Cameron Gilchrist

[Cameron]

Name: Cameron Angus Gilchrist
Nicknames: The most common shortening of his name is "Cam", which he's more than happy to answer to, but has also be known to answer to Angus, Gus and Gil, though much to his disappointment nobody has gone as far as to call him "Christ". During his high school days when he was part of his band his nickname was Maestro because of his status as a jack-of-all-trades when it came to music; he was songwriter, guitarist, pianist and sometimes backing vocalist.
Race: Human
Occupation: Musician - busker
Gender: Male
Skin Color: Caucasian
Age: 36
Clothing: Being a musician means that he's never really flushed for money so Cam can't afford to be picky with the clothes that he wears. When out busking he will opt for casual wear; old, torn jeans and a comfy t-shirt over which he will wear some kind of jacket, and topped off with one of his favourite hats, which are mostly trilby-style. If he manages to get a performance at a bar or lounge then he'll make more of an effort with a button-down shirt (top buttons undone, no tie) and smart jacket... though he still sticks to jeans, just newer, less torn ones.
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 155lb
Tattoos: A tattoo of a bird with a sunrise backdrop and the name "Jack" on his forearm and a portrait of a native Indian on his upper bicep.
Piercings: None
Jewellery: Cam owns a lot of jewellery, mostly from people who pass him by when he's busking, or small gifts from patrons of places he's performed at. He only really wears a few pieces of jewellery, though; his watch, a big silver chain around his neck and the ring that he got from Jack as he lay dying. Cam still owns his dog tags, but prefers to keep them out of sight. When he performs at a bar or club he wears his lucky cufflinks, which are in the shape of tiny guitars.

Cam's watch


Cufflink

Body Modifications: He has scars on his arms from when they were hit by shrapnel when fighting on the front line, and also a scar that runs along the side of his head, behind his ear and part the way down his neck.

Hair
Length: He keeps it quite long to hide the scar on his head, mainly because he doesn't ever want it to be a topic of conversation; his time at war isn't something he likes to relive if he can help it.
Style: Cam's not really one to style his hair, so he goes with the rocker-slash-hobo look, occasionally running a comb through it when he washes it.
Color: Brown

Facial Hair
Length: About a centimetre at most.
Style: Neatly trimmed into a goatee and a bit of a moustache.

Eyes
Color: Brown
Oddities: N/A

Personality: Cameron's always been a bit of a free spirit and can only be described as a laid back, easy going kind of guy who takes life as it comes and deals with it accordingly. He tries not to get stressed out over the little things, mainly because he believes that in the long-run they hardly matter, and because he has prioritised the most important things in his life in order to put these little bothersome events or incidents into perspective. Material objects are, in his mind, replaceable, so even though he has objects that he cherishes he knows that if he were to lose them in some way it wouldn't be the end of the world; what truly mattes is the memories that he holds in his heart. He would, however, get pissed if anyone messed with his guitar.

He's the kind of person who would ring you back if he said he would, and he even keeps in contact with not only his family but his old school friends as well as his platoon members from the army. The thought of losing contact with his dearest friends causes a strange sadness in Cam, who's still not truly over losing his best friend Jack. Leading from that would be the fact that he really has no problems telling people how much he cares for them, but the darker thoughts that he has are a little harder for him to admit to, somehow thinking that talking about the past means he can't really move on when the opposite is more appropriate. He masks the sadness with jokes, cracking a grin when topics get too sensitive or too close to pain for his liking before swiftly diverting attention to something else.

Music is truly his life, and he really wouldn't know where he'd be or what he'd do without it; it's been a great comfort to him in times of sorrow and depression and he's also used it to help cheer others up. He thinks it's a gift that should be shared, not necessarily by him but by everyone. It's not just playing instruments and singing but writing songs too, and even though he may have unresolved angst from his time in the army his song writing has helped him to avoid slipping into depression, since he pours his feelings into songs instead. Okay, so that makes taking criticisms of his songs a little hard but he can deal.

Weaknesses: His biggest weakness would be mortality, which means that any illness or injury would take the normal time to recover and if the condition is serious enough, could even lead to death. Cam still has to deal with the burden that being on the frontline during the war placed on him, with his eyesight being extremely bad, even with his glasses; he is able to make out far away shapes and colours but can't really see anything with much clarity unless it's literally right in front of his nose.

Also due to his experiences in the military Cam can't stand war movies, or movies which involve scenes of war; it doesn't cause any extremes in behaviour or thoughts but he finds it very uncomfortable to be reminded of his own time on the front line, especially since the memories he has aren't of victory or triumph but of pain and death and tragic loss. Ordinary objects of war are fine, but seeing the images of people dying, and bombs, and battles, he has a problem with. He suspects he may not be entirely over the trauma of the war, but it doesn't cause him any immediate problems so the thought remains at the back of his mind.

