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pedalbike2020-08-29 10:30 am
upcyclingmod) wrote in pedalbike2020-08-29 10:30 am
Entry tags:
First TDM: Sterile Blues
Welcome to the Test Drive Meme.
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Not all characters (known as Wickie, singular or Wickies, plural) arrive at the same time, surprisingly enough! That’s life for you. Some Wickies find their way to the island at a pivotal (or very mundane) point in their life, or even after or during their death.
Wickies who were standing or walking often find themselves entering the town South Sister, located on Lighthouse Isle, through an open doorway. Those that were laying down, or sleeping, tend to be found lying prone in beds, bathtubs, showers, couches, and similar places within the cottages on Cottage Row. There’s no rhyme or reason to it all! To Wickies familiar with the era, they will realize that everything looks as if it’s come from the ‘90s.
The house which a Wickie finds themselves within could already be occupied. This includes walking into a fellow Wicke, waking up in the same location, or accidentally scaring a room full of people with their sudden appearance.
Oops.
After arriving, Wickes will find that food and water are easy enough to come by, as they can be readily found in the various houses which populate Lighthouse Isle. Medical supplies, on the other hand, are not so easily acquired. Bandaids and other simple trappings can be pilfered from the odd medical cabinet, but otherwise you’re on your own.
Thankfully, if a Wickie or their friend are in need of medicine or a pair of trauma shears, while you won’t find a full-fledged hospital on the island, there is a clinic. The clinic, named Sister’s Helpers, is like the rest of the buildings in town. Its appearance is well kept, and the doors are unlocked. Whether the Wickie goes in through the windows (because they can), or through the front door like most would, they’ll find that the clinic’s interior is crisp, clean, and orderly. There are plastic chairs, a desk where a receptionist would sit, white walls, but then—
There’s a sound. It could be mistaken for a breeze, at first. But as the sound goes on, it becomes more obvious that the ‘breeze’ is an exhale, prolonged and forced. At the end, there’s a murmur, professional and assuring.
“That’s good. Breathe.”
And with that, the clinic becomes awash in shades of blue. Sister’s Helpers itself hasn’t become warped in any way. There is only monochromatic coloring which, upon further realization, is not truly in the building, but a problem with their vision. Leaving without investigating further will mean having blue vision for the next twenty-four hours.
But for Wickies who choose to stay and explore, there is a chance at clearing their vision. This is is especially difficult for those who have a history of not taking care of their injuries. Gradually, it becomes more difficult to walk, as if there are weights on their feet. For Wickies are especially guilty of not tending to their wounds, their movements will become even more sluggish, and weight will settle on their arms and chest, forcing the worst of offenders into a crawl as they explore from room to room.
Laying on the patient beds will alleviate the situation for a short amount of time. The cure, however, will come from characters taking the supplies which they need for themselves and not for others.
If the Wickie fails this, over the course of an hour they will be crushed to death, and will eventually wake up outside of the clinic. Their vision stuck in shades of red with a weakness in their limbs for the next twenty four hours.
The Wickie’s only cure for that is either taking medical supplies for themselves or by doing some form of self care.
It’s the middle of the night when all the Wickies are jarred awake from sleep by the blare of a broken siren. Wailing into the dark, the siren functions as a foghorn might, warning of hazardous conditions to come. Beneath Wickies feet, the ground trembles, pulsating once. Twice. Three times. And again, and again until—
The world changes, and it is no longer the foggy island the Wickies knew.
Ash falls steadily from above, blanketing the ground, and at first glance it can be mistaken for snow. Whether by scent, by touch, or even by taste (an option for the brave, the bold, the few), the truth of the ‘snowfall’ can be easily revealed. It is strange, though, that there are no signs of fire in the vicinity. In fact, there doesn’t seem to be much of anything at all. There’s still no sign of the mainland. There are no buildings in this desolate place, either.
Lighting in this new landscape is hazy and sullen, but still conducive to exploring despite it being the dead of night just moments ago. But while Wickies walk, there’s a growing feeling of foreboding. There’s something… something else with them.
And it conceals itself in the ash.
It attacks by lashing out to grab at the ankles and the calves, attempting to drag the unsuspecting victim down, to somewhere far deeper and hidden by billowing piles of ash. It’s easy to save a Wickie from the pull, so long as they’re quickly freed from their assailants grasp. Retrieving someone out of the ash itself is nigh impossible, though.
Grabbed Wickies who lived to tell the tale, may find themselves bitten. The stalkers in the ash sink their teeth into the foot or calf of their prey, leveraging the force of their bite to take down their target. And once there’s blood, more of these creatures will be attracted to the smell.
If a Wickie is clever or strong enough to draw the stalkers out of the ash, they will find that the attackers are shark-like people. Most of their head consists of oversized jaws housing an impossible amount of teeth, and lacking any eyes. Their bodies are covered in ashen chitin and bone, with elongated feet and thin, taloned fingers. These Ash Sharks do not like being exposed, and will respond accordingly.
Ash Sharks cannot be reasoned with. Trapping one in ropes, magic, or other means will elicit angry shrieks which will attract other Ash Sharks, either to eat the trapper, or trapped, or both if they can. Being dragged completely under the ash will start a feeding frenzy, and the Ash Shark will proceed to rip and tear chunks out of its prey.
In dying, Wickies will reset to a random location within the ash filled fields, completely intact but for a purpling bruise where the initial bite took place.
Good luck.
