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xyzzysqrlLast time on Manos: The Hand of Scarlet, Nancy did the hacker thing and cracked the code of Mayan numbers. Then we called Bess and George and fell asleep. I have to admit, the plot's moving kinda slow on this one because I keep taking screenshots of everything. I am gonna cool down on those a bit.
Nancy sets her alarm clock for 8 AM and pops back to the museum via the metro, only to spend the next few hours looking all over the museum for the next number tile. At first I don't recognize it, because it's another one of the "head" ones.
Then there's some running back and forth to the hotel, while I note down that various heads are "crazy looking" or have a sloped nose or whatever, thanks to the numerical notes of Sonny Joon and eventually I get it all lined out. So HERE is how you count from 1-19 in Mayan numbers.
Let's be fair. The Mayan numbering system is KIND OF DERANGED and not as good as the Arabic system seriously. Let's all just be deeply relieved that Arabic numerals exist and slowly mutated into shapes we all recognize because they're ingrained in our cuture.
With that done we've managed to cross off the entire to-do list! The game isn't over, in part because no actual CRIME has happened yet and in part because Taylor Sinclair wanted to talk to us. Let's troop out and say hi.
Here's the deal with Sinclair: A number of his friends, including one Prudence Rutherford (and we have seen that namebefore OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY), have had items stolen from them. Sinclair begs Nancy to keep an eye on the museum. He needs her eagle eyes! He needs her bat ears! He needs her nose to sniff out trouble!
"I'll do my best, but it sounds like what you really want is a new exotic breed of police dog!" Nancy retorts.
"Don't play modest mouse with me!" Sinclair snaps back.
"Most people call me Nosy Parker!" Nancy cheerfully replies. ...I... no, Nancy. Nobody calls you that. Nobody has ever called you that. Nobody has ever called ANYONE that.
Talk eventually turns to a rather garish painting in Sinclair's office, which was created by a student named Poppy Dada. It's an explosion of color centered around rubber sealife glued to the canvas. Sinclair notes he plans to flip it on the market for "mucho dinero".
"Is Poppy Dada her... real name?"
"Dunno."
Can't imagine why anyone would make this under a false name.
From there the conversation wanders through various things.
The monolith... ("When I sell art, I get 10%. Shame I'm not allowed to put THAT on the market, huh?")
The jade carving... ("It was a pig and a half getting the papers together for that one.")
...and finally Alejandro. ("Nancy, maybe someday I'll tell you a little story titled "How Mexico Lost Its Sense of Humor".)
Speaking of Alejandro, on the way back to the museum Nancy stops to check in with him. He's got a few new lines. One asking about Henrik, for example.
("Henrik is a STUDENT of my culture. He's not trying to buy or sell it. We don't agree on everything ... particuarly not baseball ...but I have nothing against the man.")
As to why the monolith ended up at Beech Hill, it turns out Joanna outbid EVERY other museum in Washington DC. "I have no idea how she afforded that expensive arrangement." he muses.
...Well. After all that I'm at a bit of a loss, so it's time to stop by the museum again and see if talking to Joanna yields new results. Unfortunately it doesn't. Nancy's only new option is to ask if she thinks Alejandro would ever resort to theft to reclaim Mexico's national treasures. Joanna's reply?
"Who knows?"
Thanks Joanna. On the way out, though, we find a magazine interview with... hey! Prudence Rutherford!
It's about the necklace that was later stolen. Interesting.
What's more, on the way out Nancy notices a plaque that NDFAN123 is a major contributor to the muse-- wait, I'm sorry, that the Topeka Commission for the Arts is a major contributor to the museum, and that's an organization Pru runs. Maybe we should find her phone number somewhere? At this point I am grasping at straws and hopes. Kinda wish something mysterious would happen.
So back to the lab, check voice mail... no messages... and hey. Henrik's missing. Where'd he get to? Nancy steps back outside to go looking for him... and police sirens wail in the distance.
Hellooooooooo, mystery. It's good to see you. *crack knuckles* Let's get to our REAL JOB.
