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!

Comments

[nerine]

Do I? [She clicks her tongue as if disappointed.]

That's no good. I pride myself on having a youthful complexion you know.

[She walks for about a minute without a pause in her stride before asking:]

Did I bother your dog?

[shinizama]

[ well. he fancies he knows Exactly the type Monts is now: as flighty as his mentor, who would say the same sort of thing whenever he'd express any sort of sincere concern (rare now, not as rare in his childhood).

so he doesn't say 'don't joke', and is content to stay in the silence until Monts breaks it. a sidelong glance, and he turns his attention back to the path. ]

I didn't ask you about yours, so I didn't think you'd ask me about mine. [ bluntly. no enmity meant, but it's easy enough to see how some people might find Fushiguro difficult to talk to. ] ...It sensed your mark, and your mark sent it a sign not to mess with it. That's all.

[nerine]

[She has yet to take offense at his bluntness and if nothing else, it's keeping Monts on her toes and her mind off of the irritating sensation that threatened to overcome her.

Nodding in understanding, she replies cheerfully.]

It does that. A lot.

[She clasps her hands behind her and looks at her walking partner.]

Your dog is way cuter than what I have. For one thing, everyone notices this blotchy thing and I usually just make up a story about a botched tattoo job. You'd be surprised how easily they buy it.

[shinizama]

...It's visible to normal humans?

[ well. that's new-- it's usually the case that things like these are only perceptible to a select subset of people.

still, he regrets asking the moment the question leaves his mouth. it shows in the way his brows furrow, but he smooths the frown out in record time. ]

If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. I won't ask.

[nerine]

Mm. Sure is.

[Monts isn't some sharp deducer of thoughts through facial expressions alone, but she can make an educated guess. And she's grateful for a way out.

Her smile isn't as practiced. Instead, it's a soft and touching expression that she gives him.]

Thank you.

[That's all that's needed to be said even if she could make a jest about how listening to an older girl's problems being dull as hell. Instead, it seems apt to at least offer something else.]

Call me Monts. You?

[shinizama]

[ people will ask, and she'll continue to be exhausted by questions― that's just how things are. it could be idle projection, but Fushiguro's had enough of dealing injuries to people who could do without them.

thank you, she says, and he almost mirrors her smile. a touch of it shows in his eyes, less sharp than people would think; it comes and goes. ]

Fushiguro Megumi. [ last name first, then his given. if she knows anything about Japanese, she'd know that naming a boy 'Megumi' is pretty weird. thanks, Papaguro. ] Might be listed as 'Megumi Fushiguro' on the phone directory.

[ y'know. just. saying.

he reaches, snaps an overhead twig out of their way. ] ...Watch your head.

[nerine]

Do you have a preferred name? The one I just gave isn't— [oops, twig avoided.] Ah. Thanks.

[That may have scratched the crown of her head or forehead and she wouldn't have noticed.]

Aren't I just all over the place today... Anyway. [She continues to walk and looking up at the sky, thinking.]

Fushi... Goro... Meg. Megu. FuFu. GoGo. Gumi. Gugu.

[stop her]

[shinizama]

[ oh my god.

immediately, and impossibly flatly: ]

Just 'Fushiguro'.

[ please. Monts, please. ]

[nerine]

That's it? I was almost set on the last three.

[Her shoulders are visibly relaxed and the irritation she had felt when she started to feel sluggish and slow down is nearly all gone.]

GoGoGumiGugu.

[And she is totally enjoying herself.]

Try saying that five times fast.

[shinizama]

[ EXHAUSTED ALREADY ]

Just. 'Fushiguro'.

[ and here's where his coolkid vibes break, and he looks more like a teenager who's been caught texting during class. ugh. ]

My name is bothersome enough without nicknames.

[nerine]

Got it, got it. It's nice to meet you Fushigoro.

[he's exhausted, but she is CLEANSED]

Anyone you know here? Or are you alone too?

[shinizama]

[ dangerous........ ah, to go back to the days when he didn't give a fuck (spoilers: he doesn't want to go back to those days).

a breath to collect himself, a palm rubbing at the back of his own neck. mostly just to dispel tension. ]

Alone. [ thank god, he thinks. he's pretty sure that an isekai situation like this means that he gets dumped back into his world without any time having passed, but still. ] But it doesn't bother me.

