This is Calvin, or just plain Cal. He's the main character in an upcoming comic I'm designing. Cal's the world's biggest phoney. He smokes, he drinks, he pushes people around. He's a smartass that can't keep his mouth shut. If someone were to wave to him, he'd probably punch their arm, as his "friendly" gesture of greeting. If someone were to kick him in the shin, he'd do the same thing. No more or less aggression is shared between friends and enemies, familiars and strangers.
His hair is always dangling in front of his eyes, hiding his inner personality that he shares with only one other person in the world--his friend Cleo.
For the basics, he's in his early twenties, carrying that accomplished aura around him. He's got a nice job, a cozy apartment, carries a degree in history while working for his bachelor's, and lives in the middle of a New York City-equivalent. Cal's not too tall, almost on the verge of being a little short for his age: 5'11". He has hazel eyes that are hidden behind bloodshot viens, dilated pupils, and thick-framed square glasses. And the hair, don't forget that. He's got a mop-top of reddish-brown hair. As a note, his hair will always hide the right side of his face, hiding a scar that cuts near his eye. His facial hair is kept neat, usually, a little goatee on the tip of his chin.
It's very obvious, just by looking at this character, that he's obsessed with his self image and..himself, really. Egotistic. He dresses himself very fashionally, but never neatly--thinking that "just awoken" look about him makes him ever-so attractive. His composure matches his attitude, with his head held high and seemingly never alert to his surroundings, acting if he really cares less about anything else. He's well-built, powerful in the arms, but his posture is awkward--he has a bad shoulder and neck slouch that gives him more back woes that he'd ever care to admit.
But don't think that just because he's thin means he takes care of himself. He has a heavy nicotine addiction that's ruined his lungs and his ability to do lots of physical activity (he'll never become an athlete). He often skips meals, because he's honestly forgotten to eat, and munches on junk food and caffiene whenever he does eat. He drinks alcohol frequently, too, more than what could be considered "social drinking" or even healthy (but he's still pretty responsible). Sleep is always optional for him; he finds better things to do. This leaves him fairly weak inside, sick often, and requiring more attention than he allows or desires.
Cal grew up in Durns and has lived there almost all of his life--he was born just outside of the city and lived there for three years before moving inward. He was raised by his mother and a step-father; his real father ducked out on his family when Cal was very young. He was pretty attached to his mother, and less so to his step-father. He was fairly spoiled, having no real responsibilities as he grew up. He never had any siblings.
Once Cal reached his teenager stage, he grew unbelivably agressive and pessimistic. However, he managed to coat that with a smart, charismatic personality that attracted many--he was quite popular. His grades in school were average, depending on how hard he tried. But he was, and still is, an intelligent, gifted child that didn't know where to put his talents.
While his popularity grew, he began hanging out with the wrong people. As his desire to be accepted grew, his ability to resist grew weaker. Drug use was common around him, so he did put a few nasty substances into his system, but he only became addicted to nicotine. He was smart enough not to follow along with what everyone else did, but that left him in the back row of his social group by the end of his high school years, never quite accepted into everything they did.
So Cal picked up his last year of high school and made his way into college with flying colors. His strong ability to analyze became useful as Cal studied up on history and philosphy, planning to take his logical talents to a wholsome new level while seekign some self-gratification. His ego was boosted well enough, but his social life completey evaportated. His only "friend" was a guy named Will and his harem, who treated Cal like a little slave to impress girls and buy drinks for them (they're all underaged). Relationships with females happened almost compulsively, but never lasted longer than a one-night stand. His parents had retired and moved on, completely out of contact with Cal unless he needed money. He grew lonely in a city of over twenty million people. That is, until he met Cleo.
Due to his life in the city, Cal's developed a "shell" that makes him feel protected. He relies on no one but himself, so he has to save himself--and save the people he truly loves inside. Thus, you get mixed personalities from this character. He's one of those "confused teen" types, not quite sure where he fits in the world and desires not only real friends, but someone to share his life with.
I've already described what he's like in public, with familiars, co-workers, and friends. But when he's alone, at home or some desolate place, he'll let go of his selfish, self-obsessed personality coat and check it at the door. Without his make-up, he's passionate, affectionate, and even cute. This side of him is only seen around his one friend, Cleo, who's one of the strangest people he's met. Since she's not someone he feels he needs to really impress (or so he finds out, eventually), he feels safe enough to act a bit silly and nice around her. She's the only person he'll treat with true love.
