ℭAELUM silas ℋINTON
❝Behold, beautiful me!❞
❀ ✿ ❀
➺Age
"One more year!"
17
b. August 30
➺Gender
"Darling, you'll fall for me anyway."
Male
➺Gang
"I would have thought you knew already. I am the leader, after all."
The Geeks
➺Personality
"I'll be whoever you want me to be~"
Caelum is an actor, through and through. He has, as you might call it, a flair for the dramatics. In fact, during the Geek Shows, he helps organize and is always in the play, though you'd probably find him wandering around beforehand.
On a regular market day, you will always see him, with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face. He isn't scared of just going and talking to people at all, it would seem. He's always friendly, always loud, though luckily he does know that most people don't enjoy it if he pretends to flirt with them, so friendly is as far as he goes. You can call him frivolous, as many people have, but it isn't exactly true.
Since the virus, the single most important thing to Caelum is... Himself. Second is his gang. Any friends he used to have before the gangs came about aren't important to him anymore, no matter if they used to talk more than he's ever done with his gang members. Not that he would stop talking to other gangs. He always will. It makes his gang less likely to be attacked, if they are friendly. Not to mention the Geek Shows that make them big hits. People don't want to wipe out the Geeks. So he is smart, in that way. Fake friends are better than real enemies. But really, as nice as he may be to other people, he will kill someone with no hesitation during drop offs if they get in his way, and he will kick people out of the gang the moment they become a hindrance. His gang is important, no one will ruin the life he had built. If they do, they'll regret it.
As an actor, Caelum had always been good at pretending. He can cry, laugh, smile, act like he wants to stab you in the face, all in the blink of an eye. It's difficult to tell how he really is, because he can be so different. Is that bright, smiling boy his usual demeanor? Is it the serious leader that has managed to really gain the respect of his followers, time and time again? The one who will do anything for revenge? Or is he really like the boy he appears to be on stage, quiet, friendly, and completely, absolutely normal? Maybe, not even he knows.
➺Biography
"The beginning, middle, and end---well, not so much the end. I'm not a senior yet!"
Caelum was always the sort of child who would be constantly laughing with his family, dancing and singing and putting on plays for them. Among his two siblings, he was the loudest and the brightest. He fit in with them too. He would play soccer and with action figures with his older brother, and play dolls and dress up with his sister. It was really perfect.
The thing is, though, Caelum was shy with people. Strangers scared him. He didn't know what to do, didn't know what would make them mad or sad. As a small child, he would hide behind his parents' legs, looking out just enough to see the person he was supposed to meet. When he grew older, he gained the habit of looking down. The sky hurt his eyes too much.
When he was about to start high school, his family moved. His sister was heading off to university. While they hadn't wanted to move while Caelum was still in elementary, they decided it would be fine for high school---the school he was going to was a prestigious school. His siblings had made it in, but it was far from his old home. None of the people he knew were going to be there, besides his brother. Which was fine, they thought. He could just make new friends.
In high school, he chose drama and vocals as his electives. He always got the same comments: 'Caelum needs to be louder and participate more in class.' His parents, of course, didn't understand this. He was still always so bright, and loud, and happy at home. How could he be different at school?
It came to the point that his grades dropped. He never changed out of the classes, because his family would question him more. So his grades dropped. He asked to transfer schools after that year. His parents didn't like it, but they agreed. They told his brother, one year his elder, to transfer too. To give Caelum company, they claimed.
Caelum was sure his brother hated him for that. The summer before his second year, Caelum rarely spoke to his brother. Caelum spent the summer in his room, music blasting from his speakers, lost to the world. He dreaded the first day of school. But then it came. He woke up early that day, shrugging on his backpack and riding with his brother to school, in silence.
10 minutes into entering, everything went to hell. Caelum was confused. Heartpounding, nervewracking confusion. When they were stuck in the school, he didn't stay in the gymnasium and cafeteria like the others did, at the beginning. He slept in the foyer, the screams of those driven insane being his lullaby.
He didn't see his brother again for a long time. By then, he'd established his own gang. Being at a new school had it's perks. No one knew who he was. No one know what he was like. He found the drama room a little while after The Varsity and The Pretty ones kicked everyone out of the gymnasium, and The Vixens kicked them out of the cafeteria. He met people there. Most were drama students. One was a boy who had taken care of the backstage things. They were scared, so Caelum stepped up.
"Want to form a gang?" he asked them. They readily agreed. They needed the food. They needed the leader. And that was how they became The Geeks.
Fast forward. 300 days later. By then, The Geeks had grown. They had the music students, the art students, the drama students, and even english students, all of those who had creations they wanted to show. They had a good catch of food, and plenty of good things to trade at the market. Then there was some talk.
"Did you hear? Someone is graduating today!"
"We saw him at the booth this morning. He'll probably have to come back later tonight. We should watch."
"Yeah, let's go there now.
Graduating was a big deal. It showed that you made it. Through all that shit you had to go through, you stayed strong and you made it. But on that day, there was a slight murmur of confusion, the groups who had gathered shuffling in confusion. There was no group who wasn't present, waiting until they could make a big entrance, shoving people aside like bodyguards for their graduating student.
Then a single person walked forward. His head was down, a hood pulled over his head. When he pulled it off, his hair was white, falling over his shoulder in an unkempt mat. A scrap.
He walked to the booth, and like many before him, picked up the set of keys that hung there, finding a space on the booth walls to scratch in his name. Then he pressed his thumb into the ID scanner, confirming his leaving. He turned back, and for that moment, everyone could see his face. Gaunt and pale, with dark, hate filled eyes. He looked nothing like he once had, but Caelum could recognize him. Like a brother's intuition of sorts.
Caelum wanted to call out to him. He wanted to push past his gang, go up to that boy who he had so many fond memories of, playing games as a child. He wanted to give him a hug, something Caelum remembered he always hated. He'd hold him there. Just for a little while longer. He had time to stay. Just a little while longer would be fine for Caelum. He wanted to whisper, because he knew his brother always hated public spectacles, and he would want to be just a bit private with it, he wanted to whisper,
"I'm sorry." But he never did. Instead, Caelum stood with the others, watching as his brother took those steps to the containment capsule, with no one there cheering him on. He watched his brother, hoping that he would look back, at least once, and see Caelum. Even if Caelum looked so different now, surely his brother would recognize him. Surely Caelum could convey his regret with silence.
But his brother never turned back. And then he was gone.
But, Caelum still smiled. At the market the next day, everyone could hear him, as he joked and made sales. Just the same as before. Hey, life went on. One day, he'll graduate too. He'll write his name in the booth, another person strong enough to make it through. He would walk to the containment capsule with the cheers of his gang members behind him. He'd turn to give them one last smile and wave, and then he'll go back out. He'll see his family again. They'll be happy. He was sure of it.
➺Relationships
"I'm single, in case you wanted to know~"
Mother ❣ Emilee Hinton ❣ Status unknown - His mother was a kind woman. She never tried to push Caelum down, always listened when he was wa child and had a nightmare. Caelum loves her very much. But at some point in life, Caelum stopped telling her things. He doesn't know why, but he did. He wished he hadn't.
Father ❣ William Hinton ❣ Status unknown - William, while a bit more strict than his wife, very clearly loved his family. When William had time, he would always wait and watch one of Caelum's little performances when he was a child. While he was quiet, Caelum had always seen him, trying to give his siblings advice and awkwardly comforting them when they went through bad break ups. He was a good father.
Sister ❣ Reagan Hinton ❣ Status unknown - When Caelum was younger, he liked playing school and dress up with his sister. Occasionally they also played soccer and the like with their brother, but that was mainly it. As they got older, Reagan and Caelun spoke less---she had her schoolfriends, he had himself. Luckily, she is in university, so she wasn't at the high school. That doesn't mean she hasn't contacted the virus, though.
