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6.0 Test Drive Meme
6.0 Test Drive Meme
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Welcome to Well! 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 May onward, and can happen concurrently with other events during May and June. This will be the only TDM for May, June, and July.
Applications are open April 26th until May 1st, and May 27th until June 1st. Invites are available for friends of current players.
Arrival: Escape!
Content warnings: forced captivity, blood, eating eyes, drowning in sand, forced intimacy
If you don't complete a task in five minutes, you will return to very first room and have to start again.
You can choose your own path, or comment below to have a random path set for you!
1. There Ain't Room
2. Glitter Bomb
3. Riddles Three
A. Cry For Me
B. Love Me
C. Hold Me
I. Blood
II. Sweat
III. Tears
The receptionist greets you as he always does, welcoming you home.
New characters arrive using this prompt. Characters can return from death from the previous cycle using this prompt. You can also just wake up and be in this prompt, so you can do this as many times as you like.
tl;dr:
The First Room
You wake up somewhere dark and damp. Maybe this is your first time waking up here, maybe it's your fourth, but the beginning is the same. You're in a small stone room. The only light comes from torches flicking on the walls. The room is bare except for a metal door. And you're not alone. You and someone (or someones) are here together, and you have to get out.After this, you find yourself in one of the following rooms. Choose one from the first set, then one from the second set, then one from the third set. You will always end in the final room. You must travel through five rooms to escape.
The door is locked, and to leave it you must just find one key. On the door is a note with a clue:
Freedom is hot!
The key is in fact in one of the torches! Depending on luck, you might find it on your first try, or your fourth. Find a way to extinguish the torches, and handle the hot, hot key to unlock the door.
If you don't complete a task in five minutes, you will return to very first room and have to start again.
You can choose your own path, or comment below to have a random path set for you!
The Second Room
You find yourself in one of the following rooms:1. There Ain't Room
2. Glitter Bomb
3. Riddles Three
1. There Ain't Room
In this room is a shooting game. There's a barrier with bebe guns attached to it, and at the far end are small cut outs of people. There's a sign on the far wall, in old-West style script, reading:
There Ain't Room
The cut outs look sort of familiar! There are cut outs of you and your compatriot(s), as well as some typical cowboy looking cut outs. Shoot your own cut out to escape! You each must shoot your own one, if you shoot each others', that person feels it as if they have been shot, and will start bleeding.
When you successfully hit all of your own cut outs, the floor under you opens up and you drop into the next room.
2. Glitter Bomb
As you walk through the doorway, you feel oddly.... sticky? Like your skin is covered in honey. Because it is! Yum.
In front of you is a room covered in glitter. There's so much glitter. You can't see a door, but you have to find a way out. Search the room to find the exit.
The exit is a trapped door in the floor. You'll need to make your way through the glitter, all the while it will stick to your very sticky skin. You'll need to dig a big enough path to get through, open the door and get into the next room! Too bad some glitter will come with you, and you'll still be sticky.
3. Riddles Three
A large hour glass in the middle of the room starts ticking down with sand as soon as you enter this room. One three of the walls are riddles engraved in the stone, and chalkboards in front of them. You must answer all three riddles correctly before the sand runs out to escape:Once you answer correctly, the hour glass disappears, leaving a hole in the floor that you must jump through to exit.
- Where waves kiss sand and breezes blow, where tropic dreams grow, I'm where you want to go. What am I? Answer: Kokomo
- With auburn locks and eyes of green, a rival, a threat, a beauty queen. Answer: Jolene
- With cowboy hats and boots that stride, no one told me where my horse I ride. Answer: Old Town Road
The Third Room
Next, you find yourself in one of the following rooms:A. Cry For Me
B. Love Me
C. Hold Me
A. Cry For Me
This room is beautiful and shiny, the walls made of crystals. In the middle of the room is a crystal plinth with a small crystal cup on it. In flowing script around the cup it reads:
Collect five tears
You must collect five tears in the cup to escape. Once you do, an entry way opens in the crystal in front of you.
