amuze | TDM 01

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!tdm

TDM 01

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.

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( mafuyu smiles and nods, almost laughing a little. )

It looks like I'm on the right track, then! Aside from this... strange detour. It almost feels like a dream, doesn't it?

( a mysterious carnival manned by beautiful venitian masked shadows... except in the most terrifying way, with the worst takes on standard rides. more like a nightmare, really. )

Thank you.

[This seems to be calming her down, which is nice. Gary's not sure his heart could take it if he left this kid in the same state he found her in.]

[He settles a little further back on his haunches, trying to affect a more casual air.]

Gary! Gary Epps. [Mirroring Shiemi's tone almost unconsciously, Gary punctuates this with a wide grin.] It's nice to meet you, Shiemi Moriyama. I'm guessing from the, ah--fanfare, that you just arrived? I saw it from-- [a vague gesture behind him] --back that way.

[ NOT WHAT IF HE IS when will somebody humble him!!

Oh... He means that kind of dream. She had wondered if that was what they were referring to, but this place seems too kind to replace the nightmare that had overtook her dreams prior. It was a dream of reaching toward the stars over and over, but falling each time. It was a dream of unending death and despair that ended with such a sharp pain that she thought it might have been real.

Maybe it was. ]

Oh...

[ She might agree if she weren't so distracted by the flashy display. Kuroe does offer the man a slightly closer look though, folding her hands in front of her as she leans forward just slightly with a frown. Her eyes widen seconds later as she starts to process exactly what he is. She's never seen anyone who radiates magic in quite the way this person does, though that's not quite surprising - she's only met so many others, and most of them are as weak-willed as she is.

She takes a small step back, a touch intimidated to be approached like a person like this, and to call himself an advisor to a person like her... Maybe it is a dream? ]

Um, I'm not very strong, or brave like others, but if you don't mind... [ She fidgets a little. She wants to change that about herself though, however out of reach that might seem, ] If it's okay... Um, I'll do my best, so....

[ She trails off, still a bit flustered by being in the presence who could probably kill her with just the snap of their fingers, but it seems that she's trying to ask him to accompany her. ]

Right. I'm just happy I'm not the only one that was kidnapped and dropped into the devil's fun park. [A beat.] --Well, maybe not. I'm not glad that anyone's here? Anyway.

[Gary slips his hands into his pockets, rocking slightly on his heels.]

So--you said there were others? How many are we talking about?

A doctor? That's amazing...

[ She touches her hand to her chest before letting it drop back down to her side. It's not her dream, but she can see the wonder in being a person who cares for others... But she supposes that's not the time to be thinking about it. It seems doubtful that it'll help either. ]

Mm... It's like the beginning of a horror film. It makes me feel like something might pop out of the shadows at any moment...

[ She shifts a little bit, looking around as though just saying it might be enough to summon whatever unseen creature might be lurking about. ]

Do you think there are any workers here? There should has to be somebody controlling the puppets, right...?

[ Or whatever they are. They're not human at least. ]

Mm... I wonder if that's it...

[ There's plenty of scams like that. It's no different than get rich quick schemes, or advertisements for weight loss miracles that do more harm than good. If she were to be more optimistic about it, Kuroe might think it were meant to be more like Disney - a place where dreams come true, but of course visiting an amusement park won't cure what ails a person.

She folds her hands in front of her. It doesn't seem like anyone intended to come here, and there's no one to guide them along as they go. But others seem to be trying, so she thinks she should too. ]

Um... Do you think they're looking for something? It can't be money, or at least I don't think so...

[ Her voice is quiet, uncertain, and completely devoid of ideas. After all, what what goals does an amusement park have but entertainment and profit? ]

I think the clothes are... empty.

( she didn't see anything in the eye holes- just a pitch-black void.

relatable, honestly. )

Still. It's a little reassuring to know not everyone is entirely out of their depths here!

( which means she's the perfect volunteer for this next idea: )

The ferris wheel's been bothering me for a while now. Would you care to check it out with me?

