Demetrius Brooks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gentlegrace) wrote2035-10-26 11:06 pm
gentlegrace) wrote2035-10-26 11:06 pm
info / history / abilities
FULL NAME
Demetrius Brooks
AGE
250ish
SPECIES
death
PRONOUNS
he/him
SEXUALITY
open
OCCUPATION
college professor (folklore and literature)
TRIGGER WARNINGS
death, grief, and all related subjects
IN A NUTSHELL
Psychopomp just hanging out in his little patch of the world, enjoying the quiet life and trying to help people wherever he can.
Generally fairly well put together and professionally dressed. Body language is fairly open more often than not; one-on-one he tends to give off a very distinct I'm Fully Attentive And Listening kind of vibe. Generally does not scar easily -- magic usually has to be involved.
PERSONALITY
✚ compassionate, patient, considerate, calm, efficient, understanding
– inhuman, stubborn, cynical, melancholy, forceful
– inhuman, stubborn, cynical, melancholy, forceful
BACKGROUND
under construction
Out there among everyone else, the deaths live fairly normal lives, blending in as best they can. Their duty is primarily to keep the balance of life and death from getting set off and protect it from anyone attempting to cause problems; but they also tend to help people cross over, soothe ghosts, and do a few other things to help the dead and dying get along on their way well. When they decide they're done with their duty, they fade away, and another death comes into being to take their place. Over two hundred years ago, a death passed on, and Demetrius came through to take their place. So far, he's nowhere close to stepping down. He's moved around, settled himself in different places, taken different jobs, always keeping one eye on the work he's here to do no matter what the more mundane aspects of his life happen to be, but he doesn't feel anywhere near done.
The deaths tend to keep quiet lives to some extent, not drawing immense amounts of attention to themselves, and Demetrius isn't really an exception on that front. He likes working with people, and that's what most of his jobs have been. Stories have always been a passion; teaching became one sometime early in the 20th century, at first unofficially, and then as a profession eventually.
For the last couple of decades he's been settled in place, teaching college classes, quietly guiding anyone he finds touched by the non-human, and otherwise mostly keeping to himself. He likes his life, he likes the world, and he likes being able to do something to make it a little better for people that come his way.
Out there among everyone else, the deaths live fairly normal lives, blending in as best they can. Their duty is primarily to keep the balance of life and death from getting set off and protect it from anyone attempting to cause problems; but they also tend to help people cross over, soothe ghosts, and do a few other things to help the dead and dying get along on their way well. When they decide they're done with their duty, they fade away, and another death comes into being to take their place. Over two hundred years ago, a death passed on, and Demetrius came through to take their place. So far, he's nowhere close to stepping down. He's moved around, settled himself in different places, taken different jobs, always keeping one eye on the work he's here to do no matter what the more mundane aspects of his life happen to be, but he doesn't feel anywhere near done.
The deaths tend to keep quiet lives to some extent, not drawing immense amounts of attention to themselves, and Demetrius isn't really an exception on that front. He likes working with people, and that's what most of his jobs have been. Stories have always been a passion; teaching became one sometime early in the 20th century, at first unofficially, and then as a profession eventually.
For the last couple of decades he's been settled in place, teaching college classes, quietly guiding anyone he finds touched by the non-human, and otherwise mostly keeping to himself. He likes his life, he likes the world, and he likes being able to do something to make it a little better for people that come his way.
ABILITIES
ABILITIES
◾ Sensing death and dying. If somebody has died recently somewhere, or somebody is going to die soon, Demetrius knows about it if he's anywhere near. He can tell the method of death, he can tell how long somebody has left, and he can tell a little of the emotional state the person who's dying is in, or who died was in at the time.
◾ Affecting and sensing spirits. He can see ghosts, speak to them, and at any time touch them himself. He can also, when he chooses to, grant them the ability to be seen, heard, and touched by others while they're near him.
◾ Emotional aura/hypnotism. He can affect emotions either one-on-one or in a kind of area-of-effect situation. One-on-one he can cause much more deep or intense emotions, the emotional surge will last longer, and he can also put them into a kind of hypnotic state. In an area, this effect is much more dispersed, and can be overwritten by particularly strong emotions. Generally, he chooses not to do this except when calming people as part of his job as a psychopomp.
◾ Notice-me-not. If he doesn't want to be seen, normal humans will not notice him -- he can't disappear straight from in front of their eyes, it's not invisibility, but if they get even briefly distracted, he can blend into a crowd. This is a lot more spotty when working on non-humans or people with supernatural abilities of their own, but will generally work if they're not specifically looking for him.
◾ Removing life. He can touch someone or something alive, and instantly drain the life from them. This is a defensive ability that he only uses when he has no other choice, as it causes problems with the balance of life that he's here to help with -- the remaining life-force can't stay with him, so it will affect others around them, and can sometimes even end up draining a little out of others and reallotting it, if they're close enough when he uses it.
◾ Immortality. He will only die when he chooses to pass on his work. He can be damaged quite badly, although he is more durable than a human; but not killed, barring some very specific supernatural rituals.
◾ Affecting and sensing spirits. He can see ghosts, speak to them, and at any time touch them himself. He can also, when he chooses to, grant them the ability to be seen, heard, and touched by others while they're near him.
◾ Emotional aura/hypnotism. He can affect emotions either one-on-one or in a kind of area-of-effect situation. One-on-one he can cause much more deep or intense emotions, the emotional surge will last longer, and he can also put them into a kind of hypnotic state. In an area, this effect is much more dispersed, and can be overwritten by particularly strong emotions. Generally, he chooses not to do this except when calming people as part of his job as a psychopomp.
◾ Notice-me-not. If he doesn't want to be seen, normal humans will not notice him -- he can't disappear straight from in front of their eyes, it's not invisibility, but if they get even briefly distracted, he can blend into a crowd. This is a lot more spotty when working on non-humans or people with supernatural abilities of their own, but will generally work if they're not specifically looking for him.
◾ Removing life. He can touch someone or something alive, and instantly drain the life from them. This is a defensive ability that he only uses when he has no other choice, as it causes problems with the balance of life that he's here to help with -- the remaining life-force can't stay with him, so it will affect others around them, and can sometimes even end up draining a little out of others and reallotting it, if they're close enough when he uses it.
◾ Immortality. He will only die when he chooses to pass on his work. He can be damaged quite badly, although he is more durable than a human; but not killed, barring some very specific supernatural rituals.
WEAKNESSES
◾ Certain things will cause him a lot of distraction, namely either being near a site where a lot of death has happened/is about to happen, and disruptions in the balance of life and death.
◾ Certain supernatural rituals can be done that will harm, trap, or even kill him.
◾ Certain supernatural rituals can be done that will harm, trap, or even kill him.
MISC
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