Rohypnol recipe

“I’m thankful for… the women that come in when Momma’s at work!” Sofie said, upon being called on to share her thankfulness at Ms. Bernard’s 2nd grade Thanksgiving party.
Ms. Bernard, mildly concerned, pressed further.
“Why are you thankful for them, Sofie?”
“‘Cause, when they come in, my big brother takes me to get ice cream from DQ.”
With that, the little girl adjusted her construction-paper pilgrim hat and resumed eating her pizza.
—
Now, Ms. Bernard didn’t want to pry into the life of one of her students, and there could always have been a different explanation for the many women frequenting Sofie’s home, but considering Sofie’s dad tried to pick up Ms. Bernard at their first parent-teacher conference, she decided that intervention was necessary.
She decided to soften the confrontation with homemade mashed potatoes. It was her grandmother-from-Idaho’s recipe, so it was delicious.
When she walked up to the home and rang the doorbell, she was surprised to find her 7-year-old student answering the door.
“Ms. Bernard! What’re you doing here? We don’t have school this week.”
“Hey, Sofie. Is your dad home, sweetie?”
“Oh, did you come to see him? He’s not here right now, but you can come upstairs and we can have a tea party!”
Ms. Bernard didn’t want to go in, though she loved tea parties, and violate their privacy.
But, she didn’t want to leave and come back later even more though, so she set her potatoes on the counter and walked up the stairs.
After maybe 10 minutes of tea-partying, with real-but-terrible tea, might she add, she heard Sofie’s dad call for his kids.
When she and Sofie came down the stairs, Nolan, the 17-year-old brother, grabbed his keys and gestured for Sofie to walk with him out the door.
When the two were gone, Ms. Bernard started with, “Mr. Stanton, in class a few days ago, Sofie said something that made me slightly worried about her home life.”
She turned to face the man.
“I’m worried that the women she’s seeing come in and out of the house will have a negative impact on her feelings toward the role of a woman in the future, and adultery is a fast-track to divorce, which has even worse impacts on a child’s—”
She faltered, and started getting woozy.
“Tea party, huh?” Mr. Stanton said as Ms. Bernard sat on the couch. “Sofie has to stop using my Rohypnol as sugar.”
“What?” Ms. Bernard slurred.
“Eh. She does good work. Drugging ‘em all with her tea makes my work easier.”
At this point, he’d hoisted her up and was bringing her to the basement door.
“Man. It sucks that your brought your own car. Now I’ve gotta figure out how to get rid of it.”
With a knife he’d had in his belt or something, sliced her throat open and threw her into the basement.
“And hey,” he called to the near-lifeless teacher, “thanks for the potatoes.”
“These’ll be perfect for Thanksgiving.”

Something disturbing is happening on a popular social media app lately. Social media is already a breeding ground for weird shit but, this is truly bizarre. Normally I don’t put too much stock into trends, coming and going like some sort of drive by entertainment. However, recently my account was verified for posting unique and cost-efficient cooking videos. I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that what everyone wants; to go viral and have the world see you’ve been authenticated by the powers that be? In any other circumstance, that would be true. Not anymore though, because someone is killing verified users with large followings. At first it seemed like the only connection between all the victims was their high-profile status but, as more information is released, it’s clear the motive is so much more complicated than that.
The first publicly recognized murder happened to a famous social media star named Jax Logan. He grew to fame for throwing raucous parties and performing obnoxious pranks. After gaining popularity online, Logan took his act all over the world and continued to gain followers while plowing through various countries. However, along the way, Jax made many enemies and was banned from returning to several places after his visits. Many individuals and organization were outraged by some of the lewd and offensive acts he had performed abroad which included breaking into a pyramid and destroying a mummified corpse by placing it in different positions for his skits and photos. Needless to say, Egypt was added list of countries he was not allowed to visit. This was of no consequence to a guy like Jax Logan, though. His act moved to a mansion in the hills where he threw raging parties almost every night. Several women who had been to Logan’s parties claimed to have been drugged and believed videos were made of them without consent. Unfortunately, none of the women took their claims any further as they were reminded of the NDA signed before entering the mansion.
The night of Jax’s murder I was at home, preparing another meal for my video. The kitchen smelled of sweet meat, onions, and garlic. This particular dish needed to be flipped after ten minutes so I turned off my recorder, set a timer, and scrolled through my feed as I waited. While watching a video about making a walk-in freezer, I received a notification that Jax Logan was live so I clicked to see if it was anything interesting. Initially, all I could make out was a pale glow from the recording device which had slightly illuminated a darkened surface. Slowly the camera panned to the right until I saw a pair of eyes so wide, the eyelids were hidden entirely. I gasped, almost dropping my phone, but kept a grip on the device, and continued staring at the disturbing image in front of me. The entire frame consisted of two bulging, bloodshot eyes. The pupils were unbelievably dilated making the irises appear nonexistent. As both eyeballs rapidly shifted back and forth, the camera began to zoom out, revealing that the person with the hauntingly, terrified eyes was, in fact, Jax Logan.
The video continued zooming out until it was revealed that Jax had been wrapped in bandages from head to toe, save his nose and eyes. The final shot was his entire mummified body, laid out in a dark hole. Just before the video ended, Logan made direct eye contact with the camera. It seemed like he was pleading to the viewers, begging someone to do something with one look. And then it was over. Police were called to Jax’s mansion and eventually found him in the backyard. He had been buried alive under two feet of soft earth. Unable to stop from breathing through his nose, Jax Logan inhaled debris and died choking on dirt. Coroner placed his time of death approximately thirty minutes before police arrived. Toxicology later confirmed Jax had been drugged with rohypnol which is why he couldn’t move any part of his body except for those desperate eyes. Jax Logan’s killer was never found and police claimed there were no leads. It was only a few weeks later when the next murder was committed.
A few weeks later I went to the park to eat lunch and people watch, something I frequently did. But I eventually grew bored of the slim pickings and took out my phone. A friend had sent me the latest video posted by a girl who was famous for making animated facial expressions. I’m sure there’s a better way of saying it but, that’s all she did. Her name was Tara Lash and she became an instant sensation after uploading her first video. From there, Tara began posting several videos a day amassing a following of millions in just 48 hours. Although many of these followers were true admiring fans, there were many that felt Lash was a detriment to mental illness, specifically related to eating disorders. When she wasn’t choregraphing face videos, you would often find Tara giving unhealthy dieting advice and quick weight loss tips that were clearly harmful and damaging. Many doctors have filmed response to her most toxic videos, pleading with the public to disregard her irresponsible and dangerous suggestions entirely. Although she’s never written a reply to anyone’s comment nor commented on others, Lash has made several videos singling out those who’ve voiced their disapproval, spouting profanities and always calling them “fat and sappy.”
Knowing this was one of Tara’s uploads, I looked around and made sure the volume wasn’t too loud on my headphones before pressing play. Something told me this video was NSFW which also meant NSFP. Ready to watch, I tapped the screen and squinted at the blurry recording. Eventually, the camera began to focus and I could see the face of someone in a mirror. Covered in shadow, you couldn’t actually see the person, just their reflection. My eyes widened as the camera moved until it was pointed downward at the reflection of Tara Lash and her look of abject horror. Deep, rhythmic music began to play and, as if almost on cue, Tara’s facial expressions followed the beat. But this was not her regular style of cheeky smiles and wide-eyed looks of surprise. Instead, she looked to be in sheer agony, every muted cry of pain went in time with the pounding baseline. It was grotesque and mesmerizing all at once, I couldn’t look away. That’s when the song started to build and Tara’s reflection began to rattle and her eyes closed tightly, as if on a roller coaster. Then, just as the beat dropped, Tara let out one last silent wail before coughing up blood. And just like the Jax Logan snuff video, the camera zoomed out to show the entirety of Lash’s body. Her arms and legs were filled with deep, horizontal cuts, every gash oozing dark liquid. But soon it was clear the final blow that ended her life must have been the gaping, fleshy wound at the base of her throat.
When police arrived at Tara Lash’s apartment, they found her corpse slumped over a make-up vanity, blood covering the surface and dripping down it’s pristine, white drawers. It was determined she had died approximately one hour before police arrived at the scene. Further investigation showed that the non-lethal wounds had been self-inflicted and there were high levels of LSD in her bloodstream. Although this evidence suggested death by suicide as a result of drug induced psychosis, forensics concluded that Tara Lash was not responsible for the jugular wound that caused her to die choking on her own blood. As with the first case, police were unable to identify the killer or any possible suspects. Many people speculated that it was her on-again off-again boyfriend but, he immediately posted receipts on social media proving he had not been in the area for several weeks. That’s when it started trending the killer was after bullies, many people posting videos and making guesses about which viral sensation was up next for the axe.
Exactly one week after Tara’s death, I was home making another cooking video. My uploads had been getting increasingly popular so I was trying to up my game with an old family recipe. I was making a stew that had to simmer for several hours on low heat. The meat for this dish was incredibly cheap and very tough. But this recipe could make any chewy piece a soft and tender morsel. After editing and then uploading my new video, I finally got to partake in the delicious meal, scooping up heaping bites with chunks of French bread. I began aimlessly looking through the app, hoping to find some kind of sorbet recipe to cure my sweet tooth. That’s when I came across a video made by the infamous Proud Twins.
The Proud Twins were also a very well-known presence on social media although, their following was certainly not like that of Jack Logan or Tara Lash. Their spotlight into fame was viral clip of them performing synchronized dance moves to country music in a western bar. And I have to admit, the first time I watched them dance, it was a strange and unforgettable experience. They moved as one, often incorporating break dance, swing dancing, and crunking always to the twang of a country music. Their content was certainly unique but, not at all offensive. Even more so, The Proud Twins were known as charitable and benevolent within their small-town community. Their video profile was a mixture of their many routines along with clips of them spending time with the elderly and misfortunate. They have the type of account that is popular and well liked but, doesn’t usually get high scale recognition. That’s why I was shocked when I noticed they had uploaded only minutes ago but, already received over two million likes. I paused mid bite, meat spilling off the sides of the bread while my hand hovered in the air, and stared at the screen as the video began.
