New Luceti application--Reapp on Jan 1rst, 2013
Mun
Name: Silver
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silverthorne
E-mail: silverthorne . redux @ verizon . net
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Current Characters at Luceti: N/A
Character
Name: Derek Bliss
Fandom: Vampires: Los Muertos
Gender: Male
Age: 36
Time Period: After they rescue Zoey and before he goes into the clinic to stake her.
Wing Color: Patterned like a red-tailed hawk: Upper (outer) wings are dark reddish brown, underneath they are cream colored with black banding.
History: Wiki *** Movie *** My own synopsis
Background references, which I used for headcanon purposes in Derek's skillset were taken from both the 'Prequel' movie, and the book both movies are based off of.
For purposes of reapplying, Derek has been completely reset and has no memory of Luceti or any of its inhabitants. This will be a completely fresh start for him.
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Personality:
General Personality: Overall, Derek comes across as quiet, easy-going and capable. Although shoved into the leadership role in the movie, he tends to run things by committee rather than by laying down the law and expecting others to follow him unquestioningly. It could be argued that he's a bit of a push over because of this--there are several times in the movie where he allows his own opinion and personal judgment to be over-ruled by the others, especially if they can give him a good reason for their own take on things (or he apparently comes to the internal conclusion that ‘now’ is not the time to push the other person). However, when it gets down to the wire and it’s become a do-or-die situation, he will make his own decisions independent of group consensus, and there is no talking him out of it at that point. You either go along with it, or he stonewalls you.
Personality Specs:
'The Laconic Loner': In the movie, Derek has a habit of hanging back and letting things happen with other people as they will. He uses words sparingly for the most part, and seems to measure his responses to people he doesn’t know well. There are times when he can come across as unfriendly or distant--he doesn't smile much unless he knows you or is comfortable with his situation, and his first instinct with most people is to drive them away or depart from them once business has been completed or he thinks that whatever he’s about to get into could be deadly for the people who come with him. Although he doesn’t come across as not liking people (there are several instances of him being open and friendly with different folks throughout the movie), he definitely comes across as having the ‘just passing through’ attitude.
'Talk To Me': This is very much a trademark tagline of Derek's; he says it several times in the movie to different people, usually when what he knows about the situation has been shaken and he needs more information to get it making sense again. When it's time for that information, he wants it, and wants it badly. He doesn't take no for an answer, and can actually get pretty damned rude about it if answers are not immediately forth-coming. By the same token, once people start talking, he starts listening, and usually calms down and starts to mull on the other person's words and what they could mean long before the person is done talking. If you want to get Derek into a reasonable mood, talking to him does it every time (just don’t bullshit him; that tends to irritate him a little bit. See: His conversation with Sancho when he finds out the kid left home to follow him on the hunt).
'Lightning Bolt Temper': Even Derek has a temper, and when it flares, it's loud, verbally violent...and over quickly. Usually, his bouts of temper are over sudden shocks, such as being attacked by a vampire during the day, or confronting an infected woman that he doesn't know the story on and doesn't trust. It also comes across as being one of the weapons he uses in his job to get information by intimidation or threat when being calm hasn’t worked. An example in the movie is when he's trying to figure out who's been working for the vampires, and his temper comes to the fore, even resorting to threatening his teammates with his gun in an effort to flush out the snitch. He does the same to Zoe in their first meeting after the attack on the café, by both shouting and waving his gun and being generally rough with her until he realizes she’s not to blame for the attack. Again though, once the situation has resolved--either by the other person starting to talk to him, or by the event ending, he recovers quickly, and the calm, collected demeanor is back in place. It should be noted that he doesn’t lose his temper or ‘freak out’ very often in the movie, so it’s arguably also a defensive mechanism with him when his usual way of dealing with things just won’t work.
Ideologies (and some speculation):
Derek seems to keep very simple rules of thumb as far as how he looks at the world. Utmost is the idea that he can and should be able to do things by himself. He's a loner, both because he's capable of it, and likely because it honestly costs him less emotionally in the long run. He knows full well what happens to the people in his lifestyle, and that it’s deadly and short. Since his role is to help people by being the guy that does the dirty work and takes all the risks, he wouldn’t want to drag them into it as well. He can’t really protect them and keep them safe if they’re in the thick of the fight with him.
