"Never think I have abandoned you. When the sun shines on you, it is my smile. When you hear the breeze stir through the apple blossoms, it is my whisper that I love you. My love is yours forever."
-Perrin Aybara, The Wheel of Time
BASICS
RETIRE INFO: Character - Retire, Dragon - Adopt
NAME: G'rel, born Gaerel
GENDER: Demiboy
PRONOUNS: he/him/his
ORIENTATION: Panromantic demisexual
BIRTHDATE: Early fall 2742
AGE: 26 as of summer 2769
LOCATION: Semaca Weyr
OCCUPATION: Wingrider
WING: Minuet
APPEARANCE
EYES: Brown
HAIR: Black
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 6' 0", thin but surprisingly strong
PLAY-BY: Harrison Knight
FULL APPEARANCE: As a teenager, G'rel grew mostly vertically, with any horizontal growth being a secondary consideration. He's still catching up in the horizontal department and is still pretty skinny. Riding has given him strength that might be surprising considering his build, though. He's usually found with a smile lighting his brown eyes. He prefers simpler clothing, well-made but without any fancy embroidery or bright colors. Some think he dresses deliberately plainly, as a rebellion against the ornate clothes he was forced into when he was younger.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY: Despite being raised in a very practical and ambitious family, G'rel is stubbornly a big sappy idealistic romantic. He firmly believes that the world will be a better place someday, and that he's found his one true love and just needs to win them back. He quietly brushes off any evidence to the contrary on either front, much to the exasperation of the people around him. He never quite outgrew his childhood fascination with dragons and Harper's tales. His Impressing Andorith is just a confirmation in his mind that the stories are true, and that anyone can do anything if they set their mind to it.
He tries to be as kind as he can, and although he does have some internalized classism, he actively tries to work beyond it. He never thinks he is doing quite enough to "make up" for his privileged upbringing, and has little self-confidence. Shy, if near-unfailingly polite, he struggles to get to know people well. He tends to reveal little about himself, preferring to deflect the conversation to other topics. Unfortunately, he tends to shut down under stress or when pressed about his past, and only Andorith or his sister can pull him out of his shell and get him going again.
HISTORY
FAMILY: Parents advisers to the Benden leadership; twin sister - wherhandler
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: formerly Liyanel
BIRTHPLACE: Benden Hold
HISTORY:
TW: brief transphobia/homophobia
G'rel was born Gaerel to a wealthy Benden couple, advisers to the Lord and Lady. He was never outright mistreated or neglected, despite having busy parents. The weight of expectation was heavy on him as the first (and only) son, however. He was taught how to take his parents' place one day, not that the lessons stuck. His sister was much more suited to that life. He much preferred to be daydreaming, mostly about dragons and Harper's tales.
Eventually despairing of teaching him themselves, his parents sent him to Southern Boll to be fostered. Hopefully others could teach him what they could not. This proved to be a mistake, at least from their point of view. Gaerel met Liyanel, a fellow fosterling about a Turn younger, and promptly fell in love. Although his sister kept his secret, Gaerel's parents found out from friends in Southern Boll and were extremely displeased that their son hadn't had the basic decency to fall in love with a "proper girl."
They quickly arranged a marriage for him. Gaerel dug in his heels and refused, in one of the biggest (and only) displays of willpower he's shown in his life. When he threatened to run away to Benden Weyr with Liyanel, his parents grew desperate. They shunted him off to the Weyr themselves, hoping that he'd become a bronzerider and do something right for the family. He had no time to explain to Liyanel, and the latter figured he'd abandoned aer and eventually moved on.
Gaerel had definitely not abandoned aer, but at his first Hatching, he Impressed a green and was wrapped up in weyrling training for eighteen months. After that, he tried to get into contact with aer, but his letters to both Southern Boll and aer home hold were returned. Unbeknownst to him, Liyanel had been Searched for Fort Weyr. Aer parents had never forgiven him for "abandoning" Liyanel and thought it best to ignore his letters. He continued to write in vain. He also had to deal with the lingering prejudice against greenriders at Benden.
With Nebulaeth's Impression, word spread to Benden, and G'rel decided it was past time to transfer to Semaca. It was an opportunity for a fresh start, and to make amends.
UPDATES
- Spring 2767 - Andorith accidentally flies into Nephthyth, and her belly is wounded by the blue's defensive claws. G'rel receives a moderate scrape on his right calf, but is far more concerned about his dragon.
