The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Determined and forceful
Emotional and intuitive
Powerful and passionate
Exciting and magnetic Jealous and resentful
Compulsive and obsessive
Secretive and obstinate
Scorpians are the most intense, profound, powerful characters in the zodiac. Even when they appear self-controlled and calm there is a seething intensity of emotional energy under the placid exterior. They are like the volcano not far under the surface of a calm sea it may burst into eruption at any moment. But those of us who are particularly perceptive will be aware of the harnessed aggression, the immense forcefulness, magnetic intensity and often strangely hypnotic personality under the tranquil but watchful composure of the Scorpian.

In conventional social gatherings they are pleasant to be with, thoughtful in conversation, dignified and reserved, yet affable and courteous, and they sometimes possess penetrating eyes which make their shyer companions feel naked and defenceless before them. In their everyday behavior they give the appearance of being withdrawn from the center of activity, yet those who know them will recognize the watchfulness that is part of their character. They need great self-discipline, because they are able to recognize the qualities in themselves that make them different from other humans, and to know that their utterly conventional natures can be used for great good or great evil.

Their tenacity and willpower are immense, their depth of character and passionate conviction overwhelming, yet they are deeply sensitive and easily moved by their emotions. Their sensitivity, together with a propensity for extreme likes and dislikes, make them easily hurt, quick to detect insult or injury to themselves (often when none is intended) and easily aroused to ferocious anger. This may express itself in such destructive speech or action that they make lifelong enemies by their outspokenness, for they find it difficult not to be overly critical of anything or anyone to whom they take a dislike.They can harness their abundant energy constructively, tempering their self-confidence with shrewdness and their ambition with magnanimity toward others provided they like them. If they do not, or if their feelings are neutral unusual with them they relate to fellow workers only as leaders and can be blunt to those they dislike to the point of cruelty. In fact they are not above expressing vindictiveness in deliberate cruelty.

They are too demanding, too unforgiving of faults in others, perhaps because they are not aware of the shortcomings within themselves, and extravagantly express their self-disgust in unreasonable resentment against their fellows. They do, however, make excellent friends, provided that their companions do nothing to impugn the honor of which Scorpians are very jealous. Part of the negative side of the Scorpian nature is a tendency to discard friends once they cease to be useful, but the decent native is aware of and fights this tendency.They are fortunate in that their strong reasoning powers are tempered with imagination and intuition, and these gifts, together with critical perception and analytical capacity, can enable Scorpians to penetrate to profundities beyond the average.

They have a better chance of becoming geniuses than the natives of any other sign. But charismatic "twice-born" characters such as they can sink into the extremes of depravity if they take the wrong path, and the intensity of their natures exaggerates their harmful tendencies into vices far greater than the normal. Rebelliousness against all conventions, political extremism to the point where hatred of the Establishment makes them utterly unscrupulous terrorists, brooding resentment, aggressive and sadistic brutality, total arrogance, morbid jealousy, extreme volatility of temperament these are some of their vices. At the other extreme is the procrastinator, the man or woman who is capable of so much that they do nothing and become indolent and self-indulgent, requiring extravagant praise and flattery from those whom they make their cronies.Being so gifted can find fulfillment in many employments.

Their inner intensity can result in the ice-cold self-control and detachment of the surgeon, the concentration of the research scientist and the heroism of the soldier. Any profession in which analysis, investigation, research, dealing with practicalities and the solving of mysteries are relevant can appeal to them. So police and detective work, espionage and counterespionage, the law, physics or psychology may attract them, and they can become masters of the written and spoken word. They may be most persuasive orators and find fulfillment as diplomats or preachers and, if they make the Church their profession, their inner intensity can express itself in the spiritual fervor of the mystic or the thaumaturgy.

Scorpio is the symbol of sex and Scorpians are passionate lovers, the most sensually energetic of all the signs. For them union with the beloved is a sacrament, an "outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace." Their overriding urge in loving is to use their power to penetrate beyond themselves and to lose themselves sexually in their partners in an almost mystical ecstasy, thus discovering the meaning of that union which is greater than individuality and is a marriage of the spirit as well as of flesh. They are thus capable of the greatest heights of passionate transport, but debauchery and perversion are always dangers, and Scorpians can become sadistic monsters of sensuality and eroticism. Their feelings are so intense that even when their love is of the highest and most idealistic kind, they are nevertheless frequently protagonists in tragic, even violent romances, "star-cross'd lovers" indeed.

