Application : Blaine Thorps || DF
Character Application
Character Name: Blaine Thorps
Series: Original
Gender: Male
Birthdate: March 31st
The Item: A ring with three bands of color around it, the center black and the outer silver/white. Looks much like this without the engravings.
Point with which your character has been taken from canon: A month after he returns from training in 'The Room'.
Appearance: PB: Rud Han from the manhwa Veritas.
Blaine is 6' 2" [188cm] and weighs in at 195lbs [88.5kg], which he assures anyone is all muscle and it isn't hard to assume that with the span of his shoulders. Blonde haired and blue eyed, he usually has said highlighter blonde strands covering his left eye in one long bang, though he is known to push his hair back or part it down the middle if necessary. It used to be just above shoulder length, but he cut it back recently so he might still reach up to push at what isn't there. He's 31 years old with a tan that varies according to the weather outside, and plenty of tiny lines of white from healed cuts. The warmer it is, the more time he spends outside in the sun, but he never gets pale no matter how long he's trapped indoors. He normally has 5 silver earrings on his ear: one stud in his lobe, three small rings along the lower shell, and one ear clip near the top. He also wears a ring [his item] almost all the time, though the finger changes as he fiddles with it. His face is normally open and approachable, but can easily change to whatever expression fits the situation and not always his mood.
Personality: Blaine is the older brother type, with a younger sister he dotes on. He can be kind and tries to resolve the problems of those he regards as friends. He enjoys guiding people and taking on the role of a leader, especially when it involves engaging in conversations and learning more about how they work. Problem solving is something he enjoys. Despite that -or because of that- he sometimes causes said problems since he definitely likes to tease, occasionally getting under people's skin by being far too observant. He has no problem apologizing if he goes too far, but whether he means it, no matter how sincere it sounds, is debatable. A very forward man, Blaine makes it obvious what he wants and will take it if you allow him to. When he gets serious, his personality will become cooler and you'll find him much less talkative. He'll pull back his hair with a clip [or whatever is available] so that both eyes are visible and he can give his full attention to the task at hand. More often than not, his hair is pushed back once he returns from his 'training'. Ignore the lack of said icons. B|
After his stint in 'the room' [explained in depth in the history section], Blaine became prone to 'silent episodes'. His face would turn blank as he stares at nothing in particular, his mind wandering off to places unknown. Many times he had found that after snapping out of his little reverie he had no recollection of the moments prior to his episode, nor how much time had passed. Now, however, he can usually brush them off, as both the frequency and duration of his blank spells are considerably shorter than they were closer to the onset of his PTSD. Moreover, Blaine has a manageable case of Achluophobia [fear of the dark] that tends to flare when his adrenaline is pumping, he's frightened, or he's startled by something in the dark. It could be anything; a sound, perhaps, or even suddenly waking from a deep slumber during the middle of the night. His more severe cases have been known to induce mild panic attacks, causing both PTSD flare-ups and flashbacks. It causes him to be jumpier than he would have been even a year ago and dims the brighter side of his personality on occasion.
Otherwise, he rolls with the punches and takes many events in stride. His blank face, which is a lightly amused look, hides much of what is going on inside. Being thrust into unusual situations isn't anything new to him, so he'll just treat it like work and look otherwise unaffected. Internally, however, he'll be making a lot of notes with plans on how to improve his situation. While he likes to sit back, eventually he'll get bored and find something -or someone- to amuse himself with. Being amorous and open about his sexuality, he does flirt a lot. There is often innuendo in what he says, but he isn't offended if it isn't grasped or even noticed, especially by straight men who fail to realize he's been staring at their ass and not every hourglass figure that walks by. He hardly thinks to dampen what he says unless he's at work or around those he doesn't feel like dealing with if it bothers them.
Powers/Abilities CANON: He is just shy of being promoted to Corporal of his own area, so he has leadership abilities and charisma. He is an expert in small arms and a trained sniper. Working out constantly, he is physically fit with exceptional stamina and can take a heavy beating. He speaks English and Spanish fluently, and speaks pigeon Japanese, German, and Italian. Enough to order at a restaurant, ask directions, and do reasonable well without a translator, but indepth or fast conversations might have him lost, especially in Japanese, where he really only knows how to ask where the bathroom is and not necessarily understand the answer. He has a microchip -of sorts- in his head that allowed him to wirelessly communicate with others of high rank in his company and identify others with chips if they were using them to communicate nearby. Depending on the method and security, sometimes he could 'overhear' what was said without static interference making it obvious, but only if it is a much older model of chip.
