Brio

Name: Brio

Age: 35 

Occupation: Pianist, Music teacher (later on)

Eye color: Ashy purple

Hair color: Dark Raspberry

Sexuality: Bisexual

Gender: Male (cis and GNC)

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History:  

Brio's homelife was a difficult one, as his parents argued often and neglected him emotionally. Sure, pops provided the roof over his head and his mother never let him go hungry, but they both failed to spend time with him and share their lives with him. Whether it's because they were too busy being bitter towards one another or that he was a constant reminder of their failed love, Brio dealt with the sting of their neglect until they divorced. His sole comfort when they'd argue and leave him alone was music. It became such an important comfort to him that Brio began to study music, making notes of certain melodies and eventually coming to write songs of his own late into the night by the light of his Litwick. He may have been shy and very introverted, but get him talking about music and he'll go on for hours.

He was around 12 years old when his parents finally split and all custody went to his mother. She wasn't all too happy about it, so she spent most of her time working to keep them housed and Brio out of her sight. As a result, Brio learned to cook, clean, and was pretty much his own caretaker. He continued to love music and write songs and eventually mustered up the courage to take piano lessons from the music teacher at school. He bonded well with his teacher, seeing him as the father he never had. Once Brio fully mastered the piano and other instruments, his teacher gave him an egg from his Kricketune as a gift to remember him by. Driven by the comfort of song and the kindness of his teacher, Brio continued to work hard on his music and at the age of 22 he found himself playing concerts for various crowds and regions.

Throughout his career he caught most of his other pokemon. He caught his Primarina while touring in Alola and his Meloetta while playing in Unova. His Primarina, a shiny one at that, surprised him in the middle of his concert by getting on stage and singing along to his tune. He was so impressed he asked the pokemon to become his vocalist for future concerts and the pokemon agreed delightfully. He met and caught his Meloetta when the pokemon wandered into one of his rehearsals and danced along to his music. Brio enjoyed its dance and caught it after it performed alongside him for the citizens of Unova. Indeed, things were going pretty well for Brio. He was making a name for himself and it was so much fun getting to play his music alongside his pokemon. His fanbase was growing and growing and he met other musicians and composers along the way, even some he was a big fan of growing up! Though Brio was soaring with his music, he still struggled heavily with socializing. 

Among his musical peers he did well enough, keeping them engaged through talks of music and copying most of their mannerisms to fake it till he made it with them, but with others, he struggled greatly to keep a conversation going and his fans would only ask for autographs and photos before running back to their friends or families to go on with the rest of their day. It depressed Brio to be so lonely, but he tried to look on the bright-side and remember the warmth he felt at concerts when his fans would fill the seats and cheer and smile at what he had to offer them. Even if he didn't have any close friends or family nearby, he had his audience, and so he promised to continue to create music that would make them smile. Many describe Brio's music as hauntingly beautiful, with an underlying feeling of loneliness that is met with a melody that comforts listeners and makes them feel less alone. 

Of course with the ups of his career there were downs. After attempting to experiment with something different than his usual sound, Brio was met with criticism from critics and fans alike about how off putting his latest work had become. This frightened him. Though he was proud of what he had made, he decided to return to his previous style in order to keep fans coming, not wanting to lose his audience and suffer the loneliness of empty seats at concerts. After this, Brio developed a need for perfection, overworking himself to create greater music. After passing out from exhaustion at a concert and being rushed to a hospital, his manager suggested getting an Audino to keep him from completely ruining his health with his obsession for perfection. Currently, Brio is still working himself pretty hard to keep his music as tip top as possible, with his Audino taking some of the edge off and helping him get to sleep at a decent time and to eat at decent hours. 

It isn't until Brio's cousins from Dewford move to Paldea that he begins to take better care of himself. With the help of his cousin Angel, he's able to stop and eat a meal in his company and even helps with the cooking. It takes him a while to form a bond with his younger cousin, Cole, but the two eventually come to an understanding and get along greatly once Brio has a heart to heart with him. He's able to find company and happiness with his family, and his social skills begin to improve over time as well. He eventually remembers he got into music because of how it made him feel and stops worrying about making things his fans will like and focuses on making things he likes. 

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Personality: 

As stated before, Brio isn't the best at socializing and is only really charismatic and charming when he is among other musicians and maybe with the help of a little wine. Outside of the music scene he is quiet and reclusive, spending most of his time at home, though he occasionally goes out on errands. He gets overly giddy when fans recognize him and want to take a photo with him, though his smile can look a little off putting. His tired eyes and prominent cheekbones often concern his fans and other Paldeans, but they assume he is creating a kind of ghostly persona to go with his hauntingly beautiful music, similar to Ryme's persona with her raps. He is actually very afraid of scary things, especially ghost pokemon. He's frightened by the concept of getting sick and dying (though he won't stop being a perfectionist to prevent this) and is often seen trying to avoid the stray Greavards that wander around Montenevera. Ironically, he loves his Chandelure dearly, as it is his first pokemon. It tries its best to not be a danger to Brio because it loves him very much, too. Brio is a perfectionist towards his own work, but tries not to be a snob about others', unless he is enabled to, then he will be a little mean. 

