Haven Application

[polaropposite]

Name: Stitch
Contact Info: institches
Other Characters Played: Carlos from Welcome to Night Vale
Requested apartment: N/A

Character Name: Jack, or Cub 9821
Background/History:

Mankind's advancement came to an abrupt end in the year 3030, when the Earth entered a new Ice Age. The spread of the ice and the drop in global temperature was so extreme, and so sudden, that it only took ten years for the entire globe to become encased in conditions that had previously only been found at the two poles. The world that mankind had built, with all its technology and the members of its species that depended so much on comforts handed to them, was not equipped to handle such a drastic and all-encompassing change.

Wars broke out all over the world over the rapidly diminishing supplies. Panicked people pushed governments to make panicked, and therefore foolish, decisions. Nuclear weapons were deployed, and even without the encroaching ice, much of the world's population managed to wipe itself out. Those that survived were predominantly from cultures who were used to extreme cold - such as Inuit - although there were some exceptions.

The world has now been enveloped in the current Ice Age for 825 years, and the civilization of now would barely be recognizable to the civilization which had nearly wiped itself out several centuries ago. Some technology did, of course, survive and has been expanded upon and developed since. However, due to the nature of the conditions that had to be lived in, technology to do with heating, assisting in growing food, transportation, and military weapons all became much more important than trivial entertainments. This means that although amazing leaps have been made in creating heating by using water power, very few people will even have heard of the ancient invention of a television or radio.

As passage across the frozen wastelands is gruelling and arduous, travel between different settlements is infrequent and usually only done by traders, or during a military campaign. War is still quite common, though on a much smaller scale, for reasons such as one settlement beginning to run low on supplies and attacking another to remedy this. There have been several attempts by one band or another to unite the different settlements under a common ruler - either a government, monarchy, or military state, but none have been successful for long, and so the world remains fractured in an unending Ice Age.

Just as humankind used to train falcons to fetch rabbits, dogs to aid in the hunt, or horses to ride on, now they train other animals - or some do. The settlements are split in opinion as to whether to fish for themselves, rely on their own feet and wits for travel and battle, and let the animals live natural lives. Or whether to use the animals to do all of these tasks and more. In the settlements that are pro-using animals, arctic foxes, penguins, and seals are often used to hunt small prey, like arctic hare or fish. And larger animals, such as the polar bear, are used for riding or military campaign.

Necessity breeds invention, and the combined necessity of needing to tame the wild polar bear, and the danger posed by trying to do so, bred the invention of the L.A.O.C. (or the Language And Obedience Chip). This is an implant which allows the creature to speak and understand human language, and forces obedience by releasing electric shock pulses through the creature if it displays negative behaviour. As these chips were tricky to manufacture on a widespread scale, due to general conditions, these are not common. They are generally only used for polar bears who are being used for military purposes, so that they can follow orders and take a role more advanced than simply transportation. This means that even though some animals can talk through a technological addition, it's still not a common sight.

In the last ten years, another group has risen up to try and unite the settlements and proclaim themselves a government. They are trying to achieve this through a vicious and brutal conquering campaign, meaning the need for military defences and attack capabilities are at an all time high.

A male polar bear cub, one of a multiple birth of three cubs, was born in a standard nesting den in a very standard way. The first seven months of his life were spent living the natural life of a wild polar bear. He was cared for by his mother, started to learn how to travel on the ice, swim, and hunt, and played with his den mate. At seven and half months old, he was captured by party of humans who had come out onto the ice specifically to gather polar bear cubs. He and one of his den mates were both captured and transported to a settlement for training. His den mate was taken to a different part of the settlement to be trained as a bear for riding and carrying loads, and he was given the L.A.O.C. to be trained as a military bear. His official title is Cub 9821, but he was nicknamed Jack by his handler.

His life became very one sided, and even with the implant to make sure he could understand and communicate with his handler and other human beings, he was still very much just an animal to be trained. This meant that he was either in combat training, learning how to communicate efficiently, eating, or resting. His particular handler, a man in his fifties called Tomas, has always been kind to him and has tried to train him using reward techniques instead of punishments. It is largely because of this approach of kindness that Jack has gained a fondness and loyalty for his handler, and for humans in general, which is missing in many of his fellows. However, not all humans are kind or care about their animal charges, and so Jack has also learned that humans are also to be respected, and sometimes feared.

In most circumstances, military bears are not supposed to see combat until they reach near their full size at around eight years old. However, Jack saw combat near the end of his second year, this was due to him being 'owned' by the group who are attempting to conquer the other settlements to bring them all under one rule. Needing to use all the resources at their disposal in many raids, or conquering attempts, many cubs were used when they were far too young and small to be of much help on the battlefield. One of the reasons this particular group is being so strongly opposed, is because of their ruthlessness towards both humans and animals, although Jack doesn't know enough to realize he's working for the 'bad guys'.

Jack has since been used in two further battles and is now almost three years old.

Personality:

Despite his later circumstances, Jack was born and raised for the first few months of his life as a wild bear. This means that he still retains a lot of his natural instincts and behaviour that his mother taught to him and his den mates, especially as only a couple of years have passed since he was in the wild and so his memory of that time has not been too dimmed. However, the upbringing by his handler was very different, and taught him to be disciplined and sometimes go against his instincts (such as to protect his handler above protecting himself). As he is still relatively fresh from the wild, and his training is far from complete, he is often torn between these two different influences on his life.

This has led to him having a shy and unsure nature, where he often second guesses his reactions and actions. He is still learning how to balance the instincts he has inside him and the lessons his mother imparted, with the life that he has now. In part because of this self doubt, and because he is used to having someone looking out for him and teaching him - be it his mother or his handler - he is very quick to look to others for reassurance and orders. He will naturally take a more submissive role and accept the guidance and orders of the people around him. This doesn't mean that he has no ability to think for himself, or that he is incapable of making a decision on his own if he has to. The shyness and self doubt are partially due to his young age and not yet having found the balance to truly gain a proper sense of self, and as he grows then he will naturally become more confident.

He is still very much a cub, and that brings with it an element of childishness. Although this is tempered slightly by his experiences as a military bear, the influence of a kind handler has allowed him to retain an element of innocence and playfulness. He is still learning about the world, and his own place in it, this is especially evident when it comes to his L.A.O.C.. His vocabulary is quite limited, and most aspects of human culture outside of his tiny slice of experience remain alien to him. But he is eager to learn, and to please those around him, so he will naturally try and expand his knowledge as much as he can.

Being a part of the military has obviously had a huge impact on Jack's personality - without it, he would be just another wild polar bear out on the ice, catching seals and living a natural existence. But that is not his life, and being exclusively raised by humans for the majority of his life has left him partially domesticated and even slightly humanized in behaviour.

His natural desire to look for someone to guide him, has been significantly increased due to his military training. Following orders and keeping rigid discipline are two of the cornerstones of his existence now and, as such, he does best when he has a routine to abide by and orders to fulfil. His life has been very structured and ordered, with set times to do set activities, and so being free (to a certain extent) within Haven will likely be disorienting and confusing to him.

Finally, being exposed to combat situations has taken a toll on him. Natural combat, or hunting on the ice, are instinctive to him and so do not bother him at all. However, the type of combat which is human dominated, with weapons, where humans and bears seemed to be killing one another for no real purpose, is decidedly unnatural. He has been trained to protect his handler, and other human soldiers in general, and that not doing so means failure and potential punishment. This means that seeing humans getting hurt is particularly distressing, not because he cares about them personally, but because it's been instilled into him that this is an unacceptable outcome. He is lucky enough not to have been severely injured during any of his three combat situations, though he does not have a scar over one eye, but the three combat situations he has been in have left other impressions.

He has a fear of seeing humans getting injured, and will become visibly agitated if he smells fresh blood on any of them or is unable to protect them in a combat situation. In addition, because he is still much too young to have been used effectively, his own survival instincts have made him afraid of combat in general. This is because most enemy bears are full grown, and most humans have weapons, meaning he is constantly aware that he is the most vulnerable or weak in the battle.