Powers/Abilities AU: His mental and physical abilities are all through study and training and not superhuman. The chip doesn't work at all, as there are no satellites to relay a signal long range and no one else has one to use the radio wave option.
Character History: Blaine had a normal, privileged, childhood. His mother is a medical engineer who used to make robotics for medical equipment used in surgeries and now is at the forefront of BioChip based prosthetics. His father is a major contractor who travels frequently cross country. Rounding out his family are two sisters, one older [by 3 years] and one younger [by five years]. All the children learned the piano, but only the youngest kept up with it. Blaine stopped when he was in his first year of high school, and his older sister stopped once she reached Graduate school.
In high school, he focused on mostly soccer, becoming their power forward when he was a junior. He still had great grades, getting mostly A's, even in his advanced classes. He was busy practicing and studying, and was popular in high school, though he would say he had few friends. His sister was a straight A, all advanced classes, teacher's pet, and so when he entered high school he was put up against that same standard. While being smart, he had no interest in going down the same path she did and happily ignored any snide remarks regarding his sister and their similarities or differences. He established himself as a totally different person after she graduated and he entered his 10th grade year. He was a jock, but academic. He was friends with teachers, but didn't suck up to them. He had a clique that was all encompassing, and floated between groups with ease.
Through his favorite Uncle, Itsuki Fox, Blaine met a mercenary named Russell Kline, who became something of an older brother and mentor. From him he gained a passing interest in guns and weaponry and a lover who shaped him both in and out of bed. When he chose a college, he was torn between following his mother and sister into the sciences, but again didn't want to be in his sister's shadow. Not only did he resist being in her shadow, he didn't much like the idea of being trapped in classrooms or a lab for the rest of his life, much preferring to be outside and doing things with his hands. Talking with Russell helped him decided, with much concern from his mother -and a little, but not much from his father- to go to what amounts to a prep school.
He chose a school called Caster. It's like our equivalent of a vocational school except instead of being a beautician you could study martial arts or do sports training. It was a school that taught controlled violence and he got in with a soccer scholarship. He met most of his current friends and co-workers there as well as his current love interest. He graduated 4th in his class, beaten only by Renee, the person who would later become his boss, and two others who would become Corporals along side him, Traine and Blake. Once they all graduate they do a few one off jobs with Renee, but soon go their separate ways for a time. Blaine goes with Russell for mercenary work and doubles as a spy on other Organizations while doing his work. Eventually he comes back home with a few choice tidbits of information for Renee about business ventures.
Blaine's Uncle encourages him to join up with Renee Sharps, who leads an 'Organization' called SPAWA [Specialize Protection Agency of the Western Alliance], because of his own connections there. SPAWA can correctly be labeled something akin to 'The Mafia'. Each organization has a defined area of influence with boundaries. They have wars among themselves, take over chunks of others' territories, and carry out assassinations. They are a law unto themselves. The only entity that all Orgs, Mafia, and Gangs hold in any esteem is 'The Gathering' which is held every few years to stop unnecessary bloodshed by bringing together the leaders.
Renee hires both Blaine and Blake "Johan" Erics as outside contacts because they have the experience she wants and she trusts them as being loyal to her and not just her father. Johan has been Blaine's friend and love interest since college, though the love is one-sided. They both bring a new angle to the business and avoid much of the powerplay and politics within the Org as they didn't truly work from the bottom to get to the top. This breeds some resentment as they take over areas in the territory that bring in high profit, even if it is their ideas that made them that way.
David Smith, their previous teacher from Caster, worked as an outside consultant for SPAWA before he left the school a year and a half after they graduated to work for the Org full time. David and Blaine together are one of the main reasons why the areas were re-divided into smaller chunks. It gave more people the ability to rise up a level and the autonomy made moving in a potential crisis much faster with less people to inform. It also weakened the hold the old regime her father had in place on her, and she was able to bring in newer blood that suited her tastes.
Upon creation of the smaller areas, Blaine becomes a Lt. Colonel with Johan. Showing exceptional skill he is soon looked at for promotion, but rejects Renee's proposal citing there are still some hands-on things he likes to do that aren't so easy once you get promoted. He never elaborates on those things; however, Renee agrees to promote Johan instead as long as Blaine acts as his lieutenant. She tells him to support Johan until he's fully groomed for the role and then Blaine would have no choice but to be promoted and split the area into two.
