Gryphon Matsuoka

Name: Gryphon Bastien Matsuoka
Age: Twenty-three
Birthday: April 17th
Gender: Male (He/his)
Species: Human
Category: Staff
Class: Middle School, High School
Subject/Work: Gym Teacher

Appearance Description: Gryphon's face was certainly on the attractive side. He had dark, almond shaped eyes that had a sparkle behind them most of the time, particularly when he was excited or proud of someone. He would tell you that the most expressive part of his face was his eyes, but in actuality, it was his eyebrows. They were thick but well shaped, ready to narrow in befuddlement or raise in surprise at a moment's notice. His nose was on the larger side, and slightly pointed, fairly reminiscent of a puffin's beak, but only fairly. His lips were proportionate and average in size, but his smile was one in a million, which fit well with his bright character. His ears didn't protrude much, and he had two piercings in the left and one on the right, all studs and all in the lobes. They were always removed when he was teaching.

His hair was a light dirty brown shade - a colour he had achieved after a few years damage from dyes and bleach that he couldn't quite repair. It was going to be a good while before he ever touched his hair with an unnatural colour again. If he left his hair to air dry, it would curl and twist in a charming way, but as he wanted to look a little more mature, he took the time to gel it every morning, keeping it straight, but still textured and tufty - although those telltale curls often made a reappearance if he worked out too hard. His hair was cut to say just above his ears, with a fringe that stopped above his eyes, so he could easily see even with his fringe stuck to his forehead with sweat.

Gryph was of a somewhat broad stature, however he was not built like a bodybuilder. His shoulders were square and his arms were strong, along with his abdominals and his thighs. He couldn't set a good example for his students if he wasn't in good shape himself, anyway - and the muscle strength helped to avoid any complications involving his bones. He was of a good height, 5'11". His wings were rooted close to his shoulder blades, and his training and regular flights meant that his back remained fairly toned too. He wasn't a swimsuit model, but he could lift a heavy rock if he needed to.

Personality Description: Gryphon was an happy person, there was no denying that fact. He had been complimented many a time for his optimism and sunny attitude (as well as criticised for being too cheery, but that was usually by people who were grumpy by nature). Gryph also prided himself on his loyalty, however past events have come to show that his loyalty can be misplaced, and has made him blind to the flaws of those around him, causing himself and others a number of difficulties. It was also true that Gryphon was not always the sharpest tool in box, not always catching jokes as they have flown at him, and being gullible enough to believe anything believable, but he did have good humour, generally, and would laugh off any stupidity on his part. Despite this, Gryphon was kind and selfless, not at all hesitant to give up his time or money for the sake of others. He had learned what happened when he was a doormat, though, and Gryph strived to strike a solid balance between being a good person and being stepped over.

Species Abilities: Human - One head, one torso, two arms, two hands, two legs and two feet all together equal one complete human. Abilities include being normal and boring, in a charming way.

Powers: Gryphon has a pair of large eagle wings that allow him to fly. He can fly from standing, running or jumping from height, the last technique being the most effective for height and speed, without as much strain on his wings. From both standing and running, Gryphon would need a lot of energy or adrenaline, otherwise he would not build up enough power to lift himself off the ground. He only takes off from standing in an emergency or any situation where the other possibilities are completely impossible to do. He is able to retract his wings out of the way at will, but leaving them folded up for too long causes them to cramp and give him considerable discomfort. Prolonged journeys of flight can cause him back pain and headaches from the air pressure, if he goes too high. His wings twitch when he lies (but he's not aware of that). For his body to be light enough to be lifted up, he has been diagnosed with early onset osteoporosis, so his bones are considerably smaller than the average human's, making them frail and more likely to damage, so he has to be particularly careful, because one bad fall could cause a broken bone, as he has learned from past accidents.

He has been able to communicate with all the birds he has come into contact with ever since his wings grew (mostly domestic, with one or two exotic birds from the zoo). The more time he spends with his feathered friends, the more bird-like he becomes. He'll keep his wings out more often, and will become excessively paranoid and jumpy, taking flight if any threat comes his way (which can pull the muscles in and around his wings). He can also get stuck speaking in bird occasionally, as he hasn't got as much control over his communication as he does his wings.

Gryphon had a strong fear of cats. Not a phobia, but certainly a very evident fear of them. He doesn't know if this is connected to his powers or to him as a person (but it is from his powers).

