Brave New World Application

[rainsrespite]

PLAYER INFO

Name: Ax
Contact Information: voidbearer axiomaticgrue
Time Zone: EST (with a 9-5 job)
Characters Played: Rei Hino, Nero Claudius, Yukiko Amagi

CHARACTER INFO

Character Name: Yuuna Sugasawa
Character Canon: Original

AU History: Yuuna grew up in Union City, as part of a middle-class family. Her father, Ryo, was a smith who was known for his spectacularly quick turnaround time on pieces. His wife, Mariko, worked as a pokemon caretaker, and was so absorbed in that work that she all but ignored her children. Yuuna has three siblings, an older brother and sister named Joutaro and Akari, and a younger sister named Mayuka and they all grew up close. Because of her father’s busy work schedule and her mother’s general absence, Joutaro was mostly in charge and he did the best he could to help his sisters out.

Due to this lack of structure and parental figures, Yuuna very often took to meandering around on her own after school ended for the day, often daydreaming about meeting the Savior and discovering many lost secrets. She found the stories absolutely fascinating, and she spent a lot of time hanging around places of worship and libraries, lost in her own dream world. Nobody really discouraged her, and in fact this dreamy attitude was something her teachers sought to cultivate. After all, she excelled in nearly every subject, so why not let her settle on wherever she drifted towards most.

Ultimately, this led her towards the field of medicine as she decided she wanted to help people, but she was never really happy with the occupation. She spent some of her school days working towards becoming a medic, but when her interest in that waned, she began to focus more on becoming a historian and studying the stories surrounding the Savior. This too, she eventually discovered, wasn’t something she’d ultimately be happy with and she began to drift for a second time. And this time, the higher-ups in the education system came down hard on her, demanding that she just pick something and stick with it for the good of everyone and not just her own happiness. She was smart, she had gifts other people didn’t have, but she was just too darn flighty.

Being chastised like that led Yuuna to fall into a bit of a tizzy, and she ran out of the discussion, rushing blindly into the city. And that, naturally, is when she discovered her real calling. Quite by accident, she tripped over a pokemon. She'd had more than a little contact with them, of course, especially given her mother's job...but she'd never really stopped to think terribly hard about how she felt about them. And when she found herself looking up at a poliwag, and it looked back at her…something clicked, and the two developed a near immediate bond. Grinning like a fool, she picked up her new friend and headed back, proudly announcing her intent to become a trainer.

Not entirely convinced that she could stick with it, the teachers nevertheless agreed to give her one last chance. And they were surprised. Yuuna seemed to have a real talent for dealing with pokémon, and her own natural curiosity led her towards an interest in the Old City and the areas surrounding Union. And after she tried her hand at exploring the Old City she quickly discovered she needed to do a lot more training, just to keep herself and her pokemon out of danger. To that end, she began to train not only her pokemon, but herself as well. She took up martial arts training at a local school so she could fight beside her companions and be a part of the team as more than just a strategist. After a few years of this, she decided that it was probably time to get out and actually put what she was learning to good use and help pull her weight in society by exploring. In her head, by getting out and finding out more about the world and bringing back what she can she’s helping a lot more than she could if she was just staying behind and doing something that would eventually get boring. This way there’s an evershifting sort of environment and she can keep herself sane.

Canon Personality: Yuuna is a kind, warm person, with a smile like a summer afternoon. Her personality is lighthearted, cheeky, and more than a little bit dreamy. She’s one of those people that daydreams a lot, has all kinds of weird ideas, and tends to gravitate towards the kind of people who’ll let her get away with that sort of thing. In a lot of ways she’s the product of her somewhat lax country-bumpkin upbringing: she’s disorganized, cluttered, and a little bit scatterbrained at times. She’s a highly creative person with a love of music and a good time, and has very little trouble finding some way to at least keep herself occupied when she’s bored. Which she is, frequently. This boredom also leads her to be quite curious, interested in the world around her, and almost always quick to poke her nose wherever it may or may not be wanted.

