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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
[Rounding out his knowledge of art may not be high on his list of priorities, admittedly, but it seems like it could be something that helps him. At least, if what Stefano says is true.]
Would you contact me once you've created something?
no subject
[ He rests one hand on his chest as he bows his head slightly. Yes, yes, ever the humble artist. ]
And of course, of course. What is art without an audience? [ Stefano smiles wide before his smile fades. Ah, he remembers saying that to someone else that refused to appreciate his work. Of course, that detective was able to make him into a masterpiece at the end. So, can he really stay mad? ]
You know... I've been wondering something, but not quite sure how to bring it up. [ So time to just brute force it. ] That circle on the side of your head that's glowing... what is that?
no subject
That's my LED. It's there to show that I'm an android.
[That pretty much is all it's used for. Sure, it can change colour depending on his mental or physical state, but that isn't necessary. Right now, it's just a solid blue.]
no subject
[ His eyes widen. ]
Truly? [ He carefully looks Connor over and wonders about what piece of art that could be made out of him. Would it have the same meaning as his others back in Union? Back in Krimson City?
Stefano taps his finger against his camera, but realizes that killing any of the people he comes across might not be wise. No longer connected to STEM, the power to create has been diminished. So, he has to be careful about choosing what he uses as his medium for what he plans to create here. ]
Such things are ... not possible where I come from. Funny when you think about it. We have a machine that can bring the collective consciousness of thousands into a virtual world, but we can't create androids. [ With a jovial tone, he adds: ] I fear that our technology might be lacking some.
[ A slight beat follows. ] What can you do, Connor? [ Might as well ask. ]
no subject
Well, I'm a prototype, originally designed to assist law enforcement as the "perfect partner". I've since moved on.
[A tiny, almost imperceptible smirk touches his lips for a moment.]
But it means I was built with the ability to analyse my surroundings in a split second, and I'm able to reconstruct a crime scene in my mind in about the same amount of time. I can analyse the substances that I taste for information, and if it's blood I can detect who it belongs to, what drugs were in the system at the time it was spilled, and how fresh it is. Thirium- that is, the fluid that powers an android's biocomponents- also carries markers that I can detect, such as model and serial numbers.
[He gives Stefano a pleasant smile.]
I also don't get tired, I don't need to eat or sleep, and I don't feel pain.
[That's not to say he doesn't react to external trauma, but he won't feel pain as such.]
Can you tell me more about this machine you mentioned?
AND THEN THERE WAS A REAL LONG INFO DUMP I GUESS
So, you have something inside, then. [ He hums about it, as he wonders what color that it is. But the rest of what Connor says seals the deal that he would have quite a time dealing with him. It seems I was quite wise in deciding to be careful. If this one caught my scent... that would be the end of my work. ]
Of course, I can tell you as much as I understand of it. Which is to say... as one of the individuals kidnapped and hooked into the machine... my knowledge of it is rather lacking. [ His shoulders left and lower. ] The consciousness of thousands come into the virtual world, as I said.
[ He clicks his tongue. ] But the individuals in charge of it... they create new histories for the people that are brought into it. It's so that the people do not realize that they are in another world... that anything is wrong. They created a city called Union. It was meant to promote peace... but actually, it was meant to see how far they could brainwash the people into accepting their version of reality... into accepting their lies as truth.
[ The area around his eye twitches as his smile fades to a sneer. ] It was by luck that I happened to break free... and realize what they had done.
But even being free, I'm afraid... it means nothing. [ Well, it meant everything, but no reason to get into it. ] You see, my body was still asleep in the "real world." I was only conscious of what was happening to my virtual self.
And... dying is different in that world. You don't die in it. Your consciousness remains. Your body will die, but you stay within the system. [ He reaches his hand out to rest it upon Connor's chest. ] And you can never leave... you just become part of its world and fall... somewhere in the many layers of it.
[ With a laugh, he ends his explanation of STEM. Of course, he leaves out details relating to the CORE and his own involvement in the system. ] That's all I really know about it.
hell yeah
That sounds awful.
[Both being trapped in the virtual world, and the "death".]
You don't think... this is a similar situation, do you?
[He's not sure how it would have happened, but there has to be some kind of explanation for this, right?]
WE LOVE TO SEE IT (DO WE)
[ Even if he omits his contribution to the state of the world, he can't not admit to how gorgeous the madness of it all was. Really, he is physically incapable of not saying so. ]
It may be. [ He can't deny the possibility. ] I only know that I am not in my STEM. [ His chin drops as he closes his eyes.
Yet he has his abilities from STEM. So, he can only wonder what it all means quietly to himself. If he is back in another STEM, if his consciousness has been accidentally uploaded to it, he looks forward to hunting down the CORE, again.
So, best to keep some pieces of information to myself... I wouldn't want anyone to get in my way of creating another world filled with masterpieces. ]