pedalbike | Third TDM: Don't Turn Around

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Third TDM: Don't Turn Around

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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.

Braving the Trail

A new trail has opened up in the woods today! Funny, that there’s never been a real path before, but this one promises a spectacular view for all Wickies who brave it.

However, the view has to be earned with one stipulation: until the Wickie reaches the trail’s end, they are forbidden to turn around. At all. There’s no mention of what may happen if the Wickie does glance back, but the scripted text on the sign marking the trail hints that the consequences just might be dire.

The hike itself is fairly easy. It even feels peaceful with the sounds of bird calls echoing in the distance. But for Wickies who are known for past procrastination, the walk will prove to be difficult. These individuals will experience an itching urge to turn around and leave the trail, and the itch worsens with every pause of their footsteps.

If a Wickie does turn around, they will find themselves staring up at a blank masked figure, slightly taller than themselves. And as wisps of fog cover the packed-dirt path, the figure hisses out a sigh, their voice barely audible as they issue their reprimand:

“I’m disappointed.”

Why, it’s not clear at all.

But with those words, the Wickie will find their body locked into place, unable to scream as their limbs become paralyzed, their eyes remaining fixed upon the masked figure. Somehow, the figure moves without walking, inching closer and closer until their mask and the Wickie’s face are close enough to touch.

The only way to become unlocked from this position is to have someone come and cover the Wickie’s eyes before leading them back to the trail’s start, somehow breaking their vision of the masked figure, or by speaking of a past regret outloud.

Otherwise, the Wickie has a good chance of dying from exposure.

Currently residing

It’s been nearly three months since the first arrivals started off on the island. It’s had its ups and downs, but with the previous quiet month, it’s been easy to relax in the cottages and houses, and even feel safe.

But not everything stays as it should. Whether a Wickie is just scoping the houses out, or returning to sleep in one of those comfy beds during the night, they will find that things are just a little..off. It’s as if someone has moved everything just a little, by no more than an inch or two. Sometimes, it even looks as if someone hurried away from the middle of a task. For example, mugs left in the sink will be washed; unslept in beds have been stripped, and their sheets are found in the laundry.

It’s only after sitting down with a fellow Wickie, that what’s going on will slowly become apparent.

People, looking more like blue tinted holographic designs, appear within the house. Slowly they become more visible, going through the motions of daily life. People with their significant others, children playing, even pets can be seen, playing with their owners or doing things that pets do.

These residentials don’t seem to notice the newcomers in their surroundings. But they do notice objects are moved, particularly if it’s furnishings. They frown, confused, before talking to one another and seeing the items returned to where they believe it should be. And curious too, that while the residentials appear to speak to one another, there’s not a sound that’s uttered when their mouths move.

It’s not possible to interact with them, unless the Wickie has the spiritual power to speak with spirits. Even then they’re quite confused, and do not believe themselves dead- it’s as if they think the Wickie is the ghost instead.

It is possible to deter the residentials manifesting by lighting a candlek. Upon the candle being lit, they recoil, some of them violently, and with great upset, before fading.

But they weren’t causing any harm.

Are they?

It Arrives

The pumpkins have vanished (finally!) there’s no more costumes in the various drawers in town; the apple bobbing is done, and there’s no more bonfires. Pity that means the food is gone too.

But something else has arrived. Something...small, white, and with webbed feet.

You’ll know it by its sound. It’s unknown what has brought this particular goose to the island; it might have been a laden desire, or it had flown here over miles. Or who knows, maybe the Admin has set this goose out as some kind of petty revenge.

All that is known as that this goose likes to wreak havoc. It likes going into the flower and vegetable gardens, looking for seeds, vegetables, and flowers to pull up; it likes to grab keys and toss them just out of reach.

It’s also clever enough that it figured out how to get into Fruits Basket, into homes, and even...sometimes...onto roofs.

Thankfully, while the goose likes to startle people, its mischief is rather harmless, and even, at times, enjoyable to watch. Just be sure not to leave anything electrical it can throw into a body of water by accident- or any bells it can keep in its temporary home by the woods.

For those who are curious, yes it will accept all sorts of snacks, and it is a wild, ordinary goose. (So yes, it is as harmless as a normal goose and yes it is edible).

Confession network

Yet again, the phone goes off. Doesn’t look like it’s anybody in town, but it’s that weird, cheesy app called The Heart Game. And it’s persistent, too: it doesn’t want to be ignored, making a series of beeps and chirps, much like a pet that wants attention.

