Backstory Summary: A sociology professor by
trade, Liam’s real passion is for the arts. Loved by all of his students,
perhaps a little too much; he is fancied by most of the girls and some of the
boys, idolised by others. His lectures are inspiring, transfixing, and mesmerising.
His students climb over each other to impress him and his satisfaction ratings
are through the roof. Rumours are abound of blurred relationship lines with his
students, and complaints and concerns have been made by parents and friends of
students, which may be a problem if the Dean of his college wasn’t his sire.
Considered ‘cool’ and ‘down with the kids’ his students swoon over his youthful
looks – many would struggle to believe he was old enough to be a professor, let
alone to be an experienced member of the department. Liam spends his evenings
playing double bass in trendy nightclubs some nights, or brass instruments on
others. He has been known to give private lessons in his small but well kept
apartment at night. “He’s so cool” – Charlie White, sociology undergrad “I would love to be half as inspiring as him, the students
all love him” – Sherry Loughan, geography professor “His accent, couldn’t you just, ahhh” – Amber Peters,
sociology PhD student “Did you hear his band the other night, the way he was
playing that slap base… Is there anything he can’t do?” – John Richardson,
bartender/archaeology undergrad “Yeah, he taught me to play sax, it was, well… he is into
some strange stuff.” – Leah Lohan, alumnus “Liam? Oh yes, I knew Liam rather well. But then, didn’t
everyone? I still think of him fondly to this day.” – Margaret Thatcher, prime minister "Weren't those crazy times eh?" - Don Henley, The Eagles "Something about him... just so addictive, I couldn't help but go back for more." - Kate Beckinsale, actress and model "His personality just took control of the room, you couldn't help but listen to every word he said. He was like my dad in the way. Not that I have daddy issues." - Chelsea Clinton, long time lover "I wouldn't admit that he wrote any of the album, but yes he was certainly a heavy influence on my writing for most of the tracks. Over any of it, my mind kept wondering back to my time with him, I couldn't help but keep returning, he was just... addictive...? You know? Something mysterious and intoxicating. But then I guess that is all a part of his nature..." - Florence Welch, singer, songwriter, violinist Detailed Backstory: Liam was sired by the Dean of Somerville, back before she
was the Dean, part of a move to gain support for a takeover. Liam has been a
loyal servant, always willing to perform tasks asked of him without question,
though perhaps a pout. More importantly he has blocked moves against her when
times were less good since the takeover. He has her trust and gratitude and her
protection. What he really cares about though, are not the politics or the
schemes. He wants to perform, to fornicate and to feed. Sometimes all at once.
He loves to be idolised and he loves to play his instruments, and to have his
instrument played. For now he just keeps his job as tutor at Somerville College
as a way to keep safe, and keep finding young people to idolise him. That’s a
lie. He loves his job, but not because he has passion for the subject matter,
he just loves talking with these tweens, having them worship him. He most enjoys playing jazzy slap bass pieces on his double
bass, or some cool sax work, or more recently the electric bass guitar. He dabbles in other instruments and styles too,
enjoying anything that leads to ‘good vibrations’. He will often take students
back to his basement apartment for private renditions or with promises of
lessons where they can enjoy the ecstasy of the kiss together. History: As a mortal, Liam attended Oxford University, though at
Balliol. He graduated with a first-class degree in History and enrolled in a
masters’ course in 1923. Even then though, his passion was music. He would play
at college gatherings and parties and in local nightclubs and bars. He was a
serial womaniser, attractive to say the least and even more captivating when he
was playing. After playing one show he became involved with a member of staff
from Somerville, he thought nothing of it at the time, heading back to her
accommodations and engaging in activities of the night with her. Against his
usual behaviour he felt a desire to see her again, and again, each time
engaging in more frantic and depraved activities but his desire and affections
for her becoming unnaturally more stoked. He also found he developed a desire
to perform tasks for her in the day, things that he would later discover led to
her promotion. He laid the sees for scandals that got people fired, and his
lover moved further and further up in her career, and his own rewards became
even more satisfying, though a thirst he could not explain began to creep in. A
thirst for something that came from her. As his final reward, he was sired,
finally understanding the full extent of what he had been involved in, but
fully loyal to his mistress, 1 week later he led the group of ghouls who would
make the current Dean disappear, paving the way for his mistress to take the
job. Adjusting to the beast was difficult, Liam took a year’s
break on his masters, his mistress gave him accommodation beneath her college,
and he resumed his studies the following autumn. Afterwards, still tied to the
university he did a second degree, this time a PPE, before eventually signing
on to do a PhD in philosophy. Not ready to leave he took a post in the teaching
