Driscoll Garrett – A History of Ash

Biography:

Wooden Heart: Driscoll emanated in 3594. Tara wanted an official portrait; Ailann was too jealous to allow her to sit for an artist, so Ashtara surreptitiously created am emanation capable of becoming a sensation in the art world. Driscoll’s talent and flamboyant nature bring him to Tara’s attention, and she hires him. She is immediately taken in by his encyclopedic knowledge of gossip and his wit. He also introduces Tara to his home-rolled jazz cigarettes, which intrigue her as a botanical pharmacist. Tara is impressed by the portrait of her that he creates – a real work of art – at the same time realizing that it isn’t the sort of conventional royal portrait that she needs. She purchases it anyways.

Driscoll attempts to seduce Tara, and she seems to allow it – until she punches him, then confronts him with the fact that she had known him for an emanation of Ashtara from the start. She has learned to recognize Ash by his eyes.

After there are a number of assassination attempts on Ashtara, Driscoll appears before the High Council, blatantly breaking the regulation against smoking. He informs them that it doesn’t matter since they are all under Ash’s protection, and none of them or their families will ever age or sicken. He then points out that this protection can exist only as long as Ashtara does – so the noble houses of Skarsia have a vested interest in protecting him as well.

Clive Rivers approaches Tara to make a deal – he needs fleshiwood to construct a particularly vicious weapon called the Vend-IIX-warhead. Tara agrees to fund him as a silent partner. Rivers returns two weeks later with the news that all the fleshiwood has been bought up by Driscoll Garrett, who has used it to make a statue of Daphne. Tara and Clive go to see the statue – Clive wants to buy it and salvage the fleshiwood, but Tara protests that it is real art.

Tara reveals to Clive that Driscoll is one of Ash’s emanations, and promises to give him fleshiwood from some of Davy’s puppets instead. She then withdraws her support from the project by saying she does not wish to anger Ash. In truth, it was a ruse designed to encourage Rivers to make the weapon, but without Tara’s involvement – the weapon was too dirty to have her name attached. In fact, Cuinn had already developed a superior design, but decided against fabricating it.

Rumors begins to spread that Tara was the model for Daphne, and that Driscoll is Tara’s lover until Patrick makes his disclosure. Tara and Ailann marry at the Nau’gsh Festival, with Driscoll in charge of planning the festivities.

After Dermot emanates, Driscoll begins a series of artworks entitled “Self-Portraits Not of Me.” They are portraits of the other emanations in every media conceivable – he makes hundreds of images but destroys all but a few. He is a real talent who is able to capture the essence of his subject, and has a touch for exploiting the ability of his media to enhance or contrast it. This is also about the time when Ailann and then Patrick begin to write Wooden Heart. They speculate that the act of autobiography/self-portraiture is a drive to formulate identity previously unknown in their species.

“The Lost and Found Vision,” (published in The Poison Garden) is set in 3604, between the first two novels. In it, Tenzin Merkht demands Tara’s wedding ring back from Evan, but she had thrown the ring away in a fit of pique. Driscoll alchemically synthesizes an exact duplicate in order to fool him. Tara does not find out about this until her vision of the events years later – then she reveals that Lady Lorma had long since recovered the ring and returned it to Tal Erich. Erich had been keeping the ring from Merkht, and thus could not reveal that Merkht had accepted a fake from Evan.

Eden Blues: Tara is surprised to find Driscoll in tears in his studio – very uncharacteristic for him. He had felt compelled to paint a portrait of Ari, and was distraught that the Goliath branches were not being allowed to emanate. His ability to envision and empathize with Ari was proof that there was a connection between Atlas and Goliath.

When the K’ntasari are admitted into the Convocation of the Forest, Driscoll helps to plan the admission ceremony. Driscoll makes a portrait of Constantine in wood, which offends the Cu’enashti so much that they hold a protest. He then makes a portrait of Owen in leather, and titles the series, “What Prometheus Gave.” It is accompanied by a statement of concept which is accepted by Archbishop Venesti as Archonist doctrine. Driscoll reveals to the Cantor that it’s all a media stunt designed to draw attention away from the upcoming conflict with General Panic. When Driscoll’s work is nominated for the prestigious Duchamp Prize, the judges can’t get past CenGov’s blockade of the Domha’vei, causing a public outcry.

