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NMT2 Audition: Destay

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This is my profile and picture for my audition for :iconnightmaretournament2:. I've chosen Destay, my nightmare gentleman. ; )

If you'd like to see some references for his nightmares, you can check out this folder in my gallery to see sketches and get additional info: [link]

:bulletred: Profile :bulletred:

Name: Destay

Nicknames: Father Nightmare, De, "King of Nightmares"

Age: 37

D.O.B.: August 13

Hometown: Destay was born and grew up in Duslin, a rather small city just an hour or so away from Cortolla Bay. It is described as a very dull, very ordinary little city with odds and ends shopping.

Race: Nightmare.

Height: 5’7”

Weight: 157 lbs.

Eyes: Orange. Destay does not like his orange eyes because they tend to attract unwanted stares.

Hair: Black. It travels down to his ankles (people refer to it as “the black wedding veil”). It’s very silky and soft. He has a braid going down his back to keep his hair out of his face, though his bangs tend to get the best of him still. Destay would love short hair but every time he cuts it, it grows back down to his ankles. It bothers him but it also comes in handy when he needs it in battle.

Religion: Destay is a Christian. Though he may not be as devout as others, he's constantly seeking to better his life and trying to get closer to Heaven. In his youth, Destay questioned God and thought he was angry with him, thus the "curse" he suffered from was punishment. Since then he's tried to make amends for it. But even after he learned that God wasn't responsible for his condition, he still took upon himself to stay faithful not just for his own peace of mind but in honor of his father Jenkins as well. He does pray before he goes to bed (silently) and every once in a while he will read passages from the Bible when he's alone. He still comments that the angels cry when it rains and he's very scared about going to Hell or getting mixed up in bad business. He used to think his nightmares were a product of Hell but he knows that's not true either.

Personality: Destay is very calm and collected. He speaks in alluring, pleasant tones and is very polite. He tries to give off an almost refined gentleman like approach to the way he speaks. Though he is merely trying to be well-mannered, most people just find his ways creepy and devilish. His stepdaughter, Negita, claims that “Destay could get away with murder if he wanted to” because of the way he carries himself and how he talks to other people.
Destay always tries to keep his cool when faced with a situation (whether it be pleasant or serious). He is also known to be “insanely patient” when dealing with others. It strengthens him to know that he is capable of installing fear into the people who detest him by merely smiling for them. This is, in no means, a hateful gesture.
In truth, Destay is very much a kind man who only wishes to be accepted by other people. He's always very pleased to have guests. But since the people in his town tend not to give him the benefit of the doubt (believing him to be some sort of messenger for the devil), Destay doesn’t bother trying to impress them let alone change their minds about whom he is.
Though he tends to keep very collected on the outside and with his emotions, deep on the inside Destay is just as unsure as any human can get.

Physical attributes: It is because of the "curse" he was born with powerfully alluring looks. People often claim that because Destay is loved by Satan, he has been granted good looks in order to ensnare the faithful followers of God into falling for his trap. It should be noted that nothing about Destay being Satan’s messenger is true.
He has grayish smooth skin that sometimes appears to have a sort of bluish tint to it. His body is very lean and attractive. His black hair frames his face and falls mid-ankle just shy of the soles of his shoes. He has a beauty mark in the corner of his left eye and a cross-shaped scar at the base of his throat. His suit is scarlet and said to be Armani and acts and feels like real cloth, but it’s actually made out of a nightmare blood. His tie is violet with a spider web design and his shoes are chocolate brown and made of leather. He is overall very neat in his appearance and gestures just as he is in his way of speaking.

Weapon: Destay does not carry an actual weapon. Nor would he really know how to wield a weapon such as a sword or gun, though he's quite capable of figuring it out. Instead, Destay carries a silver walking cane with him. This silver cane can act as a weapon if he needs to use it. The top of the cane is adorned with a large ruby the size of a human palm. There are also two smaller rubies embedded into the cane’s sleek silver body. Around his walking cane is a jade and pewter snake Destay named Kelynder (or Kelly). The snake acts as decoration, but is an actual nightmare that can spring to life and bite his enemies.

