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Tao, Towel

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He/Him

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20 Years

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May 3rd

[attr="class","ion-home"]
Snowpoint City, Sinnoh

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Republic

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Fence

[attr="class","ion-heart"]
Demisexual

[attr="class","ion-briefcase"]
College Student, Artist

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abilities

Similar to the rest of his own family - regardless of if the family member in question is apart of his direct family or extended family alike - Yi Tao himself maintains qualities of a gijinka- but rather than taking after the ghost types that the majority of his extensive family inherited, he himself was more or less influenced by the types that are more or less buried and hidden on his mother’s side of the family lineage. One of his great grandfathers had been a Spiritomb gijinka, and he married a woman who was a Houndoom gijinka- so that would explain the dark and fire typings alike. They seemingly skipped a couple of generations before reaching him, which, in itself, explains how he himself turned out to be a Litten gijinka at birth, and how he’s now, of course, a Torracat after evolving. He has several abilities and qualities giving way towards his Pokemon influences and genetics alike; the most notable being the pair of Torracat ears that reside atop his head, as well as the Torracat tail that he maintains. Although he prefers not to use them, he truthfully does have retractable nails that can be used as claws, as well.[break][break]

By virtue of being a fire type gijinka to begin with, Tao is enabled the ability to both produce and manipulate flames to some minor degree. Of course, this by no means implies that he’s capable of controlling matters as intense and drastic as forest fires or things of that sort; rather, he’s capable of conjuring embers at his fingertips, as well as orbs of flames within his palms- and, on occasion, he’s capable of breathing fire out to some minor degree due to the Litten line’s internal organ setup, as well. Should he use these specific capabilities of his to extensive degrees, however, he could definitely still hurt himself, if not damage his skin or internal build permanently altogether. Often times, the more he uses it - and the more amplified degrees he uses it at - translates to more fatigue on his end.[break][break]

Being able to conjure, manipulate, and withstand flames should also imply the fact that, as a fire type gijinka, Tao is enabled a sort of passive resistance to both flames and heat in general. This by no means makes him completely invulnerable to extensive and higher temperatures, though it does allow him to withstand much higher degrees of heat than most others nonetheless. It’s due to this that he tends to fare better in conditions that would allow heat stroke- but in turn, it could prove to be both discomforting and dangerous alike to him if he’s forced to withstand higher temperatures for a longer span of time. This resistance could eventually lead to him beginning to overheat, which, in itself, would become lethal to him if he isn’t careful enough.[break][break]

As an influence by the Litten line’s hidden ability, Tao himself is enabled the capability to induce a sort of intimidating trance of his own upon others if he focuses enough. Often times, whenever he puts this particular ability to use, those under its effects and gaze would often feel a sense of fear, and - obviously - intimidation- and it’s likely due to his commonly stoic and pressuring demeanor that amplifies these effects more than some others who have similar abilities. More times than not, he chooses to use this particular ability of his as a sort of warning; using it to ward those that he doesn’t like or doesn’t trust away from him and those that he cares about.[break][break]

The final main ability that he has control over is a sort of augmented strength; a simplistic ability in itself, yet something that could be easily threatening and dangerous in the event that he chooses to use it. As was mentioned earlier on in the personality traits, Yi Tao is somewhat of a pacifist despite his overly blunt and conflict inducing nature, so he prefers not to result to fighting and the like. ...When his patience is dried, however, he tends to focus himself within a given limb; seemingly ‘charging’ his muscles in a sort of way before using that charge in the form of an amplified strike. This stems from Torracat’s (and Incineroar’s, to an extent) strengthened upper body and arms alike. As things stand, Tao is already naturally strengthened and toned as a result of being involved in dancing, martial arts, and other physical activities, and - if he focuses hard enough and doesn’t mess up - is actually the type of person who’s capable of punching a brick and cracking it at the very least. Layer this ability of his at its maximum force, and he’d be able to do the same to a block of cement; all while being able to leave a visible dent of an inch or a few sometimes. This is merely a strength amplifier, however. He’s capable of extensive amounts of strength, but the pain and repercussions that come with it aren’t negated- so if, for whatever reason, he did decide to punch a cement block at maximum force, he’d likely dent and crack it, yes. ...In the process, though he’d probably make his knuckles bleed and fracture or break due to the sheer force, as well as the material that he strikes.[break][break]

