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pedalbike2020-11-24 06:53 pm
upcyclingmod) wrote in pedalbike2020-11-24 06:53 pm
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Fourth TDM: Winter's breath
Welcome to the Test Drive Meme.
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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
(But his excellent sense of humor is surely one of his many endearing qualities.
He picks himself up, getting onto his feet and giving his coat a nice shake and twist over the tub. He'll look over his shoulder while Chikai speaks though. His eyes narrow just slightly as he regards Chikai and his weapon of choice. He looks... amused? A ruler for a weapon. Feels scrappy to him, like someone that will work with what he has.
Also this is me crying because I had to read the FAQ to find out how item arrival works in game so I guess the bathtub is filled with a quiver full of arrows and a bow now. Claude's just going to leave it there for now. Out of sight.)
May your blade never dull, then. (A casual wish for the future if what Chikai says is true. He has no reason to doubt it.) What sort of danger can one expect here then, stranger?
(He's. Definitely calm about this whole situation, huh?)
no subject
Don’t gotta worry about that. I take good care of what I need.
[He taps it against his shoulder for emphasis, but doesn’t put it away yet. Claude doesn’t strike him as a threat right this moment, but his relaxed attitude does remind Chikai a little of his own. Probably best not to drop his guard fully just yet.]
Recently? We got hit with a flood a couple of weeks ago. Wiped out the whole place - which was bad enough, but it was also full of some pretty nasty sea monsters.
[Well, more like mermaids. But just calling them that wouldn’t have enough impact. This was his first time having to explain the kind of place this was to anyone, after all, may as well make it memorable.]
Oh, and the food’s cursed sometimes. But not much you can do about that other than just not eating it.
no subject
Is flooding normal around here? (Natural disasters are well, natural. And he hasn't had a chance to go outside and get a feel for the actual land yet so he isn't sure what natural dangers are here. Extreme cold? Heat? Heavy winds? Those are good things to know.) I take it the monsters weren't ordinary.
(The flood had been "bad enough" but the monsters seem like something else. That said, Claude is from a world with beasts and he's fought a few monsters himself so he's not bothered by this.)
That's too bad about the food, though. (Truly! ) That'll make it difficult to throw any feasts or celebrations.
(His priorities.
He's also goin got lean over the tub and start picking at his quiver and arrows. They're wet which isn't ideal. He's going to dunk out the water in his quiver and give some of his arrows a good shake or pat with the towel. Can't have them getting warped or damaged, especially if there's danger.)
Hey, sorry to impose on you like this but do you have some place I can leave these to dry for a bit? A table or something?
no subject
[Then he gives his head a quick shake, and takes a look at Claude’s quiver. Bow and arrows, huh... yeah, either this guy was from the past, or another one of those weird not-Earth worlds. Chikai’s only experience with that kind of weapon was seeing his high school archery club practice once, and he can’t picture it being all that useful or efficient.]
Sure, sure. [He gestures for Claude to follow him out to the main room, which included a small table in the kitchen area.] We don’t got a ton of space, so if they don’t fit here, just go ahead and drop ‘em on one of the beds.
[They did have a spare at the moment, but Chikai doesn’t see a need to specify which one it is.]
no subject
But there's a line of communication?
(And people in charge from the sound of it? Much warning implies that there's still some warning. Maybe not direct? Signs or something more vague? RIP Chikai but the most curious Lord in Fodlan had to crash into your bathroom.)
Thank you.
(At least he's polite! He's a nosy guy but he tries to have some manners. He'll follow Chikai and nod approvingly at the space provided. Is it enough room? Who knows! He'll make it work, though. Quiver propped upside down on a chair, bow laid down flat on the table... and a whole bunch of arrows just laid out to dry.)
So. (S o . . .) How long have you been here? (At least a couple of weeks considering what he said about the flood but let's get a more accurate answer.) And is it normal to just show up in the bath or am I special?
no subject
[Should he still try to make lunch...? He mulls over the question as Claude lays out his weaponry. The table’s pretty full now, not really anywhere to eat or do prep work. Alas.]
Far as I know, you’re the first one to pop up in my tub, so sure, you’re plenty special. I’ll mail your trophy to you later. [He says it in a breezily sarcastic way, keeping with Claude’s casual tone.] For me, I showed up on a couch a couple months ago. The 'when' and 'where' all seems pretty random.
[Of course, most things on the island seemed random to him, so maybe that part should just be expected too. Chikai pauses for a moment, leaning back against the kitchen counter.]
Anything you can remember about what happened before you got here? See anything weird, or something like that?
no subject
Lucky me. ( For having the honor! The prestige! The privilege of being the first so who up in Chikai’s bath tub. ) I’ll add it to my trophy case.
( Next to all of his personal and house honors. It’ll fit in just fine with his mock battle awards.
As for that last question? He’s quiet for a moment. )
Anything I remember, huh...
( Plenty, he thinks and he taps at the end of the table with his fingernail thoughtfully.
Tap, tap, tap. This is inconvenient, isn’t this? Another setback in his grand scheme... But there’s no reason to divulge that information to anyone right now! Especially since he suspects Chikai isn’t asking about the news and happenings in Fodlan.
Was there anything weird? Actually... )
I saw a place. ( One he can’t really describe because what the heck is a modern city to a ye olde fantasy. ) A city of some sort.
And then there was a voice in my head.
( Hmmm he hadn’t liked that. )