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HL - Spencer Saint-Claire

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:new: Totem Change!!

:iconharvest-lunatone:

"I look weird? Hehe, you look weird!"



~The Basics~



:bulletgreen:Name: Spencer Bellegarde Saint-Claire
:bulletgreen:Age: 27 (debut 22)
:bulletgreen:Gender: Agender (they/them)
:bulletgreen:Pokemon: Brionne
:bulletgreen:Height: 5"9'
:bulletgreen:Body style: Tall, Lanky
:bulletgreen:Birthday: July 31st
:bulletgreen:Home Island: Mystery Isle

:bulletgreen:Personality: Jolly nature, Impetuous and Silly
(+Loving, +Optimistic, =Vain, =Lighthearted, -Impractical, -Escapist) 

Spencer is a genuinely happy person - more so that one would ever expect.

The fun-loving Brionne has their eccentricities that have led to a good few rumors about their strangeness floating around in the past. Their affinity for plants and cultivation, their skin, their perpetual grin. But they came about largely because the fact that Spencer is incredibly familiar with pretty much everyone. They adore company to a fault, and will treat everyone like their best friend. Spencer's mannerisms never helped much with the rumors, since they have a tendency to ramble and scatter large words into their conversation with surprising appropriateness. They recite verses from their favorite poems occasionally in conversation (and sometimes, these verses are in French). Their eagerness to meet others often works against them, since their behavior is eccentric at best, and it puts some people off. Yet despite this, there is some semblance of what you could call a 'normal' person beyond their unusual surface. Spencer's sibling attitude towards other people means that they are very protective of others, even those they just met. Spencer's approach to their loved ones is one of excessive lauding and frequent hugs, if allowed. Spencer treats all their friends like their were prophets of their religion, praising their name and putting faith in their capacity for good. However, Spencer is not infinitely permissive. People hear what they need to hear, as long as Spencer feels like they're in the right to say something. Their approach to everything is generally lighthearted, and they often refer to people as 'neighbor', 'friend,' or 'brother/sister' depending on their familiarity with them. Their jolliness is self-evident and very easy to recognize.

Spencer places a lot of faith in what lies beyond the mortal world. They pray periodically, but no one really knows to whom or what they pray to, themself included. Spencer has a lot of respect for the dead, and for people older than them, and periodically lets the departed spirits of their family members know what they're up to while they're working. One of Spencer's favorite rumors about them from their childhood was that they could speak to the dead. This hasn't been proven, and this hasn't been disproven. But Spencer believes this themself, and often talks about their departed loved ones like they were still alive, despite knowing and realizing on most every level that they are gone. Spencer does not fear death as many would expect of a young person, and accepts no it as a natural phenomenon of living beings. This reverence for the dead might explain a little bit of Spencer's reckless behavior, which suggests a complete disregard for personal safety. It also hides a darker, more vulnerable part of Spencer, which is their crippling fear of the future. They hate talking about it with a passion, and disike planning for it. However Spencer's physical health often prevents them from doing anything that could be really dangerous. This doesn't stop them from testing their limits and seeing how far is 'too much'. Spencer refuses to let people know about the status of their health. Why does it matter? That's a problem for Future Spencer, someone Right Now Spencer doesn't think about much at all. All that matters is having fun and being a good friend, right? And karaoke.

:new: Spencer has had a tumultuous past few years - and it shows in the way they've grown. No longer so reluctant to plan for the future, Spencer shows a more measured dislike for the mental exercises of imagining the future, but has come to accept that there isn't a responsible way for them to avoid it. Spencer has become a bit less selfish about their hedonism, and while they still prioritize having fun and being kind, there is a very clear element of foresight that they hadn't had before. No longer quite so reckless, Spencer's chaotic nature has found a happy home in the way they interact with daily life. Recipes are meant to be improvised, journeys are meant to be winding, and messes are meant to be messy! They have found a balance between loving the present and respecting the future, but despite this newfound maturity, they're still the silly, vain, and compassionate person they always were.


~History~



--Seeds--

Spencer's story starts out at the bottom - one of their first memories was of their father's funeral. Carried by their mother, a Toxicroak, who was standing next to the three older Saint-Claire children. The eldest, 16 year old Lucelia the Golbat. The twins, Colette and Carmichael, both Durant; 9 years old. And little Spencer, at the precious age of 18 months, the only grass type in the family, did not understand why everyone was crying. 

