FULL NAME: Aspen James Calhoun
NICKNAME: AJ, only by those very close
AGE: 33
DATE OF BIRTH: July 31st, 1990
PLACE OF BIRTH: HavenRidge
GENDER IDENTIFICATION: Nonbinary, primarily identifies as They/Them, but not specifically opposed to he/him or she/her
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Pansexual
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single
NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown (and couch surfing siblings couches)
OCCUPATION: Tattoo Artist
WORKPLACE: Colorwave Tattoo
POSITIVE TRAITS: Confident, enthusiastic, adventurous
NEGATIVE TRAITS: Boisterous, impatient, impulsive
LENGTH OF TIME IN HAVENRIDGE: Since birth, traveled some after high school but always returns
FACE CLAIM: Nico Tortorella
headcanons
Aspen is a true adventurer at heart. They are always up for finding the next thrill in whatever form it may come; surfing, hiking, rock climbing, cliff diving...If you suggest it, Aspen will most likely be game for it.
They don't really like to be alone. They'd rather be in the company of anyone and everyone than sitting alone in their apartment at night. Thus, more often than not they can be found letting themselves in to their various siblings homes and crashing on their couches or entertaining their nieces and nephews - sometimes without express prior notice.
They are the biggest cheerleader and supporter of their siblings in everything and anything they choose to do and will be there in an instant if they need them, no questions asked.
Aspen has an adopted Australian shepherd dog named Ace and a white and gray cat named Blaze. Their family also care for a horse at the family ranch that Aspen had raised when they were younger, named Bandit, that they'll spend time with when visiting the ranch.
biography
trigger warnings; car accident mention, death mention
Aspen doesn't remember their biological parents. Not really, anyway. They only know what they've seen in pictures kept when they were a chubby cheeked newborn swaddled in a sweet looking couple's arms. In some cases, their adoptive parents make appearances in the photographs from their first two years alongside the bright eyed couple, grinning ear to ear. Excited for the new adventures that were to come for their closest friends.
That future never did come. In an instant the parents of the newly turned two year old were gone, lost to a drunk driver while out on a date night together. Aspen had been left at the home of family friends, the Calhouns, being entertained by the younger children and doting parents, knowing nothing about the fact that their parents wouldn't ever come home again.
For a while the Calhouns had simply continued to look after the child because there wasn't any other family for Aspen to go to. But when the time came, it seemed like a no-brainer for them to keep Aspen as one of their own. They already had become a part of the family in the first few years of their life and Josephine and Barrett couldn't stand to let them go.
They never knew a lack of love, despite the bump in the road. Aspen was accepted into the Calhoun family with open arms and never knew any different.
From a young age Aspen walked to the beat of their own drum. They didn't really fit into any specific category - they paved their own path. Even when they were still small they never really conformed to the typical male gender identifiers. When they started adopting they/them pronouns in their teenage years, at least to the family, no one was really that surprised.
Aspen was pretty average in school. They got by but never really excelled in any of the traditional subjects. It was the arts that really drew their attention. They had a special eye for drawing, sketching, and color using all forms of media. That talent eventually turned into an interest in tattooing. They started exploring tattoo parlors while traveling and getting an array of tattoos themselves in their late teens and early twenties, eventually signing on to apprentice at Colorwave Tattoo in HavenRidge.
In their off hours Aspen helps around the family businesses here and there.
"I think I never quite grasped the art of complimenting someone," Hudson confessed, shooting Aspen a playful smirk. "I guess I picked up most of my compliments from Dad's way with the horses," he quipped, reminiscing about their childhood. "Just ask D, she'll tell you all about how well I compliment her." With a chuckle, he added, "You've always had a soft spot for Alana," acknowledging Aspen's bond with their niece. "It's only been a week, though it feels like forever in an eight-year-old's world," he mused, aware of the perception of time through a child's eyes.
Aspen narrows their eyes at their brother, feeling like the intention behind his words aren't as nice as they sound on the surface. "Did you really just say 'ask D how well I compliment her' because I feel like...I don't want to know this information. No thanks. Stop it right there. I'm sure you're all sweet and generous to her but I don't think I want the details."
