pixieledmemes | Test Drive Meme #2

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Test Drive Meme #2

TDM #2 - March/April 2025

🦋 Introduction

Welcome to the Pixie Led Test Drive Meme!

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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.

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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 a garden party at the crack of dawn, with the sun still in its early stages of climbing through the yonder, casting a good mix of pastel hues of blue, pink, and beige on everything. Heralding the first day of spring, the Ruler of the Spring Court has found it fitting to arrange this gathering where guests can feel the blades of grass touching their ankles, as well as the rich soil beneath their feet. Flowers of all kinds surround the party as if they were carefully curated. With spring as the "dawn of seasons," which marks a transition from winter's latency to the resurgence of life everywhere, the Ruler of the Dawn Court has also seen it fit to host aspects of this party during the one time of the year that dawn occurs the whole day. Tall candles and torches grace the outskirts of the garden party, providing warmth and an orange glow everywhere. Not one flame goes out even with the occasional wind, the Duchess always makes sure of this.

There are also freshly picked blossoms and branches with leaves on every table accenting the festive spread of food and drinks. This time, a lot of the food prepared for the Adopted guests are familiar to them with a little bit of a twist. Burgers might come in small packages and in toothpicks, while hotdogs in buns are also diminutive. Cookies look delectable but they have a flowery flavor to them, as if eating freshly picked daisies or daffodils. Fruits that may have been present in an Adopted's home, such as pineapples and watermelons, have seeds in odd places. Picking this selection of food is an attempt to be more welcoming and to appease the lovely guests the fae have invited.

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.

🦋 Chance at a Dance

A party is not complete without dancing, of course, and while during the last gathering held for the Adopted, different fae danced to music exclusively for them around a glowing tree, this time they are insisting their guests to join in.

This is a party for you, after all.

If the prodding of the different fae hosts won't convince you, perhaps the music will. They play easily recognizable tunes that their wonderful guests must have heard before. These melodies have certain unique effects to their mortal attendees, which are as follows:

Upbeat Music: You will believe that you and your dance partner have been friends forever and have known each other a long time.
Romantic Music: You will become amorous and flirtatious towards your dance partner.
Slow Music: You will develop some tension with your dance partner. It may be negative or sexual; completely up to you.
Quiet Music: You will assume your dance partner is a threat and try to fight them.

🦋 Flower Power

At the Spring King's behest, every Adopted should wear a flower corsage or boutonnière to the gathering. After all, this is to celebrate the coming of spring and what better way to do that than to honor everything in bloom.

The thing is, though, the King of Spring, while amorous and friendly, also has a penchant for playing with mortals' memories, if not also affect their desires and despairs.

So, mischievous as he is, he made sure to enchant the different flowers present in every corsage and boutonnière for the party with the effects below:

Rose: You will recall a horrific trauma
Carnation: You will see a vision of your future, whether it's good or bad
Orchid: You will remember a time you lost someone
Chrysanthemum: You will believe someone among the Adopted is your soulmate
Dahlia: You will believe you betrayed someone important to you, whether you actually did or not

It is perhaps a good thing that no one but the Adopted are allowed to see these visions and memories, but everyone who wears a corsage or boutonnière will be able to see each other's memories and visions when in close enough physical proximity to the vision-haver, for better or for worse.

🦋 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.

Tell us all of a time you gave someone a gift. Perhaps a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates. Was it appreciated or not? A reward might await the most meaningful gift given.

🦋 Link to Overflow Post

ｎａｖｉｇａｔｉｏｎ

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[It might be easy to make those big, self sacrificing decisions when she didn't have to actually look at the consequences of it. Seeing him hurting like this, standing there strong and tall, but the amount of clear emotion written on his face, does hurt. Nat still stands behind her decision, not regretting it, but seeing that of course it would effect him-- this is a lot. Even for her who lets big, traumatic things usually roll off her back.

But they know each other too well. They've already been through enough. It's fitting he was there in the end. So she gives him her best smile when he does tell her the outcome. It would have been so much worse to sacrifice herself and Thanos still won, but there is a little relief.]