Another factor into this mindset is the nature of his home world, especially in relation to his job. Most people don't actually believe vampires exist, unless they're clergy, government types who have access to that information...or recent victims of vampires. Everyone else discounts it, and the same people in control who know about it encourage that discounting, which makes for difficult relations with the normal, 'everyday world'. Worse yet, those people in the know are often out for themselves. Rival hunter groups will fight and steal from each other, government and law enforcement contractors will often try to jail or kill, rather than pay, the hunters they hire once the job is done, and of course, there's the vampires themselves to deal with. Derek's world is defined by fear, death, and the general untrustworthiness of his fellow human beings-a feeling that is only amplified when you add in the knowledge that even your most trusted teammate can become your worst enemy if they become infected. 'Trust No One' is a good rule of thumb, and Derek often employs it, although he will make exceptions for people who prove themselves to be reliable, capable, and trustworthy (IE: Zoe, Rodrigo and Sancho).
Despite these factors, Derek still has a very strong moral sense of 'right', 'wrong' and 'needs to be done'. He doesn't steal--the few times he needs things, he pays for them. He takes responsibility for his team-mates' well-being, including refusing to leave one of them in the hands of the vampires once he's been voluntarily captured. And even when it becomes obvious that the contract he was supposedly hired for is fake, Derek goes right ahead and finishes the job anyway. To him, it doesn't matter--'Someone has to go after her' (meaning the master vampire in the movie that started the whole mess). He's more interested in stopping the vampires and making sure everyone else is safe than he is in getting paid.
He has a strong sense of responsibility for other people. From turning around and retracing a day’s worth of travel to check on the monastery that Zoe saw getting massacred in her vision, to voluntarily infecting himself with the vampire virus just to be able to get close enough to the vampire nest to rescue a team-mate, Derek tends to take on the worst and most likely to kill tasks himself. He uses himself as bait, chasing the others off to a safe distance, and even gives them all a chance to run for it when it seems that the vampires might win after all--meanwhile making it clear that he would stay behind and handle it by himself, no questions asked, no blame for those who want to stay safe and alive. It's obvious that even though he should give far less of a shit about other people than he does, he cares more--putting their safety and well-being far above his own.
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Strengths:
Physical:
Although it's not stated specifically in Derek's movie, the book makes a point of showing that all the members of Jack Crow's team are men that have worked in military, government, or even guerrilla camps, meaning that they are, to a man, well trained and well suited to their roles as hunters. Derek is no different, and in fact, one of the statements Brody makes is 'They don't want cowboys, Derek, they want hunters' when Derek was arguing over taking the job (and getting a team together), meaning that there is definitely a reputation inferred that 'good' hunters are indeed well trained. Derek is also in excellent physical shape--you'd be hard pressed to find an ounce of fat on him, and he's physically well defined. He also seems to have an above average toughness; he gets thrown around, more than once, by the vampire master, and in both situations comes away from the experience with little more than the wind knocked out of him, even though one of those times was onto a table that pretty much shattered under him when he landed on it. He has good reflexes--good enough that he is perfectly comfortable with confronting the vampires and goading them into attacking him, despite the fact that they are far, far more quick and strong than him.
Mental
Derek is a thinker; He takes the time to take in information, mull it over, ask questions when he thinks he needs to, and has no problem with researching enough to know information that surprises others (see: His conversation with Brody about other hunters that have recently burned out, or his conversation with Padre about the cross of Berzier and what it was.) He's not a master mind by any means, but he does have a good head on his shoulders, to the point that he has no problem with letting others argue their case with him if they have sound reasoning to back it up. He also seems to have a very strong will; although the master managed to get into his head once during the course of the movie, after the priests tell him he has to resist, there are no more episodes where she seems to be able to get into his head.
Emotional
Derek is steady; despite some shocks that send him into a less-than-gentle mood (Thinking Zoe is a vampire; realizing the master is out in the middle of the day--oh crap, not knowing who the 'snitch' that stole Zoe's med is), overall he is calm, is willing to listen to other people, doesn't get into confrontations he doesn't need to get into, and takes the well being of his team into account once he winds up stuck with them. He is very secure in himself and his abilities, and doesn't suffer from angst because of the situation he finds himself in in the movie (he has moments where it's obvious what's going on hurts him on some level, but it doesn't make him curl up into a little ball and give up.). He has the focus and drive to keep going even when it becomes obvious the deck is stacked horribly against him.
