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Well Mod ([personal profile] wellie) wrote in [community profile] wellcome2023-07-19 04:51 pm
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3.0 Test Drive Meme

3.0 Test Drive Meme

Welcome to Well! Characters arrive a little differently this month (see the first prompt). Your character arrives this month in the middle of the formless desert with only a handful of memories, clad in old west style clothes of your choosing, with no items from home.

Anyone is free to play on the TDM, but you need an invite to apply. Feel free to use these prompts, and interact with the arrival or locations. NPCs are around, but only say a certain set of phrases. TDMs can be considered game canon.

This TDM takes place from the first week of August onward, and can happen concurrently with other events during August and September. This will be the only TDM for August, September, and October.

Applications are open July 26th until August 1st, and August 27th until September 1st. Invites are available for friends of current players.

A Little Lost
Content warnings: heat exhaustion, feelings of unreality

You wake up in a sea of sand. It’s hot, and dry, and it seems to go on forever. You don’t remember much about yourself except your name and a handful of memories that most likely aren’t useful right now.

The sand slip-slides under your feet with every step. Sun beats down heavy and hot on your neck and your head. You’re so thirsty. How did you get here? How long have you been walking? Where are you headed? You can’t know. You feel like you’ve been walking forever, but the sun stays high above you, like it’s always noon. It may have been hours, it may have been mere minutes. What are those things circling in the sky above you? Vultures? That can't mean anything good.

Eventually, you find someone else, another new arrival, maybe, or a resident of the town who may have wandered a little too far into the desert. Maybe they have some water on them? Either way, company is exactly what you need right now, because there sure isn’t anything else in this desolate place. Not a cactus, not an animal, not even hints of a town.

Once you’re together, it seems a little easier to move forward. Time starts to move, too. The sun dips in the sky, your feet tread through the sand, and together, eventually you find the town.

If you take too long after you find one another, and the sun sets, be careful. Cacti sprout up closer to town, and after the sun sets, the cacti start to move, and they seem hungry for blood.

tl;dr:
  • This time, new arrivals wake up lost in the middle of a vast desert.
  • There's too much sun, too much sand, vultures circling and too little water.
  • Finding each other makes time start again, and lets you find the town.
  • If you don't make it back to town before nightfall, vicious living cacti appear to attack you.

Face Your Fears
Content warnings: hallucinations, reality shifts

In this town, fear soaks the hot, dry air. It lurks in shadows and the corners of rooms, waiting for their moment. What is it that you fear? Monsters? Disappointing your parents? Maybe you’re afraid that everyone you love will leave you, or that you’ll end up alone. Whatever it is, right now, there’s a chance of becoming very real.

It happens suddenly. Your mind drifts. You lose focus on what you were doing, and when you look up again, the world around you has shifted. What was a nice lunch with a new friend or a fun visit to the saloon becomes a nightmare. What fear manifests is totally up to you, and it can be different every time. The person beside you could become a monster you think is trying to attack you, or you could be suddenly alone in a cold dark space, desolate and empty.

Whatever horror your mind conjures up for you, it will feel real in all ways and with all senses including, of course, your perception of pain. As far as you know, you’re trapped in a nightmare with no way out.

Except, of course, there is a way out: you just need to figure out that it isn’t real. Maybe you’re strong enough to do that on your own; maybe you’ll need help from a friend or a new pal, reaching through the illusion to pull you back. After all, these hallucinations are entirely in the mind of the beholder: to everyone around you, it sure just looks like you’re yelling at your pancakes!

tl;dr:
  • You start hallucinating that the things you fear most are actually happening to you.
  • These fears feel like real, concrete sensory experiences, even though they're only happening in your head.
  • You can escape by recognizing that what's happening isn't real, either on your own or with help.



Bullrider
Content warnings: mild bovine coercion, alcohol

Come on, hot stuff. You know you want to.

Bet you can’t stay on for more than half a minute.

You don’t look too tough.

You think you can tame me?


In the saloon, you hear a voice in your head. It calls to you, the words seductive and enticing: you want to prove it wrong, you want to find out what it’s promising, you hate to lose. Whatever the motivation, you find yourself abandoning your drink and making your way to the new attraction at the back of the saloon: the bull.

It’s a big boy: a massive mechanical bull. Covered in spotted cowhide, with a bull head and big horns, this thing sits on a massive pedestal like a challenge. Around it is spread... relatively thin padding and a flimsy rope to keep the audience back an appropriate distance.

