undyingcourt | january tdm/event post

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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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ See! His faith was not misplaced! ]

She is. Her name is Kira.

[ he knows that's true here, too. ]

Kira.

[ Xenk repeats, like this is the only thing in the world that matters at the moment. This is a fair response when one is asked to hold a baby, and when one is not a completely heartless being, which Xenk isn't, despite his best attempts otherwise. ]

She is so small.

[ Xenk had not known Edgin's wife, nor could he claim to recognize anything of Edgin in this baby, but the fact is -- she's a very cute baby. And a very small baby. It's hard not to feel anything when holding a life so fragile. Xenk's entire focus is on this child. ]

How incredible, to know that we were once such fragile beings.

[ Oh.

There's a calm that sets in, (despite Zia's body on the floor, but to be fair to Edgin, he's been mourning her for 10 years and this is, ultimately, just a nightmare) hearing Xenk say her name. There's something good about it. Something he wouldn't have ever associated with the man.

But for the moment it makes him feel...

It makes him feel like his heart skips a beat. You can't hate a man who is treating your child so well. You simply can't. ]

She was....she was a good kid.

[ Xenk could hardly imagine he would ever meet Edgin's child. For all that he believes the man should move on and accept that his new life is all he has now, he is not one to punish a child for their parent's shortcomings. His own parents had remained with him... in the worst of ways. Was it kinder to lose a parent, than live besides them, yet be unable to feel their love or praise?

It hardly matters. This child, Kira Darvis, doesn't hold any answers. She is a pure life. As pure as one could ever be. Xenk cradles her with care, stroking a gentle hand through her hair.

And besides, this is a dream. Xenk is allowed to let himself feel... human, if only for a moment. Compassion blooms in his chest as he looks down at her, and hearing Edgin refer to her in the past tense...

Xenk feels empathy towards Edgin for perhaps the first time since he's known the man. It would hurt Xenk greatly, to see this life torn from his hands. He gets it, much as he may deny it upon further reflection. ]

I am sure she was.

[ Edgin watches Xenk touch his child so gently and his heart his full. He should know better, he should be worried about Xenk like this but he isn't. He's just...happy, seeing it. A whole new side to Xenk.

Happy, and yet, immeasurably sad. ]

She and Zia were killed, before I was turned.

[ Why is he telling him this. He shouldn't, he knows, and yet he is, telling him his history, just like that. ]

By Gold Court vampires.

[ It's a side Xenk didn't know he had, either. Maybe it's the reminder of whatever his previous life was, or simply the reminder of his childhood making him feel this way... But he doesn't shy from it. Not yet, at least.

He looks up from the baby in his arms, at Edgin. He wishes he could say it was surprising to hear, but it isn't. The Gold Court kills many. Szass Tam had been the worst of them, but he was not alone. Sacrifices must be made, he had said.

Sacrifices like the child he holds now. Had the red wizards thought the same? Xenk can only imagine how it would feel -- much as he observed a version of it, this is not the true memory. Edgin's family was killed by the very same people Xenk calls comrade. He cannot deny that he understands how it would feel, having seen the red wizards claim another life. ]

That is cruel.

[ It's not... sympathy. Xenk wouldn't know how to share something like that. But he can acknowledge the cruelty of such a thing. The wastefulness. What could Edgin have possibly done to deserve that? Xenk may not know Edgin Darvis, but the man is so soft, one can hardly think him capable of committing some terrible crime. ]

It was.

[ Edgin nods solemnly. ]

I have to say, I'm pretty surprised to hear you acknowledge it.

[ Xenk loved his Court, after all. He imagines Xenk thinks they can do no wrong. ]

[ Xenk draws his eyes back to Kira, his golden eyes staring into her brown ones. She's too young to know to fear vampires. Perhaps in this memory, vampires don't even exist. ]

There have ever been those in my Court who exhibit unnecessary cruelty.

[ He answers Edgin without looking up at him. He doesn't share this lightly, but he's already told Edgin about the red wizards, so what harm could there be in shedding more light on himself? ]

The man I called 'father' was one such man.

So that's why you...

[ he trails off, to let Xenk fill in whatever he thinks goes there. It certainly explains why Xenk acts like he doesn't have emotions. ]

Were you raised to be a vampire?

[ Xenk nods. Naturally his definition of cruel is quite loose, but the fact remains that Szass Tam had turned against the Gold Court and was killed for it.

He still raised Xenk, for all his cruelty. He was perhaps a harsh, unjust parent, but it's hard for Xenk to untie the knots in those memories. Especially now that Szass Tam also happens to be the name of the man who took over Thay. ]

I was. From a young age, I have known that unlife was predestined for me.

[ He doesn't even know the half of it! ]

[ He wants to say that must've been hard. But he knows Xenk doesn't see it that way. Vampires are so important to Xenk, any suggestion that it was a bad ending would be difficult for him. So Edgin simply nods.

He looks down at Kira, sleeping soundly now in Xenk's arms. ]

You're good with her.

[ Xenk may hold complicated feelings towards his father, but it's true that this is the only life he's ever wanted. ]

I admit I am entirely out of my depth.

