#old 2011 lore

[the-glorious-evolution-fanart]

Question, is it me, or does Universe(2015-2016) Viktor's lore feel kinda of...rushed, in a sense? Like, they didn't read through the lore he had to decide what stays what remains and decided to just, toss it out altogether and toss together all the ideas they had in draft to turn into a cohesive enough story because they didn't know what to do with him when the OG story was tossed in the can in favour of a blank canvas. Just so they could get another champ slotted into the current version of Zaun as soon as possible while fitting into the archetype of of Tech-Priest inspired Cyborg Scientist. Like it feels like they never went through his old lore to figure out what worked, what could be very easily translated into current Zaun, and what elements to drop like the elements strictly related to the Institute of War. To be honest, he's not the only one, I find that some champs' lore was rewritten for the better, like Poppy, while others feel like their rewrites were rushed out as soon as possible in time for the next Season for the new players. If they gave the champs a rewrite at all. Because, I've been reading through both and just, I don't see why they had to change it completely. He could've been so easily kept intact to what he was while sticking around in Zaun as we know it today. He still could've been with the College of Techmaturgy and honestly, I felt that would've added another layer to current day Zaun compared to what we have today by showing that even if they're not on as prestigious a standing as Piltover, Zaun is still a place just as advanced, to the point where it was the place that gave us, pretty one of the most intelligent champs in the game lore wise. If they really wanted a enemies/frenemies dynamic with Jayce they could've just made him, a transfer student of sorts to Piltover Academy while still keeping Viktor with the College. His situation with Blitzcrank could've gone nearly pretty much completely unchanged altogether. He could've remained the same personality wise regardless, I feel that would've helped keep him cohesive across the board. Especially since as of current, it feels like since 2016 if he by some miracle does appear in Riot's content, it's like someone's continuously flicking the light switch between being the typical Evil to Morally Grey Mad Scientist TM to being a Robotic Saint so fast that it's kind of a pain to properly pin down his characterization. That is if he isn't left in the Neglected Champs Bin altogether until the next time Riot remember he exists. To the point that the moment you think you have Universe Viktor's character pinned down, all the sudden they realize a new thing he's in that contradicts what they gave you before they released the thing and now you're left confused again. Sometimes, even within the same timespan as seen with LoR because the Viktor in the comics for Vi and Jayce, doesn't completely feel like the Viktor you even play as. It feels like he's written by completely different people working off a prompt a majority of the time. When, there wasn't a issue with his personality to begin with, and he still would've been compelling, if not more compelling today in a world where mental health and the issues involving the problematic side of Academia is actually more in the forefront today than it was in 2010. It wasn't that he had a problem back then, it's likely more than not that he was just, ahead of his time, and written in a time period where neither topic weren't as talked about because it didn't have a chance to make a wave on the internet yet. Plus it would've made things A LOT better down the line writing him because then he wouldn't have been on such an odd standing that the writers keep flip flopping all over the place writing him.

His goal could've remained the same completely, just with a mild rewrite to write out the Institution and just simply made him a man who wanted to preserve HIS work by doing that work on HIMSELF due to the trauma from Stanwick, before pioneering it to enough of an extent to where he could safely help others. And that a major chunk on why a lot of people have some animosity towards him is because he's just, difficult and kind of intimidating to read for a lot of people, in combination with the rep he gets from the more fanatical Acolytes and the Piltovan side, and that the more antagonistic misassumptions of him spread and got flanderized overtime. When in reality compared to the rumours he's actually just, a decent guy, it's just that he's just going through shit and has a hard time with people a majority of the time. Only that, others have a hard time even approaching him to see that. There was just, so much potential, and so many a solution already that didn't include rewriting the entire character. But I think a major reason to everything is that they took a change that should've been implemented over the long term to begin with and tried to rush it out as soon as possible for the sake of rewriting and expanding on the world building to give us something new and more expansive. Especially once the game became popular and picked up enough steam to go from what was an indie MOBA into a game that all the sudden ended up with some really big shoes to fill. When, I feel in hind sight, they should've taken their time to readapt everyone in such a way that they could've preserved and refined the pre-existing champs overtime, keeping what to the old fans was still familiar and keeping to their original character in one way or another, while still gradually shifting Runeterra into the open world it is today.

I don't know, just, looking at a lot of the oldies, Viktor included, I feel like they're all victim to what is in hindsight, a giant rush job. Especially considering he's one of the champs that got the shortest end of the stick out of a lot of this. I mean, the most love he's got is from Arcane, but Arcane Viktor is the Viktor specific to Arcane's world, and Arcane's version of Runeterra. He is his own separate character isolated to his own story and should honestly for the most part be treated as such, even as far as I'm concerned and that's the rendition that is personally to me, one of my favourite renditions of Viktor. Strictly talking in game Viktor. Riot did him pretty dirty.

Yeah you're right that the 2016. Universe lore reads like the people tasked with "updating" the og 2011. lore didn't truly understand it, nor did they understand the meaning of elements they introduced in the new version.

Like you mentioned, Zaun was left with having nothing in terms of academic institutions, and as consequence the world feels much smaller because the class conflict, from both cities having their own versions, got squeezed into a reductive cliché with Piltover-Zaun where one side has everything and the other one is just a garbage dump. It doesn't help that the current garbage dump (Zaun) was representing east Berlin, eastern and south-eastern Europe, where I live. It reinforces the silent idea in popculture that people from here do not achieve any academic heights. It reinforces the stereotype that Ekko must choose his family and stay in Zaun, thus not having any access to higher education because all of it is in rich Piltover.

But Riot wanted to forcefully thread this class-conflict into every champion from this region, and this was the easiest way to do it - nuke anything Zaun had and leave them with just envy and hunger for what Piltover took from them.

Another problematic element in 2016. Universe lore that has no place being in Viktor's motivations or behaviour, is that "removing free will for their benefit" moment. In 2011. release lore, Viktor (alongside other students) created Blitzcrank, a sentient being with literal artificial free will, and Viktor fought tooth and nail to try and keep credit for his creation. So for starters, it would be antithetical for him to hate free will (he has one himself). Removing free will is not a morally questionable thing to do, it's straight up evil from the perspective of a person you're trying to save, because you're killing what they even are. But clearly the people doing the lore update deemed this appropriate position to plop Viktor into in order to give him something Jayce could oppose, why, I have no idea. Maybe they didn't understand just how downright morally deplorable this is and how it makes Viktor a terrible person, or maybe they indeed wanted him to fully read as a terrible person who begs for sympathy through the unfortunate events that happened in his life. But what unfortunate events? In the 2016. Universe lore, he got expelled exactly due to his own actions, his attempts at removing free will. I'd say that was deserved.

People love the short story with Naph and point to it as proof that Viktor is a good guy, and in principle I agree that a story of this type is fitting. It's the details that make it unsalvageable yet again - he gives a child mind-altering drugs (children have parents or guardians for a reason) and that nullifies any good advice or kindness he showed to the kid. There's also the frankly inexplicably stupid use of... literally rusted tools to do surgery on his own flesh. ??? He would die of infection. Come on.

~~

Arcane Viktor on the other hand has the opposite problem - he's forced into augmenting (whichever form it takes) due to his physical condition, and this is a completely different character motivation. He also (it looks like) doesn't rely on science and technology at all anymore, turning into a traditional mage with metal as simply a conduit/material he uses.

~~

Like you said, the topic of mental health in Academia is now more in the light than it was in 2011, but unfortunately it looks like large corporations still don't deem it "interesting" or "profitable" enough so they replace it with something more often seen. But it's an important topic regardless, and I still like the release lore for a reason.

When Rito was updating lores from 2014. to 2016, it really did look like a rushed job, you may be right.

[becoming-the-herald-comic]

Have a meme format which I really like!

(Hans helping Viktor with programming)

[probably-a-plant-thing]

i should really be working on ritch's blogposts but instead im doodling hongqi at different ages because... i draw him the exact same between 28 (canon) and 34 (interacting with newf)

[thiefking]

☝️🤓 she's a parasitic alien species who can eat anything. the life cycle of their species is to send an egg to a planet, hatch and immediately eat their egg and then any living creature nearby to use it as basically a skinsuit, then continue eating various creatures until they determine the planet's dominant species, at which point they eat an infant/juvenile member and replace them entirely in their family (you know like parasitic birds who lay their eggs in other birds' nests) to be raised as a member of that species and allow it to go undetected as an alien since it's been raised with all the social cues and body language it needs to blend in. the true body of this parasite grows as they eat but they can make themselves into a dense, hypercompact egg-shaped thing and they spend most of their time as a juvenile in this form. they can eat without unfurling too, but it's hard to fight, so the only time you ever see them unfurled is either when they're freshly hatched or when they're in full on attack mode. they are also seemingly completely indestructible when they are compact and STILL extremely hard to kill when they unfurl their bodies since their primary diet is eating rocks, minerals, and metals, and they can reconstitute them to reinforce their shell*. they will eat more and more and more as time goes on and their true body will get bigger and bigger and bigger and eventually when they're big enough they know no one can stop them, they unfurl semipermanently and start eating their very host planet. when they're done and now the size of an entire PLANET, they fly off into space to go find a mate and the cycle begins anew

i wrote too mjch the rest goes under the readmore.

