i guess you're just what i needed, i needed someone to bleed

[brushoff]

WHO: Dorian Gray & you!
WHERE: all over!
WHEN: anytime! I've put up multiple options for during the pull-point plot (come bother 1880s Dorian who just sold his soul) and after the pull-point plot (come bother present day Dorian who's the asshole you know and love)
WHAT: it's a catch-all log! I'm gonna put up some starters, but there are others for you to tag into as well. bother the hell out of the shitty immortal—and drop me a line @allikateor if none of these prompts work for you.
WARNINGS: Vomit, blood, body horror. Gore, violence, even more blood, and just blatant NBC Hannibal warnings also.

PULL POINT 1: MAURTIA FALLS, THEY SEE ME ROLLIN
[ Eventually Dorian will learn how to drive his hovervespa. Today is not that day. But hell, why not? Dorian knows that something odd is going on because he's found a wallet with a license baring his face and a set of keys that fit perfectly into the hovervespa in the parking lot. And, as he sits down, flicks the ignition on and revs the engine, there's a small part of Dorian's mind that just snaps to work. Muscle memory and simple routine kick in as Dorian pulls out of the parking lot, using skills that he didn't know he possessed.

Unfortunately, simple routine can only go so far. And when Dorian's on the streets of Maurtia Falls...well, that's where the problems come in. He almost runs over a few people, he jerks to sudden stops, he even falls off the vespa one time (thankfully getting up with enough dignity to make it seem like no big deal—and it isn't, the most wounded thing is his pride.) He knows that people are staring at him: though whether it's because of his semi-incompetence at driving, his sheer beauty, or the fact that his wardrobe is 2016 desperately tries to do 1882, he's not entirely sure of. Still, Dorian holds his head high and continues driving along, taking in the attention.

That is, until he cuts a corner too close and dings a newspaper dispenser. Whoops. ]

PULL POINT 2: HEROPA, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY
[ Heropa public library. Somebody's managed to twig him on the whole 'Oscar Wilde' thing and now Dorian's browsing the shelves of the library. He's not a very good patron, getting in people's way more often than not, and is quite a bit put out that the library doesn't have the actual book he wants: The Picture of Dorian Gray. (Of course, Dorian's actually got a copy of the book himself but who knows where on Earth it is in his cramped and messy room.) Still, he's managed to find something else. Dorian's curled up in one of the library chairs, absolutely engrossed in a copy of 'The Importance of Being Earnest.' ]

PULL POINT 3: DE CHIMA, FUTURE YOU IS A TERRIBLE PERSON, brief talk of body horror & vomiting in prompt
[ He was going to find out about the portrait eventually. There were too many signs: a key to a safety deposit box that he didn't know he owned, an overactive barista who mentioned the portrait when he picked up his coffee, the address of a bank outside of De Chima written on a sticky note stuck to his dresser, the phone number for a certain employee entered into his phone (which he was getting better and better at the more he used.) He was bound and determined to not to get lost this time so, once he Ported into De Chima, he took a taxi to the bank, a bank just outside the De Chima city limits. And there? He saw his portrait.

The thing about this was that while Dorian didn't remember what he had done both here and at home, that didn't change the fact that he had done it. Those memories lay buried under the surface, just waiting to spring up at the right provocation. His actions remained. Ergo, the portrait remained as hideous as it was. So Dorian Gray, currently believing himself to be a relatively innocent twenty-something, was confronted with the horrors that a hundred and fifty year old Dorian Gray enacted and the sins he took on, as he looked upon his portrait. It was the portrait of practically a desiccated corpse, someone so old and so rotted, burned flesh visible underneath the rot, hair falling off in clumps, eyes sallow with pure hatred, blood caked under cracked fingernails, mouth turned up into a disgusting sneer. And yet it was him. He knew it was him.

Dorian manages to keep his composure together for most of the cab ride back to the Porter. But, after he pays off the cabbie, the sheer horror of what he had seen, what he implicitly knew he had become hits him like a ton of bricks. It's sickening, both mentally and, as he's soon to find out, physically.

Welcome to De Chima, imPorts from another city, enjoy the scenic sight of Dorian Gray vomiting into the bushes from sheer disgust. ]

———

NORMAL AGE 1: MAURTIA FALLS, CREOLE LADY MARMALADE
[ Dorian has not been very good at showing up to his job. And the patience of the poor Moolah Rouge owner can only go so far. As such, he's been bartending at the burlesque more so than usual, with some bizarre shifts. Sometimes he's there in the early afternoon, sometimes he's there until the early hours of the morning, this is Dorian Gray taking the bitch shifts and trying to rebuild up the goodwill with his manager.

