deerington application

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IN CHARACTER

Character Name: Kieren Walker
Canon: In the Flesh
Canon Point: Season two after the rave in episode two.

In-Game Tattoo Placement: He has this tattoo at the base of his neck just beneath and wrapped around the hole meant for his neurotriptyline intake:

Current Health/Status: Kieren is a Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferer and requires a daily dose of neurotriptyline to keep him from withdrawing into a violent untreated state. The medicine causes any number of side effects which can be found here.
Apparent Age: 18
Actual Age: 20s??
Species: Undead Human (Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferer)

History:
✸ Kieren's history.
✸ Partially Deceased Syndrome
✸ Human Volunteer Force
✸ The Rising
Hometown/World: Roarton, England, UK. Mostly the same as our own world except..with zombies. And advanced medicine to bring those zombies back to life. There is a slight post-apocalyptic feeling to it via the social unrest, but mostly the world is standard. I've linked to the PDS and Rising above in the history to expand on those elements of Kieren's universe.

⚠️ 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝚆𝙰𝚁𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶 ⚠️
Kieren Walker is technically a medically treated zombie. He has a past history of killing and ingesting human beings. As he is a zombie, he is obviously dead, and he died by slitting his own wrists. There will be a lot of mention of his suicide and general state throughout the application.

Personality:

"I am a Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferer and what I did in my untreated state was not my fault."

That's how the mantra goes at the Partially Deceased Treatment Center.
Kieren Walker was eighteen years old when he discovered that his then-boyfriend and best friend, Rick Macy, had been killed while fighting in the war over in Afghanistan. Upon learning this, Kieren immediately took full responsibility, having believed that it was ultimately his fault that Rick had ever joined the military to begin with. With such a heavy weight on his shoulders, Kieren decided to take his own life in a spot where Rick and him had spent most of their time together. His father later found his corpse and in 2009, Kieren Walker was buried into the earth.

Then the Rising happened.

All throughout the world, inexplicably an estimated 140,000 corpses were reanimated and came back to life. The corpses were rabid and instantly took to killing human beings for their survival. They did not seem to act completely like zombies. The undead from the Rising seemed capable of enough thought to strategize how to hunt together, as seen when we first meet Kieren who is hunting strategically with Amy Dyer, his later best friend. Kieren and Amy were one of these 140,000 risen dead, and like those dead, they killed and ate human beings in order to survive.

At some point a medicine known as neurotriptyline was invented to medically treat the reanimated deceased. This medicine plays a prominent role in the series, and has a significant impact on Kieren as a whole due to its several side effects. Kieren, like Amy and several other deceased, are now known as Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferers. They are legally required to take the neurotriptyline daily which keeps them in a medicated, treated state in which they can lead regular lives and not fall back to their rabid, untreated state.

Kieren struggles deeply with the medicine as it causes vivid flashbacks. In particular, he has the most vivid flashbacks of his very last hunt before he was scooped up by the government to be treated. The hunt involves him killing a young woman named Lisa Lancaster, and his memories are so vivid that he can actively see himself pulling apart her head to eat at her brains. The medicine includes side effects that Kieren experiences throughout the series such as insomnia, vivid dreams, lethargy, depression, panic attacks, convulsions, and nausea.

On top of these symptoms, Kieren already suffered from several mental problems stemming from a deep-seated depression. The medicine and his general state as a PDS sufferer only seems to enhance his depression, his anxiety, as well as add to his already crippling self-esteem issues. And more to that, due to social tension between the living and PDS sufferers, Kieren feels a constant discomfort in his skin since he is fully aware of how unwanted he is wherever he goes in his home town. He wanted to remain as lowkey as possible about his condition, but unfortunately, he grew up in Roarton and people knew his face enough that when he finally was recognized, word spread quickly and soon it was pointless for him to hide the fact that he was indeed back from the grave.

Kieren is more than just his sickness, however. While it's the dominant focus in the series and certainly the dominant focus in his own life, Kieren wasn't always a PDS sufferer and that shines through in several instances throughout the show. Kieren is a genuinely kind-hearted person who has good intentions with nearly everyone he interacts with. He loves his family deeply, especially having a very close relationship with his sister Jem. Jem and him have bonded over being "outcasts" together, and he was the one who introduced her to metal music and encouraged her to embrace any part of her that was different. Jem often reflects on how much she loves her brother, even though she initially reacted to him coming back from the treatment center with hostility. She had been the one to find him in his untreated state and hadn't been able to shoot him, despite being a part of the Human Volunteer Force and being rather proud of the kills she has made.

His kindness leads him to believing firmly that people should be treated with some extent of decency, which can lead to him feeling impassioned when someone is being treated with blatant intolerance in front of him. Kieren might be quiet in general, but he seems to have no problem with lashing out with biting remarks or even outright getting physically involved when a situation grows intolerable. Kieren is a very calculating person though, and while he certainly can get impassioned, that doesn't automatically translate as "impulsive." He isn't the person to wildly throw punches and get into brawls, as you can see the exact steps of logic he follows that lead up to the moment he might throw a punch or shove someone such as when he was in the situation at the bar when Amy and Simon arrived without their mousse on and Gary decided to get antagonistic with them.

