4.0 Test Drive Meme

[wellie]

4.0 Test Drive Meme

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Welcome to Well! This cycle is a little different, if you've visited us before—this TDM takes place in Well's updated setting. See the first prompt for how your characters arrive in Well. Your character arrives with only a handful of memories, clad in a mix of Old Western clothes and clothes that might fit in at a renaissance fair, and 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 November onward, and can happen concurrently with other events during November and December. This will be the only TDM for November, December, and January.

Applications are open October 27th until November 1st, and November 27th until December 1st. Invites are available for friends of current players.

Into the Maze

Content warnings: deadly traps, aggressive foliage, vines, potential drowning, spikes

You wake up surrounded by green. Thick, dark hedges as tall as two adult humans stretch all around you. They're thick, nigh-impenetrable. You don’t quite know who you are, but you’re pretty sure that here, right here? Is not where you want to be.

You’re at a crossing: paths stretch out between the hedges on four sides of you. Which path do you take?

The sprawling hedge maze is vast and complex, especially if you’re not even sure where you should be going. Along your way, you hear giggling, shouts, excited screaming, low murmurs, and, sometimes, the sound of radio static. You might see the faint outline of someone slipping around a corner, and hear them giggling, a long, white dress or robe following them as they move. But you never find whoever, or whatever, is making these noises.

If you follow them, you instead come across:

• Thorny vines laying on the ground, or hidden in the hedges, that slowly wrap themselves around your ankles or your wrists, pulling you back, trying to subsume you into the hedge.
• A dark pond stretching clear across the path, blocking your way. You can wade into it, but when you do those voices get louder, so much louder, screaming in your ears. The bottom drops away from your feet. Strange things brush your ankles, turning into hands pulling you down into the oily water. The more you panic, the more difficult it is to get to the other side. Staying calm keeps the water at about chest height.
• Pieces of the path fallen away, down into a pit full of spiny cacti. You might not want to test this one, and instead trust yourself to jump across. It’s just short enough a gap to be scalable by most, but it sure isn’t a comfortable distance to cross. If you do fall in, boy howdy do those things hurt. You’ll need some help getting out!
• The graveyard. There’s nothing getting in your way in the graveyard, but you may simply stumble upon it. The graves are overgrown and covered in moss. The ground is moist and springy. In the middle you may find an old mossy well filled with clear water.

Thankfully, at these obstacles, you might find another person, equally as lost as you. They may have been following the same person. Once you join forces with each other, the way out is easier to find. Not easy, but possible. If you continue to forge on on your own, the exit will never reveal itself to you.

When you do finally stumble out of the maze, you’re greeted with the site of Wellstone.

tl;dr:

• You wake up lost in a hedge maze! You hear strange voices around you, and a figure dressed in white runs away from you.
• You run into obstacles: spiky vines, a deadly pond, a pit full of cacti, or the graveyard. Work with another character (or not) to escape the maze!

Welcome home

Content warnings: disorientation, feelings of being lost

When you stumble your way into the run-down old town of Wellstone, the deadly peril of the maze seems to be over. It’s cold and damp, sure, but at least you’re not in danger, and you’re in luck: up a small hill beyond some gates, you can see an ornate house with golden windows, practically beaming warmth.

Staywell Manor is a grand place, with high ceilings and exposed, ornate beams, lush carpets and tapestries, beautifully upholstered furniture. A man dressed like a butler (the old hotel receptionist, for those who’ve met him) greets you with a bland smile:

“Welcome to Wellstone. We’re so glad you’re here with us! What’s the name on your reservation?”

You remember your name, and you give it to him, and he offers you a heavy brass key. No matter the number, your room does exist in the four-story manor, and is decked out with a four-poster bed, a nice settee, and a closet full of clothes that fit you like they were made for you. They’re a strange mixture, though, a mishmash of old American Western rhinestones and denim and medieval fabrics and silhouettes in bright colors. You might find a fringed tunic dyed bright red, or a pair of cowboy boots with the toes curled up like a jester’s slippers, bell-tipped and absurd. Are those pantaloons made of denim? Weird!

While the manor is lovely and inviting, and much warmer than the outdoors, it is also pretty big. Well, it must be, because you keep getting lost! It’s incredibly difficult to find your way to your room this month. You might find your way to the wrong floor, to the parlor, to someone else's room. Remember to knock!

tl;dr:

• You're in the town of Wellstone, where it's cold, damp, and rainy.
• Staywell Manor is warm and inviting, but hard to navigate, and you're prone to getting lost in its halls.

Warm Your Bones

Content warnings: alcohol, intoxication, accidental consumption of blood, hallucinations of demons and shadow people

The town of Wellstone has clearly seen better days and warmer seasons. Cobblestoned streets trace their way between crumbling buildings overgrown with moss and ivy. The early-fall nip in the air is enough to make your breath fog up in front of your face. Clouds hang low and sulky over the down, spitting out little bursts of rain here and there. Wind whistles between the close-crowded buildings, blowing a few leaves and the odd tumbleweed along the damp stone.

With the heavy chill in the air and fog drifting the streets at night, thick and cold enough to creep into even the warmest clothes, it’s tempting just to stay indoors.

