TDM 01

[ride_technicians]

↞NAVIGATION

WE DON'T

A quiet beep and a series of mechanical clicks draw you to consciousness once more, regardless of how you found yourself on the other side of dark weightlessness. You open your eyes to find yourself standing within the gates of a seemingly rundown amusement park, the forward motion of your feet suggesting you had just stepped through the turnstile directly behind you. A look backward also reveals a row of faceless, inky shadow figures, all seemingly waiting for you to move out of the way and allow them to enter after you.

Another beep, and should you choose to investigate, you will notice a small screened device embedded within the flesh of your left wrist (or elsewhere should that be impossible) The screen itself is dark with static aside from a bright red heart monitor that moves about in the top right corner. It's locked on that glitching, garbled visage, and doesn't respond to any taps or shakes of the wrist.

Floodlights click on from high above, providing a new source of lighting outside of the fiery sunset sky and revealing that this park may not have been as rundown and abandoned as it had first seemed. Off key music blares from somewhere unseen, loud enough to cause discomfort but not severe enough to rattle the teeth from your skull. Previously motionless figures suddenly begin to move, articulating and bending in uncanny ways as they wave and beckon you in towards the park. Their porcelain masks plaster on a cheerful demeanor despite the cracked and dirty state of the masks they wear. Stretched out across the promenade is a clearly handmade sign, the once-white cloth dirtied with years of dirt and grime. Even so, the words GRAND REOPENING! are a clear and stark contrast, painted in some dark liquid that oozes and drips onto the cobblestone below. Streamers and string lights drape haphazardly across the buildings and over the walkway, accompanied by several dozen sad balloons that seem to have lost the majority of their helium long ago.

In the distance looms the dark foreboding shape of a massive Ferris Wheel, standing motionless like a silent sentinel keeping watch over its dominion.

One of the masked dancing figures ripples its way towards you, shoving a pamphlet towards you with a hand that doesn't seem to possess any proper joints for the fingers to move the way they do. This close it's easier to spot that the dark void behind the eye holes seems to go on far too deep, and it isn't an illogical leap from there to come to the conclusion that perhaps there is nothing within this costume to pilot its movements. It moves and sways to the whims of unseen strings, playing the part of a puppet to another's command.

The offered pamphlet appears to be a map of the park's grounds, and whether or not you decide to take it the being soon thereafter slowly retreats back to its starting position. As it reaches its spot, the limbs of its body go slack and it slumps forward slightly, seemingly lifeless. A rippling wave of inactivity seems to roll through the other gathered figures, and one by one they all enter a state of identical deactivation. The music abruptly cuts off. The lighting from above flickers away with a loud electric hum, leaving only the light of the setting sun to guide you. Somewhere behind you, a shadowy figure slowly morphs to take on the form of the next park guest, and the whole routine will repeat itself in an endless loop the moment they gain consciousness the same way you yourself did.

Welcome to AMUZE ★ MENT AVENUE! The park is now yours to explore to your heart's content.

MAKE

The Ferris Wheel at the center of the park continues to play the part of a stone monolith, serving as a landmark to help you orient yourself as you wander the grounds. More of those masked beings seem to be everywhere you look, in various states of animation; some are sweeping the cobblestone walkways, while others seem to be in charge of concessions stands and game stalls that you pass along the way.

And on the subject of game stalls and food stands... You seem to have wandered into the area containing a surplus of both. A big aluminum sign hangs high above your head, spelling out the words PRIZE ALLEY! A central courtyard stands before you, containing a stone fountain depicting what appears to be a seal as it sprays muddy water out of the tip of its snout. The music has returned to this area, though it seems less bent on being overpowering and more content with being the soundtrack to your adventures.

Game stalls litter the area, all begging for you to give them a shot. The one closest to you in particular seems to draw the eye in a way you can't quite understand, and closer examination reveals that the goal of this one seems to be to break a stack of plates with the bucket of baseballs on the stall counter. Another masked figure stands at attention at this stall, waving at you as you approach and motioning to the row of bagged goldfish that sits along the countertop. They all seem to be in excellent condition, and should you find that you cannot resist the urge to try to win yourself a new pet, you may discover that the plates shatter to pieces regardless of the skill behind your aim.

Congratulations!

Winning your new scaled companion doesn't seem to be without its drawbacks, however, as the masked figure promptly reaches behind the counter and hefts a huge ten gallon tank up and onto the surface in front of you, thunking it down with enough force to slosh around the water inside it.

You didn't think you were going to keep that fish in a tiny little bowl, did you? Of course not. You were entirely aware of how inhumane such living conditions are, after all. Please enjoy lugging this aquarium about with you for the remainder of your stay; it's even fully cycled and equipped with an automatic filtration system, courtesy of The Entity.

DREAMZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The sun hasn't seemed to move at all in the time you've spent here, giving you no indication of just how long you've loitered. Ancient looking animals lope about the carousel before you, and beyond that stands the tall shape of a large multicolored tent.

A sign above the open entrance flaps reads CIRQUE ILLUME, the painted-on C a glaring contrast to the rest of the letters, which are carved in wood and bolted on. The flaps of the tent itself are open, though it doesn't appear like anyone is inside. Rows of bleachers line the inside of the tent, facing and surrounding a central raised platform that seems to be the main stage area. Above your head, trapeze bars hang lifelessly, suspended by ropes and scaffoldings that don't quite seem capable of supporting any weight.

The main stage is vacant of any furnishings, and the overhead spotlights are dark and shuttered. You get the distinct feeling that you shouldn't be snooping about in here, though whether that deters you from doing just that is entirely up to your discretion.

ooc

Feel free to have your character wander about the various park attractions as you see fit! Everywhere listed on the locations page is currently available, with the only exception being the Hi-RiZe, which is undergoing maintenance for the duration of this TDM.

Comments

[starsmoothie]

[Noah is sitting, in fact, on his jacket, but he thinks that maybe sitting in the middle of the cirque tent's dirty-ass floor is probably not appropriate for A Lady or something. Therefore, he packs his stuff up and stands, shakes his coat out, and throws it on his shoulders.

How it stays on is a mystery. Regardless, Noah makes his way to some seats within the tent proper, clearly meant for an audience of more than two to hang out in.]

Good enough? Or did you want to leave and get food first? [Food... is important, probably.]

[beathollow]

I have a power bank. It can help keep things going a little bit longer.

( it's just a matter of keeping it charged too. something to keep an eye out for. maybe in the help center...? she'll have to check later. )

... What should we do now?

( because her only idea was a bad one, honestly. and none of the rides look even fun let alone safe. even if she was interested in this sort of thing...

ugh. )

[songsearching]

Alright.

[ She nods in response, a little thoughtfully. But then the question is raised and Kanade is honestly not sure how to answer. Even though she's the leader of their group, that doesn't mean that she's actually good at doing any proper leading.

So instead, Kanade takes out a map in hopes it'd give any sort of answer. Or at the very least, an idea. ]

Let's see. We're here-- [ Kanade points it out. ] Ah. There seems to be a First Aid Station. Or maybe Guest Services...?

[songsearching]

[ That felt like a bit... much to actually admit aloud, she feels. In a way that feels a little sad. But it's "used to", isn't it?

...

Kanade raises a brow, although it's barely noticeable with just how subtle it is. ]

Which one do you want to go on first...?

[familyproblem]

[Gladion actually wanders forward to see those pretty pictures better!

Honestly that particular one is kind of cool. Fuck if he understands why a "knight of swords" is "cocky" and "impulsive", but hey.]

Does it have to be a person? Can an "air sign" be some kind of force from the sky?

[-wait why is he talking like this is serious evidence. BAITED. CONTINUED MILD TO MODERATE EMBARRASSMENT]

[starsmoothie]

[Noah has that effect on people!]

Huh... I guess it could be. If the Gemini keeping us here [he's so stuck on this] isn't a person, but is some sort of sky entity? I can see it.

[The irony in all of this is that Noah is a Gemini Rising, but he's not going to say that to a guy who just barely learnt his sun sign five minutes ago.]

Are you familiar with "forces from the sky"? ...what's your name, anyway? Maybe we ought to start there. I'm Noah! Noah Ebalon.

[familyproblem]

[Yes. Yes he is. Extremely.

Gladion shrugs in casual dismissal.]

Gladion. Nothing specific in mind. Could be anything, right? Or something to do with all that fog?

[starsmoothie]

Wanna go on the drop tower in the distance?

[Noah points to the extremely obvious tower, a distant sign reading "Zky High", per park branding it seems. Z's everywhere.]

[starsmoothie]

Hm.

[He'll let the fortune-teller persona slip now. It's time for Serious Noah.]

