#like I have friends who are into dark things and friends who are into VTM and the circles don't really Venn Diagram

[arctic-hands]

Great now I gotta get friends in order to start a game of VTM

[odoroshi-rider]

For the VTM ask game how about 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 48?

(art by @ollieanderr)

1. What clan is your OC? Tremere! He's not happy about it!

4. What generation are they? 9th!

5. Who is their sire? A Tremere infernalist that went by the pseudonym "Mahaziel." He never learned the guy's actual name.

7. How did their sire treat them? REALLY REALLY POORLY. Nathaniel was subject to all sorts of infernal fuckery, and came out of the experience with a mastery of the Path of Pain and a supernatural addiction to self-mutilation that will never go away.

9. Do they have a childer? Yes! His name is Dorian, and they hate each other. Rightfully so. Dorian was one of the aforementioned "Hermetics Embraced to inflict shared misery," and you can imagine what that means about how they feel about one another.

48. Detail things about your OC you spent a lot of time on! OH BOY. Lots. I went digging through a lot of oooooold books in order to fully flesh out Nathaniel's kit (His big secret that was revealed dramatically in the game he NPCed in was that he is a master of the dark Thaumaturgical Path of Pain, with mechanics pulled from the Sins of the Blood book from 1st ed. The scan of that thang is TERRIBLE). I also spent a lot of time using him as a rumination on what it means for a Mage to be embraced, and the depths of desperation and self-loathing that can drive someone to--as well as what it would take for someone like that to either redeem themselves, or burn the fuck out in a nihilistic blaze of glory. He ended up going the former route, which is funny because from the BEGINNING he was slated to die terribly (and possibly be a boss fight), but my players were determined to help him out.

(art by @ollieanderr)

1. What clan is your OC? Tzimisce and loving it

4. What generation are they? 9th! I think I have a bias...

5. Who is their sire? Ars Versum, a Tzimisce elder that went the controversial route of mastering Koldunic Sorcery, and then pursuing mastery of Vicissitude. He had a love of music and a strong desire for a family to call his own.

7. How did their sire treat them? Like more than a Childe, but as his actual child. Ars Versum was very much like a father to Ars Caelum, and despite knowing now that Ars Versum did many terrible things, they will never be able to hate him.

9. Do they have a childer? Nope!

48. Detail things about your OC you spent a lot of time on! Caelum was also an NPC that got elevated to blorbo status, via a completely unexpected turn of events in the VtM game I ran that saw them being rescued by the coterie and rehabilitated. I spent a lot of time ruminating on Caelum's themes of need for familial love and struggle with grief and forgiveness, and essentially where they would go forward from a point where I honestly expected them to die. Their beloved sire was a boss fight for the coterie, after all! And the end of a very long and bloody story arc that gave the coterie little other choice. They're a deeply human person shaped first by the love of a very inhuman sire, and then by the love of an unlikely partner and friends--and a lot of their side-story dealt with how they processed their grief and moved on to learn to love their new family. Shoutout to @ollieanderr and his determination to hook up with that freaky fish enby and accidentally create one of the most beautiful NPC side-stories I've ever STed for. Asa/Caelum will reign eternal.

[crownedinmarigolds]

Welcome to my art/hobby/fandom/etc blog! My name is Kelsey, CrownedinMarigolds on Tumblr, and I've been on this website since 2012? Yep I'm an ancient being. If you're interested in supporting me or giving me a little tip for doin' what I do, here is my KO-FI! Zero pressure of course. My Bluesky if you're interested! My Art Instagram if you're interested!

My favorite subjects to draw are primarily OC based, and the sandbox I play in is usually Vampire the Masquerade/World of Darkness! But of course I love all manner of TTRPG. While I have things I like consistently, I will reblog and talk about all kinds of different things that may be out of left field! This is my mish-mash blog, just be warned! I'd also like to shout out my true love, my muse, my baby-daddy: @thesixthplaneteer. He's a very talented writer and a lot of my work and his work are intrinsically tied together! Most of my OCs are drawn with his and his work provides some context for all the fun things I draw for us!

My art commissions are: closed for the holidays!

My quick-sketch commissions are closed!

If you're interested in commissioning me, please see my commission information here! Here are examples of my work//my art tag in case you'd like to get a feel of my art style before making a decision. I love a messy and painterly style so please understand that before reaching out! I am open to art trades!

Here is how I usually schedule my time when I'm working on commissions, in case you were interested! (Tag guide, Chronicle Info, OC Directory beneath the cut!)

Tag Guide (If you want to block or what have ya!) :

I self reblog often, so it is under the self reblog! tag.

I often reblog others' commission post under commission boost

I post personal little dribbles about my life under personal

~

Information on my various Vampire the Masquerade stories/Chronicles:

The Poisoned Peach: ATL by Night - my actual VTM game I'm playing with my husband. It follows Khloe Osborne, a fresh Thinblood trying to navigate the vampire world without really knowing anything. She has a coterie and the Camarilla currently runs Atlanta, Georgia... but for how long?

Wilted Roses - The overarching full canon to the plot of our World of Darkness. This is a mixed bag of information and stories that aren't necessarily in a Chronicle but flavor the world! Nyth and Noa are probably the stars of this overall story.

~

My OCs:

Noa Hidalgo-Giovanni - my main OC, my Giovanni/Hecata necromancer! I will probably draw her across multiple AUs/fandoms so don't be surprised to see her.

Khloe Osborne - my current VTM/V5 PC in my husband's chronicle, The Poisoned Peach, ATL by Night! She is a Ventrue Thinblood, in a coterie with three other Thinbloods as they try to stop the Atlanta Camarilla from enslaving the local Thinblood populace! I also like to put her in Baldur's Gate 3 art too.

Parvati - another favorite character of mine. She was originally my first real Pathfinder PC that I played for a long time. I also started writing a book about her titled Crowned in Marigolds, sort of based on the Pathfinder world she had been placed in. She is now my Vampire the Masquerade Ravnos Elder who is in the Ministry/Followers of Set!

thesixthplaneteer's OCs (the OCs I treat like mine but are actually not!)

Dr. Nythanel Loken PhD- Elder Thinblood, the Thriceborn! The big favorite and Noa's other half. Cute and full of the audacity!

Ralph - The perfect man - a Thinblood that got cursed with the Nosferatu bane (lite). He's Khloe's boyfriend in my current Chronicle. Former Spec Ops but Embraced out of spite because he was hot. (Did NOT go well for the sire!)

Stakebait Coterie - The group Ralph and Khloe are a part of which also includes Christian and Kyle! The four best friends that anyone could have!!

[reikiajakoiranruohoja]

W5: Why do I think it is bad

When W20 (Werewolf the Apocalypse 20th anniversary edition) came out, it was a joyous occasion for multiple reasons. First, it was the first proper book released for the game in 10 years. Second, it was proof that the old game still had fans who were willing to try a new edition.

And third; W20 was about hope.

From its beginning comic about rising up to fight despite the odds to the way the book offered chances to play the lost tribes, to the way the supplements followed suit in offering more options and interesting ideas to use, W20 was about going on despite the odds.

