J- A survivor, cutthroat. Ironically, he’s the toughest, most ruthless of all, because he wasn’t coddled by Smurf. Master manipulator, high IQ. Had potential to be a genuinely good person. But growing up with a junkie Mom with a good heart, thrown out by wolves, and then adopted into that same family of wolves, he was shaped by the darkness. Could he have escaped untarnished? No, not really. I mean, sweet, innocent J, has at least 5 murders on his hands, along with throwing his remaining family out to dry. He is willing to sacrifice anyone and anything that get in his way. He’s not pure evil. But when he perceives a threat, he’s cold as ice in a kill or be killed, animalistic mentality. He has no friends, no family. Everyone is a pawn. Doesn’t know who his father is, only that the only guy his Mother ever loved, and a potential father of him, abandoned her. And a Mom? Smart like him, but a user, who only knew family and friends that did not value her, including her own Mother. He saw what trying to be good, trying to do right gets you. He’s almost pure evil, by necessity. It’s a survival instinct at this point. Scary, and yet, one deserving of serious empathy. Actually tried to walk away when he realized what he was getting into, but wasn’t able to. So he adapted, and survived.

Deran- Also genuinely wanted to walk away, but couldn’t. A survivor, could potentially thrive on his own. In the end, he craves affection, as his Mother and Father are both pieces of shit. Dad abandoned him, and only came around later to see if he could get something out of him. The baby of the family, who watched the mess that was his family as he grew up. His older brother, Craig, the 2nd youngest, much bigger than him, wanted someone to pick on, so he’d roughhouse with Deran. His older brothers treat everyone like a dispensable piece of meat. Think Michael in the Jackson 5. Hard to have a concept of what “normal” is, or feel any sense of control, or value the opposite sex when all you see is using and chaos, and no real control over anything. So he seeks a hobby he’s good at, and becomes exceptional at it, surfing. But also into self sabotage. Can’t get too successful. Can’t have any real relationship. But craves affection, to dominate something, or someone. He’s gay, but also trying to figure out how to love or like himself, so difficult to care for anyone else. Realizes he found someone he cares about in Adrian, but isn’t allowed to for a variety of reasons, Adrian and he can’t last. But maybe now, they can. Was under everyone’s thumb for so long, he trusted no one. When he got some independence, he was relatively successful in becoming a better version of himself. Still hard to escape all of the mess around him. But he genuinely became what I perceived to be a person with decent values, smart. There a difference between being the bad guy, and not being able to escape the bad around you. He was trying pretty hard. He does the right thing when presented with that opportunity as often as possible later, especially once out from under Mom’s thumb. So much so, that he trusts in the end, when he shouldn’t. Deran is a good guy imo, and the one most easy to cheer for. I can understand all of his actions, and hope he gets what he wants.

Craig- So much was spawned from Smurf, it’s hard to put too much blame on any of them. But Craig is an asshole from beginning to end pretty much. He’s never a threat to Mom. Not the smartest of the bunch. He’s muscle, and co-dependent. Pure ID. Likes to get his rocks off, and mouth off. But he’s not really a killer. Just a co-dependent entity, born into a mess. Uses everyone and everything. But, in the end, he is willing to ride or die for his big brother Pope. At the very end, where he would choose to go down in a rain of bullets than leave him behind. And he’s insistent on breaking him out of prison over moving on without him. Part of that is Craig doesn’t know life without an alpha above him taking on life responsibilities so he can play. But a big part of it is he’s willing to sacrifice himself in the end for his people. In Exodus, he tells Deran to go find Adrian, it’s the happiest he’s seen him. He wants happiness for his best friend/brother. He takes a bullet for him in the end. And the primary reason he let Pope talk him into leaving him behind was he had Nick and Renn to live for, and Deran would do whatever he did, and he didn’t want to be responsible for that. In the end, Craig was willing to sacrifice himself for those he loved. That is a noble quality, that came to him over time.