A05: RIPLEY KLEIN

#1

Name: Ripley Klein
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Hobbies and Interests: Exercise, sports, cooking, literature, health

Appearance: Ripley doesn't have the typical makings of an athlete. Due to his diminutive stature (5'4") and slender frame, Ripley looks like a rather delicate young man. Beneath his fair skin, his muscles appear to be only slightly toned at best. However, Ripley's body is a sturdy one (133 lbs.) composed mostly of muscles that have been toughened up by a weekly regimen of exercise. But despite his best efforts, Ripley has been unsuccessful at bulking up, leaving him with a short, lean build.

Ripley's diamond-shaped head lacks definition, giving his face a smoother outline than he'd like. Ripley's expression is doglike, with its brown eyes, tiny nose, and thin lips often set in an uneasy frown. To Ripley's dismay, these features are more pleasant than intimidating.

Ripley's wavy ash-blonde hair cascades to his neck. Since he's quite active, Ripley doesn't style his hair in any specific style, only opting to sweep his bangs to the side if they are in his eyes. Throughout the day, his hair ends up a bit tousled from exercise, with stray locks twirling out all over his head. Since he aims to have an all-around healthy body, Ripley takes great care of his hair so it retains a velvety texture.

Normally, Ripley wears long-sleeved polyester shirts and thin sweatpants with zipper pockets. His shoes are a simple yet reliable pair of black sneakers with white soles. When in public, Ripley dons a light jacket to hide how slim he is. Ripley usually opts for the same style of clothing each day, with the only significant difference between outfits being color.

Ripley's Avatar is nearly identical to him in form and fashion. Once or twice a month, Ripley switches up the colors or patterns of his outfit, but the clothes themselves have remained the same type for years. Ripley employs a blue military backpack while in CR, and he has not decorated it whatsoever. On the day of the attack, Ripley wore a navy and cobalt Houndstooth-patterned shirt, solid dark gray sweatpants, a loose light grey windbreaker jacket, and his reliable pair of black sneakers with white soles.

Background: Ripley was born to Nathaniel and Penelope Klein, a programmer and data analyst, respectively. For over a decade, Ripley would be raised in a spacious single-story house located in Park City, Illinois, an idyllic community well-suited for the middle-class Kleins. During his childhood, Ripley was primarily raised by his father, whose occupation allowed him to stay at home while Penelope's work took her out of state. As a result, Ripley grew to respect his father greatly; it helped that Nathaniel was sociable, decisive, doting, and rather tall.

The structure of the Kleins' house enabled Ripley to run laps inside as a toddler. But as he grew older, he doubled in size, and often he would bump into the furniture and trip over his toys. To remedy this, Ripley's father took him to a park on an almost daily basis, where Ripley was free to sprint to his heart's content. This routine ingrained a love of physical activity in Ripley, one that led him to prefer playing outdoors over more common indoor hobbies such as video games or television. Growing up, Ripley would hear a lot about the CRD and CR in general, but he never really saw the appeal; back then, the park was all he needed.

Upon entering a private elementary school, Ripley's love of running developed into an affinity for athletics. His gateway sport was dodgeball, which exhilarated Ripley due to its unpredictability. Often Ripley would try dominating a game, only to get pummeled by the other team, but he'd always be sure to get his payback during the next match. In dodgeball, Ripley took about as many hits as he dished out, but to him, that was what made the game so exciting: he could—and often would—get knocked down, but he always had the opportunity to rebound and take control of the next round.

When the school faculty banned dodgeball for being "too dangerous for the health of students," Ripley was crushed. But Ripley would not be dejected for long, as his father Nathaniel swiftly introduced him to tennis, which he had picked up during outings with coworkers. At first, Ripley regarded the sport as too dull for him to enjoy. However, after suffering overwhelming losses at the hands of his father, who was a skilled tennis player, Ripley's eyes were opened to how fierce and challenging the game was. Ripley would always try to replicate some of the more challenging techniques, but, being only a grade schooler, he could never quite pull them off the way his father did.

