2nd Event: Choices We Make

[upcyclingmod]

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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

[paperpusher]

Haha, the 'closing' part is the easier one, in my experience. If it comes to that, I'll leave behind what you need to shut it once you're done. If you're able to see this-- [and he taps his finger twice on the gecko, still hanging out on his collar bone] you should be able to do it on your own.

[hopesong]

[It sounds so easy when he says that, but she knows better. Knows the ever hungry claws of the Entity that pierce flesh and soul alike, and knows that it can cross worlds and times. Maybe this is another of it's realms and she just hasn't realized it yet.

What a joke that'd be, wouldn't it?]

Not sure what me seeing your little friend has to do with that, but I'll take your word for it.

[paperpusher]

Haha, well. [little friend. It inches up a little on his neck, almost as if it was rubbing it in.] Normal people can't see this, so... The sort of spells I do can't always be activated by just anybody. In general, though, if you can see it, you probably have enough spiritual power to set one off properly. Honestly, my guess is that's why you ended up here as well.

[hopesong]

[Enough spiritual power... She doubts it, somehow. If she did, surely she would have found a way out sooner, been able to do more. As it stands, what she sees is likely some sort of meddling from the Entity.

After all, she can't assume the Entity would get a good meal out of her being killed by an angry spirit she couldn't see and had no way of knowing was there.]

Well, then you have more of a lead than I do.

[She doesn't think the Entity would give up anyone willingly.]

[paperpusher]

I am the professional, between the two of us. It would just be embarrassing for me if you showed me up anyway.

[He smiles, and this time it's a 100% certified movie star grin; the sort of thing that would come alongside a swell of emotional music and probably a warm filter. A flash of this moment would appear at the climax of the trailer. This just happens sometimes, sorry for everything Kate.]

That said, if you wanted to take a look around with me, I have been looking for an apprentice.

[hopesong]

[It's adorable. Somehow, it reminds her of David and the shit eating grins he'd make as he'd loudly proclaim himself to be the best.

She misses him, and everyone else, even though it's- it can't have been that long, since she disappeared. She hopes they're all alright.]

Well, I don't know about no "apprentice" business, but I've got all the time in the world to take a look around and figure out what I've gotten myself into now.

[paperpusher]

Haha, that's fine. It's worth asking, anyway. [But really, only because he knows it wouldn't work out. No one else needs to get drawn into his line of work.] Now. I came in through an old cottage, but I doubt there's anything there worth going back for. [He points back the way he came.] That's all I've seen so far; any direction feeling particularly lucky to you?

[hopesong]

All directions are lucky to me. [You just can't beat literally walking out of a trial with all your internal organs and external extremities intact.]

But why don't we follow the direction the wind is blowin'?

[paperpusher]

Haha, how poetic of you. [Organs and extremities: poetry in motion. But that's fine; with a small (normal, this time) smile he starts heading in that direction. As they walk, he's pretty clearly scanning everything around them, looking for anything that pings him as off, or seems to have a stronger energy than the rest of their surroundings, even if it makes him look like a bobblehead in slow motion. He pays particular attention to roots of trees, gaps between branches, small collections of stones.] I'm sorry if this is a rude question, but you're American? [it's smalltalk, not anything important, he just doesn't want to go and assume.]

[hopesong]

Thanks, I try. [Poetry and lyrics, they go hand in hand. You can have one without the other, sure, but together they can make a song flow and give it a meaning deeper, in the right hands.]

An' thats right. Was born in Pennsylvania, but my family had a ranch over in Texas, went there every summer.

[paperpusher]

Ahh, Texas? That's... cowboys and Western movies, things like that? [Probably embarrassing that all he can think of is pop culture, but...] I've never left Japan, so. Not unless you count places like this.

[hopesong]

That's right. [Kate isn't much a fan of cowboys these days.]

I've been lucky enough to travel 'round the world, putting on concerts. Got to join up with an all girl band in Japan one year, was nice. I probably made a right fool of myself with my broken Japanese. [She laughs, but knows that they'd enjoyed her company as much as she'd enjoyed theirs.

Her Japanese isn't as horrific as it once was, thanks to Yui.]

[paperpusher]

Concerts?

[He pauses his scan of their surroundings to look at her in slight surprise.] Don't tell me I've been embarrassing myself in front of someone famous this whole time?

