undyingcourt | january tdm/event post

Entry tags:

january tdm/event post

JANUARY TDM - WINTER DREAMS

Welcome to the Undying Court's January Test Drive Meme! This post also functions as the January Event for existing characters, and continues the Winter Season, led by the Blue Court.

New characters may handwave or backdate the previous season's arrival prompt should they wish to, but you may otherwise assume they've been here the whole time! Additionally, all TDM threads can be taken as in-game canon if desired. And remember that apps open February 3-7, with invites opening on January 28, and reserves not long after!

Note that this post will contain: violence, enthrallment, torture, slavery, horror and potentially sexual content. Dreams come in many forms, after all.

This event also features another chance for characters to submit Regains, so make sure to submit after you've posted your top-level or reply to someone else's dream. For characters both new and old, feel free to brush up on the Premise, Vampire Powers, and head over to the FAQ/Game Info page if you have any questions!

Note that this event will be occurring throughout the month of January and into February, so characters are free to forward-date as desired!
For new characters please format your Top-level in this format: Character Name | Canon | Court | Youngblood/Novice | TDM
For existing characters please format your Top-level in this format: Character Name | Court | Youngblood/Novice
If you have any questions specific to the event, ask them in the Plotting Post Q&A section!

Top-Level Directory:

ONCE UPON A DREAM

A quiet falls over the Castle as a new day begins to break. As with every morning, this is a time when vampires must retreat to avoid the rays of the sun, pulling heavy curtains around their beds and windows to block out any light. However, this particular morning is abnormally quiet as the whole of the Castle seems to fall asleep all at once, and all together. After this enchanted sleep, and for the the next thirty days, the Castle's residents will start to experience strange phenomena within their dreams.

During this period, dreams become more vivid, so realistic it feels like the dreamer is awake. Dreamers can pass into each other's dreams without meaning to. Some of these dreams are in fact memories--either those from the lives the characters have lived in the Castle and the outlying lands, or the strange memories they've begun to gain back.

But be careful! For what starts as a regular memory might start to warp into something new. If you're lucky, it'll be something positive, like a dream of a home you've always wanted. But if you're unlucky, the memory might twist and turn into a nightmare, catching you in it and turning your worst fears against you.

Each nightfall, everyone will wake and return to normal. Or at least, most people will.

[Note: Any current characters who participate in the dream event by creating a top level or tagging someone else at least once in this prompt may be rewarded with a free impactful memory, which may be used in the dreamscape. Don't forget to submit for your Regains!]

A NIGHTMARISH CURSE

It turns out that not everyone wakes up. Those who stay in nightmares for too long may find themselves cursed, and unable to wake up. At first, the curse appears no different from regular sleep. But a few hours in the victim will start screaming uncontrollably. No touch will wake them, no amount of calling their name will break the spell. After too long, the victim will start to bleed, slowly at first, and then more and more as they remain afflicted. A victim left unattended will bleed out and die.

The Council works quickly to step in. Kashire (who is looking rather frayed this season) delivers the news that there's no need to panic, but everyone will need to do their part in locating and curing victims. In fact, the youngbloods seem to be taking this as the perfect opportunity for a teaching moment, and students are expected to try and find a cure with the skills that match their Court. Novices and youngbloods alike are encouraged to try and help lift the curse from anyone they can. (Get creative! Blood heals many wounds...) Any victims that have progressed too far will need to be seen to by Revar.

The nightmare curse, however, can spread quickly. Anyone who enters the nightmare of a victim will fall victim to the curse. Additionally, any attempt to reach out to the mind of a curse victim will also spread the curse. With the combined efforts of the students and teachers, the curse can be completely put out. But it will take time and care to ensure everyone is found in time, and cured safely.

ANYWAY, WINTER GAMES!

But a few curses aren't going to stop the Blue Court from making sure everyone has a good time. The days might be short, and weighed down by the threats of nightmares, but winter has hit Castle Courtsheart in full force, and the long nights and snow-covered grounds make for an excellent backdrop to the Inter-Court Winter Games!

There isn't really a reward for the winning house besides bragging rights and maybe a trophy that doubles as a chalice, but youngbloods and novices alike are invited to join in the festivities and compete against one another in the spirit of glory and the chance to lord over your Court's superiority. Even Council members and mature vampires of each court seem to enjoy cheering on their respective teams from the stands. Everything is fine! Forget your troubles and go play in the snow.

