Nicole’s reflection on Chapter One: When I Changed

Welcome to the first chapter of Albany by Night! Nicole wrote this as part of our challenge with one another to complete the World of Darkness October Challenge of 2025. Her story exists in the same world as my own Queen City by Night, just a thousand miles apart. So sit back, relax, and enjoy another… (channels inner Jason Carl) vampire story.

Starting a new element of the blog, Musical Character Building! Want to know more? Look inside.

Unplanned week off due to some changes in life and plans. Here’s a quick update of what’s going on.

There’s been a bit of difficulty for me and the writing and creative front for a bit. Today I discuss what happened, what I did about it, and the speed bumps that the universe decided to throw in my way like a bag of caltrops.

This is the last reflection I’ll be writing on this book for a good long while. There’s more content hopefully in the works for it, though that may be a ways off, but until then, here is my overall thoughts on the thought experiement that I began last October when I was trying to figure out who I was through my gaming addiction and worldview of stories.

Last reflection on the last chapter, this one is pretty opinionated, so be ready for that one. And hopefully, by the time it posts, it’ll still be legal to say what I’m saying.

Another novel has drawn to a close. So why not explore the system used?

The Final Chapter… but not the end. Grey is who he is, and he always has a plan. An ambitious one, yes, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Though… it did burn in one.

Vulnerability is always hard, but for some people its harder than for others. I am one of those people. It’s always been easier to express it through characters than through myself.

I’m a New Yorker living in Charlotte… why Boston?

Something we haven’t seen from Grey before, rather that brutal honesty at others, brutal honesty about himself.

Sometimes we’re faced with hard choices, sometimes we need to prove ourselves, and sometimes we go about it in the wrong way. Is what Grey did here right or wrong? I’m not sure, but its what he did.

Okay, I promised this was coming. Here’s a brief look at the life and times of the DMPC, Derek One-Arm

One Sire down, one to go. Now that Marcus is defeated, all that remains is Natalia…

Tying in with Wednesday’s post, Callie was given the option of what to do with Marcus. Where will she go with that power? Why would she choose one over the other? What do I as the author want her to do?

Many of us fear death, but honestly, there are a lot more things in life to fear. In games where death tends to have such little consequence, where respawn is a term used casually, what threats can we as DMs possible pose to our players?

The time has come. The showdown with Marcus is here, and his opponant is not who you think it will be. Who will fell the foul traitor? Dive in and find out.

This one touches on a pretty heavy topic. Remember I have worked both as a Mythology teacher and at a Funeral Home/Cemetery. The idea of being forgotten ties into death pretty closely, so here’s a heads up on that one.

The dreaded self insert with two katanas! The DNPC! The overpowered DM fantasy made beyond the rules is the antithisis of everything that makes TTRPGs great… but how can they be done in a way where players not only tolerate them, but also love them?