InsaneJournal

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Player
Name: Jed
Age: 27
Contact: Email: michellesutton92@hotmail.com; AIM: Jediyauk; YIM: ezra_vii
Timezone: GMT

Character
Original name: Daniel Patrick Carlisle
Tribal name: Scotch
Tribe: Enk for now
Job: Will help out where and how he can

Age/DOB: 27/ 27th June
Sexuality: Straight
Relationship status: Single but searching for someone
Family: - Daughter: Jessie (Runt)
- Adopted Son: Dylan (Mensa)

- Ex Wife: Allison (deceased - brain aneurysm)
- Parents: Patrick and Lara (deceased - car accident)
- Sisters: Ellen (deceased - train derailment, post-solar flare) and Mandy (deceased - died from injuries sustained in car accident, post-solar flare)
- Brother-in-law: Pete Sullivan (deceased - train derailment, post-solar flare)
- Two nephews and a niece: Pat, Dean & Lara (late 20s/early 30s, whereabouts unknown, last living in England)

Physical description: Stands around 6ft and has a lanky, thin but surprisingly strong frame - although he is a lot thinner now than he used to be due to lack of food and giving up most of his own for his daughter and Mensa to have.
He has warm brown eyes; that appear a lot older than they probably should; and a mop of thick, unruly brown hair - long ago given up attempting to tame and is now longer than it used to be; falling half way down his neck; so it has a tendency to fall and stick up in whatever different directions it feels like. Before the pulse, he used to be clean-shaven but now sports stubble.
He is short-sighted, so can barely make-out anything that's more than an arm’s length away from him, thus he may often be seen sporting a pair of dark framed glasses - his contact lenses a long unused item.
Wears a simple wedding band with a smaller, woman’s one on his right ring finger.

Distinguishing marks: Long jagged scar along his right arm (extending from wrist to just past his elbow) where he broke his arm falling out of a tree as a kid and had to have it pinned. He also has a new scar to his right shoulder from being stabbed.

Personality: A pleasant and kind individual, Daniel had a bit of a hard early life with losing his parents at a young age and he often gets frustrated, annoyed and even feels guilty that he can't remember much about them...something he hopes won't happen to Jessie with her mother.

He also gets a little bit jealous of people who still have (or had, while growing up) their parents, even though he tries not to be.

Daniel is the type of person who will pretty much talk to and acknowledge anyone, unless you fall into any of the categories of people he dislikes – although, even then he'd still try to be civil and polite, but it could just as easily turn curt and sarcastic.

Before the death of his wife, Daniel tended to be more light-hearted and joke around a bit; he also had more of a social life; but after her sudden and unexpected passing he became more withdrawn...losing touch with what few friends he'd had and having to eventually stop working after he was floored by depression, stress and grief.

His whole life right then was his daughter and despite still suffering from depression and grief, he forced himself back to work to support her. Thus, he often appeared tired and run-down when at work; worse on some days, if his depression or grief hit him harder than usual.

With Angel he had started to get over his grief and depression, returning to his former happier and light-hearted self, but after the disaster and being separated from her, he withdrew once more and quickly lapsed back into depression - his daughter the only thing keeping him from falling too far.

With Jessie and Dylan, the caring and good parent that he is – even if he doubts that he is some of the time - can be seen. People can also see that spark of his former, happier self lurking beneath the depressive and drawn exterior.

* Speaks in a trans/Mid-Atlantic accent due to having grown up originally just outside London - although when he's tired, ill or talking to other English people, he will lapse into an Estuary English accent. Also mixes the words and phrases he uses, but still uses a lot more British slang, words and phrases than American.

Likes: Books, music, art, photography, drama, Jessie, kids, tea, animals/nature and rain.
Dislikes: People who try to tell him how to be a parent; who upset or threaten Jessie and Mensa (or other kids); or make a big deal about him marrying and having a kid 'too young'.
Also: bigots, racists, braggers, people who belittle others and over-the-top flirters.

Skills and Training: Holds degrees in radio production and journalism but figures that's pretty much useless now. He has been a father since he was 16/17, and was able to juggle school and parenting very well - he is a natural father, having a certain way and ease with children.
Also a skilled musician - played acoustic & electric guitar and the harmonica - , singer (although, he sings rarely and doesn't even think he's any good), artist (something else he thinks he's not that good at) and has a knack for accents and voices...something he mainly utilises when reading and entertaining Jessie and Dylan. He is an all-round creative.

Strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths: Quick, creative and intelligent mind; calm under pressure; good communication skills and organised. Has decent enough technical and mechanic skills due to having to fix broken radio equipment at work and college. He also has the rather uncanny skill of putting most people (especially children) at ease.
Weaknesses: Depression and low self-esteem/confidence, lacking in brawn but that doesn't mean he's a pushover. He has a tendency to worry a lot, which doesn't really help his mental health. His trust in people has been seriously dented. He is allergic to penicillin and citrus.

Items carried: Glasses, wedding rings.
Large backpack containing:- clothes; sketchbook and pencils; various items he has picked up that are good for trading for food and shelter along the way.
Battered guitar case, containing: - Guitar; harmonica; photos;

History: Daniel Patrick Carlisle was born on the outskirts of East London; near Epping Forest; to Scottish father, Patrick, and English mother, Lara. To say Daniel was a bit of a 'surprise' to his parents was an understatement really, both of them being in their mid-late 40s when Lara found out she was pregnant again. Despite a third child not being planned; and their two daughters already being grown up at 22 and 20; the Carlisles took the news positively.

Daniel was a bright kid, his creative and lively mind easily seen early on. From a young age he was particularly drawn to the arts (music, drama, art, film and photography) but was still academically intelligent.

When he was eight, his parents were killed in a car accident - a drunk driver had swerved on the motorway and caused a pile-up. By his parents' will, Daniel's guardianship fell to his eldest sister, Ellen, (who was thirty at the time, married with three children of her own). Ellen gladly took her brother in and up until she injured her back, she raised him along with her own children. After the injury to her back, their other sister, Mandy, decided to take Daniel (who was thirteen by then) in.

Mandy had never married and worked as a freelance writer, photographer and journalist, an occupation that interested her younger brother. Due to her work, she often moved around a lot and she had just become relatively well known and was in the process of immigrating to America when she became Daniel's guardian. After a long discussion with Ellen (and Daniel) she decided to still go, taking the boy with her.

Daniel adapted quickly to his new life and the older he got the more he leaned heavily towards the arts, rather than academic subjects (even though he was still very good at them). When he was fourteen he formed a band with some friends, where he played the guitar, harmonica (when a song called for it) and occasionally sang, when he was brave enough or was pushed/convinced by his band-mates to.
The same year, he met Alison 'Ally' Barr, a girl two years his senior but they very quickly fell for each other and started to date.

The year he turned sixteen, Daniel proposed to Ally and they were married within months of him asking (Daniel having to get consent from Mandy due to being under the legal age without parental/guardian consent).

Barely ten months later, Jessica Alison Carlisle was born. Ally stayed home to take care of Jessie, while encouraging Daniel to finish high school and go to college to do a degree in media production, where he also studied journalism – the band split up post-high school, due to each member going off to do their own thing.

After graduating college, and with the help of Mandy, he landed an internship in a local radio station. He learnt quickly and was just starting to become an established and well-known radio producer and co-presenter for a mainstream station as he approached 23.

Unfortunately, around the same time, Ally collapsed suddenly. She was rushed to hospital but there was nothing that could be done – she died of a brain aneurysm.

Daniel had to quit his job after his wife died to take care of his six year old daughter - unable to give his full attention to his role as radio producer due to the unpredictable and unsociable hours of the job.

He took a few freelance positions so as to keep an income but ultimately had to take time out of employment due to stress and depression, and his grief finally hitting him hard (having pushed it aside to help Jessie through hers).

The need for an income forced him back to work early and he took a position at the newly established Lime FM. He worked as a co-producer and resident 'fill-in guy' due to not being able to handle a full producing role and juggle parenting.
At Lime he met Angel and easily became friends with her. The two of them grew closer as time went by but remained firmly 'just friends' for six months. Angel played a big part in helping him with his grief and depression, while also taking care of Jessie and helping the little girl to become less withdrawn - Angel being the first person, other than her father, that she had responded to in a while. They were just getting in deep, around another three months into their relationship when the flare hit.

