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Ye Xiu
Oct 23, 2019 0:27:49 GMT -8
Post by Bones on Oct 23, 2019 0:27:49 GMT -8
Tag Trainer Profile  Ye Xiu
Nickname: Kit
Gender: Male
| Age: 26
Trainer Class: Traveler
Ethnicity: Djitsan | Phuouen
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Height: 5’7”
Weight: 158 lbs
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Hometown:
Dianette, Central Godai
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{Physical Details}
Hair Color & Style: Ye prefers his hairstyle in the most natural state it can be – black, soft, and short. Although sometimes the man enjoys stylizing his hair, he is always found with a short style with minimal amounts of gel frayed at the top of his head. At times, Ye prefers it spikey with his bangs mixed towads the top of his head, and his side burns trimmed as much as possible. There’s not much else the man does, and there would be no Mew given way he would ever dye his hair.
Eyes: Despite his age, the trainer’s eyes are quite large, resting just above the cheek bones in a wide, almond shape. His eyebrows are also somewhat thick, but of course, since Ye enjoys a bit of manscaping, his eyebrows are neatly trimmed with very little hair towards his eyelids and forehead. His eye colour, however, is what the man is most proud of. Ye’s iris’ are a light, honey brown with black pigmented flakes circling the pupils.
Clothing/Accessories: Ye is not a fan of extravagant or brand name clothing, often opting to don a simple shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Reflective of his attitude towards life, most of his clothing is old, but clean in order to not make him look completely like a slob. There are times where his closet has an array of graphic tees, but otherwise, most of them are in solid colours with very minimal designs. The trainer only enjoys one kind of jeans and they are always the same colour, but in multiple pairs: blue jeans with a straight cut at the ankles. Ye carries only two pairs of sneakers and one pair of worn-out sandals, making sure to cover the luxury logos with matching spraypaint in order to avoid attention.
In terms of accessories, Ye wants nothing to serve as a reminder that ties him to his wealth back at home - not including Happy. As such, the man refuses to wear any rings, necklaces, or bracelets of any kind. To him, these trinkets serve no purpose other and can be a calling for thieves or a way for anyone to remember him. If anything, the man prefers to not have a lasting impression on others as much as possible.
General Appearance: Because of his large cheeks and constant smile, Ye Xiu is sometimes picked on due to his “babyface”, but the man takes it in stride, glad to be able to keep his youth around him even to this day. Despite his rather short height compared to other Godians, the young man makes it up for always making sure he is moving around and not stuck sitting around. Prior to his adventure, Ye was always at the gym building and toning his muscles. He used to have pale skin but spending time in the light has made it quite tan. The results of this and the gym are a decent posture and a confident walking gait. At times, he can be a bit vain, but it’s not something that comes to the forefront of his mind. In a room, the trainer doesn’t turn eyes, in fact he can often be overlooked by others, but he is perfectly satisfied to be in the corner of a room with a smile and a nice drink.
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{Personal Details}
Personality: Ye is arguably one of the most laidback people in all of Godai – or at least that’s how his friends see him, not that Ye would be one to deny these facts. Described as a “chill” person, the trainer completely encompasses this in both the best and worst ways possible. Whenever tensions arise, especially between two individuals or in a group setting, the young man often finds reasons to not escalate the problem by calming everyone down using his normally jovial or soothing demeanour. As such, the trainer has tremendous patience and although not much can make him angry, he does tend to feel the slight bit of annoyance at times. After so many years of feeling the obnoxious essence of clouded judgement due to anger, Ye has felt he mastered the choice of pushing aside the emotion for something of nonchalance - although, honestly, it's still a work in progress. If there's one thing he has no desire to control is his verbal lashing to anyone who would dare mock his choices, history, or his relationship with his brother even if he keeps it all tight-lipped.
Unfortunately, alongside his laid back attitude, the trainer holds a secret that he absolutely refuses to discuss: his motivations. The motivations for starting his journey is paper thin and the man knows it. Deep down, Ye is aware that he has no goal or direction in life; he is merely wandering aimlessly. However, with such a mindset, Ye still adamantly believes that everything happens for a reason, including all the bad and good things. He thoroughly upholds the belief to justify his own actions today: do what makes one happy, and not do things for other people. Ye doesn’t feel as if anyone can control anything, and that would be okay. But, he strongly believes that whatever path someone chooses, they must accept the consequences that come with it. In this case, Ye has chosen to wander aimlessly, and thus he deserves all the good and bad things that will come to him on his journey.
Having grown up with his nose in textbooks, the man has gained enough theoretical knowledge in order to implement these theories into the real world. While not always successful, he does learn from his mistakes, albeit it takes him a few days for his sour mood to truly go away. He always weighs the pros and cons of the situation, ultimately allowing him to choose the better option - much to his chagrin. Funnily enough, Ye is someone who absolutely loathes making tough decisions where no matter the outcome, it will affect both parties. This is partly due to the constant pressure since his childhood and from his family, the man has despised decision making especially when it involves having to be responsible for others. If the decision is for himself, Ye still has a fairly hard time, but it is not something he is as entirely opposed to. However, if the situation does find itself with Ye's back against the wall and tensions rise, Ye would excuse himself from the situation immediately. Naturally, he is the type to avoid any type of confrontation or escalation - to him, not only should it not concern him, but it is seen as a dangerous circumstance. Luckily, the man learns from his mistakes and often reanalyzes the situation in hopes of never being caught like that ever again, making certain parts of his memory quite impressive. Unfortunately, even the man's "masterful control of anger" can not stop him from accidentally saying harsh words he would do well to regret when he’s angry, but alas, that is life. The only thing thereafter is for Ye to grovel and offer apologies to make things right – that is, if he can bring himself to do so. At best, the man would rather sweep it under the rug, replace it with a smile, and move on.
With the idea of keeping everything light so ingrained in his mind, Ye’s moral compass has not always been solid and the man calls it “flexible” at best. He isn’t one to help others willingly, especially if it puts him into a situation where anything can go wrong. He simply refuses to be responsible for someone or something especially if he were to assist with altruistic intentions. But, if there’s anything the man would go out of his way for is Happy, his Poochyena. Ye knows and understands the canine inside and out, and trusts that his companion sees him the same way. To him, it is people and Pokemon outside the scope of intimacy that can’t be trusted, and with this business-like mindset, Ye sees that they are merely all pawns in life, so why even bother? That’s not to say life isn’t worth living to the man, but once again it revolves around his idea not having to control anything, but simply going with the flow. If stuff happens, then let it happen.
Because of his upbringing from school, as well as the pollution infested city, Ye has always had a love for nature and what it has to offer. He absolutely adores the freedom and the endless possibilities that can arise from mother nature. From the Pokemon to the simple breeze, Ye finds the outside world away from the hustle and bustle of the city as another place to call home. It’s rare that the man will stay cooped up in any building and would love nothing more but to stay outside, under the stars, even in pouring rain if it meant he wasn’t stuck in between four walls. As for other superficial materials he enjoys, a nice bath and light pampering on a soft bed can easily uplift Ye's mood. Sweets are also his go-to for a nice day. Otherwise, as long as he's not on anyone's hit list or at the butt end of drama, then all is well.
History:
{Childhood}
Ye Xiu grew up in a four unit household consisting of his younger brother, mother and father. Prior to his younger brother’s birth, Ye would agree that his family was quite stable. Both his mother and father were in the fierce competition that was business. Though they were not in competing businesses, with his mother working as an HR consultant at a law firm, and his father the CEO of a rather popular company all the way in Djitsan, they were able to still maintain enough time for him. His grandparents told him that at least once a month the three of them would take Ye out to outings or other places a baby would never remember but hopefully enjoy. It wasn’t a perfect family, but it was his. Sometimes the boy would hear his parent argue, but it was always late at night when he was almost falling asleep. Naturally, being the only child, all the toys and attention went to Ye, and even if it was blurps of feelings, the toddler felt it all. Three years later, his brother, Juan Xiu, was born and it was here Ye felt everything changed. No longer did the nannies come to his beck and call, but he had to wait and share. To this day, the man harbours a bit of hatred for his brother, despite his love for the sibling.
