Post by Haruka Nanase on Mar 27, 2016 14:07:02 GMT
HARUKA NANASE
Personality: Haruka is easily described in few words; quiet, determined, and kind - towards his friends.
One of few words, he has been noted to prefer to be the one off to the side, allowing others in the group to speak for him, especially if they know him well. It's not that he can't talk, or that he gets anxiety over it, it is just that he doesn't see a need to speak as much as many do - especially since he has had those people to speak for him, and therefore it makes him a very quiet individual. Since graduation, he has slowly been learning that he doesn't always have those people to rely on for his voice, and has been forced to get out of his comfort zone, and give himself his own voice. He will never be the outgoing, talkative person in a crowd, but holding a conversation is looking more and more possible.
With a heart of gold, once one has Haruka as a friend, they have a protective, loyal person on their side, a quiet guardian angel who is willing to give all to ensure happiness and safety of the few selected. These are the people that really see the so-called 'other side' of Haruka; the side that holds the soft, kind smiles, and the gentle, encouraging words. He loves making his friends smile, and if that means he has to himself, then some days, he is willing to break his rather stoic mold, and provide. Whether it is those simple things, staying up late to help with issues, or simply being there as a silent person of comfort, he is there, willing, and ready to assist.
With determination matched to Rin's, Haruka can take a simple task, and when he really sets his mind toward it, he takes off. Although for the longest time he had no intentions to swim competitively, once he finally found a focus and set his mind to it, he was able to bloom, and show the world what he really has to offer. He has that sort of silent fighting that many admire, and that mixed with the calamity he naturally gives off, he easily looks like he knows exactly what he is doing, even if some times he has his doubts.
Another thing many find ties into his personality is water, any kind, any form of it. He is often compared to water; calm, smooth, a silent killer. He is drawn to it like a bee to a flower, a natural attraction hardly questioned in nature, a strange bonding of liquid and human. It gives him such a sense of peace that he cannot hardly physically resist touching the substance, whether it involves just sticking his fingers in it, or stripping down to the last pieces of clothing and sitting within the water. Some joke that it is literally like a sexual attraction to the water, but it lies much deeper than most realize.
One of few words, he has been noted to prefer to be the one off to the side, allowing others in the group to speak for him, especially if they know him well. It's not that he can't talk, or that he gets anxiety over it, it is just that he doesn't see a need to speak as much as many do - especially since he has had those people to speak for him, and therefore it makes him a very quiet individual. Since graduation, he has slowly been learning that he doesn't always have those people to rely on for his voice, and has been forced to get out of his comfort zone, and give himself his own voice. He will never be the outgoing, talkative person in a crowd, but holding a conversation is looking more and more possible.
With a heart of gold, once one has Haruka as a friend, they have a protective, loyal person on their side, a quiet guardian angel who is willing to give all to ensure happiness and safety of the few selected. These are the people that really see the so-called 'other side' of Haruka; the side that holds the soft, kind smiles, and the gentle, encouraging words. He loves making his friends smile, and if that means he has to himself, then some days, he is willing to break his rather stoic mold, and provide. Whether it is those simple things, staying up late to help with issues, or simply being there as a silent person of comfort, he is there, willing, and ready to assist.
With determination matched to Rin's, Haruka can take a simple task, and when he really sets his mind toward it, he takes off. Although for the longest time he had no intentions to swim competitively, once he finally found a focus and set his mind to it, he was able to bloom, and show the world what he really has to offer. He has that sort of silent fighting that many admire, and that mixed with the calamity he naturally gives off, he easily looks like he knows exactly what he is doing, even if some times he has his doubts.
Another thing many find ties into his personality is water, any kind, any form of it. He is often compared to water; calm, smooth, a silent killer. He is drawn to it like a bee to a flower, a natural attraction hardly questioned in nature, a strange bonding of liquid and human. It gives him such a sense of peace that he cannot hardly physically resist touching the substance, whether it involves just sticking his fingers in it, or stripping down to the last pieces of clothing and sitting within the water. Some joke that it is literally like a sexual attraction to the water, but it lies much deeper than most realize.
History:
For as long as anyone could remember, Haruka had a strong affiliation with the water. From a very young age he was able to swim proficiently, and unintentionally would show off every time his family went to the public pool. He had very little interest in actively showing off, and when older kids wanted to challenge him to simple little games, he'd brush them off, and go find his parents, or Makoto if he happened to come along that day.
