2nd Event: Choices We Make

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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.

C-C-Changes

Thankfully the fog has gone down to what it was before, a slow creeping crawl over the ground. And too, the monsters of before are gone, leaving the town much like it was before. Well...close to what it was before.

For now the season's have changed, from a lingering summer to a cooler fall.

There’s new foods to try, even if some things like lattes cause people to slip into warm boots and tie up their hair, and soups make people curl up under blankets on the couch. And it also means decorations of all sorts, made of the leaves from the forest, orange, yellow and red things and...we can not forget...

Pumpkin overflow

Pumpkins! They're everywhere. Wickies will find pumpkins infused into all sorts of things, like coffee, ice cream, even spaghetti options! It's wild.

There’s also many jack o'lanterns. They have been placed everywhere in town, outside homes, and even small ones have been made into table decorations. The Jack o lanterns have very cheerful faces, and seem to watch Wickies every single move.

That is, until a Wickie bashes or otherwise abuses a pumpkin. That's when it changes- there seem to be more of them. Their expressions change to that of anger, sadness and disgust. None of them attack- yet. But their faces become more and more horrifying, as they follow the Wickie more and more- outside of the bathroom perhaps, or found on top of them as the Wickie wakes up in the middle of the night.

It shouldn't matter right? They're only pumpkins.

What a ride

Funny enough, with the pumpkin invasion, there also comes a dull colored horse wandering about the island. Its head is drooped, and it looks depressed and lonely. The horse is tame on approach and will accept pats and treats, even from those who are obviously not human.

But it also wants something, for all that it seems to be begging for attention. It wants someone to ride them, seems to even be begging for it with its big eyes. The horse will help Wickies to figure out how to mount; it will even stand beside the Town Center benches, rocks, or even go down in order to make it possible for the Wickie to get onto the horse’s back.

That’s when it changes. The Wickie is immediately wrapped in chains from their barrel to the Wickie’s waist. The horse turns a coal black and the Wickie’s clothing changes into that of a soldier's uniform, with a hand either holding a whip modeled after a human spine, or a jack o'lantern.

The Wickie cannot get off the horse on their own, no matter how much they struggle. As the horse moves throughout the town, they will go anywhere from a walk to a full canter, seemingly impervious to any magic or physical attacks. The same cannot be said for their unfortunate rider.

If the rider is hit, or simply in pain, the Wickie will feel an impulse that grows and grows until they scream a name of someone in town, someone they know.

And the named will drop, paralyzed. Paralyzed wickie are likely to die within minutes, more so if they are too close to horse and rider. The horse will happily trample anyone on the ground to death.

Even without the impulse, should the Wickie rider use anyone’s name, that person will drop, paralyzed, and unable to breathe.

There is only one way to possibly save the rider: scatter golden objects in their path. The horse will shriek, and promptly buck the rider off, before running away. Just make sure to catch the rider, or at least cushion their fall: they have no way of saving themselves until they hit the ground.

Heart game: confession

Current residents of the island may remember this particular beeping alert, and how it doesn’t go away, no matter what they do! That is, unless they open up the Heart Game, and answer the question.

Welcome back everyone! It’s so good to see you again! Now let’s play that game, Confession! And the question isssssss…

How do you celebrate the changing seasons! Don't be shy!

Comments

kate galloway × original

[morns]

— pumpkin overflow

[ these decorations are a lot, spilling over everywhere in this blasted town. it seems impossible to order a coffee without being asked if you're sure you wouldn't rather try the seasonal variant, and several otherwise brilliant pathways to the rooftops have been rendered near impossible to access due to the sheer number of pumpkins everywhere.

