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Well Mod ([personal profile] wellie) wrote in [community profile] wellcome2023-04-20 02:05 pm
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2.0 Test Drive Meme

2.0 Test Drive Meme

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. This month, there is a strong possibility that those old west style clothes include a pair of jorts or daisy dukes.

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 May onward, and can happen concurrently with other events during May and June. This will be the only TDM for April, May, and June.

Applications are open April 26th until May 1st, and May 27th until June 1st. Invites are available for friends of current players.

All-Night Diner
Content warnings: feelings of euphoria and mild intoxication, exhaustion

There’s banner over the diner's doorway reading Welcome!, with colorful flags drooping in the heat. Inside, the waiter greets you with a wide smile and an announcement:

“Welcome to the Stardust Diner! Pie’s on the house today. Have a seat.”

During the day, the diner is just that: a diner. You can get anything on the very extensive menu, including prickly pear lemonade. The pie is free, and everything else is put on the tab for your room that will never come due, probably. It seems like a shame to eat that pie all alone! Accepting a piece of pie makes you feel like you should share this moment with someone. Luckily all the booths are plush and open, and it’s easy to plop down with a stranger to share this special moment.

At night, the mood shifts. The diner’s neon sign is a beacon against the thick darkness, beckoning you in with blinking lights and a line of text reading FORGET YOUR WORRIES. Inside, country-swing music rolls in time with throbbing red lights. The tables have been pushed aside to make room for a makeshift sticky dance floor, and the atmosphere is intoxicating.

It’s as easy as anything to be swept along with the vibes, the dancing, the intensity of it all. When you start dancing, you really do forget your worries. You forget that you don’t know how you got here and that you don’t may not even know the person beside you; you forget that you’re supposed to be anywhere else except here. Everything feels briefly perfect and beautiful, meant to be, no matter what else is happening to you.

When you stumble outside, it will be dawn, no matter how long you think you’ve been there, and you’ll be exhausted enough to simply curl up right there in the sand and fall asleep. Hope you made a friend kind enough to drag you home, or that someone wakes you up!

tl;dr:
  • The diner is open and the pie is free.
  • If you get a slice of pie, you feel compelled to share it with someone.
  • At night, the diner transforms into essentially a nightclub. The vibes are intoxicating and you can forget all your worries and dance the night away.
  • You can only leave at dawn, and your body will be exhausted. Better get help getting back to your room!

Something’s Coming
Content warnings: blood, blood-sucking, monsters

A few hours after dusk, strange creatures begin to scurry from shadow to shadow, chasing after anything that moves: chupacabras. Large ones. They’re big creatures, the size of large dogs with spikes down their spines and tails, dark and hairless with fearsome teeth. They are everywhere, and they are hungry.

They are indiscriminate in who they try to bite: the biggest among you is just as at risk as the smallest, but the bigger you are, the more of them might come for the fight. No matter where you are, there’s a risk: they seem adept at making their way into buildings. You might find one looming over your bed, resting on your chest, getting ready to bite; one might slip into the diner while you’re dancing and latch on when you’ve forgotten to be concerned.

If a chupacabra manages to bite you, it will suck your blood, and it won’t stop until you’re completely drained unless you do something about it. Having your blood sucked by one is not a pleasant experience, it’s excruciatingly painful and the creatures will do their best to keep you prone while eating their fill. The more they drink, the more exhausted you’ll get, until it’s very difficult to fight them off.

They can be killed or scared off, but the further they are into a fight or into their meal, the harder they are to get rid of. If a chupacabra has latched on to you, you’ll need help escaping!

tl;dr:
  • Chupacabras strike the town at dusk.
  • They want to suck your blood, and are indiscriminate in who they attack. They will try and drain you completely.
  • They can be fought or scared off. It's easier to get rid of them if you have a pal.



The Walls Have Eyes
Content warnings: eyes, trypophobia

There are eyes everywhere. They peer out of cracks in walls, the floor, the grout in your shower, an open cut in your skin. There are even eyes in the craters on the moon, staring down at you unblinking.

These eyes seem familiar, even if you don’t remember them. You feel like you do. You feel a heavy weight settle over you when you look at them, guilt curdling in the pit of your gut.