He is a quiet, reserved person who does mostly keep to himself. While he has few relationships, the relationships he does have are very strong. He quickly befriends Amy Dyer who becomes his Best Dead Friend Forever and the two of them share a deep, trusting bond that only grows throughout the show. His quietness doesn't equate aloofness, and it seems like Kieren feels very deeply for the people around him, which is hardly surprising considering he did kill himself due to the loss of his boyfriend and best friend. Having special feelings doesn't make him a doormat to people, however, which can be seen when Rick brings Kieren along to hunt some "rotters" in the forest and Kieren aggressively objects. He doesn't let his romantic and nostalgic feelings towards Rick sway him to do something that goes against his beliefs.

Kieren is a good person who, while maybe he is socially awkward, only intends the best and wants the best for situations and for people. He is a little aimless in his life, having big dreams but little direction. Kieren is an intense artist, enjoying all kinds of cultural aspects of the world, wanting to see it in full now that he is alive once more, and appreciates music and books. While he might have killed himself, Kieren doesn't seem deadset on getting back into the grave anytime soon despite still feeling some of the similar feelings that had put him there in the first place. This is his second chance at life and he's willing to try and live it to the fullest this time around.


Personal Moral Codes:
✸ Kieren believes that you should always try to avoid killing something if it can be helped. He doesn't want living people to die, but he also doesn't think rabid PDS sufferers should be killed either. While they may be violent, he relates to them and realizes that they could possibly be treated.

✸ On that note, Kieren is generally not very confrontational. Although he is a bit sarcastic, he does try to avoid confrontations if it benefits people. However, on the flip side, if he sees extreme mistreatment going on of someone, he usually will speak up on their behalf. So it seems likely that Kieren avoids confrontation more as a tactic rather than a fear of confrontation.

✸ While he doesn't really believe in killing, Kieren isn't fully against violence when it seems appropriate. As mentioned above, he does speak up when injustice is happening in front of him and that has at times lead to physical confrontations.

✸ He is naturally observant and kind, meaning that Kieren often will look past the front most people carry. He seems to believe in not judging immediately and instead trying to look what might be beyond a person's surface. For example, when his sister was walking on her tiptoes as a kid and their parents were worried she was "sick" in some way, Kieren considered different options and eventually realized she probably needed an outlet so he gave her a mix metal CD. It instantly helped his sister through an awkward phase in her life.

✸ He believes in owning up to mistakes he has made even if they are extremely severe. In the first season, he goes as far as to wanting to go to the girl he killed's parents to let them know that their daughter was not missing but instead dead.

Insecurities/Personal Demons:
✸ Kieren has extreme guilt about the things that he has done in his untreated state. He has vivid flashbacks of the girl he and Amy killed, and often feels deep remorse for it.

✸ He feels deeply uncomfortable about his general existence as a PDS sufferer, seeming to not know exactly where he fits into society anymore as someone who is clearly unwanted by society at large. He has deep self-esteem issues- especially being a PDS sufferer. He actively covers his mirror up and sleeps in his contacts because he feels so uncomfortable by his own appearance. When Amy asks him if he's seeing anyone in season two, Kieren expresses wonder at why anyone would want to date him.

✸ Kieren did kill himself after his boyfriend, Rick, was killed in Afghanistan. He believes it's his fault that Rick was in the army to begin with, thus landing the blame of Rick's death squarely on Kieren's shoulders.

✸ Kieren also, in general, feels guilty for having killed himself and having left his family behind with no note. He in particular wants his father to acknowledge how that had made him feel. He thinks his family is entitled to their feelings on the matter.

✸ Overall, Kieren did commit suicide and he does occasionally have lapses of self-worth and general doubt of what there is for him in the world. At times he seems aimless, not sure where he belongs or what he should be doing with his new life. His PDS status also impacts his mental health, making him feel anxious and depressed much more easily.

✸ He is extremely anxious about sinking into any untreated state and hurting someone again.

✸ Since he has memories of waking up in his coffin, he is extremely claustrophobic and has some PTSD that can result into him collapsing into panic attacks if he is forced into a small, dark space that could potentially remind him of a coffin (such as a closet.)

Abilities/Powers/Weaknesses: Kieren does not have "abilities" technically, but he is also technically not human which comes with a few unique attributes that I felt would be most appropriate listed here. Many of them are actually weaknesses, but a good chunk are simply conditions of what he is.

✸ PDS sufferers are technically dead. They have no heart beat and are cold to the touch. Technically they do not need to breathe although many imitate breathing whether to fit in with living people or to use as calming tactics.

✸ Many PDS sufferers cannot "feel" things physically, although it has been noted that feeling has been known to return to a few PDS sufferers after a long enough time (such as with Amy.) PDS sufferers are, however, still capable of having sex.