Luckily for everyone tired of the damp, the golden light spilling from the Cactus Pad Pub beckons. Just walking inside hits you with a blast of warmth. A fire blazes at full strength in the hearth, snapping and crackling, but more than that, every single table is set resplendently with mismatched fancy china: cups, saucers, creamers, little pots of sugar, and of course, tea, steaming and hot.

It’ll be hard to resist the urge to sit down at one of these little tables, and the moment you do, you’re stuck there for at least an hour. Truly: your butt is glued to that chair. At least there's tea, and there are cards on the table with conversation starters on them. But these conversation starters are a little, ah... odd? Comment below to get a conversation starter for you and your tablemate!

May as well have some tea while you’re here, and hope that it is in fact tea. You have a one-in-three shot. The steaming liquid in that pot might be:

• Piping hot black tea, caffeinated and bracing. Drinking it makes you energetic and exciteable and very eager to talk to your neighbors. It also makes you feel extremely fancy! Put that pinky up and use the biggest words you know to impress everyone around you.
• Dark mulled wine, spiced with ginger and cloves. Drinking it fills you with unbridled confidence bordering on arrogance. You'll feel lordly in whatever way makes sense: condescending and snotty, benevolent and patrician, whatever you might be prone to.
• Something… else. It’s dark, hot, and sweet, but there’s an odd metallic tang that sits strangely on your tongue. Whatever it is, it’s addictive. The more you drink, the stranger the world around you becomes: you’ll see faces in the shadows and glowing red in the eyes of your companions. Shadowy figures seem to haunt the walls of the pub, moving toward you. You’re filled with fear and paranoia but rooted to the spot.

Each of these effects lasts from half an hour to an hour, and longer if you drink more of whatever is in your respective pot. Once you're free from the table, if you sit down at another one, you'll be trapped there, too.

Feel free to ask the mods to roll for you to decide which teapot your character gets, and for a conversation starter, just for you!

tl;dr:

• There's a fancy tea party happening in the Cactus Pad Pub. It's sort of mandatory.
• Sitting at a table traps you at the tea party for an hour, and you'll be drinking one of three random drinks, each with different effects.
• There are conversation starters on the tables to help you get to know your fellow tea partiers!
• Tea makes you social and fancy, mulled wine makes you lordly and a bit drunk, and the last hot, sweet liquid tastes weird and makes you see demons.
• Ask the mods to roll a random teapot type for you if you'd like!

Comments

Questions?

[wellie]

[necrolord]

1. is there blood in the third teapot, local man is going to do something goopy and weird with it if so

2. are there ghosts in the pond. mods please could a ghost-senser sense ghosts (if you prefer not to say, he's new to ghost-sensing, you can fuck with him)

[cultivable]

About how deep is the pit full of cacti? Like, say someone tried fishing out a tiny piece of cacti to take back with them to the manor. Is that even possible?

Tea & conversation starters

[wellie]

Let us know if you'd like a random tea, conversation starter, or both!

[cultivable]

hit me with a tea and conversation starter, please

[oniicursed]

something about the concept of tea parties fills her with indescribable rage ☕

[necrolord]

BOTH

[diosapatemajor]

conversation starter, please!!

[mediaphobic]

Aizawa currently hates his life. This means that, naturally, he deserves and an RNG on both!

[lunartes]

Would love a conversation starter, please!

[phished]

gimme both pls he should suffer ✨

Re: Tea & conversation starters

[daughterofawolf]

Let's have both!

alloran-semitur-corrass | animorphs

[takenalive]

[A vaguely centaur-like alien with four eyes and no visible mouth treads the grass lightly. If you knew Vic... well honestly number of limbs aside there's no comparison. Alloran's only about six feet tall with long tan and metallic blue fur, and a delicate, rather graceful aspect, gentle-looking if you ignore the massive arc of tail with the scythe-shaped blade.

If you're in his vicinity you feel an odd lightness, a confidence. This sense that maybe, even if things are bad, you're going to be able to pull through. Alloran can sort of soundlessly 'sing' to project emotion out in a kind of aura and doesn't remember any reason not to do that. And his people are inherently optimistic and bless him he doesn't remember anything that would dent it.

Characters aren't required to feel that optimism themselves. They can shrug it off, it can wash around them without touching them. But they could be quite susceptible on a first encounter, too. Doesn't it make sense? That there's nothing you can't overcome, if you reach out and work together?

Also you look just as weird to him etc. His 'voice' is almost sound, but not quite. Alloran can't read minds, only project words into them.]

<You're an odd-looking one, aren't you?>

[He can have said that at any point upon meeting you, doing just about anything - cutting away thorny vines, pausing at the edge of the evil puddle or the cactus pit, in the graveyard or the manor or even the pub. I can take it from anywhere!]

[phished]

[ haha no. nope. don't like that. that is not the sort of thing you want to run into in the middle of an ominous hedge maze. gaius strongly considers turning right around and leaving, but those four legs are probably quicker than his two, and he's already been spotted.

looks aside, that sense of (false) optimism is chased by a distinct unease that is not improved by having words injected into his mind. gaius knows it's false because none of this is good, actually! if ever there was a time to be shitty and pessimistic, it would be right now.

he also has an awful craving for a smoke but doesn't even remember being a smoker, so that probably isn't helping.

it's particularly alarming because something about "hearing" those words in his mind feels familiar, but he can't put his finger on how or why. it's certainly not whatever sort of creature this is, that's for sure. ]

You're one to talk. If that is, in fact, what you're doing.