Never doubted you could do it. [He does get closer, and she doesn't stop him in that moment, just lets his hand find hers, and she gives a little nod as fingers intertwine with his.]

You'll have to tell me about it.

Ask, huh?

[she says, now finally whipping around and drawing her pistol all in one big swoopy motion. her left arm becomes straight and stiff with the barrel aiming directly between the herald's brows. her own face darkens, and the pupils glisten an ominous beam as she studies her counterpart's expression. during the war, she hadn't seen his final form or what he became, but it matters very little to her.]

I got a question for you, Metals. — Are we going to cut the chase or keep chit-chatting? Because Mama's gotta a lot of exploring to do, and you're not exactly my favorite when it comes to wasting my bullets.

Edited 2025-03-17 03:48 (UTC)

[In all honesty, he'd been zoning out a bit, having a half-conversation in his head with Aogami when Vash sits down next to him. Nahobino eyes the other newcomer, but seems otherwise nonplussed as Vash eats.

When he speaks, though, Nahobino tilts his head slightly.]

I haven't tried anything yet. [He hadn't been hungry, and... a myriad of other reasons. Maybe he should, though. It does all look very good, and, well, why not indulge? They're gonna be stuck here for a while, it seems.]

What's it taste like?

the cereal?

... is that rare in your world?

[Nat noticed the other girl looking, and while her looks do stand out, Nat is careful of how she watches which is why she offers the question to begin with, to maybe draw her closer to question. Maybe she's drawn to girls like her, similar in ways she doesn't voice, but still takes an interest in nonetheless.

Her phrasing gives a low, half chuckle before Nat's nodding and picking up the red rose corsage instead.]

Matches the hair a little better?

[It gives her a reason to look over at Eleven a little better. She wouldn't have minded the pretty pink orchid either, but the rose certainly does stand out. But it doesn't take a few more moments from her slipping the corsage on that the garden party they're at gives way to old architecture instead, wooden walls, beautiful craftmanship. There is a younger version of Natasha standing there, too, with a woman that has failure hair, pulled into a bun.

Sloppy, she tells Natasha. Nat has relived this before. The ceremony is necessary for you to join your place in the world.

I have no place in the world. The younger Natasha, only a few more years older than Eleven herself says.

There's a man bagged and on his knees there. There's a gun. Nat's breathing heavily. She's relived this before, knowing the signs. It's not real. It's not real. The gunshot goes off, and Natasha knows what it means, but she turns to try and block the view from the other girl. She doesn't know her history obviously, but no little girl should be subjected to the horrors of this place.]

I'm sorry-- [She shouldn't have scene this.]

"Yeah, I do. Because it's bloody important." Spike said without sympathy or pity. It was a fact, as far as he was concerned. Right now the Fae held all of the advantages. He didn't like it, but he could bide his time. For a little bit at least.

Then he was giving Maurice a look again. "Please. Have some soddin' self respect. You're a vampire. Not a whipping boy."

[Ha, there it is. She can see the exact second that he catches on to what she's doing. Like a light has just suddenly flickered in acknowledgment. Subtle, but undeniably there, because she knows exactly what she's looking for. There's an answering glimmer of triumph in her eyes, something tinged with hope. They've got a way to get messages through to each other. It feels like - they're not putting the puzzle pieces together yet, but they've got the mat laid out on the table so they can get to work.

Honestly, this has done a lot more for her state of mind than anything else that's happened since she woke up. Just standing here on the edge of an alien wood, holding his hands and feeling desperately grateful that they can read each other so well. It's a double edged sword though, because even amid that rush of relief, she knows with bone deep certainty that he's absolutely not okay. It's enough to make her feel guilty that she feels steadier, here, now, with a direction and a plan and his support.

It's just - something in the set of his shoulders. The way he's holding himself, the angle of his head. She lets him turn her hand over, returning that gentle squeeze. The ribbon from the corsage is still around her wrist, and a mangled trail of tiny white blossoms surrounding the spot where she ripped the blue orchid off. Her other hand lifts, her fingers running along the neckline of his shirt. She knows without asking that he doesn't want to talk about it. But she's here, and she knows what his nightmares look like. Knows too what he'll do to these fae. How far he'll go to protect people.

