Post by thorn on May 27, 2012 18:22:15 GMT -5
Thorn
NAME. Thorn
NICKNAME(S). None. Just call him Thorn, please and thank you.
AGE. Four years
SPECIES. Equine
BREED. Tennessee Walking Horse
GENDER. Stallion
HEIGHT. 15.3hh
WEIGHT. 1200 pounds
COAT. Black.
EYE COLOUR. Light Brown
NOTABLE MARKINGS. White face, white stockings on both hind limbs, a few small white patches on the right hand side the neck/right shoulder.
PHYSICAL. Physicality isn't something that Thorn concerns himself with too much. He is not vane - he was never one of those colts who gazed at his handsome self in pond waters, or ran for hours just to build muscle and woo mares. He sees his body as a separate entity from himself, a machine, and as long as it is functioning he has no problem with it.
An outside observer, however, may take in the details of this flesh-and-bone machine. Thorn is the kind of handsome that is ordinary enough to not catch any excess attention. He is of an average height and weight, with muscle that is all function, no vanity. Some consider his face to be his most striking feature: it is like a beacon of light appearing from the dark, his tender pink nose in stark contrast to the gritty dark toughness of the rest of his skin. His eyes are light brown, and always appear very wide and a bit startled, even when he is calm.
This face is sometimes the bane of Thorn's existence: it nearly always betrays his emotions. Though he is verbally stoic, his wide eyes and mobile mouth betray his fear, his sadness, his anger, his hurt, and the longing that he tries to quell.
FEARS. Being seen as weak, growing old, being corrupted (by power, for example).
VICES. Can be mean without intending to be (a little TOO honest), commitment issues, unreasonably high standards for others’ behavior.
STRENGTHS. Honest to a fault, intelligent, brave (well, most of the time…)
PET PEEVES. Needy mares, liars, hot weather, misbehaving foals, immaturity.
LIKES. Philosophy, recreational fighting ("boxing"), water, times of peace, small animals.
PERSONALITY.
I try to be good, every day I try... First and foremost, Thorn has a good heart. His intentions are almost always good, even if his words seem cold and his actions harsh. Morality is never far from his mind, and sometimes the haunted look in his eyes betrays his internal struggle.
Love without attatchment... Though Thorn is loving, and can make a good partner for a mare or friend for anyone, he is extremely adverse to any kind of promise or commitment. It is his way of living in the moment: no guarantees, no long term plans.
Never give up. Ever. Get up, son. If I can go on for another day, so can you. Thorn is strong, abhorring weakness in himself and others. He is not afraid of hard work and suffers pain with a straight face. He will always insist that he is just fine, even if his eyes betray otherwise. Some day, maybe he will break. But today is not that day.
There is more to life than this life. Gods, deliver me. Though he does not often talk about it openly, Thorn is very spiritual. He prays daily, and draws strength from the world of the spirit.
Everyone deserves the truth. Thorn literally never lies. Ever. He may lie by omission if you do not ask him a direct question, but if you ask for his feeling or opinion expect a painfully honest answer. He will not even tell a white lie. If he doesn't like you and you ask him what he thinks of you, he will tell you the truth: I don't like you. Don't say you weren't warned...
I guess everyone has a dark side... It's true. Even the best of us have a part that is twisted and dark. Thorn's sadistic tendencies only show up if he is involved in a direct physical fight - which doesn't happen often. But when it does, he loses himself. He becomes ruthless, insane, going for the eyes, the throat, the genitals, all the soft spots. Thorn knows that this side of him exists, and it makes him ashamed. He tries to avoid it, but it can't stay hidden all the time...
MOTHER. Rosetta, deceased
FATHER. Mica, living.
SIBLINGS. Three brothers, all living: Horizon, Benja, Nova.
HISTORY. Thorn began his life in a small, tightly knit herd consisting of his parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was the oldest of all the offspring, which made him the default babysitter. This combined with a distant, unemotional father and ailing mother taught him to be self sufficient very quickly.
The first year of Thorn's life, prior to the onset of Rosetta's illness, was fairly ordinary. He enjoyed spending time with other foals, but didn't depend on their company. He was just as happy to explore alone, often sneaking away at night for moonlight swims. He began his spiritual life early, having been introduced to prayer by an uncle. He was responsible, dutiful, and mostly sensible. The perfect oldest son. His vices did show up on occasion: there was one time he got in a knockout fight with a colt belonging to an ally herd passing through the territory - needless to say this made relations strained between the two herds. He could also be terribly insensitive sometimes, much to his parents' dismay.
His mother's illness started when Thorn was a yearling. It was never clear just what this illness was: no antidote could be found, and Rosetta's decline was slow and agonizing. It began with coughing and weight loss, and quickly escalated into partial paralysis and narcolepsy. Mica was incapable of dealing with these issues: the proud stallion was more comfortable dealing with the practicalities of herd life, like defense and scouting for food. Rosetta, a private mare by nature, trusted only her eldest son, Thorn, to care for her. So though he tried to maintain a normal colthood, Thorn's early life was shot through with the realities of illness, the moaning, the feeding, the lame attempts at keeping his mother's body clean.
It took Rosetta two years to die, by which time Thorn was both completely worn out and thoroughly strengthened. The duty of caretaker made him an unusually mature and practical three year old, and he increasingly found that he was unable to relate to the other youngsters, preferring the company of his uncles. The mares in the herd held only passing interest to him: they were of course his cousins, and therefor good only for the occasional flirting session or tame cuddle under the moonlight. At the age of four, Thorn has decided to make his own way in the world. He has invited his three brothers to join him, but they have all declined, so he sets out on his own, ready to begin real life.
NAME. El, or Ellie.
AGE. 17
EXPERIENCE. A few years off and on.
OTHER CHARACTERS. Thorn is my first.
HOW’D YOU FIND US. Clicking through affiliates on other Proboards RPG sites, the super cool layout caught my eye, I read the story, loved it…and the rest is history!
PREFERED CONTACT METHOD. PM
