"I'm just a shadow of a shadow of a shadow always trying to catch up with myself
I'm just an echo of an echo of an echo, listening to someone's cry for help...
I am little pieces, pieces that were picked up on the way"
-Copy of A by Nine Inch Nails
BASICS
NAME: Liau (Liaurok birth name)
GENDER: Nonbinary (amab)
PRONOUNS: he/him or they/them but does not correct/object to she
ORIENTATION: Demisexual panromantic
BIRTHDATE: Late Spring 2747
AGE: 24 as of Late Spring 2771
LOCATION: Fort Weyr
OCCUPATION: Searchrider, Apprentice healer
WING: Healer's Wing
APPEARANCE
EYES: Brown
HAIR: Brown, short
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 5'11" with a slender figure that looks androgynous in the traditional sense
PLAY-BY: Jayr Tinaco
FULL APPEARANCE: Liau is amab and nonbinary, and neither their gender nor their physical sex is readily evident from a glance. Although they lack feminine curves, their appearance is relatively feminine. Sometimes, others mistake them for a man; just as often, they are mistaken for a woman. While they identify as neither, they don't mind being seen as either binary gender. They wear their brown hair short, a bit longer in the front than in the back, with a neat look about it. Their eyebrows are elegantly shaped, though a bit thick, resting over their brown eyes.
At 5'11" with a slender, wiry figure, slight and narrow, they are androgynous, and almost fragile in appearance. They are stronger than they look, and they are quite fast, but they lack endurance for long, sustained activity. They tend to wear clothing that carefully hides their lack of curves, preferring soft colors, whites, powder blues, and soft purples. They speak softly, as if to make others pay closer attention, in a smooth and calm voice.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY: Liau is the quiet, softspoken sort that blends into the background, but do not mistake their somewhat passive nature for a lack of strength. They may be obedient, perhaps too much so, and show deference towards their loved ones, but this comes from a passionate and conscious decision to serve, protect, and be "of use," in whatever way they think they can. They live to help their loved ones (largely their dads and Chugoth), and although they will try to be kind, generous, and helpful to others, everything is put to the side when it comes to their loved ones. Self-sacrificing, and even other-sacrificing, when it comes to those they care about, they would do anything to help those in their inner circle. However, Liau does have a generally kind and sweet personality. They undeniably want to help others, want to be useful, and have a kind heart. They dislike upsetting others, though they do what they feel they "must". They are loyal to those they love--but no one else--even to their own detriment. They can be a bit naïve and innocent, putting their dads and Chugoth on a pedestal--though they may still nag and try to be a voice of reason to both. They can be a bit blunt when it comes to this, directly stating that someone may not have the capacity for a plan or goal to succeed.
Liau is incredibly competent, with a sharp mind and quick wits. They are adaptable and resourceful, working well under pressure, and they prefer to be underestimated. They have a good mind for puzzles and creative problems. With gentle hands, a mind for knowledge, and extreme patience, they are a good healer. They lack ambition for themselves entirely, and avoid looking too closely at their future aspirations, perhaps for fear of what little they will find. In fact, they don't feel like they have much of an identity. They try to act like whatever other people expect them to be, whoever people need them to be. As a result, they go with the flow a lot, particularly in terms of how people perceive their gender. Although they may seem calm and collected, Liau is extremely sensitive, especially to criticism. Their composure breaks at times, usually in the privacy of their own weyr, where they break down and let themselves feel their emotions. They put a lot of pressure on themselves, and often wonder if they are doing a good enough job.
Perhaps because they don’t like what they see, they avoid focusing on any of their own aspirations and goals. They have few interests and little awareness of their own needs and desires. As a result, they are prone to tumultuous, co-dependent relationships. They can be very insecure, with their sense of self and self-esteem hinging entirely on how their loved ones perceive them. No matter how hard they try to keep themselves together, they are far more vulnerable than they let on.
HISTORY
FAMILY:
-Father: Unaroken
-Mother: Aliauze
-Older siblings (in birth order): Rokalia (f), Unaire (f), Alinar (m)
-Younger siblings (in birth order): Auzeron (m), Uzuna (f)
-"Adopted" Fathers: J'zar of Green Miranyeth, Weyrfolk Koerin
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: None
BIRTHPLACE: Southern Boll Hold (under Fort Weyr)
HISTORY: Unaroken and Aliauze, both healer journeymen, had three children. When their oldest, Rokalia, was 6, they had another; Liaurok. In 2747, the youngest was born, but only 9 months later, their brother Auzeron was born. Uzuna wouldn't come around until they were 5, but Liau never had the real experience of being anything but a middle child.