Sometimes he may come across as slightly clingy and needy to those closest to him, and he's constantly seeking friendship because he's afraid of being left alone or abandoned, most probably because of some old, unresolved issues he has from when his father abandoned the family.

Cam is also a very, very heavy smoker, and uses the excuse that it helps him think when writing songs. He hates to wonder what effect it's having on his body but he chooses not to think about it too deeply, even with his severe coughing fits which are happening with more frequency of late.

Abilities: Cam has a natural gift for music which he now uses as his main way of living, busking on the streets of LA and sometimes performing in proper bars when he can get the managers to give him a chance. He's managed to get a few of the bars in his area to let him return and has always been met with a positive response so he is starting to make a name for himself with this talent. Among the many instruments he can play are the guitar, drums and piano, and he can also sing pretty well; mostly his performances involve his voice and an acoustic guitar only.

Because of his time in the army, Cam is more than capable of looking after himself on the mean streets of LA; he had extensive training in hand-to-hand combat and also knows how to use (as well as clean, check, and maintain) a large range of guns. He doesn't particularly like guns anymore but realises their usefulness if he found himself in a dangerous situation, so he keeps one around.

Weapons: A tasergun and a glock pistol, as well as a pocketknife when out and about.

Prized Possessions: He has a number of guitars but the one most dear to him is the one that was a gift to him from his grandmother; it once belonged to his grandfather who took it with him to war to help him to pass the time that he spent in the barracks. His other treasured possession would be the ring that Jack gave to him shortly before he died; he was to give it to Jack's wife back home but she wanted Cam to keep it, saying that she knew Jack would want him to.

Cam's grandfather's guitar


Jack's ring

Home(s): An apartment that, unbeknownst to him, is on Rayne's side of town.

History: Cameron Angus Gilchrist was born to Shona Gilchrist in a relatively poor area of Glasgow, in a rough council estate where the unemployment rate was insanely high and the kids notched up more days spent locked up in prison than in a classroom. When he was 3 years old (Lachlan, his older brother, was 6) his father, Finley, walked out on the young family, leaving Shona to not only be the sole breadwinner for them but also as the only parent in their lives, since he saw fit to just vanish off the face of the Earth. He didn't care about the kids and he certainly didn't care about his girlfriend, and since the two had never married he felt that the kids were no longer his responsibility. He wanted out.

The fact that Finley had no job and, really, did nothing more than bring in a few measly quid from his benefits - what little he had left after he'd drank himself silly with his equally useless friends - was beside the point; Shona loved him more than life itself and when he left she was heartbroken.

However, as determined as she was to make ends meet, she soon found herself unable to cope, so when Cam had only just turned 5, he, his mother and his brother were packed up and moved in with Shona's mother, who lived in a nice part of Aberdeen. As much as Shona hated to put this all on her mother she was grateful for the help, and not too long after they moved in she managed to get a job at the local library. Cam and Lachlan were enrolled in the local school and Shona found that instead of dreading when had to send them off to school she found herself happy for the first time in a long, long time.

Cameron always did well at school; he was a bright, confident young boy who was more than comfortable with the work assigned in his classes. He and his brothers remained close, though they never ran with the same social circles and hardly saw each other when not at home. It was when Cam was just starting secondary school that his interest in music, which had always been from the point of view of a listener, began to develop into something really special and when approached by his teacher who asked if he wanted to try and learn a musical instrument he clambered at the chance. It meant he had to stay behind after school but he was all for it, and, seeing how much he wanted to do this, Shona agreed to it.

During the next two years he threw himself into his music (though never so much that the rest of his schoolwork suffered, of course) and because the after school class was so small he found himself becoming close friends with the other three members of their small group; Hugh (who always preferred to be called Shugsy), Ewen and Iona. Although each of his friends had favourite instruments, Cam remained a jack of all trades, having not only mastered the guitar and drums but also edging into piano lessons and also dabbling in a bit of song-writing.

Their lessons usually ended with a jam session that allowed Cam to see what the song was like when performed. Eventually the four of them formed a band and although they didn't really take it too seriously at first, as their popularity within the school grew so did their enthusiasm for it, enough for them to think of a name for themselves; Running With Scissors. They even thought of solo names: Shugsy, the drummer, was called Sticks; Ewan on bass guitar was called Thrummer; Iona on vocals was called The Siren and finally there was Cam, who was known as Maestro because he switched from guitar to piano and also because the band performed some songs he wrote. Also during this time Iona and Cam became an item, which only made being in the band more of an enjoyable experience for him.

As much as he loved music, he knew that probably wasn't going to get him a career. From an early age he'd had his eye set on joining the army, because he wanted to make something of his life by protecting those he loved. Still, that didn't stop him enjoying the times he was having with the band.