"This is my worst nightmare, fried and served on a plate." Joanna laments.
"Do you mind if I investigate? Did the police turn up any clues?" Nancy enthuses right back at her.
"They took some samples for the crime lab, but there won't be any results for a few days. If you want to put your little magnifying glass to work, that's fine." Joanna says.
"GREAT! I'll let you know what I find!" Nancy chirps. Wow, she's almost as hype as I am.
Nancy prances off and collects that paper with the red handprint, then prances back to Joanna.
"Have you seen Henrik? I found a piece of paper at the crime scene..." (I'm SURE THE POLICE TOTALLY MISSED THAT) "...and it has GLYPHS on it! I'm hoping he can give me a translation!"
Joanna takes umbridge. "What am I, FISH FOOD?" Henrik's not the ONLY one who can read glyphs!"
"Okay! GREAT!" Nancy chirps. "Can you look at this?"
"Yes, the police showed it to me. It reads "The magician suffers yellow death." Whatever that means. Maybe they didn't have the right glyphs for "The curator suffers flaming purple disgrace."
I swear I'm not making this dialogue up.
Anyway, Nancy proceeds to ask about the hand. Is a scarlet hand IMPORTANT in Mayan culture? Joanna has no idea, but what she wants to know is: What is that substance it's painted with? Clearly not fingerpaint. Nancy's now allowed to use the Spectro X Archaeo-Analyzer. Ooh, new toy.
I am really loving how absolutely DELIGHTED Nancy is at every step of this horrible museum robbery, you guys! One last question: Has ANYONE seen Henrik? Right now he's kind of suspect #1. Joanna just gives an early-2000s CGI shrug, and we're set free.
TO THE CRIME COMPUTER!
Out into the hallway, over towards the pyrami-- and suddenly a cry rings out, and the sound of a body hitting the floor is heard.
Henrik has fallen down the stairs of the Mayan pyramid. Ambulance sirens wail. He has amnesia from hitting his head on the stone steps and will be in the hospital for days. This is horrible and sad... and yet...
YOU GUYS THIS IS AMAZING
EVERYTHING IS SUDDENLY HAPPENING
I DON'T KNOW WHO TO SUSPECT NEXT
AAAAA
Okay right BACK TO THE ANALYSER-X-ARCHEO-DREWPUTER!
But wait, there's a note on Nancy's desk from Henrik! The last thing he wrote before his fall!
It's... an assignment to go check out/beat all the games up in the Mayan pyramid temple to make sure they're working properly. ...okay well that's... a thing... OOH WAIT we have VOICE MAIL TOO. What's in the voice mail?
First off, a message from Franklin Rose, the friend of Nancy's father who helped her get this job. He's heard about the break-in and wants her to maybe do a little... investigating. NO FEAR FRANK WE'RE ON IT. He also wants a call back later.
The second message is from... Nurse Bluefoot at the hospital. Since Henrik was admitted, he's repeated Nancy's name "over and over, in various states of semi-consciousness and lucidity". They can't find any family of his, so would Nancy please act as his support person as he attempts to regain his memory? They also want a call back.
...man. Henrik. I... kind of feel bad for calling your sudden accident "amazing" now. I barely even suspect you threw yourself down those stairs at this point, although y'know it could've happened.
Before getting distracted with phone calls, we turn to the Anal-Y-Zer Archie Analyzing Joke Unit 3000 and get this paper all scanned and stuff. This leads to a compound-matching minigame where we match the lines of the analysis onscreen, and we learn the red compound is... HgS.
Happily, there's a periodic table on the wall. That's a Mercury Sulfur compound. ...ugh I hope just carrying this thing around isn't making me sick.
Joanna is still not taking things well, thought.
We're officially assigned the job of helping Henrik recover if possible, as well as handling his mail and... ugh, just KEEP THE PLACE FROM BURNING DOWN, okay Nancy?
What do you guys think? Are we up to the task?
