(no subject)
[nick/name] kat
[personal LJ] canyousayhot
[other characters currently played] n/a
[email] kat3446@gmail . com
[AIM / messenger] forgesseames (AIM), forgess (plurk)
[series] INCEPTION
[character] Yusuf (The Chemist)
[character history / background] If we go by what is shown to us in the movie, this would be a very short section indeed. (Really, the only character we get an in-depth look at is Robert Fischer, but of course, if that wasn’t the case then the boys wouldn’t be very good at their jobs, now would they?) Thus, we’re going to need to do a bit of creative extrapolation from both the movie and the script.
Let’s run through the movie (wiki here) with help from the script (here) to better understand Yusuf’s role. There is a stand-alone prequel titled The Big Under (here) that, while Yusuf is not explicitly mentioned in, should be taken into account when evaluating the world of dreamsharing and Yusuf’s probable role in it. In the movie, we are told by Arthur that the PASIV technology was created by the government to help soldiers deal with the reality of killing while, ironically, not being in reality at all. In The Big Under, we are introduced to the idea that the PASIV is used for recreation in addition to training purposes. Thus, we can assume that the demand of a chemist who could create tailor-made compounds for the PASIV technology would likely be very high for those like Saito with the revenue to throw away on such things as dreamcades and inception (not so much for simple extractions and low-budget dreams), and consequently, very illegal.
We are not talking drugs here. It is made very clear in the interviews with Dileep Rao and co-producer Jordan Goldberg, that Christopher Nolan “did not want the audience to confuse Yusuf with [the likes of a fancy] drug dealer.” Indeed, when Eames is taking us to meet Yusuf for the first time, the script introduces Yusuf’s building as:
INT. PHARMACY
Thus, we can assume that Yusuf works from a place that is established in Mombasa as a Pharmacy. He’s not hiding his profession as a pharmacologist, though he is certainly operating out of a private practice-which is to be expected considering the dream den he runs right in the back of his shop.
Eames: There’s a man here. Yusuf. He formulates his own versions of the compounds.
Cobb: Let's go see him.
Eames: Once you've lost your tail.
This bit of dialogue shows us several key points about Yusuf. Firstly, it would be safe to assume that Eames and Yusuf have, at the very least, a working relationship. It wouldn’t be farfetched to assume that Eames might actually float jobs or clients in Yusuf’s direction; as he’s doing right now. In the movie, Eames gets this smug little look on his face before introducing Yusuf that would imply that they not only have a working relationship, but a certain camaraderie as well. Secondly, this implicitly says (through the act of offering Yusuf’s services on a job that he is considering signing onto) that Eames trusts Yusuf-in as much as anyone should trust anyone else in a world where people can access your mind through your dreams. Eames is confident in Yusuf’s abilities as a chemist, and thinks he would be the man best suited to handle a job that Dom Cobb would need a chemist for. Though of course they are, at this point, in “Cobol’s backyard” and it is in Eames’ best interest to not be shot at, he’s not necessarily telling Cobb about his tail for his own benefit-or Cobb’s, for that matter. The shaking of this Cobol goon can also be understood to mean that Eames wouldn’t want to trail unwanted attention back to Yusuf’s place. He obviously knows that Yusuf has a hand in dreamshare (though whether Eames knew about the dream den is debatable), and as that is not precisely legal. So while Yusuf is not classified as a drug dealer, he is very much not on the straight and narrow.
Yusuf: Ah, yes. Mr Cobb. I’ve heard so very much about you
Yusuf chases a CAT off Saito's chair.
Yusuf: Bloody cats.
Yusuf moves to a shelf and runs his fingers over the glass bottles. None of them has a label.
[...]
Yusuf: (proudly) Yusuf's somnacin.
Cobb: As good as the real thing?
Yusuf: Better.
As we are not explicitly told what credentials Yusuf holds, Yusuf’s past is left up to interpretation which I will get to once we have thoroughly exhausted his canon. Obviously he is talented in the field of pharmacology and chemical manipulation, and runs his own experiments (as shown by the flasks and lab accouterments in this scene) but he conducts these experiments in less than ideal conditions. He has a cat running around and the experiments are certainly not being performed under sterile lab conditions, so it follows that either Yusuf doesn’t know what proper lab conditions are like, or he just doesn’t care. As it is VERY UNLIKELY that anyone could ever become proficient in pharmacology by sheer stroke of luck, it is safe to assume that Yusuf is the latter case. He is obviously very proud of his compounds and doesn’t seem to work with anyone else (or he would probably need to label those bottles to avoid killing his clients...) which should say something about his work habits. Outside of work however, it would seem that Yusuf is open to conversation (from Eames about Cobb, in this scenario) and company. It would also seem that Yusuf has a soft but irritable spot for cats; surely he could get rid of them (put out a little poison and make the “problems” go away) but instead he chases them off when company is present.