[ what else could it be? he doesn't know! something weird an alien would do! ]

Gideon Nav | The Locked Tomb

[diosapatemajor]

i. hedge maze

Gideon Nav spends a lot longer trapped in the hedge maze that she maybe technically should have needed to. There are a few places that you can find her. Regardless of the her varying level of pissed, she's always got her black cape held up with one arm, shielding her face and squinting at anything she's looking at in a way that makes her look equal parts confused and angry.

i(a). For minimum piss, find her in the graveyard. She's shoving hard at a headstone with her boot with her free arm held out like a bird trying to take flight to keep her balance as she really shoves her entire weight into it. When she hears you, she'll stop her assaults and look over, body turning with her to keep her sun shield in place. Gideon blinks a few times, surprised there's someone else around here.

"Hey."

i(b). For maximum piss, move towards the sound of angry, loud, increasingly stupid expletives. Here at this random section of hedge, she's twisted up in vines; her ankle and creeping up her calf, around her wrist. Her cape is tangled in the thorns. She's fighting like a cornered animal, ripping vines without care for injuring her hands.

"Piss off! You can't fucking afford this piece of meat!"

ii. cactus pad

After trudging out of the maze, finding the hotel, and riffling through the entire selection of the closet and turning over the blankets like a feral cat with the zoomies, it takes no time at all to find the Cactus Pad. It is, really, the first thing she zeroes in on, as if the concept of a bar attracts her like a trouble magnet.

Good thing, too. It's a great decision. It feels so nice in here that she immediately wants to stay forever. Which is great, because it takes about two minutes before her ass is stuck to a chair right in the middle of the room and she's got a cup of something that's not necessarily good, but it's warm, and that's good enough. Really, though, by the time you join her, she's so content to drink and vibe and enjoy the weird sensation racketing her chest that she hasn't actually tried to get up.

When you sit, Gideon Nav is reading a card from the stack on the table.

"Yeah, no idea what that says," she says, and tosses it onto the table between the two of you. It reads, Your taste in music is so unique that it inspires sentient pineapples to dance until they burst whenever they hear your favorite song. What's that song, and how do you handle the messy pineapple dance parties?

"Hey, do you know what the fuck a pineapple is?"

i (b)

[vibing]

At least the loud cursing makes it pretty clear where to go, and as soon as Yuri hears it he starts to run in that direction. It's nice to have a direction to go, a goal, instead of just wandering around uselessly.

It still takes him a few tries to get the right path, and as soon as he spots her tangled up there he pulls his sword from its sheath and dashes in to cut at the vines around her ankles.

"Hold on! Jeez, this thing really wants you."

Estellise Sidos Heurassein | Tales of Vesperia

[lunartes]

(I'm good with prose or brackets, feel free to use whichever you prefer!)

i. hedge maze

[Estelle--for her nickname is one of the few memories she's kept--doesn't mind wandering the hedge maze. She finds it quite interesting, actually, walking at a leisurely pace, looking up in wonder at the tall foliage walls. Well, with the exception of the strange sounds, but she'd like to know if there's someone else here, so she tries to follow...only to encounter the cactus pit. She stands daintily at the edge, peering over with a frown--and then hearing someone else approach, looks to see you. No matter what your appearance is, she straigtens up and asks, quite seriously-]

Excuse me, are you the gardener responsible for this?

ii. Staywell Manor

[So, she's here because she's a tourist? Or so the butler said, and that seems to make perfect sense, she supposes, so she might as well tour the building first! But, well, for some reason she can't seem to find her way to her room, or she keeps getting turned around somehow. The first non-butler person she spots will find her imploring them, with minor embarrassment:]

Um, hello! Do you, um, have a sense of direction?

iii. General Store

How interesting...

[As she peruses the wares, she suddenly lets out a little gasps and carefully lifts one of the little sword-shaped letter openers.]

Oh, how cute! But who would wield such a tiny sword? Are there little mouse knights here?

[Her face lights up at the idea--for some reason, it's just exciting!]

iv. Cactus Pad

[The warmth is inviting, and Estelle spends a moment warming her hands near the fire before settling down for some tea. And she doesn't even need to drink any to wave down anyone looking for a seat.]

Please, won't you join me? These cards are fascinating!

i

[vibing]

[ Yuri's been wandering rather aimlessly, and keeps finding himself at the graveyard like it's haunting him. Whatever he came here for, he doesn't care about it anymore and wants to get the hell out of here, only to come across another damn obstacle and a very polite girl.

He looks at her with a slight frown, something stirring in his memory, but he can't quite place her ]

Gardener? Not me. If there is a gardener, looks like they have it out for us.

monkey d. luffy / one piece

[icharibachode]

☠️ hedging your bets ☠️

i. a thorny situation

[Until a few moments ago, your section of maze was relatively quiet and peaceful, despite the unpleasant obstacles. Not anymore. The silence has been unceremoniously shattered by extremely loud screeching.]

Let goooooo! Let go let go let go!!!! I don't even like veggies, why are you trying to eat meeeeeee???

