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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes, sir. It's because it falls to you in the end that I said I understood your anger.

[ She really struggled the most with how conflicting all of her elders can be. Either trying, because you won't know otherwise, or not trying. While it won't help saying it aloud, Eden knew that her choice was the fastest. Her brain kept saying that these were the fastest and least traumatic ways of handling things, with the limitations of a novice at play. It's just such an unknown thing to everyone, so she also can't blame the Doctor for being upset. He should be, and with how exhausting everything has been, he didn't need to worry about some novice potentially ignoring orders.

He was really stressed and tired, probably. While Eden and other people's efforts have mitigated the curse's spreading from exponentially getting worse, you can't exactly stop everything in its tracks right away. There were still plenty of people being brought in for screaming their lungs and blood out. Her treatments worked on novices, but for youngbloods... She was hesitant to play around with the ratios and dosing.

Time and place, though... ]

So... Your point is clear. I'm guessing I should just return to first response instead?

Edited (Sorry, sorry. Things have changed how she would've responded juuust a bit) 2024-02-03 01:05 (UTC)

My anger don't make sense half the time, so don't take it personally.

[ He feels he has to add—it's a well-known fact that Leonard responds to most things with anger. The vampires in the castle mostly know this, but the novices have to figure it out for themselves.

But the fact is that this is easily the most stressful month Bones has had to deal with in a while. And being charged with leading the infirmary certainly has made him more irritable. He loves his work, loves saving lives... he just yells about it because that's who he is.

And because usually, it saves lives too. He waves a hand setting down the empty syringe and grabbing a new one. ]

Clear as crystal. I still want you helpin', Lords know we need the help, just stick with me and do as I say, alright? Think of this as extra credit. There's no better teacher than experience, and right now I'm getting outshone by the disaster this castle's in.

[ He stabs the guy with the new syringe without much preamble. Without even looking—he could probably do it with his eyes closed. ]

Now, here's a lesson—with humans, you gotta be careful about where you poke 'em, because their vascular systems are real complex. But vampires are blood-based creatures. Digestive system and all that's mostly set dressing, so you can stab' em just about anywhere with medicine and the body scoops that up right quick. The body's so desperate for blood, as long as you get medicine into their bloodstream, their bodies will soak it right up and send it everywhere. Takes a stronger needle than what we use on humans, too.

[ She didn't know how to not take it personal, not right now with the current context. She was able to handle people being upset because of a situation and lashing out at everyone, like a patient in pain, but nothing quite so direct yet. It didn't happen all that much at the castle either. As McCoy said, teacher was the best experience. The woman who raised her went cold and gave a different experience.

So she followed, just glancing over to where the patient ended up getting stabbed- more out of curiosity than anything else, as the doctor was as calm as he was explaining things. She had more experience with humans than most people her age, but the relatively same amount as any other novice with vampires, after all. ]

A stronger needle and depending on the situation, a stronger dose?

[ There was probably a compensation needed for the rate of metabolism compared to humans. As he said, the body was desperate. ]

I've been hesitant to do more for the vampires in first response because my treatment's balanced for novices. Despite what I was told, accidentally putting too strong of a psychoactive in a vampire...

[ Felt like a recipe for disaster. She didn't want to add work for the infirmary. Not when she's trying to help, and despite all this information in her head, it didn't have vampire conversion rates with it. ]

[ Yeah, Bones is a real hands-on guy. And a yeller. But he wants to teach things right, and he wants to keep deaths to a minimum, especially when it's some bullshit magical disease that makes his life a living hell. ]

Depends. Usually we can say "the older the vampire, the stronger the dose." But that's only because the assumption is that older vampires eat better, and their bodies are stronger. There's outliers all over the damn castle! You gotta play fast an' loose with it, otherwise you could end up putting somebody in a coma, or triggering their hunger till they get wild and start attacking people.

[ Yeah, drugs and vampires are a recipe for disaster, usually. It's a dangerous game, when you're treating monsters. ]

I mean, the coma's not really a problem. They'll wake up eventually. It's the alternative that's a real pain in the ass. It's why we make medicine usin' our own blood. Compulsion don't work on vampires, unless they've drunk your blood.

[ She nods, not from listening, but actually having a pretty good idea of what was meant. After all, the thing that should be avoided most was triggering a feral attack for food, because sometimes when a creature is in that state, they can't tell when they're full. She's seen it in the forest before, on an obviously smaller scale. It's why Steinbach always has a thrall with a key that comes in on a regular schedule to force him to eat, as no one knew when he'd come out of that hyperfocus. ]

However, the longer they're in there, the higher the chances someone can end up in that nightmare, thus catching the curse. There isn't a way to quarantine minds without touching them...