A year after their father's death, their mother's sister Ranita (a Drapion) moved in, to help raise Sarita Saint-Claire's children, and to take over Murdoch Saint-Claire's place in the family cafe. Spencer realized that at one point they had a dad, and asked Aunt Ranita about him all the time as a young bulbasaur. Kindly Aunt Ranita always entertained them, telling them all the fantastic stories about what Murdoch was like, and how he ran his cafe, and how he loved Sarita and his children more than life itself, and how he looked down from the stars and kissed Spencer good night every night from the beyond. And the way she told those stories about the kindly Ferrothorn changed the young child's attitude towards death forever. Murdoch Saint-Claire was a wonderful man, and even though Spencer couldn't see him or touch him, he wasn't gone forever. He was theirs. From that point on, Spencer was convinced that the cycle of life and death was something beautiful and mysterious. This was the guiding belief that brought them where they are now.

--Seedlings-

Spencer's childhood was nothing extraordinary. At three they decided boyhood was overrated, and decided to live on their own term. By the time they got into grade school, it had been about five years since Murdoch died, and the family was doing much better. Aunt Ranita still lived with them, and co-owned the cafe. Spencer went to school, made friends, lost friends, some more combinations of the two, did homework, helped out at the cafe after school, and did all sorts of things considered typical for a child. However the normalcy of Spencer's life didn't last very long. Their daily routine was adorned with increasingly frequent visits to the school nurse for coughing, sluggishness, or fever. These bizarre spells of sickness usually lasted a few days a month, and then disappeared without a trace. Sarita was concerned about how her youngest child's health was, since neither the school nurse nor any doctor they visited could isolate a cause for the illnesses. All the medicines that they gave Spencer only seemed to make their health worse. Spencer was even assigned an 'older sibling' at their school to help them stay on track of class and homework. The girl who came to the house one day, Faith Ben Shalev, was certainly an unexpected big sibling for the child - after all, she was so reckless and eccentric! But it turned out that this didn't matter much at all. Faith "Lucky" Ben Shalev slowly became Spencer's best friend, and her involvement in Spencer's life was received with immense gratitude from the Saint-Claire family - so much so that they started opening the door for her indefinitely, providing their company as a welcome refuge whenever Faith needed a break from her own house.

But even Lucky, who went out of her way to help them and understand their bizarre ailment, couldn't keep Spencer on top of everything they had to do. By the time Spencer was in 7th grade, they called in sick so frequently that the school threatened to fail them for all their missed school days.

Eventually they did narrow down a cause though. A kindly torterra man living in their neighborhood suggested that there might be some plant disease that Spencer devleoped due to all the pollution and toxins in Virbank. The insight led to a sudden lifestyle change for the child. Spencer was immediately put on an all-natural diet and was made to stay inside as much as possible, especially on weekdays when all the cars were out and the carbon monoxide ran rampant in the air. Spencer was confused by the sudden change in how they managed their life, but they were also relieved. The new regimen was much kinder to their body, and their number of sick days slowly started to diminish. Unfortunately, Spencer was painfully bored most of the time.

Then one day, Aunt Ranita pulled Spencer aside and presented them with a small pot filled with dirt. It was an uncommon sight in a big, industrial city like Virbank, she explained, but where she and Sarita grew up, it was common for people to have little plants they would take care of. 12 year old Spencer was at first adamant about the idea. Why bother with shrimpy little plants? They had their own plant problems to deal with. But after a few days of watering Spencer noticed something that would change their mind forever. The tiniest hint of green sticking out from the dirt. Small, clean, and weak looking. It moved the Bulbasaur's fragile little heart seeing this new life emerge from the pot. That was theirs. They did that. They wondered if their father could see it too.

--Shoots--

In the years that followed, Spencer adopted more and more plants, and spent their free time learning everything they could about them. Since their leisure activities were limited by their fragile composition and limit to indoor activities, Spencer started considering the plants adequate company in the times when their siblings were at school and when Lucky wasn't around to hang out with. They admired the plants' beautiful leaves and elegant stalks, or their awkward bodies and garish flowers. It became clear to everyone who saw them take care of their plants that they found something they truly loved. 

Thankfully with this new health regime, Spencer's body began to slowly become stronger. Their plant collection grew larger and larger, and took up a good part of Spencer's room. But Spencer had things to focus on now. Their school allowed them to start streaming their classes and doing exams in their house, proctored by a special requirements counselor. Somehow the child became remarkably skilled with the technology needed to keep up with their coursework, and often showed their gear off to Lucky when she visited. But things changed when the Whirlipede came to 14-year-old Spencer with some news that was frankly a bit difficult for the kid to hear - she was going to college. She wouldn't be around to hang with them anymore. 

Spencer moped for a good part of the next two weeks - their only friend had picked up and moved on with her life without them! But they didn't feel any animosity towards her for it - they knew that she needed to do this. But losing their favorite playmate meant that Spencer needed something else to cccupy their time... and they decided to focus on their plants. They experimented with breeding flowers to exhibit new colors, cultivating home-grown vegetables and fruits, and using leaves and flower petals to make sweet perfumes and cooking oils. Their seemingly innate green thumb attracted a lot of attention from the neighbors, who would occasionally catch the scent of the plants during intervals when Spencer would open the window. How bizarre it was seeing such pretty plants in a place like this? Growing up in Virbank must have hardened them to the air quality, because they looks amazing.

That's when the sales began. Neighbors and their friends who heard of the reasonably-priced flowers and bonsai plants and vegetables and succulents started clamoring for a nice little potted plant of their own. Spencer's little childhood hobby had turned into a small business, and they loved everything about it. They spent most of their free time caring for their plants, and now they were getting paid for it too? They couldn't imagine doing anything different with their life.

--Sunflowers--

As much fun as Spencer had in Virbank, being the strange witch-doctor who grew way too many plants in their room, they realized that they were nearing adulthood and couldn't continue living with their mother much longer, especially once they finished high school. They were far too sensitive to the environment of the city to work in the family cafe, and they didn't feel like college would be the best option for them. But they knew what they loved most, and that was their plants. They knew that making a living based around growing plants would be perfect for them.

So Spencer presented an appeal to their mother a few months before their 19th birthday, asking her if they could move out of Unova and find a quiet, natural place for them to start a farm. They loved their plants, and the plants obviously loved them and thrived under their care - their energy would be best spent growing and cultivating lots and lots of plants of their own. Sarita was hesitant to agree at first, since Spencer was still very weak. But they had gotten a lot stronger since they were a child, and they had a point. The fresh air would do wonders for them. Plus it was clear to anyone who met them how passionate Spencer was about gardening and growing. It seemed fair to let them go.

Spencer left Unova with their mother's blessing. They left all their beloved plants to the care of Aunt Ranita, and just enough money for a plane ticket and a nice plot of land. Where would they find themself in the long run? No one could tell for sure.

But from the plane window, Spencer looked at the stars and thought about their father kissing them goodnight, and decided that wherever it was, it would be just fine.

--Gardens--

Spencer was so sure their reputation as the creepy gardener kid would travel over with them, but no! It seems that only one of the many people Spencer met actually finds them disagreeable. Perhaps this place was better than it was cut out to be. Spencer has made friends, made foes, been broken down, been built up. Their fragile core has gotten weaker, but their zeal for life has strengthened. 

One may wonder if this is in anticipation of something... or perhaps Spencer is just becoming stronger in character...?

:new: --Forests--

Spencer had a tumultuous 2020, having gotten married the fall prior and finding that married life was probably not what they thought it was. They felt a strong connection to their spouse, but it wasn't really romantic in the way he felt about them, and that began to stress Spencer out. When their spouse moved away for work, it became more clear to Spencer that the relationship wasn't a mutual effort - they got married because their spouse loved them, and less because they loved him back. The divorce was clean, but the aftermath was messy. Spencer had to contend with, for the first time, that not thinking about the future really really hurt someone they genuinely cared about. 

Newly divorced and desperate to get their life back together, Spencer did some soul-searching and decided that they didn't want to be so heavily online anymore. They put their channel on indefinite hiatus and began looking for a new job. The small business economy of Raccolto was enough to keep Spencer afloat with just the garden, but they wanted to do something else, something that highlighted their individual talents... and something that didn't remind them so much of their marriage or their previous lack of foresight that led to it. This process was complicated and exhausting. Spencer was lost, and they didn't know how to navigate a world that they spent so much time not planning for. They were used to doing what they want with little regard for tomorrow, next week, next year; and now, with new perspective and a moral imperative to look to the future, they realized they didn't know what to do. 

But things changed rapidly and unexpectedly for Spencer when they found something unexpected in the woods near their garden - a young magnemite boy named Christian who ran away from his foster family. Spencer asked the boy if he wanted a place to stay while they called the police to get in touch with his foster family, and when the family came to pick Chris up, grateful and overwhelmed, they broke down sobbing in Spencer's living room - Christian didn't like living with them, and they didn't know how to take care of his needs in the environment they lived in. Moved by the genuine concern the foster parents had for Chris, and encouraged by how calm Chris seemed to be at their place, they offered to babysit Chris whenever he was feeling overwhelmed, and the family gratefully accepted. Chris seemed quite happy with the arrangement - Spencer's house was quiet, and he liked quiet places. 

Spencer spent a few weeks taking care of Chris now and then and was put in touch with his social worker, a young Shiftry woman named Carter, and found that even with their own skill with children, there was a bit of a curve in learning how to help Chris. He was eager to help out in the garden or with the pets and seemed to thrive in that context, and took a lot of pleasure in helping out where he could, but he was very sensitive to noise, and loud noises would startle him so much that his magnets would spin and create EM fields strong enough to disrupt any nearby electronics, after which he would feel guilty. Spencer was surprised by the cycles of overwhelm and guilt that Chris seemed to experience. Spencer found themself calling Carter a lot, and it took a long time to convince the boy that the diruption of electronics wasn't because he was bad. But on the whole, Chris liked spending time with Spencer, and Spencer found a lot of fulfillment in taking care of him. This stood out to Spencer - they hadn't felt fulfilled doing anything else they tried to do. Maybe working with kids was what they were meant to do. 

After getting the necessary certification, Spencer started babysitting as a full time job - their home was clean and safe and their pets were very docile and well trained, and the kids really liked getting to play with Spencer's plushies and helping prep cookie dough for an after-school snack. The home was busy and Spencer found the space much less lonely, and they took a lot of care in making sure each child was uniquely cared for. They found, however, that Chris was spending more and more time at their place instead of with his foster parents, sometimes demanding that his foster parents let him stay the night. Spencer didn't think much of this for a while - they didn't see themself as the 'parental' type; they were more of the cool family member who helped out with the kids, much like their own aunt was for them. But they were directly confronted with the possibility of that responsibility when Chris told them one day that he didn't want to leave. He liked it here, and he liked Spencer, and he didn't want to go back to his foster family. It was surprising to hear for sure, but when asked if he was sure, Chris didn't hesitate to say yes. 

So Spencer asked if it would be okay for them to adopt him, and Chris 


Chris and Spencer have a good relationship, but neither see it much like a parent-child relationship at the moment. They both recognize it as a legal guardian-dependent dynamic, one that is extra-familial but beneficial for Chris in the long term. He refers to Spencer by name and to his deceased birth parents as mom and dad, and it's clear, even beyond his childish whimsy, he is still grieving. Spencer doesn't refer to themself as anything other than Chris's legal guardian, even if they are legally his parent now, but it's undeniable that they really love Chris and want the best for him, whatever that ends up meaning.


~Pokemon Details~



:bulletblue:Ability: Torrent - Water type moves increase power when in low health

:bulletgreen:Moveset:
:iconfairytypeplz: Aromatic Mist
:iconwatertypeplz: Hydro Pump
:iconwatertypeplz: Z-Aqua Ring
:iconnormaltypeplz: Sing

~Occupation~



:bulletgreen:Job: Farmer
:bulletgreen:Farm Name: Belle Gardens (it's a terrible pun on their middle name aahaha)

:bulletyellow:Secondary Job: Business Owner
:bulletyellow:Business Name: Little Ivy Childcare Services
:bulletyellow:Stock Type: Babysitting and at-home Childcare

:bulletgreen:Dog/Cat species: Houndour (F)

:bulletgreen:Dog/Cat name: Gudrun - Gudrun is a very smart, very lazy old dog who lived on the farm long before Spencer got there. She's a big diva and a drama queen, but respects the busy schedules of others unlike a certain dragonair we know about. Spencer didn't name her - they literally just found her in the farm with a collar tag saying "GUDRUN" really big across it. They don't really care much for the name, but they're a big sucker for Gudrun's occasional requests for belly rubs. She responds to commands as long as they're in Norwegian. This has become an issue for Spencer. Spencer does not speak Norwegian.


:bulletgreen:Talents:

-Spencer is remarkably skilled with regards to technology. They can put computers and device readers together in a short time if they manage to focus on their task.
-Spencer is a fairly good poet, and publishes poems on a blog under the alias little_iveee. They update regularly, but get really flustered about showing anyone offline their poems. Most of the poems are about nature and death, but they always treat both subjects with reverence instead of fear. 
-Spencer obviously has something of a green thumb. It's like a golden thumb. Plants love them. Most of the time.
-actual wild bug magnet does this qualify as a talent
- Spencer is a natural with children, and finds their 

~Extra~



:bulletgreen:Ethnicity: Haitian/Telugu
:bulletgreen:Star Sign: Leo
:bulletgreen:Theme Song: 'Fern Beard'- The Submarines
"In the beginning we all start as a tiny seed, then a tender sprout. With water, light, and the hope of love, we grow up toward the skies above..."

:bulletgreen:Fun Facts:

-Faith 'Lucky' Ben Shalev belongs to birdmir! She and Spencer are bffs, a forced to be reckoned with. An unstoppable force meeting and immovable wall. Things get hectic when they get involved in stuff together
-Spencer can speak fluent French, but doesn't prefer to, and only speaks it with their mother and aunt. Spencer only knows very little Telugu.
-Spencer's illness is a plant disease called downy mildew. Murdoch also had this disease, and it took time to kill him because of his steel type.
-Spencer has a phobia of fungi, and won't touch or even get close to mushrooms or mushroom pokemon. 
-Because of Spencer's unusual health concerns, they don't eat any processed foods. Only fresh stuff for them.
-They brew their own coffee. It has to be natural and there can't be all that fluff in it. Sugar is the only thing that works. 
-Spencer is very, very superstitious, but their superstitions are a bit different from most. They will do anything to keep from displeasing the departed souls.
-In this regard, Spencer is atheistic (aside from belief in the existence of legendaries, not like they have a religion) but very spiritual.
-Incredibly sensitive skin on their hands and feet - it kind of acts like a plant's roots - it'll absorb most things that can pass through a root's cell membranes at a ridiculously fast rate. This may be the reason why they were so sensitive to the Virbank pollution.
-Spencer doesn't have kidneys! In fact, they don't even have a full small intestine. They way their body works is a fascinating if not disgusting topic. Spencer is now 100% mammal with 100% of the mammal insides

:bulletgreen:Things I've learned from RPs
-Spencer uses a ton of filler words
-They will not touch grass types... under any circumstance.  The only exception is Florian, and that exception came about by trial and error. They don't want to infect anyone with their disease.
-Out of habit and respect, they will always wear their gardening gloves when going out or working in the field.
-Spencer loves adverbs more than someone ever should.
-Spencer is very open about most things. It can be offputting to strangers.
-Spencer's favorite movie is 'Monty Seviper and the Holy Grail.' They know every line and often voice over their favorites when watching. 
-Despite quoting old French poetry on occasion, Spencer doesn't like old literature and prefers spinning up poems themself.
-Spencer is highly impractical, and often jumps to outlandish conclusions before settling on the most obvious one.

-When Spencer chooses to speak in French... They probably are doing it for show. But if they do say anything of substance in French, it will be in brackets [like this]. Unless your character Speakes French or Haitian Creole, they should not be able to understand.

:bulletgreen:Courtship:

Sexualty: Asexual, Aromantic
Relationship Status: Single and Staying that way!

Loved Gifts: beautiful potted plants
  "Oh, what an awesome gift! Are you a psychic? You certainly have the intuition of one! Thank you SO much!
Liked Gifts: pretty stones, bouquets, ceramics, offbeat jewelry, cute clothes 
  "OH wow! This is exquisite. Thanks a ton for the effort it must have taken you to get this for me!"
Disliked Gifts food, large books, 
  "This is uh... thoughtful, yes. Thoughtful of you! Thank you."
Hated Gifts: candles, mushrooms, anything that may insult the dead
  "Oh dear. Yeahhhh, I’m not super into this. Sorry buddy.”




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CreativeBomb's avatar
Hi there! If I've already met you, then you get a free hi~ If we haven't, then this is the first! I'm hopping around apps to see who my character hasn't officially met yet, and your's fits the bill! I'd love to do an art trade or RP with you, so hit me up if you're interested via notes, a comment back, or on the Discord Chat!
Here's my boy here; I hope to hear from you soon!
Harvest Lunatone App: Raoul the Gardevoir by CreativeBomb