Biography: Gryphon was born in Seattle, Washington to an unmarried couple. The father, Marshall Matsuoka, was a hard-working, fatherly individual until that day, because as Gryph was born into the world, his mother, Phillipa, left unfairly. From that day, any intent Marshall had of being supportive and part of a family had been shattered. He wasn't interested in the child and he didn't want to be near him, but when he considered adoption, he realised he couldn't part with the boy, due to his connection to the love he had lost. He kept the boy, but his interest in being a father didn't increase in the slightest. Being a wealthy, successful businessman, Marshall could afford to pay for a live at home nanny for Gryphon, and he could also afford to become too busy to spend much quality time with the boy. As such, Gryphon spent a large chunk of his childhood with his nanny, Fiona, and pining for the affection of his father, who was too distraught and bitter to listen.

The bitterness only grew as Gryphon grew older. Once he began to walk, he began to wiggle, and Marshall took this as an opportunity to see the boy even less, paying for many dance lessons to keep him out of his hair. It worked, and Gryphon had no idea of the reason, enjoying his lessons with a fiery passion. His passion for dance extended further into other physical activities, but as he was learning to ride a bike at the age of six, he fell into difficulty. He hadn't fallen off the bike particularly hard, but the boy ended up in the emergency room with a badly broken arm and a graze on his face. This was when they discovered his osteoporosis. However, Gryphon was feisty and energetic, and at the age of ten, he was able to play basketball and tennis with great enjoyment, thanks to his agility and good spacial awareness. This didn't stop him from injuring himself, however. Car doors slammed on fingers, falls from monkey bars and falls in general all caused broken bones in his youth. Fiona wanted to reduce Gryph's physical activity to keep him safe, but the young boy wouldn't have it. He continued to be active, despite his carer's requests. In general, though, he did listen to Fiona. As he had grown up, he had been taught her morals and not his father's, thankfully. He tried his best to be kind, patient and understanding, as much as a child could be.

Gryphon was the social type. He made friends easily and kept them with even less difficulty, and he enjoyed having the attention. So even when he did break a bone and he had a cast, he would make sure all his friends would sign it, determined to be popular and noticed. After all, if his dad didn't want to talk to him, then fine, he would be fine. This was when the bitterness began. However, before it could develop much more, a strange occurrence happened in the night, shortly after the boy had turned thirteen. He had been complaining of back pain a lot over the last few days, and Fiona was concerned, but not as concerned as she was when she saw the boy emerge from his room one day with a pair of bird wings on his back. He looked so scared and confused, she ended up lying to the boy and saying the most ridiculous explanation - that all boys around his age grew wings - and somehow, he believed her. In fact, he continued to believe her until a letter came in the mail for him, stating that he was unique and gifted and that he was invited to attend Starlight Academy. It all sounded a bit ridiculous, but Fiona didn't seem to doubt the legitimacy of this letter, and so within the week, he had packed up his things traveled to the Manta Carlos Islands.

The first year was a mess. He struggled to listen to instruction and didn't allow anyone to help him with learning to fly properly. He was a big boy, he was thirteen, he could learn himself! ...only, he couldn't, and that attitude ended up making him flying carelessly into a tree, causing a number of painful injuries. It wasn't the damage done, but the healing process that convinced Gryphon to take his learning more seriously. Being unable to do anything for a number of weeks was hard enough, but as a kid? It was basically torture, so once he was on his feet again (and less jittery), his ability to take coaching increased tenfold, and in the years to come, his ability to fly just got better and better.

However, this did nothing good for him. He was now rather arrogant, as a strong flyer, a fast runner and an adept sportsman, Gryphon flaunted his abilities for everyone to see, and people were impressed. That caring and gentle attitude had slowly dissipated, and had been replaced by something rude and cocky. He wasn't necessarily vain, however. No, all of this was shielding a hugely insecure child, who thought the only way he could make friends was to impress them. He was kicked off his high horse by his first relationship.

He had known Nick since he had arrived at Starlight, and they had been fast friends, but at the age of sixteen, when Gryphon was beginning to try and work out who he was, he realised that it wasn't just friendship he wanted from Nicholas. The ice faerie almost seemed reluctant when Gryph first managed to speak to him about his feelings, but after a few days, he seemed more than happy to try something. However, Nick was a tricky character, and was certainly not all that he seemed. Gryphon's affection mainly came from the fact that he looked up to the boy; how confident he was; how certain. What Gryph thought was the beginning of his first relationship was actually a cruel trick. Over the weeks, Nicholas continued to make fun of the avian boy behind his back, until a few months had passed. By that point, Nicholas had had his fun, and wasted no time laughing in Gryphon's face about the whole thing.

