Test Drive Meme #3

[changelinged]

TDM #3 - May/June 2025

🦋 Introduction

Welcome to the Pixie Led Test Drive Meme!

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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

Zero Kiryuu ♦ Vampire Knight

[bloodyrose]

party / arrival
[ Were it truly a party for Zero, Yuuki, Ai, and Ren would undoubtedly be present. The thought is almost an idle one, despite him actually entertaining it for a moment, but he can't help the bout of curiosity that similarly lingers at the back of his mind.

—The food, however, does have a great deal of Zero's interest. He's absolutely famished, and while he finds this a little peculiar, it doesn't prevent him from filling up a plate, even followed by a second, (however notably without the pasta). It's almost comical with how much he's served himself, quite possibly not fitting the typical look of someone who has a bottomless stomach.

It's only when the Lawspeaker's words come to an end that Zero, too, pause in finishing his food. He momentarily watches the Lawspeaker out of the corner of his eye, contemplating and parsing through what was said. The implications are alarming, but also, the longevity of his family's lives are a reassurance. Purebloods, like Yuuki and Ai, could easily live well into their thousands, and Ren- well, she may not be a pureblood, but she, too, could have a lifespan of something close to that.

So really- even if Zero did take the Lawspeaker's address as a genuine truth, who's to say his family would actually be dead?

It's that train of thought that keeps Zero more settled. Although he's never been one to panic, however, maybe a small part of him can't help but feel devastated and lost over the information. Yuuki, Ai, and Ren are his entire world.

In any case, he won't learn anything more if he doesn't start any conversations. So he'll approach others and ask around; ]

How much do you know about this place?


Can't Unseelie It (Jersey Devil)
[ The initial scream makes Zero flinch, its sound even more piercing, for someone with such heightened senses. The subsequent bats are reminiscent of the purebloods' most commonly used familiar animal. For a moment, albeit just one iota, Zero might even think that there really was a pureblood vampire lurking about the maze.

Regardless, Zero is mindful of every step and breath; listening carefully, acutely watching. And so far, he somehow manages to not encounter anything.

—All which abruptly ends.

It takes Zero little to begin running— no, he was practically sprinting, in that extreme "blink and you'll definitely miss it" way. The only time he'll slow down is when someone else is in the path of Zero and the Jersey Devil. By scooping them up in his arms, then continuing to run. ]

That thing keeps catching up to us, we need to go! Hold on!

[ Yep. ]


wildcard
[ Go at it! Zero can be seen around the stables, sketching while sitting outside in nature (he's a pretty good artist!), at the library, or in general exploring out and about. Feel free to message me if you have any other ideas! Info on him can be seen here ♥ ]

Arrival

[formerabyssinian]

[Aya, who had stayed away from the food because it looks strange, is standing away from the tables, quietly judging how anyone could eat something so...bizarre. He simply opts for a drink. At least it being colorful is normal.

When he's approached by another unfortunate soul who's been kidnapped, Aya is mid sip. He swallows his drink before answering.]

Depends on what you want to know.

[bloodyrose]

[ He ate what didn't look overly suspicious, alright. If he did end up with something. . . off, he wouldn't have consumed the rest.

But that's neither here nor there right now.

He blinks at the response; ]

Anything you think is most important.

[formerabyssinian]

[Aya glances at the crowd that mingles, or fights. There's a few things he can say that are pertinent. Insignificant things, like where food comes from, can be discussed later.]

The most important thing to know is that politeness isn't the same here, as well as what they use for currency. [He looks back to the newcomer.] 'Please' and 'thank you' might get you murdered. [He lets that sit for a moment.] They take IOUs for currency, and you can barter for a better deal, or you can exchange an item for what you want, if it has enough value.

[bloodyrose]

[ An interesting concept, but not too outlandish, really. At least if he doesn't think too hard on it. ]

Definitely one of the imperatives, then. Have many gotten in trouble for saying such words, in that case? How long have any foreigners been here for?

[formerabyssinian]

I think someone was slapped by one of the merchants here. That's pretty mild... [Ridiculous that it even happened, but it's not their rules. At lewst thats all they got, and not eaten.]