The compulsion keeps a hold on you until you’re on the bull. Maybe you’re on it with a friend, or a stranger, and it starts up with a mechanical buzzing. It starts to sway under you, and now you have just one job: stay on.

It starts easy, but gets harder as it goes along. It’s incredibly difficult to stay on for more than a minute. But during that minute, you feel amazing. You feel hot as hell, in whatever way that works for you: sexy, powerful, bold, in control.

Until he throws you off onto the padding or into the crowd! When you get thrown, there's a good chance you'll go flying into the crowd. Hopefully they're ready to catch you!

If by some miracle you manage to stay on for more than a minute and a half, the bartender slides you a bullrider special: a spicy whiskey cocktail with a hint of lime. Feel free to leave it up to pure chance, and have the mods roll a die for you to see whether you manage to stay on or not.


tl;dr:
  • There's a mechanical bull in the back of the saloon!
  • There's a strange deep voice in your head, coercing you into giving it a shot.
  • It's hard to stay on, but when you're on it, you feel powerful, bold and in control.
  • The padding's pretty thin and you'll get thrown hard when you do. You might hit someone!
  • If you stay on for more than a minute and a half, you'll get a fun little drink as a reward.



sighsheavily: (pic#14281462)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-21 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[Dan Heng is written down quickly, followed by a few abbreviations for her own use. DaHe, Dan, AnHe, in different lettering.

another note: he didn't wake in the hotel. that's been one of the biggest pivots so far.

endless sand is familiar enough, horizon aside.]


Gravestones anywhere?
shackledwithin: (pic#16475951)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2023-07-21 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
No. I assume it is well known the cacti that appear closer to nightfall are hostile. [Hostile is one way to put it. They had enough intelligence to react like-

He rubs the side of his head.]
...Am I correct that we're intentionally blocked from remembering anything important?
sighsheavily: (pic#14667794)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-21 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[her nose crinkles a little at mention of the cactus plants; that's an aspect she's not happy to hear may be back...]

Mm. Yes, that's been the case for everyone so far. Things have been changing gradually, so perhaps those who follow us will not be similarly afflicted.

[her eyes flick up briefly.] I advise not trying to chase after those nostalgic threads too earnestly once the pain becomes debilitating; memories will find their way to cement themselves back to mind without the extra strain.
shackledwithin: (pic#16475946)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2023-07-21 07:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Chasing them means death, doesn't it? [The statement hangs in the air as he looks at the desert. He sighs.] With how fast I was punished for even a stray thought, I assumed fighting it could lead to that.

[Dan Heng looks back at her and rubs his chin.] Is it common that the more important something might be, the swifter and harder the pain hits?
sighsheavily: (pic#16590720)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-21 07:47 pm (UTC)(link)
That part isn't totally clear, I'm afraid. We don't have a full accounting of every type of memory restored after blistering pain - typically sixty seconds' worth - but...from what I've witnessed and experienced myself, it's something of import. A primary piece of identity, a core ability or role...

You said a guard of sorts, yes? You'll find yourself in similar types of company, I think.
shackledwithin: (Default)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2023-07-21 08:08 pm (UTC)(link)
A primary piece of identity...

[He repeats. That feels correct. He nods once and leans back in his seat.] Thank you. As a guard, I'll do my utmost to serve and protect. What can you tell me about the threats we'll face?
sighsheavily: (pic#14667795)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-21 08:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[her mouth twitches for want to quip, but she keeps a lid on that.]

I can tell you there will be no certainties. Things are very fluid here, and while I can recognize similar circumstances, but the dangers shift.

You're going to find your perceptions questioned quite often. Sense of self, sense of others... Things here seem designed to push you to isolating yourself, wrapping yourself in negativity. Notice it...and make yourself mitigate it, regardless of your disposition.

We need each other here, whether we're keen to it or not.
shackledwithin: (Default)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2023-07-21 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[Something flickers in his eyes. He folds his arms over his chest and snorts. He relaxes, a tiny smile curving the edge of his lips.] ...I can't place why but, that feels familiar.

[He looks out the window again then back at her.] Is there any form of a database, archives, or library here?
sighsheavily: (pic#16420024)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-21 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[she smiles grimly, then lightly taps one of the closed notepads beside her.]

Nothing formal, beyond what I and others have managed to keep together. We don't have a safe means of storing things publicly yet - not until we can be assured that things will maintain through future disasters.

[beat.]

