Dexter Morgan

Overview
Character Name: Dexter Morgan

Series/Fandom: the Dexter novels by Jeff Lindsay (specifically soon after the first book, Darkly Dreaming Dexter)

Original or Alternate: Original Canon

Age: 32

Appearance: Dexter is about the average human male height and weight. He's very physically fit, for I believe in between doing his nightly deeds as a serial killer, working for Miami Homicide, and spending time with his athletic girlfriend, he's a very active guy. The color of his hair is rust color red, and his eyes are ocean blue. When he's doing a killing, he wears a plastic mask in which hides his identity, along with plastic, rubber gloves, anything of the sort in which blood does not get on his clothes.Aside from that he occasionally wears normal clothes (even to work), especially brightly colored Hawaiian t-shirts.

Personality: Dexter is an emotionless person. In a way, the lights are on, but there's nobody home. He best describes himself as Happy-Go-Lucky, Dead Inside Dexter. He's basically a polite wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to what happened to him when he was three years old (his mother was killed in a very violent way), this has deeply affected him in a number of ways.

Harry Morgan, his foster dad, had instructed and helped Dexter channel these urges to kill something, a serial killer who only goes after the really bad people, people like himself. Harry also taught Dexter how to act human, as close to perfectly normal as any decent person could be because Dexter can't really feel human emotions. Dexter's outer mask in blending in with the rest of the human race comes off as cheerful, witty, and highly optimistic. (The book persona of Dexter is sooo witty and funny; even as he talks about himself with some loathing, and about what he doesn't understand in terms to humanity, and human society.)

When he's in Hunt Mode when going after other human predators, he comes off as cold and steely, precise, and above all creepy. And when he speaks, he also could feel the darkness, the hidden companion known as the Dark Passenger, speak with him. It's like they speak in unison, as one person. The kills made are very neat and orderly. There's no leftovers left behind in any room that's set up ahead of time for the urges to be put into action. There's definitely no blood left behind either, for the sight of it all by itself disgusts Dexter--he can't stand the sight of unorganized, free blood. Get him to talk about it and there would be a sense of hate in his voice.

The Dark Passenger itself is an entity that only Dexter knows about. It's best described like a calm and cool backseat rider, settling in the back of his mind most of the until it's time for a hunt to satisfy Dexter's killing urges. Dexter welcomes it to take over and strike. Together, they share a symbiotic relationship. Dexter lets the Passenger kill with him, and in turn it helps Dexter out on various murder cases. Dexter works as a blood spatter specialist, and likes it in a way because he feels good to organize blood and explain how a person died upon this evidence. It serves him justice.

The Passenger may be a part of who Dexter is, but it's also got a mind of its own. In reading one of the other Dexter novels, there's something in depth about it.

World Segment Description: Miami, Florida. Dexter moves around quite a bit in this city with all that goes on in his world. He has his own apartment in the neighborhood of Coconut Grove. There's nothing really special about this apartment, practically normal and boring. Dexter has his own nice machines and appliances that any average guy would have. This is where Dexter hides his small box of glass slides with the dried blood samples of his kills on them (as it is already explained in the History Post).

The building in which Dexter works at for the Miami Homicide Bureau is located near an airport, a modern building with lots of windows on it. He has his own little cubicle for an office in the crime lab (a desk, a computer, two chairs--one for a visitor, a phone and answering machine), and shares it with the man Vince Masuoka.

There's also Rita's house, and the various highways, Wolfie's Deli at Miami Beach, and even on the water near the city in which Dexter cruises in his boat, a seventeen foot whaler that's got a big engine in it.

Canon History
There are some major differences in the TV and book plot lines. Deborah and Brian dating was just something extra for the TV show, and Deborah in the books knows about what Dexter does, but definitely not for at least the first two seasons. (Waiting to see season 3)

IN THE BEGINNING...before Dexter became the type of serial killer he is today, he was fourteen--out camping with his foster father, Harry Morgan. They had a very important talk under a starry night sky. ...It's best for the dialogue (word for word from the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter) to be put down on here.

Harry: "You're different, Dexter."

Dexter: "What do you mean, Dad?"

