Test Drive Meme #3

[changelinged]

TDM #3 - May/June 2025

🦋 Introduction

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🦋 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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Comments

[lementeur]

spoilers on the horizon

[ Normally he might protest 'waiting' anywhere for Renoir, but he's the one asking to meet and this is indeed serious, so he'll do exactly as requested. The hedge maze gets a most unwelcome side-eye from him, already having had enough experience with it to even risk going back in. But if anyone is going to breeze through a place as creepy as that, of course it would be Renoir.

Will he have such a steady demeanor if Verso informs him of what he's learned? It's probably cruel to do so, but it's a gamble. Maybe if he knows there's nothing left to fight against...

With arms folded, Verso leans against a statue and considers the shots still lined up on a table near the entrance. He hadn't really partaken before, but it's becoming more tempting by the minute. ]

[betenoir]

spoilers all the way down

[Renoir spends his time thinking about the possibilities ahead as he strides down the final path leading towards the edge of the maze. The only possibility that matters - that his son in his agony deems important enough to mention - is one of two things.

First, a reason to end hostility. It hardly sounds possible. So he starts to believe in the second option, the impossible way out of this dilemma. His son wants to fight by his side

He wants to believe it. But he cannot believe it.

The first thing Verso will hear is the striking of his cane upon the stone floor of the floral labyrinth. When he appears, the bottom tip of his cane is sporting a shimmer of blood.]

It's been a while.

[lementeur]

you saw nothing

[ After hearing Maelle share her last memories, it had been easy to figure out what that meant for the man he used to call his father. An easy deduction, but a painful confrontation. Something he had expected to come to terms with for a long time now, but when he hears the strike of the cane and looks to see the older man, the struggle is greater than Verso had counted on.

A bit of blood on the cane still has to look leagues more dignified than what stains Verso's clothes, hair, and skin—blood and dirt, both old and new. He looks as out of place at this party as he would anywhere else.

His arms drop to his side, fingers twitching as though needing to remind himself that he shouldn't need to summon his weapons.

Hopefully. ]

...Not as long as you might think.

[ Renoir should hear this, but not here.

Swallowing, Verso glances past him to the maze's entrance, then over his shoulder, before jerking his chin sideways and motioning for his father to walk with him. This is still too exposed, and Maelle has enough questions already. ]

When do you last remember seeing me?

[betenoir]

Sneaky Verso

[The critical observation of a father changes his face. Raised eyebrows, the canting of his head, every possible means of criticising is employed to ask what have you done now. But he softens his usual condescending tone, seeing the weight of the situation.]

Our last night at the campfire. Do you not remember?

[Their last meeting. The only meeting where neither had come looking for a fight. He remembers feeling strange that night. But even stranger is how they are walking side by side, not with one front and one following behind.]

[lementeur]

the worst kind of sneak

[ Verso knows better than to be fooled by this temporary peace. He isn't about to believe in something so idealistic as a truce, but while here...perhaps they can find something in between.

Between the bars of their prison. ]

...I remember.

[ Which makes this that much more difficult. He could opt to keep what he knows hidden, but he'd rather not risk the man finding out some other way. Bitterly cruel of him not to allow Maelle the same grace, he knows, but this has always been about necessity. Maelle hearing all of his secrets here won't do anything to help her. But if Renoir hears what he's learned, if he can understand...then maybe he can help them escape.

If he can accept the fate that awaits him.

Better than existing here without his wife, right? ]

But somehow, we aren't remembering the whole story. There's more to it. Maelle— ...Maelle remembers more.

[ He stops, just within the forest's edge, for them to stand in the shadows that dance from the soft light cast by the nearby party. He isn't looking at Renoir, but off to the side with a furrowed brow. Is it shame? Grief? Resentment? Even he doesn't know. ]

We succeed. We free her from herself. [ Aline. ] She'll never paint again.

[betenoir]

he's not angry. just disappointed.

[There is a strategy in pouring out so much information. Some plan to achieve an overall aim by destroying his foundations via appealing to his fears. Verso wants him to believe that here he will have his family. But his son cannot see that part of their family is missing. They are separated in different ways. His Alicia is nowhere to be seen. His Aline...

Trapped at the top of the monolith.

