That's right, another year comes around, full of tusks and musks and green skin abound.

Celebrate by showing off your big hefty strong orc men!

So it's been a while since I've uploaded a journal here, so I wanted to give an update.

I've been doing alright. I'm getting relationships sorted out, learning a lot about myself and my interests. Realized that I'm a bit too much of a people pleaser at times. I'm getting older at 43, life doesn't make things easier.

I lost some teeth, likely related to a combination of long-term exposure to Carbon Monoxide at a previous job, genetic gum recession and stress. I'm not proud about it, but about two years ago, I ended up going to the emergency room. I also had some teeth pulled and removed, and still have a broken wisdom tooth that I'll need surgery for. Something I can't afford right now.

I tried streaming, and realized that I simply don't have the mental capacity to handle it, but I made some money on that.

Between both of these things, moving expenses and just.. life.. I've ended up owing quite a bit last year in taxes -- and quite a bit in back taxes. The streaming in addition to a wage increase to something almost livable has left me owing $2k from last year alone.

So between that and owing for years where I didn't have health insurance, I racked up at $5k tax bill. I've set up a payment plan to pay it off, but it's going to take 3 years from the start, and that means no savings, no emergency funds, no moving around money. No flexibility. I've cut back what I can, but I'd really love some help. I'm going to keep this going long term, and I've already received $1k from folks, so I paid off what's left of medical and have put the rest towards taxes. If you'd like to help, share or donate below. I'd really appreciate it.

From the Big Bad Skunk Dad to you. Thank you.

https://gofund.me/640fa417

Just posted a bunch of old pictures over the last couple of years. I've been putting it off for a while. There's a bunch more coming, but I'm done for now, so I'm not utterly flooded with watches <3 Thank you to all you great artists whom have drawn my skunk over the past few years!

Hey there folks! Khorax here! I'm planning on attending ANE 2017 on Friday and Saturday this year, and hoping that I can find some simple crash space. Since I'm not going for the entirety of the con, I didn't want to get rooms with folks.

I live nearby, so this is merely a convenience so I can spend some late night board gaming time and potentially offer my services as Board Gaming Room Volunteer if need be. I'd be willing to offer up some money, though I'll be honest that I don't have too much this year.

I am mostly looking for some space to sleep in, for the most part. I won't have a lot of personal effects with me, since I'm not staying the whole time.

If anyone knows of anyone willing to give this skunk a place to catch Zs. Let me know here, or on Telegram KhoraxSkunk.

So, with the 'big three' in both the Classic World of Darkness and what is now known as the Chronicles of Darkness (formerly new World of Darkness), things start to get a little different. The game lines stop mirroring each other exactly. I'll be following along the classic line in terms of what games to introduce, but I'll be posting in accordance to similar game lines for CofD games. At this point, the games have been pretty similar, in both theme and mood, as well as subject matter. However, with the release of the newer games, White Wolf (and later Onyx Path) decided to go in a new direction. Some of the games, thus have only minimal things in common. Furthermore, White Wolf introduced Promethean: the Created, which had no counterpoint in the classic line. To give them credit, though, the classic line had books dedicated to gameplay in other parts of the world.

So, what spectacular game would follow up Mage: the Ascension for the classic line? Well, the games have already discussed the idea of ghosts in the game. Ghosts had a special treatment in the World of Darkness, a treatment that would carry over to the newer games. Instead of the standard nine attributes, they only had three, and interaction with the physical realm was limited, so having scores like strength were just silly. Instead, ghosts used three scores that they could use to interact with the world around them, based off the overarching scores of Power, Resistance and Finesse. To interact with the world, the ghosts used spooky powers called Numina. Ghosts were tied to objects, people and places, often unable to leave them in order to move on. For all this detail, however, there never was quite a Ghost: the Haunting game for White Wolf..

Except.. that there sort of was. Wraith: the Oblivion was a dour and deeply dark game about spirits who could not quite move on. They could reside in the Shadowlands, a dismal place of constant danger and stifling dictatorships. There, a horrific storm tore through the ranks of the dead, tearing away spirits into a state of oblivion, or non-existence. Furthermore, Spirits were tired to their anchors, the objects, memories, people, places and events that kept them going, while the self-destructive shades of their past selves seek an eternal end to their existence. The game used an interesting mechanic towards this end: character shades were played by other players, often enticing them towards allowing them to gain more and more control. The more the character gave in to their dark desires, the closer they got towards Oblivion.

Wraith characters gain ghostly powers called Archanoi, which are ancient secrets taught by now-disbanded-but-not-really Guilds. The act of interacting with the living (or Skinlands or the Quick) is banned. To disobey the law of Charon is to be sent into slavery, where souls are hammered into pretty much anything physical in the underworld. Spectres whom follow the will of Oblivion seek to pull the dead into a horrid storm that threatens to wrench souls asunder. This doesn't include any of the machinations of individual spirits who have their own ends and needs. Being stuck between life and nothingness, the armies of the dead and freedom, and numerous factions, the game has a hard, heavy edge to it that hammers home. It's a deep, thick game filled with remorse, difficult choices and the question of whether you'd be willing to risk it to move forward, when doing so could slip you further into decay.

The classic line was good, but only saw one edition that wasn't re-released until Onyx Path went largely digital. White-wolf tried a similar game concept, Orpheus, which was a closed-story game line about an organization that allowed living people to contact the dead, but it wasn't quite 'World of Darkness', and the five game books featured a progressive storyline (as opposed to open-ended play). It was good, allowing humans to take on the ghostly powers of the dead, and sort of formed as a bridge between the old game and the new (this concept was sort of borrowed for a later game, but in a different sort). This game was brighter, but the Orpheus Corporation had it's own dark secrets, and should the borders between the living and the dead be held open like this? It was a good game, but released towards the end of the classic line, designed to sort of give one last holler to the old Wraith line without a re-release.

