date of birth. December 28th, 1978
occupation. Professor of History at Tulane University (Specialty: death & death rituals)
hometown. Newark, New Jersey
current. New Orleans, Louisiana
sexuality. Bisexual
romantic. Greyromantic
height. 5'10"
build. Average, surpisingly fit. Hairy as Gaston.
hair. Formerly black, now mostly grey and peppered.

His world is much like ours. Sunrise, sunset, iPhones, crazy world events, social media, living life. The only difference? Those with psychic powers are real. They're here. He's one of them.

Roger's huge blue eyes are the first things you'll notice, without a doubt. They've been compared to a ton of things and not too many of them favorable. He, sadly, also has resting bitch face and can look a little intimidating if you don't know him. That will quickly melt away as soon as you approach, he's always ready to flash a friendly smile. That RBF can lead to some wonderfully executed dry humor. His clothes tend to be stylish but understated. Rarely in a t-shirt and more in favor of casual button ups and usually in hues of blue. Shorts are also a favorite because it's stupid hot in New Orleans. He usually has a pair of sunglasses within reach if not immediately on his head.

psychic medium. Roger can talk to the dead. However, he is not a tortured soul constantly seeing spirtis ala the kid from The Sixth Sense. His perk up on average about every six or so weeks. The spirits usually contact him immediately after they have died as someone to help them accomplish something to move on to whatever awaits after we die. He can usually sense when one is approaching. It drains him of energy, similar to the symptoms of depression without the sadness part. Sometimes spirits will surprise him and be from centuries ago. He's not sure why this is. The older ones do, however, tend to be stuck to a particular location.

surprisingly sweet & paternal. Maybe it's the stoic look that makes him look more threatening, but some can be taken aback by how very gentlemanly and sweet Roger can be. He was made to be an educator (and a father, although at this current moment he would never believe it). He is a tender heart through and through, always ready to help wherever he can. Roger has been known to take over a little too much of his TA's work to give them breaks, even when he doesn't have the spare time for it. He's the guy you can go to when you need a roof over your head and a warm meal.

protective. Once you're his? You're his. Ohana means family and all that. He will fret. He will worry. He will be the guy to lecture you about diet and exercise or staying out a little bit too late too much. He has been known to tell people not to slouch. More than that, he wants you to be safe.

a little party never killed nobody. Once he set foot in New Orleans, he knew he was in the right town. Like he was supposed to be born there and somehow the stars had just aligned exactly the wrong way. Roger loves a good time. Live music, good food, good drinks. He's almost always up for an adventure. He loves a good joke, loves to dance. Date ideas? Oh, he's the one to go to. He knows when all the festivals are. He knows the best viewing spots for Mardi Gras. More low-key? He can and will attempt to take you down on Wii Tennis. Or DDR.

"the spock". Sometimes that RBF can go a little too far. He can be too serious, too focused on planning and what he needs to get done. Sarcasm and jokes can sometimes sail clear over his head if the covnersation is going too fast or it was too quickly thrown out in the middle of another topic. Logic and reason reign a little too much - he's been known to accidentally dampen some spirits.

pushes too far. The above lends itself to an intense intolerance of bullshit. Yes, he can be incredibly patient to those who both deserve it and don't, but. Roger doesn't have time for games. Doesn't have time for wishy-washy. When two people are obviously crushing on each other? He can push that to the point of detriment. He also can take a joke too far and not realize until it's too late.

massive slut. Sadly, life experiences caused him to develop some not too healthy coping mechanisms. He craves affection and attention when he's at his lowest points. He convinces himself he needs something, anything. Too many one night stands, too focused on sex in his spare time. Too quick to turn to that instead of literally any other coping mechanism or mindfulness technique.

depression. Recently diagnosed and freshly medicated, he's handling it. Took him a few too many years to realize it wasn't always the spirits eating at his mental energy causing the problems he was facing. But, he's got a good mind to fix it. To live with it. Most days he's perfectly alright. Some he just wants to lay in bed and watch movies.

birth. december 28th, 1978. Roger no middle name Hayes was born to Beth and David Hayes, a realtor and a high school teacher of math respectively. They never had any children after. Roger's family had never been particularly close. He'd seen his small amount of aunts and uncles and cousins on family get togethers, but it always felt as more of a formality, even to his parents. Only his father's grandparents lived into Roger's early teen years. His parents had always been somewhat close to him. No more or less than your typical kid and parents combo.

elementary and middle school. 1984-1991. His first ever spiritual encounter was when he was 8 years old, a fellow small child. His clothes were different. Old? He wasn't sure. The kid was also in his house. For no reason. And really confused as to where he was and why another little boy was in his room! Roger was at that ripe age of believing in magic to some extent but also being able to call bullshit. It took a lot of questions and prying. Eventually, though, he figured it out. He said goodbye to the kid. The rest is history. Spirits would come and go. Most were nice, if confused. They came to him in all ages, shapes, sizes, time periods, locations.

He had exactly one run-in with a spirit you'd see in a horror movie. Roger never outright saw him, but he could hear him. He was big. He was angry. He wanted to do some pretty fucked up shit to Roger. He'd linger, he'd tease, he'd taunt. He'd tell him shit that a little kid should definitely not hear. It came to a head when the door to his closet broke from the clanging and clattering. It wasn't until Roger raged back and punched a hole in the wall Kyle style that the spirit finally backed off. His parents never really did intervene much on what should have been a sign (for an outsider) of anger issues. Roger still feels a little betrayed by that. He was suffering. Couldn't they see that?

The years pass just like this. Roger helping spirits pass on, growing up in between. Best friends would always think he was bluffing - they could never see them. It got kind of lonely. Kind of annoying no one believed him. He turned it into a joke, though, and moved on. Can't beat 'em? Join 'em. Awkward attempts at romance and socialization were had. Including his first kiss, with a girl in his grade who liked him too. Quite the feat considering he was the near-perfect stereotype of a nerd back in the day. His charming wit helped. He missed for their first kiss and got her ear. How? He still isn't sure.

high school. 1992-1996. Probably Roger's favorite spirit story is the one where he accidentally came out to his parents. They were over at a friend of his dad's house for some. Event. Not sure, nothing sad. There was a spirit there who wanted to know what happened to her family. Who were the strangers in her house. It was going to take longer than one day to figure it out, he needed to know her name. He couldn't get her alone enough to ask questions without seeming crazy and this was before cellphones. He started finding excuses to go over, help the wife out and so on.

When pressed for exactly why he was going, he panicked. He--... had a crush on the husband! Yeah! Just a stupid boyhood crush right, haha. It was only after he said it that he realized this was probably one of the less favorable things he could have said. Accidentally coming out to your parents is fucking weird. Oops. They encouraged him to move on, he managed to help the spirit anyway. They told him they loved him, but there was an awkward air between them from that point on. It was the single worst two dinners of his life. So far.

undergrad. 1996-2000. Roger had no fucking idea what he wanted to do in college. This was that magic time where you were expected to attend but it wouldn't totally ruin you for life. So, he could kind of dick around and figure it out in his classes. Second year, American history part two. He needed a topic to write about. His professor assigned propoganda, where an absolute shitload was written about advertisements and movies. It finally clicked. History wasn't just repeating facts and following a formula. It lived and breathed and effected everything. Plus, he'd been doing this already! The amount of times he had to be elbow deep in the library to help a poor spirit pass on was just astouding. From then on, he knew what he wanted. The rest was... history.

This is where he met Charlotte. Charlotte was a botanist who had a serious thing for carnivorous plants and how cool they were. They met a few times at parties - same circle of friends. Always in the same group. Never more than that.

grad school. 2000-2004. They ended up in the same grad school. And, y'know, he always thought that she was kind of cute. He asked her out. She said yes. They dated and got serious. They got more serious. They moved in together. They both graduated. They celebrated.

doctorate. 2004-2007. She was ready to start her career, he wasn't quite finished. She was willing to wait until he had finished his doctorate. To seal the deal? He proposed near the end of his education. He would be granted his doctorate, they would get married, she could find an amazing job as a botanist and he would teach in any capacity (as he learned he fucking loved that shit). They were happy. They were ready. He had finished and they were six months from their wedding date.

She died. Car crash. It was all over. That future they had meticulously planned? Gone. In an instant. He didn't know until two hours after it happened. Her mom was her emergency contact, after all.

Roger... didn't believe it. That's not how things were supposed to work. And besides, he'd talked to so many spirits who wanted that one last goodbye. That would be when he could move on. He attended the funeral and everyone complimented him on how well he was taking it. He was just biding time. And more time. And more time. And more. And more. She never came to him. Never came to say goodybe. That? That he couldn't fucking take.

first job. 2007-2010. He got his first job as an archivist in Boston, not far from his parents and other support group of friends. Even some of his friends in their undergrad days stayed in the Northeast like he had. He was numb, though. Relationships fell apart.

To make matters worse, his parents were now sick, getting old. They were pretty old when they had him anyway. He moved to stay near them. His mom passed quietly in the hospital. His dad a few days later. He didn't need to see their spirits, he already said goodbye. Now he was here in this place so full of mourning and painful memories. He needed to get out of here. He, of all people since he did focus his studies on the culture of mourning, knew that you had to keep going or you would die yourself. He started hunting down a teaching job, what he actually wanted to do anyway, across the country. Tulane University was the first to accept him.

new orleans. 2010. He moves. He starts teaching, he starts to feel a little better. This is where he meets James, who is in his senior year. Roger never got to teach him, but he was a cool dude. They stayed in contact. Became good friends. Roger even fell in love and would stay that way for years. James was oblivious and sadly never returned those feelings.

the ridge. 2011. Roger moved to The Ridge a year later in hopes of finding someplace more affordable to live. He fit right in. He didn't have to hide. There were so many people like him. He instantly clicked here, in the South, where you can talk to strangers at random. He met Liam and Roger across the street. Other neighbors too, but they would be the most important. Liam became family to him. The family that he never really had, not that he disliked his parents or anything but. They didn't understand his power. They never knew about it. He wanted to keep it that way. Abilities, though? Part of Liam's history. He felt at home. Felt loved.

liam behrman. is Roger's platonic soulmate. They have been best friends since basically the moment they met, the moment Roger introduced himself to the neighbors across the street. Roger is so close to Liam that he regularly attends Liam's family's get togethers, holiday celebrations, funerals, weddings, you name it. He can't imagine a life without him.

melbourne allison hayes. is Roger's dog. She's a five year old ginger pit bull. She is very well behaved. Doesn't jump or bark, but does have a tendency to give low "growls" with a pre-emptive bark. Has a tendency to eat bugs.

nigel thornton. An adorable and sassy little minx who is British as hell. Co-worker. Intelligent. Adorable. Sweet. Paternal. Beautiful. He's literally perfect. What the fuck.

james martin. Met at James's final year at Tulane University and became friends from there. Grew closer and closer and the rest is history. Roger is head over heels and doesn't know what to do about it.

cera sheffield. Ex-student turned girlfriend turned ex. He and Cera were student and teacher, but she dropped out to follow her dream of dancing. They became acquaintences to more and tried the dating thing. Didn't really work, sadly, but they seem to be on good terms. Better terms. Mending that break.

sam brennan. Liam's bandmate! Knows him that way. Not much closer than that, really, but there woudln't be a whole lot of awkward silence, either.

nigel (and andelique) thornton. New neighbors and co-worker. Roger met Nigel through work where they are both history professors. They hit it off instantly and flirt constantly. Angelique is a little doll and Roger adores her too.

max hansen. James's friend. Friend with benefits. Little shit.

drew jaquard. Also James's friend. Straight boy that Roger likes to tease. Part of the group and not much more but, again, no awkward silences if they had to be alone together.

chloe stark. Drew's ... girlfriend? He thinks? Not sure. She's part of the group too and pretty cool.

adam shapiro. New TA. Proably one of us. Already a cool guy. Will report back later.

hudson rhodes. Liam's roommate and Roger's current neighbor. Former friend. Some bullshit went down and Hudson told a secret that he really should have kept to himself. Roger had always kind of felt lowkey annoyed with Hudson anyway. Never had any proof there was something amiss about him since he'd never actually witnessed anything bad but oh. Oh. Now he is convinced he has seen true colors. Not speaking. Fuck you, Hudson.