[Laterally speaking]

A dangerous fugitive named Johnny B Bad was just spotted in Riddle City. Max Power, the ace detective in Riddle was assigned to hunt him down and bring him in. The witness reported seeing a 5' 7" man with blond hair and green eyes who matched the wanted poster she saw. The witness was the famed Ima Neverwrong and as always she was not mistaken about anything she reported. "She's on the phone as we speak and claims to never have lost sight of him. And that we can be certain that she never will until you get there and see him for yourself." the chief told Max.

Max took the case and told Chief Doubter "this'll be a piece of cake" to which the Cheif replied: "I'm not so sure about that, Max. I've got a report that this guy was part of a covert experiment. He's a clone. And the only other existing clone with that DNA has a clean record and just so happens to work at the Try N' Save Superstore where Johnny's currently holed up. He only just arrived and had no time to dawn any Try N' Save apparel or a nametag." "Let me guess Chief, the other clone's name is Johnny B Good." "What? No, his name is Brian Smith but that's not important right now Max. Stay focused! Miss Neverwrong also reported that there is no chance that either clone has or can dawn any type of disguise before you arrive."

Max grabbed his coat and rushed out the door. "Hey Max!" the Chief called. Max turned back in a rush. "Two more things hot off the wire. Neither clone ever got any scars, injuries, tattoos or any other distinguishing marks. And Johnny's clone is a good guy, but he will do nothing to tip you off as to who is who." "Got it, Chief"

Max got to the Try N' Save, saw the two clones standing next to one another in plain sight, walked up to Johnny, cuffed him and brought him in before either one could say anything. How did he do it?

*Edited to make it a bit more difficult. TheChad solved it right away. kudos

[Who are we?]

You said Miki was the closest, and her guess is about something I had to google to realize I know nothing about.

Goodluck everyone

yes.

I wouldn't post a riddle in which the answer was that obscure or recent. I guarantee that most people on here will have heard of the answer or at least most of the answer. the question is how familiar you are with them. this is the type of riddle that could have been solved within minutes or it could take months. it all depends on the prior knowledge of whoever is looking at it. if it lingers a few more days I'll post a true spoiler hint that should even the playing field some.

no correct answers so far btw

[What is the man's password?]

nice one!

I believe there is another logical solution but of course the intended one is more satisfying

since this password revolves around dates and they change each month yet 4 stay the same, it is logical to assume that the password is the first letter of each number in the date. and since 4 stay the same we can assume that the current month is not january since the year would have changed

i.e. old password set in january 2011 would be jtzoo or otzoo

new password set in february 2011 would be ftzoo or ttzoo

it can't be more complicated like 02/01/2011 since more than 4 letters would stay the same

[Who are we?]

yea it's all itachi . the last one got distorted somehow

so my last hint that doesn't give anything major away would be:

the stanzas can be rearranged and it wouldnt matter. the middle one is the easiest to start off with in my opinion. and as I said they dont specifically relate to each other, but do on a more general level

[Who are we?]

a vampire?

no. the answer is more specific. also

it's nothing supernatural

[Who are we?]

Death Note? Specifically, Light?

Probably not, though....

nope. nothing to do with anime although that is an interesting topic for future use

the answer will be 100% obvious when solved. like I've said though, it does require specific knowledge so you are on the right track

a lightbulb? or maybe better - a string of lights?

no. MissKitten is the closest so far. It's in the very broad ballpark at least

[I'm not a sniper]

here's what I thought. I think it may work just as well as the intended answer

a needle

consider needles for injecting and also extracting. and their use for supplying medicine or drugs and it fits all the lines I think. possibly better since 'pain' and 'souls' have a more literal meaning in this case

[Contestant with a twist]

morningstar is correct you can even say

"I am stumped by this" =)

[Who are we?]

interesting guesses, but none correct so far. if it helps, here is a slightly more insightful hint:

the answers so far are not in the ballpark. it has nothing to do with anything scientific

[Who are we?]

No so far. If needed here are a couple hints. Nothing major that gives anything away:

if you don't get it fairly quickly you may not want to spend a ton of time on this since it requires specific knowledge

all 3 stanzas are related in a general way, but also are not related in a specific way. also, keep in mind the title which implies a plural answer

[Who are we?]

