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Blaze

 Blaze
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TVTItem
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Blaze
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Blaze
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Blaze is an early novel written by Stephen King that predates even Carrie. Finding it to be overtly sentimental, King shelved it. He later rediscovered it in the attic and, with much revision, published it in 2007 under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman.Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., also known as "Blaze", is a mentally challenged con artist. Under the guidance of the 'ghost' of his dead partner George Rackley, kidnaps the infant son of a wealthy millionaire for ransom. The plan begins to crumble as Blaze begins to bond with the baby.
 Blaze
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2023-04-19T22:13:47Z
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2023-04-19T22:13:47Z
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isPartOf
DBTropes
 Blaze / int_13992073
type
Rasputinian Death
 Blaze / int_13992073
comment
Rasputinian Death: In the climax, Blaze takes a bullet to the calf, a bullet to the leg that blows his kneecap, and a bullet in the buttock that shatters his hip and tears open his large intestine, but he keeps running and doesn't even feel it. It takes a bullet in the lower back that severs his spinal cord to finally make him stop.
 Blaze / int_13992073
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Blaze / int_13992073
 Blaze / int_1501e2dd
type
Hero Antagonist
 Blaze / int_1501e2dd
comment
Hero Antagonist: Albert Sterling and Bruce Granger, the FBI agents tracking down Blaze. In any other story, they'd probably be the heroes, but the story focuses primarily on Blaze and they're thus the main threat against him.
 Blaze / int_1501e2dd
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Blaze / int_1501e2dd
 Blaze / int_1dfd19f9
type
Papa Wolf
 Blaze / int_1dfd19f9
comment
Papa Wolf: Blaze grows very protective over Joe, to the point he strangles Granger to death for shooting at him while Blaze was holding the baby.
 Blaze / int_1dfd19f9
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1.0
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Blaze / int_1dfd19f9
 Blaze / int_2534ee67
type
In Medias Res
 Blaze / int_2534ee67
comment
In Medias Res: Throughout the novel there are flashbacks from Blaze's childhood all the way to his current situation.
 Blaze / int_2534ee67
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1.0
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Blaze / int_2534ee67
 Blaze / int_2dc0d2bf
type
Hidden Depths
 Blaze / int_2dc0d2bf
comment
Hidden Depths: George is a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, who constantly denounces the Republican Party for harming the poor.
 Blaze / int_2dc0d2bf
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1.0
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Blaze / int_2dc0d2bf
 Blaze / int_351e0e53
type
Dean Bitterman
 Blaze / int_351e0e53
comment
Dean Bitterman: Coslaw is a cruel sadist who subjects the children under his care to horrific abuse and punishes them for the slightest infraction with severe beatings.
 Blaze / int_351e0e53
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1.0
 Blaze / int_351e0e53
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Blaze / int_351e0e53
 Blaze / int_36c64123
type
Gentle Giant
 Blaze / int_36c64123
comment
Gentle Giant: Blaze is generally docile when left to his own devices and is pretty much a teddy bear whenever he's around Joe. Unfortunately, he has a violent temper, and he's strong enough that he's able to beat people to a pulp with ease.
 Blaze / int_36c64123
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1.0
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Blaze / int_36c64123
 Blaze / int_4733b5a5
type
Saying Too Much
 Blaze / int_4733b5a5
comment
Saying Too Much: When on his way to post the ransom note, Blaze is offered a ride by a pulp truck driver. During the ride, the driver brings up the kidnapping (which is prominently featured in the news), and Blaze casually wonders if Joe's parents will really pay the 1 million dollars in ransom before realizing he shouldn't know about that since he hasn't even sent the letter yet, let alone that the media reported about the ransom. Fortunately for Blaze, while the driver is surprised Blaze knows about the amount of money the kidnappers are asking, he doesn't put one and one together enough to deduce Blaze might be the kidnapper.
 Blaze / int_4733b5a5
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Blaze / int_4733b5a5
 Blaze / int_47fea76b
type
Butt-Monkey
 Blaze / int_47fea76b
comment
Butt-Monkey: Harry Badell, a night clerk who is repeatedly robbed and terrorized by Blaze.