And her hands are steady. Unwavering.

Something in her gaze softens a little when he references the elevator, and she draws in a breath, nodding her head. The muzzle of his gun, up underneath her jaw. His arm around her. Blood and shrapnel and ringing ears. That long, quiet moment of understanding that had passed between them. Just - a whole world of things unsaid, things that they could mean to each other, that they'll never be able to mean to each other. Seems like they keep finding their way back to each other anyway.]

Of course I remember that. [There's a beat, and then a little smile at the corner of her mouth.] I've been tracking you for months. [No articles in the paper, but she might be the world's foremost expert on a Frank Castle crime scene. It's a really fucking weird thing to smile about, but what the hell. They're in a fae realm. Weird comes with the territory.]

Were you still on the road, or back in New York?

It has been some time, hasn't it?

[The words come easily even though he really doesn't know why; still, all of a sudden, it feels like he's dancing with someone he's known most of his life. An old friend, in a place where he doesn't have any old friends--comforting, in a way he doesn't want to take for granted. He really has no natural defenses whatsoever against magical mental influences, so he falls into it face first.

Dancing, at least, does sincerely come naturally to Tsukasa after all of the practice he's had at it, so Tsukasa'll pretty comfortably sweep him into a dance that matches the upbeat pace of the music. They've been friends for ages, after all.]

Still, it's so good to see you again! Even if I wouldn't wish being kidnapped here on anyone, I'm glad for that much.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, I just want to make sure you're okay. Your voice is kinda hoarse and water will help."

It's obvious she isn't going to let him waltz over and get a cup for her, so he nods his head in the direction of a beverage station behind her. He's not sure if she'll be willing to turn her attention away from him long enough to get it but he can always hope, right?

"Plus, I bet you're feeling lightheaded right now. Aren't you? I know you don't trust me but I'm not trying to trick you."

u mean our captors? whats the big deal with them anyway? i hadnt really been asking questions or paid any attention. wanna be a toots and fill a girl in?

[Oh, there's clearly something different about this table. There's that kind of pressure in the air that indicates that this is important, and Nahobino's not stupid enough to ignore that sort of thing.

Young man-- Aogami, in the back of his mind, tries to warn him, but Kei sends back a hum of understanding. He'll make sure to stay on edge while he's the one steering them. Even so, Nahobino can't help but slowly walk the length of the table, drawing one finger over the edge.

He pauses at a plate of ripe apples, picking one up to examine. He's not going to risk eating it, not yet, but it does seem free for the taking... for now?]

I sure do. It's the most comfortable season for me, and I do best when there's a slight chill in the air or else I get warm way too fast.

[Caelus chuckles, before nodding.]

I do. You don't strike me as someone who likes the cold... But that's just my assumption. I could be entirely wrong, but I guess I'm just going off of first impressions and how you look. Which isn't bad; you seem like a sweet girl.

Something practical that continues to be useful well into the future. That might be the most meaningful and thoughtful gift I've seen so far.

[Despite this party being a lot like the first one he arrived at, the emphasis on the flowers and dancing is different enough that Yusuke finds himself a bit off-kilter with it all. Granted, he's developed a bit of a suspicion of anything involving Narciso and a party devoted to his season is a huge red flag. All in all though that's not the fault of the new Adopted showing up here and he endeavors to help them in any way he can. He's not succeeded once in stopping someone from eating the food, unfortunately.

This leads to him wandering the party and then leads to him also being manhandled by the same particularly enthusiastic Fae as they also noticed he hasn't been dancing. That's certainly not right, and people who have been here already should make their new fellows feel welcome!! So his hand is now in that of a stranger's and Yusuke sighs.]

It's good to meet you. I don't think either of us are inclined, but if there is one thing I have learned from living here, it's that these fae will be insistent until you do what they want.

