TEST DRIVE MEME 001 (#2)

[happyheartsstaff]

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!

PREMISE RULES FAQ TAKEN RESERVES APPLICATION MOD CONTACT HIATUS & DROPS WORLD INFO NPCS CALENDAR AC REWARDS

© tessisamess

Comments

aziraphale | good omens | ota

[lunchbreaks]

II. Making Waves

[ He'd just been walking by the pool when it happened, a tsunami in a hotel, really, could this day get any worse? He was just trying to find his shoes and maybe how to get home after, and now he was sopping wet and absolutely none of his magic appeared to operational.

His wings, usually hidden in his body, were drawn and dripping wet in a way they hadn't been since the very first rain. Embarrassing. ]

My watch! Oh, it'll be ruined!

[ He digs out an old-looking watch and tries to shake it dry, looking rather distraught. ]

III. Eat Me, Drink Me

[ Aziraphale is nothing if not polite, and wouldn't say no to a treat offered by his hosts. He could use something to drink anyway, after finally getting dry and sorting that thing out with his beloved timepiece. Still with his shoes and socks nowhere to be found, he finds the fruit waters pleasant enough, and keeps coming back for more servings.

That is, until he realizes that the table appears to be getting taller and taller. And hey, so does the guy behind the counter.

In fact, soon enough, only the tip-tops of Aziraphale's curls can be made out over the table if he stands right up next to it. Oh no, that won't do. He starts off at a brisk walk and then an awkward jog towards the elevators, steadily shrinking as he goes. ]

Excuse me-- hello, yes, hi, could you please help me? I can't seem to reach the elevator button and I'd really like to lodge a complaint with the front desk.

III. @qtangel

Aziraphale
Happy Hearts Casino and Hotel
?

MAYDAY. KIDNAPPED. UNSURE OF LOCATION. SEND HELP AT ONCE. BRING SLIPPERS.

M. Tracy or Sgt. Shadwell
14 Bridle Lane
London

Eat me, drink me

[inlovewithmycar]

[ There are reasons Crowley will rarely put anything in his mouth unless he knows exactly where it come from. Too many burnt tongues after someone felt the need to go and bless the dinner. Crowley just didn't trust like that.

He feels validated in his paranoia when he sees Aziraphale shrunk down to about half his usual height. He greets him cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear. ]

Oh, angel, you're looking a bit down today.

[lunchbreaks]

[ Aziraphale turns around at once, with his hands square on his hips and a cross look on his face, but it all sort of has no heat behind it, particularly since the angel doesn't reach three feet tall.

Very exasperatedly, he insists: ]

Push the button, Crowley. Please.

[inlovewithmycar]

Of course angel.

[ He's trying not to laugh. There's just something about a miniature Aziraphale pouting up at him that is somehow making it very difficult for him to take the whole thing too seriously, and so he turns to push the button, disguising a laugh as clearing his throat.

Right then. Now that he could reasonably function. ]

So. This is a new look for you. Guessing it wasn't deliberate?

[lunchbreaks]

Guessing it wasn't deliberate-- Crowley, of all the magic I have tried and haven't got, I wouldn't try shrinking myself!

[ And more importantly, being unable to get himself into a proper state after that. ]

Are you coming with me? I don't think I'll be able to see over the front de--

[ --Yeeeowch! Without looking, Aziraphale's stubbed his toe on the elevator door. He stumbles forward, grabbing the handle, trying not to shout. ]

[inlovewithmycar]

[ It's instinctual at this point. Aziraphale being even mildly in distress seemed to summon Crowley to his side in a heartbeat and the demon practically dives to catch him - even if the fall is half of what it would normally be. He helps right the angel, trying not to seem too much like he's fussing. ]

Bless it, Aziraphale, the things you get yourself into. How'd this happen anyway?

[lunchbreaks]

Well, I was just thinking, I've had an awful day. So I was looking for a drink, and there was a waiter with all this punch! And I thought, lovely, that's exactly what I need.

And the next thing I know, I'm... short!

[ He seems so upset about this in a very classic, over-the-top Aziraphale way. ]

They should really put a warning on those!

[ He takes no personal responsibility for this happening. ]

[inlovewithmycar]

[ Don't pick him up and put him on your shoulder, Crowley mentally repeats in his head, expression gone a bit glazed. Eventually he snaps himself back to reality. ]

You have lost a few inches, I'll give you that. They don't just have, I don't know, another drink that'll fix it? Any growing cookies?

[ He pauses, remembering where they are. ]

...Or was it cakes for growing?

[lunchbreaks]

--Oh! Like in the book!

I don't know, they probably do.

[ He looks back towards the table. ]

--What if I eat one, and I get even smaller?

[ Pocket Angel, Crowley. Pocket Angel! ]

Eat Me, Drink Me

[sixrealmsofhell]

[After his encounter with the colored tea, Mukuro decided to avoid all manners of food and drink for the time being. So when he sees a very tiny man waving at him, he can only assume that he also made a similar mistake. Reaching down, he holds out his hand so that the other can climb on if he so chose.]

I don't think complaining will do you much good. This place seems to enjoy its practical jokes.

Re: Eat Me, Drink Me

[lunchbreaks]

[ He does climb onto the proffered hand, gratefully. ]

Oh, thank you. And I do think that if we don't complain, they won't know where to draw the line. Surely it's worth trying!

Have they done anything to you?