[Should you happen to investigate the source of said screeches, you'll find a boy with vines around both arms and legs as well as his throat and crawling up toward his mouth. He still seems to be making a valiant effort to struggle despite getting scratched up by the thorns, which mostly only tighten in response. By the time he spots you, he has resorted to biting. Mouth still clamped over the nearest vine, he calls out--]

Hey, hey. D'you haf a shord?

ii. pit stop

[Or maybe you're the one in trouble, fallen in the cacti pit. Perhaps you're desperately seeking a foothold to climb out, or have simply resigned yourself to your fate. An unlikely savior appears, in the form of ... a boy's head? It sure is streeeeetching down to meet you, anyway, tilting inquisitively.]

Are you stuck?

[One can't make assumptions about these things, alright. Maybe you have chosen to go exploring!]

🏴‍☠️ this is not my beautiful house ship 🏴‍☠️

iii. yo ho ho a pirate's life for me

[There is a boy walking down the hall. He looks like he got in a fight with his own outfit, puffy sleeves and pantaloon legs torn to a comfortable length. There were no sandals so he has elected to simply go barefoot.

At any rate, this very strangely dressed young man has swiped some of the stationery, taped it together, and drawn a...crude approximation of his pirate flag, which he is unceremoniously shoving in the face of everyone he comes across.]

I'm looking for my crew, but I can't remember what they look like. They'd definitely know this, though. Do you know it??

iv. tea for two

[It's no surprise that Luffy is partaking of free food, even if that food is just tea. He has been drinking more of it than perhaps reasonable, and here's the thing. He's already wildly confident, to the point that he perplexes everyone around him, so magic is really only going to make him more over the top.

Were you casually minding your own business? Sorry, there's a long stretchy arm grabbing you by the shoulder to stop your advance. He might be tugging you in his own direction while cheerfully cackling.]

Hey, where are you going? Come on, come on, this tea is really good. Have it with me and join my crew! I'm going to be the Pirate King, you know!

v. wildcard

[Hmu goodluckmodes to plot or for a custom starter!]

iii

[necrolord]

[ Well, that's a look. John's not really sure if the kid got mauled by thorns or if this is a weird new flavor of punk, but he can respect it. For his part: black vest and shirtsleeves, very goth-at-a-renfaire, and a truly ridiculous swishy black cape. With rhinestones. ]

This is a skeleton in a funny hat.

[ He considers Luffy's art at length, then decides: ]

Also, my new favorite drawing of all time. Not really familiar, though, sorry.

Daniel Arlington | Hell Bent

[more_magic]

1: welcome home
Darlington breathes easier almost from the moment he steps foot inside Staywell Manor, the stone and wood and carved beams feeling...not familiar, exactly, but like some half-remembered comfort. Maybe it's the mere aesthetics of it, the sense of history, of care; chairs positioned around the room in twos and threes, firelight glinting richly off of the leaded glass of the narrow windows.

He could live here. He could be happy. It could be his, or at least some corner of it. The thought of that aches, low and dull, but he can't put a finger on why.

After check-in, he climbs the stairs in search of his room--and yet, each flight seems to take longer than it ought, each hallway bending at angles that never feel quite exact. Fitting his key in a lock, he turns it only to feel resistance. Rattling the doorknob does nothing either, and, after a moment, he lifts a hand to knock. In a place like this it feels unlikely they'll be made to double up, but anything seems possible.

2: warm your bones
The cloak he'd found in his room did him few favors, but at least it's warm, decent enough for the trek between the Manor and what seems to be the only pub in town as the evening's gloom and mist roll in. Inside, it's busy, though the general atmosphere is less convivial and more...frustrated, with occasional pockets of resignation as he scans the groups clustered around a few of the tables. Darlington chalks it up to nothing much exactly--at least until he finds himself stuck to a seat as well, a card arrayed on the table in front of him along with a teapot emitting a slow curl of steam from its spout.

He's tried getting up, and it's an embarrassment he'd little care to repeat again.

"I don't think--" he starts as someone pulls the empty chair out from the other side, then stops, watching helplessly as they sit, making the same mistake as he had only a short time before. He sighs. "Well, I suppose we're in this together now."

3: wildcard
Different idea? Have questions? I'm open to pretty much anything! Hit me up over at gripyfish and let's talk!

2

[thinkfirst]

Flynn blinks at him from the other chair. He didn't precisely make a conscious choice to sit here, but in a strange way, at this point, he's sort of used to that. It's a nice change to be somewhere different, even though the layout is very nearly identical and the bartender hasn't changed a bit.

This is a new face, too, which had been half the point. Flynn doesn't like to let anyone be in this town too long without a friendly face, and who knows if he's seen one yet, although maybe that's purposeful, considering.

"Yes," the word is syrup-slow and careful, dragged into a question, "I suppose we are. Would you rather not be? I'm sure I can sit somewhere else, if you'd like to be alone."

He half-twists to look around, like a new and empty table might spring up behind him to offer itself so he isn't imposing.

eponine | les miserables (all media, but mainly the brick)

[daughterofawolf]

✦ into the maze

She lifts her head from the earth where she'd fallen, cursing softly under her breath, and then pauses, looking about herself. Had she fallen at all? She doesn't remember. She doesn't remember anything.

This doesn't look like -- her head pounds. Wherever she just was, this isn't it. She doesn't remember anything, she realizes, even as she picks herself up and brushes herself off. Not getting here, not what she's meant to be doing, not even who she is.

