Fourth TDM: Winter's breath

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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!

Comments

1

[keichan]

[ It's been a few months since Keiichi first showed up in this very house himself, and he's gotten kind of used to living there now. This place will never truly feel like home, but having his friends around definitely helps. So, he's started to get accustomed to it and even settled into a daily routine.

He thinks this will be a day just like any other, and he walks into his living room dressed in a simple, red t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, having just rolled out of bed not a few minutes earlier. He's still a little sleepy, which is probably why he doesn't think anything of the strange girl sitting on his couch at first, writing it off as either some sort of hallucination or his roommate.

Until she talks, startling him out of his trance. He jumps into a recoiled position, arms flailing blindly for the nearby light switch on the wall. ]

Gaaaaah! W-Where'd you come from?!?

[ He finally manages to hit the light. This is the first time someone else has shown up in his house that he's aware of, so he's taken a bit off guard. ]

[kikochan]

I-I don't know! I have no idea!

[ Keiichi's yelp only startles Tsubakiko in turn, causing her to yell right back at him at the top of her lungs. Her answer may be... unhelpful, but it's true, okay!? ]

I was just lying down on my bed, and then suddenly I was here! I have no idea what's going on!

[ There's a whine to her voice that makes it almost sound like she's going to break out in tears. But instead, she suddenly stills, taking a deep breath and sighing as she attempts to calm down. Once she's down, she speaks again. ]

I'm sorry...

[keichan]

[ Great, now he feels bad. Especially because he thinks he knows what might've happened. He frowns, rubbing the back of his head, and thinks to himself for a second. ]

You just showed up here all of a sudden? Then I think I know what happened.

[ He walks over to an armchair not far from the couch and sits down in it, resting his elbows on his knees and slumping forward with a sympathetic expression on his face. ]

We're all on an island called Lighthouse Isle, in a town called South Sister. None of us are from here originally, but we all showed up here suddenly, just like you did.

[kikochan]

Huh?

[ Lighthouse... Isle? South Sister? Neither name sounds familiar to Tsubakiko, but... ]

So you do know what's going on? ...How did I get here?

[ While she's still flustered, Tsubakiko seems a lot calmer than she was a moment ago. But she's staring at Keiichi intently, desperately hoping that he'll have all the answers she's looking for. Like how to get home, for one! ]

[keichan]

[ Sadly, he doesn't have many good answers. He deflates at her question, wishing he had something he could tell her that would help her, but sadly, he doesn't. ]

We all got taken here from different places. Some people even got taken from different times, or even different realities altogether. And none of us have figured out how to get home.

[ He looks down, his hands fidgeting with his lap. ]

I'm one of the lucky ones. When I got here, most of my friends were here, too. One of them is even living in this house with me.

[kikochan]

Wait, different times? Different realities? Is something like that even possible?

[ Tsubakiko's expression makes it clear just how shocked she is. Surely, that can't be right?? But... it's not like she knows how she got here to begin with...

After a moment, she sighs, exhausted, and puts her head in her hands. ]

This is all so much to take in...

[keichan]

I didn't want to believe it at first, but you'll know what I mean when you see some of the people who are here. And to make things even worse, this place can be pretty dangerous, too.

[ He's seen strange things, but so far, most of what he's seen has been unusual or unreal rather than outright dangerous. He also knows he's been one of the lucky ones, though. ]

So, it's probably a good idea not to go exploring unfamiliar places on your own. The town seems to be pretty safe, but... it's a little messed up, too.

[kikochan]

[ Well, that's... worrying. Tsubakiko gulps, and once more hopes that this place is just another nightmare. Maybe this one just has a subtler start than the rest... ]

Okay... [ She agrees, deciding that it's probably best to be careful. She's not invincible, after all.

She's silent for a moment before speaking again. ]

What do you mean by dangerous? ...What kind of things have happened here?

[keichan]

Well... I don't want to scare you too much. But for instance... there were mermaids. And not the kind who you'd see in a fairy tale, but actual monsters that were trying to drown people. That's just an example of some of the things that have shown up.

[ He gives her an earnest, sympathetic smile. He knows it's a lot to take in, but she's handling it as well as can be expected right now. ]

But if we stick together, then they have a harder time getting to us. So don't fall into despair, alright?

[kikochan]

M-mermaids?

[ That's... hard to take in. First it was traveling between different worlds and times, and now mermaids?

It's... well, to be honest, it's a little unbelievable. Should she really be believing this guy so easily? He seems nice enough, but isn't it far more likely that she really has just been kidnapped? ]

That's... hard to imagine... [ Tsubakiko manages to reply, trying to be as diplomatic as possible. She doesn't want to say that she doesn't believe him, but it's hard to know what to think. ]

[keichan]

I know. It's all a lot to take in.

[ He looks away awkwardly, not really sure what else he can say about this place. There's still a lot he doesn't know himself. ]

...Oh, I guess I should introduce myself, huh? My name's Keiichi Maebara, and I've been here for a couple months. My girlfriend lives in this house, too. She might be able to answer more questions than I can.

[ Is it working? Is she feeling more at ease yet? ...Probably not. He did just tell her about mermaids that tried to drown them. ]

[kikochan]

Oh! Umm, it's nice to meet you! I'm Tsubakiko Harumiya...

[ Tsubakiko can't help but feel awkward herself, as she introduces herself to her potential kidnapper. Maybe she should threaten him...? The thought crosses her head for just a moment, but she quickly shakes it away. She doesn't want to - he seems nice! And besides, if this was a kidnapping, wouldn't she have been tied up or something? What reason would he have to lie to her?

She's still scared, but Tsubakiko tries to relax a little as she asks about the first thing that comes to mind. ]

So, you've got a girlfriend? And she lives here as well?

[ That must be nice... Tsubakiko wishes that Suzumu was here, too. Ah, not that she likes him like that or anything, though! ]

[keichan]

Yeah... [ He can't help but smile a little bit, though he forces himself not to, overcome by a mixture of embarrassment and the realization that she probably doesn't need to hear about his life story when she's just showed up in a strange place. ] Ah, she'll probably be just as surprised as I was when she sees you. We haven't had other people just show up in our house like this before.

[ He runs a hand through the hair on the back of his head, frowning a little bit. ]

Um... do you want anything to eat or drink? I don't really know what I'm supposed to do in a situation like this.

[ He really feels bad for her. At least when he showed up here, the first person he saw was Mion... which made it a lot easier for him to handle being stuck in a strange place without any explanation. ]

[kikochan]

Umm, sure! That sounds nice!

[ What a strange situation... Tsubakiko's been forcibly separated from all the people she cares about, and has no idea where she is, but she's getting ready to have a drink with a stranger as if nothing is wrong. She supposes it's not like panicking will help at all... ]

You wouldn't happen to have tea, would you? Ah, don't worry if you don't! I'll just have whatever you've got.