Titus Epidius Bellicianus

[David]

Titus Epidius Bellicianus

33 | 11th of November 42 | Plebeian | Actor | Bisexual | Original | Willy Cartier

 

 

Personality

Due to his profession and the associated low status, Titus is extremely carefree and doesn't give a damn about what others think of him - after all, as an actor, he is at the bottom of the social ladder, and it could hardly get worse, if at all. He is rather brazen and promiscuous and speaks openly about his bisexuality and sexual endeavours, even when speaking of relationships in which he takes on a submissive role. Although he does have somewhat of a knack for acting, his talent is largely overshadowed by his love for alcohol, which is kept in check by his poverty. Rarely ever is he completely sober when performing, and many attendees might find themselves suddenly being the punchline of his jokes should he decide to go off-script. Occasionally, he incorporates a surprise early ending into his performances by passing out on stage, much to the relief of the viewers. When not performing, Titus can mainly be found trying to steal food from the stalls at the Emporium Magnum, or, if he can afford it, drinking in one of the city's many poppinae. At night, he will either crash a party in one of the city's many insulae or look for somebody to spend the night with. If he, however, decides to stay home, he usually forgets to lock or even close the door to his room in his apartment, which he shares with many other people, which usually leads to his belongings mysteriously being missing in the morning. Titus doesn't really care about his things being stolen as long as he is still left with a few coins for wine.

 

Appearance

Titus is rather tall with dark hair and eyes and a slightly darker complexion. His long mane of hair is usually unkept. A pungent, sour-ish smell reminiscen of stale sweat surrounds him most of the time. Nevertheless, he is still at least somewhat attractive and charismatic, owning manily to his slightly muscular build. If Titus bathes, it is strictly to increase his chances of hooking up with somebody. His clothing is simple, both in colour and style.

 

Family

Father: Vibius Epidius Bellicianus (alive)

Mother: Xenia (alive)

 

History

Titus' childhood was tumultuous at best. He was born to Vibius Epidius Bellicianus, a Plebeian mosaicist, and Xenia, a former slave and prostitute hailing from Greece. Vibius and Xenia first met in the brothel Xenia was working at, and it was, at least for Vibius, love at first sight. Xenia, even though she knew he wasn't very well-off financially or socially, as he would often come to the brothel and try to leave without paying, saw in him her chance to regain her freedom, as the owner of her brothel usually freed those of his prostitutes which became pregnant. If Xenia were to be freed, she could become a Roman citizen and thus be free to go back home, to Greece. Luckily for her, she became pregnant with Vibius' baby quite quickly and her plan worked out, leading to her being freed. Vibius, however, given the fact she was pregnant, wouldn't let Xenia travel on her own, which quickly put a stop to her plans, at least for the time being.

Xenia, however, was at least somewhat happy when her son, Titus, was born. His laughter and the twinkle in his eyes made her forget about her and her husband's dire situation for at least a little. Vibius had, despite having become a married man and father, kept his habit of visiting prostitutes, spending many a night in brothels and bars, leaving Xenia to care for their son alone. Their financial situation hadn't improved either - while Vibius did have steady work, his pay was often only menial at best, and with another mouth to feed they now felt their poverty gnawing away at them more than ever before.

After a few years, when Titus was five, Xenia was simply fed up and packed her bags while Vibius was out on the town, spending what little money they had on sex and drink once more. By the time he returned in the early morning, she was gone, and Vibius and Titus were now left on their own. Vibius spent the next few days looking for her all over the city, wherever he could think of - various brothels, inns, any acquaintances he knew she had - however, she was nowhere to be found. She had probably made the trip back to Greece with the first ship of the day, and Vibius had to come to terms with the fact Titus was now his responsibility.

Vibius did so by putting Titus to work. After all, two pairs of hands would get the job done quicker and could demand more money, so from age six, Titus helped his father with his work. Titus, however, wasn't much one for manual labour. Whenever he and his father would go to assemble mosaics in whichever domus was being constructed, Titus would spend most of his time exploring the constructions, staring in awe at the beautifully detailed frescoes of the walls. It was clear he had a penchant for art. His father usually let him explore, as, regardless of whether Titus was actually working or not, he could still demand payment for both of them, as long as their rich bosses weren't supervising them and none of the other people working on-site would snitch on them.

At around age 13, Titus first got to know Rome's art scene and its' social circles. Coming from a humble background which was dictated by social and economic status, he felt right at home in the art world, which typically consisted of the lowest of the lowest in terms of social order. To him, it almost seemed as if their low rank gave the artists some kind of immunity - the satirical poets and actors he got to know all seemed to have carte blanche in terms of ridiculing both Romans and Rome as a whole, while such behaviour would be unfathomable in the upper echeleons of society. Fueled by this fascination, he wished to join the artists himself, to which his father vehemently objected. Even though his father, as a mosaicist, was an artist himself, he still seemed to have a thoroughly negative opinion of other artists, having given in to social rules in regards to how these people were to be treated. This only fueled Titus' aspirations, and, at sixteen years old, he decided to bid farewell to his father and pursue training in the dramatic arts.

After he completed his training and joined an acting troupe, he toured all of the Italian peninsula for a few years, achieving a certain degree of infamy. As it turned out, he was indeed talented, especially when it came to comedy. The many nights his father would take him with him when he was spending a night out on the town exposed him to the sharp-witted and creative insults common among the lowest classes, which came in handy in comedic performances. Titus by no means earned himself a fortune through acting, however it was enough to keep him afloat, which was much more than could be said of his earnings as his father's assistant.

During his travels, Titus also got to intimately know the debauchery commonly associated with actors, developing a preference for sex and alcohol. Although he did occasionally take on women lovers, he always found the company of men to be much more interesting and exhilarating. Even though he knew there was a certain stigma associated with being the submissive part in relationships with other men, the already very low status he enjoyed as an actor meant he didn't have to hide his affection for men or his openness to being the submissive part. Titus became quite promiscuous and spoke openly of his conquests. To this day, he continues to prefer the occasional one-night-stand to a steady relationship.

After his troupe completed their travels, they returned to the city of Rome, where Titus continues to reside, still enjoying the carefree nature of the artistic circles to the fullest. He is known mainly for satirising politicians, and for being extremely crass and bold in his performances, even in comparison to other actors. The parties he frequently hosts at his insula, of which the guest list consists of simply "Come one, come all," are also known for their no-holds-barred nature.

@Gothic

David | GMT+1 | BurningBridges#7040

Edited March 26, 2022 by David

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