pixieledmemes | Test Drive Meme #3

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!tdm

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

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Party 🐛 What A Tangled Web 🐛 for newbies ]

Don't touch it!

Nebaneba Net!

[ Anyone who seems on the verge of trying the food may get interrupted by two things happening simultaneously. One, a young boy (tall for his age, but still definitely a child) will run up with an expression of intent and alarm on his face.

Two, the giant larva in his arms will leap onto the table and spray sticky webbing all over everything edible....and even some things that aren't; his aim is lousy.

You're welcome? ]

[ Labyrinth 🐛 If I Was A Worm ]

[ Ken had been prepared to receive consequences for trying to help - or at least alert - the newbies. If he can assist even one, it's worth whatever the Fae want to do to him.

He was not expecting "what the Fae want to do to him" to be....this. ]

It's okay, Ken-chan. I'll protect you.

....Mm.

[ Wriggling their way into the maze, heedless of the table of "liquid courage", are not one but TWO giant green larvae. The one with robin's-egg-blue eyes is resting a helpful claw on the one with stormy-blue eyes, who seems to be having trouble getting all his legs moving the way they're supposed to. Almost as if he's wildly unused to having this many appendages! WHAT A COINCIDENCE.

They're also in the middle of the path, so when one of the bugs notices they're blocking it, he scoots himself and his companion out of the way. ]

After you.

[ At least they're polite little buggers? ]

[ Labyrinth 🐛 Bugging Out ]

WHUAAAAAGHHH! KEN-CHAN, I'M SCAAAARED!

[ The bugs are clinging together again, except this time it's the one with the stormy eyes that seems a bit more in control of the situation. They're around the corner from a Jersey Devil, and there's no branching path nearby. The only way out is through.

When someone tries to pass them, the second bug speaks up. ]

Be careful. There's a monster around the bend.

So scary...

[ So scary - and Wormmon can't evolve. They've tried that. Because Ken is a Digimon right now, himself....?

He tries to grit his teeth, hasn't got teeth, ends up grinding his mandibles together. Think. There's got to be a way. They could ask the person who's just passed....?

But if needing to cover for them endangers their helper.... ]

[ ah. faquarl comes to a stop on the path at being addressed. he looks somewhat worse for wear, like someone who's encounter a good number of tussles however long they'd all been here: a cut above his brow, scratches on his knuckles, a ripped shirt cuff, etc. but the show must go on. ]

[ he taps his cleaver against his pantleg, contemplative as he peers at the insects. he recognizes at least one of them, as he had made note to himself who'd been willing to kick up a disturbance at the party. ]

[ he points at the larvae with lighter blue eyes. ]

There was just one of you before. [ faquarl can count, to be sure; under the right circumstances, he might claim that he Invented Human Arithmetic. ] Are you beginning to multiply?

Me?

[ Wormmon points at himself, confused. Is he being asked to multiply? He hopes not. After all: ] I'm bad at math....

[ ....The other bug pipes up. Faquarl, if he'd been close enough to hear the child yelling at the party, might recognize his voice. ]

I'm usually human. The Fae didn't like that I disrupted the party....

[ faquarl's gaze slides over to the other one, his eyebrows lifting with surprise. it seems he does recognize the voice. ]

They took away your human body? [ he sounds disturbed. should he have thought them capable of that? maybe. did he want to think them capable of that? no. ] This is grim news, indeed.

[ faquarl straightens a little, grimaces down at them both, somehow a little contemplatively. ]

You know, being tossed in jail for a breather had already seemed like a slap-on-the-wrist. But, compared to that...

[ Ken's not happy about it either. Under other circumstances, he wouldn't be against learning what life as Wormmon is like - it helps him get to know his partner better - but the forcible nature of this sits badly with him. As does his punishers' unclear grasp of time. How long will he be Wormmon....?

Also, no offense to Wormmons everywhere, but he preferred having only two legs. And opposable thumbs. ]

I'll make it through. [ Somehow. He's trying really hard not to brood about this situation, given the current crisis. ] Right now, the biggest issue is this maze. [ He gestures the direction whence he and Wormmon had seen the monster. ] Don't go that way if you aren't prepared to fight.

[ The real Wormmon frets in place. If he could evolve....If he could evolve.....!!! How can he protect Ken-chan? He got scared of the monster. Like this, he can't even be a cool senpai Wormmon! ]

Bit of both, don't you think? I'm surprised a wayward bird of prey, let alone one of these Unseelie, hasn't swooped you up yet...

[ faquarl absentmindedly spins the cleaver, by its handle, around his finger. if he concentrates, he can hear the steady beat of the jersey devil's wings from around the corner. ]

... The odds aren't zero that this won't turn noisy. Are you fast?

[ he's asking if they're speedy enough to avoid more unseelie joining the fray. ]

Somewhat.

[ Ken has seen Wormmon nearly keep pace with his human self by doing a little bounding-jump. Presumably, his current body should be capable of that too. ] But we're still not as fast as a human....

[ He ponders. How to get through this? What can they only do in this form? At this size....

His eyes land on the hedge. Chances are slim they could wiggle the ENTIRE way through to the other side of the wall, but if they dip under just a little, as camouflage... ]

We can sneak, though.

[ not as fast a human? this sounds bleak to him — he tucks his glasses into a coat pocket, rubs his eyes. ]

It seems I'll have to trust you capable of that, then.

[ there's a pause, and he begins to levitate, preparing to meet the devil at its level. the man floats towards the corner of the hedge. before he turns it, a warning, as faquarl knows very well that battles, especially should this turn into multiple foes, have the potential to be messy, no matter how precise his control over magic — ]

Put as much distance as you can between us. And be leery of fire, please.

[ and so, he turns the hedge. the devil screams at the sight of him, and rushes to engage with talons that scrape against his cleaver. ]

Ken Ichijouji (& Wormmon) 🐛 Digimon Adventure 02 🐛 Winter Court

bugging out

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if i was a worm

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if i was a worm

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if i was a worm :>

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