Let me take a #selfie!

[adaptiveimmunities]

Who: Everyone!
What: Shaun's Nightmare Mingle Post
Where: Fyre Resort
When: Social Media Competition Weekend!
Warnings: As needed in the threads!

Welcome to the Fyre Resort! We hope you enjoy your stay, and all of our fine amenities, including gym, spa, pool, beach, and shuttle to a local theme park! Make sure that when you post, you include the tag #fyreresort per the contract you signed when you accepted our offer. Have fun! Relax! And of course, let us know if there is anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable.

Gym:
Do you like to work out? We sure hope so! Here you'll find any gym equipment your heart desires, perfect for the traveler who likes to stay in shape, whatever their fitness needs! And if all you want to do is jog a couple of steps or sit on a machine with a towel around your neck and take a selfie? We won't tell.

Spa
Need to relax? Stop in for a spa treatment! Facials, massages, manicures and pedicures, ...colonics? Hey, we don't judge! Whatever you need to to feel good, we're here for you! Don't forget to have our technicians snap a picture to show how relaxed you are!

Pool
Need we say more? Come swim, or stretch out poolside while the family plays! There's plenty of room for everyone to have a great time in our pools! Lifeguards are on duty from 8am to 10pm, and we even have a splash pool for the little ones! Remember to take pictures and make those memories last!

Beach
Grab a towel and head to the beach for a day in the sea, sun, and sand! Fyre Resort has beachside access from the ground floor, and beach chairs are available upon request. Don't miss the chance to dip your toes in the ocean. #beachlife, am I right??

Theme Park
Looking for a little excitement in your life? Hop on the shuttle and head over to Local Theme Park! Roller coasters, flumes, and other rides are sure to thrill you, and with no lines or waiting for this special weekend, you'll be coming back again and again! Ride photos are available at the end of each ride.

Food
Room service and fine dining are both available at Fyre Resort. A full bar is also available (must show valid ID!), and if you don't see something on the menu you like, just ask! We are happy to accommodate all dietary needs. Remember to tag the chef!

Day One Social Media Rankings: (Initial)
1. Mahir Gowda
2. Una Persson and Blanche Devereaux
3. Theon Greyjoy
4. Dorian Gray
5. Anna and Lester Sheehan
6. Francis Crozier and Thomas Jopson
7. Jonathan Strange
8. Shaun Mason and Family
9. Harry Goodsir

Day Two Social Media Rankings:
1. Shaun Mason and Family
2. Una Persson and Blanche Devereaux
3. Jonathan Strange
4. Mahir Gowda
5. Francis Crozier and Thomas Jopson
6. Theon Greyjoy
7. Anna and Lester Sheehan
8. Dorian Gray
9. Harry Goodsir

Final Standings!
1. Anna and Lester Sheehan
2. Una Persson and Blanche Devereaux
3. Mahir Gowda
4. Francis Crozier and Thomas Jopson
5. Shaun Mason and Family
6. Jonathan Strange
7. Harry Goodsir
8. Theon Greyjoy
9. Dorian Gray

[Feel free to use this post as a general mingle to come across friends, rivals, mortal enemies… And you don't have to just use these locations! There are all kinds of places you can run into each other! Have fun!]

Comments

[blancheinthesheets]

Blanche lowers her sunglasses and gives him a little wink. "Sure, sugar."

[fishandclips]

Mahir can't help grimacing and looking away from her, even though he opened the door to that reminder. Those posts were largely what had convinced Mahir to play along with Shaun's hallucinations. They both knew he wasn't really talking to Georgia in his head, but it helped Shaun cope and Mahir was more willing to play along than to risk losing Shaun completely.

He sighs heavily. "So what do we do, Georgia? How do we possibly convince him that living in this delusion isn't better than the alternative?"

[fishandclips]

Mahir is incredibly relieved to see Dorian's terribly coded messages. He sends him a direct message:

Thank god. I was beginning to think I was the only one not changed this time.

[brushoff]

Thank fuck. Dorian can't help but let out a small sigh of relief as he sees Mahir's message. It's barely ten minutes later before he responds,

If one more person asks me to take their Instagram photo, I'm going to throw their phone into the sea.
The cruise ship made sense. We went from one boat to another. I can't find even a tenuous connection between a ship in the frozen Arctic wasteland and #nofilter.

[una_persson]

"That's really sweet of you to say. Thank you." She smiles, all humility. "We were so happy with our last episode, and I guess it was pretty popular. The Patreon is doing so well, too!"

Re: text

[una_persson]

Thank you! It was great seeing you - can't wait to see your posts too!

[adaptiveimmunities]

"Anything in mind?" Shaun asks curiously. He's absolutely planning on pulling a prank on his parents that they'll have to smile through, even though they're pissed, because they're on camera, but this place is still pretty tame as far as he's concerned. If Dorian has something interesting going on, he definitely wants to know about it.

[adaptiveimmunities]

She gives him a wry smile. "You're asking Shaun's hallucination how to convince him to be sane? Maybe his delusions are catching." She glances behind her. In the distance, Shaun is approaching. She turns back toward Mahir. "He's on his way. When he gets here, I'll be different. I won't be able to help you."

[kingsroads]

"You know, with all this success at your fingertips, have you considered branching out? There's so many opportunities for you and Blanche to expand your brand," says the man with metaphorical dollar signs flashing behind his eyeballs.

[brushoff]

"Not really," Dorian admits. Mostly because his interesting thing that still sounds unbelievable is their own arrival on a 1840s British naval vessel. Though the tone in Shaun's voice is interesting. And so, after a pause, Dorian adds,

"Why, do you want suggestions?"

