"This is the army! No one can do the best they can!"
--Col. Henry Blake
BASICS
NAME: B’layk (pronounced like Blake), formerly Bhenlayk
GENDER: Cis man
PRONOUNS: He/him/his
ORIENTATION: Bog-standard straight, serial monogamist
BIRTHDATE: Early Spring 2728
AGE: 47 as of 2775
LOCATION: Fort Weyr
OCCUPATION: Wingrider, father, apprentice Healer, self-proclaimed best diagnostician in Aurora wing
WING: Aurora
APPEARANCE
EYES: Blue
HAIR: Lighter brown
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 6’3” with a dad bod
PLAY-BY: McLean Stevenson
EXPY SOURCE: Lt. Col. Henry Blake (M*A*S*H*)
FULL APPEARANCE:
B'layk has the build of a man who was clearly quite athletic and slender in his youth before the pudge of middle-age set in. He has a straight nose and narrow face, which seems perpetually set in a vaguely confused or surprised expression. His posture is typically quite relaxed, and when not in riding leathers (which is only when absolutely necessary) he is most commonly seen in garb more appropriate on a fishing trip. He defaults to Fort colors, as a way of showing his pride and allegiance to his Weyr. His clothes always end up looking a little disheveled no matter how careful he is.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY:
B'layk has a big heart and is a great team player, but he is not always the most articulate or self-assured individual. He has a habit of stumbling over his words and putting his foot in his mouth when he's nervous. He also tends to keep talking in those situations unless someone stops him. In contrast, when he's feeling particularly proud of something, he tends to stop listening, often talking over people and repeating himself unnecessarily.
B'layk has a bit of a people-pleasing streak, which makes him fairly easy to fool as he'd rather assume the best in people. Experience has made him slightly more discerning, but only if someone has a reputation or they've already fooled him several times before. He doesn't like to put his foot down, and will often give people as much leeway as he can get away with, but if pushed enough (or if something else has him sufficiently pissed off) he is capable of finding his spine and laying down the law. He tries to be fair when settling disputes.
Despite often coming across as a bumbling oaf, he does like to read, and particularly likes to read scrolls about diseases and injuries in Fort's records. While he has minimal official training as a Healer, he fancies himself a 'diagnostician', as he is pretty good at diagnosis what someone has based just on their symptoms, although he is not as right as he likes to think he is; nothing beats the hands-on experience a Healer gets for figuring out what a problem is.
B'layk is a very devoted father and partner, albeit not the best at either. He is very attentive to his lady when she's in the room, but can easily get caught up in other distractions and then it's like she doesn't exist. He prefers being in a relationship to being single, and will make many compromises to make something work. He is similarly doting-yet-compromising with his children, and his most used phrase is "ask the crecheworkers". The one thing he will not compromise on is Radarth's happiness, however.
HISTORY
FAMILY: Bloomington Holders
SIGNIFICANT OTHER:
BIRTHPLACE: Bloomington, mid-sized Hold in Fort Territory
HISTORY:
Bhenlayk was born in Bloomington, where he lead the life of a fairly average holder lad. He had several siblings that he'd play with and parents that loved him, and when he was ten decided he wanted to become a Healer, and so began his apprenticeship. His masters seemed dubious of his aptitude for the work, though, as he'd often get tongue-tied when called upon, giving the wrong answers (though he knew the right one, and was simply flustered at having to speak in front of the class). When he was fifteen and Searched, his masters and family all encouraged him to go to Fort Weyr. He could always go back to Healercraft if the dragon thing didn't work out.
When he was eighteen, Bhenlayk impressed to blue Radarth and became B'layk. Their weyrlinghood was relatively relaxed and uneventful. Thread didn't return until B'layk was in his late twenties, after all, so there wasn't much for them to worry about. They took to threadfighting fairly well. Not the best duo in the air, but hardly the worst either. And then the war came. Yes, war had been to Fort before, but B'layk had been too young to be expected to do anything about it before. B'layk did what he did best in times of strife: Put his head down, follow orders, and just try to hold on until it was all over. He's grateful that things have calmed down in recent turns, and that Tuckal - who is reasonably level-headed - is the one who ended up in charge.
B’layk has had a few serious partners since becoming a rider, and has several children from them. He made a point of trying to be present for the births of as many of his children as he could be (not always possible thanks to threadfall). He makes a point of staying in his kids' lives, even if he's not particularly good at being a dad, even if he didn't have his duties as a dragonrider.