This is not the feeling one gets reading Werewolf the Apocalypse 5th edition. Despite being a reboot, the book spends pages guilt-tripping players about playing garou. There is little hope, because being a garou sucks and most importantly; The fight for Gaia might not even be real.

Now, I am not one to say no to Alternative Universes, I enjoy the concept a lot. But W5 is still a game and so needs more than a rant about how badly the garou screwed up, it needs gameplay. And the gameplay W5 offers is sitting in your caern defending your turf while the world around you burns and if you dare to take action? You might become mad and become a fascist.

I need to remind you all that the core of WtA is the fight against pollution, systematic oppression, your own ancestors and your own Rage. The horror is how impossible the fight seems, how easily you can turn on your friends and how tempting an easy way out is.

The horror in W5 is how bad your ancestors were and how terrible it is to be a garou.

Personal Horror has always been the wheelhouse of Vampire the Masquerade, as being a vampire forces you to create justifications for your actions. Werewolf is titled Feral Horror for a reason, the horror is more external than internal. Yet W5 tries to make it internal like in VtM, leaving behind all the environmental horror. Indeed, W5 is written quite clearly with purely urban characters in mind with very little focus on nature.

Anyone who is familiar with NWoD/Chronicle of Darkness should by now notice that this sounds quite a bit like Werewolf the Forsaken. This is because W5 has taken a lot from Forsaken, but without truly understanding the way these parts make Forsaken what it is.

But all of this is, as we say in the community, fluff. What about the mechanics? Surely they are at least fun?

The way Rage works in W5 is extremely punishing because Rage has its own dice that replace normal dice the more you have. If you fail with these dice, your character will destroy something. At best. Worse is that any Rage above the hilariously small maximum of 5 gives your character willpower damage. The kicker is that you cannot choose to use Rage Dice when you want to, nor can you control their use. It is all or nothing.

Rage in the previous editions of WtA was a power versus control trap. You could do amazing things with your Rage, but the more you had the easier it was to lose control and the harder it was to deal with humans. What made Rage such a clever trap, was that gaining more was often based on player action. Those seeking a fast way to power would end up being creatures with very little to no self-control.

Rage Dice are not that, they make the life of a PC hard no matter what they do and at times punish players by taking actions as werewolves.

Another mechanic that punishes and in fact has some really unfortunate implications attached to it is Hauglosk. Stated to be the opposite of Harano, Hauglosk is in reality a way for the ST to punish any player who plays in a way that the ST does not approve. Worse, Hauglosk is at one point stated to be equal to fascism.

On the fluff side, Hauglosk also serves as a way to limit what the PCs can do as the book helpfully notes it manifests in the form of absolute certainty to your cause and the want to act NOW. Since we are on Tumblr here, I should not have to note how baffling that is in a game about activism.

The way Hauglosk is written is most likely to justify the removal of a tribe from the playable roster. The Get of Fenris might have had their issues, but W5's cult of Fenris is said to be utterly lost to Hauglosk. By wanting to keep fighting the Wyrm with certainty. The sheer vitriol this book has for the Get of Fenris is to the point where some tribes do worse things than they do but are still playable. Worse, by the book itself, you can redeem a Black Spiral Dancer but not a Cult of Fenris member.

Let me repeat that; You can redeem a rapist torturer who willingly pollutes and eats humans but you CANNOT redeem a person fighting on the same side as you who is a bit more fanatic about the cause.

This push to make the tribe into essentially fascists didn't come from an edgelord writer. It came from the Brand Manager who pushed for it very hard, while doing their damnedest to take away feminism from the Black Furies and ignored suggestions from Indigenous writer about the Native American tribes. Sadly, because this person still IS the Brand Manager, Furies are no longer women-only and no tribe has ties to any human culture.

(Also, just to be clear; Paradox denied the Onyx Path developers any name changes to the Native American tribes and the only reason their names were changed in W5 is thanks to the aforementioned Indigenous writer fighting for the changes tooth and nail.)

These are only a few things that make W5 a mess, but I hope I shed some light on the issue.

[cynical-tuba]

VTM Dark Ages mini session, Leo asked Edmund his Sire how he himself would be able to pay for a woman's education while keeping her out of Cainite business. Leo this is the year 1349 but Kine aren't that advanced for women's rights. Damn ok dad I'll give it some thought.

I tried to keep this short but I want to explain the set up of a morally questionable old man and a stoat tailed Caitiff

Then Bishop Lasombra Michel was like come on Emir let's go to Cowley. Emir invites Leo without mentioning he's bringing the Lasombra without a creepy bone in his body. Surprise Leo. But he said he'd meet us there.

The pair arrive at the cathedral to see Saffiyah, Emirs adopted Gangrel daughter, and a Leo's sister figure, covered in blood, half transformed from killing *dozens* of inquisition members. She's broken, this didn't feel right. Emir comforts her in light of her killings. Michel steps out of the Cathedral very serenely and leads Emir and Leo inside.

There are more bodies in here of all men whose robes were once white stained in blood. The three come across tapestries. A Nosferatu is being defeated by a man. A Lupine has had it's head torn off, St George stabbing a dragon, and lastly a woman bound being burned at the stake. Emir sees these people as reminders of his guilt. The figures in the fabric crawl out at him, staring, trying to break out of the threads.

The three continue onwards behind a door where they encounter a holy man. Leo who has Aura perception active, sees the halo around him, he's awestruck by this and isn't sure how to react as the man lunges at Emir slicing his throat. Michel's shadowy tendrils envelope him, burning as they restrain him. The tentacles trigger Leo's Derangement phobia of the dark and he fear frenzies out of the church.

Emir grabs the man, fueled by Anger and Brutal ecstasy he uses cobble to road to drain the man's courage as he's crushed to death and shredded by the abyssal tendrils.

Leo meanwhile stops his frenzy as he hits the cold air. He has realized he has grown a stoat tail. He keeps this hidden under his robes and long winter cloak. (Home brew rule as Leo as a result of a double embrace with Edmund the Ventrue and Tertius the Gangrel he has a lesser degree of both clans flaws. For Leo the animal feature he gets in frenzy is random)

There stands a concerned Saffiyah and her friend Wei Tian the Watcher Salubri who came just in time to the scene. Emir and Michel come out. The five of them descend back in walking over piles of bodies, and enter a basement where they had kept tortured Super natural people. The Cainites are staked.

Among them is Hilda, a Nosferatu librarian of Oxford. Leo tries to pick her up, and due to a botch in the dice pool of 1... He sways and his tail is shown to the room... He's supposed to be posing as a Ventrue. Now the elder Lasombra has seen his tail that's it.

Most people in the room are concerned with getting Hilda back to town. This would be a horrible place for her to wake up in. Saffiyah, the strongest, carries her. Michel tries to get Saffiyah to stay with him. but he's more useful to carry Hilda. Also she doesn't want to, there's some complicated backstory dynamics I'm breezing over but he's controlling of her. Michel wants them to bring the stakes Nosferatu to his haven.

But Leo volunteers to stay with Michel in her place, assuring Emir he will see him later.

