Dorian Graves

"I see humans but no humanity."

World War One was brutal. Machine guns, tanks, trenches; it was the "war to end all wars". It didn't end shit. History bore that truth time and again. The "Great War" left its mark in the books, in body count, and in scars on its survivors.

The First World War killed Dorian too but not until years after it ended. He'd nearly killed himself by then anyway. He hadn't ever been anyone special, the kind of face you'd pass in a crowd without ever realizing it, but someone saw something worth preserving in him. Probably his anger inside. Dorian worked for the kind of people who didn't give employees a long life span. Now he's not alive but he's around anyway. One of the hungry dead.

Dorian has worn a number of hats over the years. He's been an orphan, a brother, a soldier, a medic, a bartender, a mechanic, and a revolutionary. That last one stuck harder than others. If the mortal world was unfair and cruel, the immortal one was even worse. But it didn't have to be. It could be remade. As above, so below, and then the humans would be better off too. Dorian died for the cause once and sticking with it makes it easier to remember what being human felt like. Makes it easier to avoid turning into one more fanged monstrosity that only sleeps and eats.

Fortunately for Dorian, there's a lot of things that need revolutionizing. There's a market for his particular brand of skills even if he's well past his post-mortem stage. Sometimes folks need a hand up. A Union might need some help resisting their corporate overlords. Maybe a corporate overlord needs to disappear or get a message real clear. Power always belonged to the people and some sons of bitches need a reminder of that. It keeps him moving through his eternity and keeps his eyes on the prize which'll someday be his. If not, he'll meet his Final Death trying, one of many martyrs to the cause.

"There's never a right thing to do. You make the best decision you can at the time and make your peace with a plateful of maybe a little less wrong."

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Table of Contents

• Page 1: Welcome contains an overview of the character, some RP ideas I'm interested in, and a bit of out-of-character information. Since you're already here by dint of reading this, welcome!
• Page 2: Product of the Times contains a description of Dorian as well as some of his history over the years since his embrace. If you prefer to learn about him IC without benefit of OOC knowledge, it may be best to avoid this page.
• Page 3: Rap Sheet contains information about Dorian's breed of vampirism, powers, traits. Contains game mechanics for Vampire the Requiem.
• Page 4: Nature of the Beast goes further into vampirism and the All Night Society. Contains game mechanics for Vampire the Requiem.
• Page 5: Distant Shores contains alternate versions for Dorian in other settings. It will be added to as alterations are made.

Dorian is well over 18 years old.

I'm perfectly comfortable with Dorian being hurt, experiencing intimacy, or even being killed in the course of an RP. I can do long or short term; he works for one-off meetings or flings equally well as long term romances or adventures.

I'll RP sexual content with 18+ writers. Please don't lie about your age; if you do, I'll instantly I'll block and report you. I RP sexual scenes realistically but if you don't wish to write such things out, please let me know ahead of time so I don't make you uncomfortable by mistake. I'm kink friendly (no bathroom stuff). Ask if it's something unusual or non-standard and I'll likely say yes. Dorian is heterosexual.

I'll accept anonymous characters on a case by case basis. If there's barely any info on your profile, however, I'll decline. I want to see that it's a character whose writer put forth some effort on it. Images on profiles are also a must.

If you want to end an RP, let me know. I have no hard feelings or wounded pride in these situations. It happens. I won't hound you for posts either. If more than a week passes without a reply, I'll archive the RP. If you want to continue, just post or send me a message and we'll get back on the horse. Please understand my own schedule is also wonky; I may go stretches at a time without posting on account of it. A lot of it is beyond my control so I apologize in advance. I'm not ghosting you, I'm probably just being eaten alive by work or other committments.

I don't mind violence or foul language in an RP. Dorian is a vampire; blood is part and parcel to him. Some of the images on this profile depictions of the red stuff.

Common sense non-consent with my characters is fine. Keep the RP flowing. I'm not going to be offended if you have your character touch his shoulder or do other mundane things. The two way street of courtesy and all.

