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Post by Ambrienne on May 26, 2011 22:20:33 GMT -5
Sorry that I did a virtual Baal-out. I admit that this absence is due firstly to being stuck for pun ideas and then to ah... watching Detective Conan (i.e. Case Closed) episodes followed by just plain forgetting. I've been doing that with a lot of things lately, getting distracted, then not remembering what I was doing in the first place. ^^;
As far as which would hunt the tourists, well... they could take turns. Or do reservations, like you have for fancy restaurants. ...Which reminds me of the dinner theater in the PSP remake of Disgaea 2. Why? ...Tiny spoiler alert...
The diners want to dine on you. ::coughs::
End of spoiler.
Hm, do you think that maybe the sharks wouldn't want to eat you if you, er, 'marinated' yourself in the right type of scent? Don't ask me what kind... though I don't think most of the Bath and Body Works scents would qualify. Those might make a person tastier.
Yes, I've got them on the brain because of the recent sales/new scents. The coconut ones are like being near a candy bar that you can't see.
(The abominations of the alphabet soup of Old Testament era peoples)
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Post by Solana on May 28, 2011 7:58:08 GMT -5
Don't worry about it. I figured the theme would give us an Oshun of ideas, but it's proving a bit smaller than I had thought. Many of the names coming up are just impossible to break down. Maybe we could switch themes to something a bit more encompassing? That sounds like a fun scene in Disgaea, and certainly unexpected. (As an idea, not from that series. ) Do the other demons get to watch that part for entertainment, or is everyone allowed to take part? Ooh, new scents at Bath and Body? Well, I WAS going to go gallivanting this weekend anyway. Might have to go investigate. For... research. Yeah, research new products for the time traveling bathroom's shelves. As for the sharks, you've given me an idea for the future. The Asterite was able to call Ecco's family to work together near the end of Tides of Time. Maybe the current holder of its Aura would be able to do something similar in a large campaign in the stories at one point...? (Yoruba goddess of the river.)
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Post by Ambrienne on May 28, 2011 20:45:51 GMT -5
Yeah, unfortunately, a lot of gods/goddesses/other divine things have names that either look or sound like what results from a cat walking over your keyboard. Making verbal substitutions can be so Dagon hard to pull off. I'm definitely up for for a theme change. The impression I got from D2 was that it was kind of like an exclusive restaurant. Probably, they're making fun of a real restaurant where the food is freshly killed. ...Come to think of it, even Red Lobster kind of qualifies in that respect, if you order the lobster. I doubt they televise it throughout the netherworlds, though. Unless there's some kind of promotional website, complete with reviews from satisfied customers, stills of the dining area, etc. Yup. Bath and Body Works got some good new scents. They're also discontinuing a couple, P.S. I Love You and Orange Sapphire (currently on the 50 percent off table) which is kind of sad, because I think they're both pretty nice. Because of Memorial Day, they've also got a 'buy 3, get 3 free' thing going, too. I took advantage of that myself yesterday afternoon. It'll probably be a while before I visit my local store again, though, because the store clerk that was working then will probably want to shoot me on sight. Why? Um... I paid for half of what I bought in quarters. A little over 30 dollars worth of quarters. Yeah, you definitely know you've ticked someone off when they make 'have a nice day' sound like 'I hope you get hit by bus'. ^^; It kind of reminds me of the last time I paid for something with with all coins, although in that case it was all dollar coins. And that guy (at a software store) was a lot better humored about it. I see no reason why the aura couldn't be used to call forth sharks... or any other sea creature you wanted to for that matter. Like, say... krakens? Say goodbye to your navy, oh most unfortunate of enemies. (Philistine god of... who knows what. I just remember how the statue was destroyed. ;D)
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Post by Solana on May 29, 2011 12:20:19 GMT -5
Hmmm, what would you think of taking our Ques from books instead? Fiction, non-fiction, manga, comic books, anything printed. We could use authors, characters, locales- whatever is on or between the covers. That one could last us a while. ;D Ohhh, no more Orange Sapphire? Well, there's still the website for that and the juniper. (Thanks for mentioning that last pun war! ) No matter what they said in there, I don't think that the 'Twilight Woods' coming out during the popularity of the 'Twilight' series was a coincidence. But I guess if they admitted it, they'd have to pay up. For the quarters, at least they wouldn't have to make a change run any time soon. Maybe someone who worked there would need them for laundry or parking. When I was still at the bookstore, I had someone use a baggie of laundry quarters to pay for their books. Cash is cash. If I go this weekend, I might have to don my leather bracers. One time I was asking for one of the rain scents, and the lady grabbed my arm and pulled me over to it. It hurt then, and it would hurt worse now. (They're just leather and stone, no spikes. Always thought it would be funny to buy some Batman-style ones, wear them at the bookstore, then smile and rest my elbows on the counter while asking someone if they had a problem with their buy. It wouldn't work now over the phones.) (Roman goddess of tranquility.)
