The AI Project (OOC/Sign ups) ONE OPENING

[Rainjay]

I would not object to some interaction. I'm not very sure of what may come of it, honestly; I feel like Bao Qin needs Pearl to be a full character. But maybe some interaction will help to show that, in which case I would welcome it gladly. My largest barrier right now is that Bao Qin won't approach someone cordially. A ruckus, an argument, an invitation--there needs to be a catalyst.

I can arrange for Alice to approach Bao Qin if you'd like

 

[FiliaFlammae]

Similar thing here. I'm working on Elric's first post right now, and he's the kind of character who would just hole himself up in his room with his coding projects. If anyone wants to banter in the common room, I could write him such that he feels a minimal compulsion to peek out of his cabin for the sake of appearing social, but either way. *shrug*

Also once Elric's done I'll go back to my second candidate CS, and he is the kind of guy who would most definitely want to try to make friends immediately. Guess whether he'll make an appearance before the ship lands will depend on how well I can keep up.

 

[Maddeline]

@RayChel
A friendly dog that looks like a wolf....could be considered a catalyst. Sort of.

 

[mintles]

oh gosh, i understand that i'm a bit late for this, but if i could play garnet the AI, that would be swell!!!! if not, please notify me to any other open positions. i wanna get in on this!

if i can't get garnet, i'd honestly settle for rping any of the available AIs. this concept is mad hells of intriguing and i literally cannot resist stories involving AIs. and it'll be a challenge playing character types that i'm inexperienced in!

 

[Rainjay]

oh gosh, i understand that i'm a bit late for this, but if i could play garnet the AI, that would be swell!!!! if not, please notify me to any other open positions. i wanna get in on this!

Garnet has been taken (deeply sorry I didn't put it up. It was taken yesterday), but Aries, Topaz, Sagittarius and Leo are unclaimed, although I do believe Aries is probably spoken for (Filia vouched for it and, while they haven't newly reserved it, they DID post on the IC and have their right to a second AI, and I know Filia has a CS in the works, so it would be pretty nice of you to let 'em have the AI), leaving Topaz, Sagittarius, and Leo. RayChel has vouched for Leo, but hasn't told me they'd reserve it or have a CS in the works. So all in all:

Topaz and Sagittarius are 100% unclaimed
@FiliaFlammae wanted Aries as a second AI, and has a CS in the works, but has not reserved it (let me know Filia!)
@RayChel wanted Leo, but has not reserved it (let me know Ray!)

As it is 10 PM EST, they are both entitled to their second AI

 

[mintles]

Garnet has been taken (deeply sorry I didn't put it up. It was taken yesterday), but Aries, Topaz, Sagittarius and Leo are unclaimed, although I do believe Aries is probably spoken for (Filia vouched for it and, while they haven't newly reserved it, they DID post on the IC and have their right to a second AI, and I know Filia has a CS in the works, so it would be pretty nice of you to let 'em have the AI), leaving Topaz, Sagittarius, and Leo. RayChel has vouched for Leo, but hasn't told me they'd reserve it or have a CS in the works. So all in all:

Topaz and Sagittarius are 100% unclaimed
@FiliaFlammae wanted Aries as a second AI, and has a CS in the works, but has not reserved it (let me know Filia!)
@RayChel wanted Leo, but has not reserved it (let me know Ray!)

As it is 10 PM EST, they are both entitled to their second AI

thank you for the prompt reply! out of the two available, i'm definitely going for topaz. thank you so much for including me, this seems like its going to be AWESOME.

 

[Rainjay]

thank you for the prompt reply! out of the two available, i'm definitely going for topaz. thank you so much for including me, this seems like its going to be AWESOME.

I'll reserve 'em for you!

 

[Ray C]

I have a completed Riley Stark; I'm working out the kinks for Leo (namely, a picture that's appropriately flashy).

 

[Ray C]

Voila! Riley is complete; I added him under Bao Qin. Kayla will be my non-candidate later on, so that's a sheet I'll fill out sometime over the next month.

 

[Rainjay]

Cool! I'd head over to read it now.

I also have my new AI candidate, posted under Marianne's on the front page if anybody cares to look. It's a bit raw still but I'mma work on it more later.