Haruka had a hearty bond with Makoto from the moment they met when they were just a few months old. He was in awe at this other child who enjoyed the water as well, and seemed to know what he was thinking, and wanted to do. With Haruka being a late talker, he relied on Makoto from even a young age to be his words, and this made him believe for the longest time that Makoto was the thing that made the stars shine and the world spin. That stardom has since faded; although he still considers Makoto to be one of the best people he's ever met.
He enjoyed a fairly simple, normal childhood, full of activities and family friends; his parents wanted to ensure he had a chance to experience all the sports possible, even if he rejected just about all of them in favour of swimming. And so, when elementary school hit, and Makoto began to ask Haruka almost daily about joining the school swim club, eventually he agreed, more so for Makoto than himself. It wasn't too bad, and he found himself actually enjoying it, mainly because he got to swim with his friends. The highlight of this time was their win at a tournament, and he looks back on it fondly, for he had been happy to see his good friends so happy.
During that time in the swim club he got to meet Rin and Nagisa, and when Rin soon after their tournament transferred schools, he found himself disappointed, as he had enjoyed practicing and racing Rin. He still swam, but found it wasn't the same without the entirety of their group, and so, when Rin came back during a holiday break in first year of middle school, he was secretly ecstatic to race his old friend, but it quickly went downhill when he beat Rin in their race, and it appeared to upset Rin greatly. This is what set Haru away from competitive swimming initially, for he didn't want to hurt anybody else by winning against them, especially if he and Rin happened to race against each other again.
When he quit the swim club, he found his life had grown a bit more dull, and he resided to swimming in rivers and lakes, turning to his bathtub when he really needed to. It was a year later that he had a near-drowning experience in one of those rivers, in which Makoto had to jump in and practically save his life. This further confused Haruka, who was intrigued by the water and how it tried to betray him like that. Years later, he now claims it was just a misunderstanding, and that he and the water have long since gotten over it.
Fast forward yet again, and Haruka began his highschool life, and the first year passed with very little interest. School was a drag in some subjects, and he found himself just gliding through it, with no real purpose. However, in second year, when he found out Rin had come back to Japan, and he was challenged to another race, and this time he lost, but it still didn't seem to satisfy his old friend, who claimed he wasn't training hard enough for it, and that he wasn't providing a fair fight. Despite his fear of hurting Rin again, he eventually joined Makoto and Nagisa in creating a swim club at their highschool, where they were later joined by Rei.
Months later, they raced again, and Rin beat Haruka once again, it was then that Rin declared that they would now never swim together again, for he had finally been beat, and this sent Haruka into panic, for that was one of the things he liked the most; racing and swimming with his friends. Thankfully, they eventually ended up racing together again, participating in a relay in which Rei and Rin switched, and although it resulted in disqualification, the rekindled friendship and stronger bonds were all that mattered for Haruka; especially whereas he never really cared for times in the first place.
Third year quickly led to him and his friends fighting through personal challenges, with Haruka beginning to struggle with his own issues as regional approached, and he panicked during a race after realizing he was being watched closely by scouts. Not willing to give in and show them what he had in fear of his own future being decided for him, he froze in the middle of his race, resulting in him missing out on competing in the further heats. The stress and fear built inside as a result quickly caused Haruka to shut down, and shut the others out, leading to stubbornness and tension between the friends.
In the midst of all this, Rin recognized Haruka closing in on himself, and took him on the journey to Australia, which seemed confusing and pointless to Haruka at first. The language was strange, the people were different, and food strange, but the beaches and water were gorgeous, and the time spent with Rin slowly helped in him beginning to feel that sense of loss and panic subdue. It wasn't until he got to see the massive aquatic centre in Sydney did he realize how much more there was to swimming, and did he find that rekindled passion. To this day he silently thanks Rin for the trip, for without it, he'd have never gotten the chances he has now to someday swim in the big, gorgeous pools again.
They soon return back home, and give it their all on their own teams, where Haruka and friends leave the competition with a renowned friendship, and a strong sixth place. In a swarm of events following, he and Makoto graduate, with Rin graduating his own school, and he got to watch as his friends settled into their new life, with himself having accepted a scout, and moving onto real professional swimming in Tokyo, where he currently works hard to someday make it back to Australia, and to other amazing pools.
Nervous for the future, Haruka holds on tight to the hope that he truly made the right decision.
For as long as anyone could remember, Haruka had a strong affiliation with the water. From a very young age he was able to swim proficiently, and unintentionally would show off every time his family went to the public pool. He had very little interest in actively showing off, and when older kids wanted to challenge him to simple little games, he'd brush them off, and go find his parents, or Makoto if he happened to come along that day.
Haruka had a hearty bond with Makoto from the moment they met when they were just a few months old. He was in awe at this other child who enjoyed the water as well, and seemed to know what he was thinking, and wanted to do. With Haruka being a late talker, he relied on Makoto from even a young age to be his words, and this made him believe for the longest time that Makoto was the thing that made the stars shine and the world spin. That stardom has since faded; although he still considers Makoto to be one of the best people he's ever met.
He enjoyed a fairly simple, normal childhood, full of activities and family friends; his parents wanted to ensure he had a chance to experience all the sports possible, even if he rejected just about all of them in favour of swimming. And so, when elementary school hit, and Makoto began to ask Haruka almost daily about joining the school swim club, eventually he agreed, more so for Makoto than himself. It wasn't too bad, and he found himself actually enjoying it, mainly because he got to swim with his friends. The highlight of this time was their win at a tournament, and he looks back on it fondly, for he had been happy to see his good friends so happy.
During that time in the swim club he got to meet Rin and Nagisa, and when Rin soon after their tournament transferred schools, he found himself disappointed, as he had enjoyed practicing and racing Rin. He still swam, but found it wasn't the same without the entirety of their group, and so, when Rin came back during a holiday break in first year of middle school, he was secretly ecstatic to race his old friend, but it quickly went downhill when he beat Rin in their race, and it appeared to upset Rin greatly. This is what set Haru away from competitive swimming initially, for he didn't want to hurt anybody else by winning against them, especially if he and Rin happened to race against each other again.
When he quit the swim club, he found his life had grown a bit more dull, and he resided to swimming in rivers and lakes, turning to his bathtub when he really needed to. It was a year later that he had a near-drowning experience in one of those rivers, in which Makoto had to jump in and practically save his life. This further confused Haruka, who was intrigued by the water and how it tried to betray him like that. Years later, he now claims it was just a misunderstanding, and that he and the water have long since gotten over it.
Fast forward yet again, and Haruka began his highschool life, and the first year passed with very little interest. School was a drag in some subjects, and he found himself just gliding through it, with no real purpose. However, in second year, when he found out Rin had come back to Japan, and he was challenged to another race, and this time he lost, but it still didn't seem to satisfy his old friend, who claimed he wasn't training hard enough for it, and that he wasn't providing a fair fight. Despite his fear of hurting Rin again, he eventually joined Makoto and Nagisa in creating a swim club at their highschool, where they were later joined by Rei.
Months later, they raced again, and Rin beat Haruka once again, it was then that Rin declared that they would now never swim together again, for he had finally been beat, and this sent Haruka into panic, for that was one of the things he liked the most; racing and swimming with his friends. Thankfully, they eventually ended up racing together again, participating in a relay in which Rei and Rin switched, and although it resulted in disqualification, the rekindled friendship and stronger bonds were all that mattered for Haruka; especially whereas he never really cared for times in the first place.
Third year quickly led to him and his friends fighting through personal challenges, with Haruka beginning to struggle with his own issues as regional approached, and he panicked during a race after realizing he was being watched closely by scouts. Not willing to give in and show them what he had in fear of his own future being decided for him, he froze in the middle of his race, resulting in him missing out on competing in the further heats. The stress and fear built inside as a result quickly caused Haruka to shut down, and shut the others out, leading to stubbornness and tension between the friends.
In the midst of all this, Rin recognized Haruka closing in on himself, and took him on the journey to Australia, which seemed confusing and pointless to Haruka at first. The language was strange, the people were different, and food strange, but the beaches and water were gorgeous, and the time spent with Rin slowly helped in him beginning to feel that sense of loss and panic subdue. It wasn't until he got to see the massive aquatic centre in Sydney did he realize how much more there was to swimming, and did he find that rekindled passion. To this day he silently thanks Rin for the trip, for without it, he'd have never gotten the chances he has now to someday swim in the big, gorgeous pools again.
They soon return back home, and give it their all on their own teams, where Haruka and friends leave the competition with a renowned friendship, and a strong sixth place. In a swarm of events following, he and Makoto graduate, with Rin graduating his own school, and he got to watch as his friends settled into their new life, with himself having accepted a scout, and moving onto real professional swimming in Tokyo, where he currently works hard to someday make it back to Australia, and to other amazing pools.
Nervous for the future, Haruka holds on tight to the hope that he truly made the right decision.
