Time for a Cinnabon!

[polymods]

✖ THE MALL

Ⅰ. ARRIVAL
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
You step off the ferry and find there is no beach. No, the concrete wharf opens up to a vast, flat plain of pavement. It goes on, and on, and on. Sodium lights on tall poles are spaced at regular intervals, and as you move forward you notice white lines painted in neat rows.Those of you from a typical earth world might recognise almost immediately that you are, in fact, in a giant parking lot.

Up ahead you can see a vast building, a long rectangle flanked on either end by an even larger square. In the very center there is a large, triangular glass awning hanging over an entranceway composed of several automatic doors. There is neon tubing running along the inside of the awning, lighting up the glass so it is a beacon shining across the expanse of pavement you’re crossing.

That’s right, Travellers. We’re going to The Mall.

The building is huge - it takes a good hour to walk from one anchor store to the other at the opposite end. There are stores selling damn near everything - clothes, housewares, books, kitchen supplies, movies and music, electronics - as well as hair salons, nail salons, and a ton of kiosks. The merchandise being sold seems to be from different decades - anywhere from the 1970s to the late 2000s. You can find almost anything you could want!

The flooring is faux marble, the pillars decorated with brass detailing halfway up their length. Potted palms are set at regular intervals. The mall’s concourse is huge and open, with a glass ceiling criss-crossed with metal supports. A fountain jets water coloured by lights into the air over and over in the center of the concourse.

Escalators and an elevator run up and down to the second floor, where the food court is, which is a heaven, provided you’re too worried about MSG. Food from across every conceivable world exists here - no matter where you’re from, you can find a fast-food version of something you’re familiar with. And there’s an Orange Julius!

Truly, a paradise. Kind of weird that the automatic doors won’t let you out the way you came in, but you have everything you need right here! Just be really careful on those escalators - wouldn’t want to get sucked under. And by the way, what’s that noise…?

Notes:
1. Please remember to mark threads appropriately with Content Warnings when necessary.

2. These prompts are a jumping off point - how they affect your character and their development is up to you.

3. Any food is safe to eat, and is consumable by non-human entities.

4. The people inside the mall are normal humans unless otherwise indicated. Killing them is possible and will affect the colour grading of your Scrywatch depending on the situation.

5. Have fun!

---

Ⅱ. BLACK FRIDAY
CW: violence, mob mentality
One of the mall anchors is a huge department store that sells everything under the sun. As you walk through the empty aisles, you’ll notice that there are signs hung everywhere that read “SALE!” Indeed, prices seem to have been drastically reduced. The place seems eerily calm, however; you can’t see any shoppers anywhere.

But if you walk close to the exterior entrance on the far side of the store, you will see them if you look outside.

Hundreds upon hundreds of people pressed up against the glass doors. With a start you see that all of them, from children to the elderly, are missing their eyes. Black, empty sockets stare sightlessly ahead. Store employees, recognisable by their red smocks, stand at the ready.

“Alright, let’s open her up!” one of them shouts, and the employees move to unlock the doors. Immediately the crowd surges forward. The employees pull each other out of the way moments before they can be trampled. The mob rushes through the entranceways, stampeding towards… towards…

Oh. You.

The mob lacks any empathy; people push and climb over one another, uncaring if anyone falls to the ground. You’re pretty sure several of them are actually being crushed beneath people’s feet. Oddly, they aren’t screaming in pain. People’s mouths are moving, but only to form certain words:

“FLATSCREEN!”

“INTELLIVISION!”

“TICKLE-ME-ELMO!”

They are only screaming what it is that they want. They are single minded in their purpose, and don’t care who they hurt in their pursuit.

Make your way to the entrance that opens into the mall and you’ll be greeted with a nasty sight: the gates are closed. No matter what you do to them, they won’t budge an inch, impervious to brute strength, magic, superpowers. That means you’ll have to find another way out if you don’t want to join in the bloodshed. Maybe there’s a ventilation system or a loading bay...

There’s a chance you could just hide out until the sale ends - a store this vast has more than enough food and drink to sustain you, and you could probably get a good night’s sleep in a camping display if it isn’t torn apart by rabid consumers. Just be careful, because the longer you spend trapped in the department store the more likely you are to turn into one of them: mindlessly screaming what it is you want as you tear the store apart.

Notes:
1. There may be a few Black Friday shoppers loose in the mall, but primarily they stick to the department store.

