"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton
BASICS
NAME: Benedict
GENDER: Cis Male
PRONOUNS: He/Him/His
ORIENTATION: Questioning
BIRTHDATE: Late Spring 2245
AGE: 27 as of Late Fall 2772
LOCATION: Fort Weyr
OCCUPATION: Wherhandler (Garnet)
WING: Dusk Squad
APPEARANCE
EYES: Warm Brown
HAIR: Deepwood Brown
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 6'4" | Pudgy
PLAY-BY: Luke Thompson
FULL APPEARANCE:
Benedict is very long of leg and well.. that's about it. He was once in better shape but his art took precedence over his exercise and his fondness for apple tarts and sweeter things have left him with a few pounds that he could lose if he chose to. His hair is kept a bit shorter, with a slight curl to it and soft as down. His warm brown eyes are often full of gentle warmth and a twinkle of amusement in the right cases and his skin is on the paler side, as he does not spend as much time outside as he used to. He has no facial hair to speak of and often dresses in relaxed fit clothing of various earth tones of browns and greens, preferring practicality over finery, though not to say he does not have a suit or two for special occasions and gatherings if he must attend them.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY:
Benedict is a very kind and usually calm man. Born the second eldest of the siblings in his family and perhaps the only son with a lick of responsibility.. at least most of the time. He is a very gentle, sensitive and endearing man, often reaching out to those around him with an open ear to listen to their woes and a soothing reassurance or bit of advice if its needed. He cares deeply for his family, though he is particularly closer to Eloise than his other siblings and the two often spoke of how they had wanted to walk a different path than what the expected course of their lives dictated.
An artist at heart, he often draws to channel the inner anxiety and somewhat sense of dread he feels when his time to find a wife and marry comes. With his elder brother often shirking his responsibilities, Benedict often finds himself quietly cleaning up the messes and trying to put a lid on the family chaos, which never really works and often leaves him irritable and stressed out. He often keeps his thoughts and opinions to himself unless asked directly for them and does not really speak out of turn.
He abides by the adage of being seen but not heard and thus, not often will he speak out against another, as he believes it to be rude if there is not a good reason for it. That is what he would like people to believe but the truth is that he is very anxious and almost a coward when it comes to direct confrontations. He is also very much at war with his orientation, often keeping his desires to himself and worried what it will do to his family if he is found to be harboring desires for anyone other than the woman he is expected to marry.
His lack of standing up to others is a lot more open when he is put on the spot in a difficult position and has to take a side or the other and rather than do so, he flees. He flees the difficult calls, he flees the complicated decisions.. he would rather just.. be free of having to make such choices. Fleeing is his way of not dealing with having to hurt anyone by making a wrong call, the wrong choice.. losing a friend or connection over not picking one side over the other.
HISTORY
FAMILY:
Edmund - Father | Holder ; Deceased
Violet - Mother
Anthony - Older Brother
Colin - Older Brother
Daphne- Younger Sister
Eloise - Younger Sister
Francesca - Younger Sister
Gregory - Younger Brother
Hyacinth - Younger sister
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: No?
BIRTHPLACE: Minor Hold beholden to Fort
HISTORY:
Born as the second son and child into his family, Benedict always was seen as the backup plan if Anthony didn't live up to his role and/or something terrible happened to him to make him no longer able to fulfill his duty. Thus from the start, he was educated and taught what such a role would mean but was constantly reminded of the fact that he was secondboy and barring anything unfortunate, he always would be and he was expected to stand by his elder brother and offer him advice and assistance in matters as needed. When their father passed, the burden of responsibility landed on his brother's shoulders and while he did his best to show support for the older sibling.. it was tiresome.
Thus he turned to his one coping mechanism... art. He drew when he was stressed.. he drew when he was depressed.. art was his escape. The only other solace in the chaos he found were his talks and bonding with his younger sister Eloise, whom he shared a desire to escape the destiny that was expected of them. He would have loved to be a candidate for a dragon.. or even the magnificent whers he had gotten glimpses of on occasion. Anything had to be better than this rigid role he was expected to fill.
He met another artist at a gather one evening and was invited to a private party with other artists. What he did not expect was the amount of woman there.. in various states of undress. This was not what he thought he was getting into. Rather than join into the escapades around him, he pulled out his drawing book and drew several of the patrons.
Becoming increasingly uncomfortable, he rose and went to go tell his host he needed to leave.. and walked into his host in a passionate position with another holder's son. Shocked and feeling flighty, he bolted from the room and avoided contact with this person altogether, despite the latter's attempts to explain himself. This only furthered the feelings of conflict in his own sexuality and caused him to really question himself again.
When his sister Eloise put her foot down and left after being searched, he felt a void in his heart, as his little sister had been his companion and partner in misery in their household. Miserable after her departure and months later, at a gathering he was obligated to attend, he met a search rider. He was charming and before he left the party that night, he told Benedict he had the potential and should come to Fort on a more permanent basis.
Mulling it over for a few hours, he decided that this was the chance he had so been craving... that if he let this go now.. he would be married off more likely before he got another chance to escape. Rather than say anything or ask if his mother would let him go, he stole away into the night, leaving his mother a letter and using the excuse that he was merely going to look after his sister.. though eventually his lie will come out and there will be a reckoning.. but that is all later, right?
UPDATES
- Late Winter 2772 - Purchased a wher egg and bonded to Garnet Benesk.
