TLV App

[no_innocents]

User Name/Nick: Danii
User DW: yarnzipan
E-mail: gamenotifications@gmail.com
Other Characters: Jon Sims, Warren Kepler, Kiryu Kazuma

Character Name: Vlad Tepes aka Dracula
Series: Netflix Castlevania
Age: Centuries old, appears at least mid thirties to forties
From When?: his death at the end of Season 2

Inmate: Vlad here is definitely an inmate, what with the wanting to take out all of humanity and doing so because he hates them for being small-minded and terrible and killing his wife. More than just that, though, Vlad had given up on life entirely, the whole thing really just an elaborate suicide which not only had a terrible body count, but which utilized and traumatized his own beloved son. He's got a lot of hatred for humanity to work through, hatred for vampires, hatred for the universe, hatred of religion... just a lot of hate going on here. And on top of it, a whole lot of desperation, depression, and hopelessness. Plenty to chew through...


Arrival: Dracula is here VERY much against his will; as per the end of season 3, he'd be in Hell with Lisa if he wasn't here working off the fact that he decided to capp off centuries of death and murder with an attempt to destroy all of humanity. And he much prefers that, to be honest; like half of the demons in Hell are his bros.

Abilities/Powers: His canonical abilities are listed here. For the purposes of his initial Barge nerf, I'd say he's only somewhat stronger and faster than a human, heals more quickly, cannot utilize/control any flame larger than a candle (leave the man his ability to do dramatic lighting), can float a couple of inches above the ground but no higher, and is stuck in his human form. Also no teleportation. He must 'travel like a man', albeit an exceptionally tall/large man.

We're also shown that he knows significant amounts of magic, including utilizing mirrors and lifting objects, as well as alchemy, alternative sciences, and some of the other standard vampire abilities (turning into a wolf, which his son does) etc. but I'm going to say any 'powers' that come with anything like that is completely gone to start with.

Personality:

How do you even begin to describe Dracula? Well, to start with, he's an arrogant son of a bitch. Like, he is clearly extremely powerful and it is made apparent through the deference shown to him, his achievements, the fear around his name that he's earned that power through his own brilliance and cunning but oh goodness is he very much *aware* of that fact. And while some part of him is tired of the reputation, he's 100% willing to play on it and use it to get what he wants and the idea that people won't bend to his will or show deference to him is clearly baffling to him. He's Lord Dracula and he's very much let that reputation and the image of that persona take him over in a lot of ways, even unto the point where it's made him a stranger to himself, as evidenced by the moment where he almost killed his son. He was all towering rage at the impudence of anyone who'd get in the way of his wishes until he has to stop and go 'what the hell am I doing?' which of course is when he dies.

Because the fact is, he's become a creature of reaction, suspicion, and hate. While it's clear that he has enough power that it's been centuries since anyone might have 'abused' him (though go into the historical figure at all and it's very likely that his childhood and young adulthood were rife with it but that goes into what are timelines and how does history and let's just say the TV series isn't particularly good at that, but I digress)... but the point is that the world has not so much abused him as it's made him cynical, hateful, and cruel in response to just how shitty people can be to one another. He wants nothing to do with humanity, as shown by how he left corpses outside of his castle to keep people away when Lisa came to speak with him, and it's clear from how he treats the vampire council that he wants just as little to do with them as well. He's forgotten what it is to have society around him in any sense, to feel a part of something; he skulks and haunts around his own castle, for goodness sake. Both because he's above them, in his mind, as well as just... tired of them.

And Lisa helped him with that. Lisa helped him see humanity as flawed but worthwhile, or she tried to. I don't think that that lesson really stuck, even though they were clearly together for like 20 something years... because I think he was stuck on her as an exception as opposed to the majority who were the rule. He did things for her and if he enjoyed something or found it meaningful, it was almost certainly crushed the moment some new fresh bullshit happened. Which is fair when you have centuries of bullshit to look back on and go 'people suck' but I do think it speaks to a certain something that's broken in him, something that just killed his ability to even believe that the world was worthwhile *before* Lisa died. Her death was just the moment when he was angry enough to go from apathy (hiding away in his castle with a 'keep out' sign of impaled corpses) to full on wanting to destroy them all.

