[App] - [Re/Alignment]

[leap_before_look]

Player Information
*Name/Alias: Aya
*Your Journal: disposableninja
*Age: XXXIII
*Contact Information: AIM: Anryuu Nata, Email: disposable_ninja [at] hotmail [dot] com, trilobite_punch
*Characters already in the game: Ventus, Hot Rod

Character Information
*Character Name: Garrod Ran
*Character Canon: After War Gundam X
*Age: 15
*Race: Human
*Timeline/Pull Point: After episode 14 with the resolution of the events at Fort Severn

*History:
     The result of the battle between the Earth Federation and the Space Colonies ended in a stalemate that cost the lives of billions. Orphaned at an early age, Garrod Ran was forced to learn how to survive under the harsh circumstances of a world that was still struggling to get back on its feet after the devastation of the war from fifteen years ago. Prior to joining the Freeden, Garrod Ran lived out his life alone, alongside many others that have eked out a living on the post-apocalyptic earth. The boy has never known true peace, having been born into a world of darkness and violence. Fighting seemed a normal part of life, and after losing his father, Garrod had no one else whom he placed particular trust in. There was no need to care for anyone or anything else other than his own survival.

     That all changed upon accepting a new mission, and Garrod Ran had to locate a Vulture ship called the Freeden in order to rescue a girl named Tifa Adil. Immediately smitten by her, the boy managed to sneak aboard the Vulture ship she had been taken upon, and after a quick detour to the captain's quarters to check out the contents of the safe, found his target and made a hasty get away. Instead of returning Tifa to the man who had requested it of him, Garrod instead took off with the girl, more concerned about Tifa's well-being due to the terrified reaction she had upon seeing the man at the payoff. With not only the Freeden on his tail, but his previous employer and a group of Mobile Suits, Garrod was led by Tifa to an old Federation building that housed a relic from the war, the Gundam X-9900. Taking a gamble and using an MS control unit he pilfered from the safe aboard the Freeden, Garrod woke the large robot from its fifteen year slumber and used it to take care of his MS pursuers. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the Freeden also employed Gundam pilots, and the G-X was not long after introduced to the Airmaster and Leopard. With the appearance of the G-X came many challengers who hoped to take this newfound power for themselves, and eventually Garrod and Tifa found themselves swarmed with mobile suits out for blood. It was during this time that Tifa once again employed her mysterious powers, activating an old satellite cannon system from the moon, and the two witnessed for the first time the horrible destructive power of the Gundam X.

     Shortly after, Garrod was taken captive by the Freeden and Tifa was placed under watch by the doctor due to passing out from a sensory overload, having felt the deaths of all who had been caught in the radius of the devastating beam cannon. Because of the feelings he developed for the girl, Garrod refused to escape from the ship, concerned about Tifa. He soon learned that the girl was a Newtype, a human being gifted with special abilities and believed to be the next evolutionary level for humankind. Because of their powers, many Newtypes had been used in the war, and likewise, many died. The captain of the Freeden, Jamil Neate, was also a Newtype once- and the very one who had triggered the colony drops on earth fifteen years ago. Sharing his story and cause to not only Garrod, but the rest of his crew, Jamil accepted Garrod as a part of the Freeden's forces after the boy expressed his desire to help protect Tifa as well as track down and rescue other Newtypes that might be in trouble or be exploited for their powers.

     It was difficult at first for Garrod to transition from his loner lifestyle and into an active part of a crew. Having only been independent for most of his life, he wasn't sure how to act around people, or know what they expected him to do. It was due to a series of blunders and misunderstandings that the boy abruptly took leave of the Freeden, flying off with the G-X. Believing that he would be better off without such a powerful machine, he decided to sell it, and work his way from there. With so many people interested in the strength of a mobile suit like the Gundam, Garrod had gained much unwanted attention, and unfortunately they also knew of his ties with the Vulture ship, the Freeden. Baiting the boy by going after the Freeden, Garrod realized that he couldn't go back to the way that he'd lived, and that his home was wherever Tifa and the others were. He arrived just in time to assist Witz and Roybea in the Gundam Airmaster and Leopard, and with Jamil's guidance, they were all able to safely escape the gathered assault.

     Learning to work with the team was slow-going, but Garrod sincerely wanted to be helpful to his comrades, and to prove his worth. Their search for other Newtypes brought them to frigid and snowy reaches, but when the supposed Newtype appeared, ready for battle and with his own mobile suit, Tifa tried to prevent Garrod from going, having dreamt of his defeat. Refusing to allow such an outcome, the boy headed out anyway, only to be thoroughly beaten by Carris Nautilus, the G-X practically ruined. Carris posed Tifa an offer, that he would spare Garrod's life if she would return with him to Fort Severn where he believed he was using his powers for the better of mankind. She did so, and so the Freeden was left to nurse its wounds in the wake of the skirmish. Garrod eventually recovered, however not so from a state of depression. Feeling helpless for his inability to help Tifa in the face of dealing with another Newtype, Garrod was given the choice by Jamil to either give up and relinquish control of the G-X, or to fight on. Making his decision, Garrod chose to walk the path of the Gundam. Although not so hasty to jump into things as before, it didn't stop the boy from going off on his own to infiltrate Fort Severn in order to rescue Tifa. He found out some other things in the process, such as that the Newtype Carris Nautilus was artificially created with the sacrifice of many lives, and that he was only being used as a tool by the city's mayor who was revealed to be a professor and colony survivor bent on revenge against earth for the tragedy of fifteen years past. While he was surprised to learn that Carris had chosen to become a Newtype by such methods, Garrod realized that the other boy's desire was not so unlike his own in that he had also wanted power to be able to defeat him. What Carris did not know was that Tifa's Newtype abilities were natural when he had been told by the mayor that such did not exist. This led him to question what other things he was told were lies. In the meantime, Garrod managed to escape back to the Freeden with Tifa.

     While their reunion with Carris was not pleasant, the battle between him and Garrod went off quite differently, ending with Carris's defeat. Having been repaired and upgraded, the Gundam X, now the Gundam X Divider, was no longer dependent on its satellite beam cannon, and Garrod wasn't so reckless with the intent of defeating the artificial Newtype. Garrod however wished to save Carris, believing that he understood how the other boy felt. Unfortunately Professor Dorat had decided that he had waited too long to have his plans for vengeance thwarted, and he had Carris retrieved and ultimately set up as a Newtype battery to power the mobile armor Patulia so that it could wreak destruction and havoc upon the earth. Taking the combined efforts of all three of the Freeden's Gundam units as well as Tifa and Jamil's assistance, Garrod was able to get through to Carris and break through the defenses of the Patulia to free him, simultaneously ending its destructive spree before it could go beyond Fort Severn.

     Thereafter, Carris chose to remain with the survivors of Fort Severn in order to assist in rebuilding, feeling responsible for what had happened, and choosing to live with the pain that would forever plague him as an artificial Newtype. While sad that they would be parting ways with a new friend, Garrod was able to understand and respect why Carris had made this decision. Likewise he knew his place would be with the Freeden, and so they began their journey anew.


*Personality:
     Growing up as a loner for most of his life, it's taken some time for Garrod to readjust his habits and ways of thinking in order to work with a team. Acts of kindness were something he wasn't accustomed to, and naturally, he didn't take to being scolded any better. He's at that age where he's still looked down upon as a kid but expected to know better like an adult. The boy can be quite temperamental at times. He's brash and hard-headed, and would usually be jumping blindly into action under extreme situations. He's gotten much better at that, having learned that he has his limits, and that even if you piloted a powerful mobile suit, it wouldn't keep you from getting killed if you came up against a better opponent.

     Now and then Garrod can get frustrated, and this usually is expressed in one of two ways. He can either throw something of a fit and maybe even attempt to throw a punch or two if his anger has someone there to direct it towards, or he can seethe angrily by himself and/or mentally put himself down for his failings. Although it isn't as easy and likely to occur now as it has before, the boy has also been prone to being easily discouraged, and he will still have quite a slump if something bad goes wrong and he faults himself for it. As a part of the Vultures group, the crew of the Freeden, Garrod has become accepted by others as a comrade and a friend, and in turn he's learned to befriend people as well. He has respect for Jamil and all that the man has been through, sometimes seeing him as a mentor. The boy also develops a sort of kinship with his fellow Gundam pilots, Roybea and Witz, and likewise the two have come to respect the young boy's skills as a pilot as well as his perspective of things. There is also, of course, Tifa, who has come to open up more towards Garrod, only recently revealing her shared feelings for him. If anything were to threaten Tifa, they would certainly have to answer to Garrod.

     He can be very open with his feelings, not one to mask them in the face of others. He openly admits having taking a liking to Tifa the moment he saw her, and his feelings haven't changed in that respect. A lot of the time he'll open his mouth without thinking things through, but he's quick to get over any embarrassment that might follow.

