Peter Drake
From Changeling Venue
| Seeming | Darkling Lurkglider |
|---|---|
| Court | Autumn Court •••• |
| Freehold | DeKalb, IL |
| Player | Steve C |
Contents |
Overview
Public Alias(es): Peter Drake
Real Name: Unknown
Seeming: Darkling
Kith: Lurkglider
Court: Autumn Court
Court Position: Autumn King of DeKalb
Age: Unknown
Concept: Gentleman Gargoyle
Mask: Athletic good looks that definitely aren't merely "striking" but more like "angelic," and "carved from stone," Peter Drake draws eyes when he walks into a room. Mr. Drake relishes his appearance in a nice business suit, but is always happy to shift into business-casual with the jeans-and-sport-coat look favored by so many CEOs these days. Blond hair parted on the left and blue eyes hidden behind Italian sunglasses compliment a "chiseled" physique which supports his extreme sportsman side just as much as his playboy look.
Mien: Noticeably larger and "fuller" on his fae side, Drake's most noticeable feature is the set of monstrous wings that he "brought home as a parting gift from his Keeper." Perfectly manicured hands turn to gnarled claws wrapped around a flashy cell phone, and short horns protrude from under the skin on his forehead. When viewed through a Faerie lens, Drake becomes noticeably more menacing as shadows lengthen, claws curl, and teeth turn to wicked fangs.
Mantle: A sharp aura of fear pervades Drake's presence, crisp and tangy like an apple fresh from the harvest. The rustle of leaves travels in his wake, and if one is careful it is not unheard-of to smell something burning when Drake is nearby. His welcoming smile holds all the joy of things coming to fruition, while to stand in his shadow is to know the cold snap which presages a bitter winter.
Character Livejournal: Alienminds
Another Life
In which our hero is born, grows up, and transgresses.
Early Life
Our story begins in a small town, probably not unlike your town, with a young boy, probably not unlike you or I. His name is lost to the sands of time, but for the sake of the story we shall call him Michael.
All his life Michael tried to be a good little boy. He did what his parents told him to do (most of the time), and tried never to hurt anyone or be mean-spirited (most of the time). Fate was not, however, quite so good to him though. Michael was born a little heavy, like so many healthy Midwestern children before him, and it never really went away. "More of you to love," his mother would sometimes say and then hug him, thinking somehow that those words could do anything but make it all hurt worse. Adding insult to injury, the clarity of Michael's skin was never what perhaps it ought to be, and his acne never quite went away.
The other children were never kind to Michael. The myriad treasure chest of schoolyard names was opened up for him from the first day, and abuse after abuse were piled upon him like gold and gems. Michael never really lost hope, but time and again his only solace was the cookie jar at home. The situation looked grim. Grim, that is, until Michael arrived at High School. Then he found out what "grim," could truly be.
One day, against all odds and all expectations, a miracle occurred. Walking along the side of the road, on his way home after a particularly harsh day of abuse, Michael was quite surprised to see a car pull up next to him. Lucy Jane, fresh from her after school work as leader of the cheerleading team, leaned over and offered him a ride which he accepted. On the ride to his home, Lucy Jane told him that she had been watching him in secret for weeks, and that she would love nothing better than to have him escort her to the Senior Prom. Expecting treachery Michael at first declined, but with kind words and assurances that she had seen the pain her so-called-friends had inflicted Lucy Jane won him over. Michael agreed.
The Prom
Michael picked Lucy Jane up outside her house with a tasteful corsage, and she beamed with joy at the sight of him. They rode to the dance in the old-fashioned Chevy that Michael had borrowed from his Dad, and chatted happily. Michael began to let his guard down, confident that Lucy Jane meant him no harm. Whether she did or did not is a mystery lost to the ages, but it provided a lesson that Michael would never forget.
Suffice it to say, it was not all an elaborate scheme on Lucy Jane's behalf, but it was an event closely anticipated by nefarious others for their own ends. Shortly after arriving Lucy Jane and Michael were separated, and Michael's trousers were stolen. Ashamed, Michael walked back out to the parking lot to find his attackers peeling out in his father's car. In tears, Michael called home and told them his story. His mother, distraught at what had befallen her little boy, said she would come and get him straight away. To hide his near-nakedness while he waited, Michael crouched behind a statue on the school grounds.
With a crack like thunder, a doorway carved itself out of the trees behind him and a tall woman of startling brilliance and shadowy beauty stepped out towards him. A fire made of ice crackled in her eyes and a voice like breaking glass issued from her lips:
"Who dares to touch my statue in so profane a manner?"
Frozen by her beauty and her anger, Michael was unable to speak.
A cruel smile cut a path across her face. "If stone is what you love so much, to rut against it so, then stone you shall have!"
Ten minutes later, Michael's mother came and picked him up. Wearing no pants, he confidently stalked across the parking lot to her and smiled as he got in the car. He was a much greater bother to her from that day forth, but that is another tale...
Durance
In which our hero gets stoned
To the Tower with him!
Another story, if the dear reader is willing to go on. This time we shall tell the tale of a young man thrown in the dungeons of a cruel, cruel mistress. What he did to get there is immaterial; he begins our story as a prisoner. "Make him a fitting addition to the tower," she cried, and turned on her heel, a flurry of skirts and diamonds in her fury. Fearful of her wrath, her chirurgeon set to work. The young man screamed and screamed, but those who tended the dungeons of her Ladyship were deaf to all cries. The young man could only watch in horror as whole shavings of his body were cast aside by the lathe, and his body was packed in foul-smelling hallucinogenic mud until it had taken on stone features of its own. Flesh was cruelly ripped apart and falsehoods wedded to its missing portions with equal cruelty, and at the end of it all, when the young man thought he could endure no more agony, her Ladyship returned to him. With her delicate hand she reached into his chest as if that chest were made of smoke, and she withdrew a tiny light. Smiling, the Lady placed the light inside one of the diamonds that decorated her gown, and declared that he was ready.
So, the young man served out the first year of his imprisonment as a castletop ornament. Conscious, his eyes ever alert for threats to her Ladyship's personage, the young man waited in agony and in patience, a prisoner in his own skin at the whim of one of the great and powerful Gentry.
Career in the Service
One day, not so very different from those which had preceded it, the young man (now a young Gargoyle I suppose...) saw something in the distance for which he was quite unprepared. A vast army was approaching, surely with hostile intent. There were goblins of every make and color, and three Ogres of impossible size. Mighty Beasts there were, and one powerful Keeper of them all directing the charge. Warmaker had come to her Ladyship's castle! With that realization, and her Ladyship's acknowledgement of it, the young man felt life return to his limbs. Looking around he could see that his fellows were in a similar state, and soon a General came along to direct them in battle. It was a terrible fight, but in the end the attacking force was routed. The young man was one of few to survive and thus be honored by her Ladyship, and his reward was great indeed: the young man was promoted from Castletop Guardian to Gateway Guardian, and allowed to remain mobile in order to defend her Ladyship's Castle and be the first line of defense for her guests.
The young man moved back and forth in the ranks for the next few years, subject to promotion (such as when he was allowed to accompany her on a diplomatic mission) and demotion (wherein he was asked if he appreciated her and did not respond fast enough, so she flung him from the Castle's peak and let him lay shattered for almost a year before repairing him) at the whims of his Keeper, but there came a day when she had received the final straw. With a wave of her frozen hand, her Ladyship finally turned the young man fully into stone and ordered her chatelaine to dispose of him. Her chatelaine, taking pity on the poor gargoyle who had never done anything to hurt his mistress or indeed to deserve this terrible fate, shed a tear for the young man and released him. He turned the young man back to life and set him towards the Hedge, gambling on her Ladyship's mercurial temperament to spare him. The young man set out for a home he could barely remember, a small farm town in Illinois called "DeKalb."
Freedom
Show Talk
"Is this thing on? Hello? Can you hear me? Test, one, two...I'm on? Thanks. Hi there students, and welcome back to another segment of NIU Radio's Who's Who? I'm your host, Tina Burke. We're here tonight with the fabulous Peter Drake, darling of the local scene, who I'm hoping will answer a few questions for us."
"Thank you for having me on the show, Tina."
"No, thank you, Mr. Drake. So tell us a little about yourself; to what do you attribute your great success?"
"Well, Tina, first of all I'd like to point out that anyone who really wants to go out there and take the world by the balls has what it takes to be a success. You just need a little confidence and, hopefully, a little luck.
"I guess I'd say my story starts with the stuntman work. I started out here in DeKalb, as your listeners probably know, working on a couple of student films to build up a portfolio. From there it was simple; I was lucky enough to meet a few producers, and Hollywood beckoned. It's never famous work really, but it's a lot of fun if you know what you're doing. Anyway, that's where the money started rolling in."
"Is that where you developed your interest in martial arts?"
Chuckle. "I hate to disappoint you, Tina, but parkour is not a martial art. I can't abide the idea of ever hitting someone, even if I had to defend myself. Parkour is the art of getting yourself out of violent situations in a pacifistic manner, not martial arts."
Laugh. "Sorry to insult your hobby."
Laugh. "Not at all. To answer your question, yes, I was working as a stuntman when I learned about the form and when I got interested in it. I've been a big fan ever since."
"Yes, we can tell. In fact, all of DeKalb can tell now that Tracer is open! Would you like to tell us a little more about that experience?"
"Sure, Tina. I've never owned a business before, so Tracer was a daring operation for me. I've had some excellent help from some really genius employees who wanted to help out of personal interest in the forms. So we bought the building out from that old Bally's, and opened the club."
"Perhaps you'd like to tell our listeners a little bit about what goes on at a parkour club?"
