TDM - JANUARY 2021

[robbies]

TEST DRIVE MEME - JANUARY 2021

Good to the last gasp.
CW: gaslighting, potential mentions and depictions of trauma and other problematic material, body horror, dolls, violence

---

“Help me. Please, help me…”

A child’s voice, calling out for aid. There’s no rhyme or reason for when it comes to you. It’s so quiet, a whisper in the deepest, darkest corners of your mind. Were it not for the sharp, stabbing pain it pulls out of you, you could ignore it. You could even pretend it’s just your imagination.

It all happens so quickly and powerfully. Left in the dust, your brain struggles to process it all. Blacking out is the least it can do, but it’s also all it can do, and it does so before you even have a chance to fully register just how young the voice is, and how deeply, heartbreakingly lost it sounds.

When you finally awaken with your bare feet tangled in soft sheets, a layer of fuzzy fleece or slinky silk clinging to your body like another layer of skin, the sunlight pouring in from the window next to your bed momentarily blinding you, and the cries of happy children playing outside of it carrying faintly, it all becomes very clear—

Something is horribly wrong.

---

JANUARY 1st.

It becomes very clear very quickly that this isn’t a simple kidnapping. If you’re twenty years old or older, the bedroom you wake up in is very clearly a couple’s bedroom — with separate beds like a modest, modern couple of course! A similarly lost and confused stranger is in the other. They are your counterpart, for everything in this room has a matching counterpart — the nightstand and lamp each of you have beside your beds, the framed pictures on the wall, even your pajamas. If you’re under twenty years old, your room is smaller but more personalized, filled with comic books, model kits, stray baseball cards littered around the floor. Dolls, fashion magazines of people dressed from a bygone era, stacks of vinyl records neatly arranged next to a record player. And then there are the pictures. They’re everywhere in the house — in a frame on your nightstand, hung on the walls, stuck in the photo albums and scrapbooks lying on your desk or tucked away in drawers. Here you are on your wedding day, exchanging vows with your partner. Here’s you sitting in a fishing boat with one of the younger members of your house. Here’s a picture of you at ten years old getting ready for the first day of school. All of the photographs are aged, sepia, even yellowed and dusty in frames hung for a long, long time. By the time you make it down to the living room, you’ll notice that the television is on; someone must have forgotten to turn it off before they went to bed. On it, the morning news is playing. The newscaster, a man in a gray suit and horn-rimmed glasses, keeps shuffling his paperwork on his desk as black and white footage of people in the midst of celebration — throwing streamers, wearing paper hats, toasting flutes of bubbly liquid — is interspersed between his droning report: ”New Year's Eve was in full swing last night as citizens from all over Santa Rosita came together to ring in 1961. A surge in ginger ale and sparkling cider beverage sales was reported by Honeybees as early as eight o'clock in the evening, a boon for the store…“

---

GETTING TO KNOW THE NEIGHBORS.

As you get acclimated, you gradually begin to learn more about this strange new world you’ve found yourself in. You’re in a neighborhood on the east side of a town called Santa Rosita located… somewhere in California (wherever or whatever that might be). The year is 1961. If it wasn’t clear enough, your neighbors are more than willing to humor you if you ask. Even if you accost them with questions and demands. Sure, you and your family are a little kooky, and you have a very overactive imagination, but the key to any good joke is playing along! And how could something like “I’m from the future, from another world” be anything but a joke? A. CLOWN AROUND. If December was a time for sweet treats and good food, January is the month where everyone is trying to unload their leftovers. Who better to enjoy them than you, the newest family on the block? Your neighbors have quite a bit of food to share: Throughout the month, they'll stop by to say hello, bringing a new sugary dish with them each time. As always, jello molds are a staple. One plate turns into three turns into five, and by the end of the first week of January, you're likely to end up with a collection of jiggling pink, green, and orange lumps taking up space in your fridge. From mountains of Whip 'n Chill to Broken Window Glass cake, you'd be forgiven in thinking that there's no end to it. And yet, there's the occasional exception. Someone comes by with a Bundt cake lathered in vanilla icing and topped with rainbow sprinkles. Were it not for the giant candy clown head topping it, it would almost look good enough to eat. "There's a rumor going around that you've been a bit under the weather, so I thought this would cheer you up!" they say, right before thrusting the technicolor nightmare into your hands, the clown's dead pink frosted eyes staring up at you. Your neighbor is quick to tell you to eat it while the icing is still fresh (you never know who might lick it off when you're not looking, eh kids?), but not that the clown itself is made out of styrofoam. That's something you'll just have to find out for yourself when you take it back inside and start chowing down!

