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Crossbell Times
[Entertainment] Mishy’s Manic Expressway Makes Its Thrilling Debut
Mishelam Wonderland has finally unveiled their long-awaited indoor steel roller coaster, Mishy’s Manic Expressway, overcoming yet another barrier for the city’s most popular tourist destination by appealing to an older, thrill-seeking demographic this time. Not only is this the first ride at Mishelam Wonderland to go upside-down, but it also utilizes an orbalmagnetic propulsion system that launches riders from their starting position to a speed of over 900 selge/hour in just under 3 seconds! Sending guests up through a dark tunnel, the ride vehicle then rises the first of two vertical loops featured at the very start of the track before continuing onto a series of overbanked turns. The third and final inversion of the ride is a corkscrew that sends riders down a steep hill, leading them to their destination where they will be greeted by Mishette and Mishy animatronics for the final scene.
The idea for this ride came about from a perceived need by the park’s investors to provide experiences for guests of a wide range of preferences, feeling that there was very little in the way of high-octane rides for people looking for a thrill. Matthew Crawford, from the Planning and Sales Department, commented, “Since the park’s opening, the majority of guests have been families and adults with young children. Teenagers and adults without children, while frequently seen in the park, are much less likely to be return guests. When pitching Mishy’s Manic Expressway, it was decided that this ride should be one that satisfies their need for excitement while also providing a fun experience for some of the more courageous children who attend the park.” With a height requirement of 122 rege, it’s certainly possible that we’ll be seeing several of the older Sunday School age guests daring to take on this extra stimulating coaster alongside the teenage and adult audience it was designed for.
While seeking to provide new thrills for the park, it seems that Mishelam Imagineers weren’t satisfied with simply creating an exciting ride. The queue has also received a lot of attention for its theming centered around the park’s mascot Mishy, which even features a pre-show towards the end—presenting guests with a story that they’ll take part in by boarding the ride. Given Mishy’s growing international popularity, it was decided that he should get his own dedicated ride to serve as a love letter to all of his fans old and new. A consultant on the design of the queue experience, Chief Tio Plato of the Epstein Foundation, had this to say: “It is a celebration of everything Mishy, from his humble origins to his current status as a household name. What they’ve put together here is something truly worthy of his reputation and history, leading up to a ride that very nearly matches the intensity of the love many of us feel for him.” With Mishy’s Manic Expressway providing such an exceptional ride experience, both in the line and during the ride itself, Mishelam Wonderland once again asserts itself as a trailblazer of the theme park industry, leaving little doubt as to who’s on top.
Van’s hands tapped reflexively against his thighs as he walked with Elaine through the line that they had been waiting in for most of the morning. With a line that had snaked around the exterior of the ride’s entrance, leaving them both to stand outside in the summer heat for some time, being about to reach the air-conditioned interior of the queue would under normal circumstances come as a relief. Despite having the utmost confidence in the ride’s engineering and operation, he couldn’t help but shake an impending sense of unease as the diminishing line ahead brought them both closer to their destination. Elaine, who wore her hair in a ponytail under a cat-eared hat shaped like Mishy, eyed his posture thoughtfully, before voicing her observation, “You’ve been on edge for some time now. Is there something you’re picking up on that I’m not?”
Even though the two of them were on vacation, it was difficult for Elaine to truly turn off “Bracer Mode” as she always wanted to be ready to respond to trouble or someone in need of help. She, of course, knew that Van was very much the same way. This time, however, Van’s discomfort had nothing to do with external factors but rather internal ones. The simple but embarrassing fact of the matter was that going on this ride had him feeling nervous from the moment that he’d heard about it, but he couldn’t bring himself to object to the prospect of trying it out after hearing Elaine express her enthusiasm for going on it. Now that he’d already made it this far in line with her, he knew that there was no point in hiding his apprehension.
Letting out a sigh, he shook his head, “Nah, it’s nothing like that. I guess you could say I’m just, uh, havin’ second thoughts, is all.”
