The pale lights flickered and danced with an audible hum, a resonate buzzing that fit well with the chipped concrete walls, painted over with a faded seaweed green color. Light green is supposed to be calming, but it was doubtful that would be helping these people. Dr. Jensen's small plum pumps clacked against the similarly green floor, although a darker hue than the walls, as she sharply turned corners and rattled off instructions, schedules, and patient information to David. He tried to keep up, but it was easy to become distracted by the number of individuals wearing straitjackets and peeking through their tiny cell windows.
The doctor stopped at a heavy metal door equipped with a security guard and an electronic key scanner. She flipped her id card up and, without saying so much as a hello to the guard on duty, a portly man with an ill-matching gaunt face, was cleared with access by the beeping machine. David, who would soon be a security guard himself, gave the man a small nod as he followed Dr. Jensen into an even more dimly lit hallway.
"So, uh," David began, "Why are these patients separate from the others?"
Dr. Jensen cast him a sidelong glance, as if just noticing his presence for the first time. "An issue of personal safety." She answered.
"For who?" he laughed, "Us or them?"
She looked at him without expression, unamused.
David made a mental note not to make any jokes while at the workplace. Eyeing their surroundings, he quickly learned there wasn't much to see, but he did notice these cells' windows were covered with a little metal latch. He didn't know if this disturbed or relieved him. Finally, at the end of the corridor, they came to the end: an intimidating steel door, set with another clearance-only security scanner.
"What's back here?" David asked.
Dr. Jensen raised her card once again, and the large door slid open automatically after the beep. "You'll see," is all she said.
And see David did. There was a glass enclosure, not large, but bigger than the average rooms he had seen thus far. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but a young man—or rather a boy—sitting at a table, hands crossed, looking at them as if he were a host waiting for his visitors. It was unspectacular really; David didn't understand the reason for it.
"Who is this?" He questioned, examining the boy. He had dark brown hair, jaw clean shaven, skin pale, eyes blue—expectant and calm. Behind the glass, the boy yawned lazily.
"That is Griffin Foster. He's 19 years old, has an estimated IQ of genius level, and went to college at age 14. He grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia with a nice wealthy family, and can, apparently, play 10 instruments, or so he says."
David frowned, placing a hand on the glass. The doctor seemed to sense his apprehension. "Don't worry; he can't hear us."
"Sounds like a stellar kid," David commented, "What's he doing in a place like this?"
She walked to the glass, heels snapping. A small smile, almost secretive in nature, adorned her lips. "He's a serial killer, Mr. Parker. They located the first body when he was 16, and they've been finding them ever since."
David recoiled from the surface of the cell like it had shocked him. "Sick—why's this little bastard still alive?"
Doctor Jensen grinned, gaze still set on Griffin Foster. "Welcome to the Crowley Institute for the Mentally Unwell, Mr. Parker."
A/N: Yes, welcome. This is my newest project, The Perils of Sanity.
It's a SYOC, which means Submit Your Original Character for those of you who may be new to this. To be honest, I'm not sure where I intend this story to go, but I know it will mainly be about character interaction and the characters themselves. I'm writing this as a bit of an experiment, as I've never written a character that's "crazy" before and would like to. Now, down to the good stuff necessary for submission.
This is a story about mentally unwell individuals—if that triggers, offends, or unnerves you please do not submit to or read the story.
My OC is not in fact new security guard David Parker, but Griffin Foster himself. I used David to get a first chapter from the spectator's point of view.
Okay, so let's talk character creation. The OCs you send in to be patients at the institute, they're all going to be what others may call insane. I realize 100% that most people with mental disorders are not violent, disturbing, or dangerous; they are capable of leading perfectly normal lives. The individuals at the Crowley Institute for the Mentally Unwell are not capable of this; they are the severe, uncommon cases. Some of them may not be as bad as Griffin, and that's fine.
Submit by PM only, and here is the form. My school's last day is May 13th, so after that is when updates will begin. May 13th is also the last day I'll accept character submissions, so if you want to submit please do it by then.
Here is how you should title your PM: The Perils of Sanity: Your Character's Name
Name: (First, middle, and last)
Nicknames, if any:
Gender:
Age: (16-25)
Birthday:
Appearance: (Be descriptive—I need to be able to visualize your character)
Celebrity Look-A-Like:
Distinctive Markings: (As in tattoos, birthmarks, scars, blemishes, piercings, etc.)
What is your character's favorite physical feature?
What is your character's least favorite physical feature?
Personality: (Be descriptive, and please make sense.)
List of positive personality traits:
List of negative personality traits:
Fatal Flaw:
Quirks, vice, and strange behaviors/mannerisms:
Mental Illnesses and Disorders?
What makes people believe your character is "Crazy?"
Examples of Dialogue and things they would say:
How do they see themselves? How do they want to be seen by others?
Family and Friends:
How did your character end up at the Crowley Institute for the Mentally Unwell?
Is your character a danger to themselves and the rest of society? If so, to what extent? (Ex: Griffin is a serial killer, so he is obviously very dangerous. Things like morality, human life, and social norms mean very little to him; he is not afraid to hurt people.)
Sexual Orientation:
Would you like your character to be involved in romantic relationships?
If so, what kind of person is your attracted to? What kind of person is your character turned off by?
Is your character a virgin?
If you said yes to the possibility of romantic relationships, would you mind if I used your character as Griffin's love interest? (Fair warning, he is dangerous; he is disturbed—any relationship with him would be dark, and most probably, unhealthy.)
If your character wasn't forced to wear Institute uniforms, what would be their clothing style?
Every patient at the Institute is allowed three personal objects from home—what are your character's?
What does your character look for in a friend?
What are characteristics your character cannot stand in others?
Fears:
Dreams and Aspirations:
Obsessions, if any:
Hobbies/Interests/Talents:
Favorite-
-book:
-movie:
-band:
-song:
-food:
-color:
-animal:
-place:
Dislikes:
Theme Song(s):
What are some possible plotlines for your character? What are some things you'd like to see happen during the story?
What do you feel I should know about your character?
Anything Else You Would Like to Add:
Note (Not part of form): While this fanfiction isn't necessarily based on any particular fandom, themes, concepts, and events may be borrowed from other works. When this occurs at any time in the story, to my knowledge, I will fully credit the original creators and owners. This is a fanfiction created by a fan; I do not profit from this. All coincidental similarities are just that: coincidences. Even still, in accidental case of similarity, all rights are to the the original and legal owners.