Weaknesses:
Physical
He's tough, but he's still a human. He can still get hurt very badly, he can catch a cold just as easily as the next guy, and of course, he's just as mortal as anyone else from a non-powered world. Since he isn't infected, he doesn't even have heightened senses to help him out. That might not be quite so bad on his own world, but in Luceti, it can become a liability...especially if he gets it into his head to go after something far stronger than him. which leads to
Mental
He's a hunter. This means that even if he never said anything about it, he's driven to protect people, and from things that are big, bad, nasty and beyond most normal peoples' ability to deal with on his own world. Which means, from his point of view, if something is attacking the local population, it's his job to go after it. Yes, that even means you god type people that can probably rip him into shreds without much thought. If he dies instead of the people he's protecting, well, okay, then--at least the people will be (hopefully) safe once the big bad is done with him. He'll of course try not to die (he's not suicidal), but it won't stop him from trying to do 'the right thing' anyway. It was all part of the job at home--there shouldn't be an excuse to not be that way here. Good thing he's a thinker, isn't it? It will probably be the only thing that may save him from a really, really bad decision. which is point number two--if he's made up his mind on something, it's done. No amount of talking, pleading, arguing, etc. will change it. So yeah, he's not 'lawful stupid', but under the right circumstances, he can come damn close.
Emotional
One, he keeps things bottled up. His expression might give him away, if you're lucky enough to catch it, but those things that bother him the most? He won't say much, if anything, about it (see: when he had to stake Ray. That was not a happy face. or see: When he was on the bridge making the decision to stake Zoe.). From a professional point of view, that's not a bad thing; it keeps work separate from his own feelings. From a personal point of view, that means he's likely to keep his mouth shut and suffer in silence if something is bothering him and it's not an issue others can (in his opinion) help with. The second thing is this: He most likely keeps people at a certain distance, even the ones he has personal interest in. The reasoning of course is because of his lifestyle: loved ones can be used as pawns or bait. And if he dies while doing his job, or as a result of it, he'll leave them hurting instead. So...distance. Also, for the sake of the canon point he's taken from this go around, he's also going to be on emotional edge for a while, which means he likely be distrustful, prone to withdrawing a bit, and maybe just a little freaked out about what's going on. After all, his team is in dire straights, a master vampire is about to gain the ultimate freedom and mobility...and he hasn't yet decided to infect himself in an effort to save the day. He was 'trapped' when he was pulled this time; it's going to take a while for him to get over that in Luceti.
Skillset
Skills wise, he is trained in several types of fire-arms, shotgun and rifles, knives, some swords (he uses both a katana and a machete in the movie, although the second was used only once to chop the head off an already ‘dead’ vampire), spears, and probably other staples of the vampire hunter skill set such as bows and crossbows.
He does seem to display some knowledge of both barroom brawling skills and a hint of martial arts in the movie. Due to the few hand to hand moments Derek had with a vampire, (They don’t let Jon fight much in the movie), I also assume the martial arts training is something akin to Aikido, due to that art’s emphasis at using an opponent’s strength and movement against them-it would make more sense for a hunter to learn something like that rather than, say, karate, which is more confrontational, or Judo, which requires grappling with your opponent (Bad idea if you’re a normal human dealing with a super-strong, supernaturally fast vampire). Aikido also includes staff training, and then sword training at higher levels, which would cover both weapons use where his other training would not.
As for formal training, the book’s roster of vampire hunters consisted of men who had served in various military, special forces, guerrilla groups and federal agencies (Jack Crow himself lays claim to three of those groups plus special training from the church). Following this canon knowledge and basing some of my decision on knowing Derek’s reluctance to leave his team behind or give up regardless of what was going on, I head canon that a lot of Derek’s skills were learned while working with the Army Ranger division, and went through their training. An idea of the skills he would have gained from this experience can be found here.
A general breakdown of what I assume Derek knows through training is as such:
Hand to Hand (Otherwise known as bar-room brawling) and some martial arts.
Locations of hunter friendly allies (priests, fixers, hospitals that will take care of damages without asking)
Extensive knowledge on hunting vampires, including how to find them, what to look out for, etc. (this is illustrated in the movie twice-once when he surprises Rodrigo by knowing about the Cross of Berzier, once when Ray learns from Derek sending Sancho up a tree to scan for vampires hidden in the ground; something the other hunter admits he would have never thought to have done).
