Topic: Carmilla (Potential Fan Game)

[Zydalc]

I've decided to create a separate thread about any further discussion regarding a potential Carmilla based Castlevania game (note: she's not the same Carmilla from the Castlevania game which I'm trying to figure how to make them separate or rather the games take place in a different universe than what's considered 'canon') that I've mentioned about in several threads now which I do know for a fact that sprite has already been created based on the 'concepts' I've presented in another thread.

Well basically let me explain about my story ideas I have (of course though there maybe people here who might have better ideas that they're welcome to share).

So I'm thinking of splitting two games, the first one being similar to Castlevania: Lecarde Chronicles for which it doesn't involve Dracula but rather Carmilla (whose original name was Mircalla Karnstein) solving her own 'family issues' inside the Karnstein Family Castle somewhere in Europe that would look similar to Katharina Von Viltheim's from the Lecarde Chronicles and perhaps the antagonist is her own father who made a deal with Count Dracula during the 16th century which Dracula turned the entire Karnstein bloodline into Vampires and also their castle itself becomes alot like Dracula's & Katharina's. Of course I've also mentioned about the prospect of Mircalla get's betrayed by her own family (due to some reason..) and they put her into Torpor (Vampire: The Masquerade term for vampires sleeping for centuries) until Carmilla wakes up during the early 1870s and begins plotting revenge which she returns to the Family Castle which she is surprised that it's rather "changed" all these years than she remembered (like the Castle being bigger, and perhaps updated and "remodeled" from centuries following into a Rocco/Gothic/art nouveau/Victorian mixing in with it's original 16th century architecture in some places).

Or alternatively, I don't know if the creator of the "Lecarde Chronicles" posts in this forum but if so then I wonder if it's okay we could use the Von Viltheims instead of the Karnsteins which might be easier which Carmilla could easily be Mircalla Von Viltheim (or Carmilla Von Vilheim) and her mother could simply be Katharina and instead of Efrain Lecarde going after and destroying her, it's actually Carmilla during the late 18th century (or maybe it could be still the 1870s though and it's not like the Lecarde chronicles is 'canon' at anyway but rather a 'alternative universe' take on it).

As for the second game which is perhaps the easiest, it's when Carmilla/Mircalla goes after Dracula no doubtfully during the late 19th century (the 1870s) which she then meets a certain "Laura Belmont" who then become 'lovers'...

I wish I could write more on the story subject but this is all I can write for now but if anyone has a better 'story' idea I would be more than happy to hear it.

As for Carmilla's Vampiric powers, she pretty can access to all of them such as shape shifting into mist, shadows, bats (single and swarms when 'teleporting'), wolves, cats, owls, and even having her own demon form, flight, enhanced strength/speed/senses, Psychic Powers, Telekinesis, Pyrokinesis, Lasombra/Obtenebration style Shadow Manipulation (like "Arms of the Abyss" and such), Tremere/Thaumaturgy style Blood Sorcery, Necromancy, Demon Summoning (or using hellfire as a weapon), or basically any form of magic she can get her hands on or basically let's just say she'll be just as powerful as Dracula himself....

As for her feeding methods, I could imagine not only the traditional method (neck biting...if somehow that could be portrayed in a side scrolling game) but also Legacy of Kain style feeding including shooting a projectile that causes the victim's blood shooting out to her and a more powerful spell that causes everyone's blood go to her which quickly replenishes her blood meter. Speaking of which blood is basically her health meter of course her major weaknesses are holy items of course like crosses, holy water, etc that the Belmonts carry.

Well this is all I can write for now but if anyone is willing to add anything to this I would be glad.

[X]

Carmilla and her castle both hail from Austria. Just in case you did know yet 

As for her feeding methods, I could imagine not only the traditional method (neck biting...if somehow that could be portrayed in a side scrolling game)

I'm sure you already know this but Carmilla doesn't feed like your standard vampire. She does this when both her and her victims are asleep; in their dreams essentially. This is where her Panther form comes into play. I read the book a good many years ago but I still remember it quite clearly. And while her real body is submerged in a blood-filled stone tomb beneath the ruins of her family estate, she has a physical projection of herself running around and interacting with things and people. I believe Carmilla is more of a metaphysical vampire then a regular vampire. This would help you to separate your Carmilla from the CV Carmilla as she would be able to project more then one copy of herself. This would also explain why she doesn't die since it's not her real body that was harmed. It would be interesting to see what you can do with her character in-game.

