This is not your typical "IC livejournal"
This is not just a bunch of stories, or journal entries. This is about characterization.
The snippets you read here are things I use to figure out Charles. History, perspectives, theme. Reading this won't often be the most interesting experience, plot-wise, but I hope it will entertain you if you've had a chance to play with Charles, and capture your imagination a bit if you haven't.
However, the most important thing to remember when reading this are the Facts of the Matter:
It was, until recently, fashionable to quote the French Existentialists... now it has become the pastime of philosophy students and adolescent boys. Still, one quote from Sartre applies...
"Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance."
You should imagine a man, an man of a past time, but not a time long gone by. A man who was born when the world still made sense, but became a man when it stopped doing so. This man went off to a meaningless war, and fought extremely well in it... in trenches, on beaches, and across deserts. And he fought for a country that would never fully be his, and with a people who had no country of their own.
And when it came time to choose between his country, who would not have him, and his people, who wanted only a home, he choose poorly. And he couldn't live with the choice...
But it would seem he couldn't die with it either.
Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness...
...and dies by chance
- To whom it may concern...
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![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
charles_beckett- January 1st, 2030
- The Hunt, Part I
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- charles_beckett
- November 27th, 12:23
- A Lesson to a Young Invictus...
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- charles_beckett
- November 16th, 18:22
"Never ask for that which you do not need.
"All leaders, from the greatest prince to the primus of the smallest coterie, can only ask their men for so much. Think of leadership as some sort of currency... perhaps you earn it with fear, or with violence, though I find that those are high risk with quite variable reward. Instead, earn trust through honoring your bargains. Give people kind words for they cost you nothing, but will be preferred by most to any other sort of posturing. Do not be afraid to offer boons to your allies: you will help them, after all, when they ask, for they are your allies. All a boon would do is remind them of it.
"Each promise you keep, each smile you provoke, each problem you solve, earns you a tiny amount of loyalty amongst our kind. And our loyalty is a precarious thing, for it relies solely on perception of future behavior, and not in the slightest on any emotional or moral sentiment. And so you must use that wisely.
"Remember also that that if you rule through threat of violence or misfortune, you will always be treated as a threat, and the most rational response to a threat is to end it. If you rule as though you might be of use to your people, then it is in their interest to follow you. Always endeavor to help your subordinates, to be an asset to them, for you will never know what you must ask of them. Should the time come that you tell them to do what they would not normally, you will wish to have inspired as much loyalty as possible when you stand before them."
- A Journal Entry, Never Written...
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- charles_beckett
- November 15th, 21:05
- Praxis of Boulder, Day 131
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- charles_beckett
- November 12th, 20:15
The neglect of letters precedes the fall of every civilization, and of every civilized man. You would do well to remember that, Charlie.
Perhaps this travel worries me, if it is driving me to write again. I never much liked that area of the world, and yet it draws me there, time and time again, every few decades. The desert at midnight is a brutal place, and it makes me a brutal creature, and for that I am not sure if I should thank it, or merely accept that which it is.
But truth be told, I am eager to travel. There is little I can actually do in Boulder to better the state of affairs... and at least this makes me feel useful while directly contributing. In many ways, I am useless to my own Praxis, unable to strike at an enemy I cannot touch, or see, or...
And for some reason, that thought brings me to Percival.
- A Series of Letters, Passionate and Desperate
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- charles_beckett
- November 12th, 20:05
( The )
And the simple response...
Ivy,
I will, if you want, refrain from contact. I understand you might not want to deal with your broodmate… I am, after all, difficult to bear when I am engaged in some of my passionate arguments.
However, I would like to at least return to you a item of yours, of which I am in possession… an earring, a delicate diamond affair. I believe it might have belonged to your grandmother, once upon a time.
Where would you have me send it?
Your Charlie
( What follows )
- A Letter to a Sister - Secrets and Manipulation...
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- charles_beckett
- August 3rd, 20:37
( The message to Charles )
And the response...
Ivy,
There was another Charlie? I would hope he were a dashing sort, nothing like the cad who holds the mortal office of Prince of Wales. However, in truth, I worry that most Charlies are boorish, old, and quite ugly… there is certainly a high correlation between large noses and men named Charles. I would be glad he left when he did… I would not worry for him, for certainly he would have forgotten about you by now, and you are better. Do you not agree?
