Jake Love/Archived
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Super Reflexes
ARCHIVED
This is archived. As such it may not be up to date. Mainly here for reference and information while the main page gets reworked.
Look Into The Abyss...
Jake Love, known in game by a number of names (Jake Alexander Love, Flea Mark Tempest, Flea Mark Siege, Shadowed Honour and others) is a character inspired by the genre of the anti-hero. He's a character that exists in a permanent shade of grey on a world that too often tries to divide itself as black and white. He's the killer amongst the angels and the protector amongst the demons. He's served both as a villain and a hero with the same constant themes of redemption and honour and questions the nature of humanity itself.
He is an outsider. An alien from a different version of Earth, from a different culture altogether in which life and death are all parts of the same story. And yet, in recent times he's been trying to be something more. Something noble.
Personality
Jake is, in short, a bastard. Angry, untrusting, moody and generally hostile to most other living creatures some consider it a miracle for him to have survived this long. But the truth of the matter is that there's another side few have seen. He can be kind. He can be caring and loyal...but it's not something that's open. For a friend or for family he will kill, such is the importance of that bond. Likewise, his emotions with regards to personal enemies are extreme and often can put him out of sorts.
Powers & Abilities
Natural Traits
Natural TraitsAs a member of the Wraith subspecies of Flea, Jake could in some degree be considered to be a living weapon. His fingertips end in talons capable of ripping fabric and flesh, his body is covered in a thick carapace comparable to police grade flak armour and within that a skeletal structure of toxic, retractable chitinous spines is stored.
In addition the species has a metabolism fuelled by toxins and poisons, in part due to the nature of their home dimension. As well as being capable of synthesising any natural venoms or toxins he comes into contact with Jake is also immune to approximately 94% of those known. The few that do seem to have affect appear to be deliberately manufactured coagulants, designed to thicken the blood flowing through the body. For a normal human this would kill them by forcing a cardiac arrest but for the Flea species it slows them down and eventually forces them into unconsciousness as their own metabolisms start to burn out fighting it off.
In addition to a formidable array of natural weaponry and a toxic metabolism the species has instinctive reflexive actions that go beyond human capabilities, almost to a degree where some believe there is some sort of rudimentary sixth sense. This makes the species very difficult to pin down, trap or even hit at range or in melee.
Training: Cultural and External
Training: Cultural and ExternalThe Culture of the Flea species is similar to the early Celts and Gauls: warlike, aggressive and in a state of constant flux. As such, from birth they learn to fight and survive in an environment that is far more hostile than any known on this Earth with the possible exceptions of those areas heavily contaminated and warped by the Devouring Earth. As a result of this Jake is a fighter for whom unarmed melee comes naturally, used to unarmed brawling, ambush tactics, raiding tactics and also a brief period of gladiatorial combat from a short period in the captivity of the Legion.
Combined with his formidable array of natural weaponry this makes him a top class melee combatant, one whom tunnel fighting and skirmish warfare is inadvisable against. Longbow, Arachnos, Crey and Malta tactics all recommended a similar approach - weight of fire at range before sending in the most heavily armoured units for whom speed and agility did not matter.
When first brought to Primal Earth and abducted by Arachnos he was subjected to further training, much the same as that given to Wolf Spiders. As such he has a degree of familiarity with firearms but certainly not to the same level as those heroes and villains who specialise in them. Indeed his own personal code of conduct shuns them and his manner is dismissive and critical of those who do use them.
Weapons Mastery
Weapons MasteryJake possesses a somewhat unique trait...an ability to use almost any weapon or object in a manner of a weapon at a level which rivals masters. It's an instinctive knack of picking it up, giving a few swings and figuring out what works best. Due to this Jake is quite heavily armed, carrying on him his hunting blades, The Souleaters, a daisho gifted by his daughter, iron chains and the left hand cab door of a police van which he tends to utilise as a shield.
It should be noted that Jake does not use a Shield in a defensive manner as most would but more as a weapon, in a very offensive manner.
Hades and The Wraith
Hades and The WraithIn addition to his own formidable natural talents and traits Jake appears to have a number of supernatural traits. Some of these are divine in their nature, brought about due to a sworn pact with Hades and others less so, born from the psionic symbiote that co-inhabits his mind. The result of both of these is that he is significantly harder to kill than he should be, quite possibly immortal and highly resistant to general psychic abilities yet vulnerable to a focused psionic attack.
