Jake Bently

Jake Matthew Bently is a character created and written by Teddy. He exists within the Dreamtalker canon, and is the Dreamtalker his story is named for.

Appearance
The most immediately noticeable thing about Jake is his height—despite still being a teenager, he is currently at around 6'9".  To avoid coming off as intimidating, Jake tends to slouch. He has a leanly-muscled build due to the fact that he exercises regularly in order to release his ever-present energy.

Jake is racially white with an olive skin-tone. His hair is a chestnut colour, struck through here and there with natural sun-caused highlights; it's longish, shaggy and extremely messy with his fringe almost always falling in his eyes. Although his height can make him appear to be in his twenties upon first impression, some of his features look rather boyish—particularly his ski-slope nose and wide green eyes. Jake has soft features—aside from his jaw, which is notably strong—and a slightly crooked mouth that usually makes him look like he's smiling. Jake's frequent grins are wide, bright and dimpled.

Jake's everyday attire tends to consist of a graphic t-shirt, jeans, sneakers and a sweatshirt. His clothes are generally dark blue or black to keep grass stains or muddy pawprints from showing. It is unusual to ever see him without a hoodie unless there is a very specific reason; Jake's hoodies act as a safety blanket of sorts for him, and he finds a good amount of comfort in them. If he is feeling insecure, scared or upset, he pulls up his hood and will wrap his hoodie tightly around himself—this makes them a particularly good way to gauge his emotions. A subtle gesture of trust and affection for Jake is to offer someone his hoodie.

Jake's accent is a purposefully neutralised American one with affectations from all over the United States. However, if one pays attention, they should be able to hear the remnants of a New York accent. He doesn't bother speaking with perfect grammar, more concerned with getting his general message across than anything else. Instead, he has a loose style of speaking, dropping consonants at the ends of his words and rambling off on tangents of run-on sentences. When upset or otherwise worked up, Jake's grammar tends to deteriorate further; sometimes, the stutter he had as a child even dribbles back into his speech.

Cybernetic Arm
During the events of Rebirth, Jake's left arm—his dominant one—was severed by a blast of damaging energy. A prosthetic was built for him by Tormenta; Zahhak's description of it is as follows:

''He basically has a reinforced cap over the stump with wires spliced into the nerves, but that's hidden under the cap, which has a series of small clamps and a USB port in it. The arm is plugged into the port and clamped onto the cap, which is anchored at several points along the bone in his arm. The arm is covered in sleek-looking modern ceramic plates, with delicately jointed metal fingers. It has rudimentary feeling in the fingers and palm, very fine and delicate motor skills, and basic heat and pH detectors built into it at various points. ''

While the majority of the arm is usually hidden by the sleeve of his hoodie, the hand from the wrist should be visible.

Personality
Overall, Jake has a personality that is rather reminiscent of that of a boisterous puppy. He is affectionate and deeply loyal to the point of it becoming a fault—if Jake trusts and likes you, he will do anything for you.

Jake is stubborn and has a short temper that, although kept under control for the most part, can come out explosively when he is confronted with someone he associates with his friends being unhappy. He is energetic, excitable and curious, often tilting his head when he hears something he doesn't understand or that is unfamiliar.

Jake is dangerously impulsive at times and can act immaturely when in the presence of someone he strongly dislikes. However, his extroverted personality means that he is most content when around people, particularly his friends. He will express his appreciation for their presence and very existence through physical affection, compliments, and sometimes odd gestures like bounding off to make food for them at the slightest suggestion that they're hungry.

He is an optimist, half naturally and half because he forces himself to be. Either way, Jake tries to see at least a small amount of magic in everything—ironically, though, the only thing he cannot find any beauty in is himself. Jake suffers from extremely low self-worth due to his dyslexia (and ADHD) as well as growing up with an emotionally and sometimes even verbally/physically abusive mother. This isn't always apparent, however, due to the air of confidence his cheerful nature can give off.

Jake dislikes being told what to do by anyone aside from people he's specifically chosen. When faced with such a situation, he will become either sullen or exceedingly cocky, sometimes alternating between the two—especially if he is unable to accomplish whatever it is that is expected of him.

Most of all, Jake loves deeply and he loves fiercely. He can sometimes mother his friends, fussing over them to make sure they're all right; if they aren't, he will try anything from goofing around to threatening to hurt the person that upset them to just plain snuggling them in order to cheer them up. Jake is highly protective of the people he cares about and will do everything within his power to ensure that they are safe and happy. He does not like being at odds with anyone, though his occasional tunnel-vision can make it difficult for him to remain on good terms with everyone.

Jake enjoys physical activities, food, and dogs. He has a habit of taking in any strays he encounters, whether they are canine, feline or neither. The most notable of these adopted pets is Shep, Jake's large black Newfoundland.