R O L E
The Dollmaker
A G E
18 years of age.
G E N D E R
Male
A P P E A R A N C E
At first glance, your first thought of Smoke Griswold is that he's arrogant, cocky, and selfish. He has that confident stride, a flirtatious smile, and that gleam in his eye that just screams that he's up to no good; however, looks can be deceiving, especially in this day and age.
Smoke would be categorized as rather attractive, he has messy hair that's a deep red and pale skin. He blushes easily, his cheeks turning a visible shade of pink when he's happy, angry, or embarrassed. His eyes are odd, for they aren't a natural color. They are red like his hair, he believes this is a mutation caused by his brush with the baby plague, since he was born with brown eyes. His emotions are easier to read than a book, and he doesn't hide it, so you can easily tell what Mr. Griswold is thinking or feeling, even if he doesn't say anything.
His sense of style is simple, yet somewhat elegant. Because of his family business, he has a bit of extra money and often uses it to buy nice clothing for himself, although he doesn't mind spending it on a pretty lady, either. He often wears dark colors and his clothes usually fit well. When he's working, he usually wears an apron over his clothes so that he doesn't get the paint on them when he's painting the dolls' faces. He usually keeps paints, paintbrushes, needles and thread in his apron, as well.
His work puts food on the table, so he's not overly thin like many of the people of his time, but he's not fat or muscular. He has a normal build, with some muscle, but not enough to be overly noticeable. The muscle he has is probably from carrying the boxes of porcelain doll parts that he brings home from one of the factories.
Smoke doesn't wear make up, and he never saw the point of getting a tattoo, so his body is relatively unmarked. However, he does have burn scars on his arms, chest, and legs from rescuing Kana from the fire that killed her family when they were both small. His fingers are also a bit calloused and blistered from sewing and painting dolls and wigs all day, every day, for most of his life.
A F F I L I A T I O N
He thinks of himself as a good guy. Although to the people chasing him, he's aware that he's probably the bad guy.
S K I L L S
Smoke is very good with his hands, he's a skilled painter and sewer because that's what he's been doing most of his life. He's also good with utilizing his resources and improvising. Fighting wise, he's not the best because he always had Kana there for him so he wouldn't have to fight. However, that doesn't mean he's useless when it comes to fighting. He has good aim and he's good with a gun. He's always kept a pistol under the counter in his shop just in case someone tried to rob him or something. He's only had to use it a handful of times, but it's always there if he needs it. Although, Smoke isn't one to resort to violence unless it's necessary. He can usually smooth talk his way out of things, instead. He's very intelligent and almost always knows just what to say, so he can most often wiggle himself out of sticky situations without having to fight.
He's also a good horse rider. He usually has to take his horse and carriage to the porcelain factory for doll parts, so he's good on a horse. He also often goes riding around the city when he needs to think about something or just get away from work for a bit. He's been practicing and can now ride a horse without using his hands, allowing him to easily be able to shoot while riding.
W E A K N E S S E S
While Mr. Griswold is socially active and intelligent, he tends to not understand people or their situations if they are not like his own. He grew up only knowing two different types of life, his life in a somewhat upper class, business oriented family, and his friend, Kana's life as a thug, any other lifestyle is completely foreign, so he's rather closed minded. He doesn't understand other people and their feelings if they aren't like his own, so he might come off to people as arrogant or naive. He also has a weakness for women and children. He's a bit of a flirt, and can be caught off guard by a pretty woman, and he has a soft spot for children, so he'll often drop everything and help a child if it comes to it.
When it comes to physical limitations, Smoke has many. For one, he's not the strongest man ever, and his left arm is significantly weaker than his right arm because he had some permanent damage to the muscles when he was burnt by the factory fire that cost his best friend her family. Another one is his eyes. He's completely blind in his right eye and the vision in his left eye isn't entirely reliable, either, and the baby plague is to blame. The sight in his left eye varies, some days it may be perfect and some days he'll wake up and won't be able to work because he's gone completely blind. He's used to it by now, but it greatly hinders him and his ability to work sometimes.
P E R S O N A L I T Y
You hear his name, Smoke, and automatically think he's a mysterious, dark, thuggish man. You see his face and automatically think he's cocky, selfish, and unintelligent. However, when it comes to first impressions, Smoke's are usually completely wrong. He's neither dark and mysterious, nor cocky and unintelligent, in fact he's quite the opposite.
Smoke never liked his name because it never captured his personality like it could have. Smoke is a smart young man, he's pretty selfless, usually happy, and he's a good friend. He's good at listening and giving advice to people, as well as cheering others up. He's respectful of other people, especially women, and likes to act like a gentleman to people who pass by his shop. He can come off as quite the flirt, but he doesn't mind, he knows that he is. He's a smooth talker and he knows how to talk his way into or out of things.
When it comes to his friends, he's very caring and likes to act as the big brother to all of them, protecting them and keeping their little family together. He likes to lighten the mood by cracking jokes and he speaks sarcasm like a second language. He tends to make sure his friends are fed and happy before himself.
He's a bit different when he's with Kana. She's his best friend and a little sister to him. They both know each other inside and out and he never has a problem spotting her when she needs a place to stay for the night or if she needs money. He even built a secret bunker-like basement under the floor of the shop for her and some of her gang when they're being tracked by the police. He cares more about her than anyone else and wouldn't hesitate to do something idiotic if it would help her.
He has a serious crush on Chandra and while he easily talks to and flirts with other women, he can't find it in him to do that with her. When she's with him, he usually blushes a lot and says stupid things, however he slowly gets better as they get to know each other. Kana often makes fun of him for it, but he tries to ignore her when she does because it only makes things worse.
H I S T O R Y
Smoke Abraham Griswold and his twin sister, Romella Grace Griswold, were born to a young mother, Natalia Prince, who was 16 when she married Abraham Griswold (age 25 at the time) and got pregnant soon after. Abraham worked in the coal mines for most of his life and hoped that one day his son would follow in his footsteps, thus naming him Smoke. However, Abraham died in a mining accident when Smoke and Romella were only 6 months old. Shortly after, the two contracted the baby plague. They fought the sickness for 2 years before Romella died (her organs slowly shut down, one by one). Three months after Romella's death, Smoke was treated by a local herb healer and was cured. Luckily, it only had lasting effects on his eyes, but that was enough to keep him from ever living out his father's dreams for him.
After that, it was only Smoke and his mother. Natalia feared that her son would have to work in the factories like she did when she was a child (she lost her right hand and two fingers on her left hand due to factory accidents), so she quickly began her doll and wig business. Despite her cripple, she was skilled in making her dolls and threading wigs, so their business flourished and she taught her son the trade from a young age.
When Smoke was 5, three years after his sister's death, he watched as the clothing factory across the street from the shop burned down. His mother wasn't awake yet, so he made the brash decision to run in and try to help, despite being small. Inside, he found a young girl, her hair singed and her dress burning, pounding on the metal doors that led to the sewing room, screaming that her family was inside. He tried to help her open the door, but it was too hot and the flames were spreading. She collapsed from the smoke and he dragged her out and took her to the healer. The two became close friends after that day.
Smoke's mother died two weeks before his eighteenth birthday when he was out with Kana. She was raped and stabbed in the store during a robbery. He blames himself for not being there for her.
O T H E R
He has a large black horse named Romella, after his sister. He calls her Romie.
Smoke's mother.
The Cave
It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind
The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat
But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again
Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind
So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears
But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again
So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's hand
So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say
Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be
And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again