What kind of sports do vampires play? Feel free to get creative, but here are some examples:

Thrall-Curling: Since vampiric strength proves to be a little too much for this sport otherwise, teams of novices (or youngbloods) of the same Court can team up to gently compel their thralls to play the thrilling sport of curling. Coax that stone across the ice with care, and take out the opposing team! Or, well, the thralls will do that, assuming they're guided well. Try not to break them. (The thralls, that is.)

Figure skating: Practicing your pirouettes? For a vampire, a quadruple-axel is hardly worth breaking a sweat over. Favored for its beauty and almost seductive grace, the figure skating competition will be scored and judged by a multi-court panel. Participants might get extra points for incorporating bladework and masking into their sets, so these performances are sure to wow the judges.

Ice Hockey: Yes, the high-contact sport transcends time and space, but vampires don't need silly things like helmets or padded safety gear. Don your court's colors and hit the ice to toss the puck around and score as many points against the opposing team as you can before the time runs out. Violence is encouraged! Everyone likes to see a bit of blood on the ice this time of year. (Shadowstepping is considered cheating, but only if you get caught.)

And more! Snowball fighting may not be a sport, but there's no better time to enjoy the outdoors and stretch those growing fangs and muscles than the dead of winter. So whether you're cheering on your Court or watching from the sidelines, there's something here for everyone. Just because the castle is full of the the undead doesn't mean they can't have a little winter fun.

CLASS NOTES

Other notable happenings for the early winter season include:

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and maybe it's time to find or make gifts for that special blood claim in your life. This season blood jewelry is the hot ticket item. These are pieces made from precious metal and glass, which hold the blood of a vampire in them. Carry a lover's blood to show how much you love them, or carry your own to force down the throat of your enemies so you can influence them.

Whispers around school start to say that Black Court lost a novice this month. Not murder this time! He simply unmade himself trying to mistwalk. Eh, these things happen.

As a result of a tie in last month's pumpkin carving contest, members of the Black and Red Courts will find small packages outside their doors. They are gifted silver letter openers, with the handle inlaid with pumpkins and leaves, and a note from Revar with a little drawing of a pumpkin and their signature. How nice!

Lady Whisperfangs is quiet for now, but her time is yet to come... This month's check-in will have a field to submit gossip about your characters! Vampires do so love their drama.

Once again, characters are free to talk to the NPCs as well: Revar & Kashire. For any questions regarding this month's prompts, please comment in the Plotting Post. For general game questions, please check the FAQ/Game Info. In the meantime, remember to submit your Regains for this month's free reward, and keep an eye out for our AC Check-in next week, starting on January 25-31.

The new year has brought us plenty of thirsty vampires, so we're glad you're here to share them with you!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Xenk nods along, finding nothing strange about Kirk's explanation. He's from Blue Lands? Great! Though there is one part of Kirk's words that doesn't sit right with him. ]

There's no rules? But how do I know if I'm good at it or not?

[ This is Very Important to him, see. Enough that Xenk stops where he is. Suddenly it seems like the hallway only has two doors -- the white one on the end they've been walking towards, and a dark one on the opposite, where the lights from the braziers barely reach. ]

How do we decide who gets to be the night terror? Your game needs rules or it won't make sense!

[ If only Xenk held a shred of compassion for Edgin. It's hard, because some part of him remembers the beach, and remembers being so fond of him. But Xenk can find no reason for those feelings, and rather than accept them as his own, he'd rather fight them violently than ever admit they exist. ]

You will never be ready, if you remain in the past.

[ Xenk takes a step towards the house. This is. Bad. ]

I know.

[He holds Kira tightly but not too tight, trying to keep her firmly in his arms, but her fighting was getting more violent. He flinches at what she says, because it was like she was playing Edgin's guilty conscious out loud.

Edgin was just punishing himself through his daughter.]

Good question, you tell me. Because I'm pretty sure we're asleep and this is a nightmare... pretty sure.

[The expression on his face is one of honest perplexity.]

