Character(s) The Duality of Man

[hollow_sys]

⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆ THE MAD SCIENTIST ⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺
(my first original character, created for a roleplay that claimed to grant wishes)

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☯︎ Character Profiles:​

Phoenix

Title: "the Jekyll"
Age: 19
Hair color: Red
Eye color: Hazel
Build: Lanky
Weight: 165lb (75kg)
Height: 5'11" (180cm)
Blood type: A
Preferred outfit: Red T-shirt and cargo shorts, tennis shoes
Glasses? yes
Posture: Casual, usually slumped
Catchphrase: “Beat that!”
Favorite quote: ‘Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.’ - Jim Carrey
Favorite activity: planning/pulling pranks
Sense of humor: BALLS!!
Speech pattern: emotive, expressive, loud, fast-paced when excited, stammers when terrified
Sexuality/Romance: aroace
Street-smart or book-smart? Street-smart
Optimistic or pessimistic? Pessimistic
Introvert or extrovert? Extrovert
Zodiac traits: Aries
Aura: carefree, mild-mannered, wholesome
Moral compass: opposes murder
Diet: vegetarian
What makes him happy: video gaming, sports, time with Uncle James
What makes him pissed: being talked down to, belittled, or manipulated; breaking a bone; killing animals
Handwriting: sloppy - but almost legible - print
Career: scientist
Ultimate wish: adoption into the family of Uncle James
Special ability: Phoenix is shorter than Ash, and abnormally physically agile. He displays extremely fast reflexes and can run quickly at the cost of bone fragility. He will most often use these advantages to dodge an incoming attack and protect himself.

Ash

Title: "the Hyde"
Age: 19
Hair color: Dark gray
Eye color: Black
Build: Slender
Weight: 175lb (80kg)
Height: 6'0" (183cm)
Blood type: n/a
Preferred outfit: Long-sleeved turtleneck sweater and jeans, dress shoes
Glasses? yes
Posture: Stiff, straight
Catchphrase: “Don't test me.”
Favorite quote: ‘Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.’ - Edgar Allan Poe
Favorite activity: reading
Sense of humor: morbid
Speech pattern: deep and smooth tone, slow-paced when calm, shouting loudly when enraged
Sexuality/Romance: aromantic, gay
Street-smart or book-smart? Book-smart
Optimistic or pessimistic? Pessimistic
Introvert or extrovert? Introvert
Zodiac traits: Leo
Aura: dangerous, generally unapproachable, NOT wholesome
Moral compass: doesn’t exist
Diet: doesn’t diet
What makes him happy: being a sadist in general
What makes him pissed: kind intentions from others; being called “cute;” being disturbed while reading
Handwriting: neat, flourishing cursive
Career: librarian
Ultimate wish: to take the place of Phoenix forever
Special ability: Ash is Phoenix's opposite - he is taller, and has immunity to bone breakage, but moves/reacts more slowly and tends to walk calmly instead of running. He will most often use these strengths to bludgeon something with his bare hands, or put more force behind an offensive attack. Ash’s DNA is unidentifiable, and he has no fingerprints.

☯︎ Relevant Characters:​

Phoenix Erenhart Gary Erenhart Rebecca Erenhart James Falkner Trisha Falkner Mr. G.

• To Phoenix: self
  Age: 19
  Specialty: prankster
  Career: former scientist
• To Phoenix: father
  Age: 42
  Trauma: alcoholic
  Career: first shift factory worker
• To Phoenix: mother
  Age: 39
  Trauma: heroin/crack addict
  Career: unemployed
• To Phoenix: uncle
  Age: 38
  Relation: brother of Rebecca
  Career: small business owner/entrepreneur
• To Phoenix: cousin
  Age: 21
  Relation: daughter of James
  Career: college sophomore (English major)
• To Phoenix: mentor
  Age: 68
  Relation: former friend of Gary
  Career: professor at college; part-time high school science tutor

☯︎ Backstory Descriptions:
(MENTIONS: PHYSICAL ABUSE, DRUG ABUSE, S/H, SUICIDE, MURDER)​