B. SNOW DAY

What awakens you one cold Friday morning isn't the blare of your alarm clock or your family getting ready to start their day or even the chilly air that tickles your toes as they poke out from the bottom of your covers, but the sound of hooting and hollering outside your window. The sight that awaits you when you go to investigate is something out of a Norman Rockwell painting: The entire neighborhood is outside, playing and carrying on in the snow. While everyone was sleeping, Santa Rosita got four inches of snow, more than enough for the schools to close but not enough to stop everyone from enjoying it.

And enjoy it they are! Children build snowmen in their front yards while their fathers work on shoveling their driveways. Most, however, are busy erecting snow forts in their yards and the middle of the street, running back and forth as they collect ammunition for an ongoing snowball fight that takes up half of the neighborhood. Nobody is spared from their assault, not even the adults, and especially not the newly arrived ones who leave the house. Good luck getting the mail, mom and dad!

"Come on! There's plenty of snow!" one young boy yells at you over a snowdrift. "You can join my team!"

"Nuh-uh!" another boy shoots back. "You can join my team!"

And on and on it goes. Well, for the pacifists among you, making snow angels is always an option!

---

THROUGHOUT JANUARY.

CW: gaslighting, potential mentions and depictions of trauma, and other problematic material

There’s no business like show business! And business is hopping at the Starlight Drive-In, which has been boasting about its all-new film premiering on January 2nd and playing all month long. The critics are raving, the townspeople are flocking, and plans to go to the drive-in seems to be all anyone can talk about. “Make sure you get there early to see the serials,” many of them suggest, eyes wide with excitement. “I couldn’t look away!” Whether you come with your family, your friends, or simply come on your own, the lot is packed, Robbies and normal townsfolk alike beaming as they hook the individual speakers onto their cars. Apropos of the cold weather, the concession stand has added seasonal items to their menu, serving up hot chocolate and kettle corn in addition to its usual soda and popcorn. Watching a movie against a backdrop of gently falling snow while you're sipping on steaming chocolate and melted marshmallows has a certain je nais se quoi to it that even you have to admit is appealing. At last, when it's finally dark enough to start, the projector clicks on from the booth in the back of the lot and the movie begins. A. COMING ATTRACTIONS. The movie, Curse of the Doll People, is a horror flick. A real chill-o-rama, starring actors you've never heard of playing a group of archeologists who unknowingly trigger a deadly curse that sets a group of murderous living dolls upon them. The poster pasted on the ticket booth promises it'll be the most fun you'll have screaming. Unfortunately, you have to sit through several minutes of previews first. The coming attractions aren't anything special — a bunch of westerns, a romance, even a beach musical. Far from being bored to tears like you might be, the people in the cars around you are glued to the screen, popping snacks into their mouths and whispering their commentary among themselves. The movie is the reason why everyone's here, sure, but you don't just get one flick out of going to the pictures! There's also the serials, little 5—10 minute long chapter plays that tell a story in pieces. Nothing can beat those, and when the first one starts, everyone sits in rapt attention as if it were the feature presentation itself. But as the scene opens up on a sight that is instantly familiar to you, and your own face stares back at you from the projection screen, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary film. You watch your memories play out in grainy black and white footage, aired for all the world to see. Or perhaps not — though you may not realize it, the movie playing out on the screen differs from person to person. No one sees the same thing. The person next to you might see one of their worst fears come to life, whether imagined or real, practical or fantastic. You might see one of the worst moments of your life — the death of a friend, your hated enemy bringing you to the brink of death, your absolute lowest point — exactly the way you remember it... save for the way your double on the screen occasionally turns to face the audience, staring directly at you with a knowing smirk and a wink. Or the way your loved ones will sometimes go off-script, gazing at you with pleading eyes as they beg you to help them. The people of Santa Rosita will see an exciting battle between two pirate ships, swashbuckling and cannon fire in place of the traumas you're witnessing. When the serial ends on a cliffhanger, much to the disappointment of everyone around you, it's almost a mercy. "Tune in next week for the thrilling second part!" Well, you will, won't you?

