wellcome | 1.0 Test Drive Meme

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Welcome to Well! Characters arrive the same way every month. Your character arrives 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.

Applications open on January 20th, and the game opens on February 1st. Invites are available for members of the mods' plurk lists.

Put on your dancing shoes

Content warning: Alcohol, intoxication, altered mental state

Something’s happening at the Cactus Pad Saloon. It’s lit up bright against the growing night, and music spills out onto the street. Seems like a fun time that you should check out. In fact, it’s hard not to check it out: the closer you get, the stronger the urge to join the fun. If you’ve been spending a lot of time alone, you’ll feel even more compelled to come get a drink.

The bartender serves up anything you can think of: from whiskey to apple juice to blood, if that’s your preference. She doesn’t blink an eye, no matter what’s ordered. The funny thing is, no matter what you order, once you take a sip, the world feels a little easier to deal with, your worries seem to melt away. You’re flush with sudden confidence.

If you strike up a conversation with the person next to you, conversation flows like you’re talking to an old friend. You feel a sense of kinship, deep and meaningful, good or bad, that bonds you together.

The old record player is playing a fun ditty, and the longer you stick around, the more you’re tempted to join, or start, the dancing. Whether you’re a great dancer or you have two left feet, you find that you feel capable of dancing like no one’s watching. No one knows you here, after all. You barely know yourself, so why not draw a partner into the fray? A party’s better together!

If you end up staying there til closing time, the bartender kicks you out with a gruff “come back tomorrow,” leaving you to stumble home with your new best friend. What was their name again?

Sand trap

Content warning: Quick sand, potential drowning in sand

You step through a door into a room you didn’t mean to enter. You were trying to head into the saloon, or your hotel room, or the bathroom, and instead you’re here: in a small, tight, windowless room in a white-washed building. The air here is old, stale, and thick. Hazy gold light bounces off the walls, but you can’t tell where it’s coming from, since there’s no visible ceiling. The walls just stretch up and up into bright nothingness.

Someone else is there, too, coming through an identical door on the opposite wall. Both doors snap shut, and won’t open again, no matter how hard you try. They won’t even break.

This might not be so bad, except that a sound starts to fill the space: sand, trickling down the walls. It’s just a dusting to start. It comes sprinkling down above, seeping through the cracks in the door. The longer you stand there, the faster it comes: sand flows down the walls in massive torrents, building up on the floor, shifting and thick, trapping you in place.

The only way out is up. When you look again at the walls, you’ll notice it: about 10 feet up the wall hangs a flimsy rope ladder, half-hidden by the waterfall of sand. You’ll have to work together to even reach it, or maybe let the ever-growing pile of shifting, slippery sand lift you up? Be careful, because even if you manage to reach the rope, you both have to get out of here, and the longer you’re here, the faster and harder the sand falls. The ladder seems to go on forever, tens of feet up an endless wall. The better you work together, the closer the top seems. No matter how well you collaborate, they're at least 50 feet high.

When you’ve fought your way through the sand and reached the top of the ladder, you finally see it: the sand is coming in through the open windows of a steeple. You can’t see where it’s from, not really. You can’t see much of anything, but it’s clear: the only way out is, well, out. You have to jump, trusting that yourself and your companion will be safe.

Once free, you land together outside of one of the buildings or rooms you were trying to enter, like nothing happened at all. It’s a calm day, after all.

Memories of the living

Content warning: Cemetery, contemplating mortality

Dusk settles purple over Wellstone. Early stars are out, the moon is thin, and you find yourself inexplicably drawn to the graveyard. You can resist, but the more days you do, the harder it gets. The graveyard is calling to you in a voice you can’t hear.

While it seems small before you enter, once you start walking through the crumbling graves, it seems to stretch endlessly. You pass elaborate dust-covered crypts carved with strange angels; bleached wooden crosses overgrown with cacti; a crumbling old well, long gone dry; worn-down headstones jut at odd angles. Some graves have old offerings on them, brightly colored beads or candles or framed photos, sun-bleached beyond recognition.

You may have been walking for five minutes or fifty, but when you look around, you can’t see to find the exit. You hear howling, and see the flicker of lights from behind the graves, but you can never find their source, no matter how much you look. No matter how long you spend in the graveyard, the sun never seems to sink lower in the sky. An oppressive sense of being watched grows to the point that you whip around, expecting to find someone there until—

You do. You find each other. Others drawn here to the graveyard, walking among the crumbling stones, will end up by the same headstones. Exploring together eases the watchful feeling just a little, but it won’t help you get out. No, you’re looking for something. The exit? No, you’re sure there’s something more important than that.

If you follow your impulses, you may just find it: a gravestone, weathered, old, with a familiar name on it: yours. Your date of birth can be visible, but the date of death is too weathered to read. You may find an offering there, something small and meaningful to you, a small shiny coin or some bright beads.

Once you find your grave, when you look up, you’ll see the exit. You’re really not that far from it, after all, the rusted iron arch barely a stone's throw feet away. Your companion won’t see it yet. You can make a dash for it, get out of this awful place, or help your companion find their own gravestone. When your companion finds their stone, they will also be able to see the exit. Exiting together will alleviate the impulse to come back to this place. Leaving alone will only draw you back, making it more difficult to find your grave again.

You can take the offerings left on your grave if you want, but the sense of being watched will only grow greater until you’re compelled to return them, and leave another offering of your own.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He should probably feel offended at being laughed at, but it doesn't feel as though it's meant to be meanspirited. It's still kind of embarrassing. The stranger's clothes point to a confidence Min's almost certain he's never had. Not to mention he's cute. So of course the first thing he does had to be make himself look like an idiot. If he hadn't been flushed already, he would've been by now.

He nods, offering up a bit of a smile in return until his new companion abruptly starts flagging down the bartender. Apparently to order him some kind of drink.]

Oh, you don't have to--

[Too late. He's speaking to the bartender already, and it feels rude to interrupt. So he just sits there. Silently. Until an Old Fashioned is slid in front of him, at which point he's honestly still not sure what to say.

The guy seems nice and he doesn't want to offend him, but he's pretty sure you aren't meant to accept drinks from people you don't know. ]

I don't know if I should drink this...

[Min-Gi, you literally just watched the bartender make this. What do you think the danger is here?]

Aw, come on! Let me treat you. Please? [An aside to the bartender, before he's actually responded--] Charge that to my room, okay?

[The bartender nods, though she doesn't seem to actually do anything in particular about it. It's fine, probably.]

Besides, you're new here, right? Consider it a welcome to Wellstone, from me.

[If it makes him feel any better, Ryan takes a sip of his own clearly not poisoned drink. It's sweet and bitter and a little easier to stomach than whiskey on its own.]

Do you remember your name? [A weird question, but phrased to be the Wellstone sense of polite. If he doesn't, he won't have to dig for it and hurt himself.] I'm Ryan.

[Oh... He's still unsure that accepting it's the right choice, but he sounds so sincere, and it is nice to have someone be friendly towards him when he has no idea what's going on.

The sip Ryan takes from his own drink does help reassure him. At least a little. He takes a small sip, and the Old Fashioned definitely goes down easier than the whiskey had on its own.]

Thanks...

[Like the whiskey before, the Old Fashioned makes him feel more comfortable. He feels a lot happier than he had when he'd first set foot in the saloon. Even so, the way Ryan introduces himself gives Min pause.]

It's Min-Gi. You know I can't remember things?

[His tone isn't accusatory, but there's uncertainty there. His lack of memory has been worrying him, and it seems odd a total stranger would just know.]

Uh-huh.

[He considers that answer over his drink though, and then changes his mind.]

Wait, sorry. That sounds super creepy. It's not like I know you specifically can't? Nobody staying in this town can. All of us just turned up at the hotel with no clue how we got here or who we are. I mean, aside from a couple things here and there.

[So it makes sense that Min-Gi would be the same. Min-Gi, with a hard G - that sticks out as important, for some reason.]

That's a good name though. It has a nice flow to it. Min-Gi~

[He's right. That does sound super creepy. Ryan's initial answer has Min looking very alarmed, so elaborating is probably a good call.

He lets out a relieved if still slightly nervous laugh when he explains how he knows. It sucks that he's not the only one who can't remember anything, but in some ways it's nice to know he's not alone.]

You too? I wouldn't have guessed. You seem like you fit right in here.

[He's finally starting to return to a normal colour when Ryan compliments his name and instantly ruins any chance of that happening anytime soon.]

You think? That's just what my parents called me. [There's a beat as he tries to work out if that's right.] Probably, anyway.

[He's painfully aware that he's being very weird right now. He's just. Going to take a bigger drink from that Old Fashioned. Maybe that will help him.]

[Ryan laughs softly, and swirls his glass in his hand.]

Probably. I guess mine called me Ryan too? I don't actually remember any parents, but...well, someone must've at some point.

