Michael Westen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thatsmyyogurt) wrote2012-02-20 09:27 pm
thatsmyyogurt) wrote2012-02-20 09:27 pm
Entry tags:
DDD app
Player nickname: Orlando
Player DW:paperback
Way to contact you:
Email: agreylady@gmail.com
AIM: Elspeth Vimes
Other: plurk
Are you at least 15?: Y.
Current Characters: Masamori Sumimura, Anthy Himemiya, Ayako Matsuzaki, Sayaka Miki
Character: Michael Westen
Fandom: Burn Notice
Character Notes:
History:
"My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy, until..."
Michael Westen was born in Miami to Madeline and Frank Westen, the first of their two sons. Michael and his younger brother Nate had childhoods which were rather less than ideal. Frank Westen was an abusive father and sometimes con man, and when Madeline couldn't keep him calm Michael often took the brunt of his father's attention (frequently in order to keep attention off of Nate). In his youth, Michael learned to do things like hotwire cars to get himself and Nate to school, steal groceries, and take a beating for stealing groceries. When he was 17, Michael had had enough. Thanks to his mother forging his father's signature on the appropriate paperwork, Michael joined the army.
Details on Michael's career are hazy. He spent time as a Green Beret. He came to the attention of the CIA, was recruited, and served as a spy for 15 years. He has spent time in: Russia (where he has achieved legendary status- no seriously), some other areas of Eastern Europe (hence knowing Czech), Ireland, Afghanistan, the Balkans, and the Gulf Arab states (if you speak Arabic like a Kurd, Michael will notice). During a time in Moscow, he met and became engaged to a thief named Samantha- but he called it off later as a result of meeting Fiona Glenanne while in Ireland.
And then, while on a mission in Nigeria, Michael got burned for no reason he could think of.
"When you're burned, you've got nothing: no cash, no credit, no job history. You're stuck in whatever city they decide to dump you in. You do whatever work comes your way. You rely on anyone who's still talking to you-"
Michael ended up dumped in Miami. He there reconnected with Fiona, currently an ex-girlfriend, and Sam Axe, an old friend who halfheartedly informed on Michael to the FBI agents who were tailing him (he stopped after a few episodes). And given the location, he had little option but to reconnect with his mother as well. Michael's attempts to find out why he was burned and how to reverse the burn notice were largely thwarted, with Michael having to constantly track down new people and use various methods of persuasion to get any worthwhile information. Michael eventually found and confronted the man who burned him...only for the man to be shot down while indicating the existence of a large conspiracy. He was then contacted by a woman who claimed to work for the organization that burned him, who proposed a meeting.
The woman was Carla, and she made it clear that she was going to be Michael's new handler...or else. Michael had little choice but to work for Carla, but did his best to also uncover things about her and what she was planning. In spite of Carla sending another operative named Victor to occasionally work with and keep tabs on Michael, Michael managed to put together enough pieces to discover that Carla was preparing for an assassination. But before he and Carla could have a confrontation, the assassin was killed and Michael was nearly blown up. Carla then hired Michael to find out who tried to kill him, as the culprit was causing no small amount of damage to her operation. Michael began by investigating the explosion at his loft, and managed to track down the bomber, while telling Carla as little as possible or flat-out lying to her.
I would be taking him from around this point- between "Seek and Destroy" (episode 12) and "Bad Breaks" (episode 13) in season 2. (Because "Bad Breaks" is one of my favorite episodes.)
Personality:
"'You're an educated sort of a swine,' he announced easily as he sat down again. 'An artist is a bloke who can hold two fundamentally opposing views and still function: who dreamed that one up?'
'Scott Fitzgerald,' Smiley replied, thinking for a moment that Bland was proposing to say something about Bill Haydon.
'Well, Fitzgerald knew a thing or two,' Bland affirmed. As he drank, his bulging eyes slid sideways towards the fence, as if in search of someone. 'And I'm definitely functioning, George. As a good Socialist, I'm going for the money. As a good capitalist, I'm sticking with the revolution, because if you can't beat it spy on it.'"
- John le Carre, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Michael is a man made up of contradictions. Someone who constantly lies while placing great value in the truth, an often emotionally distant person who will go to great lengths for friends.
