Character Dossier

Story Role: Pissy Retired Baller

Full Name: James O'Reilly Torres

Name: James

Nickname: Jamie

Age:33

Physical Description: Jamie is tall for a miner -- 6’4” -- lean and powerfully built,on the edge of being bulky. His skin is tanned (for an Irishman) and freckled; his hair is ruddy-red-brown and shaped in a fohawk (+beard). He dresses in typical, understated Sec5 style -- course pants, wife-beaters and suspenders, with the occasional weird shirt and/or jacket, but his bod is dead sexy so he pulls it off (his words).

Primary Personality Traits:

• Seemingly always angry, even when he’s not; Irreverent, jaded, caustic, but as shitty as he is funny.
  
• Lives to entertain himself, and could give a fuck what anyone else thinks of him; doesn’t mean half of what he says and says only half of what he means.
  
• Gratuitous use of the “f” word and hates everyone -- somehow those two things go together.
  
• Dedicated asshole; seems to pick at people, or pick fights with people, or perhaps he wants to make everyone around him as miserable as he is.
  
• Not to be a stereotype, but drinks to excess.
  
• Legendary Murderballer fallen from grace, and it shows in his resentment toward the world.

What personality tags (or behaviors) demonstrate these traits?

• He talks aggressively at everyone, nearly all the time.
  
• He runs off at the mouth constantly; while he may mean something in the moment, or not mean it at all, the things he says are not often how he truly feels; it seems like his mouth is a pressure valve constantly letting off steam.
  
• He cusses a LOT, and seems widely unimpressed with everyone around him.
  
• If not drunk, he certainly wishes he was.
  
• He is self-deprecating, calling out his own faults, and while he’d never openly admit how much he punishes himself for his mistakes, there’s real pain, anger and resentment, helplessness. Not regret, through. He wouldn’t do anything different.

Besides tags of name and personality, what other tags will be displayed by this character? Irish accent.

How will these tags be shown to readers? Irish accent.

How often will these tags be demonstrated? All the time.

Character Background: Jamie had a pretty typical Sec5 life: alcoholic dad, bitter, loveless mom, plenty of drink, and women whenever and wherever he could find them. At 11, moved to the man camps, worked as a breaker boy in the old Russian diamond mines by day, and started playing regional Murderball (on ice) at night. He grew...and grew...and kept growing….and because of his size, physicality, showmanship and natural aptitude, he became something of a local legend/hero.

Time went on. Being surprisingly capable, Jamie held different positions at the mine, including a hewer, a putter, a burrow-man and a hurrier, and eventually was even trusted with explosives (this goes to show just how poor decision making in Sec5 really is). Around the time he was 24, PrimeCast came sniffing around, looking for a volatile personality to add to the Murderball team, and Jamie stood out. Sally Kraft Johnson-Johnson took him under her wing and groomed him for television.

Jamie was relocated to Alpha Sector, home of Capitalist Death Cult. There, he fucked and fucked-with the upper crust in a way he found both satisfying and deeply depressing, as he was well aware of his status as both minor celebrity, personal pet, prisoner and Lunarian instrument of propaganda and social control. Still, his ratings with the ladies were so popular that on Murderball off-season, he appeared in a season of Love Drunk, a reality celebrity dating show where twelve people were stuffed in a house, competing for love and attention only while drunk. Jamie nearly killed an opponent from Sec1 by bull-rushing him and tossing him off a balcony.

But none of that compares to his last Murderball game, an All-Star match between the best on Earth, and the best historical athletes the Lunarians could clone and train. It's a long-standing tradition that Earth never win a game -- the event is more of a self-masturbatory expression of Lunarian greatness coupled with an opportunity to remind Earth of its place. Everyone knows it, and yet the game still draws wild ratings, the Lunarians because of the pageantry and brutality, Earthers because there's  amisplaced hope that one year, it will be their year.... And that year turned out to be last year, when Jamie refused to miss the goal that claimed an Earth victory for the first time in history.

Three days later, the Lunarians experienced a sudden shortage of X-23 that caused Pillars across the Earth to shut down. Thousands were killed by zombies; property and livelihoods were destroyed. While Lunarians suspected nothing amiss, many Earthers saw the shortage as retaliation for Jamie stepping out of line, and they hate him for it. Subsequently, he was “retired” from CDC and sent back to Russia, to Sec5.

Regardless of the Earther hatred for Jamie, many Lunarians ended up not caring very much about the actual Murderball loss (if there's one thing Jamie DID deliver on, it's the blood and chaos), but they were curious to know what happened to the Tom Brady of 2109. And so Kraft Johnson-Johnson headed out one more time to Sec5 and convinced Jamie to join yet another show. She told him he would have a chance to bring Earthers around to his side, let them know that Lunarians are their friends, the X-23 shortage had nothing to do with him...maybe even earn a spot back on the league if he could mind his place. Jamie accepted, agreed to play nice, because as much as he hated being a Lunarian chew toy, he hates the doldrums and monotony of Sec5 even more.

Story Goal: To repair his reputation and get back into CDC.

Why? He hates life in Sec5, where the labor is hard and repetitive, and he's back to being no one.

What is the character’s personal objective or dream? To strangle SKJJ and explode the moon (you asked about dreams...those don't have to be realistic).

