"So this sort of pastime is popular these days, is it? How interesting~ I must say, it's a feast for my eyes."
BASICS
NAME: Hong'lu
GENDER: Male
PRONOUNS: He/Him/His
ORIENTATION: Romantic Homosexual
BIRTHDATE: Early Fall 2751
AGE: 23 as of Late Spring 2775
LOCATION: High Reaches Weyr
OCCUPATION: Bronzerider
WING: Firestorm
APPEARANCE
EYES: Blue
HAIR: Black
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 6'
PLAY-BY: Hong Lu (Limbus Company)
EXPY SOURCE: Hong Lu (Limbus Company)
FULL APPEARANCE:
Hong'lu is of average height and build, slim but fit from working with Gerauth. His complexion is quite pale and he burns easily, so he tends to wear long sleeves and pants if he is going to be out in the sun for an extended period of time. His black hair is quite long, even when pulled back, which it tends to be when he's out and about. He leaves it down for feasts and when not on duty. His eyes are a light blue that tend to shine with enthusiasm. He's very fashion forward, so his entire wardrobe, casual and work, follows all of the current trends.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY:
As a result of his sheltered and privileged upbringing, Hong'lu has a childlike fascination and curiosity with the world. He is incredibly curious as to how the other half lives and always wants to try it for himself, considering it a novelty rather than someone's way of life. This isn't out of malice, but ignorance; it just doesn't occur to him that the wealth his family has isn't universal. He can be rather out of touch with reality at times to the point of being completely oblivious to others feelings. Despite this, he has a unique emotional intelligence and incredible compassion for others, offering sound advice or comfort when needed. He's prone to fierce emotional attachments, both platonic and romantic, the loss of which cause him profound emotional distress. He’s quite observant, though more often than not he’s paying attention to the wrong things.
Due to his upbringing, he is extremely eager to experience Weyr life. He embraces all chores and tasks with a strange enthusiasm, even going so far as to volunteer to do tasks that could be considered difficult or disgusting. This is in direct (and confusing) conflict with his desire to be the most beautiful and fashionable at all times. He isn’t catty or mean about it, but he can certainly be annoying, happy to chat away about his fineries whether people want to hear about it or not.
HISTORY
FAMILY:
Father- Zheng
Mother- Zhao
Older Brother- Jiahuan
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: N/A
BIRTHPLACE: Minor hold in Igen territory
HISTORY:
Hongalou was born second to Lord Zheng and Lady Zhao of a minor Igen hold after his older brother Jiahuan. His mother babied him from day one, making sure he had the finest things money could buy, the best education possible, and all the attention he could ever want. She worried excessively and kept him close to her as much as possible to keep him away from the dangers of the world. While her intentions were good, Hongalou grew up in blissful naivety without many of the skills he would need to face the outside world. So sheltered was he that he didn't even register Jiahuan's honeyed contempt for what it was, having no idea how little his brother thought of him.
Concerned as he was with the running of the hold, Zheng was mostly unaware of his younger son's lack of socialization and 'street smarts' until Hongalou was nearly twelve. Putting his foot down, he insisted the boy go meet with other hold children and learn to interact with them. Despite his wife's protests, Hongalou engaged in 'playdates' with the other youngsters of the hold. These... went. While social, Hongalou was rather oblivious about the world around him and would often say things that were less than welcoming, such as referring to his own wealth and privilege to the disparagement of others' situations. He didn't mean to offend, but at times he did, and thus he wasn't the most popular of people amongst his peers. That didn't seem to bother him as there was now a whole new world to explore to assuage his curiosity.
Searchriders from Igen came to the hold not long after he turned fifteen, and much to Hongalou's (and Jiahuan's) delight (and his mother's despair) he was searched for candidacy. There was no hesitation when he accepted, wanting to see even more of the world, and in no time at all he was brought to Igen and thrust into candidacy. Life at the Weyr was quite a bit different from what he was used to. He was expected to pitch with chores no matter how physical as part of candidacy, and lessons were geared toward dragons and their care. It took some time to adjust to this pace, leading to some annoyed peers and teachers. The longer he spent at Igen, however, the more Hongalou settled in to the routine. He began to embrace hard work more than he ever had at home, and the people here were so interesting!
He spent the better part of three turns as a candidate, slowly learning the ins and outs of social interactions and working with a group as hatching after hatching passed. He wasn't much perturbed by the wait since there was plenty to do in the meantime. In the spring of 2770 he Impressed to Bronze Gerauth much to his delight. It didn't bother him that Gerauth was almost his opposite. All he knew was that this was his friend and they were friends forever.
Weyrlinghood had a rocky start as, still in a bit of the post Impression euphoria, Hong'lu didn't take things quite so seriously, and Gerauth was completely uninterested. A good talking to from the Weyrlingmaster kicked Hong'lu into gear, though Gerauth continued to be somewhat difficult to get motivated. They ultimately passed through weyrlinghood without many issues, even if their performance wasn't stellar, and integrated into the wings of Igen to perform their full duties.
Five turns would pass at Igen mostly uneventfully. There were some threadfall injuries here and there, an occasional fling, but it was quiet for the most part. Hong'lu did his best to keep himself busy and Gerauth motivated, but the routine was making him complacent. Wanting a change and a somewhat cooler climate, he requested a transfer to High Reaches which was granted in late spring 2775.
