Nickname: Prof. Q.
Gender: Male
Age: 82
Hair Color: None, as he is bald
Eye Color: Pink
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Likes: ~Science
~Other people, as long as they're nice
~Specimens to experiment on, within reason
~New testing equipment
~Coffee
Dislikes: ~Injuries, whether his own or on others
~The Glitch virus
~Unnecessary cruelty
~Dragging along his cart
~Rude people
Skills: An experienced chemist and biologist: Qasim has enthusiastically studied the sciences of chemistry and biology for years, becoming well versed and knowledgeable in both branches. Because of his studies he also has some amount of medical knowledge as well, but nothing more than would be classed for an amateur doctor.
Some basic survival, scavenging and crafting skills: Living in the post-glitch world of today has forced Qasim on learning on how to take care of himself. He has managed to scrape together some knowledge and skill in scavenging for what he requires, crafting from raw and not-so-raw materials, and the basic survival skills you'd expect to be taught in scouts or cadets groups, such as pitching a tent.
Arsonist skills: Due to working with contaminated organic material, and occasionally having to fend of those infected by The Glitch, Qasim has some limited knowledge on various ways of applying fire, whether to the poor infected, samples and items he wishes to be rid of, or entire buildings. He carries a small portable flamethrower, a can of deodorant with a lighter tapped in front of the nozzle, as well as a box of matches in case he needs to use said skills of fire based destruction.
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Personality: Having dedicated his life to researching the cure for eliminating The Glitch virus, Qasim has become somewhat of an introvert, tending to avoid folks to keep them out of risk of his own experiments in attempting to discover something to at least weaken the virus, though is the first to fully admit when he requires assistance and has been known to wander into settlements when he needs new supplies or just any other kind of help. He is by no means anti-social however, in fact he is quite the opposite, happily chattering away to any stranger about even the dullest of subjects, and freely sharing his recent research result out in the open, and to an extent, can be a bit overly honest and trusting. He has no patience to those that are rude towards him however and quickly dismiss any involvement with them, often shortly followed by him leaving their presence.
Although he is highly passionate about eradicating The Glitch virus altogether, he is immensely more adamant that he shall never experiment on anyone who isn't already infected, the vow even extending to most animals, though he has little qualms on experimenting on mice, fish or small birds. He also refuses to experiment on the dead body of anyone's family or friends unless asked to, considering it to be just as bad as infecting a live person with the virus.
He often stays up a few days on end without sleep for researching, as it is a habit of his ever since he took up the sciences, and thus, he is highly fond of coffee, often jumping at the chance to even sample any, though it has become fairly rare nowadays.
History: Qasim was raised by, obviously, his parents, who just happened to be scientists, who they themselves were researching for a cure for The Glitch condition spreading throughout. They all resided in a safe little bunker, along with a few other survivors, including a few soliders who enjoyed picking off any infected that wandered into the area. Due to their joyful 'defensive' killings, they often brought samples, bits and pieces of those infected by the glitch, which Qasim's parents studied carefully, attempting to decipher the genetic make up of the samples for a cure, but always sure to burn them afterwards to avoid contamination.
Somehow, they managed to managed to keep surviving for years, but not without a solider teaching them basic survival skills, the rest of the bunkers inhabitants, including Qasim's parent's, also shared what practical skills they knew. Despite the willingness for the survivors to teach and share their skills to each other, most were wary of the scientist parent's experiments, certainly not blaming them for their goal, but still uneasy of their research matter, and tended to stay away from their labs, which were also the only medical facility in the bunker, and as a result were also nervous when asking for such assistance, leaving far more to be sick than needed. Qasim on the other hand was fascinated with the whole science facility and his parent's work, often helping in anyway he can and eagerly doing his own little, less dangerous experiments, learning whatever scrap of info was available from his parents or books lying around, drinking in knowledge like a tree drinks up moisture from the soil. He lived quite happily, under the circumstances, their survival going mostly quite smoothly, until a solider got bitten.
It happened many years later from his childhood, when he arrived at the age of 30, during the solders 'hunting party' that usually had most of their time spent taking pot shots at lone infected, was met with a sudden swarm of them instead, leaving but one survivor who managed to scramble back to base. almost immediately when the door shut behind him, Qasim's parents began working at his wounds, and during treatment found an ominous looking bite mark, to which the hastily strapped him down and began searching quickly for a cure, with Qasim trying his best to give any smidgen of help he could. They were unfortunately, yet again, unsuccessful at discovering a cure, as their last expert on combat turned to become a glitch, to which they were forced to put down, much to everyone in the bunkers dismay. Things grew worse when a week later, his parent's were experimenting with the poor troopers corpse, which didn't leave it long til the whole bunker knew, Qasim, along with many of the other inhabitants, was outraged by this. After much debate, and flinging insults, and occasionally fists, threats and small furniture, the group of survivors became two, a few deciding to still stay in the bunker, believing the scientist parents were working for the greater good, while the rest decided to travel and take the risk of the outside world, taking a quarter of the scientists equipment with them, Qasim vowing to discover the cure himself and not resorting to using the corpses of his friends. With a few curt goodbyes, due to tension still being high, Qasim's group left, that day being the last of seeing those who stayed in the bunker.
For years after, the group began travelling in caravan-esque trails, dragging shoddily made carts along with them, moving from settlement to settlement and surviving on what they could find, learning to defend, feed, and live by themselves. As Qasim continued his experiments, his progress perhaps slower than his parent's were, having traded some of the equipment with other survivors for more practical items, learning how to wield fire as a weapon and a tool for his research and for defense against the glitch, often burning up any remains he hadn't used as samples. Their numbers dwindled over the years, from sickness Qasim could not cure, through starvation and dehydration or simply exhaustion or old age in tougher times, and in horrible attacks from those infected by The Glitch, which only strengthened Qasim's resolved to keep his vow, though thankfully it was mostly caused by them breaking from the group to stay in settlement, tiring from constantly living on the move. Years went by, then decades, and before Qasim knew it, he was alone traveling the lands from settlement to settlement, partly living as they he had before when he was with the others, partly working as some sorts of a traveling doctor, but by no means an expert in this field, asking if anyone had someone working on the cure for the glitch, but always given the same puzzled look as if he just asked if they could fling poo at him. He still continues his wandering, and his journeys, hoping that one day he'll finally make the cure, or at least a great breakthrough to help whichever scientists are left.
Relationships: Qasim has yet to meet any of the other main characters so far.
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