This was clearly tied into his intelligence and his intellectual curiosity. He is an explorer, either of ideas or of places to go, things to experience. His castle, an entire goddamn castle, is mobile *despite the fact he can teleport*. Mobility, being able to go places, see things, do things, is clearly hugely important to him. His anger about humanity stems so clearly from his ideas that they are ignorant and that they will attack intellectual pursuits if given half a chance. I mean, it says something that Lisa, knowing her husband, sent him on a trip *alone* as a means of learning to love humanity. Half of his anger with the vampire council is that he thinks they're dumb and petty and he's not really interested in their shit. He's a man who experiments with people (Hector and Isaac) and with ideas (his library and castle and lab) and even with forbidden arts. We know from the games and some of the things we see in the tv show that Dracula KNOWS DEATH HIMSELF. He knows demons and demon lords, he's happily chilling in Hell when we see him in season 3. And when you add it all together, it comes down to a man who asks questions, seeks, does, and moves forward fearlessly. And his greatest disdain is for those who don't question, who let their lives be small, who listen to what they're told even if it doesn't make any sense. And he equates that to the church but it's all a hatred of that human 'tendency', in his mind, to act like sheep.

And the fact is, he's brilliant. Crafty. He knows, even in his malaise at the end of his life, how to keep his lords fighting among each other but still very much in line. Carmilla may act like she's manipulating things but it's pretty clear Dracula knows what's going on and just doesn't give a shit. He's got charisma and when he chooses to care about someone, can and has created lasting and meaningful loyalty in even the most unexpected of people (like, you know, Isaac). And he can be very charming, loving, wonderful; Lisa is clearly very in love with him in what we see of their flashbacks and relationship in Hell and Adrian (Alucard) is very very conflicted about the whole thing when Dracula goes off the deep end and decides to end humanity. He loves his father and he is absolutely heartbroken when he kills him for all that he's just an antagonist to Trevor and Sypha.

I think it boils down to the fact that there is Vlad and there is Dracula, there is the monster and there is the man who's inside, who created that legend, who was crushed by someone, something, until he was twisted inside and everything that drove him drove him into darkness. In short... there's centuries of work to undo here so he's probably going to take a bit...

Barge Reactions: Being back on the barge is going to aggravate him because while he doesn't even remember the near-year in between he's going to be irritated that he's back here. Nothing is better than being here. He'll even be a little proud that in his head, he got the Admiral to let him go for a while but irritated that he got him back. His usual tiredness with everyone and all of this will stand, as will his interest in any of the scientists and intellectuals on board almost in spite of himself.

Path to Redemption: Vlad must regain his faith in humanity and accept that whatever powers or age he has going on, he is in the most important ways one of them. He has to find peace in his wife's death, and find a way to want to help humanity and be a part of the change in the world he wants not because it would make her happy or in memory of her, but because he sees the value of it and all the positive things that the world has to offer to him and in general. He also has to make some sort of peace with his son and his sons two spouses, seeing him as the person that he is instead of a piece of Lisa still left in the world. Also, he probably needs to get over that crippling reddit atheist schtick for all that the church in his world is pretty gorram awful.

As per his re-app, he hadn't made any real progress on barge. Maybe 5% in finding and bonding with a couple of people.

History: Vlad @ Castlevania Wiki

Sample Journal Entry: My dearest Lisa,

It seems I am returned to this place, this purgatory for the unwilling. Once again I am kept from you, my love, my all, and from the fires of hell that are the only flames that may challenge my passion for you.

There are no fewer vampires here than the last time, and a curious creature named Renfield who knew another version of me, another me from another time. He claims I am not the same man, and yet the thought that there is another of me is both troubling and fascinating. What would you do with a second husband, my love? Or is that a question that would color your cheeks?

I have been told, once again, that I must needs take some manner of occupation in this place and again, I am drawn to the maintenance of this craft, as I wish to learn more of it, of the science of it, the manner in which it draws passengers and sails between the realms. I wonder if it works on similar mechanisms as my own castle, but those mechanisms I've been able to see seem superfluous. No doubt on purpose.

All in all, I am unsure of the point of my stay here, other than perhaps to torture me in distance from you. The concept that the fire of my hatred would wither away is one I cannot accept, for that hatred is fed by my love for you and that is eternal. So I suppose I will, again, wait. Until the Admiral becomes impatient again, hopefully for the last time.