[He looks to the side. The Fae, with its serpentine form and silver eyes, flashes a toothy grin back at him. It's tail twitches in his direction, no doubt ready to shove the two into each other at the slightest sign of running away.]

"I didn't ask to become a vampire." Maurice's voice grows something like an edge. Not sharp enough to puncture on its own, but if pushed... "I hate it, actually! It ruined my freakin' life!" This has been bubbling for a while.

[ When in Rome, do as the Romans do, as they say. He lets himself be dragged along but recovers his footing while laughing. Who wouldn't be pulled in by that kind of enthusiasm? He has to hand it to the guy; he's definitely not shy about approaching a stranger - much like himself. ]

Hey, I'm pretty good at this too, you know.

"Yeah? Cry about it some other time." Said without pity, and then Spike was taking another unnecessary breath. "Look, you want to stay alive--so to speak. Right? Deal with the here and now, and cry when you get a chance later alright?"

[Okay, that actually makes her smile.]

That's true.

[Honestly, though, she probably would have paid whatever he was asking if it actually helped.]

The fact that you didn't make me feel like I was crazy was nice, too.

"I AM NOT CRYING."

He is crying a little bit.

I'd hope so, he's my best friend. We're on the same team.

[ It doesn't excuse it, not even close, but he knows him well enough to realize something had to set him off. He doesn't know what, that's a question he'll have to ask later on. ]

Of course not, I'm not a Psycho Ranger. Pretty cool, huh? [ Before long he shrugs out of the costume with his help and haphazardly gathers up the suit to reveal his Megaship uniform. Different color scheme to Andros' - only because silver on silver would have been an eyesore. Oh, he is keeping the costume for a rainy day. ] Kind of a lucky break, it could come in handy someday.

Cigarette back in his mouth, Spike barely looks at the other. Before punching him (albeit not as hard as before) right in the face. Going more for the shock than the impact.

Edited 2025-03-17 04:11 (UTC)

Worm meat.

[obviously not because worms are not even close to this size, but this is jinx just joshing him around. but she goes give it a whiff to see if the scent is anything recognizable, then lifts it for her comrade(?) to view for himself.]

I thiiiiiink it's like beef, but something else. Pig? I've heard these poultries were more common outside of our region. Looks unhealthy if you ask me. Seafood is always the way to go.

Edited 2025-03-17 04:08 (UTC)

Zhane is right in that she's not taking her eyes off him, wary to say the least. (Wary is a nicer word than freaked the hell out, which might be closer to the truth.)

"I'm fine."

Lots of venom still in that hoarse voice.

She is, of course, not fine. But she's also not about to get to her feet and wobble around to prove it. Everything's still sort of... spinning, a little. A lot.

She's not aware of it, but she's swaying a little in place. Paler than normal, still, and that's saying a lot -- she hasn't had much color in her since Darkonda installed all that hardware into her flesh.

"What are you playing at, Ranger?"

The amount of disappointment I feel is... Well. I guess it doesn't matter. If we have someone who can hack into the system, that's more than enough.

Er. You know, I haven't tried that yet. Have to admit, they "nerfed" my powers :( So I'm not as strong as I used to be. Boooo

[Ah. He's one of those Adopted- so sure in their power that they won't fully realize the gravity of the situation until they tire of this charade and attempt to leave. Yusuke pities those people. They always seem to take it the hardest when the truth is revealed. Still, he uses interesting wording and Yusuke's curiosity is piqued.]

Under the Mountain? An interesting title for a place. There's more outside of this garden. This is just where you start before they sort you into whatever Court wants you.

[He himself is an Adopted of the Autumn court, something he saw coming a mile away as he had seen the Princess watch him the entirety of the first party he attended.

What does Yusuke Kitagawa know of nightmares? More than he'd like. He raises an eyebrow.]

More than you would expect, I suppose. These clothes look nice, but the ones I was wearing when the dragon attacked the castle we lived in certainly looked worse for wear.

[And that's just what he has gone through here! Not even touching on everything he has seen at home.]

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Test Drive Meme #2

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omg harry

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