Post by Ross on Aug 11, 2014 12:33:27 GMT -8
Are you struggling for a jumping-off point for a story post for or about your PC? Below is an ongoing collection of ‘Informal Writing Assignments’ I have posted occasionally over the years in an attempt to encourage and inspire players to write more about their personal Creature of the Night.
Establishing the details of one’s PC and then fleshing-out those ideas through writing is just as - if not more - valuable in the development of a character than the few hours you might play that role once a week.
Take a look, and see if something strikes your creative fancy.
Have fun!
-Ross
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I, Vampire
Pick your favorite ECC character that you have played; whether alive, dead, exiled or otherwise, who is/was the most UNLIKE you. As in you, the real person.
I want to see you and your character meet. Interact. Converse. Come to terms with one another, or formally underline the differences between you that will forever be impossible to resolve.
On the lightest possible end of Multiple Personality Disorder, over the years I have created several exceedingly distinct "people" which I have brought forth through my roleplay. My aim is to make each of my PCs as entirely different from anyone else I have created. I imagine it as finding a single, abstract part of my personality - idealism (Ashland), disappointment (Eugene), charm (Ganz) - and expanding that one concept into its own 'person,' and then go on from there. In the process of developing each of these people, and spending time in their skin, I have ultimately learned a lot about myself and the capabilities buried within those small parts of my psyche.
But I always wondered, if I actually met Eugene in real life...if I had to interact with him as Ross, how would I really see him? Would I like him? What would his opinion be of *me*? (ok, not much of a mystery there: he'd insult and toy with me and break me down...anyway)
*ahem*
For this assignment, you have to play both sides of the street, slipping in and out of your character, and back into yourself, as events proceed. When conjuring yourself, work to be as brutally honest as you can on what *your* thoughts, *your* words, and *your* reactions would be to this other person you've created. Conversely, when in the mindset of your PC, treat "you" as they would really treat someone like "you" if they came across such an 'NPC' in the course of a game night.
This intersection can take any of a hundred different forms: your PC is stalking *you* for blood, but things go awry and a conversation starts instead; "you" cut in front of your PC at the movies; a blind date turns into a love triangle...who knows?
Try and go into it without any expectations as to what the ultimate outcome of the encounter will be. Just be you, and be your PC, as honestly as you can and play it out as it naturally as possible. I have a feeling you might be surprised what happens.
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Ghost Writer
So this one is quite a bit different from the norm, and requires two people to participate. Put simply:
You write a story using - and which is completely centered around - someone else's character, with their player's full consent and final editorial approval. Thereafter they post your text using *their* board account (to reflect their personal endorsement of the piece), while giving you full attribution for the work therein.
- Maybe there's a character at game that you love interacting with, and you have a scenario for a story that doesn't quite work for your character, but could completely work for theirs
- Maybe a PC mentioned the gist of a tale from their past in passing to you, and you'd love to be the one to help put flesh on those bones for the player
- Or maybe just the nature of the other person's character inspires you to create something unique to add to their PC's little universe
So first and foremost, you have to gain the consent and input from another player to make use of their character in your story. Obviously if they decline the offer, you're out of luck on this one.
But if they agree to the idea, work with them to decide whether this will be a story set in the character's past; something dealing with current events; or merely a "side quest" tale that could fit just about anywhere. Get the details you need to make the story, but only so much as the player is comfortable revealing about their character in a public posting.
As you write, be careful not to take too many liberties with either the character, or the events/consequences that result from the story that might grandly conflict with either the facts of the setting, or the character's current condition/activities (unless the player gives you free reign, of course; they do get the final say, after all). Regardless, as always, the "written in water" rule applies here, as with all story posts.
Once finished, email your story draft to the player for their review. They might accept it as-is; send back edits to make or suggestions to consider; or simply decline to post the entire story outright. It is completely up to them; it is their character.
The most important component of this assignment is that the player of the subject PC be the one to make the posting of the final draft with your byline, using their own board account as verification of approval; both for the sake of any IWA Bounty attempts, and as evidence (now and in the future) that you weren't hijacking someone's PC without permission.
All credit to Julie N., player of Skye, for suggesting this idea as an assignment!
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No Mean Feet
Write a tale in which feet are a prominent feature in the narrative.
Maybe they are your PC's feet; maybe someone else's. Maybe they are animal, vegetable, or mineral. Maybe they are literal feet, or abstract feet.
Regardless: MUST BE FEET.
This is an intentionally silly assignment. However if you can and/or want to make your submission honestly dramatic or scary, by all means go for it.
But there must be feet.
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Jonesing
The hunger. Starvation. That dry and scratching clawing in the back of your throat when thirst is the all-encompassing sensation in your world, save for the Beast's madness at your back, screaming for sustenance.
Come up with a tale of a time that your character's dial was hovering near 'E' and they were in the midst of desperation for a fix of the good old vitae.
What happened that had them so low on blood? What went on internally with them and against their Beast while in this state of hunger? And what eventually happened that allowed them to sate it?
(Or did they? For any of you that have "blood torpor" somewhere in your backstory, this might be a chance to flesh-out how that came to be.)
As you write, try to be creative in how you express to the reader your character's reaction to these circumstances. When all that matters is getting Blood, what is *your* character reduced to to manage the situation? Do they do anything that would surprise their "well-fed" selves?
As always (and maybe especially for Ventrue players) if anything about your character's feeding habits or needs would reveal something best kept secret, just don't mention it in detail, or find a creative way around the issue.
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It's Tradition
Pick one of the Camarilla's Six Traditions (for reference you can find them HERE).
Insert the title and text of the chosen Tradition at the head of your post. And then...well, the next part is up to you.
Maybe it's a story where your character bumps up against breaking/bending/enforcing/questioning that Tradition. Maybe it's an academic essay examining the Tradition's interpretation in the modern nights. Maybe the Tradition ends up just inspiring the theme of the events in your story, without actually coming up in a literal sense.
Whatever you do, use one of the Traditions as the starting point for relaying a snapshot into your character's life as a Kindred, and how they live within the confines (or suffers the consequences) of the rules that 'polite' vampiric society (supposedly) abides by.
Even if you're not playing a Camarilla character, good chunks of the Traditions equate to "common sense" practices for the majority of vampires (here's looking at you, Masquerade), so maybe try and find a way to illustrate how your character has to conform to what the others expect, even if internally they think the whole idea of the chosen Tradition is ridiculous. And then tell us *why* it's ridiculous. And use examples!
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The Sacrifice
Tell a tale of a time when your character - either in their mortal years or their post-embrace/ghouled years - is or was being faced with making the choice of leaving something or someone behind for 'the greater good.' Now, 'the greater good' and the methods by which something is 'left behind' can have a myriad of interpretations, so think on those a bit.
Now, unless you come up with a REALLY creative way of telling it otherwise, you are prohibited from describing how you "gave up the daylight," or "food," or anything else inherent to just being a vampire. The subject of the story should concern a major turning point in your character's backstory or current circumstances.
The story should be about your PC making a conscious decision to make (at least by their point of view) a necessary sacrifice. If they had been manipulated in some way into making this "choice," for the sake of this assignment they should not have been aware of it at the time. If they find out later on that they were having their strings pulled...well, that's a whole different story.
Many thanks to Mike Lohman for inspiring this assignment, and thanks to Larissa Logsdon for pointing out that both past and current situations of sacrifice are valid story territory.
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Breaking Your Discipline Cherry
Pick one of your PC's most often-used Disciplines. Now concentrate on the first dot/level of said Discipline.
Tell the story/set the scene of the very first time your so-new-that-they're-still-basically-human Vampire first made use of this power.
How did the power first manifest itself for your character? What was it like for your character to have a "power" for the first time? How did it make them feel? How did it affect their perspective on their new existence/the world/reality/etc.?
Once again, if the finer details of such events would give something away about your PCs history that you'd rather not share, feel free to gloss over details of names, places, time-frames, etc.
You might even try writing the whole thing as a first-person monologue, as though you were transcribing their thoughts during the first instance of using their power.
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3 Paragraphs
Thought I'd toss out something a bit different this time:
The Parameters
- Must be 3 Paragraphs in length
- Each paragraph may consist of a maximum of 5 sentences
- The subject of the first paragraph must concern a sound
- The subject of the second paragraph must deal with a thought
- The subject of the third paragraph must concern an action
- The word "consequence" must appear somewhere within the text, but only once
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The Human Condition
Write a story from the perspective of an ordinary person.
