Yet another personal dumpster

The first-edition of The Joy of Gay Sex, published in 1977, declared, “Vegetable shortening may be the best lubricant, since it is not only greasy but also digestible”[4] Such a statement perhaps gives new meaning to the companies boastful declarations that “Its digestible” and “Crisco has been making life in the kitchen more delicious for years.”  Similarly, in the 1978 sex manual The Advocate Guide to Gay Health, Crisco even earned an entry in the book’s index.  Discussions of the shortening’s use as an anal lubricant indicate its popularity, with statements such as: “The lubricant, typically the cultic Crisco, must be copious.”[5]  In fact, Crisco was so synonomus with gay sex that discos and bars around the world took on the name, such as Crisco Disco in New York City, which was one of the premiere clubs during the 1970s and early 1980s.  Other clubs or bathhouses, such as Club Z in Seattle, even featured murals with Crisco.  Thus, Crisco was conversely also one of many things that led to the formation of gay identities during the 20th century.

from this essay: http://www.columbia.edu/~sf2220/TT2007/web-content/Pages/drew2.html

wanted to know what the Fried

Cone Obelisks were.

I asked him “how?”

He looked confused. Said I should try a bit every day

I said “not when, how?” I asked what exercises I should do

He suggested half a dozen options that had all been explicitly banned by other doctors. I’m not allowed to run. I’m not allowed to bike. I’m not allowed to use my rowing machine or my punching bag.

I walk my dog whenever I have the energy and when it doesn’t hurt too much

What else can I do?

He told me I should exercise more

My psychiatrist told me the exact same thing.

I asked the same question.

and he repeated I needed to exercise more.

I told him but I feel tired and heavy and shitty all the time how? how am I supposed to do that?

I always look at cookbooks for people who have no energy/time to do elaborate meal preparations, and roll my eyes. Like, you want me to stay on my feet for long enough to prepare 15 different ingredients from scratch, and use 5 different pots and pans, when I have chronic fatigue and no dishwasher?

These people seem to get it, though. It's very simple in places. It's basically the cookbook for people who think, 'I'm really bored of those same five low-spoons meals I eat, but I can't think of anything else to cook that won't exhaust me'.

And it's free!

I roll with it. Tbh I mostly try and fit “players” behind certain historical events, and themes/roles that need fulfilling.. Since I got this ask I’ve been trying to thik about something specific, but overall… I haven’t managed anything? I mean, I just need them to have “a reason not to act directly” so to be able to delegate the tasks to the PCs.

This goes with other posts I did I while ago.

The background of your character

How to create your campaign

How to make a playable character

How to think about your antagonists

If I need an NPC for a specific role (a sire for a PC, a Camarilla official, a character central to a specific plot, etc) I start with that concept and outline what this role requires from the NPC. Not all of them have such a role, but for those that do, this is my starting point.

Next, I fill in a short template for the NPC which I fill for all of them. It contains the following info:

A short history (Embrace year, city of origin, what they did as a mortal and/or why they were Embraced in the first place, when and why they decided to move to the campaign’s city)

Who they know in the city (both generally - older/younger Camarilla Kindred? Anarchs? Sabbat? Independents? - as well as specific alliances they have made that are important and essential to know)

What their agenda and their goals are (again, only very superficial stuff; it’s just what they want, not how they go about getting it - get influence in a specific industry? kick out the Sabbat? gain a position in their sect? work for independence from their sire? dig up secrets on a faction?)

At least one weakness (I try to tie this into what I know of them as a character, e.g. by making it a personal flaw, but it can be unrelated as well - this can make a bland NPC more interesting)

At least one secret (this has to be something they want to keep hidden and that the players - or other NPCs even - could use to their advantage if they ever discovered it)

Once this is all filled out, you have a basic working NPC for your campaign. At this point, it’s up to you if you want to add more fluff and “personality”. I also make changes and adjustments while I continue to work on other characters and plot. If I find I have an imbalance of power I don’t want, I create more characters on the opposing faction to balance it in favor of the faction I want to be in favor. If I discover that two characters perform a very similar role, I rewrite or delete one of them. Should the plot call for an NPC with a specific backstory, I edit an existing one to fit this role, etc pp.

You can also use the above template for a one-shot or a short campaign of only a few sessions, of course, though it is intended to be a shorthand to keep track of a large amount of NPCs. It also differs significantly from the common templates used for OCs - this is because a) it is designed to reduce the NPC in question to their “plot”-relevant info and b) it is supposed to serve as a shorthand for non-fluff info. Bloating this template with too much information defeats its purpose, as you’re supposed to look at it and immediately know what this character’s role in your campaign is. This is why I fill it with short bullet points only, too. For reminders on how the NPC operates, I use the system of Nature and Demeanor from VtM as another convenient shorthand, and everything else I improvise. YMMV, of course, so you can always add more to this template if necessary, but it’s useful to boil it down to cold hard facts sometimes.

RARE - Stunning Octopus Tentacle chandelier

Octopus Decor Mug Holder Sculpture

(insp) + bonus