leave her behind with the kids —

[happyheartsstaff]

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

Does anything in this hotel ever stay put? Those who go looking for the gym, the hotel spa, or the nightclub are out of luck one day, as they're simply no longer there. The hallways themselves go topsy-turvy, only staying put when one looks directly at them. For those who've been here long enough to have seen the last time the hotel shifted like this and remember how unhelpful the hotel staff were — it seems little there has changed. The only difference is the manner in which they are useless. They will acknowledge the shifting hallways, of course, and even provide direction back to the lobby, but profess they are much too busy to provide an escort.

Eventually, the hallways settle. Gone are The Caucus-Race, the Pearls Within, and the Rabbit Hole in favor of new amenities. Where once there was a gym, there's now an indoor playground. The nightclub has been replaced with an arcade, and the spa is now a massive movie theater. Were there always quite so many kids items on the restaurant menus? When did This Elegant Thimble get such a large children's section?

If asked, the hotel staff will shrug. Some will insist things have been this way for as long as they've been working there. Others will state that, like their wonderful Queen, the hotel will always know what's needed for any occasion and make suitable preparations.

ARCADE

9/11 - 9/23

The arcade, if possible, seems even larger than the nightclub that once stood in its place. There are rows of pinball, action games, shooting games, driving games. An entire room of air hockey, and another of dancing games. Clusters of skee-ball, whack-a-mole, and claw machines. The floors seem to be eternally sticky with spilled soda, and the smell of pizza and sugar permeates the air. No matter how many patrons are within sight, the sound of laughter and excited shrieking somehow seems to echo throughout the arcade.

Token dispensers are scattered amongst the games. Hotel staff will be stationed at the snack bar and the prize counter, ready to hand out tokens or trade tickets won from the games for small prizes.

Occasionally, one of the games will spark and short out. If asked, hotel staff will say it's out of order and put up a sign proclaiming it so. They don't seem all that concerned about fixing it. Soon enough, it will seem to fix itself and switch back on. It will still spark every so often, and something about the music will seem off. Anyone who decides to play one of these games anyway will find themselves feeling slightly dizzy. Is the arcade spinning around them, or is that just them?

When the spinning stops, they will no longer be where they were before. They will find themselves in the middle of the game they had previously been playing, regardless of what it was. Welcome to the other side of the arcade — where the game play is more realistic than ever! Hopefully they had a partner brought in with them, or someone else comes along to try to play who can help them win the game to get back out.

MOVIE NIGHT

9/11 - 9/23

The entrance to the movie theater is lined with concession stands. Snacks and drinks of every kind can be picked up here before going into one of the theater's two auditoriums. Films will be playing round the clock in both, a different one on each screen. Oysters may find the same movies they would have seen on their own world, movies one might find on modern day Earth, or even movies about old folktales or traditional stories that might have been told where they were from. The only thing that will not be showing is any version of Alice in Wonderland, or any story set in Wonderland itself.

At times, particular showings may be billed as interactive. These will be of all genres: musicals, adventures, mysteries, romance, comedies, even horror. Oysters who attend these will be encouraged to dress up, and will even be shown to a dressing room with a selection of suitable clothes. It will only be after they've been seated and the film starts that what is meant by interactive will become clear.

The musicals will have sing alongs, with people from the audience being pulled up to participate in the dance numbers. The adventures and mysteries will have characters on the screen turn to the audience as though they are part of the story, inviting them along in the investigation or interrogating them as a suspect. Protagonists and antagonists alike will walk off the screen of horror movies, seeking help from or looking to torment the audience until their story is completed and they are sent back to their film world. Comedies and romances will find those in the audience being pulled up to act out parts of the story — and may find themselves transported into the setting until they do.

DAYCARE AND PLAYGROUND

9/11 - 9/23

The front of the daycare is small, with a place to check in and drop off or pick up kids. This is the only area that Oysters who are not either helping out at the daycare or being dropped off themselves will be able to easily access. Behind this are sectioned off areas for quieter activities, with materials such as books, art supplies, toys, etc. There's a small kitchen that will be off limits to the kids, and an area for snack time and nap time. Hotel staff are very present and interactive in these areas — reading to children, making crafts with them, telling stories, fixing snacks. Some will be taking a quiet break for themselves in the kitchen, and may be willing to talk to Oysters helping out at the daycare.

The back of the daycare is an expansive indoor playground. Here, the children are mostly left to their own devices. There are some hotel staff out there to keep an eye on the children as they play, but they tend to cluster together for conversation. Oysters helping out at the daycare will be somewhat warily included in this if they approach. These hotel staff will mostly be dismissive of any children coming to them unless they are injured or crying. There are multiple parts of the playground that can be used to sneak in and out to the hotel area at large, if one is looking carefully! Any children who are not supposed to be there have a low risk of being caught unless they draw attention to themselves or try to enter the other area of the daycare.