Not a Ghoul, not a Mage, not someone who is in any way an "insider" to the supernatural; just a normal person who exists in the World of Darkness.
Maybe they brush-up against the secret world of the Kindred in some small way, or are dealing with the fallout of something the PCs have done, but otherwise only use the WoD of Seattle as the backdrop.
Maybe something horrible is happening; maybe it's just a guy walking to a haircut, and the things he observes on the way. Try to avoid having yours or anyone else's character actually appear in the story.
I know this is going to be a tough one, because you won't be using your familiar PC as a springboard, but try it out.
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Eternity
This time around, I thought I’d suggest a more abstract “theme,” and in this case the idea is: create an example that showcases how your character either views, or has had to cope with, immortality.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I stop and try to imagine what sort of mindset one would fall into after watching the world pass by over a couple centuries or more…well, how would that affect your perspective? How would you judge time, or people, or the value of things or ideas?
Or, on the other hand, let’s say your PC is not very old at all: how does the prospect of never dying affect their outlook, or their actions?
In either case: do they dread the idea of eternity? Do they celebrate it? Does it make them cocky, or cautious?
No concrete suggestions for how to frame a story this time around; however, an internal monologue, or your PC being confronted with a person, item, or situation that recalls to them either how old they really are, or how much time they really have available to them, might be places to start.
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Lingo
When I played my PC Eugene Krantz, he had a lot of "nicknames" attributed to places, things and actions in Vampiric society that stray from the common vocabulary from the Core book.
For Eugene, Elysium is "the cocktail party;" the Camarilla is "the fraternity;" the Discipline of Presence is "the sparkle," and someone's aura is their "shimmer."
So here's an idea, and it's not exactly a basis for a writing assignment, so much as something to think about when you write your next story post:
How does your PC interpret the unique things about Vampiric society or existence, based on their personal experiences or opinions? For example, would they, by their upbringing (or lack thereof) call Auspex "Auspex," or would they have grown to think of it as something else? Or perhaps there is some other term they might use for each level of a particular Discipline.
How do they refer to the Traditions in polite company? Or, in private conversations, do they refer to the Nosferatu, or the Ventrue, or any other Clan by a term outside the 'official' canon of the universe?
I realize this is a bit abstract, but maybe when next you're writing a story post, and you come to a place where you type-out "Anarchs" or "Potence," you might pause and ask yourself "Well, how would my PC think of it, and/or how would they describe it, if only to themselves?"
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Dream A Little Dream
What's going on inside your PCs head during the daylight hours, when they're dead and nestled in their coffin (proverbial or otherwise)?
Write a post wherein a dream - or nightmare - your character has had/is having is the centerpiece of the story.
- Maybe the entire post tells the events of the dream from the POV of your character
- Maybe your character keeps a journal, and we're reading the entry where they recount the dream
- Maybe portions of the dream are threaded into a story of things happening in the wakeful hours of the night, as the pieces of the dream come back to your character, or seem oddly relevant to current events
Alternately, does your character dream at all? There's no "Does Not Dream" Flaw that I know of, but let's say you decide your character can't dream. How does this effect them? If they dreamed consistently when alive, what does the loss of that part of life do to their experience as a Kindred (or Ghoul, if you decide that the Vitae has robbed you of dreaming).
As always, if writing about your character's internal thoughts would reveal something you want to keep secret (say the 'Nightmares' Flaw, or 'Oracular Ability'), not to worry: of all the things you could write about, dreams are the most legitimate subject for abstraction and confusion in the telling.
Give it a try, and have fun!
Many thanks to Jennifer Meaders for inspiring this idea by taking a real life dream and inserting it into IC interaction.
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Faith In Monsters
What, if anything, did your character believe in while they were mortal? Were they a person of faith? Agnostic? Atheist? Did they go through the motions of ritual and tradition just to please their family and friends, or did they truly believe in something beyond themselves?
First decide where your character fell in the faith category before their Embrace, or before becoming a Ghoul. How did it inform their lives, if at all, and how did they see other people who either shared or rejected their perspective?
Having figured that part out, now think about being Embraced or Ghouled. Now you know there really is a sort of "life" after death, and what your character thought was reality as a mortal turned out to be a lie.
If your character believed in a certain creed in life, how has this revelation/transformation challenged their faith? Or, how have they rationalized these circumstances to bolster their faith?
If your character was a non-believer in life, what has the Embrace or Ghouling done to their perspective on reality? Have they had to accept there is something 'divine,' or have they continued trying to apply logic and reason to their circumstances?
How you tell this story could take any number of forms:
- Perhaps a scene of your character practicing their faith (or their revised version of it) in private, or at the associated church or temple in public
- A journal entry or essay on the subject
- Your character is confronted by a person or situation that brings their beliefs into play, or into question
- Maybe the moment in your character's past when it first really dawns on them that what they thought to be true in life was very, very different from "reality".
Now, if posting about your character's core beliefs would reveal some sooper seekret information you don't want others to know OOC, that's fine, but try to get across to the reader how your character aligns/conflicts with their previous beliefs, even if you're not flat-out telling us exactly what they believe in, or what they do to express their faith (if they have any at all).
And even if you don't end up writing a story post on this, try thinking about the questions above, anyway. Your character's former and current perspective on reality and "the bigger picture" can be very useful in informing your roleplay with others.
Many thanks to Julie Norton for inspiring this IWA idea!
Have fun!!
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Under the Influence
"I grow from Police Zero to Police 1."
That's usually the whole story when it comes to Influence in this game, prior to actually using it in a specific way, or getting waaaay up there in the 4's and 5's of Influence dots. But your character is doing *something* specific in those early stages to make friends and blackmail people.
So how does your character do it? How did they meet that Cop, or grease the wheels with that Politician? Does their pull with the Church come from huge donations, or did they catch the local Holy-person in a compromising position? Do they use their Presence as a crutch to find leverage, or do they have some other method? How does *your* character operate in this aspect of the WoD?
Now admittedly, the growth, use and sources of Influence can be one of those things that you don't want other players/characters to know about. So if you're not comfortable writing a story for posting to the boards, that's completely cool.
However, even if you don't cook-up something for public view, you might find it very enriching to write it out just for your own reference. Having some idea established of how and where your character "fits" into the web of mortal activity can greatly enhance the sense of who your character is, and how they operate, and this in turn can better inform your one-on-one roleplay later on.
Pulling the strings of the breathing world is part of the V:tM story. But to that end, what's your story?
Give it a try, and have fun!
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Home Sweet Haven
Where does your character live?
No, I'm not asking for the street address so we can all meta-game something you're keeping private, but find a way to *describe* how your character shelters themselves from night to night.
Is it a house in the suburbs, with a hole in the basement and a concrete slab you pull over yourself as the sun rises?
Is it a crummy apartment in the city, where the best you can do is roll yourself up in thick blankets in the bathtub, and shut the door?
Or maybe your PC just sleeps in the back of a van they park on level 4 of whatever underground parking garage they come across.
Write a story wherein we get a tour of how and where your character lives; what precautions they take to protect themselves; what weaknesses there are to their particular living situation; etc.
Maybe you're giving a new Ghoul the grand tour, and instructing them on their responsibilities. Maybe some mortal thief tries to break-in to your domicile and you have to 'deal with them.' Whatever the scenario, involve your Haven as the centerpiece of the events, so we (and you!) can get an idea about how your PC's private lifestyle operates.
As always, if any of the finer details are things you don't want 'known,' just don't write about them, or mention them indirectly.
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Thoughtful Comment
Coming at this one from the entirely opposite direction this time: writing as a reader.
While writing stories about your own character's adventures and travails can be fulfilling in and of itself - you're adding some flesh to the bones of your PC after all - the other part of the dynamic is that we're posting these things publicly. And most of us are doing so in the hope that someone - apart from ourselves - appreciates what we're doing.
But as nearly any story poster will tell you: silence sucks. If it doesn't seem like anyone actually likes what's being written, there's less of an incentive for writers to go to the effort of putting their creativity out there for public consumption.
