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pixieledmemes2025-03-15 08:32 am
Test Drive Meme #2
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
loki | marvel comics | autumn court
[Loki is in an apartment in New York, or rather a Loki is in an apartment in New York. He's there with his brother Thor and his good friend Verity Willis. There is tension in the air, a story has just been told. A lie has come to light.
Thor glares at Loki, his anger unmeasurable.
Finally, I see you as you are.
He grabs Loki, tossing him against the wall. Loki does not fight back, even as Thor continues to punch him and throw him about. Verity tries to stop the God of Thunder, but her protests are in vain.
Not my brother. Not the brother I should have had- the brother I loved. You are his murderer. You.
Loki looks up at his brother, if he is allowed to call him that, a desperate plea in his eyes.
You! Always you! Loki!
Thor does not stop nor even hesitate as he pushes him to the ground, then pulls him up to slam him into a nearby wall.
All this time! You sit there- you squat in my brother's stolen corpse! My brother- who was better and greater and more than you can ever be!
And Loki still does not fight back. Not even as the apartment's windows break under his weight, Thor throwing the God of Lies from the skyscraper like he was nothing more than a bag of garbage. As Loki's body hits the ground, one of his horns shatters in half.
Thor bounds after him, his work not yet done. After all, he had made a promise to his brother, his true brother. The innocent child who he knew now was long dead.
If I go bad... do it. Just do it. Promise me.
The memory of the child is replaced with the Loki who struggles before him, tears in his eyes as he begs. Thor readies himself to deliver the finishing blow.
Thor.. don't do this. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not. All I want is to change-
Now all the lies will end!
And the vision ends there.
Loki, the one standing here at this party now, seems unbothered. It has been some time since this happened, multiverses have died and been reborn since then. If they notice that someone's been affected by their vision, they'll reassure them,]
Well, clearly I didn't die. I mean, I suppose I did shortly after this, but not by his hands.
ii. carnation; cw: murder??? i guess
[The room is dark and musty, it seems to be a time long ago. Three figures stand together, their shadows flickering with the flames. There is an Asgardian woman, a sorceress of some kind, and there is Loki too. Stephen Strange's also there, this is sorta maybe his comic and not Loki's. Strange and the woman are discussing something when suddenly-
Loki stabs her! Oh no!
Stephen rushes to her side, but it is too late. She's dead, bleeding out in her own workshop. As the good doctor looks to the perpetrator of this heinous act, they begin to disappear into a blinding light.
Strange, you must believe me! I did not do this!
And the vision ends.
The current Loki shrugs, mostly upset they didn't get a vision of Thor's future.]
Hm. Figures.
iii. orchid; cw: child death, description of animal death
[In a place that is unknown to all but those who call themselves Loki, sits a child and a magpie. The echo of an older Loki watches on as the boy grabs the bird and bites into its neck, swallowing the lie. The spirit disappears, the deed done. Kid Loki is gone forever more, and Ikol remains in his place. The child, mouth bloody, reaches for the older Loki's helm and hugs it close to his chest.
Damn me. Damn you all.
Loki, God of Stories they may be, has nothing to say about this one. It is simply what happened. Arguably it's the first story they told as the new Loki, but it's not exactly something worth celebrating.]
iv. dahlia; wildcard
[Eventually Loki will be done with all of these and settle on a dahlia as they explore the rest of the party. Its effect only makes them feel bad about the trials they've put Thor through, but guilt is an easy enough emotion to manage. They're an expert in it by now.]
rose;
Angela stands, at a point over Loki's shoulder, not yet close enough to reach out and touch her beloved sibling, but not so far as to be completely removed from the scene. She stands, and she watches the memory play out.
There is much in her family's history that Angela has no knowledge of or context for. Up until now, the ghost of the child Loki which had been sent to inhabit the Destroyer armor was one of those things. This scene she sees displayed before her provides some more context, though still she senses there is much she is missing, to have a complete picture of the reasons for Thor's despondent anger.
The memory ends, and the Loki of the present brushes it off with a flippant comment as they are wont to do. Angela says nothing, merely closing the gap to stand next to her sibling. If they wish to discuss the vision further, she is there. She has questions, of course, but she does not yet feel that she has earned the right to ask them. ]
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There is a strange part of them that feels guilty for sharing this, that it taints Thor's reputation. He is good, and he is their king, their All-Father. Thor often forgets the kind of person he once was, and Loki is there to remind him, but it seems less cruel when it is tales of their youth, and not tales that are still recent enough to sting. Technically, Thor never apologized for this. The story moved on. Loki became a different person, and Thor did too. Some of the threads have been revisited and tied up neatly, but not this one.
