Blaine

Basic Statistics

Name: Blaine Higgs Amano
Species: Kitsune
Height: Human: 5'7" Fox: 12 inches at the shoulder
Weight: Human 132 lbs Fox 9 lbs
Eyes: Amber

Mother: Tabatha Harris, American, unknowing coyote kin
Father: Kiyoshi Amano, 1-tail kitsune, messenger for Inari and Amaterasu

Songs

Wildfire by Sonata Arctica influenced the design of this character.

Origin

Blame Blaine

With a human mother and a fox father, Blaine possessed a telltale trait that earned him unwarranted hatred: amber eyes. Not just a kind of brown eyes, but the sort that only an animal would have. Of course, his father also possessed such eyes, and he wasn't very well trusted either. However he did manage to run a perfectly legitimate general good store in his hometown up until when Blaine was about eight years old. It so happened that a trapper came bragging about a beautiful pelt, and while Blaine and his mother knew the truth, they dared not confirm everyone's suspicions. INstead, they said Blaine's father had to be sent away for medical care, and with time they made it seem that he had been beyond care and passed away.

Blaine's mother took over the shop. Some think the towering American woman may have been even better than her husband, but nearly all agreed she was more intimidating. She couldn't be everywhere, and as Blaine went on to school, the phrase 'Blame Blaine' started to emerge. If any little thing went wrong, it must have been his fault. He has gold eyes, so he must be causing all of this to happen to amuse himself. IF something broke, if something went missing, anything really, Blaine became the focus of retaliation. He had two strong parents though, and so long as he had his mother, he could get by and take these insults in stride.

When Blaine was sixteen, his mother was diagnosed with gastric cancer. She fought to the bitter end for three years before she succumbed. She was buried at a temple some ways from the town where they had left a marker for his father years before. Blaine returned home crushed but trying to survive, but that is when the most painful and unjustified blame was placed upon him. Somehow, in their minds, they thought Blaine caused the death of his mother, and everyone treated him as a malicious spirit and not a person. Isolated and afraid, there was only one way this was going to go down.

The Fire

The malice of those in his town was enough that Blaine eventually hid in his family's home and refused to come out. Mumbles about an exorcism had even started to circulate when aid came from an unexpected source. Vengeful spirits from all around homed in on Blaine's pain and sorrow, and they started to whisper to him about things true and things sinister. Forest spirits bemoaning the loss of their lands, river spirits choking on what has been tossed into them, but the ones that spoke the loudest were those of other foxes. Not killed for food or even pelts but out of malice, they flocked to Blaine, and to them he was their big brother. It was a little fire mote that spoke loudest to Blaire.

"So long as you look and act like one of them, you will never be free of them. They will be able to punish you wrongfully for all your days unless you embrace your heritage."

It guides Blaine to look inside. His father had been a fox before being a man, and in those days he had and used many abilities for which Japanese foxes, kitsune, were famous for. His mother may have been one of the only ones strong enough to resist the charms he used to offset the suspicions of the townsfolk. As it so happened, two men were approaching the house at that moment with intent of dragging Blaine out. They honestly believed Blaine had cursed their village and killed his own parents. They were the first and only ones to witness Blaine's body melting down to the shape of a small red fox in the middle of his living room. His fur shimmered and scintillated with light like embers in a fire, but this fire was not one he could control.

The house and both men were consumed in a massive burst of flame that, surprisingly, did no damage to Blaine. He didn't know if he was making the fire or that it had just showed up with his transformation, but when he was seen in the flames devouring the house, others ran for weapons. Of course Blaine didn't stay still, and the townfolks divided into those chasing him and those fighting the fire. The more they chased Blaine, the more the fire spread, and in less than an hour the whole town was surrounded in fire. Sitting atop a small mountaintop, the fiery ring lower down blocked off all escape routes. Every person who ever hurt him, blamed him, or hated him died with the town.

Once thinking himself safe, the fire stopped chasing, or coming from, Blaine. One four paws he watched everything burn, and guilt weighed heavy on his heart. IT was then a very old fox sat beside him. "This is not your fault. You are the implement, but this is karma. Their hatred burned so great in their hearts that it has finally burned all they ever knew including themselves. If you still blame yourself, there are places and ways to vanish. I can show you."

Refugee

The old fox took a heartbroken Blaine to a secluded glade days from the ashes of his home. Blaine could not let go of the fact that he had been a part of such destruction even if it wasn't his fault. The power unleashed was one he did not know he had, and others had goaded him into a position where it could be unleashed. It took weeks to reach their destination on foot, and in that time Blaine was educated on the nature of his heritage. HE was taught the basics of how that fire worked, but he was also taught how to make small illusions of sound and sight to protect himself or divert others from harm. He practiced his shapeshifting until is was a purely conscious decisions. Finally, he was taught to make a small ball of light not just for illumination, but to play with when he felt lonely. He was warned, however, to never allow anyone to steal that light or they would hold sway over him.