During middle school, Ripley branched out into more sports. He started out with the usual baseball and soccer but eventually dipped his toes into more unique ones, such as gymnastics and bowling. At first, Ripley's father encouraged him to compete, so Ripley tried out for the basketball team and managed to secure a spot on it. However, Ripley's coach berated him constantly and often benched him on the grounds that Ripley was too short to stand a chance. After that season, Nathaniel retracted his previous advice, instead encouraging Ripley to only play casually to avoid stressing out. This allowed Ripley to engage in more sports on his own, but without any competitions or instructors to challenge him, Ripley could only practice at a lower skill level. He played well in every sport, but he never mastered one.

It was also during middle school that Ripley's build became a sore spot for him. His growth had slowed significantly so Ripley, despite being one of the older kids in his grade, ended up standing comparatively shorter than his classmates. Whenever he engaged in the usual middle school banter with his friends, Ripley would often get teased about his height, and most people he met were surprised that he was interested in athletics. Originally, this had never seriously bothered Ripley, who believed that his figure had no bearing on his athletic abilities. But after being benched for his lack of height, Ripley began to believe that he was physically inferior to the taller and stockier kids. After the season ended, Ripley became more sensitive to even the most offhanded mentions of his stature, and he would feel miserable whenever someone brought it up.

As Ripley became more concerned about his build, he began to look more into what kinds of food could help him grow. His father, noticing this new interest, took it upon himself to teach Ripley how to cook. Ripley spent many afternoons cooking up simple meals, such as sandwiches, salads, or pasta. But he was nowhere near as skilled as his father, and Ripley was only allowed to watch whenever Nathaniel handled a more complex recipe like pork chops or cake. Even so, these afternoons were blessings for Ripley, especially since they took his mind off his body. As a result, the young boy eventually developed a love for, if not a knack for, cooking.

Ripley's parents planned to send him to a private high school in Park City when he became a freshman, but those plans were put on hold when Penelope lost her well-paying job to downsizing. Nathaniel's then-current income could barely sustain them all, so he endeavored to find a high-paying job to provide for his family. Thankfully, Nathaniel landed a job as a programmer for a CR company, but his new position forced the Kleins to move to San Jose.

The Kleins had to give up sending their son to private school to conserve their finances, so come freshman year, Ripley enrolled in Sycamore High School. Until then, Ripley had never been formally acquainted with CR, knowing nothing aside from what his middle school friends had told him. When he first logged in for his classes, Ripley was blown away by CR's realism. But Ripley soon found himself missing the days when he was physically in class, and for the first few weeks of school, he dreaded having to attend school in a VEE. Although his discomfort with CR waned throughout Ripley's freshman year, his distaste for the system lingered. CR may have felt real, but for Ripley, it never felt right.

One of Ripley's primary issues with CR was that his physical body would have to stay still for a long time while he was logged on. Ripley, who had spent nearly every waking moment of his childhood moving, feared that the time he spent in CR would take a toll on his physique. To counteract this perceived atrophy, Ripley relied on the gymnasium, which he considered the best part of Sycamore High School. Ripley attended class almost every Saturday, then went a step further and signed up for as many clubs as he could fit into his schedule, though he expressly avoided signing up for any teams.

Ripley's new apartment paled in comparison to his old house, especially when it came to space. Ripley found it too cramped for comfort, so he ventured outdoors, hoping to find a serene space suited for winding down. During this search, Ripley received a few old books from his father, and before long, the boy became enraptured in the stories they had to tell. One page led to another, and one book led to another; soon, Ripley spent his days in tranquil places—park, libraries, or lounges—and allowed himself to get lost in literature. Reading gave him something to do outside school; before, he would have spent time with his parents, but Nathaniel worked long hours, and Penelope was searching for a new job. Without his books, Ripley would have only had CR to pass the time, so Ripley considered literature a sort of rebellion, albeit a minuscule one, against the world of CR.