The Wraith is a symbiotic entity born from the fleeting emotions of the final moments of a dimension before it collapsed in on itself. Suffice to say that the Wraith's personality is rather grim. The majority of the time it remains quiet, simply residing within his mind of the lingering remnant of a 'curse' that has afflicted Jake's species and as the original source of that curse but when the host is injured or its own interests threatened it becomes active. The most common manifestation of the Wraith is as flickering blue-white flames that dance over Jake's form and burn from his eyes. On occasion wings of flame are visible though this is likely due to the symbiote's mockery of humanity's culture and the principle of angels originally being feared. It grants its hosts limited bursts of increased resilience, heightened senses that function on a spiritual level and regenerative properties.
The connection to Hades is something far darker. Following the rescue of Divine Maiden from the Underworld by a combined expedition of the Palladium Sentry, Empire of Atlantis and New Age Mutants Jake's soul was left behind, trapped where he seemingly sacrificed himself to let the others escape. The truth was that he was taken prisoner, tortured and tormented for the slights he had inflicted upon Hades and eventually beaten to submission to serve as a General of the armies of the dead, a suitable replacement for the one who he and his allies had removed. Yet in the months that followed other outside forces turned their attentions to the underworld and the god of the dead was forced to turn to those who had intruded first to aid him and his armies.
Their price was Jake's freedom, which was granted to an extent. Jake was free to leave, to continue living and existing as a living creature. However he was still considered Hades' claim and would still serve his time as a General...should the god of the dead call then Jake will be his general, regardless of he wishes it or not. The result of this is a very hostile sort of bond, where both parties involved are often antagonistic toward one another. Hades' bond grants Jake the incarnate abilities he currently manifests and these can be taken at will by Hades.
Primordial Earth - 'Home'
Primordial Earth is what some would call hell. The closest comparable environments on the Prime Earth are the untamed jungles of Nerva or the overgrown wilderness that is Woodvale and Hamidon's Eden. Plantlife is abundant and in some cases very much alive and predatory. The air itself is poisonous to human life being much closer in its nature to that of Prime Earth several hundred million years ago. But it wasn't always this way.
Several hundred thousands of years prior this world was much like our own, with cities and civilisations going about their day to day routines. It was only the unprecedented collapse of another dimension, folding onto this one that forced such rapid change. The destruction was total, wiping out some 90% of the planets species. Those that survived were smaller and an evolutionary arms race began to reclaim what was left of the world. The events of this catastrophe would forever scar the races that emerged, though this came about in different ways.
The dominant races came from insects and over time their cultures developed in a manner similar to the humans before them. To the far east the Mantii thrived in a matriarchal society with aspects mirroring that of feudal Japan. This world's Africa became dominated by the Arachne, a race of evolved spiders whose civilisation became something of a theocracy. The Legion took most of Europe, a mirror of ancient Rome, suiting them as descendants of ants and termites. And the thorn in the side of all were the least evolved...the Fleas. Their nature was similar to the Celts and Gauls...and their defiance much the same.
The Code of the Hunt
Though some may doubt it Jake has always had a code of honour, as drilled into him from hatching through all his years before he was brought to Primal Earth. To some, parts of this code are particularly disliked. To others, following such a code is a sign of weakness. But to Jake...this is how he lives.
-Protect the Young. Children are the future of any species. They are to be protected as such. For a culture that lived day by day in a world of constant violence the survival of the next generation was paramount to their own. Jake would lay his life down to save that of a child and this part of the code is what started to fracture the relationship between himself and Arachnos.
-Death is an Honour. Jake kills. He has never tried to deny this and never will. But his philosophy is simple. Death is an honour. Those who are strong, who fight for a valid purpose, who show honour in the fight are treated with respect. Their death means something and the trophy taken is a memory and in some respects a shrine to them. Each kill is remembered. Since his time on Primal Earth he has killed less and less. When he finally retreated to Paragon he stopped altogether, though exceptions are made with regards to machines, the undead and the demonic for fears that the beast within his mind could go berserk otherwise.
