Ryan Seo
Ryan Seo is a semi-retired member of the Ferrumite Band Super Senior and an oceanographer affiliated with the deep-sea division of the Omastar Oceanographic Foundation (O.O.F.). He is one of the go-to resource persons contacted by the Geographic Society for matters concerning marine biology, oceanography, and deep-sea exploration. Originally from Neos City in Ferrum, he is primarily based in Hau'oli City, Alola.
Appearance
A now-retired prominent member of a boyband supergroup (or so he'd like everyone to think), Ryan fits the standard mold of a stereotypical attractive [Korean] popstar back when he was performing, and still kind of looks the part when dressed down while working for O.O.F. A tall, fit, and boyishly handsome 20-something, he currently dresses in a laid-back manner that is kind of a cross between a stereotypical nerd and a stereotypical surfer, complete with a pair of thick hipsterish glasses. He sometimes dyes his hair blond.
Personality
Ryan is every bit the ocean boy you'd expect an ocean scientist to be, only his roster comprises entirely of ground types. Specializing in exploring the seamounts and trenches surrounding Alola and other volcanic islands in the [Pacific Ocean], he and his team have made great strides in mapping the sea floor. Having always been a passionate man of science, he's come to enjoy his retirement from showbiz and has taken to the role of the "young, cool scientist" mold like a ducklett to water. Charismatic and charming, Ryan has a lingering reputation of being a flirtatious playboy back in his boyband days and many women wise to this are often hesitant to let their guard down. Although he has come to think of fame as something fleeting, he does acknowledge its positive contributions and is using the remains of his celebrity status to educate and inform people of the need to protect the ocean.
His coworkers find him to be very fun to work with, especially since he's embraced the silliness of being a former pop star who works in an ocean vessel and submarine. People do occasionally still recognize him and ask for his autograph or do the general fannish squeeing.
Biography
The grandson of Ferrumite history and archeology lecturer David Seo, Ryan expressed a love of the ocean and its inhabitants for as long as he can remember. He was largely raised by his grandfather; his parents were rather busy archeologists themselves and were always away on field work. They spent many of their afternoons fishing outside old Ferrum town.
Although he wanted to take up oceanography, his life would take a detour when he became part of the F-Pop scene. He was discovered by a talent scout for Super Senior, a boyband whose fame skyrocketed to global popularity within a few years. He made an obscene amount of money in his stay with the band but eventually the rigors of fame weighed heavily on him and he eventually retired from showbiz (mostly) and finished his oceanography degree.
He joined O.O.F. within a year of his graduation and has been with them for the past two years. It took awhile for the rest of O.O.F. to see him as a legitimate researcher because of this, but he's since proved that he can science as good as he can sing. He actually took up the offer to work in a boyband to support his dream of becoming an oceanographer.
He still uses his residual fame to draw audiences into O.O.F.'s camera live streams into the abyss. He also appeared as a recurring character in the first season of a recent Ferrodrama, Noodle Shop Princess Dreams. There, he plays the role of Doo Hwan, a down-on-his-luck writer who has given up on his dreams.
Personal Details
- Ryan can sing really well.
- He is a huge fan of classic rock songs, despite performing in a genre that people usually do not associate with it. He was one of the people who spearheaded Super Senior's phenomenally popular classic rock tribute album.
- Ryan is great at water sports, including surfing.
- He has a high regard for academia and idolizes a number of academics, among them his grandfather and Professor Kukui.
Ryan's Pokémon
Trivia
- Ryan's prior career references several K-Pop tropes
- His trainer class is surfer
- It is a point of irony that he is a ground monotyper despite being an oceanographer
- His sandslash, Sonya, is named after a character from the Sonic spinoff cartoon Sonic Underground.
- His stunfisk Sunshine is a snide reference to Korean popstar Rain.
- His whiscash, Seondeok, is named for Queen Seondeok, a famous Silla monarch from Korea's three kingdoms period.
- Although he retired from the boyband, he never actually quit; this references a real-life practice of Korean boyband supergroups having members on rotation.
- The drama he stars in is a pastiche of four different Korean dramas.