Accessories: Other than his walking cane, Destay wears a gold chain-linked bracelet with a golden cross charm hidden underneath his sleeve on his left wrist. It used to belong to his adoptive father, Jenkins. He also carries around Jenkins golden pocket watch.
Rings are another accessory of Destay's. He has five total: three on his right hand and two on his left.
-Right hand: He has a gold ring on his thumb, a double-band silver ring with a silver cross charm on his index finger, and a gold wedding band with an small inset amethyst stone on his ring finger.
-Left hand: He has one gold ring on his index finger and one silver ring on his middle finger.

Strengths:

-The eyes on Destay’s suit (one acting as a cufflink on his right sleeve and the other on the right side of his notched lapel) are two very important nightmares. They look out for their master, alerting him of danger. Only if they see the enemy coming can they warn Destay. His skull brooch that he wears along with his tie also acts as a scout for any trouble. Though the brooch can attack if Destay is in danger (as long as the enemy is within jumping range), the eyes cannot attack and are merely a part of Destay’s suit.

-Destay’s hair can expand and tie up his enemies, allowing Destay the chance to escape if he wishes not to fight.

-He can use the shadows his nightmares create to phase through walls or the ground, but he can only phase through the shadows his shadow creeper nightmares create. He cannot phase through the shadows made by artificial or natural sunlight.

-Destay has many surprises, such as the pewter snake coiled around his walking cane or the brooch on his tie. The skull brooch can sprout six metal legs with clawed tips that can cut through flesh if it should get on Destay’s victims. The skull brooch is about the size of a Tarantula when it sprouts legs. Kelly, the snake “decoration” curled around his walking cane, has a nasty bite. His nightmares can also appear without warning taking his enemies by surprise.

-Destay can heal small wounds and injuries by clotting them with the blood that makes up his suit. It lessens his chances of bleeding to death.

Weaknesses:

-Destay is not specifically trained in any style of fighting. He does whatever he needs to survive relying on what instincts and knowledge he has in order to get him there.

-Destay is a sweet man, despite his creepy demeanor. This does not mean he will hesitate to defend himself when the time comes, but he tends to try and stay out of nasty/violent business unless he deems it totally necessary. He will often wait for his foes to attack rather than take the first punch. Often he refuses to be the first to initiate combat because:
1) It is a way for him to study how a person carries himself/herself
2) His adoptive father, Jenkins, was very much a non-violent man (being a priest). Thus Destay often strives to uphold his teachings in his honor.

-Though able to command nightmares, Destay’s body is still as a mortal vessel and needs the basic essentials to survive (such as water, food, and air). Though Destay can heal quicker from smaller cuts and wounds thanks to his suit made of blood, he is still capable of bleeding to death.

-Destay cares deeply for his nightmares. Just as they will stake their lives for their king, Destay will stake his life to protect them from harm even if it means getting himself injured.

-Just because he commands nightmares, does not mean he has control over all of them. There are some nightmares (evil nightmares) that actually detest Destay for his kind nature, just like there are some subjects who do not see eye to eye with their king. Normally this is not a big problem, but it has happened a few times in the past.

Likes: Literature, because the hero tends to make it in life more than not. He also enjoys a warm cup of spice tea, spending time in his study, and writing letters.

Dislikes: Hatred, the belief that all nightmares are tainted creatures, and being labeled a monster by the people of Duslin. He’s not a very big fan of television or using the phone either. Destay also takes a great disliking to the rain because one of his adoptive siblings (a boy named Adrian) used to tease him, claiming that the rain was the tears of angels who wept because they knew Destay was “Satan’s messenger”. Whenever it rains, Destay is always heard commenting “the angels are weeping”. Though he dislikes the rain, however, it does remind him to strive to be a better man.

Scar(s): Destay has a burn mark of the cross at the base of his throat. In the back story, it is learned that this mark kept the nightmares at bay for a few years in Destay’s life. He also has a small white scar hidden from view by his bangs which he received after one of his classmates in the third grade tripped him out on the blacktop.

Fears: That he will be unsuccessful in upholding Jenkins's teachings thus branding him a bad person. He fears the thought of Hell and not making it to Heaven. He also fears that he will fail his loved ones; mainly Amy, his stepchildren, Jenkins, and his nightmares.

Family:

-Ex-wife: Amethyst Bailey is Destay’s first and only love. Everyone calls her Amy. The two fell in love in their early twenties. Amy fell in love with Destay’s calm and kind disposition and Destay fell in love with Amy’s charm and outgoing nature. The two married after a few months of dating, but their marriage only lasted a year. When Destay’s nightmares took physical form, Amy suffered from mental break downs and left him. She later married Tom Rowley (deceased) and had two children.

