I miss socialization. (As does everyone.) 

18. Tell us about an early childhood memory. 

The first time I experienced deja vu, I was about eehhh 6? And I legitimately believed, for several years of my life, that I had future-predicting abilities. Like, supernatural-level future-predicting abilities. Because I didn’t really know what deja vu was, so I thought, every time it happened, that I had already ~seen~ that moment in my dreams or something. 🤣

19. What is the strangest thing you have eaten? 

Hm. (My immature ass brain yells “DICK.” No, brain. Those were dark heteronormative times. Also, grow up.) 

Probably some of the sushi in Seattle. I actually love sushi, it’s just that when it has full-on legs and eyeballs I start getting a little squeamish. I like the rolls and the kind where there’s some fish meat laid out on a nice little bed of rice, that’s delicious. But when they brought out the whole shrimp with legs still attached, I was like “How in the (redacted) am I going to chew / swallow that.”

20. What are you most thankful for? 

That I happened to be living with family when this pandemic hit. I was supposed to move out (and across the country, actually) as of... like 4 days ago, as it happens. That was the plan. Plane ticket was gonna be booked for 7/15/20. Obviously, things didn’t quite work out that way, because of the pandemic and a few other reasons. But I can’t imagine if I had been in an apartment living with roommates, or in an apartment on my own struggling to get by, when this happened. A lot of people couldn’t pay rent and lost their homes. I was very, very lucky to be where I was, when I was, and very lucky that I have family who let me stay in their house pretty much indefinitely while this clusterfuck of a year happens.

21. Do you like spicy food? 

Yes! I looooove spicy thai food especially. I miss the massaman curry from a local Thai place so much 😭

22. Have you ever met someone famous? 

Um. Maybe? I met Veronica Roth once at an author talk in the library where I work, although it was before I worked there. And I met some guy from New Zealand who’s famous for his sword fighting skills because my dad does sword fighting stuff. Don’t remember his name though.

23. Do you keep a diary or journal? 

Yep. I have to write down everything or I forget. (I often say I have the memory of a goldfish.) Also, I have this compulsion to record and preserve my experiences in life, because I feel like our time on Earth is so fleeting and if I don’t write down what’s important to me, I’ll forget it and lose it.

24. Do you prefer to use a pen or a pencil? 

Pen. Pencil gets smudged.

25. What is your star sign? 

Scorpio, which is ironic because they’re supposed to be ~hyper sexual~ I guess, and I’m like gray-ace or something in that zone.

26. Do you like your cereal soggy or crunchy? 

Crunchy. Who eats soggy cereal? Are you okay? Do you need help? This is an intervention. 

27. What would you want your legacy to be? 

My stories. Life and sentience, as we experience it, is made up of just that: experience. And I read somewhere that, on some level, the human brain doesn’t differentiate that much between real life experiences and fictional experiences. I think that’s true. If you read or watch or hear the right story, it can really touch you and change the way you see life, or even change the way you live life. Stories have an incredible amount of power, both in individual people’s lives and in larger society. A huge amount of power. I want to be able to give people experiences that will Enrich Their Lives (do I sound like a lifestyle coach yet? 🤦🏼‍♀️), but also stories that actively do good in society. Positive representation, body positivity/neutrality, diversity, healthy relationships (Hollywood has a real problem with that). Hope. It’s the best thing I can think to give society, and storytelling is what I love to do.

28. Do you like reading, what was the last book you read? 

I love reading. I wish I did it more. Part of my problem is that I get caught up in the hectic Rat Race of modern society and I never feel like I have time to sit down with a book for hours. Another problem of mine is that I start too many things at once, meaning I currently have like 5-10 (I lost count) books that I started reading, and I want to finish all of them, which means no progress ever gets done on any of them.

I last finished The Goldfinch, and I am currently working on The Secret History, Good Omens, Dune, a book my dad wrote, Directing Actors, Shot by Shot, The Way of Kings and I forget what else.

29. How do you show someone you love them? 

Physical affection, acts of service, words of affirmation, quality time, and gifts, in that order. If I’m close to someone, whether romantically or not, I want all the affection. And I’m kind of dying in quarantine. 

30. Do you like ice in your drinks? 

Depends. I usually don’t put any in, because it’s just gonna water down the drink and get in the way of drinking it (you know when the ice attacks your face?), but I don’t really mind ice in my drinks.

31. What are you afraid of? 

Helplessness. I Have Control Issues. ✌️ Also stagnation.

32. What is your favourite scent? 

Amber. Or any scent that’s kind of autumn-y. You know what I mean. Some other examples include dryer sheets, wood smoke, cigarette smoke (my big sister used to smoke a long long time ago, and although I never saw her do it, I still associate the scent with her), pine resin, rain, that Mahogany Woods scent from Bath and Bodyworks.

33. Do you address older people by their name or surname? 

If they introduce themselves as Pam I call them Pam. If they introduce themselves as Mr. Brown I call them Mr. Brown.

34. If money was not a factor, how would you live your life? 

 If “money is not a factor” means I have an infinite amount of money to spend as I wish, then: buy land, build film studio complex on land, found company, hire fellow creatives, make movies.

If “money is not a factor” just means that I don’t have to work 40 hours a week to afford rent, then: move to Chicago, rent a nice studio apartment, write stories, maybe work 15 hours a week at a used bookstore or coffee shop to get me out of the house and socialize. Go to museums, go to the park, walk along Lake Michigan, go to gay bars, ride the train, brave the Illinois winters, own a cat, paint, play guitar. Build my actual career on writing / storytelling. Probably also do some filmmaking.

Alternatively: buy an RV (not like an American Trailer Park shitty RV, I’m talking the NOICE ones), buy good film equipment, be a freelancer, live in RV driving around to wherever the next filming location is. Life is a road trip and I’m doing what I love. Writing, storytelling, filmmaking. My home would travel with me. Writing in cafes; roadside attractions; early mornings on the road with coffee in the cup holder as the sun comes up; being able to go anywhere to film; always experiencing something new.

35. Do you prefer swimming in pools or the ocean? 

I’ve lived in a landlocked state my whole life, so I guess swimming pools. And, listen, I CANNOT get water in my mouth at the beach without wondering exactly how many kids have peed (or worse) in that water. (I know that’s a thing with pools too, but pools get cleaned.)

36. What would you do if you found £50 on the ground? 

Wonder what some poor European is doing in America right now. But if it was $50, I’d probably yell “DID ANYONE DROP THIS?” and then take it if no one speaks up.

37. Have you ever seen a shooting star? 

A few times, yeah.

38. What is the one thing you would want to teach your children? 

Grades are not the end-all-be-all. Skip some homework assignments to spend time with friends. Skip class sometimes. I’m serious. If you make school your top priority, even over your own personal life, you will come away with good grades and a lot of regret and missed opportunities. Learning is HELLA important, and very very little of it happens inside a school building. Get a 15 hour weekend or after-school job in high school, befriend your coworkers, and have fun with it. Use your paychecks however you want. Join a school club - one that you’re actually interested in. Do stupid shit. Light your textbooks on fire after graduation or go to the 24 hour Wendy’s at 2am with your friends or kiss that person you met at summer camp or sleep on the porch because it’s too hot to sleep inside. Be smart and safe, but follow your whims. If you let yourself fall into routine, apathy will poison you.

39. If you had to have a tattoo, what would it be and where would you get it? 

I already have a couple small ones, but the one I want next is a four-leaf clover. Don’t know where. Maybe my right inner wrist or maybe an ankle. Or like behind my ear. Luck has saved me so many times. (See above, with how I happened to be living with family when COVID hit.)

40. What can you hear now? 

Swamp cooler downstairs, the clock ticking in my office, cars outside, people moving around the house. I’m surprised the neighbor kids aren’t shrieking their absolute heads off as per the usual. 

41. Where do you feel the safest? 

When I’m alone and unobserved. 

42. What is the one thing you want to overcome/conquer? 

TMI warning, but I absolutely despise public bathrooms. How am I expected to pee when there’s somebody sitting like three (3) feet away, with only a partial wall between us, hearing everything that’s going on? My fight or flight response simply will not allow it. It’s too awkward and therefore Not Safe. Either that public restroom has to be empty except for me, or it has to be so loud and bustling that ain’t nobody hearing anything. Anything in-between and I’m in hell.

43. If you could travel back to any era, what would it be? 

The ‘80s. Let’s be honest, even that far back makes my life (as a woman, and as a gay person) hella difficult. But, consider this: it’s the ‘80s. Furthermore, consider this: a part-time job might have actually supported me and paid rent back then 😱 Holy fucking shit. Sign me up. I just wouldn’t want to go any further than than like 1980, because again: lesbian. Being a woman in the past = even harder than it is today, being gay in the past = even harder than it is today, being a gay woman in the past = oh no.

44. What is your most used emoji? 

In order of descending frequency:

😂🙄😊😁🤦🏼‍♀️👀😬🌈🤷🏼‍♀️😙

45. Describe yourself using one word. 

Creative

46. What do you regret the most?

Wasting my entire teenage experience. (See #38.) I did quite literally nothing with my life except homework for like 18 years. If I had taken even a tenth as much time for myself as I did for school, I would be so much farther along as a person today.

47. Last movie you saw? 

In the theaters? ........ uh. Shit, I don’t actually remember. It’s been like 5 months. (As it has for everyone.) But the last movie I watched was Lights Out, because I’ve been watching the director’s youtube channel. You could tell it was low-budget and that the director was still kind of finding his stride, but it had a lot of heart behind it and the creators clearly gave a fuck, which made it enjoyable. I am firmly in the camp of “not everything has to be a Magnum Opus or have a multi-billion dollar budget to be a good movie.” If I engaged with it and got some sort of emotional experience out of it, and if it had a good message, I consider it a good movie.

48. Last tv show you watched? 

I don’t usually watch a whole lot of TV shows (who has the time?) but I think the last thing I watched was either The Witcher or that new Unsolved Mysteries miniseries on Netflix. Oh and I was watching Dead to Me because I just love Linda Cardellini’s face and I want to wrap Judy up in a blanket and cuddle the shit out of her and protect her from all things 🥺 My precious beautiful unstable sweet murder baby.

49. Invent a word and it’s meaning. 

Apapanic. It’s where you’re so stressed about things that half of your brain is panicking but the other half is so overwhelmed that it circled all the way back around to being calm to the point of apathy, so you just kind of sit there like

[girlwithglasses1245]

Um so yeah.

I got a new chromebook which is legit one of the best investments I’ve made in quite a while. One problem, I don’t remember my newer tumblr password and email I had set up for my happy new account. So I am stuck here with an older tumblr I made years upon years ago. I was browsing through some of the archive posts and ugh was I whiny little pain in the butt complaining about such stupid things. Anyways! I thought it might be kinda fun perhaps to do a survey that I did in 2013, yes 2013 oh my that seems ages ago. My plan is to have my original answer on top followed by the 2019 answer below it. Because why not? Here we go!

1: Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? The closet must be closed! Still closed please.

2: Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? Sometimes. Not as often as I used, because I honestly don’t ever use it. lol

3: Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Out? In because that’s how Dan likes it. 

4: Have you ever stolen a street sign before? No. Nope. 

5: Do you like to use post-it notes? Sometimes. Sure, I leave Dan random notes in the morning if I wake up first. 

6: Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? I get coupons but sometimes I don't use them. Haha my above answer tells me two things I wasn’t worried about money in 2013 and I didn’t probably understand the question. So yeah, sometimes that will happen when they expire before I get the chance to use them.

7: Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? Neither sound great so I guess a big bear sounds more interesting. I’ll agree with my 2013 answer. 

8: Do you have freckles? I have some. Last I checked I am the same girl, so I have some. 

9: Do you always smile for pictures? Usually. Sure, unless I am being told otherwise. 

10: What is your biggest pet peeve? I have two major ones, people snapping gum and not messaging someone back. Snapping gum is still up there and people slurping soup obnoxiously. 

11: Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Not really. Um not physically, but my phone does. Thanks Google Fit!

12: Have you ever peed in the woods? Nope. Still no.

13: What about pooped in the woods? Again nope. Still no lol.

14: Do you ever dance even if there’s no music playing? Yeah. Of course!

15: Do you chew your pens and pencils? Not usually, but sometimes I'll chew on a pen. Still sometimes I will chew a pen. 

16: How many people have you slept with this week? Zero. One.

17: What size is your bed? Queen. Queen, but now I share it with Dan. 

18: What is your Song of the week? Runaway- iio. Goodness I have no idea. 

19: Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Yeah.  Since when are certain colors unacceptable for certain people? I like that answer. Good job 2013 Christina. :)

20: Do you still watch cartoons? I don’t really watch a lot of TV. Nope. 

21: Whats your least favorite movie? I am not really big on the Hunger Games. Still accurate or scary movies would be an accurate answer. 

22: Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? Wait…why would I want to bury hidden treasure. Dan’s safe?

23: If you’re a girl, bra size? If you’re a guy, pants size? 34 B 32-34 B depends on the bra. lol

24: What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Plain or honey mustard. I like those previous answers, but I do sometimes like BBQ. 

25: What is your favorite food? Some type of chicken with a bread coating. Chicken and dumplings from Cracker Barrel with carrots and green beans! 

26: What movies could you watch over and over and still love? Love and Other Drugs, Crazy Stupid Love, Easy A, Something Borrowed. So chick flicks I guess. Crazy Stupid Love is still in my top favorite movies ever. 

27: Last person you kissed/kissed you? Jeffrey. Eww I am sorry 2013 Christina that sucks. Anyways, Dan!

28: Were you ever a boy/girl scout? I was girl scout back in the day. Still a true statement. 

29: Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? Eh I don't know. I am no model, so no.  30: When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? On paper?  A while ago. I write Dan little notes in the mornings sometimes. Does that count? 31: Can you change the oil on a car? Nope. Still nope.  32: Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Surprisingly no. Warning, yes. lol 33: Ever ran out of gas? Close, but no. Nope!

34: Favorite kind of sandwich? Turkey and swiss with spinach toasted.  Grilled cheese!

35: Best thing to eat for breakfast? French Toast or Waffles. French Toast sounds lovely. 

36: What is your usual bedtime? Unpredictable. Still accurate, but now it depends on if Dan is around or not.  37: Are you lazy? More than some would think. I can be.  38: When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? I don’t even know. Probably a princess.  39: What is your Chinese astrological sign? I believe I am a sheep. Correct.  40: Are you horny? No. Not really.  41: Do you have any magazine subscriptions? No. Yep, Cosmo. And it’s annoying they send out the following month way too early all the time.  42: Which are better legos or lincoln logs? I could care less. Still true. 

43: Are you stubborn? I some ways. Kinda.  44: Who is better…Leno or Letterman? Letterman. Still true hence why Letterman is still on the air? 45: Ever watch soap operas? Sometimes Spanish ones with Rach and her roommates. Nope. 46: Are you afraid of heights? Not as much. What kinda of answer was that back then? lol. Anyways, no height fear really.    47: Do you sing in the car? All the time. Duh, gotta keep it fun.  48: Do you sing in the shower? Not really. I hum though. Still true.  49: Do you dance in the car? Yeah. That’s probably not safe… Hahaha still guilty of that.  50: Ever used a gun? Nope, I want to do it sometime though just to say I shot a gun. Hahaha 2013 would never have thought I’d say I am pretty fucking accurate with an AR-15.  51: Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? Does summer count? Jen took my picture. Christmas of 2015 lol. 52: Do you think musicals are cheesy? Some can be. Usually.  53: Is Christmas stressful? Not really, but this year I’ll be working the holiday season so we shall reassess. Nope. I love Christmas.  54: Ever eat a pierogi? Had to look that up.  Yes, I have I think my friend Elly introduced me to them. Yeah, not my type of thing.  55: Favorite type of fruit pie? Cherry or Dutch Apple.  56: Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? Teacher. I don’t know anymore and I am 27. Oops.  57: Do you believe in ghosts? Eh debatable. Sure. 58: Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Many times. I had one just the other day. Yeah I had one the other day. Wait that’s funny that was my reply before.  59: Take a vitamin daily? I take multivitamins. I still do, but currently out. lol 60: Wear slippers? Nah. Barefoot is preferred.  61: Wear a bath robe? Rarely. Unless I am super cold. Nah. 62: What do you wear to bed? Yoga pants and a t-shirt. T-shirt and panties. lol 63: First concert? Paramore. Still true. 

64: Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Target, but Wal-Mart is closer. Target.  65: Nike or Adidas? I don’t care. Under Amour? 66: Cheetos Or Fritos? Eh…neither. Haha still good answer.  67: Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Sunflower seeds since I can’t do peanuts. Neither. 

68: Ever hear of the group Tres Bien? No? What? 69: Ever take dance lessons? I did a few times. Did I? Hmm sure okay. I did in the past.  70: Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? Lawyer. Business owner.

71: Can you curl your tongue? Yes. Yep! 72: Ever won a spelling bee? Never participated. Nope I am not very good at spelling complicated stuff.  73: Have you ever cried because you were so happy? It has happened on occasion. Sure. 74: Own any record albums? No. Nope. 75: Own a record player? No. Nope. 76: Regularly burn incense? No. Nope. 77: Ever been in love? Yes. Yes.  78: Who would you like to see in concert? Matchbox Twenty, Google Dolls, Drake, Justin Timberlake, The Weekend, Linkin Park, The XX, and many more. I know weird mix there. Drake? 79: What was the last concert you saw? Grad night, Paramore. Same.  80: Hot tea or cold tea? I prefer cold tea. Ice tea!  81: Tea or coffee? Coffee, but I do like tea on occasion. Coffee 99% of the time.  82: Sugar or snickerdoodles? Yummy both please. Don’t make chose.  83: Can you swim well? Eh debatable. I’ve gotten better. lol 84: Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Yes. Yes.  85: Are you patient? Most of the time. 50-50 depends on what.  86: DJ or band, at a wedding? Either would be fine, but a live band would be awesome. DJ, Cheaper, duh lol. 87: Ever won a contest? A few times. Yep! 88: Ever have plastic surgery? I am 22 so no. Nah, I am good.  89: Which are better black or green olives? Eww no thanks. *pukes* No no no. 90: Can you knit or crochet? My mom tried teaching me how to crochet. Still wanting to learn one day either one.  91: Best room for a fireplace? A living room? Still going to go with living room.  92: Do you want to get married? I don’t know anymore, I hope so. I do, lol. 93: If married, how long have you been married? (Not applicable) Same lol 94: Who was your HS crush? Mark fucking Andrew. Ugh that’s still true. But here’s a plot twist though he married someone I know and I see his picture on FB all the time because she posts pictures of them. I am not phased anymore. So victory? For me at least. 95: Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? No. But I have though before though. Haha apparently.  96: Do you have kids? No. Nope.  97: Do you want kids? I would be ok not having kids for a while. No thanks. 98: Whats your favorite color? Purple! Purple!!! 99: Do you miss anyone right now? Yeah extremely. Yes. 

100. What do you hear right now? My Drake station on Pandora playing a Lil Wayne song. No Limit- G Easy ft Cardi B and A$AP Rocky

[whatsjungkooking]

1-92💪🏻

1. Would you have sex with the last person you text messaged?

- nooooooooooooooooooooooooo

2. You talked to an ex today, correct?

- incorrect

3. Have you taken someones virginity?

- nope

4. Is trust a big issue for you?

- not a big issue but people tend to mess about nowadays

5. Did you hang out with the person you like recently?

- yes my bf

6. What are you excited for?

- hopefully passing my driving test

7. What happened tonight?

- my mum and i went to mcdonalds through the drive thru and i got a chicken legend we nEVER go to mcdonalds but my mum didnt want to cook for tea so we went there

8. Do you think it’s disgusting when girls get really wasted?

- no its their decision i just wouldnt do it myself

9. Is confidence cute?

- in some situations yes

10. What is the last beverage you had?

- water

11. How many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust?

- like 4

12. Do you own a pair of skinny jeans?

- all of my jeans are skinny, its to that point now where i feel really weird if my jeans/trousers arent skinny

13. What are you gonna do Saturday night?

- going bowling and for a meal for a friends birthday

14. What are you going to spend money on next?

- bowling and the meal HAHA

15. Are you going out with the last person you kissed?

- yes

16. Do you think you’ll change in the next 3 months?

- probably not to be honest

17. Who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything?

- jess and lauren

18. The last time you felt broken?

- in February 

19. Have you had sex today?

- no

20. Are you starting to realize anything?

- ive realised im biting the inside of my cheeks 

21. Are you in a good mood?

- at the moment yes

22. Would you ever want to swim with sharks?

- no thank yooouuu

23. Are your eyes the same color as your dad’s?

- yes but a bit darker

24. What do you want right this second?

- water and lipbalm

25. What would you say if the person you love/like kissed another girl/boy?

- b y e

26. Is your current hair color your natural hair color?

- the majority yes 

27. Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh?

- no way that is like number 1

28. What was the last thing that made you laugh?

- a video on fb i laughed so much my hip popped

29. Do you really, truly miss someone right now?

- yasss

30. Does everyone deserve a second chance?

- it depends what theyve done

31. Honestly, do you hate the last boy you were talking to?

- definitely not

32. Does the person you have feelings for right now, know you do?

- yes

33. Are you one of those people who never drinks soda?

- nah i loooooove it

34. Listening to?

- body talk by red velvet

35. Do you ever write in pencil anymore?

- tbh not in a while, theres always pens lying about never really pencils

36. Do you know where the last person you kissed is?

- at his house 

37. Do you believe in love at first sight?

- i do not, no 

38. Who did you last call?

- sainsburys, that was last week, i dont call very often

39. Who was the last person you danced with?

- my dad 

40. Why did you kiss the last person you kissed?

- bc i was saying goodbye

41. When was the last time you ate a cupcake?

- a few weeks ago??

42. Did you hug/kiss one of your parents today?

- i think i hugged both 

43. Ever embarrass yourself in front of a crush?

- quite a few times

44. Do you tan in the nude?

- even if i did the sun would still only catch my hands and id only tan my hands

45. If you could, would you take back your last kiss?

- no waaaaaay

46. Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night?

- i dont think so

47. Who was the last person to call you?

- my mum

48. Do you sing in the shower?

- when im the only one in the house i do yes

49. Do you dance in the car?

- i move my shoulders about HAHA

50. Ever used a bow and arrow?

- at school at some point 

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

- school photo

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?

- it depends which one bc for example wicked, thats a musical and thats not cheesy but some musicals are purposely meant to be cheesy

53. Is Christmas stressful?

- not for me but probably for my mum

54. Ever eat a pierogi?

- da heck is tHAT

55. Favorite type of fruit pie?

- im not really a fan of fruit pies

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

- manager of asda or an author

57. Do you believe in ghosts?

- yes

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?

- quite a few times

59. Take a vitamin daily?

- i used to have tablets but theyre very easy to forget about...

60. Wear slippers?

- all the time giiirrrrrl

61. Wear a bath robe?

- a dressing gown? only when im cold

62. What do you wear to bed?

- pyjamas

63. First concert?

- the saturdays

64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?

- none we dont have any of those here

65. Nike or Adidas?

- oooooo thats tough, maybe nike just edges in front bc ive bought more items that are nike

66. Cheetos Or Fritos?

- wotsits

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?

- peanuts

68. Favorite Taylor Swift song?

- love story

69. Ever take dance lessons?

- i have not no

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?

- he do what he gunna do

71. Can you curl your tongue?

- yes 

72. Ever won a spelling bee?

- we dont have spelling bees so i have not

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?

- mainly of laughter 

74. What is your favorite book?

- shatter me, probably bc i keep mentioning it its the first one that comes to mind

75. Do you study better with or without music?

- without, i need complete silence

76. Regularly burn incense?

- nope

77. Ever been in love?

- yes 

78. Who would you like to see in concert?

- bts, gfriend, snsd, little mix maybe, ellie goulding maybe 

79. What was the last concert you saw?

- the saturdays

80. Hot tea or cold tea?

- neither 

81. Tea or coffee?

- neither 

82. Favorite type of cookie?

- chocolate chip

83. Can you swim well?

- im okay HAHA i struggled when i was younger 

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?

- i can yes

85. Are you patient?

- i would say so, especially recently bc apps have been crashing on my ipad lately and i havent gone mad yet 

86. DJ or band, at a wedding?

- maybe DJ

87. Ever won a contest?

- quite a few, the first one i won was a harry potter competition in a really girly magazine and i went for it bc i thought no girl would go for it and i won, i have a flipping quidditch helmet and a huge bag

88. Ever have plastic surgery?

- nope

89. Which are better black or green olives?

- nONE THEY ARE GROSS

90. Opinions on sex before marriage?

- why not

91. Best room for a fireplace?

- living room

92. Do you want to get married?

- yes please

[ciathyzareposts]

Nippon Safes Inc. – Imperial makeover

Written by Torch

In my last post, I managed to get sort of stuck. I imagine I could’ve brute forced my way through, but there’s only so many times one has the patience to try every action on every screen. Luckily commenter Vetinari came to my rescue with some much needed hints on how to proceed.

I only had a couple of items in my possession, but one of them was a saw, and I was pretty hung up on trying to make the saw in this chapter as useful as the wrench in Doug’s. Alas, what was needed was the “bowl” I found outside Doug’s apartment, that was in fact an empty perfume bottle ( or “flacon” ). Well, after filling this up with water from one of the fountains in the park, I can now go to the department store, pass the bottle off as a new one and ask for a refund.

Change is always possible for those who believe, Donna

I get 200 yen back, which in this game usually translates to 2 metro tickets. I think. I know I need one, at least. You see, I need to find the Sumo wrestler Buta Futotta to convince him to accept a challenge from Dino to fight him in wrestling match of the year, which has been heavily advertised, but they apparently haven’t selected an opponent for Buta yet. Great planning.

Now let me pause a bit to say that this next segment has got me thinking a bit about female stereotypes in games. I know the game introduced Donna as a “sexy chap without scruple”, but still I think this game is taking things a bit too far. Tag along, and maybe you’ll see what I mean.

For now, I’ve learned that Buta Futotta stays at the “Eternal Rest” hotel in Tozaiku district, so I need to get a metro ticket to get there. And now I have the money, so here we go. After a short stop at the newspaper vendor, and a trip on the metro, I end up outside the aforementioned hotel.

Is that the Avengers logo on the right?

Great hotel? With only 2-dimensional rooms? One point for Tyoko, though.

The hotel seems cheaper on the inside than the outside, and the hotel clerk looks strangely familiar

Yes, I’d like to Spoc… eh speak to mister Futotta.

The clerk is not very forthcoming with regards to spilling the beans (or fagiolis) on what room mr. Futotta’s in, even though Donna is ready to lay on the table. No, that’s not a misprint.

What’s the ESRB rating on this game, again…?

The clerk is not impressed, though.

No whatever could you mean?

Ok, so a little bit of suggestion never hurt anyone (I hope), but just wait. It gets worse. The clerk won’t tell me what room Futotta’s in, but he’s willing to leave a message for him, in his numbered-by-room pigeon-hole. I borrow a hotel pen, write a message and watch the clerk put it in the hole corresponding to room 127. Ok, now to get him out of the way. I discover that the pen has the phone number to the hotel reception printed on it, so I use one of the lobby phones to prank call him

Based on previous intel, I’m guessing that the first option won’t work

I tell him his moped is being stolen, so he runs out, leaving me with free access to the elevator. I ride it up to Butotta’s floor.

