pedalbike | 2nd Event: Choices We Make

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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!

Threaded | Flat

Ask anything about the tdm!

❖ arrival.

[So, when you're a teenage heir of what's basically a yakuza family from the 80's, things that come from the 90's is pretty much a novelty. Or rather, what one would call technologically advanced.

...But that's not important here!

What is important is that if you're a fellow Wickie, and you're new, you might just run into one of two options:

1) Waking up with Mion... in the bathroom.
2) Getting spooked by a collapsed Mion... in the bathroom.

Pick your poison. It's probably fine.]

❖ pumpkins

October

Maybe I should start coming up with Halloween themed punishment games...

[Mion, please.

Although she does seem to frown a bit when all of them start to stare, enough for her to nudge someone with an elbow.]

[Watching.]

❖ heart game: confession.

[...She's trying to figure out what the alert is and how even how everything works. Sure, she's familiar with phones, but only those big bulky ones. Not these weird touch screen things.

But eventually, she figures it out.]

idontknowifyoucancallthisagamereallywhatdoyouguysthink

[Sorta. Someone please tell her that there's a space key.

And a shift key. Or any sort of punctuation.]

❖ wildcard.

[Want to play something completely different? I'm open to most things! As a heads up - I'll be playing Mion Sonozaki from the console arc, specifically Miotsukushi-hen (Ura). Also, the anime is coming up next season in October, so if you'd like to avoid spoilers, please feel free to let me know! I won't spoil anyone by default, however.

Feel free to plot with me via PM or

tsundereban as well.]

Edited 2020-09-19 04:34 (UTC)

[OOC - DISCLAIMER/EXPLANATION: !!RWBY Volume 4-7 Spoilers ahead!! Oscar is unique in that he's not just one person; he also lives with the spirit of a man named Ozma/Ozpin inhabiting his body. They're inseperable and share a consciousness, though at present in canon Ozpin has retreated from the forefront of Oscar's mind and has left him largely alone. He typically only presents himself in times of crisis when Oscar is in danger and cannot protect or save himself. In these moments, Ozpin can assume control of Oscar's body and speak as if he were himself again (just with Oscar's voice, it's got an ethereal sound to it like Ozpin's old voice is overlayed atop Oscar's). However, Ozpin will be more present for TDM purposes (both due to the unusual circumstances as well as voicetesting opportunities). Prompts will be marked where Ozpin will be present for them. I can bring him into any thread that isn't specifically marked for him though, just let me know if you're okay with that in the header! If you have any questions, please DM me or hit me up on plurk at

winterbolt!]

1) Arrival

[One moment, Oscar had been reeling, recovering from the fact he'd just narrowly avoided becoming a smear on the ground. The next...he's blinking, all of a sudden finding himself not outdoors in the city of Atlas, but in a doorway of a completely unfamiliar building.

A building that most definitely isn't his. In fact, it could even be yours.

He startles, pulling back slightly with a hand shifting subconsciously to something at his belt. He looks dirty and a bit beat up, but otherwise mostly just...bewildered, before shifting into immediately confused and apologetic.]

Oh- I-...I'm so sorry. I don't know how I...

[Got...here?? If he's demanded to leave he won't resist it, though he might not leave without trying to ask some questions first.]

2) Pumpkin Overflow

[It's not a completely unusual sight, seeing pumpkins around during this time of year. But so many of them...it's hard not to feel a little nostalgic for the times when Oscar could simply enjoy the changing weather and seasons without all of the other worries about the world making things complicated. Not that it matters now, when he's by this point discovered he's not in Remnant anymore.

He feels a little guilty at the relief he feels, being momentarily away from just...everything all of that was.

Still, it seems like his anxieties intend to follow him here, because while Oscar himself has no desire or reason to smash pumpkins, he's still able to see the faces of the ones that have been abused start to change. On the surface it just seems like elaborate carving, but he's also seen enough oddities to maybe be more suspicious than he ought to for someone his age.]

I...is it just me, or do these pumpkins feel...really, uh. Detailed? Like...

[Oscar is currently looking at a pumpkin perched on a low wall that looks seriously revolted. It's so intense that it's almost uncomfortable to look at.]

I don't know. It seems like whoever put these out has put a lot of work into them...

3) What a ride | Ozpin

[You'd think that Oscar's soft heart would cause him to become a victim of the strange horse pretty immediately, but ever since the oddity of the pumpkins came to light...he hasn't been as alone as he's been used to. Occasionally hearing a familiar voice in the back of his mind, warning him. Cautioning. It's tempting- very tempting- for Oscar to completely ignore Ozpin and do things how he feels he should, which...is what he does for the most part, but it's hard to seem that way when their ideas of what to do are actually lining up.

But when the horse manages to lure on a rider, whether it's someone Oscar recognizes or doesn't, he knows he can't just stand by and not do anything when he realizes whoever it is is in actual danger. It's not like a Grimm though; there's a vulnerable person on the horse's back, and despite getting in its path to try and stop it from running, Oscar is left helpless but to dive out of the way just to avoid getting trampled.]

This isn't working! What am I supposed to-

[Before Oscar can finish his sentence, he momentarily goes rigid as he picks himself back upright, his eyes glowing a faint green for a moment. Once that has passed, his posture changes and his grip on the cane he'd been weilding like some kind of weapon turns practiced to the point of being an extension of himself as he flips it over in one hand.]

Be angry with me for this later. I'll take things from here.

