pedalbike | Fourth TDM: Winter's breath

Welcome to the Test Drive Meme.
| Premise | FAQ | Full Navigation | Rules | Reserves |

As a quick note: This will be the last TDM and Application Round of the year! Have fun everyone!

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.

Start of Winter

Thankfully things have more or less dried out, for the seasons are already changing. Or at least, the weather is, and with it...comes snow.

The grass on the island is covered, various trees lose the last of their leaves, the sand becomes crunchy, and even a portion of the ocean water becomes frozen solid. (Take THAT, water!). And with it, Wickies wake up at their feet (or suddenly in their hands if they don’t sleep) warm clothing and various ways to keep warm- or at least keep the cold from messing with their joints!

And with it, there are snow shovels and boots that are set out neatly by the door. It seems more snowk is expected, and foot protection is more important than ever. While it is possible for some (those who are not infected by the Silence at least) to use the teleporter to get from town to their homes, there are pathways that need to be cleared for everyone.

It might be a good time to offer a helping hand! Especially with some Wickies who are snowed into their homes.

Or it could be a good time to use the shovels to gather snow for snow ball fights, snow forts, and similar winter activities. The nice thing about the winter shovels is that they’ll have them for a few months.

Too bad the ground is nearly frozen solid, and these particular shovels are not good for digging into the ground.

Frosty Protections

While there may be the snow and the quiet that’s coming in, there are other things that are coming into the island too. There are tables that linger day or night, which have tangyuan. Some in the shape of various animals, and some of them that are simply balls of colored dough. They are edible, and thankfully they don’t have a negative consequence to eating them (unlike the mooncakes from before) but there are written instructions, which also proclaim outloud to a Wickie if they linger for awhile:

“For the use of protective talismans! Stick it on your chair, your door, your window!”

Interestingly enough, they do seem to work. Wickies who are Silence infected are repelled by them, feeling uneasy and nauseous around them and touching the tangyuan even with covered hands will cause a burning sensation.

Infected Wickies who eat the treats...they’re in for a rough time. Really rough.

There are also little tables with various drinks, some being fruit juice, sparkling fruit juice, champagne and of similar ilk- but not ever with water. That’s just bad luck after everything.

The inscription for this table, which is again read out loud, “Toast to others health”

Picking up the cups, they will be unable to drop it, and the fluid will refill in the Wickie’s cup until they find someone to toast to- whether it’s in humor or in earnestness.

For the next twelve hours after the toast is made, even if the drink is not drunk after, the Wickie toasted will find they will have better luck in that subject, whether it is in health, love, or friendship, or just in general.

The same applies if Wickies toast together to a group of people as well.

Of hooves and horns

The strangest thing of all isn't the sweet rice balls, nor is it the smell of evergreens heavy in the air. Instead, it's the masks set to everyone, and the ruckus music that thrums through the air, deep into the night.

The masks are of a haggard old woman, well worn and aged, and that of a man with horns and facial hair similar to a goat.

There are different effects when it comes to the masks, both happening at night with the music starts.

Wickies wearing the devilish mask find themselves wearing a ragged fur suit, prancing in the streets, ready to whip other Wickies whose behavior has been suspect or bad as of late. Finding the wicked and punishing them is an impulse, neigh impossible to ignore. And, too, there is a sense of wicked glee when they do punish someone with their reeds and whips. Krampus masked Wickies thankfully can be pacified with rum or brandy. They'll need the help of another to pull of the mask. But once it's off, the costume vanishes, and the chagrin of what happened ( or the satisfaction) follows.

Wickies wearing the woman’s mask will find that they’re not trying to scare people, but instead, they find themselves loping in and out of the crowds, searching, scanning, for certain people, all the while wearing ragged clothing, and often a scarf on their now ratty, graying hair.

It’s with a sickening horror that Wickies will realize there is something in the mask that is watching through the mask itself, and is nodding to itself far away and writing their names on a list.

And it’s not Santa Claus.

The Wickie’s wearing the old woman’s mask can be distracted by scattering seeds or threads in front of them- one inducing a true distraction to count and pick up the seeds, and a rage that comes over that of wasted thread.

Seeds make it easier to pull off the mask, and thankfully popcorn counts as a seed! But thread...well, it is a distraction too, but one that can lead to violent consequences. It might mean some rounds of bait and switching until the mask is taken off.

And that’s when the Wickie who had been wearing the mask realizing the list is of ‘bad’ Wickies, But…

how bad could they be?

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:

What do you love about winter? Is it the nip on your nose? The hot drinks? Playing in the snow? Tell us!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[That scream doesn't come from the one on the ground and so it catches his interest. Perhaps someone else is having fun too. He looks around for the source of it and spots the woman who looks like she might break apart from what she is seeing.

He quirks his eyebrow, curious as to how this sight is one that pulls such a response. He has done far worse in his lifetime. He hasn't even killed the guy...yet.]

What do you expect to accomplish by screaming? You're getting the wrong kind of attention.

[Meaning she has his attention which is often asking for trouble.]

[Oh goddess, she got his attention. Perhaps he may forget that she is there.]

My apologies my lord... It, it was just a reaction.

[And gonna try and keep the distance from him. Yuuup. And also fighting the instinct to flare her wings as perhaps by staying smaller he can show that she was misunderstanding the situation.]

[Fear is almost intoxicating to him. Lucky for her, he doesn't get driven to kill people he doesn't deem to deserve it. The man beneath his foot..not so lucky if he feels the itch to do so.]

If you have such a reaction, why do you seem to be so fixated on watching?

[The man lets out a yelp as Xue Yang puts a little more weight on that food.]

[Fear... There was something about this Beorc that causes fear. A deep seated primal fear in her. She glances between him and the poor man under his foot.]

Please.... Please show... Show...

[She was scared of him and winces.]

I... I am not....

Show what? Mercy? Was he going to show mercy when he was going to use this on me?

[Xue Yang held up the whip, drawing his free hand along the long length of it until he reached the middle and pulled it tight with a snap.]

I'm only defending myself from a punishment I don't deserve.

Yes... Please....

[She flinched and without thinking, flared her wings, flapping them to quickly get distance. Or at least a few extra steps at the sound the snap.]

You have made your point... He has learned his lesson.

Has he? I wonder about that.

[He kneels down and grabs the man's throat.]

Should I give you mercy? Do you deserve it? I don't think so but maybe if you let me keep the toy I might consider it.

[The man can't actually speak or respond because of the hold on his neck.]

"Yes, he has!" She gets a brief burst of bravery.

She goes to risk moving closer. "Please... Release him, you can keep that... Toy. Please my lord?"

And save her from this horrific sight.

[A small quirk of the eyebrow as he turns his face to look at her again.]

Would you bow and beg for a stranger's life?

[She blinks at his question and frowns. She... She has a lot of pride but... It was a life.]

A life is a life and all life is precious. Weather it be friend, foe or a stranger. So yes, I would.

But you have already proven your point, showed who was stronger... There is no need to do more.

I don't usually let those that wrong me go. He's already lived longer then most. How am I to know if he has actually learned anything from this?

[Xue Yang holds grudges for a long time. He won't easily just forget someone who tried to whip him.]

[This Beorc... Was he what she could have ended up like if she had held onto her anger.]

Because, I can see into a person's Heart, Soul and Mind... Please, let him go. Show mercy towards him?

You keep asking me to show mercy, but what makes you think I'm even capable?

[Murdering this person might help him relieve some of his tensions about finding out who is in this place.]

Everyone is capable of showing mercy.

[Murder is bad.. It is wrong!]

You just found someone who isn't.

[Xue Yang puts even more weight on top of the man as if to accentuate his point.]

I don't believe it. Everyone has that within them.

[And she flinches as it seems like her pleas were going no where. She can't really hide the fact that her wings started to glow... But maybe, just maybe it could be enough of a distraction from her summoning vines behind him.

Just grown them big enough so they can cause him to lose enough balance and his target to run free.]

Your message and point has been made, my lord.

[Xue Yang's senses are sharp. He has grown accustomed to being quick on his feet to even the slightest of sound or shift in energy around him. So when those vines come towards them he does avoid them, letting his prey run off. It was fine since he was basically done playing with him anyway.]

Do you make a point of meddling in other peoples affairs?

[Leanne lets out a small sigh of relief as not only the vines serves to distract him from his prey, but also released him. She feels herself relaxing just a little as her wings stopped glowing.

Though she had briefly forgotten about Xue Yang and blinks as he goes to speak again.

Oops...]

No, I don't... Only when I see something like that sight, my lord.

Fourth TDM: Winter's breath

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject