Fortunato (Wild Cards)
Encyclopedia
Fortunato is a character from the Wild Cards
series of books. He is a pimp
, but prefers to downplay, even to himself, the negative aspects of his "escort" business (calling his prostitutes "geisha
s", for example). Fortunato is also an ace. His wild card grants him immense telepathic and telekinetic powers. These include but are not limited to: mind control; flight; force walls; mental blasts; reading the future (and the past) and subjective temporal manipulation. Dr. Tachyon
believes him to be Earth's most powerful mental/telepathic wild card (Starshine may be the most powerful non-mental). Fortunato derives all his power from tantric sex magic. Tantric rituals feed his power reserve, which then allow him to utilize his massive powers. However, the more he uses them, the faster he runs out of power. In terms of powers and strength, Fortunato is even (or nearly even) with the Astronomer
; this is one of the most obvious case of opposites in the Wild Cards
' universe (Fortunato gaining his power from sex—the source of life—while The Astronomer gains his powers from death).
Fortunato was an infant of unspecified age on the first Wild Card Day. Son of an unnamed African-American soldier and his wife Ichiko, a Japanese woman he brought back to New York after WWII
, Fortunato was infected by the initial wave of virus carrying spores released into the upper atmosphere during Jetboy
's battle with Dr. Tod. Fortunato became a latent carrier of the virus that would not "turn his card" until many years later. His father was not so lucky, dying after drawing the Black Queen. Raised by his mother, Fortunato was subjected to various forms of discrimination due to his mixed parentage and grew into a handsome, but angry young man. Graduating from petty crime to pimping, Fortunato brought home the first girl in his stable at age sixteen.
In the 70's, Fortunato was introduced to tantric sex magic while "auditioning" a new girl. The intense orgasm brought on by the sex ritual triggered his latent wild card, causing him to have an out-of-body experience
. Disheartened to learn that Fortunato's sudden powers were the result of a virus rather than true magic, Fortunato's new girl left the city. Undeterred, Fortunato continued to pursue research into tantric rituals as a means for further developing his mental abilities. However, he was not prompted solely by curiosity. A serial killer had been preying upon New York prostitutes, including his own, and Fortunato wanted revenge. Still in the early stages of developing his power, the ace pimp brought a handgun as backup. Forced to kill in self defense, instead of the righteous revenge
he had planned, Fortunato was unable to question the murderer. Disgusted, but seemingly unable to stop himself, he performed a tantric ritual upon the dead man's corpse, briefly bringing it back to life. Though never explicitly stated, guilt brought on by this experience could be the reason Fortunato consistently accused Dr. Tachyon
of being a "faggot from outer space." Only temporarily revitalized, the corpse uttered the word "Tiamat" and then tore its own throat out. This, along with a strange red penny carried by the killer, served as Fortunato's only clue in a mystery that would eventually bring him into conflict with the deadly Astronomer
.
Wild Cards
Wild Cards is a science fiction and superhero anthology series set in a shared universe. The series was created by a group of New Mexico science fiction authors, but it is mostly pulled together and edited by best-selling author George R. R. Martin with assistance by Melinda Snodgrass, also a...
series of books. He is a pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
, but prefers to downplay, even to himself, the negative aspects of his "escort" business (calling his prostitutes "geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
s", for example). Fortunato is also an ace. His wild card grants him immense telepathic and telekinetic powers. These include but are not limited to: mind control; flight; force walls; mental blasts; reading the future (and the past) and subjective temporal manipulation. Dr. Tachyon
Dr. Tachyon
Dr. Tachyon is a character from the Wild Cards series of books. He was created for the books by Melinda M. Snodgrass. Tachyon is a geneticist from the planet Takis, whose people naturally developed various telepathic powers...
believes him to be Earth's most powerful mental/telepathic wild card (Starshine may be the most powerful non-mental). Fortunato derives all his power from tantric sex magic. Tantric rituals feed his power reserve, which then allow him to utilize his massive powers. However, the more he uses them, the faster he runs out of power. In terms of powers and strength, Fortunato is even (or nearly even) with the Astronomer
The Astronomer (Wild Cards)
The Astronomer is a character from the Wild Cards series of books. He first appeared in the short story "Pennies from Hell" by Lewis Shiner in Wild Cards II: Aces High, though his presence was earlier implied in "The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato" in the first volume of the series...
; this is one of the most obvious case of opposites in the Wild Cards
Wild Cards
Wild Cards is a science fiction and superhero anthology series set in a shared universe. The series was created by a group of New Mexico science fiction authors, but it is mostly pulled together and edited by best-selling author George R. R. Martin with assistance by Melinda Snodgrass, also a...
' universe (Fortunato gaining his power from sex—the source of life—while The Astronomer gains his powers from death).
Fortunato was an infant of unspecified age on the first Wild Card Day. Son of an unnamed African-American soldier and his wife Ichiko, a Japanese woman he brought back to New York after WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Fortunato was infected by the initial wave of virus carrying spores released into the upper atmosphere during Jetboy
Jetboy
Jetboy is a fictional character from the Wild Cards book series. He appeared in the short story "Thirty Minutes Over Broadway!" by Howard Waldrop, but is referenced throughout the Wild Cards series. Jetboy is based on pulp magazine and Golden Age "air ace" characters, particularly Airboy...
's battle with Dr. Tod. Fortunato became a latent carrier of the virus that would not "turn his card" until many years later. His father was not so lucky, dying after drawing the Black Queen. Raised by his mother, Fortunato was subjected to various forms of discrimination due to his mixed parentage and grew into a handsome, but angry young man. Graduating from petty crime to pimping, Fortunato brought home the first girl in his stable at age sixteen.
In the 70's, Fortunato was introduced to tantric sex magic while "auditioning" a new girl. The intense orgasm brought on by the sex ritual triggered his latent wild card, causing him to have an out-of-body experience
Out-of-body experience
An out-of-body experience is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, perceiving one's physical body from a place outside one's body ....
. Disheartened to learn that Fortunato's sudden powers were the result of a virus rather than true magic, Fortunato's new girl left the city. Undeterred, Fortunato continued to pursue research into tantric rituals as a means for further developing his mental abilities. However, he was not prompted solely by curiosity. A serial killer had been preying upon New York prostitutes, including his own, and Fortunato wanted revenge. Still in the early stages of developing his power, the ace pimp brought a handgun as backup. Forced to kill in self defense, instead of the righteous revenge
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
he had planned, Fortunato was unable to question the murderer. Disgusted, but seemingly unable to stop himself, he performed a tantric ritual upon the dead man's corpse, briefly bringing it back to life. Though never explicitly stated, guilt brought on by this experience could be the reason Fortunato consistently accused Dr. Tachyon
Dr. Tachyon
Dr. Tachyon is a character from the Wild Cards series of books. He was created for the books by Melinda M. Snodgrass. Tachyon is a geneticist from the planet Takis, whose people naturally developed various telepathic powers...
of being a "faggot from outer space." Only temporarily revitalized, the corpse uttered the word "Tiamat" and then tore its own throat out. This, along with a strange red penny carried by the killer, served as Fortunato's only clue in a mystery that would eventually bring him into conflict with the deadly Astronomer
The Astronomer (Wild Cards)
The Astronomer is a character from the Wild Cards series of books. He first appeared in the short story "Pennies from Hell" by Lewis Shiner in Wild Cards II: Aces High, though his presence was earlier implied in "The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato" in the first volume of the series...
.