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

.....

[Yuri doesn't particularly like the notion either. Passing something off as "magic" usually means someone is using the term as a black box to avoid an actual explanation of how something works.

At least he isn't getting that right now, making a mental note to see if he can look into how blood wine works exactly, or if it's some secret the Red Court keeps locked up.]

Who would have information on the history of blood wine?

[Something potentially for when things have calmed down. Right now he's giving a small nod as he listens.]

If willpower's that important, then how powerful are the Silver Court and Gold Court when they're working together? [Given Gold's specialty is control and all.]

Edited (Sooooorry for the late edit!) 2024-02-04 20:06 (UTC)

[ Bones hates it too, to be fair. Having to factor in "sometimes blood does whatever it wants, like it's alive" is the absolute worst. He waves a hand, gesturing as he speaks and sets the chart down. ]

Red Court. Though they keep the recipe locked up from anyone who ain't Red, so no luck on figuring out how they do it. Which is pretty damn stupid. We should be workin' together, but then no one asks me.

[ He's young enough that he doesn't super like to play with court rivalries or that nonsense, though even if he was older he probably wouldn't. He just doesn't have time for drama. Still, Yuri's second question gets him to pause. ]

Now there's a question I don't get every day.

[ Bones sounds impressed though, like this is the right question to ask. He'd thought the same thing when he first found out about vampiric medicine. ]

Silver and Gold are the secret sauce that keep the castle running. Gold with the thralls, and us with healing and medicine. A good doctor has to be good at both. So to answer your question; strong enough to make Courtsheart habitable, long-term.

[ He pulls a tray out with several syringes, each with a slightly different mixture of silvery medicine. He clearly has no trouble working and talking, as he sets two fingers on the patient's neck, checking for a pulse. He's undead, so there's not much to speak of... ]

Gold might be chock full of of nuts, but when they show up, they show up. They'd probably say the same about us—a lot of Silvers like their research, not so much the application. Takes a bit of outliers on both to get shit done.

Edited (spacing (and no worries lol I edit so much)) 2024-02-04 23:42 (UTC)

[Being a novice, Yuri holds his tongue in making any smarmy comments about Red Court being secretive. He clicks his tongue, though. Silver Court being secretive isn't something he agrees with either so this bothers him, and it makes him want to know even more. He isn't sure if that's just out of pettiness, or out of some kind of drive for knowledge all those experiments drilled into him.

Does it even matter?

All of that is filed away in his mind to contemplate later, and he glances over at Bones when he pauses. Ah, well, it's good to hear his train of thought isn't completely out there. He's trying to consider this logically, taking into account the separation of the Courts while his brain starts putting together theoretical connections between them. This is interesting, it's clear Bones is giving him some very valuable information and he's soaking it all up like a sponge.]

Fucking 'outliers,' huh? That's what those kinds of people are?

[His gaze turns back downwards to the tray, leaning in a little to get a look at the minute differences between each syringe.]

Do any of the Courts actually enjoy collaborating? [Because it damn well doesn't sound like it.]

[ Bones is a great guy to ask questions, as he both enjoys ranting and teaching, so you're bound to get something out of him as long as you're asking the right questions and not wasting his time. ]

Yep. Gold's who aren't to proud to ask for help, and Silvers who aren't so far up their own asses that they actually wanna get shit done. "Outliers."

[ He means that in the nicest way, which is to say, completely sarcastically. ]

Personally, seems like it's one of those things they do because they have to. Supposedly that's the whole point of the Council: collaboration.

[ He shrugs, bringing his hand back and writing down some notes on this particular patient's chart. The solutions within the syringes all seem to have a different level of viscosity, though Bones grabs one without hesitation. He clearly set these all himself, earlier.

He's also totally fine talking while holding a very large needle in his hand, which he plugs into the syringe without missing a beat. ]

Plus, if one Court gets out of line, the whole balance gets out of whack. That's where the Black Court comes in, if you know what I mean.

[Luckily, Yuri has loads of experience hanging around doctors. This actually feels pretty normal to him, watching a doctor work while having an in-depth discussion on societal structures.

'Outliers,' huh? If the Council is meant for collaboration, why is it the people willing to work together are the exceptions? He frowns faintly.]

Yeah, I do. [Bones can spare him the gory details. He's been given a rundown of the Black Court by his Maker, so he's got a pretty good idea of what he's talking about. Really, the Black Court is interesting in its own right thanks to how unusual it is.]

The one Court without a voice on the Council is the one that enforces their will.

[He's not saying that's a bit weird --

No, wait, that's exactly what he's saying. Bones seems pretty skeptical about the whole Council system, so after a moment of deliberation he decides to add:]

Sounds really fucking balanced and cooperative to me.

[It does not.]

[ At least the members of the Council tend to be those outliers. Kashire is full of shit, but he's not a total asshole (Bones would never admit this.) And Revar is a good person, probably. They're so old it's hard to tell with them. ]

No secret the other courts probably work together to keep 'em on a tight leash. I ain't real big on history, but they're the Nameless Court for a reason.

[ Either they chose to be nameless, or they had their name taken from them... who can say? Bones tries not to get involved in too much politics, but he sure does love having opinions.

