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a_sporking_ratI got enough votes saying they'd like to see my characters, so here's three for a start! Armel, Lucretia, and Otto "Mesmer" Lambert.
These are comparatively minor ones, ones who I've never had to get into their head and histories too much (which isn't to say I don't ever plan to--my backgrounders always seem to evolve despite their origins!) and that's why I was able to type them up pretty fast and post them all together.
There are two major storylines that most of the Anitaverse chars fit into, some into both. There's the Ruthven/Swans/Delilah storyline, and the New York storyline. New York is where almost everyone is, because that's where the roleplay was that spawned most of them. Normally I'd pick somewhere other than the Big Apple, because I've never even been there, but somehow they all 'fit' there in my head, and since it's not like I'm going to publish this I try not to sweat potential inaccuracies about the city too much. The New York storyline is just the various jumbled politics and lives of the supernaturals there. The Ruthven/Swans/Delilah storyline is much more specific, and concerns the enslavement of the English swanmanes by Ruthven, the refugee rebels in New York, and the creation of Delilah in Ruthven's labs. This is partly in New York where Delilah and said rebels now are, partly on a moor of unspecified location in England (probably somewhere in the Pennines, the possibly West Pennine Moors) where Ruthven and the English swans are.
Armel is part of the NYC plots, Lucretia part of the R/S/D plots, and Mesmer...I don't know yet.
Armel Daube - You've met him as the Master of New York City in the Sue vs Sue fanfic, and he's generally that in most of my Anitaverse fanfics, though in the ones where Lucille is herself a Master vampire, he's her Stalking Horse and she's the real MotC for NYC. Indeed, no matter what the setting, poor Armel is usually, master or not, answering to some bigger fish hiding in the shadows, be it Padma or Lucy. Still, he's making the best of it, and he really enjoys the perks of the job (like two girlfriends!) and wouldn't give it up even if he had the option. Well, most of the time he feels like that, anyway. Sometimes not so much, mainly when he's failing. Which isn't a lot per se, but enough to make him rightfully worry for his hide. And worry he does, though he's also optimistic too and really gives it his best, bless his little undead heart.
His big claim to fame is that he not only is of Padma's bloodline, but he's got the bloodline power too: Call All Animals (and corresponding therians). Beyond that though, he's really pretty weak for a vampire, especially for a Master. He's honestly sub-par at rolling, hypnosis, glamor, all of that sort of basic vampire stuf. If his animal-calling powers aren't of use, his best hope in a fight (besides running) is to make it physical and use his agility. He's a hard-to-hit type, the Fragile Speedster trope: one knock from a fellow supernatural and he's down, poor little guy, but you'd have to land the blow first, and that's the challenge. Still, he prefers to avoid physical fights too, and usually uses animals and therians to do his battles for him. He mostly focuses on getting AWAY from physical fights.
Daube means 'dove' (hence why Cornelius called him Drove-man in SvS, if you were wondering) and when someone comes to see him in his office/main chamber as MotC, he usually has a bunch of doves in there, kept tame by his animal-calling powers, for majestic effect. The second whoever he's seen is gone, though, he shoes them out the nearest window and complains to his Kiss about how DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO PUT NEWSPAPER DOWN OH GOD BIRD SHIT EVERYWHERE. The 'dove' theme continues with the fact his girlfriends (both vampires) are called Paloma and Columba, names that both mean 'dove' in, respectively, Spanish and Latin. Yes, I'm a cheesy nerd.
He really misses Caribbean curry goat from when he was alive, and now and then he will get a plate of it, chew up the pieces, and spit them out into a bucket next to the plate. It's his guilty pleasure, and he knows it's gross, but come on, is it really grosser than drinking blood? Really? Stop judging him.
I'm really not sure how old he looks beyond "in his thirties or younger". He's short (5'6 or less, probably less) and with a pretty slender, small build, though he doesn't look girlish or fragile. His skin is brown with a red/copper undertone to it, and his short black hair is thick and wavy. Eyes are big and brown. Said bigness of his eyes does make him look kind of kawai-desu, and that, combined with his admittedly delicate facial features, means it's a good thing he's not white (Dutch/French father, Black/Indian mother) or he might be in danger around Anita. Default clothes are black slacks, black shoes, white or colored oxford shirt, and tie (black if the shirt is colored, black or colored if the shirt is white).