Colloquially we see Yusuf utilizing British English, as well as swearing several times in British slang. He wears several layers, despite living in the heat of Mombasa, but his distinct style of dress gives us an idea of what he actually cares about. The individuals who have been in the dreamshare business for a while (Eames, Cobb, Arthur) dress in anything from semi-formal to formal attire (respectively) when in a meeting, but Yusuf is an amalgamation of eastern and western dress. He is often in a light kurta shirt with a suit jacket thrown over it, his glasses hanging around his neck and in noticeably loose fitting pants. As he plays several roles simultaneously (that of a scientist, a chemist, the eccentric intellectual, and a businessman) we get the impression that Yusuf is a man who is comfortable with what he’s comfortable with, and doesn’t much care whether he fits in with the image the group makes.
Yusuf: The compound we’ll be using to share the dream is an advanced Somnacin derivative. It creates a very clear connection between dreamers, whilst actually accelerating brain function
Cobb: Buying us more time in each level.
Yusuf: Brian function in the dream will be about twenty times normal. And when you go into a dream within a dream, the effect is compounded.
Not only is Yusuf a capable chemist but he is also able to hold his own in a theoretical conversation about dreaming and the effects of temporal interpretations under sedation. It takes a while for Cobb to explain the idea to the group, spelling out every step with demonstration from Yusuf, which would suggest that the two are more inclined to the planning stages whereas someone like Eames or Ariadne would have a better grasp on the “physical” dreamscape. Yusuf doesn’t cut down his language, and speaks in a manner that makes it obvious that he has an academic’s background. He is adept at mathematics and theory, which would suggest that he is an intellectual as opposed to a savant of any kind. Indeed, in Yusuf’s lab we see books littering his table tops and Ariadne explaining the levels to Yusuf either for clarification or, quite possibly, a natural inclination towards curiosity.
[character abilities] The Chemist is the team member who formulates the compounds required for entering the dream. Yusuf described as “an avant-garde pharmacologist” and, in the movie, makes it clear that he considers his compounds better than the average grade of Somnacin.
He is able to not only develop the drugs required to put the team under, but he is also able to design these drugs to fit the needs of a consumer. If there is a specific dream scenario, Yusuf is able to take his knowledge of physiology and brain chemistry and apply it to the situation. Should someone with access to dream technology need to explore unsupervised, unregistered, and unreported to the dreamshare community (which we can assume is an important aspect to maintaining an edge of innovation in the world of dreamshare, since for every extraction and protection are, in the end, a business to be exploited) Yusuf is the man to, quite literally, make their dreams possible.
In reality, Yusuf is a very calm, collected individual. He is self-possessed and, at his age, doesn’t much care for people who don’t care for him. He is, however, only calm and collected in situations he is comfortable in. Science and theory are his strong points and when explaining them, he is able to keep his head about him and explain it until he is sure his audience understands. In a dream however, he is out of his element and he looses his cool. He gets flustered and defensive and generally doesn’t handle stress or conflict very well. He would much rather avoid the situation altogether if it will lead to shouting or theatrics-but he is more than willing to dig unnecessarily close to the heart of a matter if the person is willing to stay level headed. He just doesn’t handle stressful situations very well.
While he is able to wield small firearms (and uses a two toned SIG Sauer P232 in the dream world) he is not a man given toward violence. He doesn’t have any great proficiency with weapons or typical “criminal” appurtenances; although he can drive a mean get-away van, and knows the international symbol for that was my parking spot you prick, among other variants of the gesture.
[character personality] Yusuf’s character was supposed to be “funny, interesting, and obviously smart,” and it is clear that he is all of these things. Nowhere near as serious as Arthur, nor as obviously damaged as Cobb, he isn’t as naïve to the game as Ariadne is. It would seem that he has been doing this for a while, be it through dreamshare or other means, and he doesn’t see a problem with what he’s doing so long as people aren’t getting hurt on his doorstep.
It would be prudent to point out that Yusuf is, to say the least, morally malleable. He doesn’t have a problem keeping information from the group in exchange for Cobb’s share of the pay-and he’s sure to clarify that it isn’t just a portion, it’s all of it. This isn’t to say he doesn’t have his scruples, he knows very well what it means that he runs a dream den and assists in criminal activities, and he looks contrite when the team finds out that Cobb paid for his silence-he just is not bothered by it the way more morally upright people would be. When he says, “perhaps you will not want to see,” (in reference to the dream den) he is essentially laying the foundations for his actions later on.
