changelinged: (Default)
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

black_black_heart: look, when a character generator lets me make mah boi correctly, I'mma do it and take pictures!! (the fuck is that)

[personal profile] black_black_heart 2025-05-19 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not remotely like 'most fae'," Tannusen says, "most fae won't interact with the other spheres on pain of death. Isaac and I--"

Ouch.

He has to pause, for a second. Re-calibrate.

His voice hasn't stopped being hoarse from the strangling, but maybe just got a little hoarser while he forces out, "That is, our bar was a hot-spot for all sorts. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, mages, even the odd mortal."

It had gotten them in so much trouble that Tannusen had had to do another round of nobility-murdering about it, and the pair had gone on the run from yet another freehold.

Until, you know, an entirely different danger had caught up. To Isaac, specifically.

"Anyway, no. Doesn't bother me at all."
viennoiseries: (Earth Rising)

[personal profile] viennoiseries 2025-05-19 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
[Just let Lune worry about everything, everywhere, all at once. That's what Lune was raised to do.]

Very different. You have to wonder what these other places are like...are their worlds unshattered? How do they live?

[And the implied opposite side of the coin: how do they die?]
lightish: ([dayglows])

[personal profile] lightish 2025-05-19 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
"It's not often we bring in a guest as ravenous as you."

The man appears in an instant, a beautiful shimmer in the air before he simply poofs into existence, handsome and horned and drowning in golden jewelry. Yet every move he makes, slinking like a cat to kneel down and peer under the grand table, is silent - no jingling of jewelry, no footfalls, no rustling of expensive fabric. It's as if the man has trained the sound right out of his every movement.

Lux's eyes practically glow golden in the shadow.

"Is eating on the floor tradition in your world? Humans are so odd."
repudiatedbutunbowed: (We can aid one another's suffering)

[personal profile] repudiatedbutunbowed 2025-05-19 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, I don't know how much I can continue, from here. I suspect they will, anyway."

Junia cleared her throat, answering her question. "The kingdom is under siege, by the herds of beastfolk from without, and by a coven of witches from within. I feel like we're all just running around putting out fires, but we were slowly figuring out how to find their leaders..."

She shrugged. "And then I was here, and suddenly it was no longer my problem. It feels strange."
feckinboomstick: (ha. ha ha.)

CW: idk man gross undead monster stuff

[personal profile] feckinboomstick 2025-05-19 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
Issac. It was noted how quickly the other man changed his wording, as well how his voice roughened slightly after that. The priest might not have been a gifted empath, but he could tell when he was looking at a raw wound. Don't touch it, got it.

"Odd... Can't bloody get 'em to stop interactin', the ones I know of. Wish they'd interact a little bit less, I don't need to get another bloody call about troopin' fairies bitin' the local children again." Easy, blunt, as if he didn't even notice the momentary break in the other man's composure.

The corpse in the water began to wriggle, and Cassian snapped his hand back, wadding his sleeve into the cut and quickly retreating from the side of the fountain. He didn't need to get any magic shape shifting water on him actually. For all he know it wouldn't even do anything unless drank but that could remain within the realm of speculation.

"Right, back up, back away, don't get any water on ye now." He even shooed Tannusen with his uninjured hand after returning the dagger to it's place on the belt, a solid ten feet away when the dead devil's wings began to flap wildly, beating at the water and splashing it a fair good ways as it did. The awful sound it made was wet and choking, gurgling on blood and water as it flung itself from the pool and writhed upon the ground.

"Aye... right, give it a second, still has some nerves firin' off in there messin' with the controls..."
black_black_heart: (blue lines)

[personal profile] black_black_heart 2025-05-19 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
He's easy enough to shoo back, at least.

"I think I crushed its bones pretty good," Tannusen notes, openly interested in the proceedings. "Can it fix them enough to move around properly?"

Curious if there'll be anything ghostly involved in this procedure, he pulls his glasses from his coat pocket and slips them on. Nothing here? But over there--

Ah, that's interesting. He blows a kiss at the empty air back the way they'd come.
longredribbon: (195)

[personal profile] longredribbon 2025-05-19 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
Okay.

