Will "Bright Eyes" Rookery

Full name: William Adam Rookery

Nicknames: Will, Bright eyes

Known as 'Bright eyes' due to his youthful appearance and innocent nature. Plus he's sort of the eyes of the whole gang's operation, as he observes the usual goings on of whatever town or area they're in and picks out any details. Also for the way he is able to build emotion into his art of whatever he sees. He can bring beauty into everything and anything, including something insignificant as a stone. That is his greatest gift, he only wishes he could share it in a less criminal fashion.

Age: 26 years old

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Questioning (and completely oblivious to advances. What a brilliant combo.)

Rank: Observer

Desired Rank: This is good(bad?) enough thanks

Appearance:

The first word that comes to mind when describing Will is none other than 'normal'. His livelihood depends on being indistinguishable from the general public, and so he has very few defining features. Standing at 5''9 he is incredibly average - not too tall nor short but adequate for smallish spaces while being perfect to easily run or climb in order to escape whatever he must. His face too is ordinary and simple: it is slightly rounded with a square jaw and a short goatee to finish it off. His hair is a little wild but not untidy - thick and fluffy and a rich dark brown. His eyes are a similar lightish brown, nice and conveniently common. Bright blue eyes would probably get him recognised more than he'd like. The one notible feature would be his quick smile and the deep dimples it causes. Will also has tanned olive skin indicative of a mixed heritage - his family spans much of North and Central America - which tends not to get burnt as so he can sit out in the sunlight for hours just painting or drawing without fear of getting himself sick. His muscles are a comfortable size, lean but strong enough to depend on - but not amazingly strong. Perhaps he'll get there eventually.

Will dresses however everyone else does, as is his plan. It's much easier to nick a few peices here and there than to try and figure out his own 'style.' If you can even call if that. He does feel drawn to the rare colourful clothing, but is also find anything other than his usual items: a plain set of boots, trousers, a shirt and a hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. For all his appreciation of beauty you'd assume he puts some work into his appearance... Well you'd be wrong. He keeps himself clean and for the most part tidy, but that is as best it'll get.

Personality:

Upon first impression, William is a little unassuming. All round basic really - as if there's very through thoughts running through his head and with fewer releasing from his mouth. He is very quiet - not in the shy way, in the way where one simply does not talk much. It would be wrong to assume he does not like talking either - he can and will describe irrelevant things for hours apon hours, analysing the simplest of things. And don't even get him started on any kind of art-related subject unless you'd like to hear him drone on continuously. His words aren't necessarily boring, nor is his tone of voice. They are simply so monochrome in character - difficult to listen to unless someone is actually willing to listen and interested in the subject at hand.

This man appears so basic in stature - just a guy whom you may see walking past on the street and stop for a short conversation about the weather. Or breifly wave at when in a store. Not unfriendly in the slightest, and a great listener however brilliantly ordinary. He's so easygoing and polite to an almost excessive degree, and has no temper in the slightest. Imagining Will in any sort of criminal gang would be laughable, to someone who does not know him.

The real William has a bit of a sharper edge. His charm can be turned on and off in a flash - irritatingly so, feeling like a slap to the face. Sometimes it gives Will himself whiplash. In the blink of an eye his easy going, relaxed smile turns into a sharp warning look. At other times he simply pays no attention, either avoiding contact on purpose or lost in his own little world. He makes it obvious whether he'd like to speak or not, and is a master of adjusting his body posture to suite whatever situation is at hand. Mimicking people almost subconsciously, Will is a little bit hard to figure out himself. Purely because he spends a lot of time trying not to be.

Strengths:

Incredibly detail oriented, William will discover many things that people will often don't even notice. He pays attention to everything, quickly picking out any information of significance - often useful in some way to the gang operations. He tends to consider outcomes or options others might not consider, perhaps because they are often outlandish, but occasionally because they required an extensive knowledge of the area around them that many just do not have. He, on the other hand, absorbs information like a sponge. Will fulfills his role as an Observer well, recording timetables of any threats such as sherrifs, maps of main streets and portraiture of significant locals; everything is hidden in artwork - coded so that only someone knowing what it indicates, could understand what story the image tells.

