Crisanto Luz

[Slayer†]

Name: Crisanto Luz
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
School: Cochise High School
Hobbies and Interests: Baseball, old media, recreational marijuana use, history, hiking, parties/socialisation

Appearance: Crisanto has a pitcher's body. At 5'10" and 171 pounds, he is tall and naturally slender, with broad shoulders and long arms. After years of athletic training, his body is well developed. This is most evident with his arms, shoulders, upper back and legs, but he also has a v-shaped torso and visibly defined abdominal muscles. Crisanto is of mixed white Spanish and Mohave descent, and takes more after his father's European ancestry, except for his skin tone, which is a warm medium-tan.

Crisanto has a slightly square face, with strong features. He has sharp cheekbones, a firm, squared jawline, a Roman nose and lips that form a Cupid's bow. His eyes are green and slightly upturned, and he has light brown hair that borders on dirty blond, which grows longer on the top than the sides. He doesn't put an especially large amount of effort into styling his hair, which tends to grow more in volume than length and usually has a sort of bedhead look to it. Although he doesn't grow a beard, dark stubble grows quickly when he isn't shaving regularly, covering his chin and jaw.

Crisanto dresses very casually most of the time, not putting a great deal of effort into his attire on informal occasions, barring making sure clothes fit him properly. He likes to wear colours such as deep reds, golds, rich browns, purples and light greens, but he doesn't fuss too much. He generally goes with t-shirts, jeans or sweatpants, and sneakers, but he's capable of smartening up when the situation calls for it. His go-to outfit on chillier days is a blue windbreaker jacket.  On the trip, he was wearing his blue windbreaker jacket over a red t-shirt, grey sweatpants, and white sneakers.

Biography: Crisanto was born in Kingman, the second of five children born to Oliver and Melody Luz. Oliver is the fifth child of family founders Gregory and Avee Luz. Crisanto's elder brother, Eron, is two years older than him, and currently studies at Georgetown University with plans of starting a career in politics. Oliver is an electrician, working with his brother Tomás as "Luz Electric," while Melody is a stay at home mother, but they are able to afford a quality of life far above what their incomes would otherwise be able to afford by living on the Luz family's expansive, self-sufficient estate just outside Kingman proper. The extended family also tends to pool together any earnings working members make, meaning money coming in quickly grows to exceed money spent by individual Luzes. With most of his immediate and extended family living on the compound with him, Cris grew to see being surrounded by people as the norm. Even today, while he can handle being alone, complete isolation makes him feel uncomfortable and he prefers having at least one person close by or otherwise easily contactable.

The Luz family is too large for Cris to know all of them particularly well, even with most of them living on the estate, but he has always enjoyed a good relationship with his parents and siblings. He got on especially well with his father, from whom he picked up one of the major passions of his life. Oliver is a lifelong baseball fan who once dreamed of entering the MLB and actually played professionally for a time, getting as far as the AAAs, the highest level of minor league baseball. While Oliver showed promise, he was never called up to the major leagues, and after a number of seasons a hand injury put paid to his ambitions. Once he'd healed, he went to trade school and left the diamond behind. Oliver has tried not to live vicariously through his son, but was happy to encourage young Crisanto's interest in the game, especially when Cris developed an interest in playing professionally himself one day.

Cris has had some involvement or other with baseball as long as he can remember, be it watching old games with his father; playing catch with Oliver, Eron and other Luzes on the estate grounds; occasional family trips to Phoenix, San Francisco, or Los Angeles to watch Diamondbacks, Giants, and Dodgers games; or playing little league once he was old enough. Over time, what started as a way of spending quality time with his father has turned into a genuine love of the sport. He has found the game's generally easy-going nature to be a calming and relaxing influence, kept from becoming boring by the sudden spikes of activity and excitement when the ball is put in play. The strategy, careful attention to detail, and inherent drama to a closely contested game keep him interested, as well. He has always especially liked the dynamic between pitchers and batters, and his current favourite players are Clayton Kershaw and Tim Lincecum. Crisanto himself began to play as a pitcher towards the end of his time in little league, and has kept that position ever since.