Kate's fingers twitch each time she rounds a corner and finds herself confronted with yet another army of jack o'lanterns. the carved faces do nothing to stop the simmering irritation in her gut as she walks — yes, walks, because she's effectively grounded by terrible decorative planning — past them, trying and failing to ignore the lingering sensation of being watched by things that barely come up to her ankle.

it's only when she sees a bunch stacked atop a wall which makes a really good jumping off point for a shortcut to where she lives here that the impatience at this farce of celebration kicks into full gear, and she gives up on any sort of pretense of giving a fuck about the state of these pumpkins.

they're only pumpkins, after all.

she takes a running leap and launches herself higher with a foot on the wall, knocking two pumpkins out of her way, the sensation of eyes at her back somehow intensifying but, well, whatever. it's just her imagination. just the odd little tricks of this place trying to keep her off kilter. nothing actually worth worrying about. she won't let this place get to her, won't let herself believe that pumpkins can really watch her, because that's just stupid. bonkers. the set-up for a really shitty joke.

but it's harder to deny the thuds behind her as she skitters over a rooftop and towards the cottages. she throws a glance over her shoulder before dropping down — probably just someone else up here, right? ]

What the fu—

[ it isn't. and while it may be easy for someone walking by to avoid one woman as she jumps off a rooftop, the twenty or so pumpkins following her?

well, that might be a little messier. ]

— heart game

[ um.
what.
will this thing fuck off already? ]

i don't. that's a thing people do?

— wildcard

[ hit me with anything! there's an info section in her journal if you want to know more about her it's a bit rough but it exists, or you can contact me at 𝚗𝚌𝚕#8071 / isanghae instead. ]

heart game

[dragonsgardener]

It's usually a good idea to propitate the gods in their proper seasons if nothing else.

[morns]

what gods?

[ sure, she means that dismissively — if there are any gods in her world, they certainly aren't worth celebrating — but it's a question that needs answering nonetheless. ]

[dragonsgardener]

That depends on the season and region of course

[morns]

sounds stupid.
worshipping stories. doesn't do anything for you.

[ Kate, someone really needs to teach you when to shut up. ]

pumpkin overflow

[eolja]

[There’s no particular reason why Seonho suddenly feels the need to look up as he moves cautiously down yet another worn down street, both hands on the hilt of his sword. It’s not as if the overcast sky is interesting to look at, and yet… Maybe it’s that well-honed instinct of BAD TIMES that he’s cultivated since birth that kicks in right on time…

On time to see a pink(?) creature(??) (his brain lighting up with the realization that whatever came vaulting off the rooftop is in fact person-shaped, and is not a giant pink bird) falling from the sky apparently being chased by a bunch of pumpkins (?????). Seonho stops hastily in his tracks in order to avoid a collision with said creature-person, dodging the pumpkins that seem keen on concussing him, but all his military finesse manages is getting splattered by the remains of at least five smiling pumpkins (which all land in a nice ring around him).

hm.

His eyelashes are weighed down by so much goop that he can barely open his eyes… this is Incredible. Seonho parts his sodden bangs in order to see if Kate is actually alive and not a pink splat on the street, or maybe even similarly drenched because he's willing to be less judge-y about this situation if they're both a Mess. (maybe)]

[morns]

[ avoiding a pumpkin on her skull is really Kate's main priority, but as such, it means she ends up with a pumpkin hair mask and a hoodie badly in need of a wash. ...great. ]

Ugh... [ she shakes her hands in an attempt to get the dripping remnants of pumpkin off them and blinks as more rolls down her face. okay, so maybe she should have wiped her face off first.

hindsight. 20/20. ]

Y'reet?

[ what the hell is wrong with this place. ]

[eolja]

[It takes a second for him to understand the question -- her accent and the pumpkin are both distracting -- and even longer to try and wipe his face so he can reply with as much dignity he can muster -]

Was there something wrong with the stairs?

[dignity and a side helping of petulance, nailed it. but if he can whine about it, then he's probably fine.]

[morns]

[ yeah, dignity is very much a thing of the past for both of them. ]

Not as fast.

[ nothing's wrong with a shortcut, right? well. usually.

today, however? it seems like that shortcut is just a recipe for pumpkin soup as the thud thud thud of things on the rooftops grows louder.

ah, hell. ]

C'mon.

