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Entry tags:
Time for a Cinnabon!
✖ 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…?
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.
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!
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.
Come on Jessica, come on Tori! Let's go to the mall, you won't be sorry!
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.
cw: nsfw
"Okay," he murmurs aloud in response to that mental request. "Just... a second. Give our bodies a second."
Partially this is because he doesn't want to cum too soon, and partially because his own memory is of wanting time to adjust.
Slowly, he rolls his hips forward, mouth hanging open slightly, until he's buried as deep as he can be.
"Oh, Quentin. You feel amazing. Can I move?"
cw: nsfw
He's just on the verge of catching his breath Kyle speaks and the words rattle around in his head as what started like a sharp pressure fades into a soft, warm feeling of being fulfill. Just a second. Give our bodies a second. More in a second. You're okay? Care of you. I'll take care of you. I'll take care of you. I'll take care of you. His arms fold tightly around Kyle's neck.
His nose bumps into Kyle's as he rolls his forehead against his partner's, kissing blindly about his lips. "Mhmmm please," he begs breathlessly. "You're so good to me."
cw: nsfw
Kyle smiles and kisses back. "I try." He props himself up on his elbows, forearms against the mattress on either side of Quentin's head. He shifts his weight and pulls his hips back slowly, pausing again before he rocks forward again.
That's good, that's so good hot tight good, want you.
Kyle gradually lets his body settle into a steady rhythm. Less coherent that his verbal thoughts, Kyle projects a disjointed series of images: Quentin's fingers digging into his back, Quentin crying out, Quentin shaking beneath him. Want to fuck you just right find the right angle want you fucking ecstatic.
His own body is hot, building pleasure like an electric charge.
cw: nsfw
He settles back with a sweet, warm sigh when Kyle lowers to his elbows on top of him. The slightest arch of his back pushes their bellies together and Quentin writhes for it; inspired by the satisfying pressure of having his cock pressed between them. That new closeness and the gentle motion that sways them together makes it easy to let himself float on the stream of thoughts and images that come from his partner coupled.
His hands frame Kyle's face when he kisses him. fuck me just right. just right. just right. right now, his mind babbles into Kyles as he plants his heels and rolls his hips a little. Up and back and down. Driving graphic images of Kyle inside him into their minds until the next time Kyle's weight shifts he sinks into Quentin just right. As promised.
Quentin inhales sharply and goes still. With a desperate little growl he squeezes his partner's shoulder to hold them both in place as he drives himself onto Kyle. Grinding his hips up against him to hit that spot again and again just like before.
cw: nsfw
There. Take it. Yes, Quentin, love you.
He mauls Quentin's neck sloppily, hips driving forward. He makes a soft groaning sound deep in his chest.
hot sexy bitch i love you you're perfect i'm so close already are you close you love it love being fucked feel me i feel you
He rolls tightly against Quentin, feeling his cock between them. It's becoming more difficult to resist the urge to just jackhammer away at that wonderful ass.
cw: nsfw
He tries to recreate he particular position of them every time he bears down against the hips that press up into him. It amounts to an awfully slight motion as he's pinned there against the mattress, but it's determined and firm enough to leave him whimpering for Kyle. right there right there right there plays in his head one repeat. "fuck me. fill me. fucking fill me. I can take it. I can take all of it. all of you. give it all to me. give it to me Kyle. give it.
He buries his face against the soft, fuzzy side of Kyle's fresh haircut and gasps when he hits him just right again. "Fuuh—ah I'm gonna cum, Kyle. Fuck me like you wanna before I cum"
cw: nsfw
"Yeah, okay, yeah," Kyle mutters aloud. His thoughts are more feelings than words now, a flood of physical pleasure and emotional heat. Quentin's words touch him in some deep part of his heart, and instead of slamming into him he instead slows a little and rocks deliberately: deep and firm. His body lowers further and he kisses Quentin's neck in between gasps. He keeps that pace until he can't stand it, hips snapping up hard when he cums, groaning and shaking.
cw: nsfw
Braces himself at first. Expecting something rougher. But it doesn't have to be rough to get to that feeling he's after. Even if his pride alone might prefer it. Soon he feels the heavy shifting of Kyle's body against his more deeply than he imagined. Like every angle and plane between them is ball and socket joint. Made to fit snugly and shift smoothly beneath the motion of the other. When coupled with the warmth of Kyle's sweetest, most heartfelt earnesty, Quentin feels good in places that he couldn't describe.
Soon he folds himself around Kyle and buries his fingers in Kyle's hair until those first short, jerked movements of his boyfriends hips snap his resolve like a rubber band stretched too far.
"Ahh— fuck!" he gasps. For a moment none of the images that pass through his mind like a flip book are even of them. Not memories. Just a catalog of memorable money shots he's collected in young life.
Uncertain which one of them sparked this feeling first, he clings to Kyle more tightly still. Arching his back to grind himself against Kyle stomach as he cums. It's a small mercy when their skin feels too slick to offer much friction. Little huffs turn into desperate groans as he bucks against Kyle even long after the high point has passed. Just because his body still hums with a sensation he doesn't want to let go of if he can.
"Hngg," he groans when that feeling starts slipping away like water in cupped hands. Feeling himself move away from euphoria an ache in his chest, but even that feels cathartic somehow. "Ahhh fuck. Fuckkk. Kyyyyle," he whines and breathes in the smell of Kyle's hair in an effort to snuggle closer.
cw: nsfw
He doesn't move away. He mouths Quentin's neck and kisses his face and strokes his sweaty hair back.
"Quentiiiiiiin," he whines back, smiling. Teasing is safe - it's what they do, and Kyle so badly wants Quentin to feel normal and safe in the afterglow.
"Are you okay?
cw: nsfw
He snorts at the whine Kyle mocks him with. Glad that Kyle still finds him sturdy enough to tolerate that kind of teasing even now when he feels like some amount of vulnerability is written across his face.
"Course," he says. It's a little mumblier than his usual manner and there's a glassy shine to his eyes he does a good job blinking away, but he's undeniably a little clingier. A little cuddlier. A little softer than he likes people to know he's capable of.
cw: nsfw
"You're beautiful," Kyle says. "I mean it." He leans down to kiss Quentin's mouth before he sits up and leans over to grab those wipes.
"Here, you'll feel a little less gross."
Re: cw: nsfw
"You're beautiful," Kyle says. "I mean it." He leans down to kiss Quentin's mouth before he sits up and leans over to grab those wipes.
"Here, you'll feel a little less gross."
cw: nsfw
Cleaning them up he pitches those wipes in a near by dust bin which he's quiet certain is a display model but so be it. "Thanks," he says and lifts the blankets enough for Kyle to come closer again. "Not just for the wet wipes. For. You know. All of it," he says bashfully. "You're kind of great at sex, you know? I dunno if you've ever been told that. But you are."
cw: nsfw
He laughs, surprised. "I've never been told that, no. I'm glad you think so, for obvious reasons. I think you're amazing too."
He sighs happily. "You're the only person I've ever met who likes me for me, and who I don't think sees me as just good enough. So for that I intend to give you such good sex you never leave."
cw: nsfw
"Well, you are. You're not just like good enough at regular sex that anyone would be lucky to have you for their first time, but you're also like. Super chill about all the telepathy stuff. Which is just like—" he performs a dramatic little chef's kiss.
Quentin lets his head fall to the pillow as he listens to Kyle and strokes his cheek softly. "What do you feel like other people aren't seeing?" he asks, knowing Kyle might not have an answer for that but it's still the kind of thing he wants to hear Kyle talk about.
cw: nsfw talk
He beams to be told that he was a good first time. He's never been anyone's first that he's aware of, and he wanted so badly for it to be a pleasant memory for Quentin. Also, Kyle just likes to be good at things.
"I like the telepathy stuff," he says, cheeks pink. "It's comfortable."
Kyle, arm draped over Quentin's waist, shrugs lightly. He can't stop looking at his eyes.
"That I get hurt, same as everyone. I dunno. Maybe it's because I get mad or try to fix things, or because I try not to ask for emotional support, but I have always felt a bit like people see me just as someone who'll help. Which I will. But a lot of people don't really seem to think, hey, maybe Kyle isn't okay."
He smiles. "And you like to talk to me. That's pretty great."
cw: nsfw talk
He takes Kyle's face between his hands for a kiss. "I'm glad you think so. I like being connected to you."
"Anyone who doesn't like talking to you clearly isn't listening," he says decisively. How could anyone not enjoy the crazy shit that Kyle says off the cuff? His hands linger there at Kyle's temples a little while, stroking the soft fuzz of his newly clipped fade. "I'd like to think I'd notice if Kyle wasn't ok," he says. "But like. Ok. I know I'll never be anyone's fucking... shoulder to cry on or whatever. My reputation won't allow it. And I'm probably not great at it either. But like. You'll tell me right? If you wanted to talk about something? Anything. You know I wouldn't like, be all judgey about it, yeah?"
no subject
Quentin, being possessed of an unusual life himself, greatly overestimates the tolerance of average people for drama so weird it sounds like lies.
"I think you'd notice," Kyle says, shivering at the unfamiliar sensation. "That feels awesome, wow. But, uhm, no, I know I can go to you. You're my partner. I mean that in like, every sense, you know? We can rely on each other."
no subject
Quentin's smile has a tendency to look mischievous most of the time but when Kyle says partner he cops a look thats so bright eyed and optimistic one could almost see a picture of a younger, less angry, boy in his face.
"Yeah," he nods. "We're a team."
no subject
"No matter what."