Vinny Howell

Vinny 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.
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 comparing his hypothetical team to both Scooby-Doo and Doctor Who.
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.
==Biography==
===Prior to Seventh Circle===
Vinny was presumably born in 1993. He graduated from an unnamed college with a bachelor's in history.Nelson, Nathaniel. Erogrendel. 2021. ch6, pg79 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.Seventh Circle, season 1, episode 1, Ignition: Part I 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.
===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.Seventh Circle, season 1, episode 1, Ignition: Part I
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.Seventh Circle, season 1, episode 2, Ignition: Part II
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.Seventh Circle, season 1, episode 3, Ignition: Part III
Category:Seventh Circle
Category:Erogrendel