Coming through the library, Sea Major made note on everything they saw, especially the stairs as of lately. Still Sea Major was now determined to get up the stairs for sure. She wasn't sure if the Judge was still with her, but she was sure he was somewhere nearby... maybe.
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 12:56 pm
B: Continue on to the kitchen to ask the house staff some questions (go ahead and ask!)
Glad to see the stairs were still down during the blackout, Del climbed down them noisily, sought his way out of the Librarby and headed towards the kitchen to hunt down Chop Chop, strange oil bottle in hand. Once he had found the said pony in question, being the tempermental hot head he was, his approach wasn't too... pleasant. Nor did he really wait for her to dry off and simply cast a glance over at Habeus. "Chop Chop. What is this. And please explain why it was up int he work room with Fuchsia's stuff?" Del asked like a bossy yes man would and held out the bottle of oil plainly for the other to see.
Don Calimari picked up the first aid kit and the empty epinephrine box, leafing through the instruction booklet perfunctorily. He glanced back into the master bedroom, wondering if he would find a used injector there - but that dirty bookie was still tearing the place apart. So instead he looked around the marble haven, nodding approvingly (Diamond thought Don Calimari would like marble), then systemically began rifling through everything he could touch. He opened cabinets and raised lids - peering into the first aid kid, rattled the empty trashcan, shook out the towels. Two could play at this game, Vigorish, and Don Calimari saw all - including the fact that the jewelry box had been very poorly purloined.
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 4:31 pm
C: Search the art gallery
"The art gallery, darling? Ohoho... Let's see if Moneybags kept good taste... in art!" She knew well enough about his taste in women, it seemed. She glanced at the art in the room, noting the uh, large gaping hole that led to the laundry room. And a spider. Spooky...
Other people had already searched here, but maybe in their wake they uncovered something new! Diamante checked behind some of the art pieces, not really expecting anything, however.
Yes, this was definitely auntie Penny's room. There weren't any obvious clues to the murder here - just clues to her weird aunt's obsession. Moooving right along, there was one more room up here Cutie hadn't looked for clues, and that was the playroom (C). May as well exhaust ALL of her possible leads before interrogating the help some more.
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 9:46 pm
Round the Thirteenth
Talk to [NPC]
Habeus Corpses: Fiddling with her cell phone!
Chop Chop: Chop Chop frowns, sniffs the oil, frowns harder, then pours a little oil into a frying pan and heats it up on the stove. The smell sharpens and you are transported back to a childhood memory of the circus or the ballpark. Chop Chop just looks confused. "This is peanut oil," she says. "There's reasons it could have been in the house- if you found it in the workroom, it might have been used as a wood treatment- but it really shouldn't have been in the house. Where did you find this? If it was in Rank and File's things... well, I have no idea why he'd have it. Fuchsia might at least have an excuse."
Wine About It: Dusting the bottles!
Rank and File: SPIDER WAR
Fuchsia Fussbudget: Missing in action.
Kitchen
No new information here, other than what Chop Chop has to say.
Dining Room
Nothing is new in this room, really.
Great Room
Not much has changed in here. This room appears to be completely empty.
Parlor
The spider war swells to a climax. With a tornado of blows, Rank and File smashes spiders left and right. It's downright inspiring now that he's finally gotten the advantage; he knows not mercy. He mutters as he massacres, eventually rising to a roaring crescendo of arachnid murder. "The butler came down like the wolf on the fold, and his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; and the sheen of his swatter like stars on the sea, when the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee... like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green, that host with their banners at sunset were seen: like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown that host on the morrow lay withered and strown..." He paused, chest heaving. "For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, and breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; and the eyes of the spiders waxed deadly and chill, and their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still! And there lay the spider with nostril all wide, but through it there rolled not the breath of his pride; and the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, and cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf..." He glanced around him, eyes wide. "And there stood the butler distorted and pale, with the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail: and the parlor was silent, the butler alone, his swatter unswatted, the trumpet unblown, and the spiders of Ashur are loud in their wail, and the webs are broke in the temple of Baal; and the might of the butler, unsmote by the sword, hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord WHEN I LAY MY VENGEANCE UPON THEE!" It's a mixed metaphor, but it gets the point across. When the lights come back on, there's not a spider left alive. The swatter falls to the floor; its clatter echoes through the halls. Taking a deep breath, Rank and File composes himself and then silently returns to the dining room.
