it hurts until it stops, we will love until it's not

[cocanuts]

PLAYER INFORMATION
Name: Bee
Timezone: EST
Personal Journal: cocanuts
Player Contact: sleepcoast
Characters in Game: none!

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Cain
Canon: Starfighter
Age: 22
Suitability: Cain would thrive in an explicitly sexy fantasy land. At first he might be pissed off and concerned that he isn't able to do his mission that's supposed to get him home but he'd definitely take this opportunity to be as promiscuous and aggressive with everyone around him. He will try to fuck his way to victory and into the good graces of those around him. TL;DR Let. Cain. FUCK!!!!
Species: Human from New Volga, Mars
Canon Point: End of Chapter Three.
History: There isn't a good wiki summary, the one I could find isn't particularly helpful and has some wrong information in the short info section. So I've decided to summarize Cain's history in Starfighter. I apologize in advance for the longevity of it.

As a warning, Starfighter is super NSFW due to graphic nudity and sex, though I'll leave out the exact details in the history unless it warrants importance as it does in two cases.

The premise of Starfighter can be summarized as a boy love comic that takes place in Space. A more in-depth premise is that a military group known as the Alliance is on an assignment to keep Earth and her colonies safe from an alien threat known as the Colteron. They employ starfighters, a duo consisting of one fighter (in charge of weapons and fighting) and a navigator (in charge of navigating the ship and mission objectives), who both take on codenames and use those names to refer to themselves and each other. Navigators are typically from Earth (which is seen as fancy and well-off), and fighters come from the Colonies (seen as poor, hellhole places) which becomes important in the dynamics of the universe as many navigators view fighters as a pack of wild dogs who fight each other for dominance and fighters see navigators as weak and people they need to be nice to to pilot their ships.

The story primarily takes place through the perspective and experience of Abel, a new navigator who just been assigned to Cain. It tells how Cain seduces Abel, and the challenges they face in their relationship as well as the obstacles in their lives via their military involvement, as well as the stark differences of their backgrounds (Earth vs. Mars). For Cain, his history can be easily summarized as an aggressor on a mission who hides his vulnerabilities, to a man who's softening up and actually caring for his lover. The story is currently ongoing with five chapters (roughly 50 to 80 pages each chapter) and has spanned one visual novel/dating sim game. For brevity sake (and because you can get different story outcomes in the game) I am going to stick to just the comics.

Chapter one starts with the Cain and Abel being assigned to each other and their ship; the Reliant. After being assigned to the Reliant, the two make it back to their shared room where Cain viciously attacks Abel (biting his lip so hard it leaves a scar) to claim Abel as his own. Before Abel can report him, or do anything to retaliate, the ship gets put on alert for an incoming attack. They make their way off to their ships with Cain ignoring Abel and Abel shouting at Cain to listen to him. With a rocky start to their relationship, tension is high but they somehow manage to pull it together, with Cain telling Abel that he's the best fighter and that he won't tolerate Abel slowing him down, and promises to show his navigator something nice. After saving another ship and escaping the anti-matter canons just before they go off, Cain masturbates in the fighter seat to celebrate.

Cain makes it clear later that Abel takes orders from him and that rescuing the ship was disobeying him Cain explains that the reason he's the way he is because he enjoys the trill that comes from survival and being alive; that he wants to experience pain and pleasure from it all. With emotions and tension high, the two quickly kiss each other and proceed to have sex. The first chapter ends with Cain reporting back to his commander and telling him that his mission was a success All of this seems to be going according to Cain's plan.

Although it's a dream sequence, it should be noted that in chapter two- Abel dreams about Cain betraying him. That the sex they had the previous night was all for Cain's personal gain (and to be honest, he's not wrong.) It is through Abel that we get a glimpse of Cain's deployment history as Abel is told he is the third navigator in as many months to be assigned to Cain. It is also through Abel that we learn that the scar that Cain gave Abel really is a symbol of belonging to Cain because when Abel tries to glean information about Cain from Praxis (the sole survivor of the ship they'd saved in chapter one), Praxis quickly becomes uncomfortable and unwilling to share any information about Cain due to the fact that there is another fighter (Deimos) watching them.

