#about garak

😁 - Three Happy Head Canons

Garak will tell you he absolutely despises Deep Space 9, but after a few years of living there, it actually grows on him. The people are much kinder than on Cardassia. His job as a tailor is much less stress than working for the Obsidian Order. He does tend to get a bit lazy, but everything is very convenient. It sort of changes from a prison sentence to an extended vacation after a while.

During the occupation, Quark came to Garak for new uniforms for him and Rom. Rom liked them so much, he started going to Garak for all of his clothes and any special outfits for Nog. When Nog became a cadet, Garak made him special headdresses to match his uniform as a gift of good luck. Garak is actually fond of Rom and might trust him more than anyone else on the station.

Garak will sometimes create special clothing for people as gifts if he acquires a fabric or pattern that reminds them of the individual. It happens very infrequently, but when it does, he loves nothing more than to see the person wearing his creations later on.

😭 - Three Sad Head Canons

Garak has very bad self-image and tries to avoid talking about himself in general. His first description will be old, chubby, out of shape - it is part of the reason he dresses up so nicely and is so concerned about his appearance all of the time.

Garak misses Mila very much, but refuses to call her. Not only does he truly believe there is no way to contact her without Central Command knowing, he believes she is glad he is gone, and he does not wish to bother her or further damage their relationship.

Post-Dominion War, Garak returns home, and he starts to help rebuild Cardassia. He does not keep in touch with any of the people from Deep Space 9, although he thinks of them often. He assumes they have no room in their lives for an old Cardassian spy.

😍 - Three Romantic Head Canons

Garak does not have many romantic partners. Not genuinely. He does like to sleep with people he finds attractive, but it is very business-like, and when they are done, they are not welcome to stay. Luckily, he has his choice of people passing through the station, and he never really has to worry about seeing them again.

When he does have a romantic partner, he still has a difficult time allowing the relationship to be anything other than shallow pleasantries. He enjoys the stereotypical romantic scenarios, but has a difficult time revealing anything personal of himself to them. Romances have not historically worked out for him.

Garak flirts all the time. With everyone. It is difficult to have a conversation with him and avoid flirting. After years of manipulating people for a career, this comes naturally to him - you use the gifts you have to achieve your goal.

Tagged by: no one

He had lost his cool only a few times in his adult life. When he was a child it happened much more frequently. He was often punished for being one of the more feisty children. He picked fights, although he was smaller than many of the others. He questioned authority, although it usually got him beaten. It took years and years of practice and training to discipline himself in order to reign in the temper that he was so well-known for.

As a professional, Garak was known for his uncanny ability to keep calm in any situation and to be able to talk his way out of almost anything. There were very few examples of that failing, and every one of them involved the defense of another person that he loved or cared about, and every one resulted in a horrible experience for him and the person he was defending.

Eventually, when he realized he would never be able to contain this particular brand of fury, he determined that it would be easier not to care about others. Better for both of them. It was too much of a risk.

Garak knew the simplest answer was to simply run away. He knew that he could get on any ship leaving the station and just go. No one checked up on him, and by the time they realized he was gone, he would be too far for them to track down. They likely wouldn't put the effort in to find him anyway.

Regardless, he insisted on staying. Insisted on wallowing in misery as he watched his Cardassian brethren visit the station, negotiating with the Federation, bringing news of Cardassia Prime and then taunting him with it. There was nothing holding him to DS9, not now that the occupation had ended. Nothing except Garak's own insistence and self-pity.

FULL NAME :  Elim Garak

TITLE(S) :  Former member of the Obsidian Order

NICKNAME(S) :  n/a.

╳ FLAWS.

moody | short-tempered | emotionally unstable | whiny | controlling | conceited | possessive | paranoid | liar | impatient | cowardly | bitter | selfish | power-hungry | greedy | lazy | judgmental | forgetful | impulsive | spiteful | stubborn | sadistic | petty | unlucky | absent-minded | abusive | addict | aggressive | childish | callous | clingy | delusional | cocky | competitive | corrupt | cynical | cruel | depressed | deranged | egotistical | envious | insecure | insensitive | lustful | delinquent | guilt complex | reclusive | reckless | nervous | oversensitive

♔ STRENGTHS.

honest | trustworthy | thoughtful | caring | brave | patient | selfless | ambitious | tolerant | lucky | intelligent | confident | focused | humble | generous | merciful | observant | wise | clever | charming | cheerful | optimistic | decisive | adaptive | calm | protective | proud | diligent | considerate | compassionate | good sportsmanship | friendly | empathetic | passionate | reliable | resourceful | sensible | sincere | witty | funny

