[color=blue][b][i]Mackenzie[/i][/b][/color], quite possibly the very definition of sheer masculinity.*
That, and he's pretty cute.

[sub]*this is [u]bullshit[/u] if you couldn't tell[/sub]

[collapse=Appearance]At five feet tall, Mackenzie stands taller than most insects you might meet! His figure is lithe and (much to his dismay) androgynous; he's much lighter than he appears, weighing about forty pounds all told. This is due to the way his structural system works; were he a mammalian species of equal measure he might easily be thrice as heavy as he is. This physical lightness can wind up being either an advantage or a weakness, depending on the situation.

Mackenzie's most obvious physical features are his wings. They're [i]very big[/i], measuring nearly three feet in wingspan. They serve several extrasensory purposes: in addition to providing him with a heightened sense of balance and posture, they can convey emotion in a way not too dissimilar from a cat's tail. Their position, shape, and even motion can reflect Mackenzie's stamina or mood. They're also fragile and easily damaged, so great care is needed to make sure they don't wind up where they shouldn't.

Another identifying feature is his notable lack of ears or nose. A thin pair of black antennae are home to his senses of smell and hearing. They hang limply from the sides of his forehead and are easy to miss, tucked away within his hair. The absence of either doesn't bother him compared to others that possess them, although he can't say he isn't self-conscious of his inability to eskimo kiss.[/collapse]

[collapse=Personality]Mackenzie could best be described as an optimist with big wings and a bigger heart. The epitome of a goody-two-shoes, Mackenzie is loyal, trustworthy, and above all, dependable. A Good Sam through and through. When he's not complaining about his day job, he's volunteering in soup kitchens and checking in with friends in the projects. He's actually pretty shy and sheepish, despite his best efforts to put on a faux bravado.

He has an unfortunate tendency to be gullible, which can and has lead him down trouble's path. Mostly blind to his androgyny and 'domestic housewife' tendencies, he finds himself frustrated when unable to convince others of his worth. Often subject to teasing, he seeks some kind of validation for his masculinity, though not in the desperately cringeworthy sort of way other men do.

He's never one to boast or gloat and rarely acknowledges what good he does do as anything significant or admirable. Humbled, he does his best to soldier on through whatever the weather and as such pushes himself harder than he ought to despite remaining adamant about the safety of others. Jokingly considered the surrogate helicopter parent to his friends, for what he lacks in adventurousness he makes up for in dependibilty.[/collapse]

[collapse=Background]Born a week earlier than expected in the backseat of a taxicab, Mackenzie's rather interesting birth would only set the precedence for the rest of his life. The spitting image of his mother, she and his aunt in suburban Queensland (where humanoid butterflies are, of course, perfectly normal) effectively raised him with his father relatively absent from the picture. A happy child, as a butterfly Mackenzie enjoyed the earliest years of his life as a caterpillar, which aside from making the cashiers at the local Foot Locker pretty happy was a nuisance to both himself and most everyone else. The taunting he would endure through grade school and the awkwardness of life would only offer a sample of what was to come.

When Mackenzie was two, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, thus beginning a long path of both treatment and sickness. Throughout the years and the long visits at the hospital, she instilled a sense of hope within her son, teaching him that if you held out hope for the seemingly impossible, good things would happen. As Mackenzie grew older, the two shared a close relationship, even as the chemotherapy robbed her of a good deal of freedom. Some years later she would leave the hospital for the last time and spend nearly a year back at home with her son, her sister and her niece before peacefully passing away.

Mackenzie had always told her that when he grew up, he would become a doctor so that he could 'make her better.' Although initially emotionally distraught by the loss of his mother, he found strength in her words and comfort in his family, developing a close relationship with his cousin, the two often confiding their problems to one another and helping each other through troubled times.

Despite the adversity of his species, Mackenzie hadn't really gotten the best of what growing had to offer him until when one night he'd gone to bed and the next morning his aunt had found him hanging from the ceiling in a case of silk. In addition to making bodily hygiene extraordinarily awkward, his cocoon, however stylish, didn't exactly do wonders for his high school social life. Not to mention getting to class was ten kinds of embarrassing.

On the eve of his sixteenth birthday, as most butterflies do, Mackenzie woke up to an odd sound that resembled eggshells cracking - he felt himself beginning to slip, and suddenly found himself on the floor, covered in residue and torn silk. Several showers and a thorough scrubbing later would reveal that the years of absurdity and awkwardness had, in due time, been kind to him - but perhaps too kind for his liking. Although initially overjoyed at the luxury of owning only two arms and two legs, when Mackenzie stood in front of the bathroom mirror and pried his wings open for the first time, he learned he'd inherited his father's enormous wingspan
of nearly three feet, easily dwarfing the rest of his family. Unfortunately he'd also received the delicate, bright blue coloration instead of the more masculine black he'd hoped for, setting the stage for many situations in which he'd have to explain that he was, in fact, male.

His new body brought along with it all sorts of new complications. At first his wings, with their enormous size, threw his balance off to all hell and he essentially had to learn to walk again. He would often bump into things and had to angle himself through doorways and into cars until his wings became less stiff where he could flex and fold them at will. He could not, however, hide them completely, though try as he might have to.

After about a year he had accustomed himself to his new form and began to comfortably enjoy his life again. After graduating high school, he decided that he would get the medical training he one promised his mother he'd pursue. With his determination, it wasn't all that long before Mackenzie became an intern and applied for a nursing degree, much to the hilarity of his peers. Although he likes to complain in his downtime, he takes great pride in his work and likes nothing more than the satisfaction that comes from helping others.
[/collapse]

[collapse=OOC]Hi! Thanks for taking the time to read this profile. It's not much to look at, but I hope it's not terrible. If you haven't noticed, this character is decently vanilla in interested both sexual and non. He's probably not going to willingly associate with your character if they're into things like wanton murder and destruction. That's not to say that there isn't fun to be had in him winding up in uncomfortable situations!

I'm cool with all kinds of partners as long as they're quote-unquote "humanish." As in, I'm not really into "feral" style business, if you get my drift. Otherwise, all comers are welcome! Mackenzie is pretty cutesy, yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't write him into something engaging and meaty.

The rest of this, all of this, it's a work in progress! Got any questions / ideas / suggestions? Feel free to note me![/collapse]

:heart: