quote:

You decide to enter the building and investigate the safe room on the third floor. You do not remember completing this objective.

Upon entering the safe room, you walk past a lone gold coin lying on the ground. You pick it up, and see that it is the same type of coin from the bartender's establishment.

You notice a huge mirror, and decide to get a closer look.

Notice the inscription on the back of the mirror.

"The last thing you will see is a tiny, glowing blue stone. Beneath it you will see... nothing."

You begin to wonder what the blue stone actually represents.

A lot of theories have been floated around, but the only reasonable one that you can find is that it is an item for testing memory power. Some Yordles are small enough to fit the gem inside of a person's head and store the information there for safekeeping.

On a piece of paper, you write down the names of your relatives. You also write down the names of every single Pokémon currently on your party. If there is anything important you need to remember, you'll need it.

You decide to head down to the office of Dr. Sheppard, the CEO of The Good Doctor Corporation. He is also known as The Invisible Man

Once you arrive, you have a chance to talk to a patient named Tobias. Tobias is currently sitting at the reception desk, being examined by Dr. Sheppard.

"I see," says the doctor. "Are you okay? You're not getting sick, are you?"

"It's not an illness, Dr. Sheppard," says Tobias. "It's just that I'm not. I have never been. My only question is: What am I?"

"That's not important, Tobias. For the past few years, I've been conducting scientific research into the phenomenon known as time. And I have discovered something truly astounding. I'm not sure if you've been following the news, but for over ten years, people who believed in prophecies have been seeing these strange visions that told them that we would be under attack. When I finally discovered what these visions meant, I figured I'd better get ahold of a scientist with a lot of knowledge about time."

Dr. Sheppard walks around to the side of the desk, and you ask him "Doctor, is this connected to the mystery of the Missing Objects?"


"As I was saying, I've discovered that there is a very special energy that runs through everything. Time itself is an energy field, and the rings of a molecule, the orbits of the planets, the protons and neutrons in our bodies - they all have their own energy fields. If I manipulate that energy field, then I can change the past. To me, the Past is an empty place where nothing exists. There are 3 details regarding the mystery of the Missing Objects:

First, the objects are disappearing. We know this is because of Dr. Sheppard's research. We don't know where the objects are being taken to, or who's doing the taking.

Second, every time the objects appear, there is a new attack. We don't know if this is just coincidence or if the objects are being stolen on purpose. But, like the question of whether we've been attacked or not, I can't think of any way to determine the answer.

Third, the contents of the objects seem to have a strange power. As Dr. Sheppard has observed, when they reappear, things start to happen that weren't supposed to happen."

"How can I help?" you ask.

"I need someone with experience in the past to investigate the Missing Objects, Tobias. If someone else is able to figure out what they're really made of, they might even be able to figure out what's really happening, and stop it."

You sit down in a chair and wait.

"So what happens if you succeed?" says a nurse.

"I fail," says Dr. Sheppard. "I haven't had much luck in the past, but I'm ready. You have to go into the past and solve the mystery."

You decide to:
1. Ask Tobias if he would like to have a slice of pizza.

2. Ask him what the Silver Talon Incident is.

3. Ask him what happened at the island in Triforce of Time.

4. Ask him if the Doctor Who Memory Trap was an actual physical thing.

5. Ask Dr. Sheppard if he's worried that the promise to send a robot over to the house to administer radiation to him was a fake.

6. Ask Dr. Sheppard why he has robots watching him from every corner of his lab.

7. Ask Dr. Sheppard if he's worried about the nurses.

8. Ask Dr. Sheppard about the Time Travel Gene.

9. Ask Dr. Sheppard about his dog.

10. Say goodbye to the robot from VIT-25.

Black Robe posted:

9, ask the guy about his dog, it's the easiest way to make friends and thus get information.

quote:

You ask Tobias if he would like to have a slice of pizza.

"Can't I get anything else?" says Tobias. "Not that I have any objection to the pizza. Just one slice of the pizza. Maybe a slice of pepperoni and maybe a slice of sausage. I'm also looking for some dinner rolls, too, but I'm afraid I don't have enough money to buy them."

You go to the receptionist, and give her a $20 bill.

"What are the dates for you two?" she asks.

"Saturday," says Dr. Sheppard. "We're flying to Paris on the 19th, and then we're going to have dinner at the hotel."

