Erik Bell

[MurderWeasel]

Name: Erik Bell
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Height: 5'10"
Weight  190 lbs
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Kills: One or None
Weapon: Jericho .941

Appearance: Erik is a well-built young man, muscular in a lithe way. He's Caucasian, and well-tanned from outdoor activities, which he frequently engages in without a shirt on. His facial features are boyish, with a winning smile and wide eyes, though a weak chin prevents him from being completely classically handsome. His nose is straight and of average size, and his eyebrows are thick. Erik's hair is kept in a buzz cut, and he stays studiously clean-shaven. He wears simple, utilitarian clothing; on Announcement Day he was wearing black cargo pants, a black tank top, a denim jacket, and black sneakers.

Interests: Erik is a devoted follower of military news and technological advances, which he views as both hobby and research for his future service. His passion, however, extends beyond the strictly utilitarian aspects; he enjoys rattling off the history of obsolete firearms whenever vaguely relevant. Erik keeps up with physical conditioning, running, lifting weights, doing cardio work, and so forth, though he participates in no organized sports. He does, however, enjoy spending time in nature, hiking and camping with friends or family.

History: Erik comes from a lower-middle-class family fiercely proud of its history of service; though neither of his parents spent more time in the military than their mandated ten years or progressed to notable rank or decoration, it nonetheless represents the most successful point of each of their lives, and so they look back on their time with nostalgia. Erik grew up regaled with stories from their deployments, and taught that the country offers the best possible opportunities to those of its people who see fit to seize them. This was further emphasized by the celebration when his brother, Anthony—seven years Erik's senior—began his first tour.

Last year, however, Anthony returned home having suffered serious injuries in a routine drill. While his parents remain supportive and outwardly proud, they've kept the specifics of the incident from Erik but have impressed upon him that he needs to do better than his brother did, take things more seriously and be more careful. For his part, Erik has always taken things very seriously, and has seen fit to make sure others do so as well when given the opportunity, but his behavior has escalated in light of his brother's return. Anthony himself, however, is still Erik's idol, and he won't hear a negative word about the boy from anyone but his parents.

Personality: Erik is loud, confident, and patriotic. He sits pretty in the social hierarchy without verging into true elite status—mostly because he lacks interest in social games with those he respects. With those he views as unpatriotic, however, Erik can be quite mean-spirited, and tends to delight in making a lasting impression even if doing so means playing a very long and patient game. Of course, if shoving someone off a bench gets the job done, that works too. While Erik styles himself a true believer, he has his moments of doubt on those rare occasions when he or those he cares about suffer due to the government's actions. Since his brother's return, these moments have occurred with greater frequency, but Erik tries to drown them out by acting his role with ever-greater enthusiasm.

Reputation: Among the more patriotic quarters, Erik is known as reliable (if perhaps overzealous) in his love for his country. He's seen as sociable enough, though can be a bit of a bore if prompted on his favorite subjects—especially guns. Among those who don't buy into the government's philosophy, though, Erik is distrusted; his behavior can verge into thuggery, and he takes pride more in magnitude than frequency of behavior, meaning he may well ignore a classmate for most of the year, then suddenly turn on them when some minor action of theirs catches his attention.