Profile
Cale
| Full name | Cale Francis Allen |
| Age | ~24 years |
| Gender | Male, he/him |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Bachelor of Music |
| Occupation | Drummer/sales associate/freelance artist |
Appearance
What Cale may lack in height, he makes up for in unapologetic attitude - he makes sure he stands out in the crowd. Even without his punk aesthetic with mohawk haircut, he has some little distinguishing features that make him recognizable.
He is 5'6" (168 cm) tall, thin and somehow frail looking young man. However, he's in good shape and has strong arms, he's not particularly muscular but the lack of body fat shapes his muscles to be more visible. His skin is light, he has moles on his face and body, and his hair is naturally blond. His face is heart-shaped, his chin is narrow and his nose is slightly upturned, and he has frown lines between his brows. Some of his teeth seem to be a bit misaligned and his upper left incisor is crooked. His eyes are wide and hazel. There are two faded cigarette burn scars on his right inner wrist on the thumb side. He has a scarab tattoo on his right upper arm.
Cale prefers dark colors in his clothing, and his wardrobe contains a variety of different band shirts, skinny jeans and cargo pants. In public he usually has his mohawk up, he wears jeans, Docs boots and a studded belt or two. He has lobe piercings on both ears (two on right, three on left), and he usually wears either small hoops or stud earrings. Other accessories include rings and simple necklaces. In his more relaxed look his mohawk is down, he wears tank tops and hoodies, loose pants and Chucks or other sneakers.
Cale is very expressive, often exaggeratedly so, and it's almost always clear what he is feeling. He looks in the eyes when he's talking to people, sometimes in an uncomfortably intensive way. Most of the time he looks annoyed, but he's also quick to crack up if something is funny to him. He has a loud laugh and a wide smile that often makes him look a bit unhinged. His voice is deep and raspy.
He values his personal space and dislikes unnecessary touching. Despite that, he will bump into people in crowds on purpose if they're not moving fast enough or they annoy him or he's just having a bad day, and he will give the finger if he gets a reaction from them.
Key details in appearance and mannerisms
Tattoo on his right arm.
Moles & scars.
A little guide about his teeth. (More info in TMI)
Mannerisms
Cale's movement is usually quite calm, but his reflexes and reactions are very quick. Out in public he tends to be more collected and looks very unapproachable with his annoyed frown and hands in his pockets. But, for example, in band practice he's more relaxed and is not shy to use his hands when he's talking. When he's bored or restless, he taps his fingers or shakes his legs. When he's writing or drawing, during creative breaks he spins the pen with his fingers. (He knows many pencil spinning tricks, as well as with drumsticks.)
Expressions
As mentioned above, Cale seems to have a permanent frown as a default. It's easy to tell when he's annoyed because he's not trying to hide his displeasure. He is very expressive, though, and if he expresses some other emotion than annoyance, he exaggerates it. He can make rather ugly and silly faces, and his overly wide and toothy smile looks often like he's mockingly mimicking a smile. It's usual for him to snap from one expression quickly to another, and he's quick to burst into laughter if something amuses him, and he's quick to get an angry look on his face too. The unpredictableness of his reactions and his outspoken nature usually make people uncertain how to approach him.
When he's talking about a topic that's important to him, he's not making faces and his expressions are neutral, if he has any. He always looks people in the eyes when he's talking to them, and without expressions his gaze is quite intense. It feels the most natural for him to not make any expressions, and when he's content and happy, it doesn't show outside, but you can tell it from his soft tone.
A little expression study (check TMI).
Backstory
Cale's parents divorced when he was a baby, and his father was never part of his life. Cale's mother developed a drinking problem, and Cale was taken into foster care when he was six. Before foster care he had suffered emotional and physical neglect, and the following years he had to deal with the failing attempts of reunification with his mother who couldn't quit drinking. He was fourteen when he was adopted by his foster parents after his mother had finally lost her parental rights.
