undyingcourt | Test Drive Meme

Entry tags:

Test Drive Meme - New Blood

DEC TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to the Undying Court Test Drive Meme! This post will allow players to test drive their AU characters in the setting, as well as meet fresh faces or even connect with those they have preexisting CR with. As with anything involved in the setting, this post will likely contain: violence, enthrallment, torture, and sexual content.

Regarding continuity, all TDM threads can be taken as in-game canon if desired. Please keep in mind that the game proper will begin in mid December, in the Winter Season, so Students/Novices should create their prompts under the assumption that the TDM takes place during the season prior to the one they will be apping as. This means that students planning to app as first season novices will be visiting Castle Courtsheart prior to their Beginning. In other words, if you plan to app a student as a second season, the TDM will take place during their first, and so on.

Feel free to brush up on the Premise, Vampire Powers, and head over to the FAQ/Game Info page if you have any questions!

Make sure you are aware of the Rules when posting your top-level. (Content warnings are always welcome!)
Please format your Top-level in this format: Character Name (AU Name if different) | Canon | Teacher/Student | Court
As a reminder, a Test Drive sample is required in order to app.
If you have any questions specific to the TDM, ask them in the Questions thread below!

Top-Level Directory:

Chat with NPC: Revar
Ace Attorney - Apollo Justice (Student)
Alice in the Country of Hearts - Alice Liddell (Student)
Attack On Titan - Erwin Smith (Teacher)
Baldur's Gate 3 - Astarion (Teacher)
Baldur's Gate 3 - Halsin (Teacher)
Baldur's Gate 3 - Raphael (Teacher)
Batman - Bruce Wayne (Teacher)
Bridgerton (Netflix) - Anthony Bridgerton (Student)
Castlevania - Soma Cruz (Student)
Castlevania: Nocturne - Maria Renard (Student)
Cosmo Warrior Zero - Harlock (Student)
Critical Role - Percy DeRolo (Teacher)
Daria - Daria Morgendorffer (Teacher)
Devil Summoner - Raidou Kuzunoha XIV (Student)
Dragon Age - Fenris (Teacher)
D&D: Honor Amongst Thieves - Edgin Darvis (Teacher)
D&D: Honor Amongst Thieves - Xenk Yendar (Teacher)
Ensemble STars!! - Mayoi Ayase (Student)
Fate/Zero - Kariya Matou (Kariya Makiri) (Student)
FE: Three Houses - Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Student)
FE: Three Houses - Hilda Goneril (Student)
FE: Three Houses - Lorenz Hellman Gloucester (Student)
FE: Three Houses - Marianne von Edmund (Student)
FE: Three Houses - Sylvain Gautier (Student)
Final Fantasy XIV - Estinien Varlineau (Teacher)
Frozen - Prince Hans (Student)
Genshin Impact - Diluc Ragnvindr (Teacher)
Genshin Impact - Tighnari (Teacher)
Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name - Conrad Achenleck (Teacher)
Hannibal (NBC) - Will Graham (Teacher)
Jujutsu Kaisen - Gojo Satoru (Teacher)
Jujutsu Kaisen - Toji Zen'in (Teacher)
Lucifer (Netflix) - Lucifer Morningstar (Teacher)
MCU - Loki Laufeyson (Teacher)
Original - Aurinn Laurentius (Student)
Original - Bellatrix Bakhar (Student)
Original - Christine Delacroix (Teacher)
Original - Hanako 'Rosalina' Nurumi (Teacher)
Original - Jisu (Eden Woods) (Student)
Original - Karma D'Auvergn (Teacher)
Our Flag Means Death - Edward Teach (Teacher)
Our Flag Means Death - Izzy Hands (Student)
Persona 3 Portable - Kotone Shiomi (Student)
Persona 5 R - Goro Akechi (Student)
Persona 5 - Haru Okumura (Student)
Persona 5 - Ren Amamiya (Student)
Pride and Prejudice - Elizabeth Bennet (Student)
Return to Labrynth - Sarah Williams (Teacher)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Snow White (Student)
Stargate: Atlantis - John Sheppard (Teacher)
Star Trek: AOS - James T. Kirk (Student)
Star Wars - Darth Vader (Teacher)
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order - Trilla Suduri (Student)
The Adventure Zone: Balance - Kravitz (Teacher)
The Adventure Zone: Balance - Lydia (Teacher)
The Adventure Zone: Graduation - Fitzroy Maplecourt (Student)

