"One man's villain is another man's hero, Captain."
--Gul Dukat, portrayed by Marc Alaimo, DS9
BASICS
NAME: Dukat
GENDER: Cis man
PRONOUNS: he/him/his
ORIENTATION: Pan
BIRTHDATE: Spring 2724
AGE: 51 as of 2775
LOCATION: High Reaches Weyr
OCCUPATION: Journeyman Vintner, Bronzehandler
WING: Sunburst Squad
APPEARANCE
EYES: Green
HAIR: Black, gray at temples
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 6'0, broad-shouldered, slender
PLAY-BY: Marc Alaimo
EXPY SOURCE: Very loosely inspired by Gul Dukat (DS9)
FULL APPEARANCE:
Dukat has leathery, worn skin, though that's more a case of genetics than because he's spent any more time toiling in the sun than other Weyrfolk. He has bushy eyebrows, a straight nose, and an unusually long neck. He has broad shoulders, but a relatively slender build for that. He's quick with a smile, and has a soft, smooth voice in the tenor range. When he's calm, he tends to speak slowly, as if he's choosing his words carefully. He carries himself like he knows he oozes charm, but anyone who knows him well would say that he simply oozes.
Dukat wears whatever clothes would be considered most appropriate for any given situation. He takes reasonable care of his personal effects, but he's definitely the sort of man who's more likely to replace damaged or stained clothes rather than try to salvage them. When given the choice, Dukat will wear leathers. While he's not a rider, he will never pass up the opportunity to remind people that he is of a Weyr.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY:
Dukat's mental image of himself is that of a noble protector of Pern and the poor, helpless Holder folk. While it's true that holders can bond to whers, they did not receive training in a Weyr. It's not their fault they don't have the skills to bring out the fullest potential of their bonds, that they are - objectively - inferior to Weyr-trained wherhandlers, especially bronzes. Truly, he only wants what is best for all of Pern, and is just trying to help those who cannot help themselves. He is a man of discipline, one who has earned respect and the power he one day hopes to wield.
The reality of Dukat is that he comes across as arrogant, dismissive, and condescending. When his own perceived benevolence goes unappreciated, he can get a little huffy, a tad sarcastic, just a smidge snippy. While he can come across as charming sometimes, his overinflated sense of superiority can quickly spoil that for most people. Despite his massive ego, he is largely good at his job, which is part of why it's so hard to get rid of him. Another reason he is hard to get rid of is that he simply cannot fathom that someone wouldn't like him, or at the very least admire him in some way. He is a very ambitious man, though he tries to downplay that as much as possible; he likes to think of himself as humble, after all. While he can be disciplined, he is more capable of being distracted by personal matters than he'd like to admit.
Dukat is a traditionalist, but not a belligerent one. After all, it isn't as though women choose the bronzes that impress to them, men choose the golds, nor anyone the strange mutation dragons, and obviously bronze and gold whers are too valuable to let run off into the wild. He is more critical of handlers with white, garnet, and mutation whers, however, as those could easily be rejected without condemning them to death. He goes out of his way to assure the riders of strange dragons that he does not blame them, that it is not their fault their dragons are aberrations. He doesn't understand why his benevolent pity doesn't go over well. With all of his relationships, he likes to feel like the one in charge, likes to be a benevolent patriarch. As this doesn't tend to go over well for anyone with self-respect, none of his major relationships have lasted terribly long. Despite this, he views family as the most important thing after loyalty to one's Weyr, and will stand by any partners or children of his regardless of what they do.
HISTORY
FAMILY:
Parents - Benden weyrfolk
Several children - Ziyal (favorite daughter), Mekor (only son)
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: lmao (none)
BIRTHPLACE: Benden Weyr
HISTORY:
Dukat was born in Benden Weyr in 2724. He had a relatively unremarkable childhood, but a good, close relationship with his parents. His mother worked in the creches and instilled in him the idea that women did better as mothers and nurturers. Meanwhile his father instilled in him a sense of pride for his Weyr, an interest in politics, and a ravenous ambition. Dukat was only six when the Interval War began, but his father made sure he understood exactly what was happening: The inferior Weyrs of Fort and High Reaches were squabbling over petty territory disputes, and this proved that Benden was the superior Weyr.
Dukat eventually aged out of dragon candidacy, much to his own frustration. There was very little chance for true power in Benden Weyr for anyone who wasn't a dragonrider. And leaving to become a Holder was out of the question, because as everyone knew, Weyrfolk were the superior people; a drudge at a Weyr was worth more than any Holder save perhaps for those of the Blood. Dukat's ambitions seemed to have stalled before they'd even begun, and he began trying to find another way of gaining the power and recognition he believed he deserved. Mastering a craft seemed liked the best way to do that. For a while, he wasn't sure which one to pursue, but ultimately decided to become a Vintner. Harper and Healer had held interest for him for a while, but the prospect of having to deal with ungrateful children or patients lessened their charm for him. Everyone liked alcohol, so by extension, everyone liked the people who made it.
When Dukat was 31, thread began falling again, and suddenly being a simple Vintner didn't seem all that noble anymore. He knew he needed to do something more to show others his commitment to his Weyr and the protection of Pern. So he purchased a large wher egg and - naturally - a bronze was what emerged. Dusk was an ideal partner for a man who wanted power, even if he was a wher rather than a dragon. The color itself was the important thing. Between his new partner and his determination to see his apprenticeship through to journeyman, Dukat's 30s were a very busy time for him, in a good and fulfilling way.
By the time he turned 40, however, things were settling into a routine again, and once more his ambition was left wanting. Later that turn, High Reaches started electing leaders, a ridiculous break from tradition. Still, he couldn't ignore the fact that the Weyr allowed handlers to run for the most powerful positions in addition to riders. But he was of Benden, he couldn't just leave. Especially not when his latest daughter, Ziyal, was still quite young. She needed a father in her life. And then the scandal about Alayna and gold Wyzeth came out - why were people so upset by that? Golds were meant to clutch, if their riders were being incalcitrant on that point, they needed to be controlled - and it was another reason to stay at Benden since most Weyrs - including High Reaches - especially were vocal in their disapproval. It rankled that the other Weyrs assigned someone from Telgar to clean up that mess. Benden could handle it, surely, especially since the people responsible for the scandal had stepped down. So Dukat was patient, biding his time until things seemed to calm down a bit and Ziyal was old enough that she could handle having a father who was long-distance, and then he put in his request for a transfer to the one place even a handler could hold absolute power. Turns out his ambition was enough to outweigh his loyalty to his birth Weyr.