[ There's sympathy as Wyll shares the experience, hand going up to rest on the one at her shoulder. It may have been a while since they first met, but this was obviously a very fresh wound... in a few ways. ]

I just don't want you to decide that once we're at a certain point, we're just soulless, sinful things, like that other foreign novice... Especially when I graduate before you.

[ It's sad, but ultimately she doesn't care about what that man thought. Wyll, she's met before, so his thoughts carried more weight. Sadly, the shift to games doesn't help her all that much. She wasn't just hard at work when people were at the cabin. ]

Everyone talks like it's a given to understand what's going on. People are also scooping up snow and throwing it at each other, and I just don't get it. The human stuff makes me feel like as much of an outsider that the vampire lessons do. Apparently people also give gifts before the year's end?

Dreams I

[Someone is actually having a fairly positive dream, though the situation around it isn't exactly pleasant. But guests will find themselves in what seems to be a rather nice looking mixture of an inn/bar/and entertainment space. It seems that whoever owns this place is very much into making it look luxurious with chandeliers, low lights, and dark woods. Even the bar area of it seems to have bartenders that look very professional despite the kind of environment this is.

The stage itself is where all the action seems to be and where one will find a seemingly younger Lydia performing a particular routine. By the looks of the two poles one might have assumed it was a strip club of sorts. Which, well, sort of. Though anyone that watches for long enough will find out that this isn't that particular kind of performance.

But once it's complete she merely perches herself on the edge of the stage, seeming to beckon for people to come talk to her. Will you?]

Dreams II

[Unfortunate that she eventually ended up catching a nightmare, herself. Unlike the previously nice dream, this one starts in what seems to be the room of a dingy looking inn room. The scene itself has a strange feeling to it, a adult woman with long beautiful platinum blond hair in a low-cut baby blue dress sitting in a chair with a golden blond boy seemingly sleeping in her lap in dingy long brown pants and overly long black shirt while a girl that can't be more than maybe ten is standing in front of them, fists and jaw clenched and muscles tense with eyes screwed shut with what are clearly tears being forced or forced back. Her clothing is much the same as the boy's though clearly getting to a point of being too small on her given the tightness of the pants and the peek of skin between the pants and shirt.]

You let him die! [The girl manages to snarl out, voice filled with grief as the woman continues to pet the boy's hair.]

"He's merely sleeping, darling, why don't you go out and earn us some money for dinner, hm?" [The woman doesn't seem to be fussed remotely by this situation nor does she seem to agree. Though upon closer inspection it's clear that the boy is not breathing and while the woman and girl look pale, it's clear that his skin is from death.

The girl in turn seems to look like she's about to step closer, to reach out, to do something before taking a deep breath.]

I'm done being your meal and drink ticket while you mess around with men! He was sick and you let him die! I'm not doing it anymore! It's not like you cared about anyone other than yourself and I'm done! Fuck you! [Nor should those be words coming from what is still a child and she's quickly turning around and bolting for the door, the woman not seeming to follow in the slightest.]

"You'll be back, you can't survive out there on your own, you ungrateful brat!"

[That... sure is a scene. Do you follow the girl out the door or investigate the room some more?]

Wildcard

[While Lydia doesn't really participate or care about the sports outside, she's getting her own kind of exercise and taking the opportunity to try and distract her mind from things. Which is how some might find out about the room she's had set-up specifically for more acrobatic-esque things.

The room itself is mostly clear except for a few chairs along the edges of the room and the fireplace in the back to keep it warm. But there's all kinds of various things set-up from poles to silks to the aerial ring that Lydia's currently hanging upside down from and just seeming to chill about ten feet or so in the air. Her hair's tied back in a bun and her clothing is really just something akin to a sports bra and shorts.

Of course there can be other things in there if people want, but she has the double doors in the room wide open but at least the fire is keeping her warm.]

[Surely! Because he would be having a much harder time handling this without someone else around that he's familiar with and also understands the trials and tribulations of what all of this brings.]

I'm fairly certain my God would smite me down were I to ever entertain such an idea. [He's joking, clearly, but he does at least respect the Blade and their teachings, or what he knows of it, same thing with a different name, more or less. It's much easier to think of things that way.]

Hopefully so. There is many a temptation and sinner amongst us, tempting us at every twist and turn whether they know what they do or not. It's rather unnerving but so to will we come through this fire and trial strong and better than we were before.