Cale had a challenging childhood, and the older he grew, the more rebellious and rancorous he became, and desperate to feel something as he started to feel he lost control over his life. He hit rock bottom with substance use when he was sixteen and thought about giving up on living. His adoptive parents never gave up on him, and with their never-ending support and loving they were able to give Cale a feeling of belonging, and he saw more reasons to plan his future. Drawing had always been his escape route from the often burdensome reality, and music was something that made him feel he was in control of his life and emotions. He knew he wanted to study and do music for a living, and after he got accepted to a college, he moved from Oregon to Idaho and started to build a career there.
Teen shenanigans
I'm illustrating a series about Cale's teenage years, and eventually it tells the story behind his tattoo. He was a difficult child and a terrible and angry teenager who was on the brink of throwing his life away, but something happened and he changed the course completely. I'm posting new drawings on DeviantART every now and then, you can start reading from the link below:
Skills
Cale is a versatile and extremely passionate musician. He's mainly a drummer, quite skilled, but he can also play the piano, guitar and bass. He has a powerful and competent singing voice, but he doesn't usually sing in public with all his potential. He can also draw well.
Personality
Cale is a confident nonconformist who wants to stand out and provoke, yet he does it on his own terms. He fights against conventionality and predictable assumptions, and normalcy disappoints him. He takes chances in life, tries out new things if they interest him and he works well under pressure. He keeps his mind busy, multitasks and schedules every minute of his day to make the most of it and be as efficient as possible. Still, he doesn't bite off more than he can chew. He's doing pretty well for someone who has never gotten anything on a silver platter and who doesn't want to play by the rules, and yet he has stayed true to himself. He's analytical - often over-analyzing and getting frustrated over things - clever and thorough, and he has a tendency to overcontrol. His attitude screams he doesn't give a shit, but he does. Especially music is what he deeply cares about, and he's taking his music projects very seriously.
In general, Cale doesn't like people. Most people annoy him, just their presence is usually enough, and if he has to talk to them, he is most likely to just dislike them even more. He's not exactly hiding his displeasure of being with people, but he's not usually trying to pick up fights. He's just very cold, very humorless and sometimes very mean. He has a strong 'him against the world' mentality, but he doesn't believe in violence and wouldn't fall into solving problems with his fists. He holds his ground and doesn't give an inch when confronted, and it's very unlikely that he runs out of words or loses confidence if he needs to defend his views.
Cale hates small talk and mingling, he swears a lot, he's not sugar-coating his words, and his bluntness is often enough to shove people away. By default, he has very little respect for every new person he meets. The reasons vary, but Cale always comes to the same conclusion of people adapting other people's views instead of thinking on their own, not thinking at all or thinking with their genitals. There's no saying which kind of people he tolerates the best, everyone has their unique flaws Cale picks up. It's notable he never makes mean remarks about one's appearance or physical features, though; a person's behavior and views are the main target of his disapproval.
Interestingly enough, instead of avoiding company, he makes a living from working with people. Cale likes to keep others at arm's length and he can be quite rude, but he is more verbal and socially more intelligent than one may think. He is highly observant, and despite the negatively skewed interpretations he makes, he is good at reading people and predicting their behavior. While he is very opinionated and stubborn, he can listen to others and he prefers a fair back-and-forth conversation over him being the one with the final word. But this only applies if he doesn't think the person he's talking to is a complete moron, otherwise he doesn't bother discussing in a friendly manner, if at all. At work as a sales associate he is like an entirely different person: he is polite, calm, chatty and helpful. It's obviously a role he takes to do his job properly, but it proves he is socially skilled and he knows his way around people.
Cale is definitely not the easiest person to get along with, but when he lowers his guard a little, he shows his friendlier side. He gets more talkative, he makes jokes and easily bursts into big laughter if something amuses him - and they're all genuine, real emotions. He's still quite snarky and cynical, but it's easier to like - or at least tolerate - this version of him. However, despite being more approachable, he isn't fully present and he can turn cold or even hostile at any point: social interactions are temporary necessities to him, and it takes a lot of time before he can feel emotionally connected to the other person. There's only a handful of people with whom he has actually bonded on a deeper level. With them another layer of Cale can be seen: he can be thoughtful, protective, genuinely kind and caring, sometimes even a bit childish. But gaining his trust in the first place is very difficult, and winning it back is impossible.
