Caleb Hall (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
needsnoexcuses) wrote2036-01-26 06:50 pm
needsnoexcuses) wrote2036-01-26 06:50 pm
info / history / homeworld
FULL NAME
Caleb Hall
AGE
late 20s
EDUCATION
high school; one year of college
PRONOUNS
he/him
SEXUALITY
bisexual
OCCUPATION
musician; unofficial messenger to the dead
TRIGGER WARNINGS
death and ghosts; parental abuse
IN A NUTSHELL
Loose friendliness laid over a core of cynicism, here for a good time and to take care of the only two things that matter.
APPEARANCE
HEIGHT
5' 11"
REFERENCES
Tends to dress down for his messenger work -- hoodies, baggier clothing, essentially hiding himself a little bit. Dressier in his day to day, which might be a suit, or might be tight pants and leather jackets, depending on the day.
PERSONALITY
✚ friendly, fair, creative, confident, flexible
– cynical, egoistic, secretive, suspicious
– cynical, egoistic, secretive, suspicious
Caleb is energetic and friendly, with an easy sense of confidence about him. He's enthusiastic about music, about enjoying himself, and about finding out what interests other people; he's a good listener, and he's always happy to be roped into interesting conversations. Overall, it gives him the impression of being a very open person, which isn't really the case. He holds a lot of cards closer to his chest than he lets on, and has more trust issues than you'd expect when it comes to really getting close to people.
He comes off as laid-back, often to the point of laziness, until he's engaged in something. There's not much he takes seriously; he loves music, but still tends to be very loose around the subject. The two things that matter most to him are taking care of his younger brother, and his dues to the dead. The rest of the time, he's mostly concerned with surviving and enjoying himself.
He's not book-smart, but he's quick-thinking, and especially good at interpersonal matters. Usually if someone angers or annoys him, he's quick to walk away, but when it comes to the work he does for the dead, he's very good at mediation and defusing people. He likes people, and it's genuine; but Caleb's experiences when younger led him to believe that you have to look out for yourself and the people who you decide are important, because nobody else is going to do anything for you, and that does tend to color his deeper relationships in one way or another, whether he decides to pull them into the circle of people he watches for or not. There's some bitterness there, but he tries not to let it color his day-to-day life as much as possible. He'd rather be happy, and he's good at focusing on the things that keep him that way.
BACKGROUND
FAMILY
mother, Deceased;
Died in Caleb's preteens, beloved by the entire family and still missed to this day
father, Deceased;
Distant dad turned abusive drunk after his wife died, now a ghost that occasionally comes back and gets screamed at
brother, younger;
They're very different, but Adrian is Caleb's closest friend. There is no length Caleb won't go to in order to help him.
Died in Caleb's preteens, beloved by the entire family and still missed to this day
father, Deceased;
Distant dad turned abusive drunk after his wife died, now a ghost that occasionally comes back and gets screamed at
brother, younger;
They're very different, but Adrian is Caleb's closest friend. There is no length Caleb won't go to in order to help him.
But his mother died when Caleb was still young, and things went downhill quickly. His father handled the grief very badly, began drinking, and became a nightmare to live with. Without other family to take them in, Caleb did his best to cover for his father's behavior, unwilling to risk the possibility of getting separated from Adrian, and started learning how to take care of them both.
At 15, Caleb started hearing the ghosts for the first time. While it was terrifying and upsetting in some ways, especially through the gamut of testing that followed, it also felt like something clicked into place when it happened. He did a lot of research, and began discovering ways he could use his powers to help people before long.
He stayed at home until Adrian was old enough to go to college, and then began trying to get work as a musician. It's mostly succeeded; he makes enough these days that he only needs to occasionally supplement his income with other jobs, as long as he lives with a roommate. He travels around for gigs where he can get them, but his home base is near his brother and always will be.
His father died when Caleb was in his early twenties; he doesn't miss him much. His father's ghost occasionally comes by to bother him. His mother never has, and he's never figured out what to make of that.
