[done] Jaiden Trengrove

Jaiden is quite beautiful as far as other teenage boys his age look. His features are effeminate and soft. His smooth, pale skin is both a product of fair skinned ancestors and the beauty products his aunt would force upon him. His hair is long and as dark as the night with a purple hue under the correct lighting. He was never allowed to cut his hair as a child, save for a trim here and there to keep split ends away, and he simply became used to its length and weight. His hair frames his face to make it seem slimmer and smaller than it already is, and it is accented by his amethyst hued eyes. Standing at five feet and ten inches, he is tall and lean, and he often has an extra half inch to his height due to his shoes. As far as clothing goes, he typically dresses up. By dresses up we mean he adores costumes. If he has the change, he will wear any costume he has either bought or made on his own. However, traveling is often too much of a hassle when dealing with heavy clothing, and he will dress down if he has to travel between cities and towns.

face claim: Juzumaru Tsunetsugu - Touken Ranbu

Jaiden has been able to craft many masks over the years. These masks are most often only worn while performing. The moment he puts on a mask, he becomes a different person entirely. His body language changes, and his manner of speech changes. Yet, there is one mask he wears off the stage, the one that even his family has grown to know and believe to be the 'true' him. This mask makes it seem like he hasn't a care in the world. With a soft, charming smile upon his face, he hides his true emotions behind farces of confidence and maturity. He makes himself out to be a perfect being, a truly good person in the world who wants nothing more than to help others.

However, that's all it is: an act. He is, after all, an actor.

Deep down, hidden away, is the insecure child who wanted nothing more than to hide away in his room and escape from reality. It is the child who never left, who never grew up despite the circumstances of his childhood. Quiet and introverted, he finds voicing his true feelings to be a struggle. He keeps anything that troubles him to himself. Would he be bothering them with his problems? Would he be ignored? His greatest fear is losing those he comes to care for, no matter the reason. If he grows attached to someone, he wants nothing more than to be by their side in any way possible, even if it turns into something toxic. As long as they do not leave him or forget him, he is fine with that.

Those who get close enough to see past his mask are often those who begin to see the side of him that is deeper than the insecure child of his past. Close friends see true smiles, true happiness. They see his reckless habits, such as how he tends to neglect himself in favor of preparing for roles and creating costumes. They notice the subtle flinches whenever a voice is raised. They hear the sarcastic comments that slip out as easily as a normal conversation, without much thought nor planning to the point where he seems completely serious. But they also obtain his undying loyalty.

Born into a crumbling relationship, his life was shaky from the start. The cries of an infant were drowned out by the shouts of a man and woman who were only together because they were forced to, because an unplanned pregnancy put a halt to any plans they originally had. The families from both sides pushed them to marry, and what was once a happy couple soon fell into a pit of despair and hatred. The man would spend nights out at the bar or anywhere other than there while the woman would care for the child at home. When she met her breaking point, she would drop him off at his grandparents' house. Sometimes, he wouldn't hear from his mother nor father for days on end until his grandparents had called them enough times to come take their child back. The house was left in disarray, and only cheap junk food scarcely filled the kitchen. He would cry and cling to his grandparents when one of his parents would arrive to take him home. He did not want to go back there. He did not want to be ignored again. He did not want to hear them shout.

His school life was rocky. Teachers worried over the boy who refused to grow close to any of his classmates. A bullying problem began to appear when neither of his parents made appearances during parent-teacher conferences or during days they were to bring their parents to talk about their jobs. He didn't even know what his parents did for a living. When questioned, he could only mutter excuses or make up lies to cover his parents' tracks. However, a counselor was able to squeeze the truth out of him, and child protective services were called. A long legal case later and his custody was given to his aunt and uncle, a pair of traveling artists and musicians who were far more suitable than his parents. He lost contact with his parents after that.

Living with his aunt and uncle proved to be a good change of pace. They moved soon after he was taken into their care, and they raised him like their own. This ended up confusing their own daughter who started seeing him as her older brother rather than her cousin. They moved away from the town, once more taking up their, more or less, nomadic journey around Unova. They stopped from city to city, performing on street corners, selling paintings and trinkets, and teaching the children about the world through their own means. Jaiden took an interest in the costumes his aunt was always fiddling with, and she began teaching him how to make his own. They taught him how to draw and sing, and he took a special interest in acting as well. Through this, they managed to see the quiet boy bloom into an open individual. At least, that was the act he put on.

In time, the travelling street performers were able to land gigs here and there. At fifteen, Jaiden found himself working at the Musical Theater in Nimbasa City. He started out helping out around the stage, but he was quickly promoted to perform on stage with the other actors and all the Pokemon. He decided to stay in Nimbasa City while his aunt and uncle moved on to their next location. Once he turned eighteen, he decided it was time to truly make a name for himself.

Jaiden strives to become well known while working towards building his confidence within himself. After all, you can only keep up an act for so long.