Therese & Jeanette Questions (SPOILERS & Heavy Themes)

[Swindle]

I had a wonder as to which was the original sister that we're speaking to: Therese or Jeanette.
The Wiki seems to suggest that the one we speak to in the game is Therese and that Jeanette is a figment of her imagination as if Jeanette never actually existed. But in the game it's not presented this way.

I just wanted to hear what other people thought about this. Was Jeanette a real sister to Therese or did Therese already have underlying Schizophrenia/Multiple Personality Disorder before she became a vampire? Like, on one hand it can be interpreted that Therese killed her father and when the police showed up, she was the only one to take into custody. That them being separated was the medication they had her on and that when she escaped, her first action was to find Jeanette again. That their father committed suicide like Therese tells it. Because the way Jeanette tells it, their father was in the middle of molesting her when Therese blew his brains out with a shotgun.

I dunno. It's just one of those mysteries in this game that I find myself curious about. What do you think?

[Zilljah]

I think . . . I don't really want to know. Not everything needs an explanation. Is Therese real and Jeanette imaginary? Is Jeanette a real person and Therese is not? Were they both real, but one disappeared and the other keeps her "alive" in her disorder? Were they mentally ill before they became vampires? Did their father kill himself, or was he murdered in self-defense?

Does knowing any of this make the game better, or Therese/Jeanette less tragic? Not for me. If you need an answer, make one up. It's a right as any, I suppose

[Swindle]

Yeah, that's a totally fair perspective, honestly. There's a few other questions the game has got out of me, like how do vampires spread a disease among humans if vampires can't catch a disease? When you're slaughtering that cult, how do you not get the disease if it's a matter of you being immune to it but still having it. But then, plot holes exist in every work out there and if a narrative didn't raise at least some questions it probably wouldn't be as interesting.

[Holy Fool Sehrael]

The disease was a blood disease though, which of course affects vampires. If the MC doesn't drink the infested blood, all is peachy. I think that's actually a question for the 'official' WoD rulebooks though, but then again, VtmB doesn't play by all the rules 100% correctly.

In regards of Jeanette,... whoever is the original and whatever mental affliction was present before becoming a vampire - They are Malks, and thus it's questionable if the father existed to begin with. The problem here is, that there's not that much information about them which makes an answer based on facts... difficult. Personal opinion: Their mental state is not my business, they have their uses and that's it :P

[Galeigh]

I am pretty sure it's a case of split personalities, and the paintings are there to reflect the fractured mind of a Malkavian.

[Anderson]

Frankly there are opinions that the entire quest is just a convoluted stereotype. A number of uninspired cliches.
I think the thought has the right to exist too. Though I don't know what to think of it.

Time stamp 30:23
https://youtu.be/uGGoa1GSYS0?t=1823

[Gruisman]

1 word.

Malkavian

[♡Mrs.Spooks♡]

So, my theory was that her sister (Therese) was created from the emotional and sexual trauma impact brought on by her father. Although she is Malkavian, it's usually how this personality disorder is created in real life.
Haha this is one of my favourite games of all time, so I've spent a lot of time thinking of this and as a nurse, one of my topics of great interest is mental health conditions.

[beebee73]

Here's some info on the two from the V5 rulebook:

jeanette/therese voerman

Since its revival, Chicago’s Suc- cubus Club has had only one rival for nightclub of the dead: The Asylum in Los Angeles. The Voerman sisters run the joint, or joints, as the Asylum franchise now appears in regnae across America, Asia, and Europe.
Famous for both their enterprising natures and combative personalities, the Voermans loathe each other despite their success. In L.A., to “do a Voerman” is to make a member of your own cote- rie a sworn enemy. Therese and Jeanette now run separate Asylums, one in Santa Monica, another in Hollywood. They never appear in the same club. Only the Malkavians closest to
the Voermans know that Therese and Jeanette are one vampire: two distinct personalities sharing the same body. Some say she bore this condition as a mortal, while others claim there were two sisters, but one killed the other. Other rumors whisper about another sister, who acts as an imprisoned thrall to the Malkavian. Highly volatile, the Voermans prove that Malkavians can
be as inspired and prosperous as any Toreador or Ventrue, but many Anarchs anticipate the moment that Therese and Jeanette go to war with each other.