Harry: "The Billups say that Buddy has disappeared."

Dexter: "Noisy little creep. He was barking all night. Mom couldn't sleep." ((Dexter's foster mom, Doris, was dying of cancer. That's why he was concerned for her.))

Harry: "I found the grave. There were a lot of bones in there, Dexter. Not just Buddy's... How long have you been doing this?"

Dexter: "...A year and a half."

Harry: "Why did you start?"

Dexter: "I just--I kind of...had to."

Harry: "Do you hear a voice? Something or somebody telling you what to do, and you had to do it?"

Dexter: "Uh, not exactly."

Harry: "Tell me."

D: "It, uh... I kind of, you know, feel something. Inside. Watching me. Maybe, um, laughing? But not really a voice, just--"

H: "And this something. It makes you kill things."

D: "Not, um, doesn't make me. Just--makes it seem like a good idea?"

H: "Have you ever wanted to kill something else? Something bigger than a dog?"

D: "... Yes."

H: "A person?"

D: "Nobody in particular, Dad. Just..."

H: "Why didn't you?"

D: "It's--I thought you wouldn't like it. You and Mom."

H: "That's all that stopped you?"

D: "I, uh--I didn't want you, um, mad at me. Uh...you know. Disappointed. ...Is that why we took this trip? To talk about this?"

H: "Yes. We need to get you squared away."

D: "... How?"

H: "Good boy. Now... Now, it's like this; I'm getting old, Dexter. I think people understand things different when they get older. It's not a question of getting soft, or seeing things in the gray areas instead of black and white. I really believe I'm just understanding things different. Better."

D: "Okay."

H: "Ten years ago I would have wanted you in an institution somewhere. Now, I think I know better. I know what you are, and I know you're a good kid."

D: "No..."

H: "Yes. You're a good kid, Dex, I know that. I know it. Otherwise, you wouldn't care what I thought, or what Mom thought. You'd just do it. You can't help it, I know that. Because--what do you remember from before? You know, before we took you in."

D: "Nothing."

H: "Good. Nobody should remember that. But even though you don't remember, Dex, it did things to you. Those things make you what you are. I've talked to some people about this.

...I've been expecting this. What happened to you when you were a little kid has shaped you. I've tried to straighten that out, but-- It was too strong, too much. It got into you too early, and it's going to stay there. It's going to make you want to kill. And you can't help that. You can't change that. But... But you can channel it. Control it. Choose--choose what...or who you kill... There are plenty of people who deserve it, Dex..."

From then on, Harry Morgan, a sergeant with the Miami police in his younger days, had taught Dexter the Code in which would help Dexter blend in with the rest of humanity, to act human that's close to perfection. With wearing this disguise, Dexter would be able to satisfy the urges he has into something with purpose. The number one rule in the said Code of Harry is this; Don't get caught.

Up until Harry's illness when Dexter was nineteen and in college, Dexter had been instructed in how to control his killer instincts. At the hospital in which Harry was dying at, Dexter was told about a nurse who gave Harry too much morphine. This particular nurse killed patients on purpose. Dexter was told to go after her. Dexter asked if Harry was sure it was alright to take the woman's life, and Harry said yes.

The actual sequence of events of Darkly Dreaming Dexter starts on the night in which Dexter is in the middle of a hunt. The moon was full, and it beckoned to him and his Dark Passenger to fulfill the Need. The prey was a priest who killed children and buried them in an old vegetable garden at a house that's been around for a very long time.

Killing other monsters like Dexter himself usually brings a sweet release that completes his work he does in finding and cutting up a serial killer. It's also somewhat draining. The Passenger goes quiet after everything is over and cleaned up (for Dex is a very neat monster and doesn't like leaving behind leftovers). Dexter is back to being his other self, the happy-go-lucky, Dead Inside, Lights On But Nobody's Really Home Dexter.

After retiring to his apartment in Coconut Grove, he takes a long hot shower. The kill he made left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. He wished he could have killed Father Donovan twice, because children are rather special, to him they matter for some reason. No, he's not a pervert or anything like that. He's just fond of them, he just naturally befriends and likes interacting with children.

