Brief World History/Bio
History
Based on a concept for a game found here: http://b-a-s-t-i-o-n.dreamwidth.org/303.html
During WWII, scientists worked on ways to build super soldiers, men capable of overwhelming the opposition with less need for food, sleep, with greater stamina and strength. Their experiment went horribly wrong and vampires were created. During the first years of their creation, there was a rush to find a way to control them, years that they took advantage of by creating others.
At first, they relied on the core group of vampires created to police the new ones sprouting up. During these years, it was discovered that vampires weren't the only myth that was less than fable. Lycanthropes were brought into the public eye (shifters consisting of more than just wolves), along with psionic humans (witches, telepaths), and there was a period of outright panic among the populace.
The Enforcers were initiated; a vampire-run group that were given exclusive license to deal with vampires and any other supernatural entities they came across, though it was clear their main priorities were to keep their eye on wayward vampires. Chips were created and implanted in vampires, suppressing the predatory instincts that had been brought to the forefront of their personalities. They also helped the Enforcers monitor and keep tabs on any and all vampires, dealing with them swiftly and succinctly when they crossed the lines.
Discrimination against supes was illegal, as was hunting them or harming them with any excuse other than self defense. There were, of course, segregated places that popped up to cater to specific species, each licensed as exclusive or mixed, and penalties for breaking their licensing codes were swift and severe.
The humans, however, weren't satisfied to just trust the vampires to keep them safe, so most of the larger cities had Special Units, affectionately called 'Ghoul Squads', attached to their law enforcement units. They were compromised of officers that had qualities and the desire to keep the general populace safe from creatures they had no defense against.
As the world progressed, a new organization rose to try to mesh humanity and vampires more easily in helping to protect it from the less savory elements. BASTION was the first collaboration between vampires, humans, shifters, and psionics-- or so they thought. There was a hidden faction behind the scenes, one that had no desire to see those that should rule be made to submit again, and they were doing their best to counter any and all progress BASTION tried to make. Comprised of shifters and psionics, they'd embraced vampires into their fold at their creation, and they worked subtly, as they had through the ages, but were slowly beginning to make their presence more known to their adversaries.
BASTION seemed to be the only thing standing between humanity being subjugated; a fact made somewhat discomfiting when no one could say for sure what the actual agenda was of those who ran it.
***
Jake was born and raised in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, referred to as 'T or C' by the locals. His parents were middle class workers; his mother a massage therapist at one of the many establishments scattered around the tourist town, his father was a mechanic, working at one of the larger garages in town. An average guy, he kept mostly out of trouble, did average in school, and had an average childhood/adolescence. He was mostly content to be average, doing what he considered his duty and joining up for the marines when he graduated high school. It was there where he found something he excelled at.
He made his way up to Corporal quickly enough, enlisting into the Scout Sniper squad and passing with high marks. He served his rotation, his four years of active duty stretching into seven. During his seven years, he fought against more than just human terrorists, learning the weaknesses of more than just human enemies and using them without regret. His squad referred to him as 'Straight-Shooter', in reference to both his aim and his blunt and honest mannerism. He made friends easily enough in the Corps, ties that extended past the uniform and earned him a motley bunch of men he was happy to be able to call on - or be called on by.
When he came back home, he took up residence in Seattle, slipping easily into law enforcement, working his way up to Detective in the Special Unit ranks that dealt more with the supernatural beasties that decided to misbehave that either weren't important enough for the Enforcers to deal with, or were mixed in with human domestic situations. Then the Enforcers branched into The Bastion - units made up of mixed human-vampire partners, a step for better relations between both species as well as a better handling of the world-wide issue of supernatural entities. Jake's record and abilities garnered him a spot as a rookie Bastion agent, and he was transferred to Los Angelos and paired with a vampire Enforcer. With neither of them entirely pleased with the arrangement, they both decided to do their duties, with Jake hoping to not wind up as either lunch or up for review for 'accidentally discharging his firearm into his partner'.
Personality
Most would consider Jake easygoing. Most would be right. He looks at the whole of a situation, preferring to lean towards the less stressful aspects of it. Why fuss and fret over something you had next to no control over? 'Deal with it and move on' is something of a motto of his.
In his younger years, he was a friendly, open kind of kid. Inquisitive, but not much for sassing back and getting involved in anything more than snagging a few beers to drink in the back of the school field now and then. Not a fan of bullying, he wound up with an assortment of friends in school who hung around him because of his tolerant nature. He wasn't much for being judgmental, knowing that it was just as easy for all those fingers to come back to point at him, a fact that was the basis for his 'no skeletons in the closet' mentality.
