upcyclingmod (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
upcyclingmod) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
pedalbike2020-11-24 06:53 pm
upcyclingmod) wrote in pedalbike2020-11-24 06:53 pm
Entry tags:
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!
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!
no subject
oh,]
-- Did you just arrive? If you're feeling chilly, then you can purchase something to wear inside.
[he cants his chin towards the entrance of the store,]
You should have a card on you. I'm not sure how it works, but they accept it as a form of currency here.
[he doesn't understand how it works, BUT... HE'LL ACCEPT IT...]
no subject
The cold does not bother me as much, [ he says evenly, inclining his head. ] but I appreciate your concern.
[ Maybe he should go get one so he can blend in, though. And as for the card... curious, but it's one of the less pressing matters for now. ]
Is there a task that we are intended to complete here? [ So that they can go home? ]
no subject
At Zhongli’s question, Seonho’s face flickers with something that looks like both dismay and exasperation – neither of which is directed at Zhongli himself, but it’s as if he’s recalling something particularly unpleasant]
…The prevailing theory so far is that we are here to… atone. For past actions, and for whatever guilt we have in our hearts.
[He gathers himself enough to slip back into a lighter expression, like what he says doesn't actually bother him at all, and is instead a very nice JOKE]
I call it a theory, because the one who presented that particular task is the one who wants us here. I don’t necessarily trust them, and I haven’t seen anything so far that would make me think otherwise.
no subject
Zhongli closes his eyes for a moment, a slight sigh passing his lips. There is no change in the calm lucidity of his amber gaze - many centuries of keeping his thoughts and emotions to himself means he has already perfected the art of concealment and dissociation. ]
I see.
[ Clearly, it doesn't bother him at all. Even if his spear has taken countless lives, even if he had condemned immortal souls to eternal torment in the name of the greater good, even if the blood on his hands would outnumber that of every adeptus, human, and spirit that he had commanded during the Archon Wars... because it was necessary. Because he must protect, and that would mean he must bear their sins and take on the role of executioner himself.
Six thousand years of guilt. If what Seonho says is true, then even gods were not above the yoke of karmic retribution. How long would it take to pay off all his debts? Probably more than six thousand years. ]
I shall look into that, then.
no subject
It does seem as if our desires have an effect on this town, if nothing else.
[But to go so far as to assume that "atoning" could do the same? Seonho's not about that life -- and it's presumptuous for anyone to ask that of him when the people he owes his apologies to aren't even here...]
If we wish for certain objects and animals, then we can make them appear. It takes a number of us to do so, but it has happened. Same with our living arrangements -- the house you woke up in can change if you wish it to.
no subject
I would not take my chances.
[ Though, it is only by the privilege of being a god (and not really needing all that mortal sustenance) that he is able to ignore many of the survival issues that others face. ]
My priority would be to find out the mechanisms by which this occurs. As long as the wish-granting has a chance of failure, it would not be prudent to trust such a thing.
no subject
...I don't disagree, but -- [Seonho's brows furrow in interest,] Do you have experience with things like this? Magic and the like?
[are you
a
wizard
zhongli,]
no subject
I know only a little.
[ LIES ]
At their roots, magic is a form of change. Like the weather and the movement of the seasons, there are rules that bind magic despite its mysterious behaviour. To know these rules is to know how to control it.
no subject
The explanation... actually makes sense though? God bless Zhongli,]
...It does sound easier to understand when you put it that way. [His normie brain appreciates it very much,] I have no experience with magic myself, so I don't know how much help I could offer. But if it's simply a matter of gathering information...
[he trails off, thinking for a moment, then he shrugs]
I can share whatever I find with you if you like.
no subject
[ Logic is something he's good at, and he's confident that his magic sense would aid in investigation. Rather than seeking out everything by himself, if someone has already compiled recent happenings, it would speed things up much more. ]
Shall we sit and talk somewhere?
[ They've been standing around here for a while now... ]