character :: Oliver
and trees like corpses when really,
there is life and beauty within.
Oliver has always been fascinated by plants, even as a young boy and as luck would have it, he was never far from them. Growing up in Brazil, Oliver's parents worked hard to provide their two sons with a good life, instilling in them the need for hard work and a good, solid career. One of their son's birth defects made life difficult for the parents and for Oliver as well, who was also struggling with his own health problems (Type 1 Diabetes). Even with the small obstacles in his life, Oliver grew into his teen years and into the little hellion that would disappear for weeks at a time or skip school to hang out with friends instead. But all of it was short lived.
He aged well into adulthood and, as his parents had hoped, attended college to become a Biological/Biosystems Engineer, though Oliver could tell his interests were focused elsewhere. The time he didn't spend on homework and caring for his younger brother were with a sketchbook, drawing the beauty of Brazil. But before Oliver could commit to his schooling, or his artistic passions, the world began to change around him. Trees, flowers, fungi, all of it began to creep into even the most urban areas and no matter how often they were cut back, they grew so quickly that even large cities like Rio were having problems managing the growth. And with good reason.
The plants became more invasive, poisonous and even deadly, using special acids or secretions on their leaves to kill unsuspecting tourists and civilians alike. It wasn't until the plants had ravaged most of the cities that the government realized they were too late; they hadn't acted quickly enough and there was no way evacuation was a possibility unless it was by foot. Military and police did what they could while families struggled to escape but not all were so lucky, Oliver's family included. His mother, father and brother had been taken by the plants, roots growing through their bodies, planting them exactly where they had been captured. Oliver manages to escape, finding a group of fellow survivors in the nearby city of São Paulo whom he could rely on. Within this group are a number of fellow Brazilians and a couple of unfortunate Americans who simply found themselves in the wrong place in the wrong time, one of which who thinks she can solve the mystery of the plants.
Oliver isn't sure what use he can offer to the others, his only use being his artistic merit and his social skills limited to talking to the trees that were once his family in hopes that they can hear him. But perhaps he can make himself useful as an assistant to the brilliant and beautiful botanist or maybe he can just tease the rural fisherman about his love life but either way - it's better than being alone...maybe.