Perhaps that was a bit brutal to read. I do hope you understand I say it with love, the love for a sister I do not know but through her words, but the love of family, none the less. This love drives us to hurt each other. Roland does not hate you, you must understand this. Roland has no way of dealing with you. Roland is quite possessive towards Gabby, and has never had to share, not even with me, despite our closeness in age. Do not blame him for his anger… it is the only reaction he has. Avoid him; this is wise and I agree, but do not think him evil. That would ignore his noble qualities, which, while well hidden, are quite exceptional.
Likewise, do not confuse Gabriele’s codependence for need. As one child draws away, she pulls another close. If you were not there, she would be fine, and if not, she would embrace another. I do not fault her for it, but at the same time I acknowledge how Gabriele is. Were the situation that you were alone, and she would have to go to you and set aside her affairs… well, we saw how that worked for her middle children, no?
I have thought about this a great deal lately… as I await an answer for our sire and find that my own estranged childe (who has refused contact with me for decades) has finally reached out to me. I find myself asking: “what would my sire do in this situation?”
It gives me an excellent sense of what to avoid.
Love,
Charlie
PS: Forgive the angry tone of this letter, affairs of Praxis weigh heavily upon me, and I find that in these early days, I have too many demands and too little support.
- A Letter to a "Friend"
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- charles_beckett
- August 3rd, 20:21
“Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind the slime of bureaucracy”
- Franz Kafka
Vanessa,
The proper cliché for me to use would be, “It has been too long since I last wrote you.” I can say this, but I do not wish to convey a feeling of obligation or even remorse with this letter… I instead can feel the days slipping by without the impulses of previous decades, and I find myself struggling against such a thing, for with every night that goes by without the urge to communicate, express, or strive, I feel like I have lost something, even if it is only the use of that one night. And so I find myself writing to you, after months (or is it years?) of neglect to our relationship, in an attempt to… fulfill these current moments.
I suppose I might more simply state that I missed you, but reading over the previous paragraph I suppose I can’t state anything of such a nature simply.
As with any letter after a long period of time, I shall start with “the news.”
I am in the United States. I must admit that my previous travels throughout your country were confined to the coasts... as such I never realized how much space you have here. In truth, I thought we might have been neighbors, a few hours from each other… I now realize this isn’t true. If I had contacted you prior to my move, I would have probably learned this fact earlier, however, my brief time in Colorado has made appreciate exactly how much space most Americans require.
I have, well, if you have not heard about the situation with myself and the City of Boulder already, ask, and I shall tell you, if not, I might refrain from further discussion of it.
A friend died this week.
Apart from these items, I am much the same (as I would assume are you, and any other kindred we know since our last meeting). I do, however, feel something stirring. It might have been the recent events, it might be the move… it might, as much as I hate to admit it, the physical distance between myself and the rest of my family. Regardless, I find myself more active (some might say agitated), and less content to wait in the shadows for others to correct the problems I perceive.
The fundamental flaw of kindred philosophy assumes that as we are not creative, we are necessarily stagnant. This perceived stagnancy creates a prison of lethargy, where we assume that we can achieve nothing. Some escape this prison to a wasteland of pointless action, where the drive for change, motivated in opposition to this perception, overwhelms all other rational thought. But to accept our condition, that despite our inability to create we can still mold and direct and at the very least act, without philosophical preconditions, enables us to a sort of autonomy that I don’t think the mass of kindred, as a whole are ready to accept.
I look at that, and realize I have slipped into philosophy. Forgive the self-indulgence, Vanessa, but appreciate that this is a safe place to do so.
What of you? Should I assume that things go well for you? I would expect as such, your talents for such things have always outstripped those of this simple knight, and I would probably do well, politically as well as personally, to see you sometime. Please, tell me of your affairs, or at least what you would have me know.
Mostly, I would hear from you, for it has been too long since I have enjoyed your words.
Yours, as always,
Charlie
- A exchange between Sire and Childe...