As it turns out, Cain has told other fighters to stay away from his navigator (whom they'd know by the scar he'd give them) and has Deimos keeping tabs on Abel. (Specifically who's talking to Abel and stalking him from the shadows.) Deimos informs Cain that Praxis had been talking to Abel, and Cain finds out that Praxis had been talking to Abel and proceeds to track him down and ambushing him. "What did I tell everyone, huh? The one with the scar.. don't look at him, don't touch him, and don't fucking talk to him." Apparently Praxis didn't seem to understand it and the two exchange blows, with Cain threatening to cut out Praxis' other eye before they quickly disperse to avoid getting caught.

Jumping back to Abel's point of view, we find out that the Alliance has quickly been losing this war and that they want volunteers to join the battleship Sleipnir to proceed into Colteron Space and destroy the enemy ships. This mission is deemed suicidal and risky as no one's ever returned from Colteron Space. Abel quickly realizes he wants to protect Earth, her colonies, his family back at home, and Cain. Through this realization he volunteers the both of them to join the Slepinir.

The two run into each other again, with Abel asking if they could have sex again, this time insider their ship the Reliant. The two share a tender moment as Cain points out that this time was different. It's after their dirty deed in the ship, surrounded by other ships quickly mobilizing to join the Slepinir that Abel tells Cain about the upcoming mission and that he volunteered them both to join up. The chapter ends with Cain asking Abel what the fuck he just did.

An argument over the suicidal mission starts off chapter three, with Cain getting angry and explaining that they'll never make it back alive. Abel insists that they will make it back alive right before Cain has a flashback to when he was assigned to his secretive mission. The only significance to note here is that Cain isn't quite sure what the navigator is supposed to do in his mission. He understands his role but doesn't quite understand how his future navigator is going to understand how to play his part. He's told not to worry and that if Cain does his job right- they will be able to do what the plan foretold if they fulfill their potential.

Cue to the duo, and other volunteers, boarding the Sleipnir. The two are assigned to their new bedroom; smaller than their previous one, and report to their respective positional briefings. Cain's lead fighter (Encke) warns the fighters that he wants things by the book.

We see that Abel and Cain have gotten to know each other a little better as they settle in with the Sleipnir, Abel pointing out that he doesn't get to see Cain very much because he gets up early and comes back late. But from their small interactions that they do have- it's taken some time to get used to living with each other and their habits. Abel makes note that Cain was possibly having difficulty adjusting to the sleipnir because Cain usually came back with new scrapes, bruises, and bandages.

As it turns out, Cain had been secretly fighting with other fighters on the ship in order to secure the title of alpha dog. (Which explains his injuries and why he comes back so late.) Everyone involved gets busted by Encke who issues his warning again and says if he catches anyone doing this "alpha dog bullshit" he wouldn't hesitate to throw them in the brig. He sends them all off to physical training as punishment but not before having words with Cain. He basically tells Cain that he knows the fighter is on some special mission from their commanding officers but he won't look the other way for Cain.

Sometime later, Cain makes a small scene at lunch with Deimos by sitting at the navigator table with Abel and Ethos (another navigator). Not much happens with this particular scene but it's important to note that Cain seems different around Abel, more loving and open with him for sure. Moments later, an alert comes in- warning the entire ship of an incoming enemy attack.

Cain and Abel come to the rescue of a ship on a retreat and engage in the fighting. As they are fighting, a transmission from the Colteron ship hails the Reliant and tells them that they are cowards. In a risky decision, Abel decides that they're going to fight the ship head on ("Fuck yeah!"-Cain). They manage to take out the enemy ship and somehow disappear, reappearing moments later. (It later turns out that Abel had somehow managed to engage in the secret warp drive technology of their new engine... more on this later.)