Crisanto's relationships with his family were also a key influence on numerous other interests in his life. His little sister Eliza quickly developed a love of exploring, wandering and roaming about, and her brothers were among the older children trusted with keeping an eye on her when she did so. In fact, Cris was one of the only ones who could come close to keeping up with her as she grew older, and he would grow to share her interest in hiking and exploration, although he has never been as dedicated an urban explorer as Eliza. These hikes have made Crisanto and Eliza grow quite close, and they still go out on the trail together now and then when Cris can clear his schedule, as Cris enjoys not just the time spent with her but also the fresh air and time out in nature. He has also become quite protective of his younger sister after years of keeping her out of trouble, and to this day one of the few ways to make him angry is to bother or threaten her.

Gregory Luz is still alive, although at a very advanced age, and Crisanto has always enjoyed spending time with the Luz patriarch and hearing Gregory's stories of the old days. Gregory has lived a very long and rather eventful life, and Crisanto finds his grandfather always seems to have some kind of valuable advice to offer him when he needs it, as well as a fascinating sense of history. Through time spent around Gregory, Crisanto would pick up a taste for media that was popular during his grandfather's youth, but also the subject of history itself; Crisanto enjoys studying how things came to be how they are, and all the factors big and small that had to come together to make the world today. His grandfather also serves as a living reminder, to him, that things can always get worse; knowing all the things Gregory has been through makes his own problems seem easier to deal with. The two have a good relationship today, although Gregory can get fairly stern when he feels Crisanto is not living up to his potential.

Crisanto has never been the most energetic or extroverted person, but once he entered school he didn't have too much trouble making friends. Part of this was due to his curious disposition. He has always been more interested in hearing others' stories and listening to their problems than volunteering his own, which led to people feeling like they could confide in him. In class, he did well enough but always seemed somewhat distracted, as if he had a thousand things on his mind at once. Crisanto's mind has always been very active,  and even when he wasn't speaking he was constantly thinking. It wasn't unheard of for a teacher to call on him in class only to receive far more questions coming their way than they expected. His grades were always decent, because he made sure he did the work and understood the material, partly due to interest in learning and partly because his father and coaches told him he would have to do well in school to be allowed to keep playing.

His early school years and transition into middle school were uneventful, with him continuing to study, spend time with family and friends, and play baseball with his school's team. However, towards the end of his final year in middle school, he noticed his disposition becoming notably more melancholic; he gradually began losing interest in many of the activities he once enjoyed,  found the presence of other people stifling instead of comforting, and found his mood was often a sort of hopeless sadness and resignation when he didn't simply feel numb. This was worsened by the fact many of his extended family identify as preppers and live a lifestyle of constant preparedness for disaster; the ethos that the world could completely fall apart at any moment and all anyone could do was be ready to weather the storm wore on him and caused him to develop anxieties about an imminent end of the world, partly aided by his active mind, which started leading him to constantly overthink and worry about all the things in his life.  His anxieties were reinforced and worsened whenever he paid attention to the news and general state of the world, with war and seemingly irreversible climate change, poverty, rising global tensions, the downturn of the American economy and erosion of civil liberties, SOTF, the inevitability of death, and nothing that gave him hope the state of things would ever get better. His feelings that he'd entered the world just in time for everything to come to an end also strengthened his interest in old media, and the past in general; he felt like everything was better in the past, and that back then there were actually things to look forwards to.

