Post by Towhee. on May 8, 2011 0:50:42 GMT -5
Let's Start with the Basics
Full Name: Gunnar Archibald Truman
Nicknames: Archie
Gender: Male
Age: 12
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Home Town: Lium Town
Type: Trainer
How About Digging Deeper
Likes:
- Himself. Yes, Gunnar does like himself quite a bit. His ego is large, and he will always think he is right. He will often try to convince you of just how completely, totally awesome he is, and will sometimes make up stories to back up his awesome-ness. It's something you got to get used to if you want to hang around him.
- Being praised. Tell Gunnar how well he's done something and he'll be your best friend. Seriously, stroking the kid's ego is the quickest way to his heart. By being praised, it makes him feel like he is being noticed, and that he has done something to constitute his being alive. However, don't just praise him because you feel you have to. He can tell when you're doing that. And don't ever do it sarcastically. Just because he's small doesn't mean he can't give you a black eye to remember him by!
- Being right. Of course! Who doesn't like it when they're right over someone else? Well, this is especially previlant for Gunnar. He always has to be right, always. He doesn't like the embarrassment that comes along with having someone tell him he's wrong. He also feels like it's his job to lead and protect everyone, and being wrong just doesn't fit in with that job description.
- Those he considers 'strong'. Unless you want this little brat following you around where ever you go, it's best not to flaunt your amazing skills around him. He's immediately attach himself to someone he considers 'strong', whether it be strength in personality or strength in battling. He feels that by hanging around others who are strong, that will help make him stronger and make people notice him more.
- Gizmo. Gunnar absolutely adores the little turtle and he trusts him over anyone or anything else. If Gizmo doesn't like you, neither does Gunnar. However, because their personalities differ so greatly, they are often at odds with each other, and it isn't uncommon to see them fighting over how to deal with a situation. Their odd relationship can be compared to that of two brothers.
- The ocean and water in general. Growing up in and around Lium Town, it is only natural that Gunnar would have a liking of the water. With seeing the ocean almost everyday when he was growing up, it was one of the few things in the young boy's life that didn't change, and it became almost like a security blanket to him. When it comes to water in general, Gunnar loves it and is a good swimmer for his age. There's no need to worry if he falls into a river or something. If the situation has to do with water, you can be sure he can take care of himself.
- People who understand him, or at least attempt to. Because of his annoying and abrasive front, most people are pushed away from Gunnar before ever getting the chance to discover the sweeter kid underneath. So, when the rare chance occurs when someone shows him some sort of decency by trying to get to know or understand him, he will immediately start to like them more. However, it'll take a while for him to be open with someone, and even if you end up being his best friend, he'll still be a brat at times. It's who he is after all.
Dislikes
- Himself. Yes. Gunnar has a sort-of love-hate relationship with himself. While it seems on the outside that he is in love with himself, deeper down he is really insecure and is constantly judging himself. He often wonders if he is worth anything more than just the air he breathes, but he would never let anyone see that. If he let himself come off as weak, he would start to judge himself even more than he already does.
- Losing. Gunnar's a kid afterall, and what kid likes to lose? No, winning is everything for Gunnar. Only the weak lose, and weak is something Gunnar can't be seen as. If he does lose a battle, he'll come up with some excuse for losing, like he went easy on his opponent or they cheated. He will never admit to losing just because he wasn't strong enough.
- Being told he's wrong. Seriously. Don't ever tell Gunnar he is wrong. He doesn't take to kindly to people thinking they know more than him, and he'll let you know it too.
- Change. With the world always changing, Gunnar always seems to be getting left behind. Because of this, he really dislikes change. He just can't seem to adapt quickly enough to keep up with change, and has thus just rejected it all together. The most notable results of this dislike are him always wearing his hair the same, always carrying around the same large messenger bag wherever he goes, and always wearing a red bandanna around his neck.
- Maps and being lost. Seriously. The kid can't read a map to save his life, and he has the worst sense of direction. This often leads him to getting himself lost and ending up in different places than he had originally planned on going to. However, despite this, he will always have a map with him, and will act like he knows what he's doing when he attempts to read it. He can't just let anyone know he's lost, right? That would be out of character.
- "Touchy" people. He really hates people who are all 'touchy feely'. People who hug others for no reason or have to touch people when their talking are definitely not his favorite types of people. It's really unnecessary to have to touch others to show how you're feeling. So, yeah, try to keep your distance.
