- Appearance/Physical Description:
Name: Cameron Linwood
Gender: Male
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 101 lbs.
Age: 20
Birthday: June 12th
Home Town: Lavaridge Town - Hoenn
Personality: For the most part, Cameron is a rather cheery boy, more often than not having a sly grin on his face while on his own. He has a hard time staying quiet when alone or only with his Pokemon, humming at his most silent and playing (or at least trying to play) whatever instrument he has handy at a more normal level of sound for him. At worst, he'll have full blown arguments with himself, causing some passerby to wonder if he has a screw loose or something. These arguments are little more than him playing out both sides of a conversation, though, and giving a voice to his conflicting opinions about an option. He tries to give his words a certain flare to them, speaking with a sort of passion to help give his words stronger meaning without going over the top with them, although this only makes itself readily apparent when in contests, gym battles, or conversations with someone he doesn't feel entirely comfortable with. He's more than willing to tone it down when he actually feels comfortable with someone, though, and cuts it out entirely when chatting with his Pokemon outside of battle. Or at them, depending on how one sees the situation.
Around groups of moderate size or larger, though, the teen quiets significantly, sometimes to the point that the people in the group forget that he's standing at its outskirts. As for why he'd be at the edge of a group, it's because he would shift to there as more people gathered around. He'd only speak when directly asked a question, and even then he'd keep his head tilted low, talk quietly, and keep his sentences short. He's also apt to sound indecisive if there's a conflict of ideas, either from members of the group being able to decide between two or more courses of action or if he feels something that is against what the group feels. If the group gets too large or aggressive-seeming, Cameron will even start fidgeting as he tries to inch away. He is well aware of these shortcomings among groups of people, and as such he attempts to stay out of these situations in the first place. There is one exception to a situation like that, and that is if the group does something to actually infuriate the teen. Even then, though, he'd rather just take on the one in charge as opposed to facing the whole group at once or picking them off one by one.
History: Growing up, Cameron Linwood didn't exactly fit in with the other children in Lavaridge. He was rather scrawny, for one thing, never really being able to put on much weight. For another, he didn't seem to have much of an interest in running around or watching gym battles, although that was more from not having quite the same amount of stamina as his peers than anything else. Being poked fun at for not being able to keep up with everyone else and for his rather thin figure did not help matters any. Indeed, it seemed the only thing he was really able to do for fun that did not involve sitting inside his parent's house was head down to the contest hall and watch the people and Pokemon performing. That got him a few more verbal jabs from the other boys, and although he figured they didn't mean any more by the ones directed at him than they did when they lightly mocked one another, it still made him feel rather isolated for not being "one of the boys."
As the years passed, Cameron tried to get along with some of the people around where he lived, but found himself having a hard time. While the adults were kind enough, they were more apt to want to have him on his way so that he'd stop bothering them. The difficulties with the other males his age hadn't gotten better, and had possibly worsened with age considering puberty messing with hormones and attitudes and all that. He had some success getting along with the girls around his age for a while, but again, puberty had a hand in squashing that small bit of comfort, less because of what it did to him and more because he found it harder to find opportunities to chat with the blossoming females without having to deal with the other males.
Eventually, the young teen ended up becoming a bit of a recluse, as much as he disliked it. For the most part, Cameron stayed within his parent's house, although he'd still head out to grab groceries or watch contests. It wasn't as if he sat around all day poking at his PC either, mostly because his parents tried to find him a talent of some sort to help boost his confidence. They had him practice drawing, writing, and even dancing for a short time before the trips out to Lilicove became a bit too expensive for them. Ultimately, though, they only found two areas that he seemed to excel in, those being music and theatrics. These talents only shone while he was alone, though, as he would falter when too many people were around him, making them good for little more than hobbies.
One day, the contest hall in Lavaridge a sort of talent scouting tournament or something along those lines. Ameteur trainers and people who have yet to receive their first Pokemon were to sign up for a sort of beginner's contest. People who had their own Pokemon could pick their category, while those who rented a Pokemon were sorted into categories based on what Pokemon they received. They were then given an hour to prepare, time to go over moves, practice combinations, and give their Pokemon a last-minute grooming session. Cameron decided to try and compete, seeing as he had watched contests for a long while and figured he wouldn't have an opportunity like this one again with his social shortcomings, and while did not manage to place well within the contest, he did discover that it was far easier for him to be up on stage, with most of the other people all out in the audience merely watching him, than it was to simply be part of a group of people. Certainly more pleasant than keeping himself locked up in his room, if nothing else.
For the next few years after that event, the teen debated on whether he should head out to try his hand at competing with Pokemon of his own or just staying in Lavaridge and wait for his life to pass him by. On the one hand, a return trip from Littleroot would be difficult and lengthy, as would the trip out there in the first place. More than likely, he wouldn't be able to get back to his hometown without either going through the league challenge or traveling with someone else who was. On the other, Cameron couldn't stand the idea of just staying in his little town hiding from the world when that was what he had spent a good chunk of his life doing already. Eventually, his desire to go out and see what there was to do won out, and after lightly packing some supplies so he didn't overburden himself, he gave his parents a cheery goodbye and set out to go see the region's professor.
Hoenn Pokedex