"This is excellent," says Tobias. "I'm sure I'll be able to eat a whole pizza in the past in a day or two."

"You'll have a bit more time then, because we are travelling to the past now".

Dr. Sheppard waves his hands and you are transported to the past!

"Okay," you say. "What do we have to do?"

"We've only been gone a few seconds, but already it's an improvement. We should be able to find anything in an hour. Let's go into the alley behind the Burger Joint and see what we can find."

Dr. Sheppard takes you into the alley, and says "There!"

You see a large puddle of something that looks like water, but also like blood.

"It's from a can of whipped cream," says Dr. Sheppard.

"Don't you ever get tired of saying that?" says Tobias. "I mean, the man's a genius, but he sure does say it a lot."

"I'm sorry, I'm just really hungry. There are 3 facts you have to keep in mind when traveling to the past: first , I eat whatever I find in the time machine. Second, I never use cash. Instead, I take notes. That way, if I need to go back to the present, I don't have to worry about money. Third, no one gets to complain about the food."

"Are you sure you don't have any other suggestion?" You ask.


"I don't think so," says Dr. Sheppard.

"Okay," you say. "But if this is an adventure in eating food, I'm not sure that I like it."

"What?" says Dr. Sheppard.

"I'm just kidding," says Tobias. "I don't mind, it's your idea. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much."

"It's just food. We're not in the pizza business."

"I guess you're right," says Dr. Sheppard.

You get inside the Restaurant: it is a weird restaurant, full of unfamiliar food. The food on the shelves is all unfamiliar to you: it looks like either the food you grew up on, or like the food you imagine might be in the future. A waiter takes your order and brings you the food. You start to eat and you find that the food is wonderful, and you eat it all, including the whipped cream. When you look around, you notice that you are not in the restaurant of your past.

"You mean you never eat at this restaurant?" asks Dr. Sheppard. "How are you supposed to solve the mystery?"

"I'll think of something," you say.

"Good, because there's something I have to tell you about yourself."

"I'm a celebrity detective?" asks Tobias.

"No, no, that's not it at all," says Dr. Sheppard. "It's called an anachronemist."

"What is an anachronemist?" asks Tobias.

"Well, I guess it's pretty obvious," says Dr. Sheppard. "That's what we're going to be doing: we're going to figure out what's going to happen."

"Okay," says Tobias. "Let's get to work. Let's go see what's happening in the future."

"Here is an account of the past from a time traveler," said Dr. Sheppard, waving his arms. "This is from one of the most accurate historians in the future, and, trust me, it's right on the money."

Dr. Sheppard walks to the recording booth and shows you a small screen that shows what is going on in the future.

The doctor shows you a few slides representing each of the Missing Items. You decide you want to start your investigation by tracking down:

- Missing Object n.1: Hippodrome, which is a medieval stadium of unusual size that is falling apart. It has more than enough room for the races of all of the world's major nations. There's also a large pit in the middle of the stadium that would be good for luge.

- Missing Object n.2: The Device that Makes It Rain, an Egyptian lightning device; A golden rod that causes it to rain when hit with a thunderbolt. According to the inventor, this has only happened twice in all of recorded history.

- Missing Object n.3: Your Missing Childhood, which is you.

- Missing Object n.4: The Computer That Is Your Grandfather's Dream Computer, which has been stolen from the Space Opera Library in order to fund another movie.

- Missing Object n.5: The First Blender, invented by one Mr. Cain (there are over twenty-five million miles of known petroleum reserves on the planet), but there are many other blenders with the same features, and it is unknown whether all of them are the same design. This blender, in any case, cannot be produced or distributed except by Mr. Cain, and he only has so many computers to build new blenders out of.

- Missing Object n.6: Simon Goughnett, last seen around 1900, the year it is most commonly believed the Grandfather Clock was invented, but there is no real proof of this, and his disappearance has never been explained.

- Missing Object n.7: The Commonwealth of Auzza, a utopian society run entirely by robots.

- Missing Object n.8: The Myth of Necessity, a paradoxical object of some importance in Auzza, which is being kept in a safe place and from which no one can steal.

- Missing Object n.9: The Antling, an imaginary creature that seems to have an almost inborn desire to die. The story goes that any successful attempt to capture it will lead to immediate death.

