Forums » Smalltalk » Official Portal Thread 2015

We might be looking at this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorkosigan_Saga

Specifically, there is a character named Lord Mark who sold a product called "butter bugs", later "glorious bugs". Either of these might be worthy guesses; if not, something in the vicinity is probably worth exploring.

EDIT: It's probably the 'glorious bugs', which were specifically redesigned to be more visually appealing.

Ahhahahaha, I was just doing the same thing because of the Lord Mark.
Long Google Link

Butter Bug/Glorious Bug is a good guess by me.

I tried explaining how this works to my housemates, one of which is unusually smart, the other of which is a huge nerd and media nut. I was mostly after their input on the clues, but they kept asking things so I've explained more of how this whole event works by now.

Either I'm really bad at explaining, or it's just not the sort of thing that can be explained without visuals and maybe interaction. Or they just figure that if they have no clue within a few minutes, that it's all terribly over-complicated and unfair.

I look forward to moving. Just a few more months.

Butter bug was indeed the answer to the Scarab Seal!

Wizard, how did we not think of this for the Stalwart seal?

http://www.rprepository.com/events/epicweek2015/guardian.php?guardian=yjhGPjJ74TgY

Where was it hiding?

Search through the groups for the keyword "fire."

So far we've been able to work through all of this with relatively few people - so it's really not that complex even if some of the clues are more vague than others. In between the clues on the site, the pages, and the symbols I'm sure all are more than solvable. It certainly requires a think tank to get done in a matter of days, though! The game too, but being a team sport certainly doesn't make it unfair.

I gotta say I really appreciate the effort Kim has putting into this to make sure it's so! It's bringing the community out of the woodwork.

Also, awesome find! I instantly thought of Avatar: The Last Airbender and on the last clue had to go "NOT MY CABBAGES", but pretty sure that universe would be on the fantasy side.

Full metal alchemist might be considered Sci-Fi?

It's absolutely toeing the line of what people think of both fantasy and sci-fi - such is alchemy as a whole, of 'course. I tend to think of it as "high fantasy" which mixes classical elements of both in varying degrees. I'd have to argue it's more science fiction than fantasy for sure, though - deals with technology and strange dimensions, military actions in an alternate universe, strange experiments with biology. It's certainly more on the science sided of alchemy representations!

Oh, hey! Does this mean we've found all of the guardians?

Misplaced this. ^^

Stalwart is not Shapers.

WOOO YOU GUYS FOUND MY RIDDLE!

Wouldn't this put us at 9? Or was another found too?

I believe it does. And yeah, FMA is definitely a mix of both, though classically I view it as more of a fantasy, opposed to sci-fi, given the time that it's based out of. It's a stretch and I figure I might as well just gush out ideas since I'm getting tired and see if they make sense to people. xD

Somehow we managed to find and clear the Scarab portal earlier, in the span of about half an hour.

I was so sure the robotic seal would be opened with one of Megaman's special abilities - since they're what he steals from his enemies.

But I tried everything on this list, and none of them worked http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Special_Weapons_in_the_classic_series