Biography
Luke is the unofficial patriarch of his brothers, being the oldest of the bunch. Though he prefers his own company, he has no trouble making time for the boys and always watches over them with a caring and sensitive eye.
As a child, he suffered from severe emotional abuse at the hands of his mother, and as a result, grew to resent both his mother and his father, whom he pleaded to for help, but ultimately did not believe him. This lack of trust and blatant violation of the social contract between parent and child whittled down Luke’s desire for any kind of relationship between him and his parents, which is why he and his brothers distanced themselves from their parents, for they were the only ones who have seen the abuse and have supported Luke through his trauma.
Despite his upbringing, he has a very kind and gentle temperament (perhaps his subconscious desire to please and gain the approval of his hypercritical mother) and likes to practice horticulture in his spare time; surprisingly, he has quite the green thumb. He says he particularly dislikes when certain people (i.e. Dylan) call him a “Plant Daddy” though.
He has done much to work through his issues, and to set a good example for his younger brothers, but unfortunately, he is not immune from the risk of relapsing into his old habits of becoming very “disagreeable” on the off-chance he has to interact with some of his estranged family members, becoming very pessimistic and immature when the right (or wrong person, perhaps) pushes his buttons. One of these interactions went sound-bound, and eventually drove him to attempt erasing his memories so that he could “just forget everything that makes [him] sad.” This, quite painfully, did not turn out as he expected, instead scarring his corneal tissue and staining them jet black. As a result, his vision was permanently altered, leaving Luke to see the world without color.
Some time after, Luke realized that he developed a form of anhedonia, along with his mild depression. Since he had endured so much beratement, as a child he found it easier to simply “ turn off” his feelings so things didn’t seem so bad. Unfortunately for him, his ability to turn his feelings "back on" had atrophied, and even today he still struggles with feeling… feelings. He’s been practicing being intentional about noticing how he feels about events that happen to him as of late, but his goal of having that as an involuntary action has not been realized yet.
Luke is considered to be a “man of few words” by many, but he knows when to speak up, especially when it is for the sake of someone dear to him. He shares a special bond with Connor, as both of them tend to prefer each other’s quiet company; you can usually find them out on a joyride together with nothing but vaporwave playing through the stereo. Luke also shares some “parental” responsibilities with Tanner, as they are usually the ones who tend to maintain harmony in the family; they also enjoy being able to pull the “at our age, all our joints ache…” card to get out of doing more menial tasks, much to the dismay of the others.
His Abilities
Luke practices Necromancy, so he knows much about the spirit world and what awaits people after death. He uses a modified version of a scythe that functions more like a scimitar. Besides inflicting physical damage, he can also use it to siphon a person’s life force from them. He can manipulate and interact with the spirits of the dead to scare his enemies beyond belief, or to just strike up a casual conversation with. He made a pact with Doctor Balfour, a benevolent deity of death, who helps Luke maintain a strong connection to the spirit world; the two of them have a professional, yet quite familiar relationship. He can summon him in battle to help inflict all manners of death onto their enemies. Through his experiences, Luke has turned his own longing for death into a renewed duty to live, and can channel these feelings to call upon even the most fearsome forces of the spirit world. Though he cannot defy death itself, he has proven himself worthy to fully experience life; he still has quite a while to go with that.
Luke fights using the Orchid Style - an unique version of close-quarters-combat (CQC) that incorporates his scimitar and impressive legwork to restrain and subdue opponents. This creates more opportunities for him to drain life energy.
Luke studied Necromancy, at first with ill intent, as he desired to bring a quick end to those who have wronged him. But throughout his therapy, his interactions with others, and a whole lot of self-reflection, he has gained a much more holistic and grounded understanding of the concept of death, which allowed him to truly appreciate the part death plays in the Cycle of Life and achieve an exalted mastery of the Necromantic arts.
Theme of the Necromancer
Theme of the Soul Weaver
Theme of the Fallacious Apothecary
Doctor Balfour - The Fallacious Apothecary
A benevolent, yet somewhat misguided, practitioner of medicine who lost his life by his own folly, Doctor Balfour wishes to ease his patients of all their suffering. Using his medical know-how and his alchemical prowess, he can concoct hallucinogenic toxins to deliver the sweet relief of death to any of his ailing patients, tailor-made to satisfy each one’s own personal tastes and preferences.
Ironically, he died by creating his own ultimate potion of death; though he intended to use it in only the most dire of circumstances, he underestimated its potency, and the odorless fumes slowly put him to sleep, the sullen, yet comforting ambiance of his backrooms-esque lab being the final aspect of his own death wish.
In his afterlife, he longs to continue his work, but unfortunately, you cannot grant death to someone who already has it. Wandering the spirit world, he eventually finds a kindred spirit in Luke, who has had his own yearnings for death, but truly wants to simply live for himself again. The two of them began exchanging witty banter, eventually becoming quite familiar; each one admiring the perspective and experiences of the other. Their bond is based on the mutual happiness and understanding they share as a result of their enriching discussions.
With this bond, Luke has access to the depths of knowledge and power of Doctor Balfour’s spirit, and vice versa. Luke can summon him into battle at his full scale, but Doctor Balfour can also manifest himself at a more human-like size when it’s convenient, however that form is only visible to Luke and those he holds dear to his heart (i.e. his brothers).
"…Who might you be?"
"Just a tired, old man who’s down on his luck. But what about you? This world is dark and full of terrors, you know. No place for someone like you to be alone."
"Well, that makes two places I don't belong, then."
"What makes you say that?"
…
"What would you do if you weren't really “you?” Like, you're living out in the world, but you're not really living because there’s no “you” in the first place."
"What a delightfully thought-provoking question! You sound much wiser than your years suggest."
"I suppose I’ve just been through a lot, I guess... You seem pretty cool though… You said I’m “still alive” though; what does that mean?"
"It means that your life’s journey is not yet complete."
"Oh… I- I see… What should I do?"
"Come, I’ll see to it that you make it out of here safely. However, I do have a condition; it is how we spirits operate after all."
"And what might that be?"
"You finish your conversation with me as we journey back. Speaking with someone like you makes me feel alive again."
"…I think I can at least manage that."