Palm Court
The bats circle quietly.
Trophy Room
One of the taxidermy heads appears to move... wait, no, that's just a trick of the light.
Sitting Room
The sitting room is once again empty.
Office
The chaos of the office has been left behind.
Powder Room/Restroom
This restroom is quiet now.
Library
There is nothing new in the library; the stairs, however, are still down! Whoever plunged the house into darkness didn't mess with them.
The Second Floor
The second floor landing is dimly illuminated by a soft glow from below. Long shadows dance and flicker on the walls, causing severe unease.
The Art Gallery
The spider bro is eager to greet the new visitors! He waves a hairy leg from inside his vase.
The Lounge
This room is a silent testament to 1968.
The Reading Room
A final sweep of the reading room reveals one more detail; a planner sitting next to one of the boxes. It was easy to miss; it's a very small book, but a very important book. There's all kinds of notes in it about meetings. The last entries are on the day Moneybags died. They read "CC at noon; check about the Czechs' cheques," "Dr. V over for dinner," "PB coming over after dinner for drinks (talk about his sister?)" and "set the DVR for that damn movie of CH's and pretend to watch it."
The Bathroom
Nothing new in here!
The Catwalk
The catwalk is empty.
The Laundry Room
This room, now largely destroyed, has no new information.
The Open Guest Bedroom
No new information comes to light in this room!
The Previously Locked Guest Bedroom
This room is full of regrets, but no new information.
The Workroom
The symphony of destruction going on in the workroom actually reveals some interesting stuff. While absolutely nothing is found in the poor destroyed sofa, there's a packet of syringes on the other side of the room. These aren't the sort of syringes you'd use to inject drugs, mind you- they're more like the sort you use to inject meat. They have extremely thick needles. One of them is missing.
Pennybags' Old Bedroom
This bedroom is blue and full of trophies, toys, and books. There is a large bed with a downy comforter, neatly made in a corner. A picture of Pennybags and his mother stands on the nightstand. There is a closet with a small child's clothes (and Pennybags remembers just how wretched these are- ugh, the Little Lord Faunterloy suits!), the sort of thing a sentimental parent might hang onto after their kid moves out, and a desk with a stack of college econ textbooks on top of it. This was clearly Pennybags' old room. The eastern wall has a door leading to a huge playroom; the northern wall has a door leading to a jack-and-jill style bathroom. Investigating this room doesn't give you anything in the way of evidence, but it does open up the way to a few far more interesting rooms.
The Jack-and-Jill Bathroom
This is the most neutral bathroom you've ever seen. It's all done up in shades of white and beige; swaths of creamy fabric cascade from the ceiling and then swoop back up as decoration. They flutter in a cool breeze; there's a daft somewhere in this room. There are stacks of folded towels under the two sinks, but nothing particularly personalized. There never was, really. There are two sinks, a shower, and a toilet in an alcove, giving it some privacy. However, there's nothing really out of place here.
The Other Bedroom- Oh, It Is Clearly Penny Earned's Room
This room is incredibly cute; the walls are a light purple with a gingham accent pattern, and the rug on the floor has daisy-shaped cutouts. This room was once Penny Earned's, and it looks like it did when she was much younger. The bed has a fluffy white comforter and tasseled pillows; the plush armchair has a small nest of dolls and stuffed animals. Pictures are tacked to the walls- childhood crayon drawings of rainforest animals provide a somber, stark contrast to glossy photos of deforestation and wildfire, added much later. There's a desk painted blue, shoved up against a wall with "SAVE THE EARTH" painted in the same blue and in a slightly askew script, as if they'd been painted by an inexperienced graffiti artist. There is a door in here that leads to a large playroom beyond. Under the bed in this room, there's some nature magazines... and Penny's old diary! This could be useful, but probably not for finding the murderer- the last entry is dated to approximately Penny's twelfth birthday.
The Playroom
The children's playroom is vast and comfortable; there's a plush, squishy carpet on the floor and a mural of a bucolic garden scene with lots of cute animals and flowers. A massive dollhouse dominates the room. Trunks of dolls and doll clothes line the wall; there's a large train table with miniature tracks and trains and all kinds of scenery and signage. There's a pair of old computers loaded with rather antique games, and buckets and bins of smaller toys of every variety. There is also a small door that leads to a crawlspace. It is open when you enter the room- then something glimmers and it slams shut with a bang. Investigating more closely, you find that there's some purple hairs in the hinges of the door; looks like somebody was fumbling with it impatiently. This door won't open, no matter what you do.
The Master Bedroom
As Vigorish searches the bedroom for more treasure- er, clues- he notices a bottle of wine that's been knocked behind the bedside table. It's mostly empty; there's a little dried wine at the bottom. The glass is thick and dark, but spinning it around in the light shows a sort of residue along the inner sides of the bottle.
The Master Bathroom
Don Calimari continues to search the bathroom. There's not too much to find, other than some crumpled tissues in the bathroom trash can.
...And the Others...
Judge Fudge has taken a recess! Well, ok, a wrong turn. He finds himself wandering in a basement before a hoof is laid on his shoulder...
Suddenly, there's a loud humming noise. The house lights blaze on. The power is back! A victorious crow can be heard downstairs; sounds like Habeus Corpses has gotten cell reception again. In a moment, a voice crackles over the intercom- yes of course each room has an intercom. "Everybody get back to the dining room now." The voice is a mixture of triumphant and furious. You gather in the dining room and stare at each other, not quite knowing what to do...
EVERYBODY PM YOUR GUESSES TO SCARAMOUCHE FANDANGO.
Your guess should look something like this:
It was [CHARACTER NAME HERE] (remember that the correct answer IS a player character, not an NPC!) and they did it with [MURDER WEAPON HERE]! You can go into detail if you have a theory, but you must guess the killer and the weapon.
You have TWENTY-FOUR HOURS to submit your guesses! After that... well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?
zippedsiren
Astraea Pandora
purplerosesbeauty
Atmadja
Yunonia
FrostyPeaches
cursedandwandering
Yushika
Kitty Sprightt
EchoLimaFoxtrot
thyPOPE
Fea Line
VerityHattress
Ruriska
elvyralani
Maxx D
Jun D
Scaramouche Fandango Crew
Big Wife
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Big Wife
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:45 am
THE END
As the tension in the room begins to thicken, there's a high-pitched scream again. It's coming from the parlor. Concerned, you all spill out of the dining room to see Fuchsia Fussbudget, her eyes wide with terror, being shoved out of a panel nobody had previously known was there. She isn't alone. There, covered in dust and grime, are all of the missing party guests... and a strange stallion. The stranger is brown, with golden hair and gem-like eyes– and he is furious. "YOU!" he bellows, pointing an accusatory hoof at Pennybags. "The two of you aren't going to get away with it any longer! I've been locked in this house for twenty-five years and I'm not going to be locked up any more!" He shoves Fuchsia towards Pennybags, her partner in crime.
"I'm sorry," says Habeus Corpses, looking incredibly confused (as does the rest of the staff), "but what is going on here? Who are you?"
"He shouldn't exist!" snarls Pennybags, stamping a hoof. "He should go away and leave this family alone!"
"And where would I go?" snarls the stranger. "This is my home! She was my mother too!"
The sentence hangs in the air as Habeus Corpses rounds on Fuchsia. "You'd better start explaining."
Whimpering, the maid nods her head. "He... Penny Earned wasn’t the mistress's second child. She was third. They weren't supposed to know that they have a half brother... his existence would destroy the family’s good name and honor. The mistress was having an affair and became pregnant. Moneybags found out about the pregnancy early on and thought it was his- but when the child was born, the lack of a horn and the twinkle eyes made it blatantly obvious that this child was not his. We all knew about his temper... he wasn't there when the baby was born, but we didn't know what to do. He... we couldn't risk her. So the original plan was to claim that the boy had been stillborn and quietly give him up for adoption- but the mistress had a tender heart and couldn’t go through with it. The decision was made to raise the boy in secret so that she could have him close. I told her it wasn't a good plan, but she insisted. The old boarded-up subbasement was opened and the boy was cared for down there. It was so easy for me to sneak away, and well... Moneybags was told that the baby hadn’t survived and that the mistress was suffering severely; that's when she sequestered herself in the East Wing and claimed she didn't want to see him. In reality, this was done so that she could sneak down to care for the boy. In time, she saw less and less of him; she had her “real” family to take care of, and she was soon pregnant again– this time with miss Penny Earned. She couldn't avoid him forever, and you should have seen them back then. He was so upset about her, so gentle and understanding... So I mostly raised him. Sort of. We told him he had to stay down there, that–"
"You told me there were monsters and that I would die if I didn't leave the basement! And I believed you!"
Fuchsia heaves a sob and continues. "Penny hadn’t even gotten her cutie mark before the mistress fell ill. We opened up the East Wing again and turned her chambers there into a sickroom– she hated the idea of the hospital. During her long decline and convalescence, Pennybags spent a lot of time with her in the East Wing. That's... that's how he knew." Fuchsia starts weeping openly.
"The first time I saw him, I was disgusted. At first I thought the sparkling eyes in the crack in the wall were some old statue; when I found out, I wanted to scream. But Mother mollified me and said that he was a secret and made me promise not to tell anybody. For a while, I played with him- I played with him until she died, and then I swore on her deathbed that he would always remain a secret. I couldn't let her memory be tarnished like that!" Pennybags shouts, almost crying.
The stranger isn't impressed. "You traded my life for your mother's memory. And your father's."
"I had to! I had to protect what's mine!" snarls Pennybags. "Before he died, he started snooping around. He started talking with some doctor who'd known Mother back then. She would have spoiled everything! He would have found you and then we all would have suffered! I had to kill him!"
The collective gasps, taking a step back. Pennybags, eyes wild, looks around, wondering if there's any way to take back what had been said.
"Yes, you did kill him. I saw it happen- the rooms have eyes," snarls the stallion. "Don't think I didn't see you doctor that wine. I saw you inject that peanut oil into the bottle before giving it to him. I saw her take the first-aid supplies away. I saw her helping you, and I saw you planting the red herrings to save your own hide and try to transfer the blame to somebody else" he says, pointing to Fuchsia. "I saw the entire thing. Now at least everybody knows." He looks around the room, suddenly shrinking a bit– he's never been exposed to this many people before and you can tell that he's extremely self-conscious.
"WELL," interjects Habeus. "I think we've heard enough. Fortunately for the legality of this entire affair, the police are on their way. Repeat your story for them and they might offer you some clemency for cooperation. The estate will fall into evidence so I'm afraid nobody will get it for the time being although it seems like Clementine had it the most right– so depending on how the court sees it, it looks like the estate might be falling into her hooves. However, a few others seem to have sussed it out at least part of the way... this is a legal battle that might take years. Her eyes light briefly, thinking of the continued employment. "Now, I suggest we all sit down and make ourselves comfortable. We're in for a long night; the police are going to want to talk to all of us." She looks around at the society figures gathered in the room, then to the stranger. "And then we have to figure out what to do about you..."
Clementine takes the estate (probably)(maybe)(hire a good lawyer)... but which player takes the prize?
Guesses below!
zippedsiren
I would like to guess that the murderer is Checked Cheque and the weapon was wine poisoned with peanut oil.
A) Check is the only one with an "alibi" provided at the beginning that later proved to be false. He visited earlier in the day, it's possible he used a needle/injector to put a nut product in the wine (through the cork) that he knew Moneybags would likely drink later. He might have done so early in the day, left to Prague knowing that he'd be gone whenever the wine was taken. B) Check is a the best friend and business partner, he would have known about the allergy and likely also the ins and outs of the house. He could have snuck into where the epi stuff was and disposed of it so that when there was a reaction he couldn't fix it C) peanut oil or a but product would be easier to mask the taste of in wine than drain cleaner. The sheets might have been put into the wash to hide evidence the wine was tampered with. D) it mimics the poe stories, specifically Cask, with a friend luring someone to their death with wine. E) check had a meeting but was not mentioned in the post it note collection of meetings and name, could be that Check was being supplied information. (Also while the hairs found are probably Fuschia's, cremebunny is also purple... So I am suspicious of all purple colors phonies)
Astraea Pandora
It was Diamante and she did it with the drain cleaner that Penny found injected into wine which really is a horrible way to go damn...
purplerosesbeauty
It was Pennybags and they did it with poisoned wine!
Atmadja
It was Pennybags and they did it with peanut oil in the wine!
Yunonia
It was PENNYBAGS and they did it with POISONED WINE! He was one of the last people to see his father alive and wine was served to Moneybags right before bed. His son was also afraid of the redrafting of the will. What better way to stop that than with murder!
FrostyPeaches
It was [ Bitter Pill ( played by Hex Maniac ) ] and they did it with [ the small empty bottle that smelled like almonds ] found in the guestroom!
There is a reason she was the ex-wife. she was not good enough for Moneybags since she was just a rebound! Even if she is rich and wealthy being a surgeon, she is not happy and bitter and holds grudges against Moneybags like it says on page one.
And I do believe exes are mad things that would do anything to take revenge or do s**t to be even with the person they have a grudge on now? lol yay for watching too much television and movies that brainwashed me.
A surgeon first had to be a doctor of some sort before they can specialize in becoming a surgeon. the NPC said on day 10 that there was CC, Lady doctor, and PB that came to visit on the day he died. that matched with the little planner someone found on day 13.
Bitter Pill ( Hex Maniac) must have slipped the content of that bottle into a wine glass served with wine and given it to Moneybags to drink since that unicorn had a wine collection he is stingy about his wines, not letting the workers have any of it. Food allergies' side effects includes vomiting. so i think that's how he got murdered and died.
Pennybags did everything for his dad, he would probably be the pony that tried to save his dad by jabbing syringes with epinephrine to treat his papa's severe allergies to nuts, soy, legumes, etc, so i don't believe that he had done it.
and as for CC, well he probably just came over to talk about what the eff to invest in like the East Wing or whatever since he is Moneybags’ long time partner and ostensibly best friend.
cursedandwandering
I accuse Diamante of killing Moneybags with Peanut oil in his wine! My theory... Malbec originated in France, but is now primarily made in Argentina There are many locations in Argentina named Diamante Diamante's birthday card (which would have listed her as having given the wine) is never found. However her perfumed envelope was (hmmm... There is also a bunch of perfumed envelopes locked up near his bed. While you say they are from the wife, i don't understand why he wouldn't open them while she was sick unless he was feeling guilty about CHEATING. GASP. ok, i might be blowing things out of proportion.) The pages of the book of wines containing this info were also torn out Two of the Edgar Allen Poe stories mentioned are about revenge. The first The Cask of Amontillado is about a man taking revenge on a friend who has insulted him by luring him with promises of a rare wine. Hop-Frog on the other hand has the main character forced to drink wine and is pushed to act after seeing his friend (and later accomplice) shamed. What is particularly interesting is what is believed to be the inspiration for the story. ""The Cask of Amontillado" represents Poe's attempt at literary revenge on a personal enemy,[2] and "Hop-Frog" may have had a similar motivation. As Poe had been pursuing relationships with Sarah Helen Whitman and Nancy Richmond (whether romantic or platonic is uncertain), members of literary circles in New York City spread gossip and incited scandal about alleged improprieties." (Thank you wikipedia) This sounds almost exactly like the description of Diamante "The Grand Dame, Diamante: An old friend of Moneybags. It was rumored that the two had been lovers, but due to a family quarrel could never be together. For quite a while it was a black mark on Diamante’s reputation, resulting in scandal and divorce from her first husband. Perhaps she had never truly forgiven Moneybags… Perhaps she was still holding a grudge from all those years ago." The photograph of wife #1 was found burned and not burned recently either. This implies it was someone who he's known for a long time and has a reason to hate his first wife. Then, the wine list was found in the laundry room and somehow the washing powder made it's way onto Moneybags' first wedding picture. Someone clearly had feelings about that marriage. In the laundry room there is a table cloth with an oil stain, as well as oil stains on the catwalk. Anaphylaxis and drain cleaner poisoning both have symptoms which match the state in which the body was found Peanut oil is also alcohol soluble and is very difficult to evaporate, which would explain why... DUN DUN DUN the residue on the side of the wine glass hadn't dried yet and was slick to the touch.