Growing up with vampires, shifters, and specialized humans, Jake was familiar with all forms of prejudice and racism; both towards 'normal' humans, and the supes that they mingled with. He took the same attitude towards them as he did anyone else. As long as they kept their nose clean and left him and his alone, they wouldn't have any problems. He'd been friends with a few of the shifter kids in school, though he hadn't met any vampires until he joined the Corps.
During his tour in Afghanistan, he'd unfortunately had to deal with a situation that would always be one of those memories that were hard to wipe or shove away when they decided to surface. He'd had to make the decision to take a shot on a target; a target that had been a kid no older than nine with a bomb strapped to his chest. Logically, he knew he'd done the right thing, the boy having been headed into a highly populated civilian area, but that didn't make it easier to deal with the fact that he'd taken the life of a child - one who'd probably been forced into being a walking weapon. While not happy with the way that scenario had played out, he never shied away from talking about it when it came up. He didn't pretend it hadn't happened, or that he'd had another choice. It was what it was, and he 'dealt with it and moved on'.
When it comes to relationships, Jake hadn't had many that were long-term or very intense. He preferred women, and had certainly been with enough, but occasionally he took notice of a guy that hit the right buttons. His bisexuality probably helped with his 'no judging' mentality, just more proof of his easygoing nature. Who cares who's sleeping with who? As long as all parties are consenting adults, fuck it. Literally.
He can take a somewhat protective attitude towards those he thinks aren't capable of handling or taking care of themselves in a situation. A girl who looks way too drunk or out of it to be making decisions being steered towards someone's car will wind up getting put in a cab and the guy chased off. A kid wandering around unattended will wind up with a temporary babysitter until parents or the right location can be found.
Wound through all that, however, is a very sarcastic and perhaps a smidgen of a crazy sense of humor. He uses dry wit or sarcasm in the middle of intense situations in an attempt to either defuse them or make them more manageable. He's not afraid to call someone out on their bullshit, but his ego isn't fragile enough that he can't take being called out or ribbed. When he's pissed, drunk, exhausted, or totally relaxed, there's a bit of a twang to his voice, courtesy of his hometown.
He smokes, but not heavily. He can play the guitar, and when he's at home, he'll go up on the roof of his building with a six pack and play for a bit to unwind. He learned Spanish in his hometown, along with Portuguese from a boy he hung out with whose family had immigrated from Brazil, his mom working in the same parlor as his own. He picked up Dari on his tour in Afghanistan, and the bits of Italian he knew from a squadmate.
Based on a concept for a game found here: http://b-a-s-t-i-o-n.dreamwidth.org/303.html
During WWII, scientists worked on ways to build super soldiers, men capable of overwhelming the opposition with less need for food, sleep, with greater stamina and strength. Their experiment went horribly wrong and vampires were created. During the first years of their creation, there was a rush to find a way to control them, years that they took advantage of by creating others.
At first, they relied on the core group of vampires created to police the new ones sprouting up. During these years, it was discovered that vampires weren't the only myth that was less than fable. Lycanthropes were brought into the public eye (shifters consisting of more than just wolves), along with psionic humans (witches, telepaths), and there was a period of outright panic among the populace.
The Enforcers were initiated; a vampire-run group that were given exclusive license to deal with vampires and any other supernatural entities they came across, though it was clear their main priorities were to keep their eye on wayward vampires. Chips were created and implanted in vampires, suppressing the predatory instincts that had been brought to the forefront of their personalities. They also helped the Enforcers monitor and keep tabs on any and all vampires, dealing with them swiftly and succinctly when they crossed the lines.
Discrimination against supes was illegal, as was hunting them or harming them with any excuse other than self defense. There were, of course, segregated places that popped up to cater to specific species, each licensed as exclusive or mixed, and penalties for breaking their licensing codes were swift and severe.
The humans, however, weren't satisfied to just trust the vampires to keep them safe, so most of the larger cities had Special Units, affectionately called 'Ghoul Squads', attached to their law enforcement units. They were compromised of officers that had qualities and the desire to keep the general populace safe from creatures they had no defense against.
As the world progressed, a new organization rose to try to mesh humanity and vampires more easily in helping to protect it from the less savory elements. BASTION was the first collaboration between vampires, humans, shifters, and psionics-- or so they thought. There was a hidden faction behind the scenes, one that had no desire to see those that should rule be made to submit again, and they were doing their best to counter any and all progress BASTION tried to make. Comprised of shifters and psionics, they'd embraced vampires into their fold at their creation, and they worked subtly, as they had through the ages, but were slowly beginning to make their presence more known to their adversaries.
BASTION seemed to be the only thing standing between humanity being subjugated; a fact made somewhat discomfiting when no one could say for sure what the actual agenda was of those who ran it.
