happyheartsstaff: (Default)
𝐻𝒜𝒫𝒫𝒴 𝐻𝐸𝒜𝑅𝒯𝒮 𝒮𝒯𝒜𝐹𝐹 ([personal profile] happyheartsstaff) wrote in [community profile] funnyhearts2020-04-22 10:38 am
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TEST DRIVE MEME 001 (#2)

HAPPY HEARTS HOTEL

You wake up in a padded box. It rocks, gently, as though suspended in mid-air. You begin to stir, confusion or distress pushing you to try to sit up — and then the air begins to smell sweet, and you fall back asleep.

You wake up in a padded box. For a moment, you are beatifically calm. You don't know how you got here, or why, but that isn't really all that important. You don't need to know where you are. You're just... here. And here is a wonderful place to be.

But there is a niggling suspicion growing in the back of your mind. A suspicion that here is not somewhere you wanted to be. That it is not where you're supposed to be. You remember... chasing a white rabbit (or was it a person)? A mirror? Bright light, and green ivy crawling over your skin... Before you can worry too much, the box jolts, and then settles, and after a long moment the walls fall from around you to reveal —

A hotel lobby?

"Welcome to the Happy Hearts Hotel and Casino," says an attendant behind a desk. "We're so pleased you could join us for our grand opening gala. We have your room keys and Empathies here, please make an orderly line and we'll hand them out once we've confirmed identities. After that, feel free to explore the hotel! We highly recommend starting with the casino. Everyone's a winner here in Happy Hearts!"

Is this normal? It doesn't feel normal. And hey — you could swear you had shoes before!

I. THE CASINO FLOOR



As you pass through the entrance to the casino floor, an attendant passes you a small bag of chips. The casino is loud and bright and filled with games of every kind — you want to play poker? They've got a table for that. Sabacc? There's a table for that, too. Slots, pachinko, and bingo are just a few of the other games on offer. The attendant in the lobby wasn't lying, either — everyone who plays wins. Everyone, every time.

Servers wander the floor with trays of shotglasses full of multi-coloured liquids, offering them to every Oyster "Compliments of Her Royal Highness." If you're expecting alcohol, though, you'll be surprised — these drinks are teas made of the distilled emotions of every Oyster in the hotel. Each colour of tea corresponds to a different emotion, and as soon as you take a sip, you feel overcome with that emotion.
JOY — the distilled essence of happiness, this tea makes even the most rough and tumble of Oysters giddy with happiness — for a moment. The effect fades into a general sense of contentment and affability after a few seconds, and that itself fades away slowly over the course of twenty minutes.

ANGER — this tea, anger in liquid form, can make the most even-tempered of Oysters ready to absolutely blow a gasket. For twenty minutes, anyone who drinks this tea will find themselves much more easily annoyed, frustrated, and all around irritable and snappy.

SADNESS — distilled sadness is a potent tea, capable of turning a stoic, stalwart Oyster into a blubbering mess in moments. Events that may have previously only been a minor disappointment become the end of the world, every repressed unhappiness comes to the fore, and for twenty minutes, any Oyster who drinks a sadness tea can hardly keep themselves together.


II. MAKING WAVES



If gambling isn't to your interest, there are many other areas of the hotel to explore! For the moment, only The Pool Of Tears and the Pig & Pepper Buffet are available for Oysters to peruse, but the staff assure anyone who asks that the other facilities will be open by the next day. Unfortunately, that means no one can buy any swimsuits from This Elegant Thimble, but the staff aren't going to kick anyone out of the pool for jumping in in their clothes!

There are four main attractions to The Pool of Tears: the pool, the jacuzzi, the wave pool, and the lazy river. The water is always just the right temperature, clean and clear and refreshing. It feels as if the sun shines down from above you, warm and comforting. Scattered through the pool area are clusters of modern lounge chairs, just waiting for someone to come relax in them. The Pool is, in a word, serene.

But not for long. The waves generated by the wave pool begin to get choppier, and larger, until it becomes clear that the generator itself is malfunctioning — too late, however, to avoid the tsunami that crashes through the whole Pool and leaves it flooded. Thankfully, no water escapes into the rest of the hotel, and the hotel staff work quickly to rescue those trapped in the Pool and drain the flooding — but you better hope you can tread water until they get to you!