So here's the assignment:
The next time you read a story post that you honestly enjoy, post a comment. But for the sake of this assignment, write a *thoughtful* comment; something more than just a 'great stuff!' blurb.
I'm no saint on that point myself, so this is as much an assignment for me as it is for anyone else. But try to give the author some richer feedback: what you liked, and what you'd like to see more of from them; or (in a polite non-flamey way) what did not work for you, or what wasn't made clear enough, so the author can work on it in their next post, or that they know that they need to click the 'Modify Post' option, and fix something in a quick revision.
Just like interacting in-person at game helps to make us all better roleplayers, productive interaction on the story boards can only help to make us better writers, and helps to ensure that more great stories are written, and shared with everyone.
You are tasked with doing this at least once! But if you want to be a superstar, make this a consistent and passive assignment for yourself.
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Botch The Roll
Everybody fails at one point or another; sad but true.
What is your character generally an expert at? Finance? Dominate? Swordplay? Stealth? What happens when your character epically fails in an instance where they entirely expect to succeed?
Tell us a story within which your character attempts to do something that - were you playing-out the events at game - in the crucial moment when it really matters...you Botch your roll. What happens next? How does your character recover? Or, *do* they even recover?
I wrote a brief scene once in which my character was confronted by a drunken thug. As a casual reflex, my character used Presence on the guy, just to diffuse the situation. But I decided he 'Botched the Roll,' and the Presence had the opposite effect, making the thug enraged enough to attack my PC.
The 'fight' was pretty brief, but afterwards my character's bewilderment was more interesting: it had never happened before that he wasn't able to 'charm' someone with an ability that, for him, should have been like breathing...WHAT DID IT MEAN??
That sort of thing. Or come up with something entirely different. Failure leads to just as many interesting stories as success.
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Casual Sects
Give us a monologue or an on-point scene/interaction that best exemplifies what your PC thinks about the Sect to which they are allied and/or associated with.
a) What does your PC think about 'Our Camarilla'? Best system for a bad world? A necessary evil? An oppressive series of glass ceilings?
b) What does your PC think about 'The Anarch Cause'? A flawed movement with the best intentions? The perfect reflection of immortal freedom?
c) What does your PC think about their non-allied status as an Independent? Why does everyone else suck? Why is being politically maginalized such a strain?
'Compare & Contrast' lines of thinking are good here, too. Given what your PC knows (not what *you* know) about an 'opposing party,' how does that either enhance or detract from your PC's opinion about their own Sect?
There's several narrative ways to go about this one, from a journal entry, to a letter to a friend, to a scene of oral debate, or one of armed conflict. Think of something that would best showcase what or how your PC sees their politics in the Kindred world.
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Red Red Wine
So, how does your vampire/ghoul feel about Blood/Vitae?
Yes, I know they *need* it, but even a junkie can hate their drug, even if they love the high.
Specifically, write a bit of a monologue, or include in a feeding scene, a description of what the experience of feeding on Blood is like for your character.
It nourishes you and keeps you strong but...maybe the smell disgusts your non-Beast side; perhaps your character has a gourmet's palate, and she deconstructs the flavor of each victim like a wine critic; maybe the act itself causes pangs of guilt, even in the process of feeding the addiction.
As a somewhat toot-my-own-horn example, here's how one of my characters described the experience of drinking blood from a particular person, in a story post from years ago:
"My mind’s eye exploded into a myriad of beauties: showers of vermilion raindrops backlit by a euphoric glow of pleasure and power. Her blood was clean and innocent, full of hope not yet mired by the world’s grim realities. It told me that such things still existed in the hearts of the rare few, and I was in love again."
So, what is the experience your character goes through when drinking blood/vitae?
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Sire & Childe
Give us a scene which best exemplifies the relationship your PC has/had with their Sire (or Domitor, if you're playing a Ghoul). Maybe it's a phone conversation; maybe a discussion from the past when the Sire/Domitor was teaching a lesson, or when your PC was seeking guidance.
Think about how your PC and their Sire/Domitor relate or related to each other through time. Was it a supportive relationship? An adversarial one?
The details of what relationship your PC has with their 'maker' can be a very important piece of your character's backstory, and how they interact with the world.
As always, if the *finer* details of your PC's history or origins is something you want to keep cryptic or obscure, leave out names or dates, or those things that tread close to your comfort zone.
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Dead In 15
Depict the last 15 minutes of your PCs life, prior to them being Embraced (or Ghouled, if such is your PCs lot in life right now).
Maybe your character didn't see it coming; the last moments of mortal life being just part of a normal day with nothing unusual happening.
Maybe they'd been groomed for years prior, and the last 15 minutes of life involve a conversation with their eventual Sire, or preparations made prior to being frozen in time, physically.
Whatever the case, remove any other context or lead-up, and just start us off by seeing what was happening to your character in that last 15 minute slice of events, prior to their entrance into the world of the Kindred.
As always, if such things might give something away IC that you want to keep secret, find a creative way to tell the tale without the finer details.
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Wake-Up Call
So, what is your vampire's morning...er...evening routine?
We regular people have our patterns: hit the snooze bar; lay there a minute; then shower; teeth; hair; debate over what to wear for a minute...
What does your character do? What little rituals (literally or figuratively; I'm looking at you, Tremere players) do they go through prior to presenting themselves to the world as anything other than Vampires?
What preparatory habits (or superstitions) have they gained over time, based on past experiences, or as dictated by their Sire/Clan?
Oftentimes it is in coming up with a routine for your PC that you find out a lot about who your character is, and how they think.
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Scare Me
Most of my informal writing assignments have dealt with providing you ideas for story topics. But this time around I thought I would try something a bit different: ask for an effect.
Scare me. Creep me out.
Vampire is, by the book, about gothic horror taking place in a world of darkness. The PCs (Vampire and/or Ghoul) exist on the shady and depraved fringes of modern existence. This is the world your character lives in, and interacts with.
So...scare me. Disturb me. Give me something worthy of a 'WARNING: Mature Content' label.
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Humanity
A bit of a philosophical challenge this time around:
Describe a scene, provide a monologue, or write a brief intellectual essay from your PC's perspective on what Humanity (as in, the vampire code of conduct) means to them.
Why is it important to your character?
Is it important to your character?
How does your character feel about the notion of "being human" now that they no longer are human?
For some PCs there might be a risk here of giving something away about their current condition, if it's something they're trying to keep under wraps in some way. If so, try discussing the idea in your character's voice, but more from an observational viewpoint, rather than a reflective one.
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Getting Schooled
How was your character taught the rules for being a Vampire?
Were they chained to a desk for 50 years during an intense Ventrue Agoge, being instructed by their sire to the rhythm of an incessant metronome?
Did their Sire abandon them in the wilderness for a decade in the Darwinian Gangrel way, letting nature set the curriculum?
This assignment *is* a bit abstract: survival techniques, the Camarilla Traditions, the Anarch rules of the road; all of these things might only take a few moments to recite, but conceivably take years and years to practice and master.
But pick one instance, scene, or event where your PC is being taught (or forced to learn) how to exist as one of the Kindred.
What were the circumstances? What was the method? Who was doing the teaching, if anyone? What was the lesson? How did this manner of learning shape your PC's world-view?
As always, if finer details on events or timelines make you wary about revealing too much about your character, feel free to keep things vague: use nicknames, indirect references, and avoid details that would 'date' the events in history.
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First Bite
Write the story of the first time your character fed as a vampire.
What were the circumstances? Where did it happen; who was the victim; how did it go?
OR
Write the story about your character's first feeding from the perspective of the victim.
OR
If you're playing a Ghoul: what were the circumstances, and what did it feel like, to drink Vampire Vitae for the first time?
Now if your character's "origin story" is uber-secret, writing something like this might make you nervous, but it doesn't have to. Whatever details aren't meant for public consumption (no pun intended, but I'll take it anyway), just leave those out. Isolate the tale to *just* the events of the feeding, even if they're slightly out of context for the rest of us.
And if you want as you write, consider - and try to express a sense of - what your character was going through mentally/emotionally as he or she went through the process of being a monster, actively, for the first time. There is a lot of character development fodder, there, if you want to try it.
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The Aftermath
Tell a story of one of your character's victims, immediately after they've left the person behind from feeding on them.
We don't actually see your character on the hunt, or doing the deed, but we are briefly watching what happens to someone - what they're thinking, feeling, what condition they're in physically - after intersecting with your creature of the night.
