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pixieledmemes2025-05-16 12:28 am
Test Drive Meme #3
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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.
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drag his ass
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oh she is. classic big sister.
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spoilers
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no spoilers! jk spoilers
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vague spoilers for days
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mom they're plotting!!
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it can't backfire
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not at ALL they're so stealthy
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spoilers
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idiots. idiots everywhere.
the thread collapsed so I think we're safe but SPOILERS FOREVER LOOK AWAY
But she'll wonder why you and I haven't been working together since then.
Suppose it's fair to say that our goals have been aligned, it's only our methods that differed.
[ Which isn't a lie, really. He's very practiced at skirting that truth. ]
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Though if I recall correctly, YOU were the one who ran off with Monoco.
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[ Not to him.
It might be easier to be acquaintances, true, but only for so long. How many lies can Verso stack on top of the other before the tower topples?
Of course, Clea may not want to be so associated with him, and he has no room to complain if that's the case. ]
Do you blame me?
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Eventually: ]
No. I suppose I envied you, a little.
[ Part of her braces herself for a punishment that never comes. Will she ever get used to that? ]
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[ He still can't believe she's been alive. All this time. It's true that Verso's lived a long time alone, but he's had stretches of company. With Monoco, with Expeditioners. Most of it ended in disaster, but he can't say that every moment was terrible. But her forced isolation...? It's any wonder she can still have conversation.
A slight delay before he adds: ]
I saw her. Alicia. At least, I thought I did. Some sort of trick. Strangled and torn by the vines. Dead, but different from a Gommage. Different from what happens on the continent.
Just...lifeless.
They won't hesitate to hurt us here. Use us against each other.
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I'm aware of what they're capable of, Verso. [ Not gonna elaborate on that one, huh? Classic Clea. ] Are her companions with her? [ She's met Lune and Sciel, if briefly. But Verso wouldn't know that. It was a single, unintended slip. ]
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Other than Maelle, so far I've only come across two others from Expedition 33, but I'm still searching.
When I last saw [ from a safe distance. ] she was with her adopted brother.
Admittedly, this complicates matters that were already messy. She has every reason to want to stay here.
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Thankfully, what she wants has no bearing on the current situation. She can't control this any more than we can.
I need you focused, Verso. Not indulging her every whim. [ Because saying I need you is way too personal. ]
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[ Relying on...others, when it comes to secret mission? Something they both need to work on. ]
But
Renoir is here.
[ No 'Papa's from him anymore sorry. A lot has changed for her since she was last with the family, for both of them, but he can't help but wonder if Renoir being here will complicated their agreement or not. ]
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[ Teasing? From Clea? She feels incredibly rusty at it, and latches onto the subject change with swiftness. ]
We've spoken. [ It went as well as it ever does with their father. ] We have some advantage, but it will be delicate. You can leave him to me.
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I thought we did. Have the advantage. I had hoped that telling him about what happens with Aline would talk him down, convince him that his actions are fruitless, but I'm afraid it may have done the opposite.
You think you can handle him? He's more stubborn than ever.
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Still, she can admit she isn't completely well-equipped. Not yet. ]
I need to speak with him more. Once I've more to report, we can reconvene. [ She isn't saying it, but she means she'll be checking up on you. ]
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[ It feels twisted to mirror the same sentiment that Maelle had offered him, but in this case it may hold more truth. Maelle may not know enough to understand what his methods actually entail, but Clea should. What she doesn't, she will, in time.
It's difficult for him to share the burden, as well, but it's something of a comfort to finally have someone around who truly understands what's at stake, and isn't deluded like their father. ]
Let me know how it goes, then. We'll 'reconvene'.
[ The tease is gentle. Nobody knows better than he does how important this actually is, but that won't stop him from teasing his sister's tendency to make things so proper and official. ]