[The horse is running away by now, but it seems that "Oscar" isn't going to leave whoever is caught behind as he immediately gives chase.]

4) Heart Game: Confession

[The phone on him is not too dissimilar to the scrolls back home, so it's just a matter of receiving the alert and then deciding, "Sure, why not?" as he types in an answer to the question.]

Well...back at the farm we'd do a big harvest. You know, bringing in all of the crops for the season that were ready by then. And my aunt would make some things from the excess we wouldn't be selling. Apple pie, cider, things like that. Pretty normal stuff, I guess?

1;

[ aerith walks through the open doorway, plenty confused on how she's gotten here and why she's not at the very specific place she was beforehand. an open doorway is nothing like the edge of a highway looking into a foreboding void. but regardless, she seems to take it with stride, walking through and treating it like any other door she's walked through. ]

... Hellooo? Anybody home?

[ though this isn't really a home she's walking into. huh. still works? ]

2;

[ aerith's noticed the pumpkins watching her, but she isn't spooked by it by any means. in fact, she's sort of endeared by it, and interested as well. it's not like they have this sort of thing where she's from. so after a certain amount of wandering and noticing things, she can't help but speak up to one of the pumpkins, regardless of how strange it may make her look to those around her. she's never cared about that. ]

Hmm, need something? Maybe you're lonely?

[ do the pumpkins want to chat? is that it?? she has experience with talking to flora. ]

3;

[ aerith is kind to anyone and anything, this horse included. so she can't help but give it pats and such, following it to figure out why it's so upset, until it beckons for her to get on. she needs that bit of help to do so, but once she's on, things change for the worse, throwing her off-guard. okay, that's not good.

her initial reaction is shock, but she reigns it in quickly to try to deal with the situation with her usual softness.

and she leans in a little, trying to pet its mane. ]

If you tell me what's wrong, I can help better. I promise I won't judge.

[ because as it stands, she doesn't know what's going on but she definitely wasn't wearing this clothing and she definitely definitely didn't have these chains around her. ]

wildcard;

[ feel free to pm me with anything else! ]

Edited 2020-09-19 04:54 (UTC)

Pumpkin overflow

A. [ You may be alarmed when you hear a high pitched scream. It sounds like a girl possibly in distress! But if you chase after it try to try to help her, you’ll just see Rena spinning around with a pumpkin in her arms. ]

UUUAAA! You’re soooo cute! I’m just going to have to take you home~!

[ She raises it up to snuggle it against her cheek. It’s then she finally notices you with a grin. ]

Don’t you think so too, huh, huh?

B. [ Or maybe you take her by surprised. Or maybe she gets a little too excited-

Because while she’s spinning, the pumpkin flies out of her hands. Rena stops when it smashes against the ground and lets out a terrible gasp. ]

Oh no! Mr. Pumpkin I’m so s- [ But she gets caught off when all the pumpkins turn toward her, malicious expressions morphing on their faces. ] Wh-What’s going on?

What a ride

[ Ironically, later, her love of cute things gets her into big trouble. She had approached the horse with caution, but gosh it was just so friendly and cute! One little ride couldn’t hurt, right?

Well Rena was wrong. Very wrong. Because now she’s trapped on this horse, clinging for dear life. Not that it matters because she completely chained to the thing. The horse is totally out of her control, and the further they go, the more it hurts to be riding the thing. She’s been trying to hold back, but finally she can’t stop her scream anymore: ]

Keiichi-kun, save me!!

[ Please save her before she gets another one of her friends into trouble... ]

Wildcard

(( Go for it! You can also tag my last TDM TL if you want! ))

[arrival..?]
[You might hear Jester before you see him.]
Ah! What sort of cruel fate is this? To be separated from my beloved so cruelly ans suddenly! Before I can even make her my bride!

[If you come across Jester proper you'll see him behaving with all the dramatics of a Shakespearean actor. It seems he's worked up about the sudden change of scenery but not in any way that seems particularly sensible.]

[pumpkins]
[A local vampire is getting upset again.]

Honestly, another one of these things?
[The problem is that as the pumpkins becomes increasingly inconvenient, Jester is destroying them with a well placed kick all the faster. After kicking the one before him, the next one somehow falls directly onto his head, covering his nice white suit in pumpkin guns.]

Who's doing this!?

[wildcard]
[If you want another prompt or have another idea, hit me up at

agentmaine]

✘ arrival― a.

[ Dark night, gnarled branches finger-stretched against black soaking blue sky, crisp mountain air that bites the lungs and grows beneath the ribcage—that was what the daemon had fallen asleep to, contented as any animal in making due outside when traveling.

But a fresh ache grows at his nape sometime into the night, and frustration has the young man kicking out a sandaled heel. Meeting something that gives a squeak (or squish?), and then a scattered resounding topple-thunk. ]

... Ha?

[ Exhale on the cusp of it as he cracks a golden eye; white tile, plastic bottles and.... now, a bunch of those plastic bottles oozing on the ground. Shampoo everywhere. A real nightmare to clean up, if you know what shampoo is.

Only this guy doesn't know what he's looking at, or where he's looking at it. Did he just wake up in your tub? Whoops... ]

✘ arrival― b.

[ Certainly haven't been here before.

An idle thought as the wayward samurai absconds wherever he woke up and sets eyes on the town. Unfamiliar in most ways, from the dreary fog to the stretch of gaunt faces. Rubbing his neck, he does what any fresh-faced adventurer would do: asks the nearest person what's going on. ]

Hey. You a ... local around here?