They emerge from their ship as heroes of the battle, with Cain eagerly hugging Abel. The two leave, and immediately start making out once they're out of sight. They have sex again but this time it's different. Cain is more tender and passionate, offering Abel compliments for what a good job he did out there and even goes as far to admit that he never wanted anyone as bad as Abel. After doing it, Abel hesitantly asks Cain if Cain ever considered letting Abel penetrate him. (All of their sex has thus far been Abel on the receiving end.) With a blush, Cain replies that they can switch and the duo have sex (yet again) with Cain on the receiving end this time. This is a huge character development for Cain because he is willing to expose himself to a vulnerable position whereas before he would fight for power and control. There definitely is a visible shift in their relationship as his icy hard shell starts to melt away.

The end of chapter three allows us to slowly get a crack at the real Cain and lays the foundation for chapter four which is arguably an important chapter for Cain's character development. We start out chapter four with a dream sequence from Cain. He's in a snowy-cold place, presumably on Mars, and meets up with what is speculated to be his sister (and her husband) at a bar. But that's not particularly important. What is important about the dream is that Abel somehow comes along in the dream looking for Cain and Cain refuses to speak up among his friends and family. Cain wakes up in a cold sweat. It's here we can pinpoint Cain's real feelings for Abel are slowly coming to light and that he feels just a tiny bit guilty for his deception with their relationship. (For instance, in a meeting with Bering about his mission- he tries to give Abel some credit for the events that unfolded in chapter three.)

We learn what happened to Cain's previous two navigators (one demanded reassignment immediately, the other got medical leave from a freak accident) and that apparently Abel was Cain's last chance before he'd be sent back to the colonies. We get a tiny glimpse of Cain's past in what looks like a correctional facility. (It's later revealed that Cain had quite the criminal record on New Volga.) It's also revealed that Cain was a strong candidate for Project Thebes and apparently a lot of high commanders doubted his abilities but now hold him in high regards for seducing his navigator successfully. If his mission is successful, he'll be home soon according to Bering.

But his mission almost comes apart when Praxis tries to warn Abel about Cain; revealing the kind of person Cain is- flashy, arrogant, and had proudly claimed his navigator long before knowing who he even was. Praxis tells Abel that Cain is the commander's lackey and that he should watch out for his two-faced lies. Abel has more faith in Cain than Praxis thought and brushes off all these worries about Cain- a fact Cain knows about since he managed to overhear the entire exchange thanks to his lackey. Cain's look is one of worry and regret as he realizes Abel really had fallen for the act.

Though his relationship with Abel escaped a bullet, his relationship with Deimos does not. When the two meet up again after the Praxis situation was taken care of, Cain tells his lackey that they need to keep Abel on a tighter leash. (He's so close to being able to return home after all.) Deimos refuses and says he's not doing Cain's work anymore because Cain had changed. He points out that Cain didn't care about the previous two navigators and that Abel is somehow different. Again, another example of how chapter four is about Cain's development from a sexually aggressive fighter on a seductive mission to a young man who is very possibly feeling real love.

Although we don't know much about Cain, partly because the story is focused on Abel's perspective and experience and partly because Cain himself is shrouded in mystery, what little information we have about Cain's past speaks volumes. The most we knew about Cain is that he was violent, from the colonies, and before being assigned to Abel- he had two navigators. But in a game similar to 20 questions, Abel asks Cain about his colony life. Cain explains he grew up in New Volga (Mars), and that his parents worked in the factories. He had an older sister who got married and left the home. He ended up with her rifle and used it to win tournaments at shooting galleries. Cain truthfully admits that he'd always dreamed about leaving Mars but after being enlisted and fighting in space, he actually just wants to get back home.

It's in Cain's confession of his past that we learn that the alien enemy had claimed Mars as a holy ground and that's how the war started. The Colteron claimed Mars by shooting an orbital satellite called the Frontier out of the sky. Though this is important for understanding the war itself, it's important to Cain as well because it was his childhood mountain. The debris from the satellite fell outside New Volga and Cain played ontop of it as a colony child until his mother would call for him. It's at this pivotal point in the comic that we learn of Cain's real name- Alexei. In this moment the whole masquerade of code-names falls apart as Abel reveals to Cain that his real name is Ethan.

For reasons not yet explained, Cain freaks out when Abel uses "Alexei." It's a very real possibility that Cain has been denying his real feelings for Abel (earlier when Deimos left their little team- Deimos did point out that Cain was acting different around this navigator.) In a rush, Cain leaves Abel behind.

Chapter five is still currently ongoing and hasn't finished yet but so far the chapter started out with Deimos stealing Abel away to talk to him privately. It's chapter five that Cain's real mission and purpose for seducing Abel comes to light as Deimos and his navigator reveal to Abel the truth. Apparently long ago, the Alliance had captured a Colteron ship with the technology still intact. While studying the alien technology, people who came into contact with the lab were overcome with powerful emotion that they couldn't control. It was later discovered that Colteron ship was transmitting emotional energy which formed Mother. (Mother is an oracle-figure that give guidance to the Alliance for military strategy.) Anyhow, it is revealed to Abel that the same technology that formed Mother, was being used in his ship and that the alliance was trying to figure out how to trigger the same tools the Colteron used in their ships. No navigator and fighter team had been successful save for a pair who happened to be lovers. It was with this pair that they figured out that the need to protect, to love, was the key to unlocking the warp-drive technology. These lovers were the secret weapon of the alliance for this special skill they had. Unfortunately, one of the lovers had died in battle- thus effectively breaking the bond and ridding the Alliance of their secret weapon.

Anyways, this is important to Cain's history because this story ties directly into his secret mission. (Remember chapter three when I said their ship disappeared and reappeared? It turns out that Abel was able to use this secret warp drive technology... so, mission accomplished?) Project Thebes, as it was called, was the Alliance's plan to recruit young men from the Colonies and coerce them into seducing their navigators to forge the emotional bond needed to tap into the warp-drive technology. Cain, among other fighters, were selected for this secret mission. Right now we don't know what's going to happen to Cain and Abel with this information being revealed to Abel. What we do know for Cain though is that, if he failed his mission or somehow fucked it up- he was going to be sent back to New Volga where he 'belongs.' Presumably the correctional facility he was seemingly recruited from.

And that's all we have for now as the comic updates slowly page by page.

Personality: Imagine the biggest asshole you know. Now imagine that asshole with an IV of testosterone and Viagra. There, you've got Cain.

It's accurate to say that Cain's personality and being revolves around aggression, control, and sex. Hell, even his military file lists "issue with aggression" and "promiscuity" as defining words to describe Cain, and it's no surprise seeing as these themes resurface time and time again with Cain.

Control is probably one of the least talked about aspects of Cain but arguably one of the most important ones when thinking about Cain's motivation and reasoning. Let's define this. For starters, control to Cain is about ensuring that he gets his way and that he has complete control of his outcome. This comes in a number of ways through scarring, manipulation, and even stalking/spying. One of the first scenes we see with Cain is an act of aggression; biting Abel's lip so hard it causes permanent scarring. At first it just seems like the usual aggression of "you're mine" moves you'd stereotypically see in similar types of genre but it's much more than just Cain flexing his might. It's a possessive type of dominance; a way to control, not Abel, but his fellow fighters. The scar on Abel's lip is how Cain warns other fighters that Abel is his navigator and that they aren't allowed to touch what's his. Though they may not like it, the other fighters understand that any navigator barring this distinct scar belongs to Cain.