* some theorize that the "shell" is an exoskeleton, and others argue that this is just their skinsuit thing again and it's more like a suit of armor that could theoretically be taken off. there's evidence supporting both viewpoints. since no one knows for sure, they just play it safe and call it a shell— and either way it's still 100% certain that they produce it themselves. it's still unknown what their shells are actually made of, but it's likely that it at least somewhat depends on their diet. they eat their own egg because the eggs have nearly the same strength as their parents' shells and allow for immediate protection. if you manage to find a hatchling perhaps you'd be able to simply stomp on it and kill it...

they are HIGHLY dangerous and because they're also extremely rare, there's very little research on them. no weapon has been seen to penetrate its shell, they're highly heat-resistant, they're seemingly borderline magic-immune (with the one caveat being they are only any good at DEFENSIVE magic, if they even learn magic at all)... it's hypothesized the only way to kill one is by having another member of the species eat it, but that might just make an even bigger problem... they haven't tried everything but there's only so much they CAN try with a species so rare and volatile. so um, generally the protocol if you discover one is to immediately launch it into space. which also doesn't kill it, it just makes it harder for it to get anywhere because they only develop the necessary appendages for space travel when they're planet-eating big. preferably you find them when they're still tiny and weak, because if they are then you have time to experiment and see if you can kill it before you call it a loss and launch that thing into and then out of orbit, but if they're big enough to be a danger to you then you just launch em

the one good thing is that their species prioritizes a BIG planet over a SMART planet, and their intelligence depends heavily on what kinds of brains they've eaten and how they're raised. they're highly adaptable, but only to the point they need to be and no further. if they land on a totally lifeless planet, they just start eating it and don't even bother with a disguise. their species values Bigness more than Intelligence and the parents try and get their eggs to land on big planets to make sure their offspring is gonna be popular. this is a point in favor of the "suit of armor" theory, because if they're perfectly happy on unpopulated planets, that suggests that its imitation/skinsuit behaviour is just the parasite using its armor ability in a different way with a different material. however, they've also been observed seemingly partaking in a molt— this was exactly once, ever, and it's possible that it was simply eating another member of its species that happened to land on the same planet, but it was indeed observed to be hiding away in a cave eating a piece of parasite shell. this is a big point in favour of the exoskeleton theory, as is the insectoid appearance of... Some... of the parasite's body, but "suit of armor" theorists argue that it could just be hermit crab-like behaviour of moving into a bigger shell and eating the old pieces to recycle them into its new shell

the problem is mia did not end up on jupiter like she was supposed to. mia's egg missed it and landed on earth. and now she has human intelligence. and then she got found out by The Magic Government.

this is kind of an ethical conundrum for them because launching the planet-eating worm into space when it is Literally dumb as rocks is a pretty sensible solution when you don't know how to kill it. but THIS one has human intelligence. and it is also rather big already. and it seems like a rather important magician has already taken a liking to it...

a lot of them still thought killing it would be best, but others brought up that its unusually high intelligence means that first of all it would fight back. and secondly it can probably be reasoned with. and it would make a FANTASTIC weapon and tool, and also our much more common problem is the gates, you know, those holes in the universe that are invisible to most regular people that when touched will transport that person to a completely different place in spacetime and are responsible for loads of unexplained disappearances and are an incredible nuisance? and presumably because their entire life goal is blending in and eating a planet, these parasites can smell gates and tend to Instinctually Eat Them because they're a rare edible form of raw magic which these things don't tend to naturally produce?

and so she is offered a deal. they won't launch her into space or try to kill her IF she lets them put a leash on her to use her as a gate-sniffing dog and/or living weapon. she begrudgingly accepts

the main way she is nerfed is by her own storyline: it's all about magic and she can barely use it. she has crazy hp, atk, def, and sp. def, but her sp. atk is like nonexistent. best she can do is status moves. magic resistance kinda goes two ways. also, while she can eat gates, she can't eat or digest any non-solid magic, which is... almost all of it. it would be like trying to "eat" electricity. so a magic shield offers complete resistance against a long distance stomach acid spray attack. she COULD just swallow them whole and wait for them to get too tired to maintain their shield and they'll get disgested as soon as it breaks, but if they can teleport, which is an exceedingly simple spell... it's a nonstarter. plus, eating them alive would give them a chance to see her insides and potentially discover a weakness to exploit if they have enough magic left they're willing to risk staying in there a little longer to explore. not worth it. her job involves eating gates so she actually has (comparative to other members of her species) loads of magic so she IS capable of using it & she's pretty damn good with making shields of her own, but in fights against magic users (in other words basically all fights) she's relegated to a defensive role and she kinda hates it & often feels more than a little useless

If your OC is considered over-powered for your setting, what is it that sets them apart from the rest? How do they use it to their advantage? How does it impact them?

[inthelittlewood]

Mr Martyn it’s come to my attention that some people don’t know what a hold you had on early Minecraft days, aka: they didn’t know you did Minecraft parodies.

How do you feel about the fact some people don’t know an integral part of your YouTuber lore?

Yuuuuuup, I've been around from the start basically. Began playing in 2010, started content early 2011.

I think because I was solely MC for my first year or two then branched out to variety content in the years that followed, that may have impacted people's awareness or association with MC. I was never in any major SMPs either like the Mianites or others (I did join Tekkit briefly but it just wasn't my vibe)

But yeah... I've done a lot.

- Attended Minecon Vegas

- Released Form This Way very close to TNT, so THAT old, as well as other MC parodies

- Played in the first Noxcrew Gameshow which went on to become MCC

- Hosted MC Live for Mojang with other creators

And that's just a few things. Somebody did make a whole iceberg image which I reacted to once lol

I mentioned it in a song lyric once in a TikTok post that "I'm overlooked as an OG", which I feel is true but it's also not something I'm bitter about. I'm not looking to be on any Minecraft rushmores ha - I'm just grateful I've been able to spend my entire adult life thus far being my own boss and doing such a fun/creative job

If there's any kind of validation I seek, it's from my peers, which does feel present. I've been trusted by everyone from Hermits to Yogscast, Noxcrew to POW to bring value to their products in all kinds of way, comedic, professional and creative. So that really fills my cup / confidence

So yeah. I don't have retirement money and will be forgotten a lot quicker than others but I'm very proud of what I've done and hopefully will do 😊

[allfortheslay25]

In an au where milo has siblings that aren't Maya and Ollie, what would they be like and how would it affect the canon lore in miloverse?

Finally, I can answer this ask✨

Sorry for the long wait, I ended up pretty busy with my job and was backed up with loads of asks (I don’t like mixing my doodles unless it’s just one or two but I had HUNDREDS of asks about All for the fish and decided to just pick through and answer as many as I dared)

Anyways! For Other Kids AU (aka separate ‘what if’ AUs where the Foxes have other or more kids)

Ofc I thought of more andreil kids. What do you take me for? The aftg brainrot is my disease✋😔

⚠️ this is not canon to We’ll Both Be Fine or Milo’s main story in general. This is a what if situation ⚠️

Admittedly, they could have been canon but andreil didn’t care about having more children. Milo was enough for them.

The first kid is Connie (Conner David) born 2011. Andrew and Neil decide not to deletus the fetus and so Connie is born. It is actually Nicky who gets to name him :)

Milo is very happy and emotional about having a little brother and tries to involve himself in every second of his life. They grow up very close, Connie looking up to Milo a bit.

Connie likes writing, cookies with jam, and spring

Dislikes conflict, chewing gum, and his freckled eyes (has eye nevus)

Second are the twins, Honey (Miela Marie) and Niko (Nicholas Nolan) both born 2014. Very simple decision from andreil that since Connie went well, why not test fate? And then they had twins who tried to make their lives hell. Andreil let the Foxes brainstorm names and send their best picks for andreil to choose through before narrowing it down to six (three if it’s a girl and three if it’s a boy) (they didn’t know it’d be twins) and let the foxes make a unanimous decision. The foxes decided on Nolan for a boy and Miela for a girl. Andrew and Neil ended up naming the boy Nicholas (Nicky cried about it for days) and gave Miela the middle name Marie after Abby.

Although Milo loves his new siblings, the twins are very hard to deal with and whine to him about every thing instead of andreil. The kids are also a bit air headed and tend to be hurtful without meaning to. When Milo goes to college, he finds out that they replace him with Connie who takes care of them as if they were his kids. (Admittedly, they love Connie more and it hurts Milo’s feelings)

Honey likes apiculture, traveling, food

Dislikes sitting still, sharing her things, being told what to do

Niko likes sports, napping, living life to the fullest

Dislikes being active (when it’s not sports), alcohol, explaining himself (he can’t)

Old concept designs when I was first making them

Some facts:

- Honey and Niko don’t consider Milo their brother but not in a malicious way. In their weird minds, he’s too old and different (however, they consider him family the same way Nicky, Aaron, Kevin, and Robin are)

- Honey lives with Nicky and Erik in Germany. She goes to school there

- Connie briefly lived with Stuart in the UK for two years, studying literature and journalism

- Niko doesn’t like playing exy but he goes pro as a hockey player since it’s similar

- they all call Milo something different. Connie calls him Brother or Milo, Honey calls him Mywo (Me - Woah), Niko calls him Lio or Em

- Milo used to take the kids to school (either walking or driving) since the twins were in daycare

- each kid is represented by one of the many animals that represent Milo. The rabbit (Connie), the bird (Honey) and the cat (Niko). With them, Milo is the dog. (Each animal makes up a part of Milo’s personality)

-⬆️ specific animals: White bunny (Connie) summer tanager (Honey) orange tabby (Niko) Wolf or Fox (Milo). However if they were Milo; New Zealand rabbit, Crow, and Red Siberian cat

- Maya would not be born in this au because at that point, they’d have their hands full with the twins and there’s no reason to have another. Ollie would have not been adopted either

[moeitsu]

hi! Saw your wolverine lore post, and I was wondering if you could recommend some comics for me to start reading.

I've been slowly getting into comics the last couple of months and d&w made me want to start reading xmen and wolverine in particular.

Also, if you have any more lore you'd like to share... I would love to read it!

Absolutely!!! 🥰 I compiled a list of comics that I think are generally enjoyable and provide a good foundation of his background. To be honest, Wolverine is one of those characters where you should read the good stuff first. He has a great backstory but Marvel crammed in a LOT over the years that doesn't always fit together very well...

I linked them to amazon if you're interested in buying the physical copies. But I'm pretty sure all of them can be read online somewhere for free. Feds, you didn't hear that from me.

I also added a link to the Marvel website as well, you can read all the comics with a Marvel Unlimited subscription ($9.99/mo) I highly recommend this!

