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coraIgarden — [HL] Joel
Published: 2023-06-09 08:15:53 +0000 UTC; Views: 1353; Favourites: 14; Downloads: 0
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Description
Name: Joel Calingasan — can be called Jo or Jojo
Age: 24
Gender: Trans Male - He/him
Pokemon: Psyduck
Height: 5’5” or 165 cm
Bodystyle: Chubby
Birthday: August 5, 1998
Home Island: Affection Atoll
Personality:
At a glance, it’s not hard to pinpoint what kind of person Joel is. From his relaxed posture and mannerisms, to the small smile that never seems to leave his face, the young man seems to be taking things pretty easy! Some could say a little too easy, he has bouts where he spaces out and not pay attention sometimes. He can keep his calm in any situation, but it can be a little hard to tell if this is because he can genuinely be this collected or if he’s simply nonchalant. Though he may be considered a little slow, Joel is very far from lax when it comes to work. For him, it's just that he’d rather stay steady over burning out too quickly at the end of the day, and that’s how he likes to get things done.
Joel’s not the most outgoing, but he does enjoy any kind of company. Whether with strangers or friends, even foes somehow, he’ll always make it a point to treat anyone warmly, like if they were old friends. He makes himself out to be dependable to anyone at any time, also willing to lend an ear should anyone need to let their feelings out. He likes seeing people smile or at least be happy, and he wants to help cheer people up even for just a moment.
Despite that, Joel himself seems to only keep people at arm’s distance, not willing to get too close or share too much about himself. He is unwilling to become even the slightest bit too vulnerable around anyone, often downplaying his own troubles (if he ever even mentions them) to others just to make sure no one would be too concerned about him. It became easy for Joel to mask his own feelings, to the point that even he could fool himself sometimes.
History:
TW - Ableism
Joel hails from the Hoenn region where he would be raised in the bustling city of Slateport, and to the pleasant surprise of his family, his Totem was already revealed as he was born. Joel’s parents led lives just as busy as the city they lived in: his father was a well-known Contest Star while his mother ran a popular food stall. He had a brother several years older than he was, who would eventually go on to help run one of the fisheries in the city. Although Joel would be spending more time with his older brother, his parents still did their best to care for and be there for him with the time that they did have. It was a given that they had to pay more attention towards their newborn, but they made sure that both kids were loved no matter what.
From a young age, Joel had found a love for the water and for swimming. It started as a fun little after-school hobby, but watching professional swimmers in their element, this turned into a sort of passion. This was encouraged further by his parents who were able to get him lessons and training. He eventually got to join junior swimming competitions, and even managed to win a couple, which gave him quite a lot of recognition from those in the scene. This encouraged him to further pursue becoming a professional swimmer for the years to come.
When he got older, he also spent his free time helping his mother around at the business and learning the ropes on how she runs it. He picked up on the ebb and flow of her routine, as well as the unique touch that made his mom’s snacks stand out. Joel’s assistance made her workload a little lighter, and the days where he was able to help out also proved to be extra bonding time for the both of them. His chill and friendly personality also eased customers as well even during the most hectic days, and in turn, seeing people enjoy the snacks they served made the work all the more worthwhile. He would continue to help her out any chance he got, even as more things started to occupy his own life.
As Joel reached his teens, it was inevitable that he would experience many changes in his life, that his parents made sure he was prepared for. Something that caught them off guard though were the sudden frequent migraines that he started having. It was initially thought that this might have been due to his Totem, but it was also likely due to a history of episodic migraines on his mother’s side of the family. Though neither his mother nor his brother weren’t afflicted, it seemed like Joel managed to inherit the condition. They were able to catch on to this relatively early enough that they could get Joel diagnosed and prescribed with the treatment he needed, but needless to say these migraines still impacted his life going forward rather hard.
There were days where he could barely do anything due to the excruciating pain he would be in, and even on “better days” where they didn’t hurt as bad, he would still have added difficulty with doing any sort of task. Because of this, he would also have a harder time catching up at school, not to mention not being able to help his mother as much and participating less in the swimming competitions he loved to the point of indefinite hiatus. On a couple of occasions, he experienced episodes of amnesia, where he wouldn’t be able to form new memories or recall recent ones for a few hours. These incidents pushed him to start keeping a diary to record his life and the tasks he needed to accomplish, should he start having memory troubles again. He was able to graduate from high school, but decided to hold off from college for the time being. His family did their best to accommodate him, but the same couldn’t be said for who would become his ex-friends.