"Actually, Tina, I'd much rather invite your listeners to come on down and give it a try. The club is members-only, but we have parties there two Thursdays a month that are open to the public and I hope anyone who's interested will come check us out."
"We'll have that info playing later in the show, too. Now, on to another subject, perhaps you can dispel a rumor for us while we're here..."
"From the grin on your face, Tina, I have a guess where you're going with this."
"Well, you must admit that there's been a lot of talk lately about your alleged connections to Night Terrors."
"Excuse the seriousness here, Tina, but I want to be clear. The only money I've put into that establishment has come from the cover charges on the occasional times that I've visted. I don't deny visiting, and I don't deny that they've had trouble with the police, but these rumors of "controlling interest" in a goth and bondage club are just that; rumors."
"Okay...I guess we'll let you get away with that one this time, Mr. Peter Drake, because that's all the time we have today! Thank you, listeners, for tuning in, and thank you Mr. Drake for being with us today."
"It was my pleasure, Tina."
Shop Talk
Peter Drake emerged from Arcadia in 2002 and turned his back on his former life. Determined to make "blessing" out of his Keeper's curse, Drake threw himself into his "work." That, plus his penchant for three-dimensional thinking, earned him an invitation to the Autumn Court. Joining the Court only increased his already prodigious interest in the occult and the rest of the supernatural world, which in turn cemented his position with them.
Over the course of the next few years, Drake made friends throughout the other Courts (including an unexpected amount of Summer, given the situation) and at least one enemy. Slowly but surely, his position in the Autumn Court of DeKalb improved and improved.
"Wealthy playboy and mild asshole" Drake eventually got caught with his hair down once. His most memorable moment was as the victor of the 2005 Hunt of Leaves. His fellow Lost got to glimpse his Darkling side just once, on that night. Picture, if you will, Drake crouched over the Fetch victim, blood dripping from his mouth and wings flared against a night sky as he screams into the air at any who would defy him. Drake deals regularly with those who think he's a modern fop, a playboy with too much money and too little sense, and treasures the shudder that comes to them when they remember the one time they saw the mask slip.
Gargoyles Today
They aren't at all like they were when we were growing up
Motley
"Whether down to gehenna or up to the throne,
He travels the fastest who travels alone."
- Rudyard Kipling
Drake isn't really close to anyone in an oathbound way, but enjoys the company of his fellow Freehold-members at most times.
Allies
- Adrian Layne - Not an ally really (especially under the circumstances; Adrian is a motley-mate with the only one in the area that Drake considers an enemy), but the two have been getting along a lot lately. Drake seems to respond to the Fairest's bluster, and for his part Adrian has at least been tolerating him.
Enemies
- Samuel Cohen - This Ogre and Drake have been butting heads for many, many years. When each arrived in DeKalb things started quite well, but have long since soured. No one quite knows why anymore, only that having both claim the position of Autumn King has made the area a little more interesting...
Quotes by Peter Drake
-Stay Tuned-
Quotes on Peter Drake
Please feel free to add.
Rumors
- It is rumored that Drake is indeed the owner of Night Terrors, and that he is attempting to bring dread Contracts to the Lost by his workings there.
The Other Stuff
Character Inspirations
- Bruce Wayne (from the new continuity, Christian Bale, rather than the original)
- Scarecrow (comics and movie apply)
- Michael Moschen (his dexterous, fun-loving side)
- Gargoyles (many from the TV show, for obvious reasons)
- The Merovingian – Matrix (wealthy, powerful and aloof, but with dark secrets and tastes, this is Peter Drake when he’s working)
- Jareth – Labyrinth (Drake isn’t actually a lot like Jareth, but it bears mentioning because that’s how he sees himself)
Soundtrack
- Satan is My Motor - Cake
- Sheep Go to Heaven - Cake
- Coin-Operated Boy - Dresden Dolls
- Tomorrow Never Dies - Garbage
- Over My Head - Lit
- Cosmic Castaway - Lit
- Time to Fly - Lit
- Die Another Day - Madonna
- Opium - Marcy Playground
- A Night on Bald Mountain - Mussorgsky
- Closer - NIN
- Hurt - NIN
- Toxic - Britney Spears
- Don't Look Now - Sweet Smell of Success
- Living Dead Girl - Rob Zombie
OOC: Looking For
- Not looking for ties pre-Arcadia
- Definitely looking for ties from Arcadia
- Someone to bring me into the Autumn Court
- Myriad occult contacts - hit me up and we'll see if we can make it work.
- Friends in the movies (the character was never famous and never spent very long amounts of time in other peoples' freeholds, but the tie is open for roleplay).
- Love relationships (the character is heterosexual and is not interested in casual flings or affairs, but would have made an excellent boyfriend or fiancee until such time that his inner darkness became an issue)
- I see I'm not the only one named Drake...connection?
- Parkour afficionadoes
- Fellow Domain Coordinators - Wouldn't that be a weird character tie?
OOC Info
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