Elaine raised an eyebrow suspiciously, “Really? I wouldn’t have taken you for someone who’s afraid of roller coasters. I’m certain that you’ve driven rather wildly and at a much faster speed than this ride many times, so I can’t imagine that you catch motion sickness easily.”
Van shrugged, “Call it a bit of childhood trauma, I guess, though probably not even in the upper half of bad childhood memories if I’m being honest.” Smiling grimly, he continued, “When I was really young, the orphanage I grew up in took us on a field trip to an amusement park and I got pressured by the other kids to go on this one roller coaster that didn’t seem so bad from the outside. Turned out to be way faster than we thought it’d be, and I felt absolutely horrible throughout the whole thing. Even though I don’t remember gettin’ sick or anything afterwards, I’ve never really wanted to go on one of them again after that. Sad part is I probably did a lot of other fun stuff that day, but that one ride is always the first thing I remember when thinking about it.”
With a thoughtful expression, Elaine asked, “So it’s not so much a matter of sickness, but a general feeling of discomfort?”
“Pretty much. That and the fact that I’ve got no control over it the way I do when driving.” Van answered, “I know it’s gotta be perfectly safe to go on and all that, but a roller coaster like this is specifically crafted to make the rider experience certain sensations and I can’t predict if I’m gonna like ‘em or not. And once you’re on it, you ain’t gettin’ off ‘til it’s over. The only memory I have of one tells me I won’t have a good time, but I suppose that realistically speaking the worst this could be is about two minutes of carefully engineered torture that I can endure if I need to.”
Elaine met his eyes with a look of new understanding, “I see. If I’d realized that you felt so strongly about them, I wouldn’t have pushed so hard for us to go on one.”
Van gave an apologetic wave of his hand, “Nah, it’s my fault for not sayin’ anything sooner. Guess it doesn’t help that I’m probably being a little overdramatic about it. Truth be told, I've been going back and forth on whether I thought it’d be too much to handle based on what I’ve seen about it, ‘specially given the fact that it’s been so long since I last tried one, which is why I didn’t object outright. For one thing, the whole track’s inside so I don’t have a huge hill looming over my head before getting on, plus it’s a fast ride from start to finish which cuts out that sense of anticipation that a lot of other rides have. It’s apparently very smooth, too, so there’s no fear of getting bumped and jerked around too much by the vehicle. Some people even say that it’s easy to not notice the parts where you go upside-down if you aren’t watching the track. Figure that if I’m gonna give these another try, it might as well be with this one.”
Elaine studied his face for a few moments before giving an amused grin, “Well, you’ve clearly put a lot of thought into this. It’s still not too late for you to back out if you aren’t comfortable going on it, though. I wouldn't want this one ride to overshadow the rest of today in a bad way.”
Van grimaced, “Well, hopefully it won’t affect my day *that* much. Least I know what I’m gettin’ into this time, and I feel like after all this waiting I might as well try it just to find out if I can handle it or not. Don’t need to set foot on another one of these things again if I don’t want to. There’s supposedly a ‘chicken lane’ near the ride for anyone who wants to back out at the last minute, but I think I’d regret it afterwards if I didn’t find out for myself what it’s like.”
He felt Elaine’s hand grasp his gently as she spoke, “While I’d certainly prefer experiencing this ride with you, I won’t judge if you do decide to back out. These rides aren’t made for everyone, after all, and there’s no shame in not enjoying them.”
Feeling a sense of comfort, he smiled and the two of them proceeded further down the line into a building where many people waited ahead of them that was themed to look like a museum of Mishy’s history. Towards the entrance was a sign with an old black and white illustration of Mishy accompanied by the text “The Endless Pawsabilities of Mishy”. Elaine barely managed to contain her excitement as she explained to Van about the differences from his original design to the one currently used today.
The interior around the line felt like walking onto a cartoon set filled with colorful props set to various themes each accompanied by a Mishy in matching attire. One section had him in a sailor’s outfit on top of a steamboat, while the one next to it had him racing Mishette and other similar characters in go-karts, another saw him playing a game of basketball with a famous Calvardian player, and one particularly colorful display featured him and Evil Mishy wearing shiny suits while engaging in a dance-off.
