PLAYER: David Cooper	CHARACTER: Celastrina Nestlewood
PRONOUNS: he/him AGE: 30 ORIENTATION: Straight LOCATION: New York, NY OCCUPATION: Librarian	GENDER: F AGE: Child ENABLE PKMN SPEECH? Yes PAIN THRESHOLD: Realistic TRAINER CLASS: Gardener

OUT OF THE GAME In public life, David is the kind of man who easily blends into a crowd. He lives an ordinary life, working a quiet job at the local library. He doesn't seem to have much ambition. However, despite being generally content with his place in the world, there's still a part of David that has always longed for something different- for a life of grand adventure. It began with Pokémon: not the games at first, but rather the anime. The story of Ash Ketchum hit US television when David was 6 years old, and the idea of a group of kids exploring the world, seeing far-off places, and meeting creatures with incredible powers left a big impression. Once his parents started allowing him to own video games, the Pokémon series was one of the ones he made sure to get into. His favorite characters in the franchise were mainly the Gym Leaders. He thought it was cool that even though their devotion to a specific type put them at a disadvantage, they stuck with it and could still be tough opponents for both Ash and the games' protagonists. Pokémon served as a gateway series, leading David into more of the gaming world. He got into action-adventure games like Zelda, and eventually tabletop RPGs. Living as he did in a big city, games like these were a way for David to imagine himself in other worlds, taking on adventures like those of Ash or Link. As an adult, David wasn't as interested in Pokémon as he'd been as a kid, but when, seemingly out of nowhere, a Pokémon game was announced alongside Nintendo's new fully immersive VR console, he knew he had to get in on it. He was surprised at how different it was from the Pokémon world he was familiar with from the games and anime, but even if it wasn't what he expected, UNOVR was a chance to get as close as possible to the real Pokémon trainer experience. As for what kind of character he would play? David thought he should draw on his past gaming experience, paying homage to a memorable character from a classic game- one who seemed like she might make a good Gym Leader. Besides, what better way to see the Pokémon world than through the eyes of a child?

INSIDE THE GAME Celastrina's appearance is modeled on that of Agitha from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess- a young girl who imagined herself as the "Insect Princess" and would give Link money and wallet upgrades for collecting bugs around the world and bringing them to her. David didn't want Celastrina to be an exact copy of Agitha, however. Instead, he took her in a more elf-like direction. Celastrina (friends can call her Rina) is, like her Hylian inspiration, an elegant, well-mannered child who loves insects, in this case bug-type Pokémon. However, while Agitha's interest in bugs is a childish eccentricity rooted in her own fantasies, Rina gives the impression that her connection to insects is part of a deeper connection to nature itself. She also has an affinity for Grass and Fairy types, but bugs are her favorites. She frequently shows great reverence for legendary Pokémon, treating them like gods or nature spirits. Her goal is to create her own Bug-type gym (albeit one unsanctioned by the developers) in the form of a beautiful butterfly garden- or, well, Beautifly garden. Of course, right now, as far as this world is concerned, she's just a child with no accomplishments to her name. To make her dream come true, Rina will have to gather a strong circle of Pokémon friends and earn the right to make a mark on the world. Thus, she sets out on a long journey...

FACE CLAIMS Sakaguchi Ango from Bungou Stray Dogs Agitha from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

OOC NAME Kayube#6177

STARTER PKMN Do you want to receive your starter in-character at the Starter Lab? YES, AND RANDOMIZE MY STARTER!