andprejvdice - Tumblr blog

andprejvdice · 24 days

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a rare smile. a perfectly tailored suit. tracing your lineage back through time. the click of fine boots on a polished marble floor. holding on tightly to everything you have. an engraved pocket watch. fastening your own cuff-links. doing whatever is necessary to win. a voice of reason. staying in control. putting family above everything. a glass of scotch at the end of a long day. smoking tobacco and crystal ashtrays. the hardest of hearts.

statistics.

full name: lord asriel eliad halifax, eighth viscount halifax nickname(s): none (loathes them) name meaning: god has helped age: thirty-five date of birth: september 19th star sign: virgo place of birth: henley-on-thames, buckinghamshire current location: mayfair, london gender: cis-male pronouns: he/him sexual orientation: bisexual (polyamorous) religion: jewish (non-practising) occupation: viscount (politician, landlord, etc etc) family: ambrose halifax, seventh viscount halifax (father, deceased) dalit eliad (mother, estranged) dowager viscountess viola halifax (step-mother) two younger half-sisters (tba) education level: educated at eton, followed by cambridge university living arrangements: splits his time between grayside manor in henley-on-thames, and the halifaxes’ london residence (though he spends significantly more time in london these days) financial status: wealthy spoken languages: english, french, latin, ancient greek, hebrew

inspirations.

edward fairfax rochester (jane eyre) sir thomas sharpe (crimson peak) edward lewis (pretty woman) fitzwilliam darcy (pride and prejudice) henry winter (the secret history) the knave of hearts (alice in wonderland) james flint (black sails)

biography. (sudden death tw, heart attack tw)

Asriel Eliad Halifax's conception was an accident. His mother, Dalit Eliad, was the youngest daughter of an Egyptian diplomat, dragged off to freezing Britain at the whim of her father, where she knew no-one and was often left alone for days at a time. It was little surprise, then, that the handsome Ambrose Halifax caught her eye and promptly swept her off her feet when the pair found themselves in attendance at the same debutants ball.

Theirs was a whirlwind romance, two months comprised of secret letters and sneaking out in the middle of the night. When it became apparent that Dalit had fallen pregnant, what else was there to do except rush to the altar? It was one of the few matters on which Ambrose and his new father-in-law were in agreement over - it wouldn't do for his son and heir to be born out of wedlock, after all.

What happiness the couple had was fleeting. Asriel was their pride and joy, really the only good thing to come of their relationship, but it quickly became clear that the newly-minted Halifaxes were never meant to live under the same roof. After four years of marriage defined by frosty silences and blistering insults, the unheard of happened, and Ambrose Halifax petitioned the court for divorce. Dalit returned to Egypt with nothing, stripped of her title and without her son. It was never a question that Asriel would remain in England with his father - it simply wouldn't do for the Halifax heir to be sent abroad, so far from his family and his ancestral home.

For a while it was just the two of them, and it suited them both just fine. Asriel idolised his father, worshipped the ground he walked on and aspired to be a man just like him when he grew up. Together they began to work through the contents of the Grayside Manor’s expansive library, awakening in Asriel a thirst for knowledge that has remained with him ever-after. Dalit's name was never mentioned again, though Asriel often thought of her in quiet moments, wondering where she was and if she thought of him too.

Eventually Ambrose remarried, and to everyone's great surprise, his new wife loved her step-son, and he loved her in return. Viola Halifax was a demure and graceful woman, who had been preparing for marriage and motherhood her whole life, as any proper noble lady would. Asriel’s first little sister arrived when he was twelve, followed by another two years later. He was already too old to really have anything in common with them, but he was absolutely devoted to them nevertheless.

When he turned thirteen, Asriel was sent to Eton, as many young lords are. His time at boarding school passed without incident, being a clever sort that was sincerely dedicated to his studies - an obvious candidate to pursue higher education at Cambridge University, when he came of age.

At the age of twenty-one, Asriel’s world changed forever with the unexpected loss of his father, who suffered a fatal heart attack only a month after Asriel graduated from Cambridge. Suddenly he was the Halifax patriarch, seated firmly at the head of the family and left to replace his father as Viscount, and take his seat in the House of Lords. Everything was left to him, but in spite of his young age, Asriel knew he would not turn his back on his responsibilities - it was down to him to assure the future of his house, and though he doubted he would ever measure up to his father, it was his duty to try.

With his step-mother’s support, Asriel transitioned seamlessly into his duties as Viscount, and in his time at the head of the household has increased his family’s fortunes twice over.

Now a man of thirty-five and well-established in the Ton, Asriel Halifax is the man you call when you need something fixed. He has connections everywhere, more money than god, and the kind of sensible, efficient personality that could make a person believe he’s capable of anything.

His primary concern these days is his sisters. It's paramount that he gets them settled into betrothals at the earliest possible opportunity, in order to secure their futures and make sure they will be taken care of in the event of his own untimely death. In light of this, he is yet to marry himself, as doing so would leave his sisters and step-mother in a vulnerable position, due to some archaic law of inheritence.

other things.

In spite of his not-inconsiderable wealth, Asriel only owns one watch, and is rarely seen without it. It belonged to his father when he was alive, and his grandfather before him, and as such has tremendous sentimental value.

He does not like nicknames, and will only use them for other people at their insistence.

When it comes to those of lower social rank than himself, Asriel is disdainful at worst and indifferent at best. He abhors ‘title chasers’ and ‘fortune hunters’ and finds many of the mamas of the Ton insufferable because of this - though you wouldn’t know it to speak to him.

There has been speculation that the real reason Asriel won’t take a wife is because he has a paramour hidden away somewhere. The truth is slightly more complicated.

Unsurprisingly, he’s not a dessert person.

Asriel has never travelled outside of the United Kingdom. Any desire he had to do so was put to rest alongside his father.

Once you have Asriel’s loyalty, you will have it forever. The only caveat to this is if something you do directly impacts the safety or wellbeing of his step-mother or younger sisters, who he loves more than anything else.

Asriel has always struggled to relax. It feels like there’s always something better he could be doing with his time.

#asriel: about #briarglen:intro #rich asshole hates the poor #thank god he’s handsome

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