Some of these Mishys were recognizable to Van from cartoons or movies, such as Mishy in Boots, while there were many others that he’d never seen before. He saw a Doctor Mishy, a Treasure Hunter Mishy, a Sheriff Mishy, a Space Ranger Mishy, and one that really caught his eye: a Sorcerer Mishy wearing a pointy hat. Without fail, any time he asked Elaine about one of them, she would immediately recall what year they debuted and what story was behind them.
Van remarked, “It’s really impressive just how much you know about Mishy, not gonna lie. I’m surprised you remembered all of that so easily.”
Looking off to the side, Elaine blushed, “I-It’s not like I’m some kind of expert or anything. This is all just common knowledge.”
Riiiiiight. Van decided it was better to simply not question how much research the A-rank bracer may or may not have done about a furry mascot that she found cute and let the objection stand.
After passing all of the displays, the two of them were led through a pair of automatic doors that closed behind them once the room was full. Observing their surroundings, they realized that it was themed to a dressing room, and that part of the room in front of them actually wasn’t there—but displayed on a screen. Hearing the sound of humming, their eyes looked around before noticing movement on the screen as the back of the gray mascot character became visible while he was practicing his dance moves.
Suddenly, he let out a gasp and turned around before waving to the guests, “Oh, you all finally made it! I’ve got something extra special for you today! I’m inviting you to be the first to have front row seats to my brand new show! But before we hit the road, why don’t we do a little rehearsal together real quick? Say it with me: Make a wishy with—”
Much of the room, including Elaine, began to join in, however Mishy’s voice was soon cut off as the sound of a door slammed loudly into the room and Mishette appeared on screen and she gave an angry huff, “Brother, you idiot! You were supposed to have left a long time ago! How are you supposed to put on the show if you aren’t even there?”
Mishy attempted to protest, “B-but, Mishette—”
“No buts!” She cut him off, “We gotta go NOW! Or else we’re cancelling the whole thing.”
Mishy held up his hands and refused to move, “Now hold on, we can’t go anywhere without our friends! We need to bring them with us! Why don’t we give them backstage passes?”
Mishette let out a loud sigh, “Fine, I guess. But we’ll have to bring the stretch Mishymobile to hold them all, and we’ll need to move reaaaally fast to get there in time.”
Mishy leaped with excitement, “Perfect! You heard her, folks! Just follow Mishette and strap in for a wild ride! I’ll see you all at the show!” Waving joyously, he bounced out of frame while Mishette turned to address the audience.
As Mishette spoke instructions to the guests, another set of doors opened on the other side of the room to reveal the loading platform for the vehicles. Van felt the pit in his stomach grow stronger now that the ride itself was in sight.
As the guests were funneled into the line approaching the vehicle, the path curved around the start of the track. The vehicle was made up of a series of cars that each had Mishy’s face on them in different colors, giving the full vehicle a rainbow appearance. What struck Van was that it gave him and the other guests a perfect view of the ride’s opening sequence, where the vehicle sits on the track while a countdown plays until the ride’s launch. As the vehicle disappeared into a dark tunnel, he could hear the collective screams of the passengers traveling further away from them at an alarming speed until they were out of earshot only a few seconds later.
Van turned his head to one side, eyeing the unofficially named “chicken lane” that represented his last opportunity to opt out of this ride. Looking the other way, he noticed several families who had very young looking children who were likely just tall enough to go on the ride and looked very excited about it. Taking a deep breath, he tried to still his now shaking free hand while letting his other hand squeeze Elaine’s tightly. Well, I’ve come this far. No backing out now.
“Last chance, Van.” Elaine spoke softly, “I’m perfectly fine going on this alone if you don’t want to.”
He gave a forced smile, “Nah, I’ll stay. Dunno if I’m gonna like it or not, but it’d feel like a waste not to try it out at this point.”
Unexpectedly to Van, Elaine leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, “Well, I for one hope that you’ll enjoy it, but I’ll understand if you don’t. We haven’t always liked the same movies, for example, but it does feel extra special whenever we do share an appreciation for something. This could be another one of those.”
Van grinned nervously, “Guess there’s only one way to find out. One thing’s for sure though, and it’s that I’ll feel a lot better after the ride than I do now.”
Holding up two fingers to let the staff know how many were in their party, they were assigned to a row towards the middle where they waited for the vehicle to arrive. A gate in front of them opened and they boarded a green Mishy shaped car that sat two people, with Van sliding to the end to make room for Elaine. During the boarding process, they were instructed to place hats and other loose objects into the net in front of them. Not wanting to risk losing her Mishy hat, took hers off and Van found his mind distracted from the impending ride to admire how she had worn her hair that day given that it was an uncommon style for her. Next they each pulled down the over-the-shoulder restraints while the staff went around to make sure that they were secured in place. Once the safety checks were complete, the ride began to move forward.
As the vehicle came to a halt in front of the tunnel, Van exhaled loudly and said, “Welp, see you on the other side.”
Elaine responded with a soft giggle as a screen in front of them started to flash with imagery of Mishy driving down a highway. A voice that sounded like Mishy’s could be heard over the speaker, “Okay folks, time to prepare for takeoff! There’s not much time left so we’re gonna get you to the show with speed and style! Count down with me everyone!”
Numbers began to appear on screen:
5!
Van could feel the inevitable in his chest now, knowing exactly when the rush would come.
4!
Life decisions flashed through his head, and how he had reached this moment.
3!
He tried to recall some advice he’d read on the Orbal Net about how to let your body relax while on intense rides.
2!
He focused his eyes on the front part of the car he was in, telling himself that it was okay—even good—to let himself scream if he felt like he needed to.
1!
His entire body was forced back against his seat as the world suddenly shifted around him. Despite the screams that surrounded him, no sound would come out when he opened his mouth. The only thing that he felt like he could do was hold onto his restraints for dear life as the vehicle shot up a hill at a dizzying rate into surroundings that he couldn’t comprehend despite making sure to keep his eyes open. His insides were tingling as his body rushed forward into a state of weightlessness that nearly sent every nerve screaming that he was in danger—with only the comfort of feeling glued to his seat to assure him otherwise. By the time that he was able to somewhat regain his bearings, they were coming down at a sharp angle from the second of two loops, causing him to finally recognize that they had just been upside-down for much of that.
From this point on, the ride pressed onwards at its electrifying speed, but now that the track had longer straightaways between each of its twists and turns, he was able to make out some of the props that decorated the ride’s interior despite flying by them so quickly. The first thing he noticed was passing through a large star that surrounded the track, and seeing several Mishy statues and autobahn signs that led to Crossbell City on either side or hanging above the track. The lighting of the track and its surroundings also became very colorful, as if the vehicle were shooting across a rainbow in order to reach its destination.
The next inversion came as the track ahead spiraled into a corkscrew that Van felt very aware of this time around. He had just enough time to note how the sensation that it brought was very distinctive, but not significantly more intense than the rest of the ride at least given how quick it was. His thoughts weren’t allowed to linger, however, as they were immediately taken for a sharp dive that caused his stomach to lurch as they were plunged back into a darkness similar to the tunnel that they had been launched out of at the start of the ride. As lights began to appear before them again, the vehicle had slowed to a halt into a backstage themed loading platform where Mishy and Mishette stood on either side of them waving.
From the speakers built into the cars, they could hear Mishy’s voice announce, “You made it just in time! I hope you enjoy the show!”
With a sassy tone, Mishette added, “We cut it really close this time, Brother. Please try to leave earlier for your next show so that we won’t have to do this again!”
Mishy laughed, “But if we do, I’m sure we’ll have just as much fun as we did today!”
Van sat in his seat breathing heavily for several moments while the vehicle was still waiting for the one in front of it to unload. He couldn’t think of any way to describe the rush that he had just experienced, and was still trying to process whether or not he enjoyed it. Looking to his right, he saw Elaine’s windswept face wearing an uncontrollable smile as she asked, “How was it?”
Unable to think of a good way to describe it, he simply stated, “Uh… fast? Think I may wanna have my feet on solid ground again before I give a more solid answer though. Didn’t exactly hate it, at least. It ended quickly enough, too, so even when I felt it in my stomach, it was pretty much over.”
She smiled, “It was a little on the shorter side, I agree, but otherwise it was perfect for me. The only thing that would make it better is if there really were a Mishy show waiting for us at the end. In any case, you at least tried it and survived, so I think that’s worth taking a bit of pride in. Perhaps we can get you a shirt from the gift shop to commemorate the occasion.”
Van felt his spirits lifting higher than they’d been in a long time as he chuckled, “Yeah, good luck gettin’ me to ever wear one of those.”
As if on cue, their vehicle reached the platform and as they grabbed their belongings and disembarked, they found themselves in a gift shop themed to Mishy and the ride. Elaine couldn’t help but want to look at everything the store had to offer, but eventually they settled on a shirt for Van—one that had a graphic design of Mishy in sunglasses driving a car that was hanging upside-down from the track—and added it to the bag with all of the other items that Elaine decided to buy.
Leaving the store, Van glanced at a nearby map of the park and observed, “Guess we still got a bunch of other stuff we can do, but nothin’ else is gonna come close to that level of thrill. Reckon it’ll be smooth sailing from here.”
Elaine agreed, “That was the ride I was most excited for, so I don’t have any strong feelings about what we do next. Everything here looks so cute though, just like I imagined it would be.”
Van grinned, “Well, if you’re fine with it, then I say we take it easy for a little bit. Maybe go on the ferris wheel or get a Steamed Mishy Bun while we plan our next move.”
She nodded, “Sounds good to me.” before turning slightly downwards as she blushed, “And um, Van? Before I forget, I wanted to say thank you.”
Taken aback, Van asked, “Hmm? What for?”
Meeting his eyes, she smiled, “For remembering your promise, for being here with me, and for being willing to step outside of your comfort zone because you knew how excited I was about that ride.”
Van shook his head, “Please, I still got a lot to make up for. I’m just delivering on what I should’ve done for you years ago. ‘Sides, part of me wanted to go on the ride for myself anyway, just to see whether or not I should try out any other roller coasters in the future.”
Suppressing an amused grin, Elaine said, “I’m just glad I was able to gather that you’d reached that conclusion on your own while we were in line, or else I’d have been more worried that you waited so late to say anything.” Her expression became stern as she added, “Just promise that you’ll tell me next time when you’re feeling uncertain about something that I’m interested in us experiencing together. Even if it’s over something that seems silly or embarrassing, I don’t want you to be afraid to talk to me about it. It’s important for us to be honest about our interests and boundaries, so that when we do go somewhere like this together we can both relax and have a great time with one another.”
Van rubbed the back of his head and sighed, “Yeah, you’ve got me there. Afraid that’s a bad habit of mine. I’ll be sure to try and speak up next time. Think I just got too afraid of ruining our long awaited date that I was willing to risk makin’ myself have a bad time if it meant doing what you wanted to do together.”
Elaine stated simply, “The fact is that if you’d had a bad time, then I would have as well. That’s why it matters to me that we talk about any misgivings we might have about something. But in all fairness, you did eventually tell me how you felt and I tried to make sure that you knew that you didn’t have to go on the ride if you didn’t want to, so it seems that all turned out well in the end.” Moving closer to him, she gave an uncharacteristically mischievous smile as she purred softly, “After all, the day’s only just begun, and I’m not yet convinced that the ride we just went on will be the highlight of today’s date.”
Holding onto his hands gently, she leaned forward and the two shared a kiss for a brief moment that almost allowed them to forget where they were. A moment that made the two of them feel as if they were still the same kids they were when they had first met and that the years since hadn’t kept them apart. The day of their promised date was here, and nothing else was going to get in the way of that.