Hell yeah we are, we're Nancy Goddamn Drew.
NEXT TIME: HARDCORE INVESTIGATING BEGINS.
Nancy sets her alarm clock for 8 AM and pops back to the museum via the metro, only to spend the next few hours looking all over the museum for the next number tile. At first I don't recognize it, because it's another one of the "head" ones.
Then there's some running back and forth to the hotel, while I note down that various heads are "crazy looking" or have a sloped nose or whatever, thanks to the numerical notes of Sonny Joon and eventually I get it all lined out. So HERE is how you count from 1-19 in Mayan numbers.
Let's be fair. The Mayan numbering system is KIND OF DERANGED and not as good as the Arabic system seriously. Let's all just be deeply relieved that Arabic numerals exist and slowly mutated into shapes we all recognize because they're ingrained in our cuture.
With that done we've managed to cross off the entire to-do list! The game isn't over, in part because no actual CRIME has happened yet and in part because Taylor Sinclair wanted to talk to us. Let's troop out and say hi.
Here's the deal with Sinclair: A number of his friends, including one Prudence Rutherford (and we have seen that namebefore OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY), have had items stolen from them. Sinclair begs Nancy to keep an eye on the museum. He needs her eagle eyes! He needs her bat ears! He needs her nose to sniff out trouble!
"I'll do my best, but it sounds like what you really want is a new exotic breed of police dog!" Nancy retorts.
"Don't play modest mouse with me!" Sinclair snaps back.
"Most people call me Nosy Parker!" Nancy cheerfully replies. ...I... no, Nancy. Nobody calls you that. Nobody has ever called you that. Nobody has ever called ANYONE that.
Talk eventually turns to a rather garish painting in Sinclair's office, which was created by a student named Poppy Dada. It's an explosion of color centered around rubber sealife glued to the canvas. Sinclair notes he plans to flip it on the market for "mucho dinero".
"Is Poppy Dada her... real name?"
"Dunno."
Can't imagine why anyone would make this under a false name.
From there the conversation wanders through various things.
The monolith... ("When I sell art, I get 10%. Shame I'm not allowed to put THAT on the market, huh?")
The jade carving... ("It was a pig and a half getting the papers together for that one.")
...and finally Alejandro. ("Nancy, maybe someday I'll tell you a little story titled "How Mexico Lost Its Sense of Humor".)
Speaking of Alejandro, on the way back to the museum Nancy stops to check in with him. He's got a few new lines. One asking about Henrik, for example.
("Henrik is a STUDENT of my culture. He's not trying to buy or sell it. We don't agree on everything ... particuarly not baseball ...but I have nothing against the man.")
As to why the monolith ended up at Beech Hill, it turns out Joanna outbid EVERY other museum in Washington DC. "I have no idea how she afforded that expensive arrangement." he muses.
...Well. After all that I'm at a bit of a loss, so it's time to stop by the museum again and see if talking to Joanna yields new results. Unfortunately it doesn't. Nancy's only new option is to ask if she thinks Alejandro would ever resort to theft to reclaim Mexico's national treasures. Joanna's reply?
"Who knows?"
Thanks Joanna. On the way out, though, we find a magazine interview with... hey! Prudence Rutherford!
It's about the necklace that was later stolen. Interesting.
What's more, on the way out Nancy notices a plaque that NDFAN123 is a major contributor to the muse-- wait, I'm sorry, that the Topeka Commission for the Arts is a major contributor to the museum, and that's an organization Pru runs. Maybe we should find her phone number somewhere? At this point I am grasping at straws and hopes. Kinda wish something mysterious would happen.
So back to the lab, check voice mail... no messages... and hey. Henrik's missing. Where'd he get to? Nancy steps back outside to go looking for him... and police sirens wail in the distance.
Hellooooooooo, mystery. It's good to see you. *crack knuckles* Let's get to our REAL JOB.
"This is my worst nightmare, fried and served on a plate." Joanna laments.
"Do you mind if I investigate? Did the police turn up any clues?" Nancy enthuses right back at her.
