Character Background - Rocky

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Rocky is now in his mid 20's and has already established himself as a world famous rock star.  
Born into an already very famous music family, being musically talented, Rocky was always expected to make it big in the world of music because of his fathers involvement in the music industry.  However, contrary to general opinion, Rocky has made his own mark on the music world without any help from his old man, who he only ever refers to as 'Grumpy Grape'.

Parents

Rocky is the youngest and third child of Jade and Gilbert Grape.  Gilbert grew up in a very poor family and his passion was always music, even though his parents could never afford to buy him the musical instruments that he always longed for. He took on a string of part time jobs after school and saved up the money to buy his own.  Gilbert chased a career in music unsuccessfully, always being told he was not quite good enough.  He gained employment at Apple records, he soon found that his talent lay more in the business side of the music industry, he had a keen eye and ear for spotting musical talent, he helped Apple capture quite a string of wanna be artists who became world famous.  He became very keen to learn everything about the running of this company and once he thought he'd learnt from them all that he could, he took a very big risk and broke away and started his own record label, which soon began competing with Apple records who eventually became his biggest rivals.

Gilbert and Jades marriage caused a little controversy with some - the word colour mixing was banded around by a few.  Jade being Teal and Gilbert being Green.  Teal has always been one of those colours that has been well debated ... some think it a shade of blue while others see it as a shade of green.  While a majority see Teal as being green the minority class it as a blue or even a stand alone colour of it's own.  As the years rolled on and Gilbert gained more money, power and fame ... the colour of his wife and children was over looked and very rarely questioned.

Gilbert was very disappointed that his first two children showed no interest or talent musically.  So when Rocky came along showing prospect he doted on the boy.  His record label already well established he could afford to buy Rocky the best of everything, the best instruments that money could buy, he employed the best music teachers and he sent his son to the best music school. Gilbert could see a lot of potential in his youngest son ... he wanted him to have the career that he never managed for himself.

Childhood

Rocky hated his early childhood for a few reason, he's always classed himself as a mixed teal and green berry even though he was born and lives in the world ruled by colour.  His mix of colour has always been commented on, but pretty much overlooked ... something else that he thinks his Father bought with his money, power and fame.  

Even though Rocky had a passion for music, his father almost suffocated him with his expectations.  Gilbert always on his back pushing him to do better, he always made him feel like he was not good enough, always being told he could do better. While the other children of his age were out playing and having fun like children should, Rocky was under the constant watch of his Father after school taking a string of music and singing lessons, and at the age of 10 he was packed off to one of the best music schools money could pay for.

Rocky hated being away from home, especially being away from his Mother who he was very close to, but he didn't really miss his overbearing Father.  Rocky also hated that he was always judged because of who his father is ... he's Gilbert Grapes son and nobody ever let him forget that, he was even teased by the other children attending his school, because everyone expected he was going to get everything handed to him on a plate ... he will get that record contract and a career in the music industry when he's old enough even if he is not good enough ... because his Dad who owns one of the biggest record labels on the planet will just give it him ... that was the general opinion of most people that he met.  Rocky hated it!!

The turning point in Rocky's life was when he was in his early teens and his Mother became ill.  She was diagnosed with having cancer, she became very sick very quickly.  Rocky asked to come home but Gilbert would have none of it ... he had to stay in school and continue with his music education, school holidays were the only time he got to spend with his ailing Mother.  Everything was always about the music with Gilbert and Rocky started to get very angry and hate his Father because of it.  

Rocky fell apart when his Mother passed away during term time ... he will never forgive his Father for making him miss the last few months of her life keeping him in the school that he now hated.  He started to rebel, he wanted to be a normal teenager, the loss of his Mother affected him badly and he started to take his rebellion against his father to the extreme ... drinking, smoking, drugs, girls, parties, Rocky was doing it all.  It didn't take long for him to go completely off the rails, getting into trouble with the police and school ... Gilbert was livid with Rocky's behaviour and the more he shouted at Rocky the more it pushed Rocky to do it.  Within a year of his Mothers passing, Rocky had got himself expelled from the school and he was moved back home by his very angry Father.

The relationship between Rocky and Gilbert totally broke down and Rocky walked out after a huge argument, leaving home and going to live with his older brother who was now married and had a child on the way.

Being away from Gilbert, Rocky soon started to pull himself together, his brother enrolled him in a main stream school where he finished his education.  He still had his own passion for music and wanted to pursue a career in music but was going to do it on his own terms and without any help from Gilbert, who he now refused to call Dad.  

