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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.
no subject
"Apologies. I did not anticipate that you might be aware. I meant no harm." Kelson did not know that how grave an insult he had just been given, but he could guess. Besides, 'little' sounded about as nice as 'boy king' which he also quite hated.
"Dragons aren't real." The moment he said it he realized how foolish it sounded, considering where they were and the things he had seen in his short life. Kelson tried to regain his composure. "Then why do you look human?" Some kind of shape changing? Or illusion? He wanted to reach out with his mind and check but.....that probably would be a poor idea. Wrathion did not seem to like it when he did it the first time.
no subject
Likely, it wasn't possible. Pity. Wrathion gave a nod to the young king and took a step back. If he wasn't mollified by the apology, he was at least accepting of it.
"I can shapeshift, of course, that's why I look human." He couldn't help chuckling a little at that. "Most dragons can, unless they are very young. We choose a form to better interact with the mortal races, for good or ill." Because there were dragons who intended humans and their ilk no good whatsoever. Best to warn him now, because Aspects knew what might be met in the future. He and his brothers might be trying to reform their flight, but not all of them were guided with a firm hand.
"I am not adept at mental magics, but I did take insult. My flight...my family had been plagued by corrupting mental whispers in the past. It is...good to have a care, King Kelson. It would not be a good thing if you probed someone with more power than you."
The young king might take offense to such a thing, or think it was a threat, but it had been so easy for Wrathion's father to fall to those whispers. He'd be damned before he saw this young human have some similar, dire fate befall him simply because he was too curious.
no subject
"So that human form is real, not an illusion?" Kelson waved a hand at Wrathion's warning. "People in general are not either good or evil, it's what they do and how they use what's been given to them. I imagine dragons are much the same." Fair warning, he would positively wax poetic about this if you let him.
He almost bristled at the idea of someone being more powerful than him, but it was always a possibility. Just because Kelson had a substantial amount of power didn't preclude someone else from having just as much or even more than him. At the very least they'd have more experience and training.
"I suppose here my station may not provide me the comfort and shielding it might have before, if I misstepped."
no subject
And he was entirely candid and honest, there.
"Quite real. The eyes might set me apart, but..." That had been a choice. Likely because many of his other family members had attempted to look perfectly human, and then perpetrate all sorts of horrors on the human kingdom of Stormwind.
"That may be true, but there are many things that can take a good and noble soul and twist and corrupt it into something unrecognizable. I am not so certain the opposite is true."
Though he did recall that Vyranoth had switched sides to support Queen Alexstrasza in her efforts against the Primalists. So maybe it wasn't entirely impossible. Still, this human did not need to know that.
"You did with me. But you are young, and I'm fond of humans. I forgive your oversight. But--" Considering he wasn't entirely sure that he was Kelson's elder..."As someone perhaps more experienced in these things, it is in my best interests to educate you now, is it not? Because that knowledge will keep you safe in the future."
While they were not on Azeroth, Wrathion had always taken his flight's charge incredibly seriously. Protecting humans might be slightly lower on the list, but it was on the list.
no subject
"There actually might be a way for me to see it and your people. I don't very much think you're going to like it though."
Kelson wasn't sure how old Wrathion was but he looked over than Kelson himself, and if years also translated into experience, well, it wasn't hard to find someone with more experience than him or another Deryni from his kingdom. There were so few with full training to begin with.
There was something about him that reminded him a little of Morgan. Maybe it was the protective nature, the manner of speech? Either way, it was a good comparison. For now.
"It would involve me going back into your head though." And Kelson remembered how he reacted to that.
no subject
Something he could expect seemed...less of an affront, somehow. Still, his lips thinned. But if he could oust the human once, perhaps he could do it again, if necessary.
"I had a feeling you would say that. And yet, since I've been warned this time, it seems...acceptable?"
He paused, and a grin spread across his face. "Of course, I'm still holding you to witness me shift out of Visage, at a more appropriate time. So! How are you planning to accomplish this, then? If I know what to expect, I should be less likely to evict you from the premises, so to speak."
Wrathion folded his arms across his chest. He wasn't entirely amenable to the idea, and so keeping his hands occupied elsewhere, where it was more difficult to conjure--or to reach for Succession, his blade.
"And I reserve the right to oust you if you decide to play around in there! I can't have you finding the proper impulse to have me shifting here. Someone might get hurt."
no subject
"We'll need a place to sit down. I'd rather not do this standing if we don't have too." That and he didn't want to accidentally have them both on the floor if they ended up going a bit deeper than expected.
