I'm going to try something.
This is the first segment of Act III of TWOTT. It's going almost on two months since I lasted posted. Blockages, as well as engrossment in other projects with greater priority, have steered me further away from this little side-project.
If, after reading the following, there is still interest for me to continue, then I surely will. Otherwise, I'll put it to rest for good.
[collapse=Act III Preview]
The New Generica Market was a sight to behold. Shame this isn’t a visual medium, or you’d have been in for a treat. I guess you’ll have to make due with your stunted imaginations.
Upon descending the great rock where sat the Asylum of the Banned, the Bandwagoners made their misbegotten way to the Market, located on the North-By-Northwest Side (represent). The streets cut through the district like spokes of a wheel, and there, many shops, stands, and kiosks were arranged. Signs and panels extravagant and humble alike clustered to building facades like so many barnacles, and the streets were bustling at this early hour of the night.
“Let’s get going, then,” said Cliff, pushing up his glasses.
At the outer rim of the Market, many a vendor called out to them as they passed, displaying their generic wares (for New Generica was a major center of the Indistinct Goods industry, drawing peddlers of the forgettable from all corners). Larger stores cropped up as they wandered further into the district. There was
Golden Yuniidtusiturassdown, a so-called “correctional massage parlour” where one went to be disabused of their misguided notions. Nearby,
Scat Man’s World advertised itself as the one-stop shop for all of your scat-related needs. Before a Peacock Emporium (one of the many they passed) flashed signs promoting the latest deals (
8 Bucks For 8 Peacocks! Buy Now And We’ll Throw In A Pheasant!).
Along the way, they came across purveyors of foodstuffs. Their sojourn to and from the Asylum had left them wanting for nourishment, so the sirensongs of the vendors were more entrancing than they otherwise would have been.
Bidoof bought some nuts and berries, only to chuck them at the mouth of his costumed head, causing them to fall uselessly on the ground. Kermit expressed interest in the contents of a barrel, which was too tall for Kermit to peer inside. Tewn, for his own amusement, got him a bag of the stuff. He suppressed a grin as Kermit unknowingly slid anchovy after pickled anchovy into his mouth flap (though Tewn was one to laugh, having bought kebabs which actually contained leenk).
Cliff partook of nothing, for being a critical and informed consumer, he was decidedly unimpressed with the options available to him. Conversely, Nielicus gradually assembled a veritable smorgasbord—alpaca jerky, salted cud, dàt phud thô. After a swig of
Diet Beetus, Nielicus offered some of his grub to Vegito, but the latter declined; he wanted to be the very best that no one ever was (
), so he preferred to eat healthily. As such, he continued to munch on his homemade "Veggie Skittles"—bits of dried broccoli, Brussels sprout, squash, turnip, and eggplant lacquered in Vegemite.
The Market was a difficult place to navigate, with concentric rings and crisscrossing lanes. The Bandwagoners assembled around a bench in the Market Dodecagon, looking to gain their bearings.
“You know,” said Mega Bidoof, “it might have been useful if that Slapaswami guy had told us where this place is supposed to be.”
“Oh, hey!” exclaimed Vegito. “I have my laptop with me. I can look it up.”
He unslung his backpack and extracted his laptop.
“A PLATINUM7,” noted Tewn. “Nice.”
They gathered around Vegito like children of lesser privilege hovering around the kid with a Game Boy at recess. Vegito accessed Bing—the preeminent search engine, and let no one tell you otherwise—and typed in
Kapnkrust and Totserbine.
Did you mean Cap’nChreest & ToasterBrains?
The first page in the search results brought them to a ****ty Web 1.0 homepage. Vegito squinted to make sense of the cancerous colour scheme.
THE CAP’NCHREEST AND TOASTERBRAINS ARMORY
FOR WEAPONS, EQUIPMENT, GEAR, ITEMS, AND LOOT (+MINIGAMES!)
VISIT US TODAY AT NEW GENERICA, JUST ACROSS FROM THE BENCH IN THE MARKET SQUARE!
The Bandwagoners looked up from where they sat. And indeed, the towering building before them was labelled clearly as the Cap’nChreest and ToasterBrains Armory, the name flashing in oversized neon lights.
“Well, would you look at that,” said Nielicus, ingesting the last of his paninininini.
Vegito closed the browser, and Kermit peered closer. “Hey, Vegito. What’s in that folder there? Blue-Footed Boo—”
In a flash, Vegito slammed his laptop shut. “—Nothing!”
Kermit blinked, then slid off the bench. Vegito breathed out in relief, glad that his secret kinks would remain secret, at least for now.
After the Bandwagoners had entered the Armory, however, the people in the Market Square finally let out their repressed chuckles and snickers, and proceeded to disseminate Vegito’s embarrassing truth on social media platforms.
[/collapse]
I continue to feel a bit bad for not seeing this thing through; the desire to finish creative projects is a pathology of mine, you see (as is my being a lecher).
In order for me to continue, I need to know that people still want to read this stuff, because it
is just a random fic written for the ****s and the giggles. So I leave the fate of this misbegotten project to you, the Social Thread denizens.