A Poison-type specialist? Really? I see how it is… :P [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019e4d7d-2af0-746b-aa21-7e6046cd5de9.webp[/img] [color=pink]Quote:[/color] “If you underestimate a Pokémon because it looks cute, that’s not the Pokémon’s problem. That’s yours.” [color=pink]Full Name:[/color] Callum Hazelwood [color=pink]Age:[/color] 24 [color=pink]Year at the Institute:[/color] Second Year [color=pink]Favorite Color:[/color] [color=pink]Pink[/color] [color=pink]Thesis Subject:[/color] “More Than Adorable: The Evolutionary, Social, and Behavioral Functions of Cuteness in Pokémon.” Callum’s research focuses on how perceived cuteness affects Pokémon survival, human bonding, trainer behavior, adoption rates, socialization, threat reduction, and battle underestimation. He wants to challenge the idea that cute Pokémon are just ornamental, beginner-friendly, or less serious than stronger-looking Pokémon. In his eyes, cuteness can be a real adaptive advantage. [color=pink]Appearance:[/color] Callum has a soft, put together look that makes him seem a little more delicate than he actually is. He is around average height with a slender build, neat features, and the kind of carefully crafted appearance that makes it obvious he spent time getting ready, even if he insists he “just threw something on.” His hair is always styled, usually a bit too neatly for someone who claims not to care that much. His clothes tend to lean soft and pastel, with a lot of blush pink, cream, powder blue, and lavender. He usually wears things like cardigans, pressed shirts, nice trousers, and small accessories that are cute without being too over-the-top. He likes embroidered details, enamel pins, and anything that makes an outfit feel coordinated. His research bag is usually stuffed with notebooks, field journals, Pokémon treats, sticky notes, and at least one fancy pen he absolutely did not need but bought anyway. He looks like someone who belongs at a Contest Hall and a research library at the same time, which is basically the point. [color=pink]Personality:[/color] Callum is sweet, polite, and usually very put together, though he is not quite as harmless as he looks. He has a soft way of speaking and tends to come across as gentle at first, but he can get surprisingly sharp when someone dismisses him or his research. He is used to people hearing the words “cute Pokémon” and assuming he must not be doing anything serious, so he has developed a bit of a quiet competitive streak. He genuinely loves cute things, pretty things, and soft aesthetics, which probably does not help his case when he is trying to convince people that his work is serious. Still, he refuses to pretend he is less interested in those things just to seem more academic. Callum can be fussy, a little vain, and very particular about his notes and supplies, but he is also thoughtful and observant. He tends to notice when people or Pokémon are uncomfortable, even when they are trying to hide it. Around friends, he is warmer and a little more dramatic. He fusses over people, gives unsolicited advice, and acts like he is above being emotionally attached to his research team despite being very obviously attached to all of them. He likes being right, which is not always his best quality, but he usually means well. Callum has a special fondness for Fairy-type Pokémon, though his research is not limited to them. [color=pink]Bio:[/color] Callum grew up in Hearthome City, so Contests were a big part of his life from a young age. His family had connections to the Contest scene, and for a while it seemed obvious that he would become a Coordinator. He liked the costumes, the performances, the dramatic appeals, and the way a well-trained Pokémon could completely hold an audience’s attention. He still likes all of that, honestly. He just realized over time that he was more interested in studying the reactions than chasing ribbons himself. The thing that really caught his attention was how differently people treated cute Pokémon. Trainers were often more patient with them. Strangers were more likely to approach them. People were quicker to help a small, cutesy Pokémon than one that looked intimidating. Even in battle, some trainers would hesitate or get careless against a Pokémon that looked harmless. Callum started wondering if cuteness could actually serve a purpose beyond just being appealing. When he first tried to explain that he wanted to study cuteness seriously, a lot of people did not really take it seriously. Some thought it was funny. Some acted like it was basically Contest commentary dressed up as research. Callum took that personally, even if he would never admit that. He started keeping field notes, observing Pokémon in Contest halls, Pokémon Centers, parks, shelters, and beginner trainer programs. Eventually, one of his papers on how people respond to cute and baby-like Pokémon got enough attention that a mentor encouraged him to apply to the Laventon Institute. Now Callum is in his second year at the Institute, where his thesis has gone from “oddly specific” to “surprisingly legitimate.” He has already done fieldwork in Sinnoh and Hoenn, but because of that travel, he missed a required Ecology 101 credit. That is why he is currently stuck in Professor Birch’s class with a bunch of first-years. He is trying very hard to be mature about it. He is only somewhat succeeding. [color=pink]Pokémon:[/color] [hider=Callum’s Research Team] Aria the Jigglypuff Aria is Callum’s main partner and probably the closest thing his thesis has to a mascot. She is round, adorable, and fully aware that people think she is cute. Callum uses her in a lot of his research involving attention-seeking behavior, and how people respond to cute Pokémon. Unfortunately, Aria does not enjoy being ignored for too long, and her solution is usually to start singing until everyone in the room is asleep. Callum insists this is useful data. Everyone else would like him to stop calling it that. Trinket the Skitty Trinket is a mischievous little kitty with a cute face. She helps with Callum’s observations of affection-seeking behavior, social bonding, and how quickly people forgive a cute Pokémon for being an absolute menace. She likes stealing shiny things, batting at loose papers, and making Callum apologize to people on her behalf. Callum claims her behavior is spontaneous field data. Most people would call it “Skitty being Skitty.” Buttons the Stufful Buttons is part of Callum’s research into what he calls “dangerous cuteness.” He looks soft, cuddly, and harmless, which is exactly why people tend to make bad decisions around him. Callum is especially interested in how often people ignore obvious warning signs just because a Pokémon looks huggable. Buttons has proven the point several times by looking precious right before knocking someone over. Patch the Mimikyu Patch is probably the most emotionally complicated member of Callum’s team. Callum is fascinated by Mimikyu because its cuteness is something it has copied and constructed for itself, rather than something people naturally assigned to it. He treats Patch’s disguise as communication, not deception, and is very careful not to make it feel like a research subject first and a partner second. Patch has made Callum’s thesis a lot messier, but also a lot more meaningful. Pollen the Ribombee Pollen is Callum’s neatest and most reliable assistant, which is why he jokingly calls her his “one competent colleague.” She helps with field research, pollen collection, and observing how Pokémon respond to different emotional states. Her ability to sense moods makes her especially useful for Callum’s work, though he also appreciates that she is the least likely member of the team to knock over his notes, steal his pens, or put an entire room to sleep. [/hider] [color=pink]Quirks:[/color] * Uses pastel-colored sticky notes for different categories of research and gets quietly distressed when someone uses the wrong color. * Can identify several small Pokémon species from clues such as their pawprints, vocalizations, shed fur, or common behavioral patterns * Keeps saying “this is not about aesthetics” while wearing an outfit that is absolutely about aesthetics.