-Stepchildren: Negita (Neggi) Rowley is Amy’s oldest. She’s sixteen and acts very much like the caretaker of her dysfunctional family and as the mother figure for her brother, Temperance Rowley. She’s very independent and highly overprotective when it comes to her brother. Temperance (Tem) is twelve years old and the more hopeful of the two. He’s very easy going and is always willing to give things a chance.

-Adoptive Father: Pastor Jenkins Anderson is the priest and the one Destay considers his true father. Destay is always comparing him to a saint. He helped educate Destay and is responsible for his non-violent views and his ability to pardon those who are biased against him. Jenkins was also responsible for the cross-shaped burn on Destay’s throat, though accidentally. He wed Destay and Amy and was later killed by the Mistress of Nightmares for his involvement with Destay.

-His Nightmares: Destay’s nightmares are very much a part of his family. He treats them with love in care and includes them in his activities whenever he can manage. In return, they are fiercely loyal to any of his causes and protect him with every fiber of their being.

Nightmares: Destay’s nightmares are fiercely loyal to him and serve him without question. They are constantly watching out for him and are liable to attack or bully anyone who may harm or mistreat Destay. Though gruesome and sometimes judgmental in their acts, Destay’s nightmares are just as kind and desperate for company as their master is. After years of being called monsters and feared, they are glad to have Destay as someone to confide in.
Destay’s nightmares normally take turns defending their master. They may help one another from time to time but do not muster into a huge group unless it is a matter between life and death for their king. Destay is able to nonverbally communicate with his nightmares to call them to his aid call but normally the nightmares act on their own will to defend him.

-Eye Nightmares: These are some of Destay’s most loved nightmares. They are a rare species since a lot of them were killed off in the Taboor War. There are a total of three left. They are eyeballs who travel around on metal tipped spider legs, often used for scouting and collecting information. They’re not a very aggressive type of nightmare, especially due to their size (they fit in the palm of Destay’s hand). Their metal tipped legs, however, can cut through flesh if they happen to spring onto a person’s face. The skull brooch Destay wears with his tie is similar to the eye nightmares.

- Rotting Corpses: Rotting Corpses are an undead-type nightmare. There are two types of Rotting Corpses. The first type is the everyday zombie-looking nightmare. They’re usually male. Though these nightmares aren’t necessary powerful or brutish, they’re undeniably relentless. These corpses will keep attacking until each limb is severed from their body. They tend to use their nails, teeth, and overall strength to defeat their enemies.
The second type of Rotting Corpse is similar to the first everyday type. These are female rotting corpse nightmares that nestle another corpse within their bodies like a normal female would during pregnancy. Like the first type, these nightmares rely on their nails, teeth, and strength to topple their enemies. If killed, these nightmares will dispatch the second corpse from their bodies. These child-like corpses are far more deadly and erratic than their hosts.

-Tendons: These creatures look like masses of human tendons and ligaments balled together. They have eyes at every corner of their body so that they can watch their front, back, and sides all at the same time (the number of eyes vary from time to time). They travel along walls using spider silk-like webbing their bodies produce. Like the rotting corpses, they’re not strong but they possess a very wicked bite. These nightmares hide their mouths deep within the folds of their tendon flesh. When they reveal their mouths, they’re about the diameter of a human’s head which they like to devour if they get the chance.

-“Devils”: These are the “trickster” nightmares. These are long, lengthy creatures with bone thin bodies and violet skin. Their necks are crooked to confuse their enemies into thinking they’ve been broken. They crawl around on the ground on all fours, almost dragging their bodies with them. When faced with an enemy, their necks will snap back into place and their usual horrid posture will correct itself, allowing them to rip at their enemies with a vicious speed and accuracy. When they’re not fighting, their tongue lolls out the sides of their deformed mouths and they drool excessively. This leaves a trail of sticky saliva.

-Bats: These air-born creatures have a spherical shaped body, one large eye, and a crooked mouth. They have no arms, only wings. They dive around like birds of prey, cutting at enemies with their talon-like feet. They’re usually more aggressive. They don’t really have a name, so Destay just calls them bats because of their wings.

