Otto Gardener is a young human living in UV-00282's California.
They have dark brown hair, which is usually kept in a messy ponytail. Their skin is dark brown, with no scars or blemishes, due to their rigorous skin routine they perform every morning. Their face is slightly round, and their nose is flat. They wear a striped yellow-and-white T-shirt, dark brown cargo pants, and yellow-gold sneakers. Otto wears round glasses, which have a very thin, black frame, making their dark brown eyes look a little bigger than they really are.
They're visiting Portland for a break between semesters at their college in California, and they decide to invite their friends out camping to catch up.
PERSONALITY
Otto's personality is somewhat dependent on the player's actions. However, a great deal of who they are as a person can be inferred from discussions during the game.
The other campers view Otto as driven and passionate, achieving their goals with seemingly a great deal of ease. They're also friendly and well-liked by most people, being able to adapt to other personalities and get along with everyone. They do their best to keep the peace between others, as shown when they step in between Arthur Taron and Pat Syve every now and then, defusing any tension in a situation. Otto understands their friends pretty easily, despite their struggles to convey their feelings in various ways.
Otto's very smart, and enjoys playing chess in their spare time. They attended college for botany, which took them away from Portland for two years. They are the focal point for the friend group seen in Deadheading, as they're the reason everyone there knows each other.
TIMELINE
Pre-Deadheading
In September of 1999, Otto is born to a large family living in the suburbs of Portland. They're raised by their parents, but by other family members as well when their parents aren't available - uncles, aunts, grandparents, and cousins all pitch in. Even though Otto is the only child their parents have, they definitely don't feel like it, especially when surrounded by cousins from various other branches of the tree.
Otto's a diligent student in school, which gets Pat seated next to them in elementary school to quiet the latter down. It doesn't work, and the two become close friends, which lasts into adulthood. Otto also attends a spelling bee in middle school, winning it and inviting second place to a pizza party - befriending Arthur. In high school, Otto meets Anne Yvolve, drawing her out of her shell and introducing her to the other friends.
When they graduate from high school, Otto moves directly on to college, taking them away to California for a few years.
Deadheading
Otto gets a few week's worth of a break off between semesters in 2019, and they decide to use the time to go visit home again. They invite their friends out to camping, though only three get back to them - Arthur, Anne, and Pat. They agree on a plan to go camp, and Otto heads out into the woods to meet up with everyone.
The events that then unfold are dependent on the player. There is not one particular 'canon' route, aside from 0/3 being decidedly uncanon. The camping trip is successful, and Otto has heart-to-hearts with their friends, helping them through their worries about the future.
Post-Deadheading
Otto helps their friends get on their feet, cheering them all on as they begin to pursue their own goals. They return to school a week after the trip, graduating with honors from their college with their degree. After they get their degree, they move back to Portland in order to be closer to family again, and start going on more camping trips (and other hangouts) with their friends. Through their connections, they land a cushy job as an environmental scientist, though they take it very seriously.
RELATIONSHIPS
Pat Syve
The two have been close since elementary school, and Otto always stayed in touch with Pat, despite the latter's struggles with using social media. They think Pat's funny, but needs to learn to take some things more seriously - especially when it comes to their future. They're always there for Pat, though, and they wouldn't ever be the one to truly shove Pat in any particular direction. Pat understands them on a level that most others don't, and Otto treasures that kind of thing.
Pat is their oldest friend, and they'd do anything for them.
Anne Yvolve
Learning about Anne's childhood and how distant her parents are even now, Otto feels a great deal of sympathy for her. They can't imagine going through life without the support of a family, so they try their best to be that role for Anne - drawing her further into their own family so she's cared for. Even when they left Portland, they'd asked their cousins to keep an eye on Anne and help her out, which they've fulfilled the request. They're glad that Anne has gotten more encouragement to be social.
They used to be an anxious mess too, as a kid. They know how hard it can be.
Arthur Taron
Otto gets the sense that Arthur views them very highly, though they don't understand what they did to earn that kind of opinion. They're always very careful around him, trying their best not to really push him on the subject of his parents and what he goes through. Otto enjoys the two's banter, when they get the chance to do so without Pat around, and they think Arthur is very smart. They're his biggest fan for the books he'll write someday!
At night, Otto would pray that Arthur wakes up to his abuse and escapes.
TRIVIA
Otto's design was a recycled beta design for Klair Marsh from Ghost House.
They can be very competitive when it comes to video games.
'Otto' was chosen as a default first name in reference to the parenting style they got - authoritative.