Mm... nine, that I saw? Maybe more. I get the feeling we won't be the only arrivals.

( but she gets it, honestly. even she can't help but be relieved to see other people amidst shadows and disjointed puppets. tapping her chin in thought, she frowns slightly. )

Most seem to be my age, to be honest.

( concerning in it's own right, but perhaps it's because theme parks carry a child and teen demographic? )

( mafuyu watches- the awe in the other girl's eyes, however faint, is sweet in it's own right. when it's just one person, not attached to requests and burdens, it's nice.

shame it won't last long.

there's more pressing matters anyways. )

I feel the same. The dark rides seem especially troubling, don't you think? It'd be hard to see anything coming.

( something she'll learn the hard way. but she shakes her head. )

I've only seen the puppets, and us. I couldn't see anyone controlling them though.

[ Relief, recognition, or something else entirely... that doesn't matter at the moment. Whatever it is, Kanade can't help but feel a little happy; there's just the smallest warmth that's settled in her chest that comes from seeing Mafuyu.

And it's better to focus on another person.

In her eyes, anyway. ]

Mm. It definitely feels pretty different from the empty SEKAI. Although if it is something else... I'm a little worried.

[Gary does not try to hide the flash of disgust that twists his face.]

Great. So it's not just a serial kidnapper, but a kidnapper that's fixated on the under-twenty crowd. That's messed up.

[He blinks, suddenly sheepish.]

--I mean, assuming you're under twenty? You don't look--how old are you?

hi boo i'm back again, do characters have any strange memories before they get here? like hearing a voice maybe or something like that? or is it "well this is a nice and dandy canonpoint- wait where the fuck am i"?

[ Fubuki seems to be just as freaked out as Mafuyu is, especially because she's never seen anything like this place in her entire life. She's been nervously pacing around, trying to avoid the weird masked creatures that move around but don't actually smell like anything alive, and trying to keep herself from just finding somewhere to hide.

And then she spots Mafuyu, and makes a beeline to her. Sticking close to someone would be better than being all alone, and this girl seems just as lost as she is! ]

We'd be able to tell if we were dreaming, right?

Mm. This isn't like anything I've seen before. ... I don't think I've ever been to an amusement park, so it can't be mine. And it doesn't feel like... you, either.

( there's a lot she's lost touch with. the desire to go to an amusement park staffed by- by marionettes is definitely not something she has in her heart at all. and it can't be kanade's, because kanade is...

warm. healing, at best. consistent, at worst.

not analyzing that right now. instead, she points to the device on her wrist again. )

Do you have something like this, too?

Mm... I'm not sure? I know lucid dreaming is a concept, but I'm not sure how it's done, or if it can happen on accident...

( at least mafuyu accepts being her lifeline, so to speak, with ease. but the thing on her wrist isn't budging, so mafuyu gives up with a soft sigh. )

This could be anything.

[ Fubuki holds out her own wrist, tugging her kimono up to reveal the device. While not bloody, her skin is definitely red and irritated from her scratching at it. ]

I couldn't get mine off either. I guess you don't know what they are either, huh?

[ Even without answers, Fubuki finds herself calming down quite a bit from conversing. ]

I wonder if those weird things with the masks put them on us...

The only amusement park I'm familiar with is... Phoenix Wonderland. But this doesn't look like that.

[ It looks very much not like that.

It feels... dissonant. To Kanade, it reminds her of some of the darker songs that she's heard some of the other producers put out on the internet.

For a moment, it sends shudders down her spine, her face turning only the slightest hints of pale just thinking about it.

She wants to go home.

But those thoughts are washed away with a question, one that's at least, relatively easy to answer as she raises up her own left wrist for Mafuyu to see. ]

...Yeah, looks like it. Does yours work at all?

Yeah, actually...

[ caspar reaches into one of his pockets, slightly obscured by his long tunic, and pulls out what looks like a handful of those tokens. he laughs brightly as even he knows he can count to two. if he can't knock someone down after two swings of his axe or his fist, then caspar is in big trouble. ]

... can probably get some of that soda, too. Whatever that is.