Blaine had been a Lt. Colonel for a year and a half -the longest time he'd gone without rising in rank- and was about to be promoted when his Uncle Itsuki pulled him out for a kind of 'special training' that involved BioChip communication. His Uncle took advantage of his nephew's trust to get him to agree and then got permission from Renee to 'borrow' Blaine.
His uncle actually hates him because he's jealous of him. His older sister [Blaine's mother] overshadowed him no matter what he did. When Blaine was born and had an older sister who was equally brilliant, Itsuki expected the same thing to happen to Blaine, but when it didn't and he rose above his sister like Itsuki couldn't, he grew insanely jealous and vindictive of his nephew. Blaine was slightly aware of the animosity, but he didn't know how far his uncle would go until he left with him for what he thought was research training.
His training was a farce and consisted of being locked into a room with another man where there was only one window that was so high it was impossible to reach from the ground. Blaine was told the only way to come out of the room was if they managed to use their BioChips to communicate with someone outside the room. The man was told the only way out was if he killed the other prisoner. The other man had a high gambling debt and this was the only option given to him to pay it off after repeatedly taking out more loans and making no payments. It didn't take Blaine long to figure out this was no benign assignment, but it took 3 days to kill his 'opponent' after nearly dying twice. Not wanting to kill the man and take the obvious way out, he could barely sleep. The gambler could fall asleep and Blaine wouldn't take advantage and kill him. The same was not true for the reverse. If Blaine fell asleep, the other man would certainly kill him if he had the chance, as Blaine found out the second night.
The blonde only survived because of his honed instinct from both college and working with Russell. When he was released from the room, he had a mild case of PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] and was put into the custody of one Russell Kline. Russell helped him through panic attacks as a result of his time in the room. Needing emotional support, he began to transfer some of his romantic feelings to his mentor, who he already had a strong connection with.
Russell taught him more about weaponry, mostly the newest models, and dove even further into hand-to-hand combat to let Blaine blow off steam. Mostly, he served as a distraction to keep Blaine’s mind occupied. When not talking or training, he was sexing him up. Once the 'training' was over, Russell disappeared once again from his life and Blaine had a vehement hatred for his Uncle and an irksome desire for Russell. He was sent back to SPAWA to try and start back up where he had been before, but nearly a year had passed and he wasn't the same as he was before he left.
When Blaine returns, none of the other characters know what's happened to him since he's been gone, but they can tell he's 'different'. He is told to live with Johan until his living arrangements can be made since his apartment lease wasn't renewed. It causes him a great deal of inner turmoil being around Johan again, but he is once again a Lt. Colonel. He's been back in SPAWA for about a month when he's pulled to Veles.
World Background: Blaine's world is a more technologically advanced one than our own. It can easily be seen as our world in the not too distant future. [Circa 2159, since people are going to ask him] Convenience is the word of the century and everything is being brought out to make everyone more connected, so people can take less steps, and automation is everywhere. Flying -more like hover- cars have become a reality, though they are very expensive and limited to the rich and upper class. They don't move higher than a few feet above the ground due to limiters that have been placed there for 'safety' until the logistics of highway traffic in the air have been planned for. Of course, those can be removed. Limit-released models are hot on the black market and truer to the name 'flying car'.
Embedded microchips are not uncommon, though most are used for emergency medical information or even links to organizers in mobile devices. BioMicrochip technology has grown in leaps and bounds with both public and private funding. Using the electric impulses in your own brain to both power and relay its own messages, it has proven to be an amazingly secure way of communication between people through satellite and has been used by the military almost exclusively until recently. Some private companies -including a few of the higher grossing illegal organizations- have also started using them with a few tweaks.
With advancements in the BioChip, prosthetics that are hooked directly into the nerve endings have also grown in leaps and bounds. The research hasn't gotten close to a true android -a marriage of man and machine- but arms and legs are being developed for amputees or other deformities. Gene therapy is used, but it still has not reached its peak effectiveness. Splicing of genes of different organisms -two different species of mammal, for instance- is being tested and is highly controversial.
Compared to BioChips, prosthetics, and flying cars, moving sidewalks seem a small step. Once only common in airports, they have become a perk of closed communities or high-class neighborhoods. Most people are very mobile and landlines aren't found in most households. The internet is in 90% of buildings, business, homes, public or private. With everyone being connected, it isn't difficult to track someone 24/7 and it takes substantial effort to get off the grid no matter where you live as wireless signals are available just about anywhere, even underground.
