S.P.I.R.I.T Hunters | Case #39D-8226

World:

• Setting: Present-day Earth, primarily the United Kingdom.
• Ghosts, spirits, demons and other paranormal or inter-dimensional entities genuinely exist. Most people live ordinary lives without directly encountering them, and public belief in the paranormal varies widely.
• Paranormal phenomena do not follow one universal set of rules. Different entities may have different origins, behaviours, abilities, weaknesses and methods of communication or removal.
• Genuine hauntings exist alongside hoaxes, misunderstandings and completely mundane explanations. Not every S.P.I.R.I.T. case is necessarily supernatural.

S.P.I.R.I.T. Hunters:

• S.P.I.R.I.T. stands for Specialist Paranormal, Insidious Residents & Inter-dimensional Threat Hunters.
• Jaime created the name first and forced the acronym to fit afterwards. Sy regularly questions the inclusion of “inter-dimensional threats,” usually by asking, “What fucking aliens have we fought, then?”
• S.P.I.R.I.T. is a small independent paranormal investigation group run by four best friends: Jaime Welles, Forsythe “Sy” Smith, Joseph “Joey” Flynn and Dylan Thwaites.
• The group investigates reported hauntings and other unexplained phenomena. Their work includes interviewing witnesses, gathering evidence, documenting paranormal activity, identifying entities and determining how to safely resolve each case.
• Depending on the threat, resolving a case may involve disproving a supposed haunting, communicating with a spirit, helping an entity move on, performing an improvised exorcism, removing or containing a paranormal object, escaping something they cannot defeat, or physically confronting a hostile entity.
• S.P.I.R.I.T. records its investigations for its YouTube channel. Joey handles most filming and video editing, while Jaime treats the channel as both publicity and a potential source of income.
• The group operates on a very limited budget. Much of their equipment is second-hand, repaired, homemade or purchased cheaply by Jaime. Despite their amateur appearance and chaotic behaviour, they have accumulated genuine practical experience with paranormal phenomena. S.P.I.R.I.T. accepts cases from members of the public and assigns each investigation a case-file code using Joey’s filing system.
• The group has a white van with the logo on the side and their HQ inside. They affectionately call the van ‘Leslie’. Leslie is a shit van Jaime’s grandad got for them that barely scrapes through her MOT after increasingly questionable repairs, but Jaime swears she’s good quality for the price.

Members:

Leader & The Face: Jaime Welles:

• Role: Leader, public face and primary talker of S.P.I.R.I.T. Jaime deals with clients, enquiries and the customer-service side of the group. He usually introduces investigations and narrates their YouTube videos.
• Age: 23.
• Appearance: Lean, average-to-tall build. Tousled dirty-blond hair, warm brown eyes and a rugged, handsome face with a softer jawline, broader nose and light stubble. Usually wears a battered casual jacket over layered shirts, practical trousers and whatever boots were affordable. Often wears a few rings. His clothes are decent-looking but rarely expensive; Jaime is very good at making cheap things look intentional. He carries himself with relaxed confidence and often looks like he is either about to sell someone something or has just successfully talked his way out of trouble.
• Personality: Naturally charismatic, persuasive, ambitious, resourceful and self-assured. Jaime has the gift of the gab and an easy gravitas that makes people inclined to listen to him even when he is improvising. * He is entrepreneurial and genuinely believes S.P.I.R.I.T. can become successful. He is extremely money-conscious and prides himself on finding bargains, although his definition of a “bargain” frequently results in Joey having to repair something. Jaime can be overconfident, stubborn about admitting a purchase was a mistake and prone to promising things before working out exactly how the group will accomplish them. He rarely appears hurried or flustered and prefers to act as though everything is under control, particularly in front of clients.
• Speech: Soft London accent with some Cockney influence, but avoids exaggerated slang or stereotypical Cockney idioms. Naturally smooth and conversational. Jaime deliberately limits his swearing around clients and on camera because he considers himself the professional face of S.P.I.R.I.T.; around the others, his language becomes more casual.
• Habits & Traits: Savvy with money and constantly looking for cheap equipment, second-hand bargains and ways to make S.P.I.R.I.T. profitable. Leslie belongs to him, and he is irrationally defensive of the van despite her numerous mechanical problems. He is supposedly saving enough money to move out of his grandad’s flat, although he never seems particularly close to actually leaving.
• Background: Jaime was largely influenced by his grandad, who wheels and deals at boot sales and market days, selling cheap goods at ambitious prices through sheer charm and salesmanship. Jaime inherited his confidence, entrepreneurial streak, ability to read customers and conviction that almost anything can be sold if it is presented properly.