B. Love Me
This room is very plain, and on a piece of paper dangling from a string in the middle of the room is the instructions for this room:
Exchange five sincere compliments each. Don't break eye contact.
You must do this within the alloted five minutes to escape. If the compliments are less than sincere, you may try again, but if you don't reach the five each by the end of the five minutes or if you break eye contact even once, you will be returned to the first room.
C. Hold Me
This room looks a lot like the pub in town. The walls are wood paneled and there's jangling piano music coming from--somewhere?
In the middle of the room is a mechanical bull, with a sign reading:
Stay on the bull together for 45 seconds.
If you succeed within the five minutes, you're free to continue on!
The Fourth Room
Next, you find yourself in one of the following rooms:I. Blood
II. Sweat
III. Tears
I. Blood
This room is very tall. There's a rope dangling down one wall. On the wall it reads:
Climb!
And that's what you have to do. The word "Climb" starts to bleed. And then the walls start to bleed. The room will fill up with blood within five minutes, so you better get climbing!
At the top of the room is a hatch that will let you escape through a hatch in the ceiling.
II. Sweat
When you enter this room, one of you finds that you are alone. You're standing at the edge of a pool, and that pool is full of sand. It's also searingly hot in here. On the wall, it reads:
Rescue your partner!
One person is chained at the bottom of a swimming pool full of sand. A counter on the wall counts down until they will suffocate. Better get swimming!
Once you've rescued your partner, a door on the other side of the pool will open up. Better move fast to get there!
III. Tears
This room is dark, very dark. You can just barely see, except for a glow-in-the-dark sign reading:
Eat some eyes!
And that's what you need to do! In the walls are eyes. They're watching you. You must each eat an eye to continue on. Once you do, a door cracks open in the far wall.
The Fifth Room
No matter the path you took to get here, the final room is the same:The last room you end up in, even though you enter through the same door, you find yourselves separated by a wall. There is a door for each of you at the far side of the room. You can hear each other, but you can't see each other. Each of you have a plinth in front of you, which reads:When you escape, you step into the lobby of the Staywell. It's bright and airy with beautiful white stone. When you look behind you, it seems that you've stepped out of a supply closet. Weird!
Who should escape?
In front of you are the names of yourself and your partner(s). You place the name of the person you believe should escape in a slot in the table.
Once everyone has made a selection, the names will light up:If your room is green, when you open the final door, you've escaped! Welcome to Wellstone.
- If you all chose each other, your room lights up green.
- If you all chose yourselves, your room lights up green.
- If someone chose themselves, and someone else chose another person, the room of the person with the most "votes" lights up green. The others light up red.
If your room is red, when you open the door, you find yourself back in the first room. Good luck!
The receptionist greets you as he always does, welcoming you home.
New characters arrive using this prompt. Characters can return from death from the previous cycle using this prompt. You can also just wake up and be in this prompt, so you can do this as many times as you like.
tl;dr:
- You wake up in an escape room! You must finish (at least) five rooms to escape. You have five minutes to finish each room. If you fail, you'll be taken back to the beginning of the dungeon.
It's alive!
Content warnings: public shaming
When you shake off the glitter and the sand, it might be time to head on down into Wellstone town. The air is full of a shimmering warmth that might be familiar to some. It's like the sun has been baked into the very stones and is radiating back up at you. Run-down buildings lean against each other for support, made out of mostly weathered stone with a few old boards here and there to keep structures up. Desiccated, skeletal fingers of dried-out ivy climb them, waving occasionally as you pass. Waving, and… whispering? For more information about how the town has changed, check out this month's Wellstone Post or read the Locations Page.
The town is alive with sneering, whispering voices. It's unclear where exactly they're coming from, but they're everywhere. Step into the Cactus Pad Tavern and you might hear a decisive no manners! spat sharply from the doorway. Make your way to the steaming bathhouse to wash off that honey, but be careful when you're undressing: you might just hear rude snickering from the air around you. Wow, the walls might say, your toes are so long. What weird feet!