Set in the United State, politics haven't changed overly much. The government plays a smaller role than before, but it is still an entity with the power to reach into anyone's life. The down-size was necessitated by most first-world countries in order to preserve themselves. Despite the continual doom and gloom proliferating the media, most people are in the middle-class and satisfied with their lives. The country is more socially-even overall, with equal pay and rights for people regardless of sex, race, or sexual preference, but in practice there are still trends from the past, but not nearly as skewed. Many people are also bilingual, speaking English and Spanish.
Organized crime has adapted with the times. They are usually small and concentrated in one area, or have grown into sprawling areas where only one group rules. There are a few who fall in-between in size and they are mostly in the mid-west. The number of known members is almost opposite to the area owned. The Gangs cover a smaller area but get most of their money from drugs. They saturate their area with their members and are a constant and visible threat to others. They sometimes have different chapters in other cities that have the same name, but operate independently of one another. They don't require bloodline family relations, but brothers and sisters do join.
More on the discrete side but no less intimidating, the Mafia is big on family. They are still predominately of Italian/Sicilian decent, but with so much blood mingling in the United States, are not strict on that requirement. They are more willing to stay out of one another's way and share a territory as long as there is enough money to be had. Their legitimate businesses are most often used to launder their illegally gotten monies and as meeting places for convenience. If they make money with their legal business, like a restaurant, that's a bonus. Their area size usually stays small.
Organizations, Orgs for short, are the other extreme of Gangs and they work on a large scale, spanning cities, counties, and sometimes over state lines. They're run a lot like companies and diversify their interests. They're more willing and able to change their whole game if something gets too high-profile while incurring minimal damage on their income. Drug running, prostitution, and gambling are just a small section of their portfolio. They run many legitimate businesses initially funded with drug money that turn into profit making companies that spawn other businesses. Through that they can easily and unbeknownst to the locals or police take over entire areas. Much of their existence is because of high levels of security and rigid control over all members. The number of people actually in the know on just how diversified an Org is is extremely low. In that sense, Orgs and the Mafia are similar in controlling information flow. On the other hand, they are like gangs because they don't share territory very well, if at all. The lines between all three are not so clear cut, with many falling in the shaded gray areas between terms.
Mafia, Gangs, and Organizations have several things in common. One being that much -if not all- of their activities are illegal. Another is a strict structure, though some are more strict than others. All three deal in prostitution and drugs, but some have a bigger portion of their wealth come from those alone. Most importantly, all will resort to violence at some point. Gangs are the most violent of all, with the other two more calculating in who they decide to have killed, but all rose to power by climbing over the corpses of their enemies.
Organizations backed with enough money and the correct resources have capitalized on a new market that has everything to do with people's desire to individualize and personalize pieces of their lives. Designer drugs have taken on another meaning. Not only are they different drugs that have the same effects as an illegal one, but many are personalized for groups of people or even one person, depending on how much they're willing to pay. It's on a greater and much more expensive scale than just the hundreds of varieties of marijuana. SPAWA is one of the first to try out this system with information gleaned from Blaine's travels cross country. Their connections to the medical world -most coming from Itsuki- give them the knowledge and power to spearhead the new movement before others can jump aboard.
Illegal splicing has also started to take hold with various -and sometimes disastrous- results. Some test subjects die, and others have distorted senses, for better or worse, than before the genetic manipulation. A few of the more adventurous Orgs and Mafia had looked into possible uses for splicing, but there have been no positive constants with the trials that have been done [supposedly only on animals].
Depending on the Org, the people in their territory may be better or worse off than their neighbors. There are tiny no-man's lands between two different Org territories, and they are where those unaffiliated with an Org or fledgling gangs tend to dwell and commit their petty crimes. Each territory is much like a little country, and it's the luck of the draw where a normal person might end up unknowingly.
RP Sample [First Person]:
*hands held out from his body as he eyes a few guards* Well, isn't this friendly? Normally I'm not shy about being with a bunch of strangers, naked or not, but you can put the guns down. And goddamn are they old looking.
*looking them up and down as they stare at him* I'm going to guess that you don't care that it's cold since you have some pretty thick layers on, but my ass is freezing here. You can look all you want later *slight grin* but I'd love some pants...
Why do you play this character? Blaine is so fun to play. He's blunt, kinda nosy, all sorts of dirty/raunchy, and you can get into so much trouble with him when he's doing stupid things that guys just do for fun. Getting him into trouble and seeing how he can bail himself out is half the fun.