Yusuf is not a dreamer. In the movie he tells Cobb that he “rarely goes into the field,” and this is ultimately never explained. It could simply be a personal preference, but as Yusuf’s character flaw seems to be greed, it seems plausible to assume that Yusuf realizes how easily he could become addicted to dreaming. He is surrounded by addicted dreamers and, more than likely, people who come to the pharmacy with all kinds of ailments and addictions, and he knows what these people are like. He makes it very obvious when he calls Cobb out (after showing them the dream den) that he’s aware enough to know what these people look like, but doesn’t feel the need to exert any judgments either way. Yusuf isn’t one for confrontation. In the dream he also makes a lot of rookie mistakes (letting projections wander into the dream, not realizing that drinking too much champagne will carry over into the dream, etc) and generally shows himself more adept at dealing with reality.
As he is obviously first and foremost a scientist, Yusuf is a curious individual. He is unapologetically intelligent- which isn’t to say he is a jerk about it, just that he doesn’t see any reason to hide it. He believes in the concept of multiple intelligences, and while he may have a proficiency for science, he would be hard-pressed to tell you which end of the paintbrush went on a canvas. Being intelligent isn’t synonomous with being antisocial, and Yusuf is anything but. He is shown interacting with the team and is rarely alone unless he is at the lab station (in which case, it is for the good of the team to let him concentrate), and he has a queer sense of humor. He’ll sniff a wallet without a second thought or pause for several moments to consider something, and if he thinks he smells bullshit-he’ll call you on it.
Yusuf is curious and capable, which can be good or bad depending on who is around to remind him that it isn’t in good sport to screw over your friends. He is a scientist and has been experimenting for so long that everything kind of blurs into an experimental vs control group unless someone points out the obvious. He’ll slap you in the face while you’re under sedation, and then snigger about it when you wake up and wonder why your face hurts.
Generally, he is a fun guy to be around-willing to laugh and joke just as soon as he is to let a dirty word fly- he can just be a little strange and morally skewed at times!
[point in timeline you’re taking your character from] post-inception, returned to his shop (the den) in Mombasa
[journal post]
[ There is a pause, long enough for one to wonder whether the static being picked up by the device is something more imagined than auditory, until suddenly- ]
Bugger. Where the-
[ Another pause, and possibly the faint sound of a perplexed but intrigued ‘hm...’ if the device is sensitive enough to pick that up. ]
This is, most definitely, not where I am supposed to be.
[ The device is jostled in Yusuf’s deep pockets, soft linen pants causing quite the ruckus to anyone listening in as he surveys his surroundings. ]
Actually, I do not believe there was a carousel ever mentioned in the layout... Who would have put that there?
[ As the rustling dies down, there’s more of Yusuf’s interested muttering-mostly to himself because, well, a person’s subconscious can only answer so many questions directly. ]
Such an expansive dreamscape… I wonder if the world has expanded to fit my presence in it, and this is an extension of the current dream- a place filled with the random nonsense accumulated by the dreamers throughout the day. It would certainly explain the carousel.
But not my presence so far displaced from the team...
Honestly, this is such a bother. I could be of more use topside-
[ Suddenly there is the noise of Yusuf’s knuckles colliding with the device in his pocket, a moment of muffled rustling, and then, ]
Oh, this is new. I suppose I should use thi-
[ The device clicks off. ]
[third person / log sample]
Acrid and pervasive, the smell of Hydrogen Sulphide permeates the surroundings, clinging to every surface and lingering in the air like an unwanted guest that just won’t take a hint. The midday heat of Mombasa hardly helps matters, thinning the air until Yusuf’s lips dry and sweat beads under the springy nest of his curls. If the sea would deign to gift the city with a breeze, enough to sweep through the streets and pass through the open windows of the Pharmacy, the smell could be swept away in less time than it would take Yusuf to finish his cuppa. Unfortunately, such a thing is highly unlikely given the Pharmacy’s location and the sea’s unforgiving nature.
No matter, such things are common on lab days.
From the doorway, a tabby cat slinks her way into the room, giving only the slightest pause at the door as if to say oh… not this again. Yusuf sips his tea and pretends he doesn’t know what it feels like to be judged by something that has to occasionally sick-up its own body hair. Rhada is the laziest of Yusuf’s regulars, lacking the curiosity that endangers her kin and ultimately endears her to the chemist. She moves with a bored gait, choosing her steps as if each one counts, until she eventually disappears behind a stack of books; only the curved flick of her tail visible behind them like some highly ineffective periscope. Yusuf moves his feet to make room for her, for he knows this game all too well.
Under normal circumstances, Yusuf would never have to work with such a corrosive grade of H2S. Truly, in the world of biosynthetic chemical application, there is little need for acids or bases with an index of .02 pH in either direction from a level 7.43 because a compound is only as good as the person’s ability to degrade it. Should the compound have a radical half-life (30 seconds, assuming ventricular and arterial pump rates are equivalent at rest) the compound could theoretically be dropped as low as 7.35, if introduced at the median cubital vein; but the risk associated with proper venule puncture by an untrained individual is high enough to scrap that idea entirely. There is always the possibility to slow down the heart rate (acetylcholine to block the reuptake of norepinephrine, flooding the system and causing a sluggish vascular return) but that is tricky and dangerous if administered in anything less than a precise manner-and Yusuf knows how close these hotshot dream teams like to cut it nowadays.