Michel and Leo begin to walk around the cathedral and it's depths for any hiding survivors or artefacts. Michel asks Leo what power he could have. Leo, teetering on the line of survival mode/appropriate/ Sincere says Flute. He was never good with wood wind instruments after all. Michel finds that to be a bit silly, digs deeper. Leo says flying could be fun,

Michel suggests Vissistude, like Kresimir the Tzimisce.

--------

Michel: if you could learn any skill you wouldn't learn what Kresimir could do with his hands?

Leo: the flesh crafting? Oh and the other thing he does.

Michel: oh no what is that

Leo:... The puzzle boxes?

Michel: *sigh*

-----

And Michel begins to asks Leo about the tail. What is it? Why does he have it? Interesting like a Gangrel feature Leo doesn't know what he's talking about. It's an accessory. (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠) He says as the tail nervously twitches. He tries to play stupid. This leads to this line of player dialogue

Me: he's going to yeet me into the abyss... I'm so dead.

@spell-fox : ಡ⁠ ͜⁠ ⁠ʖ⁠ ⁠ಡ

Me: wait. Wait no he's... OH HO HO YAAAAS

Michel is direct and wraps a shadow tentacle around his stoat tail. It feels soothing. Leo pulls it away, annoyed. (What a game) Michel gets closer, explaining the legend of Caitiff. The clanless. Have you heard of them Leo? No. They are said to be able to learn any skill with ease and foretell Gehenna. Anyone who believes in that legend would surely kill one. One should be careful. The two don't find any artefacts but we're sure found out about this old man. Before they parted here's another banger quote:

Michel: what an excellent horse

Leo: do you need assistance returning?

Michel: I have my ways. I could give you a ride Leo. (Ominus abyss implications)

Leo: no, I'm alright. I have rosemary. She's spiky. She bites if you stroke her the wrong way.

Michel: That's good, you don't want a pet that's too compliant you want a pet that fights back (◡⁠‿◡)

Why are Lasombra like this.

Meanwhile Emir takes Hilda to the library, a third faction in Oxford, Hilda's faction. They remove the stake and feed her. She has no idea what she's missed in the last year. Change in government, Horsa the previous baron is dead. Wei tian will fill her in. Emir takes his rat, his soul mate who originally was bonded to Hilda and returns her to her Nosferatu mom now they could be reunited. It made the entire room of players emotional.

Emir and Leo met up, discussed what happened and Emir admitted to draining their adversary of courage before he met his god. This disturbed Leo.

Leo went home showed his stoat tail to his (still) ghoul husband Godwin who pet it until he fell back asleep.

Emir and Tertius had a chat about the events. Leo has a cute tail and you missed it Tertius moods follow the moon. He has a new derangement because of killing Emirs sire of course.

Oh my god there's probably a million spelling and grammar errors I'll fix it later my stomach hurts

[ryttu3k]

so I have had a thought, and I wanted to ask someone who knows more about VtM then me about it. So, we know from V5's letter in the core book that Mina is Embraced, and has a childe, alex. do you think the rest of the polycule was embraced too? is lucy still about? I would like to invite you to imagine Mina bullying Dracula into embracing the polycule, and then imagine you're playing a VtM game and it turns out the new tzimice who moved in to the edge of town are the Harker extended Family. :P

Ooh, good question. The VtM canon explanation is that Dracula told his story to Bram Stoker (who then sent him a signed first edition, which he still owns as of the early 21st century), and Mina is his childe, a sixth generation Tzimisce. Lucy is listed in the wiki as a now-deceased childe as well, and Renfield as a favourite ghoul.

Assuming we're following the canon of Dracula, we can assume that Renfield genuinely was ghouled, was possibly going through the effects of withdrawal from the blood bond, and fought against the bond to protect Mina, leading to his domitor killing him.

For Lucy, Dracula probably was feeding on her regularly, steadily weakening her, potentially using a blood bond / Dominate to mess with her. Since she died in front of witnesses, obviously he couldn't have drained her completely then given her vitae, so I'm wondering if she was actually... not actually dead but very close to it, and after she was entombed, he returned and Embraced her properly. She can't deal with her Beast and starts hunting kids. Then, as per the novel, ultimately killed by the other characters.

For Mina, it's a bit more complicated. The V5 letter implies that she was only ghouled/blood bound and not actually Embraced over the course of the story. She has Quincey after it's all over, and it must only be after he's born that she's actually Embraced, since apparently whatever Dracula did to her was like, some sort of genetic illness, and Alex is both her childe and her great-great-grandchild, whom she Embraced to save their life.

So when on Earth does she actually get Embraced? The most logical assumption is that Dracula survives the events of the novel, tracks her down later, and Embraces her as per VtM canon rules. Dracula then selectively tells parts of the story to Stoker, and Stoker embellishes further, creating a more satisfying narrative - one where the titular character dies (in VtM canon, it's also possible Stoker met Mina as well, and simply liked her better, deciding to make her the protagonist and the one who ultimately triumphs).

With that in mind, you can go by pretty much any explanation or even characterisation you want, with the idea that Stoker changed things up to make a better story. Mina gets Embraced and watches Jonathan and her friends die. Mina gets Embraced, loses herself to the Beast, and Embraces her loved ones herself before coming back to herself. Mina gets Embraced, and Jonathan begs her to Embrace him too, so she won't have to go into that dark night alone (or else approaches Dracula and demands he Embrace him too). Since the canon is so inconsistent, really, you can do whatever works for whatever story you're trying to tell.

[storyowls]

Isidora Pires

A writing gift I did for Tun @rheethecharr where I created a VtM Gangrel for her! Introducing Isidora Pires, with mentions of her Lasombra friend (who will get her own stories later).

Note, like all games in the World of Darkness setting, VtM is strictly 18+. And, like all kindred, Isidora is a monster. Do not expect her to be a good, kind person.

Gráinne Mhaol, Queen Of Pirates – Miracle of Sound

Isidora Pires is an imposing woman. Tall, bulky, and owns a voice that carries hard and gets attention fast. The type of person one wants to be friends with, but you still feel weary of in some way.

Oh, how odd kine can be.

Other kindred however? They count on her for many things. Underground, shady things. Get your car in working order, make you a mini-tank, make your gun kick ass things. Be your muscle if so needed.

A lot of them often wondered how she became the biggest ally for their best driver, Dionísia. The two of them came into town years ago, with the Gangrel loudly laughing and the Lasombra carrying the head of a clan mate.

They all learned quickly not to ask questions about their past. Oh, but they wanted to know. Everybody did.

But, as she is with everything else, Isidora’s imposing nature keeps question askers at bay.

After getting Dionísia’s makeup done for the night, Isidora turned her attention to her other tasks. One does not ask a Lasombra for help and then laze about; she’d been whacked one too many times with those damn shadows thank you very much. The first order of business for the night is getting the boss’ favorite car in working order. Not too hard, except for the one thing she asked Dionísia to go get for her.

At least she could get started on it now.

Standing on the mat into her workshop, she removed her boots in order to pull on her coveralls. She may be undead, but there was no reason to let her get too covered in oil. Not now anyway; no use pulling off the hard working gal look where there weren’t other women to swoon over it. Wheeling the toolbox over, she removed the creeper roller from the specially made rack attached to it.