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

Wolverine | #1-4 | 1982 |

Weapon X | Marvel Comics Presents #72-84 | 1991 |

Origin | #1-6 | 2001-2002 |

Wolverine: Enemy of the State | #20-32 | 2004-2005 |

Wolverine, Wolverine Weapon X | #56, 62-65, 73-74, #1-16 | 2007-2010 |

Wolverine: Old Man Logan | #66-72, | 2008-2009 |

Wolverine | #1-19, 300-304 | 2010-2012 |

Uncanny X-Force | #1-35 | 2010-2012 |

Wolverine & the X-Men | #1-42 | 2011-2014 |

Death of Wolverine | #1-4 | 2014 |

Old Man Logan | #1-24 | 2016-2017 |

Thanks so much for asking!! I'm glad to help you guys in any way I can. I might do another lore post, but tbh I'm tinkering with the idea of a fanfic atm. hehehe

[sadagios]

hi @misticalnova , thank you for the long ask you sent me i genuinely appreciate it! but in all honesty you have me sweating BUCKETS with how close your analyses are, so i hope you dont mind me cutting some parts of your message out for now (o_o ;;)

and SAME, TCD scar has been stuck in my head since the first time ive found out about it. i have yet to finish it but its so good and TCD Scar is so interesting to me.

one thing i did regret with the first part was that i didnt add much info about the hermitopia games as i shouldve, such as the lore and the characters. i do plan on writing about this on the next part! out of all the games, even "the life game," i'd say hermitopia is the minecraft game of their world, just with realistic Triple A game graphics. maybe the easiest way to explain hermitopia is if skyrim had minecraft dungeons + minecraft legends lore, and it's a bit sillier.

okay gria organizing an unofficial voice cast and then hating the final VA for scar is so funny. in my head hermitopia is a triple A game, which means it should have voice actors, but since the pokemon games exist and they dont have voice acting im just gonna go with the characters having something like undertale voice beeps LOL which FITS because i think hermitopia is a pretty old game if it had 8 games in the franchise. like, elder scrolls 1 was released in 1994 and skyrim, their 5th game, was released in 2011. pretty crazy to think about. and maybe this is the only thing about hermitopia that mumbo, a diehard fan, constantly complains about. also, yes. i want gria to be the messiest person in the fandom. please let me canonize that thank you

again, nova has written a lot more things that are like 80% almost correct so im cutting it out because i got nervous. (nova, please keep it between us please) lol but seriously, thank you so much for sending me your theories because it genuinely made me smile so hard. thank you for showing this much interest !!!

i'm really touched with this ask, so have this small sketch of grian before all the trauma

[mswyrr]

One of the most important bits of dialogue in hotd is from Viserys in 1x01:

"The idea that we control the dragons is an illusion. They're a power man should never have trifled with. One that brought Valyria its doom. If we don't mind our own histories, it will do the same to us."

This is a man who bonded with Balerion, The Black Dread, the oldest dragon who had actually hatched in Old Valyria. This was the same dragon who flew Princess Aerea, a 12-year-old girl who bonded with him, back to Valyria against her will - sickening and killing her in the process (Fire & Blood, p 263). The little girl was away from her home at the time and probably feeling "I want to go home" but what Balerion did with that feeling killed her. His will was strong and his memory was *deep*.

Viserys only rode him one time, his inaugural flight, and then never again. IMO he experienced something bonding with that ancient beast that--in addition to studying the family's history and Valyrian lore--convinced him of the danger and fundamentally uncontrollable nature of dragons.

It is totally in keeping with canon events that Vhagar, in the current timeline the most ancient dragon alive--a dragon who drank deep of bloodshed and war with Visenya during the Conquest and *likes* war--translated Aemond's anger at Lucerys into murder of the boy and his small dragon. It is perfectly in keeping with what the show has been saying since episode 1.

An ancient, powerful and wilful dragon overcoming the will of its rider is *literally canon*. Princess Aerea must have been terrified during the whole, long flight to Valyria, and yet all her protests couldn't stop the dragon she'd bonded to.

I would also say that the Valyrians turned magical creatures, dragons, into weapons of warfare - that the dragons, in that sense, represent war. And the show is imo fundamentally antiwar - so here war is something you cannot control. GRRM has said the dragons are "nukes," which fits with this reading:

“Dragons are the nuclear deterrent, and only [Daenerys Targaryen, one of the series’ heroines] has them, which in some ways makes her the most powerful person in the world,” Martin said in 2011. “But is that sufficient? These are the kind of issues I’m trying to explore. The United States right now has the ability to destroy the world with our nuclear arsenal, but that doesn’t mean we can achieve specific geopolitical goals. Power is more subtle than that. You can have the power to destroy, but it doesn’t give you the power to reform, or improve, or build.” (source)

War and nukes - you cannot aim them only at the guilty, only at those you hate; you cannot prevent them from consuming the innocent as well. They a raging fire that consumes, that is all. And so, on that level, I just adore what they're doing and how it all fits together.

Aemond's domestic violence fits too - boys go to war thinking it will be honorable and manly and they'll protect "their women" but instead come home and hurt those very women. This thing burns and burns until it is exhausted, and it doesn't stay contained, not within you or outside you. "So it goes," to steal a phrase from antiwar writer Kurt Vonnegut.

The reason I keep coming back to my antiwar reading of the show is that things that people dismiss as "bad" or mock actually come together beautifully if you don't expect to war to be glorious and masterful and heroic. If you take the text seriously, in terms of what the dragons are metaphorically and what characters have outright said about their fundamentally uncontrollable nature. The lore supports what Vhagar did! That she could overcome a teenaged human's will with her century old bloodlust.

[the-glorious-evolution-fanart]

Sketch | 2011. lore Viktor

Some older art I didn't share in some time.

[evieelyzabethh]

Streamer Jayce definitely seems like a LOL player who’d heavily grinds the game, and would *know* the lore extensively, even better than the devs/writers themselves. And in a world where LOL is the exact same, even with game Viktor and Jayce remaining unchanged, streamer Jayce would also definitely make jokes about himself and modern Viktor related to those game characters

oooh I've sorta been imagining a slightly separate AU where the streamer AU is still modern, but reader and the gang blow up before League of Legends was released their characters and bases the visuals off of them. Jayce and the Machine Herald were both introduced in like 2011/2012, so the slightly less modern streamer AU would take place circa late 00s early 2010s which is silly because that's such a different landscape.

You start out on Youtube, playing the original Minecraft, Sims 1 and 2, Bioshock, the old Resident Evil games and Silent Hill, Jayce playing WoW and LoL, the old Zelda games, Halo, and Assassins Creed. Your aesthetic looks quite different, pink and black foam sound mufflers decorating the back of your space, pink glass beads covering the door behind you, a fluffy pink rug on your floor, PlayBoy throw pillows next to your cheetah print stuffed animals on your hot pink velveteen bed. Don't even get me started on your closet. Juicy tracksuits galore, so many roll over leggings and matching tube tops, sparkly halter tops, low rise jeans, gold and silver hoops, a collection of belly button rings, and so many Chanel heels. You also definitely had one of those bedazzled BlackBerry's.

Viktor is more present in this AU, you both having a separate series on the channel called Multiplayer Monday where you and him film videos playing together. I wouldn't say he fits into the emo-boy look. Think less Rodrick Heffley and more season 1 Spencer Reid with less greasy looking hair. Lots of sweaters, lots of button ups and academic prints like argyle or plaid, lots of beat-up converse, old messenger bags, and comfy oversized jackets. He's still just as sassy, but he really does get into the games. I see his day job being something like an early day's computer scientist who really gets into the craft that goes into coding a game.

You and Jayce only really blow up because shipping culture used to be even more insane than it is now and everyone couldn't wait to see you two together, never mind the very real boyfriend you had. You and Vik still get a lot of attention, but shipping wars definitely break out over who you're going to "end up with". There are so many, fanfics don't get me started. You know how 1D started the "I Got Kidnapped By..." trope, you three definitely started some freaky shit in fanfic spaces. In fact, you really originated Fuck or Die fics, specifically a smutty twist on the Hanahaki disease trope where you have to fuck to prove that you love one of them so they won't die and prove which side of the shipping war was right once and for all. Also, so many Youtube edits of you and Vik to Kesha's, Your Love is My Drug.

Despite not being the greatest at the games he played, Jayce's deep love for the lore eventually got him noticed by Riot, who invite him, you, and Viktor to one of their events and plan a partnership with you three, which is how Jayce and the Machine Herald get introduced into the game. You also get a character, but we all know how well adding female characters to male dominated gaming spaces goes. It would be a completely terrible mischaracterization of who you are and what your channel stands for, your tits would be huge and popping out of your outfit, your waist would be the size of your head, your weapon would be some sort of Cupid's arrow gimmick, and the character would eventually be retired and a piece of lost LoL history. You get a few references made to your character on Valentines Day, though!!

Viktor is more pissed about it than you are, and out of spite, he remodels your character and makes a little platform game for her as a present to you on Valentines Day. It's a really cute small release where you battle a bunch of magical creatures on your adventure to find the Ring of Happiness. While you usually take the wheel when it comes to more creative endeavors like character and world design and story board creation, it's still a very cute game. When you beat the game, you do also receive your own real-life Ring of Happiness.

Besides the little hiccups, Jayce and Viktor think it's very cool to be in a video game. Jayce is definitely the type to main his own character no matter what while Viktor likes a little more variety. The cosplays would also go insane!!! Does Jayce lose his fingerprints with the ungodly number of times he burned himself trying to hot glue his hammer together? Well, yes!!! Does Viktor nearly dye himself with the black body paint he uses? Yes!!! You cosplayed Viktor's version and are the only one who comes out unscathed. From that point on, you leave the cosplaying to the fans and stick to playing the games.

ps. sorry for the lack of my big headcanons. tumblr hates me and wont save my drafts so i literally have no way of writing and posting them :(

[popomerrygamz]

I'm curious to see how many people where there for the Old Lore of the fandom.

Feel free to reblog this and put in the tag any fun fandom memories or thing that used to be common that you miss!

[amyoffline]

In Defense of the Phandom (Mostly): Dan, Phil, and Our Parasocial Social Club

Refer to my previous pinned post for an explanation of and outline for this project. Now that I'm done going through my old reblogs (god, it took forever), it's time to actually research and write this script! This will be my pinned post for the foreseeable future, so you can come back to it by clicking on my blog for the current status of this part of the process. (Note from February 15 - everything is on hold for now while I wrap up my dissertation!)

