Liam Whelan
Name: Liam Whelan
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Nationality: Northern Irish (though, he possesses both Irish and British citizenship)
Religion: Loose Catholicism
Height: 5 ft. 11 in.
Weight: 200 lbs.
Hair: A medium reddish-brown
Eyes: Light brown
Languages spoken: English, Irish Gaelic, French, Spanish, German, Polish, and Arabic.
Occupation: Pilot in the British Royal Air Force (RAF); also in the employ of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), colloquially known as M16.
Liam is currently a member of No. 2 Squadron, headed by Wing Commander Thomas Forbes. Stationed out of RAF Marham in Norfolk, the squadron functions primarily as a reconnaissance unit and uses the
Tornado GR4.
When needed, Liam acts as a special agent for SIS. Unlike the fictional James Bond, however, Liam’s main duty involves simple intelligence gathering (or so SIS tells the press). While mostly confined to Europe and the Middle East, Liam’s travels do sometimes take him elsewhere, from America and Canada to India and China.
Weapons:
Glock 37: This .45 GAP, semi-automatic pistol is Liam’s favorite and only ranged weapon that he constantly carries with him. It has a 10-round magazine, and Liam usually keeps three extras, giving him a total of 40 rounds. He keeps the pistol holstered on his belt at his right hip.
Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife: Liam keeps this double-edged combat knife in a leather sheath hanging at his left hip.
His body: Even weapon-less, Liam is still capable of defending himself. Hand-to-hand combat was extensively covered in his military training.
Armor: None outside of his Tornado GR4
Skills/Magic: None, if we’re talking about the typical anime-ish special abilities/magic.
Strengths:
Liam is an excellent pilot, one of the best in the RAF. As such, his eyesight is very keen, enabling him to pick out and hit potential targets from far distances. He is good with his weapons in a fight and very resourceful thanks to his specialized training with the SIS.
He can drink a lot of alcohol without batting an eye, which makes getting him drunk a difficult and expensive task for his enemies. This high tolerance level perfectly compliments his uncanny ability to seduce any woman he wants, since, if necessary, he can lower a woman’s defenses by getting her buzzed or completely drunk. He may not attract every woman instantly upon meeting her, but it is easy for him, through various means, to make them change their minds.
His open, friendly, fun-loving nature makes him well-liked among his mates and even total strangers. Because of his extroverted personality, it is easy for him to make friends. He has the charisma necessary to deeply influence people, making his tasks as an SIS agent considerably easier.
Weaknesses:
Liam’s rash behavior has a tendency to get him into trouble. While he is invaluable to his superiors, his fiery temper puts him at odds with them sometimes. His love of drink isn’t always conducive to whatever missions he is sent on.
He tends to have short attention spans, mostly due to his need for constantly being entertained. If an activity does not manage to hold his attention, he has no qualms about moving on to something else. As such, if anything requires extreme focus, he has a difficult time with it.
Since he has no supernatural abilities, fighting a magically-inclined enemy would also prove difficult for him. He relies completely on his enemies being able to be damaged by physical means.
Appearance:
Liam’s face is lean with a firm jaw. Two slightly longer pieces of his wild, brown hair—tinged with the red betraying his Irish heritage—frame his face in the front, while the back of his hair is cropped a little shorter. Long, unevenly-cut bangs cover his forehead. His hair is kept almost obsessively conditioned to ensure a sleek, glossy appearance. Well-groomed eyebrows arch gently across his large, light-brown eyes. His nose is on the smaller side, unobtrusive and proportionate to the rest of his facial features. Full, but not necessarily plump, lips form the beginnings of his mouth and house teeth that are kept impeccably white. His ears are medium-sized and only barely peek out from the forest of his hair.
Liam’s years of intense training and combat experience have produced a toned physique. There is not a single pudgy area on his body. Because he enjoys spending much of his time outside, he has a pleasantly tanned complexion, complementing his rugged pilot look. He has large hands with deft fingers, and he wears a large silver ring on the ring finger of his left hand. His feet are also large, but not abnormally so.
Liam prefers simple attire, finding expensive, flashy clothing a waste of money. Why spend money on designer clothes when you can spend it on imported weapons and ammunition? Or love-toys. His favorite ensemble consists of a pair of dark-wash jeans, a cotton T-shirt (of various hues, though his favorite color to wear is emerald green, naturally), and a pair of comfortable black and white sneakers. In addition, he also wears a grey jacket that hangs open since it doesn’t have a zipper or buttons. The jacket’s collar is trimmed thickly in white fur (fake, of course, since that’s not as expensive), which combines with Liam’s often unruly hair to give him a slightly wolfish appearance.