He was born in St. Croix (one of the Virgin Islands) during 1902 with the name Armel, but didn't get the surname of Daube, which belongs to his father, until 1917. This was the year when the Virgin Islands became part of America after being sold by Denmark in 1917, his father paid for his passage to the United States, allowing him to even use his surname of Daube on his passport, which Armel has gone by ever since because, being illegitimate, this was a really big deal to him. He was fifteen years old then. In the early 1900s the largest number of black immigrants were English-speaking Caribbeans, mainly unmarried young men, who settled in the Northeast, mainly in New York City. Armel was one of these. Many of these immigrants had literacy levels above American-born black people and even above that some white Americans, but due to racism they could only get jobs in the service sector working as doorman, laborers, and porters. This was also the case with Armel; despite his good education that his father had paid for in order to keep the affair with his mother quiet, the only job he could get was as a doorman at a hotel, though it was at least a very prestigious hotel: The Plaza.
And I'm really not sure where he goes from there to getting turned into a vampire, but it's in the back of my head for if it ever becomes relevant. He's generally a pretty minor guy fic-wise, or at least minor enough that the information isn't actively needed for me to write him. I do know that he was in the right time period and right place for the Harlem Renaissance during his human/early vampire years, though, and I'd really like to do something with that. Though I think he wasn't actually too involved at all in the Harlem Ren movement beyond enjoying the music and stuff, because he wanted to keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble/anything too radical that might be dangerous for him, but now that it's looked upon favorably by history he totally hints to people who will buy it that he was some kind of racial-justice revolutionary in his time.
Armel also completely still has posters up in his room of Josephine Baker. But then who doesn't?
For all that he probably seems harmless and endearing thus far, he's still a vampire. Specifically, an Anitaverse vampire, meaning he has spent decades immersed in a culture where traits such as ruthlessness, cruelty, and an utter lack of empathy are encouraged, fostered, and rewarded. Yes, his default personality is that of a pretty okay guy, but being 'nice' is a social trait, not a moral one. He'd still murder every single one of his 'comrades' in Sue versus Sue if his superiors told him to and/or he thought it would get him ahead (or at least keep him where he is). And he will not struggle over doing it. He will not feel bad. And I don't think he's unique in this either; I think that this is the default for Anitaverse vampires because, as I said, their society is one where anyone who doesn't become like this is doomed. Unlike in the Buffy series, where a vampire pretty much instantly becomes evil after being turned because a demon takes possession of them and replaces their soul, this is a slower process, and one that isn't due to magical anything, just the human psyche doing all it can to become inhuman so that the person can survive. And honestly, I find that a lot scarier.
Lucretia - No idea on if this is the name she was born with or not. I wanted to give her a different name, like Ludmilla, to avoid confusion with her and Lucille, but, nope, she was a Lucretia and that’s it. I blame The Sisters of Mercy. I also have no idea how old she is except that she must be over 500 in order to have made Ruthven (whom you will hear about in a future character post)
Despite being a very powerful Master vampire, she never gained the abilities of her bloodline, which is the Earthmover. In my headcanon, it’s much, much rarer for Earthmover-line vampires to have bloodline powers, even the Masters, but Lucretia does seem to have a talent of siring offspring that do develop said abilities. For this reason, she is much sought after by Kisses to create vampires for their group. However, she rarely does so, partly for reasons of her own and partly because Mr. Oliver has made it clear to her that this is not a gift she should be bestowing on just anyone. Ruthven is the result of one of the few times she accepted a contract of this nature. Ruthven and she have a mentor/student relationship of respect and...not loyalty, but fealty. Loyalty suggests more emotion than I think either of them can muster.
Lucretia does have gifts of her own, however. Firstly, she is incredibly good at levitation, to the point that she can actually fly, something that, in my headcanon, is also incredibly rare among Earthmovers (even those without earthquake powers) because of their bloodline’s connection to the Earth. Much like Belle and Moroven vampires feed on lust and fear, and can actually cause lust and fear to rise in people so that they can prey on it, Lucretia can feed off the energy of plants, and plants tend to be drawn to her, to grow around her, only to wither a moment later as she drains them. Basically she’s a blight-goddess, an undead dryad. Her empathic voice manipulation (a canon ability shown by Master vampires including JC, Asher, and Mr. Oliver) is so powerful that she can even enthrall other Masters with it, though her own offspring are immune to its effects. Ditto for her 'rolling' abilities. She has also shown herself to be able to give power to her offspring, as well as take power from them. She can even temporarily borrow the Earthmoving ability from children of hers who posses it. She does not, however, have any animal to call as far as I know.
