Charles Barker

This application is a Ghost Canon. (Permission received from Ghost.)

D.O.B: 01/23/1981
AGE: 31
GENDER: M
STREET ADDRESS: 901 Amherst St.
TOWN/CITY: Winchester
STATE: VA
HEIGHT: 6'2"
WEIGHT: 160lbs.
ETHNICITY: Caucasian
DISTINGUISHING MARKS: None of note.

Please list position(s) for which you are applying:

Stablemaster.

Please explain why you are applying for the position(s):

I consider the care and raising of horses my passion, and I also have a vested interest in assisting those with mental illnesses, in whatever way I can.

Why do you feel you would be the best candidate for the position(s)?:

I have had extensive experience working with horses, both officially and unofficially, from when I was a young boy. Additionally, I have also worked at historic estates before, and am well-versed in the maintenance of non-modernized stables and equipment.

Do you posses the necessary qualifications for the position(s) for which you are applying? If yes, please list them below:

I completed an apprenticeship program at Virginia Tech in 2000, and afterwards worked under the head groom at my family's estate in Winchester until I was twenty-six, providing me extensive practical experience in my field.

What other qualifications or skills do you possess which you feel will aid your performance in the chosen position(s)?:

I have been riding since I was eight years old, and learning about the care of horses even before that. I can provide basic veterinary care when required, and I possess enough hands-on experience in carpentry to deal with most mechanical issues within a stable as well.

Additionally, I have personal experience in coping with the mentally ill, having helped care for my younger sister after she was diagnosed with disorganized schizophrenia, and can be sensitive and capable when issues with patients arise.

Have you worked in this type of position or facility before? If so, where and when?:

I have not worked at a psychiatric hospital before, no, but barring my time in the military, stablework is all I have ever done. See below for a listing of my previous positions.

Please describe your most recent employment experiences, including your positions and responsibilities there:

As stated above, I worked as a groom at a private stable from ages eighteen to twenty-six. After returning from overseas, I took a similar position in a boarding facility outside of Richmond, where I remained for two years until present. During both of these periods of employment, I was tasked with the feeding, grooming, training, and all-around up-keep of the horses under my care, as well as the maintenance of their living space.

How do you think your previous education and employment experiences will aid your performance within the chosen position(s)?:

I have confidence that my previous experience will offer me few problems in performing to your satisfaction; I am well-versed in this type of work, and my resume should speak for itself.



Please describe yourself to the best of your ability, in only five words. ('And' will not count towards these.):

Dedicated, soft-spoken, old-fashioned, sympathetic, caring.

What methods would you employ in order to relax during times of stress, and how effective do you think these have been in the past?:

When under strain I prefer to spend time alone, preferably outside. I find riding to be very relaxing, and it has proved a very effective means of decompressing in the past. I also enjoy drawing from time to time, particularly when the weather is poor.

Please list three traits about yourself that you consider negative, and three traits about yourself that you consider positive:

I am very good at catching on to the feelings of others, and I'm told I have a calming presence, though I tend to become overwhelmed in crowds or very loud environments. I'm well-spoken, but somewhat introverted, and I tend to have an old-fashioned view on most things, though I'm making an effort to change that.

Describe one event in your life that you would change if you could, and why:

I would have pushed to have my sister cared for at home, rather than institutionalized; it isn't that I don't believe inpatient care was effective, but I would have felt better if I had been able to be there for her more often.

If a superior gave you a task to complete, to which you were wholly, morally opposed, what would you do?:

Refuse, and report said superior to someone up the chain of command, if possible. I can perform unpleasant tasks without hesitation if they are necessary, humane, and reasonable, but there is a line I simply will not cross.

If you caught a friend and co-worker stealing from your place of employment, breaking rules, and/or endangering the safety of others, what would you do?:

Depending on the severity of the offense, and if this was the first time I had caught them, I would warn them against their behavior and give them a chance to desist, but afterwards would not hesitate to report them where required.

If your application for employment to Hallowsgate Hospital is approved, will you agree to sign a full non-disclosure agreement, knowing that you would be unable to talk about any treatments or the patients with anyone not also employed by Hallowsgate Hospital?:

Yes.


Where did you grow up, and what was it like there?:

I was raised in Winchester, Virginia. My father was a banker and came from old money, so I had a somewhat privileged early life, though I was under a lot of pressure to uphold the family name, which I eventually did not. I spent much of my free time in the stables, or with my sister, Mary, once she was born. She was seven years my junior, and began to show signs of mental illness when she was eight years old, though this did not stop us from being close. I objected to my father sending her away when she was eleven, as well as the unfair demands he placed on me, and after returning from the war I largely cut ties with him. It was time for me to start living my own life, rather than the one he wanted for me.

What are/were your social interactions like? Do/did you have many friends and/or relationships?:

I have rarely had problems maintaining a small number of friends, though I hardly consider myself a socialite. I have never been in a long-term relationship.

What prompted you to pursue the career path you are now following?:

Horses have been my life since I was a boy, and I cannot imagine doing anything else for a living.

Were you ever a member of the armed forces or of a law enforcement or security agency? If yes, please list rank and branch, or company name and location:

I was a Corporal in the United States Army, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, from 2007 to 2009. I served overseas in Afghanistan for the majority of that time, and left when my term was over to return to Virginia.

Do/Did you ever abuse controlled substances, including but not limited to alcohol, prescription medications, street drugs and tobacco?:

No. I do drink on certain occasions, but otherwise do not make a habit of using mind-altering substances.

Have you ever been convicted of a crime? If yes, please list conviction(s) and served sentence(s) below:

I have not.


What are they not telling us? What secrets do they have to hide? What back story are we not hearing? This is where you can tell us all the things your character wouldn't put on an application, or others don't know.:

First and foremost, Charles is dead. He was born in 1891, started working as Hallowsgate's stablemaster in 1919, and died there in 1922, when he drowned while trying to rescue a horse that had become trapped in a mire on the grounds during a severe rainstorm.

He came to Hallowsgate after returning from World War I, as his little sister had been institutionalized there years before and he wanted to be able to care for her to some degree. Unfortunately, she died sometime after his own passing, drowning in a hydrotherapy tub, which has led to her currently haunting Hallowsgate's pool. Given the nature of his death, Charles suffers from fairly severe aquaphobia and occasional feelings of suffocation, meaning that he can't come anywhere near her, despite the fact that they've been haunting the same facility for nearly a century, and it still kills him to think about it.

Charles primarily haunts the stables and grounds, and avoids the ether whenever he can, as being exposed to the emptiness and the emotions of the other ghosts overwhelms him, and can cause episodes of panic. He has an innate drive to provide comfort to anyone in pain - partly because of his strong sense of empathy, partly as penance for failing Mary - and his presence is strangely calming, both to people and animals. Where some ghosts exacerbate negative emotions, he tends to encourage positive ones, and even before the ghosts started to reclaim Hallowsgate, he made a habit of lingering around those in distress, trying to calm them despite the fact that they couldn't see him.

Your Nickname: Lore
Your Chatango Screen Name: GalacticLore
Your Character's Playby: Tom Hiddleston