[ If it's any indication from his dress, styled with kimono and armor, this guy definitely isn't. Sore thumb, right out there. ]

✘ pumpkin overflow―

[ A dagger glints as it cuts into pumpkin flesh, tip of the blade sinking into firm body and creating a neat seam of slice. Rokurou's quite focused, always intense when it comes to the one thing he's good at—cutting—so much so that he hardly notices the ominous row of jack-o-lanterns right behind him, watching in horror as he makes work of a fellow pumpkin.

Or maybe he just doesn't care. Though the sense of being watched is strong enough to make fine hairs rise along the slope of his shoulders even beneath layers of clothes, he's quite calm as he digs a finger into the top and plucks out a hearty slice of pumpkin. ]

Want some? Not as good as sweet potatoes, but not a bad snack.

✘ heartgame―

Celebrate the changing seasons?
I don't.
But it's not uncommon for towns to have festivals, is it?

( Happy to wildcard too, if you wanna throw something at me or reach out. Plurk is

bigwoof. Cheers! )

▶ i. arrival

[ it's rare for someone like six to sleep peacefully.

when night falls, what's more than likely to happen is that he is plagued by dreams, and they're never the kind that's easy to forget. they are rarely visual, but tactile, a nasty combination brought together by what belongs in the past and how much worse his subconscious likes to make them appear. they become more vicious when he's exhausted, when he's tired enough to let his guard down, because they're relentless then, more persistent.

tonight feels a little bit different. it's the usual, and then it's something else. he's in the middle of a busy street, but it's nothing like the kind he's familiar with in the skydom. there are structures he'd never seen before, vehicles he isn't even aware existed. it would have been perfect if a chill didn't just go down his spine right now.

that's when the voices kick in. reminding him over, and over, and over again what he did. what he is—

he wakes up.

he jolts upright, and almost immediately, realizes he's half-submerged in cold waters. all the visual cues he's currently getting tell him that he is no longer in his quarters on the grandcypher, but... a bathroom? looking down confirms it: he's in a bathtub, completely wet from head to toe.

OPTION A.

normally this kind of rude awakening would only bring more confusion, but something tells him there's no way out even before the question comes to life in his mind. he pulls himself out of the tub, practically looking like a wet dog as he attempts to leave.

only to come face to face with this house's only occupant.

you're probably staring at him. or maybe you're just wondering what the heck he's doing here.

or maybe you want to know why he took a bath with his clothes on and a mask? (weirdo.) ]

[ he's never been the type to be eloquent. ]

OPTION B.

[ once he's made it out of the bathroom, he wreaks havoc on the floors by dragging his wet self all over the place. it's as if something has possessed him to check every nook and cranny of this house, searching for something, anything. if this is some sort of trick, he's sure to find it.

but the more he looks, the more it becomes clear this is as real as it gets. the water all over the floor, all over the things he's touched, the furniture he may have passed by— that's all real too.

if you happen to catch him in the act, his ears will droop slightly as he mumbles out a sheepish apology. ]

[ after he figures out what's going on, that is. ]

▶ ii. pumpkin overflow

[ after his living arrangements have been squared away, six immediately stalks out of the place to gather compile a mental map of the place for himself. sometimes the only way to shake out the paranoia is to familiarize yourself with something, so that's what he'll do.

it's hard to break him out of old survivalist habits.

and as it turns out, he's in the right to be paranoid! it doesn't take long for hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end because it's starting to feel like something, someone (or many someone's, in this case), is always watching.

he doesn't suspect the pumpkins at first, even if there are an abnormal amount surrounding the area he's in right now. ]

[ surely that's the case for someone to be watching him so intently, right? ]

▶ iii. heart game: confession

[ he's kind of a kill joy, so— ]

Is it not the same as any other day?
What is there to celebrate?

▶ iv. wildcard me, baby

( ooc. let me know if you need something specific from me! i'm happy to write custom starters. pls feel free to pm me! ♥ )

Edited 2020-09-19 06:05 (UTC)

[ARRIVAL]

[The sudden creaking whine of the door may not be enough to startle this cottage's occupants. The slow footsteps approaching the door, maybe. But if that's not enough, consider the rhythmic whirring of servomotors that accompany said footsteps.

A strange, spindly machine, nearly two meters tall, enters the room. Each step it takes is rigid, deliberate, but soon it comes to an abrupt halt. Not only does it seem to become aware of its unfamiliar surroundings, but something else seems to have given it pause. Its optics leer down at one of its mechanical hands, its digits slowly curling inward.]

...I still function.

[The emotions behind that cryptic statement are difficult to decipher. But after a beat, the droid lowers its hand and says, in a dry, almost clinical sort of tone:]

Running diagnostic.

[The blood red sensors that line the droid's cylindrical head rotate in a full 360 degree arc as it takes in its surroundings.

Life form detected.

IG-11's optics swivel in the other occupant's direction.]

Identify yourself.

[C-C-CHANGES]

[Droids do not require food or drink for sustenance. Organics, however, do. And this strange new place is occupied by many organics.

He hasn't been able to find much in the way of supplies just yet, but for some reason or another, IG-11 felt the need to procure rations. It could prove a useful way to make allies. Allies would increase the probability of successfully resolving this mysterious phenomenon.

Every once in a while, he'll acquire a new target - wandering up to them with purpose before offering them a cup.]