2. Your character might find a way into the mall again, or the parking lot outside. However they manage that is up to you!

3. If your character does turn into a consumer drone, they can be changed back by being taken out of the department store. Maybe go chill out by the fountain in the concourse or get some chilli fries in the food court.

---

Ⅲ. UNDERGROUND PARKING
CW: potential starvation, dehydration
If the two floors of the mall are for eating and shopping, where do the down escalators go? Unsurprisingly they lead to an underground parking lot. More surprisingly, if you choose to enter the lot you’ll find yourself suddenly transported to the inside of a car. What car? Any car! It sure isn’t yours! It’s locked and you can’t get the doors or windows to open. Even trying to break your way out is futile.

Thank goodness you have a way to call for help: your ScryWatch! Although you can still access the public network, your ScryWatch will also now function as a private one-to-one device like a phone or a walkie talkie. You can ask a friend to come and help you!

The second person entering the lot won’t be magicked away, but a friendly mall employee will stop you and hand you a set of keys. Clearly they go to a car… but which one? Better start pressing that alarm button, huh?

The parking lot is massive. The party in the car would be wise to describe what they can see to their seeker. After all, teamwork makes the dream work! You sure don’t want to be stuck in a warm car for a couple of days!

Notes:
1. Your character can post/call the network or text/call an individual - in the latter case nobody else can read or hear the conversation.

2. The car might have some goldfish crackers or something in the glove box, or maybe an old gatorade bottle on the floor, but there’s not going to be enough to survive on for any length of time.

---

Ⅳ. MANNEQUIN
CW: automatonophobia
As you walk through the mall, you’ll see plenty of window displays. Gleaming cookware turning on pedestals under mellow lights, toys going round and round in fake wonderlands, personalised miniature license plates - although they’re all out of Borts - and of course plenty of stylish clothes draped over countless mannequins.

It’s always fun to window shop, isn’t it? Which is how you will come to notice that some of the mannequins look awfully familiar.

Everyone has, at some point in their life, treated someone like they weren’t real outside of what you wanted them to be. The romantic interest you put on a pedestal, the friend you only called when you needed them, or the poor bastard in the office who never did anything to you but who you hated on because it made you feel better. The mannequins greatly resemble that person or persons.

No matter which window you pass, they’re there. It looks like they’re watching you. But that’s silly, isn’t it?

With every mannequin you pass, the more your unease grows. Eventually the feeling of being watched is so great that it’s overwhelming. A sense of guilt grows alongside your paranoia, gnawing at your guts until you feel physically ill. Maybe if you apologise to the dummies for treating them like objects?

Or maybe if you just break all of them into pieces.

Notes:
1. Stating how you have wronged the person the mannequin resembles and apologising will cause the guilt and paranoia to vanish. But then, so will breaking them.

2. Could the mannequins sneak up on you? Move when you’re not looking? Sure! the floor, but there’s not going to be enough to survive on for any length of time.

Come on Jessica, come on Tori! Let's go to the mall, you won't be sorry!

Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

Comments

Kyle Broflovski | South Park (AU) | OTA

[kyley_b]

I: Mall Madness
[Closed to Roxy and Quentin]

Why is 'Africa' always playing in the mall? Kyle's not really sure, but there it is. He probably wouldn't notice so much if he hadn't been dragged into some clothing store whose name he hadn't bothered to look at and was now currently stood in one place with items of clothing being piled into his arms by both his friend AND his boyfriend.

Yes, Quentin and Roxy seem so totally in their element. Kyle is just a pack mule.

"Guys, do you seriously need this much shit?"


II: Down in the Underground

One second he's at the entrance to the parking garage, and the next... Kyle sits up, confused, and bangs his head on the roof of the Smart Car he's in. "Ffffffuck!" he curses, rubbing his skull. Naturally he tries the doors, swearing even more colourfully when he finds they refuse to open. The electric windows are likewise shut, making the interior already warm and stuffy.

He takes to his ScryWatch and addresses the network with a video:

"Uh. Hey. Hi. I'm stuck in a fucking car? Can someone come get me out?"

He settles back in the driver's seat and sighs. "I feel like a fucking abandoned poodle," he mutters.


