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Post by Solana on May 9, 2009 23:16:02 GMT -5
Yeah, because I'm sure that the prinnies didn't sneak any on board for evidence and possible blackmail. Which they couldn't have done, seeing as you weren't there and thus couldn't be blackmailed. So, if the prinnies were responsible, then we shouldn't send them back in time, but if we already didn't do it, then the Shrine would still be up, and then we wouldn't be in the motel, so would it be this version of 'us' that would cease to exist, or would we not know because we'd still be there, or... Uh-oh, going Cross-eyed like Austin Powers. Nah, we should probably leave things as they are and avoid a Faylen effort. If Chrono Cross gave me a headache trying to figure everything out, I'd probably end up doing something irreversible like making Aryn Solana's long-lost sister or things that are equally strange. (And no, she isn't or won't be. ) (City in Star Ocean 2, character in Suikoden V.)
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Post by Ambrienne on May 10, 2009 0:09:01 GMT -5
Equally strange... Like this? What's another name for hazardous waste? Answer: Government bailout. ...Yes, that one was all my fault. I didn't hear it anywhere. And it took me all of ten seconds to come up with (plus 3 seconds to get the wording perfect). But it's a shame we couldn't resolve that kind of time loop spaghetti. We'd be in a Class of Heroes all by ourselves, as well as experiencing all the delightful flavors inherent in circular, time enhanced pasta (I think they call it Spaghetti-Os, but I could be wrong, having never actually consumed any. ). Ah, well. We can just tinker around with the toilet a bit, maybe with an aim to watch the ideal Sunset Kid. (Upcoming PSP game which, for some bizarre reason, cannot be pre-ordered, bah..., name of a character in the Wild West scenario of Live-a-Live)
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Post by Solana on May 10, 2009 11:10:39 GMT -5
Oh, burn! Here's hoping that at least some of them will pay out. I mean, it's not as if they're literally dumping the cash down a toilet. (And at least, not ours.)
As for the Spaghetti-Os, is that why they have so many preservatives in them? (Yeah, that was terrible, but preservatives or not, those things are tasty.)
Hmmm, maybe it'll be all right for harmless things like picking up food from different eras. I mean, it won't necessarily turn out the way things did in The Butterfly Effect, never. We'll just have to plan very carefully and not act on Impulse. The first thing I would do is bring some decent orange chicken back in time to when I could still eat it, instead of trying to make it sugar-free. That and Dad's cake.
I imagine we'll have quite the cleaning up job, first. Forgot to tell the prinnies the condition in which our time traveler has to be returned in, and if they used it to party, well... Having strong water skills will probably be a good thing.
(One of Anastasia's abilities in Wild Arms 2.)
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Post by Ambrienne on May 10, 2009 19:38:48 GMT -5
Now, see... that's the thing. If they were throwing the money down the toilet, at least people in a profession such as Joe and the legendary Mario Brothers could expect to see an immediate benefit. Or, if it were our toilet, we were handy with a plunger, and didn't mind having to (literally, not figuratively) launder our money, I'm sure we'd have dozens of good ways to put it to use.
I suspect that this is more of a black hole/inferno type thing. It may even tie into that thing called the Uncertainty Principle, where you can only know where something is or how fast it's going... but not both at the same time. Tie this into another principle involving a scientist, a cat, and a box, and you have the foundation of our economy.
The Great Depression happened when everyone tried to look in their box at the same time for the cat. How so? Well, hearing rumors about how fast the cat was going, they wanted to know where it was (preferrably in their possession). Unfortunately, they failed to realize that the cat would stop moving when they opened the box, removing all uncertainty.
So, across the country, they opened their boxes. A lucky few had cats that were alive, some had no cats (a hole had been chewed in the side of the box, likely by a mouse that soon came to regret it), some had dead cats, and some poor souls that were a bit too excitable didn't realize that their cats were sleeping, not dead.
Now, with the onset of vapor money... ::coughs:: er, I mean e-checking and credit cards, not only is no one sure where the cats are and how fast they're moving, we're not even sure how many there are or even what size each individual box is.
The moral of the story: Don't open the box, people. In fact, don't even put any catnip near one of the airholes in said box. ...Or at least shut your box after peeking so that the cat can move to the next person's box without being detected and we can pretend that it's not the same cat. Remove the uncertainty, and you'll Doom us all.
The other moral: Don't trade in cat futures (or spend money that you don't have/aren't even sure exists yet).
Ahem.
Now about that toilet... Hm... I'm not sure this motel's plumbing is up to code, so maybe we'd better dial up those plumbers before we're suffering from the temporal flux.
