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pixieledmemes2025-05-16 12:28 am
Test Drive Meme #3
Welcome to the Pixie Led Test Drive Meme!
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Derallera 🐲 World of Warcraft
Being here was strange: she hadn’t recalled taking a portal to anywhere. She had been walking along the beach, trying to “take a break,” whatever that meant. She had promised her friends she would try to relax, but that was so difficult when there was so much to do among the Dragon Isles. She knew that she did actually deserve a break like the others had said, but she still hated being so idle. The last thing she wanted was to sit on her hands.
Derallera had an uneasy feeling in her stomach at her sudden arrival here, but she tried to stifle it. Perhaps this would be an opportunity to take her well-deserved rest after all, and it would only be a matter of time before she figured out how to get back home. She wasn’t a portalmancer specifically, but she knew how to work with arcane magic.
That was all a problem for later her, however. Right now she was trying to decide on something to eat, though it all looked... Well, correct-adjacent was perhaps the most polite way she could put it visually, though the smell of it was what was ultimately putting her off.
“Have you tried anything to eat? I’m having a hard time deciding,” she asked the person standing next to her.
This Maze’s Got Moves
Derallera had wandered into the maze after all, despite her feelings of unease warning her not to go inside. She’d heard the sounds of rustling leaves and the overall ambiance of it all was unsettling, but she ignored her better judgment anyway. It wasn’t long before she was thoroughly lost. Sure, she considered shifting out of her visage and flying up to get a view of the maze, but that felt like it broke the spirit of the game.
She took a left as she looked and quickly hit a T joint, ultimately turning left again. She heard a familiar voice cry out and she immediately started running toward it. She crashed around a corner and froze when she saw a familiar mop of blue hair, a body on the ground surrounded by a puddle of crimson.
Derallera slowly approached, her hands shaking, dropping to her knees before the body as she recognized the aspect of the blue dragon flight - Kalecgos - in his visage before her. With shaking hands she carefully turned him to see to his wounds.
“K-Kalec? Hey, hey, it’s me, it’s Dera. Please say something...” She was hastily starting to find the source of the bleeding, refusing to believe that he was already dead. “Please, Kalec, say something. Your flight can’t lose you...” Her hands were starting to shake as she continued.
Can’t Unseelie It
Derallera was still shaken by the visual of Kalec dead, but she’d gotten up and moved on. She’d wound up separated from the other she had been with. It made her uneasy, but she was aware that the maze was moving by now, and there was nothing that could really be done about it. She pushed forward.
She took a turn and heard a horrible, blood-curdling scream that took her by complete surprise. She happened to blink forward just fast enough to avoid the claws swooping at where she had just been standing, quickly looking around for what the it just was that attacked her. She saw the jersey devil as it turned in the sky to come back, ducking as it passed again, snarling as her visage dropped and she reverted to her normal dracthyr form, jumping from a cute 5’4” tall humanoid to an over 9’ tall dragonkin complete with powerful wings and a clubbed tail. She was perhaps a little upset after suddenly being dragged here, the awful food, the mean illusion of Kalec, and now this?
“Are you kidding me,” she growled as it came again. She took in a deep breath and then exhaled, hot flames bellowing out of her mouth as she spit toward the devil, smoothly ducking beneath it’s wild attack and tracking it with her flames as it passed over her again. The flames were definitely not enough to finish it off - he had really hoped to just scare it away - but it decided to be upset at her audacity instead. When it became clear that it wasn’t going to stop attacking, she growled again and took a few steps back, starting to weave a spell that would hopefully finish this quickly.
She noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye, glancing toward it and seeing another. “I would recommend leaving, unless you’re in for a fight.”
Wildcard
Not likin' what yer seein'? Feel free to choose your own adventure or hit me up on discord at coopyey or at
the party
He was a bit taken aback to see her here. Also a bit annoyed that he couldn't quite recall this dracthyr's name, but she was not a complete stranger to him, either. Like most of Azeroth's champions, she was the capable sort, but with skill in arcane magic and an almost headstrong determination to accomplish things.
In short, someone he ought to take more of an interest in.
"I..." It hadn't been Wrathion's intent to falter, there, but there was no easy way to recover. "I admit to being a bit troubled to see you here, champion."
Can't Unseelie It
Still, he's not going to leave Dera to face the shrieking thing alone, especially since her first barrage only seemed to upset the devil more.
He's a big man, solid, and dressed in practical, dark clothes and coat. His own form of armor, and he gives her a grim smile at the warning, even as he raises his hands to start weaving his own spell. When he speaks, his voice is a rough rasp, marred by past damage...past battles, past horrors. No, he's not the type to shy away, and the gold shot hed taken before coming into the maze only enhances that.
"I can deal with a fight." It might even be preferable, to the genteel madness of everything else here.