Weapons training in guns, rifles, spears, crossbows and knives.
First Aid
Demolitions
Traps
Climbing/Repelling
How to take care of, clean, and repair equipment
Desert Survival training
Tracking and Search methods
Functioned as a mechanic, tracker, look-out and vehicle pilot/winch controller while working with the Rangers in addition to being their civilian consultant.
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Samples (ALL samples must be set in Luceti-verse.)
First Person: Q&A, please.
1. Do you ever aspire to be more than what your original purpose? Do you regret being the way you are?
[He hesitates before shaking his head.] Honestly? If I thought there would be something after this job, I would. There’s a lot of things I’d rather be doing than hunting down vampires. But anyone who gets into hunting knows there’s really only two ways to retire; you either die, or you wind up unable to do much of anything at all. It’s a permanent, lifetime deal once you’re in.
As for regret, no, not really. It’s a waste of time to regret, and you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to get the job done. Some of it ain’t pretty, but then, it’s not a pretty job. Want to be a good hunter, you’ve got to accept that.
2. What is your most valuable possession?
My life and my freedom. Honestly, that’s about all I got some days. Sure, there’s certain items I like to keep around, like y sword and my jeep, but you learn after a while that that can all be replaced. Can’t replace a beating heart or sense of self, though.
3. Describe what you might call a good day.
[He chuckles] A good day, huh? How about one where I don’t have to be hunting vampires. Barring that, one where nothing goes wrong on the hunt.
4. What is more important: love or loyalty? Explain your choice.
…That one isn’t easy to choose. I’d have to say loyalty, though, because it usually includes at least some sort of love backing it. You can love someone and still be willing to leave them in a bind. But loyalty stems from love-either of the person or the ideal they represent. You’re not going to turn your back on someone you’re loyal to. You do, and it’s probably because you’ve lost that loyalty.
5. How do you think you will benefit Luceti?
Honestly, I don’t know. I’m a good fighter. I’m used to weird shit, at least what counts for weird on my own world, so I’m figuring I can deal with most of what the place might throw at me. And I’m willing to help out, if my skills can be of any use. Other than that, guess we’d have to wait and see.
Third Person:
Derek chose the clearing for two reasons; first, it was remote, which meant that there was far less of a chance that someone would show up while he was trying to work this out. Second…
Well, it was remote, which meant there was far less of a chance that there’d be witnesses to this whole fantastical, nonsensical, crazy attempt of his, which was likely to end in failure anyway. After all, he barely gave any credit to the ‘faith’ of the people of his own world, even though it used to be such a staple of the job he performed on a regular basis. The reason why he should hold any trust in this method of ‘magic’ he was about to try was just as sketchy to his way of thinking.
But here he was, journal in hand and opened to the pages Albert and others in Luceti had contributed to over the years, sitting in a patch of damp grass, and frowning as he read the description of the Luceti spirits and their roles, and then read it again.
There was a part of him that was insisting that he had officially lost his mind if he was going to try this. Magic. Faith. Experience told him it was all smoke and mirrors, and yet here he was, getting ready to try and contact one of these so-called spirits.
It’s a tool, like any other, and possibly the only ‘edge’ you’ll get over your enemies while you’re here.
That was the logical, thinking, calculating hunter in him. The part that could, and would, use any tool at his disposal to get the job done.
It’s magic, and that never ends well, either for the act, or for the person using it.
That, of course, was the side of him he claimed not to have; that part of him that still believed in God despite his lack of faith in God’s ability to help and guide the hunters on his world. It was also the side that shied away from things like this; faith was for priests. Magic and talking to spirits were for madmen that didn’t know their limits.
Then again, no hunter worth their salt was arrogant enough to think they still had any sanity left to claim. You couldn’t stay sane in the popular understanding of the word and stay in the job. It would break you.
Derek gritted his teeth, his upper lip not quite curling up. It was a bad idea.
He was still going to do it. He’d probably need that edge at some point.