With an obliging nod to no one in particular, Yusuf deigns to correct himself.
'Nowadays' makes it seem like dreamshare has been around for a while, when in actuality, it has hardly been around for half his lifetime. Once upon a time, dreams were just random stimuli, regurgitated from the posterior portion of the brain in the mind’s attempt to formulate memories from the day’s actions. Now… it is a profession. An addiction. A liability.
People have forgotten what they’re dealing with; the danger associated with pumping a substance into their bloodstream and meddling with the delicate balance of the subconscious. They have grown comfortable with the margin of error that fails to drop them into a coma-or worse-and regard the chemistry of the matter like some foreign magic, not to be questioned unless something horrible goes wrong. Yusuf is, occasionally, grateful for the way fate fashioned his particular tapestry. At twenty he had thought the world lost, shame and dishonor laid across his shoulders because of his avarice; at forty, he knows he would have made a shite MD. Research interests him more, and private contracting affords him opportunities he would never have thought possible: pharmaceuticals, unregulated sale and distribution, and most importantly dreamshare. Of course, he can never file for a patent on his compounds, but the thrill is in the creation, the successful utilization and the knowledge that he is an integral part of a greater system.
Or, so he tells himself.
Inevitably, the shadows on the floor fail to entertain Rhada and two large, yellow eyes stare up at him from beside the papasan.
“Go away,” Yusuf says, reclined on a mess of pillows and wicker.
As is to be expected, Yusuf is ignored and Rhada readies herself with a wiggle of her bottom and hops onto the papasan with him. He gives her a look but it is halfhearted at best and Rhada is too busy trying to find the most comfortable spot available. It would seem the cushions by his thigh are less than satisfactory, or the faded blue of his kurta doesn’t have enough cat hair on it, because she puts a paw on his stomach and attempts to climb up. His attempt to dissuade her with his arm apparently looks like an invitation to put her head in his teacup. Yusuf nudges her back down with an elbow under her chin and she gives up, curling by his thigh in resignation.
“Are you done?” Yusuf asks, but Rhada’s eyes are at a sleepy half-mast and his tone is obviously not of enough import to change that any time soon. Resituating the pads of his fingers on his cuppa, Yusuf rolls his eyes and allows the company.
There is an answer to be found to this dreaming dilemma and though Yusuf has officially sworn this project off, he has come back to the lab on four separate occasions to test out a theory that he was sure would be the appropriate solution. None of the proposed solutions have worked thus far, and each has had incrementally worse repercussions than the last. It is quite taxing to be simultaneously working on something and not working on something; but Yusuf cannot let a question go unanswered. He shouldn’t take it as a personal offense-ultimately the team had come to him asking if it were even possible, laying four thick stacks of bills on his desk to formulate something that would simulate the desired impact, not recreate it entirely-but Yusuf is a man made on his abilities, and he knows the only thing keeping him from successfully developing this compound is an oversight on his part. The chemical synthesizes too quickly, and any attempt to bind it to a gas only results in an isomeric transformation that renders it completely useless. He needs something heavier; something that won’t melt the plastic or bind the compound too tightly like-
Struck by inspiration, Yusuf is out of the papasan and hurrying across the room, cuppa forgotten on the cluttered table where his feet had been propped up. How could he have overlooked the metals? Trace elements that would be filtered out after being absorbed into the blood; Cobalt, Iron, even Gold has applicable properties, and assuming the acetaminophen was paired with a strong enough sedative, the relative toxicology would be negligible enough to expose a person to multiple doses! Excited, Yusuf grabs a pen and looks around for something to write on.
From the papasan, Rhada looks at him with a vaguely disgruntled and accusing droop to her whiskers. For all of two seconds, Yusuf feels bad for jostling her- that is, before he remembers that Rhada is lazy and could literally be sleeping anywhere else.
“You know, this is my home.” Yusuf says, and is met with the most skeptical of looks. He points a finger at the feline, lying in an awkwardly lopsided sprawl on his papasan (because she’s too lazy to right herself) and says, “If I do not work, you do not get fed.”
This, amusingly enough, seems to penetrate, and Rhada rolls over to nuzzle the warm cushions where his bum had been, as if to say well, get to it then.
As Yusuf searches for a notepad to puzzle out mechanisms on, he’s also calculating how much a bottle of this compound will cost him to make and if he should double or triple the price of his services when he next contacts his contractors. He’ll have to see just how deep their pockets run.
