ercookies | TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK

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TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK

00. Arrival

This time, you come out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface and carrying you to shore.

Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals will be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card is already loaded up. Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see. Most of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair, and beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased.

With that in mind, it may be wise to stake your claim on a rundown apartment, a tent on the beach, or a bed in the “comfortable” new barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home.

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I. SIX FLAGELLANTS

Welcome, one and all, to a thrilling new location! Robots have worked tirelessly to build, from the ground up, what can only be recognizable as an amusement park. You are just in time for the grand opening of Six Flagellants: Great Advagtures!

The Ferris Wheel routinely stops when lovebirds reach the top, waiting for a kiss - or something more daring! - before it starts up again.

Robots warn of the scary Haunted House: a dark building with wall-to-wall creeps, and hot and cold running chills. Flickering ghosts roam the halls, and you may find an eerily realistic Headless Horseman -- who bids you, "Come closer. Give me head," while pointing to yours. Hey, get your mind out of the... Nevermind.

The Carousel is a two-story affair. Nude figures with familiar faces lounge about, waiting to be ridden, and closer inspection proves that they have the faces of your fellow islanders. Hop on your favorite person and take them for a spin!

There are even Bumper Cars, which have the interesting effect of making one feel more aroused with every bump and impact. (It's randomized each time, so don't try to guess based on car color!)

What should be a similar ride, the Teacups, has the robots' madness written all over it instead. They have misunderstood the gentle spin-cycles for dangerous, dizzying loop-the-loops across a wide track. Some would swear that the ride has a supernatural invocation for fear. Others are simply man enough to admit they're afraid.

Lastly, the Tunnel of Love is not what you expect. Although flavored lube and guides to cunnilingus are on each fleshy-log-shaped boat, the motion of the ocean is quite soothing, and there's a pleasant floral scent in the air that causes a light intoxication.

Don't forget to try the food! Similar to the Street Kiosks, there's a ton of faire food: cotton candy, corn dogs, and the like.

Mascot outfits are available and those who wear them will be rewarded generously with credits.

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II. LIKE A FIREWORK

The next morning, you receive a message on your device: You are cordially invited to a celebration of skinship at the House of Worship. Please do not dress for the occasion.

If asked about it, the robots will confirm that is not a specific holiday, but a simple joyous event. If you pry, they may even say that the Old Ones often made merry and partook in the pleasures of the flesh - and so too should you.

For an hour, there will be food and drink - alcoholic and aphrodisiac. Then, at the designated time, once the sun has gone down, clothes will be shed and a revelry begun.

As fireworks explode overhead, the different colors send the naked senses reeling:

Red: You are amorous towards the people around you. Yours is a joyous celebration. The Auspicious Acts you offer are happy and lighthearted, full of kisses and sweet nothings.
Orange: You feel bold and adventurous, eager to try something - or someone - new. Your preferred Acts may be dangerous or exciting, perhaps with more than one person.
Yellow: You feel reverence when you watch the fireworks, reverence when you look at your fellow people. You feel blessed to be part of the celebration at the House of Worship, and you make the Acts you complete into Acts of worship. You are all about the spirit of generosity.
Green: You are not here to celebrate. Jealousy is your lot. Uncover a new side of yourself, full of bitterness and resentment, and try an Act that treads the fine line between light and dark.
Indigo: You are proud to celebrate! Those around you are lucky to bask in your presence. You have a newly-minted domineering attitude that makes itself known, and your Acts are likely to be something where you'll come out on top.
Violet: These fireworks make you feel unusual - the opposite of yourself. You are different in all that you want to do, preferring Auspicious Acts that you may not have thought twice about before.

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III. MISTLETOE

mistletoe

sensory deprivation

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N A V I G A T I O N

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

00. Arrival

The water is horrendously cold as it tumbles him towards shore. Salt stings at his eyes and burns so sharply at the back of his throat and in his nose that by the time he manages to find purchase in the sand to pull himself upright, he nearly vomits. The brightness of the light once he finally manages to scrub his eyes open without getting further salt in them doesn't help - even an overcast sky is uncomfortable, prickling uncomfortably at his skin and forcing him to squint.

