wpsfaculty: (Default)
Faculty & Staff of Whispering Pines Sanatorium ([personal profile] wpsfaculty) wrote in [community profile] dhmeming2019-05-15 09:42 pm
Entry tags:

test drive meme. 001

T E S T  D R I V E  M E M E




Welcome to the Dead House.

And to our first Test Drive Meme! Please see the links below for information on the housing arrangements and the setting to get some ideas! Below is also an example of one of the altering events and how it can be played with in game!

There's also the option of using that neat little wrist screen to see who all these "others" are!

Note: If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask on the FAQ.

premisegetting startedrules/faqhousingsetting



one flew over the cuckoo's nest.

PROMPT 1: Left to Your Own Devices

There's no tugging sensation, so sense of falling or of being uninterruptedly drawn from your own world, or wherever you've found yourself, to yet another. Your sense of smell returns first, as the antiseptic scent of hospital fills your nostrils and a bright light somewhere above you begins to pierce the gloom as a reassuring male voice repeats your name.

A medicinal haze fills your mind, clouding your thoughts as you blink your eyes open. The man, blond with a gentle smile and kind eyes behind thick glasses, across the simple wooden desk from you seems familiar, but you're sure you've never seen the man before...right? He tells you that it's alright, that you had another episode and required sedation, that the drugs are wearing off now and any residual haze you're experiencing should clear as the day progresses.

After a discussion, limbs still refusing to cooperate, you're taken through winding corridors and up a rickety elevator to a floor with rows of numbers doors on either side. One is opened and inside you're deposited unceremoniously on the small cot within. An undetermined amount of time passes as sounds occur around you, the shuffling of feet, muffled voices, a bird at the small barred window letting in overcast daylight. Are the sounds figments of your hazy imagination or is that someone at your open door trying to get your attention? If only your limbs would cooperate...

PROMPT 2: and at the mercy of a strange device...

The world begins to take in a sharper focus as a vibrating sensation at your wrist catches your attention. There, a plain hospital bracelet, stating only your full name and a room number, is found, shaking gently against your skin. Brushing at it, what first seemed to be only a clear window holding a piece of type-printed paper with your information on it goes to static for a moment, like a small view screen, then to black, and the following words flash quickly across the screen:
your memories are real
there are others
don't believe their lies

Any attempt to respond to the strange message is met with silence. What others? Do they mean the other people on your floor? The other floors? Do they mean their lies or the ones who put you here, apparently for your own good?

PROMPT 3: Where exactly is here?

The room in which you find yourself is sparcely furnished, but with a bit of peculiarity for the curious and exploratative. The facility itself seems to run on a firm schedule that affords for a lot of free time to use the facilities, be it the sparce showers, the rec rooms on every floor that contact various but rudamentary forms of entertainment, or the yard with its exercise areas, spaces for outdoor sports, and the workshop for the more industrious patients. There's even a list of tasks that need performing, with a reward system in place.

NOTE: When the environment isn't altered in some way, the above is what patients can expect from the day to day life of the Dead House. The cafeteria and the yard are open at specific times of the day, stated on the Housing page. Otherwise, patients are given free rein through the wards, including the recreation rooms and there is no "lights-out" time.

EVENT PART I: just another day at the carnival.

Access to the Yard opens today like it does everyday, but as soon as the double doors open, the scent of popcorn, cotton candy, fried dough and anything else you typically associate with a carnival assail your nostrils along with cheery carnival music. The mist that typically hangs over everything is gone, replaced by resplendent sunshine that reflects on all the brightly colored carnival tents, the gleaming metal of the rides...when did this get here?

Looking back, the hospital building is nowhere in sight, and it looks as though you stepped through a fairgrounds entranceway, instead. You and everyone else around is clothed, suddenly and without warning, in whatever clothing would be normal for you in your own worlds, but no matter how outlandish that might be, no one seems to take any offense to it.

Patients are free to roam the carnival, ride the rides, eat the popcorn and other treats, play the carnival games and even win prizes! Hey, there seems to be plenty of acceptable currency in your pockets, so why not, right?

