Emotions

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A Qualification of Passions
I find people making characters that are unlikely to actually be wraiths, and are
more likely to be spectres. While i don't find the occasional 'dark' passion held by a psyche out of place, i do find it wrong when Every passion is qualified as a 'dark' passion. As a general rule, i let them have one 'dark' passion for every two 'light'... Any more than that and, as a Storyteller, i get cranky.

I've also read the "emotions" supplement at the Wraith Project, and while it is a
great compilation of published "emotions" Some of them just do not qualify as emotions.. This is a fact, not personal opinion.

Among these.. Revenge This, in and of itself, is not an emotion. This is an action. This would be the subject of the passion, not the core-emotion. If you don't believe me, pick up a dictionary. I see it too often abused as an easy excuse for bringing back a character that died. But if you're going to do that, you should put more thought into it than just.. "I will get them back."

Craftsmanship This, in and of itself is not an emotion. And while, from personal experience, i completely understand where they are coming from, the closest actual emotion is what i call a craftsman's longing to do his work. This one seems to be a scapegoat for lack of knowing a better word.

Treachery This, in and of itself is not an emotion, this is an action. There are reasons behind treachery besides treachery it'self.

Ridicule Yet again, this is an action, there are reasons behind it, it is not the emotion itself..

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Emotions

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Restitution This one is a bit harder to explain, but i would put it this way. You are "seeking restitution" so therefore you do not have it. it is the in the reason the wraith desires to find it that you will find the core emotion. This desire would stem from whatever past event that caused the desire. I suggest thinking to what happened and to how they felt at that point.

Resignation This is both an action and a feeling, and the reason it is here is because it's so easy to confuse the two. So, you're giving up, okay, why? It's more apt to be despair, exhaustion, or indifference than it is to be actual resignation. i would suggest phrasing it another way.

Perseverance While this is a great quality, it is not an emotion. Look into the reasons they're being like this, because you are more likely looking for stubborness, determination, or just plain spite.

Lifelong Dream I dun even know how this got labeled an emotion. And yes, it's a great way to phraze a passion and the reason behind it, but it's still not an emotion. Look into the reasons the character got the passion in the first place, look into the circumstances and make a descision there. If you don't know the reasons, start brainstorming because you haven't thought it out well enough.

Justice Another one i'm not sure how it got labeled an emotion. And this one is a pain. I'm going to suggest looking again at the passion you're trying to label, and if the character is seeking justice, ask why. Were they harmed in some way? Is it anger? Are they making up for something they did? is it guilt? are they looking out for others? is it love? as i said, this is complex, but if you hope to play correctly, figure it out..

Individuality Another quality that's been labeled an emotion. Your character is either seeking to be different, or to maintain his uniqueness.. This can stem from a number of sources, it may be they are or were in the past.. seeking someone else's approval, it may be that they are afraid to be normal, maybe they're just weird naturally and they get a kick out of showing off... It could be pride, spite, amusement, love, seeking acceptance.. It's another one of the scapegoat words, it's been used because people either couldn't, or didn't want to think that deep into it.

Help

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Will somebody just tell me HOW in the blazes of hell this could possibly be an emotion? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Okay, we're guessing here, Helpfulness? I'm going to suggest some alternatives just in case... look into the reasons behind this helpfulness... is it faith, empathy, eagerness, idealism, hope, generosity....or something else?

Honor Another great quality that isn't an emotion, is it pride you are looking for, stubborness, fear of losing their reputation? Look into it, brainstorm. It's not that hard...

Fun I'm sorry folks, no fun is not an emotion, and just because something's in print, doesn't make it true. Look into why the character wants to have this fun, is he getting someone back, is it spite? Is it escapism? does it have any basis in the character's past? is it them seeking a future? because, this word is being a scapegoat, stop pointing the finger at the poor goat, if you're at a loss as to where to use those points... use them on the passions you already have, or do some serious brainstorming, because "fun" doesn't cut it.

Chastity Again, how is this an emotion. Someone is being lazy somewhere, why do they want to say chaste, is it a spiritual calling, are they just not ready, are they afraid of "going to hell"? All you have to do is look into their reasons for this. and if that doesn't work, brainstorm something new.

Chaos Chaos as an emotion. Right. I don't think so. Chaos is the end result of the passion, not the cause of it, if they're screwed up in the head Dementia! Otherwise, rethink this one, look into the beginning, look into the cause.

Betrayal This is an action, not an emotion, to 'feel betrayed' is honestly a popular phrase that in context, does make sense. But using betrayal as an emotion, that's where it really gets iffy.. I find it's more effective to use pain, anger, despair, disbelief, those are more likely what you are looking for.. or something similar, at any rate.

Devotion This is both a quality and an action, it is not however truly an emotion, you're looking at the emotion far too superficially. Depending on the character, this could be love, duty, guilt, adoration... Approach it this way, what caused this devotion, is it the birth of a child, the finding of a love, a great leader, a good cause..

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Deceit This is an action, not a feeling. Are you referring to the desire to decieve? why are they trying to decieve, look into those reasons, there you will find your emotion.

If you are having trouble finding the exact emotion that you're looking for, pick the closest true emotion and use an altering word like "twisted" or "righteous" or something to that effect to make it fit.

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