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Well Mod ([personal profile] wellie) wrote in [community profile] wellcome2024-04-19 04:40 pm
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6.0 Test Drive Meme

6.0 Test Drive Meme

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

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.

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.
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.

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:
  • 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
Once you answer correctly, the hour glass disappears, leaving a hole in the floor that you must jump through to exit.

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:

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 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 green, when you open the final door, you've escaped! Welcome to Wellstone.

If your room is red, when you open the door, you find yourself back in the first room. Good luck!
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!

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:
  • 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.

lord_daigonis: (neutral)

[personal profile] lord_daigonis 2024-05-27 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Makes me wonder how they'll expect to work off the tab. Ah, well. I ain't complainin'.

[He slides onto the stool beside Barnabas and takes a hearty gulp from his mug. This room looks very different from any tavern he's seen before, and the selection of alcohol is baffling, but it's a relief to know that beer still tastes like beer. He clings to his mug like a lifeline, a token of familiarity to keep his unease at bay.]

How are you feelin'? And don't say "fine." I get that you're tough, yeah, but I just saw you bleed from your dalpoundin' eyes.

[He senses that this may be hypocritical, coming from him. Stubbornly, he shoves that thought aside.]
odinpusrex: (152)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2024-05-27 05:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[Barnabas gives the question some thought. Fine is objectively true, but if he seeks something more specific, then...]

The pain has subsided, and my faculties are restored. I bleed no more.

[Which is a more wordy "fine", but hey, it fits the criteria asked! Though he supposes there's another part he hasn't said, that hollowing which persists and was why he chased that crumb of a feeling as he did.

His gaze slips to his beer, but still he does not move to drink it.]


You may cease your worrying.
Edited 2024-05-27 17:21 (UTC)
lord_daigonis: (smirk)

[personal profile] lord_daigonis 2024-05-27 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ademnet groans dramatically, torn between amusement and annoyance. He's never been good at predicting loopholes, and he knows it. That one's on him.]

Well, thanks for the permission.

[He'll stop worrying when he tohburned feels like it and not a moment sooner. But if Barnabas has recovered enough to be pedantic, he's probably fine.]

I'll stop worryin' if you drink somethin' to make up for that blood you don't got now. Fair enough?
odinpusrex: (153)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2024-05-28 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
[He offers Ademnet an even flatter look than his default, shakes his head, but then takes a drink of the beer all the same. It's... fine. If it quenches any thirst he might have had, he can barely tell.

He puts the mug back down, a third lighter than it was.]


Satisfied?
lord_daigonis: (neutral)

[personal profile] lord_daigonis 2024-05-28 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
[Sorry, Barnabas. He's lost all fear of you now.]

Sure am.

[Ademnet downs the rest of his own drink far more quickly than he probably should. Whether he's thirsty or just looking for consolation is a mystery even to him, but it feels nice, either way.]

Why'd you turn in here, anyway, if you weren't plannin' to get a drink? Not judgin', of course. Just tryin' to understand you.
odinpusrex: (155)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2024-05-28 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
[A mistake in most contexts, but given the current circumstances, Barnabas isn't much to fear, so that's fair.

He studies Ademnet a moment, but then gives the tavern a surveying glance, taking it in as he answers.]


You had mentioned seeking food.

[Taverns tend to have that.]
lord_daigonis: (listening)

[personal profile] lord_daigonis 2024-05-28 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
[It was inevitable in any context, probably. If there's one thing Ademnet excels at, it's agonizing over risks and then making potentially fatal mistakes anyway.

At Barnabas's answer, he blinks and glances over at the barkeep, looking sheepish.]


Oh, yeah. Forgot all about that.

[To be fair, he was preoccupied with Barnabas's health at the time. But he's figured out just enough about the man to realize that excuse will likely earn him another flat look, so he keeps that defense to himself.]

Sorry. I'll go ask her.
odinpusrex: (185)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2024-05-28 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
[Ademnet forgot about that, but clearly Barnabas didn't. Not that he is any more hungry than he is thirsty, but still he acquiesces to finishing his mug. Though, not too quickly, he has no interest in sucking it down like Ademnet did.]

You need not apologize, but do not tarry.

[This is for his benefit, anyway. Barnabas stays put, watching him as he takes another sip from his mug.]
lord_daigonis: (side-eye)

[personal profile] lord_daigonis 2024-05-28 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ademnet opens his mouth to ask what "tarry" means, then decides it doesn't matter enough to look stupid over. He nods and scurries back over to the barkeep, returning soon after to report:]

Think we're out of luck--she ain't answerin' the question. Just keeps repeatin' herself, like that man at the inn.

[He sounds deeply uneasy.]
odinpusrex: (19)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2024-05-29 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
Then we shall look elsewhere for victuals.

[Odd, he would assume this place would serve some manner of fare, but if it does not, then that's just the way of it. That aside, there's certainly something deeply strange about these inhabitants, and he is left wondering what is the matter with them.

With a bit more urgency than before, he finishes his mug of beer, then he stands.]
lord_daigonis: (suspicious)

[personal profile] lord_daigonis 2024-05-29 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
[Ademnet nods agreement, casting a nervous glance back at the bartender as he follows Barnabas out.]

Maybe we ought to see about that eyeless blacksmith first. These folk here...somethin' ain't right.

[He's learned his lesson about mentioning corbies or curses to Barnabas, but he's thinking about them again. He's thinking very hard.]