III. EAT ME, DRINK ME



The Pig & Pepper buffet serves lunch foods from across all different cultures, offering something for everyone, and some things you've never even heard of.

On offer with these lunchtime dishes are cookies and biscuits and scones of all kinds, held on tiered trays with signs that proclaim Eat Me! in delightfully whimsical calligraphy. Nearby, hotel staff man a small booth for doling out cups of fruit waters from large pitchers, which have Drink Me! painted playfully on their sides.

It takes a while to feel the effects — perhaps you've even left the Pig & Pepper by the time it happens — but those who eat the cookies and scones inevitably end up growing in size, whether a few inches or feet, and those who drank the fruity water similarly shrink. Eat enough and you might strain the ceiling; drink enough and you'll be the size of a thimble! It's not permanent — if no one else can help you figure out how to get back to normal, the staff certainly will — but it's definitely inconvenient!




IV. WELCOME HOME



Maybe you just want to be alone — well, that's what you have your room key for! Oysters room on the second and third floors of the hotel, one to a room. You were assured your room would be exactly what you'd always wished for — and for some, that's right! It's exactly as you would have decorated it yourself. But for others, their rooms are totally wrong. A grizzled cowboy can't have a pink room! Hotel staff are firm, though: every room is exactly as its owner wants it to be. Search your feelings, Oyster. You know it to be true.

On each bed are the Oysters' personal effects, minus weapons, as well as a towel folded in the shape of a heart, and a single foil-wrapped chocolate. If eaten, the chocolate is delicious, and incites a feeling of tender warmth in Oysters — not lust, but a desire for closeness. Why spend time in your room, when you could go find a new friend in the casino?





Welcome to the (second!) first TDM of Happy Hearts, a new panfandom roleplaying game here on DW! If you have any questions, please direct them to the first comment on this page. Happy playing, Oysters!




© tessisamess


billowing: (Default)

[personal profile] billowing 2020-06-08 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
We did.

[ Is this not a memory he shares with the other Lan Wangji? That's a shame. ]

We sat on a boat, and filled it with lotus pods.

[ And Lan Wangji, who hadn't wanted so many lotus seeds to eat in the first place, had picked some out for Wei Ying, and offered them to him one by one as they sailed away. ]
scaredofdogs: (pic#14042127)

[personal profile] scaredofdogs 2020-06-08 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
"Lan Zhan has a way of finding trouble without trying to. It must be some sort of Lan skill." He found him and he is definitely trouble. So either he has a very distinct scent that the man can track, or he is just destined to end up by the man's side.

"He was mostly around to make sure the disciples were okay. They were tracking some pretty powerful spirits. They are talented kids but they still have a lot of learning to do."

He tried to help them learn as much as they could while in Yi City and he was proud of how quick some of them caught on. But they are young and it shows.

"I don't know how much of your future you want to know..but the first fierce corpse that we summon is Wen Ning. That was probably a pretty big tip off and brought every big cultivator running." It had shocked him to see the man considering he should have been nothing but ashes.
scaredofdogs: (Surprised)

[personal profile] scaredofdogs 2020-06-08 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
Really? I really get to show you Lotus Pier?

[Does that mean in some way he gets forgiven by Jiang Cheng? It seems hard to believe..but if Lan Wangji and him were there then something must have happened. He can't help but seem really happy by the thought as he envisions them picking lotus pods on a boat. He wishes he had that memory but it's nice to think that his future might hold something brighter.]

I'm glad. At least I get to fulfill one dream. And it might not be lotus pier..but getting to swim with you here kind of fulfills it too.
billowing: (Default)

[personal profile] billowing 2020-06-08 03:56 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well uh, he's not going to explain the part where Jiang Cheng came over and tried to fight him, and that was the whole reason Lan Wangji had to bring him away on a boat. And why they didn't get to go swimming. ]

Yes.

You wanted me to meet your ancestors.

[ He's not going to contextualize why, because he doesn't want Wei Ying to panic. ]
scaredofdogs: (pic#14042187)

[personal profile] scaredofdogs 2020-06-08 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
[Wei Wuxian lets himself bask in this knowledge. To not only be allowed into Lotus Pier...but to be able to visit the place where his senior sister and everyone was. It's a pleasant thought that he won't ruin by trying to learn too many details. He's afraid of what other truths might lie with it.]