[ cold? might be, but the reality is that he's glad that he's the only one having to put up with this; as worried as he is about his classmates, his mentor, he'd rather be the only one put at risk. ]

[nerine]

Really? Kids are so mature these days.

[She doesn't stop walking as she tilts her head, listening to the air around them.]

Hm. Maybe I don't need to think about it, but I wonder what would have happened if I completely stopped back there.

[shinizama]

[ kids, she says, and there's a visible half-grimace.

he lets it slide, though. one brow hikes. ]

...I've been wondering the same thing. [ a low affirmation, with his nose to the wind. ] The stipulation that you can't turn back is also suspect.

[ because he hasn't forgotten. and he hasn't.

and if she'd stopped, he has a feeling that whatever is just beyond them, trailing after their shadows, would have something to say. ]

[nerine]

I'll make it a mental note to take any signs I read here more seriously.

[Taking a deep breath of air, she starts to realize that the scent is starting to change.]

Oh. That's ocean air alright.

[shinizama]

[ there's a breath here, a moment where Fushiguro considers asking Monts a simple question:

"what were you afraid would happen?"

but he can't bring himself to ask it (he thinks of his classmate from back home, bright-eyed and good-natured, nursing a curse between his ribs). instead, he tenses; it's only when Monts mentions the scent of seaspray that he thinks to relax.

(how many people in this world continue to be unfairly punished for something they're not responsible for?) ]

ーWe must be close to the end. [ he breathes, his hands in his pockets. ] ...You think you can make the walk back?

[nerine]

[She considers his question, stretching her hands out in front of her. Her mark has settled down too and is completely still.]

Can't be more difficult than moving forward. I would hope that the sign would elaborate that much if it were the case.

So that's a yes. What about you?

[shinizama]

I'm fine.

[ the answer is immediate. ] But if push comes to shove, I can carry you back.

[ or, well. his shikigami can. same difference.

the cliffs start to appear in front of them, vast and beautiful and lonely; the view is amazing, yes, but it just reminds him of how stuck they are here, corralled from all sides by ocean. ]

[nerine]

[Man, this boy is way more gentlemanly than most guys she knew in her life (but then again they were just fairly crap to begin with because she had bad taste, OH WELL).]

Would you really? That's super sweet. [It's a beautiful view, if in a dreary sort of way. Nothing like the coasts of California and other smells to help bolster its liveliness.

She'll take what she can get.

As she stares out into the expanse of the mysterious and unknowable ocean, Monts is quiet, thinking again to herself.]

... Hey, Fushigoro?

[shinizama]

Speak up, or I won't know if you need the help.

[ a quiet warning, before he faces the cliffs.

the ocean is a nice change from the concrete jungle of Tokyo, a strange escape that feels almost extraterrestrial. hands out of his pockets, palms to seabreeze, Fushiguro watches the distant waves crash back and forth against the deserted coast.

lost in concentration, he almost doesn't hear Monts. when he does, he glances over his shoulder (figures it's safe to do so). ]

...? What is it?

[nerine]

[The view of the sea and the air of salt, surrounded by the high cliffsides brings back a faint memory, one that used to be painful. It was the beach where a new beginning emerged, crawling away from the earth and plunging itself into the bloodstream of an unwitting human.

Marianna is struck with mild surprise at how this sight doesn't hurt anymore and it is replaced with the newness of these circumstances. She runs a hand through her bangs as the ocean breeze kisses their faces.]

I hope we make it back.

[Back home, back to where they originated from.]

I hope you make it back. Me, I had a shift at a cafe, so hopefully, you have something that's a bit more fun than that to look forward to.

[She says that, but there is an understanding that their lives at this moment have taken a strange detour and they are but, the unwilling passengers. But if nothing else, they aren't alone.]

[shinizama]

[ record scratch.

and, well. blink and you'll miss it, the way Fushiguro's eyes widen and then settle. he watches her from his peripheral, the way the wind whips at her hair, the way she smiles through the delivery of her wellwishes.

empathy sits at the bottom of his gut. selfish and biased, as usual. ]

A shift at a café sounds pretty underwhelming, yeah. [ very pedestrian. but his hope is that it made her happy, working there. enough for her to mention it to a complete stranger like him.

he smiles, and it's a tiny, almost-invisible thing. ] You'll make it back, too.