After the shower, Deborah Morgan calls. Deborah would be Dexter's stepsister. She's a very aggressive woman. Back in the beginning of the first Dexter novel, she was just a frustrated undercover rookie cop, dressed as hooker and working for her superiors. For a long time, after the foster parents died, Deborah has been the only family Dexter's ever had. Any biological relations at the time were considered as an unknown area for him.

Anyway, Deborah often turned to Dexter for advice at the crime scenes, for Dexter had these "hunches" and could often think like a killer would, because he already is a killer himself.

The very first crime scene in the novel takes place early morning down at the Cacique Motel on Tamiami Trail.

Before going on, I'll go ahead and fill in the little descriptions of the rest of the people Dexter works with in Miami Homicide.

Migdia LaGuerta was a detective, and a terrible one at that. Dexter knew of a rumor that LaGuerta slept with someone to get to where she was now, and what he did know was that she was very good ass kisser. Dexter fake a considerable amount of manly charm to make LaGuerta like him, in which was easy enough for him to do. Working with the police, from his experience, was all about politics. And since Dexter doesn't really have a conscious that would hold most people back from saying open flirty remarks, he says them. On a further note, she had a Cuban accent, and spoke some very fast Spanish.

Captain Matthews was LaGuerta's superior. He's a no-nonsense, straight to the point type of man. He was often the one who had to deal with the press in sharing bits of information that could be allowed for the public to know on what heinous crimes were commited in Miami. He had little tolerance for LaGuerta screwing up in a case, and made threats to her as to how badly she'd get any chances to work again as to how badly her failures resulted. Dexter as a member of Miami Homicide respects Matthews, for he's a very reasonable and decent cop in his line of work.

Vince Masuoka is the Asian-American guy Dexter shares the blood/forensics laboratory with. He's somewhat fond of Vince, because he pretends to be human like Dexter pretends to be human, complete with a picture-book style smile and a fake laugh. They've often exchanged doughnuts and student to Sensei remarks when they're not doing anything important. (Rough example: "Ah, Great Master, I have brought you a bear claw." "Ahh, this is most excellent, Grasshopper! My village will not go hungry for quite some time...")

Angel Batista is Hispanic and introduces himself as, "Hi, I'm Angel Batista--no relation." He works in the medical examiner's office. Often Dexter will see him kneeling over a dead body and/or body remains, so he gets a lot of field duty. They get along fine and help each other out when it comes to solving murders.

Sergeant Doakes is the human pitbull of the crew. He works closely with LaGuerta, and he's got a cold air of ferocity about him. Doakes is the only one out of them all who dislikes Dexter. He openly admitted to Dexter that he gave him "the fuckin' creeps" once.

Now, let's go back to that crime scene, shall we? There was a dead hooker (in which explains Deb's undercover) wrapped up in bags by a dumpster near the motel. There was someone who found the parts, and reported it to the authorities. The most fascinating thing about the remains was that there was absolutely no blood at all. The remains were pale, cold, and dry. It made him think, Huh, why hadn't I think of that? So, there wasn't much for Dexter to do, and there wasn't much to tell Deborah either, so he left.

In between the work as a blood spatter expert and the enthralling nights of doing his dastardly deeds, Dexter had a girlfriend. Before Rita met him and started dating him, she had married too young to a brute who was a druggie and an alcoholic. He'd beat Rita, rape her, infect her with whatever diseases he would be carrying. It was two times in which he's been through rehab, and Rita had endured and fought with him all the way through it. But when he started to go after their son and daughter--Cody and Astor--Rita had to step up and end the marriage. And once after the divorce was final, and the man was sentenced to spend some jail time, she started dating again after a while.

Rita wanted the kind of guy who would be considerate and be romantic, without any interest in sex whatsoever. Dexter was almost as badly damaged as Rita, in which is why they have been such a seemingly perfect couple. Dexter was also not interested in sex at all, and could perfectly imitate the emotions that Rita was searching for. He wanted to do it, because Rita was not only very pretty and charming, but she was a suitable piece to the outer mask Dexter wore in order to blend in with anyone around him.

To say a little bit about Rita's kids; Cody was five years old, and Astor was eight years old when they first met Dexter. They were quiet, and a little withdrawn, due to what they had been through with their father.

