application for cityofariel

→ OOC
□ Name: Brandon
□ Age: 24
□ Contact: psychologicalpredilection@gmail.com
□ Journal: episodic
□ Do you play anyone in Ariel?: N/A

→ IC
□ Name: Alaric Saltzman
□ Journal: rejuvinates
□ Series: The Vampire Diaries
□ Canon point: 3x8 "Ordinary People"
□ History: HERE.
□ Personality:

On the surface, Alaric Saltzman is an easy-going teacher who wants his kids to succeed, who insists they call him Ric instead of Mr. Saltzman, who gives them chances at extra credit, and who enjoys a glass of bourbon at the end of the day. This isn't an inaccurate description, not really. But, much like Mystic Falls, there's a lot going on under the surface.

Speaking of the surface, Alaric doesn't go to great lengths to hide his feelings. When he is angry, he lets you know, as he has no problem shutting Damon out for killing him (either time). When very down, he turns to alcohol, preferring to wallow in the pain. In a way, alcohol cures all. Alcohol mends friendships, it numbs the pain, and it makes life bearable. While he doesn’t do things like show up to school drunk, an argument could be made that Alaric is a functioning alcoholic on his worst day. Some people eat their feelings, Alaric drinks them. He also drinks for fun. And when it’s Monday. He drinks to dirty shame and he drinks to a well-won battle. When he goes on these binges, he pulls away from everyone completely.

Alaric is also a playful person, having teased Isobel, calling her a hotter Mulder. He's been shown to flirt with both Jenna and Isobel openly. He's not bad at it. In a relationship, he's sweet, conscientious and a gentleman. He can be a dork. He arrived in Mystic Falls as a history teacher and he truly enjoys history calling first hand accounts "porn for a history teacher." He likes to read. He has an intellectual side to him and he’s smarter than he comes off. He has extensive knowledge into Mystic Falls’ past thanks to Isobel’s research. He’s naturally curious and he has a real thirst for knowledge. In "Ordinary People" he pours over the cave paintings. He studies them for days. He takes pictures and by the end of the episode, he’s able to translate them and he uncovers what really happened between Klaus and his mother.

When it comes to specific feelings, he doesn't voice them with just anyone. He’s not one to talk through his problems. He prefers to bottle them up and let them fester. He’ll deal with them on his own. He’ll brood. But, he isn
t about to sit up at night rambling on about his vampire ex(es, now). He did open up to Jenna about his inner pain and past with his ex-wife, Isobel, but only because their relationship was hanging by a thread.

Alaric is a determined person. He dedicated most of his adult life to finding the vampire that he believed killed Isobel. Before she died, he pursued her enough that she filed two restraining orders on him. When he gets an idea in his head, he goes after it. In edition, despite how he can be, he's a pretty hardened person thanks to the loss in his life. He takes time to warm up to people and to fully trust them. He and Damon don't immediately become friends.

Isobel Saltzman was his first love. He felt betrayed and hurt when she returned to town the first time but in a moment of weakness and love, Isobel admitted she felt something for Alaric. She then compelled him to move on.After showing back up and being compelled by Klaus, Isobel revealed that she truly loves (or loved at one time) her ex-husband.

Outside of that, he grew to love and trust Elena’s Aunt Jenna. In fact, it bothered him to have to lie to her. He doesn't like lying to his loved ones. It pains him. He feels guilty, especially when John Gilbert returns to town and blackmails him. Both of his exes were vampires and Alaric has to live with that as well as with losing the both of them.

Alaric has come to be very protective of Elena Gilbert and by proxy, Jeremy. He has become a sort of father figure to them in the wake of Jenna’s death. He really has grown to trust and care for Jeremy and Elena. It's never said out loud but Elena is technically his step-daughter. Even when taking a step back from everything and questioning the idea of even being a role model and parent figure he steps in to help Elena find the AWOL Stefan. He tries to finally be a family with the Gilberts. He moves into their house full time. While, at first he was reluctant, he has taken the job of guardian to heart. When it comes to Elena, he also respects her decision to lie to Jenna. He really sees her as an equal at times. He teaches her to defend herself.

Before that, however, he was worried about being a bad influence and a bad role model. He doesn't blink an eye at attending a party at the Salvatore house with his students. He says that he "says the wrong things and encourages bad behavior." And, up until now he never has been the best surrogate father figure. Elena sneaks out of the house right from under him. But, he does mean well. And he cares. He cares about people and that shows through his actions.

As shown several times, mostly with Damon, Alaric can really hold a grudge. It took most of the first season for Damon to wear down his resolve and for the two of them to form a pseudo-friendship. By season 2, they had reached full-fledged friendship and even respect. However, when Alaric becomes a friend and ally, he’s loyal to the end. Alaric’s friendship with Damon survives Damon killing him twice. At the end of season 2, Damon pushes Alaric to kill him, to get him back for essentially being the one responsible for putting Elena’s aunt Jenna in harm’s way and Alaric can’t bring himself to because Damon is a friend. He offers Damon a drink when he finds out about his lethal werewolf bite. Alaric is one of the only people besides Elena who can talk Damon down or who attempts to stop him from doing something asinine as in the case when he goes after Caroline’s father, Bill Forbes, who had been torturing her. He knows when to not take Damon seriously but he does have his limits. And Damon killing him really pisses Ric off.