For those of you who return through the doors you entered by on-time per the schedule, your clothes return to scrubs and anything you won or bought at the carnival disappears...

...except for one thing of the player's choosing. Did you get to keep that stuffed animal you strove so hard for? Maybe a candied apple? Whatever it is, that one thing is yours to keep! Un...less the orderlies find it. Maybe you should stash it in that chest of yours in your room...




EVENT PART II: one night in horrorland.

For those more stupidly brave and adventurous patients who stay outside after the doors have closed, the cheerful carnival changes quickly as the sun sets below the horizon. The dazzling lights go out, leaving the entire assembly, and all its attendees from the hospital plunged into darkness. With the loss of light, all the throngs of people who'd been attending the carnival seem to have disappeared as well. In fact, looking around at the gloomy midway and off-shoots bathed in the light of the full moon overhead, it seems as though no one has been here for some time. Signs and billboards that had appeared new in the light of day seem weatherbeaten and abandoned, garbage never cleared rots in the streets, filling the area with a sickeningly sweet smell of decay.

The passages seem to shift, like a moving labyrinth, if patients attempt to find the way out, to the comparable safety and warmth of the hospital, and considering the sense of being watched that seems to be creeping up on all of you, sending a close sweat down your spines, that might be a good idea...if you can find the way. The gloom itself is thick, and figures move just at the edge of your vision, darting into a funhouse here, or maybe even calling your name...

...with a voice that sounds familiar. Follow at your own risk, though, because anyone who hasn't found their way back to the hospital before the sun rises may find themselves missing, as the carnival leaves with the sunrise...

OOC note: The figures characters glimpse are real, and you're free to NPC whatever haunted carnival, slasher film, or other horror movie trope you'd like with them if they corner your character...or if your character happens to think they've cornered them. Keep in mind, characters can die, and the cost of returning is a lost memory. Have fun!



navigation: premiserules/faqreservespatientsapplicationssettingic commooc commmeme commdirectory
itsnothingpersonal: (loki2_005)

03

[personal profile] itsnothingpersonal 2019-06-20 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
The greatest part about being a master of magic was being able to mask they sounds they made as he joined her in the run, and it wouldn't be long until the zombies lost their trails. His own endurance was much greater than a human's as well, and so he kept pace with the smaller wolf, happy to follow a better nose, at least until they were clear of the zombies, then he looked to her, waiting for a signal that it was safe to shift back.
luckyescape: (Sexy body)

03

[personal profile] luckyescape 2019-06-20 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
Freya's quick run slows to a measured canter and then a slow walk. She points to the spot with her nose, indicating that he should stay as she cases the area with her nose sniffing out the roots of the trees and the wind. She makes sure that they are not up wind of anything that she can't instantly taste on the wind and then nods her head.

Her shift was just as graceful as before though now she's completely naked and without her clothing. She sighed and turned towards the other wolf to see if he had turned back as well.

"Well that sucked." Freya was just going to ignore the naked thing. Hopefully Loki didn't mind. "Also it smelled really gross. Really really gross." She really wished she had a mint. "You not dead?" You know, in case he had turned into a zombie though these didn't seem to be those kinds of zombies.
customplates: (🛑 020)

I.

[personal profile] customplates 2019-06-20 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Aaron looked apologetic, shaking his head before he even started speaking. "I'm sorry. I don't." He glanced back over his shoulder, frowning. The more he thought about the strange situation they'd all landed in, the more it troubled him and sent his stomach twisting into knots.

"I think whoever put us here took everything."
itsnothingpersonal: (loki_017)

03

[personal profile] itsnothingpersonal 2019-06-20 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Once he's given the all clear by the girl, a greenish shine covers his features as he shifts back to his native form, clothing and all and glances over to Freya only to look away quickly again. He may be a liar and a cheat but he was also a gentleman.

"The smell of rotting flesh is delightful, that's true." His tone sarcastic was sarcastic. "Far from it." And he waves a hand, a shimmer appearing at her feet that collects into the pile of clothing she'd discarded.

"Put your clothes back on."
termineur: (I don't know and I don't want you to kno)

[personal profile] termineur 2019-06-20 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Sylar frowns at Nathan- that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. Is this even Nathan, or did someone grab himself out of time, from a few weeks ago? As used to strange circumstances as he was, this is still probably the strangest day he's had.

"Sylar. I'm Sylar," he clarifies, with less venom than he intends. In fact, it sounds more like an admission than a declaration. "I killed Nathan Petrelli, and then got saddled with his memories. So imagine my surprise that you're here."

Certainly, that will go over well.
whereishe: (so he says)

I.

[personal profile] whereishe 2019-06-21 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
"Why would they do that?" Yuna nervously tugged at the hem of her shirt. Spira had a lot of things but it didn't have mental hospitals. If people were insane they tried to destroy the world or something dramatic, they weren't treated in hospitals.

"I'm sorry but I don't understand where this is. I've never seen a place like this before."
luckyescape: (Yes?)

03

[personal profile] luckyescape 2019-06-21 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
Freya didn't really care that she was naked. It was a little inconvenient with that 'No Shirts, No Shoes, No Service' thing but over all it wasn't so bad. She knew that common practice was to get embarrassed and she was ready to tease her company but then her punk black clothing appeared at her feet smelling of some odd magic.

"Oh. Thanks." She tugged on her shirt, her pants and then finally her boots. It was strange since she was definitely wearing underwear in the hospital attire but she hadn't the moment she appeared in her normal clothes. It was like they knew? Whatever but it was spooky.

"It's save."

Freya stretched her arms over her head and bent her back in an arc before sniffing the sleeve of her shirt. It was odd.

"So, I'm Freya. And you are?"
customplates: (🛑 035)

I.

[personal profile] customplates 2019-06-21 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
"It's...supposed to be a hospital." He frowned, but not in confusion, just concern.

"Do they not have hospitals where you're from?"
itsnothingpersonal: (loki2_004)

03

[personal profile] itsnothingpersonal 2019-06-21 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
Freya, as her name was, was far from the first woman he'd seen naked, of course, but his mother would never have abided rudeness. Once she gives him the clear he turns toward her. His own clothing probably seemed otherworldly to her, leather pants, fitted boots, green and grey shirt that wrapped around rather than buttoned.

"Freya." An Asgardian name. It made him wonder if she was descended from Vikings, but he could ask about that later. Instead, he inclined his head, smiling. "I am Loki of Asgard. It was a pleasure to run away from undead jesters with you."
whereishe: (ugh)

I.

[personal profile] whereishe 2019-06-21 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Not like this. We have potions or magic to heal the wounded. The sick are sometimes brought to the temples but sicknesses... never last long." Either there was a cure or the person died. There wasn't much middle ground.

"This feels more like a prison than a hospital."

She's had experience in prison and it was very similar to this.
luckyescape: (Looking down)

03

[personal profile] luckyescape 2019-06-21 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
"First of all." She held up a single finger. "Clowns. Not Jesters. Wrong time period. But same idea. Only that I think clowns are meant to be creepy while jesters are actually meant to entertain." Freya waved a hand. "Not important, technically but I felt like it was worth mentioning."

It was also easier to talk about than anything else.

Loki's clothes were odd but Freya wasn't overly concerned about fashion. It looked as if he wore period pieces with Asian influences. It suited him and she found that she liked the way it looked.

"Second." Freya bows slightly but it's very hard to tell if it's a serious bow or if she's being playful. "It's a pleasure to meet you Loki. I've never actually been to Asgard. Mostly because I have no idea how but I do spend a lot of time traveling." It was what she did. Running was a more apt term but tomatoes... tomotoes.

"So any ideas about our zombie over night crew? We probably shouldn't stay here for long but I don't smell them catching up. We might have actually lost them."
customplates: (🛑 051)

Re: I.

[personal profile] customplates 2019-06-21 11:35 am (UTC)(link)
"Potions and magic...?" It sounded like a fantasy world. He swallowed, though, nodding. He couldn't say he disagreed with the assessment, disconcerting as it was.

"It's...a mental hospital. They put people here who are...insane. They should help people get better, but most of the time they just serve as...as storage."
itsnothingpersonal: (pic#13183834)

Re: 03

[personal profile] itsnothingpersonal 2019-06-21 11:42 am (UTC)(link)
"Clowns, then." He couldn't really assess why humans would have entertainers focused solly on being 'creepy', but he never pretended to understand them.

"I've yet to determine whether this meeting is a pleasure or not, but few Midgardians have been to Asgard." Only one had, to his knowledge, though with all his late fathers other secrets recently coming to light, this would just be one more.

"Not in particular. They certainly seemed real, but illusions are as real as your perception. I'd be most willing to to assume they were exceptionally convincing. Normally," he raised a finger as he spoke, his mind working quickly, "I would say such a perfect act was impossible, but given how flawless our wardens are with their insistence we are nothing more than they claim us to be, nothing is out of the question."
termineur: (Really Interested)

[personal profile] termineur 2019-06-21 07:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Now doesn't that sound familiar? The unfortunate events, not the name- there's no look of recognition in his eyes at that. He does smile back, as it feels like they're at least somewhat on the same page. And it's almost comforting to know there's someone else with abilities, stuck here just the same as him.

"Good to meet another who's not just going along with this. I'm Sylar." He nods as well, mirroring the gesture back at Loki. "And if you can't use it directly, well- there's still all the rest of us patients. I'm sure some of them will endear themselves to our 'benevolent caretakers' here before too long." And maybe their word will be trusted, and they can be used as witnesses for whatever Loki would like them to see.

Sylar's broken out of places like this before, clearly. Still having his abilities, even in a semi-useless form, is honestly kind of a luxury.
termineur: (TK Fingers)

[personal profile] termineur 2019-06-21 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Interesting. "You said that before. Ended. That's not at all how I'd describe what I remember. Things were still going, even if it did feel like we were dancing on the edge of a cliff."

He seems exceptionally pleased with himself as a few small gestures have the clock putting itself back together and setting itself on Aaron's bed. Just so the guy knows he really did do it. It's always fun to show off. "What happened to end the world?" Maybe someone changed history without Sylar being affected somehow? He's not entirely sure what it means.
whereishe: (so he says)

I.

[personal profile] whereishe 2019-06-23 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
"How does this help people get better?" It didn't make any sense to her. "Storage? So it is just another prison." Yuna couldn't shake the uncomfortable sensation that they were trapped here.

"I can't do as much without my sphere grid but I can do some." She has her healing magic and her summoning abilities. The Aeon's were gone but there was also the sending and her ability to speak with the dead. It might not be useful now but Yuna was determined to use what she had available to her.

"Let's take a look around." It was the only real option right now and Yuna wasn't going to be deterred by 'do not enter' signs. Aaron might want to make sure that she didn't get into trouble...
luckyescape: (Lovely Picture)

03

[personal profile] luckyescape 2019-06-23 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
It was because humans were fucking weird. Freya didn't really get it either but she did fine the entire culture amusing. It was like internet meme's. They were fun, silly and ridiculous all for the sake of entertainment.

"It's a pleasure." Freya stated confidently. "For the time being. If that seems to change then we can go our separate ways and call it a bust. We'll play it by ear." She didn't sound too concerned about it. In fact, she seemed to think that his phrasing was amusing and was smiling in reply to it.

"Considering that we're wearing our clothes and not scrubs, I think something more than an illusion is happening. Like a parallel world of nightmares with the gate being the yard of the hospital. If this word runs parallel to that one, then we just happen to stumble through it when the gate was open and this world clearly has some sort of Silent Hill bullshit going on." Heaven and hell playing side by side like night and day.

"For now. We should probably find our way back so we aren't stuck." She glanced up but the trees clouded her view. "Let's see. I can retrace my steps but that's through clown hell. If I can pick up my scent when I wasn't in the fair then I might be able to guide us back."

She'd have to be a wolf to be able to sort through the scents and time stamp them.
itsnothingpersonal: (twtavengers1_001)

[personal profile] itsnothingpersonal 2019-06-23 04:05 pm (UTC)(link)
It was just as well this Sylar was only aware of one of his many abilities. The fewer things Sylar believed him to be capable of, the better in his humble opinion. "Indeed. Several of them do seem to be of a type, don't they?"

The type who became heroes simply because it was the 'right thing to do.' Oh, Loki would help them, certainly, but not out of benevolence.

"You've been in situations
customplates: (🛑 061)

[personal profile] customplates 2019-06-23 04:11 pm (UTC)(link)
He nodded, slightly saddened just at the remembering, but still focused on what he knew to be true even as he watched Sylar go about his handiwork with the clock.

"Uh...yeah. There was a sickness that swept the country like wildfire. People died, and...then they got back up."
quietlypersistent: https://hollow-art.com/base/jodi-foster-silence-lambs (pic#13255957)

Nighttime

[personal profile] quietlypersistent 2019-06-26 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
Clarice wrapped the shawl they gave well-behaved patients who asked for them and were good at fluttering their eyelashes closer around her arms, but it did nothing to quench the settling cold. She hated this place more than she hated the ranch as a girl, and that was saying something.

The creepy-as-hell, doesn't-make-any-sense, shouldn't-exist-here factor of the whole carnival, which she hadn't been fond of during the daylight hours either, wasn't helping. She shivered and silently cursed herself for showing weakness.

Clarice was actually grateful to see another person dressed like a patient. Not a sentiment she ever thought she'd have, in her experiences.

"Sir?"

Please don't be someone legitimately ill, she thought.

"Pardon me, I'm not Marilyn, but I'd sure be grateful for the company."

Maybe together, they could get back without something untoward happening to either of them. She had to admit, against better practical judgment, that something was legitimately wrong outside, and that the shifting landmarks and flitting shadows seemed to be creeping closer in entirely unnatural ways.
customplates: (🛑 061)

Re: I.

[personal profile] customplates 2019-06-26 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
He breathed a sigh, nodding because...well, she was right. "It doesn't. They don't...didn't have places like this where I'm from anymore. It's storage, just like you said."

He smiles, though. "You can do a lot just being you, I'm sure. We're in this together, and we'll need each other."
itsnothingpersonal: (easycompany_001)

[personal profile] itsnothingpersonal 2019-06-26 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
Loki nodded his agreement at her claim. There was certainly something more than a fiction in their minds going on here. "I know illusion well enough to see this for what it is." He nodded again to confirm his agreement with her plan.

"But you're right, we should return to the hospital. It's in vaguely that direction," He motioned, "so shifting shouldn't be necessary, and I'm not carrying your clothing for you."
luckyescape: (Cautious)

[personal profile] luckyescape 2019-06-26 12:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Freya snorted, which was a surprisingly rough sound coming from such a cute little nose. "You don't have to carry them. They just poof into your palms." She flicked out her fingers in the modern 'poof' motion before stepping towards the direction that Loki had indicated. Freya kept her chin up, her nose pointed towards the wind. "We'll be traveling up wind of anything but I don't think those things can smell so it'd probably be okay."

They just had to be quiet.

"I'll keep my ears out. If I touch you it means stop and be quiet and cast a spell to make us quiet if you hear that ominous rustling noise. Sound good? Good. Let's lock and load."

Loki might notice that as Freya steps barefoot through the woods, she barely makes a sound.
whereishe: (This way)

I.

[personal profile] whereishe 2019-06-26 12:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Yuna looked over at Aaron with a warm smile. He wasn't anything like the Auron that she knew but he did remind her a little bit of Rikku in a way. Maybe less energetic but he had the same pure spirit that the young Al Bhed had.

"That's right. Do you know how many people are here?" She poked her head out of the room and took a careful look down the hall. Yuna didn't see anyone else but that didn't mean that they weren't there.

"Maybe we can find them."
itsnothingpersonal: (loki_026)

[personal profile] itsnothingpersonal 2019-06-30 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
"Only if I know precisely where they are. It's a sort of teleportation." He smiles pleasantly at this Freya and she'll smell more of that strange magic as their sounds are muffled. He leans close to be heard over the magically enhanced quiet.

"Or I could just be cautious." He wasn't overly concerned about whether or not he could take on the undead, but they were disgusting and decomposing and he'd rather not.

Page 7 of 8