[ she's just going to... grab this dude by the wrist and yank him with her. where can they go, though? maybe into the house just behind this guy. best hope whoever lives there isn't pissed off about it. ]

Pumpkin

[federalpoolinspector]

[With everything going on, Aubrey isn't looking up and when a woman drops down from the rooftops it's not nearly so dramatic as almost getting landed on, as she lands a few feet ahead of her. But it still makes Aubrey jump and- Woah. Cute girl alert.]

Uh. [Be cool. Be cool.] What were you doing on the roof?

[Nailed it. Speaking of being nailed, there's the sudden sound of something from above. It sounds like a rolling thunderstorm but when Aubrey looks up it's a rain of pumpkins. That might hurt a little bit more.]

Look out!! [And she rushes forward, pushing said cute girl out of the way from getting turned into pumpkin pie.]

ok this was the first thing random icon gave me and it makes me laugh in context

[morns]

[ she doesn't get the chance to answer that question — it's a shortcut, is it really that unusual? — before the pumpkins are following her, before she finds herself pushed back onto the ground, just out of the way of the worst of the splattering, grimacing as the asphalt grates against her back. ]

... [ well. this is not a position she usually finds herself in with a stranger. ] I prefer to be on top.

[ Katherine, please. ]

omg

[federalpoolinspector]

[Aubrey winces for a long while, waiting for a stray pumpkin to hit her on the head, but it never happens, and what comes out of the woman below her's mouth next makes her eyes pop open wide.]

Oh! Ah- [This is very smooth. Is the cute girl flirting with her?? Cannot compute. She scrambles back, leaning back on her heels and offering a hand out,] Sorry, I mean. Did you get hurt?

it knows

[morns]

[ ...hm.
she hasn't decided yet. the quip rolled off her tongue before she really thought about it. but this girl isn't uncute or anything. maybe once the immediate threat of being murdered by falling pumpkins is past, she can make a more concrete decision is someone she'd like to take somewhere more private.

(we'd say get to know better, but Kate really has no intentions of that). ]

Nah. [ the scraping along her back twinges, but it's hardly the worst thing that ever happened to her. (there are scars that prove that, including one which peeks out across her collarbone just below her jacket). ] What about you?

[ roughly pushing a stranger to the ground can be a recipe for injuries if you're not careful.

if you're very unlucky, you push the wrong person. but Kate's feeling generous.

(and she's a sucker for a pretty mouth.) ]

pumpkin

[plasticasshole]

[You know what Connor wasn't expecting when he walked out of his cottage? A woman being chased by twenty pumpkins jumping off the roof of his building. He blinks as they all crack and splatter over the ground, and looks between the mess and the woman a few times.]

...Are you okay?

[Why was she being chased by pumpkins?]

[morns]

[ she's gonna hazard a guess that there aren't many people who would expect her to be chased by pumpkins. or, well, for anyone to be chased by pumpkins.

thank god the drop seemed to deal with them. ]

Didn't hurt myself.

[ despite the strangeness of the situation, that was a pretty neat landing she managed to pull off. maybe she should be chased by pumpkins more often if it results in landings like those. ]

... The hell was that about?

[ yeah, she's got nothing either there, dude. but they're dealt with, right?

right.

of course they are, and that's why the thumping, thrumming noise of movement has to be nothing. why the other pumpkins, the ones placed on this street, certainly haven't turned towards where the two stand, watching through narrowed, bright eyes. ]

[plasticasshole]

I'm not sure.

[He says it uneasily as he hears the thumping, and he scans the area before gesturing for her to come inside.]

Here, I don't think it's safe out here for you right now.

[Heading back inside, Connor waits for the woman to follow.]

[morns]

[ this is one of the weirder reasons she's wished she had brought a weapon with her when going out, by quite a ways. she casts a glance back at the source of the ominous, increasingly echoing, noise, and shrugs, following the man inside. ]

Guess this place doesn't worry about food shortages.

[ other places do. other places wouldn't dream of allowing pumpkins to run rampant like this because they'd be the first piece of fresh food in weeks. ]

pumpkin overflow

[unheeled]

[ Meanwhile, Rita embraces that basic autumn bitch stereotype. Pumpkin spice flavored everything, appropriately color-coordinated clothes... but especially the food, because even though she still looks undead, she isn't. She can taste things again, and fuck you if she's not going to indulge.

The woman landing in front of her is a surprise, sure, and Rita jumps back, keeping a firm hold on her cup of pumpkin spice soy latte with no whip. Thank god for travel cups, the cap keeps the delicious concoction from spilling.

She's about to ask what the hell the woman with pink hair is doing when some angry-faced jack o lanterns land after her. How the hell did they survive that fall? Creepy. Festive, though. ]

Is this some kind of performance art thing? First time I've seen anything like it.

[morns]

[ coffee should be black, anything else just tastes wrong. hot or iced, both are good, but black and bitter enough that your tastebuds protest is truly the only way to wake up in the morning.

(a milder edition for the afternoon, to rejuvenate the body when it begins to flag, is also acceptable).

but that life philosophy aside, there's really quite a problem on her heels, and a stranger providing one further variable to consider if these... they can't be pumpkins. something possessing pumpkins, maybe. whatever. they look like pumpkins right now, so she'll call them pumpkins.

point being, they've made it across several rooftops in their bid to follow her and are beginning to circle, crowding around the two of them and driving them closer. ]

Not an actress.

[ okay, clearly the best option is just to... kick these things out of the way, right? they're pumpkins. she could just step on each of them and be done with this, so why not? ]

[unheeled]

[ ok, snob, says the snob. ]

You don't...

[ "don't know what performance art is, do you?" is communicated by a deep breath, a sigh, and a roll of her eyes. Performance art doesn't require actors. But a) wow, Rita absolutely doesn't give enough fucks to correct her and make her feel inferior, and b) these mobile art installations - or little monsters, whichever - are now surrounding them, and they look hostile.

(Can they sense how much Rita enjoys the fall? Can they smell the pumpkin spice in her coffee? Will they leave her alone and go for the pink-haired idiot attacking them?)

Rita dodges a chunk of pumpkin, ducking out of its way. ]

You think that's going to make them friendlier? [ The disdain in her tone has its own gravitational pull.

She steps out of the way of a pumpkin that bumped into her, and accidentally bumps into another pumpkin.

Fuck. ]

Thanks for ruining my day, Pepto Bismol Hair.

[ Said as she tried very carefully to walk outside the circle of pumpkins, hoping to god she doesn't step on one of them. If nothing else, getting her shoes clean will be a pain in the ass. ]

[morns]

[ she's a coffee snob, and certainly no art lover (Marc says there's an officer he works with who is, but he's not sure if it's because she loves art or loves an artist), but most importantly?

she has fuck all patience for possessed pumpkins and whoever this griping woman is. ]

You try and befriend them, then.

[ somehow, Kate does not see that happening any time soon. but if you crush enough of them, they eventually have to stop coming, right? ]

heart game

[fogsong]

You ever hear of Halloween?

[ It's not snide. Not even everyone in her world knew what Halloween was meant to celebrate or where it came from. ]

!!! hi you!

[morns]

only as an excuse for drinking.

[ in shitty costumes, usually. it's not a holiday she would care about losing, really. ]

♥♥♥!

[fogsong]

I think that's what most adults see it as. It used to be some end of harvest celebration thing. The pagans probably used it as an excuse to get drunk, too, though.

[morns]

huh.
seems pointless either way.

[ but aren't most celebrations, when you boil them down to their essence? why does anyone need to memorialise their birthday? or their idiot decision to shackle themselves to a romantic partner for the rest of their lives? to even have a romantic partner in the first place?

it's weird. ]