Test Drive Meme - New Blood

[undyingmods]

DEC TEST DRIVE MEME

WELCOME, VAMPIRES!

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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

Comments

Diluc Ragnvindr | Genshin Impact | Teacher | Black Court

[disdelusioned]

I. New Arrivals

[Diluc stands by dutifully as the initiates are introduced to Castle Courtsheart, the different vampire courts, and--in some cases--their designated maker. Despite how impassionate he appears, this ritual always leaves him with complicated feelings fueled by the memory of his own Beginning, back when he was naive and eager to please.

Then, inevitably, he thinks of his second Beginning, a process that was much more difficult and painful.

Better to focus on the group of poor Foundlings waiting to be claimed. He looks them over with a discerning eye, sizing them up. The chances of any of them showing enough promise as this stage to join the Black Court is low, but it isn't zero.

He turns to the closest youngblood nearby.]

What do you make of this group of initiates?


II. Pumpkin-Gone-Wild

[Hacking at pumpkins that spread like mint in a garden, meanwhile, is a much less emotionally complicated task. He weilds a rather unimpressive sword for the task (using something like a Dread Blade would be pointless overkill, he figures).

Should someone get too close, either in culling the pumpkins or in just passing by, he'll make it a point to call out:]

Mind the vines.

[If the person fails to heed his warning or is unlucky enough to end up tangled anyway, he'll stop his culling long enough to cut them free. He's a monster, but he's not totally heartless.]


III. Unethical Experiments (cw: mentions of torture, vampire experimentation)

[Diluc isn't watching the experiments so much as he's standing guard outside of them. By virtue of his station and experience, the screams of the vampires within don't faze him.

Frankly, his opinion of what's happening is that this whole exercise is pointless. Torture is a method of procuring information, not a means to get off in the name of science or whatever the hell they're up to in there.

If a teacher approaches, he'll greet them with a half-nod.]

Enjoy the show, if you can stomach it.

[Should he catch sight of a novice, however, his demeanor becomes much more threatening.]

Turn around.

[It's not a request.]


IV. Wildcard

(( I'm open to just about anything, so feel free to tweak the above or write something else altogether. If you want to plot, hit me up on the au workshop or at asondeiru ))

[theidlemaiden]

[ Clumsy typically isn't the name of the game for Hilda. Raised in the Gold Court meant an absurd amount of lessons about decorum, dancing - anything that would make one an attractive prospect for a maker. But lessons so rarely included what to do when faced with vines that snaked and coiled faster than any dance partner she'd had to contend with.

Is it entirely possible that she had turned down this hallway, seen the vines and a man with red hair cutting them down, thought that he'd had it handled and was about to merrily turn on her heel down a different hallway to leave him to it? Yes. Absolutely.

But the vines had other plans. Diluc will hear a yelp, the sound of a body being dragged across the ground and be met with Hilda hanging upside down by her ankle, furiously patting down her skirts to avoid flashing anyone. ]

Can you tell them to mind me instead? This is so rude!

[disdelusioned]

[Diluc recognizes Hilda, albeit indirectly. She's a first year novice from the Gold Court lands who is in danger of failing despite her potential and the prestige of her human family line. Somehow, her getting caught in the vines fails to surprise him.

With a sigh, he draws his sword and approaches where she's dangling.]

Worry less about your modesty and more about breaking your fall.

[And that's all the warning he gives her before slicing the vine that has her caught.]

[theidlemaiden]

What do you mean worry more about my -

[ The last bit is swallowed up by a yelp that is part curse as she feels gravity take hold. Unfortunately for her the training that she'd had thus far means that her body seems to remember how to take a fall - albeit a little bit later than she'd like.

An attempt to roll is impeded slightly by the vines and she falls in a heap atop them. Her whine echoes down the hall. ]

Don't you think you could have given me a little more warning? These hurt!

[disdelusioned]

Consider it a lesson: always be aware of your surroundings and the potential ways it can shift.

[He offers her a hand. Is it meant as a peace offering? He won't ever admit it, so better not to ask.]

If not for the vines, you would have caught yourself just fine. Quite the contrast from what I hear among your instructors.