The final destination provided Blaine with many paths, and the air felt strange near each of them. They were roads to other realms on which only spirits might walk, or those close to them. Blaine took his chance with one, closed his eyes, and walked forward. He emerged alone on a floating planetoid called Spindizzy without a clue as to what to do next.

The Truth

The true nature of the fire as revealed to Mira by Inari was that the only deaths were those who came to kill Blaine. While there were injuries, the sudden appearance of a fox on fire racing through town was taken was a warning that they had strayed from the old ways and that they would suffer for it if they did not act quickly. The temple to Inari remained unscathed in the fire, and when due respect and offering was given to the fixes of the shrine, they helped put out the fires.

Unfortunately, Blaine had already fled, and he was too far off to know the truth. For him, even knowing the truth, his old home is not a place to which he would return unless forced. He fears not only the people of the town but the temple as well. It will take a strong willed person to ever bring Blaine back to his homeland.

Abilities

Shapeshifting

Blaine has a full human and a full fox shape. At present, these are the only two form he can assume. As a human, he has almost no magical signature while as a fox his full spiritual power can be accessed. He is currently working on an intermediate shape as part of his interactions with Seya named Mira.

Fire

Even in human form, Blaine is somewhat resistant to heat and flame. As a fox, he impervious to most natural sources of fire such as one might find from burning wood or buildings. Magic and blast furnaces are capable of being a threat. Walking through a burning building might well be a source of shelter for him.

Spirit Light

Only available as a fox. Blaine can create a small luminous sphere about the size of an orange that sheds soft light around it. This is typically carried on his head or on the end of his tail though he will occasionally balance it on his nose if no one is looking.

Illusion

Only available as a fox. Blaine can create false sounds and sometimes images. However, this skill is poorly trained and usually just used as a distraction when he needs to slink away.

Dreameater

Blaine inherited his father's ability to enter into dreams and affect them like he might the waking world. In these cases, Blaine typically has the ability to attack dreams and consume them.

Physical Descriptions

Human

As a human, Blaine is not remarkable. Straight black hair, pale skin, and amber bordering on gold eyes all come from his father's side. His nose is a petite thing and his face narrow with a somewhat pointed chin sometimes make him look faintly effeminate. It doesn't help the the fellow is toothpick thin. His eyes, however, are rounder in shape coming from his American mother. Unfortunately Blaine did not inherit his father's guile or his mother's absolute confidence and ability to intimidate both by her height and her personality. Blaine is, instead, a very shy person that finds it hard to hold eye contact with anyone for more than a brief moment. His accent is a mix of Japanese and Midwestern American that tends to make his voice distinct. His soft voice does not help his already timid nature, and so Blaine tends towards jobs where he can do a task and otherwise be left alone.

Most of Blaine's wardrobe is second hand or thrift shop material that has worn ell but is readily seen as not new. T-shirts or button down shirts are most commonly paired with slacks or jeans on any given day.

Fox

Even as a fox, Blaine is smaller than most with a height of only twelve inches at the shoulder. As is typical of red foxes, his fur is a rusty red color with black fur covering his paws and the backs of his ears and white fur as part of his cheek fur, his throat, and his underside. The red of his tail is mixed with dark hairs such that it looks sooty as if it had been smoked, but the tip is still a clean white. On closer examination, it is apparent that Blaine has two tails, but he keeps them pressed so close to each other that it is hard to tell them apart. He seems ashamed of them or perhaps even fearful of what it means to have more than one tail. Much as he does when human, Blaine tends not to make eye contact often, and as a fox, he will more often seem paranoid by looking warily around himself with ears back and tail low.

As a fox, Blaine's spirit can manifest itself, and sometimes his fur will appear to have a glint of light to it like embers in a fire. This is most likely to occur when he is frightened and without an escape route, but if he were to train himself, it might occur more or less at a whim.

Winged Fox

Blaine is not a tall fellow at just over five and a half feet tall, and he seems a little awkward or perhaps wary might be the better word. Taking on a hybrid state inspired by a seya, his current form stands as a midway point between what he would call his two true selves: fox and human. At present, he is a red fox with all the usual markings including the sooty fox socks, gold eyes, and rusty red fur with a white chin, throat, and belly. His two bushy tails are tipped in white, but it is often difficult to tell he has two tails because he keeps them pressed close together as if ashamed of them or fearful of what it means to have more than one tail. In addition to standing upright, he also possesses a pair of feathered wings of the same rusty red as the rest of his fur with sooty black tips to match the fox sock theme. Whether he knows how to fly is another story. He is currently dressed in a SED-issue Seya armor that has been hemmed up a bit to fit his smaller body. While he is not carrying any other SED gear, what he does carry ranges from just a solid pocket knife and some flint to a full camping kit complete with backpack frame, tent, and enough gear to life fairly well out in the woods alone.

Companions

Blaine has a childhood friend who was also a half-breed kitsune like him. Her name was Mae and she met an unfortunate end that caused Blaine's first fiery detonation that preceded the deaths of his parents in the following years.