---

END OF THE MONTH.

CW: body horror, dolls, violence

Aside from the horror of the drive-in, January might seem to be passing calmly... until one night, something changes. In the middle of the night, once you fall asleep in your comfortable bed (or on your couch, or with your head lolling against the kitchen table), a nightmare comes to you. The shift from whatever dreams you were having to the cold, dark void you find yourself standing in happens gradually and quietly. So too does the image that plays out in your mind's eye: From out of the darkness, a featureless mannequin stands ramrod straight, facing you with its arms pressed rigidly to its sides. It has no face, no identifying marks, no features at all. It's a blank slate in every sense of the word... until it isn't. Slowly, the material of the lower half of its face begins to split as a searing pain tears through your own, as if invisible fingers are ripping your lips off inch by inch. The slit on the doll's face widens and deepens until, finally, mercifully, its new mouth opens as yours disappears, replaced by a flat, smooth barrier of skin. Like it was never there to begin with. The pain returns, this time in your arms and neck — right as the doll's own begin to jerk. Your joints are hardening, seizing up as the doll's arms go from minutely twitching to slowly flexing. While every nerve and bone from your fingertips all the way up to your shoulders grows heavy, the doll tilts its head and looks down at its hands, as if seeing them for the first time. By the time it takes its first step, you've taken your last: the pain has spread to your feet, ankles and toes hardening and locking into place. Every part of you is claimed this way; what isn't taken by force simply fades from your body and shifts into being onto the doll's, your skin replacing its cloth body, your clothing dressing it, your hair filling out its head. Your tongue goes numb as the licks its newfound lips, coarse cloth and batting surging up from your lungs and all the way to the back of your throat. By the time it's over, you can't move. You can no longer breathe. All you can do is stare at the perfect, eyeless double of yourself standing before you. As your eyes begin to burn, the last thing you see before everything goes black is the sly curve of a smile — your smile — before the face wearing it turns away and walks back into the darkness. Luckily, you wake up to a room full of sunshine and the distant sound of traffic as the neighborhood gets ready for another beautiful day. The morning air feels cold and dry on your skin. You're you. As much as you've always been. Right?

A. DOPPELGANGER.

It's the kind of morning that makes you want to sing. Where the sky was once dull and grey, it's now a deep blue. Barring the usual hustle and bustle on the streets of Shadyside, the first sound that greets you when you wake up is the steady beat of water trickling outside your window as the snow begins to gently melt under the rays of the sun. You may even hear the chirp of a bird! January, in all its dreariness, is nearly at an end.

When you leave the room to go downstairs — or upstairs, if you slept in the living room — the house is quiet and flooded with sunlight. With how perfectly silent everything is, it's easy to mistake the calm for solitude and think you're alone.

This is not the case.

Waiting to greet you is a familiar figure. If you go downstairs, you'll see it sitting in your kitchen with its head bowed and its arms hanging limply at its sides; if upstairs, lying in your bed on its back. There's no mistaking who it is. Even at a distance, their hair, face, clothes and features all instantly recognizable, and you know who it is before you even fully register their presence:

You.

Motionless, your doppelganger looks more puppet than person. Its chest is still, not a single breath leaving its mouth. Its eyes are closed. They snap open when you get closer to it, wide enough to see the whites, as its head jerks up to look straight at you. In a staccato imitation of your voice, it chirps at you:

"Hi!"

"Good morning!"

"Hello!"

"Rise and shine!"

Your clone is a good imitation, but not a perfect one. Its movements are stiff and uncoordinated, like a marionette being commanded by unseen strings. Though its cheeks are rosy, its skin is pale and almost glossy with the texture of newly polished porcelain. None of these setbacks bother it in the very least. If left alone, it goes about the house mimicking your morning routine, though given how awkward just walking is for it, it's almost certain to do a very bad job. Still, it tries its hardest, following you all day around the neighborhood, trying to imitate your movements — all with a smile!

That is, until you become aggressive with it.

It doesn't take much to set your doppelganger off — a simple shove will do it. When that happens, its eyes will do the impossible and open even wider, its mouth yawning into a wail that pitches louder and louder. That's the point when it will lunge at you. Its hands will try to go for your throat, but not always. It's resourceful enough to improvise with whatever it has around it, whether that be a kitchen knife, a paperweight, or even a letter opener. Luckily for you, they're fragile. Just hitting them is enough to crack and chip away at their skin. With enough strength, their limbs can even come off. Unluckily, they don't stay down for long; even a severed appendage can be popped back into its proper ball-jointed place.