[hopesong]

Well, I don't think you've been embarrassing yourself at all, hun. But yeah, I'm famous, for what the word is worth. I'm a country music singer an' songwriter.

[She gives him a laugh and a grin, but truthfully, she wouldn't be shocked if he didn't know her name. She's seen it before, from people her age who were alive before she was born, from those in an alternate version of her own Earth, the differences so slight they were almost unnameable.

Well. Minus the zombies.]

[paperpusher]

Hahaha, you're probably the first person to say that about me! [He runs his hand through his hair in another perfect movie-star moment (his hand even lingers at the most photogenic spot, like he's holding it for just a split second for the camera), which probably makes more sense once he says:] But you could consider us... not coworkers, per se, but maybe one removed. I'm an actor for my day job.

[hopesong]

[Ah, that explains it. She laughs again, this time though it's at his act, and the particularly photogenic pose.]

Well, that sounds exciting. I don't think I'm much cut out to be an actor myself, I'm not terribly good at it. [Maybe it's weird for her to say that. She'd always rather her ability to be genuine and true to her heart, and... Well, that was her music.

Maybe this place could give her a new start. A chance to revive her muse.]

[paperpusher]

Don't sell yourself short! I'm sure you could succeed at it if you wanted to, even if it's just a question of finding the right role.

[Or maybe Natori just feels that way because he's constantly lying and constantly wants to be a different person? Who knows.]

But that said, if you find yourself in Japan again while it's still in theaters, I have a movie coming out soon. Please support us if you can! [With the way he smiles at the last sentence, it rings a little ironic or self-deprecating, even if she doesn't recognize the stock phrase.]

[hopesong]

Well, if you'd like to tell me what movie it is, I'll be sure to mention it to the crowd next time I've got a concert to play at.

[Next time she has a concert. She's said those words before, in the Entity's realm, but now they hold so much more weight. So much more hope that Kate suddenly feels her heart pounding in her chest at the sheer novelty of it all.

It's been a long time, though she's not sure how many years have passed. Time had long since stopped in the Entity's Realm.]

[paperpusher]

Haha, would you? That's such a kind offer. [Very kind for a stranger, especially when he had been so flippant about it.] Well, if it's not too much trouble, my latest film is called Fiance of the Funeral Procession. It's part of a series of historical mysteries solved by a playboy detective. [And at that, he tilts his head to the side, gesturing flamboyantly at his own chest with that same air of irony.] Though now that I've said that, I don't know if there are any plans for an overseas release.

[hopesong]

Let me guess, you play the playboy detective. [Her tone is dry, but otherwise very amused when he says that. It's so... unbelievably normal.

Even with the whole weird moving gecko tattoo thing.]

Even if there's no overseas release, I'm sure there's a good number of people who would be interested in somethin' like that all the same.

[You know, like pirates. God Bless the digital age.]

[paperpusher]

Akeboshi Koutarou, at your service. [He gives her a deep, florid bow, making his voice a little weightier, his accent more old-fashioned.] I'd never let a beautiful lady get accused of a crime she didn't commit.

[It's really a shame that Natori predates the dot com boom, though it looks like his ego isn't suffering for the lack of exposure. After a moment he straightens up and smiles, a smaller, more genuine one.]

I typically do romance dramas, so I think I'm already being typecast.

[hopesong]

[A laugh, and Kate shakes her head. It was a good call, she thinks. Calling out to another person. To trust someone she's never seen at the campfire.

She'd been worried that that place might change her so much when she'd gotten out, but maybe it hasn't. Maybe she'll be lucky.]

Well, I think a handsome young man such as yourself is perfect for the part. You've certainly got the flair for theatrics.

[paperpusher]

You flatter me.

[is "a flair for theatrics" really a compliment? it is if he's trying for that, he supposes.]

As for yourself, I'd love to get a chance to hear one of your concerts sometime. Whether that's here or back in the human world.

[hopesong]

[It was a compliment! Kate doesn't do the whole backhanded compliments thing. It doesn't feel nice.

Also, she'd make a comment about putting on a concert here, but there's something else that takes priority to that.]

You don't think this is the human world?

[paperpusher]

Probably not. [he says it easily, relaxed; nothing to be concerned of here.] For something this large, I think it's likely we've stumbled into the ayakashi realm. Er-- [How do you sum up ayakashi? I ask myself this every day as I try to write his app, but:] What would you call it outside Japan... monsters? Spirits?