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Name: Gavin

Age: 7

Power: Nature Friend

Appearance:Gavin is a relatively cute little seven year old, though he is often thought to be younger due to his short stature. He is 3' 09" tall, which is more the height of a 5 1/2 year old. He is a bit thin for his height, weighing in a 42 lbs. soaking wet. He has long shaggy straight blond hair, often unbrushed. His eyes are bright blue with a sparkle when happy or excited. He has fair skin, but from summer through early fall will sport a moderate all-over tan. Like most little boys, he is often at least faintly dirty.

Bio:The Vicus (Latin for village) Family was a nomadic commune formed in the mid 1970s. Their number would vary, averaging thirty adults and twenty children (from infant to mid teens), with people joining for a time and leaving, some for a while and some permanently. The core group was thirteen adults and six children, including Gavin and his parents. The Family held practically everything in common - money, jobs, possessions, and child rearing. Gavin's birth parents spent less time with him than any of the other parents; their energies, time, and focus devoted mostly to Causes that the Family found important.

The Family was Vegan and an early adopter of almost exclusively using locally sourced, organically produced, non-hybridized fruits and vegetables (Natural is Good). They used practically no factory processed foods, considering the chemical additives to be a leading cause of cancer (Poison! Poison!). They were heavily into Animal Rights, opposing animal testing for any reason and nearly all uses of animals and animal derived products (Meat is Murder!). Another firmly held belief was that vaccinations were primarily a method for the government to eventually track and control the population, so they did not have any of their children vaccinated (No Mind Control!). They also decried rampant consumerism and unchecked capitalism and were extremely active in the Occupy movement, thus most everything they had or purchased (when they couldn't make it) was second or third hand (or more) if not scavenged (Too many possessions are a burden on the Soul!). Overdevelopment and urban sprawl (Save the Trees!), pollution (especially from industry) (Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute!), use of nonrenewable energy sources (No Blood for Oil!), nuclear power (No Nukes!), and the military-industrial complex (Hey Hey LBJ, How many kids did you Kill Today!) were other things they were concerned about.

The Family had a strong sense of spirituality, borrowing parts from many Eastern religions and belief systems as well as Native American tribes, Australian Aboriginal beliefs, and even some elements of Judeo-Christianity and others. But their primary beliefs were heavily rooted in a mix of New Ageism, Neo-Paganism, and especially the reverence of Gaia. They were not anti-religious, but strongly felt that most organized religious groups had badly strayed from a more positive path. These were primarily those with a substantial hierarchal and patriarchal tradition.

The care and raising of the children was shared equally by all the adults of the Family, at least that's how it was supposed to work. In practice, things were different. Some were better and some worse at dealing with the children. And some people were excused as their duties to the Causes of the Family were deemed to be more important. Gavin's biological parents were in that group. Gavin was cared for as well as the other children for the most part. He was given affection and attention, and that was enough when he was little. But when he was three to four, he began to notice the bond between the other children and their parents. At that age he couldn't comprehend what he was missing or why his biological parents spent little time with him, but he knew that something was missing.


The adults of the Family were generally well educated, with a sizable number having a Bachelors degree or better. This was an asset when it came to the teaching of the children. Those with degrees in education and teaching certificates adapted various instructional philosophies to develop a curriculum that was heavily based on the Montessori and Waldorf methods for early childhood education. This Frankensteinian creation was particularly appropriate for the nomadic lifestyle the Family lead, seldom staying in any one place long enough to enroll the children in local schools if they had even been inclined to. The vast majority of the children had spent little or no time in a traditional school setting. Gavin was in the second group. Due to the methodology, Gavin's education was a bit uneven as he focused on the things that interested him to the detriment of other subjects. He was ahead of his age level in reading, arithmetic, geography, and science. Well behind in writing and spelling, and social studies and history. He enjoyed helping fix things, being small was often an advantage working in confined spaces. But what he loved the most and had a real talent for was music.

Music was a constant in the Family. There were always a few musical instruments around, mostly guitars, but banjos, fiddles, flutes and recorders, an occasional mandolin or dulcimer, various small brass instruments, and of course drums - lots of drums for a Circle. For a couple years the Family even had an old battered, oft out of tune, upright piano they hauled around in the back of an old school bus. When Gavin was four, a musician who traveled with the Family for most of a year noted the boy's keen interest and began teaching him to play on whatever instruments were available. Though this tutelage ended when the musician went his own way, it left Gavin with a solid grounding in musical theory and practice, and established a very firm foundation for him to continue to this day. The musician also gave the boys a Suzuki Professional harmonica, which has remained one of his most prized personal possessions.

