Tips for larp makeup for assamites

[Montoya]

Someone have tips for makeup assamites? Trying to avoid a black face situation.

[CTPhipps]

I think it's best to just focus on other elements than skin tone. Maybe just do black around the eyelids.

[The Gentleman Gamer]

Or don't do it at all. Why bother? Not all Assamites are black.

[CTPhipps]

The issue of "how pale are vampires" has been an issue in urban fantasy novels as Laurel K. Hamilton had made all vampires marble-white--only to realize that kind of hurt black characters.

I, obviously, just have vampires be black.

I did like the Assamites getting darker rather than paler a a 2nd Edition relic but I don't think that's canon anymore or paler at all.

[Thoth]

Also if you are playing an assassin, you would be trying to look like a different clan, rather than announcing you are an assamite.

[The Gentleman Gamer]

There is no more reason for Assamites to blacken with age than there is for Ventrue to turn green. Just be yourself. Do not drow up.

[Amishia]

Try and focus on what the clan is all about and who your character is. I do a lot of makeup looks inspired by clans, but I always put context behind it. Not every Assamite is the same.
Is your character always covered from nose to mouth, always having her/his eyes exposed? Find some nice contact lenses, do a smokey eye (yes this works excellent on males too), play around with different color schemes to match your costume. Also take inspirations from the Middle-east and do some research on what makeup is trending right now or their makeup traditions.

Almost no matter what I create looks for, I do a "Vampire base" since I will be undead. Invest in a good white face powder, a foundation two to three shades lighter than your skin tone, and do some corpse makeup. Hollow out your eyes with dark browns (not too warm), deepen your cheekbones, create veins around your facial areas with thinner skin with purples and blues.

I hope this was helpful!

[Montoya]

I don't know in V5, but I believe until v20 a skin of a assamite gone darker and darker with the age. I'm playing with a vizier elder, so his skin tone would be so dark which even be a masquerade breach. I trying see how can I improve a makeup, while i looking in for other outfits.

[Illithid]

I don't know in V5, but I believe until v20 a skin of a assamite gone darker and darker with the age. I'm playing with a vizier elder, so his skin tone would be so dark which even be a masquerade breach. I trying see how can I improve a makeup, while i looking in for other outfits.

Using make up to represent a character is always problematic if it's going to come off as racist, and I feel that even a nuanced darkening to Obsidian will be difficult without it looking like black face.

My suggestion is invest in some skills for disguise (So it's not a masq breach) and go with your normal skin tone, or vampire skin tone; the darkening around the eyes and the like could be nice "hints" that you're an Assamite. I'd describe that you have obvious dark skin/Make up to those with higher Auspex or general perception, and those that might see you at an Elysium or at your Haven if you're not hiding it then.

[Kael03]

Black around the eyes and black lipstick. Otherwise I would keep the rest of your skin covered, wear black gloves as well. Hell, you could probably do something like black streaks on your face to show disguising make-up cracking to expose your true skin tone.

[Vincent]

I'm probably old and horribly outdated, but I don't see how colouring your skin is racist if it's done respectfully. The black skin and big red lips that they did in the 1940s to imitate black jazz musicians was blatantly racist, as it was an obvious mockery in its crude fashion, but if the colouration of skin and clothes properly resembles a particular race and culture and it looks good, I don't see how it's racist.

Other than that, masks and other coverings of the face can be an effective way to portray Assamites at a LARP ... unless certain people have certain feelings about that as well?

V

[CTPhipps]

I'm probably old and horribly outdated, but I don't see how colouring your skin is racist if it's done respectfully. The black skin and big red lips that they did in the 1940s to imitate black jazz musicians was blatantly racist, as it was an obvious mockery in its crude fashion, but if the colouration of skin and clothes properly resembles a particular race and culture and it looks good, I don't see how it's racist.

Other than that, masks and other coverings of the face can be an effective way to portray Assamites at a LARP ... unless certain people have certain feelings about that as well?

V

Yeah, I think that would have bad results.

[The Gentleman Gamer]

I don't know in V5, but I believe until v20 a skin of a assamite gone darker and darker with the age. I'm playing with a vizier elder, so his skin tone would be so dark which even be a masquerade breach. I trying see how can I improve a makeup, while i looking in for other outfits.

Yeah, that was dropped in both V20 and V5, and publicly regretted by the people who suggested it in the first place. There's no metaplot reason for their skin darkening, as no other clans change colour with age. I would just follow the advice above that doesn't involve blacking up.

[Montoya]

Thanks all about the tips. In relation the assamite darker skin, good to know about. But, how the metaplot now treat the original flaw of the banu haqin? Until revised, the original flaw was the darkening of the skin. The vicious for blood was a baali curse, right? And the tremere curse came after. So, what is now the original banu haqin curse?

Inclusive, in the becket diary give a hint about the assamite in the camarila think if is possible break the baali curse.

[The Gentleman Gamer]

Thanks all about the tips. In relation the assamite darker skin, good to know about. But, how the metaplot now treat the original flaw of the banu haqin? Until revised, the original flaw was the darkening of the skin. The vicious for blood was a baali curse, right? And the tremere curse came after. So, what is now the original banu haqin curse?

Inclusive, in the becket diary give a hint about the assamite in the camarila think if is possible break the baali curse.

The original Assamite curse differs depending on caste. The Warriors bore the stain of diablerie whether they were diablerists or not, the Viziers were obsessed with accumulating knowledge (a rather boring weakness), and the Sorcerers had a visible aura denoting them as blood magicians (also not very interesting).