Yours, always,

Vlad.
Sample RP: TDM from May

Special Notes: Secretly, his super power is the ability to rock a cape to THAT level. And I refuse to nerf that.

Comments

[no_innocents]

<b>Player Name</b>: Danii <b>Character Name</b>: Vlad Dracula Tepes <b>Path to Graduation</b>: Dracula is a pretty extreme case, and yet the actions that drove him to his death (and inmate-hood) were part of a longer journey that he took the moment that he let his wife, Lisa, through the door of his castle. When he arrived, he barely wanted to live. While it was only obliquely referenced, Dracula wasn't eating at home and continued that trend on Barge, having no will to live and at first, no inclination to interact with others. But a few conversations with people started getting him interested in all of the advances of the modern world. Anita specifically was a huge part of getting him interested and even excited in learning more about what humans had been up to, what art was like, what changes there had been in society. Discussing with Godric and Connor helped him to realize that there had been a shift in focus among humanity, eschewing ignorance in favor of pursuing science and giving it it's fair due. He was still very angry with humanity, however, and couldn't quite move on. Even when Adrian, his son, showed up as a warden, he was still angry, still fighting. While he was interacting with people, he couldn't let go of his rage. And then Jacobi set Connor on a destruction mission and the lightbulb went on. Seeing someone else do as he had, lose someone (Hange) and then do what looked to everyone like pure lunacy, something completely over the top, the worst thing in the attempt to just destroy everything, it showed him EXACTLY what he'd done. That it was nothing but a kind of mourning and panic. And that's when some of the things Adrian had said to him over and over, some of the things Anita had said to him during the statue flood specifically, some of things Godric had tried to remind him of finally registered: it was all irrational. His crusade was not a 'suicide note' but a desperate desire to not allow the world to continue to exist without her. He continued to heal, and one of the most important conversations he had was with Lisa herself during the 4WD event. She got to talk to Adrian and he got to talk to her and just talking with her for a few moments got his head on a little straighter so he could see what he was doing, what he'd done, and that none of this would be what she'd want. But more than that, that she was with him when he leaned into the parts of himself that explored and learned and sought to teach. And teach he has; he's taken on more than a few students, some for just a lesson or two but others for more extended instruction. He's found friends, in his quiet introvert way that usually involves discussing things on the network quietly or asking the populace at large what the fuck is up with various vampire pop culture. It's actually been good for him, since Lisa had him go out in the world and meet people but he's actually a bit of an introvert with a limited tolerance for others; he can go on the network and put his communicator down when he wants to without too much worry on manners. He's been working on repairing his relationship with Adrian, who's been a continual beacon reminding him of what he would stand to lose if he gives into his baser instincts and anger, not as a preventative measure but... something that makes him THINK. And more than anything, he's kept up his talks with Anita, and her almost diametrically opposite problem with vampires (where he hates humans, she hates vampires) has helped give him perspective on some of the ways that while the two are very similar, they have clearly grown different through eternal life and power and a few other things. Their friendship especially has been deeply important to him, helped him to start seeing *people* again instead of annoyances or underlings or *examples of how terrible the world is*. Connor especially helped him by showing him kindness. [PROACTIVE BITS] He <i>will</i> be staying as a warden. Nadja has offered to bring his wife back to life, but he wants to do more than just return to how things were when she died. When everything went wrong. As was part of his graduation, he'll be looking to create a university to start the ball rolling, and he'll stay for a deal for it to ensure that he doesn't get interrupted and backslide or lose anyone before it can happen. A fully equipped, fully built university would be the best way to start things off without pause. And, more importantly, he'll want to stay to look after some of the people he's taken under his wing here: Daniel Jacobi, who helped him learn his mistakes and who he understands deeply, Anita Blake, who he feels very strongly needs his support, needs care, and needs a friend to talk to her whom she trusts, and Connor, his most important student. How have they changed while aboard the Barge, and what helped cause this change? What were their key milestones? What have they come to regret about their past, and what are they going to do differently now going forward? If they're going to be staying on as a warden, what do they have to offer an inmate? We're not looking for more than a paragraph or two of basic overview here, but if you'd like to TL;DR at us, feel free!