Would you care for a refreshment?

[He looks intimidating, but at least he's polite?]

[WILD CARD]

[Up for something completely different? Feel free to PM me with anything else!]

I. ARRIVAL

[ Ruby is one of those newbies who shows up randomly in a room out of nowhere...a fully occupied room. Possibly directly on top of you as she yelps because what. ]

Wha - Yang?! Weiss -

[ Just. Let her go through the gamut of names of people who were here FIVE SECONDS AGO but now aren't as she elbows you in the gut clambering off. Sorry! ]

II. FRUITS BASKET-ESQUE

[ It's not quite the store, because actually what Ruby has done is grab one of every weird Pumpkin-themed foodstuff and taken it into her home, which can just conveniently be one shared with your character or one she wandered into to cook, whatever.

She dragged a table outside and has set up a mini...picnic? Meet-up? Gathering? Whatever. It's all the weirder foods, like pumpkin pasta, all set up buffet style.

Side note: Ruby can't really cook that well, so it's also like...pumpkin foods that are badly made and occasionally burnt. It's fine! If you add enough salt it'll taste normal. At least anything pre-made is fine.

She poses dramatically towards the food when she sees anyone coming. ]

Hey! Want to try some? I'm thinking the sphagetti has to taste good, right?

[ Maybe. If someone else had made it. You know. ]

III. PUMPKINS

[ For the record, Ruby didn't attack a pumpkin on purpose. Accidentally trip over one and blow it up? SURE. That she did! It's...fine, maybe. She apologized profusely to no one.

But uh, the pumpkin apparently doesn't care about apologies and now things are getting...weird.

As in, she grips your arm when she sees you and leans in to whisper sort of weird. ]

Hey, uh...do you...see anything following me?

[ Anything pumpkin-shaped, specifically. ]

IV. WHAT A RIDE

[ If you know her, feel free to hit her up as a rider calling her name -

Otherwise, Ruby can definitely be found petting the horse? She's also prone to feeding it. As to riding it, though... ]

Oh, I'm sorry, I've never really - done that before? Uh...wow, geeze, I bet the others would be way better at this. Not sure it'd be easy in a skirt, either.

[ Why is she apologizing to the suspiciously morose horse. ]

V. HEART GAME

[ Okay? This is weird, but Ruby doesn't really mind answering. Her replies come from the username crescentrose because she has very specific interests. ]

Depends on the season we're changing into! When it's going into winter, snowmen! And hot chocolate, and snow angels...the works! When it's coming up spring, there's a lot of gardening. Blech. Summer? Popsicles! Fall? Leaf piles!

[ A weirdly innocent answer if anyone knew where she came from. ]

WILDCARD

[ If you want to throw me something completely out of left field please feel free to do so! Otherwise I'm very easily reached via journal pm or at roseburst or #Maggie0451. Ruby is very likely to explore around and to try to get to know people: she's as friendly as they come, and she's unfortunately used to Weird Shit to a degree. ]

ARRIVAL.

[ Kyuhyuk doesn't know whether to feel delighted or confused when faced with the situation: opening the door he had expected a familiar face trembling in the remains of their changing room, but instead he's met with a different building entirely. He blinks thrice, believing that his eyes may be deceiving him; not lacking any surprise in his expression.

He bites his bottom lip, an uncomfortable itch in the back of his neck he's unable to scratch slowly growing unnoticeable until he can catch his breath. He exhales a belated sigh, and then closes the door...

To open it again, checking the room from left to right. He tries a second time, only to be met with the same result. The reality of the situation sinks into his chest, weighing down his shoulders, and he may just look like a lost puppy as his brows curve in mild confusion. ] Um... [ It's only now that he also takes into account that someone is here, his gaze meeting their's for a split second before bashfully looking away. ] Is there a camera around here... ?

[ is he getting punk'd ]

PUMPKINS.

[ Kyuhyuk can be found examining a jack o'lantern with a skeptical gaze. One hand holding a latte while the other is formed into a fist, resting below his chin.

He leans to one side and examines the eyes that slowly move with him, his lips deepening into an uncomfortable frown before taking a step back. That's definitely cursed and he doesn't have any holy water to throw at it, and even if he tries to pretend there aren't several staring at him now despite having never lifted a finger of malice he can hardly take a sip of his drink before awkwardly glancing elsewhere.

Sorry if he happens to be staring at you in particular for too long. ]

HEART GAME.

[ He almost expected the notification to be from Phater, somewhat disappointed but also welcoming the distraction with open arms. ]

I can't say that I've ever celebrated it differently from any other day...
I was either at work or in school ^^;;

Though my mother did make the seasons changing an excuse to cook more stew

WILDCARD.

( or throw whatever you'd like! if there's something specific you want to try feel free to pm me or hmu at vongaribaldi )

a. arrival

[ the moment of arrival for flat is not one that is graceful by any means. to put it simply, it's like he fell from the sky.

or from the nearby tree in the park, to be more specific. but the logistics of it are the same. there's a young man of almost twenty years of age falling--only a pile of dried leaves cushioning his fall, and barely. ]

[ but as he sits up, you may notice the amount of blood that is on him. mostly on his vest and other parts of his clothes, but even his hands have blood on them as well.

he looks fine however.

but, as if not noticing that fact, he'll lock eyes with whoever is closest to him, and call out for them: ]

b. pumpkin overflow

[ well, flat isn't a savage by any means whatsoever, so something like hurting the pumpkins is absolutely out of the question when it comes to him. he finds them endearing, actually, occasionally stopping to take a picture of one that looks particularly cute.

but he can tell. they're watching. ]

[ it doesn't matter whether the other character wanted to speak to him or not. he'll engage regardless. ]

c. what a ride

[ once again, it's almost as if flat's skills had well-prepared him for the horror genre.

by perhaps making him into something that should come out of a horror video game, considering how still he is, staring at the horse that is nearby.