Scorpio governs the pelvis and reproductive and urinary systems and its subjects are said to be prone to ailments of the liver and kidneys, stones and gravel in the bladder or genitals, and other genital ills such as priapism. Abscesses, boils, carbuncles, fistulas, piles, ruptures and ulcers may also affect the Scorpian

element-water: Water is sensitive and intuitive
quadruplitcity-fixed: steadfastness(fixed)
ruler-moon

The Gangrel, as a clan, have formally seceded from the Camarilla. That is not to say that every single Gangrel has turned in her membership card and turned her back on the organization as a whole, as there are plenty of Gangrel who consider themselves part of the sect. Rather, it is the clan as a whole that has withdrawn its support from the governing body, abandoning its right to have equal say and equal power in the sect’s councils. The clan’s elders attach no stigma to those individuals who choose to remain with the Camarilla— it’s the individual’s right to choose, after aIl. However, one must now make the distinction between saying that there are Gangrel of the Camarilla (true) and that the Gangrel are of the Camarilla (false). Those Gangrel who have remained with the sect occupy a slightly reduced place in the sect’s hierarchy. Without the presence of a clan justicar to defend Gangrel interests, members of other clans (particularly the Ventrue and Brujah) are making subtle encroachments on Gangrel territories and domains. The end result of this process may be to drive the remaining Camarilla Gangrel off as well, but long-term planning isn’t every Kindred’s strong suit.



Even Camarilla Gangrel are generally taciturn and solitary by nature, albeit perhaps less so than their newly non-affiliated brethren. It is rare for a Gangrel to take much interest in a city’s government; most prefer moving from place to place, or develop a concern for a specific part of a city’s landscape (a zoo, a central park system, an arboretum etc.) and make a crusade out of protecting that one spot. Anything that affects a Gangrel’s chosen territory is fought tooth and nail, while the rest of the city can generally go hang.

Contrary to popular belief, Gangrel don’t necessarily enjoy running carefree through the woods or spending time with werewolves, as in most cases Lupines regard Gangrel as being just as bad as the rest of the bloodsucking lot. Rumors of cooperation between the two groups are greatly exaggerated, to say the least. While the vast majority of Gangrel do prefer to get the hell out of the cities when they can, they take to the countryside with an eye to self-preservation rather than bucolic splendor.



Strength and Influence: While stronger than the splinter groups within the Camarilla, such as the Samedi or Lasombra antitribu, sectarian Gangrel now lag well behind the six major clans in strength. In any given city or region, there are likely to be enough Gangrel to keep anyone from pushing the clan around too much, but when it comes to overall policy decisions, the Gangrel just don’t have the muscle anymore. Having given up representation on the Inner Council and the right to present a justicar, the Gangrel are now without voice at the highest levels of power, and are feeling the consequences of that change nightly. In terms of geography, the Gangrel form a sort of perimeter on Camarilla territory. They prefer small cities or very large ones (which usually house extensive parks, zoological gardens and so on); mid-range urban environments don't much to tickle the Gangrel fancy.



Organization:The Gangrel who remain with the Camarilla are not so much organized as they are stable. An unofficial hierarchy of respect has emerged among the stragglers, who prefer to keep out of sect business as much as possible. If two Gangrel come into conflict in a situation where one does not have clear-cut dominance over the other, the result is a bloody brawl. Such impromptu duels rarely result in fatalities, but there is considerable ioss of face involved for the loser. Some Gangrel would seem almost to prefer dying to admitting defeat. Of late, certain princes have encouraged contentious Gangrel in their do mains to settle matters in less violent fashion, or to agree to limits to the carnage, but the notion hasn’t taken hold.

In the meanwhile, Gangrel exist as floaters and neo-independents, shunning the need for organization above the local level. Gangrel gatherings are called by whoever sees a need for one; the informal prestige of the individual making the invitation determines how many guests are likely to attend. A Gangrel prince is an extremely rare thing; odds are that any such vampire has been forced into her position by circumstance rather than ambition. If a Gangrel takes a position within a city government, it’s most likely to be one without rigid responsibilities, such as sheriff. A higher than expected number of Gangrel take up the mantle of archon, possibly because the job’s nomadic nature and mandate to circumvent politics appeal to Gangrel sensibilities.



Concerns: The primary concern that most Camarilla Gangrel have, unsurprisingly, is the worry that the whole thing is going to come crashing down any night now. While the clan as a whole might not have had any problems with Gangrel remaining behind with the sect, there were any number of hard words and harder blows between individual clan members over the issue. If the whole thing collapses, the survivors are going to have a serious loss of prestige within the clan.


Throw in other concerns like, say, survival, and suddenly the durability of the Camarilla becomes of more than academic interest to even the seemingly apathetic Gangrel. A lesser problem, but still an important one, is the way in which the post-schism Gangrel are being squeezed by their sectmates. With territory growing more and more scarce as broods of childer grow larger and larger, it is often the Gangrel who find themselves being shoved aside to make room for favored neonates descended from primogen members or those whom elders owed favors. The situation has not yet reached a boiling point, but sooner or later someone’s going to start comparing notes and then the shit is likely to hit the fan in a hurry.


Practices and Customs: While not formal in the sense that a Ventrue or Toreador would understand, Gangrel customs have a strict ritualization to them that the Tremere would be hard-pressed to emulate. Much of what has survived as modern Gangrel culture had come from the clan’s concentration in Scandinavia during the past two millennia. Gatherings of Gangrel are called althings (or things, if they’re on a smaller scale), and the recounting of deeds and tales that occurs at such gatherings is reminiscent of the Viking brag. Althings occur on the equinoxes, while May 8th often hosts smaller gatherings. Precedence at a gathering of Gangrel is determined by a series of individual contests of dominance. Most such challenges are just staredowns, but a few graduate to brawl status. Such combats are vicious but rarely fatal; there aren’t enough Gangrel for them to go around killing each other at meetings. Such duels for primacy occur whenever Gangrel meet on their own and for the first time, even if it’s just two clanmates coming across each other in the woods. Once precedence is established, the pecking order is fixed and there’s no need to repeat the process every time the same Gangrel meet. The only exceptions come when someone on the losing end of a prior encounter decides he’s in line for a promotion, and tries again. The winners of such combats gain prestige within the clan, while the losers are reduced in standing (and usually beaten to a pulp as well), which does keep the number of frivolous challenges down.


Once precedence has been established, the leader begins the recitation of names and deeds, plus whatever other information she feels needs to be passed along. If there’s no discussion, the floor is then yielded to the second in command, and so on. All in attendance, regardless of whether it’s a frill allthing or just two clan members, are expected to remember what they are told, and to pass on the important and particularly interesting tales to other Gangrel not in attendance. Thus heroes are made of some Gangrel and laughingstocks of others, but the news that needs to travel somehow gets spread.


Gangrel rarely reveal themselves to their progeny at the time of the Embrace. Instead, they watch prospective childer for an extended period of time before dooming another mortal to vampiric existence, then strike without warning. The new childe is abandoned to its own devices (though the sire and usually a few other Gangrel keep an eye on him) and must learn to survive on his own. If he does so well enough, eventually his sire will come forward and induct him into the ways of the clan. If not, incompetent neonates tend to take care of themselves in fatal fashion. A sire whose neonate fails can suffer a loss of prestige, depending upon how fast and how emphatic the failure was.



Clan Prestige: Gangrel gain prestige from one another through the allthings, and by having word of their deeds and actions spread by other Gangrel. Prestige bestowed by members of other clans is generally worthless to the Gangrel, unless the outsider in question has done something to earn Gangrel respect.


Gangrel Stereotypical Views On Other Clans


Brujah: They're animals (and I saw this with sincere apologies to any part-time animals reading this). But they have the right idea about cooperating with the Camarilla (don't) and the right idea about how to party (unconditionally). They also like to fight, which endears them to many. They're fast buggers, but they don't have claws to speak of. Watch out for the old ones, though. They think too much.


Malkavian: Most of the Malkavians are crazy, and the rest are just plain sneaky. That doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to them, just don't believe a word they say. the sneaky ones won't tell you the truth and the crazy ones wouldn't know the truth if it was fed to them intravenously.


Nosferatu: Don't let their looks fool you -- these guys stick together better than any clan except the Tremere, and the Tremere cheat.
The Nosferatu also have an information network second to none, and they may be willing to share news. They really don't have much of a sense of storytelling, preferring literal truth to dramatic necessity, but they are well worth cultivating as a source of information.



Toreador: Most of these fops are absolutely worthless, not even worth the trouble to stake'em out and give'em a suntan. At least they're not actively malevolent. Some of them can write, though. They tend to waste on experimental plays and films, (not to mention deconstructionist criticism), but some can spin a good yarn.
Party with them, but don't expect to fit in. And don't trust them with a burnt-out match.



Tremere: They're manipulative, organized, secretive, and treacherous. Trust one the way you would a Ravnos with your sister. Only very occasionally, when your interests coincide, can you work with a Tremere -- and then you'll become a liability as soon as your usefulness is ended.



Ventrue: The Ventrue are the closest thing the Kindred have to professional politicians, which is why they are shunned by all sensible undead. Some of what they do may need doing, but it is scarcely worth supporting these (figurative and literal) leeches to do it. The next time you meet one, borrow his handkerchief, and give it to the next pack of Lupines you meet. They should be able to follow the scent

First of all if writing is an art form and painting and sculpture are art forms, and if you can have abstract art in painting and sculpture, then I'm going to do abstract art in writing. That means I don't care if there is anything you might think is a Miss Take. Oh hello, my name is Jim Sweet. Well, that's what I've been called my whole life for the most part. I think it's kinda funny looking at how it all started. We are given made up sounds to identify ourselves, then those sounds are spelled out into words made up of letters we invented and this becomes the way. Some people even think some names are stupid. That's like saying some words are stupid. How can you tell? "Communication is the greatest destroyer of talent, because it makes everybody like everybody else." "You must start as a child to become original. You have to be shut out from these forces.... Commmunication." These are quotes from Charles Bukowski. I found him by accident by watching a movie, which happens to be a form of comunication, that had the actress Ornella Muti in it that I liked who was in Flash Gordon. Remember that movie? It's one of my favorites. Well I like Chuck, he say a lot of stuff I agree with. Let us get to my art for a few sentences. I've been creating things since I was four years old, starting with drawing and progressing from there. I had a lot of fun in my life up until probably the third grade. The age from zero to seven was the best time of my life. I think communication had something to do with it. I draw or create what I find interesting and inspires me. Sometime it's just a meaningless random thought or idea that pops in my head. Now a days I try not to censor myself. I want to put whatever is in my empty head on paper no matter how rude someone thinks it might be or offensive. I'm not doing it to please you. I'm doing it because I'm alive and I can and it gives me pleasure. My art is a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom, to steal a line from Wild at Heart. Movies are a big inspiration in my life and my art. I really like movies. I'd say love movies, but I think love is an illusion like God and The Devil. I believe our normal way of life is an illusion. Life doesn't have to be the way others have created it, but we are born into an established way of living without any say and we are almost born with no right to disagree. The fact that you are born is the understanding you agree with the rules of that land and if you don't there is something wrong with you. It's the land of the free if you follow all of our rules and live a lifestyle that is so called normal. If not you can and will die. How can you discover some land that has people already living on it and why do Indians want to be called Native Americans when they didn't call the land America, Christopher Columbus did. Here's some more art talk. Black and white drawings are my speciality. There's some meaning in some of my drawings. I don't draw purposely to effect you. I draw mostly because the images are visually appealing and stimulating to me. I feel I really have nothing to say, most of the time, in my art or in my life for that matter. I feel it's all been said before by someone else who can say it better than me. As Wendy O Williams once said quoting a painter who was asked, "Why did you do your painting and what did it mean?" The painter said, "If I could tell you in words, I wouldn't have painted it." I've discovered many people that I admire have already communicated many of my thoughts and who really cares anyhow. Through movies I've found people who think similar to me. I also listen to Howard Stern because I think he is very entertaining and I agree with a lot of things he says. I don't like traditions or customs anymore, they mean nothing to me. Who cares when you were born? It only matters that you are here now for some unknown reason or no reason. That day is gone even though we call a new day the same day as the day you were born. I'm not proud to be white, American, Italian, or male. I had no control over that. If you were born in America you are an American even if your mother is Italian. That's the way it works, I didn't make it up. I was born on a planet we call Earth that's all I care about as far as that goes and I'm more of a pink color. People make up colors and can't use them right either. The best thing about being you, you can choose what to be called. I'm not white, I'm pink. I'm not an Atheist, I'm Jim Sweet. I don't think anyone is more important or better than anyone else or anything else. I hate that people break people down into race, religion, colors, ethnicity, classes, ages, sexes. Art is almost everything and is in your face every second. There's no good or bad art, there's just art few people can do and art some people can do and art most people can do and art all people can do. I really don't know anything if I really think about it. I just believe I figured things out for me. I know I'm here and then I go, that's all I see that’s all I know. I know other people think like me because I see myself in many different movies. I am Nobody. I believe everything has an equal and opposite and nothing would exist if there wasn't. nothing = something, nobody = somebody, if everyone is special that makes us all the same so no one is special. I believe population is the biggest problem of the world. Like the Matrix says, "we spread like a virus" and like Fight Club "we are consumers." I'm not interested in creating a normal life for myself, but that might be the only way to survive at the moment. I'll live till I die. That's all we ALL can do and you’re not lucky or unlucky to be alive. Walt Whitman said," Has any one supposed it lucky to be born? I hasten to inform him or her, it is just as lucky to die, and I know it. I pass death with the dying, and birth with the new-wash'd babe, and am not contain'd between my hat and boots; And peruse manifold objects, no two alike, and every one good; The earth good, and the stars good, and their adjuncts all good. I am not an earth, nor an adjunct of an earth; I am the mate and companion of people, all just as immortal and fathomless as myself; (They do not know how immortal, but I know.)" Who cares what he thinks. Who cares what I think, but if you're taking the time to read this you must want to know what I think. Anyway, I like this quote. I heard it in a movie called Imaginary Crimes. I watched that movie because of the actor Fairuza Balk was in it. I never read Walt Whitman or didn't even know him until that movie, but I like the way he thinks. I never really liked reading that much and I don't think it's important to read once you get the concept. It's merely a hobby like skateboarding or looking at drawings in an art museum. I'm not anti anything or for anything. Do what you want and I'll do what I want. I see the truth in life and when I tell people what I think, they don't want to hear it usually. I’m not really saying anything too outrageous and it's probably not even original. I'm just observing human behavior and interpreting what I've learned through living. I used to get mad about wanting to be happy or in love. Now I just think happy is only one emotion. I should be happy that I can feel sad and angry too. We are human and we express emotions. We should be able to at least act human and express them all. People called it human behavior. It's perfectly normal and we are all perfect. We are humans and individuals. You're a perfect you and I'm a perfect me. Nobody's perfect=everybody’s perfect. Like a perfect rock or a perfect stick. We are the way we are, how can there be an imperfection. You can't improve or turn into someone else. You will always be you learning, growing, living=dying, feeling. Someone can not be normal, but that's a good thing. People are selfish. We all do what we want to do. You are the most important person to you. People get mad at you because you are not doing what they want to see in their lives. So this causes anger, fear and control. When ever you do something you want to do, you're being selfish. Like taking a walk, eating or having a person. People are selfish even when they are trying to help. People get mad when you don't want to help them save the whales. What if I was saving the Gorillas and somebody was saving the eagles and we all give five dollars to each others causes. We would have just made no money. Help your own causes and I'll help mine. How about STOP THE POEPLE. Should you create new life or help the lives that are struggling? Save the children or the children that already grew up or is it too late for those kids? Save the people=stop the people or slow it down. Be content with the ones who are already here. Now you see why I don't take anything serious. I have nothing to say about most things people talk about. Life is what you make it they say so that must means you have to pretend. I've created my pretend reality or my illusion of life which isn’t any better or worse than anybody elses. Fortunately or unfortunately I'm the type of person that does what I want and I don't protest what you want to do. But there are people out there who only want things done there way because they are told and believe there way is the right way. Hitler was like that too. If they don't like what we're doing, it's their hobby to destroy our interests and conform us or they'll kill us for something they don't even really know. Read Bukowski's 'The Genius of the Crowd poem, he says it perfectly. I heard this poem in the movie Bukowski: Born Into This. When we're young we usually only know what we are told. If no one told us there was a God or Santa or Hell we wouldn't know about them. So why do we really believe? There are stories that are only a few years old that get screwed up over time never mind thousands of years old stories. Some people go though life not questioning anything they're told or think about why they exist or why they do things. It's probably not worth thinking about because you'll never really get any answers, but a least you'll stop worrying about petty things, like the color of skin, nose rings, heavy metal music, sex changes, gay people, name calling. I believe art doesn't have to be a certain way and life doesn't have to be a certain way. Do what you want and express yourself anyway. Sometimes people think art is outrageous or offensive and say, "That is taking it too far." I don't think you can go "too far" in art or life unless you are physically hurting other people by it. "That's all I've got to say about that." Forrest Gump Well this is some of the stuff that goes through my head most of the time. Maybe these are the thoughts of a fool, but that's just someone's opinion. I am a fool if I want to be. Take it slow and easy.

Jimmi Joe Sweet