Yuuna isn’t stupid, but neither is she brilliant. She’s clever and intelligent, but doesn’t really rely so much on her education, instead almost always falling back on her nearly photographic memory. This means she doesn’t fully understand everything she’s talking about or remembers, but she does have a very good general idea about nearly everything she’s ever read or listened to. As such, she might give the impression of someone who’s flighty and uneducated, and while fun to be around…isn’t very smart. This is something she does take advantage of for pranks and catching people off guard, because it’s a thing she’s aware of about herself.

She is not terribly good at hiding her emotions and most things bubble close to the surface. Joy, sadness, anger, and dismay, she's very open about who she is and how she feels with people she's comfortable with. Even uncomfortable, Yuuna tries hard to put conversation partners at ease. She is tall and walks with a bit of a slouch in part to appear more unassuming and in part thanks to her own natural posture. Yuuna dislikes confrontations and will rarely speak up if she's upset save for something she has strong feelings about. Now, she's not a doormat, she just avoids conflict with carefully chosen neutral words. But she will say no, just sometimes with polite alternative suggestions instead of directly saying "no." Impoliteness is met with clamming up, and particularly vociferous rudeness will make her either grow angry or leave. She never reacts angrily in public, and doesn't let herself cry in front of strangers if she can avoid it, but sometimes crushing disappointments or heartache will cause that. When she gets upset she gets very quiet and tries to leave so she can cry or scream at a pillow or something. Anger causes her to rub her temples or squeeze the bridge of her nose, while trying to control herself and speak in a way that will deter the conversation farther into an argument. She's also the same about public displays of affection, they make her uncomfy. Crying strangers do too, as do yelling ones.

Now she's not exactly what one could call pure of heart. She is quite alright with hurting people who hurt her or threaten a friend. She has a fondness for alcohol and isn't really a shining example of temperance. She's not a great example of honesty either, and will lie if it'll spare her or a friend pain or trouble. In a lot of ways she sort of casts herself adrift through life, so she's not particularly selfless. While she's not a bad person, she’s just...kind of average, and fairly down to earth.

That said? To friends she is doggedly loyal, a faithful companion to the last ounce of her strength. She's brave in doses, but generally content to let others fight her battles for her. She'd rather support from the sidelines, and given who her friends are that's not always hard. Yuuna's got a pretty easy job all things considered. She's absolutely pampered by her divine patron, so she wants for little and rarely has cause to dirty her hands for anything more than her own interests or amusement. And this also brings up another important point: Faith. Yuuna has it, in a sense. In canon she lives with and works with a literal deity, but before even that she always believed in some way that a higher power was out there. Or rather, powers. She believed rather devoutly in the animistic traditions of her homeland, in the myriad of little gods and larger ones. And because of this faith, she genuinely believes that things will work out for the best. That there’s a purpose to everything, and that the powers that be are actually a lot kinder than people give them credit for.


AU Deviation: In this AU, Yuuna’s personality doesn’t really change all that much. She’s still the flighty, daydreamy sort of woman, but she’s a bit less selfish in Union than she might be in modern Japan as the society is one that not only values contribution but also necessitates it. Because of that cultural difference, she can’t just be a layabout that coasts through life. Another (and perhaps the biggest) difference is the lack of a divine patron. She doesn’t have someone looking out for her, so she’s more self-reliant, and doesn’t have quite the cushy priest job, given that there aren’t any deities willing to patronize her. Also, in this AU Yuuna is definitely a good bit braver than her canon self, and much more prone to regular training. She feels obligated to stand with her pokemon, and she’s confident enough in her abilities and her companions that she won’t willingly stand on the sidelines.