NEW ARRIVALS

New arrivals will be starting their first season in the winter, but they're welcomed to the castle early, under the watchful eyes of the Silver Court. Upon arrival, they will be shown to a room by a human whose eyes glow softly from within, with vacant smiles. Thralls. There, the human thralls will draw them a bath and bring them new clothes to wear to their first meeting. These are rich, expensive things made of high quality fabric. Whether it's a silk dress and a heavy velvet cowl, or a fine pants and a vest made from a brocade, the servants will provide. The new initiate's old clothes will be burned after, in a symbol of the life they are leaving behind. If they are hungry, they will be provided food. If they need anything at all, they need only ask their new servants.

Later that night they are taken to a grand hall, with high arched ceilings and candles burning in chandeliers. There are figures painted overhead, beautiful and entwined. Some have their eyes are colored to match the courts, others are gracefully placed in their death, with blood dripping from necks and wrists.

Balconies line the hall behind a forest of pillars, and vampires all watch as the group walk through (some more hungrily than others).

"Welcome to your first undying season, initiates," a pale, silver-haired vampire calls. They have silver eyes are clad in silver robes, but command the attention of everyone in attendance. They have a beauty that seems neither male nor female. They are standing at the center of a wide semi-circle of other vampires, "As the Silver Court's acting voice at this end of the Autumn season, allow me to introduce you to the Houses that will be your new homes."

The vampire, Revar, gives the newcomers an overview of all of the courts—Blue, Red, Gold, Silver, and Black—and then invites those already claimed by their Courts to join the vampires who will be their Makers.

Revar offers the Foundlings who are left a gentle, knowing smile, and then allows them to be chosen. They are like the last sheep left at the auction, and the vampires who take them may not be the enthused about it. Nevertheless, Revar waits patiently until all have found a maker.

Now that they are paired up it is expected—indeed, required—that the initiate drink from their maker. That is their Beginning. Only once they have truly begun can they can be considered novices.

AUTUMN NOX

Silver Court is in season and for the Autumn Nox it holds a large symposium, inviting all the best vampire minds from around lands nearby and far. The whole castle is abuzz with new activity. The stables are packed full of horses, carriages litter the grounds, but somehow the castle has enough rooms to house all the new arrivals.

Novices will find that some of these vampires have not seen a human-novice in a very, very long time. These vampires might see the human-novices more like specimens, curious about their every move. They won't bite, but novices may find themselves observed as they wander the castle and its grounds.

The symposium itself is open to anyone at the castle. Scholars can present on any topic at all. Novices will find that these range from the incredibly mundane (you've always wanted to attend a history of bottom-feeding river fish, haven't you?) to the truly fascinating (new insights into how vampire hearts work) to the downright strange (the symposium has a range of lectures very close to dawn about the sharing of vampire...fluids). Seasoned novices with their own Autumn classes to attend are expected to keep up with their studies, but some teachers may let them out of a session to attend the lectures and workshops of the symposium.

The Silver Court vampires are incredibly busy between running the symposium and trying to help the new novices get settled in. They may need some volunteers to lend a hand with setting up rooms or helping scholars find their way around. In fact, volunteers might find themselves leading scholars down to the second kitchen for a bite to eat, a strong reminder that even these demure learners are still monsters who must drink blood.