Career

After graduation Rocky changed his surname from Grape to Giggs, his mothers maiden name, and went out into the world to chase his music career.

Gilbert was far from impressed the day he found out his own son had signed a record deal with his main rivals Apple Records.

Family

The relationship between Gilbert and Rocky over the years has improved a little, they are working on trying to get that Father Son bond back,  but there relationship is still very unstable, not helped by Rocky's continued refusal to switch record labels, he is determined never to sign to his Fathers label, scared of giving him the chance to get back that overbearing control that he had over him when he was a child.  Even though he knows one day Grape Studio's will be his through inheritance.

Rocky, unlike most of his fellow famous artists, has never paid any attention to groupies and the endless stream of women throwing themselves at him, he has been happily dating his girlfriend Lacey, who is teal, since high school.  They have now been married for about a year and have their first child on the way which Rocky is very excited about.  He tries to keep his private life well away from the public eye.

The Future

Rocky is looking forward to the arrival of his first child, planning on a large family of his own, he has no intention of pushing any of his children to follow in his footsteps ... he intends to let them chose their own path in life.

He is already a world famous rock star ... there is no where else for him to go with his career, all he can do now is enjoy the ride while it lasts and give his children the chance of a good future.

He can only see a rosy future ahead of him .... let's hope he's right!!

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Rocky's first makes his appearance in Generation 2 - Chapter 22
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Rocky belongs to Whitewavedlc
thanks for letting me play with him AGAIN - lol :D

Character Background - Denim Clay

Denim is now in his late 30's and he has been homeless and living on the streets of Rainbow Valley for nearly five years, he has no friends or family to speak of.

Parents

Denim was born into a blue berry family, he was an only child, his parents had him late in life, because of medical problems they didn't expect that they would ever be able to have any children so were very surprised and happy when Denim came along.  They have both now passed away from old age.

Childhood

Denim had a very happy childhood with a good upbringing, doted on by both of his parents and very spoiled as they knew he would be their only child, a child that they had longed for for many years and never thought they would have.  Denim academically did fairly well at school, his intelligence pretty average for a child of his age but his main passion while he was growing up and what he excelled at all through school was sport.

Career

Denim always wanted a career in sports and as soon as he graduated he gained employment at the sports stadium in Rainbow Valley , he really enjoyed his job and worked hard trying to achieve his life time wish of becoming a Sports Legend.  Denim worked his way up to Team Captain before his life fell apart from around him, he fell apart and he ended up being fired from his job.

Family

Denim met his wife Afina, who also worked at the sports stadium until their first child came along. They married after only a few years of dating and started a family straight away, the had three children in quick succession, two girls and a boy but planned on more, both Denim and Afina wanted a large family.

Life So Far

Life was very good for Denim for a while, happily married with three young children, they had their own house and Denim had his dream job, he thought his future was going to be good.  He was very wrong.  One day while he was at work, he got a telephone call that was to drastically change his life ... his wife and three children had been involved in a car accident, a drunk driver had run Afina's car off the road.  By the time Denim reached the hospital his wife and three children had all faded.  He was devastated, not being a very emotionally strong man, he fell to pieces and started drinking because it was the only way that he could find to cope with the loss of his family.  His dependency on alcohol started to get out of hand, and it started to show at work, with him turning up late and drunk, far from able to do his job properly.  It got too much and he was eventually fired from his job.  Denim had bills and a mortgage to pay, with no money coming in he soon found himself in debt and when the bank repossessed his house for non payment of the mortgage he became homeless.  For a while he moved around sleeping on his mates couches, but it didn't take long for those friendships to become strained, his mates had their owns lives and families and he was becoming a burden to them.   He soon found himself out on the streets sleeping rough with all the other homeless people in town and that is where he has been for the past five years.

The Future

To Denim he has no future ... living on the streets with the rest of the homeless people trapped in a vicious circle that they can't get themselves out of  ... he's already tired and doesn't expect to survive too many more winters out on the streets.  He's long lost both the fight and the will to live and wishes every day that his suffering will soon be over.

Is he destined to live the rest of his life on the streets??



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Character Background - Crystal

Crystal is in her early 20's she thinks.  She presumes she was born in Amber Meadows the place that she ran away from when she was a child.  She ended up in Rainbow Valley where she has lived ever since alone and homeless.  

She doesn't really know any true facts about herself other than her name is Crystal, she doesn't know exactly how old she is, who her parents were, her surname or even when her birthday is.  She has one possession to her name - a yellow teddy bear that she has managed to keep since she was a child.  Crystal is quite a mystery, even to herself.  