Canon Abilities: Yuuna has an excellent memory, rarely forgetting anything she’s seen or heard. She’s a reasonably skilled martial artist, trained in kendo and aikido, and is fully capable of defending herself effectively with a sword or her fists. She also spent a few years working as a nurse before she fell in with her divine patron Saori Kimura and as such has a more than adequate understanding of medicine and caring for the sick. Yuuna additionally has an athletic build, a fairly high tolerance for alcohol, and an easygoing charm that makes sets people at ease around her. All in all, she’s very much human, though with a skillset that’s a little out of the ordinary in some ways.

Enlightened Abilities:

Yuuna became Enlightened with Mod Permission in 2015.

I'd like for Yuuna to gain the Fighting and Electric types. Fighting is sort of a given with her martial arts background, she's a fighting specialist and that's mandatory. Electric typing would fit well with her personality and her tendency to act quickly and rush in like a metaphorical lightning bolt. It would also mirror her non-AU story well, as she obtains the favor of a storm god after coming to a greater understanding of self. There's always been an element of electric typing present in her in game development as well, given that she entered the game with an electric sword, one tied into her martial arts school. Electric typing would blend well into that, and given that I'd like to awaken her during a thunderstorm, I feel it's a fitting typing.

Ability wise, the primary things that would come from awakening would be controlling her own inner energy, like Chi/Chakra/Ki to empower herself to boost her physical strength and speed. Secondly, and really an extension of this, is eventually learning to project some of that energy into attacks and minor buffs. Ostensibly her powers are all martial arts moves with a dose the supernatural added. As a general note, her metabolism will speed up and she'll require a much vaster amount of calories to keep going.

Initially her abilities would be extremely low-key and almost unnoticeable as anything different than simple martial arts with a couple of minor exceptions. She'd gain beyond-human strength, speed, and reflexes as her body's limits are set higher, and the ability to emulate low level Fighting type moves like Rock Smash, Karate Chop, Mach Punch, Low Kick and other simple “martial arts” type moves like Comet Punch, Focus Energy, Feint, Endure, and Foresight. The only actual abilities that aren't normal or equatable to basic martial arts fighting are very basic Electric moves. Thundershock and Nuzzle, basically projecting electricity or covering her fist in it for taser-like effects.

After evolving once, Yuuna's limits continue to increase, her speed and strength growing even further as she learns more and her energy reserves expand. Her move pool expands into more impressive feats of martial arts prowess as she learns to adapt her style into stronger moves. She can emulate mid level Fighting moves like Detect, Storm Throw, Circle Throw, Vital Throw, Force Palm, Sky Uppercut, and Jump Kick, essentially more advanced moves that'd require more control over her powers to properly empower. She'll also learn to use Strength and Slash (only with a Sword), and Double-Team as her control improves. Electric wise she'll learn to project more energy out, using powers like Spark, Shock Wave, Thunder Punch, and Charge to build up energy.

After Yuuna's second evolution, she'll hit the upper limit of speed and strength, and her inner focus will reach as deep as it can go. This sort of evolution would require a sort of spiritual epiphany or truly intense situation and training. When fully evolved, she'd have reached the pinnacle of what she's capable of. Her fully empowered martial arts style moves would include things like Close Combat and Counter. Through manipulation of energy, she'd also learn Aura Sphere, Drain Punch, and the sword-based Sacred Sword for a kind of sword-smite. And her final electrical abilities are more about applying it to her attacks and tossing out bigger jolts. Fully evolved she can hover a bit with Magnet Rise to perform real wire-fu and use Wild Charge, Thunderbolt, and Discharge to expel electrical strikes.

Finally as part of the final evolution, I'd like for Yuuna to learn to use an altered form of Ion Deluge, actually adding electric energy to the attacks of herself and her allies, a kind of buff that shares her inner power with friends. That especially is an extremely draining ability and while she's using it she's incapable of using any other Electric moves.

Additionally, I’d like for Yuuna to enter the game with an Electric-type sword Enhanced Item, if that’s possible.

Starter Pokémon:
A Poliwag named Uzushio, a Tyrogue named Gouken, and a Magnemite named Zedd. The first two are male, and the Magnemite is obviously a genderless robot.