The newer WoD lines didn't have a Wraith equivalent for the longest time. The fourth game offered by White Wolf's newer WoD still dealt with the dead, but this time it was more their physical remnants that were the focus. Promethean: the Created shared some of the heart of W:tO, but it was a very different game. Of all the newer game lines, this one received the least amount of play from what I've seen, with online communities often ignoring its existence or only offering games in stand-alone fashion. I can attribute this to the very dismal nature of the game. Promethean: the Created is as depressing as it is beautiful. You see, you play as the dead, resurrected through infusion of Azoth, the spark of creation and alchemical process into new beings. The game takes elements of myth, and old pseudoscience to provide a unique look into the Frankenstein myth. Your characters are not human, and wish to be so. Nature and mankind rebel against your toxic existence, as you are an affront to anything normal. People slowly turn against you, societies start to hate, animals flee, skies wrench with unnatural storms, so long as you languish in a single place.

Thus, your character travels, unable to seek refuge or rest for long periods of time, constantly seeking out companionship, knowledge and what it means to be human. You are gifted with the inability to die, and the use of alchemical powers that reflect your journey forward. You are hunted by the horrific abominations, cast-offs and failures by other Prometheans, including yourself, as you cannot be truly human until you understand progeny. Worse, there are those Prometheans whom have given up on the search for humanity itself, finding ties with these horrors and seeking more to emulate and find kin with them. Should you survive these, and somehow reach the end of your pilgrimage, you may find the secret to true humanity and be reborn as a normal person. It's a game I've always wanted to play, but it's so heavy and deep that many people look at it and pass on. Good game, but almost unrelentingly depressing.

As you can see, this game wasn't exactly the same as Wraith (probably not at all) except in terms of the basic dark, deep, heavy mood. White Wolf wouldn't revisit the idea until years later, after CCP had dissolved the company's physical locale. It took the form of Geist: the Sin-Eaters. One of my favorite games happens to be terribly organized. It has fantastic ideas, but it's clear that each chapter was written by someone different, and that the chapters don't exactly coincide well. This was partly fixed by a rerelease a few months later, although only in digital format. Some of the rules contradicted themselves, or were found in strange places or entirely different chapters, and its this that gives me the main complaint about the book. The idea is solid. Characters die. They go to the underworld and in that moment between life and death, they strike a deal with a death god-spirit-thing to come back to life, except now they share their life with the spirit.. and the spirit is no longer human.

Now, they straddle the line between life and death. They see the dead, as easily as anything else and it takes concentration to turn it off. Better yet, the ghosts can see them, and they are drawn to the Sin-Eater like moths to a flame. Sin-Eaters get ghostly powers that are unlocked with keys granted by memorabilia, trinkets and items empowered from the memories of the deceased and death. It's part Day of the Dead, part Victorian Seance and part wake. The game is lighter in tone than the other counterparts, but still just as deep and dark. It's a celebration, a second chance, but it's also a party for the dead. Player's powers are in part based off how they died, in part based off the Geist that shares a body with them and can be increased by the accumulation of accoutrement, or finding secrets within the underworld. Sin-Eaters (characters) teach each other different Ceremonies, rituals that bridge the gap between man and ghost, often trading them. Players must maintain a balance between their new residents and themselves, or find themselves overcome by one or the other, perhaps permanently dividing the two into a violent mishmash.

It's a good, good game. surprisingly full of moral grey areas and fun times. Power levels don't increase heavily, though players can literally start a religion if they get enough people as part of their death-cult. The game takes the entire experience of death and turns it into a grand adventure. You live, you die, you live again, and dying is so much harder, and there's so much more to it, that it becomes part of living. What do you do with your second life? If you do choose to play this game, which I recommend, I strongly encourage using the option that allows other players to play as your geist. It's intriguing when the Geist tells you no to something you want to do, or just reminds you that maybe the lady in front of you in the check-out with 20 items should really be on fire for being in the wrong lane. On. Fire.

Just don't say bloody mary three times in a mirror in a darkened room.

So, it's time for another post to our tour of the World of Darkness. Before I start on the next game line. I just wanted to say some things real quick. Ownership of the rights to White Wolf games has passed from CCP games to Paradox Interactive. Paradox is going to be releasing a new edition of the older games, and has come to an agreement with Onyx Path regarding their own game lines. Onyx Path Publishing will continue to produce the 20th Anniversary games still in the pipeline, but will be renaming the 2nd edition of the 'New World of Darkness' as 'Chronicles of Darkness.' As the 2nd edition for the games mentioned here have yet to be released publicly, I'll still be using cWod (classic) and nWoD (new) to apply to games. This is both good and bad news. The good news is that World of Darkness games will likely see a heavier presence. The bad news is that it's kind of like Pathfinder, it's technically competition for the same market.

That being said, It's about time to talk about the next game. Now, in the 90s and 80s, White Wolf had what they called the 'Big Three'. These were their three most popular game lines by far, and formed as sort of the basis of their lines. They were the games that other games were compared to. The games, surprisingly enough, also could sort of correspond to the three categories of attributes present in the games. Vampire was the social game. Werewolf was Physical.. So that would leave Mental. Now, at the time, an old Fantasy RPG was around called Ars Magica. Ars Magica took place in medieval Europe, but one in which magic and such still existed. It introduced a non-DnD spellcasting system of combining words into phrases, which then formed an effect. Depending on the combination, you could have any number of spell effects, and the more of these mystical words you learned, the broader your spell capabilities. It was a fantastic system.

What does this have to do with White Wolf or World of Darkness? Well, it so happens that White Wolf purchased the rights to the game system, and republished it. Then taking inspiration from the game, produced one of my absolute most favorite game of all my tabletop years. I'm talking about Mage: the Ascension. Mage was unlike any other game I had played. the backstory of the game should be familiar. Individuals hold a secret war of belief behind the scenes for the future of humanity. Mystic Traditions wish to allow humanity to accept the presence of magic and issue forth a mystical golden age, with the benefits and dangers involved. Technocratic Conventions shield humanity from the dangers of those whom would endanger the world using science to mold it towards a better tomorrow. All the while, the insane and the nihilistic sow chaos and doom wherever they roam. Players typically played on the side of the Traditions (in the Core book) or Conventions (separate Source books), and played stories that delved into some of the darkest and most wondrous things imaginable.