[ end ]
[personal LJ] canyousayhot
[other characters currently played] n/a
[email] kat3446@gmail . com
[AIM / messenger] forgesseames (AIM), forgess (plurk)
[series] INCEPTION
[character] Yusuf (The Chemist)
[character history / background] If we go by what is shown to us in the movie, this would be a very short section indeed. (Really, the only character we get an in-depth look at is Robert Fischer, but of course, if that wasn’t the case then the boys wouldn’t be very good at their jobs, now would they?) Thus, we’re going to need to do a bit of creative extrapolation from both the movie and the script.
Let’s run through the movie (wiki here) with help from the script (here) to better understand Yusuf’s role. There is a stand-alone prequel titled The Big Under (here) that, while Yusuf is not explicitly mentioned in, should be taken into account when evaluating the world of dreamsharing and Yusuf’s probable role in it. In the movie, we are told by Arthur that the PASIV technology was created by the government to help soldiers deal with the reality of killing while, ironically, not being in reality at all. In The Big Under, we are introduced to the idea that the PASIV is used for recreation in addition to training purposes. Thus, we can assume that the demand of a chemist who could create tailor-made compounds for the PASIV technology would likely be very high for those like Saito with the revenue to throw away on such things as dreamcades and inception (not so much for simple extractions and low-budget dreams), and consequently, very illegal.
We are not talking drugs here. It is made very clear in the interviews with Dileep Rao and co-producer Jordan Goldberg, that Christopher Nolan “did not want the audience to confuse Yusuf with [the likes of a fancy] drug dealer.” Indeed, when Eames is taking us to meet Yusuf for the first time, the script introduces Yusuf’s building as:
INT. PHARMACY
Thus, we can assume that Yusuf works from a place that is established in Mombasa as a Pharmacy. He’s not hiding his profession as a pharmacologist, though he is certainly operating out of a private practice-which is to be expected considering the dream den he runs right in the back of his shop.
Eames: There’s a man here. Yusuf. He formulates his own versions of the compounds.
Cobb: Let's go see him.
Eames: Once you've lost your tail.
This bit of dialogue shows us several key points about Yusuf. Firstly, it would be safe to assume that Eames and Yusuf have, at the very least, a working relationship. It wouldn’t be farfetched to assume that Eames might actually float jobs or clients in Yusuf’s direction; as he’s doing right now. In the movie, Eames gets this smug little look on his face before introducing Yusuf that would imply that they not only have a working relationship, but a certain camaraderie as well. Secondly, this implicitly says (through the act of offering Yusuf’s services on a job that he is considering signing onto) that Eames trusts Yusuf-in as much as anyone should trust anyone else in a world where people can access your mind through your dreams. Eames is confident in Yusuf’s abilities as a chemist, and thinks he would be the man best suited to handle a job that Dom Cobb would need a chemist for. Though of course they are, at this point, in “Cobol’s backyard” and it is in Eames’ best interest to not be shot at, he’s not necessarily telling Cobb about his tail for his own benefit-or Cobb’s, for that matter. The shaking of this Cobol goon can also be understood to mean that Eames wouldn’t want to trail unwanted attention back to Yusuf’s place. He obviously knows that Yusuf has a hand in dreamshare (though whether Eames knew about the dream den is debatable), and as that is not precisely legal. So while Yusuf is not classified as a drug dealer, he is very much not on the straight and narrow.
Yusuf: Ah, yes. Mr Cobb. I’ve heard so very much about you
Yusuf chases a CAT off Saito's chair.
Yusuf: Bloody cats.
Yusuf moves to a shelf and runs his fingers over the glass bottles. None of them has a label.
[...]
Yusuf: (proudly) Yusuf's somnacin.
Cobb: As good as the real thing?
Yusuf: Better.
As we are not explicitly told what credentials Yusuf holds, Yusuf’s past is left up to interpretation which I will get to once we have thoroughly exhausted his canon. Obviously he is talented in the field of pharmacology and chemical manipulation, and runs his own experiments (as shown by the flasks and lab accouterments in this scene) but he conducts these experiments in less than ideal conditions. He has a cat running around and the experiments are certainly not being performed under sterile lab conditions, so it follows that either Yusuf doesn’t know what proper lab conditions are like, or he just doesn’t care. As it is VERY UNLIKELY that anyone could ever become proficient in pharmacology by sheer stroke of luck, it is safe to assume that Yusuf is the latter case. He is obviously very proud of his compounds and doesn’t seem to work with anyone else (or he would probably need to label those bottles to avoid killing his clients...) which should say something about his work habits. Outside of work however, it would seem that Yusuf is open to conversation (from Eames about Cobb, in this scenario) and company. It would also seem that Yusuf has a soft but irritable spot for cats; surely he could get rid of them (put out a little poison and make the “problems” go away) but instead he chases them off when company is present.
