World of Darkness Stories

  Vampires, werewolves, and ghosts walk among us. These are their stories.  

[wodstories]

"He's getting older. I remain young. He doesn't change on the inside. I only become hungrier. Time always makes things difficult for relationships, but it's a whole other story if you take into account being under the night. Do I love him enough to spend forever together? Or do I love him enough not to hurt him this way? As the time goes by, I find myself less capable of selflessness. The kindest act would be to let him go before it's too late."

📸  Joshua Mcknight

[wodstories]

"Here, this is the place. They fixed the fence. No wonder; it's been almost decade since it happened. She tried to escape the upcoming Court. Cam had a beef with her, and bigshots called a Blood Hunt. That's a death sentence in domains dominated by the Camarilla. Back then most of us "belonged to" the Ivory Tower. There was little alternative, really. I just happened to be the driver for the car that tailed her. Listened to orders, had no other choice. The chase was quite spectacular, and the ending? Explosive. Her car left the road here. The collision was pretty severe. Y'know cars usually don't burn or explode after a simple crash, right? But hers, it did. Hell, I'm sure the smoke was visible from miles away, and the stench of melted plastic was unbearable. We were sure there was nothing left of her. "Colleagues" who drove with me lost all hope for her Blood or any other trophy. We came back empty-handed. Lo and behold, eight years passed, Camarilla got chased out of here instead, and whose skinny legs walk into the Elysium? No burn marks, no hard feelings. She just said it was good to be back. "

📍 Byron Bay, Australia 📸  Dylan from Pexels

[wodstories]

"What surprised me most about the Embrace was the aftermath of it all. How quickly it happened, first. I’d always assumed it would be a longer turnaround, that you’d die and then be “reborn” later. Like Lucy Westenra in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” - she died from acute blood loss and rose as a vampire after a full week. But, not so with my Embrace. One minute I was awake and alive and the next I was awake and not.

And then, I suppose, feeding. The hunger is immediate and whatever human part that still lives inside of you fights against the Beast that controls you in this struggle to not harm a human versus the need to eat. Gabrielle was prepared, of course. She had a mortal waiting in the wings who was more than happy to offer me their neck. She warned me of the dangers of eating when hungry, told me it was going to be difficult, but I needed to be in control. It wasn’t easy. but the look of satisfaction on Gabrielle’s face as I pulled myself away from that neck made it all worth it. I think she knew she made the right choice with me, and I was going to prove her right.

They say you can’t trust a Tremere, but I trust Gabrielle with my life like she trusted me with hers. That bond, that trust, is what has kept us alive. Until I hear otherwise, Chicago is where I’ll stay."

Ivy is roleplayed and drawn by Vee from Queen's Court Games 🦇 This post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with Vamily members, highlighting their LGBTQ+ characters.

[wodstories]

"Even back when I was human, I never felt like it. Instead, it was like everyone was putting on a play with me being the only person who didn't remember his lines. Like I never got the memo. I tried to pretend, blend in, but never succeeded. But then, I died - and after a while, I met Gregor.

Yeah, Gregor's a Nos. He doesn't look entirely human, but it's not like I particularly care about human standards. I fell for his humor, his laugh, his heart - hell, I even love how he looks, right down to very tips of his mandibles. Wouldn't change a thing about him.

He's my anchor. Imagine - you die, say goodbye to your work and your major, can't even talk to your family anymore. Most of your existence is just hunting, thinking about your next meal or hiding from the day. You either get the Tower looking over your shoulder, reminding you that you're nothing but property of whoever turned you, or they hunt you for being embraced without permission.

It's sick. I would've broken if it weren't for Gregor. I wanted to be "human" for him. I used to wipe off the blood, crawl out of the shipping crate I lived in back then to go watch TNG together. All that just because he deserved a normal moment in this fucked-up unlife. "

Pride month might be over, but we still have some stories to share! This post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with vamily members, highlighting their LGBTQ+ characters.

Roleplayer: syzygy from World of Darkness Discord Artist: linktr.ee/Clawheld

[wodstories]

"Everything about us, the Toreador, is the best - our beauty and prowess like gorgeous petals and deadly thorns, one of a kind and remarkable. I find beauty in the art of ceramics and ruining lives; the most famous being my own. The first is my true love, and the second I've just recently acquired in my unlife. Both center themselves in a complex series of molding, shaping, and firing, ultimately leaving you with a piece of art unique to your hand and the clay you chose.