Why are all the rooms number 88? Or if they’re unlit LEDs, how do you make 127 with only 2 digits? It could be hexadecimal, but how do you separate 8/B and 0/D? I ask too many questions

The lower right door is Butotta’s “room”, so I knock on the door and

That went… hm… well?

Erm… what just happened…? If my powers of deduction are to be trusted, I believe it looks like Donna went to have sex with a sumo wrestler to get him to accept Dino as a challenger in the upcoming wrestling match. OR… wait… OR it COULD be that the “censored” sign was because Donna had to crawl in, accidentally showing her underpants when she bent down, and Futotta fell on her while he was running.. or crawling to greet her. Yeah…

Or if you have a better theory regarding the events that just transpired, please submit it in the comments section below.

Weird stuff indeed… At least the current goal seems to be achieved, so let’s head back to Dino to deliver the good news. After 2 trips on the metro, I meet up with Dino, only to learn that time must not move at the same speed in all of Tyoko

Moth…? Oh right. Mother. Sick.. and stuff

So in the time it took me to travel back to the main district and then to Kinza district by underground train, Futotta went to the same place, accepted Dino, fought the match and lost. Wow. Or maybe Kinza and Tozaiku districts are super close by, so Futotta could walk or take a cab in 5 minutes, and the train ride is like 2 hours each way. Yeah, that must be it. By the way, I do notice that I’m starting to make up excuses for the game’s logical ( and other ) fallacies.

Oh well, I guess the passing of time was always a bit incoherent in this game. For instance, Donna, Doug and Dino are clearly in the same city at the same time, however the department store never opened for Doug, the hot dog vendor never showed up, and the restaurant hasn’t opened for Donna, despite us being well past the point in time where Dino needed to fatten up.

Also this next bit doesn’t help with regards to time related inconsistencies. With my newly acquired 50,000 yen, I go visit the tea house again

At least give me a montage!

Ok, Donna now knows all there is to know about tea making, and we have a diploma to show for it. I go back to the emperor’s mansion and talk to the intercom again. This time I brag about my recently completed education, and I’m admitted inside to join the staff.

That’s so imperial

The emperor’s Frankenbutler comes to greet me

Meh… I’m still going to go with butler

He tells me I’m to replace the previous maid and to comply with the emperor’s every wish. He then gives me a key to the exit and leaves me to explore on my own. For now there’s only one other room I can enter

Who’s there?

The bookcase contains no less than 3 items marked “knick-knack”, all of which I can take. Two of them look like some sort of pyramid/lamp/bookstand, and the third seems somewhat familiar.

Yes, this one

At first I can’t quite put my finger on where I’ve seen it before, but then I look back at screenshots from Doug’s chapter

See anything familiar?

I remember thinking that the “key” I retrieved for Donna by breaking that other woman out of jail didn’t really look a whole lot like a key. So what’s going on here? Did the key perhaps have the wrong image in Doug’s chapter? I can’t find anything inside the mansion to use the box/key on, though, so I’ll just leave it for now.

At the bottom of the bookcase is a cabinet that contains a safe. Could this be where the sword is hidden? Donna’s only comment about it is that “There are five strange holes…” Maybe this is where the key goes. Nothing in my inventory does the trick, though. Not even the boxkey.

On the right is the door to the emperor’s room. If I try to open it, Donna instead knocks on the door. The emperor looks out through a hatch and declines to speak to me at the moment

Maybe I should knock with the knick-knack

I go back and talk to the secretary-butler who tells me that the emperor is suffering from a bad case of heartbreak. He’s in love with the pop singer Suzy Yong, and apparently won’t come out until he gets to meet her or something.

After messing around some more in the house, I’m pretty sure I’ve run out of things to try here, so I leave and decide to check if something’s changed. And lo and behold, the Museum’s open!

That only took one a chapter and a half

So I enter, of course

And a line of butt-ugly statues

The “statues” are actually sarcophaguses (sarcophagi?) that all have a certain distinctive look, and this would be a golden opportunity for the game to insert some flavor and/or humor by including descriptions of them, but there’s nothing. If I select the “look” action, there’s no mouseover text. If I mouseover with “take”, I see the text, and Donna will move to a sarcophagus if I click one, but she definitely doesn’t pick it up. It’s all a bit inconsistent, in my opinion. I also try the saw, since that’s a thing I’m doing now, after the wrench in the previous chapter was such a useful item, but doesn’t work here.

Besides the sarcophaguses, there’s an enticingly looking fire extinguisher that I can’t seem to be able to pick up. If I click the exact right spot, I get up to the second floor by using an invisible staircase. On this floor, there’s not much to interact with, but a golden statue draws my attention. And this one actually comes with a description!

Ooh! “Laser”

When pulling out the saw, I notice that only the left hand of the statue is interactable. Could this finally be a proper victim? Yes! Despite looking like being made of solid gold or something, I can cut the hand right off using my saw that I found hanging from a tree and is probably made for cutting wood. Sweet! Now what to do with it…?

I go back to the mansion to see if there’s anything new to try, and it turns out the hand can be used to open the safe. I now recall that there were “five strange holes” in the lock. Alas, there’s no katana in the safe, just a piece of paper.

Famous shmamous. I’ve never seen her performing at the Hot Sushi

This is the singer the butler was talking about, the one the emperor has a crush on. I try using the note on the door to lure him out, but it won’t interact. I go back and talk to the butler again, and he tells me what happened to the previous maid. She tried to steal the katana, so she was arrested and sent to prison. The katana was not recovered, however.

After this, there’s not much more here to do, so I go back into town. I know I at some point will meet with Doug, so maybe I could see if this interaction is available now…? I go to his apartment, and the door is actually open. When I enter, Doug shows up right after.

I have the strangest sense of Deja Vu. Or Deja vu II. Or maybe Uninvited

What happens next is a replay of the exact same sequence that transpired during Doug’s chapter. Which makes sense. Only now I know that Donna is bluffing about a lot of the things she said. She claims to know the emperor intimately, despite having only had a short (and rather hostile) interaction with him through a door hatch. She strangely also refers to him as “Puci puci”, despite not having learned this nickname anywhere. Like before, it ends with Donna promising to get a letter of introduction from the emperor, and Doug pledges to break the other maid out of prison and get the katana from her (or rather the key to where the katana is now).

After I leave Doug’s place, I notice that there’s something new hanging on the newspaper sellers’s booth. It’s a poster of Suzy Yong. As I try to take it, I’m faced with a new copy protection question

Hopefully enough to screw in a lightbulb

After finding the answer in the manual, I receive the poster. Hey, maybe I can show this to the emperor to get him to come out of his room? I hurry over to the mansion, only to be slapped in the face by the clammy hand of disappointment. Ok, maybe Donna could masquerade as Suzy, to fool the emperor instead? But how? I didn’t see a make-up room at the Hot Sushi, but maybe if I talk to the bartender or Max&Kos? Nope, nothing new there.

At this point I’m pretty much back to brute force. Being somewhat fatigued by how often I’ve had to resort to travelling all around town, randomly clicking stuff, I’m pretty close to surrendering and posting another request for assistance, but I’m not sure even TBD has done two requests for the same game, so I dial dosbox’s CPU cycles up to 11 (thousand) and make another sweep of the city.

Actually I manage to combine the sweep with a little bit of deduction. I do have 100 yen left, which equates to one metro ticket, so it’s likely that I’ll need to go to another district for at least one puzzle. Having learned about the other locations mostly from signs and Max&Kos, I check all metro stations, but I finally strike gold outside the department store. There’s an electronic sign that changes every time I enter and leave the screen. It seems to alternate between 3-4 different ads, and one of them is this

Is that the lonesome cowboy Lucky Look and his trusty horse, Wooly Jumper?

Curious as to whether this has been there the whole time, I restore to an earlier save to check, and it seems this particular sign actually won’t show up until after a certain point in time. I think it’s after I find the autograph in the safe. Nevertheless, I can now buy a ticket to the Subu district.

Lucky look before you cross

This is the same area as the Pachinko hut from Doug’s chapter, but that’s unavailable now. We’re here for the Lucky Look salon though, and that’s open. Inside I’m greeted by Figaro, the beautician

I feel that this is supposed to look like a celebrity, but I can’t quite make out who. 5 CAPS for the best suggestion

Figaro has several ideas for how to improve Donna’s appearance, much to her dismay, but we’re here to look like Suzy Yong, so Donna presents the poster, and Figaro agrees to a make-over.

You smooth talker you

Finally, a montage

The wonders of make-up

Now that Donna’s appearance is so drastically changed, I can’t help but wander around town to see if people react differently. Disappointingly, nobody notices anything.

All this work and you don’t even notice?! Men!

Ok, back to the emperor’s place then. This time, he’s happy to see me.

Erh… maybe I didn’t think this through properly

He’s less happy after he wants “Suzy” to sing for him, though, and despite vying for a career as a musical performer, Donna isn’t able to deliver.

Just go “na na na na naaa”. I’m sure he won’t notice

He accuses me of being an imposter, and goes back inside his room again… Sigh… back to the drawing board…. Maybe Donna can learn the song? I go to the department store to see if they have any sheet music or CDs of Suzy Yong, but I can’t find any. Maybe I could watch her on TV? The only TV I know of is in Doug’s apartment, but that’s closed now. Or is it?

It’s actually open. I go in, and Doug’s not there, so I can look around. In the “larder”, I notice I can interact with Doug’s supercomputer. Donna isn’t really impressed with the specs, but discovers a CD-ROM inside, which I can take. I try using it in the computer again to see what’s on it, but that doesn’t help.

On a hunch I discover what I would classify as a very silly solution. Very silly indeed. If I go to the department store, I can…

Hi, I would like to trade this used CD-ROM with unknown contents for a new, copyrighted musical CD

I wish I was kidding. In exchange for the CD-ROM, I get Suzy Yong’s latest hit. The perfume bottle I can see, but this is really stupid. Oh well, at least I’m closer to learning the song. I try Doug’s PC and radio again to see if I can play the CD on them, but nope and double nope. Sigh… Off again to look for a CD player somewhere…

Going to the Kinza district again, I notice the TV tower is open. I go in and find a karaoke machine. Wow, that’s a really natural thing to find in the lobby of a TV station.

Friends don’t let friends do Karaoke

Ok ok, whatever, let’s just get this over with. Insert the CD, and Donna can finally learn the words to the song.

Ooh, I was so close

Learning the song gives me a new sing action, that I can use on the door in the mansion

The bass clef is actually wrong. The dots should be to the right of the curl. Now you know!

Finally I manage to properly impress the emperor, who invites me in to his room

So how did Donna already know the nickname if she learns it here..? Lucky guess?

Donna asks for a letter of introduction for Doug, which is granted, and the emperor then declares that they are to marry. Which was not part of my plan. He gets rather upset when Donna says she needs to “think about it”.

It’s good to know I have a choice

He takes my entrance key and leaves. So now what? In his room are two wardrobes, so I start by checking them. One contains a nondescript “bottle” while the other contains and equally nondescript “doll”. I’d say the bottle looks like a canister of gas or pressurized air, and the doll looks like the blow-up type. And my suspicions are confirmed as soon as I ( after some fiddling ) manage to combine them

The doll is neatly folded so as to appear unused

Good thing they put censored bars over the naughty bits.

I can’t leave by the main entrance, but as I accidentally click on the window on the left, Donna jumps out and dives into the river outside. I’m not sure what the payoff was regarding the doll, but my guess is it was used as a flotation device.

The butler runs out to search for Donna, leaving the door open, and afterwards our (anti)heroine emerges safely from the water, looking smash…

THE DEAD ARE RISING… oh wait

Luckily the letter of introduction was written on waterproof paper probably, so I hurry back to Doug to exchange quest items. After a repeat of the interaction from Doug’s chapter, it’s back to the mansion again to finally get the sword. As I enter, it’s anyone’s guess where the sword is hidden

You’re getting colder

As I mentioned earlier, one of the knick-knacks I picked up from the bookcase looks exactly like the key I got from Doug. And to make it even weirder, either one can be used to open the safe

A key in the hand is better than two that look like a box

Maybe the graphics artist had a flu or something the day they were designing the key. Anyway, I open the safe, grab the sword and head outside to freedo….

I’m starting to see a pattern here

And with that, the chapter ends, much the same way Doug’s did. I think the brown coat and the gloves resemble what Dr. WooKi was wearing, but why would he do this, if I’m on my way to delivering the promised item(s) to him? It doesn’t make sense, so make somebody else wants these too? Well, still one chapter to go before we can get to the bottom of this. At least Dino seems like a nice guy.

