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.

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[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.]

[Ryan laughs.]

I know, I know! We don't have to be gross right now.

[But, you know. They totally could be, if Min-Gi wanted that. For now though, dancing together and feeling light and tipsy and free is enough. Ryan leads them to a corner on the edge of the dance floor that isn't totally empty - it's just far enough back to create the illusion of privacy, because no one is really looking their way.

The music isn't anything he recognizes - it's something lively, with a lot of piano, and that's all they really need to know. They don't need to know the songs to dance around to them. It's easy for Ryan to pick moves to try though, since he figures anything that makes the fringe on his jacket flounce around is probably right. It swishes back and forth, as does his long-ish hair, and soon he's reaching both of his hands out to Min-Gi to join him.]

This probably counts as dancing? Come here--

[And if Min-Gi lets him, Ryan will pull him closer by the hands and settle into some sort of easy to follow sway without letting go.]

[Min-Gi is fine being guided to a semi-secluded spot on the dance floor. He's transfixed by Ryan's easy movements, and the swish of his jacket and hair. He makes dancing look so effortless, and if Ryan hadn't pulled him in he feels like he could've watched him all night.

He doesn't resist, though, swaying along with Ryan as best he can. His movements feel a lot more stiff in comparison, but it's fun. And it's nice to be so close to him. It makes him feel warm and heady. It's easy to feel like they're alone.]

I had no idea dancing would be this much fun.

[It isn't perfect by any means - sometimes the music changes in ways he isn't quite expecting and suddenly the dance doesn't work anymore - but Ryan is quick to laugh it off and adjust. It doesn't have to be perfect, because they're having a great time.]

It's super fun - and you're pretty good at it for somebody who doesn't remember how!

[At the very least he's not bad. They're pretty evenly matched here. Ryan keeps sneaking himself a little closer and then pulling them apart again without letting go - all very playfully. Their dance gets so close he can smell whatever shampoo Min-Gi used before he forgot everything about himself, and then Ryan pulls back and lifts their arms up so he can be twirled. The fringe spins, and he's smiling so brightly it could light up the entire saloon.]

[Min-Gi laughs at that, shaking his head.]

I'm not.

[But that doesn't seem to bother him. He doesn't need to be good at it to enjoy himself. It's just nice to have fun, and to appreciate how free Ryan is.

His smile is just as wide as Ryan twirls, his eyes fixed on his face despite the flair of his outfit. He pulls him in close as he slows, intertwining their fingers again. It doesn't fit right with the flow of the music, but that's okay. It's mostly an excuse to be near him.]

[The slowness doesn't fit the song exactly, but the moment slows down with them. They sway together, hand in hand, fingers laced together.

Ryan slides their hands down to his waist and holds Min's hands there for just a beat, a quiet instruction. Then, he lets go of those hands so he can settle his on Min-Gi's shoulders, falling into a cozy slow dance.

The current song doesn't matter. They have their own rhythm here.]

Not too soon or anything, right?

[You know, just in case. Min-Gi did want to be on the edge of this crowd.]

[His eyes widen as Ryan places his hands on his waist, breath hitching slightly. This wasn't what he'd expected when he'd walked in here. Why would he when he barely knows anything about himself?

It feels like he should have bigger problems than if he can catch some guy's eye, but being here with someone is reassuring. There's no hesitation in response to Ryan's question. He shakes his head, his grip on his waist tightening to emphasise his point.]

Not too soon. This is nice. I like it.

[It's easy to forget it isn't just the two of them when he's looking into Ryan's eyes like this. He's barely even thinking about the possibility of anyone else noticing them, let alone worrying about it.]

Edited 2023-02-12 00:32 (UTC)

[It would seem that way, but it turns out it's very hard to have a lot of problems when you don't actually know what your problems are. And to be honest, Ryan didn't really set out to try and woo someone tonight either. He'd been looking for a distraction from the migraines and the nightmares and getting a little drunk at the saloon seemed like a great idea at the time.

But now, it feels so good to be just swaying in someone's arms like this. To enjoy how good things feel in this exact moment without reaching into that weird emptiness in his head. It doesn't matter if he's flirted with someone like this before, and if doesn't matter if it's something he would or wouldn't do.

He's here now, in someone's warm arms. And it's so, unbelievably nice.]

Good. I like it too.

[Someone a little smoother might try their luck sneaking a kiss while no one is paying attention to them, with how close their faces are. Instead, Ryan finds himself blurting out what's on his mind.]

Hey, so. Juuuust in case it's one of the things you forgot? ...You have such a nice face.

[It's such a stupid line, but it's true. If anyone's told Min-Gi that before he probably doesn't remember, and that's an actual tragedy.]

[He's a little lost in the moment, so it doesn't register with him immediately what Ryan is saying to him. Even once it does he can't write believe he heard correctly. He lets out a startled laugh, raising an eyebrow because for all he doesn't know he's sure that's a weird thing to say.]

What?!

[He honestly doesn't have much idea what else to say to that, but he doesn't want to say nothing else and risk him taking it the wrong way.]

You don't have to force compliments. I already like you.

I'm not forcing it! I just, I figured that wouldn't be something you'd remember. So...I wanted to tell you. Because you have a really good face and, you should know it.

[There's a light laugh to his voice, not because he's lying but because he just wasn't expecting Min-Gi to outright disagree. How can he disagree with eyebrows like that? And that jawline! Why would Ryan make up how handsome he is?!

Then again, maybe it is a little weird. But he already said it, so it's not like he can un-say it now.

His thoughts circle back to the rest of Min-Gi's words though, and they finally register completely. He seems surprised, but pleasantly so.]

...You already like me? Really?