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Post by Solana on May 10, 2009 20:19:50 GMT -5
Ah, so would that be Shroedinger's cat? So, basically, people drawing their money out of savings and stuffing it in an old mattress would be the worst thing we can do, not only because it's not all there but we also want to keep it in circulation. Which means that once your money is in the bank, there's actually no real assurance that all of it can be put back into your hands one day, depending on how many loans go out. Not a reassuring thought. That reminds me of something my teacher Kyle told us in aquatic biology class one day. After practically jumping down a kid's throat during a presentation on a paper after claiming that its tests "proved" a point, he gave us a long speech about how NOTHING in science is ever proven, only suggested. Basically, all of it is built on ideas that are only added on, and nothing is concrete. From your explanation, it would seem that the flow of money and where it "is" at any given point is the same, especially when it's "lost" from things like stocks or IRAs or such. There's a lot less physical evidence to track it by now. Sounds like a good idea for the toilet to leave it in the hands of professionals. I'll have to go out and restock on bath gel again anyway. (Last name of characters in Wild Arms III, our favorite Lunar bandit or blond Queen's Knight in Suikoden V.)
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Post by Ambrienne on May 10, 2009 21:37:31 GMT -5
Yeah, that's the cat (and the guy). Certainly, old mattresses aren't the way to go. Unless the bills are collectible or coins made of silver or gold (thus making it similar in many respects to an investment but with more physical evidence than mere printer paper), but even so... buy a new mattress first. It's less likely to get thrown away by some well meaning person or leak out its mysteriously non-standard stuffing when someone you don't want to know about it is watching. Not that I'm advocating the mattress method. There are plenty of better places to hide things. Like in the 'bank' of the Monopoly box. No one will look for your cash there unless it's a robber that wants to go directly to jail without passing GO and collecting his $200. Except for you guys. Now that you'll know it's no mere Trivial Pursuit, I'm sure that you'll look there first. Well, maybe not. Most people aren't that smart (nor are their pants), so if you happen to see too many coffee cans (or any other food/drink supply that is not known being consumed slowly or having a long shelf life) of old or dubious origin lying around, you've probably discovered the super secret money bin of your local Scrooge McDuck. Unless it's a young, single packrat that never cleans. Then, it really is exactly what it appears to be and should be handled with care (and a hazardous materials suit, if you can get it). Oh, yes. And if the shelf that all those coffee cans or whatever are hiding under happens to be right above the ancient fridge of lore, be sure to check the back, too. Those fridges sometimes have accidental hiding places caused when someone tries to put their cache away and some of it (like rolls of quarters) rolls down and away. It's a lot of trouble to move a fridge to retrieve such things, so people leave them alone, thinking they'll just get to it later. Then, they never do, because even they forget that it was ever there. If you're curious, the Monopoly board was theoretical, but the coffee can/fridge thing was something I actually experienced. And no, I didn't take/spend the money. Not even the stuff that ended up behind and halfway inside the outside of the fridge's drain pan. I put it back on the shelf with the other money. So... now that we're waiting for the bath supplies, does anyone happen to know if any of the other rooms in this fine lodging place are occupied? If so, we'll have to put a lock (or two... or three) on that particular bathroom's door. Otherwise some poor fool that's too plastered to realize what they're doing could unintentionally find themselves in the past and walk in on the previous occupants of said rooms. It could get messy.
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Post by Solana on May 10, 2009 22:22:54 GMT -5
Kudos. Final Fantasy VII taught us the virtue of not taking some kid's money from a drawer. Don't and you get a Turbo Ether. (Never mind the countless treasure chests that heroes open and loot. They can't Sully us by labeling us as common thieves, it's treasure hunting and being paid dues by saving the world! Aryn's fridge would probably be fairly safe, as almost no one but Lark can handle the very hottest she's got. Maybe Kalia, too, if the penchant for hot foods is genetic. (Not that she stashes her savings in there. It's just theoretical.) As for my hydromaniac... every so often, we get hollow books in the store that people use to stash valuables. Some are obviously false with solid sides instead of pages, while others actually have layers of paper for false pages for about an inch on the outside before the solid hollowed area. If savings were stashed in those and hidden in HER collection, it'd probably be more worthwhile to go out and earn the cash in an honest job instead of hunting through EVERY. SINGLE. VOLUME. Again, theoretical. You even see ads for things like hollow scented candles or cans of whipped cream or cleaning supplies, since sometimes hiding things in plain sight is the way to go. Given my druthers, I'd go with the scented candles, because there are false brands on the cans for the most part. You'd just have to remember not to light it, or only use it to store coins. Good idea on the locks, but we'll have to make sure at least one won't be affected by temporal fluxes. Or I wonder if it would be possible to rig up an "instant sober" spell by replacing the alcohol in someone's system with plain water by going through the doorway. I don't know if cleaning up that kind of mess is covered in our agreement with the prinnies. (Capsule monster in Lufia II.)