Years of torment I withstood

Biding time as best I could

But when my job was at an end

I had lost my greatest friend

One wished to join our mighty band

But nothing went quite as he planned

For few remained in airs of doubt

And all were forced into a bout

Of noble blood, but few could see

What was my true identity

But with the sun I was replaced

So all could look upon my face

the answer is not necessarily common knowledge

[The End of the Riddle]

aw.. =) good to see you on here

[The End of the Riddle]

hello. been a long time since I posted here. anyway great riddle. oddly enough I came up with another answer that I was sure was it, but when I checked the answer it was not. I probably prefer the intended answer, but here's what i thought:

the wick of a candle

I’m the end that brings the end - the tip of the candle that brings its own demise

I’m the one that hides.- inside of course

Shackles gird me waist to toe - the wax

Sealed in tower I. - the candle as a whole

Ever tasked to make amends, - candle fire can mend things, like the wax seal on an envelope or torn cloth. granted it's not used nearly as often as an eraser to mend

Slowly here I die. - burns away

My stricken foe you’ll never know - again, eraser fits better here I admit, but I would venture to say that the wick's foe is fire which we never know since it is inanimate

His death is met with sigh. - fire is blown out

thanks for the idea Riranor! my sketch book is actually getting pretty crumby. I should probably get a new one and start sketching again. I think you motivated me to do just that.

I made an account today and posted some of my favorite sketches: my deviant art page

I dunno, 10 miles should do it

is there supposed to be a rule about manipulating the '$'? or am I just missing something? for instance, how do you ever get: $A$A11 like in the first sentence of the OP?

It's completely no big deal. If you ever get any strain of flu virus just take some Oscillococcium and some Gripp Heel and it will become a mundane bad cold and go away in about 2 days.

~you can quote me on that

Is the title to this based on PHF? I'm guessing that it is. Awesome!

Right on. I stuck a fork in it. Great job though! You both certainly played on the highest level ...and were only really done in by the unforeseen betrayal

You guys won! Congrats! The Heroes have no chance left at winning so I figured why delay the inevitable? Great Job!

[The Battle for Mt Olympus III]

Hades' treachery has left the Heroes in an impossible position

The End

Odysseus drew map after map, plan after plan, but scratched them all away in the dirt. Letting out a long sigh, he looked up at his fellow Heroes in exhaustion. "We need to pull back while we still have our lives." Diomedes' eyes widened in despair. "You cannot be serious! Retreat!? That's absurd. I refuse!" Odysseus calmly rose to his feet and clapped his old friend's shoulder. "There's a difference between dying justly and dying foolishly. And after that snake Hades deceived us, I'm afraid we're only left with the latter option." Diomedes hung his head in shame, but Nestor looked up brightly. Nestor spoke to his friends: "I agree the cause is lost and that we were foolish to try ousting Zeus from his own home, but we could at least get a little payback before we leave." The three Heroes smiled and took off for one last adventure.

---

Three diminishing Gods knelt before Zeus. Zeus stood in the center, while Aphrodite and Poseidon flanked him. Mnemosyne was already stripped of her power and chained deep below them, ready to be sent back to the Underworld. Zeus began: "Apollo.. Athena.. Ares.. the three of you have proven that you can still be of some use.." Hades came crashing through the giant crystal doors of Zeus' hall. Flinging his invisible helmet across the room, Hades plead for the Sun he wished for so much. Zeus raised a finger to silence his foolish little brother. Without sound Demeter revealed her presence standing behind Zeus' mighty throne.

Zeus: What do you say dear sister? Is Tartarus worth the price of darkness? Besides, I shall soon strip those mortal fools of their divinity and then your powers will be much needed on the Surface.

Demeter: Tartarus must exist for the dead to rest, but I fear it is not really the place for me... Hades on the other hand seems much more capable of running things down there.

The three kneeling Gods all became solid and whole once more and the entire group began to laugh at Hades. As Zeus raised a hand to send Hades on his way, the God of the Underworld screamed in frustration and stormed out of the Grand Hall, shattering one of the massive doors in his wake. Zeus stifled his laughter and sent the three resurrected Gods on their way, back where they belonged.

---

The three Heroes watched from afar as they smirked seeing Hades quickly walk away from the Palace in a huff. Odysseus gathered what little strength he had and charged Hades, as Nestor and Diomedes prepared to attack his blind spots. Hades, with ever increasing power, fended off Odysseus and Nestor, but Diomedes managed to pierce the God's back with his spear. Hades spun around and flung Diomedes to the ground. He wrenched the spear from his back and prepared to launch it back at his attacker, but his arm was caught by a serious Zeus.