Since then, unable to keep track of taking care of both children alongside their horribly busy schedules, the parents’ relationship began to break down. Arguments went from once a week to daily, no longer veiled in the late nights. The Xiu siblings were able to hear everything from their parents and even the harsh words from their mother and father who would verbally lash out at them in sheer anger. Ye and Juan had no choice but to rely on one another for comfort in a cold home. Some times, Ye would teach his brother how to perform simple tasks when the maids refused to tell them, even standing up to certain neighborhood bullies if the situation became too tense. Unfortunately, with the bullies also being children to powerful people as well, their father always yelled at Ye for shoving his nose where it didn't belong. Juan never defended his brother during these scoldings and for a while, Ye felt a bit of resentment for his little brother. However, blood is thicker than water and Ye felt it was still his responsibility as the firstborn to take care of Juan.
Despite the children being aware of the decay of their parents’ relationship, Ye still looked up to his father. They rarely talked, and to this day Ye didn’t seem to mind it. He was too little to understand there were a plethora of terrible traits his father exhibited, but not knowing anyone else, Ye saw him as a silent pillar. Whenever Ye needed something, his father would be there; even if the man wasn’t there emotionally, Ye’s father was there physically. There were very little issues that continued whenever the man caught wind of it. Ye respected that magic and strength. It was soothing for the young kid to walk into his dad’s office, seeing the man with a frown, hunched over. Even though he was six, Ye still understand the stress came from their father trying to provide for the family. He simply didn’t have time, but Ye wanted to give him that time. Because of this, the older sibling felt a sense of obligation to do whatever he was asked by his parents; it was a fair trade, after all. Ye could enjoy all the luxuries, toys, and fame while his parents did all the adulting magic.
Sadly, it wasn’t until Ye reached 9 years old that their father decided to move back to Djitsan to continue working on his business at closer proximity, leaving his wife and two sons in Godai in as little as two weeks. It was a horribly abrupt decision and cut through the brothers deeply. Though many apologies came from the dad, Ye knew their father simply wanted to escape. The promises of constant financial support were given, but none was able to quell the feeling of abandonment.
From then on, their mother slowly threw herself into work, and soon the Xiu household was run by maids and nannies. The brothers ended up seeing their mother once a week and their father, once a year. Juan, being three years younger, didn’t understand the shift in family dynamics, causing Ye to roll up his sleeves and take care of everything – or at least what he thought he should. Naturally, money was never an issue and there were a plethora of tutours and hired playmates that came to the large house. Gifts hardly ran dry and every week their father would send the newest trend of toys or fashion for his sons in an effort to make up for his disappearance. One, in particular, was a shiny Poochyena for Ye and a shiny Yamask for Juan. These Pokemon were clearly expensive but for the time being, had filled the void in the boys' hearts. Over time, Juan became placated with the goods, but Ye was not.
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{Adolescence}
For the time being, while their father was abroad, the Xiu siblings kept in contact with him through both emails and face calls. Thanks to money, they were able to afford the newest of technology making the father’s separation a bit more tolerable, especially since their mother was hardly present. No longer was their dad’s presence looming over them, indirectly controlling their behavior. While Juan enjoyed this, Ye did not. He wanted his father home where the boy could go to him at any time, even if he would get yelled at. He hated having to wait and set up a time to see his own father where other strangers could see him at any hour of the day. The same applied to the other children who got to see their father any time they wanted too! Ye wanted that attention, especially since he wasn’t getting it from his mother. In a way, Ye envied the lack of access as a son of all things, but deep down he knew he had to accept it. It was the inability to control the situation that didn’t sit well in the boy, but he had not yet noticed. With this, Ye felt little attachment to his father, instead choosing to sink his attention and affection into his Pokemon.