End of ability listings; biography begins beyond the next header.[break][break]

This is an anthem for the homesick; for the beaten

Yi Tao Tyler Hong was born on May third approximately twenty years within the past to Mei Xiu Wang and Jin Long Hong, and is the elder brother to the deceased Zhu Rong Randall Hong within the bounds of Snowpoint City, Sinnoh. Having been born to a duo of company owners, his life was one of subtle extravagance, as well as early formalities and maturity- but despite that, Tao himself actually lived rather leisurely and commonly as most children do upon a normal basis. Although it may be extremely hard to believe within the present day and age, the truth of the matter was that Tao was actually a somewhat more animated and brighter type of boy when he was younger. While he had been well read from the very start, he used to focus less on academics for the slightest bit, and more on having a better time in general; something that he did his best to convince his younger brother to do, as well. Despite their differences, however, the two of them were the closest of the close; one rarely seen without the other, and alongside that, Zhu Rong had been rather attached to Yi Tao despite his much sterner nature at the time, and had been easily influenced by his elder brother. As a result, Tao himself shared his own habits, hobbies, and interests with Zhu Rong; ranging from dancing and martial arts to writing, art, and music, as well as everything between and beyond. For the short span of time that they had been together, the two of them always were the brightest around one another throughout their constant interactions- even throughout school, due to the fact that they had only been separated by a total of three years as far as ages went.[break][break]

The lost; the broke; the defeated

Often times, Tao and his family - both immediate and extended alike - ventured out throughout the regions; primarily for business oriented travels, though on occasion, they would also depart for leisurely and casual intents alike, as well. In addition, it had become a short tradition for he and his family to annually visit Alola after a business venture that they had taken around the time that Tao was approximately four years of age, and continued on even as Zhu Rong grew older throughout the years. As was stated beforehand, Tao played as a major influence for his younger brother as far as interests, hobbies, and other things of the sort went, too. He himself was well versed in dancing, and when he was about six years of age, he began to add fire dancing in particular into his interests due to their constant visits to Alola- and after convincing his parents to allow Zhu Rong to do the same, he began versing his younger brother within the same dancing style, as well. This activity in itself seemed to bring the two of them even closer to one another; giving them another hobby to practice together, as well as another hobby to bond over. Despite the fact that they had learned it within that year alone, the two of them took care to pester their parents every single day and night that they stayed in Alola for the time being; managing to convince them to supervise them as they watched the fire dancers and practiced their routines themselves.[break][break]

A song for the heartsick; for the standbys

Following their visit to Alola, Tao and his family ventured back to Sinnoh with the intent of coming back home, though before they officially made their ways back to Snowpoint City, they took a trip across the region and over to Gracidea with several more sightseeing goals. Having heard about Shaymin from the rumors and varied legends and myths alike that carried their ways throughout Sinnoh, the older members of his family at the time were somewhat interested in seeing one for themselves and possibly even interacting with them, and they chose Gracidea for their last place to visit for their annual travels before returning home. While there, they met another family and began conversing with them, and it was here that Tao and his brother were introduced to the two children that they had within the household, as well. Although things started off rocky between them, they ended up spending the well majority of the day together; playing outside and around the house while the adults were talking and observing amongst themselves, among a few other matters, as well. Tao and Zhu Rong themselves were a bit apprehensive about the other children at first, but they warmed up enough to let themselves loosen up and play around with them.[break][break]

It was through this visit that the two boys themselves inherited an expansive love for the stars, even if their parents had already brought them stargazing within the city every so often. Upon seeing the vast amounts of stars within a more secluded area of the region - farther away and less influenced by light pollution - the two of them gandered in awe and amazement alike as the girls with them named the stars and constellations above them with little to no trouble at all; even going as far as to race one another in regards to who could find the most constellations in whatever amounts of time, as well as other things of the sort. They expanded more on this newfoundedly amplified interest of theirs after leaving Gracidea, but they still kept in contact with the other children and their family after departing; visiting every so often in order to play with them and whatnot.[break][break]