[theidlemaiden]

[ For that answer Hilda is practically ready to give some sass in return. It doesn't quite matter to her that Diluc is a teacher and that giving him any amount of sass could very well result in a punishment of some sort that could be made worse due to the fact that he's a vampire - but self-preservation since arriving here hasn't been something Hilda seems to particularly care about.

Instead she's taken by surprise by both his silent peace offering and by what he says. ]

What is that supposed to mean? I don't know if you were watching the same thing I was but I definitely wouldn't have caught myself even without the vines.

[disdelusioned]

[If she had sassed him, he would have shrugged it off. She wouldn't have been the first one to do so, nor would she be the last. The way he sees it, a little irreverence in this place isn't that terrible of a thing.

Her actual response, however, is met with a disapproving Look.]

Goneril was your family name, right? From the Gold Court's lands? I remember that coming up when your cohort arrived.

[theidlemaiden]

[ Her expression freezes in place for a moment - but that has less to do with his Look and more at the mention of her family name. It's a silly reaction to have, really. Even if he was a teacher from the Black court, that didn't mean that he wasn't privy to the students that were chosen to enter these halls. And frankly, if there was any Court that kept a close watch on all of the students regardless of where they landed, it would be his.

But something else dawns on her. Another realization that makes her breath catch in her throat. She's not so skilled yet to fold her brief surprise into her sheepish little smile. ]

I'm flattered that you remember me and heard of my family name. But that must mean that you're familiar with my brother then, right? He was a student here some seasons ago.

[disdelusioned]

[Diluc watches her carefully. She's a skilled sweet-talker, but he doesn't miss the brief tell she gives that he's thrown her off somehow. He's well-trained in catching those kinds of signals by now.]

I'm originally from the Gold Court lands myself. The familiarity of the family name caught my attention when you arrived.

[He had intended to use her family's reputation to chide her, but suddenly he's much more interested in following the way she shifts the conversation.]

Now that you mention it, there was another Goneril who came here relatively recently. I assume they're one and the same?

I

[partybabysitter]

They seem a varied bunch.

[ Xenk too has been observing them, probing their minds at the surface level just to see if anyone stood out. ]

None stand out. But perhaps their chances of graduation will be better than the last.

[disdelusioned]

[Diluc stiffens, almost imperceptibly. His relationship with the Gold Court in general is complicated, and his relationship with Xenk is much more so.

But they're on speaking terms despite the complications (and to a degree, because of it), so the involuntary reaction is followed by a shrug.]

One can only hope, for their sakes. The past couple of groups have been largely disappointing.

[partybabysitter]

[ Lest you worry, Xenk holds no contempt for Diluc. Their past is their past. What Xenk's maker did is not his crime to carry. Though whether all believe that is another matter entirely...

All the same, he decides not to call out Diluc's reaction. It's his way of being kind. ]

Indeed. While their failure means the castle is never wanting for thralls, one can't help but hope they'll surprise us.

[disdelusioned]

[Even after 20 years, the past is still difficult for Diluc. He says he's left it behind, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Still, Xenk himself was the one who turned in his maker for the crimes he committed. That alone puts him above the rest of his court in Diluc's estimation... even if he is the Gold Court's Golden Boy.]

I'd rather see vampires than thralls, if I have to be honest.

[Nothing personal against failures; it's just that there's no shortage of humans to pull from if they need it.]

Have you taken a novice this season?

[partybabysitter]

[ Sorry Diluc, Gold Court Best Court, even if it's full of corrupt dudes that just means Xenk has to be the Best... ]

Let us hope they prove worthy.

[ Xenk nods. While more vampires are always good, he knows how necessary thralls are, too. It's the balance of all things that keeps Castle Courtheart running. ]

The foundlings have been assigned, but my name was not called. Perhaps next season.

[ He shrugs. He isn't in a huge rush to get his own novice... but maybe his last few have gotten enthralled? Who can say. ]

[disdelusioned]

[Gross. Stop licking those boots, my guy.]

Neither was mine. It's for the best.

[Black Court is a terrible fit for a foundling. It's not unheard of, but it's discouraged. And with good reason--their court is not for the faint of heart or the novice who doesn't know what it is they're signing up for.]

And you'll have more time to put together those lectures you love so much.

