Application for tushanshu

[goingfishing]

Player Information:
Name: Ramen
Age: Old. (26 years)
Contact: socalramen.at.plurk, legalgargoyle.aim
Game Cast: Mark Hoffman

Character Information:
Name: Raleigh Becket (Pan Pacific Defense Corps)
Canon: Pacific Rim
Canon Point: Prior to the battle with Otachi and Leatherback after realizing that Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon are no match for the two of them, Raleigh and Mako are returned to Gipsy's cockpit to pilot the jaeger only for Raleigh to be split off by being dragged to the turtle and pulled out of the drift with Mako. He will return rather quickly but for now he'll be considerably disoriented.
Age: 27 (Born December 11, 1998.)
Reference: We thought alien life would come from the stars, but it came from beneath the sea

Setting:

Wikipedia tells us that the giant robot mecha animes were first introduced in 1956 with tetsujin-28 or "Gigantor" as it was released in the United States. It follows a pretty typical format, a young upstart go-getter is given a giant robot which he uses to battle monster of the week robots created by either a single antagonist or a group of antagonists represented by a single antagonist. (paraphrased from wikipedia.)

In the seventies, some attempted to add deep philosophical messages to these animes to tell new versions of the same old stories. A popular version of this storytelling technique resulted in "Neon Genesis Evangelion" which revolutionized the genre and made it difficult for the majority of people to bring the rock-um-sock-um robots back to the forefront. Del Toro does this with a gritty take on a dystopian future where mankind fights giant robots with anime levels of pluck and spunk. The only wonder is why it took America so long to catch onto "Giant Robots are Cool." because Americans exemplify useless military expenditures. Not to mention the potential for great popcorn and child like joy.

App-Note:
In this setting, I'd like to detail the parts of canon that are easily illustrated, the parts of it that are not so easily illustrated, and try and bridge the two. Keep in mind that the majority of my "not-so illustrated" is personal headcanon. The sheer amount of headcanon that has sprung up for this series is staggering, to each his own and mine is surprisingly minimal. I just want to write up as detailed a world view as possible for my own edification as well as for fun.

Thank you for putting up with my cheese mods.

"IT CAME FROM DEEP BENEATH THE SEA."
On August 9th, 2013 The Kaiju Trespasser made landfall near San Francisco California. After six days and a lot of IMAX worthy visuals that I'm sure people would have appreciated if they'd only been able to stop and watch as opposed to fleeing for their lives. Six days from that (Roughly the 13th.) it will be defeated by a massive nuclear strike. IF there are any mods, players, or other individuals attached to this game who have family or live around the bay area my heart goes out to you. Never Forget.

In the aftermath of trespasser, a generation of human beings were altered forever as the world governments put aside their differences to combat the threat of giant aliens. Doctor Jasper Schoenfield came to those in power with the idea of building giant robots to battle the giant aliens and I'm sure after the laughter, jokes about being a fanboy, and general eyebrow raising they finally decided why not given that the trespasser attack had reduced San Francisco to a shell of it's former self. They built the first jaeger prototype: Brawler Yukon.

2019 saw the height of the program with over thirty active mechs around the world. The majority of them saw action until each were destroyed in battle as it appeared the kaiju were learning when faced with these new enemies. Growing increasingly desperate, funds were taken from the jaeger program and put into the anti-kaiju wall that would surround the coastlines of various countries.

Somewhere in this there's a joke about God building walls and then filling the swimming pools with water - the ones he doesn't like.

Inevitably this plan fails and introduces an amazing movie to an American audience that justifies incredibly complex military expenditure, giant robots, and explosions. How amazing is that?

WHAT KIND OF WORLD WOULD YOU LIVE IN, WHERE THERE'S WAR ALL THE TIME?

The world of Pacific Rim is, "lived in. Dark and grim and gritty. There's rust and dirt all over everything. They've been in this for a long time." With the constant comparisons between world war two and Gipsy's design (specifically she resembles the Vought F4U Corsair. With those comparisons, you could consider comparing it to if the United States had kept a theater open during the 2nd world war. Rather then assistance from any other country (Or using the atomic weapon) they continued to fight and eventually exhausted all of their resources. It's pretty clear that they're close to exhausting their resources in Pacific Rim anyway.

