amuze | 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Now, this is curious. Kokichi had noticed this girl heading for the circus tent, and being his naturally curious self (to be charitable about the character trait of 'nosy'), he'd taken interest in what she was doing....

But this is even more of a mystery.]

Well, on first look. Maybe it's just this part of it. Maybe we just haven't seen people yet. Assumptions are dangerous, you know.

( mafuyu pauses- she hadn't expected someone else to be here, but given the circus's prominence and how everyone is scrambling for answers that haven't come, it's not surprising.

even if she's got a bad feeling about this, it's a location to check. )

That's true. ... It looks like its on the verge of falling apart.

( ... she's going in. )

Most things do here. I consider it 'rustic charm'. Very home-y, if you're a clown like me.

[He's not saying that without an underscore of yeah, I don't trust it, but he's amused at the commonality.]

Were you going to check the inside? It's better if you don't go alone - could be dangerous. I'll check with you~

... I would consider this sort of tent to be clown negligence.

( i- mafuyu?? okay. but she doesn't say no and in fact offers an appreciative smile!

the oppressive feeling of "get the heck out" doesn't seem to go away. this does nothing to deter mafuyu. )

I'm not sure where to begin.

Well. There sure ain't no clowns yet apart from me, so you may be right.

[Nonetheless, hey, she seems chill with it, so he's walking in alongside her. There's that distinct feeling of you shouldn't be here but from experience, that spurs him on further. If he's looking for answers, that's exactly where to go.]

We~eeeeeelll. Lessie. Maybe a general scan of what we can see, then plunge further into what we can't.

[He looks up, and then hums.]

The scaffolding above it and the trapeze bars. Do you know what's wrong with them?

[He's figured out right away that they seem to be made of flimsy material, but he wants to see how observant his companion is.]

( well. let's take a look. )

... They look frail. I don't think they could hold anyone. Poor quality, or age...?

Correct. It's shoddy materials, actually. Whoever put this together clearly had no regard for workplace safety procedures.

But I'm not sure if the things I've seen so far can even feel pain, and this is leading me to believe that either it doesn't matter, or that death essentially means nothing to them.

Or...they can't die.

It still speaks volumes to the disregard for human lives, but for nonhumans I suppose it doesn't matter.

[He's distrustful of those puppet-like things, whatever they are, most of all.]

I see.

( mafuyu frowns, unaware of it. the park attendants... she tried not to look at them at all, especially once she realized they were empty. it made her stomach churn just thinking about them. )

... They're hollow, did you notice? They might not have any weight at all.

Hollow...so they may not even need the support. That's something I hadn't considered, but it makes sense. Apart from how they're...well, maybe they're not even alive.

[Freaky paper people. He shakes his head, before he walks to the main stage.]

It's a nice setup in here, I'll give 'em that.

Is it? I've never really been to a circus before, so I'm not familiar.

( and if he really is a clown, he'd certainly know. after a moment of looking, she climbs onto the main stage and looks around. but... it really does feel like its futile. )

... Clown-kun. What do you make of all of this? This... place entirely. It doesn't feel like it should be real, right?

I've been plenty of times! It's fun when you go in high spirits~

[Kokichi looks to Mafuyu, chuckling a bit.]

Neeheehee. Kokichi-kun is fine. Oma Kokichi. And...it probably shouldn't be. But I've got some pretty good reasons for not questioning it all.

( maybe it is fun to go, but it's also 'lowly' and 'classless' and as such, the asahina parents would never allow it. so it sort of sucks that this place will be her only experience with amusement parks or circuses.

at his self-introduciton, she nods. )

Mafuyu Asahina. ... What do you mean, though?

Asahina-chan.....

Well, I've been through a lot of weird situations lately. I'm the leader of a top-secret organization, so it's not a new order of business to get kidnapped...

[He pauses, but then a twisted smile forms on his face.]

...And I'm supposed to be dead right now.
So I'm not sure what is real and what isn't right now, given that fact.

( ... you know, she'd say that sounds fake? but a man made flowers bloom from his steps and gave her a flower bracelet he grew in moments. so like. she can't dismiss either notion entirely. she's pretty sure she witnessed a girl turn a ring into a large gem- it wasn't any of her business, of course, so she hadn't said anything about it but still- and there was a man in straight up jrpg armor.

so like.

go off, she guesses.

that said, he won't get a reaction out of her. instead, mafuyu frowns a bit, but otherwise she remains composed. ... mostly. her nails are digging into her palms with too much force. )

I see.

[Kokichi's twisted smile fades, and he simply shrugs. He caught the frown, and how her knuckles twisted just the slightest bit - he's always one for details, and now he can tell she really is unadjusted.]

Yeah, unfortunate. Most people would usually be more afraid, but...

That's why I'm not concerned about anything happening. There's not much worse I can get, really. How about you? Did you just lead a normal life before this?

( yeah, he has no idea how bad it is. for what it's worth, she doesn't recover too quickly despite everything. )

I did. I go to an all-girl's school in Shinjuku, and it's known for high standards but it really is just an ordinary school. It's a peaceful town, and I don't believe anything strange has happened before... and I don't remember being in danger at any point before this. I can't say anything like this has ever happened before.

But I've seen a man who grows flowers where he walks here. Whatever this place is, it isn't home. That simply isn't possible.

TDM 01

iii

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