ABILITIES
MEDIUM
♪ capable of both hearing and seeing the dead, fully controlled communication, and body-sharing
♪ presented at age 15 when only capable of occasional hearing; powers have grown steadily, and still continue to
♪ acts as a messenger for the dead when they ask for it, helping them get last words through or whatever kind of justice they need; considers this his calling
♪ pretty much always has ghosts hanging around him, has very strong feelings about people being good to the dead
♪ presented at age 15 when only capable of occasional hearing; powers have grown steadily, and still continue to
♪ acts as a messenger for the dead when they ask for it, helping them get last words through or whatever kind of justice they need; considers this his calling
♪ pretty much always has ghosts hanging around him, has very strong feelings about people being good to the dead
MUSIC
♪ songwriter, singer, guitar, piano, and some violin
♪ does gigs regularly enough to survive, has put up one independent E.P., theoretically presented as a "upcoming young musician" but still waiting to see if it ever pays off
♪ does gigs regularly enough to survive, has put up one independent E.P., theoretically presented as a "upcoming young musician" but still waiting to see if it ever pays off
MISC
♪ cooking, driving, budget balancing, and basically a whole host of "I kind of had to raise myself and my younger brother" life skills
♪ hiding his tracks digitally, good at tech in general
♪ hiding his tracks digitally, good at tech in general
HOME WORLD
Caleb's canon world is fairly reflective of modern day, except that the world is still adjusting to the relatively-recent (as in, within the last couple of decades) discovery of "supernatural" powers in a sizable portion of the population (judged to be about 8-13% by various reports, though the majority of those are very low-powered). When powers are discovered, at least in the US, people are put through mandatory testing to find out what the extent of their powers are; those who are particularly powerful, or gifted with particularly useful abilities, while not actually locked up or officially forced into anything, are pressured into putting those abilities to service for their country, and prone to disappearing if they resist.
Caleb showed his first sign of powers at 15 and was brought for testing; at the time, he could only hear the dead, and his ability to communicate in return was spotty and out of his control, so his official ranking is very low. Over the years that followed, however, his powers grew; by 17, he could see them as well, and communicate more often than not, and at 20, he experienced his first possession. As most people's powers don't intensify in this way, according to general knowledge, he has never had the information recorded, and is careful to keep it that way. Mediums are not particularly highly sought or rare, but better safe than sorry. Because abilities are a known quantity in his universe, he doesn't hide what he can do, but also isn't likely to bring it up without being asked or it being relevant.
Largely through anonymous message boards online, and when that's not helpful, through whatever means he can manage, he acts as a messenger for the dead when they ask for it, helping them get last words through or whatever kind of justice they need.
Caleb can be shifted to a world where supernatural powers are less well-known for ease of threading/PSLing; he'll still be a messenger to the dead, but most likely will be more careful about it, and slightly more cautious about his abilities. Alternately, universal clashes and outright handwaving are also welcome. Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss how things might work.
Caleb showed his first sign of powers at 15 and was brought for testing; at the time, he could only hear the dead, and his ability to communicate in return was spotty and out of his control, so his official ranking is very low. Over the years that followed, however, his powers grew; by 17, he could see them as well, and communicate more often than not, and at 20, he experienced his first possession. As most people's powers don't intensify in this way, according to general knowledge, he has never had the information recorded, and is careful to keep it that way. Mediums are not particularly highly sought or rare, but better safe than sorry. Because abilities are a known quantity in his universe, he doesn't hide what he can do, but also isn't likely to bring it up without being asked or it being relevant.
Largely through anonymous message boards online, and when that's not helpful, through whatever means he can manage, he acts as a messenger for the dead when they ask for it, helping them get last words through or whatever kind of justice they need.
Caleb can be shifted to a world where supernatural powers are less well-known for ease of threading/PSLing; he'll still be a messenger to the dead, but most likely will be more careful about it, and slightly more cautious about his abilities. Alternately, universal clashes and outright handwaving are also welcome. Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss how things might work.