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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
Her offer is another opportunity. Strategy was all about anticipation and reaction. A game of chess, and the pawns left unaccounted for were always the most dangerous. At least if he has been unwittingly thrust into their captor’s games, there were still pieces to be moved. Hazel was proving herself as much.
He dodges another near-swipe, then inclines his head. The smallest of movements indicating agreement.
“On three. Back the way I came.” It would put them behind the monster, but if she cannot get past it, then their plan wouldn’t work anyway. It would also give them a few spare seconds while their attacker would have to reorient before chasing after them. Hopefully.
no subject
The sound of the screams proves at least that there was a moment of distraction and Hazel glances to make sure that Sync is still with her while they run. She carefully moves around a few corners as quickly as she can before pausing to let them both catch their breath. "Are you okay?"
no subject
No worries about him keeping up - well-timed wind artes make retreat easy. He isn’t even out of breath, though part of that is practice (a rhythm of breathing, in and out, measured, so that energy can be conserved).
His head tilts a fraction to the side as he processes her question, expression unreadable behind his mask. “For now.” His tone is flat, but it’s better than asking why she cares (or, barbed, why she thinks he wouldn’t be alright).
Sync doesn’t reciprocate; a quick glance assures him that Hazel isn’t going to fall over, and that’s enough. The angered cries of their pursuer, as lost in the maze for the moment as they are, echo from a distance. They have a bit of time before it catches up.
“What next?” It’s as much a question for her as it is himself. The attacks they had landed so far had some effect, but not enough to warrant eliminating the enemy quickly.
no subject
As for the question, she glances around at the path in front of her. "I'd say we keep moving. Hopefully we'll keep ahead of it and then we can get out of here before too long." And hopefully none of the illusions will creep up and distract them from getting away from the creature that attacked them. "Let's go." And that's all she has before she starts walking forward.
Me like “was either of them smart enough to grab salt from the drink table before entering” XD
Not wasting a moment, Sync makes sure to stay in stride with her. He doesn’t want to turn his back again, much as he loathes the thought of the monster creeping up on them, but it wasn’t the subtle type. They would hear it long before it entered their sights again.
“So far, there hasn’t been a dead end here.” Like the maze went on forever. That couldn’t be the case, but it was probably some sort of magic. Hopefully they would be able to find something to deal with their pursuer soon.
i know hazel didn't think about it. she was like ??? salt??? okay???
She nods at his words, constantly taking in information from the space around her. It's one of the times she's glad for this hyper awareness that she was wired with. Sometimes it's not incredibly helpful, but other times, it is. Like when you're in danger of being murdered by crazy monsters in a magical maze. "I haven't seen one, no. Just monsters or things like that." 'Things like that' being the illusions. "There has to be some way to exit. But I can't manipulate anything. I've tried and the hedge wasn't too happy about it." Which is weird to say, but...here she is. It's also not underground, which means navigating it is complicated.
Oh no XD more on that below
Alas, they didn’t have either, so any wounds they did get would have to be dealt with the old-fashioned way.
Hazel’s words confirmed something for him: there wasn’t an easy way out of this maze. A dead-end might be another marker of where one had been, what paths weren’t viable, but if this maze didn’t have any… then either it had intentionally been built that way, or something was happening to ensure there were no such paths. Sync also hadn’t been able to ascertain if there was an ‘outer wall’ (and, if they found one, attempting to climb out of the maze that way would have been another option
not that he knew it wouldn’t be successful).She couldn’t ‘manipulate’ the maze… and that left him with more questions. “You have a green thumb?” Or something. Maybe it was an arte, some form of magic, that she could use. Knowing more about her capabilities would only help in getting out of here, right?
After a while, Sync paused, listening to make sure he couldn’t hear the winged monster nearby. Walking over to one of the maze walls, he pinched a leaf between his fingers… the maze didn’t seem to like that, with the way the path near them seemed to narrow. “Don’t take two rights.” Their path had been more straight than turned, but… Sync had no desire to see idealistic fantasies that made him sick to his stomach.
~~~
((OOC: So, I had to check. Sync did swipe a bag of salt
Alas, they didn’t have either, so any wounds they <i>did</i> get would have to be dealt with the old-fashioned way.
Hazel’s words confirmed something for him: there wasn’t an easy way out of this maze. A dead-end might be another marker of where one had been, what paths weren’t viable, but if this maze didn’t have any… then either it had intentionally been built that way, or something was happening to ensure there were no such paths. Sync also hadn’t been able to ascertain if there was an ‘outer wall’ (and, if they found one, attempting to climb out of the maze that way would have been another option <s>not that he knew it wouldn’t be successful</s>).
She couldn’t ‘manipulate’ the maze… and that left him with more questions. “You have a green thumb?” Or something. Maybe it was an arte, some form of magic, that she could use. Knowing more about her capabilities would only help in getting out of here, right?
After a while, Sync paused, listening to make sure he couldn’t hear the winged monster nearby. Walking over to one of the maze walls, he pinched a leaf between his fingers… the maze didn’t seem to like that, with the way the path near them seemed to <i>narrow</i>. “Don’t take two rights.” Their path had been more straight than turned, but… Sync had no desire to see idealistic fantasies that made him sick to his stomach.
~~~
((OOC: So, I had to check. Sync did swipe a bag of salt <a href https://pixieledmemes.dreamwidth.org/1319.html?thread=3854375#cmt3854375>in his thread with Spike</a>, but it was really more for a fidget. He has no idea what it’s for because… *gestures to Tales games* we solve our problems by punching stuff XD They do have a bag of salt though!))