First, you have to decide (if you have not already) by what method your character usually gets its prey. By violence? By seduction? Another way?
Second, you have to put yourself in the shoes of a normal person, oblivious to the world of the Kindred, and what effect your PC's hunting of them has left behind.
This may be tough to do, since most likely your PC won't actually be making much of an appearance at all, but give it a try and see what you come up with.
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Thy Clan
NOTE: This IWA has been revised from the original text because the "300 words or less" thing...yeah, that made no sense. No idea why I put that there at the time. Anyway. Enjoy!
Provide a monologue or scene from the perspective of your character that reflects their general and/or specific opinions and views regarding their Clan: Clan customs, Clan structure, Clan members, etc.
If you play a Ghoul, give what opinion or views you have about the Clan from your 'outsider' position; Domitor aside, of course (since you really like him/her for obvious other reasons).
Remember to keep your PCs canon experience with the Clan in mind as you proceed: a 3 years-embraced Ventrue should have a very different take on their Clan compared to a 400 year-old veteran of the Blue-Bloods (though few Elder Ventrue would consider 400 years enough to be a 'veteran').
If present plots or IC relationships with other Clanmates are a potential 'meta-game' concern as you write, again, feel free to be as general and high-level in your criticisms as you please.
Alternately, feel free to give as glowing a review of the Clan just as your character would were they asked to do so, if for no other reason than to keep their skin intact...
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With Feeling
Pick an emotion. Put your character in a situation where they really feel that emotion.
Happiness, sadness, fear, guilt, disgust, ecstasy...
If your character isn't usually one for emotion, or maybe their Humanity is relatively low, then set the bar a little higher; ask yourself "What *would* it take for my character to really feel something?"
If you've written a post about your character feeling an emotion before, pick one you haven't written about; pick one even you wouldn't normally think your character would experience, and play-out what it would take for them to get there, if only for a moment.
OR
Conversely, maybe try putting your character in a situation where they "should" feel something, and normally would...but they don't. For whatever reason, it doesn't click. How do they interpret that? Are they conquering a weakness, or succumbing slightly to the deterioration of their Humanity? Or maybe they look at it entirely differently. Try it out.
= = =
The Mundane
Short version: place your character in a situation that is, save for their presence there, utterly normal, and maybe even completely boring for you or I. Maybe something like:
- Grocery shopping (for their ghouls/pets; basic supplies)
- Riding the bus
- Getting the mail
- Buying clothes
- Renting a movie
- etc.
Possible story threads:
- Maybe something entirely mundane is the jumping-off point for something interesting to happen to the character, or that triggers their thought process
- Perhaps having to do something 'normal' is forced upon the character by circumstance, and they have to remember how to act in such a situation
- Maybe doing something 'normal' is part of the character's routine and/or efforts to maintain their sense of Humanity
= = =
That 4th Dot
Pull out your character sheet. Pick any one thing you have 4+ Dots in, and tell us a story about that.
Suggestions:
Attributes
- Physical: Maybe some inner monologue as your PC works out, or performs some feat of physical excellence
- Social: Give us a scene where you're particularly charismatic or manipulative, or where your awesome looks benefit your PC...or maybe endanger them?
- Mental: You spot something others don't, or out-think a person, or a puzzle in a social situation or mind game, respectively
Abilities
- Give a scene showing off your PCs supreme skill at...whatever. Pick one of your 4+'s and run with it. I've always wondered what a 'Morris Tobias building a clock' story would look like, since he's probably got 'Crafts: Clockwork' up the wazoo; or how about you master detectives out there with your Investigation 5?
Backgrounds
- Show us what Resources 4+ characters have to 'suffer' through on a nightly basis
- Super-Mentor? Give us a conversation between your PC and them (no need to mention names if their identity is private and all)
- Maybe your phone is constantly ringing off the hook, given how many Contacts your PC has; illustrate how the 'plugged-in' live
Disciplines
- How much conscious effort does Mr./Mrs. Potence 4+ have to take to make sure they're not crushing every doorknob they pull, or every hand they shake?
- How does a master of mind control look at the rest of the world, and the people in it?
- What does it feel like to go unnoticed, intentionally?
= = =
Significant Accessory
I've done this myself a couple of times now: whether by intent or accident, I always seem to latch on to one or two props/items/quirks for my PCs that, for all intents and purposes, "brand" that character.
With my Ventrue Kenneth Ashland, it was a cane, a bum leg, and a southern accent. With Eugene it's been sunglasses, suspenders and penchant for toothpicks and foul language.
In all the above cases, I had no exact idea why I chose to start using those things, save that I wanted to make my character unique from my last character. But a lot of interesting stories have come from just asking myself questions like:
"Why does Eugene only wear suspenders? Why not a belt?"
'Function' following 'Form' with things like that can be very revealing about a character, and can help add a lot of depth to where your PC came from, and how they ended up where they are now.
So, if you happen to have a favorite prop, nervous tick, or costume item that you've decided belongs to your PC, ask yourself: 'Where did that come from?' or 'Why do they do that?'
Try telling that story.
= = =
The Hunt
Is yours a 'charm them/harm them' sort of socialite, or a 'smack with a 2x4 and drag into alley' sort? Maybe it's animals, or blood bags from (unnamed) hospital. What does your character do to make sure they're fed?
Alternately, maybe something out of the ordinary occurs during the course of some 'normal' feeding. That can always be an adventure.
Did you fail (but not botch) your feeding test this past game? Why? What happened last week that threw your character off, or made it difficult to get blood? Yeah, it'd be a sort of 'backwards' flavor text/storytelling on your part, but it could be interesting.
If you're playing a Ventrue, and are concerned with letting your feeding restriction out into OOC view, I had a similar concern when I was playing a blue blood; so I understand. My solution: just never say *why* your victim(s) fits the bill, just that they do. Simple as that, really.
If you haven't considered how your character hunts/feeds before, whether you choose to do a post on it or not, give it some thought. The way in which your character approaches the pretty risky art of stealing blood can say a lot about who your character is.
= = =
Curses
What does your PC think/feel/believe about their Clan's curse?
- Maybe a scene wherein your PC has to take certain precautions before going out in public and/or on a hunt, to compensate for the restriction set upon them by their curse.
- Maybe a scene where the curse hits them hard in some random instance, and how they personally cope with it.
- Maybe a monologue wherein your PC waxes philosophical on what their curse "means;" or what it is fundamentally caused by.
In short: illustrate how the curse of your PCs Clan has affected your character, either in their nightly routine, their outlook on (un)life, or both.
= = =
The Cameo
Write a story where your PC is not the center of attention, but rather on the periphery. Perhaps this story is told from the point of view of your 'average Joe,' or an animal, or an inanimate object.
Whichever the case, your character makes only a brief appearance, intersecting with the events of the story only long enough to have their presence felt or encountered.
Maybe your PC literally crosses path with the story's subject; or maybe only the invisible hand of your character's machinations makes the cameo.
Either way, tell a tale of your character from a different angle, wherein your PC intersects only briefly with the larger world.
For my character, the cliche would be to tell the story of someone coming into the 9 Circles, perhaps as a first-time customer, who only passingly encounters the pale man in the sunglasses stalking out of a private elevator. For me, that would be an easy scenario to write; which means it's the one scenario I'll be self-disallowed from doing.
= = =
Minimalist
Basically, saying a lot with as few words as possible.
There are a zillion ways to do this; I have little advice save for maybe 'description rather than detail.' But give it a try if you are so inclined.
= = =
The Cliche
Use the following story structure as the basis for the most hackneyed, melodramatic scene you can conjure for your character, relevant to current events. Feel free to insert/revise the details as are befitting your character and their circumstances, but stick to the gist of things as much as possible:
[PC] is standing on rooftop/balcony/bridge at night, looking over the city with a weary eye.
[insert melancholy lamentation here regarding the city/undeath/personal drama, either as muttered words or internal monologue]
[PC] considers his situation, struggling between choosing to do [X] versus doing [Y] because of [Z] cause, and laments the lamenting. This stress causes a single blood tear to run down their face in despair/pain/regret/indecision.
Suddenly their phone rings/they have a revelation/there's a sound in the street below.
