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

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i. Arrival

[The last Alec remembers, Max tells him she doesn’t want to see him again, which, yeah, okay. Fair enough, given what he’d just put her through. He definitely owes her that five grand for saving his sorry ass, and he’s got to find a way to come up with that money.

Except that, before he can really come up with any sort of plan in that regard, he finds himself pulled forward into some kind of…bizarre, unknown space? But he doesn’t have long to dwell on that because, before he knows it, he’s shoved forward, almost as though he’s shoved in between spaces, and, without a single shred of dignity or grace, Alec finds himself suddenly in the water, flailing, before he realizes that he can’t actually fight against the tide that is propelling him forward.

When he reaches the shore, he gladly takes the offered towel, though he frowns at the bracelets offered also by the…yep, those sure are robots. He arches an eyebrow.]

And what are these things for, exactly?

[They look like devices Manticore might use to keep track of its subjects, or like something that asshole White might deploy against wayward X5s. Instinctively, Alec bristles at them.]

II. Six Flagellants

[Alec has seen a lot of things in his time, but a sex themed amusement park is definitely a new one for him. Amusement parks in general are foreign concepts to him, given that he’s spent most of his life in Manticore, and, more recently, on the run from Manticore’s remains, so he finds himself wandering, mostly aimlessly, throughout, taking in the sights, sounds, and various experiences. He feels a bit like a fish out of water, but he does his best not to show it, smirking at all of the ridiculous sex themes and merchandise he finds everywhere.

He enjoys the fried foods, though, especially the fried dough, and he’ll probably be casually munching on something, depending on where one might find him in the park.

The Haunted House is certainly an experience; Alec just laughs outright when the Headless Horseman asks for him to ‘give head.’ He supposes low hanging fruit is still fruit, after all, shrugs, and moves onto the next ride.

The Teacups almost make him lose what food he’s already eaten; between how fast the cups spin and the way that they nearly tilt over outright, Alec is thrown about, even for all of his genetically enhanced strength. When he exits the ride, he, of course, tries to play it cool with his usual posturing bullshit; he’ll even get back on the ride again, just to prove how cool he is and how the Teacups obviously didn’t affect him like that, clearly.

The Ferris Wheel is actually kind of nice, granting a pretty decent view of the amusement park from the top. Alec has to wonder why the ride pauses for so long though, once he reaches the top.]

iii. Wildcard

[Have a different prompt you’d like with Alec? Let me know, either via PMing Alec’s journal here or at

afaeryschild. Happy to match styles, either brackets or prose, too. For reference, Alec’s canon point (subject to change if I app) is 2x3, “Proof of Purchase.”]

[ max isn't sure why she came, aside from it being something to do and a distraction from how she's felt since going into the ocean and being spit back out with a head full of new memories from home after not having been there in a year. she's more or less stayed away from the rides, but something compelled her to get on the teacups - maybe because they're one of the few of them without lewd side effects or theming.

unfortunately, she finds out upon riding them, genetic engineering did not think to account for amusement park rides, and definitely not ones designed by robots, and she exits the ride looking and feeling a little off-kilter. she takes a second to pause by the ride's exit and thinks for a second that she's seeing things when a familiar looking figure walks past her, getting in line again - but then she spots his barcode.

pulling herself together, she rushes towards him, nearly colliding with several others and definitely cutting in front of people already in line, up until she's standing in front of alec. her expression conveys a lot of things at once - disbelief that he's here, relief to see someone she knows from home again, concern that he's here and not there. there's a thousand things she wants to say to him or ask him.

instead she just hugs him, arms going around him tight. ]

[Alec is not expecting to find Max here, let alone suddenly in front of him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in for a hug. He stares, trying to make sense of the expression on her face, and awkwardly pats her on the back as she clings to him.]

Max? What are you doing here? And since when are you so happy to see me?

[The last Alec saw of her, Max had told him that she never wanted to see him again, and he had planned on listening to her, on building a new life for himself while earning the money he still owes her. It throws him even more off-kilter than the Teacups ride to see her here now, especially with how happy she appears.]

[ she can tell, even before he asks, that he can't remember everything she does, even beyond not remembering new amsterdam. she pulls away after a few moments, forcing herself to let go even though she doesn't particularly want to, like she's afraid he'll vanish as soon as she does. ]

I...

[ it's a lot to explain. and that's just factoring in what she's doing here. ]

- We should talk somewhere.

[On the one hand, Alec still absolutely feels like he has to ride the Teacups again, if only to soothe his own pride at nearly winding up sick the last go around. On the other hand, despite what Max told him last he saw her, Alec also knows he owes her, and more than just money; she's saved his life at the expense of her own happiness. He knows he can't make it up to her entirely, but he can at least try and pay back the remaining five thousand dollars that he does owe her.

He lets out a sigh, nods. He almost feels bad for the people standing in line behind them. Almost.]

Yeah, alright. Where to?

[ she's about to point out a place or suggest they go back to her apartment when they're suddenly urged into movement, one of the robot carneys coming to steer them towards a teacup meant to hold two. ]

No, that's okay, we were just -

[ but she's more or less shoved into the teacup, alec being pushed in shortly thereafter. max's eyes go wide as the door is secured shut and a restraint locks them in place, looking frantically at alec. ]

Yeah, hey, uh, we changed our minds, we were just about to step out of -

[Protesting, unfortunately, does jack; the robots steer them right back onto the ride, shoving Max first, and Alec following soon after. The restraint comes down and the door shuts behind them before they can so much as try to escape.