Living life in the shadow of a goodbye

All in all, the following year after meeting Naomi, Eden, and her sister pass rather peacefully. The boys themselves continued their own educations and business training while excelling in their academics all the while. Alongside keeping up with their studies, they also dedicated themselves even more into their hobbies; both of them putting more effort into dancing and the like, as well- and putting even more dedication into their newfound love for fire dancing. Despite having only been dedicated to the dance style for little more than a year, they had already grown in skill as far as movements went, and even went so far as to envelop themselves within the traditions connected with the dances; dressing themselves within the appropriate attires, as well as performing the proper cries and whatnot during their dancing exhibitions. By the time they took their annual trip back to Alola, their parents went through the effort of contacting several other dancers who often performed within the occasional segments through luaus. After a little bit of talking, and after convincing their children to (very, very pridefully) show the others what they could do with the skills that they themselves honed through the years, they were both roped into a performance that involved other children, as well.[break][break]

Like they had done within the prior year, Yi Tao and his family decided to return to Gracidea after leaving Alola with the intent of physically catching up with the Stirlings in person, but soon after arriving, they were surprised - and soon afterwards, devastated - to find out that the parents of the Naomi’s and Eden’s parents had been killed in an incident not too long before they ventured over, and that Eden herself had been part of the deceased, as well. Naomi’s location was unknown to them, and they had been told about what she had supposedly done before falling beneath the radar. Due to their younger ages at the time, both Tao and Zhu Rong didn’t quite understand what was going on at the time as their parents, aunts, uncles, and even cousins alike discussed and asked around in attempt to gather more details in regards to the situation at hand- and even when they asked, they were subtly brushed off for sake of sparing them the sadness from the losses. Soon after finding out about what had transpired, he and his family cut their trip shorter that year in order to go back to Snowpoint City; leaving Tao and Zhu Rong both confused, but in the long run, there wasn’t much that they could do- even if they did continue trying to ask about what had happened every so often.[break][break]

...Do you remember when we learned how to fly?

Unfortunately enough, things began to move along a downwards slope a little while after they returned from Gracidea. At first, matters were more or less normal between the two brothers, if not overwhelmed by a little bit of ongoing confusion due to the fact that they hadn’t known what had happened to their friends. That aside, they continued on with their studies and hobbies alike; attending school as was necessary, and also attending the after school activities and extracurriculars that they were each apart of. One day during their own fire dancing practices, however, Zhu Rong claimed that he was feeling a bit more winded than usual; something that struck Tao as odd due to the fact that he always seemed to have an abundant amount of energy whenever they danced whatever type of genre and style together, but he didn’t quite think too much about it at first, so he just told him to sit on the sidelines and take a breather while he continued to practice their routines. This continued on for little more than a handful of minutes before Zhu Rong began coughing somewhat aggressively, and at a certain point, he coughed blood up- which, in itself, drove Tao to immediately stop and alert his parents, who immediately stopped what they were doing. The four of them brought Zhu Rong straight to the hospital.[break][break]

After a quick checkup and a diagnosis, they were informed that little Zhu Rong had stage four lung cancer, and not that much time to live following the diagnosis, either.[break][break]

Yet again, they were all devastated- especially since Tao at the very least understood the situation and what was to come. For sake of his own health, Zhu Rong was forced to stop his involvement within dancing and other heavily physically burdening activities and whatnot; even going so far as to quit most instruments that he knew, as well, due to the fact that they were all wind instruments. He was put through chemotherapy in attempt to ease the effects of the cancer at the very least, but in the end, it only served to delay the process for a little while longer. His condition still diminished at a more or less rapid rate, and by around the end of that year - approximately half a year following their trip to Alola - Zhu Rong died and was laid to rest in a cemetary not too far away from Snowpoint City.[break][break]