Putting the book down, pages still turned to the information he’d been pouring over, Derek settled back, closing his eyes and relaxing into a somewhat meditative stance. Right, then, the first step was to try and ‘hear’ them in the first place…
This entry was originally posted at http://derek-bliss.dreamwidth.org/345687.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Name: Silver
Livejournal/Dreamwidth Username:
silverthorne
E-mail: silverthorne . redux @ verizon . net
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Current Characters at Luceti: N/A
Character
Name: Derek Bliss
Fandom: Vampires: Los Muertos
Gender: Male
Age: 36
Time Period: After they rescue Zoey and before he goes into the clinic to stake her.
Wing Color: Patterned like a red-tailed hawk: Upper (outer) wings are dark reddish brown, underneath they are cream colored with black banding.
History: Wiki *** Movie *** My own synopsis
Background references, which I used for headcanon purposes in Derek's skillset were taken from both the 'Prequel' movie, and the book both movies are based off of.
For purposes of reapplying, Derek has been completely reset and has no memory of Luceti or any of its inhabitants. This will be a completely fresh start for him.
********
Personality:
General Personality: Overall, Derek comes across as quiet, easy-going and capable. Although shoved into the leadership role in the movie, he tends to run things by committee rather than by laying down the law and expecting others to follow him unquestioningly. It could be argued that he's a bit of a push over because of this--there are several times in the movie where he allows his own opinion and personal judgment to be over-ruled by the others, especially if they can give him a good reason for their own take on things (or he apparently comes to the internal conclusion that ‘now’ is not the time to push the other person). However, when it gets down to the wire and it’s become a do-or-die situation, he will make his own decisions independent of group consensus, and there is no talking him out of it at that point. You either go along with it, or he stonewalls you.
Personality Specs:
'The Laconic Loner': In the movie, Derek has a habit of hanging back and letting things happen with other people as they will. He uses words sparingly for the most part, and seems to measure his responses to people he doesn’t know well. There are times when he can come across as unfriendly or distant--he doesn't smile much unless he knows you or is comfortable with his situation, and his first instinct with most people is to drive them away or depart from them once business has been completed or he thinks that whatever he’s about to get into could be deadly for the people who come with him. Although he doesn’t come across as not liking people (there are several instances of him being open and friendly with different folks throughout the movie), he definitely comes across as having the ‘just passing through’ attitude.
'Talk To Me': This is very much a trademark tagline of Derek's; he says it several times in the movie to different people, usually when what he knows about the situation has been shaken and he needs more information to get it making sense again. When it's time for that information, he wants it, and wants it badly. He doesn't take no for an answer, and can actually get pretty damned rude about it if answers are not immediately forth-coming. By the same token, once people start talking, he starts listening, and usually calms down and starts to mull on the other person's words and what they could mean long before the person is done talking. If you want to get Derek into a reasonable mood, talking to him does it every time (just don’t bullshit him; that tends to irritate him a little bit. See: His conversation with Sancho when he finds out the kid left home to follow him on the hunt).
'Lightning Bolt Temper': Even Derek has a temper, and when it flares, it's loud, verbally violent...and over quickly. Usually, his bouts of temper are over sudden shocks, such as being attacked by a vampire during the day, or confronting an infected woman that he doesn't know the story on and doesn't trust. It also comes across as being one of the weapons he uses in his job to get information by intimidation or threat when being calm hasn’t worked. An example in the movie is when he's trying to figure out who's been working for the vampires, and his temper comes to the fore, even resorting to threatening his teammates with his gun in an effort to flush out the snitch. He does the same to Zoe in their first meeting after the attack on the café, by both shouting and waving his gun and being generally rough with her until he realizes she’s not to blame for the attack. Again though, once the situation has resolved--either by the other person starting to talk to him, or by the event ending, he recovers quickly, and the calm, collected demeanor is back in place. It should be noted that he doesn’t lose his temper or ‘freak out’ very often in the movie, so it’s arguably also a defensive mechanism with him when his usual way of dealing with things just won’t work.
Ideologies (and some speculation):
Derek seems to keep very simple rules of thumb as far as how he looks at the world. Utmost is the idea that he can and should be able to do things by himself. He's a loner, both because he's capable of it, and likely because it honestly costs him less emotionally in the long run. He knows full well what happens to the people in his lifestyle, and that it’s deadly and short. Since his role is to help people by being the guy that does the dirty work and takes all the risks, he wouldn’t want to drag them into it as well. He can’t really protect them and keep them safe if they’re in the thick of the fight with him.