Once Ye reached 11 years and Juan, 8, their lives became more hectic. Abroad, their father had suffered a heart attack and their mother had flown back to Djitsan. Although he survived, his wife needed to be with him for the unforeseeable future. Neither parents told their sons when they would return, and yet again the family endured another shift. Ye, being the eldest son, was suddenly bombarded with more tutors and extra classes outside school hours while his brother maintained the usual load. They also still forced him to take care of his sibling while making Ye take classes many grades above his level, threatening his freedom if he didn’t follow through. Every day, Ye whined about his grievances to the nannies and maids but was met with much scolding. They told him that this was what he had to do. There was no other choice. He was the oldest son of the CEO and by nature had to follow through. To go against that was blasphemous, and disrespectful to all that his parents did for him. Parents’ word was law. Ye tried his best to fight back against this, failing miserably every time, and having the same lecture told into him. However, a day came where the maids’ lecture finally defeated the boy’s resistance, altering his perspective. She had told him that if it wasn’t for his parents, there was no way the siblings would be able to live as comfortably and safe as this. In a way, Ye needed to repay his parents. Not only that, but she also urged Ye to consider his current position - there was little he could do seeing how he was merely a child with no money or property to call his own. If his father took everything, he had now away from him, how would Ye survive? This was the nail on the coffin that finally forced Ye to relinquish his stubborn old. He knew he couldn’t argue back against such logic, but only wished it wasn’t him. He wished it was Juan instead.
For the next tow years, Ye did his absolute hardest to watch over Juan, but sadly his younger brother always found ways to lash out, and in return Ye would be blamed. Soon, their parents pulled the Xiu brothers out of public school and into a strict, private boarding school that focused purely on academics with the arts being dead last. The school was a hellhole – as both described it – and basically a prison with nearly militaristic rules. No children could indulge in their fantasies; this meant no video games, no movies, no comic books, no sweets, and no fun. The entire campus was huge but gated and guarded throughout the entire perimeter. Inside was an open plain where the treetops were easily visible through the dorm windows. Every night Ye wished fruitlessly to climb the trees and feel his feet upon soft grass, and not fake grass their school placed on the ground. He wished he could go back to the carefree days where he would laze about at Reedriver Bridge. It was also then that the siblings could no longer connect with their parents, save for a phone call once a month. But, seeing how neither boys were close to their parents, both Ye and Juan opted to ignore the phone calls for other activities.
Studying was relentless, and within the next five years, it was clear why they had to come to this school. Because of their father’s heart attack, the entire company had panicked and wanted a new heir. As a result, their father had chosen to accelerate Ye into becoming the next CEO, thrusting him deep into learning the laws of business and every little niche subject. It appeared that they wanted Ye to become a textbook of the world, training him in psychology to sciences. What they called “well-rounded”, Ye called it “fruitless”. The boy hated every single second of his studies and never felt he could live up to their impossible expectations. He had even failed a grade, barely passing on his second attempt. Ye didn’t want any of this. He wanted to be free. The more he faltered in his grades, the more items were taken away from him until the only item Ye had left was Happy, his Poochyena. Even his father refused to break the bond between human and Pokemon. There were times where Ye’s thoughts went dark and he only had his canine companion to talk to. He made friends, yes, but none were genuine; they merely looked at him to see what benefits they could reap. They all had a more aggressive personality, speaking over poor Ye whenever he tried to defend himself. Feelings of distaste would further sow their seeds as he saw Juan thriving in the same world Juan was, but of course with less pressure. His young brother had become entranced with his love for the business world and their relationship grew further and further apart. Despite living in the same dormitory hall, the two brothers only saw each other twice a year.
By the time it came for Ye to graduate at 19, he was hardly in the top 85th percentile of his school, and for a split moment, the older brother had believed he was finally free. Alas, money talked in this world and his father was able to arrange for him a seat into Godian State University in Central (GSUC). Absolutely horrified, Ye fought with everything he could, going as far as to flying to his home country and talking it over with his father. It was the first time in years the teen had seen his father, and as such seeing him once again at terrible timing was a bad choice. Just days upon arriving, a large argument broke out within the family. It was there that Ye was reminded of his obligations to the family name and business. He was berated by his father, guilted and chastised for all the Xiu family did for Ye. His father raged on about the amount of time, money, and resources sunk into the eldest son, reminding Ye of his maid’s explanation. Torrents of guilt and sadness washed over the young man and Ye felt no other choice but to submit to his father. In the end, Ye really had accepted everything from his father, and this was the consequences of his actions. He needed to uphold the family honour and continue the family business. It was then the adolescent finally understood learned helplessness from his psychology classes. He saw no other way around it.
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{Adulthood}
For the next seven years, Ye allowed everything to dictate his life. He no longer argued or wanted to see anything wrong with his choice. If he ever had enough alone time to think about his actions, the man immediately dismissed it, hoping not to ruin his already bettering attitude. His relationship with his father was still rocky, as with his mother and Juan, but Ye also thought nothing of it. It was fine. Just fine. Father and son kept everything civil, just like any normal business partners. Like the student promised, he was going to keep his word – ready himself to take over the family business, and most all, follow his father’s words.
From his GSUC counselors to his father, the young man did everything they asked. He wholly believed that as long he would shut his yap, and follow through, he would eventually find freedom. Sure it sucked, but it was a “necessary evil”. Not only this, but as an adult, if he couldn’t control the world around him, then he could at least control his attitude. Giving up on fighting against all that came his way, Ye never once said no. His demeanour changed drastically, allowing himself to make quite a few friends and strong rapports with his superiors. People enjoyed his humour, presence, and refusal to join in any drama or gossip. Ye would simply walk into a room and any heavy atmosphere would immediately become lighter. Just like his father had asked, Ye was establishing connections and his grades skyrocketed into territories that used to be unreachable for the older sibling. In terms of close friends, there was one in particular - a younger student named Nandor, who was a pretty decent emotional support pillar for Ye. The two would go nights talking about the meaning of life and with Ye’s new persona, the talks were engaging and personal. The young man finally had a close enough friend that would go through the same emotional roller coaster that was college. Sadly, Ye always kept Nandor at arm’s length until the younger individual had return to his home in Murus. Nevertheless, it was the closest relationship Ye ever had, but something the man would always cherish. This spoke volumes to Ye as he realized just how detached and robotic he was towards everyone. However, it did not fully solidify until graduation.
Finally, at his graduation, after years of studying and pulling his way at the near top of his class, Ye sat on a line of chairs behind the podium. There was a bubbly woman who had bags under her eyes, and despite the forced gel along the sides of her highlighted hair, he could see the split ends all under the weight of stress. He caught a glimpse of her tight eyes and a forced smile. For a moment he believed she was the same as him, but as soon as the words left her mouth at the podium, Ye felt pure heartbreak. She spoke fondly of her family and friends – of all the hardships she endured throughout childhood to now. The woman was tired, but through her voice, she was unapologetically proud. Never had Ye heard a sense of relief of that calibre; never had he even thought along the same lines of her. It was then a devastating sense of regret washed over him. Ye excused himself.
Leaving a stack of booklets and a small note, with nothing short of an apology, Ye packed only his essentials and walked out of the family home. He knew the amount of disappointment that would soon follow, and one day he’d return home, but for now, if he didn’t leave, Ye knew he’d completely lose himself – that was the last piece he refused to give.
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Ye Xiu
Oct 24, 2019 16:50:11 GMT -8
Post by Revelation on Oct 24, 2019 16:50:11 GMT -8
Hey Bones! I won’t lie, it feels weird being on the other end of an application. I never would have guessed that I’d be doing this all those years ago. Alas, here we are. Let’s jump right in to your application here and see just what sort of person you have brought to our wonderful world this time!
First up is Physical Appearance.
Now, overall, this is really good! I really like how you subtly drop little hints to your character’s personality in here. Just adding those tiny descriptions as to why he does what he does for appearance really helps show his thoughts and opinions on the external aspects of the world. Great introduction to the character.
One thing does stick out to me here though: the shoes. Like I mentioned, almost everything is given its own little reason for being the way that it is here. Everything except these shoes. As far as I am finding, he just really likes these shoes. Normally that would be fine, but as much as it is drilled into us that he doesn’t find brand name stuff important, why is he a collector of fine footwear? I’m sure there is a reason, and I can think of a handful immediately that would perfectly fit the background you have given this character. It is not up to me to decide that, though, because Ye is yours, so I will ask that you add in at least a little something to explain this anomaly.
