Your name: Lena Your username: lenaf007 Character name: Rennick Dalton Character age: 77 Basic appearance (img link if you like); hair/eyes/height/ethnicity: Blond, curly hair, a pompous attitude, and has expensive taste. He's partial to light blue suits, but if he must be discrete, he'll turn to tans and browns. Brown eyes, red when angered. Character strengths: Outgoing and gregarious. Quick to make friends or enemies depending on how well his quirky personality is received. In addition to being a half-vampire, he is also gifted with the rare ability to create illusions. These figments can move and interact with the world around them as if they were a real person. Character weaknesses: Always on the run from his ex-lovers. He prefers to leave town with a sob story and then makes a note not to return again until his face is forgotten. He is childish, prefers to run away from his problems, and tends to whine when things don't go his way. He's perfectly comfortable with being a vampire, but is dumbfounded sometimes by people in general. Despite his age, he has a hard time relating to people on a deep level, and sees them more as play-things for amusement, a means to earn more cash, or as potential food. Any background info on your story that is relevant? He took to acting when he was young, and his charismatic personality quickly moved him up to a management position. He's owned several theaters, and these days he hops between them and hires on young men and women to work for him, eventually picking the most attractive men and women to be potential lovers. Short reference piece (see example): [Rennick and Mary are arguing. He's asking her to watch his theater while he goes off to see his sick mother, who of course hasn't been alive for quite some time. She's angry because she suspects he's been sleeping around with other men in town.] “I’ll take care of the theater while you’re gone, but I’ll do it because I love it. Not you.”
He winced. “Mary, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She turned, and her smile was genuine this time. “I know. I think of all the things you’ve done, knowing that hurts the worst. You don’t even know what you do to your lovers, do you?” She shook her head, “It’s just a big game to you I bet. Playing with womens’ feelings.”
“No, that’s not it at all.” He wasn’t sure what he was doing wrong, but apparently he was digging his own grave here. “I never saw you as that.”
She laughed, her shoulders shaking under her dusty, brown dress. “Damn, don’t you ever stop? Maybe you’ve been lying for so damn long, you’ve started to actually believe them yourself.”
Now she wasn’t making any sense at all. He moved around the couch towards her, but she held out her hand. “No, I don’t want any more of you, Ren. You’re not healthy for me. In fact I think it’d be best if you just went ahead and left now.”
“Don’t do this, Mary. Come on, don’t treat me like this.” He was getting angry. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. She was supposed to believe him, to trust him, so that he could leave and feel comfortable while he traveled to the next town. As it was he felt an increasing sense of guilt, and he didn’t like it in the least.
“Get out of my house. I don’t want to have to get the Sheriff out here, but I will if you make me.”
[…snipping for length...] Rennick wanted to strangle her. Or throw a chair at her. Or drain her dry. He wasn’t sure which to start with, and so instead he was struck dumb sputtering incoherently at her. She sighed, putting her hands on her hips as she sauntered over to him.
“Go, Ren. Go see your Mamma and don’t forget to write me.” She leaned up to peck a kiss on his cheek. Somehow it helped to diffuse his rage. “Hope your friend can keep an eye on you. Lord knows I can’t.”
Looking for critique on anything in particular?: Comments, critique, anything would be helpful. Rennick kind of emerged from the storyline, and he's grown on me. Any feedback is appreciated! :)
He's a half vampire, so he was born this way. Once he reached his early 20s, he stopped aging. I haven't thought much about his parents, though that is definitely something that would influence his ability to relate with other people. If he had limited guidance from his human parent, for example, that might explain why he sees people more as objects to be used.
Yeah, those are just the colors he's had so far. If given the right location, I could see him being far more flamboyant.
Vampire friends, that's a great point. Since he sees himself as rather an elite vampire (even though he's a half), I could see him trying hard to make vampire friends. Whether or not he's successful at it would be enlightening.
Using his illusions to run away? I think you've just given me some ideas. xD
Same question as darkspirited1, was he turned at 77, or is that his 'real' age?