The most important relationship to discuss in relation to the shaping of Jack's personality, is definitely the one with his handler, Tomas. Tomas is a kind man, and approached his training with Jack in a fashion intended to breed loyalty rather than fear. This means that he was rewarded for performing actions correctly more often than he was punished for getting things wrong. This kindness has imprinted itself to Jack, who also has a naturally kind and eager to please disposition, as he has learned that pleasing people gets him rewards. This kindness has also helped create a bond between Jack and Tomas, evoking feelings of genuine attachment and fondness, especially as Tomas is now the closest thing that Jack has to a parent. As an extension of this bond with Tomas, and the loyalty that he feels both because of the kindness shown to him and his training to obey humans, he is generally docile and eager to please with most people.

Tomas's kindness is also what has led to Jack being able to retain a little of his childish playfulness, instead of becoming a single-minded weapon. He does not often play, as he is aware of the need to be disciplined, but sometimes it bubbles out. As Tomas is his primary care giver, his handler, his instructor, and his parent figure, this relationship is also one of dependence. Tomas is Jack's security net, and a large chunk of his stability and safety stem from his constant presence. Not having him around will be frightening and confusing, and likely to make Jack latch onto someone as similar as possible in an attempt to regain his equilibrium.

His relationship to the few other humans that he knows has given him a wariness and respectful fear of mankind. He has seen other trainers who treat their bears strictly, using the electric shock option of punishment instead of the kindness of Tomas. He has seen how ruthless that they can be when attacking their own. And he has been taught that they are the superior species - he is there to serve them, a trained animal and not an equal, all of which has bred a definite wariness. If he had not had a kind handler as his primary interaction with humankind, he could easily have become hate-filled, desperate, and vicious; and so the relationship he shares with Tomas is of extreme significance to his development and the overall shaping of his personality.

Abilities/Powers: Jack has no powers, other than his natural claws and teeth. He is not yet fully grown, either.
Items/Weapons:

+ Implant that allows him to speak human speech
+ Armor compromising of a breastplate, backplate, leg guards, and half helmet

Sample Entry:

[The radio is the most familiar thing in this whole place, and even that is strange and alien in design. It looks a little bit like the wireless transmitters that the humans use to communicate over long distances, he saw one being used once out on the field, but it's lacking a lot of the knobs and dials that had been on the one he saw.

It's his best chance for finding out where he is and getting back, and that overrides how alien it looks and his fear of doing something wrong. The fear of being alone, abandoned, and perhaps the punishment waiting for him if he is out long past curfew, is more than enough to spur him to action. He twists the dials with his teeth awkwardly, giving little grunting noises of concentration.

The hissing static sends him retreating a few steps in surprise, but it doesn't seem dangerous, so he soon approaches again and talks (utterly uselessly) into the radio speakers.]

Base, this is Cub 9821, do you read me? ...Do you read me? Hello? Is anybody there? Please come in, base. Please come in. ...Base? Base? Tomas?

[He whines in distress, his ears back to his head, when nobody answers.]

Sample Entry Two:

There was so much about Haven that was strange. So much that was confusing, frightening, and overwhelming. He had felt out of his depth from the moment he arrived, and he still felt like he was struggling to keep his head above particularly choppy waters. He missed the cold, he was too hot here nearly all the time, and he missed Tomas. He had spent so much of the last few days in a growing panic, wandering in ever more distressed circles around the perimeter to look for a way out.

But something else had cut through the fear and panic now, a base need that he had to indulge - hunger. His nose had led him to the subway tunnels and the smell of blood. Not human blood, not the scent that set his heart in a flighty rhythm of terror, but animal blood. Not an animal he recognized, but he didn't need to. Instinct bred into him over generations of apex predators, and the lessons remembered from his time on the ice with his mother and den mates, took over. Seal or monster, it was all the same to him, both had flesh that would fill his belly.

He ran on large and silent paws, a streak of white fur in the dark tunnel, and snapped his youthful jaws around the neck of a strange creature with six legs and brown fur. The blood filled his mouth and for a moment he was a wild bear again, all thoughts of returning to the humans gone.