 

[Maddeline]

@RayChel
I accidentally down thumbed your post!
Sorry :(

 

[Rainjay]

[dash=yellow]
Name:
Xue, Bao Qin (Shweh, Bah-oh Cheen)
Gender:

Age:
24
Home planet:

Shu Han

In 2278, China laid claim to the only planet in the Tchou system that was already inhabitable: Wu. The planet was abundant in resources, and soon other nationalities swarmed to it as well. In 2351, after Biodomes had become viable, two other planets in the system were colonized: Cao Wei and Shu Han. Many claimed it was tempting fate, but there have only been small tensions between the three planets in the last four hundred years. Relations between them are rather amiable, and they will often support each others' interests in the UPN.

Shu Han retains much of its Chinese heritage. The culture, the physical features of its citizens, and the local language can all be traced back to the country that first colonized the Tchou system, though notably altered. The planet is primarily farmland now that the terraforming is finished, but industry thrives where the biodomes were first built. At the heart of the planet's economy is its capital city, Chengdu.

Shu Han is ruled by a monarch. Each province on Shu Han elects one person to the Senate, and the Senate will appoint the next King or Queen. From then, the Senators act as vassals to the King, reporting on their province and handling lesser domestic affairs. The King is responsible for the planet as a whole, especially regarding foreign policy. If a King is found unfit to rule, the Senate can remove him and appoint a new King.

Home system:

Tchou

Tchou, the star, is marginally larger than Earth's Sol, so the inhabitable planets are slightly further out, comparatively. Shu Han is the nearest, then Wu, then Cao Wei. All three of these orbit in the same direction, with slightly different speeds, so they remain equidistant from one another around Tchou. One small planet is even further in than Shu Han, but there is no possibility of habitation. The same goes for the two frozen worlds past Cao Wei.

As Wu was the first settled and required no terraforming, it is the most populated of the three. The three planets are generally similar, enough so that many astronomers claim all three have the same origin. As such, the Tchou system is often referred to as just that, rather than identifying each planet separately. The primary exports are food and timber, and the primary imports are technology and people.

Each planet represents itself in the UPN, but the three will almost always stand united. As a people, they consider each other almost like family--and indeed, many of the inhabitants have family on the other two worlds. Travel between the three is as common as travel between Asia, Europe, and America was in the 21st century.

Occupation:
Retired Politician; Convict.

Appearance: (credit to Zhou Zhao at digital-art-gallery.com)
Bao Qin has the dark hair and eyes typical of Tsong, but has a fair complexion and delicate features to define her as a beauty. Her frame is slight, measuring 165cm (5' 5") tall and 54kg (119 lbs.) heavy. She still chooses to wear traditional robes with deep colors, leaving very little skin exposed.
Distinguishing features:
A crystal hair comb always rests atop her head.
Personality:
Taciturn, dutiful, logical. Bao Qin knew from the beginning of her life that she would be a Queen. Her sense of duty drove her to diligent study, but she had very little human contact beyond her instructors. In her early teenage years she learned to present herself for an audience. Everyone who met her, or even just saw her from a distance, agreed that she would make an excellent ruler.

It was all an act, and Bao Qin knew it. Her intelligence was beyond compare, and she would always choose the most logical course of action. A nation under her guidance was sure to thrive. Yet she wouldn't step off her pedestal to help a single woman collapsed on the street, nor could she understand why the young man that was her rival for the throne would. She still doesn't know why, but she did decide that a person like herself was unfit to lead people.
Talents/Skills:
Logic and Reasoning
Presentation
Basic Self-Defense
History:
Bao Qin is a bred Queen. Her mother and father were matched on the basis of beauty, intelligence, and charisma. At age three she began schooling. By twelve she had completed the equivalent of a primary education. The next three years were spent on in-depth study of foreign policy, domestic affairs, economics, and human behavior. When she turned fifteen, Bao Qin was formally presented to the King and Senate. It was nothing more than a formality, as her very existence was due to a group of Senators representing the large cities; however, it did provide her a chance to leave a good impression. By the time she left that room, everyone in it was enraptured with her elegance and majesty.

Now an official candidate for Queen, Bao Qin was moved into the palace. Two months later, a young prince joined the house: Yu-lin, a candidate for King that had been prepared by the outer provinces. He was polite, modest, and charsimatic, just as Bao Qin had been taught to behave, so they never fought; but there was something more about him Bao Qin could never place.

