deercountry | 1st fragment

Who: Rika & OTA
What: Arrival + Unsnakely Prompt
When: Throughout January
Where: Trench, Edge of the Wilderness, Ocean Skating... Many places!

Content Warnings: N/A for now. Will update as needed.

(a) A Wandering Child

[There's a child wandering through the citylike streets of the Trench. She's wearing her summer school uniform, with short sleeves and a skirt that ends above her knees. The snow covers her red maryjane shoes and soaks through her white socks, but she hasn't stopped walking yet. Her curious eyes are wide and soaking in every detail in quiet observation. It has been lifetimes since she last explored some place new. She has never been near a city like this before.

Rika knows that she should be scared. She ought to pitch a fit over being away from Hinamizawa and she ought to be frightened for what that means for her beloved village... But her heart betrays her. She feels a forbidden wish burning in her chest; She's always wanted to see the world outside of Hinamizawa and here she is... Finally..!

... No. That's such an awful thought. She cannot have it. Rika lowers her head in shame.]

[And she sneezes.

Then hugs herself.

Right... It's cold. She isn't really dressed for winter, is she?]

(b) Recycled Skating Prompt

[Rika has not touched snow in... a long time.

She had browsed the ice sculptures with a thoughtful look on her face, hoping that her expression might be mistaken as awe. In reality, her squid brain is working overtime in an attempt to recall what is going on. This is not Hinamizawa. If it was, then it is not June and not 1983. It defies her logic. Did she break the cycle, then? But if she did, then why is she here? Should she not have instead escaped to July, then to August, then September... All in Hinamizawa?

As these thoughts become more dark and muddled, Rika turns her head away from the sculptures. As she does, she sees people skating on the water. The troubled darkness in her young face melts away to childish awe.]

[There's a warmth in her now. Like the missing June, but also a contrast and rebellion against it. She wants to go skating! She hasn't done that in so long! And yet... Is it okay to be playing right now?

She wanders to the skate rentals anyway, bobbing around curiously.]

(c) Edge of the Wilderness | Unsnakely Mention

[As a country girl, Rika longs for some time among the trees and nature. However, every person she has met those far has also warned her against the wilderness. For good reason. Apparently there are monsters out there.

But she's a curious thing. She at least wanted to establish where the boundary was and make sure to avoid it in the future. It was tempting, sure, but Rika values her life and safety. She knows that she is a weak little girl, who cannot battle a monster.

Yet something catches her eye. There is a path marked in the snow; a melted path, as if something warm has slithered through. Rika's curiosity gets the better of her and she takes a few steps forward, examining the way that the greenery is exposed and the snow melted away.]

Mii..?

[She lifts her gaze, confused.]

[Against her better judgment, Rika takes another step down the melted path.]

(d) Wildcard

[Want a custom prompt? Let me know at

taiyakinonaku! I'll also transfer TDM threads over here if you'd like~!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The mention of that place certainly gets a reaction out of Rika. Her eyes widen and her gaze lifts, an involuntary gasp giving away her surprise. No one else should know about that. Not unless they can talk to Hanyuu and hear from her, or--

No, that's impossible.

Because the path that Rika is on is a lonely one. No one else could ever understand how it feels to loop between worlds. No one else can understand what it's like to fold fragments of hope and be unable to piece them together...

Because no one else is supposed to know about the sea of fragments.

Rika tenses. Scared of opening up and realizing this conversation might take such a turn, she begins retreating back into her shell.]

... I've heard of such a place, yes.

I see.

[ Ange is still careful, trying her best to not let her own reaction give away too much yet. But she is definitely making sure to remember everything she can about Rika's reaction in turn. That surprise - and the way it seems so genuine. She's not used to people knowing about it, that much is clear.

That makes her connection to Bernkastel even stranger, but that aside..

There is one thing she can think of now, combined with what Rika is saying earlier. It's just a guess, but.. even if she's wrong, there's a shot at learning more regardless. ]

Then.. is a witch messing with you in the Hinamizawa of 1983? [ 'Not been eventful', Rika said. It feels important. ] Are you exploring different fragments of that place and time?

[Ange is so quick to hit the nail on the head... Honestly, it's suspicious. She even suggests a culprit as 'a witch.'

The younger girl falls silent again. She's thinking hard... Unsure how to proceed. Should she keep her cards close or show her full deck? It seems that Ange knows some of these cards. It's like the Games Club deck in that sense.]

... I am unsure if I would call her a 'witch.' But someone is helping me to explore the different fragments, yes.

[Speaking it hurts. Rika can feel something in the back of her throat. She's held back for years. Decades... For so long, Rika has withheld the urge to tell someone about the cycles. She didn't want to be called 'wrong' or 'crazy.' That fear remains, even in the face of someone who seems to be going through the same.]

What is a 'witch' to you?

[ What a question to ask Ange, of all people. If there's anyone who could give ten thousand different answers to that question, it's her.

And even then she isn't sure which one would work best in this weird, weird conversation. ]

Someone who can view multiple fragments, or has the ability to drag others into viewing them.

[ That feels the most relevant definition here, even if it's not close to the one Ange would usually use. It's true in her world anyway, isn't it? Everyone in her world who ended up on that level was a witch or a sorcerer in some way. ]

Various witches showed me different fragments of the Rokkenjima of 1986.

[ She doesn't expect Rika to recognize that, especially if Rika is talking about a time three years before that.

.. but.. who knows. And it's information that Ange doesn't mind throwing out there as much, especially with such a low risk of any actual recognition. ]

1st fragment

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