Script word count: 2,350 | Last updated: January 9, 2025

Research

Peer-reviewed or published literature: ⚫︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎ Social media, forum archives, and fanwork: ⚫︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎ The great rewatch: ⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎ Discussions with other phannies (hey! that could be you, if you want!): ⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎

Writing

Introduction, background, and conclusion sections: ⚫︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎ 2009-2013: ⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎ 2014-2018: ⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎ 2019-2025: ⚫︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎ Long tangents (fandom, RPF, and PSIs/PSRs): ⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎ Editing: ⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎⚪︎

More details below the cut!

Research → peer reviewed or published literature:

I read a few things (like Haidt's The Anxious Generation) while I was in the process of searching academic databases, but most of the 403 works I have saved to Zotero for this are currently unread. They're not all the same length or will take the same amount of time to read, so the completion proportion is just getting updated based on vibes. I'm absolutely not referencing all 403 of these things in the script - I just cast a wide net for materials I thought might be relevant. Furthermore, there are some things I didn't save that I know I'll be referencing, like some of the Pew Research Center's work in the early to mid 2010s on teenagers and technology, or the journalistic coverage of what got my school district in huge trouble in 2011.

Research → Social media and forum archives:

The collection of posts, art, and fic (other than mine) to reference in the video. For regular posts and art, especially by people who have long since abandoned their accounts or whose content went pretty viral, I feel comfortable just showing things in the video with credit as examples. For fic, I intend to just discuss trends more broadly and vaguely since, as a fic writer myself, I know we tend to get more flack and less acclaim for our work and therefore prefer to stay out of the spotlight. Let me know if you think I should handle this differently - the academic impulse is to credit sources and reproducible searches for every single thing you do, but that's definitely not best practice for phandom history since we have so much "forbidden" lore. I'll also be reading the IDB forum front-to-back, listening to things like the phandom podcast, reading the current generation of phanzines, and looking at recent (and historical, if anyone has any) surveys done of phannies within the community. I'm assuming those folks would appreciate credit and/or a shoutout.

Research → The great rewatch:

Rewatching everything DNP-related so I can talk about it from more recent memory (and read what's left of the original comments for DNP videos that are still up at their original locations). I know there's a playlist for this but I also know it's incomplete, so I have been doing some poking around myself and will probably continue to.

Research → Discussions with other phannies:

I read a few things (like Haidt's The Anxious Generation) while I was in the process of searching academic databases, but most of the 403 works I have saved to Zotero for this are currently unread. They're not all the same length or will take the same amount of time to read, so the completion proportion is just getting updated based on vibes. I'm absolutely not referencing all 403 of these things in the script - I just cast a wide net for materials I thought might be relevant. Furthermore, there are some things I didn't save that I know I'll be referencing, like some of the Pew Research Center's work in the early to mid 2010s on teenagers and technology, or the journalistic coverage of what got my school district in huge trouble in 2011. The first task is to sort that whole Zotero collection into more manageable sub-collections (on PSR on PSIs, on mental health, on YouTube platform history, etc), which is what I'm currently working on.

Writing → Introduction, background, and conclusion sections

See old pinned post for the outline. Will expand details here once research is mostly done (I plan to read and watch everything in the research section aside from talking to other phannies, then complete the script's rough draft, then talk to others on call, then integrate that with and finalize the script).

Writing → 2009-2013

See above.

Writing → 2014-2018

See above.

Writing → 2019-2025

See above.

Writing → Long tangents (fandom, RPF, and PSRs/PSIs)

See above. These tangents are kind of mini video essays in and olf themselves, so I may write them while I'm reading through my saved stuff in Zotero and before I rewatch all the DNP videos.

[bethanythebogwitch]

Beginner's guide to Vampire: the Masquerade lore

Vampire: the Masquerade is a tabletop roleplaying game that, since its debut in 1991, has gone on to become one of the most influential pieces of vampire media. It also launched the World of Darkness (nowadays called the Classic World of Darkness or Old World of Darkness) franchise, a series of TTRPGs that all share a setting but can be played independently of each other. This post is intended to be an introduction to the lore of the setting for someone who might want to get into the game and wants to know the basics. It's not a deep dive. For one, this post is long enough already and for two, you don't need to know about stuff like the Tal'Mahe'Ra, the Laibon, and what every bloodline is to get started. Also worth noting is that VtM lore is presented as things the characters believe rather than things the players know, so there's lots of ambiguity and contradiction and differing opinions. This is very much by design.

Also important to note is the nature of the Time of Judgement and 5th edition. All the Old WoD game were building up to an apocalypse and, in 2001, books were released for every game to let players roleplay the end of the world. The setting was then discontinued and replaced with the New World of Darkness. However, starting in 2011, the Old WoD was revived in a new 20th anniversary edition. The lore of this new edition just assumed the apocalypse never happened. Since then, a 5th edition has been released that changes a lot of the lore of some of the games. The 5th edition lore changes for Vampire were pretty well done and I do like most of them as they feel like an addition to the setting rather than blatant retcons the way Werewolf's 5th edition changes were. What I'm not fond of is some of the mechanics changes, especially with regards to the Disciplines, but we'll get to that later.

So what is a vampire? Well, WoD vampires like to call themselves Kindred or Cainites, and they are made rather than born. Every vampire must be Embraced by another vampire outside of weird magic stuff. A key component of the game is that being a vampire comes with a lot of benefits, but also a lot of downsides. First of all, vampires are dead. They are walking corpses who have to consume blood to force their bodies to pretend to be alive again. They do not age and they are very resistant to change. Blood is the only thing they can eat. Normal food and drink makes them throw up. Animal blood does work, but it tastes disgusting. On the other hand, the blood of other vampires (which they call Vitae) is even better than human blood, but drinking it is risky. If vampire A drinks the Vitae of vampire B three times, A will become B's slave for a period of time that can be extended by drinking more Vitae. In addition, if one vampire drains another completely dry, to the point of draining their heart's Vitae, they consume the soul, an act called Diablerie. Diablerie confers great power, but it comes with heavy consequences, both social and metaphysical. Vampires do not have to kill those they feed on and it is generally encouraged that they not. The bite of a Kindred, which they call the Kiss, feels highly pleasurable to both parties and the victim usually only have vague memories of what happened. The bite would heal extremely fast too, leaving no real evidence. Kindred can store blood inside their bodies and they expend some of this blood supply during their nightly lives and more to use their powers. The act of making a new Kindred, called the Embrace, requires the sire to drain the chosen target of their blood, then, before the target dies, feed them some Vitae. If done correctly, the corpse will rise again the next night and a new member of the undead. If a Kindred wants a servant but doesn't want to Embrace, they can instead make a Ghoul. Ghouls are humans fed a vampire's Vitae. This gives them some minor powers and stops their aging as long as they keep feeding, but it also warps the mind, making the ghoul enamored with and eager to serve the Kindred that created them. A vampire's power increases with age, but the most important determining factor is generation. A vampire's generation is how far removed they are from Caine, the first vampire. The higher your generation, the weaker you are.

In addition to sharing some abilities, all Kindred share weaknesses. For one, the sun and fire will kill you very fast. A stake to the heart won't kill, but it does paralyze the Kindred until removed. Other common fiction vampire weaknesses, like running water, garlic, and needing an invitation are not actual Kindred weaknesses. Most of them also cast reflections. A major weakness all Kindred share is the Beast. This is the animalistic monster part of a vampire, the id that is constantly within their minds, encouraging them to hunt, kill, feed, reproduce, and escape from danger. It is the part that encourages them to give up on the remnants of their humanity and become a monster. The Beast is constantly trying to take control and during times of danger, hunger, or passion, it can drive the Kindred into a state of mindless fight-or-flight instinct called a Frenzy. There are various ways to keep the Beast in check, but the most common one is by keeping in touch with one's former humanity. This means acting human, surrounding yourself with humans, refraining from violence and bloodshed, and generally resisting the Beast's influence. The more you give into the Beast, the more likely you are to Frenzy. A Kindred who completely gives up on their humanity will enter a state of permanent Frenzy. Kindred in this state are usually hunted down and killed.

Vampires are divided into Clans and Sects. Clans are lineages of vampires that go all the way back to the birth of the species. There are 13 of them and I will discuss them later. Sects are political organizations with shared laws and goals. There are three primary Sects as well as some smaller ones that I won't discuss. They are the Camarilla, the Sabbat, and the Anarchs.

The Camarilla are the most powerful Sect and the one most players will be in. It is a very feudal society based on the principle of rule by the elders. The specifics of international Camarilla politics are beyond the scope of a beginner's guide. What most players will interact with is the structure of the Camarilla within a city. Cities are ruled by a Prince, who delegates to various other official positions and to the Kindred who live in their city. The Camarilla is an organization marked with political intrigue and subterfuge, where everyone has a plan and see you as a puppet at best and an obstacle at worst. Unlife in a Camarilla city is defined by rules. Such rules include "respect each other's territory", "get permission before you Embrace someone", "your Childe (new vampire you Embraced) is your responsibility until the Prince decides they're fit to set out on their own", "don't go around killing each other without permission", and "no Diablerie", but the most important rule is the Masquerade. This is the rule that humans are not allowed to find out that vampires exist. The Masquerade is a matter of life and death. In the past, when Kindred ruled humanity openly, humans armed with torches and stakes were able to force the Kindred into hiding through sheer force of numbers. Now there are more humans than ever and they have nukes. There's a reason the number 1 rule of the Camarilla is "don't provoke the humans."

The Sabbat used to be the second most powerful Sect, but have recently dropped down to number 3. They are an organization dedicated to the Jyhad, the struggle of Kindred against their elders going all the way back to the original vampires. The Sabbat believe that Caine, the mythical first vampire instructed their founders to find and destroy the Antediluvians, founders of the Clans (more on them below) to prevent the end of the world, which they call Gehenna. By contrast, the Camarilla officially denied the existence of the Antediluvians and Gehenna until circumstances forced them to come clean. The Sabbat also dream of openly ruling over humanity and hate the idea of remaining hidden, but they still respect the Masquerade as they acknowledge they aren't yet in a position to seize power. The Sabbat is a very violent organization and members are often stereotyped as violent and stupid thugs, but the leadership is very cunning. The Sabbat equivalent to a Price is a Bishop.

