pedalbike | First TDM: Sterile Blues

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First TDM: Sterile Blues

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Arrival

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.

Sterile Blues

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.

Ashes, Ashes

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.

Network Time: The Heart Game

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!

code bases by tricklet

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sterile Blues;

[Connor has never taken care of his own injuries. CyberLife would patch him up instead, but only after he was finished with what he was doing. Therefore, slogging his way through this place is getting harder and harder for the android, and eventually he can't help but grit his teeth and collapse on a bed, LED flashing red.

What is happening to him? It makes no sense. There's nothing wrong with him internally, he knows that much. As he lies there he starts to feel better, the weight from his arms and legs lifting slowly. He still can't really walk, though. He wouldn't mind a chat with a fellow Wickie in the meantime.]

Heart Game;

[Well, it's pretty obvious that the only way to get this to go away is to answer...]

Another android died while I was still connected to him.

[Is that enough? He doesn't really want to go into too much detail, he just wants this prompt to leave.]

Wildcard;

[Hit me up at

novicecity if you want to hash something out!]

[The creak of the clinic's front door is followed by footsteps: slow and circling, inspecting the reception space. From the patient room where he's lying, Connor will hear one desk drawer opened after another—searching for paperwork, in the absence of electronic records on this place. The new arrival pauses, listening. Then:]

Tampering with Cyberlife property is a criminal offense.

[The voice—Connor's voice—is deceptively mild. The soft whisper of metal on cloth might reveal a little more of the other RK800's intentions. Slipping his gun out of his jacket, Connor #313 248 317-60 starts down the hallway, searching for whoever or whatever is affecting his vision.]

[Connor starts and sits up faster than his body should rightfully allow him to, narrowing his eyes. He knows that voice- or rather, he knows that iteration of that voice. It's colder than his own.

Sliding off the bed, Connor takes his own gun out of his jacket and scoots behind a cabinet, listening intently. The weight on his limbs remains, and he wonders if he'd be at a disadvantage here if this turns into a shootout. Maybe he should try to avoid that outcome, if possible.]

[No response. Hardly surprising, but it does make Connor's job a little harder. He quiets his steps as he approaches the first patient room, listening carefully before he opens the door with a quick twist.

Nothing.

A single step inside is enough to scan the space—and determine the lack of hiding places in this room. He abandons it, pacing on to the next room. Again, Connor opens the door, checks the room, and finds it empty.

There are two doors left before he reaches his predecessor.]

[He has two choices here, he figures. He can charge at 60, using his unknown position to surprise him and potentially gain the advantage- only, his limbs aren't cooperating the way he'd like them to, and in the split second it takes for Connor to raise his own heavy arms, 60 could probably just shoot him. Or he can continue to hide... which isn't likely to work for long on 60. They both have a tendency to explore every nook and cranny, after all.

Maybe there's a third option? He could try talking to him. It's not likely to get him far, but he does need to see if 60 is being affected the same way Connor is. He can formulate a better plan once he has more information.

He shifts very quietly to hide behind the door, instead. When 60 opens it, Connor will be already pointing his pistol at him.]

I wouldn't try anything, if I were you.

Connor / Detroit: Become Human / OTA!

hi there Sterile Blue

:')

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Heart Game

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sterile blues

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