Setting it down, the Gangrel removed several tools, laid down on the roller, and disappeared underneath. It was time to get to work on the old pink Cadillac, remove any problems. And it wouldn’t hurt to give the ol’ girl a much needed check up, eh?

Several hours later, Isidora was waiting on somebody. Most of her work done, she sat on a stool and waited for the person to show up already. Seriously, how long would it take...BAM.

Looking up, she saw Dionísia standing there, box tucked underneath her arm. Hair? Perfect. Makeup? Perfect, on point, she did an amazing job. Attitude? Er...indecipherable. Probably best not to ask. Instead she got up, walking over to take the package from her.

“You’re the best Fracturada! Knowing the others I wouldn’t have gotten this until tomorrow if I was lucky.” She grabbed a pocket knife from her pocket, flipping it open to start removing the tape from the box.

“Yeah, whatever you say Onça,” there was a knowing tone to her voice, a little smugness. The Lasombra knew she was the best driver there, but she didn’t openly admit it. Why should she? Everybody knew, especially the Gangrel.

Though she knew that back when they first met, when they were still alive.

She soon found her prize, holding up the part and grinning. Hard to find, harder to convince somebody to fork it over. However the mere mention of the boss’s name did wonders, like always. It held weight, meaning, a threat if you would. Taking the part, she laid back down on her roller and went underneath.

It took her about five minutes to put the part in and snap it in place.

Rolling out with the broken part that was replaced, she looked up at her friend who was watching. Always watching this one, never needed to ask what she was doing. Though she’d never admit it, Dionísia was pretty well versed in knowing how things ticked. She watched, she asked, and she learned.

And Isidora loved it.

After stripping out of her coverall and putting her shoes back on, she went to the sink to start washing grease off her hands. Her phone pinged, and she turned to the Lasombra who gave her a look before picking it up. Using the attached keyboard to tap in, she looked at the text message and raised an eyebrow.

“You need to hurry up it seems.”

“What’s up?”

“There’s rumors of a fight about to start at the bar, boss wants ya there pronto.”

Oh, this was going to be fun.

Devil’s Dance Floor – Flogging Molly

Isidora was not wrong about this being fun.

As soon as she stepped into the bar, the fight was clearly two seconds away from starting. The two groups heeded her no mind before just lunging at each other. She knew Dionísia was watching from behind her, and she tilted her head in silent communication. Their eyes looked the people over, deciding how hard she could rough house.

Two groups of humans, being stupid, possibly drunk.

Damn, gentle it was.

Without saying a word, the Gangrel motioned to the other bouncers who all leapt in with her. They began to pull them apart, shouting to knock it the hell off. However, one of them decided that he believes in equal rights.

Including punching a woman.

Sadly for him, said woman was Isidora.

It took not even half a second for him to realize how stupid that was as he was just lifted in the air. He could see the wheels in her head turning, deciding what to do about this slight. He could sense that she was stronger than him, and could easily hurt him to the point that he’d have multiple casts.

Instead, she spoke, “Don’t do that again.”

He nodded, and she let him down, releasing his shirt. The fight stopped, much to her dismay, and the other bouncers started chewing the humans out for their stupidity.

However, she nodded to Dionísia who nodded back. The two left the bar, walking back down the street to the shop. There was a few things left to do before the boss arrived for her car.

And they wanted to be presentable.

About an hour later, the door to the shop opened. Looking up, Isidora smirked and tossed the Cadillac’s keys towards it. The person in the doorway caught them, smiling as she stood in the shadows. The boss was happy, very happy.

And that, as always, was what Isidora wanted.

Isidora Pires is an imposing woman. Tall, bulky, and owns a voice that carries hard and gets attention fast. The type of person one wants to be friends with, but you still feel weary of in some way.

And it is in your best interest to feel that way.

[robotslenderman]

Pls do Wendy, cock robin and calebros pls

Wendy:

favorite thing about them Will Jack Sparrow her way through shit. Has poor impulse control. Ballsy. No survival instinct whatsoever. Makes her a blast to write.

least favorite thing about them This doesn't really spotlight until the RS sequel fic (although it does show up in RS), but she puts her own needs above her principles. Even though she did eventually speak up about the Kennels in RS, it took her ten years to get there, and she never once tried to strike out on her own. She's afraid of being lonely, of being on her own, of dramatic change, and in her next fic that's going to show up and test her big time. And she is going to fail that test. She angsts a lot about being a good person but, deep down, she does not want to be. In the City that Never Sleeps she joins the bad guys who murdered someone she knew. Pre-RS she never left the Warren despite the Kennels deeply distressing her, until she had something else lined up. And in the upcoming fic she's close friends with a guy who's done some pretty bad shit and... does nothing, bc she misses him when he's not there.

favorite line I honestly can't be bothered to check. XD

brOTP I love her dynamic with Thomas Arturo. Whenever I start writing them in a scene together they just bounce off each other and have the best banter. I have to cut so much of it out bc it's mostly just blatant self indulgence lmao. Gerard Rafin is a VERY close second. She'd do well as platonic life partners with either of them tbh.

OTP Despite the chemistry she has with quite a few characters there's never been a romantic connection that's really jumped out at me. I mean, I ship her and Thomas romantically too, but only because their platonic chemistry is so great. The romantic aspect takes a backseat and doesn't hold a candle to it.

nOTP I love her and Gerard and I know people ship it like hell but for some reason whenever I consider the possibility of it when writing Wendy just gets super squicked out. I don't even know why.

random headcanon In a daemon AU, she has a ferret as a daemon: absolutely batshit insane, no attention span except when she's hyperfocusing on something that will probably kill her, constantly gets into shit she shouldn't.

unpopular opinion It's not unpopular YET but she's not nearly as ethical as RS paints her to be, and ohhh boy I'm hoping I don't get too much backlash for that in the sequel fic :X

song i associate with them Clubbed to Death -- The Matrix OST

favorite picture of them Alas, there is none.

I was getting deja vu then realised it was because you'd already send CR and Calebros in before and I never finished the draft for that, so here we go:

Cock Robin

favorite thing about them

Disabled Justicar. Badass. VTM isn't exactly known for its equity.

least favorite thing about them

Obsessed with Anarchs. We all need our hobbies I guess.

favorite line

Out of the ones I wrote for him?

"[Calebros] never learned to be a real Nosferatu because he’d never learned to be human."

brOTP

I love him and his baby sister okay

OTP

@orodrethsgeek ships him with her OC Jay, the vampiric equivalent of that black bird that dances for its mate, and I love them

nOTP

Can't think of any.

random headcanon

He's either very flappable or very *un*flappable. No in between.

unpopular opinion

I barely know of any opinions on the guy

song i associate with them

There's a scene I wrote with him and Wendy in the last chapter of the fic and when I was playing it I was listening to this on repeat:

The End -- Hans Zimmer, The Dark Knight Rises OST

favorite picture of them'

Absolutely ADORE this one:

He just happens to be a normal dude whose face is Like That. I love it, I love the cigarette, I love how he looks so thoughtful with a face that can't even make facial expressions, it's so humanising.

