Here is an updated character profile for Arianne! It doesn't change anything substantial but clarifies a lot of details (and therefore, is a longer read... oops). I really do like cats, but I figured you all would already know :3
Arianne Chandler
14 years old - ♀ - Cinnabar Island
Appearance
While lots of physical activity helps to make Arianne look more proportionate, she's always been a tall, yet thin girl, now standing at 5'9'' tall (or 1,80 m). She's also quite tan, but apparently not enough by Cinnabar Island standards, as she used to get sunburnt quite often.
Arianne's eyes are hazel, and stand on top of a somewhat small nose.
Her hair can reach just past her shoulders if left loose: after all, she kept growing it longer after arriving to Cape College. Most of the time though, Arianne keeps her hair organized, gathering them to create ponytails or buns. It's almost entirely black, the only exception being her lilac side bangs that the college hairdresser provided her. Arianne was uncertain about dying her hair, and decided to try only with a couple of locks: but then that became her signature look, and she's fully embraced it by now.
Clothing:
Arianne could always count on a large selection of clothes when she lived in Cinnabar, but picking just a few to carry with her at the College has been quite difficult. Back at home, she was given the right outfit for every occasion, including tight but elegant dresses and shoes. She couldn't deny she looked good in those, and really didn't mind wearing them when attending family reunions, formal celebrations… or parties with friends, because they can be a big deal sometimes, but those items were never going to replace her ordinary outfits.
Arianne likes more… loose clothing, like summer dresses, T-shirts or sweaters, but also jeans and occasionally miniskirts (and, if the weather allows for it, sandals). These are, in fact, the items she will use the most during her journey. As far as colors go, she obviously likes pastel colors... especially blue, purple and pink, as they remind her of the Cinnabar sea.
Being from Cinnabar, Arianne doesn't mind hot climates, but is much less at ease when it's cold. When winter comes and her denim jackets are no longer enough, she protects herself as much as possible by wearing a long parka, a scarf, and even a beanie with matching gloves.
Accessories:
When living in Cinnabar, Arianne would often exaggerate with her makeup or jewelry, but now that's no longer the case - mostly because these accessories can get ruined during the journey, or are unnecessary compared to other items she's carrying with her.
She's still managed to squeeze into her backpack some basic makeup, just in case (foundation, eyeliner…), but most of the time Arianne will use nothing but some lip balm.
She also carries a pair of small earrings and a bracelet, which she quickly tucks in her backpack when they're at risk of getting scratched. Speaking of which, Arianne has always preferred backpacks over side bags - they could carry more weight without having her feel unbalanced. For her adventure, Arianne is using a new backpack with purple stitching… after all, that is her favourite color.
During the journey:
All things considered, Arianne will be mostly seen in jeans (long or short depending on the season) and T-shirts. This is by far the best outfit to explore rugged routes, caves, or other pristine environments. When staying in a city for some time, Arianne could choose to wear something like a dress or a miniskirt instead. In any case, most of these clothes are, again, either of a dark blue or black (jeans and skirts) or pastel (everything else!). She hasn't packed nearly all of the clothes she will need, though, and she's definitely not bringing any winter gear with her until it's cold enough!
She will wear the same pair of trekking shoes throughout most of her journey, as they are the perfect choice to explore the "wilderness", but she still keeps a second pair of more comfortable shoes just in case (this turned out to be useful in Cerulean, after Arianne swam in the river to save Ralph).
Family
Arianne is the only child of a wealthy couple, living in a large but discreet home just outside of Cinnabar Town. Her family, who's been living on the island for many years, owns a now fairly renowned inn that serves as the accomodation of many tourists - especially other young families with children.
Arianne's parents were usually able to afford anything she wanted, and overall provided her with a very sheltered life, but both them and their daughter knew that their success was the result of a lot of hard work. But, whereas they would like for Arianne to carry on their legacy, she doesn't seem interested: this is the source of some friction in the family, that only Teresa and her own family are seemingly trying to stop.
Now, Teresa is the older cousin of Arianne. She also lives in Cinnabar with her family and also works in tourism, but in spite of her accomplishments, Teresa is the first to always reassure Arianne that her choices are legitimate, and that it's up to her to decide how to live her life.
Brief history
Arianne could be mistaken for a Leftover student at first, but that's because she joined the College when she was already old*, due to her parents' disapproval and the relative isolation of Cinnabar Island. Moving so far away from home was a big challenge for Arianne as well, but once again Teresa kept encouraging her, either in person or with mails and phone calls.
Cinnabar Island was actually a place she would have wanted to run from anyways, when she would have felt ready. She never shared this thought that much, but living close to a volcano all the time made her uneasy: though this was mostly due to her own fear of being utterly helpless, and unable to save herself or her beloved friends from such a threat.