. . . Okay. He can take all of this in without flat out gaping. So maybe the concept of other worlds is out there, and plenty complex, but it's the latter part of his reply that gets to Wei Wuxian.

"2-2001?" Did he hear that correctly? Suddenly he looks sheepish, in a way (more so both dumbfounded and in awe at the same time). "In the thousands. . . wow. . ."

Try the early triple digits.
Edited 2025-05-19 03:38 (UTC)
amurderofcrow: (pic#17798877)

can't unseelie it

[personal profile] amurderofcrow 2025-05-19 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
Imagine just coming around the corner of a deadly hedge maze and watching face-to-face with a guy just casually playing his flute. That's exactly why Akechi is stopped in place at the sight, his mouth twisting into a judgmental frown.

"Somehow I doubt that's helping any of us get out."
memorycardio: (008)

[personal profile] memorycardio 2025-05-19 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
I could say the same thing to you.

[She's never met a duck person before!]
thephotosynthesis: (Default)

Hedge

[personal profile] thephotosynthesis 2025-05-19 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ Olivia has had her share of interactions with mysterious old men with dangerous vibes. This guy could be real trouble if she provokes him. Maybe even if she doesn't.

Well, if it comes to that... she's confident in her speed, but not so confident that she could get away. Only thing to do would be to stand her ground and fight.

But before that, there's an option that a lot of people overlook: Talk it out. ]


Hello! I'm not with the creatures in the maze, I'm just lost in it. Maybe two heads would be better than one?
thephotosynthesis: (Not particularly impressed)

Party

[personal profile] thephotosynthesis 2025-05-19 03:51 am (UTC)(link)
I think it's supposed to be spaghetti, although the color is all wrong.

[Olivia is a bit cautious around him. Most of the time, when she's encountered something humanoid with no visible face, it's tried to murder her violently.

Maybe he just hasn't been to the Vatican. Or ever read a cookbook.]
sod_off: (Spike 35)

[personal profile] sod_off 2025-05-19 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
"You've got others here from later 'n that or earlier. Some places may not even use the same calendar so comparison can't really happen." Spike watches him and raises a brow. "That's the part your focused on? Not the whole 'other worlds' bit?"
memorycardio: (015)

two turns right / gimme that juicy murder angst

[personal profile] memorycardio 2025-05-19 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
[Sophia's got a real case of the wrong place, wrong time, here. The last time she'd cut into a moment that looked at a glance this emotional or fraught, she'd gotten chewed out for it, so rather than interrupt again, she stands awkwardly to one side and remains silent, waiting to see how this plays out- and ready to step in if something goes wrong. Ellie can "make-believe" if she wants, whatever it is that she's seeing.]
daughterofpluto: (06)

[personal profile] daughterofpluto 2025-05-19 03:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Hazel considers this a moment before accepting it.]

Probably, yeah. I'm sure my mom would have given me more than a look. Pretty sure Dad wouldn't have cared, though.
jermastrat: (4)

[personal profile] jermastrat 2025-05-19 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
Spaghetti... Oh. Another mortal 'grain product'.

[Not pasta. 'Grain product'. He talks to humans a bunch, can you tell? At least, not living ones anyway. He doesn't seem to notice her discomfort, though he doesn't get any closer to her. No, the mortal would be allowed her personal space, delicate things as they were. Who knew what mild movement might actually kill one?]

This isn't an accurate representation of it? What color is 'spaghetti' normally?

[It might be poisoned, he probably shouldn't be eying this one up. Where's the normal 'spaghetti' here? He's already starting to pick through the selection, against his better judgement.]
Edited 2025-05-19 04:27 (UTC)
feckinboomstick: (nope)

[personal profile] feckinboomstick 2025-05-19 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
"It'll make due, isn't as if it's gonna feel it anymore anyway." Some of the damage could just be ignored, but others would need a little help. Some manner of magic was going on there, and the look of it was... a touch unsettling, perhaps. A thousand strings like so many little spider legs inching and crawling over shredded flesh and exposed bone, forcibly yanking and popping things temporarily back into place. Sewing itself closed, stitching bones back together as if it were fabric.

Cassian turned his head to look when Tannusen moved, then peered a bit past him, making a face.

