Para App
NAME: [Rebecca]
JOURNAL: [calidragon ]
EMAIL: [Dragonwing2002@aol.com]
AIM: [Dragonwing2002 ]
WIKI NAME: [n/a]
CHARACTERS: [none]
CHARACTER NAME: [ Felix Harrowgate ]
FANDOM: [Doctrine of Labyrinths series by Sarah Monette]
CANON: [Shortly after his exile at the end of The Mirador]
WHAT THEY LOST: [The Sibylline, a magically-charged deck of cards used for divination. He learns a lot about his nature and the way he views and uses magic by using the Sibylline, and it was instrumental to him fixing the Virtu and also to revealing certain fundamental truths about himself and his relationship with his half-brother.]
ABOUT THE CHARACTER: [Felix Harrowgate is exceedingly charming, flamboyant, self-centered, and vain. He is also not a nice person. He is snarky and temperamental to the extreme, loving to needle people for the pure amusement of seeing their reactions. He flirts with nearly everyone, with the misaimed belief that it is the only way to get people to like him, and uses his sexuality as a tool as much as a weapon to manipulate others. His primary desire in general is to have everyone he meets love him - whether it is lust, admiration, or respect - and in general this is an effortless task. Anyone who doesn’t he is likely to verbally destroy. Paradoxically, while he enjoys being the center of attention, Felix is also extremely private. His public persona, while no less a part of himself, covers a deep self-loathing concerning anything to do with his past. Sold at the age of four by his mother to a Thief-Keeper, people who keep and train young children for criminal pursuits, Felix was regularly used and tortured, gaining a crippling fear of deep water and a webwork of scars on his back. After his Keeper died when he was eleven in a massive fire that also killed his best friend, Felix was acquired by an equally brutal brothel owner. At fourteen he was bought by Malkar Gennadion, the man who would become his teacher, lover, torturer, and subsequently, the bane of his adult life. Many of Felix’s mannerisms - including his vocabulary, accent, and even his gait - were more or less beat into him by Malkar in order to pass him off as a nobleman. Any slippage in these precise controls are usually a sign that something is very wrong. The fear that anyone may discover these details causes him to drive people away. Though he is aware of this, Felix cannot help the sadistic glee he gets from hurting others, especially the few people that are close to him, because the closer you are to him, the more the vitriolic lash of his tongue burns. Of course, he hates that he does this, often falling into self-destructive spirals fueled by his own guilt. It is in these moods that his sadistic side is the hardest to repress, and thus the cycle repeats. He is also a sexual sadist, though he refuses to inflict this urge on anyone he cares about, and which leads him to siphon these impulses elsewhere. Additionally, he does not like to be touched or comforted (unless sex is involved, naturally), and hates having people on his right side, due to being partially blind in that eye.
Felix is incredibly stubborn: he won’t ever ask for help, will rarely apologize, and loves to defy authority in any form. When he remembers to look beyond himself, there are few people that Felix has cared very deeply about - notably his half-brother Mildmay, and his late lover, Gideon. It is probably telling that he has betrayed them both at least once. Despite his rather superficial mien, Felix is actually very intelligent and creative. While this usually only surfaces in his legendary wit, he also is a competent scholar. For the most part he is faithful to Cabaline doctrine (the school of wizardry in which he was trained), but has been known to overlook aspects of it when it suits him. To his credit, this makes him much more open-minded than many of his fellows. Felix has a deep academic curiosity, and is relentless to the point of obsession when solving any riddle, especially any to do with magical theory. He has shown himself to be a very good and surprisingly patient teacher as well. He has another hidden noble side relating to ghosts. While wizards of his order aren’t even supposed to believe in spirits of any sort, he has gone out of the way to assist lingering spirits who have asked for his help.]
THIRD-PERSON WRITING SAMPLE: [Courtiers and wizards filled the chamber like a collection of exotic birds. Even amongst the sea of colors, tall, fiery-haired Felix stood out as the loudest and brightest bird of all. A titter of laughter spread through the group and Felix’s smile spread into a self-satisfied grin. He was practically preening under all the attention, having just recently been awarded a seat on the Mirador’s ruling council of wizards, the Curia. For the first time since he had come here, the respect he commanded was based on truth rather than the carefully constructed lie of his past. He’d put together this little soirée in celebration, inviting an intriguing mix of both friends and those he wanted to watch squirm with repressed envy.
Storming towards him out of the crowd was Robert of Hermione, his face set in a hard scowl that meant he was looking for a fight. To be fair, it was pretty much the only expression he wore when in Felix’s presence.