The Anarchs are a loose organization of Kindred who don't want anything to do with the complex power structure and rule by elders that defines the Camarilla and Sabbat. They answer to nobody and just want to do their own things. Power structures in the Anarchs are very loose and driven by respect, not force or seniority. Anarchy will respect the opinions of those who earn it, but will never accept authority from force or any ideas of right to rule. There is a position called a Baron that is similar to a Prince or Bishop, but is much less formal and chosen almost democratically. The Anarchs have been a footnote for most of history, but as of recent events, their power has expanded considerably, allowing them to seize lots of territory and take the Sabbat's place as the 2nd most powerful Sect.

Before discussing the clans, we need to go over the origin of vampires. There are a lot of stories about how they came about, but the most common is that of Caine. According to vampire history, after Cain slew his brother Abel, he was cursed and banished from his family. Wandering the land, he found Lilith, said by many to be the first wife of Adam who was banished from Eden. Lilith was an immensely powerful mage and recognized in Cain the power to kill, something she thought was unique to God. Cain begged Lilith to teach him her powers ans she eventually agreed. She made a potion of her blood, which Cain drank, giving him a vision. In this vision, three angels came to Cain, each offering him a chance to repent of his sin of murder. Cain refused each angel and was cursed by each in turn: first with a fear of fire, a second with a fear of sunlight, and the third with the Beast. Cain then awoke from his vision as the first Kindred, a being of unfathomable power. Now calling himself Caine, he stayed with Lilith for a while and they became lovers. This lasted until Caine simply left her one night as she slept and returned to wandering.

Caine's wanderings eventually led him to the Land of Nod, where he found the First City. The people of the city feared Caine's power and worshiped him as a god, with the king, Enoch, granting Caine his throne. In time, Enoch requested that Caine share his immortality and so Caine Embraced Enoch as the first member of the 2nd generation. Eventually, he was joined by at least two more Kindred, A warrior named Irad and a beautiful woman named Zillah. They in turn Embraced the 3rd generation. Caine feared that the Kindred would overwhelm humanity and decreed that no more Kindred be sired. Eventually, the First City was destroyed by the biblical deluge and Caine returned to wandering the world (the order of these events is debatable). The 2nd and 3rd generation members that survived are known as Antediluvians and they tried to rebuild the First City as the Second City. In time, the 3rd generation raised up and destroyed the 2nd. Caine then returned long enough to curse the members of the 3rd Generation. These Antediluvians are said to be the founders of the 13 Clans and their curses were passed down to their descendants. The Antediluvians eventually turned on each other, leading to the destruction of the Second City. Many Kindred now believe that the Antediluvians now slumber in hidden places around the world and when Gehenna comes, they will rise and devour the world to slake their thirst before Caine returns to pass judgement on the survivors.

Your Clan is your vampire family. You are the same Clan your sire was barring very uncommon circumstances Each clan claims descent from one of the Antediluvians and inherited their founder's curse, known as a Bane. 5th edition also added compulsions that the Clans suffer from, which I think are cool and add more character to them. Vampires also have powers called Disciplines. Each Clan inherits three Disciplines that will grow in strength as the Kindred grows older and more powerful. It is possible to learn Disciplines not from your Clan, but it is harder and generally requires a teacher and that tutelage will not come cheap. Thematically, the Clans are based around common archetypes of vampires in fiction. Historically, the Clans were all aligned to different Sects or remained independent. As of recent events, those strict lines have started to break down more than they were in the past. There are also mini-clans called Bloodlines and Caitiff and Thin-Bloods who don't really have Clans, but you generally don't need to know about them as a beginner. I'll cover the clans in alphabetical order.

Clan Banu Haqim, commonly but incorrectly called Clan Assamite, fills the archetype of the eastern Vampire. They are the self-appointed judges of the Kindred world, secretly observing the activities of other vampires and assassinating those who proved unworthy. For most of history, they were a very tight-knit clan based out of a mountain fortress called Alamut hidden somewhere in the mountains of Arabia. They were divided into three castes. The Judges were the ones who went out to observe and pass judgement on other Kindred. Most outsiders only knew the Judges existed and they became the boogeymen of the Kindred world. The Viziers are scholars and advisers who seek out hidden lore and act as the leadership of the Clan. The Sorcerers are the smallest caste and are assigned to study secrets of ancient blood magic. They are kept on a tight leash by the rest of the Clan. Once Islam arose as a religion, it became adopted by the Clan, to the point the vast majority of members were Muslims. This changed in the 90's when Ur-Shulgi, one of the first members of the clan, arose from nearly 2,000 years of slumber and took over, demanding that the rest of the Clan renounce Islam and convert to worship of their Antediluvian. This led to a schism with about a third of the clan staying with Ur-Shulgi as an independent Clan, another third defecting to the Camarilla, and the rest being split up between the Anarchs, Sabbat, and independence. Those who left have to adapt to a new way of unlife as they are denied access to Alamut and must live amongst Kindred who have historically feared them. The Banu Haqim Antediluvian is Haqim. Legend says he was appointed to be a keeper of justice in a city ruled by two unnamed members of the 2nd Generation. When his rulers turned to evil, Haqim slew them in their sleep. He then cut himself to bleed out and drank their Vitae to embrace himself as a vampire. Haqim was appointed to enforce Caine's laws, but when the corruption of the Second City became too much for him to take, he took his Clan and left, eventually founding Alamut. He would come and go from the fortress and was last seen in the year 121 BCE. He is now believed to be slumbering somewhere, though some Banu Haqim claim he is secretly watching and judging them. The Banu Haquim used to have different Disciplines based on their caste, but the most common spread was Celerity (superhuman speed), Obfuscate (the ability to go undetected), and Quietus (blood control). In 5th edition, Quietus was replaced with Blood Sorcery, which is what is sounds like. Their compulsion is to pass judgment on others. Their Bane is an addiction to Diablerizing those they view as guilty.

Clan Brujah fills the archetype of the violent street punk vampire. Once, they were a clan of warrior-scholars who worked to restrain their naturally violent tempers and the temptations of the Beast. Since some major defeats in the past, these practices have been lost to time. Now, the Clan is one of violence and rebellion. While the clan was historically officially aligned with the Camarilla, there was little internal structure and defections to the Anarchs were so common that many considered them an Anarch clan instead. The Anarchs for the Brujah heavily as their natural rebellious tendencies give them a natural dislike for hierarchy. Brujah are often associated with various countercultural and minority movements. They tend heavily toward anarchy, but any minority political position appeals to them. You can just as easily find Brujah neo-nazis simply becuase that position is opposed to the majority. In 2012, a Brujah elder murdered two major political figures in a meeting of Camirilla elders. In the aftermath, the clan formally left the Camarilla and became the first official Anarch clan. They have since been instrumental in the rise of the Anarchs as a major Sect and have helped establish an Anarch Free State that now cover large portions of the west coast of North America. There are many conflicting stories about the Brujah Antediluvian, but the most common one says he was either named Ilyes or Troile the Elder. He was a very calm and dispassionate man who only Embraced one Childe, the passionate and rebellious Troile the Younger. Throile the Younger eventually Diablerized their (stories differ on their gender) Sire in what may have been the opening moves of the 3rd generation's rebellion. The Brujah Disciplines are Celerity (superhuman speed), Potence (superhuman strength), and Presence (incredible charisma). Their compulsion is to rebel. Their Bane is a closer connection to the Beast, which gives them their violent tempers and makes it harder for them to resist Frenzying.

Clan Cappadocian is one of the two extinct Clans who represented the archetype of the vampire as a creature of death. Their Antediluvian was Cappadocius, a scholar of death who only sired Childer because he realized he couldn't complete his research alone. The clan was small and kept tightly controlled by Cappadocius as they tried to uncover the secrets of death and the underworld. In the 1440s, Cappadocius Embraced a Venetian merchant and necromancer named Augustus Giovanni. This proved to be his undoing as Giovanni diablerized Cappadocius and proceeded to drive his clan to extinction, with only his Childer surviving as a new clan: Clan Giovanni. However, eventually a number of Bloodlines emerged, all claiming to be descended from Cappadocius, indicating Giovanni's genocide was not as complete as he thought. The Cappadocian Disciplines were Auspex (superhuman senses), Fortitude (incredible durability), and Mortis (a form of necromancy that could control ghosts). Their compulsion was to surround themselves with symbols of death. Their curse caused their bodies to continue to decay after their Embrace, leaving them looking mummified.

Clan Giovanni replaced Clan Cappadocian under Augustus Giovanni's leadership. They remained independent of the Sects, who were getting their feet under them at the time. The Giovanni acted as a crime family, growing to control criminal activities worldwide. They also only Embraced form a single family, which has grown enormous over the centuries and incorporates many sub-families. The mortal family members serve the family, often as Ghouls, in the hopes of receiving the Embrace and ascending up the ladder. Their practices were truly depraved, with rampant abuse being the least objectionable thing they did. Even the Camarilla and the Sabbat often found them unseemly. The Giovanni's criminal activities served to gather resources for their ultimate goal, the gathering of enough ghosts to rip apart the barriers between the world of the living and the underworld so Augustus can rule as an emperor of the dead. They almost succeeded before the events of the Week of Nightmares (described below) ruined that plan. Things went downhill for the Giovanni after that, especially with Second Inquisition attacks on their headquarters and Augustus Giovanni's mysterious disappearance. To survive, the Giovanni had a meeting with the various Bloodlines claiming descent from Cappadocius and performed a ritual called the Family Reunion to unite them all as the new Clan Hecata. Clan Hecata is still establishing itself as a power in the night, but is still heavily invested in necromancy and organized crime. According to the lore, the Family Reunion changed all the Bloodlines' traits to match the Giovanni's. I think that's dumb and would run thing with the Bloodlines keeping their Disciplines and Banes. The Giovanni compulsion is to investigate death. Their curse is that the Kiss is very painful to the victim instead of pleasurable. Their Disciplines are Dominate (mind control), Potence (superhuman strength), and Necromancy (what it sounds like). 5th edition changed Necromancy to Oblivion in a very dumb change. They took the signature Disciplines of two Clans and made them the same Discipline for obscure lore reasons, but it still acts like two Disciplines. I really don't get it.