"They took some samples for the crime lab, but there won't be any results for a few days. If you want to put your little magnifying glass to work, that's fine." Joanna says.
"GREAT! I'll let you know what I find!" Nancy chirps. Wow, she's almost as hype as I am.
Nancy prances off and collects that paper with the red handprint, then prances back to Joanna.
"Have you seen Henrik? I found a piece of paper at the crime scene..." (I'm SURE THE POLICE TOTALLY MISSED THAT) "...and it has GLYPHS on it! I'm hoping he can give me a translation!"
Joanna takes umbridge. "What am I, FISH FOOD?" Henrik's not the ONLY one who can read glyphs!"
"Okay! GREAT!" Nancy chirps. "Can you look at this?"
"Yes, the police showed it to me. It reads "The magician suffers yellow death." Whatever that means. Maybe they didn't have the right glyphs for "The curator suffers flaming purple disgrace."
I swear I'm not making this dialogue up.
Anyway, Nancy proceeds to ask about the hand. Is a scarlet hand IMPORTANT in Mayan culture? Joanna has no idea, but what she wants to know is: What is that substance it's painted with? Clearly not fingerpaint. Nancy's now allowed to use the Spectro X Archaeo-Analyzer. Ooh, new toy.
I am really loving how absolutely DELIGHTED Nancy is at every step of this horrible museum robbery, you guys! One last question: Has ANYONE seen Henrik? Right now he's kind of suspect #1. Joanna just gives an early-2000s CGI shrug, and we're set free.
TO THE CRIME COMPUTER!
Out into the hallway, over towards the pyrami-- and suddenly a cry rings out, and the sound of a body hitting the floor is heard.
Henrik has fallen down the stairs of the Mayan pyramid. Ambulance sirens wail. He has amnesia from hitting his head on the stone steps and will be in the hospital for days. This is horrible and sad... and yet...
YOU GUYS THIS IS AMAZING
EVERYTHING IS SUDDENLY HAPPENING
I DON'T KNOW WHO TO SUSPECT NEXT
AAAAA
Okay right BACK TO THE ANALYSER-X-ARCHEO-DREWPUTER!
But wait, there's a note on Nancy's desk from Henrik! The last thing he wrote before his fall!
It's... an assignment to go check out/beat all the games up in the Mayan pyramid temple to make sure they're working properly. ...okay well that's... a thing... OOH WAIT we have VOICE MAIL TOO. What's in the voice mail?
First off, a message from Franklin Rose, the friend of Nancy's father who helped her get this job. He's heard about the break-in and wants her to maybe do a little... investigating. NO FEAR FRANK WE'RE ON IT. He also wants a call back later.
The second message is from... Nurse Bluefoot at the hospital. Since Henrik was admitted, he's repeated Nancy's name "over and over, in various states of semi-consciousness and lucidity". They can't find any family of his, so would Nancy please act as his support person as he attempts to regain his memory? They also want a call back.
...man. Henrik. I... kind of feel bad for calling your sudden accident "amazing" now. I barely even suspect you threw yourself down those stairs at this point, although y'know it could've happened.
Before getting distracted with phone calls, we turn to the Anal-Y-Zer Archie Analyzing Joke Unit 3000 and get this paper all scanned and stuff. This leads to a compound-matching minigame where we match the lines of the analysis onscreen, and we learn the red compound is... HgS.
Happily, there's a periodic table on the wall. That's a Mercury Sulfur compound. ...ugh I hope just carrying this thing around isn't making me sick.
Joanna is still not taking things well, thought.
We're officially assigned the job of helping Henrik recover if possible, as well as handling his mail and... ugh, just KEEP THE PLACE FROM BURNING DOWN, okay Nancy?
What do you guys think? Are we up to the task?
Hell yeah we are, we're Nancy Goddamn Drew.
NEXT TIME: HARDCORE INVESTIGATING BEGINS.
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Date: 2014-12-09 04:38 pm (UTC)no subject
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