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4.0 Test Drive Meme
4.0 Test Drive Meme
Premise & Arrival ֍ FAQ ֍ Apply ֍ Navigation
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:
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 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:
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:
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:
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!
Hanzo Urushihara | The Devil is a Part Timer
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
“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.
no subject
"So, you're saying this guy is an NPC... And we can just do whatever we want?"
He asked, with an arched brow that suggested that he didn't quite believe this information.
"What else is there? Are you gonna say that the food and the use of the bath house is free, too?"
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It is better to know. “There is the kitchen but here in the manor it isn’t accessible. The pub and tavern are places we can cook or serve drinks to others.” He says as he continues.
“I spend time at the tavern using what I remember to make other fare. I was a wine maker and bartender at home.” Among other things.
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Urushihara shrugged, unbothered by this, but still added for clarification:
"I'm not gonna be mean to them. It's not their fault they're like that. I just wanna make sure I know who's gonna be helpful around here."
Which, in his recent experience, did not include the receptionist. He didn't want a room on the top floor... But there seemed to be nothing to do about it.
At least the swordsman seemed helpful, and Urushihara listened with a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"That's gonna be a problem for me. I don't exactly do the 'going outside' thing very much. I'm not exactly built for the cold and athletic stuff..."
no subject
no subject
Urushihara's face did a variety of shifts in a short time-- surprise that a stranger would make such an offer, discomfort at being the center of any kind of attention, and finally embarrassment at warranting that kind of offer.
"I'm not gonna bother you if you're busy. Making drinks and stuff at the bar sounds like a lot...."
no subject
Oddly he feels the most himself he has since last cycle. This is where he is better suited. Combat is necessary but he prefers to be his father’s son.
As best as he can be.
no subject
Urushihara settled into a neutral, if bemused, expression and stance. In his loose layers and oversized cloak that more closely resembled a blanket than actual clothing, he even seemed somewhat lost.
"Honestly? I'm not sure what to do. I just want to find something hot to eat and a little corner to... Read in, I guess. It's not like this place has any video games or anything."
no subject
He says as they get closer. The room door is open and things are laid out inside in carefully folded piles. Diluc adds, “That is my room. It is right by the kitchen.”
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Urushihara said, peeking into the room with curiosity. For as well groomed as the man seemed to be, he apparently lived just like everyone else: in a contained uncertainty that only seemed plain compared to the chaos of the world.
"I mean, you've gotta have a way to practice, right? What better way than with the kitchen right next door?"
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Which begs to question why pick the room he did and he is aware of that. “I would not mind if you ducked into my closet to sit and read. I assure you I am rarely here and when I am it is to jot things down or rest.”
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"We only just met. You sure 'bout this, man?"
Not that he didn't want to trust the stranger-- but trusting strangers just didn't seem smart, especially when it involved something as personal as sharing someone's closet.
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He glances around the room and adds, “The only personal thing I have is this sword. Feel free to look in my books. They are archives and one a book of old tales from home. Should I vanish like some have. Better you know what to expect here.”
no subject
It was... Worrisome. Urushihara knew too little of this world to know what that meant in the grander scheme.
"Are you gonna die? Are we dying? I don't think I can deal with that..."
He also glanced around the room, taking in the lack of personal effects among the otherwise comfortable looking furnishings.
"You cook, you have a sword, you defend this place... What kinda guy are you?"
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He considers his words a moment and adds, “We are not dying. But something here took our memories. And likely stripped the people who were living here of their memories and autonomy.”
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"I'm not surprised that's the theory," Urushihara said. "The staff here act like NPCs... And I know it's not their fault. It's freaky to think that we could end up the same."
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“Last cycle, when this place was a desert one of them spoke…static? Is that what it is called? But within it many voices were asking for help.”
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"Yeah. That's static," He said, with a shudder. Frowning, he added:
"That sounds really freaky, man."
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And it is important. “The manor will be the safest place during whatever happens. Even when things go strange. Nothing truly lethal will get in.”
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He mentally took note of these names and the information, hoping that it would be helpful later on.
"I'll remember that. It's good to know that some people here have things sort of under control. As much as you can, anyway."
Not that anyone fully had a chance at even remotely controlling the situation, given his observations.
"Outdoors stuff isn't exactly my style ... So, that sounds like it's fine, here. I didn't want to go on any wild quests anyway. It's not like I can fight with a sword or anything useful like that."
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He leans back against the wall. “You recognized something was wrong with the help desk staff very quickly. That will serve you well.”
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He wasn't entirely convinced that ordinary puzzle solving would be beneficial in the town. Identifying the puzzle wasn't the same as outright solving it.
They we're still in a strange town with no answers, one way or another.
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"I wasn't doing anything special,"
He said quietly, but added:
"Guess that means the tricks are a few levels above the basics. I'll remember that. Thanks for the warning."