[ Trying to figure this out, after all the novices were tasked to come up with a cure as well, was annoying because Eden was the type that wanted to understand and isolate everything. In the end, there were ways of isolating vocal chords so they couldn't be strained until the victim bled to death, but the psychoactive components disrupted the nightmare to wake them up earlier. That's where her own limitations were.

Luckily, that was a novice problem. Not something the infirmary needed, with so much already at hand and prepared (including the needed blood for the medicine.) ]

So, how would you like me to start helping?

[ That feral state is the main reason they don't turn people overnight like they used to... a lesson for another day, maybe, but Leonard nods at her assessment. ]

Right. We wanna cure people as quick as possible, keep it from spreading. Touching 'em won't give you the curse, though. You gotta get into their heads for that.

[ Bones taps the side of his head before he grabs a silver vial, as well as an empty syringe. He really has no trouble talking or teaching while holding sharp instruments. ]

You ask me, they oughta quarantine the entire Gold Court. They're the ones who're readin' minds all the time!

[ That's... extreme. And unreasonable. But no one has ever accused Bones of being perfectly reasonable. He hands her the syringe. ]

Here. Take a sample of his blood so we can work on a cure for 'im. Blood compulsion bypasses the brain, so it's safe, but fightin' off a curse takes more than just blood for a guy like me.

[ She's probably the only one that considers mind reading or peeking in as 'touching' the mind, so... Yeah, she won't say anything about that one. McCoy seemed like a very physical-oriented person. ]

That doesn't stop the whole 'going into other people's dreams' that some people are talking about.

[ Though it's certainly them that are at the highest risk of just trying to mentally swoop in and get cursed themselves. She's also oddly fine with syringes and other medical instruments while talking at the same time. In fact, it seems she could do this by feel alone, also glancing over at some point. A few days before this started that might not have been the case, having been a bit out of practice, but this felt well practiced. ]

Anything in particular you're hoping to watch or test with this?

[ 'This' being said sample that she's finishing up to hand over. ]

[ He definitely is. Though don't let his words fool you, Gold Court was his second-best court. He just likes to give them shit. ]

Right, sleeping's getting dangerous too. Us youngbloods can go about a week without until we start seein' things, but it ain't much of an alternative.

[ Bones himself is certainly on his 3rd or 4th day without sleep, but being a doctor, he is so used to that that it barely even shows. He's an expert at burning the midday oil, so to speak. ]

Lets us test how receptive his blood is to the cure. Some people need less of it, some of 'em need more. Gotta get the dosage right, or it'll put him in a coma. Which, don't get me wrong, a good coma'll cure whatever ails 'im, but he might not like the fact that we put him out for a month when he wakes up.

[ Of course the alternative is healing him manually. Like, with his hands. But Bones doesn't have time for that! ]

I'm also worried about us suddenly having no control or choice about sleeping, and not just from exhaustion.

[ Though exhaustion is definitely another major concern. While the type that could stay up and continue assisting for multiple days, it meant adjusting too much to her diet to accommodate the demand for energy. That was only going to do so much on its own. Being young and human, while the stamina was there, Eden knew she had to sleep at some point. There was just still so much to do...

Getting to see things being tested though, or maybe getting to be involved, has this bright little smile on her face. He could've just as easily told her to wait as he tested alone. ]

That's one of the things I need to get used to being an option; having the equipment to test this. Mrs Maisy had to always estimate off of previous interactions and the body composition of the patient. Luckily liver damage isn't a concern here.

Yeah, the curse is real rude when it gets ya. And I sure as hell don't love sharin' dreams with people, either.

[ Even outside of the curse, the shared dream thing is rude. Those dreams are supposed to be private, dammit.

But while he's griping, Bones grabs a few petri dishes and starts getting several solutions ready to try the blood samples on. It's actually pretty scientific, considering it's also, you know, magic. ]

That's the benefit of workin' here at Courtsheart. They tend to have the best of the best, at least as far as equipment and everything. And yeah, our patients are hardier than out there in the wilds.

[ Thralls are pretty fragile, of course, but thankfully they're not treating a thrall right now. ]

Some of the dreams I wouldn't mind sharing... But that's probably a mix of my bath soaks and age.

[ Less flirting and more a joke about teenage hormones. There's a wrinkle in her nose to make it clear that it's just that as well. One stemmed in truth, but she'd rather not have the doctor thinking she was inviting him into her dreams. That'd be a Jim thing to do, and it probably would've worked to some extent, but that was the magic he had on people. It's probably because of him that that kind of joke was able to be thought of, honestly.