-Your Word is Your Honour. Jake abhors lies. He loathes those who make a promise only to later break it and indeed in his past has hunted and very nearly killed those who broke their oath. To his culture a warrior's word is binding. To this respect Jake upholds the promises he makes. Those he swears to protect he will do, with his life if need be. And those he swears vengeance upon had best learn to watch the shadows at all times.
The Way Things Were...
Jake was different for his kind. He was the first to seemingly be born without a 'shadow'. The first to be free of their kind's curse that resulted in a split soul and a linked pairing for each hatchling born to the clans. But this was not to last. Several moons after his birth another such one was born and the soul-link between the Wraith and the Trueborn was obvious. In this case Jake was the Wraith, the shadow of the younger brother. And such were the hopes of a cursed species dashed, their reprieve from the curse of the half-soul gone once more.
The brothers were different. The Trueborn was exceptionally strong for his kind and the Wraith, Jake, was exceptionally cunning. In some sense they were Paragons. Always at the forefront of the raids and ambushes, always earning the most glory with their hunts. But early on this was threatened. Jake was captured, brought low by Legion soldiers and forced into the arenas to fight for sport. Even as the Trueborn was restrained, kept from entering the state of the Lost his brother fought before the crowds, an expert killer unlike any they had found before. But in the cages the killer found allies. A Mantii exile, an arachne witch and odds and ends from across the known world formed common cause. And they found themselves following the youngest and most aggressive amongst them...the yskrit, Jake.
Even as the Clans launched their 'rescue' the prisoners revolted, turning the arena into a slaughterhouse with their skills. As the brothers were finally united another tragedy befell them as a portal opened, pulling the pair caught within to a world that was not their own. In Portal Corps the two extradimensional aliens were stranded, the portal home shut down before they could even react. It was from this event that Jake's world would change forever.
Arachnos
ArachnosArachnos struck the building within days of the portal closing. And during the raid one of the two brothers was abducted, smuggled away and subjected to several months of programming, training and 'education'. When he did re-emerge it was as a weapon of terror. The initial raids were quick, over within minutes as he hunted down commanding officers and leadership figures amongst Longbow bases, as well as several other heroic organisations. Following this Jake was eventually deployed to the active warzones where he first encountered the greatest prey.
Heroes.
He soon became known within the warzones of Siren's Call and then Warburg...an alien predator who could easily go toe to toe with Paragon's finest, who specialised in ambush tactics and showed very little mercy to those he beat. Many heroes who survive to this day have memories of this time, of the hunt and of the techniques he used against them. For this reason most do not trust him for his talons are stained with the blood of better men and he has never shown remorse.
And it was during this time that he caught the attention of the Dark Dominion and soon was assigned to their command by Arachnos' higher echelons. In their service he was no different: a weapon of terror, designed to instil fear into those who opposed them or required such a lesson. He continued to serve with them, even as the persona of the Wraith began to fracture, even as his doubts began to surface with regards to his honour and the deeds being done.
In time his honour won out. He turned on those who he served, particularly after surviving an assassination attempt by Captain Mako. As word of his betrayal spread he reverted back to his cultural upbringing, launching a series of hit and run raids before retreating to Paragon, where he went to ground until he could find others he could trust.
Exile
ExileOnce Jake had escaped to Paragon things went from bad to worse. The Wraith's persona was fracturing, resulting in multiple personalities emerging and his sanity starting to fracture. Of the personalities one became aggressive and almost parasitic in nature and within his mindscape war broke out as Despair attempted to consume the others and usurp the symbiotic relationship, to turn it to a parasitic one where he controlled the host rather than the other way round.
This ongoing mental war eventually reached the point where friends intervened, carrying out a complicated ritual which tore the Despair persona from the Wraith and cast it to the winds. Unfortunately it survived and persists to this day as one of Jake's greatest foes, albeit in a different body but there was also the result of other fragments being broken free. The result was a sort of half family that would later emerge and the wounded Jake was brought into the care of others.
He would not forget this kindness. Bonds formed, similar to the hunting bonds of his own species. He considered those who helped him and his other to be family and to this day still views them as such. This was his new clan. This was his new purpose. He would protect them from the darkness, as only the darkness could do.
