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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.
also not here ignore!! freak corner
Don't be an idiot. We're outnumbered, and we've no idea what we're dealing with yet. [ Still, she keeps half an eye on Alicia, but mostly one on her brother. Someone needs to think about keeping them all alive. ] Wait until he's made a mistake. Not before.
no subject
Or worse, endangered his family more than he already has.
Likewise now trying to keep his attention on both of his sisters, he sighs and presses a hand against her knee as though to shove it off, but hesitates and thinks better of it. She'd take it as a challenge, and he really doesn't feel like getting beaten up in front of Alicia.
He's trying to look indignant, but it probably comes off as more of a pout. ]
It's not as though I was going to just attack him.
[ Does it count as a lie when Verso had zero plans in that moment? No thought only action! ]
no subject
With her hand shifting to grip his neck as though this were a perfectly normal thing to do to your brother, she dug her thumb into his jaw, shooting him a less than impressed look. ] Oh, weren't you? [ Clea narrowed her eyes. ] I'm not saying you can't. I'm saying not now.
[ This time, her focus is firmly on him. ] We watch them and strike at the appropriate time. Agreed?
no subject
It's next to nothing compared to the actual torture they've both been through, but she's making her point.
Promising what she can't deliver is cruel, but he can appreciate the dark humor of it. Don't get his hopes up. No, they're both trapped here in this purgatory, and with Maelle trapped with them, they already had responsibilities they needed to carry out. They've just gotten a little more intricate, now, with the arrival of their younger sister. It's strange to think of letting someone else help him shoulder the burden of their family's fate after so long managing it alone, but now that she has a fraction of control back, Clea would never permit anything else. He doesn't have much room to argue (literally).
So with a broken chuckle through getting pinned and lightly strangled, he slowly lifts both hands to innocently hover at either side of his head, something of a surrender. See, no weapons, no chroma bullets, no shoving. He's playing nice. ]
...Agreed.
[ Until, unless something happens, he'll be patient. Admittedly, after having had such an emotional reunion with Alicia, already knowing the threat she's been under from strangers in the past, his knee-jerk reaction might have been a bit extreme. ]
no subject
Releasing her grip, she pats his cheek. ] Good boy. [ It might have been condescending to anyone else, and it still was a little, but then again, their relationship was complicated to say the least. What was love if not sacrifice and something a little mad? She didn't believe it existed.
Glancing back at the boy with their sister, Clea watched through narrowed eyes. His time would come. Soon, if he was serious. ]
no subject
But they have a sister in a vulnerable situation to look after, so despite their darker temptations, the distraction is only momentary. With a roll of his eyes, Verso responds with a caustic woof under his breath while rubbing at the bruising on his neck. It will fade quickly.
With Clea still pinning him with her leg, he's forced to lean a little to keep a clear view of Alicia, and that's when he finds that she's not only turned her sword on the young man, he's apparently taken the threat as...a romantic gesture? Verso has seen a lot of strange things in his life, but this has to be fairly high up there. He is utterly bewildered. From this distance, with the chatter of others around them, he can't make out what's being said, but there are only so many things it can be. ]
Is he...proposing?
[ Does this count as a mistake, sister dear?
Alicia might just decapitate the fool before he or Clea get a chance to ever corner him, in which case, they better be ready to defend her from an angry crowd. At this point, he's prepared for anything. ]
no subject
If only.
It isn't until she watches her brother's face shift that she remembers what, exactly, they were doing. Glancing over her shoulder at the pair, Clea realizes too late that their sister was attempting to escape. ] Shit. [ Ripping herself away from Verso, she's already moving to follow, a growl in her throat. ] Your legs are longer. Move!