Dexter and Rita went to a movie in which Dexter wasn't all that interested in, but put up with it anyway. Then they went out for a drink, and then a nightly stroll... On the way back in driving Rita home, there was a second crime scene, left by the same serial killer at Coconut Grove. The same thing was found; neatly wrapped body parts, no blood. Dexter came back, and he and Rita ended up talking about this for a while as the gears in his mind were turning about this killer. Somehow, he goofed and kissed Rita on the mouth, causing her to feel very uncomfortable and run the rest of the way home.

Later that same night, Dexter dreamed a strange dream about himself cutting into somebody. He awoke dazed and confused, then thought of this to be just a stupid and meaningless dream.

Ah, but this dream wasn't just a dream. Deborah called sometime after Dexter was up and about to meet her at Wolfie's Deli in Miami Beach, a Morgan family tradition on occasions. Deborah caught Dexter's attention when she brought up the subject of cell crystallization due to cold temperatures. Dexter somehow goes back to that dream he had, and it's provided him with a clue, not just a cold place was the killer cutting up hookers, but in a dark narrow place. Dexter blurted out the words, "Refrigerated truck."

Dexter was around to witness Deborah bring up this new theory to her superior LaGuerta, who simply acts uninterested and brushes away this theory as it were nothing. (And Deborah just couldn't stand that. Plus the nicknames intended for insult like "Einstein" and "Puta".) LaGuerta was more focused on finding who she believed was a witness to the last killing.

Trying his best to show he cared about his sister, Dexter had told Deborah time and time again that working with the Miami PD dealt with a lot of politics. He tried and failed to do much to lift Deb's spirits.

It was three days later when Deborah called Dexter to tell him that she found out how many refrigerated trucks there were in Miami; twenty-three in all. Dexter replied that now was the time to wait and see what the killer's next move was going to be.

Soon after that, Dexter had another disturbing dream at around three in the morning the next day, and he woke up as this turned into a bit of a waking dream. This left him more disoriented and confused than the first one, making him feel like he was responsible for the deaths of those poor women. He wondered if his Dark Passenger just took over Dexter's meat suit whenever it wanted. The Passenger who was being accused told Dexter nothing, and softly chuckled from where it settled in Dexter's brain. There was no going back to sleep this time, and Dexter got in his car on a hunt; to see if he could find the right refrigerated truck his new favorite artist in question used. He found a refrigerated truck, and followed it on a hunch. His instincts proved right as the other driver accelerated only to double back and drive the other was. Dexter was determined to stay on the guy's trail. For a brief time, it seemed as if the truck driver vanished. Then he appeared and threw a woman's head at Dexter's car, giving it a dent on the front. Similar to all the other body parts that were found, the head had almost no blood at all.

LaGuerta found Dexter sitting on the trunk of his car, and filled him in as to where the next murder was located; at a hockey ice rink. For a third time it was basically the same type of kill, with the rear view mirror from the truck placed with it. Dexter saw this as a message to him, while everyone else there didn't know what to think. This message Dexter interpreted was, I see you. Beyond that, he had no idea what the mirror specifically meant.

Meanwhile LaGuerta had found a guy who said he had confessed to the killings. Deborah had confirmed this to Dexter, who didn't believe that at all. The so-called prime suspect who worked at the ice rink on a Zamboni just wasn't it.

A few days later, Dexter came to his apartment on a Monday with the feeling that someone had been around while he was away. He couldn't exactly know for sure why, but the feeling was there. First, he checked all his possessive belongings, even though he somehow knew that his stuff was not touched. After checking all the obvious places, he saw what the visitor had left tacked to his fridge under one of his fruit magnets. It was a Barbie doll's head. In upon opening the freezer, Dexter found the stack of Barbie's body parts all tied together with ribbons. A little mirror was held in one of the doll's hands.

Dexter at first thought that his elusive friend was trying to say, "I know who you are, where you live. I'll get you if you try to get me." The other possible message he thought the ice truck killer was trying to say was, "Hi! Wanna play?" Dexter, in placing himself into the other's shoes, decided the latter. And yes, Dexter wanted to play. He really did. At first, Dexter had decided to not emotionally get involved (one of the rules in the Code of Harry) on this case Deborah wanted to solve to get into the Homicide Bureau. Now it was obviously personal. The ice truck killer knew exactly who Dexter was.

