saturations | Locations

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Locations

LOCATIONS

CENTRAL NODE

Well, here you are, to start. This area looks like maybe it was once a park of some kind. Maybe. It’s hard to tell, considering everything is mostly greyscale - literally, like an old TV show. There are benches, streetlamps, and trash cans along the shattered cobblestone path that leads in a circle around the area, but they’re in various states of disarray. Wilted, grey grass in small, pathetic tufts litters the area, and even the dirt seems to be more like ash. Flat, and almost devoid of color, though you can see a little hint of green in the grass and blue-purple in the sky now and then.

In the middle of the park-like area is a tree. It is similarly dead and grey with only hints of green, but hanging from the trunk is a clock. The clock does not work, and has no hands.

There are large stone archways placed haphazardly across the park. Entering them leads to entirely different locations, all of which are described below.

CENTRAL ARCHWAYS

THE APARTMENTS There used to be a mansion here. It's not here anymore - instead when you walk through this archway, there's a tall apartment building. It's nine floors, plus access to the roof. From the central node, a path winds out. The sky and surroundings are dark here, but rising out of the darkness is a tall, narrow building with bright glowing colorful lights in the windows.

THE MEDICAL BAY The medbay is situated in a pristine wellness center atmosphere - oxygen-rich plants and wooden paneling with calming shades of green and teal everywhere. The lights are dim for the comfort of the patient, but not dark enough to hide anything. There are rows of narrow but comfortable beds, tall, glass cabinets containing bandages, gauze and simple first aid tools, as well as bottles of bright green pills and pink liquid. It’s hard to say what makes up either of these concoctions, but the pills act as mild pain relievers and the pink liquid acts as a topical numbing cream. As of week six, there are now minor poison antidotes. You can only take one bottle or potion at a time, but they restock daily.

At the center of the medbay are a series of large glass tubes containing various colorful liquids. In the middle of the tubes are ~~two~~ FIVE whole transparent pods, large enough for a tall person to lie inside. You will find that an hour inside one of these pods is enough to stave off any life-threatening injury or ailment; it will take about eight hours inside one to heal all injuries completely, and thin scars will always remain. Of course, if you try to use the medbay pods for unauthorized purposes, there may be repercussions. . .

THE MEETING HALL A path from the central area leads to a bridge over a roaring river below, flanked on either side by cliff faces. It’s a long way to the bottom, and you probably don’t want to know what happens if you fall. On the other side of the bridge is a simple traditional Japanese style building, with a well-manicured flower garden flanking it on each side. The gardens don’t contain anything you can eat, but they are beautiful and calming. The doors inside the building give way to a spacious hall. There are cushioned benches for seating and a table at the front. All of you can comfortably fit together inside, and there’s room for everyone to sit. A little furnace in the corner keeps the room warm despite the brisk outdoor air.

THE CARNIVAL Bright lights and cheerful music guide the way from a path in the central area. As you enter the amusement park small flower beds line the pathways and a few topiaries can be seen around the premises. The rides are all in working condition including a large Ferris wheel with the perfect view of the entire park. Aside from just the rides, small amounts of sweet and savory treats can be found here ranging from popcorn to cotton candy to corn dogs. It’s all snack-sized amounts but the perfect treat to tide you over. And the best part of this amusement park? There isn’t a single clown in sight.

THE BACKALLEY A dingy old alleyway, covered in trash and grime. There's nothing here. Just some chain fences, and an unsettling, lingering sense of loneliness. Though... after week one, there seem to be a few additions.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Edited 2022-02-11 02:38 (UTC)

If your character is taking anything from any of the locations to keep as their own, or they are damaging the setting in any way, please fill out the following and submit:

Edited 2022-02-11 02:47 (UTC)

If your character is using the medbay, please fill out the following and submit:

Edited 2022-02-11 02:48 (UTC)

A little box has been left next to the shrine in the back alley. It is a simple cardboard box with a hole cut into it. However, you will find you cannot open, remove, or damage this box.

Some of you have written letters to loved ones, both back home and the ones who have died here. If you're feeling sentimental, it might feel nice to put those letters into this letter box and imagine that somehow your words will reach the one you care for.

If you would like to spend some of your color to create a location, you may do so here. Please provide a paragraph of description and a picture or two.

Edited 2022-01-23 21:31 (UTC)

NODE ONE

This node connects from the Central Area. At the far side of the park is an archway that has a thin layer of fog across the opening - you can't see through it. But once you do walk through, you are greeted with the sight of a small, circular room with pinewood flooring, yellow walls, and five doors. Which door will you choose?

INFINITY CLOSET This room seems to go on forever; the back wall is next to impossible to reach. There are styles of clothes from every era, in a million different colors, hats hanging from the walls, necklaces and bracelets in bins - in fact, it’s a little more like a thrift shop than a closet. This makes it hard to navigate - there are no signs anywhere that suggest you are in a section for shoes or for pants. It's a little chaotic, but you almost get the sense that's on purpose. Keeps you here longer, right? Still, anything you can think of will be here if you have the patience, from ninja outfits to classy, expensive suits. Somewhere in the mess of racks and displays are fitting rooms, for those inclined to indulge in the illusion of privacy.

