Valvatorez (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
arcadianvampire) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
daybreakacademy2019-09-29 02:20 pm
arcadianvampire) wrote in daybreakacademy2019-09-29 02:20 pm
A Heavy Burden, A Heavy Subject (2 days after the Lunar Harvest)
Class Time
[Following the immediate aftermath of the night of the Hunt, Valvatorez knew there would be... questions. A great many questions. There wasn't much time to rest, and after the first day of introduction had been completed, the second day of class would be used to make a statement about the Lunar Harvest. He anticipated this would not be an easy class, but he stood ready to teach it.
Fortunately, a couple of days was enough time for Valvatorez to pull himself together and look like his usual self.]
All right, class. I understand there is still considerable tension in the wake of what happened a couple of nights ago. I shall now endeavor to explain what it was, who caused it, what effects it had on people, and what can be done in the future. Rest assured, the danger is passed, and we are back to operating as normal. Further steps are being discussed to prevent this unprecedented incident from occurring again.
The Lunar Harvest is a phenomena of Fae origin, led by a powerful fae-creature called the Lord of the Hunt. ...Some of you may have witnessed him. A vicious looking humanoid with one glowing eye, a horned antler helmet, clad in bloodied furs and hides, riding a dark shade of a horse. His "Call" is an extremely potent mind-affecting magic that appeals directly to one's instinctual self; and it can have many varying levels of effect on any sentient being, living or dead. It calls those to whom it reaches to throw themselves into their baser, wilder nature that is often predatory. Sometimes it fails, and inspires the fear of being a prey animal in others. Other times, it just simply gives an individual a feeling of foreboding, and looming dread.
It can cause massive shifts in personalities and world views. Even the most durable of individuals can find this particular fae-charm difficult to resist, to the point that wards against it have to be specifically designed.
You may be asking then, why was the campus not warded against it?
Simply put, the Lunar Harvest has never been this overt. Usually, as many Hunters will tell you, it strikes in rural areas, away from the eye of most individuals. Stories of this great hunt are usually made into local legends, usually expanding no further than villages, or perhaps a small towns. This is the first time that we are aware of that such an event struck this close to larger population centers. To call this a more high profile escalation of the event is perhaps understating just how unprecedented it is. Going forward, you can expect Daybreak's security to be even further bolstered. The staff will be meeting about it with proposals very soon, and action will be taken following that.
We have not yet discovered what emboldened the Lord of the Hunt to be this aggressive. There are only theories and conjecture at this time. But I do not believe any of you here are stupid; and I believe the obvious hypothesis is the one closest to the truth. Knowing that, it will be all the more imperative that the material in this class be digested and internalized.
As such, I will be adding malicious fae to the list of things we will be studying here. Lessons will likely be accelerated in their intensity from here on. I will be handing out updated syllabi for the new course load on Monday. For now, follow what I handed out, and given this class will get more intense, I encourage all of you to make use of office hours if you need them. Additionally, I will be providing more in-depth study guides to help you along. I understand I already push the lot of you a great deal... so I do not believe it to be fair to put more pressure on you without also trying to alleviate the worst of it.
Do not slack off, however. Study guides will only help you if you put in the time to make good use of them. They will not give you all the answers. Make sure you follow through and put in the effort.
[Valvatorez will then spend the rest of the period discussing the specifics of the Lunar Harvest, and will open the floor to questions afterward.]
Office Hours
[As usual, Valvatorez's office is open for people to visit him after class. The hours seem to have been expanded too, allowing for more time. However, what's different this time is that Valvatorez's office is decidedly much more bare than normal. A replacement temporary desk, chairs, and bookcases are in his room, and his beloved fish tank has one of its panels completely removed. The tank is empty and lifeless. Most of the bookcases are currently empty, but some of the most essential works still remain. It actually looks... lifeless, compared to Valvatorez's normally extra looking abode. The one thing that still appears normal, though... is that singing bass, still hanging on the wall as if nothing happened.]
Network Post, Locked to Faculty
Once matters surrounding upgrading Daybreak's security are settled, I propose a night out. Or in. The lot of us need more teambuilding after what happened.
[Read: We all need to get together, have a good time, and optionally get drunk.]
[Following the immediate aftermath of the night of the Hunt, Valvatorez knew there would be... questions. A great many questions. There wasn't much time to rest, and after the first day of introduction had been completed, the second day of class would be used to make a statement about the Lunar Harvest. He anticipated this would not be an easy class, but he stood ready to teach it.
Fortunately, a couple of days was enough time for Valvatorez to pull himself together and look like his usual self.]
All right, class. I understand there is still considerable tension in the wake of what happened a couple of nights ago. I shall now endeavor to explain what it was, who caused it, what effects it had on people, and what can be done in the future. Rest assured, the danger is passed, and we are back to operating as normal. Further steps are being discussed to prevent this unprecedented incident from occurring again.