🖌 SKILLS & HOBBIES.

art | acting | astronomy | animals | archery | sports | belly dancing | bird watching | blacksmithing | boating | calligraphy | camping | candle making | casino gambling | ceramics | racing | chess | music | cooking | crochet | weaving | exercise | swordplay | fishing | gardening | ghost hunting | ice skating | magic | engineering | building | inventing | leather-working | martial arts | meditation | origami | parkour | people watching | swimming | puppetry | pyrotechnics | quilting | reading | collecting | shopping | socializing | storytelling | writing | traveling | singing

tagged by.  @one-eyed-warrior​

2) What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like?

Mila Garak was a very strong-willed, very tough woman - like most Cardassian women. She was wise beyond her years, and unlike most other lower-class Cardassians, she had an immense rebellious streak. She disagreed with the relationships between upper and lower class citizens, never showed proper respect to those that demanded it, and had an inherent hatred of military men which she made abundantly clear whenever any of them came around her. She thought they were bullies that used their political power to get whatever they wanted - and she refused to give it to them. She was loud and outspoken, but Elim was her life. She cared deeply about him, and even gave up any of her personal dreams in order to keep him safe. She was a caring mother, and Elim had a good relationship with her despite having trouble following directions and often getting into trouble. He trusted Mila, and was attached to her until he was forced to begin school. Being told to ostracize her was one of the most difficult things he had to do in his life, and he often snuck back to see her anyway.

3) What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?

If asked about their relationship, both Elim Garak and Enabran Tain would tell you that Tain was a mentor to Garak in a work setting. In reality, Garak had grown up believing Tain was his mother's employer, and his the relationship had been abusive from the start. Tain treated him like the bastard child that he was, often using him for his own gain, but not wanting to take part in any of the parenting duties that he was all too happy to leave to Mila and Tolan. Garak realized in young adulthood what Tain was, and his conditioning from childhood meant he continued desperately searching for approval his entire life. He never got it. He truly feared Tain. That was it.

29) What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?

Garak always thought he would follow in Tolan's footsteps and work with gardening. In a way, he did get to pursue this goal when working on Romulus...but only long enough to assassinate the Romulan Proconsul Merrok.

42) Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them?

Garak was never close to anyone outside of his familiy - he was ordered to separate himself from all relationships when he began working for the Obsidian Order. The closest contender would be Tolan. Tolan Garak was technically his uncle, but he is still the only person Garak refers to as his father. The man was hard-working, kind, and always cared for Elim and put him first. He truly saw Elim as a son, and he taught him many things.

4) Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

Garak saw a lot of things he wishes he hadn't seen. Unfortunately, the path he led resulted in his finding out about the secrets of corrupt government and societal brainwashing at a relatively early point in his life. It was around the time he was pulled from Bamarren that he realized the notion of 'dying for one's people' was something those in power convinced the disposable lower class. It was seeing that his time spent in school meant nothing. And when Tain pulled him into his office and undid everything he knew about his home planet, Elim's entire mentality changed. He has never shared this with anyone, nor does it matter. In the end, even though he knew what they were doing - what all people in power inevitably do - he still allowed himself to be a part of it.

11) In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?

People think Garak is difficult to scare. In reality, he's just very practiced at hiding his emotions. So practiced that he sometimes has trouble allowing himself to feel them. Through all the experiences he's had, however, the most afraid was probably the first time he was ever locked in a closet by Tain. Although Elim didn't know Tain was his father, Mila allowed Tain to reprimand and punish Elim as he saw fit. This often resulted in him being locked in small places and made to miss meals. The first time it happened, Elim screamed himself hoarse and suffered a panic attack. He sincerely thought he had been left to die. He was seven.

18) Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?

Wisdom. He knows far too many politicians who thrive on ambition and lack any wisdom. These were the easiest to take down.

41) Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?

Garak will never feel he deserves anything good that he has. He will say one need to earn these things and prove that they can keep them...but that bar is set impossibly high for him.

mad scientist stupid

You might be a genius in one area but you fail hard in other things. You try to apply your knowledge of one thing to something you aren't great at to varying results. You are reckless and do whatever it takes in pursuit of your goal (this usually involves something exploding). You were doing quantum physics this morning but charred your grilled cheese for dinner. Your social skills probably aren't the best but you're "that person that knows a lot about the thing" so that's something to be proud of

Tagged by: @facetedspades