I hope I get to have this memory too..but if not it's nice to pretend that I do. What other good memories do we get to have?
sadflutenoises: (smile)

[personal profile] sadflutenoises 2020-06-08 04:07 am (UTC)(link)
To see Lan Zhan actually getting emotional as well, he has to turn his face or he'll start all over again. He'd be proud of A-Yuan no matter what, even if all he ever did was sell turnips on the roadside. His heart is throbbing painfully in his chest and it doesn't seem fair that A-Yuan isn't here now, so he can see him, instead of just feeling like he's missed so much.

"Aaah, and here I thought you would've spoiled him rotten. Enough, enough! You'll make me cry again! I can barely show my face as it is!" he sniffles, giving Lan Zhan's shoulder a good-natured swat. Who would've thought he'd actually be hushing Lan Wangji for once?

"I'd say we should celebrate, but I know better than to expect you'd have anything to drink here," he laughs once more, and manages to show a genuine smile for what feels like the first time in ages.
billowing: (Default)

[personal profile] billowing 2020-06-08 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ He thinks about this. A lot of them were good. ]

The day I came to Yiling, and A-Yuan introduced himself to my leg.

[ He smiles so softly at the memory, of being reprimanded by strangers who thought he was A-Yuan's father, of buying him toys, of buying them both something to eat that wasn't turnip soup. ]
billowing: (Default)

[personal profile] billowing 2020-06-08 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
He had, in fact, attempted to spoil A-Yuan rotten, what with trying to fill the void in his heart for having been passed through several families in his short lifetime, only to be saddled with a man who had been the most hated of his clan for awhile, who had mourned ceaselessly. He'd understood why nursery rhymes and lullabies all had such horrible lyrics; if A-Yuan was less bright a young child, Lan Wangji would have sang him his woes every night.

"You may drink, but I will not." He promised that to the other Wei Ying. He won't say it, but he definitely doesn't want to repeat any of the types of things that happens when he's drunk, apparently. Like tying up Wei Ying's hands with his headband. Lan Wangji could break through the strongest of spells, but couldn't help himself after a single shot of alcohol.

"And if you wish to purchase some downstairs, we may have to wait until our clothes are dried." Oh, that's right, their clothes are still wet and would probably need to dry overnight.

"You are welcome to stay."
scaredofdogs: (Listening to you)

[personal profile] scaredofdogs 2020-06-08 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
Mm..that was a good day. I never expected to see you in Yiling. It made me really happy, especially with how A-Yuan got so attached to you. I was supposed to buy the meal but I never got the chance.

[But there is a twinge of sadness with that memory as well. Thinking of how the Wen clan was killed in the Burial Mounds after he lost control of himself at Nightless City. How A-Yuan and everyone was lost..]

He was a good kid. He liked you a lot. He kept asking when rich brother would come back.
sadflutenoises: (Default)

[personal profile] sadflutenoises 2020-06-08 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
"It has to be. No wonder he finds us so easily. And always seems to know when rules are being broken," he nods sagely, as if there can be no greater truth.

"Mm, they picked up hints quickly enough. I only had to point out the strange arm once before one of them caught on," he agrees. He'd been surprised enough to see that even the Lans now used his spirit luring talisman too. What a strange welcome it'd been.

As he was lost in those thoughts, he had to stop mid-step once his other self mentioned Wen Ning. That couldn't be possible!

"Wen Ning?!" he couldn't help his outburst. Wen Qing and Wen Ning had been little more than ashes, scattered to the winds. How was Wen Ning the first summoned?

"How is that possible?"
billowing: (Default)

[personal profile] billowing 2020-06-08 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, he doesn't know.

He hasn't gotten there yet.
]

Wei Ying... there is something I never told you.

But you must promise me if I tell you, that you will act no differently once we return to our homes.

[ Our homes, because he doubts that the other Lan Wangji will appreciate this one having to deal with Wei Ying knowing this and springing it unsuspectingly on Sizhui. ]
scaredofdogs: (question marks)

[personal profile] scaredofdogs 2020-06-08 04:35 am (UTC)(link)
[He gives him a confused expression. What could possibly be such a big secret?]

That's a hard promise to keep but I guess I can do my best.

[He sits up a little, curiosity growing.]

