PLAYER INFOName: Stark
Contact Information: Plurk @ starkxravingxmad
Time Zone: EST, and I'm typically on later at night
Characters Played: n/a
CHARACTER INFOCharacter Name: Rei Ryugazaki
Character Canon: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
History: Link to the Free! WikiAU History: Born the youngest of two boys in a middle class family from the central part of the city, with a mother who worked in the medical center and a father who was a business man, Rei lived nothing if not a fairly ordinary life. He easily excelled in all of his academic pursuits, attaining top grades in his science and mathematics classes and still managing to fill his non-academic hours with a stint on the track and field team in town. Pokemon were present in his life, as they are for everyone who lives and grows up within the city, but they never truly had a huge impact on his life...
At least, he didn't think so.
While his mother and father both pursued ordinary careers, there were still stories within his family about the pursuits of his grandfather-- a Pokemon trainer and explorer, the only one in the family-- and how he had drowned in the wilds many years before Rei was even born.
Although his parents had only told him these stories when he was young in hopes that Rei would grow up into a well rounded, well informed young man, Rei heard an unspoken request in their words: 'Please don't be that foolish.'
Despite his curiosity, Rei put the notion of exploration out of his mind. There were still many other career paths, ones that were more useful and more elegant...besides, drowning was such an inelegant way to die...
It wasn't until he was fifteen, when a particularly bubbly, loud, and insistent classmate dragged him to the Pokemon habitat that he even gave the notion another thought.
After a surprise encounter with a Mantyke and some encouragement, Rei decided that it was time to take a little risk.
Canon Personality: Rei is a character made of contrasts. On first glance he creates the images of a model student-- polite, composed, with nary a hair out of place or a wrinkle in his clothes. His grades, similarly, are perfect, and his skill in the pole vaulting event on the track team is something that he has honed to a mathematical level of perfection. However, this carefully crafted image falls short the moment Rei opens his mouth to speak. The very notion of being anything less than perfect sends him into a comical breakdown that reveals his true self-- loud, proud and confident to a fault.
In short, Rei is the kind of person who scoffs at displays of silliness while secretly enjoying the silliness himself. But, despite his bluster, his pride, and the grumpiness that he uses to shield his ego, he is the sort of person who will admit his faults and strive to work fixing them...even if it means trying to adapt his thinking to something new. For all of his brains, critical awareness, and mathematical mind, Rei lacks something crucial in any artist...
That spark of inspiration.
This is why, even though he is excellent at pole vaulting, he can only swing so high before his analysis can't climb further. This is also why, despite spending hours memorizing the concepts and theories behind swimming, the only stroke he can manage with any degree of decency-- and very inelegantly to boot-- is the butterfly stroke. It's the most complicated, most technical swimming style.
What he lacks in inspiration, he makes up for with his heart and his hard work. He is very concerned about his teammates once he accepts his position among them, and he fusses and worries over them in his own way, all the while being concerned that his own lack of talent is holding the rest of them back. This drives him to take risks that he knows are foolish, like swimming in the ocean alone with his kickboard in the middle of the night to strengthen his endurance.
And, when he finds that his own skills aren't good enough to help his friends, or he finds that they need something that isn't him? He is a loyal supporter, one who will willingly step down if needed, and will be the one who will cheer the loudest and hardest for what he cares about.
AU Deviation: There is actually relatively little deviation between Rei's self in Canon vs. this AU. They are subtle differences, as within the bounds of this game Rei actually has a legitimate reason for never having pursued swimming as a hobby-- that is, besides his blanket answer of 'it's not beautiful'. As such, he also has noticeable more hesitation in his actions regarding both swimming and the inevitable exploration that he is going to end up doing.
The setting itself, with the dominant culture being more focused on the group rather than the individual, means that his notions of teamwork are strong from the outset rather than something that grows over time, and he is more open about his compassion for his fellow humans and Pokemon. He knows that, while he is far behind the rest of his peers, there is still something that he can contribute to make a small piece of the world a little better. And, for him, that is enough to keep striving forward.