Calebros

favorite thing about them

Not a complete dick. It's a low bar but most Kindred have shovels.

least favorite thing about them

Gerard Rafin's right, this guy does think too much and do too little.

favorite line

One I wrote, where Gerard said something in French and Calebros went, "did he tell me to shut up?"

(Yes. He did.)

brOTP

Don't have one.

OTP

Don't have one. Tho I'd be interested to plonk him in a scene with Aisling, I think they'd get along well.

nOTP

Don't have one.

random headcanon

Canon acts as if he turned out fine but the Kennels screwed him up far more than he or anyone around him realises, and is a big part of the reason he's so passive.

unpopular opinion

I find him a bit dull, but I don't think that's a bad thing for him to be as a character. I wouldn't change that about him.

song i associate with them

None in particular.

favorite picture of them

I genuinely find this one funny:

[dapperbasil]

OC Tag Game

Tagged by my lovely @mountainashfae! You know perfectly well I have like nobody to tag so uh just whoever sees this and wants to I guess!

Favorite OC: I’d be lying if I said anyone that’s not Tammy King. My cringe fail girl, the girl who inspired me to start writing again, the girl who might not even be fully a girl but doesn’t quite realize it yet. 

Newest OC: That’d be Thorne, my not so lovely Dark Ages Toreador. Agender and a matching pair with Thalia/Tulio, Rowan’s Lasombra. 

Oldest OC: Oh man uh this is a very complicated story but, its definitely the old OC that Tammy is based off of. Tnami has taken many forms over the years, and she always finds another way to pop back up.

Meanest OC: Verity. She just wanted to live her own life man, but people and things kept getting in her way and one way or another she kinda ended up snapping. Urgathoa liked her though, and having a daughter as a pirate lord is quite the way to protect a temple. Verity doesn’t mind it either, as now people fear her enough to leave her and her followers alone. Or they die an awful death, either works for her!

Softest OC: Lillian, believe it or not. In her original writing and before her sire came along in VTM she was a very gentle and shy young woman. She still would have been, but... Tzimisce embraces aren’t very nice.

Most aloof/standoffish OC: Its Thorne with a steel chair- But really who would blame them after everything they went through. A Lasombra ghoul stolen by a Toreador for embrace and then treated like a pet, while already being a knight would leave many neonates bitter. Really only Thalia/Tulio sees past all of it.

Dumbest (affectionate) OC: Tammy again. Where do I even begin with how absolutely IDIOTIC this childe is. Zacharias really took on a project when he embraced her as a Ventrue, that’s for sure. Too stubborn for her own good and too dumb to realize rushing into danger to protect others is an awful idea. Well, maybe now there’ll be a little less of that...

Smartest OC: Somehow, I have no idea how, its Nophy. The luckiest goblin in all of Irrisen, my Serendipity Shaman somehow is my smartest OC. Though I think having an ancestor guiding her is giving her a bit of a boost here. The kid can’t even speak common without him.

Horniest OC: None of them can really count here except Tammy but Daiana canonically has like 3 kids and I love my daughter and any excuse to talk about her so lets go with her.

OC you'd be best friends with irl: I think most of my OCs would hunt me for sport, but maybe Rhitani. Though she’s definitely got her hands full keeping Winter’s brawler girl Sifa out of trouble so it’d probably be one of those see them once every few months friendships.

[turnipartt]

Session Highlights (?) | Session 21 | Bury a friend

In which Marlo royally fucks up and we’re all reminded that it is in fact a dark, emotional campaign we’re playing.

The only fun things that happened:

Basalt weaponizes all cats around Iskandars estate, promising the one that catches the most rats a can of tuna (our enemy tscimizce is using rats to spy on us)

For the second night Marlo wakes up to Sasha (Yasmin’s ex who’s staying at Islandars place as well) in lingerie, trying to seduce him (which doesn’t work because he really isn’t into girls…) it quickly turns out she’s actually the tscimizce trying to kill him as part of the hunting game (Marlo gets exactly 1 dice to roll for brawl so he settles for making a ton of noise and escaping instead)

The not so fun part:

Marlo takes on the leadership role for the rest of the evening, Iskandars still down from a fight last session and neither Basalt or Yasmin are up for the task

Basalt and Marlo finally confront the shapeshifter, she offers them a deal, they decline, Basalt opens fire . Both Sasha and Marlo’s bodyguard Fiona have been missing for a few days, the tscimizce has them in her control and threatens to kill them. They decide against a deal with her anyways.

Marlo meets up with Iskandars sire (an elder…) which is incredibly risky and gets him to wake Iskandar up.

Iskandar an Basalt find Sasha, dead.

Iskandar blames everything on Marlo, the next session will start with a conversation between Marlo and Yasmin. Yasmin’s player has made it clear that there’s no saving their relationship. If Iskandar didn’t like Marlo before he’s truly hating him now.

Kind of a vent:

It doesn’t happen too often that I, as a player am truly affected by my characters bad decisions but this one got to me. (Possibly because Yasmin’s player and me broke up about a month ago and losing the positive relationship our characters had as well kinda hurts)

The most frustrating part is that Marlo truly tried to do better the last few sessions, that he really managed to be a good little Ventrue today but in the end it doesn’t matter because he always manages to fuck something up (which makes for great storytelling but still…) man I’d really like to see him win some time.

Also thanks vtm for giving me all the feels once again

[thenightling]

The worst Dark Shadows role playing game I was ever a part of

The year was 2011 or early 2012 and Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows had just been announced, stirring old loves and fandoms in regard to Dark Shadows.

One night I was delighted to discover someone named Nicole had a Dark Shadows themed role playing game on IMVU.   When I entered the setting though it was really weird.   The person’s best friend (who was not a real Dark Shadows fan) had a character who created an Ancient Egyptian themed cult so for some reason there were these small Pyramids (about the size of suburban houses) scattered around Collinsport.

And let me just say this friend was the worst role player I ever encountered.   When first meeting her she insisted that I, the player, not see or hear any game activity that my character was not directly present for.  She had never heard of “Keep secrets from the character, not the player.” And was convinced that if I knew this or that, I’d feed the information to my character.  As I kind of love to play characters that take a long time to figure out what’s going on, that never happens.   Then when the friend did interact with me she played this knock-off Renfield character.  She even quoted the line “On the contrary, they’re actually perfectly nutritious” from the Bram Stoker’s Dracula movie.  She didn’t like it when my character didn’t react the way she wanted and instead contradicted the statement by pointing out that modern roaches and even mosquitos carry various diseases and contaminants unless raised in captivity on insect farms (which are an actual thing). The friend even tried to allow another person to heal my character of scarring against my will.  The character I was playing had a badly scarred hand and her friend tried to auto-hit / heal the scarring (which was a scar from a magical fire, by the way).  And when I OOCly told the other player to please not do that she said “Too late, I’m a level eleven Flesh mage in VtM!”  But this wasn’t VtM.  It was TBL chat room based Dark Shadows RP.

The friend (again, accountable for the random pyramids) didn't want me to play an occultist or alchemist unless I proved I knew about alchemy and occultism (And she was insisting Hermetic (or Kemetic as she called it with her Egyptian obsession as she believed all things arcane started in Egypt) occultism was the only real occultism. I had graduated from Stratford with a diploma in Parapsychology / Astrology. Anyway, this person essentially demanded I write an essay revealing what I know about alchemy and the occult and I had to name five real occultists and alchemists. I humored them and wrote the list and included rock star David Bowie for his dabbling in occultism. She publicly told the GM that I had copied and pasted everything from Wikipedia. I was furious and pointed out that there's no Wikipedia page listing David Bowie as an occultist. So apparently that was the "only part" I didn't copy and paste. Yeah, okay, with a diploma in parapsychology / astrology you really think I'd copy and paste any occult knowledge from Wikipedia? I love babbling about that sort of thing. But this was Nicole’s "Best friend" and I came to realize I couldn't stand the condescending and pretentious person who assumed she was the only one who ever studied the occult.

She even tried to change Nicole’s rules so that no mortal could ever win against a vampire even if the mortal knew all the vampire’s weaknesses.  Thankfully when I pointed that one out Nicole deleted the “rule” that her friend had added, with the feeble excuse that her friend wasn’t familiar with Dark Shadows and didn’t realize Barnabas had repeatedly been captured by or harmed by mortals.  But even without having watched Dark Shadows, I don’t know of any vampire themed role playing game where someone makes it a rule that mortals can never win.  It was sadly the only Dark Shadows RP on IMVU and to this date, probably the most obnoxious one in existence... at least I hope there’s none worse.

As far as I know they may still be on IMVU with their Dark Shadows RP that somehow is mostly about an Egyptian cult in Collinsport by someone ironically unaware of the Leviathan storyline from the TV show matching up to what she was doing with her Egyptian cult.

[writing-by-lunalight]

A/N: This was one my first particularly self indulgent stories since high school, I had a lot of lofty plans for this but it unfortunately got left on the cutting room floor so to speak, cause soon after I started my lifelong story again with a fresh new twist. It's especially funny because I intended the Vampire to dress like a Punk starting in the second chapter, BUT never got there, so guess you could call this VampCowBoy(Badumtis). The overarching plot was going to be something vaguely VTM Brujah clan esc, with Zuriel attempting to pave the way for humans and vampires to coexist.

Trigger Warnings: Blood, Biting, Death, Coercion(?), Age Gap(Vampire)

“What…what are you?” Allora questioned in a panic, but the woman before her didn’t respond, instead reaching up to flick the spent bullet off the small impact site on her chest.

Just under average height, Allora wore a dark outfit, with colored red hair in a bob cut. Moments ago Allora was at the mercy of the pistol-touting thug, that is until the ground cracked open beside them, triggered by another of many earthquakes that have occurred in this area as of late. The woman who crawled out of the crack was much taller than most, with broad shoulders and exceedingly long messy black hair, her eyes faintly glowing a bright blue. Even stranger than her sudden appearance was her outfit, old jeans & chaps, cowboy boots & spurs, a cotton vest & mostly open shirt, even a very worn duster over it. All that seemed missing was a cowboy hat, though the outfit was quite deteriorated, and filthy from the rock dust and debris in the crevice. 

“Zuriel. Charmed to meet you madam.” The woman replied in a slight southern drawl with a bow of her head, reaching up almost as if to tip for her hat only to quickly remember she did not have it. Zuriel then pulls off her tattered duster, throwing it to the side, ripping off the worn vest as well. “So, are these friends of yours, I can understand them being protective, but I never harm a lady unless she asks.”

“What kind of freak are you?!” Yelled one of the men nearby, though Zuriel seemed to pay him no mind instead keeping her attention on Allora.

“What's your name darlin’, and while you’re at it can you tell me what year it is?” Zuriel requested calmly while undoing her top few shirt buttons and brushing away leftover residue from the bullet.

“A-Allora, and it’s two thousand twenty-three?” 

“Damn!” Zuriel cursed as she looked about taking in her surroundings, finally stopping to face the gang of men. “Men are really this dim in any time period, huh?”

With that one of the men moved to swing at Zuriel but she easily sidestepped him, pivoting to kick him in the face knocking loose a tooth or two. He collapses backward into the crack in the ground howling on his way down, Zuriel raises a hand, daring the others to make a move. In a flash, the second to advance is swept off his feet and flipped face first into the pavement, the third manages to land an ineffective surprise blow to her face. Zuriel displays a quick sinister grin, before rising back to her full height and lifting him off the ground by the throat, the thug struggling to fight back against her grip to no avail. Suddenly, several shots ring out as the man with a gun fires sporadically, landing a few shots into Zuriel but missing plenty in his panicked state. She drops the one thug and doubles over, catching herself on her knee, she huffs out a quiet sigh before raising her head to eye the gunman.

“You call that thing a gun, you bottom feeder?” Zuriel asks in a grave tone, standing back up while continuing to grip her bullet riddled torso. Allora stares in silence, too shocked to fully process what's happening. Despite the numerous holes punched into Zuriel’s chest there appears to be very little blood, and it becomes increasingly obvious she can’t possibly be human. “Fine, I’ll show you a real gun.” 

Zuriel raises her blood soaked hand and grips it closed tightly for a moment before a black flame surrounds it. Opening her hand then slowly gripping again around a handle, something slowly begins manifesting from the flames, a large black metal revolver. The flames quickly dissipate and Zuriel gives the revolver a twirl on her finger before flipping open the cylinder to the side. Spinning the cylinder and sliding her other bloody thumb over the back of it, six blood red bullets glow uneasily in the chambers. Zuriel knocks the cylinder back in place with a flick of her wrist, flipping back her hair to show off her twisted smile, large canines glistening in the moonlight.

“Meet Rosetta.”

The gunman raises to fire again only for the sound of Zuriel’s revolver to echo off the many walls of the alley, her shot quickly disarming him. Her second shot landing square between his eyes, Zuriel makes quick work of another two thugs in the heart and neck respectively. Aligning her sights on the final thug, she hesitates at his horrified expression, his hands raised above his head. Smiling innocently, she fires a final shot by his foot, causing him to jump and take off running. Zuriel giggles weakly, twirling the pistol until it disappears once more into black flames that go out just as quick. 

“Aw damn.” Zuriel cursed again as she fell forward rolling to be flat on her back, though Allora can’t hear her breathing, her chest rises and falls in a mimicry of the action.

“Are you alright?!” Allora cried rushing over to Zuriel and helping her up into a sitting position.

“That extended dirt nap left me pretty drained I’m afraid. Insulting that such low caliber rounds could put me in such a state, AGH FUCK.” Zuriel cut herself off to scream in pain as she dug out one of the deeper bullets, tossing it idly to the side. “You asked what I am earlier, so I assume you’ve never met a vampire before?” 

“I don’t…think so?” 

“Damn.” Zuriel swore and winced as she pulled out another bullet, gripping Allora for support.

“Should I have? I mean vampires don’t exist.”

“Not so, my dear Allora,” Zuriel began while continuing to haphazardly pry open her wounds, much to Allora’s discomfort. “After all, you’re looking at one.” she said matter of factly while chucking a spent round over her shoulder and making a click sound with the side of her mouth.”

