Daniel/profile

> "*...*"
> ― Daniel
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## Personality

*Daniel follows his own code of conduct, and no one else's.*

*Innocence is worth protecting.*

*Authority figures are worth destroying*

*Freedom is the key to happiness*

*Murder serves no true purpose*

*If it is necessary, help those in need. If it is unnecessary, then it is not worth the stop.*

*What is a Law?*

*My Needs Are Important.*

That’s what he would have you believe, at least. It’s his own immoral code--a code that doesn’t necessarily match up with the laws and rules put into place by society and people above him, but it could be considered flimsy at best. A boy so flaky that he really only knows himself. Selfish and self centered, the morals all line up around his collective Me. If he is having fun, then what’s the harm, really? It’s all a joke, so don’t worry so much! You got hurt? Bummer. There’s pigeon feathers stuck in your cap? Ouch dude.

He Lacks strategy, entertained by disorder but does not sway one way or the other when it comes to “good” or “evil”. However if someone with a stronger personality, or an imposing will were to crack down on him or align themselves with his views, he could easily fall into line underneath them, telling himself that it’s obviously for his greater interest. A true Chaotic Neutral that has the opportunity to grow to see either way become more prevalent in his life. Generally, he finds that fighting is a necessity in life. You fight with your fists, with your heart and with your soul, everything is a struggle and a fight. Fighting is necessary, but death is not.

Known to be completely unreliable and works around everything on a whim rather than order. There was once a time that he coerced a flock of pigeons to swarm a girl in the park playing her string machine by throwing seed at her feet. Completely unreliable to that girl, totally and utterly reliable to those pigeons. See, he likes to stir the pot. There’s just something really fun about seeing people lose their minds over really benign things. A little seed of an argument here, a little peppering of seeds there. Backfire is bound to happen but why worry about that now, when you can ignore it forever? Freedom is forefront.

Chances are usually always given by Daniel. More than one chance sometimes. Does this person deserve to die? Are they standing in the way of you and your goals? Are they trying to suppress you and your needs? Maybe, it’s entirely possible, but you aren’t the type to go out of your way to kill or hurt or maim, only to disturb and disrupt. Find another way to go about it, and let them leave. Besides, it could be extra fun later on when you fight them again.

## Background

“You can tell a lot about a man by what he keeps in his refrigerator. That’s how the old saying goes, right? Shoes? No not what he keeps in his shoes, by his shoes. It’s something like that anyway. I hate idioms, that’s not the point, the point is, that’s what they say. If anyone opened up my refrigerator they’d probably be aghast at how empty it is. They’d assume that I eat out all the time, or maybe that I’m poor or don’t care--

You know what that’s not the point either, actually. The point is, people make a lot of assumptions based on a lot of small… useless things. Things that don’t matter to them, to me, to their aunt betty or anyone else. They’re wrong. My life is my own and you ain’t gonna get anything from me just by looking in a damn fridge.”

Daniel was born in New York as a first generation Irish-American. Both of his parents immigrated from Ireland to America seeking different things. One, a soul searching journey to bring him closer to god, the other, a healing journey to bring her life fulfillment giving aid to wounded soldiers. The two may have come looking for different things, but they found each other. A church service in Hell’s Kitchen had them mingling and hitting it off almost immediately. It was like they were made for each other, and Daniel; he would be made for them too.

Or so they hoped.

Things don’t always go as planned, though. Which is to say that the little angel they had hoped to bring into the world, a bundle from god and a blessing on their family was not quite what they thought it would be. Some say that parenting is hard, others say that there are people in this world that just aren’t cut out to be parents. Maybe this was a case of both of those things, or maybe, Daniel just happened to be swapped out at the hospital for another baby by accident. Whatever the case was, from an early age, Daniel was a handful.

As an adult, Daniel would tell the story of how he came out screaming and proceeded to flip the doctor off--truthfully, only half a lie, though he’ll let you choose which one is the true half. Nevertheless--

Home life was hard for the new couple, both as devout catholics who practiced their religion to a T and took their parenting lessons directly from their own upbringings and professions. Turns out though, that when you overload a child like Daniel who already had a penchant for trouble with rules, packed schedules, a lack of freedom and his very own bible, things got a little messy.

The first real blowout happened when Daniel was seventeen years old, a fresh faced boy in highschool surrounded by kids just like him. Kids seeking out more, be it a craving for freedom or a thirst for knowledge, or something in between, they were all searching. Trying. Suffocating.