Colloquially we see Yusuf utilizing British English, as well as swearing several times in British slang. He wears several layers, despite living in the heat of Mombasa, but his distinct style of dress gives us an idea of what he actually cares about. The individuals who have been in the dreamshare business for a while (Eames, Cobb, Arthur) dress in anything from semi-formal to formal attire (respectively) when in a meeting, but Yusuf is an amalgamation of eastern and western dress. He is often in a light kurta shirt with a suit jacket thrown over it, his glasses hanging around his neck and in noticeably loose fitting pants. As he plays several roles simultaneously (that of a scientist, a chemist, the eccentric intellectual, and a businessman) we get the impression that Yusuf is a man who is comfortable with what he’s comfortable with, and doesn’t much care whether he fits in with the image the group makes.
Yusuf: The compound we’ll be using to share the dream is an advanced Somnacin derivative. It creates a very clear connection between dreamers, whilst actually accelerating brain function
Cobb: Buying us more time in each level.
Yusuf: Brian function in the dream will be about twenty times normal. And when you go into a dream within a dream, the effect is compounded.
Not only is Yusuf a capable chemist but he is also able to hold his own in a theoretical conversation about dreaming and the effects of temporal interpretations under sedation. It takes a while for Cobb to explain the idea to the group, spelling out every step with demonstration from Yusuf, which would suggest that the two are more inclined to the planning stages whereas someone like Eames or Ariadne would have a better grasp on the “physical” dreamscape. Yusuf doesn’t cut down his language, and speaks in a manner that makes it obvious that he has an academic’s background. He is adept at mathematics and theory, which would suggest that he is an intellectual as opposed to a savant of any kind. Indeed, in Yusuf’s lab we see books littering his table tops and Ariadne explaining the levels to Yusuf either for clarification or, quite possibly, a natural inclination towards curiosity.
[character abilities] The Chemist is the team member who formulates the compounds required for entering the dream. Yusuf described as “an avant-garde pharmacologist” and, in the movie, makes it clear that he considers his compounds better than the average grade of Somnacin.
He is able to not only develop the drugs required to put the team under, but he is also able to design these drugs to fit the needs of a consumer. If there is a specific dream scenario, Yusuf is able to take his knowledge of physiology and brain chemistry and apply it to the situation. Should someone with access to dream technology need to explore unsupervised, unregistered, and unreported to the dreamshare community (which we can assume is an important aspect to maintaining an edge of innovation in the world of dreamshare, since for every extraction and protection are, in the end, a business to be exploited) Yusuf is the man to, quite literally, make their dreams possible.
In reality, Yusuf is a very calm, collected individual. He is self-possessed and, at his age, doesn’t much care for people who don’t care for him. He is, however, only calm and collected in situations he is comfortable in. Science and theory are his strong points and when explaining them, he is able to keep his head about him and explain it until he is sure his audience understands. In a dream however, he is out of his element and he looses his cool. He gets flustered and defensive and generally doesn’t handle stress or conflict very well. He would much rather avoid the situation altogether if it will lead to shouting or theatrics-but he is more than willing to dig unnecessarily close to the heart of a matter if the person is willing to stay level headed. He just doesn’t handle stressful situations very well.
While he is able to wield small firearms (and uses a two toned SIG Sauer P232 in the dream world) he is not a man given toward violence. He doesn’t have any great proficiency with weapons or typical “criminal” appurtenances; although he can drive a mean get-away van, and knows the international symbol for that was my parking spot you prick, among other variants of the gesture.
[character personality] Yusuf’s character was supposed to be “funny, interesting, and obviously smart,” and it is clear that he is all of these things. Nowhere near as serious as Arthur, nor as obviously damaged as Cobb, he isn’t as naïve to the game as Ariadne is. It would seem that he has been doing this for a while, be it through dreamshare or other means, and he doesn’t see a problem with what he’s doing so long as people aren’t getting hurt on his doorstep.
It would be prudent to point out that Yusuf is, to say the least, morally malleable. He doesn’t have a problem keeping information from the group in exchange for Cobb’s share of the pay-and he’s sure to clarify that it isn’t just a portion, it’s all of it. This isn’t to say he doesn’t have his scruples, he knows very well what it means that he runs a dream den and assists in criminal activities, and he looks contrite when the team finds out that Cobb paid for his silence-he just is not bothered by it the way more morally upright people would be. When he says, “perhaps you will not want to see,” (in reference to the dream den) he is essentially laying the foundations for his actions later on.
