#techyocmedusa2.0

[techycatartist]

First post of the new year, and the first of the “Alternate Universe” designs I drew for some of my SFGAd coaster personifications! Today we have Medusa “2.0” as Medusa— or more accurately, Medusa with their coaster’s original lime/purple color scheme. This design was mostly just a simple palette swap, with the sole new addition being the grape and vines around their elbows. Also threw in a ball python for fun because snakes are good :3 This design does make me wish Medusa kept its OG colors, not the biggest fan of the burnt orange/green lol.

But that’s not all! I also have a whole document that goes into the AUs that these designs come from (and more!) You can find it via the link below;

(Also, a small disclaimer; I used the Photoshop Express app’s “heal" feature to remove some noticeable pencil marks from the drawing. Outside of that, the drawing is unchanged.)

[techycatartist]

Medusa glanced at her coaster, still sitting idly. Runaway Mine Train stood beside them.

“Two weeks until this area of the park re-opens… at least, that’s what we’ve been told will happen”.

“I’m sure the park will have found enough staff by then. Memorial Day weekend has always been a big time for us, and all those students and international workers would’ve been ready to work”.

“And Opening Day isn’t?”

“No, but the humans should know to not expect everything to be open”.

“Yeah, but that’s to things like food stands and park entertainment. Not what amounts to basically half the coaster line-up. What was different this year? This park has been through economic resessions, tourism crashes, parent company bankruptcy, managerial shifts, and a global pandemic. Out of the 49 seasons Great Adventure has been open…why is this the first time the park has done something like this?”

Medusa was hurt by the park’s decision not to open her coaster in time for opening day. To tout her coaster around one season as a “new experience” only to push its opening back because it was seemingly “unimportant” felt like betrayal.

“Never once has this park felt so incompetent”.

“But we’re getting better as the season goes on. Is that not a sign of things to come?”

Medusa looks at Runaway Mine Train.

“Sure, if you believe it”.

“Then maybe you should start believing in our future. Our 50th anniversary is next year, and I hope that this park will continue to operate for another half-century”.

Medusa thinks about RMT’s advice.

“I guess if the park bothered to refurbish my coaster in the first place, they still think I have some merit. That goes for all of us, since everyone’s still here after the off-season. But I guess it could be a lot worse, for all of us. I’m glad to have stuck around— and for everyone to have stuck around with me”.

Toro’s coaster sits ildly.

“…And despite all my grievances, I’m not in the least-favorable situation around here”.

[techycatartist]

Medusa was sprawled out on one of the couches that adorned what used to be one of Great Adventure’s sit-down restaurants, “Best of the West”.

Even with B&M’s track-record for reliability, it wasn’t impossible for their coasters to go down for the day. There are a multitude of technical issues that could be responsible for a day-long closure, such as the one that Medusa’s coaster experienced that Thursday.

But then one day turned into two, which turned into three, which turned into a week.

Medusa should’ve suspected something was up when he woke up the next day with flu-like symptoms. Fortunately, it wasn’t contagious— but it was likely to persist until his coaster re-opened.

Not wanting to be held up in his apartment the whole day (but also not wanting to deal with the blistering summer heat), Medusa found refuge in the so-called “VIP Lounge”.

A beanbag flew over Medusa’s head, landing just in front of a cornhole board.

“Hey. I know this is fun for you and all but…could you move behind me? I don’t want to get nailed in the face, and I don’t think you want to have snot all over that beanbag”.

Lil’ Devil gently returned to the ground, still holding a beanbag. He looked at Medusa with curiosity.

“What happened?”

“Nothing, it’s just that the last beanbag you through got really close to my-“

“To you. To you?”

“Oh? To me. I’m sick. I’ve been sick since last Thursday. My coaster’s been down for over a week, and I have no idea why. I think you know how that feels”.

Lil’ Devil nodded. His coaster was one of the dozen that wasn’t ready in time for Opening Day— but even as the others returned, Lil’ Devil’s coaster sat still with no given explanation as to why. During this period, Lil’ Devil fell ill; while nothing too severe, the symptoms would ebb and flow in their intensity depending on the day. It wouldn’t be until Ka’s coaster re-opened from it’s most recent mechanical issue that Lil’ Devil’s coaster finally opened for the season— and his symptoms vanished soon after.

“Not much I can do about that. Though I would appreciate if you moved behind the couch”.

Lil’ Devil wordlessly flew over Medusa, touching down briefly to push the cornhole board away from him before Lil’ Devil went airborne again.

Medusa looked up at the ceiling.

“Is this the universe’s way of telling me I was too hard on Great Adventure? I get it, I should be glad that I got to operate for another season and this park’s reaching the big 5-0 next year, but…this park could be so much better. So, so much better. I don’t know who on the business side of things isn’t giving a shit, but maybe if I could threaten to turn them into stone it’d be enough to convince them to invest in this park”, he thought.

Medusa turned over, now lying on his stomach.

“Like, it’s good that the Skyride’s still around, but they’re only running one side of it. Not sure if that’s a staffing thing or a maintenance thing, maybe both. Whatever it is, Great Adventure needs more. More money, more people, more resources. But I can’t do anything about it. I’m just a Coasterdroid. Who happens to live here, and sees all the shit they neglect, and notices how the crowds are unusually light for the summer, and knows how nice Fiesta Texas is because their park president actually CARES, and remembers how Great Adventure is SUPPOSED to be one of the chain’s most profitable parks…”

His face scrunched up in frustration, consumed by this chain of thoughts.

“So why the fuck isn’t Great Adventure treated like it is?”

Medusa lets out a groan, then sneezes.

“…Great. Nearly got it all over the pillows”.

Medusa locates the nearest sink, washing his arm clean. Just as he turns the water off, Medusa picks up a faint sound; a brief musical chime. Before he could question it, Medusa heard it again.

Medusa returned to the couch to find his phone’s lock screen populated with texts. Unlocking his phone, Medusa tapped his way to the group chat that was the source of these messages.

“There’s a whole cluster of markers near the security gates”.

A picture was attached to this message. It was a close-up of the sidewalk, with the image of a white triangle with a red dot in the center prominent. Under this symbol was a string of letters and numbers— “CED 05”.

“Strange. Why would they place markers in front of the security gates? The ticket booths are what needs updating now”.

“That’s what I was thinking. Maybe it’s something else. Something bigger”.

“Could explain the surveying thing near Cyborg”.

“It’s about time they did something with that area. Once Old Country shut down, they pretended that nothing was ever there”.

Medusa couldn’t help but be amused at the timing— even if it wasn’t a new coaster, the presence of markers were a sign that something was happening.

Still, Medusa had his doubts that it would be anything substantial. He typed out a two-part response;

“I think it’s too early to tell”.

“But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep an eye on it”.

[techycatartist]

None of the Coasterdroids of Great Adventure are happy to hear the news that the entire “Frontier Adventures” section of the park will be closed off until Memorial Day, but (understandably), Medusa takes it the worst out of all of them;

“Oh. Memorial Day. Nearly a whole two months after we open for the season. I get it”.

Medusa glances at the informational sign placed on the recently-added fence.

“You repaint my coaster, give it a backstory that actually fits the area of the park, fix it all up nicely and proudly promote it as a “new” attraction…and then I’m back to being sidelined and forgotten. So much so that you can’t even bother to open me on time— not for maintenance reasons, but because it’s too much effort for something so inconsequential to the park’s sucess…”

Medusa turns around and begins to walk away.

“I’m going to the Arboretum, if anyone cares. Might as well take some pictures of what’s there, because it’s only a matter of time before those photographs are all that’s left of it…”