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Name: Briar Aubrey Mackenzie

Nickname: None

Gender/Pronoun: Male (he/ him)

Age: 19

Birthday: 31 October 2002

Sign: Scorpio

Gemstone: Topaz

Blood Type: AB+

Fav. Food: chocolate chip cookies (especially when just out of the oven and gooey) and pepperoni pizza

Hated Food: porridge

School/Occupation: currently studying engineering in Dublin with an eye to specialising in civil, structural and environmental engineering after finishing the common program

Hobbies:

Reading -- Books are something that has always been readily available at home when he was growing up, so it is probably little surprise that Briar loves reading and it’s not uncommon for him to have two or even three books to read in his backpack. Briar still adores stories full of magic, heroes and fantastical creatures although he's become more reticent about admitting to it as he's gotten older, he also still enjoys to read books on animals and books about cats and foxes remain his favourite, although he also thinks that wolves and sharks are pretty neat too. Since moving abroad to study, Briar has become interested in foraging (and in particular foraging mushrooms) and has been reading up around it in addition to joining the local foraging group. He still enjoys sitting in trees and reading, when not at home or at the library, but can't climb nearly as high as he used to back when he was younger.

Swimming -- Briar really enjoys being in water and has done so from a young age, although he swims for the fun of it rather than competitively. His favourite stroke remains the backstroke, although the breaststroke comes a close second. He tries to find time to visit the local swimming pool at least once a week, usually on a Sunday (unless classes are particularly heavy), and still prefers to go at times when the pool is likely to be quieter. Briar also enjoys water parks (yes they're a little corny - but the water slides are still pretty neat) and he tries to take time to go visit the local water park a few times during summer break when he's back in Destiny City.

Foraging -- Foraging is something that Briar has only really gotten into since leaving Destiny City to study abroad. It was something he kind of 'fell into' when one of his classmates invited him to join the local foraging group, but Briar found that he really enjoys looking for 'free' food - he particularly enjoys it when the group goes foraging for mushrooms and whilst he's no where near the level of being able to go foraging for mushrooms on his own without an expert, Briar has found himself getting really into it to the point where he's been reading up around it and has also joined a couple of online groups.

Virtues:

Determined -- once he sets his mind to doing something, Briar will keep at it with all the tenacity of a terrier – he might not be loud about it but if there’s something he wants then he’s going to put all his energy and skills towards getting it and will not be easily dissuaded from his goal – 'nothing ventured nothing gained' is something he's heard often from his parents and Briar has certainly tried to hold true to the saying over the years.

Hard-working -- Briar knows that you need to put the effort in if you want to get anything done and to that end tends to throw himself 110% into things. He's always considered himself a long term person, rather than a 'now, now, now' one and is happy to put the work into things in order to reap the rewards later, even if it means putting work into something that he may not personally be particularly passionate about.

Loyal -- Briar is devoted to those that he is close to, happy to freely share in his possessions and time. Although he would not take the blame for someone else’s misdoings, if someone he considers a friend is in trouble then Briar will stick with them through thick and thin and help them to the best of his ability.

Flaws:

Blunt -- Briar has never been one to sugar coat something just to make other people feel better and nor will he flatter you. So if you ask him how do you look in an outfit then you'd better be prepared for him to tell you frankly – in all his full unvarnished opinion. This actually goes for anything that you ask his view on. It has cost him friends in the past and will likely cost him friends in the future - but Briar honestly doesn’t see it as being mean and doesn’t understand why some people seem to get upset by some of his answers as he's fully of the mentality that if you don't want to know the answer or (more to the point) don't think that you will like said answer then you really shouldn't bother asking in the first place.

Independent -- Growing up in a household with parents that worked long hours and a big brother that spent most of the year at college meant that Briar got used to getting things done for himself. He's always loved the feeling that being able to do for himself gives him, but the flip side means that Briar hates admitting that he needs help and his stock response will almost always be a ‘No’ if someone tries to ask him if he needs a hand. A quick way to annoy him is to butt in when he’s doing something, especially if he hasn’t asked you to and you can expect him to be pretty frosty with you if you try to do so

Prickly -- Briar has always found his own company or those of a few friends much more comfortable to being in a group and it can take a while for him to warm up to people that he doesn't know. Whilst he's gotten better with 'crowds' as he's gotten older, he can still come across as unwelcoming with his general default mood being either 'neutral' or (more often) 'quietly grumpy'. Whilst this prickliness is largely a self-defensive mechanism, it can make him hard to work with and can also have the side effect of turning off people from sticking around and trying to get to know the Briar under the prickly exterior.