Delilah Bliss

Seductive and voluptuous, Delilah is a deadly delight. She doesn't work--she doesn't need to. She's brilliant in her own way, and heartless--but most people don't find out either of these facts until it's too late.   Delilah's favorite amusement is seducing men. The more powerful the man, the more fun the game is for her. She does not do this out of a need for love or even excitement. Her motivation lies in her lust for power, and her need to prove that power to herself. To her, making men sleep with her and court her, especially if they have good reason to avoid such an affair, is the finest proof of a woman's power over men.   She's well equipped for her lifestyle, too. She has a fine body and lovely features that are memorable in their striking combination, but just neutral enough that they are unlikely to turn off any potential victims. She has a rich, sensuous voice that she can manipulate at will. Her hair is dark blonde--that shade that a girl can claim to be either brown or blonde at her convenience. Her eyes are similarly ambiguous--and it is that ambiguity that gives them their alluring mystique.

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But for all her beauty, Delilah is cold at heart. She is a stunningly talented actress, but really she thinks little of leaving a man whose just pledged her everything. Since she knows she could not easily be faithful to any one man, she doesn't try. She gets as much as she wants from a fellow and then leaves him. Through this technique, she survives from beau to beau, letting men buy her anything she wants, from food to clothes to lodging (she clearly doesn't mind where she sleeps, and her victims are all too often willing to loan her their beds).   She is most easily attracted by power. Wealth, fame, magical prowess, political affluence... all these things make Delilah want to prove herself triumphant over their owners. And if that owner is a woman? She'll seduce the owner's lover instead, to prove to herself that she still more powerful as a woman.   Delilah had a very sheltered childhood. She has two loving, doting, protective parents and a wonderfully defensive older brother. She was a very sweet, promising girl in her youth. But, when she was a teenager, she started getting into that boy-crazy phase. Her brother carefully monitored the men who came into her life, and he parents laid down very responsible rules for her. And she rebelled. Delilah could not stand all that wholesomeness, once she realized what it was they were trying to protect her from. She fell in love with boy after boy who noticed her fine features and thought little of the incredible mind behind them. Sure, she's not a rocket scientist. Her schooling isn't that great, but she's cunning and manipulative in ways no school could ever teach. She learned that partly by dealing with these almost abusive boys she dated. As she fell more and more into her sluttish lifestyle, Delilah drew further and further from her family that truly loved her and wound up in more and more negative relationships. At last, when she was old enough, she simply left home and went in search of her own fulfillment. She decided she was, after all those boyfriends controlling her, only happy when controlling someone else, just to prove to herself that the wasn't weaker than those shallow men. So while she loves men to love her, she has little respect for them. To her, men are mere objects, tools to be used for power, like diplomacy or military might. Her body is her weapon, and she knows it.

A note on the name: Delilah's name is significant. Her last name, Bliss, is really quite obvious in the many meanings it might have. Delilah, however, is based in three things, which are all actually the same thing. When I created the character, were were playing in my band class the piece Bacchanale from the opera Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint Saens. This is one of the most fun pieces I've ever played. It has a very seductive middle-eastern sounding dance theme throughout, that makes me think of King's Quest V and the belly dancers. The opera, of course, is taken from the biblical tale. The opera was banned in most countries when it was first released because it was too racy. Funny that, being a faithful Bible story... Anyway, at that time also the Phantom of the Opera movie came out. I loved it. I bought the soundtrack with some money I'd won for a poem and set about memorizing most of the words. In the song "Stranger Than You Dreamt It", when Christine first removes the Phantom's mask and he starts cursing at her for it, he calls her "you little lying Delilah," which I can only infer to be a reference to the opera by Saint Saens. This makes sense when one considers the characters involved, and that the Phantom would certainly be well versed in such things. I thought it was the funniest thing ever when I first made the connection. Anyway, that's why I had to call her Delilah. Because she seduces and betrays--and because I must be careful to censor her activities, just as the opera was censored.