Crane Game

[rubycitymods]

Stationed along the boardwalk, the old-fashioned Crane Game is an enormous thing, large enough that it stretches from floor to ceiling. The glass is tinted, but if you peer in, you'll be able to see all kinds of small items: hair clips and chocolate coins, some bubble mix and an old pulp novel. Approach it, and the entire machine lights up, neon flashing brightly and a tinny old tune that gets stuck in your head for ages afterwards.

Settle yourself in front of it, and you'll notice it doesn't have a slot for money. There's no joystick, either. There's just a button, red and worn, next to a slot three inches wide. Press the button, and a little card will pop out of the slot. There'll be a riddle written there.

Write a somewhat acceptable answer to the riddle, and you get a prize. What it is depends entirely on the machine, but fortunately the game isn't rigged; you are guaranteed an item.

You can only use it once every two weeks. The machine simply goes dead if you try and use it sooner than that.

**

The Crane Game is a fun way for your character to win some pretty rad prizes! Comment here and get a minor item from the crane machine! Selections are random, and so long as your character provides a reasonable answer to the riddle, they'll get a prize.
✧ N A V I G A T I O N ✧

Comments

[tonic]

[ And her morning walk leads to... well, something she hasn't seen before. A crane game, but...?

Well, sure, let's give this a go. The items inside seem harmless enough. She presses the button, curious to see what'll happen next. ]

[callbacks]

[It's Dave's first time exploring the boardwalk, so he doesn't have enough experience to know this particular game is new. On the other hand, it's. Familiar, in a terrible, grim-laughter-through-the-nose kind of way, to have a prize machine offering cheap crap so alluringly.

He examines the machine for a while, looking for a coin slot (but HOW, when there's no MONEY) and then finally just pushes the button.]

[rubycitymods]

[Out pops a little card! The paper is stiff, reminiscent of a particularly well-designed business card. Printed in black block letters is the following:]

A man is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?

[rubycitymods]

[Well deduced, Dave! Out of the slot pops a little card. The paper is stiff, reminiscent of a particularly well-designed business card. Printed in black block letters is the following:]

If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven't got me. What am I?

[tonic]

... Ah!

The third room! Any lion that hasn't eaten in three years would be dead!

[ She writes the answer down and slips it back into the slot, satisfied with that answer. ]

[callbacks]

A fucking tease is what you are, god damn.

[He scowls down at the offending card for a good three minutes alternately sitting against the machine itself and doing a little pacing. He has to discard answers like 'time?' 'money?' 'love?' 'a girlfriend?' (He definitely doesn't want to share his girlfriend.)

When the answer comes to him suddenly, he stares down at the card with naked disbelief.]

Seriously?

[Annoyed (and a little nervous), Dave glares at the machine, then examines it again more carefully. A black-and-white murderbear might pop out at any time. Can't be too careful.

Nothing happens, though, and he tries saying the answer. Nothing continues to happen, so he says it louder; the nothing just keeps happening. Finally, he sighs, digs out a pen, and scrawls:]

a secret
alternatively good news about your sex life

[What's he supposed to do, feed this back into the machine? He can try, he guesses.]

[rubycitymods]

[The card does indeed feed back into the machine, and soon the entire contraption is lighting up. Clearly either (or both) answer worked, because soon an item is popping out. What could it be?]

07. A cherry: a small piece of fruit. Don't try doing anything weird with your tongue with it, just eat it.

[rubycitymods]

[Correct! The machine lights up, and soon a small item is popping out. What could it be?]

67. Duct tape: Three rolls, coming in a variety of fun colors. Make a wallet or keep your pipes from leaking!

[callbacks]

One cherry? Cheapass!

[HE'LL SHOW YOU, CRANE GAME, HE'S GONNA LEARN HOW TO TIE A KNOT IN A CHERRY STEM! BYE!!]

[meitori]

[Huh, well, this is interesting.

Yuuta goes ahead and presses the button.]

[bifroster]

[Jane has never seen something like this! Who doesn't like to get free stuff? And from what she can see, there are riddles involved.]

Bring it on!

[Button pressed!]