Actually, if someone is on a psychoactive, where they're to the whim of what's going through their body and that affects what they see and experience, does that make controlling that person harder or easier? I know what's happening is a curse, not a gold court ability specifically, but...

[ It's a different train of thought for the solution, but one very in line with her court. She's writing up a list of things that could work if that was a path they could take, on top of treating the symptoms. There were ways of affecting the mind in ways that didn't involve court skills, after all. Along with others that help with strengthening it. She just needs something to make the current fixes to the symptoms an actual cure instead. ]

It'll just require resisting the urge to use those powers on the affected people, until you know for sure what will work. Then there's only the same risks everyone else has with this dreamwalking stuff.

Oh, that's a good point, I hadn't thought of that. I suppose it's possible?

[ This seems like a question to ask a teacher. But also it would be kind of nice? Maybe. Hans likes talking to horses because they don't judge him. ]

I don't know if I'd want to know, though. What if all this time I've spent talking to Chaux here, he thought I was annoying?

[ The horse looks at him, but all he wants is those oranges Hans brought with him. Judgement is likely a bit too complex for this horse. ]

[Yuri has never been religious. He's studied religious texts and he's been inside churches, but all of his exposure was carefully managed in the same detached way as all that other research those pieces of shit subjected him to. Talking to people who strongly believed in this kind of stuff was never part of any of that.

And here's some guy wholeheartedly believing his bad luck is deliberate, caused by his god.

It's kind of weird, honestly. It's not like he's blaming his god, he's making it sound more like a test, which raises the question of what the hell kind of god would think all of this misery would make for a good test?]

Why do you believe that?

[While he asks that he's going to start circling the vampire. This is only a dream, so he feels relatively comfortable doing something a little predatory.]

[ Wyll chuckles, patting his shoulder once more. It's all in good fun to tease one another, this is definitely the kind of teasing that would get cold stares were those words to come from anyone else. ]

As you say, there is no trial we cannot overcome. Though our fate would see us join the vipers in their den, our Becoming need not cast a blight upon our souls.

[ At least the Blade doesn't have any rules about being undead? Probably because that's not a thing where he's from. Like. At all. ]

The strength we gain may aid us in helping those who cannot help themselves. This is my hope... that we might find a ray of light of within this darkness.

I dunno, they're all about a good time, aren't they? Somebody's gotta be into that kind of shit around here.

[statistically, sure, but what are the odds that any of those theoretical people are playing on the Blue team right? there's a lot of more pressing parties that are likely claiming the court's attentions presently.]

[That's the end of it. At least, that should be the end of it. Yuri goes straight back to watching the game, keeping in mind why he's here in the first place. One conversation isn't about to deter him, which means he's staring down at the rink the entire time as Hazel fusses around.

He doesn't realize what's going on until it's far, far too late. The snowball is whipped at the back of the player's head, and then she's yelling, and for all of two seconds all Yuri does is look exasperated. Whatever, this is no longer his business, if she wants to pick a fight that's on her.

And then she keeps going.

What.

What what what.]

....................................................

[He looks over at her, completely bewildered. What is she doing, what is she doing?

Down on the rink the frustration from being on the losing side of the game is apparently too much for that player. He's cursing and storming off the ice, aaaand making his way up the stands.]

[Yuri's eyes dart over to him and his expression instantly cools into something hard. Fierce, even. He grabs his crutch and gets to his feet, all of five foot six, thin enough that he looks like a light breeze could break him in half. There is no way in hell he has any hope of winning a physical fight, but showing any kind of weakness (even that surprise from a few seconds ago) is, in his experience, only going to make things worse.

So facing down one pissed off novice it is.]

[Kirk looks at Xenk with big eyes when he gives him his coat, blinking like he can't comprehend such a kindness. At first the coat looks comically big on him, dwarfing the skinny boy, but as he pulls it closer, it suddenly fits perfectly, the gold and black looking like they belong on the boy. Though it looks opulent on the otherwise dirty grungy kid.]

You-- You're a strange one.

[He tries to put on a brave face but it cracks and the real emotion is there, the panic, the horror, the-- he smiles though it's grim-- no, he's crying holding his head while he silently screams-- it's like a flickering image, as if the dream or memory can't recall how he should be acting.