Yusuf is not a dreamer. In the movie he tells Cobb that he “rarely goes into the field,” and this is ultimately never explained. It could simply be a personal preference, but as Yusuf’s character flaw seems to be greed, it seems plausible to assume that Yusuf realizes how easily he could become addicted to dreaming. He is surrounded by addicted dreamers and, more than likely, people who come to the pharmacy with all kinds of ailments and addictions, and he knows what these people are like. He makes it very obvious when he calls Cobb out (after showing them the dream den) that he’s aware enough to know what these people look like, but doesn’t feel the need to exert any judgments either way. Yusuf isn’t one for confrontation. In the dream he also makes a lot of rookie mistakes (letting projections wander into the dream, not realizing that drinking too much champagne will carry over into the dream, etc) and generally shows himself more adept at dealing with reality.
As he is obviously first and foremost a scientist, Yusuf is a curious individual. He is unapologetically intelligent- which isn’t to say he is a jerk about it, just that he doesn’t see any reason to hide it. He believes in the concept of multiple intelligences, and while he may have a proficiency for science, he would be hard-pressed to tell you which end of the paintbrush went on a canvas. Being intelligent isn’t synonomous with being antisocial, and Yusuf is anything but. He is shown interacting with the team and is rarely alone unless he is at the lab station (in which case, it is for the good of the team to let him concentrate), and he has a queer sense of humor. He’ll sniff a wallet without a second thought or pause for several moments to consider something, and if he thinks he smells bullshit-he’ll call you on it.
Yusuf is curious and capable, which can be good or bad depending on who is around to remind him that it isn’t in good sport to screw over your friends. He is a scientist and has been experimenting for so long that everything kind of blurs into an experimental vs control group unless someone points out the obvious. He’ll slap you in the face while you’re under sedation, and then snigger about it when you wake up and wonder why your face hurts.
Generally, he is a fun guy to be around-willing to laugh and joke just as soon as he is to let a dirty word fly- he can just be a little strange and morally skewed at times!
[point in timeline you’re taking your character from] post-inception, returned to his shop (the den) in Mombasa
[journal post]
[ There is a pause, long enough for one to wonder whether the static being picked up by the device is something more imagined than auditory, until suddenly- ]
Bugger. Where the-
[ Another pause, and possibly the faint sound of a perplexed but intrigued ‘hm...’ if the device is sensitive enough to pick that up. ]
This is, most definitely, not where I am supposed to be.
[ The device is jostled in Yusuf’s deep pockets, soft linen pants causing quite the ruckus to anyone listening in as he surveys his surroundings. ]
Actually, I do not believe there was a carousel ever mentioned in the layout... Who would have put that there?
[ As the rustling dies down, there’s more of Yusuf’s interested muttering-mostly to himself because, well, a person’s subconscious can only answer so many questions directly. ]
Such an expansive dreamscape… I wonder if the world has expanded to fit my presence in it, and this is an extension of the current dream- a place filled with the random nonsense accumulated by the dreamers throughout the day. It would certainly explain the carousel.
But not my presence so far displaced from the team...
Honestly, this is such a bother. I could be of more use topside-
[ Suddenly there is the noise of Yusuf’s knuckles colliding with the device in his pocket, a moment of muffled rustling, and then, ]
Oh, this is new. I suppose I should use thi-
[ The device clicks off. ]
[third person / log sample]
Acrid and pervasive, the smell of Hydrogen Sulphide permeates the surroundings, clinging to every surface and lingering in the air like an unwanted guest that just won’t take a hint. The midday heat of Mombasa hardly helps matters, thinning the air until Yusuf’s lips dry and sweat beads under the springy nest of his curls. If the sea would deign to gift the city with a breeze, enough to sweep through the streets and pass through the open windows of the Pharmacy, the smell could be swept away in less time than it would take Yusuf to finish his cuppa. Unfortunately, such a thing is highly unlikely given the Pharmacy’s location and the sea’s unforgiving nature.
No matter, such things are common on lab days.
From the doorway, a tabby cat slinks her way into the room, giving only the slightest pause at the door as if to say oh… not this again. Yusuf sips his tea and pretends he doesn’t know what it feels like to be judged by something that has to occasionally sick-up its own body hair. Rhada is the laziest of Yusuf’s regulars, lacking the curiosity that endangers her kin and ultimately endears her to the chemist. She moves with a bored gait, choosing her steps as if each one counts, until she eventually disappears behind a stack of books; only the curved flick of her tail visible behind them like some highly ineffective periscope. Yusuf moves his feet to make room for her, for he knows this game all too well.
Under normal circumstances, Yusuf would never have to work with such a corrosive grade of H2S. Truly, in the world of biosynthetic chemical application, there is little need for acids or bases with an index of .02 pH in either direction from a level 7.43 because a compound is only as good as the person’s ability to degrade it. Should the compound have a radical half-life (30 seconds, assuming ventricular and arterial pump rates are equivalent at rest) the compound could theoretically be dropped as low as 7.35, if introduced at the median cubital vein; but the risk associated with proper venule puncture by an untrained individual is high enough to scrap that idea entirely. There is always the possibility to slow down the heart rate (acetylcholine to block the reuptake of norepinephrine, flooding the system and causing a sluggish vascular return) but that is tricky and dangerous if administered in anything less than a precise manner-and Yusuf knows how close these hotshot dream teams like to cut it nowadays.
