These brief bios and thoughts assume you have read Revelations and are interested in learning more about the characters and their backgrounds. There are some spoilers but I’ve tried to not repeat too much which I already put in the novel.
Dani Harris/Onyx
Dani has been pulled in multiple directions since she was a little girl. Her family moved constantly until forced to stay put by Gwen’s needs. She learned not to put down roots which would only be inevitably and painfully ripped up, but then when she finally did get to stay somewhere, she had to avoid attention even more than before. She wanted to enjoy the flirty fun of the Babylon legacy’s ability to attract men but not devote herself to being High Priestess. She wanted to protect her little sister but at the same time, wished her family was normal.
The constant pull and push forced her to flee to keep her distance. But she couldn’t abandon her family entirely. She still came regularly to visit with Gwen, unable to leave her baby sister alone against the dark. She hid in plain sight as a burlesque dancer, gaining the stability she craved while still enjoying the attention. She learned to control the Huntress by Hunting the jerks and predators. But it was all a delicate balancing act.
Michael’s idealism and determinism shattered her illusion of balance, forcing her to see what her life had become and what it could have been. For the first time, she had to face her fears rather than turning away to be pulled in another direction.
Michael Brooks
Michael’s great grandmother was a legendary medium during the height of Spiritualism. Given a piece of jewelry or bit of clothing, she could reveal detailed personal information about the owner. Her accuracy during palm reading was astounding. She was tested over and over again by various committees to determine if her gifts were fraud or fact. By the end of her life, she was bitter and disillusioned. She taught her daughter to hide her gifts, a legacy that was passed onto her granddaughter and great-grandson.
Smothered by the lies he had to tell and perceive, Michael turned to comics at a young age. The idea of being celebrated for his gifts instead of being forced to hide drew him. He imagined himself as a costumed hero, helping others. Instead, he used his psychometric gifts to help developmentally challenged children. With a touch, he could determine the source of a tantrum or terror even when the child could not speak to tell him.
He grew even closer to his childhood dream when he began helping Joe at the police station. His flashes of information helped to catch actual criminals. Michael felt fairly satisfied, except for having to hide his own gifts. Joe refused to listen and he feared revealing himself to his clients would end his career.
Finding Dani and the lalassu transformed him from an isolated freak into part of a community. Unfortunately it was one which ran counter to almost everything he believed. He had to let go of his comic book dreams for something infinitely more satisfying, a chance to be a real hero.
Virginia and Walter Harris
Dani’s parents came from an amalgamation of many passionate and vibrant couples. When I think of the two of them meeting, I imagine Virginia as a gypsy-esque free spirit, draped in scarves and colorful skirts and lots of jewelry. I see her dancing through a crowded marketplace and attracting the attention of a tall and handsome bad boy, Walter, in leather and jeans. I imagine him coaxing her join him for a drink and her tossing her hair and teasing him before saying yes. They would have lived in a constant whirl of changing cities and opportunities but kept their focus on each other. They were and are passionately in love with each other.
After Walter’s kidnapping and escape, the relationship changed. Virginia sacrificed everything, more than she intended, to keep him alive. After she saved him, she was devastated by the loss of her divine connection, sinking into a deep depression. Walter was struggling with his loss of mobility and I believe the two drifted into their own world, one which unfortunately left their children on the outside.
They would have turned to each other and rediscovered their passion. Virginia became fiercely protective of Walter and of the Babylon legacy. Walter struggled to protect his family, especially Gwen. The two of them feel heavily guilty for what they have done and what they put their children through. But they are still dedicated to each other and to their family.
Eric Harris
Eric is a typical older brother. As his parents checked out, he tried to step into the parenting role, tried to protect and guide his younger siblings, Vincent, Dani and Gwen. It made him into a serious young man. When his mother was depressed and his father was learning to recover in the wheelchair, he bought groceries, took Vincent and Dani to school and did the chores. This is what drives his desire for stability and legitimacy. He wasn’t protected as a child and became prematurely aware of the dangers of being on one’s own. He wants the protection of society’s awareness.
While he craves stability, he also respects his family’s traditions. He understands the need for secrecy, particularly with his own father’s kidnapping and injuries. He knows that it isn’t just his own life he could jeopardize, but every lalassu out there.
Vincent Harris
Vincent saw what happened to his father and decided to spend his life avoiding responsibility. If everything can be taken away from you in an instant, why bother fighting for anything? Just enjoy the moment and take what you can from it. He cares deeply about his family and loves his brother and sisters. They are the only things in his life he is willing to work for.
This is why Vincent was so vulnerable to André’s persuasion. André promised him all the rewards with none of the work. He offered an impossible dream where Vincent could have all the tangible rewards without responsibility.
Vincent has been greatly traumatized by his experiences. I don’t think he’ll ever be able to go back to his carefree ways, but I wonder if he will try. It’s something I look forward to finding out in future sequels.
Gwen Harris
Authors, like mothers, aren’t supposed to have favorites. But if I did, Gwen would be mine. I love looking at the world from different perspectives and Gwen’s is definitely out there. I wouldn’t want to have her gifts. The dead never need to stop to eat or sleep, they can make demands twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year from a medium. It would be relentless.
Despite it all, Gwen has kept the essential spark of childhood curiosity and acceptance. She finds the bright spots amid all the howling darkness and cherishes each and every one. She struggles to express herself because her mind works in an entirely different way from anyone else’s. She thinks in pictures, which is why she can express herself better with her sketchpad than her words.
Martha
Martha was inspired by dozens of parents dealing with special needs children. Parents who throw themselves into the gaps between services and doctors to give their children what they need, year after year. The proportions tend to be higher for mothers dealing with the daily needs but there are a number of fathers out there putting in the work as well.
I see Martha as having begun with a typical life trajectory. She studied hard in school, got a degree in hospitality management and began a career she loved, managing hotels. She met Bernie’s father and they fell in love, got married. After a few years, they decided to have a child. Bernie was anticipated and loved from the moment of conception. Martha was elated with anticipation and welcomed her beautiful baby girl.
But then things began to fall apart. Her daughter was slow to respond, preferring her imaginary world to interacting with her parents or other children. Martha tried to compensate, questioning her instincts. Eventually there could be no denying it, something was wrong with Bernie. There were violent episodes, terrifying Martha and her husband. He left, unable to cope with Bernie’s outbursts. Martha quit her job to be home to take care of her daughter. She works as a telemarketer from home so that she can pay the bills to help Bernie. She sold their house and moved into a tiny apartment to use the equity to fund Bernie’s therapy. She has done everything she could imagine to help Bernie, only to see her efforts barely manage to keep things from sliding into disaster.
Martha’s discovery of Bernie’s true difficulties and finding help would be like lifting a dozen elephants from her shoulders. Finally, she understands what is happening and there is a real chance of her daughter finding the help she needs. I imagine their reunion as drenched in joyful tears and locked in hugs.
Bernie
Bernie was inspired by a question I’ve often wondered. If the fantastic powers we see on television and in movies actually existed, wouldn’t the people involved sound crazy? Hearing voices of people who aren’t there? We call that schizophrenia. If your experiences don’t match everyone else’s, then we assume there is something wrong. Society doesn’t have a lot of sympathy for those who are different.
If a little girl saw dead people, she would be told she was crazy, that she was hallucinating. Medication would be completely ineffective. And the experience would be terrifying. The challenges would be too much for an adult, let alone a child.
Bernie still has her faith in the essential rightness of the world. She still believes that heroes always win and that endings are always happy. She will have the opportunity to grow up understanding who and what she is, rather than being defined by her differences.
Chuck
Chuck began as a throwaway reference and quickly threatened to dominate. He has all the street urchin toughness of a child from the thirties and he has been locked in the moment of his death for over eighty years.
He urges Bernie to violence for the same reasons children have always thrown tantrums. They’re upset and don’t know any better. Their feelings are too big to contain. After decades of being ignored and forgotten, he’s desperate to make any kind of impression, the bigger, the better. I suspect there will be challenges as Bernie continues to grow and leaves Chuck frozen as a child, trapped in his past.
Vapor
Vapor is my Mystery Man. He has a long and colorful past but he’s holding it close to his chest for now. He’s incredibly quick to pick things up but keeps everyone at a distance. He’s a living legend, almost a lalassu bogeyman. He plays by his own rules and I suspect he’ll continue doling out tidbits as the series continues.
Joe
Joe is the only one in the story who never wanted to be involved with the supernatural. He clung hard to his belief in the “real” world of what he could see and touch and experience for himself. He’s had a difficult initiation into the woo-woo shit behind the curtain and now he can never return to his blissful ignorance.
Joe always wanted to be a protector. He and his badge stand between the bad guys and the innocent they prey on. He accepted Michael’s help because it meant he could find bad guys faster, sometimes before he was even looking. He saw Michael as a confidential informant, one who had access to all sorts of information but who couldn’t testify. Michael showed him where to look to find the evidence he needed.
Now our cop’s faith is shaken. He’s been shown a world which can’t be dealt with in traditional courts of law. Whether or not he’ll be able to integrate his new awareness into his worldview remains to be seen.
Karan Samil
Every villain should have a competent sidekick. Too many get stuck with the idiot side of the genepool. Karan is perfect for the role. He’s not interested in the spotlight and doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. He’s brilliant, able to see around metaphorical corners, and yet doesn’t attract any attention to himself. Is he lalassu? He hasn’t quite let us know that one yet. He’s hiding his own secrets, far too many to be discovered in a single sitting.
One thing I do know is that Karan does not like being defeated, even temporarily. He is not about to allow Dani, Michael and the others to get away with the upper hand.
Andre Dalhard
Polished, dignified and ruthless, Dalhard is the epitome of the gentleman villain. The world dismisses him as a crackpot for his insistence on believing in the supernatural. But he knows better and has poured millions of dollars into finding lalassu. His mother groomed him to take over his father’s role in the company as quickly as possible, teaching him to take what he wanted, no matter the cost. All that matters is being in a position to win.
His pride has been hurt and that makes him more dangerous than before.
Ron McBride
Ron was a soldier until he saw his best friends fall to a sniper bullet he couldn’t save them from. He was praised for his heroism but feels like a fraud. A true hero would have been able to save them. He turned to alcohol and drugs to dull the flashbacks and painful alertness. After he was pulled out to participate in Dalhard’s genetic trials, he was forced to confront what he had done and what he had become. The painful procedures left him wanting to retreat back into the bottle and he tried to relinquish responsibility back to Dalhard but he could no longer dull his awareness of what was happening.
Look for more of Ron’s story in Metamorphosis.
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