This destroyed Gryph. He didn't understand - why would someone he thought cared about him go and treat him this way, with mocking words and homophobic slurs? It didn't process well, and Gryphon didn't feel like he could talk to anyone about it, and he didn't. For two years, it remained cooped up inside - but his change in character was clear. The blind arrogance was now gone. He didn't even try to pretend he was better than anyone else. Those two years weren't all that eventful. Gryph tried to focus his upset into his sporting activities and dance, and struggled to keep up with his academic studies, as usual. All of this put together, however, meant that the boy learned a lot more about himself. He knew what he liked, what he wanted to do, what he didn't want to do. He began to learn about himself, and it did him a lot of good. By the end of those two years, he had confidence again, and this time, it was well earned. He wasn't completely certain of himself yet, but he was getting there.

And then, he met Kai. Kai was a ball of anger and misunderstood sorrow. He was a year younger than Gryphon, and a whole lot different. He had piercings and bleached hair, and a fierce sneer constantly fixed to his face. Gryph wasn't surprised to find out he was a vampire, and despite their differences, there was something there. This was his first true relationship, as he would put it to any who asked, but it wasn't exactly healthy either. With Kai, there were moments of sincerity. Once Gryphon had got to know him enough to see past the rough exterior, he saw a boy who was afraid and self conscious, like Gryph had been - but once he saw that, he saw nothing else. People would worry and tell Gryphon to stay away from Kai, including Kai himself, but the winged boy would retort that he wasn't as bad as he seemed, he just need to be understood.

Kai was still a bad person, though. His relationship with Gryphon may have been strong, but for all the wrong reasons. Kai was clingy and craved affection, forever concerned that he would never be good enough for Gryph, and at the same time, not wanting to let him go. He viewed the avian boy highly, putting him on a pedestal, and in return, Gryphon did the same. Despite the fights Kai got into, with Gryphon's close friends and with complete strangers, despite the fact that he was prone to cheating and drinking heavily with whatever he could get his hands on, despite his childish demeanour, Gryphon loved him. The relationship lasted almost two years, as Gryph moved through to begin a college degree in Dance, but towards the end of the second year of the relationship, it began to crumble. Being around Gryphon, with how selfless and loving he was despite all of Kai's flaws, had made the younger boy realise how unhealthy their relationship was. The pair broke it off and came back together a few times, before they finally separated for good.

It hit Gryphon hard. He didn't understand, at first, why it had gone so wrong, what Kai had meant when he said Gryph needed someone better, he just didn't understand. Thanks to communicating with some of his more supportive friends and having been pulled away from the situation, he slowly began to understand why it had all gone wrong. It had been both of them. Kai hadn't matured enough to be ready to commit properly and Gryphon needed to take care of himself more before he could even consider being with someone else. So from that point forward, Gryphon focused on himself again. His major changed a number of times, before landing on Physical Education. One of the main reasons Gryph began to look after himself was because he took part in so many physical activities. The teamwork and the group spirit that came with it helped towards his self improvement, and he knew gym had always been his favourite subject. It just made sense that way - and besides, he wasn't planning on leaving the islands. A steady job doing something you enjoyed was nothing to sneeze at.

The years passed and Gryphon finished his degree, making a solid group of friends along the way who he could trust and loyal to for all the right reasons. He went to counselling on a semi regular basis and it helped him to understand why he was the way he was, and gave him the tools he needed to make his life what he wanted to make it. He felt more stable, he felt more at home and he felt like himself. As cheesy as it was, college really had helped him find himself some more. He knew there might still be some finding to do, and he knew he would never be perfect, but he didn't need to be. He also didn't need to date other people to find validation for himself. No - when and if he found someone to go after, he would know, but he wasn't going to chase it.

So, with a small amount of life experience under his belt, Gryphon applied to be gym teacher at Starlight. It was the next logical step and he was happy to find (after a good interview and all of the madness that came with job applications) that he had been accepted. He had been teaching for about half a year now and... he had to admit, coming straight back to his school to teach was odd, and the change in responsibility was a little weird too, but he liked it, and he hoped, at least for now, that it would stay that way.

Additional Information: He really really likes ice cream. No joke, it's a borderline addiction.