Tempest
TempestWithin months Jake's life changed. Though many still did not trust him he threw himself forward, time and time again into the front line to fight 'on the side of the angels'. The same feral predator that several heroes bore scars from was fighting on their side, quite viciously so. It seemed he had grudges - particularly with regards to Arachnos. Within months his former life was forgotten, he dedication to his new family, his new clan his main priority.
It was through Jake that several heroes came to know Maggie's Rock. His loyalty to his family was considered one of his strongest points and the extent to which he would go to defend them was truly remarkable. But this dedication started to branch out. He was not one to rest, to stay calm and consign himself to a normal, quiet life. At first he sought allies within the groups coalitioned with Maggie's Rock. And then he started actively branching out to other groups. Soon enough he ended up working alongside the Palladium Sentry, though he was considered far from their prime example of heroism.
But this peace wasn't to last. Soon enough the storms that stirred within his life would return, throwing all that had work to the winds...
Under Siege...
Trouble followed Jake like a black cloud. Within a matter of months his circumstances would turn to the worse. The first thunderous blow was the return of the Rikti. Though he fought admirably, protecting the children with the same feral savagery that had him so feared he was also exposed. Slipping through the weakened defenses of Maggie's Rock the severed entity of Despair struck, digging its talons into his back when it was turned. Though he returned the blow in kind it would still leave him crippled and out of action for several weeks, comatose as his symbiotic other desperately struggled to recover from the wounds inflicted upon it by its renegade spawn.
The result was tragic. It would never recover. Jake awoke, a shadow of his former self. The same headstrong nature that had proven his intent to others became his weakness. No longer was he indestructable. No longer was the Wraith protecting him. In encounter after encounter he went down hard, barely healed and barely fit for duty. In the end he made a decision...to leave those he cared for behind while he sought out a new purpose, a new way of life. His old one simply would no longer suffice.
The Pilgrimage
Jake's Pilgrimage lasted for over six months and saw him going across the world as a whole. From Asia to Africa, from Europe to Australia. During this journey he encountered a number of cultures, a number of beliefs and principles which further expanded his own. From the rescue of a half-fey child in Ireland he learned the importance of a father...and indeed the shame of his own behaviour toward his adopted daughter. From a damned village in Greece and an enigmatic Atlantean he learned the importance of trust. And from a village in Japan he learned the importance of his own honour.
He would return from this journey after one final stop - Egypt. Following a skirmish with Arachnos he came into possession of a pair of khopesh and with that a link to Anubis. The Jackal God watched this agent of death, fascinated at his open defiance of the nature of law and to some extent sought to protect him. With much of his abilities restored, albeit from a distant source the headstrong Jake Love returned at the head of a savage counterattack against the Rikti. For many it seemed the lost hero had returned...but the lack of trust of some was to be proven in the events that followed.
The Pilgrimage will be detailed further here.
Broken
BrokenMonths passed. His return was something of an awkward subject, particularly with regards to his daughter, Stephanie Love. She was angry her father had upped and left without warning. Angry that he didn't seek the advice of the family that cared for him so. And following an unfortunate encounter and abduction by Arachnos this anger was turned into a weapon against him. Publically she declared him her enemy. Publically she denounced the Rock and those associated with it.
Relationships were already fracturing and the stress was getting to Jake. His feral nature disliked watching the clan rupture and with his daughter's public denouncement he lost it. He snapped. He fled, deep into Woodvale, lost in a frenzy where any creatures that crossed his path became prey. It took the intervention of the PPD to return him to 'society', with several officers injured as the most heavily armoured units sought to contain the feral berserker that had unsettled the delicate balance of Woodvale.
Bringing him back and caging him he remained that way for several months. Distant. Hostile. Refusing to speak to those around him until his daughter was brought back. But even then the family bond had been broken and his association with Maggie's Rock began to fade as he put his duties as a hero first, trying to recover what trust remained after his feral outburst.
Life and Death
Jake was less than a model example of a hero. Amongst the Palladium Sentry there was always a degree of mistrust of the former villain and his open defiance of set rules and regulations regularly caused him to butt heads against the leadership. However, it was also accepted that this was one of his strongest traits. His unconventional thinking, open defiance of the accepted norm and overly aggressive nature saw him temporarily leading a covert force for a number of missions to aid a number of allies.
