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

[billowing]

They are mushrooms.

[ That's not really an explanation. But if Wei Ying doesn't watch out, Lan Wangji is also going to put some steamed cabbage on his plate. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He is going to be moving very far away from the buffet now. He clearly has enough food and doesn't want any more vegetables to show up.]

Vegetables go on your plate!

[billowing]

[ They both know if the vegetables are on Lan Wangji's plate, Wei Ying won't touch them. At least this way if they're mixed in, he'd have to purposely eat around them.

But stopping their buffet journey early with tables and tables to go, Lan Wangji follows him to a table.

He's selected for himself. Broccoli. Peas. Wilted kale. Carrots. Pickled mustard greens. And rice.

[scaredofdogs]

[He plops down at a table, staring at the miserable pile of mushroom on his otherwise meat-tastic plate. But on the way to the table he does ask the staff for his wine. This is for celebrating after all.]

I'll eat a mushroom if you eat one of the meat options on my plate.

[billowing]

[ Lan Wangji reaches over and snaps up a piece of spicy beef covered in spice, and plops it in his mouth.

It's okay. ]

I will have another if you eat all your mushrooms.

[scaredofdogs]

[He stares at him shocked. So much for that plan..it worked but also backfired. He pouts but he will mix the mushroom with some chicken and eat both at once.]

Okay, that's a deal. And then after we eat, I want to show you the desserts.

[billowing]

...Alright.

[ He selects a piece of chicken this time, a chicken finger with barbecue sauce. He.

He hates it. It's so dry. It's so crunchy. What on Earth is this? What is this sauce on top?

But he swallows it down, determined not to lose this stupid game. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[This time he grins. Making Lan Wangji try new things feels like a small victory for him. He is a little more agreeable to eating more of the mushrooms this time.]

You don't have to like everything, Lan Zhan. But it's good to try new things.

[billowing]

[ He's barely choked down this barbecue sauce and Wei Ying tells him it's good for him?

No, no no, he'll stick with his kale. It tastes like sweet, sweet dirt.

He pauses to look up at Wei Ying, and is satiated to see he's holding up his end of the bargain. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He made a promise so he is definitely going to keep his end of the deal. He continues eating as the staff brings them drinks. Tea and wine just as ordered.]

Here is a toast to all the good news you gave me today!

[He lifts up his glass of wine.]

[billowing]

[ Lan Wangji toasts with uh, seltzer, because he's also trying something new.

Clink! ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He's grinning from ear to ear as he brings that glass to his lips and drinks.]

Mm..I've needed a good day. It may have started off a little odd, but I don't mind how it's ending.

[billowing]

[ Lan Wangji almost makes a face in distaste at his beverage, which is carbonated and odd.

He passes it over to Wei Ying to try. ]

We have many good days.

[scaredofdogs]

[He takes the drink and tries it, he wrinkles his nose a little at the strangeness of it but it's not completely unlikable.]

I'm glad my future has fun days. But the last few weeks here have been rough. I want to have lots of good days..even if I don't deserve them. I guess that's a little selfish though.

[billowing]

[ How does he explain that he would gladly devote his life to giving Wei Ying all the good days he wants? ]

Not selfish.

[ After a moment, Lan Wangji picks up another piece of meat. This time, it's more like the chicken that Jingyi had that one time they were in a hotel. He likes this one much better. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He watches that piece of chicken leave and he watches the other eat with a soft expression. It's nice to be able to eat like this. He reaches out and snatches one of the pieces of broccoli off of Lan Wangji's plate and sticks it in his mouth. So bland...but..for some reason it tastes better then it should.]

Then it's a promise that as long as I am by Lan Wangji's side, my days will be good.

[billowing]

[ Not that he thinks Wei Ying is readying himself to die a second time, but it does gladden him to hear. Perhaps they can both accept this, for the sake of being able to spend time together. ]

I will make you that promise.

[ It's the most idealistic thing that he's said. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He resumes eating from his own plate and those mushrooms. Everything seems to taste a little better now actually..even the mushrooms.]

I imagine after this we will have to split up though..Since you just got here I shouldn't monopolize all your time.

[billowing]

[ That's very thoughtful of him. ]

Mm.

[ And he should go speak to the other Lan Wangji. ]

Will I see you tomorrow?

[scaredofdogs]

You can see me every day if you want to.

[He has spent a lot of days without seeing Lan Wangji lately..it would be nice to get back to seeing him every day. He had gotten use to him always being there and suddenly not having that is lonely.]

[billowing]

Then it is no problem, I will see you tomorrow.

[ He also hasn't seen Wei Ying for too long. He got a brief moment with him, and it was gone.

He had rather been looking forward to a long, long time ahead, when eventually they would settle down somewhere, and see too much of each other. He wanted to learn all of Wei Ying's bad habits and get sick of them.

For now, he eats in quiet, and drinks more of that awful seltzer. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[Wei Wuxian continues to talk through the meal, eventually clearing his plate while talking about random things. And as the food dwindles, he stands up.]

Now..dessert! There was one that I really wanted to share with you! Stay here..

[He heads over to the dessert table and looks around for that strawberry treat that he had been shown the other day. Eventually he finds it and brings it over.]

It has fruit, so no excuses about trying it!

[billowing]

...It is coated in sugar.

[ It looks like tanghulu, but presented on cake. He doesn't know if he can handle so much sugar, but he did agree to try.

Wei Ying better be prepared to eat the rest if he doesn't like it.

With a spoon, he cuts off a perfect bite. There's strawberry, there's cream, there's pastry. And as he moves the spoon away, the syrup of the strawberry flows onto the plate where there is emptiness.

He takes a mouthful, and--

--And... ]

It is not bad.

[scaredofdogs]

[Its not bad..well thats better then a look of disgust and about as much confirmation as he can expect. He picks up the second spoon and takes a large spoonful.]

It wouldn't be a good dessert if it wasn't at least a little sugary.

[He sticks the spoon in his mouth and once again hums his enjoyment of the treat.]

A sweet treat is the best way to end the day.

[billowing]

[ He wants to counter with, good reflection and light music is the best way to end the day, but he won't.

Sorry Wei Ying, your other husband's a square too. ]

If it were up to you, it would be how you start the day too.