Etienne de Valliant / Stephen Bishop Like most of my crew at Tabletop Theater, he has a split personality – the actor (Stephen Bishop) and the character (Etienne de Valliant) that he plays. Either is available for the swap, just let me know which "personality" your doll is more 'in tune' with… Descriptions for both are below. Stephen Bishop is an actor from Santa Barbara, California. He attended University of California-Berkeley and UCLA Law School (his excuse was that if he didn't make it in acting, he'd have an equally disreputable profession to 'fall back on'). Fortunately, his career in film and TV seems to be doing just fine.
Steve enjoys a wide variety of activities ranging from surfing and para-sailing to motorcycles, martial arts, horseback-riding, and traveling all over the world. He also likes to cook, and enjoys having friends over for special occasions. Steve lives in Los Angeles with his partner of 12 years, Frank Morelli.
Steve is looking forward to playing the lead role of
Etienne de Valliant in the upcoming Tabletop Theater production of
The Dragon's Masque. He is currently attending costume fittings, working on his horseback riding skills and mastering the pronunciation of medieval church Latin.
Etienne de Valliant is a centuries-old French vampire currently living in Hong Kong, and holds the rank of Pontifex of Spirits for House and Clan Tremere*. While known in Clan Tremere as both a bit of an eccentric and a shrewd political wheeler-dealer, he generally attributes his longevity and success to excessive stubbornness. Of course, one of the successes of his current rank means he can get away with a LOT more than he could back at the end of the 15th century, which is when the story
The Dragon's Masque is set.
Back in 1490, Etienne was stuck in Florence, and still an apprentice (on his way to having the longest apprenticeship on record, due to his stubborn tendency to do what he thought was right, rather than what his superiors in House and Clan demanded). He has a long-standing interest in theology and philosophy (most of his mortal life was spent in the Church, not that he'd willingly admit that..
) He is also a bit of a hedonist, fond of sensual pleasures, and is something of a clothes horse, a necessary attribute (or so he claims) for his role as diplomat and court envoy on behalf of his Tremere brothers—though his budget as an apprentice rarely permitted him to dress as finely as he might have liked.
His current 21st century interests include collecting antiques, rare and unusual manuscripts, and magical artifacts, particularly those pertaining to Kindred (vampire) history and folklore. He has a particular interest in spirit-related magical lore, and also a somewhat personal interest in werewolves. He is also a talented calligrapher, having honed that skill back before the invention of the printing press, and considers it an excellent way to relax.
Etienne/Steve is a Hot Toys 1/6 scale action figure, approximately 12 inches tall. He can wear most action-figure clothes (though he seems to have a distinct aversion to military uniforms or firearms).
Favorite colors: 
Blues and greens (Etienne tends to avoid wearing much red, however, as it has unpleasant associations for him)
Likes: Nice clothes (in their appropriate century/style) Both of them read extensively (Etienne can read in many languages, even Mandarin -- Steve reads English and a little Spanish.) See above descriptions for other ideas.
Dislikes: 
Etienne dislikes (and meticulously avoids all contact with) plants. Trees, flowers, gardens, woodlands, everything, he won't even walk on the grass. Also, being a vampire, he's not fond of sunlight, human food, wooden stakes, or getting too close to fire, either. Steve dislikes looking sloppy (he's not into goth, or grunge, or punk styles. He says he's Too Old For That Stuff.) Steve also dislikes "reality" shows, or comedy where the source of "entertainment" is making fun of others.
Age: approximately 600 (in the modern era), he looks 40-something. (Actor Steve Bishop is 37.)
Will Swap with: 1/6 would be easier, but SD also possible. (either male or female is fine)
*House and Clan Tremere—one of the thirteen vampire "clans" from White Wolf's role-playing games Vampire: The Masquerade and Dark Ages: Vampire. If you understand what that means, great –- if not, don't worry about it. The Tremere are known for their tight, hierarchical organization and their practice of blood sorcery. In both the medieval/renaissance and the modern era, they are not exactly the most popular of the vampire clans—probably because most of their members were chosen for their intelligence, ambition, strength of will, and general occult geekiness, not for their social skills… 
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 8:39 pm
. Also familiar with 21/23/25cm Obitsu, LIV, Moxie Teenz, Ellowyne Wilde. I prefer swapping with a girl character if possible.