At first all I could see were two pairs of entangled arms and legs. As the recording zoomed out, however, it was clear that the limbs belonged to the Proud Twins. The camera filmed them from above as they squirmed together on the floor. Their body movement was so contorted they looked like one giant, slithering pretzel. The song for this video was definitely not country, per the usual but, instead it sounded like slow heavy metal. “Probably a country music song covered by a heavy rock band,” I thought to myself as I placed the abandoned bite into the steaming bowl of stew and continued watching the clip unfold. Suddenly, the two men froze and fell onto their backs, laying side by side. Then, just as an electric riff began to play, The Proud Twins’ eyes rolled to their back of their heads and both started convulsing. Every guitar shred created a dramatic effect while watching their stiff jerking movements. When the last note played out, both men began foaming at the mouth and as the song ended so did their movements.
The official statement from police was that the brothers had been discovered in their shared home, dead on arrival. It appeared that both men had gone into convulsions and asphyxiated on their vomit in the process. Police also stated they did not yet know whether the seizures were medically or drug induced. After this information was released, support for the Proud Twins poured out like a bursting dam. Phrases like “Gone too soon” or “The world will miss your smiles” popped up everywhere and every single one had the obligatory angel, praying hands, or broken heart emojis. All that stopped, though, when the FBI released their own official statement only forty-eight hours after the local police had given theirs.
They advised that the Proud Twins had been under surveillance by the FBI on suspicion of leading a domestic terrorist group. The investigation had reason to believe the Proud Twins were directly responsible for inciting several instances of violence towards LGBTQ and POC communities. FBI stated that after receiving notification of the video, they arrived on the scene with local law enforcement and were able to gather enough evidence to confirm the Proud Twins involvement as well as many others. Because of the information acquired at the Proud Twins’ home, over two dozen individuals had been indicted on charges of domestic terrorism and more. The outcry was unbelievable because a lot of people didn’t know how to feel about the news of the Proud Twins’ guilt. But things really got chaotic when the FBI gave out a follow up statement verifying that the Proud Twins’ seizure was caused by an overdose of methamphetamine which had been injected in their necks. They also had ligature marks on their wrists that suggested they had been bound and then drugged by a third-party assailant. Because of this information, police confirmed they would continue the investigation as a homicide.
The public was terrified and many people grew paranoid. Some even going so far as to confessing their wrongdoings on video. There was no part of me that felt worried when the first two people were killed. It was so obvious the world was a better place without them. But now I know this morally specific killer is so much more than just a psychotic social media vigilante. This person, or maybe even entity, had an agenda and access to the deep, dark secrets of well-known people. I honestly wouldn’t have given the string of murders a second thought if it hadn’t been for my newly appointed blue checkmark. The incidents were making me feel a bit uneasy but, I had swallowed down that feeling so many times in the past, it became second nature.
Reminding myself that I was not guilty of anything, I opened the freezer chest in the garage to pick out a carefully butchered cut of human flesh from the large pile inside. After all, the people that I consumed were often vagrants who didn’t even know their own name. It was truly an act of service for my community. Furthermore, I had helped so many people learn to cook healthy, delicious meals on an almost destitute budget. Sure, most people didn’t know that the succulent pork dishes or savory beef tip stew were slightly adjusted in my kitchen but, it didn’t matter. I was helping people and trying to make the world a better place. These thoughts settled my anxiety but, I decided to go on hiatus and delete the app until things settled down. Deleting the app, made me feel almost completely better but, a small amount of doubt lingered in the back of my mind as I drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke and was ready to move on from the social media drama and focus on my goal for the day; meal planning. These thoughts were stopped short when I unlocked my phone to find the app was still on my home screen. With shaking hands, I held down the icon and selected the option to uninstall the app, for a second time. Once it was gone, I left the phone on my nightstand and went about my morning routine, dragging it out for as long as possible to avoid checking my phone. Finally getting the courage to pick it up, I unlocked the phone and let out a shriek when I discovered every app had been wiped except the one that should have been deleted. Even the messaging and call features had been removed and there were no bars to indicate it still had cellular service. I frantically began jabbing the screen with my fingers trying to delete, power off, reset, anything. The touch screen reacted as if a living human didn’t have their fingertips all over it. Then, like a punch to the gut, I realized that any shred of hope I had for my innocence had evaporated. All I felt was dread and panic as the app opened to a create a new video and began recording my horror-stricken face.

Tick Tock, You're Dead
Something disturbing is happening on a popular social media app lately. Social media is already a breeding ground for weird shit but, this is truly bizarre. Normally I don’t put too much stock into trends, coming and going like some sort of drive by entertainment. However, recently my account was verified for posting unique and cost-efficient cooking videos. I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that what everyone wants; to go viral and have the world see you’ve been authenticated by the powers that be? In any other circumstance, that would be true. Not anymore though, because someone is killing verified users with large followings. At first it seemed like the only connection between all the victims was their high-profile status but, as more information is released, it’s clear the motive is so much more complicated than that.
The first publicly recognized murder happened to a famous social media star named Jax Logan. He grew to fame for throwing raucous parties and performing obnoxious pranks. After gaining popularity online, Logan took his act all over the world and continued to gain followers while plowing through various countries. However, along the way, Jax made many enemies and was banned from returning to several places after his visits. Many individuals and organization were outraged by some of the lewd and offensive acts he had performed abroad which included breaking into a pyramid and destroying a mummified corpse by placing it in different positions for his skits and photos. Needless to say, Egypt was added list of countries he was not allowed to visit. This was of no consequence to a guy like Jax Logan, though. His act moved to a mansion in the hills where he threw raging parties almost every night. Several women who had been to Logan’s parties claimed to have been drugged and believed videos were made of them without consent. Unfortunately, none of the women took their claims any further as they were reminded of the NDA signed before entering the mansion.
The night of Jax’s murder I was at home, preparing another meal for my video. The kitchen smelled of sweet meat, onions, and garlic. This particular dish needed to be flipped after ten minutes so I turned off my recorder, set a timer, and scrolled through my feed as I waited. While watching a video about making a walk-in freezer, I received a notification that Jax Logan was live so I clicked to see if it was anything interesting. Initially, all I could make out was a pale glow from the recording device which had slightly illuminated a darkened surface. Slowly the camera panned to the right until I saw a pair of eyes so wide, the eyelids were hidden entirely. I gasped, almost dropping my phone, but kept a grip on the device, and continued staring at the disturbing image in front of me. The entire frame consisted of two bulging, bloodshot eyes. The pupils were unbelievably dilated making the irises appear nonexistent. As both eyeballs rapidly shifted back and forth, the camera began to zoom out, revealing that the person with the hauntingly, terrified eyes was, in fact, Jax Logan.
The video continued zooming out until it was revealed that Jax had been wrapped in bandages from head to toe, save his nose and eyes. The final shot was his entire mummified body, laid out in a dark hole. Just before the video ended, Logan made direct eye contact with the camera. It seemed like he was pleading to the viewers, begging someone to do something with one look. And then it was over. Police were called to Jax’s mansion and eventually found him in the backyard. He had been buried alive under two feet of soft earth. Unable to stop from breathing through his nose, Jax Logan inhaled debris and died choking on dirt. Coroner placed his time of death approximately thirty minutes before police arrived. Toxicology later confirmed Jax had been drugged with rohypnol which is why he couldn’t move any part of his body except for those desperate eyes. Jax Logan’s killer was never found and police claimed there were no leads. It was only a few weeks later when the next murder was committed.
A few weeks later I went to the park to eat lunch and people watch, something I frequently did. But I eventually grew bored of the slim pickings and took out my phone. A friend had sent me the latest video posted by a girl who was famous for making animated facial expressions. I’m sure there’s a better way of saying it but, that’s all she did. Her name was Tara Lash and she became an instant sensation after uploading her first video. From there, Tara began posting several videos a day amassing a following of millions in just 48 hours. Although many of these followers were true admiring fans, there were many that felt Lash was a detriment to mental illness, specifically related to eating disorders. When she wasn’t choregraphing face videos, you would often find Tara giving unhealthy dieting advice and quick weight loss tips that were clearly harmful and damaging. Many doctors have filmed response to her most toxic videos, pleading with the public to disregard her irresponsible and dangerous suggestions entirely. Although she’s never written a reply to anyone’s comment nor commented on others, Lash has made several videos singling out those who’ve voiced their disapproval, spouting profanities and always calling them “fat and sappy.”
Knowing this was one of Tara’s uploads, I looked around and made sure the volume wasn’t too loud on my headphones before pressing play. Something told me this video was NSFW which also meant NSFP. Ready to watch, I tapped the screen and squinted at the blurry recording. Eventually, the camera began to focus and I could see the face of someone in a mirror. Covered in shadow, you couldn’t actually see the person, just their reflection. My eyes widened as the camera moved until it was pointed downward at the reflection of Tara Lash and her look of abject horror. Deep, rhythmic music began to play and, as if almost on cue, Tara’s facial expressions followed the beat. But this was not her regular style of cheeky smiles and wide-eyed looks of surprise. Instead, she looked to be in sheer agony, every muted cry of pain went in time with the pounding baseline. It was grotesque and mesmerizing all at once, I couldn’t look away. That’s when the song started to build and Tara’s reflection began to rattle and her eyes closed tightly, as if on a roller coaster. Then, just as the beat dropped, Tara let out one last silent wail before coughing up blood. And just like the Jax Logan snuff video, the camera zoomed out to show the entirety of Lash’s body. Her arms and legs were filled with deep, horizontal cuts, every gash oozing dark liquid. But soon it was clear the final blow that ended her life must have been the gaping, fleshy wound at the base of her throat.
