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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.
4, cw: mentions of her dad's death
She avoids his gaze, letting her expression shift to something more neutral before letting herself look back with something a bit more bored than anything else.]
Yeah. I guess that's one of those things. [She lifted her right arm up to show the orchid corsage. She was hoping that he wouldn't notice the memory of her father and that loss. Mostly because she didn't need to have strangers having feelings and knowing anything about her. Her dad's death barely affected her because he wasn't much of a dad going in, but having to bury the man was definitely something. She prefers to keep the mystery behind her life.
She's about to say that he sounds like he needs a drink when he says something about a Chee.]
What?
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I'm told these are called Chee toes. Probably a metaphorical name, like lady finger biscuits, but what manner of beast do you think has toes like these?
[He holds up the puffed snack, which looks just like a larger-than-normal cheeto. the only major difference is that the cheese dust is shimmery, almost metallic, as she can see from the stains on his bright orange, almost gold-looking fingertips.]
cw: mentions of alcoholism
But none of that factors into the memory of his death. Just the general mixture of relief and an underlying lack of grief. Mostly just annoyance that she'd had to dig a grave and bury him in it to cover it up. And because it wasn't like they had money to pay for a burial anyway.
Once he says Chee toes, acting like it's two separate words, the realization dawns on her. He's not from America. Clearly.]
Oh. It's just one word. Cheetos. There aren't toes involved. [Just for clarification.]
And it's not an animal. It's just processed food covered in cheese dust. [Though, she does note a slight difference in the way the cheese looks on the outside. It's a bit strange, but what isn't?]
no subject
Cheese dust? Cheese ground into dust or dust that settles on cheese?
[His brow furrows at the snack. It's much easier to talk about this rather than the memories they've just exchanged.]
I guess it does taste somewhat like cheese. Cheese and starch.
no subject
Most people argue whether or not it's real cheese. I think it depends on who makes it.
[She's not really the authority on cheetos either.]
Yeah. That sounds about right when it comes to cheetos. So I guess this is your first experience which them? [This seems pretty obvious.] What else haven't you eaten?
no subject
I've sampled many strange dishes today. there are these strange, soft-doughed savory tarts called "peet-zahs". They've been my favorite by far! Apparently they are much smaller than normal.
no subject
They aren't tarts, but I guess I can see how you'd think that. Pizza is kind of a big deal in general. But I'm gathering you're not from Earth. [It's not really something she's just figured out.]
If you like that, though, you should try the breakfast burritos. They're not as small as they are here, but they're otherwise pretty similar to how they usually are.
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[he stands]
By all means, lead me to these breakfast burry-tos. Are there dinner ones as well?
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It's also a planet. Never heard of that before. Only place outside of Earth I've been is Fillory. And it's more of an alternate dimension sort of thing. [And she'd seen some rabbits that were pirates and a murderous asshole, but who is keeping track?]
We don't really call them dinner ones. We just call them burritos. Breakfast is not the norm for burritos. But I guess anything can be breakfast if you want.
[She makes her way towards a table with food and searches for the breakfast burritos carefully. They're a bit more 'egg roll' sized than she's used to, but it's just one of those weird things. She holds one up.] We're already stuck, so might as well enjoy it, I guess.
ngl these sound tasty af.... i want them irl
[Lucien examines the little wrap and takes a bite. His ears perk up and he hums while he chews, delighted]
Oh! These are incredible! Far cheesier than the Cheetos. and there's a salted meat in it too...
Ikr? me too
[She guesses she could have assumed at some point he was out of time rather than from a different world, but she figured it out.]
It's definitely one of the best foods. [She eats her own mini breakfast burrito.] They got anything you're familiar with?
no subject
Nothing like this. Roast game and vegetables. Cake. Pies. Bread. Gruel. All very good, but nothing so.... so... novel.
[the word he's looking for is "modern" or "processed" but he doesn't realize that. To him, these are all exotic delicacies]
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Gruel? [She makes a face that shows off how disinterested she is in that.] Heard about it in books and movies, but don't think I'll ever choose to eat it. But that sounds not all terrible. Outside of the gruel part. Do you guys have coffee or is that another disappointment you have to live with?
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It's like...ground up, dried coffee beans and you pour hot water over it to make coffee. You can drink it as is or add cream and sugar to it? [Or flavored syrups, but she, as much as she gives off black coffee energy, is very much a sweet coffee drinker.] It's... [How to explain all of this.] Do you guys have drinks that give you energy? I don't count water.
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I don't know how to explain it without there being previous knowledge. And I'm not sure. I guess we can look at the drinks and see if there's anything similar. None of this stuff is quite right anyway.
no subject
[Lucien eats another mini breakfast burrito, pondering]
Oh! Where are my manners? I am Lucien Vanserra, at your service. Emissary to the Spring Court.... Well, not this Spring Court. The Spring Court of Prythian.
And you are?
no subject
Pleasure. [A beat.] So you're also fae? [This shouldn't be surprising. Fae kidnapping other fae seems...not that surprising all things considered.]
Marina Andrieski. No special title. At least not anymore.