The Lunar Harvest is a phenomena of Fae origin, led by a powerful fae-creature called the Lord of the Hunt. ...Some of you may have witnessed him. A vicious looking humanoid with one glowing eye, a horned antler helmet, clad in bloodied furs and hides, riding a dark shade of a horse. His "Call" is an extremely potent mind-affecting magic that appeals directly to one's instinctual self; and it can have many varying levels of effect on any sentient being, living or dead. It calls those to whom it reaches to throw themselves into their baser, wilder nature that is often predatory. Sometimes it fails, and inspires the fear of being a prey animal in others. Other times, it just simply gives an individual a feeling of foreboding, and looming dread.
It can cause massive shifts in personalities and world views. Even the most durable of individuals can find this particular fae-charm difficult to resist, to the point that wards against it have to be specifically designed.
You may be asking then, why was the campus not warded against it?
Simply put, the Lunar Harvest has never been this overt. Usually, as many Hunters will tell you, it strikes in rural areas, away from the eye of most individuals. Stories of this great hunt are usually made into local legends, usually expanding no further than villages, or perhaps a small towns. This is the first time that we are aware of that such an event struck this close to larger population centers. To call this a more high profile escalation of the event is perhaps understating just how unprecedented it is. Going forward, you can expect Daybreak's security to be even further bolstered. The staff will be meeting about it with proposals very soon, and action will be taken following that.
We have not yet discovered what emboldened the Lord of the Hunt to be this aggressive. There are only theories and conjecture at this time. But I do not believe any of you here are stupid; and I believe the obvious hypothesis is the one closest to the truth. Knowing that, it will be all the more imperative that the material in this class be digested and internalized.
As such, I will be adding malicious fae to the list of things we will be studying here. Lessons will likely be accelerated in their intensity from here on. I will be handing out updated syllabi for the new course load on Monday. For now, follow what I handed out, and given this class will get more intense, I encourage all of you to make use of office hours if you need them. Additionally, I will be providing more in-depth study guides to help you along. I understand I already push the lot of you a great deal... so I do not believe it to be fair to put more pressure on you without also trying to alleviate the worst of it.
Do not slack off, however. Study guides will only help you if you put in the time to make good use of them. They will not give you all the answers. Make sure you follow through and put in the effort.
[Valvatorez will then spend the rest of the period discussing the specifics of the Lunar Harvest, and will open the floor to questions afterward.]
Office Hours
[As usual, Valvatorez's office is open for people to visit him after class. The hours seem to have been expanded too, allowing for more time. However, what's different this time is that Valvatorez's office is decidedly much more bare than normal. A replacement temporary desk, chairs, and bookcases are in his room, and his beloved fish tank has one of its panels completely removed. The tank is empty and lifeless. Most of the bookcases are currently empty, but some of the most essential works still remain. It actually looks... lifeless, compared to Valvatorez's normally extra looking abode. The one thing that still appears normal, though... is that singing bass, still hanging on the wall as if nothing happened.]
Network Post, Locked to Faculty
Once matters surrounding upgrading Daybreak's security are settled, I propose a night out. Or in. The lot of us need more teambuilding after what happened.
[Read: We all need to get together, have a good time, and optionally get drunk.]
class
knowledge is power, but what do you choose to do with it? ]
Yo, teach. [ as the other students begin dispersing, leo walks up to him with a raised hand. ] Pardon the bluntness but... you're not a human either, right?
no subject
That's quite correct, Mr. Leonardo. I am both a daemon and a vampire. ...And no, I'm not a daemon turned into a vampire, or anything like that. I'm literally a vampire daemon and was born that way.
no subject
I mean... I'm just a young dude who knows basically nothing about my fey heritage so... I don't want to sound out of line. You've um. You're a vampire daemon too. [ he waves his hands repeatedly in frustration to get the words out. ]
But how do you deal with it? It freaking sucks to have the norm of your species be "Do Not Trust, Keep Away".
no subject
This one. This wasn't a new one to hear. Not after 400 years. But it was never a simple question to answer, because the experience every individual who ever asked it always was different. So all he could do was answer honestly to his experience.
Once the room has been cleared out, he waves his hand, and the door to the classroom closes, giving them privacy while they speak.]
I will be frank with you.
There is no simple answer to that, especially from someone like me. In my case, humanity had a very good reason to go straight to "Do Not Trust, Keep Away," and I spent the better part of two thousand years reinforcing it myself. I have had to own my reputation since then. I do not run from it, and embrace it as part of who I am. It took hundreds of years of work for me to finally earn enough trust to do what I do now.