Fun Facts
Check out the TMI tab on the side for even more fun facts!!!
- Cale has had three last names during his life: Emmons, Andersson and currently Allen. From his birth to about age of two he had his father's last name (Emmons), and until he was adopted when he was fourteen, he had his mother's last name.
- His mother was born and raised in the US, but her father (Cale's grandfather) was a Finland Swede. (Cale doesn't know any Finnish or Swedish.)
- His father is a white supremacist and currently in prison. Cale hates him.
- He designed his scarab tattoo himself and got it when he was 18, and there's a juicy story™ behind it.
- Nicotine addict and a daily smoker. He started smoking when he was 13.
- It's the only substance he uses and the only addiction he allows himself to have. Otherwise he has been completely sober since he was seventeen.
- Lives currently in Boise, Idaho. He doesn't spend much time at home, though.
- His second home is his old van.
- He's most into punk and thrash metal, but can selectively appreciate other music genres too.
- Bands he likes (or supports/has liked/supported) and that have been mentioned (in drawings) so far: Anthrax, Exodus, Bad Religion, Hüsker Dü, Bad Brains, Anti-Flag, Testament, D.R.I.
- He plays the drums in three bands, and he works part-time as a sales associate in a music store where he started working when he was in college. When he has time from practicing, gigs and work, he draws and makes a bit of extra cash by occasionally taking commissions.
- His special talent is time management.
Creation facts
- Created in spring 2022. Cale's appearance and the general concept is a humanization of my old wolfdog rpg character Cafrem I created in 2008.
- The scarab tattoo comes directly from wolfdog Cafrem's themes; his mother had a special sense of humor as his name meant dung beetle/scarab in the RPG's made-up language. Yes I was extremely into The Mummy and especially The Mummy Returns back in the days. lol
- Wolfdog Cafrem's mother was an alcoholic, and he was separated from her at an early age. I used this theme in Cale's backstory.
- I liked this new 2022 version of Cafrem, and at first I started to think about an urban fantasy setting where he's a shapeshifter turning into a canine, but after getting a comment of him looking like a drummer, I knew he had to be Bum boi's friend!!
- And they are absolutely adorable. I had no idea how beautifully they would grow and develop together.
- Cale is definitely one of my favorite characters ever!! He's a very special boi to me in many ways and I love him u_u
- He's named after Cale Makar. I was trying to find a fitting name for him that would start with C or even "Ca-" (for the namesake of Cafrem), and - I watch hockey - I saw an interview with Cale Makar and there it was~
- Take Cale's birth name's first two letters (CAle FRancis EMmons) and you get Cafrem. xD
- Thirsty for even more knowledge?! Read my rambles on DeviantArt! ^^
Denny
The newest addition to Cale's band Hope Vitus. Cale wanted to dislike this hyperactive, too friendly and naive young lad, but every time they met, Cale learned something new about him. He had to admit there was something exceptionally pure about Denny, and they became close friends. Cale cares deeply for Denny and is very protective of him.
Jason
They were roommates in college, and they shared the same passion for punk rock and had similar musical ambitions, and they formed their band Hope Vitus. In the past few years Jason has gained confidence, and Cale barely recognizes him to be the same guy he was in college. Cale has no respect for him as a person anymore, but he is still drawn to Jason's musical skill.
Corey
Cale likes to spend time with Corey, and they play in Hope Vitus and another band together. Corey is approachable but it's hard to connect with him on a personal level, which works fine for Cale. He appreciates they can focus on making music rather than socializing.
Helen & Cliff
Cale's adoptive parents. Cale loves them and is forever grateful for them for never giving up on him. They are his favorite people ever.
Candy
Doesn't know her, doesn't want to get to know her and doesn't want her to spend time with Denny. Candy seems eager to get to know Cale, though.
Vera
Cale's biological mother. Their mother-son relationship has been extremely turbulent and painful for the both of them, and Cale hasn't been in touch with his mother in years, as he refuses to let go of a grudge.