Well. No, that's not so. She's Eponine. Her name is Eponine, and she's...it doesn't really matter, does it? Where she's from; what her surname is. What matters is that she's here, in what looks like some sort of labyrinth made of greenery. Which she doesn't mean to stay in. Even as she takes stock, she peers down both ways. They look just about the same, and upon testing, the hedges they're made of are thorny and not hefty enough to get a handhold on.

Of course, it would help if she hadn't so many layers. She's wearing a long, sheer chemise that peeks over the low scoop of an overdress and waist corset; puffs between short sleeves and laced bracers and flows freely under the dark red of the overdress. The bracers are trimmed in brocade. She's immediately sure that she's never had such beautiful fabric on her in her life.

Is that why she's in this place she doesn't know? Did she steal this?
It feels like something she might do, but if she tries to recall, her head pounds so terribly that she thinks it might burst.

Somewhere there are people laughing, calling to each other, and Eponine lifts her head, alert. They don't seem like they're looking for someone, but that doesn't mean she won't be caught out if she looks like she's trying to escape. "Hello?" she calls out, instead, choosing a direction and settling into her clothing. Whatever does she mean she's never worn these clothes? She was born in fabrics like these.

Someone in a white dress, giggling, rounds a corner just across from her and she startles. "Wait --" she calls, and hastens across the intersection of hedges, running after her for a good several turns. The voices seem to grow clearer, more distinct, as if she's gone in the right direction.

And then she's made a turn and there's a deep, dark lake blocking her path. Or a deep puddle. Behind her, the hedges seem to have closed in, almost, thorny and threatening. There's no sign of the girl.

"All right," she says, and unlaces her boots, holding them in her hand, the dirt soft and cold under her feet, and steps toward the edge. As soon as she steps into the water, the whispering she's been hearing turns into a howl, like some devils unleashed all at once, wailing at her. Eponine doesn't know if she even believes in the devil, but she shrieks anyway, pulled down into the mire by what feels like terrible dead fingers, what looked like a shallow depth suddenly giving way under her feet.

I'm going to drown, she thinks, I'm going to drown under layers of glorious gown and it wasn't even my decision.

That's an odd thought, isn't it? She flails at the surface, floundering to get her footing. No! It's a moment before she realizes she's said it out loud.

[OOC: I spent FAR too long looking up medieval dresses and it's time to go to bed! I'll have teaparty Eponine on the morrow ;D]

into the maze

[anglophone]

Alec turns the corner of the hedge corridor just as the girl up ahead steps into the water. He stops like a wild animal hearing a crack of boot on twig, staring at her back in a game attempt to make a judgment call.

That goes to hell pretty much immediately, which figures.

He fumbles at the rust-stained poncho tied around his waist as he heads over to the drowning girl, unwrapping it and twisting it into a loose rope. He's on his knees next to the watery trench before he starts thinking about what he's doing, and the half-assed poncho rope is already thudding onto the water and almost instantly starting to come apart into a loose drape.

"Grab on," he tells her, doing what he thinks is an admirable job keeping his general irritation constrained. It's not for her - whoever she is - and it probably wouldn't make her latch on to the offered help any faster.

"And don't pull me in," he adds, raising his voice slightly over the general aquatic commotion of it all.

gaius baltar | battlestar galactica

[phished]

① INTO THE MAZE

[ gaius doesn't know much other than his name right now, but he isn't in the hedge maze long before he determines he's not much of a fighter.

whoever he runs directly into turning a corner might also get that idea because of how surprised he sounds to have collided with someone else. no one would look at this weird little guy in a cape with too much fringe and have bravery be the first thought to come to mind. ]

You want to get out of here, too, right? Whoever is running around screaming clearly doesn't want to be found, do they?

[ haha that's funny why would anyone want to find them?? ]

② WARM YOUR BONES

[ gaius cleans up alright, which is to say he looks much less anxious and squirrely than he'd been in the maze. he's obviously comfortable here with a drink in his hand, and the dark mulled wine is perfect for counteracting the gloomy weather outside.

he is much less approving of the topic written on the card he turns over:

Your car now has the ability to teleport, but it randomly swaps you with someone or something else from an alternate reality. Describe your oddest teleportation experience.

[ he scoffs, tossing it down on the tabletop dismissively. ]

Absurd. If there is any such thing as an alternate reality, it could never work like that.

[ gaius sounds very certain for a guy who barely knows anything right now, but arrogance seems to come to him quite naturally. ]

③ WILDCARD

[ drop something else or hmu @ koutenko! will match brackets or prose, so do whatever you're most comfy with! ]

warm your bones

[necrolord]

[ John, for his part, hasn't touched his own teapot: he just gave it a long, wry look, as though acknowledging some sort of private joke. He seems content to amuse himself with the conversation starters, instead. ]

Sure, but at least it'd keep your commute interesting. Imagine trying to get to work and suddenly you're the only guy in a world of, I don't know, talking puppets.

[ muppets lore: solved ]

Cecelia Ardenbury - an OC

[sighsheavily]

in the manor.

It's some days before Cecelia makes any appearances outside of a room on the second floor. Save for maybe some screaming one could've heard in the hedge maze days prior, she hasn't ventured out. Granted, that ceaseless sense of duty did have her figure filling up the window to peer down and spy the heads of the people she knows and cares about, but that's less an appearance and more an apparition, isn't it.