The next full moon at night called the Need to Dexter, and his Dark Passenger was getting anxious to make a killing. This hunt involving a school janitor for kidnapping and killing five light haired girls was rushed, and Dexter didn't have enough time to set everything up organized and neatly. Someone was coming, and Dexter had to go, feeling unhappy and unsatisfied with what he had done. Dexter didn't even get a chance to collect a blood sample from this "insect, a horrid little bug" to put in with the rest of the glass slides, in a rosewood box hidden in his apartment. Each time Dexter killed someone, to complete it he would keep blood slides of those lives he took for memories' sake. The box of slides is like a scrapbook to him.

Dexter's messy, rushed kill was pinned from Dexter's co-workers in relation to the ice truck killer, who got angry in return and whipped up something more gruesome and disturbing. (And boy was Captain Matthews PISSED at LaGuerta for the way she brought in the press for something that was technically off the record information.) He even left a disturbingly humorous inside joke for Dexter back at the ice rink--arms and legs apart from the torsos placed together to spell out the word "BOO".

In the middle of all this, Dexter was going back to those feelings that he could have been the ice truck killer all along...that is until Deborah's arrival snapped him out of that line of thinking. They found somebody in the hockey rink building who's computer was linked to one of the security cameras; he put pictures up from the camera of those of the Panthers for the fans to see on a website. This gave Dexter and Deborah the idea to look through the current camera pictures to try and see what the ice truck killer looked like. They found unclear images of someone who had facial features and a physical build that was similar to Dexter's.

Thankfully, Deborah loved Dexter and her conscience with that tough love stopped her from immediately turning him in. She gave Dexter a chance to try to enhance the security camera images in order to prove the man in the pictures was not Dexter.

The ice truck killer later took Deborah with him, and left Dexter another Barbie doll dressed up as a sailor in his car for a clue as to where they were; at a fenced in area filled with large storage containers.

Dexter inwardly struggled to get there to go save Deb (for he was numbly concerned about her), and along the way LaGuerta had silently followed him. They met up at a place in which there was an opening in the chain linked fence. LaGuerta was suspicious that Dexter was up to something, and the other in return in truth had told her that his stepsister was in great danger if they didn't hurry and go after her captor. LaGuerta reluctantly agreed, but things had to go down her way, such as getting into the storage area through the front gate. She used her badge at one of the guards and threatened him to lock him up somewhere and make herself forget where if he didn't open the gate.

As they split up to look for poor Deborah, Dexter could hear a chorus of what he could describe like college fight songs. He left it up to his raw instincts and his own feet to guide him to where he was supposed to go. Awaiting for him in an open storage container was Deborah strapped to a table with duct tape, and she was looking very, very scared to see him. Who appeared soon after was the killer, who introduced himself as Dexter's twin brother.

With a little mental push, "Biney" (who Dexter called his one year older brother Brian when he was very little) had helped bring up the memory of the Traumatic Event that made them the human monsters they were up to this point. Dexter was three, and Brian was four when their biological mother had been killed over a product she had worked with some other people on selling. In the novel, the product isn't specifically mentioned, but there's an explain on why they both loath and hate the presence of blood. The brothers as very young children had been found by Sergeant Harry Morgan and his team stuck to the floor in what was an inch deep of their mother's dried blood after two days.

Brian wanted Dexter to participate with him in cutting into Deborah, in which Dexter found it hard to say no to. What would Harry say, he thought. He'd say; Chop up the bad guys, Dex, not your sister.

Detective LaGuerta arrived, and fired her gun. Brian rushed in with his knife and stabbed her into the midsection, and it was Brian who got shot. Dexter during this commotion was about to step up and kill Deborah after he halfway wanted to rescue her, pulling the strip of duct tape on her mouth. Deborah spoke to Dexter to get her out of here, and Dexter felt that who was speaking to him was his mother. He knew that was silly, but the feeling was still there just the same.

