Mojo World

"Y'all probably sayin'
Mojo, how do I get to this place? I wanna go
Everybody!
Everybody wants to go to Mojo World
Let me tell you what you gotta do
Turn right at the light
Go past the trailer parks
Stand naked, singin', in the blazing sunlight of liberty"
--Mojo Nixon, "This Land Is Your Land"

Mojo World is a diner town unlike any other located just down the road from what's left of Midland, Texas, and is generally considered the last outpost of civilization on the way to the wilds of the Dust Fields. Where most diner towns are sober, civic-minded trading posts trying to rebuild the world with strong coffee and gas fumes, Mojo world neon-lit end of the world party. Mojo World is right behind the Ground Zero Diner in reputation, but the two couldn't be more different. Where Ground Zero is a calm, well-organized sanctuary, Mojo World is a wild carnival of chaos.

Defences

The defenses of Mojo World are intentionally low-key, consisting mainly of Tin Star patrols and a few gunmen with high-powered rifles in high, mostly hidden locations throughout the camp. The only barricades are the corrugated tin fence around the railyard and the chain-link one around the strip, but vehicles, boxcars, and cargo containers placed strategically around the camp can be moved into place to form a perimeter wall in an hour or two when trouble is expected.

Industry & Trade

Mojo World Triple Feature by Steve Johnson

Except for all the vices, Mojo World's vendors aren't that different from any other diner town in the Boomlands. The establishment does, however, have a slightly more eccentric "want list" than most other diners. These include:

• Credible information about salvageable amusement park rides, especially a roller coaster.
• Recreational drugs of all kinds, preferably in bulk.
• Film prints. Mojo has made it known that he would especially like to add some movies starring Elvis and Steve McQueen to the rotation, but is willing to consider just about any movie if the print is watchable.
• Slot machines and game tables.
• Speakers, amps, stage lights, instruments, soundboards, fog machines, and other performance-enhancing equipment.
• Don Henley's severed head.

Guilds and Factions

The sheer diversity of activity that takes place at Mojo World means that it has a much larger permanent population than the typical diner, and its remote location means that most of them have to live on-site. While Mojo takes a cut of everything, most sections of the diner town are run by independent operators with their own staff, which sometimes leads to friction between the various groups. The people who inhabit Mojo World generally fall into a few different categories:

The Midland Mafia

"The Midland Mafia" refers to Mojo's inner circle: body guards, bandmates, trusted associates, friends, and lovers. Given Mojo's deep appreciation of The King, it's generally assumed that the name was coined by Mojo as an homage to the Memphis Mafia.

The Tin Stars

The Tin Stars are the Mojo World security staff, who are led by Big Buford Callahan, a former Texas lawman with calm but commanding demeanor and a strong right hook. Tin Stars understand that their job is to act as peacekeepers, not fun police, and they are extremely skilled at de-escalating situations without violence (but quite capable of violence when it becomes necessary). Since Mojo prefers security to be identifiable but not intimidating, their only uniform is a Stetson hat with a tin star pinned to it.

Wait Staff

These are the cooks, waitresses, cleaning staff, clerks, handymen, projectionists, blackjack dealers, prostitutes, and other employees of the diner town's permanent businesses. Although only a handful of the wait staff work for Mojo directly, his power over their employers means they treat him like he's the boss.

Carnies

Carnies are the people who operate the rides and games of chance along the Midway. Except for the people who run the ferris wheel and the House of Horrors--who work for Mojo--carnies are independent operators. Those found to be operating dangerous rides or games that are too obviously rigged are given a deadline to either fix things or vacate the premises.

Circus Folk

"Circus Folk" is Mojo's collective name for the entertainers who perform at Mojo World: musicians, comics, daredevils, fire eaters, strippers, and even a handful of actual former circus performers. Performers who act as free-floating buskers are allowed to operate at no charge. Those who want a stage or venue have to pay a cut to the house.

Midway Vendors

The central trading zone of the camp is known as "The Midway." While most vendors set up shop here temporarily until their goods are sold or they give up, there are a few midway vendors with permanent structures and steady supply lines.

History

Mojo claims that the idea for Mojo World came to him in a mushroom-fueled dream, but if you ask him how he turned that vision into a reality, he'll just wink and say something about trade secrets.

