Rai

Rai is one of the most independent men you’ll ever meet. He chafes under authority and always, always wants to do his own thing. He might concede a bit if it’s an actual emergency but otherwise it’s impossible to boss him about. If you scold him, he genuinely doesn’t care. The words go in one ear and out the other.

However, Rai is also full of love and a passion to help others. He has an energy that draws others to him, and he likes to help folks out. It makes him happy to make sure others are doing well. Although he can be a bit overbearing at times, he does genuinely care. It might take him a bit to back up if you need him to, but he will.

When Rai was younger, he was the kind of kid who would do anything for validation and love. Now that he’s older and made friends, he’s gotten more comfortable in his own skin and doesn’t need external validation to feel good. Rai likes to help others who are in the same situation that he was in, especially those who are younger.

Unfortunately, Rai can be kind of oblivious. Although he’s really good at helping, he’s not always great at reading social cues and tends to just barge in. It takes him a bit to comprehend situations - people are always doing things all the time and it’s so different and varied it drives him a little nuts.

Despite everything, Rai is extremely confident. Confident in himself, his abilities, the people around him. Perhaps he’s too confident: he’s gotten himself into trouble because of his confidence before. However, he’s not about to change that anytime soon. Rai likes the feeling of being confident as it’s a far cry from what he used to be.

Rai was born in the border between The City and the Outlands. His parents weren’t particularly attentive - they were always busy, busy, busy and left him to his own devices most of the time. This wasn’t great for young Rai. When puberty hit and the gender dysphoria set in, he had no idea where to turn to (to say nothing of all his other social struggles).

This struggle continued throughout high school until finally, Rai was able to get off to college and transition without worrying about what his parents would think. There, he met Tyrian, an older student whom he adopted as a mentor in all things “dude.” Tyrian taught him how to be himself without hurting others among other, useful tools.

Rai did eventually drop out of college in exchange for trade school. College rubbed him the wrong way for some reason and he was struggling. Besides, people would always need electricians. It made perfect sense for him.

Overtime, with the help of his new friends, his fulfilling job, and therapy, Rai was able to develop the self confidence he’d always wanted. It may have developed a bit too much - he became rather overconfident as compared to his old, meek self.

Presently, Rai is living alone in The Border, far away from where his parents live. It’s a nice life - he’s not too far away from his friends, not too far away from jobs, things like that. Although he’d like to have a boyfriend, he hasn’t found anyone he feels comfortable with yet.