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- charles_beckett
- August 3rd, 20:15
- A Brief Scene
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- charles_beckett
- July 31st, 6:13
The things you notice when you're dead...
The texture created by painting over unplastered brick cannot be duplicated and is immediately recognizable to all those who have been institutionalized in some form. The dead like to touch it, as it feels familiar... as if life had prepared it for this particular condition.
The light of the computer manages to make all things look ghastly. The dead find this comforting, for if all is terrible then nothing is.
The discomfort of wearing uncomfortable shoes, or having a belt that fits to tight, or a watch that fits too loose, can quickly block out all other stimulus. Unless one is dead, in which case one tries to remind oneself to feel at various intervals throughout the day.
Charles would sometimes, on an occasion where he was feeling ironic (as he rarely felt jovial), comment that the defining charactersistic of kindred psychology can be described thusly: When someone attempts to describe the uncontrollable nature of thought by challenging an individual to "not think about a purple elephant," a vampire responds with a blank look and the words, "what elephant."
As Charles sat, staring at the message he had just recieved, he could think of nothing other than how dead he must be, not know how to respond.
- The Praxis of Boulder - Day 12
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- charles_beckett
- July 22nd, 16:51
I must devote myself to the following goals in the immediate future:
- The knowledge of who threatens my praxis
- Intelligence
- A Court, if in name only
Following this, I must see to the security of the Realm, and force my Court to function as it should.
With a secure and functional domain, I should be able to craft an exit strategy.
- Day 22
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- charles_beckett
- July 22nd, 16:46
It's too spread out here.
I seriously don't know what sort of hunters they are here: I know not whether to be impressed with their abilities to eke out a stable existence in the shallow pools of the American West, or question the sort of creature that exists in such an isolated environment. I am certain that this area is overpopulated, even with the few creatures who exist here.
I must resist snobbery, or at least the appearances of it. In truth, I don't condemn those who have chosen to exist here... I just find myself terribly exposed, and the political game too... simple is the wrong word. It lacks the layers of complexity to which I am accustomed, but the individual nuances are more detailed. It is as if the players are each a faction unto themselves, and only the loosest of alliances are maintained.
How I to succeed if I have vampires who have never even realized their social attitudes?
- A Draft of a Treatise - Part I
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- charles_beckett
- July 17th, 20:25
- A Draft of a Treatise - An Introduction
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- charles_beckett
- July 17th, 20:23
The Invictus make no apologies.
This, more than any tenet or assertion, any action or invocation, separates us from the other Covenants. I speak not admissions of guilt or remorse (which we may, if we choose, offer for our own purposes), but rather of justification. We have no formal explanations of why we are who we are, of our motives or our intentions. Instead, we exist and continue and thrive, and, with the clarity of mind befitting an aspect predator, dominate our environment.
However, self-reflection serves a useful purpose. It allows us to continually refine and improve the processes we use in our Requiems, to understand the nature of power, rulership, and ultimately, responsibility, and reveals the facts of our condition. In this essay, I would analyze the lack of justification within our unique doctrine, make explicit the oft-ignored philosophical premises of the First Estate, and finally, examine the logical extensions of a philosophy based only in that which is real. I will not, at any point, prescribe any sort of behavior… my intention is to describe phenomenon, and not offer some sort of metaphysical imperatives.
In short, this is not an apology for the Invictus. This is an observation
- A Scrap of Thought, Part 5
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- charles_beckett
- July 16th, 22:31
The tragedy and strength of my covenant is their utter refusal to offer any sort of justification for their actions.
Some vampires, even amongst the first estate, take this to mean that our tenets are unjustified. Truly the difference between us and the Carthians is not our governing procedures, but the manner in which we explain it: it is integral to the Carthian Movement to offer some sort of reason as to why they make the choices they do.
They have forgotten their own rhetoric. Some truths are self-evident. The power of the Invictus is as true as the waves upon the rocks and the wind through the leaves. The Invictus must be respected, not in the same way a car must stop at a traffic light, or the baby must drink milk, but in the way an apple must fall towards the ground, or that the sun must set each night. The respect and power of the First Estate is an inevitablity... the definition of the Covenant. The Invictus are that which is respected, they are those who rule. Call us by any other name, we are still Unconquered.