Ultimately, M:tAs is a game of imagination, you see. Magic(sometimes with a k) would be cast by using one or more Spheres of Influence, related to the effects of the spells. Players were encouraged to cast spells in a way that were in sync with their character's system of belief. You could play a devoutly religious Catholic right next to a Paganistic Shaman along with a Professor of Super Science. The ideologies present were diverse but also held that same punkish feel with their own positives and negatives. If you wanted to shoot a fireball, you could, if you had enough points in Forces, and any of the above types could do it (in a different style, of course). You could combine these Spheres, casting fireballs at a distance, or from another plane of existence. There is a catch, however. In this world, belief matters, specifically the collective belief of the people in the world, who firmly know a person cannot shoot fire from their fingertips. The conflict of personal versus collective consensus creates a backlash known as Paradox, and this is what the war is about. Who determines what is and is not allowable.

The game has a surprising amount of flexibility. If you can think it, you can do it, and if you're creative about it, you can garner little to no Paradox. The stories are battles of wills and wits. It's one of the best games I've ever played, and, aside from having the cWoD issue of pigeonholing a bit, and every games' issue of balance, I have little complaint. I strongly encourage picking up the 20th Anniversary edition, which has everything you need to play either a Tradition or Technocratic character, and to run a game, including some more modernization to the games to keep them current and PC.

But wait. There's more.

As mentioned before, the cWoD came to an end, and a new line came out. So.. How did they handle Mage? The M:tAs was fantastic, and a very hard act to follow. I'll go ahead and state my personal opinion first. I liked the older version better. That said, the new version did something spectacularly well, and it took me a while to really have it sink in. Mage: the Awakening is less about a battle of belief for reality. Understand that the stakes are sometimes just as high between the two games, but like all nWoD games, M:tAw takes it to a personal level. What you believe doesn't matter. Magic exists. It once existed in tandem with the world, allowing individuals to draw down power from mystical power sources called the Supernal Realms. While cavemen shuttered and held their petty wars, these enlightened humans dedicated themselves into building a place where they could congregate, study and experiment. Of course, the core book calls it Atlantis and everyone gets up in arms about it, though later splatbooks correct this to possibly not actually having existed (or being a different name entirely).

Anyways, I diverge. The leaders of this place, members of each of the Diamond orders decided to build a more direct conduit to the source of magical power. The leaders of the group ascended into the Supernal Realms, and them promptly severed the connection. the mystical backlash destroyed the ancient civilization and formed a rift between the mundane world and the supernal, preventing people from performing magic. The world was in chaos, and then, slowly, people started experiencing a journey to ancient towers within the Supernal Realms, where they would form a connection, enabling them to bypass this Abyss and perform mystical feats. But there are those who exist already in the Supernal Realms, directing those to perform their bidding to reshape reality as -they- see fit, and maintain the separation of the two realms.

This is the backstory that almost had me quit playing White Wolf, and has been hated by many of the original game's community. The game adjusted some of the mechanics, and the previous system was changed so that most players started out knowing only a few spells, and eventually branching out in power to enable more flexible magic. And this, this concept was actually very good. Players still started out able to do much, but it was limited, and as they pushed past those limitations and understood their magic, it became more organic and flexible. the game's focus became much more secretive. Characters were often part of secret societies with ancient oaths and traditions, comparable to the Freemasons. The would attempt to out maneuver other secret societies in a bid to retain control over mystical locales, artifacts, secrets and people of importance.

It was subtle. Mages were no longer big and bombastic, but people with incredible power in a world of other people with even more. The use of that power threatened to tear the hole between worlds larger, and could destroy or remake lives. Consequence became a major element. Mystery was there. Do you delve into these ancient ruins not knowing what was within? Why did that social worker want that lapel pin for anyways? Who killed the defacto president of the Science Club at University College using magic? Why? Was this something to do with the Seers of the Throne, or one of the Diamond Orders, or was it a Banisher who wanted to destroy anyone who showed hints of magic use?

The game held strong, though I loathe to compare it to the original. It was subtle and good. The battle for good and evil was still muddy, as each order made choices that were not always in the best interest of everyone. It introduced a Morality stat of Wisdom, which included elements of magic use.. and it's abuse. If you're interested in a game about secrecy and magic, and can look past all the references to Atlantis (Though not unwarranted references. It -is- one of the biggest could-it-exist out there), it's a good game to give a shot, especially if you prefer the newer system.

Both games are good. Very good. I strongly recommend either to bring to your table, but be warned. These games involve using creativity and a LOT of power. If you have players who tend to abuse systems, be careful. The games are very easily abused with little Storyteller recourse aside from 'Well, you fucked things up now in-game, so here are you in-game consequences' Which.. I suppose.. is the point.

So, the very, very first tabletop World of Darkness game I ever actually played was not Vampire: the Masquerade, but another title and, perhaps their second best one. This particular game is well known in the fandom as being sort of 'the' furry game in the Classic World of Darkness, though the changes to the New World of Darkness put a sour taste in some of the player's mouths, as change is apt to do. Both lines sported a lot of variety within concept, a lot of flexibility and a theme that was highly heroic, brutal and savage.

Of course I'm talking about Werewolf. Werewolf: the Apocalypse (classic) and Werewolf: the Forsaken (new) have a lot of things in common, which leads me to one of the biggest complaints about the 'Big Three' of White Wolf's game lines (Vampire, Werewolf and Mage). Between the classic and the new, not enough changed, and too much changed at the same time. In Vampire, the formula went from just a single choice of tribe to a pairing option, providing a more flexible outlook, but lost a lot of backstory. The backlash from this pushed White Wolf to go in a different direction. The mechanics and the core base operation of the game would largely remain similar between the two versions, but the backstory would be present, yet different (This issue comes up in Mage as well).

To clarify, I'll mention this. In both games, you play as angry folks who turn into wolf-people. You work with and against spirits who threaten the way of life for everyone. There are evil werewolves whom do not subscribe to your propaganda newsletter that would otherwise allow bad spirits to overrun the world and make it a terrible place for everyone. You get powers called Gifts that are learned from spirits, either through beguilement, force or respect. The moon is pretty awesome but got pissed at werewolves long enough and made it where Silver is not fun to play with. Also, lots of combat and blood and guts.