It takes him longer, therefore, to get his bearings, and so when the automaton approaches it catches him off guard. Essek startles back a step before automatically attempting to float himself an inch or two off the ground -- only to realize that he can't.

It's that realization that suddenly wipes away every other concern. He sharply takes the offered towel and device from the burbling contraption, violet eyes scanning over both with sharp curiosity. Essek seems to forget that he's dressed only in his sleeping clothes, a fine white tunic and dark leggings, both now soiled and sticking wetly to his skin, before circling the automaton nearly like a predator examining a peculiar new prey.

"How do you work, I wonder?" And might it be the reason there is something very, very wrong.

I. Six Flagellants

If there's one single thing that could possibly represent the total opposite of Essek's typical day-to-day, an amusement park would have to be it. The entire concept feels terribly foreign, hardly at all helping him cope with the troubling answers he's managed to uncover thus far about this new place he's found himself in. He's managed to find simple enough dark clothing and some peculiar glasses that help shield his eyes from the brightness of the daylight a little, but even after an hour outside will begin to give him an extraordinary headache, forcing him to seek out darker spaces inside.

Which is how he finds himself on the Tunnel of Love, perhaps sitting next to you, assuming that the lightheadedness he feels is just an effect of the light and his headache.

"It's all rather...excessive, isn't it?"

II. Fireworks

Nighttime is so vastly preferable to the garishness of day. The brightness keeps him indoors mostly, and in the wake of the past day or two, mostly asleep until the evening.

The House of Worship part gives him more pause than anything else. Being forced to pretend piety in his own culture is grating enough, and Essek has no intentions of having to become tangled in such things in a foreign world. But there is still much that could be learned from the rituals that are followed here, to determine who or what holds power, and, perhaps, how to regain what he himself has lost.

He dresses, fully intending to keep his clothes in place - at least in public. Lingering at the edge of the crowd as people begin to shed their clothing, Essek focuses on the fireworks, feeling particular prickles up his skin when Green and Violet burst brilliantly in the sky.

III. Mistletoe

Each day here seems to bring on a unique and frustrating challenge. As though the deprivation of particular spells wasn't bad enough, the peculiar effects of the food and drink, the general atrocious state of the whole place were proving to be challenges Essek had not been prepared to face.

Now, as suddenly as snuffing a flame, his vision is gone entirely. As much as he'd been seeking a solution to the constant headaches during the day, this isn't precisely what he'd had in mind.

It happens just as he passes under an archway, not at all aware of the small sprig of strange plant that hangs above.

Essek stops suddenly in his tracks, perhaps colliding, or nearly so, into someone nearby. Again, he tries to float himself out of stumbling, and again, it doesn't work. He throws out an arm, seeking to grab onto something as he loses his balance. There's a soft curse under his breath.

"Apologies. Might I have some assistance?"

[ ooc: Essek is post episode 99 / through ep 120. Feel free to write your own starter if you wanna wildcard! I prefer to write in prose, but you don't have to match formats if you prefer brackets. Drop me a PM if you have any questions ♥ ]

Edited 2020-12-19 02:22 (UTC)

The beach is by no means Caleb's usual haunt. He hasn't been back since roughly this time last month, when he'd first arrived himself. But he's on a mission today to see if he recognizes anyone washing up out of the surf. He walks for half a mile down the beach before he sees a dark, slender figure inspecting one of the robots and realizes that yes, in fact, he does.

His steps slow almost to a halt as his focus narrows. How someone so bedraggled and clearly wearing night clothes can still manage to look so elegant is beyond him. It's so very Essek it's almost laughable. But Caleb doesn't laugh. Something churns in his gut, a sick, nervous feeling, like hope and dread intermingled. It is one thing to know that Jester has been speaking to him, that there are vague plans to see him. It is another to face him, to look him in the eye after a month of silence and distance. After a betrayal and a plea, an understanding and a heartbreaking fracturing of newly-minted trust that still has Caleb twisted up inside as much as it did that very day.