I also liked the idea of her victim Laura being of Belmont blood. This would put it in the CV universe but it would be like a Gaiden (side story) of sorts. And if you decide to make her a blood-Belmont then also give her a whip. Now since the Vampirekiller in in the hands of the main family line she could have a different whip; say the Undead killer from Portrait of Ruin. That whip has the ability to permanently kill those blood-soaked skeletons that keep regenerating. And with Carmilla's real body soaked in blood the Undead killer would become an indispensable necessity for taking her out permanently.

[Zydalc]

Carmilla and her castle both hail from Austria. Just in case you did know yet 

So is the Von Viltheims....hmmm...potetial making Carmilla/Mircellia a Von Viltheim instead or maybe a connection with the Karnsteins and Von Viltheims? Maybe Carmilla/Mircella's mother's maiden name was a Von Viltheim and she married a Karnstein? Hmmm...maybe the Von Viltheim 'curse' also extended to Carmilla's mother and including Carmilla/Mircella since they are of Von Viltheim bloodline while her husband is not? Maybe something happens to him...

I'm sure you already know this but Carmilla doesn't feed like your standard vampire. She does this when both her and her victims are asleep; in their dreams essentially. This is where her Panther form comes into play. I read the book a good many years ago but I still remember it quite clearly. And while her real body is submerged in a blood-filled stone tomb beneath the ruins of her family estate, she has a physical projection of herself running around and interacting with things and people. I believe Carmilla is more of a metaphysical vampire then a regular vampire. This would help you to separate your Carmilla from the CV Carmilla as she would be able to project more then one copy of herself. This would also explain why she doesn't die since it's not her real body that was harmed. It would be interesting to see what you can do with her character in-game.

I also liked the idea of her victim Laura being of Belmont blood. This would put it in the CV universe but it would be like a Gaiden (side story) of sorts. And if you decide to make her a blood-Belmont then also give her a whip. Now since the Vampirekiller in in the hands of the main family line she could have a different whip; say the Undead killer from Portrait of Ruin. That whip has the ability to permanently kill those blood-soaked skeletons that keep regenerating. And with Carmilla's real body soaked in blood the Undead killer would become an indispensable necessity for taking her out permanently.

Well I originally intended to have Carmilla as a player character and you know, I just have a perfect idea how to enhance the story a bit with this in mind.

Maybe perhaps I could expand on the "betrayal" part which maybe the rest of her family members (maybe the Von Viltheims?) sealed her in a blood covered tomb during the 16th century, which Carmilla then created projections of herself that represent different aspects of her (like rage, melancholy, etc), as her only means of interacting with the outside world until maybe she lures Laura or someone into her tomb using one of her projections to finally free her from her prison which the Carmilla you play as is the real one that was released from her blood soaked tomb and now ready to wreck revenge who betrayed her centuries ago.

Of course though what's described in the novel is one of her projections with her interactions with Laura but maybe I could imagine the real Carmilla inside the crypt is more of a normal vampire like Dracula is.

I think further help on how the story goes would be appreciative (as long Carmilla and Laura are both the protagonists in the story...especially the former since if Dracula was the protagonist in "Lords of Shadow 2" why not Carmilla?) especially who betrays Carmilla (or maybe it was a act of a 'transgression' or something) which lead her being sealed up in her blood soaked tomb and who releases her centuries later (like during the late 19th century).

Also you may noticed that I'm somehow connecting the Lecarde Chronicles with this or shouldn't be used at all? Of course one major problem with this is that at the end of the Lecarde chronicles, the Von Viltheim castle was destroyed along with it's members like Katharina and such which could be Carmilla's potential targets and the ones who betrayed her. Maybe instead we could use the Karnsteins or maybe both? Also according to Lecarde chronicles Katharina 'made a deal with the devil' of course the 'devil' could be Dracula himself which leads Carmilla to him?

[MKKhanzo]

The title will be fun to watch. "Carmilla" with the moon shaped "C" 

[X]

Just thought of something Zydalc. You've mentioned how you want Carmilla to be the protagonist in your game right? Why not do a sequel to it and that way you can have Laura as the Belmont protagonist in there. Heck you could even have it so as both Carmilla the vampire and Laura the Belmont are both playable characters in another game making this a trilogy of games.

It's also interesting to note that while Carmilla "plays" with her food before eating it, she feels a much stronger love connection to Laura than any other woman. I felt this was evident in the novel and it would be useful in your game's story as well. And while Laura is slowly dying because of Carmilla feeding off of her life, Carmilla doesn't really want to hurt Laura, yet she can't resist the temptation to feed off of her.