In both games, your character chooses an Auspice, which is the sign of moon that the person associates with/is born under. This sign largely determines what kind of role the character plays in Werewolf society, as well as some of their innate gifts. They are similar to Dungeons and Dragons classes, but not exactly. The roles remain largely unchanged between the two games, though the names of these are different. In both, you choose a tribe. Werewolf: the Apocalypse had ten tribes, each based off a different ideology and cultural family. To be honest, it can be downright racist at times (it's part of the theme, and the 20th Anniversary edition focuses a bit less on being stereotypical). Werewolf: the Forsaken diluted these tribes down to five, with each tribe representing two of the others without the cultural baggage. As a result, they lost some of the charm of playing them. Apocalypse also provided the option to play wolf and werewolf-bred characters, each with their own benefits, gifts and drawbacks.

The storyline and backstory behind the two games is where they largely differ. Werewolf: the Apocalypse dealt mainly with a war on the Wyrm, a metaphysical anthropomorphism of destruction, decay and corruption. Whenever there is corruption, it is not infrequent that the Wyrm is behind it. This terrific god-like being basically works to slowly turn the world into a nuclear wasteland of hatred, sorrow, and greed. To this end, the Werewolves have battled it for centuries.. and are losing. They cannot give up, but between human encroachment and development of complex technology, and a lack of number, it's been going wrong for a long time. To this end, the game has a fatalistic, heroic tone, to delay the inevitable slide of the world down to destruction, and perhaps in doing so, find a way to defeat it and revert the world to a state of balance. Along the way, the characters must make decisions that are not always obviously morally right. Do you kill humans to cull the herd? Do you threaten peaceful spirits when they refuse to cooperate? In-fighting and mistrust are commonplace, and struggles for dominance can lead to rage and death. It's a great game line because it takes something epic and brings it down to a personal level, which is something the classic line is -really- good about.

Werewolf: the Forsaken changed all of this and discarded the entire notion that the world was ending. Player werewolves are the members of five tribes, established from each of five different Spirit wolves born from the Father Wolf. Father Wolf was tasked with the caretaking of the border between the spirit and material, to ensure that neither overstepped their bounds. When Father wolf became weak, five of his children overtook him. The three children that disagreed were considered the Pure tribes, these tribes want nothing more than power, often dealing with evil and malicious spirits. In this game, the Five tribes are easily outnumbered by the brutal Pure. Furthermore, may spirits are pissed at The Forsaken for ruining their plans to wreck havoc on the material world. Game mechanics are focused more on the pack and territory, as well as smaller scale issues. This human is being possessed by a spirit of spite. This other human has been polluting this water spirit and causing it to act out and murder innocents. It's actually not a bad game, but gets a serious negative rep in the furry community. Werewolves are all human-born, and werewolves can only be in pure werewolf form for a limited amount of time. With the loss of culture previously mentioned, the game felt 'watered down'. I agree, and later sourcebooks addressed these concerns and gave the game a more distinctive feel.

An additional thing wanted to note was an aside to these games. As part of the each line, but also separate from them, both W:tA and W:tF released extra books detailing other were-animal types. While W:tA gave each animal type a society as complex as the original line, W:tF settled for a looser, broader feel, but still maintaining integrity. Because the newer line had a lower number of books overall, they weren't overly developed, but these additional 'Fera' provided options for things like Were-cats, Were-bears, even Were-bats or Were-sharks. Really, really cool. W:tA naturally had them all disliking the Werewolves, but W:tF has no such preconceptions. All in all, worth a look for those interested.

So, in final, I strongly encourage folks to enjoy these games. Werewolf: the Apocalypse is a blast to play and like most of the classic line, has a rich and compelling setting. Werewolf: the Forsaken can have some deep, enriching storylines filled with just as much anger, guts and glory as the classic line, though it misses some of the charm. All in all, both are worth a try, but if you can play Apocalypse, I strongly encourage you to do so.


EDIT: I just wanted to point out something important. In the classic World of Darkness, Vampires and Werewolves do NOT get along. Werewolves being giant deadly nature deathmachines and Vampires being potentially and likely undead corrupted horrors. The two systems are almost but not -quite- compatible. Since the new game lines provide a stable human 'base' for characters (with a template), and a power-stat, morality rating and Willpower, it's easier to combine systems. It's not perfect, but it works a LOT better when you're trying to find a stat that does NOT have an equal in the other game.

Everyone loves a good morality tale. The hero faces off against some deep, dark inner demon as represented by his foil, whom has somehow both exemplified the ramifications and freedom of giving in to said darkness. In most stories, the hero walks away victorious, having learned the differences between himself and his counterpart, despite remarkable similarities. This is a key point to many gothic stories. The hero is inherently flawed, but ultimately, it is a battle against good or evil (or in some cases ethical and unethical). This duality is explored thoroughly through many of White Wolf's game lines, but the first game in both the Classic and New World of Darkness (aside from the base game of the second) takes this to it's most logical point.

What makes a man?

In both games, human beings are given the "gift" of vampirism by a member of several vampire families. This "gift" provides several benefits, but an inner predatory desire and thirst for blood, which is commonly referred to as The Beast (not to be confused with anything of religious note). This beast drives the vampire to perform less humane aspects, while the remnants of their humanity seek to retain a semblance of their prior self. This interplay provides the character with a big quandary. Should they give in to the predatory desires, they can reap the benefits of power, but in the process may lose themselves. Should they resist too much and deny the beast entirely, they keep their humanity but find themselves weak and prey for stronger vampires. Between this, the vampire games and threats from outside vampire society, survival is never guaranteed.

Vampire: the Masquerade was a title launched back in the late 80s with a decidedly Gothic-punk feel. Having released a 20th anniversary edition only a couple of years ago, the game has dropped the punk aspect only slightly to coincide with the more modern times. A human being is given the embrace, where they are turned into a vampire by another. The setting has thirteen clans, whom all bicker and argue over just how Vampirism should be treated. Some feel that specific guidelines and rules should be in place for survival, while others believe in using their Vampiric gifts to exult in their condition. Others have more personal goals, but ultimately lies down to two ideals: survival and power.