The chaos resulted in LaGuerta dying, and Brian getting away. (This would be another major difference in between the novel, and season one of the TV show.)

Deborah and Dexter were both alright, and were there at LaGuerta's funeral. Sergeant Doakes was there too, looking at Dexter like he was responsible while he was dropping a handful of soil onto LaGuerta's grave. In the time to come in which doesn't happen in Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Deborah would know about Dexter's big secret, and Doakes would soon be on the hunt to try and pin Dexter together with LaGuerta's death.

History in Phase RPG
When Dexter arrived to the Ring, he was completely baffled. Lost in his thoughts, he was trying to rationalize it down, and soon came upon the gymnasium. After just a brief look around, only moving his eyes, he left. The very first person he met was Jeremie Belpois, who was busily working at one of the mapping panels. Dexter almost automatically made friends with him and learned how the mapping system worked.

Sometime later on, the evil AI XANA sensed the Passenger's poking and prodding. Once XANA took over, telling Dexter to "cease his intrusion", the Passenger whispered that Jeremie was being held against his will, but didn't know that XANA was a machine. This meant Dexter didn't know either. There was a brief showdown, Dexter having no choice but to cause harm, to teach this "inner dark energy" a lesson. XANA zapped him once, working its energy in Jeremie's body to do so. On the second time, it blindy tried to zap him again before Jeremie had lost consciousness. Dexter tackled Jeremie to the ground and felt the wait of guilt once he got up, just feeling the heat from that final resort of an attack.

At this point (to be continued in a back-dated thread sometime), Dexter would probably have to tell Jeremie about his Dark Passenger once he wakes up after Dexter's moved him to a safe place, out of public view.

Next, he's met AU Quatre Winner in the Ring's cafe. Their conversations about the Ring, Dexter's family, and their occupations were harmless enough. Quatre also explained that there were food replicators in there, just like how it was on Star Trek.

Meanwhile, the Passenger sensed the dark energy within this next innocent, causing Quatre to put up a barrier to keep it out. Quatre, being an empath, found out exactly what Dexter is, sort of. He came up with a handful of theories, such as a diseased empath, or that his soul was just almost all the way corrupted.

Upon leaving Quatre, Dexter had lunch, and went up to the clinic room to the item replicator. Quatre had a theory that something may have happened to the original architects of the Ring before the main computer just took over everything. So, Dexter got some forensics tools he's used at crime scenes in Miami to maybe investigate what happened. Also, he got a copy of the Miami Herald paper, to read up on current events.

After this is when he first met Leon S. Kennedy! Poor Leon was easily foiled with Dexter's skills in the art of acting human, and helped him get a good headstart to Leon's agenda as he went off to go do his own.

The power in the Ring goes off while Dexter attempted to find a place to do some quick newspaper reading. The Joker passed by, and this is when the Passenger really REALLY started getting anxious in finding some murderer to slash into. Dexter nearly went after the Joker, since he felt he just knew that the Joker was a really naughty. But of course, going on gut feeling alone would violate the Code of Harry! Dex had no choice but to let the Joker go look for Harvey Dent.

Later on, the security error in the Ring was fixed, and he decided he might as well be on his way back to Miami. He was navigating the mapping system to find the transporter room. He met Ashitaka, and this kind young man helped him get to where he was going. And tagged along with Dexter when going to Miami. From there, Ashitaka advised that Deborah be contacted, for she sounded real upset on Dexter's answering machine. When Dexter dialed his step sis up, Debs was in a way relieved, and showed her affection with her interrogating, aggressive language once she came over. Together, Dexter and Ashitaka only begun to tell her the truth... ((More to come when more tagging with him is done!))

Songs of Inspiration for Writing Dexter
"One in the Same" by Audioslave

"Somedays" by Audioslave

"Fill Me Up" by Staind (Soooo Dexter/Rita!)

"Victim" by Trapt (good song for the creepy mood for Dex when he's doing a Dark Dance with someone)

"Still Running" by Chevelle (IMO, this mostly has the feel of Dexter and the Dark Passenger as whenever the Need comes.)

Testimonials
Here is where all the other characters from Phase leave their comments/opinions about Dexter--coming soonish!!