doublefried | HAWKS PALACE

The ticket booth stands as the only entry or exit point into what sounds like a very busy ... attraction of some kind. It's either a zoo or an amusement park, based on the sounds of humans and animals beyond the tall, solid fence.

In every direction outside the fence is forest. Thick, deep jungle forest. It seems to stretch on infinitely, in a way that is simultaneously inviting and foreboding.

Inside the ticket booth is a perfectly generic-looking human and perched directly on top of the booth is a bird the size of an elephant, made entirely of fire.

Hawks is nowhere to be seen.

Edited 2022-09-04 04:48 (UTC)

The sun overhead is bright and beaming down as you enter the brightly-colored main street of Hero World. The park is packed. Families with children, couples on dates, school class field trips, and everything in between are making their way through the park without any hurry. Sometimes they'll stop to sit on benches or admire a fountain or flower bed. For them, of course, it's a vacation.

Food stands and sideshows dot the sides of the wide street, and various signs point off in multiple directions -

[ANIMAL ATTRACTIONS]

[RIDES]

[MUSEUM]

Hawks is nowhere to be found, and he'd probably stand out, even in this crowded place. On the bright side, you can get ice cream or corn dogs or mini donuts or cotton candy and have a seat if you want.

Edited 2022-09-04 04:48 (UTC)

The sun here is still blazing hot, but the air is slightly cooler, mostly because of the many decorative rivers and waterfalls in this area of the park.

It's set up to imitate the natural habitat of, uh... something. It's hard to tell what. There are animals of every type here, not restrained in any way. There are goats and sheep and birds and lions and tigers and giraffes and zebras just sort of roaming.

Signs in multiple locations say in multiple languages [PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PET THE ANIMALS], which probably isn't standard for a zoo, but…?

Of course, there are multiple snack stands here as well, usually with animal-themed snacks.

A couple of administrative buildings are tucked away under imitation foliage.

Hawks doesn't seem to be here.

Edited 2022-09-04 04:49 (UTC)

The amount of stimulation coming from this area is INTENSE. The smells of junk food waft from every direction, changing whenever there's a breeze. The sound of screaming - excited screaming, not murderous screaming (probably) - is everywhere, mixed with the loud stock noises each attraction has - the ringing of bells and the playing of jingles and the shouting of the attendants trying to draw your attention to their specific grift where you can fail to win a prize.

Or succeed at winning a prize! It's not the real world, right?

More important are the rides, covered in flashing lights and garish bright colors, each bigger and more impossible than the last.

Hawks isn't within immediate sight, but considering exactly how much is going on here, it's hard to know if you'd be able to clock him.

Edited 2022-09-04 04:47 (UTC)

You find yourself in an area that's clearly not meant for guest access. The tunnels start bright white and utilitarian, but clearly haven't been maintained very well; in several places what appeared to be solid cinderblock walls appears to... peel away?

In the spots where it's peeled, it appears to have revealed bars, perhaps for structural reinforcement, placed in such tight proximity to one another that they form a sort of cage around the whole area, closed so firmly that no light gets through, that no air flows even when the cinderblock wall facing has peeled entirely away.

The doors along the sides of the hall appear to be prison cells - modern ones, with heavy thick solid doors with tiny viewing windows.

It branches off in two directions:

<---- EXIT
EXIT ---->

But both of those exits appear to lead into solid cage walls?

Edited 2022-09-04 04:57 (UTC)

Welcome to the Heroic Public Safety Commission Presents: The History of Heroism Museum!

The area is clean and quiet, well-maintained, and looks like a comic convention. Every exhibit is on some superhero or other, none of which seem familiar to anyone. Huge men and buff women in spandex feature heavily, as well as less conventional heroes, and there is of course a well-stocked gift shop.

Admission is free for all guests of the park.

The featured exhibits today are the History of Heroes exhibit, the Origin of the HPSC exhibit, and the History's Worst Villain exhibit.

Someway or other, you make your way through the bars of the cage wall and find yourself... outside.

There is nothing in all directions except for poorly-maintained grass - the type of growth you get near highways and streets that nobody cares for because it doesn't belong to anything - and one house (more of a shack, really), barely standing, leaning to one side.

[ looks between the human and the gigantic fire hazard ]

Hi?

[.............sure why not. going up to the booth]

One ticket please?

"Hi! And welcome to HeroLand, the only official Hero Experience theme park!"

... That's from the human, in a chipper customer-service voice.

The big ol' bird peers down at you.

Ah, so this is the nature of the hunt. Hello.

[ Waving up at the big firebird ]

Are you the ticket seller? Are these tickets fire proof?

"Of course!"

The perfectly generic human hands over an admission ticket and a receipt (the fact that no money was exchanged doesn't seem to factor into this at all) as well as a park map with little blurbs of key attractions.

"Have a heroically good time at Hero Land!"

The bird peers imperiously down.

I keep watch over this place in the absence of its creator. This small creature controls admission.

The tickets are not fireproof.

Hello! Yes, thank you, I'm here to help find him! In... HeroLand?

... Or the forest?

The forest is my domain. If he hides there, I am certain I would have noticed.

This garish place is his creation.

Damn. Good thing I asked. I won't give you my tickets.

[ looks down at the human now ]

Hey. One ticket.

I do not require them. Happy hunting.

"Of course!"

The perfectly generic human hands over an admission ticket and a receipt (the fact that no money was exchanged doesn't seem to factor into this at all) as well as a park map with little blurbs of key attractions.

"Have a heroically good time at Hero Land!"

[huh. hmmmm. opens the map]

Thank you. It's my first time visitng, what attraction would you recommend first?

Hmmm...

Okidokie! I'll look here first. [ Looks to the human ]

A ticket, please!

[ the map is a pretty generic theme park map! key locations include rides, a zoo, a museum, and several patches fully blotted out with weird black and red ink blotches ]

"Our animal habitat park is always popular among families, and of course our rides are internationally renowned!"

"Of course!"

The perfectly generic human hands over an admission ticket and a receipt (the fact that no money was exchanged doesn't seem to factor into this at all) as well as a park map with little blurbs of key attractions.

"Have a heroically good time at Hero Land!"

How fun.

[glances up at the bird]

And what do you think?

Ta.

[ peruses MAP ]

The entire place is a monument to the hubris of mankind. I abhor the whole exercise.

However, they have very small round pastries that I find enjoyable.

[ awesome because Wilbur is a firm believer in crime and this way he isn't entering Hero Land after immediately committing amusement park ticket theft ]

Will do, King. Got any recommendations?

[ Time to take a look at the park map ]

HAWKS PALACE

TICKET BOOTH

MAIN STREET

ANIMAL ATTRACTIONS

RIDES

BACKSTAGE

MUSEUM

EXIT

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