He dresses nice, but he isn't really all that much of a fashionista. However, he does like to keep clean and tidy and will take time away from his music to make sure his home is spotless. He's kind of a desperate guy, wanting any kind of attention and care since he was denied this in his childhood. His piano teacher was the first person in a while to make him feel cared for. They still call each other from time to time. Though Brio can be desperate, he can also have a temper and gets very cross with people who get in his way. The shy and lonely personality should not fool anyone! Even if he tries to be humble with fellow musicians, he can be vengeful and angry towards others, but will calm down when confronted and given better context to things. It takes him a while to do better, but he puts a lot of effort into improving himself. He can be flirty among other artsy folks, even having tried to shoot his shot with Brassius and Hassel. It's a secret whether or not he did do something with them, but Brio isn't always too happy about his flings. He hopes for a genuine partner some day, but he can be a little scared of ending up like his parents, who he has lost all contact with. Because he was neglected, he tries his best to be kind to people that come into his life, sometimes driving them away with how overbearing he can be. Thankfully, his cousins help him tone that down. Basically, if you befriend him or fall in love with him, he's gonna be very smothering for a bit! But he will ease off at your request. He can also be a bit goofy, but it’s usually unintentional, as he tends to keep a professional disposition.

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Relationships:

Angel: Angel's teasing manner is multiplied by 10 when he's around Brio. He's constantly doing his best to make sure his older cousin takes better care of himself after seeing the state he is in. He usually scolds Brio and makes him tear himself off of his composing chair to come eat dinner or help him cook so he can get out of his house some more. Brio doesn't always put up a good fight since he does crave companionship, but it can still be hard to shut off your perfectionism when you're in the middle of work. Angel definitely has patience for Brio, but even that can wear thin when his cousin is acting up. They do get along very well though, supporting one another's creative pursuits and even working together to help each other improve their material. Angel has provided his artistic skills for some of Brio's album covers, though they are under a penname since Angel likes to keep things simple and chill.

Cole: Brio struggled a lot with getting Cole to bond with him. It hurt to see how scornful Cole was towards him, so he usually bent backwards trying to find ways to gain his little cousin's favor. He once figured if he held a concert for the school that Cole would see how cool he is and let his walls down so they could bond, but all Cole did was skip the concert and hide in Jacq's classroom. Overtime, Cole and Brio get to bond naturally after Jacq tells him to take it slow and let Cole come around on his own. Once Brio let Cole try to play his piano and he heard how upset Cole was through the distorted notes he played, Brio stopped trying so hard and showed his little cousin proper empathy and understanding. In the present, Cole has grown attached to Brio and Brio is always happy to be there for him. He often hears him out when he's struggling.

Director Clavell: Clavell is one of Brio's many fans in the Paldea region. When he heard that he had come to Uva/Naranja academy to check on his little cousin, Clavell was incredibly welcoming. Brio didn't think much of him at first, and found his admiration a bit pushy and overwhelming, but the two become friends in due time. Clavell still fanboys every now and then and constantly offers Brio a job at the school as a music instructor. Brio eventually takes him up on that offer, but only after he begins to write songs for himself and finish repairing his relationship with music.

Hassel: They're very good friends! Despite the gap in their ages, Brio and Hassel admire one another's skills on the piano and get emotional together over music. There are times where Hassel is jealous of Brio's music career, but it's never enough that it ruins their friendship. Brio often invites Hassel to open for him during his concerts, with Hassel usually accepting the invitation. 

Brassius: The two are so similar about their crafts that it often causes them to butt heads! They call one another out on behavior that the other also exhibits, and Hassel usually has to step in when they get like this. When they don't get into little fights, they get along fairly well! They admire one another's creations and most people tend to stifle giggles when the two are out in public together due to their eccentric personalities.

Aluino: Aluino is Brio's half-brother from his father's second marriage. Aluino found out about his half-brother and wrote to Brio with the intention of coming down to Paldea to meet him and connect. Brio agreed to the idea, but upon Aluino's arrival things got awkward real quick. After telling Brio about his happier upbringing, Aluino was met with a frustrated look on Brio's face. Brio was able to tell him that he needs more time before they can speak again, causing Aluino to feel guilty for sharing this information. Brio wasn't angry at Aluino, of course, but it hurt to hear that his father showed him all the love and care that Brio was deprived of. The two eventually meet up again and things go much smoother, with Brio adopting a protective attitude towards his little half-brother. Aluino is starstruck by his half brother's life, but worries about him often. 

Grusha: The two are pretty neutral, though Grusha finds Brio extremely odd. Brio does his best to get along with Grusha since he's dating Angel, but there are times where the ice-type specialist's pessimism frustrates him. The two eventually bond over the difficulties of having your health impact your life and your passions, even if they're both in very different situations.

Ryme: Her music scares Brio pretty bad! Though he could only listen to 30 seconds of one of Ryme's songs, he thinks she has incredible musical talent. If only she didn't have such a morbid gimmick. When he heard that her music "brings the dead to their feet," he became even more afraid of it.

Jacq: [WIP]