applenet | Backdated to 6/18

Entry tags:

Backdated to 6/18

⚔ MARCHOSIAS marchosias@applenet.net
Shared the following message below:

9: Orias and I came up with a game that we think could be really fun to play together! It's like Mad Libs and scavenger hunting in one, but we'll be playing with facts about ourselves!

9: Yeah, but the app won't let us say personal stuff, right?

9: Well, that's where the scavenger hunt part comes in! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

9: If we post one half of a clue on the app and another half in the real world, and then try to match the clues we find to the right ones and compare them here, maybe we can learn about each other! Or make a lot of really silly guesses.

9: But no cheating by using names or symbols on the clues in town, okay? That wouldn't be very fun!

9: Okay, I'll go first! The starting half of my first clue is: I've been told I'm...

[OOC: An approved player plot by the mods, inviting characters to try and bypass the app's privacy settings! (And Luci!) This will result in tiny headaches for those participating, and for those that are successful, the reward of learning things about other app users and maybe even being able to identify them before the countdown has reached its end!

The other half of Kouyuki's clue can be found in Green Valley's apple orchard and will simply read, "...a little bit short for my age!" But players are welcome to match that up with others' clues and make as many absurd sentences and guesses as they want!

But please remember: talking about the app in person won't be possible if they do manage to meet!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

92: How are we supposed to even figure out where these clues are hidden?

9: I haven't tried it yet to see if it works but I thought of a way.

9: Instead of saying the name of the actual location, we use a code name for it! It'll make it a little bit more challenging, but it wouldn't be fun if it was easy.

92: ... Can you give me an example?

9: Well, I can't say [INFORMATION LOCKED] to give you an idea what it's supposed to say, but...

9: Maybe if I said the other half of my clue was in the "Garden of Eden" the app would allow it?

9: ...

9: It worked!!

92: ... I think I have an idea.
92: So just leave one anywhere and think of a clue?

9: Yeah! One half on the app, the other half someplace else.

9: And I guess giving a hint about where might actually help, after all... ( ^ ‿ ^ );;

92: I guess that could be fun.
92: ... I can't really think of anything really interesting that people would like to learn about me, though.

9: It can be anything. Hair or eye color, age, if you work or go to school, if you've won awards or own a certain kind of car...

9: Grossest thing you've ever eaten, favorite place to shop, an activity you always wanted to try!

9: There's no limit except no names and symbols. The other half of my clue is bare...so if there winds up being more than one in that area, you'll have to figure out which is the better match on your own!

9: But...for me, it'd be really nice to learn about the other people with this name.

92: I guess so.

92: We're a team of sorts, aren't we?

[A team? Maybe that isn't a poor way to look at it. They already share the same name, and they share similar circumstances with this app. Even if they're strangers, perhaps they're still allies, too.]

9: Yeah. We're in this together.

92: I'll see what I can think up, then.

9: Mm! Have fun with it. That's the most important thing.

10: That sounds interesting to me. However, there is a very large area to search. Should we only do one it may not be discovered for a very long time.

9: We can do as many as we want! And include as many people as we want! As long as the number of clues out there matches the number of hints on here, I don't think there'd be a problem.

10: Alright.

[And then there's radio silence for a long while. But he returns.]
10: "A skill I've never told anyone I have:" can be found by looking through an injured dragon's eyes.
["I know how to dance." If anyone knows that one gargoyle on the lower cycle campus, the one with a chipped wing? If someone should move to an angle where they can look it directly in the eyes... then look behind them, they'll find a trash can. Tucked away in a small niche next to the very bottom of it, in a plastic bag, is the answer, exactly where the gargoyle should be theoretically staring. Have. Fun. It's intentionally made difficult to find even if you have an idea where to look.]

10: "Even if everyone else does, something I won't do is..." This can be found in the source of knowledge. Seek something that runs but doesn't move, and has no lungs and no throat but can roar.
["...drink soda." If you said the decorative waterfall inside of Green Valley, you'd be right. ... of course, this being Kidou, it's sealed securely inside three plastic bags to ensure it stays dry (he tested it, it will stay dry as long as everyone puts it back correctly), weighed down underneath that small waterfall by a rock. No one ever should let him do these. Ever.

At least in this one, within that final bag is a collection of origami lucky stars out of fancy stationary paper. So there's a prize for those who find it.]

[looking for these bye]

[It takes him a little while. The riddles themselves aren't hard, but finding the specific locations... there are multiple libraries in Eddan with fancy fountains, and more than one damaged gargoyle around. But he manages all right. The first clue he takes a picture of, to keep from having to take it with him. The second... the second has gifts with it. And probably he shouldn't, but it's with very careful fingers that he retrieves each little star and drops them into a small pouch in his backpack.

It occurs to him as he's getting ready to leave that he should probably leave something in exchange, and he paws through his things thoughtfully. After a moment of deliberation, Sakuma ends up slipping a chunk of raw quartz into it -- he'd bought it at the museum of geology to use as a subject for drawing, but it seemed appropriate. Plus, the quartz would help keep the bag submerged again.

Sakuma isn't looking to actually participate in the game by finding these. He's not nearly so interested in anyone else's. But this is important.]

9: You're really going all out...
9: I'm impressed!

[Kouyuki can't say he expected this level of participation from Eligor 10, but he's glad for it. Knowing that person isn't as reluctant to share as he'd first thought is actually quite a comfort.

Their clues are certainly clever, too. The second one is obviously a library, but unlike with Orias', Kouyuki doesn't have any accidental former hints to indicate where it might be. (Unless he missed something? He'll have to check later.) And as for that first one...nope, he doesn't know that one at all. An injured dragon? He doesn't recall ever having seen anything like that.

This is going to take a while...

And it does. The second clue gets a response first, being fortunate enough to come across it while looking for someone in the middle of the week. Kouyuki isn't sure what to make of the quartz stone in the bags, however...and with there being only one, he doesn't feel like it would be right to take it. So instead he adds a trinket of his own: a 9 from a deck of cards kept in his bag to play with when he's bored between classes or during lunch. Which isn't often, considering he's normally preoccupied with talking to people or heading out to the track, but on rainy or quiet days it's come in useful. The deck is virtually mint for how unused it is and, after some thought, the suit chosen is...diamond. To go with the quartz. He tucks it into the bags securely, seals them back up, and weighs them down underneath the water where he found the clue originally.

He still hasn't found the dragon, but this is a good start for now. And he'll message back after lunch...]

9: Okay, I think I got one of those, so here's another in return!
9: Look for the gift of nature to find what "I'm very pick about..."

[This time, the clue is quite literal, 'gift of nature' being one of the ways to translate Tenkei, a restaurant in Eddan where the other half of Kouyuki's clue resides. Tucked into the garden box outside, sealed in a bag, is a slip of paper that reads, "...what kind of ramen I eat." And on the back of the note there is a scribbled: try the miso ramen here — it's my favorite! ♡]

11: You want the first half of the clue posted here?

9: Mm! That would keep them all together.

9: But you could put clues in any posts you make, too.

11: That's true. Well, then...

[It takes him a few moments to figure something out to actually give; if he says he's a swimmer, then that information can be used to figure out where he might be at a given time. He ends up going with something a lot less likely to carry implications.]

11: My first half is: "I'm thinking about getting..."
11: And as for a location hint: "below the hanging waterfall".

[Outside of his apartment window, across the street, there's a waterfall. It feeds a small pond suspended on a wall, with moss catching any water that might splash, and huge lotus flowers floating in it. It's mostly a benefit for the apartment dwellers, since it's hard to see from the street. The person who built it uses it as a blind for their bathroom window, Sakuma is pretty sure. But anyone who might come looking for the snarl of hanging vines beneath the pond -- into which a note inside a sealed plastic bag is tucked -- will be just as visible. This way, he gets an idea of the appearances of those who are using appleNET, and perhaps will be able to match them with some of the identities he's already taken notes on.