Although several members of his family, including his parents, siblings and some of his cousins, noticed his sudden change in demeanour, Cris chose not to tell them all of what was going on. This was partly because he himself wasn't sure why his mindset had suddenly become so miserable, partly because he didn't want his family to worry, and also that he felt it wasn't worth talking about. That summer, while having a routine physical examination at his doctor's office,  he saw a poster describing the symptoms of clinical depression, and began to wonder if he himself had the condition; he kept the possibility in mind, but didn't feel comfortable bringing it up at the time. Not only did he not feel comfortable with the scrutiny this would put him under, he still didn't want his family to be concerned or embarrassed, and he also felt his feelings, whether they were symptoms of depression or not, came from clearly seeing how things were. However, rather than completely ignore the issue, he resolved that if he ever found himself seriously considering suicide, he would go seek professional help.  Suicide was, in fact, the absolute last thing on his mind, because part of his depression stemmed from potent existential terror brought on by the very idea of death.

Crisanto entered high school with a noticeably more gloomy disposition than he'd had before, but soon found baseball to be an escape, as he joined the Cochise Coyotes' varsity roster as a relief pitcher that year. The complete focus required during games and practises became a powerful coping mechanism, distracting him from his negative feelings and chasing them away, as did the bonds formed amongst the team; shortly after joining the Coyotes, he met Taro Kuroda, a starting pitcher one year ahead of him in Cochise, who quickly took Crisanto under his wing. With Kuroda's aid and instruction, Crisanto was able to integrate himself socially with his teammates and his fellow students as a whole without too much trouble, as well as improving very quickly as a baseball player.

Kuroda also introduced Crisanto to Cochise's party scene, as well as those of Kingman's other high schools. Although Crisanto was never extroverted enough to make himself the centre of attention at these parties, he got along easily enough with those he interacted with and found himself steadily coming out of his shell. Partying with Kuroda was also what got him started on recreational drug usage, when he was offered marijuana by a teammate; when Crisanto took the offered drugs, he found himself instantly becoming far more relaxed, and his worries disappearing for the duration of the high.

Crisanto began to regularly use marijuana as a coping mechanism for his depression, although he would always avoid using it at home, before practises, and leading up to games. This was due to wanting to avoid potentially getting in trouble, and damaging either his standing with the team or his actual performance on the field. These self-imposed restrictions also served as a way for him to make sure his partying never got completely out of hand, as the existence of concrete rules allowed for him to approach parties with some self-discipline. Although he is a known partier, his controlled approach to drinking and smoking has allowed his indulgences in those areas to avoid the attention of parents or authority figures. His parents are aware that he goes to parties, but see it as normal for a teenager, and are fine with it as long as he doesn't do anything stupid and get himself in trouble, and provided that it doesn't get in the way of his school and athletic life.

Going through high school, Cris' main priorities have been baseball, parties, and socialisation. He has put in the minimum effort with his classwork necessary to maintain a B average, that being required to stay on the team and also serving to keep his GPA high enough to keep college prospects relatively open. His grades were helped by the fact that, although he at times seemed to barely be paying attention in any given class, he always turned in homework on time, and retained enough information that he has always tested extremely well. Whenever Crisanto has seriously buckled down and done the work, he has gotten consistently high marks. Due to his work ethic, he has always done well in all classes, but his favourite classes have generally been mathematics, history and physical education. He enjoys history because of his pre-existing interest, PE for the physical exertion and maths because he enjoys logically working through a given problem, as well as the focus on the issue in front of him it requires. His least favourite classes are English and his science courses, the former due to simple lack of interest and the latter because in some ways they worsen his depression. From those classes, Crisanto has taken away the impression that there is no more wonder or mystery to be found in the world, and that life just boils down to clumps of cells moving around and random chemical reactions.

With the guidance of his coach and the more experienced members of his team, Crisanto's baseball skills continued to develop quickly over the years. Cris had grown into an excellent pitcher by junior year, at which time he was moved up from relief pitcher to the Coyotes' starting line-up. 2014 would also be the Coyotes' strongest season of Cris' high school career thus far, as they enjoyed a dominant - although not undefeated - regular season which led all the way to a state championship victory. Crisanto did not pitch in every game of the season, or of the state tournament, but was a solid contributor to the Coyotes' success whenever he was in play. Notably, Kuroda and Crisanto both pitched in the state finals, with Cris being swapped in during extra innings. In recognition of his skills on the mound and contributions to the team, when Kuroda graduated at the end of the 2014 school year Crisanto's name was put forward to take his place as captain. Crisanto's success on the mound has come from constant practise, and a style that mixes power pitching with trickier shots to keep batters on their toes; he is equally comfortable with throwing a knuckleball or a 90 mph fastball, and emphasises control and unpredictability over aggression.