[fishandclips]

"I'd say that this entire resort indicates that his delusions have already been caught, by everyone. And since you're part of him, who better to tell me how to help him?" He glances behind her, frowning. "But--What do you mean, you'll be different?"

[adaptiveimmunities]

"You'll see." She shrugs a little. "Try reminding him that this isn't me, and our parents are here. It might help."

Shaun steps up beside her and drapes an arm over her shoulder. "Hey, George, who's this?"

Her posture shifts slightly. She's not exactly more open and welcoming, but neither is she as distant and detached as usual. She smiles at him. "This is Mahir, Shaun. You remember--we've worked together on a few articles."

He nods in acknowledgment. "That's right. Nice to meet you in person. You here for the thing too?"

[fishandclips]

Mahir is still looking at Georgia in confusion when Shaun appears and she changes before his eyes. He isn't sure which is more surprising--the way she shifts and changes, or the way Shaun is looking at him like he's never met him before.

It hurts more than Mahir would have expected, and he's certainly not going to examine that right now.

"Uh. Yes. The thing. Right. Of course. It's nice to meet you too, Shaun."

[adaptiveimmunities]

He nods. "We're hoping to leverage this whole thing into breaking off on our own--maybe that will mean you and George will have more to collaborate on. Here's hoping, huh?" He seems completely oblivious to Mahir's confusion.

[fishandclips]

Mahir is flat out staring at Shaun now. This is so much worse than he thought. Not that he’d had much time to think, but for Shaun to not even remember After the End Times, or even to recognize him... How exactly was he supposed to help him if Shaun didn’t even remember him?

“That—that would be great,” he finally manages. He looks back to Georgia and feels ill all over again. Shaun is going to have to remember that she isn’t real, sooner or later. That she’s dead. Does that mean Shaun will have to relive those first awful weeks and months? The days Shaun hadn’t wanted to be alive either?

Mahir is just not equipped to handle any of this. He’s too British.

[adaptiveimmunities]

Shaun's face clouds briefly at Mahir's obvious dismay, but he visibly shakes it off and smiles again at him. "We'll have to talk later and work something out, depending on how the weekend goes, yeah? Catch you later--and it was really nice to meet you. George has told me a lot."

They turn and walk away, a closed unit as they've always been. Georgia waves over her shoulder as they leave.

HERE GOES

[fishandclips]

This place is close to their world, with one glaringly obvious difference: the absence of Kellis-Amberlee. No blood tests, no safety measures, no firearms. The internet is full of social media, but no news, unless it pertains to the Fyre Resort and the posts being made by their group. It doesn't seem to matter to the standings that Mahir never actually makes a post of his own.

Mahir tries, over the first few days, to catch Shaun alone. The problem is that he never seems to be able to manage it. If Shaun is around, the ghost of his sister is usually nearby. If not Georgia, then their parents. Mahir watches and observes; if there's one thing he's good at, this is it and it's proving very handy. He's making a study of the Masons.

It's interesting to him that they are not so very different than the actual Masons. It makes sense, as they are obviously tied to Shaun's psyche, but it also surprises him that Shaun hasn't imagined them in a more favorable way. Maybe it's part of the dream's effects on them; Mahir isn't sure, and while he could easily fall into the trap of analyzing this whole mess, it's not going to help him help Shaun. Periodically, Mahir notices changes in the Masons. They seem to flicker, changing clothes and appearance, bleach streaks appearing in their hair where they were missing moments before, guns tucked into their clothing where they were not. As soon as Shaun notices them, however, they return to their dream-selves.

Finally, on the third day, Mahir decides that he can't take it anymore. If he can't corner Shaun on his own, he has to resort to making Shaun come to him. He sends him a message:

Shaun. I'd like to discuss a collaboration with you. Can we meet?

[una_persson]

"Well..." She glances around, nonchalant. "We've talked a little about adding nutrition to our discussions as well. Obviously a whole line of supplements is a little beyond where we are now!"

[kingsroads]

"Obviously," Strange says, with a little wave of his hand. "But if you do decide to do something like that, give me a call. I'd love to help you out or chat about nutrition."

OH BOY

[adaptiveimmunities]

Sure. I can meet you at the bar.

When he arrives, he orders a drink--though considering that he's not much of a drinker, it will probably be the only one he orders. Nonetheless, appearances matter, and if he's 'meeting a friend for drinks,' then he should probably have an actual drink in hand. There's always a camera around somewhere.

When Mahir arrives, he waves him over. "Hey. How's it going?"

[fishandclips]

Mahir initiated this, and he knows what he needs to do, but that doesn't mean he's any more prepared for it when it comes right to the moment. He gives Shaun a half-hearted wave in return, and slides into the stool next to him. He doesn't order anything, but he notices Shaun's drink.

Right. Appearances. Well, he may as well get right to it.

"It's not going so well, frankly. How about you?"

[adaptiveimmunities]

Shaun frowns a little in confusion. This is... definitely not the conversation he was expecting. "...Fine, I guess. Shame things are coming to a close though. What's up?" He and Mahir aren't really friends, though they know of each other, and Mahir is a friend of George's. Maybe he can help?

[fishandclips]

Mahir raises an eyebrow at him, searching Shaun’s face for any signs that he isn’t completely brainwashed or broken. “Does this place feel right to you? Really?”

[adaptiveimmunities]

He laughs. "I am always up for doing dumb, unbelievable shit."

[una_persson]

"Of course!" she beams, having only a very little intention of the kind. She looks at her phone. "Oh, goodness, must dash. It really is lovely to see you again—I'm sure I will again before the weekend's out." She leans forward to give him an air-kiss.