Clan Gangrel fills the archetype of the vampire as an animalistic shapeshifter. They feel more at home with animals than with people and possess bestial instincts. Most vampires are creatures of the city, living where the prey is and where there's plenty of shelter from the sun. Gangrel prefer to live in the wilderness. Those who live in cities still prefer parks and the outskirts: places where nature thrives. The clan is very social Darwinist, believing only the strongest deserve to survive. They typically abandon their Childer after the Embrace and watch from afar. Only those who manage to adapt to their new condition and survive will be inducted to the Clan. There is very little organization amongst the Gangrel, though they do occasionally have meetings called Gathers. Many Kindred underestimate the Gangrel, seeing them as mere beasts. This would be a very foolish mistake. Possibly because they share a mix of human and animal instincts, the Gangrel are the only Kindred on anything resembling good terms with werewolves (by which I mean they might not immediately jump to ripping a Gangrel's head off and might be willing to talk). The Gangrel Antediluvian is Ennoia, who was said to be a wild woman, one of the daughters of Adam and Lilith who was sent beyond Eden to live amongst animals. Gangrel legend says she was raised by a pack of wolves and eventually mated with them, birthing the first werewolves (the werewolves themselves would disagree violently with this origin story). She was eventually defeated in a great battle and forced into slumber. She was then buried and the earth was salted to keep her from rising again. The Gangrel disciplines are Animalism (control of animals), Fortitude (incredible durability), and Potence (shapeshifting). Their compulsion is to abandon the trappings of civilization and settle things like beasts. Their curse causes them to get temporarily (permanently in older editions) stuck with animal features when they Frenzy.

Clan Lasombra represents the archetype of the vampire as a creature of darkness, as well as the archetype of the Catholic vampire. To the Lasombra, ambition is everything. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Having lines you won't cross is viewed as a weakness. This means all Lasombra are petty, power-hungry, would-be tyrants and they are proud of it. Accordingly, if a Lasombra is outsmarted or betrayed, they deserved it for not being smart enough to see it coming. Appearance is very important to the Lasombra. It isn't enough to outwit your enemies, you have to look good doing it. Any lapse in your public persona is a weakness that will be pounced in. Historically, they were pirates who dominated the Mediterranean sea, but they eventually transitioned into ruling indirectly. They are now heavily entrenched in religious institutions. Why take things by force when you can convince the masses that it's God's will for them to give it to you. They are especially entrenched in the Catholic Church, which is engaged in a shadow war between the Lasombra and those who want to force them out. The Lasombra look down on humans and only pick the best to Embrace. A common tactic when looking for a Childe is to systematically ruin their life. Only if the human can pull themselves back up will they be worthy of the Embrace. The Lasombra were historically a Sabbat Clan, but large numbers of them jumped ship to the Camarilla after the Week of Nightmares. They are distrusted, but fully intend to rise to power as usual. The Lasombra Antediluvian is known by many names, so most people just call him Lasombra. He was reportedly a pathetic failure of a man who only achieved greatness after his Embrace. He was a sailor by trade and studied the powers of the Abyss, the darkness that existed before creation. He was eventually Diablerized by his Childe, but many Lasombra believe that his soul merged with the Abyss and he now watches the world through his descendants, waiting to make his move. The Lasombra Disciplines are Dominate (mind control), Potence (superhuman strength) and Obteneration (mystical control of darkness). In 5th edition, Obteneration was changed to Oblivion. Their compulsion is to pursue their goals with utter ruthlessness. Their curse is that they cast no reflections and cannot be recorded by cameras. This means that the Clan who most values independence and self-image has to rely on others to develop that image.

Clan Malkavian represents the archetype of the vampire as a madman. Most clans can hide their curse, but not the Malkavians. From the moment of their Embrace, each Malkavian gains a unique and incurable form of insanity. With their madness comes a strange form of clarity that allows Malkavians to know things they shouldn't. While their often unusual behavior means Malkavians are rarely accepted in polite Kindred society, their ability to act as seers means they are too valuable to to reject entirely. Malkavians claim they are all connected by an invisible psychic web called the Madness Network. Everything one Malkavian knows is know on a subconscious level by every other Malkavian, though it is hidden by delusion and hallucination. Some Malkavians can even directly communicate with each other through the Network. Little is known of Malkavian history as their records tend to be unreliable. They also have little in the way of a unified culture or hierarchy, though they are officially a Camarilla clan. They often act as prophets or advisors, though untangling the truth from the delusion is difficult at the best of times. Their Antediluvian is Malkav, and little is known of him, though he is often said to have been a seer. Its not clear when he became insane. It could be the result of Caine's curse, a secret Lilith showed him, the result of Diablerizing his sire, or he may have always been mad. Non-Malkavian historians speculate that he lies in slumber beneath Jerusalem and his presence is responsible for all the religious mania present in the city. Malkavians tend to claim he became the Madness network and now manipulates all of his descendants like puppets. The Malkavian Disciplines are Auspex (superhuman senses), Obfuscate (the ability to become undetected), and Dementation (the ability to inflict madness on others). 5th edition switched Dementation out for Dominate and made the Dementation effects a combination of Dominate and Auspex. I really hate this change and would not run it that way.

Clan Ministry fills the archetype of the vampire as the creature of evil. They are formally known as the Ministry of Set or Mesu Bedshet and informally known as the Followers of Set or Setites. They reject the story of Caine and have their own creation myth. According to them, Set was the first mortal to discover that morality was a restriction placed on humanity by the gods to keep humans from obtaining godhood themselves. Set achieved apotheosis and taught his method to mortals, creating the vampires. However the other gods created their won vampires to interfere with Set's plan. The Ministry teaches that morals are a crutch that must be discarded and sin and corruption should be embraced. This is part of a long path toward godhood of which vampirism is just the first step. Faithful Setites encourage people to revel in vice and cruelty, often forming cults which they use as a power base and recruiting pool. Notably, they will accept Kindred of other Clans into the Ministry and treat them as siblings, though this does not actually change their Clan. While the cult is primarily based out of Egypt, they have spread across the world and are heavily invested in the international drug trade. The Ministry has historically been independent of the Sects, but they recently petitioned the Camarilla for membership. This was rejected as nobody in the Camarilla trusts them, so they largely joined the Anarchs, looking to corrupt them from within. According to non-Setites, their Antediluvian is Set and his family drama inspired Egyptian mythology. He was the elder son of the king Ra, but Ra chose the younger son Osiris as his heir. Set attempted a coup, but failed and he was exiled. This led him to the First City, where he received the Embrace. Returning to Egypt, he killed Osiris and took the throne. Osiris's sister-wives brought him back to life with a ritual and Osiris gathered an army of various supernatural beings to oppose Set, including the first mummies. This led to a shadow war between the two that went on and off through the millennia. Set is currently believed to slumber somewhere beneath Egypt and the Ministry are trying to find him. Set was also a worshiper of Apophis, a dark god that may be the same spirit of corruption and entropy that shapeshifters call the Wyrm. The Ministry Disciplines are Obfuscate (the ability to go undetected), Presence (incredible charisma), and Serpentis (shapeshifting and other powers associated with snakes). 5th edition changed Serpentis to Protean. Their compulsion is to indulge in vice. Their curse is an increased sensitivity to light, to the point that bright enough moonlight or artificial light can hurt them.

Clan Nosferatu fills the archetype of the vampire as an inhuman monster. No Clan's curse is more visible than that of the Nosferatu. Upon receiving the Embrace, each Childe is transformed ove the course of several agonizing days into a monstrous appearance. This new visage is unique to every Nosferatu but it is always obvious upon looking at them that they are not human. Because of their appearances, the Nosferatu have not historically been welcome in polite Kindred society, forced to live in the slums and sewers. This suits them just fine, because being beneath notice is the Nosferatu's greatest strength. They are the spymasters and information brokers of the Kindred. It is always a good rule of thumb to assume that no matter how hard you try to keep your secrets, there's a Nosferatu out there who already knows them. While the Nosferatu are a Camarilla Clan, the division between Sects is less important than Clan unity to them. Camarilla, Sabbat, and Anarch Nosferatu will work together for their united goals. The majority of Nosferatu in a city will live togeter in an underground tunnel network called the Warrens. Nosferatu prefer to Embrace from the ranks of outcasts and the forgotten, people who nobody will miss. They also Embrace from the ranks of beautiful people. This is usually targeted at the vain to teach them a lesson, but some Nosferatu view any beautiful person as deserving to become a monster. These people, known as Cleopatras, have a rough time adapting to their unlife. The Nosferatu Antediluvian is Absimiliard, who was a very beautiful and very vain man. When his Embrace left him with a tiny scar, Absimiliard became consumed by hate and killed his sire. Caine's curse on him was to make his face match the ugliness of his soul. The reason the Nosferatu are so tight-knit is becasue Absimiliard believes (falsely) that if he kills all of his descendants, Caine will forgive him and lift his curse. Thus he sends monsters called Nictuku after the Nosferatu. As Nictuku activity is on the rise recently, many Nosferatu believe Absimiliard is awake once again somewhere in the arctic circle. The Nosferatu Disciplines are Animalism (control of animals), Obfuscate (the ability to go undetected), and Potence (superhuman strength). Their compulsion is to seek out and horde secrets. Their Bane is their appearances.

Before discussing Clan Ravnos I need to throw up a content warning for racism and use of slurs. This is because Clan Ravnos represents the archetype of the vampire who is a Gypsy. And not an accurate representation of the Roma at all, but full stereotype. Listen, old White Wolf (the original publisher of WoD) was racist (though I think they were less malicious and more just stupid) and relied heavily on stereotypes. While they smartened up and revised some of the more stereotypical clans like the Banu Haqim and Giovanni, the Ravnos were so racist they didn't have an option to rehabilitate them other than to kill them. But I'll get to that. The Ravnos used to be divided between their western and eastern branches, with the two being almost completely different. The western Ravnos were nomads who worshiped chaos and brought disorder and crime wherever they went. They typically traveled with and Embraced from the Roma people. The eastern Ravnos where headquartered in India and engaged in a constant war for control if India with the Kuei-Jin. The Kuei-Jin are the vampires of Asia. They aren't descended from Caine, they're their own type of supernatural being. You don't really need to know about the Kuei-Jin for a beginner's guide so I'm not going to say much more about them. This war eventually led to the Ravnos Antediluvian, Zapathasura, rising from slumber and devouring his offspring and a big chunk of India before being slain. This was the Week of Nightmares, which I will discuss later. In the aftermath, the eastern Ravnos were utterly wiped out and the western Ravnos were driven into a Frenzy of violence. By the time it was all over, less than a hundred Ravnos were left standing, and none of them had any significant power. They are now a Clan on the brink of extinction, trying to find an identity in the face of their inevitable doom. The Ravnos Antediluvian is known by many names, including Zapathasurea, Ravana, and Dracian and there are way too many conflicting stories about him to go over here. The Ravnos Disciplines are Animalism (control of animals), Chimerstry (illusions), and Fortitude (incredible endurance). 5e changed to Chimerstry to Obfuscate and Fortitude to Presence. Their compulsion is to take risks. Their Bane used to be an addiction to crime, but after the Week of Nightmares it changed to an inability to rest in the same place twice in a row. They have to sleep at least a mile or so apart each night.

Clan Salubri is one of the extinct Clans who represented the archetype of the good guy vampire. They were healers dedicated to helping humans and Kindred alike overcome what ails them. There was also a warrior group focused on defending the defenseless. But because this is the World of Darkness, we can't have nice thing and the Salubri were wiped out. The new clan Tremere legitimized their position by slandering the Salubri as demon-worshipers and monsters and enacting a campaign of genocide against them. In modern nights, only a handful of Salubri survive in hiding, their resentment and desire for revenge driving them to become the very monsters they were slandered as. Their Antediluvian is Saulot, a philosopher and healer who sought to overcome the Beast. He would go on expeditions beyond the Second City doing unknown things. We know he spent time with the Kuei-Jin and that it probably ended poorly because Kuei-Jin refer to him as the betrayer. His search for enlightenment eventually led him to develop a third eye, which his clan inherited. He may also have been the only member of the 3rd generation that did not rebel against the 2nd. Eventually, he was attacked in his sleep and Diablerized by the founder of the Tremere. That's not quite the end of his story, though. The Salubri Disciplines are Auspex (superhuman senses), Fortitude (incredible durability), and Obeah (the ability to manipulate life and death). 5th edition changed Obeah to Dominate. Their compulsion was to empathize with others. Their Bane is a matter of debate. Some say they were the only clan to have no Bane, others say their Vitae was unnaturally delicious, and some say they could only feed on a willing person. The third eye ended up acting like a Bane because it made them very easy to identify.

Clan Tremere fills the archetype of the vampire as a wizard. They are usurpers to the title of Kindred, not descended from one of the Antediluvians. In the 1020s, the powerful mage Tremere set about finding a way to achieve immortality and opted to use a ritual to turn himself and his followers into Kindred. The plan was for them to retain their magic, but this failed and so they developed a practice of blood magic instead (though the Banu Haqim claim the Tremere stole their secrets instead). In order to gain the power needed to survive, he sought out the slumbering Saulot and Diablerized the Antediluvian, ascending to the power of a 3rd generation vampire. This made a lot of Kindred furious at him, so Tremere slandered the Salubri as demon worshipers and engaged in a "righteous" campaign to destroy this threat to all vampires. Most of the elders at the time probably realized the Tremere were lying, but they were just too useful not to make use of, so they played along. Clan Tremere joined the Camarilla and became one of their most important members, though nobody really trusts them. The Clan was easily the most well-organized due to the practice of members blood bonding their subordinates. This formed a massive hierarchy called the Pyramid, with Tremere at the top. The Clan is heavily focused on scholarship, delving into the secrets of the world and seeking to improve their blood magic, all focused around home bases called Chantries. This changed when the Second Inquisition bombed the head Chantry in Vienna, destroying most of the senior members of the Clan and shattering all the blood bonds. This led to the Clan fracturing into multiple competing factions, some of which defected to the Sabbat and Anarchs. Tremere was believed to have been killed in the bombing, but the truth is not so simple. Saulot's soul survived within Tremere's body and the two spent centuries fighting for control of the body. Saulot eventually won and disappeared to parts unknown; his current whereabouts and goals are a mystery. Tremere was forced to steal his lieutenant's body to survive. After the attack on the Chantry, Tremere faked his death and is now leading one of the factions of his Clan under a false identity. The Tremere Disciplines are Auspex (superhuman senses), Dominate (mind control), and Thaumaturgy (blood magic). In 5th edition, Thaumaturgy was renamed to Blood Sorcery. Their compulsion is perfectionism. Their Bane used to be an increased vulnerability to the blood bond, needing to drink another Kindred's Vitae only twice to be bonded. After the attack on the Vienna Chantry, the Bane changed to an inability to blood bind others.

Clan Toreador represents the archetype of the vampire as a beautiful and seductive predator. They are artists and innovates obsessed with beauty and art. While many dismiss them as vain fops, the Toreador are masters of the art of social manipulation. More than any other clan, they know that the right word whispered into the right ear at the right time can change the world. There's a reason they're one of the most politically powerful Clans in the Camarilla. While all Toreador seek beauty, that meas different things to different people. One Toreador might find beauty in refuse and garbage while another only appreciates the finest art of the Renaissance. Naturally, they love to spend time arguing over who is a true atriste and who is a mere poseur. Art to them also means more than just creative expression. Martial arts, investigation, and politics are all art forms to them. Because the vampiric condition tends toward stagnation, they often act more as patrons of the arts than as artists themselves. In modern nights, they hare heavily embedded in the entertainment industry. The Toreador are the Kindred most closely connected to humanity and spend much of their time amongst mortals. They often latch onto a human who catches their eye and dote on them, becoming an integral part of their life. However, the Toreador are fickle and once their attention shifts, they will drop their ward and move on like they never existed. The Toreador Antediluvian is usually called Arikel, though some sources call her Ishtar. She was said to be the most beautiful woman who ever live and a performer of a dance that involved leaping over the backs of bulls. She allegedly fled the Second City after stealing something called the Tablet of Destiny and was chased to Greece, where she vanished from history. Another story says she Embraced a pair of lover so their love would last forever. However once the two realized they could not have children, they walked into the sunlight. Arikel swore then to never Embrace again. The Toreador Disciplines are Auspex (superhuman senses), Celerity (superhuman speed), and Presence (incredible charisma). Their compulsion is to become transfixed on beautiful sights. This was their Bane prior to 5th edition. 5e changed their Bane to a penalty to their mental abilities when they are surrounded with less than beautiful scenery.

Clan Tzimisce fulfills the archetype of the vampire as the reclusive lord of a castle. They are easily the most inhuman of the Clans, moreso than the Nosferatu. While the Nosferatu were cursed into their inhuman appearances, the Tzmisce willingly give up on their humanity. If you were to call a Tzmisce inhuman and sadistic, they would likely agree, then demonstrate that you definitions of those words are woefully inadequate. To them, humanity is something to be discarded so they can surpass the weakness of their former mortality. To them, humans are an unfortunate component of making new Kindred at best. Thus, they tend to use forced eugenics programs to produce the best possible candidates. The Tzimisce also have the power to shape flesh and bone like clay and enjoy creating fleshwarped horrors and punishing humans for their humanity by doing things like turning them into furniture while leaving them alive, conscious, and in incredible pain. Most Tzimisce will turn their fleshcrafting on themselves, shaping themselves into monstrous forms to symbolize their rejection of their former mortality. Tradition and history are highly important to the Clan and they practice a form of sacred hospitality. A Tzimisce's domain is their most important asset and it is to be protected at all costs. Many of them are ancient lords ruling from castles in eastern Europe and have no interest in adapting to the times. While they are a Sabbat Clan, many young members are defecting to the Anarchs. Tzimisce are very rare in the Camarilla and those who do join pretend to be members of other clans as even other Kindred fear and hate the Tzimisce. The Tzimisce Antediluvian is only known as the Eldest. Legend says the 2nd generation vampire Irad sought to purge himself of evil by expelling expelling ti as a black mass. He them force fed the evil to a human and planned to kill him afterwards. However, when the man showed no change, Irad became curious and Embraced him. The Eldest quickly abandoned his humanity and soon left the Second City, having no interest in the political games of his siblings. He ended up in what would become Transylvania, where he made a pact with a bound demon named Kupala, binding him and his descendants to the land forevermore. During the founding of the Sabbat, the Eldest learned of a plan to kill him. He altered a follower into his likeness and left him behind to be Diablerized as the Eldest fled the land. The number of people who know he's still alive can likely be counted on one hand. The Tzimisce Disciplines are Animalism (control of animals), Auspex (superhuman senses) and Vicissitude. 5e swapped Vicissitude for Protean and Auspex for Dominate and made the Vicissitude abilities an amalgam of Protean and Dominate. I don't like this change. Their compulsion is to hoard things. Their Bane is that they can't sleep unless surrounded with reminders of their former human lives. Prior to 5e it was that they couldn't sleep unless surrounded with dirt from their grave. I think the 5e version is more thematically fitting, personally.