The game takes place in a darker world than the current one: where corruption runs rampant. Vampiric powers (called Disciplines) are decided entirely by clan choice, which there is a large variety there in, with their own flavors and takes on the genre. It feels and plays very much like the era that inspired it: Anne Rice and the Lost Boys, Buffy and so forth, with a toe dipped in myths and legends here and there. The horror elements comes from what Vampires must -do- in order to survive, and the terror induced from realizing just how much one has given up for the powers provided.

V:tM, like much of the Classic line, has a lot of Metaverse information. The setting is highly developed, and clans are sort of expected (though not always) to play as they're written. There's a TON of backstory, and it's easy to get mired in, and there are a lot of really great canonical characters presented. It's an example of making a game line for the setting done right, and it's the standard that White Wolf set for the rest of the games for the full decade as they released systems. It wasn't until the close of the millennium that they turned to a new direction.

Cue The World of Darkness and Vampire: the Requiem. Rather than individual game-lines, White Wolf decided to take the games in a different direction. They unified the systems under the core book, and then used each supernatural type as a template to add to that. Unfortunately, this meant that each game required the original core World of Darkness book. Fortunately, it meant that it was easier for the different types to play together, more or less. The New World of Darkness dropped the punk act that was popular and went to a closer, more horror-driven style. It felt slightly more pulpy, but the traditional gothic feel of horror became pervasive. Humans were simply that: people in a world where everything seemed to go wrong and myths and legends may as well be true. Even without supernatural elements, games were harrowing and almost noir-esque in feel.

Vampire: the Requiem took this tone and applied it to the game. The clans formed less a political family and were more based off the kind of vampire you were. Political agenda and vampiric ideal was a choice a Vampire made, and abilities were derived from the two. The established metaplot was almost non-existant, left to the Storyteller (the Game Master) to determine in accordance to setting. Vampires could all be part of one big group, or a lot of little groups. Vampire's 'Beasts' were narrowed down to more predatory instinct. Instead of personifying it, it was merely a part of the vampiric condition. Vampires hiss at others, like cats on a fence. They could feel the palpable power of those around them, and instinctively found it hard to fight their urges. Similar, but the difference was there.

V:tR was more personal, more local. If there was a global conspiracy, it wasn't presented in the main book. What you, and your fellow vampires did affected the lives of those around you. It could topple leaders in a power struggle, or perhaps establish groups that previously would have gone too far against the grain. Unfortunately, it also lost some of the flavor that was so inherent in the classic game, a complaint about nearly all the newer gamelines. It's still a very strong game, and the flexibility of Requiem definitely makes up for its lack of meta.

All in all, both games promise an excellent night of decadence, violence, depravity, danger and intrigue. Whether you and your fellow vampires succumb to your desires or rise above them is entire the choice of the players, and thematic for both games.

I hope this has been informative and I hope many of you take a look into either of these games. I should do more of these, because I feel it's good getting this information out.

When I was younger, growing up as a computer-less geek in Daytona Beach, I had a lot of spare time on my hands, an overactive imagination and few, if any outlets for such. I was a self-stylized religious nut-case. Wrapped up in my own little world of altruism and righteous anger at a world that seemed, to me, destined to get the way of my loved ones. Naturally, this worldview was not sustainable, and as I grew up, I started to understand that everything wasn't always in black and white. This tied mainly with my sexuality. The 90s were a tumultuous time filled with a lot of hatred towards homosexual males, and a lot of homophobia towards people, not for being gay, but for the possibility of being gay. I grew up largely sexually repressed and terrified of allowing myself to experience the joys of the world around me.

Yet, even then I tried to find friends who shared similar interests. I had played Dungeons and Dragons once or twice, and my heroic I-can-do-no-wrong attitude clashed easily with other groups. I lacked the maturity necessary to get along with my peers, but I did, somehow, manage to eek out friendships with a group of gamers. These gamers were very, very different from one another, but they were all outcasts from society. Ideologically, they ranged from strongly Christian to Atheist to Wiccan. We largely played Dungeons and Dragons at first, as both myself and my Christian friend were afraid to delve into the darker sides of tabletop gaming.

Yet, I always remained curious. Sure, we halfheartedly made fun of the gothic kids who became wrapped up in this "Corruptive" world, but we didn't really understand it, and didn't try to learn about it or from it. To my benefit, though curiosity became the better of me. A friend of ours, sort of the third element to a group that slowly grew into something larger later on, was well verse in the game. He took stylings of the Vampire and Werewolf elements, dabbled a bit in personal shamanism and generally had more in tune to the primal elements of his emotions, and I admired the audacity and honesty behind it. Looking back, I know that I tended to judge him meanly, but he always took it in stride, and always strove to better himself.

It was this man who convinced us to give the World of Darkness a try. At the time, there were the three of us, plus an occasional gamer or two from the local comic shop. We didn't want to delve into the darker ends of the spectrum, so we picked Werewolf for it's heroic themes and generally acceptable nature to my Christian Friend. It was a blast! We had a ton of fun, and I enjoyed the elements of horror and more emotion and plot-driven storylines. The game was very different from Dungeons and Dragons, with a focus less on the leveling and quest, and more on the quality of interaction and role-play.

So, I became hooked. I researched into a few of the game lines and eventually settled on Mage: the Ascension for my personal favorite. I became enamored with the design of the games and the fusion of theme with mechanics. I branched out, and through it, I also took a look back at myself. Here, in these books, represented individuals of wider breadth than I had experienced in the real world. I realized that I could actually enjoy myself pretending to do bad things from time to time and it was okay. The morality plays provided within helped me to tackle topics for my own self, when I lacked a role model or any form of guidance.

As I grew older, more game lines were added. Eventually, White Wolf reset the game lines for a New World of Darkness, this time with a more cohesive mechanical core. As of a few years ago, they released a new edition of the Newer Line, as well as Anniversary editions of the older lines. White Wolf games themselves are no longer producing these games, rather the torch has been passed to Onyx Path Publishing, created by fans and writers of the games who did not wish to see these lines fade away. And, as a fan, I wanted to provide a bit of insight as to these game lines, here (since I don't know where else to put something like this). I've read all of the books. Every single game. I've not played all of them. Maybe one day I will, but due to the darker themes within, some of the games are more uncomfortable to play than others. I certainly have my favorites, and if you will excuse the spam, I'd like to provide a bit of an introduction on each one in other Journal posts, over time.