[insert resolution to address subject of phone call/revelation/sound in the street below in either muttered words or internal monologue]
[PC] departs the scene with a flourish of grim determination.
-END-
Establishing the details of one’s PC and then fleshing-out those ideas through writing is just as - if not more - valuable in the development of a character than the few hours you might play that role once a week.
Take a look, and see if something strikes your creative fancy.
Have fun!
-Ross
= = =
I, Vampire
Pick your favorite ECC character that you have played; whether alive, dead, exiled or otherwise, who is/was the most UNLIKE you. As in you, the real person.
I want to see you and your character meet. Interact. Converse. Come to terms with one another, or formally underline the differences between you that will forever be impossible to resolve.
On the lightest possible end of Multiple Personality Disorder, over the years I have created several exceedingly distinct "people" which I have brought forth through my roleplay. My aim is to make each of my PCs as entirely different from anyone else I have created. I imagine it as finding a single, abstract part of my personality - idealism (Ashland), disappointment (Eugene), charm (Ganz) - and expanding that one concept into its own 'person,' and then go on from there. In the process of developing each of these people, and spending time in their skin, I have ultimately learned a lot about myself and the capabilities buried within those small parts of my psyche.
But I always wondered, if I actually met Eugene in real life...if I had to interact with him as Ross, how would I really see him? Would I like him? What would his opinion be of *me*? (ok, not much of a mystery there: he'd insult and toy with me and break me down...anyway)
*ahem*
For this assignment, you have to play both sides of the street, slipping in and out of your character, and back into yourself, as events proceed. When conjuring yourself, work to be as brutally honest as you can on what *your* thoughts, *your* words, and *your* reactions would be to this other person you've created. Conversely, when in the mindset of your PC, treat "you" as they would really treat someone like "you" if they came across such an 'NPC' in the course of a game night.
This intersection can take any of a hundred different forms: your PC is stalking *you* for blood, but things go awry and a conversation starts instead; "you" cut in front of your PC at the movies; a blind date turns into a love triangle...who knows?
Try and go into it without any expectations as to what the ultimate outcome of the encounter will be. Just be you, and be your PC, as honestly as you can and play it out as it naturally as possible. I have a feeling you might be surprised what happens.
= = =
Ghost Writer
So this one is quite a bit different from the norm, and requires two people to participate. Put simply:
You write a story using - and which is completely centered around - someone else's character, with their player's full consent and final editorial approval. Thereafter they post your text using *their* board account (to reflect their personal endorsement of the piece), while giving you full attribution for the work therein.
- Maybe there's a character at game that you love interacting with, and you have a scenario for a story that doesn't quite work for your character, but could completely work for theirs
- Maybe a PC mentioned the gist of a tale from their past in passing to you, and you'd love to be the one to help put flesh on those bones for the player
- Or maybe just the nature of the other person's character inspires you to create something unique to add to their PC's little universe
So first and foremost, you have to gain the consent and input from another player to make use of their character in your story. Obviously if they decline the offer, you're out of luck on this one.
But if they agree to the idea, work with them to decide whether this will be a story set in the character's past; something dealing with current events; or merely a "side quest" tale that could fit just about anywhere. Get the details you need to make the story, but only so much as the player is comfortable revealing about their character in a public posting.
As you write, be careful not to take too many liberties with either the character, or the events/consequences that result from the story that might grandly conflict with either the facts of the setting, or the character's current condition/activities (unless the player gives you free reign, of course; they do get the final say, after all). Regardless, as always, the "written in water" rule applies here, as with all story posts.
Once finished, email your story draft to the player for their review. They might accept it as-is; send back edits to make or suggestions to consider; or simply decline to post the entire story outright. It is completely up to them; it is their character.
The most important component of this assignment is that the player of the subject PC be the one to make the posting of the final draft with your byline, using their own board account as verification of approval; both for the sake of any IWA Bounty attempts, and as evidence (now and in the future) that you weren't hijacking someone's PC without permission.
All credit to Julie N., player of Skye, for suggesting this idea as an assignment!
= = =
No Mean Feet
Write a tale in which feet are a prominent feature in the narrative.
Maybe they are your PC's feet; maybe someone else's. Maybe they are animal, vegetable, or mineral. Maybe they are literal feet, or abstract feet.
Regardless: MUST BE FEET.
This is an intentionally silly assignment. However if you can and/or want to make your submission honestly dramatic or scary, by all means go for it.
But there must be feet.
= = =
Jonesing
The hunger. Starvation. That dry and scratching clawing in the back of your throat when thirst is the all-encompassing sensation in your world, save for the Beast's madness at your back, screaming for sustenance.
Come up with a tale of a time that your character's dial was hovering near 'E' and they were in the midst of desperation for a fix of the good old vitae.
What happened that had them so low on blood? What went on internally with them and against their Beast while in this state of hunger? And what eventually happened that allowed them to sate it?
(Or did they? For any of you that have "blood torpor" somewhere in your backstory, this might be a chance to flesh-out how that came to be.)
As you write, try to be creative in how you express to the reader your character's reaction to these circumstances. When all that matters is getting Blood, what is *your* character reduced to to manage the situation? Do they do anything that would surprise their "well-fed" selves?
As always (and maybe especially for Ventrue players) if anything about your character's feeding habits or needs would reveal something best kept secret, just don't mention it in detail, or find a creative way around the issue.
= = =
It's Tradition
Pick one of the Camarilla's Six Traditions (for reference you can find them HERE).
Insert the title and text of the chosen Tradition at the head of your post. And then...well, the next part is up to you.
Maybe it's a story where your character bumps up against breaking/bending/enforcing/questioning that Tradition. Maybe it's an academic essay examining the Tradition's interpretation in the modern nights. Maybe the Tradition ends up just inspiring the theme of the events in your story, without actually coming up in a literal sense.
Whatever you do, use one of the Traditions as the starting point for relaying a snapshot into your character's life as a Kindred, and how they live within the confines (or suffers the consequences) of the rules that 'polite' vampiric society (supposedly) abides by.
Even if you're not playing a Camarilla character, good chunks of the Traditions equate to "common sense" practices for the majority of vampires (here's looking at you, Masquerade), so maybe try and find a way to illustrate how your character has to conform to what the others expect, even if internally they think the whole idea of the chosen Tradition is ridiculous. And then tell us *why* it's ridiculous. And use examples!
= = =
The Sacrifice
Tell a tale of a time when your character - either in their mortal years or their post-embrace/ghouled years - is or was being faced with making the choice of leaving something or someone behind for 'the greater good.' Now, 'the greater good' and the methods by which something is 'left behind' can have a myriad of interpretations, so think on those a bit.
Now, unless you come up with a REALLY creative way of telling it otherwise, you are prohibited from describing how you "gave up the daylight," or "food," or anything else inherent to just being a vampire. The subject of the story should concern a major turning point in your character's backstory or current circumstances.
The story should be about your PC making a conscious decision to make (at least by their point of view) a necessary sacrifice. If they had been manipulated in some way into making this "choice," for the sake of this assignment they should not have been aware of it at the time. If they find out later on that they were having their strings pulled...well, that's a whole different story.
Many thanks to Mike Lohman for inspiring this assignment, and thanks to Larissa Logsdon for pointing out that both past and current situations of sacrifice are valid story territory.
= = =
Breaking Your Discipline Cherry
Pick one of your PC's most often-used Disciplines. Now concentrate on the first dot/level of said Discipline.
Tell the story/set the scene of the very first time your so-new-that-they're-still-basically-human Vampire first made use of this power.
How did the power first manifest itself for your character? What was it like for your character to have a "power" for the first time? How did it make them feel? How did it affect their perspective on their new existence/the world/reality/etc.?
Once again, if the finer details of such events would give something away about your PCs history that you'd rather not share, feel free to gloss over details of names, places, time-frames, etc.
You might even try writing the whole thing as a first-person monologue, as though you were transcribing their thoughts during the first instance of using their power.
= = =
3 Paragraphs
Thought I'd toss out something a bit different this time:
The Parameters
- Must be 3 Paragraphs in length
- Each paragraph may consist of a maximum of 5 sentences
- The subject of the first paragraph must concern a sound
- The subject of the second paragraph must deal with a thought
- The subject of the third paragraph must concern an action
- The word "consequence" must appear somewhere within the text, but only once
= = =
The Human Condition
Write a story from the perspective of an ordinary person.