[Zydalc]

Just thought of something Zydalc. You've mentioned how you want Carmilla to be the protagonist in your game right? Why not do a sequel to it and that way you can have Laura as the Belmont protagonist in there. Heck you could even have it so as both Carmilla the vampire and Laura the Belmont are both playable characters in another game making this a trilogy of games.

It's also interesting to note that while Carmilla "plays" with her food before eating it, she feels a much stronger love connection to Laura than any other woman. I felt this was evident in the novel and it would be useful in your game's story as well. And while Laura is slowly dying because of Carmilla feeding off of her life, Carmilla doesn't really want to hurt Laura, yet she can't resist the temptation to feed off of her.

Well...one solution Carmilla can always turn Laura into a Vampire you know...

[X]

There is that possibility. But what if Carmilla thought as Dracula did and didn't want to corrupt Laura. When it comes to vampires there is just something so tantalizing about humans. Maybe it's because we aren't cold-as-death to the touch as a vampire is. Dracula felt something for Lisa and I'm pretty sure Carmilla also feels this in a similar way about Laura. It would be easier to ask the writer of the novel about the Carmilla+Laura relationship, but unfortunately she's been dead now for over a century

[Zydalc]

There is that possibility. But what if Carmilla thought as Dracula did and didn't want to corrupt Laura. When it comes to vampires there is just something so tantalizing about humans. Maybe it's because we aren't cold-as-death to the touch as a vampire is. Dracula felt something for Lisa and I'm pretty sure Carmilla also feels this in a similar way about Laura. It would be easier to ask the writer of the novel about the Carmilla+Laura relationship, but unfortunately she's been dead now for over a century

Maybe then again, Carmilla might be different than Dracula who might be a transhumanist who sees humanity not only as a source of feeding but also as a "chrysalis" that could become something more greater than they currently are (well rather Carmilla might be really picky who becomes a Vampire and who does not which she has her own reasons since she might feel that not everyone deserves eternal life [these are the ones she sees as food] only those she deems worthy and she 'rewards' them...maybe she has a "Angel of Death" complex which is one of the ways how she handles her vampirism) which might be one of the reasons she has a connection to Laura because she's a clearly a warrior in this adaption which Carmilla simply wants to take her to the next step up because she feels she's worthy of becoming of a vampire and she feels it would be a pity to loose her dying in old age....

In short, I think Carmilla 'saves' what she feels as the the best of humanity that are rewarded with vampirism but those otherwise are food, and possibly she doesn't really see Vampirism as 'corruption' but rather a 'evolution'. Perhaps in otherwords she might also see herself as just like vampire bat, tick, mosquito i.e. a force of nature as well.

As for Carmilla and Laura's relationship...Well let's just when Laura first meets Carmilla, she is in a cognitive dissonance where one part is the side that her family has drilled into her head which causes her to be first icy and skeptical/cautious because she's a vampire but the other part of her, maybe unlike the other Bemonts and other Vampire Hunters employed by the Church are more likely to quickly attack anything supernatural on sight (which to be honest, I don't like the idea that the "Church" and Christianity itself holds a monopoly on morality or defining of what's "good" and "evil" which is also one of the major themes played here), Laura is more open minded which overtime they become friends/allies and maybe lastly lovers.

BTW This is how I imagine Laura and Carmilla's first meeting would be like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqkvFgY-sKk

[Zydalc]

double post

[BLOOD MONKEY]

double post

What was the reason of this? Are you that newb?

[Zydalc]

What was the reason of this? Are you that newb?

It was a mistake I did while I was editing my posts which I mistakenly hit the "Quote" button instead of the modify which I thought I did.

[X]

BTW This is how I imagine Laura and Carmilla's first meeting would be like:

That would be interesting.

[Dracula9]

IIRC the novel implies that Mircalla was just another anagram/alias. You could probably rearrange it a third time and get away with it.

This sounds nifty, though. Gonna have to stay posted on this one.

[Zydalc]

IIRC the novel implies that Mircalla was just another anagram/alias. You could probably rearrange it a third time and get away with it.

This sounds nifty, though. Gonna have to stay posted on this one.

Hmmm....very interesting, I guess we could easily make Carmilla a Von Viltheim then (if the creator of the Lecarde chronicles is okay with it somehow...).

[Dracula9]

I'm currently working with Mig on another project, I'll ask him for you.

Hell, you could even throw in a Vampire Hunter D reference and call her Larmica. Plenty of ways to go about this.

I'd recommend reading the actual novel Carmilla if you haven't before.It's not that the game concept requires it, but it could certainly give you more reference material, resource concepts, and ideas in general about where to take the project. Plus it's a really good read.