[ if it's cheaper, surely it can't be better. right? which suddenly makes caspar wonder how much trouble they're in.

oh well. ]

Here. [ he slaps down the coins and slides them into the strangely dark stand. there's something or someone working inside of it, but it's mostly covered in a way that others can't see those employed performing dark culinary magic. ]

So, uh. What's your name?

[ he will continue to enjoy himself and not notice how noah may or may not be staring, and certainly won't pay attention to the fact he's somehow rendered this strange person speechless until he starts up again. ]

Hey, fat can taste good. [ why chew when you can also swallow? he better not be wasting good fat. caspar pouts for a moment, raising his lower lip and furrowing his brows in a relatively lighthearted frown. ] But big thinking? I guess that's pretty important.

[ plenty of tacticians out there, some who are also willing to put themselves on the frontlines, too. ]

Oh! Well, yeah. I gotta ask questions. I have no idea where we are. You seem like you do. So... other than havin' a map of the place... what do you know?

[ does he have to 'intimidate' noah... ]

You think?

[ caspar hums lightly, placing the mallet down on the game while continuing to stare at the holes. at least he's acknowledging the stranger? ]

Uh. How do I fix it, do I just reach in there and...

[ where there's a hole, there's a way. so caspar does put his hand in. ]

... I don't feel anything.

[ and he's going deeper. and deeper. ]

Hey. You mind helping?

Soda is a sweet drink with carbonation. Carbonation makes it... bubbly, basically? And keeps the drink from spoiling. Though... it's not going to be healthy, if we're kept too long...

( but she'll let him pay, because. well. if you were going to make someone clearly younger than you pay for food and drink, maybe you deserve to get kidnapped to a hell-dimension amusement park.

anyways.

mafuyu watches the stall for a moment, before smiling again. )

I am Mafuyu Asahina. And you?

Not that I've seen.

( it will turn on within ten hours, giving her access to her new home. it's going to be the worst.

if kanade is there for it, they can at least continue writing music together?

but for now, mafuyu is painfully ignorant and she doesn't care for it, gotta be honest! ... nor does she like seeing that look on kanade's face. a ghost tour is one thing. this is... something else entirely. )

That fog outside the gates is ominous. I want to try going through it.

( ... which is kanade's only warning before mafuyu just. goes for it. brb k, going to experience some sensory hell! this is what she gets for being proactive for once. )

I actually don't know where we are either. Surprise!

[He beams, and then sits so that one knee is bent and his elbow can rest on top of it. Inclining his head toward Caspar, he motions with his eyes to the left of them, where the entrance to the cirque tent is.]

I just walked in here. I don't remember how I got here, but I was in a different amusement park in the Demon Realm prior to arriving, so I guess I'm kind of... used to this sort of environment. Sorry~! I know that's not helpful.

Huh? Oh, uh, you're welcome.

[Usually he'd ask for thanks in the form of money. A man's gotta make a living somehow, but... he has a feeling that his type of money isn't being used here. When he'd passed by the food earlier, it all required tokens.

He doesn't have any tokens. He imagines she doesn't either.]

Tell all your friends about me~! The great fortuneteller Noah Ebalon!

[Please, we are begging you to drop the fortune-teller persona.]

Mmhm. I'm sure they'd have fun with it.

( mizuki would be annoying, but in a good way. asking all sorts of questions, talking and gossiping- they'd want to try it too, and probably get along with this boy like tea and honey. ena... ena would probably get huffy about 'fate' and then try anyways. get mad if the outcome isn't favorable. she's cute and bossy and rude like that.

kanade would ask so many questions for her music. she'd want the reassurance that she could save someone.

mafuyu's smile softens a little. )

Ah... but should you really be doing this here? This tent has a strange atmosphere to it.

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SOMEHOW DREAMWIDTH DIDN'T SEND ME THIS LMFAO???

I FEEL LIKE DREAMWIDTH ATE ONE OF NENE'S TAG NOTIFS FOR U TOO... DW PLEASE