[sixrealmsofhell]

I wouldn't recommend drinking the tea unless you like mood swings.

[He pushes the button for the lobby with his free hand as he steps into the elevator]

[lunchbreaks]

Ah, no, I do not. Thank you for the warning.

I wonder why they've given us so much food, only to make it all harmful.

[ Aziraphale clings on, since it's a bit wobbly; he's not used to being carried. Sorry. ]

[sixrealmsofhell]

[Mukuro sees that and reaches up to open his breast pocket, carefully placing the man there so he can ride and yet still see where he is going.]

Because to them we are nothing but toys and they are experimenting to see what their new toys can do.

[Honestly that kind of thing is exactly what Mukuro would do..so he understands.]

[lunchbreaks]

[ Aziraphale settles into the pocket, standing up and having his hair flounce above the flap as he tries to get a good view. ]

I might be toy-sized at the moment, but I would very much like to protest being someone's toy!

[sixrealmsofhell]

You might want to ask about a way to reverse it first. They might be more interested in what a full sized person would have to say.

[he certainly wouldn't feel particularly threatened if confronted by someone he could step on.]

[lunchbreaks]

Oh, yes. But I'm not sure how to do that.

--What if you spoke for me? Or just... move your mouth, and I can speak?

MAKING WAVES

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ That is... definitely a winged guy, holy shit. And not wings like Sam has - you know, when they're not getting snatched from him by people claiming to be holding on to them for the safety of others - these are full on, bird-like wings.

Or angel wings, he amends belatedly in his own thoughts, but really, it probably shouldn't be a surprised that a guy who goes by Falcon goes to birds first.

By now, he knows enough people that can also fly in various ways that it isn't the clear lack of being human that draws his attention most, it's- well. Flying by other means is just different than wings, is all. ]

I'm guessing the rest of you is okay, if you're worrying about a watch?

[lunchbreaks]

[ They are, in fact, swan's wings, though either most of the feathers are missing or they appear to be surgically truncated to the first bone (I still need to ask mods for clarification.) But the remaining feathers are a mess, fluffy and disheveled, much like the man. ]

Oh! Well, I mean, relatively!

[ That is, not really, because he has superpowers, and he's currently missing them. At the very least, Aziraphale wouldn't be outrunning Sam, ever. ]

There's that whole... being kidnapped situation, you know, and our shoes, but the watch is rather special! An antique.

[ Something about the wings and his demeanor suggest that he just might be the original owner. ]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Sam can't help but quirk a little smile at that, because yeah, he knows a little something about okay being relative.

Normally, he'd probably be seeing if the guy could maybe outfly him, at least a little, but he gets the feeling neither of them are in any kind of shape to be flying right now.

He's not sure he'd rank the shoes or a watch up in there with kidnapping, but hey, to each their own. It kind of sounds like it might be sentimental.

He just can't quite decide if that means passed down or immortal being. ]

I'm sorry, man. How long you have it?

[lunchbreaks]

[ Maybe when they both get their flight skills back, they can have a little race. Not that Aziraphale was very fast, but he did miss doing all the tricks.

But then he freezes when Sam asks him the question. ]

I'm sorry?

[ He blinks and then sputters about a little bit, fiddling with his hands as he remembers that his wings are out... ]

Ooh...

[ His voice drops as he looks down and nervously whispers, sounding like the last bit of air coming out of a balloon: ]

About... three hundred years.

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Oh hell yeah, Sam'd be there. It'd be one good thing about this place, at least - although the fact that it's currently rendered them incapable of it probably cancels it out a little.

He almost feels bad about asking the question when it makes the guy go all nervous, like it's something to be ashamed of or something that's gonna freak Sam out. Which, honestly, fair enough. A dozen or so years ago, before aliens invaded and all kinds of superheroes started popping out of the wings, he might have been a little freaked out.

Man, he really wants to know if his first guess is correct, or if this guy is an angel the same way Thor is only technically a Norse god, but he doesn't want to push. ]

One of my best friends back home is over a hundred and still kicking, but it sounds like you got him beat by a while. I won't ask if you don't want to talk about it, though.

[lunchbreaks]

[ Well, humans rarely live to be well over a hundred, but it's not unheard of. ]

Must be very healthy.

[ But the fact that Sam doesn't otherwise comment on his age is nice. Might just be the wings, or the fact that they're both at this weird hotel, and also that Sam also got kidnapped, but still. It's nice. ]

So if I might ask you, how did you come to be here? Do you remember anything?

I'm trying to figure out just exactly why they've pulled us here in the first place. Surely they could've just extended an invitation!

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Sam makes a small scoffing sound at that, but the smile on his face is clearly affectionate. ]

He's something, all right.

[ True to his word, he doesn't ask any follow up questions - it may have been a while since he worked at the VA, but he still knows how to roll with a subject change away from a potentially sensitive topic.

Besides, in the scheme of things, the other guy's questions are a lot more relevant. ]

Not much. One minute I was picking up lunch, the next I was running - chasing something, or maybe running away, it gets a little fuzzy there. Then I end up here. I get the feeling they didn't want to give us the chance to refuse an invitation.

[lunchbreaks]

I don't know why anyone would've refused an invitation to a place like this. Was quite rude of them to assume otherwise and then drag us here.

[ He's probably more frustrated about this than the whole kidnapping situation. The audacity! ]

Won't even tell me where this is or let me leave.

Say, where are you from? You sound American.