Character Name: Blaine Thorps
Series: Original
Gender: Male
Birthdate: March 31st
The Item: A ring with three bands of color around it, the center black and the outer silver/white. Looks much like this without the engravings.
Point with which your character has been taken from canon: A month after he returns from training in 'The Room'.
Appearance: PB: Rud Han from the manhwa Veritas.
Blaine is 6' 2" [188cm] and weighs in at 195lbs [88.5kg], which he assures anyone is all muscle and it isn't hard to assume that with the span of his shoulders. Blonde haired and blue eyed, he usually has said highlighter blonde strands covering his left eye in one long bang, though he is known to push his hair back or part it down the middle if necessary. It used to be just above shoulder length, but he cut it back recently so he might still reach up to push at what isn't there. He's 31 years old with a tan that varies according to the weather outside, and plenty of tiny lines of white from healed cuts. The warmer it is, the more time he spends outside in the sun, but he never gets pale no matter how long he's trapped indoors. He normally has 5 silver earrings on his ear: one stud in his lobe, three small rings along the lower shell, and one ear clip near the top. He also wears a ring [his item] almost all the time, though the finger changes as he fiddles with it. His face is normally open and approachable, but can easily change to whatever expression fits the situation and not always his mood.
Personality: Blaine is the older brother type, with a younger sister he dotes on. He can be kind and tries to resolve the problems of those he regards as friends. He enjoys guiding people and taking on the role of a leader, especially when it involves engaging in conversations and learning more about how they work. Problem solving is something he enjoys. Despite that -or because of that- he sometimes causes said problems since he definitely likes to tease, occasionally getting under people's skin by being far too observant. He has no problem apologizing if he goes too far, but whether he means it, no matter how sincere it sounds, is debatable. A very forward man, Blaine makes it obvious what he wants and will take it if you allow him to. When he gets serious, his personality will become cooler and you'll find him much less talkative. He'll pull back his hair with a clip [or whatever is available] so that both eyes are visible and he can give his full attention to the task at hand. More often than not, his hair is pushed back once he returns from his 'training'. Ignore the lack of said icons. B|
After his stint in 'the room' [explained in depth in the history section], Blaine became prone to 'silent episodes'. His face would turn blank as he stares at nothing in particular, his mind wandering off to places unknown. Many times he had found that after snapping out of his little reverie he had no recollection of the moments prior to his episode, nor how much time had passed. Now, however, he can usually brush them off, as both the frequency and duration of his blank spells are considerably shorter than they were closer to the onset of his PTSD. Moreover, Blaine has a manageable case of Achluophobia [fear of the dark] that tends to flare when his adrenaline is pumping, he's frightened, or he's startled by something in the dark. It could be anything; a sound, perhaps, or even suddenly waking from a deep slumber during the middle of the night. His more severe cases have been known to induce mild panic attacks, causing both PTSD flare-ups and flashbacks. It causes him to be jumpier than he would have been even a year ago and dims the brighter side of his personality on occasion.
Otherwise, he rolls with the punches and takes many events in stride. His blank face, which is a lightly amused look, hides much of what is going on inside. Being thrust into unusual situations isn't anything new to him, so he'll just treat it like work and look otherwise unaffected. Internally, however, he'll be making a lot of notes with plans on how to improve his situation. While he likes to sit back, eventually he'll get bored and find something -or someone- to amuse himself with. Being amorous and open about his sexuality, he does flirt a lot. There is often innuendo in what he says, but he isn't offended if it isn't grasped or even noticed, especially by straight men who fail to realize he's been staring at their ass and not every hourglass figure that walks by. He hardly thinks to dampen what he says unless he's at work or around those he doesn't feel like dealing with if it bothers them.
Powers/Abilities CANON: He is just shy of being promoted to Corporal of his own area, so he has leadership abilities and charisma. He is an expert in small arms and a trained sniper. Working out constantly, he is physically fit with exceptional stamina and can take a heavy beating. He speaks English and Spanish fluently, and speaks pigeon Japanese, German, and Italian. Enough to order at a restaurant, ask directions, and do reasonable well without a translator, but indepth or fast conversations might have him lost, especially in Japanese, where he really only knows how to ask where the bathroom is and not necessarily understand the answer. He has a microchip -of sorts- in his head that allowed him to wirelessly communicate with others of high rank in his company and identify others with chips if they were using them to communicate nearby. Depending on the method and security, sometimes he could 'overhear' what was said without static interference making it obvious, but only if it is a much older model of chip.