Another factor into this mindset is the nature of his home world, especially in relation to his job. Most people don't actually believe vampires exist, unless they're clergy, government types who have access to that information...or recent victims of vampires. Everyone else discounts it, and the same people in control who know about it encourage that discounting, which makes for difficult relations with the normal, 'everyday world'. Worse yet, those people in the know are often out for themselves. Rival hunter groups will fight and steal from each other, government and law enforcement contractors will often try to jail or kill, rather than pay, the hunters they hire once the job is done, and of course, there's the vampires themselves to deal with. Derek's world is defined by fear, death, and the general untrustworthiness of his fellow human beings-a feeling that is only amplified when you add in the knowledge that even your most trusted teammate can become your worst enemy if they become infected. 'Trust No One' is a good rule of thumb, and Derek often employs it, although he will make exceptions for people who prove themselves to be reliable, capable, and trustworthy (IE: Zoe, Rodrigo and Sancho).
Despite these factors, Derek still has a very strong moral sense of 'right', 'wrong' and 'needs to be done'. He doesn't steal--the few times he needs things, he pays for them. He takes responsibility for his team-mates' well-being, including refusing to leave one of them in the hands of the vampires once he's been voluntarily captured. And even when it becomes obvious that the contract he was supposedly hired for is fake, Derek goes right ahead and finishes the job anyway. To him, it doesn't matter--'Someone has to go after her' (meaning the master vampire in the movie that started the whole mess). He's more interested in stopping the vampires and making sure everyone else is safe than he is in getting paid.
He has a strong sense of responsibility for other people. From turning around and retracing a day’s worth of travel to check on the monastery that Zoe saw getting massacred in her vision, to voluntarily infecting himself with the vampire virus just to be able to get close enough to the vampire nest to rescue a team-mate, Derek tends to take on the worst and most likely to kill tasks himself. He uses himself as bait, chasing the others off to a safe distance, and even gives them all a chance to run for it when it seems that the vampires might win after all--meanwhile making it clear that he would stay behind and handle it by himself, no questions asked, no blame for those who want to stay safe and alive. It's obvious that even though he should give far less of a shit about other people than he does, he cares more--putting their safety and well-being far above his own.
********
Strengths:
Physical:
Although it's not stated specifically in Derek's movie, the book makes a point of showing that all the members of Jack Crow's team are men that have worked in military, government, or even guerrilla camps, meaning that they are, to a man, well trained and well suited to their roles as hunters. Derek is no different, and in fact, one of the statements Brody makes is 'They don't want cowboys, Derek, they want hunters' when Derek was arguing over taking the job (and getting a team together), meaning that there is definitely a reputation inferred that 'good' hunters are indeed well trained. Derek is also in excellent physical shape--you'd be hard pressed to find an ounce of fat on him, and he's physically well defined. He also seems to have an above average toughness; he gets thrown around, more than once, by the vampire master, and in both situations comes away from the experience with little more than the wind knocked out of him, even though one of those times was onto a table that pretty much shattered under him when he landed on it. He has good reflexes--good enough that he is perfectly comfortable with confronting the vampires and goading them into attacking him, despite the fact that they are far, far more quick and strong than him.
Mental
Derek is a thinker; He takes the time to take in information, mull it over, ask questions when he thinks he needs to, and has no problem with researching enough to know information that surprises others (see: His conversation with Brody about other hunters that have recently burned out, or his conversation with Padre about the cross of Berzier and what it was.) He's not a master mind by any means, but he does have a good head on his shoulders, to the point that he has no problem with letting others argue their case with him if they have sound reasoning to back it up. He also seems to have a very strong will; although the master managed to get into his head once during the course of the movie, after the priests tell him he has to resist, there are no more episodes where she seems to be able to get into his head.
Emotional
Derek is steady; despite some shocks that send him into a less-than-gentle mood (Thinking Zoe is a vampire; realizing the master is out in the middle of the day--oh crap, not knowing who the 'snitch' that stole Zoe's med is), overall he is calm, is willing to listen to other people, doesn't get into confrontations he doesn't need to get into, and takes the well being of his team into account once he winds up stuck with them. He is very secure in himself and his abilities, and doesn't suffer from angst because of the situation he finds himself in in the movie (he has moments where it's obvious what's going on hurts him on some level, but it doesn't make him curl up into a little ball and give up.). He has the focus and drive to keep going even when it becomes obvious the deck is stacked horribly against him.