The answer on the note, for the curious, is 'hermit crabs'.]

[Hanging waterfall? That could mean a lot of different things! And in a city this big, he could be searching just about everywhere without at least a district to go by.

He really should ask for clarification. He should. But he doesn't. Instead, Kouyuki's reply comes in the form of a simple text that reads with as much enthusiasm as he actually feels...]

9: Challenge accepted!

[Unfortunately, it'll be a few days before he even happens by that particular clue without more of a hint to go on. He's searched everywhere for what a 'hanging waterfall' could refer to. Manmade waterfalls and fountains throughout Eddan, places with tapestries and curtains, gardens...but there's usually nothing to be found beyond people giving him strange looks or asking if he plans on buying anything if he's hanging around a store.

In fact, it's completely by accident that he finds the other half of 11's clue. Walking everywhere (or running, as he tends to do) is exhausting, especially in the heat of late spring and early summer. Taking a break next to a small pond is beyond welcome, and it's while tightening up his shoelaces that he notices something tucked into some of the low hanging vines. At first, he almost mistakes it for garbage, but Eddan is virtually free of any of that, and so he reaches for it...and his face lights up with surprise.

The clue inside doesn't immediately bring to mind 11, but it will later once he reviews the others. While 'hermit crabs' could also fit Orias' clue, their hint wasn't in a place like this.

With care, he'll tuck the note and bag back away just the way he found it, but he won't pull out his phone until he's little over a block away, starting back home.]

9: I think I found it. I'm kind of embarrassed it took so long ^^;
9: Anyway... I left another clue the other day!
9: Look for a key where the king flies and you'll find the other half of, "I used to..."

[Attached to the underside of the airport map in the Richmond area is a protective bag, and inside is a folded up note that reads, "...fly all the time with my parents, but I don't remember much of it."]

11: You taking awhile to find it just means I did a good job, doesn't it?
11: But I'll do my best.

["A key". "The king flies". It's kind of an odd clue. But flight... Sakuma hunts. He tries a few different leads -- places where he knows there are images of keys, places where there are statues of kings or like rulers. They lead him nowhere, but "flies" ends up the clue that lets him hone in on it. Hiding it here was clever, and Sakuma unfolds the note with a half-grin. He takes a picture of it, then folds it back up and replaces it precisely where he found it.]

11: I think I got it. It was a good spot! I had to really think about it.
11: Another from me...
11: On an overlook facing the many-legged dragon, and the district and coast beyond, I've left the answer to "I really miss..."

[There's a place along where Eastmount, Green Valley and Centruim converge where pedestrians can stop, raised up far enough that one can see the bridges of Quatre Sauts beyond. There are a few coin-operated binoculars one can look out to Warwick and to the ocean beyond there, some benches, and a vending machine. Thick ivy with broad, flat leaves twines around the guard rail there. Once again placed into the ivy, this time pinned with paperclips to keep it from blowing away, is the answer to 11's second clue. In fineliner ink he's carefully drawn a soccer ball, and beneath it a small, round sheep.]

i hope a bunch of people end up playing! it's always more fun when you've got a really big group. maybe we can even come up with a prize for whoever gets the most right later! ╰(*´︶`*)╯

but in the meantime i guess i should go put mine up, huh? it'd look pretty bad if half of the brains behind it wasn't playing, after all.

9: A prize, huh? I like the sound of that. But we'd have to decide on something that would work for everyone, and also when the cutoff date would be.

9: What's your clue? I bet I'll find yours before you find mine.

yeah, i know. maybe the cutoff should be whenever the countdown's up? but the prize...i think we're going to have to play a few rounds to figure out what everyone would like.

i wouldn't be so sure! the first half of mine is my pet's name is...

