Part 12: Blackwell Legacy - Update 10

Update 10

So last time, Rosa drugged a dog in order to send a ghost to the next plane of existence. That was pretty wacky, but Legacy has an even wackier surprise in store for us by the end of this game!

Before we start working towards that, however, Rosa wants to chat with Joey and get a bit more backstory.

Rosa's Theme



Yes, darling?
Can you tell me more about Auntie Lauren?
I guess. What do you want to know?

With Joey seeming to warm towards Rosa a bit, Rosa is suddenly unsure what to ask.

I don't know... um, tell me about a case you went on.
Hm. It was a long time ago, but I do remember one. There was this brownstone, down in Brooklyn. One of those fancy houses that got converted into apartments. The residents kept complaining of weird noises and bad dreams. Your aunt and I heard about it and went over there. Turns out these two little boys had been locked in a basement closet, over thirty years beforehand. The door was paved over. Nobody knew it was even there. Those two little ghosts had been crying in the dark for thirty years, until we came along.
That's... horrible.
Yeah, that was a messy one.

Thirty years That's pretty awful.

How did you save them?
We did some snooping. Found the grandmother. Brought her to the house. The boys calmed down, and we took care of the rest.
So you saved them?
Yeah. We had no choice, did we?

Good thing it wasn't any longer than thirty years, or the grandmother could have been dead herself. I can see why this kind of thing could be fairly rewarding for Joey.



Next up, Rosa points out the Brooklyn Bridge photo.

Picture?
Yeah. The one on the TV.
Oh, the Brooklyn Bridge picture. You don't remember?
I was five years old.
Right. Right. You tend to forget stuff like that, when you're... well. When you're me.

It's a neat little character concept that Joey has a blind spot for aging, since he's probably spent more time dead than alive.

So what about the picture?
Oh. It was just one of your Aunt's little field trips. One of many, I hasten to add.



He still sounds fairly bitter here, but not nearly as much as he did about Patricia.

Really.
Yeah. I knew it was a bad idea.
Why's that?
Just leave it.
But-
Shut your mouth, kid. You're attracting flies. We'll talk about this later, maybe.

Just as quickly, however, he gets sick of talking about it and fobs Rosa off. This is actually as much as we'll get out of Joey regarding Lauren until the endgame sequence, so for now let's talk about Patricia instead.



I'll be frank, kid. She might have hated me, but I hated her even more. Hated her. The whole seven months I was with her, she spent the whole time pretending I wasn't there. Can you believe that?
You're hard to ignore, Joey.

The timeline doesn't really match up here. Joey was with Patricia for a hell of a lot longer than seven months. I guess perhaps he doesn't consider the time she spent being treated for dementia as "time with her." Or maybe something happened in the interim? I'd say most likely this is just a little plot hole.

Pff. Tell me about it. And I did everything I could to get her attention. I'd yell in her ear. I'd get right up in her face. She knew I was there, and I KNEW she knew. But she just ignored me all the same.
Well you can hardly blame her.
Don't lecture me, dollface. I did what I had to.

Joey gets really worked up here. He's still pissed about what happened over four decades ago. Rosa keeps pushing him on it.

Had to? You could have-
Could have done what? Look, I'm done talking about that old bat.

You're not getting out of it that easy, Joey! Rosa can keep prodding him further.

Can we talk about my grandmother more?
Don't you let up?
You destroyed her life!
Yeah yeah. I got enough of that from your aunt.
Hey-

This is getting a bit tense now...



You Blackwells and your goddamn self-pity. All I heard is "Poor us. Poor us." I'm sick of it. Ever think about what it was like for me? One minute I was breathing, and the next - pow! - dead. I was a ghost. Forced to haunt a complete stranger. I had no idea what was going on. You'd think that Someone Up There would have told me what to do, but no. I was dead, cold, alone, and scared out of my mind. Nobody could see me. Nobody could hear me. Nobody except old Pattycakes Blackwell, and she didn't want to admit I was there. So don't you dare lecture me, sweetheart. You don't know from nothing.
I-
Forget it. Let's just concentrate on the case.

Finally Joey lets loose about the time after his death. It all sounds like it was pretty damn confusing. Rosa and Joey won't talk about the issue with each other any further at this point, preferring to leave the argument unfinished for now.

Storm



Alright, with that bit of backstory dealt with, it's time to work on coming face to face with this Deacon character. Rosa and Joey arrive back at Bellevue, but it's just shutting up for the night.

Oh well. Looks like we have to wait until tomorrow.
No can do, toots. Remember what she said? The Deacon comes to her at night, when she's SLEEPING. Waiting until tomorrow won't do us any good.
What, you think we can just waltz right into Susan's room?
Sure.
How?
Improvise, sweetheart. That's what this gig is all about.

I love the way Joey's solution to everything is "how about you just break and enter?"

