PLAYER: Matthias Blackwell	CHARACTER: Bronze
PRONOUNS: He/Him AGE: 44 ORIENTATION: Heterosexual LOCATION: Alaska OCCUPATION: Author	GENDER: <M> AGE: Adult ENABLE PKMN SPEECH? Yes PAIN THRESHOLD: Realistic TRAINER CLASS: Swimmer

OUT OF THE GAME Escapism is what defined Matthias Blackwell’s life, from the moment that he realised that books often had far more wondrous worlds contained within them, and made for better company than most people ever could. Dissatisfaction with reality and all its myriad disappointments, grand and small, has been a constant for him, since early on in his childhood. A shy boy sought solace within the tranquillity of isolation, fully embracing the comfort of being transported to other, far more intriguing worlds than the mundane one that he had been born into; Books, comics, cartoons, games and anything that could capture his imagination were his lifesblood, his constant companions, and where he derived the morality that he would cleave to even as he grew older and matured into an adult. Superheroes, knights in armour shining or tarnished, champions of the downtrodden and people who just stood up for those that needed it, that were kind, compassionate, and above all, loyal were his idols. What drew him most of all were narratives and experiences that focused upon what he craved more than anything; companionship. Bonds of friendship and fealty, loyalty and love, between people, monsters, and beings more indefinable - these were what he yearned for with all his quietly aching heart. As such, Pokemon was a mainstay in his life since the very first games were released on the now-ancient Nintendo Gameboy. He has travelled, in pixel-form of wildly varying quality, throughout all of the lands one can roam in the Pokemon world. He has toppled villainous organisations, brought low the mightiest of titans, defeated the very gods themselves, but none of this is what defined his journeys in the games. No, what truly brought Matthias back, time and time again, were the Pokemon themselves. His friends. His companions. He formed bonds with the digital creatures as deeply as one could, given the limited interactivity of the earlier formats, and he has kept every. Single. One. Of them, from his very first Charmander to the very latest that he has caught. The faded Pokemon Red cartridge holds pride of place in his game room, even now, and he sometimes boots them aging games up just to take a nostalgic walk with his geriatric companions of old. Escapism is also his livelihood, for he turned all that voracious, burning love for the impossible into his craft, by becoming an author. He has penned dozens of books, fantastical and outlandish in every way, as well as writing for numerous comics, video games, and the occasional audio drama production - wherever he might lend an extra touch of magic to others, he has done so. Despite his success in this area, his personal life remains as unfulfilling as it ever has. Having moved some years ago to the more remote portions of Alaska, Matthias tends to go for staggering lengths of time without even seeing another living person, never mind interacting with one in a significant fashion. Much of his social life is online, playing video games or speaking with others that share his interests and hobbies from afar. Matthias, at his core, is a very lonely soul. So, when the opportunity to join the beta for UNOVR arose, one would think that he would leap at such a chance, for it neatly encapsulated so much of what he desired - but he did not. He was in the midst of penning the final book in his longest running and most successful series of novels, and knew, in his heart, that if he so much as dipped a toe into UNOVR, it would never get finished. With all of his considerable self-restraint, he deferred, and waited until he was done before getting his copy. As for what the game means to him, well. Everything. It is a chance to live out his lifelong dream of stepping into a more magical and fantastical world than his own. Companionship with Pokemon that he can actually hold, journey beside and experience life with is a lifetime’s wildest imagining come true. Exploring the vastness of the world, delving into the mysterious and unknown, learning with the lore and engaging with the NPCs in a deep and meaningful fashion are what appeal to him most. And, of course; To become powerful, to exert his will upon the digital world in ways that he cannot in the real world.

INSIDE THE GAME Matthias did not elect to adopt a new persona for his adventures in UNOVR, nor did he deign to idealise his avatar in any fashion whatsoever - it is an almost exact match for his real-world counterpart, complete with every grey hair, and all the lines and wrinkles that age has marked him with. The sole difference is the colour of his eyes - blue in reality, and amber in the virtual, to match his in-game name; Bronze. He is a quiet sort, and can come across as curt or gruff, with a particularly intimidating aura given his size, the powerful build he has worked hard to maintain, and the habitual frown that often graces his brow. His capacity for social interaction is minute, as an inveterate introvert, he can only stomach talking with people or being around large crowds for a finite amount of time before he needs to go recharge. Despite this, he is, by nature, a helpful and supportive sort, balancing an innate tendency towards compassion with the cold, controlled logic of a man scarred and toughened by life and all its myriad trials. He tends to dislike it when people insist on treating the world as anything other than real - they infringe upon his suspension of disbelief, and make immersing himself in the fantastical all the more difficult. He treats all NPCs as if they were real, flesh and blood people, and is considerate of their feelings, dreams and wishes - the same is very much the case with Pokemon. They, in Bronze’s opinion, should be cherished, respected and cared for as if they were family, and to do otherwise is to invoke his disgust and, when pushed, his slow-waking, terrible ire. Bronze loves his pokemon with all his knotted, leathery heart, and he will claw his way through the depths of the most broken, hateful digital experience to ensure they stay with him. Bronze has an intense and enduring love in particular for monstrous Pokemon - the bigger, meaner and tougher looking, the better. Dragons, in particular, have ever been a favourite.

FACE CLAIMS Corvo Attano from Dishonored Corvo Attano from Dishonored

OOC NAME Amondrask / Amondrask#1105

STARTER PKMN Do you want to receive your starter in-character at the Starter Lab? NO, I'LL JUMP STRAIGHT INTO RP!