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

ARRIVAL;

[Maria is divided as she stands in her new clothes, the golden tailcoat made of fabric far richer than anything she was used to. It fits her comfortably but she still can't help but fiddling with the buttons of it.

There's no turning back now. She's here just as she planned to be, she's committed to seeing the lives of her peers and friends beneath the rule of the Gold Court made better through her addition to their ranks. Enthralled they might be but if those humans in the Gold Court lands could be ruled by vampires who actually cared for them as well.

She's so inside her own head mulling over her future plans that when the group stops she manages to walk right into someone. Or close to it at least, pulling herself just short of knocking right into the poor person. She's quick to apologize though as she steps back, a fluster staining her cheeks as she glances aside.]

Forgive me, I was distracted.

AUTUMN NOX;

[In the midst of everything Maria's gone and tucked herself away in some part of the castle she hopes might keep the prying eyes away. Not that she typically cares about staring but some of the vampires here do it with a decidedly hungry intent. She can feel it keenly whenever she's glanced over and caught their gaze.

Maybe you simply stumble upon her sitting in her nook somewhere. Or maybe you're deliberately looking for wandering initiates. Whichever way it goes Maria turns a glance your way and gives a slight sigh.]

Yes I know, I should be mingling.

LIBRARY CLEAN-UP;

[She really was going to help clean up the library. She can't help that she found an intriguing book though! She has a pile of books all sorted before her and everything so obviously she found it in the midst of cleaning. And then promptly abandoned the cleaning ...]

WILDCARD;

[Feel free to hit me up for any prompts you might have in mind. PMs are open for plotting!]

[That gets her a small shrug.]

I can't really judge.

[Considering that Raidou is also trying to stay on the periphery.]

[Maria gives him something of a slight smile at that.]

Good.

[She'd almost be willing to lapse into companionable silence if she wasn't trying to place him.]

You're another new student, yes?

Yes.

[By her attire, he's guessing she's Gold Court. He keeps running into Gold Court people, and it hasn't stopped feeling awkward yet. He's still not entirely sure why the Court he was raised in didn't claim him as well.

And he should at least try to make conversation here...]

What do you think of it so far?

[Maria tilts her head a little, clearly thinking the question over.]

... It's certainly a school full of colorful characters.

[She says that in a measured way and then huffs out a breath, leaning back against the wall behind her. She's dressed in a primly buttoned up tailcoat of gold and green with matching slacks, the length of her hair bound in a new green and gold ribbon. She had almost fought them over burning her old one, not wanting rid of everything ... but it too was consigned to the flames.

A little amused smirk plays on her lips.]

I could take a quick liking to the library though.

[Thank you ever so, thinks Raidou, but since he doesn't know her well enough to tell whether or not that's meant to be snide, he's not going to say it. Besides...]

It's taking some getting used to.

[Seriously, how had he ended up in Blue?]

The library is quite nice.

Isn't it? I've never seen half as many books in my life.

[Her face lights up as she talks about it. She's not necessarily a bookworm but that's been mostly because she lacked the resources to be. Or the free time to be honest.]

I could probably get lost in there for a while.

[He'd never really been given much time to read before.]

You're not the only one.

[Despite having hidden away to take a breather she seems to be in a chipper mood now. Maybe she just needed a break?]

We could go together some time. Surely between the two of us we couldn't get utterly lost I think.

[It's part light joke and part serious suggestion.]

[Raidou thinks about that for a moment.]

Hopefully not.

[He's not sure he trusts her, but in fairness he doesn't trust anybody.]

[Maria quirks a brow but says nothing to the light rejection. Perhaps he's here less for socialization with his fellow novices and more for serious study. Not everyone arrives with the same goal in mind she has after all. Most here want to be vampires.

Pushing away from the wall behind her she casts a glance out the nearest window and gives a light sigh.]

I suppose I ought to go listen to some of the symposium.

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capital_asset - 2023-12-15 00:41 (UTC) - Expand

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summonbeasts - 2023-12-16 18:23 (UTC) - Expand

[ This is why Reyson is here. Most of the people who volunteer to do this do it because they are book people, and we all know what book people are like. Reyson is here because he has the ability and inclination to use his allotment of brain cells on other things.

