Blaise - WiP character sketch

Blaise

MB Type: INTP

Primary conflict: Discretion vs. Indulgence

Species: Common Rat, Rattus norvegicus

Ethnicity: French

Age: 24

Physical appearance: Medium-short, slim build, classy casual fashion

Blaise stands about 5’5” (one of the shorter characters). He doesn’t slouch. There’s a boyish cuteness behind his stereotypically “mild scruff” that he can’t fully come to grips with or is even completely aware of. Wears conservative clothing but nothing too tight laced. Perhaps buttoned-up shirt, but not tucked in or completely buttoned either. Blaise is not a punkish rat, heaven forbid. If he ever took the time to, he could make himself out to be handsome in some subjective/objective manner.

He’s not religious but believes in God and has a rather flexible morality. He’s intelligent, smart enough that people know it whenever he opens is mouth (though he doesn’t do that often). What only his family and close friends would know about the ratty is that he’s very loving and self-sacrificing, and willing to do want it takes to make sure that his loved ones are taken out of a pinch. However, do to some obsessiveness in his personality, Blaise has a guilt complex. Things are “his fault” whether or not the burden of culpability lies in him or not. Blaise has the lowest self-esteem of the WiP crew. And also a rarely displayed temper.

Blaise’s personality focus is self-deception. He will deny things about himself that for whatever reason scare him. For Blaise, a revelatory experience would most naturally take the form of one of his self-deceptions being smashed. Thus, the parallel that repeats in the arc are two such smashings. (perhaps symbolically represented by the taking statue coming down for construction) at the beginning of the storyline Blaise discovers a power that he has and has been “suppressing” either consciously or unconsciously. By the end, he comes to admit that the improper use of this power has corrupted him in some terrible fashion.

Strengths: Profound and deeply perceptive thinker. Excellent at loving though he has little experience. Believes in good and evil, and wants to do good, but has trouble finding his place in the scheme of things.

Weaknesses: Introverted to a fault - self centered, avoidant of social situations, driven by an arbitrary set of internal values. Has a temper, and a “dark side” which, although he is very aware of, is only rarely (but dramatically) manifested. Very bad at forgiving himself.

Summary: Blaise is the most “poetic” of the characters – he will often look at a situation and see a beauty or profound truth that others would just overlook. While this is a great strength, and makes him a tremendously interesting character, it also accentuates his problem of not being able to see the forest for the trees. He may focus on the details of his life and philosophy so much as to miss the big picture, or to suck the spirit and joy out of his endeavors. For Blaise, nothing is simple – but the cavernous depths of his perception of the universe often torment him. Consequently, when he is alone, he will sometimes try to clear his mind by thinking out loud – letting different facets of his personality manifest and converse with him. In public, he generally has the demeanor of a intelligent, dark and mysterious gentleman. At least, as far as Frances is concerned. Others might just call him an emo.