We also see Cain control others and his situation through manipulation. The most obvious example comes from his relationship with Abel, specifically seducing Abel in a romantic fashion as that was his secret mission with his commander. He uses all sorts of tactics to manipulate Abel's feelings and their relationship into his favor. Such as exploiting Abel's sexual inexperience and taking advantage of the navigator's sexual desires by promising to show him 'something nice.' (a.k.a. his dick.) Cain also uses other people as a means to control, specifically his relationship with Deimos (which is also equally manipulative). He makes Deimos follow Abel around as a buffer to ward off other fighters and a way to keep tabs on Abel. Cain is able to do that because he takes advantage of the obvious crush that Deimos harbors for Cain and has promised that the other would get some benefits if he helped keep an eye on the navigator.

Though these are just examples of how Cain controls, it doesn't necessarily spell out why it's important. For Cain, control is important because if he successfully seduces Abel, he's able to go back home after his mission. Right now he has the threat of being sent back to the detention center he was recruited from if he is not successful at his mission. So controlling, manipulating, and spying are crucial to the success of his mission. Aggression? Not so much, it's just a part of Cain's asshole and testosterone fueled personality. Sex? Well, he does use sex as a means of manipulation and a tool for succeeding in his mission. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

It should be noted that while he has no real interest in Abel at first (except for personal interests- Abel is his meal ticket back home afterall), Cain is very clearly falling in love with Abel and regretting some of his choices as the story progresses. But we'll get to that later.

Aggression is another core component to understanding Cain's personality and is central to almost everything Cain does related to his mission but it's also part of Cain's arrogance and first reaction to undesirable or sudden situations. Examples of his aggression are wide and varied; he'll use his words, his fists, threats, and even knives as weapons in his aggression. Cain is willingness to attack others for defending himself or Abel (in the case of Phobos), or for simple acts of aggression against him (in the case of Praxis who talked to Abel, something Cain said he wasn't allowed to do according to Cain's rules) but he's also willing to attack others for much less (Abel's lip for instance).

It should be noted that Cain gets his thrills from hostile encounters and has a bit of an itchy trigger finger which is why aggression is important to understanding Cain. In at least two different instances Cain had to be stopped or held back from further remarks or from punching people for looking at him the wrong way. He is easily excited at the thought of battle and very easily gets worked up over it. (Letting slip a "fuck yeah" in battle and getting heated up over a battle simulation telling him that he's hitting the sequences incorrect.) These thrills also become sexual enjoyment but I'll get to that in a moment.

On-top of control, and aggression, Cain is also very egoistic and arrogant. He sees himself as the best fighter (and is also stated, by commanders, as being one of the best) and doesn't hesitate to push those aside if they can't keep up. He's also willing to put that to the test by fighting for the alpha dog position amongst fighters when he joined up on the Sleipnir. Cain also flaunts his abilities in a flashy/showy way. He does not shy away from attention be it bad or good; taking risks to impress people with confidence and ease. Despite his hostility, Cain is pretty popular among the fighters. It's said that the reason for his popularity is that other fighters gravitated towards Cain's flashy and arrogant personality and that Cain wanted to get the other fighters attention (and got it). Part of the need for being in the spotlight is because Cain is flashy and wants to be the center of attention but perhaps the most important part is that Cain wants control. He wanted to be popular among the other fighters because he wanted them all to stay away from his navigator so that he could seduce his navigator for his mission. By gaining everyone's attention, Cain ensured that his wishes and whims would go unopposed.

Finally we get to the last big picture of Cain's personality: Sex. Sex is part of Cain's personality, primarily because the story is in the Boy Love genre. As stated before, his military profile lists promiscuity in his files and while we only ever see Cain shacking up with Abel it begs the question as to why promiscuity was listed in his files. He very clearly has a great deal of experience on the subject; he's not bashful when asked questions, confident in himself and his abilities, and loves being in control of sex. His sexual drive stems a lot from the thrill of survival and wanting to experience pain and pleasure that define being alive. We can already conclude a lot of this 'pain' must stem from his aggression and fighting, and pleasure is obviously hinted at his sexual appetite which comes out in moments of death and destruction. Though an important detail to note is that sexual acts for Cain are controlling and aggressive; he's always been the one to penetrate not the penetrated.