The eyes belong to someone, or someones, who you’ve hurt or let down. They belong to your greatest mistake, to someone who you left behind, to someone who you regret. The same eyes over and over again, or the eyes of many who you’ve hurt, watching you, judging you, pleading for you to save them or apologize or make up for the mistakes you may not even remember making. You just know that you made them. They eyes don't lie.

The more you ignore these eyes, the more they seem to encroach on you: appearing in the walls, following you around corners, in the creases of your knuckles, the fold of your sheets. They replace the eyes of the people around you, the same eyes staring at you from everywhere you look.

Your skin itches with the constant feeling of being watched. Your head feels tight, and your own eyes feel too full, like there’s too much of you inside your skin. You’d do anything to get away from this feeling.

Soon enough, the mounting pressure explodes: you have to confront them and your guilt and your mistakes, and beg for the forgiveness they’re asking of you. Even if you don’t remember what those mistakes were, or why you should feel guilty, you have to tell someone. If you don't, the feeling will only mount, until all you can see are eyes. Eyes, just eyes.

tl;dr:
  • The eyes of someone(s) who embodies your regret appear in the cracks of the world around you.
  • The more you ignore the eyes, the more of them appear, and the more you feel an intense, heavy sense of guilt.
  • The guilt you feel can be based on things you remember, or things you don't. If it's based on things you don't know, your head will also hurt.
  • The eyes will ease if you admit your guilt, to the best of your ability. Tell someone your guilt, and the eyes will recede.
  • If you don't, your whole world will become eyes.



searingwing: (All my indecision)

[personal profile] searingwing 2023-04-28 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
Some of them reverted when I killed the assassin. [He checks his pockets. The gem is on one hip. But the other is missing. He took the sword from his counterpart. Was it?

He puts that out of mind.]
The rest seemed minor at the…time.

[A hinderance at best. He looks better than he had the last time she saw him. But a shadow of the flat look the Diluc of memory had as he walked beside the knight is on his face. The events of the month had begun to reforge the Lord Ragvindr from his own ashes.]
sighsheavily: (pic#16416826)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-04-28 02:00 am (UTC)(link)


[hesitantly, her hand grazes where the wound had been before retracting, turning her palm up.

no blood. there’d be no sign of any of it, were there not such a tell in Diluc’s voice.

her heart squeezes.]


Not… not a dream…
hellonspectacles: (his eyes were a perfectly lambent grey)

1.

[personal profile] hellonspectacles 2023-04-28 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
I don’t think he knows the answer. I don’t think any of us do, I’m afraid to say.

[Palamedes stands near the foot of the stairs leading up to the rooms on the higher floors, watching the woman with gentle concern. He doesn’t recognize her, which is a new feeling after months surrounded by the same two dozen people. She looks…ragged, and not just because of the bandages.]

He is right about the breakfast, though. I recommend taking advantage of it. Or at least having a cup of tea. [rueful] I know it sounds silly, given these circumstances, but I find that tea always makes a difficult situation easier to handle.
hellonspectacles: (Lying to me on a molecular level)

2.

[personal profile] hellonspectacles 2023-04-28 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
Since his early days in this strange, sand-flecked town, Palamedes has found an inexplicable sort of comfort in the graveyard. When he’s there, the headaches that sometimes plague him dissipate, and he finds that he can practice necromancy—for that is the name for his powers, he has realized—more easily here than elsewhere. And was it not some kind of sign that while storms and earthquakes tore Well asunder, this place remained calm?

Pal is often alone in the graveyard, and now, he doesn’t even notice that someone else is nearby. He sits cross-legged on the ground, leaning against a gravestone worn smooth, squinting down at a notebook in his lap when a sudden roar jolts him out of his reverie. He looks up in time to see two beasts meet mid-air. They grapple for a moment, and lay still—and only then does Palamedes realize that one of those beasts is a man.

Or something like it.

“…Well, that was impressive,” he manages after a few moments of admittedly stunned silence.
hellonspectacles: (I would never do anything silly)

1.

[personal profile] hellonspectacles 2023-04-28 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
[Unfortunately, if Palamedes’ experience thus far is anything to go on, Martin’s days are about to get even weirder. Thankfully, the weirdness has reprieves: sometimes Well serves up a sunny day, free pie, and people to share it with.

When Pal comes into the diner, he isn’t expecting to be waved over, let alone by someone unfamiliar. Still, he friendly enough to offer a smile and join Martin at his table.]


It is awfully good, isn’t it? If you’re looking for recommendations, I’d suggest the milkshakes as well.
rustedknight: (rusted - 005)

[personal profile] rustedknight 2023-04-28 06:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jaune anchors the cactus notepad in place obligingly, his fingers on the edge well back from the Cat's paw and the claws contained therein. He doesn't mind sharing his things with a teammate, especially one who's doing so much for him already. It's nice to be able to give back a little. ]

And I'll help you too, as much as I can. [ That's easy, a given. ] I already feel a lot better hearing that. I'm glad it can't be a mistake.

[ Whether they sent themselves or someone sent them, knowing there was intention behind their circumstances (which must be correct, because the Cat couldn't be wrong about that) is at least better than a random accident. If they could get in, they must be able to get out. ]

Thanks, Cat.
toteninsel: (shall dry and die in)

[personal profile] toteninsel 2023-04-28 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Well, that's not a no! Ariane switches to little scritches behind their ears now that they're sitting up. ]

It seems like it. This place is so strange. [ She looks up at the sunrise. It's beautiful. She hasn't seen one of these in about two hundred cycles. ] Where are you from? I'm from a moon called Rotfront, but I'm supposed to be searching for new worlds.
toteninsel: (the cloud waves break)

[personal profile] toteninsel 2023-04-28 02:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They're nearly like twins, the two of them. Ariane stares back, and they've certainly got the missing teeth and exhaustion in common. Maybe whatever happened to her happened to him, too, but just a little less.

Those are fair questions. Ariane nods. ]


No, I fell asleep on my ship, the Penrose-512. It was in the process of crossing the oort cloud. Before I went to sleep, my hair was chin length, and I didn't have any of these. [ She gestures to her bandages. ] I don't know if you know how fast human hair grows. I definitely don't.

[ That would be weird! ]
searingwing: Art by pixiv-user-20433498 (pic#16246872)

The walls have eyes

[personal profile] searingwing 2023-04-28 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[Callused hands grab her shoulders and lightly push, widening the space between them. He looks about. There are eyes around him like a sea of staring, pleading faces. He turns away from them.] Tell me what you see first.

This is not a place that's wise to wander alone.
searingwing: (pic#16378703)

2

[personal profile] searingwing 2023-04-28 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[The sound drags across his senses. He winces and follows it. The man that comes into view is tall and moves like a trained swordsman. His long fiery red hair is pulled back in a ponytail. Scars mar his hands. He is a tired man, his mind a carefully constructed cage to hold his mix of emotions inside.

Dark clothes, making him stand out even further against the backdrop of the desert.]


If you would like, I can assist in putting an edge on that.
searingwing: (pic#16378692)

ii

[personal profile] searingwing 2023-04-28 05:10 pm (UTC)(link)
It is the nature of your business I wish to discuss. [Diluc says as he leans against the wall. His arms cross over his chest. He looks up and around, seeing the eyes that have followed him. Judging him as harshly as he has been locking his emotions away.]

I assume you see them too. The eyes that are watching everywhere we go.
searingwing: (pic#16378706)

[personal profile] searingwing 2023-04-28 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
No. And I wish it was. [He looks around the hallway and back at her. His eyes still have a bit more of a dullest to them, like when he'd been constantly hunted.]

The storm tore the place apart. There was barely anything left, then there was nothing. And I woke up in my room.
sighsheavily: (pic#14667798)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-04-28 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[her hand lifts and comes to rest at her neck, feeling around where what she'd thought was a dream was--

engh.

she grimaces a little, squeezing her eyes shut as she forces that dread back down.

she hugs her arms to herself.]


The concierge did like to repeat himself about some rough storm of sorts, didn't he.
vibing: (skit | soft | bow | gentle)

[personal profile] vibing 2023-04-28 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Yuri watches her, and something in his gut steels. He isn't going to insist now, but he's making the choice to help her, to face this double of hers on his own. If he dies from it, so be it. He hates that look on her face, hates what the other her has done to her, to Flynn, to Darin, it seems.