....

ah. ]

[ a hollow tone, and an equally hollow stare. he's not reaching out to stop the other character if they want to go towards the horse, but...should you really ignore a warning like that? ]

d. heart game

when the seasons are changing i rly like watching scary movies! getting ready for halloween and stuff! just like this weird place! hbu?

Edited 2020-09-19 06:48 (UTC)

arrival.

[One moment, she's running for her life from a killer clown throwing his weird gaseous bottles at her, causing her vision to blur and her head to feel light and her body sluggish, and all she can do is duck through the doorway of what she assumes to be the killer shack, and the next she can suddenly breathe again, the air is clear, the thrum of her heart in her chest is still ever present, but lesser now. There's... a town, in front of her. An actual town, and Kate has to stop, to stare, in clothing so blood splattered that it makes her look like she's come out of a thriller movie.

The blood is all her own, though, and some of the cuts on her body are still bleeding as she stands there, awestruck in the moment. The pain itself feels dull. Far away.]

What in the world?

[Her voice is notably breathless, but there's a note to it, of wonder, of awe, and she doesn't even realize it as tears start streaming down her face and she herself feels like she could just collapse where she stands. It's... been a long time, since she's seen the sun, she realizes suddenly.]

changes.

[Even later, once she's got her head together, Kate still can't believe her situation. The fog that rolls in, she expects it to creep about her ankles mid-morning stroll, expects to be whisked away into a trial and a fight for her life that she may or may not loose.

Nothing like that happens. Even after a few minutes, a few hours, but she still looks shaken, arms gripping herself, a way to self sooth, and the first person she sees is who she flags down. A conversation to soothe her nerves. Anything.]

Hey there, sugar. Would you mind terribly just sittin' an' chattin' with me for a bit?

[Her smile is soft, friendly, even if her posture otherwise says she's ready to bolt at any moment.]

what a ride.

[The horse alarms it. It reminds her of Maurice, the horse in Father Campbell's Chapel, though this one isn't bleeding from the mouth, burnt and missing half its face. Doesn't have another eye, embedded in its head.

Mostly, she doesn't like how it's acting. It's not natural. She's grown up around horses, at the family ranch. And should anyone seem like they're about to ride it, she'll grab them by the shoulder firmly in an attempt to hold them in place.]

Don't. There's somethin' not right about that animal.

heartgame.

It's been a long time since I've celebrated the changing seasons. Used to go up to Yellowstone every winter to climb the frozen waterfalls there with my family. Other than that, the traditional Thanksgiving and Halloween for Autumn, Christmas in December, things like that.

wildcard.

[Have something in mind? Go for it! Kate has her guitar with her, and it's very likely she'll make her way into a populated area to put on a one person concert. She'll likely be singing some kind of hopeful tune, of joy or family.

Feel free to pm this journal or hit up

yakule on plurk if you'd like your own starter!]

Edited 2020-09-19 07:02 (UTC)

[A]rrival

Memory check complete. Maintenance mode complete. YoRHa unit 2B... Activate. Good morning, 2B.

[ The words that reach her auditory sensors are crystal clear and coming from really close—as soon as she opens her eyes, 2B will realize that she's been holding Pod 042 close to her chest. ]

Scan the area for... [ She sits up in the bathtub, slightly confused about her surroundings despite knowing that all of her systems are operational. ] ...for other android units.

[ While Pod 042 is performing the scan, she reaches for a bottle of shampoo. Since she's unfamiliar with this kind of a container and the substance inside it, 2B tries to examine it from every possible angle. ]

No more...tears.

[ Don't mind her, she's just a fully clothed android sitting in a bathtub trying to examine hygiene products. ]

Pumpkin ov[E]rflow

[ It appears that 2B made a grave mistake earlier; even though she tried not to express it, a grinning pumpkin that had been following her made her feel somewhat uneasy. Needlessly to say, it met its miserable end with one swift kick. What 2B didn't predict is that in place of one grinning pumpkin, three other jack-o'-lanterns appeared. And they were just as persistent about following her. ]

Proposal: Engaging in combat is not recommended.

[ She can tell that much even without Pod 042's advice. Yet it doesn't change the fact that she doesn't like being observed like this. Not that she'll let it show in her behavior. If she happens to notice someone who's about to destroy one of the pumpkins on accident or purpose, she'll attempt to stop them. ]

Don't.

[ The three pumpkins behind her seem to be pretty amused. ]

Heart [G]ame

It has never been required for completing a mission, therefore I do not engage in this kind of activity.

[ She's not exactly sure what this is about in the first place, to be honest. She won't be getting any orders here, but old habits die hard. ]

[W]ildcard

[ If you want to thread out something entirely else, feel free to hit me up to talk things out! You can find me at koohii for plotting. ]

— 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. ]

(1.) Changes

He'd told himself he wouldn't get distracted by the world around him, but... it's almost impossible not to, isn't it? The seasonal change isn't new, but it's not... actually the season he was in before. And there's something... strange about this place. Almost familiar, but he can't grasp at why, exactly.

In any case, he's gotten hung up at one of the drink counters, staring at the vast array of pumpkin and holiday themed drinks with... no idea what he's doing. A heavy sigh escapes him and broad shoulders lower in some measure of frustration.

"... This isn't even where I should be." With the soft-spoken words, he shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair.

(2.) Pumpkin Overflow

"This is..." Donar's lips purse as he kneels down, inspecting one of the myriad jack o' lanterns. "... incredibly creepy, wouldn't you say?" The particular lantern he's kneeling before has a manic grin on its face, and... definitely does give the appearance of watching in the worst way.

(3.) Heart Game

I don't much celebrate season changes. When I did, it was mostly small celebrations, shared with important people and given to quiet chats about the rest of the year.

Arrival
[Geri comes through a doorway with the look of someone who obviously expected to end up somewhere... not here. She looks out at the street with a look of confusion on her face for a brief moment. Then the confusion melts into an expression of regal disdain]

Well this will not do. You, there. Tell me how to get back to the Blessed Isle immediately. I have a meeting with my grandmother.

Pumpkins
[Geri is sitting on a bench holding one of the jack-o-lanterns up to study it with obvious fascination. She tilts it from one side to the other, and turns it around a few times]

Odd. Seems a bit of a pointless waste of food though. And a bit too iconographic for proper Immaculates.

[She makes a thoughtful noise deep in her throat. Then she looks up and notices you for the first time]

Do you know the purpose of these?

Heart Game

Certainly not with annoying beeping noises.
[Those reading the texts as they pop up will notice a long pause]
Since apparently that wasn't enough of an answer, then with proper celebrations to the gods of the particular season. Led by the monks of the local temples. Then, often elaborate parties with my House or others.

Now will you stop making those annoying noises?

Edited 2020-09-19 13:03 (UTC)

a. arrival
[He opens a door and he's somewhere else.

This isn't the strangest thing that's happened to Natori Shuuichi. This isn't even the first time that he's ended up in a strange room today. His momentary expression of surprise quickly shifts to exasperation, and with a quick glance of the room around him-- dusty run-down looking building, person he doesn't know, nothing atypical here-- he stops halfway through the doorway, one hand still holding the knob ready to tug it shut, the other drifting casually inside his jacket pocket to feel for a paper charm. He smiles, practiced and insincere.]

Ah, is this your home? Sorry for intruding.

b. pumpkins
[There's a grown ass man having a staring contest with a jack-o-lantern.

He adjusts his glasses as he stares a cheerful pumpkin in the not-face, squinting suspiciously, and then suddenly slaps a piece of paper-- long and thin, with intricately inked calligraphy on it-- onto the top of the pumpkin. You may recognize it as an ofuda, though the characters written on it are illegible.

Now there's a grown ass man having a staring contest with a jack-o-lantern that has a piece of paper stuck in front of its eyes. Hopefully that doesn't count as abusing a pumpkin.]

c. heart game
[He's got a... combination pager/PDA? that keeps beeping at him until he manages to navigate to the heart game. Even though he's never seen a youkai be this attached to new technology, it feels like the kind of weird situation that would come up with dealing with one. After painstakingly hunting-and-pecking his way across the keyboard--]

testing

I like festivals. Want to join?

[ Arrival ]

[Aqua steps into the portal that will lead back into the Dark Realm, her Heart much more at ease than it has been in a long, long time. How could it be otherwise when she finally has Terra and Ven by her side again?

As long as her friends are with her facing the long Darkness is no hardship.

…Except, when the portal's flash of brightness clears from her vision, she doesn't find herself on the grey paths in the eternal Darkness.]

Wha…?

[A house? How is she in a house rather than her, their intended destination?

She blinks twice behind the shield of her helmet, then lets her armour disappear in a burst of light before looking around the strange hallway. Wherever she is, it's not the Dark Realm…]

Terra? Ven?

[The fact that neither of her friends is right by her side… it makes the knot her gut twist with unease. They are fine. She is fine. There is no need to worry, not yet.

She needs to focus on finding out where she is, first of all. Then what went wrong. One step at the time.]

Excuse me? [She raises her voice a little to address the residents of this place.] There's been a mistake; I'm terribly sorry to intrude…

[That should help make contact with whoever owns this place, right? Right.]

[ Pumpkin Overflow ]

[It's been a long while since Aqua had any chance the celebrate Halloween and the idea of the holiday makes her almost giddy. It has been a long while since she's had any chance to make any of her pumpkin recipes.

You may find her humming in the kitchen as she works on rolling out the crust for a pumpkin pie…

Or maybe she'll find you in the process of abusing those charming jack o'lanterns? Better get ready to face her displeasure then, though!]

[ What a Ride ]

[Aqua may or may not have fed the horse an apple or two – it reflects back the loneliness that she knows so intimately well herself and the way it lets her stroke her hand along its jaw and back is hopefully comfort to them both.

The way it nudges at her shoulder or gently bites her sleeve as if to pull her away and show her something… is it a hint?]

…Is there something that I need to see?

[When the horse meets her eyes for just a moment before lowering its head, she exhales slowly before nodding to herself.]

…All right. I trust you.

[She swings herself onto the horse's back with little trouble, one hand taking hold of its mane as she relaxes into the seat… before tensing and shouting in alarm when the horse changes and chains her to itself.