His mind cannot yet grow beyond the purpose for which it was created. Thus suspicions his son is lying aren't as difficult to accept.]

Really, Verso?

[He angles his head, levelling his son with all the condescension a father can muster.]

Did you never learn that when you wear so many masks people cannot tell who is you?

[Had he not warned his son about this before? Or are those memories somewhere beyond his reach?]

[lementeur]

somehow that's worse

[ That immediately snaps Verso's gaze straight up, a hooded glare in Renoir's direction. His pale eyes flicker between frustration and grief. Of course, he would expect some resistance, but the reference to masks stirs up a bitter resentment of his own. He Who Guards Truth With Lies. It will always beg the question how different he can truly be from the real Verso.

Grinding his teeth, Verso clenches a fist and rolls back a shoulder, clearly working himself not to get riled up by the accusation. It's true that he's no saint, but he's always been straight with his position to Renoir. ]

Really? You think I'm lying about this?

[ Shaking his head, he unclenches a fist to press a bloodied hand to his own chest, an earnest gesture. The roughness to his voice softens, something that aches tingeing the edges. ]

You need to listen to me, all right? You aren't going to succeed in trying to fight us. It's pointless. You need to leave the others alone. You need to leave Maelle alone.

[betenoir]

you didn't even dodge the strongest ice attack ever, did you?

[There is satisfaction in provoking open frustration, seeing honest emotion within his son for the first time a while. Not because he wants him to suffer or grieve what could have been, but to consider him someone to hate. Because while he can resist being hated he cannot endure his son being dead.

He never punishes the boy for choosing to fight, deciding to interfere, not when he himself betrayed the family when it mattered most.]

That girl needs to leave our family alone.

[Family. His calm tone refuses to crack at the slightest hint of desparation, that tiredness he hides so well. But his choice of words? That girl? He places emphasis on her obscurity to deny the fact some part of him sees her someone special.]

She was already tearing us apart. But of course it's easier for you to take her side, isn't it?

[His lifetime spent loving has not reached that critical juncture, where he sees less sense and reason, not that sense and reason is what he was made for.]

[lementeur]

ofc not

[ His fingers curl against his chest, the desperation in his gaze shifting to better match his resentments. That sounds too much like a threat for Verso to dismiss it.

Maybe it was foolish, hoping to speak sense to Renoir. That knowing the future could actually change his actions. ]

It isn't her side. Our family was torn apart long before Maelle entered the canvas.

[ And if anyone can take the blame for that, it should be either Renoir or Verso. Renoir for refusing to acknowledge the falseness of their existence. Verso for abandoning them to a fate they refuse to fight. ]

I am trying to warn you... The path you're taking isn't going to lead where you think it does. You fail. Aline is going to leave the canvas. This is how it's meant to be.

You love her as much as you claim? You want us to be family? Then help me help her. You can be on the right side of this. Help us get out of here, and when we send Aline home, at least...we can be together at the end.

[betenoir]

stupid verso

[Fingers curl against his chest for one. Fingers curl around the handle of a cane for the other. The emotions are overwhelming, too excessive for his back to bear; he lifts his cane but to smash the bottom into the ground. The act splinters stone and flattens dirt.

Renoir leaves heavily into the support it offers, feeling none coming from the other side of the argument. The loss of control is not something he remembers in the past. In the present, however, where they are present in different moments? He's not the one who remembers.

If he remembers.]

But my son, there is nothing left at the end. [Nothing. The word always breaks him emotionally. To have nothing is to lose everything. And they both know what he cares for more than anything.] Why do you refuse to accept that?

[lementeur]

:(

[ The act is enough to temporarily quiet any wildlife scurrying about them, if for but a moment. To anyone else, the striking of that cane would be imposing, even frightening. But as he watches Renoir leaning into the cane, Verso sees someone who's tired. Tired of fighting his family.

Verso can relate.

He knows better than to think this is all it takes, but maybe it's a step in the right direction. Without the promise of Aline at his side, without Alicia in quiet compliance, he has less to lean on. Instead, there's just Verso, and while it could be easy to accept this as the end, he refuses to. Maelle still has something to return to, even if she doesn't know it, and for Verso?

His half-smile is more of a grimace, tinged with a weary pain. ]

I accept it.