He offers her a shit eating grin, ignoring the way his stomach drops as he feels the ride start to stir to life.]

I guess I'm tempting fate more than once today. Want to bet how long it takes before the ride throws us off? I wonder if we'll bounce.

[That's all Alec manages to say, because, in the next moment, the ride kicks in fully, whipping them back and forth inside their teacup, the teacup wobbling and tilting as they go; Alec's face goes white, his expression contorting as though someone has just kicked him in the balls.]

[ max, in contrast, looks fairly grim, reaching for the handle and holding it tight as the ride kicks into gear. she seems about to say something in response, but then the ride really starts moving and the inertia starts to kick in. her face goes similarly pale, her insides feel like they're scrambling, and she really, really hates the robots right now.

through her hair, she can see that alec's handling things about as well as she is. and maybe she shouldn't do something like this when he doesn't remember things well enough to realize why she'd be happy to see him, but she reaches for his hand anyway, trying to impart comfort she doesn't feel that equipped to give. ]

[Alec needs to learn to listen to common sense, he thinks, for once. Who cares if refusing to ever ride the Teacups again would damage his reputation? At least he wouldn't be trapped in this metal death trap, a mere twist or two away from losing everything he's eaten in the past hour.

He's surprised when Max reaches for his hand, but he accepts, squeezing her hand in his own, more desperate than he realizes at needing some sort of comfort in this situation.

The ride seems unending; if possible, Alec thinks that this time around is going on even longer than his first time on it. One particular turn is such that the momentum whips his head off to the right, and he can feel his stomach and potentially all of his organs crawling into his throat.]

[ it certainly feels possible. as the ride whips around max bends forward, trying to lessen the impact of the motion on her head and stomach to very little effect. technically this isn't the robots trying to attack them again, but she thinks she'd be justified in dismantling the one that shoved them onto the ride anyway.

finally, mercifully, the ride slows to a stop, and max hazards a look up before springing to her feet as soon as the restraints are released. still holding alec's hand, she pulls her with him, leading them off this rusty metal death trap as fast as she can.

which actually isn't terribly fast at the moment, given how dizzy she is. ]

[It's the ride that never ends, Alec thinks. As much as he's able to think, anyway, as he leans back and tries keeping himself as pressed to the side of the teacups as tightly he possibly can.

It takes Alec a minute to realize that the ride is finally, miraculously, ending. He blinks, and, suddenly, Max is pulling him to his feet and off of the ride.

He follows, but he, too, finds himself dizzy, each step a potential trigger to the way the world blurs around him and the threatening gurgling noises coming from his stomach.]

So let's never do that again.

[That he manages to open his mouth without hurling, letting alone speaking, is a miracle in and of itself.]

Nope. [ her voice is strained, and the single syllable is all she feels safe managing while the world still feels like it's spinning and her stomach is threatening to turn itself inside out. she leans forward, hands on her knees and eyes closed as she tries breathing through it. eventually she stands and straightens, but she honestly doesn't look much better, her face still pale and her hair still disheveled. ]

[Alec finds the closest surface and leans against it, humming under his breath as he waits for his stomach to settle down from the (understandable) revolt it's trying to lead. He inhales and exhales through his nose, trying to focus on Max beside him. She looks as bad as he feels, and Alec doesn't know if he's as enamored of this amusement park as he once thought.

After a few moments of silence and heavy, desperate breathing, Alec thinks he's finally managed to reign in his nausea.]

Nothing they taught us at Manticore prepared me for spinning Teacup rides trying to kill us.

[ she's honestly still dealing with the nausea, though it and the dizziness have at least settled into something manageable enough for her to make the walk back to her apartment. (she hopes so, anyway; to alec's sure lack of surprise she's set herself up somewhere on the edges of the city, far away enough from the hospital for comfort.) ]

Or robots forcing us to ride them. [ she is definitely coming back to go full sarah connor on that one. she looks him over warily, still a little pale and unsteady. ] You feel up to walking?

[Alec has to think about that question for a good minute or two before he can fully give an answer; his nausea might have settled down, but his stomach is still making questionable noises, and he has to blink a few times to make sure the world around him stays in focus without blurring at the edges.

Finally, he nods.]

As ready as I'm ever going to be. I'm going to kick robot ass once I'm a hundred percent, though.

[ she finds a railing or something to lean against while she waits, figuring it's better to rest and make sure she can handle the walk back to her place. her bike is here, but she hadn't ridden it over, not wanting to waste gas or have the sand or anything gum up the works. now she's cursing herself for not taking it, though she isn't sure she could ride it right now anyway.

once he answers, she stands fully again and nods, finally feeling a little closer to a hundred percent herself. maybe hovering around seventy five, but it's still an improvement. ]

I'll show you how to take them out. [ long story short, not the first robot she'll have taken out since arriving here. ] My place is a little outside the city, we can talk there. [ she's not really in the mood to partake in any more of the carnival's festivities. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK

00. Arrival

I. SIX FLAGELLANTS

II. LIKE A FIREWORK

III. MISTLETOE

Alec McDowell | Dark Angel

six flagellants

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hey she's seen that look before

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