Character Profile
Demon #0084: Detective Renlas Haylem
Age: 24-32
Birthdate: September 25
Gender: Male
Blood Type: A
Race: Human, Psychological Mutation
Associated With: Detective Niels Fleming, Dr. Annalee Jordan, Ceile Scarlet
Known Capabilities: Sensitivity to thoughts and unique brain signatures recorded at distances of 30 miles. Suspected to extend to as far as 100 miles. Able to lift items of recorded weight of 2048 pounds. Suffers from acute sensitivity disorder. Approach with caution.
World Description: In the past forty years, scientists have discovered the latent potential of the human mind; giving rise to a society of telepaths.
Story Arc: Ren's story begins when he is assigned to a grouchy detective twice his age to learn the fine trade of private investigation for the newly founded Department of TeleThought Communication and Crime. For Ren, a prized student of the gifted Aribel Academy in the socially progressive south, life in the "real world" proves a challenge. Not only do stereotypes and harrassment run rampid, but he is faced with the ambiguity of human morality.
For a student who has always been told what is right and what is wrong, is it okay to think that in some situations, some answers are more right than another? Even more importantly, when you do cross the line, how do you convince the fearful public that you are still a predictable, law-abiding citizen?
Demon #0084: Detective Renlas Haylem
Age: 24-32
Birthdate: September 25
Gender: Male
Blood Type: A
Race: Human, Psychological Mutation
Associated With: Detective Niels Fleming, Dr. Annalee Jordan, Ceile Scarlet
Known Capabilities: Sensitivity to thoughts and unique brain signatures recorded at distances of 30 miles. Suspected to extend to as far as 100 miles. Able to lift items of recorded weight of 2048 pounds. Suffers from acute sensitivity disorder. Approach with caution.
World Description: In the past forty years, scientists have discovered the latent potential of the human mind; giving rise to a society of telepaths.
Story Arc: Ren's story begins when he is assigned to a grouchy detective twice his age to learn the fine trade of private investigation for the newly founded Department of TeleThought Communication and Crime. For Ren, a prized student of the gifted Aribel Academy in the socially progressive south, life in the "real world" proves a challenge. Not only do stereotypes and harrassment run rampid, but he is faced with the ambiguity of human morality.
For a student who has always been told what is right and what is wrong, is it okay to think that in some situations, some answers are more right than another? Even more importantly, when you do cross the line, how do you convince the fearful public that you are still a predictable, law-abiding citizen?
Story Excerpt
The Bet
“You know,” Fleming mused aloud, and Ren distractedly turned to his partner, “I’m tempted to let her win just so I can see you suffer under being the attentive host.”
Ren frowned mentally. The bet was more to goad Ren into taking the lead on the case and being forced into an uncomfortable social setting regardless of his efforts. He was careful to not respond too emotionally to any of the jibes Fleming placed his way. The man seemed particularly pleased when he managed to unsettle his younger companion. “Did you receive the parking garage data as you requested?” he asked, hoping to divert Fleming back onto the case at hand.
Amusement colored the aura surrounding Fleming as he produced the data chip in a flourish, "What do you think? Flowers too extravagant for a first date?" If Fleming was actively working on the case, it was buried beneath several layers of extraneous thought and Ren didn’t have the energy to sift through them.
Ren merely shrugged, refusing to be sidetracked as he accepted the chip from Fleming. Dialing into the Traffic Control and Surveillance systems, he began to download all of the video capture over the past hour to collaborate his findings with. The clock was now working against him and he was determined to avoid unnecessary social gatherings. Listening to other people think for extended periods of time was not his idea of a pleasant time. Even the most interesting found a way to wear on him.
“I think you’d be safe with something simple, like carnations. No roses, though. Definitely no roses.” Fleming continued to speak his surface thoughts, conjuring images of playful romance. “Those are anniversary gifts.”
His partner’s distraction was a welcome calm for Ren. He was not interested in flowers, much less when they would be appropriate when presented to a woman of romantic interest. It made it that much easier to ignore Fleming and he installed the parking garage data chip into his platform. If his partner's thoughts were any indication, Fleming had forgotten that they had a murder to solve.
Inspired By
Who and What is Ren?
Renlas started as being a character of someone else's who was gracious enough to loan him to me when engaging in creative short story writing exercises one summer. I had met Ren before in a cyber-punk setting and thought his aloof, socially troubled personality to be an interesting imbalance to solve.
Ren could be compared to many tropes of dolls with a soul. In many senses, he acts as if he is a robot that needs to be integrated back into social norms. Placed as an infant into government custody due to his unique requirements and overly sensitive mind, many of the social norms and gray shades of morality that we take for granted are alien concepts to the new detective.
The journey to discovering his own humanity is one that I wanted to take with Ren.
The physical representation of Ren was crafted by using Yesung of Super Junior as a template.