changelinged: (Default)
Pixie Led Mods ([personal profile] changelinged) wrote in [community profile] pixieledmemes2025-05-16 12:28 am
Entry tags:

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

coolcustomer: ([noir] don't call me daughter)

[personal profile] coolcustomer 2025-05-20 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
"Maybe it was just childhood's rose-tinted glasses, but I remember him being... kinder. More attentive. He stopped caring, or maybe he just stopped being able to pretend that he cared. Inheriting the company gave him an outlet for all his worst impulses."

Haru knows better than to expect an apology, though one for taking away her choice on how to deal with her father wouldn't go amiss. Just because he was trash doesn't mean her feelings about him aren't complex, even now.
buffylives: (Default)

[personal profile] buffylives 2025-05-20 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
Then I need to kick some ass. [She means it, she plans on going up there in a few minutes and hurting the taskmaster.]

[She giggles.] Of course you don't. Forget about that. It was a pop culture reference. What year are you from?
buffylives: (Default)

[personal profile] buffylives 2025-05-20 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
[Buffy sighs.] I'm not a biohazard but I might as well be for supernatural beings. I just meant I'm going to hurt the person keeping us here.
sod_off: (Spike 51)

[personal profile] sod_off 2025-05-20 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, Spike is thoroughly confused. That was a lot of info in a short amount of space, and a lot of affection that he'd dreamed of but was sure he'd never get. Including a kiss--which he enjoys, but can't enjoy too much because he's hella confused. Then he's getting more information...]

Woah. Wait...what?

[Now the hold loosens, to arms length with his hands on her shoulders. Because he is still not letting her go.]

Last I checked, you tolerated me because you knew I'd protect Dawn. You only kissed me once, and that was...I don't know what that was and I didn't know then either. Now you're telling me it's been two bloody years? And what's this about me gaining a soul? Was I cursed? And wait a minute I was dead-dead?

[Spike was trying to figure out the words even as he said all of that. Trying to make sense of it, confusion written all over his face and posture. Before he gathered some calm to him, or resolve, or something.]

Slay...Buffy. You know how I feel. I knew you'd never love me, but you've treated me like a man and that was enough. I am so glad to see you alive here. Every...every night, in my dreams. I saved you. Somehow. So it is not that I'm not absolutely thrilled you're here. I'm just...very confused right now? Are you sure you're okay?

[Because that was his chief concern. Was she alright? Of course she had things to do back home. She was THE Slayer. Just like he had things he needed to do too. A promise to keep. Not that he didn't know the Fae played with timelines and all, but here was more proof of that in a way that directly affected him. Give him a minute to wrap his brain around it all.]
buffylives: (Default)

[personal profile] buffylives 2025-05-20 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
Want to work something out together?

[She looks around too, she can't see the taskmaster anymore but she'll find them in a little bit.] Whatever you say. I'm going to find the asshole that's keeping us here and give them a world of hurt.

[She stands up and keeps looking around, finally she finds the person who said they must stay but they disappear again.] What the hell?
andrieski: (129)

V b/c what's friends if not getting triggered about your own life?

[personal profile] andrieski 2025-05-20 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
Marina is tired, but that doesn't mean that she's about to trust someone to protect her in any sort of situation. This place feels off and she's not at all comfortable with things as they were.

She looks at him for a moment. It sounds like Lucien, but it's not him? She's not sure entirely. Maybe this is some power she doesn't know about. "I'm...okay." She considers the Circumstances and she's sure she can do some magic if she needs to, but she looks at him for a moment.

"You're kind of small to protect someone."
amurderofcrow: (pic#17157381)

[personal profile] amurderofcrow 2025-05-20 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
[what the fuck, don't drag him for being friendless]

Ah, you're one of those, are you? The power of friendship bullshit?
sarcastass: (Sharp Dressed Man)

Szelhamos | Original Character

[personal profile] sarcastass 2025-05-20 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
Party

[He knew it was a trap, he knew it was. And yet, he ate the food anyway, why? Because he's stupid, that's why. It's not what he's going to say out loud, mind you, but trust him, no one's kicked his ass as hard as he is right now.

No, Szel genuinely thought he was actually going to be the extra special exemption to the rule here, it's fairy magic and he's at least seven steps above that or something. It should count. It should, but it doesn't, and that shit's not fair. He's not the only one looking kind of cranky about this; a tawny owl accompanies him, its bill full of delicious, cursed spaghetti and it's large orange eyes seemingly twice as big as one might expect from an owl. Yeah, it doesn't look too thrilled about this shit either.

The demon twiddles his fork between his thumb and forefinger, sour faced.
]

Hubris isn't on discount today, huh?

[Okay. Maybe he'll kick his ass in public a little bit.]

On Hedge

[Guess who has two thumbs and has tried to cheat the maze at least three times now? This guy! Did it work? Does it look like it? He's still in here after all. Now he's pissed the maze off, and he can't get out. Great. A+.