✸ PDS sufferers cannot eat regular food and drink. If they do, they get very sick and often vomit black gore.

✸ Technically PDS sufferers do not age, and, in a sense, are biologically "immortal" since they are technically "dead." However you can easily kill them permanently by shooting them in the head and other such typical killing-zombie methods.

✸ Wounds gained by a PDS sufferer do not heal. If they get shot in the arm, they'll just have a bullet wound indefinitely. Kieren's wrists still look the way they did when they were stitched up at the morgue for his funeral.

✸ It does seem like eventually PDS sufferers may be capable of "coming back to life" fully as seen when Amy Dyer's heartbeat returns. Unfortunately, she died (and the show was cancelled) before this could be explored further.

✸ PDS sufferers can technically ingest raw animal flesh with no problem. They seem to be able to get drunk/high off of animal brains in particular.

✸ It is technically implied, heavily, that Kieren was the first person to have risen period and incidentally, suggested, that he is responsible for the Rising having happened at all. This would imply that he might have some deeper ability. Unfortunately, again, since the show was cancelled, this was not really explored. This was a heavy theory by characters (such as Simon) on the show and as it is only a theory, I won't really be doing anything since any interpretation of what that power could be would be nothing but headcanon speculation. Although it is noted that Kieren does remember being completely alone when he rose up, so that will remain the same, just with no indicator of him having some deeper power.

Ability/Power/Magic Warping: Not applicable.

Inventory:
✸ A bag with a month's worth of his daily-required neurotriptyline medication. This will include the syringe as well as the medicine and a pamphlet of how to inject the medicine properly.
✸ An unopened jar of cover-up mousse.
✸ An unopened box of brown contacts.
✸ An unopened bag of make-up wedge applicators (8 count).
✸ A brown sweater, jeans, boxers, socks, and his sneakers.
✸ A photograph of Rick and Kieren.
Writing Samples:
SAMPLE ONE:

(There was an adjustment period to not being alive, Kieren discovered. It was in winter when he noticed it the most. It had begun on a morning when his mom was shivering, hovering over the thermostat and talking about how frigid it was. Kieren had absently stared at his fingers, not feeling a thing, and wondered if he should say as much. He didn't. His family was good enough about the whole...dead thing, but he knew better than to push his luck. They still preferred that he pretend to eat with them, after all, if only to stimulate a little normalcy into their new routine with a dead kid for a son.

Outside it was even stranger. He couldn't breathe, but all the same, he forced his body to move in a way that had once been second nature. He sucked air into his mouth, could feel it travel uselessly down, and then he pushed the air back out. In-out. No big deal. He watched with fascination when a puff of fog appeared in front of his mouth. He touched his lips, then stared over at Jem who was staring at him with the oddest look on her face.

"The hell are you doing?"

Kieren gave a little smile, not sure if he felt more awkward or amused. Maybe a little bit of both.)

Living, I guess.

SAMPLE TWO:

(It wasn't really the easel's fault. He'd shoved it into a corner with enough force that he heard a little crack. Kieren had to stop, take a moment to collect himself, before he picked the easel up to make sure he hadn't actually broken it. If he had, that'd be on him and he'd feel bloody awful. They didn't come cheap, after all. Not ones like this. This was the professional kind. The kind you took to university, and his dad had gotten it for him during Christmas a couple years back. To break it over a dumb fit would be embarrassing. Thankfully, Kieren saw, it was fine. He set it back down with greater care and backed away.

It was really Gary's fault, he thought a bit coldly. Gary with his fucking insistence on getting in Kieren's face and going on about how 'rotters aren't wanted here!' Did he really think Kieren didn't already know that? Every time he left his house, he felt like the entirety of Roarton reared its ugly head just to watch him walk down the street. He could hear them now: There goes the dead boy! Walking right on down. Look at how he shambles. Good lord, Karen, get the kids inside- he might go rabid!

Kieren might have little sensation left in his body, but he could feel it just fine when he curled his hands into fists hard enough that his nails bit right into the meat of his palm.)

Son of a bitch. (For one cruel, awful moment, Kieren partly wished that maybe one day he would go rabid. They wanted a monster to be afraid of? He could be that monster. But the moment the thought sprang to his mind was the moment it swiftly died. Kieren wasn't cruel. He was just mad and eating some idiot's brains wasn't going to solve anything. He let himself fall backwards onto his bed, exhaling the moment he hit. Maybe he just needed to take it easy for a few days.)

OUT OF CHARACTER

Player Name: Milk
Player Age: 25+
Player Contact: clussy @ plurk

Other Characters In Game: Eddie Kaspbrak
In-Game Tag If Accepted: Kieren Walker: Milk
Permissions for Character: Here.
Are you comfortable with prominent elements of fourth-walling?: UH YUP.

What themes of horror/psychological thrillers do you enjoy the most?: Interesting new takes on old tropes (LIKE ZOMBIES), psychological horror, body horror, etc etc.
Is there anything in particular you absolutely need specific content warnings for?: Animal violence.
Additional Information: