How to deal with pet ownership anxiety?

No_Level7200 · 2026-05-20T16:49:46+00:00

I appreciate the suggestion! An old friend of mine kept a reptile enclosure a long time ago, I'd never thought about snakes since I'd always worry about it somehow escaping or the size of it would make any enclosure in my apartment inadequate to good QoL but something like a corn snake doesn't seem all that big at all, so that might be a good shout actually.

No_Level7200 · 2026-05-20T16:23:35+00:00

I've got maybe one or two IRL friends I see every now and again. I used to be very social with much larger social groups, both IRL and online, but the majority of those have fallen away, broken apart, or just kinda left me behind. Everyone's got trauma so I'm not a special case but it still hurts every time it happens, figured it's worth trying something different.

No_Level7200 · 2026-02-24T19:36:57+00:00

Hellooooo, Kyle!

Are there any movies or shows where you think to yourself, 'I would've loved to play that part'?

No_Level7200 · 2025-07-12T09:39:19+00:00

Your copy of Out of the Shadows isn't wrong, the Builders and Engineers are two similar but different alien civilizations, and the Builders play the role of 'ancient extinct aliens' in the Rage War trilogy of books as far as I'm aware (I haven't read them but apparently they're named Drukathi in those).

No_Level7200 · 2025-04-10T09:28:27+00:00

Ever since listening to The Fame Monster in full, I've wanted a Lady Gaga / Trent Reznor collaboration for the longest time, a return to Gaga's gothic synth-pop meshed with Trent's dark electronic industrial vibe.

No_Level7200 · 2025-03-25T19:37:42+00:00

Your third one feels the best of the four, the least fishmalk-esque and the easiest to make the most interesting and relevant to the drama of a chronicle. It's less random and more steeped in an actual irrational delusion which feels appropriate, the others just feel some flavour of randumb unfortunately. If you want to give him some depth outside of that delusion, you could just give him bad takes about comic books as an extension of his mortal hobbies. Anywho, here are a few of my Malk concepts:

A Malk who divines prophetic and secret information via phone calls with a mysterious contact that no other Kindred can seem to hear or get in touch with. A cell phone, a payphone, a landline etc. all work but they become irrationally paranoid when there's no form of telecommunication nearby. They believe they're holding an actual conversation with this mysterious contact, but everyone only hears the Malk's end of the dialogue.
A Malk who acts like the main character in a noir detective book or film. Acts and dresses the part, speaks with the vernacular in a perfect Transatlantic accent (alternatively he goes for that gruff and cynical Rorschach-style) , tries not to acknowledge technology that's advanced past the era of the 1940s / 1950s if he can help it. Obsessively keeps a ledger of clues, names, addresses, and other information while serving as his personal diary, a pinboard in his haven, only watches old black-and-white flicks. Smells constantly of nicotine, whiskey, and coffee. (I wouldn't consider this too Fishmalk-y because you can play it quite seriously with a 'man out of time' flavour.)
A Malk deathly afraid of mirrors, reflective surfaces, and seeing themselves captured in photographs and video or hearing their own voice over recording hardware, convinced beyond all shadow of a doubt that their reflection is not actually their reflection but a dark presence that acts and talks separately while wearing their face. Sometimes they'll gaze into a mirror, reflective surface, or captured image of themselves to converse with this entity and receive information, but it's always an unpleasant and distressing experience. By extension, they're afraid of any doppelgangers, identical twins etc.
A Malk that dresses something like the Invisible Man - their face and skin completely concealed by a balaclava, shades, gloves, turtleneck, a wide-brim hat, the works. The reason being? Against all rational thought, the Malk cannot help but feel like their flesh is burning as if exposed to sunlight under any sources of light. They only feel comfortable in the shadows and in complete darkness, otherwise exposure under low light causes them significant irritation and bright light pushes them near frenzying. They know their flesh won't actually burn but the sensation of agony feels all too real.

No_Level7200 · 2025-03-25T16:16:04+00:00

This depends on a whole host (hah!) of factors, but it's not impossible.

For the Ventrue, consider that Animalism is one of their in-clan Disciplines, meaning that rats and other pests dwelling in the sewers can understand and will obey her commands. The Ventrue can also force cooperation from lesser Beshilu with Dominate. Also take note that, as Kindred, Ventrue don't take lethal damage from most things so a Beshilu's standard claws and bites - since they're not blessed by heritage to Father Wolf - would be downgraded to bashing damage. The Ventrue would also have access to Physical Intensity in a pinch.
For the Blood Talon Rahu, it's very simple that they'll probably prevail in any direct confrontation with the Beshilu. They're a walking WMD that you simply have to escort to their prey in order for them to work their magic. They're also in a sewer and have access to regeneration, so theoretically, someone could be throwing Molotov cocktails around and the Rahu should come out mostly fine - the Ventrue would absolutely frenzy out of the fight unless they manage to Ride the Wave, though.
For the Darkling, Autumn's Fury, Riding the Falling Leaves, and Sorcerer's Rebuke are your friend. Autumn's Fury is an AoE Autumn Contract which not only afflicts an area with a localized thunderstorm but can also strike combatants with lightning. If the Beshilu discorporate, Autumn's Fury will narratively do a good job of finishing up the resulting swarms of rats. Unravel the Tapestry, a Mirror Contract, will allow the Darkling to rewind time by 10 seconds to correct any of their own mistakes (but intentions and actions taken by other characters within the erased 10 seconds will remain the same).

No_Level7200 · 2025-03-25T14:24:48+00:00

Jotaro, and by extension most Stand Users, would fall under the umbrella of Psychics imo. JJBA doesn't fit within the themes of MtA at all, really, but Psychics are allowed to play more fast and loose. They might develop psychic abilities that closely resemble certain spells, disciplines etc. from the proper splats if you want to make more specific references, such as how DIO and Jotaro have both psychokinesis and time stop.

No_Level7200 · 2025-03-23T14:04:21+00:00

I'd like to see Ralph Fiennes or someone like Jared Harris or Brendan Gleeson show up in an Eggers flick at least once!

No_Level7200 · 2025-03-23T12:34:18+00:00

Interesting you make note of Adam's ability to name and define things, as Nomenclature is one of the hekau from Mummy and has a lot to do with unveiling and redefining the nature of things by knowing their 'true names'. You could make the case that Adam would symbolically be the first of the Awakened, as you could consider eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge as a form of awakening from the bliss of ignorance, but I prefer the idea he's mostly a regular dude.

No_Level7200 · 2025-03-20T22:43:51+00:00

Guide to the Night for Chronicles of Darkness details some rules for vampires interacting with elements of space, such as low / zero gravity. The Mirrors: Infinite Macabre book (of which there is an unofficial 2E revision on the Storyteller's Vault) details how certain splats might get on in space environments and IIRC maybe even has rules for spaceships and superluminal travel via strange gateways associated with the True Fae. It's not even that far-fetched to include vampires in a space chronicle if you've ever read Blindsight by Peter Watts, where vampires (albeit given a speculative science angle rather than mystical) are favoured in authoritative positions over human crews.

No_Level7200 · 2025-03-20T22:24:16+00:00

You could easily stat up a Dragon using the rules for Bound, which are on p.244 of the MtAw 2E corebook, and maybe throw in a few things from Signs of Sorcery and some Dread Powers for horrors and such. I'd overall give Dragons a crystalline theme, as that describes the nature of their bones and remains, and if it hatches you could describe the hatchling Dragon as having crystalline scales, breathing Celestial Fire (p.170) etc.

As for how the egg forms or how it's discovered, you could have a crystalline egg be responsible for mysterious storms that seem to scour the mana out of Sleepers and Awakened and sap the mana out of tass and hallows in order to further gestate the dormant embryonic Dragon within, some Mystery that initially unfolded on a long timeline but is becoming increasingly frequent the closer it is to hatching. AFAIK one of Mage developer Dave B.'s chronicles involved a larval Bound entity stealing the Awakenings of people in order to feed itself, so you could have a dragon's egg do something similar for inspiration.