There's a few small benefits at least to not having your eyes in your own head, as one of his fellow Adopted might soon find out; around the corner bounces a fat, fluffy orange corgi, absolutely adorable if one could ignore the little animal's hellfire eyes now staring a hole through them.
]

... Oh good, a real person.

[This would be shortly followed by Szel himself actually stepping around the corner as well, irritably brushing a few leaves from his blazer and flicking a twig out of his hair as he did. Distinctly, a small abrasion sits on his upper cheek. Don't even ask how those got there, just shut up about that.]

Don't go that way, by the way. There's nothing over there you want, trust me.

Unseelie It

[Six black and sooty wings are all out on display, the feathers clattering against each other like glass wind chimes as the demon stands ramrod stiff in the middle of the path. It's an open threat display, not dissimilar to an animal trying to intimidate a dangerous opponent, and the reason behind this particular grandstanding is clear.

The manananggal flaps in the air before him, blocking the path and practically daring him to break this quasi-staring match they have going on. Where's the dog? That's a good question, don't worry about it, he certainly doesn't seem like he is, drumming his fingers against the fat golden orb spider that acted as the grasp for his cane.

There's a distinct sense of a challenge being issued here, though as to what this guy was going to do about it was anyone's guess. Wings or not, it's abundantly clear he's as blind as a bat.
]

wildcard

[Wanna do something else? Just shoot me a PM!]
Edited 2025-05-20 04:56 (UTC)
coolcustomer: ([noir] don't call me daughter)

[personal profile] coolcustomer 2025-05-20 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
[Now where has she heard talk like that before!]

'Power' may be a strong word for it, but one can't possibly cover every single base by themself. Past a certain point you'd be stretched too thin.
amurderofcrow: (pic#17223978)

[personal profile] amurderofcrow 2025-05-20 05:18 am (UTC)(link)
Hardly any denying it now. You've caught me.
Edited 2025-05-20 05:18 (UTC)
sod_off: (Spike 19)

GEIS, UN: Happy_Meals_on_legs

[personal profile] sod_off 2025-05-20 05:22 am (UTC)(link)
Another vampire huh? Welcome to the bloody club or something like that.
longredribbon: (061)

[personal profile] longredribbon 2025-05-20 05:22 am (UTC)(link)
"A-Ah, well you see- um—"

How do you say literally everything. Even the spaghetti doesn't make sense, apart from him being very well familiar with noodles. Some of the other food, too.

"Those odd communicators, for example." Wei Wuxian fishes around in one of his long sleeves to retrieve the Leaf. He holds it up in the air at arm's length for a moment, as if inspecting, then turns it over in his other hand. "How is it that people can use them? I don't feel any sort of spiritual energy- or energy of any kind, really - coming off from it. Does it possess a talisman of sorts within?"
feckinboomstick: (nope)

[personal profile] feckinboomstick 2025-05-20 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
"It's just tequila." He does however, make sure to make direct and unblinking eye contact with the fae that had been pestering Murderbot to take that shot, as he downs that one as well. Yummy. Nobody said he couldn't be petty.

"Or a close enough approximation anyway. Might have to nip down to the market after this and pick meself up a bottle." It was distinctly stronger than what he was used to, color him impressed. He set the empty glass down again, snagging a second bag of salt off the table. Hey, a shot needed the salt, didn't it? And this was, technically, the other person's drink.

"Here." The bag was offered up to Murderbot. "I mean it, 'tis just salt. Might need it for whatever in blazes they got in that place."
Edited 2025-05-20 05:26 (UTC)
sod_off: (Spike 37)

[personal profile] sod_off 2025-05-20 05:27 am (UTC)(link)
Good question. Spike wasn't the most qualified to answer either. Where was a witch when you wanted one?

"So, lots of things here are done by magic. Fairy magic to be exact. Some would say magic is the same as spiritual energy, others wouldn't. That was true in my world too. Although we were starting to get devices like this when I was brought here. They ran on electricity harnessed via batteries and used to connect different circuits together and stuff. Don't ask me for more details because that's about the best I can explain it or understand it much myself. Here, I'm guessing they do the same thing but with magic. Also these devices may be...not exactly alive and sentient, but capable of doing things like running after you if you drop or lose it."

That was a lot of information to throw at the other, so Spike just took a moment to enjoy his cigarette and make sure the other was following.
amurderofcrow: (017)

[personal profile] amurderofcrow 2025-05-20 05:30 am (UTC)(link)
This world is different, I'll give you that.

[And look, he has about 5000 more questions, but at the same time, even he isn't certain he wants to nosedive into them at this exact moment.]

Have you been given a Leaf as well?
jermastrat: (8)

[personal profile] jermastrat 2025-05-20 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
It's not 'copping an attitude'. [He says, brattily.]

Just duck faster.

[The golden shot is already beginning to sizzle at the back of his mind, so maybe this level of irritation is just a result of that. A little bit. It has to be at least fifteen percent of the problem. He crosses his arms.]