What is the big secret?
scaredofdogs: (pic#14042203)

[personal profile] scaredofdogs 2020-06-08 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
"I wish I knew how it was possible. But..it seems he was never turned to ash. He was kept by the Jin sect and somehow...Xue Yang got a hold of him."

He doesn't even fully understand how that happened, and it's one of the biggest mysteries as to how that kid was able to hammer two nails into Wen Ning's head without him acting out. He had some very strong helpers at his disposal.

"When he showed up he was wrapped in special chains that wouldn't come off and he didn't have his consciousness. He was being controlled by two nails in his head. But he still came when I called so enough of him was still and recognized his original master."
billowing: (Default)

[personal profile] billowing 2020-06-08 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
There is no try your best. You will or you won't.

[ He knows it's for the best, and he knows that Wei Ying wouldn't want to hurt him, but he still wants to hear him say it. ]

Promise me.
sadflutenoises: (Default)

[personal profile] sadflutenoises 2020-06-08 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
"Ah, and of course, some things will never change," he sighed theatrically. Even so far from Cloud Recesses, with his hair down and his casual robes, he couldn't help being the rule-abiding, perfect pillar of morality, could he? Hopefully now that Lan Wangji was a bit older, he'd learned to hold his drink, at least.

"It's fine, I can finish enough for both of us," he assured, having little desire to push the issue, not when they were both in such good spirits.

The clothing though, that was something of a problem. It was true, it wasn't as if he could just skip downstairs in the little white robe- well, he would only mind a little, but he couldn't imagine Lan Zhan wanting to be seen outside his room in it. Then again, the staff had told him there was a room here for him. He hadn't exactly hurried to look, but it was an option.

Still, there was that faint tugging at his heartstrings that told him how rare it was for Hanguang Jun to even offer such a thing. Refusing would break the mood, he told himself. That was the only reason, of course.

"I'm afraid that as usual, I wouldn't be able to treat. My pockets are empty no matter where I end up," he grinned a little crookedly. He really had meant to pay the last time they'd eaten together, but it seemed like he'd always be in Lan Zhan's debt.

"But if my company is payment enough, of course I can stay a little while."
billowing: (Default)

[personal profile] billowing 2020-06-08 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
No, Lan Wangji would not walk out of his room with nothing on but this robe. Not even a pair of inner pants to put on underneath. Scandalous. Imagine if there was a wind or this flimsy tie came apart. That would just be too much.

He shakes his head and decides not to tell Wei Ying that Hanguang-Jun has basically been bankrolling him since he came back from the dead. Why would anyone have assumed he had any money with which to purchase anything? Rich Uncle was more than happy to provide for the destitute Wei Ying, before or after his death. It was something he could do to make him feel like he was helping, even a little bit.

"It is enough." That's what he says, and it's definitely not what he means, and not something like, I would never want to be parted from you again.

He pours them some more tea, hoping it will suffice for now. Wei Ying can go purchase alcohol downstairs in the morning, and maybe the two of them could drink as the two sober Lan Wangjis drank tea and had an entire conversation through looks in the background.
sadflutenoises: (pic#14048888)

[personal profile] sadflutenoises 2020-06-08 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
And somehow he was the one always cast as the villain. The Jin clan was hardly different from the Wens in all the ways that mattered. Despicable. To think Wen Ning had been kept, imprisoned while he was gone for so long.

"Xue Yang?" he sniffed. He'd heard little to nothing about the man, not since they'd left him in the Unclean Realm and he'd escaped during the Wen's attack. He'd seen the aftermath of Song Lan's run-in with him, while they'd stayed with Wen Qing, but if he never had to see that smirking brat again, he wouldn't regret it.

"Mm, he's not just any fierce corpse, but for him to be treated like that..." he was going to have to start keeping a list of all the people to pay a visit to when he returned.
scaredofdogs: (pic#14042095)

[personal profile] scaredofdogs 2020-06-08 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
Okay okay..I promise Lan Zhan. I will not tell whatever secret you are about to give me.

[He holds up his fingers as he swears to everything that he will not tell. This must be some serious shit...]
billowing: (Default)

[personal profile] billowing 2020-06-08 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
I returned to Yiling too late to prevent...

[ His voice tapers off but he has no doubt Wei Ying knows what he means. He closes his eyes and swallows down the sadness that starts, because almost everything about that time was something that he doesn't like to think about. He moves on, swiftly. ]

I found a child hiding.

