"Wavering is a sign of weakness!"
-Garp, One Piece
BASICS
NAME: G'arp
GENDER: Cis Man
PRONOUNS: he/him/his
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual, but not particularly interested at the moment
BIRTHDATE: Late Spring 2693
AGE: 83 as of 2776
LOCATION: Fort Weyr
OCCUPATION: Rider
WING: Equinox Wing
APPEARANCE
EYES: Blue
HAIR: Gray, kept short
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 6'6" and barrel-chested
PLAY-BY: Monkey D. Garp
EXPY SOURCE: Monkey D. Garp (One Piece)
FULL APPEARANCE:
G'arp is a tall and imposing man with a good amount of muscle for someone his age. He sports a gray goatee that matches his faded hair, which he keeps cropped fairly short.. A crescent shaped scar circles his left eye. He tends to have two extremes when it comes to his facial expression, either a stern grimace or a beaming smile. Rarely is there something between. He has a strong brow and an even stronger jawline, he was quite handsome when he was younger. After many years of exposure to the elements, his skin is weathered and wrinkled, but his body is still strong. For someone his age, he is still plenty spry and capable of manual labor and the physical demands of being a rider. He is well muscled and a capable fighter.
When it comes to his apparel, G'arp is typically seen in riding leathers. When he is one duty, he keeps himself dressed appropriately, though he has been known to wear a goofy hat on occasion during the colder parts of the turn. When he is enjoying his leisure time, he can be seen wearing colorful shirts with garish patterns.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY:
G'arp is a passionate man that truly loves being a rider of Pern. He sees the job as the highest of honors and a great privilege, so he trains constantly and pushes himself to be the best rider he can be. He fully expects those around him to do the same, and will do everything he can to help others train to be the best versions of themselves. He does not coddle people though, and has been known to ignore complaints and limitations, insisting that they can be pushed past, even if they cannot. His extreme expectations of others comes from a place of caring, he knows he cannot always be there to protect his family and those he loves, so he wants them to be as prepared as possible to make it on their own.
In conversation, he is blunt and doesn't particularly care what others think of him. If someone is annoying or he thinks ill of them, he'll say it to their face. Amongst his peers, he is boisterous and a bit of a jokester, not taking things very seriously unless the situation is truly dire. He's a bit more buttoned up in front of younger riders, but the serious facade can quickly crumble.
G'arp is loyal to his family and loved ones, no matter what. He still cares for his son, even though he transferred to Benden during the interval war. He also does not believe in absolutes, and thinks that even criminals deserve a chance at redemption. If he doesn't agree with orders from higher up, he will bend the rules as much as possible to not compromise on his beliefs.
HISTORY
FAMILY:
Parents - Fisherfolk
Son - Transferred to Benden during the Interval War
Grandson - L'ffy of Brown Dioth
Adoptive Grandsons - Ace, Sabo
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: None at the moment
BIRTHPLACE: Minor hold near Fort
HISTORY:
TW: Injury, death mention
Ganarp was born to a pair of fisherfolk in a minor hold in Fort territory. He had a pretty unremarkable childhood, living with his parents and assisting where he could with their livelihoods. At age 15, he was Searched by a Fort rider, and readily agreed to enter the candidacy.
Though they were in an interval and Thread had not fallen on Pern for quite some time, Ganarp still felt it was his duty to serve as a rider, should he be fortunate enough to impress. After his first time on the sands, he did not impress. Attributing this to not being strong enough or ready, Ganarp began enforcing a personal training regime on himself outside of the candidate training in order to grow stronger and prove himself. After several turns, he impressed at age 20 to blue Kobeth.
Ganarp, now G'arp, would still continue his daily physical regime, as he refused to let down his new partner by becoming soft or weak. As Kobeth grew, he too would join G'arp for extra drills and practice, not wanting to let his partner down.
After graduating from Weyrlinghood, G'arp had a fling with another rider, who would later give birth to a boy. G'arp was more than proud to be a father, and made sure to keep in touch with his son when he could, which wasn't as often as he would have liked with his rider duties and extra training, but it was better than nothing.
Then the Interval War broke out. G'arp and Kobeth fought for Fort, defending their weyr and the territories of it. G'arp and Kobeth had several close calls over the course of the war, the closest of which was a particularly nasty battle with some riders from Benden. G'arp was struck in the head, but insisted that he could keep fighting. Kobeth knew better, and was able to evacuate him in time for healers to do their part and keep him alive. The others who they had been fighting alongside perished that day. G'arp still bears the scar along his temple, and only sees it as more reason for him to stay vigilant with his training. He fully believes that had he been stronger, he could have turned the tide of battle.
Not all of the war was terrible. During this time, G'arp got to see his son grow into a man and impress a dragon of his own. He even saw the birth of his grandson, Luffy, who he adored. Shortly after Luffy's birth though, his son left for Benden, and G'arp vowed that he would be more present in his grandson's life so he wouldn't do the same. It was shameful for a rider to leave and join an enemy Weyr, and though he still loved his son, G'arp did not want to see Luffy do the same.
So G'arp began training Luffy excessively, pushing the boy to be stronger and braver. Luffy ended up befriending a few other boys, Ace and Sabo, who became like brothers to the lad. G'arp happily trained all three, eager to see more young riders follow in his footsteps, and even thought of Ace and Sabo like they were his own flesh and blood.
Then Sabo left with his mother and perished in a bandit attack. An unfortunate loss that he grieved, but he still had two boys under his tutelage. He continued to train them as he could, and eventually both Ace and Luffy, now L'ffy impressed. Ace left shortly after graduating, but L'ffy stayed, and G'arp was proud.
G'arp has continued to watch his grandson grow into a fine rider and man, and feels slightly better about leaving the weyr to the next generation. He's not ready to retire quite yet, so he continues to serve and protect Fort, which he holds dear. He hopes to continue to mentor candidates and young riders to keep Fort strong, and keep peace steady.