With an obliging nod to no one in particular, Yusuf deigns to correct himself.
'Nowadays' makes it seem like dreamshare has been around for a while, when in actuality, it has hardly been around for half his lifetime. Once upon a time, dreams were just random stimuli, regurgitated from the posterior portion of the brain in the mind’s attempt to formulate memories from the day’s actions. Now… it is a profession. An addiction. A liability.
People have forgotten what they’re dealing with; the danger associated with pumping a substance into their bloodstream and meddling with the delicate balance of the subconscious. They have grown comfortable with the margin of error that fails to drop them into a coma-or worse-and regard the chemistry of the matter like some foreign magic, not to be questioned unless something horrible goes wrong. Yusuf is, occasionally, grateful for the way fate fashioned his particular tapestry. At twenty he had thought the world lost, shame and dishonor laid across his shoulders because of his avarice; at forty, he knows he would have made a shite MD. Research interests him more, and private contracting affords him opportunities he would never have thought possible: pharmaceuticals, unregulated sale and distribution, and most importantly dreamshare. Of course, he can never file for a patent on his compounds, but the thrill is in the creation, the successful utilization and the knowledge that he is an integral part of a greater system.
Or, so he tells himself.
Inevitably, the shadows on the floor fail to entertain Rhada and two large, yellow eyes stare up at him from beside the papasan.
“Go away,” Yusuf says, reclined on a mess of pillows and wicker.
As is to be expected, Yusuf is ignored and Rhada readies herself with a wiggle of her bottom and hops onto the papasan with him. He gives her a look but it is halfhearted at best and Rhada is too busy trying to find the most comfortable spot available. It would seem the cushions by his thigh are less than satisfactory, or the faded blue of his kurta doesn’t have enough cat hair on it, because she puts a paw on his stomach and attempts to climb up. His attempt to dissuade her with his arm apparently looks like an invitation to put her head in his teacup. Yusuf nudges her back down with an elbow under her chin and she gives up, curling by his thigh in resignation.
“Are you done?” Yusuf asks, but Rhada’s eyes are at a sleepy half-mast and his tone is obviously not of enough import to change that any time soon. Resituating the pads of his fingers on his cuppa, Yusuf rolls his eyes and allows the company.
There is an answer to be found to this dreaming dilemma and though Yusuf has officially sworn this project off, he has come back to the lab on four separate occasions to test out a theory that he was sure would be the appropriate solution. None of the proposed solutions have worked thus far, and each has had incrementally worse repercussions than the last. It is quite taxing to be simultaneously working on something and not working on something; but Yusuf cannot let a question go unanswered. He shouldn’t take it as a personal offense-ultimately the team had come to him asking if it were even possible, laying four thick stacks of bills on his desk to formulate something that would simulate the desired impact, not recreate it entirely-but Yusuf is a man made on his abilities, and he knows the only thing keeping him from successfully developing this compound is an oversight on his part. The chemical synthesizes too quickly, and any attempt to bind it to a gas only results in an isomeric transformation that renders it completely useless. He needs something heavier; something that won’t melt the plastic or bind the compound too tightly like-
Struck by inspiration, Yusuf is out of the papasan and hurrying across the room, cuppa forgotten on the cluttered table where his feet had been propped up. How could he have overlooked the metals? Trace elements that would be filtered out after being absorbed into the blood; Cobalt, Iron, even Gold has applicable properties, and assuming the acetaminophen was paired with a strong enough sedative, the relative toxicology would be negligible enough to expose a person to multiple doses! Excited, Yusuf grabs a pen and looks around for something to write on.
From the papasan, Rhada looks at him with a vaguely disgruntled and accusing droop to her whiskers. For all of two seconds, Yusuf feels bad for jostling her- that is, before he remembers that Rhada is lazy and could literally be sleeping anywhere else.
“You know, this is my home.” Yusuf says, and is met with the most skeptical of looks. He points a finger at the feline, lying in an awkwardly lopsided sprawl on his papasan (because she’s too lazy to right herself) and says, “If I do not work, you do not get fed.”
This, amusingly enough, seems to penetrate, and Rhada rolls over to nuzzle the warm cushions where his bum had been, as if to say well, get to it then.
As Yusuf searches for a notepad to puzzle out mechanisms on, he’s also calculating how much a bottle of this compound will cost him to make and if he should double or triple the price of his services when he next contacts his contractors. He’ll have to see just how deep their pockets run.
[ end ]