III: Today's Special

Kyle is looking at hats when he realises that one of the mannequins across the aisle looks a lot like Leopold Stotch. He slowly sets down the tuque he was holding, eyebrows knitting together, and stares at the smooth skinned dummy with its pale blonde hair.

"That is fucking weird," he mutters aloud.

He turns his back on the mannequin, determined to look at more hats. He's managed to find a trapper hat like his old favourite, but as he goes to try it on he spots another dummy. This one, he thinks, also looks terribly familiar. "Heidi?" he asks softly. "What the fuck?"


IV. Wildcard me baby!

Mall Madness

[gravity_grrl]

"We're not buying all of it, we have to try it all on first." Roxy explains as she rolls her eyes, because duhhhh Kyle.

"Kyyyyyyle, this is like, a golden opportunity to actually have clothes that we like! I'm going to try and get as many cute outfits as I can while I'm here."

[quire]

"Of course we don't need this much shit. Capitalism isn't about need," he says flippantly. "I'm just feeling a little starved for choice, ok?"

He'll be the first to admit anything the mall has to offer isn't exactly the pinnacle of Western culture, but there's an undeniable kitschiness to it all that makes him feel far more at home than rose gardens and caravans.

"Like is a strong word," he says wrinkling his nose a cheaply made blazer. "What do you think the odds are this place has any fashion outlets? I'm going to need something a little Alexander McQueen to offset these HotTopic vibes..."

[kyley_b]

Kyle rolls his eyes harder. "'Capitalism isn't about NEED,'" he repeats, imitating Quentin's bratty tone. "Jesus. Fine. I guess you have a point, though, at least there's normal shit here."

He looks at a rack of winter hats, eyes lighting up a little. "Finally," he mutters.

"Q, there's a mall map we could check for your Alex Queens or whatever. Roxy, can I put down this pile for a second? There's hats."

[quire]

"At least!? Who wants normal shit?" he pouts a little. He likes his couture subversive.

"Alexander McQueen," he corrects very slowly. Kyle's choice in hats raises his eyebrows. "I realize, given the situation we could next be dropped in a close approximation of Siberia, but like. Between the beaches and the botanicals and the big top, what's drawing you to winter wear? You just think it's past due or..."

"Hey. I bet there's a V's Barbershop around. If nothing else a fucking Supercuts or something. We could get your hair done."

[gravity_grrl]

Roxy gasps and clutches at Kyle, pulling him away from Quentin.

"What?! No! Don't you dare cut off his curls!"

She pulls Kyle down to her height so she can dig her hand into Kyle's hair and give him a few head scritches with her nails, she's very good at them.

"They're so pretty and cuuuute! Don't worry Kyle, I won't let the bad pink man touch them."

[kyley_b]

Kyle stumbles - Roxy is stronger than she looks. He goes bright red when she starts manhandling his scalp.

"He's not bad, and I hate my hair," he points out.

He gives Quentin puppy eyes. "Do. Uhm. Could you tell them to make it better? Because I can tell you now it looks pretty crappy shaved all off, my ears stick out too much."

Yes, Kyle knows everything wrong with his appearance.

[gravity_grrl]

Roxy keeps up the head scritches, moving all over Kyle's scalp and back of his neck.

"Omg you'd look awful with a shaved head, don't do that. And how can you hate your hair?! It's so pretty."

"I guess a trim could be good though, just nothing too short or else you'll look like a poodle."

[quire]

Quentin narrows his eyes at this exchange and folds his arms over his chest.

"Did i say cut? No, I don't think I said cut," he snarks. "He clearly doesn't know the meaning of the word conditioner. I'm talking, protein treatment and some shaping. Don't pretend he wouldn't look great in something a high-and-tight with a good curly pomp up top."

Special

[helpdesk_hero]

Malls. There was trouble to be had in Malls, but David didn't know what it was about them that made him uncomfortable. Except for a period of time that he'd been trapped in the sixties and he'd gone to the mall and that... Well that had been a thing. But here he is, stranded in one for two months, and there was absolutely no way he wasn't going to try and deal with that.

Which meant roving around, hands in his pockets, bag over his shoulder, more or less minding his own business. Until, of course, he saw Kyle questioning a mannequin nearby. He sighed, straightened his yellow turtle neck (what could David say, there was something about nineties professional fashion that was very much him and he'd adapted well) and he moved to where Kyle was.