PARENTS

Crystal can barely remember her parents now, she can no longer see their faces in her mind, she has done her best to try and wipe them from her memory.  They never loved her so why should she care!!

Crystal was born colourless, and has always been led to believe that her parents were yellow but this was only ever presumed because of the colour of her teddy bear.  As far as she knows she was an only child, she never remembers any other children being around when her parents were in her life.   Crystals parents abandoned her when she was a toddler.

CHILDHOOD

All she can remember about her toddler years is being constantly shut away in the same room which she presumes now might have been her bedroom and the only thing she had to play with was her yellow teddy bear which was also her only company.  She can not remember anything about her parents, all that she does knew is that she was neither loved or wanted.

Crystal was left on the doorstep of a childrens home during the middle of the night with just her yellow teddy bear and a note saying her name is Crystal.  Crystal couldn't walk or talk when she was left outside the home, but she appeared to be well fed and well dressed and there were no signs of abuse.  Her parents were never found. 

Crystal was kept at the home where she had been abandoned, in the hope that her parents would return for her but they never did.  Crystal was quick to realize that her colourlessness caused everybody a very big problem.  The other children either constantly bullied or avoided her, the staff gave her a wide birth, nobody even tried to get close to her ... she was basically shunned and alone.  She wasn't even encourage to go to school like the other children because the school wouldn't take her because she was colourless.  She can not read or write because she has never been taught to, never having any education at all. 

After quite a vicious bullying attack by a group of the other children living in the home, she decided to run away ... she knew that nobody would miss her, she even imagined that her leaving would be a blessing to everyone ... so in the middle of the night she ran away to a different town taking only her teddy bear with her.

Life changed drastically after that, she was far from prepared to survive out on the street of Rainbow Valley, especially being a child who already hardly knew anything about how the world works ... but she had to learn fast, she was alone and homeless. 

She learnt quickly how to survive by watching from a distance how the other homeless people in town coped with life.  The other homeless people, who hung around together in groups, excluded her because of her lack of colour, even though she was only just a child who needed to be taken care of ... she knew life was never going to change for her when even the other homeless people didn't want to know her ... in fact, nobody cared about the dirty colourless child running bare foot around town, even the police turned the other cheek to her existence, a child with colour would have been taken off the streets and put into care.  Crystal was left well alone to get on with it ... she suspected they hoped she would fade left to her own devises at such a young age ... she had to learn how to fight in any which way she could to survive.

From a very early age Crystal has been seeing ghosts, and like everybody else in this world, they treat her the same way, with contempt.  She doesn't realize that seeing ghosts is not normal for everyone, she thinks everyone can see them because she has never had anyone tell her otherwise.

LIFE SO FAR

Crystal's life up to now has been a very long and lonely road ...  she has never experienced love, never had a single friend, she's always been isolated away from the rest of the people in this world because of her lack of colour ... She trusts nobody and is scared of anyone who comes anywhere near her.  Crystal has always been treated badly for being homeless, but even worse for her lack of colour, she is an outcast, ridiculed and sneered at, attacked and abused, shunned by society because she is abnormal ... void of colour ... something that they don't understand in their world filled with colour. 


THE FUTURE

Crystal doesn't see anything in her future ... why would there be, she is colourless, the whole world hates her because of what she is ... a colourless abnormality that has no place in this world ... this is her lot and she can't ever see it changing.  She only sees her life as being very lonely and short.

Until a strange orange guy, out of the blue, gives her money for food ... the first act of kindness she's ever experienced in her life.  He starts to chase her around town trying to talk to her, but she can't understand why or what he might want from her, when everyone else makes a point of avoiding her.   She tries to avoid the orange guy ... she doesn't trust him ... why should he be any different to everyone else?!


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Crystals first appearence - Generation 2 - Chapter 19 

A song in Crystals future - Traffic Light - Daughtry
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Character Background - GRAVEL ROCK

Gravel Rock, who is now in his mid 40's, was born in Sugar Valley as a mixed brown and grey berry and has had to live there all of his life because he is a mixed berry.

Parents

Gravel's Mother was born a pure brown berry and his Father a pure grey berry. Gravel's parents met in a colour coded town, and while they were breaking the law being together, his parent's couldn't help but fall in love and the only way they could be together was to move to a colour mixing town.  The only colour mixing town they knew of was Sugar Valley, so that's where they headed to settle down and make a life together.  Both of his parents have now faded.

Childhood

Gravel had a very good and happy childhood with two very loving parents and an older brother who he was very close to while they were growing up.  Now, however, he has a very difficult relationship with his brother, due to his brothers choice of lifestyle.