It was around this time that Tao began to develop a more stoic and emotionally hardened demeanor; becoming a bit more like how his brother always was as far as behaviors went. Many of his surface friends don’t quite know why he acts as such, but the truth of the matter is that - although he still does maintain traces of his former personality deeper within, and chooses to exhibit it towards his closer friends - he inherited his present day demeanor more as a tribute to his younger brother. In further tribute to him, he also began dedicating himself more to improving his skills in both writing and contemporary dancing alike; two of the primary things that Zhu Rong himself fancied over everything else.[break][break]

We'd play make believe

Fast forward another year at age eight, and Tao and his family would have taken their annual trip around the regions once more throughout the summer; eventually finding themselves within Alola yet again towards the tail end of their travels all the same. Due to Zhu Rong’s death in the past, Tao himself seemed to be a bit more secluded and with a much sterner front that time around, but that didn’t quite stop him from practicing his own fire dancing techniques and routine on his own throughout their visit. While his other family members were out on the beach a small distance away one day, Tao himself remained a fair distance away from the rest of them; secluding himself for sake of keeping those around him safe as he practiced his own fire dancing routines. With a quick flick spark of either side of his fire staves, he lit both sides aflame before minding his own business for a short while.[break][break]

After enough time passed, however, he took a pause for sake of taking a breather, and it was around that time that he took note of the fact that another person - another child, as far as he was concerned - had been approaching him. She looked to be rather young and oddly dressed; something that confused him, though hadn’t thrown him off enough to be caught too off guard by the fact that she sent a Pokemon out with the intent of attacking him with it. In turn, he too, sent out a Pokemon of his own in attempt to defend himself; tossing out his Litten, Altair. Before he could give a command to his own companion, however, he took note of the fact that both Altair and the other Pokemon - a Fennekin, specifically - seemed to pause and stare at one another- and it was around that time that Tao himself heard the Fennekin’s trainer call its name out.[break][break]

That Fennekin’s name was Vega.[break]
...And Vega was the name of the Fennekin that he knew belonged to Naomi.[break][break]

So, he called her name out on a whim and a leap of faith, and much to his extensive surprise, the masked girl herself seemed to pause upon hearing the very name that belonged to her. They stared at one another for a small while, and before he knew it, she seemed quick to try and run away- but within his own sense of confusion and shock alike, Tao ran after her and caught up to her after enough effort.[break][break]

We were young, and had time on our side

After catching up with her, Tao’s family noticed what was happening and made their ways over somewhat quickly; initially somewhat aggressive and protective over their own child, but they eventually grew shocked themselves as they fully realized the situation, as well as who exactly had tried to attack Tao. They debated for a little while before managing to talk to her enough; attempting to find out more about what happened, but ultimately failing at first. Despite all of that, they eventually settled several things and chose to adopt Naomi for sake of giving her a legitimate house and roof to live under. She seemed somewhat indignant and stubborn in at the thought of returning to Sinnoh - something that his parents at the very least understood based on the rumors they heard throughout the last time they tried to visit Gracidea - but in the end, they managed to convince her to tag along anyways.[break][break]

Matters were like this for a rather extensive while. Although she lived moved back to Sinnoh to live with them, she remained rather secluded for a long time; purposely shutting everyone else while keeping to herself. Tao himself found this odd, and attempted to constantly get her to open up to him; something that he persistently failed at doing until a particular night. Ever since the first time that he had met her - and especially more often after Zhu Rong died - he made it a habit to travel and sneak up to the rooftop rather often during the night time in order to gaze upon the stars; sketching specific portions of the skies and their constellations out within his sketchbooks, and also making a disconnected star map as a result of doing so, as well. On a specific night, however, he passed through the hallways, and before he reached the stairs that led to the third floor of the house, he passed by Naomi’s room and heard her crying. After a little bit of curiosity, he checked up on her, talked with her for a little bit, and brought her up to the rooftop with him. There, they both gazed upon the stars together as they had done when they had first met.[break][break]

They continued their conversations on the rooftop for a while after arriving, and he shared some of the snacks, drinks, and blankets that he often brought up to the rooftop with Naomi while quietly and persistently trying to get her to open up at least a little bit again. Much to his surprise, he seemed to finally be successful to some minor extent that night. After talking for a little while, he managed to get her to smile at some point- and it was from then on that she seemed to gradually open up more and more. As time went on, she smiled and interacted more often, and although he showed it less and less as he grew older and matured more, that was a fact that made him pretty happy in the grand scheme of things.[break][break]