When he left school Running With Scissors disbanded, much to the sadness of the student body. Still, they had cemented themselves into the school's history, destined to be talked about as older students talked to the younger ones about how there used to be this awesome band... or that's what Cam hoped, at least. Even after joining the army he kept in touch with his old band mates, exchanging regular letters as he was moved around from post to post.

Around the time he joined he met a young man by the name of Jack Dixon, who had also only recently joined. The two quickly became good friends, and after they found that they were assigned to the same platoon they became inseparable, watching each other's backs no matter where they went. To Cam, the platoon was like a second family to him, and though he and Jack were very close he would have done anything to protect any one of them.

When he was sent to the front line in 1990 that sentiment was put to the ultimate test. Until then the platoon hadn't ever experienced 'real war', so to speak, so there was a certain sense of excitement and adrenaline as they were given the news of their reassignment. It was a vicious war, and there were plenty of casualties on both sides after the platoon joined the foray, but luckily nobody Cam knew had been killed so far. Unfortunately, that was soon to change.

On a day of particularly fierce fighting Cam and Jack had been side by side, guns in hand, watching each other's backs as they always did. Suddenly Cam found himself shoved harshly, and then the next thing he knew there was a large explosion from nearby, knocking him over and causing his ears to ring. He looked back to see what it was and saw Jack lying face down, unmoving. He rushed over to his friend and dragged him to a relatively covered area before taking a look at his injuries and realising that it was beyond bad; he'd had his arm completely blown off, and his face and neck were covered in so much blood it was hard to believe this was the friend he had known and loved for all this time.

Jack, apparently knowing his time was almost up, gave Cam his ring with the instructions to give it to his wife with a simple message; 'keep living'. Cam held Jack in his arms, continually telling him to hold on, trying to get some sort of help, wanting desperately for him to be okay, telling him it'll be fine... ten minutes later Jack took his last, shuddering breath. Before he could even react, there was another explosion, and then all went black.

It was two weeks later that Cam woke up, so groggy that he didn't realise the bandages over his eyes. When he did, he panicked and pulled them off. His vision had become terrible, so bad that he'd be hard pressed to read anything that was much further than 5 inches from his face. His wounds hurt, his head hurt, he was confused and alone, and he didn't know what to do, think or feel; the images of Jack's death clouded his mind and he fell into a short depression before he, after his platoon had said goodbye, was sent back home to his mother and brother.

Not long afterwards he had hobbled along to Jack's house to visit his wife - now widow. He was nervous and scared; would she blame him for her husband's death? Would she think him a coward? Would she even want to see him?

It turned out that she had heard of him from Jack, presumably from his letters home, and once he had introduced himself she threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug before inviting him in for a cup of tea, where, at her request, he recounted Jack's final moments. He was careful not to be too specific when talking of any injuries and emphasizing the fact that he saved Cam's life, and after he was done he tried to give her the ring, but she just shook her head and said that Jack would want him to keep it. She then asked if he would sing a song at the funeral, and he said yes, though he wasn't entirely sure he was up to the job. Over the next couple of days Cam sat in his room, alone, and worked on writing a song to sing. The whole experience was somewhat cathartic, allowing him to let his emotions out, writing a song that was truly from his soul. There were more than a few tears when he sang his song, and afterwards he gave Jack's wife a copy of the lyrics and thanked her for the opportunity, though he wasn't sure if she understood how much this one small request had helped him.

After the funeral there was a whole other ordeal where Cam was entitled to compensation for his eyesight which was now so bad that he had to leave the army; apparently there was some mix-up with medication and an allergic reaction caused his eyes to kind of break. Cam wasn't sure of specifics, but the settlement was pretty hefty since he had been intending to carry on with his military career which was now impossible.

During this time Cam made a big decision; he was going to move to America to start afresh and try to make it as a musician. His brother and mother had words to say about the decision but ultimately, they realised it was his to make; he'd already seen so much in his relatively young years, so he wanted to live a little. He left part of his settlement money to his mother and brother, and part of it to Jack's wife and took the rest to America to use to set himself up with a place to live.

There isn't a particular reason he settled in LA, he just stayed for a while and found that he was getting somewhere when asking if he could perform at some of the many bars throughout the city. With a nice flat and earning just enough to make it, he's not really living the high life but he's happy, and to him, that's all that mattered.

Over the years the money he makes in a day has increased with his name becoming somewhat known around the area he busks, and the bars he goes to, but he's only now making a really serious effort to pursue a career in music, even posting ads for people to help him reform Running With Scissors. He's now waiting for people to respond, hoping he'll find people to fill the shoes of Siren, Sticks and Thrummer.