River Barnett

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RIVER BARNETT

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NAME
River Barnett

NICKNAMES
Rio

AGE
Twenty-four

GENDER
Male

HOMETOWN
Fallarbor Town, Hoenn

APPEARANCE

River isn't hideous, but he's not the most handsome guy either. While he walks around passing off as pleasant on the eyes, he's not the type that one would remember after seeing his face just once. He's still cute as a button, though. Short of height and with a slim build, River doesn't come off as terribly intimidating. He's a serious fellow, though, and almost always looks worried about something.

His eyes are probably the first thing most people notice about him. He has what is called heterochromia, making his eyes a bit mismatched. One eye is a bright, stormy blue, the other a dark chocolate brown. As a child he earned quite a bit of teasing about it, and used to wear contacts to make them the same color. Now, however, it doesn't bother him as much and he leaves them be. The face that his eyes are on is soft and slightly oval shaped, still holding onto a child-like innocence when he's happy or sad. More than anything it just makes him look more fragile than he is. His skin is soft and clear, with no acne or greasy skin to speak of. It is also pale. Although he spends all his time in the sun - he cannot stand being cooped up - he doesn't seem to tan much. He'll burn easy. He can be outside all day and come back with his skin red and blistered. But it simply won't tan. His nose is slim with a slightly pointed end. Again, nothing special. High cheekbones, and his lips are curved in a soft bow, like they're just waiting to smile, but can't quite make it. Under his mouth is a chin, obviously, that is rounded and not very interesting. His jaw is the same, round and soft and not very interesting. His whole head is set on top of a slim, but not swan-like, neck.

His 5'7 frame is lean, but well muscled for his body type. And for some reason or another, you'll rarely see him without a suit of clothing that covers him from neck down to his feet. His hair is a dirty blonde color, and sticks out in all directions. He can never seem to keep it tidy. He always carries a backpack, since he travels a lot, black and worn out, with one strap missing, it looks like it has been torn off.

PERSONALITY

Shy. Abrupt. Stubborn. Bookworm.

Shy;; River is very quiet, and would rather stay out of the spotlight. He's not used to large crowds, and rathers the company of pokemon to that of people. Relationships of any sort seriously scare him, and the only way he really knows how to deal with compassion, whether it be a friendly hug, or something a bit more, is to pull away. He doesn't have very good social skills; but despite the way River will simply ignore to try to stay completely away from others, all he really wants is for people to like him. He simply doesn't know how to make or be a friend.

Abrupt;; He's honest. Just not in a nice way. River is usually quiet, but he won't hesitate to let you know how he feels about something. He won't act like he likes something if he doesn't. Don't ask him for his opinion on something unless you're ready for his answer, which may not always be the one you want to hear.

Stubborn;; Stubborn? Or stupid? Depends on how you look at it. Perhaps it's because he's an only child, and some part of him wants to make up for the children his parents didn't have. But River is a hard worker, and won't allow anyone to put him down about anything, even if it's something he's not very good at, he'll still try his best, and doesn't like to let others help him.

Observant;; River is a man who misses very little, even when it appears that he isn't paying the slightest bit of attention. He's skilled at catching the little changes in people; their eyes, the way they hold themselves, even their lips. Usually he can get enough information to get the whole story. He is also extremely protective of his friends, and if he sees someone abusing one of his friends they'll leave with more than just a broken ego.

Wary;; River is capable of forgiveness, if you deserve it. He doesn't, however, forget past wrongs. He also tends to keep his emotions bottled up, and fails to understand people who let their emotions out for others to see. Perhaps he is this way because its been so long since he's felt the touch of a lover or the warmth of a kiss. People die way too easily, and he simply doesn't get attached to them because he...well, cant. It would make him too vulnerable.

HISTORY

Kay's mother was the daughter of a Pokemon Breeder. A pretty young girl with light blonde hair and a sunny smile. Her name was Celeste Jackson, and her parents bred Ponytas and Rapidashes a little ways outside Fallarbor Town in Hoenn. They lived mostly out in the country, unless they were delivering an egg or pokemon. It was during one such delivery that Celeste and her father traveled to Lilycove City to deliver a pokemon to the daughter of the head of the meuseum there.

While her father was speaking with the owner, Celeste was in the waiting room with a charming young man struck up a conversation with her. They spoke for a good hour before her father showed up, and he told her his name was Adrian Barnett, the meuseum owner's son. They traded phone numbers and kept in contact when she went back home. They talked and visited each other for years, and eventually fell in love. When Celeste was old enough to leave home, they got married.

Celeste lived with him in the city at first, but became homesick for the country, so Adrian bought her a place back out near Fallarbor where she could start up her own breeding ranch. He stayed there when he could, but his job made him travel a lot and she didn't see a whole lot of him. What she did see of him made her happy enough, and when she found out she was pregnant she was thrilled.

When River was born, it was the happiest day of Celeste's life. Adrian worked to be in his life as much as his job would allow, but even then River didn't see much of his father. As she grew older, Celeste decided to homeschool him and kept him at home. He took after his mother, growing up with fair skin and a head of blonde hair. He loved his life growing up on the ranch. As he entered teenhood he worked less on school and studies and more to help his mother with the ranch.

He also started working with the local pokemon professor, interested in the whole study of pokemon. He was well on his way to becoming a an assistant to the professor, but shortly before his fifteenth birthday his mother was out tending to the Ponytas when something spooked the herd. They charged and trampled her. Celeste was in the hospital for two days with internal bleeding, but the doctors couldn't stop it and she passed away. Adrian came out the next day to take River. He sold the ranch and the pokemon and took River back with him to Lilycove. He tried to put the kid in school, but River didn't handle the sudden crowds well, so Adrian kept him at home.

River would travel with Adrian whenever he went on business trips, and when he turned twenty he started traveling on his own. During his travels he left for Nexivus before the darkness to start up a new breeding operation there. It didn't kick off immediately. He'd sold a few eggs, but only a couple years later the news about the virus came out and breeding was prohibited. Disappointed, he sold the rest of his pokemon and eggs. For awhile he went back home, but the disease on Nexivus, though frightening and dangerous, aroused his curiosity, and he moved back to try and find out more.

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OUT OF CHARACTER

NAME
Mutt

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ROLEPLAY SAMPLE
River sighed in frustration as he made the walk to the lab. He really didn't have that much interest in raising a pokemon. Raising and breeding were very different things, and while he was good at the one, he wasn't sure he would do so well at the other. Different kinds of pokemon had different temperments as well. What if he got one he couldn't handle? "Don't be rediculous." he chided himself suddenly. "You breed Fire pokemon. What can be harder than caring for Fire pokemon?" he muttered to himself, looking up at the lab. Here goes nothing.

Stepping towards the door, he took ahold of the knob and started to turn it, then hesitated. Perhaps he wasn't supposed to just go on in. Was he supposed to knock? He'd always gone on in before, but just to be safe, he pulled his hand back from the knob and gave four healthy knocks against the door.

Taking a step back to wait, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stuck one in his mouth. He went to light then, then stopped again. What was he doing? He couldn't go in there smelling like smoke. What if the pokemon didn't like it? He didn't want to frighten any of them, so he pulled the cigarettes from his mouth and returned it to the pack, and the pack to his pocket. He'd just have one later. He needed something to calm his nerves, though, as sudden shivers went over him. What was his deal? It was just a pokemon. It wasn't like he'd never had a pokemon before. He couldn't tell if he was nervous or excited.