This is my piece for the WoD Hallozine project I organized! It just hit me that I’ve never shared any lore about my beloved character Emily, so now I get to. 😄
For context, Emily is my OC version of the Ventrue female from Bloodlines. In this AU, she was a frustrated campaign assistant in Los Angeles, weary of the backdoor politics and ready to walk away. She tells her boyfriend, a powerful Ventrue Ancilla named Benjamin Whittaker, that she wants to leave L.A.—and him as well.
Unwilling to accept her decision, Benjamin Embraces her during a night of passion, only to be caught by the Sheriff and his crew. Prince Lacroix, his bitter rival, had been surveilling him and Emily for weeks waiting for the right moment to take him down. Benjamin is executed for violating the Masquerade, but in a twist of fate, his unwitting childe Emily is spared to serve Lacroix’s political schemes and as a jab at his fallen rival.
Throughout the events of Bloodlines, Emily is transformed from a Plain Jane into a proper Ventrue under Lacroix's oppressive guidance. He takes her under his wing as a pupil and accomplice, though their relationship soon turns romantic, toxic, and fraught with unstable power dynamics.
Benjamin, now a wraith tethered to Emily, is horrified by what he has to see. Unable to let go, he remains bound by guilt for Embracing her and leaving her in this dire situation. Emily, still resentful and angry over what he’s done, is the very reason he remains anchored to her.
In a desperate attempt to make things right and earn her forgiveness, he spends a great deal of pathos into writing her a letter. But his effort ends up in vain.