The change of her cloths doesn't even register, not when there is suddenly the whip in her hand. The horror of holding a something so clearly fashioned after the human spine makes bile rise up until she can taste it.]

What are you doing?! Release me!

[Unfortunately, the horse is not inclined to react to Aqua's demand. Instead it starts to trot, slowly winning speed. Help her, please?]

[a: arrival]

[While Mikumo doesn't exactly sleep as often or in the same way as a normal person does, after the ordeal she just lived through in her own world, she takes the very first opportunity she has to lay down her head.

And then opens her eyes in a bathtub, with a stiff back and not feeling a whole lot more rested than when she closed her eyes. She watches the ceiling for a few moments before sighing, faintly irritated but perhaps not as much as one would expect from someone waking up in this situation.]

Not again. [She sits up, checking herself over as she steps out of the tub, and then calls out to anyone else who might be in the house.] Is someone there?

[She sounds a bit wary, but relatively calm considering.]

--

[b: pumpkin overflow]

[Mikumo's knowledge of traditions and celebrations is relatively sparse, and Halloween is one she hasn't really encountered at all in her lifetime. So the jack-o-lanterns just seem like a bizarre design choice at first - Ragna doesn't really have enough land-based agriculture for the pumpkins and autumn link to hit, and that's the planet she's most familiar with - but the way they seem to be watching makes her spine prickle. Being designed for war zones doesn't really help her in this situation, because being watched is one of those things that she picks up instinctively and can't really let go of out of wariness.

Eventually, she crouches down by a row of the pumpkins resting on a fence, frowning but more in confusion than anything. Any passers-by will get a direct, straightforward wave of the hand to draw their attention.]

What are these things, and why do they seem to be watching everyone? [She feels like they'd be better hidden if they were surveillance devices.]

--

[c: heart game (un: venus)]

[Mikumo is used to sleeker portable communication methods, but holographic interfaces are interacted with in about the same way, so she has no real trouble stopping the alert once it gets too annoying to bother with.]

There may be festivals for that where I come from, but I've never participated. I thought it was a bit of a strange thing to celebrate. Is this common in others' worlds?

--

[d: wildcard]

[[Feel free to hit me with something else!]]

I. ARRIVAL. EXT. THE TOWN CENTER - DAY
[ Well, it's a doorway of sorts. Closing his eyes as the hot, humid air rushes around him, as the great pit in the Earth rushes up to meet him, consume him— ... Conservation of momentum is a funny thing, as Artemy's heels hit solid pavement and immediately abandon all hope of graciously catching his weight. ]

[ Enter: one big, hulking fellow, skidding through a side door like a bat out of hell, stumbling, and being taken out unceremoniously by a humble park bench. He trips clean over it and lands flat on his back, half-swallowed by a bed of festive autumnal perennials. ]

[ Exhausted, completely disoriented, not to mention just covered in blood, he's just— he's going to lay here for a minute. Squinting up at the noonday sky. Is this a dream? This isn't what happens when you die, he knows that much. Whatever, this may as well happen. ]

II. PUMPKINS. EXT. THE TOWN CENTER - DAY
[ No doubt there had been some unintentional pumpkin carnage in his initial drop in. He probably punted at least one into next week, but he'd been a little preoccupied at the time. They're harder to miss now, gathering around him like angry little ducklings. There'd only been a few when he'd closed his eyes for a minute on this bench, and now they're practically spilling over, scowling intensely. ]

[ He scowls back. ]

[ Just as he's picking one up and contemplating reinventing Punkin Chunkin, he notices you nearby. The lone suspect. He holds the pumpkin up a little more. ]

You running around leaving portraits? [ It's uncanny, really, the more you look at it. ] I don't know if I'm flattered by the dedication or offended by the likeness.

[ Seriously, there's like twenty of them. He does look about two steps away from kicking your ass for it, but he's joking. That's just his face. And his voice. And his... everything... He's very tired. ]

III. WHAT A RIDE. EXT. THE WELL - EVENING
[ When the horse first mopes into view, Artemy is all for it. All pats and shushes and good good neck rubs, it's a suspiciously tame horse. But for all it tries to get him on its back, his feet are very good at staying planted. It's been years since he's ridden a horse. He knows better. ]

[ So now it's become a bit of a nuisance, roaming along after him as he walks back towards the town proper, knocking its head against his shoulder, nipping at his sweater, nosing in under his arm in search of more attention. And it's endearing, for a bit, but he's got like. Shit to do. Come on, buddy. ]

[ The next person he sees, he gestures. ]

Hey. You lose something?

[ Lose your horse?? The one that he's almost got in a headlock by no fault of his own, the way it keeps trying to sidle under his arm and get him to swing over its back. Please be your horse? Please take your horse. ]

IV. HEART GAME. NETWORK - NIGHT
[ ???? ]

At this rate I just look forward to the excuse to sleep in.

[ Please let him back into his phone now. ]

A. Arrival
[Starting in one place and ending up in another isn't... well it's not the weirdest thing to happen to Aubrey in the last few months, but it's still a surprise when she steps through the arch in Sylvain and instead of stepping out through an identical arch into the woods of the Kepler she walks out through a door in the middle of a small town.]

Uh. [Aubrey turns around. Yep. Just a plain wooden door. She looks around. Looks like we're not in ~~Kansas~~ West Virginia anymore, Toto.] Excuse me, door? I don't think this was my stop. Easy mistake to make, but I really gotta get home.

