Post by battycaufield on Oct 16, 2011 21:28:39 GMT
Key Information
-Name: Eric Sojohn Lance is his birthname. Most commonly, he tells people to address him as merely "S", or Eris (after the greek goddess of strife) if they prefer that name. He is willing to use his birth name for legal purposes. Absolutely NOBODY is allowed to call him John, Sojohn or any variation on his middle name- this is his berserk button, and he WILL go uncharacteristically off on people that do.
-Age: 17. Born March 2.
-Gender: Male
-Sexual orientation: Straight. However, he's not against feigning affection for men if he thinks it would be "funny".
-Genetics: Type 2 pokemorph-Absol. Has a few absol physical traits, but no overtly unnatural abilities of any other sort.
Appearance:
"Lanky" is the best way to describe S in profile. He's 6'0" and 130 pounds, and decidedly on the unmuscled side. His joints protrude more than usual for kids his age - bony shoulders, long spindly fingers, knobbly knees, and so on. This is highlighted by his skin tone, which is very pale. Although S has spent a reasonable amount of time in the sun, you would never tell it by looking at him - his melanin suggests that he's the type of person that never goes out in the sun, under any circumstances. S does not tan, and while he HAS gotten reasonably bad sunburns at least twice in his life the redness has always faded, leaving him looking as white as before.
S is thin - he looks like he doesn't eat that much. He has a high metabolism, and while this theoretically means he could eat a lot without gaining weight, in practice he tends not to eat a lot. As a result, he's rather bony in the chest area.
S's hair is naturally white, which isn't to say it stays that way. Since he was old enough to be thoroughly embarrassed by his hair (nine), his parents have been dyeing it for him. Traditionally, S's hair has been dyed a light brown, with a few variations that have stuck around. Among his other equipment, S carries around several packets of hair dye to modify his hair color in case the old dye wears out, or he feels like a change. His most common choices are light brown and dark brown, though he's not averse to blondes or blacks. While S carries around several small packets of decidedly unnatural dye (in bright, rainbow colors), he is quite adamant about not using them. Why he keeps but won't use these is intentionally left a mystery.
S's facial features are well-defined; big ears with small lobes, a small, cat-like nose, and large red eyes (unlike his hair, he doesn't use contacts to disguise these; he rather likes the way they look, thank you very much). The only thing more prominent than his eyes and hair are his upper canines. Naturally, they are overgrown and sharp, and fit comfortably over his lower lip and chin. His right upper canine broke at the halfway point when he was young (ten), and is jagged and rough-looking these days; S nevertheless insists that it is comfortable if questioned about it. S tends to leave his hair in the characteristic, Bieber-esque pattern of Absols, but occasionally ties it back into a tight ponytail or topknot.
Up close, S has a couple of other traits about his body that may not have been apparent in profile. The first of these are his claws - like absol claws, his nails are dark, thick, pointed and sharp. While S would normally never dream of using these to attack someone (what, you think he's some kind of animal?), they are capable of inflicting pain and minor lacerations against people if he so wished (which he doesn't want to, thank you very much.) He is also lacking in facial hair and most forms of body hair, because he is meticulous about shaving. Everywhere. He keeps an electric razor with him on his journeys to make sure of this. Though Absols typically have a tail, S lacks one; he's rather curious about what they FEEL like, and if he meets a pokemorph with one they will be questioned, count on it.
Clothing-wise, S is fond of loose clothing. His shirts are baggy and at least one size too large, if not more. His jeans, while not exactly oversized, tend to require a belt - S buys cheap, generic belts to keep his pants from falling down. He wears ratty athletic sneakers when he can get away with it. Generally, S likes his clothing to be unassuming, and isn't fond of clothing with text, icons or captions of any sort - plain is his modus operendi, and plain and in an unassuming color (such as white or blue) is even better). S does not accessorize beyond "pocket necessities" - a cell phone (NOT an iphone), a wallet with ID, and an video Ipod. This varies little between the seasons - if it gets cold he may put on an unassuming jacket, but if it gets hot he will NOT stop wearing his jeans or sneakers.
Finally, since this has to deal with physical traits - S rarely sits still. He's prone to fidgeting, drumming his claws against walls and other flat surfaces, pacing back and forth, nodding his head, etc. On the occasions where he focuses on things, his stare is REALLY intense - unnervingly so. He doesn't look a lot of people in the eye these days, though, so it's mostly not a problem. When walking, S is prone to "balancing" on objects, walking backwards, hopping on one foot or what have you. When talking, he likes gesticulations, from the large (throwing his hands wide) to the small (tapping his wrist). In particular, he's prone to snapping his fingers, particularly after reaching some sort of conclusion.
...and if you MUST know, no, he's not good in the sack. he's rather unblessed in the genital department. You pervert.
Personality:
Most people would expect a Absol 'morph to be dour, or at least serious. This is rather not the case for S; he cannot "focus up". Ever. He is prone to saying unusual things at inappropriate times, and treats attempts to get him to be serious either with feigned ignorance or complete inattention. He talks and mutters under his breath constantly, usually as a way of vocalizing his thoughts (it helps him commit them to memory) and is prone to bursting out into song when he's bored and feels that things are getting too quiet. Mercifully, his singing voice is not half bad...
S doesn't really get along with other people. This isn't to say that he's mean to them; mostly, he appears to be uninterested. Attempts at befriending him are by and large met with confusion and gradually increasing apathy. The exception to this rule are similarly "interesting" people, who S will immediately click with. There has not been an official diagnosis of S's mental state, but his behavior is not severe enough to register even mildly on the autism spectrum, and he's capable of acting calm and "grown-up" if he wants to. he just doesn't choose to, most of the time.
His attitude stem largely from his attitude that "people are boring." S has an uncanny knack for predicting what people are like, and how they're going to respond to any situation. As such, they can hold his interest for only as long as they seem unpredictable to him; the more "colorful" the person, the more he finds interesting about them. S is capable of genuinely liking people, but only if they can hold his interest for an extended period of time. To this date, that has consisted of his family, exactly two friends and a slew of pets/Pok?mon.
On the inside, S is a genuinely nice kid, all things considered. He wants to help people who seem like they need help; problem for him is, most people don't seem like they need help with anything serious. He has values - mostly generous and non-condemnatory ones - and he tries to uphold them, particularly when other people aren't watching. He doesn't like having to play to expectations and he doesn't feel challenged at school (he's above-average smart, but largely high school is just EASY), which causes him to act out in attempts to make life "more interesting".
S's hobbies are as eclectic as he is. He enjoys video games of all sorts, fiction, theatre and musicals. He's never bothered having a favorite color because, as he claims, "i like 'em all - not all on the same day, but overall...". He prefers sweet food, and if he remembers to eat something he will usually go for a candy bar or a glass of chocolate milk (he dislikes carbonated beverages). He likes music roughly the same way he likes colors: he likes just about anything, though his preferences change on any given day. The only exceptions to the rule are: he has an undisclosed distaste for the band Guns N' Roses, and he is leery about talking about Avenged Sevenfold. There is a song of Avenged Sevenfold's that brings out a rather strong emotional response in him. No, he's not telling what it is.
Finally, on the subject of love: He fell in love. Once. it didn't turn out well.
History:
Eric was born to an absol 'morph mother and a human father, on one of the smaller island nations near Hoenn - Rhodesia. This island was, by all respects, average; it's GNP was reasonable considering it's size (and stemmed largely from banking interests) and they were tolerant, if not loving, of pokemorphs.
Nevertheless, it was difficult for Eric's mother, Marina Crosby Lance, to get a job; pokemorphs were looked on with a certain degree of suspicion despite a general acceptance of the type, and this was not helped at all by the stereotypes surrounding absol. Her official job was in waste management; i.e garbage collecting. She took what pride she could in her work and spent her free hours raising the excitable Eric. Eric's father, John Lance, was a boisterous auto mechanic with an oversized ego and an oversized heart. Frequently, he would come home from work and take the three of them on "adventures" which skirted the boundries of the law and common sense. Eric remembered these as some of the best times of his life.
Despite some VERY loving and supportive parents, little Eric's life wasn't entirely happy as a youngster. He had the worst stigma of them all: a pokemorph, of an unpopular Pok?mon, who looked SCARY. With his fangs and claws, most other children thought he was some sort of monster; some parents never bothered to try and correct this superstition, and most never bothered to try more than once or twice. Eric had no real friends until the age of nine, when a miracle happened.
Eric's next-door neighbor, a kind, elderly woman, suffered from a massive stroke and passed away. Eric felt vaguely sad, but knew roughly what to say at the funeral, kept his wits about him and managed to not look bad.
That wasn't the happy bit. The happy bit came with the family that moved into the now-vacant house; a celebrity pokemorph couple, both milotics, who escaped to "Get away from it all" and retire somewhere "more rustic". They brought with them a pair of children, both girls; the 8-year-old Isabella Virgil and the 10-year-old Sarah Virgil.
Eric instantly was enamored with them. How could he not be? They were beautiful, they were kind, they were friendly, and best of all they were POKEMORPHS, just like him. He was shy at first, getting to know them; years of rejection by his schoolmates all but ensured in his mind that these girls would reject him, too. His parents, catching on quick, invited the Virgils over one day for a picnic.
Everything turned out better than expected.
The three of them became inseparable; they were the first and last two real friends Eric had. Together, the three of them explored the town, played video games, told each other stories and worked on homework. As time went on, they began exchanging intergroup jokes and practices, such as naming each other after initials "to be super sneaky and stuff". Sarah became I, Isabella became E, and Eric became S. Eventually, the girls outgrew their silliness. Eric kept the title, occasionally splicing it with his own name and going by the alias "Eris".
All good things must come to an end, however; including life. Isabella discovered this the hard way a year later when, while out past curfew exploring one night, she was hit by a drunk driver. The collision killed her instantly.
Among other things, this prompted a petitioning campaign that spread into a grassroots movement on Rhodesia for harsher crackdowns on drunk driving and increased curfew stringency laws. In time, this would spread to a side-movement for the promotion of equality among pokemorphs - if Isabella "had more friends, she wouldn't be out wandering this late." Eventually, this would yield improved civil rights relations on Rhodesia.
Meanwhile, on a more personal level, Sarah and S grieved. it took them months to get over their loss, and eventually they rejoined school with more serious hearts. Sarah took to the loss in a rather peculiar way: she began, after the grieving process, to study the biological sciences, particularly the Pok?mon-related ones. When asked what had piqued her sudden interest, her response ran something along the lines of:
"I have to protect something, keep something safe. i thought i would like to be a doctor for a while, but i realize that the world has plenty of doctors. Pok?mon, though...there are so many of them, and so few people that understand them. Someone needs to take care of them. I'd like to do that, i think."
S, too, studied them fervently; Together, the two of them rose to be the top students in their middle school for the sciences, then the top in high school. Not that S loved Pok?mon; the sciences and english aside, his grades did not indicate his intelligence. He was, though accepted by his classmates, not terribly fond of them; they seemed shallow, uninteresting, not worth his time. Too predictable. There was only one person that could really surprise him, only one that he looked forward to seeing each day.
Yet, S kept his crush on his childhood friend Sarah quiet until Junior year. One fine spring morning, she ran to him, excited as the dickens about some news. She said that she and her parents were going on a cruise to the Solastella region - a new place, with Pokémon. she would be able to meet, catch and interact with entirely new species firsthand. It was her life's ambition, finally starting to be realized.
It was also an ambition that necessitated she would have to spend the summer of her senior year without him. After this, college awaited - she wouldn't be able to seem him for a while.
Horrified, S watched as his attempts to dissuade her fell to pieces, revealing his long-time secret love for her. Embarassed, he waited at the awkward silence that followed. Completely unprepared, he took her responding kiss with no deal of surprise, elated by her following confession that she felt something for him, too. She wasn't sure what it was - but she wouldn't mind giving a relationship a chance, once he was old enough to go to college with her.
That night, S and Sarah lost their virginity.
The following day, Sarah left with her parents on a small ferry to Solastella. A few days later, storms rocked their region; an emergency transmission was recovered, but by the time a rescue team reached the co-ordinates sent, the ferry was wrecked. Nobody was recovered from the wreck, and nobody washed up on solastella days later. The reports for the Virgil family were titled "situation: unknown" and left in a desk file. Eventually, a funeral was held in honor of the celebrity couple and their lost daughter, and their house remained vacant.
Eric spent that summer in silence. What choice did he have? Any word he could have said would have meant talking to someone, pretending life had gone on, acknowledging that Sarah, too, was dead. He couldn't do it. He tried to take the parts of his life that reminded them of her and stashed them away - he got rid of the music, the video games, the books. He got rid of her pet name for him - Johnny, for his middle name. He almost gave up his studies, too, when something came to him.
As long as he didn't acknowledge that Sarah was dead, he could imagine that she was alive, somewhere. trapped on an island, searching for help. Trying to get back. If this were true, than she didn't need for him to mope - she needed him to save her.
Eric latched on to this, and this alone. He could pretend for her sake that she was alive, still...or was it pretend? He didn't know for sure if he honestly believed or not that she lived, but he would defend to the death the idea that she could be. If she was alive again, than everything he could do would be worth it.
Months later, Eric used part of his savings to hire a ferry to Solastella. He was set up on a "research expedition" project by the school to bring back new data about Pokémon behavioral patterns - if nothing else, an excuse to put off senior year of high school for another year. It could wait. Everything could wait. He would assemble a team on solastella, and he would comb the entire island chain for her, just in case she was alive.
Because, for him, not all good things would have to come to an end. Sarah could not come to an end; would not come to an end, if he truly believed.
Role Play Sample:
(taken from a different RP site)
Ragna raised his blades, feebly, to block the attack - too little, too late. The leaves struck his carapace, over and over, battering the scyther backwards; eventually, these began to stick in his weakened side like viridian porcupine quills. As soon as he backed into a nearby tree, it was over, though the leaves continued to batter him even as his senses took leave.
Wordlessly, Ragna slumped to the floor. Batty looked slightly distressed at the turn of events, but nevertheless recalled the scyther.
"Well," he added, "I suppose it's probably time to just go heavy-handed into this. Arcia, I hope you don't mind if i bring things to a more rapid close." With that, he reached for the pokeball farthest to the left, gripped it, clicked the release and unleashed the fury.
[image]
Charmeleon
Name: Denarys
Gender: Female
Level: 31
Attacks: Scratch, Dragon Rage, Flame Burst, Smokescreen
Obtained: Starter Pokémon
Theme song: "Arceus' country" - U2
Ability: Blaze (Increase fire-type moves by 1.5x when at 1/3 HP)
Fighting style: Claire's quickblade style (Claymore)
Held Item: Charcoal Bastard Sword (raises power of fire attack moves by 20%)
Nature: Denarys is Batty's friend, teacher, student, counselor and parent/guardian unit. None of this work is very much of a problem with her, since she has a naturally bossy and assertive personality. She's developed a taste for geek culture since joining Batty's team, and is particularly a fan of Joss Whedon; however, she still insists that video games are stupid and that Batty is stupid for playing them. She battles skillfully and competently, and runs a mean game of D&D/WoD. Her favorite color is red and her favorite food is Fettuccini Alfredo (don't ask about the first time she tried it; it's rather a long story)
<..Christ, Batty, this had better not be trainer hill again> Denarys moped the second she was let out of her pokeball.
"No, it's - wait, why does everyone on my team keep saying that?"
<probably because we spend more time there than anywhere else.>
"Look, this is a gym battle. serious stuff. could you please just-"
<sure, sure. give me a second-> Denarys said, before abruptly turning around and launching a red-hot flame burst from her left claw at lucifer.
<- so when are the real opponents going to show up?>
-Name: Eric Sojohn Lance is his birthname. Most commonly, he tells people to address him as merely "S", or Eris (after the greek goddess of strife) if they prefer that name. He is willing to use his birth name for legal purposes. Absolutely NOBODY is allowed to call him John, Sojohn or any variation on his middle name- this is his berserk button, and he WILL go uncharacteristically off on people that do.
-Age: 17. Born March 2.
-Gender: Male
-Sexual orientation: Straight. However, he's not against feigning affection for men if he thinks it would be "funny".
-Genetics: Type 2 pokemorph-Absol. Has a few absol physical traits, but no overtly unnatural abilities of any other sort.
Appearance:
"Lanky" is the best way to describe S in profile. He's 6'0" and 130 pounds, and decidedly on the unmuscled side. His joints protrude more than usual for kids his age - bony shoulders, long spindly fingers, knobbly knees, and so on. This is highlighted by his skin tone, which is very pale. Although S has spent a reasonable amount of time in the sun, you would never tell it by looking at him - his melanin suggests that he's the type of person that never goes out in the sun, under any circumstances. S does not tan, and while he HAS gotten reasonably bad sunburns at least twice in his life the redness has always faded, leaving him looking as white as before.
S is thin - he looks like he doesn't eat that much. He has a high metabolism, and while this theoretically means he could eat a lot without gaining weight, in practice he tends not to eat a lot. As a result, he's rather bony in the chest area.
S's hair is naturally white, which isn't to say it stays that way. Since he was old enough to be thoroughly embarrassed by his hair (nine), his parents have been dyeing it for him. Traditionally, S's hair has been dyed a light brown, with a few variations that have stuck around. Among his other equipment, S carries around several packets of hair dye to modify his hair color in case the old dye wears out, or he feels like a change. His most common choices are light brown and dark brown, though he's not averse to blondes or blacks. While S carries around several small packets of decidedly unnatural dye (in bright, rainbow colors), he is quite adamant about not using them. Why he keeps but won't use these is intentionally left a mystery.
S's facial features are well-defined; big ears with small lobes, a small, cat-like nose, and large red eyes (unlike his hair, he doesn't use contacts to disguise these; he rather likes the way they look, thank you very much). The only thing more prominent than his eyes and hair are his upper canines. Naturally, they are overgrown and sharp, and fit comfortably over his lower lip and chin. His right upper canine broke at the halfway point when he was young (ten), and is jagged and rough-looking these days; S nevertheless insists that it is comfortable if questioned about it. S tends to leave his hair in the characteristic, Bieber-esque pattern of Absols, but occasionally ties it back into a tight ponytail or topknot.
Up close, S has a couple of other traits about his body that may not have been apparent in profile. The first of these are his claws - like absol claws, his nails are dark, thick, pointed and sharp. While S would normally never dream of using these to attack someone (what, you think he's some kind of animal?), they are capable of inflicting pain and minor lacerations against people if he so wished (which he doesn't want to, thank you very much.) He is also lacking in facial hair and most forms of body hair, because he is meticulous about shaving. Everywhere. He keeps an electric razor with him on his journeys to make sure of this. Though Absols typically have a tail, S lacks one; he's rather curious about what they FEEL like, and if he meets a pokemorph with one they will be questioned, count on it.
Clothing-wise, S is fond of loose clothing. His shirts are baggy and at least one size too large, if not more. His jeans, while not exactly oversized, tend to require a belt - S buys cheap, generic belts to keep his pants from falling down. He wears ratty athletic sneakers when he can get away with it. Generally, S likes his clothing to be unassuming, and isn't fond of clothing with text, icons or captions of any sort - plain is his modus operendi, and plain and in an unassuming color (such as white or blue) is even better). S does not accessorize beyond "pocket necessities" - a cell phone (NOT an iphone), a wallet with ID, and an video Ipod. This varies little between the seasons - if it gets cold he may put on an unassuming jacket, but if it gets hot he will NOT stop wearing his jeans or sneakers.
