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[neclectus]

OUT of CHARACTER
Name: Rose
Other characters: Dr. John Watson

IN CHARACTER
Name: Timaeus Nadir
Fandom: OC
Canon point/AU: N/A
Journal: neclectus
PB: Siddig El Fadil

History:

Timaeus was born into privilege. After years of hard work and dedication, his father Leander had built a successful business providing the immensely wealthy with luxury yachts, marketed as highly desirable status symbols. The company successfully beat out all competition through shrewd positioning, helped in no small part by a shrewd marriage, too- Leander chose for his wife the daughter of his ageing business rival, secure in the knowledge that eventually he would inherit the entirety of the market- which he did, when the old man retired later that year. Although almost entirely loveless the marriage was strangely successful, each partner providing the other with what they wanted. He wanted a wife and the entire market share, she wanted a husband and a credit line. Eventually, she wanted a child, too- and Leander provided.

During his childhood, Timaeus wanted for nothing with the perhaps notable exception of genuine affection. His father was largely absent, spending his time developing the business, and while Timaeus was doted on by his thin, birdlike mother and carted around the capitol like a particularly beloved accessory when it suited her, he was soon forgotten once they returned home and left to the tender care of all his gadgets and toys. An only child and mostly friendless, the young Timaeus associated primarily with adult friends of his mother, occasionally their children and members of the extended family. Weekends when his father was home and special holidays where they would go out on extravagant yachts for parties were the joys of his life- and the once a year celebration surrounding the Hunger Games, the highlight. There was nothing more captivating than watching the Games. He rooted desperately for his favourites and cried when they were eliminated- but the euphoria of watching his favourite tribute win against all odds was a high he never forgot.

His first experience sponsoring was some time later, when he was in his late teens. The older he became, the more interested his father seemed to be in him and his future, eventually setting him up with a position in the family business. Timaeus helped oversee the construction of an opulent party yacht to be based in the Capitol on the lake, a venue for equally opulent celebrations- not least of which was to be a Games viewing party. It was here, encouraged by his mother and some slightly older friends who had been sponsoring for some time, that he began sending gifts to his favoured tributes. At last, he could influence the outcome of the action. He could give a tribute the edge they needed to survive, and the connection felt incredible.

When Timaeus was 21, his father provided him with a spacious apartment and promoted him to junior partner. The business was going well, though as he aged and matured Timaeus began to become aware of certain oversights his father was making. He suggested they begin to branch out to open up new markets but was shut down repeatedly, often dismissively. Depressed, angry and frustrated, Timaeus began to spend less time actively working on developing the company and more time indulging himself- spending wildly, dating inappropriately, losing himself in the pageantry of the Games whenever they rolled around and, on the rare occasion his favourite won, lavishing them with gifts and seeking their company, relishing what evidence of gratitude he could gather.

Living the same life in much the same way twenty years later, Timaeus is now 41. His father is still holding the reins of the family business despite certainly being capable of retiring, but thankfully Timaeus has a new, far more satisfying channel to pour his frustration into. These new Games never end, and the new otherworldly Tributes never really die...


Presentation:

Timaeus is in his early forties, tall, athletically built and handsome, more than capable of being charming when it suits him. Apparently unashamedly addicted to status symbols, he is happy to discard anything as soon as it becomes outmoded, be it a suit, a car or a lover, with little obvious regret. While he is usually to be found with a smile on his face and commonly presents as warm and friendly, he has a well-earned reputation of being worryingly unpredictable, easily swayed by his emotions which can change quickly at the slightest provocation or imagined slight.
This tendency to allow his feelings to control him means he has few genuine long-term friends but a seemingly endless stream of acquaintances, each drawn in when they are attractive to him, treated as if they are worth everything- and then subsequently discarded once they've lost their charm.

He is well known for becoming exceedingly emotionally attached to certain tributes during the Games, expressing admiration, affection and even love for them. On the occasions where his favourites become victors (and even if they don’t, now that failing to win is no longer a permanent death sentence) he will, if possible, strike up a relationship with them.

When focusing on business, which he does rarely these days, he is relentlessly demanding and driven, expecting the absolute best and even the impossible from his employees. Insiders cite this leadership style along with his instability as the primary reason his father is so clearly unwilling to pass the family business into Timaeus’s hands, quite apart from any disagreement over company policy and direction.

While his father’s stubborn reluctance to retire is common knowledge and speculation to the reason is often the source of jokes at his expense, Timaeus makes light of the situation. His act is not entirely convincing, but an undiscerning viewer might believe he has very little genuine interest in following in his father’s footsteps beyond doing the necessary to keep his income rolling in.


