White Court Vampire - Skavis / Malvora

[Ravangames]

I was reading over the Template of White court Virgin and was wondering what the turning point of Skavis and Malvora would be... would it still be a lust inspired killing?  Or would it have to be fear or dispair?

It reads like what emotion you feed on is more based on what the character prefers.  like preferring beef over chicken and fish.

After reading the catch it more and more looks like it is a lust inspired killing....

[Wordmaker]

There's not a lot of information on how "virgins" of other types of White Court vampires work. Most of it is speculation since Harry hasn't had a lot of experience with them.

I think the reason for that, really, is to discourage people from playing White Court vampires of those types. We've seen that a lust-feeding vampire can try to control his hunger and act in a morally acceptable manner, yet still stay fed, but fear and despair are much harder to get without harming others.

Edit: As I understand it, though, to become a full vampire, the character has to kill by feeding on whatever emotion it is they feed upon. So a pain-feeder would likely have to torture someone or beat someone and feed off their pain. I'd say it's likely that Malvora, Skavis, and any other houses that don't feed on lust (maybe even some non-Raith houses that do) would raise their children in full knowledge of what they are, and train them for their first kill.

[Ravangames]

Define morally acceptable feeding... feeding of any type is still feeding off their life force...

Easy way of being a fear drinker is to go to a lot of horror flicks...

despair drinker... hang out in casinos, bars, and unemployment lines...

[Wordmaker]

That's true. But then, it'd be a tough way to live without losing control. I mean, Thomas didn't hang around porno theatres to feed.

[Ravangames]

but as long as he was well fed, he wouldn't have to worry about losing control... all of the control issues came about because of injuries or lack of feeding....

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He didn't lose control in the salon... all those women wanting his sexuality...

Thomas Spoiler (forget which book 10?)

[Wordmaker]

A lot would depend on the vampire in question, not to mention their own outlook and personality.

White Court vampires seem to be strongly affected by their choice in food. Thomas and Lara love sex, and expressing their sexuality.

(click to show/hide)

Thomas even defined his salon by a false front of his own sexuality.

This is because sex is their food.

If fear or misery are your food, what does that do to you, mentally and emotionally? If you need people to suffer in order to survive, unlike with lust, how does that change your view of people?

Going to a horror movie might be like eating a pack of salted crackers to stay alive. How many decent horror movies come out? How does the fear they create compare to the fear of a young woman walking home alone at night, who you could easily follow. She might catch a glimpse of you here and there, but you can move so fast she'd never notice you reach out to brush your hand across her neck. Maybe she lives in a bad neighbourhood? Maybe someone was raped near where she works. Maybe she has nightmares of the things that could happen to her, and all it takes is your shadow behind her to taste that.

Fear is very different from being scared.

[CMEast]

A Malvora WCV might be a bouncer and spend his time intimidating everyone, keeping order and feeding himself, or a dentist that always pulls out the big drills in front of his patient even if their teeth are fine. He could be a scary clown that terrifies kids at funfairs or the guy that operates the rollercoaster. He could even be a therapist specialising in phobias.

Skavis characters could work in prisons, homeless shelters, mental institutes or wards for the terminally ill.

There are plenty of ways that these emotions can be generated whilst still being 'good'.

[Ravangames]

A Malvora WCV might be a bouncer and spend his time intimidating everyone, keeping order and feeding himself, or a dentist that always pulls out the big drills in front of his patient even if their teeth are fine. He could be a scary clown that terrifies kids at funfairs or the guy that operates the rollercoaster. He could even be a therapist specialising in phobias.

Skavis characters could work in prisons, homeless shelters, mental institutes or wards for the terminally ill.

There are plenty of ways that these emotions can be generated whilst still being 'good'.

Wow.  Great examples of how to pull off a Non-Raith WCV.  Love the dentist thing.... damn you for the clown bit... !@#! clowns...

However, all of this excellent banter does not make me think if the whole virgin bit ends with lust and true love or house specific.

[CMEast]

On YS84, there is some extra notes about how True Love may only affect the Raith clan and that there are other 'True' emotions for the other houses.

True and selfless hope would counter despair and True Courage would defeat fear in theory.

Also, I wonder if there are other flavours of WCV such as disgust, grief, disappointment or obsession.

[Wordmaker]

I think it would definitely be house-specific. It wouldn't make much sense if every single White Court vampire became a vampire through a lust-feeding act and could be cured by true love.

[Ravangames]

Huh... then I guess I'll have to figure out the True Courage / True Hope aspect of curing the WCV from their heritage... how would that work?

Would they have to experience that themselves or have someone display that emotion for them?

Seems a lot harder to pull off then true love....

[ballplayer72]

First off:   From Madrigals and Thomas' convo that Madrigal had been feeding malvora style and its "sick. And its made you sick"  (either PG or WN) we can surmise that WC vamps don't have a set emotion to feed upon and may learn others.   They have ones that their upbringing recognizes as proper, in this case Lust for Raith, Fear for Malvora, Despair for Skavis, but nothing set in stone.
2nd: we may also surmise from observation and extrapolation certain things.  For instance we know that black magic twists its user.  We have specific reference to causing someone to feel fear making it easier etc (molly PG this is just a specific example of a higher concept).  We also see in WN that Skavis and Malvora are even less "human" seeming than the Raiths (which is saying something).    
We also have evidence that all vamps (RC JC BC WC) use "black magic" the nauseating, greasy well of power harry often describes for black magic users.  
 So, since black magic twists you i'd say feeding on fear and despair, through black magic, would seriously twist you. Lust would also cause a problem but its alot easier to take just a little, instead of being pushed to kill because of the circumstance.  I mean what woman or man is going to run to the authorities with a story of a mindblowing orgasm?  Scare them half to death though and they more than likely will seek help.  And as for skavis, its kinda hard to halfway force someone to commit suicide

[John Galt]

Huh... then I guess I'll have to figure out the True Courage / True Hope aspect of curing the WCV from their heritage... how would that work?

Would they have to experience that themselves or have someone display that emotion for them?

Seems a lot harder to pull off then true love....

They'd turn just like a Raith.  By feeding until their victim was dead.  If they feed on fear or despair than they'd kill their first victim like a Malvora or Skavis as seen in the books.

Cures are true hope and true courage.  They have to experience it themselves.  And if they touch someone who has known those, they will be burned just like Thomas was by Justine and Inara was by Harry.

In a Houston game I'm playing a Deacon who is a Skavis virgin.  He sips at the beginning of his own sermons (not on purpose) and then precedes to raise everyone's hope by preaching for an hour or two.  He's personally never likely to experience true hope due to the fact he's so depressed about his nature and he feels he's just a tool for God, constantly repenting for the crimes of his sires.  

[lordoracle]

That has been what my take on the White Court; it's not that they can ONLY feed on the specific type, but it's their preferred "taste". Madrigal Raith from Proven Guilty and White Night is from the House Raith, but prefers the diet of the Malvora. I'm guessing each house conditions their children to their type, but the child can decide they prefer something else. Inara Raith was working in the porn industry so she'd been surrounded by sex and lust; therefore, she'd lean towards that if she had completed the process and not fallen in love.

Now this is my theory, and I could be wrong. Thomas stated that Madrigal was House Raith and but he preferred House Malvora's feeding practices.

I was reading over the Template of White court Virgin and was wondering what the turning point of Skavis and Malvora would be... would it still be a lust inspired killing?  Or would it have to be fear or dispair?

It reads like what emotion you feed on is more based on what the character prefers.  like preferring beef over chicken and fish.

After reading the catch it more and more looks like it is a lust inspired killing....