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Pixie Led Mods ([personal profile] changelinged) wrote in [community profile] pixieledmemes2025-05-16 12:28 am
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Test Drive Meme #3

TDM #3 - May/June 2025
🦋 Introduction

Welcome to the Pixie Led Test Drive Meme!

The prompts will always be game canon, provided both characters who participate in a thread are either already in the game, or get accepted in the next application round.

You do not need an invitation to join the Test Drive Meme, it's open for anyone!

Please indicate character name and canon in the subject line of your top-level. For current characters, you may also indicate your character's court.

For prospective players, Invites open on the 18th, Reserves on the 20th, and Applications on the 22nd. Thanks for checking us out and we hope you'll join us!

🦋 The Party

You wake up at a party.

You're not sure how, exactly, you got here. You may have just been walking in the woods or at a meeting for work or doing any other normal activity for you. But you know you weren't supposed to be at this party, you're fairly certain.

Anyone you ask about it will say the party is for you. You and the others also waking up and looking confused. Further questions will lead to the partygoers insisting you have something to eat. You're starving and others are eating the food without repercussion, so you figure there's no harm in a bite. You finish your portion.

It's another garden party near a large hedge maze in the middle of the night. With his penchant for games the Ruler of the Spring Court decided it would be nice to hold an actual game for all the Adopted present. None of that dreidel game a couple of parties ago. This time, he wants more spectacle with higher stakes. Forced to participate and host aspects of this gathering as well, the Ruler of the Dark Court wanted nothing to do with this, so he figured his participation in itself is for the party to happen at night, during his rule, when his mood is at its most pleasant.

Of course, there is no shortage of light sources such as candles and torches, much to the Earl's chagrin, as well as no shortage of food. This time, the fae decided to try their hand on some pasta. They heard it's a good delicacy from the mortal plane. Thing is, sauces look and smell bizarre. One's purple, while another's bright pink, and they taste fruity, as well as flowery, much like the cookies from the last gathering.

As the party winds down and everyone's eaten, a tall, stately woman stands up and speaks. You feel her voice more than hear it.

I am the Lawspeaker of the Fae, elected by Seelie and Unseelie alike, and you are all, now, subjects of Faerie. You cannot leave this realm once you have eaten our food, and even if you could, there is no saying how much time has passed back where you're from. Your loved ones are likely dead, your problems have likely played out. We require assistance in various matters, and each of you has been chosen for your talent and skill. You will be adopted by one of the Seelie or Unseelie Courts based on your strengths and personality. Your Court will decide what to do with you from there.

As suddenly as she stood, she sits back down.


🦋 Feeling on Hedge

So, what about this hedge maze that seems to have appeared out of nowhere and looming quite eerily beside this night's gathering? For one, peculiar noises can be heard whenever one's near its entrance. From the rustling of leaves to a woman crying, everything seems to be coming from inside.

Of course, the Adopted's participation is required and paramount. Anyone who refuses will be met with harsh penalties and consequences, whatever those may be. They also hint of a prize to anyone who comes out victorious on the other side. It's unclear what it is, though.

The fae know that while the Adopted have been very useful so far, they are also vulnerable and susceptible to fear, so to mitigate that, they have some colorful shots on a table marked LIQUID COURAGE near the entrance to the maze with such effects:

  • Gold: Essentially a strong drink that gives you profound energy for 24 hours.
  • Red: Downing this will make you feel warm like an aphrodisiac.
  • Blue: Basically functions like a normal tequila shot. Or three. Comes with a little bag of salt.

These shots are not compulsory for the Adopted to take, but they will be highly encouraged to do so before entering. Once inside, the rustling of leaves and the sounds of someone crying become louder and even more evident. There are also a few key things that seem to be very clear the longer an Adopted is within the maze's walls:

  • The maze is moving. How it's doing it, nobody knows. But it appears to be alive somehow, much like the castle grounds, so finding a clear pathway is almost impossible.
  • Whenever an Adopted turns right two consecutive times, they will see a more positive outcome from a terrible event in their lives. Lost someone? They're now here and alive. Gave up on a dream? You find yourself currently living it.
  • If an Adopted turns left two consecutive times, they will see someone, a family member or a friend who's still alive and had a deep impact on their lives, bleeding and dead on the ground.

It would be great if no one else can see an Adopted during their most vulnerable, but since the maze moves constantly, another Adopted or two might be able to see them trying to parse out what they're seeing, even if their fellow Adopted can't see it themselves.


🦋 Can't Unseelie It

CW: dismemberment, body horror, forced body transformations, mild gore, asphyxiation, drowning of children, death

The Spring King only wanted some good-natured fun within the maze, but unbeknownst to him, some Unseelie creatures and Unseelie magic have appeared inside, threatening the safety of the Adopted traversing every nook and cranny. Surely this will not have any lasting consequences between the relationship of the Seelie and Unseelie court rulers. Not at all.

A few of these Unseelie beings and Unseelie magic roaming around the hedge maze that the Adopted will have a chance to meet are as follows:

  • Manananggal: Capable of severing its torso from its legs, this vampiric creature usually preys on sleeping pregnant women and unborn babies. But not anymore. Due to magic put on it, this manananggal will strike anyone it comes across. Better pour salt on its severed lower torso once you find it, or else.
  • La Llorona: Remember that woman crying? Well, somewhere in the maze alongside the eerie sounds of water flowing, you'll come across a weeping woman cloaked in white with her back turned against you. Be careful not to approach her because once you do, she'll try to choke you to death, reminiscent of how she drowned her own children.
  • Jersey Devil: The first thing you'll hear once you turn is a high-pitched, blood-curdling scream then the sound of bat wings flapping. You better run as fast as you can to the other direction because this devil is out to attack anyone it sees on its path.
  • A fountain: How odd. Running from the jersey devil or the manananggal might have made you thirsty so perhaps there's no harm in drinking from it. But just coming in contact with its water will make any Adopted soon realize they have transformed into an Unseelie creature.

Fighting off these creatures might be best with a fellow Adopted. After all, there's power in numbers. Just be careful not to die within the hedge maze. There might be some dire consequences.


🦋 GEIS

You feel a vibration in your pocket sometime after the Lawspeaker addresses everyone. When you search for the source, you will pull out your Leaf, the device the Fae use to stay in touch with each other. Anyone who's used a smart phone will easily recognize how it works.

Greetings, Adopted. This is your Lawspeaker.

To be on theme with our festivities for tonight, we want to know a time in your life when you felt lost and wandering about. Perhaps the most compelling story will receive a reward from us.



navigation

maritorious: (skeptical)

[personal profile] maritorious 2025-06-01 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Her look changes. Now she looks solidly confused.

"...so when you said ghost, you meant it?"
pentacled: (hopkins ⛧ 6)

cw: consuming a person

[personal profile] pentacled 2025-06-01 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[ as you'd like, faquarl thinks.

he gives a brief smile at the request, contemplating lucien for just a second longer. faquarl doesn't lift the dagger; instead, he ducks forward a touch, mindful so as not to disturb his view of the sky. his jaws part, and there's a slight distortion in the air, like heat on asphalt. out from the man's mouth extends the shimmering outline of tendrils that strain hungrily toward lucien's chest.
]

[ it's quick, just as he'd assured. he may feel something very "other" pressing in on his spiritual being, swirling against it with an erosive, feverish intensity. there is no physical pain. faquarl stands, tucking away one of the daggers into a coat pocket. he retrieves the other and does the same. the space is empty now, but for the remains of shredded vines and bloodstained grass from lucien's prior injuries. ]

[ he's re-energized. time to get a move on again until he could finally discover a way out of their godforsaken labyrinth. ]
Edited (forgot my cw!!!!!! and typos) 2025-06-01 16:58 (UTC)
maritorious: (dawn)

[personal profile] maritorious 2025-06-01 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Nancy nods, and looks at her hands, focusing as hard as she can on them, willing the warmth that seems to live there now to spread, to become hotter and hotter. Her hands almost glow with the warmth, and she's sure that's all she's getting before- a flame appears in the center of her palm. Small, but surely there.

"Where should- where should I start?" She'd never had to do this before.
umas_second: (pic#17633569)

[personal profile] umas_second 2025-06-01 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
"They're already . . ." It took him a moment as he turned those words over in his mind. if she wasn't creating them . . . "Ye mean ye bring 'em up from th'ground?" It was the only thing that made sense if she didn't create them herself. Harry gave a low whistle before taking another bite of food.