“If you’re a vampire…why didn’t you drink their blood?”

“Well good to see you’re taking this in stride, and if you must know I don’t drink from men. I find their blood…distasteful. So, do you think you could find it in your heart to help me out?”

“You want my permission - to kill me.”

“I didn’t say kill, I wouldn’t suck you dry, and yeah I prefer to have someone’s permission - I’m a vampire not a savage.” Zuriel checks herself over once more and seemingly satisfied with her inspection, she turns her full attention to Allora and smirks. “Besides, most people enjoy it.”

Allora gulps as she glances at Zuriel’s fangs, barely visible from this angle. Sure she’s seen vampire movies and read about them in books like anyone else, but being face to face with it was another thing entirely. Still Allora found herself engrossed with Zuriel, and had so many more questions for her. Pushing back her hair, Allora looks to Zuriel and gives a small nod. 

Shifting her weight to get closer to Allora, she places a hand on the side of her face. Despite Zuriel’s ragged outfit and desperate looking state, her cold touch is soft and gentle as she slips her fingers into Allora’s hair, supporting her head tilting to the side.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Allora assured her as she inhaled and held her breath, waiting to feel Zuriel’s teeth graze her neck. This close to Zuriel, she can’t help but take in the sweet aroma of her vampiric blood. Suddenly, all of Allora’s senses shut down as an overwhelming pain shot through her - Zuriel’s teeth piercing into her neck. She lets out only a quiet moan in response, as the pain quickly fades, giving way to a euphoric warmth spreading through her body. Allora gripped Zuriel’s arm tightly for comfort, her head still carefully cradled against her palm. Her eyes rolled back as her legs shifted uneasily, though she couldn’t feel the blood leaving her body, she felt the pressure applied by Zuriel’s mouth, careful not to lose a drop. This seemed to go on for an eternity before Allora slipped into unconsciousness, in utter bliss.

[angrelysimpping]

Luka

Written March 13, 2024

Shout out to the talented, sweet, n hampsom 💜@inkyquince 💜 for the amazing vtm game and who made Luka (and Alexei)

Loretta belongs to a friend :3

Contents: mentioned sex work; implied abuse/power over employee; mentioned face swapping; unreliable narrator; memory problems;

Words: 816

Pure impulse. That was it. It had been an impulse to offer to take Luka with him, to let this stranger into his home, into his life, his secrets. 

When was the last time he'd truly said Tekli's name aloud? Not just sworn under his breath or groaned in the back of his throat during his weaker moments? And when was the last time he even thought about his age, let alone disclose it?

Yet, he'd done that and more for Luka, to make sure the man knew what he was mixed up with now. 

Was being in Andrzej’s life better than being at the brothel? Surely it was. The way Luka and Loretta had talked about it, how they acted? Voices low and eyes darting to each shadowed corner? Tension dancing just under their skin as they acted to keep their composure? 

Fuck him, what had he been thinking? After reading that letter, knowing Luka's boss - Alexei? - could alter people's appearances? After Luka had more than once displayed having memory problems of his own? Issues caused by someone meddling in his mind?

Or, claimed issues. 

Andrzej's body was covered with a creeping cold every time he thought about it. His own memories would wriggle out of grasp, fade and slip and squirm. But he was rotten fruit, wasn't he? The apple that didn't fall from the tree? But Luka? Was Luka different?

Loretta had told him that the owners of the brothel didn’t like them knowing, remembering. But Andrzej couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe, perhaps, Luka wasn’t who he said he was. 

Either his body taken, changed against his will, his mind and memory subverted to do the bidding of some chessmaster in the shadows. Someone who decided they wanted Andrzej in Italy, for whatever reason. And now he’d gone and taken that person in. A plant, a rat.

Yet, maybe not. Luka could be all those things, body and mind twisted into someone else’s tool, but not a malicious being. 

Something like he’d been, once upon a time. Poised to attack at the drop of a hat, yet not of his own will. Sweet copper on his tongue driving him forward, his own safety and wants be damned.  

What if he hadn't offered to take Luka with him? What if he had been reasonable? His gut twists. Luka would've died, probably. Would have died because he wanted to help him, a man he'd never met. Wasn't that worth the risk? Wasn't it worth saving Luka on the chance he was like Andrzej? Was just being used?

Maybe. Or it'd just make him feel all the more foolish if Luka proved a traitor. 

He couldn’t trust Luka, no. No, he knew that, deep in his bones, he couldn’t, he shouldn’t.

And yet…

“Andrzej?”

Large, dark eyes looked up at him from where Luka sat between his legs, leaning back against him. His fingers stilled in the younger man’s hair, pausing the braid he’d been absent mindedly creating in the soft, black locks. 

So close Andrzej’s heart stutters at the curve of Luka's eyelashes, his own mismatched eyes flitting over every freckle in an almost reassurance. Reassurance of what? He couldn't say. Maybe an old dream, a lingering nightmare. Either way, it soothed him to see the small marks; their shape, color, and placement all becoming familiar at a somewhat worrying rate. 

It almost made him dizzy. 

“Are you upset?” His voice was soft, almost a whisper, apologetic. It made Andrzej’s chest ache. “You seem…I don’t know…distant?”

This was…dangerous. Beyond foolish. He should throw the man out, send him away, leave him behind. Keep him at arm's length, at the very least. 

Instead, he drops a quick kiss to the top of Luka's head, catching a hint of the man's scent. Cool eucalyptus and warm vanilla. Salty charcoal under his tongue. Sugar, light and air. 

“It's nothing, Lukasha.”

Luka hums in delight, wiggling slightly where he sat, and Andrzej can't help but huff a laugh. 

This was probably a horrendous mistake, putting his near century long mission into jeopardy. But Andrzej doesn't stop the smaller man from following him into his bedroom later, slipping under his covers and pressing in close. Nor does he stop himself from tucking Luka under his chin, a small smile forming as he feels the slender body settle next to his. 

And, when he wakes tomorrow, their roles reversed, Luka cradling him? His scarred back pressed to toned chest or his nose in the hollow of collarbone?

He won't pull away. 

He'll kiss Luka's slim wrist or the beauty mark in the dip between his throat and shoulder. He'll brush his lips over Luka's jaw, heavy with sleep, all the world still soft around the edges as Luka's eyes flutter open.   

Pure impulse, bad delicious. And Andrzej can't bring himself to care, answering Luka’s smile with one of his own.