[Before he can start up any thoughts about that one way or another, he takes a large swig of his drink too. Better than letting himself try and chase that thought to a dead end. Migraines aren't exactly a good impression to make on a handsome new guy.]

We don't have to worry about that right now though. Tonight's for fun! A welcome party for the newest amnesiac in town.

[He raises his glass to Min-Gi and grins.]

Cheers, Min-Gi!

[Min's brows furrow. It seems odd that Ryan wouldn't remember his parents, but actually... does he? He can remember the people who took care of him, but he doesn't recall their names, or their faces, or any kind of solid memory. Everything feels just out of reach.

Thankfully, his new friend's right there to pull him back out of his head before he can try too hard and discover the migraines for himself. He laughs, quashing his concerns back down for now. He can always try and piece things together tomorrow, right? He raises his glass to clink it against Ryan's.]

Cheers. Thanks for the drink, Ryan. I guess the next one's on me?

[It's polite, but he also feels like he needs to make it up to him. Ryan's been nice to him, while Min-Gi's been weird and probably not much fun to talk to. It's amazing he still seems so cheery.]

[He's polite, but it's kind of charming. Ryan isn't reading any sort of guilt or anxiety off of it at all. Despite Min-Gi's internal worries, all of this reads as very normal to Ryan.]

I suppose wouldn't say no to that.

[There's the tiniest flirty lilt to his voice, as he tucks a stray strand of hair behind his ear.]

Oh, everything just charges to our rooms by the way. But...I don't think we're actually paying for them?

[Ryan casually waves a hand, signaling they don't need to think about that right this second.]

Soooo basically everything's free. Kind of. Which means no worrying about it at your welcome party.

[He's flirting. He's fairly certain is isn't misreading that. The problem there is he's not sure how he's supposed to respond to that. Some things seem to come naturally despite the lack of memories, but flirting? That's gone. For a moment he looks as though he might be weighing up a response, but unable to think of one he settles for averting his gaze and looking intently (and definitely not awkwardly) at the liquid that remains in his glass.

What isn't gone is apparently his ability to worry about everything. He isn't exactly reassured by Ryan's insistence that everything is essentially free. That sounds like something that's bound to get them in trouble eventually.]

Are you sure? The hotel will realise if we're not paying them eventually, right? Then so will everyone else.

Edited 2023-02-10 03:12 (UTC)

[Aw. Min-Gi's shy.

Or at least, that's how Ryan's choosing to take it. He has no reason to assume there's any anxiety under the surface, but it does mean he should consider taking it a little slower. Let Min-Gi get more comfortable here.]

Pretty sure. I've been here a couple weeks now and no one's said anything to me about it - or anyone else here. They'd figure it out right away if it was everyone, right?

[Ryan's drink is basically done, but these Old Fashioneds come with cherries, and it's not finished until he pops it in his mouth and tugs it from the stem with his teeth.]

Plus all the townsfolk are kinda weird? [He's saying this directly in front of the Bartender, who does not bat an eye.] They only say a couple of things over and over again, like a video game. I think we're probably fine.

A couple of weeks?

[That surprises him. The saloon makes him feel a lot more comfortable than he'd thought, but Ryan seems right at home here. Even knowing they're in the same situation he'd expected him to have been around a lot longer.

It doesn't seem like he's wrong though... The bartender must be able to hear everything, but she hasn't reacted at all. He's still not convinced completely, but it doesn't seem like anything bad will happen immediately, and there's something about this place that makes it hard to worry too much.

He finishes off his own drink (but leaves the cherry), then turns to Ryan with a hopeful smile.]

So... Old Fashioned?

Yeah, I think so. Not super long, but long enough that it doesn't feel so new anymore.

[At least, that's how he feels about it. He doesn't have any metric to base that off of, but he's getting used to things for the most part.

Min-Gi offers the next round, and Ryan meets that smile with his own.]

Yeah. Old Fashioned.

[Then, before he can think better of it, he winks and cracks a terrible joke.]

It's the only old fashioned thing about me.

Yeah, I see that...

[It would be great if his instinctive reaction wasn't to look down at those very tight pants, but he does it before he can stop himself. He averts his gaze quickly with an awkward laugh, flagging down the bartender to order them a couple more Old Fashioneds.

Was he always this bad at this...?

He watches the bartender prepare their drinks, wishing he had something more interesting to say. Turns out small talk is hard when neither you or your conversation partner can remember much of anything.]

You're probably getting to know this place pretty well then, right? Maybe you could tell me what else there is around here?

[If Ryan minds, he isn't showing it. Handsome Min-Gi can look at his tight pants all he wants.

The drinks are hitting now, especially since that last one went particularly fast, and Ryan's already feeling warm and floaty. He's made a good decision here. Min-Gi is good company, he's decided.

He does take a sip of his newest glass though, and nods in thanks at Min-Gi.]

Hmm...not a whole lot, honestly. You know about the hotel already. And there's a diner, and a weird little general store? Honestly everything else is kinda empty. Most of the fun in town is here at the saloon.

[While he talks, he's playing with the cherry stem from the last drink, just twiddling it around in his fingers for something to do with it.]

[He takes a sip of his own as their drinks are delivered, returning Ryan's nod. He feels like he got lucky, meeting someone like this so soon after he found himself here. He does feel better to know he's not alone, and it helps to learn at least a little of how things work here.]

Oh, I work at a diner. [Which is very boring, but at least it's something about himself he can share. That seems like an accomplishment at this point. Something's still better than nothing. Maybe. At least until he can figure out something that's actually interesting about himself.] Do you know what you did? Before here?

[He's positive it must be something more exciting than a diner. Sorry, Ryan. He doesn't know the risks of trying to push for memories you don't have yet, and if he gets to remember what his job was maybe that's something that sticks for everyone.]

[This should be normal, basic small talk. Ryan's been so smooth up until this exact moment, but now he stills. He's steeling himself, because he knows exactly what comes from wondering by now.]

I...don't. [The laugh he gives is more forced this time.] It's just a huge blank.

[W̡̛͘͢͡h̢͜a͠͝t̢̕͟͜ ̀͏̡ḑ̵̕í̡̧͟d̶҉̷̨́ ͘͟҉̨͢h͡͝͡e̴̴͠ ͜͝d̶͠҉ơ̕͟͝ ͜͏f̷͢͞o̢͝ŗ̕͜͢͞ ̷́a̡͡ ͏̧͞l̨͜͏ì̴̧͝v̢͞͡i̸͜͠n̕͜g̷͡?̶́̀́͡]

But hey! That's cool you worked in a diner. Were you like, a cook or something?

[Ẃ͢͏̀h̀͘͟͞a̸̶̕͠t́͢͞ ̶̛͢͝d҉҉́i̢̢͡d̴̕ ̷̸̵͡͝Ryan ͡͏̶҉̛d̶o͜͏͜͢ ̴͞͡͡f͢͟͞͠ǫ̶r̢̀͜ ̵͢͏̶͢à̵̸ ̷́͘͝l͘͜i̴̕͡͞v̨͢i̵̵͝͞n͜͞͏ģ̴͜?̷͞͏̡͜ Did he ç̨ó͏̵̛o̷̵̧̨k̶͢͟?̸̨̀͞ Ẁ̵̛́͟h̷͟a̴̕t͘͜͝ ̷̴̧̨͠d̛͜͟͟o̵͢͜e͝͡s̸̡ ͢҉h̵̵͝é͜͢͡ ҉͝k̷n̸͟o͟͜҉͝w͟͡҉̶͠ ҉ḩ͘̕͡o҉͠w̸̴͟͠ ́́͢͜t̸̀͘͝o͞͞͏̕ ̸̸̧͘͜c̕̕͏ớ̷̀͠ó̢͢k҉҉͠҉̸?̴͏

He lets out a shaky breath, and tries to disguise the need to press at his temple by leaning his elbow on the bar and propping his head up in his hand. He's fine! He's good! He doesn't want to worry some guy he doesn't know, especially one he's been trying to flirt with.]

If you don't remember, that's cool too though. No, uh. No need to dig too hard.

[It's decidedly uncool, and from the sound of it Ryan agrees. He has the vague idea he'd usually be more stung by that, but it's not like that isn't something he thinks himself.]

Don't worry. I know it isn't. It kind of sucks, actually. We can talk about something else.

[Like... what? He isn't sure, but he can buy himself more time by drinking. It's fine.]

[Whoops. Hot guy thinks he's not interested in his life. Time for Ryan to back pedal so that Min-Gi doesn't think he thinks he's boring or something.]

No! No, it doesn't suck. Really. I mean, unless you remember it sucking? But honestly like, just the fact that you remember something that big about yourself is cool.

[The ache has slipped into something less painful, now that he's trying to reassure Min. He straightens his posture a little, and sips at his drink like it might numb the rest of his headache.]