Will's main skill aside from his artistry is the ability to blend in perfectly with anyone. A group of bandits? Easy enough, he just copies their wiry grins to a T. The local sheriffs? He can pick up their specific terms and mannerisms within a day. He likes to study people, to copy their behaviour. It's surprising how much information such a thing like that can provide. Especially to the gang, who need information as fast as possible to keep things going smoothly. Honestly, there's not many things Will wouldn't be able to get away with. As long as he has a short time to prepare himself, he can bluff his way through anything with quiet charm and charisma. He's good at improvisation as well, though he tends to overspeak when he's under pressure. His disguises work best when he is silent or speaking minimally, so he won't slip up.

Will isn't exactly an angel, but he's trying to be at least good. He has strong morals over pretty much everything. Then he'll enforce them upon everyone he knows. Or at least to a certain extent - he's smart enough to recognise where there is too much conflict of interest. There are some things he will always honour, and will get agressive towords those who did not - obvious things like do not mistreat your horse, do not steal from the poor and etc. Sure, basic things, but what makes this a strength is how far he'll go to enforce them.

Weaknesses:

Pride will probably be his downfall, and certainly is already his biggest flaw. He definitely has the right to feel proud and worthy of admiration over his artwork, but the issue is not his feelings over his own hard work. The true issue lies over his desire for his talents to be known. Widely. Like throughout the frontier. But in this lifestyle, to be known can be dangerous. As an Observer, he shouldn't be known - he should not be a face or person recognisable by anyone outside the gang. Any sense of familiarity - any feature easy to pin down and identify could place the gang in jeopardy. Despite this, he likes to leave a small sign of a ___? to mark the gangs' movements. It is only noticeable to someone who knows what they're looking for. Perhaps there's a ton of unneeded risk to this, but he can't handle the idea of being forgotten - lost to history.

Will isn't the strongest guy around. Physically weaker than some, he isn't built for the best of escapades that the gang might get going. He'll fight decently enough if his life depends on it (which happens occasionally) but he's not going to be much fun in a sparring match, or much use in a fist-fight. He's not brilliant with any sort of guns or weaponry either. His aim would be incredible if only he could work out how to use the damn things. Maybe he's somehow jamming the systems just by holding it, or maybe he's just so damn unlucky. Just never hand this man a gun, for your own safety and everyone else's.

One slight issue about Will is that he occasionally gets destracted. For some reason whenever he moves from place to place he acts like an excited child who has never seen the outside world before. He just has to see each plant, building, town dog, clocktower, valley - ambling about aimlessly and uselessly. He gets this out of his system after a good few hours of sketching though, and apologetically helps anyone and everyone he can with various tasks for the rest of the week.

Likes:

To say he loves art is a serious understatement. Any form of art is a key to his soul, the one thing that'll get him happily talking. He loves anything built up from emotions, but converted into a physical image or thing. He's an artist of most kinds: a painter, sculptor, illustrator, working with whatever resources he can get his hands on. This little side hobby is payed for by his usual business, as a member of the gang - so he can get his fair share of the resulting reward, but luckily avoids the worst. It sounds a little insane, but he'll risk anything for art. Not that he clings to everything he makes - most end up destroyed when the gang moves from place to place, turned to ashes in a desposal fire. (He retains his best ones, selling some others if he can to people who will be not connected to him. Some personal ones are incredibly sentimental, and he will do everything he can to protect them. Generally, no one gets to see these few.) His main attachment to art is the freedom it provides - he can tell any story, illustrate any thought without full judgement. That isn't to say people do not judge his artwork, he simply does not care for their opinions. If he does, he will ask.