[divine-motion]

i wonder sometimes if people who complain about, say, pbta games having too little direction are just too like, conditioned to play things the dnd way. like, of course you'd think a more narrative focused game is direction-less - despite the GM having a list of moves and the players having moves of their own to influence the narrative - if you want to roll perception checks (something the LUMEN creator kit openly despises, making those generally not a thing in Illuminated systems) or have hours long fights of binary Hit Or Miss rolling. if that's the sort of thing you prefer, that's fine, i personally quite like a lot of tactical ttrpgs like Lancer, it's just that i wonder if when someone dismisses other systems it's often because they haven't taken the time to adapt to a different playstyle. and i say this because when i first tried out Masks, i did forget to try approaches to problems that weren't Directly Engage A Threat, because i've been playing dnd 5e for about... oh god, like 8 years now, and i only recently started branching out to PbtA and Belonging Outside Belonging games, for example, and a couple of short VtM 5e games. similarly, when i tried to run Lancer, i did approach it in a very dnd 5e way rather than engaging with the system on its terms and its playstyle.

i mean, it's not like i'd try to play Sable the way i play Armored Core or play Armored Core the way i play Pillars of Eternity, you know? or hell - Jedi Fallen Order is a soulslike, but i can't play it the same way i play Dark Souls 3, really, because they are still very different games. and maybe it's a different kind of learning curve because you're also engaging in roleplay and having conversations with your friends, but i'm genuinely curious if it's possible that those who chafe against new systems because of supposed directionlessness simply want to keep playing like they're playing 5e and end up not meeting the game at their level.

like i said, i wonder about this bc i've recognized this issue in myself when i play systems that aren't about Hitting Things Good and Rolling My Twenty-something Skills, and because i've had the most fun with games that are the most like Opposite of 5e playstyle that i had to completely change up my own approach to roleplay and gameplay (Belonging Outside Belonging my beloved btw does anyone want to play Orbital or Galactic or BALIKBAYANG w me), and i should mention that i'm not saying this bc i think pbta games are the best things ever that everyone would naturally enjoy - i'm well aware that there are indie ttrpg freaks like myself who don't like pbta at all either! all about taste and preferences. it's just that i also, hater that i am, think that seeing people continue to consume dnd 5e and reject anything else on the table is just going to look malnutritioned to me 😔

[badass-at-fandoming]

Nod Squad OT3 (Beckett/Anatole/Lucita), Beckett/Sascha, Julia/Dakota, Nines/LaCroix?

Hi friend! Thank you for playing this game with me. I kept this ask as a talisman all yesterday, knowing I would have time to answer it today! :D

I ship all of these! Not in the "makes brain go brrrr" way, but more in the "my friends really like this and I love watching my friends experience joy" way. A perk of having such creative tumblr friends is I get to frolic and ramble in all the worlds they write down and make art of.

1)What made you ship it?

Nod Squad OT3 caught my attention because like, what do you mean there are actual canon friends in the World of Darkness? Who are they? What are doing? Then, uh, Beckett happened. XD I started liking Beckett/Sascha largely because of your skyline series, and hours of chatting on Discord. After playing Bloodlines, I wasn't in the mood for Nines/LaCroix to do anything besides barbecue Ventrue Tower. Then, the sheer amount of meta, fic, and art convinced me. And of course Ming Xiao comes too.

Julia/Dakota is a little different. I ship it because they're canon in the game. It would take A LOT for me to designate a canon lesbian romance as NOTP. [spoiler] When Dakota put on Julia's clothes, I thought it was the classic romantic thing of wearing a partner's clothes because one misses them. Dakota mentions she misses Julia earlier, even. Then I was puzzled on how they both have the same trouser AND blouse size (and wondered if it was simply storytelling convenience or sexism thinking all attractive woman are one shape). Then I mentally chided Julia for being angry way out of proportion; then I remembered compassion and reminded myself of Julia's ambient stress levels. I didn't get the scene was meant to be like, sinister or relationship-breaking until the game ended and I looked up Single White Female's ending.[end spoiler]

2) What are your favorite things about the ship?

Reverse order. I love Julia and Dakota's color symmetry and the fact they exist. Nines/LaCroix is like watching one of those videos of a great ape recognizing themself in a mirror (the melting of anger to wonder, tenderness). Beckett/Sascha because I love a recovery. Nod Squad for the banter and the humor.

3) Is there an unpopular opinion you have on the ship?

The tumblr VtM fandom regulars are like, 2 people per continent on Earth, so IDK if it's possible to have an obvious unpopular shipping opinion. I guess LaCroix/Nines numbers are up there, but it's defo not as popular as shipping an OC with a Bloodlines character. I will say that I wanted all the Shadows of New York Steam achievements, but I didn't want to play the Good Ending, so I had my rather Lasombra-like friend play it for me. XD

Thank you again for the ask @ryttu3k :D :D :D

[scarfacemarston]

It all sort of happened quietly but the lead writer for rdr left rockstar Kojima-style bc of the similar direction the company is taking. Afterward nothing new ever came about, no dlc, no continued online content, and no attempt to even look like they were trying. It’s really sad but we’ll probably never have any official rdr game content come out again. The closest we could probably get is the writer making a new western series, since with all the grace they gave it after he left I doubt rockstar would be kind enough to let him take the IP and characters with him even once it’s completely dead.

Tbh it sort of feels like the entire gaming industry is in a dark age? I’m having a hard time thinking of one major company that hasn’t heel turned towards pay-to-win mechanics and child gambling. It’s such bullshit

Ah, that makes sense. What a damn shame. As I've said before, I was surprised their corporate minds didn't think that there is SO much money that could be made out of the series. I am still finding lost files for rdr 2, but nothing that says anything about a DLC. Just cut content. It’s obnoxious that they couldn’t even finish the story for us. Even if it would be one final set of missions

Red dead online ONE as in Red Dead Online from the FIRST Red dead game is actually still up and running and pretty active. I have the game on ps3 and I THINK those who stream it can access it as it is. You can play as ANY character from the game. IF you have access to it, I highly recommend you play it. It’s not the same as rdr 2 online, but it has a lot of good going for it. Today was the funeral, I think I heard?  I didn’t get to attend. I’m out of town for work.  Poor OC Alex and poor Abigail Marston don’t get to have their days in the sun anymore. (Actually, you can play as Abigail in red dead online 1, but still.) I have to agree with you. Gaming culture needs a revamp and it starts with the creators. People are like, "Why do you focus on so many older games/fandoms." Games are broken upon release . There are too many transactions as you said. Finally, they are too damn expensive and we can't even get the tech right. Except for Lego Star Wars which I waited for reviews, I haven't bought any "new" games. I always wait at least a year or two. Which apparently makes content "Too old". To be fair, RDR 1 was from 2010 and the 2nd one was 4ish years ago. And then fandoms can also make or break the experience. RDO has brought a lot of people together and a lot of people have made friends. I have. But the friends I have now agree with me that it's so expensive to buy games and have the time/energy to play them. It takes more effort. RDR woke something up in people. I think there are other games like that, but as things break down, that's becoming less and less. Vampire the Masquerade is my other huge favorite game series. Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines from 2004ish was a disaster but it still had a lot going for it. The community of developers still came together and VTM Bloodlines is STILL beloved and thriving. I personally am not interested in anything. Bloodlines 2 had a little promise years ago, but again, the writers were LET GO after they did a ton of the writing and they basically wanted to steal a lot of the work (FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND). A new publisher has picked it up. but I don't trust it either. It's just going to fail ad games like VTM Swansong just doesn't have the same magic, and horror. Same with the so called visual novels or IPs like Werewolf the Apocalypse. Game IPs that have been around for decades. Hell, even animal crossing and other nintendo games are going for some seriously shady practices.  It is what it is and it's so unfortunate. It really is.