Oh, you're asking about how I ruined my own (un)life? Perhaps I was being a bit melodramatic when I said that... but it is true nonetheless! In my early life, my pursuits were vain and selfish after my sire made it quite clear he wanted nothing to do with me. So I sought the same comfort I was originally given in other Kindred. And, unfortunately, my need for care and coddling was taken advantage of by two very handsome Ventrue, another Toreador, and a Tzimisce, in that order. One I had the honor of beheading myself, yet the others are still individual thorns in my side that manage to play me like a fiddle every time they grace me with their presence. My dear Brother-in-Law, Hector, a Nosferatu of all things, has tried his hardest to help me, but I was too deep in the throes of pseudo-passion to find a drop of common sense in my actions. And now he's... for lack of a better word, pissed as hell. Sometimes I wonder if God themselves looks down at me in their brilliance and says oh-so clearly,  "Fuck Declan." "

Declan is roleplayed by VynVoxVa, art by bluebyte__ 🦇 This post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with Vamily members, highlighting their LGBTQ+ characters.

[wodstories]

"I had a collection of addictions. I worked too much and slept too little. But it was the cigarettes that did the trick. Apparently smoking two packs a day isn't good for you. I was pretty much dead already.

One night I received a call from Ennio asking for help, desperate. I found him covered in blood. I'm a skeptical man, so I didn't buy the whole 'I was turned into a monster' act. Somehow, it didn't matter to me then. I took him home and took care of him, drying his red bloody tears, getting rid of that body he had drained. He asked me, why wasn’t I afraid? Or better yet, why didn't I turn him to the cops? He'd killed someone. But all I could think of was that I wanted another cigarette. I'd found an answer.

It wasn’t exactly all sunshine and roses afterwards; we had a great time before those fuckers from the Camarilla got him. Long story short, I’m an Anarch, and Ennio is being forced to join the Ivory Tower. It gets bloody sometimes, being on the opposite sides. But you know what? You might burn the whole fucking world to the ground, and we would find our way back to each other through the ashes. Nothing can keep me from him."

Acheron is roleplayed (and painted) by @jessicalangart - this post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with Vamily members, highlighting their LGBTQ+ characters.

[wodstories]

"Dude, you really have to go ask a Nosferatu, 'tell me about yourself?' Y'know that's classified info, right? Nah, I'm joking. Here's the basics: Portland born, Sect Wars embrace, right in the middle of the fray. Got out of it in one piece with some good stories - though, well, can't say the same of my sire. Rest in peace, buddy.

Now, 'bout my looks... there's some of us who got lucky, they can stroll among the kine and just look ugly as hell. Me, well, hard to ignore the drowned corpse skin tone, the teeth, and the stupid elf ears on bald head. Granted, I never really looked regular for a lady. The words were butch, dyke. I was never gonna pass under the radar, unless I decided to.

Oh, the scars all over? Heh, no, those aren't a part of... being what I am. See, my sire said it took three whole weeks for the transformation to take hold. Myself, I was busy scratching myself raw, tryin' to tear out the thing that was killing me from the inside out. Didn't manage, but all that clawing left me a souvenir. Still, it's fine, I sure don't mind looking a little scary.

And, fun fact about that. It gets some people hot and bothered. I'm not kidding you. I know plenty of folks, and let me tell ya, some of them got a hell of a thing for being manhandled by the scary Nosferatu lady. It's a little funny. Then, yeah, there's those that I don't just know, but also care about. I'm not so far down the pit of unlife that I don't love anything anymore but the rush of an alley dinner. There's room for affections, sure. It's the kinda room that pops up like a secret underground tunnel: always was there, you just hadn't noticed it before.

If you want names, though? That price's gonna be hefty. I don't think you can pay it."

Em is roleplayed by Archon Bun. This post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with Vamily members, highlighting their LGBTQ+ characters.

[wodstories]

"I haven't been dead for long. My first, uh, "deathiversary" was on 5th of May. Deathiversary - it's just the way I call the anniversary of my Embrace, it's a little bit lighter than "the day I was murdered and resurrected as a sentient corpse", isn't it?

The man I'm seeing, he's one of those Blood Mages. Clan Tremere, if you've heard of them. He wanted to show me a blood magic trick once, and uh, well, it went awry. Put me on the edge. I had that thing we Toreador get sometimes, a complete tunnel vision directed at him, it's quite dangerous. But he stuck with me, drove me to his place where I could let it pass safely, and then I stood for the night. The rest is history. Well, I also told him I'd kill him if he ever fucked with my vitae again, but that's beside the point.