But in the every day interaction? The looks I get from new students and faculty based on how I look, what I am?
For me? It is easy to accept. I am a daemon. And instilling fear was something I did for most of my life. When I see people being afraid or cautious of me when they first see me? It simply does not bother me. That means their instincts serve them well, and that I can still be an intimidating force without trying all that hard. I derive pride from that, because I am a daemon.
That said, those people do not know who I really am, either. And if they choose to reach out and see, I do not particularly keep anyone out. They will see who I am through my actions and deeds, and the work I put in. They can either choose to accept me as a proud, noble daemon, or they can continue to live in fear. To me, it does not matter what they choose. I stand to gain either a comrade or acquaintance, or I know those who let themselves be governed by fear or ignorance.
...But that is the experience of a daemon. I imagine our worldviews and experiences are vastly different. What have you felt, experienced, that has made you feel isolated?
no subject
I don't even know if I can say I have the experience of either a fey or human, to be honest. So it's... I can't feel fully welcome with either. But I don't know, I am a turtle-ish thing, so... do I need to have a few centuries to figure myself out too? Except, I can't, the world's ending soon.
[ it comes out in a hiss, but leo's voice goes solemn as he goes on. ]
I spend the first sixteen years of my life underground, irregularly running from Hunters, in a human city that my own turned Dad chooses not to return to, because of us, his adoptive kids. I've always thought about how he must miss it; what life would be like if he'd never gotten involved with Outlands things. Or if we were just "normal". I've thought about being human more often, since that's what I grew up surrounded by. And what if he didn't take us: A master I was supposed to have? Maybe that would've been better given the current situation, I don't even know. I at least would've had someone straight-up tell me what I was meant to do instead of just "survive". --Though I probably wouldn't have listened, if teenage rebellion's common in all species.
When I got sent here, it didn't feel real. It still doesn't. Most people will glance then look away. Some actually extend a warm greeting. But it's weird, so I don't stay. I get to sleep knowing I'll be able to eat tomorrow. I wake up at my own time instead of shaken that someone's almost found us. But I'm just wasting most everyone's space and time, and I'm not saying that for pity, since I'm kinda doing it on purpose. Fey have unpredictable powers and are "naturally chaotic", so what's the point of pretending I'm not?
It's not like you choose to do things to be appreciated, but... maybe I don't want to save the world, because I don't know if I belong here or anywhere. My family was enough, but we couldn't even just exist and be left alone.
no subject
I can assure you, teenage rebellion is a universal constant.
[The smile fades after making that comment, returning to a more serious, albeit passive, neutral look.]
Perhaps it is obvious to state, but you have lived quite a hard life. Made worse by none of it being fault of your own. And truthfully, I cannot blame you for considering not wanting to save the world, when the status quo has seen you persecuted unfairly and unjustly. I do not believe feeling that way is wrong; in fact, I find it actually quite sympathetic. "Why risk your neck for a world that would sooner see you dead or marginalized" is a good question to ask yourself. What good will it do if by stopping the apocalypse, you and your family are simply driven aground again? What if that happens and nothing changes or gets better?
Frankly, Leonardo, you do not owe anyone anything. You do not have to be a hero or a savior, nor are you obligated to try to stop the Nightfall from happening. Especially in light of everything that's happened to you. A perpetual outcast, neither truly mundane nor fully supernatural.
[Valvatorez shrugs his shoulders lightly, before leaning against the lectern he spoke at during class.]
But there is one thing that you said that bothers me. Something I feel like is important that you are looking at the wrong way; and you are far from the only one who ponders it.
It's that you believe you should be told what you are meant to do in life. That you would prefer it if you were given a path to follow, as if that were your purpose from moment one. Believe it or not, I hear that one a lot. But I never believe it to be a good way to live, nor a particularly healthy one. I believe that does nothing but chain one's potential, and limits their ability to truly grow. It might look easier, but it might lead to a dead end all the same.
Leonardo, a young man such as you? Should not be asking other people what your purpose in life is. You should be determining that yourself. Of course, it is never as easy as it sounds... particularly in circumstances like yours. But I am of the opinion that if you do not like the world as it is, do something about it. It does not have to be grand, nor do you have to do it right away. Do it as you see fit, and as you are comfortable with doing. If you do not know where to start, start with something small, and feel it all out. Let the experience guide you where it may, so you can cut your own trail. Embrace yourself, and in so doing, make yourself more than you were. And you do not have to save the world in doing so, if you do not wish to. Determine what or who is important to you, and work toward that.
You need not rush. Even if Nightfall approaches, it will be beaten back. They will not succeed.
[Valvatorez blinks, then shrugs again.]
And if they do, you probably won't be worrying much about it anyway.
[A little bit of dark humor there, but... he's a daemon, what do you want?]