[Sanctum] [Application]

[runtofthelegion]

OOC INFORMATION

Name: Serey

Contact Information: kouject / the2ndhunter@gmail.com

Personal Journal: kouject

Age: 27

Characters Played: Elizabeth DeWitt


IN-CHARACTER INFORMATION


Name: Caine Wise

Fandom: Jupiter Ascending

Age: 28

Canon Point: Post-refinery fight, before getting his wings back.

Original Universe or Alternate Universe? Original Universe

Personality: He's a space-werewolf-angel-solider-boy. What else?

But actually, the world of Jupiter Ascending and Caine's place in it does actually set the stage for a lot of interesting discussion in terms of Caine's personality that just doesn't happen in the film. We're too busy watching rocket boots. And gratuitous shirtlessness. And Eddie Redmayne suddenly screaming.

Anyway.

Everything that Caine is is built on the idea that he's a splice-- a genetically engineered being made for military duty (specifically the Legion) and (supposedly) nothing else. However even in the highly technological world that can turn humans into gene-restoring goo, accidents apparently happen. Caine was not only born the runt of his litter, but half-albino (and let's not get into how a genetic condition can be halved, it's a thing). This meant that most of Caine's early life was characterized by struggle, and it's obviously not a struggle that killed him or left him somehow empty or broken. Caine consistently rises to challenges put in front of him in the smartest, most efficient way he knows how to. He's not one to back off if something seems too difficult or dangerous, he just plows straight through. No doubt this is a characteristic that is favorable to splices bred for the military-- Stinger (Caine's commanding officer in the Legion) also displays this particular trait-- but no doubt Caine had to have a stronger sense of it because of his fight to survive early in life. His particular breed, Lycantants, gain a sense of purpose from their pack. Caine being a half-albino runt was rejected by his litter and potentially even his mother, so not only was Caine genetically imperfect but he also had to push just to be noticed when he was very young. Somehow he managed to feed himself and grow strong enough to be considered one of the best soldiers Stinger every fought with, and it no doubt took a lot of fearless dedication.

Caine did become a Legionnaire, and a damn good one, despite all of the genetic mishaps and circumstances that pointed to his failure. And despite his mission to be a hardcore Legion-runt he's not a standard meathead soldier, either. Caine's fighting style suggests he's always aware of his environment, his dealings with mechanics suggest he knows at least a little about nonmilitary technology, and he talks to Jupiter about Legionnaire protocols-- suggesting he's actually studied them with enough interest to be able to remember them and put them into practice. He's not going to be winning any math bees (ha, see what I did there? Bees. Space bees.), but he's very aware of the water he swims in. He can easily explain to Jupiter that algorithms power his anti-grav boots, though maybe he doesn't actually know what those algorithms are... But even though he's very immersed in his military life he doesn't blindly follow orders. When he realizes Titus Abrasax withheld details about why he wanted Jupiter, Caine makes the choice to not hand her over and instead takes her to someone he trusts for help. He knows more is going on than he can readily see, but he doesn't attempt to figure it out on his own and potentially get both of them killed in a conflict that's bigger than he realizes. Perhaps the only hesitation he has about the whole situation is that veering away from his plan means that Stinger getting his wings back isn't going to happen as easily.

Despite being described as a 'perfect weapon' by Stinger, Caine is far from the heartless soldier we would expect a rejected child to turn into. He genuinely feels remorse that Stinger lost his wings when he took responsibility for Caine attacking an Entitled. No doubt the tipping point in Titus' deal was Stinger's wings: offering Caine his own wings back wasn't enough, but adding Stinger's as well pushed Caine into taking the job. Even if he never saw the Legion as his pack, he's clearly loyal to Stinger both as a commanding officer and a friend (unless it's common for you to hang around the children of your commanding officers-- Caine knows Stinger's daughter Kiza and says she'll listen to him. Kiza insists she be left out of their 'male mating rituals'. Mm. Implications. ...Of brohood, and stuff). When he meets Jupiter, Caine also acts compassionately towards her, making sure there's a weapon nearby when she wakes up and even telling her how to activate it so she'd feel safer while talking to him. He does his best to explain the situation in a way she understands, shows off all his technology, and carries her into their little tractor beam when it's clear she's afraid to just step out of a building. He even tries to avoid her when it's revealed Jupiter is an Entitled because he's afraid of snapping and hurting her like he'd hurt another Entitled in the past. This comes out as his being standoffish, but he's clearly very bothered by the possibility (Stinger even points out that if Caine was angry, she'd know it-- points to Caine having a rather explosive temper but a long fuse. We never see him lash out in an uncontrolled manner during the film, even when he's imprisoned by Titus and thrown out an airlock). He's concerned enough to steer clear of Jupiter until he absolutely has to come to her aid after being abducted by hunters. But after deciding to take the risk and rescuing her from both Titus and Kalique, he maintains his loyalty to her even after she gives Caine his pardon-- the ticket to getting his wings back. With that in hand he has what he wants, but he knows that Jupiter is still lost and confused as to her place as an Entitled. He sticks with her when they discover Balem has kidnapped Jupiter's family, and advises her how to best keep herself safe despite the supposed conclusion of their adventure together. If he didn't feel any camaraderie towards her, he probably wouldn't be so hellbent on escorting her to Balem's refinery and helping keep her family safe.