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Post by Ambrienne on May 29, 2011 22:22:25 GMT -5
Ah, perfect. Very well, then. The mystery of the new topic has been solved and it's Case Closed. I'm not sure Orange Sapphire will stick around forever on the website like Juniper has. After all, Vanilla Noir didn't. I still have about half a bottle of the Eau de Toilette of that left, because I've been using it sparingly (only on weekends/holidays). The rest of the time I've been using up a scent my mother decided she didn't like after all and foisted off on me (not that it's horrible, but just not my first choice). I share your suspicions about Twilight Woods. Though, really. It's not like their author can go out and trademark the word 'Twilight'. I mean, it's just too basic a term, like 'you're fired'. Heh, heh... I don't know if it came out at the same time as TW, but the scent Dark Kiss seems to also hint at that kind of theme. Or they could just be a little naming group with their predecessor Moonlight Path. BaBW does seem to be fond of fragrance names that flow together naturally. I did eventually figure out why VN went away, though. Not like they ever said, but I compared it to a couple of the other scents that have stuck around that have vanilla as a component in them. As much as I like VN, it's got a... well, I'm not sure what level 'note' they'd classify it as, but there's an element that seems to compete with the vanilla instead of blending or enhancing it (I suspect that it's the musk). The others that have been successful do not have this internal conflict. They do, however, all show one kinda shortcoming. Their full scent potential does not activate without a decent amount of body heat. Not too much of a problem if you're using it in the shower gels or body lotions/butters, but with the Eau de Toilette? ...Well, I finally figured out that the best solution is to wrap yourself in a blanket for a little while before going out. Or you could just spray it directly on your skin. That may or may not be a good idea depending on your sensitivity to alcohol. They grabbed your arm? Ouch. That's one thing that they haven't tried to do to me around here. I don't know if that's because people are scared of me or just more reserved and polite. I'm betting on scared for one simple reason; when I've got shades on over my glasses, people act differently. Like they're not afraid to make eye contact 'cause they can't see my eyes. ^^; ...What in the world are people so scared of? Whatever it is, I"m not doing it on purpose. Honest. And it doesn't scare infants and toddlers. It's pretty sad when they are braver than adults. All this talk of scent makes me think of those old time Japanese aristocrats that ruined their sniffers with scent parties, playing such rousing games like 'guess the scent'. ::coughs:: I guess that they had to have something to do in between plots to kill or politically undermine each other. (The mystery manga/anime series)
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Post by Solana on May 30, 2011 9:14:01 GMT -5
(Laughs) Yuri-minded me of something we would do in Organic Chem I every morning. When we'd be studying families of chemicals, our teacher would pass around a vial of an example to sniff and get an idea of how the various groupings of atoms would affect the smell. (The idea wasn't to jam your nose over it and inhale, but open it and gently wave some of it over to your nose.) This was a guy who also would light up chemicals in a 'party flask', a gigantic Erlenmeyer flask that was at least a foot and a half high. I bet the Chemistry Club parties were wild. I checked the website last night, and my beloved Juniper is still on there, as is the classic Moonlight Path. ;D I have kind of a weird mixture of likes, between the exotics and the 'fresh' or watery ones. I love the orchids, jasmines, violets, musks on the one side, but also the Rain and Sea style ones. I do wish there was more of the salt fragrance or a hint of the algae, but those probably wouldn't sell as well. I remember people in Venice complaining about the smell, but I thought it was lovely. Comes with being a hydromaniac, maybe. Thanks for the tip about the blanket and scent. Alcohol sprays don't bother me, surprisingly, and it'd be a way to crank up some of the lighter scents. I don't know why people would be scared of someone wearing shades over their glasses. Maybe it depends on how much people are used to seeing someone giving a slightly different image than the norm? (I get some interesting reactions to my wardrobe choices at times.) If they don't wanna get to know someone awesome because of a reason like that, it's their loss. (And hey, it's a way to keep the pushier ones off of your back. ) (Heroine of 'Red River'.)