You're stuck on the ground

From then on, things seemed to gradually begin to finally get better and better- even if it was at a somewhat slow rate. After managing to get Naomi to open up more and more, they simply spent time together as was necessary; both at school and at home alike. They each had their different interests and work ethics, but more times than not, Tao truthfully preferred to be around her- even if he seemed overly annoyed by her more times than not. He found himself protecting her from bullies and the like as they grew older; something that he didn’t mind for sake of keeping her safe, but at the same time, it ticked him off beneath the surface due to the fact that others had the audacity to mistreat her, as well as others around her. Even throughout the times that he had dance practice - both during school and for the school’s dance team - as well as practice for drumline, he did his best to keep her close for sake of keeping a continuous eye on her.[break][break]

Around the time that he was in junior high school, he shifted his dance classes and schedules around alike, which resulted in him joining a few new classes with a good deal of people that he didn’t know; something that made things hard for him as far as communication went due to his demeanor, but even despite that, he managed to make several closer friends that he still maintains contact with to this day. Among those people had been a girl by the name of Ji Byul Kim. Although she was about four years his senior in several senses, they still got along rather well due to the charisma that they shared during dance practices, and it hadn’t taken too long before she was introduced to Naomi, his family, and his other friends, as well. Much to his relief, she seemed intent on keeping an eye on Naomi, too; even acting as somewhat of an older sister to her, so that lightened his load as far as looking after her went.[break][break]

Got lost; can't be found

Although there was somewhat of an age gap between them - and although he was only able to spend a year in high school with her as a result of that gap - Tao found himself growing close to Ji Byul rather quickly; enough to the point where he began to develop feelings for her. Even after she graduated, the two of them began to spend more time together and grew even closer as a result.[break][break]

And...stuff. And things.[break][break]

Okay, yeah. You can tell that I’m starting to get lazy, now.[break]
That’s honestly the basic gist of what you gotta know about this point in his life, though.[break][break]

He’s got a crush.[break]
His crush is good friends with his friends, and a sister to another childhood friend of his.[break]
Good stuff.[break][break]

Just remember that you're still alive

(more informality here im sorry //shot)[break][break]

Alright, so...jump cut about four more years later to when Tao is about eighteen years old. He, his friends, and some of his family decided to take a trip higher into the mountains in order to go snowboarding and skiing during winter break. They all stayed at a resort and shared their own rooms and whatnot for several days, and all in all, it was more or less a pretty fun and enjoyable time.[break][break]

A few days in, though, there was a blizzard that started up while Tao and a few other of his friends - including Ji Byul - were a bit further away from the cabins and whatnot. His other friends managed to find their ways back after a quick and careful trek, but Tao and Ji Byul were more or less stranded for a while. They holed up in a nearby cave - however small and cramped it was - and attempted to make do with the situation, but the fact of the matter was that things were getting a bit too cold for them to handle. For the most part, Tao was fine as a result of his Litten influences, but Ji Byul herself was struggling significantly more due to the fact that she had little resistance at all as a result of being a human.[break][break]

Tao wasn’t exactly the best as far as controlling his gijinka at the abilities at the time- especially when his emotions went haywire. At first, he attempted to keep her warm by increasing his own body heat and huddling closer to her, but when he took note of the fact that she was still struggling for more than a reasonable amount, he began to panic a little bit more. The panic only increased after he noticed her beginning to fade in and out while growing weaker from the cold, and in a final attempt to warm her, he did his best to try and start a fire with his own capabilities.[break][break]

...Which ended up in another failed attempt.[break]
And that ended up in him growing more stressed and frantic.[break]
Aaaaand then that ended up with him evolving from the stress, his flames going haywire, and then…[break]
...Yeah.[break][break]

They lashed out pretty badly, and even despite the intense colds that raged on, he ended up burning Ji Byul pretty badly. He himself was fine due to his own fire resistance capabilities, but as a result of the outburst, Ji Byul herself was wounded pretty badly. Again, he did his best to try and soothe the wounds and burns that he gave her, but overall, it wasn’t exactly the cold that ended up killing her that day.[break][break]

...If anything, it was him.[break][break]

I'll carry you home...