Unfortunately, yes. I've just arrived here. And I intend to leave as quickly as possible, so I wouldn't get too used to seeing me here.

Why?
jermastrat: (4)

[personal profile] jermastrat 2025-05-20 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
[He glances over at Murderbot, then back to the spaghetti again. Gingerly, oh so carefully, he picks up a fork and just... pokes a noodle.]

Noodles and meat sauce. ... Disgusting.

[Compels him though, he's a bit caught up now in jabbing at it.]

Is it supposed to be slimy? I think they may have assembled this dish incorrectly.
crosslaced: ([nightmare] this is my wish.)

[personal profile] crosslaced 2025-05-20 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
[The dragon makes a fine show of struggling in the net, forcing the guards to use their whole weight to hold it down, before the unmistakable smell of fall fruit gives it pause. A blue eye glances up, its body language changing again to stillness.]

Hmm. Highness.

[Subtly, there is a flash of uncertainty in those eyes; uncertainty seems to be Laurent’s natural reaction to praise, though that in itself is deeply repressed underneath layers of acting. It is easy work to blink that aside and marshal a response.

And you know what, his modus operandi is so convoluted and self-gaslighting that he also doesn't have a problem with confessing honestly. It's nice when things line up.]


Does the court ever intend to let us go? You must have seen the questions on the network. Many of us feel we are not taken seriously. I wanted to find out if this is something the court takes seriously.

Failing that, I am throwing a fit. It's rather therapeutic.

[Who'd have thought, turning into an animal and sprinting around breaking things is better for one's mental health than keeping it bottled up forever.]
amurderofcrow: (pic#17288656)

[personal profile] amurderofcrow 2025-05-20 05:58 am (UTC)(link)
Hearing her throw out the word competition brings a slight ghost of a smile twitching across his mouth. With Akechi, everything is a competition, whether the one he's competing with knows it or not. The fact that this woman seems to feel the same way is amusing in a way he can't fully put into words. To think he could spend the whole of his life never meeting anyone who even vaguely understood him, only to stumble upon this utter stranger while they're both prisoners of the fae.

There's something deeply funny about it.

Akechi relieves Clea of her empty glass before his eyes are flicking back to her, assessing her in return. Obviously he's met dozens of non-humans in this place since his arrival some months earlier, but never another person who looks like Clea before. Her skin is the most beautiful shade of gray, not unlike a living statue, with pretty flecks and splatters of gold across the surface. Akechi himself has recently gained his own glittering gold on his skin as of late, gifted to him by the fae in the form of golden freckles across his face.

Whatever he quietly assesses of her, it seems to be enough that he nods in response to her introduction.

"Akechi." Simple enough. From their conversation so far, he imagines she's not the type of woman to spout out bullshit about 'what a pleasure it is' and all of that nonsense. She seems straight to the point, just like him. Good.

"It would be unfair of us to enter together." Listen, they've been speaking for two minutes and she already sounds smarter than 90% of the population here. "...But not technically against the rules."
artfuldawkins: (served my time)

[personal profile] artfuldawkins 2025-05-20 08:32 am (UTC)(link)
Two heads are better than one.

[It's an agreement, even if his head is racing. He's trying to remember stories he was told long ago, about people who got taken by the fair folk. How did they get home? He doesn't even know if it's a good point of reference, it's just the only one he's got]

[When the person appears and disappears...]


... Bloody hell.
artfuldawkins: (ladies love him)

[personal profile] artfuldawkins 2025-05-20 08:34 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, I came from over there," Dodger turns as if to point the direction, but the maze has changed and his entry point is no longer there. "But keeps doin' things like that," he adds with a frustrated tone.
artfuldawkins: (long time since been a kid)

[personal profile] artfuldawkins 2025-05-20 08:36 am (UTC)(link)
Dodger just stares for a moment, his mind racing ahead as he takes in everything Spike just said.

"You were born in 1853," he says very slowly, "an' yet you came from 2001." He takes a breath. "An' you're sayin' there's other things here, monsters from nightmares an' all that sort of thing."

Dodger nods slowly, and looks at Spike. "So what one are you, then"
artfuldawkins: (only one left)

[personal profile] artfuldawkins 2025-05-20 08:39 am (UTC)(link)
[Dodger can't help but stare for a second, looking with bewilderment at this kid. So determined to help, even though he ain't even known him five minutes. Definitely a bleedin' heart type, this one.]

Mate, keep an eye on it gettin' you.

[He keeps running, and spots a more narrow path up ahead]

Veer right!
artfuldawkins: (respectable gent)

[personal profile] artfuldawkins 2025-05-20 08:40 am (UTC)(link)
If Sikes told her not to, yeah, it would.

"Nah, not at all."

He considers the idea. Teenagers.

"... So, someone who ain't a kid, but ain't old enough to be wed an' all that?"