While we're here, we should talk to Joey about the radio he floated near earlier.

Joey, what happened with that radio?
What do you mean?
When you got near the radio. The signal got interupted. Was that you?
Yeah.
How do you do it?
No idea. Although your aunt never let me get near the TV during "Days of our Lives." I'm sure there's some scientific explanation, but I have no way of knowing and, frankly, who the heck could we ask?

This is the game's hand-wavey explanation for another of Joey's "abilities" - he can disrupt airborne waves, which in later titles will include telephone signals and wireless modems.



Rosa figures that perhaps she can just talk her way back in again. It's not that inconceivable considering the guard bought her painfully obvious lies last time.

Visiting hours are over, miss. She's probably sleeping by now.
About Susan Lee...
I TOLD you. Visiting hours are over.
It will only take a few minutes...
Sorry, miss. Rules are rules. Nobody gets in past visiting hours. Nobody.

Rosa can continue pestering the guard.

Please can't I go past?
...
Oh jeez. I told you. Visiting hours are over, miss.

I'll admit it, I get a kick out of Rosa's earnestness in continuing to try here She can try to sneak past:

Hey, what's that behind you?
Just the duty roster. I'm on double shifts this week.

She can try to threaten the security guard:

Look, you'd better let me pass, or...
Or what? You'll keep glaring at me? Forget it, miss. Don't threaten me again, or I'll have you escorted out.

And hilariously, she can even try to seduce the security guard:

Uh, you're kinda cute.



I will never, ever, get tired of Rosa's grin I love the way the security guard has his head in his palm here.

I'm flattered, miss, but I'm gay.
Oh! I'm sorry.

Hahahaha. Beautiful.



Rosa returns to the fusebox she scouted out near the beginning of the game. Perhaps if she can short out the power, she'll be able to sneak past the security guard.

Judging by the flickering lights, it must be broken. You need a key to open it.



Some small keys. One of them is labelled "F.B.", I assume that means fusebox.

Of course, Rosa can't simply take the keys, or the security guard notices her and asks what she wants.



The solution, of course, is to have Joey disrupt the radio signal, and while the security guard fiddles with the antenna, Rosa swipes the key for the fusebox.

I could probably do something with this.

You sure could, Rosa!



Rosa waltzes on over to the fusebox, and shorts the power out, alerting the security guard. The music stays on at this point, so presumably that radio is battery-powered.

Now you've done it. You'd better find a place to hide, quick.



You'd better leave, miss. I can't be held liable for your safety until the lights are repaired. I'll get the elevator for you.

Rosa has only seconds to find a good place to hide, or else she is discovered by the security guard, who is somehow not even slightly suspicious that the only visitor in the hospital is hanging around the open fusebox right after the lights have gone off.



Continuing to prove he is the worst security guard ever, Rosa is able to continue re-entering the hospital and shorting out power, getting caught each time without repercussion, until she finally succeeds in hiding. It doesn't look obvious that this nook is a good hiding spot in this screenshot, but when Rosa steps in here she gets a bit darker, as though she is obscured in shadow. I guess that emergency exit light doesn't go around the little corner here.



As the security guard switches the power back on for the tenth or so time, Rosa sneaks down the hallway to Susan's room.



All is quiet as Rosa and Joey sneak into Susan's ward. I guess the power buzzing on and off didn't wake her up.

She's asleep.
Yeah. Like a baby. It won't be long.
Before what?

The Deacon's Theme



With a flash and some noxious vapers, a hideous being oozes in from the mirror and takes a ghostly form, pausing only to sip from a flask before floating on over to Susan. This, presumably, is the infamous Deacon.

Please? Please! Can't you help me? Please? I don't know what to do! I don't wanna burn! Please...

Straight away, he starts pleading out loud in a panicked voice.



Please! You can't hear me here, but you can hear me in your dreams. Please! Wake up and help me!

I was kind of expecting something more sinister, but this dude seems more frightened than anything else.

It's out there. Watching. Waiting. Susan. Susan. You called me. You can help me.

At this point, Joey decides to speak up.

Ahem.
Ignore them, Susan. Listen to me. Help me. Please.
Hey! I'm talking to YOU, clown shoes!
...



Presumably the Deacon is used to everyone else not being able to see him, so he is understandably surprised when Joey addresses him.

Yeah. So can you calm down long enough to tell me what the hell's going on?
I... can't! You're like me!
What do you mean?
Dead, like me!

This immediately sets the Deacon apart from other ghosts we will encounter in these games - he is well aware of his own death. Joey immediately recognises this as the rarity is is.

Wait a minute. Just a god damn minute. You know you're dead?
Yes!
Well that certainly saves time. We can help you.



Joey whips off his tie and offers it to the Deacon. With any luck, we can help him move on and he'll leave Susan alone.

However, the Deacon is having none of it, and recoils in horror.