Motivations:

Irritated more than he’ll admit even to himself about his father fiercely clinging onto the reins despite his advanced age, Timaeus feels impotent and cheated of his rightful inheritance as well as the respect and power that should be his. He believes himself more than capable of not only taking on the family business, but pushing it on to new heights, expanding into new markets and carving out a name for himself quite separate from the legacy of his father, but every attempt he has ever made in that direction has been shut down with what he believes to be a vicious jealousy. This sense of being wronged, rejected and dismissed has shaped his adult life, and is at the root of the ugliest sides of Timaeus’s nature. His frustrated ambition and desperate need for admiration, acceptance and respect outs itself in every aspect of his life.

He’s in his forties, and he’s floundering. He’s tired of being ignored, he’s tired of pretending he doesn't care, he’s tired of the endless parties and dull conversation, of his mother’s affairs and his father’s stubborn opposition to change and growth- and refusal to just roll over and die. He’s bored of the company of Capitol men, of Capitol women, of toys and food and drink and gadgets and fashion- as much as he’d never be without these things, they never, ever satisfy. He feels stagnated and poisoned by the weight of all these pointlessly necessary things, because at his core, he believes himself a true romantic, with the soul of a tortured poet. His emotions run deep and wild, intoxicatingly real, and he longs to act on them with someone as real as he is.

His favourite outlet is, and has always been the Games. Nothing else provides such an opportunity to live vicariously through such an astonishingly full range of feeling. Tributes in the arena display themselves, desperate, raw and true, and Timaeus can’t get enough.

When the Games are on, not only can he throw himself into the spectacle of them energetically, but he can also directly affect another person’s destiny by giving them timely gifts. Not only does this satisfy his deep-seated need to feel powerful, but it also more importantly allows him to believe that his chosen tribute is grateful for his support, and it is this ability to inspire feelings of admiration and thankfulness in another person rather than the accompanying sense of mastery that he really craves. Where possible, he will seek out the company of those he has helped, hungry to bask in their appreciation. When it is given, he will continue to lavish them with gifts as if addicted to the emotional feedback- but if his regard is dismissed or rejected, he will become angry and irritable, even to the point of actively making his former favourite miserable by whatever means necessary. The fantasy is broken. Breaking the fantasy is unforgivable.


SAMPLES
Network Post:

[Timaeus is seated on a very comfortable and opulently decorated chaise-lounge on the deck of an extremely expensive-looking superyacht, jewel-encrusted sunglasses pushed up onto his forehead, a rich-looking fruit-based cocktail in hand. He smiles into the camera warmly, his eyes sparkling in the bright light.]

Friends and patrons of Nadir Yachts both past, present and, dare I suggest, future- it is my pleasure to announce, after an unfortunate but thankfully short hiatus, the latest in our ever popular series of Cornucopia Celebrations, right here on the lake!
This, our newest and most luxurious superyacht and first of our new Ascendant line, the Victoria Ascendant, has been fitted with every modern convenience I could think of- and trust me, friends, I can think of many- and is ready to host the most spectacular evening of dining, dancing, gaming and spectating we've undertaken yet. We will of course be taking her out for her maiden voyage together, and my good friends the Phoenix Fire Company will be providing a wild demonstration of their most ambitious fireworks to date- and anyone who’s seen their previous offerings knows exactly how much of a treat that will be. Invitations will be sent out later today, though I’m reserving space for prospective buyers too, so don’t hesitate to call my office. Oh- and of course, no Cornucopia Celebration would be complete without a guest of honour! As usual, Nadir Yachts will be bringing you a past arena Victor- though don’t ask me to reveal her identity yet, I simply can’t tell you, it’s a surprise.

[He raises his glass in a companionable salute to the camera, about to take a sip- and then laughs, seemingly at his own forgetfulness.]

Oh! And the theme. The theme, of course. The theme is-- The Titanic. But don’t worry, we have plenty of lifeboats- and there’s not an iceberg in sight. I look forward to seeing you there!


Prose:

Timaeus could do little more than stare, his eyes wild. There was some kind of mistake, of course, something horribly wrong. Capitol citizens were never chosen for the Games, never- and certainly never well known ones, pillars of industry and community like himself.
The Gamemakers stared back, their faces unreadable. He knew some of them, or had done at one point- he’d never been that interested in the man behind the curtain, far more intrigued by the action on the stage where there was no such thing as saving face or swallowing pride, where tributes lived and fought and died with absolutely naked, intoxicating honesty. And now it was his turn? It couldn't be. His heart pounded, loud as a drum.

“This is a very poor joke,” he called out lamely, his gaze flicking to the display of weapons laid out for him. He’d seen each used, but had no idea how to hold them properly, let alone fight effectively with them. When he dared look up again the Gamemakers were still watching, blank and unamused.

Fine. Fine, if this was what it had come to, let it be. At least he’d have his own destiny firmly in his hands. In the arena, he could do anything. He’d kill. He’d kill them all. He’d scream, he’d fight, and he’d live, if only until someone younger and faster and more prepared took him out. He smiled to hide the desperation, grasped the hilt of a sword inexpertly and ran at a dummy with it, swinging the heavy blade into it furiously with a guttural cry of wild, frustrated rage finally broken loose.


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