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Post by Ambrienne on May 30, 2011 20:27:46 GMT -5
Wild chem lab parties, huh? Sounds positively explosive. Unless it's negatively charged.
I can believe the sea salt and even the algae (I can't recall ever smelling algae, though, so hey...). But if you said you liked the smell of dead fish, then I would think you were singing a Psyren song of destruction.
One thing I've noticed is that most of my favorite fragrances from BaBW tend to have sandalwood in there somewhere. Usually, it's just a minor note and the 'main attraction' scents vary quite a bit, but still... It's one of those weird coincidences.
Moonlight Path isn't on my list of favs, though, for one simple reason. It has lavender in it. Lavender and I are not the best of pals, so to speak. It brings to mind for me certain too strong soaps that were in a relative's bathroom as well as a store that sets up a huge display of that kind of scent's candles every year (for all I know, they're the same ones that are just failing to sell, kind of like the proverbial fruitcake). There are so many of them all in one spot that it's almost like a physical blow just walking near it.
I know my nose is overly sensitve, though. I can often smell it when someone opens up a bag of chips or a candy bar on the other side of the room.
And you'd think having just eaten would diminsh my ability to smell, but noooo... I practically wanted to hurl after lunch today, because I smelled the fajitas that someone else at the other end of the restaurant ordered. I think they might have... charred the tomatoes a bit too much or something.
No, no. They're scared when they can see my eyes, not when I'm wearing the shades. Maybe it's like Terry Pratchett's Death, and they see something in my eyes that's too horrible for the human mind to comprehend so they just instinctively don't look/see anything.
Nah... That's just crazy talk (I think).
(A manga that's a strange blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and something else that would be a spoiler if I mentioned it and you haven't read at least part of it.)
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Post by Solana on May 30, 2011 22:09:19 GMT -5
Nah, no dead fish is necessary. (Biology is the study of life, after all. ) Akane-magine how lovely a bit of salt or hint of algae would be, but we can hold the sushi. It might not be pleasant to everyone, but that'd be another good way to keep the hawkers at the stands leaving me alone. (And getting through lines quickly!) Sandalwood is exquisite, especially when mixed properly or left alone. And if you ever need to get rid of something lavender... , , nudge, nudge. My mom's a big fan, but lavender has also been useful in different forms for me for dealing with different symptoms. But I think it also depends on if it's the real stuff or the synthetic. I bought a bag of lavender white tea from Teavana and just opening the bag... holy mama, it's strong. Hmmmm, I wonder if keeping mint nearby would help with that in the restuarants. Say pop a mint or something after eating, or maybe eating outdoors could be nice with the weather finally getting warm? Just watch out for seagulls that are interested in 'sharing'. My bad on the shades. Maybe then it's the layers of wisdom and wit mixed together, the planning of stories/parodies/puns, or they're just too exquisite for mortal eyes. It'd be too blinding, or they'd never see the match again. (Character from 'Kitchen Princess', also in 'Rurouni Kenshin'.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Jun 2, 2011 21:36:26 GMT -5
If you smelled like the right type of sushi, you might find yourself successfully herding cats. And they said it couldn't be done.
Too bad. I already gave up the one lavender item I acquired (the church bathroom was getting low on hand soap). It was one of those things from BaBW that came Ina tote deal. Gotta love it where you get a hundred dollars worth of stuff for only 20, plus a nice bag to boot. The only way it could be improved is if you got to choose what went into the bag(scents if not type of items)...