When the crushing feeling of anxious anticipation for some new doom to appear eases up and she's taken the time she needs to tend to old harm and tie up new corsets, she steps out to take stock of this new place. It is new - the name can be the same, the concierge's voice and face can match, but this isn't the Staywell - she's determined to believe. It may be the same story they're in, but it's a new chapter.

Clad in deep green silks with cactus blossom accents lacing some of the trim, hair neatly drawn back in a thick braid, ring dangling from a cleaned silver chain down her neck, Cecelia takes her time to wander and consider the place. It's familiar in ways that make her head ache consistently, but in some moments stronger than others. This feels more comfortable by far, even though her skin still prickles with the expectation of a hazard.

That's why her breath cuts short whenever she hears footfalls down a hall or up the nearest stairs; her keen hearing both helping and hindering her sense of safety as she waits with unease for the owner of those steps to emerge. She can pray for either a face she knows and loves, or hope for an amenable presence who will let her fall back into the comfortable role of guide.

...For what little that would do! She still needs to check on her things! Thankfully, she can share that purpose with whomever crosses her path.

---

at the cactus pad.

If she thinks too long about it, she may cry out of relief for the sight and smell of proper tea. It was such a comfort before the blood began to flow, and even before then, back when young lost Mayoi had tended his tiny tea garden...

All of that...it's gone now, isn't it. The thought makes her heart ache.

I'll remember you, she thinks, sitting down at a vacant little table with a weirdly on-brand teapot housing a strong, black tea. She may have elvish blood and a fondness for floral notes, but an undiluted, bitter leaf hits the best for moments such as these.

She means to just sit with the cup for but a minute or two before taking it with her, but...um...

"..."

Wiggling without getting too indecent about it proves futile. Red-faced, she looks around the place for sign of others' distress. It's not just her, is it? She didn't...sit in something weird, did she?

Gads.

cactus pad

[necrolord]

Naturally, John Gaius drops into the chair opposite. There's a teapot in his hand, carried over from wherever, done up appropriately in pitch black with gold accents.

"Got a minute? I want to show you something." She won't want to see it, but they'll cross that bridge when they get there.

Hornet | Hollow Knight

[weavered]

INTO THE MAZE

She woke in a daze, jolting with a start as she pushed herself to her feet. She quickly gathered her surroundings, taking stock of what she was wearing. She doesn't recall where she is...nor where she was. Something wasn't right. Something wasn't -- she took a deep breath to settle her nerves. She can't panic now, not when she doesn't know where she is and what could potentially be out there. She reaches for her... whatever she was reaching for is not there and she doesn't know what she was needed to begin with.

Without much else, she sets off in a direction, glancing at the high walls of the hedge that keeps her trapped. She could climb the walls, and find her way out, but something in her gut tells her that was a bad idea.

So what did she know?

Memories float to the surface and disappear depending on how long she thinks of them - things that she should know escape her grasp. Her head aches the more she tries to recover what should rightfully be hers, so she decides to reach for the most obvious things. Her name is Hornet. She is the daughter of Herrah the Beast and the Pale King. The infection spreading through her home of ---- was because of an envious God. And the Knight- well, she knows there was a Knight, one she has done battle with, but nothing more. It unnerved her greatly that she could not recall much else.

She stops hastily, coming upon a dark pond with a curious look. Could she cross it? How deep was it? She was not so tall that she could wade, but she could swim if necessary. Jumping across would be impossible so her options were to wait on the shore or to swim across.

"It seems there is no other way." Hornet decides as she takes the first step to enter the dark water.

WELCOME HOME

She's lost.

She swears she's been by that particular statue at least three times! While yes, certainly someone could have made or purchased the statue several times with enough geo but it made no logical sense! She glances at the large key she was given upon her arrival, and frustration radiates off of her. She wants out of the wet clothing and into something dry - and there is promise of at least removing what she's wearing once she finds this mysterious room. Deep breath, she exhales slowly before taking a right at the second corner and entering another hall.

"If I see that statue again..." she trails off as she mutters, crossing her arms and rubbing at her skin in a futile attempt to warm up.

Another turn. A left this time. How long has she been searching for this room of hers? She doesn't recall, and that agitates her more. She's cold. She's wet. She doesn't remember the name of her home even though it sits on the tip of her tongue, begging to be spoken. Words are powerful things to a place, and forgetting them...well, she shakes her head and moves forward past another hall, then around the corner and--

She glances up and there it is. That marble bust once more. "Ridiculous!" Hornet throws her hands into the air, tempted to break the offending statue and use the pieces to guide her way through. "This is impossible."

Maybe not impossible, she tilts her head, going back to her original thought, and steps toward the pedestal, ready to push it over.

WARM YOUR BONES

Let's not talk about the fact that she stands three feet in height and must climb everything around her. She welcomes the heat, welcomes the drink that sits in the pot in front of her. It's not water, no, it has something of a different taste. Dark, bitter, earthy -- but good. She stands on the chair and pulls the cup now filled with the black tea closer to her, taking another sip of the warm liquid as she glances around her. The tall, fleshy creatures were a wonder to her, and she'd like to know why they were soft-shelled and so...well...tall.

So when one decides to join her at her table, she can't help it, it comes spilling out of her mouth before she can stop the words from forming.