Opinions he will voice if anyone asks, because he likes ranting. And healing people! He's got that syringe ready and takes a quick stab at their patient's neck, driving it in with a smooth, well-practice motion. ]

'Course, the Black Court could kill us all if they wanted to, so they must be gettin' something out of the deal. Hell if I know what that is, though.

[Does he need to hit the books later? Would this kind of information on the Black Court even be in books? Because it sounds it wouldn't.

He inclines his head a little as he watches Bones inject that whatever-it-is into this new patient. The guy certainly doesn't hesitate when it comes to stabbing people with needles. He's assuming it's because he's done it so often that it's basically a reflex now, and not out of any sketchier reason.]

Doubt that's the kind of thing they'd want anyone outside their Court knowing.

[He clicks his tongue, even though this could be for entirely valid reasons. Maybe they aren't getting something out of it, maybe it's out of some weakness or necessity. God, he really has no idea. Not having enough information to even make a guess is the worst.]

Obfuscation in the name of security, I guess?

[ It's definitely not in books. There are exactly 0 books in the library that focus on the Black Court.

But yes, Bones has a lot of experience treating people, and while he has less experience treating vampires, he's got it down to an art. He starts injecting and counts the seconds in his head, having no trouble with that. ]

Got it in one, kid. They're the Nameless Court for a reason.

[ He shrugs, removing the syringe once it's well and empty. Their patient continues to sleep, nonethewiser. They should start to look a bit better soon, at least. ]

I dunno if it's security or what, but nobody outside their court knows how their stuff works. And that's by design, considerin' most of their powers have a 50/50 chance of killin' you. 50%'s probably generous.

[Hmmmm, a whole lot of questions and zero answers. Even worse, zero answers and no clear way to fix that problem. How aggravating.]

Is the reason why their powers are so deadly something they keep to themselves, too?

[His tone is very dry when he asks that. He also gestures down at the sleeping patient.]

What dd you inject them with?

[ Bones chuckles. He likes the cut of Yuri's jib. ]

You know it. Though it might be one of those Council secrets, or something from back when the Founders set this all up, who can say.

[ The History of the Black Court is what one might call heavily redacted. But Bones looks back at their patient, now snoozing quietly. ]

Deeper sedative. Well, it should cure 'em, actually. Takes a while, though. And it might not take, so we gotta monitor this guy for another ten minutes or so.

Tche.

[Guess if he really wants to know why all this Court crap is the way it is, he's going to have to go back that far. Then again, knowing what he knows now, he wouldn't be surprised if any literature on the Founders either didn't exist or was just as redacted.]

How'll you be able to tell if it doesn't work? The screaming'll start up again?

[ Bones nods. Yep, he agrees. Very much. Good luck finding any books on them because there aren't any. But that'll be something for him to discover! ]

Pretty much. He'll start twitchin' a bit, that'll be the warning. But it usually works -- we've been at this a while.

[ He is so tired, but he will keep working. He's a doctor to the core. ]

[Twitching, huh? Like a bug that's half dead?

............. He isn't saying that thought out loud.]

How long's 'a while'?

[ He's undead, so a little twitching is probably a bad sign! It's fine. ]

Since the curse started, so... three weeks, maybe? Revar can heal with a touch, but ain't all centuries old with that much healing power, so us youngbloods gotta learn to make due. Took us a few days to nail down the right mix of things, but we've got a pretty good setup at this point.

[Hmmm.]

So you've been working that long? I didn't know vampires could go that long without breaks.

Oh, hell no, I ain't been awake for three weeks. I'd be in the ground. Revar's probably the one who can do that. I clock out at about 5-6 days, then I gotta sleep for a full 24 hours.

[ Alas, he's on the younger side... ]

The curse's been going for about that long, though. Knowing Revar, they really haven't slept in that long. I'll have to check on 'em later and make sure they ain't working themselves half to death.

[He figured that wasn't the case. Of course, he wonders whether Bones is approaching those 5-6 days....

And he senses an opportunity!]

If you wanna check on them now and take a break yourself, I can watch them. [He waves his free hand at the sleeping patient.] And anyone else who needs monitoring. I'll get you if there's any changes.

[There's a slight pause before he adds:] For extra credit, obviously.

[There's no reason not to take the chance to improve his grade, and he figures a quid pro quo makes the offer more reasonable for Bones. A first season with their grade on the line would probably look a little more reliable than a first season offering purely out of the kindness of their heart.]

[ He's definitely totally fine, everything is fine. He has the steadiest hands in the castle. ]

It's just ten minutes.

[ He eyes Yuri with care. The kid wants extra credit, huh? Alright. Bones is nothing if not a fan of hard work. ]

But I can go run a quick check, make sure nobody's killed anybody while I've been over here. You keep an eye on this guy in the meantime -- like I said, if he starts twitchin', gimme a holler.

[Why pass up an obvious opportunity to get a little infirmary experience, and do better in class? And gives Bones a breather, though that's the kind of thing a kind person would do so he's pointedly ignoring that bit.

He nods slightly. Those are some easy instructions so he isn't concerned about screwing up.]

Alright, I can do that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

january tdm/event post

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