Not a Ghoul, not a Mage, not someone who is in any way an "insider" to the supernatural; just a normal person who exists in the World of Darkness.
Maybe they brush-up against the secret world of the Kindred in some small way, or are dealing with the fallout of something the PCs have done, but otherwise only use the WoD of Seattle as the backdrop.
Maybe something horrible is happening; maybe it's just a guy walking to a haircut, and the things he observes on the way. Try to avoid having yours or anyone else's character actually appear in the story.
I know this is going to be a tough one, because you won't be using your familiar PC as a springboard, but try it out.
= = =
Eternity
This time around, I thought I’d suggest a more abstract “theme,” and in this case the idea is: create an example that showcases how your character either views, or has had to cope with, immortality.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I stop and try to imagine what sort of mindset one would fall into after watching the world pass by over a couple centuries or more…well, how would that affect your perspective? How would you judge time, or people, or the value of things or ideas?
Or, on the other hand, let’s say your PC is not very old at all: how does the prospect of never dying affect their outlook, or their actions?
In either case: do they dread the idea of eternity? Do they celebrate it? Does it make them cocky, or cautious?
No concrete suggestions for how to frame a story this time around; however, an internal monologue, or your PC being confronted with a person, item, or situation that recalls to them either how old they really are, or how much time they really have available to them, might be places to start.
= = =
Lingo
When I played my PC Eugene Krantz, he had a lot of "nicknames" attributed to places, things and actions in Vampiric society that stray from the common vocabulary from the Core book.
For Eugene, Elysium is "the cocktail party;" the Camarilla is "the fraternity;" the Discipline of Presence is "the sparkle," and someone's aura is their "shimmer."
So here's an idea, and it's not exactly a basis for a writing assignment, so much as something to think about when you write your next story post:
How does your PC interpret the unique things about Vampiric society or existence, based on their personal experiences or opinions? For example, would they, by their upbringing (or lack thereof) call Auspex "Auspex," or would they have grown to think of it as something else? Or perhaps there is some other term they might use for each level of a particular Discipline.
How do they refer to the Traditions in polite company? Or, in private conversations, do they refer to the Nosferatu, or the Ventrue, or any other Clan by a term outside the 'official' canon of the universe?
I realize this is a bit abstract, but maybe when next you're writing a story post, and you come to a place where you type-out "Anarchs" or "Potence," you might pause and ask yourself "Well, how would my PC think of it, and/or how would they describe it, if only to themselves?"
= = =
Dream A Little Dream
What's going on inside your PCs head during the daylight hours, when they're dead and nestled in their coffin (proverbial or otherwise)?
Write a post wherein a dream - or nightmare - your character has had/is having is the centerpiece of the story.
- Maybe the entire post tells the events of the dream from the POV of your character
- Maybe your character keeps a journal, and we're reading the entry where they recount the dream
- Maybe portions of the dream are threaded into a story of things happening in the wakeful hours of the night, as the pieces of the dream come back to your character, or seem oddly relevant to current events
Alternately, does your character dream at all? There's no "Does Not Dream" Flaw that I know of, but let's say you decide your character can't dream. How does this effect them? If they dreamed consistently when alive, what does the loss of that part of life do to their experience as a Kindred (or Ghoul, if you decide that the Vitae has robbed you of dreaming).
As always, if writing about your character's internal thoughts would reveal something you want to keep secret (say the 'Nightmares' Flaw, or 'Oracular Ability'), not to worry: of all the things you could write about, dreams are the most legitimate subject for abstraction and confusion in the telling.
Give it a try, and have fun!
Many thanks to Jennifer Meaders for inspiring this idea by taking a real life dream and inserting it into IC interaction.
= = =
Faith In Monsters
What, if anything, did your character believe in while they were mortal? Were they a person of faith? Agnostic? Atheist? Did they go through the motions of ritual and tradition just to please their family and friends, or did they truly believe in something beyond themselves?
First decide where your character fell in the faith category before their Embrace, or before becoming a Ghoul. How did it inform their lives, if at all, and how did they see other people who either shared or rejected their perspective?
Having figured that part out, now think about being Embraced or Ghouled. Now you know there really is a sort of "life" after death, and what your character thought was reality as a mortal turned out to be a lie.
If your character believed in a certain creed in life, how has this revelation/transformation challenged their faith? Or, how have they rationalized these circumstances to bolster their faith?
If your character was a non-believer in life, what has the Embrace or Ghouling done to their perspective on reality? Have they had to accept there is something 'divine,' or have they continued trying to apply logic and reason to their circumstances?
How you tell this story could take any number of forms:
- Perhaps a scene of your character practicing their faith (or their revised version of it) in private, or at the associated church or temple in public
- A journal entry or essay on the subject
- Your character is confronted by a person or situation that brings their beliefs into play, or into question
- Maybe the moment in your character's past when it first really dawns on them that what they thought to be true in life was very, very different from "reality".
Now, if posting about your character's core beliefs would reveal some sooper seekret information you don't want others to know OOC, that's fine, but try to get across to the reader how your character aligns/conflicts with their previous beliefs, even if you're not flat-out telling us exactly what they believe in, or what they do to express their faith (if they have any at all).
And even if you don't end up writing a story post on this, try thinking about the questions above, anyway. Your character's former and current perspective on reality and "the bigger picture" can be very useful in informing your roleplay with others.
Many thanks to Julie Norton for inspiring this IWA idea!
Have fun!!
= = =
Under the Influence
"I grow from Police Zero to Police 1."
That's usually the whole story when it comes to Influence in this game, prior to actually using it in a specific way, or getting waaaay up there in the 4's and 5's of Influence dots. But your character is doing *something* specific in those early stages to make friends and blackmail people.
So how does your character do it? How did they meet that Cop, or grease the wheels with that Politician? Does their pull with the Church come from huge donations, or did they catch the local Holy-person in a compromising position? Do they use their Presence as a crutch to find leverage, or do they have some other method? How does *your* character operate in this aspect of the WoD?
Now admittedly, the growth, use and sources of Influence can be one of those things that you don't want other players/characters to know about. So if you're not comfortable writing a story for posting to the boards, that's completely cool.
However, even if you don't cook-up something for public view, you might find it very enriching to write it out just for your own reference. Having some idea established of how and where your character "fits" into the web of mortal activity can greatly enhance the sense of who your character is, and how they operate, and this in turn can better inform your one-on-one roleplay later on.
Pulling the strings of the breathing world is part of the V:tM story. But to that end, what's your story?
Give it a try, and have fun!
= = =
Home Sweet Haven
Where does your character live?
No, I'm not asking for the street address so we can all meta-game something you're keeping private, but find a way to *describe* how your character shelters themselves from night to night.
Is it a house in the suburbs, with a hole in the basement and a concrete slab you pull over yourself as the sun rises?
Is it a crummy apartment in the city, where the best you can do is roll yourself up in thick blankets in the bathtub, and shut the door?
Or maybe your PC just sleeps in the back of a van they park on level 4 of whatever underground parking garage they come across.
Write a story wherein we get a tour of how and where your character lives; what precautions they take to protect themselves; what weaknesses there are to their particular living situation; etc.
Maybe you're giving a new Ghoul the grand tour, and instructing them on their responsibilities. Maybe some mortal thief tries to break-in to your domicile and you have to 'deal with them.' Whatever the scenario, involve your Haven as the centerpiece of the events, so we (and you!) can get an idea about how your PC's private lifestyle operates.
As always, if any of the finer details are things you don't want 'known,' just don't write about them, or mention them indirectly.
= = =
Thoughtful Comment
Coming at this one from the entirely opposite direction this time: writing as a reader.
While writing stories about your own character's adventures and travails can be fulfilling in and of itself - you're adding some flesh to the bones of your PC after all - the other part of the dynamic is that we're posting these things publicly. And most of us are doing so in the hope that someone - apart from ourselves - appreciates what we're doing.
But as nearly any story poster will tell you: silence sucks. If it doesn't seem like anyone actually likes what's being written, there's less of an incentive for writers to go to the effort of putting their creativity out there for public consumption.
So here's the assignment:
The next time you read a story post that you honestly enjoy, post a comment. But for the sake of this assignment, write a *thoughtful* comment; something more than just a 'great stuff!' blurb.