The other children in the daycare fall mostly between the ages of 6-11, with three or four outliers who appear to be toddlers or in the 12-13 age range. Astute Oysters likely to observe the behavior of the children will notice that there are clear social groups among them, as though they have known each other long enough to have friends they're accustomed to playing with. There are some who seem friendly and popular, some who seem to keep to themselves, some who seem to have good relationships with the hotel staff and others who seem determined to cause trouble, those who are bullies and those who are picked on. Their willingness to play with or answer questions from Oyster children or adults is equally as varied.

There will be a posted list of Oysters banned from helping out at the daycare. It will not be easily seen from the front of the daycare, but hotel staff will identify who is on it if asked. It will include the below names:

• Lan Wangji (novel)
• Wu Xie
• Wei Wuxian (novel)
• Crowley
• Commander Shepard
• Matthew Murdock
• Lan Wangji (TV)
• Sam Wilson

Characters on this list who have been de-aged will also find that hotel staff are reluctant to accept them into the daycare. They will be allowed only if someone not on the list vouches for them, and otherwise will have to sneak in through the playground.

If you have any questions, please leave them over here! For those interested in asking questions or interacting with the daycare staff, please reply to the first comment on this page, and the second comment for the other children!

PREMISE RULES FAQ TAKEN RESERVES APPLICATION MOD CONTACT HIATUS & DROPS WORLD INFO NPCS CALENDAR AC REWARDS PLAYER CONTACT

© tessisamess

Comments

[sadflutenoises]

He's managed to bank plenty of tickets, throwing an orange ball through a hoop, almost enough for another of those slap-on bracelets, though several loop around his arms already, when a shout rises up through the already chaotic-sounding arcade. It's loud enough to cut through the din, and he's more than ready to watch whatever dramatic event is about to unfold, when he sees that the other boy is marching pointedly... toward... him?!

His game forgotten, he holds the ball between his hands, glances behind himself just in case he's mad at someone behind him, then gives the youth an incredulous look. How did he even reply to that? It's not that the other boy wasn't okay-looking, handsome even, but just what was he insinuating? If it was a new kind of flirtation, it wasn't working so well.

"What... do you want me to do with it?" he looks the other up and down, blinking in confusion, "look, I'm flattered, but..."

[scaredofdogs]

"I want you to give it back!" He has experienced much anger and confusion about why he was in this new body. And although it isn't ugly by any means, it still isn't his. And so he can't accept that a place would not only kidnap him, but steal his golden core AND stuff him in someone else body.

And as much as he hates the idea of punching himself in the face..well..if it gets him his body back then it will be worth it. He brings back his fist once he is close enough and aims straight for the nose when he brings it back forward.

[sadflutenoises]

What the hell is wrong with this guy?! Storming in and screaming about his body? And-

"Hey!" he brings the ball he's holding up, knocking the fist aside as he tries to shoulder-check the other boy. Really?! Aiming right for his face like that?

"You're not making any sense! What the hell is wrong with you?" he stands his ground, not about to be pushed around by some punk kid throwing around weird accusations.

[scaredofdogs]

One thing that is fueling his irritation even more is apparently this body is shorter then his normal one. As if he didn't have enough reasons to be frustrated.

"You are the one that has something wrong! You kidnap me here and then steal my body!! What kind of sick freak are you?"

And what kind of crazy dark magic did it take to suck his soul out of his body so that someone else could inhabit it?? Someone seems to be playing with the dark arts! He sends another fist in his direction, this time aiming for his stomach.

[sadflutenoises]

Kidnapping? Body snatching? He'd barely even caused any trouble, aside from breaking into one of the machines earlier.

"Woah, woah, it's okay to be jealous, I know I'm good-looking, but sick freak is a little harsh."

He is at least sort of expecting the second punch, and he twists enough that he takes it on his side, using the momentum to try to throw them both toward the floor. He can't help thinking that there's something weirdly familiar about the way this guy fights, even as he struggles to get an arm or a leg around him, attempting to pin him til he calms the fuck down.

[scaredofdogs]

"You must not be good looking if you felt the need to steal my face!!" He goes crashing to the ground with the body snatcher, making sure to wrap himself around the other so that he can't be completely pinned down. He doesn't like how his moves seem to be considered before he throws them. Maybe he can read his mind as well as steal his body!

He even has his voice. It's really all too infuriating. And now that he is closer, he can tell that this isn't a mask or some strange trick. It is definitely the body he should be in.

[sadflutenoises]

Still with these absurd accusations! There's really no arguing with a crazy person, is there? It's like logic doesn't exist, he's so ridiculously convinced that Wei Wuxian has somehow stolen... what, his body? His face? Doesn't he see he already has one?

