Why did the cat run away from the tree?

canon: Original (Gifted & Talented)
canon point: Fall 2018
canon cw: Jeff's an addict in recovery, but he does still engage in semi-regular recreational drug use (marijuana), and it may come up in scenes. It's mostly to self-medicate anxiety issues, and he's a functional stoner. He also has a Dark Past^TM from his early 20s, which includes drug addiction, demon-induced psychological torture (hallucinations, fugue blackouts, intrusive thoughts), and a stay at an inpatient recovery program.

brief bio: Jeff Calhoun is a nervous, gentle bard who refuses to do anything particularly bardly. Though Gifted, he rarely casts spells, and the thought of performing for an audience is likely to send him spiraling into anxiety. With a past that's marked with addiction, instability, and a close brush with demonic possession, Jeff's determined to live a life that's as uneventful as possible. These days, he's a divorced, suburban-dwelling high school history teacher and a doting single father to his teenage daughter. He prefers to live out his life like he's the supporting character in other people's stories. They can go off and have fun; he's already had his turn. No extra attention, no drama, no action or adventure.

There was a time, though, waaaay back in the early 90s, when Jeff was wild and reckless, a total live-wire of a performer, making a name for himself (and his band, the Nervous Tix) in LA. Night after night, he and his bandmates would perform music weaved through with magic ritual, cultivating bacchanalian revelries at their shows. As their hype grew, and their momentum built, Jeff and the Tix seemed like they were on the trajectory towards stardom.

That is, until his reckless magic use accidentally summoned a demon that ruined his life and left his dreams in tatters.

(For his full history, check some insanely long writeup I'll link here later)

relationship status: Single (Divorced)

apparent age: 44 (DOB: June 6, 1974)
appearance: He looks like Timothy Olyphant.
identifying marks: Two beauty marks on his face (a distinctive one under his left eye, and I always forget where the other one is), a candy heart tattoo on his hip/lower stomach that says "LITTLE BITCH" (see next pic), and another on his right side/beneath his ribs. He got them in his teens/twenties, don't judge him too harshly.

mental state: HE'S FINE.

Okay, maybe he isn't. Though Jeff is being taken from a very stable period in his life, there's a deep well of half-resolved trauma that he constantly runs away from. Jeff still has nightmares, and he still has tremendous guilt over what happened with the demon, and all the other people he hurt along the way. There's a ton of self loathing and constant questioning over what it was about him, specifically, that led to the whole mess with a demon taking residence in his soul. He's convinced that he drove the entity insane/malicious, and that he ruined it with his inherent terribleness. Being yanked from his usual coping mechanisms (his job, his responsibilities, his routine) will likely push him into a frantic tailspin that he'll desperately try to downplay.

As a bard, Jeff makes magic through music; he can only cast through humming, singing, whistling, or playing an instrument. Thanks to a boatload of past trauma, Jeff tends to avoid casting whenever possible, and is more likely to freeze up in a crisis than attempt any kind of magic.

When he was younger, though, he used magic whenever possible, often in frivolous, flashy ways. Style over substance! So although he's rusty now, Jeff's still got a pretty solid grasp over the following types of spells:

(NOTE TO SELF AND OTHERS: Explanation of nerf specifics to come after work, but assume that his magic in general is wildly erratic and unreliable. This write up is just his standard baseline of magic back home)

• Telekinesis. He can move objects (or small living creatures) provided 1) they're in his general vicinity (about a 10 foot radius), 2) he knows where they are, and 3) they're not all that heavy (~40 lbs or less).
  
• Pyrokinesis. Starting and extinguishing small fires is Magic 101, and Jeff's no exception-- provided there's something flammable to actually ignite. Jeff can manipulate fires with magic, but only in flashy, pointless ways. He can't change the size or intensity of fires, but he can make them dance and take shapes temporarily. Party trick!
  
• Lights. Jeff can use magic to light up an area-- sparkling fairy lights, or creepy will-o-the-wisp looking things, or colorful lights, and so on. They're showy, pretty, and temporary. This spell comes in handy if Jeff's stuck in the dark and nobody has a flashlight.
  
• Locating. Sometimes, Jeff can use magic to find things, like misplaced keys. This can work on all sorts of objects, but he has to be familiar with the "essence" or "energy" (or whatever you want to call it) of the object's owner. NIXED BY MATHIAS.
  
• Blight. He can kill plants, but it's rude and he tries not to.
  
• Intoxication/Empathic Manipulation. One of his go-to party tricks as a young bard was to sway the moods of his audience. His spells can have an intoxicating effect on the listener, usually a temporary state of euphoria or lowered inhibition. Typically, effects wouldn't last for more than 30 minutes, and would be weaker/more diluted if cast over larger groups. On his own, Jeff could have a moderate effect on a handful of people. When amped up by other magic users (like his bandmates, in the past), he could work a crowd into a frenzy.

physical affection: Go for it! Jeff loves a good hug, and is pretty free with physical affection with age-appropriate folks. With younger people, he keeps it to a fatherly capacity, and will reciprocate, but not initiate.
flirting: Do it. He's down for flirting, though he'll just feel super old and awkward, and won't reciprocate, with people under 25.
relationships: I LOVE ROMANCE AND FOUND FAMILY. Jeff's totally open to romance with characters ages 30+! And he's here for familial and friendly relationships with all types of characters.
sex: Definitely, he's very easy to get into bed. (Ages 30+)
fighting: You can fight him, but he's really not a skilled fighter, and he's kind of a skittish weenie, so any fight is likely to be very short, kind of pathetic, and might just end in him throwing something and running away.
injury/death: Minor injuries are always fine! Open to major injuries and death, but ofc we'd need to hash it out in advance.
psychic information: lmao he's got zero mental defenses, have at it. Any psychic types will notice that he vacillates between a total state of CHILL and overwhelming anxiety, with a pleasant, and constant, undercurrent of self loathing.
triggers: Auditory/visual hallucinations and blackouts are major triggers for him. Being put in the spotlight. Being in any situation where he's forced to take drugs (ie spiked food/drink, major injury requiring something heavier than over-the-counter painkillers). And while not triggers, exactly, Jeff's likely to avoid situations involving drug use (outside of weed) and heavy drinking.

time zone: EST. My tagging schedule tends to be pretty irregular, and I'm more likely to be active before 5 AM on weekdays.
rp style: I'm flexible, but tend to default to prose for ease of phone tagging.
contact: weeyotch or weeyotch#8200 on discord
backtagging: Yes please always. I go through periods when I'm very, very slow due to work and after-work obligations, so I rely pretty heavily on backtags. I'm always happy to handwave things, as well.
offensive subjects: I'm okay with anything.