The best part about this area is the chandelier. In the middle of the room, hanging from the admittedly tall ceiling, is a chandelier made entirely of shoes, from Converse to Louis Vuitton. You can't really take any of these shoes, seeing as they're all but bolted to the chandelier, but it does make for a stunning spectacle. Legend has it that if you come into this room at a certain time, the chandelier lights up like a disco ball. Hardcore!

GAME ROOM This room, at first glance, is really similar to the type of room you’d walk into in a middle-class suburban home. It’s painted off-white, and on the walls are landscape paintings, likely once-expensive finds at garage sale. The room smells like a vanilla candle, though you can't see any candles lit, and no matter how much of a mess you leave in here, it will always revert back to the spotless, perfectly manicured look your mother always preferred. Sometimes, if you exit the room after leaving a mess, you can hear a quick, short sigh, like a disappointed parent.

There are two couches and an armchair in here, as well as an entertainment cabinet with a TV across the way from them. Said couches are wonderfully comfy and squishy, and the entertainment cabinet has a lot of space for movies. The only one there is Space Jam, at the moment. In the drawers of the cabinet, you can find just about any board game you can think of. Against the wall is a gaming PC, state of the art, and it can play Solitare at 120 FPS. Next to the desk is a mini-fridge full of snacks (apples and peanut butter, dunkaroos, cheese sticks) and juice of every flavor.

ART ROOM When you step into this room, it almost feels as though you've walked right into a movie. This area is a one room studio loft, with an excellent view of the city at night. What city? Shrugs. It's one of them. The walls are splattered artfully with a multitude of colors that sometimes feel as though they’re light reflections rather than paint, and the lighting is dark and moody. Easels litter the place, all of various half-finished paintings of things you've likely seen while wandering the other areas in the node. Paintings hang on the wall, sketches are clipped with laundry pins to what looks like long wire strung across the room. There's not much else in here in the way of furniture, except for an old pottery making machine in the corner.

Not to mention the fact that there’s a lot of supplies in here; paint brushes, crayons, colored pencils, construction paper, canvases, clay, glue, macaroni, glitter - all sorts of supplies to make fun crafts with to bring back to your apartment.

But every so often, you turn, and the paintings have changed. Uh. They'll go back to normal eventually.

HOT SPRINGS This natural hot spring has an quaint entrance, and inside are three doorways draped in red (women), blue (men), and purple (nonbinary) tapestries. Through each door is a conjoined, public washing and changing room. There is a single rinsing shower with a bucket and soap, and small cubbies where you can exchange your clothes for a tiny privacy towel. The large, open hot spring pool is bisected into a female-only side and a male-only side by a tall, thick bamboo wall, but you can definitely hear laughter and hollers from over the top. There's also a section that's for everybody, with these swimsuits provided. The steamy pool of mineral water is hot without blistering, and the rocks around the edge and underfoot are a nice compliment to the calm scenery on all sides.

While the main fixture of this area appears to be rocks, rocks, and more rocks, there are a few alcoves and ledges in the ruins that offer a bit of privacy. There’s also a cold water pool nearby, and a perfect spot on the ledges above for diving in. A narrow stone staircase will take you up there, but be careful, it’s slippery here.

THE LIBRARY The tiled floor echoes beneath your feet as you enter the library. You are immediately overwhelmed by the smell of ink and somewhat musty pages. Rows upon rows of shelves stretch before you and on all sides filled to the brim with books, from fiction to non-fiction. There are especially good sections on cook books, manga, and fairy tales. A circulation desk sits at the center of the room, and while there’s no librarian on duty, you may use the computer to look up books by title or genre. Somehow it seems that every time you enter this place, it’s changed - windows (with healthy doses of natural light) facing vastly different vistas, rows of books that used to be on grand wooden cases now shoved haphazardly into endless metal shelves, flickering fluorescent lights turned to delicate teardrop chandeliers. It seems the power of all these books in once space has made this place more malleable than most.

Once you locate your reading material, feel free to stay a while. The walls are decorated with some tasteful portraits. There's also a movie rental section, with The Librarian franchise, Pagemaster, the entire collection of Kurosawa films, and Breakfast Club, all on VHS. Squashy, comfortable chairs are scattered throughout the room and a few study tables are set apart in little clusters. And don’t forget to fuel up! In the back corner of the library is a little study area, with a small vending machine where you can order coffee, tea and hot cocoa by the cup with the press of a button.

There's a 3D printer, but it only prints tiny MLP figures on skateboards.

Edited 2024-05-07 09:24 (UTC)

NODE TWO

This node connects from the Central Area. At the far side of the park is an archway that has a thin layer of fog across the opening - you can't see through it. But once you do walk through, you are greeted with the sight of a small, circular room with pinewood flooring, orange walls, and five doors. Which door will you choose?