Softly:
] Alright. Alright, but we'll figure it out. Even if it's hiding out in the desert.
sighsheavily: (pic#14667798)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-04-28 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[she exhales in a scoff.]

Put it aside. There's not enough of a sign that we're to...expect that again. Since things are already different, even in being the same. Yes? You've noticed, yes?
rustedknight: (rusted - 005)

[personal profile] rustedknight 2023-04-28 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Just got here, actually.

[ He is weirdly chipper about this, like it's the most natural thing in the world to self-appoint yourself a defender against monsters on your first nights in a strange place. ]

And I don't think the circumstances are that bad - I did show up before you got eaten. [ He glances sideways, his smile lightly touched with wry self-awareness at the lousiness of the joke. ] I'd say any day where you don't get eaten is better than the alternative.
vibing: (annoyed | neutral | look away)

[personal profile] vibing 2023-04-28 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I guess... I dunno. If they're still alive. [ He can't just assume that they're gone for good, because they're not here now.

And, well. If people are coming back to life, that might not matter either.

Speaking of:
] I'm glad you're okay, now.
sighsheavily: (pic#14667795)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-04-28 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[she looks askance, not keen to accept the kindness full-on.]

So long as I don't-- [she stops, shaking her head, sitting up right as though doing so would fix her mindset. sigh.]

Mmh. Thank you, Yuri. I know I...caused you great harm. I do not intend to continue to do so.
vibing: (wave | what | determined | annoyed)

[personal profile] vibing 2023-04-28 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Yuri shakes his head, looking at her with a frown ]

You didn't. You, that wasn't you. You were trying to survive, trying to protect yourself and your friends. I can't fault you for that.

[ He looks away again, hand balling into a fist on the table. He feels like he's the one who failed. The one who should have tried harder, who should have been there, for her, for Flynn ]

We're a team. I'll back you up, whenever you need me to.
sighsheavily: (pic#16416825)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-04-28 07:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[grimly:] I daresay having a person prone to such panic does very little in a team setting besides add burden, but I am not so foolish as to utterly divorce myself from you or the others at-large. [she's not given up on herself entirely yet.]
searingwing: (pic#16378694)

[personal profile] searingwing 2023-04-28 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
He did. Now, it is up to us all to find the cause. [His head hurts when he thinks about it. Rubs his temples and says.]

I know you've written down what they've said. Let's review it with what we know now.
Edited 2023-04-28 20:53 (UTC)
sighsheavily: (pic#14667796)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2023-04-28 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes. I-- [her eyes widen.]

Wait, but, everything was... [destroyed? she hesitates, unfolding her arms and briskly moving back into her room.]

How-- [while she's relieved to see some of the notebooks still present, the one she picks up is filthy - a survivor of the destruction.] Oh, gads...! [she takes extra care in opening it up.] I'm, I need to transcribe all of this to fresher pages...
vibing: (huh | look | soft | neutral)

[personal profile] vibing 2023-04-28 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Prone to panic? Cecelia, you saw Flynn die. That--anyone would panic. That isn't weakness. That's being a person who gives a shit. And knowing Flynn? He did that knowing what might happen. That's just the kind of guy he is.
vibing: (hand on hip | smile | look | soft)

1

[personal profile] vibing 2023-04-28 09:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Another new person, Yuri assumes, by the annoyance with the receptionist. He smiles, a half smile, at this guy. He has a nice get-up at least, good taste in dark colors.

"If you need something from him, just take it. You're not gonna get much out of the guy, no matter how hard you try."
vibing: (huh | look | blank | scared)

2

[personal profile] vibing 2023-04-28 09:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Yuri turned, ready to take on the monsters with a steak knife pilfered from the diner, when this man comes out of nowhere. His eyes go wide, watching the guy barrel at the creatures ]

...do you?

[ Yuri isn't going to heed that order, and steps up by him, knife at the ready, watching the circling creatures, heads low and growling. ]

Think that thing's enough to knock them out?

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