- Missing Object n.10: The Tickling Plague, which supposedly comes from overreaction to the abduction of a tickling antler. There are no reports of any other cases, either.

"One last thing" says Dr. Sheppard: "Remember that once you have found one of this Missing Items, all of the other objects will turn out to be metaphorical. Remember this, Tobias; it may save you a lot of time."

Space Kablooey posted:

It seems like we can only find one of the Missing Objects, but i think finding our missing childhood should be easier

Space Kablooey posted:

Are we Tobias?

Dallbun posted:

Just to be clear, Dr. Shepperd is the CEO of the Good Doctor corporation, who was found dead in his office and is believed to have been murdered by the Invisible Man, who is Dr. Shepperd?

Dallbun posted:

Just to be clear, Dr. Shepperd is the CEO of the Good Doctor corporation, who was found dead in his office and is believed to have been murdered by the Invisible Man, who is Dr. Shepperd?

Captain Hygiene posted:

Dallbun posted:

Just to be clear, Dr. Shepperd is the CEO of the Good Doctor corporation, who was found dead in his office and is believed to have been murdered by the Invisible Man, who is Dr. Shepperd?

quote:

You decide you want to start your investigation by tracking down Missing Object n.3: Your Missing Childhood, which is you.

Dr. Sheppard gives you a computer. It has keyboard, monitor, and a few extra buttons. Dr. Sheppard tells you that the computer also has a few more buttons. You don't really understand what they do, but you do notice that there are no men's clothes in the future.

"Go to the Past," says Dr. Sheppard. "Look for yourself."

"Where do you want me to look?" asks Tobias.

"Anywhere," says Dr. Sheppard. "Any time. Just look."

You decide you want to start with where you should have been all your life: your house. So you head out and when you get to your house, you go inside. Your house is your house, except there are no men's clothes in the future. In fact, none of the furniture is made of wood: they are all made of synthetic materials, like plastic.

There are 3 important facts about your childhood that you have to remember: first, that you never had a childhood; second, that you didn't die; and third, that you never even went to kindergarten.

"I wonder how I'm going to find information on these events in my past?" you say. "I guess I'll have to try hitting the buttons on the computer."

You push the button labeled TODDLER and then you push the button labeled YOU. The monitor on the computer shows a graph of the numbers, but it doesn't make any sense: when you push the TODDLER button, the graph goes up and when you push the YOU button, it goes down. When you push the button labelled ELLEN, however, the graph goes up and when you push the button labelled FORMER JENNY, it goes down. And when you push the button labeled INTERMEDIATE JENNY, it goes up and when you push the button labelled SUPERIOR JENNY, it goes down.

"Why is the graph going up and down?" asks Tobias. "And why are the numbers on it going from 0 to 2 instead of going from 1 to 2?"

You discover that a person called MACHINE 8 is watching you. She is a transparent block of plastic that floats on the floor of the monitor. If you get too close, you get sucked into the image and disappear.

"Who is Machine 8?" you ask Dr. Sheppard. "And how did she get to be a transparent block of plastic?"

"Machine 8 is just an example of what you may expect during this mystery" says Dr. Sheppard "The Missing Objects may be protecting you."

"That's it?" you ask. "But how could I get too close to you? How could you get too close to me?"

"You can't," says Dr. Sheppard. "The words 'too close' never come up in my vocabulary."

You decide to try and get closer to Machine 8. You stand on a little ledge that hangs over the inside of the monitor and you try to get as close to the monitor as possible. It doesn't work. Every time you get close to the monitor, Machine 8 blows up in your face.

"Why do you have these counter-measures to keep me from getting too close?" you ask.

"That's the whole point of the mysteries," says Dr. Sheppard. "The people of the future don't trust anything or anyone they don't understand. And you and I understand each other better than anyone else in the world ever did."

Maybe pressing another button will help? You decide to:

1. Use the LAST button to confirm that Machine 8 is dead.

2. Press the button labeled MACHINE 8.

3. Press the button labeled EQUAL TO TOLERANCE.

4. Press the button labeled RATIONAL BEHAVIOR.

5. Press the button labeled EQUAL TO UNIVERSAL RESPONSIBILITY.

6. Press the button labeled EQUAL TO EQUALITY.

7. Press the button labeled PERFECTION.

8. Press the button labeled EVOLUTION.

9. Press the button labeled EQUAL TO NATION, OCEAN, AND INTERIOR.

10. Press the button labeled EQUAL TO SYSTEMS.

quote:

You decide to press the button labeled PERFECTION.