As for what she looks like, basically picture a physically possible/non-anime version of Maetel from Galaxy Express 999: Very tall, very slim, elongated figure and limbs, very long blonde hair, big blue eyes, very fragile-looking. Wears all-black, with her arms covered to the wrists (though her shoulders may be bare) and her legs covered at least to the knee. Gentle, soft-spoken manner. Seems frail and kindly but actually she’s a deadly, merciless creature who will quietly rip your spine out with a soft sweet smile on her pretty face. Other than that though, she’s a very nice lady, if quite mysterious. She has no home base, instead spending most of her time either traveling the world or in self-induced hibernation. She is mainly a free agent, but will answer to Mr. Oliver and, of course, the MOAD (whom she would not be opposed to seeing awakened). She has a tendency to appear to young female children, often in the role of a friend or savior, then vanish. Her reasons for this are unknown, but likely there is more to them than simple kindness. Delilah, Lucille, and Gaspard are among the children that she has appeared before.
Otto Lambert - A Traveller-line vampire who gained the nickname "Mesmer" because of his really amazing hypnotic abilities...which is really scary when you consider he's a pedophile, with a preference for little girls, especially dead or undead ones. The reason was made at all despite this/hasn't been killed for it is because it wasn't known when he was turned and he has been smart enough to keep it as well under wraps now as he did in life. This partly why he prefers to be a solitary vampire, though he would anyway even if he didn't have anything to hide. he's a vain, nasty, pretentious asshole, but an expert at being cultured and sympathetic to the eyes of others.
He was born in born in Paris during 1910, and grew up on the Côte d'Azur (French Riviera) in Monaco. He was turned in 1955, when he was 45 years old, though he could pass for being in his thirties perhaps?
He either calls domestic dogs or moths/butterflies. NO I DON'T CARE IF THAT IS THE MOST BLATANT REFERENCE TO NABOKOV EVER!
White guy, black hair, very dark blue eyes, glasses, lanky limbs but a wide chest and broad shoulders despite the fact he's somewhat on the thin side. Wears suits and other nice/dapper/scholarly-looking attire in black, umber, and shades of gray. He has gloomy good looks, a deep sonorous voice, and a slow boyish smile.
I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with him yet, he's a pretty recent creation. I see most of my Anitaverse folks all within the same city/general vicinity of each other and having, if not regular contact, at least only a small degree of separation going on. Mesmer, though, I don't know. Even if he is in the same area, there's the deliberate isolation thing. Not just semi-solitary doing-my-own-thing like Cornelius, but actively hiding. But that could be a plot in itself.
These are comparatively minor ones, ones who I've never had to get into their head and histories too much (which isn't to say I don't ever plan to--my backgrounders always seem to evolve despite their origins!) and that's why I was able to type them up pretty fast and post them all together.
There are two major storylines that most of the Anitaverse chars fit into, some into both. There's the Ruthven/Swans/Delilah storyline, and the New York storyline. New York is where almost everyone is, because that's where the roleplay was that spawned most of them. Normally I'd pick somewhere other than the Big Apple, because I've never even been there, but somehow they all 'fit' there in my head, and since it's not like I'm going to publish this I try not to sweat potential inaccuracies about the city too much. The New York storyline is just the various jumbled politics and lives of the supernaturals there. The Ruthven/Swans/Delilah storyline is much more specific, and concerns the enslavement of the English swanmanes by Ruthven, the refugee rebels in New York, and the creation of Delilah in Ruthven's labs. This is partly in New York where Delilah and said rebels now are, partly on a moor of unspecified location in England (probably somewhere in the Pennines, the possibly West Pennine Moors) where Ruthven and the English swans are.
Armel is part of the NYC plots, Lucretia part of the R/S/D plots, and Mesmer...I don't know yet.
Armel Daube - You've met him as the Master of New York City in the Sue vs Sue fanfic, and he's generally that in most of my Anitaverse fanfics, though in the ones where Lucille is herself a Master vampire, he's her Stalking Horse and she's the real MotC for NYC. Indeed, no matter what the setting, poor Armel is usually, master or not, answering to some bigger fish hiding in the shadows, be it Padma or Lucy. Still, he's making the best of it, and he really enjoys the perks of the job (like two girlfriends!) and wouldn't give it up even if he had the option. Well, most of the time he feels like that, anyway. Sometimes not so much, mainly when he's failing. Which isn't a lot per se, but enough to make him rightfully worry for his hide. And worry he does, though he's also optimistic too and really gives it his best, bless his little undead heart.
