PLAYER: Raoul Fortier	CHARACTER: Polaris
PRONOUNS:He/Him AGE:30 ORIENTATION:?? BIRTHPLACE: Chamonix, France LOCATION: Arizona, USA OCCUPATION: College Student (Major unknown.)	GENDER: <M> AGE:Adult ENABLE PKMN SPEECH? Yes PAIN THRESHOLD: Realistic TRAINER CLASS: Kindler

OUT OF THE GAME Raoul was a 'gifted child'. At least, that's what his parents told him. The youngest child of the Fortier family, living in a small town akin to a crossroads, he was always expected to do his best, according to his family. His family were all alumni at the colleges they went to, and when they left, they seemed to make something from themselves. Doctors, buisnessmen, painters - the weight of their branches felt so heavy, pushing him to do more, do better - get high grades, be praised.  Thus, he was 'gifted.' From public school to high school to private schooling, that's what continued to weigh him down. The thought of being gifted, of being expected to do more, do better - there had to be a place where he could escape to, where he could just breathe. That's when he heard about EUNOVR. A few people walking home from their own commutes were talking about it, and curiosity hit hit. The pressures from school was enough, maybe this could work as a means of calming him down? Soothing his brain, a means of escapism...that's what he wanted most of all. So, for his graduation from private school, he asked (as a Fortier did - a formal request if anything) for a EU WorldScreen and a copy of the VRMMORPG game. Thus, Cynosura was created. For the first time in a long time, Raoul could breathe easy - and for the first time in a long time, he didn't really know what to do. So, he tried talking. He went through the tutorials, talked with some players, and beforelong, they and him created a simple guild - as their names were based on stars, why not The Constellations [STELLE]?  And so, the first connections he had were forged. And for a bit, it was great. But then, EU Noonlight happened. Moltres was corrupted, and from the stressors of the events, the guild immediately split up - disbanded just as quickly as it formed. Cyno was heartbroken. But it wasn't long before he found new allies and friends after the raid, in the form of a small group of navigators known as The Cartographer's Union [COMPASS] - a group dedicated to making a public map of UNOVR so everyone could use it. Soon, he became a member in their ranks. He even realized he had a passion for music during this time, picking up a violin both in game to practice, as well as in reality. His journey was reaching its fever pitch, he had figured out what he could make and give to the world. Everything was great, everything was fine! Until it wasn't. In fact, it went absolutely terrible, after a certain World Event on the server. When one of the more powerful guilds on the FR side of the server - Fleur De Lys [FLEUR] - decided that they would be the Representatives for the EU Precipice Crown event, that decision didn't sit too well with anyone. Especially what they suggested. (Instead of a ruler for a kingdom, they would suggest a simple Parliament and President?! What nonsense!) Combine that with the fact that the event saw people getting drawn into the dream-like pretend game of Nobles and their courts - like walking into a spider web of molten sugar syrup - as well as the genuine fact that not even the player base could agree on what was the proper solution to a seemingly simple issue, it made sense that things would slowly fall apart. Cyno could admit that he almost was ensnared in this ensuing reverie, just from wanting to participate to try and help out - getting so close to losing himself in the eternal Court until someone helped snap the then-brune out of the haze of a dream that felt more like a nightmare. And eventually, things came to an absolute zero. For, during one cold night in December, the sun set on EUNOVR and never rose again. And when Cynosura logged back in to play, it was to see a frosted over world smothered by an endless night. Surviving in the new world was hard at first. Old guildmates would be captured by Cryogonal, The Chill or whatever creatures lived in the Timberlands, brought into a eternal dream. He was constantly looking over his shoulder for enemies, as well as with bandits and those chasing him down for either him or his Pokemon - for he had chosen Kindler and had a team of some Fire types as a result. FR itself meanwhile, had fragmented into pieces after the World Event and the subsequent events following it; a group of angry and upset players known as the Maroon Flames, a group made up of the surviving members of [FLEUR] as well as others allied with the once-great guild known as the Azure Swords and a group who - in his opinion - had fallen squarely into a dreamland, wanting to play in the Noble Court forever - the Jewels of Snow. All three of these factions fought against each other, arguing and bickering over anything and everything - all while Cyno tried to stay out of the crossfire. This all came to a head one day, as Cyno realized something. This wasn't fun - and this didn't feel right. He was tired of constantly having to hide, to avoid conflict. He felt unfulfilled - a hero's journey cut short by sudden events out of his control. The song had stopped for too long. ...he was tired of running away, tired of listening to everyone's desires - so maybe it was time he did something about it. With the rest of the surviving members of the Cartographer's Union, Cyno decided to join with the Prince and his rebellion during EU Thunderfall - even as everyone else on the FR side fragmented more and more into their own factions. And it was joining this rebellion that made him ease of his worries, and remove the shackles that seemingly held him in place all this time. He wasn't running away, he was helping, strategizing, talking with others around him - and in any sort of combat, when he fought alongside his Pokemon, fought alongside his allies, adrenaline pulsed through his veins and, by the rumbles of thunder, he felt almost alive with excitement. This transferred into his violin too - sharp staccatos and quick songs echoed through his room, he continued to play for no reason than to play, as his family watched on. But, no matter how many battles were fought, the rebellions didn't go as well as hoped. Even for all Cynosura put into the fight against the Princess's own forces, it was all for naught. Eventually, he was one of the many users (alongside [COMPASS], who didn't wish to live in a eternal dream) who left after the last straw shattered like glass - but before he left, he promised something - a vow. "...I'll keep fighting. No matter what happens, I won't give up so easily, OK?" On the other side of the screen, that vow was almost broken. Raoul had to move to the US to take up a major at a college he had managed to get into - honestly, he thanks his high marks for that - but he struggled underneath the new course loadouts and the now mounting pressures from his alumni family to do his best, to make them proud, reach their expectations, keep reaching from branch to branch, higher and higher. Even when his grades began to slip from exhaustion and a lack of proper study habits, he still tried to grin and bear it. He didn't want to seem like a failure...did he? What did he want to do with his life, after this major? Did he even want to be in this major? Who was he, at the end of the day? What was the truth? - did he want to listen to his family, or did he want to do something else? His old violin still rested in his apartment, collecting dust. Eventually, his classes ended for the year and soon he was sitting on the bed of his studio apartment, looking up at the eggshell ceiling and feeling himself relax for the first time in ages. And after a moment, he decided to pick up his old violin and play. It took a few hours to tune, to resin the bow and blow off the dust. But soon, a song started to play from muscle memory - slow, melancholic, calming. As he played, his thoughts wandered. ...I really should get something to give myself a break. Heh, wasn't that the same thought I had when-? The blond soon was recalling the memories he had of EUNOVR before the Crown and a thought hit him - there was another server for UNOVR in North America, wasn't there? With that realization, as the music stopped and a jolt out of bed, something within him lit up - a small spark. Having left his old Worldscreen and copy back at home, Raoul bought himself a new Worldscreen, a new copy of UNOVR, and prepared to play on new servers. It was a tad upsetting that he wouldn't be able to bring Cynosura back, but what about a new character? What about making a simple challenge that could bring back a small bit of that pressure, that livewire adrenaline that once pumped through his veins? A small smile forms on his face as he thumbs over the game's case. He may not be a hero, but... He did vow to keep fighting, after all. And he wouldn't give up so easily - not now. Not when a second chance is waiting right for him - the hero's journey begins once again, and he's refused the call long enough.