But aside from being loyal and persistent and friendly, there's definitely an awkwardness to Caine borne from situations he's unfamiliar with. When Jupiter tries to cover his wound with a maxi pad, he's more confused by the gesture instead of outraged by the 'bandage'. He's not used to people taking care of him. Again, when Jupiter tries to confess that she's attracted to Caine, he tries to brush her off with a talk about genetics, but can't say anything that makes sense when Jupiter insists she's always loved dogs. He just stares at her and stutters. Clearly nobody's ever talked to him about romantic feelings (though judging from his ability to kiss, this is not completely unfamiliar territory). Lastly, when the gang is in Space DMV From Hell, Caine is always present, watching over the proceedings, and always looking completely uncomfortable. No doubt it's completely sensory overload to him, not to mention he probably can't understand why they're being bounced from one department to another. And he's not about to try to understand, he just stands there and tries to look intimidating.

The moment at the end of the film also suggests that Caine doesn't have his head 100% in being a Legionnaire and doesn't enjoy anything else. After he gets his wings back, he gives his boots to Jupiter and they have a 'date' flying around the city. It could be said that Caine is there to be sure Jupiter doesn't kill herself with rocket boots, but he does fly off on his own trajectory a little-- he probably does enjoy flying. His wings were no doubt a status symbol in the Legion, but they probably also represent freedom to a certain degree. I like to think Caine appreciates things that don't have to do with the Legion, like Stinger clearly loves living in a farmhouse outfitted for bees. He's hyperfocused on the job when he has to be, but he might take time to appreciate nature or other simpler things.

The other remarkable thing about Caine is that despite fighting tooth and nail to be recognized as a capable soldier and Legionnaire, his heart still seems to be open and he still seems to be afraid of being hurt. Stinger has to inform Caine that he sees Jupiter as one of his pack, and that he's too afraid to admit that in case he loses her. But unlike when he was younger, Caine can lean on his skills and keep Jupiter safe until she gets home. He does make that leap of faith after Stinger pushes him to do it, and he seems very glad he did at the end of the film. He clearly understands family and friendship and those kinds of bonds (he makes sure Jupiter's family is safe from the refinery before going after her), and he clearly still seeks them out despite being bred to be a soldier and living for years as one. Fortunately, he's now open to the idea of having a pack after years of being the odd-one-out, less afraid of losing people he identifies as his pack, and more interested in fighting to protect them once he has them.

Is this character immune? NOPE 8D

Background: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Ascending [Wikipedia]
Much of Caine's background isn't revealed during the film, but I've posited the following backstory:

The world of Jupiter Ascending seems to contain two large groups: humans and splices. Splices are bred and seem to be bred to serve humans instead of serve in positions of power. Every splice that is presented in the movie is in some position of service. They seem to be very accepting of their position as a group, not much unrest is evident despite the clear mistreatment and exploitation of some splices.

It's said in the film that Caine was bred for the military, but was sold at a loss by his breeder. He's also said to be a half-albino runt who was rejected by his pack (family), and so he's had to fight even harder to gain acceptance. He's not bitter, and still manages to be friendly to Jupiter and works to save her family from the refinery disaster, so if this struggle did take a toll on him it didn't make him cynical or violent. Perhaps he simply gave up on being part of a pack and focused on his duty as a Legionnaire.

Even though he is proclaimed by Stinger to be the best soldier Stinger has ever fought with, Stinger reveals that Caine had to fight to get to that point-- to even survive without a pack. No doubt Caine's younger years were dominated by him fighting for a place in the military, as well as hoping that one day he'd be accepted by a surrogate pack in the Legionnaires. Clearly he never found it, according to Stinger he's still searching for it during the events of the film.

Despite never finding his pack in the Legionnaires, Caine was one of their best. Not only was he good with weaponry and pretty okay at flying, being a lycantant meant he could track anybody the Legion was looking for. He filled as many roles as he could, and was always professional and hard working. He's been on several deployments when necessary, always did his job with efficiency and then went back to base to wait for the next one.

This made his attack on the Entitled incredibly out of character and bizarre, which is probably the only reason Caine managed to get off with only being ejected from the Legion and having his wings stripped. If he'd had a history of aggression, he probably would have been executed.

Caine did blame himself for the punishment Stinger suffered when he took responsibility for Caine's actions. No doubt it weighed on him severely while he was in prison, which led him to jump at a chance to get Stinger's wings back. Obviously he didn't make a big secret out of this either, obviously Titus Abrasax knew exactly what Caine wanted as payment for bringing Jupiter to him.

Other Notables: Caine is a Lycantant-- a genetically engineered being bred specifically for the military. He's a cross between a human and 'something like a wolf' with the added bonuses of strength, speed, enhanced hearing, and an enhanced sense of smell. Physical features include pointed ears and elongated canine teeth. If possible, I'd like to keep some semblance of his enhanced hearing/sense of smell perhaps so he can get some work being a freelance tracker or something!

Inventory: Can he just... wake up with a line of maxi pads on his spine? And that's it? (BUT FOR REALS, give him whatever, but having the pardon disc-thing that Jupiter gave him might be kind of fun.)


SAMPLES


NETWORK SAMPLE: I realize humans have a kind of pack bond that stems from the nuclear family, though I also know that this bond... sometimes isn't the strongest. That families fight, or become distant. That sometimes members of the family die and they aren't mourned. I've seen some of that here, too.

It could be the situation we're all in, but in some cases I see people here acting less like family and more like a pack. And it's different, I think, because in a human family a sense of responsibility is placed on the parents and only the parents. Here, we don't look for someone to take responsibility for us-- we all come together to make things better for the pack. And we turn our backs on anyone who takes advantage of what we do as one.

I wonder if that is where Earthsies were heading, or if it comes from what's outside the dome.


LOG SAMPLE: http://contagio.dreamwidth.org/12770.html?thread=1187298#cmt1187298 [Test Drive Meme]