A-Yuan is alive, Wei Ying.
scaredofdogs: (pic#14042094)

[personal profile] scaredofdogs 2020-06-08 05:18 am (UTC)(link)
"Trust me..he's more trouble then you think. Lan Zhan and I just left Yi City..and we end up encountering him again. He has been pretty busy since we were out of commission."

He'll never forgive him for what he did to Xiao Xingchen..but there isn't much he can do about it either. The brat is dead and so one less bad guy to deal with. "I don't know much beyond that honestly..I arrived here shortly after dealing with him."

So the rest of their future is a mystery that only the one Lan Wangji knows. "I wonder how dangerous it is for us to find out about our futures..."

One would think it wouldn't be a great thing to do, but also..if it could keep them from making past mistakes it might also be beneficial. He spots the shop up ahead and points at it. "Everything is free so just pick whatever you want."
scaredofdogs: (pic#14042104)

[personal profile] scaredofdogs 2020-06-08 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
[he really does drop the cup this time but at least it had already been pretty low and mostly empty. He sits up quickly and latches onto the front of Lan Wangji's robes, not sure if he can handle dealing with this if it turns out to be a lie.]

He..he can't be. They came and killed everyone..I'm sure..

[Not that he could have done anything about it at the time since he was barely conscious but if he had known...certainly he would have tried harder to resist the resentful energy. Maybe he could have found a way to hold on..]

This isn't a lie? You promise?
billowing: (Default)

[personal profile] billowing 2020-06-08 05:30 am (UTC)(link)
I would not lie to you about this.

[ He wouldn't lie to Wei Ying at all, but yes, he definitely wouldn't attempt to play with him in such a way. ]

He is nearly grown.

But he does not remember his life from before. You cannot tell him.

[ That's why he made Wei Ying promise. ]
sadflutenoises: (Default)

[personal profile] sadflutenoises 2020-06-08 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
He definitely hasn't imagined it. This grown up Lan Zhan seems different, like the years have made him soft around the edges. He hasn't sent Wei Wuxian a single cutting look since meeting him. Well, hopefully that's some of A-Yuan's influence, he can't help but think.

This tea is warm and soothing and familiar, not like the strange brew he'd tried earlier in the casino. He should probably give Hanguang Jun some space, since he's not treating his wounds any longer, but he feels comfortable here at his side, leaning lazily on the low table, sipping his tea.

He wants to say more, but where does he even start? There's been so much left unsaid between them. Wen Qing's reminder of the most difficult words to say doesn't go unrecognized, but maybe it's better not to lead with those.

"I feel like I've asked you so many questions," he smiles faintly, "but I don't have much I can tell you in return."

News tended to be a little slow after you were dead.
billowing: (Default)

[personal profile] billowing 2020-06-08 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
He supposes it doesn't help that he's already talked to Wei Ying after he came back to life, so he's got all the information he wants regarding that. He supposes he could ask about what Wei Ying thinks of the other him, the other both of them, but he doesn't think they've talked extensively.

"You can tell me what else you did today," he offers. Yes, he has possibly gone a little soft around the edges, but can anyone blame him? He'd heard Wuji in the forest, and he had thought it must be a trick. It must be a dream.

And then all of a sudden, Wei Ying was back in his life as if he'd never left it. And he'd missed him so many times that he had stood on the bridge waiting nearly an hour for him, just so he wouldn't again. They'd visited Lotus Pier and Wei Ying had wanted to show him his ancestors. He'd stood in front of everyone and had chosen Wei Ying.

This is precisely why he doesn't want Wei Ying to tell Sizhui. Because now Lan Wangji feels slightly foolish, sitting here being a stranger to Wei Ying yet again.
scaredofdogs: (pic#14042121)

[personal profile] scaredofdogs 2020-06-08 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
[He lowers his face, still clutching Lan Wangji as if he might disappear before he tells him the whole story. He is trying to hide the fact that there is happiness and relief and all of it wants to come flowing out of his eyes, letting his bangs hide his expression. The trembling of shoulders threaten to give away his secret as he tries to keep himself steady.]

How...? Where is he...?

[And how is he possibly going to keep the happiness a secret the minute he lays eyes on a grown up A-Yuan? But he did promise and so he knows he needs to keep it. So for now he has to get all these emotions out.]