Paracelsus (Beauty and the Beast)

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See Paracelsus for other uses of this name.

Character
Name: Paracelsus, John Pater
Occupation:
Relationships:
Fandom: Beauty and the Beast (TV)
Other:
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Paracelsus is a character in Beauty and the Beast (TV). He appeared in six episodes, one of them as a vision.

from Heartsounds #2, the artist is Lynne Gutshall (1990)

Short Canon Description

He (as John Pater) and Jacob Wells were two of the main founders of the tunnel world Below. After developing a lust for power, he became evil and bitter and began to call himself Paracelsus after his role-model, the legendary medieval alchemist.

It was Paracelsus's wife, Anna, who found Vincent Wells abandoned on the hospital steps, and took him home to her husband. When Anna became afraid for Vincent due to Paracelsus' changing behavior, she gave the baby to Jacob Wells. Paracelsus’ final plot was to drive Vincent mad by unleashing his inner beast.

Paracelsus was portrayed by Tony Jay.

Fan Comments

Varying Parentage Issues

Fans speculated on family relationships.

I suspect that Father and Paracelsus genetically engineered Vincent, and he's Father's natural son. [1]

“Once Upon a Time,” handsomely illustrated by the author, is a tale of kingdoms (V's a prince) full of tangled relationships: Gabriel is Paracelsus' bastard son, by Tamara; Paracelsus and King/Father are brothers. [2]

Otherwise: "A novella premised on Vincent having been raised by Paracelsus...and the difference that makes in his relationship to Catherine." [3]

Paracelsus As Evil

Almost all fanworks depict Paracelsus as evil and beyond redemption.

More and more it seems we are discovering that, for all its wonder and uniqueness, the Tunnel World is not as perfect as we once thought! This observation is not meant in a negative way, but a realistic one, which in my opinion only enhances and strengthens our show and its characters. We see that Vincent has deep emotional problems, Catherine is torn between two worlds. Father is not the perfect parent, and evil exists in the form of Paracelsus, yet they each strive to cope and live each day the best way they know how. Sound familiar? The Tunnel World is indeed a haven from the world above, yet as long as it is peopled by human beings it will necessarily be reflective of human emotions and behavior, positive and negative. [4]

Sample Fiction

  • many stories in the series, The Book of Secrets (One example: "Seeds of Doom Chap. 2: Seeds of Hatred ("Elliot Burch takes an active interest in Catherine's secret life and Paracelsus plans his take-over of the tunnel world and the destruction of Father.")
  • many stories in the series, Mirrors (One example: "Never to Part" - the past and present intertwine in a story line dealing with Paracelsus' attempts to destroy Vincent and flashbacks to how the Tunnel community began.")
  • To Reign in Hell, a story in Catch the Wild Wind by Janet Kilbourne ("Paracelsus plots toward an invasion of the tunnels and the subversion of Vincent's loyalty to Father, centering on Paracelsus' journals which Father has never revealed to Vincent.") (1993)
  • The Perimeter by Sharon Reynolds from Tunnel Visions #1 ("The evil Paracelsus has hired two professional assassins to kill Vincent and Father, and, shown them the way down.") (1988)
  • "Dream of Her Soul" in Beloved Beast Tales #2 by Lisa Stubblefield ("Vincent is captured by Paracelsus and tricked into believing that Catherine has left him and that Paracelsus now controls the Tunnel World. Catherine risks everything to find Vincent.") (1990)
  • Reflections in a Darkened Glass by Joy Faulkner ("What if John Pater triumphed? What if Paracelsus had been ruler and Vincent his son, his heir apparent, as he had always intended?") (1990s)
  • many stories in Flames of Hell by Steve Nottingham (1993)
  • You, Darkness is a controversial story by Nan Dibble ("Vincent's worst nightmare comes true after he's captured by Paracelsus' followers.") (1991)
  • On a Darkling Plain from Tales of the Dream ("Never had Father thought to see this night again. Not since his research had been abandoned by himself so long ago had he seen such a terrifying sight... Paracelsus threatens the tunnels with mustard gas.") (1994)
  • Bleak Midwinter by Nan Dibble (Tells of Father's desperation to heal the breach among the helpers and the rift between many of them and the tunnel community caused by the expulsion of Paracelsus.) (1995)
  • Two of a Kind by Rosemarie Hauer (Paracelsus drugs and kidnaps Vincent.) (1995)

Featured in Costuming

Featured as a Pinata

Paracelsus was pinata at the 1993 con, Haply I Think On Thee , one that was filled with "gold" coins. A fan's con report states that it "folded like a cheap suit pretty quickly." [5]

A Disliked TPTB as a Persona of Pracelsus

In late summer 1989, a fan addressed "the fiasco on Black Thursday, May 19th," which was about TPTB messing with Beauty and the Beast (TV) and changing it so something she did not like:

If you want to read something truly frightening, surpassing the usual passing for horror in film and pulp, try reading "Who Killed CBS?" by Peter J. Boyer, "Bad Day at Black Rock" by Peter McCabe, and "In the Storm of the Eye" by Bill Leonard. These three tomes detail the downfall of the CBS News Department, and the subsequent trickle-down effect on the other departments (prime-time included).... In particular, pay attention to the apparent white-knight in a "non-hostile" takeover, who eventually in a move beyond the rules, turns color and checkmates the king. He is in the persona of Laurence Tisch, who has recently earned the name "Paracelsus" to millions of viewers. [6]

Sample Art

  1. ^ from a fan in Once Upon a Time... Is Now #2 (1988)
  2. ^ from a review of a story in Sapphires and Emeralds -- from Helpers' Network Quality Fanzine Review -- 1997, Archived version
  3. ^ from that zine's flyer
  4. ^ from Tunneltalk v.2 n.6 (1991)
  5. ^ from JoAnn's Con Chair Report
  6. ^ from a fan in Pipedreamsv.2 n.4
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