 Blaze / int_47fea76b
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1.0
 Blaze / int_47fea76b
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1.0
 Blaze
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Blaze / int_47fea76b
 Blaze / int_4de1544
type
Had to Come to Prison to Be a Crook
 Blaze / int_4de1544
comment
Had to Come to Prison to Be a Crook: True, George was already a con artist before he got caught, but during a 20-month stay in Walpole prison, he picked up an assortment of new cons, including his most successful one. It was also here that a fellow inmate gave him the idea to kidnap a baby for ransom.
 Blaze / int_4de1544
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1.0
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1.0
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Blaze / int_4de1544
 Blaze / int_4e3d253b
type
Downer Ending
 Blaze / int_4e3d253b
comment
Downer Ending: You weren't expecting a happy ending with a Bachman novel, were you? Blaze never collects the ransom and he kills several innocent people before being gunned down himself. The only bright spot is that Joe survives unharmed and returned to his parents.
 Blaze / int_4e3d253b
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1.0
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1.0
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Blaze / int_4e3d253b
 Blaze / int_537dd8fe
type
Affably Evil
 Blaze / int_537dd8fe
comment
Affably Evil: Blaze, to the extent that he can be called evil. He's a docile, gentle, and even kindly man when left to his own devices and he tries to avoid killing when he can avoid it, but he is still a violent criminal.
 Blaze / int_537dd8fe
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1.0
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Blaze / int_537dd8fe
 Blaze / int_5c0fc07b
type
Nightmare Sequence
 Blaze / int_5c0fc07b
comment
Nightmare Sequence: Chapter 14 is entirely about a nightmare of Blaze, in which he and Joe are at a carnival where they run into Joe's mother, who recognizes Blaze. She and all other visitors chase after him, and during the chase Joe's mother transforms into The Bride of Yorga (from a horror movie Blaze saw years ago). Blaze and Joe flee into a Hall of Mirrors, where George awaits them. After giving Blaze the advice to demand that the ransom for Joe is dropped from a plane, George too turns into a monster and insists Blaze gives Joe to him, which Blaze refuses. That is where the dream ends.
 Blaze / int_5c0fc07b
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Blaze / int_5c0fc07b
 Blaze / int_65fcc287
type
Lima Syndrome
 Blaze / int_65fcc287
comment
Lima Syndrome: Blaze eventually falls in love with the baby and doesn't want to let it go.
 Blaze / int_65fcc287
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blaze / int_65fcc287
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1.0
 Blaze
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Blaze / int_65fcc287
 Blaze / int_6a0b03a6
type
One Last Job
 Blaze / int_6a0b03a6
comment
One Last Job: What Blaze is on; if the kidnapping goes well, he'll be settled for life thanks to the ransom money. If it fails, he will either be killed or get sentenced to life in prison.
 Blaze / int_6a0b03a6
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1.0
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Blaze / int_6a0b03a6
 Blaze / int_6a0f3c49
type
Beardness Protection Program
 Blaze / int_6a0f3c49
comment
Beardness Protection Program: Barely a day after the kidnapping, a police sketch of Blaze is put in the newspaper. While the sketch isn't that accurate, Blaze still decides to shave himself bald in order to avoid recognition.
 Blaze / int_6a0f3c49
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1.0
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 Blaze
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Blaze / int_6a0f3c49
 Blaze / int_6beacd8c
type
Badass and Baby
 Blaze / int_6beacd8c
comment
Badass and Baby: Blaze and Joe.
 Blaze / int_6beacd8c
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1.0
 Blaze / int_6beacd8c
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1.0
 Blaze
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Blaze / int_6beacd8c
 Blaze / int_716cdf08
type
Vorpal Pillow
 Blaze / int_716cdf08
comment
Vorpal Pillow: When George warns Blaze that the police is on to him, he urges Blaze to kill Joe in this manner since the kid would only slow him down. Blaze comes close to doing it, but ultimately can't bring himself to kill the baby.
 Blaze / int_716cdf08
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Blaze / int_716cdf08
 Blaze / int_73d4b01a
type
In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It
 Blaze / int_73d4b01a
comment
In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It: King actually wanted to avoid this and wanted to publish it under just Bachman's name. In the end, the hardcover has both names under equal size and the paperback has "Stephen King writing as..."
 Blaze / int_73d4b01a
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1.0
 Blaze / int_73d4b01a
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 Blaze
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Blaze / int_73d4b01a
 Blaze / int_7abd339f
type
Black-and-White Morality
 Blaze / int_7abd339f
comment
Black-and-White Morality: Sterling ascribes to this, viewing people as either good or bad with no in-between.
 Blaze / int_7abd339f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blaze / int_7abd339f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blaze
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Blaze / int_7abd339f
 Blaze / int_7ec94d53
type
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
 Blaze / int_7ec94d53
comment
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Blaze. Pretty much everything in his life went wrong and he was constantly screwed over no matter what he did. Even when he resorted to becoming a criminal, he's not malevolent and all of his killings are mere accidents.
 Blaze / int_7ec94d53
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1.0
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Blaze / int_7ec94d53
 Blaze / int_8199787d
type
Stocking Mask
 Blaze / int_8199787d
comment
Stocking Mask: Blaze robs a grocery store but forgets to put the stocking on. Fortunately, he scares the sales clerk so much that he can't remember anything to identify him. Blaze later comes back to the same store, this time wearing the stocking, and even points it out to the clerk.
 Blaze / int_8199787d
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Blaze / int_8199787d
 Blaze / int_898ff050
type
Villain Protagonist
 Blaze / int_898ff050
comment
Villain Protagonist: Blaze, if only nominally. He did kidnap a child, after all.
 Blaze / int_898ff050
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1.0
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 Blaze
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Blaze / int_898ff050
 Blaze / int_8b568cb7
type
Posthumous Character
 Blaze / int_8b568cb7
comment
Posthumous Character: George. He was murdered a year prior to the events of the story, but his influence on Blaze and his ghost play a major role in the story.
 Blaze / int_8b568cb7
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1.0
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Blaze / int_8b568cb7
 Blaze / int_8f7059b
type
A Match Made in Stockholm
 Blaze / int_8f7059b
comment
A Match Made in Stockholm: A strange case. At the end, after Joe is returned to his parents, he begins to cry because it's the "wrong face".
 Blaze / int_8f7059b
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1.0
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Blaze / int_8f7059b
 Blaze / int_963e36bd
type
Boarding School of Horrors
 Blaze / int_963e36bd
comment
Boarding School of Horrors: Hetton House was a state orphanage and school that Blaze attended as a child. He and the rest of the children were abused by the cruel headmaster Martin Coslaw and the rest of the staff, and.
 Blaze / int_963e36bd
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1.0
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Blaze / int_963e36bd
 Blaze / int_a18fda9c
type
Dumb Muscle
 Blaze / int_a18fda9c
comment
Dumb Muscle: Blaze functions as this to George, before and after the latter's death.
 Blaze / int_a18fda9c
featureApplicability
1.0
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Blaze / int_a18fda9c
 Blaze / int_a1a1491e
type
Homage
 Blaze / int_a1a1491e
comment
Homage: To Of Mice and Men, according to the author.
 Blaze / int_a1a1491e
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1.0
 Blaze / int_a1a1491e
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Blaze / int_a1a1491e
 Blaze / int_a24670a4
type
Benevolent Boss
 Blaze / int_a24670a4
comment
Benevolent Boss: During his teen years, Blaze worked for a man named Harry Bluenote, who hired troubled teens, paid them fair wages, and treated them well, even fighting public opinion to give them a good chance at life. He even offered to keep Blaze on, but died the next day. George was one too. While he made no bones about seeing Blaze as a tool, he treated him well regardless.
 Blaze / int_a24670a4
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1.0
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1.0
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Blaze / int_a24670a4
 Blaze / int_a70223
type
Karma Houdini
 Blaze / int_a70223
comment
Karma Houdini: While Coslaw gets a severe beating from Blaze, he still manages to get Blaze sent to prison for it and he presumably continues to abuse the children in Hetton House until it's shut down.
 Blaze / int_a70223
featureApplicability
1.0
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 Blaze
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Blaze / int_a70223
 Blaze / int_ad6593eb
type
Cut-and-Paste Note
 Blaze / int_ad6593eb
comment
Cut-and-Paste Note: Chapter 13 sees Blaze putting one of these together, starting over a few times.
 Blaze / int_ad6593eb
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1.0
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1.0
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hasFeature
Blaze / int_ad6593eb
 Blaze / int_b11ac9f5
type
Abusive Parents
 Blaze / int_b11ac9f5
comment
Abusive Parents: When he was a child, Blaze's father threw him down the stairs three times for interrupting his television, giving him permanent brain damage in the process.
 Blaze / int_b11ac9f5
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1.0
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1.0
 Blaze
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Blaze / int_b11ac9f5
 Blaze / int_b15b6a35
type
Cosmic Plaything
 Blaze / int_b15b6a35
comment
Cosmic Plaything: Absolutely nothing goes right for Blaze, and his entire life is just a parade of endless misery.
 Blaze / int_b15b6a35
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1.0
 Blaze / int_b15b6a35
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Blaze / int_b15b6a35
 Blaze / int_b2cb7993
type
Brains and Brawn
 Blaze / int_b2cb7993
comment
Brains and Brawn: George and Blaze, though the narration notes at one point that while George was smarter than Blaze, that ultimately doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things.
 Blaze / int_b2cb7993
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blaze / int_b2cb7993
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Blaze / int_b2cb7993
 Blaze / int_b39d5719
type
Sadist
 Blaze / int_b39d5719
comment
Sadist: Blaze accuses Coslaw of being this, pointing out how he only abuses the children because he's a bully looking to pick on those weaker than him for the fun of it. Coslaw's reaction implies Blaze was right.
 Blaze / int_b39d5719
featureApplicability
1.0
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 Blaze
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Blaze / int_b39d5719
 Blaze / int_b5171e10
type
Tragic Villain
 Blaze / int_b5171e10
comment
Tragic Villain: Blaze. He's a kind, gentle man forced into criminality both because he was stuck in poverty and due to George's manipulations, and he suffers from hallucinations caused by the head trauma that left him mentally disabled that make it so that he cannot escape George's influence even long after his death. And that's not even getting into Blaze's Dark and Troubled Past…
 Blaze / int_b5171e10
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Blaze / int_b5171e10
 Blaze / int_bc03c871
type
Child Hater
 Blaze / int_bc03c871
comment
Child Hater: Martin "The Law" Coslaw, the head of Helton House, is a cruel man who uses his authority to abuse the children under his care for the slightest infractions. Blaze correctly pinpoints that Coslaw does so because he's a sadist who's too cowardly to pick on anybody who isn't helpless to defy him.
 Blaze / int_bc03c871
featureApplicability
1.0
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 Blaze
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Blaze / int_bc03c871
 Blaze / int_becf7306
type
Dead Sidekick
 Blaze / int_becf7306
comment
Dead Sidekick: Sterling's partner Granger is murdered by Blaze towards the end of the book, which partially motivates Sterling to shoot Blaze down during the climax.
 Blaze / int_becf7306
featureApplicability
1.0
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featureConfidence
1.0
 Blaze
hasFeature
Blaze / int_becf7306
 Blaze / int_cb70651c
type
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
 Blaze / int_cb70651c
comment
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Is George really assisting Blaze from beyond the grave as a ghost, or is he just a figment of Blaze's imagination, speaking what Blaze's subconscious already knows? The novel isn't really clear on this. On one hand, Blaze already began to imagine George assisting him when he was serving a prison sentence, while George himself was still alive. On the other hand, "George" knows things that Blaze can't possibly know, not even subconsciously, such as the plan George picked up in prison to have the ransom dropped from a plane.