Why? Because he has a deep fucking seething hatred for Lunarians.

What personally is the most important thing or person in the character’s life? Escaping from himself.

Why? He has so much self-hatred he can’t stand his own company.

When opposed or thwarted by someone, how does this character typically react?   Balls-out rage.

Why should a reader like this character or want them to succeed? Despite all his bluster, Jamie will have rare moments of humanness and clarity that make him somewhat likable, or at least somewhat relatable. Listeners might not want him ever to actively succeed in finding happiness, but they probably won’t want him to fall flat, either.

Describe this character’s belief system or personal code: Jamie’s personal code is do what’s good for Jamie, because no one else will ever give a shit (this is his outward code -- inwardly, he gives a shit deeply, but since no one will ever believe that, why bother wasting the breath? Just give people what they want -- he'll be who they need him to be).

State how it developed. A dash of the Sec5 ambivalence to life and happiness; mix vigorously with the piranhas in Alpha taking a million bites out of him, bake for 2 hours in the All-Star game that ended in thousands of Earther deaths.

If this character were to state what he or she believes in or cares about, in his or her own words, what would they say? “I believe it doesn't matter much what I believe -- if I think it's a fart, and the whole world says it's a shit, then it's a shit.”

If this character’s worst enemy were to state what’s wrong with this person, what would they say? He’s a miserable, shitty human being, a washed-up baller that was more enthralled with the idea of personal glory than he was the lives of thousands of Earthers. He should be formally executed by Sec9.

How are this character’s goals essential to his or her self-worth, self-concept, or ideal of happiness? If he doesn't get out of Sec5, he's going to throw himself head-first into a mine shaft. That being said, death is usually counterproductive to happiness.

Describe this character’s habitat or favorite surroundings. He likes the cold, the countryside covered with snow -- the peace and endlessness of it.

What is this character’s most prized possession? A ring

Why? TBD

What skills does this character possess? He knows how to maim people in highly entertaining ways...like a WWE wrestler, only with permanent damage.

Who in this story will serve as a foil to this character? Probably Coco

How? (be specific) She'll grow on him like a bratty fungus and make him reluctantly sweeter.

Describe this character’s childhood. TBD

Describe this character’s parents. His dad, Cal, was a typical Sec5 miner, a drizzle of shit alcoholic that spent his time at the bonfires and the bars. His mother, Sarah, cold and dead inside, was one of the few women that stuck around the man camps, running a trading depot and entertaining far more of the miners than just his father. They were upstanding examples of depression and hopelessness.

How did this character’s parents treat him or her? His father, with disinterest -- the kid was an unwanted byproduct of bad sex. His mother, with disdain -- she resented having to feed him and sent him away as soon as he was old enough to work.

Who was the most important person in this character’s early life? His baby sister, Jennie (from a different father).

Why? She was the only sweet thing in a very sour world.

What was the most significant achievement of this character’s childhood or past? Taking down the reigning murderball champ in Sec5 when he was only 14.

What was the biggest disappointment in this character’s childhood or past? It's hard to narrow the multitude of disappointments down to just one.

What makes this character unique? He's suffered from minor celebrity. Compared to people of most sectors, he's lived a unique and varied life.

What is this character currently proudest of? TBD

What are this character’s flaws? Too many to list.

Do these flaws drive this character? Insane? Yes, constantly.

How? Jamie's flaws drive him to take risks most sane humans would avoid. He's got a perpetual death wish, however, when given opportunities to die, he's too competitive and stubborn to actually do it.

What are this character’s secrets? He's had a long-standing affair with SKJJ.

What inner guilt does this character carry? The death of thousands of Lunarians.

What inner sadness does this character conceal? That regardless of the deaths, he'd take (and make) the shot again.

What mood is typical for this character? Anger, sullenness, self-pity.

How does this mood affect the tone of the story? While Jammie's story seems serious, his outbursts are ridiculous to the point of funny...not unlike King George from Hamilton. The things he says are serious, but they're presented in such a way that they're somehow also entertaining.

What is this character most afraid of? TBD

What makes this character cry? TBD

What makes this character laugh? TBD

If this character were asked to complete the statement, “I am ___” what would he or she say? to the world: TBD

Describe how the surface or behavior of this character contrasts with his or her true nature. On the outside, Jamie acts like he's a gift to the Earth. On the inside, he hates himself and everything he stands for, but truly doesn't know another way to get by.

Under what circumstances does this character’s true nature reveal itself? When pushed (and pushed and pushed and pushed) to finally say something meaningful about himself. He's surprisingly compassionate and introspective.

Is this character a loner? Outwardly, no. Inwardly, yes.

Can this character trust and/or work with others? Eeeehhhhh..... maybe sometimes? It depends on how much he likes the "others."

Does this character ever confide in anyone or seek advice? Oh, Jesus, no, Kathleen.

If so, when and why? In the icy depths of Hell, as pigs fly overhead.

Who is the confidant? The frozen Devil himself.

What about this character needs to change? TBD

What does this character need to learn? Not necessarily to love himself, but certainly to stop hating him. Something worth learning for.

Does this character have the capacity to change or learn? Yes.

Would you trust this character with your life? It depends on how much he liked me.

Why or why not? If he hated me he would most certainly let me die....or at least leave me in traction.

Write a short, vivid introduction through action for this character.