Of course, there's nothing that says he can't have a little fun while doing so.

The Moolah Rouge is a burlesque. Perhaps you're here to actually see the girls, perhaps you're here because you're looking for Elsa Brandt, perhaps you're here because you're just lost, or perhaps you're here because you're one of the many people who Dorian texted with the equivalent of 'work's slow, keep me company and I'll buy you a drink.' No matter what, Dorian's at the bar, currently wiping down a sticky spill. Looking up at whoever enters, he fixes them with a borderline devilish grin and asks, ]

Got a particular poison in mind?

NORMAL AGE 2: NONAH, ALL THE SINGLE LADIES
[ Dorian Gray is very pretty. As such, he occasionally stops by Nonah, one of the more imPort friendly cities, just to walk around and look pretty and see if his prettiness manages to pick up any bites with regards to modeling offers, product endorsements, things like that. He managed to pick up a little on the side with regards to an advertising gig a few months ago, look at him shill that vitamin water.

But no, today he's in Nonah for a completely different reason. A reason that he knows he doesn't want to happen in Maurtia Falls because, as much as he adores the town, this is something that he needs to do outside of his home base. So, he's in Nonah! Armed with a series of addresses and a list of stores and...has completely managed to get himself turned around. Huh. Probably should visit Nonah more often.

So there's Dorian Gray, standing in the middle of a Nonah sidewalk, blocking everybody's way and just yelling at Google. Old man yells at smartphone? ] No, I said Albertson's Jewelers not- [ "recalculating distance" ] -oh for fuck's sake.

NORMAL AGE 3: HEROPA, PLAY FREE BIRD
[ Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna watch Dorian be that douchebag and practice guitar in the park. What with his...everything, music practice and his band has fallen by the wayside. Dorian likes being important. Bands make people important. Bands with record contracts make people even MORE important. And, now that he's decided the best way to deal with Lucifer is to just keep pretending like everything's normal and no sirree, nothing weird happened back home, please don't ask how he got his soul back and just keep on supporting Dorian Gray and the Hedonists, this means that music practice needs to get back on track.

So, Dorian's sitting underneath a tree in a park, playing his guitar and singing. Thankfully everybody's spared Oasis and, instead Dorian's decided to serenade the park with a lovely selection by The Cars. ]

Comments

post pull-point, for Matthew Lynch

[brushoff]

[ So fun fact. Dorian Gray? Used to be a supervillain. It was for about two months last summer, mostly because he really wanted stuff and he really wanted money and slapping on a mask and acting as a bullet sponge seemed like a damn good idea at the time. And it was a good idea! It looked like it was a damn better idea than the idea that brought him into the office now: Dorian Gray also used to work for corrupt cops, again as a half-assed attempt for muscle, and one of those corrupt cops just got publicly arrested for embezzling funds...during the period where Dorian worked under his employ. Shit.

Naturally, Dorian doesn't want to be dragged into any sort of court proceedings. He's getting his life together, he's in a good place, he does not want to be dragged into a trial of any sort. So, one afternoon, he calls up the lawyer that's handling the case, has a meeting, and tries to strike a deal where he'll provide information but can keep his name out of the papers and out of the court testimony as much as possible. The deal ends with something close to success, though Dorian knows he'll have to come back again later simply to notarize papers and sign forms and things like that.

He doesn't expect to find the littlest Lynch in the office as he gets out of his meeting, doing whatever sort of intern grunt work he's doing. As such, Dorian's taken aback for a brief moment, frowning at Matthew with simple confusion in his eyes. ] What the hell are you doing here?

[dreamkid]

[ What does Matthew do here? Matthew mostly does a lot of prepping and filing paperwork. He does not do it terribly well, because he is easily distracted and prior to this job had no legal experience beyond getting kicked out of his home by lawyers following the brutal murder of his father, but that doesn't really matter, because he tries his best at all times and has managed to indeliberately yet thoroughly charm everyone in his office. As one does when one is Matthew Lynch. In fact he is quite cheerfully finishing up a conversation with an associate when he hears the voice, turns to look, and--

Oh. Dorian Grey.

His smile sort of slips away. Matthew has not forgotten about their first encounter. He has not forgotten about Dorian's allusions, deliberate or otherwise, to the afore-mentioned brutal murder of Matthew's father. ]

Oh. I work here.

[ He's holding some papers--brought out to him from Dorian's own meeting, actually, though he hasn't made the appropriate copies yet--and shuffles them, somewhat nervously, into a neater stack.

Don't forget to mention the tire irons. ]

What are you doing here?

[brushoff]

Meeting with a lawyer, obviously, [ he remarks, still a bit off his game, confused by the fact that of all the law offices in all of America, he runs into the one where one of the Aglionby boys is working—even if he's just Aglionby by proxy.

That confusion lasts for a hot second before Dorian gets back on his game, putting his hands in his pockets and looking down at Matthew with practiced nonchalance, he wasn't caught off his game for a little bit, no way jose, he's perfectly fine and he's got this. ]

Really, why else would I be at a law office? Try to keep up, little Lynch.

[dreamkid]

My name's Matthew, Matthew Lynch.

[ As always, there is zero percent sass here; this is said as a genuine reminder, in case Dorian never realized or just forgot what his first name is. (Matthew's first mistake probably: assuming that Dorian cares.) ]

There are lots of reasons somebody might need to meet with a lawyer.

[ He just sort of blurts that out, because he, too, is thrown off by this encounter, but once the words are out of his mouth he actually has to think about them. He does not really like Dorian. Dorian is a bully, and even after Gansey's assurances that he's essentially harmless, Matthew can't help but feel uneasy around him.

Which is not to say that he relishes the idea of Dorian having or being in some kind of trouble, which seems to be what usually drives people into Matthew's place of work. ]

Did you get everything... sorted out?

[ Are you going to make him regret asking about it? ]

[brushoff]

[ Dorian does not care in the slightest, sorry homeboy.

And as Matthew mentions the many reasons why somebody might need to see a lawyer, Dorian just fixes him with a frown. Careful, buddy. Still, he's not going to tell him the full story. For one, it involves way too much context than Dorian's willing to get into—they'll be here all afternoon if he gets into the nitty gritty details of that one time he pissed off every superhero in Maurtia Falls for two months. Besides, he's sure that Matthew's mind will conjure up some appropriately fitting details.

Unless, of course, he just reads the paperwork. But could this kid really have the potential to do something even the slightest bit amoral? Time to find out. ]

Everything did. Well, it mostly got sorted out. You'll see me again in a week or so after some paperwork goes through but other than that? Everything's perfectly fine.

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew was not actually trying to be nosy about the details. Usually when he's curious about something, he will come right out and ask, not clever enough to come up with any other way of getting the information. (There are rare exceptions to this rule. The current situation is not one of them.) ]

Okay. Well-- [ He nods. ] That's good.

[ He turns his attention down to the paperwork in his arms, mostly to avoid looking at Dorian--but then he notices something, and snaps his eyes back up right away, trying and failing utterly to appear normal and not like he's been caught with something he maybe shouldn't have.

Nope. This isn't at all uncomfortable. ]

[brushoff]

[ TOO LATE, Dorian notices that 'wow I am looking at anything but the paperwork' expression and manages to (hopefully) put two and two together. Matthew is not looking at the paperwork, ergo the paperwork must be interesting, ergo Dorian wants to read it. ]

Oooh, is that mine?

[ That bit about Dorian being a bully is going to come in full force right here, as he just straight up attempts to swipe the top two pages off of Matthew's stack. ]

[dreamkid]

[ Well, this is interesting. Matthew panics a bit, you see. If Dorian takes the papers away then he can't finish his job, which is bad. And he doesn't actually know Dorian well enough to be sure he won't get angry about Matthew--whom he clearly does not like??--having access to his legal paperwork.

He doesn't want Dorian getting mad. He doesn't particularly want to be alone in this hallway with the man.

So there's a very strange moment when Dorian is reaching out to grab the papers and then suddenly he's not, because suddenly he's reaching out into thin air instead, six inches to the right of his original target. He would feel like somebody pushed his arm away, except by all appearances no such thing actually happened.

Matthew takes an abrupt step back, holding the papers to his chest and giving Dorian an entirely new kind of wide-eyed look, flustered and confused. ]

I-- just have to copy them. They don't usually have me read anything.

[ Keep talking like Dorian's hand-eye coordination didn't totally just freak out, there. Because that's what happened, right? ]

I mean, I definitely won't read them.