Personality:
Liam has that confident, slightly arrogant, attitude common to most pilots. His Irish blood amplifies this cocky demeanor and gives him a bit more fire in his spirit than his British fellows in No. 2 Squadron. He is loudmouthed and incredibly extroverted, shying away from nothing. Oftentimes, his wing-mates take advantage of this by subjecting him to spontaneous games of truth or dare, minus the truth half. Yet, Liam never refuses a challenge and typically amazes his mates when he does the dare without question. His mates have learned the hard way to refrain from challenging him to drinking games, since, being Irish, he does not fear hard liquor and can hold it better than anyone he has ever met. He is an unashamed, boastful show-off, but he has the skill and the grit to be as such.
Fun and entertainment form the core of what Liam considers the most important things in life. If he cannot find any entertainment in a certain activity, then he does not engage in it. He lives his life moment to moment and primarily seeks his own happiness. The only exception to this is his mother, whom he cares for deeply. Whenever possible, he makes sure to stop by the small Catholic parish where she stays in the care of Father Gowan. Other than that instance, though, Liam is consumed with a need for constant self-satisfaction. He shuns solitude in favor of large, boisterous crowds where he can be the center of attention.
Aside from explosive objects, speedy vehicles, and liquor, Liam’s primary interest is women. He uses his handsome ruggedness to his full advantage when flirting liberally with the ladies. He is very suave and capable of romance that would make any woman swoon. However, he is not, nor has ever been, interested in pursuing a single, committed relationship. He regards women as lovely playthings and respects them only in so far as their beauty (and in some cases, cunning) is concerned.
Liam was raised a Catholic, and while his mother is very strict in her religious adherence, he does not consider practicing Catholicism central to having a good, fulfilling life. He does believe in a higher power, and he even (very occasionally) prays, especially for the well-being of his mother. However, he does not regularly attend mass and only goes to confession if extremely burdened by something (which, as one can imagine, happens rarely for him). But his mother’s deep faith, even in the midst of the trials the two of them faced in escaping the religious bickering in Ireland, has left a large impression on him, so he still holds to his religion in some ways.
Bio:
Liam was born in Northern Ireland in 1979 to Brendan and Niamh Whelan. His parents were both strong Catholics, so he was baptized at an early age and raised in the practices of the Church. Brendan was deeply involved in the Troubles, the intense fighting taking place between the Catholic and Protestant denizens of Northern Ireland. He, along with his Nationalist brethren, sought the end of Protestant discrimination against the Catholic minority and also desired to be joined to Southern Ireland, free from political ties to Great Britain. The fighting was oftentimes intense and explosive (literally, what with the numerous bombings), and Niamh was not as enthusiastic about her husband putting his life at risk when he had a family. Still, she supported him to the best of her abilities, praying constantly for an end to the violence.
When Brendan was killed in a particularly nasty bombing, Niamh took her son and fled to England with the help of her priest. She and Liam ended up settling in Norfolk, sheltered by Father Gowan who had connections in Northern Ireland and understood their plight. Liam grew up knowing his father’s fate, since his mother did not wish to hide anything from him. Because of this, she had Liam’s deepest respect, and their relationship was open and honest. Recently, it has become less honest from his side, since he does not wish to worry or alarm her with all of his escapades.
Liam was always fascinated with the outdoors, especially the skies, and so from an early age, he dreamed of becoming a pilot. His decision to go into the military was prompted by his desire to prevent damage like that caused during the Troubles from happening elsewhere in the world. After enlisting in the RAF, he quickly made a name for himself as a pilot to be reckoned with and gained the respect of many. As luck would have it, he was assigned to the prestigious No. 2 Squadron, stationed in Norfolk close to his mother.
Because of his prominence in the military, Liam was recently approached by the SIS to undergo training to act as an agent for them. His commander, Forbes, is aware of this second affiliation and is understanding when SIS calls upon Liam. While SIS insists to the press (and to Forbes) that Liam is just a political figure who functions in a purely diplomatic way, his duties consist of everything from obtaining valuable information by infiltrating enemy strongholds to shutting down terrorist cells through covert operations. Lately, he has spent the majority of his SIS time in the Middle East, doing his part to quell the fighting.