Heathcliff Barton

in-game information

basic information

name — Heathcliff James Barton
   nicknames — Heath
age — 32 33
gender — male
birthday — january 19
sexuality — heterosexual
religion — christian
marital status — single

height — 5'11"
weight — 168 lbs
hair color — brown
eye color — blue

languages — English (native), Standard Hindi (fluent), Spanish (fluent), French (fluent), German (fluent), Italian (fluent), Korean (advanced), Japanese (advanced), Portuguese (advanced), Mandarin Chinese (conversational)
likes — cats, warm bread, cigars, clean-looking suits, new car smell, spending a quiet afternoon in his house
dislikes — getting sick, zombies, people stepping in his garden, fruits, ironing, any sort of overly loud music, tacky Greek architecture
theme — "Rootless Tree" by Damien Rice, "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" by the Script

post-pulse

2009

12/15: Started posting.

12/20: Arrived in Rome, Italy for work.

12/28: Left Rome, Italy and transferred to Taipei, Taiwan for more work.

2010

1/03: Returned to Honolulu, Hawaii.

1/05: His sister, Juliet Barton, comes for a visit.

1/19: Juliet helps Heath host a dinner party in celebration of his 33rd birthday.

3/20: Travelled to Berlin, Germany for work-related business.

3/22: Assisted force groups in Berlin, Germany.

4/03: Returned to Honolulu, Hawaii.

4/19: Was affected by the toxic water.

5/07: Attended a performance of Les Misérables in New York City, New York.

5/20: Moved to Auckland, New Zealand.

6/12: Went to get coffee with Mia Lauer.

6/23: Received the vaccine against the zombie virus.

7/19: Defended Auckland, New Zealand from zombie attacks. Only got cuts and bruises!

8/10: Assisted where possible during the ice storm.

9/05: Due to Cupid, fell in love with his MILF neighbor for 24 hours.

background information

history

Although he may live in Hawaii now, Heathcliff was actually born in India. From the moment he sprang from the womb, Heathcliff was jet-set; his mother hated monotony and had the constant itch for different environments. Her job, as a travel journalist, also demanded that the Barton family continually uproot themselves and move onwards to different parts of the world. Because of this, Heathcliff's childhood lacked constancy and he learned to distance himself from the world changing around him, instead paying attention to only what he chose to.

Heathcliff's mother's job brought the family to a number of places: Beijing, Verona, London, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, Mexico City, Panama City, Madrid, and countless other places. By the time he was ten, Heathcliff was flunt in three languages; by the time he was fifteen, it was five. Heathcliff was naturally intelligent, but he was unable to empathize with his age group, and rather than make friends, Heathcliff was more interested in the countries he visited and anything built by man. Planes were more interesting to him than peers, learning French rather than making friends, and though Heathcliff grew up isolated, he seemed pleased with his lot in life. He managed to graduate high school and then attended Oxford University in England, with a major in architecture.

Within a few years of graduation, Heathcliff moved to Honolulu in order to join an elite architecture firm. By now, Heathcliff was already a workaholic, and he pumped out blue-prints with detail and ease. His life seemed to settle into what most would call a perfect life: Heathcliff was able to buy his own house, have a cat or two, and managed (with luck, really) to become engaged to Janine Lauer, a beautiful woman he had met through a friend. It all seemed very well, until the pulse hit.

In the aftermath of the pulse, Heathcliff showed little sign of mourning with Janine's death; instead, he threw himself intensely into his work, ignoring phone calls and intent on making more money only. People who knew him knew this was Heathcliff's way of crying, but others saw Heathcliff was callous. But he had never dealt with a grief so heavy before, and he was unable to find an appropriate way to express it. Nonetheless, Janine's family cut ties off with him entirely, and though he attended the funeral, he was not invited to the reception, nor was he informed of where they scattered her ashes.

Changed into something a tad more bitter than what he was, Heathcliff became a realist. He called a hiatus from his work, and now Heathcliff has devoted his recent days into relaxing at his house for the past two weeks, waiting (though he's not sure what for).

Janine is always in the back of his mind.

personality

Most people describe Heath as someone a tad full of himself. He is aware that his level of accomplishment far exceeds the norm of his age-group, and as a result, he has a tendency to act precocious and conceited. His intelligence is his greatest asset, and he sees no problem in showing it off, walking circles around someone's head, and he likes to look down on those who cannot keep up. Heathcliff is defined by his intelligence: he knows he is brilliant, and because of this, constantly doubts information provided by others unless he can verify it himself.

This type of arrogance prevents Heathcliff from being gullible, but it lends him to being almost stubborn and uncooperative. His inability to accept what other people say as fact also makes it difficult for him to understand feelings. He is almost always in doubt of emotion and gut feelings, while he heralds true fact and conclusive evidence.

Because he never made any efforts as a child to socialize, Heathcliff is emotionally and socially stunted. Heathcliff has trouble figuring out what is going on with people's feelings, though he can identify them well-enough. His reactions always seem to be a bit off, full of his usual conceited airs and a feeling that he simply cannot be bothered. He can't figure out what to do with emotional people. He doesn't know how to react well, and even though internally he is unsure, he covers it up by acting as masculine and intelligent as he can. Heathcliff has a huge superiority complex, you see, and showing any sort of inferiority immediately repels him. He has trouble admitting when he is wrong.

He is highly practical and blunt, always pointing out the flaws and cons to a plan before refining it with his own choice knowledge. Heathcliff chooses to live as he pleases. He is somewhat pessimistic of the world's situation as it is, and he feels that rather than waste time waiting for the end (which is inevitable), he would much prefer doing as he sees fit. His primary goals in life are not the usual goals of happiness; Heath is simply in pursuit of greatness.

powers

memory omniscience — By interacting with a person once, he immediately knows of everything that has happened to them, ever (unless they have a way to block this). This can be as obvious as greeting someone at work or something as subtle as reading a book someone wrote. However, it must be directly tied to the person as something they made; he can't just pick up memories by touching something someone once had. Not only that, but it must be a concrete memory of an experience that happened; any particular thoughts they remembered won't be picked up by him, so any visions a clairvoyant might have won't be perceived by Heathcliff. Because of this ability, however, it's safe to assume Heathcliff knows close to everything that has occurred throughout the world.

mental blasts — By concentrating hard enough, Heathcliff can condense the energy in his mind into a burst of energy, strong enough to knock a man off his feet. He has refined it to the point where he can control the amount of power in the blast, and it has become strong enough to rival a strong explosive.

relationships

family

William Barton — Heath always liked his father the most; William's job as a mechanic provided Heath with endless amounts of metal parts to puzzle around with. He always pushed Heath to be his best, and Heath has never resented him for it.
Catherine Barton — Because Catherine was always occupied with her work, she was a distant mother when Heath was growing up. After the pulse, she made an effort to get in touch with him again, and Heath treats her as a mother - though his sincere feelings are indeterminate.
Juliet Barton — His younger sister. Heath is, of course, a tad protective over her but has difficulty expressing it. Because of this, their relationship can often be strained due to Heath saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Nonetheless, they are fairly close and Heath adores her to his bone marrow. NPC.

ex-fiancé

Janine Lauer — When Heath met her, he thought nothing of her. She was only a coworker's friend from college, but they spoke casually over drinks and managed to hit it off. Heathcliff avoided calling her for a week before she called him herself and told him upfront of her interest. Janine was always the dominant one who took charge, and if it weren't for her ridiculous hinting, Heath would not have proposed to her after dating for two years.

They soon moved in together, post-poning their marriage for a few years to focus on their careers, and life with her was everything idyllic. Heath was devoted to her and her comfort, making sure she was always happy and content. She was patient, understanding, and everything he wanted in a woman. However, when the pulse hit, Janine was killed by the infected. Heath had never dealt with grief before, and found himself unable to express it. Without her, he is an empty vessel; he still cannot speak of her to this day. Deceased.

friends

Annorah Rose MacKay — Originally, he was a friend of her cousin Aplin, but over time, he has grown to known Norah fairly well too. She has a tendency to talk his ear off, but he usually humours her the way a brother would. His primary concern is that she doesn't let her tendencies run away with her, but he knows she has her head on straight.
Kalia Song — His well-meaning neighbor. Heath doesn't know her or her boyfriend very well, but he's seen her when he was, yes, gardening. He went so far as to invite her and Yang to his birthday dinner, and because of her many acts of kindness towards him, has in his own way become fond of her. Tentatively, he considers her a friend. NPC.
Patrick Nohara — Heath's slightly bizarre ex-neighbor. Sometimes Heath saw him when he was gardening. He thinks of him as very young and very energetic, and both are qualities Heath feels he has trouble keeping up with. Heath is not quite sure when they became friends, but since Patrick says so... May miss him a little bit.
Yang Ji Nan — Kalia's boyfriend, who also happens to be his neighbor (because the two live together). The two seem similar in being far too smart for their own good, but Yang shows an ability to adapt that Heath doesn't. Yang's ability to handle his own intelligence and assimilate into society earned Heath's admiration, and his friendly attitude towards him has Heath considering him a friend. NPC.

business relations

Alexandrine Theresa Louise Saint-Just — The rich heiress for Versailles Palace, a luxury casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Heath designed the casino's architecture. He did not speak much to Alexandrine so much as her uncle.
Anthony Crawford III — One of the first people to employ Heath to build something for him. Heath's designs for Anthony helped establish himself as a credible architect in his field of work, and the popularity of his buildings helped him garner his good reputation.
Aubrey Blackwell — The daughter of a client. He drew up the design for their house, and he met Aubrey when he went to deliver the blueprints and discuss any changes. She was... interesting.
Feng Nuo Shi — Heath's relationship with the illustrious Taiwanese star is strictly business. Heath has designed a number of clubs and other buildings for Feng, and he sends a Christmas card every year. Business is business.
Theresa Holloway — Anthony's personal assistant. When Heath interacted with her, he found her to be a lively, interesting woman. He has never seen her in person though; he's only spoken to her over the phone.