[brushoff]

[ Now that was weird. Dorian knew he was reaching for the paper. And yet, it felt like something pushed his hand away, despite the fact that both of Matthew's hands were still holding the papers. Maybe a power? It honestly made sense if it was a power, that's the sort of nonsense Dorian's ready to expect with this world.

He can't help but fix Matthew with a confused expression of his own, which shifts to calculating. Matthew's confused. So, whatever happened, he didn't know it was going to happen. Which means that naturally, Dorian needs to make it happen again. ]

Good! I, on the other hand, have no problem with reading legal documents.

[ Second verse, same as the first, he takes a few steps closer towards Matthew and again attempts to wrest the papers from him. ]

[dreamkid]

[ Oh. Oh no. Matthew Does Not Want. This is definitely going to get him in trouble somehow, either with his boss, or with Dorian Gray. He's not entirely sure which is worse.

It's also just... very far off from the way people typically treat him; he has no clue what to do. He stumbles back again and shoots a wild look down the hall behind him, desperately clutching the papers. ]

I can't-- It's not ethical!

[ That is the cry of a bewildered paralegal intern, right there. One who despite his best efforts still only has a weak grasp of the ethical complexities of the law--but it sounds kind of legit? JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE, DORIAN, PLEASE.

Anyway, it would seem that the first accidental use of his power acted as something of a jump-start for him, because now it happens again. Except this time it happens when Dorian tries to take another step, and his feet don't really go where he intends them to go, and... Well. ]

[brushoff]

[ Dorian's about to respond with something like 'ethics, schmethics'...but then his foot slides out from underneath him (as he feels that same pushing feeling again)...and then he just falls flat on his face in the middle of the hallway, landing with a THUD.

Ouch.....

Well, that at least confirms his suspicions. Dorian gets to his feet, rubbing his nose slightly because again, ouch, as he looks at Matthew, regarding him in a new, more critical light. He's trying to regain his dignity but again, fell on his face in front of the fifteen year old, not entirely a dignified move. ]

So, what was that? Body manipulation or some form of psychic ability?

[ Because it certainly was something. He didn't fall on his face on purpose, after all. ]

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew, meanwhile, looks a bit horrified, one of his hands clapped over his mouth. He didn't actually do that, did he? Dorian needn't be worried about his dignity, because Matthew is far, far too concerned with not getting in trouble to find any humor in the faceplanting that just happened in front of him.

He shakes his head urgently and drops his hand enough to speak. ]

I don't know. I didn't do anything! [ Except he's not 100% sure about that. He doesn't want to be a liar, even by accident, so he hastily amends the statement. ] At least, I didn't mean to do anything.

[ Wait, this doesn't make any sense. ]

My power is something different. It couldn't have been that.

[ What do you mean, people can have more than one? ]

[brushoff]

[ Good Lord he is just so jumpy and worried. Dorian's a bit grateful that Matthew didn't laugh at him but also a bit worried because slow down kid, stop freaking out.

He's just gonna have to explain to this kid the rules of powers plural, isn't he. Dorian frowns slightly, looking over at Matthew as he says, in a tone that's pure 'well duh' ]

People can have multiple powers, you know—and they don't have to be related to each other to begin with. I know someone who can heal people but she also glows, as well as someone who can create a shadow creation as fix broken china. [ Will still had that power, right? Dorian's got a vague memory of that being a thing but he's not entirely sure if Will still has it or not. But also, because he's curious... ]

What's your other power, by the way?

[dreamkid]

[ Holy cow, Dorian's right. Lucy has had multiple powers this whole time. Matthew just thought he'd figured out his one new ability and that was the end of it!

But he does calm down, a little. It seems that Dorian is not getting angry about the fact that Matthew--apparently--tripped him onto the floor with some kind of superpower. He lowers his hand completely, folding his arm around the paperwork again. ]

You know Lucy, too?

[ That's what grabs his attention first. She's the only person Matthew knows who can glow and heal people. The shadow creature thing sounds like Will's wildly cool stag, but Matthew's only met him one time and has no idea if he can fix broken china, too.

Belatedly, and with some hesitation--but also strikingly innocent honesty--he answers the question. ]

I can tell when people are lying.

[brushoff]

We've met.

[ Dorian and Lucy get along awfully. They've met, he's talked to her, and it's just ended up in tears and yelling and occasionally blood every time. He's not going to give Matthew any details, it's just nope. They've met.