Michael's default state, in things not related to his work as a spy, is uninvolved. He's cooly practical- people who come to him for help will often find themselves rebuffed unless someone close to him urges him to get involved or they do something that causes more trouble. He tends to be to the point, even blunt, and will avoid unnecessary social interaction if possible. It's hard to throw Michael off-balance. Even when he's angry enough to kill, he'll often be precise and not even raise his voice (in season 3, he doesn't shout at Strickler before shooting him, he simply makes a very definite statement). Michael is a controlled person. If that control is taken away, he'll find some way to re-exert it.
But for all this, Michael can definitely be lead by emotion. When he's close to someone, he is close to them. He gets seriously worked up whenever Fiona is in real danger. And he'll go to great lengths for friends (in season 4, he gets himself put in prison for a few days just to help a friend of Sam's). And there are other ways of getting him emotionally invested- he'll go a long way to protect kids, and he does believe that one good turn deserves another.
He can seem like a jerk to those who don't know him, but he is really a good person to know.
"'The ethic of our work, as I understand it, is based on a single assumption. That is, we are never going to be aggressors. Do you think that's fair?'
Leamas nodded. Anything to avoid talking.
'Thus we do disagreeable things, but we are defensive. That, I think, is still fair. We do disagreeable things so that ordinary people here and elsewhere can sleep safely in their beds at night. Is that too romantic? Of course, we occasionally do very wicked things'; he grinned like a schoolboy."
-John le Carre, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Michael holds to convictions very strongly. It is incredibly difficult to change his mind about things- whether that's his views on family members or his belief that it's his duty to perform a job he doesn't currently have. This can cause problems, since it's also hard for him to, say, admit that he was wrong and apologize for something. But it's also what carries him through difficult situations- the determination to get things done, the belief that the end goal is right. It also helps him set guidelines he can live by. He refuses, for example, to be a mercenary- he does what he can for the benefit of others, not just for money.
Still, he remains practical about things. Sometimes you have to work with people have been, or still could be, your enemies. Sometimes you have to commit a crime or two in order to stop something bigger. Sometimes you can't actually stop something bad from happening, and all you can do is make sure the damage is less than it could be.
The problem with this is that Michael is able to rationalize a lot of questionable actions for the idea of the greater goal. This is why even though he's perfectly capable of working on his own, he needs a support system - the structure and rules of the CIA, friends like Sam Axe and Fiona to question his decisions. When he's sufficiently cut loose from support like this, whether by accident or his own design, he is capable of doing things he knows are wrong (it's implied, for example, that under the influence of the rather psychotic Larry, Michael did or simply permitted things in the Balkans which he is not proud of).
"A good agent must have entertainment value."
-John le Carre, The Honourable Schoolboy
For all his seriousness and professionalism, Michael is definitely not without a sense of humor. It is very dry, tending pretty much entirely toward deadpan snarking, but it is very present.
Michael is constantly putting on new identities. He'll change his hair, accent, clothes, and background at basically the drop of a pin. Is a cooly dangerous car thief, a drunken janitor, or a small-time criminal who did prison time up north just what's needed for this situation? Michael can be that. In-game, he'd be introducing himself under an assumed name and persona (until the community outs him). Because they are out to get him.
Other:
Michael eats a lot of yogurt. A lot of yogurt.
In spite of a) growing up in Miami and b) being skilled enough to learn things as varied as Russian, Arabic, German, and French, Michael is absolutely hopeless at Spanish. Hopeless.
Yes, he can probably make it explode.
Additional Links:
obligatory Wiki link
t.v. tropes
First Person (entry type): (set during "Bad Breaks")
[Private]
So Bly's back- as if Carla and whoever tried to kill me wasn't enough. Blackmail just isn't what it used to be.
Could see if Carla could get him to back off. It'd be goood to know how much influence she has now.
No, I'd need to tell her too much. That's out.
Can't ask Barry to do more right now. Sam's connections aren't good for this. Might have to wait it out, see if Bly gives me anything to work with.
Some of this could be good. Mr. Cayman Islands bank account probably won't come after me while feds are snooping around.
Are there other targets left?
Third Person:
Michael frowned at the contents of the fridge. The last yogurt was gone.
It had to have been Fi, yesterday, while he was working on things upstairs. Sam had been too busy trying to finish off the supply of beer. He could call Fi, ask her to please pick up some yogurt when she next came over, but he honestly couldn't convince himself it was worth listening to the pointed complaints she would give. It was a better idea to save favor requests for things which were really necessary. Like armed backup.
He also couldn't honestly convince himself bread and beer would make an acceptable breakfast- not even with the addition of the last scrapings off the peanut-butter jar. Beer for breakfast was more Sam's style. He squinted at the bread. It was probably stale by now, anyway.