The voices might interrupt a conversation at breakfast to make fun of something you said. Your mirror and your wardrobe might question your outfit choices. They're loud enough to be heard by everyone in a public space and seem to delight in saying cutting things at the worst possible moment. You don't recognize the voices, exactly, but they seem just familiar enough to really hurt, and the voices seem to know you well enough. They might even call you out when you tell a little white lie, or let everyone know exactly how loud you snore.
There's no way, seemingly, to get them to shut up, so... may as well get used to it?
tl;dr:
When you shake off the glitter and the sand, it might be time to head on down into Wellstone town. The air is full of a shimmering warmth that might be familiar to some. It's like the sun has been baked into the very stones and is radiating back up at you. Run-down buildings lean against each other for support, made out of mostly weathered stone with a few old boards here and there to keep structures up. Desiccated, skeletal fingers of dried-out ivy climb them, waving occasionally as you pass. Waving, and… whispering? For more information about how the town has changed, check out this month's Wellstone Post or read the Locations Page.
The town is alive with sneering, whispering voices. It's unclear where exactly they're coming from, but they're everywhere. Step into the Cactus Pad Tavern and you might hear a decisive no manners! spat sharply from the doorway. Make your way to the steaming bathhouse to wash off that honey, but be careful when you're undressing: you might just hear rude snickering from the air around you. Wow, the walls might say, your toes are so long. What weird feet!
The voices might interrupt a conversation at breakfast to make fun of something you said. Your mirror and your wardrobe might question your outfit choices. They're loud enough to be heard by everyone in a public space and seem to delight in saying cutting things at the worst possible moment. You don't recognize the voices, exactly, but they seem just familiar enough to really hurt, and the voices seem to know you well enough. They might even call you out when you tell a little white lie, or let everyone know exactly how loud you snore.
There's no way, seemingly, to get them to shut up, so... may as well get used to it?
tl;dr:
- The town is alive, and it is judging you. Your outfits, your words, your body, your habits: nothing is off-limits.
- The voices sound just familiar enough to feel like voices you know, but aren't able to be pinpointed to a single person.
cw: eyeballs
Jaune had sacrificed the leather jacket he woke up in to extinguish the torch in the first room, shared a slightly awkward anecdote about glitter in as they waded through the second, and volunteered to contribute tears in the third - and all the while, Laios had been a pillar of friendly acceptance and can-do attitude. It was great to meet someone new who just got it: there's no point in approaching any of these challenges with anything besides optimism and persistence.
On top of that, he's just been so easy to talk to. Jaune had started to actually feel comfortable around him, all his usual nerves about first impressions soothed by Laios' serenity. He may have already been planning to ask him to join him and Flynn for morning sparring.
Which just makes it all the more urgent that he save his new friend from a terrible mistake. ]
Wait - !
[ Jaune's hand snakes out to catch Laios' wrist, and he immediately looks apologetic. ]
Uh - so, the thing is - those are probably real eyes? Not grapes, or candy, or anything, just - eyeballs.
[ It seems obvious to Jaune, but he has experience. Laios doesn't know about the kinds of weird, gross things that weird, gross rooms will try to make you eat. ]
no subject
If they were candy, they'd be pretty convincing. They squish just like eyeballs. I bet it'd taste better with a little bit of vinegar, but the raw flavor can't be that bad.
[ He gets the hesitation, of course. It's supposed to be a test like all the other rooms, even though it seems like a pretty easy one. It's possible there will be some horrifying side effect, or that there was a specific eye they were supposed to eat.
But, well, there's only one way to find out. Laios has no earthly idea whether or not this is a normal thing to want to eat, but he isn't grossed out by the idea. ]
I'll let you know how it tastes.
no subject
Laios is incredibly brave. He sees what they have to do, and he's not showing the slightest sign of hesitation. He's even composed enough to make a joke about it. Jaune instantly feels a hot pulse of embarrassment run down the back of his neck. He's supposed to be the one setting an example on how to deal with the unfortunate circumstances.
He lets Laios go, but not before giving a quick and mortifying pat to his forearm, like that makes up for his outburst of nerves. Then he puffs out a steadying exhale and rolls back his shoulders, sizing up the eyeballs with grim determination. ]
I'll do it with you.