His big claim to fame is that he not only is of Padma's bloodline, but he's got the bloodline power too: Call All Animals (and corresponding therians). Beyond that though, he's really pretty weak for a vampire, especially for a Master. He's honestly sub-par at rolling, hypnosis, glamor, all of that sort of basic vampire stuf. If his animal-calling powers aren't of use, his best hope in a fight (besides running) is to make it physical and use his agility. He's a hard-to-hit type, the Fragile Speedster trope: one knock from a fellow supernatural and he's down, poor little guy, but you'd have to land the blow first, and that's the challenge. Still, he prefers to avoid physical fights too, and usually uses animals and therians to do his battles for him. He mostly focuses on getting AWAY from physical fights.
Daube means 'dove' (hence why Cornelius called him Drove-man in SvS, if you were wondering) and when someone comes to see him in his office/main chamber as MotC, he usually has a bunch of doves in there, kept tame by his animal-calling powers, for majestic effect. The second whoever he's seen is gone, though, he shoes them out the nearest window and complains to his Kiss about how DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO PUT NEWSPAPER DOWN OH GOD BIRD SHIT EVERYWHERE. The 'dove' theme continues with the fact his girlfriends (both vampires) are called Paloma and Columba, names that both mean 'dove' in, respectively, Spanish and Latin. Yes, I'm a cheesy nerd.
He really misses Caribbean curry goat from when he was alive, and now and then he will get a plate of it, chew up the pieces, and spit them out into a bucket next to the plate. It's his guilty pleasure, and he knows it's gross, but come on, is it really grosser than drinking blood? Really? Stop judging him.
I'm really not sure how old he looks beyond "in his thirties or younger". He's short (5'6 or less, probably less) and with a pretty slender, small build, though he doesn't look girlish or fragile. His skin is brown with a red/copper undertone to it, and his short black hair is thick and wavy. Eyes are big and brown. Said bigness of his eyes does make him look kind of kawai-desu, and that, combined with his admittedly delicate facial features, means it's a good thing he's not white (Dutch/French father, Black/Indian mother) or he might be in danger around Anita. Default clothes are black slacks, black shoes, white or colored oxford shirt, and tie (black if the shirt is colored, black or colored if the shirt is white).
He was born in St. Croix (one of the Virgin Islands) during 1902 with the name Armel, but didn't get the surname of Daube, which belongs to his father, until 1917. This was the year when the Virgin Islands became part of America after being sold by Denmark in 1917, his father paid for his passage to the United States, allowing him to even use his surname of Daube on his passport, which Armel has gone by ever since because, being illegitimate, this was a really big deal to him. He was fifteen years old then. In the early 1900s the largest number of black immigrants were English-speaking Caribbeans, mainly unmarried young men, who settled in the Northeast, mainly in New York City. Armel was one of these. Many of these immigrants had literacy levels above American-born black people and even above that some white Americans, but due to racism they could only get jobs in the service sector working as doorman, laborers, and porters. This was also the case with Armel; despite his good education that his father had paid for in order to keep the affair with his mother quiet, the only job he could get was as a doorman at a hotel, though it was at least a very prestigious hotel: The Plaza.
And I'm really not sure where he goes from there to getting turned into a vampire, but it's in the back of my head for if it ever becomes relevant. He's generally a pretty minor guy fic-wise, or at least minor enough that the information isn't actively needed for me to write him. I do know that he was in the right time period and right place for the Harlem Renaissance during his human/early vampire years, though, and I'd really like to do something with that. Though I think he wasn't actually too involved at all in the Harlem Ren movement beyond enjoying the music and stuff, because he wanted to keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble/anything too radical that might be dangerous for him, but now that it's looked upon favorably by history he totally hints to people who will buy it that he was some kind of racial-justice revolutionary in his time.
Armel also completely still has posters up in his room of Josephine Baker. But then who doesn't?
For all that he probably seems harmless and endearing thus far, he's still a vampire. Specifically, an Anitaverse vampire, meaning he has spent decades immersed in a culture where traits such as ruthlessness, cruelty, and an utter lack of empathy are encouraged, fostered, and rewarded. Yes, his default personality is that of a pretty okay guy, but being 'nice' is a social trait, not a moral one. He'd still murder every single one of his 'comrades' in Sue versus Sue if his superiors told him to and/or he thought it would get him ahead (or at least keep him where he is). And he will not struggle over doing it. He will not feel bad. And I don't think he's unique in this either; I think that this is the default for Anitaverse vampires because, as I said, their society is one where anyone who doesn't become like this is doomed. Unlike in the Buffy series, where a vampire pretty much instantly becomes evil after being turned because a demon takes possession of them and replaces their soul, this is a slower process, and one that isn't due to magical anything, just the human psyche doing all it can to become inhuman so that the person can survive. And honestly, I find that a lot scarier.