THE BAR The bar feels like a small and cramped dive bar, but even though no one is inside, there’s the feeling of a boisterous atmosphere. There’s a long counter with stools, a few cozy booths and tables, and a jukebox in the corner. You can pick a song off the jukebox, but there's a very good chance that at some point, it will turn into It's Not Unusual by Tom Jones. Absolutely every spare inch is covered in miscellaneous bric-a-brac, as though the owners couldn’t decide between a slightly problematic tiki theme, 1950s soda fountain, and various road signs and advertisements. You likely recognize a product here or there, but others are a mystery.

Still, if you go up to the counter, you’ll find the shelves are stocked with every type of alcohol you can think of, as well as a soda fountain and several non-alcoholic alternatives. The music in here might be familiar to you - no matter where you come from, you’ll hear popular songs from back home that are a little outdated, sung in a garbled language you don’t understand.

PARTY CITY Anything you need to throw a great party, you can find it here at Party City! This big box store has aisles and aisles of decorations for any holiday, colorful plateware, streamers, crepe paper, glitter, confetti, balloons, and wrapping paper. It’s always Halloween in the spooky aisle! You can also find goodies like spray on hair dye, wigs, and face and body paints. Don’t forget to seal your paint, guys!

In the back, there’s a large costume section featuring rows of cheap, off brand costumes, none of which fit quite right and all of which are marketed as ‘sexy’ whether or not they actually are. You can even find off brand sexy costumes of famous people and professions from your home world. Have you ever wanted to dress as a sexy version of your rival? Now you can!

THE CEMETERY Regardless of the time of day you visit, a chill seems to have settled around the cemetery. A soft wind rustles through the trees, and through you, if you're not wearing a coat. You'll likely note the seasons change here, as well - sometimes it's winter, sometimes it's fall, sometimes it's spring. Never summer, though. The burial plots seem to be placed a bit haphazardly, and while there are a few tombstones around, time has eroded the faces of them, making the names illegible. Little bouquets of flowers occasionally decorate the area, some fresher than others. Every now and then you’ll catch sight of a shadow from the corner of your eye, but when you turn to look you’ll find that you’re completely alone.

Though it’s difficult to tell time in the prism, you’ll get the sense that the later you visit the cemetery the more likely it will be that you’ll hear the sound of someone shoveling dirt. Searching high and low will net you no results, but when you turn around a new burial plot has been added. Funny… it looks like it’s just your size. Do be careful not to fall in.

THE OFFICE Mondays, right? Now you, too can look forward to the weekend in your very own office! This small room with white walls and wooden floors lets you get to work. Blinds on the windows keep the world outside from distracting you, and a large potted plant in the corner provides that personal touch that reminds you we’re a family here. There’s a reception desk in the center, and then a few cubicle desks as well and a large copier and printer that jams frequently. On the wall, a clock ticks very slowly to 5 PM. There’s also a water cooler for gossiping.

At each desk, you can file papers (you can’t seem to understand any of them, but there’s an order you know they belong in), answer the phones (you can’t understand what the speaker is saying, but they’re in a bad mood and they’re making that your problem) or load up your desktop computer where you can organize your calendar and answer emails (all urgent and incomprehensible).

Wow! This sucks! Maybe you guys should submit some player locations?

THE DOJO The dojo is a spacious training hall with hardwood floors that seem well-cared for and maintained. One side hosts several wall-mounted racks holding wooden swords of varying lengths, with the opposite wall offering a row of seating cushions for comfortable observation or resting between bouts. Skylights overhead let in plenty of natural sun, with the front of the hall opening out via sliding shoji screens into a small dirt area for outdoor practice, complete with straw dummies suitable for hand-to-hand combat, and tameshigiri mats for cutting.

You cannot take the swords from this area. They also don't talk.

As of Week 4, there's an addition to the Dojo: Behind the practice area with cloth dummies is a grassy rectangle with a line of these at one end. There is a small box at the entrance of the rectangle, containing bows, arrows, replacement strings, throwing knives, and all sorts of other tools for target practice, all in fun colors! They cannot be removed from this location, and will simply reappear back if you try to walk away with them. :/ Thieves. There are also some really cool guns...? You get the sense you're lame for wanting to use these, but go off, I guess. They also occasionally whisper to you, but you can't quite hear what it is they're saying.

Edited 2022-03-14 00:50 (UTC)

WEEK THREE

This node connects from the Central Area. At the far side of the park is an archway that has a thin layer of fog across the opening. When you walk through, you are greeted with a circular room with pinewood floors, blue walls, and five doors. Which door will you choose?

PETTING ZOO Look at all these chickens… and goats… and ducks? The petting zoo is a soothing, open-range area filled with all sorts of animals that seem fairly domesticated. While the zoo is home to animals you would typically find in a petting zoo, something about them seems…a little off. The vibrant colors of each animal are almost eye-searing, and some of their patterns may even clash. But so long as you can deal with a bit of eyestrain, these cozy critters will love to spend time with you.

For those of you who want to resort to bribery though, you’ll find a few sheds nearby filled with feed for the animals. You’ll also find pet care tools such as brushes, nail clippers, leashes and little accessories such as collars, bows, sweaters and tiny hats.