"You do not protect yourself with a shell. What manner of beast are you if not bug?"

Hornet, not normally so rude, but she feels excited to know the answer. Something that wells up in her chest and lifts her onto her feet as she leans on the table, eager to hear the answer. What. Are You. Her eyes seem to say as she patiently waits for an answer.

bones

[darkov]

"-?!?"

Martin didn't see the pronged creature at first - he honestly thought he found an empty place to sit safely away from people! But now...

Oh no. It talks. And it's talking at him.

Martin looks mildly horrified, frozen in place, double-blinking in the face of...a face? It's not properly a face. It's like...if someone just...carved bones? In funny shapes?

Just as he thought he was done throwing up out of fear, he feels his stomach curdle anew. He gulps.

"Um. Uh..."

...Hang on. It had said words, but...what words? What did it ask? Oh, boy.

suletta mercury | mobile suit gundam: witch from mercury

[cultivable]

welcome home

[ although you're no longer in the hedge maze, one might catch a woman in white out of the corner of their eye as they make their way through the manor. a constant mantra of "way out, way out, way out" echoes off the hardwood floors and it only gets louder as you continue traversing the halls. almost like she's right behind you. no, in front of you. to your right? it's hard to say.

"way out, way out, way out, WAUGH!"

as you round the corner, the mysterious woman is revealed to be suletta, struggling to hold on to an expensive looking vase taller than her. uh oh. ]

No, no, no, please don't--eh? [ suletta looks up, noticing you, and yelps in surprise. ] I'm so sorry, nice staff person, I didn't mean to...! [ the vase slips another inch closer to the floor, eliciting another shout. the situation ain't looking good, chief. ]

warm your bones

[ the cactus pad comes as a relief now that suletta's got her bearings. it's got everything needed to ward off the effects of a damp fall day: food, warmth, and (most importantly) people.

a lot of people. way more people than she's comfortable with, actually. she edges toward the door she just entered, determined to come back when it's less busy, but finds herself face-to-face with an employee who asks if she'll have a table for two. ]

Ah, no, I was just-- [ wow, sure sounds like she said table for two! they shepard her toward a cozy-looking spot by the fire and whisks away to bring over two cups, a delightful green teapot topped with a little porcelain frog, and another guest they practically shove into the opposite chair before disappearing.

suletta stares at the retreating figure of the employee and then at their new tablemate. oh, no. what does she do now? people in comics always start conversations with strangers with a joke or fun observation before becoming best friends. they never feel like sinking into the floor or hiding in a corner of the room.

but she can do this. move forward, gain two. her voice is a touch too loud when she sputters, ] I guess this is where we're sitting. We didn't even get sugar.... Do you, uh, want me to pour some tea for you?

wildcard

[ want a custom starter or have questions? no prob. DM this journal and we can talk it out. happy to do prose or brackets. ]

welcome home

[hallucinogem]

[the sounds of footsteps and frantic, mantra-like repetition are what initially draw emerald's attention around the corner. she's got a fancy-looking, victorian-style top on that seems to still be made of leather and fringe, and in fact it's the fringe swishing that's the first thing that makes it around the corner. when the green-haired woman finally presents herself to the person who's been making all this noise, she smiles gently through that introduction.]

Hey, don't worry about it. I'm not staff, but—here, do you want some help with that? [she leans forward quickly, putting her hand under what she hopes is the base of the vase, and not nothing like so many things have been. it was easy to see before, but now it's obvious that she has a loose leather patch draping over where her left eye would be and tied by a thin strap around her head and under her ear. her fingers press upward and she can feel the hard material of the vase, and relief crosses her face.]

It's okay. We've got it. Just set it down on the floor, all right?

Loki (Variant L1130) | MCU/Loki D+

[shiftedshape]

[[It's been a bit since I have played and I can't currently renew Loki's account for icon purposes so pls excuse my only using the one. Also might pop in with Mobius too??]]

i. Into the Maze

Of course. This place wasn't eerie enough, clearly.

[But it isn't as if he's had any luck walking the hedgerows, so Loki steps forward into the graveyard. It's...suitably unsettling, but whoever it is he's heard moving through the maze doesn't appear to be popping out of the less-than-manicured grass. Which isn't exactly encouraging, but it reaffirms his decision to move forward, at the least.

He's about ten feet in when, almost before he's actually heard anyone approaching, his body spins of its own accord to face whoever it is. Both hands fly up, palms out, in a fluid motion that comes so easily it nearly startles him. Not because it's a difficult defensive maneuver so much as it doesn't necessarily feel defensive at all. It takes an effort, when he realizes there's no threat, to lower his arms and relax his stance appropriately.]

Sorry. [Loki clears his throat, nods his chin at the scene around them.] Wasn't expecting company, here. I don't suppose you know where the exit is hiding?

ii. Warm your bones

[While he'd been expecting his teacup to contain tea, Loki finds he's not disappointed by the wine in the least. What he is disappointed by is the fact that he can't get to his feet to inject some life into this party. There isn't much point to drinking songs if you can't dance to them, after all. Not that he can seem to remember any, for some reason.

Apropos of nothing, Loki turns to the person seated to his right and declares:]

I've never been to a more boring pub. Please tell me you're a skilled conversationalist. [He narrows his eyes, considering.] Or a terrible singer. I'll take what entertainment I can get, at this point.