Then Kirk is sitting on a chair, holding his head as he cries silently for a moment. The horrors and the lives that depending on him crashing down on him. Letting himself break down in the rare private moment he has before he has to be brave for all the kids he is saving outside.]

They're gonna die.. I'm gonna get them killed... I didn't want to be their leader but I've always been, when we play games or explore the woods, they always looked to me..

[He looks up at Xenk.]

And now..

[Something about the black door makes him feel uncomfortable. He can't put his finger on it, but there has to be some significance to it... right?]

Well, not everything needs rules. You're good at it if you can hide from the night terror or can catch people as one. You know? It's similar to hide and seek like that.

[He scratches his cheek because he's not had to deal with a kid like Xenk before. Most kids want to escape rules but it makes sense that kid Xenk would thrive off rules.. right?]

But you make a good point, we need to have a way to figure out who would be the night terror. Maybe... we play boulder, parchment, sheers for it?

[it's not, but Jacob ascribes his inability to discern the importance of wolves to their conversation as his own personal failing. he's been slow on the uptake his entire life, after all, and it's a safer bet to presume any difficulties he faces are his own fault.]

Oh, really? That's crazy! She must've been real talented for that to happen.

[his enthusiasm prevents him from fully comprehending Phillip's tone until the excited words are already out of his mouth. while he still can't understand why early vampirehood might be a bad thing, naive boy that he is, he can see now it's got the other man troubled. his lips purse and his brows furrow, struggling to decide whether or not another apology for his misstep was in order.

ultimately he decides against it and instead continues to speak, words halting as he casts about for the best way to express what's rattling around inside his skull.]

Still, um...you know best, 'course, 's your life and all...but to me it still doesn't seem like there's any reason this stuff can't be real. You're both gonna be vampires by the end of things, yeah? So...

[his voice falters and he runs a hand through his long hair, buying time for his brain to catch up with his mouth. ah! there we go, he's finally found a few sentences that work.]

Maybe 's kind've the best thing, for it to be like that. Now you've got as much time as you need to get to know her, right? Can take it slow and everything.

[The door, just shut, squeaks back open. Elias throws logic out of the window in favor of avoidance whenever Xenk is around, but from the same level of subconscious, he cannot say no to a cry for help. It's a very human thing, but deep down the body that went into becoming a vampire was human and his body remembers. He almost forgets himself that he is no longer a novice.]

Do you need help...?

[Also, sorry for failing all his basic comprehension rolls. It's like Xenk's presence has stunned him out of all his braincells.]

…uh.

[He figures out eventually that obviously, Xenk needs help. Elias shuffles into the room and gets confused again at how red the blood is (it might be a Gold Court thing in general, he forgets that his old masters can be once mortal), but decides not to think too hard about it.]

I can heal…I think…

[He’ll try it, putting his hands tentatively on Xenk’s… back. Just to see if Xenk can respond to his healing.]

"No, but then, I'm not sure they really cared to begin with," Satoru says, the flippancy in his tone at odds with the way his gaze never quite leaves the dream figments of Constantia and his child self.

He knows, by now, that he's dreaming. That the intruders into his dreams are real people. It had taken him a few nights, but he's fought for that awareness and won, and he's... mildly irritated that Xenk is witnessing this particular memory. He's been careful to never reveal any weakness to Xenk -- not that he has many, but still -- and now his stupid dream is doing it for him.

Constantia stops in the middle of the road, their dress brushing the earth as they crouch down before his child self, reassuring him with a gentle smile. "I'll be honest with you, child. I'm going to replace your memories of your parents, and I will take their place. I will take the place of the memories of your friends, and your idols, and your teachers." She strokes his hair, tender. "You will have nobody to miss, and that way you will be strong."

His child self glances away, and toward where they're watching, his bright blue gaze cold in a way that doesn't sit right on a child. For a moment, Satoru almost wonders if his dream self really is seeing them.

"Makers, am I right?" Satoru rolls his eyes. "Can't live with them, can't be turned into a vampire without them."

[Worst case at the least, they can buy time for until someone with the kind of experience Revar has- though that's probably...Just Revar, unfortunately- can arrive. Every little bit counts, and so Cotton follows.