Letting the fridge door swing close, he picked up his sunglasses. He could afford to take the shortest route to the store today, it had been long enough since he'd last used it. Michael opened the door of the loft and felt the sun, beating down and magnifying itself with every possible surface.
Another pleasant day in Miami.
Player DW:
paperbackWay to contact you:
Email: agreylady@gmail.com
AIM: Elspeth Vimes
Other: plurk
Are you at least 15?: Y.
Current Characters: Masamori Sumimura, Anthy Himemiya, Ayako Matsuzaki, Sayaka Miki
Character: Michael Westen
Fandom: Burn Notice
Character Notes:
History:
"My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy, until..."
Michael Westen was born in Miami to Madeline and Frank Westen, the first of their two sons. Michael and his younger brother Nate had childhoods which were rather less than ideal. Frank Westen was an abusive father and sometimes con man, and when Madeline couldn't keep him calm Michael often took the brunt of his father's attention (frequently in order to keep attention off of Nate). In his youth, Michael learned to do things like hotwire cars to get himself and Nate to school, steal groceries, and take a beating for stealing groceries. When he was 17, Michael had had enough. Thanks to his mother forging his father's signature on the appropriate paperwork, Michael joined the army.
Details on Michael's career are hazy. He spent time as a Green Beret. He came to the attention of the CIA, was recruited, and served as a spy for 15 years. He has spent time in: Russia (where he has achieved legendary status- no seriously), some other areas of Eastern Europe (hence knowing Czech), Ireland, Afghanistan, the Balkans, and the Gulf Arab states (if you speak Arabic like a Kurd, Michael will notice). During a time in Moscow, he met and became engaged to a thief named Samantha- but he called it off later as a result of meeting Fiona Glenanne while in Ireland.
And then, while on a mission in Nigeria, Michael got burned for no reason he could think of.
"When you're burned, you've got nothing: no cash, no credit, no job history. You're stuck in whatever city they decide to dump you in. You do whatever work comes your way. You rely on anyone who's still talking to you-"
Michael ended up dumped in Miami. He there reconnected with Fiona, currently an ex-girlfriend, and Sam Axe, an old friend who halfheartedly informed on Michael to the FBI agents who were tailing him (he stopped after a few episodes). And given the location, he had little option but to reconnect with his mother as well. Michael's attempts to find out why he was burned and how to reverse the burn notice were largely thwarted, with Michael having to constantly track down new people and use various methods of persuasion to get any worthwhile information. Michael eventually found and confronted the man who burned him...only for the man to be shot down while indicating the existence of a large conspiracy. He was then contacted by a woman who claimed to work for the organization that burned him, who proposed a meeting.
The woman was Carla, and she made it clear that she was going to be Michael's new handler...or else. Michael had little choice but to work for Carla, but did his best to also uncover things about her and what she was planning. In spite of Carla sending another operative named Victor to occasionally work with and keep tabs on Michael, Michael managed to put together enough pieces to discover that Carla was preparing for an assassination. But before he and Carla could have a confrontation, the assassin was killed and Michael was nearly blown up. Carla then hired Michael to find out who tried to kill him, as the culprit was causing no small amount of damage to her operation. Michael began by investigating the explosion at his loft, and managed to track down the bomber, while telling Carla as little as possible or flat-out lying to her.
I would be taking him from around this point- between "Seek and Destroy" (episode 12) and "Bad Breaks" (episode 13) in season 2. (Because "Bad Breaks" is one of my favorite episodes.)
Personality:
'Scott Fitzgerald,' Smiley replied, thinking for a moment that Bland was proposing to say something about Bill Haydon.
'Well, Fitzgerald knew a thing or two,' Bland affirmed. As he drank, his bulging eyes slid sideways towards the fence, as if in search of someone. 'And I'm definitely functioning, George. As a good Socialist, I'm going for the money. As a good capitalist, I'm sticking with the revolution, because if you can't beat it spy on it.'"
- John le Carre, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Michael is a man made up of contradictions. Someone who constantly lies while placing great value in the truth, an often emotionally distant person who will go to great lengths for friends.
Michael's default state, in things not related to his work as a spy, is uninvolved. He's cooly practical- people who come to him for help will often find themselves rebuffed unless someone close to him urges him to get involved or they do something that causes more trouble. He tends to be to the point, even blunt, and will avoid unnecessary social interaction if possible. It's hard to throw Michael off-balance. Even when he's angry enough to kill, he'll often be precise and not even raise his voice (in season 3, he doesn't shout at Strickler before shooting him, he simply makes a very definite statement). Michael is a controlled person. If that control is taken away, he'll find some way to re-exert it.
