Self;
Name/Alias: Song
Personal LJ:
1adychaosE-mail Address: asongforcrows [at] yahoo [dot] com
AIM: minstrel zee
Other Messengers:N/A
Character;
Character: Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
Fandom: Dresden Files Series (books)
Character age: 34 (holy cow)
Residence: DUMBO, Brooklyn
Occupation: Wizard Private Investigator
Reserved Character? Yes
Do you have other characters in the game already? Yes
How many? 3 (hopefully 4)
History;
Canon or AU? AR - Basically, Harry is canon except that I'm switching everything from Chicago to NYC.
Supernatural powers? Harry's a wizard. He's the only wizard in the phone book. He's not quiet about it. He used to work on retainer for the NYPD until Murph got demoted. Anyone in the magical community knows about Harry. Most everyone else thinks he's either a kook or a charlatan.
Harry's considered a magical "thug" because his magic lacks fine-tuning. Despite this, he is one of the strongest wizards around judging by pure magical strength. He mainly favors fire and wind magic and pre-prepared spells. He's also been perfecting his use of electrical magic and is quite adept at tracking spells (he uses those a lot in his investigations) as well as summonings and bindings. He prefers to use items to channel his magic (a carved rune staff, a "blasting rod" and a shield bracelet and silver rings which channel kinetic energy. He also has his mother's silver pentacle which she left to him. He is almost never without his leather duster which is enchanted with protective magics. He also packs a Colt 44 for those times when magic just isn't enough.
Harry's "computer" so to speak is Bob, an air spirit bound to a carved human skull that he took from Justin DuMorne. Under DuMorne's influence, Bob was an evil and dangerous spirit. With Harry, he's mellowed (though he remains a lecher). Bob helps Harry with magical and mystical research and spell and object creation. He also acts as a sounding board. For game purposes, Bob will have found a way for Harry to somehow access the internet magically since Harry is unable to use a computer without frying it.
Harry, like all wizards, avoids looking directly into another person's eyes. If he does so, something called a "soul gaze" occurs--the ability to look deep into someone's soul and see a great deal about who and what they are. This is a two-way street. Most people don't enjoy sharing that much of themselves with anyone, and wizards know and have seen too much for most people to relish a chance to peek into their souls. For game purposes, this would be on mun-approval only with them telling me what Harry would see and vice-versa. Also for game purposes, he can't see everything, but he can sense things hidden from him and possibly from the other character.
Wikipedia [or other] link to Canon Information:
Wiki Anything else we should know?
One of the drawbacks to being a wizard is that technology hates you. Harry can fry a computer just by standing near it if he's not careful. Because of that, he drives an old beat up VW Bug, refuses to ride the subway and avoids cell phones. He uses candles at home and a wood-burning fireplace. He avoids elevators. You get the idea.
Harry is owned by a tailless and ferocious tomcat he calls "Mister." Some time later, Harry is hired by a Tibetan monk called Brother Wang to recover a litter of puppies that had been stolen by a demonic cult. Harry recovers the pups, but one stows away and stays with him. The monks decide that this must be ordained, and so Harry finds himself with another pet. He quickly christened the pup "Mouse" due to its tiny stature, gray coat and quiet temperament. He never expected the teeny pup to grow to the size of a small pony. Mouse's head reaches to Harry's waist. That's pretty high, considering Harry is 6'6". He most closely resembles a
Caucasian Ovecharka Mountain dog, only larger.
Harry later learns that Mouse is a "temple dog" with a temple dog's powers. Harry's still learning about them, but so far appear to include, sensing dark energy and dark spirits, overt guardianship of owner and family, protection of religious shrines, providing warnings and possessing an above-Lassie style intelligence.
It's probably worth mentioning Harry's height again. He's a lean and lanky 6'6"--kind of hard for him not to stand out in the crowd.
In-Game Backstory: [ie. Character history]
Harry was born on October 31st. His mother died (he thought) in childbirth. His father, a stage magician, christened Harry after three famous magicians in their own right (Harry Houdini, Harry Blackstone, Jr. & David Copperfield). Harry's dad taught him stagecraft, and Harry thought he'd join his father on stage one day. Instead, Harry's father died of a brain aneurysm when he was six. Harry was placed with Child Protective Services. Harry's power began to manifest when he was ten, and he was adopted by Justin DuMorne, a Warden of the White Council (the wizard governing body).
DuMorne began training Harry and another orphaned apprentice, Elaine, in the magical arts. Unknown to anyone, DuMorne was actually a black wizard who had plans for his "apprentices." Harry grew increasingly fond of Elaine during his teen years, and she returned those feelings. When Harry was 16, DuMorne, with Elaine's help, attempted to force Harry to become his thrall (essentially destroying his willpower). Harry withstood as best he could, but it wasn't until he called upon his godmother, Lea (the Leanansidhe) that he was able to strike a bargain in exchange for his freedom. Harry fought DuMorne's magic with his own, burning him to a cinder and (he thought) Elaine, as well. During his escape, Harry recovers "Bob," a spirit bound to a human skull, from the wreckage of DuMorne's estate.
The White Council lost no time in apprehending Harry. He had broken the first law of magic, "Thou shalt not kill." It looked like execution was inevitable, but the Council stayed their hand when it was decided he had acted in self-defense. Instead, he was placed under the "Doom of Damocles," a magical probation that spelled his death should he break even one of the Council's many laws. He was apprenticed to Ebenezer McCoy until he turned nineteen. It was McCoy who taught him true magic and what it takes to be a man. Ebenezer is the closest thing to a father figure Harry has ever had.
Eventually, Harry wandered from Ebenezer's Missouri to the Big Apple. He finally landed a permanent job with PI Nicholas Christian of Ragged Angel Investigations. For three years, he learned the trade of a private investigator. Harry hung out his own shingle, using his wizard skills as the key to his investigations, when Nicholas decided to retire. He even took out an ad in the Yellow Pages under Wizard. Even in New York, he's the only listing.
Harry landed a consultant's position with NYPD's Special Investigations Unit (imagine something similar to the X-Files on a city level). He worked closely--and eventually became good friends--with Lt. Karrin Murphy. He lost the NYPD contract during a police political struggle that resulted in Murph being demoted to sergeant. She still calls on him for help, insisting on paying his fees out of her own pocket.
Over the years, Harry has run-ins with the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, the three vampire courts, various warring religious orders, black magicians, demons, undead and a host of other oddities, and the mob. Did I mention the mob?
At one point Harry learns that his mother did not die giving birth as he'd always been told. Instead, she'd run away to become the mistress of the Lord of the White Court (think incubus/succubus style vampires). Her paramour eventually killed her, but not before she gave birth to Harry's half-brother, Thomas Raith. Harry takes on the Red Court vampires after they knowingly turn his girlfriend and somehow manages to instigate a war. When the vampires stage a devastating attack upon the White Council, leaving them severely undermanned, Harry is recruited into the ranks of the Wardens, sort of an FBI of wizards.
Currently, Harry fulfills his duties as Warden of the area while earning his living still as a Private Investigator who specializes in oddities. There's plenty to keep him busy in the City that Never Sleeps. With the influx of peoples from all over the world over the years, the City is prey--and beneficiary--of all types of magics, spirits and creatures. All Harry's trying to do is keep his head down, make a living and keep himself afloat.
One thing Harry does know, Albert Hammond, Jr., wasn't kidding with that song, "It's Hard to Live (in the City)."
Questions; Set I.
[Please choose 5-10 questions from this set, or 15 if you're applying for an original character. Bold each of the questions before providing your character's answers.]
Who or what, if anything, would you die for? I spend way too much time trying to keep alive while those around me are inventing new and uncomfortable ways to turn me into a grease spot. I think I'll stick to living. Crap. So I've stuck my neck out a few times. So what? Damn white knight syndrome's gonna get me killed one of these days.
Would you rather learn everything there is to know, or experience everything there is to experience? I been burned, ensorceled, seduced and slimed. Hells bells, I'd kiss someone if I could take a breather and just learn for awhile. Aw, hell, who am I kidding? I'd get bored and stirring up trouble in less than a day.
What is your guilty pleasure? Catching a hot meal and one of Mac's home-brewed ales. McAnally's caters to folk like me, meaning people--and creatures--of the magical persuasion. It's a kind of Switzerland of the pub kind. Mac keeps the peace, and because none of us want to ruin the only place where we can really relax, we don't break the rules.
If you could save any historical figure from their untimely death, who would it be? The first Merlin. I'd dearly love to meet him. He's supposed to be the greatest wizard ever. Wonder what he'd say about the goings-on now.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I'm a wizard. Pretty sure that qualifies as a superpower.
Which would you rather give up: television or books? Television. Let's face it, thing will blow if I spend more than fifteen minutes in the same room with it. Not exactly hard to give up under those circumstances.
If you were on the Titanic and there was only room for one person on your lifeboat, would you save your mother or your best friend? My mom sold me down the river to Mab. I'll save Murph, thanks.
Set II.
[Please choose 2-3 questions from this set, or answer all 5 if you're applying for an original character. Bold each of the questions before providing your character's answers.]
Describe how you met your best friend.
I didn't meet Murph--that's Lt.--dammit--Sgt. Karrin Murphy to you--under what you'd call auspicious circumstances. She was working patrol and Nick and I were still teamed up as Ragged Angels. We were sent after a nine-year-old girl, one of those spoiled rotten little rich kid hellions, who'd run away. Nick manned the phones--his gall bladder was acting up--while I did the tracking spell and footwork. I finally ran the little angle (and I use that term lightly) to ground in Red Hook--how the hell had she found her way from the Upper East Side to there? And this kid was not wanting to be found.
Anyway, long story short, the girl's parents didn't want to ruin their precious reputations by admitting their little girl ran away. Nick said later their coke habits wouldn't let them pay even our measley fee. So they wound up reporting us as her kidnappers to NYPD. I ran into Murph while the kid and me were trying to avoid Gogoth (he's the troll who lives under the Brooklyn Bridge). Murph and her partner had received a call giving me as a suspect in the supposed kidnapping. We eventually got it ironed out.
A few years later Murph got promoted to lieutenant and put in charge of NYPD's Special Investigations Unit and I struck out on my own after Nick retired. Murph says she found me in the Yellow Pages when she called me in on that ritual killing over in the Village, but I like to think she remembered my name. Took a few more times with us working together for her to finally trust me. I couldn't have a finer friend than Murph.
Describe the most difficult experience you have ever had to deal with.
A wizard's life is full of regrets. It's the nature of the beast. I've made my share of mistakes, lord knows, and I've done stuff I'm not proud of. But the thing I regret the most was letting Susan talk me into telling her about that Red Court shindig. If I hadn't have done that, she'd never have been able to follow me there. She never would have put herself at their mercy by arriving without an invitation. The vampires never would have gotten her. She never would have been bitten. She wouldn't be fighting an addiction that's worst than heroin. She wouldn't have left me for my own safety.