Dave McCall (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wecanbealright) wrote2036-10-24 03:06 am
wecanbealright) wrote2036-10-24 03:06 am
info / history
FULL NAME
David Julian McCall
AGE // BIRTHDAY
mid20s // June 16th
SPECIES
human
NICKNAME
Dave
PRONOUNS
he/him
SEXUALITY
gay with exceptions (kinsey 5)
OCCUPATION
baker
TRIGGER WARNINGS
chronic illness & pain; chronic mental illness; poverty
IN A NUTSHELL
Sick kid grows up, stabilizes, makes baking and trying to never be that bad off again his whole life.
Often a little on the thin and pale side, often looks tired and has dark circles under his eyes. His clothing is generally comfortable and casual, and as much as is possible, easy to clean or at least not very expensive, because he's constantly prepared for spills and dropping things. He tries to look reasonably presentable in the bakery, but still sticks to a very casual version of it.
PERSONALITY
✚ kind, accepting, generous, responsible, patient, methodical
– stubborn, shy, unambitious, nervous, resentful, dependent on routine
– stubborn, shy, unambitious, nervous, resentful, dependent on routine
Dave's life has revolved around being careful since he was very young. His health issues and how long it took him to recover from illnesses meant being extremely cautious not to get sick, for whatever good it did him. The money issues he and his mother had from a young age meant being careful with everything else. Despite having a pretty supportive mother in a lot of ways, he ended up focused on don'ts. Don't tear anything, don't break anything, and for the love of god, don't add another hospital bill to the pile.
As an adult whose health and finances are both much more under control, Dave still probably focuses more on don't than he should. In some ways, this has benefited him. He plans things out well and thoroughly, he's extremely patient, and he rarely forgets anything that matters. He has routines, and he keeps his life running smoothly with them. But he's also so scared of ending up hurting himself that it's hard for him to take a step outside his relatively limited comfort zone. He has the desire to go out, do more -- pursue relationships, try new things, just stop worrying all the time. But he's never quite managed it, and while he tries to hide it around most people, there's a part of him that's deeply resentful for all the problems he's always had to deal with and the ways he feels held back by them.
He does try to keep that negativity to himself, though, and to be a positive force for others around him, especially when it comes to customers and employees. He is an extremely kind person, with a soft spot for those in need, and he probably gives away more than he really should. Part of that is because a nice cookie or something always breaks the ice. Dave can have trouble connecting through his shyness, and food is often his way of trying to push through that. He knows what he's doing when he offers something he's made, what part of himself he's offering, and that's not something he can usually say in any other situation.
As an adult whose health and finances are both much more under control, Dave still probably focuses more on don't than he should. In some ways, this has benefited him. He plans things out well and thoroughly, he's extremely patient, and he rarely forgets anything that matters. He has routines, and he keeps his life running smoothly with them. But he's also so scared of ending up hurting himself that it's hard for him to take a step outside his relatively limited comfort zone. He has the desire to go out, do more -- pursue relationships, try new things, just stop worrying all the time. But he's never quite managed it, and while he tries to hide it around most people, there's a part of him that's deeply resentful for all the problems he's always had to deal with and the ways he feels held back by them.
He does try to keep that negativity to himself, though, and to be a positive force for others around him, especially when it comes to customers and employees. He is an extremely kind person, with a soft spot for those in need, and he probably gives away more than he really should. Part of that is because a nice cookie or something always breaks the ice. Dave can have trouble connecting through his shyness, and food is often his way of trying to push through that. He knows what he's doing when he offers something he's made, what part of himself he's offering, and that's not something he can usually say in any other situation.
BACKGROUND
under construction
- Had health issues since he was too young to recall
- Father died when he was around 8
- Between being a single-income family and his health issues, they went from financially stable to badly off pretty fast
- Mother taught him to cook to give him a way to distract himself
- Had finally managed to more or less figure out how to keep himself going by late teens; went to college despite a lot of nerves on both their parts
- Mostly made friends by providing baked goods to study sessions
- Accidentally landed himself a financial backer by doing so??? when a much much richer friend half-jokingly offered to finance him if he ever went into doing that professionally
- Said fuck it when he graduated with still no idea what to do with himself, contacted said friend to see if he meant it, bought a bakery
- Discovered he loves everything about it, so that's cool. Still trying to earn enough to buy out his partner and take care of his mother, but they're keeping afloat.
- Doesn't have much of a life outside work; equally nervous about opening himself up to anything new and incredibly resentful about how careful he's had to be his entire life, too caught up in that back and forth to break out of his habits and try to change.
MISC
SKILLS
➥ Baking and cake decorating
➥ Cooking generally
➥ Planning, organization, and preparation
➥ Gritting his teeth and dealing with pain
➥ Functioning on very little sleep
➥ Cooking generally
➥ Planning, organization, and preparation
➥ Gritting his teeth and dealing with pain
➥ Functioning on very little sleep
ILLNESSES & DISORDERS
➥ Common variable immunodeficiency / Primary immunodeficiency disorder
➥ Frequent infections, particularly repeated ear and sinus infections; longer-lasting infections and illnesses; frequent nausea and poor appetite; delayed growth; anemia; irregular swelling around lymph nodes
➥ Rheumatoid Arthritis
➥ Fatigue and stiffness; joint pain and weakness; swollen joints; primarily affects fingers, knees, ankles
➥ Dyspraxia
➥ Primarily affects balance; hand-eye coordination; under-sensitive to touch; poorly established hand dominance
➥ Arrhythmia
➥ Dyslexia
➥ Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (mild)
➥ Concerns about contamination; avoiding specific numbers and patterns; obsessive rechecking
➥ Seasonal affective disorder
➥ Claustrophobia
➥ Frequent infections, particularly repeated ear and sinus infections; longer-lasting infections and illnesses; frequent nausea and poor appetite; delayed growth; anemia; irregular swelling around lymph nodes
➥ Rheumatoid Arthritis
➥ Fatigue and stiffness; joint pain and weakness; swollen joints; primarily affects fingers, knees, ankles
➥ Dyspraxia
➥ Primarily affects balance; hand-eye coordination; under-sensitive to touch; poorly established hand dominance
➥ Arrhythmia
➥ Dyslexia
➥ Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (mild)
➥ Concerns about contamination; avoiding specific numbers and patterns; obsessive rechecking
➥ Seasonal affective disorder
➥ Claustrophobia