Age: 20
Gender: Male
Facial expression: Sly/Smug Smirk; Strong jaw, not very boyish looking [he is 20, after all.]
- Expression References: One - Without the fang, of course. ; Two ; Three
Hair: Dark brownish red, nearly black. A mess of layered hair with long with a low ponytail starting at his neck and reaching to his chest.
- Hair References: One: Top Row, far right [Good reference for low ponytail, but the top part of the hair should be parted to the side rather than down the center.] ; Two - Heavy layers with long bangs ; Three - Heavy layers with long bangs
Eye color: Milky Green
Skin color: Pale
Outfit:
- Shirt: A shirt, haha. Standard fit, should hit at or just above his hip. It should have a slit in the center, like a v-neck of sorts that's tied together with some leather ties.
- Shirt References: One - The slit ; Two - Just to show you how deep the V is. Tied together more, not as open. ; Three - Not as open ; Four
- Pants: Standard white pants.
- Shoes: Standard brown boots.
- Coat: Standard cropped jacket.
- Scarf: Thick, tattered scarf hanging or wrapped around his neck. Black in color.
- Scars: Nick in his right eyebrow.
Personality
- Solitary, sarcastic, physical, playful, gentle despite the rough exterior, intelligent, pragmatic, sly, trouble being vulnerable and trusting others, though fiercely loyal to those who earn his trust.
After growing up in a secluded village, Saxen himself grew to become solitary. Only close to his mother, he prefers the company of the horses in his care to that of people to whom he is not close. However, one would never guess that was a part of his personality. He comes off as a pretty laid-back guy, more than capable of maintaining conversations, albeit short ones. Truthfully, he is cynical, having been shown that even people who claim to love you will cause you needless harm and abandon you at a moment's notice, so, until he is sure beyond a doubt of a person's motives, he stays behind his walls. He detests any sort of vulnerability, and one could go as far as to say he fears it. He does warm up to a select few people eventually, though it takes a long while for him to open up.
Behind those walls he maintains, one will find a gentle soul. He is passionate about the few people and things he cares about, however, no one aside from his mother and animals has seen this side of him yet. This nature has only manifested itself while hunting, riding and caring for the horses, and being with his mother. He is fiercely loyal, willing to sacrifice everything for those he loves. He would never betray anything that earned his loyalty.
He is intelligent, witty, and sly. He has a general cunningness about him, and he does not make an effort to hide it. He smirks rather than smiles, and he can lie without batting an eyelash, though he almost always speaks the truth. He is blunt to the point of indecency, and does not care very much for the reactions of others. He speaks truth; whether or not they accept it is not his problem. Unfortunately, this causes a tendency to insult others, even when it is not his wish to do so. His blunt, sarcastic nature gives way to remarks many would consider rude or hurtful. He does not realize his comments may offend others, and is working on building that filter.
Raised as a hunter who needed to make the most of what little he had, he grew to be a pragmatic individual. He easily sees the most practical, logical route to success, and can easily distinguish between necessary and unnecessary. So far, he has thrived under pressure or in stressful situations due to his ability to keep a level head, seeing the world through ever-vigilant, analytical eyes [granted, he's never been in a situation with titans before...]. However, his ability to rationalize is so severe that he can rationalize emotions till they are nothing more than words. He has a hard time in situations where he has to deal with emotions, usually rationalizing and repressing without a second thought. Aside from a few aforementioned situations, it is hard to stir any true feeling from this man, leastways for now.
He is sarcastic, almost sardonic, depending on the situation/conversation. He can be serious should the time come, but is more prone to levity. He has a playful side, if one really gets to know him. Aside from teasing people, if one went looking, he could be found cooing at the animals around the village. He walks a thin line between proud and humble, meaning he is aware of his abilities, and instead of inflating his ego or being modest, he shrugs off any compliment or critique with a wink and witty joke while taking all comments to heart.
He places high value in the lives of all creatures, never deeming another lesser than himself unless proven otherwise. He cannot stand those who do think themselves higher than other life, as if it is some divine right bestowed upon them. He will quickly cut the legs off another's throne should he be pushed hard enough. He will never tolerate unnecessary torture of animals, and will be the first to intervene on behalf of the unfortunate creature if he even hears rumor of any cruelty against them. This may seem contradictory to the nature of a hunter, a man who has grown up killing animals for a living, but he never killed for the sheer pleasure of watching an animal suffer. He finds satisfaction in the chase, following the creature, learning about it, observing it, and then ultimately the accomplishment of his efforts. He always regards and respects the life which he has taken [at least, before the Titans...]
