Background
May. 29th, 2014 08:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tarnishedbadge•CHARACTER NAME: Leviticus (Levi) Astor III
•CHARACTER AGE: 29
•BACKGROUND & HISTORY: The Astors consider themselves "old money" in Siren Cove, although they're not as wealthy and influential as they would like to believe they are, hovering around upper class, but only because Levi's mother, who died shortly after he was born, left much of her 'new money' fortune to the Astors. They are, however, one of the oldest families in Siren Cove with a long history of being involved politically and being activists within the local government. They are almost all lawyers, politicians, or judges with a track record of animosity toward the more magical denizens of the city. Levi's father, Astor Jr., is one of those judges and had every intention that when he sent his son off to college and later law school, Levi would follow in his footsteps. When Levi returned though, he surprised and enraged his father when he chose instead to enter law enforcement.
Because Levi has a secret that not even his family knows. Levi is a witch with the ability to read minds, or at least he could if he wanted to develop his talents. As a child, Levi suffered from debilitating headaches at times, accompanied by the sound of voices. His family quickly and quietly got Levi on medication that seemed to relieve the headaches and eventually caused most of the voices to go away.
As Levi grew older he began to realize that the voices were actually the thoughts of others, that if thoughts and emotions were strong enough he could hear what people were thinking. The only price to pay was excruciating headaches and the occasional bloody nose. Knowing what his family would think if he told them, Levi kept his ability a secret. He managed to live a relatively normal life, enjoying the normal things that Siren Cove had to offer to a boy growing up there, including the love of surfing and a spot on the rowing team. By the time he was ready to go off to college Levi's mind had developed a defense mechanism that prevented him from casually reading the thoughts of others and his body developed an addiction to the pain killers that made the headaches manageable.
Once in college and later law school, Levi realized just how toxic his family was. His exposure to the outside world and the knowledge that his family would hate him if they knew what he was gave him a new perspective on things. While obtaining his degree in Criminal Law, Levi made the decision that once he graduated he was going to make sure that people like himself were protected from people like his father. To his mind the best way to do that while also screwing over his father was by becoming a police officer.
At college Levi perfected how to be relatively functional despite his addiction. While he had a prescription to help with his childhood headaches, the older Levi got the worse the headaches became, or maybe it was just his body's addiction that was feeding them now. Either way, he managed to get through college with everyone none the wiser to the extent of his growing addiction.
Returning to Siren Call after graduation, Levi promptly rented a small house on the beach and joined the police force, much to the outrage of his father. He quickly distinguished himself as a hard worker and having a particular knack for dealing with especially aggressive or explosive witnesses. It wasn't long before he was promoted to detective, earning a reputation for being especially effective at interrogation.
Outwardly his family seems to support him, never wanting to give off the impression that they were anything other than a happy, completely functional family. Behind the scenes, however, Levi is shunned by his father and step-mother while his two younger siblings, a brother who is the shining example of everything Levi is not, and a sister who is being squashed under the oppressive thumb of their father, have little to do with him outside of social functions.
•PERSONALITY: Like many high functioning addicts, Levi is good at being whatever he needs to be in order to fit in with whoever he's around. Despite being raised in a household that does its very best to appear proper and part of high society he can easily fit in with his more blue collared coworkers. Having lived so much of his life as a lie presented to both the public and his family, Levi isn't quite sure who he really is. The two things that he thinks of when he thinks about himself are his addiction and his ability, neither which he admits to anyone else or is proud of. He's trying hard to change that though, wanting his job to be what defines him instead of his weaknesses.
Most people that come into contact with Levi find him rather friendly and understanding, always willing to listen to both sides of the story. Despite his friendliness there's a sense of Levi being a very private person. While he'll show up at a party or gathering he rarely initiates anything and most of his free time is spent alone.
He finds it much easier to hide his ability and addiction in solitude, opting for the quiet of his beach house to most activities, although he understands all too well how important it is to keep up appearances. While he might want long term companionship, the risk of revealing his addiction or his ability to a long term partner is something that keeps him from pursuing a serious relationship.
Warring with his desire to be alone is his need for approval from others. Being a constant disappointment to his father Levi craves approval. It's part of why, along with a desire for justice and something of a death wish, he pushes himself so hard at his job, often taking unnecessary risks in the hopes of being seen as heroic.
Levi isn't sure who he is yet but he hopes that it's someone that others approve of.
•OPINION OF THE RIVALRY: Growing up with a family that was very much in bed with the Thornton way of thinking, Levi knows how wrong they are but does his best to be fair to everyone. He believes that it's the actions of someone that should count, nothing else.
•LIFESTYLE: Levi lives in a small house on the beach, purchased with his trust fund bequeathed to him by his mother and his modest salary as a police detective. He enjoys rowing and surfing to most activities but he's not above partying or clubbing so that people don't think he's a recluse.
•HUMAN, WITCH, OR SIREN: Witch. Levi has the ability to read the thoughts of others. Lacking any training though, it's very difficult for him to do so and causes him a lot of pain when he tries to do it. His mind has also developed mental blocks to keep him from hearing random voices. Levi can't hear anyone's thoughts unless they're overly emotional or rather "loud" thoughts unless he pushes himself and even then he can only hear surface thoughts. With training he could do more but that's unlikely to ever happen.
•PLAYED BY: Ryan Reynolds
•CHARACTER AGE: 29
•BACKGROUND & HISTORY: The Astors consider themselves "old money" in Siren Cove, although they're not as wealthy and influential as they would like to believe they are, hovering around upper class, but only because Levi's mother, who died shortly after he was born, left much of her 'new money' fortune to the Astors. They are, however, one of the oldest families in Siren Cove with a long history of being involved politically and being activists within the local government. They are almost all lawyers, politicians, or judges with a track record of animosity toward the more magical denizens of the city. Levi's father, Astor Jr., is one of those judges and had every intention that when he sent his son off to college and later law school, Levi would follow in his footsteps. When Levi returned though, he surprised and enraged his father when he chose instead to enter law enforcement.
Because Levi has a secret that not even his family knows. Levi is a witch with the ability to read minds, or at least he could if he wanted to develop his talents. As a child, Levi suffered from debilitating headaches at times, accompanied by the sound of voices. His family quickly and quietly got Levi on medication that seemed to relieve the headaches and eventually caused most of the voices to go away.
As Levi grew older he began to realize that the voices were actually the thoughts of others, that if thoughts and emotions were strong enough he could hear what people were thinking. The only price to pay was excruciating headaches and the occasional bloody nose. Knowing what his family would think if he told them, Levi kept his ability a secret. He managed to live a relatively normal life, enjoying the normal things that Siren Cove had to offer to a boy growing up there, including the love of surfing and a spot on the rowing team. By the time he was ready to go off to college Levi's mind had developed a defense mechanism that prevented him from casually reading the thoughts of others and his body developed an addiction to the pain killers that made the headaches manageable.
Once in college and later law school, Levi realized just how toxic his family was. His exposure to the outside world and the knowledge that his family would hate him if they knew what he was gave him a new perspective on things. While obtaining his degree in Criminal Law, Levi made the decision that once he graduated he was going to make sure that people like himself were protected from people like his father. To his mind the best way to do that while also screwing over his father was by becoming a police officer.
At college Levi perfected how to be relatively functional despite his addiction. While he had a prescription to help with his childhood headaches, the older Levi got the worse the headaches became, or maybe it was just his body's addiction that was feeding them now. Either way, he managed to get through college with everyone none the wiser to the extent of his growing addiction.
Returning to Siren Call after graduation, Levi promptly rented a small house on the beach and joined the police force, much to the outrage of his father. He quickly distinguished himself as a hard worker and having a particular knack for dealing with especially aggressive or explosive witnesses. It wasn't long before he was promoted to detective, earning a reputation for being especially effective at interrogation.
Outwardly his family seems to support him, never wanting to give off the impression that they were anything other than a happy, completely functional family. Behind the scenes, however, Levi is shunned by his father and step-mother while his two younger siblings, a brother who is the shining example of everything Levi is not, and a sister who is being squashed under the oppressive thumb of their father, have little to do with him outside of social functions.
•PERSONALITY: Like many high functioning addicts, Levi is good at being whatever he needs to be in order to fit in with whoever he's around. Despite being raised in a household that does its very best to appear proper and part of high society he can easily fit in with his more blue collared coworkers. Having lived so much of his life as a lie presented to both the public and his family, Levi isn't quite sure who he really is. The two things that he thinks of when he thinks about himself are his addiction and his ability, neither which he admits to anyone else or is proud of. He's trying hard to change that though, wanting his job to be what defines him instead of his weaknesses.
Most people that come into contact with Levi find him rather friendly and understanding, always willing to listen to both sides of the story. Despite his friendliness there's a sense of Levi being a very private person. While he'll show up at a party or gathering he rarely initiates anything and most of his free time is spent alone.
He finds it much easier to hide his ability and addiction in solitude, opting for the quiet of his beach house to most activities, although he understands all too well how important it is to keep up appearances. While he might want long term companionship, the risk of revealing his addiction or his ability to a long term partner is something that keeps him from pursuing a serious relationship.
Warring with his desire to be alone is his need for approval from others. Being a constant disappointment to his father Levi craves approval. It's part of why, along with a desire for justice and something of a death wish, he pushes himself so hard at his job, often taking unnecessary risks in the hopes of being seen as heroic.
Levi isn't sure who he is yet but he hopes that it's someone that others approve of.
•OPINION OF THE RIVALRY: Growing up with a family that was very much in bed with the Thornton way of thinking, Levi knows how wrong they are but does his best to be fair to everyone. He believes that it's the actions of someone that should count, nothing else.
•LIFESTYLE: Levi lives in a small house on the beach, purchased with his trust fund bequeathed to him by his mother and his modest salary as a police detective. He enjoys rowing and surfing to most activities but he's not above partying or clubbing so that people don't think he's a recluse.
•HUMAN, WITCH, OR SIREN: Witch. Levi has the ability to read the thoughts of others. Lacking any training though, it's very difficult for him to do so and causes him a lot of pain when he tries to do it. His mind has also developed mental blocks to keep him from hearing random voices. Levi can't hear anyone's thoughts unless they're overly emotional or rather "loud" thoughts unless he pushes himself and even then he can only hear surface thoughts. With training he could do more but that's unlikely to ever happen.
•PLAYED BY: Ryan Reynolds
