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

drink me

[equivocations]

Wangji?

[ The familiar voice is... well, it's perhaps not the last thing that Lan Xichen expects here, but only because at this point, he finds it difficult for anything about this place to be in line with any expectations. It does, however, invoke a complicated feeling that isn't quite relief - the idea of his brother being stuck here as well certainly isn't anything like relief - and isn't quite dread - for the obvious reason that despite everything else, there will always be a part of him that is glad of his brother's company.

He looks around, scanning the others in the area and almost passing him over, considering he's looking at a higher level. When he finally does spot him, his brows furrow briefly. That is very definitely Lan Wangji, only it has been quite some time since he to look that far down to make eye contact with him.

He supposes that must be the curse that Wangji asked about. ]

What happened?

[billowing]

[ Lan Wangji looks up at-- oh gods he looks up at his da ge, who normally meets him at eye level. ]

Brother.

[ His mouth tightens into a frown, but honestly from up there it probably looks like a pout. ]

I asked for water and they brought me a potion.

[ And now, he's small! He's tiny! He's... he's really not that short, but if Xichen sticks around, he might notice that Wangji is actually... shrinking? ]

Whatever they offer to you, do not consume it.

[ This is the most embarrassing thing that could have possibly happened. ]

[equivocations]

[ It does indeed look remarkably like a pout, and for a moment their surroundings matter slightly less than that sight and he has to look down to hide the way the corner of his lips really wants to twitch up into a tiny smile.

Embarrassing though it is, it's certainly not the worst thing that's happened to either one of them - although admittedly, his approach gains a little more urgency when he realizes that the curse isn't finished yet, and Wangji has grown a little bit smaller.

A potion. ]

Do you still have it?

[ He shifts closer out of habit, before he catches himself and remembers that he hasn't been able to access his spiritual power since he arrived here - even if whatever this cursed potion is did leave residual energy, he wouldn't be able to read it. ]

[billowing]

No. I gave it back to the waiter when I was done.

[ He looks away, slightly ashamed. Sorry bro, he's been trying his best but he got thirsty. ]

I will ask them for the antidote.

[ But knowing their hesitance to help so far, he doesn't think that they will give him such a thing. He hopes it functions like the spell of silence - gone within the burntime of a single stick of incense.

And yet, now that he comes up just under Xichen's chest, he is finding himself increasingly annoyed by this turn of events.

With a look of sudden realization, he unstraps his guqin from his back and holds it up to Xichen. Yep. Even his faithful Wangji has gotten comparatively smaller. ]

[equivocations]

[ There's a small frown at that ashamed look - he has no doubt that his brother did anything else than his best. It seems counter productive - they have already been captured and held here against their will, incapacitated, what purpose does something like this serve? ]

It would have been unreasonable to expect that anything you were provided to quench your thirst might have another purpose. Now we know.

[ And now things are much more complicated than he originally thought, finding himself here instead of in seclusion back in Coud Recesses, but at the moment he's only capable of focusing on one thing at a time, and this is much more pressing.

Irritating though it might be, Lan Xichen considers it a small mercy that it seems that anything that Wangji was in contact with is also effected by the potion. ]

We will ask them together.

[billowing]

[ Nobody is good enough to deserve a brother like Lan Xichen, to be honest. This is why he's the most favored among the Cultivators. Hanguang-jun is cold and aloof, but Zewu-jun is personable, and always with a smile.

Lan Wangji merely nods and tries not to meet his brother's eyes, because he's so used to them being the same height, as they have been for most of their lives. Twin Jades, indeed. ]

Let's find the elevator.

[ On the bright side, where he's lost in overall scale, he's absolutely unchanged in everything else. He moves smoothly, and gracefully, not bothering to check over his shoulder to see if Xichen is following. ]

[equivocations]

[ Of course someone is - Wangji deserves only the best, clearly. And of course, there's absolutely no bias here in thinking so.

As much as it is... disconcerting, to not be at eye level with his brother and be unable to glance over so easily to read him as he's used to doing, there's something endearing about Wangji being this height. Something that he would never call attention to, of course, but he can't help but be reminded of when they were younger.

Still, while it's only embarrassing now, it has the potential to be much more dangerous if not contained, and Lan Xichen follows his brother without hesitation. ]

When did you arrive here?

[billowing]

[ It could be dangerous, and most certainly is, as Wangji becomes slowly and slowly slightly shorter. Any more and he'd be the size of a large doll, some porcelain figure to place on a mantle and forget about.

Not only this, but his voice has started to pitch up, and he sounds a little bit squeaky. ]

...Earlier today.

[ He admits this reluctantly, because he should've held out for longer. ]

I see they have also taken your shoes. Do they think we will not escape if we do not have them?

[equivocations]

And I just awoke.

[ There's the faintest hint of something like alarm in his otherwise thoughtful commentary. Something powerful enough to lure them both in on the same day, to infiltrate Cloud Recesses apparently without much effort - he had been resigned when it was only him, but with Wangji there, it changes everything. ]

Of all the methods to ensure our imprisonment, stealing our shoes is certainly a bold strategy.

[ And ineffective, to say the least. Despite the neutral expression, his eyes betray his concern as Wangji continues to shrink down. Soon he would fit right in amongst the rabbits back home - and Lan Xichen can only imagine how disgruntled his brother will be if he has to carry him.

Which means there is an undercurrent of frosted steel to his usual polite tone when he draws the attention of the first staff member that comes into view. ]

Excuse me. We require information.

[billowing]

[ The staff member comes over to them, friendly as all. But when Lan Wangji asks: ]

How do I remove this spell?

[ The staff member looks him up and down and states that he's always been that way, of course!

Lan Wangji, who is squeaky and small and seething, tries to unsheathe his sword, forgetting that it's sealed itself.

The staff member seems not to notice and carries on, smiling at the two of them with a creepy insincerity, asking them if there's anything else they could be helped with today. ]

[equivocations]

[ Look, Lan Xichen has heard a lot of lies in his life - just how many is something he's still coming to terms with, but that's beside the point - ranging from perfect to ridiculous, and yet he's reasonably certain he's never been faced with someone so seemingly certain that they will believe something so blatantly false.

He would be thrown by the sheer audacity if it wasn't his brother at stake.

His own hand clutches at the hilt of his sword in near unison with Wangji, though he doesn't try to draw his yet. Another tactic, then - surely they can't deny that he was provided with some refreshment. ]

What was he given to drink? [ All right, yes, of course they can lie about that, so he follows it up with, ] Where are the drinks kept?

[billowing]

[ The staff member helpfully suggests that he's only been given a juice, and if they are out of juice, there's probably more in the kitchens. They won't be allowed in, of course, but the staff member is happy to go retrieve some for the honorable guests if they wish. ]

Take us to the kitchens.

[ The staff member, with their creepy smile, denies Lan Wangji, who, at Lan Xichen's waist, seems to finally have stopped shrinking. ]

This is useless. Where is the Queen?

[ The staff member shakes their head, and explains that they can't be taken to see the Queen. In response, Lan Wangji takes a step forward, and might need his Xiaozhang to remind him that he is currently powerless. ]

[equivocations]

[ The dissonance of the staff's respectful manner, too friendly smiles, insistence that they're honorable guests and should be obliged with the fact that they can't even come up with a lie that is remotely convincable is -

Affecting Lan Xichen in a way that he is trying very, very hard not to allow to rise to the surface. If Wangji wasn't with him, he would be tempted to assume that this was a personal mockery, another aspect of the punishment he briefly assumed this might be when he first found himself here.

But Wangji is with him, and he's done nothing to deserve being treated in this manner. Even if this is a form of retribution, he refuses to allow his brother to be caught up in the fallout of his own mistakes even more than he already has. ]

Wangji.

[ It's quiet, but firm, and when his gaze catches his brother's he pointedly lets it drop to his unsheathed sword and back up again, giving the tiniest of head shakes. They may not be truly helpless, but they are powerless, and can't discount the possibility that even the staff of the one capable of doing something like this may have tricks up their sleeves. ]

May we request the same type of juice that he was given, and the one that is its opposite? They must have contrasting flavors.

[billowing]

[ That was how things worked. Wangji would do something, and Xichen would have to be the headshake of reason. Everyone had always said that Hanguang-Jun was level-headed, calm, stoic, and reasonable - but how much of that was thanks to his brother? His xiongzhang knew him, better than anyone ever had.

And so, he backs down, and steels his expression. His brother had never steered him wrong.

The staff, meanwhile, looks very confused. What does honorable guest mean, the opposite juice? Juices don't have opposites, but could they possibly interest sirs in some complimentary teas?

Lan Wangji glares up at the staff member, who, in mistaking him for an angry child, pulls out a lollipop and offers it to him.

He shoots his dear xiongzhang a look that says, this is proving futile. ]

[equivocations]

[ Well then. Talking politely isn't working. He doubts they have to try violence to know it won't work - though admittedly, he might have been tempted to if there was really any kind of threat that they could feasibly follow through on.

It's really only because he has too much practice in the diplomatic approach - and because it seems that Wangji has finally stopped shrinking, at least for the moment - that he doesn't try anyway.

The set of his jaw gives evidence of his irritation as he looks back at his brother. Yes, this is very much proving futile, and he closes his eyes for a brief moment before he thanks the staff member for their time and turns all of his attention towards Wangji. ]

Were there other refreshments, where you were given this one?

[ Perhaps they can find whatever it was themselves. ]

[billowing]

Three types of juice.

Various cakes.

[ He means cookies, but does Lan Wangji eat cookies? Has he ever eaten a cookie in his life? He just assumed they were little and flat, but soft all the same. Perhaps made with glutinous rice.

He was starting to get hungry, but he didn't truly want to eat dessert. No, he could definitely go for some hearty and filling... vegetables. A whole bowl of mushrooms.

Wangji tips his chin over to where the table is, though now he is too short to actually point it out because there are people in the way. ]