Cochise had won state baseball titles before, but 2014 was the first championship in several years, and although Crisanto was indifferent to resultant media attention on the Coyotes he did notice his increasing social status in the school. Towards the end of junior year, and moving into senior year, he solidified a place for himself among the upper levels of the school's social hierarchy, although his closest friends would continue to be mostly members of the baseball team and any relatives they had. Crisanto doesn't have much difficulty making friends, but he does sometimes have a hard time opening up and allowing himself to get close to people, as his depression has him questioning if there is much of a point in forming attachments given all relationships inevitably end, be that due to estrangement or the fact all people die one day. He also doesn't view himself as particularly interesting, and views people being genuinely interested in getting close to him with surprise. Having gone untreated, his depression has left him with a rather bleak, arguably nihilistic world view, which he is aware can make him come off as a downer. He doesn't let on to it much due to not wanting to alienate people, but he does feel, deep down, that he simply understands the nature of the world better than those of his peers who do not feel as he does. Crisanto remains close with his former mentor Kuroda, who was drafted by the New York Mets out of high school and now plays for their AAA affiliate in Las Vegas, and has kept in touch. He also has good relationships with several of his cousins who attend Cochise, such as Emma and Florentina Luz, the latter of whom is one of his marijuana suppliers.

Crisanto is also known to have a reputation for sleeping around; he has had numerous flings and casual relationships, and actively seeks out partners. This comes from a general desire from companionship, as well as feeling that there isn't anything wrong with two consenting individuals acting on mutual attraction. He identifies as straight, but hasn't had a serious girlfriend, at least in part due to his detached and depressed attitude. His partying and sleeping around have also led some to feel that he is more interested in his own pleasure than developing an actual relationship, and he simply hasn't thought much about romance due to his focus on athletics and studies. The closest thing to an exclusive relationship he currently has is an on-off affair with junior Raina Rose; neither are sure how serious or exclusive they want their arrangement to be.

Academically, Crisanto has continued to get good grades, and buckling down for SAT season in his junior year allowed him to come out of testing with high scores. He currently has a 3.7 GPA, which combined with his success on the diamond has earned him athletic scholarship offers from several schools with NCAA Division I baseball programmes. Crisanto currently has no idea what school he wants to go with or what he wants to study while there, especially since his current goal for his future is still to pitch in the major leagues. However, he intends to make his decision before the end of senior year, and is currently weighing schools, primarily based on the strength of their baseball programmes. He hasn't really put much thought into what he might want to do if professional baseball doesn't work out.

Advantages: Crisanto is a successful athlete, with high levels of speed, reflexes, hand-eye coordination and stamina. He has more upper body strength than average, and is capable of throwing projectiles with great force and accuracy, at speeds up to 90 miles per hour. He is reasonably popular, and could have pre-existing allies with other baseball players on the island. Hiking with his sister has allowed him to get used to finding his way around in the outdoors. Crisanto is highly intelligent, with a very active mind and good problem-solving skills.
Disadvantages: Crisanto suffers from depression, which cannot be helpful in an environment such as SOTF. His somewhat detached, nihilistic demeanour might alienate allies at a point when he needs them most, and his come-what-may attitude towards life leads to him being less proactive than ideal. Crisanto has a habit of assuming he knows better than other people, which could lead to underestimating someone he shouldn't at a critical time. Some might be uncertain he is trustworthy, given his reputation for hedonism and womanising; he is thought of, by some, as more interested in his own pleasure than others' interests.