It wasn't until she was twenty-two that Bao Qin found how they were different. During a parade for the Harvest Festival, a woman--a peasant of no status--fell into the street, injured and unable to move. Bao Qin rested before the King, and Yu-lin rode beside them; all three saw the woman collapse, but only one of them leaped down to her. Bao Qin was shocked at Yu-lin's action. The woman could have been an assassin or thief, or there may have been such a criminal in the crowd waiting for a chance. The woman who fell was nobody, just another peasant in the crowd with nothing to offer. It was a risk to descend to the street, and there was most certainly nothing to be gained from doing so. Yet Yu-lin was at her side, lifting her in his arms, and resting her on his mount before the guards could say a word in protest.

He took her to the palace, had the royal doctor examine her, and cried when he was told she couldn't be saved. Bao Qin was moving swiftly to confront Yu-lin, so she heard the final verdict: the woman had been attacked, the attacker using a deadly parasite to eat her body from the inside out. It had multiplied too far to be countered. Bao Qin waited for the doctor to leave, then stepped into the room to join Yu-lin at the woman's bedside. The brief conversation the three shared forced Bao Qin to reevaluate herself as a ruler.

Two weeks later, Bao Qin had found the group that killed that woman. She alerted the police that they could catch a murderer if they would hurry to that house. When the officers arrived, they found the bodies of three men staining the floor and Bao Qin kneeling in the center of the room. Bao Qin plead guilty to murder, denied every attempt the Senators made to claim it was self-defense, and retired to a minimum security prison. The Senate tried to hush up any information, but rumor spread quietly.

For two years Bao Qin remained in that prison. She showed no desire to leave. She continued to live as she always had: regal, elegant, modest, polite, and correct. She hardly seemed like a prisoner, and indeed she didn't see herself as one. She was simply living in a different house, facing new experiences, and trying to learn what Yu-lin had that she did not.
Reason Picked:
Preliminary tests found Bao Qin to be 80% compatible with Pearl. More investigation raised the number slightly. Though it wasn't an exact match, finding someone who made a good test subject was important, too. Bao Qin's personality convinced the researchers that she would be able to provide precise and unbiased information.
Other:
Bao Qin used to carry a war fan on her at all times. She'd like to do so again, as it made defending herself easier.[/dash]

[dash=yellow]

AI name:
Pearl

AI personality:
Pearl is, first and foremost, dutiful. Her first duty is to see that the AI Project succeeds. She is very caring, so she also takes it upon herself to care for the other AI. She'll do so quietly, though, because she's too shy to step into a limelight. She dislikes violence, and she especially hates seeing the AI fight--which is quite the conundrum for her as she knows the ultimate goal of the AI Project is to enhance soldiers. Her sense of duty--to the Project, the UPN, and humanity--pushes her to swallow her personal distaste for the sake of the greater good; nevertheless, Pearl has never reconciled within herself, so the two conflicting agendas are tearing at her.

AI appearance: (credit to Eric Chen at digital-art-gallery.com)
Originally, Pearl had long, wavy, hair that was almost as white as her namesake and eyes as clear as the summer sky. Her pale-blonde tresses have darkened slightly since Pearl joined Bao Qin, and her eyes have become a deep brown to match Bao Qin's. The cherry blossoms, too, are a recent addition, added to match Bao Qin's crystal comb. Pearl wears a peach, floorlength, formless gown and leaves her feet bare.
AI skills:
Biology, especially Human Physiology and Anatomy
Medicine
Artificial Intelligence[/dash]

[dash=orange]
Name:
Riley Stark
Gender:

Age:
22
Home planet:
Necria
Home system:
Novus
Occupation:
Professional Racer
Appearance: by Fan Jingyan
Riley takes great pride in his body. He stands 183cm tall and weighs in at 78kg of toned muscle. He has never allowed a scar or tattoo to blemish his skin. He can't grow even the smallest of beards, so his face is always smooth. He wears his lush, brown hair past his shoulders. Riley always dresses elegantly, be that the decorative overcoat of Novus, the dark suit of Durness, or the fanciful robes of Tchou.
Distinguishing features:
Long, brown hair reaching just past his shoulderblades. The color comes from his mother, not his father, so he bears it as a sign of his uniqueness.