Powers/Abilities AU: His mental and physical abilities are all through study and training and not superhuman. The chip doesn't work at all, as there are no satellites to relay a signal long range and no one else has one to use the radio wave option.
Character History: Blaine had a normal, privileged, childhood. His mother is a medical engineer who used to make robotics for medical equipment used in surgeries and now is at the forefront of BioChip based prosthetics. His father is a major contractor who travels frequently cross country. Rounding out his family are two sisters, one older [by 3 years] and one younger [by five years]. All the children learned the piano, but only the youngest kept up with it. Blaine stopped when he was in his first year of high school, and his older sister stopped once she reached Graduate school.
In high school, he focused on mostly soccer, becoming their power forward when he was a junior. He still had great grades, getting mostly A's, even in his advanced classes. He was busy practicing and studying, and was popular in high school, though he would say he had few friends. His sister was a straight A, all advanced classes, teacher's pet, and so when he entered high school he was put up against that same standard. While being smart, he had no interest in going down the same path she did and happily ignored any snide remarks regarding his sister and their similarities or differences. He established himself as a totally different person after she graduated and he entered his 10th grade year. He was a jock, but academic. He was friends with teachers, but didn't suck up to them. He had a clique that was all encompassing, and floated between groups with ease.
Through his favorite Uncle, Itsuki Fox, Blaine met a mercenary named Russell Kline, who became something of an older brother and mentor. From him he gained a passing interest in guns and weaponry and a lover who shaped him both in and out of bed. When he chose a college, he was torn between following his mother and sister into the sciences, but again didn't want to be in his sister's shadow. Not only did he resist being in her shadow, he didn't much like the idea of being trapped in classrooms or a lab for the rest of his life, much preferring to be outside and doing things with his hands. Talking with Russell helped him decided, with much concern from his mother -and a little, but not much from his father- to go to what amounts to a prep school.
He chose a school called Caster. It's like our equivalent of a vocational school except instead of being a beautician you could study martial arts or do sports training. It was a school that taught controlled violence and he got in with a soccer scholarship. He met most of his current friends and co-workers there as well as his current love interest. He graduated 4th in his class, beaten only by Renee, the person who would later become his boss, and two others who would become Corporals along side him, Traine and Blake. Once they all graduate they do a few one off jobs with Renee, but soon go their separate ways for a time. Blaine goes with Russell for mercenary work and doubles as a spy on other Organizations while doing his work. Eventually he comes back home with a few choice tidbits of information for Renee about business ventures.
Blaine's Uncle encourages him to join up with Renee Sharps, who leads an 'Organization' called SPAWA [Specialize Protection Agency of the Western Alliance], because of his own connections there. SPAWA can correctly be labeled something akin to 'The Mafia'. Each organization has a defined area of influence with boundaries. They have wars among themselves, take over chunks of others' territories, and carry out assassinations. They are a law unto themselves. The only entity that all Orgs, Mafia, and Gangs hold in any esteem is 'The Gathering' which is held every few years to stop unnecessary bloodshed by bringing together the leaders.
Renee hires both Blaine and Blake "Johan" Erics as outside contacts because they have the experience she wants and she trusts them as being loyal to her and not just her father. Johan has been Blaine's friend and love interest since college, though the love is one-sided. They both bring a new angle to the business and avoid much of the powerplay and politics within the Org as they didn't truly work from the bottom to get to the top. This breeds some resentment as they take over areas in the territory that bring in high profit, even if it is their ideas that made them that way.
David Smith, their previous teacher from Caster, worked as an outside consultant for SPAWA before he left the school a year and a half after they graduated to work for the Org full time. David and Blaine together are one of the main reasons why the areas were re-divided into smaller chunks. It gave more people the ability to rise up a level and the autonomy made moving in a potential crisis much faster with less people to inform. It also weakened the hold the old regime her father had in place on her, and she was able to bring in newer blood that suited her tastes.
Upon creation of the smaller areas, Blaine becomes a Lt. Colonel with Johan. Showing exceptional skill he is soon looked at for promotion, but rejects Renee's proposal citing there are still some hands-on things he likes to do that aren't so easy once you get promoted. He never elaborates on those things; however, Renee agrees to promote Johan instead as long as Blaine acts as his lieutenant. She tells him to support Johan until he's fully groomed for the role and then Blaine would have no choice but to be promoted and split the area into two.
