pedalbike | Fourth TDM: Winter's breath

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!

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

001 ▸ arrival;
closed to: megumi fushiguro

( uhhhh alright, let's see... so. the last thing he remembered, he was at the cinema with fushiguro and kugisaki. and then he... uh. he kinda blacked out. sorta. well, ok no, he fell asleep, but let's be real. it was dead boring! yes! he knows! it was him who suggested to watch that movie! but!!

wait a minute. he's forgetting something important.

WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!

why the hell is he inside a goddamn bathtub?! like, this bathtub is real big?! it's so deep too?! is this a hotel?!? what the heck!! )

What the heck!!

( don't mind him, he just needed to voice that out aloud. but damn, he's seen this in movies. isn't this like some serial killer's murder method or something?! is he gonna die?!

after his initial freaking out, yuuji begins to peek out of the bathtub. left ok! right ok! he nods to himself once he's confirmed that the area is clear, slowly and carefully climbing out of the bathtub. he tiptoes towards the bathroom door, belatedly realising: could it be... he was kidnapped?! internally gasping, he presses his ears to the door. hm. there... doesn't seem to be any sound, not that he's aware of. maybe it's his chance?

by the way is it just him or it's kinda hard to see? oh well, it's fine. he'll just. slooowly, slooooowly turn that doorknob. stealth! like a ninja! )

002 ▸ start of winter;

( snow sure has come. yuuji isn't unfamiliar with this, coming from a city where it snows fairly hard in winter, so he takes it in a stride, especially now that he's covered with ultra thick blanket-like hoodie thingamabob he found on awakening! and nice boots! he'll just be by the cottages, scooping up enough snow just so he can roll them up into a huge, huge ball. yep, you guessed it! do you wanna build a snowman? join him! also maybe stop him from putting an embarrassing glasses on the poor snowman.

alternatively, if he sees you struggling with your snownanigans, he's here to help! he'll slide towards you, with a stupid grin, ready to ~~play~~ lend you a hand! )

You good there?

( orrrr it could be something totally snow-unrelated! whatever it is, he's here to help! his muscles aren't for nothing, even if you can't see them from all the floof covering him. )

003 ▸ frosty protections;

( for a while there, yuuji seems to be having a staring contest with one of the goldfish dough. he scoops it with a spoon, looking at it from various angle before giving it a taste. ...it's good! so he scoops another, and another, until he finally notices the written instruction. )

'For the use of protective talismans. Stick it on your chair, your door, your window.'

( hmm? he doesn't really get it. )

Hey, you know what that means? Do we stick these balls on doors and windows? Isn't it a waste?

( what good is a food if not to be slurped? )

004 ▸ wildcard;

( anything else you'd like? hit me up! )

Edited 2020-12-07 02:00 (UTC)

[ the thing is— Megumi's already had this conversation. the one that goes like this: "don't bring Itadori Yuuji here, because i'll be really pissed if he shows up".

(fresh on the heels of Yasohachi, of realizations that a boy with the best of intentions is the singularity point in a wave of chaos; fresh off of weighing his own responsibilities, of thinking and re-thinking the events of the night when Yuuji tipped his chin up to the moon and swallowed that Sukuna finger whole.

the conclusion is always the same: do whatever it takes to keep Yuuji's happiness intact.)

the first thing Megumi thinks when he hears the muffled cadence of a familiar voice is that the town is fucking with him— wouldn't be the first time. no matter how still he keeps his pool of emotions, a claustrophobic place like this would have its ways to mess with his mind. he can't always account for everything.

but the doorknob turns, and he sees that unmistakable mound of strawberry-blond creep through the thin sliver of an open door. recognition hits him like a 500-ton freighter. ]

[ and, despite everything—

—anger slithers up his spine, cold and caustic. why is the question knocking at the back of his throat, rattling to get out, but he swallows it. traps it between the tight cage of his ribs, and flings the door to the bathroom open with white-knuckled hands. ]

Leave.

[ is the portal back to their world still open? it might be. hand to Yuuji's shoulder, Megumi drags his classmate backwards to the bathtub, and

tries to see if he can force the guy back through whatever invisible door brought him here. tight-lipped, jaw set, brows furrowed.

he remembers what Admin'd told him, only days before: "He's more likely to come here of his own accord."

the recollection tightens his grip around Yuuji's sweatshirt, makes the pushing more insistent. the stupid glasses barely even register, at this point. ]

( badump, badump, goes yuuji's heart. a mixture of nerves and excitement, maybe some sprinkles of anticipation and impatience. fear? funnily enough, he doesn't feel that the least bit at the moment. maybe he should. but right now, he just really wants to know what's beyond, what's waiting for him. in his haste, he pushes the door a little faster than he intended but— )

Whoa!!

( the door sure goes even faster than that. an external pull, that much he can tell. he lets go of the knob in reflex, lifting up his head anxiously. he'ssss 65%... no, 78% ready to have a muzzle planted on his forehead.

what probably lasts 0.002 seconds feels like 5. everything moves in an extreme slo-mo. these dark, simple clothing... familiar. it covers a lot, but not some of the pale skin, thin lips, sharp nose.

ochre meets emerald, and thunder strikes.

what is this feeling...? )

Fushi,

( yuuji doesn't know what he expected when he turned the doorknob, but it surely wasn't this. could it be, this feeling...

ah yes. disappointment. )

What, it's just you, Fushiguro.

( there goes his little dream of being a part of some blockbuster action movie, dodging bullets a la metrix, or backflipping a la jacky chen.