There’s a beeping alert on all Wickie’s smartphones that refuses to stop until a particular notification is read. The notification is for something called the Heart Game (which, yes, looks annoying, overly bright, and cheesy). And surprise! The game opens up automatically with a loud ping!
The game begins (and ends!) with a question, one which will not go away even if you try to close out of it or shut off your smartphone. It reads:
It’s time for everyone's favorite game! Confession! Heeeeere is today’s question which you must confess!
What is… the scariest thing you’ve experienced? It can be anything!
no subject
No. Nope, still a bit of a mistake. She looks at him and blushes again, looking down at her lap as she tries to force through her fluster] I-it's okay! You still look good-- I mean, it looks good on you-- Ahaha...
[Her laughter is high and nervous and she tucks some stray red hair behind her ear]
Where, um... Forgive me, if this is rude, but... Where are you from that you've never seen clothes like that?
no subject
Oh! I'm from Qinghe.
[He doesn't elaborate any further. It is the site of one of the five Great Sects. Doesn't everyone know where Qinghe is? This place clearly isn't home and he has no idea where he is now at all but the thought that he could be in another world entirely just isn't occuring to him at all.]
I've never seen clothes like yours before. They look really nice on you, too! It contrasts with your hair really nicely. It's pretty.
[He's never seen hair that color before either and honestly, he can't stop stealing glances at it. It really is remarkable and such a vibrant shade. ....And she's really cute! There aren't many girls he finds cute back home The few girls in the Qingthe Nie Sect are all pretty scary.]
no subject
The compliments make her smile--a little flustered, but also she's a little used to them, so she feels she can navigate it a little better.] Thank you! It's just my school uniform-- I'm from Shujin Academy! All the girls wear something like this at the school I'm in.
[Some girls had embellishments and all, but it was basically the same.]
Is Qinhe in...China? I haven't really heard of it before, I'm sorry.
no subject
[Huaisang smiles with a shrug. Oh, time period differences.]
The clothes I was wearing before are what my sect wears. We all wear the same colors and similar styles. Da Ge wears his hair differently than mine, though. My brother's a lot bigger than me, too.
[He trails off a bit. Honestly, Huaisang doesn't have a whole lot practice with talking to girls at all. And there's something about this girl in particular that's compelling somehow. Enough that it's taking his mind off of the danger Huaisang had been in before or might be in now.]
I'm Nie Huaisang, clan heir and inner disciple of the Qinghe Nie Sect. I apologize for my lack of manners earlier.
[That actually almost came out smooth. He doesn't usually reveal his status as heir when he introduced himself but maybe there's a part of Huaisang that hopes to impress this girl just a little bit.]
no subject
She's so confused, but the more she tries to find out answers from within her own head, the more her head hurts. 'Sect' though? Now she's a little worried this guy is in some kind of cult or something... But he could mean it like a warrior sect too, like some old-timey samurai clan or something. Or a ninja???
No, probably not a ninja. She eyes him a moment, thinking of their earlier meeting, and corrects herself: Definitely not a ninja.
Mentally she shakes her head, telling herself not to judge here. It could be anything, after all!]
Pleased to meet you, Nie-san. I'm-- [She pauses, hesitating just a little as she tries to figure out how to introduce herself. If it IS the Metaverse, using her real name could be dangerous, so...] You can call me 'Violet'! And no apologies necessary. It's been kind of terrifying here. I don't think anyone really knows how we got here or... Where 'here' even is...
[And she definitely does seem impressed too!] Clan heir though, that's really neat! It sounds like a big responsibility! You must be pretty well-known where you're from then. I feel a little more embarrassed I don't know you then...
no subject
[He repeats the name slowly, almost as he's savoring it or at least, trying his hardest to get the pronunciation right. It's not like any name Huaisang's ever heard before so it should be easy enough to remember. Some names can be harder for him to recall than others, depending on if he has a personal reason to remember them or not.]
It's very nice to meet you, too.
[She's very nice, too, and he finds hims glancing down at the floor, suddenly a bit shy. Good looking in his own right or not, Huaisang's timid natured at heart and accustomed to fading into the background of someone else's shadow. Whether it's with his brother, Mingjue, one of the other heirs like Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan, or someone who's charismatic like Wei Wuxian, Huaisang just never takes center stage.]
I don't know a thing about this place. The buildings don't look at all like anything I've seen in Qinghe or anywhere else. I'm not sure what to make of it all.
[Yet somehow Huaisang doesn't seem particularly scared or upset by it. At least not anymore. Maybe it's the company?]
...I should probably look for a way out of here. After I find some shoes that fit.
[And figure out how to wash his clothes. Huaisang really doesn't want to have to burn his robes and what he's wearing now isn't going to last forever either.]
no subject
She looks around at the decor and considers what she’s seen outside.] It looks familiar to me—I mean, it looks Western and rather old-fashioned, which is weird, but at least I can recognize that... [She just doesn’t know why. If Joker was here, maybe...
She takes a breath and then looks down at his feet in alarm, just now realizing she’d forgotten to bring him new ones.] Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t even think— of course you’d need shoes too!
[Embarrassed she jumps to her feet and begins looking through the hall closets to see if there’s any shoes hidden away in them.] I’m sure we can find something!
Oh, um— [She pauses suddenly, uncertain of how to ask what it is she wants without sounding like a total weirdo.] Hopefully it won’t matter, but... Do you know how to fight or something if something happens...?
[She feels like she can’t come right out and ask if he’s a Persona-user, so...]