All the while, they never stop childishly whining and shrieking at you.

"Not nice!"

"Why are you so mean?!"

"Not nice, not nice, NOT NICE!"

The only way to shut them up for good is to keep pummeling them until they're nothing but a pile of doll parts. But be thorough — even a mouth that's nothing but a shard of porcelain can still talk.

---

OOC INFO

Hello, and welcome to We're Still Here's second TDM! Here's a few things we'd like you to keep in mind:

The TDM is canon. You can treat this as the game's first real event and pick and choose what threads you would like your character to remember when they enter the game. For characters who app into the game, the events of the TDM will be treated like a dream. Upon awakening from it, characters will find that time has jumped ahead to February 1st. You may also feel free to use similar reality and/or time distortions to explain why the family members your characters have in the TDM aren't the same as the ones they may be assigned to in the game proper. Additionally, starting today comments made to the TDM will now count towards Activity Check. Current players are permitted to use up to five comments from it for this month's Activity Check — half of the required amount to pass. The other five must be made within the game's communities.

If you would like to have January or other winter-themed content in your relaxed housing prompts, please feel free! You are not beholden to follow our prompts exactly so long as the spirit is maintained.

There is no Network prompt listed, but feel free to wildcard one for your characters anyway.

Although the TDM is canon in the sense that characters are free to remember its events when they app into the game, it does not count as an official plot heavy event, meaning that characters will not receive regains from participating in it.

A note about the drive-in theater: Players are in full control over what memories, phobias, or fears the serials before the movie will depict. You can also specify whether or not other characters will be able to see your character's serial. Be sure to label your threads with relevant content warnings if needed!

---

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Comments

Ken Amada | Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

[whatsamada]

A - Snow Day

[There were a couple of things Ken noticed when he woke up in a strange environment. One, he was convinced this was a fever dream he was having. There was no way he was stuck in 1961 and having to live with his family. Two, he wondered if he had eaten something terrible that made him have this odd dream. He was sure he had a normal dinner before making his way to bed. Whatever the case, he couldn’t deny that he was out about trying to help his mom and dad attempting to shovel the snow out.

Even if he was supposed to be a normal thirteen year, he still had to help his father out in some way! Although, the problem was how he just wasn’t use to shoveling this much snow! Does anyone dare to come and help him out?]

B - Coming attractions [Warning: Mentions of death]

[Ken had figured now that he had all the time in the world, he might as well go and see this hot new movie everyone had been talking about. At first, the movie didn’t seem anything different. It appeared to be your general B rated movie Junpei or Yukari making fun of whenever they had the time to spend with him. With a small frown, it was clear he was getting pretty bored as he kept watching preview after preview.

However, it became clear that something seemed rather off shortly after. As his eyes slowly widened, he wondered why he was seeing a younger version of himself. And yet, he couldn’t keep his eyes away from the screen.]

Wait, that’s…!

[ But as the screen kept on playing, his eyes grew bigger at what played before him. He could hear the sounds of a horse as the sound of a woman could be heard. As the younger Ken screamed out, he was pushed aside by the women before something large fell on top of her.]

Mom! [He didn’t mean to shout but he had to look around to see if anyone was looking at this. Did they see the same thing he did…?]

C - Doppelganger

[Ken was very familiar with the concept of a copy image. He had to fight his shadow and he would not hesitate to do so again. However, it was different when he didn’t have his Persona with him. As he stared back at the poor copy, he had to keep calm. He knows the moment he makes it angry, it will want to start a fight. Instead, he was trying his best to keep it happy as he tried talking to it]

Nice day we’re having, right?

[He said to his copy before responding in the same manner. There was something unnerving about having this strange doll like copy of himself mimic every movement in such a way. But as he was trying to do a bunch of movements for said doll to keep up, he just had to wonder what its intentions were.]

Wildcard

[Surprise me!]

A

[petsthedog]

[It's not the loud yelling of children outdoors that gets Shinji's attention. Two years of living out on the streets takes most of the thrill out of snow, and he has little interest in engaging in snowball fights, snow forts, angels or snow shenanigans of any kind.