GROCERY STORE You enter the realm of flickering fluorescent lights, and stroll down the well-stocked aisles. Overhead, the faulty PA announces deals, but you can’t make out exactly what it’s saying. Still, you can easily find all manner of goods and perishables, from basics to non-alcoholic beverages, fresh food and frozen delights. An aisle of H*llmark cards shower you with heartfelt messages such as Congratulations, You Avoided Teen Pregnancy! and Sorry to Hear About Your Divorce! Can I Be Your Rebound? There’s an aisle with basic amenities such as hygiene products and simple cleaning supplies. In one aisle labeled the "International Food Aisle" you might even find something from home. There's also a MILK wall. Just be sure you pay attention to the expiration date... some things may taste a little off.

A shelf in the back is labeled Konbini, and here you will find a wide selection of instant, shelf stable and pre-made food. From ramen, sushi, sandwiches, burgers, onigiri, fried pork, dumplings, sweets, and so forth — it's a haven for those who want to eat without going through the effort of preparing something for themselves. The pre-made food always seems to be fresh, and there’s a handy microwave and hot water dispenser nearby, as well as vending machines for hot coffees and teas and a slushie machine.

Behind the counter at the front of the store, you’ll also find a large stock of cigarettes, vapes, and other tobacco products stored behind the unmanned counter. There are lighters available, but they only come in Lisa Frank designs. However, all of these items are behind a locked case with a key. You’ll have to break in to get them. Near the front are multiple self-service checkouts. None of them take money, and all of them constantly, loudly, warn you that there is an unexpected item in the baggage area and will not stop until you have unpacked and repacked your entire load. The grocery store doesn’t appear to be run by anyone, but even as items begin to run out the shelves are restocked almost immediately.

MUSIC STORE It’s a bit cramped, but the vibe of the music store can best be described as comfortable, with the appearance of a cozy atmosphere that may be a little too cool even for you. There are posters of bands you've never heard of before plastering the walls, though you get the sense that you probably should have heard of them. There's a dusty old couch towards the back of the room against the wall that looks like you might get some sort of disease from sitting on it - otherwise, the room is just stands full of music. Every style of music can be found in this store, divided by rows and sections for easy listening. Available in vinyl, tape, CD and MP3, you can even sample different tracks… as long as you can hear it over the store’s constant background music.

And for those of you who would rather make your own music? You’ll find a few instruments at the front of the store along with necessary equipment such as guitar strings, drum sticks, and more. The walls here are probably soundproof. Probably. So play the drums as loudly as you want.

THE MUSEUM This vast, marbled structure has something for everyone! There's giant skeletons, statues, paintings, and archeological findings jam packed into every corner of the four floors (including the ground floor), and they seem... rather lively? Occasionally the skeletons will walk around, and the statues will chat. Don't worry about it! While you're there, be sure to check out the interactive exhibits such as: Et Tu Brute? A Bromance Broken, Animorphing: Live Your Jungle Life, and Why is the Mitochondria (Powerhouse of the Cell) So Sexy?.

For those who cannot manage climbing three flights of stairs, there is also an elevator. However it operates on its own schedule and sometimes the doors will not open even once you've reached your floor. It may also take you to a floor different than the one you requested. Maybe you should just take the stairs? Lastly, there is a small cafeteria in the basement. You don't have to pay anything to use the cafeteria, but you still get the feeling that the food is grossly overpriced, and fairly mediocre in quality.

STAGE An intricate looking auditorium with plenty of seating for an audience. The stage affords plenty of room for action, comedy or drama. The backstage is spacious enough for groups to stand between scenes. For now, the stage remains empty of any props or backgrounds. However, the sound and lighting are robust, able to do light shows and a huge variety of stock sounds (thunder, clapping, crashing, fighting, etc). Sound and lighting can be controlled in a booth at the back of the theater.

However, if you concentrate... this can be an outdoor stage, as well. All you need to do is give a little color, and the world shimmers around you.

A wide, plush field of grass fans out from the bottom of the stage, giving audience members a chance to lounge comfortably with or without blankets. The stage itself is sturdy and decently big; it can hold several performers or musicians at one time. Stage lights and music can be controlled by a foot panel near the front of the stage, hidden behind one of the speakers. Two projector screens bookend both sides of the stage, showcasing a large view of what's happening to those far away.

Edited 2022-03-07 02:21 (UTC)

NODE FOUR

This node connects from the Central Area. At the far side of the park is an archway that has a thin layer of fog across the opening. When you walk through, you are greeted with a circular room with pinewood floors, green walls, and five doors. Which door will you choose?

SIMULATIONS Entering this room for the first time might trick you into thinking it’s an empty space. The walls are stark white and windowless, and the silence is deafening. As you step through the door the entrance seals behind you. In its place, a small panel appears that allows for an input with the touch of your finger. A small transfer of color and a clear mental image is all it takes to bring the room to life and create a seamless simulation. Sights, sounds and smells all transfer as if you’ve been transported directly to your destination.

There’s no limit to the simulation you can create. Your imagination is free to run wild here, but you may want to keep an eye on the door. The panel may not always appear, trapping you until you regain your focus.

