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]

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]

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]

[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]

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. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[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.]

[billowing]

[ Lan Wangji is scared of precisely this, of Wei Ying finding out and then not being able to control himself when he returns home. But he will say this: ]

I'll only tell you because you promised.

[ And if he breaks that promise, he will only hurt himself and A-Yuan. Lan Wangji will have to trust that he will pull himself together when the time comes, not because he wants to, barely because he can, but because he must. ]

I raised him. He is a Lan.

[scaredofdogs]

[This one little fact makes all of it even more amazing. Lan Wangji cared for the child he thought had been lost. A life cut down too soon..when it fact it has been flourishing as a Lan. Unknowingly he rests his forehead against Lan Wangji's chest, appreciation practically oozing out of him. He wonders if the Lan Wangji of his world did the same...certainly that one fact wouldn't change. The fates wouldn't be so cruel..]

Thank you, Lan Zhan..

[For caring for him, for letting him grow up, for telling him the truth. There is so much to be thankful for at that moment. He wants to sing the praises of Hanguang-Jun to anyone who would listen.]

[billowing]

[ Lan Wangji is not expecting this and his eyes widen for a moment until he awkwardly lifts his arms to rest on Wei Ying's back in a loose embrace. ]

No need.

You brought me my greatest joy.

[ And also his greatest sorrow but listen, we're having a moment. No need to ruin the moment. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[There is a soft laugh as he reaches up to rub his eyes. The man has seen him cry before he is sure, but it is still embarrassing. The last thing he needs is to see such sloppy happy tears over something like this. But it's honestly like a ray of sunshine breaking through dark clouds. His life has been a series of unfortunate events so it's good to know something good came out of everything.]

You've been upgraded to rich father. I won't ask his name..that way if I don't know who he is, it will be easier to keep my promise.

[Just going back with the knowledge he is alive somewhere makes everything better.]

[billowing]

[ He doesn't want to tell Wei Ying that they've already met, that of course it should be easy to tell that he is the best of the new crop of juniors. He's not biased or anything and wouldn't say anything to Jingyi obviously, who is just as talented but doesn't have such an amiable attitude.

Lan Wangji lifts a hand to help him rub his tears away, since his sleeves will otherwise be soaked. It's remarkable how much more comfortable he is being in Wei Ying's personal space, letting Wei Ying be in his personal space in return. ]

You do not have to wait long.

Shortly before I came here, he remembered by himself.

[scaredofdogs]

Good. I'm glad. I'm excited to be reunited with him! I bet he has grown up well.

[This Wei Wuxian has been in Lan Wangji's personal space almost constantly since the minute he was whisked to Cloud Recesses. Sleeping in his bed almost every night as he attempted to make the other feel disgusted by him. But none of his tactics worked and slowly he started to realize that he enjoyed being able to be closer to the other man on occasion, using his disguise of Mo Xuanyu as an excuse. Perhaps he should have kept more boundaries up since this Lan Wangji isn't used to such things but habits he has gained since coming back are hard to break.]

You aren't holding out on any other good news are you?

[billowing]

[ It's actually kind of nice, how comfortable he is. He hadn't even noticed how much closer Wei Ying had gotten to him until it had happened. ]

I met you on the spine of the mountains by Yunmeng.

We were going to travel and cultivate. Just you and me.

[scaredofdogs]

[As long as Lan Wangji doesn't push him away, Wei Wuxian is just going to camp out right where he is.]

You're not going to get tired of having me around all the time? Even if it means you'll have to deal with me talking non-stop, making you buy all the food, and seeing how many rules I can get you to break?

[billowing]

[ Not that he wants to push this Wei Ying away, but doesn't he have his own Lan Wangji to make amends with? Still, he is not one to abandon Wei Ying, regardless of whether he should or should not help him reconcile with his world's version of himself.

He is getting very confused. ]

The food is free.

[scaredofdogs]

Here it is free! But when you travel around back home it won't be. And the former Yiling Patriarch is very broke so traveling with him means always ending up paying the bill.

[He is thankful everything here is free. Makes everything a lot easier. That reconciliation is in the back of his mind, knowing it must be done but too worried about how it will go. Too interested in hearing about the potential future he has upon returning back to his world and more happy thoughts at that moment.]

[billowing]

Wei Ying, I don't care for riches.

[ He doesn't care for much. He wants a simple life, with Wei Ying, and visits from their son. That's all, really. He doesn't mind the money. He doesn't mind the excessive talking, so long as Wei Ying doesn't expect much of a verbal response, though he is really trying in that regard. And he doesn't really mind the badgering.

Most days. ]

[scaredofdogs]

Ahh says the one who has it all.

[He teases even though he knows Lan Wangji doesn't really care about such things. He didn't either and knew how to live on merely trying to sell vegetables grown in the Burial Mounds. Money had not been easy to come by at that point but he still made due. Always willing to do what he had to to make sure the elders and kids could survive. Occasionally he did feel bad about making the other man pay for everything, but it can't be helped. Not too many people would be willing to hire the crazy Mo Xuanyu for odd jobs.]

I feel like I've gotten a taste of what it would feel like to travel around. Obviously we've had a task to do with finding all the body parts..but it's fun just moving from inn to inn and seeing each of the towns.

[billowing]

Mn.

[ Which means that he likes it too, and he likes going out in the mornings and getting a full workout in before buying Wei Ying breakfast from the food stalls outside, coming back to share a meal with him, and bathing, and going about their day.

He likes the ease with which they coexist.

He would have happily lived like this until he died of old age. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[Adventuring is fun but he also enjoys the peaceful life. Falling into a routine would be nice once in awhile. He could almost do that here if the place would stay normal for longer then a few days.]

We could do laps around the hotel and visit different rooms each day. That could be our equivalent of visiting different towns.

[Not quite the same but the building is larger then it seems and even he hasn't seen everything yet.]

[billowing]

Hm.

Alright.

[ That sounds like a good idea. And it'll give him more time to spend with Wei Ying, and get to know what's different between him and the other one. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He is very pleased by the agreement. He looks forward to finding more places in the hotel with Lan Zhan. He finally gives Lan Wangji a little more space as he settles back into the spot with his abandoned tea cup that he dropped earlier.]

Are you hungry, Lan Zhan? Or are you tired of me yet?

[billowing]

I am not.

But if you are hungry, I will eat with you.

[ If his decisions are formed in part by how he could see the red in Wei Ying's eyes as he held back tears when he turned to leave with Apple and Lan Wangji did not follow, then let it be so. ]

[scaredofdogs]

I'm not that hungry but I kind of want some wine to celebrate the good news you gave me.

[And food just always goes with wine.]

And since you don't seem to be tired of me yet, I want to stay here until you kick me out.

[billowing]

We can see if the buffet is open.

[ He wants to keep Wei Ying's mind off of thinking of his fight with the other one. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He definitely needs and appreciates the distraction. It's not been a good few weeks.f He pushes himself to his feet and stretches.]

It's worth a look! This place has a lot of different kinds of food. I went and ate a whole bunch of it! I think I ate one of everything!