She's also ready to hand out equipment or anything else like that, but after how serious the doctor was about not touching or doing anything without him saying so, Eden wasn't going to break the promise she'd made. ]

They really made things easier in exchange for odder situations coming up, didn't they? Not just this curse, but injuries from a dread blade, reattaching heads? I think I head about something like that.

[ Bones huffs a disbelieving laugh. Kids. He is too old for this shit. ]

Only thing in my dreams is wasted chances, failed opportunities, and death.

[ He says that with a completely straight face, because he's 100% serious. His dreams are either him reminiscing about the life he's missed out on, or, you know, patients he couldn't save. It's a real nightmare in Leonard McCoy's head, honestly.

Which is why he focuses on getting things as ready as he can. This is a good teaching moment, if nothing else. And with a youngblood, his chances of survival are pretty much guaranteed so long as they don't give him too small a dose, so its fine. ]

Here. Drop about 2-3 drops of his blood in each of these dishes. See what happens, and you tell me what you think.

[ He gives her room to try it, gesturing towards the samples he's set up. He expects the blood to react a little differently to each one, the trick will be narrowing downs which ones react the best to it. Not too much, or not too little. ]

Reattaching a head's easier than you'd think. Messy as hell, though. [ He shrugs. Because that's a thing that's definitely happened. ] Don't even get me started on dread blades, I can't stand those Black Court bastards.

[ Well, good job sobering up the joke on that one. She doesn't share just yet, but there was a nasty illness that swept through one of the towns. Luckily the cabin was far enough, but the care that the old woman had to go through to not catch or bring it home... Maybe it's from hunting and processing the kills for so long, but even when having faced death directly, it wasn't so hard to deal with. Which, while she wasn't going to pry, either meant it was something far more personal, or... well, something was wrong with her. Either were possible. ]

Sure. And I'd hate to imagine the mess.

[ She'll go through putting a few drops into each- an even amount. She could spot the small differences while they were talking- pushing away the samples that react too quickly, noting if she felt it was too fast or not fast enough- keeping a couple fingers on her wrist, as if using her pulse as a timer. ]

I understand that the dread blades are a problem to fix any injuries from, but what don't you like about them? They could use thralls with more calcium and 'happy' chemicals running through them, but I've thought they were fine enough people. Especially with what it seems like they have to do...

[ But this is someone who's taken more Black Court classes than they probably ever should. Though after a few more seconds, she frowns a bit and leans in to look closer at the remaining petri dishes before pulling back the last one that she said felt too fast, as if quickly losing confidence in what she saw and how her 'gut' interpreted everything. Well, by gut it was for all very logical reasons, but the source of the information wasn't entirely from the lessons and training she's had. So timing and deciding which responses were apt and appropriate, but perhaps too fast for her to accept that she could be right.

She's even tapping the one that likely had the best response, but ends up shaking her head. She had the answer, but spent too much time and now doubted it. ]

While I like this one's response, I suppose any of these would be appropriate enough. The first two were either too aggressive or not doing anything at all when there should've been a little response. Maybe a little more is fine for a youngblood? I haven't really worked much with vampire samples before...

[ Bones is a real stick in the mud when he wants to be, so don't worry, Eden. He is just. A grump. But he watches her work and makes mental notes as she goes. ]

Ain't their attitudes I have a problem with. Hell, if they were happy, I'd probably hate 'em even more. It's the damn secrecy with everything. And they bogart their damn blades! Do you know how useful it'd be to have scalpel made out of whatever dread blades are made of? Half the trouble of doin' surgery on vampires is they heal up too fast. With the right tools, we could be advancin' medicine by leaps and bounds, vivisection on vampires wouldn't just be a dream!

[ He's, uh, a little passionate about this. Very passionate about this. He is getting off-topic, and catches himself, shaking his head and getting back into what he might call Teacher Mode. ]

Anyway, all of that's a pipe dream, 'cause we can't get shit.

[ He waves a hand like he's waving the idea off. Now's not the time! He has a lesson to teach, and he pays attention to Eden and crosses his arms decisively. ]

Trust your gut. Which one's your final pick?

[ She didn't realize it was such a passionate subject for him, actually looking a little surprised. While she was pretty sure there was a reason for holding onto the control of the blades, something told her that it wouldn't help, and just secured it as being a pipe dream. So she let things go back on topic.

Looking back, she tapped at the same sample as before. ]

This one didn't react too strong, and was tapering in effectiveness at a rate I liked more, compared to the others. Depending on how someone wakes up, the effects of the nightmare can linger, or they hit something of an adrenaline crash, even if the curse is broken. So, my conclusion would be that it'd be better for the effect to extend a little longer than this one.

[ She'll tap at another that had reacted faster. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

january tdm/event post

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

tmw plurk gives you a 9, but you get a 19 on a physical die

no subject

no subject