forum Out in Space (classic lit and sci fi!) (CLOSED, stalkers welcome)

Started August 14, 2020 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

Apologies for an incoming massive chunk of text, because liking Frankenstein is, like, one of my four personality traits lmao

Name: Victor Frankenstein
Age: 21
Gender/Pronouns: Male, he/him
Orientation: Homoromantic asexual

Appearance: Victor is tall (6'3") and gangly, with long legs, and little muscle or fat. He has a narrow frame and face, and a very pale complexion that's made more noticable by the fact that his cheeks are often flushed due to fever or embarrassment. His eyes are dark green and not very good at their job; he's very nearsighted and needs glasses to see (he refuses to get any sort of laser surgery, as it frightens him). Often has a vaguely concerned expression on his face. Usually quite tense, and tries to take up as little space as possible. Uses hand motions a lot when he talks, regardless of if he's holding something or if he's in a crowded space. His hair is black (although he's been starting to notice some premature greying), straight, and falls about halfway down his back, usually contained in a low, neat ponytail.

Personality: Victor is incredibly smart; if you talk to someone who's interacted with him, that's the first thing that they'll say, probably followed by "but I had no idea what the hell he was talking about." He's very earnest, and throws himself headfirst into whatever "project" captivates him at the moment, often without any regard for his well-being or for his friends and family. He's generally a bit shy unless he's in a situation where he desperately wants to gain approval (such as when showing off a project to a teacher), in which case he's obnoxiously showboat-y. He tends not to be close to those his own age, with the sole exceptions of Elizabeth Lavenza, Justine Moritz, and Henry Clerval, who are his only friends in general. He often struggles with putting his thoughts and feelings into words, most of his notes would make sense to no one but him. He took a special interest in science at a young age–specifically biology–and it has captivated him ever since; he's taken just about all of the high-level science courses offered and is proficient at most of them. He has a very strong desire to be self-reliant, based in a fear of abandonment, and often refuses help on the basis of that. Unintentionally (most of the time) self-neglectful. He's a bit of a neat freak, especially with regards to his lab. God-awful sleep schedule. An odd mix of being both arrogant in his abilities, and insecure about himself. Absolutely terrified of losing those who are close to him, which turns him to some less-than-pleasant sciences. He's definitely not in love with his best friend, why would you think that?

Skills: S C I E N C E. While not one for extracurriculars, he's pretty good at chess.
Hobbies: Has an old, battered notebook that's full of ideas for future science projects. Writing totally platonic letters to Henry, playing chess. Going hiking, especially when there's woods and rivers and such.

Backstory: Victor is the eldest son of Alphonse and Caroline Frankenstein, a well-off family from the mountainous moon of Genla. He was a very intelligent yet very antisocial child, and was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age seven. He stayed mostly to himself and had few friends, save for his longtime friend Henry Clerval, his adopted cousin Elizabeth Lavenza, and Justine Moritz, a young girl whose mother worked at the Frankenstein estate. His parents tried their best, but didn't really know how to raise him, and he went to several different esteemed schools over the course of his school years. He'd spend every summer back on Genla with Elizabeth and Henry, exploring the mountains and rivers, as well as theorizing the mysteries of life. Victor's parents soon had two more sons, Ernest and William. Victor was initially not too fond of them, but grew to love his brothers. Unfortunately, when Victor was seventeen Elizabeth fell very ill, and his mother quarantined the two of them together so she could help her. Elizabeth pulled through, but Victor's mother did not. Her death sunk Victor into a deep depression, and isolated himself from his family and friends by heading to Enna–an industrial, city-heavy planet– for college. After a year of milquetoast lessons on chemistry, anatomy, and other things he felt that he'd mastered, he feel even deeper into self-neglect and dark sciences, and began an obsession with the concept of reanimation that was unlike any passion he'd felt in years. He neglected to reply to–or even read–letters from his family members, and instead poured himself into developing "theoretical" ways to raise the dead. He did, however, make one friend at college: a fellow science student named Margaret Walton (who was reeling from the death of her parents). Margaret quickly became his only friend at school, and shared his interest in reanimation. And so when their biology teacher (Professor Krempe) asked the two of them to aid him in the reanimation of his younger brother (a man who died of a rapid and severe bout of illness), the two of them agreed, eager to test the bounds of their knowledge, not to mention impress a man that they both greatly admired. As it turns out, when Krempe said "aid", he meant "do most of the work", and the two ~20 year olds pulled the lion's share of the weight in the operation. Victor and Margaret all but dropped out of their classes to moniter the progress, dig up corpses to use, and even offer their own nonessential organs when necessary. In fact, Margaret and Victor each gave a kidney to aid in the process. The reanimation was a…success? Krempe's brother came back to life, but he was a large, frightening being very unlike his original form due to the amount of changes to his original composition and the time he spent, y'know, as a corpse. Krempe was disgusted; Victor passed out cold at the sight of him; and Margaret was, while not disgusted per say, massively disappointed. Krempe turned against the students, threatening to have them jailed for their crimes since it didn't turn out to benefit him. Margaret slit Krempe's throat with a scalpal, but not before he stabbed her though the stomach with his knife. Victor came to to an empty operating table and the dead bodies of his favorite professor and his friend, and panicked. If he called the police, he'll be arrested for his role in it, not to mention that he's the only living person in a room of corpses. He sets the shed on fire and flees to Soul to try and make a new life for himself, afraid to head back to Genla out of fear of endangering family and friends.

Other: Victor has a weak immune system, and that–coupled with his general lack of self-care–often results in him falling ill.