Test Drive Meme #2

[changelinged]

TDM #2 - March/April 2025

🦋 Introduction

Welcome to the Pixie Led Test Drive Meme!

The prompts will always be game canon, provided both characters who participate in a thread are either already in the game, or get accepted in the next application round.

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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.

For prospective players, Invites open on the 18th, Reserves on the 20th, and Applications on the 22nd. Thanks for checking us out and we hope you'll join us!

🦋 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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Comments

[meforsaken]

Loki considers for a moment before answering, "In a traditional story, I would say they're my equal or thereabouts. But they would seem to have complete control of this narrative, reducing me to a mere side character. For a normal person then..."

The obvious comparison is the Utgard Gods. Those Who Sit Above in Shadow. Still, the Thor Corps had managed to defeat Toranos. No one has managed anything close to that with the Fae.

"A normal person is smaller than an ant in their eyes. There are gods that the gods pray to, and they have made that their domain."

[hybrid_king]

"So hopeless without biding time for the right situation," Teddy says with a final sigh.

Yeah, he figured.

"Lauri-Ell is still gonna be pissed at me. And America over Billy I expect."

[meforsaken]

"Only if they ever learn of this adventure," Loki gently corrects, since they very well might never know. The whole deal with the timelines, the likelihood of memories being altered, etcetera.

"I actually teamed up with America recently. Or... was it nearly a decade ago? I suppose it was recent for her, and seemingly recent for me while simultaneously several years in the past. That sort of thing, you know how it is!"

[hybrid_king]

"You ever try hiding things from an Accuser who is overly concerned with your safety?" Teddy asked, sighing. Lauri-Ell would figure it out if Teddy at all remembered it.

Though the other statement is concerning.

"Do you have problems with temporal reasoning normally?"

[meforsaken]

"I'm good at lying," they remind him. Maybe just get good?

And Loki waves his concerns away, "It was a time travel sort of thing, new multiverse too. I was the Loki from the Seventh Cosmos and I existed at the same time as the Loki of the Eighth Cosmos, who I am now. I also erased my memories and stored them in a safe place until the overlapping Loki period was done. It feels then, that my Seventh Cosmos memories are more recent, though they technically took place before my Eighth Cosmos memories. And technically, also at the same time. It's really not that confusing."

[hybrid_king]

"Comes with the territory. Which isn't mine. I'm not a very good Skrull I guess," Teddy returned with a shrug.

Still, he's busy following that line of mess and soon is rubbing his temples again. How is Loki's life so damn complicated?

"I'd say only you could get into these messes, but there was that whole thing with Billy being possessed by some eldritch sorcerer from another cosmos or whatever that was."

[meforsaken]

"It's rather typical for godly beings."

Even Thor has had his own handful of such messes. Explaining Donald Blake might similarly take forever.

"You are the one who chose to marry the Demiurge, I'll remind you. Comes with the territory, I suppose."

[hybrid_king]

"I chose to marry Billy," Teddy corrects. It's not quite the same thing. He didn't marry a god. He married a person. A person who might become a god one day. Perhaps not even during their lives, not fully.

[meforsaken]

They wave away Teddy's correction, "Billy, who literally is the Demiurge. You love all of him, yes? Then that includes that part as well. I'm only guessing that you have such strong sentiments, of course, my own marriage being nearly loveless."

[hybrid_king]

Titles aren't the same as the person. It makes sense to him, even if it doesn't to Loki.

"I'm sorry that has been true for you."

[meforsaken]

"I mean, I literally tricked her into marrying me? I wouldn't say I'm the one who needs your pity."

Like? They're giving Teddy a look. Although it's not that they think Sigyn needs much pity either or even an apology, but they didn't bring it up to make Teddy feel sorry for them. It was a joke!

[hybrid_king]

Loki tricked her into... He looks... momentarily horrified. Surely Loki had a reason, but Teddy found he really didn't want to know.

"Spare me the details please."

[meforsaken]

The reason was that Loki used to really suck! Perhaps a story will be told someday that tells their tale differently and with more kindness for both lovers, but they've been separated for so long that they don't really care.

"Yes, yes, I'm so sorry to remind you that not everyone marries their high school sweetheart! Now unless you need anything else from me, I think I might go and enjoy a dance or two."

[hybrid_king]

Loki deserved a gentler story sometimes. But sometimes you can't escape what you're meant to be.

"You're more than welcome to go. I've got family to find. And please, Loki, be careful. You can find me if you need me I think."

[meforsaken]

They're already leaving before he even finishes saying "welcome". But they do turn to give one last mischievous grin as they call back, "Why would I ever need to be careful?"

There are so many reasons.

[hybrid_king]

"There are so many reasons," Teddy mumbled under his breath before turning his eyes back to the crowds. And, after a moment of thought, adding a bit of height to his legs. Just a few inches.

All the better to search with. And he'll take all the time he needs to for finding those he loves.