Will loves horses. Oh and cats. And dogs. Most animals really. He appreciates their companionship endlessly - what else could see right through his fake smile into his heart and true feelings. It sounds a little stupid perhaps, but he gets the same rush of happiness when he's with an animal friend than he does when he paints or draws. Nothing else makes him feel so in tune and content with the world - all the nature from a whirring storm to a small songbird. This is something he has never really felt with another person, even when trying to discuss it with those closest to him. Hopefully there's someone out there who understands.

Will also greatly loves any form of nature - from sunsets to beetles, pond stones to mountain lions. He adores being out in the fresh(ish) air and riding Meeka until they're both happily worn out. Then he'll give her a well-earned meal and watch the stars overhead. There is nothing more he values than the subtle beauty of life, and he hopes his sketchbooks can capture that somehow. Maybe if he ends up arrested he will still be able look through them, remembering the taste of freedom. That's a comforting thought at least, however unrealistic.

Dislikes:

Being left handed because oh god... everything he writes ends up smudged. And when he's drawing he messes up his stylised 'whispy' pencil sketches. It's his biggest irritant ever. Hopefully he'll be ambidextrous someday (don't tell him that's not how it works he doesn't want to hear) or at least remember halfway through a drawing to not drag his sleeve over the artwork. Even that's happened more than he'd like to admit.

Big expanses of water are a beautiful thing to paint, but they're terrifying to be around. Anything he can't sit up straight in is something he'll be avoiding getting into. The Ocean is something he doesn't even want to consider, but things such as lakes and ponds slightly freak him out too. Really, it's the risk of drowning.That's a way he would never want to go out via. Even if he finally learned to swim, he would never get over that fear.

Horrible people are Will's worst nightmare. Bare in mind this man will get along with near anyone, so to be considered someone he will not talk to is definitely something significant. Whether you're happy to be on that list or not is up to yourself, but his standards for people are not high. So anyone he hates has to be the worst people in existence. Despite his easygoing nature, there are a few individuals Will cannot tolerate in the slightest. I'd recommend you keep your distance from him in the event you are one of those few - for Will doesn't play nice with not-nice people.

His other disliked things are: fire - because who likes a weapon of mass destruction... Okay kidding, but he'll be keeping a safe distance from any campfire thanks; anything excessively sweet because it makes his mouth hurt; birds - why do they have to wake him up before sunrise? And finally laziness, because he believes everyone has the ability to do something, no matter how small or insignificant.

Animal Companions:

Firstly the matter of his horse, Meeka (short for Dominique). Despite his expected love of horses (he obviously travels a lot therefore relies on them, plus they're magnificent to sketch - so fluid and elegant and oddly shaped) many horses simply can not put up with him. Perhaps it is the way he intensely stares while trying to capture all a horse's ethereal beauty in one short memory, that really irritates the flighty creatures. (Understandably, one supposes.) Meeka is the only horse that is unbothered by his countless hours of sketching, painting, sculpting artworks of her, alongside all the staring. That doesn't mean she's expectional in any way though; to any other set of eyes Meeka would be a simple plain bay mare standing at 16hh with an aweful temper, but nevertheless a trustworthy enough steed who would never buck off her rider. Will feels lucky to have her in all her 17 & 1/2 year old mareish glory, and obtained her from this Old French man several years ago. It's not like she's over committed though, to anyone really. She'll do any work for them all as long as there's a meal and a comfortable place to lie once it's completed.

The two local stray cats. He calls them Lula and Hattie. For some reason they quite like him and tend to hang around while he sits and draws or paints. Lula is a small, light brown tabby built for speed. She hates to be touched, but thrives on attention. Hattie on the other hand ignores people for the most part, this speckled grey-brown she-cat preferring a good hunt on the various critters that often cause issues for camp residents, rather than human contact. The main reason this duo sticks around is to bother their favourite person, and feast on the vermin that are attracted by food & waste. They also get along well with Meeka, riding on her back alongside Will and keeping pests from bothering her while she's resting.

Affiliations:

Open! Pm me :)

Other:

I'm going to do some minor updates on my boy, but his overall appearance/personality will remain mostly the same ^^