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9:10 PM
IN CHARACTER
Character Name: Neal George Caffrey
Canon: White Collar
Canon Point: Post-Canon + CRAU
In-Game Tattoo Placement: child-like drawing of a deer, right, upper thigh
Current Health/Status: Alive
Age: 39
Species: Human
Content Warnings: mentions of sexual content, D/s, depression, angst
History: White Collar: Neal Caffrey
CRAU History and Impact:
Coming from a life of personal control, nine months in Duplicity as a submissive caused quite a bit of a change in Neal, although nothing that would prevent him from appearing as himself to anyone who might know him.
Struggling with his own sexuality, not to mention the burden of expectation plied against him by the city's inherent structure, Neal was required to face not only middling return on his own skills, but also the frustrations born of a lack of personal control and failures to meet the quota imposed by the city's rules regarding residents.
Neal struggled with personal sensibilities, depression, guilt, and general anguish at underperformance, only bolstered by a strong support structure maintained through personal relationships. While he did work hard to learn a fit in, unlike most instances, Neal did not find himself easily folding himself into a sexualized society unlike anything he had experienced before.
He briefly lived in the Down, an area assigned to submissive residents, struggling without work to make ends meet and trying his best to remain lawful. Eventually, through a matter of convenience, he contracted with Cable (XMCU) and use the man's privileges as a Dominate to move to the more affluent part of down (the Up), and obtain whatever he needed to live a more comfortable life.
While Neal never fully adjusted to the lifestyle, having a guiding hand in Cable did allow him to ease his angst over being far from home and allowed him a little more leverage to explore parts of himself otherwise unaddressed.
Personality:
Neal is a very kind and compassionate individual, perhaps first and foremost. He cares deeply for others and dislikes seeing suffering and misfortune, especially in those he perceives to be at a disadvantage. He will go to great lengths to help those individuals, often taking an approach similar to Robin Hood, feeling every bit justified in "taking from the rich to give to the poor."
This compassion extends to generosity, too. Many times, even as a criminal, Neal is seen executing extreme magnanimousness, often sharing freely without need for reciprocity. He does this for positivity it brings to himself and others, but also out of desire for genuinely warm and pleasant interactions with others.
Being an individual of discernment and integrity, Neal is also a fair individual. While he understands how to sway a situation, he is prone to making decisions based on the best course of action for all those involved. It isn't always natural or immediate, but when push comes to shove, Neal near exclusively chooses the right course of action.
Neal is conscientious, as well, always hoping to do his very best. He's efficient, careful, vigilant and organized, going to great lengths to ensure everything is accounted for in his plans as well as his life. Add to that a great sense of perseverance, and there isn't much that can stop the man. He's persistent and determined, focused greatly on his own goals. It creates a courageousness that allows him to press forward with a plan in spite of danger or pain or discomfort.
While having a great many admirable traits, Neal is certainly brimming with a good deal of negatives, too. He's dishonest, both known for criminal fraud, but also fairly untrustworthy as an individual, as well. This is usually on a case-by-case basis, as he's also been known to only bend the truth for certain individuals. He is also shockingly manipulative, unscrupulous in controlling people or situations to serve his own needs, as well, and evasive in that he rarely wishes for another person to fully understand his motivations or thought processes, and is particularly uninterested in self-revelations, as he prefers to design what the world sees and thinks of him.
Neal is compulsive. He's noted on several occasions that he doesn't commit crimes for the money or the power, but instead for the glory, and to prove that he can. It's something he is very proud of, and is vocal about this fact, meaning he qualifies as well to be as being cocky, too. Arrogance and conceit also drives him. He's a sharp-dressed man, or else, as vanity and materialism is not outside of Neal's purview, either. He is increasingly obsessed with having nice things, although it's less about having them and more about obtaining him. He doesn't appear particularly sentimental towards anything of his own, but does very greatly admire and appreciate having things deemed "nice" by the rest of the world.
Maybe most importantly, Neal is a perfectionist. He likely considers this a positive trait; however, because he refuses to accept any standard short of perfection, and he often drives what perfection means to himself, this tends to be the easiest way for Neal to self-sabotage: If he's his own toughest critic, then he can never stop reaching for the pinnacle of perfection.
Abilities/Powers/Weaknesses & Warping:
espionage - concealment, impersonation, interrogation, sabotage, sexpionage, surveillance, pick-pocketing, lock-picking, small firearms, biographic leverage/blackmail, ghosting, counterintelligence, stealth, disguise
forgery (art/documents/signature) - authentication, counterfeiting, replication, cryptography/steganography
general skills (mostly crime-related) - safe cracking, smuggling, crime scene analysis, general detective skills, fingerprint recovery, money laundering, psychology, securities fraud, polyglottal
Inventory:
1. A silver six-point sheriff star toy.
2. A high quality lockpick set.
3. A sketchbook, half-filled with drawings.
4. A high quality suit (including accessories/shoes).
5. A standard issue Duplicity communication device.
6. A painting of a Farris Wheel.
Writing Samples:
[sample 1]
[sample 2]
OUT OF CHARACTER
Player Name: Karen
Player Age: 18+
Player Contact: PM
Other Characters In Game: John Blake; Molly Solverson
In-Game Tag If Accepted: Neal Caffrey : Karen
Permissions for Character: Permissions
Are you comfortable with prominent elements of fourth-walling?: Yes
What themes of horror/psychological thrillers do you enjoy the most?: Mind altering/manipulation, body horror, psychological torture, on-the-run, cult-like themes, serial killer next door, Uncanny Valley
Is there anything in particular you absolutely need specific content warnings for?: Godzilla, graphic child abuse, animal abuse, child sexual assault
Additional Information: Neal has a tattoo from his previous game: a straight line running from under his chin and extending down his chest to his navel.