[no_innocents]

Player Name: Danii
Character Name: Vlad Dracula Tepes
Path to Graduation: Dracula came to the barge half-mad with grief, angry at every human (and honestly everyone) and still in the midst of disordered eating due to his deathwish. But through a few key friendships and a few key events, he's gotten to a place where he takes responsibility not just for the things he's done recently but also for some of the laxness he's indulged in in general during his years in his world.

The first of his major milestones came when Anita got him interested in modern music. It was the beginning of reigniting his curiousity in the world, showing him that there were things to learn and topics to be interested in, as well as being a very good example of people rebelling against and moving away from the church to a more secular society. This was continued via Godric, showing him scientific advances 'refound' by humanity in the future, telling him about great centers of learning, starting up the idea that the world will move forward even if, as far as he can see, it seems to be in an ignorant rut.

There was some backsliding during the statue event, but a few key steps forward happened there too: his discussion with Anita during that made him face what he'd done to his son and gave him someone who understood his grief, and his experience with Pagan helped him get a bit of catharsis by killing the source of Pagan's pain for him. The issues around his grief were finally handled via two big influences: his son coming on board as a warden and his wife speaking to him on 4WD. These gave him some clarity to start approaching what he'd done and how he was going about some things, as well as pushing him through some of his self-destructive impulses and his deathwish. But the big revelation he had came from watching Jacobi's fit with Connor: seeing someone else react to loss the same way he had from the sidelines helped to give him a clear view that helped him see what he himself had turned to in his grief without any excuses or mourning getting in the way. It's a big piece of why he came to regret his attempt to remove humanity, that and seeing the effect it had on Adrian and his relationship with his son in general. Then Anita's discussion of vampires the same way he'd once talked about humans? Nailed that coffin down. The (essentially) word switch was a big wake up call to how little thought really went into his hate.

The disordered eating (and some of his self-hatred issues were dealt with via a discussion with Annie and a few talks with Zagreus. His discussion with Zagreus was also when he started to really see how important and impactful the knowledge that he had really was, that letting people scramble and flail about in ignorance was as much something he could prevent as anything else. He took on other students and each one of those taught him something too: Connor helped by showing him simple kindness by getting the portrait of his family when he noticed that Dracula was missing them, and Rags and some others helped remind him of how much he actually enjoys teaching people.

Nadja was a constant presence in his journey, helping to remind him of who he is and the importance he holds while showing him that vampires can be sympathetic and value love and actually show kindness to each other. It worked in a lot of ways to be a positive reminder of his influence, both in how she treated him and in the impact he had on her. But some of the stories Adrian told him helped as well, showing him how his inaction and the way he'd withdrawn from the world as a power in it instead of being a force for what he believed in had real consequences including on people he loves.

And that has all had results in his actions. He's been trying to take some of the responsibility for the vampires on board off of Godric's shoulders, look out for them. He's been stepping up in cases where things need to get done, looking into options for the vampires on board and going without food as a pointed choice from his position of power (not because he wants to die) without those self destructive impulses ruling him. But his really big step is helping Crozier when he saw him starting to go through alcohol withdrawal. The fact was that he knew how to handle it from a medical standpoint and he knew that the man wouldn't want those he cared about to deal with him during such an ugly time. Instead of handing him off or doing the bare minimum, he decided to help him, help a weak human man who was trying to handle his situation, and he did it because he had the knowledge and he realized that Not Acting When You Have the Means is a kind of evil. One he's tired of living in.

The lesson was completed when he spoke to Zack, told him about the fact that Adrian didn’t want him to come back to their world because of what he’d done, and Zack helped him realize that he can do more than just make amends: he can make things better. Zack’s belief (which mattered a LOT given that he has all of the context that literally no one else has) and his willingness to do that, his want to do that beyond just getting access to his son again? That was honestly his moment of graduation, when he realized both that good has to be an active force, someone who DOES good things, and that if he wants things to get better, to be better, he has to be a part of people doing good. Not only that, but that he can do it, no matter what humanity or anyone else thinks of what he is. That he, ultimately, is the one who chooses, the one who has the means to take a stand. And that doing it is not about satisfying the people around you? But about satisfying yourself, feeling good about who and what you are, and what you bring to the table.