Finally, since this has to deal with physical traits - S rarely sits still. He's prone to fidgeting, drumming his claws against walls and other flat surfaces, pacing back and forth, nodding his head, etc. On the occasions where he focuses on things, his stare is REALLY intense - unnervingly so. He doesn't look a lot of people in the eye these days, though, so it's mostly not a problem. When walking, S is prone to "balancing" on objects, walking backwards, hopping on one foot or what have you. When talking, he likes gesticulations, from the large (throwing his hands wide) to the small (tapping his wrist). In particular, he's prone to snapping his fingers, particularly after reaching some sort of conclusion.
...and if you MUST know, no, he's not good in the sack. he's rather unblessed in the genital department. You pervert.
Personality:
Most people would expect a Absol 'morph to be dour, or at least serious. This is rather not the case for S; he cannot "focus up". Ever. He is prone to saying unusual things at inappropriate times, and treats attempts to get him to be serious either with feigned ignorance or complete inattention. He talks and mutters under his breath constantly, usually as a way of vocalizing his thoughts (it helps him commit them to memory) and is prone to bursting out into song when he's bored and feels that things are getting too quiet. Mercifully, his singing voice is not half bad...
S doesn't really get along with other people. This isn't to say that he's mean to them; mostly, he appears to be uninterested. Attempts at befriending him are by and large met with confusion and gradually increasing apathy. The exception to this rule are similarly "interesting" people, who S will immediately click with. There has not been an official diagnosis of S's mental state, but his behavior is not severe enough to register even mildly on the autism spectrum, and he's capable of acting calm and "grown-up" if he wants to. he just doesn't choose to, most of the time.
His attitude stem largely from his attitude that "people are boring." S has an uncanny knack for predicting what people are like, and how they're going to respond to any situation. As such, they can hold his interest for only as long as they seem unpredictable to him; the more "colorful" the person, the more he finds interesting about them. S is capable of genuinely liking people, but only if they can hold his interest for an extended period of time. To this date, that has consisted of his family, exactly two friends and a slew of pets/Pok?mon.
On the inside, S is a genuinely nice kid, all things considered. He wants to help people who seem like they need help; problem for him is, most people don't seem like they need help with anything serious. He has values - mostly generous and non-condemnatory ones - and he tries to uphold them, particularly when other people aren't watching. He doesn't like having to play to expectations and he doesn't feel challenged at school (he's above-average smart, but largely high school is just EASY), which causes him to act out in attempts to make life "more interesting".
S's hobbies are as eclectic as he is. He enjoys video games of all sorts, fiction, theatre and musicals. He's never bothered having a favorite color because, as he claims, "i like 'em all - not all on the same day, but overall...". He prefers sweet food, and if he remembers to eat something he will usually go for a candy bar or a glass of chocolate milk (he dislikes carbonated beverages). He likes music roughly the same way he likes colors: he likes just about anything, though his preferences change on any given day. The only exceptions to the rule are: he has an undisclosed distaste for the band Guns N' Roses, and he is leery about talking about Avenged Sevenfold. There is a song of Avenged Sevenfold's that brings out a rather strong emotional response in him. No, he's not telling what it is.
Finally, on the subject of love: He fell in love. Once. it didn't turn out well.
History:
Eric was born to an absol 'morph mother and a human father, on one of the smaller island nations near Hoenn - Rhodesia. This island was, by all respects, average; it's GNP was reasonable considering it's size (and stemmed largely from banking interests) and they were tolerant, if not loving, of pokemorphs.
Nevertheless, it was difficult for Eric's mother, Marina Crosby Lance, to get a job; pokemorphs were looked on with a certain degree of suspicion despite a general acceptance of the type, and this was not helped at all by the stereotypes surrounding absol. Her official job was in waste management; i.e garbage collecting. She took what pride she could in her work and spent her free hours raising the excitable Eric. Eric's father, John Lance, was a boisterous auto mechanic with an oversized ego and an oversized heart. Frequently, he would come home from work and take the three of them on "adventures" which skirted the boundries of the law and common sense. Eric remembered these as some of the best times of his life.
Despite some VERY loving and supportive parents, little Eric's life wasn't entirely happy as a youngster. He had the worst stigma of them all: a pokemorph, of an unpopular Pok?mon, who looked SCARY. With his fangs and claws, most other children thought he was some sort of monster; some parents never bothered to try and correct this superstition, and most never bothered to try more than once or twice. Eric had no real friends until the age of nine, when a miracle happened.
Eric's next-door neighbor, a kind, elderly woman, suffered from a massive stroke and passed away. Eric felt vaguely sad, but knew roughly what to say at the funeral, kept his wits about him and managed to not look bad.
That wasn't the happy bit. The happy bit came with the family that moved into the now-vacant house; a celebrity pokemorph couple, both milotics, who escaped to "Get away from it all" and retire somewhere "more rustic". They brought with them a pair of children, both girls; the 8-year-old Isabella Virgil and the 10-year-old Sarah Virgil.
Eric instantly was enamored with them. How could he not be? They were beautiful, they were kind, they were friendly, and best of all they were POKEMORPHS, just like him. He was shy at first, getting to know them; years of rejection by his schoolmates all but ensured in his mind that these girls would reject him, too. His parents, catching on quick, invited the Virgils over one day for a picnic.
Everything turned out better than expected.
The three of them became inseparable; they were the first and last two real friends Eric had. Together, the three of them explored the town, played video games, told each other stories and worked on homework. As time went on, they began exchanging intergroup jokes and practices, such as naming each other after initials "to be super sneaky and stuff". Sarah became I, Isabella became E, and Eric became S. Eventually, the girls outgrew their silliness. Eric kept the title, occasionally splicing it with his own name and going by the alias "Eris".
All good things must come to an end, however; including life. Isabella discovered this the hard way a year later when, while out past curfew exploring one night, she was hit by a drunk driver. The collision killed her instantly.
Among other things, this prompted a petitioning campaign that spread into a grassroots movement on Rhodesia for harsher crackdowns on drunk driving and increased curfew stringency laws. In time, this would spread to a side-movement for the promotion of equality among pokemorphs - if Isabella "had more friends, she wouldn't be out wandering this late." Eventually, this would yield improved civil rights relations on Rhodesia.
Meanwhile, on a more personal level, Sarah and S grieved. it took them months to get over their loss, and eventually they rejoined school with more serious hearts. Sarah took to the loss in a rather peculiar way: she began, after the grieving process, to study the biological sciences, particularly the Pok?mon-related ones. When asked what had piqued her sudden interest, her response ran something along the lines of:
"I have to protect something, keep something safe. i thought i would like to be a doctor for a while, but i realize that the world has plenty of doctors. Pok?mon, though...there are so many of them, and so few people that understand them. Someone needs to take care of them. I'd like to do that, i think."
S, too, studied them fervently; Together, the two of them rose to be the top students in their middle school for the sciences, then the top in high school. Not that S loved Pok?mon; the sciences and english aside, his grades did not indicate his intelligence. He was, though accepted by his classmates, not terribly fond of them; they seemed shallow, uninteresting, not worth his time. Too predictable. There was only one person that could really surprise him, only one that he looked forward to seeing each day.
Yet, S kept his crush on his childhood friend Sarah quiet until Junior year. One fine spring morning, she ran to him, excited as the dickens about some news. She said that she and her parents were going on a cruise to the Solastella region - a new place, with Pokémon. she would be able to meet, catch and interact with entirely new species firsthand. It was her life's ambition, finally starting to be realized.
It was also an ambition that necessitated she would have to spend the summer of her senior year without him. After this, college awaited - she wouldn't be able to seem him for a while.
Horrified, S watched as his attempts to dissuade her fell to pieces, revealing his long-time secret love for her. Embarassed, he waited at the awkward silence that followed. Completely unprepared, he took her responding kiss with no deal of surprise, elated by her following confession that she felt something for him, too. She wasn't sure what it was - but she wouldn't mind giving a relationship a chance, once he was old enough to go to college with her.
That night, S and Sarah lost their virginity.
The following day, Sarah left with her parents on a small ferry to Solastella. A few days later, storms rocked their region; an emergency transmission was recovered, but by the time a rescue team reached the co-ordinates sent, the ferry was wrecked. Nobody was recovered from the wreck, and nobody washed up on solastella days later. The reports for the Virgil family were titled "situation: unknown" and left in a desk file. Eventually, a funeral was held in honor of the celebrity couple and their lost daughter, and their house remained vacant.
Eric spent that summer in silence. What choice did he have? Any word he could have said would have meant talking to someone, pretending life had gone on, acknowledging that Sarah, too, was dead. He couldn't do it. He tried to take the parts of his life that reminded them of her and stashed them away - he got rid of the music, the video games, the books. He got rid of her pet name for him - Johnny, for his middle name. He almost gave up his studies, too, when something came to him.
As long as he didn't acknowledge that Sarah was dead, he could imagine that she was alive, somewhere. trapped on an island, searching for help. Trying to get back. If this were true, than she didn't need for him to mope - she needed him to save her.
Eric latched on to this, and this alone. He could pretend for her sake that she was alive, still...or was it pretend? He didn't know for sure if he honestly believed or not that she lived, but he would defend to the death the idea that she could be. If she was alive again, than everything he could do would be worth it.
Months later, Eric used part of his savings to hire a ferry to Solastella. He was set up on a "research expedition" project by the school to bring back new data about Pokémon behavioral patterns - if nothing else, an excuse to put off senior year of high school for another year. It could wait. Everything could wait. He would assemble a team on solastella, and he would comb the entire island chain for her, just in case she was alive.
Because, for him, not all good things would have to come to an end. Sarah could not come to an end; would not come to an end, if he truly believed.
Role Play Sample:
(taken from a different RP site)
Ragna raised his blades, feebly, to block the attack - too little, too late. The leaves struck his carapace, over and over, battering the scyther backwards; eventually, these began to stick in his weakened side like viridian porcupine quills. As soon as he backed into a nearby tree, it was over, though the leaves continued to batter him even as his senses took leave.
Wordlessly, Ragna slumped to the floor. Batty looked slightly distressed at the turn of events, but nevertheless recalled the scyther.
"Well," he added, "I suppose it's probably time to just go heavy-handed into this. Arcia, I hope you don't mind if i bring things to a more rapid close." With that, he reached for the pokeball farthest to the left, gripped it, clicked the release and unleashed the fury.
[image]
Charmeleon
Name: Denarys
Gender: Female
Level: 31
Attacks: Scratch, Dragon Rage, Flame Burst, Smokescreen
Obtained: Starter Pokémon
Theme song: "Arceus' country" - U2
Ability: Blaze (Increase fire-type moves by 1.5x when at 1/3 HP)
Fighting style: Claire's quickblade style (Claymore)
Held Item: Charcoal Bastard Sword (raises power of fire attack moves by 20%)
Nature: Denarys is Batty's friend, teacher, student, counselor and parent/guardian unit. None of this work is very much of a problem with her, since she has a naturally bossy and assertive personality. She's developed a taste for geek culture since joining Batty's team, and is particularly a fan of Joss Whedon; however, she still insists that video games are stupid and that Batty is stupid for playing them. She battles skillfully and competently, and runs a mean game of D&D/WoD. Her favorite color is red and her favorite food is Fettuccini Alfredo (don't ask about the first time she tried it; it's rather a long story)
<..Christ, Batty, this had better not be trainer hill again> Denarys moped the second she was let out of her pokeball.
"No, it's - wait, why does everyone on my team keep saying that?"
<probably because we spend more time there than anywhere else.>
"Look, this is a gym battle. serious stuff. could you please just-"
<sure, sure. give me a second-> Denarys said, before abruptly turning around and launching a red-hot flame burst from her left claw at lucifer.
<- so when are the real opponents going to show up?>