[It feels like a silly, childish question at this point, but it still slips out, like he needs to make sure before he gets his hopes up even higher.]

Oh. Thank you?

[It still seems like a strange compliment, but he feels a little bad about laughing now.

It's hard to get too caught up in that though. When his own words are repeated back to him he's abruptly aware this (whatever this is heading for) is happening very quickly. But... Ryan looks hopeful. Maybe that's okay?]

I mean... I know we just met, but yeah. I think so. I'm not expecting anything serious. I know this whole situation is already super weird. But it'd be nice if we could get to know each other a little bit.

[That makes him laugh again, but for a different reason this time.]

Can we even get to know each other?

[That's tough, given their current circumstances.]

[Ryan is so hopeful, and it's more than okay. And sure, ice breakers are a little tough when they barely know anything about themselves, but they'll manage somehow.]

We can try? I'd definitely like that.

[He would love to know more about this guy, even all of the stuff he's already dismissed as being too boring. Tell him about his job at the diner. What's his favorite thing to cook? Is it a full time sort of thing or a stepping stone on the way to something he likes more?

Digging for details has the potential to be painful though, and that might be a bit of a downer on their evening.]

Hm...we could always make stuff up for tonight? You know, so no one gets killer migraines in a noisy saloon.

[And that doesn't mean they can't double back to the conversation for real later and be more careful about it. For now it's just for fun, and it'll probably say something about who they are as people anyway.]

Go ahead, ask me what I did before I got here again. Like, as a job.

Make it up?

[He's not sure asking Ryan about his job again is a good idea after what happened last time, but it could be fun. If neither of them start trying to think about stuff they shouldn't. He doesn't think he's that creative in his regular life, but maybe this will prove him wrong.]

Okay. Do you want to get another drink first? There's still a lot I haven't tried.

[Min-Gi looses one hand from Ryan's waist, reaching up to take one of the hands resting on his shoulder. It seems like the kind of game that would be better with a drink, or at least maybe not while (barely even by this point) slow dancing to lively music even if they are on the edge of the dance floor.]

[Maybe he can be creative in this new, memoryless life - maybe they both can be.

Ryan smiles and lets Min-Gi guide his hand. He's probably right about that, and plus it will be easier to hear each other anyway.]

Sure! I'm totally down for another one. You pick this time; I'll try anything.

[It's not like he even knows what he likes or dislikes for sure, so it'll be a learning experience either way. On their way back to the bar, Ryan links their fingers together again, as if they might lose each other between point A and B.]

[He's more than happy to keep holding his hand while they walk. He does falter once they reach the bar, but only because of the sheer amount of types of alcohol on offer. Once he's made the decision to pick from the listed menu his grip tightens back up again.]

Should we try something with tequila this time? Most of these seem to either have that or whiskey...

[Despite Ryan's adventurous nature, he's mostly stuck to the same couple of drinks when he's been at the saloon alone. Without someone else to distract him, his mind wanders too much and starts to wonder whether or not he's had this before. Does he like this? When would he have had this?

But with someone else by his side, it's a little easier to focus on the now. Those questions still gnaw at him under the surface, but not so much that they cause him pain.]

Sure! I think I've only tried the whiskey ones so far...and these all look pretty good.

[He glances eagerly to Min-Gi - he did say that he should pick, after all. Surprise him!]

[Although his options are narrower now, he still struggles to make a decision. Min-Gi's an overthinker by nature, and it's hard to resist the urge to try and remember what the different drinks are, or which ones he'd usually like. Picking based only the name doesn't feel right, but it's still a better option than setting off a migraine. And it's not like he can take another bartender recommendation when he's supposed to be the one choosing.

It takes longer than necessary for him to eventually settle on something. He wants to impress Ryan. He's not going to do that if he ends up ordering them a bad drink. He's still not sure he's chosen right when he does flag down the bartender, but standing here all night is probably not going to impress anyone either.]

Two Tequila Sunrises. Can you charge them to my room?

[He glances at Ryan to try and gauge what he thinks as she starts to fix up their drinks. He has no clue what he expects to be served, but it sounds exciting. Ryan seems like the kind of guy to enjoy exciting.]

[Ryan doesn't see any of this overthinking at all. All he sees is someone making a decision and picking something that sounds good. He has no idea what a Tequila Sunrise is at all, but it sounds interesting and that's all he really needs. Even a bad drink would make a funny story, and he doesn't really have many of those now that he can't remember his life.]

Well, it definitely has tequila in it. Otherwise it'd be kind of a weird name, right?

[He's excited though and he keeps trying to peek at what the bartender's doing, as though he can't wait a couple minutes to find out. When she sets the drinks in front of them, Ryan actually gasps.]

Woah! That looks awesome. It's so pretty? Good call!

[Their Old Fashioneds really do seem old fashioned in comparison. This drink is tall, and it has a vibrant gradient from yellow to red. He takes a curious sip and immediately perks up with the tiniest amount of recognition.]

Oh! It's like, orange juice! Try it, it's super good.

[Take these oranges, they're good for you.]

Right.

[Or one would think so anyway. It seems a pretty good bet to assume it's tequila based, but what exactly makes it a sunrise remains a mystery until the drinks are served up to them. Ryan looks so pleased it already feels like a win before either of them have tried it. He watches with a hopeful smile as he takes his first sip, laughing at his reaction.

He does pick up his own drink at Ryan's encouragement though, trying it for himself. He's right. It's good.]

Not bad. I was worried it was going to turn out to be something terrible.

[Which is safe to say now that the pressure's off. He likes it, and that's all that matters.]

Okay, so... You still wanna play that game? I could ask you about your job now.

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