No! Get that away from me!
What the hell is wrong with you? You need saving. We're here to save you. What's the problem?
I can't!
What are you so scared of? You're stuck, right? We can help you move on.
No! I don't want to!

The Deacon somehow knows what the tie does, and he wants no part of it whatsoever.

You don't... want to?
No. I... I'm afraid!
Oh, you're afraid, are you?



Joey is getting more and more pissed here. Rosa tries to take over for a while...

What do you want?
Safety! Sanctuary. It's following me. Waiting. Watching. Trying to take me! But it hasn't caught me yet. Not yet.

...but Joey isn't interested in backing down.

Yeah, whatever. This guy's off his nut. Let me handle this, babydoll. I know how to speak to spooks like this.
What hasn't caught you?
It! It! I see it everywhere. In every shadow. In every corner. Why is it after me? Why?!
The soft touch ain't gonna cut it, sweetheart. You're too green. Let me show you how it's done.

Rosa wants to try one more time, though.

Who is after you?
It! It! Haven't you ever seen it?
Forget it, kid. He isn't listening. We're wasting our time. He knows he's dead. We don't need kid gloves to handle this. Let me take over.

At this point, there are two possible options - Rosa can either continue trying to help the Deacon, or she can let Joey take over. Technically, having Rosa succeed in dealing with the Deacon is the "good" outcome, and if she fails at it too often Joey just forces his way in and deals with it himself. For the sake of this LP, we'll let Joey handle it today, and I'll show Rosa's method of dealing with the Deacon in tomorrow's update.

Sure. Do it your way.

Joey at this point gets right in the Deacon's face, full of piss and vinegar.

All right, Mac. Spill. You've scared these girls literally to death, and I wanna know why. What are you so afraid of?
I... I don't want to burn!
Burn? Oh, I get it. You think you're going to Hell.

So this is why the Deacon has been pleading for help, and why he doesn't want to move on. Makes sense, I guess. Joey, however, is not impressed.

The devil himself. He told me! Please don't make me go!
You're scared of the devil, huh?
Yes!
Yeah, well. I don't see any devil. There's just you and me. And you know what?



Joey decides to let force and intimidation do the talking for him, grabbing the Deacon by the scruff of his neck.

Hey!
I've been doing this for forty years, bucko. Every ghost I meet goes to their final rest. One way or the other. You're scared? I don't give a rat's ass. Two people are dead because of you. So take the damn tie and let's get this over with.
No! You can't make me! Don't make me burn. Please!



Not one to be deterred, Joey socks him in the stomach.

Hurts, don't it?
How..?
Ghosts aren't supposed to feel pain, but I've learned some tricks. Now take the damn tie!

By this point Joey is practically yelling through his teeth, much to the chagrin of Rosa.

Joey, stop it!
Kid, stay out of this. This is between me and the spook. So are we gonna do this the easy way? Or the hard way?
Please! No! What are you gonna do to me? Please don't make it get me! I don't want to go to Hell!



Joey isn't taking any shit though, and socks him another one.

Hell. Shmell. You wanna stop talking crap?
Hey! Stop! Let me talk to him, okay?

Whenever Rosa interjects, we can switch back to letting Rosa handle things if we like, though she now has less chances to get it right, having already "used" a couple up by letting Joey smack the Deacon around. But let's stick with Joey for now.

I don't believe in Hell, buddy. But you have two choices. The slight possibility of an eternal torture in Hell. Or the dead certainty of an eternal torture by ME.
But... you can't!
Sure I can. You gonna stop me?
I...



Joey is seriously intimidating here. He's beating the shit out of the Deacon.

You're hurting him, Joey.
Yeah, that's the idea. You got any better ones?
Let me talk to him.

Rosa again offers to take over, but we'll turn her down again.



Joey continues his physical assault on the Deacon, punching him several times and only stopping to ask if he's had enough.

Well?
Fine! Just stop hurting me, please!
Good boy. Take the tie.



Rosa is not at all pleased about what she's seen here, but Joey is too angry to listen to her.

This WHAT? It got the job done, didn't it? Now yank this loser out of here so we can go home.
Fine.



Rosa pulls the tie, and as usual ends up flat on her face in Nodespace. The Deacon is NOT happy to be here.

I don't want to do this! Please, send me back!
I don't think that's possible.
He forced me here. I...



JESUS FUCK HOLY SHIT

NO! I told you! There's no escape!
What is THAT?

A giant fucking demon, or possibly even the actual devil, appears out of fucking nowhere I guess Joey's "slight chance" has just paid out.



Rosa immediately tries to hightail it out of here, but the portal vanishes behind her. This is turning into a seriously bad evening.



So now the goddamn devil himself has crashed the party and wants the Deacon's soul. Better hope he wasn't watching when Rosa drugged Moti earlier or he may be leaving with two for the price of one! How will Rosa handle this situation? See you all tomorrow for the final update of Legacy!