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

I have to wonder the same thing.

( so says the girl who didn't alert kuroe at all that she was nearby. how do you do, fellow sad goth? ... more importantly, mafuyu eyes the ferris wheel in the distance with some distaste before offering an apologetic smile. )

Sorry. I heard you talking and couldn't help but agree.

Oh... No, it's fine...

[ Her chin dips, eyes moving down to her shoes before glancing back up. It's not that she minds company, but she hasn't quite acclimated to being in a place with so few people after spending so long blending into the background of crowds. ]

Do you think they mean real dreams? I mean, like dreams for the future, or maybe the ones that you have at night...

[ That... sounded better in her head. She brushes her hair behind her ear, though it quickly falls back into place. It's only natural to think that they're referring to the former, as those taglines so often are, but what dreams for the future can the dead hold? ]

Just being here, it kind of feels like a dream, doesn't it?

Edited 2022-08-01 22:55 (UTC)

I think it's more the ones we have in our sleep, if only because I have absolutely no idea how this could ever help with my plans to be a doctor.

( 'her' plans.

mafuyu still looks into the distance, with the sunset that hasn't budged an inch glowing still. )

It does, though not one I've ever had. Maybe a nightmare.

( save for the flower bracelet that man placed upon her wrist. that... that was kind. she likes it. it makes her feel warm. )

If it is a dream, it won't let us wake up. I can tell.

Edited 2022-08-02 03:22 (UTC)

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. ]

( 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.

[ The thought of what might be hiding in the shadows sends chills down her spine, but all the rides strike her as a little scary. There's too many factors that are unaccounted for. ]

Maybe they're controlled remotely...?

[ Though they seem too big for that. She shakes her head to dismiss her own idea, and she saves herself the embarrassment of suggesting something as vague as magic. If it's a dream it doesn't even need that. ]

If it's a dream, do you think we can wake up? Or maybe there's another exit somewhere.

[ She laces her fingers together as she looks around, as though the exit might appear out of no where. Normally when people are lost it's best to stay in one place, but in a place like this that feels dangerous. It feels wrong to impose herself on another, but then, magical girls are supposed to protect others. ]

Should we try looking...?

I truly couldn't tell you. They're like disjointed marionettes...

( there's a certain bitterness on her tongue as she says the word. but she quickly shakes it off, only for a different lingering negative feeling to come back with her next words. )

I... tried to go through the mist earlier. It was terrible on every level- it was like I was wandering for hours, and the air smelled foul- it was like trying to walk through a thick jelly, and everything felt electrified. I was only gone for a few minutes... ( even now it feels like there's something in her lungs. ) If there's an exit, I'm not sure we can find it as we are right now.

( that is to say, lost, confused and without answers. it's entirely possible that pushing their luck could get them killed as well. )

... If beyond the park is like that or worse, I'm not sure what we could do.

[ The explanation makes her shudder. The bitterness isn't missed, and it's something that Kuroe can relate to. Her entire body is nothing more than a puppet controlled by magic now, an empty shell that had once been a person, and her entire life was sold away before she even realized she was trading it.

Nothing has changed, and as always there seems to be nothing that she can do to change her fate. ]

That's... [ What words are there for the experienced she'd had? It's beyond horrific. She shakes her head. ] ... Then even the entrance is just a trap set out for us? How cruel...

[ But what else is to be expected. ]

Then... Do we really have no choice but to accept it...?

The mist is a trap- or a warning. But whoever brought us here doesn't want us to leave. ... Or... whatever, I suppose.

( how jarring. despite the sekai, she had never considered magic or monsters to be possible. not on this level, anyways- but she'd been in her room. and she knows the sekai has to happen somehow...

sighing, mafuyu shakes her head. )

I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be discouraging. But if I can spare anyone else that experience in the mist, I want to.

TDM 01

once i had accepted and let in the noise

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject