Character name: Kyle Washington
Age: 32 years
Gender: Cis Male
Sexuality: Bisexual
Pronouns: He/him
Species: Human
Profession: Adventurer’s Guild Master
Favorite hobby: Hiking, Hunting, Fishing, Anything Outdoors-y
Faceclaim: Michael B Jordan
Time in Thistleberry: All his life
HEADCANONS.
Kyle lives in a cabin in the woodland area of Thistleberry but he does travel into town regularly.
Has a German Shepherd named Duke, who is a trained Search and Rescue Dog.
Kyle's older brother vanished approximately six months ago and he's still shaken by it.
He's a regular at the local saloon, often stopping by for a drink after a long day.
Although Kyle likes to hunt, he uses everything and respects nature immensely. He doesn't believe in hunting wastefully.
Big jock, slightly grumpy initially but loving, bit of a himbo.
Rivals. Perhaps your character doesn't believe Kyle should be the guildmaster and wants to take his position.
Your character or one of their loved ones got into trouble in the woods or caves and Kyle helped them out.
Kyle sells your character meat or animal skins from his hunts.
Exes, flings, flirtationship.
FULL BIO.
Thistleberry was a strange place where strange things happened. Kyle’s father was the leader of the Adventurer’s Guild before he retired and his eldest son, Kyle’s brother, took over. He often shared the woodlands and caves with these strange things, so Kyle was a little more clued in than most. His family had been explorers and adventurers for generations. His childhood was spent learning how to battle monsters, going on long hikes and fishing trips, learning to hunt and live off the land. They had respect for nature and all that it offered.
People went missing in Thistleberry sometimes, usually those who wandered deep into the woods or caves, overestimating their own abilities and what awaited them in the dark. Kyle and his fellow adventurers had volunteered with a couple of search parties over the years, using their keen senses and tracking skills to try and locate lost hikers or missing persons. Sometimes the person came home, sometimes they didn’t. Kyle never expected his older brother to be one of the people who never came back.
In some ways, it would have been better if they had found a body. Kyle, his father, his mother, his friends, they all spent days traversing the woods and beaches and mountains trying to track him down, but there was never any sign of him. There were rumours he was killed by monsters, he fell in love and moved away, he ran away of his own accord because he owed gambling debts. But there was never anything concrete. For the first time, Kyle really understood what those people felt like when someone they loved never came home. He was way too young for such grief, although he’d argue that there was never really any right age for it.
Kyle withdrew into himself after his brother’s disappearance. For a while, his brightness faded. He’d always intended to follow his father’s footsteps into the Guild, but he hadn’t expected to be it’s leader this young. When his brother went missing, the mantle was left to Kyle. He threw his all into it, and also started training in Search and Rescue, honing the skills he’d already developed in childhood to try and make sure nobody else – or at least as few people as humanly possible – felt the unresolved grief his family had gone through. In a town like Thistleberry, where something strange and dangerous might lurk around every corner, there was always something to find in the dark.
Thistleberry native, born and true. Unlike most of the other merfolk he grew up around, Oliver was raised as single child. His parents struggled as is with him and the increasing pollution hardly lent a helping hand.
Childhood & best friends with Elio. Through thick and thin they've never strayed from their hometown. Their families were close. Grew even closer when his father fell ill due to the contamination in their waters. ***tw: death, alluded terminal illness start*** It wasn't a fast illness and they watched as the man withered into almost nothing. ***tw: death, alluded terminal illness end***
For the most part, the grief Oliver experienced looked a lot like rage. He was angry at the people that continuously harm nature by land and sea. Angry at himself for not being able to do anything to help stave, or even cure, what ate away at his father. So while he spent the quiet hours mourning, the rest were put towards bettering himself to make an impact in this town. Oliver busted his ass to achieve his title today. And despite the backlash of those older in the same field, he's held steadfast in his studies and practice.
PERSONALITY .
With a razor sharp wit and loose tongue, it's not uncommon for Oliver to get into spats with those he disagrees with. Loudly. There's nothing subtle about him, ever. Not the way he dresses, speaks, acts, etc. But he still harbors a tender heart. Loves and cherishes those close to him — even if he likes to spark harmless controversy every now and then. He absolutely loves to have fun and be a little reckless with it. Yet when things get serious, he's almost always the first to straighten up and act accordingly.
MISC. INFO .
Oliver is practically landlocked by choice. Though his true home will always be in watery depths where his mother resides, he's lived on land for almost a decade. Half of it is due to the grief he still carries. The rest is more of an act of discipline; for if he returns to the sea for too long... he's surely bound to stay there.
That being said, his other best friend is an eel named Eelana.
“and i ended a friendship on the day that i left, and though i really meant it, it still makes me upset
am i losin' my family every minute i’m gone? what if my little brother thinks my leaving was wrong?” right now, gracie abarams.
full name — rory greer
nickname(s) — none
name meaning — red king
age — twenty-nine
date of birth — march 31st
place of birth — thistleberry valley
star sign — aries sun, sagittarius moon, scorpio rising
current location — thistleberry valley
gender — non-binary
pronouns — they/them
sexual orientation — bisexual, demisexual
religion — atheist
occupation — owner of greer carpentry
education level — photography journalism
family — richard ‘richie’ greer ( older brother, unknown ), joseph greer ( grandpa )
finances — struggle bus
spoken languages — english, spanish
character inspos: john bender ( the breakfast club ), selina kyle ( batman ), steven hyde ( that 70’s show ), patrick verona ( 10 things i hate about you ), boromir ( lord of the rings ), alex karev ( greys anatomy ), steve harrington ( stranger things ), eleanor shellstrop ( the good place ), ferris bueller ( ferris buellers day off )
tw: brother goes missing, dysfunctional family
rory’s parents were never meant to be parents, that’s what their grandpa joe used to say as he watched his grandchildren at the back of the shop whenever rory asked too many questions. they were a curious child and lacked something that many kids their age seemed to have. it didn’t feel like a loss, not in the way that it did for richie. but rory wouldn’t realize this until much later.
it’s easy being in a constant state of survival if you don’t realize that you’re in it in the first place. grandpa joe gave them the best life that he could, it’s not easy tailing after a rambunctious child and their gloomy older brother who’s got a permanent eyebrow raised to the sky as they look down at their younger sibling. whenever rory got hurt their brother was always there to pick them up off of the ground.
their grandpa joe had the greery carpentry business for as long as he’s been in town ( so must of his life, rory would say with an eyeroll to anyone that asked ). there was a time when he thought that he would pass it on to his son but his son skipped out right when rory was born but richie never had the kind of dreams that rory did and was prepped to take over the company when their grandpa couldn't.
when rory graduated they left to new york city and climbed the social latter and met the right people, they got their degree and traveled across the world with their camera by their side. they had a natural charm of listening to people and getting them to open up about things, it’s what made them superb at their job. whenever they came back home richie hardly talked to them until they had their big fallout when rory turned twenty-six.
richie called them selfish and cruel. rory called him a pushover and people pleaser. for two siblings that relied solely on each other growing up this was the kind of fight that wasn't easy to forgive. despite their grandpa trying his best, rory left back to new york, and they stopped talking to each other until about a year ago when their grandpa joe asked if richie was with rory. he wasn’t.
rory moved back and took their brother’s place at the shop, they have no idea what they’re doing. they have their grandfather’s help from time to time but it’s hard to ask your grandpa for help when it feels like you’re the reason that your brother is gone.
other things:
look it looks like they don’t know what they’re doing and like... partially but they have grown up in the shop for all their life so they are not useless it’s just... they haven’t been around much to get to know their customers but they do their best
grandpa joe is a grandpa to all as far as im concerned
honestly... rory doesn’t mean to be cruel or selfish it’s just a defense mechanism and i don’t even think they’re cruel or selfish just sometimes a little flighty -- richie hit a low blow in the fight and rory has been spiralling about it ever since
they probably do some freelance with their major. but they’ve probably given up on their actual career by the time they came back
they’re a good photographer tho.. just it’s now a hobby than it is a job , they used to travel all over the world to work on journalistic pieces so coming back home to a slower life is... kind of terrifying
they’re annoying bc they’re naturally talented and p much are able to pick up anything easily
the taste of salt. blowing your hair out of your eyes. never settling anywhere. laughter that carries. making friends wherever you go. wearing your heart on your sleeve. cutting through the rings of a six-pack yoke. a hermit crab with a soda can shell. the shimmer of sunlight on the ocean waves. sea glass and driftwood. a bewitching voice, echoing off the rocks. long summer nights. an air of mystery. handmade gifts. an easy smile. affection given freely. speaking your mind.
statistics.
full name: elio
nickname(s): lio, el
name meaning: sun
age: twenty-nine
date of birth: july 25th
star sign: leo
place of birth: the gem sea
current location: thistleberry valley, ferngill republic
gender: cis-male
pronouns: he/him
sexual orientation: pansexual
species: merfolk
occupation: musician, traveller, environmental activist, litter-picker n/a
family: seferino (father), aurelia (mother), a significant number of siblings
education level: self-educated
living arrangements: crashing with a friend in town
financial status: destitute by human standards
spoken languages: english, spanish
biography.
All merfolk are different, of course, but Elio's family is fairly unconventional by human standards. His mother and father are nomads, and weren't committed to each other in the way that human parents typically are, their meetings left instead to fate - as a consequence Elio has several siblings and half siblings, most of whom he's never even met.
His mother took care of him for the first few years of his life, until he was deemed capable enough to set out into the world alone. Independence is considered paramount to a merperson's survival, especially with the way things are now.
Elio isn't particularly close with either of his parents, but they are on good terms, and he's always pleased to see them when their paths cross.
A free spirit, Elio has travelled all over the world in the course of his short life, but he always returns to the coast around the Ferngill Republic. He exists happily between two worlds - land and sea.
He came to Thistleberry Valley for the first time when he was about eight years old, exploring the village in the guise of a tourist - he quickly made himself scarce when questions arose about where his parents were, moving onto the next town and starting the process over.
Independent as he is, Elio loves making friends, and can boast a great many of them up and down the country. Keeping his true nature secret means that there are precious few people that really know him, but he has a way of integrating himself into the places he visits, even if he's only there for a short while.
The older he's gotten, the more he's started to notice the declining state of the world around him, and is desperately trying to turn the tide. He has a particular loathing for the Joja Corporation, who are responsible for so much of the pollution that's steadily destroying his home, and is fairly vocal in his distaste for their presence in Thistleberry.
He tries to keep things light, but Elio is very concerned about the future of his people. If nature falls, magic will vanish, and the merfolk will disappear with it.
other things.
being a merman, elio doesn’t have a last name. it doesn’t come up that often, but on the rare occasion somebody asks, he tells them it’s ‘corriente’.
elio learnt to whittle from henry leung. the pair met when elio was only a child, and though they never discussed it, he suspects that mr leung might have guessed at his true nature.
when it comes to technology, he’s a total luddite. he’s noticed more and more people carrying portable phones in the towns he visits, but doesn’t understand the impulse.
in case it wasn’t obvious, he’s very passionate about the environment, and ocean conservation in particular. you can often find him doing a one-man beach clean-up.
elio has a tattoo of a manta ray on the right side of his ribcage.
although elio is capable of glamouring humans through song, he has to actively choose to do so (and never makes the decision lightly). even without magic he has a beautiful voice, and he loves to sing more than anything. if there's an open mic night, you can count on his attendance, and sometimes he can be found busking on the boardwalk.
if elio considers you a friend, he will make you a bracelet. he whittles the beads himself, and it takes a lot of time and effort.