I'm no saint on that point myself, so this is as much an assignment for me as it is for anyone else. But try to give the author some richer feedback: what you liked, and what you'd like to see more of from them; or (in a polite non-flamey way) what did not work for you, or what wasn't made clear enough, so the author can work on it in their next post, or that they know that they need to click the 'Modify Post' option, and fix something in a quick revision.
Just like interacting in-person at game helps to make us all better roleplayers, productive interaction on the story boards can only help to make us better writers, and helps to ensure that more great stories are written, and shared with everyone.
You are tasked with doing this at least once! But if you want to be a superstar, make this a consistent and passive assignment for yourself.
= = =
Botch The Roll
Everybody fails at one point or another; sad but true.
What is your character generally an expert at? Finance? Dominate? Swordplay? Stealth? What happens when your character epically fails in an instance where they entirely expect to succeed?
Tell us a story within which your character attempts to do something that - were you playing-out the events at game - in the crucial moment when it really matters...you Botch your roll. What happens next? How does your character recover? Or, *do* they even recover?
I wrote a brief scene once in which my character was confronted by a drunken thug. As a casual reflex, my character used Presence on the guy, just to diffuse the situation. But I decided he 'Botched the Roll,' and the Presence had the opposite effect, making the thug enraged enough to attack my PC.
The 'fight' was pretty brief, but afterwards my character's bewilderment was more interesting: it had never happened before that he wasn't able to 'charm' someone with an ability that, for him, should have been like breathing...WHAT DID IT MEAN??
That sort of thing. Or come up with something entirely different. Failure leads to just as many interesting stories as success.
= = =
Casual Sects
Give us a monologue or an on-point scene/interaction that best exemplifies what your PC thinks about the Sect to which they are allied and/or associated with.
a) What does your PC think about 'Our Camarilla'? Best system for a bad world? A necessary evil? An oppressive series of glass ceilings?
b) What does your PC think about 'The Anarch Cause'? A flawed movement with the best intentions? The perfect reflection of immortal freedom?
c) What does your PC think about their non-allied status as an Independent? Why does everyone else suck? Why is being politically maginalized such a strain?
'Compare & Contrast' lines of thinking are good here, too. Given what your PC knows (not what *you* know) about an 'opposing party,' how does that either enhance or detract from your PC's opinion about their own Sect?
There's several narrative ways to go about this one, from a journal entry, to a letter to a friend, to a scene of oral debate, or one of armed conflict. Think of something that would best showcase what or how your PC sees their politics in the Kindred world.
= = =
Red Red Wine
So, how does your vampire/ghoul feel about Blood/Vitae?
Yes, I know they *need* it, but even a junkie can hate their drug, even if they love the high.
Specifically, write a bit of a monologue, or include in a feeding scene, a description of what the experience of feeding on Blood is like for your character.
It nourishes you and keeps you strong but...maybe the smell disgusts your non-Beast side; perhaps your character has a gourmet's palate, and she deconstructs the flavor of each victim like a wine critic; maybe the act itself causes pangs of guilt, even in the process of feeding the addiction.
As a somewhat toot-my-own-horn example, here's how one of my characters described the experience of drinking blood from a particular person, in a story post from years ago:
"My mind’s eye exploded into a myriad of beauties: showers of vermilion raindrops backlit by a euphoric glow of pleasure and power. Her blood was clean and innocent, full of hope not yet mired by the world’s grim realities. It told me that such things still existed in the hearts of the rare few, and I was in love again."
So, what is the experience your character goes through when drinking blood/vitae?
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Sire & Childe
Give us a scene which best exemplifies the relationship your PC has/had with their Sire (or Domitor, if you're playing a Ghoul). Maybe it's a phone conversation; maybe a discussion from the past when the Sire/Domitor was teaching a lesson, or when your PC was seeking guidance.
Think about how your PC and their Sire/Domitor relate or related to each other through time. Was it a supportive relationship? An adversarial one?
The details of what relationship your PC has with their 'maker' can be a very important piece of your character's backstory, and how they interact with the world.
As always, if the *finer* details of your PC's history or origins is something you want to keep cryptic or obscure, leave out names or dates, or those things that tread close to your comfort zone.
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Dead In 15
Depict the last 15 minutes of your PCs life, prior to them being Embraced (or Ghouled, if such is your PCs lot in life right now).
Maybe your character didn't see it coming; the last moments of mortal life being just part of a normal day with nothing unusual happening.
Maybe they'd been groomed for years prior, and the last 15 minutes of life involve a conversation with their eventual Sire, or preparations made prior to being frozen in time, physically.
Whatever the case, remove any other context or lead-up, and just start us off by seeing what was happening to your character in that last 15 minute slice of events, prior to their entrance into the world of the Kindred.
As always, if such things might give something away IC that you want to keep secret, find a creative way to tell the tale without the finer details.
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Wake-Up Call
So, what is your vampire's morning...er...evening routine?
We regular people have our patterns: hit the snooze bar; lay there a minute; then shower; teeth; hair; debate over what to wear for a minute...
What does your character do? What little rituals (literally or figuratively; I'm looking at you, Tremere players) do they go through prior to presenting themselves to the world as anything other than Vampires?
What preparatory habits (or superstitions) have they gained over time, based on past experiences, or as dictated by their Sire/Clan?
Oftentimes it is in coming up with a routine for your PC that you find out a lot about who your character is, and how they think.
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Scare Me
Most of my informal writing assignments have dealt with providing you ideas for story topics. But this time around I thought I would try something a bit different: ask for an effect.
Scare me. Creep me out.
Vampire is, by the book, about gothic horror taking place in a world of darkness. The PCs (Vampire and/or Ghoul) exist on the shady and depraved fringes of modern existence. This is the world your character lives in, and interacts with.
So...scare me. Disturb me. Give me something worthy of a 'WARNING: Mature Content' label.
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Humanity
A bit of a philosophical challenge this time around:
Describe a scene, provide a monologue, or write a brief intellectual essay from your PC's perspective on what Humanity (as in, the vampire code of conduct) means to them.
Why is it important to your character?
Is it important to your character?
How does your character feel about the notion of "being human" now that they no longer are human?
For some PCs there might be a risk here of giving something away about their current condition, if it's something they're trying to keep under wraps in some way. If so, try discussing the idea in your character's voice, but more from an observational viewpoint, rather than a reflective one.
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Getting Schooled
How was your character taught the rules for being a Vampire?
Were they chained to a desk for 50 years during an intense Ventrue Agoge, being instructed by their sire to the rhythm of an incessant metronome?
Did their Sire abandon them in the wilderness for a decade in the Darwinian Gangrel way, letting nature set the curriculum?
This assignment *is* a bit abstract: survival techniques, the Camarilla Traditions, the Anarch rules of the road; all of these things might only take a few moments to recite, but conceivably take years and years to practice and master.
But pick one instance, scene, or event where your PC is being taught (or forced to learn) how to exist as one of the Kindred.
What were the circumstances? What was the method? Who was doing the teaching, if anyone? What was the lesson? How did this manner of learning shape your PC's world-view?
As always, if finer details on events or timelines make you wary about revealing too much about your character, feel free to keep things vague: use nicknames, indirect references, and avoid details that would 'date' the events in history.
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First Bite
Write the story of the first time your character fed as a vampire.
What were the circumstances? Where did it happen; who was the victim; how did it go?
OR
Write the story about your character's first feeding from the perspective of the victim.
OR
If you're playing a Ghoul: what were the circumstances, and what did it feel like, to drink Vampire Vitae for the first time?
Now if your character's "origin story" is uber-secret, writing something like this might make you nervous, but it doesn't have to. Whatever details aren't meant for public consumption (no pun intended, but I'll take it anyway), just leave those out. Isolate the tale to *just* the events of the feeding, even if they're slightly out of context for the rest of us.
And if you want as you write, consider - and try to express a sense of - what your character was going through mentally/emotionally as he or she went through the process of being a monster, actively, for the first time. There is a lot of character development fodder, there, if you want to try it.
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The Aftermath
Tell a story of one of your character's victims, immediately after they've left the person behind from feeding on them.
We don't actually see your character on the hunt, or doing the deed, but we are briefly watching what happens to someone - what they're thinking, feeling, what condition they're in physically - after intersecting with your creature of the night.