It is true that Aspen has an extra soft spot for Alana, though they weren't about to admit that right to Alana's face. She was their only niece, though - at least as of now - and Aspen was going to look for any and every reason to spoil her silly. Especially when they didn't have to deal with any fallout of sugar highs themselves... "You're right, a week is a long time. You think I should take her for ice cream to make it up to her?"
Dex watched his sibling's struggle, finding it entertaining but otherwise unsympathetic when Aspen laughed. "I didn't take it quite that far," he admitted. "Can you imagine the look on her face? It'd be all 'you sleep in there if you need to, Dex. It's not about your back or your hips, it's about the horses.'" He shook his head.
"But I just think at the end of the day, the horses want a break from me as much as I want a break from them. I'm the dude who gives them shots and fucks with their food. I don't get to do the fun stuff that often, so I think they're basically alarmed and annoyed by my presence most of the time anyway."
"You sound like a fuckin' old man when you say it like that. I mean, where's the guy who would sleep with the horses at a drop of the hat if one so much as sneezed? I'm with Gran on this one. It ain't about your hips or your back. Buck up." It was all in good fun, of course; Aspen probably wouldn't want to lie on a barn floor all night, either; but Aspen wasn't Dex and had never had all that much interest in spending excessive time in the smelly barn stalls.
"You're probably right, though. The horse would rather do this on her own than deal with your ugly mug all night long taking up space in their home."
"I know!" she agreed, only making her own reply even more dramatic than the first. Drama ran through Ellie's veins, ever had done since she was a child, she had a natural flair for the dramatics. It was a mystery why she didn't end up in theatre, actually no it wasn't, Ellie couldn't act, in fact she could barely lie, she was pretty truthful most of the time.
"It's predictable isn't it," she agreed. Her life had become rather monotonous, sure it was fun but it was predictable and predictable wasn't really Ellie's vibe. "Oh winding up Dex is fun," she agreed, in fact annoying all of her older siblings was a fun past time of Ellie's. Then he made another suggestion that sounded very much up Ellie's street, "oh yes, yes let's do that," she agreed.
"Aww damn, is Ellie feeling like a poor, sad college student with nothing better to do than skip classes and drink the days away? Pity. Must be hard to be be you." Aspen's voice turned dramatic, hands waving through the air as they spoke forming familiar signs along with the spoken words. "Tough, being the adored little baby, I imagine. I'm sure you know you could do whatever you want with almost no consequence, right?"
It wasn't completely true, probably, but Ellie had gotten away with plenty as a child growing up with older siblings that would bend over backwards to appease her. "I think we can save Dex the trauma, this time. The cove it is. You, I assume, will provide the weed?" It was kind of a joke, though Aspen's stash was dwindling, as they rose back to their feet and stretched. "What else do we need to bring?"
who: closed | @aspencalhoun
where: idk a restaurant or something
when: basically anytime. not really time-dependent.
"So then I just had to tell Gran I didn't really want to sleep on a barn floor because I'm not so sure it's in my best interest. I mean... I think there's a time and place for all of it and I'm past that now. They can just call me when it's time for the foal to deliver, you know?"
Aspen's eyes narrowed the slightest bit, as if trying to make sense of what their brother was saying. "You told Gran you didn't think sleeping on a barn floor was 'in your best interest'?" After a moment of trying to keep a straight face Aspen couldn't hold it any longer and a snort escaped. "I mean, yeah, no, I hear ya. Tell Gran she can sleep on the barn floor if she likes."
"It's gonna take a few more shifts to save up what I've already handed over to you," he joked, fingers flexing as he glanced at the last time they'd sat down together to work more on his arm. It only continued to grow, much to his parents' chagrin that it was on his hand and moving towards his knuckles. "Though if you would take an IOU then I'd be in there tomorrow." Colt grinned then as he took the stool next to the other. He was good for it, but it would take time to get it back together. There was always something that needed to be repaired or fixed, or fix a mistake that he'd made previously.
Aspen gave Colt an incredulous expression. "What, you think I can finish this masterpiece pro bono or something? I hardly believe you'd ever pay back an IOU." It was a joke, followed up by an elbow to the ribs as Colt took the seat beside them. "Okay, okay, okay. Listen. You buy drinks tonight, I'll get you in that chair tomorrow, all other details can be worked out later. It may or may not include interest, but that is not important right now. What do you say?" Aspen wrapped a hand around Colt's shoulders, shaking him encouragingly.
Diego was just doing his normal rounds, visiting anyone who had livestock around. He had gone around the city nearby and now making his rounds around town. He liked to keep an eye on things and keep his ears open too for what was going on. A lot of the time the area was pretty relaxed thankfully. he had worked around the state and had times when places were very bad so he was glad the area he lived in wasn't that bad. He walked up to see Aspan and smiled at him a moment "Who said I was looking for Husdon" he teased as he walked up near the other male with a smile. "I was really just here to make rounds, check on things" not that he ever had problems with Etta's Ranch it was a good place.
It was more if anyone on the ranch had heard or seen anything going on. He had been tipped off before to something coming up or going on a few times. "How's everyone around here?" he asked as he looked around for a second and smiled a moment. "It's always so nice here" it was good large ranch, and well taken care of. Something that Diego was happy to visit and be able to see all the animals were well cared for.
Aspen's shoulders lifted in a shrug, taking a bite of the sandwich in their hand and chewing thoughtfully before giving an answer. "I guess no one said, just nine out of ten times people wandering a bit aimlessly about tend to be looking for Hudson." Aspen didn't envy their brother's job in the slightest; while there was something to be said for taking over the family business, the ranch life had never really been Aspen's cup of tea. Nor, really, was managing much of anything. Getting their clients in line at the shop was about as much as they were willing to do when it came to management.
"What are you 'checking on' today?" Aspen inquired, their head tipping to the side in curiosity. They pushed the swing with the of their boot once more, tucking their opposite leg beneath them as the swing squeaked. "I doubt I'll be all that helpful, but I think the place is running in tip top shape, per usual."
"I would take it as a compliment," Hudson teased, his grin widening. "I'm finally not embarrassed to be on the water with you anymore." He couldn't help but laugh at Aspen's playful retort, their scowl doing little to mask the sparkle of amusement in their eyes. Despite Aspen's adventurous spirit, surfing wasn't exactly their forte, but Hudson admired their enthusiasm nonetheless. "Hey, missing you would be an exaggeration," he quipped, his tone light and teasing. "But your niece misses her favorite Pibling and has been asking about you." As he spoke, Hudson's expression softened, genuinely curious what was new in their life.
"Sure, a compliment. You should work on the whole compliments thing, I'm not sure you understand the meaning." Aspen knew Hudson's words were actually meant kindly, even if saying one no longer 'sucked' at something didn't really come across that way. Still, Aspen was happy to join Hudson on the water, sucky or not. "Ah - well, for Alana I can make an exception. I guess I've just been tied up at the shop and whatever. Has it really been that long?"
Aspen was probably the sibling that Ellie was the most similar to, in some ways they were still pretty different but compared to their other more put together siblings the two tended to bring the chaos. Ellie tended to overstay her welcome where her siblings were concerned but they'd all been a bit older when she'd landed on the scene, so they were rather used to looking after her.
She huffed when he said that the only news was a walk with Ace. "Well that is boring as fuck," she whined, "I was relying on you to have some gossip to share." Ellie rolled over to face him a little, "my life is horrifyingly boring right now," she moaned, "just the usual bars and classes."
"'Well that is boring as fuck...'" Aspen mocked her tone with a dramatic flair, hands waving through the air. Aspen did try their best to keep things interesting, but sometimes HavenRidge could be a little...boring. But maybe that was simply because they'd both lived here majority of their lives and the charm was lost to the time.
