Hypnotic Vampires and Jessica Jones
Hypnotic is maybe the most powerful and invading move in the game. Nothing else can just force characters to do something. It was a no-brainer for my Vampire to pick it up eventually. In the end I didn’t do anything too terrible with it (worst thing was probably to make another student jump out of a window and break her leg).
Then I watched Jessica Jones and saw how terrible mind control actually is. Then I thought about what I could have actually done with the move and was sick to my stomach. Forcing the straight edge Queen to drink or to show what kind of genitalia they actually have are jsut one example.
So I decided for myself that if we play another season of this game that my character will have seen JJ and decide for herself that using that power is terrible and just freaking wrong.
I will not use it anymore. It’s just sickening to myself now.
Of course a player could simply X-card me when I would have done such shit and I generally pay attention to my other players in order to not do stuff that would make them uncofortable or would fuck over their character but the option was there.
I still might use it in Darkest Self though. That is kinda what it is for but I am scared of that.
Putting mind control powers in the hands of PCs is…risky, in my experience. I once deliberately picked the mind controller from a selection of pregens for a supers oneshot mainly to make sure it was played responsibly and with sensitivity.
Great power should be balanced by some disadvantage. The subject of the mind control becomes aware it happened, and turns into an implacable enemy. Or performing mind control stirs the attention of powerful, otherworldly beings.
Yeah, after watching JJ, my whole view on vampire mind control changed.
Justin Woo Robert Ruthven , might I have a few hints as to what you are specifically referring in this mythical JJ programme?
This from part of the world that doesn’t get squat when it comes to modern television.
Mind Control’s made me a bit sick to my stomach ever since I read the Dresden Files, Especially when we get into the magic type, all mental manipulation is considered black magic for good reason.
Kilgrave (the villain with mind control on Jessica Jones) basically uses it to rape women, force people to fight his battles, kill themselves if someone doesn’t do what he wants or if he doesn’t return in a certain amount of time, etc. All sorts of sick psychopathic stuff. One of the worst parts is they remain aware and know they wouldn’t normally do this stuff, but because he told them to, they WANT to do it. Makes them question themselves.
That sounds extremely creepy. The actor (David Tennant) was also in a British mini-series called “The Politician’s Husband” which tracked a political power-couple, and the cracks that appear when He (dominant, husband politician) has to take back seat to She (upcoming wife/politician). Some of the power relationships also get into creepy territory. Well worth watching.
Sorry to necrothread this, but I just noticed this post. Hypnotic is terribly powerful. In my groups we generally have a rule that it cannot be used for sex. Feeding? Fine. Killing? If you must. But using it to roofie someone is right the fuck off the table.
I played a vamp before I saw JJ and had some fun with it. The GM gave me no shortage of antagonists to mess with so I developed Hypno Fu. (Yes, I’m a dork.) Philip, my vamp would use hypno in combat, like “Go swim 5 miles in the ocean” or “Go play basketball for an hour.” These were against paramilitary goons (don’t ask). His worst one was, “Slam your head into that wall 50 times.” That guy really pissed Phil off.
The MC was really fun and creepy about making the victims freak out because they couldn’t understand why they were doing what Phil told them. Watching Jessica Jones was a bit of deja vu. Unfortunately, I really really hated the Purple Man and not in a fun way. I finished the series just to know what happened, but Episode 10 really killed all the fun for me.