A couple of months before Gavin turned 7, his actual biological parents took him when they went to a large protest and planning conference in Mexico.  Gavin throughly enjoyed the time, but everything fell apart when his parents (along with other activists) were murdered (which Gavin does not know about) in the desert.  Gavin spent a short time on his own in Mexico, before being found and turned over to the local authorities.  Due to diplomatic problems as well as bureaucratic indifference and apathy (on both sides of the border), it took a bit of time before he was returned to the US and placed in the great malstrom that is the child welfare system.  He was bounced around from emergency shelter to group home to foster home, with no one agency wanting to take responsibility for yet another expense, as well as the problem of the few places that he stayed for more than a day or two noticing and being concerned about his "power."  Finally, one particularily enterprising bureaucrat actually read the reports on Gavin from the various places and putting two and two together decided to try and send him to the home for children with powers.

Personality, mannerisms, and behaviors

"March to the beat of a different drum," "Stop and smell the roses," "Find your bliss," "Question Authority," "Be yourself - everyone else is already taken," these are all phrases that could be used to describe Gavin's normal personality and outlook on life. He is generally a sweet and cheerful boy, full of energy, someone who gets along well with others, and tries to see the good in all living beings.

Currently though, "Shell Shocked," "Fish out of water," "Deer in the headlights," and "Adrift" would be more apt phrases. His perceived abandonment and rejection by his parents and the Family has eroded his sense of belonging and security. This has been exacerbated by the way that the various social services agencies have treated him. More rejection - 'we don't have room for him," "we already have enough children here," "he's not our responsibility," and "we can't afford to care for him" are just some of the things he overheard being shuffled from place to place. Gavin didn't understand that there were simply not enough resources available, he thought they were rejecting him personally. At this time he is looking for any bit of stability and friendship to cling to.

As mentioned in the background, Gavin loves music and is more than a bit talented in that area. He enjoys listening, learning, and playing. He can read music somewhat, and learn new compositions in that manner, but his usual method is to listen to performances and play by ear. Currently, music has become something to cling to, a security blanket of sorts. When he begins to feel overwhelmed he might start humming a tune, or tapping out a beat with his hands, mouthing the words, play a imaginary keyboard or some combination.

Gavin does not have the same understanding of personal property that most people do. Since the Family was a true communal group and held almost everything "in common trust," he regards most items as belonging to everyone and thus most everything is available for anyone to use as needed. In his mind, he is not stealing, just using what is everyone's. There are exceptions to this, notably musical instruments (but not pianos) and "sacred" items and keepsakes. You could borrow someone's guitar, but must ask first and of course you never even touch a person's sacred bundle or spirit bag. Clothing, pencils, paper, crayons, food, and even money are among the types of items that belong to all. He very abstractly understands the basic idea of money and buying things with it but does not have a firm grasp of the concept. Someone who is unscrupulous could really take advantage of him.

Personal privacy is another thing he has a differing view of. Gavin will walk into a room without thinking of knocking, even if the door is closed. But if someone says they want to be alone, he will not bother them. Related to personal privacy is body modesty and nudity. He has only the barest (no pun intended) notion of body modesty. Clothes are something that you wear when it's cold, or to keep from being bitten by insects, or to keep from getting sunburned, or just because you wanted to. The Family were not nudists/naturalists but definitely had no taboos concerning the wearing or not wearing of clothes. Related to both is Gavin's understanding of human (and animal) biological functions, especially the Birds and Bees. He does know exactly where babies come from and how they are made, having witnessed the process from conception to birth multiple times. He is absolutely uninterested in the whole process.

Just a few oddities for flavor:

He has never used a telephone and doesn't know how to use one.  The same for computers, laptops, tablets, cellphones or much of technology.

He has never had his birthday celebrated, the Family instead celebrated that a woman had given birth but not the child.

He has not been vaccinated and was not ever seen by a M.D. until he was in the social services system.

He has never been to the movies, but has seen old 16mm films projected on a sheet hung on the side of a bus.

He has never had ice cream.

He had never watched TV until the Mexican jail. At the various homes, shelters, etc., he saw more but still doesn't understand the attraction. The exception being channels like MTV and VH1, programs like Lawrence Welk and He Haw reruns, and any televised concerts and such.

Added - He does not know his (or his parents) last names.