Those who call themselves Invictus seek to proclaim the identity of the Unconquered, but unless they are respected, they are not truly amongst us. It is the subtle trick of our affiliation: saying you are does not make it so.
This must be remember by all of us, lest we coopt the respect of the Unconquered for those who are undeserving.
- The Praxis of Boulder - Day 4
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- charles_beckett
- July 14th, 23:21
Well, that doesn't seem like it will be a problem, at least...
- A Letter to a Sister...
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- charles_beckett
- July 14th, 23:18
Read the first part of the conversation here
( A missive from the sister he never should have had... )
And a response...
Ivy,
It is, or at least I would prefer, Charlie. Charles is a bit too formal for how I would be called… it reminds me of other, more reserved individuals. I would hope that you have fond memories of your other Charlie, whoever he is, so at least I conjure pleasant memories with my letters… being as we have no memories of our own.
The troubles you have with Gabriela and Roland are, no doubt, titanic, at least they would seem to you. I say this not to be condescending, only to observe that I have gone longer than your entire existence refraining from conversation with my sire, and I am not known for possessing the most prideful nature in the family. This is something for which you must prepare yourself: to know the Family de la Lanza, well, to know Gabriela and Roland at least, is to be always in the throes of some sort of passion, crisis, or other drama. This is not entirely unintentional… when one goes through life with one hand pressed firmly to one’s brow, one’s palm does tend to hide most of the true horrors of the world from view.
Allow me two insights though:
First, Gabriela does not blame you, at least not in the sense that we would use the word.
Second, I would not worry too much about the quarrel with Roland. When the only conversational tool one possess is a hammer, then every acquaintance is something to be nailed.
If you tell me of your argument, in specifics, perhaps your older brother might be able to help? I might not be able to sympathize… I did not have to endure our sire’s overwhelming protection for very long before I began my time under the Black Shroud. I will say this: you are Invictus, and presumably acknowledge by your Prince, and she is quite the well-developed elder. You need not suffer her laws anymore… it is not our way to submit to anyone, even our own maker. And do not worry about gratitude: your existence was not of your choosing, or of mine, or of anyone other than Gabriela’s, I assure you.
Regardless, dear sister, I promise I would not discuss a single word of our correspondence with our sire… please consider this a place of safety, where you can freely discuss your feelings, without judgment or risk of emotional pain.
What I can do, however, is contact my Order if you have any difficulties with them. The animosity between the two orders can run deep sometimes, but you’ll find us a practical sort, and I doubt the Order as a whole is as snubbed as you might think. However, if you wish me to contact my former Meister and Liege, Sir Krieg, it would be a simple matter. In addition, I am somewhat aligned with the childe of Alder Stanthorpe… perhaps I could ask her to intercede on your behalf? I might be able to secure her permanent position in her city, if he would offer you a bit of mentoring. You’ll find most Princes to be reasonable men.
Yours, as always,
Charlie
- The Praxis of Boulder - Day 3
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- charles_beckett
- July 13th, 19:36
Upon reflection, I might have been a little rash.
That which is wrong offends our moral sense, in the same manner that which is ugly offends our sense of beauty and that which is rude offends our sense of decorum. In the same way that a man of taste recoils from the grotesque or a man of civility condemns the boorish, a man of any character must confront that which is wrong.
This is not a prescription. It is not an order or a request. This is the way of things: it is as old and as true as the sky.
Eggilisson was wrong. Not incorrect, but morally failing: his court is not a plaything to be attended when it is convenient, but a responsibility to keep secure against all higher predators, and in that he failed. Whether or not his intention was to hold praxis or treat it like a steward would is irrelevant... the facts of the matter is that he allowed vampires to gather under his banner and then offered them no protection from their enemies or their own natures.Such irresponsibility is a moral failing, a failing of character, and I shall be brought to meet the sun before I allow it to stand.
However, I did move quickly. Such things must be calculated, and I fear that I, in my righteousness, did not consider all aspects. This is not necessarily a failure: if I waited, as Ethan does, I would lose the name of action. I just fear that in abandoning Ethan's restraint, I would also abandon his wisdom.