Most of Ripley's grades were good, but he only excelled in science. Within the subject, Ripley found himself drawn the most to anatomy and biology, so much so that in his free time, he scoured bookstores, libraries, and even the internet for the most comprehensive texts on the two subjects. This search, plus Ripley's previous love of exercise, ignited an interest in the medical field. After learning about medical school, Ripley set his sights there.

Though he does not have a specific branch of medicine in mind, he currently leans towards cardiology, sports medicine, and even gastroenterology as foci since they line up with his hobbies. Above all, Ripley resolves to attain a respectable and successful position in medicine, much like his father did in programming. To this end, Ripley has selected John Hopkins University as his ideal college, since it is a reputable pre-med school located near one of the best-ranked hospitals in the nation.

But despite all these advancements, Ripley believes that he has not achieved anything significant during high school, still fixated on his unimpressive figure. He sometimes suspects that his constant exercise is a waste of time since he lacks any major visible gains. While Ripley held up alright in the small community of Park City, he feels much too out of his depth in the heavily populated San Jose, where many outclass him in height, build, or both. To preserve his athletic image, Ripley adopted a jacket as part of his usual attire to conceal his slender frame. Moreover, he altered his exercise regimen to be more vigorous, hoping that the increased difficulty would produce a more robust body.

Personality: Ripley constantly aims to be his best self—someone who can stay level-headed under stress and make quick, calculated choices when necessary. In other words, he wishes to be just like his father, who he has looked up to his entire life. But Ripley often falls short of this standard, for he is neither coolheaded nor decisive.

Ripley tries his best to keep himself reserved, but this façade quickly slips when he talks with others. Ripley can hardly contain his excitement about what he enjoys. Conversely, he gets flustered whenever something goes awry or when someone brings up his stature. While he often attempts to downplay his emotions and keep them internal, his feelings are obvious to those paying even the slightest bit of attention. If someone were to meet Ripley, they'd mark him down as a composed, perhaps aloof young man, but that impression would quickly shatter upon interacting with him.

Because Ripley believes he isn't athletic enough, he lacks self-assurance. Due to being benched as a basketball player long ago, he'll often back down from decisions or opportunities that may challenge him, convinced that he isn't talented or resilient enough to succeed. This attitude is why he hasn't joined any sports teams despite his impressive athleticism and experience. Ripley is also weak-willed, and he'll refrain from making important decisions on his own, usually deferring to those he believes are stronger than him in physicality or character.

Ripley is a little competitive when it comes to his friends and classmates. While he won't try to get into fights with them, if he sees them pull something impressive off, especially if it's related to sports, he'll try to replicate what they do to keep up with them. He tries his best to maintain an image of athleticism around his classmates so he doesn't share his interests in cooking or literature too often. Though Ripley wants to present himself as a strong and capable individual, he wishes to do so with his own body, so he has not altered his Avatar to be taller or more muscular than he is in real life.

Reputation: Whether they find him amusing, annoying, pitiable, or endearing, Ripley's classmates generally do not take him seriously. While he may be recognized for his physical abilities, that respect is undercut by his competitiveness and tendency to try and act more unflappable than he truly is. Still, most people are friendly with Ripley since he is often entertaining to be around and brings an infectious energy to any activity that he's in. Ripley's consistency with his vigorous exercise regimen is praiseworthy, but his fixation on bettering his physique when it is sufficiently healthy may be concerning. Ripley's teachers have few problems with him since he stays quiet in class and does his work diligently, but many wonder why he hasn't tried out for any sports, given his physical capabilities.

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Designated Number: A05

Designated Weapon: W-5 — Fire Axe
Designated Utility: U-13 — Grenades

Evaluation: "A05's biggest enemy in the game is shaping up to be himself. In this game, you don't need to be the strongest. You don't need to be the smartest. You need to be the last one standing at the end. Do you have what it takes to make that happen? — [KENNEDY], Operations Lead