Douglas Van Duren

Basic Info
Current year: 2018

Age: 25
 * Zoe Jane- Staind
 * For Elise- Saint Motel
 * You'll Be In My Heart- Phil Collins

Physical Appearance
Dougie is tall and somewhat lanky with long, thin limbs. He has pale skin, a large nose and deep blue eyes. His most noticeable feature is his hair. It is dark brown, thick, wavy and reaches his shoulders.

Scars
[TW SELF HARM]

There are self harm scars on Dougie's left arm which go from his shoulder to his wrist. There are more on his hips and the tops of his thighs.

Early Life
Douglas George Van Duren was born September 1st 1993 to parents who thought they were too old for more children. He has a sister, Ruby, fifteen years older. His father had an affair not wanting to deal with a baby, only to father his half-sister, Bailie, with the other woman. Dougie only saw his father and Bailie on weekends while living with with his mother and Ruby (until she moved out when she was twenty-one and he six). At the age of thirteen he suffered the loss of his father, whom despite everything he idolised. He spent the next few years isolating himself, and his studies suffered as a result.

Discovering Art
It wasn't until he was sixteen that Dougie began to work on his skills in art and music, despite being tutored in painting, piano and guitar. He found it a great method of self-expression, and slowly came out of his shell. The worst years, marked by him wearing exclusively his father's old clothes, were ended as he began to dress more flamboyantly. Painting quickly took over as his main passion and after college applied to study art at university.

Parenthood
Dougie never attended university. The month before the course began, his ex-fiancee Scout Waller reappeared. In her absence, she'd carried and given birth to his child without his knowledge. Scout assured him that the baby was going to be adopted, but Dougie was already attached and refused to give her up. He named her Isabelle, and cancelled his place in order to raise her. She's now five years old.

Personality
From an outside perspective, Dougie can come across as introverted and shy, even anti-social. He's outwardly pessimistic, quiet and is usually the first to kill a joke or shoot down an idea. He's very set in his ways and won't budge his opinions. He can also intimidate some people with his height, short temper and tendency to fight.

When he gets to know you, this can change drastically. His dry sense of humour which initially sounds rude becomes warm. His approach to physical affection is very open and casual even if he struggles putting his feelings into words. He can be charming, carefree and mischievous.

Bailie Johnson
Bailie is three years younger than Dougie and they were mostly raised apart. They appear to be polar opposites and are usually at each other's throats but deep down their bond is very strong. They work together seamlessly, can communicate without words and will protect each other with their lives. Dougie is quick to defend Bailie's honour, no matter how often he insults her himself, and has gotten into more than a few physical fights this way.

Jonathan Cohen
When Dougie was five years old, he was hit by Johnny on a tricycle. The next time he saw Johnny, he lost his temper at the mere sight of the boy, and knocked him unconscious with an apple. After this the feud was put aside and they became friends instead.

Dougie benefited greatly from his exuberant best friend coaxing him out of his shell, especially during his rough teen years. When he had body issues, Johnny told him he was beautiful. When he was going through a breakup, Johnny took his side. In return, Dougie prevented his friend from flying too close to the sun.

In his early twenties, Dougie began to realise (with the help of their friends) that Johnny's "joke" flirtations had actually been real, and thus attempted to reciprocate. He struggled, however, and Johnny didn't seem to notice. It came to a head one day during a quiet moment. Dougie decided it was now or never, and kissed him.

Two years into the relationship and Dougie sees Johnny as home, even if for a long time he was afraid and ashamed of his newly discovered bisexuality. While the two can have fights reminiscent of their first meeting, they always make up before long.

Isabelle Van Duren
Dougie's daughter Isabelle is his pride and joy. She's the most important thing in the world to him, and he will gush about her at any given opportunity. Due to her communication issues he makes an extra effort to make sure he understands her, and is often the only one able to do so. He knows what she likes, what she doesn't, and is very careful not to overstep her boundaries while still being there for her. The two spend most of their time together and Dougie will get very upset if he is separated from Izzy for too long. On her first day of school he was left in tears at the gates, and he is fearing the prospect of going on tour without her.

Scout Waller
Scout is Dougie's ex fiancee and Isabelle's mother. At the age of seventeen, Dougie often frequented a youth music centre as it was a good place to meet like-minded people and the equipment was free to use. On one visit he heard a girl singing in the adjacent room. When she emerged, she noticed him and rushed out. They crossed paths again on a bus, as it jolted and she almost fell into him. On their third meeting he finally managed to speak to her. Upon realising she was a runaway and homeless, he offered her a place to sleep. Eventually a romance blossomed.

On Scout's eighteenth birthday, Dougie proposed. She initially said yes, but a couple of weeks later she disappeared. She packed and left while Dougie slept, and left the ring on the pillow, as well as cutting off all contact with him and their friends. Dougie spent the next few months in a state of bewilderment and despair, until she resurfaced that summer, having given birth to Isabelle. They haven't spoken since.

Job
In an effort to support Izzy and make ends meet, Dougie jumped from job to job, hating all of them. During this time, he was approached by Bailie with the offer of starting a band along with Johnny and Ark. He agreed, Kayos was formed, and they eventually got signed. Dougie is the frontman of the group. He is the main songwriter and composer, lead vocals, rhythm guitar, and occasionally keyboard and harmonica.

As the group becomes more well known, Dougie is beginning to see the pros and cons of fame. He's happy to be doing something he loves at his own pace while being financially comfortable, but it is very much a job to him. He has a surprising lack of creative freedom, has to spend long periods away from home and often feels a pressure to succeed he struggles to handle.

Asperger's
Dougie has Asperger's Syndrome, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which was diagnosed in his early childhood. It causes a whole manner of difficulties for him, such as trouble understanding social cues, sensory difficulties and the tendency to go nonverbal. However, it also causes him to have special interests, such as music and art, he feels a strong passion for. It is woven into his personality and he feels he would be far from the same person without it.

Depression
[TW Suicide mention]

The death of his father at the age of thirteen triggered his depression, which he is still dealing with now. It leads to many self-destructive habits. He hasn't seen a therapist and doesn't take anti-depressants, due to his belief that he doesn't need them, despite multiple suicide attempts.

Insomnia
Dougie has had trouble sleeping for as long as he can remember, and when he does sleep, he has nightmares. He takes sleeping pills to alleviate this.

Knee Injury
Dougie is still recovering from a knee injury he sustained after being hit by a car. He uses a cane to get around.

Quotes

 * “Fuck off. I’m only half your brother, so you only get to see me every other day.”
 * “Verily, thou did get me thither. Touché.”
 * "Babies don't always cry because they want something in particular. Sometimes they just realise how awful the world is. As a parent, all you can do is hold them and say 'Yes it is- I'm sorry for bringing you into it.'"


 * "Have you ever thought about what'd be like to be a painting? Trapped in one pose forever while people gawp at you all day. Do you ever get the feeling that a painting is watching you back?

Trivia

 * He scares very easily and refuses to watch horror movies.
 * The only things he knows how to cook are eggs and pasta.
 * Once convinced his classmates he was a time traveller.