A power surge at the station left many staff injured and shaken. Several having to be treated for electrical burns (including Daniel). Around the same time, Daniel’s sister Mandy was severely injured in a train derailment, although he didn’t find out until he saw her name on the triages list they’d put up.

When Angel decided to return to her childhood home to check on her family, Daniel would have gone with her but he stayed to look after Mands, whose condition had worsened.
Despite not wanting to let her go by herself, Daniel lent Angel his car so she could get home to check on her family.

While he was at the medical zones checking on Mands, he found Sam's (one of the DJs) young son, Dylan. The boy had suffered minor injuries during a car accident but was traumatised by his parents' deaths (in the same accident). It took much persuading with the medical staff but Daniel was able to convince them to take Dylan into his care.

Daniel and the kids remained in the house in LA, waiting to see if Angel returned but as the months went by and violence broke out around them, the young man decided it would be best for them to leave. The house had been broken into a few times by looters and Daniel and the kids had just holed up in the shed out the back when that happened - hopeful that they wouldn't venture into the weathered structure.
The last time looters came, just as they were preparing to leave - packing three backpacks (Daniel taking the larger, of course) and his guitar - one of the two men threatened Jessie and Daniel reacted to protect his daughter. Unfortunately, although the men did leave, one managed to stab him in the shoulder. The wound wasn't serious but its healing was slowed due to carrying the pack and travelling and ultimately it become infected along the way resulting in a long tiring bout of fever for Daniel.

The aim was to head for Cascade Locks, because that had been where Angel had gone. He didn't really know what he would do if they got there and she was nowhere to be seen though. The idea of covering the miles with two young children in this changed world both worried and scared him but he believed they really had no choice.
His trust in people slipped and he tended to stay away from large groups of people, unless there were other children around. They travelled from place to place, stopping off when they had to, doing his best to keep the kids fed and cared for - even if it meant foregoing food for himself.
Sometimes, when he needed to, Daniel would barter where and how he could for food and lodgings - this could mean trading something; offering help or even, on some occasions, simply entertaining people with stories and music (although he refused to sing.)
He had taken his latest sketchbook from the house, when they'd left, as it had images of Angel in them - and even though he didn't think they were good, he used them to ask people if they had seen her.

While travelling he learnt and heard a lot about how things were going, hearing about 'Tribes' from other people when he had to deal with them. One girl even suggested the three of them use new names for themselves. At first, Daniel chose not to but after awhile, it seemed like a natural progression, considering everything else. So, Jessie became 'Runt', a nickname that her father had called her for years due to her small size; Dylan became 'Mensa', something his own father, Sam, had called him; and Daniel became 'Scotch' in homage to the father he couldn't even remember...but still felt guilty for forgetting.

Writing Sample: Daniel let out a soft sigh as he settled down in a chair next to the bed. He still found it hard thinking of himself as 'Scotch' but at least he was finding it easier introducing himself as such now. He glanced over at the kids, finally sleeping curled in the bed, the travelling took a lot out of all of them but it was certainly harder on the two ten year olds and yet...neither complained or asked to stop. He shook his head, they were both too grown up for their own good. But then, he had been too hadn't he? Okay, so what had happened hadn't been as bad but he had lost his parents at a young age and became a parent and a husband at just sixteen. Daniel's childhood had been short but at least the world hadn't literally fallen apart around him.

He reached over and pulled the thin blanket so it covered them properly before settling back in the uncomfortable chair, running a hand down his tired and drawn face. Drifters the people here had called them, Daniel, however, didn't agree with that but of course he hadn't corrected them either. They weren't drifters. Drifters went from place to place without much intent or planning. He and the kids, they actually had a destination in mind and last time he'd checked the map they were nearly there.

All to find Angel. God, he missed her and he knew Jessie did too. Sometimes he thought, to his little girl, that being separated from Angel was like losing her mother all over again. He knew it felt like his heart had been broken again and he honestly didn't know what he would do if she wasn't there when they turned up. Daniel closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, God he hoped she was there.

Character Journal: _scotch
Play by: David Tennant>
Plot points:
- Finding Angel
- Looking after the kids
- A tribe
- His mental health maybe?

Anything else?: Not that I can think of