Loki sighs, rolling their eyes at Angela's response which is so very Angela. They are all playing their parts perfectly.]
It's worse when you don't say anything. Your pity is palpable, even without words.
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You killed the boy, then.
[ Straight to the point it is. ]
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It was some time ago, but yes. Those were the roles the both of us were written into. Technically he wrote himself into a corner. I saw an opportunity, I took it.
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You needn't fear any anger from me. I trust that you know better than anyone what stories must be told.
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If I were to tell it now, I would try for something kinder. I did attempt to give the boy a lie to hold onto, but he saw through it.
Thor, of course, cannot comprehend that we are both his brother.
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iii. orchid;
But there were quirks. Like the needling of a memory into his head like a reel on display, familiar but not, a history he might have read about once. But that was the thing about memories, wasn't it? They're changed by the feelings wrapped up in them. That was why the TVA never used memories, something Mobius didn't fully get immersed in until he learned how little they cared for memories. ]
And then what? [ It was a simple question, but not an easy one. Still, Mobius left the door open for it to slip away. ]
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Honestly, it's the exact sort of thing Loki would ask.]
And then what? [they repeat, almost a challenge.] It's a rather long story.
» rose.
But he blinks, shaking his head to clear the memories away even with Loki's beseeching voice still ringing sharply in his ears. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not. All I want is to change.
And? Did Loki change? Could they change? ]
Death can be surprisingly relative, in the end, [ he remarks with a casual roll of his shoulders, aiming for a tone that's similarly unbothered as Loki's. ] As with many things.
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[they say with a raise of their eyebrow, amused. The pun may be unintended, but it's funny nonetheless.]
The annoying thing about death, temporary as it may be for me, is that it does still hurt.
[Maybe it would've hurt less had Thor been the one to kill them. He may have been kinder than the flames they found themselves in. But, it was worth it, suffering that ego death. They would not be this version of Loki otherwise.
They hold out a hand to the stranger, figuring they might as well make this proper.]
Loki, as I'm certain you've gathered by now.
[But despite that, Armand may notice they are not exactly the Loki shown in the vision. There's a resemblance, the same identifying traits, but their facial structure is ever so slightly different. Their voice carries a different timbre, and they stand a few inches taller. Reincarnation is funny that way.]
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Your reputation admittedly precedes you, Loki.
[ Which feels like far, far too informal of a manner to be addressing the(?) Loki with to Armand's taste, but what else would be appropriate— Master, Mistress, Your Honor? (Dishonor?)
His next question is spoken more softly, almost a bit reverently: ]
What is it like, then? Knowing the experience will only be temporary. [ Then, after a beat, he remembers his manners: ] Please forgive my rudeness— Armand.
[ Vampire death is undoubtedly a very, very different experience, but he can't help being curious anyway. ]
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[They don't seem too worried over any rudeness or lack of formal addresses, though they understand why someone else might fret over it. Honestly, they're more used to people hating their guts the first time they meet, so the reverence is kinda fun.
And that's partially why they continue to humor him, when with others they might not be as willing to share these vulnerable details.]
Mm, I'd say it's still frightening. In a way, each "me" does die and not just temporarily. I am no longer the man you saw in my memories, nor do I ever wish to be him again.
He was born carrying such a heavy guilt with him, and one could argue it was that guilt that pushed him to be "good". He lived the way he did because he feared the next Loki would be worse. He feared the unknown. And is that not the same as mortals who fear death, not knowing what awaits them after?
All this squandering to say no matter how different gods or other beings may seem, our experiences exist to mirror humanity's. Admittedly, on an often heightened scale.
sorry for how late this is! been having some rl issues but feel free to disregard if it's too old
Anyway. The point is that, Loki, in many ways, is an entity with whom Armand can actually feel some degree of kinship with, despite however much the Norse mythological canon has never really been one he's engaged with beyond simply having heard and read many of the old stories— which in itself barely matters, as he doesn't have to have ever worshiped at someone's altar before to still treat them with respect and dignity. ]
But can you ever choose who you want to be, once it happens? [ His voice is soft, like a prayer. ] Or is it simply a matter of choosing, each time, to be different instead?
[ Because he's been there before: carrying with him indescribable guilt much too heavy to support the weight of, and a fear of the unknown so extreme it borders on repulsion. Dying didn't change this about him, but more than anything he wishes that it had. ]
It seems to me a great blessing to be reborn so wholly anew again and again... to have a sheer infinity of lives to be lived in ways which beautifully mirror the humble, short-lived mortal experience.
[ Armand is being a good deal more candid with Loki than he normally would with an effective stranger, because, well, it's Loki— and Armand is Armand, once Arun and then Amadeo, one of God's abandoned and unholy creatures.
Only, much like Loki, immortal to a point. ]
How freeing to know that your miseries can never be eternal.
carnation
Whatever did she do to deserve that?
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[More accurately, it hasn't happened yet. They have no idea whether they did it or not, but they'll choose to believe their future self for now.]
If I had to wager a guess, I would say that someone fears Strange's presence in Asgard. Whatever he's trying to accomplish, he'll surely face more hurdles now. Hulda's dead so she won't be of any help. I've run away and he's likely to have lost all trust in me. Whoever walks in on him may assume he was the murderer and not a mere witness.
The chaos of it all... does feel like one of my schemes, I'll admit.
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That's putting it rather lightly.
[Incriminating someone for murder is certainly some kind of chaos. But would the chaos of it all really be enough for someone like Loki? To Akechi it feels like there's more to the story neither of them even fully understand. If this really is the future, what was the true purpose of sharing this with either of them?]
I've seen glimpses of a man with the same name in this place. Strange. I assume they must be one in the same. Is he someone you wouldn't trust?
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[It feels as if the Strange here had less stories than the one they know. Certainly less stories that involve Loki.]
He's- [Hm. How to go about explaining their feelings for Stephen?] He is one of the few equals I have in sorcery. Unlike me though, he's the heroic type. I do trust him and I trust that if this is another trial I've set upon him, he will conquer it as he did before.
[Loki once stole his job and his house just to make him a better hero. A villain once used an illusion of Loki (and a few others) to catch Strange off guard. They're not exactly friends, but there's no good word for "yeah there's like three of us in the multiverse who get it and we have to stick together".]
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Having a man like that on their side wouldn't hurt things.]
I'll take your word for it.
[His intense stare lingers just a touch longer on Loki's face, searching for anything else - discomfort or hurt or anything, but they've mastered their emotions to a level Akechi can only dream of. Still, he doesn't understand the purpose of showing a vision like this, especially if it's from the future, so that will be rotating in his mind the rest of the night.]
I wonder, have you set any of those trials upon anyone here?
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When it happens, they will probably be frustrated as the future Loki was. But that's future Loki's problem!
At Akechi's question, they smile.]
I've tested you, haven't I? Although I suppose that wasn't nearly as grand as what I've put Strange through. Truth be told, I have not met anyone in this realm who is needing of my assistance in that way, and also capable enough to survive my full power. So, only little tricks here and there.
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wrappppp
rose
Doubt causes a conflict in his mind, as it always does. The part of him that has seen such good in Loki and loves them above anything else is always at war with the part of himself that is tired of being hurt and looking like an idiot again. It gives him more sympathy for the other version of himself than he'd like.
But Loki seems unperturbed-- which doesn't necessarily mean there isn't some level of perturb going on. No iteration of Loki has enjoyed feeling vulnerable. Thor arches a brow at them, curious.]
Did he yield or was he stopped?
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[The memory ends where it does because it is Loki's, told with their own bias. As a teller, they attempt to be truthful and present the tale as it is meant to happen, regardless of their own feelings. But memories are fickle things, and the narrator may change it without realizing. It does not matter that Thor yielded in the end because to Loki, the lead up was more important, more cruel.
Besides, Thor only yielded for the boy's sake. For the sake of another memory.]
He had not the strength to finish the act, he claimed, and so he took me to Asgardia to be judged by our people. They decided I was not worth the effort. I was not Loki, after all. A mere ghost walking in the flesh of another.
[Their somber expression is covered up once more by a smile.]
Bit hypocritical when they've all been reincarnated a few several times themselves, hm?
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I suppose there's never really logic when you're drawing your own lines in the sand. All this uncharted territory.
[He gesticulates vaguely while he thinks it through, but his hand flops down. Defeated.
He reaches out his other hand, gently gripping Loki's shoulder.]
I'm glad to know you. Reincarted or otherwise. I'm glad I had the chance.
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They just as gently move Thor's hand off their shoulder, appreciating the gesture though finding it unnecessary.]
I'm just glad to meet any Thor who has half a brain in his head. [they laugh, their tone truly affectionate. Rather than hiding their feelings, it does seem as if they've given themselves a moment to feel them and move on. That's certainly a change for any Loki, almost always ignoring and thus always dwelling in their negativity.]
This was some time ago, by the by. Before I was even the me I am currently. I got caught up in it for a minute, as one can with old memories, but the other Thor has grown since then, I assure you.
[And they did deserve it like, a little bit. Considering the circumstances.]
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Good to know I haven't completely regressed in some worlds. [Thor half shrugs.]
I can't help but notice you fare quite well for yourself here. Making friends, being social. [Thor nudges Loki playfully.]
Is there anyone from your home that I should meet?
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