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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
[ that's not actually meant to be an insult, because for all his judgment, vil actually will acknowledge that claude is Trying His Best, so he's actually taking a couple of steps over to a rack where some towels are hanging - they're a little bit threadbare in some places but it is Fine - while claude is figuring out how a faucet and shower works and fishing his bow and arrows out of the tub.
(a hunter, then. interesting.)
vil hands one towel over to claude-- ] Dry yourself off. [ --there's no room for argument there, but vil does glance at the rather wet bow, quiver and arrows and frowns. ]
You're going to have to dry those too, or they'll be ruined.
no subject
(Except there's no way he'd know that's what he says because they've only just met! And what time is it even? Hm. Anyway, he is most certainly, definitely, absolutely a hunter. Just a humble young man trying to survive in the world.
He plucks the last of his arrows out from the tub and gives his quive a good shake to get any of the water out. Luckily, most of his bow and arrows are made of silver! But what good is a bow with a damaged string and how reliable are arrows with warped fletching? He'll still want to get these dried off. Archery is a precise art and the slightest bit of damage can ruin everything.
Which is why he opts to use the towel to pat his equipment down first. That should give a sense of his priorities right there. )
Some place in the open. Is there a table or something somewhere?
(A place where he can fan things out and let the air do the rest.)
no subject
... yeah, that saying is just going to get him a look and maybe the start of an exasperated sigh, but vil isn't about to question claude on whatever the fuck he's actually saying right now.
(suffice to say he's having a Moment of Deja Vu for some particular reason. the only person in his canon that uses a bow and arrows is a hunter.)
but that said, silver arrows? you know what, vil isn't even surprised that his priorities are Like That. just know that claude is getting an "i told u so" if/when he starts shivering from (1) the cold water and (2) the cold wind outside. speaking of which: ]
Check outside. I wouldn't know, I arrived here not too long before you did.
[ which means that he also did not have time to go exploring. but there should be a backyard or something, right? if not, well, vil's making his way out of the bathroom and into the common area, where hopefully there's a table in front of a window where claude can get his arrows and bow string Sorted Out.
the expectation is for claude to follow, of course, even if vil doesn't actually say anything. ]
no subject
He will absolutely be a damp, shivering mess later. Sometimes you’re from a place with a warm and temperate climate most of the year and you’re just a little weak to the cold. Only a little, though. Because Claude isn’t going to let something like a little cold keep him down. )
Huh, so you and me are like buddies then.
( Like a pair of strangers that enroll in school together at the same time. Or move to a city at the same time. They’re buddies! They gotta stick together now!
He’ll drop his arrows into his quiver for now and star to follow Vil. He’s also going to take in the sights. Look at everything. The walls are so plain and the home looks so simple. He wonders if this is just normal housing but then the lights don’t seem like the type that use oil or candles? Hm. Interesting.
There’s probably a table in the common area or something and Claude is just going to shove it over towards a window and open it while laying out his things. He’ll also hang his coat out over the window’s ledge! His coat absorbed most of the shower water and while the shirt and pants underneath are damp, he’ll be fine. )
Thanks. ( For helping him? Even if it was just showing him around like this, as brief and short as it was. ) You said you just got here? I hope your arrival was more graceful.
no subject
the mention of buddies does give vil pause, before his expression absolutely shifts into one of bemusement, because honestly, claude's coming off as far too trusting right now - but vil seems to think better than to say that out loud, so that's replaced by a sound that seems vaguely like a concealed snort. ]
I... suppose. If that's how you want to put it.
[ more like acquaintances, in vil's book, but that's also not something he will say out loud!
he watches claude as he sorts out his bow and arrow and his drenched clothing in the common area, and it's with the kind of vague interest that comes with only kind of knowing the technical things that claude is doing, which is why when the question is directed at him, vil blinks, before answering: ] Me? Nothing quite as exciting as waking up drenched. [ deadpan. ] I walked through a door which was supposed to lead back to the ballroom and found myself standing in the middle of the kitchen of this house instead. Transportation magic at its finest, I assume.
[ he clearly doesn't not sound pleased, but you know, jamjar shit happens. ]