my body is a cage | info post

[mundifies]

about

NAME: Niven McPherson
NICKNAMES: Niv - used mostly by Kitty.
AGE: 32
ZODIAC: cancer sun, scorpio moon, tba rising

MARITAL STATUS: Single
SEXUALITY: Bisexual; no preference.

OCCUPATION: Mage.
NATIONALITY: Scottish.
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Renfrewshire, Scotland.
FAMILY: Father, alive; Mother, deceased; Six older brothers, alive; a multitude of nieces, nephews and a large extended family scattered around Scotland.
PETS: Bess, a chocolate and white Border Collie.
LANGUAGES: Scots Gaelic, some Latin.

PB: Matthew Goode

EXTRA: Visuals
EXTRA: Playlist
EXTRA: Magic/Abilities Notes

PERMISSIONS BACKTAGGING: ✔ I'm a slow tagger due RL but I'm always happy to backtag into the sunset w you.
THREADHOPPING: X
FOURTHWALLING: X
ROMANCE: ✔ I mean why would you want to. No smut.
MINDREADING: ✔ Pls let me know if I can help!
MANIPULATION: ✔ Discussion is always gr9.
INJURY: ✔ Discussion is always gr9.
FIGHTING: ✔ He'll fight you, your mum, your cow.
KILLING: X

ooc

NAME: Cheryl
AGE: 27
PLURK: @chaoticasphyxia
CONTACT: Plurk or PM!
TIME ZONE: London GMT

{ Niven McPherson

X dismissive-avoidant; ill-humoured; argumentative; inappropriate; conceited; sullen
✓ charming; kind-hearted; loyal; protective; sentimental; assertive; sensitive.

personality

LIKES: whisky, solitude, long walks, hiking, knot tying, reading, reality tv shows, sleeping late, herbal cigarettes.
DISLIKES: hot weather, academics, invasions of privacy, overly-sweet foods, early mornings, dishonesty, revealing of personal life.

At a first glance, Niven appears to be your typical Scotsman: he is dour, ill-tempered, tight-fisted and fond of a drink. While he is, to an extent, all of these things - it is largely a front to keep himself at arm's length from the world.

He's a complicated and contradictory man who barely knows himself any more and yet assures the world he is how he is. He's the shadow of his youth - bright, hopeful and ready to accept his fate to do great things; a man who has had his dreams crushed. Years down the line, he still hurts - he's still stuck with his grief and his guilt; too busy ruminating and not moving forward.

He is a man stuck in a job that is all he knows and does well - but has lost the love for. While there's no doubt he has talent, skill and competency - his work is forever a reminder of his own failures in his past and thus works with loathing and at times, apathy. He is reluctant to do the real work, haunted by his mother's death and in turn, he has become avoidant and dismissive of who he's supposed to really be.

He's angry at himself, angry at the world - fuelled by his insecurities and trauma. He finds it easy to fall into stagnant cycles because it's what he knows and while they aren't healthy, it's hard to break from those habits. Loneliness and self-isolation has only twisted him further, making him prickly and difficult to deal with. It's easier to lash out, easier to push people around because it's better than addressing his hurts.

And yet he is a deeply sentimental and sensitive man. Largely hidden beneath all the roughness, it peeks out when it really counts. He can be charming and humorous, even gentle at times. He is loyal to those he knows, despite his rough-handed way of dealing with things. He hates to see pain, whether it be physical or emotional - down to compassionate side and a natural inclination (thanks to his magic) to heal others. He is a good man, deep down - whether he'll admit it or not - he's just lost his way.

appearance

HEIGHT/BUILD: 6'2". Tall, leanly muscled but strong.
HAIR: Dark brown, in need of a cut.
EYES: Green-blue; sad and angry.
VOICE: Low baritone, gruff, earthy and harsh but rises in pitch in states of annoyance or disbelief; capable of softness and warmth when the mood strikes him. Speaks with a thick Scots accent.
SCENT: Fire-smoke, herbs and oils, metal and leather; the outdoors; herbal cigarettes.
FEATURES: His hands are scarred in places from various burn accidents in his work. From his wrists up, he has several tattoos for both protective and power-focus purposes: celtic symbols, alchemy symbols and sigils. He also has seven bands of black on one arm as a tribute to himself and his six brothers as well a 'watercolour-style' tattoo of a robin in tribute to his late mother. Besides his arms, he also has a protection sigil over his heart and a celtic shield in the center of his back.

While not a huge man in terms of muscle size, Niven is a tall and brooding presence. He towers over most and has a quiet strength to him that he'll use to both throw a punch or to gently manhandle people around him. While he walks with a careless stride, he holds himself as a man clearly on the defensive - with a pressing weight on his shoulders that seems almost too heavy to carry.

Niven isn't particularly vain and does little in terms of personal grooming. His hair is thick, with a hint of a wave to it and kept just a little too long. It curls out at his ears and at the nape of his neck. He doesn't style it or use product, letting it fall somewhat messily how it dries. He's always in a full possession of scruff, rarely shaving but at least doing enough to stop growing a full beard. He'd like to at least mostly stay away from that wizard stereotype. His face is almost always in an expression of sullen annoyance. He's a man of few genuine smiles, opting more for mean smirks when it calls for it.

Dress-wise, he's always in some sort of casual dress: jeans, jumpers long-sleeve t-shirts and shirts, often layering up with the cold. His clothes are often wrinkled and can be prone to showing singe marks and occasional spillages of magical mixtures while he works.

history

cw: parental death; suicide
The seventh son of a seventh son, in ancient lore considered to be a gifted healer and mage. In Niven's case: the lore is very much the reality.

Very much accepting of his fate, Niven worked under his father - learning as much as he could and showing impressive talent and skill in white magic. It changed, however - when tragedy struck his family. Niven worked tirelessly, exhausting himself to almost death to heal his mother; his magic proved useless against a terminal illness. Out of love for her son, wanting to spare him from injury, and maintain her own dignity - Niven's mother took her own life. While he and his father took a road trip to look into alternatives for healing spells, she overdosed on her pain medication. Niven was the first to find her when they came home. While assured in a letter he wasn't to blame, her death proved too much of a massive failure for Niven to overcome and he blamed himself entirely. His brothers, in part, also blamed him in their own grief. But for Nive: What was the point in having abilities when they wouldn't work when it mattered? Ultimately, it drove a wedge in the family and he isolated himself from the rest of them. He has since largely shirked his responsibilities and has since squandered his potential, offering cheap tricks and half-arsed attempts rather than putting the work in.

He lives in his native Scotland, not far from Glasgow - above his shop. Moving with the times, the family apothecary has become a kind of 'new age/holistic medicine' kind of deal - which has proved popular enough with that sort to keep the business afloat. He leaves the running of the shop largely to his young assistant/apprentice of sorts, Kitty, while he skulks in the back. He still does the real deal - actual magic -, albeit begrudgingly, for those who are after wards, protections and healings - be they human or non-human.

When not making lukewarm attempts at being a mage, he spends his time largely alone. He drinks, makes questionable decisions and spends far too much time picking fights, enjoying botched romantic flings with whoever takes his fancy. His softer side only seems to come out on long walks in the countryside with his beloved collie, Bess.

CODE BY TESSISAMESS