Age: 15
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Ggghhhh???
Craft: Harper
Rank: Apprentice
Location: High Reaches Weyr
Physical Description: Silviu is a gangly lad, having recently grown into the less-awkward stage between "knobby" and "slender." At five-eight, he is already giving every indication that he'll be as tall as his father and brother. He is much broader of shoulder than either of them were at his age, however. His head is covered by a thick blanket of fluffy auburn hair and his face is still very boyish, smooth-skinned with small features save for his relatively large hazel eyes. Though his chin is trivial and tapered almost to a point, the well-defined line of his jaw seems to promise some strength. He has a very mobile and expressive face, but most commonly wears a gentle smile or a dazed look. On very rare occasions, he may flash a toothy grin not unlike those of his saucy elder brother.
Personality: A quiet, polite, and dreadfully clumsy youngling. Most people wouldn't suspect him of being much more than that. Even his elder brother Lucayr would likely be surprised to learn that Silviu has ardent intentions to Impress a dragon with the express intent to become a brave, fighting rider. He is easily discouraged and desires to become confident and strong enough to protect Lucayr in return for all the ways he took care of Silviu.
Silviu is a bit of an introvert, only able to come fully out of his shell with the direct instigation of his big brother. He can and will make friends, but he's never quite himself and it is usually a slow process and based on how "nice" the other person is when he fumbles. He's a social klutz for sure, but he has a kind heart and will willingly do more than his part if he thinks it would bring a smile to someone's face – hopefully directed at him, for he is greatly edified by others' approval. He is easily taken in by "nice" people, and can be taken advantage of or bullied without much effort. This kind of betrayal will emotionally lay him out for days. (A word of warning to the wise: Bullies will receive no retaliation from Silviu himself, but Faranth help them if his brother finds out.)
Clearly he is a meek and passive boy, but as when he discovered his place to "belong" at Harper Hall as a singer, if Silviu finds a niche that he can fill with any amount confidence, he will become abnormally competent in comparison to his usual standards. His passiveness can also be temporarily lifted by anger, or a healthy dose of fear brought on by actual danger as opposed to uncomfortable social situations. In the case of the latter, Silviu becomes curiously rational and assertive, as if something in his mental makeup just clicked into place. He can take in his surroundings and think fast enough to act quickly and capably under pressure. When he is angered, however, it is difficult to predict how Silviu will react. On occasion, he will respond similarly as he would to danger, but it is common for him to answer with childish comebacks, fist-swings, or a hasty retreat in panic or humiliation.
Anger is something that Silviu does not like to experience; in fact, it rather scares him. He fears losing control over what parts of himself he can control. He will try to repress as much negative emotion as possible to avoid that. It works for fairly long periods of time, but there always comes a point where he can take no more. He is very conscious of gossip, particularly such which regards events surrounding his harper apprenticeship. He is also sensitive about his choice to avoid eating red meat, and to mockery, especially if it refrences his undextrous hands. Or, to really tweak a nerve, one could simply insult Silviu's brother, Lucayr.
His lack of dexterity makes it difficult for Silviu to participate in many of the hobbies that he might have enjoyed, most notably playing an instrument. He tends to limit himself to athletic pastimes, mainly those that are aerobic in nature, such as running. As a result, he has higher than average stamina but low strength, as evidenced by his lanky figure. He also spends many minutes each day just watching other people or nature in a meditation of sorts.
His choice of dress is always a plain one – work, rest or gather, he'll go for solid, drab earthtones or white with no embroidery or accessories of any kind, save the cloth belt that holds up his trousers. (This won't last long at High Reaches, if Lucayr has anything to say about it.)
He regularly has stress-related nightmares, but doesn't make a big deal over them as they quickly fade. He also dislikes red meat and leather clothing or items due to overexposure back home at Igen Hold. Red meat makes him queasy if he does happen to eat it.
Positive Trait List Gentle, courteous, hopeful, niche-capable, loyal
Negative Trait List Introverted, insecure, anxious, bumbling skinny oaf
History: Silviu was the second son of a tanner and his wife from Igen Hold. He was very different from Lucayr, his elder by twelve turns. Where Lucayr was flamboyant and sure of himself, Silviu was quiet and rarely put himself into a spotlight of any kind for fear of messing up. He was often encouraged by his brother, who would do kind things like write and sing amusing little ditties for him. Sometimes they would sing together, and their familial voices blended well. Silviu settled early on into a comfort zone of dependence on his brother for approval... so it should have been expected that when Lucayr left to apprentice at Harper Hall, things started to fall apart for him.
Now without his eldest son to take on the family craft of leather-working and preparation, Silviu's father appointed him to the task, refusing the boy's plea to also be sent along to Harper Hall. Silviu hated leather-working. Not only was he forced to handle raw skins and other bits of animal carcasses against the will of his queasy stomach and recurring nightmares (he outright refused to assist in putting the beasts down and skinning them), but he was also clumsy and destroyed many valuable hides by overstretching them or getting a nervous twitch in his knife hand at an inopportune moment. His father saw little use in trying to teach him how to do something even more intricate, such as detailing or assembling numerous pieces into finished products. Silviu's given tasks became much like that of a drudge's, mainly washing hides and tools and working with his mother in the kitchens. He was little use there, as well, since every time he felt like someone was watching him he would tense up and drop dishes, crash into things, or say something dreadfully embarrassing. His mother would try to comfort him, but she never knew the right thing to do or say, as Lucayr had.
By some stroke of luck, a fosterling from another hold eventually came to Igen and became apprenticed to his father. While it wasn't as fulfilling as having one of his own sons learn from him, the man was satisfied enough to permit Silviu to finally go to Harper Hall.
Upon his jubilant arrival to the place he thought would be his salvation, Silviu learned that boys were assigned to "sections" and didn't necessarily get to be in the same one their friends – or brothers – were in. He didn't even get to see Lucayr until he had been there a whole week, for his elder brother had been away on a trip with one of the Journeymen. The brothers barely had a few days of sporadic interaction before Lucayr had to leave again. To make things worse, Silviu was completely unable to play an instrument due to his clumsy hands. His only saving grace was his voice.
Silviu was a near-perfect treble, when he could be coaxed into singing. It began as one-on-one lessons with Lucayr as they had done in their childhood. Later he became comfortable enough to sing with a Master, and after enough praise was given, with a group of other students. Then, unexpectedly, the boy understood that he "belonged" and began to excel. He could sing well in front of anyone, even solo, and even when Lucayr was miles and miles away.
Then Lucayr walked the tables and received his Journeyman's knot. He was promptly assigned to an unaffiliated Weyrhold and said his reluctant goodbyes to Silviu. The younger boy's confidence had grown much in the short time they'd been reunited, and he was able to continue his voice studies without needing Lucayr as a crutch to lean on. Instead, the two boys would exchange letters often, bolstering each other with good news from afar.
Six turns later, Silviu has suddenly been Searched and arrived at High Reaches Weyr without notice of any kind to Lucayr, ready to Stand as a Candidate at the next hatching. It is not clear why he has made this choice – it may be that he has regressed and followed after his brother again.
(Explanation under spoiler tag, in case anyone is reading who prefers to learn through RP.)
As you've likely guessed, Silviu has suffered the obvious downfall of most boy-sopranos. He's recently hit puberty and his voice is not cooperating. He is literally limited to a strange sort of croak when he tries to sing, and it is not expected that he will ever sound good again, even when his voice has matured. Without the ability to play an instrument or write neatly enough to copy, he really has nothing left at Harper Hall and has all but abandoned his apprenticeship. However, he isn't going to let that out right away for fear of disappointing Lucayr. Silviu has hopes that if he Impresses his dragon will be the key to his becoming as confident and effective as his brother, and giving him the ability to take care of Lucayr for once, instead of the other way around.
Other:
Candidate Specific Questions
Do you want them to have an official Search RP? No
Do you understand they will age every passing year regardless if you're there to RP them or not? Yes
Do you want them to have a possible Stands Impression? No
