Vincent Richard[2] Howell is a fictional character, the protagonist of Nathaniel J. Nelson's serial Seventh Circle. Vinny first appeared in a minor role in Nelson's novel Erogrendel.
Description[]
Vinny is described as having neatly-combed brown hair, a disconnected goatee, and pierced ears, which he alternates between silver hoops and black studs. He has one tattoo on both forearms: the Dark Mark from Harry Potter, and the Rebel Alliance symbol from Star Wars. He usually wears black, presumably because of his job as a bartender, and often wears a scarf and tan duster jacket, despite this being an old-fashioned outfit.
Personality[]
Vinny is idealistic, preferring to think of real life in terms of fiction and pop culture, which often leads him to butt heads with Sasha and Jack. Vinny appears completely non-cynical, allowing him to do things that may seem unrealistic to others, such as starting Seventh Circle. However, he is also given to moments of subdued introspection, such as in Ignition: Part I, when the realization that his life has plateaued led to him starting Seventh Circle in the first place.
Vinny is well-read on a number of topics, particularly conspiracy theories and paranormal investigation: Ignition: Part I sees him offhandedly reference Order 322, the Illuminati, the shadow government, the Roswell, New Mexico UFO crash, Quantum Flight 888, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, MKUltra, John Titor, Bigfoot, the Mothman, spontaneous time travel, the Georgia Guidestones, and Taos Hum. He is apparently well-versed in pop culture as well, citing Joe Hill's NOS4A2 and the original Ocarina of Time, as well as frequently comparing Seventh Circle to The X-Files, Ghostbusters, Scooby-Doo, Torchwood.
Politically, Vinny appears to lean left of center, though he appears annoyed that his peers are usually unable to talk about anything other than politics, particularly the recent election of Donald Trump. Vinny smokes the fictional Cherry Bomb brand of cigarettes, particularly the Merlot blend. He drinks expensive name-brand whiskey, and apparently has a high tolerance for alcohol.
Vinny is apparently a serial dater, and hasn't had a serious relationship for some time. He pines for Cassie Barnes, a regular at The Inferno Club, though she has a serious boyfriend. Vinny isn't sure how he feels about being "the catalyst in a cheating situation," but knows Cassie isn't interested in being unfaithful.[3]
Biography[]
Prior to Seventh Circle[]
Vinny was presumably born in 1993. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island[4] with a bachelor's in history.[5] Before October 2015, he came to live in South Boston, in a one-bedroom apartment coincidentally near the headquarters of the Seventh Circle Institute for Paranormal Research, and found a job tending bar at the nearby Inferno Club. At some point, he also joined an unnamed group of conspiracy theorists and paranormal enthusiasts, including Sasha Belanger.[6] He came to know Detective Isaac Parry by name, referring to him as "Detective Constantine," due to his resemblance to the DC Comics character of the same name. When investigating the death of Scott Roby, Parry brought up questions of the supernatural to Vinny, and Vinny told him about his group. Parry asked if Vinny had heard of Seventh Circle, and Vinny replied that he hadn't; by the beginning of Ignition, Vinny has apparently forgotten that Parry was the one who told him about Seventh Circle, as well as Parry's name, following his disappearance during the events of Erogrendel.
Shortly after being told about Seventh Circle by Isaac Parry, Vinny downloaded the entire content of their website and studied up, hoping to apply for a job. Unfortunately, their building burned down on the very day that he meant to apply, and the organization apparently disbanded. At this point, Vinny apparently lost his motivation to become a true paranormal investigator, and returned to his bartending job and his discussion group.
At some point prior to January 2017, Vinny developed a crush on Cassie Barnes, a regular at The Inferno Club, who seems to hold some affection for Vinny, though she is in a committed relationship with Dave Christian.