"No one is stealing anyone's face! This is the same one I was born with, are you stupid or just crazy?" he grunts, wrestling around on the floor now and trying to shake the other boy's ridiculously tenacious grip. He's slightly bigger, so he tries to throw his weight around, but the guy is surprisingly slippery and difficult to get hold of.

[scaredofdogs]

He stops his squirming and gives this person a very hard stare. Either he is a very good liar or he sincerely believes what he is saying. "That is the face I was born with! And should still have until I showed up in this stupid place!"

Why won't this guy just admit what he did? "I don't know whose face this is..or what dark technique was used to take mine away..but I want it reversed right now!"

[sadflutenoises]

"You're such a pain in the ass!" he hisses, finally letting go, once the other boy has stopped. He returns the dirty look with one of his own, and pushes himself away from the other, trying to get a bit of space if he decides to start throwing punches again.

"I can't even argue with you, with all the nonsense you keep spouting," he huffs, "how do you not know your own face? Look, I don't know who you think you are, but I'm pretty sure there's only one Wei Wuxian. Did you hit your head or something?"

[scaredofdogs]

"Of course there is only one Wei Wuxian, and that is me!" He latches onto the front of the other man's clothing to make sure he doesn't go running away. Now that he has his body in his hands, he is not letting it out of his sights. Not until he gets it back.

"I haven't hit my head on anything! I know exactly who I am! It's you that are confused! I am Wei Wuxian of The Yunmeng Jiang Sect!"

[sadflutenoises]

"I- What? What!?" he's so baffled by the statement, he doesn't even try to avoid the other boy's clingy grip on his robes. He shouldn't be rising to the other's bait, but this is getting absurd! Just how far is he going to go?

"No, you're definitely delusional! I'm Wei Wuxian! The only one! What kind of prank are you trying to pull here?!" he gives the other a shove, trying to loose his grip on the front of his robes.

[scaredofdogs]

Wei Wuxian is definitely not letting go of this imposter. And so with that shove it seems to hit just a solid wall as he holds on even tighter.

"I am not playing a prank!! And I am certainly not delusional! Explain to me how a place can rip a person from their home, steal our golden cores, drop me in a different body and then confiscate swords! Nothing about this is right! It's like one big nightmare.."

And if he didn't have such a death grip on these clothes he would be sure that this was some kind of hallucination. But he is starting to wonder if maybe there isn't something a little more off about all of this then just a body snatcher.

[sadflutenoises]

When the push doesn't do anything, he starts trying to wrest those fingers from his clothing. But the imposter, whoever he is, brings up some solid points.

"How am I supposed to explain what he didn't know either?" he huffs, finally letting go and dropping his hands.

"I can't even use my talismans, and they took Suibian, you think I'm not annoyed too?"

[scaredofdogs]

His back stiffens, "Suibian...?" Does this guy really have all his memories or just the important ones? "That's my sword..." His fingers slowly start to loosen because something is definitely not right about all of this and it is really starting to freak him out.

His eyes narrow as he thinks of a way to test this guy. "Who do you live with at Lotus Pier?"

[sadflutenoises]

It's like he can see the wheels turn in the other boy's head, and when he starts questioning him on- on his own life, of all things, it only takes a moment for him to follow the train of thought. He wants to test him? Fine.

"Jiang Cheng, Shijie, Jiang-shushu, and Yu Furen and all the rest," he frowns, because anyone could know that if they paid much attention to the Jiang sect.

"What about you, huh? If you really have Suibian, how did it get its name?"

[scaredofdogs]

He makes a sound that clearly says that question is easy. "I had a bunch of names that I didn't like and didn't seem right for it when it was made. So Jiang-shushu suggested I call it 'whatever' and it just kind of stuck." He smirks slightly, "It's a good name after all." He's had a lot of fun with it anyway.

He folds his arms in front of his chest, "What is the one memory you have of your parents?" If he can answer that one..which he hasn't told anyone before..then it means things are very weird and he's not sure how to handle it.

[sadflutenoises]

Wei Wuxian tries to argue that he has told that story to a number of people, especially right after he'd gotten Suibian, so there's a chance this other boy has only overheard it somewhere else.

"Of course it's a good name."

The rest is- well, it's the first thing he's said that has actually shaken Wei Wuxian. The rest could be laughed off or reasoned away, but knowing such a specific thing, even knowing to ask him that, it makes him feel like there's an itch running under his skin. He hadn't told anyone about that memory. Small as it is, it's all he really has, and he's held what bits of it he can hang onto dear in his mind.

"Traveling together," he says, muted compared to his earlier shouting. It feels uncomfortably vulnerable to share even that much with a stranger. Who might also be him. However that is supposed to work.