The screen on the computer changes to a more beautiful view of the world: it shows a world full of beautiful people and beautiful places. Everything is perfect: people are perfect, everything is perfect, everything is beautiful.

"I understand that you want to have your perfect world, but isn't there a problem with trying to have a perfect world without knowing how to live in a perfect world?" you ask. "What would happen if you became tired of perfection? What if you wanted to test how perfect your perfect world really was? What if you wanted to know how perfect your world would become if the people in your perfect world decided to beat you as a sport?"

You look back at the now-empty screen on the monitor.

"I see," says Dr. Sheppard. "That's exactly the point."

MACHINE 8 is no longer a transparent block of plastic. Now it is a transparent marble and it stands in your living room. You think about how beautiful you would be in that world. Everything in your perfect world is better than anything you have ever seen. You would be so beautiful that you would be an object of desire. You would be a goddess. People would all want you.

"But then what about your childhood?" says Dr. Sheppard. "You might have had a terrible childhood and that would be terrible. You would be haunted by all of those terrible memories."

"You can't have a terrible childhood," you say. "My childhood was wonderful."

"But if you loved your childhood," says Dr. Sheppard, "then there might be something horrible that happened to you during that childhood that made you doubt your memories. And that would be terrible."

"But what was it?" you ask.

"I don't know," says Dr. Sheppard, "But I do know that the adults in your perfect world would care about you."

You will have to ask the adults in the perfect world about your childhood to proceed.

Back in the mysterious computer room, the letters MACHINE G are changing to X and Y.

"We've been thinking about what you asked us," says Dr. Sheppard. "And we've decided that you're a little bit wrong about the point of the mysteries. Instead of protecting you, we're going to use you as a weapon against your perfect world."

And so the final move on the chessboard of the mysteries takes place. You will receive one last push in your back.

"Good luck," says Dr. Sheppard.

"Wait, why do you need to use me?" you ask.

"Because you're such a good student," says Dr. Sheppard. "We're going to test your abilities against some of the most complex programs and machines that ever existed."

You have never been in a program like this before.

The computer tells you that your name is "Haley Lucette Elphid". The computer tells you that you were born in the year 11349. You are 14 years old. The computer tells you that you live in a perfectly beautiful city called Malavarai. The computer tells you that you would be a great scientist and that you would make excellent friends.

The computer tells you that you like to listen to music and go to the movies. You like to drink soda and take walks in the woods. You like to sit in your room and think. You like to draw pictures in your notebooks.

You'll have to face one of these complex programs to discover the mystery of your Missing Childhood.

You decide you'll face:
1."Welcome Home!" you don't know the name of this program, but you don't really care. The logo shows a happy girl running toward you. She has a T-shirt on, and she's wearing a brace on her left leg.

2. "The Curse of the Monkey Button" is a program about a monkey who has the power to control the earth. He is trapped in a cage in the middle of the ocean, and he is being eaten by sharks. His partner, "Indiana Jones", is trying to free him.

3. "The No Child Left Behind of Looney Tunes". You see a blond child at a playground. She is climbing a jungle gym.

4. "Surprise!". The logo shows you in an underground tunnel.

5. "Get Me My Mink"! This program has a crude comic-book style animation, but it looks vaguely similar to "The No Child Left Behind of Looney Tunes".

6. "I've Got an Idea for a New Way to Explain Math". You see a large group of children sitting at tables. They are all wearing lanyards around their necks.

7. "I am Darling". The logo shows a girl who looks like a famous movie star. She has long, dark hair, and is wearing a fancy gown and high heels.

8. "Mr. Bevis Bequest." The logo shows you (who looks remarkably like you) waking up in bed. You see a rocking horse. It's the boy from "The Curse of the Monkey Button"

9. "The Worst American Ever". The logo shows a boy in an old-fashioned, black suit and tie. He is standing in front of a computer screen.

10. "The Unfortunate Effects of Reality - The Musical." The logo is an actor dressed up in a bear costume. He is smoking a cigarette.

ajkalan posted:

Wow, parts of this were almost coherent.

Go with 6, I'm curious about this idea.

Jen X posted:

I mean, we gotta go with 10. "The Unfortunate Effects of Reality - The Musical."