Yushika
It was Penny Earned, and they did it with poison (the green liquid).
Kitty Sprightt
Cutie Honey leans in close and whispers her theory conspiratorially.
"I think - don't laugh - that my father, Pennybags, did the deed, and that he did it by giving grandpa almond extract in his wine. Daddy said there weren't every any nuts or anything around growing up - and there's no way that'd happen unless someone in the house had a nut allergy, right? Nuts are too tasty. Plus, all the symptoms sound right - throwing up, choking, and looking really horrified about it. I'm not sure what he was trying to pull, bumping grandpa off like that," she adds with a perfect little scowl, "but even if he gets the estate, at least he'll spend it on me. Having a rich dad isn't a bad second to being rich yourself, I guess."
EchoLimaFoxtrot
thyPOPE
THE MURDERER MOST FOUL
Fea Line
I want to say the murder was Diamante and she put something into his wine that killed him. And I'm leaning towards that something being the laundry detergent stuff.
VerityHattress
It was Bitter Pill who killed Moneybags with drain cleaner. He had been going to the doctor for one reason or another, meeting with Dr. Womb With A View for medical reasons. Bitter Pill, seeing Moneybags coming in so often, began to feel her hatred for him growing more and more. When she realized he was terminally ill, she made her move. After Moneybags went on a date with Dr. Womb With A View to the opera, the doctor came over and the two "discussed important things" together in the master bedroom. While the two were "intermingling", Bitter Pill sneaked in through the palm court, tracking in dirt from outside as she did. Cleaning the dirt off, Bitter Pill made her way to the wine cellar and got rid of most of the contents of the bottle, pouring inside drain cleaner into the mix and closing it back up. While the doctor went downstairs to clean up in the restroom, Bitter Pill sneaked back up while Moneybags was fast asleep. She placed the bottle next to his bed and waited for him to drink it.
While she waited, Bitter Pill searched the house and looked at a few pictures of the family, leaving some cleaning materials in the photo album out of disgust for Moneybags and how he had thrown her to the side. How dare he treat her like a worn glove! How dare he! She had loved him and he tore her heart apart.
At the will reading, Bitter Pill expected nothing until it was revealed that Moneybags had been killed. Oh no! She couldn't allow for anyone to learn it was her! Working diligently, she slowly began to take out the guests, turning off the power and targeting Judge Fudge, since he had been in the wine cellar. As for the nylon, she had been reading up on stuff after Moneybag's death, in case she had to take out other phonies to keep her dastardly deeds a secret. Her first victim? Dr. Womb With A View of course. Couldn't have the doctor leaving the mansion how could she? That is why the doctor's coat and makeup are still there. Now... where is the body?
Ruriska
“It was Pennybags and he did it with epinephrine or whatever, I don’t really care anymore. Ugh. Why can I still taste the soap?”
elvyralani
I t was Bitter Pill and they did it with poison!
Maxx D
It was Book Smart and they did it with drain cleaner. Generic peanut oil is too processed to trigger peanut allergies, and in a study of feeding allergic folks crude peanut oil, their reaction was only mild. From the manner of which he died, Moneybag's death seems to involve some sort of consumption. Fireflight (or myself) reckons that the drain cleaner, which is usually viscous, was poured into the last bottle of wine he drank on its way up to his bedroom. There was a doubt as to whether someone would drink something with enough drain cleaner to kill, but as he never cared about pairing and more about the age of the wine, Moneybags may not have found it out of place, and perhaps his body was frail enough to be done in by drain cleaner consumption. The wine was missing fron his presents - it's possible its contents might have been replaced and swapped with the bottle to be sent up. Moneybags poured himself some wine, drank, and spilled it, as he choked, all over his sheets.
His obvious generosity towards the maternity ward might have incited ire in the heart of Book Smart, attempting to get a donation or two, but resulted in an accidental killing instead of a prolonged trip to the hospital to wear the man down. The final cheque had been written, but as it was knocked below the chair, prevented from cashing...perhaps Book Smart was trying to intercept the cheque in hopes they could turn it towards the university? Moneybags had been "leading them on," this hints to a long-term engagement as they attempted to solicit a donation from him, making it possible that they would know the house, its layout and his servants. However, such an association may not be personal enough to know his peanut allergies, so drain cleaner would be the easy, likely choice.
Jun D
It was BITTER PILL and they did it with DRAIN CLEANER!
Don Calimari does not give away his secrets.
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 10:14 am
THE WINNER
So we know who won the IC game, but who won the prize? Points were awarded in the categories of accuracy and RP and in the end, it came down to a very, very hard choice. So let's announce the runners-up first. Atmadja, Kitty Sprightt, and Yunonia's efforts will not go unrewarded!
As for who is taking home the twinkle-eyed fellow...
He is going home with purplerosesbeauty! Congratulations!
purplerosesbeauty
Scaramouche Fandango Crew
Big Wife
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Big Wife
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 11:09 am
CYOA NOTES
I thought it might be fun to point out some of the different references that went into this game, specifically in the different names and in other miscellaneous parts.
First, the poem in round 13 is The Destruction of Sennacherib by Lord Byron mashed up with Ezekiel 25:17 as it appears in Pulp Fiction- all adapted to spider warfare, of course. Rank and File also makes mention of The Charge of the Light Brigade, which is a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Rank and File is well-read!
Moneybags' first wife's name was All That Glimmers. It kinda hints at her secret hidden nature- if you finish the phrase, it's "All that glimmers (or glitters or glistens) isn't gold."
The house itself was based on a combo of the Boddy Manor from Clue, stuff from the game Betrayal at the House on the Hill, the Winchester House, and exaggerated features and rooms from my own home and my grandparents' home. The Doll Room and Palm Court in particular are based on two rooms from my grandparents' house. The Palm Court was based on something we called The Jungle Room- it was where my grandma kept her houseplants and eventually a large iguana who was left with them when my cousins had to relocate to Washington State. The Doll Room was based on my grandma's terrifying collection of porcelain dolls as well as a room I stayed in once while visiting Washington, DC for a friend's wedding- it had multiple pictures of the Pope in it in various poses. A lot of the Winchester House elements were toned down- originally there were three staircases and two of them led to nowhere!
Now for the names! • Rank and File: A reference to Rocky Horror here. Rank and File is a synonym for riffraff, but also when you abbreviate his name it's RaF. Also a bit of a reference to the Royal Air Force, I suppose. Originally I had him in cahoots with Pennybags and Fuchsia, but ended up dropping that because "the butler did it!" is just too tropey. Or not at this point, since everybody expects it. Hmm... • Fuchsia Fussbudget: A double reference here, Fuchsia references Mrs. White from Clue (a color-named maid) and Magenta from Rocky Horror. • Wine About It: You know those kitschy signs suburban moms like to hang above the wine rack? Yeah, so did Wine About It's parents. • Chop Chop: Chop Chop doesn't just refer to her chopping up meat or veggies, it also means "hurry it up!" A good name for a busy cook. • Habeus Corpses: I like legal puns. • Lucky Clover: A background pony from Friendship is Magic, but I thought this was a good name for the child of a casino owner. All of her siblings are also named after Lucky Charms marshmallows. • Bitter Pill: Named from the phrase "a bitter pill to swallow." Since she's a doctor, I wanted something medical in there. I imagine her cutie mark is either a generic pill tablet on a coffee cup or something akin to a Mr. Yuk face. • Satin: Named after the jazz song, Satin Doll. Not much to say there, other than I really love this song. It's one of my favorite performance pieces. Fun to play, fun to sing. • Penny Earned: while Pennybags got the -bags suffix, both of the kids got Penny in their names because I thought that'd be cute. Also, Penny Earned has a bit of a savior complex- Penny saved, Penny earned. • Pennybags: In MLP there's sort of... family