***
Jake was born and raised in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, referred to as 'T or C' by the locals. His parents were middle class workers; his mother a massage therapist at one of the many establishments scattered around the tourist town, his father was a mechanic, working at one of the larger garages in town. An average guy, he kept mostly out of trouble, did average in school, and had an average childhood/adolescence. He was mostly content to be average, doing what he considered his duty and joining up for the marines when he graduated high school. It was there where he found something he excelled at.
He made his way up to Corporal quickly enough, enlisting into the Scout Sniper squad and passing with high marks. He served his rotation, his four years of active duty stretching into seven. During his seven years, he fought against more than just human terrorists, learning the weaknesses of more than just human enemies and using them without regret. His squad referred to him as 'Straight-Shooter', in reference to both his aim and his blunt and honest mannerism. He made friends easily enough in the Corps, ties that extended past the uniform and earned him a motley bunch of men he was happy to be able to call on - or be called on by.
When he came back home, he took up residence in Seattle, slipping easily into law enforcement, working his way up to Detective in the Special Unit ranks that dealt more with the supernatural beasties that decided to misbehave that either weren't important enough for the Enforcers to deal with, or were mixed in with human domestic situations. Then the Enforcers branched into The Bastion - units made up of mixed human-vampire partners, a step for better relations between both species as well as a better handling of the world-wide issue of supernatural entities. Jake's record and abilities garnered him a spot as a rookie Bastion agent, and he was transferred to Los Angelos and paired with a vampire Enforcer. With neither of them entirely pleased with the arrangement, they both decided to do their duties, with Jake hoping to not wind up as either lunch or up for review for 'accidentally discharging his firearm into his partner'.
Personality
Most would consider Jake easygoing. Most would be right. He looks at the whole of a situation, preferring to lean towards the less stressful aspects of it. Why fuss and fret over something you had next to no control over? 'Deal with it and move on' is something of a motto of his.
In his younger years, he was a friendly, open kind of kid. Inquisitive, but not much for sassing back and getting involved in anything more than snagging a few beers to drink in the back of the school field now and then. Not a fan of bullying, he wound up with an assortment of friends in school who hung around him because of his tolerant nature. He wasn't much for being judgmental, knowing that it was just as easy for all those fingers to come back to point at him, a fact that was the basis for his 'no skeletons in the closet' mentality.
Growing up with vampires, shifters, and specialized humans, Jake was familiar with all forms of prejudice and racism; both towards 'normal' humans, and the supes that they mingled with. He took the same attitude towards them as he did anyone else. As long as they kept their nose clean and left him and his alone, they wouldn't have any problems. He'd been friends with a few of the shifter kids in school, though he hadn't met any vampires until he joined the Corps.
During his tour in Afghanistan, he'd unfortunately had to deal with a situation that would always be one of those memories that were hard to wipe or shove away when they decided to surface. He'd had to make the decision to take a shot on a target; a target that had been a kid no older than nine with a bomb strapped to his chest. Logically, he knew he'd done the right thing, the boy having been headed into a highly populated civilian area, but that didn't make it easier to deal with the fact that he'd taken the life of a child - one who'd probably been forced into being a walking weapon. While not happy with the way that scenario had played out, he never shied away from talking about it when it came up. He didn't pretend it hadn't happened, or that he'd had another choice. It was what it was, and he 'dealt with it and moved on'.
When it comes to relationships, Jake hadn't had many that were long-term or very intense. He preferred women, and had certainly been with enough, but occasionally he took notice of a guy that hit the right buttons. His bisexuality probably helped with his 'no judging' mentality, just more proof of his easygoing nature. Who cares who's sleeping with who? As long as all parties are consenting adults, fuck it. Literally.
He can take a somewhat protective attitude towards those he thinks aren't capable of handling or taking care of themselves in a situation. A girl who looks way too drunk or out of it to be making decisions being steered towards someone's car will wind up getting put in a cab and the guy chased off. A kid wandering around unattended will wind up with a temporary babysitter until parents or the right location can be found.
Wound through all that, however, is a very sarcastic and perhaps a smidgen of a crazy sense of humor. He uses dry wit or sarcasm in the middle of intense situations in an attempt to either defuse them or make them more manageable. He's not afraid to call someone out on their bullshit, but his ego isn't fragile enough that he can't take being called out or ribbed. When he's pissed, drunk, exhausted, or totally relaxed, there's a bit of a twang to his voice, courtesy of his hometown.
He smokes, but not heavily. He can play the guitar, and when he's at home, he'll go up on the roof of his building with a six pack and play for a bit to unwind. He learned Spanish in his hometown, along with Portuguese from a boy he hung out with whose family had immigrated from Brazil, his mom working in the same parlor as his own. He picked up Dari on his tour in Afghanistan, and the bits of Italian he knew from a squadmate.