Yeah, a mint probably would help. I know it can when your food gives you... feedback of the kind that you don't like. Now all I have to do is remember to take one with me when I go out. I wouldn't eat outdoors, though. There are too many mosquitos that are out for blood.
(One of the female ninja from Naruto... unless I managed to botch her name; it's been a while since I read any)
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Post by Solana on Jun 4, 2011 11:51:44 GMT -5
Say, we could use the sushi smell to entice cat-like creatures to join our Aly-ance as well. (We'll just have to keep them away from the penguins and prinnies and Giblet. I really don't want to find out what would happen if a panther wanted to play and bat around one of those explosive little guys.) Wow, a hundred bucks worth of stuff for only twenty? What a deal. Was this a clearance sale, or did you get lucky and win a drawing or something? No worries on the lavender- we've got plenty in our house and I've been experimenting with adding lavender oil to things. One of my mom's clients told her that when he was a kid, his mom would collect lilac blossoms before they would fade, smash them, and add them to lotion. I'm hoping we try that this year, because the flowers don't last long. (Wish I'd thought to try it before the apple blossoms were gone- I love those too.) Even regular mints do the job. One of the many, many delightful effects of my fibro is to make my stomach think it wants to join the Olympics in gymnastics at times. I normally get a few seconds of warning, so popping a mint can stop that nonsense. Also picked up some mojito mint tea, (inspired by our favorite former Navy Seal ladies man extraordinaire, Sam Axe) which helps as well. Ginger is also good, if you like gingersnaps or the cookies or yummy Asian dishes or even the candy. (Protagonist of Tamora Pierce's 'Trickster' duo.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Jun 7, 2011 16:17:33 GMT -5
There was no luck involved unless you count happening to look at the site at the right time (though it was available directly in the stores, too). The time leading up to holidays or season changes (and occasionally with new scent debuts) seems to be when they have a tendency to offer these type of things.
In this case, it was a combination of two factors: the debuting scent Country Chic and Mother's Day. They figured that people would be shopping for that occasion and wanted to make themselves an attractive option. Not that you quite get off Scott free. To qualify, you had to make a certain amount of additional total purchases, but that really wasn't that hard to do. And I'm sure it was convincing for plenty of other people, like daughters figuring they could use it as an excuse to get something for themselves at the same time.
...But then I still felt like I was making off like a bandit anyway, because they had another of those buy this many, get that many free things going at the same time. Ah, the power of compounded discounts.
I've heard about people doing that blossom crushing thing for making soap as well. I remember there were even kits being sold a while ago where you could make your own, either with their included scents or any that you managed to scrounge up on your own time. In the case of certain citrus fruits, I'll bet you could even use the peel shavings for additional aroma. After all, it works in food, so why not in scent?
(I'm sure this character name is used multiple places, but I'm remembering it from Kevin Anderson's Gamearth trilogy. It's one of the 'Outsiders'' names)
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Post by Solana on Jun 8, 2011 20:21:22 GMT -5
Hmmm, I'll have to remember to Kama-round the place during those times, then. I like to stock up on the little bottles of shower gel before trips because they're the allowable size for liquids on airplanes, or when some pampering is needed. I even bought some of the soaps on sale right before college for dorm life, and still have one bar of juniper left over. Hopefully those don't go bad... Ahhh, juniper! If the smashing technique works for flowers, why not juniper berries? (And who needs bug spray- last time you mentioned that guys would buy the lotion because it worked better, I believe?) Those grew all over the campus where I went to college. I could make a day to go visit my mentor, have lunch at my old place of employment, (you learn so much working kitchens/food service) and bring along a basket to harvest the berries. Probably better to ask first- I don't want to have campus security chasing me off of the premises, Christian college or no. ;D Maybe we could add a little side area to the time traveling bathroom for making our own supplies for it. Between the traveling capabilities and manipulating setting and drying times, it'd be a snap. (Indian god of love who was incarnated as a parrot in 'The Serpent's Shadow' by Mercedes Lackey.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Jun 9, 2011 22:07:04 GMT -5
I don't think soap goes bad. Well... not unless you leave it somewhere too hot and it melts or a flood comes along and... Yeah.