Driscoll testifies to the SongLuminants near the end of the Species Evaluation Process. He reveals a portrait of the next emanation – Lucius – who has the ability of the SongLuminants to possess the bodies of other species.

The Poison Garden: Driscoll does not take part in the events of the main novel, but he is in several of the prophecies, including the aforementioned “Lost and Found Vision.” The opening of his new gallery is the subject of “The Laughing Cloud Prophecy.” Driscoll narrates the story, blathering interminably about the name-selection process and revealing that his first featured new artist will be Patrick’s son Raoul.

Driscoll puts meticulous care into the opening gala, including the food served by Chef Yuric and the holome inspired costuming of the droid hostesses/croupiers, who are animated with General Panic AIs. The gala was to include an ice sculpture of Daphne; the concept was that as it melted, it would demonstrate the impermanence of art. However, due to a malfunction of one of the General Panic droids serving as croupiers in the casino, Wynne is called in to deal with it. His presence skews probability, causing the ice not to melt. Driscoll is devastated.

The evening devolves into stranger and stranger occurrences; Tommy thinks that the party was a smashing success, but the critics pan it. Wynne tries to convince Mickey that something was off-kilter, but Mickey refutes it, coming up with a completely rational explanation for the events.

In “The Prophecy of Towers,” Tara follows Hurley in an amrita dream inside of the pleroma. She goes to Driscoll’s flat where the exterior walls are entirely made of glass. He ends up in a threesome with Tara and Hurley, then follows them to Lorcan’s flat. Driscoll remains with Lorcan and Jamey, who is hung from a cross on Lorcan’s wall. Driscoll does not realize that Hurley is falling in love with him. Tara decides that Driscoll needs a brother, and so the next emanation will be Ace.

The Perpetual Rose: Driscoll’s party-planning skills are called upon again, this time to organize the celebration of Humanity’s inclusion in the Combine of Sentients. When he emanates, he is depressed, clearly affected by his experience in Hurley’s dream. He confronts Lorcan about it, but Lorcan cannot or will not answer – and Lorcan is distraught from his experience with the Denolin. Tarlach intervenes, telling Driscoll that he distances himself from everyone because he was initially rejected by Tara. Ailann looks in Jamey’s branch and reveals that Lorcan replaced Jamey on the cross and Driscoll was praying to him. When Lorcan reveals that he wants to be defiled by the Denolin again, Driscoll detaches and returns to the party planning.

At the end of the novel, Driscoll returns to Lorcan and the two of them try to sort out their feelings. They admit that they are attracted to each other. Driscoll drops a bombshell – he believes that the mothman must be redesigned.

The Portable Grove: Driscoll takes part in the seventh experiment, which turns out to be crucial to the series as it concerns the redesign of Ashtara’s mothman form. In it, Driscoll, Lorcan and Dermot have a conversation with Tara, discussing possible changes. Ash is trying to devise a humanoid form which will have a greater capacity to interact directly with Tara, but still retain and encompass the features and powers of his alien self. Driscoll proposes a few ideas which are rejected, including adding a proboscis or becoming a centaur. He objects to the presence of testicles, which he feels unnecessarily destroy the lines of the form, but at Lorcan’s suggestion, agrees to two penises. In an attempt to make the mothman smaller, some of the mass is distributed into a pony tail, and he is given legs. Tara’s sexual encounter with the redesigned form is unsatisfactory, however – she is still unsettled by his lack of a face. She resolves to make a greater effort to get used to Ash’s alien nature.

