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!

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[ It's definitely a nicer way of taking care of it. Who gets hurt by a little gust, right? Very humane. ]

These people in charge... Did they pull us here, or are they just aware of what's going on?

[ He's gotta know how annoyed to be at them, okay? There's quite a bit of rage he's keeping below the surface.

At least this seems to be enough to convince Judar to hold onto the phone. No pockets, but he'll stick it... Either in the white wrap, or in the shirt itself. It's hard to tell. ]

They just seem to be aware of what's happening. If you want to ask them questions, they can be quite helpful. I've only spoken to Admin so far, but I hear there are others.

[He doesn't have a problem with Admin or Doll, the way some people seem to. Of course, that could be because he's been nothing but polite to them, and so he's been given the same treatment.]

[ The tsk wasn't towards Connor, though it was certainly a response to his answer. This meant that he didn't have anyone concrete to direct the anger towards, which is frustrating. You can't really hold this against people who only know what's going on but wasn't responsible. ]

Just another place that brings a bunch of people here, and eventually we'll disappear. They wouldn't have the answers I'd want.

[ Unless they did know how to leave, and maybe even control the world one left to. ]

Another? Do you get pulled into strange places often?

[It's a genuine question, but the mention that they'll disappear makes him tip his head, curious.]

And... by "disappear", do you mean go home?

I guess this is the second world I've been to that's not the one I'm from.

[ More often than most, but still a nice low number. Few enough that he hasn't developed a routine for adjusting, and couldn't really guess at how things went. Though, by meeting Connor again, maybe it's happened more times than he'd ever get to know. ]

Could be, or to another world that does things like this. I didn't get sent home from where I was before.

So we could theoretically leave here, only to be trapped somewhere else.

[Interesting... and alarming.]

And you remember the other world? So we'd probably remember this, too?

It happening in the first place means there's always a chance of getting pulled to more worlds that pull people from outside itself.

[ But those questions have Judar staring at Connor, considering. He's not good at lying, doing worlds better with omitting truths or being technical with his words. Yet it's not really fair to say how much he knew, or why he stared at the android like someone familiar to him.

Maybe it's better being obtuse. ]

I remember the last, but I might not with the next. People could be here, but have also been other worlds without knowing it.

[Nodding, Connor studies Judar properly.]

I wonder if I've been to other worlds before, then.

[If he has, he doesn't remember. That bothers him a little... he could have had an entire life somewhere, and not remember any of it.]

[ And that casual wondering has Judar glancing away, considering. ]

... Would you really want to know, if that ended up being the case?

...Perhaps not.

[He shakes his head.]

Knowing I'd forgotten an entire world and the people who lived in it would be upsetting, I think.

[Who knows who he might miss if he remembers?]

[ Well, obtuse was the right course of action then. Which is probably for the best. Now he has to do his best in making sure he doesn't slip and ask about people that Connor would know about, from his original world. That can't be too hard, now can it? ]

Yeah, I can see it that way. At least sometimes you get lucky and other people from your world show up as well.

Yes, I got both lucky and unlucky in that regard.

[He makes a face.]

My partner from home, Hank, arrived not long ago. Unfortunately, my successor also showed up at the same time I did, and we've been trying to kill each other ever since.

[ So the partner was here as well. At least that had become a bit of a constant. But damn, he didn't realize there was that kind of drama that could've also been following along. ]

So you've had a pretty exciting time since coming here. What's there to even kill each other over?

How do I explain this... I'm actually not human. I'm an android, a Connor model. When I was first created, I had no free will. I was given a mission, and I therefore had to follow my orders. But one day I decided that I wanted to be my own person. My creators didn't like that, so they sent another Connor model to destroy me. In the world we came from, he's dead. Here... death means nothing. Therefore there aren't many options when it comes to stopping him, because there's no talking sense into him, either. All he cares about is the mission.

[ Ah, so the successor was literally another Connor. He really didn't know much about androids, so aside from logic, he had no idea what would stop the need to kill each other. ]

Well... For everything I've learned, I can at least say that being in a different world changes priorities. It takes a while, but eventually everyone has to adapt to what there is, instead of how it was.

[ He's guessing trapping the other Connor in ice wouldn't help either, and would just trigger whatever causes death to mean nothing here. ]

I hope you're right. It's not just myself I'm worried about. He's been using my friends against me, too.

[He shakes his head.]

...But you probably would rather I tell you more useful things. So if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.

[ Ah, that would matter more for Connor's concern, wouldn't it? It's good to know that right away. Hopefully having an asshole for a successor makes it easy enough to tell them apart. So he just nods a bit in understanding, letting the subject shift. ]

I guess it'd save me some time. I was going to see if there was a building that explained it, as I'm guessing the places you appear in aren't where you're expected to live. Is that kind of thing arranged, or just some free for all?

[ If the information is on the phone, it's pretty obvious from earlier that Judar wouldn't have been able to figure it out. This kind of technology is not his forte. ]

It's a free for all, essentially. There are cottages that can fit around four people as long as you share the two bedrooms, and houses that can fit five and have their own bedrooms.

[Connor personally has no issues sharing a room, because he's never had a room of his own before anyway. He knows for some humans it's a dealbreaker, though.]

Free for all... Great.

[ Guess who's not exactly the most social. It's less about whether it's a deal-breaker or not, but getting people he can be around. ]

What're the odds of finding an empty place to start out with?

Low, I'm afraid. People seem to come in... waves. And so there are often a lot of new people looking for homes at the same time.

But if you want privacy, go for a house. That way, you at least get a bedroom of your own.

Yeah, I figured that'd be the case.

[ He might be able to handle sharing a room, if he was lucky enough. Unfortunately, Judar had some famously bad luck. The kind that reflected the horrible luck of a similarly named Arabian Nights character, though he wasn't aware of that. ]

This place is too small for something like an apartment building. I'll figure something out.

You're right, there are only houses and cottages here. I suppose if enough people wished for an apartment complex, one would appear?

[He wonders if it would be incomplete, though. Like the gun store. If not enough people know what they're actually wishing for, they could end up with a useless building, or something that needed a lot of work done on it.]

[ He thought about it, then actually thought about the apartment building he was briefly in. At this point, he's not aware of the ability of mass wills working together, but he remembers being uncomfortable in that place. ]

Maybe if this was somewhere that looked like it was meant to get as dense as a city. The housing should be intentional to how many this place is meant to pull.

[ Hopefully. Maybe. He's pulling this from his ass right now, like many theories. ]

It should, in theory... but we'll see. There are many abandoned houses and cottages, I don't see why you couldn't fix one of those up for yourself.

[Assuming it would be that easy... he's never fixed up a house before.]

That's why this idea of 'wishing' some apartment building isn't needed. It's just easy to find, instead of walking into places that're taken up already.

[ He doesn't actually want some apartment building. They were small, and... Really, he doesn't do well living on his own. ]

Unless I knew them from before, and they remembered me too. Then I'd at least crash with them for a bit.

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plasticasshole - 2020-10-28 05:08 (UTC) - Expand

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kuroi_taiyo - 2020-10-28 05:14 (UTC) - Expand

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