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

I. New Arrivals

[ Xenk watches the proceedings from up on high in the balconies, golden eyes cast along the crowd as he observes the new arrivals for the season. Had he chosen any for himself? He doesn't make a habit of it, but if it's what his Court needs, then he would do it in a heartbeat.

He likely hasn't been needed this time around, but one must always prepare. Standing among the other vampires of his court, he cuts an eerie figure--still as stone, perhaps even reading the thoughts of some of those new arrivals. Maybe he'll find someone interesting. Or maybe he'll catch any seditious thoughts before they can take root in their fragile, human minds.

If you're a fellow youngblood, please feel free to tell him to cut it out. New arrivals might want to watch themselves though... ]

II. Autumn Nox

[ The Autumn Nox may be a Silver Court event, but Xenk is always happy to lend a hand when it can make the Gold Court look good. This means he's been tasked with organizing a partciularly harried group of thralls as they set up rooms for the new novices, their emotionless faces dripping with sweat as they run to and fro, carrying everything from furniture to bedsheets, to lamps and potted plants. ]

Quickly now, this is important.

[ He speaks in a commanding tone, the thralls picking up the pace against their will. Not that they have those to start with. If you happen to be staring, then Xenk will easily notice. ]

If you have time to gawk, then surely you'll have time to help elsewhere? I have this well at hand.

[ Or perhaps you've been unfortunate enough to witness one of the thralls breaking something, whether it's a dropped vase or a shattered frame, Xenk looms tall above the thrall, his golden eyes focused intently on the thrall, as if deciding what to do next. Ooh, boy, should you help? ]

III. "Unethical" Experiments (cw: torture and violence)

[ Xenk may oversee much of the work that goes on with thralls, but vampires experimenting on vampires isn't his cup of ~~tea~~ blood. He observes the experiments with disinterest, appearing unaffected as the smell of vampire blood fills the air. He wrinkles his nose as the smell is drowned by burning flesh, and someone faintly calling 'again!' before the screams begin anew.

It's a little macabre, even for him. Enough that Xenk Yendar will turn to the nearest teacher beside him and actually attempt small talk. ]

Is it boredom that drives this? I may be too young to understand.

[ Later on he can be found near the entrance to one of these particular basements. Shrieks and yells are distant now, and he seems more relaxed for it. He's been asked to ensure no novices sneak in where they aren't needed. The scent of human blood, even if they're in their first seasons, might be enough to tamper with the "results" the scholars are searching for. To any students, he'll turn them away himself. ]

This is not the way to the dormitory. I suggest you turn back.

[ That's it for Xenk!! I haven't been able to tag as much on the EMP just yet but feel free to hit me up if you want any preexisting CR with him! His app is here if you wanna take a look at his background for ideas. Hans' TL should be up next :3c ]

"Aww, but I was enjoying just gawking," Satoru says airily. "What else am I suppose to do? Help shelve books? Rearrange furniture? No thanks."

He has a book in hand, something he borrowed from the library -- a treatise on the language of a distant city, and the psychological ramifications of their language's structure -- and despite all the Silver Court nerds running around everywhere desperately trying to get the library in order, Satoru has so far resisted returning the book. Or doing anything to help out.

He's oh so generously gracing them with his presence. That's enough.

Satoru peers into one of the novice rooms being set up, and perks up. "Ooh, this one has a window. That's great; they can really appreciate that sunny forest view before they go through their Becoming and have to cover the window up!" His cheerful tone makes it impossible to figure out if he's being serious or sarcastic. "Xenk, you big romantic, you're so thoughtful."

"Your job, for starters," Xenk rolls his eyes, frustration old and weary from the many years of sharing a court with Satoru Gojo.

The thralls continue moving about, ignoring Satoru for the most part. It's not as though they'd give him a wide berth on purpose. Unless someone were to command them to avoid the other vampire. But who would do such a thing?

"It is a simple matter of convenience," he says this knowing Satoru knows it too. But he'll still repeat it, because he's stubborn like that. He just likes things that make sense! "It's only logical for novices to be placed in rooms that are no danger to them."

And when their fourth season comes around, they can discover blackout curtains. Or maybe start looking for a better room, if they live that long.

"You don't want the novices to be in danger? Wow, how boring."

Satoru decides to test the newly arrived bed; this involves flopping back on it and rolling around a bit to test the softness of the mattress. A nearby thrall stands with sheets in her hands, and one might imagine a tiny bit of frustration on her otherwise blankly enthralled face.

"If it were up to me, I'd put them in rooms full of traps," he says brightly. "Nothing tightens up the reflexes like having to dodge a guillotine aimed at your neck at seven in the morning, or having to walk a hallway gauntlet of swinging axes just to get to breakfast. We only want the best in Gold Court, right?"

Xenk's poor little annoyed face isn't enough to deter him. Very little is.

Satoru sits up, and bounces, the mattress squeaking underneath him. "Can you hear this from next door? Because if so, whoever gets this one is going to have to be really stealthy."

Edited 2023-12-02 08:01 (UTC)

"They are here to learn, or to die. Killing them before they have taken any courses defeats the point of granting them a chance."

But perhaps Satoru thinks it would be kinder for them to die than be enthralled? Xenk wouldn't agree. He's doing his damnest not to take the bait with Satoru's ridiculous antics. (And still failing at it.)

"Sex is not forbidden, you know this. Though I imagine their neighbor might complain if it is truly a problem."

He turns to the thrall. There's no point in addressing her, but Xenk has to try and sass Satoru somehow.

"You'll have to forgive my colleague. He enjoys wasting precious time."

"I'm just worried about what might happen if the novice that gets this room is such a horndog that their squeaking mattress keeps the whole hall awake at night," Satoru says cheerfully. "I only want the best for our novices! Really! And sleep deprivation is no joke!"

Finally, he gets off the bed, absently waving at the thrall in a silent okay you can do your job now. Xenk's oh-so-subtle dig has his feathers remaining unruffled, except for an amused smile curling at the edges of his lips.

Xenk's hilarious. He probably doesn't think he is, but he is.

His next move is to examine the chest of drawers, pulling each drawer out and examining its empty innards with a serious frown, as if this warrants real study. "You might be right about not killing them before they even take any classes," he adds thoughtfully, a rare concession. "I was thinking I might go extra hard on my students this coming season. I think my goal might be: a student cries, or a student loses a limb, and only then will it be considered a successful day of classes. What do you think?"

Xenk Yendar | D&D:HAT | Teacher | Gold

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