Rook's info
Name: Rook Galkin
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Position: Royal
Race: Snowy owl Mononoke
Stage: Witch
Height: 6'0
Weight: average
Likes: Music, order, puzzles, flying, cinnamon, warm drinks, astronomy.
Dislikes: Chaos, laziness, gelatin, sudden change, sailing.
Personality: Rook is a good natured young man who has a very deep set need to retain structure and balance in his life. This meticulousness makes Rook a very reliable person as he is very good at scheduling his time and keeping on task with no wasted energy. His room and place of employment have everything laid out in the most efficient setup he knows and are kept clean and ordered at all times.
However Rook's obsessive control over his environment means he becomes very frustrated when things aren't just right. Rook can be driven to distraction if there's stains on the paper of the book he's reading or if there's printing error. No matter how hard he tries to carry on his eyes will be drawn to the issue at hand and he cannot stop thinking about it. Even as a child he was like this, his toys always to be put away in a certain order and each with their specific place to go, his bed had to be made and tucked in just such a way or he'd re-do it over and over until it was right. There is no surer way to destabilize Rook then to mess with how he has carefully ordered the world around him. It is a delicate balance of getting the most use of Rook's obsessiveness while dealing with the negatives that come with it.
Rook is a fairly self motivated and dedicated person, he doesn't need to be nagged to carry out his responsibilities and he keeps at tasks until they are complete. He doesn't half-a** things and tries to do everything to the best of his ability however minor that maybe be in some areas. Still, this can do attitude can get Rook in trouble. He simply can't understand people who take the easy route in life. To him there's just no pride or satisfaction in doing just enough to get the job done. Rook becomes judgmental when he sees people doing what he feels is slacking and he's not afraid to voice his disapproval about others lack of effort or ambition.
When not berating you for not living up to your potential Rook makes a decent friend. He enjoys the company of others and is often happy to have long discussions and debates on things with anyone who has the time. When meeting new people Rook tries to find a bit of common ground they can communicate over but he won't push shy people to talk which can make things awkward. For all his royal bringing and formal talk Rook does his best to try and relate to others and doesn't generally lord his status over anyone. Although as with all things this is hit or miss especially as Rook has mostly only been exposed to upper class peers.
For those he considers friends Rook makes time in his schedule to be an active part of their lives and will get proactive about planning meetups for coffee or outings to interesting landmarks. He's also been known to be generous with gifts both of the practical and just for fun sort.
Despite being a hard worker Rook does make time to enjoy himself. He enjoys social events with dancing as well as curling up in a chair with a mug of apple cider and a good book. Recreational drumming is also a much enjoyed leisure activity of Rook's as he tends to favour sets of steady beats that he finds soothing.
Rook prefers intellectual pursuits to those of a physical nature and would pick having an ancient cipher to decode over swordsmanship lessons any day.
History:Rook was born twenty years ago, one half of a pair of snowy owl mononoke twins brought into the word by Wendel and Evelyn Galkin. As a member of the Royal family he grew up primarily in Lumena castle town surrounded mostly by kin and tutored by the best teachers his position allowed. His parents were not perfect but they raised Rook and Rhapsody with their own brand of love and instilled in him a sense of pride in working hard to accomplish something. It was all in all a good childhood and one Rook could live again with little issue.
Summertime growing up meant several months of vacation with Rook's grandparents who lived near Clarus Arbor, time that the young royal greatly cherished. Even if he tried to make his vacation days as routine as possible they were still filled with leisure activities and the chance to meet the sort of people that called Clarus Arbor home. On top of that Rook could look to his grandmother for aid in understanding what it was like to really be a mononoke. For the most part Rook felt and was no different than other people. Still it was concepts like how to control the wild instincts that came when you changed and how weird it was to eat or drink or pee in another form that were things you could only discuss with someone who had had similar experiences.
Not everything was rosy of course even in at the mostly peaceful vacation retreat. One mid afternoon flying excursion ended in a hunter catching one of Rhapsody's wings with an arrow. Whether the hunter had meant to hit her or not Rook would never know as the person had vanished by the time he had landed beside his fallen sibling. All alone and far from help at the time Rook had been forced to piggyback his once again human twin all the way back to his grandparent's house. Somewhere between his fear for the injured Rhapsody and his determination to not let her down Rook found the strength to carry on and be strong for her. It was a defining moment in his relatively young life.
There were several mishaps and learning moments in Rook's path to adulthood but all of them were overcome with patience and the support of his family and a few close friends. He's matured into a determined young man with a strong sense of self and responsibility. New challenges lay before Rook as he attempts to run a business, navigate the minefield that is romance and serve his royal station as an adult. Thus far the three pursuits have not gotten in each other's way but only time will tell if that will remain true.
Lumena is still home, although a step has been made towards independence as Rook lives off the castle grounds and instead shares a townhouse with Rhapsody. She is also Rook's partner in crime in their joint business venture, a small shop named the "Bird's nest." Unable or unwilling to severe the close bonds built over so many years Rook finds his twin's near constant companionship a boon, a sense of the familiar in a time when he is transitioning to a new and confusing phase of life.