...

wait, did he just say 'leave'? how does that even make sense? isn't yuuji here because of fushiguro? it's because he fell asleep that kugisaki and fushiguro plotted their revenge, right?! and like... )

What's this place?! Where's Kugisaki? Weren't yo— guehk!!

( whoever said that megumi fushiguro is a dainty lil princess should see how he's oh so casually dragging a 80kg gorilla across the room by his ~~leash~~ hoodie and just. shoving him. forcefully. towards the bathtub drain. )

Owie... ow ow ow, time out! Time out!! What's with you, Fushiguro-san?! I can't, I can't fit in there!!! The hole's too small?!?

( is that the problem at hand... also wording. )

[ god, just... wrapping his mind around this absolute bullshit situation is the biggest migraine of the century. it's not that Megumi doesn't hear the confusion in Yuuji's voice (it'd be hard not to), or that he doesn't acknowledge how utterly lost the other guy seems to be—

—it's the festering possibility that he did this. that he's responsible. that he manifested this by bringing it up. more than anyone, he knows how words can be a curse; he shouldn't have brought Yuuji up at all to the Admin to begin with.

the thought is like bile in the pit of his stomach. Fushiguro Megumi, chronic overthinker. princess rights revoked, tbh— the jujutsu kaisen anime is now canceled. ]

Leave.

[ he says again, but with less venom. fingers coiled in fabric, the grip loosening with each shiba inu squirm that Yuuji manages under Megumi's watchful eye. distantly, he watches his classmate scrabble against porcelain, sneakers scuffing the bottom of the bathtub. feels his anger cool to a low simmer.

he knows when something is too late.

gomen for this incredibly loud tongueclick though, Yuuji... the sharp click of a tch reverberates through the cramped bathroom. Megumi lets go.

...and leaves it at that. double gomen, honestly. ]

( god. megumi. it ain't that deep...

anyway. despite the protest, yuuji doesn't actually put up a fight beyond the squirming and let fushiguro does whatever he wants, because he does feel guilty for falling asleep earlier. but it's not his fault the movie's boring?? ok maybe it is cuz he didn't properly research before, but...! being told to leave when he's the one brought over here is ??? is fushiguro ok...

it's only when the grip loosens that yuuji relaxes a little... and suddenly it's let go and the shibe slips and falls flat, face first on the bathtub. woof. )

Ow...

( he rubs the bridge of his nose, slowly sitting up to look at the other('s back of head). damn, that's one really loud tounge click. why is fushiguro so mad? ...when is he not mad anyway? )

Hey look... I'm sorry for falling asleep?! But... ( his actions aren't making any sense? ) ... Did something happen?

[ "it ain't that deep": the story, the saga, the sequel. Kugisaki said it best: one day, Megumi's full head of uni hair is going to start thinning, and then he'll be sorry.

but until then, he has to. think, that is. he's still doing it now, with his open hands at his sides, fingers furling and unfurling into his palm to vent residual frustration.

it's not a good look. he knows it, so he transitions back into cool neutral. there's no use in wasting time being upset over something that's already happened. ]

Are you seriously going to ask me that question? [ translation: we are both here in this weird place now, what do you think???? his profile is sharp, when he looks over his shoulder at the Yuuji lump in the bathtub. ] Look at where we are right now.

Edited (editing typos hours later, smh) 2020-12-08 01:43 (UTC)

( can't wait for it to turn white tbh. me, not yooj.

yuuji lump is now leaning on the bathtub side, chin over the rim. he doesn't need to look at fushiguro's face to tell how upset he is with this current situation, his back, his body language... it tells yuuji everything, and nothing. he still has 0 idea of where this place is, and what went down. he does, however, understand now that they're not here on fushiguro's own volition. that anger too, )

—!

( the moment his eyes meet fushiguro's again, he confirms that it wasn't directed at him per se.

he has so many questions, but none of them matters at the moment. climbing out of the bathtub, he quietly approaches the friend, keeping their distance to an arm's length. yuuji does joke about fushiguro being angry 24/7, but this reaction... it's different. something far more serious must be involved in this situation. )

... Is it the Curses?

[ it's bothersome, how Yuuji can read him now. quick on the uptake, as always— was he ever so obvious, before? it's only ever been Tsumiki and Gojou with the ability to see the slight shifts in his mood, only the two constants in his life who've been able to map out the different shades of his neutral.

then again, he's never had cause to vacillate so wildly between emotions. Itadori Yuuji has always been the exception to so many of Megumi's tightly-kept rules, from everywhere between 'don't make it too personal' to 'don't fail'.

now, he feels like he's broken both of those creeds. it makes him feel small. foolish.

inhale, exhale. center, and ground. a routine he's upheld since childhood, since that man with sky-blue eyes and his Cheshire smile bought his life for billions.

when he opens his mouth again, it's more quintessentially 'Fushiguro'. ]

No.

[ with conviction. he hasn't seen a single curse thus far— or not anything that resembles anything from their world. that's not a lie he has to tell Yuuji, so it comes out smoothly. ]

Something different. Probably easiest to compare it to those mangas you've read before. [ ugh. you know the ones, Yuuji... the isekais. you know, the one where the heroine or hero trips and wakes up in another dimension... Megumi manages to say this as flatly as he can, with his previous anxiety tabled in favor of giving out necessary information. by the way, he knows that you've read the mangas because he had to clean your room when you 'died', yooj. ]

Yuuji Itadori | Jujutsu Kaisen

cw: embarrassing, 1/2

2/2 REALLY EMBARRASSING

1/3 im not sry

no subject

3/3 k done bye

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

002

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

002

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject