Post by Esko on Jan 21, 2018 17:32:25 GMT -5
NAME: J'kai
RANK: Brownrider (Wingrider of Gale Wing)
AGE: In Turns
GENDER: 29 Turns
ORIENTATION: Homosexual
DRAGON: Brown Nixrouth
PETS: Bronze Alek
APPEARANCE:
J'kai is a beautiful example of a man. He has broad shoulders and a strong build, standing at an even six-foot height. His arms are well-muscled as a result of Craft work and dragonriding, and this gives him impressive strength compared to other men. Of course he's not the strongest of them all; that would be silly and unrealistic. But his toned body is certainly a sight for sore eyes, a sight which he isn't too keen on showing off. He could be a threatening man if not for the near-constant jovial expression that he has on his face. Everything about him seems to be large; his hands, his feet, everything. He tends to look a little shorter than he is due to the relaxed state he's always in.
His face is very well-proportioned and rather handsome, something he'll admit but won't shove in your face. His nosebridge has a bump in it that tells its history of being broken once or twice, and maybe it's a little large. It isn't glaringly large, though, and seems to fit on his face just fine. He has a strong jawline that looks like it can cut a man, but it is softened a little by the facial fuzz that seems to threaten to explode into a full beard. His hair is a chestnut brown, and he likes to keep it long; it tends to reach about two inches past his shoulderblades when tied back in a ponytail. Which it almost always is, at least in public. His eyes are a vibrant green, and his eyebrows are thick but shaped.
When it comes to clothing, he's surprisingly modest. Maybe even a little prudish, as he doesn't really like to show off his abs to many people. His clothing is very down-to-earth and utilitarian, unlike most Pern rankers. That doesn't mean he doesn't like some flair to his wardrobe. He likes cool jackets and big boots, and that's usually what he wears.
PERSONALITY FAULTS:
J'kai is un-ambitious to a fault. All he really wants is to sit back and go with the flow of things, and let other people take charge. He's happy as a follower, and will go to great lengths to avoid leadership; he's capable, but would just really rather not. He may come off as a lazy goofball to some, who just wants to party and not think. This isn't the case, at least partially. He's certainly a goof, though, and to those that want to move up the ranks, he just seems like a waste of space. His lack of a desire to lead also comes with a bit of passiveness; even if he strongly disagrees with the leadership politically, he won't stand up for what he thinks is right. He'll wait for somebody with more drive to do it; somebody eventually comes along, right?
It's been hard for him to take dragonriding seriously, since he never expected to actually Impress. J'kai has improved this a bit over the past four Turns, but it still lingers and it's hard for him to control. While Nixrouth is his everything and the best thing to ever happen to him, he doesn't think of himself as much of a dragonrider. He tries his best, but he doesn't quite think he's good enough in that aspect. He's mostly outgrown his childish insecurities, but that one still lingers, mostly because he was long past childhood when he Impressed.
J'kai can't help it; he's judgmental. While he recognizes this and tries to work on it, he often goes by people's first impressions and it's hard for him to let it go. He's also a bit superstitious, and those superstitious stick to him no matter how much he tries to be open-minded. If a green or blue hatches first in a clutch, it's cursed. Drudges tend to be mentally retarded. Things like that.
PERSONALITY STRENGTHS:
J'kai radiates an aura of openness, which often makes him easy to approach and talk to. He tends to make friends easily with his friendly attitude and his welcoming stance. He's too soft and mushy to possibly seem threatening, despite his build. If anyone has a problem, they're welcome to talk to him about it, and he's sure to make that known. Playful and confident, he's perfectly happy to just take life as it is and embrace whatever comes. Flexible is a word, a very good word to use in his case. He's not flamboyant and feminine like one would expect from a gay man, but he is accepting of most people once he gets himself past the first-impression-assumptions.
Ambitious he is not, but hardworking he is. He is devoted to his dragon and to his friends, and anyone who befriends him will find a loyal partner in crime. He believes in doing things well and doing them efficiently, and he's willing to help others do the same. If someone's falling behind, he'll take his time to help them get back up to speed. Kindhearted and patient, he is reliable and trustworthy. He's good at keeping a secret and will hold them to death if he needs to.
FAMILY:
'Father': Dracken, Master Smithcrafter (+32 Turns)
Biological Father: S'tan of blue Parketh (+? Turns)
Mother: Josaela, Midwife (+25 Turns)
Brother: Drellden, Journeyman Smithcrafter (-10 Turns)
HISTORY:
Gathers tend to be times of enjoyment, but perhaps Josaela enjoyed herself a little too much. It was a Turnover celebration at Fort Hold, and a visiting bluerider wooed the midwife into a fierce night with him. It was perhaps the best night of her life, but dreams of riding off to a new life in the Weyr were quickly dashed when the rider left the following morning. Unbeknownst to her, Ka'el was possibly one of the biggest womanizers at Fort Weyr, and so he left her with an accidental pregnancy and an angry husband. Anybody who knew Dracken wouldn't be surprised at his sudden tightening of control over his wife. The marriage was more out of convenience than love, and Josaela felt trapped.
Soon Jackalaios was born, unaware of his dragonriding father for most of his life. His father was a cold and bearing presence in his childhood, and he constantly tried to earn his affections and pride. Jack was confused. Why didn't his father love him? It was the source of much turmoil for a long time, and so he thrived on the love of his mother. He also grew up seeking love from other kids, too. And luckily, he found friends in many, though few of them were close. He wasn't popular, per say, just well liked. This was how he lived for a long time, living in the attention of other Holdbrats and dreading his home.
When he was ten Turns old, his younger brother Drellden was born. He was the true son of Dracken and his wife, and the man was pleased. He doted on the boy, and constantly commented on how handsome he looked. This frustrated Jack to no end. Why did his father love this boy but not him? In order to try to steal some of that love, when he was twelve he apprenticed in the Smithcraft, though Dracken refused to be his master. He instead went to the Weyr to study at a Master's feet there. He turned out to be good at Smithing, and constantly wrote letters home with his progress. He hoped his father read them, was proud of him, at least a little. He just wanted some confirmation of love.
When Jack was twenty-one Turns, he earned his Journeyman knots and walked the tables. When he wrote home, however, this time he received a response. From his mother. The letter broke the news to him, the reason why his father gave Drellden attention but not he; Dracken was not his father. It explained so much, and Jack was surprisingly quick to get over any anger that resulted. Why couldn't he guess that before? He stopped writing to them after a final letter was sent, and that was that. He dove into his Smithy work for the next few Turns.
And then he was Searched. At twenty-five Turns, he was searched. How he was chosen now was strange to him, but Jack took the offer. Why not? It was something to do, and he was just about to age out anyway. It could be fun, and he could make new friends! He stood for Faunorath and Trelwith's first clutch of the Pass, and watched as his friends Impressed beautiful dragons and were led off the sands. He was ready to go back to work when the last large egg hatched, and the anticipated bronze egg turned out to be holding a brown. A huge brown, possibly the biggest brown Fort had ever seen. He bounded between male Candidates, and then made his choice; Jack. Jackalaios had become J'kai of brown Nixrouth, and that was that.
Weyrling training wasn't tough for J'kai, except for one aspect. V'gern, one of the two bronze weyrlings in their class. V'gern didn't like J'kai, mostly because he felt threatened by Nixrouth's size. The brown was bigger than his bronze Lixeth, and V'gern hated how friendly the ex-smithy was. Bitter and ambitious, he worked to show off and try to seem better at every turn, and lorded his higher rank over J'kai at every chance. Despite Nix being large, Lixeth was bronze, and he automatically was seen as right to lead. It was made even worse when they graduated and V'gern was put as a Wingsecond alongside J'kai. The brownrider was okay with being Wingsecond, but not with him. V'gern's ego worsened two Turns later, when his bronze caught a junior gold and sired a clutch. He sired a gold egg too, which almost made V'gern float off of Pern.
Then, one Threadfall things would change. By then V'gern was praised, and the Wingleader of J'kai's Wing. It was hard for him to 'second when he despised his leader, and tensions would prove to blow. Lixeth hissed at Nixrouth, and the startled brown accidentally misdirected his flame towards a green. The flaming green would knock into other dragons, costing their Wing many fighters. V'gern blamed the accident on J'kai, and he was pressured into transferring. He transferred to Mavros just in time for Aerroth and Zevranth's P10T5 clutch.[/a]