PUMPKINS-GONE-WILD

The symposium isn't all that the autumn season brings. The Silver Court’s talents are on display in other ways—sometimes not in ways another had particularly hoped. An overly zealous youngblood in the Silver Court tried to grow a few extra pumpkins for the occasion and ended up with a few too many! The pumpkin vines break out of the green house and start sprouting pumpkins everywhere. These are no ordinary pumpkins, they will sprout and grow and become fully formed in the course of a night. Better keep an eye out for those vines or else your room might become full of pumpkins! Luckily, the pumpkins aren’t rotting any time soon (they’ll last until winter, or so the Silver Court vampires are saying), but it can be pretty inconvenient for them to grow everywhere. Start cutting those vines to pieces, and hope they don’t try to entangle you in the process.

LIBRARY CLEAN-UP

Meanwhile, with all the scholars in town are making a mess of the library, much to the Silver Court vampire’s dismay. Books are being checked out and not checked back in, passed around from scholar to scholar. You might find those lost books just about anywhere. Who was reading in a tree? Anyone who collects the books and returns them to the library is sure to get a little bit of favor with the librarians, and it’s never a bad thing to have a bit of an in with a Court. If you’re worried about failing Silver Court, it’s time to get searching! Although how you’re going to convince a 300 year old vampire that time is not fake and that deadlines are real (and in fact were two days ago) is anyone’s guess.

UNETHICAL EXPRIMENTS

[CW: Torture, experiments]

Those who venture towards the basement might hear something a little different than normal. The thralls who spend their time down there are normally quiet, commanded to keep silent and pleasant for the vampires they serve. But with the arrival of the new scholars comes disquieting, inhuman screams from the darker reaches of the basement. Novices trying to catch a glimpse will be chased away, but teachers might be invited to watch as these vampires experiment on one another, all in the name of science. What’s a little torture, when you’re undying?

Thanks for joining us for our first TDM! For any questions regarding the TDM prompts, please comment in the thread below. For general game questions, please check the FAQ/Game Info. Remember that the game proper will begin mid December, in the Winter Season, so Students/Novices should create their prompts under the assumption that the TDM takes place during the season prior to the one they will be apping as.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Elias, who had been leaning against the wall outside the informally-named “experimentation hall”, startles to attention at the sound of the door swinging open. In the past Karma’s beauty and senior position would make him shy with nervousness; but today he has a job to do that has little allowance for tomfoolery. Wordlessly, he looks at the bloodied towel in his senior’s hands and fetches a clean one from the pushcart next to him, offering it out to her while stretching his free hand out to take the soiled towel.]

I'm on standby for healing in case the guest scholars become too… indisposed.

[He's not all too comfortable with the screams, but he’s trying to take it in stride.]

How are things inside, Lady D’Auvergn?

[Elias was an interesting youngblood, he was only a couple years her inferior but was still a deeply capable person she could rely on at times like these. He was good at his job and an excellent Silver. So, without hesitation she hands off the soiled towel and takes the new one, cleaning the remaining blood from her hands. Luckily the procedure wasn't as bloody as some.]

Things are going well, I believe I figured out the perfect trajectory of the pick into the skull to sever the hemispheres of the brain. It was all rather clean, now if only the scholar didn't heal he would act as if a thrall.

[She was rather pleased with herself. Hopefully this would make for huge leaps in medical science.]

And you needn't worry, I injected saliva after, he will be right as rain soon enough.

[He certainly seems to prefer this calling than politicking in Gold, at least. Elias turns to stuff the bloodied towel into a hemp sack hanging from his cart (meant for used linen to be laundered), and it's a good thing he's so hardworking, because when he blanches at Karma’s words his face is half turned away. At least he didn't do that to his senior’s face, you know, there might even be a chance they don't notice.]

oh…

[He's young enough for his body to remember mortality, in some way, because that sounds viscerally uncomfortable to him. But, well, he knows it's just an instinctual reaction.]

