"I'm done lying, especially to myself."
BASICS
RETIRE INFO: Retire
NAME: Sylvain
GENDER: Male
PRONOUNS: He/Him/His
ORIENTATION: Demi/Grey-romantic Pansexual
BIRTHDATE: Summer 2745
AGE: 31 as of Spring 2777
LOCATION: Semaca Weyr
OCCUPATION: Wherhandler
WING: Requiem Squad
APPEARANCE
EYES: Brown
HAIR: Red
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 6’1”, Sturdy
PLAY-BY: Sylvain, Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Timeskip)
FULL APPEARANCE:
Sylvain stands at a little over six feet tall, with a sturdy build that is surprisingly muscled despite how he seems to do little outside of the regular physical activity of Weyrfolk. His skin is largely pale, and a gentle spray of freckles lightly dust his frame--across his cheeks, forearms, chest, shoulders. Probably elsewhere, and if one asked he'd probably tell. His hair is red and kept reasonably short; it appears somewhat messy at a glance, but closer inspection reveals that it's merely... fluffy. Quite soft, as well, and doesn't seem to mind much if people touch it.
He's also well-groomed and can often be found wearing a pleasant scent of some sort. While not wearing the "Top Fashions" of the time, he dresses well--something he feels obligated to do--but also dresses... relaxed. For example, a buttoned shirt may be well-pressed, but have the top few buttons undone. Overall, he fancies himself quite handsome.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY:
Perhaps not so unexpectedly, given the state of the local Weyr as he was growing up, Sylvain holds a quiet disdain for dragonriders. While not hostile toward dragons or their riders, he avoids dealing with them whenever possible--despite being a candidate for a dragon himself. It would be easy to hate them, but it isn't the fault of the many for the sins of the few.
Sylvain forms friendships easily, in large part due to his easygoing, "big brother" attitude toward others, looking out for those around him often without regard to his own well-being. He cares very deeply and genuinely for his friends and gladly supports them however he can--and would without hesitation lay down his life for them. In contrast, however, he has essentially given up on the possibility of forming any sort of romantic bond or having one genuinely reciprocated. As such, he is a master of the false smile. He's an unashamed flirt and around his home Hold he had been known for "shallow, womanizing behavior"--having broken quite a few hearts at a young age. Despite having matured and lessened his tendencies by far, he still frequently experiences trouble and misunderstandings thanks to these feelings.
Disliking to have expectations of him, possibly stemming from the constant demands of his parents whilst growing up, he frequently underplays his abilities, leading to many believing he is not particularly bright or capable. However he has confidence to spare and seems to let troubles and insults simply wash over him without batting an eye. It's all about apperances, after all. (That being said, he isn't always as immune as he pretends to be, but tends to keep up his act for the sake of others.)
Overall, he doesn't actually seem to mind the idea of taking over the Hold in his parents' place, but he doesn't want to be like them. It wasn't until he was older and well after he'd been Searched that he'd realized their interest was actually in having a dragonrider in the family, believing that it would show that their blood was strong--though whether for power or notoriety he never learned. What mattered was that they'd put their twisted thoughts of "bloodline superiority" over their children. One day he genuinely wants to have his own family, be it at the Weyr (since it seems they are on an upswing, at least currently) or at the Hold, but he fears that his parents would try to take any non-rider family, especially children, from him back to the Hold.
HISTORY
FAMILY: Father (Alive), Mother (Alive)
Miklan - Brother (Deceased), (+16 Turns)
Dimitri - Friend (Fight him on calling his friends family, I dare you.)
Felix - Friend (Again, fight him.)
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: Felix
BIRTHPLACE: Minor hold in High Reaches territory
HISTORY: [Warning: Mentions of Death, physical violence]
Born the second son to a lord holder of a minor hold north of High Reaches Weyr, Sylvain had a surprisingly lofty upbringing for what should have been seen as a "replacement heir." Despite the education and benefits heaped upon him, Sylvain as a child frequently wished that his position and that of his brother were switched. Any voicing of this opinion toward his elder sibling during visits, however, resulted in violence toward Sylvain--but he never fully stopped wishing despite this.
His parents frequently (as Threadfall allowed) traveled to and from the Weyr to visit his brother, and sometimes to visit nearby Holds for business, bringing young Sylvain along with them. Sylvain, disinterested in the affairs of the adults, instead befriended several of the local children, with some of whom he formed some long-lasting friendships.
When Sylvain was twenty when he was "finally" Searched (to the delight of his parents) and his brother, having aged out of Candidacy without Impressing, renounced his family and disappeared. Barely over a Turn later, his brother reappeared--in news brought to him by family from a messenger. He had been killed by wounds sustained by wild whers. Apparently he had resorted to banditry among holdless to get by. While Sylvain was saddened by his death, he had never been particularly close to his brother--he was more bothered by the fact that his parents seemed to have little concern.
Despite may Turns of turmoil within the Weyr, Sylvain kept his head down and his opinions to himself, gliding largely under the radar as the riders fought amongst themselves. While he was Searched, he has had little feeling of commitment toward this over time. He attends lessons and stands at Hatchings, but isn't particularly interested in Impressing, mostly making a show of it to keep his Candidate status and appease his parents. Being a Rider would see him not needing to take over as Lord, but his previous experience with them during the sour times at High Reaches had thoroughly fouled his overall opinion. He remains there now both out of sense of obligation--and because he enjoys being constantly around his friends rather than only getting to see them once or twice a Turn (if he's lucky). Plus, things have been looking up (sort of) recently, and he wanted to see how it might go. If he gave up his candidacy, he would surely be forced back to the Hold to have an exceedingly unpleasant earful from his parents.
He did eventually take on the mantle of Wher candidate as well, to help and support his friend Dimitri (and partially to spite his parents, tired of their manipulative expectations of him and feeling as if he's had no choice in his own future until coming to the Weyr and away from the direct contact of his parents).