- Dangerous situations. Because of his dislike of blood, Gunnar would rather stay away from situation that could cause bodily harm to himself. However, because of his tendency to rush into situations without thinking, he often throws himself into just these kinds of situations without meaning to.
Phobias
- Acrophobia : the fear of heights
- The fear of losing someone close to him : no exact phobia name
- Hemophobia : Fear of blood (not exactly a phobia, but he still doesn't like blood in large amounts. A small scrape is fine, but he'll freak out if there is much more.)
Overall Personality:
The most popular phrase people use to describe Gunnar is 'vexatious little punk'.
From this one phrase, it is obvious that Gunnar isn't a very well liked or popular kid, especially among those older than him. He's loud, abrasive, and very opinionated. If he has something he wants to say, he will say it without thinking about the consequences. And his ego is as big as his mouth. All in all, Gunnar gives off the front of an obnoxious little brat who doesn't care about anything but making himself look better than everyone else.
To start off, Gunnar loves to hear himself talk. If he's not voicing his complaints and opinions to others, he's mumbling them to himself. Usually the only time he's completely silent is when he's sleeping. He also complains about everything. If things aren't going the way he wants them too, he will get flustered and just start complaining about every little thing. This is especially prevalent in battles. If you pull a tricky move or cause one of his Pokemon to faint, he'll start complaining about how it's not fair or something. He can't stand losing, and will get very upset if and when he does. He is only a kid, after all, so he's bound to lose quite a lot until he gets stronger.
Speaking of becoming stronger, Gunnar's got the mindset of most young trainers his age. He wants to be the very best, to become the Pokemon Master, or at the very least one of the Elite Four. However, unlike most kids who give up two weeks into their adventure, Gunnar's got a bit more vigor and drive. He will do whatever it takes to make himself and his Pokemon stronger, and he won't stop until he's reached his goal. Although no one's quite sure why his feelings are so intense about this, it is most likely because of his subconscious wish to be noticed and loved. Being looked down on his whole life put the idea into his brain that he must become someone of higher status and skill to be of any value to himself and others.
Because he thinks he's going to become the next champion, Gunnar's developed an ego the size of Wailord. He's constantly exaggerating and lying about his accomplishments and faults in an attempt to make himself look better than he actually is. He wouldn't dare admit he did something wrong or foolish, and will yell at you if you tell him he did, even if he knows in his heart he was wrong. He hates people who think they're better than him because they're older or who think they know what's best for him. This causes him to push away most people who actually have his best intentions at heart because he is too stubborn to see past the words to see the true intention behind them.
But, behind this obnoxious, 'don't-need-anyone' front is a normal young boy. He can be loving, and once you get to know him, he can be quite the joy to have around. He’ll be sure to make every moment you spend with him a memorable one. However, because he's still in the process of growing up and seeing just how harsh the world can be, Gunnar has a lot of insecurities. He doesn't know much about the world, or himself for that matter, so he just projects these insecurities on others in his annoying attitude. He tends to cry easily, as most young kids do, but he will never let you see him shed a tear. He also has a lot of fears, but he will never let you know them on purpose because that would make him seem weak, which is something he just can't be seen as, despite only being 12-years old.
Gunnar also feels like it's his job to protect everyone and everything, especially those things that he considers close to him. He's not the type of person to just walk past someone in need. He'll do whatever he can to help, even if that means putting himself in danger. However, when you try to thank him afterwards, he won't just accept it. He'll make up some silly excuse for why he had to help you, and if he can't think up anything, he'll just shrug off your thanks and say something insensitive like "Don't get used to it".
So over-all, despite being a complete pain in the butt, Gunnar can actually be a decent kid if you can stand him long enough to see his good side.
Height: 4' 7''
Weight: 89 lb
Body Type: Very slim and non muscular
Hair Color: Light Brown
Eye Color: Amber
Health Status: Perfectly healthy
Face Claim: KAROL CAPEL from Tales of Vesperia
As We Come to a Close
Family:
( listing only those important to life thus far )
Stephany Elizabeth Truman : mother : 28 : living
Benjamin Carter McDevit : father : 30 : living (location unknown)
History:
Despite only being twelve years old, Gunnar has had quite the eventful life so far. However, not all of it was events that he would like to look back upon and laugh. In fact, despite being so young, the kid has faced more heartbreak than most grown men. This created the obnoxious, brat we know as Gunnar Archibald Truman today.
