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Hargraves, Michael “Mick“

Basic Information

  • Full Name: Michael James Hargraves
  • Age: Late 30s
  • Occupation: Former Detective Constable with the Metropolitan Police, now a struggling Private Investigator
  • Physical Appearance: Weathered, showing signs of hard living; stubble often verging on beard; dark circles beneath bloodshot eyes; carries himself with the remnants of police training despite physical deterioration

Background & History

Police Career

  • Was once a rising star in the Metropolitan Police
  • Known for his intuitive investigative skills and ability to connect evidence others missed
  • Career ended in the aftermath of the Jamie Matthews case, a traumatic child murder case that broke him psychologically
  • Officially left the force on medical discharge after being shot in the leg while pursuing a suspect
  • The department was looking for a reason to remove him due to his deteriorating mental state and increasing alcohol dependence

The Jamie Matthews Case

  • The defining trauma of Mick’s life
  • Jamie Matthews was an 8-year-old boy abducted by serial child murderer Philip Weiss
  • Mick became obsessed with the case, conducting unofficial surveillance on Weiss
  • Weiss became aware of Mick’s surveillance and turned it into a sadistic game
  • Led Mick to an abandoned factory with a choice between two doors: one leading to Weiss, one to Jamie
  • Mick chose wrong, and was forced to watch via livestream as Jamie was killed by a modified wood chipper
  • After capturing Weiss, Mick violently assaulted him and had to be pulled off by his partner, Diana Reeves
  • The trauma of his failure with Jamie led to Mick’s psychological breakdown and eventual departure from the police

Post-Police Life

  • Works as a private investigator taking mundane cases (cheating spouses, insurance fraud)
  • Lives in a small, cluttered flat in a working-class area of London
  • Maintains minimal contact with his sister Liz, the only family member who hasn’t given up on him
  • Has developed significant substance abuse issues, primarily alcohol and non-prescribed painkillers
  • Operates on the fringes of society, using old police contacts when necessary

Personality Traits

Before Possession

  • Driven by guilt and self-recrimination
  • Emotionally closed-off and defensive
  • Deeply observant despite his self-destructive tendencies
  • Possesses dry, sardonic wit as a defence mechanism
  • Stubborn and tenacious when pursuing cases
  • Shows flashes of the once-capable detective beneath his damaged exterior
  • Struggles with authority figures and formal structures

After Possession by Marchosias

  • More complex moral perspective, influenced by the demon’s ancient viewpoint
  • Increasingly comfortable with supernatural violence when directed at “deserving” targets
  • Developing a strange symbiotic relationship with Marchosias, blurring the lines between their consciousnesses
  • Retains core protective instincts toward innocents, especially children
  • More willing to use unorthodox methods to achieve justice
  • Struggles with the implications of sharing consciousness with an entity that sees humans as lesser beings
  • Finding a new sense of purpose through their shared abilities

Skills & Abilities

Detective Skills

  • Exceptional observational abilities and pattern recognition
  • Experienced in surveillance and tracking techniques
  • Skilled interrogator who can read people effectively
  • Deep knowledge of London’s criminal underworld
  • Proficient in evidence collection and case-building

Combat Skills

  • Trained in police combat techniques but limited by leg injury
  • Experienced with baton and basic defensive tactics
  • No firearms training beyond basic police procedures (UK context)
  • Fighting style is scrappy and practical rather than refined

After Marchosias

  • Enhanced physical abilities when Marchosias shares control
  • Ability to see in darkness and perceive supernatural elements
  • Limited access to Marchosias’s powers depending on their arrangement
  • Can witness and sometimes direct supernatural manifestations (shadow rats, hounds)
  • Developing the ability to separate Marchosias’s consciousness from his own under specific circumstances

Weaknesses & Flaws

Personal Demons

  • Alcoholism and prescription drug abuse
  • Post-traumatic stress from the Jamie Matthews case
  • Self-destructive tendencies and suicidal ideation
  • Difficulty maintaining relationships
  • Chronic pain from his leg injury

Professional Limitations

  • Revoked police credentials and limited legal authority
  • Reputation damaged by his breakdown and dismissal
  • Financial instability affecting his resources
  • Unreliable due to substance abuse issues

Supernatural Vulnerabilities

  • Marchosias is weakened in daylight, leaving Mick more vulnerable
  • The demon requires certain conditions to manifest fully
  • Their partnership is unstable and evolving, creating unpredictable results
  • Susceptible to entities that can detect Marchosias’s presence

Relationships

Family

  • Liz Hargraves (Sister): His closest family relationship; social worker; pregnant with her first child; worried about Mick but maintains contact
  • Bob Harrison (Brother-in-Law): Corporate accountant; dislikes Mick and sees him as a negative influence; judgmental of Mick’s lifestyle
  • Eliza Grace Harrison (Niece): Born after the events involving Baalberith; her soul was temporarily displaced and rescued from Hell; maintains a supernatural connection to Mick and Marchosias

Professional

  • Diana Reeves (Former Police Partner): Detective Inspector who maintains a complex relationship with Mick; pulled him off Philip Weiss during his assault; initially suspicious of Mick’s involvement with supernatural elements but evolves into a reluctant ally
  • Ray Fletcher (Informant): Former university student turned bartender who sells information; maintained contact with Mick after he left the force