9: That's a good idea. And then if everyone wants, we can play again if there's...well, if there's another round.

9: Anyway, um...

9: What about a hint where your other half will be? I gave mine up above to Marchosias 92!

when you say it like that, it kind of sounds like we're playing a game in a game.

oh! hm. let's see...

it's in the Den of Knowledge. will that work?

ah, it does! awesome!! you should definitely pay attention to where the other half is if you find it, too.

[she's hidden it in the school's library, on a sticky note in the front of one of her favorite childhood books: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.]

9: I guess it does, huh? But...I was referring to more people like us.

9: I mean, I don't really want other people to be stuck with the app, but if there's going to be more, we can at least make the best of it and make them feel welcome this way, right?

9: So, the Den of Knowledge... I think I've got an idea about that.

[That is, it's obviously a library, and considering what Orias said before about school break, it may even be safe to presume the library in question is the one at Green Valley. But that'll be a big space to check. About as big as an orchard...but a lot more like a needle in a haystack, too.]

9: I'll keep my eyes open for what might be around it. Count on it.

we're all each other has right now when it comes to this weird stuff. if it makes someone feel a little less afraid then i think it's worth doing as many times as we have to.

you bet i will! you better be careful about submitting the right answer, though - fill it in wrong and i'm going to be applying penalty points!

9: What about points for trying?

you mean pity points?

9: I mean you'll be needing them when you're eating my dust.

you wish! no snake in the garden's going to stop me.

9: ...

9: I can't even say I'm not a snake when it says Marchosias has a snake tail.

9: And the clue I left...I guess I didn't think that through very well.

9: No, you know what? It doesn't matter. I don't have to stop you, I just have to come in ahead! And I'm good at that.

maybe you are. but i've got a pretty big head start on you, you know?

9: The pretty big head part is true, anyway.

how does that saying go again? takes one to know one? ┐(￣ヘ￣;)┌

if you're not nice i'll put my next clue somewhere really embarrassing and only tell you about it!

9: Two can play at that game, though!

9: How determined are you to win? (｡◝‿◜｡)

that's assuming you survive the first round!

determination really doesn't have anything to do with it. i'm going to win no matter what it takes.

9: Isn't the same thing as determination, though?

9: Not that it matters.

9: Because I won't take anything but first place.

9: Win or lose though, let me know when you find it and I'll give you another one to look for! o/

[And he'll just...go investigate the library. Because he'll need all the head start he can get on this one. With all the nooks and crannies, books and hiding places there, it'll definitely take him a while to find a clue, even with starting in the smallest section and working his way up from there, where (fortunately) the book is.]

of course i will. and you better do the same!

[there was really only one place that Emily would peg as a 'garden of Eden' even in this city - and thankfully she was already at school when this message went out. that doesn't make the orchard any smaller, however, so even with that head start she's still got a decent amount of ground to cover; at least there's plenty of pretty blossoms to admire whenever she needs a small break from staring at tree trunks.]

929: 'I spend a lot of time...'

929: Look where the trains stop by a valley of apples.

[Genda isn't doing this to actually make a challenge or as a game, but it gives a great excuse for something else he had been working on since it became clear everyone was censored again along with the headaches. So his clue was easy to figure out on purpose. Especially for those that had been there that night when they had gained their old memories back. As well as for those that hadn't if they were at all familiar with the subway station routes.

In the subway station for Green Valley that lead to the orchard there's a small box that has the other half of his clue '...helping at the library near here.' in a ziplock bag to keep it from being damaged. Also in the box are at least thirty or so small cotton ball like things that when looked at in proper light turn out to be handmade sheep plushies that fit in the palm of ones hand and a familiar star shape symbol on their forehead that anyone that has talked to Luci or looked at their little audio post would recognize. Genda hopes people 'playing' would heed "the please take one for finding the clue" note and use it as a way to quickly identify them later on. Even if the few people that used that station took them it would be easy to figure out if they were or were not part of this group by asking about. The supply oddly never really runs out over time as Genda refills the sheep supply every few days as he makes more.]

