Fangs and Freedom: An Insider's Manual to Life in the Daybreaker Realm

Professor Harold Whitmore

 Character Introduction

**Name:** Professor Harold Whitmore

**Age:** 58

**Appearance:** Harold is a tall, lanky man with thinning grey hair that he often brushes back absentmindedly. His sharp blue eyes are framed by round spectacles that slide down his nose, giving him a perpetually distracted look. He typically wears rumpled sweaters over button-up shirts and khakis, the uniform of a man more at home in the lab than in social settings. The faint scent of old books and chemicals clings to him, an olfactory testament to his lifelong devotion to science.

**Unique Traits:** Harold possesses an analytical mind capable of unravelling complex scientific puzzles but struggles with emotional connections. He often gets lost in thought, mumbling equations or theories aloud without realizing it. Despite his brilliance, there's an underlying sense of regret and guilt that shadows him—a constant reminder of the unintended consequences of his work.

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Motivation and Goals

Harold's primary motivation is rooted in a desire for redemption. After inadvertently creating the vampire virus during an ill-fated experiment aimed at understanding cellular regeneration, he has become obsessed with finding a cure—not just for those afflicted but also for himself as he grapples with the moral implications of his actions. His secondary goal is to foster a sense of familial love within his household; however, this aim is complicated by his perception that Emma—the daughter he adopted out of obligation—will never truly belong.

Deep down, Harold yearns for acceptance from both Emma and Constance; he wishes they could see past their resentment toward him as merely their duty-bound father figure into something deeper: love.

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SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

1. **The Experiment Gone Wrong:** In his late thirties, while working on regenerative medicine at the university where he taught, Harold conducted an experiment involving viral vectors intended to heal damaged tissues. A miscalculation led to the creation of a virus that turned its hosts into vampires—an event that spiralled out of control and resulted in several tragic outcomes.

2. **Adoption Decision:** Following this catastrophe and feeling guilty about its fallout on society—and particularly on Axel's life—Harold decided to adopt Emma after her biological parents fell victim to the chaos wrought by the vampire virus. This decision was less about embracing fatherhood than about fulfilling what he saw as an obligation tied to Axel's legacy.

3. **The Werewolf Incident:** In pursuit of a cure for vampirism through genetic manipulation, Harold inadvertently created werewolves instead—a side effect stemming from attempts to reverse-engineer DNA damaged by the virus. This further deepened his feelings of inadequacy as both a scientist and a father figure.

4. **Emma's Rebellion:** As Emma grew older and began questioning her place in the Whitmore family dynamic—feeling like nothing more than an obligation—she rebelled against her upbringing during her teenage years. This culminated in confrontations between her and Harold where she expressed how neglected she felt compared to her