EUPHONY, Ampersand

NAME: Ampersand Diesel Euphony (... His parents are hippies.)

NICKNAME(S): "&" - (Alias online)

AGE: 20
GENDER: Male
HOME REGION: Kanto
CLASS: Trainer
STARTER: Clefairy

APPEARANCE: With his pallid skin, large, glassy eyes, and limp movements, Ampersand is comparable to a dead fish in appearance.

Black strands of hair droop loosely around his face, down to his neck at their lowest. They are slick and almost matted, like he has never set eyes on a hairbrush, and took a leisurely stroll through a deluge for good measure. His eyes are equally dark, appearing perpetually dilated, and are ringed in sleepless dark circles. He often wears a distant, thoughtful look, as if he were a hundred miles away.

Ampersand is gaunt and elfin in build, with a sharp boniness to his form, yet a slight paunch to his stomach. Standing at 5’0” (153 cm) in height, he is already short, but also slouches, making his frail-looking frame seem even smaller. His hands are dainty, yet tough and calloused, with short, chewed nails.

He is most frequently seen wearing loose, baggy, long-sleeved shirts that are plain in color, paired with ill-fitting jeans whose legs reach and bunch up at the tops of his slip-on athletic shoes, concealing his mismatched socks. On occasion, he will add a fur lined hooded coat, for either warmth or personal comfort, having a tendency to happily stroke at the inner lining.

ETC: In spite of his wiry frame, Ampersand is used to working with his hands and being on his feet. He can move surprisingly quickly, notably being able to scale trees in a manner evocative of a spider, scrambling upward in jittery, skittering motions. He almost never emotes with his face, and has an unconventional-looking smile.

PERSONALITY: Ampersand is a paradox.

Cerebral and detached, paired with a flat affect and lack of any particular expressiveness of the face, he views the world analytically, based in logic and what is provably true. Yet simultaneously, what makes sense to him is frequently at odds with what makes sense to others; strange and eccentric, Ampersand lacks a filter, often voicing his peculiar thoughts as soon as they enter his mind, without any regard for societal convention or prior course of conversation. In spite (or perhaps directly because) of his many quirks, there is an undeniable vibrancy within him that strongly colors the way he perceives and interacts with the world around him; while not one compatible with everyone, he can rarely be described as boring.

Although aloof by default, Ampersand can be prone to emotion; once something grabs his attention, his cold demeanor near-instantly melts, giving way to a fiery passion that leads him to devote the entirety of his focus to it. Highly curious in nature, he will thoroughly investigate every nook and cranny of whatever happens to catch his eye in hopes of understanding it to his satisfaction, but can otherwise be susceptible to boredom and distraction; if not invested in the task at hand, he may simply drop it in favor of an errant thought or impulse. He tends to prefer the company of Pokémon over people, as Pokémon don't often judge him for his lengthy stares or capricious whims, but is not inherently opposed to interacting with others.

LIKES:

-Snacks (Favorites are popcorn and pretzels, but loves anything that can be eaten by hand while on the go.)
-Exploration (Whether it's digging through a long-forgotten backroom or squeezing himself through the crevices of a cave, he feels as if he learns more about the world around him by getting into every space he can.)
-Photography (Primarily takes photographs of scenery and Pokémon, runs a blog online where he posts his favorites or ones he considers to be of particular interest.)
-Finger painting (Nails are selectively chewed to allow him to make distinctive strokes with certain fingers; they occasionally serve as a form of "trademark". His paintings look similar to the works of Iris Scott.)
-Soda (Especially if it comes in a glass bottle; soda cans are perfectly fine, too—but he'll lose all interest if it's poured into a drinking glass.)

DISLIKES:

-Matching socks (Gives him a bad feeling, thinks it is a bad omen if he wears matching socks—instead, he matches socks from entirely different sets into new pairs with "better" feelings.)
-Pokémon Contests (Doesn't like the thought of being judged in accordance to merely the preferences of one particular individual—feels as if he would always be viewed unfavorably due to his odd mannerisms and appearance.)
-Formal establishments (Has been scolded and told to put his shoes back on or to stop cramming all the hard boiled eggs from salad bars into his bag more times than one can count.)
-Perfumes, colognes, essential oils (Particularly sensitive to scents; most perfumes, colognes, and essential oils irritate his nose, so he avoids them all as a matter of pragmatism.)
-Holidays (Doesn't get what all the fuss is about, just thinks of them as another day.)

HISTORY: Born to a mother and father of eclectic, New Age beliefs, Ampersand was afforded as much freedom he wanted from the very moment he could toddle around on his own. Believing that exploration and understanding of the world led to exploration and understanding of the soul, they paired their free-range parenting style with unschooling, allowing the young Ampersand to direct his own learning. In theory, it granted him an education more personally meaningful than traditional methods; in practice, it rendered him an odd, half-feral child that would crunch equations atop trees and finger paint with berry juice in Raticate dens.

Becoming more accustomed to the company of wild Pokémon than people, Ampersand struggled to form connections with those outside of his accepting, hippy-dippy family, and over time, found that he preferred solitude over the judgmental glares of unfriendly eyes and quiet cruelty of whispered words behind his back. With his days spent either tearing through books in his room or wandering increasingly large distances from home, his parents grew concerned for his ability to socialize with others, and decided to encourage him to connect with people through alternative means. This led to his proper introduction to the internet, and in particular, blogging.

Ampersand was fascinated with the lives others led, intrigued by the vast variety of experiences shared with an equally vast and varied world. Eventually, he created his own blog, posting pictures he'd take while out and about, and paintings of whatever subjects he found to be of particular interest. Though done under an alias and without talking much about himself, evidently, his unconventional photography that got close in with Pokémon and captured Kanto through a lens not commonly viewed by others proved popular. Ampersand's mother and father were pleased that he had managed to find a way to interact with the world in a way that was comfortable to him, and further encouraged his burgeoning interest in his blog.

One day, while on a trip to Mt. Moon in his late teens, Ampersand had a chance encounter with a wild Clefairy. Getting down on all fours, he managed to coax it to come closer by making himself appear smaller and nonthreatening, and creating a trail toward him with snacks from his bag. Originally only intending to take this Clefairy's photo and leave her be afterward, while munching on some of the cotton candy offered to it, the Clefairy seemed to have imprinted on him. Instead of losing interest and wandering off, she readily approached him and hugged at his leg, deeming him a friend. Though initially uncertain, it seemed the arrangement had been solidified when the Clefairy followed him out of Mt. Moon and accompanied him home.

Ampersand's mother and father were delighted upon seeing he had made a friend. Ampersand, in turn, was intrigued by his newfound companion, wondering just why she had made the decision to accompany him. Wanting to further bolster their son's social skills, his parents proposed the possibility of traveling the region, not only so that he may get more photographs of the things that had interested him, but to also meet interesting people that he could perhaps connect with as he had his Clefairy. Ampersand pondered the idea for weeks, even consulting with his newly-forged friend as he'd repeatedly voice the pros and cons aloud, turning over the thought over twin packs of peanuts.

Ultimately, with an unconditional invitation to return home whenever he'd like, he decided to go for it. Now hitting the road full-time, Ampersand continues to chase his whims, seeking out what interests him; whether it's a bit of photography or finger painting, the official gym challenge, or a particularly alluring vending machine snack.

STARTER POKEMON:

Ambrosia | Magic Guard | Lvl 10
Disarming Voice | Charm | Pound | Copycat