The message that pops up is as follows:

We’re back! It’s the time for everyone's favorite game- Confession! So beloved users, our question is:

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why? Tell us everything!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I've heard of it...

[The Midnight Grind got all sorts of customers from the East, the West, the far corners of other places... And yet no one could offer her an explanation.

She runs her fingers through her hair and sighs before setting it down at her side.]

Someone asked me if it was a spirit or the like at one point. I don't know what it is, but I know for sure, it isn't that.

How long has your 'youkai' stayed with you?

[Not that, huh. Well, that's still closer than he's heard before.]

I don't remember ever not having it. It's always been somewhere on my body.

[He's recovered enough that he can retreat a little, go back to something like his normal approach to this sort of thing, and adds lightly] Haha, well, except my left leg. It's never once gone on my left leg.

Oh?

[Her voice is light and she smiles.]

Why not? Does it smell?

[yes, she's gonna joke like a kid]

That's right. I make it a point to not wash my left leg, just to see what happens.

[Fun fact: Natori is actually, literally, a movie star. Just throwing that out there, as he returns this joke with a light, perfectly natural voice in return.]

What about yours?

[Off-handedly, Monts thinks there's something similar in their manner. They're going two-for-two on outward similarities in terms of otherworldly things piggybacking off of them and amicable smiles; will there be more?

She crosses her arms before answering back.]

It... Well. It moves around too, like your mark. But it grows bigger? Like a bruise that grows larger and larger, or an oil spill. If nothing exciting is going on, it'll just hang out on my neck though.

If anyone asks I just say it's a badly made tattoo.

[He doesn't question any of the language that she uses to describe it-- bruises, oil spills. He's hardly held back either when thinking about his own, and never really had anyone to talk about it with. Which, speaking of--]

Do people ask? [Not the best way to phrase what he really means, which is] Is it visible to everyone?

[She nods in confirmation.]

Mm hm. That's why I said it wasn't a spirit. Everyone with a pair of working eyes can see it for better or for worse.

Sounds like I'm one of the few people who can see your mark? I've been able to notice things under the surface because of my own mark. It's incredibly twitchy.

Edited 2020-10-23 23:52 (UTC)

Ah, I see. [Even worse than his, then. At least he was the only one who had to deal with it; he can't imagine what growing up would have been like if everyone else could see it too.] I'm sorry. It makes sense then, that you'd know it's not a youkai.

[And she can feel it, too. He brushes his fingers against the lizard, still hanging out on his hand; another thing to be grateful about.] It's normally just other exorcists and people who can see youkai who are able to see mine, though there are a lot more of those people here than I typically run into back home. So yours... reacts to things in your surroundings, then? If there's something nearby?

Not that it makes me an expert on youkai or anything that exists under the supernatural bubble. I've just been fortunate enough to see a good variety of folks to conclude that I just don't fit any mold.

[And from what he just said, Monts can surmise that whoever ended up here like her are also outside of what she defines as the norm.

She moves so that her back is against the wall and her hands on her legs.]

Yeah, it reacts in a way when it feels like I'm in danger. If there's something unusual, but non-threatening, it'll vibrate. But if something's hidden intentionally, I probably won't be able to notice.

[Monts gives him a friendly smile as she asks her own question.]

What about you? Is it just living there rent-free?

Edited 2020-10-24 00:15 (UTC)

Haha, that's right! It's just a freeloader. [He says it cheerfully enough, but he's still dwelling on her situation.] I can't... feel it, exactly, not as if it's a real creature crawling on me, but I still know where it is. Kind of like knowing where your hand is in relation to your body without looking.

[A side effect of his spiritual sense, he assumes.]

But it pretty much acts completely independently from me. It likes to move closer to the sun or a source of heat sometimes, but there isn't any... communication, or feedback between us. It's just something that lives on me. Ha, I can't imagine what it must be like for you.

It likes the sun? That's weirdly cute if you don't mind me saying.

[So that's where it's different... Monts looks up at the ceiling her gaze drifting away from Natori.]

You don't have to answer this although we're already asking each other a lot of questions...

Does it keep you alive?

Haha, a little, right? I think it takes after the shape it's mimicking.

[That's-- a surprising question. Mostly surprising because he was expecting the opposite.]

I don't know. When I was younger, I thought it might be a curse, or feeding off my lifeforce. But I haven't found anything to support that, so... [He'd never seriously considered the idea that it would add something to him.] ...Does yours?