No, it's a certain dog that finally gets him to go out into the cold weather outside. Koromaru barks excitedly and bounds out the door, stopping at Ken's feet and wagging his tail happily and trying to lick Ken's face as he bends down to shovel snow.

Shinjiro, for his part, is not quite as fast as the dog; he jogs to catch up with him, calling out before he even sees where the dog has stopped--]

Oi, Koro-chan, what have I told you about running off like tha--

[His voice goes dead in his throat, heart suddenly hammering a mile a minute. Is that....?]

...Amada?

[whatsamada]

[With so much shoveling, he didn't know how much longer it would take for him to finish it all. As he listened to the children play, he had to admit, there was something oddly nostalgic about it. However, he knew he couldn't think about it for too long as he figured he'll build a snowman as soon as he was done.

Just as he was about to dig his shovel into the snow, that's when he heard a familiar barking sound. Suddenly, his heart sank as he realized whose that belonged to. He knew who that was from anywhere.]

Koromaru, when did y-

[He said before another equally familiar voice came up. That's when his heart sank as he knew whose voice it was. Slowly, he looked up to see someone whom he hadn't seen in two years. His eyes widen as he couldn't believe it.]

A-Aragaki-san? [His voice was shaky as he struggled to blurt his name out. Now he was convinced this was a dream. There was no way what he was seeing was real, right?]

[petsthedog]

[Shinjiro suddenly, intensely, finds himself with an urge to run. He is not meant to be here; he was supposed to have died to give this kid a chance to move on with his life, and....if he's not hallucinating, which he considers the jury still out on, then -- this is an older Amada, from well after the 4th. Which is .... impossible? It's hard to use that word when you lived in a place where there was a hidden 25th hour of the day, after you woke up from bleeding out in an alley into a strange American town without your original bloody clothes or any evidence of your death save for the scars. A strange American town which already teleports people randomly between physical locations in town and is involved in some manner of time loop itself.

All of this would be much, much easier if he could be sure he was really just hallucinating in his own final moments, with the future he'd hoped for the kid ... but it's been over a month now. He doubts the few minutes he had left at most could possibly stretch this long, even though he's tried not to think about it--actually facing the implications of being and staying alive for the foreseeable future have been too daunting.

Here in Santa Rosita, Shinjiro's without his trademark red coat or beanie, and he awkwardly shifts his weight from one leg to the other with no place to shove his hands. He looks off to the side, scratching at his neck underneath the mass of shaggy hair.]

You uh....you've gotten taller.

[Possibly the worst conversational opener in history, but it's literally an intense exercise of willpower not to pack what little shit he has and go back to living the street urchin life to avoid possibilities of running into the kid as much as humanly possible.]

[whatsamada]

[Ken found himself struggling to breathe. If this was a dream, this was one of the more realistic ones. Shinjiro shouldn’t be here, he should be dead. He saw him lying on the ground with blood in his hands. Everyone saw him die, why was he here? And yet, he was happy. If he was able to see his old teammate back for just a moment, it was worth it. After everything the both of them had gone through, Ken could at least see Shinjiro alive and well.

Trying to shake the initial shock, he needed to say something back to him but he didn’t know what. There were so many things running through his mind. He was happy to see him alive in a dream and yet, what was he supposed to say back? As he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Instead, he closed it back wondering what to say. Even forcing himself to say something was a struggle.

What was he supposed to say? He hadn’t seen him in the past 3 years and everyone had moved on. He had let the past go as he decided to make a path for himself. However, here his past was coming back to haunt him.

Was this dream telling him to confront it once more? He didn’t know but he had to say something.]

Is that really all you have to say?

[He mumbled before standing up. He really didn’t know how to react to all of this but one thing was for sure, he was trying his best to keep himself calm. Alive or not, it was embarrassing to cry in front of him.]

[petsthedog]

[Shinjiro was really not expecting that response, and he looks visibly flustered for a moment. He's certainly not any more prepared for this than the kid, but something about his comment is challenging, as though he should have some sort of point to get to if he was going to show himself in front of him like this.]

Tch. What do you want me to say?

[Most of what he'd wanted Amada to hear, he'd imparted as he bled out in that alley. He has never had excuses or explanations for what he'd caused two years ago, and he's not about to break that streak with any meaningless attempts at apology now. So he's not sure what it is that Amada is looking for from him as he stares back at an almost equal degree of shock. He sighs.]