Personality:
Charismatic, confident, passionate, a blatant flirt, and a supremely loyal friend.
Talents/Skills:
Starship Pilot
Practical Psychology
Telegenic and Photogenic

History:
Riley's story starts with his father. Jacob Stark was a semi-legal trader; he owned a scavenging ship--the Darling--and made a living selling the scraps of the civil war. He had a pick-and-choose approach to the law: laws prohibiting murder were fantastic; laws about not taking someone's extra cash were optional. Above all, though, Jacob Stark can only be described as a cad--he fell in love with every beautiful woman he saw. Normally this would not go over well with the previous woman, but Stark possessed a phenomenal combination of charisma, kindness, and honest passion that never let a woman feel like second-place.

Jacob Stark's crew was exclusively female, half of whom were willing concubines. Riley's mother, Vivian North, was the primary pilot for the Darling. Riley grew up as a part of the crew, along with his little sister Kayla and a dozen half-siblings. He learned how to pilot the ship from his mother, and his father often brought him to sales negotiations to teach him bartering and cold-reading. Riley grew up much like his father: personable, confident, and flirtatious. The greatest difference between the two is that Riley was never happy being inconspicuous. While Jacob stayed low-key to keep his not-totally-legitimate business safe, Riley wanted to have every spotlight in the system shining on him.

As a teenager Riley made a name for himself around the Land Speeder racing tracks... as a hot-headed daredevil. As soon as Kayla was old enough to compete, she took up racing as well. She proved the better, and won so regularly that Riley didn't see enough limelight left for himself. He quit land racing at seventeen and went looking for his next big adventure, Kayla tagging along. He decided racing in space would be a thousand times more glamorous--and space races were team events, so he and Kayla could share the spotlight. Their savings weren't enough to buy a good racing ship, but with some persuasion Riley managed to talk a retiring gentleman into selling them his ship. It wasn't a great ship--the man hadn't won in years--but it was enough to start racing.

Kayla knew more about what the ship needed than Riley, so she compiled a list of parts. Riley bartered for what he could, swiped what he couldn't, and had a half-brother help put it all together. Now outfitted with an exceptional craft, Riley and Kayla Stark began to dominate the races in Novus. For a few sweet months they enjoyed wealthy stardom; then their ship was impounded for using stolen parts and they had to undergo a short stint in Juvenile Rehab. The real tragedy is that the police busted them for a part Riley had paid for; the man who sold it to them had stolen it.

Those few months left Riley's records in the system, including a psychological evaluation. Riley and Kayla went right back to racing, this time with a fully legal ship. Soon the Novus courses weren't enough, so they went on tour to other systems. Riley added to his wardrobe every time, always purchasing something culturally elegant. Kayla would find something to match him, of course. The duo is, while not the greatest team in racing, one of the most well-known names throughout civilized space.

Reason Picked:
The UPN had no trouble accessing Riley's record. There was a 2% margin of difference when Riley's evaluation was compared alongside Leo's; it's like the two were made for each other.
Other:
Riley has a large family, some of whom are spreading out around the Novus system. All of them are willing to do him a favor, and he'll do them favors in kind.
Kayla isn't a brocon, she's just very attached.[/dash]

[dash=orange]
AI name:
Leo

AI personality:
Leo is annoyingly egotistical--an AI that feeds on attention. If he isn't recieving enough, he goes on strike to get more. Nevertheless, he is ambitious and likes to see projects to their finish; however, his views on how to complete his projects are not always legitimate. Cheating is just one more means to achieve his ends, as is deception. He was almost destroyed before researchers discovered his potential.

AI appearance: (image byWang Rokly at digital-art-gallery.com)
Leo's defining color is silver. His hair, his eyes, his jewelry, and the glow that surrounds him are all silver. He dresses as a wealthy nobleman, as anything less simply wouldn't do him justice.

AI skills:
Multi-tasking
System Comprehension - with a little intense observation, Leo can discern the function of what he sees. This could be a dissected animal, or this could be a ship's life support. This could even be the code of a person's DNA if he had the means to look that closely.[/dash]

This new character is like absolutely fabulous xD Racing duo. Love his sister too.

 

[Rainjay]

I don't wanna keep spamming up with short posts but I've gotta write up an intro post for my new char so I'll include a reply to @Maddeline

 

[FiliaFlammae]

Voila! Riley is complete; I added him under Bao Qin. Kayla will be my non-candidate later on, so that's a sheet I'll fill out sometime over the next month.

Ooooh. Just read up on Riley, and something tells me he and my Aries fella Blake are going to have some interesting chemistry.

 

[ze_kraken]

So he's space Chris Hemsworth from Rush? Awesome.

 

[Rainjay]

Only with a badass sister. I'm half tempted to say, screw it, she can come along xD

 

[FiliaFlammae]

Blake is up!

Edit: not sure if I got the link working...he's on page 2 with Elric.

 

[Rainjay]

Blake is up!

Edit: not sure if I got the link working...he's on page 2 with Elric.

Broken link. Happens. But ty! I shall go read xD

 

[Rainjay]

Elric/Amethyst

[dash=#BE81F7]Name: Elric Lunaripher
Gender: Male
Age: 35
Home planet: Earth
Home system: The Solar System
Occupation: VR Game Developer

Appearance:
He stands at a tall 6'1" and has always been lean, though only in the most recent years of his life has he reached the unusually low weight that he carries now. He has pale skin. His sandy hair is shaggy and perpetually unkempt, and though he doesn't naturally grow much facial hair, it's obvious that he treats shaving like something only to be done for special occasions. A number of women over the years have noted that he has a baby face. His boyish jaw, vulnerable gray-blue eyes, and other facial features seem to be conspiring to make him look younger than he really is, but weary age lines and a select few gray hairs coming in too soon counter that work and then some. He almost always looks tired. A typical outfit for him is a slightly rumpled button-up shirt with slacks or high-quality jeans, a belt, and work shoes. His favorite outerwear is a lightweight gray longcoat, and while he'll leave the front open should he get warm, it takes a lot to get him so hot that he elects to remove it completely.
Distinguishing features:
His feet and ankles are actually cybernetic replacements, along with his left leg about a third of the way up his shin and his right leg all the way up to mid-thigh, but neither modification is normally visible to people; only close friends know he's an amputee.

Personality:
He is introverted and doesn't have that great of a sense of humor, but he's courteous and good-natured. When a task or project catches his attention, he becomes very self-motivated, not suited to be a leader but determined to tackle the job himself as long as he can. He's always been able to breeze through classes and is largely self-taught beyond his formal study. He's a peacemaker who hates feeling like an obstacle and typically shies away from confrontation, but he's prone to making unintentionally passive-aggressive comments when bothered by something but struggling to remain altruistic, and if just the right (or wrong, rather) thing gets under his skin, he will snap, and snap hard.
Talents/Skills:
He's got the book smarts. Hand him a textbook and a two-week vacation, and when it's done he'll ace the final exam of the class it came from. Or at least snag a B+. Success is more likely in a scientific or mathematical subject.

History:
Like his AI's human base, Anastasia Kahler, Elric grew up on Earth with few worries. As an only child, his intelligence blossomed under his parents' watchful eyes and loving care, and while he eventually developed a hearty interest in video gaming, he always seemed to prefer family-friendly titles to gritty ones, although the boundary between the two blurred somewhat as he matured. After winning a few mathematics and physics awards in high school, he attended university with the aid of a hefty scholarship, eager to absorb what knowledge he could, though he knew from the get-go that he had one dream he would prefer to chase if he could: a foot in the door of the booming Virtual Reality industry. His dreams came true when he weaseled his way into an indie game development company.
That was when he met Julie Annison. Convinced to step in as a voice actress for the company's first shot at fame, she met Elric at the studio a few months after he was hired, and sparks quickly started flying. They got along splendidly despite Elric's initial shyness, reveling in their common interests and doing their best to see their differences as boons. Come three years later, the couple was newly married, but it was only a little over a year afterwards that Julie gave birth to their first child three weeks prematurely while suffering from an illness. She did not survive the delivery.
Heartbroken but determined to keep his chin up for the newborn girl's sake, Elric raised his daughter, whom he named Madeleine as he and Julie had agreed, as a single father after switching from a full-time employee to a contractor who could work from home. Despite the obstacles they faced, Elric's natural sensitivity made him a good father, and the two were happy. Taking his daughter on a train trip across the country when she was four, however, was either a bad idea to begin with or a stroke of terrible luck: in an incident that would appear across the news and soon enough go down in history, their train was intercepted by a pair of hovercrafts trying to beat the train across a level crossing. The first hit the engine and the second smashed into the second passenger car. There were at least sixty casualties of varying severity, and while Elric survived with leg replacements, young Madeleine was not so fortunate.
In the three years since the accident, he has withdrawn from the world, keeping his contract work with the company he started with but devoting every free minute he can squeeze out of his day to personal programming projects. It might seem a paradox that his work ethic has gotten stronger after such a blow to his livelihood, but perhaps he was desperate to give his life new meaning. His personal tastes in projects led him to humanlike AI development of the same ilk as the AI Project, though he didn't know it, and he eagerly devoured all he could on the topic, including Marianne Favero's papers. His AI work is the ad hoc work of a lone programmer who pieces together whatever existing knowledge he can scour from the Internet with his own poorly organized and uncommented code. Lacking access to the ability to flash clone a working human brain as a starting point, he's been left to work entirely from scratch, so his understanding of the simulation of human brain-like processing is very high but unorthodox.

Reason Picked:
Aside from being intelligent and unfailingly studious, good qualities in themselves and a decent 78% match for Amethyst, he was noted for his own independent AI work. His main purpose as a test subject in the project is to see if someone with his knowledge of humanlike AI and how it works would lead to him refining his own AI more quickly than others could.[/dash]

[dash=#BE81F7]AI name: Amethyst
AI personality:
Her primary trait is her thirst for knowledge. Amethyst will happily soak up whatever new topic her whim deems interesting, mostly just for the satisfaction of knowing it. The usefulness of the information, if any, is a nice side effect. She can spend a very long time reading about a topic if not bothered, but she has a heart too, and if something strikes her as amiss, she will drop what she's doing and reveal her nurturing side. Although more on the introverted side of center, she's personable and seems to value friendship. However, when something she values strongly is questioned, such as the value of the AI Project, the importance of a topic she has studied, or the dignity or well-being of a friend, she can and will verbally tear the offender a new one. She has retained the vast majority of the knowledge that Anastasia Kahler possessed at the time of her creation, but her specialty in quantum physics has fallen by the wayside in favor of entertaining curiosity about whatever new thing she learns about. Her partnership with Elric has kindled a particular interest in programming languages and software development.
AI appearance:
Her skin is pale, her hair long, straight, and silvery lavender in color, and her eyes brilliant violet. She keeps her hair swept back in a large black clip at the back of her head and wears thin rimmed glasses. Her preferred outfit is a butter-yellow blouse over black slacks and semi-formal work shoes, though she may change it on occasion. She always wears a lab coat and frequently likes to appear carrying a book or clipboard for effect. She smiles more readily than Elric does.
AI skills:

• Extensive knowledge of several areas of physics
• Beginner's knowledge of programming
• Excellent processing of math and physics problems

[/dash]

Blake/Aries

[dash=#CC6600]Name: Blake Lianson
Gender: Male (Pansexual)
Age: 22
Home planet: Noveria
Home system: Novus
Occupation: Unemployed/Street Performer

Appearance:
Somewhat tall, measuring in at 5'11", he sports blue-green eyes and pale skin that's more prone to get freckly than tanned. His hair is a rich auburn color that he wears in a "youthful" cut with full bangs; some call it cute, others call it immature. He calls it his hair. He's nearly always clean-shaven, and his face is bright and expressive. Although he will eagerly don business or formal wear should the occasion call for it, he is usually most comfortable in a T-shirt (pop culture reference preferred), simple jeans, his favorite purple sneakers, and his official teal Vox Aeterna sweatshirt that he brought back from one of their concerts. And yes, he's one of those people who like to wear their high-end headphones around their neck. He basically looks like he walked fresh off a college campus. He sports a robust voice with a wide range, capable of singing all but the highest tenor and lowest bass roles, though his speaking voice settles at a healthy baritone.
Distinguishing features:
Nothing in particular, but what most people tend to remember about him is his smile. At times he can give off a bit of a camp gay vibe.

Personality:
It often seems like nothing can get Blake down. He takes life in stride and treats the world like a stage, though he doesn't seek attention so much as he just wants to have fun with his life. He is confident, charismatic, helpful, protective, and very expressive. This guy wears his heart on his sleeve and does so proudly. If he has any flaws, they would be his naïveté and his poorly timed flirty tendencies. He's also gotten himself in trouble with those close to him at least twice by overacting or not appearing to take an issue seriously. Despite his freewheeling demeanor, he is extremely loyal, particularly to his girlfriend of three years, Tani O'Harring. No, really, he acts like a love-drunk puppy when he's around her.
Talents/Skills:
He did fairly well in school all around, but his claim to fame is his musicality. He sings and plays several styles of guitar, and his music reading skills are superb. He also has a way of encouraging and appealing to people; he's good at public speaking and rallying a group towards a goal.

History:
Blake has been a performer ever since he was little. He has always been friendly and affectionate, not really caring how the world saw him in the process, and though his Catholic parents initially had some trouble accepting his veering-on-dangerously-feminine nature, eventually the mere fact that he was their treasured son won out. He excelled in music (primarily vocal) throughout his school days and into college, but even though he was certainly good enough to participate in the higher-end school choirs that were by selection or audition, he always made a point of also being a member of the larger "scrub" choirs of students either looking to fill an art requirement or just singing for the fun of it. He chooses to believe that anyone can do something, such as sing, if they are passionate about it and put their mind to it.
Thus Star Crossing was born. When Blake heard that the non-auditioned choir's director at his liberal arts college would be taking a sabbatical the second half of his junior year, thus dissolving the choir for a period, Blake was visibly dismayed, even though he was also in an auditioned group to keep him busy. He had a few close friends in the large choir, so he arranged for them to meet up over the course of the missing semester just to make some music for fun, and in a gesture he didn't think much of at the time, he suggested they recruit their close friends as well. Imagine Blake's surprise when he arrived at the first meeting with both his girlfriend Tani and his reluctant best friend/roommate at the time in tow, only to be greeted by another nine students. Less than half of the twelve people present could read music. But he took it in stride. He and his close friends in the group took it upon themselves to personally tutor the others and sculpt the even dozen of them into an a cappella group that they would soon dub "Star Crossing." Within the remaining year and a half of Blake's education, Star Crossing grew so much in skill thanks to his diligent care that his academic advisor proposed a deal: if Blake could get Star Crossing to place in a local college a cappella competition, she would personally waive his senior recital requirement. Blake accepted the challenge, and Star Crossing placed third. The year and a half ordeal forged a bond of friendship and community within the group, and although Blake had to graduate soon after the competition and the group subsequently dissolved, he did his best to keep in touch with all of the former members.
Blake is currently taking a year off from school after obtaining his bachelor's of arts in music. While he initially planned to specialize in vocal performance and try his best to carve out a niche as a performer, his experience with Star Crossing changed him. He now seeks to become a music teacher and has made preparations to attend a conservatory come the end of this school year in order to further his education as, well, an educator. But that was before the UPN contacted him...

Reason Picked:
If there is to be a ringleader of the AI candidates to keep everyone on task if they are ever used for military purposes, Blake is it. He shares a formidable 89% of his personality with the charismatic Aries, the most leaderly of the AIs, and his capability to charm people and then whip them into shape isn't just a test result: his history with Star Crossing proves it.[/dash]

[dash=#CC6600]AI name: Aries
AI personality:
A born leader, if "born" can be applied to an AI. He knows how to rally the troops, and while very commanding should the need arise, he is otherwise extremely friendly. His upcoming partner Blake will most likely become a sworn companion. His loyalty is not to be underestimated; he would feel the urge to take bullets for his friends and comrades. Sadly, he doesn't have a body with which he could do such a thing. His human base, Wayne Baldini, was passionate about space and became a renowned pilot, and while Aries has retained the knowledge on how to fly and maintain a ship, the passion for interstellar flight was lost in the flash cloning process. However, he feels like he's supposed to be passionate about something...he just doesn't know what yet.
AI appearance:
Aries has dark skin, rich brown eyes, and close-cut black hair. He wears a military commander's uniform, but he leaves the jacket open to reveal the plain T-shirt he wears underneath and has been known to remove his hat when speaking frankly with someone. Both gestures are meant to help him appear personable. His synthesized voice is surprisingly rich and deep.
AI skills:

• Public speaking and speech-making, derived from a hefty database of famous speeches.
• Expertise in how to fly and maintain most varieties of spacecraft.

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I like 'im. I was kind of wondering where the dynamic would come in and at the end of the CS's you really do wrap it up. A leader, but not the stereotypical one. A very unique one. I like. xD

 

[FiliaFlammae]

I like 'im. I was kind of wondering where the dynamic would come in and at the end of the CS's you really do wrap it up. A leader, but not the stereotypical one. A very unique one. I like. xD

Thank you! I look forward to playing him.