staff, As a teacher he really began to blossom. Still living in the university
accommodation, he was able to give tutorials without stepping outside in
darkened rooms, arranged by the university’s monstrous management. He was loved
by his students, captivating a room with his very presence, and having the
freedom to discuss whatever issues he cared for at the time. Looking for a
change in direction and opportunity came along to begin teaching on the new
‘sociology’ course. A new subject that lacked direction, perfect for someone
like him. His captive audience soon became a captive food source. Even when war
broke out and all other men were scorned for not joining the army, nobody
seemed to notice or care that he hadn’t and was still teaching. One early thrall
stuck in his mind from 1943, a young lady named Maggie, she was enthralled at
one of his performances and begged him to take her home so that he could teach
her to play saxophone (something she lacked any talent for) and he turned her
into a ghoul after a few exciting nights. She loved his music and his body, and
he did things with and to her that would turn most people’s stomach. Eventually
though he became bored of even her and cast her aside. He thinks she became a
politician or something though he didn’t much care. He continued to play in
several bands around town, offer private instrumental lessons and fool around
with his students. In 1979 he happened to meet an American band on tour, the
singer had Irish roots and they struck up conversation, Liam inspired the man
to write a song about him and the students who preyed on the girls of his
college, though by the time Don woke up from his drug and vampiric kiss stupor
he had forgotten the source of his inspiration and the song became ‘Boys of
Summer’ instead, still, Liam played some backing instrumentals for them for a
few nights of their tour and tasted a life of fame and groupies. This would shape
the next few years of his life, establishing himself more and more as a
musician type. Before they left though, Liam decided to break up the band,
sowing rumours between them that would ultimately end with an argument and the
Eagles taking a 14 year break. Around this time, Liam also moved to more modern
instruments, although his first love would always be his upright bass, he now
embraced the electric bass for many of his performances. As part of this he performs both solo pieces where he sings and plays, but also as part of two different bands. One of these bands, PSA: Oxford Brookes is not Oxford, plays mostly pop covers and comedy parodies or jazzed up versions of rock songs. The members are all vampires and the rest of the band see it as casual fun. His main love though is a classic jazz band, or combo, called Alajazzam . They are a quartet made up of Liam, on bass guitar/double bass/tenor banjo; a young local boy called Johnny on drums, a promising archaologist called Kat on keys/piano and his true favourite, Leah on sax. Occasionally they will switch up and Liam will play sax while Leah plays guitar or sings but she always mesmerises him when she plays, she takes the music as seriously as he does. They had a brief, almost fling once but she resisted his advances after a kiss, something he had not experienced before and something that made her all the more intriguing to him. He resisted the temptation to use his powers to bring her under his will, and instead they became friends, playing the clubs in true Jazz fashion, true to the music rather than popular student trends, these Tuesday nights are the highlight of Liam's week. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCKU_pffkCg" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCKU_pffkCg</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmgaXjkHfk4" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmgaXjkHfk4</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeAECmaJ7Ms" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeAECmaJ7Ms</a>
On his less natural side, Liam has very little to do with
vampire politics. He knows and socialises with a few vampires, and knows that
his college is very important. He knows that it is run by the Knights of Somer,
who have some lofty and important goals which are very secret. Occasionally his
sire would call on him for services to advance her goals which now lay outside
of her job and beyond his care though supposedly he was working towards the
aims of the people who ran the college and covenant that provided him work and
shelter. Around him people tended to loosen their tongues though, and three
times he uncovered and prevented plots on his mistress, and each time he would
be rewarded by coming back into her attention and favour once again. Something
he longed for and yet found exhausting. Outside of his band, Liam had very little in the way of supernatural friends, as the gratitude of his mentor was on the wane following the last time he saved her almost a decade ago, he began to fear for the lifestyle he had built up for himself. In mid 2008 he was just starting to take his predicament seriously. That was when Mehdi walked into his office. Liam was used to things in his life going right, and this seemed like just another way the universe was thanking him for being a part of it. A changeling, something he had heard of vaguely once, but was hardly really aware of, that wanted to work for him. And to top it all off, just when he was thinking more of the world deserved to hear him, it turned out Mehdi also had a bit of an interest in record recordings. he invited him into the fold with a smile...