Phoenix

• Age 5
  • Phoenix wakes up in the middle of the night cause he’s thirsty and goes to the kitchen for water - just to find his mother unconscious on the floor, surrounded by needles and sitting in a pool of her own blood.
  • He calls the ambulance in sheer terror, but by the time the police and ambulances arrive, Rebecca is already mopping the floor, which is already swept clean of needles and all drug paraphernalia, and she manages to convince the emergency team to “get out of her damn business.”
  • He is currently only able to recall a vague memory of his mother’s unconscious form, and how severely he was “punished” by his father after the incident.
• Age 7
  • Phoenix faces severe bullying at school. His peers exclude him, mock him for his clothes, and tear out chunks of his hair - things he can’t change, due to his parents' severe neglect. He comes home with bruises and torn clothes, only to be met with further abuse from his drunken father.
  • He has to repeat first grade due to these incidents, on top of having his homework destroyed, hidden, or mutilated by his peers. Of course, Gary is NOT happy.
  • This year in particular solidifies Phoenix’s belief that he is truly alone and cannot rely on anyone except for himself.
• Age 8
  • Phoenix meets Uncle James for the first time at a family reunion!
  • He witnesses a neighborhood house fire and sees firefighters springing into action for the first time, and he says “WAOW I WANNA BE ONE OF THEM!!” and he's immediately starstruck, inspired by their bravery, teamwork, and mutual respect.
  • This aspiration represents his initial desire to be a hero and help others, contrasting with his helplessness at home.
  • It also makes him become obsessed with all things firefighter-related, and his favorite color is now firetruck red for the rest of his life.
  • He uses his own newfound bravery and mischievous ideas to begin pulling pranks on his bullies, with the help of his trusty uncle and cousin, of course.
• Age 11
  • Phoenix comes up with a brilliant idea for his first science fair project at school, earning the praise of Uncle James, Trisha, his teachers, and even a rare moment of pride from his own mother.
  • If he can make people proud by doing science, and make the world a better place at the same time… he’ll do it! And that’s exactly when he decides that his new career is going to be science-oriented.
  • Turns out he’s a prodigy :)
  • Instead of primarily aspiring to be a hero firefighter (although he still loves his own savior complex), his career motivation transitions into wanting to make a significant impact through innovation and scientific discovery.
• Age 12
  • Phoenix comes home from school on a high note - and Gary, in a drunken rage, suddenly beats Phoenix severely, seemingly for no reason. Rebecca is too incapacitated to do anything about it, and abandons her son to her husband’s whims (she's sitting in the bedroom on drugs).
  • Phoenix ends up in the hospital with more than a few broken bones, deep lacerations on the right side of his face, and bruises on his arms/legs from being literally grabbed and thrown across the kitchen.
  • When he gets to the hospital, Gary intimidates him into lying about the cause of his injuries, threatening to kick Phoenix out of the house and hunt him down at any sign of rebellion.
  • Because Phoenix gives into his father’s threats, and doctors’ examinations fail to prove that his injuries were caused by abuse (due to Gary’s outwardly mild-mannered personality), Phoenix is left to fend for himself during recovery. He receives exactly one hospital visit from Trisha between the months of September and November.
  • This hospitalization is a turning point, reinforcing Phoenix’s complete distrust of humans in general, and systems that fail to protect him (healthcare, police, etc.).
  • Phoenix's first suicide attempt happens while still hospitalized. ‘If I can’t participate in sports or science club activities or video games or even pranks - the things I love the most - what am I going to do with my time..? Will anyone care that I’m gone?’
  • Shortly after this happens, his Uncle James visits for Christmas - motivating him to strengthen his resolve, find a way to escape his abusive home, and improve himself through education and personal achievements.
• Age 13
  • It takes Phoenix a VERY long time to recover from his injuries, and he almost has to repeat this school year as well. If it weren’t for his science teacher, “Mr. G.”, who recognized Phoenix’s poor home situation and gave him extensions on his passion projects, he would have been lost.
  • After Phoenix’s discharge from the hospital in February, he finishes his schoolwork, gets back to his regular shenanigans, and spends a lot more time at Uncle James’s place.
  • Phoenix struggles with severe depression and self-harm, despite having received prescribed antidepressants from the hospital after his stay.
  • Mid-year, Phoenix receives an acceptance letter for an internship in scientific research at the most prestigious local science college - the scholarship and learning opportunity of his dreams!!
  • He regains hope in himself and pride in his own accomplishments for the first time since he was in grade school. :D
• Age 14
  • Unbeknownst to his professor (who is also Mr. G.!), Phoenix has been sneaking into the science lab at his college, performing his own private experiments. Of course, it’s illegal, but he is very good at hiding his tracks. And he provides his own chemicals, so he’s not really “stealing” when it comes to anything dangerous.
  • One day, he perfects a stable formula for a liquid steroid that will enhance his muscle mass and physical agility, undetectable by a typical steroid test, with no detrimental side effects. He’s been working on this formula for years, and has finally perfected it to the point where it’s chemically stable and doesn’t mutate. (Or so he thinks.)
  • Fearing that someone will disrupt his careful plans - or worse, catch him in the science lab when he’s not supposed to be there - he decides to take a drastic measure and test this formula on HIMSELF instead of choosing viable test subjects.
  • ‘What’s the worst that could happen? I die? Psh.’
  • Mistake.
  • But he continues to do this throughout his school years. He's got eight of them left, after all - might as well make use of the time, he thinks, overconfidently.
• Age 16
  • Trisha is brutally killed…
  • She is mysteriously murdered, found dead in her own home, head bashed through and dismembered, with the pieces of her arms and legs scattered across her bedroom . Thankfully, Phoenix never has to see her body (or what was left of it).
  • The police cannot find any evidence of a murder weapon, DNA from the killer, fingerprints, or (oddly) any signs of struggle from Trisha. The case turns into a dead end from the police, and Phoenix is once again let down by the “systems” that swear to protect American society.
  • He is utterly crushed, devastated, lost, haunted. The lack of resolution in the police investigation leaves him desperate, and all the more determined to seek answers.
  • About five days after her death, he visits the crime scene himself, and almost immediately runs to Uncle James’s kitchen in another attempt to end his own life (stopped midway through by Uncle James).
  • Phoenix throws himself into his studies harder than ever after that, rarely visiting his own home and only focusing on his scholarship. His mental state barrels toward an even darker path; he needs some semblance of control, stability, and understanding in the world that has let him down time and time again. That can only reliably come from his pursuit of science… right? Workaholic phase time!
• Age 17
  • The following are symptoms of toxic encephalopathy:
    • Headaches
    • Dizziness
    • Fatigue
    • Fainting spells
    • Cognitive impairment
    • Asthma
    • Personality changes
    • Memory loss
    • Lethargy
    • Decreased concentration
    • Muscle twitching
    • Disturbed visual/auditory/olfactory function
  • But, of course, Phoenix doesn't know that. He thinks he's just getting old, or his trauma is catching up to him.
• Age 19
  • Present day - something is clearly wrong. Phoenix is losing more and more memory throughout his days, which is making it difficult to keep up his studies.
  • He's expelled from school, losing his scholarship, and is forced to return home. Thanks to Mr. G., however, he isn't arrested or found out for his illegal experiments.
  • When Phoenix gets back home, he discovers that his parents are nowhere to be found. Rebecca and Gary are never seen again.
  • His bones have also begun to atrophy, for an unexplained reason - they were already weak, but he cannot afford to visit the doctor again to investigate his worsening condition, because he's already in deep medical debt. So, he just deals with the fact that his bones could snap like twigs anytime.
  • Bringing his science home means that he has to quit taking his steroid serum.. but, by now, it's far too late to reverse its effects.