Weaknesses:
Physical
He's tough, but he's still a human. He can still get hurt very badly, he can catch a cold just as easily as the next guy, and of course, he's just as mortal as anyone else from a non-powered world. Since he isn't infected, he doesn't even have heightened senses to help him out. That might not be quite so bad on his own world, but in Luceti, it can become a liability...especially if he gets it into his head to go after something far stronger than him. which leads to
Mental
He's a hunter. This means that even if he never said anything about it, he's driven to protect people, and from things that are big, bad, nasty and beyond most normal peoples' ability to deal with on his own world. Which means, from his point of view, if something is attacking the local population, it's his job to go after it. Yes, that even means you god type people that can probably rip him into shreds without much thought. If he dies instead of the people he's protecting, well, okay, then--at least the people will be (hopefully) safe once the big bad is done with him. He'll of course try not to die (he's not suicidal), but it won't stop him from trying to do 'the right thing' anyway. It was all part of the job at home--there shouldn't be an excuse to not be that way here. Good thing he's a thinker, isn't it? It will probably be the only thing that may save him from a really, really bad decision. which is point number two--if he's made up his mind on something, it's done. No amount of talking, pleading, arguing, etc. will change it. So yeah, he's not 'lawful stupid', but under the right circumstances, he can come damn close.
Emotional
One, he keeps things bottled up. His expression might give him away, if you're lucky enough to catch it, but those things that bother him the most? He won't say much, if anything, about it (see: when he had to stake Ray. That was not a happy face. or see: When he was on the bridge making the decision to stake Zoe.). From a professional point of view, that's not a bad thing; it keeps work separate from his own feelings. From a personal point of view, that means he's likely to keep his mouth shut and suffer in silence if something is bothering him and it's not an issue others can (in his opinion) help with. The second thing is this: He most likely keeps people at a certain distance, even the ones he has personal interest in. The reasoning of course is because of his lifestyle: loved ones can be used as pawns or bait. And if he dies while doing his job, or as a result of it, he'll leave them hurting instead. So...distance. Also, for the sake of the canon point he's taken from this go around, he's also going to be on emotional edge for a while, which means he likely be distrustful, prone to withdrawing a bit, and maybe just a little freaked out about what's going on. After all, his team is in dire straights, a master vampire is about to gain the ultimate freedom and mobility...and he hasn't yet decided to infect himself in an effort to save the day. He was 'trapped' when he was pulled this time; it's going to take a while for him to get over that in Luceti.
Skillset
Skills wise, he is trained in several types of fire-arms, shotgun and rifles, knives, some swords (he uses both a katana and a machete in the movie, although the second was used only once to chop the head off an already ‘dead’ vampire), spears, and probably other staples of the vampire hunter skill set such as bows and crossbows.
He does seem to display some knowledge of both barroom brawling skills and a hint of martial arts in the movie. Due to the few hand to hand moments Derek had with a vampire, (They don’t let Jon fight much in the movie), I also assume the martial arts training is something akin to Aikido, due to that art’s emphasis at using an opponent’s strength and movement against them-it would make more sense for a hunter to learn something like that rather than, say, karate, which is more confrontational, or Judo, which requires grappling with your opponent (Bad idea if you’re a normal human dealing with a super-strong, supernaturally fast vampire). Aikido also includes staff training, and then sword training at higher levels, which would cover both weapons use where his other training would not.
As for formal training, the book’s roster of vampire hunters consisted of men who had served in various military, special forces, guerrilla groups and federal agencies (Jack Crow himself lays claim to three of those groups plus special training from the church). Following this canon knowledge and basing some of my decision on knowing Derek’s reluctance to leave his team behind or give up regardless of what was going on, I head canon that a lot of Derek’s skills were learned while working with the Army Ranger division, and went through their training. An idea of the skills he would have gained from this experience can be found here.
A general breakdown of what I assume Derek knows through training is as such:
Hand to Hand (Otherwise known as bar-room brawling) and some martial arts.
Locations of hunter friendly allies (priests, fixers, hospitals that will take care of damages without asking)
Extensive knowledge on hunting vampires, including how to find them, what to look out for, etc. (this is illustrated in the movie twice-once when he surprises Rodrigo by knowing about the Cross of Berzier, once when Ray learns from Derek sending Sancho up a tree to scan for vampires hidden in the ground; something the other hunter admits he would have never thought to have done).