Clan Ventrue fills the archetype of the vampire as the aristocratic overlord. They are the blue bloods of the Kindred who believe they have the right to rule because they know better than everyone else. This naturally does not make them very popular, but they are extremely powerful and very wealthy. The Ventrue form a hierarchy based on their wealth, political influence, and dignitas, a measure of their responsibility and competence. Ascending the hierarchy is every Ventrue's goal and they will do anything to do so. Each city has its own hierarchy called the board that controls the politics and goals of that city's Ventrue. Each Ventrue in a city is expected to run their businesses without interfering with each other. In practice, this means you only get punished if you get caught. When a Ventrue Embraces a Childe, they are put in charge of a business and expected to make it prosper. They aren't allowed to interfere with other Ventrue's businesses during this time, so most local Ventrue will lend them a hand. This is the closest any Ventrue will ever get to altruism. Failure during this time will lead to a severe loss in dignitas for both Sire and Childe. In the past, they most embraced from noble families and knights. In modern nights, they are heavily involved with big business and politics. They were one of the founding clans of the Camarilla and claim that there are no Ventrue outside of the clan, though most people realize that's not the case. Still, questioning this claim tends to be bad for your long-term health. The Ventrue are very rich, very politically powerful, and they do not take insults lightly. The Ventrue Antediluvian was named Ventru, and he is often said to be the first member of the 3rd generation and Caine's chosen replacement when he left. Many Ventrue claim he took no part in the 3rd generations rebellion, while many others claim he was the instigator. Many sources say that when the 3rd generation began to fight, Ventru left to go find Caine and bring him back. He was then killed by an ambush of his siblings shortly after leaving. The Ventrue Disciplines are Dominate (mind control), Fortitude (incredible durability), and Presence (incredible charisma). Their compulsion is to rule over others. Their Bane is their refined tastes. Ventru can only feed on humans who have a certain trait, which is different to each Ventrue.

The Week of Nightmares was one of the most important events in the history of the World of Darkness and lasted from June 28th to July 4th, 1999. The war over control of India between the eastern Ravnos and the Kuei-Jin was ramping up. The Ravnos began to mass-Embrace fledglings to drown their enemy in sheer numbers. The psychic backlash of so many deaths happening so fast rippled through the clan, awakening slumbering elders and eventually the Antediluvian himself, Zapathasura. The starving blood god psychically called his descendants to him and devoured them before going on a rampage, devouring countless humans, Kuei-Jin, Kindred, and other supernatural creatures. Three immensely powerful Kuei-Jin sorcerers challenged Zapathasura, summing a hurricane over them to fight during the day. Meanwhile, the world-spanning technological mage organization known as the Technocratic Union or Technocracy took notice. They launched a spirit-charged nuke at the hurricane, dispelling it and killing the Kuei-Jin. They then used orbital satellites to direct concentrated sunlight onto Zapathasura, destroying him. The psychic backlash of Zapathasura's death sent the surviving Ravnos into a Frenzy of violence that left them on the verge of extinction. Shockwaves were sent through Kindred society. The Camarilla were forced to admit they were lying about the non-existence of the Antediluvians, leading to major defections to the Anarchs. The Sabbat, who had built their identity on being able to kill the Antediluvians, also lost major face when they were useless to stop Zapathasura, leading to mass defections to the Camarilla and Anarchs. The Sabbat dropped to the third largest Sect while the Anarchs moved up to the second. Kindred across the world saw the Week of Nightmares as proof that Gehenna was imminent.

In the wake of the Week of Nightmares, the Sabbat launched the Gahanna Crusade, a mission to track down the remaining Antediluvians and slay them in their sleep. The Camarilla opposed this, believing that the Sabbat would end up waking the Antediluvians instead. This led to a worldwide shadow conflict called the Gehenna War. At the same time, elders started experiencing visions of a black sarcophagus and feeling a compulsion to travel to the Middle East. Most interpret these visions as a sign that another Antediluvian has either risen or is about to rise. The mass exodus of Elders has destabilized the Camarilla and Sabbat, allowing the Anarchs to gain major ground. As the Gehenna war rages and elders consolidate power around the Middle East, the future is uncertain.

In the 2000s, a new threat appeared. The USA's National Security Agency discovered SCHRECKnet, a secret dark web operated by the Nosferatu. They spread the information to other secuurity agencies both in and out of the USA and collaborated with vampire hunting organizations in the Catholic Church and other religious institutions to fight back against the Kindred. This began with a missile strike on the Tremere Chantry in Vienna and coordinated ground work that managed to clear New York, London, Paris, and Marseilles of Kindred before the vampires were able to rally and put up a resistance. Kindred refer to this new generation of vampire hunters as the Second Inquisition. The Second Inquisition is not a unified organization but a loose collective of different organizations utilizing different tactics which can include military organizations using top-of-the-line hardware, scientists dragging Kindred to black sites for experimentation, gangbangers out to protect their neighborhoods from Kindred, and religious fanatics armed with swords and the power of true faith. Some of the more scientifically-minded organizations have even developed a chemical weapon that is harmless to humans but burns Kindred the way sunlight does. In response to the rise of the Second Inquisition, the Nosferatu disabled SCHRECKnet and the Camarilla banned electronic communication for fear of another hack, instead relying on couriers. This slower method of communication, combined with the exodus of the elders and the Gehenna War has destabilized all the Sects. The Second Inquisition has also noticed the increasing Kindred activity in the Middle East and has effectively become a third side in the Gehenna War. More than anything else, the Second Inquisition has reminded Kindred why the Masquerade is so important.

If you want to get into the setting but don't have a group to play with, the video game Vampire: the Masquerade Bloodlines is excellent, but you need to play it with the unofficial patch to avoid glitches.

[the-girl-lost-in-fandoms]

DEBUNK OF TIT FORESHADOWING

hello! i promised a recap and debrief of all the times dip and pip teased what happens in the terrible influence show, so here it goes, brace yourself 'cause it's gonna be a long one

GENERAL REMARKS

so i started with the videos posted during the summer, since they were rehearsing the show during that time. i might go further back if this post does well (they said they've been writing for six/seven months and they were already teasing during dan's birthday stream). anyway, there were some recurring hints that i'm gonna get out of the way now:

a LOT of emphasis on the fact that it's been nearly 15 years of dan and phil (cough cough, reminds me of phil's infamous inconsistant line about their anniversary coming up in octodecember, cough cough)

a lot of ancient lore being introduced by 'the year was 2009/2011/2015', which is generally reminiscent of the recap at the beginning of the show, and most are the actual years featured in that segment of the show

they acknowledged 'we are ph-', which they also use in the show i.e. the phouse, the phortgage, the pheal, the phitchen, etc.

they are SO aware of the moms/dads/straight boyfriends that we have forced dan and phil onto, they kept asking us to bring them and they acknowledge them several time in the show

DNP GOING AWAY Q&A (1st Sep.)

strong emphasis on the haitus (reminiscent of phil's dramatic haitus microphone moments)

say they might adress the japhan wedding conspiracy (which they do!)

the nude colored briefs (are for sister daniel)

at 2:45, phil says 'gay' and the rainbow light and sound effect happen just like in the show

dan mentions red flags (might be far fetched but reminded me of the green flags/red flags of lawyer!dan and doctor!phil)

phil says cunt (like in the show)

'no but seriously imagine it'

phil broke a rib during repetition of 'some kind of stunt event' (during the boxing/wrestling match)

they spent $300 on silicon for 'full body character transformation onesie' for 'a perfectly unsexual moment of the show' (read: phil wears fake abs while pretending not to have sex with dan on stage)

Dan: 'you're not a 365 party girl? terrible influence when you're bumping that?' (charli xcx is on the preshow playlist and it teases the terrible song)

reveal of the 'dan and phil made me gay' T-shirt, teasing of the sweatshirt and black tour T-shirt

DATE NIGHT WITH DNP (25th Aug.)

dan sings muder on the dancefloor (which is on the preshow playlist)

dan going 'ohmygod they SHARE CLOTHES' (one of the conspiracies addressed in the show)

WRITING PHAN FICTION ABOUT OURSELVES (19th Aug.)

it's a fill-in-the-blanks game, as they do multiples times in the show (okay, not really foreshadowing as they've done this in all of their shows, but i think it was a way to introduce this to the newer audience maybe)

MrBeast mention

DNP REACT TO TATINOF (16th Aug.)

phil: 'fall out boy! my chemical romance! the shipping had started!' (basically all the ingredients of the no seriously imagine it post)

'if we asked people to confess stuff now it would be so much worse' 'the tone might be different' & 'and if you come to our show, there might be a different tone' (so... confess your sins to sister daniel, need i say more)

#spon (which is now #ad in the terrible song)

'i went to see dan and phil and all i got was this lousy plate' (EXCUSE ME DAN??? he was basically spoiling the merch two weeks in advance) (this is the moment that inspired me this post btw)

dan 'professional hater' howell is now the one starting the song in tit

'imagine that but 2025. we're old. we're gay. phil can say fuck' (and indeed, he says fuck)

DNP PLAY DRESS TO IMPRESS (11th Aug.)

they wear the matching 'precious baby angel' t-shirts (same phrase used to describe phil in the show)

DNP DRESS EACH OTHER (14th July)

Phil: 'like two Kens playing with Kens' (i bet pj was crafting the little rooms and the little dolls at this point)

they both have mesh shirts as the main show outfits

'how booty are the shorts, dan?' 'i'm not gonna bend over in these things'.... except for the photocards that feature your ass in those shorts!

the two first look (emo!phil and beach!dan), the white cowboy hat, phil's blue and purple bomber jacket are all featured in the photocards sold at the show

DNP MASSIVE MUKBANG 2 (5th July)

'we've been doing this since 2009 and 2006 *excerpt from phil's first videoblog*' (that's literally the opening of the show)

'we reclaim what Dan and Phil is in 2024'

'we’re gonna look at what YouTube is like in 2024, how do we fit in, we’re gonna be taking shots at people'

'we’re gonna spill some things that would have sent you into cardiac arrest seven years ago' (2024-7=2017. so basically any of the conspiracies they adress from that time, like the tour bus, vegas, etc.)

'we’re gonna go full theater kids' (oooh teasing the musical number already)

'what do people want? Series mystery hunting, lifestyle cooking, real life, get a dog, domestic' (that's basically all the things they try on stage)

[kaaaaaaarf]

two three truths and a lie

Rules: make a poll where the options are two truths and one lie and have your followers guess the lie

thanks for the tags @greengrug, @lynxindisguise, @lavenderhaze, @polaroidcats & @squintclover!!

I am also adding a fourth option because I think some of you know my lore.

np tagging: @kaleidoscopexsighs, @moon-seas, @wannabelilybriscoe, @pain-in-the-riri, @neege, @lifeisabitch-butimcute, @chericheribaby