names. A good example is the Apple family, which has Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Applejack, and Applebloom- who might be distantly related to the Pie family through a relative named Apple Pie. I wanted to create some obvious family lineages, so we had the -Bags family (the grandmother in all the paintings was originally named Luxury Handbags but even I thought that was too silly), the Penny naming scheme, and then the Oranges. So Pennybags got the -bags. • Clementine: This one might be my favorite. So Clementine is an orange, as is Cutie Honey (Cuties are a brand name of Clementines in the states and I wanted to get across that Clem sees Cutie as an extension of herself)- BUT the reason I went with Clementine, who was named first, was because she married Pennybags for his money. Now, in the song "Clementine," Clementine is the daughter of a "miner forty-niner." A miner forty-niner is somebody who went out to California for the 1849 gold rush... so in other words, she's a gold digger. • Moneypenny: A combination of Moneybags and Pennybags. No relation to the James Bond character- that's a different CYOA entirely. • Cutie Honey: Cuties are a type of clementine and I wanted a really saccharine, obnoxious name. Not a reference to the magical girl who takes her clothes off! Definitely a reference to Shirley Temple, and even more of a reference to Darla Dimple. • Saddlebags: Definitely a cousin on Moneybags' side- even though he's a bit of a bumpkin, he's still a -Bags (which also kinda plays on the relationships in The Hobbit). • Book Smart: This is our Professor Plum expy, as well as just a reference to, well, being book smart but not street smart. • Cloak and Dagger: Refers to, y'know, spy novels and such. Also a Miss Scarlet reference. I've seen her characterized as a femme fatale but also as sweet and innocent, so there's two Miss Scarlets in this game- which is also a reference to how everybody wants to be Miss Scarlet when playing Clue. • Diamante: A reference to Mrs. Peacock! It's French for "adorned with diamonds." • Quarter Mane: A reference to Allan Quartermain, the main character from the novel King Solomon's Mines, who was later resurrected for the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore. Interestingly enough, playing Quartermain in the, ahem, LXG movie is actually what ended Sean Connery's film career. (Don't watch the LXG movie.) • Steelyard Rumble: This is actually a Gaia item. I liked the sound of it, though- it made them sound tough and scrappy and out of place among high society. • Colonel Whizbang: Whizbangs are a small-caliber, high velocity shell known for not working in WWI novels. Colonel Whizbang also references Colonel Mustard. • Honey Belle: Honeybells are another type of orange, so I wanted to maybe play at a relation there- but mostly this character exists to reference Miss Scarlet. • Judge Fudge: I LIKE RHYMES and I like fudge. • Bright Blessings: I wanted to have a reverend of some kind in here to reference Mr. Green, who's Reverend Green in later editions of Clue. But I didn't want to use a real religion, so he's a snake oil salesman. • Checked Cheque: I LOVE homophones. Also, in case you didn't get it, Checked Cheque was from Prague, which is in the Czech Republic, so Chequed Cheque is Czech. • Objection!: This is referencing exactly what you think it is (Phoenix Wright). • See You Later, Delegator: A play on the goodbye phrase that ends with "In A While, Crocodile." I don't think this would fly as an actual phony name. • Don Calimari: I thought it was a cute name. • Gunky Gumshoe: This comes from Where In The World Carmen Sandiego- ok, it comes from other places as well, but that was the first place I heard it. • Sticky Fingers: I just thought this was funny. • Torts Illustrated: I like legal puns, ok? A tort is "a wrongful act or an infringement of a right (other than under contract) leading to civil legal liability," and Sports Illustrated is a magazine. • Brass Tacks and Edelweiss: Another Rocky Horror reference. Edelweiss brings to mind Janet Weiss, and what's another name for a tack? A brad! • Printing Press: I briefly thought about naming the reporter "Extra Extra" but then remembered there already was a phony named Extra Extra. So Press got to be named after the thing that makes newspapers possible. • Sea Major: Sea Major's name was originally Be Sharp, but when a merphony rolled her, I changed her name to an aquatic pun. • Horsefeathers: Horsefeathers is a colloquial expression that basically means something's impossible- it's kind of a toned-down "bullshit!" which I thought was pretty good for a con artist. • Vigorish: This term originates from the Russian word "vyigrysh," or "winnings." It refers to the cut a bookie takes.
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