From my guess, maybe six months? I'm not certain. The reason for our kidnapping still hasn't been explained. [Aya sounds doubtful that it will be revealed anytime soon, or at all.]

[bloodyrose]

. . . And I assume people have been asking.

[ More so spoken under his breath, thinking aloud ]

What about information regarding the passage of time?

[formerabyssinian]

There's been no proof to dispute or support what they say. [Aya crosses his arms, looking disappointed.] I think some are too distracted to ask people from their own worlds the right questions. It would be crazy if the fae could kidnap so many of us at once and just...

[The thought of many more of them just in stasis somewhere, like a coma, and dropped into this world a few at a time to create the illusion of time being loose, makes him blanche a bit.]

[bloodyrose]

. . . Yeah.

[ Zero doesn't need the other man to finish that train of thought, his chest feeling tight. ]

I'm still wrapping my head around there being other universes out there.

[ Other worlds, he gets. Maybe not known inhabited ones, but the concept is easier to grasp. ]

How long have you been here for?

Arrival

[sod_off]

Wow, straight to the point huh? Not even an introduction.

[Spike drawled, unimpressed. At least this guy was thinking and seemed....calm. So maybe he was used to some strangeness in his life.]

You're taking the announcement pretty well.

[bloodyrose]

My name is Zero.

[ There. An introduction. ]

I just figured there's no use in actually panicking. Don't get me wrong, though; it's definitely worrisome.


((ooc: is it okay for Zero to sense he's a vampire?))

[sod_off]

((OOC: Perfectly fine.))

Still straight to the point, and you're thinking at least. Guessing being kidnapped by the Fae isn't the most unusual thing that's happened to you.

[Spike studied the kid a bit more. Absurdly skinny and lanky, but he carried himself with confidence. Couldn't be more than 17, and was probably somewhere around that range. Unusual hair and eye color...might be something in his bloodline then. Or just unusual colorings were natural in his world.

In turn, it was clear Spike was doing a threat-assessment. He held himself loosely, but confidently and with a base level of attitude. A non-chalance that said he didn't really care about all of this, but was studying it all anyways. He knew the coat made him look slightly smaller than he was, and Spike was not a 'big' man already. All compact muscle on a lean frame. All black helped him hide this further though, with his coat.]

Answering your question, congrats--you've been kidnapped by the Fae. If you're lucky, one of the 8 court rulers will adopt you and you'll be staying here and trapped. If not? We don't know what happens to you. Maybe you go home. Maybe you get eaten.

[A shrug.]

When I say fae, I mean fairies. The Good Neighbors. Old and ancient and Eldritch beings often considered alien to human and human ways of thinking, as they can't really be understood or operate on the same morality. Why they've been bringing us and adopting us? Couldn't tell you. We seem to be somewhere between pets, prisoners, toys or just a combination of all 3.

Near as I can tell, this started about....6 months ago or so? Not sure what changed. More recently, the courts have started feuding again as the Unseelie and Seelie were at least getting along enough to present a united front until about a month or two ago.

[bloodyrose]

Try being abducted and experimented on by a mad scientist.

[ So wry. But also, that was centuries ago, so (albeit honestly a turning point in his life, for reasons). ] —but this is up there.

[ He continues to listen in silence, letting the other man go through his explanations. It's. . . a lot to take in. Zero almost doesn't even know where to begin with his response- nor a reaction.

He's heard of fairies before, but only in fiction. Who knew they existed. Not that it was a very different scenario when it came to vampires, and the human population being aware of their very real presence. It's been (again) centuries since that knowledge was kept silent, however.

In the end, he's frowning some- ]

Any idea on the Lawspeaker's words? Regarding the passage of time.

[sod_off]

Been there, done that. And it was government sponsored.

[Spike shot back in a sarcastic challenge, eyebrow raising. With the second question though he snorted.]

Dunno. I'm pretty sure they're lying though. Likely they'll tell us anything to get us to stay. Not that we have a choice or way to go home yet.

cw: brief suicide mention

[bloodyrose]

[ Fun! For him, it was to produce the "ultimate soldier clones," or something like that. It isn't every day (or at all) that a hunter be turned into a vampire, and actually live. They'd rather take their own lives than to live as the so-called "monsters" they hunt.

Zero's case was, well. Unheard of. The circumstances were unique.

Hm. ]

Which cancels out any sort of knowledge on whether time actually passes back home while we're here. . .

[sod_off]

[Spike dug in his coat pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Grabbing one, and replacing the pack for his lighter.]

The things we do know for certain are precious few and likely fit on one hand. Most of what we know that we're not entirely certain on, but think we know to be true is a bit more than that. But it's all still dwarfed by all the sodding things we just don't know.

[bloodyrose]

[ He lets out a breath. Great. ]

How about how many of us they've abducted over these six months?

Can't Unseelie It

[sourcedlocally]

[OH! Okay! Wow okay, it has been- a very long time since someone has picked him up like this! Pretty sure not since he was a child!

S'rei almost curls up in surprise and just manages to fight the urge, not wanting to unbalance- whoever this is that just picked up a full grown miqo'te man and continued sprinting as if snatching a branch off of a tree. Wraps his tail around his own ankle to keep it from getting in the way because bro is hauling ass.

Is he talking about whatever that shrieking thing is? They are running why? -wait his spear is back there...] Pardon, but- couldn't we just fight it? [He was going to throw himself at the monster all by himself, but if he's going to have backup then he's really going to throw himself at it.]

[bloodyrose]

[ Zero is scarcely even paying any attention to the type of person he's picked up, save maybe for very initial details. —But yes. He's incredibly, inhumanly stronger than he may appear, himself. So maybe there are some hangups, but he'll continue to do what he can.

Only briefly does Zero glance back. ]

Something tells me it wouldn't be the best idea.

[ . . . but also, he's new. Maybe this guy has more insight. ]

them both just thinking the other guy is an expert here

[sourcedlocally]

[Oh man, this dude must be a vet of this place, he obviously knows something about that creature that S'rei does not.

Please excuse this cat man embodying the "curiosity kills" idiom, however, as he still tries to peer over his...savior's?????- shoulder, wrapping his arms around the guy for stability. Alisae would laugh herself sick if she could see this...good thing she isn't here.] Is it voidsent? I'm a deft hand at those. Just, my spear... [Is back there!! It was so expensive...and dude isn't even breathing hard. Is he going to solve this maze through sheer force?

That horrific shriek comes again, further away at least, but S'rei's ears still practically flatten against his hair at the sound. That cry is a weapon all on its own, isn't it?]

most likely, hah

[bloodyrose]

[ Yeah, hardly. ]

No idea what a voidsent is either.

[ He can imagine well enough what it could imply, though, which similarly is something Zero isn't so sure he'd like to encounter. If he can handle pureblood vampires on a bad day (sometimes, at least), however, maybe he could put up with. . . whatever this is. ]

Did you lose it?

[ The spear. He pauses in thought, casually carrying a conversation despite moving at an inhuman speed. ]

. . . I can backtrack a little, but it'll be risky.

[sourcedlocally]

[With the confident (arrogant?) ease of a man who is accustomed to being the main muscle in any mixed group of people, S'rei nods and pats the other man on the shoulder.] I understand, I'll protect you. You can even just drop me off and run again, if you prefer.

[bloodyrose]

[ While it's not as though he's offended by the remark, Zero can't help the flat look. ]

I can handle myself.

[ At least it's a partial truth. Here, he's mindful, since he doesn't fully understand or have the knowledge of the way things work, so he may not be as higher up as he's more or less used to. ]

But if you really want your spear, then yeah, I'll just dump you here.

[ . . . Yep. ]

[sourcedlocally]

[Bro if you can handle yourself then why are u runnin

S'rei contemplates for a moment before nodding, preparing to hop down the second his rescuer stops.] I've no other way to defend myself here. I need it. [Plus that thing isn't going to stop chasing them, from the sounds of it still shrieking behind them somewhere; or if it does, it'll just go after somebody else. Better to kill it now before he's worn out or, even worse, wounded.]

[bloodyrose]

[ He can.. he's just also being realistic: there technically is nothing in his arsenal that helps to fight against something he can't even see (yet)!

So maybe he could actually backtrack for the guy, but instead drops him off where they're at. ]

. . . Good luck, then.