"You're right though, bars and classes are pretty boring." Their lips press together thoughtfully, glancing around the apartment as if it might inspire a better idea of how the two of them might spend their time this evening. "Well. We could go harass Dex. That's always a good way to pass the time. Or...it's been a while since I've gone to the cove to see our resident mermaid. Maybe she'd like it if we brought... Mary Jane with us?" An eyebrow raises curiously. "It'll at least make things more interesting."
The ranching life had never really been Aspen's thing. Sure, they helped out where they could - filling in at the stables, backing up Hudson when needed. But it didn't speak to them quite the same way it seemed to speak to Hud and Dex. Their talents were elsewhere. But, they still lurked around the ranch and stables from time to time, checking in on the parents and popping in to crash at Hudson and Delilah's more often than not.
Today Aspen was settled on the porch swing, a sandwich freshly made by Mom in hand while swinging slowly back and forth with the toe of their boot. At movement by the front steps their gaze lifted from their food, spotting Diego approaching.
"If you're lookin' for Hudson he's off the clock right now, but I'd be happy to take a message."
Maybe they shouldn't constantly visit the diner for coffee and breakfast, but it was just so convenient. Not far from home, a quick pit stop on the way to Colorwave, and the food was so damn good. So here they were, again, settling into their semi-regular stool seat at the diner bar and placing an order to go. Their fingers tapped against the countertop as they waited, sitting back and glancing around at the other faces surrounding them.
"Atwater," they called as Colton walked through the door, waving a hand to summon them over and patting the stool beside them. "Am I ever going to see you at the shop again? I think you could use some fresh ink. It seems like it's been a while."
Ellie looked very much at home, in fact if you didn't know her you'd probably assume that she was home, but she wasn't. At this point though Ellie basically considered any of her sibling's homes as her own, that was her baby sibling privilege, or at least she thought so. She laid on the couch, her legs curled up under her. "So, what's new in the life and times of Aspen Calhoun?" she asked. Her own life was rather dull so she hoped that her sibling would be able to provide something to spice up the evening.
Even if Aspen and Ellie weren't related by blood, technically, they were two kindred spirits. Certainly their siblings were blessed to have them both, constantly crashing on one another's couches and inviting themselves in. Granted, Ellie had the baby sibling privilege in that regard. Aspen...well, they did what they wanted and no one told them otherwise thus far.
Aspen, for one, appreciated the company of their little sister in any and every form, so they were more than happy to return the favor and entertain for the evening. Though of course, that didn't mean there was much to actually entertain in their little town of HavenRidge. "Weeeelllll," Aspen stretched the word out dramatically as they came over to the living room and flopped into the armchair across from Ellie. "I was maybe considering taking Ace on a hike later, but otherwise...same ol' shit, different day? What about you, Eleanor Calhoun?"
who: @aspencalhoun
where: the beach on sable sands
Placing his surfboard in the sand alongside his towel, Hudson settled down, relishing a well-deserved break. The morning spent surfing with his older sibling had been a gratifying bonding experience. Particularly as he was able to help Aspen improvement each time they hit the waves together. The escapade offered a refreshing opportunity to simply enjoy the moment, free from the concerns of the ranch or any other responsibilities they both shouldered. Teasingly, he remarked, "You're officially past the 'sucking' stage now." Retrieving two water bottles from his bag, Hudson handed one to Aspen. "What's been keeping you busy lately? It's been a while since you stayed over."
Aspen was an adventurer at heart and surfing was definitely an activity that provided that adrenaline rush thrill they so craved. But just because they enjoyed the thrill of surfing didn't mean they were any good at it. They'd spent plenty of time on the water with their family and friends over the years living in HavenRidge, and yet they were pretty sure their skill level had only marginally improved with the time.
Combing a hand through their hair, Aspen shook away the water droplets that still clung to the strands. "Okay, you know what? I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not..." Aspen scowled playfully to Hudson's jesting, snatching the bottle of water as it was extended in their direction. "Careful, Huddy. Someone might accuse you of missing me."
