Talk:Shiri Touati

Name: Shiri Touati

Pronouns: they/them

Birthplace: Tétouan, Morocco, 1840

Gender Identity: Non-binary

Gender Expression: Female (feminine)

Motivations

 In a lot of ways Shiri goes against the stereotypes for a Gangrel. Of all of the clan heads in Philly they come the closest to "playing the game" in a way typical to areas where the Invictus and the Lancea et Sanctum have greater sway. This is a reflection of their having been brought into their Requiem by a member of the Lancea et Sanctum of the Dammitic Creed, and that they spent the early years of their Requiem as part of that covenant.

 They're shrewd, observant, and far more subtle than they often let on, but also much more interested in the benefits of their requiem and enjoyment of their unlife than they are in the wielding of power. They use their position as Sagamore for the Gangrel clan more as a way to help ensure as little as possible interferes with their personal business, more than out of a desire to wield power over others. The current regime serves them very well in this, so they support it enthusiastically.

 On the other hand, people who threaten the stability of their unlife are handled harshly, quickly, and usually in ways nobody will suspect of them.

 Anyone who hasn't made an enemy of Shiri is typically treated with kindness and patience.

RP Notes

• Arabic accent, will occasionally use words such as terms of endearment with people they're familiar with.
• Prolific note taker, usually on their cell phone
• Unable to walk, uses a wheelchair
• Dislikes the Invictus and Lancea et Sanctum strongly
• Uses proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling in texts
• Frequently meets people in their office in the Bellevue Hotel

Anger Buttons

• Ableism
• Antisemitism, other religious intolerance to a lesser degree
• Homophobia/Transphobia
• Callous disregard for human life

Covenant Opinions

• Carthian Movement: You might accomplish more if your left hand knew what the right hand was doing.
• Circle of the Crone: I have my doubts about my decision, sometimes.
• Invictus: Humanity at its worst. Yes, humanity. You're just more of the same.
• Lancea et Sanctum: You take everything that troubles me in Christianity, and then make an atrocity of it.
• Ordo Dracul: You know what, you do you.

NPC Opinions

• Anthony Robert Washington - You have no chill. Not everything needs to be argued over, and believe it or not you can be wrong sometimes.
• Banan Mac Lochlainn - You don't even seem to like your covenant. You're a shining example of the sunk cost fallacy, and I wish you would finally see it.
• Clara Rodriguez - I swear that if you don't stop hiding things in my office just to scare me I'm going to make you suffer.
• Ejaita Okorafor - Have you ever taken a break in your entire life? You're the only person I've ever met more organized than I am.
• Saagochque - The monster and the mother seem to be at constant battle inside you, and this is all only going to last until one wins. I'd better have my plans in place by then.
• Sora Kan - Why do you know so many artists before I do? You don't even care about art!
• Tahmina Ashtifar - I don't know how you've managed to live so long with such a tender heart, habibti, but it would break mine to lose you.

PC Opinions

• Atalo Ceres - Oh honey, I like you but sometimes you give me a headache.
• Daniel Hawthorne - Your work is marvelous. I must get around to asking if you're willing to make adaptive clothing.
• Floretta Williams - I honestly didn't expect Saagochque's family nonsense to make me feel like any of you were actually family. A pleasant surprise!

Sample Poses

Q: Thank you for meeting with us today. For our viewers, can you tell us a little bit about who you are and why you're here talking with us tonight?

"First, let me say thank you for having me on your show tonight," Shiri answers, looking relaxed and comfortable in their electric wheelchair. Their voice, which carries a light Arabic accent, is confident and sure; either this isn't their first interview or they're really good at faking it.

"I know you're familiar with my gallery, and some of your viewers might recognize my last name just from seeing it on the building when they happened to drive by," they continue, making a small flippant gesture that says they recognize the art world isn't one everyone spends their time in, and that's okay. "For everyone else, I run the Touati Gallery over on the Avenue of the Arts, and we have a new show starting up that showcases work from among new, up and coming artists in the LGBTQ community. Proceeds from the show are going to The Attic Youth Center"

Q: And how did you get to be involved with that?

"Which? The gallery, or The Attic?" Shiri asks with a smile, but they wave the question away like they already know the answer and add, "I assume you mean the Attic, since my name is on the gallery."

"I grew up in a Jewish community in Morocco, where I never felt like I could really be myself. It took a long time before I even realized I was queer, let alone figured out exactly where I was on the multitude of spectrums that can fall under that umbrella term. When I did discover myself there wasn't any support available, and I struggled to find acceptance. Even from myself." They shrug and turn their hands, fingers spread, palms up. "I want to do what I can to be sure other young people have that support." The passion that they have for this topic is obvious in the emphatic gestures they make when emphasizing words.

Q: I think we can all understand that, but you have your detractors, too. What would you say to the people who claim you're actually a blood-sucking vampire?

Shiri is clearly taken aback by this by this question. Their back was already against their chair, but where their head and shoulders had been forward, engaged, they slump back as Shiri takes a moment to organize their thoughts to answer. Slowly their brows furrow and their expression turns stormy "I'm sorry, did you really just ask me that?" they ask, their volume not changing but their tone growing cold. "I wish I could say I was surprised to find we're not long past the days where the antisemitic trope of the Jew out for literal blood was alive and well, but I know we're not, not really. Tell me you meant something else, or I think this interview is over."