Note
This page is a stripped-down version of my story notes, meant to be publishable without sharing detailed notes, lore and reveals about the work. There might still be spoilers, depending on your criteria and preference when it comes to these things.
Summary
Philo is one of two main protagonists of Project Stardust, the other being Chang, his long-lost childhood friend who does not remember him. Most of the story is planned to be from Philo’s POV, his choices, biases and internal conflicts determining what the reader gets to know about Chang’s missing history.
Infobox
Character Summary
Caption
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Alias [REDACTED] Gender male Story age 25-26 Other nicknames Rookie Faction - Class Undetermined
By the time the story starts, Philo is plagued by visions, illusions and hallucinations of people — living, dead, or presumed dead — which is assumed to be a manifestation of his guilt and grief. These ghosts eventually lead him to Chang and the Agency, the shady covert organization she works with.
He recognizes right away the questionable ethics of the Agency. Still, he remains entangled with them, due to a combination of proximity to Chang, and the way the Agency allows him to “correct” his past mistakes.
He is a legal advocate and investigator, controversial and slightly well-known in public for his choices to represents resonants in law.
Abilities
Philo is very weak, magically, having a low, almost undetectable ambient trace. (This is in contrast to Chang who is physically weak but magically powerful.) Hence, he is initially unskilled and something of an underdog, barely able to perform basic resonant abilities.
He becomes the subject of Ciela’s research as she tries to determine his ability class, with very little luck. Over time, he makes do with increasing his agility and force, and creating short-lived constructs with precise timing. He also eventually persuades Kana to teach him to teleport.
Personality
Philo starts off being driven largely by guilt and shame — alternating sharply between trying to redeem himself, and trying to run away from the burden. When under heavy stress, his “ghosts” become more severe, more commanding or imploring, until he loses judgment and complies to whatever they ask.
Since he first disclosed his hallucinations to his family, they pressured him into psychiatric treatment and therapy, where he internalized that these are manifestations of his guilt. By the beginning of the story’s events, he had stopped disclosing his visions to people and has gone as far as pretending to family that the visions had disappeared.
In all other cases, Philo is relatively resilient, resolute and willful, which later becomes useful to resisting to psychic attacks from resonants. He makes reasoned decisions most of the time, knows enough to tell if a person is upset, and is otherwise the smartest person in the room most of the time.
He is quickly likeable, respected and charmed by many people. He’s very eloquent, good at getting his will, and extremely confident in debate. He’s fairly composed and poised, especially in comparison to Chang.
In general, Philo is proficient in athletics, charm/persuasion, and investigation.
Key Relationships
- Chang
- Kwan
- Blanche
- Ciela
- Kana