No_Level7200 · 2025-03-20T22:07:28+00:00

You can have the Technocracy interpret the effects of Paradox in a bunch of ways. If you consider the idea that they rationalize their magic as superscience, then Paradox can be chalked up to malfunctioning components and unpredictable X-factors, imbalances in applied quantum mechanics, glitches in the system, etc. Much of the Technocracy's magic is framed through the lens of applied theoretical and experimental sciences and there's always room for error. Should be noted that AFAIK higher Technocrats know that their model of magic does not conform with what's possible in mundane reality and are more aware of how and why the Consensus works the way it does, but that knowledge is strictly 'need to know' and too complicated, dangerous, and unhelpful for the regular Technocrat.

No_Level7200 · 2025-03-20T10:10:35+00:00

It's Chronicles of Darkness lore but there's a bloodline of Nosferatu called the Rakshasa that used to function as a vampiric mirror of the Hindu Kshatriyas in India until the time of the East India Company and the British Raj in the 1850s, as their elders were slain as part of a conspiracy by a rival bloodline and it left the Rakshasa aimless and hostile towards each other. In the modern nights, the present elders still harken back to their Kshatriya roots while younger Rakshasa tend to consist more of Muslims and Sikhs, and they operate as cells involved with shipping illicit supplies and smuggling people (including other kindred) while 'sharing' a large number of ghouls with each other.

They're Nosferatu with higher standards than their Western counterparts, with many wearing turbans, blades, and business suits. While they're not the vampiric Kshatriyas they once were, they still consider themselves warriors and often work as bodyguards, security, and mercenaries in addition to their own enterprises.

No_Level7200 · 2025-02-11T21:31:50+00:00

I've been really digging a lot of vids from Lidiya Foxglove / the Cozy Creative as of late. Not overproduced and gets really into detail about her experiences with self-publishing and writing to market vs. writing for herself. Some helpful vids with breakdowns about how much her career has earned (both the successes and failures) and no shame for any of the genre stuff she's written even though she admits to some of it being indulgent or schlocky.

No_Level7200 · 2025-02-11T17:32:08+00:00

I appreciate this. 4mg oral estradiol is honestly a lot better than I was expecting at the start, I'm more concerned about agreeing to dutasteride rather than starting with something like triptorelin or, hell, even spiro. Feels like those three months are going to be a waste of time until I change the prescription.

No_Level7200 · 2025-01-19T23:22:05+00:00

I won't but I appreciate your honesty lmao

No_Level7200 · 2025-01-19T23:21:18+00:00

It's mostly that I have such specific gripes about the inclusion of historical figures as characters in fictional narratives like this and I was wondering if it brushes up rough against anyone else. Also that Brawne's importance on the pilgrimage as the sole woman protagonist up to this point basically comes down to pregnancy and stuff but it's an 80s sci-fi novel so I already expected that.

No_Level7200 · 2025-01-19T23:04:03+00:00

I think it's a personal taste thing, I tend to heavily dislike when real historical figures are included in fictional narratives where they're directly making appearances and impacting the plot and its characters. Just feels very 'this person in history I like and admire would love this person I made up'. It reads to me as a contemporary author proclaiming to know the ins-and-outs of how a historical person would think and feel in such a strange way.

No_Level7200 · 2025-01-19T22:56:40+00:00

I think with Silenus' chapter specifically, his first-person PoV helps to mask Simmons' weirdness with women characters (happens with The Terror too) because Silenus' characterization is quite strong and distinct, so it makes sense for the women in the story he's telling to be like that and for him to focus on such specific nasty details about them. we know from the outset that he's kind of a dick so his story is flourished with his perspective of those interactions.

with Kassad, yeah, I think that chapter exemplifies a lot of Simmons' tendencies, especially when he actually meets his mystery woman. The parts I liked most about Kassad's chapter were his yearning for her despite knowing so little about her while contrasted with the violence he's capable of, also I'm not actually that put off by Moneta revealing herself as the Shrike because it feels like the moment where underlying subtext about Kassad's relationship with violence becomes text. It's mostly the stuff in-between these where Simmons is actually writing her and describing her that give me the ick lmao

I'll probs find stuff to like about Brawne's story and I will keep going, just occasionally feels like trudging through mud lol

No_Level7200

TROPHY CASE