I'm game for any kind of modern fantasy/horror or even a more fantastical setting with Dorian. I can range from worlds where the supernatural is a secret to worlds more like Dresden where it's known about but rarely observed directly. I'm free to tweaking things to meet other plots or settings, if need be. Below are some story angles I'd love to explore with Dorian.

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The Vampire and the Touchstone
Vampires are monsters. They were human once but they're not anymore. All of them have a Beast inside which drags them closer towards a state of mindless abandon as a draugr. The undead stave this off by forming meaningful connections with the mortal world, things which remind them of what being human was like. I'd love to explore that relationship side of things. This probably isn't an entirely benign relationship;

Consider the orphan... she's barely a teen, hanging out in between, just part of the scene. Her parents did every drug in the book, and rarely came home. She was set for a terrible life, until Dorian stumbled upon her. Now, he helps keep her warm. He puts her up. He makes sure she gets to school right before he collapses for the day.

Consider the therapist... she was there to listen, for a couple hundred an hour. Now, she's there to listen because Dorian confessed a little too much, and she's utterly fascinated. She even keeps night hours, just for the case of a lifetime. Dorian needs someone to talk to. The therapist needs him to sign this disclosure form.

Consider the victim's lover... Dorian killed him. He lost control and snapped his neck. He's dealing with that. So was the man's wife. Dorian's sworn to himself that he'd keep the wife safe. He's even chatted with her a few times. She seems pleasant. She seems like a good meal. But Dorian can't bring himself to touch her in that way, after the way he hurt her before.

Consider the witness... she watched in horror as Dorian took a life. He murdered in cold blood and she'll never forget that moment. Of course, the Masquerade says she can't go telling everyone what she saw. Unfortunately, that means Dorian had to intervene. But without mind control, his only chance meant leveling with her and answering her questions.

Consider the beautiful woman... she's the most beautiful woman Dorian's ever seen. Or maybe she just reminds him of his departed sister. He develops a fascination with her, inserting himself into her life in ways both seen and unseen. He likes her, he doesn't want to hurt her, but he also kind of wonders how she tastes.

These and more are ties which keep vampires from truly becoming Monstrous. I'd love to explore a relationship with a person in that role for him.

The Unwanted Spawn
A vampire murdered your character; drained them dry and left them for dead. They couldn't just leave well enough alone though. They felt bad, watching your bloodless body slowly dying in the gutter. So they fed you a bit of their own tainted Vitae. Now you're like they were... a vampire. Whether only halfway there, like a revenant, or a true vampire, they're alone in a world which they don't understand with a hunger they can't control. Maybe Dorian stumbles upon them feeding and feels bad for the poor sap, taking them under his wing. Maybe Dorian was the vampire who killed them and considers this a way to make amends.

The Weird
Vampires aren't the only creatures that stalk the night. Werewolves, faeries, mages, and more also inhabit the world of the supernatural. Somehow, Dorian and your character meet and a relationship is formed. Sure, it's not without it's risks, as both their societies frown on too much fraternization with Others. Turns out Dorian and your character have a lot in common though, maybe even become lovers, and now they've got the powers-that-be on both ends debating if it's time to cut off a potential breach of secrecy.

The Glorious Revolution
Enough is enough. The power structure is in tatters and the time for the revolution has come. Dorian's on one side, your character could be on the same or the opposite. Fire bombs are flying, havens are burning, and mortal pawns are fighting battles for their vampiric overlords. This could be a survival story as the characters work to fend off attacks to trying to destroy one another. Maybe your character is caught in the middle and Dorian can't pull the trigger on them (see touchstones above).

The Ghoul
Master and servant dynamics abound when Dorian ghouls your character. Granted a taste of immortality, so long as they keep regularly drinking the hyper-addictive vampire blood he offers, Dorian has turned your character into one of his servants. The blood forces them to love him, even if it's not mutual or even if he's sometimes not the nicest. There'd be a lot of dark themes around power and control, even outright slavery to an undead monster, with this one.

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This list isn't exhaustive by any means and serves only to generate character ties I'd be interested in exploring. By all means, hit me up with your own ideas!