Thank you for letting me share this with you all, and if you're interested in knowing more about this game line, hit me up on Skype/Twitter/what have you, or even here. :D They're all very good games and are generally easy to learn and play.

Happy gaming :D

That's right, ladies and gentlemen! I'm a Skunk now!

But what does this mean? There are so many questions.. Well, here I have a Q&A to help put some of those at rest. I'll be taking more questions in the comments below, though I think this should cover most of it.

Why a Skunk?

After careful deliberation and weighing the options, I've decided that going mephit was the best choice for me. It represents a lot of things, including some fetishes I like, some attitudes I love, and I've always loved the animal. I needed something that represented my range from soft to hard. Skunks are often misunderstood. They're cute and fluffy and warm. They're distinctive and highly protective of their friends, and they have amazing visual appeal. All in all, it fits. My hubby thinks it fits, as do most of my friends. It works for me, and that's why I'm sticking with Skunk.

But what about the smell? I'm not into that.

I do have a musk fetish. I love the natural scent of a male, especially after a day of not showering or using deodorant. That said, I do not expect everyone else to share this fetish. As with anything, if someone makes you uncomfortable with an aspect, simply ignore it, ask them to stop and/or move on. If you cannot, then that is another issue entirely and there's not much I can do for you. I am who I am.

What's going the happen with the gator?

I'm not getting rid of the gator. I've had the gator since 1999. That's a very long time, and the character's undergone a change or two. I've been considering reworking the character a few times, and I've never been completely satisfied with him. He's crass, brutish and thick-headed. These are traits that do turn me on, but don't represent who I am. As much as I love to emulate such traits in role-play, they aren't me. Except for maybe the thick-headed part. So. The gator isn't going away, just being put on the shelf for a while. He isn't me 100%, just something that turned me on as a young adult. As I grow older, I find myself less reliant on the mask and wanted something truer to myself.

Can I play with your gator/orc?

Maybe, if time permits and the mood is right, sure! I have no problem being either of these fellers. Admittedly, I feel close to the Orc than the gator these days, but only because it's more representing myself than the gator ever did.

I don't like these changes.

I'm sorry that you don't like it when things and people change. Change can be hard to get used to, and I'm not asking for anyone to accept this. It is happening, however, regardless of level of acceptance. You can call me gator, if you like, but understand that it doesn't resonate in the same way that it used to. I much prefer being called skunk, skoonk, Mr. Fluffytail or any number of epitaphs that correlate to the 'new me'. It's not personal to you, but it is a little personal to me.

Will you put me under? Can I call you Papa?

Well, you've been listening all this time, so I'd think it's only natural. Just take this purple-banded cigar and forget all about that hard day...

Give up your free wills to the Hypnobears (thanks to  Talisment).

Time to serve and obey. As always if you have any Hypnobeary goodness to add to the collection, please go to here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6522134/

@..@
OBEY BEARS

So, tonight, at around 11pm, as one of my best friends was helping me home from an evening of fun and visiting my beau, we all were jostled from our seats in the car.

We hit a rather cumbersome pothole and ended up flattening both rightside tires. As he is helping to house Minty for the time being, he's not exactly been in the best of situations, but this brought some issues into stark light. He was taking me home, so I can't help but feel partly responsible for the incident.

As a result, I'm taking on short vignette-style (3pg or less) Pay-What-You-Want story commissions, for donations. I can't take everything, but I really want to help out and I don't have the finances to do so directly myself. His costs look to be roughly $500, between replacement tires, repairs and towing. Any amount of assistance and donations are welcome.

If you are interested in doing a story commission, please Note me here or send an email to Khorax@gmail.com. Be sure to provide your FA handle and Paypal email acct so that I know who is sending what, as well as a breif idea of what you want. I'm even willing to go outside my comfort zone for this, as it's for a friend.

Thank you all for your help, anything is appreciated (even linking to this post)

... For the month of November, I'm going back to a gator, just for a bit.. I miss my scales..

I mean it. Ask me anything at all. I will answer in the most honest way possible. :D

So. A lot of people who follow this account may have noticed a certain.. theme amongst my art. I have dabbled with hypnosis and though I do not consider myself an expert, I can safely say a few things and clear up some misconceptions about Real Life hypnosis versus the Fantasy counterpart. These are opinions, based off personal experience and things I have witnessed in others. If they are wrong, or incorrect, and you have either more experience or psychological education, by all means, feel free to correct me. I happily accept an open forum on the subject in question.

Does Hypnosis Work?

Yes. Very much yes. Hypnosis can open a person's mind to new ideas or things they would have never considered before. It can create vivid imagery or inspire new ideas. Not all kinds of hypnosis work on everyone, and not all subject matter will work either, so your mileage may vary. This doesn't mean that Hypnosis, in general, does not work, only that it really does need to be tailored to the subject. There are various different kinds of inductions, I happen to be best subjected through a mixture of subliminal binaurals, relaxation techniques and a bit of confusion. If a hypnosis file or hypnotist bores me, my mind wanders and I usually lose focus completely. There are a few files where it's just one guy droning with no other audio, his voice without rhythm. I lose interest and usually start to think about other things, distracting me. The files of these kind never work. Repetition does not work well on me either. My mind gets used to it, and then I simply forget the information completely. It's best if there's refreshing, new information to connect to.

What is Hypnosis?

Well, to me.. Hypnosis is a trick, a simple flick of the mind that causes you to take a moment and imagine. You sit and think, imagining yourself in a hypnotize state. What thoughts come to mind? How does it feel? A warm, relaxed feeling that makes you melt just a tiny bit in your seat, one that helps your breathing slow. It is the effortlessness of watching an engrossing show, but instead of watching an image on TV, you are watching the image in your mind, the one of you hypnotized, played out by you, who is slowly easing into a relaxed state. As your breathing steadies, your mind may wander but will continue to think about hypnosis and this hypnotic state. This refocusing of your mind is only natural, and brings you back here, to this text, where you read about hypnosis and a trance state.

