L.A. BURNING
Characters
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SMOKE HOODIn the aftermath of the 1992 L.A. Uprising, a mysterious figure known as Smoke Hood has risen from the shadows, becoming a one-man army dispensing his own brutal form of justice across the city.
To the public, he’s little more than an urban myth—a ghost story whispered in the dark. But to the gangbangers, drug dealers, and corrupt cops who’ve crossed his path, he’s all too real. No one knows who lies beneath the mask, yet there are plenty of powerful people desperate to uncover the truth—and silence him for good. |
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DET. THOMAS NOELNoel, a top figure in the LAPD’s notoriously corrupt anti-gang CRASH unit, is a seasoned investigator with an innate understanding of the streets and a ruthless grip on the power he wields.
Once a good cop, he traded integrity for cunning, deciding it was better to be smart than righteous. Fresh off a divorce that cost him the last tether to his humanity, he’s now unshackled—willing to burn every shred of principle to catch his target or line his pockets, ideally both at once. |
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MARIO "BIG BOX" TYNESMario is a force to be reckoned with—big, strong, and far sharper than anyone gives him credit for. As the star cornerback for the USC Trojans, his athletic talent has been his ticket out of the gang life that once defined him and put him on the LAPD’s radar.
But his fierce sense of justice, often mistaken for a rebellious "fuck the system" attitude, has a way of pulling him back into the fray, landing him squarely in the middle of trouble he can’t seem to avoid. |
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GRACIE LEVINEGracie is a walking contradiction—a recovering heroin addict and pyromaniac who walked away from her privileged Beverly Hills life to start over.
Now working as a recovery counselor in the Valley, she’s finally trying to piece her life together. But don’t mistake her progress for softness. Aloof, sharp-edged, and fiercely independent, Gracie would rather take a kick in the teeth than a helping hand. At least the kick would be familiar. |
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LT. DAVID SANTOSSantos is a strategic thinker with a sharp mind, but his aloof demeanor makes him a reluctant leader.
A closeted gay cop living with HIV, he’s driven by a deep desire to leave a meaningful mark in the time he has left. Yet, as he grows increasingly disillusioned with the LAPD, he’s starting to wonder if real change is even possible from within the system he once believed in. |
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KEVIN SHIMKevin, a dropout and cashier at his family’s Koreatown laundromat, has made a habit of letting people down.
The black sheep of a hardworking immigrant family, he’s content to coast through life—getting by, staying high, and avoiding drama at all costs. But his relentless pursuit of an easy, uncomplicated existence might just be the very thing that drags him into the kind of trouble he’s spent his life trying to avoid. |
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BICHO BLESSEDBicho Blessed is a rising force in the fledgling MS-13 gang, a ruthless and unpredictable leader whose name alone strikes fear into the hearts of those who know it.
With a volatile mix of charisma and brutality, he commands his soldiers with an iron grip, earning fierce loyalty from the disenfranchised and desperate youth of Central American ghettos of Pico Union. To them, he’s more than a boss—he’s a dark savior, offering purpose and power in a world that’s left them behind. |
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DRAYA PEREZDraya learned early that invisibility had its uses. Growing up as a trans woman in Pico Union, she saw how the streets overlooked her—just like the gangsters she was raised among.
Starting as a drug mule, she clawed her way up, and now she runs one of Bicho Blessed’s brothels. Here, she commands respect, even power—but the cost of that acceptance lingers in the back of her mind. |
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JENNIFER "J.J." JAYNEJ.J. doesn’t fit the mold—and it eats at her. As one of the few women in the LAPD’s notoriously brutal C.R.A.S.H. Unit, she overcompensates, swinging between forced toughness and hesitant doubt.
Her instincts are sharp—too sharp for her own confidence—but her empathy and untested grit keep getting in the way. The best detective in the room just doesn’t know it yet. |