As a result of experiment 12, Lorcan joins Tarlach’s Big Budders program, and attempts to befriend Driscoll. After Driscoll prevaricates excessively, Lorcan confronts him with the truth: he is the emanation who has secretly been in love with Patrick. When Driscoll breaks into tears, Lorcan slaps him and then claims him. Lorcan explains to Tara that this turn of events is the resolution which will make Driscoll happiest as he’ll have plenty of occasion to dramatize. Tara realizes that Lorcan is right when she discusses the subject with Patrick – ever tactful and diplomatic, he doesn’t have the slightest clue how to deal with the intentionally temperamental Driscoll. By the beginning of experiment 16, Driscoll and Lorcan are lovers who are constantly spatting – as Seth explains to Tara, everyone is pleased with the arrangement except Jamey, who is disturbed by the noise from their arguments.

Driscoll continues dramatizing through the third stress-test. Under pressure from Hurley, who reveals that he has been in love with Driscoll since Tara’s “Prophecy of Towers,” and Ace, Driscoll’s brother, he reveals that he purposely distances himself because he is afraid that he will hurt the ones he loves with his hyper-critical nature. When two of Driscoll’s discarded portraits are discovered in the secret alcove, Driscoll admits to his feelings and comes to an understanding with Hurley.

Driscoll continues with Tara’s group in the fourth stress-test, guiding her through some of the galleries in Suibhne’s fake Moika Palace. When they encounter Ethan, they have a discussion on the nature of beauty and attractiveness. By the end of the conversation, Tara realizes that Ash is using them to discover whether Tara finds his mothman form too disturbing to love. Tara confesses that she would prefer a face, but that she will try harder to accept him for what he is.

The fifth stress-test finds them at the play written by Davy and Axel. Driscoll sits in the front row and provides criticism. In the sixth stress-test, Ari overhears a conversation between Hurley and Driscoll. Driscoll explains why he’s rather be in a relationship with either Hurley or Lorcan than Patrick, surprising Ari with his insight and self-knowledge.

Correspondence Chart Entries from The Portable Grove

Denotation	Driscoll Garrett (Anglicized form of Gaelic eidirsceól: intermediary or interpreter; the surname Garrett is probably from the German Gerhardt where ger = spear, but in this case the added connotation of garret as an artist’s studio, derived from the French garir, to watch cannot be discounted. A garret, as an attic room, was originally a watchtower.)
Numeration	15th Emanation of Ashtara; 15th branch of Atlas; 18 in the correspondence chart.
Age	30
Hotness	8/10
Vital Statistics	1.727 meters tall, cock size 15.48 cm when erect.
Description	Slim and fit, in the manner of a man who is nervously watching to make certain he cuts a stylish figure. Dresses to outrage with scarfs, feather-boas, designer clothes, over-the-top glam. Sensuous lips, a touch of androgyny. Often wears eyeliner. He has dark brown hair, overlong in front, and has been known to experiment with different styles and styling techniques/products.
Skills	Artist, gallery owner, party planner.
Sexual Prowess and Kinks	Jazz cigarettes, erotica and gossip.
Average Duration of Play	24 minutes, 11 seconds.
Totem Tree	Zanthoxylum piperitum, the Japanese prickly-ash, peppertree or sanshō.
Fixed Star	The Peacock Star (α Pav).
Color
Esoteric Symbol	The Archimedean solid snub dodecahedron.
Function	Exegetic inertia.
Official Title	Ipsissimal Portraiturist.
His Prophecy	An oblique way of getting at the truth.
Dessert	Shortcake with sweet and sour pickled nau’gsh and hard sauce.

Persistence of Weeds Addendum

Branch Growth Characteristics	Natural branch growth prompted by Ailann’s jealous desire to test Tara’s fidelity. Used as a template for his half-brothers on Goliath, Ace and Simon.
Nul-history	Was alone when he encountered the young Ashtara entity; he joined only because he realized that it was superior to him, and he couldn’t bear the condition of his own inadequacy.
Proto-conscious Root Concept	Discrimination, designated Proud.
Prime Number of Energy Resonance	61
From Self-Portraits Not-of-Me II: Baby Pictures by Driscoll Garrett