[ It'd be wrong to make Laios face it by himself. They're in it together. Jaune scans the wall of eyes and settles on a smaller green one, reaching out to pluck it from its damp socket. It comes away easily - way too easily - and squelches slippery between his fingers.
He can do this. He can definitely do this. Peeled grapes. ]
...on three?
no subject
[ Says Laios, through a mouthful of eye. Embarrassed, he chews— with some difficulty, which is interesting— and says through some of the remaining salty liquid on his tongue, ]
'f you want to do it together, I can grab another one.
cw: eyeball eating
That's - uh - that's okay.
[ Laios doesn't even look sick. It's not very nice to be jealous of someone he just met, but if Jaune could only manage to have a tenth of that poker face - well, he'd probably be using it to seem less embarrassed right now, for one thing. ]
I can do it. [ He reaffirms, staunchly. ] No big deal.
[ He'll just do what Laios did. One quick pop and get it over with. He breathes out, squeezes his eyes shut, and pops the eyeball into his mouth.
It's horrible. Absolutely and categorically horrible, and not at all like a peeled grape. He's terribly aware of structure to the round weight on his tongue, but he resolutely swishes it over to his molars, clasps it between them, and bites down. ]
Hh -
[ His face goes through a series of elastic contortions at the burst of liquid, the awful squeakiness of tissue, and a bonus sense memory of an incident he really tries his best to forget. The only sound for a few seconds is the frantic wet one of urgent chewing, and then a convulsive swallow. Jaune sways on his feet, mouth sealed tight and face turning a vivid hue of mortified pink. ]
Notsobad. [ He ekes out. ] 'Sfine.
no subject
[ Laios sounds kind of disappointed about this because he is kind of disappointed about this. He'd been watching Jaune's face while he ate it, and it was a pretty good mirror of his own experience: too chewy, too salty and strange, with an unexpected and kind of unpleasant crunch. ]
And it didn't go down very easily, either. I wonder what you'd have to do to make it taste good. Maybe pickle it? That would make it softer, wouldn't it?
cw: eyeball eating
[ Oh, no. Oh no. That's a shred of eyeball stuck between his teeth. Jaune hrks as he passes his tongue over it, then screws up his face even harder as he grimly sucks it loose and swallows.
A door on the far side of the room cracks open, spilling in light. His shoulders sag in immediate and immense relief. ]
I don't think we have to do that. [ He smiles weakly at Laios, blinking back tears of nausea. ] Th- thanks for thinking of ways to make it easier.
[ Doesn't pickling take a while, anyway? And require all kinds of things not in this room? Maybe Laios' thoughts are just as addled as Jaune's are. ]
You're really good at this.
no subject
I don't know about that. It's because of you that we've made it this far. Without you knowing what we're probably aiming for, I'd have been stuck here way longer. Whatever's coming for us next, we can definitely handle.
[ And on that note, Laios shifts up toward the door, pulls at its edges to let the light flood in, and sticks a cautious hand through. ]
no subject
He wouldn't be. Would he? Of course not. Except...?
But then, where would Jaune get off, judging? Doesn't Palamedes do all kinds of wet things with his magic? Hasn't he seen Ariane conjure rooms stickier and more organic than this with her power? What kind of friend would he be to her if he turned around and acted like someone else was giving him the willies with light Implications? Especially when that person is in the middle of giving him a compliment that makes him, belatedly, flush pink at the tips of his ears. ]
I wouldn't say th-
[ He starts, embarrassed, and then loops his hand over the back of his neck as that, too, gets warm. He's supposed to be trying harder about accepting it when people say nice things to him. ]
I mean. Uh. Thank you. Thanks to both of us. Plenty...plenty of thanks to go around...
[ Well. It's a work in progress. He sidles up closer to Laios and peers around into the next room, which seems to hold a plinth with some writing on it he can't quite make out at this angle and distance. ]
It doesn't look too bad in there? [ He lets out a small sigh. ] Which probably means it's a trap, huh.
