Post by ELIJAH HENRY MERRILL on Jun 5, 2011 3:09:01 GMT -5
There was a time, centuries ago, when there was no Elijah Merrill. And according to him, that time must have really sucked.
Meet Elijah Merrill, a generally roguish vampire with a large penchant for appearing more useless than he actually is. Born around the Victorian era to a generally high class family, he was the youngest (and illegitimate) son of a retired navy officer and a promiscuous Parisian fashion designer, whose personality he has certainly absorbed and warped to suit his seemingly childish ideals. Growing up, he was the centre of much attention that came from both his father (who adored his "blue-eyed little Eli") and his mother, who spent years dragging him to various locations on both her own salary and the money his father sent in order to give him a "proper living - and no, Cecile, dressing out son in a dress is not cut." Getting alone with his half-siblings fairly well, Elijah grew up to be a charming youth with a permanent grin on his face and a love for all things gorgeous (including himself - hey, he's no strange to his looks).
His "conversion" to vampirism happened when he was twenty-one, drunk, and simultaneously stupid, having been out celebrating (a synonym for "let's-use-my-sister's-engagement-party-as-an-excuse-to-get-really-off-it, whoo!"). After the change (or rather, after waking up craving blood in an alleyway), Elijah adjusted fairly well to his new lifestyle, making up some terrible excuse to "travel the world" whilst he packed up his immediate concerns (money) and crossed the ocean to America, where he has been ever since.
Like most vampires, Elijah cannot be exposed to harsh and direct sunlight, and Christian objects wound him, that having Protestant before turning. He loves the concept of the "Fascination" ability (or Compulsion, as some call it), though he is generally pants as using it, as he is so easily distracted. He is also incredibly fast (as well as strong, but he prefers the former ability over that), and very proud of the fact that he can now successfully retract his fangs.
Notoriously single-minded when focusing on something he deems to be important, Elijah is nevertheless extremely easy-going, having no qualms about striking up a conversation with the odd stranger that passes in the busy night. He likes to laugh, and sometimes he finds mundane things fascinating, often remarking on how much fun his childhood would have been if they'd had stuff like the "horseless carriage". He can be stubborn, but can and will happily adapt to things if he somehow manages to realize how stupid and petty he is being over something. He is generally a curious, relatively carefree sort; however, he can also be serious and decisive when needed, and sometimes lapses into thoughtful moods.
He doesn't care for Shadowhunters, being rather uncomfortable around them, but he also doesn't actively rally against them, and will occasionally speak to one if needed.
A lot of the Downworlders don't care for him, believing he doesn't take things seriously enough (which, in all fairness, he does not), but he has somehow managed to not get on the bad side of Nikolai Belanov, a warlock whose home he enjoys cowering in when the sun is up (on occasions).