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Post by Ambrienne on May 10, 2009 23:10:54 GMT -5
Apparently some allergies/food problems as well as preferences are inherited. Neither I nor my father can stomach sweet potatoes (though, in my case, it's not as severe... I can actually eat small quantities of it without throwing up). And uh... if you aren't allergic to that very thing, you might want to see about making brownies with those as a substitute for another ingredient (I'm not sure which ingredient it subbed for as it was on a buffet somewhere that has since gone out of business, possibly the oil as I know pumpkin works that way in cake). They taste reasonably good without totally obscuring the chocolate part.
About the orange chicken... you could try this (don't blame me if it doesn't taste good as I just thought of it on the spot): Take some vinegar (apple cider type, maybe?), add grated orange peel and a few other spices (pepper, probably cayenne as what I remember seeing in OC sauce looked like that to me, and something else with the right kind of bite to it). Then experiment with mixing in Splenda for the right amount of sweet to contrast with the tart side. You'll probably have to heat up the sauce sample to make sure of what it really tastes like.
...There's no pun up there. How did that happen? I must be slipping as there are games with practically entire casts made up of food names. It's practically a license to coin puns in your very own Mint. It would be Mir child's play.
If you're feeling really mean, you could replace the alcohol in the bodies of anyone entering the specially designed throne room with coffee. But then, that might cause another type of accident. Not to mention being a tad more expensive. ;D
(It could be a certain cleric from ToP or a Tokyo Mew Mew; you decide, character from the Ar Tonelico series)
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Post by Solana on May 10, 2009 23:29:25 GMT -5
Thanks for the food suggestions, as I'm not ready to Mourne the loss of my very favorite food yet. I did try sweet potatoes one night, as they're supposed to have a lower GI than regular ones, (go figure), and I couldn't stand them. The orange chicken one sounds brilliant. I also found a great-sounding recipe just today that used a combination of Jack Daniels BBQ sauce and sugar-free orange marmalade. I wonder how long one could have mandarin orange pieces in a stir-fry pan before they burn. I do have a funny brownie story. (The story is funny, not the brownie. ) My mom was whipping up a batch of kick-@$$ brownies using Equal as a sweetener. We added a little extra and got the batter to taste the same, so we popped them in the oven. While they were baking, I was reading the label. "Do not add to beverages before heating, as the process will interfere with the sweetness." Interesting... The brownies were about half as high as normal when they come out. My brother is standing by to grab the first one. Just before they're cool, he slices a big one, takes a huge bite... and suddenly looks like he's munching on a half-rotten sardine. He asks if Mom changed the recipe. Sure enough, the sweetness was gone and all we could taste was flour, bitter chocolate, and baking powder. Ugh. So what does he do? Slices up another and brings it down to my unsuspecting younger brother. What do Mom and I do? Go down to watch. We also found a liquid sweetener called Sweet10 (yay, puns in products!) that makes some incredible fibro-friendly apple crisp, and Mom invented a kind of strawberry cheesecake substitute that's even better than the original. Dad's ultimate chocolate cake still needs some tweaking, but we'll figure it out. (Blade in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.)
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Post by Ambrienne on May 11, 2009 16:45:22 GMT -5
So, Equal wasn't 'equal' to the task, huh? I knew there was a reason I didn't use that stuff. Well, not really; there's no reason. I just don't. And now that I know, I see no reason to change. You could try putting saurkraut (did I spell that right? Oh, well...) in the chocolate cake. You may not like it, though; it has a little bit of an aftertaste, even inside chocolate cake. But texture-wise, the cake is still very moist without being nearly as sinful. But oh boy... I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat another brownie again without getting a sardine image in my head. Must... fight... bad image and urge to make puns about fish cakes. I don't think even Ruby would go for that one.
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Post by Solana on May 11, 2009 19:24:17 GMT -5
I am so sorry about the sardine image. Let's borrow a little bit of amnesia dust from 8-bit Theater and erase that particular thought. (Tosses it.) There we go, though I'm not sure if the effects are tempura-ry or if the image is gone for good. I wonder if Ruby would go for Hai Yo's fish donuts.
I hate to Raine on your parade, but sauerkraut is another food that I'm not much for. (I'm not entirely certain it IS food, truth to tell.) When I was in college, I worked in the cafeteria for a while helping to dish out supper to hungry students and staff. Every so often, the cooks would make beer-cooked brats and sauerkraut. Standing over a deep dish filled with sauerkraut over a basin filled with boiling water for two hours wasn't exactly pleasant, though I bet it did wonders for my pores.