Time played 13h 5m Tioko/Tyoko mentions ( accumulated) Tioko: 10 Tyoko: 9 Inventory Saw, 3 metro tickets, 2x knick-knack, 2x knick-knack/safe key, Suzi Yong autograph, Suzi Yong poster, Katana Shinjuku

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/nippon-safes-inc-imperial-makeover/

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON INDIGO’S MAIN RAP, VOCAL BAN JISUNG…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 25 DEBUT AGE: 20 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 17 COMPANY: MSG ETC: This member has become involved in acting since the group’s shift in popularity

IDOL IMAGE

outer

actor face, model proportions, nobody rapper. the weight of the last moniker is the card that knocks it all off balance, locks him (them) into this seemingly never-ending cycle of shoddy luck, until that survival show miraculously turned the tides for the better. before that, he’s the dissonance that msg likes to play off of–softer visuals of his sort don’t scream “rapper,” but that’s precisely the point.

with this wave of newfound fame now, he’s this: actor face, model proportions, indigo’s lead rapper; now with a more extensive list of footnotes tacked to each label following his name. there’s still a lot of focus on how he looks, surface-level perfection that plays off a criss-cross of intimidating and downright ethereal, a physical symmetry that at times (even on the account of the most grainy, pixelated fantaken shots) is difficult to fathom whole.

it’s enough to gain him some traction in advertising, something the company has pushed along with acting, both which he’s complied with wholeheartedly.

the rule of thumb? stay aware of your image, but never fail to be humble–being projected to the same spew of lovely compliments on loop of course makes this awfully easy. they want him to be relatable, down to earth. another trick with contrast that’s enough to entertain the masses and gain empathy. jisung’s own personal touch being to never cross the threshold into straight up delusional territory (exhibit a: attitude controversies? what the fuck are you smoking? exhibit b: saying they don’t need girlfriends when they’ve got their fans? no thank you).

the same philosophy is applied when it comes to his place among the boys–give credit where its due and be thankful for what’s given and got. anything that goes above and beyond and enters peak uncharacteristic excessive tomfoolery? then on god, he’s gotta be the one that’s smoking mad.

inner

his single crime is having a backbone. a human spine can only take so much pressure before it snaps under the weight of the unimaginable. humiliation stings (they’re next to nothing, close to it), sure, but there’s a reason why language exists. the pen’s mightier than the sword, and a mouth that knows how to strike someone numb than the slap of a palm works the same way. it’s not loyalty here, but merely an honest defense of everything that has his name associated with it. in the past, he’d been notorious for it–particularly in the wake of senior groups who don’t know when to can it, like they’re not only on top because fortune favors the fucked up and vice versa. the truth hurts, and the only thing that’s changed in the name of it is that he now has ground that is more solid than it’s ever been before if he’s to take the fall. evolutionary tactics for the sake of survival. it’s that simple.

IDOL HISTORY

baggage? pass. any brand of mommy-daddy issues or familial dysfunction both nuclear or extended? forget about it. there’s absence, but in a world this big, who doesn’t want some negative space in their lives? brooklyn is being pushed and pushed til it spills over, and he’s caught in the flood. childlike wonder keeps him distracted most days–that, and a schedule of extracurriculars that has him up and running. life moves by the rhythmic click-clack of the L, the school bell ringing for every hour, and earbuds glued in on his way to baseball practice. the blueprint, epmd’s strictly business, odds and ends of music mixes and archives he clicks through, building up a little world of rat-tat and snares.

there’s a meaningfulness to it, a to-the-point truth, the same sort that his parents jot down or announce through television screens. he takes to it like breathing, and from then on it’s kind of all-consuming. experimenting with different sounds, moods, flows–ranging from embarrassingly bad efforts to perfectly decent with some polish.

opportunity knocks after high school graduation. the rare trip to seoul to visit his grandparents turns to an msg talent scout handing him a card for consideration. if there’s anything to be thankful for, it’s that he’d sprouted like a beanstalk the summer before–paired with him growing quite nicely into his features, there’s a chance here. and with passing auditions, it expands. jisung weighs the percentages in his head, a diploma in journalism versus the paper-thin degrees of (possible) fame and affluence. his parents look at him as if to say with their eyes, god, eighteen years, and only to raise atall dumbass?

the prideful creature that he is, jisung doesn’t know how that could be possible. it’s only when the trainee days hit that he realizes with silent horror that oh. they might’ve had a point.

being familiar with singing and rapping gives him a leg-up in evaluations, all for that to be for naught the second they have to learn how to dance. it’s probably the first time having legs this long and inflexible nearly screws him over, but that’s where fake it ‘til you make it is exceptionally handy.

it all ends sooner than anticipated, anyway (like all fever dreams do, you could suppose). a year and then some, and he’s slotted for msg’s upcoming boy group. they’re multifaceted and (for the most part) interesting. neither of these qualities, jisung also comes to understand, mean shit. but he clings anyway, because there’s that so-called “meaningfulness” to it that might as well be the proverbial titanic in the face of the iceberg called public opinion. and if there’s nothing else going for him, face and body aside, he’s got a nose for smelling out bullshit, and jisung knows, this is anything but. jumping ship isn’t happening anytime soon.

they keep releasing songs, performing, and releasing more songs, rinse, repeat ad nauseam. hope is a thing with feathers, except those feathers are molting real fast for some of them. the years drag on, the calls from his parents offering to terminate that damned contract once and for all more tempting by the minute. but he’s a twenty-something by now, and with it the buddings of adult responsibility. emphasis on buddings, because as far as the msg execs are concerned, he’s not doing anything along the lines of responsible.

case in point: what he says, or rather, does. his transparency is a double-edged sword, simultaneously refreshing and well, sharp. not in the way that they like, and especially when he uses it against (senior) industry mates taking the liberties to drag their lack of reputation through filth. pity is the last thing desired, but there’s something about soon to be has-beens themselves picking on small fry that doesn’t sit well with him. so (allegedly) ignoring such folks on broadcast to forgoing the honorifics with a drop of the hat, no doubt it’ll get the rumor mill running. it’s not until the public eye starts zeroing in on an apparent pattern of him not bowing to other acts on stage does msg bring the hammer down–reflecting the obvious resort, but the reminder-slash-warning of the bigger consequences if he isn’t careful.

but by then, he’s a different kind of desperate as is. re:group is taken to like a second chance, fever dream-like training sessions that feel like deja vu and all. three years in, and dignity be damned. he’s grateful for the chance. exposure feels both like a second skin and a novelty, fits him glove-sleek in spite of not lasting there all that long, let alone making it to the final cut. it’s enough of a catalyst, enough of tiny, tiny nudge to skyrocket them into an overnight success.

compromise, along with this “nothing to something” narrative, makes for a winning combination. it no longer becomes a matter of being talented but being marketable. the love calls begin soon after, and so starts the growing repertoire in endorsement deals and acting projects, and he’s looking to expand his horizons a little further. he’d been here solely for the music from the start, and always will be, but in the face of a changing sound, there’s something oddly relieving in filling a different path to success that is hard to deny.

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON INDIGO’S LEAD RAP BAN  JISUNG...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 25 DEBUT AGE: 20 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 17 COMPANY: MSG SECONDARY SKILL: Modeling

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): jiji, cat dad, face genius INSPIRATION: the hip hop legend himself, tiger jk. SPECIAL TALENTS:

beatboxing.

solve a rubiks cube in under 30 seconds.

remain unflinching during “don’t laugh” challenges.

NOTABLE FACTS:

mom and dad are reputable journalists living abroad.

is an only child.

can play the piano and drums.

owner of a one year old maine coon kitten named piper.

turned down an admission to nyu in order to become an idol. 