But at the statement about lying, Dorian can't help but raise an eyebrow, obviously interested, before he continues talking. ]

Now that's useful. I met someone back home who could do the same thing—a lovely hematologist in Iceland.

[ He is lying his ass off. The person Dorian met in Iceland turned out to be a werewolf, not someone who could tell when people were lying. He just wants to see if Matthew's going to pick up on that. ]

[dreamkid]

[ Good thing Matthew doesn't know any of that about Dorian and Lucy because, surprise surprise, he adores her.

He frowns, opens his mouth for a second and then-- ]

That didn't happen.

[ He's not sure which parts specifically aren't true, but at least a portion of that story is fictional. Yet it still takes him a second or two to figure out why Dorian might have said it at all. Matthew is not very quick on the uptake. ]

Hey. I'm not making it up. That's really my power.

[ He's a good Catholic kid, Dorian. He doesn't tell lies! ... Except for when he has to, because his family is a giant knot of weird secrets, but then he's really bad at it anyway, and you'd know. ]

[brushoff]

[ Dorian just can't help but laugh as Matthew goes from frowning to accusatory. Oh he really isn't quick on the uptake, Ronan must have gotten anything resembling brains in this family. ]

I simply wanted to make sure!

[ And, he wanted to tease Matthew a bit just because it's fun to tease him. Still grinning slightly, he's visibly more relaxed now, looking over Matthew. ]

I can help you test that other power of yours, if you want—the one you used on me. Obviously not here, you've got papers to file or whatever, but perhaps some other time?

[ because won't it just grind Ronan and Adam's GEARS if he's at least offering to be nice and helpful to Matthew. ]

[dreamkid]

[ This is weird, because Dorian is acting a lot more like people usually do around Matthew. Which is to say, nice.

Which is to say, that while Matthew does manage to hold on to a rice-sized grain of caution, the offer stirs up a good deal of his far more characteristic curiosity. He leans in a bit, his guard slipping. ]

How would you help me test it? I don't know how I did it, or even what it is.

[ (This is what happens when one fails to read one's file.)

But it's sinking in that he has another power, and he can't help but want to learn more about this new thing. He's genuinely eager to know how Dorian thinks he could help, and not very good at hiding that eagerness. ]

[brushoff]

[ Dorian's still smiling, but...it's got a bit of a nasty tinge now. ]

Well, your power appeared when I tried to yank something from you that you didn't want me to. So obviously, it involves you. What I propose is I keep trying to yank objects from you and attempt to push you around a bit—all in the name of discovery, of course! Then, we'll see what happens.

[ at least in Dorian's mind, it makes sense. Matthew's power is apparently some sort of defensive power, what's needed is to put him in a situation where he needs to defend himself from something. ]

[dreamkid]

[ Well. That didn't last long, did it?

Matthew's round eyes are attempting to discern if Dorian is serious or not. He looks-- not as eager anymore. ]

Oh. You don't think there might be like a different way?

[ He can't imagine Ronan being too pleased if he were to find out that his younger brother volunteered to let somebody bully him in the name of "discovery". Also Matthew himself doesn't really relish the idea of getting pushed around for science, or any other reason. ]

[brushoff]

[ He is 100% serious and also 100% suggesting this to be a shitheel. ]

Both of those two situations were reactive. It's only logical you place yourself in more reactive situations to figure out what your limits are.

[ There's nothing wrong with getting pushed around for science, after all. Live it up! ]

[dreamkid]

[ Dorian, you're like the big kid on the playground trying to convince the little kids to do something stupid so you can laugh at them. Matthew has been warned about people like you! ]

I guess, maybe...

[ Even if it really would help, he's not into the idea at all, but he can't figure out how to flat out turn Dorian down without being rude. ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H5uWRjFsGc

[brushoff]

[ Do it, do it, do it, do it. ]

If it's me you're worried about, you don't have to be. I'm immortal—it'll take more than falling flat on my face to stop me.

He doesn't want to knock anybody down, pal!

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew's attentions jumps like a particularly smooth stone thrown just the right way at a pond, and anything he had to say about the prior topic gets snatched from his thoughts. ]

Hang on, you're immortal?

[ There's that sort of stupid, dumbfounded look on his face again. ]

[brushoff]

Uh, yeah? [ said as if it's the most obvious thing ever. Of course he's immortal, did Matthew think he wasn't immortal? Why did he think that in the first place? Still a bit confused, Dorian continues. ]

I'm over a hundred years old.