Liau didn't assert any particular gender identity growing up, but seemed to like them all. They never considered any issue with he, but would mention in passing that they/them was fine. They generally were androgynous, with interests that were both traditionally masculine AND traditionally feminine, but felt no pressure from their parents to conform to a binary. This was, in part, because their parents had many children, and Liau got lost in the shuffle a lot. Their parents weren't neglectful or abusive, but the wallflower child found themselves lonely, quiet, and prone to blending in. Their parents weren't especially attentive to their needs or desires, but only because there was so much going on in their family.
At 8, Liau sought out their parents' approval by becoming a healer apprentice. They soon found they liked it, but their parents didn't pay them any additional attention. Thread returned around this time, and the interval war, irrelevant as it was to Liau's life, ended.
When they were around 11, they met a visiting greenrider. J'zar was visiting his aunt at the hold, and was surprised to notice a quiet youth with dark, intelligent eyes watching him with curiosity. J'zar approached the child, and Liau admitted to admiring his knots. J'zar and Liau instantly got along, and J'zar would increase his visits to the hold just to see this youth. Liau, for his parent, wanted to be a dragonrider due to their admiration of J'zar. On Liau's 15th nameday, J'zar brought them to the weyr on search, officially, as though this was the perfect excuse. Liau was more than happy to leave their old family and healer duties behind. Their parents and siblings, distant though they may be, wished them luck. They do not keep in contact with them.
When Liau got to the weyr, J'zar insisted on unofficially adopting Liau. This was his CHILD now. It didn't matter that Liau was 15, he had two new dads and, according to J'zar, that was that. J'zar's weyrmate, a weyrfolk at Fort, was just as eager to be a father to the teenager. Liau quickly attached to J'zar's weyrmate as well, and would do anything for his dads. Bright eyed and full of hope, but with a quiet maturity, Liau prepared themselves to stand for clutches. In early Fall of 2762, Liau participated in the candidate transfer program, arriving at High Reaches Weyr and Impressing to Chugoth. The dragon was...interesting, but Liau loved him dearly, swearing to protect him. If dragons could exist without their rider, Liau would have willingly given his life for his fathers or for Chugoth; but because of the attachment, Liau grew to have a stronger sense of physical self-preservation. Weyrlinghood was hard on them; they just wanted to go home to their dads. After graduating, they moved back to Fort Weyr.
Liau joined the healer's wing, and as a result, got by without ever getting a threadfall injury, despite losses felt by their weyr, and pern, over the turns. A plague hit Pern, and threadfall injuries were worse due to the plague, so Liau was very busy with their healer duties. They approached journeyman status over the turns, but due to their dual role as a dragonrider, they have not reached it yet. The same turn, Serapheth's dramatic hatching led to the eventual establishment of Semaca Weyr and the rescuing of kidnapped riders. Benden was threatening Liau's weyr, and they hated it. When the trailblazers hatch and were poisoned, Liau did his best to help care for them. Wyzeth's existence was discovered, and Liau was hardly surprised by Benden.
In 2767, Hinokath--an assumedly "male" blue--rose, and clutched a single egg. Hinokath was a lady, fooling everyone--including her rider. Liau jokingly asked Chugoth if there was anything he wanted to tell them. In the same turn, Nornth's maiden flight grew bloody, but Liau found himself with somewhat (only somewhat, because it was tragic) less sympathy for the Benden ex-riders. Still, they found that Nornth and Blaze's deaths weren't just horrible and tragic--they were also a relief. Nornth caused the end of other dragons, and may do the same in the future. The weyr was safer without her...though Liau did mourn the death, regardless. As traditionalists rose in strength and commonality, Liau found themselves not caring much; when Neozoth's eggs were stolen by High Reaches, the weyr Liau had Impressed at, they still didn't care. But when Z'osh took power, he harmed riders like J'zar, and Liau felt a fire burning in his heart. Did he care about anything else related to the event? No. But J'zar was outspoken about Z'osh, and being a greenrider did the man no favors. Chugoth also disliked Z'osh for OPPRESSING his wonderful self, so Liau felt his dislike and passion on that level, as well.
UPDATES
- Fall 2772: A clump of Thread falls on Chugoth when he and Liau are going to help another pair. Chugoth's back and left wing are scored (Moderate). Liau is unharmed… but doesn't notice that the Thread has actually destroyed their belt. Their pants fall down pretty much immediately after they get off of their dragon.