-Shadow Creepers: These nightmares cannot harm people. They can blind enemies and swallow them in darkness allowing their master to get away, but overall have no battle instinct. These shadow creepers are what Destay sometimes uses to get around by phasing through walls and ground. They HATE intense light.

**Kelynder (Kelly): Known as “The Snake of Eden” by most that see her, Kelly is perhaps Destay’s most beloved nightmare. She makes her home coiled around Destay’s silver cane. She has the ability to make her jade skin turn a pewter color as to fool her enemies into thinking she is merely decoration. She goes wherever Destay goes and loves to curl up around his neck. Destay often confides in her and asks her opinion even though she has no way of answering him back. She is very overprotective of her master.

Back story:
In order to understand Destay’s condition, it is important to know a little about Nafira. Nafira was known as the “Nightmare King”. During the Puritan days, those of religious belief dreamed of the devil through nightmares. This is how Nafira was born in the spectral world of Taboor, a very small empty void where nightmares are sent after they’ve stop appearing in a person’s nightmares. At first, Nafira was in rage that humans discarded him for a foul being and sought a way to punish them for it. But as years went by, Nafira realized how lonely he truly was and that what he valued more than revenge was companionship. A year after, Nafira was able to draw new nightmares discarded from human dreams and fathered their rebirth in. The nightmares came to consider Nafira as their king and followed him loyally.
Calixta, a witch-based nightmare, was one of these nightmares. Unlike most of the nightmares, she had been able to assume a more human shape which made her the perfect match for Nafira. The two became a couple and Calixta came to be known as the Mistress of Nightmares. Though it seemed as if they wanted the best for their “children”, the Mistress felt hatred for the humans that Nafira had abandoned long ago.
She proposed to her king to strike back at them but he did not share her vision and thought it best to protect the nightmares from suffering against human cruelty. The two bickered and in the end the Mistress created her own army against Nafira. Thus started the Taboor war.
At first Nafira strove for a non-violent protest against his Mistress. But the nightmares that shared Calixta’s views tore through his loyal nightmares without mercy. Nafira quickly changed his strategy and attacked with what force he had. Unfortunately, Nafira’s nightmares proved softer than Calixta’s and easily fell to the Mistress and her army. Nafira stepped in to protect his children from further destruction and was wounded beyond repair.
Teetering the edge of death, Nafira sealed what loyal nightmares he had left within his body and fled Taboor. He died along the journey, but his soul was able to slip into newborn Destay’s body where it hid. This brought on the so called “curse” that changed Destay from human to nightmare. The nightmares hoped to revive their lord while in hiding but failed. In the end, Destay was named the new nightmare lord due to the fact that the nightmares strongly believed their king had chosen him for a reason.
Destay's parents, his mother especially, was overjoyed at his birth even though the doctors commented and gasped at his horrible gray skin. But their love for their child diminished when Destay’s nightmares actions to protect their master took a toll on their lives. Destay’s nightmares were wary of humans after being discriminated against and feared their master would suffer the same Nafira had suffered. Destay’s parents feared that doctors would diagnose them and have them committed, but were also tired of suffering from lack of sleep end suffering red welts from the nightmares that visited them. Sad as they were, they decided to put Destay up for adoption.
Destay had multiple adoptive families in his lifetime, three of them to be exact. Each family thought they could topple Destay’s nightmarish problems. But each time they put Destay down or tried to “cure” him, his nightmares rebelled against them and found ways to get back at them. This was especially true for the cruel way his third family treated him. His adoptive father (Jonathan) and his adoptive mother (Nettie) always made Destay pray for his salvation whenever he got in trouble (which was frequent in their household). His adoptive parents also claimed that going without meals would cleanse his body, for both Jonathan and Nettie believed he was truly a demon in disguise.
By his third family, Destay had almost given up hope of leading a normal life. It wasn’t until his family brought him to church one Sunday that he met his adoptive father, Pastor Jenkins Anderson. It was only then Destay’s life took a better turn. It should also be noted that Jenkins is credited with naming Destay and not his parents (Destay isn’t sure what his parents used to call him). Right from the start Jenkins was a fatherly figure to Destay. He took the boy into his home and educated him. Instead of forcing him to read from the Bible and say prayers, Jenkins instead teamed up with Destay to figure out the mysterious happenings around him.