[partybabysitter]

[ He simply Cannot. It's too ingrained in him to stop... But it's probably for the best, Xenk is not a caring or affectionate maker.

He also doesn't realize Diluc is teasing him here, and takes it seriously of course! ]

Indeed. With so many novices, I am sure there will be a great need for my introductory courses.

[disdelusioned]

[Right. Sarcasm is entirely lost on this man. By now, you'd think Diluc would know better.]

If you see any promising novices in your courses, let me know. I know there are some in the Black Court seeking recruits.

iii

[ladyofloss]

[Shadowheart stops short as she approaches, tipping her chin upwards as she fights the urge to rebuff the command. Command, not request, and though fast approaching her fourth season, she realizes there are certain guidelines she still must adhere to.

Curling her hand into a fist at her side, she tilts her head slightly and offers Diluc a reserved smile.]

Are you sure? Even as an aspiring member of the Black Court? This could be educational.

[You know, for reasons.]

[disdelusioned]

[Diluc isn't at all surprised that Shadowheart has made her way down here despite knowing that she's not permitted. She's overly zealous and eager compared to other novices--and increasingly so the closer she gets to her Becoming. And getting to him without being noticed took her no small amount of skill in the very abilities that he and his fellow Black Court faculty have taught her since she arrived.

That, and the fact that she's currently pushing back on his authority, make him proud of her.]

This isn't the first time the Silver Court has done this, and it won't be the last.

[But what's run of the mill to him is new and exciting to her. After a moment, he adds quietly:]

Stick to the shadows.

[Yes, he's making an exception for god's favorite princess his favorite student her.

And with that, he enters the room where the Silver Court vampires are doing their thing, leaving the door ajar for several moments to allow her to slip in behind him.]

[ladyofloss]

[For just a moment, she looks quite pleased with herself, though she quickly schools her expression to something far more neutral and disciplined in the moments that follow. Just her luck that it was Diluc who happened to be standing guard; she can't say that any other teacher would have let her past, but she knows he has a healthy amount of respect for just how hard she's worked to come as far as she has.

She nods her thanks, slipping through the door behind him and proceeding to do as he says, remaining close to the back wall and in the shadows, allowing his larger frame to obscure her slightly as she follows closely.]

You almost seem bored.

[He's seen more than his share of these already, it would seem. She keeps her voice low, barely above a whisper.]

I would think you would be a touch more invested.

[disdelusioned]

[Diluc seems bored because he is. He has little love for this kind of excess, regardless of what court it comes from.]

I was invested, when I saw this sort of thing for the first time.

[More than invested, he was fascinated much like she is now. He keeps that detail to himself; he was a different person then, and there's no sense in dragging her into that whole miserable story.]

Ostensibly, this is for scientific research. What they're actually trying to accomplish with this is beyond me.

[ladyofloss]

[She studies him for a moment, aiming to read between the lines, but he leaves little to be glimpsed.]

I suppose as long as it's referred to as 'research,' they can get away with anything.

[Even so, her gaze is drawn towards the display. Another gut-wrenching scream rings out through the lecture hall, and she drops her head slightly to one side.]

I have to wonder at their technique.

[disdelusioned]

[He generally does. He's come close to letting the mask slip in front of her, but this isn't one of those times. Even if he had stayed with the Gold Court, he'd probably find this tiresome after 20 years of it.

Or perhaps not. But who's to say?]

That's it exactly.

[The scream seems to affect her, however slightly, but he remains unfazed.]

It's unnecessary. Cruelty for its own sake, and mistaking pain for having purpose.

[ladyofloss]

[After a moment, she nods, though her gaze remains fixed on the 'demonstration.']

It lacks a certain efficiency, one might say.

[Pain does have a purpose, but this isn't it. It is a warning, a tool, whether it be from one's own body or an outside source.]

If they were extracting information, the subject would be far too addled to provide anything of use by now.

[disdelusioned]

[Ah, the Black Court has taught her well.]

Correct. Any further torture after you get what you need is gratuitous--or necessary punishment.

[Look, sometimes people just deserve to suffer before they die. He's no saint, and he doesn't expect her to be.]

Not... whatever this is. They'll torture each other until they're bored, say their "experiment" was a success or a failure, and all move on with themselves as if nothing happened.