pixieledmemes | 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

[ It would be wonderful to actually meet him; someone who actively knew more of his mother than Wei Wuxian did, himself. If only these circumstances were better. ]

Too late on the first part.

[ Wry, he scoffs. Wei Wuxian certainly ate his fill. Now the only thing left upon his tongue is bitterness. ]

Then hopefully we'll learn more sooner rather than later. Have you encountered anyone else from our world?

[Circumstances can change in a heartbeat. Xingchen didn't know Wei Wuxian's mother personally, but he can tell him of the life she likely lived on Baoshan Sanren's mountain.]

You needn't worry. We will discover a way back.

[He had succumbed to his hunger too, partaking of fruit and sweet flowers.]

I haven't. But I am limited. Has there been anyone dressed like us?

[ He's silent for a moment, considering. ]

Huh. Now that you mention it.. I haven't seen any, no. Not really. No one I've come across is wearing robes, or multiple layers. [ hmm ] Plenty are wearing pants, though. Or skirts.

[He waits for him, patient and still.]

...I haven't recognized any accents either. [Which tells him one thing: they are alone in a foreign land.] I think it best if you and I work together. Are you willing?

Of course. I'd appreciate it if we do so.

[ He can tell well enough by this point that this isn't just Xue Yang skillfully imitating Xiao Xingchen. ]

What else do you have on you from home? Apart from Shuanghua?

My whisk... [He brings out his horsetail whisk.] My healing pouch and some talisman sheets.

[It could be worse...?]

I have a fair bit more, it seems. My flute and sword, Chenqing and Suibian, plus a bundle of talisman sheets. But also two things of Emperor's Smile, huh!

[ Another bit of silence. He's aching though grateful. ]

Two of the rabbits that Lan Zhan and I care for, too. [ . . . ] For some reason I also have his forehead ribbon.

...wine? [He guesses, though he isn't sure! Xingchen isn't much of a drinker (if at all). He doesn't like his senses impaired.]

...rabbits? Oh are they alright? [How can he not worry about the bunnies?] Mm a Lan ribbon is nothing to take lightly. Part of him must have made the journey with you.

Yeah. They're doing alright. I'll need to figure out a place for them, and acquire food.

[ It's difficult to tell exactly how Wei Wuxian's tone has shifted with Xiao Xingchen's last remark; softer, in ways, however deeply pained. ]

Mm, it isn't at all. [ Yet, a smile, faint. ] Seems like it. I just hope Lan Zhan still has one for himself.

I would be honored to care for them with you.

[Please let him snuggle and feed the bunnies? He can be...Uncle Bunny.]

If you are not with him, he may not wear one. [The Lan are very particular about those they hold dearest.]

That would be nice. Thank you. It'll give us something to do for the time being.

[ Something positive, even if brief, to think about. ]

Mmn. . . [ A quiet sound, the edges of his smile turning melancholy. ] I don't know. He's always, always been particular about it. Even though we're together, even though I am his just as much as he is mine, it's a part of his identity.

I'm sure we will be busy enough in time.

[For good, for ill - life with Fairies won't be peaceful.]

It's funny what we will discard for those we love. [Xingchen knows that intimately - and without regret (except that he failed Song Lan in the first place).]

He will be ready to see you again, don't worry.

And I'll be here for him.

We do have an immense amount to learn. We're from quite a ways back in history it seems.

I wasn't sure. Does it seem that way to you? It's hard to tell the difference between other worlds and those from our world that might live in the future.

You have a point. . .The technology just seems wild, though.

Have you spoken to others about their technology? Or are you speaking of what we have in this world?

A little of both. Others have spoken of things called 'batteries' or 'the internet' and 'phones'- which is what the Leaf kind of is. I've just been assuming it's powered by hundreds of tiny talismans.

...how fascinating... [Xingchen touches his Leaf, learning the shape of it.] Do you recognize those words? Battery I...almost understand, though not as technology.

I don't, not at all. [ Hm. ] You're right; 'battery' doesn't sound like anything technological.

I'm sure someone can explain. [He just needs to know how to ask - and that's not an easy problem to solve.] I think of battle or Night Hunts when I hear such a word.

Right. There probably are many who could help to teach us.

[ At least he's quick to learn. ]

It makes me think of the saying 'battered and bruised.' Battle and Night Hunts are also fitting.

Let's find allies.

[An easy task for Wei Wuxian, he thinks!]

Which leads me to ask: are you well? Are you hurt? I can help.

We will.

Lan Zhan aside, I'm fine, otherwise. Just- confused about all of this. How about you?

Edited 2025-06-02 05:48 (UTC)

I'm confused too. [And in more pain than he lets on.] I think I would feel better if...

If I could find a healer.

[ !! ]

Is there anything around you at all that you can describe? Any scents? Maybe if you standing on soft ground?

Stay still and I'll look for you. We can find a doctor together.

(no subject)

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