others

Aidan Doyle — Heath's history professor at Oxford way back in the day. He showed an avid interest in the subject, so he often went and bothered his professor after hours to clarify the lecture for himself. They've lost contact since then; all Heath knows is that Doyle continued teaching after he graduated. NPC.
Andrei Aleksandrovich Sorokin — Andrei's parents met Heathcliff in a nursery once while picking out plants and immediately decided he was something of their go-to guy about gardening. He always entertained them and answered to the best of his ability, but he always felt a little uncomfortable. Andrei himself was always a polite, nice person, and Heath appreciated the contrast between him and his parents.
Armand Bourdieu — The owner of the bakery Heathcliff liked to frequent when he lived in London, England. He liked to go and pick up bread in the morning, mostly for the smell as much as the taste. Besides that, he did not really know Armand.
Koudelka Gwynne — He doesn't know her formally, but he had seen her performing around the London area while he was attending university there and business trips afterwards. He always made sure to tip, and sometimes he wonders what exactly happened to her.
Mia Lauer — Janine's little sister, who for the most part paled in comparison next to her sister. Heath couldn't really recall much of her, since it's been years since they last met until now. He has difficulty gauging what her feelings toward him are, and she is something of a puzzle for him. One moment she says one thing - the next, she changes her mind. He is surprised by how different she is from Janine and how surprisingly similar she is, in some ways, to him.
Naiteu Song Sim — Heath works for a branch of Naiteu's father's firm. He only knows of him by name and by seeing him puttering around randomly, but he bears no ill-regard to the kid. He's maybe spoken to him once or twice.
Natalie Fuentes — They attended the same school in Seoul, a bilingual school which taught both English and Korean. Although Heath was older than Natalie, he knew her by name and face, and the school was not a very big one. However, Heath moved after six months and he doesn't know what became of her.

thorns in his side

Kaden Blackwell — A man who is more aggravating than interesting. Heath believes Kaden to be illogical, though he gives the pretense of not being so, and a person too proud to recognize a fault like that deserves no respect from him. Kaden simply just rubs him the wrong way. NPC.

trivia

• Secretly, he's a huge basketball fan. His favorite team is the Los Angeles Lakers.
• Despite common belief, he does not live alone! He has two cats named Chunky and Gloria. Janine named them.
• Heath is an avid gardener. He finds it very soothing.
• Despite growing up all over the place, Heath has a British accent, cultivated by his parents.
• Heath lives alone in a 4-bedroom house; Janine wanted it so they had room for kids. He keeps those rooms empty.
• His type of woman prefers books to people, just like him.
• Heathcliff was, in fact, named after the character in Wuthering Heights.
• His favorite place to visit is Sweden, even with the cold temperatures.
• He had his first kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower when was 15. The girl was an American tourist.
• His favorite type of book is biographical non-fiction, followed closely by historical fiction.
• Heathcliff is ambidextrous! He can write with either hand.
• He has been with no women since Janine. He was ridiculously hung up on her.
• It isn't that he is necessarily hard to get to know; there's just a specific approach one must take.
• The gentleman does prefer blondes.

places he's been

• Varanasi, India ▬ birthplace
• Darjeeling, India ▬ vacation
• Agra, India ▬ vacation
• Mexico City, Mexico ▬ work
• Madrid, Spain ▬ former residence
• San Sebastián, Canary Islands ▬ vacation & work
• Barcelona, Spain ▬ vacation
• Paris, France ▬ former residence
• Avignon, France ▬ former residence
• Brittany, France ▬ vacation
• Berlin, Germany ▬ vacation
• Hamburg, Germany ▬ former residence
• Tuscany, Italy ▬ vacation
• Verona, Italy ▬ vacation
• Rome, Italy ▬ former residence & work
• Seoul, South Korea ▬ former residence
• Gyeongju, South Korea ▬ vacation
• Jejudo, South Korea ▬ vacation
• Tokyo, Japan ▬ former residence
• Osaka, Japan ▬ former residence
• Kyoto, Japan ▬ vacation
• London, England ▬ former residence
• Oxford, England ▬ attended university
• Sydney, Australia ▬ former residence
• Panama City, Panama ▬ work
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ▬ work
• Lisbon, Portugal ▬ vacation
• Beijing, China ▬ former residence
• New York City, New York ▬ former residence & attended Les Misérables
• Chicago, Illinois ▬ former residence
• Boston, Massachusetts ▬ work
• Lake Tahoe, California ▬ vacation
• Los Angeles, California ▬ work
• Taipei, Taiwan ▬ work
• Honolulu, Hawaii ▬ former residence
• Auckland, New Zealand ▬ current residence

Categories: Auckland, New Zealand | Missing