I’m very new, but since I was Embraced, a lot has happened to me. I feel like a whole different person. It started out with me thinking this whole vamp thing was cool, having so much power, feeling invincible. But then, the reality hit. I woke up one night, looked in the mirror, and saw it - my eyes, they looked like cat's. Dagger pupils and all. The Beast's manifestation, or however it's called. Sunglasses in the middle of the night became a necessity, I can’t feel as well as I used to, humans are harder to interact with, and relationships are harder to maintain. Simply caring is a lot of work, you know? It seems too much, sometimes."

Varen is roleplayed by Mebe,

Art by https://www.deviantart.com/safulousart/

This post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with Vamily members, highlighting their LGBTQ+ characters.

[wodstories]

"I worked in Mr. Swanson's shop for a few years. Helping with cleaning up and the refreshments for the customers at first, before I was given more serious tasks, like taking the measurements or pattern cutting. One day, I was staying after hours, just chilling in the back, working on my makeup skills. Then, I heard the front door opening, even though the sign said we're closed. This guy came in and said that his work doesn’t allow him to come in earlier. He wanted a custom-designed 3 piece suit... Listen, I know that I wasn’t supposed to, but no one else was there, so I just showed him some of the designs I made in my spare time. He rejected them. It stung, but I wasn't going to let that go so easily. I offered to make him something new, he agreed - and then, he kept coming back. He must've really liked the results, because eventually, I became his personal tailor.

After he Embraced me, it took some time before he opened up to me again. But soon later, aside from the “sire time” when he was tutoring me, we would just hang out and talk. It was hard not to fall in love with someone so caring. Sure, the "childe" thing gave me major weird vibes at first, but I learnt it's just nomenclature. He also told me once that "Kindred aren't made to love", and that everything I felt for him was only dictated by the blood I drank during the Embrace. It didn't explain how much he cared for me. We got together because we both made each other happy, and it took him time to accept that. Even if he still wouldn't admit it out loud!

We've heard it so many times. "Dating his childe? How long until he gets bored of that one?”, as it's apparently quite typical for Toreadors. He didn’t allow anyone to question his choices. I thought he would hide it from others, but no. If I wanted to dance, he would just grab my hand and lead me.

Would I decline the Embrace if I could go back in time? No. If I knew that we would get so close, I would ask him to do it much, much sooner."

George is roleplayed by some_pampkin. This post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with LGBTQ+ Vamily members. 

[wodstories]

"I don’t think people these nights can even understand what it was like for people like me in the 50s, not unless they were there too. I have words now, all the pretty words the young people made up for us. Queer is a good one, I’m that. Pansexual, or panromantic I guess, since sex isn’t really, you know, a thing so much. Polyam. GNC. Good words. I never really needed them, but it’s so copacetic kids have them now.

I do regret that I never got to go back to Riccardo, though. That man, yeah. I left him behind when I went to San Fran. He was the first one who ever really got under my skin. Eyes like the heart of a poppy and a heart like a poppy’s fiery petals… I couldn’t love him hard enough when I was 18 years old, struggling to be who I was. We hurt each other bad. But I was going to find him, and find a way love him like he always deserved. But then somehow, ten years had passed, and my sire had found me, and made me something else. I never went back. How could I? I never looked, either, to see what his life had been like. I hope he found a way to be happy.

How do I deal with loss - the question everyone needs answered, isn't it? Mortal and kindred alike, no one ever gets to go backward. Only forward. I deal with it as imperfectly as anyone else does, is the short answer. The long one … grief is just love with nowhere left to go. It's love interrupted, backed up inside until it fills your chest and aches in your throat. It helps sometimes to know everyone feels that same thing, that it’s not new under sun or moon. It helps to know that however much you loved the one you lost, there are other people out there just as deserving of your love, just waiting to be found. Love has seasons, like anything else. Everyone out there has something beautiful inside them, something worth loving. It hurts, it never ever stops hurting, when that love gets interrupted. But you have to let it, feel it, respect its lessons, and never fear it. Then you find the next person, and you give them your love again. While you still can, at least."