He isn't ready. He isn't ready.

But he can't just turn around and pretend he hasn't seen. Essek is a friend, Essek is an ally, Essek is a problem, Essek is a liability. All of these things are true, and they all mean that he has to connect with him here and now. The world can't wait for Caleb Widogast to get his shit together. (It would be waiting a very long time.)

He walks on. The roaring of the ocean drowns out a similar sound echoing in his ears, in his head. It is shocking to him that his voice comes out evenly when he speaks as he approaches, observational and conversational. Normal.

"That is the question, isn't it? They may look like golems, but they are not like any magical construct I have ever encountered."

Of course Essek would be immediately curious. There's a flicker of fondness in Caleb at that--and oh, there is still fondness here. He'd known that already, but distance has somewhat dampened it with bitterness. Now proximity revives it. Essek is--

Well. Essek is here. And what that means is up to him. The impetus is still on Essek to rebuild, if that is what he wants.

Edited 2020-12-19 03:14 (UTC)

Between his focused fascination and the continuous rolling and foaming of the waves, Essek doesn't quite hear the footfalls in soft sand until they are nearly upon him. His mind reaches for five different spells at once, even though keenly aware that none of them are likely to work. If a simple cantrip had failed earlier, there is no guarantee of anything.

The automaton had been cooperative so far, and at the newcomer's approach, it burbles a greeting that...sounds friendly?

But the voice that answers him is not the one he'd expected. Not by a long shot. The slight, particular accent of the empire woven into a soft voice. Essek immediately dismisses any thoughts of an imagined warmth to it; it's difficult to think that Caleb would just allow whatever lingering fondness he may have left to slip out. He'd made the distance between them painfully clear the last time they'd spoken.

A distance Essek had to find a way to bridge himself.

It still aches to hear his voice, though. Trepidation creeps into his chest, transforms into unpleasant nervousness in the pit of his stomach. He's ached to see them again; any of them. Having been brought out of his own solitude, returning to it had felt agonizing. And Caleb...

It's probably already been a moment too long. Essek turns, glancing him out the corner of his eye before pushing up from where he'd been squatting in the sand. There's still another awkward number of seconds as violet eyes sweep over Caleb, searching for a hint of something. Hostility, anger, ambivalence, relief - any clue he could find, just to know how to respond.

In the end, his own relief at seeing a familiar face wins out. The smile is little more than a faint curl at the corner of his lips, though it lingers in his eyes.

"So you're saying it is not powered by magic at all?" A bit difficult to believe, but clearly possible.

Likewise, Caleb is doing everything he can to read Essek. It's difficult as ever, but helped by the fact that Caleb has now seen him at his most vulnerable. He gives no outward indication of being uncomfortable, but Caleb knows this must be as much of an ordeal for Essek as it is for him.

They'll have to acknowledge it at some point. But it feels comfortable, almost nostalgic, to trade arcane observations as though there was nothing off between them.

"If so, it is not any magic I have been able to identify. Many of the marvels here are purely mechanical."

Having completed its task by delivering Essek his towel and his new bracelet, the robot gives one of those monotone chirps Caleb has started getting used to before walking on. Perhaps it's needed to welcome another newcomer. Caleb steps closer to replace it, and his brow furrows as he takes a closer look at Essek and his attire.

"But you are soaked through, and it is not so warm today. We should find somewhere to sit while you dry out." Caleb is wearing his old purple Xhorhasian coat. It has definitely seen better days by now, torn in stained in places from constant wear, but still fits him well. He removes it now and offers it to Essek instead. "I probably have an answer to at least a few of the things you are wondering."

About this place, and more personal questions, too.

"I see."