Blaine had been a Lt. Colonel for a year and a half -the longest time he'd gone without rising in rank- and was about to be promoted when his Uncle Itsuki pulled him out for a kind of 'special training' that involved BioChip communication. His Uncle took advantage of his nephew's trust to get him to agree and then got permission from Renee to 'borrow' Blaine.
His uncle actually hates him because he's jealous of him. His older sister [Blaine's mother] overshadowed him no matter what he did. When Blaine was born and had an older sister who was equally brilliant, Itsuki expected the same thing to happen to Blaine, but when it didn't and he rose above his sister like Itsuki couldn't, he grew insanely jealous and vindictive of his nephew. Blaine was slightly aware of the animosity, but he didn't know how far his uncle would go until he left with him for what he thought was research training.
His training was a farce and consisted of being locked into a room with another man where there was only one window that was so high it was impossible to reach from the ground. Blaine was told the only way to come out of the room was if they managed to use their BioChips to communicate with someone outside the room. The man was told the only way out was if he killed the other prisoner. The other man had a high gambling debt and this was the only option given to him to pay it off after repeatedly taking out more loans and making no payments. It didn't take Blaine long to figure out this was no benign assignment, but it took 3 days to kill his 'opponent' after nearly dying twice. Not wanting to kill the man and take the obvious way out, he could barely sleep. The gambler could fall asleep and Blaine wouldn't take advantage and kill him. The same was not true for the reverse. If Blaine fell asleep, the other man would certainly kill him if he had the chance, as Blaine found out the second night.
The blonde only survived because of his honed instinct from both college and working with Russell. When he was released from the room, he had a mild case of PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] and was put into the custody of one Russell Kline. Russell helped him through panic attacks as a result of his time in the room. Needing emotional support, he began to transfer some of his romantic feelings to his mentor, who he already had a strong connection with.
Russell taught him more about weaponry, mostly the newest models, and dove even further into hand-to-hand combat to let Blaine blow off steam. Mostly, he served as a distraction to keep Blaine’s mind occupied. When not talking or training, he was sexing him up. Once the 'training' was over, Russell disappeared once again from his life and Blaine had a vehement hatred for his Uncle and an irksome desire for Russell. He was sent back to SPAWA to try and start back up where he had been before, but nearly a year had passed and he wasn't the same as he was before he left.
When Blaine returns, none of the other characters know what's happened to him since he's been gone, but they can tell he's 'different'. He is told to live with Johan until his living arrangements can be made since his apartment lease wasn't renewed. It causes him a great deal of inner turmoil being around Johan again, but he is once again a Lt. Colonel. He's been back in SPAWA for about a month when he's pulled to Veles.
World Background: Blaine's world is a more technologically advanced one than our own. It can easily be seen as our world in the not too distant future. [Circa 2159, since people are going to ask him] Convenience is the word of the century and everything is being brought out to make everyone more connected, so people can take less steps, and automation is everywhere. Flying -more like hover- cars have become a reality, though they are very expensive and limited to the rich and upper class. They don't move higher than a few feet above the ground due to limiters that have been placed there for 'safety' until the logistics of highway traffic in the air have been planned for. Of course, those can be removed. Limit-released models are hot on the black market and truer to the name 'flying car'.
Embedded microchips are not uncommon, though most are used for emergency medical information or even links to organizers in mobile devices. BioMicrochip technology has grown in leaps and bounds with both public and private funding. Using the electric impulses in your own brain to both power and relay its own messages, it has proven to be an amazingly secure way of communication between people through satellite and has been used by the military almost exclusively until recently. Some private companies -including a few of the higher grossing illegal organizations- have also started using them with a few tweaks.
With advancements in the BioChip, prosthetics that are hooked directly into the nerve endings have also grown in leaps and bounds. The research hasn't gotten close to a true android -a marriage of man and machine- but arms and legs are being developed for amputees or other deformities. Gene therapy is used, but it still has not reached its peak effectiveness. Splicing of genes of different organisms -two different species of mammal, for instance- is being tested and is highly controversial.
Compared to BioChips, prosthetics, and flying cars, moving sidewalks seem a small step. Once only common in airports, they have become a perk of closed communities or high-class neighborhoods. Most people are very mobile and landlines aren't found in most households. The internet is in 90% of buildings, business, homes, public or private. With everyone being connected, it isn't difficult to track someone 24/7 and it takes substantial effort to get off the grid no matter where you live as wireless signals are available just about anywhere, even underground.