As Jake had always put it - he was there to do the dirty work that they couldn't. He would tarnish his reputation so that they may keep theirs without the public losing their faith in the heroes they looked up to. So it came as great surprise to a number of them that he would sacrifice himself for their survival, as he did during that fateful journey to the Underworld. He had died a hero, the most unlikely of them all. And this act would have lasting repercussions.
Several months later, when returned to the living Jake was found to be distant. Cold. To some extent he had lost his trust of them. To some extent he was afraid for them. He had seen what lay beyond the veil and for some of them who had defied death in the past he knew what would one day come for them. Him.
It was around this time that his few remaining strands of kinship with Maggie's Rock would be tested further, with catastrophic results.
Betrayal and a New Purpose
Relationships had frayed. Smersh eventually took drastic measures and abducted his daughter to keep her safe from the imminent return of his longtime foe, the Komisar. Yet in doing so he destroyed his marriage to Maggie Love and at the same time broke the oath...triggering a violent response from Jake. The result was a hunt unlike any other, where the experienced human with decades of experience in subterfuge and infiltration found himself in a game of cat and mouse against a natural apex predator unlike any other. And what made it worse was the fact that for both it was personal.
Their actions turned desperate. Buildings were brought down, vehicles destroyed as each tried to ambush the other. And finally, upon a rooftop in Kings Row they found one another. Smersh was in the prime of his life...for a human. But such a fight in close quarters favoured the Flea. It was only due to the intervention of others that Smersh survived, though Jake left a scar by nearly tearing his leg off. During the skirmish that followed the Komisar reappeared, only for the enemies to turn on him. Suffice to say his dying moments involved a projectile Souleater embedding itself within his skull.
Due to this Jake's relationship with Maggie's Rock and its allies faded. Though he still has fond memories of them he also has a strong distrust of a number of his former family. Shortly after the Sentry would close its doors, leaving him once again a wanderer, in search of a place to belong. But this would not be for long.
Soon enough he was approached by the hero Savage Stripe, with regards to The Grey Watch. They were a new group, being formed from the memory and ashes of an older tradition and they were seeking assistance and experience. Jake joined, reasoning that amongst the heroes and indeed villains of this world there were very few with his experience. Indeed, at different points in his life he has been on all sides. He has hunted heroes and villains alike. And through the conditioning he was subjected to has a thorough knowledge of combat techniques and assassination techniques that rivals the finest assassins in the field.
Friends and Foes: The Hunters and Hunted
Through his career Jake has encountered a number of different individuals, some as enemies, other as lifelong allies. Either way each has mattered to him for without them he would be nothing. These are the ones who have shaped him to be what he is today, for better or worse.
Friends
Maggie's Rock - To Jake this is and always will be his home. Maggie's Rock was the first place to accept him following his defection from Arachnos, the first place to accept him as more than a monster and they became the family he had long been missing since stolen from his world. He trusts them, more than any others in the world and would do anything for them if asked.
Ireland Love - Maggie has always been important to Jake. She was the one who first named the alien among the ranks of Maggie's Rock, she was the one who taught him of humanity and she has always been the one to believe in him even in his darkest hour. As such his loyalty to her is unto death. He will kill for his family, his sister doubly so. Though his nature grates against the principles of so many and indeed seems wildly different from Maggie's own the bond of kinship is one of the things that has kept his path true.
The Palladium Sentry - The first truly 'heroic' group that accepted Jake into their ranks Jake has nothing but respect for them, even in their current state. It was an awkward fit for he was a known killer, an unhinged wild card who most did not trust or believe could truly change in his outlook but with the support of some he took those vital first steps towards his own redemption. He also served as their 'final solution', willing to take the tasks that no others would to protect the group.
Knight Sentinel - Brent Sheppard, the leader of the Palladium Sentry is one of the few individuals to earn Jake's respect. When Jake was first brought into the Sentry Sheppard had gone missing and upon a mission to find him the two met. Suffice to say first words became insult as each challenged the honour of the other. Jake saw a man who had given up and was fleeing from his destiny and Sheppard saw a monster that didn't belong. In time they would grow to understand one another, understanding the different cultures and different terms of honour to such an extent that Sheppard would scar himself, in much the same way Jake did as a sign of friendship. The scar has never healed, despite the man's regenerative abilities and as such the alliance is still strong.
Divine Maiden - Juliette, like Maggie is one of the few people who has always believed in Jake. She sees a kindness in him that few ever do and as such was one of the driving factors of the Palladium Sentry that kept him on the side of the angels. She has never judged him, as others have and has always believed he will do the right thing. Because of this she is one of the few people he regularly checks in, making sure to stop by her church in Dark Astoria and to barricade it up when he can.
Aglow - Aglow is a sweetheart, much like Juliette and again, one of those Jake met while working with the Palladium Sentry. A kind soul who can't so much see the monster as see his emotions and heart she understands more than most the emotions that run through his head. She is part responsible for bringing him out of Eden from when he nearly went feral and for that she has his eternal gratitude.
The Grey Watch - The current group that Jake is associated with, they have proven themselves capable in his eyes. To them he is one of the old soldiers, with more experience than all bar their leader, Savage Stripe, despite his far shorter lifespan. This experience is a valuable asset as it allows the group to adapt to threats they encounter and overcome them quickly. In addition they are helping him to change his perceived image, something damaged almost beyond repair following his emotional moodswings when his daughter turned against him.
Savage Stripe - Like Jake, Stripe is an old soldier. A veteran of conflicts with the same outlook on life and living. As such Stripe understands Jake far better than most, knowing exactly why he does the things he does as well as why he did the things that he did. Stripe is the driving force of acceptance within The Gray Watch, the one pushing for Jake to be something more as he knows full well what Jake could be capable of.
Switchkick - So far Jake's opinion of Switchkick is optimistic. He sees the younger one as one worth training with plenty of potential, but also shows significant amounts of respect. He likes to think there is a similar amount of respect in return for the old bug that he is who has seen the world and done most things.
The Challengers - It's hard to make heads or tails of this group at times. Some, such as Xanatos and Paul are inspirational in their nature and he admires and respects them for their accomplishments and their very natures. Others, such as Voltium and Johnny Turbo are irritating and at times tempt him back towards his old ways, for their immature pranks and attitudes grate against his warrior's ways. As a whole Jake will support the Challengers, even if he has tried to kill a third of them in his past and even if an existing third of them he'd still kill without caring.
Blast Cycle - It's odd. They both have very similar outlooks on life, very similar histories and when they first crossed paths...very similar conditions. Jake still doesn't fully understand what it was he was seeing when he decided to watch those around him, as he is prone to do but he does know one thing - his 'other' was more than willing to display itself, possibly as a sort of territorial display against whatever Joe had become involved with. He trusts him, for there is no reason not to. But he also trusts himself to know that this hero understands full well what Jake is capable of.
Xanatos - The Blue Man and Jake have a strange sort of history. One has tried to kill and hunt the other on a number of occasions and yet there is a sort of respect. Both are veterans in their fields but one has always been somewhat noble whereas the other viewed as little more than a monster. And yet in recent times the Blue Man has approached Jake for advice, questioning why he fights and how Jake keeps going despite the hostility. Question how Jake exists in the grey of a world that tries so hard to be black and white.
Luficia - Understandably she does not trust him. And with reason, for when she first started on her path as a hero he was a known killer and hero hunter. Trust is hard earned, even for an Arachnos traitor and as such they remain distant. But his nature is protective of her, for his culture considers the younger ones something to be protected, even though she is older than him in human terms. The Wraith however finds Seiken amusing and finds the fact that they both have 'voices in their head' ironic considering their different paths.
The Reciprocators - Having only met them recently his opinions of them are not fully formed. Naturally they don't trust him...well, who does? Some even thought him to be a mutant. Imagine the surprise when he stated he wasn't. Time will tell where they stand but for now he considers them allies. For now.
Crux Enigma - Rose and the other Reciprocators are individuals that Jake considers to be trustworthy and to some extent allies. However, in the same respect, much as with Luficia there is very little trust of him. In particular Rose's own abilities put her naturally at odds with Jake's role as a general of Hades. For one who can see spirits it is understand that the presence of the one destined to drag those who defy death by means unnatural back to the underworld to be somewhat...offputting.