Brother ❣ Daniel Hinton ❣ Status unknown - The last time Caelum saw him, he graduated. Caelum remembers him as the silly guy with the bright eyes, who did well in school and had so many friends. He would joke around with Caelum at home all the time, and was willing to help when Caelum didn't understand things. On their first day at their new school, Daniel had left immediately, disappearing into the thick of the crowd. Caelum lost him. He didn't see Daniel again until he was graduating, and by then, his eyes were filled with hate. He wasn't the same person as he was before. Caelum hoped he'll see his family again, and his brother will be smiling again, silly and bright eyed.
Acquaintance ❣ Ari Lux McLean ❣ Alive - Ari is just one of many people who Caelum often speaks to at the market, though perhaps a bit more for him, because Ari regularly goes by to pick up the trash. Ari, apparently, used to build the sets for plays, and when Caelum had gone to the drama room and started the gang there, Ari had still been sleeping there, though he soon left, despite The Geeks moving out of that room. He's now part of The Skaters.
Acquaintance ❣ Orion Anwir ❣ Alive - What a sweetheart. He must be the kindest Varsity there is. Chivalrous to his girlfriend, kind to others...
But everyone has something they don't want others to know. He simultaneously makes Caelum laugh and frighten him at the same time. After all, Orion is definitely stronger than Caelum... At some point, Orion might realize how easy it would be to shut him up.
Gang ❣ The Geeks ❣ "You know, it really all depends..." - Caelum is the founder of The Geeks. Hecares about them, if he really has a friend, they'll be in here. He works with them and lives with them, he really has to like them. He could technically kick them out if he dislikes them, of course.
➺Other
"Oh, I didn't know you were so interested about me?"
Fear of Abandonment - It's something that had plagued Caelum's mind for a long time. He's scared of the thought, that he will just be alone. He wants to be remembered. Even if he died tomorrow, he wants to be known, remembered. He wants people to be able to hear his name and recognize it, he wants people to aspire to be him. It's a selfish want. But all wants are.
Nicknames - Usually, rather than names, Caelum just calls people beautiful, or handsome, or maybe sexy if he feels like it. It helps make people feel more included when he doesn't know their names, he thinks. The nicknames aren't based on gender or looks, really. He calls guys beautiful sometimes, and girls handsome sometimes, and sexy is really just for a few people or when he's in a really good mood. It's just confusing if he were to yell out,
"Hey beautiful!" in the middle of the market. Though maybe it would be amusing to see the momentary confusion.
Bisexual - No shit, Sherlock. Boys and girls can both be really cute, and it's good to keep your options open, what with people dying or graduating everywhere---well, that isn't why he's bisexual, but good reasoning. He seems to fluctuate between liking guys and girls based on his mood. Which is fine. It isn't like he's going to get someone.
Geek Leader -
The geeks will inherit the earth. --- I Fight Dragons. Just in case you didn't get the message. Caelum is the leader of one of the gangs, known as The Geeks. They have a smooth operation going on. At the main event during the Geek Shows, the musicians provided the background music, always keeping it light and airy and peaceful. The artists provided the scenery, bright images of the outdoors. The writers made the story, that normal day outside, where there were no borders and fights to survive. Then the actors brought it all to life.
A Jar Full of Stars - When Caelum had been packing for his first day of school, he put in a glass jar, filled with little paper stars, and strips of paper to make more. They were, after all, lucky stars. His sister had taught him and their brother how to make them. It's a calming practice, you could say. He keeps them beside his sleeping bag, and some of them glow softly at night.
➺Appearance
"One word: sexy."
Some people find him to be extremely feminine. Which is true, Caelum won't deny it. Though, at the beginning, he did look different. Before the virus, he had pitch black hair, and light blue eyes. He's always had a light build, slight and small, and now that he's stuck in the school, he has become quite pale.
Unlike most people, Caelum wears a wig. He has a few, exchanging rolls of Geek Show tickets for them. While at the beginning, they had been brightly coloured, the tips coloured with the various paints from the art room, he'd slowly let the colour fade out. Now, they're basically white, with faint bits of colour here and there. His real hair, however, which is cut short, is pitch black whenever it's seen.
Speaking of colour. Caelum, at some point, started using charcoal to line his eyes, everyday. He's a very committed guy. To his looks, anyway.
First banner art by Jounetsunoakai. Still trying to figure the others.