The people in pacific rim are passionate about their battle and about their giant robots (almost unnaturally so in a real world context). When it's discovered that their program is shutting down and all the robots are being moved to one place that place might become the place to be. HEADCANON Headcanon dictates that with the rise of world war 2 propaganda posters, pilots became almost the "celebrities of that day and age." Trading cards, post cards. With the need to direct resources in a positive manner things like twitter were prohibited (secrecy is safety) but they had fans./Headcanon. It's obviously the center of battle after Newt makes his huge mistake.

There is a huge difference between a world in war time and a world in peace time. Everything has been funneled into jaeger production and the kaiju wall production. Political differences, while still there are less important. Social differences are considerably less important. Headcanon Given that anyone could hold the key to victory against the kaiju menace, things like personal habits, racial distinctions are unimportant. People are people and if they're drift compatible people then who cares in the slightest what they like to do in their off time?/headcanon

In the PPDC, English is a common language, but smart people pick up more then one (as evidenced by Raleigh being able to speak some Japanese.) all designed to facilitate easier construction and assistance. Because the majority of the world has been behind building jaegers and adapting their life to it, everything is developed for longevity and mankind has made remarkable leaps in protective technology and technology that could assist the war effort, while making minor leaps in things like personal music players and video players. The entertainment industry has literally come to a stand still beyond official PPDC approved broadcasts and televisions shows.

As such, Raleigh grew up with propaganda Like this. The last big budget Hollywood film to be released had jaeger pilot actors and kaiju antagonists and even then it was deemed to be "disrespectful." (especially given that most jaeger pilots are now dead.). Pop culture stopped at 2013.

If you consider humanity's strengths being art and creation then this is a world where art and creation have melded with mankind's pure will to survive to create massive works of art that can kill things.

THE DRIFT AND YOU.

The drift is brain to machine interface. The practical applications of this are staggering. In war time it's used to control the robots. It's so overwhelming however that you need two to pilot a jaeger successfully. Pilots forge their minds into a single consciousness. A single person cannot drift without great difficulty. Raleigh is the second person to manage it, the first person being Stacker Pentecost. The long term effects of this have not been studied although some pilots have reported a symptom of something called "Ghost Drifting". Essentially melding two human consciousness into one.

Jager pilots grow extremely close to one another, as their drifting can reveal personal secrets. In Raleigh's case, he becomes aware that his brother is sleeping with a jaeger groupie that the two of them had been mutually interested in. It threatens their bond and Stacker warns them that the bond is essential to successful piloting. When Yancy is killed, Raleigh has to cope with the occasional bad dream, the remains of his brother's consciousness. Being rippped from Mako and arriving on the turtle will also be difficult but he will recover. (and if Mako and Gipsy arrive, so much the better.)


Personality:

Raleigh Becket was born into a world at war, and that's had a major effect on his personality, his goals in life, and who he is as a human being. The enemy is real, a thing with a face and something that he can hate and pour his efforts into fighting. He's practically grown up with something to fight and that makes him loyal, dependable, and unwilling to give up at any cost. Once he gives his loyalty to something or someone it has it for life simply because the choices that he makes are based on his survival. Fighting in a war you make the choices that will keep you alive and those are the "right" choices.

Raleigh's choices have been about protecting the human race, because protecting the human race means protecting those that he cares about. While he initially did not start out as the superior pilot (that was his brother Yancy) he's made himself one, shaped through sacrifice and pain into a warrior worthy of taking on the Kaiju. He is less concerned with the interior details of his life as opposed to it having a strong foundation. That's the world he lives in, it has to be able to stand if you want to live at all. He lives off the barest requirements and needs while putting his best foot forward.

There's a very real difference between the pilot that we see at his introduction in the film and the pilot who emerges from the ocean with Mako. Young Raleigh is bolstered by being part of a winning kaiju team and the support of his brother. He and Yancy represent yin and yang, balance and harmony and the two of them having grown up together are considered "drift compatible." which means that they are capable of mind melding with one another. Raleigh is the epitome of the impulsive younger brother. He leaps into action - driven by sheer will and drive whereas Yancy is driven by caution and maturity. He has no less power, but he's initially a bit more impulsive.

That changes with Yancy's death.

Here we hit a discrepancy between what the actors have said about their interpretation and what the actor portrays. Chris Hunnam claims that he is embittered, a wounded warrior who "hates humanity but loves humans.". The film portrays him as someone who jumps at the chance to return to work, protects Mako, fights with Chuck Hansen, and has a more nobler aspect. It's a little bit of both.

History wise we see very little of what happens once his brother dies. We realize, from a military perspective that he's being held responsible. (This is indicated character wise by Stacker and Raleigh's conversation in Alaska about how he was honestly their last choice.) Despite Jaegers being big fun robots, they are major military expenditures and Raleigh and Yancy did jump into a situation they were told specifically not to do in saving a fishing boat from the kaiju knifehead. Yancy was ripped out of the cockpit - breaking him mentally and physically. Something that had only happened once before. (The split in the drift, not the death of a jaeger pilot.) After Raleigh dragged Gipsy to shore he passed out, awoke, and was told when he returned that if he wanted to stay in the program he would have to find a second drift compatible pilot.

He refused. I doubt that Stacker would have talked to him about it since the discovery that he was other pilot capable of piloting single handedly was revealed only in the movie. Sans comfort and given (seemingly) no time to grieve he left, refused survivor benefits and was made to feel personally responsible for his brother's death. That was unintentional, but it ended up being how he felt. He refused survivor's benefits and gained a reputation as a maverick.

He is a fundamentally good man and it shows through. When he has a chance, is told that he's needed after feeling that he couldn't grieve for his brother he returns and is willing to help and assist once again. For him it's like returning home and he wants to stay there. He's no longer a wild child or extra impulsive. He has learned from his mistakes, shaped by tragedy into being something powerful. That's where the story returns to it's original course. Everyone from the writers, screenwriters, and actors (and most importantly the fans) agree that this is the end of the line and at the end of the world Raleigh's choices about survivial kick in. He will stand with humanity around him and this time know and respect what that means.

Out of that element though he might come off as a little abrasive. A little unusual and a little gung ho - until he figures out what's going on. His motivations are going to be more aligned with the resistance as opposed to staying on the turtle. Especially once he figures out that it is a giant living reptile a'la the kaiju itself. This is a learning experience that will teach him more planning and skill before the sequel - where supposedly they will go to the alien homeworld and try and figure out how to stop them from doing this to another world.

On personal habits and likes and dislikes. Hating humans and liking humanity means that you can be very set in your ways and that you know where you stand as an individual. Raleigh is no exception. He doesn't really change or alter his personal habits - just his fighting style because as someone who grew up having to fight that's part of becoming a fighter. Personal habits include avoiding coffee and soda (he is an insomniac) as well as a propensity towards eating colored candy (that's what keeps him going.)* He won't be nervous about trying new things, if he fails he'd throw himself into doing it again after fixing it. That same adaptability that comes from living in a war zone is essential.

On the turtle Raleigh arrives mid canon, just after battling a giant lizard. Understandably coming from one giant lizard to a second giant lizard is going to make him nervous. He'll have at least a week or two of being very annoyed by it before he accepts it and moves on. From there however (and if he can get Gipsy or something close to Gipsy) he'd be all about joining the resistance and fighting the emperor. He's not the type to settle down into slice of life easily, so if he did it would have to be after some argument and might have to be very forced into accepting it by others. He'll be put to the test and if he's canon updated it will get easier.

Appearance:


Raleigh is a well built young man with short blonde hair, bright blue eyes and built - well built. He's good with his hands and quick, skilled from several years of martial arts practice. He hits hard and moves quickly, but everything about his fighting style is an advanced version of bar fighting. Adapt to battle your opponent.

Abilities:

First Class Kaiju Pilot Raleigh is one of the most skilled pilots in the Anchorage Shatterdome and the pilot with the longest history in the Tokyo Shatterdome. He is one of two people to successfully pilot a jager single handed after losing his brother. He is unpredictable in a fight, and given that Kaiju are weapons designed to learn from previous mistakes Raleigh's unpredictability is the biggest asset that a pilot can offer. While that technical skill made him cocky early in his career, it now makes him valuable which is one of the reasons that Pentecost returns to recruit him.

Martial Arts Master as a Jaeger pilot Raleigh was trained to be a martial arts master. He is proficient in at least four different styles of martial arts, which he uses unpredictably. A master showman, his early rough and tumble lifestyle means that he's used to impressing people and creativity when fighting kaiju is essential. He finds a match however in Mako Mori - his first copilot since his brother Yancy. The skill of being able to pace himself is a rare one, and instead of his showmanship being "flashy" as it was when he was younger, Raleigh's style and his humbled nature gives him an additional edge. He will conserve his strength, wait and watch to make the most of his attacks.

In addition to those two major selling points, Del Toro has also indicated that he's a big fan of world war two and something of an amateur historian on that time period. (Art Book. 2012).

In the film he also speaks Japanese, and I'd hazard that given the uniformity of the Human response against the kaiju he knows small snippets of other languages as well.

Inventory:
2-3 million dollar Conn-Podd suit. Coming from being ripped out of Gipsy he has his own suit of armor, in essence. With The beginnings of drift mechanics in his helmet.
Picture of he and Yancy. In Alaska.
Two plush Kaiju. Otachi and Tresspasser.
50 dollars US Cash.

Suite:

My first impulse would be to put Raleigh in the water suite just because he tends to flow and improvise, change under pressure (but not on the inside.). However I'd like to put him in the fire suites simply because that sort of influence would probably feel a lot more natural to him.

In-Character Samples:

Third Person:

The last thing he felt was salt and sweat, the cheap candy taste of Hong Kong. When you came out of the jaeger pod everything always tasted sweeter. Perhaps that was just the taste of victory however.

Victory was on his mind, the moment he'd found his way to the "suite" he was told he'd have to stay in. The place looked like Hong Kong, felt like Hong Kong, and even seemed like Hong Kong for reasons that he couldn't place. (something about a turtle. He blocked it out. A turtle that big would be a kaiju and nobody would do that. Nobody would be stupid enough to build anything near a Kaiju unless they had some kind of a fetish.) but it had thrown him.

What threw him more was the knowledge that he'd been ripped from the cockpit without disengaging from the drift. Leaving Mako to pilot Gipsy alone. His brain said his girls and his mind rejected that. If he even considered it...

No, he needed to sleep. He needed to sleep and then get the hell out of here as soon as he possibly could. She wasn't dead.

I'd know if she were dead. He remembered that. Empty, that tearing sound like you'd lost a limb, a sudden shock. Part of your body gone. Yancy...

He stood up, walked to the bathroom, washed his face and his hair and stood in the shower until the water ran cool and cold. As long as he had a plan in mind he could get out of this. His throat constricted, stepping out and running a hand through his hair. I would know if she were dead. I would know..

He slumped into bed, stared at the toy kaiju that had been "given" him, tossed it across the room where it fell with a squeak. He exhaled and listened to Yancy's voice in his head, his own thoughts sounding like his brother. Make the best of a bad situation. Be calm, you know what dead feels like, sounds like, smells like. You know how it feels most of all. She's not dead, you'd know it. That means that something that they said was true. You have to get back to her. Never leave a man behind and there are still enemies to fight. Your enemies. They're not here.

...And if they are then they made a mistake bringing you here. Just relax. You'd know if she were hurt. You'd know if you were dead. This is a setback. Wait, consolidate...

"And finish." cool air settled around him. He lay deeper into the pillows and closed his eyes only to have them shoot open. The last image he saw before waking up on that wet floor. Mako's eyes, wide and frightened before reaching a gloved hand for him screaming his name.

Again and again, his companions for the night.

Network:

[This is a little disorienting. One minute he and Gipsy are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and he is staring at the big ugly gaping maw of the nastiest looking kaiju he'd seen in years, then he and Mako are split and suddenly he's surrounded by ...things. Being told that he has to remain here.

His mind is reeling. It's not a feeling that he likes because it's happened once before and he cannot - no he will not let Mako face that thing alone.

Torn between images of Mako and Yancy dissolving into one twisted face and being ripped from his life forever - he presses the video feed desperate to make some kind of headway. His arm tingles. Sleep, a good twenty four hours worth of sleep and he'll be right as rain.]

....Those guys always that friendly? [Says the man wearing armor looking like he's fighting off the world's biggest headache.] Sorry, I was in the middle of a fight for my life and the lives of my friends. Not too thrilled about getting grabbed.

[one breath, two breath, three breath.] Can anybody tell me where the fire district is, and after that - where I could get something to eat and something to wear?

I've got -

[He frowns and holds up a toy. It looks like this. It's tossed aside.]

...Who's in charge of this pop stand anyway? I mean really?