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

keep working, pushing forward, pulling his weight. idol contracts are temporary, but the grind is forever. they’ve made it despite the odds, and he’s wholly focused on having that ball stay rolling. a nifty name brand deal (or three) would be nice to end the year, but he’s not picky.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

do everything, leave nothing–establish himself as the go-to brand face, dabble in acting, put out a solo (though given msg’s track record, he’ll give himself another couple of years before giving it a chance), establish some sort of music collective a decade down the line, roll around in CF money for the rest of his days to come.

IDOL IMAGE

outer

actor face, model proportions, nobody rapper. the weight of the last moniker is the card that knocks it all off balance, locks him (them) into this seemingly never-ending cycle of shoddy luck, until that survival show miraculously turned the tides for the better. before that, he’s the dissonance that msg likes to play off of–softer visuals of his sort don’t scream “rapper,” but that’s precisely the point.

with this wave of newfound fame now, he’s this: actor face, model proportions, indigo’s lead rapper; now with a more extensive list of footnotes tacked to each label following his name. there’s still a lot of focus on how he looks, surface-level perfection that plays off a criss-cross of intimidating and downright ethereal, a physical symmetry that at times (even on the account of the most grainy, pixelated fantaken shots) is difficult to fathom whole. it’s enough to gain him some traction in advertising, something the company has pushed and he’s complied with wholeheartedly.

the rule of thumb? stay aware of your image, but never fail to be humble–being projected to the same spew of lovely compliments on loop of course makes this awfully easy. they want him to be relatable, down to earth. another trick with contrast that’s enough to entertain the masses and gain empathy. jisung’s own personal touch being to never cross the threshold into straight up delusional territory (exhibit a: attitude controversies? what the fuck are you smoking? exhibit b: saying they don’t need girlfriends when they’ve got their fans? no thank you.).

the same philosophy is applied when it comes to his place among the boys–give credit where its due and be thankful for what’s given and got. anything that goes above and beyond and enters peak uncharacteristic excessive tomfoolery? then on god, he’s gotta be the one that’s smoking mad.

inner

his single crime is having a backbone. a human spine can only take so much pressure before it snaps under the weight of the unimaginable. humiliation stings (they’re nothing, were nothing), sure, but there’s a reason why language exists. the pen’s mightier than the sword for a reason, and a mouth that knows how to strike someone numb than the slap of a palm works the same way. it’s not loyalty here, but merely an honest defense of everything that has his name associated with it. in the past, he’d been notorious for it–particularly in the wake of senior groups who don’t know when to can it, like they’re not only on top because fortune favors the fucked up and vice versa. the truth hurts, and the only thing that’s changed in the name of it is that he now has ground that is more solid than it’s ever been before if he’s to take the fall. evolutionary tactics for the sake of survival. it’s that simple.

IDOL HISTORY

baggage? pass. any brand of mommy-daddy issues or familial dysfunction both nuclear or extended? forget about it. there’s absence, but in a world this big, who doesn’t want some negative space in their lives? brooklyn is being pushed and pushed til it spills over, and he’s caught in the flood. childlike wonder keeps him distracted most days–that, and a schedule of extracurriculars that has him up and running. life moves by the rhythmic click-clack of the L, the school bell ringing for every hour, and earbuds glued in on his way to baseball practice. the blueprint, epmd’s strictly business, odds and ends of music mixes and archives he clicks through, building up a little world of rat-tat and snares.

there’s a meaningfulness to it, a to-the-point truth, the same sort that his parents jot down or announce through television screens. he takes to it like breathing, and from then on it’s kind of all-consuming. experimenting with different sounds, moods, flows–ranging from embarrassingly bad efforts to perfectly decent with some polish.

opportunity knocks after junior year. the rare trip to seoul to visit his grandparents turns to an msg talent scout handing him a card for consideration. if there’s anything to be thankful for, it’s that he’d sprouted like a beanstalk the summer before–paired with him growing quite nicely into his features, there’s a chance here. and with passing auditions, it expands. jisung weighs the percentages in his head, a high school diploma versus the paper-thin degrees of (possible) fame and affluence. his parents look at him as if to say with their eyes, god, seventeen years, and only to raise atall dumbass?

the prideful creature that he is, jisung doesn’t know how that could be possible. it’s only when the trainee days hit that he realizes with silent horror that oh. they might’ve had a point.

being familiar with singing and rapping gives him a leg-up in evaluations, all for that to be for naught the second they have to learn how to dance. it’s probably the first time having legs this long and inflexible nearly screws him over, but that’s where fake it ‘til you make it is exceptionally handy.

it all ends sooner than anticipated, anyway (like all fever dreams do, you could suppose). a year and then some, and he’s slotted for msg’s upcoming boy group. they’re multifaceted and (for the most part) interesting. neither of these qualities, jisung also comes to understand, mean shit. but he clings anyway, because there’s that so-called “meaningfulness” to it that might as well be the proverbial titanic in the face of the iceberg called public opinion. and if there’s nothing else going for him, face and body aside, he’s got a nose for smelling out bullshit, and jisung knows, this is anything but. jumping ship isn’t happening anytime soon.

they keep releasing songs, performing, and releasing more songs, rinse, repeat ad nauseam. hope is a thing with feathers, except those feathers are molting real fast for some of them. the years drag on, the calls from his parents offering to terminate that damned contract once and for all more tempting by the minute. but he’s a twenty-something by now, and with it the buddings of adult responsibility. emphasis on buddings, because as far as the msg execs are concerned, he’s not doing anything along the lines of responsible.

case in point: what he says, or rather, does. his transparency is a double-edged sword, simultaneously refreshing and well, sharp. not in the way that they like, and especially when he uses it against (senior) industry mates taking the liberties to drag their lack of reputation through filth. pity is the last thing desired, but there’s something about soon to be has-beens themselves picking on small fry that doesn’t sit well with him. so (allegedly) ignoring such folks on broadcast to forgoing the honorifics with a drop of the hat, no doubt it’ll get the rumor mill running. it’s not until the public eye starts zeroing in on an apparent pattern of him not bowing to other acts on stage does msg bring the hammer down–reflecting the obvious resort, but the reminder-slash-warning of the heavier consequences if he’s not careful.

but by then, he’s a different kind of desperate as is. re:group is taken to like a second chance, fever dream-like training sessions that feel like deja vu and all. three years in, and dignity be damned. he’s grateful for the chance. exposure feels both like a second skin and a novelty, fits him glove-sleek in spite of not lasting there all that long, let alone making it to the final cut. it’s enough of a catalyst, enough of tiny, tiny nudge to skyrocket them into an overnight success.

compromise, along with this “nothing to something” narrative, makes for a winning combination. it no longer becomes a matter of being talented but being marketable. the love calls begin soon after, and so starts the growing repertoire in endorsement deals and magazine spreads, and he’s looking to expand his horizons a little further. he’d been here solely for the music from the start, and always will be, but in the face of a changing sound (which he privately wishes wasn’t so piano-driven now, but hey, money talks), there’s something oddly relieving in filling a different path to success that is hard to deny.