… I'm glad you were there to keep everything under control with your expertise… I'll um, look forward to your presentation when you've perfected the method.

[He's not up to date on why Karma wants to cut into people's brains and he's a little afraid to ask. A little…. he's also a little morbidly curious.]

…the experimental subject, were they- conscious, during-? [it sounds insane but when he tried to offer a sedative earlier the scholars were like “fuck no” so??] -how must it feel?

[She notices the blanche, but it doesn't offend her - it might have with other people, but not Elias - maybe it was because she was fond of him. She thought of him as a... gentler soul than herself, much like many of the younger silvers. But she was interested in advancing medical science, she didn't care the cost. A number of vampires and thralls have died at her hands and she would do it all again without hesitation. How better to heal people than to know what harms them?

Still, she gives him a smile.]

Oh, yes of course, it's the best way to monitor the effects and status of the patient. And it must be excruciating I am sure. Though I believe the brain doesn't have any ability to feel pain, so it's really just the eye-socket that I deliver the pick through.

[Hands clean, she hands him the other soiled rag, with a nod of thanks.]

He'll be on his feet in no time, I assure you.

[He considers her words seriously as he puts away the other towel, and eventually responds:]

Well, what better test subjects than these.

[Sturdier than any thrall, and able to report how it feels too. He can see the benefits even if it weirds him out.]

You said that the vampire’s innate healing prevented him from becoming a thrall, right?

And consensual ones at that. As much of a monster some call me, I do prefer those who are as interested in furthering the medical field as I am. Plus the feedback is so much better.

[Those who weren't consensual to her tests often gave awful feedback. Oh she was going to miss all these scholars when they returned to their court lands. But that's why she spent so much time down here right now, might as well test what she can while she can with people of similar minds.]

Thrall is a strong word, pardon my use of it, they have their own will just.. calmer and more passive. But yes, he will fully heal and be himself again in time.

[She looks at him for a long moment, before she smiles and leans closer to him.]

Why? Worried?

[Elias nods and makes no comment on the “monster” epithet. Though he would never pick up any of their projects himself, neither has he judged Karma as anything harsher than “intense”, even in his thoughts. He would much rather avoid thinking about it, in the manner of a dog trying to hide at the vet’s by covering its face.]

A method that makes for a calmer patient, hmm…

[And then his senior is leaning in, and Elias finds himself freezing up, trying not to step back as his cheeks flush grey. He glances nervously at Karma to judge how close they are, then looks demurely at the ground.]

No, no… [actually yes, but he's practiced at suppressing that kind of worry around his seniors-] … I was only wondering, if healing’s the issue what would happen if you used a dread blade?

…that's a very out-there thought, though.

[She smiles, Karma likes Elias too much to tease him as brutally as she teases some of her students and other teachers. A little tease here and there was enough, but she liked him. So, she leans back after a moment.]

I have considered it, but it's nearly impossible to get your hands on one outside of the Black Court. For all that I excelled in their courses they would never see me hold one.

[It was a fact, even if there was some disappointment, she knows her place and that is a place in the Silver Court without a dread blade to her name.]

But with one, yes, I could rather permanently make a vampire calmer, even almost thrall like.

[She pauses and look at Elias seriously for a long moment before lowering her voice for him, a show of trust sharing this.] I have considered sharing it with the Black Court for that very reason.

[As their junior, and because he owes it to their teaching for his current place in life, Elias stands there and takes the teasing. His lips twitch slightly when Karma pulls back, offering back a fraction of a smile- perhaps also amused that they've gotten their entertainment, or perhaps simply trying to appease his senior. It's however Karma decides to interpret it.]

You're sure it would work that way? [said quietly, matching his senior’s volume. His tone is not skeptical; he only wants to confirm if Karma has concluded this with confidence, a not-unexpected but still impressive feat.] That would be something.