The robot toddles off, and as Caleb steps closer Essek feels his pulse jump and stomach tighten. There's a strange, uncomfortable impulse to step backwards that he manages to ignore. Yes - there are things that they will eventually have to acknowledge, but in truth Essek had never imagined their first reunion to be this...intimate, insofar as none of the others are anywhere to be seen.

And that, in itself, is extremely peculiar.

The towel has been useful for drying his hair and some of his skin, but his clothes still cling wetly to his body, leaving a chill. Essek can't help but note the state of the coat as Caleb hands it to him, remember seeing it new and thinking how well the Xhorhasian style had suited the human from the Empire.

"Thank you," he murmurs, ignoring the heat at the tips of his ears. But-...he wonders...

A soft muttering and tracing of fingertips, he tries another simple cantrip, just to see if it is all truly gone. The relief that washes through him when the stains begin to lift away and some of the threadbare parts renew lifts some of the anxiety from his chest. Essek slips it on easily, grateful for the warmth, and follows where Caleb leads.

"I already have so many questions I hardly know where to begin." Walking on the sand is difficult and awkward and unpleasant. "So I'll ask what has me worried most: have you had difficulty with your magic? It appears some spells work while others do not. What might the reason be?"

Watching Essek Prestidigitate his coat before putting it on brings a small, wry smile to Caleb's lips. "I never did learn that one," he murmurs, and starts trekking back down the beach the way he'd come, unhurried. It surprises him that Essek doesn't simply choose to float to avoid the inconvenience of walking through sand, but his first question clarifies the reason for that immediately. He must not be able to. It's simultaneously cruel and clever for the Augur to block access to Essek's personal gimmick.

"I have," he confirms. "There are handful of higher-level spells that I am no longer able to perform, and a number of others I have yet to test, as many of my components did not arrive here with me." Notably, Essek will be able to see that Caleb has both his spellbook and component pouch on him, which means they'd been returned to him eventually. "As I understand it, the Augur itself--the being that drew us here--is responsible. It is powerful enough not only to stifle our magic, but to disregard the linear flow of time." Actually, the latter is something he definitely needs to speak with Essek about in more detail.

As they walk, they pass by more than one tent situated along the beach. Caleb nods to the nearest one. "I spent my first night here in one of these. It was not pleasant."

He's still debating whether to bring Essek back to the house or somewhere else. Caleb sees the opportunity to talk with him alone like this as beneficial. He has much to say to Essek, and would rather do it in privacy, and before the others have a chance to interfere. Bringing him home would risk derailing all of that. But he also isn't about to make Essek walk around the city soaked with saltwater and shivering.

The house it is, then. He'll ask the others for privacy if he has to.

Edited 2020-12-19 23:10 (UTC)

At court, floating had been a gimmick. Most of the time he hadn't even thought about it, but now without it and in uneven terrain, it feels like he's missing something essential. How ironic.

He gives a brief glance to the tent, seemingly only just held together and far too insufficient for the temperature. "Well then, I am especially grateful you found me."

Essek had noticed immediately the spellbook strapped under Caleb's arm as well as the component pouch. At the very least it seemed as though those things could be reacquired somehow, if they weren't somewhere waiting for him already. But the rest of it is not at all pleasing to hear. He reaches out without thinking, stopping Caleb with a hand on his arm, alarmed.

"Wait - what do you mean? What is this Augur, exactly, that it can do these things?" It sounded akin to a god, but even that seems wrong; were even those of Exandria able to accomplish such things? Once, perhaps, but no more.

But the next important question tumbles from his lips before he waits for the answer to the first two: "And...why?"

00. Arrival

I. SIX FLAGELLANTS

II. LIKE A FIREWORK

III. MISTLETOE

Essek Thelyss | Critical Role | OTA

00. 👀

ho boy

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I, wizard party time x2

nothing's sexier than wizards

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a bit awol with the season, sorry for the slow!

no worries! <3

mistletoe

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