The die is cast. I shall now see what I shall manage, and collect my thoughts to apply my training for my own purposes for the first time in my Requiem.
- A Letter From a Vassal
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- charles_beckett
- July 12th, 14:22
To the Honorable Mister Advisor Koenraad Thulani Pretorius, from his vassal, Sir Prince Charles David Beckett
Mister Advisor,
“O the drinkers, those that are a-dry, O poor thirsty souls! Good page, my friend, fill me here some, and crown the wine, I pray thee. Like a cardinal! Natura abhorret vacuum.” – Rabelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel, Chapter 1. V
Upon reaching Colorado and beginning my affairs there, I had intended to update you with a complete and responsible report of the domains, beginning with the city of Boulder, and describe my political activities therein. My visit to Boulder was to allow me an audience with Prince Kirsten Williams on a personal matter.
Things did not go according to plan.
I am now the Prince of Boulder. I came to this position not through ambition but through duty: while I might have possessed long term political ambitions, it would not have been at this time and in this place. I will describe the events that motivated me to seize Praxis in some detail, but I must request that, due to the personal observations I shall offer and opinions I shall express, that we exercise the privacy that is that can exist between a liege and his vassal.
I arrived in Boulder with three other members of the First Estate: Lord Speaker Ethan Hawthorne, Viscount of Manitou Springs and Harpy of Colorado Springs, Lady Commissioner Aaliyah Augustine Theodoric, and Dame Analiese Clarimonde, Lady Knight of the Thorned Wreath. Until our visit, there had been no presence of the First Estate since the disappearance of Prince Marsh several months ago. Our investigations would reveal that Prince Marsh fell to his beast, and had to be destroyed by other members of the First Estate (who specifically is not yet known).
In his absence, a vampire named Enggleson, of the Circle of the Crone, had assumed Praxis. In the months since the Prince’s disappearance, he had not investigated Prince Marsh’s demise, nor appointed a Seneschal, a Harpy, a Primogen Council, nor identified any Prisci within the domain. Further, the Prince did not show for his own court gathering… he essentially abandoned his domain. The sole source of authority for twenty kindred gathered (including roughly half of that unacknowledged) were his Hound and Sheriff, who, while martially capable, could not offer any sort of social order for the predators gathered.
As you know I am fond of saying, the first and undeniable responsibility of any social predator is his own survival, and the survival of those he calls his own. Upon realizing the full extent of the lawlessness in the domain, I felt my blood stirring and the need to act decisively. I could not allow so many gathered to suffer anarchy and risk calamity simply because a “Prince” could not be bothered to attend his own court. Further, I could not allow his inattention to the domain risk a collapse that would allow ancestral enemies a foothold in Colorado.
As such, I announced my seizure of Praxis, appointed a full court and Primogen Council, and will ensure that the domain has proper organization by the end of next month.
Before I offer myself to you for further questions on the matter, I would comment that other, less notable affairs, such as matters of my haven, are going well.
In addition, I would like to discuss the political affiliation you have mentioned to me: the House Konstantine. Would it be proper to ask you some questions about it?
I thank you for your time and consideration. I trust that you are not displeased with my actions, and pledge to uphold your oath by ensuring that I and my domain do honor to you.
I remain, Unconquered,
Sir Charles David Beckett, OBW
Prince of Boulder
Knight and Senator of the First Estate
- An Exchange Between Childe and Sir
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- charles_beckett
- July 10th, 16:38
( The missive from Gabriella )
Gabriella,
How are my siblings? It would appear most of the notables accompanied you. I am eager to hear details of what your purpose is in Australia, and how you plan on avoiding whatever strange fate befell those who last dwelt on the continent. A very primal part of me wants to know why you have brought Ivy with you… can you speak for her safety in your present situation?
I cannot say I approve or condone your present course of action, but I know that my stance on the issue could do little to change your mind, if, indeed, I had found out about it earlier. Perhaps my self-imposed exile from London did little to impress upon you how vexed I am at some of your activities in recent years.
But regardless, you are my maker, and I understand that I have no ability to compel you. Might I at least know my broodmates’ current situations, so that I rest secure in the knowledge that their requiems are safe?
I remain, Unconquered,
Charlie