I don't like it.
odinpusrex: (150)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2024-05-30 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
[Barnabas is silent in his agreement, both to finding the blacksmith but also disliking the state of this place and its people. Idly he wonders if that is what happens to those who end up here, will they too become mindless thralls who carry out tasks at their barest minimal effort?

He should like to think not.

Still, for all his wondering and their wandering, there does not seem to be a specific establishment that implies "blacksmith", and so for their efforts they're only granted fatigue and sweat. Though, Barnabas looks entirely undaunted, even if he isn't entirely immune to heat slicking his brow.

They are in front of the general store, though. No blacksmith, but it's something. Barnabas doesn't go in, but instead looks to Ademnet.]


There is little hope for this settlement, if this is all there is.

[No wonder so many buildings are in utter disrepair.]
lord_daigonis: (avoidant)

[personal profile] lord_daigonis 2024-05-30 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ademnet wipes his sweaty face on his sleeve and puffs out an audible breath.]

It don't make sense. They got an inn and a store, but no market? No sign of folk livin' in any of the houses? Even for a traveler's oasis, that ain't right--and this place don't seem to be on a major road, either. Ain't no way this is all of it. It don't make sense.

[Leave, his instincts tell him. Grab whatever supplies you can and run. But if this place is magical, as he believes, then leaving is unlikely to be so simple. At a loss, he looks up at Barnabas, hoping the man will have some better idea of what to do.]
odinpusrex: (177)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2024-05-31 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
[Barnabas doesn't make a move to deal with the sweat that runs down his face. It's like he doesn't even realize it's there, or doesn't care to acknowledge it.]

There are walls that encircle the town, charitable as it proves to be to name it such. This should suggest there is little more to it than what we see before us. Perhaps the myriad ruins served those purposes once, but no longer.

[He frowns, his brow pinching as he casts his gaze out at the town again.]

Yet, this is only the surface. There were those chambers which we escaped. Perhaps there are more secrets that lay buried beyond this desolate place.

[Then he casts his gaze back to Ademnet.]

Leaving will be no simple task. I trust not their kindness, yet we have little choice besides.

[Especially with the heat and the desert they find themselves in...]
lord_daigonis: (suspicious)

[personal profile] lord_daigonis 2024-05-31 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
[Yeah. I was afraid you'd say that.

Ademnet can't argue with the reasoning; he knows fleeing into a desert without a map of the area would be suicidal. But a town he can't leave when he wants to is just another kind of prison, even if the drinks and lodging are free. He does his best to keep up a brave face, but his drooping shoulders give him away.]


It's fine. We'll figure it out, yeah? Must be someone here we can get answers from, or some way of findin' them on our own.
odinpusrex: (122)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2024-05-31 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
[It is definitely a prison. One Barnabas intends to escape, that's for certain.]

Indeed, there ought to be others similar to us, and they may know what we do not.

[Unlike the two they've spoken to. It stands to reason they can't be the only ones who have retained their senses.]

Mayhap our chances to cross paths with one will improve if we return to the inn. Besides, I cannot imagine you can weather much more of this heat.

[So he says, as if he's not just as sweaty and overheated as Ademnet.]
lord_daigonis: (avoidant)

[personal profile] lord_daigonis 2024-05-31 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, no need to worry about me. I ain't complainin'.

[Ademnet sighs, but it's mostly for show. He's wilting like a vine in the heat, his brown hair matted with sweat. He should have ordered a second beer while he had the chance, but he's not about to ask for a detour now.]

Think you're right about where folk are most likely to be, though. Let's go back.

[Anyone with any sense at all is definitely inside.]
odinpusrex: (38)

[personal profile] odinpusrex 2024-06-01 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Barnabas raises his eyebrows slightly at Ademnet. No need to worry about him? Well, he isn't worried so much as he can plainly see how the boy isn't quite the most durable. Some of that is not his fault, small as he is. Still, the heat will get to him before long, and so retiring would be for the best. With both in agreement, Barnabas gives the store they stand before one last look, before he heads towards the Staywell.

Honestly, the state they're in, they could probably benefit from a fresh change of clothes and maybe a wash, but that is not entirely on Barnabas' mind at the moment. The discomfort of his state is nothing compared to how imperative it is they find someone who might know something—anything—about their circumstances. However, as they make their way into the lobby, he takes note of the corridors that are offshoots from the lobby.

Perhaps it will lead them to someone else, or it may lead them to where there might be food if the inn accommodates such. They could very well kill two birds with one stone, if they choose correctly. Barnabas casts his gaze towards Ademnet, before nodding towards one of the corridors. From what he can see, it seems to lead to a dining area.]


There is a dining hall just beyond. You may yet find something to fill your belly.

[And it stands to reason that someone might be there eating as well. They can hope.]
lord_daigonis: (smirk)

[personal profile] lord_daigonis 2024-06-02 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
[Hey, he's plenty durable! He's just not superhuman, which is admittedly a real pain in the ass at the moment. Ademnet's shirt is plastered to his back with sweat, and he shakes it by the hem as he walks to manufacture some breeze on his skin. He perks up a bit upon getting back indoors, and perks up yet more at the words dining hall.]

So it was right here in the blinded inn the whole time? Heh. Figures.

[As they head toward the dining hall, he can't resist raising an eyebrow and saying innocently:]

You know, if this place don't charge for anythin', then keepin' the knives ain't stealin', strictly speakin'...