Weapons training in guns, rifles, spears, crossbows and knives.
First Aid
Demolitions
Traps
Climbing/Repelling
How to take care of, clean, and repair equipment
Desert Survival training
Tracking and Search methods
Functioned as a mechanic, tracker, look-out and vehicle pilot/winch controller while working with the Rangers in addition to being their civilian consultant.
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Samples (ALL samples must be set in Luceti-verse.)
First Person: Q&A, please.
1. Do you ever aspire to be more than what your original purpose? Do you regret being the way you are?
[He hesitates before shaking his head.] Honestly? If I thought there would be something after this job, I would. There’s a lot of things I’d rather be doing than hunting down vampires. But anyone who gets into hunting knows there’s really only two ways to retire; you either die, or you wind up unable to do much of anything at all. It’s a permanent, lifetime deal once you’re in.
As for regret, no, not really. It’s a waste of time to regret, and you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to get the job done. Some of it ain’t pretty, but then, it’s not a pretty job. Want to be a good hunter, you’ve got to accept that.
2. What is your most valuable possession?
My life and my freedom. Honestly, that’s about all I got some days. Sure, there’s certain items I like to keep around, like y sword and my jeep, but you learn after a while that that can all be replaced. Can’t replace a beating heart or sense of self, though.
3. Describe what you might call a good day.
[He chuckles] A good day, huh? How about one where I don’t have to be hunting vampires. Barring that, one where nothing goes wrong on the hunt.
4. What is more important: love or loyalty? Explain your choice.
…That one isn’t easy to choose. I’d have to say loyalty, though, because it usually includes at least some sort of love backing it. You can love someone and still be willing to leave them in a bind. But loyalty stems from love-either of the person or the ideal they represent. You’re not going to turn your back on someone you’re loyal to. You do, and it’s probably because you’ve lost that loyalty.
5. How do you think you will benefit Luceti?
Honestly, I don’t know. I’m a good fighter. I’m used to weird shit, at least what counts for weird on my own world, so I’m figuring I can deal with most of what the place might throw at me. And I’m willing to help out, if my skills can be of any use. Other than that, guess we’d have to wait and see.
Third Person:
Derek chose the clearing for two reasons; first, it was remote, which meant that there was far less of a chance that someone would show up while he was trying to work this out. Second…
Well, it was remote, which meant there was far less of a chance that there’d be witnesses to this whole fantastical, nonsensical, crazy attempt of his, which was likely to end in failure anyway. After all, he barely gave any credit to the ‘faith’ of the people of his own world, even though it used to be such a staple of the job he performed on a regular basis. The reason why he should hold any trust in this method of ‘magic’ he was about to try was just as sketchy to his way of thinking.
But here he was, journal in hand and opened to the pages Albert and others in Luceti had contributed to over the years, sitting in a patch of damp grass, and frowning as he read the description of the Luceti spirits and their roles, and then read it again.
There was a part of him that was insisting that he had officially lost his mind if he was going to try this. Magic. Faith. Experience told him it was all smoke and mirrors, and yet here he was, getting ready to try and contact one of these so-called spirits.
It’s a tool, like any other, and possibly the only ‘edge’ you’ll get over your enemies while you’re here.
That was the logical, thinking, calculating hunter in him. The part that could, and would, use any tool at his disposal to get the job done.
It’s magic, and that never ends well, either for the act, or for the person using it.
That, of course, was the side of him he claimed not to have; that part of him that still believed in God despite his lack of faith in God’s ability to help and guide the hunters on his world. It was also the side that shied away from things like this; faith was for priests. Magic and talking to spirits were for madmen that didn’t know their limits.
Then again, no hunter worth their salt was arrogant enough to think they still had any sanity left to claim. You couldn’t stay sane in the popular understanding of the word and stay in the job. It would break you.
Derek gritted his teeth, his upper lip not quite curling up. It was a bad idea.
He was still going to do it. He’d probably need that edge at some point.
Putting the book down, pages still turned to the information he’d been pouring over, Derek settled back, closing his eyes and relaxing into a somewhat meditative stance. Right, then, the first step was to try and ‘hear’ them in the first place…
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