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

[scaredofdogs]

[He swims up to the other man and looks over at it. He reaches up to push wet bangs out of his eyes then shakes his head.]

Not yet. I haven't actually gotten to enjoy the pool too much. The first time I was blind and the second time..ah..well the visit got cut short.

[His fault of course...]

[billowing]

[ He looks over, standing at the cave entrance. ]

I'm with you.

[ Which means they can go see it, right? ]

[scaredofdogs]

[They haven't had the best of luck with caves..as long as there aren't any giant tortoises it can't possibly be bad. He gives a nod.]

Let's check it out together.

[billowing]

Mm.

[ Doesn't look like there's openings big enough for a tortoise or a human, so they're good. And if not, hey. They've done it once before.

He ventures in deeper, but most of it is illuminated for the guests's benefit.

And Lan Wangji's disappointment. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He looks around as they enter. It's definitely less dark and dreary then the last cave he was in.]

Whoever built this has never really been in an actual cave.

[It's nice and the illumination is kind of interesting but when he looks over he can almost see the disappointment on the stoic face.]

Something wrong, Lan Zhan?

[Besides the whole different modern world, stolen from his time, everything sucks..kind of stuff.]

[billowing]

It's not really a cave.

[ Barely looks like a real cave up close. Also, yes, the stolen from his time, different modern world, everything sucks, and as much as he likes being around this Wei Ying, he wonders if his own is alone and waiting for him somewhere, thinking he'd snuck off without a word or something. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He reaches out and puts his hand on Lan Wangji's arm. He has tried to make things easier for him all day but he knows this is all hard to get used to. He's had weeks to do it. And since he didn't have to make the transition alone, he didn't want this man to either. He wonders if there is anything he can do to make things better.]

It's possible nothing about this place is actually real. Everything could be a big dream or an illusion. Maybe we are all actually asleep. I mean..there is so much here I don't understand or have never seen so maybe I'm just imagining it all. Of course..two Lan Wangji's is an interesting things to dream about.

[billowing]

[ Oh, Wei Ying definitely doesn't want to know what happens in Lan Wangji's dreams. ]

If you are dreaming, then I am not. But if I am dreaming, would you tell me this?

[ Illogical, isn't it? Still, he tries to keep a firm grip on himself for Wei Ying's sake. There's no need for him to worry himself over Lan Wangji. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[Wei Wuxian reaches up and rubs the side of his nose with his finger, a little unsure how to respond to that.]

Why can't we be in a shared dream? We don't know all the powers that are in the world. There could be something that can make us fall asleep and find ourselves in other people's minds. Would it be so hard to believe that all of this is some weird creation made by a collection of several people's minds? Any more hard to believe then someone who is dead regaining their consciousness?

[He had been told he couldn't do it, but Wen Ning is proof that the impossible is sometimes possible.]

[billowing]

Nothing is impossible, but it is improbable.

[ He makes his way towards Wei Ying, not having meant to upset him. His gaze softens. ]

Wei Ying.

[ He comes close, hand on his arm reassuringly. ]

Let's enjoy the water.

[scaredofdogs]

[Pulling himself out of those thoughts as the other comes close, he looks up at him and smiles.]

No more serious talk while enjoying the water.

[He gives the other man a little playful splash.]

[billowing]

[ Lan Wangji again blocks, but then he, not looking at Wei Ying, offers a splash back.

It's a lot harder of a splash than he means... ]

[scaredofdogs]

[Not expecting the splash back he yelps and blinks as water drips down off his bangs. His shorter stature puts him at a bad splash zone in regards to Lan Wangji and the water they stand in. He should have taken note of that before beginning his assault but now he of course feels the need to continue the game.]

Prepare yourself Lan Zhan. Splashing people is a specialty of mine.

[Except he doesn't really give the man a chance to prepare as he sends another splash at him.]

[billowing]

[ Liar and a scoundrel, you are, Wei Wuxian!!

But it doesn't matter, because the illustrious Hanguang-Jun is always prepared, and so he shoots back with a full chop of his arm, creating a large wave. Unfortunately for him, it's quite slow. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[Seeing that attack coming, he scoots back as fast as he can. Which isn't particularly quickly since the water resists that kind of movement, but he does manage to avoid most of the tidal wave.

And once he stops moving he begins a rapid attack with both hands sending water flying. Of course he also gets himself in the process, but most of it is going in the right direction!]

[billowing]

[ Lan Wangji lifts his arm to block but it's kind of... water, so he gets soaked anyway.

He advances on Wei Ying, but due to the fact that he can no longer really glide around, his actions are much clumsier than they usually are. Not used to this feeling, Lan Wangji overdoes it and actually stumbles forward, falling into the pool because there's nothing around to hold onto. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[Wei Wuxian's inital reaction is to laugh that the other has fallen into the pool, but then he also immediately becomes concerned. He takes a couple careful steps closer to where Lan Wangji went in.]

It's so rare to see Hanguang-jun so out of his element.

[billowing]

[ Lan Wangji glares daggers at Wei Ying from where he is sitting, not having stood up yet.

And then.

Suddenly.

He reaches for Wei Ying's arm, and ganks him down. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[Wei Wuxian yelps as he gets tugged down, flailing for balance which is not going to help him in the least. He really should have seen this coming as he falls forward.

And sorry Lan Zhan, but he's going to be landing in your lap quite unceremoniously.]

[billowing]

[ Oof! Lan Wangji is duly unimpressed, but at least Wei Ying is light in this body. ]

Are you hurt?

[scaredofdogs]

[he sits up and pushes his hair out of his face.]

You don't know your own strength, Lan Zhan! This body is delicate.

[He is pouting slightly but uninjured as he faces the other man. He's not that delicate but he can't help but pretend.]

[billowing]

[ He knows Wei Ying is putting on a show, and it would be exasperating if it weren't so endearing. ]

Get up.

[ He stands up, somehow getting out from underneath Wei Ying, and holds out his hand for him to take. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He reaches up and takes Lan Wangji's hand, letting him help him up.]

You need to be careful with those arms, Lan Zhan. You could crush someone if you hug them.

[billowing]

I would not.

[ Does he mean he would not hug anyone, or he would not hurt anyone?

Poor Lan Wangji, doesn't even want a hug. Well he does, but he's not going to admit it. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He knows better. He knows all Lan Wangji's secrets~]

I've been hugged by those arms. I already know.

[Well not those specific arms..but Lan Wangji arms..and there can't be that much difference. He isn't afraid to admit what he knows.]