Rose Maiden - Outside of Maggie's Rock Seri and Lizzie were probably the closest things Jake had to family. He considered both sisters and would protect them, no matter the circumstances or whether it would put him against the angels he tried so hard to live amongst. As such Seri's death hit him hard. He'd lost a friend and with her death the odd pseudo-family was broken and began to drift apart. As a result of her death he has become responsible for a large hunting preserve in upstate New York. He is perhaps not the best caretaker, letting it grow to a state of wilderness but such is the way he himself prefers things..
Foes
Despair - Despair is something Jake has always considered his responsibility. The parasitic Wraith symbiote is an exiled fragment of himself, has deliberately hunted and harmed those he cares about and will continue to do so until he finally kills it. However to do so there will be a cost...a great cost, for much as True and Wraith Fleas are linked he and Despair are linked. And Despair is stronger, more resilient and far more dangerous that he could ever be.
ERA - Any group that could work with his other's parasitic spawn is a group he will ultimately put down, regardless of their membership, regardless of their technology and regardless of their current association with Despair.
Zero - Zero, an alternate version of the story of Jake and Despair is a recent threat and has proven itself to be a dangerous one. It single-handedly took Despair down and cast him to Arachnos and seems to possess all of the parasite's strengths...yet none of the weaknesses of mental instability or a dying host. If anything Zero seems to be a symbiosis, much like Jake's own and that thought is truly disturbing for it implies that there is still potential for such a bond to form with the current Despair parasite.
Karnal Sin - When Jake served with the Dark Dominion he always felt he was being used as nothing more than a convenient living weapon. As such his anger at the deeds which caused his honour to be tarnished is directed at the one who was a 'handler' of his. He does not trust her. He will never trust her. He knows the deception she is capable of and as such does not believe she intends good for any she is involved with. Plus, he still has a score to settle, having taken his subsequent treatment after his betrayal somewhat...personally.
Codename Devilfish - The Devilfish is viewed as a breaker of oaths, something that is culturally offensive to Jake in an extreme. For a while Jake would have trusted him and considered him an ally, considering how close he was to Juliette and how he had seemed to turn his life around. He appears to have quickly abandoned that and his actions will have caused harm to those who trusted him. As such he broke oaths to each of them and Jake has since declared his next 'Hunt' will be the Devilfish.
Urban Jackal - 'Jack' is a legacy of Jake's so called World Tour, a feral mutant assassin hired out to carry a contract and ultimately thwarted by Jake's presence there. Both considered themselves the best there was in their chosen paths and to find his greatest rival weak and broke Jack was insulted. To be beat by that weakness even more so. Jack is a spiteful, hate filled bastard and possible as great a threat to Jake's loved ones as Despair...though, truth be told less likely to do anything, motivated mainly by greed.
Opinions & Thoughts
Feel free to leave comments and thoughts from your experiences with Jake below. Be honest. You know how he hates lies.
Sagas of The Warrior
This shall be a collection of Flea fiction. Enjoy as they come up.
You Can Never Go Home Again - The ultimate fate of Jake's home dimension, six years on from his disappearance to this dimension.
Credits, Inspirations, Random Trivia and the Like
- Jake cooks the finest damn Full English breakfast this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Fact.
- Jake is a dimensional oddity. The only 'alternate' versions of him are chronological in their nature (i.e. alternate timelines), rather than dimensional (i.e. Praetorians). As such there is only ever one true version of him.
- Jake has a small black cat named You. This cat is probably the nastiest and most adorable feline in existence.
- Jake has a dislike of water that borders on actual hydrophobia. As such 'sand baths' have been installed for him in place of normal showers and baths where necessary.
- Jake has a distinctly British accent. At times it varies from Irish to Cockney.
- Jake's inspirations are varied - in appearance he takes aspects of Hellboy. In personality he takes aspects of Eddie Brock as Venom. There are other elements as well. All these have something in common - they're always outsiders.
- Jake's 'people' draw strongly on the cultural aspects of the Predator - the idea of the hunt, of a species dedicated to hunting and yet strangely noble in their approaches (i.e. not attacking the unarmed). The extra features on the Predator from AVP: Requiem were most useful for this.
- Credit for the layout is a bastardised tweaking of Dawnshift's old layout.
- Credit for the banner goes to Knight Sentinel.