Set in the United State, politics haven't changed overly much. The government plays a smaller role than before, but it is still an entity with the power to reach into anyone's life. The down-size was necessitated by most first-world countries in order to preserve themselves. Despite the continual doom and gloom proliferating the media, most people are in the middle-class and satisfied with their lives. The country is more socially-even overall, with equal pay and rights for people regardless of sex, race, or sexual preference, but in practice there are still trends from the past, but not nearly as skewed. Many people are also bilingual, speaking English and Spanish.
Organized crime has adapted with the times. They are usually small and concentrated in one area, or have grown into sprawling areas where only one group rules. There are a few who fall in-between in size and they are mostly in the mid-west. The number of known members is almost opposite to the area owned. The Gangs cover a smaller area but get most of their money from drugs. They saturate their area with their members and are a constant and visible threat to others. They sometimes have different chapters in other cities that have the same name, but operate independently of one another. They don't require bloodline family relations, but brothers and sisters do join.
More on the discrete side but no less intimidating, the Mafia is big on family. They are still predominately of Italian/Sicilian decent, but with so much blood mingling in the United States, are not strict on that requirement. They are more willing to stay out of one another's way and share a territory as long as there is enough money to be had. Their legitimate businesses are most often used to launder their illegally gotten monies and as meeting places for convenience. If they make money with their legal business, like a restaurant, that's a bonus. Their area size usually stays small.
Organizations, Orgs for short, are the other extreme of Gangs and they work on a large scale, spanning cities, counties, and sometimes over state lines. They're run a lot like companies and diversify their interests. They're more willing and able to change their whole game if something gets too high-profile while incurring minimal damage on their income. Drug running, prostitution, and gambling are just a small section of their portfolio. They run many legitimate businesses initially funded with drug money that turn into profit making companies that spawn other businesses. Through that they can easily and unbeknownst to the locals or police take over entire areas. Much of their existence is because of high levels of security and rigid control over all members. The number of people actually in the know on just how diversified an Org is is extremely low. In that sense, Orgs and the Mafia are similar in controlling information flow. On the other hand, they are like gangs because they don't share territory very well, if at all. The lines between all three are not so clear cut, with many falling in the shaded gray areas between terms.
Mafia, Gangs, and Organizations have several things in common. One being that much -if not all- of their activities are illegal. Another is a strict structure, though some are more strict than others. All three deal in prostitution and drugs, but some have a bigger portion of their wealth come from those alone. Most importantly, all will resort to violence at some point. Gangs are the most violent of all, with the other two more calculating in who they decide to have killed, but all rose to power by climbing over the corpses of their enemies.
Organizations backed with enough money and the correct resources have capitalized on a new market that has everything to do with people's desire to individualize and personalize pieces of their lives. Designer drugs have taken on another meaning. Not only are they different drugs that have the same effects as an illegal one, but many are personalized for groups of people or even one person, depending on how much they're willing to pay. It's on a greater and much more expensive scale than just the hundreds of varieties of marijuana. SPAWA is one of the first to try out this system with information gleaned from Blaine's travels cross country. Their connections to the medical world -most coming from Itsuki- give them the knowledge and power to spearhead the new movement before others can jump aboard.
Illegal splicing has also started to take hold with various -and sometimes disastrous- results. Some test subjects die, and others have distorted senses, for better or worse, than before the genetic manipulation. A few of the more adventurous Orgs and Mafia had looked into possible uses for splicing, but there have been no positive constants with the trials that have been done [supposedly only on animals].
Depending on the Org, the people in their territory may be better or worse off than their neighbors. There are tiny no-man's lands between two different Org territories, and they are where those unaffiliated with an Org or fledgling gangs tend to dwell and commit their petty crimes. Each territory is much like a little country, and it's the luck of the draw where a normal person might end up unknowingly.
RP Sample [First Person]:
*hands held out from his body as he eyes a few guards* Well, isn't this friendly? Normally I'm not shy about being with a bunch of strangers, naked or not, but you can put the guns down. And goddamn are they old looking.
*looking them up and down as they stare at him* I'm going to guess that you don't care that it's cold since you have some pretty thick layers on, but my ass is freezing here. You can look all you want later *slight grin* but I'd love some pants...
Why do you play this character? Blaine is so fun to play. He's blunt, kinda nosy, all sorts of dirty/raunchy, and you can get into so much trouble with him when he's doing stupid things that guys just do for fun. Getting him into trouble and seeing how he can bail himself out is half the fun.