BASICS
NAME: Alkylacrylate, often shortened to "Al" but he won't answer to that
GENDER: Male
PRONOUNS: He/Him/His
ORIENTATION: Pansexual
BIRTHDATE: Early Fall 2745
AGE: 29 as of Early Summer 2775
LOCATION: Fort Weyr
OCCUPATION: Wherhandler
WING: Dawn Squad
APPEARANCE
EYES: Dark brown
HAIR: Black-brown
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 6'1", average
PLAY-BY: Liu Haikuan
FULL APPEARANCE:
Alkylacrylate is slightly on the tall side of average, with an average build. He has a diamond-shaped face with an angular jaw. His eyes are an extremely dark brown that, in most lighting, is indistinguishable from black save for when viewed up close. His hair is thick, straight, and black, though lightens in the sun to an extremely dark brown despite his reduced hours in the sun as a wherhandler. He keeps it kept cut short, and wears it neatly. Despite his profession, he likes to dress well. Looking good just feels nice, even if it isn't always strictly necessary.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY:
Alkylacrylate is a friendly, outgoing man. He's extremely social and happy to talk to just about anyone at any time. However, he doesn't tend to have many close friends, but prefers instead to have a wide circle of acquaintances. Alkysk is his only particularly close confidante. He's an extreme optimist, always believing that everything always works out for the best, regardless of how irrational that belief may be in the moment. He has a strong belief in fate, and thinks that it's possible to influence his own luck by just being positive. If someone gets hurt? It will still work out! He offends or angers someone? Clearly it was a lesson he needed, and therefore for the best! (He does try not to offend people though.) This can be a problem whenever he gambles because he's always convinced that his luck will turn for the better.
He can be unreasonably stubborn. Once his mind gets set on an idea, it's difficult to change it. He's not particularly argumentative, but he will just silently shake his head and absolutely refuse to budge from his viewpoint. This extends to his name, which he's very proud of. He does not like being called "Al", and will often refuse to acknowledge someone who tries to call him that. His name is Alkylacrylate, thank you very much. He's proud of his family in general, and will happily talk about their long history of riders. He feels some shame over having aged out instead of Impressing a dragon, but he's happy with Alkysk. Things did, in fact, work out for the best.
HISTORY
FAMILY:
Rider parents
Older sister, Allag of Brown Babyloth
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: None
BIRTHPLACE: Fort Weyr
HISTORY:
Alkylacrylate was the second child of a pair of riders who, after regretting the fact that they'd given their oldest child so little of their names, gave him as much as they could possibly manage. Was it a mouthful? Of course. But they were riders, as had their parents been, and their parents' parents before them. Surely he too would Impress a dragon someday and could then elide his name. Thankfully for them and him, he grew up thinking his parents were just about the most interesting, coolest people ever and loved his name.
His older sister was also one of the coolest people in the world in his eyes. She got to talk with her hands, and when he learned sign language as well it felt like a secret code they shared. He looked up to her, and when she eventually became a Candidate he couldn't wait to follow in her footsteps, more so than even getting to be like his parents. Riders were great, sure, but Allag was better than riders.
And then she Impressed to a brown not too many Turns after he finally joined her as a Candidate, and was a rider (and still cooler than other riders). Alkylacrylate flourished as a Candidate, making friends with many of his peers, or at least he called them friends. He was gregarious and social and thoroughly enjoyed his time, even as the Turns passed without his Impressing. And passed. And... passed.
He aged out. There was no fanfare, he just failed. But he'd already formulated a plan over the last Turn as he confronted the possibility that maybe things working out for the best for him wouldn't involve a dragon at all. He waited for the next Gather, and bought himself a wher egg. After all, if the ground crew was good enough for his older sister, then it was good enough for him too. He had to wait a couple of weeks for the egg to hatch, and being patient was difficult, but the egg did eventually break its shell.
Alkysk was a blue. He looked like he was covered in bubbles, but his personality was anything but bubbly. That was fine; Alkylacrylate was sure he could be outgoing and cheerful enough for the both of them. He loved his wher and, though it wasn't the life he'd grown up imagining, he loved being a wherhandler. He could protect Pern like his family always had, just in a slightly different way. And that's what they did. When the pair finished their wherling training, they joined Dawn Squad.
It was a good couple of Turns after that, until Threadfall went badly. Really badly. Alkylacrylate and Alkysk got out unharmed, but a lot of people didn't; for the first time, he almost wondered if some things weren't for the best. Someone could have died. But no, surely this was just what fate decreed. Fort would have to keep going, because what else could they do? And surely they'd come out stronger for it in the end.
