undyingcourt | 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

[It’s the first night of dreaming. He’s in a corridor in the novice residential wing, not knowing yet that a curse is seeping over the entire school- because Elias is a sheeple who is content with the blinkers over his eyes, he sees Szass Tam walk out from a room and doesn’t recognise the man at all, has no idea who that guy is.

He peers into the novice room, sees Xenk bleeding on the ground, and immediately trips over himself trying to back out.]

Afh- fhf- whuh-

[He’s- got the wrong room. That must be it. Xenk is- HEY WAIT A MINUTE. IS XENK IN HIS HEAD AGAIN. IS THIS GOLD COURT MACHINATIONS.]

(ooc: I was thinking that Elias wakes up quickly and then sends Xenk a letter like “are you messing with my dreams? Oh it’s a curse… this is awkward”- but if you wanna play out a dream encounter let me know and have Xenk stop Elias from leaving!)

[ Hell yeah, Elias! You ain't seen nothing yet. ((But also feel free to have Elias wake up and send that letter!))

Xenk groans from where he's collapsed on the ground. Bleeding out will no doubt wake him soon, and in the haze of the dream, he's both his human age, yet recalls Elias' voice with certain clarity.

Perhaps he deserves this, Xenk thinks, laying facedown on the floor, in a puddle of too-red blood. Szass Tam had never hurt him like this. The torture was never so physical, and yet... Xenk groans uselessly all the same. He's too human, his stoicism more a mask than true at this age.

The fact is this hurts and in the real world he's no doubt screaming. He might be able to pull himself out of it if he dies here, but he's human and stupid. He wants to live. ]

Help...

[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.]

[ 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...

I’m… Silver Court. [He doesn’t specify which of the first two statements he’s responding to, avoiding Xenk’s eyes.] Silver Court heals people.

[Elias has always received more care from the bystanders of Silver than from a Maker, both his past and present. It is regardless of his feelings towards makers that he does this- the Silver Court belief that there is value in protecting and preserving the weak saved him, and in undeath he follows it.

Healing done, he withdraws his hands.]

I can, um, get your Maker… or anyone…

[~~Xenk has a dad?~~]

…your blood shouldn’t be that color, but I should- go.

My Maker did this to me... I don't understand. This never happened. You must believe me.

[ Somehow the opinion of this strange Silver Court vampire matters to him, in this moment. The room they're in is a novice's room, but nothing decorates the walls or shows any sign of personalization.

Xenk's Maker, his father... He had been strict, sure, but his punishment was always emotional, cruel yes, but never enough to kill him. Poor Xenk is so human he's practically projecting his thoughts, unable to guard them as he always does. ]

He wouldn't want to see me, regardless. Father hates weakness. Szass Tam's legacy cannot fall to the weak.

[ Xenk coughs, his voice raw from the injury. Somehow he feels like he has to reassure this man, even though he must be older than him. He must be? The room feels like it's spinning, so Xenk looks down at the puddle of blood. His blood, without a trace of gold within it. ]

One day my blood will run gold like his. One day I'll be worthy of his name.

[Elias closes his eyes, and his mind with it, letting the emotions in the air wash over and past him. He's convinced this is some sort of test- though it seems impossible that Xenk would stoop to acting this vulnerable in his mind, even to test his loyalty to Gold. Or something. Maybe it's someone else's interference? He doesn't know.

Either way, he has realised that he… honestly doesn't care about the things that Xenk does. He only cared because he “should”, because it helped him please his ex-Maker. (or at least that was the idea.)]

[Gently,] Take it easy. If something happens to you, he can always find someone else, so look out for yourself first, okay?

[That’s absolutely the worst thing to say??? But they are the worst at communication, so he says it. Elias stands up and turns to the door again, feeling that there's nothing else for him here.]

[ It's a horrible thing to say, but weirdly enough, Xenk appreciates the honesty. He stands as well as he's able, taking what little Elias can provide and pulling himself by his own power.

Elias is right. For all that Szass Tam raised him, he was expendable. He had to rise by his own power, or not at all. Xenk blinks and forces steadiness back into his tone, the cold and calm level that would come naturally to him one day. ]

Thank you.

[ You're free to go, Elias! You did it, you saved Xenk Yendar... ]

january tdm/event post

dream ii

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