Background Summary: Duncan grew up on an emu farm just outside of Austin. His family has raised emus since before he was born, and he's come to have a healthy loathing of the things due to knowing more about them than anybody has any right to know. He was the oldest of seven children, and spent much of his childhood getting blamed whenever his siblings got into trouble. Because of the age differences (he was fifteen when the youngest was born), he has lots of experience with young children, and he's very good around them.
He's always been a nerd, and he got into RPing and MMOs in his early teens. He met his best friend, Lynea, through MMOs when he was fifteen. They hopped games with each other until finding Zenderael. After graduating high school, he went to college in Austin and earned a bachelors degree in genetics. He chose to go to grad school in Lynea's city, because getting to hang out with his BFF in real life on a regular basis sounded awesome.
Duncan is currently a year into his PhD in genetics. He interns at the university lab, where he's involved in some less than ethical experiments in the name of SCIENCE! It makes him feel a powerful sense of guilt around rats.
Tell me two important memories. - When Duncan was fourteen, his paternal grandfather died. It was sudden and unexpected. Duncan had never been very close to him, but his father was an only child who had a great relationship with his dad. Duncan remembers being picked up early from school by his father, sitting in the car in the school parking lot, and listening to his father tell him the news. It was the first time he'd ever seen his father cry. He remembers feeling blank about his grandfather's death, but feeling guilty for not feeling anything because his father was so upset.
- When he was twenty, Duncan got into his first accident on his motorcycle. He was riding home from school and a car clipped the back of his bike when the driver changed lanes. The details are foggy, but he remembers picking himself up from the road and not being able to see because his visor was completely scratched up, and he remembers having trouble flipping it up and having to take the helmet off instead.
The aftermath itself was a blur. There was a cop, or something? Insurance information? He was relatively unharmed except for a few scrapes and bruises, but his bike was ruined, and he was too shaken to do much more than give single-word responses. While waiting for the tow truck, the first thing he did was call Lynea, distraught and panicked. He remembers the conversation with her more clearly than the accident itself. She was concerned, a little panicked herself, and kept him on the line until she was sure he was taken care of. The clearest memory in that call is when she asked if he'd called his parents yet, and he responded, "I can't tell my mom, she'll freak!"
Family members: Mother, Father, and 6 siblings, all younger. Mom is the sort who runs a tight ship at home, calls once a week to make sure nobody's caught fire, sends care packages regularly, and whenever you come visit criticizes you for being too skinny and why don't you have another helping you need to eat more. She also loves Norse mythology, and all of her kids have middle names from it. Dad is the sort who thinks hard work and misery builds character, and that sitting on the back porch with a couple beers is the best way to bond.
Being the oldest meant Duncan was often responsible for watching his siblings, and often blamed when they got into trouble. It has led to some bitterness, though it's mostly concentrated between him and his only brother. Their childhood was a long struggle for dominance and they frequently flip between being on good terms and not speaking to each other. Duncan gets along well with all 5 of his sisters, however, and is fiercely protective of them.
Re: Duncan Heimdall Jackson
Summary:
Duncan grew up on an emu farm just outside of Austin. His family has raised emus since before he was born, and he's come to have a healthy loathing of the things due to knowing more about them than anybody has any right to know. He was the oldest of seven children, and spent much of his childhood getting blamed whenever his siblings got into trouble. Because of the age differences (he was fifteen when the youngest was born), he has lots of experience with young children, and he's very good around them.
He's always been a nerd, and he got into RPing and MMOs in his early teens. He met his best friend, Lynea, through MMOs when he was fifteen. They hopped games with each other until finding Zenderael. After graduating high school, he went to college in Austin and earned a bachelors degree in genetics. He chose to go to grad school in Lynea's city, because getting to hang out with his BFF in real life on a regular basis sounded awesome.
Duncan is currently a year into his PhD in genetics. He interns at the university lab, where he's involved in some less than ethical experiments in the name of SCIENCE! It makes him feel a powerful sense of guilt around rats.
Tell me two important memories.
- When Duncan was fourteen, his paternal grandfather died. It was sudden and unexpected. Duncan had never been very close to him, but his father was an only child who had a great relationship with his dad. Duncan remembers being picked up early from school by his father, sitting in the car in the school parking lot, and listening to his father tell him the news. It was the first time he'd ever seen his father cry. He remembers feeling blank about his grandfather's death, but feeling guilty for not feeling anything because his father was so upset.
- When he was twenty, Duncan got into his first accident on his motorcycle. He was riding home from school and a car clipped the back of his bike when the driver changed lanes. The details are foggy, but he remembers picking himself up from the road and not being able to see because his visor was completely scratched up, and he remembers having trouble flipping it up and having to take the helmet off instead.
The aftermath itself was a blur. There was a cop, or something? Insurance information? He was relatively unharmed except for a few scrapes and bruises, but his bike was ruined, and he was too shaken to do much more than give single-word responses. While waiting for the tow truck, the first thing he did was call Lynea, distraught and panicked. He remembers the conversation with her more clearly than the accident itself. She was concerned, a little panicked herself, and kept him on the line until she was sure he was taken care of. The clearest memory in that call is when she asked if he'd called his parents yet, and he responded, "I can't tell my mom, she'll freak!"
Family members:
Mother, Father, and 6 siblings, all younger. Mom is the sort who runs a tight ship at home, calls once a week to make sure nobody's caught fire, sends care packages regularly, and whenever you come visit criticizes you for being too skinny and why don't you have another helping you need to eat more. She also loves Norse mythology, and all of her kids have middle names from it. Dad is the sort who thinks hard work and misery builds character, and that sitting on the back porch with a couple beers is the best way to bond.
Being the oldest meant Duncan was often responsible for watching his siblings, and often blamed when they got into trouble. It has led to some bitterness, though it's mostly concentrated between him and his only brother. Their childhood was a long struggle for dominance and they frequently flip between being on good terms and not speaking to each other. Duncan gets along well with all 5 of his sisters, however, and is fiercely protective of them.
Names & Ages: Duncan, 25; Melissa, 23; Steven, 21; Lilith, 19; Emilea, 16; Leslie, 13; Lorelei, 10.
Pets: None. (His family's emus and his motorcycle PROBABLY don't count.)