When police arrived at Tara Lash’s apartment, they found her corpse slumped over a make-up vanity, blood covering the surface and dripping down it’s pristine, white drawers. It was determined she had died approximately one hour before police arrived at the scene. Further investigation showed that the non-lethal wounds had been self-inflicted and there were high levels of LSD in her bloodstream. Although this evidence suggested death by suicide as a result of drug induced psychosis, forensics concluded that Tara Lash was not responsible for the jugular wound that caused her to die choking on her own blood. As with the first case, police were unable to identify the killer or any possible suspects. Many people speculated that it was her on-again off-again boyfriend but, he immediately posted receipts on social media proving he had not been in the area for several weeks. That’s when it started trending the killer was after bullies, many people posting videos and making guesses about which viral sensation was up next for the axe.
Exactly one week after Tara’s death, I was home making another cooking video. My uploads had been getting increasingly popular so I was trying to up my game with an old family recipe. I was making a stew that had to simmer for several hours on low heat. The meat for this dish was incredibly cheap and very tough. But this recipe could make any chewy piece a soft and tender morsel. After editing and then uploading my new video, I finally got to partake in the delicious meal, scooping up heaping bites with chunks of French bread. I began aimlessly looking through the app, hoping to find some kind of sorbet recipe to cure my sweet tooth. That’s when I came across a video made by the infamous Proud Twins.
The Proud Twins were also a very well-known presence on social media although, their following was certainly not like that of Jack Logan or Tara Lash. Their spotlight into fame was viral clip of them performing synchronized dance moves to country music in a western bar. And I have to admit, the first time I watched them dance, it was a strange and unforgettable experience. They moved as one, often incorporating break dance, swing dancing, and crunking always to the twang of a country music. Their content was certainly unique but, not at all offensive. Even more so, The Proud Twins were known as charitable and benevolent within their small-town community. Their video profile was a mixture of their many routines along with clips of them spending time with the elderly and misfortunate. They have the type of account that is popular and well liked but, doesn’t usually get high scale recognition. That’s why I was shocked when I noticed they had uploaded only minutes ago but, already received over two million likes. I paused mid bite, meat spilling off the sides of the bread while my hand hovered in the air, and stared at the screen as the video began.
At first all I could see were two pairs of entangled arms and legs. As the recording zoomed out, however, it was clear that the limbs belonged to the Proud Twins. The camera filmed them from above as they squirmed together on the floor. Their body movement was so contorted they looked like one giant, slithering pretzel. The song for this video was definitely not country, per the usual but, instead it sounded like slow heavy metal. “Probably a country music song covered by a heavy rock band,” I thought to myself as I placed the abandoned bite into the steaming bowl of stew and continued watching the clip unfold. Suddenly, the two men froze and fell onto their backs, laying side by side. Then, just as an electric riff began to play, The Proud Twins’ eyes rolled to their back of their heads and both started convulsing. Every guitar shred created a dramatic effect while watching their stiff jerking movements. When the last note played out, both men began foaming at the mouth and as the song ended so did their movements.
The official statement from police was that the brothers had been discovered in their shared home, dead on arrival. It appeared that both men had gone into convulsions and asphyxiated on their vomit in the process. Police also stated they did not yet know whether the seizures were medically or drug induced. After this information was released, support for the Proud Twins poured out like a bursting dam. Phrases like “Gone too soon” or “The world will miss your smiles” popped up everywhere and every single one had the obligatory angel, praying hands, or broken heart emojis. All that stopped, though, when the FBI released their own official statement only forty-eight hours after the local police had given theirs.
They advised that the Proud Twins had been under surveillance by the FBI on suspicion of leading a domestic terrorist group. The investigation had reason to believe the Proud Twins were directly responsible for inciting several instances of violence towards LGBTQ and POC communities. FBI stated that after receiving notification of the video, they arrived on the scene with local law enforcement and were able to gather enough evidence to confirm the Proud Twins involvement as well as many others. Because of the information acquired at the Proud Twins’ home, over two dozen individuals had been indicted on charges of domestic terrorism and more. The outcry was unbelievable because a lot of people didn’t know how to feel about the news of the Proud Twins’ guilt. But things really got chaotic when the FBI gave out a follow up statement verifying that the Proud Twins’ seizure was caused by an overdose of methamphetamine which had been injected in their necks. They also had ligature marks on their wrists that suggested they had been bound and then drugged by a third-party assailant. Because of this information, police confirmed they would continue the investigation as a homicide.
The public was terrified and many people grew paranoid. Some even going so far as to confessing their wrongdoings on video. There was no part of me that felt worried when the first two people were killed. It was so obvious the world was a better place without them. But now I know this morally specific killer is so much more than just a psychotic social media vigilante. This person, or maybe even entity, had an agenda and access to the deep, dark secrets of well-known people. I honestly wouldn’t have given the string of murders a second thought if it hadn’t been for my newly appointed blue checkmark. The incidents were making me feel a bit uneasy but, I had swallowed down that feeling so many times in the past, it became second nature.
Reminding myself that I was not guilty of anything, I opened the freezer chest in the garage to pick out a carefully butchered cut of human flesh from the large pile inside. After all, the people that I consumed were often vagrants who didn’t even know their own name. It was truly an act of service for my community. Furthermore, I had helped so many people learn to cook healthy, delicious meals on an almost destitute budget. Sure, most people didn’t know that the succulent pork dishes or savory beef tip stew were slightly adjusted in my kitchen but, it didn’t matter. I was helping people and trying to make the world a better place. These thoughts settled my anxiety but, I decided to go on hiatus and delete the app until things settled down. Deleting the app, made me feel almost completely better but, a small amount of doubt lingered in the back of my mind as I drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke and was ready to move on from the social media drama and focus on my goal for the day; meal planning. These thoughts were stopped short when I unlocked my phone to find the app was still on my home screen. With shaking hands, I held down the icon and selected the option to uninstall the app, for a second time. Once it was gone, I left the phone on my nightstand and went about my morning routine, dragging it out for as long as possible to avoid checking my phone. Finally getting the courage to pick it up, I unlocked the phone and let out a shriek when I discovered every app had been wiped except the one that should have been deleted. Even the messaging and call features had been removed and there were no bars to indicate it still had cellular service. I frantically began jabbing the screen with my fingers trying to delete, power off, reset, anything. The touch screen reacted as if a living human didn’t have their fingertips all over it. Then, like a punch to the gut, I realized that any shred of hope I had for my innocence had evaporated. All I felt was dread and panic as the app opened to a create a new video and began recording my horror-stricken face.

The door was heavily guarded, for obvious reasons.
A man named Gath, who seemed nine feet tall, stood with his arms crossed by the threshold.
Oh, so surly.
As I approached the entrance, he stood to block my path. “Private event, Padre,” he muttered gruffly.
I smiled.
The door opened behind him, and a sharply-dressed, rat-like man emerged from its depths. He held a clipboard and some sort of hand-held electronic device in his hands, both of which he ignored as he stared nervously at me. “Move, Gath,” he snapped. “Special guest of Mr. Delora.”
I could see Gath’s face blanch. I smiled wider. Then I removed my cape and tossed it carelessly into his gargantuan arms as I stepped past him and walked through the door.
The round parson’s hat I kept atop my head.
“Father Lobovine,” the man offered breathlessly, “welcome back to the Harlequin Heaven. We’re so pleased to have you again.”
“Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit,” I explained without turning my head toward him. “You have not lied to men, but to God. Acts of the Apostles, chapter five, verses three and four.” I flashed white teeth in the dim hallway. “You aren’t happy to see me. But according to the Book of Proverbs, chapter seventeen, verse twenty-two, a cheerful heart is good medicine. So I will forgive your lie, Mr. Panya, and walk in the light of Christ.”
A pathetic-looking fat man scurried toward us down the hall, his head bowed low. He glanced up at the last moment, made a double-take when he saw us, and dropped several packets of bound paper to the floor.
“Damn it, Jerry!” Panya spat as the man dove to retrieve them from the ground. “Those Field Reports are a metric fuckload harder to replace than you are!” Panya delivered a swift kick into Jerry’s ribs as he grabbed frantically at the loose pages he had dropped.
I stepped around the mess without breaking stride, and Panya jogged to catch up.
Oh, I could practically smell the room from here. I licked my lips.
“Everything-” Panya panted as he drew even with me, “everything is as you requested, Father Lobovine.” We stopped in front of door 1913.
The little rat of a man looked up at me for approval. I gave him none. Instead I waved my hand, and he stepped meekly aside.
I opened the door, and closed the world behind me.
The hotel room was immaculate, but the inescapable air of sleaze could not be ignored.
It appeared to be devoid of people.
“It is not good for the man to be alone,” I called into the room. “I will make a… helper suitable for him. Genesis, chapter two, verse eighteen.” I looked around and saw no movement.
I gnashed my white teeth.
The door to the closet was slightly ajar. I strode forward and opened it wide.
A pale, tall woman stumbled out. Bedecked in diaphanous lingerie and awkward high heels, she staggered into the room.
How feisty! She threw a punch that I partially dodged. It landed on my shoulder, hard, then slid past it. I grabbed the woman by the shoulder and forced her into the momentum of the punch, catching her ankles with my foot. She stumbled in her oversized heels and tumbled to the floor.
I pounced on top of her and pinned my hands to her wrists. Breath heaving, I lowered my head until the circular brim of my hat grazed her forehead. “Hello, Robin,” I heaved. “I’ve missed my feisty little birdy.”
She tried to knee me in the testicles, but her aim was untrue. It grazed my inner thigh lamely, and I lowered my face to hers so that she could see my smile. “Oh, so spicy,” I crooned. I squeezed my fingers around her wrists, cutting off the circulation. Her eyes rolled around in her head as she attempted to focus on me. “Your father taught you to be such a fighter, didn’t he, little girl?” I could hear my voice turning into a growl, and that caused the first noticeable change in my crotch. I dug it into her. “There’s a reason I request you, Robin. You have such flavor.”
She struggled again, but it was like trying to ignite a fire with wet matchsticks.
I knew it was time.
I lifted her gently onto the bed and crawled on top of her. She seemed unable to coordinate her movements well enough to provide anything other than a token resistance.
“Oh, I know that you can hear my thoughts, Robin.” Her eyes tried to latch onto me. She was fighting tears. “But that’s the part I like the best.” I lowered my head, and gently licked her cheek. I pulled back and admired the shimmer of drool I had left behind. My hands were no longer on her wrists, but she did not wipe her face clean. “I love being inside of you, Robin. But you’re special. You can get inside of peoples’ minds, oh yes, I know this.” I groaned triumphantly, allowing my fingers to graze nipples that were barely concealed by the lingerie. I growled. Her eyes watered. My crotch reacted more. She felt it. I could feel her feeling it.
“You’re so very special, Robin, because I can be inside your body while you’re inside my mind. Gods, that experience can’t be replicated anywhere, did you know that?” I hissed an intake of breath, my heart beating faster. “There’s no one that I can fuck deeper, little girl. Offer the parts of your body to me as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under me. Romans, book six, chapters thirteen and fourteen.” A glob of drool fell from my lower lip and splashed under her eye. She could not do anything but let it fester. I began to grind my crotch into her side.
I lowered my head to kiss her lips, then hovered my head just above her eyes. “You’re wondering why is just so hard for you to fight back? My god, my god, why have you forsaken Robin?” I rested my forehead against hers as I started to grind with more force. “Just a couple milligrams of rohypnol is all the recipe calls for,” I whispered. “You see, Robin,” I continued as she offered just a thrum of resistance, “I want to know that I’m destroying something beautiful. You’re a sharp, sassy girl. I want to see that break beneath my will. I want to know that I’ve caused your mind to degrade after I’ve delicately sliced it open like a well-aged brie. That when your eyes roll back on a permanent basis, when you sway back and forth on your feet beneath the weight of a shattered mind, that when everyone around you doubts your mental capacity, I want to know that it was I who tore you asunder.”
My voice was rasping now. The first orgasm was nearly here. I looked to her limp wrists and saw the angry bruises that I had caused beginning to blossom as purple smears.
It was only with great control that I kept myself from cumming right there and then.
I slowed my breathing and smiled at Robin. Her face was stoic, but a steady stream of tears was cascading from each eye.
I slid down her panties.
It was time.
“If you are afraid, little girl, just remember Isaiah, chapter fourteen, verse twelve!” I gasped in ecstasy. “This house shall never fall. But how you have fallen to the Harlequin Heaven!” I unzipped my pants. “O, morning star, son of the dawn!”
BD

The door was heavily guarded, for obvious reasons.
A man named Gath, who seemed nine feet tall, stood with his arms crossed by the threshold.
Oh, so surly.
As I approached the entrance, he stood to block my path. “Private event, Padre,” he muttered gruffly.
I smiled.
The door opened behind him, and a sharply-dressed, rat-like man emerged from its depths. He held a clipboard and some sort of hand-held electronic device in his hands, both of which he ignored as he stared nervously at me. “Move, Gath,” he snapped. “Special guest of Mr. Delora.”
I could see Gath’s face blanch. I smiled wider. Then I removed my cape and tossed it carelessly into his gargantuan arms as I stepped past him and walked through the door.
The round parson’s hat I kept atop my head.
“Father Lobovine,” the man offered breathlessly, “welcome back to the Harlequin Heaven. We’re so pleased to have you again.”
“Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit,” I explained without turning my head toward him. “You have not lied to men, but to God. Acts of the Apostles, chapter five, verses three and four.” I flashed white teeth in the dim hallway. “You aren’t happy to see me. But according to the Book of Proverbs, chapter seventeen, verse twenty-two, a cheerful heart is good medicine. So I will forgive your lie, Mr. Panya, and walk in the light of Christ.”
A pathetic-looking fat man scurried toward us down the hall, his head bowed low. He glanced up at the last moment, made a double-take when he saw us, and dropped several packets of bound paper to the floor.
“Damn it, Jerry!” Panya spat as the man dove to retrieve them from the ground. “Those Field Reports are a metric fuckload harder to replace than you are!” Panya delivered a swift kick into Jerry’s ribs as he grabbed frantically at the loose pages he had dropped.
I stepped around the mess without breaking stride, and Panya jogged to catch up.
Oh, I could practically smell the room from here. I licked my lips.
“Everything-” Panya panted as he drew even with me, “everything is as you requested, Father Lobovine.” We stopped in front of door 1913.
The little rat of a man looked up at me for approval. I gave him none. Instead I waved my hand, and he stepped meekly aside.
I opened the door, and closed the world behind me.
The hotel room was immaculate, but the inescapable air of sleaze could not be ignored.
It appeared to be devoid of people.
“It is not good for the man to be alone,” I called into the room. “I will make a… helper suitable for him. Genesis, chapter two, verse eighteen.” I looked around and saw no movement.
I gnashed my white teeth.
The door to the closet was slightly ajar. I strode forward and opened it wide.
A pale, tall woman stumbled out. Bedecked in diaphanous lingerie and awkward high heels, she staggered into the room.
How feisty! She threw a punch that I partially dodged. It landed on my shoulder, hard, then slid past it. I grabbed the woman by the shoulder and forced her into the momentum of the punch, catching her ankles with my foot. She stumbled in her oversized heels and tumbled to the floor.
I pounced on top of her and pinned my hands to her wrists. Breath heaving, I lowered my head until the circular brim of my hat grazed her forehead. “Hello, Robin,” I heaved. “I’ve missed my feisty little birdy.”
She tried to knee me in the testicles, but her aim was untrue. It grazed my inner thigh lamely, and I lowered my face to hers so that she could see my smile. “Oh, so spicy,” I crooned. I squeezed my fingers around her wrists, cutting off the circulation. Her eyes rolled around in her head as she attempted to focus on me. “Your father taught you to be such a fighter, didn’t he, little girl?” I could hear my voice turning into a growl, and that caused the first noticeable change in my crotch. I dug it into her. “There’s a reason I request you, Robin. You have such flavor.”
She struggled again, but it was like trying to ignite a fire with wet matchsticks.
I knew it was time.
I lifted her gently onto the bed and crawled on top of her. She seemed unable to coordinate her movements well enough to provide anything other than a token resistance.
“Oh, I know that you can hear my thoughts, Robin.” Her eyes tried to latch onto me. She was fighting tears. “But that’s the part I like the best.” I lowered my head, and gently licked her cheek. I pulled back and admired the shimmer of drool I had left behind. My hands were no longer on her wrists, but she did not wipe her face clean. “I love being inside of you, Robin. But you’re special. You can get inside of peoples’ minds, oh yes, I know this.” I groaned triumphantly, allowing my fingers to graze nipples that were barely concealed by the lingerie. I growled. Her eyes watered. My crotch reacted more. She felt it. I could feel her feeling it.
“You’re so very special, Robin, because I can be inside your body while you’re inside my mind. Gods, that experience can’t be replicated anywhere, did you know that?” I hissed an intake of breath, my heart beating faster. “There’s no one that I can fuck deeper, little girl. Offer the parts of your body to me as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under me. Romans, book six, chapters thirteen and fourteen.” A glob of drool fell from my lower lip and splashed under her eye. She could not do anything but let it fester. I began to grind my crotch into her side.
I lowered my head to kiss her lips, then hovered my head just above her eyes. “You’re wondering why is just so hard for you to fight back? My god, my god, why have you forsaken Robin?” I rested my forehead against hers as I started to grind with more force. “Just a couple milligrams of rohypnol is all the recipe calls for,” I whispered. “You see, Robin,” I continued as she offered just a thrum of resistance, “I want to know that I’m destroying something beautiful. You’re a sharp, sassy girl. I want to see that break beneath my will. I want to know that I’ve caused your mind to degrade after I’ve delicately sliced it open like a well-aged brie. That when your eyes roll back on a permanent basis, when you sway back and forth on your feet beneath the weight of a shattered mind, that when everyone around you doubts your mental capacity, I want to know that it was I who tore you asunder.”
My voice was rasping now. The first orgasm was nearly here. I looked to her limp wrists and saw the angry bruises that I had caused beginning to blossom as purple smears.
It was only with great control that I kept myself from cumming right there and then.
I slowed my breathing and smiled at Robin. Her face was stoic, but a steady stream of tears was cascading from each eye.
I slid down her panties.
It was time.
“If you are afraid, little girl, just remember Isaiah, chapter fourteen, verse twelve!” I gasped in ecstasy. “This house shall never fall. But how you have fallen to the Harlequin Heaven!” I unzipped my pants. “O, morning star, son of the dawn!”
BD

[TL;DR plot stuff at the bottom; some bad words.]
"So... I get that it's called Just Desserts... but is it... just... desserts..?" Aciano said, flipping the menu over. The café patio was bright and cheerful, abuzz with the coffee-and-mimosa-fueled conversations of weekend brunch-goers. Krishna sat across from him in reflective, triangular glasses that covered half her face. He supposed it was fashion.
"All you ever eat is dessert," she pointed out, sipping her macchiato. Her glasses gave him a taste of her view: his own (tamer) style choices - vibrant t-shirt, fresh haircut - the café's groomed little trees, and the bike path, the quiet street and ocean beyond, already dotted with sailboats. "Great cut, by the way. I told Shuta you should try some colour."