INSIDE THE GAME SPOILER: Click to show {UNOVR NA Challenge.docx} All right, so I have decided to note all of my planned challenge rules down within this Word document - mainly for my own referral back if I am unsure what I am doing. The rules, though simple, are as follows: I may only use Pokemon with a primary or secondary type that matches any Class I have unlocked or wish to unlock (as some unlock requirements need me to have a specific type of Pokemon in my roster.) I am not counting Normal types (primary or secondary) for this challenge and they can be freely caught and used - even if evolved into another type. This is due to all Pokemon being able to learn Normal-type moves, and that might handicap me. If the subclass to allow me to fight alongside my team is unlocked, all types are unlocked and free to use. It's just to...give myself more pressure. When making a new character for the NA servers, Raoul wasn't sure how to go about it at first - a part of him wanting to just remake his old avatar and be done with it. But, after a moment of thought, he decided against it. This was a second chance after all, and he wanted to go through with it and make something different...but he still wanted to feel like he was the same person. Luckily for him, the blond had found some old post-secondary planning notes in his moving boxes - and with them, notes he took on Cyno's design. They weren't anything special, just scrawls and sketches on lined loose leaf - but they were the only real references he had at the time, so he looked to them to add elements of the old into the new. Thus, Polaris has a few elements of Cynosura. The same eyes, the same-ish height...though everything else was adjusted and changed. Though, despite this, Polaris seems to have trouble finding his footing, trying to get used to the game again. He knows the mechanics, how things work - that's one thing. But with all that he saw in EUNOVR - knowing how easily things can go from good to bad in a heartbeat, he does have a few habits that he's never seemed to shake. When extremely startled, scared or angry, he makes a motion to grab at something on his belt, before even thinking - a reactive muscle memory. To activate his UI, he makes a motion similar to grabbing a pocket watch - for his journal, the opening of something. As for his plans in UNOVR, well...he's hoping to see about playing his self-made challenge for one, and secondly, interact with the community a bit. While he got to talk with others during EU Thunderfall, he never really got a chance to actually sit down at a bistro and chat about the weather or what-have-you. Maybe he could even pick up a violin in game - that would be fun! Thirdly, he did notice something in his design notes on Cyno - notes about his time playing the game - from thinking about potential team members to even potential classes he could pick up. While there were some choices he crossed off from his list when playing EUNOVR...it couldn't hurt to try again, could it?

FACE CLAIMS IRL CHARACTER [u]FOOD FANTASY[/u] Blue Cheese as [a href="https://unovr.boards.net/thread/2686/ti-wip-polaris"]Raoul Fortier[/a] PLAYER CHARACTER [u]HONKAI STAR RAIL[/u] Caelus as @polaris

OOC NAME Mel

STARTER PKMN Do you want to receive your starter in-character at the Starter Lab? YES, I CHOOSE <LITTEN!> START ME A THREAD!