[center][h1][color=c4df9b][i]Melvin Cain[/i][/color][/h1] [IMG]http://i59.tinypic.com/2wmnybb.jpg[/IMG] ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ [/center] [b][u]Name:[/u][/b] [indent]Melvin Cain[/indent] [b][u]Age:[/u][/b] [indent]21[/indent] [b][u]Gender:[/u][/b] [indent]Male[/indent] [b][u]Former Occupation:[/u][/b] [indent]Singer and songwriter[/indent] [b][u]Physical Appearance:[/u][/b] [indent]Melvin is a young man whose appearance is but a snippet of the apocalypse's unrelenting wrath - or at least a part of him is. On his right arm lies a big nasty scar that traces from his shoulder blade down to the wrist. A bitter reminder of the grim occurrences he faced during his time for survival and a failed attempt to save a loved one. Other than that, Melvin appears to be quite average for a person of his age. Standing roughly at 5'8" in height and weighing at about 138 pounds, he has a fairly thin build which is entirely made up of lean and stringy muscles and a pack of small joints. Melvin was once fair-skinned but then sank into a medium tan as a result of frequent exposures from the sun and occasional hygiene negligence. His face is defined by a triangular shape with an angled chin and low cheekbones. His unruly light brown hair is moderately short in length that falls down to his upper back neck. Eyes are colored hazel with fair eyebrows residing on top. He has a thin nose line and a few growing facial hairs located at his lower chin and some skirting at the sides of his jaw. [/indent] [b][u]Past Affiliates:[/u][/b] [indent]Previously belonged to a group of people who were residents from Melvin's neighborhood alongside with his mother, younger sister and a few of his co-workers in the music industry who happened to stand along for survival. They were a migrating lot who sought a safer community free from the virus or anyone who're carriers of it. Overtime they decreased in numbers but not from having one member catching the virus. It was mainly because of their morals and how it crumbled down every time the group broke into series of arguments. As of now, Melvin is one of the few survivors of the group as half of them either killed each other due to unsettled conflicts or were killed by hostiles. The rest of the group were caught by the virus and eventually died. That included Melvin's mother and younger sister.[/indent] [b][u]Current Affiliates:[/u][/b] [indent]Melvin currently has no permanent group. His daily routine revolves around helping people who are in need and meeting up with other survivors. Usually, a majority of his time would be spent on exploring at abandoned areas by himself. The purpose of which would either be for his own way of killing time or to find a something worth living for.[/indent] [b][u]Skills:[/u][/b] [indent]Melvin is an exceptionally good singer and an entertainer who is capable of giving people a good show with a fascinating vocal range. He can also play a handful of instruments such as the guitar and occasionally, the harmonica. With these, he can help and give hope to people who are running through a bleak environment despite losing a lot of their loved ones. However, having suffered through countless of losses, Melvin sometimes loses motivation on using these skills for the benefit of others. Other than that, he developed a certain skill for tracking since he often explores abandoned places by himself. His tracking skill however, is still at a novice level. [/indent] [b][u]Strengths:[/u][/b] [indent]One characteristic which is considered to be Melvin's main strength is his perseverance. He can withstand almost every trial faced in life whether it'd risk him or not and show his rigorous willpower in the process. Most likely, nothing will hold him down from achieving the impossible not even by force alone. He doesn't fear the concept of failure even if he undergoes it a couple of times. The only thing that he fears is not trying anything at all which then wraps him in complete regret. [/indent] [b][u]Weaknesses:[/u][/b] [indent]Perhaps Melvin's greatest weakness comes within the forms of negativity as it perfectly opposes his main source of strength. It is the one trait that drags him down from all of his ambitions and instead, allows hopelessness to take over and rule his moral sense. At his pessimistic side, Melvin is often existentially conflicted. He always wonder aimlessly about life and what there is to it. This weakness of his generally places him into a depressed state but there are times where it could be worse. Melvin is also unreasonably obstinate at times. Being stubborn often puts him through dangerous situations to the point where his life may be at risk but despite knowing that, he still has the spunk to be persistent and remain stubborn nonetheless. He occasionally has problems establishing trust with people as he is very much aware of how society revolves. More likely, he is skeptical even towards people who show nothing but straightforward camaraderie.[/indent] [b][u]History:[/u][/b] [indent]Born and raised from a small neighborhood located at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At an early age, Melvin struggled to keep up with his life especially before his abusive father was still a household member of the family. He and his sister often kept their distances from their parents, mostly clamped together in a room while spending each unbearable moment listening to their father raise his voice and to the unthinkable noises of their mother being beaten. Melvin knew it had to stop sooner or later but even when trying one attempt after another gave no progress. The arguments were still flowing heavily with each passing day until a day came when Melvin's father went too far and assaulted their mother with a knife. The injuries were serious but luckily, it wasn't anywhere near life-threatening. Authorities arrested Melvin's father after his mother was admitted to the hospital. Since then, their father never returned nor did they see him again. A remarkable breathe of fresh air followed several months after the incident damaged their family. Financial conflicts rose but wasn't as much of a bigger problem than their abusive father. Melvin's mother found a job at the city a few weeks later, knowing that there should be a replacement to their main source of income. It wasn't difficult even when they made several adjustments in the process. Melvin continued school and aided his sister with her studies as well. However, all of their hard work appeared to be insufficient as money grew shorter every time Melvin advanced to a higher level in school. He knew he had to do something, especially after he moved forward to high school. Ideas came but most of them weren't as helpful as he thought until an opportunity awaited him at a television show's talent audition. Ever since he was little, Melvin was fond of singing and developed a certain hobby of it in the later years. He never knew he was good at it but his mother and sister always believed that he was blessed with a voice that can open people's ears. He was never the most confident person to say the least but participating in the said audition could help them prevail from his family's hardships. All went well after Melvin auditioned. He was officially signed to participate in the talent show's program which then left him anxious but thrilled nonetheless. A successful result followed after he was placed at third place in the finals. It may not have been a clear shot to the number one spot but his way of singing was enough for a wide recognition. Soon, a few entertainment companies barged in and crowded Melvin with contracts, all of which were careers in singing that he might consider on pursuing. He didn't hesitate and accepted what's for the better. He knew his family was still there waiting to root for his success. It was all happening so fast that Melvin couldn't settle his mind but he was certain that success was already at his grasps. The hardships he once struggled to pass through were now under his reach and could now give the support that he's willing to provide for his family. Months after signing his career contract, Melvin was officially a musician, making money off of record deals. He became a known figure in alternative rock genre and made several appearances at famous venues throughout the United States. Then the catastrophic plague came. Melvin immediately returned home to escort his family to safety but by then, chaos was already flocking his hometown with an uncontrollable outburst as every resident made desperate attempts for their preparation of survival. Homes were being infiltrated then stolen by a number of individuals. However, Melvin and his family were safe after being rescued by his agents and few co-workers. Terrified residents begged to join them but only a few were brought to their excursion. They rushed to leave the state and to a safer environment where people weren't running in an outrage. However, the group collapsed before they could even find a place. Melvin tried to break his family away from them but by the time he did, he noticed that they've already caught the virus. It wasn't long until his mother and younger sister lost their lives which then forced Melvin to wander in the midst of devastation. He never would've guessed what may happen next but after losing everything he had, Melvin came to the point where he wondered if there was still a reason to continue. He felt certain that there wasn't but his constant fear of death refused to let him join his family. [/indent]