This trance state is hypnosis, where a person may or may not take on suggestions that can alter their behavior. A person's will is suppressed, in part, making it easier for them to accept foreign concepts or ideas, such as falling deeper into a relaxed state. You may have noticed, after reading over the paragraph above for a second time, that your shoulders have fallen ever so slightly. This is a sign that you have already entered a very light trance, and could go deeper if you think about it. In fact, even after reading this sentence, you probably have considered the idea of hypnosis and have an idea of what it is. That is hypnosis. It is a simple trick designed to place you in a more suggestible state until you wake up.

Can Hypnosis make me do something I don't want to?

The simple answer is yes. The more complex answer is, yes, it can make you do something you normally wouldn't do, but it won't make you do something you believe you can't do under any circumstances. The human mind is very flexible. Hypnosis, being a form of guided imagery and suggestion, can implant ideas that you normally wouldn't think of or perspectives you may not have considered. Under this idea, it can be possible, with a bit of patience, for someone to do something outside their normal 'wants'.

I met someone who was hypnotized to urinate on command. It worked. He did not want it to as he was preparing for work. Completely wet his pants. (I had to wash them later).

What do YOU see in Hypnosis?

I have a hypnosis fetish. I enjoy the relaxation that comes from trance, and I often find myself hard when going under. I can't help it: it's how I'm wired. I also have a corruption fetish, the idea of unlocking a person's innermost desires and forcing them to enjoy them. The concept of adjusting personalities to accept usually negative traits as positive ones, forcing them into a lower education level, or having them overtaken by base emotions is entertaining to me.. and gets me hard. It also makes it easier to bridge some social gaps as well. Anxiety is natural to me. I get nervous and it takes a LOT of will to break down that barrier. Hypnosis is a cheat towards this, so that I can express myself fully and without self-defeating concern. It has helped me to become more confident, and to learn about myself.

What do you NOT like in Hypnosis?

Honestly, blanking. Removal of personality to be rewritten as the user chooses. I consider it the same as the death of a person's personality. I am a vibrant, loving, deep human being with a LOT going on emotionally and mentally. Though I am not perfect, I DO place a lot of value on who I am, at my core. I have had hypnotists come to me with the intention of ruining me completely so that they can do as they will, seeing it as a challenge. I almost immediately distance myself from these individuals and find myself avoiding trance around them until I am no longer associated with them. It's nothing personal, just.. it is.

Please do not kill who I am for the sake of a good wank session.

If you have any other questions, I'll be glad to answer, and possibly edit this post to be a repository of Hypnosis Q and A.

Hrrr.. Thanks ta Mastuh  Bullinova, I has new icon @..@ F5 ta see it.

To celebrate hypnogators, I decided to attempt and may August 22nd Hypnogator day. For no egotistical reason whatsoever, it happens to be my birthday, but what are you gonna do.. question the gator about it? Careful. You may end up zonked..

[EDIT] The best way to support Hypnogator and to make it happen is by drawing hypnogators. Doesn't have to be someone you know.. and they can be on either end of the hypnosis spectrum: sub or dom, hypnotist or subject. The more that show up, the more this can be a regular thing!

My birthday is Aug 22nd, this coming friday.. That's three days! Perhaps we can make it.. Hypnogator day? Just some thoughts.

I will be there! See you all there!

ATTENTION! http://www.maltesefurcon.com/videohotel.html

 maltesefur-con is offering an awesome new deal. If you book two nights at the con hotel, you get Sponsor-level attendance.. for free! This offer only applies until July 3rd, so book today. I'll be attending this convention with  SpecOpsBear. Look forward to seeing you there!

You can get more details about this Boston-based convention at http://www.maltesefurcon.com/ and book your room at http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/.....31/index.jhtml

EDIT: Orc Shirt is no longer available for order at this time. If you -really- need one, please contact  Grisser directly before this evening.

Those of you who like orcs will be pleased to know that  Grisser has made a phenomenal orc shirt for you to purchase.

Now you can wear beefy Grisser orcs prominently on your chest or wall or however else you can wear a shirt. You can even get one to hide in your closet for those secret orc lovers (yes, you TP. You know who you are).

Orcs.

On a Shirt.

Get it here: http://huskybusiness.net/orcbar

Do it, or orcs will decidedly not invade your home* and give you a good, stern grunting at (You know you want it).







* Orc invasions not guaranteed, but it could be hot.

I am interested in doing a Supervillain-style line up of a group of evil do-ers. This would be a commission, and depending on the group, will be approx $25-$35 per person. This picture, however, has a theme: Corruptors, Mind-Controllers/Hypnotists and Reality Warpers. The group would be teamed up, each one wishing to alter the world to suit their lecherous and dark whims!

I'm thinking the artist will be  BeachFox because he does really awesome work, and can provide a multitude of expressions, costumes and such. Naturally, I only want maybe eight folks for this, though I'll be happy with a total of six. I'll need to have a character reference, an idea for an outfit (Please don't be too elaborate in such), and maybe a bit of what they use for powers, just in case we do an action shot of them using them (and for reference). Remember, these are NOT good guys, and your character will be among them >:3

So far we have the following people involved.

1. Myself, pheromone-based addicting mind control and psycho-leather-kinesis.
2. A certain Sweet Woozle Incubus, with phasing, seduction and unnatural toughness.. and a hunger for Souls (vore)
3.  Brutusbear, A dark demon of a bear with hot demonic powers of corruption.
4. One of  BeachFox's own characters, of his choice.
5,  SoloBear's Bone Controlling glowy Bragon
6,  GlowyBits's Chemical and Mind-controlling stud of a dragon.
7.  Loupio_1987's turning everyone into.. well, whatever he wishes with his hypnotic eyes and strong scent.

if you're interested, send me a note, or post here with details. Note that there will be a limit to the number of characters, because Beachfox would otherwise hate me foreverrrrrrr. <3

Posts without references, information or otherwise 'me!' posts will be ignored in favor for those who read :D

So, for those who know me longer than a year, have noticed that I have a pattern of moving. I can say that I don't purposefully try to move. In fact, nothing makes me happier than to know that a place I'm living at will be stable for quite some time. The idea of being able to settle down is a very important, stabilizing feeling. It's the knowledge that I know that I can depend on where I will be six months from now, let alone a year. It allows me the freedom to make long-term plans, like going to conventions, or helping out friends with fun times. Most importantly, it keeps me from feeling crushing anxiety at the prospect of finding a new home.

Life doesn't work out that way. Unless it's my own place (which has it's own problems and quirks that makes it unlikely), I'm usually at the whims of whomever I'm living with, and they often find either my personality a factor, or some small nit-picky things that just add up to something larger. There's little to no forgiveness, and second chances only last for so long. I find myself watching a deterioration of respect in these situations. It's not always my fault, but I'm not always faultless. Despite my attempts to try to make things work, once it begins, it's only a matter of time. I mentioned to a friend of mine once that it's almost like the Sword of Damocles. I only have so long until chop, time to move.

I've moved around a lot in my life. The household I lived in wasn't stable. My mother drank excessively, and my father refused to pay child support. Because of my Mom's near-nightly trips to the liquor store, we barely had the money to eat, let alone the money to pay rent and utilities. When we lived in apartments, we usually only had mattresses and I can only remember two couches. Most of the house was empty space. When it wasn't apartments, it was shacking up with some random person or living in motel rooms. Moving was sudden. Sometimes I'd come home to us heading to a new place. Usually it was sneaking out in the middle of the night. I can't count the number of times I've lost everything I've ever owned.

Often, there was fighting involved prior to the move, as my brother and mother did not always see eye to eye (and she was usually drunk). After my brother moved away, I'd get into fights with her, desperately wanting her to just.. stop. When I moved out, it was because of her drinking. Unfortunately, I was not prepared at all to move away from my home. I ended up bouncing from place to place, unaccustomed to life on my own, and each time, I learned a bit, I grew a bit, but found people to be often petty and cruel. I was there to help them out with the rent, more often than not, and any other need or want of my own was second to theirs.

This doesn't mean that I acted appropriately. In my defense, I had no idea as to how different other people existed, and I was an intruder upon their lives and livelihood. I went from quiet to outspoken to quiet, back and forth as I tried to find the safe ground between wanting to be respected to desperate to survive. I fell into depression more times than I can count. Even thinking about it makes me feel strong pangs of sorrow, anxiety and rage.

Which is part of the reason for this post. A lot of people don't understand some of the things I've been through. To some, only the moments from the time I'm met to the time I leave serve as the extent of my existence. Like everyone, I have a LOT of history, most of which is not happy. I don't want to dwell on negative aspects of my life, but I have few positive ones that outweigh the negative. I have lost more in my life than most people realize, and I've had little time to mourn those losses, and rarely ever get closure. I want to be happy, and to know that tomorrow it won't all vanish because one person.

This is my life. This is what I live with. This is why I get sad, and anxious and scared, and have a hard time making long-term plans. I hope this provides a bit of insight into myself. I understand most of you won't read this, and that's okay. To those that do, and who care. Thank you.

[PS. At this time, I'm not having to move, but it may happen soon. Who knows.]

It's been a long time since I've posted something a bit ranty and a bit true to my person, and less about all the good times, though this isn't necessarily a negative post. After thinking for a while, and a few moments of mediation on the matter; I've come to some conclusions that do not necessarily pertain to everyone, or even a majority of people I know.

I spent a lot of my childhood largely ignored. I understand that this is the plight of the middle child, but I was not doted on in the early years of my existence. In fact, I was a bit of an embarrassment to my family as they wanted a girl and what they got was a young boy with some severe health issues and a tendency to be eerily quiet. To my surprise, I can remember these days in a sort of dreamlike haze. It wasn't that I didn't have things to say, it was that the world communicated to me through sight and color as opposed to words. I didn't know a mushroom was a mushroom. It was this strange orange thing that smelled bad and made me feel nervous at it's alien-ness. It took me a long time to put words to these images, because I didn't categorize them in the same way that most people did. The orange thing was no more a mushroom to me than the leafy green things.

So, from an early age, I was this person who never spoke up. It was expected. I didn't communicate well to kids my age, and when I did, it was usually because I felt it was important, or because I was trying to play along. I would mimic things I saw on Television or the things I learned from looking at adults. I was learning, and at rate that took a good six years for people to recognize. It wasn't until my Mom realized that I was smart (and not mentally retarded) that I was actually treated as a person. I was given hand-me-downs and had little to no belongings of my own, for instance.

However, after that time, I became the smart one, the next insert-rich-smart-person-here. No attempts were made to get to know me as an individual. Any deviation from the norm was categorized under eccentricity. This isnt' to say I didn't get into trouble, but my accomplishments were always given a bit of a smile before being placed into that same category. In short, I became a figurehead.

Flash-forward to high school and nothing has changed. When my brother left, I became the responsible one. I was the one who wouldn't leave and abandon the family like my brother did. I was the one who took care of things when things went wrong. Despite all my hard work, it was ignored for the longest time in lieu of my responsibilities. What I wanted was never important to the people around me, in so much as what they could provide.

This is a pattern that has continued throughout my life. People forgetting that I have feelings, emotions, needs and wants that I -deserve- to have considered. This isn't a sense of entitlement, but an understanding that most people do have outlets and individuals that recognize these. Despite my enjoyment of hypnosis, I do not want to take away other people's sense of identity. To me, this is anathema. A person is NOT an object, unless they choose to be such, and should NEVER be treated as such. We are not ends to a means. We are not solely what we provide others, but the potential to do so much more and in so many unexpected ways. Just because we are not providing a service immediately does not lower our worth.

Just because we have needs does not mean that we are desperate. Just because we have wants, hopes, dreams, aspirations, no matter the size..

.. does not mean we are greedy and are undeserving.

[[Addendum: I understand there are those out there whom have objectification fetishes. This is fine. Be who you are. Just.. don't project it upon me.]]

I'm Khorax on the NA Server. Anyone playing?