One night, while Jenkins and Destay sat in his den helping each other with Jenkin’s sermon, the two were attacked by a flaming monster who tried to drag Destay into the burning coals of the fireplace. In reality, it was only a nightmare who wished to get closer to his master but Jenkins was convinced it was an attempted kidnapping. Brandishing his cross necklace at the monster, Jenkins hope to somehow exercise it. Instead, the hot metal got too close to Destay and ended up burning a mark at the base of his throat. Soon after the burn marked Destay’s skin, the nightmarish incidents stopped completely and Destay was finally allowed a chance to live a normal life. Of course, it still wasn’t enough to change people’s opinions about the young man.
It wasn’t until he was in his early twenties that Destay met Amy Bailey at the Cornerstone Café. To his surprise, Amy was at ease around him and wanted to know more about who he was. She was so unlike the people he’d grown up around who feared and ran from him. Curiosity turned quickly into adoration and Destay found himself instantly in love with the spirited young woman. His life took an even better turn when Amy revealed that she too was romantically interested in him. The two dated for a few months, despite Jenkins fear that something was soon to go wrong, and decided to marry. Their wedding was small. Only a small portion of Amy’s family and Jenkins were present when the two were announced man and wife. The two moved into Destay’s home and for a month or so were very happy with one another.
But things took another deep dive for Destay. He had proposed time and time again to take Amy on her honeymoon but each time he asked she rejected saying that she felt sick. Though he tried to persuade her to go to the doctor, Amy would not. As time passed, Amy’s conditions grew worse. She claimed to hear voices trying to lure her away from the house. She would get lost in the backyard or she’d forget something soon after she did it. Fearing that the nightmarish incidents were plaguing his wife, Destay grew nervous. He tried to bring her to the doctor in order to ease his fears and put a end to his wife's suffering, hoping that all she needed was a prescription of some sort. When she found out, however, Amy ran off on Destay.
Destay went to find his wife but came home empty handed. It was there he found her waiting for him in the kitchen, knife in hand. It horrified him to discover that she had been seemingly possessed. The nightmares (given orders by the Mistress of Nightmares) forced Destay to meet their demands or they’d kill his wife. Destay immediately agreed to signing a pact with the demons and thus the nightmares that had been sealed by Jenkins cross burn were released from within Destay’s body and were finally allowed to materialize into physical form. In return, Amy was released unharmed.
Unfortunately for Destay, this event ended his relationship with his wife. Though Amy desperately tried to work it out with him, she no longer saw Destay as just her husband. Because she had been possessed by nightmares, she also suffered side effects and it intensified the mental instability she had experienced before hand. Amy sorrowfully said her goodbyes to her husband and the two broke off from one another. Amy moved away from Duslin to an agricultural based town up north called Bell Town. There she met her second husband Thomas (Tom) Rowley and had two children: Negita and Temperance. Tom died in a wreck shortly after Tem’s birth and Amy was later committed to a psychiatric ward after her conditions worsened. Destay lived alone for seventeen years and bonded with his nightmares creating a sort of inner family circle.
Destay currently lives in Duslin in a two-story house with his nightmares. His creatures from the dark make their home under the floorboards and inside the walls. Destay loves his nightmares and tries to continue Nafira’s work in nurturing them to be good instead of the horrid creatures people think about when they dream. But the Mistress of Nightmares is always watching...

:bulletgreen: :bulletgreen: :bulletgreen:
Additional Notes/Pics:

Nightmare Tournament Written Audition: [link]
NMT2 Questionnaire: [link]
Image size
1988x3124px 2.7 MB
© 2010 - 2024 ladyju-san
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WolfAssassin754's avatar

Your art is very good & interesting at the same time. For some reason he kind of reminds me of a figure from an old urban legend, that I've heard about coming from my home state, He's known as the Man in Red, he doesn't have long hair like your drawing, in the stories he has short slicked hair, looking almost like an old gangster, he's known to drive an old red Cadillac or an old red Coup. some say he's the devil in human form, some say a vampire, while others say he's a demon dealer or an old spirit of the Earth, probably a native American spirit, but he's definitely some kind of supernatural being. He loves to gamble, making deals, dancing, racing people & playing games, he's super charming with both the men & women. They say he shows up every 20 years, to do whatever he does & then disappears, but every time someone comes across him he never seems to look the same, one day he will look like a well dressed man in his 50s, then the next, he looks 30 years younger. I'm actually working on a story, that's about supernatural beings & creatures and the Man in Red is a character that I have put in my story.