When the migraines started becoming more frequent, his friends became inconvenienced by him, and as the days passed, got more and more annoyed whenever he had to explain why he wouldn’t be able to go out on certain days and, especially, when he started having a migraine while they were hanging out. Joel did his best to mend his relations and catch up with them, as he valued these people a lot, but they did not think of him the same way. One day, they cut off contact with him without a word and refused to speak with him. The emotional stress from this event caused him the worst episode of his migraines, and for weeks, he barely had the will to even come out of his room, if at all.
The years passed, his brother got a job and Joel decided to continue helping out at his mother’s food stall as well as take up other small jobs, mostly as an errand boy. His migraines still persist, but they have gotten more manageable. Things have gotten calmer for him since, but the scars still lingered after all this time. Joel still maintained his relaxed demeanor on the outside, but to his family, he was more closed off than ever before. In the meantime, he tried out plenty of new things, be it surfing, creative writing, collecting, fashion design; he even participated in a contest or two with his father. He also tried going back to participating in swimming contests, but at this point, his passion for those was gone. Nothing seemed to stick, and though he seemed to be doing fine, he felt at a loss for what he wanted to do next. Sure, he was always happy to help out at his mother’s business, but Joel wanted some sort of change of pace, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted yet.
Living in a place like Slateport, Joel would hear of many places from the tourists who would come and go from the city. Every now and then, he would hear of Raccolto, a quaint but lively region from the sounds of it. He gradually learned more about the place and the fascinating happenings there, but a chat with a customer who had been there gave Joel the idea to move there. It would also be a good opportunity to open up a new branch for his mother’s business — In Joel’s opinion, her snacks are to die for and he’ll make sure that more people know that!
This would be a big change, but Joel was sure of his decision. It was a chance for a change of scenery, and perhaps even a chance to explore! And most of all… a chance to discover what he wants to do next.
Ability: Cloud Nine - Though Joel cannot clear the weather, he can make himself and a couple other people or Pokemon unaffected by it for less than an hour at most. In rain or shine, this is quite convenient for those inconveniences! (In-game description: Negates the effects of weather.)
Moveset:
Psychic - The target is hit with a strong telekinetic force to inflict damage. This may also lower the target’s Sp. Def stat.
Surf - The user attacks everything around it by swamping its surroundings with a giant wave.
Calm Mind - The user quietly focuses its mind and calms its spirit to boost its Sp. Atk and Sp. Def stats.
Rest - The user goes to sleep for two turns. This fully restores the user’s HP and cures any status conditions.
Job: Businessowner
Shop Name: Breezy Snack Bar
Stock Type: Snacks and drinks, the menu changing with each season
Cat Race: Meowth (Kanto)
Cat’s name: Madame
Cat’s gender: Female
(Though technically, Madame is just the name Joel uses the most for her! Other names he uses includes Meowmeow, Girl, Bes, Mahal ko, Menace to Society…)
Talents:
Swimming - Training since childhood, Joel’s skills can be considered on a professional level. He’s been a little out of practice on a competitive level for a while now, but his capabilities are still nothing to be scoffed at.
Surfing - More of a casual hobby for him compared to swimming, but riding the waves is still fun every now and then!
Writing - While getting used to writing memos for himself, Joel learned to write pretty fast while keeping it legible and neat at the same time.
A keen eye - Even when he’s spacing out, anything shiny doesn’t escape his view! He has a knack for collecting any sort of interesting item.
Fun Facts:
Joel prefers to wear baggy or loose clothing!
- Everyone in his family is always dressed quite loudly, making Joel stick out from them considering how casual his attire is in comparison. While he can dress up like they do, he simply chooses not to, at least not as much as they do.
Joel has a frequent habit of putting one of his hands either on top of his head or behind his neck, not with any particular reason. Another habit of his is twirling a lock of his hair.
He loves just being submerged in the water in general and would stay there all day if he could. Alas, there are things to do…
His movements are really quiet, sometimes making it seem like he appeared out of nowhere. He accidentally scared off a person or two doing this, so he’s working on it.
Joel could doze off anywhere whenever he wanted to, sometimes unintentionally.
His favorite Pokemon would be Alolan Exeggcutor.
Madame is his beta reader for his stories (she’s a very valuable critic!).
