I managed to finish my first character, but it's getting late so I won't be able to finish my other character until tomorrow, so I'll just post the first one for now.

[hider=Grant Dwyer]
[center][img]http://img.cinemablend.com/cb/3/4/2/0/e/9/3420e9cabec5ba51217ca69ed1ddcbfca527d2f30366da4661a2d68c682d8ea3.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][b]Name[/b][/center]
[center]Grant Dwyer[/center]

[center][b]Physical description[/b][/center]
[center]Grant appears to be perfectly normal to the average person. He stands at around 5'7", has an average if not somewhat trim build, and has decent posture. His outfits are all similar to one another and mostly just consist of different color variations of the same type of clothing. He does rather well at physically expressing himself, as anyone could take a single look at his body language and facial expressions and be able to tell how he's feeling and the message he's trying to get across.[/center]

[center][b]Age[/b][/center]
[center]17[/center]

[center][b]Occupation[/b][/center]
[center]Student[/center]

[center][b]Background[/b][/center]
[center]Grant and his family aren't native to the Baptiste Valley, having only lived in the region for little more than a couple years. He lived a city life in northern California for most of his years, and had a rather average life there. He had both of his parents, but only one sibling, Jasmine, who had been adopted four years before he'd been born. She teased and picked on him like any older sibling would, being that she was six years older than him, but for the most part the two got along well enough. She even beat up some older teens that were picking on him once, though she got in trouble for it. She left for college soon after graduating high school, so for a couple years it was just him at home. He had a few friends, but no close relationships, so while he would never admit it he did feel lonely without his sister.

But then something shattered his average life. When he was 14 years old, he suddenly vanished without a trace. Nobody knew what happened to him or where he'd gone, only that he only could've disappeared on his way home from school since his friends had last seen him during class. Jasmine returned home during this time, leaving college behind so that she could help search for him and be there with her family during this horrific time. And then after a month, as if out of the blue, Grant returned. A person walking their dog found him wandering the streets one night, seemingly in a daze and unable or unwilling to speak. After being taken to the hospital and being medically evaluated by doctors and nurses, they thankfully didn't find anything physically wrong with him, but it was clear that he'd gone through some form of extreme psychological trauma. He'd become mute, unable to bring himself to talk despite his vocal chords being undamaged and brain scans showing that he wasn't suffering from any physical trauma.

Whatever it was that had happened to him, he refused to talk about it or explain it. He would communicate with others through writing, and over time he began to learn sign language, but anytime anyone tried to ask about what happened he would just shut down. His family learned not to push the topic despite being so worried about what could've happened to him, and tried to find some way to help him recover. Staying in the city just seemed wrong, so after a few months it was decided they would move to a more rural area with a smaller population, and his parents sold the old house and bought a new one in Atherstone in the Baptiste Valley. Jasmine never returned to college, and instead stayed at home to help care for him and support him. Their bond grew stronger as a result, and while Grant thinks that she can be over-protective at times, he's still glad that he has a close relationship with her.

The Ashing Pandemic brought tragedy back to the Dwyer family, however. While both he and his sister managed to avoid contracting it, their parents weren't so lucky, and like all of the other victims they succumbed to the infection. The two siblings could do nothing but try to care for their parents until they died, and soon the two of them were alone and had to fend for themselves. Always the protective one, Jasmine would eventually go out and try to scavenge for supplies, while Grant would keep watch at home and keep the house inhabitable for them. They've been holding out hope that the government will come to help them, but even Grant knew that if they didn't come soon, they were going to run out of places to scavenge in their area pretty quickly. They wouldn't be able to stay there forever.[/center]

[center][b]Skills and Talents[/b][/center]
[color=PaleGreen][b]Housekeep:[/b][/color] Most wouldn't consider it a skill, but Grant is good at keeping a household going. He's quick and efficient at cleaning, and he actually knows how to cook. He's no five-star chef, but he can make food edible [b]and[/b] taste good. He's reliable at keeping track of supplies as well.

[color=PaleGreen][b]Alert:[/b][/color] Despite sometimes coming off as aloof, Grant is actually constantly aware of his surroundings. It's hard to get the jump on him, and he's observant enough to notice if something is strange, usually before most people would notice.

[color=PaleGreen][b]Stealthy:[/b][/color] His somewhat small size and silent demeanor allows him to sneak around with ease. He's also quite nimble, so he wouldn't normally be stumbling around and making noise if he did indeed have to sneak. His knowledge of sign language also allows him to send silent messages to anyone who can understand.

[center][b]Weaknesses and Faults[/b][/center]
[color=Crimson][b]Mute:[/b][/color] Grant cannot speak, which is a massive disadvantage to have in the apocalypse. His communication with others is severely limited, and while Jasmine does know sign language and can interpret what he says to other people, if he's away from her he's basically screwed unless someone else he's with knows it, but the chances of that are slim.

[color=Crimson][b]Non-Combatant:[/b][/color] Grant never learned how to fight, isn't particularly strong, and has little experience with weaponry. At most, he can wield a kitchen knife without hurting himself, but it's hardly a practical weapon.

[color=Crimson][b]Dependent:[/b][/color] While his close bond with his sister is something he cherishes, he realizes he's grown to be dependent on her. He doesn't like to act without her, and constantly looks to her for advice. With the onset of the apocalypse he's slowly learned to be more independent and take care of himself, but old habits are hard to break and he finds it hard to commit to anything without her approval or advice.

[center][b]Personality[/b][/center]
[center]Despite being mute, Grant is actually quite social, and though he tends to be more of a listener in conversations he'll still try to reply via signing or writing. He's an incredibly empathetic person, and would rather put other people's needs before his own. He hates being seen as weak or handicapped, and absolutely loathes being pitied, and so he does anything he can to prove he's just as capable as anyone else. He's not one to give up, but he also isn't blind to his own limitations and knows when dogged determination just isn't enough to achieve a goal. He prefers to tackle issues from different angles rather than just the most straightforward one, and if he's got an idea he'll be sure to let people know.

One thing that's certain though, is that he'd do anything for his sister. She's the only family he's got left, and he would protect her at all costs, and he knows she would do the same for him. He worries about her, knowing how much she does to care for him at the cost of her own wants, and he wants to be able to return the favor somehow.[/center] [/hider]

EDIT: To answer your question, I was going to start my characters out in Atherstone.