Otherwise, I think this is a fine section, and it sets the stage well. Now onto the deep dive: Personality!
Oh boy, and what a personality it is. Ye is complex, and more importantly, human. He has strengths and flaws aplenty, making him have plenty of room to grow while still starting off with good depth for those initial threads.
One good thing I would like to point out in particular is the fact that you actually use time in your personality here. It is just briefly touched on a bit, but mentioning how Ye has been versus how he is now makes him feel as if he has always been real. Too often, applications just kind of start the personality of the character right at where the first thread will be and then make the history match up with that timeline. I’m guilty of this myself. It feels like you did the opposite, making the history and then allowing your character to continuously change along that path. It is very organic and just helps make the whole process feel much more organic. I love it.
Now, next is the history. Overall, I love this history as well. It works really well at setting up who Ye is today, and I appreciate that multiple points throughout his time impacted him in varying ways. Again, it feels more natural and has a good flow. I like it.
However, there is one area lacking a bit. As I think people are beginning to pick up, I find relationships very important in applications. These often provide the reasonings for why characters are who they are or do what they do. A single well-written relationship, even if its fleeting, can add tension, purpose, drive, growth, and a plethora of other aspects to a character. Interaction has a huge impact on us. And that is why I am going to ask that you really flesh out Ye’s relationship with his father.
Right now, we feel for Ye. He has hard a hard life and multiple situations go against him. However, we don’t really feel why he is stuck where he is for the latter part of his story. Right now, his father is basically just a faceless obstacle stopping Ye. Its annoying, but it feels more like a wall that he just has to get over rather than a person who has deep connections to his life. So let’s start by digging into why Ye is in the position he is in. Is he feeling trapped because of his relationship with his father? Is it perhaps cultural influence keeping him there? Or is there something entirely different? Whatever the reasoning may be, expand on it for the audience. Show us who the father is, why he is the way he is, and how Ye responds to that. This can really help us to feel for Ye and understand the path he feels forced down in life. It also helps us understand just how big a deal it is when he finally leaves the path and goes out on his own.
That’s a bit of a rant and ramble, so I apologize. But having a character who impacts someones’ history that much really should be fleshed out to help us readers truly know where to stand and what the stakes are. I know your writing skills, so I’m sure you will be able to give me a reason that has me on the edge of my seat cheering Ye on soon enough. You give me that (and any other relationships you’d like to flesh out further), and we are well on our way to having a truly amazing history.
One more thing to mention: it appears there might be a discrepancy in years spent at GSUC? It mentions seven years at the beginning of that section, and then mentions him graduating in five years near the end. If I’m just misreading that, ignore me, but otherwise I’d make them match so that continuity is nice and clear.
And with that, we are good to move on to Pokemon!
So, starting off, Happy is the absolute cutest and I love him to pieces already. I can’t wait to see what sort of personality he has and how it meshes with Ye’s.
Mechanically, he looks mostly sound. Stats are good, height and weight are within the acceptable range (and the smaller side makes him even more like a puppy), and EXP looks lined up right for now.
There is one thing, though: the moveset. Now, there are these numbers that are next to the moves, and they have a meaning. If you look into the common application mistakes post that we have in the character application section, you will see an explanation to how they work there. I understand how you missed it though. I’m sure you’ve never had to tell applicants to fix this mistake before, right? Not even once, let alone multiple times? In fact, I’m sure no one has ever run across this issue before in the entire of Godia's near-decade long histo-
Okay, okay, enough ribbing. Sorry, but when you’re a long-term mod, you open yourself up to some lighthearted teasing. You know what the issue is, and you’ll have it fixed in the blink of an eye.
Alright, and with that, we are done! Ye is an absolutely lovely read and an extremely fun character that should lead to plenty of tag thread shenanigans. As always, if you would like to discuss anything I have mentioned here, please feel free to message me on the forum or on Discord. Otherwise, just post back in here when changes are made, and I will take another look!
Can’t wait to see version 2!
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Pokéball x2
Great Ball x1
Potion x3
Antidote x1
PokéDex
Journal
Holocaster