They were found a while later. Tao himself was more or less losing his mind, and Ji Byul herself was still suffering from the burns and the pain alike. The two of them were taken out safely at that specific moment in time and immediately brought to a nearby hospital to help them recover as was necessary, but Ji Byul ended up dying during her own treatment as the effects of the burns finally got a bit too much for her to handle. Needless to say, Tao himself was devastated, and - even if he doesn’t quite show it - he hasn’t been able to let go of the fact that, if he had managed to be in better control of his abilities, she’d likely still be alive.[break][break]

Matters were cleared up following her death, and Tao slowly and gradually began to overcome his grieving phase- or the open one, at least. Within, he still thinks on what happened rather often; beating himself down about her death more than anyone would truthfully ever know. Even if he does want to move on and gain his own form of closure by visiting her grave and officially saying his final goodbyes, he’s found himself unable to. ...He’s visited her grave once since her death, and when he did, he broke down beyond belief. Since then, he hasn’t been able to muster up the courage to return due to his own shame, guilt, and regret alike.[break][break]

...No, you're not alone.

The grieving still continues to this day- but by this point, it’s more or less an occasional thought that crosses his mind, as well as something he only really thinks about extensively and on his own. That aside, however, he moved to Lyeant approximately a year after Ji Byul died - so about a year or so prior to the current day - as a result of various plans and business oriented matters between his family’s company. They opened a branch in Lyeant after discussing it with his other relatives, as well as other companies that they collaborate with.[break][break]

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>>> TL;DR

there is nothing left to take, but i still try to reach. try to swallow it all down, yet i can't seem to breathe. just a single pill of mine, nothing else would suffice - i take it in, now i'm alive. my phone is set on lock, and i don't really care. there's a tangle and a knot that i cannot repair. i'm a tragedy, i'm ugly, i'm trying to hide. i say "hello", then wave "goodbye". see me fall down - let me die here slowly. nothing goes right, not a trace of honestly. i'm to blame, so i'll remain. black, white; day, night; it's all the same. see it run down - cut away, no worries. say no more. i can surely say that i've had enough. i still refuse to believe.



[break][break]

>>> FRIENDSHIP

see me fall down - let me die here slowly. nothing goes right, not a trace of honesty. i'm to blame, so i'll remain. black, white; day, night; it's all the same. see is run down - cut away, no worries. say no more. i can surely say that i've had enough. i can't remember - that very day, that very day changed me. happiness died like a light i carried. i'll sleep tonight and hope to finally leave a world which i don't believe, a life which i don't need, and then i'll finally be free.

>>> HATESHIP

see me fall down - let me die here slowly. nothing goes right, not a trace of honesty. i'm to blame, so i'll remain. black, white; day, night; it's all the same. see is run down - cut away, no worries. say no more. i can surely say that i've had enough. i can't remember - that very day, that very day changed me. happiness died like a light i carried. i'll sleep tonight and hope to finally leave a world which i don't believe, a life which i don't need, and then i'll finally be free.

>>> LOVESHIP

see me fall down - let me die here slowly. nothing goes right, not a trace of honesty. i'm to blame, so i'll remain. black, white; day, night; it's all the same. see is run down - cut away, no worries. say no more. i can surely say that i've had enough. i can't remember - that very day, that very day changed me. happiness died like a light i carried. i'll sleep tonight and hope to finally leave a world which i don't believe, a life which i don't need, and then i'll finally be free.

>>> WANTED

see me fall down - let me die here slowly. nothing goes right, not a trace of honesty. i'm to blame, so i'll remain. black, white; day, night; it's all the same. see is run down - cut away, no worries. say no more. i can surely say that i've had enough. i can't remember - that very day, that very day changed me. happiness died like a light i carried. i'll sleep tonight and hope to finally leave a world which i don't believe, a life which i don't need, and then i'll finally be free.