Warm your bones

[guidemyway]

[Ruby was doing her best to just sort of fit and and not draw any attention to herself, which fails miserably when the guy next to her turns her way and starts asking her questions.

She was getting better at conversations. Or at least she was making an effort over the last few months. ...But she just blurts out right away when the option comes her way.]

Terrible singer. Terrible singer all the way.

wu | legend of korra | crau?? maybe

[royalfling]

1. through the maze
[ Wu isn't quite sure what is going on. He isn't sure, but the manicured hedges feel familiar, and that's good enough for him. First order of business: find someone who can handle it. Whoever that is, he's not sure, but he's quite sure he'll find the right man for the job.

It's a rather pleasant maze. It's a little chilly, and his clothes are a little strange, but he rather likes the fringe down his dark, forest green, puffy thighed pants, and the tight white leggings under them that disappear into nice leather boots. Not exactly walking attire, but he's alright with it.

What he didn't expect to find were the obstacles along the way. When he first finds a pond, he thinks it's a nice decoration, but a little odd since he can't go around it. It doesn't even occur to him to wade through it. You may find him contemplating the pond, or turning around and just walking away from it, back the way he came.

You may also run into him crouched on the edge of the pit of cacti, peering down into it, bemused ]

I really don't think this gardener has a good eye. This is dangerous! And you really can't enjoy the plant when it's below ground.

[ Or, you might hear a high-pitched scream echoing around the maze as Wu is caught in the vines. He fights them as best he can, but his best isn't very good, and they'll subsume him pretty quick if no one comes to help! ]

2. speak to the manager
[ Wu's been trying to get the receptionist to listen to him for minutes now and the man is just smiling placidly at him, and Wu's patience is at it's very razor's edge ]

That's not what I asked you! I asked about hair products. What's in my room is sorely lacking, and I demand some adequate assistance here! I tried to be reasonable, but I'm afraid I need to go above you. Who do you report to, Mr..?

[ The man doesn't even have the decency to say his name! Or have a name tag! ]

We're so glad you chose to stay at the Staywell. Enjoy your stay!

[ The man already said that, and Wu let's out an infuriated noise, his hands balled into fists at his sides ]

I will not enjoy my stay! I'm giving you a terrible review! Say goodbye to seeing any of my money!

Wellstone's not what it used to be, but we're really working to ramp up tourism. You're here, aren't you?

[ Wu lets out a screech, and literally stomps his foot into the ground. He looks like he might throw down with the receptionist--at least in words. Help? ]

c. tea for two
[ Wu breathes in the scent of the tea with a deep, contented sigh. This feels nice and familiar too, like sinking into a favorite robe (at least his wardrobe is sufficient. The robe he found in his room is a nice, rich brocade).

The teapot is in the shape of a fat badgermole, which he finds delightful, and he pours himself some tea into his delicate cup. If he wasn't already bubbly enough, the tea gives him an extra boost, and he looks up when you come past, toasting you with his little cup ]

Oh, hello! Don't have a seat yet, come sit on down with old Wu. The tea's great!

2

[arclightning]

You don't have any money.

[ Comes a flat voice from behind Wu. Thankfully, maybe, it's just as annoyed, although whether that's at the useless receptionist or at Wu for his little tantrum is... sort of unclear?

Mako's not having the best day, for sure. Better now than when he woke up yesterday and stumbled right into a pit full of spiky death-plants, but still not great, and his own attempts to get information haven't gone anywhere useful and so he's just standing here with his arms crossed and his face set in a hard scowl, simmering at the world. It is kind of hot in here. ]

If you're gonna make threats, make useful ones.

Hanzo Urushihara | The Devil is a Part Timer

[closetdweller]

Welcome Home

The worst thing about Staywell Manor wasn't the rain or the lack of high speed Internet-- it was the fact that it was too people-y. Urushihara looked askance at the receptionist when he was given his room number and key, as if the man had told him that he was to be sleeping in a drafty attic without even a futon to keep himself warm.

"That's so many floors up," he whined, looking vaguely as if he were going to wilt at the thought. "Are you sure we can't change the room? I'm not that good at athletic stuff..."

Warm You Up

His room number couldn't be changed, so Urushihara did what any socially awkward teen would do; he fled.

Practically, he ended up at the pub-- where it was still people-y, but at least now he had a warm drink and a dark corner to lurk in. The drink offered was a warm, spiced drink that warmed his blood with every sip... And filled him with a certain glee felt by a teenager doing something that they knew was illegal.

Urushihara took to his dark corner and leaned back, comfortable to just watch people and not even try engaging with the crowd. People approaching would find him flopped languidly in his chair as if he owned the place, and a hint of a smirk on his face.

"Man, this really is the most entertaining place in the whole town," he drawled, at ease with the buzz of alcohol. Somehow, he suspected that this was nothing compared to other things he had tried.

"Sure, there's no movies or video games... But, this is kinda nice."

Welcome home

[searingwing]

“They don’t acknowledge anything. Likely because they can’t.” Says a man as he comes into the manor. He has a large sword strapped to his back and a gestures for the young man to follow him.

“They have never opposed us finding our own rooms. You can request the key of the new room you’ve chosen.” He takes out his own key as he takes the sword off his back. It should be noted his key is on the ground floor.