"On my father's shoulders," he swallows, "my mother was beside us, riding on a donkey."

He pushes another foot or so distance between them, frowning, "satisfied? Only the real Wei Wuxian could know something like that!"

[scaredofdogs]

As he listens he feels his heart drop. He thought perhaps he would get lucky and be able to trip him up with that one question but he can tell the emotion on the other's expression because they are ones he knows well.

"Which means there is two real ones.." And that is terribly unsettling. Because that is the memory that only they would know. If this is some sort of spell or curse or whatever..then it is an incredibly powerful one to duplicate even memories.

"Maybe that is why I have a different face. This place knew there was two of us and they had to do something to tell us apart.." What other explanation could there be? But then again, why are there two of them?

He has so many more questions now then he did before. He stares at the face that he has grown up with. The only face he has ever known until waking up in this place.

[sadflutenoises]

"Seems so."

The whole situation is beyond ridiculous, but he finds he can't argue with the theory the other boy poses because, well, it's exactly what he would've said. So, there's two of... himself here, only one of their faces, well- bodies is wrong.

He frowns, rubbing lightly at the end of his nose; he's spent most of his time here enjoying the games and distractions, this strikes as particularly wrong, and like any good puzzle, he's struck with the immediate need to solve it. Was there some sort of soul-splitting spell? A duplication? It was as solid a theory as anything else, but to what end? He couldn't recall coming across anything like this in his studies.

"Pretty arrogant of them," he sniffs, "to think they can handle not just one, but two of us."

[scaredofdogs]

He huffs, a pout coming to his lips as he folds his arms in front of his chest. "Guess we'll just have to prove them wrong." He's going to make sure that this place feels just how upset he is about the whole situation.

"I'll make it so they have no choice but to give me my body back and send me back home."

How he intends to do that..well he isn't entirely sure but he will figure it out.

[sadflutenoises]

Admittedly, if he were in the other boy's shoes(or- not shoes, since neither of them had any) he'd be pretty annoyed too. Not that he wasn't plenty irritated just thinking that this place thought it could hold them here. He'd been content to mess around with the fun and games, but maybe it was time to cause a little chaos? Make them regret messing with either of them.

He nods, smile returning slowly.

"I'm not saying we have to wreck the place... but I bet it's a good way to get their attention."

[scaredofdogs]

Wei Wuxian smirks as he looks at the other him. Having two of them does mean double the mischief and he isn't afraid of causing a little chaos. He pushes himself up to his feet, tired of sitting on the ground where they had just finished fighting. He dusts himself off.

"Sounds like a good plan to me. You don't have to join me if you are scared of getting caught."

He would be fine doing things himself but if he knows..himself..like he thinks he does, he's pretty sure the other isn't going to turn down the chance. They would just have to figure out the best place to start.

[sadflutenoises]

"Scared? Hardly," he gives himself a look. As if he has to bait himself into causing trouble!

Wei Wuxian follows suit, springing to his feet, and adjusting his rumpled robes before swatting the dust away. The real challenge was making sure they could do something big and chaotic enough to be obnoxious, without causing actual harm to the other people who were just stuck here. Without any weapons or paint or even the use of his core to do anything fun.

Still, he wasn't useless. He could still upturn all the tables in the buffet, or leave all the soda fountains running at once. Drag as much furniture as they could to the pool and throw it in. Start a bonfire in the lobby. Raid the kitchens for their wine. The possibilities were endless.

"Only question is where best to start?" he grins.

[scaredofdogs]

He snorts softly as he shares the same thought, "That is the question..." He doesn't want to harm any of the places that all the kids seem to frequent. They don't know any better so they shouldn't have to suffer just because a couple of teens want to cause trouble.

"What is a place that kids aren't going to want to go to? Perhaps that noisy place in the lobby would be the best place to start. Easy to be seen by staffers and out of the way of kids."

The kids aren't going to want to go to the casino when they have the arcade to enjoy. It would be mostly full of adults and even those seem to be limited to staffers right now. He wonders how easy those machines are to tip over...because that could be a fun game of dominoes.

[sadflutenoises]

Oh, right, those noisy machines! Like the ones in the arcade, but way more useless They gave out coins, but it wasn't like the tickets, where they were actually worth something. And with all the noise there already, he was sure they could do some serious damage before it was even noticed!

"I like how you think," he smiles back at his other self, "Wei Wuxian is definitely just as clever as they say."

Was it bragging to compliment his other self, when they were effectively the same person in different vessels? Maybe. Did he care? Absolutely not.

"Wonder how many we can knock over before they notice," he stuffs his remaining tickets into whatever sleeves and pockets he can find, and starts toward the exit, "shall we?"