|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 5:19 pm
Name: B'lin
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Prisoner or Guard or Wingrider? Wingleader
At what age did they Impress? 19
History: B'lin's a boring guy. Never saw much of his father - which is a bigger deal than it would be for most riders as he's from a Hold - had a somewhat complex mother (depending on who you ask) and helped to raise his two younger brothers.
At 19, he was Searched and hesitantly left his family for the Weyr, hoping to find something that was only 'his' when everything in his life had been shared and dedicated to his beloved siblings. Xanthoth Impressed to him his first time Standing, taking the young man by surprise, but granting his wish in the process.
B'lin was later recruited by J'aro, sent by the Guardmaster to seek out as many bronzes as he thought were capable of catching their queen (thereby preventing a red from flying her and having a white/black-free clutch). Because Ghenza had forbidden them from 'taking' dragons from High Reaches and Telgar (suspecting they were due to ally with them in the near future), J'aro sought out other Weyrs, one of which being the place he found both B'lin and his soon-to-be Wingsecond, F'sey.
Appearance: B'lin has a bald, shiny (and F'sey may argue, empty) head. His skin is dark brown, eyes are dark brown and his hair is black when / where he has it.
His facial structure leaves a lot to be desired. One of his nostrils is most certainly uneven and the bridge of his nose doesn't really match their size to begin with. His lips are uneven, too, with the top being thinner than the bottom and his ears almost seem too small from some angles.
However, being a born-and-raised day laborer has left the 6'0" lad muscled. At least he's got that going for him.
Personality:
: razz ros::
● Loyal to his family and few friends - and to a lesser and rarer extent, to groups he considers himself a part of.
● Sympathetic, in particular of family crisis.
● Very unlikely to resort to mindless violence; overall level-headed, even in the 'heat of the moment'.
● Carries a seniority-favored loyalty among his friends. (Also a con; varies depending on the situation.)
● Excellent memory with personal details (things he himself lived through) and historical details (less so than personal).
● Dedicated hard worker.
● Genuinely thoughtful.
● Easily accepts different viewpoints than his own in professional settings; in personal ones, is just as receptive once 'shown the light', but getting to a point where he'll see it is a chore.
::Cons::
● Prone to feeling unwanted or abandoned by those more outgoing types he is close to when they make an effort to form many social connections.
● Has trouble maintaining more than a few close relationships at once.
● Carries a seniority-favored loyalty among his friends. (Also a pro; varies depending on the situation.)
● Has a hard time expressing all but casual emotions through direct, verbal means.
● Easily embarrassed in public and can come off as dismissive or disloyal.
● Hold-born and still finds flights offputting. Not so much a personality con (except through means of opinion), but definitely a problem as he tries to avoid people involved afterwards and Xanthoth has no qualms about flying his friend's dragons.
● Easily taken advantage of for his work ethic.
● Tendency to see things in absolutes and assume either 'X' will happen or 'Y' will happen; lacks much 'what if?' insight and the flexibility a Wingleader needs to prepare for the unexpected.
● May withhold troubling information from friends and appear moody to strangers; bad habit of playing the silent marytr sort of role.
● At times nerve-wrackingly difficult when it comes time to personal phobias (homophobia, rank-worship) his Hold upbringing has instilled in him even if he wants to change; has a hard time confronting such things and appears (and ultimately, is) ignorant about them.
● Afraid of heights. (lol)
::Extended::
B'lin is a man who tries to want for nothing except to want for nothing. (No, the irony isn't lost on him.) If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll take it back and give them a carrot. Maybe the mouse wants a cookie, but he needs a carrot. And so do you. Who keeps giving you these cookies? As for him, what he needs is to be needed. A purposeless life is no life for him - it's almost like being dead, and he's not suicidal.
You may think he would find a place atop a big, cushy seat of political importance a comfortable resting spot indeed, but you would be very wrong; his affinity for personal loyalties is topped by no other. He can (and will) dedicate himself to people he is close with - willing to leave with them if they go - but B'lin can also devote allegiance to a group he feels himself a part of. He has demonstrated a sense of kinship among other Weyrlings from the same clutch as his dragon without being close to any of them, for example.
Family means so much to him that he is intensely sympathetic of these woes no matter how trivial. He has come to learn through his bond with his dragon blood alone is not what unifies people (though he maintains blood should consolidate those whom share it) and will not deny any suggestions his bronze is his family or that certain people are as well. He is possessive of these individuals in a way even they may be blind to; B'lin will become distraught if one of his more outgoing cohorts strives to make a multitude of other social connections, feeling as if he wasn't good enough. He takes picking the company of someone else very personal, and it doesn't matter if you spent the last day with him. He won't feel jealous - only dejected.
Lend much blame to his own shortcomings in sustaining more than a few close ties at time. If you can't count the people you see him with daily on one hand (providing you have all five fingers) and they're not in his wing, then he probably has 'too many' friends. B'lin will not fight with these people, but he will fight for them in a passive, constructive way. Should they be troubled (or start trouble), his reaction is to find the highest authority in the land to sort things out.
The longer he's known you, the more resolute his faithfulness in caring for you when it comes to allot his loyalties. Perhaps - no, certainly - in some instances, the quality of a friendship should surpass the longevity of one, but for B'lin saying 'I've known that man my whole life' is reason enough to pursue ridiculous means of securing their welfare. He will notably go out of his way for his dragon, his Wingsecond, his brothers and a girl by the name of Miah; however, the latter two are absent from his present day life.