First, you have to decide (if you have not already) by what method your character usually gets its prey. By violence? By seduction? Another way?
Second, you have to put yourself in the shoes of a normal person, oblivious to the world of the Kindred, and what effect your PC's hunting of them has left behind.
This may be tough to do, since most likely your PC won't actually be making much of an appearance at all, but give it a try and see what you come up with.
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Thy Clan
NOTE: This IWA has been revised from the original text because the "300 words or less" thing...yeah, that made no sense. No idea why I put that there at the time. Anyway. Enjoy!
Provide a monologue or scene from the perspective of your character that reflects their general and/or specific opinions and views regarding their Clan: Clan customs, Clan structure, Clan members, etc.
If you play a Ghoul, give what opinion or views you have about the Clan from your 'outsider' position; Domitor aside, of course (since you really like him/her for obvious other reasons).
Remember to keep your PCs canon experience with the Clan in mind as you proceed: a 3 years-embraced Ventrue should have a very different take on their Clan compared to a 400 year-old veteran of the Blue-Bloods (though few Elder Ventrue would consider 400 years enough to be a 'veteran').
If present plots or IC relationships with other Clanmates are a potential 'meta-game' concern as you write, again, feel free to be as general and high-level in your criticisms as you please.
Alternately, feel free to give as glowing a review of the Clan just as your character would were they asked to do so, if for no other reason than to keep their skin intact...
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With Feeling
Pick an emotion. Put your character in a situation where they really feel that emotion.
Happiness, sadness, fear, guilt, disgust, ecstasy...
If your character isn't usually one for emotion, or maybe their Humanity is relatively low, then set the bar a little higher; ask yourself "What *would* it take for my character to really feel something?"
If you've written a post about your character feeling an emotion before, pick one you haven't written about; pick one even you wouldn't normally think your character would experience, and play-out what it would take for them to get there, if only for a moment.
OR
Conversely, maybe try putting your character in a situation where they "should" feel something, and normally would...but they don't. For whatever reason, it doesn't click. How do they interpret that? Are they conquering a weakness, or succumbing slightly to the deterioration of their Humanity? Or maybe they look at it entirely differently. Try it out.
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The Mundane
Short version: place your character in a situation that is, save for their presence there, utterly normal, and maybe even completely boring for you or I. Maybe something like:
- Grocery shopping (for their ghouls/pets; basic supplies)
- Riding the bus
- Getting the mail
- Buying clothes
- Renting a movie
- etc.
Possible story threads:
- Maybe something entirely mundane is the jumping-off point for something interesting to happen to the character, or that triggers their thought process
- Perhaps having to do something 'normal' is forced upon the character by circumstance, and they have to remember how to act in such a situation
- Maybe doing something 'normal' is part of the character's routine and/or efforts to maintain their sense of Humanity
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That 4th Dot
Pull out your character sheet. Pick any one thing you have 4+ Dots in, and tell us a story about that.
Suggestions:
Attributes
- Physical: Maybe some inner monologue as your PC works out, or performs some feat of physical excellence
- Social: Give us a scene where you're particularly charismatic or manipulative, or where your awesome looks benefit your PC...or maybe endanger them?
- Mental: You spot something others don't, or out-think a person, or a puzzle in a social situation or mind game, respectively
Abilities
- Give a scene showing off your PCs supreme skill at...whatever. Pick one of your 4+'s and run with it. I've always wondered what a 'Morris Tobias building a clock' story would look like, since he's probably got 'Crafts: Clockwork' up the wazoo; or how about you master detectives out there with your Investigation 5?
Backgrounds
- Show us what Resources 4+ characters have to 'suffer' through on a nightly basis
- Super-Mentor? Give us a conversation between your PC and them (no need to mention names if their identity is private and all)
- Maybe your phone is constantly ringing off the hook, given how many Contacts your PC has; illustrate how the 'plugged-in' live
Disciplines
- How much conscious effort does Mr./Mrs. Potence 4+ have to take to make sure they're not crushing every doorknob they pull, or every hand they shake?
- How does a master of mind control look at the rest of the world, and the people in it?
- What does it feel like to go unnoticed, intentionally?
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Significant Accessory
I've done this myself a couple of times now: whether by intent or accident, I always seem to latch on to one or two props/items/quirks for my PCs that, for all intents and purposes, "brand" that character.
With my Ventrue Kenneth Ashland, it was a cane, a bum leg, and a southern accent. With Eugene it's been sunglasses, suspenders and penchant for toothpicks and foul language.
In all the above cases, I had no exact idea why I chose to start using those things, save that I wanted to make my character unique from my last character. But a lot of interesting stories have come from just asking myself questions like:
"Why does Eugene only wear suspenders? Why not a belt?"
'Function' following 'Form' with things like that can be very revealing about a character, and can help add a lot of depth to where your PC came from, and how they ended up where they are now.
So, if you happen to have a favorite prop, nervous tick, or costume item that you've decided belongs to your PC, ask yourself: 'Where did that come from?' or 'Why do they do that?'
Try telling that story.
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The Hunt
Is yours a 'charm them/harm them' sort of socialite, or a 'smack with a 2x4 and drag into alley' sort? Maybe it's animals, or blood bags from (unnamed) hospital. What does your character do to make sure they're fed?
Alternately, maybe something out of the ordinary occurs during the course of some 'normal' feeding. That can always be an adventure.
Did you fail (but not botch) your feeding test this past game? Why? What happened last week that threw your character off, or made it difficult to get blood? Yeah, it'd be a sort of 'backwards' flavor text/storytelling on your part, but it could be interesting.
If you're playing a Ventrue, and are concerned with letting your feeding restriction out into OOC view, I had a similar concern when I was playing a blue blood; so I understand. My solution: just never say *why* your victim(s) fits the bill, just that they do. Simple as that, really.
If you haven't considered how your character hunts/feeds before, whether you choose to do a post on it or not, give it some thought. The way in which your character approaches the pretty risky art of stealing blood can say a lot about who your character is.
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Curses
What does your PC think/feel/believe about their Clan's curse?
- Maybe a scene wherein your PC has to take certain precautions before going out in public and/or on a hunt, to compensate for the restriction set upon them by their curse.
- Maybe a scene where the curse hits them hard in some random instance, and how they personally cope with it.
- Maybe a monologue wherein your PC waxes philosophical on what their curse "means;" or what it is fundamentally caused by.
In short: illustrate how the curse of your PCs Clan has affected your character, either in their nightly routine, their outlook on (un)life, or both.
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The Cameo
Write a story where your PC is not the center of attention, but rather on the periphery. Perhaps this story is told from the point of view of your 'average Joe,' or an animal, or an inanimate object.
Whichever the case, your character makes only a brief appearance, intersecting with the events of the story only long enough to have their presence felt or encountered.
Maybe your PC literally crosses path with the story's subject; or maybe only the invisible hand of your character's machinations makes the cameo.
Either way, tell a tale of your character from a different angle, wherein your PC intersects only briefly with the larger world.
For my character, the cliche would be to tell the story of someone coming into the 9 Circles, perhaps as a first-time customer, who only passingly encounters the pale man in the sunglasses stalking out of a private elevator. For me, that would be an easy scenario to write; which means it's the one scenario I'll be self-disallowed from doing.
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Minimalist
Basically, saying a lot with as few words as possible.
There are a zillion ways to do this; I have little advice save for maybe 'description rather than detail.' But give it a try if you are so inclined.
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The Cliche
Use the following story structure as the basis for the most hackneyed, melodramatic scene you can conjure for your character, relevant to current events. Feel free to insert/revise the details as are befitting your character and their circumstances, but stick to the gist of things as much as possible:
[PC] is standing on rooftop/balcony/bridge at night, looking over the city with a weary eye.
[insert melancholy lamentation here regarding the city/undeath/personal drama, either as muttered words or internal monologue]
[PC] considers his situation, struggling between choosing to do [X] versus doing [Y] because of [Z] cause, and laments the lamenting. This stress causes a single blood tear to run down their face in despair/pain/regret/indecision.
Suddenly their phone rings/they have a revelation/there's a sound in the street below.
[insert resolution to address subject of phone call/revelation/sound in the street below in either muttered words or internal monologue]
[PC] departs the scene with a flourish of grim determination.
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