Notes/Special Considerations: N/A

SAMPLES

First-Person: [Yuuna is addressing her pokemon, and very possibly anyone who’s decided to travel with her too. Hands on hips, she adopts a somewhat authoritative tone, though her face is split into a wide grin.] Alright, so, get this everyone. Today, we’re going to just start heading east and see how far we can go before we hit some obstacle we can’t get past. I don’t know what we’ll run into out there, but I know for damn sure that it won’t be easy to stop us. We’ll skirt around the mountains, and head inland through the plains rather than towards the sea since from every map I’ve seen we know a bit less about that area. Who knows what we’ll find. There could be a whole ruined city just beyond the horizon, or pokemon we’ve never seen before. [Zedd buzzes, a curious sound she’s come to understand means he’s asking a question.] No, I don’t have any idea what we’ll find out there. That’s the whole purpose of heading out there. Yes, we’ll be careful, but there’s no point in just sitting around when there’s an unknown…something or other out there waiting to be found.

Third-Person:

Taking a deep breath, Yuuna sat up, her gaze sweeping across the valley in the pre-dawn light. There was something magnificent about that image, seeing how the shadows just melted away as the sun made it’s presence known. One hand reached out, her thumb and forefinger lining up with a distant peak, the goal for today. Grinning, she lowered it and let it rest on Gouken’s shoulder. The little guy had a remarkable knack for just…appearing…right beside her, and it’d taken her a long time to get used to it.

Looking down at him, her smile widened even more, and she jerked her head towards the mountain.

“Think we can make it all the way there today? I mean, I know I can…but you think you can keep up?”

Snorting, the tyrogue nodded sharply and she got a distinctly competitive feeling from him. He could keep up. He could keep going longer than she could. And he would make it to the top of that mountain faster, to boot. Naturally, she laughed and nodded, reaching down for her pack and beginning to tie on some of her climbing handwraps. They were both tired, she knew, but just one more day and then they’d turn back. At least, that was the plan anyway. Anything could happen between now and nightfall. They could find a river that led them to the sea, or they might stumble into a nest of ekans and have to run the other way. Hell, they might even meet another trainer, though all the way out here that seemed pretty unlikely.

Looking back over her shoulder at the gleaming spires of Union, the woman shook her head. It was home, sure…and she had friends, but there was just something monotonous about staying put. It made her think of her mother, and in a way her father. They never really did anything but their jobs, and sure…that was great and all, but Yuuna definitely felt that there was just so much more they could do with themselves. Maybe they didn’t think so, but then they were the ones toiling away while she was out here, free to do what she wanted. Just her and her pokemon.

And damn that was a good feeling.

APPLICATION REVISION
Additional History: Yuuna Sugasawa was active from June 2014 till March 2016. She was involved in nearly every event during that timespan, and did a substantial amount of growing up. She went from flighty to reliable, the student to someone who teaches and mentors younger trainers, and as a result of her involvement eventually gained Enlightened status. She joined the Rangers and progressed through the ranks, and perhaps most significantly she became romantically involved with a Seeker named Merrill. The two became close and started living together after a few months, working together on Seeker expeditions and Ranger mapping expeditions.

Yuuna made allies with many Pokemon, and was involved in a dozen expeditions to explore new territory. Yuuna grew harder and more willing to fight against what she perceived as real threats. Gigas being the primary example for their treatment of several friends who were turned into Enhanced.

Since she exited the game, Yuuna had been attending to Ranger duties, as well as helping her partner track down a particular ruin that a map from the Savior led them to. The ruin held evidence of Merrill's homeland, and unexpectedly it was pretty horrid, the exact opposite of what Merrill had expected. She was devastated, and Yuuna decided to spend more time focusing on business in Union rather than her other duties for a time but with things stirring and Merrill seemingly able to cope better now she's ready to get back to a more active lifestyle.