[She holds up her hand humming under her breath as she flexes her fingers. They're slender and smooth, well taken care of, but there were times she was less than kind to them as to demonstrate her specific oddities to the skeptical and it's not like it hurt...

But she won't do it here. That's too intense for a first impression and she could hear Iona chastise her for not taking care of herself; so Monts just smiles brightly at Natori.]

Oh, call it a main priority. I'd be lying if I said it does nothing for me. Guess we should be grateful that we're not being killed from the inside out if nothing else.

Huh. So it's closer to something like symbiosis in your case, whereas in mine it's... incidental. [He doesn't know how he'd feel about it if the lizard came with both stronger drawbacks and some sort of benefit. Fixating on trying to find some sort of explanation or function for it was one thing, growing up, but how much more frustrating would he have found it if he'd actually turned up an answer?] Haha, not all that many similarities after all, once we get into it. Though I'm glad we can both say that it's not killing us.

[Symbiosis? Maybe. She has long suspected that there are two parts that have been trying to mix like oil and water with the result being...]

There's not much else I can add then, at least not in your case.

[She's got a lot, but it's neither here nor there. For now.]

But anyway... Should I be concerned about finding a temporary place to stay? From the sound of it, I'll have to buckle down for a while.

[Oh, right. Introductions. He'd gotten a little carried away there, hadn't he.]

There's a number of cottages like this one, as well as some newer houses that are in much better condition. [He musses with the hair on the back of his head as he looks around the fairly shabby cabin living room; the couch shows signs of being slept on regularly.] --Not just because I'm not a tidy housekeeper. Most people just seem to pick a set of keys and settle down in there; if there's a key available, assume there's space in the house. Unfortunately, as you've already guessed, we don't have much of a way to leave.

If it's first come first serve, hope I don't draw a bad key.

[She muses over this new piece of information. Not a bad start so far.]

Are there any locals or are we just filling up space?

Unless you're particularly nostalgic for this type of living, I'd recommend trying for a house. I normally don't spend much time at home, so it wasn't something I was concerned with, but after making a few house calls I think I made the wrong choice.

[Well, that and he wanted to stay in the same building that brought him in-- it seemed like a good idea to keep an eye out in case there were any clues for opening the way back.]

We're the only ones on the island, but we can contact someone who claims responsibility for bringing us here over the phones. You'll see an entry for 'Admin,' which is the name we've given the one who seems to be in charge. They seem fairly willing to talk to us, which I suppose makes sense if they went through the trouble of bringing us here.

[Monts raises her fingers to rub the side of her head as she takes in the information. She can assume from what he just told her that no one has seen the 'Admin' yet and there's room to correct that later.]

Good to know... I'll focus on finding a place first. Let's hope I don't get the roommate from hell.

Haha, good luck! I will say most of the people here are alright. A lot more of them are used to this sort of thing-- the supernatural or other dangerous circumstances-- than not, at least.

[Not his poor roommate, though.]

You say a lot more, but that's implying there's a few who aren't used to it...

[that could be bad, real bad!]

Yes, unfortunately. [Not like he's going to just call out his roommate directly, who hasn't been able to sleep at night because of the stress of this place. Or that Yagami-kun, who was just a particularly inquisitive and serious young man without any connection to the supernatural, who hasn't been able to sleep at night because he broke into a building he shouldn't have and got something haunting him. Gotta watch out for both kinds.] So... I know you said it's protecting you, but how is it for other people?

Well... Basically, if no one hurts me, I won't do anything.

[She doesn't refer to it as entirely separate from her this time...]

As I said, it'll react and give me warning signs, but I never strike first if that makes sense.

[A normal girl then, for all intents and purposes. With the exception of having a built-in Spidey sense defense mechanism. Someone he probably doesn't have to worry about, but also not someone he'd, say, add to the exorcist groupchat.]

Well then, let's hope you don't end up doing anything. [He plucks one of the paper dolls from the top of the pile and offers it out to her.] If you need to get in contact with me, you can use this. [(it waves hello!)] It'll be able to find me and lead me back to you. I know you've already got one overzealous protector, but it just wouldn't feel like I'm doing my duty if I didn't join in.

[She could probably snap people in half, but again! In due time when she's comfortable enough she'll let people know, but part of Monts is relieved she doesn't have to say anything.]

Oh! How cute.

[She delicately reaches for the offered doll and lets it slip onto her palm.]

I appreciate the extra help. Do I just tell it what to do?

Third TDM: Don't Turn Around

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