Canon Abilities: Seeing as Free! is based in a real-world setting, it's safe to say that Rei has no abilities besides what an ordinary human can do. He's got excellent analysis and critical thinking skills that have helped him receive top grades in all of his classes and excel in his the sports he chooses...until he reaches the point in those sports where analysis can't help him any longer.
His strength is also his weakness-- he doesn't know how to trust his intuition.
This is why he was a skilled pole vaulter during his time on the track team, but no artist. This is also why he can only swim the butterfly stroke on the swim team-- the butterfly is the most technical oriented stroke, and he can thus understand it the best.
Enlightened Abilities: Rei is not an Enlightened-- he is a Far from Ordinary trainier with the Analyst ability. He will end up specializing in water-types.
Like in canon, Rei himself has no actual combat ability. However, also like in canon, if there is a technical element to any fighting style that he ends up pursuing, odds are high that he'll be able to grasp the basic concepts of them without problem. Actually executing these concepts, however, is a completely different story.
Starter Pokémon: Tamago the Mantyke
Notes/Special Considerations: I don't have anything special in mind, besides the fact that I do want to incorporate the swimming elements from canon as a part of his storyline. The idea of a water-type trainer who can't swim just tickles me.
SAMPLESFirst-Person: [The sound of poles rattling together and falling to the ground greeted any listeners when the feed clicked on without warning that afternoon-- a sound that was quickly followed by a muffled grumble of frustration.]
--don't understand. I spent weeks studying the theories and concepts before we left!
[Rei leaned back and sat on a nearby stump, reflexively taking hold of his glasses while he tried to grasp a hold of a level of calm so that he could think clearly and properly recalculate his assessments.]
Reading all of those books about wilderness survival should have helped. So, why can't we get a tent together?
[A muffled splash sounded in the background, followed by an annoyed huff from the young man.]
I know it's hot out, Tama-san, but I don't think swimming will help us get set up before nightfall...
...
Well, maybe a little break will be good for both of us.
Third-Person:
"If humans were meant to swim, then they would have evolved for it," Rei explained in a matter-of-fact tone edged in agitation. His glasses flashed in the bright lights of the artificial habitat, reflecting the water in the pool. "Or they would be Enlightened, and have powers that work in the water-- because its natural for them. Its a struggle for everyone else to keep their head above the water, and their gasping for air..." he shuddered, burying his face in his hands as if to hide from the thought.
"It isn't beautiful at all..." His voice trailed into silence, all echoes of it being drowned out by the bubbling filters and the splashing of the water-type Pokemon playing in the pool. Huffing in annoyance at himself for being talked into coming to the facility by a loud, insistent classmate, he looked out over the habitat once more... Only to find something staring at him.
Or, rather, someone.
It was a Mantyke -- he identified it easily, but didn't approach. Memories of all of the stories his family had told him of the dangers that lurked in the wilds beyond the city bubbled to the surface and had frozen his feet to the ground. His family had made it no secret that his grandfather, an explorer, had drowned in the wilderness long before he had ever had a chance to meet his grandson. Rei had absorbed that familial wariness of the wilds, and had long ago resolved to lead a quiet and safe life somewhere in the academic fields when he came of age.
"Why are you looking at me?" he asked, suddenly feeling self conscious. He compulsively pushed his glasses up his nose, and found himself staring back at the Pokemon uncertainly.
The creature grinned. With a gleeful cry it rose from the water and flew at him.
"Wha-- Wait!!" Rei's flustered yelp did nothing to stop the Mantyke. If anything, he caught the gleam of mischief in it's eyes a second too late.
Impact.
The two bodies collided with a smack and another yelp. Momentum drove the two of them into the water--
Then, nothing. Just a pristine moment of cold clarity.
Rei broke the surface moments later, gasping for air. His hair was plastered against his forehead and his glasses were missing to the depths, but even without the perscription lenses he could see the Pokemon flapping and splashing around in the water, making sounds that had to be laughter. Sinking until only his eyes were above the water, Rei prayed that the Pokemon couldn't see his reddening cheeks.
There was no point in fighting anymore.
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