[ Beyond that, he hopes for it. ]

Can you?

[betenoir]

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

[The problem of asking your father to lean on you - to trust you - makes itself known by the manner in which Renior angles his head. He is almost gracing his shoulder, his expression twisted with consternation, a mixture of frustration and disappointment.]

It's easier for you to ask that, isn't it?

[He sounds tired. Because Verso keeps on asking him to share his burden.]

Easier for you to ask that I let you go than accept the fact I love you.

[Love is complicated.]

[lementeur]

(╥﹏╥)

Nothing about this has ever been easy.

[ Sliding his foot back, Verso shifts as though ready to pull back, but he hesitates. Hope is a pesky devil. Even he hasn't lost all of it, though the form it takes with his own goals may be seen as despair by everyone else. Perhaps both things are true. He has always been something of a walking contradiction, now more than ever.

Everyone in this family seems to be. ]

There is only one way any of this can end. The choice you have before you is how you meet it. Through force, or acceptance? Against me, or alongside me?

[ With his furrowed brow softening, Verso's voice takes a hush to it. ]

Alicia would understand. I know she's tired, too.

[ Though he hasn't yet read the letter she gave him, he knows her better than most. While she hasn't supported him in the way he had vied for back in Old Lumiére, he has a strong feeling that if Renoir makes the right decision, she'll follow. Then, at least, maybe they can meet nothingness together.

He is sorry that it needs to be this way, nobody is sorrier than him...but it does need to be this way. ]

[betenoir]

someone forgot to press dodge

Don't bring her into this.

[Alicia is not here. He gestures towards the floor, revealing that fact is painful enough by itself.]

You chose to walk away. You don't get to expect her to remain beside you.

[His youngest writes beautiful poetry. About existing within the shadows, about resisting the second lives they are forced to endure Has her brother bothered himself to read it?]

[lementeur]

real men parry with their face

I expect nothing. I had hoped—

[ Cutting himself off, Verso shakes his head. Now, he fully steps back, though there's still a hunch to his shoulders. His hooded glare is more pained than it is angry.

He doesn't want Renoir to die in opposition to them. To bring more violence against him. But it seems there's just no helping it.

He should have known better. After decades in opposition, how could he expect a different result now? Now he has to worry that bringing this news of their future will have entirely the opposite effect of what he'd hoped for.

This is where honesty gets him, apparently. ]

You're never going to accept the truth of this. Just...stay away from Maelle. From any Expeditioner you find here. Fighting each other here won't accomplish anything.

[betenoir]

real men hug esquie

[Believing in the future drives him forward. Because the future is all he wants to leave his children. Better they live to see it than to have no chance of living. Hearing his life ends in failure only makes him more determined to give them the opportunity to thrive.

But in thinking about his situation, he begins thinking about the solution. If Verso will involve himself once more to defend that girl, there is someone else he can approach to solve the problem.]

I didn't come to fight. [He attempts to diffuse the situation, so he can later act without resistance.] Just ensure you offer them the same advice.

[It doesn't even occur to him to question why he cannot accept the truth.]

[lementeur]

[ No matter how he phrases it, Verso is aware of the threat that he can present to Maelle. If Maelle is already dead, can she die twice? He doesn't want to find out, not here. Nothing can risk her returning to where she belongs.

Beyond that, he just doesn't want to see her hurt.

Maelle had been set on revenge against Renoir, but given what she claims already happened, has that vengeance been satisfied? He has to hope so, and that both will steer clear of the other. ]

Believe me, they should want nothing to do with you.

[ A cutting remark about Verso sharing the sentiment goes unsaid. He doesn't have the heart to try and hurt Renoir without purpose, especially now knowing what he knows. Every time he looks at him, now, all he can see is a ghost. Once they're free of this place, their fates are sealed.

Fists clenched slowly unwind as he turns to go. What else is there to say? ]

[betenoir]

[Verso says nothing but shares everything. His son has enough of a heart to spare him further sadness, but not enough foresight to stop his disappointment. But now more than ever his regrets are intimate. Watching his boy walk away has never become easier over the years.

He reluctantly watches him become a distant figure, physically and emotionally. It takes a long while to take on the same idea and leave.]