CAFE Effortlessly cozy, the cafe always greets you with the smell of freshly roasted coffee and baked goods just like the ones back home. It's always toasty in here, with background music that's too indie for you to recognize, and the vibes are comfortable even if the seating is a little cramped. The bar is stocked with all sorts of fancy, single-origin beans and every flavor of tea imaginable. You can order whatever you like from the invisible person behind the counter, but if you order something complicated, you get the faintest feeling that you're being judged. There's supposedly free wi-fi, but no one will tell you the password.

Occasionally, you might have to man the espresso machine yourself if you want a drink, and it's extremely complicated. Be careful not to burn yourself on all that steam!

THE OCEAN Welcome to the splash zone. The sand is hot beneath your feet and the scent of saltwater immediately hits you as you walk across the beach. The ocean stretches out before you beyond the horizon, waves crashing against the shore and leaving behind seaweed and seashells alike. A few tide pools dot the coastline with little unidentifiable sea creatures, and rocky cliffs and caves can be seen further down the shore. Farther still in the distance, you can see a long dock that goes out into the water. Sometimes, a ship appears on the horizon far in the distance, or dolphins leap through the waves. The water itself is warm and inviting, and gets deep very quickly. You’ll occasionally see the occasional shape of some large creature swimming below you, and -- what’s that slimy tendril grabbing your leg?! Oh. It’s only seaweed.

Two small boats are tied up in the harbor, and items such as jetskis, innertubes and water skis are available for anyone who wishes to play in the water. A short pier nearby has two simple fishing rods, along with other simple fishing supplies like bait and a cooler. A lifeguard tower sits on the warm sand near the waves. There’s no lifeguard on duty, but if you swim too far from the shore you’ll hear a faint but shrill whistle as you’re swept back toward the sand. Mind the boundaries!

If you pick up a seashell and hold it to your ear long enough, you will hear the distant sound of screaming or crying. But otherwise, wow, have a good time at the beach!

THE SALON Were you in need of a makeover, or maybe a little something to help you relax? Look no further; the salon and spa has you covered! The first floor is dedicated to updating or polishing your look. All manner of hair treatments await, ranging from standard shampoos, conditioners, colors, with all the tools to help you feel your best. The nail counters have a myriad of colors, but somehow you'll always find yourself choosing a shade in your main color. At least you can touch that up with some fun nail art. The makeup station holds cosmetics of all kinds, with the tools to help you feel great - and sometimes your reflection flickers, but it's gone in a blink. Don't worry about it. You look gorgeous!

Head upstairs, and the lights main spa awaits! The lights dim to bring you that coveted spa day ambience, soft music wafting through spacious halls to reach your ears. Everything from masks, mud baths, massage oils, and salt scrubs are just waiting to be put to good use here. The massage beds look so inviting, don't they? Give them a try, and don't worry about who or what is giving you that amazing massage, just enjoy it! And don't forget to stop by the sauna, and then the ice baths with some coconut water to round out the experience. You'll never feel the same again.

THE WORKSHOP A densely-packed workshop that upon entering is incredibly warm thanks to the forge that takes the centermost place, crackling away merrily, prepared for any and every project. There's a sense of organized chaos to this room, which boasts several workbenches right at its center. The benches themselves are generic, with a seat in front of them and several drawers for storing supplies when a project is in-progress, though they're empty by default - you'll have to start a project and fill the drawers yourselves. The walls, meanwhile, are lined with a plethora of supplies, as if someone had been reading several DIY books at the library and couldn't quite make up their mind what they wanted to make: there's everything from mechanical engineering to woodworking, whittling to sewing, dyeing fabrics and threads to embroidery. Unfortunately, it's in no particular order; you're liable to find clockwork gears next to mortars and pestles, sewing needles and thread next to sandpaper, looms stored along with saws, or any of those stored along with tools for carving.

A fire and an anvil lie ready and waiting at the forge. There are hammers, tongs, nails, saws, thick gloves and aprons, and other tools that can be utilized in here, though they can never leave. When you're in the room working on other things, the fire crackles steadily; it's when you're actively working with it that you need to keep a close eye, because then it becomes liable to go out entirely or flare up suddenly. There are molds for a variety of things here - metal jewelry, tools, simple weapons, and so on - but the more complicated or dangerous ones are incomplete and will require the assistance of someone who knows what they're doing to get working properly.

Anything you try to take out of this room very suddenly magnetizes to the door and will not be able to be pried from the door until you are back inside the room. No stealing.

Edited 2022-03-14 00:39 (UTC)

NODE FIVE

This node connects from the Central Area. At the far side of the park is an archway that has a thin layer of fog across the opening. When you walk through, you are greeted with a circular room with pinewood floors, metallic walls, and five doors. Which door will you choose?

SKATE PARK The concrete is a little warm as you enter this area, smooth beneath your feet and gently sloping down. You seem to be in a giant valley of a skatepark. Radical. Different levels elevate and dip throughout the park, and offer the perfect background for practicing your kickflips and rail slides. A large halfpipe sits at the other end of the park, stretching up to fifteen feet in the air for those of you feeling incredibly ambitious. Graffiti of all kinds is sprayed along the ground, on the back of the halfpipe, and on various railings and stairs. If you're lucky, you might find some cans of spray paint, though they're all mostly empty, and what's left are eye-searing neon colors.

As for those of you who prefer something more leisurely, a bike path circles the perimeter of the skatepark in one large circle. A rack of one and two-seater bicycles sits at the start of the trail, and a stall near the halfpipe houses all sorts of skateboards, helmets, knee and elbow pads. There are even some small bandages for the inevitable scrapes.

ANIME STORE With the power of God and Anime on your side, nothing can stop you from learning about this fine artform. The store is a little overly warm, but the walls are crammed with shelves of manga, art books, and DVD box sets of various series (though you likely won’t recognize many of them.) At the back of the store there are several glass display cases housing a variety of small nendoroid and PVC figures depicting your favorite characters. Upstairs, you will find a small cafe that sells tea, snacks, and pastries decorated to look like Shale, Steel, Riff and Bass. Cute!

In another locked glass case are high-quality 1/8th scale figurines of… you! And all the friends you’ve made along the way here. The pricetag is certainly high though, and the glass seems pretty unbreakable. Most importantly, there are also racks of hoodies, t-shirts, bags…and dakimakuras representing your waifus and husbandos. Enjoy.

RENN FAIRE Hail and well met! This bright and sunny locale is always bustling! With who? Hard to say, you can’t exactly see people, but it is awfully loud here - the jingling of bells on costumes and people hawking wares at you from all sides. There are a variety of little stalls here selling themed costume jewelry, tankards, leather goods, trinkets made by artisans of … varying skill, rare coins and fancy hats. You can also get costumes so you can match the theme of this place. Bodices and doublets abound, m’lords and ladies. Maybe a little more enticing is the food varieties available - huge turkey legs and cheap beer, massive pickles free floating in a barrel and nuts coated, caked and boiled in just about anything you can think of. Why are there so many nuts. Stop by for a few fun games - archery and axe throwing, a dunk tank to throw tomatoes at your friends, and a catapult that can launch watermelons 800 feet.

The main attraction of the place is the Ye Olden Times. You’re at the restaurant! You’re at the tavern! You’re at the combination restaurant and tavern! And that combination turns out to be… a franchise where you’re served mediocre food and watch mediocre dinner theater. Please enter the drawbridge of this cheap, suburban mini-mall castle. You may have a seat in the stands and observe the arena below. Upon entering, you will be given a paper crown or cardboard princess hat and a plastic sword or shield.

The actors in the show are all anthropomorphic animals who are dressed for the renn faire but are not wearing pants. They do not talk, but you can watch as about once per hour, a show begins where a lioness in a crown oversees a procession of knights in jousting and archery tournaments. All of the weapons are plastic. There’s also a band of rodent bards wandering and playing their instruments and singing songs. Meanwhile, rabbits and foxes dressed as barmaids wander through the stands, delivering you glasses of ale and chicken dinners. They also offer an array of meal options for those who are vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free, as commanded by the Queen. The food is just okay.

PILLOW FORT It's a pillow fort. Literally just a pillow fort.

The room is draped from ceiling to floor in blankets of all different colors and materials – some thick, some soft, some light and gauzy. The floor is velvety soft and tempting, covered in comforting blankets. You could just lie down and fall asleep right where you are, if you were so inclined to. Threads of twinkling lights are wound around hidden rafters and hooked onto invisible fixtures. They glow in soft, warming tones. From time to time they may cycle through the primary colors of the people in the fort at that particular moment.

Cushions of all shapes sizes and colors litter the area. Flowers, stars, circles, some that look like little cartoon animals, and some that wouldn't look out of place on regular bed. Hidden in some piles are friendly looking bunny plushies, waiting to be snuggled. What is the purpose of this place? Who knows. But, boy, doesn't it look cozy?

THE MOUNTAIN Welcome to your own winter wonderland! The pure white snow is a little blinding when you first enter the mountain, stretching out ahead of you and up the mountain side. The archway will deposit you approximately halfway up the mountain, where there are cozy cabins and small ice rinks immediately available. There is a cabin stocked with all the gear you might need for a winter excursion—ice skates, skis, snowboards and helmets (safety first!). The other cabins are also home to lounges warmed by roaring fires, thick blankets for sharing with hot chocolate and cider available.

Visitors confident in winter sport abilities can take the lift higher up the mountain side, but there are also bunny slopes available for novices to enjoy. You can also hike along the mountain—the sturdy pine trees grow taller and more dense as you wander further from the cabin area. Anyone wandering further out might spot the rare winter animal, doing their winter animal thing.

Be careful though! Storms can appear without warning, and you might have to take shelter in a nearby abandoned shed until it passes... Anyone wandering too far out will find a giant snowball dropping in on them from above, which will safely roll them back to the cabin area. If you are caught in the storm, you must snuggle for warmth. No exceptions.

Edited 2022-03-21 00:51 (UTC)

WEEK SIX

This node connects from the Central Area. At the far side of the park is an archway that has a thin layer of fog across the opening. When you walk through, you are greeted with a circular room with pinewood floors, scarlet walls, and five doors. Which door will you choose?