He is also a very physical person. Actions are tangible and honest, and he trusts actions more than he trusts words. As such, he tends to convey intent through action, relying on action to validate anything he might say, or, in the case of animals, to communicate when words will not suffice. He can gently stroke a horse's face to show he cares for the creature, and the horse will show its affection physically as well. In a human example when a language barrier is not an issue, if he cares for someone and feels entirely open and vulnerable with that person, he will gently tap his forehead to the other person's to show he is not afraid to expose a vulnerable part of his body and he has no intention of harming the other person as well. Conversely, he will throw a punch before he bothers sparing words on someone he does not care for or someone who threatens him. He finds issues are resolved faster through action, even if they are rarely resolved well.
He swears more than he should, and enjoys his alcohol. When nervous, he tends to fidget with his hands, usually absently twirling a knife around –unless it does not seem like an appropriate time to pull out a knife– or fidgeting with his scarf. [He wore the scarf at home to protect his face from windburn when riding horses and to keep warm in the cold mountains. Now as a trainee, he keeps it for the sake of comfort. After years of wear, he feels naked without it now. He would not admit that to anyone, though, and say the scarf serves a practical purpose by keeping his ponytail down and tucked in his shirt.]
It is also worth mention that Saxen maintains a hint of an accent characteristic of the village. His mother was not originally from the village, so his own accent is some mix of his mother's more "natural" way of speaking and his father's distinct accent. He wanted to be close to his mother [and to sound different than the people from the village... little did he know, his mother's voice and speech are widely considered "normal" in most places outside the village, but the youthful Saxen did not know any better] so his tone of voice is what is the general norm, however, he speaks with the vernacular of his village [ie: "Do you have any food?" is what most people would say, while someone from Dauper would say something more along the lines of "D'ya 'ave any food?" What Saxen would say is, "Do ya have any food?" He enunciates most, if not all the syllables, like you would speaking "normally," but has a tendency to shorten words and use the vernacular of Dauper.]
History
- Saxen is the only child of Karl and Meara Reiter in the mountain-forest village of Dauper within Wall Rose. He was raised as a hunter, the traditional practice of the village, though his mother worked with horses instead of hunting. Hunting was his father's art, and it was all the man knew how to do. He raised his son with a rough hand in attempt to strengthen the boy, for the strong always hunted the weak. In his father's eyes, the weak inevitably perish, and he could see the weak as nothing more than prey. The one other thing Saxen's father really knew was how to survive. This survivalist mindset doomed a young Saxen's favorite horse to an unfortunate end during a very long, very hard winter. They needed food, and the horse was expendable. Saxen never truly forgave his father for slaughtering that beautiful, kind creature.
His mother was the opposite of his father, for she was a kind, generous, sensitive woman. She never fit as a hunter, marveling at nature's creatures as opposed to butchering them, instead finding her place as a horse handler. She taught Saxen everything about the horses, and he developed strong bonds with the regal ungulates. He found solace working with the horses, often spending nights in the stable rather than in his own bed. It was his sanctuary, a counterweight to the harsher world of his father.
Saxen grew to be what his father wished: a strong man with uncanny intuition and an almost frightening hunting ability. His father never got to see his progeny blossom into the hunter he always desired, for he passed when Saxen was twelve. Saxen's father and the father's brother, an uncle of whom Saxen had grown very fond, were hunting dangerous game when the hunt went awry. Some long-standing dispute had occurred which quickly escalated into a heated argument and leading to a brutal fight between the brothers. When the fight ended and Saxen's uncle had emerged the victor, the wolves had closed in, and Saxen's uncle left his incapacitated brother to the mercy of the animals. The uncle left the village soon after, and Saxen never saw or heard of his uncle again. To this day, Saxen does not know what the confrontation had been about, but he did notice his mother had grown quieter ever since.
In spite of his father's questionable methods of raising a child, Saxen did love the man and understood his decisions even though he may not have agreed with all of them. He would not be the person he is without him. He continues to hunt, making good use of all the knowledge his father bestowed upon him. In addition to being a great hunter, his mother's training has also also made him an excellent horse rider and farrier/carer. He was beginning to learn more about horse training before enlisting as a trainee. The combination of knowledge from both his parents produced this hunter with great deal of respect for the creatures he interacts with, whether it be caring for them or killing them.
Saxen spends most of his time hunting or with the animals in his care. However, occasionally he can be found at the base of or in a tree simply relaxing and observing the area. His father also trained him in martial arts which he still avidly practices.