All kidding aside, I think it should last just fine. For years even. It wasn't a BaBW soap, but I got this rose scented soap for one of my grandmothers a long time ago and she put it in her underwear drawer because it made everything smell nice. It was still there years later, in the same place when we were cleaning things up after she died. And yes, it maintained the scent properly. Maybe some scents wouldn't last, but the soap itself should.
Yes, that one scent does indeed work better than bug spray. And construction workers should know (I think that's who it was); they've got plenty of opportunity to get bitten.
Yeah, it would be a good idea to get permission before you Kuma 'round and go berry picking. Sure, they're probably not doing anything with them, but people do get touchy about those type of things.
And I'm sure it'll work. I mean, perfumers (or whatever they call them) have to make their scents somehow. It may take a bit of work before you discover a proportion that you like, but I guess that's part of the adventure.
...You could probably even take a particularly aromatic tea and incorporate that into a soap scent as well.
Sure, why not add a soap/lotion making area? I'd say to add a food dehydrator, too, but we have to draw the line somewhere, right? I guess we could add a little unit to do that with the same time trick in the kitchen though.
Suddenly, I have visions of us making our own wine and cheese due to the seemingly instant aging process. The potential could be limitless.
(The Japanese name of the Persona 4 bear, which is how the scanslator translated it)
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Post by Solana on Jun 11, 2011 13:37:35 GMT -5
That's a cool idea that your grandmother had. Sachets don't seem to last as long for scent. Pop in a juniper soap in a bag for camping and maybe it would keep bugs away from everything. With the Heat Wave we just had, they're making up for lost time after The Long Winter.
Never thought of using tea to make soap. That might come in handy when getting gifts of it that either smell better than they taste or are something that can't be used. (Black tea is pretty much a no-no for me, too much caffeine.) One day in chemistry we actually did make our own soaps starting from the raw materials, and we were allowed to bring in whatever scents we wanted. They were still pretty harsh without any softeners or anything fancy at that point, just the chemistry of making the raw molecules.
With a food dehydrator, we could make our own tea blends from fruits or herbs or spices or whatever we fancy. I've seen green tea cookbooks come in at the bookstore back in the day, and Teavana makes some exquisite tea cookies, (that are low in sugar, yay!) which will be great to enjoy more tea when it's hot out.
Speaking of which, along the lines of making our own wines and cheeses, what say the time-traveling magic be put to work in a little greenhouse? Say someone wants to order a bunch of a rare soap/tea with an unusual plant base. Figure out the growing season, pop back to plant how many are needed, and they'll be ready to go. Did we forget to water them or miss some mites or plant the wrong seeds? Not a problem, go back and prevent/fix it! ;D Between all of these plans, we'd never lack for rent money. With everyone's abilities/tendencies, I wonder what the insurance rates are on the place...
('Richard Castle' title, Laura Ingalls Wilder title.)
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Post by Ambrienne on Jun 11, 2011 22:49:45 GMT -5
Using coffee for scents is tempting, too. It's one beverage I've never liked. Ever. But scent wise it can be just as you wish, rich on a multitude of levels.
Since you've already got the basics of soap down, I guess it won't be too difficult for you to craft to your liking, right down to adding in the softness. It probably makes it easy for people when they have scentless (or nearly so) moisturizers n' stuff. Then, you don't have to blend that yourself, too, but can just mix it right in.
...And on the subject of soap, I found out recently that Ivory was developed by accident. Some employee of the company went on a lunch break and left his mixing machine on. The people who bought the bars from this mistake liked it so well that they wrote in requesting more of the 'soap that floats.'
Heh, heh... The greenhouse reminds me of reannual wine. Not that the type of time manipulation is the same, but the idea of planting it after it was ordered just brought it to mind.
And you've got to be kidding about the insurance, right? There's no way anyone would be willing to take on that kind of risk. ...Or if they did, they'd be getting so rich off of the premiums they'd charge (which would indeed be premium) that they'd be able to buy themselves a small planet of their very own in time for retirement.
(Esther Freisner book title, name of a type of growing crop in Terry Pratchett's books)
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