[Yes, she is talking to the inanimate object.]

i. [And if your character comes across her, they'll find a young woman - her short, shaved faux-hawk dyed a bright red, wearing sunglasses, and dressed in a patched-up denim jacket - stepping back through it a few times, as if to test if she won't teleport right back. When she spots someone (rightfully) staring, she waves, stopping what she's doing.]

Hey! Do you know how to turn this door on?

ii. [After a bit she tries a new door. Just to see. Unfortunately this house seems to be occupied and as soon as she spots someone just enjoying their own home, she immediately ducks her head.]

Oh, sorry! I didn't know someone was home!

B. Pumpkin
[It was definitely more Christmas than Halloween when Aubrey left Kepler, but she's not complaining. Honestly, she's digging all of the pumpkins everywhere, and if she catches someone trying to smash one of them she calls out,]

Hey, knock it off! [What did the pumpkin ever do to you, punk??]

C. Heart Game
[Oh. Technology how she's missed you. Kepler is nice but living in the Radio Quiet Zone had some drawbacks.]

I guess just like, making a big leaf pile and jumping into it is always fun. What month is it anyway?

D. Wildcard.
[Feel free to hit me with whatever and I'll roll with it!]

✗ 1.) Arrival

It was a snowy night, and after finding the courage to come into town on his own, he walked up to the familiar old house. Markus wasn't sure what else to do. Things were bleak. He was out of options. Out of time. Everyone was depending on him.

He just needed answers. So he went to the only place that he could get those answers: Home. If he could even call it home anymore.

As he approached the door he wasn't sure what he would do. Knock? Ring the doorbell? But much to his surprise, the door automatically opened with the familiar greeting: 'Welcome home, Markus'.

He stepped through the door. Instead of finding the familiar warmth of the inside of the house, he found the inside of a dingy room. Markus's face twisted in confusion. He looked back and looked forward again. "What...?"

✗ 2.) C-C-Changes

The best thing about fall was the bright colors of the leaves.
Red and orange leaves littered the trees in droves. A few leaves fell every few seconds, some landing nearby to create a dusting of colorful leaves over the ground.

Markus found the largest tree with the largest swath of colorful leaves and sat underneath it. If only every day were so peaceful.

✗ 3.) Free Space

Iunno I'm usually okay with most things come at me with some other prompt?

a. arrival

[ You're probably enjoying a nice, quiet evening in your house, about to retreat to the bedroom for the night, when the door suddenly swings open and almost smacks you in the face. (Even if nobody was in there. In fact, you're like 100% sure nobody was in there.)

The culprit might not be totally obvious at first glance because you have to look downward a little bit to find the person who's still holding the door open, looking equally (if not even more) startled by this turn of events. ]

-- ah ... [ Despite his small stature and childlike proportions, the intruder has the voice of an adult man. ] My apologies. I hadn't meant to ...

[ But when Katzelia turns back to look through the doorway he just came through, it's just the bedroom. Which is utterly foreign to him. ]

... where ... ?

b. c-c-changes.

[ A (very) small, hooded figure can be spotted observing the town from the sidelines, just off the main street, accompanied by a black cat sitting at his side.

Oddly enough, a swirl of colorful fall leaves seems to lazily circle around him, suggesting there's a breeze surrounding him. But if you pass by it, it feels ... nice? Like it sort of lightens any aches you have, and makes you feel a little more energetic? Weird, huh.

Feel free to bask in it, or maybe ask him what's up with that.

Or try to pet the cat. It looks like a normal enough black cat. Meaning it's cute. ]

c. pumpkins.

[ Guess who opened their door to find stacks of angry-looking pumpkins cluttering their doorway?

It's Katzelia. And while moving these damn things out of the way would be annoying enough for most people, it's especially troublesome when you're all of three feet tall.

He can be spotted giving an exasperated sigh before starting the tedious process of shoving the pumpkins aside one by one, clambering over them if necessary. Maybe give him a hand? ]

d. heart game.

Harvest festivals and other celebrations are the norm in most cultures, are they not? Feasts and festivals to show gratitude for a plentiful harvest season are common across most of the Skydom.

Why would this be considered a 'confession'?

[ooc; Ventus is from after the Re:Mind DLC so if anyone's still trying to avoid spoilers for that, be warned!]

[A. Arrival]

[Ventus…has no idea where he is.

His expression is scrunched up with confusion—or it would be if anyone would be able to see it. In fact, he’s wearing an armor that makes him stand out a bit. It has him fussing a bit before the armor disappears in a blink of light, forming a pauldron on his shoulder. He blinks a few times and—

Realizes that he’s standing in the middle of someone’s living room. With you there with him.

He jumps a bit.]

S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to intrude!

[Hahaha…He tries to give an apologetic smile?]

[B. Pumpkins]

[After exploring the place a bit more, Ventus finds himself exploring this new place.

It’s definitely…something to see so many pumpkins around.

He crouches by one, intrigued by it.

But then…notices something odd when he goes this way or that.

Spotting someone, he waves them over.]

Does it seem like this is watching us to you?

[C. Heart Game: Confession]

[This seemed like fun, so—]

We didn’t do much, but we usually decorated the castle with whatever decorations we had around. We didn’t really celebrate the changing seasons.

[Holidays, yes. But the changing seasons didn’t really stand out to him much other than putting out some decorations in the building.]

[D. Wildcard]

[Choose you own poison or feel free to PM this journal/hit me up at

seabutterfly.]

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