At school Gravel was quite an intelligent child and did very well when it became time for him to take his exams. His favourite subjects at school were sport and Art.  He made friends easily and was very popular especially with the girls, he was considered one of the better looking boys, but he only ever had eyes for one girl and chose to hang around with the school nerd, Mango Muffin who was his best friend up until his early teenage years.

Career

Gravel's Dad was his world and he idolized him, so much so that he wanted to be just like him when he grew up and ever since he could remember he had wanted to follow in his fathers footsteps and have a career in the police force which he did and has made a reasonable success of. He loves his job and at times along with his son it's the only thing that has kept him going. His brother, however, chose the total opposite path in life ... the life of crime ... which is what has made their relationship difficult, almost impossible at times which has and still upset's Gravel.

Romance and family

Gravel met Amber, the love of his life, when they were primary school children and they became childhood sweethearts very early on.  They dated all through high school, in fact, his relationship with Amber is the only romantic relationship he's ever had. Shortly after they graduated Gravel got the job that he always wanted and joined the police force, Amber started work at the local primary school.  Gravel and Amber got engaged while they were teenagers, and married quite quickly after graduation and were very happy for the first two years setting up house and establishing their careers. Gravel still lives in the first and only house they brought together.  Amber became pregnant within the third year of their marriage, and they were both really happy waiting for the arrival of their first child, both being family oriented they planned on a large family, and they thought they had a long and happy future a head of them.  

Then tragedy struck out of the blue ... Amber faded in childbirth ... Gravel felt like his whole world had fallen apart ... he was devastated.  He was left a single parent with a baby boy to look after while he was trying to grieve for his departed wife. To take his mind off the unlucky hand he'd been dealt, he threw himself into his career and at the same time juggled bringing up his son Slate completely alone, which didn't leave him with a lot of time or energy in his life for anything else including a love life, in fact, since his wife faded, he has not even been out on a single date, even though he's had plenty of opportunities. The years have flown by all too quickly and up to now he's been quite content with just devoting all of his time and attention between his son Slate and his career.

His involvement with the Orchid Family

His first involvement with the Orchid family, began with Mango.  Gravel has known Mango since he was a small child and as they are the same age they went to school together.  Mango was his best friend until they were separated when Mango's parents sent him away to a boarding school, something that he never quite understood.  While they were best friends as children their separation broke that bond and as the years rolled on when Mango came home from school for the holidays, they saw less and less of each other until they were just a distant memory to each other, they both made new friends and got on with their lives.

Gravels relationship with Mango over the years since they graduated has only ever been in a profession capacity, they have never reformed the bond they had when they were children.  Mango became Gravel's doctor and Gravel was one of the police officers dealing with the murder case of Mango's friend Cosmic who was faded in a intentional hit and run.  

A few more cases involving Mango's friends and family have cropped up over the years, that have caused them to cross paths, another hit and run involving his friend Alpine, the attempted murder of Mango's pregnant wife Lilly, which left her in a coma for four years. Then there was his brother in law Prelude's imprisonment for causing actual body harm to a police officer and a prison guard, the murder of his Nephew Storm, the stabbing of his son Mosaic ... this was definitely not the life he expected his old friend Mango to be having, and the more he learnt about Mango's life the more Gravel feels that Mango, like himself, has been handed a very raw deal in life.

Then there is Mango's troubled son, Tapestry, who has crossed his path at work on quite a few occasions over the past few years and has had more than one ride home in the back of Gravel's squad car.  Now Gravel is the head police officer handling the on going abduction case of Tapestry and his girlfriend Honey, who still haven't been found.

This ongoing abduction case in particular along with the fact that his son Slate is dating and engaged to Mango's daughter Coral, has started to bring Gravel and Mango closer together as friends, and they are slowly starting to rebuild their relationship again.

The future

Gravel is not looking forward to the future.  

Slate his son is very close to graduating and will soon be making a life of his own with his girlfriend Coral. Gravel is scared ... he's built his life around his only son and his career ... and he's worried that his future is going to be a lonely one when his son finally does fly the nest.  He feels being in his mid 40's he's too old to start over with a new life and a new family, his time he feels has passed him by and he's worried that the memories of his wife will come back to haunt him when he's left rattling around his home alone. He's not sure he's ever really gotten over or dealt properly with Amber's premature departure from his life.

So what will the future hold for Gravel?

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A hint of of what might be coming and a song for his future:

"Trying not to love you" ~ Nickleback
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