If you're lookin' for some kind of explanation for why I ain't dead, you're shit outta luck, kid.

[whatsamada]

You make it sound like it's a bad thing!

[He didn't mean to shout but he was struggling to find the words he wanted to say. While he knew he shouldn't bottle up his emotions, he was still going to try. Dream or not, it would be embarrassing to allow himself to do so. As he gritted his teeth, his own feelings betrayed him as he could feel himself doing so.]

I don't care if you're suppose to be dead, you're here aren't you?

[After two years, he had a lot of time to fully process everything. Now that he has, all Ken wanted now was for him to say something. Anything at all to him. He just wanted to know if he truly wasn't seeing things.]

B

[peninhand]

[ Whilst she didn't scream, Monika was quite clearly less than comfortable with what she was seeing. (Un)fortunately, she was quite familiar with the many ways in which invisible masterminds could mess with your mind if they so wished. That made it easier to draw conclusions. Seeing how nobody had turned around to stare at her with wide and horrified eyes, odds were that only she was seeing... Herself being deleted from a video game. At the very least it was less painful to see than it had been to live through.

And had she needed any more proof, Ken suddenly screaming "mom" out of the blue was enough to assure her nobody else was being witness to her demise. ]

Ken?

[ Monika reassuringly put a hand on his shoulder. Mom? She'd figured everyone else was seeing the movie as planned, but... Did he see something else? ]

Are you alright?

[whatsamada]

I-I think so?

[He said trying to shake off the feeling of reliving the death of his mother. It wasn't something he wanted to see again as he could feel his heart racing. Trying to calm himself down, took in a few deep breaths before responding.]

You didn't see that, did you? [Because he really didn't want to explain to people how his mother died]

[peninhand]

[ Didn't see that... So he had seen something related to his own past, evidently enough. And in all likelihood, everyone else was experiencing the same predicament. She looked at him with worry for a second, but soon forced a smile. That wouldn't do for her to panic. ]

Of course I did. [She glanced at the screen. Now she was screaming in pain as a result of being deleted. A wince crossed her features for but a second before a return to her usual smile.] I love how Captain Raddock defeated Yellowbeard with his sword!

[ She winked at Ken, a knowing wink. She wouldn't ask questions. For now. ]

You're a pretty brave boy, I think at your age I'd have been in tears seeing so much blood. But you shouldn't push it, why don't you go back home before it gets worse? There's quite a bit of the movie left.

[whatsamada]

[He could have sworn people saw what happened, how did they not? But the look on her face just said she knew. For that reason, he didn't know how to react to someone else seeing his mother's death. Why would this place feel the need to do this?

Taking another deep breath in, he was thankful she was playing dumb for now.]

Is that so? I suppose I should if the blood is getting to me. [He said shaking his head before looking back at Monika. For a moment, he could have sworn he saw a wince but he won't push it either. Instead, he'll get up and before looking back at her.]

Shall we get going?

[peninhand]

[ She nodded and left with him, though she looked a bit distracted. By two things, really. On the one hand, the screams of her friends as they and their world were being deleted out of existence. Even though the sound was getting weaker, it was still more than a little bit distracting. On the other hand, she was thinking about Ken's reaction...

Mom. That probably meant... She tilted her head down and spoke before thinking. ]

I'm sorry...

[ Ah— No, no, bad. She was one of the oldest ones here. She shouldn't allow herself to slip up like that. Who would look after the kids if she did not? None of the adults she had met so far seemed to be the responsible kind. She wasn't a role model but at least she could project the image of being one. Fake it till you make it and all that. She laughed and smiled. ]

I mean, you... Shouldn't come back to the movies, you know. They could get into your head and stuff.

[whatsamada]

You don't need to apologize, it was a long time ago. I'm use to it.

[Especially how he was use to seeing the scene play out in his nightmares. It was another to see it in a screen with many others watching. As he leaned his weight against his other leg, it was clear he didn't want to talk about it. Looking down at the ground, he gave a small smile]

I don't know what this place is doing to the both of us but I sure don't want to see mom like this again.

[He said before looking up. Although, he too had to give a wince as he heard the sound of a horse and the debris hitting the floor.] I think the same goes for you too, right?