This detail may seem insignificant but it's pretty damn important in terms of how Cain's character changes over the course of the story. The details are mentioned in the history but essentially Cain does allow Abel to penetrate him and this is an incredible development. First of all, Cain has been controlling and aggressive in their nightly romps and now he is allowing himself to be in a vulnerable position. He is purposefully relinquishing control to Abel, although Cain claims he's wanted to experience this switch because Abel makes it sound so incredible- it's definitely a sign of Cain's shifting attitude regarding their relationship. This pivotal moment in the story opens up the door to Cain's softer side and pulls away the curtains of mystery.

Cain has seen nothing wrong with the way he handled himself, and others up until this point. Now, he harbors small regrets and doubts and recognizes himself as the asshole with an IV of Viagra. Previously, Abel had been the one getting to know Cain through their actions and sexual intercourse and now Cain wants to get to know the real Abel. The little impromptu picnic with the 20 questions game was an earnest attempt by Cain to get to know Abel before they flew off for a potential suicide mission. He pours his heart out into his story, and opens the door for further vulnerabilities by accidentally revealing his name.

Not only does Cain become more open, either accidentally or otherwise, we also do see rare moments of Cain being nice. One such moment is saving Deimos from getting his shit kicked in during their time in training. (Though Cain later takes advantage of Deimos' feelings as mentioned in the control section.) Another moment is where he tries to give Abel more credit for the success of activating the warp-drive. Yet another moment could be noted in the way he tried to stand up for Deimos and Abel against Phobos during the lunchtime incident.

And while Cain does have a tendency to be an asshole, a lot of this may stem from emotional immaturity. It might be a great character development that he's opening up but his reactions do kinda point to Cain unable to cope with certain emotions and face the consequences of his actions. At the very least, he doesn't want to think about his past and will deny or throw up walls the moment he feels anyone is getting too close to knowing the 'real' Cain.
Abilities/Weaknesses: ⥈bilingual: He's able to speak Russian (his mother tongue due to being from Earth's Colonies) and English (primarily language of the Federated Alliance Fleet ships.) His Russian accent tends to slip through when he's excited or agitated.
⥈hand-to-hand combat/physical strength/quick reflexes: Cain has demonstrated in his simulation sequence that he is capable at hand-to-hand combat and his fight with Praxis shows his agility, stamina, and ability to take a hit. When Cain and Abel joined the Slepnir fleet, Cain would often disappear to fight other fighters to prove that he was top-dog, and come back with bloody knuckles and bandages.
⥈fighter training: It's implied that due to Cain's criminal record, he was scouted and forced to enlist into the military. Either way, as a young man from one of Earth's many colonies- enlisting was often seen as a way to survive and make it out of the colonies. With his fighter training he's learned military tactics, combat tactics, and most importantly- how to man the guns on battle ships.
⥈gun mastery/marksmanship: Before he even had military training, Cain had inherited his sister's rifle when she got married and used it to win local shooting tournaments. He's hinted that he's quite adept and won prizes (nothing fancy, just money) from the competitions.
⥈knife mastery: Cain seems adept in using a knife as seen with his fight with Praxis. At the very least he keeps one tucked away in his boot for when he can't punch his way to victory.
⥈sex: I put this here jokingly but honestly? Cain is pretty experienced in the world of sex. He knows how to give the good succ and knows how to give the good fucc.

⥈weaknesses: he has to be in control or he will literally fight you. otherwise Cain doesn't really like other people knowing his past or business. he's a soft boy at heart. also don't call him by his real name because it's really traumatic/dramatic for reasons not yet know. HE WANTS TO BE THE COOL, MYSTERIOUS, DARK HANDSOME BOY.
RP Samples:
Text->Prose Thread: "sorry for trying to wake you up by slapping your ass with a fruit 2 go"