Why is he so childish? Is it a desire to never grow up, or some other reason? That aspect of him is interesting to me because so many vampires are portrayed as endlessly mature. What kind of things does he use his illusions for? Do they go hand in hand with his immaturity?
Has anyone ever called him out on his behaviour? How did he react?
He's a half-vampire and was born that way. In his early 20s he stopped aging. Sorry, I've got those kind of details down in my head so I forget to share them.
Rennick is childish because he learned from a young age that he had a magnetism with people, and was able to use that to persuade them. darkspirited1 mentioned his parents, and I could see him getting spoiled as a child, and carrying that over into adulthood when he realized how good he was at getting what he wanted. He's also gifted with a very rare ability to create illusions, and supposedly only pure vampires are able to do it. My MC is surprised to find that this kid is the illusionist he's been asked to work with.
The majority of vampires in this world are more mature than him, which makes him an oddity. The organization he and the MC work for values Rennick and this only inflates his ego. I could see other vampires requesting specifically not to work with him simply due to his personality quirks. Despite that, in a fight he pretty much brings his own body guards since he can create up to three illusion people at a time.
As an actor, he uses his illusions mostly to fool potential enemies. He can act along with a trio of very lifelike people, all of which happen to agree with everything he says, laugh at all his bad jokes, and may find him incredibly attractive. I could see him using them to do work in the theater he'd rather not fool with and other ridiculous things that pretty much waste his abilities. Like you said, they definitely go hand in hand with his immaturity.
Mary in this snippet is one of the first people to call him out. She is someone who was pretty insignificant on his radar before this fight, but afterwards he's obsessed with her and why she thinks he's so very childish. At the end of the story, I'm thinking he'll grow up a bit. Hopefully. ;)
If I were to read this and the profiles of your other characters before reading the story, I am 100% certain that he would be my favorite character. I find him easy to relate to personally and I think that I would enjoying knowing about him very, very much. I can't see why he's grown on you!
I'm not sure where to go with this in terms of comments that might be helpful. I guess I'm thinking that the awesomeness of this character makes more sense as a background or secondary or more mysterious character. I imagine that the story doesn't revolve around him? I feel like for characters this unique, it's more fun to get to know them bit by bit over time and to be given room to think about them.
I'm curious to know about the relationships he's had with other people who are not romantic interests. Does he treat them the same way? Does he let anyone get close to him in a non-romantic way?
I love your description about what color shirts he wears!
Your username: lenaf007
Character name: Rennick Dalton
Character age: 77
Basic appearance (img link if you like); hair/eyes/height/ethnicity: Blond, curly hair, a pompous attitude, and has expensive taste. He's partial to light blue suits, but if he must be discrete, he'll turn to tans and browns. Brown eyes, red when angered.
Character strengths: Outgoing and gregarious. Quick to make friends or enemies depending on how well his quirky personality is received. In addition to being a half-vampire, he is also gifted with the rare ability to create illusions. These figments can move and interact with the world around them as if they were a real person.
Character weaknesses: Always on the run from his ex-lovers. He prefers to leave town with a sob story and then makes a note not to return again until his face is forgotten. He is childish, prefers to run away from his problems, and tends to whine when things don't go his way. He's perfectly comfortable with being a vampire, but is dumbfounded sometimes by people in general. Despite his age, he has a hard time relating to people on a deep level, and sees them more as play-things for amusement, a means to earn more cash, or as potential food.
Any background info on your story that is relevant? He took to acting when he was young, and his charismatic personality quickly moved him up to a management position. He's owned several theaters, and these days he hops between them and hires on young men and women to work for him, eventually picking the most attractive men and women to be potential lovers.
Short reference piece (see example): [Rennick and Mary are arguing. He's asking her to watch his theater while he goes off to see his sick mother, who of course hasn't been alive for quite some time. She's angry because she suspects he's been sleeping around with other men in town.]
“I’ll take care of the theater while you’re gone, but I’ll do it because I love it. Not you.”
He winced. “Mary, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She turned, and her smile was genuine this time. “I know. I think of all the things you’ve done, knowing that hurts the worst. You don’t even know what you do to your lovers, do you?” She shook her head, “It’s just a big game to you I bet. Playing with womens’ feelings.”