The story began on a quiet winter morning in Lium Town. Gunnar was born to a couple who believed they were very much in love, despite only being together for a year. That's right, Stephany had gotten pregnant with Gunnar just two months into her relationship with his father, Benjamin. But, at the time, they didn't care. They thought they could never be any more in love with each other, so why wait for marriage to bless the world with a child of their own? Well, they were half right. They were never again more in love than they were in the first few years of their relationship.
Gunnar doesn't remember much from the early years of his life, only that it was the most stable period of his life and arguably the period where he was the happiest. His father worked as a small business owner in Lium, selling beach accessories and the like to tourists and travelers. The business was great at first. The family always seemed to have spare money and lived comfortably in their three bedroom house. Gunnar can remember looking out the window next to his crib to see the ocean rippling on the horizon with the silhouettes of Wingulls on the setting sun. It is the one memory that Gunnar seems to hold onto the strongest, and whenever he is down, he will think of this memory to get him up again.
However, when Gunnar was around the age of 5, things started to take a turn for the worse. Business at the shop had been dropping for a couple of years, but now his father was lucky to get one or two customers a day. With the utilities and the cost of the house, his father just couldn't afford to keep running the shop anymore, and was forced to shut it down, leaving the family with no means of income. With no money to pay the bills, the family was soon forced out of their comfortable house into a cramped, run down one bedroom house on the boondocks of the city. It was a hard adjustment, especially for Gunnar's mother, who was constantly complaining about the whole situation. It was around this time that the still unmarried couple started to grow apart.
A few months after losing the shop, Gunnar's father got a job as a deckhand on a traveling merchant ship. It didn't pay nearly as good as the shop once did, and it forced Benjamin to be away for weeks at a time. With his father never home, Gunnar's mother was forced to take upon all the duties of house chores along with the duties of raising a rambunctious young boy by herself. She was a good mother, but not the greatest she could be. Because of all the other duties forced upon her, Gunnar often was left neglected, sometimes even having to steal a few dollars to go buy food for himself and his mother if she got to wrapped up in her other duties. And, without a stern father to keep him in line, he often got himself into trouble that could have otherwise been avoided. However, despite his father not being around, he still loved his father with all his heart, and did what he could to get his attention when he was home, most times to no avail.
Despite knowing that his parents had not been getting along, Gunnar didn't know how serious it had become until one day his father was scheduled to have come home from a trip. He had raced down the stairs, expecting to see his father there eating his morning breakfast, only to see an empty chair and a grieving mother. His father had never come home the night before, and had called early in the morning to inform the boy's mother that he would not be coming home again. He had left them to fend for themselves, no longer able to stand the responsibility of having to take care of a family.
Life got tougher than ever after that. Gunnar's mother was forced to get a job to support herself and her child, leaving Gunnar alone for most of the day. In fact, Gunnar basically had to learn to raise himself. He taught himself how to cook, and picked up on the chores that his mother could not do because she was working. When he wasn't doing the chores, he was out of the house wandering. Most of the time he wandered around the beach, being soothed by the constant songs of the Wingulls as they flew around the water.
One day, stumbled upon two trainer battling. One of them was a troublesome teen that Gunnar had often seen harassing the townspeople before. However, the other trainer, a rather odd looking older man clad in all purple, was someone he had never seen before in his life. The unknown trainer quickly defeated the other with his sky-bound Pokemon, sending the teen off twenty dollars poorer than he was before. Gunnar was in awe. He had never seen anyone battle like that before! Suddenly, the man approached him, apparently noticing his visible admiration. After a short conversation between the two with Gunnar expressing his wish to someday be a trainer, the man told him to follow him to the Pokemon Center just a few block away. After a quick PC transaction, Gunnar was given a Pokemon egg. After telling him to keep following his dream and to train that Pokemon with respect and love, the man was gone without even telling Gunnar his name.
A week or two of tender care later, a small Squirtle hatched from the egg. Gunnar was ecstatic. Finally, his very own Pokemon! Now he could leave this dead end life and create a life of his own. And, his mother wouldn't have to worry about carrying about him anymore. It was a win-win situation. With a short goodbye to his mother, Gunnar was off on his journey. And that leads us to where the boy is today. Will he ever become strong enough to beat the Arena Heads and become noticed like he wants to? One can only hope.
Starter Pokemon:
Gizmo
Squirtle
Male
Torrent
Egg Move: Mirror Coat