And then he choked at the next words. After a moment of coughing, he turned to stare at the girl, "Yer Mal's sister?"

((OOC: And canons collide XD))
umas_second: (pic#17755308)

[personal profile] umas_second 2025-06-01 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[Harry's smile slipped a little before he fixed it firmly in place. He'd never had something like that. Family dinners weren't really a thing back home, and his family hadn't exactly gotten along. His father spent more time with his crew than his kids, and Harry hadn't really gotten along with his sisters that well. His older sister had been more like an iron-fisted mother, and the less said about CJ, the better. But from the look on Aya's face, he could tell it was a precious memory.]


I can see why ye wouldny want tae leave it. Tha sounds like a memory I wish I could see.
umas_second: (pic#17755205)

[personal profile] umas_second 2025-06-01 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ah. Harry probably couldn't have ignored something like that either. People might sell themselves back home and have some pretty different kinks, but he could usually tell a play scream from a truly unhappy one. Although he might have passed something like that by back home, or demanded payment after a rescue, he didn't have quite the impetus to keep up a facade in Fairy. Stopping to break something up altruistically wouldn't hurt his rep.

Although he might still demand a ransom afterward. Harry was a pirate after all, even if being a VK seemed to mean nothing to people.]



Aye, I can see th'problem. Canny say I wouldny hev done th'same dependin.
umas_second: (pic#17755306)

[personal profile] umas_second 2025-06-01 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Harry's eyes didn't miss a thing, but as one thief to another, he didn't comment, just grinned now and then when the man pulled off an especially impressive sleight-of-hand. The guy was pretty good!

"Dodger then. Spent all my life on th'Isle. Barrier jus came doon a day or so before I woke up here, so no' sure wha life would hev been like in Auradon. Looked awfully shiny though." Shiny and fascinating, but he still would have felt better going home to the scuttled ship and his tiny cabin every night. There was nothing to say he couldn't have done that, but being all alone on the Isle wouldn't have felt much like home either.
umas_second: (pic#17755308)

[personal profile] umas_second 2025-06-01 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Aye? Ye need a hand wi' th'pranks then? Happy tae take direction.


[Without Uma, Harry was missing that constant purpose and restraining hand. If Lena wanted to step into that role, he wouldn't mind.]
umas_second: (pic#17755215)

text:besthooker

[personal profile] umas_second 2025-06-01 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I tried it th'first time, but I didny get a prize f'it. No' sure it's worth th'time.
umas_second: (pic#17755201)

party

[personal profile] umas_second 2025-06-01 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[Harry looked up from his plate of the same pink pasta with both brows raised.]


Is tha wha it is? Never had a peach before.
umas_second: (pic#17755216)

[personal profile] umas_second 2025-06-01 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Weel tha's good. An yeah, I know th'one ye mean. Nasty.
viennoiseries: (Sky Break)

[personal profile] viennoiseries 2025-06-01 05:59 pm (UTC)(link)
For a moment, it's not anger or grief or even wariness rolling off of Lune. It's straightforward exacerbation. She is being quite literal, but this old man...maybe this is where Verso gets his evasiveness from. What a family.

"Enjoy that, then."

Lune puts plan into action, and strides down the path, eventually turning the corner. She's certain Renoir won't stay lost in the hedge, but at if she's marking anything as a takeaway from this, it's that she doesn't think she needs to worry about getting stabbed in the back as she walks.
deprime: commission - DNT (pic#17877806)

[personal profile] deprime 2025-06-01 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
If there's one thing I know, nothing is infinite. For better or worse, all things have an end, and the same thing is true for these fae. Just because we don't understand them, or what they've done, doesn't mean we never will.

Ah, right. Okay. I'm still figuring this thing out but I can see how it could be useful. Glad to hear yours is working all right.
bloodalwaystells: Hrm (Default)

[personal profile] bloodalwaystells 2025-06-01 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"Lucky, then, that I'm used to gifts with teeth." It's dry, but there's a crooked smile with it, a quiet acknowledgement of backhanded blessings.

He's glad to be whole, alive, and something like safe for the time being. That's an improvement on his previous circumstances, and treacherous champagne aside, he'll take it.

He's not an optimist, generally, but he's not quite cynical enough to damn the *entire* mess.

"It is a very interesting situation," he concedes after another moment. "And, I have to admit that it's refreshing to talk about things openly. I'm used to secrets." And lies.
bloodalwaystells: Thoughtful (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] bloodalwaystells 2025-06-01 06:32 pm (UTC)(link)
I expect that some of us call it different things, but...yes, I think that's where we are.

[He favors her with a small smile, wry but sincere enough. The circumstances might be a mess, but...connections help.]

I'd be happy for the company, and I think anything we can learn about this place will help.

[He casts a glance at the suspiciously shifting maze, this time with a more serious gaze.]

Including its threats, but I think that's the intention here as well.
in_her_shadow: (been playin' second fiddle)

[personal profile] in_her_shadow 2025-06-01 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Most people would say the magic word first.

[ But as an 'apology' for what she did to his hair, she'll grab a fistful of 'em anyway and lightly throw them his way. ]
goldenturtle: (pic#17264931)

[personal profile] goldenturtle 2025-06-01 06:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Abrakadabra.

[ A small breeze makes it easy for Cale to catch them, and he makes quick work of cleaning off his face.

It's pretty obvious that he knows what happened, and equally obvious that he isn't going to mention it. ]


Be careful tonight. Something feels weird about it.
interwebs: (4546)

[personal profile] interwebs 2025-06-01 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
For sure! I'd love to!

[ Nothing better than nerding out with someone who also enjoys making and building things from scratch like he does. It's not often he meets someone who's a kindred spirit. Probably only two of them here around his age. ]

You know, after we find a way out of this maze. [ He briefly looks around, sighing. ] Which is almost impossible since it's constantly moving.

[ Because as soon as he entered, Peter has been calculating things in his head. Every turn, every move, trying to mark stuff, too. ]
deprime: commission - DNT (pic#17877889)

[personal profile] deprime 2025-06-01 06:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's... amazing. Actually," Gustave replied, his mind already racing with a hundred questions, a thousand possibilities. "You were, uh... made—designed—that way? Do you know how?" Was that a weird question? It was a weird question, Gustave.
in_her_shadow: (i turn the other cheek)

[personal profile] in_her_shadow 2025-06-01 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, yes, compared all the other normal parties we've had here.

[ Wouldn't be Lena without her practically drenched in sarcasm. She once again starts making tracks, keeping her head low. ]
goldenturtle: (pic#17668250)

[personal profile] goldenturtle 2025-06-01 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
You know what I meant.

[ All the parties are weird, but this is different.

Cale won't stop her from heading off, knowing she's heard him and will take what he said into account if anything feels off to her as well. ]
in_her_shadow: all icons by TrueBlueSpark on plurk (Default)

[personal profile] in_her_shadow 2025-06-01 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
... Suppose having a second pair of hands would make it easier to get away.

[ Though now someone is actually interested in them, it means she has to step up her game. ]
diana_abel: (Feel)

[personal profile] diana_abel 2025-06-01 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah," she said. "Me too." But there was a huge difference between being used to secrets and actually enjoying them. Diana knew herself well enough to know that she wasn't born for cloak and dagger shit.

She was born to dance in the sunlight.

Yes, the irony was potent. And no, it wasn't lost on her.

Now wasn't the time to wallow, however. Now was the time to offer Andrew what comfort she could. "Just take your time, get used to it," she said. "It's like getting into a swimming pool. You gotta adjust. But once you do, the water's fine."
lutin: (conning you)

[personal profile] lutin 2025-06-01 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Eponine honestly doesn't set much by promises. They're just words. Thye don't mean anything. So Eponine shrugs and grins and nods her acceptance.

"Very well, Sir. If that is what you want, then it is well."

She has no intention of keeping her promise at all.
mothtattoo: (Default)

[personal profile] mothtattoo 2025-06-01 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[She put up her hands in surrender at the look he levels her with.]

Dude... I have no idea what any of that even means.

[Well, the isekai part. She's played video games she knows what NPCs are. And pain killers. Anyway. She's trying to de-escalate things a little on the off chance he blows up on her.]

I'm just as confused about this fucking place.