Ah, right. There'll be that, too. In three month's time, if things continue as they are.
shackledwithin: (Default)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2023-07-21 10:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[...future disasters. He focuses on that.] Can you tell me more about these disasters?
sighsheavily: (pic#14667794)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-21 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[she nods, setting her pen down and folding her hands on the table.]

We experience a...mm, almost seasonal length of even weather for about two months before dust storms kick in. As the month progresses - about four weeks' time, give or take - the weather becomes more violent. Apocalyptic, even. The ground splits, the sand blots out the sun, and everything is obliterated to the roots.

And then we wake in our beds to a clear, sunny day and restored buildings.

[as she speaks, she watches his expression. were she on the other side of the table, she'd find what she says quite incredulous - even laughable in its oddness - but some have a more innate threshold for oddities than others.]
shackledwithin: (Default)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2023-07-21 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[He visibly mulls that over. The calm hasn't cracked. He seems more grounded the longer this discussion goes on. It all makes sense to him. He can't tell why, but-]

...That's a powerful anomaly. It would have to be to disrupt the environment on that scale. [Weather out of nowhere. Geological occurrences-] Is it just the town reset, or is it more than that?

Has there been anything else happening?
sighsheavily: (pic#16416826)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-22 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
[it can't be a good sign to be so at-ease with such a weird concept, can it? she's going around the bend for the third time and she still finds cause to grimace...

sweeping character judgments later, Ardenbury.

anything else?]
Indeed. Mysteries to unravel, torments to face, pool parties to be jailed in...

[she looks down, unfolding her hands so she can flip a couple pages back.]

I'm still trying to list it out chronologically, but here's the list so far... [she turns the book to face his direction so he can at least glimpse the bullet points. they're not in common lettering, but she's more making a point of the quantity.

with her finger, she points to each:]
These are environmental ones. These involve some kind of spectral, ghostly element.

The aggressive plants are newer. [she taps near the bottom.]
shackledwithin: (Default)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2023-07-23 02:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[He looks at the list. It doesn’t fit. He stares. His brow furrows. Now he starts to feel out of his depth.

There are things missing from the list to explain it in a way he can understand.]
…This isn’t something I’ve dealt with before. Some of it feels familiar but this,

[He gestures to the list. Stoic as he is, worry and concern flash in his eyes.] It’s all new.

…how long have all of you been dealing with this?
sighsheavily: (pic#14667798)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-23 04:33 pm (UTC)(link)
That will depend on who you ask. Myself, it's been...six months, give or take. Some others, like yourself, appeared later.

Some have vanished since. [her eyes linger on the page, her expression solemn.] Their names remain among the headstones in the cemetery, since last I checked.

Same as mine, same as any who linger here.

Your name is likely there, too. If it wasn't already. I'll have to check my lists and see if I ever came across it.
shackledwithin: (pic#16475946)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2023-07-24 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[He looks through the notes and frowns as he comes to one.] …Insects. Can you tell me more about this one?

[He is avoiding the talk of ‘doubles’. Something about that bothers him and he keeps glancing at it.]
sighsheavily: (pic#16420024)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-24 04:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Engh. [her nose crinkles, turning the book back toward her.] I'd rather I had nothing to say about it. Dreadful things. They came with the sandstorms in the last two weeks: Varying sizes and dangers. Powerful bites and stings.

...Flammable, however.
shackledwithin: (pic#16475946)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2023-07-27 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
And this was their first appearance. [He thinks. Then he says carefully,]

…Out in the sands I saw things that weren’t there. How often does that happen?
sighsheavily: (pic#14667795)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-27 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
I wouldn't call that a rare occurrence, but I can't say it's going to happen every time you're out there. Heat, dehydration, the sun...those are enough to addle the mind in general, and that's likely without the strange happenings closer to town.

There've been voices in the wind, sinister whisperings in light...and, yes, illusions in the desert. Some more potent than others. They're easier to parse and categorize if one can confirm the same sights in others.

Do try to not wander too far in general, but if you must, certainly don't do it alone.
shackledwithin: (Default)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2023-07-29 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
Of course. We're only going to survive this if we work together. [There's no way they'll survive it going off alone. He has the sense he doesn't open up to others. But work with them on serious matters? That he does.]

All of this sounds familiar but...has anyone gotten sick from encountering these things?
sighsheavily: (pic#16416826)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-07-30 05:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Sick? [she tilts her head.] Hmh... Outside of the hazards of the heat and exposure, I can't say I heard anyone say the hallucinations or memories made them sick.

[blink.]

...Well. Memory recall does come with devastating headaches, but that's not really sickness, is it.