Don't know. I do know that the fog is keeping us in somehow, so it could be that. [A beat, and then he ventures,] I have a friend, you could say, that I can sense just outside the fog, like he might be lost in it. It's kind of freaking me out a bit. I don't think going into the fog is a good idea.

[songsearching]

...

[ Does Kanade have a fear of heights? No.

Does she feel her stomach drop at seeing the tower regardless of whether she has a fear or not? ]

Maybe something. Smaller...

[beathollow]

... First aid station. It's best to know what we have to work with, if it becomes necessary.

( and if nothing else, maybe there's patient cots to take a rest on. everything feels awful and heavy and she's not having this 'being awake' nonsense anymore. and frankly, kanade is terribly frail and even if it's just a sunset, being outside for so long won't help her much either.

so. yeah. )

[songsearching]

Yeah.

[ Honestly, Kanade is just glad that she hasn't done any walking yet. And the weather hasn't been beating down on her, either. But she doesn't know if or when that will change.

But she's right: the first aid station is important. And it might become necessary to use sooner rather than later. ]

Let's go, then.

[ They have a destination in mind now. ]

[beathollow]

( ... ostentatious. but sure, okay, he can do that. at the prospect of food she balks a little, shaking her head. )

I've tested the concessions with another person. ... It's a lot of junk food, I don't think it's really all that good. Here's fine, unless you haven't eaten yet- I've gotten some tokens to pay for it.

[beathollow]

Oh...

( right, introductions. how remiss of her. )

I am Mafuyu Asahina. I wish we'd met in better circumstances, but it's a pleasure.

[beathollow]

did you miss me? anyways mafuyu and kanade wanna investigate the first aid station is there anything we should know or can they even get in at all or what

[ride_technicians]

The doors do open and it is fully accessible, although it doesn’t seem like anyone is currently manning it at this moment in time. It’s a single-roomed building, with a shelving system on the right wall containing bandaids, bandages, and various types of disinfectants. There are also a few rows full of different types of pain killers and pill bottles, though these are locked away behind a sheet of tempered glass.

There is a single gurney in the center of the room, a bare desk on the left, and the far wall has several metal drawer cubby holes big enough to hide a body inside when opened. Essentially, this looks a lot more like a mini morgue than it does a first aid station, which has some concerning implications.

[thundercry]

…Oh.

[ Zenitsu watches as Noah fiddles with the device curiously. These screens are so cool??? What the heck. With a shaky hand, the demon slayer tries his own hand (haha) at messing with the keyboard on his device! ]

“Electronic?” Huh… I’ve… never seen something like this before.

[ Zenitsu looks up at Noah again before he speaks. That still… doesn’t really explain what a Nasod is to him. ]

Robots? Magitech? Are they like automatons?

[ He doesn’t know these words but he’s trying his best, help him. ]

[thundercry]

H-Ha, me neither. But we can always try!

[ That’s what Gramps says, at least! He extends a hand with a ball over to her to take. ]

Here.

[thundercry]

O-Oh, okay!

[ He walks over and with relative ease, he lifts up the tank! For once he’s glad for all the training he’s gone through. ]

Where uh, where do you want to put this?

[thundercry]

R-Right!

[ With a renewed confidence, however slight, Zenitsu runs another ball up the ramp. Well, one thing is for sure- his heart rate monitor is going to get some very good ratings from him, all without even boarding many of the rides!

And… he does hear Mafuyu’s tones, her sound… It does sound fake, hollow, almost… But he’s thinking against bringing it up to her yet.

For now, it sounds like they both need a simple game of skeeball, no strings attached. ]

Ah- I’m Zenitsu, by the way! It’s nice to meet you!

[ He does a polite bow. ]

[snackspls]

It's okay, we'll get through this!

[ Or at least, she hopes they will! ]

[beathollow]

will they find power outlets in there?

[songsearching]

Coming in here since I have a few follow up questions as well!

Do any of the items have any expiration dates on them at all?

Also is there anything in the gurney?

And are the cubbies empty?

[ride_technicians]

Yes there are power outlets, which seem to be fully functional

[beathollow]

( it's not a terribly long walk, at least, given that the first aid station is just by the gates. but in her current state, every step feels like a struggle. it's entirely possible that she's just gonna take a nap here.

the station itself is... huh. she'd more expect a regular school nurse's office or something, not... this. )

What's that cabinet...?