Personality

Howl has a very caustic personality; difficult to get along with on a good day, unbearable on a bad one. In the full belief he's a 'lost cause' and cannot be saved, he outwardly manifests this as aggression, temper, and antisocial behavior. He's completely inept at dealing with emotions, either freezing up entirely or lashing out in anger, a ruthlessness that has benefited him in the past in maintaining his position in the ranks of the loosey-goosey street gang he finds himself a part of. He does mostly keep to himself until he is needed or he has work to do, biting out orders at those that do not immediately contest him on his authority. He is very like an overstimulated cat, constantly ready to lash out and fight when in public, and he frequently gets into - very dangerous - scraps.

In private Howl is an absolute mess; he has a lot of unresolved trauma that bubbles up in the quiet of the nights, and without any outlet for his thoughts, he becomes the subject of his mental scrutinizing. He's desperate to not have to face these thoughts in front of other people, leading to his aggressive front and tower-high walls he has built around himself. He's convinced he's broken beyond repair, and the behavior that has resulted from that is inexcusable, and he is morally ruined forever. He keeps his distance from regular society, and is highly paranoid of other people.

In an odd way, Howl is very loyal towards the people he hangs out with on the street, even though he doesn't really know them very well on a deeply personal level. He is very determined to keep them safe and from greater harm, which is how he usually gets thrown in the fray. Some smarter people have already taken notice of this behavior and slightly abuse it, while others don't notice and assume Howl to just be a hyper-aggressive street rat.

Trivia

• Howl is blind on his right side. In his early days, he got his right eye scratched over during a fight and was blinded as a result. He considers it a sign of weakness, so covers his eye with his fringe at all times.
• Carries two switchblades.
• Swears a whole fuckin lot.
• His markings make it look like he has pink leather pants. Pointing it out will get you killed.

History

• Born to Imogen and Starlight Mondrago, and was from the moment of his birth treated as means to an end rather than an actual person with aspirations. His parents were wildly successful businesspeople, and had a child merely to inherit their businesses.
• His mother was kinder - his father was not. Howl suffered a lot of abuse during his childhood and years as a teenager, and deep pressure to become someone worthy of inheriting the legacy of his parents. 
• However, from a young age, even without the abuse, Howl suffered deeply from depression and various anxieties. His self hatred started to manifest, only strengthened by his environment, and would build over years and years.
• Howl lashed out frequently to his parents, growing up to be a volatile, problematic teenager. He struggled to convey his feelings, started to experience gender dysphoria stronger as he grew up, and as a method of self-preservation became short-tempered and aggressive. He frequently got into fights at school as well, and after carrying a weapon at school, experienced a short stint in juvenile hall.
• Following his release, his parents were furious. Coming home to a whole new world of trouble, Howl promptly chose to announce his gender identity, which ended up causing even more arguments between him and his parents. His self-hatred overflowed, he burst at the seams with anger and rage, and was immediately after disowned. And so he grabbed some money, some clothes, broke a window in a fit of rage, and left his childhood home.
• Wandering the streets several weeks with nowhere to go to, Howl was torn between guilt, self-righteousness, self-hatred, and fury. He was forced to eat garbage from garbage cans and fight with others over scraps; during this time he was blinded in his right eye. Convinced this was his fate, and what he deserved, he resigned himself to dying on the street, alone.
• He was 'rescued' by a man named Barbie Karr. Offering him work for money under the table, making him feel like he was worth something after all, Howl decided his punishment was not to die - but to live in the life he made for himself. He joined Barbie's criminal business, and after, got back on his feet as well as he could, gaining a small apartment in the lower levels of Junction City and earning a name for himself as a ruthless and aggressive criminal.
• He still lives as one of the higher ranked street gang members, and has taken in an easily confused, erratic MTT named Daven as his 'apprentice'. He keeps people at an arms length, is riddled with deep hatred for himself, but convinced that this is what he deserves; to be feared, hated, and to fight for his survival.