Test Drive Meme #2

[changelinged]

TDM #2 - March/April 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 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

[volgas]

[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.

[brandingproblem]

[Her hand in his. Real. Solid.

He might not be interested in letting go this time. Is it better or worse that she's really here? In this strange place where death doesn't seem to be a big issue. It squeezes his heart fit to burst, but at least the panic subsides for some kind of cathartic release.

He closes the gap, presses their foreheads together. Exists in her space. Breathes her in.]

They miss you. Everyone misses you. [Of course they would. Family misses each other.]

[volgas]

[There’s a slow release of air, like the tension is being slowly let out as he takes a step in closer. This is harder than she might have imagined, not ever sure of what comes after death for her. She’s never been a religious person. But whatever this place is, sure someone like Tony or Dr. Strange might be able to give some kind of answer on dimensions or rips in time and space, but it doesn’t really matter. Nat’s a realist, and all this means is that somehow she’s been reunited.

He pulls her forehead against his, minimizing their height difference, and she gives the lightest of smiles as the emotions are welling in her own chest. She shows them suddenly as her eyes meet his.]

Heard there’s a couple of them here. I’m sure I’ll get around to seeing them. [Though she knows what he means. Whereas everyone else was coming back from the snap, she wasn’t. It’s not that she didn’t know her place on the team, but he sort of solidifies that by saying so.]

[brandingproblem]

[He could stand here forever if it means not letting go again. Because what if something happens to her here? Is he going to wake up dipped in an alien shoreline with a stone the weight of uncountable lives sitting in his hand? Is he going to have to face Bruce's disbelief, Steve's tears--the way the others had looked at him and then looked away with no argument when he insisted it was supposed to be him?

At least for the time being, he can stay right here with her.]

Laura misses you, too. And the kids. They miss you so much. God, you should see Nate, he's gotten so big the past year, you wouldn't recognize him anymore. [Which at least gives her a timeframe to work with. Hell of a year and change to work with. Enough time not to break himself down into pieces every time he remembers, but not nearly enough to not react at all.] Maybe we can fix this.

[volgas]

[Honestly for the moment, he’s familiar—- as fresh as the wound still is for her, the choice just being made as opposed to him being removed from it by a year, it’s good that she’s come across him first. Her smile is light, the emotions more reserved and buried behind her eyes, but she doesn’t pull away. If they’re here, they’re here together, and it feels at least a little fitting.

He talks of Laura and the kids, and her lips flicker into a more gentle smile. It’s a reassurance that it worked, that he got to go home to his family when it was all said and done. It’s good to hear about them, but he talks about things being fixed, and she shakes her head.]

Things are fixed. We brought them back. Besides if anything is to be believed about what… they’ve said here, time is different here. Whatever happens, it probably stays here. [Again she doesn’t have the scientific know how, but whatever bubble this is, it gives her… something. Some existence again with the people she knows and cares about.]

[brandingproblem]

You don't mean you don't want to come back. [Surely. Because that would be silly. He doesn't give a shit about what these people that do not have the best of intentions say about time. They've done time travel. They can figure that part out.]

Tasha. C'mon. Maybe this is a chance. We don't know how that stupid rock works. We told Bruce not to bring back anyone who didn't get turned to dust because we didn't want to fuck things up. Maybe you show up and that stone just vanishes back to the floating red guy. But things are fixed now, the rocks are supposed to be back where they're supposed to be, and we're both here. Maybe this is hope.

[volgas]

[She's not even with him five minutes, and Clint's already trying to save her. Her smile is telling, and it's not that she's got a death wish exactly. Nat's made her peace with her decision, but it would be nice to see everyone again-- to see her sister. They'd fixed things, and she disappeared in the Snap. Means she should be back, too.

But she keeps those thoughts close to her chest, like she does most of her feelings. Still she knows what it's like arguing with him, and it's not like she trusts much at all in this place.]

Hope's a dangerous thing, Barton. [It was her that tried to give it to him once. And she knows nothing is impossible, but she also doesn't know what bringing her back or what this place could do to her. Or to Earth. But that kind of what if and science is beyond her.]

I think we gotta figure out surviving this place, too. [But at least they're both here.]

[brandingproblem]

Hope's what you gave me. [So, really, she only has herself to blame in a way. Five years where he's sure she either knew exactly where he was or could reasonably predict his moves, and she had kept her distance until she had a damn good reason to coax him back. And she offered hope that he clung to the way he clung to her then in a rainy Tokyo alley, clings now in this otherworldly place.

But first thing's first. Every time. He breathes slow and even, lets his eyes slide shut so he can just bask in her presence rather than her death. There's a lot to say. Things that might not be said, or might come out all at once in the dead of some night after sharing a bottle of something, or might drip out one morsel at a time.]

Figure this place out first, [a murmured repeat, resigned in agreement. He breathes out and pulls back only to kiss her forehead.] And the rest can come later.

[volgas]

You got your family back, right? [Nat knew what she was doing. She knew where Clint was for those five years or could have gotten to him easily, but she knew without answers if anything that might agitate Ronan more. She’s not sure if it’s quite the same instance now. He’s hoping to hope without much of a plan, but when he closes his eyes, she can feel the emotions behind them.

It’s not entirely unexpected given everything that’s ever happened between them. Of the Avengers, they’ve always been close. But even she knows not to push. Not when she’s not even sure what this place is, what they’re meant to do.]

We need information, and I don’t know how much there is to get. [Most people seem to either be brand new arrivals like them or have gone through this place just enough to know not to trust anything—- flowers included apparently.

And with that it feels more like a mission. She doesn’t need to think about hope until there’s more to go off of. Right now? She has some sort of second chance. That’s something to start with.]

[brandingproblem]

Yelena's back. [She should know that, too. She should know that Laura, Nate, Lila, and Cooper are all back where they should be, but also Yelena is back. Because that's also her family.] I, uh. Met her. Finally. Wish it had been under better circumstances. [Pretty sure half the still-healing injuries he's got are from her alone.]

We'll get intel. And then we'll go from there.

[volgas]

[It's not something she's expecting him to say, though it is something she's hoping for. Nat's eyes flash up to his for a moment, the confirmation that Yelena's okay, too. She gives a nod, knowing that likely it's more her fault as to why they never met. It's not as if for a long time Nat was trying to put Ohio behind her, like what happened was just a mission like every other one.]

I think it's for the best. [It's what she can handle for right now. The question of what's next doesn't have to loom over her if she works on what's in front of her. And right now it's a whole lot of unknowns.]

Someone has to have an idea of this place.