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pixieledmemes2025-07-15 09:03 am
Test Drive Meme #4
Welcome to the Pixie Led Test Drive Meme!
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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.
Unlike all of the other parties the Adopted have attended thus far, this one lacks the fae's usual easy elegance and ethereal beauty. Instead of dresses drenched in shining pearls and gems or sturdy tables full of the most mouth-watering food around, this party looks... cheap.
While the chasm between the Seelie and Unseelie courts has stopped growing, it also hasn't started shrinking. But when it comes to party planning, the Day Duke and the Summer Queen have thrown out the more traditional kind of party in favor of a summer celebration that their human pets might be familiar with. A Renaissance Faire.
But this is the fae interpretation of a human Ren Faire, complete with cheap, itchy costumes, cardboard stalls in the marketplace, and soft, plastic weaponry. Even the fae themselves seem to have gotten into the spirit of the event, masquerading - poorly - as humans playing faerie creatures. Everything within this crafted townsquare is absolutely fake, except for the plentiful faire food and drink that can not be avoided. Newcomers will have massive turkey legs, steaming apple dumplings, and overflowing wooden mugs shoved into their hands as they stroll through the faire.
As the party winds down and everyone's eaten, a tall, stately elf 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.
CW: loss of agency, character death
Between the faeries cosplaying as humans - flat, bland wigs and all - Adopted may catch a glimpse or three of strange figures slinking through the crowd, all dressed up in the same cheap robes, wearing masks made up to look like rats. If an Adopted attempts to catch one of these figures, they’ll find themselves drawn away from the lively crowd into some darkened corner of the faire, where the sound of the festival doesn’t quite reach. The rat man will say nothing if spoken to, only holding out a shining, jeweled crown that all Adopted will feel compelled to wear before they scurry away without a word.
And for most of the party, the rat men seem harmless enough, lurking around and handing out crowns, making a point to hit most of the Seelie court’s Adopted in particular. It just seems like another strange misinterpretation of human tradition by the fae, unintentionally sinister when really it’s all for fun.
But then the party goes silent.
One of the rat men descends into the market square with a cheeky little dance, pipe in hand, already playing a jaunty tune that carries from one end of the faire to the other. Any Adopted wearing a crown will be unable to resist the call of the music, dancing along to every note. And as the figure masquerading as a rat begins to step backwards away from the crowd, they'll find themselves following right after him, forced to mimic his every step.
If they are not stopped by those without crowns, the Adopted will eventually dance themselves right into the forest with their piper, blindly following him even as the trees themselves begin to twist in around them. The further they get from the party, the more the brush becomes so thick it suffocates, vines and branches curling around limbs, trapping the Adopted long enough that they'll be swallowed up completely by the forest, returned to their dorm bedrooms by morning.
CW: loss of agency, unintentional harm, blood and gore
There is a veritable trove of activities the adopted can pick from to entertain themselves for the evening as they battle the relentless heat and scorching sun. But don't be fooled, the activities present aren't mundane and offer some thrilling options.
It should be noted that while of the other weapons to be found all over the faire are plastic, Adopted will see for themselves that there is no mistaking that the items used in these games are incredibly real.
- 🦋 Axe throwing & Archery: Of course, this sounds simple enough, but upon stepping up and picking up your axe or bow, you will find that you cannot stop until all arrows or axes are used (the number of which we leave to you). And your target? Why another Adopted, of course. In a blink, some random Adopted (be they known to you or not) will be selected and strapped to the target board, unable to teleport or wiggle free, trapped in much the same way you are. Until the last munition is used, neither of you can escape.
- Hope you have good aim.
- 🦋 Jousting: Three parties are at war for the jousting trophy - the Seelie, the Unseelie, and the Adopted. Now's your chance to ride for your chosen patron's honor and saddle up. Upon getting on the horse of your chosen patron, it will become impossible to dismount until you win or lose. Take up your lance and shield (did we mention they didn't offer armor?) and knock your opponent off their horse first or risk your own impalement and subsequent dishonor.
- Do not fear, no matter what happens during this event, the horses will be perfectly safe. The Adopted however do not have that same protection.
- 🦋 Darts: Seems simple enough. Much like the other games, once you begin to play you cannot stop until you and your partner reach 0. Upon starting, everything is normal other than the compulsion, but once the first dart is thrown? Well, your partner better have a good constitution because when either of you throw, the other will be hurt in turn. The closer to the bullseye you are, the more painful it will be.
- Isn't teamwork great?
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, tell us all of a time when you saw through a facade that fooled everyone around you. Perhaps the most compelling story will receive a reward from us.
no subject
They shouldnt make promises they cant keep.
[ But maybe it works differently here, who knows...Just because people shouldn't do things doesn't mean they won't. ]
Youve seen stuff like this before? Is it everywhere where youre from or is it a special thing?
[ He's technically seen things that he's reminded of, looking at this little device, but he didn't know how to use them. They were simply haunting reminders of a people long-lost, asleep forever, with knowledge and inventions beyond his ability to grasp. ]
no subject
[Though Isabel is against all that as a matter of philosophy. It's not that she never says an unkind word, has an unkind thought, but the effort is made to not do anything like that. Let those feelings flow through like water and travel on downstream. Off and away.]
Oh, technology like this? Yeah, it's pretty much everywhere, in my world. I mean there are some places without the Internet, or people who don't own cell phones, but that's kind of rare, and getting rarer. And my grandpa and my cousins love stuff like that. They're always tinkering.
no subject
Anyone can lie
Even if they dont mean to
I still think its mean but that doesnt stop it
[ All he's got are his feelings! And well, he tries not to lie, so...that's about everything he can do, really. ]
Wow!!
Thats really neat. I cant even imagine what that looks like
Whats the internet ?
no subject
The internet is both useful tool and colossal time waster. It's like having a ton of libraries and other information sources right on a device like this one. At least that's the way it is on my world. But it's also host to like--the little games like you can find on this phone. Which is why I called it what I did! You can lose yourself just playing something like Nut Nosh for hours, and those aren't hours you can get back.
no subject
I still dont like to lie though
Even if you have to do it sometimes
It sounds fun!! [ He's had long trips where he sure wouldn't have minded a time waster...the time's gotta pass anyway, right? ]
What kind of games? Like cards?
no subject
[Quite literally that's the easiest way Isabel can think of to explain it. It might be different here, because she sure can imagine it being more Fae-styled, considering where they are now...]
There are probably a couple others. At least one game where you have to match something like flowers or jewels or cookies, something like that. I like that one, it helps me stop thinking so hard when I can't slow it down to meditate.
no subject
It sounds interesting though
Oh a matching game ! Ive seen those before
How do they fit all the tiles inside the device though ? Do they put them all inside and turn them into information ?
[ He has a very skewed understanding of what a computer is. Just because he's seen Terran machines doesn't mean he knows how they work. ]
no subject
I might not be right on that, either, but that's my understanding. That is not my area of expertise, though. I only know the basics when it comes to computers.
[Well, not her area of expertise, like Isabel says. Which means she at least won't poke fun at his lack of knowledge!]