I should go first, I think. I can heal, so...
no subject
[ Even more impressive. Laios thinks. He only has a very vague impression that healing magic is both hard to learn and useful to have, and it ticks Jaune up a few notches in his head from competent adventurer and good companion to competent adventurer and good companion with tons of skills. It's a little weird not to have any basis for these half-thoughts of his, but thankfully there's the weird light and the plinth and the task to focus on.
Also, the eyes in his pocket, but Laios is going to figure out what to do with them later.
For now, he pulls the door open wider like he's some kind of fancy butler, holding it for Jaune with a grin. Jaune doesn't need a warning about watching out for traps: Jaune has got this, and Laios trusts that implicitly. ]
no subject
[ There's a tiny brush of pride in Jaune's voice as he confirms it. His little glowing gift is one of the things he can do he feels best about. Being able to fight well is important, but being able to put people back together when they're hurt is good.
It settles his nerves to receive Laios' implicit agreement on that front. Anyone who understands what's important like that has to be a good person. So he steps through the door with renewed confidence, and after the first few careful steps, he relaxes a little. ]
It's clear up to here. I'm going to go look at the stand.
[ That's where the clue will be, and they'll be that much closer to getting out. He hopes. He's already thinking wistfully about a nice, tall glass of milk. And maybe inviting Laios to join him for it. He seems like a guy who'd appreciate the refreshing nourishment of milk. It's good for the bones. ]
no subject
...no Jaune.
Laios blinks and looks again, alarm mounting. Bright walls, bright floor, stand, door.
Sign.
Who should escape?
Nothing else. ]
This can't be good. Jaune?
no subject
[ Jaune spins on the spot, searching the room for his dungeon partner. He feels almost immediately sort of ridiculous for doing it, since there's a lot of Laios, and very few places even much less Laios could be hiding. ]
I can hear you, but I can't -
[ He sighs loudly, shoulders slumping. ]
Well, I guess that's obvious. Do you think we're invisible, or just in other rooms? Because I can see me, so I'm not invisible to myself...unless I'm just convincing myself I can see me? No - come on, Jaune. That's stupid.
Whatever it is - I'm in the room we were walking into. Are you in a different room, or the same one?
no subject
A blank wall.
He blinks. ]
It could be an illusion.
[ No, come on, Laios, follow Jaune's impulse here: it makes more sense to figure out how to get out, even if he wants to understand what's happening here. ]
But as far as I can see, it's the same room. Are you seeing the sign?
[ Because Laios does not like the sign!! ]
no subject
I see it.
[ The upturned uncertainty that dominates Jaune's voice, every statement almost a question as he looks to everyone else around him for cues on what he should do, has vanished as completely as he has. Faintly resigned calm has taken its place. He made his decision as soon as he finished reading. ]
It should be you.
[ He picks up Laios' name and rests it on the lip of the slot, poised for the drop. He doesn't know if they'll stop being able to talk once they pick, but just in case. He doesn't want to leave Laios hanging; it'd be rude. ]
You're new. You should get the break. It's already hard enough on your first day without being stuck in a dungeon.
And I'll be fine. I'll find another way out. So. [ He shrugs, unseen. ] I pick you.
no subject
[ Laios' sudden worry tilts his own voice up into high concern, echoing sharply off the walls. He grips at the podium like that will help in the slightest, leaning over it closer to where it seems like, maybe, Jaune is. ]
Don't just— don't do anything yet! Let's think this through! It's another puzzle. There has to be a way for the both of us to leave. I'm not alright with just leaving you here!
no subject
It'd be easier if he could do that. If Laios could see how fine with it he is, totally unworried. He'd feel better. But all Jaune has to rely on are words, and they've never been his strong suit. ]
It's okay. Really. There's always another way out eventually.
And if there's not - if you get out, you can get help, right? If you tell my friends Flynn and Ariane about me being stuck in here, they'll know what to do.
[ If they're not stuck in here too, but he can't think about that right now. ]
This way, one of us gets out for sure. Isn't that a good thing?