     When he had first taken control of the Gundam X and made use of its mighty satellite cannon, Garrod did not seem to have any remorse for all who were obliterated then, feeling that his and Tifa's safety were his priority. Later on, as he learned more and more about battle, about the war and the powerful and deadly weapons at his disposal, Garrod has become more compassionate towards helping others. Now that he's become closer and more open to others, he's come to realize that it isn't just about himself any more. He's become a little more responsible, even if he is still rough around the edges. As much as he's always called a kid in a demeaning sort of way, he never denies it, especially given all the mistakes and the mess of the war that adults have made.


*Powers/Abilities:
     Growing up on the streets, survival has become a way of life for the boy. He's quite capable of taking care of himself under heavy situations, otherwise he wouldn't have made it this far. Resourceful and although he might not always show it, he does have tactical skill, Garrod has proved quite adept at sneaking into places he shouldn't. He always seems to have a few gadgets and things up his sleeves to help him get out of a fix, and knows how to handle and set explosives. He can pick locks, break out of confinement, and he's learned somewhere along the line how to shoot more than just a pistol. He's not too shabby in hand-to-hand either, and even if it isn't quite his strong point, he can at the very least take more of a beating than he might seem able to.

     Garrod's not stupid when it comes to machinery. His father's abilities in engineering and such must have rubbed off on him as the boy takes to piloting mobile suits naturally. Even Jamil has realized that the boy possesses this natural ability when it comes to adapting to the controls of a mobile suit, even without knowing exactly what sort of weaponry is at his disposal.

     After the initial destruction of the Gundam X from his fight with the artificial Newtype, Carris Nautilus, the Freeden's chief mechanic Kid Salsamille upgraded the Gundam with an arsenal of weaponry, making use of stocked parts of battleship grade. This includes a large shield with thrusters, as well as a multiple shot beam blaster called the Beam Harmonica. This version of has been dubbed the Gundam X Divider (GX-9900-DV). Since it had been reasoned that the G-X's satellite beam cannon was too powerful for regular combat, not to mention limited functionality, it was disabled. The Divider's main feature is the Beam Harmonica which fires 18 linked beam guns, and it also comes equipped with two beam swords, a beam machine gun, four mounted vulcan guns, a hyper bazooka, and anti-ship grenades (X-Grenadier). It stands just over 56 feet in height, and although it only seats one pilot, two, perhaps three can squeeze into the cockpit.


*Starting Polarity: No pref!

If AU, how does your character differ from canon?: N/A

Writing Samples
*First Person Sample:
[The boy who appears on screen seems preoccupied with the other controls that surround him in what appears to be a cockpit of sorts.]

-doesn't look like there's any damage... Power looks good. Okay!

[He sighs, flopping back against his seat.]

Kid can't complain if everything's in one piece! That was a pretty strange looking mobile suit though... Hmm.

[Leaning forward, he toggles some switch, tilting his head. His eyes slowly shift towards the camera, brow furrowing.]

Huh? What's this? Wait, am I transmitting to something? Oh crap- D- uh....hello? Someone there? This is Garrod Ran- Freeden, if you're there, say something, okay? Jamil? Roybea or Witz- anyone?

[A frown pulls across his face as he sits back again.]

What gives? Eh-?

[He looks to a side screen as an alarm trills, eyes widening as he then grabs for the controls in front of him, giving them a sudden jerk to the side.]

You're still moving-?!


*Third Person Sample:
     This was all too weird. Robots that didn't require pilots to move, a world that was virtually made up of nothing but minerals... It was like he was dreaming.

     "...dreaming of a place where everything is freakishly huge!" Garrod snorted, curling forward to sit up from where he had been lying on his back atop the large slab of metal that would normally suffice as a bed for a metal being more than several times his height over. He sighed, unfolding his arms from behind his head so that he could better prop himself up as he took a look about the ridiculously sized room. It wasn't as large as the Freeden's hangar bay, but for one boy, it was a lot of space.

     The Gundam was seated at the other end of the bed-slab, looking fairly at home. That was one nice thing about this place, at least. You didn't have to worry about a place to stash your mobile suit in a place like this.

     The smile that touched his face at that thought was brief. "Not that it's somewhere I wanna stay for long." Garrod looked at the Gundam for a moment, then hopped to his feet. "The others should be okay while I'm gone, right? Doesn't mean I'm going to slack off or anything, but until then... I'll. I'll just..."

     He trailed off into silence before abruptly shaking his head, scrabbling his fingers through his hair out of frustration. "Daaaaah! This sucks! How am I supposed to deal with something like this??"


Final Notes: Look it's Yuuta all growed up and with pants!