Ever since she was a child, Arianne was rather keen on reading, especially adventure stories. But the more she grew older, the more she used to hang out with her friends in Cinnabar Town, or even make new acquaintances with some of her peers on holiday there. All of this fueled her other big passion, swimming. When the weather was good, Arianne used to head to the nearest beach and challenge herself, to see how fast or how far she could swim. Or even, how many Water Pokémon she would have met that day. Needless to say, Arianne was fond of Pokémon as well, and had dreamed to become a trainer for years.
Now, after two long and admittedly difficult years, Arianne had been able to complete her studies in time and be eligible to travel the whole Kanto region as a trainer. And in spite of all of the hiccups she's bound to find along the way (for once, she is actually claustrophobic), she's determined to live her journey to its fullest.
* = her birthday is on July 21st, and she'll be turning 15!
Personality
"Arianne believed in Destiny. In her mind, her life was already shaped by events that were out of her control, like her date and place of birth, her parents' personalities, her wealth. Not all was set in stone though: everyone was free to put Destiny to test, and ask for a different future. And this was what Arianne did by joining Cape College and completing all the courses in due time, despite all the opposition. She was writing her future alongside Destiny, suggesting little changes and receiving either approval or harsh criticism: that's called willpower, and it's probably the most important thing in one's life."
Despite all of her acquaintances, Arianne doesn't have many close friends, and even then, most of them never dare to leave Cinnabar Island. Her bonds with those friends, though, are very strong, and still important to her.
Add in the fact that she was older than most students at the College, and it's easy to see why Arianne would remain quite taciturn, or act shy, without making that many new friends.
Arianne can, in fact, be defined as… "empathic". Which in this case means, she wants to stay near the right people, the ones who can lift her mood and make her feel at ease. Conversely, she will feel more oppressed near a negative, pessimistic person.
The same happens with places that she cares about, like that little hideout in the forest behind the College that she loved to explore!
All of this seems to turn Arianne into the better version of herself (her words): more energetic and more talkative. She appears to be aware of this too, as she really does her best to act as a good friend towards these people, or to protect her
quiet places... and of course, cares a lot about what others think of her.
If that is
not the case, though, Arianne tends to look air headed and indifferent to her surroundings. She'll try to run from any responsibility or command, something that got her in trouble a couple of times at the College… when she didn't want to do what she was supposed to. This, of course, also ties in with her wealthy background: there are moments when Arianne can't help but fall prey of her laziness, or act as a spoiled teen... or even keep turning to her friends and acquaintances for help and support.
Arianne herself can be very enthusiastic, if not careless. This is something that she picked up from all of her adventure books (at least that's what she says), but it can get her in trouble as well from time to time. And yet, she prefers to be reckless over not doing anything, for fear of being useless. With this mentality applied to... a lot of activities, it's easy to see how Arianne could even endanger friends and acquaintances that follow her in her endeavors. There's something positive that came out of this though, and that is Arianne's curiosity and creativity - especially when it comes to Pokémon battles.
Dreams or aspirations
A peaceful life in Cinnabar Island was never truly enough for Arianne. She'd always want to see what was on the other side of the sea, and the College gave her just that opportunity. Furthermore, during this journey, she will have the chance to fly or swim on a Pokémon, something she can't wait to try out!
Her desire for travelling also implies meeting and befriending many new Pokémon: not only for herself, but also in order to help others in times of need. It's something she never talks about - after all, she doesn't want to be a bird of ill omen - but living close to a volcano has definitely influenced her ambitions.
On a more serious note, Arianne wants to travel around Kanto as an aspiring trainer to find herself. That is, prove herself that she
can follow her own dreams and build up her future the way she wants it, without being forced by other people into their life plans for her. Just like flowing water, she's sure that eventually she'll find her own way.
Hobbies
Back in Cinnabar, Arianne had a lot of free time that she could dedicate to her favourite hobbies: reading, listening to music, swimming outside. She'd hang out with her friends quite often, too, and from them she would get ideas for new books to read, new sports to try out (if possible), or even new food to taste. Speaking of which, Arianne is quite good at baking sweets and has often helped her parents with this… but she's quite lacking with cooking main dishes.
At Cape College, Arianne had to give up some of these hobbies - the most important of all being swimming. She had also less free time due to the more intense courses and the other tasks she was appointed to (like cleaning her room).
Leaving the College building and adventuring in the nearby forest, therefore, acted as a passable surrogate hobby for her. She even tried to climb trees, with underwhelming results, but never ventured too far, fearing she'd lose her way back to the dorms.
Now, what was the closest thing to swimming that she could try out at Cape College? Arianne had already seen people using bikes and the likes, but she could only try that out at the college, where some other students - who were already older than her - lent her their items. During her first year Arianne was therefore able to try her hand at cycling and even skateboarding: after all, how could she decline that opportunity?
Theme song
Brick by Boring Brick by Paramore -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A63VwWz1ij0
