Blake Kelvin Hughes
Species: Tiger
Gender: Male
Hair/Fur: Orange/Black/White
Height: 6'5''
The earliest officially confirmed and recorded therid, Blake was captured in India just after the turn of the 20th Century. He ended up in the care of Mortimer Hughes, a Chicago dock worker. Mortimer was clever, ambitious, and some say ruthless. Wheeling and dealing between exporters and importers, he began to build an empire. By the time Blake was grown, Mortimer had become a notable presence in city's organized crime scene. Blake had only recently returned to Chicago from college when Mortimer was gunned down in front of him. What happened next... there are mysteries there. Blake openly took over his father's empire and, over the following decades, organized crime groups seems to fall in his wake. Not just in Chicago, but later Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York City. Misfortune often fell upon his enemies, sometimes authorities but sometimes arson. It should be mentioned here, in addition to being a wealthy, powerful tiger man, Blake has a therid ability of pyrokinesis - he can control and even create fire.
The truth is, GARMA has been asked by other parties to maintain distance from Blake Hughes. Maybe he has people in those agencies or at GARMA, but there is not much I can do about it. And, as much as it hurts to admit, Blake Hughes has also done plenty of good. The Blake K. Hughes Foundation is a legitimate charity to has many in Chicago, during the Great Depression and the decades that followed. Despire the rumors around him, Blake has become popular. He was Mayor for a few years in the 70's. And the Hughes Tower is a genuine landmark, tallest building in the city (and was the tallest skyscraper in the world for some years). Then there is the matter of therid rights. GARMA has always done its part to protect therids but, without Blake's power and influence, therids might never have been allowed full citizenship.
It's complicated, he's a likely crime boss, definitely pompous and arrogant, and vocally opposed to how humans run the planet (can't completely disagree with that last point). But Blake is also a great contributor to public welfare. He's a beast with many facets. An admirer of Art Deco and fashion and wine, but also nature and poetry. Despite the darkness, there is something noble there. But I will not be approaching him about WILD, of course. He'd likely decline, anyway. And he has been preoccupied with establishing himself here in Fort Dragon, with his new Crimson Orchid complex. (In our figurative backyard. Yes, GARMA is watching him very closely)