Lore

. Asylum Membership: You never need to wait in a queue for entry to the Asylum, you always have one of the best seats in the house, and as long as you don’t ♥♥♥♥ up, you may hunt there once or twice per session (Difficulty 2) without any ruffled feathers.

.. Performing Monkey: Jeanette and Therese know you as a reliable as- set, and they frequently subject you to missions ranging from serious investiga- tions to flights of insane fancy. Although dangerous, they are generous, and they repay any boons incurred.

... Jeanette’s Favorite: Jeanette Voerman, the wild child of the Voerman family, adores you, pets you, and flirts with you.Though she arguably is the less stable of the sisters, she’s also the more generous one.You may stay n the day chamber of any Asylum club if you require (if Jeanette is there, she insists you do), use the club to host your own parties, and ask for favors small and large from the Anarch Baron. Jeanette counts as a four-dot Mawla, but only for the purposes of Malkavian and Anarch dealings.

.... Therese’s Favorite: Ther- ese Voerman, the upright, strict member of the Voerman family, respects and values you. Her business-oriented mind does not allow her to expend the Asy- lum’s resources on your luxury, but she speaks up for you in any regnum where an Asylum is present, and can school you in business and finance if you require it. She counts as a three-dot Mawla.

..... Asylum Operator: Jean- ette or Therese permit you to franchise an Asylum club in your domain. As long as the club remains open, you have four
dots to spend on Haven, Herd, Re- sources, or the Chasse of your Domain; depending on your club’s focus, which may be changed over time.Whether the
club is an Elysium is up to you.

[Slizarus]

I think Jeanette is real, Therese is the extra persona.

[Sachith Perera]

I think Therese created Jeanette persona to help her cope with the abuse she had to endure. She wanted to be the obedient child but obviously and justifiably couldn't do so for long. So Jeanette was her outlet to all these problems. A flirty promiscuous girl. Therese killed her father but made herself believe it was Jeannette's sexuality that made him kill himself.
Even during rehab, Therese held onto her "sister" and eventually Jeanette became a fully fledged personality after her Malkavian embrace.

[Swindle]

Originally posted by Sachith Perera:

I think Therese created Jeanette persona to help her cope with the abuse she had to endure. She wanted to be the obedient child but obviously and justifiably couldn't do so for long. So Jeanette was her outlet to all these problems. A flirty promiscuous girl. Therese killed her father but made herself believe it was Jeannette's sexuality that made him kill himself.
Even during rehab, Therese held onto her "sister" and eventually Jeanette became a fully fledged personality after her Malkavian embrace.

That's... actually a pretty astute observation. A less than literal interpretation like I initially thought it was. Nice perspective.

[bjorn_altenburg]

Originally posted by Dr. Krieger:

I am pretty sure it's a case of split personalities, and the paintings are there to reflect the fractured mind of a Malkavian.

The name checks out, you got any holographic girls for sale...

[Wesp5]

I just now read the V5 descriptions cited above and to me "Famous for both their enterprising natures and combative personalities, the Voermans loathe each other despite their success. In L.A., to “do a Voerman” is to make a member of your own cote- rie a sworn enemy." does not at all fit with how you talk to them in Bloodlines after they mend. It seems somebody of the V5 team heard about them but didn't bother to actually play the game...

[bjorn_altenburg]

I can agree I just did the quest and those descriptions seem conflicting.

[bjorn_altenburg]

So my speculation which is the most fringe ideas, is the dad could have been a wizard or something worse, maybe in with demons. He somehow bound both souls in a single body or something worse. World of Darkness has many aspects even RPG books for the dead and magic users and souls are able to be messed with a lot. The fact he smiled as he died feels to well placed, like he knew what he was doing or about to do. The questions I can't find in the lore yet is why a magic user would want to bind two souls in body, or whatever dark magic went on. I think now reading the more probable answer is she is just nuts from being a Malk. World of Darkness lore outside Vampires and Werewolfs gets super freaking deep and dense quick though,