These folks, select and meager in number as they are, may find themselves surprised by the way in which B'lin most commonly puts his keen memory to use; he stores details they may have considered too trivial to bother remembering. And maybe they were, in general, but they held enough significance to him. He not only recalls them, but does so clearly. He shares this practice with his hoarding habits, and his possessions tend to consist only of what survival requires and mementos of sentimental value. (His brother gave him a rock once and he kept it.)
But, please, don't embarrass him in public. B'lin is usually content to melt into the background. When it's someone close to him starting trouble, he can't very well do that. Thanks to Xanthoth casting all worries to the wind on the issue of public opinion, he is slowly becoming more tolerant, but still spends many an hour fretting over these incidents. The closer he is to someone, the more personally he feels shamed by them making a scene. Flights are the absolute worst because, hold born and raised, he continues to dread them (and more so their aftermath) no matter how many Xanthoth partakes in.
While his friendships may be questionable, his work ethic never is. B'lin is not a perfect employee given there's no such thing. He still is a young man most anyone would want to work for them, though. For one thing, he's unlikely to argue with them unless very few buttons are pushed (namely, the mistreatment of women), and even if he does it will be in a quiet, constructive way more often than not. He'll work long, hard hours doing the chores no one else wants to do and because he feels it's wrong (yes, wrong) to expect any sort of reward, it's easy to take advantage of him. Frustrated? He can be, but he won't say anything about it.
His downfall in his work and what is undoubtedly his greatest shortcoming as Wingleader is incompetence in the area of speculation. B'lin's wing can expect hour upon hour of practice, but that only means so much when every drill is set in stone and leaves little space for wiggle room. To help balance him, he needs his more open-minded, theorizing dragon and his Wingsecond to help. The 'what if?' insight could just save them one day.
Now, for poker face... B'lin hasn't got much of one. Doesn't have one at all, really, and reading him is easy enough. The true challenge is determining why he looks so upset when he's acting perfectly normal. If you know him well, you know he has a reason. If you don't (and most don't), then he can just look right downright moody. Concerned with burdening others, he keeps his problems toned down as possible. To some, it's thoughtful. To others, a most annoying martyr complex.
B'lin has been a follower of Holder traditions for most of his life. Coming to the Weyr and Impressing Xanthoth has brought a rift between himself and his former mindset. Had he Impressed a green, B'lin would have probably sat back and respected the bronzeriders without a second thought the same way he respected those in charge of the Hold just for being in charge of the Hold. However, in an act of somewhat noble hypocrisy (but hypocrisy none the less), Impressing a bronze himself and being subject to undeserved praise has left him, for once, questioning if maybe the established hierarchy isn't all it's cracked up to be.
He is very thankful to settle in the islands, where Ghenza's viewpoint of color equality is more commonplace.
Finally, B'lin is petrified of heights. Not the kind where he can bravely overcome it at a moment notice to pull off some epic feat, but such an intense fear that he does not look down when riding Xanthoth, has to practice every day to conquer it bit by bit and at times looks like an idiot as a result of it.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 5:20 pm
Dragon Name: Xanthoth
Dragon Image: [x]
Dragon Personality: Xanthoth has a typical metallic outlook on life. He's muscular and sturdy, but smaller than most other bronzes. Not that it matters to him; he's ready to compete with anyone who presents a challenge and win.
He may feel differently, but Xanthoth never calls into question why he chose his rider. B'lin is a great man and he's a great bronze. You can tell his confidence is sincere just by watching him; he carries himself proudly at all times. Insults? Do your worst. You'll have to really cross the line to get a fuss from him.
Staying calm comes as easy as being calm. It's just his nature. But don't mistake him for apathetic. What he feels, he feels very deeply. His sense of pride and sense of loss are a worthy opponent for the most emotional dragons. Saying goodbye does not come easy to him, and it's one of the few instances he knows he really needs B'lin to be there for him.
Otherwise, he was born more independent than most from his rider, and maintains that persona today. There is much to be done. He can't afford to always wait around for B'lin! (Or his permission!)
Besides, he doesn't need his rider around embarrassing him when he's trying to sweet talk the feminine gender. Xanthoth was born a ladies man. He adores them so much, he tacks 'lovely' on the end of any given female's name. There's little he anticipates more than flights, and he'll chase any gold or green that rise without bias. It's okay if B'lin doesn't like their rider. He'll get over it!
Perhaps Xanthoth's biggest downfall is his ego with women. He can't take 'no' for an answer. He's territorial and believes they should love him. If they prefer another male, then he assumes that male has 'stolen' what's rightfully his. Though, really, a male dragon doesn't have to do much to stir suspicion. Xanthoth assures his rider he's only aggressive when it's called for, but time and again he bullies the more weak willed members of the boy's club without even realizing it.
It's a bad habit his rider tries to fix, but Xanthoth is just so stubborn! You'll have a hard time discouraging him once he's got an idea in his head, even if he's done the same thing before and failed. 'This time will be different! (tm)' No matter how many hits his pride takes, in the end, his confidence shines through. He's good at arguing his point with flawed, yet understandable logic. Proving him wrong is no easy task. If need be, he has no qualms about resorting to tactics similar to: "You can't prove it, so you're not right."
Xanthoth is more than happy to listen to queens. Call him anytime! For that matter, he doesn't mind complying to a green. However, he has trouble taking orders from other males, especially bronzes. He misinterprets well meaning advice as orders, too, and just who do they think they are to tell him what to do? He has no problem speaking out against them, not worried about making a fool out of himself.
Why this rider? Xanthoth saw the potential in B'lin to help him reach where he wanted to be as Wingleader. He did not choose him because he is so brave nothing scares him, but because he is so brave he can confront what does no matter how long it takes.
Plus, not a lot of other people were going to put up with his flight-happy personality without trying to change it. B'lin might complain about him (a lot), but he's never tried to control his dragon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