Ignition[]
In January 2017, more than a year after Seventh Circle burned down, Vinny realized that his discussion group had become totally disinterested. He began frequently posting on paraGhost, both about Seventh Circle and about the possibility of starting a new group, but the other users were not interested. He then asked fellow member Jack about setting up a team, even bringing him to the now-empty site of Seventh Circle. Jack later decided he wasn't interested, and Vinny stormed out of the meeting; only Sasha Belanger followed him, and he began to consider whether she would be a good choice as a partner.[7]
Days after selecting Sasha as his partner, Vinny was contacted by Allegro via paraGhost. Allegro asked him about his ideas for a paranormal investigation team, and Vinny related this interaction to Sasha. Later, Allegro told Vinny and his partner to meet him in Ticonderoga, New York. Sasha reluctantly asked Greg to drive them.[8]
In Ticonderoga, Vinny and Sasha met Allegro in person at Fort Ticonderoga. Allegro spoke to Vinny without Sasha – as he claimed Vinny was the natural leader – and ordered them to investigate a local haunted house.[9] Along with Sasha, Vinny was silently afraid as he explored the Bennett House (which lacked electricity); he swallowed this fear and managed to investigate, finding surprising evidence of recent habitation. Vinny and Sasha remained in the house even after they saw evidence of poltergeist activity; when Greg appeared, Vinny warned Sasha that he may have been a paranormal entity in disguise, apparently based on nothing. Shortly after, Greg was apparently shot and killed by nothing.[10] Vinny and Sasha remained in the Bennett House, in shock, until Vinny suggested they try to fight back. Sasha rebuked him for thinking about their situation in terms of fiction, and she ran from the house, hoping to escape, though she was set upon by El Fantasma (really a still-alive Greg). Vinny prepared to follow her by grabbing a weapon, but he was approached by Allegro, who revealed that the entire scenario was a hoax. Vinny was considerably less upset at the deception than Sasha, and was willing to converse with Allegro, who revealed his name to be Taul Bennett. When Taul offered Vinny and Sasha the chance to become his team – named Seventh Circle, after the defunct nonprofit Vinny idolized – he leapt at this opportunity. Unbeknownst to Sasha, Vinny apparently witnessed a real paranormal event in Taul's house: a translucent and intangible man who stared at him without moving. When Vinny asked Taul about this spirit, Taul wrote him off, reminding him that the mind sees what it wants to see. Half-asleep and exhausted by the day's events, Vinny apparently accepted this explanation.[11]
The Yellow Door[]
After returning to Boston, Vinny began frequently communicating with Taul, suggesting that he send them to investigate The Yellow Door: a haunted restaurant in Burlington, Vermont, that was investigated by the original Seventh Circle years earlier. Vinny primarily wanted to ask around about the performance of Mark Tenant and Mikey Swanson, and Taul didn't believe that the Yellow Door was the ideal first case, but he finally gave in.
Vinny spent Valentine's Day, 2017 with Cassie Barnes, whose boyfriend Dave Christian was asked to work that day. While seeing a movie, Vinny managed to insult Dave, briefly alienating Cassie. Annoyed at himself for this blunder, Vinny decided to spend the rest of the day drinking. He invited Sasha over, and she joined him, currently being annoyed at Greg for apparently forgetting Valentine's Day.[12]
Vinny and Sasha traveled to Burlington, where they spoke to Maggie May, the owner of the Yellow Door, as well as Avril Robbins, the sole waitress and granddaughter of the founder.[13] After looking at the evidence and experiencing the poltergeist activity firsthand, it wasn't difficult for Vinny and Sasha to determine that the ghost was actually Martha Robbins, Avril's grandmother. This allowed them to help Avril communicate with the spirit, giving her and Maggie closure.[14] Throughout his time in Burlington, Vinny continually overshadowed Sasha, taking the lead (as Taul once told him he would), but when Sasha confronted him on this, he momentarily stepped aside. Vinny was visibly attracted to Avril, but nothing came of this.
Possession[]
- ↑ Seventh Circle season 1, episode 6, The Yellow Door: Part I
- ↑ Vinny's middle name was revealed in the final scene of Jessi: Part IV, as was Sasha's.
- ↑ Seventh Circle season 1, episode 2, Ignition: Part II
- ↑ Seventh Circle season 1, episode 6, The Yellow Door: Part I
- ↑ Nelson, Nathaniel. Erogrendel. 2021. ch6, pg79
- ↑ Seventh Circle, season 1, episode 1, Ignition: Part I
- ↑ Seventh Circle, season 1, episode 1, Ignition: Part I
- ↑ Seventh Circle, season 1, episode 2, Ignition: Part II
- ↑ Seventh Circle, season 1, episode 3, Ignition: Part III
- ↑ Seventh Circle, season 1, episode 4, Ignition: Part IV
- ↑ Seventh Circle, season 1, episode 5, Ignition: Part V
- ↑ Seventh Circle season 1, episode 6, The Yellow Door: Part I
- ↑ Seventh Circle season 1, episode 7, The Yellow Door: Part II
- ↑ Seventh Circle season 1, episode 8, The Yellow Door: Part III