"He mentioned that. I'll do it if you shave your head."
Krishna lowered her menu.
"You tryna be cute?" she said, and he could see the dangerous arch of her eyebrows even over her glasses. He smirked, and Krishna switched from her espresso to her caesar. "You've changed, Mister Mercier. So slick now that you've let a lady beat the shit out of you."
"Shuddup," Aciano grumbled, rolling his eyes. Their waiter arrived - crêpes, fruit, cinnamon bread. He took their menus, and Krishna smirked at him over her drink.
"You gonna see her again?"
"Sun-Ah?" Aciano said, and when Krishna's frown suggested he should stop playing dumb, he shrugged as casually as humanly possible. "Yeah. Already scheduled."
She nearly dropped her drink.
"What! Aciano - are you serious?" Krishna said, her mouth falling open in a mix of shock and delight. "When?! Did you call her?! Tell me everything!!"
Aciano flushed, no longer able to maintain his cool. He looked out at the water.
"I texted her. It's not a big deal."
"Not a big--oh, motherfucker," Krishna said, sitting up straight. "Shit, A, I forgot to tell you, but--"
"Blaise," Aciano gasped, watching the reflection in Krishna's glasses. A tall, well-dressed man had just exited a car parked along the street, and was headed straight for them. He walked with the casual confidence of an athlete and an heir, with just enough swagger that he could have passed undetected in less sophisticated crowds merely by changing his clothes. Aciano's chest tightened. "Should we... go..?"
"Too late," Krishna said through a false smile, and when Blaise le Roi walked right up to their table, she said with painfully false cheer, "Blaaiise!"
He ignored her completely, and her smile turned into a sneer.
"Aciano Mercier," Blaise said, removing his own sunglasses to reveal his signature cerulean eyes. They were like sapphires in his perfect, ebony face, images of which were plastered all over Alporte's metro stations, buses, digital billboards and beyond. His smile was almost as fake as Krishna's. "Been a while."
"It has," Aciano said, and resisted adding that forever wouldn't have been long enough. Krishna was fuming, while the diners at nearby tables were murmuring Blaise's name. Some were already taking pictures. Blaise deigned to give them a little wave before focusing on Aciano again.
"I stopped by your office last week, but I must have missed you. I thought we might take a drive?" he said, and motioned back, where a woman with a visible handgun was leaned against the car they'd pulled up in, smoking boredly. Zelda Hart, Blaise's longtime right hand - her own right hand an illegally-modified version of YRI's best prosthesis. She was impossibly pale given the longtime existence of the sun.
"Strange," Aciano said. "I think I'd have heard if you'd come by, considering you're still on our security watchlist."
"Ha. Speaking of security, I don't see Ever lurking about - are you old enough now to step out without him?" Blaise said, making a show of scanning the crowd. He winked to a few nearby admirers, who took to whispering excitedly, then he fixated on Aciano and said quietly, "Does he still come running when you cry?"
Aciano grimaced and Krishna was silent - either too intrigued to interrupt, or too distracted by fantasies of scratching Blaise's eyes out.
"If you want a meeting, you can call the office on Monday," Aciano said. "But there's no way in hell I'm getting in your car."
"Scared?" Blaise said, laying his hand on the back of Aciano's chair. "Maybe a drink would--"
"I said I'm not getting in your fucking car!" Aciano repeated, drawing stares. His throat was tight. Blaise smirked and opened his mouth, but Krishna spoke first.
"Get lost, Blaise, I can't taste anything over shitty cologne."
"Shut up, slut," Blaise said, rolling his eyes. Krishna palmed the table and stood up; there were gasps from the patio. "Control your bitch, Mercier."
Krishna grabbed up her butter knife like a shiv, and Aciano jolted into action, placing his palm on Blaise's chest and stepping between Krishna and her would-be victim.
"Krish - hold on - Blaise, can we--?"
"You little fuck - did you just push me?" Blaise said, and Aciano turned.
"What? No, I--"
His respectable Streetbrawler score couldn't have prepared him for the back of Blaise's hand, which staggered him sideways and nearly dropped him. His cochlear transmitter went skittering across the patio tiles, and the café came alive with people standing to take photos. Drooling blood, the whole side of his face stinging, Aciano collected himself just in time to watch Krishna lower her knife - probably because Zelda had moved like a gun-toting ghost to the sidewalk.
"Get the fuck out of here or I'm calling the cops!" Krishna screamed. Blaise lifted his palms, still - infuriatingly - smirking.
"Hey, I just wanted to have a conversation," he said. Aciano picked up his transmitter, fitted it back behind his ear. Blaise pointed at him. "Another time, dajanjo. We have some catching up to do."
He gave a wave and a stupid, sheepish shrug to their audience on the patio, then put on his sunglasses, slipped his hands oh-so-casually into his pockets, and walked back to his car. The restaurant erupted in chatter; Krishna returned her knife to the table and came to Aciano's side.
"Jesus, your face - are you okay?" she said, and Aciano caught his reflection in her glasses - red cheek, bloody nose and mouth. Probable shiner. He turned away, pawing at the blood, just in time to be accosted by the manager.
"I'm very sorry, Mister Mercier, but I'm afraid I must ask you to leave."
"Are you kidding me?!" Krishna shouted. "Did you even watch that or are you--?"
Aciano held up a hand.
"Let's just go."
"Aciano--"
"I can't eat now anyway," he said, and although Krishna looked about ready to murder someone, she didn't argue. Blaise's car roared away along the street behind them, needlessly loud, and Aciano tossed some cash on the table. They left without another word, and they were a block away before either of them spoke. "Sorry."
"Why the hell are you sorry?" Krishna ranted, balling her fists like a comic book villain. "Uuggghhh Aciano! This is not your fault! Blaise is a fuckface with a--!"
"He is a fuckface, but he's after me - not you - and I don't want you to get dragged into this again," Aciano said. "All he wants is for me to release that Second Sequence patent. I'll call Eric later; he can handle Blaise."
"Fucking with my boss and my best friend has everything to do with me," Krishna said as they walked. "Augh!! What the hell is he doing here anyway? Doesn't he have a job?"
"The Argonauts are out for the season, actually."
"How do you know that?"
"Dad," Aciano said, and when Krishna suddenly halted, he stopped too. She pulled off her glasses, looking fretful. "What's wrong?"
"You. You look like shit," she said, as gently as possible.
"...considering last time he broke my jaw, I feel like I got off relatively easy," Aciano said. Krishna grabbed his arm.
"Come upstairs? I can make brunch, and I have frozen peas for your face," she said, and it was only then that Aciano realised they'd arrived at her building.
"...I'm afraid to ask what kind of stale cereal you're going to feed me..."
"I have weed and ice cream?" Krishna offered instead, and Aciano nodded. They turned into her building, Aciano dragging his feet and Krishna tapping away at her phone.
"Texting Eric..?"
"No, I'm obliterating Just Desserts. You're already a hashtag. Not a clever one. It'll die quick," Krishna said. Once she'd finished leaving whatever scathing messages would incite the rage of her followers, she stowed her phone and summoned the elevator. "You're still bleeding, by the way."
"Yep."
"Tilt your head back? Isn't that supposed to help..?" she said. Aciano humoured her, but he was still faint and covered in blood by the time they stepped into Krishna's serial-killer-tidy apartment. He laughed despite himself, and he was immediately handed a black cloth for his face. "Shuddup - you always laugh. Go clean yourself up."
He peeled off his shoes, made for the showroom-ready washroom, and tried not to make a mess (failed). At least the bleeding stopped. When he emerged, Krishna handed him a clean shirt, a bag of ice and a pipe. She steered him into the kitchen, sat him at the counter and poured him a glass of wine.
"Okay... croque-madames?"
"You serious?" Aciano said, but she was already putting on her apron. He fought a laugh. "Do you want help?"
"I can make a damn sandwich with an egg on it," Krishna said. She set about collecting her ingredients while Aciano smoked. Just as he was starting to relax, Krishna said, "Can I ask... how Blaise heard about Second Sequence..? He knew about it before we were dating, obviously..?"
"His dad owns Croissances Humaines."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"We were at Al-U together," Aciano said. "Well. Not together, but at the same time. He was in some frat that I... visited. I did some work for a few of them."
"You mean homework?"
"...I'm not proud of it."
"Don't tell me you were trying to get into a frat?"
"I was trying to have friends," Aciano said, and admitted, "Trying to be cool. I was sixteen; I'd just got my implant. The idea that people could talk to me was second only to the idea that they would, and the fact that I was a sixteen-year-old TA didn't really endear me to anyone. You certainly wouldn't have been friends with me if we'd met in real life."
"I might have for an A+," Krishna said, cracking the eggs, and succeeded in making him laugh.
"Anyway," Aciano said, "I was working on Reboot and Second Sequence at the time - Reboot for a trans friend - for Red - and Second to help people with mobility issues. Both Sequences rely on similar mechanics, so it was useful to design them both in tandem. They weren't secrets, and... honestly the fact that Blaise was interested was really encouraging, at first. I'd toured Croissances in Toulouse - super cool - and YRI was nothing but an extra bank account for my parents at the time. I thought Croissances might buy the designs. But then Blaise started talking about how to weaponize the augments."
"How do you weaponize genderswapping?"
"Multiple identities," Aciano said, and shrugged. He removed the ice from his face, gingerly felt that the swelling had gone down. "Not an unmanageable or terribly dangerous concern. But Second Sequence had more possibilities. I'd designed it to help paralysed individuals gain control of their limbs, but... modifications could have meant control of a lot more: electronics, signals, other people's minds and bodies, especially people with augments. With a bit more development, rudimentary mind-reading."
"Mind-reading? Are you kidding?" Krishna repeated, glancing sideways at him as she grilled the bread and cheese.