But for all this, Michael can definitely be lead by emotion. When he's close to someone, he is close to them. He gets seriously worked up whenever Fiona is in real danger. And he'll go to great lengths for friends (in season 4, he gets himself put in prison for a few days just to help a friend of Sam's). And there are other ways of getting him emotionally invested- he'll go a long way to protect kids, and he does believe that one good turn deserves another.
He can seem like a jerk to those who don't know him, but he is really a good person to know.
Leamas nodded. Anything to avoid talking.
'Thus we do disagreeable things, but we are defensive. That, I think, is still fair. We do disagreeable things so that ordinary people here and elsewhere can sleep safely in their beds at night. Is that too romantic? Of course, we occasionally do very wicked things'; he grinned like a schoolboy."
-John le Carre, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Michael holds to convictions very strongly. It is incredibly difficult to change his mind about things- whether that's his views on family members or his belief that it's his duty to perform a job he doesn't currently have. This can cause problems, since it's also hard for him to, say, admit that he was wrong and apologize for something. But it's also what carries him through difficult situations- the determination to get things done, the belief that the end goal is right. It also helps him set guidelines he can live by. He refuses, for example, to be a mercenary- he does what he can for the benefit of others, not just for money.
Still, he remains practical about things. Sometimes you have to work with people have been, or still could be, your enemies. Sometimes you have to commit a crime or two in order to stop something bigger. Sometimes you can't actually stop something bad from happening, and all you can do is make sure the damage is less than it could be.
The problem with this is that Michael is able to rationalize a lot of questionable actions for the idea of the greater goal. This is why even though he's perfectly capable of working on his own, he needs a support system - the structure and rules of the CIA, friends like Sam Axe and Fiona to question his decisions. When he's sufficiently cut loose from support like this, whether by accident or his own design, he is capable of doing things he knows are wrong (it's implied, for example, that under the influence of the rather psychotic Larry, Michael did or simply permitted things in the Balkans which he is not proud of).
-John le Carre, The Honourable Schoolboy
For all his seriousness and professionalism, Michael is definitely not without a sense of humor. It is very dry, tending pretty much entirely toward deadpan snarking, but it is very present.
Michael is constantly putting on new identities. He'll change his hair, accent, clothes, and background at basically the drop of a pin. Is a cooly dangerous car thief, a drunken janitor, or a small-time criminal who did prison time up north just what's needed for this situation? Michael can be that. In-game, he'd be introducing himself under an assumed name and persona (until the community outs him). Because they are out to get him.
Other:
Michael eats a lot of yogurt. A lot of yogurt.
In spite of a) growing up in Miami and b) being skilled enough to learn things as varied as Russian, Arabic, German, and French, Michael is absolutely hopeless at Spanish. Hopeless.
Yes, he can probably make it explode.
Additional Links:
obligatory Wiki link
t.v. tropes
First Person (entry type): (set during "Bad Breaks")
[Private]
So Bly's back- as if Carla and whoever tried to kill me wasn't enough. Blackmail just isn't what it used to be.
Could see if Carla could get him to back off. It'd be goood to know how much influence she has now.
No, I'd need to tell her too much. That's out.
Can't ask Barry to do more right now. Sam's connections aren't good for this. Might have to wait it out, see if Bly gives me anything to work with.
Some of this could be good. Mr. Cayman Islands bank account probably won't come after me while feds are snooping around.
Are there other targets left?
Third Person:
Michael frowned at the contents of the fridge. The last yogurt was gone.
It had to have been Fi, yesterday, while he was working on things upstairs. Sam had been too busy trying to finish off the supply of beer. He could call Fi, ask her to please pick up some yogurt when she next came over, but he honestly couldn't convince himself it was worth listening to the pointed complaints she would give. It was a better idea to save favor requests for things which were really necessary. Like armed backup.
He also couldn't honestly convince himself bread and beer would make an acceptable breakfast- not even with the addition of the last scrapings off the peanut-butter jar. Beer for breakfast was more Sam's style. He squinted at the bread. It was probably stale by now, anyway.
Letting the fridge door swing close, he picked up his sunglasses. He could afford to take the shortest route to the store today, it had been long enough since he'd last used it. Michael opened the door of the loft and felt the sun, beating down and magnifying itself with every possible surface.
Another pleasant day in Miami.