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]

What about our traveling?

[ Traveling by day, going "home" at night?

It's not bad. ]

[scaredofdogs]

Right right! Our travels all around the hotel and all the new areas we have to discover! There is still so much to see..and then how nice it will be that we can come 'home' each night.

[billowing]

Mm.

[ He takes the tea, and drinks a little.

It is a nice thought, and it's not like they have anything better to do. ]

Tell me more about Lotus Pier.

[scaredofdogs]

Hmm..I don't really know what you don't already know! But..I hope when I take you there that I show you the tree that I climbed into when I got into a fight with Jiang Cheng. And all the places used to play. There is this pond that we used to sneak into and steal lotus seeds out of..and the owner would get so mad and chase us out of there. I could show you the pier that we would sit on during hot days and eat watermelon.

[And perhaps he already has shown him these places in his time..but for him, it was all the things he used to dream of showing Lan Wangji if he ever got the chance.]

I'd want to show you the ancestral hall..I want to be able to pay my respects...and show them that I actually got to bring you home to meet them. [His voice cracks slightly and he looks down and tries to find a new place in his memory he would show him.]

I guess I wouldn't have to show you my room at least! You've already seen it now.

[billowing]

[ He won't say that he's already seen all these places, because even before Wei Ying took him to the Ancestral Hall to bow to his parents and his sister, he had gone there in the interim of his death.

He had looked at all the trees and imagined little Wei Ying, cuts and scrapes on his shins, smile brighter than heaven. He had looked over the docks and imagined he and Jiang Cheng jumping in, and Yanli holding up her hands to shield from the splash of water.

And one day, he had gone to those ancestral halls and done a bow. He had asked after which neighbor owned those lotus pods and had stolen them anyway.

What he says is: ]

I'd like to see all of it with you.

[scaredofdogs]

[He sighs contently and rests his head on his hand.]

There is so much to look forward to!

[His heart feels warm as Lan Wangji agrees to go with him. He just wished he could believe he would actually get to do those things. Which makes him curious..]

In your time..does Jiang Cheng ever forgive me?

[billowing]

[ His expression darkens just a little bit. ]

I do not know.

[ He has already resolved not to tell Wei Ying about Jin Guangyao. He does not want to have to explain that to this one. ]

Wen Ning... was angry, that he stabbed you. And he asked Jiang Wanyin to pull Suibian from his scabbard.

[scaredofdogs]

[He sits up again as this story takes an interesting turn.]

Suibian..why does Wen Ning have suibian? Why would he ask that of Jiang Cheng?

[billowing]

[ Um, this is going to get awkward. ]

Wen Zhiliu destroyed Jiang Wanyin's golden core.

You... sacrificed yours for him.

[ Wait, why did this one choose to go into demonic cultivation then? ]

[scaredofdogs]

[His face pales and his eyes widen.]

H-How...how do you know that?

[that was the one thing he swore Wen Ning never to tell. The one thing he never wanted anyone to know. What could possibly have caused that secret to come out?]

[billowing]

[ Oh well, okay, that makes more sense. He's um.

Really not trying to tell him about Guanyin Temple, how is he going to explain this. ]

...Jiang Wanyin confronted you about it.

[scaredofdogs]

[He is not okay right now..that could not have gone well..he can still feel the sting of that purple whip on his back.]

A-ah..I'm sure that went really well..

[So not well..he can already see his face..]

[billowing]

I was there.

[ Which explains why he knows and also why Wei Ying didn't die a second time. I guess. ]

[scaredofdogs]

[He might be shrinking into himself right now. His core being taken had been the single most painful experience of his life. Worse then dying. Worse then being tossed into the Burial Mounds. Those things were quick. This went on for days. And he swore that no matter what he would never tell anyone about it. That the secret would die with him. He knew his brother would never accept it..that the anger he would feel and perhaps even betrayal..would far outweigh the good in his mind. The whole cultivation world wanted to shun him for his choices...all because of this one thing that he had to do. And now..Lan Wangji is telling him that not only his brother, but also he..knows the truth. It's a little hard to swallow.]

He really won't ever forgive me...and what about you Lan Zhan? Do you see me differently now that you know...

[billowing]

Yes.

[ He answers, truthfully. ]

Before, I thought you recalcitrant.

[ That he was unwilling to pick up Suibian because of some stupid dare or something. I don't feel like it, he'd said. And he'd turned to demonic cultivation as if just to prove a point that he was beyond them, that he didn't need their training and their swordsmanship. But now... ]

Now, selfless.

[scaredofdogs]

[He smiles slightly, feeling at least a little relived that Lan Wangji sees that those choices were not just made to be arrogant or to prove he didn't need to wield a sword..it was simply because he couldn't.]

That was the hardest secret I've ever had to keep..it's almost a relief to not have to anymore.

[billowing]

I know.

[ And at first he did think Wei Ying was being an arrogant prick again, but... hindsight is 20/20 and he should have trusted him more. ]

[scaredofdogs]

I'm sorry you were never told Lan Zhan..

[He had his reasons. And really..before he could even begin to explain he had gotten kidnapped and was lost for three months. After that explanations seemed..pointless.]

[billowing]

No. I understand.

[ But every time he tried to draw Suibian, he thought it was because he didn't have a high enough standing in Wei Ying's heart to be privy to his core.

Turns out he just wasn't appreciated enough by Jiang Wanyin and that's fine by him. ]

[scaredofdogs]

Ahhh...[He flops backwards onto the floor and lays there on his back.]

I'm going to stop asking about things...I don't want any more hard memories...or futures.

[billowing]

Wei Ying?

[ Lan Wangji peers up over the table. Just being dramatic as always. He sits back down in his seat. ]

Alright. I won't tell you anymore about the future.

[scaredofdogs]

I don't mind good things Lan Zhan...that one was not a good thing. Okay..that was a half and half since you don't think I'm a jerk anymore. But still..not the best.

[He's just going to lay here and recover for awhile.]

[billowing]

You must give Jiang Wanyin time.

[ He doesn't say, "you know he's a stubborn ass who has spent the last sixteen years blaming you for Jiang Yanli's death and he doesn't want to believe he had any part in the making of Yiling Laozhu, because the thing he fears most is the thought of his own failures." ]

I have not seen him since that time. Jin Rulan will make him come around.

[scaredofdogs]

Ahhh Jin Rulan..that kid is a handful.

[But there is a fondness in his voice as he thinks about Yanli's son. Even if he behaves more like his father then his mother, there is still goodness in him..even though he also doesn't like him very much right now.]

If you think he will make his uncle come around..then I must have done something good for him to forgive me.

[billowing]

[ Damn, he really doesn't want to talk about Guanyin Temple, why did he do this. Why is he doing this. ]

You did.

Now, he has two uncles.