[Draft/RFC] Fenspace Theme Parks

[robkelk]

(One inspired by Bob's spring vacation plans this year... )

---

Theme Parks in Fenspace

There are those who would claim that every Fen settlement is a theme park of some sort, thanks to what many 'Danes think of as the Factions' "picturesque" habits. As Jonathan Helscher once wrote, that's just how Fen live.

Actual Fen theme parks can be found throughout space:

Operating out of an asteroid purchased from Rockhounds, moved to Clarke orbit above 158°W (as close to Hawai'i as possible), and sculpted to have Mouse ears, Disney's World is owned and operated by the Disney Corporation. The name is literal; Disney doesn't make space on their "world" available to other companies. It's much like the company's ground-based parks, although the Space Mountain ride has been replaced with a zero-g playroom. The animatronics are as good as any at the other Disney parks (which is a liability compared to other theme parks' use of AI animatronics).

Federation Land, located in the middle of Utopia Planitia on Mars, strongly resembles an old-style movie studio's back lot. There's a thousand-and-one-nights zone (complete with green dancing girls), a Chicago-gangland zone, a Klingon-homeworld zone, ... if it showed up on an episode of Star Trek, you can find something like it in Federation Land. The park's motto is "Set Phasers On Fun!"

The Kandor Bottle is a small theme park in Kandor City, similiar in size and quality to the various "roadside attraction" parks found throughout North America. While they concentrate on Supers-related exhibits, they have one room devoted to the events of Kandor-con.

Many people are amazed to discover the Wizards have nothing to do with Renfaire, until they remember the Potterites are interested in modern fantasy. Renfaire, found in the Main Belt, is owned by a "guild" of historical-reenactment fen. The park's biggest attraction is the resident Dandelion population, who act as wandering minstrels, troubadors, and bards. The second-biggest attraction is the monthly roasting of an entire ox - this is the only red meat some people in the Belt ever eat. Renfaire's Training Grounds have been open to all comers since the beginning of Operation Great Justice, and have completely modern medical staff on call.

---

(Any more? Or a better name for "Federation Land"?)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[M Fnord]

Operating out of an asteroid purchased from Rockhounds, moved to Clarke orbit above 158°W (as close to Hawai'i as possible), and sculpted to have Mouse ears, Disney's World is owned and operated by the Disney Corporation.

Hm, how about instead of just a standard asteroid, Disney's structural imagineers used the asteroid to create a spherical Cole habitat, giving it more open space than any other free-floating habitat in the system?

Also, they wanted to have it on a tundra orbit centered on Anaheim or Orlando, but that kinda fell through when the locals in both locations suggested that having a giant Mickey Mouse head drifitng directly overhead at all times was "really goddamn creepy."

Federation Land could be the Star Trek Experience, but one of those already exists... call it the Holopark maybe?
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[Bob Schroeck]

There ought to be a Dreampark somewhere, too...

(And I'm honored...)
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Bob Schroeck]

Hm. Some thoughts after a few minutes.

One of the big selling points of Disney's World should be the lack of handwavium used, pushed as a family-friendly thing -- "All of the Magic, None of
the Danger!"

And what about Jurassic Rock, hollow with dinosaurs? Maybe with a Golden Age Venus spin on it, too...

And I like the idea of the Fenspace equivalents of those little roadside attractions:

"Come to Mystery Rock, where gravity works normally in defiance of all natural law!"
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Cobalt Greywalker]

One of the thoughts I've had about the OGJ strory line was that the Boskonian's Earth based ship building facility codenamed Skull Cove ended up
polluted with 'wavium slightly. Thus when it shut down, the Fen offered to clean it up. The 'Dane government to whom the island belonged ended up
selling it to the Fen (points at Noah), who did the clean up work and then turned it into a SPANC like theme park.

Of course, the idea of the Fen owning an entire island tickled my fancy. Plus it might end up making another 'Dane government nearly as friendly as Oz, and
show 'Danelaw the the Fen aren't all bad.

[robkelk]

Hm, how about instead of just a standard asteroid, Disney's structural imagineers used the asteroid to create a spherical Cole habitat, giving it more open space than any other free-floating habitat in the system?

Sure, why not? It'd be easier to put the Mouse ears on a sphere, too.

There ought to be a Dreampark somewhere, too...

We don't have anything at Venus yet...

One of the big selling points of Disney's World should be the lack of handwavium used, pushed as a family-friendly thing -- "All of the Magic, None of the Danger!"

Good point. I almost mentioned that with the "no AIs in the animatronics" bit, but this goes even farther...

Thus when it shut down, the Fen offered to clean it up. The 'Dane government to whom the island belonged ended up selling it to the Fen (points at Noah),

(Noah points at the Stellvia expansion work, the brand-new **WHITENOISE** Foundation, and the brand-new Project Artemis, then gestures in the general direction of Rockhounds and the Blue Blazers)

who did the clean up work and then turned it into a SPANC like theme park.

"Welcome... to Fantasy Island!" Okay, maybe not...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Cobalt Greywalker]

Yeah well, my line of thought was Skull Cove -> Tropical Island -> Millionaire's playground -> Noah doesn't have one of these ->
'Daneside theme park owned by Stellvia Corp.

[robkelk]

Yeah well, my line of thought was Skull Cove -> Tropical Island -> Millionaire's playground -> Noah doesn't have one of these -> 'Daneside theme park owned by Stellvia Corp.

Ah, but I think maybe I came up with an even better idea...

Here's take two...

---

Theme Parks in Fenspace

There are those who would claim that every Fen settlement is a theme park of some sort, thanks to what many 'Danes think of as the Factions' "picturesque" habits. As Jonathan Helscher once wrote, that's just how Fen live. Actual Fen theme parks can be found throughout space.

Operating out of an asteroid purchased from Rockhounds, moved to Clarke orbit above 158°W (midway between Orlando and Tokyo, and as close to Hawai'i as possible), and rebuilt into a Cole habitat with Mouse ears, Disney's World is owned and operated by the Disney Corporation. The name is literal; Disney doesn't make space on their "world" available to other companies. It's much like the company's ground-based parks, although the Space Mountain ride has been replaced with a zero-g playroom. Disney's World uses no handwavium at all, which lets them use the slogan "All of the Magic, None of the Danger!"; however, the animatronics (while as good as any at the other Disney parks) are nowhere near as good as those at other theme parks (which use AI animatronics).

The Holopark, located in the middle of Utopia Planitia on Mars, strongly resembles an old-style movie studio's back lot. There's a thousand-and-one-nights zone (complete with green dancing girls), a Chicago-gangland zone, a Klingon-homeworld zone, ... if it showed up on an episode of Star Trek, you can find something like it in the Holopark. The more popular zones are physical constructions; the less-popular ones are holographic displays, adapting technology originally developed by the Professor for OGJ warship consoles. The Holopark's motto is "Set Phasers On Fun!"

Dream Park takes up three entire levels of Crystal Seattle's bedrock. Using the same holographic technology as the Holopark, Dream Park runs total-immersion experience roleplaying games for their customers. The park is operated by a holding company co-owned by Wizards of the Coast, White Wolf Games, Steve Jackson Games, and the Professor. (Nobody knows why the Professor has taken an interest in this business, and so far nobody has been brave enough to ask.) Their most famous event is the Gygax Memorial Dungeon Crawl, held every March. (The 2013 GMDC, based very loosely on the classic adventure Tomb of Horrors, was the first ever to be completed by a player party without taking losses; this was accomplished by paladin Haruhi Suzumiya, fighter Noah Scott, cleric Mikuru Asahina, thief Itsuki Koizumi, wizard Yuki Nagato, and elf wizard Sora Hasegawa. The event's game masters cited Scott's oft-repeated advice "don't get greedy" as the major reason the team survived the crawl.)

The Kandor Bottle is a small theme park in Kandor City, similiar in size and quality to the various "roadside attraction" parks throughout North America. While they concentrate on Supers-related exhibits, they have one room devoted to the events of Kandor-con. Just down the road from the Kandor Bottle is Mystery Rock, another roadside attraction "where gravity works normally in defiance of all natural law!"

Many people are amazed to discover the Wizards have nothing to do with Renfaire, until they remember the Potterites are interested in modern fantasy. Renfaire, found in the Main Belt, is owned by historical-reenactment fen. The park's biggest attraction is the resident Dandelion population, who act as wandering minstrels, troubadors, and bards. The second-biggest attraction is the monthly roasting of an entire ox - this is the only red meat some people in the Belt ever eat. Renfaire's Training Grounds have been open to all comers since the beginning of Operation Great Justice, and have completely modern medical staff on call.

Jurassic Rock is the nickname of an ex-Rockhounds asteroid owned by the Vesta Institute of Biochemistry. Originally intended as an easily-isolated place to perform dangerous genetic engineering experiments, successes at cloning pseudo-dinosaurs in 2011 created a tourist attraction. People come from across the System to see the (small) herds of Protoceratopses, Kentrosaurs, and Pterodactyls kochi. Jurassic Rock does not have a petting zoo, and nobody involved in the cloning project wants to even consider recreating a Velociraptor.

Techincally speaking, Fantasy Island is not in Fenspace, being located in "Skull Cove" on Earth. But it was claimed, decontaminated, and turned into a resort by employees of the SOS-Dan after the shipyards there were captured during Operation Great Justice, so it's usually counted as a Fen theme park. (When Larry King asked Noah Scott why Stellvia Corp. didn't buy the island from the SOS-Dan after OGJ, he replied, "I'd rather trust them with that than with something important.") Fantasy Island is much like any other island resort, except with catgirls.

---

(Brickbats? Bouquets? Any further additions?)

Edit for typos
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[kentmagus]

Now I want to visit Jurassic Rock. Just to find out what color the dinosaurs actually were. Aren't all those dinosaurs herbivores? and how did they stop
the Professor from making velociraptors anyway?

[Foxboy]

Hmmm. We may want to note which of these theme parks have commissioned Vulpine Fury's work for the "shells" of the AI-nimatronics™.

The poor guy is banned for life from Disney parks due to his "terrorist list" days early on. Plus he dared to make unauthorized "Uncle
Walt" telepresences for a movie about the "wars" between the animation studios in the timeframe from 1929 to 1960. Also his Studio Ghibli Museum
installation raised some hackles since he got the official contract over the Orlando imagineers.

Random thought.... He did the dragons for Dream Park, since the operators always wanted a "live" pilot for them, to keep them from getting too frisky
should their AIs quirk so that Smaug developed a personality more like Puff...
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[robkelk]

and how did they stop the Professor from making velociraptors anyway?

Simple: he wasn't a student at the Vesta Institute of Biochemistry at the time. (Jurassic Rock is a VIB campus, after all.)

Nowadays, the administration's view on the subject is "If the Professor wants to clone velociraptors, he can do so on the Sol Bianca."

Hmmm. We may want to note which of these theme parks have commissioned Vulpine Fury's work for the "shells" of the AI-nimatronics™.

Pretty much all of them, excepting Disney, I'd think...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Ebony]

I see Jurassic Rock being known for an annual Pulper celebration that culminates with "Pellucidar Day" on every September 1 (Edgar Rice
Burroughs' birthday). Events include a pageant for best Lord and Lady Greystoke.
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[robkelk]

"Pellucidar Day" on every September 1 (Edgar Rice Burroughs' birthday)

That's another page for the Wiki - the Fenspace Calendar. Since it's easier to add to that sort of page as it goes along, I went ahead and created it:

http://fnord.sandwich.net/fenwiki/doku. ... r:calendar

So, any more comments about Theme Parks, or should I go ahead and add that article to the Wiki?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Feinan]

Well....I had one notion. It would also explain why the Jason wasn't helping with creating velociraptors for Jurassic Rock (you mean people don't WANT
highly intelligent carnivorous dinosaurs? Whyever not?). It's because they're so commonplace. Why create dinosaurs when you could be working on
creating Godzilla? Done right, this might be an even better location for Pellucidar Day than the Rock.

Monster Asteroid: A large hollowed-out asteroid, handwavium and various tech attachments have created a jungle-filled
interior, complete with a underground sun. This park is devoted to all of the classic giant monster movies. Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, Gamera, King
Kong...they're all represented. Most of them are probably animatronic....though I can see the Jason occasionally mulling over how to create one or two of
them as real creatures - at least, smaller versions of them. He would definitely have helped the creators with the plants for the jungle if nothing else.

[robkelk]

(Not that posting this to the Wiki will stop anyone from being able to edit it - exactly the opposite, in fact.)

---

====== Theme Parks in Fenspace ======

There are those who would claim that every Fen settlement is a theme park of some sort, thanks to what many 'Danes think of as the Factions' "picturesque" habits. As Jonathan Helscher once wrote, that's just how Fen live. Actual Fen theme parks can be found throughout space.

Operating out of an asteroid purchased from Rockhounds, moved to Clarke orbit above 158°W (midway between Orlando and Tokyo, and as close to Hawai'i as possible), and rebuilt into a Cole habitat with Mouse ears, **Disney's World** is owned and operated by the Disney Corporation. The name is literal; Disney doesn't make space on their "world" available to other companies. It's much like the company's ground-based parks, although the Space Mountain ride has been replaced with a zero-g playroom. Disney's World uses no handwavium at all, which lets them use the slogan "All of the Magic, None of the Danger!"; however, the animatronics (while as good as any at the other Disney parks) are nowhere near as good as those at other theme parks (which use AI animatronics, almost all designed by the ubiquitous Vulpine Fury).

The **Holopark**, located in the middle of Utopia Planitia on Mars, strongly resembles an old-style movie studio's back lot. There's a thousand-and-one-nights zone (complete with green dancing girls), a Chicago-gangland zone, a Klingon-homeworld zone, ... if it showed up on an episode of //Star Trek,// you can find something like it in the Holopark. The more popular zones are physical constructions; the less-popular ones are holographic displays, adapting technology originally developed by the Professor for OGJ warship consoles. The Holopark's motto is "Set Phasers On Fun!"

**Dream Park** takes up three entire levels of Crystal Seattle's bedrock. Using the same holographic technology as the Holopark, Dream Park runs total-immersion experience roleplaying games for their customers. The park is operated by a holding company co-owned by Wizards of the Coast, White Wolf Games, Steve Jackson Games, and the Professor. (Nobody knows why the Professor has taken an interest in this business, and so far nobody has been brave enough to ask.) Their most famous event is the //Gygax Memorial Dungeon Crawl,// held every March.

The **Kandor Bottle** is a small theme park in Kandor City, similiar in size and quality to the various "roadside attraction" parks throughout North America. While they concentrate on Supers-related exhibits, they have one room devoted to the events of Kandor-con. Just down the road from the Kandor Bottle is **Mystery Rock**, another roadside attraction "where gravity works normally in defiance of all natural law!"

Many people are amazed to discover the Wizards have nothing to do with **Renfaire**, until they remember the Potterites are interested in //modern// fantasy. Renfaire, found in the Main Belt, is owned by historical-reenactment fen. The park's biggest attraction is the resident Dandelion population, who act as wandering minstrels, troubadors, and bards. The second-biggest attraction is the monthly roasting of an entire ox - this is the only red meat some people in the Belt ever eat. Renfaire's Training Grounds have been open to all comers since the beginning of Operation Great Justice, and have completely modern medical staff on call.

**Jurassic Rock** is the nickname of an ex-Rockhounds asteroid owned by the Vesta Institute of Biochemistry. Originally intended as an easily-isolated place to perform dangerous genetic engineering experiments, successes at cloning pseudo-dinosaurs in 2011 created a tourist attraction. People come from across the System to see the (small) herds of Protoceratopses, Kentrosaurs, and Pterodactyls kochi. Jurassic Rock does not have a petting zoo, and nobody involved in the cloning project wants to even //consider// recreating a Velociraptor. Jurassic Rock is home to a week-long Pulper celebration that culminates with "Pellucidar Day" on September 1.

In a large hollowed-out asteroid, handwavium and various tech attachments have created a jungle-filled interior, complete with a underground sun, to server as the home of **Monster Asteroid.** This park is devoted to all of the classic giant monster movies. Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, Gamera, King Kong... they're all represented. Rumours that some of the monsters are not animatronic, but instead were created by the Jason, are unfounded... although he does get a certain look in his eye whenever anyone asks about the subject. The Jason did help the creators with the plants for the jungle.

Techincally speaking, **Fantasy Island** is not in Fenspace, being located in "Skull Cove" on Earth. But it was claimed, decontaminated, and turned into a resort by employees of the SOS-Dan after the shipyards there were captured during Operation Great Justice, so it's usually counted as a Fen theme park. (When Larry King asked Noah Scott why Stellvia Corp. didn't buy the island from the SOS-Dan after OGJ, he replied, "I'd rather trust them with that than with something important.") Fantasy Island is much like any other island resort, except with catgirls.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Bob Schroeck]

Looks okay to me, Rob.

Idle thought: Does Disney's World house a roller coaster called "Earth Mountain"?
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[M Fnord]

I don't think Disney is capable of that much irony on an institutional basis.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[Bob Schroeck]

I dunno, the Jungle Cruise ride I was on nine days ago was chock-full of ironic commentary and snarky comments, some of them apparently cribbed from The Simpsons...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Bob Schroeck]

I dunno, the Jungle Cruise ride I was on nine days ago was chock-full of ironic commentary and snarky comments, some of them apparently cribbed from The Simpsons...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[robkelk]

It's up.

http://fnord.sandwich.net/fenwiki/doku. ... heme_parks

(Foxboy, you keep mentioning Vulpine Fury, but I don't see a page for him or the Puppetworks on the Wiki...)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Bob Schroeck]

Now we need someone to photoshop an ordinary asteroid pic into Disney's World for that page...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[M Fnord]

Now we need someone to photoshop an ordinary asteroid pic into Disney's World for that page...

Ask and you shall recieve:



20 minutes from concept to completion.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[Foxboy]

In Re: Vulpine Fury... will work it up... He's been minor "i just made him up" from one of the "E-mail" fics where he worked on
Dee's facial animatronics.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Bob Schroeck]

Ask and you shall recieve:

Wow. Thanks!

If only I could do stuff like that. I have all the component elements to do a Grover's Corners pic, but no skill to integrate them.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[kentmagus]

You have the skill to write up Drunkard's Walk, which technically holds this corner of the universe together.