[After a moment of consideration, Elias continues:]

-But of course something like that… one should consult a political scholar instead to predict what the Black Court will do with that. Their motives aren't like ours, so I couldn't say what would happen.

[Obviously, inter-court politics is a thing, and obviously Elias knows that he's not old enough to trifle with it.]

[Karma likes his smile, even if it's small.]

Well, yes, if my findings are to be believed, then that's how it would work. There's always dangers when messing with the brain, but if performed correctly... yes.

[They are confident in their findings, more so if they are the one performing it so there is the least amount of damage to the brain possible. Afterall, even a vampire would struggle to recover from extensive damage to the brain. Or would die.]

And yes, of course, I plan to consult Master Revar about it before I do any such thing. It could be dangerous in the wrong hands, but it could be a treatment instead of needless death. It's a curious idea.

[Karma was very dedicated to Master Revar, who took them on as their apprentice when they were but a novice.]

[Elias nods.]

Revar would know the best course of action.

[Not necessarily, but no one could fault Karma for any lapse in due diligence they consulted the acting representative of Silver Court. Thus his line of questioning comes to an end, and with his curiosity sated- if only for the moment- Elias’ serious expression begins to relax into something more casual, something softer.]

Where will you be-

[Well, his face relaxes for about ten seconds before a new scream from a different vampire bursts out from the locked room behind them. Elias startles, then winces; briefly breaking eye contact with Karma to look past her at the door. At least this implies the last guy was stabilised fine without needing him.]

…where will you be heading off to after this?

[Revar being on the council could best explain it all to the council before anything else happens with the situation. Being Revar's apprentice as well makes her keen to make sure to report back to them when possible with any medical advancements she was making.

She reaches over to tuck some hair behind next to his ear, also to cover it for a second. The screams no longer bother her, but seeing Elias wince like that makes her want to be soft on the man.]

I was going to go back to my office to record my findings properly, would you care to join me? Get out of this dreary place?

[He lets out a silent breath as Karma covers his ear, but avoids looking them in the eye as this happens; accepting the contact, but reluctant to make this any more intimate. It feels inappropriate to look at his senior in affection, and certainly Karma deserves a match much above him. But if they're in the mood for a boytoy he can put up with that.

Quietly,] I have half an hour more of this shift. But afterwards, I can come by if there's anything you need help with.

[If he ever wanted to make a blood claim with her and have some fun, they would be down for it, they like him a lot, but they know how much the hierarchy seems to matter to him. It's not something they give much mind to, but that didn't matter much if it mattered to him.

So with a fond look, they pull their hand away. They think about staying and hanging out, but really, it was probably for the best that they leave him to his work and not coddle him.]

Alright, come by after, I don't mind company while I work. Besides, I could use a proof reader to make sure my work isn't gibberish only I can comprehend.

[They had a bad habit of writing without thought to other people's understanding.]

[Honestly, he's just starstruck and way too shy to act out at someone he really admires. With time he might forget this reticence, a last remnant of his humanity, but in the meantime uwahh Karma-senpai you're too cool to date someone like him!! Something like that. Throw a (,,>﹏<,,) in there, even.

That being said, the talk of less gruesome activities noticeably lifts Elias’ mood again and he smiles, fully this time. He likes reading Karma’s papers. Their writing is so complex but their ideas are so impressive.]

I'd be happy to come by.

[Well, until such a time, Karma-senpai will continue to notice him and give him the attention he deserves~

Seeing his spirits lifted brings a smile to their face, his smile contagious. Good, seeing him flinch at the noises had made Karma almost offer to take over for him and let him get out of here, but they were glad he has the gumption to go the rest of the way without them having to intervene.]

Good, I look forward to it then.

[With a wink, they step away and towards the stairs, heading up to their office to get started on their notes.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Test Drive Meme - New Blood

unethical experiments (blanket warning for the same cws as the toplevel)

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found time to tag this back a bit more but feel free to wrap/drop!

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