"I'll enter rapport with you, it's like a sharing, our minds will connect. I want you to think about what you want to show me. I won't go rifling through, you have my word." He wasn't sure he could even if he tried, and wasn't about to lose what might be a strong ally out of curiosity.
no subject
As they walk to a table that's closer to the edge of the party, Wrathion listened carefully to Kelson describe what he was going to do. It was rather unlike anything he'd heard of or experienced back on Azeroth, save for something darker powers could do--but there also tended to be a sense of wrongness about the users of such. Something he did not sense from this young king.
If he'd even suspected something like that, Wrathion would never have allowed it. He'd never known Neltharion the Earth-Warder, only Deathwing the Destroyer, maddened long ago and seeking to annihilate any who opposed him. Nothing he'd wish to become. No legacy he wished to carry. Those thoughts were ones he shoved down and away--that was not something his new ally should be forced to endure on so recent a meeting.
"Very well. Though I suppose it's a deeper sharing than anything I've already told you? And you'll be able to see what I envision in my mind?"
Really, they both had curiosity going for them. It may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought the beast back.
no subject
It wasn't strange at all for Kelson to be describing what he was doing to Wrathion. Despite his world being familiar with such magic, it wasn't accepted at all. And what was feared, wasn't studied. So Kelson explained what to expect to each of his subjects who might end up on the receiving end; scouts, squires and such. Granted, he's giving Wrathion a much deeper explanation than he would have anyone else. But Wrathion is not his subject.
And while Kelson might have been able to plant a memory or command in Wrathion's mind, he wouldn't. At least not yet.
"It can be, but considering we just met I'll do my best to keep it light. It will only take a few seconds actually. Once I'm where I'm supposed to be I'll just watch and leave."
no subject
Maybe at one point he could have been--he'd certainly aspired to such, once--but seeing what his father had done in Aberrus...that had soured him on the idea entirely. His eldest brother was welcome to it. He'd serve as himself and be the better dragon for it.
He strolled on alongside the king, settling himself down into an open seat and resting his hands behind his head. Again, he felt that if he wasn't prepared to have a reaction, it would probably go better for them both. Now, his task was to keep the memories of the Worldbreaker stifled.
"And I'm supposed to be thinking of what I want you to see, correct?"
no subject
"Correct. Just relax." Kelson himself took a few deep breaths to center himself, reaching along side familiar pathways to a not so familiar mind, pausing momentarily before going in. His eyes fluttered, staring off into space at nothing. "Ready."
no subject
There wasn't a lot of exposed skin in Wrathion's outfit, but the Black Prince tugged off one of his gloves to free a hand. It looked fairly normal, save for the slightly elongated nails at his fingertips. More akin to talons, but what did one expect?
He extended that hand to Kelson so that the Deryni could reach it easily, allowing himself to relax. Or to do so as much as he could, considering the circumstances. But truly, he had only a few more moments to figure out just what he wanted to show, didn't he? Wait--
"Ready. Do not be too concerned with my opponent, here. He's rather dead, and he was in my world to begin with."
Though still, he wouldn't blame Kelson if the other man had questions...assuming he wanted to know more about Old Gods.
no subject
"You are quite something I've never seen before. It's both wonderful and terrifying. I'm glad that--whatever it was--is dead. I would not want to see or fight such a thing. Are you alright?"
no subject
"It was called the Fury of N'zoth, a manifestation of an Old God. The type of being it looked like--those are n'raqi, or Faceless Ones. They still do exist, where I am from, but...hopefully, not here. And yes, I am all right.
He figured he owed the young king an explanation of what he'd just seen. Hopefully, they wouldn't spawn nightmares, but even he still had nightmares about Ny'Alotha. It had been gone for years, and still.
"I did not fight it alone. I had help from other champions of Azeroth. But even I might have faltered, if I'd had to do it myself." Wrathion did not relish the thought at all.
"But are you all right?"
no subject
"I feel I should be asking you the same thing. You are the one who remembers it, who lived it." Kelson knew he could fix it if he wasn't okay, but he was also quite sure Wrathion would not like that. Even if he meant it only to help him. He wished someone would blur his own memory of many events, as easily as he could do to others.
"You have a good many friends then, helping you in battle?"
no subject
Because that sort of thing was not restricted to the Black Dragonflight; if a dragon or a proto-dragon was able to take a Visage form, transformation was easy.
"I'm all right. It was a triumph; the culmination of my hopes. It might be different were it not," he admitted, then chuckled wryly.
"Let it be said I have many acquaintances. It is not a lack of theirs, but I am not entirely sure I'd call them friends. That and I lead an organization where I am from as well. They are...perhaps closer, considering they are willing to put their lives on the line for mine, but...I would not call us close."