There's this thing you should probably know though, in case it happens to you? It's a little bit of a downer, but...so like. If you figure out something you can't remember and you try to think about it really hard? It actually hurts you. I get killer migraines, I know some people that get gnarly nosebleeds...it kind of sucks.

[You know, to echo Min-gi's words.]

So...yeah! That's what's up with that. Too bad this place doesn't come with a manual, right?

[That makes him laugh genuinely, at least until Ryan explains the consequences of trying to push too hard for memories. He waves his hands, trying to alleviate his worry.]

It's fine, it does suck. I hate it.

[He sobers a little when he hears the real reason for Ryan's reaction, not thrilled that he might have unintentionally hurt him either.]

I didn't know. I figured maybe if I knew, then so did you... We both know our names, and it didn't seem like it would matter even if you didn't know what your job was.

[Ryan just waves it off like it's nothing, like the original question didn't put a sharp pain in his head.]

It's fine, seriously. It's not like you did it on purpose, man. Besides, this could have been way worse - if I'd wound up bleeding I probably would have freaked you out and blown literally any chance I had here.

[He chuckles, and gives a little shrug. Might as well show his hand at this point.]

Sorry it sucks though. But hey, at least you don't have to work at the diner here? You can just, you know. ...Do whatever.

[Like have several drinks in the saloon with him, for example.]

Edited 2023-02-11 00:29 (UTC)

Any chance...? [It's not like he'd been oblivious to the signs, but hearing it out loud is different. There is definitely a bit of a squeak to his voice, which is embarrassing, but he somehow finds the confidence to push through and form words.] T-that wouldn't have changed anything. Except I'd have felt bad about hurting you... You seem so cool. I can't even remember how to flirt with someone.

[Which apparently hasn't been a problem here. He doesn't get it, but he's not about to complain.

He looks him over a moment, drawing in a hesitant breath as he considers his options here. He said he wanted a chance with him, and maybe he's taking that too seriously considering he literally just met the guy. But does asking him hurt?

(Yes, absolutely, if he turns him down. But Ryan's given him no reason at all to think he would. Everything he's said points to the opposite, if anything.)]

Maybe we could do something? If you wanted. If you don't I'm totally fine with that too.

[He speeds up considerably for his last sentence, wanting to get that in there before Ryan has chance to respond.]

[Ryan sputters a laugh.]

I am so not cool! I don't remember how to flirt either; I'm just winging it here!

[That being said, winging it is a lot easier with a few strong drinks in him. Plus, being in a saloon that just makes everything feel good and nice doesn't hurt either.]

You totally could have fooled me though.

[Not that Min-Gi has been as obvious as Ryan, but he's seemed receptive enough to it that Ryan didn't think Min-Gi was doing too bad at all of this.

Ryan glances up towards the ceiling, humming a little and pretending to think. Truth is, he already knows what to ask for. It's been on his mind since Min-Gi sat down, especially since the saloon makes it so tempting in the first place.]

Hm...think you remember how to dance~?

You are! Look at you. I could never pull off an outfit like that.

[He gestures at his own considerably less Old West outfit, but he doesn't feel as ridiculous for it now. Ryan can't hate it too much, so that's something.

Min-Gi is pretty certain he doesn't know how to dance, but he decides not to dwell on it after the warning not to. He just shakes his head, doing his best to push aside any deeper thoughts before they cause him problems.]

Mm-mm. But we could still try? Maybe somewhere out of the way in case I suck it...

[He does take a large swig from his latest drink for liquid courage, but he looks eager enough as he stands up from his stool.]

[Ryan looks down at himself and what he's wearing, his face pink from the compliment. But he really does like this outfit he threw together, and he shakes his shoulders a little to show off the fact that the fringe moves around freely.]

Oh, I'm sure we can find a dark corner somewhere...

[Wink wink.

He knocks back the rest of his drink (not that he needs liquid courage for the dance floor) and then rises from his stool as well. It was harder to tell while sitting, but Ryan is a couple inches shorter that Min-Gi. He beams bright, and offers Min-Gi his hand.]

C'mon! Let's go learn to dance!

Edited 2023-02-11 02:59 (UTC)

[He's pretty sure Ryan's just teasing, but that doesn't stop him turning bright red at the suggestion.]

I didn't mean it like that! I wasn't trying to be gross, I swear.

[But boy, it's sure hard not to picture, ready for that or not. He stays flushed as he accepts Ryan's hand, submitting himself to his expertise. He trusts himself to be led to the best part of the saloon, where they hopefully won't be noticeable enough to make too big a fools of themselves.]

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