Barry

 OVERVIEW

A jaded ferret trying to get by in life. Barry has been on the road to recovery, taking things one step at a time.

PERSONALITY

Barry is an aloof, introverted young man. Comes off reserved with most, but once he comes out of his shell, he's both a caring friend and a smart ass.

Barry is deeply insecure and lacks self-confidence. He does have partners and friends that reassure him, but his self-hatred is deeply rooted, thanks to a troubled home life and bad choices in the past. As much as he's grown and change, Barry is scared of regressing and slipping up.

When playing music prefers to let his songwriting and music do the talking for him. He's capable of both introspective lyrics and funny ones.

HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY

Barry was born to teenage mother, Marsha Shillings. Marsha was a neglected child, leading her to engage in risky behavior as she got older. Which led to her getting pregnant with Barry. Marsha’s baby daddy wanted nothing to do with him; as a result, Barry had never met his father. His earliest father figure was a man Marsha had moved in with in a desperate attempt to get out of her miserable life with her parents. This relationship lasted for a short period of time. Eventually, Marsha left him and took Barry with her. As Barry entered school, Marsha had taken up several jobs to keep things afloat. As a result, Marsha spent little time with her son. She usually gave him the “mommy’s busy” spiel. 

Barry was fortunate to become friends with two beaver boys named Carter and Marc. The trio had sleepovers and hang outs a lot, but rarely ever at Barry’s place. Carter managed to get Barry hooked on emo/00s pop punk. From then on, Barry was hooked on music. He wouldn’t get his first guitar until he was 10. 

When he was 11, Marsha had been going steady with a man. Tensions grew as Barry went through adolescence. His step-father was a critical man. His mother clung to him for whatever reason, and would usually take his side over Barry’s.

Barry would take any opportunity he could to get out of the house. Sometimes he’d have no prior plans, and just roll with whatever comes to his mind. Be it crashing at a friends’ place spontaneously, or just wandering around random places at the nearby strip mall. 

Whenever he was home, Barry would lock himself away in his room. Music was an outlet; channeling his angst and frustrations into song. He even found a community with some local musicians. He played with some short-lived teenage bands, before joining a band called Alkaline Radio. Barry was 15 when he joined; the other members were in their 20s. 

Soon enough, the band scrounged up enough dough to go on a tour around the West side of the continent, and Barry hopped on board against his parents’ wishes. Barry and the band had spent a couple of months lugging around their equipment in a large van. Play shows all over the state, crash at peoples’ homes whenever possible. It was a mix of stressful and thrilling. The travel was a lot of fun. But once it was over, Barry’s world came crashing down to pieces. His parents were furious with Barry for leaving for months on end, ignoring their phone calls and texts (having blocked their numbers). His stepfather had broken his guitar, forced Barry to quit Alkaline Radio, and grounded the boy for a very long time.

Barry and Carter became a couple during their teenage years, starting when they were 16. It didn’t last long when Barry’s risky behavior took its toll on his and Carter’s relationship. Both the romance and friendship between the two ended on a sour note.

[late teens/early adult years is a WIP]

At some point, Barry had found himself in a turbulent open/poly relationship with another man. [Thurston is placeholder name]. Their relationship was very physical. Thruston also reinforced a lot of the things Barry hated about himself, and the latter internalized it.

At age 20, Barry matched with Sterling on a poly dating app. Barry found Sterling’s kindness and affection endearing, but also unworthy of it. Barry fell for Sterling so hard, making Thruston jealous in the process. Thurston couldn’t stand Sterling, and gave Barry the “It’s him or me” ultimatum. Barry ultimately chose Sterling, and the two have remained together since. 

Sterling and Barry have seen other partners come and go, but the two have remained each others’ primary partner for nearly 2 years.

Enter Joan. Barry had come across Joan on the same poly dating app. The latter was new to polyamory, and Barry (along with Sterling) obliged in guiding her through it. Joan has a troubled relationship with her mother, something that resonated with Barry. He knew he could give Joan the sense of warmth and safety he lacked at her age.