Then when he leaves his sanctuary, his protective coat is thrown back on his shoulders.
Cal has no real dreams of the future. It's like he doesn't care what happens to his social life or his career. This isn't completely true. His first goal is to always get through the present, then tackle the future, if that time comes. Secretly, he also desires someone to love him for as long as he lives. This gives him a never-ending laid-back and calm personality to the outside world where he's simply just savoring life as it is.
The Basics:
Full Name: Calvin "Cal" Jordan Wintergarden
Age: 24
Birthday: October 7th
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 178 lbs.
Physical Description: looks quite fit; skin has no tan; face makes him look absolutely exhausted; heavy bags under his almond-shaped, narrow eyes; eyes are usually dilated and bloodshot; hair always hangs in front of his face, making sure to always cover up the right eye; flat, broad nose; lower lip is puckered in a sort-of natural pout, but doesn't make him look upset, but serious and sober; teeth are a bit yellow-stained; powefully-built arms; broad shoulders and chest; thin, healthy-sized torso; head and neck slouches forward and shoulders thrust back with his very bad posture, hips pushed forward as well
Eye Color: hazel (Cal wears glasses all the time; very nearsighted)
Hair Color: brown, highlighted and lowlighted with reddish-blond and dark brown colors
Skin Color: Caucasian, untanned
Heritage: northern European
Religion: Christian, but no longer practices it
Special Physical Traits: scars litter his chest and arms from knife fights, including a scar next to his right eye and nicks the 'brow (that's why his hair is always in his face--to hide it); a few cigarette burns on the undersides of his forearms and along his back; bullet wound in right shoulder
Favorite...
> colors- black, shades of green
> food- pizza, Italian food
> drink- green tea and most sodas, rum
> animal- felines, generally the wild cats
> season- winter
> music genre- rock, alternative, punk, jazz...but listens to almost anything, really
> movie genres- science-fiction and action
> book genres- fantasy, science-fiction and romance
> clothes- turtlenecks, "work shirts" (button-up ones), jeans, cargo pants, and trenchcoats (Cal has his favorite one: click here for reference)
> accessories- belts, neckties, scarves, and thick-rimmed glasses
> footwear- shin-high, buckle-up boots
NOTE: Being the self-aware kind of person he is, Cal dresses himself rather fashionably--but never neatly. He's never heard of tucking his shirt in. And Cal will never been seen wearing a t-shirt or anything that exposes his arms.
Worst...
> colors- orange, purple
> foods- Mexican and any spicy foods, cheese (both make his stomach upset)
> drink- beer
> season- summer (hates the heat)
> music genres- rap, hip-hop
> movie genre- most animation, horror
> book genres- almost anything non-fiction
> clothes- anything that doesn't cover him up enough; flashy and bright clothing
Fears: needles, doctors, insects, being ignored, being on stage, loss of his self-image, suffering of loved ones, death
Hobbies: playing guitar and piano, listening to music, 'Net surfing, tinkering with computers, watching movies, smoking, sleeping, journalism (as in, article writing)
Character Pros:
> intelligent and wise
> can be very understanding--god at putting himself in other people's places
> has a great sense of humor
> charismatic and charming
> occasionally, very sweet and loveable
> extremely loyal and dedicated to the people he loves
> outgoing and social--loves attention and being around people
Character Cons:
> has a loud mouth and doesn't usually think before he speaks
> often too sarcastic and usually at the wrong times
> snappy and aggressive; he's very selfish
> his smoking addiction; drinks frequently
> loose with his words and promises; lies often
> very lazy and disorganized at times--often late for appointments and meetings
> has a giant ego (and I'm not kidding when I say "giant".)
Other Notes:
> often ill- his health is trashed with all his bad habits, and has a lousy immune system anyway
> suffers a lot of back-related problems, thanks to his horrible posture
> extremely nearsighted- always wears his glasses
> insomniac, merely because he finds better things to do rather than sleeping
Reference Pictures:
BEST: here and here
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09/12/04