"Only in close proximity," Aciano reasoned.
"That's not really a comfort."
"That's why I patented them, and... why Remus has been helping to mire them in legal issues. Patents don't last long, but they can be extended if testing and other approvals are delayed. ...possibly indefinitely."
Krishna turned to look at him, halfway through plating everything, forgotten spatula still in hand.
"You're doing that? ...I'm assuming Red doesn't know?"
"Fuck no," Aciano said, and let out a nervous laugh. Krishna brought the plates to the counter and sat down at the adjacent edge. "I'd happily fight Blaise in a cage match before letting that slip."
"Ugh," Krishna said. "I'm really sorry I forgot to tell you he was back. I saw him at the carnival - avoided him, thankfully - but... other things... happened... and I forgot about it."
"It's fine, K. Seriously. If I'd known, I would have just worried about it," he said, and after swallowing, "Wow... this is delicious."
"Is it, or is that the weed talking?" Krishna said. "Did you smoke that whole bowl?!"
"...might be that," Aciano said, fighting a smile. "Doesn't really change the fact."
Krishna rolled her eyes and double-tapped the countertop, which lit up to display her home controls as well as myriad feeds, messages and alerts. With a series of taps she adjusted the blinds to let in a little more light, turned on some soft music and dismissed the recently-viewed croque-madame recipes. While they ate, she sorted her mail, showed him the pathetically desperate apology from Just Desserts, and flicked away the photos of what people were calling a 'fight'. Eric had already messaged her about it. It wasn't until the display was almost clear that she spoke.
"...what'd he do to you?" she said, her eyes still on the counter. Aciano looked up.
"Hm?"
"Blaise. In school."
"That was a separate thing entirely."
"As separate as proposing to me to gain access to YRI?" Krishna said, skeptical. "Or trying to turn me against you? Or--?"
"Yeah," Aciano said. "It was before he even knew about the patent."
"...aaanndd..?" she said. She'd asked before, but must have figured that this was better timing. "He's clearly still interested in fucking with you, and if he's got something on you, we should tell Eric - maybe even Iliza or Lily - or we'll end up in another whole mess just like--"
"It's nothing like CR-X-55," Aciano said. "And Eric already knows."
"Eric knows?" Krishna said, clearly insulted. Aciano sighed.
"Eric was there," he said. He feigned distraction when another Flitter alert appeared on the countertop, but Krishna flicked it away. He shrugged. "There's not a lot to tell, since I don't really remember. We were both at a frat party; I saw someone put something in a girl's drink. Told her, and she ditched the party. I guess whoever had tried to drug her blamed her exit on me, because a bit later, I started... feeling weird. I pinged the campus security app to get an escort back to my dorm."
"Oh shit. They drugged you?"
"Rohypnol, confirmed later. I went to wait outside, and started feeling really fucked up. Just... really weak, couldn't focus, couldn't use my phone. Couldn't remember who I was waiting for. Three guys showed up - the dick who'd apparently been after this girl, some other guy, and Blaise. I don't remember... if they convinced me to go with them, or... what... but I went back upstairs with them... ...obviously I don't remember what I was thinking - probably not much."
Krishna didn't talk, but she didn't move either, and when he glanced at her, it was to find another worried expression. He shook his head.
"Nothing... bad happened," he said, and looked away again. "They dressed me up in some wig and lipstick - there were photos all over the next week - and... that's it..?"
"That's it?"
Krishna was looking increasingly horrified. Aciano fidgeted, shrugged again.
"I don't remember. I know Eric showed up - he was Al-U security at the time - shut the party down. Made me really popular. I only kinda remember being in his car, and I remember the hospital, because they kept me for a while to take samples and stuff. Took forever just to convince them I wasn't just shitfaced and didn't need my stomach pumped. Then Eric took me home. I think it was about a month later that he quit campus and my parents hired him."
"You were roofied and you're shrugging it off?"
"Can't say who drugged me; can't say anything happened after," Aciano said. "Hospital got nothing, and I wasn't really... roughed up or anything. I hardly remember, and Blaise is the only person I recognized. Obviously, he can't say anything without implicating himself, so..?"
"Aciano doesn't that freak you out?!" Krishna said, and he let out a painful laugh.
"Of course it does - why do you think I hadn't told you? I don't want to think about it. It was ten years ago and it lives in a part of my brain with other shit that doesn't matter. It's... like... okay: when I was a little kid, I wandered out into the desert by myself. It was dark and I was sleeping by the time my mom found me. I have this scar on my arm from who-knows-what, and I can't remember the event at all - I only know because she told me. Does it matter? Does it matter why I left and how I got hurt? Does it matter what might have happened?"
"Maybe it does?!" Krishna said, and Aciano shrugged again.
"I have enough to worry about in the present. Like where is that ice cream you promised, and do you have sprinkles, and what flavour is it?"
"Does that matter?"
"As my personal assistant and best friend, having my favourite ice cream on hand should be a top concern."
"It's chocolate," Krishna said, standing up. She collected their plates and hid them in the dishwasher. "Your favourite is disgusting."
"Fight me, Tiger is delicious," Aciano said, and Krishna snorted. She pulled a pint of ice cream from the freezer, handed him the whole tub and a spoon.
"I don't think you need a second black eye."
"Shuddup."
"Sun-Ah's gonna think you've been seeing someone else."
"Shudduuuup..."
[TL;DR: catching up on some backstory I never got to finish with GhostofCircleKnight, and usefully introducing villains who will likely have to wait until a possible "next season" 0:D

1. Conceived around the same time as the Reboot Sequence, "Second Sequence" was a (series of) augment(s) that was intended to combat paralysis and other mobility issues, but that might have been used for more nefarious purposes (control of nearby machines/electronics, control of others' augments, etc - maybe even mind-reading with some modifications).
2. While it's well-known that Reboot Sequence was never approved for testing/sales, it's not well-known that Aciano (and Remus Friday, at City Hall) has a hand in this, himself; as both Reboot and Second rely on similar mechanisms, stalling approval of that mechanism will keep Second Sequence off the market and out of (eeevil) developers' hands - but this also means that Reboot will be stalled indefinitely, too.
3. Croissances Humaines is a French augment development company located in Toulouse and owned by the (so far nameless) father of beloved Alporte soccer star, Blaise le Roi, who has the douchiest of names. Blaise knows about both Sequences and wants them release (from patent) so his dad's company can develop them (probably into something more devious than originally intended).]

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Date: 2013-03-10
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Questions	Answers
Can we please PLEASE have one of the characters fall over and faceplant into the ground so we can have a joke about the failing balance? :D.	DONE.
We NEED to know: How long is Chapters Director´s Cut likely to be? Now that you get to develop the game in its entirety? :)	Longer than the non-Director's Cut!
	We don't quite know yet, since we're still in the process of mapping out the entire game, but we are definitely going to be making a longer, richer and deeper game now that we've passed the $1,5 million mark on Kickstarter.
Our questions:Why Kian has different hairstyle right now?It's because he is a prisoner?And will we learn more of his past? And will his change due to April be explained? Love you guys! PS:Tell Dag he's cute.	Kian shaved his head in prison! And I'm telling Dag he is cute RIGHT NOW!
Have you seen the cannonstroking gif? Link to i.minus.com (I didn't make it by the way)	IT IS EPIC.
1.) Now that Joel has taken over the moniker of creative director on TSW, are you still involved with the game at all?	I am still consulting, and Joel asks me a question now and then, but for the most part I'm working 187% on Dreamfall Chapters.
In The Longest Journey April built up a pretty sizable inventory, but in Dreamfall Zoe only had a couple items most of the time. Will Dreamfall Chapters have more inventory items?	We will keep it mostly realistic, but we will probably have more inventory items in Chapters than we did in Dreamfall.
Now that we reached The Director's Cut stretch goal, could you give us another example of something/someone we brought back because of this? ;)	Yes! We sent out an update yesterday with a little teaser, but one location that had ended up on the cutting room floor was The House of Dreams in Europolis, together with the proprietor, Madame Nyx.
	You can read more about it here: Link to www.kickstarter.com
There are lots of similarities between Dreamfall and Otherland series by Tad Williams. Did you have any influence from it?	Not consciously! But I have read the series, and I love it. I'm sure there might have been some inspiration from that.
So far we've been finding ancient remains of lost cultures in Arcadia and always dealt with modern stuff in Stark. Is there simply nothing like that in Stark, or can we find something like a lost city in there too?	Good question! Stark is our world in the future, and there are of course remnants of the past scattered about. Also, there would be remnants of the world BEFORE it was split into Stark and Arcadia -- a thing that would be interesting to explore in the future.
Will you ever show us the Myrshnyk? :)	We will see SOMETHING of the Myrshnyk in Chapters, I promise!
What is your most favorite puzzle in TLJ/DF?	Rubber ducky!
Hahaha, additional content from voiceacting recording was gold in TLD. If you have a chance to cram something like that in this time too, please do.	We definitely will.
what about "amateur" localization to some additional language for free. Some fans, will do after releasing, anyway. Is some possibility you colaborate with them and release more additional language at release dat a game?	As for supporting amateur localisations, we will look into it, definitely.
t-shirt, i suppose they will be available even after end of kickstarter?	T-shirts will be available via PayPal!
How are you finding the kickstarter experience?	It's been amazing! Tiring, heartwarming, stressful, mind-blowing -- the whole spectrum of emotions. We've never experienced anything quite like it, and we've learned a TON.
	Part of me wants to jump into a new Kickstarter immediately, just to relive the past month, but part of me also wants to go to sleep for a very, very, very, VERY long time.
	There have been a lot of 20-hour days, and I don't think I've slept more than six hours at any point during the campaign.
	But yeah. AMAZING.
For us not that don't know too much about it, what exactly does the 'kickstarter experience' include?	Long, long, long days. Very little sleep. Staying up to date with all the comments and mails and up to speed with information and updates. Oh, the constant updates. Trying to produce as much material as possible to feed the ravenous audience of pledgers and potential pledgers. Keeping the game production going while also making behind-the-scenes videos, rewards, coming up with bonuses and benefits, holding daily brainstorming meetings. Contacting the press and trying to get them to write about every little thing we do. Working out deals with sites to get exclusives on things like new trailers and stretch goal reveals. Constant tweeting and Facebooking. Feeling like every moment NOT spend on the Kickstarter will result in fewer backers, less pledges, and a lower budget.
	And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
	But I would do it again in a SECOND.
What were your highest expectations for the campaign? Did the Kickstarter surpass them?	Definitely surpassed.
	Our most optimistic estimate for the first twenty-hours was $200,000. We made $400,000.
	And we never, ever thought we'd reach $1,5 million. And we're still going!
	So we are bowled over.
Any chance of TLJ saga recreation as a novel/series/graphic novel? In it's entirety and at a later time, I mean.	We are doing an interactive graphic novel before the release of Dreamfall Chapters, which will recap the stories of both TLJ and Dreamfall.
How about a novelization of the whole series somewhere down the road? Something self-contained, to bring this beautiful world and story to a broader, non-gaming audience?	That would be great. It won't be for a while, but maybe at some point in the future.
Can it be published in a non-interactive page-flipping medium?	What is this page-flipping of which you speak? Not sure my iPad supports it.
	And NON-INTERACTIVE? Are you mad, sima'am?
I, too, would very much like a set of books telling the entire story once the series is complete. ( I'm sure my Myst books would enjoy the company on my shelves. _^ ). A set of printed graphic novels would be very nice too actually, perhaps even preferred, so I can see the wonderful art and the worlds created in the games any time. :) I am a long time adventure game fan, and the idea of losing the stories told in these games to the ravages of aging hardware / OS / software-changes, is unpleasant. I appreciate sites like gog.com that are able to keep some older titles alive and working on newer systems / OS'es, but I worry about all the titles that aren't (or can't be) picked up, and how long they'll be able to keep going. Game preservation is an issue I wish more people would talk about and address (and how it will be sorely hampered by copyright issues). I don't see much need to preserve your average shooter with no real story, especially as those get re-created all the time, but any game with more than a mere premise of a storyline ("why are we shooting these guys?" "because terrorists" "oh, ok. let's go boys!" ) deserves a chance to remain available to future generations. Do you have any thoughts on this issue? And putting your interactive graphic novel aside, would you seriously consider trying to get the Longest Journey stories put into print?	Yeah, I would like to do that at some point. Games do have an expiration date, and it would be nice to tell the story in another medium. One that lasts forever. Or at least until the great book-burnings begin.
Roughly how many pages will The Tome of Balance and Art of Dreamfall books be?	The Tome of the Balance might extend to several hundred pages, due to the MASSIVE amount of lore and material we have to draw from.
	The Art of Dreamfall Chapters will probably be around a hundred pages long.
Will Damien Cavanaugh comeback? I have seen from other Kickstarter projects that they added Paypal and other options to help continue the funding of the project on their site after the initial goal was reached. Will you be doing the same for those who couldn't help fund now or couldn't help fund more at the time (e.g. me) but are able to down the road?	Damien will be mentioned, but he might not make an actual return.
Will the WatiCorp twins return???	They will definitely be mentioned!
Will you update/retcon the tech of Stark to be more in line with today's tech (for example will Zoe have a smartphone instead of a flip-phone etc.)?	We will stay true to the tech of the previous games, but of course there will be updates across the board in terms of styles and aesthetics.
Do you plan on revealing the identity of the third playable character before the game's launch?	Probably not -- we want to keep some things a mystery until players can actually sit down to play the game.
Is Miracle your next project after The Longest Journey Home?	NO COMMENT!
Will we get detailed development updates after the campaign is over?	Yes. On a regular basis. You'll get sick & tired of us!
Highly doubtful, after waiting for so many years. Some of us have been actively and regularly keeping an eye out for news all this time... Feel free to spam every hour if you wish.	Every hour? DONE.
Do you think it will be harder to release the game with all these people waiting for you to release it?	Yeah, it will be. We will be second-guessing ourselves much more than usual, simply because we feel we owe our fans and supporters so much after what they've done for us. We feel we have a responsibility.
	But it will also be a bit easier in knowing that there are SO many people who are rooting for us to succeed and want to help us accomplish that.
Hello!! I just wanted to say that this series is very dear to me and your dev team is fantastic so thank you for bringing such a wonderful narrative to the medium of video games - especially at a time where many games are passing over narrative in favor of other game mechanics. Will we be seeing anything more of Cortez in Dreamfall Chapters, or The Longest Journey Home?	In one of those games, you will DEFINITELY see more of Cortez.
With an independent studio and funding from individuals who WANT you to make a classic adventure game (Kickstarter backers and, well, yourselves), you certainly don't have any excuse to not try to make the pure, uncompromising sequel to The Longest Journey that you wanted (and let me be the first to say that you guys and gals really really REALLY don't need to include a combat system in this new game. Don't worry about it. It's totally fine.). But do you think the technology has come far enough to realize the kind of game adventure game fans want? Will your team have the resources to make a 3D adventure game that's as detailed and dense as the adventure games of old? Or do the realities of polygonal game development make the creation of expansive and intricate environments more difficult to create (especially for a small team)?	You're right in that a 3D game won't ever feel the same as a 2D game, which is why we want to make The Longest Journey Home next -- a 2D point-and-click adventure with painted backgrounds, concluding April Ryan's journey.
Will there be a strokeable cannon in the game, maybe as a easter egg? I love easter eggs! Cannonstroking, too!	YES. #cannonstroking.
What happened to the fan art competition?	We went through all the submissions in the live TwitchTV stream, and we will announce our nominations tomorrow! Winners later this week.
After chapters is done, do you plan on continuing the series as a game, or branch into other medias? (coughbookscough)	Speaking for myself, I would love to continue the series in another format, and I hope to be able to do that. Be it graphic novels, short stories, novels -- and more.
Will you brew your own BINGO! Beer in the office during development?	Definitely!
What kind of dance should crow do in celebration? Hehe. P.S I'm so excited for you guys, it was awesome to be a pledger in the kickstarter project.	The Harlem Shake!
Women and video games has been a big topic lately because of Anita Serkesian's Tropes vs. Women video series, Tomb Raider and other things.	I want us to get to a place where we don't have to have a discussion about it anymore. I want to work without women without having to think and talk about the fact that I'm working with women. I want to write female characters without that having to be a story or an issue or something that people pay much attention to.
Where would you like to see the role of women as part of the industry and female characters in video games go in the next few years? What areas would you like to see expansion on?	I want people to care about our stories and characters, about what people do and what they're great at, rather than whether they're men or women.
Hi guys so, are you intending this game to be the final Dreamfall game? Do you as a company plan on releasing more games in the same universe or do you want to move on to something new when Dreamfall is all wrapped up?	This will be the final Dreamfall game -- the second and final game in the Dreamer Cycle -- which wraps up Zoë's story, but we are hoping to make another game called The Longest Journey Home, which will conclude April Ryan's story.
Ragnar, can you tell me about Rupert at the market square in Marcuria? He has an eye icon on him in the Norwegian version, but nothing happens when he's clicked. In the English version he doesn't have any icon. Please, I must know about Rupert!! Any chance of him being in Dreamfall Chapters?	Rupert is an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a puzzle wrapped in some sort of wheat dough thingy.
	We might just build the entire game around Rupert. I'd totally forgotten about him. Now I'm obsessed with figuring this guy out!
of all: thank you for wonderful Kickstarter campaign! It was the best campaign I seen. Almost everyday I woke up and I got e-mail about kickstarter update and I read and watched it still in bed. And that was always great news, simply because you make continuation of the best games ever for me. And when I read about TLJH I saw like crying, from happiness. TLJ means lot to me, more than just a game. 1). Are there gonna be more little tasty pieces immersing player more into the world? In TLJ there were many ("original Bingo! cola", "if you ate ... delicious Bingo! pizza ... go to hospital"), and not many in DF. 2) Will you ever release TLJ Book, the one you talked about few years ago, in which you have ALL the secrets?	YES. We are already working on a ton of signs and 'embedded stories' for Europolis and Marcuria, stuff you can discover and examine and learn more about the lore and history of our universe. Bingo! will be back, with even more flavours!
3) Will you write another book?	I would love to write a TLJ book some day. For now, we're doing the interactive graphic novel, which will return to the story of TLJ.
1, It seems as if most video games these days are either targeted at small children, are 'casual games,' or are violent, gun-filled male adolescent fantasies. Do you think we can bring the adventure genre back into mainstream gaming? What would it take to do so? Many video games have attempted to make the player's decisions have actual consequences. IMO, this hasn't yet been done well, with most ending up with very shallow good choice/evil choice options. It seems to me as if the adventure genre, where the primary goal isn't just shooting everything, offers a great opportunity to explore these ideas. Do you plan on, or might you in future, include this type of gameplay in your games?	I do think we can bring the adventure back to mainstream -- and to do that we need great stories with great characters. The Walking Dead did that last year. Hopefully Chapters will do that next year.
In a similar vein, I read in an interview that, while not a sandbox game, you are hoping to create larger more explorable environments. The one complaint I often have with adventure games is that they tend to be very linear and lack replay value. How do you balance player initiative and exploration with creating a coherent and compelling story?	In the future, we will explore gameplay like that, where player decisions have actual consequences.
	And yes, our goal with Dreamfall Chapters is to provide spaces which aren't so linear. A playground for the story, lore and characters.
Your name reminds me of some kind of Norse God or hero of old. How would you harness the powers of Valhalla and what kind of quest would you embark on and what or who would you vanquish?	I would harness the powers of Valhalla through consuming almost, but not quite, two glasses of red wine, embarking on a quest to defeat the current lack of journalistic integrity, and I would vanquish, oh, I dunno, Mecha-Ninja Nazi Satan or something like that. Something suitably epic.
	Or maybe I'd just vanquish Brett Ratner. I really don't like Brett Ratner. I went to school with Brett Ratner, so I sort of know what I'm talking about. Brett Ratner! Grrr.
I've read in several places that people would love to see a Kickstarter for TLJH when the time comes. I know I would certainly pledge for that project, and when you finish Chapters and show people that you are delivering on your promises, more people will pledge as well. Will you do this?	We'll think about it. I think it's a good idea, but we want to make sure we focus on Chapters first, so that we can deliver a fantastic game to our pledgers.
	But yeah, The Longest Journey Home is a great candidate for a future Kickstarter.
I played the two previous games in the last two weeks and I was just amazed. These are the second games to make me cry - TLJ when Cortez died I think and Dreamfall when Faith disappeared. The other game was Planescape: Torment's finale, when your companions refuse to betray you. My question is this - I know that the series is not one for fights, but will we get a chance to see some actual magic being used? The system you thought up in TLJ of people who make magic, and others who use it was really interesting. Will there be unorthodox fights, like the joke duel in Monkey Island?	There might be some cool use of magic in Dreamfall Chapters, but we haven't nailed down all the features yet. Some interesting puzzles akin to the joke duel would be great -- we'll see what the guys come up with!
Here's a question: How will the Director's cut commentary track be implemented, will everyone have access to it? and will it be available from the start or unlocked after you finish the game once?	Everyone will have access to it. We're still discussing the latter point. I'm leaning towards the former, but we'll see.
Thanks for the answer, I think the latter would be better, it makes no sense for me to listen to the commentary before experiencing the game once first, just my thoughts on the matter.	Noted!
Is it possible to buy the Wonkers USB stick alone without having to pledge for the more expensive tiers? I'm a poor student and can't afford more than the basic tier right now.	Not at this point, unfortunately.
There are a bunch of classic adventure games coming up: Broken Sword, Space quest sequel, Tim Schafer's game, game from Gabriel Knight creators, etc. And the audience of this games (and TLJ) is mostly the same. Have you consider to make kind of cross-reference (e.g. in eastern eggs) between the games? This could be real fun.	We have done that to a certain extent -- for example with Constable Guybrush in The Longest Journey. I like in-jokes and Easter eggs, as long as they don't break immersion or interfere with the story or setting.
April tended to have funny anecdotes and commentary about almost anything the player could touch, while as in Dreamfall, Zoë's observations were much more factual in nature. Do you recognize the difference in this little detail that added a lot of depth to The Longest Journey, that was a bit more lacking in Dreamfall?	Completely agree, and we want to do that. We have spoken about one feature in particular that will provide more commentary and insight into the characters' minds. And we want to provide more things to look at, examine, touch, interact with. That's something I love about adventure games, and it was indeed lacking a bit in Dreamfall.
When will you guys have the forums up? So we can continue the the rabid fandom??	In a few days!
Any chance you'll be able to make available content you wrote for Anarchy Online that was never used? There's a few isolated tribes of fanatical nutters who would go ballistic over whatever scraps you've jotted down that never made it into the wild.	I would love to, but I know the AO story went in a completely different direction after I left the team, and I feel it may be disrespectful to the guys working on it -- and the fans -- to impose my own take on the story after all this time.
The ending of Prophet Without Honour seemed to foreshadow the existence of the Unredeemed, and I've been curious about that ever since I read it; had you actually come up with the concept of the Shadowlands years before it was developed?	The Unredeemed were definitely part of Prophet Without Honour, but Shadowlands took that in a very, very different direction. It wasn't how I'd imagined it, but that was the team's prerogative. It was their game and their story to shape, and I think they did a fantastic job.
Will April ever get back to painting?	That's a trick question.
Also, are there any more creatures of the same species as the Gribbler? (And could we see them in Chapters?)	And yes, there are, and yes, you might.
Hi Ragnar - any word on support for the Oculus Rift?	No Oculus Rift support. Wouldn't work very well in a third-person game. VR really only works in first-person.
Will Crow get a martin bruusgaard outfit, complete with white hat and woolen sweater? It would be so unimaginably bosslike. Will Roper Klacks be heading a prostitution ring in Marcuria using his knowledge of lovepotions (aka rohypnol). Will the cannon make an appearance ingame, and will we be able to stroke it? How psyched are you guys to finally be able to make this game?	Crow will get a sweater. Roper Klacks may not be running a prostitution ring, but he is running a finger-puppet show called The Fingerings. DO THE MATH. Cannon is confirmed. And we are SO FUCKING PSYCHED.
(I don't suppose there's some sort of mod that boosts the resolution, or a texture pack, is there?)	No mod to boost resolution, unfortunately. It's a 2D game. Someone would have to go back and repaint the backgrounds to make it 'HD'.
Thank for for releasing "Dreamfall" on Xbox. I had enormous trouble tracking down a copy, but it was definitely worth it. What was your experience with releasing an adventure game for the game console market? (as opposed to the PC-gaming market). Is this something you will do again in the future?	We would definitely consider it. We had a poor experience with the Xbox, since we were one of the last games to be released for the platform, and everyone was just waiting for the 360 to be released.
Will you reveal in DFC who that mysterious robed figure is in Marcuria in DF?	Yes to the former.
Will you also expand on the connection between Lady Alvane and Kian? (They have the same last name, why?)	No comment to the latter.
Will the mystery of the ancient post boxes ever be revealed? Will they ever find out why people used to put pieces of paper into them?! DUN-DUN-DUUUN!	No, that cliffhanger will remain a mystery FOREVER.
Hey Ragnar! I'm a big fan from Israel. What are some of your favourite adventure games?	Best adventure game ever made: Day of the Tentacle.
	Adventure game that most influenced The Longest Journey: Gabriel Knight (the first one).
	Best adventure game of 2012: Journey on the PS3.
Hi, mr Ragnar! What do you think about anime? Japan just need this intrasting story! And it may help discover your characters and landskapes more and more?	I'm a big fan of Japanese animation and storytelling. I love pretty much everything that comes out of Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki's movies are a huge inspiration for me.
Have no idea what to ask - are you SCARED?	Always.
Dag, loved the type writer touch in the video. Do you still occasionally use it for work?	He has NEVER used a typewriter before. Watch his expression when it goes DING. He's completely freaked out.
	For someone who is so anti-gadgets, you'd think he'd be a typewriter-er. But nope.
How long will the game be?	Long enough to while away some long winter nights. Not so long that you'll get sick of it.
	Long enough to get to know the world and the characters, to immerse yourself in the environments and to engage with the story. Not so long that you'll feel you're repeating yourself and spending way too much time running back and forth.
	It will be The Perfect Length.
Was the world duality (Stark/Arcadia) in any way inspired by Platos idea of the world of ideas and the observed world?	We are inspired by everything we read and watch and listen to, and I'm sure this was one of our sources of inspiration, yes.
I Goddam Loved Longest Journey. Why was it removed from XBOX 360 Arcade?	No idea! I believe Funcom is trying to get Dreamfall back on Xbox Live.
Is Felicia Day going to be a part of the game or you don't know yet?	We haven't spoken with her yet about it, but we'd be more than happy to write a role for her.
If you could add a game character from any game, that would fit into the universe of The Longest Jorney, who would it be?	Miner Willy.
Murray?	(Hint: not actually a miner. A fraud.)
Hi Ragnar! I'm really curious.. how do you go about writing the story for an adventure game like the longest journey? I imagine there'd be so many cases of what the player would do that you'd go mad trying to list them all down.	Um...we write a story that works as a game.
How do you do it?	It's a difficult question to answer! The stories of TLJ and Dreamfall are quite linear, so it's mostly about creating a story that allows for interaction and player participation.
What are the spices used in Mrs Mullins' Mixed Spices? I've been wanting to have something tangible from the game that is easy to create. I assume that you haven't come up with an exact recipe, but could you make one if you haven't and include it in the in-game library?	Some of these spices only exist in Arcadia, I'm afraid.
Would you be able to make the trailer music available to backers before sooner than the soundtrack comes out? Perhaps as a bonus for the backers?	Yes, definitely.
What is this Dickfall: The Longest Erection? Also a great name for the porn parody.	Perfect.
How much do you bench?	Pinewood.
Will we see an Arcadian character entering and experiencing the world of Stark for the first time in Chapters?	Yes.
Whatever happened to April's ship crew in The Longest Journey? They disappeared after the shipwreck and were never seen again. Will they return in Dreamfall Chapters?	Maybe -- or maybe in The Longest Journey Home.
Hi Ragnar, I've always been a fan of Funcoms MMOs, but it seems to me you guys made the same mistake three times in a row - releasing the game way before its actually ready.	We felt The Secret World was ready for primetime. There were some bugs that were simply impossible to find before we went live, but aside from that, I feel the game was released at the right time.
Will we ever see more of Captain Guybrush? My favourite monkey: Link to www.youtube.com. Also, any chance there will be norwegian voices in Dreamfall chapters? Loved the norwegian voices in the previous games.	Chapters will get a Norwegian version.
How big is the cloth map for the $500 reward and up?	We don't know yet, but I hope it'll be quite big. I want to hang it on my office wall!
Is there a chance that the game goes over budget, and if so, will you be cutting stretch goals that were achieved and promised?	It could, of course, happen -- but we're going to do everything we can to avoid that. We know how to make games, and we're trying to be very realistic about our goals and ambitions.

Last updated: 2013-03-14 19:43 UTC
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