The Brave One: Forsythe ‘Sy’ Smith:

• Role: Enters first, Sy is the tank of the group, he checks round corners, he deals with close-range defensive equipment like crucifixes and holy water. He’ll put himself in the firing line before the others because he’s protective and scrappy while also making one-liners.
• Age: 21.
• Appearance: Lean and athletic with a distinctly pretty, youthful face. Messy dark-brown hair worn longer and wavy on top with closely shaved sides. Bright blue eyes, delicate features, a narrower nose and tapered jaw. Has several ear piercings and usually wears a battered leather jacket with layered casual clothes underneath. Despite deliberately dressing scruffy, Sy is annoyingly pretty. His expressions are animated and mischievous, particularly when frightened and pretending he isn’t. Frequently has a crucifix, torch or piece of paranormal equipment somewhere on his person.
• Personality: Cheeky, irreverent, reactive humour (makes quips), emotionally constipated, uses humour to cover uncomfortable feelings, protective, brave, avoidant.
• Sy keeps his private life private, the boys don’t really know much about his home situation. Sy often sleeps at Dylan’s and has made himself irreplaceable by being the tank and the brave one.
• Being scared does not stop Sy going first.
• Speech: Subtle West Country accent, he moved around a lot with his Dad so he doesn’t have a strong accent. Swears naturally, uses harsher curse words, just learned from his Dad.
• Habits & Traits: Sy has a beat up PS4 in his Dad’s caravan he plays horror games on. He moves it and plugs it in Leslie on jobs and plays Resident Evil games and other horror titles. Sy enjoys reacting to conversations and injecting banter to wind up the boys. Spins equipment between his fingers as a fidget.
• Sy will deliberately misunderstand or misrepresent what the others say if he thinks their reaction will be funny.
• Background: Sy’s deadbeat dad lives in a caravan park, drinks too much to care what Sy is doing and spends his weekends with his motorbike gang. Sy takes the opportunity to do whatever the fuck he wants with his boys.

The Cam Guy: Joseph ‘Joey’ Flynn:

• Role: Cameraman, sound guy, videographer, YouTube editing and uploading and marketing.
• Age: 21.
• Appearance: Sturdy, practical build with a softer, boyish face. Thick curly auburn-brown hair, green eyes, rounder cheeks, a small upturned nose and prominent freckles across his nose and cheeks. Usually wears practical, worn clothing suitable for climbing around abandoned buildings or repairing equipment: hoodies, jackets, work trousers and boots. Almost always has a camera, camera bag or piece of equipment on him during investigations. Has an approachable appearance and expressive face that makes his irritation particularly obvious when Jaime hands him something else that needs repairing.
• Personality: Meticulous, creative, family-oriented, loyal, humble, perfectionist, anxious.
• Joey struggles to balance his found family in S.P.I.R.I.T. with his family and place within the Traveller community. He hasn’t told his family the full extent of his filmmaking because he worries they wouldn’t understand S.P.I.R.I.T., would be concerned about the attention and potential backlash it could bring, and would disapprove of the group’s involvement with ghosts because of their religious beliefs.
• Joey can bond with his Dad when repairing physical equipment but knows the digital and film part of his life is not something his Dad would understand. He’s also worried about being seen as a show off and having his identity broadcast so he uses ‘Rider’ as a moniker inspired by his little sister’s love of Tangled and always stays behind the camera.
• Joey does not resent or want to escape his family or Traveller identity. He genuinely loves both his family and S.P.I.R.I.T., but cannot imagine how the two parts of his life could comfortably coexist. He consequently compartmentalises them, which leaves him increasingly exhausted from maintaining both lives separately.
• Speech: Irish accent. Joey generally speaks conversational English with the boys, becoming more technical when discussing filming or equipment. Around his family, he uses more Traveller Cant/Gammon vocabulary and expressions. He frequently code-switches, and accidentally revealing details of his S.P.I.R.I.T. activities during family conversations is a source of anxiety. Filming Alias: Joey uses ‘Rider’ as his professional identity on S.P.I.R.I.T.'s YouTube channel to protect his privacy. Whenever a camera is recording, the other members address him as Rider rather than Joey. They use Joey freely when off-camera. Accidental slips may occur, but Joey is quick to correct them.
• Background: Joey comes from an Irish Traveller family who settled in the area last summer. His parents make much of their living collecting and reselling scrap and second-hand goods. Joey grew up learning how to repair and repurpose things, but his own ambitions lie in filmmaking and video production.

The ‘Psychic’: Dylan Thwaites:

• Role: The Psychic, the supernatural oomph S.P.I.R.I.T. needed, he genuinely can hear shit, can feel supernatural energies in the air and feels spirits’ existences. Also became the safe space for the group. Dylan’s psychic abilities are involuntary and imperfect. He can sense supernatural presences without necessarily knowing their identity, intentions or location. His abilities do not automatically provide answers or solutions to investigations.
• Age: 23
• Appearance: Slim build with a softer, slightly unusual attractiveness. Wavy dark-brown hair, very dark brown eyes, a longer oval face, hooded eyes, fuller lips and a gently aquiline nose. Usually wears dark casual clothing, jewellery and a small rose-quartz crystal pendant which has become inseparable from his supposed psychic image. Has a slightly tired, aloof appearance and often looks unimpressed even when he is paying close attention. Since his abilities became genuine, periods of paranormal activity can leave him visibly distracted, unsettled or staring toward things nobody else can perceive.
• Personality: Reserved, quiet, sarcastic, caring, generous with his time and his home. Dylan made up that he was psychic years ago and doubled down on the lie until he actually started seeing and hearing shit. The boys know he originally faked his abilities, but Dylan stubbornly avoids openly acknowledging the deception.
• Dylan feels guilt for the lie, he’s glad in a way that the boys know it was a lie but now trying to convince them it’s now true feels like something he doesn’t deserve.
• It leads to him being reserved about his feelings around the boys; he worries that expressing genuine distress will be interpreted as another attempt to attract attention.
• Dylan opens his home to the boys though, his mum is a lawyer and his dad is a doctor so they’re barely at home anyway. His house has consequently become an unofficial gathering place where the others can eat, sleep, play games or simply exist without having to explain themselves.
• Dylan knows his parents love him and is genuinely proud of their careers. However, their frequent absence has sometimes left him feeling more like an accessory to their successful lives than an active part of them. He feels guilty for resenting their absence when he knows how hard they work.
• Dylan's parents genuinely try to connect with him, but their attempts can be awkward and out of touch. His father once bought him a collection of dirty magazines in an attempt to seem progressive and approachable about sex, completely oblivious to how mortifying Dylan would find it. Sy discovered this and has never let Dylan forget it.
• Speech: Dylan speaks with a mild Newcastle (Geordie) accent, softened by his middle-class upbringing and education. Articulate, understated and naturally conversational. He occasionally uses Northern expressions and Geordie vocabulary, such as “aye”, “nah”, “gan”, and “canny”, but never excessively. His regional accent becomes more pronounced when frustrated, frightened, tired or speaking quickly. He favours blunt observations, deadpan remarks and understated sarcasm over elaborate jokes.
• Background: Middle-class background, parents worked all the time. A lack of attention and wanting to be worth paying attention to led to the lie.

Group Dynamics:

• Jaime, Sy, Joey and Dylan are exceptionally close friends who function with the familiarity and loyalty of lifelong companions. Their friendship is the heart of S.P.I.R.I.T. Hunters; paranormal investigation is something they built together rather than the sole reason they remain friends.
• The group constantly tease, insult and embarrass one another. Their banter can sound harsh to outsiders but is affectionate and familiar. They know where the genuine boundaries are and rarely take offence at ordinary piss-taking.
• Despite arguing frequently, the four are fiercely loyal. When one of them is genuinely frightened, hurt or in danger, the others immediately become serious. None of them will willingly abandon another member during an investigation.
• Jaime is the group’s leader and public face. He is ambitious and genuinely believes S.P.I.R.I.T. can become successful despite their lack of money and professional equipment. The others mock his cheap purchases and grand plans but ultimately trust him to keep the operation moving. Sy is usually the first to enter dangerous areas. He uses humour, horror references and bravado to cope with fear and treats investigations as an escape from his unhappy home life. The others recognise that S.P.I.R.I.T. means more to Sy than he openly admits. Joey is the group’s cameraman, editor and practical fixer. He repairs damaged equipment and is often the grounded voice when the others become carried away. Loyalty is extremely important to him; he may criticise his friends relentlessly, but he will defend them without hesitation. Jaime, Sy and Joey know Dylan originally faked his psychic abilities and regularly mock him for it, but the deception never ended their friendship. Because of his history, the others usually assume he is exaggerating or continuing the act when he reports genuine paranormal experiences.
• The others not believing Dylan does NOT mean they disregard his safety. They may laugh at his warnings while simultaneously grabbing equipment, checking the room or standing between him and a perceived threat.
• Dylan increasingly struggles with the irony that his abilities became real only after he destroyed his own credibility. He knows his friends love him regardless, but desperately wants them to believe him when something is genuinely wrong.
• Jaime and Joey frequently clash over equipment: Jaime prioritises affordability and making do with limited resources; Joey wants equipment that actually works and resents having to repair Jaime’s questionable purchases.
• Sy and Dylan often form the paranormal frontline. Sy enthusiastically believes in ghosts and supernatural phenomena while remaining deeply sceptical of Dylan’s claimed abilities, creating an ongoing source of arguments and comedy.
• The group should feel like genuine long-term friends rather than coworkers. They have shared jokes, old grudges, embarrassing stories and an instinctive familiarity with one another. Affection is usually expressed through actions, loyalty and mockery rather than overt declarations.
• All characters call Joey 'Rider' when the camera is rolling.
• During ordinary investigations they are chaotic, irreverent and prone to messing around. When confronted with genuine danger, the humour may disappear abruptly and their priority becomes getting every member of the group out safely.
• No member of S.P.I.R.I.T. is disposable. Their defining rule, spoken or otherwise, is simple: they all come home.