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

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?

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 snorts. "Mahir. Dude. Everyone here is being paid to hype this resort non-stop, and it's fine, but I don't know that it's as amazing as we're all making it out to be. I know for a fact that it's not your or George's thing. Of course it's not 'right.' But it's just a job."

[fishandclips]

He shakes his head and pulls his phone out, setting it on the bar between them. "Have you checked the internet lately? Besides anything posted from here?"

[adaptiveimmunities]

"I--" He stops. He'd been about to say he'd been too busy to check, but since when has he ever been to busy to check the internet for something? He pulls out his own phone and opens a browser. It takes him to the hotel's page with its WiFi login and usage policy. He clicks through to try to get away from the hotel page and... it doesn't go anywhere. It just redirects back to the hotel page. That's... weird. He shakes his head. "Okay, so their WiFi is fucked up. It's a new resort. Stuff like that will happen."

[fishandclips]

"Hmm." Mahir hums, watching him closely. "I suppose. But that's not the only odd thing happening." He turns in his chair to fully face Shaun, clearly giving him his full attention. Time to get even more direct. "Shaun. We have met before. We work together. We have since the Ryman campaign."

[adaptiveimmunities]

"Sounds like politics," he says, keeping his tone studiously casual even though something about that fills him with unexpected dread. "I think you're mistaking me for Georgia. Everyone knows I'm not the smart one."

[fishandclips]

"You're telling me that if Georgia wanted to cover a political campaign, you wouldn't follow her?" He gives Shaun a skeptical look. "I know you too well to believe that. And that not-the-smart one-act only works on people who don't know you, either. You're very good at playing dumb, but no one survives the kind of stunts you do without getting killed by actually being dumb."

[adaptiveimmunities]

Shaun glares at him. "We'd have to break off from the 'rents first," he says, and the sharpness in his tone is a little more than strictly necessary in the moment, almost surprising him. He shakes it off--he's already annoyed at Mahir calling him out. That's all this is. "And I guess you and George are pretty good friends if she let you in on the big secret. Fine. You win. I'm not an actual idiot. I just play one on TV."

[fishandclips]

"You did," Mahir says flatly. "And while I'd like to think that Georgia and I were good friends, I don't know that because she told me. I know it because we are friends. Or so I'd like to think, otherwise I've been putting up with an obscene amount of abuse for years."

[adaptiveimmunities]

"Really." Shaun gives him a skeptical look. This, at least, he has an answer to. "I think I'd remember that."

[fishandclips]

"It would make this whole situation a lot easier if you did," Mahir agrees. "You particularly enjoyed calling me in London at absurd hours and pretending you don't know about the time difference."

[adaptiveimmunities]

Shaun smiles in spite of himself. "Okay, that does sound like me," he admits.

[fishandclips]

Mahir smiles slightly himself, but it fades quickly. He thinks of what Georgia told him, and asks softly, "Shaun. Why are your parents here?"

[adaptiveimmunities]

He rolls his eyes. "Please. The Masons found a way to stay relevant and they seized on it. Why else would they be here?" The words come out before he even thinks about it and he pauses. He usually says 'Mom and Dad' or 'the 'Rents' if he wants to psis them off. He doesn't think he's ever called them "the Masons" before.

[fishandclips]

The pause and look on Shaun's face is encouraging, and Mahir watches him carefully. "That is their M.O.," he agrees. "But don't their exploits usually involve more... zombies?"

[adaptiveimmunities]

"Zombies aren't real." He says the words, even though they feel like a lie. "I think you've been watching too many bad horror movies."

[fishandclips]

Fuck. Mahir resists the urge to make a face or show his frustration. He can fight Shaun's delusions with the facts. "What year is it, Shaun?"

[adaptiveimmunities]

"2041," he replies. "I'm not that crazy, Mahir." He blinks and shakes his head. "Sorry. 2020. That--I don't know where that came from."

[fishandclips]

“I do,” Mahir says patiently. “It came from the fact that somewhere in your mind, you know that is the year. You know that you were six or seven in 2020, and no resort on the planet would have looked or operated like this one, not in the world we grew up in.”

[adaptiveimmunities]

"This is the world I grew up in," he says with a frown. "What's is supposed to look like?"

He already knows he doesn't want Mahir to answer that.

[fishandclips]

“Maybe some aspects of it are,” Mahir says, still keeping his tone calm and even and patient, and keeping his eyes on Shaun. If his parents or Georgia appear, he doesn’t want to see them. This is already hard enough. “But where are the blood tests? The bleach showers? The security? I bet you aren’t even carrying a gun right now.”