Lucretia - No idea on if this is the name she was born with or not. I wanted to give her a different name, like Ludmilla, to avoid confusion with her and Lucille, but, nope, she was a Lucretia and that’s it. I blame The Sisters of Mercy. I also have no idea how old she is except that she must be over 500 in order to have made Ruthven (whom you will hear about in a future character post)
Despite being a very powerful Master vampire, she never gained the abilities of her bloodline, which is the Earthmover. In my headcanon, it’s much, much rarer for Earthmover-line vampires to have bloodline powers, even the Masters, but Lucretia does seem to have a talent of siring offspring that do develop said abilities. For this reason, she is much sought after by Kisses to create vampires for their group. However, she rarely does so, partly for reasons of her own and partly because Mr. Oliver has made it clear to her that this is not a gift she should be bestowing on just anyone. Ruthven is the result of one of the few times she accepted a contract of this nature. Ruthven and she have a mentor/student relationship of respect and...not loyalty, but fealty. Loyalty suggests more emotion than I think either of them can muster.
Lucretia does have gifts of her own, however. Firstly, she is incredibly good at levitation, to the point that she can actually fly, something that, in my headcanon, is also incredibly rare among Earthmovers (even those without earthquake powers) because of their bloodline’s connection to the Earth. Much like Belle and Moroven vampires feed on lust and fear, and can actually cause lust and fear to rise in people so that they can prey on it, Lucretia can feed off the energy of plants, and plants tend to be drawn to her, to grow around her, only to wither a moment later as she drains them. Basically she’s a blight-goddess, an undead dryad. Her empathic voice manipulation (a canon ability shown by Master vampires including JC, Asher, and Mr. Oliver) is so powerful that she can even enthrall other Masters with it, though her own offspring are immune to its effects. Ditto for her 'rolling' abilities. She has also shown herself to be able to give power to her offspring, as well as take power from them. She can even temporarily borrow the Earthmoving ability from children of hers who posses it. She does not, however, have any animal to call as far as I know.
As for what she looks like, basically picture a physically possible/non-anime version of Maetel from Galaxy Express 999: Very tall, very slim, elongated figure and limbs, very long blonde hair, big blue eyes, very fragile-looking. Wears all-black, with her arms covered to the wrists (though her shoulders may be bare) and her legs covered at least to the knee. Gentle, soft-spoken manner. Seems frail and kindly but actually she’s a deadly, merciless creature who will quietly rip your spine out with a soft sweet smile on her pretty face. Other than that though, she’s a very nice lady, if quite mysterious. She has no home base, instead spending most of her time either traveling the world or in self-induced hibernation. She is mainly a free agent, but will answer to Mr. Oliver and, of course, the MOAD (whom she would not be opposed to seeing awakened). She has a tendency to appear to young female children, often in the role of a friend or savior, then vanish. Her reasons for this are unknown, but likely there is more to them than simple kindness. Delilah, Lucille, and Gaspard are among the children that she has appeared before.
Otto Lambert - A Traveller-line vampire who gained the nickname "Mesmer" because of his really amazing hypnotic abilities...which is really scary when you consider he's a pedophile, with a preference for little girls, especially dead or undead ones. The reason was made at all despite this/hasn't been killed for it is because it wasn't known when he was turned and he has been smart enough to keep it as well under wraps now as he did in life. This partly why he prefers to be a solitary vampire, though he would anyway even if he didn't have anything to hide. he's a vain, nasty, pretentious asshole, but an expert at being cultured and sympathetic to the eyes of others.
He was born in born in Paris during 1910, and grew up on the Côte d'Azur (French Riviera) in Monaco. He was turned in 1955, when he was 45 years old, though he could pass for being in his thirties perhaps?
He either calls domestic dogs or moths/butterflies. NO I DON'T CARE IF THAT IS THE MOST BLATANT REFERENCE TO NABOKOV EVER!
White guy, black hair, very dark blue eyes, glasses, lanky limbs but a wide chest and broad shoulders despite the fact he's somewhat on the thin side. Wears suits and other nice/dapper/scholarly-looking attire in black, umber, and shades of gray. He has gloomy good looks, a deep sonorous voice, and a slow boyish smile.
I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with him yet, he's a pretty recent creation. I see most of my Anitaverse folks all within the same city/general vicinity of each other and having, if not regular contact, at least only a small degree of separation going on. Mesmer, though, I don't know. Even if he is in the same area, there's the deliberate isolation thing. Not just semi-solitary doing-my-own-thing like Cornelius, but actively hiding. But that could be a plot in itself.