Points of interest

Cooter's Place

The main diner is an old truck stop eatery named in honor of Cooter, the famous Dust Fields cryptid. A large fiberglass armadillo stands guard just outside the door. "Greasy Gus" Blankenship runs the diner and serves as the head cook while a bevy of pretty young waitresses in cut-off shorts, cowboys boots, and tight crop tops take the orders and serve the food. Thanks to the diner town's location, Cooter's offers burgers made of 100% beef, but they'll cost you. For those of more modest means, they also offer the standard "mystery meat" burger found at most diners.

The Silver Screen

Several years ago, Mojo sent a crew to relocate an entire drive-in movie theater from its previous location to Mojo World. The screen sits right next to the diner on one end the parking lot, with a concession stand and projection booth on the other end. There is no admission fee and anyone with an AM radio can listen to the movie from most parts of the camp. The Silver Screen currently has three movies, so it shows the same triple feature every night: Vanishing Point, Two-Lane Blacktop, and Thunder Road.

The Midway

The Midway is the main trading lot of Mojo World. In addition to the standard vendor booths, stalls, and food trailers, the Midway is home to a number of carnival-style games and rides. At one end of the main drag is a working ferris wheel. On the other, there's an old two-story house that's been converted into the House of Horrors, a walk-through haunted house that features both mechanical jump scares and live performers. Rumor has it that Mojo is looking for a roller coaster.

The Switchyard

An old railyard behind the original truck stop has been converted to secure storage space. The front yard offers parking space and container cars where convoys can store gear temporarily or long term. The back yard--which is behind a second, more secure fence--is where Mojo World keeps its fuel tanks, water tower, and other supplies.

The Boxcar Motel

Just outside the switchyard is a cluster of old train sleeper cars that now serve as motel rooms, along with a few boxcar flophouses for those who need to sleep cheap. An old drunk named George oversees motel operations when he's sober enough, which means his wife Wilma is usually the one behind the desk. The Boxcar Motel is usually home to a number of semi-permanent hangers-on running a variety of grifts and scams.

The Strip

The strip is a side road at the northern end of Mojo World featuring and handful of former roadside businesses. Except for the garage, all of the buildings in this area are separated from Mojo World by a chain-link fence with guards at the gate to keep kids and religious nuts out. This is the red light district of Mojo World, where illicit and potentially disruptive activities take place. The strip is home to the following businesses:

• Club Cheetah: This strip club still serves its orginal purpose, but now sex is allowed in the champagne room.
• Dalton's: This roadhouse is the preferrred drinking establishment for those who prefer a nice friendly barroom brawl to a lap dance.
• Lucky 7 Casino: Formerly a Greyhound station, this building has been outfitted with scavenged slot machines, poker and pool tables, and other games of chance and skill.
• The No-Tell Motel: This former Holiday Inn now serves a triple purpose: The first-floor rooms are drug dens and dispensaries, the second-floor is occupied by sex workers of all descriptions, and the top floor provides hosing for diner town staff.

Tourism

A lot of convoys claim they prefer to travel to the Dust Fields in the fall to beat the heat, and that's always at least partially true. However, the bigger reason so many convoys head south in the fall is because they want to make sure they don't miss Mojo World's Halloween Blowout, a wild camp-wide party that starts in early October and culminates in a Battle of the Bands on Halloween night.

Mojo World visitors are expected to follow four rules:

• No Human Trafficking: You can sell your labor, your dignity, or your body, but you can't sell someone else's freedom.
• No Blood Sports: Boxing and other violent competitions are allowed, but competitions where death is a likely or even necessary outcome are forbidden. Moto-Jousting exhibitions at Mojo World use blunted lances and have minimum armor requirements.
• No Kids On The Strip: Trafficking adults will get you banished. Trafficking kids will get you killed.
• Everything Else Is Negotiable: Management reserves the right to remove anyone for any reason, but unless they break the previous three rules, they will always be given a chance to justify their actions.

"If you can't find it at Mojo World, you probably shouldn't be looking for it."

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"Mojo world is what happens when you take the idea of a diner and feed it bad drugs and late-night radio."

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"The whole place runs on vice, music, and the belief that if the world has already ended, you might as well enjoy the encore."

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"If you don't got Mojo Nixon then your camp could use some fixin'."

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Alternative Name(s)

The Tijuana Truck Stop, Dirtbag Disneyland

Location under

The Dust Fields

Owner/Ruler

Mojo Nixon