Suffocating…

He’s suffocating. Please--help--

It comes out of him in droves. Waves of panic setting in and bubbling under the surface as each day repeating the same process forced onto him by people he has no power to fight against eats away at him. Bags set deep under his eyes and the itch under his skin bites at him as much as the starch collar of his firmly pressed uniform does. There is no reprieve for him from prying eyes, hyper focused on everything that he does and everything that he wants.

God can wait, can’t they? God doesn’t need me to behave in school, do they? God doesn’t want this for me.

Seventeen years come and go, and days tick down to hours, minutes, seconds that stretch into eons before the weight crushes him. One day, Daniel doesn’t show up to school, walking right past the bus station and not stopping, not for anyone or anything. He decided that morning that today, he would just go. Go anywhere he wanted. Do anything he wanted. Just. Go.

Another day of absence before a phone call is promptly made to his home. Words that he never hears and exchanged between principle and parents, but what he does hear is anger and frustration. Heavy footfalls from upstairs as he walks through the threshold that signal the second coming.

Not skipping classes was a number one rule and he would meet his maker. Maybe he should have just never come home.

After the first, things just progressively got worse and worse in the Buckley home. Every stray hair, every missed letter, every slipped grade would cause more and more of a crack down on the little free time that he did have. Daniel came closer and closer to a breaking point with every scripture read and every word spoken. Trust had been broken, but Daniel had been broken a lot longer than that.

People break. That’s just how it is. People like Daniel who can’t bear to be strapped down, they break a lot faster.

A drag of a cigarette here, a tip of alcohol there, a wild party with flying fists and a quick gamble.

Once Daniel had tasted freedom, once he learned he could fight back and say no, he was addicted. He spiraled into the mindset of me against the world. By the time graduation came around, he got through by the skin of his teeth, grinning and skidding across the floor because he was free.

Maybe too free. Not even a week pass after his eighteenth birthday before his parents approach him again, seemingly at the end of their ropes. The well behaved, loving son they had hoped for was not the son they had raised.

“We think it's best if you start your life as an adult on your own. It will be a spiritual journey for you--”

“What she means to say is that we’re closing our doors. You’re an adult now. Eighteen years old, that’s a big deal. God will show you the way, provided you let him. Of course as your parents we’re here to support you, just like we have in the past and--”

It’s kind of turned to static in Daniel’s ears at this point, one thing repeating over in his mind.

“So you’re kicking me out?”
There is a beat of silence as his father puts his arm around his mother’s shoulder, both of them standing side by side, as if it’s the hardest thing that they have ever had to do. Daniel wouldn’t believe that for a second though. In fact, he was sure they were relieved. And so was he.

“Great, sounds amazing. Y’know I gotta say--Thank God.” Followed by another brief silence. “I’ll go get my stuff.”

“Hey Danny-boyo. Don’t forget you’re on doodie duty tonight.”

A heavy sigh comes from deep inside the projector room before a shock of bright red hair wheels itself around the corner into sight. It was his fourth job this year, working at an old, old theater that saw nothing but hipsters and grandmas over the course of its recent history. Daniel cracks a smile and waves.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t see me back here. I’ve got something to do tonight, is it okay if I skip out early and pay Earl to do it for me?”

A quick laugh comes from the man standing in front of him.

“Look I don’t care if it’s Tom, Dick or Harry, as long as it gets done.”

He pulls his phone out of his pocket. Damn, he loves this job. But the message stands stark on the screen, bright and inviting. Something new, exciting--free.

“Do you have the will to change this life of yours? Would you like togo someplace new?”

“I’ll get it done.”

## Trivia

* Surprisingly has never stolen anything, but is not above the concept.
* In saying that they may have accidentally pocketed a few pencils, pens and smaller miscellaneous items that you were careless enough to leave lying around.
* He is definitely indulgent in everything he does. While Daniel doesn’t think that he DESERVES the finer things in life, he sure does love to indulge in them.
* Still tries to eat popcorn off the floor if he’s hungry though. The fine stuff is great but sometimes you just have to, you know, scavenge.
* Pranks seen used to disrupt quiet times.
* Used to attend Sunday school on the regular and can recall many scriptures off the top of his head. (He hates this)
* Still believes in God and has religious practices under his belt even though he’ll say that’s not the case.

## Quotes

* > "*Say Something Here*"
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― name & when / to whom