Name: Gentian Serra Clan: Malkavian Roleplayed by: Finch Art by: Archon Bun

[wodstories]

"Y’know, when you talk about the Rabble, licks always think the clan’s all about the frenzy and the anger, but that’s not it. It’s about intensity. It’s about pushing back, freedom, passion. My music is just that, a way to show the world all these wild things from deep inside. There’s a song for everything — love and heartbreak, sadness and despair, lust, contempt, mourning, satisfaction. But never apathy. Back when I breathed, music was my career, a way to make myself heard. Now it’s my whole existence. I’ve had people cry over love songs, and one of the Sewer Rats stalking me after one song in particular, but… There was this time I wrote a song to someone special. Jazzy ballad, 3/4, chord progressions sounding pretty and cute, lyrics talking about how I wished she’d be back soon. She listened to it enough times to learn how to play it and sing it herself. I was lucky enough to hear her perform it once. But then she never came back. I’ve loved a lotta people both before and after I died, and I guess I’ve been learning how hard it is to “live forever” in a world where “forever” doesn’t exist. Maybe that’s a vital part of being Damned. Sometimes all I can do is wait until lost love finds me again. I got all the time in the world." - "James is a blind blues singer Embraced in his mid-30s by a Brujah after making moderate success in the jazz and blues scene. Jim uses his empathy to connect to people and send messages through his music, supporting people in need of encouragement, kind words and a bit of rebellion. James is a pansexual man, and his stories often feature his passion for music, for people (Kindred or kine), for the world around him. It's time for him to celebrate and be celebrated." James the Brujah is roleplayed by TheSmallerGod. This post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with vamily members, highlighting their LGBTQ+ characters.

[wodstories]

"He showed me a new world, a world where I could be myself, where nobody would judge me. He was everything I ever wanted to be: rich, handsome, a dandy, and never in anyone's shadow.

If I ever meet him again, I want it to be when I show him what I have accomplished, without his help. I want him to beg my forgiveness, acknowledge how he used me, make him understand that any sliver of love for him that was left in me is gone, forever.

I don't want to inflict the same mistakes I suffered on others. If I sire another, I will not to use them to my own advantage. I will treat them as my equal. I'd be afraid to care too much for them, though. This unlife is cruel: anything we choose to care about can vanish when you least expect it. This is not a place for risking your heart, for treasuring anyone." - Leander is a character played (and drawn!) by @geekyvallaslin 🦇

This post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with #vamily members, highlighting their LGBTQ+ characters.

[wodstories]

"In terms of things that have changed, our sleep schedules are now pretty much the exact opposites. I'm not going to force her to constantly spend time with me after sunset - she needs that vitamin D and sunshine. It's been a bit difficult only seeing her for a few hours a night, but we've always been pretty independent people, and we make do with the time that we have together. I like to think that as grown adults, we don't feel the need to spend every waking moment together to have a fulfilling relationship.

There's also the whole… eating issue. I think she sometimes wishes I could eat normal food just so she'd get a break from cooking, y'know! But… yeah. I have to go feed, which is a bit of an awkward topic for us. It's an uncomfortable truth that she's had to get used to. I do my best to always go home on a full stomach - I'm not about to bring the Beast into our relationship. There have been a few times where things haven't worked out, and I've had to text her a heads up that I'm not doing so well. She'd then stay at her partners' until I give her the all clear once I've managed to get some blood in me.

Then there's the whole shared living/haven setup. It unfortunately means that she can't really have guests over. A sun-proofed apartment isn't an ideal space for entertaining and we also can't really risk having someone we can't trust in our home. So, she spends a lot of time making excuses that I'm unwell, the place isn't fit for guests, etc., etc. I fully recognize that she's made a hell of a lot of concessions for me over the years. Frankly, I don't think I deserve her. That woman is a saint." - "Celeste (she/her) is an Anarch House Carna Tremere who lives with her human girlfriend, Jade. The two have been in a poly relationship for the past 15 years. Most of Celeste's energy goes into keeping her girlfriend out of public kindred knowledge because she's a massive masquerade breach, given that Jade is fully aware that Celeste is a vampire."

Celeste is a character roleplayed by @thehatishere. This post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with #vamily members, highlighting their LGBTQ+ characters.

[wodstories]

"Aight, here goes. I'm a Malkavian, okay? And I know what Kindred say about that. But that night, for some reason, I had decided to dress all in white. I wanted to make myself a canvas, for something else to happen. Yes, it's stupid, I know, it makes no sense. But, you see, the last thing I did before I left my apartment, was that I put a red rhinestone on my top. Just an impulse, a silly thing. Then I went to Elysium and I sat down with my sketch pad and started drawing, because talking to people is scary. And... and then I saw her by the bar, and she seemed more like a normal person than anyone else there, and I needed a drink, so... I went up to her and wanted to find something to say, and she had this super expensive camera. Like, a real camera, you know? So I went: "Nice equipment, you a photographer or something?" And then I heard how stupid it sounded and just went something like: "Hi, I'm stupid, and Annelie." But she laughed and we started talking. Then I showed her my sketch pad and what I'd been drawing, and... did I mention she's a Toreador? Anyway, so she sees this drawing I made. A cityscape, mirrored; half of it whole and pristine, and the reflection was ruined and broken. And... and, well, you know how Toreadors can get, right? She... I can't really describe it any other way, but... She hadn't been breathing that night, not really. Heartbeat, pulse, warmth, all that, you know. But my drawing, it... I made her heart beat. You can't understand how that felt. Or maybe you can, I don't know. And she cried. And that teardrop, it... It makes no sense. I still don't get it. Events should happen in chronological order, you know? But that rhinestone I had added to my top, and her teardrop, it... It was as if I was the reflection of her. Or maybe she was my reflection. It sent me spinning, but she helped gather me up. And then we kept talking, and... well, I don't think we've stopped talking since." - Annelie is a Vampire character roleplayed by Devil (https://twitter.com/devilcandy). This post is a part of our Pride Month in-character interviews with #vamily members, highlighting their LGBTQ+ characters.

[wodstories]

"My first night, shit. It was a disaster. Granted, I didn't have anyone to teach me the ropes, I was probably an accident, a crime of passion discarded by whoever turned me. It takes a while for you to figure out you're a vampire - it really doesn't come naturally, at least at first. Even when the first thing you do is bite someone to death, you just don't realize the facts. And listen to this - I do not have fangs. None of my teeth turned more pointy, or retractable, or whatever other magic other Kindred do, I don't have it. Try biting people with regular teeth. It's hard to pierce the skin. Best case, you'll get some blood, but mostly just bruising. And a lot of screaming. So I bit, and I bit, and I couldn't control myself, but I wasn't getting what I wanted, so the next thing I saw was the stone curb next to us, and then I took his head and I... yeah. And even after that I tried to rationalize who I'd become, why all of that had happened. Every single one of us needs a teacher, someone to guide us in those first nights. Otherwise we're ashes. " Theme: New Under the Night 📍 Limoges, France 📸 louis vizet - This is one of the stories inspired by Vampire Stories development blogs shared on worldofdarkness.com, in which Justin Achilli introduces various themes to build VTM chronicles around. Read the blogs for more insight and let us know how they inspired your roleplaying!

[wodstories]

"Rules. Rules keep us all functioning, surviving, sometimes even thriving among these shadows in which we found ourselves in since the night we died. But I'm not talking about the rules imposed by others, domain laws, Traditions, yadda yadda. I'm talking about your own rules, those we all have, those that differ from one Kindred to another. Morality, you could say, but not in a universal sense. The moment the Blood becomes what sustains you, your priorities change. Thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill - great set of convictions to go by while living, I agree, but it doesn't work half as good on this side. So, what do you replace that with? Nothing at all? That's a quick route to losing yourself, kiddo. You gotta believe in something, have some constraints, even if they sound nothing like what you learnt from your Bible or your parents. Thou shalt never hurt innocents. Thou shalt punish those who deserve it. Thou shalt always protect your own ass first. Whatever keeps you going, kid." Theme: Morality Play 📍 Harrisburg, PA 📸 Zack Jarosz - This is one of the stories inspired by Vampire Stories development blogs shared on worldofdarkness.com, in which Justin Achilli introduces various themes to build VTM chronicles around. Read the blogs for more insight and let us know how they inspired your roleplaying!

[wodstories]

"Every single week on social media, there's at least one viral conversation about relationships, and very often it's about age gaps. Calling out celebrities for dating people much too young for their age, talking about power imbalance, differences in experience, all that jazz. What the hell can I say? Imagine a person you're doomed to spend at least a considerable amount of eternity with - unless you run and hide - doesn't even know how to use a phone. Never used Internet. Has never worn jeans, no matter how ridiculous this sounds. The Camarilla is a collection of walking ancestors who look all youthful and pretty, but don't let their image fool you. I was Embraced by one of these pricks, put in dresses and high heels before being shown in Elysium like a trophy. I have no idea what made him choose me. He cannot understand half of the words I say, he doesn't like the way I dress, he forbids electronic devices in his haven. He should've known the moment I found out about the Anarchs, I'd cling to them immediately. Whatever can set me free from my sire, his faction and his backward, ugly world, I'll take it. As long as he doesn't find out about it first." Theme: Culture Clash 📍 Belo Horizonte, Brazil 📸 Thiago Matos - This is one of the stories inspired by Vampire Stories development blogs shared on worldofdarkness.com, in which Justin Achilli introduces various themes to build VTM chronicles around. Read the blogs for more insight and let us know how they inspired your roleplaying!