Early on in the season, after Stefan disappears on his Klaus roadtrip, what Alaric learns about Stefan’s true "ripper" nature unnerves him. When Stefan returns, his humanity compelled, Alaric helps Elena train to defend herself and even helps her with her plan to tranq and vervain Stefan. But, he’s not afraid of Stefan and he knows deep down Elena is strong enough. She shows that when she doesn't hesitate to stake Stefan in front of him.

□ Age: Early 30's
□ Gender: Male
□ Appearance:

Alaric Saltzman is in his early 30’s. He has a disarming smile and brown hair that defies nature. Seriously, his hair is amazing. He also has hazel eyes. He’s built and well-muscled. Mostly, he prefers collared shirts and his brown or black jackets. He also rocks a scarf now and then. When he relaxes, he wears a t-shirt, usually - seldom v-necks (except when spending hours in the wilderness), because he prefers scoop. He's a boxers over briefs man and yes, that clearly matters.

□ Abilities/Powers:

Alaric has no supernatural-slash-extraordinary powers. He is human. But, he does happen to be in possession of a Gilbert ring. While wearing it, he can’t succumb to a supernatural death (as he’s died three times now in the series.)


Alaric has also taught himself self defense. He's a great shot with a cross bow and a gun. He can craft home-made weapons to fight vampires. He's seen creating stake launchers, vervain and wolfsbane bombs. He also crafts vervain jewelry if need be.

□ Personal Items:

+1 duffel bag containing
- 1 week's worth of vervain in plant form
- 1 stake wrist-launcher, which he will hopefully use sparingly
- 1 blue plaid scarf
- 1 flashlight
- 1 brown jacket
- 2 button downs, (black, blue)
- 1 flask filled with bourbon
- 1 unlit torch
- 1 jar of hair gel

□ First Person Sample:

[ It feels weird to text to an entire city. And as uncomfortable as he is with video, it makes more sense to address everyone that way. He's used to doing the face to face thing. It comes with being a teacher.

When he does address the city, it is on video. ]

High school me? Would've loved this. Fifteen years later I got over the awkward phase and the acne. What do you do here when you're not looking for sexual validation. This whole pleasure all the time thing reminds me of what Woodstock must've been like - with less drugs. It's not that I have trouble with pleasure - with that kind of pleasure - I don't need any assistance or any toys... I'm perfectly capable of pleasuring who I want. But, making it mandatory? Doesn't that make anything less fun? It's like when you're told to clean your room. You don't do it because you were told to but left to your own devices, you eventually clean it. Why not trust us with it? Pleasure's a part of life, right? The id?

□ Third Person Sample:

It wasn't difficult getting the gist of what he thought had happened. It took almost getting hit by a car to realize he wasn't having an extremely vivid dream. Because, when things like 'almost being run over' happen in dreams, he woke up. Of course, his dreams were filled with vampires, regrets and a life that no longer was. His dreams were of promising Duke students, an obsessive wife and lately, a back from the dead girlfriend. A girlfriend who now had fangs. A girlfriend who had shut off all emotion, pushed him away and completely denounced everything they'd had together. Okay, his dreams were a therapist's, well, dream. But, Alaric's therapist happened to be Virginia Gentleman or Bowman's.

To deal with any of this - which had to have been a Lockwood failsafe - he needed to drink. He made sure he still had money in his wallet, his ATM card, and his cell. Weirdly enough, his cell phone was larger. It had a touch screen now and names in his address book he'd never heard of. If there was a failsafe in the caves, some sort of witch's portal that transported anybody who found cave paintings, then he had to give Emily Bennett her props. This was the most elaborate magic he had ever encountered. Bonnie had a thing or two to learn.

And then, something else made sense.

Coma. Vivid dream he couldn't wake up from. A nameless, dirty city that really could've represented his mind. Though, Duke's campus really would have been a lot more fitting. He got it. His punishment for being the human allowed in the Lockwood caves was -- this fever dream. He wondered if he could die or, if he was dying.

And because of the mind he couldn't turn off, he needed to get drunk. Come or not, he didn't want to experience it, sober. The snow really capped off how he'd been feeling. Emotionally, he had been cold at times. His heart was closed for business, that was for sure. And he had to hit himself to even thinking about it like that. Figuratively. He wasn't that cracked. But, he was on his way to being that cracked.

He left the street, crossing an empty parking lot before ducking into a nearby supermarket. He didn't think to check if anybody was at the register. The doors were unlocked. So, he strode past the empty desk, down a bread aisle straight to where they kept the good stuff. Perusing the shelf he contemplated one, no, two bottles. He grabbed two for safe measure. If this was a coma - which he had basically convinced himself it was - then he was going to get blind drunk through it. Damon would save him. Or, he'd get Bonnie to save him. After all, they'd made up. And when Alaric was back, Damon would kill him. But, he would come back because he was Alaric and because he had his ring back.

He glanced down at his ring finger as he looked up and around the empty store. It made sense. His mind was empty. It was the flickering fluorescent above his head. Making his way back, he set the two bottles on the counter.

He waited a few seconds. A few more. He leaned forward, checking to see if he could hear signs of life from the back.

"Hello?"

What, he was going to be polite and pay -- his imagination.

Well, that was what he was telling himself to get through it. Or, maybe he had still convinced himself. Lines were blurring and he was beginning to get impatient. He moved around the desk to double check that the office behind was indeed empty.

And it was.

"Great," he said, peering inside the empty office. "I've gone completely insane."

[ taken from HERE at betenoire_rp ]