 Blaze / int_cb70651c
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Blaze / int_cb70651c
 Blaze / int_ce6555f0
type
Lighter and Softer
 Blaze / int_ce6555f0
comment
Lighter and Softer: By King's standards, especially when compared to the rest of the Bachman canon. It's a heartbreaking novel, but it's not as nihilistic as Rage (1977) or The Long Walk.
 Blaze / int_ce6555f0
featureApplicability
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 Blaze / int_ce6555f0
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Blaze / int_ce6555f0
 Blaze / int_dc3d9a68
type
Orgy of Evidence
 Blaze / int_dc3d9a68
comment
Orgy of Evidence: In just a day after the kidnapping, the police already identify Blaze as the culprit. He left tons of tracks behind, a lot of which aren't hard to trace back to him (like fibers from his trousers, which are of a brand only sold in a handful of stores, and marks from the ladder, which again is of a brand only sold in a limited amount of stores), and people easily recognize/remember him due to his large physique and the dent in his skull.
 Blaze / int_dc3d9a68
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Blaze / int_dc3d9a68
 Blaze / int_e1134bb5
type
Tinkle in the Eye
 Blaze / int_e1134bb5
comment
Tinkle in the Eye: Blaze finds himself on the receiving end of this the first time he has to change Joe's diaper.
 Blaze / int_e1134bb5
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Blaze / int_e1134bb5
 Blaze / int_e1fa8421
type
Dead Person Conversation
 Blaze / int_e1fa8421
comment
Dead Person Conversation/Spirit Advisor: Blaze is guided by his dead partner in crime, George.
 Blaze / int_e1fa8421
featureApplicability
1.0
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Blaze / int_e1fa8421
 Blaze / int_e313b4e7
type
Manchild
 Blaze / int_e313b4e7
comment
Manchild: Blaze.
 Blaze / int_e313b4e7
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Blaze / int_e313b4e7
 Blaze / int_f34a4c1e
type
Lower-Class Lout
 Blaze / int_f34a4c1e
comment
Lower-Class Lout: Deconstructed. George's crude and often cruel behavior and his criminality stem from his bitterness about how being a member of the poor working class has restricted his opportunities.
 Blaze / int_f34a4c1e
featureApplicability
1.0
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 Blaze
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Blaze / int_f34a4c1e
 Blaze / int_fb3576b2
type
The Dog Bites Back
 Blaze / int_fb3576b2
comment
The Dog Bites Back: For years, Blaze put up with the abuse of Martin Coslaw, the head of Hetton House (the state orphanage where Blaze spend most of his youth). But after his friend John Cheltzman dies because he was sent to work in the field despite having a weak heart, Blaze finally snaps and gave Coslaw a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
 Blaze / int_fb3576b2
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Blaze / int_fb3576b2
 Blaze / int_fd497706
type
Accidental Murder
 Blaze / int_fd497706
comment
Accidental Murder: Blaze is caught in the act while kidnapping Joe by the baby's great-aunt, and knocks her out cold. She succumbs to her injuries the following day.
 Blaze / int_fd497706
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Blaze / int_fd497706
 Blaze / int_name
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ItemName
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Blaze / int_name
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Blaze

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Blaze
seeAlso
Blaze
 Blaze
hasFeature
American Literature (# to D) / int_58687cd5
 Blaze
hasFeature
Brains and Brawn / int_58687cd5
 Blaze
hasFeature
Cut-and-Paste Note / int_58687cd5
 Blaze
hasFeature
Dean Bitterman / int_58687cd5
 Blaze
hasFeature
In Medias Res / int_58687cd5
 Blaze
hasFeature
Lima Syndrome / int_58687cd5
 Blaze
hasFeature
Reluctant Psycho / int_58687cd5
 Blaze
hasFeature
Stocking Mask / int_58687cd5
 Blaze
hasFeature
Tinkle in the Eye / int_58687cd5