“How did you do it?” he hissed, not quite low enough to pretend he was even trying to be discrete.
“Do what?” Felix asked with a doe-eyed look of innocence that hadn’t been on genuine on his face since he was eight. Robert’s expression hardened even further.
Felix knew what he was implying, of course. He was the youngest person to be appointed to Curia since it’s founding. He was allegedly the son of a deposed king and commanded more magical power than any other wizard in the Mirador, but he was also abrasive, molly, and sleeping with the Lord Protector’s brother. Certainly, he couldn’t have gotten on the committee unless Shannon hadn’t done some maneuvering on his behalf. That was not the case, and Felix was fairly certain Robert didn’t actually believe it either. He was just galled beyond belief that they had chosen Felix over him.
Across the room, surrounded by his own bevy of sycophants, Shannon flashed him a brilliant smile, and Felix found himself faltering. Could his lover have spoken to the council without this knowledge? He hadn’t asked for it, but even the idea that it could be possible was bitter. Despite the admittedly satisfying side effect that it drove the Lord Protector crazy, Felix had never wanted any undue gain from his relationship with Shannon.
Maybe he had never really stopped being a whore.
The drop in Felix’s expression was momentary as his eyes drifted briefly over to his lover, but Robert jumped on it like a starving alley cat.
“Having regrets, Lord Felix? I would gladly assuage them for you,” he said with a malicious grin which meant roughly he would tattle on him to the Lord Protector if Felix admitted his collusion.
A flash of anger sparked in Felix’s eyes. Generally he was content to let the others believe whatever they wished of him. After Malkar’s cruelties, the petty remarks of his so-called peers were of no importance to him. But this was too painfully close to the truth to bear quietly.
He stepped closer to the other man, the feral expression on Felix’s face making Robert back up a step before even realizing it.
“Why Robert, I didn’t know you were so interested in me,” he a said with a purr that was low and predatory and undeniably ,sexual.
A crimson flush that was not entirely rage crept up to his hairline, and Robert turned abruptly on his heel and fled from whence he had come.
Felix turned back to his group of admirers, beaming triumphantly. “It appears that I have lost my touch.”
The resulting laughter followed Robert all the way out the hall.]
FIRST-PERSON WRITING SAMPLE: [ It has come to my attention in my brief but rather…enlightening stay in this castle, that there are a number of residents here who display or have laid claim to the use of magic. Even where I come from there are a myriad of theories about the various aspects of magic, from its proper implementation and method of use, down to what magic even is. I have found that even opposing schools of thought can offer insight on matters, so if you can excuse my flagrant curiosity, I would greatly like to discuss this with anyone who is willing and knowledgeable on the subject. A collaboration of those of us with magical abilities could be of great aid to the castle residents as a whole…
[Oh God, was he really thinking about starting another Cabal?
Delusions of grandeur, darling? Malkar’s voice hissed sweetly in his head.
Anyone listening can hear the book snap shut a moment as Felix fights off a burst of hysterical laughter.
A few seconds later, he continues, his voice so bright you can almost see him smiling]
I can be found in the library, should you wish to discuss this in person. I look forward to hearing from all of you.]
INTENT: [Characters like Felix have always been my favorite to read, specifically the complex and snarky, which makes him a fun challenge to write as well. As for my goals in Paradisa, in general I am Iooking forward to having him deal with his situation and interacting with people, highly dysfunctional as he is. I imagine he will succumb to his desire to keep his past a secret, for one. There is also the matter of some of the similarities that the castle bears to the Mirador, and his history with ghosts will also make dealing with the castle’s servants interesting. I already have a few ideas for temporary losses, most of which involve him assuming the handicaps of his loved ones (Gideon’s inability to speak, Mildmay’s limp…), since he’s often very focused on his own problems.
I have a more long term goal that had to do with the Insolitus. As you can likely guess from the series title, Felix has a rather checkered history with mazes of any kind. Labyrinths are often used to channel great magical power. One he was in was even said to be, to a degree, sentient. Though it would take some time and likely an event of some significance for him to even attempt it, Felix may try to locate the heart of the maze of Insolitus (if there is such a thing), with the theory that it may be the center of the castle’s power. Depending on how correct his theory is, he could a)set off some kind of event in castle [could involve any number of things - magic going haywire, disruption of the ghosts, or making the castle more hostile in general], or b)Successfully contact the castle’s consciousness and probably start a major loss. Or something else entirely, depending on how the mods feel about this. Most likely, he would become insane again as he did in the first book. Because, yes, Felix never learns :P.)
JOURNAL: [calidragon ]
EMAIL: [Dragonwing2002@aol.com]
AIM: [Dragonwing2002 ]
WIKI NAME: [n/a]
CHARACTERS: [none]
CHARACTER NAME: [ Felix Harrowgate ]
FANDOM: [Doctrine of Labyrinths series by Sarah Monette]
CANON: [Shortly after his exile at the end of The Mirador]
WHAT THEY LOST: [The Sibylline, a magically-charged deck of cards used for divination. He learns a lot about his nature and the way he views and uses magic by using the Sibylline, and it was instrumental to him fixing the Virtu and also to revealing certain fundamental truths about himself and his relationship with his half-brother.]
ABOUT THE CHARACTER: [Felix Harrowgate is exceedingly charming, flamboyant, self-centered, and vain. He is also not a nice person. He is snarky and temperamental to the extreme, loving to needle people for the pure amusement of seeing their reactions. He flirts with nearly everyone, with the misaimed belief that it is the only way to get people to like him, and uses his sexuality as a tool as much as a weapon to manipulate others. His primary desire in general is to have everyone he meets love him - whether it is lust, admiration, or respect - and in general this is an effortless task. Anyone who doesn’t he is likely to verbally destroy. Paradoxically, while he enjoys being the center of attention, Felix is also extremely private. His public persona, while no less a part of himself, covers a deep self-loathing concerning anything to do with his past. Sold at the age of four by his mother to a Thief-Keeper, people who keep and train young children for criminal pursuits, Felix was regularly used and tortured, gaining a crippling fear of deep water and a webwork of scars on his back. After his Keeper died when he was eleven in a massive fire that also killed his best friend, Felix was acquired by an equally brutal brothel owner. At fourteen he was bought by Malkar Gennadion, the man who would become his teacher, lover, torturer, and subsequently, the bane of his adult life. Many of Felix’s mannerisms - including his vocabulary, accent, and even his gait - were more or less beat into him by Malkar in order to pass him off as a nobleman. Any slippage in these precise controls are usually a sign that something is very wrong. The fear that anyone may discover these details causes him to drive people away. Though he is aware of this, Felix cannot help the sadistic glee he gets from hurting others, especially the few people that are close to him, because the closer you are to him, the more the vitriolic lash of his tongue burns. Of course, he hates that he does this, often falling into self-destructive spirals fueled by his own guilt. It is in these moods that his sadistic side is the hardest to repress, and thus the cycle repeats. He is also a sexual sadist, though he refuses to inflict this urge on anyone he cares about, and which leads him to siphon these impulses elsewhere. Additionally, he does not like to be touched or comforted (unless sex is involved, naturally), and hates having people on his right side, due to being partially blind in that eye.
Felix is incredibly stubborn: he won’t ever ask for help, will rarely apologize, and loves to defy authority in any form. When he remembers to look beyond himself, there are few people that Felix has cared very deeply about - notably his half-brother Mildmay, and his late lover, Gideon. It is probably telling that he has betrayed them both at least once. Despite his rather superficial mien, Felix is actually very intelligent and creative. While this usually only surfaces in his legendary wit, he also is a competent scholar. For the most part he is faithful to Cabaline doctrine (the school of wizardry in which he was trained), but has been known to overlook aspects of it when it suits him. To his credit, this makes him much more open-minded than many of his fellows. Felix has a deep academic curiosity, and is relentless to the point of obsession when solving any riddle, especially any to do with magical theory. He has shown himself to be a very good and surprisingly patient teacher as well. He has another hidden noble side relating to ghosts. While wizards of his order aren’t even supposed to believe in spirits of any sort, he has gone out of the way to assist lingering spirits who have asked for his help.]
THIRD-PERSON WRITING SAMPLE: [Courtiers and wizards filled the chamber like a collection of exotic birds. Even amongst the sea of colors, tall, fiery-haired Felix stood out as the loudest and brightest bird of all. A titter of laughter spread through the group and Felix’s smile spread into a self-satisfied grin. He was practically preening under all the attention, having just recently been awarded a seat on the Mirador’s ruling council of wizards, the Curia. For the first time since he had come here, the respect he commanded was based on truth rather than the carefully constructed lie of his past. He’d put together this little soirée in celebration, inviting an intriguing mix of both friends and those he wanted to watch squirm with repressed envy.
Storming towards him out of the crowd was Robert of Hermione, his face set in a hard scowl that meant he was looking for a fight. To be fair, it was pretty much the only expression he wore when in Felix’s presence.
“How did you do it?” he hissed, not quite low enough to pretend he was even trying to be discrete.
“Do what?” Felix asked with a doe-eyed look of innocence that hadn’t been on genuine on his face since he was eight. Robert’s expression hardened even further.
Felix knew what he was implying, of course. He was the youngest person to be appointed to Curia since it’s founding. He was allegedly the son of a deposed king and commanded more magical power than any other wizard in the Mirador, but he was also abrasive, molly, and sleeping with the Lord Protector’s brother. Certainly, he couldn’t have gotten on the committee unless Shannon hadn’t done some maneuvering on his behalf. That was not the case, and Felix was fairly certain Robert didn’t actually believe it either. He was just galled beyond belief that they had chosen Felix over him.
Across the room, surrounded by his own bevy of sycophants, Shannon flashed him a brilliant smile, and Felix found himself faltering. Could his lover have spoken to the council without this knowledge? He hadn’t asked for it, but even the idea that it could be possible was bitter. Despite the admittedly satisfying side effect that it drove the Lord Protector crazy, Felix had never wanted any undue gain from his relationship with Shannon.
Maybe he had never really stopped being a whore.
The drop in Felix’s expression was momentary as his eyes drifted briefly over to his lover, but Robert jumped on it like a starving alley cat.
“Having regrets, Lord Felix? I would gladly assuage them for you,” he said with a malicious grin which meant roughly he would tattle on him to the Lord Protector if Felix admitted his collusion.
A flash of anger sparked in Felix’s eyes. Generally he was content to let the others believe whatever they wished of him. After Malkar’s cruelties, the petty remarks of his so-called peers were of no importance to him. But this was too painfully close to the truth to bear quietly.
He stepped closer to the other man, the feral expression on Felix’s face making Robert back up a step before even realizing it.
“Why Robert, I didn’t know you were so interested in me,” he a said with a purr that was low and predatory and undeniably ,sexual.
A crimson flush that was not entirely rage crept up to his hairline, and Robert turned abruptly on his heel and fled from whence he had come.
Felix turned back to his group of admirers, beaming triumphantly. “It appears that I have lost my touch.”
The resulting laughter followed Robert all the way out the hall.]
FIRST-PERSON WRITING SAMPLE: [ It has come to my attention in my brief but rather…enlightening stay in this castle, that there are a number of residents here who display or have laid claim to the use of magic. Even where I come from there are a myriad of theories about the various aspects of magic, from its proper implementation and method of use, down to what magic even is. I have found that even opposing schools of thought can offer insight on matters, so if you can excuse my flagrant curiosity, I would greatly like to discuss this with anyone who is willing and knowledgeable on the subject. A collaboration of those of us with magical abilities could be of great aid to the castle residents as a whole…
[Oh God, was he really thinking about starting another Cabal?
Delusions of grandeur, darling? Malkar’s voice hissed sweetly in his head.
Anyone listening can hear the book snap shut a moment as Felix fights off a burst of hysterical laughter.
A few seconds later, he continues, his voice so bright you can almost see him smiling]
I can be found in the library, should you wish to discuss this in person. I look forward to hearing from all of you.]
INTENT: [Characters like Felix have always been my favorite to read, specifically the complex and snarky, which makes him a fun challenge to write as well. As for my goals in Paradisa, in general I am Iooking forward to having him deal with his situation and interacting with people, highly dysfunctional as he is. I imagine he will succumb to his desire to keep his past a secret, for one. There is also the matter of some of the similarities that the castle bears to the Mirador, and his history with ghosts will also make dealing with the castle’s servants interesting. I already have a few ideas for temporary losses, most of which involve him assuming the handicaps of his loved ones (Gideon’s inability to speak, Mildmay’s limp…), since he’s often very focused on his own problems.
I have a more long term goal that had to do with the Insolitus. As you can likely guess from the series title, Felix has a rather checkered history with mazes of any kind. Labyrinths are often used to channel great magical power. One he was in was even said to be, to a degree, sentient. Though it would take some time and likely an event of some significance for him to even attempt it, Felix may try to locate the heart of the maze of Insolitus (if there is such a thing), with the theory that it may be the center of the castle’s power. Depending on how correct his theory is, he could a)set off some kind of event in castle [could involve any number of things - magic going haywire, disruption of the ghosts, or making the castle more hostile in general], or b)Successfully contact the castle’s consciousness and probably start a major loss. Or something else entirely, depending on how the mods feel about this. Most likely, he would become insane again as he did in the first book. Because, yes, Felix never learns :P.)