Edited 2017-06-25 02:27 (UTC)

[That clue's easy to piece together, but what won't be too simple is finding the other half in such a crowded place. But that's fine with Kouyuki. The challenge of looking without drawing too much attention to himself is what makes this more fun, and he'll set out toward the station almost immediately.]

9: I'm glad you're playing, 929.

[He isn't sure what else to say while he searches, but it seems like something he should convey. He's spoken little with this Marchosias, but he wants to get to know them as much as the others. Perhaps taking the wolf thing a little too seriously? Or, alternatively, having an appropriate amount of fun with it.

Either way, he's searching the station once he gets there for at least half an hour before he finds anything out of the ordinary. The other half of the clue is memorized, one of the little sheep is taken, and then everything is sealed back up again securely and left just the way he found it. In the future, he'll have to visit the library — again. And hope he's not drawing too much attention to himself by doing so. But he can't help being curious. Would he see 929 there? Would he be carrying one of the sheep markers?

Kouyuki pockets it and starts away wearing a small, proud smile. It's only after he's thought up another clue and placed it somewhere an hour later that he will reply to 929 again...]

9: For you: 'When I need to clear my head...'

9: You can find the other half at one-quarter of a mile.

[At Green Valley's track, pinned beneath one of the benches with a small rock to keep it from blowing away, will be a small ziplock bag with the other half of the clue inside. '...I come here to run.'

It's as much a clue as an invitation, it seems like.]

01: it is important for us to figure out to communicate outside of the app...

[He doesn't think it'll be the easiest thing to do, given how big Eddan is and the restrictions that he remembers (or thinks he remembers. But he doesn't say that for now. They might as well experiment.]

01: half a clue and...
01: a location clue?

[He did glance over some replies...]

[It will depend a lot on the clues...and the headaches. But the one Kouyuki got from writing out his own clue was minor in comparison to any he'd experienced before with regards to the app, and that's good enough for him. He doesn't deter half as easily as he should with regards to some things. It's both a blessing and a curse.]

9: Yeah. Without the location clue, it might actually be *too* hard.
9: What is yours?

[He hasn't really experienced headaches lately, has gotten better at avoiding them, and there had been a respite but... Well, he's a stubborn one himself. And this is important, he does sincerely think that. Somehow.]

01: eddan is a big place.
01: what was the location clue for yours?
01: and my clue is... 'i'm pretty okay with'.

[It took him a while to think of it, since he's not the most creative in things like this and Haruka didn't have a great deal that made him stand out. But the other half of the clue will be swords. Something more related to Lenka than to the boy he used to be, and something that he's currently using in the fight they can't talk about.

It's relatively generic, but still related. Hopefully it would only result in minor discomfort, if at all. It's hard to tell what will set things off out there.]

01: the location is, where the flowers flew.

[Referring specifically to the release of floating seeds at the Blossom Festival, in Pointe-à-Tarte.]

9: I've left a couple!

9: But the location for the first one is the "Garden of Eden."

[Helpfully, and perhaps intentionally, the hint 01 provides for the location of their clue is easy to figure out. Although, just like the apple orchard, the site of the floating seeds in Pointe-à-Tarte is by no means a small area to investigate. Kouyuki will have his work cut out for him combing the area. But it'll be worth it.]

9: Do you wanna race to see who finds whose first?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Backdated to 6/18

Makoto Fukami ⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Eligor

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Eligor

not here

not here

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Dantalion

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Dantalion | he's not a stalker, what are you talking about

⚔ Marchosias | omg sakuma pls

⚔ Dantalion | pay no attention

☸ Orias

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Orias

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Orias

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Orias

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Orias

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Orias

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Orias

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Orias

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Orias

⚔ Marchosias

☸ Orias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Marchosias

⚔ Eligor

⚔ Marchosias

no subject

no subject