[oathshackledbird]

[What is one way to risk getting attacked? That would be to suddenly start flashing lights and playing music as Diarmuid passes by on his way back from a patrol of the area. Fortunately, Diarmuid thinks as quickly as he moves and halts before striking...whatever the machine might be. It's clearly a carnival game, but it's not like one he has ever seen before.

Diarmuid eyes it carefully before settling in front of it. Three years and this place still finds ways to surprise him. With no other options presented besides pushing the button, his choice is clear.

PUSSSSSSSH.]

[rubycitymods]

[Out of the slot pops a little card. The paper is stiff, reminiscent of a particularly well-designed business card. Printed in black block letters is the following:]

You will always find me in the past. I can be created in the present, But the future can never taint me. What am I?

[rubycitymods]

[Out of the slot pops a little card. The paper is stiff, reminiscent of a particularly well-designed business card. Printed in black block letters is the following:]

What is harder to catch the faster you run?

[rubycitymods]

[Out of the slot pops a little card. The paper is stiff, reminiscent of a particularly well-designed business card. Printed in black block letters is the following:]

I don't have eyes, but once I did see. Once I had thoughts, but now I'm white and empty. What am I?

[oathshackledbird]

[A riddle? Well, that is unexpected. Diarmuid turns the card over in his hands as he thinks on possible answers. For a moment, both a sunflower and a potato pop into his mind. He has heard people call sunflowers giant eyes before and losing their seeds leaves that eye both 'blind' and much lighter than it once was just as a potato peeled and with eyes removed is white and 'blind.' Neither thing has anything close to thoughts, though, quickly throwing them out of contention as the right answer.

So what is the right answer? Diarmuid runs his hand through his hair, fingers tapping against his head as he wracks his mind for other possible answers.

Wait.

He blinks once, and then again, fingers tapping more purposefully against his head. Or more specifically, his skull.]

How morbid for what is suppose to be a fun game.

[He write the word 'skull' on the card and then feeds it back into the machine.]

[rubycitymods]

[Correct! The machine lights up, and soon a small item pops out. What could it be?]

83. An energy drink: It promises at least twenty-eight hours of INCREDIBLE energy. Not FDA approved.

[doreimi]

[It's her birthday, so naturally she finds her way to the boardwalk, because nothing says celebration like hitting up the midway and having yourself a ball with a bunch of fun games and idle diversions.

This crane game, however, is new, and that makes her curious. It lights up when she approaches it, which is strange, and only adds to her interest.

So, okay, she'll give it a shot. Let's push the button and see what comes out...]

[rubycitymods]

[Out of the slot pops a little card. The paper is stiff, reminiscent of a particularly well-designed business card. Printed in black block letters is the following:]

Two fathers and their two sons go fishing together. They each catch one fish to take home with them. They do not lose any fish, and yet when they arrive at home they only have three fish. How can this be?

[doreimi]

[She reads the card over, chewing on her lower lip, and then begins to giggle as the answer works itself out in her head. So, does she just say it out loud? It doesn't look like there's a speaker attached...

So, idly, she digs around in her things until she finds an eyeliner pencil, and prints neatly on the back: ]

Only three men — a boy, his father, and his grandfather. The father is someone's F + S both.

[Hopefully that will do as an explanation, and she feeds it back into the machine with curiosity, wondering what will come of it.]

[rubycitymods]

[Correct! The machine lights up, and soon a small item is popping out. What could it be?]

65. A packet of instant Kool-Aid: perfect for drinking or hair dyeing. Flavors vary.

[meitori]

[He wondered how he should answer, knowing the answer automatically. Writing it sound? Saying it aloud?]

Your breath.

[rubycitymods]

[Correct! And yet the riddle must be fed back into the machine, so although it lights up, nothing yet appears.]

[bifroster]

[She rolled her eyes with a smile. So easy!

Quickly scrawling on the paper like she had seen others, she sticks the paper back in.

History!]

[serenesuccessor]

[Oh this looks fun! Naomi's eyes lit up when she saw the crane game. She'd always loved crane games, even if she's pretty bad at them.

But hey, it looks free, so that means she can try as much as she wants. With a grin she redoes her bobby pins, making sure her hair is out of her eyes, before pressing the button.]