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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
[ He stares at them with interest, but when no reason comes his way ... Stefano can only offer a small shrug to indicate that he won't press the issue. Why? Because he wishes to have them explain their make-up more, as he wonders if he's found himself a new medium to work with.
Will it be something that could make an even more beautiful piece of work than flesh and bone? He'll have to see. Experimenting himself is nice, but dangerous to the medium. If he goes at it with too much gusto, well... there is only one gem here. It would be a shame to ruin something so rare. ]
What this place is? I believe it is a town? [ He looks around, carefully, as he notes all the cottages that are about. How many people makes a town? How many for a village? He can't recall. ] Abandoned, however.
And yes, that is a human building. Do you want to go see it?
no subject
I already did. [ tersely. ] What I want is to understand what happened to me...
[ what's a town? they'll have to find out later. For now, they're still worried about themself - and about this apparent "human" they've run into. Their eyes flick back from the house to Stefano again. ]
But you don't know, either. Even though these are human buildings.
no subject
[ His tone, surprisingly, isn't snide or sharp. He merely is stating things as they are. The only time that he ever really feels rushes of anger and murderous rage is -- well -- when his art isn't being given the appreciation it deserves or when he's being lied to in order to be manipulated by others for bland and dull reasons.
But the gem isn't doing anything of the sort, so he can have a casual conversation with them on this and that, now that his senses are a little less confused. How are they a little less confused? By him accepting that he has no idea what is going on and deciding it will be much easier to just accept he doesn't know and see where that takes him. ]
But ... the only way to find out is to wander. So, let's wander.
no subject
After a moment of hesitation, they shake their head. ]
... Wander alone. [ their voice is firm and resigned, but there's a twinge of shame in their expression nonetheless. ] It's not safe for you to stay around me. My poison kills living things like you.
no subject
It's fine.
[ Stefano dismisses the idea that he'll end up poisoned and die. He already has died, after all. While poisoning is a boring way to go, he can only hope that something magnificent and beautiful can be created before his end. ]
I'm not concerned about dying. So... stop dallying and maybe also... [ His lips quirk a little before he smiles bright at the gem. ]
Smile for me.
no subject
There's nothing to smile about.
[ they're lost, nothing makes sense, and, frankly, Stefano might be the most concerning thing they've run into here yet - a living fossil, out of time. Not that Cinnabar ever smiles much, anyway. ]
... Even if you're not concerned about your death, I am. One of us has to be responsible.
no subject
[ He runs his fingers over his camera as he thinks it would be quite something to have a photo of their smile. Maybe even frozen in that position for some time -- hm. ]
Responsible? Well... that's hardly any fun. [ He makes a face at the idea of it. ] We're in quite a unique situation. So... let's make it as entertaining as possible.
[ With a wide smile, he adds: ] Being safe isn't going to make things easier on either one of us, after all.
no subject
So you're planning on throwing caution to the wind and rushing in with no plan other than "have fun?" You really aren't concerned about dying. [ they don't understand the mentality one bit, and it's obvious they don't share his excitement for the unknown. ] If I were you, I'd be more careful. Once you die, you're not going to have any "fun" ever again.
[ with that, they begin to walk past Stefano, careful to take a very wide arc around him. ]
no subject
He's being dramatic in thinking that the sound itself is melodic, but he's already quite taken with the gem. He wonders what other sounds that are possible to come from such a body. What beauty could come from it? Yet, again, there is only one of them -- and what would happen if it is gone and unable to create more art from it?
I'll have to truly think of something special. ]
I already miss you, gem. If you change your mind, please come find me.