Supernatural

  • Marchosias: Ancient fallen angel turned demon who possesses Mick; their relationship evolves from hostile possession to reluctant partnership to something more complex and symbiotic; experiences emotions through Mick he’s never felt before
  • Shadow Hounds: Manifestations created from their shared essence; initially extensions of Marchosias but develop a degree of autonomy; protective of Liz and her child
  • Vassago: Demon working for Baalberith who becomes their primary antagonist; views Mick and Marchosias’s partnership as an abomination and subject for study

Motivations & Goals

Initial Motivations

  • Survival and basic subsistence through PI work
  • Numbing emotional pain through substances
  • Occasional glimpses of desire for redemption, particularly in cases involving children

Evolving Motivations After Marchosias

  • Understanding the nature of his possession and relationship with Marchosias
  • Protecting his sister Liz and her unborn child
  • Confronting supernatural threats using their combined abilities
  • Finding a purpose that justifies their unusual partnership
  • Coming to terms with his new identity as neither fully human nor fully demon

Long-term Goals

  • Establishing a new form of existence that balances human and demonic aspects
  • Using their unique abilities to address supernatural threats normal authorities can’t handle
  • Building a small circle of trusted allies who understand the reality behind the veil
  • Protecting his niece Eliza from future supernatural attention
  • Finding personal redemption through protecting others from threats like those that took Jamie

Philosophical Outlook

Before Possession

  • Cynical and nihilistic, seeing little inherent meaning in existence
  • Belief that the world is fundamentally random and cruel
  • Justice viewed as a human construct often failing those who need it most
  • Religious scepticism bordering on atheism

After Experiences with Marchosias

  • Grappling with the proven existence of supernatural realms and entities
  • Developing a more complex view of morality beyond human constructs
  • Questioning the nature of consciousness and identity
  • Forced to confront the reality of souls and afterlife
  • Finding meaning in protecting the boundary between mundane and supernatural worlds

Typical Behaviours & Habits

  • Wakes from nightmares about Jamie Matthews frequently
  • Keeps bourbon within arm’s reach at most times
  • Talks to himself (or Marchosias) when alone
  • Maintains case notes with obsessive detail despite chaotic living conditions
  • Reflexively checks exits and sightlines in any room (police training)
  • Often skips meals when focused on cases
  • Prefers night work, partly due to Marchosias’s increased power in darkness

Character Arc & Development

Initial State

  • Self-destructive loner consumed by guilt and addiction
  • Barely functioning as a private investigator
  • Minimal human connections beyond transactional relationships
  • Viewing his possession by Marchosias as another punishment in a life full of them

Transformation

  • Learning to navigate the complex relationship with Marchosias
  • Rediscovering purpose through supernatural investigations
  • Rebuilding trust with key figures like Reeves and Liz
  • Coming to terms with Jamie’s death through helping other children
  • Finding a strange form of redemption through his demonic partnership

Ongoing Evolution

  • Developing a unique identity that merges human and demonic aspects
  • Building a specialised detective practise focusing on supernatural cases
  • Accepting his role as protector of the boundary between worlds
  • Learning to use their combined abilities with greater precision and purpose
  • Finding a measure of peace with his past failures through new successes

Voice & Speech Patterns

  • Speaks in clipped, economical sentences
  • Often employs gallows humour and self-deprecation
  • Uses police terminology when discussing cases
  • Occasional profanity, increasing when stressed
  • Minimal emotional language except when discussing Jamie or Liz
  • Clear distinction between his spoken voice (guarded, controlled) and internal thoughts (more vulnerable, honest)

Internal Dialogue with Marchosias

Marchosias’s dialogue with Mick is distinctive in several ways:

  • Appears in Mick’s mind in italics
  • Often uses archaic or formal phrasing
  • Speaks with a philosophical perspective shaped by millennia of existence
  • Initially condescending toward human limitations
  • Gradually develops more emotional responses and simpler language
  • Shows surprising interest in human sensory experiences (especially ice cream)
  • Becomes more protective of Mick and his connections over time

Quotes that Capture Essence

  • “You can’t just disembowel people and hang them up in public. Do you have any idea how many cameras, witnesses, and forensic techniques exist now? My DNA, fingerprints, fibres from my clothing—all of it could be there.”

  • “If you’re such a powerful demon, why is it that you can’t just take over my body whenever you want?”

  • “Fine. Full manifestation. Save my sister. But remember our deal—only those who deserve it.”

  • “I’ve been preparing for Hell my entire life. Every drink, every pill, every self-destructive choice. Maybe this was where I was always headed. The difference is, this time it means something.”

  • “They know we’re here. We need to find where they’re keeping the children before—“

Notes for Writers

When writing Mick:

  • Remember he has a leg injury that causes chronic pain and affects his mobility
  • His substance abuse issues affect his perception and reliability
  • The blurring boundaries between his consciousness and Marchosias’s should increase over time
  • He lacks the legal authority and resources of his police days
  • In the UK context, he would not carry firearms and would be familiar with batons and tasers instead
  • Marchosias’s dialogue should always be in italics to distinguish it from Mick’s thoughts
  • His complex relationship with Reeves should reflect both their police partnership history and her current official position
  • His protective instinct toward children should be his most consistent character trait, driven by his failure with Jamie
  • The emotional bleed-through between him and Marchosias creates increasingly complex reactions to situations

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