[ The words come easily for this admission. Kira is a baby. Vampires hardly deal with those. He still holds her with care, her brown eyes falling closed as she gets comfortable in his hold. ]

I have never held a child before this.

Taking care of child brings out something innate in us, I think.

[ Even now, knowing Zia is dead, Edgin's focus is all on how he's going to take care of Kira. The memory of it nags at him, and he knows that's how he felt then, too. That she was his whole entire world. ]

Even in someone who has been a vampire as long as you.

Perhaps.

[ Perhaps even a man like Xenk can't be cruel to a baby. Perhaps in another life, where Xenk was not raised by a man who was evil, he would have held a child before this. Was that the kind of man he was, in those memories? He cannot recall.

Still, watching this child and imagining her death makes Xenk's insides twist in sorrow. He does not know this child, barely cares about Edgin outside of the fact that the man is keeping Jim Kirk from him, and yet. Xenk is not unfeeling. In fact, in this moment, he feels quite a lot. It's strange, his expression is more troubled with himself than anything, but he knows the words that go with this particular fear. ]

I am sorry for your loss, Edgin.

Oh.

[ He isn't expecting it. It catches him so much by surprise, he doesn't know what to say so he just stands there staring for a moment. ]

I...thank you.

[ He knows what a big deal it is for Xenk to say it.

He looks back at Zia. Was he supposed to move her? Bury her in this nightmare? ]

I keep hoping we'll wake up, but whether she died here or died to the Gold Court's hand, it doesn't matter. She'll still be dead when I wake up.

[ Xenk shrugs, wanting to avoid dwelling on all of these strange, sudden emotions. This is a dream, so it'll be easy to pretend this never happened. (Will it? Will it, though?)

It's easier, at least, to put distance between himself and Edgin, when he starts speaking of his wife. It's obviously a tragedy, and to be killed by the Gold Court or Red Wizards would indeed be terrible. Still, in the virtue of being kind, Xenk offers: ]

She is no longer suffering. There is comfort in that.

[ At least Xenk thinks so. But Xenk had also wiped his parents memories so they could live happy lives for whatever remained of theirs, so his perspective might be... bad. ]

Though I imagine it is quite difficult, experiencing this twice.

[ And everyone in Edgin's memories seems to hold the same name as those in his present life, too. Xenk's worried about what that means about his father, but that's a concern for another time. ]

[ Edgin wants to ask Xenk what he could possibly know about comfort or care about Edgin's comfort, for that matter--but he refrains. Xenk is really trying for him, which is as strange as it is impressive. ]

It is. But it's...this may sound strange, but it's worse knowing that Kira is going to have to grow up with just me. Without Zia.

[ He is trying, and it's really weird. This tiny little ball of life in his arms is making him soft. He'd put her down if she wasn't so tiny and fragile and soft. Who knew you could disable Xenk Yendar with a baby.

Well, and the horrible nightmare about his own childhood helps, too. But that's not happening here. The Red Wizard is gone. Xenk holds Kira to his chest, adjusting his grip yet still steady. ]

Do you doubt your skills as a parent?

Yeah, I mean, are you kidding? I'm me. Zia was...she was everything. The light of my life.

[ Then he seems to remember they're both vampires and that's probably offensive ]

Or whatever metaphor you like better.

[ He looks down at Kira and holds out his arms. He's used his baby for placating Xenk long enough, he supposes. ]

Here, I can take her back. Thank you, for holding her.

The Gold Court's tenets are Shine and Steward, Edgin. We do not shy from the light.

[ But Xenk hands her over with care. He has never held anything so fragile as this before. He can't say he misses her warmth once she's gone, but it had been.... very strange indeed. Not terrible. Almost nice? Weird.

Oh, well. He's back to his usual stiff self once that's out of the way. Though he does offer Edgin a look. ]

You survived Courtsheart. You are not as weak as you believe.

[ Edgin holds Kira gently. This may be a memory, but he'd done this thousands of times before with Kira in reality, so it's practically muscle memory to take care of her. Despite what his words claim to the contrary. ]

I think becoming a vampire and taking care of a baby require slightly different skill sets.

[ Xenk... can't argue with that logic. He doesn't have the first idea of how to take care of a baby. He's just standing there awkwardly now. ]

The real Kira Darvis was not orphaned in this way, was she? You said both she and her mother were killed simultaneously.

[ Here's Mr. Sensitive himself, Xenk Yendar. ]

You may take some comfort in knowing that your present circumstances are not so terrible as they were in your past life.

Edited 2024-01-30 04:44 (UTC)

I mean, yeah, that's what I just said. Basically.

[ ah, yeah, there's the Xenk Yendar he hates. ]

[ Xenk sure does like stating the obvious. It's his thing. He thinks he's helping? No, this is just how he is. ]

May I ask the circumstances around which your wife and child were killed? I cannot imagine you performed such a crime that would warrant such cruel punishment.

[ Hiding in there is a compliment. It's in there. If you squint. Well, it's back-handed, but it's almost there ]

I was a thief. I tried to take a prize I shouldn't have.

[ lesson number one of you dont fuck with the gold court ]

january tdm/event post

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