Damon Salvatore

• Marksmanship (Guns, bows, crossbows)
• Military Strategy
• Torture (that's a skill, right?)
• Leadership (as in command)
• Swordsmanship
• Unarmed combat

• Immortality
• Superhuman Strength
• Superhuman Speed
• Superhuman Agility
• Superhuman Durability
• Superhuman Senses
• Healing Factor
• Mental Compulsion
• Dream walking

Option 2

What was the most traumatic experience your character endured? How did this change them?
Arguably, the most traumatic thing that's happened in Damon's life was his brother's betrayal while he was away fighting in the Civil War. During that time, Stefan and Katherine became closer, with Katherine ultimately falling in love with Stefan and giving her blood to both of them that they might live together forever. Thinking Katherine was trapped in a tomb for eternity at the hands of the townsfolk, Damon wanted to just let the incomplete turning they experienced at Katherine's hand finish itself out and die, but Stefan, not wanting to face an eternity alone, forced his brother to feed to complete the transformation, something Damon spent nearly 150 years hating his brother for. Damon was a caring and selfless person before his death, but moreover, he hated having his choice taken from him as well as the gift. To Damon's knowledge, his immortality had never included Stefan and he felt betrayed not only by his brother, but by the woman he loved as well.

What experience challenged your character's core beliefs? How did they handle this or change from it?
After 147 years, Damon figured out how to open the crypt in which Katherine and the other vampires in Mystic Falls had been bound to rescue who he thought to be the love of his life. After opening the crypt only to find Katherine was never there, he began to question everything he'd done and the choices he'd made that had led him to opening that crypt in the first place. After Katherine's return and learning she'd betrayed both him and Stefan as well as all the other vampires who'd looked to her for safety, he'd been hesitant to believe it was even true. He found it difficult to accept Katherine had never loved him, that it had always been Stefan, not him, but after he did so, his love for Katherine quickly turned to hatred. Damon is always deeply effected by betrayal, a side effect of vampirism that enhances all emotions and personality aspects when turned, and his loyalty is easily offended by the disloyalty of others.

What is your character's moral code? Do they have one? Why or why not?
Damon is a walking contradiction for several reasons, but foremost is his rejection of authority to the point of open rebellion. He doesn't let anyone tell him how to act, how to think, or what he should or shouldn't do. It can be said it's the only moral code he sticks to, though he has been known to pretend adherence to a moral code to further his own goals. He's so dedicated to his own freedom that he will at times contradict his own goals and desires to as to avoid following the direction of someone else. The mantra of his life is choice, having had the most fundamental of all of them taken from him when he was forced to become a vampire, and he clings to that rebellious denial of authority like a lifeline.

What does your character feel like they struggle with still? Where could they improve? This could be physically, mentally, emotionally, or otherwise.
Though unlikely to admit it to any but the closest of people to him, Damon is well-aware that he struggles deeply with his temper. It makes him unstable and at times unpredictable, and he finds it difficult to overcome, lashing out with recklessness and ruthlessness at whoever has the unfortunate luck of being in front of him when he snaps. It makes him foolhardy and reactive rather than plotting and insightful and he's aware it blinds him in the heat of situations. He's killed people he cares about in anger, and even feels partially responsible for his best friend Alaric's descent into murderous blackouts after killing him more than once and subjecting him to resurrection via an enchanted ring. He killed Elena's brother out of anger as well, though thankfully he was protected in the same way, but he knows that rage makes him a time bomb and knows mastering that anger is necessary if he wants to protect those he loves and their loved ones.

Is your character capable of forgiveness or will they hold a grudge until they die? Would anything ever make them change their mind?
Not only will Damon hold a grudge when wronged, but he takes it deeply personally. He will go to great lengths to be a menace to whoever wrongs him, that reaction ranging from minor irritant to intentionally foiling their plans just to ruin their day. He can be petty to the point of childishness as well as conniving when he puts the energy into it, and forgiveness is difficult for him to come around to. Even after it's clear the person deserves a second (or third) chance, he's slow to relent as much out of stubbornness as out of anger. He doesn't forget transgressions and doesn't hold back in reminding the party of them when he's given the opportunity, even to his own detriment, resisting even cooperating with someone he doesn't like regardless of how much easier it would make a task.