“No, that’s not it at all.” He wasn’t sure what he was doing wrong, but apparently he was digging his own grave here. “I never saw you as that.”
She laughed, her shoulders shaking under her dusty, brown dress. “Damn, don’t you ever stop? Maybe you’ve been lying for so damn long, you’ve started to actually believe them yourself.”
Now she wasn’t making any sense at all. He moved around the couch towards her, but she held out her hand. “No, I don’t want any more of you, Ren. You’re not healthy for me. In fact I think it’d be best if you just went ahead and left now.”
“Don’t do this, Mary. Come on, don’t treat me like this.” He was getting angry. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. She was supposed to believe him, to trust him, so that he could leave and feel comfortable while he traveled to the next town. As it was he felt an increasing sense of guilt, and he didn’t like it in the least.
“Get out of my house. I don’t want to have to get the Sheriff out here, but I will if you make me.”
[…snipping for length...]
Rennick wanted to strangle her. Or throw a chair at her. Or drain her dry. He wasn’t sure which to start with, and so instead he was struck dumb sputtering incoherently at her. She sighed, putting her hands on her hips as she sauntered over to him.
“Go, Ren. Go see your Mamma and don’t forget to write me.” She leaned up to peck a kiss on his cheek. Somehow it helped to diffuse his rage. “Hope your friend can keep an eye on you. Lord knows I can’t.”
Looking for critique on anything in particular?: Comments, critique, anything would be helpful. Rennick kind of emerged from the storyline, and he's grown on me. Any feedback is appreciated! :)
Reply
I like the quirk of favoring different colored shirts for different things.
Does he have any other vampire friends? Does he ever use his illusions to project one of himself in order to run away?
Reply
Yeah, those are just the colors he's had so far. If given the right location, I could see him being far more flamboyant.
Vampire friends, that's a great point. Since he sees himself as rather an elite vampire (even though he's a half), I could see him trying hard to make vampire friends. Whether or not he's successful at it would be enlightening.
Using his illusions to run away? I think you've just given me some ideas. xD
Reply
Why is he so childish? Is it a desire to never grow up, or some other reason? That aspect of him is interesting to me because so many vampires are portrayed as endlessly mature. What kind of things does he use his illusions for? Do they go hand in hand with his immaturity?
Has anyone ever called him out on his behaviour? How did he react?
Reply
Rennick is childish because he learned from a young age that he had a magnetism with people, and was able to use that to persuade them. darkspirited1 mentioned his parents, and I could see him getting spoiled as a child, and carrying that over into adulthood when he realized how good he was at getting what he wanted. He's also gifted with a very rare ability to create illusions, and supposedly only pure vampires are able to do it. My MC is surprised to find that this kid is the illusionist he's been asked to work with.
The majority of vampires in this world are more mature than him, which makes him an oddity. The organization he and the MC work for values Rennick and this only inflates his ego. I could see other vampires requesting specifically not to work with him simply due to his personality quirks. Despite that, in a fight he pretty much brings his own body guards since he can create up to three illusion people at a time.
As an actor, he uses his illusions mostly to fool potential enemies. He can act along with a trio of very lifelike people, all of which happen to agree with everything he says, laugh at all his bad jokes, and may find him incredibly attractive. I could see him using them to do work in the theater he'd rather not fool with and other ridiculous things that pretty much waste his abilities. Like you said, they definitely go hand in hand with his immaturity.
Mary in this snippet is one of the first people to call him out. She is someone who was pretty insignificant on his radar before this fight, but afterwards he's obsessed with her and why she thinks he's so very childish. At the end of the story, I'm thinking he'll grow up a bit. Hopefully. ;)
Reply
I'm not sure where to go with this in terms of comments that might be helpful. I guess I'm thinking that the awesomeness of this character makes more sense as a background or secondary or more mysterious character. I imagine that the story doesn't revolve around him? I feel like for characters this unique, it's more fun to get to know them bit by bit over time and to be given room to think about them.
Reply
I love your description about what color shirts he wears!
Reply
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