:: BASICS
Name: Celestine Masters Aliases: Cel, Masters
Sex: AFAB Gender: ???? (Somewhere on the transmasc spectrum) Pronouns: He/Him Preference: Greyromantic, Greyace
Age: 24 Date of Birth: 11/24/05
Job: Spotter, Horizon Hollow
"I've always been a gambler since the day I learned to crawl
Ain't afraid to bet on myself, ain't afraid to risk it all
I've learned some hardy wisdom, had to dig out of a ditch
Ain't the money in one's pocket that makes a man so rich"
— The Cards I've Been Dealt, Warren Zeiders
:: - PHYSICAL
Species: Human
Description: A fair-skinned individual with decent muscular tone from a lifetime of swimming and playing musical instruments. His dexterity isn't as good as he wants it to be, but he manages well enough besides the point that he can't tie his own shoes. He has a quite obvious watch tan on his left wrist. His eyes are pretty narrow, often judgmental, and are three rings of color: darker grey-blue on the outside, medium frosty blue in the middle, a small tinge of green closest to the pupil. He chronically exhibits dark circles underneath them. His hair, always tied up in some sort of ponytail, is a mousy brown color with flashes of blonde highlights and mild grey tinges near the roots. On special occasions he'll wear his hair down and curled.
He has small nicks that have morphed into scars all across his body from years working the Street Fair, most prominently a smattering of dents in his knees and a small pair of scars on the top of his left hand. His hands are both calloused from his time playing cello.
Clothing: Always a collared shirt — no exceptions. Sweaters are common, usually with a blazer or jacket on top with assorted pins on the lapels. He often wears a light pink pin with a worn-down gold rim reading "No Day But Today / To Grow - To Learn - To Overcome" with linework of a flower. Always has a watch to conceal the watch tan. White felt cowboy hat in winter, motorsports caps in summer (Ferrari, Red Bull F1, Broncos, Mustang). Strong prescription glasses with clip-on sunglasses or transition lenses. Shoes without ties — Velcro "drill master" shoes or cowboy boots.
Items:
- Pet Slot from CC 2024 — A massive long-coated black-silver sable shepherd named Jingle Bell.
- Vinyl Record Player with Stand from CC 2025.
Disabilities:
- Hyperacusis: Managed well enough to conceal before the apocalypse. After moving into the settlement his baseline tolerance significantly reduced. Loud sounds, especially sudden ones, cause significant pain. Stress impacts tolerance considerably.
- Autism: Extremely blunt, often seems demanding when trying to make humor. Tone is irregular and monotonous. Prefers typing over speaking for long-winded things. Processing issues combined with hyperacusis can cause constant hypervigilance. Special interests: planes, mechanical/engineering things, computers, instrument maintenance.
- Unspecified permanent nerve damage: Shooting pain that can make him lose feeling up to the shoulder. Makes professional string instrument career impossible. Discomfort with vibrating materials.
- Hypermobility: 10-inch handspan. Challenges with standing after a while — knees feel like they collapse, hips get "stuck."
| Height: 5'11½" (182 cm) | Mass: ~270 lb (123 kg) | | Current Mental State: Unstable | Current Physical Health: Decent |
:: - SKILLS
| Skill | Points | Notes | |-------|--------|-------| | Perception | 0 | | | Strength | 0 | | | Fortitude | 0 | | | Agility | 0 | | | Intellect | 0 | |
:: - PERSONALITY
| Positive | Neutral | Negative | |----------|---------|----------| | Warm | Perfectionist | Indomitable | | Systematic | Honest | Hot-headed | | Orderly | Strategist | Negotiator | Argumentative and quick to flame, Celestine is always on the attack, strategizing the best result for both himself and the Hollow. He was a feared presence when the baton came down and eye contact was made. When something wasn't right, he was the first to note it — withering stare, blunt interruption, immediate call for change. He hates this part of himself. He never wanted to be scary. He only wanted to help others become better, but the way he did so was through intimidation. Because intimidation is what worked. He often mistakes practicality and brutality, which makes him hard to befriend. One of his greatest fears is losing control or power — over a rehearsal room, over friend group decisions, or over himself. He has severe trauma around this concept harkening back to June 2019, and often butts heads with other controlling personalities. He thinks willingly relinquishing power is weakness, so clawing something back often involves a long-winded argument. He always feels guilty afterwards. He tries his best, but he can't think of people outside of where they're placed in a plan or a system. He can't fix the world's problems on his own, but he sure wants to.
"Love's always a wildcard, A joker in the night
Yeah, the queen's a quiet killer, if you don't play her right
And I didn't play her right"
:: - HISTORY
Birthplace: [Redacted], BC
Childhood:
Starting from an early age, Cel was immersed in music. He picked up the cello at five years old and began writing compositions at six. He played in orchestral ensembles throughout his childhood, developing that relentlessly critical eye from watching professional ensembles and learning from his teachers. Over fourteen years, he only had two orchestra professors.
He tried so hard to become friends with folks, but nobody really liked him because of his criticism of everyone and everything. He learned to stick to himself. He was homeschooled after several rounds of bullying, which both helped and harmed his social skills.
Adolescence:
In 2019, he suffered a major acoustical trauma that he refuses to speak on in detail — only referring to it as "the incident" or "the situation." This caused the beginning of his journey with hyperacusis and neurodivergence in general. There was a time when Celestine was in a religious organization, but he doesn't want to talk about it.
He realized that performing — even though it caused pain — was still a possibility. He had to relearn his technique completely due to nerve damage in his hands and often faced criticism for it, which hardened him. He made his own way outside of music after realizing his hand injuries were enough to end a professional career. Coding just worked. People didn't.
Adulthood:
After extensive retraining therapy he was able to hit the road and travel to perform compositions he had written over many years, alongside a remote engineering job.
At the beginning of the apocalypse, his life collapsed to a halt. He couldn't travel at all. He was lucky to have survived the parasite onslaught — the cities had been hit quite hard. But he was an isolationist at heart, which may have saved him.
Joining the Hollow:
He knew he had friends in the Maritimes bubble that could potentially help him get back on his feet. He traveled northeast hoping to find them. But he saw a flicker of a cell tower connection, happening along the Horizon Hollow settlement on the way.
Meeting Briar was one of the few times Celestine truly butted heads with someone since the apocalypse started. He knew he had skills to offer. He was done with leadership — so done that the only remnant of it is a pin he rarely wears, a small one with a gavel guard.
:: - RELATIONSHIPS
| Family | Friends and Kin | |--------|----------------| | Mother(s): — | Partner(s): — | | Father(s): — | Friends: — | | Siblings: — | | | Extended: — | |
:: - CREDITS
Application - Life Carries On
- Art - Cur/LegalAlien
- Biography - Ritz1125