Ash

• July 26
  • After about a month of regular doses of Phoenix’s steroid formula… a mutation happens within the chemical compound from an initially benign toxic reaction, sparking the birth of this universe’s accidental Hyde.
  • On this day, Ash has his first independent thought: from Phoenix’s perspective, it’s audible laughing, and impulsively urging Phoenix to smash into the shelf of glass beakers in the science lab, just to see them shatter, to have the satisfaction of feeling something.
  • Phoenix journals about this later in the day, feeling eerie and on edge about this impulsive thought, but not thinking much else of it afterwards.
  • Mistake!
  • Although Ash is a vague, formless, and barely conscious memory, he continues to resurface after the events of this day.
• December-the following March
  • Consciousness slowly begins to dawn on Ash throughout the latter half of this year, and the former half of the next…
  • Brief periods of sharing consciousness and memories with Phoenix become longer with the passage of time, and stronger with doses of the steroid formula.
  • Important side note: Although Ash shares memories with Phoenix, Phoenix cannot share memories with Ash.
  • Ash discovers his origins (namely, that his existence has something to do with the steroid) while present ‘behind Phoenix’s eyes’ during one instance of the dosage. About twenty minutes after the serum is ingested, Ash begins to feel a sudden rush of energy, power, and control, directly influencing Phoenix’s thoughts and causing a heightened anxiety response.
  • He continues to chase this high, the closest to alive he’s ever been - now he’s hellbent on taking as much life for himself as possible.
  • Throughout this year, despite his attempts, he is unable to control his own mental manifestation, as it corresponds with Phoenix’s emotional state… but as dosages increase, so does Ash’s intelligence. He names himself, observes Phoenix’s every move, and experiments with the amount of power he holds within Phoenix’s active consciousness.
  • If only he could somehow influence the outside world (currently only visible through a small window)...
  • One day in early spring, Ash learns of Trisha’s presence, and realizes that she is an important confidant and beacon of hope in Phoenix’s life.
  • A sudden, murderous idea strikes him - if he can weaken Phoenix’s resolve by stripping him of his anchors of stability, then he can seize control of the conscious mind and possibly Phoenix’s physical form, freeing him from this mental prison.
• April 1
  • On this day, Ash wakes up in Phoenix’s body for the first time, and attempts to “summon himself” (forcing his inner self out through physical manifestation) while Phoenix is still half-asleep.
  • He’s a noob though. Phoenix’s brain catches up and shoves Ash (still currently a half-mutated half-conscious brain matter substance) back into the darkness.
  • This brief and uncontrolled instance of Ash’s ‘half-awake’ state disrupts Phoenix’s memories for the entire day. Uncle James reports Phoenix acting “duller” and “more robotic” than usual, which is abnormal, especially during the year's only official Prank Day.
  • On this day, Ash realizes that it is now possible for him to control his OWN mental presence, but he cannot force physical manifestation yet, and he needs that to get to Trisha ofc.
  • Little does he know that the skills to force physical manifestation will develop VERY quickly, because Phoenix unwittingly boosts this process by taking another dose of his steroid formula on the same day as this incident.
• May 7
  • The murder plot officially begins.
  • Every night during the month of May, Ash forces himself into the ‘half-awake’ state while Phoenix is still asleep - the only time he is able to fully control the mind without conscious interference.
  • After only the second night of doing this, Ash experiences true physical manifestation for the first time. He sees himself in the mirror.
  • Phoenix blames his lack of sleep on “nightmares” (although he cannot remember anything that happens at night) and requests a higher antidepressant dose from his psychiatrist. Phoenix, that’s not gonna help you, it’s already way too late...
  • While Phoenix continues to lose sleep, Ash continues to gain strength, making it a habit to wake up and remain active for longer and longer periods of time. He carefully plans each detail of Trisha’s murder.
• June 14
  • On this day, it occurs to Phoenix that it's a good idea to stop by his uncle's place after a hard day, expecting to be able to vent his frustrations and take a break. Trisha, as always, makes him a glass of iced tea and sits with him on her bed, inviting him to open up.
  • Phoenix begins wheezing and feeling dizzy, then Ash suddenly seizes control of Phoenix’s body, bolting Trisha’s bedroom door and locking her inside before she can react. Ash then pounces, smashing the iced tea glass onto the floor and pinning Trisha to the wall.
  • He slowly and carefully states his exact reasoning for murdering her as he physically transforms before her eyes and squeezes her arms hard enough for the bones to break - explaining that her very presence undermines the amount of control and power he can take for himself.
  • Through this, he discovers that, when he's in control of Phoenix's body, his bones aren't so brittle, and his movements are much stronger.
  • To take advantage of this, he tortures Trisha by gagging her and dismembering her alive. When she is close to death, she manages to remove her gag and pleads for Phoenix to come back with the last of her strength.
  • Unfortunately, this fuels Ash’s anger even further. He doesn’t want to be associated with Phoenix - he wants Phoenix dead. The final blow is simply a fist to the head, which breaks her skull in with the force behind his punch.
  • To hide his crime, Ash washes Phoenix’s clothes in hydrogen peroxide and does a wash cycle with them until all blood stains are removed, calmly walks home, and falls asleep, knowing that his work is done, for now.
• June 19
  • On this day, Phoenix immediately attempts to kill himself after seeing the aftermath of Trisha’s murder in the case.
  • Ash cries. This is the only time he has felt (or resolves to ever feel) vulnerability, weakness, or remorse.
• October 28
  • You're next, Phoenix - a note, written in blood, taped to the inside of his bedroom door.
  • A very threatened and frightened Phoenix does a DNA test to find out who's threatened him, and cannot come up with conclusive results.
  • There is a fresh cut on his arm, but one he didn't remember creating himself, which strangely points to himself being the only possible author of the note.
  • Phoenix feels enough panic to sate Ash's restless spirit, which retreats into dormancy shortly afterward.
  • He hasn't been seen since.

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