Character Post: Anastase Beryl

NOTE: This post contains spoilers for The Fifth.
 

Peter Murphy.  ::swoon::

Oh, Anastase, Problem Child Extraordinaire.  At the beginning of The Fifth, Anastase is terrible.  He's selfish, he's rude, he's heartless, and all of that makes him incredibly attractive to Suzanne, who has, sincerely, the worst taste in men. He's one of those guys who you know you should stay away from and yet don't want to.

Originally, my conception of Anastase's physical appearance was based on the singer Peter Murphy from Bauhaus, that angular, mysterious, dangerous vibe, that people either love or hate.  A more modern approximation is actor/model Luke Eisner, although he's a little too . . . healthy looking for Anastase.  He needs to drop a little weight -- maybe pick up a teeny coke habit or something -- and then he would be perfect! :)

If Luke Eisner loses 20 pounds, he is Ana.

 
Because he's the First of his Circle, Anastase thinks that means his decisions are the right ones, and he doesn't spend a lot of time on worry or self-doubt.  Anastase's feelings of superiority are only amplified by his magical abilities, and he and Spencer are the ones who make the most day-to-day use of their abilities, although Ana's are mostly for his own amusement.  Because he is automatically in charge, he hasn't spent much time working on his leadership: Anastase is not comforting and not safe.

As a Fire, he has the physical ability to create and control fire, and he can also physically create things, which includes an ancillary power to heal himself and others.  (This isn't, like, Wolverine's power to heal -- it's really difficult and slow -- but he can do it with enough time.)

While he and Merri consult on a lot of things, Anastase is emotionally closest to Spencer, who he views almost as his own child.  In fact, Spencer may be the only person besides himself who he really cares about, at least in The Fifth. He has little use for his mother, or Gabriel.  He's awful to his girlfriend.  He is, absolutely, not a good person, and Suzanne's attraction to him is a perfect embodiment of how messed up her judgment is with regard to dudes.

Another shot of Peter Murphy.  Those cheekbones!

On the other hand, knowing someone who isn't a good person is sometimes very handy.  Because he doesn't really care about "right and wrong," Anastase is ruthless when he needs to protect himself or his Circle, and capable of anything.  In the first confrontation with Morgan in The Fifth, Anastase absolutely would have sacrificed Suzanne in exchange for Spencer if the situation had required it.  And once Suzanne is a member of the Circle, Anastase is committed to helping her at the risk of his own life, and even at the risk of Spencer's.  Once you're in with Anastase, it takes a lot for him to put you out.