It was fun, too. I learned how to make chocolate-dipped strawberries and one of the cooks made fabulous truffles at Christmas time and I even learned some self-defense moves from one of the toughest women I've ever met. Cooks are certainly tough.
(Recipe in Suikoden II, character from FFVIII.)
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Post by Ambrienne on May 11, 2009 21:10:50 GMT -5
Yes, they are. Which is why you can't have a complete Makai Kingdom without one of those nutty chefs and their wickedly mulifunctional, spiked frying pans. You've got to wonder about the enemies just sitting by and letting you cook up a healing feast for your allies... unless maybe they're secretly hoping you'll miss and throw the food to them, instead. And no, the game doesn't let you miss on that healing tech. It's just a thought. And yeah, that stuff is food. I know; it stretches the definition of food, but it's full of all the vitamins you need to prevent scurvy in the absence of oranges or other citrus fruits. Of course, it also has a side effect that sounds like a raspberry and smells like something died. Hopefully, it was the cabbage and not the eater. I'm guessing that eating that will be prohibited in this motel. Because, if it isn't, it might start a war.
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Post by Solana on May 11, 2009 22:10:07 GMT -5
Hmmmm, how much do they want for one of those, and who best to acquire it from? It would be a great addition to Aryn's kitchen arsenal. (She already has a Tonberry King's chef knife.) Oh, we have to do something with this sometime. I can just see it now, a huge battle going on with Aryn and your avatar in the midst of it, a la one of these Zeirite rumbles in CoF, magic and blade going at it like crazy... with little pauses to go tend a little pot bubbling over a fire right in the middle. Or one of those sweet frying pans filled with something tasty over a bonfire with skewers of meat and marshmallows cooking. We could take turns covering each other's back while stirring or flipping things. Probably, to throw the enemies off, we'll have to keep it a Mystery Menu. Some of it could be rejuvenating things for our side, or we could whip up some literal cherry bombs or Pineapples to toss into the melee. And that's before diving into your amazing sugar talents or Aryn's spice collection. > (Summon from FFVIII, technique from Chrono Cross, one of Rikku's creations from FFX.)
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Post by Ambrienne on May 11, 2009 23:07:42 GMT -5
Hm, well... I don't know how much the highest level pan would cost (after all, you'd want nothing but the best), but it would take either a lot of hunting, time for a custom one to be built, or... a trip to a certain merchant that I'm planning on having everyone harass in the Blue Star epilogue anyway. Might as well add that in there, too. But yeah, that would make a nice battle. Of course, if we wanted to, you know, slow the devouring, slavering hoard down, we could make something called People Treats (bad joke, I know, but there really was something called this; it's like a two inch long Butterfinger bar that has toasted coconut in it). Make them human shaped, crispy on the outside and juicy... er, I mean, tasty on the outside and explosive on the inside. Like maybe a chemical in the candy makes them explode once it hits the stomach juices. ...We'd never have to look for another Vay again. At least, not until the next time they went and evolved on us. Of course, our own troops would have to be kept away from any uneaten PTs. The consequences could be rather... unfortunate. Edit: And throwing things from the sidelines reminds me of one of the Bomberman games that had a 'party' mode where you could have up to four different people against each other. The first ones blown up would be on stretchers on the sidelines. But then, we found out you could throw bombs from the stretcher onto the playing field to try and sabotage whoever was left. ;D
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Post by Solana on May 11, 2009 23:53:59 GMT -5
Awesome, payback and a nice new shiny deadly frying pan in the same day. Thank you. No, we don't have to worry about most evolutions at all. (Whips out and puts on a scientist's white Lab Coat.) For all known species in RL, a single molecule is required for life- water. I can only assume that this is the case for most of the species in our story version of the universe as well. Therefore, we find something that can react explosively with water. Impossible? Not at all. (Adds a pair of lab goggles.) In chemistry class, we had seen some molecules explode or start on fire in contact with water, the alkali metals. We just Nede a good supplier of francium that can produce it in powder form. Mix it with the spices, add to the People Treat, et voila! An edible explosive that could probably level an entire hoarde in one bite. And if we want to prevent the francium from being blown up on us if a breath of air touches its transportation, then sodium and potassium have the same effects to a lesser degree. I wonder if the EMMA machine can be tweaked to split molecules, and all we'd have to carry is extra table salt. It seems chemistry class payed off more than I thought it would. > (Lexis' starting armor in Lufia 2, world in Star Ocean 2.)
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