Zeus: You... I already told you to return to Tartarus where you belong... and here I find you playing with these foolish mortals!? Begone!!

Zeus halved Hades power and sent his entire being down to Tartarus where Charon welcomed him on the River Styx, finally home. Then, Zeus turned to the three fallen Heroes. Opening his hand wide, palm facing his victims, he claimed all the Summoning Spirits they had left. With a broad smile he then conjured a wicked storm. The Heroes braced themselves for the lightning they knew to come. And it did. Crashing down on them, it sent them flying into a seemingly endless abyss, only to be caught by the Spirit of Icarus who guided them all safely to the Surface. Stripped of their immortality, but not their lives, they thanked the winged man and settled back into a mortal life.

---

Hades clutched the arms of his skull-throne so hard that the bones began to crunch under his tight grasp. "Zeus... ZEUS!!!!" Tartarus shook in fear at the ever-echoing anger of their returned master.

---

Roster:

1) Brandonb [Hades]

2) dawh [Poseidon]

3) grey cells [Heracles]

4) IDNE [Odysseus]

5) Impervious [Zeus]

6) Kat [Demeter]

7) Prof. Templeton [Diomedes]

8) SomeGuy [Aphrodite]

9) star tiger [Mnemosyne]

10) Y-San [Nestor]

Lots of winners! Zeus' crew: Impervious, dawh, SomeGuy, and Kat. And the 2 Indies GC and Bb (who irrevocably turned the tides). Congrats to all and very well played by everyone! Thanks for playing!!

Oh right. I totally forgot that ST wasn't even playing and would leave the game when she left the team. Well there goes that idea. I don't think we would get anywhere attacking Hades without help. And that probably isn't going to come. If you really want to punish Hades for his betrayal we would have to make a plea in the open forum that after tonight this war will end but betrayal should never go unanswered and since the game will end without Hades being rerecruited we want to ask the help of the Olympians and the independants to teach him a lesson. This tactic seems a bit vengeful and I'm sure some will think why bother.

I agree with the your last sentence. I do think Hades deserves a taste of his own medicine, but you guys could very well not even kill him after a few nights of trying and that would be really bad. I won't end anything without you guys agreeing to it obviously, but I think that even 1 kill is going to b hard to come by now with the situation as it is. If you want, I can always beat up on Hades a little in the last post

I don't think it's possible to win at this point. We only have your three guesses and the Olympians have 2 independents plus Hades can't be recruited until way down the road so he'll not want to aggrevate them since he sees them as stronger then us. Hades will likely be expecting an attack from us tonight also and will protect himself. There are too many fronts for us to counter them all, so it's really just a matter of us delaying the inevitable. The only possibility I can see is if we somehow manage to remain intact tonight, then tomorrow try to reason with Hades to vote with us and Hercules. Forcing them to lose Mnemosyne, possibly, and for us to make an offering to her. Mnemosyne may feel inclined toward our team and Hades may go along so that there is an open spot for him on the Olympians. It's doubtful Hades would comply since I think he's trying to hold out on his own and is hoping for a quick ending. So if we attack Hades it will most likely not succeed and we will have wasted an attack. Our first priority should be to protect Nestor so we have a chance in the day vote. Probably best to attack Zues and try to whittle down his summoning or SG, but they'll expect that. I still feel Bb went above and beyond with his actions. It was something I would never would have considered and it was therefore hard for me to consider someone else would stoop to that level. Maybe if I had given more preemptive thought to the possibility it wouldn't have been such a blow. What's done is done. Moving on.

Honestly, I can't see how you guys can win at this point, which is why I suggested ending the insurrection and leaving Mt. Olympus with your lives at least. Two things that also don't play in your favor: the next 2 nights, IDNE has only 2 guesses since the Eras will favor Zeus and/or you both will have 2 guesses. Plus, I might as well divulge this info, st is Mnemosyne, and the other team plans on just losing her and gaining a more powerful Indy. I stated when st and Y-San left the game that if either of them could be lost from a team those characters would be removed from the game.

You guys played great without question, but after the Hades debacle I think you lost any chance left at winning. I'll completely understand if you guys want to retreat. I'd actually recommend it. It's like PT said, I think you're just going to be delaying the inevitable now.

Itachi, is he gone yet? He said he is on the main forum, but I would like to hear from you.

yeah, he's gone

Kat = Demeter will soon have access to this Forum. Good job guys.