"Kyle, is everything okay?" he asked as he finally came up on his friend's elbow, adjusting the seemingly sunglasses on his face as, with a touch, he asked one of the programs he had running on it to record the mannequin, just in case it started moving in tiny bits and his own eyes wouldn't catch it.

[kyley_b]

"David," Kyle says, visibly relieved. He doesn't quite grab onto his friend, but it's a near thing.

"Dude, hey, hi. Nice shades. Walk with me, huh?" Because he wants to get away from the dummies.

[helpdesk_hero]

Well he was definitely reacting more than David had expected. Once more he examined the mannequin and frowned before nodding to Kyle.

"As you wish. And thanks. They're useful."

[kyley_b]

"Indoors?" Because Kyle has no reason to think they're not just regular sunglasses.

He walks quickly, feeling eyes on him.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Indoors, outdoors, everywhere and anywhere. Frankly it's a miracle I don't sleep in the things," David answered, letting himself be hurried. Figured it was better for Kyle.

[kyley_b]

"Oh, shit, are they from your home?" Kyle asks, attention diverted from bis surroundings. He studies David, smiling a little.

[helpdesk_hero]

The best way to distract Kyle from whatever was distressing him was to make sure he had something else to think about. So David took the glasses off and handed them over. It wasn't like Kyle would be able to mess with any of their functions.

"Not from home, but rather the last world that had me."

Which meant these ones were the ones he had remade when he had gained technopathy. They worked for him because he interfaced with them directly.

[kyley_b]

Kyle studies them very carefully before handing them back.

"So these are like, AR glasses? Dude. SO fucking cool. You made them I bet." He grins, but it falters a second later when he spots a familiar mannequin.

"David? You see that blonde male dummy over there? In the blue?"

III: Today's Special

[quire]

Quentin is paying precious little attention to the mannequins when his boyfriend is trying to squash his newly coiffed hair under a hat. "AHEM," he says folding his arms.

"Heidi?" That name hits him as familiar but he can't think of it belonging to any of their cohorts. "Heidi, Heidi, Heidi... is that a name I should know. Why is that familiar.

[kyley_b]

Kyle stops before he can crush all the stylist's hard work. His eyes stay fixed on the mannequin though.

"She was Eric Cartman's girlfriend in elementary school," he says slowly. "The one I stole." He takes a half step toward the dummy, then backs up. His hand searches blindly for Quentin's.

"I don't like it. C'mon, let's go."

[quire]

"Oh yeah!" Quentin lights up. "Kyle Broflovski: Mister Steal Yo Girl. I remember that story." Like he could forget.

He let's the hand around his own pull him away from this clearly intentional display but Quentin's attention is still with the mannequin girl.

"When did those things turn into her? Did you change something?"

[kyley_b]

"I didn't MEAN to."

Kyle shakes his head. "No, I didn't do anything. I just looked and she was--"

Kyle stops short with a little shriek. The next display ahead of them has an identical dummy, just in different clothes. The other mannequin beside it has a little puff of blonde hair. Both are facing them.

"Q? Do you see them?"

[quire]

He's rubbing his chin thoughtfully, trying to piece together something they might have done here to set them off. It reminds him of that House of Mirrors on the last island. But before he can puzzle anything out of it Kyle's yelping arrests his attention.

"What? Who? Oh. Yah, I mean I see more creepily realistic mannequins," he squints and adjusts his glasses out of habit. "I don't recognize them though. Should I?"

[kyley_b]

"No, no, I. I think they're for me. But I wanted to be sure I can't hallucinating." He lowers his voice.

"The other one looks like Butters. This is weird."

Cautiously, he steps a little closer. The mannequins don't move and he stops, reversing again.

"I wanna go."

[quire]

"Butters?" He looks around and points. "That blond?" Kyle's unease with this has clearly not caught up to Quentin yet.

"Don't you wanna know what's doing this? Something must have set it off. And you know this place, it's like... Remember that toxic garden? You had to DO something to set it right."

He looks again at the mannequins. "What the hell are they supposed to mean?" And back to Kyle. "Orrrr... ok yeah we can just go if you're that skeeved out by it."

[kyley_b]

Kyle feels a flash of anger, but it's mostly because Quentin is right - there's always some shitty twist involved.

He tugs at Quentin's hand, stomping away... only to have the next display feature the same mannequins again. He groans softly.

"I feel weird," he says softly. "Like. Guilty. I think they're making me feel guilty."