And yes maybe he does have a book about cursed instruments stashed down the front of his robes but it is the edition that doesn't have all the good parts about the Wailing Piano of Dregoth redacted, he is not made of stone??

He clears his throat prissily at her. ]

Miss Renard. Are you helping, or not?

[Maria quite literally starts at the sound of Reyson's voice. She'd be more shocked if she didn't somewhat recognize the voice.

She turns, open book still held between her hands. In the next moment to snaps the book shut.]

Yes, of course! I was just ... checking this one. To see if I wanted to borrow it.

[That isn't wholly untrue either!]

Make a decision, then. And keep it on you if you do, don't hide it under a chair or behind a vase. Or wrapped in oilcloth, buried at the shore of a pond.

[ He could tick all the weird places he has found books this week off on his fingers even if he had four arms. It is vexing. At least here they are mostly just reshelving things like madmen. ]

These people have things wrong with their heads.

[Oof. She had known books just sort of turned up everywhere around here but buried at the shore of a pond? The look on her face says it all really, teetering between surprise and displeasure.]

That's a terrible way to treat a book. You've really found one buried like that?

With a bookmark in it. Either they share them all over the castle, or they go to any lengths to not share them.

I expect there are a number on the roof, but I can't exactly fly up there and check.

[This is when Maria, ever the one to take up tasks others wouldn't (or perhaps shouldn't) glances out the nearest window. Naturally in a place full of vampires the window are either shaded or intricate stained glass but it's evening now.]

I could see about scaling the building if that would help.

[She's only half joking here.]

Are there many students who do go up there to begin with?

Some Blue Court people turn into bats and get up that way. I saw someone climb up by clawing up the side of the building, once, so it is certainly possible. If inadvisable. Castle walls are not known for their cleanliness, and now they are crammed with roosting pumpkins.

[ He's also doing math in his head, looking between Maria and the window. ]

If you started from higher up, it would honestly be safer. Most of the pumpkins are further down.

[ He's thinking about it. Never tell a joke to this man you're not willing to have him seize upon. He wants those books. ]

[... The pumpkins. She'd almost forgotten about those. Maria gives her nose a slight wrinkle.]

On second thought why don't I see if there's a willing Blue student instead?

[Yet that brings up a thought.]

Are you sure there isn't a door to the roof?

[She'd much rather continue to muse about getting up to the roof rather than return to how she wasn't precisely sorting books. At least she is doing so now.]

I don't have time to go looking for a door to the roof from this side of it.

[ Grumble... he'd love to go looking for secret passages and exploring but he can't take his eyes off this nonsense that's how you get people burying books. ]

Do you know any advanced blues we can persuade to assist us?

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summonbeasts - 2023-12-16 18:27 (UTC) - Expand

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aria_ardeinae - 2023-12-16 23:05 (UTC) - Expand

[ Soma let out a curious noise as he was almost, sort of bumped into. He glanced back, curious, only to see the young woman behind him looking away. Even though she wasn't looking at him, he offered her a faint smile. ]

It's okay. I think we're all in our own heads at the moment.

I suppose we are.

[She looks a little unconvinced but she does appreciate Soma's forgiveness and faint smile. She offers up one of her own.]

Then again perhaps you're right. This is a big moment.

It is.

[ He hesitated a moment, not sure if it was appropriate to keep the conversation going. But they weren't moving forward in the crowd of hopefuls yet, and leaving it there seemed awkward. ]

How did you come to be here?

Distractions do have a way of interrupting things.

[The person she nearly bumps into lets out a smile, Aurinn actually surprised she managed to stop herself in time. But there's no hostility or anything rude, he simply seems to give a look of understanding. He remembers how it was when he first became a novice. He mostly hated it.]

Just arrived, I take it?

[It's a rhetorical question, of course she is. It's written all over her entire body language.]

[Oh it's written all over her alright. She can't help but huff out a laugh at that, the edge of her lips quirking up.]

It is quite obvious, isn't it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Test Drive Meme - New Blood

Maria Renard | Castlevania: Nocturne | Student | Gold

Autumn Nox

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Library

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Arrival

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