[peninhand]

[ Her discomfort had really been that apparent, heh... She laughs embarrassingly and nods at him. ]

Here I am trying to subtly comfort you about the tricks this place play on us, and you're the one who ends up having to find the right words. Some adult I make, ahaha.

[ Well, adult as far as the numbers were concerned, but really at heart she didn't feel anywhere close to adulthood. He reminded her a bit of Sayori... Finding ways to be positive and help others, even when really he was not the one who ought to receive help rather than give it. ]

But you're absolutely right. And I think the best way to get these images out of our head is ice cream! There's this young man who dropped a bunch at home for me the other day, what do you say?

[whatsamada]

No, it's quite all right! I know a couple of adults who need some comforting words sometimes so I don't mind helping you.

[Especially when the adults in his life had gone through a lot. It seemed only fair to do the same to her when it was clear she had seen something questionable on the screen too.

Regardless, he just chuckled at her suggestion before his face brighten up. Suddenly, whatever tension there was seemed to be lifted.]

But yes, let's go already! I can't wait to see what kind of flavors he brought for you!

A

[miaoudel]

[Luckily Ken has a totally wonderful and legitimate older brother to help him out!

Even if Adrien is also not uses to shovelling snow: not just this much, doing it in general. Still, he knows how to use a shovel, even if he keeps flicking snow sideways instead of forwards, and eventually he stops to scrub his face with the beanie he's wearing before he takes it off completely.]

You wouldn't think working outside in the middle of winter would work up such a sweat, huh?

[whatsamada]

[As Ken looked at Adrien and then back at the snow, he chuckled a little. He might have just met him but it was clear he didn't know how to use it correctly but that was fine by him.

He was trying and that's all that mattered.]

You'll be surprised at how much it does! I've got running in the snow before and you can still sweat a lot.

[miaoudel]

I guess I just don't have the tolerance for it! Paris is usually a lot warmer than this. [He jams his shovel down and sinks it firmly with his heel.] But then, I think this much snow would be unusual for anywhere!

[He looks over at Ken.] Do you get snow where you're from?

[whatsamada]

Paris? Now that's a place I don't hear very often, I'm from Japan so it's pretty amazing to hear someone who grew up there!

[He said before leaning against his shovel as if he wanted to hear more.]

What is it like over there because it must be really nice!

[miaoudel]

Well, I've never been to Japan before!

[He says in fluent, if slightly French-tinted, Japanese, but he switches back to English immediately.]

I don't think the way I grew up was pretty normal, but Paris itself is wonderful. I've lived there my whole life, it always seemed so perfect just from inside my house. It never had any problems with superheroes or villains.

[whatsamada]

[With that, the younger of the two looked at him rather impressed!]

I can imagine because I've only seen pictures of Paris and it all looks amazing to me. I'm surprised you know Japanese, you must have someone who taught you really well!

[He gave a pause.] It must be nice though. [What Ken wouldn't do for a normal life right now.]

[miaoudel]

[He laughs, gently and awkwardly.]

I suppose so. My father hired all the best tutors for me, so I always had amazing teachers - the best money could buy, really. [His smile turns a bit less cheerful now.] But it didn't leave me much time for friends. I was homeschooled my whole life, you know.

[whatsamada]

[Ken didn't change his position and just kept on looking at Adrian. However, his expression did soften as he heard his words.]

Sorry, it must be tough if you're always stuck inside and studying all the time. Sounds like your father must be really strict kind, huh?

[However, he did shift his weight to the side. He could relate to that, maybe just a little.]

C!

[modernprometheuus]

Just- what is going on here!?

[ Having only just arrived, Victor's extremely unsettled by the sight he sees before him. The copy of Ken - it's likeness to him, it's strange and puppet-like features, the way it copies everything the boy does... it's frankly incredibly unnerving. He should probably stay out of this, but for some reason, he can't help but speak up- ]

What is that thing?

[whatsamada]

[The last thing Ken wanted was for someone to get involved in this mess. He didn't know what his copy was up to but if it was anything like he faced, things could get messy.

He just didn't want someone else to get hurt. As he stared at Victor, he looked back at the doppelganger. Not sure what to do, he gave him a smile before saying something.]

I don't know but it's kind of strange looking, doesn't it?

[In return, the copy said the same thing as he stared at the newcomer with a smile.]