"Don't encourage it."
daughterofpluto: (03)

[personal profile] daughterofpluto 2025-05-19 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
Hazel smiles a little as she looks at the dagger. It isn't her first time seeing someone who didn't know how to wield a weapon. Though, if she's being honest, most of the time it was first time Greek demi-gods more so than the Roman demi-gods that she knew as well. Lupa had trained them all and she hadn't been allowed to show any weakness. Even having just come back from the dead and blacking out any time she tried to think of her past. Despite it all, weakness was not acceptable to Lupa. She's since learned that it's okay to not always portray strength. At least...when their lives aren't in danger.

Still, she smiles. "I'll teach you how to fight with it better once we're out of here," she promises. She does look at Alicent's outfit. They may need something a little...different. For training. But perhaps she'd feel better if that was somewhere more private. She's not really sure about people being out of time. "And that's good. I'll..." She pauses. She wants to say she'll block it if it happens, but that's as long as she's fully aware of everything. Which is hard in a fight. "I'll make sure you don't have to use it if you don't need to."
daughterofpluto: (04)

[personal profile] daughterofpluto 2025-05-19 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh. Right. She forgot most mortals don't know about that. She guesses the Mist isn't here to keep it from anyone, though.]

Yeah. It's...where we live. The Roman demigods.

[This is fine, right?]

Exactly! I mean, after everything else, it's hardly that surprising.
betenoir: (Tenacious)

hello hello! before I dig into things what spoilers are good for you?

[personal profile] betenoir 2025-05-19 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
[Renoir studies her for a good while. His eyes are cold and calculating, while he compares her against his experience of this maze, of this strange world where up is down and right is left. The fae strike him as possessing fondness for personal melodrama and a love of exploiting emotional connection.

Were this a trick of the light, there are more important people whose visage they could draw upon.

A stranger, then?

He says nothing for another moment. Because while he cannot trust the fae, he cannot claim a fondness for the people they find so fascinating.]


Perhaps. You haven't been here long, have you?

[But that lack of trust hardly means he lacks compassion for her situation.]
blitzno: (it's like a zoo for fishies)

they both use sex to avoid feelings and are allergic to backing down we should have expected it tbh

[personal profile] blitzno 2025-05-19 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
Blitz. The o is silent.

[ He grins back, entirely catching the look.

And... he's not dumb. Angel's a top tier actor who's capable of looking that way at any penis. But he also knows damn well his penis is nice. It's the only part of him that

Blitzø leans back against the table, widening his legs a bit to give better access. ]


This is only the fourth time someone's written on my dick. Be gentle.
daughterofpluto: (05)

[personal profile] daughterofpluto 2025-05-19 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
Hazel glances over at the boy in question, doing her best not to stare at his tone. She's not really used to boys flirting with her except for Frank and so it's kind of unusual. But then he mentions the gems and she stills. She was hoping no one would have seen that. It's been so long since she lost control and, well, she's not sure if no longer having Frank and Arion will mean that they are cursed again. She's hoping not.

"That's normal for me. The last one. Well, normally I have better control of it." She glances down, willing the items even further down. "But more I meant being kidnapped and forced to believe this is for us and make us happy. If my dad finds out..." Well, that's another story, but if they want to upset the gods, that's not her problem. Probably. She'd settle for Apollo at this point. Though...she's not sure how reliable he is in a fight.
sod_off: (Spike 12)

[personal profile] sod_off 2025-05-19 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
You can't really blame the newbies. They're still processing it all. Figured I'd point it out for others.
amurderofcrow: (pic#17686556)

[personal profile] amurderofcrow 2025-05-19 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
Look, that's completely fair.

And of all the things that Haru Okumura could have said to him, at least that gives the boy enough pause that no blood is shed between the two of them. Instead, he glances back at Yusuke's still body, his expression contorting with an emotion that isn't fully fury, before he's jerking his attention back to Haru.

"Prove you're who you say you are."
amurderofcrow: (pic#17596322)

1/3

[personal profile] amurderofcrow 2025-05-19 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
[what the fuck-]
amurderofcrow: (pic#17252365)

2/3

[personal profile] amurderofcrow 2025-05-19 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
[LOOKING AROUND because this fucking sounds like a prank, where are the cameras]