The old woman doesn't gasp in alarm as the screams grow louder, but the concern etches itself into the lines of her face. Fingers to her lips, she muffles a sound of worry.]

Oh no...they're going to be a terrible sight, I'm going to need bandages and water for certain...

[More screams, more chances of bleeding- and at the very least she's been able to work on controlling that as much as she can.] Well, best get ourselves in there then.

[At least the door isn't locked! ....

Right? ...The door isn't locked right-]

[Just what the castle needed right? A storybook Grandma...

And to that end, more warm chuckling is Edgin's reply.] Fresh from the oven! Though I can't say how warm they'll be by the end of this match. It might be the preferred offering, but that oatmeal will definitely be better for them, [she adds with an amused smile.] Wonderful thinking!

[He manages to dodge that shot, but it made his own strike go wild going somewhere high and disturbing an owl that loudly made its displeasure known]

Hahaha... woops.

[And he let his guard down]

[Cotton does not linger in the room, not when there is little in the room that could possibly matter. Not any longer at least.

For that matter it's an invasion of privacy she can't tolerate in herself, no more than being in this dream already is. Cotton hobbles out the door and chases after the girl instead, hoping to find her before she's properly outside.] Oh no- Oh oh oh oh-

Just one- Just one moment..!

[Her voice, unlike any other in this dream, is one of worry, and kindness. She's already taking off the shawl she has- it's so unlike the ones she made in her homeland, but it's at least warm, even if vampires have no use for such things- and bringing it forward.] Dear you'll catch death just as quickly if you go out without something on, please- at least take this now-

[ Xenk looks up from where he's collapsed, his vision swimming with pain and confusion. His father never did this, did he? Somehow reality and dream are mixed. He can't recall. But he's just a novice. How could he survive an injury like this, without his maker? ]

I'm sorry... My maker should...

[ His voice is strained. His maker should be there. His maker should heal him. Makers are supposed to care for their novices, not abandon them. He looks up at Elias as he begins to heal him. Brown eyes meet silver, but recognition never quite dawns on him. ]

You feel familiar...

[ Who was he? A silver court vampire? Xenk doesn't know many of those. He'd kept to himself through his undying seasons, made friends with his fellow gold novices but. There was someone in Silver, wasn't there? His own novices wouldn't be Silver.

Xenk's breaths come a little easier as Elias' healing does the trick. It shouldn't -- a wound of that size would incapacitate even a third season novice, but this being a dream, it doesn't seem to matter. He tries to stand but falls to his knees again, the puddle of blood beneath him still bright, human red. ]

This never happened, I... there was no test, Father never did this...

[ Look, when you can't easily find everyone you want to trick and mess with (in a good way!), then there's nothing else to do but explore and hope you find some of the people you were aiming for. While Lydia wasn't necessarily on the list, it was the various things in the room that were more of the surprise than anything. Eden didn't know that Lydia was actually capable of going around without a corset, but there she was.

Actually, all of this seemed fun to try. Huh...

But for a bit, the young man was watching while leaning against the open doorway. He was more on the average side of things, but with the boots he reached a just a bit over 5'9", and watched with steely-blue eyes that had some reflections of silver in them. It was nice to just watch for a bit. ]

You'd think the open doors would cause a bit of a draft to undo the fire's work.

[ Xenk watches in mild horror. Pain like this is something hew recognizes now. To feel such fear so young, to carry such burdens... It had clearly made Kirk who he is, better or worse.

The worst part is Kirk looks right in his gold and black jacket, but Xenk tries not to focus on that. It isn't the time. Watching Kirk break down, both the child before him and the man he knows, Xenk can only place a hand on his neck, hoping to steady him. ]

James. This is not your fault.

[ He is not good at comforting people. He has no memory of ever being comforted, his own parents could barely manage it, in their enthrallment. Still, he rubs Kirk's neck and shoulders, his large hand easily enveloping him. ]

You are only a child, James. It is clear you have bled for them, guided them where none else would. You cannot be blamed for the creatures outside, any more than you could be blamed for the winter snow.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 9 of 67

january tdm/event post

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Lydia | Red | Youngblood

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2 RIP these two

2/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

DREAMS...TWO!

no subject

W-w-w-wild card!

no subject