VOLCANO You’ve all been asking, and the prism finally delivers! Your very own volcano! This is a large, somewhat desolate area of dark, cooled lava fields. You’ll have to hike a little way towards the mountain itself, which always seems to be smoldering, releasing a heavy blanket of smoke into the air. From time to time, the cloud of smoke will be so thick that you can’t see where you’re going, but after a while, your path is brightened by the glow and warmth of partially molten lava in the distance.

Don’t worry, the path you’re on appears to be safe, though you should be wary of leaving it. You can follow it up to a cave entrance. Inside, you’ll find a roomy cavern filled with both natural hot springs and open pools of lava. Some of these hot springs are far too hot to set foot inside, and the smell of sulfur is thick in the air. Continue following the path through the cavern, and you’ll find a narrow winding path that will take you to the summit of the volcano. You’ll be safe as long as you stay on the path, but it starts to get narrow. One wrong foot will send you plummeting.

SWORDS ROOM A sword lover’s dream! But probably only a sword lover’s dream. A barebones room with only the essentials (swords). Every type of sword you could think of - short swords, long swords, curved swords, rapiers, cultasses, claymores, katanas, zweihanders, flamberges - are displayed along the walls behind glass cases. No polearms here, folks. If you even think about knives in this room, you find yourself feeling deeply ashamed for caring about anything other than these beautiful swords.

This room also contains everything you’d need to properly care for swords, such as whetstones and blade oil - remember that you should clean your sword about every 6 months to avoid rust and tarnish. That’s really about it. What is up with this room? Who asked for this? Mysteries may yet be unveiled. Or not, it could just be a cool room full of swords with no answers.

You cannot remove the swords from this room. It is their home.

THE MOON It would probably be fun to bounce around the surface of the moon like an astronaut, enjoying the low gravity and the view of space and a far away planet (hard to recognize in the distance). And you can do that! You don’t appear to need any kind of equipment to safely travel here, and you don’t even appear to need oxygen, which is good, because there isn’t any.

When you walk through this archway, you find yourself in a base. There are tables with various satellites, very expensive computer parts, and all sorts of tubes running around this area. What do they do? No idea! There are also a couple of space rovers and some astronaut suits here, though you don't necessarily need them to explore.

There are a variety of creatures here, but they never let you close enough to see them properly. You think they might be rabbits, but you're not sure. They scurry away and hide in the huge craters that litter the moon's surface.

PURIKURA STUDIO Wao sugoi! It's a Purikura studio!

The Purikura studio is a large, colorful and brightly lit room with a colorful tiled floor. In one corner of the room a row of costumes and wigs are hung up, ready to be used to really enhance your photos. A basket of props, from magical wands to very educational tomes and for some reason a single, smiling otamatone are also avaliable. Lined up along the sides of the room are booth type machines, each advertising different types of photo booth. On one a rainbow colored unicorn bats long, glittering eyelashes at an unseen camera lens. On another, a multicolored cat poses coyly, glancing over its shoulder at you -- yes you! Don't you want to come and take photos just like this?

Inside the booths have a wide range of options. Messing around with the touch screen can change the lighting in the picture, or scatter an array of sparkles across the screen. Further messing around will reveal options for enlarging your eyes, or adding decorative digital stickers to the photograph before printing it. Once printed, you'll find that every photograph actually doubles as a sticker for you to take away and do with as you please -- stick it on your notebook, in your diary, on your phone, stick there wherever you want! Incidentally, there seems to be a competition running asking participants to submit their most creative and stylish photosheets for consideration for a grand prize! Strangely though, there's no information on what is prize is or even when the deadline for submissions is.

THE PARK (JURASSIC) A new exciting area for recreation and exercise. This is a beautiful scenic area with a lot of room to explore and take in the greenery. Making this an even better treat are the dinosaurs just roaming free. Unfortunately, they are all angry. All of them. The prism isn’t as concerned with accuracy as capturing the thrill of fighting for your life when a pack of velociraptors is closing in on you, or the majesty of spotting a tyrannosaurus on the hunt. There are a couple of herbavores, and those are nice, at least. They don't particularly like you getting close, but if you roll high enough on your animal handling check, you can probably pet them (1) one time.

There's also a gift store, where you can buy cute dinosaur merchandise, like plushies or t-shirts, or one of those little dudes on a stick. You know the ones. This is the only place the dinosaurs can't come into, so if you need a break from dinosaurs all up in your grill, come hang out behind the counter. There are so many dinosaur sticky hands here...

Edited 2022-03-28 02:06 (UTC)

WEEK SEVEN

void

Edited 2022-01-23 20:24 (UTC)

THE GRAVEYARD

THE MOTEL A small, but comfortable place to rest along the road. There's beds (clean) and bathrooms (mostly clean) and continental breakfast available all day. The pool is always open, but it's hard to find a completely dry towel. None of the rooms lock, so enjoy finding a place to crash, but hey. It's free for a reason. If you ring the bell at the front desk and ask for what you need - mini-toothpaste, some cheap shampoo, maybe a robe - it will appear in your room shortly after. If you're flipping through the channels on the televisions in the rooms you might catch something interesting. Or just endless reruns of D*grassi. Breakfast (and lunch ... and dinner ... ) are served in a buffet style dining area off of the lobby. A variety of food is served, but the best it will ever be is just okay. You'll get used to it. There's also a tiny, sparsely stocked bar in here, and after 9pm the lights turn low and the karaoke machine boots up. Sing along with your favorite tunes to the wonderment of your friends.

THE MANSION Oh? This shithole is back? An old, dilapidated mansion sits here, creaking alarmingly. Two floors, with several rooms full of discarded and broken furniture. Shadows gather across the floor of the foyer, and it seems almost like they resemble figures. But no - it’s just a trick of the light. There are holes in the ceiling and in the walls, here and there, letting a cold breeze through the building - but there are a few rooms that seem suitable for shelter, with mostly in-tact beds. No running water, though. In one of them, the fireplace is roaring, inexplicably, and it won't go out, no matter what you do to it.

THE LABORATORY Yeah, this one too. An abandoned, run-down laboratory - stone floors and metal construction, dimly lit with yellow sodium lights that tend to flicker in and out. There are tables coated in dust and books and papers that crumble when you pick them up, anything written there is a totally alien language. Glass tubes, some empty, some containing various chimera-like monsters (too many mouths or too many sharp teeth and claws, giant eyeballs on stalks on their bodies) - but they all seem to be either dead or in some sort of stasis. Occasionally an eyeball blinks and looks your way, but when you look again there's no movement. You can hear the sound of something moving just outside your range of vision, soft growls or the shuffle of clothes, low whispers behind you.

There's also a hole here now. It's not a big hole? But it's like someone took fabric and ripped it, and left it open. Behind it is nothing but darkness and dust of the Prism.

THE TEMPLE A path from the central area leads to a rickety bridge, high above a river below. On the other side of the bridge is an old Japanese shrine. It's dark and spooky. Inside the shrine, a large door is bolted shut, impossible to open. The sound of something inside is banging, trying to be let out. Occasionally, you see the same sort of shadows wandering the area, fuzzing out when you get too close.

THE ABANDONED CARNIVAL An abandoned amusement park that seems to be perpetually dark and rainy. There are a few abandoned rides including a carousel, a house of mirrors and a few smaller-scale ones. The park has several types of flora that seem overgrown and unruly, and several of the decorations are a bit on the macabre side such as impaled upside down horses, oddly-shaped structures and red lights. Every now and then you'll hear the sounds of children's laughter, or occasionally crying. There also appear to be a few bloodstains on some of the rides.

Edited 2022-04-08 17:22 (UTC)

GRAVEYARD .............. 2!

PRISM GALLERIA Your attempts to cheat the system by providing yourselves with a large variety of shops have been noted. Appearing in the graveyard now is the Prism Galleria, which was once a glorious and cool hangout spot for teens multiverse-wide that had all the latest fashions and most mouth-watering fast-food options. Now … well, everyone’s sort of moved on to Prizmazon, so it’s a bit more run down. Damn you, J*ff Bez*s.

As it stands, it’s mostly a huge, cavernous and empty building, most of the storefronts are shuttered closed, but a few shops still remain open. Clothing stores of a couple of different styles like a Greg’s Gifts and a Miranda Russe and Eternally 14 still have their wares on sale to you. The selection is cheap, and some of the styles are really odd, but you can probably find something cute enough in the mix if you dig long enough.

The food court once boasted a huge variety of food options, but now only a corndog stall remains open. Fortunately, there’s an Applebee’s on the next floor for your fine dining enjoyment. Service is kinda slow. The biggest, brightest, most wonderful store here though, the lynchpin keeping the lights on in this depressing vision of a post-mall future is the HIGH QUALITY PAPER N’ INK R’ US. All they sell is high quality paper and ink. Endless rows and shelves of it. Nerdasses.

RAINBOW ROAD This seemingly endless road of rainbow loops around in dazzling colors with no barriers in sight. It’s live and die gloriously on the Rainbow Road out here, binches. A huge variety of vehicles are lined up: go-karts, bikes, pick-up trucks, a very confused horse, motorcycles, etc. It seems like someone making this might not be super familiar with your concept here, but is trying hard. As you start driving around it, you can race your fellows in good sport (or bad sport) - there’s friendly signage posted to see how many laps you’ve done, and countdown timers, all the things you’d expect. Unfortunately you’ll find each one of these vehicles is increasingly hard to control, and it might just send you careening off the edge and into endless space … and down … and down … it seems there’s no one to fish you out of it. As you sink further into the darkness of the Astral Sea, you’ll hear whispers of a voice you can’t quite put together, echoing, and though you can’t quite see them, eyes are watching you. You are scattered. They’re putting you back together. Different, now. Now, you think you’re close to grasping some truth at the core of it.

And then you wake up back at the start of the road, the same as you ever were, unharmed.

Edited 2022-04-08 21:43 (UTC)

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WEEK ONE

WEEK TWO

NODE THREE

WEEK FOUR

WEEK FIVE

WEEK SIX

WEEK SEVEN

QUARANTINE PART 1

PART TWO