Post by pocketplum on Mar 24, 2010 0:42:23 GMT -5
Overprescribed, under the mister,
we had survived to turn on the History Channel
and ask our esteemed panel: Why are we alive?
And here's how they replied:
Knight Name: Paean
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Birthdate: July 13th
Personality: Gentle, kind, docile, and... well... almost pathetic are all great words most people use to describe Paean. And, outwardly anyway, they're pretty much all true. He's sweeter than a bag of sugar, but he seems to suffer from a certain amount of social anxiety. It's not that he has a problem interacting with people, but there are often times where he appears to be jumpy, nervous, or anxious. And usually there is quite a bit of truth to this outer appearance. He has been known to go into a bit of a panic depending on the situation, but mostly over little things like spilt milk. Paean can be terribly clumsy when unfocused, so seeing him go into a miniature panic over something spilt or broken is not uncommon. When this involves another person he can be over-apologetic as well. This is only really odd when someone does something to him and he's still the one apologizing. He's been called a bit of a germaphobe as well, but that comes naturally when you've spent so much time learning about diseases.
However, outward appearance and personality can be deceiving for those who don't know what he's capable of. On the opposite side of the spectrum he's terrifying in all the ways a good medic should be. Despite his kind and meek disposition, he actually has a very strong will. When working with people under his rank, he is definitely the person in charge even if he uses a soft voice rather than rudely barking orders. He has a powerful, but gentle sort of underlying strength that only really comes out when he's doing his job. As his main goal for as long as he can remember is to just keep everyone happy and healthy, he puts a great deal of effort into everything he does. When someone is injured, sick, or emotionally distressed in some way, he immediately seeks a solution. While little things during the day may seem to get the better of him, Paean can remain alarmingly calm in emergency situations that would stress out most normal people. Knowing that he needs to remain calm for everyone else, he carefully focuses himself in his work. And focus he can. When an issue is presented to him, he can closely observe and pinpoint the main problems. However, he never forgets the big picture. It's easy to misdiagnose something if the illness or injury isn't looked at as a whole.
He also makes for a great counselor for the same reasons. If he has the free time and someone needs a good listener, he does his best to seek a solution to their problems or at least help them through the turmoil when the situation lacks a real solution. It's by no coincidence that he's the sort of person who is good with children. In fact, he's much less anxious when dealing with children in social situations rather than adults. His duties prevent him from being the person everyone goes to when they need a babysitter, but at least he enjoys making them laugh and smile when he can. Had he any children of his own, they would be terribly spoiled. At the present time the closest thing he has are a few plants in one of the gardens that he babies as if they were his own children.
Despite not remembering anything from his past before his service to the royal family, he has done his best to build a strong sense of identity within the life he does have. People think well of him and he feels he has a very good life. There aren't many people that could say they were the doctor, protector, and council to the Queen when she needed him, and for various reasons he has a great deal of pride for his position. So long as he can continue serving the Queen, he's more than content with his place in life. And, honestly, he doesn't want to think of his life before that. He won't talk about it, but he's so happy with where he is now that the emptiness of what could be frightens him more than the potential what was. He doesn't want to know his past. He doesn't need to know. It would be a lie to say that questions pertaining to his existence never pop in his head from time to time. However, most of his curiosity is focused on his future rather than his history, because the fear of losing his position in the Royal Guard is the most terrifying. While it looks unlikely that he will be demoted or let go any time soon, he knows it's not impossible and the appearance of the new senshi does not put him at ease. To a certain extent it could be said that he needs to be needed, as the only existence he's ever known relies on that factor.
Physical Appearance: For the most part, Paean isn't the sort of person you'd consider impressive as a male. His posture is straight, but he only stands at around the average height of 5' 8" and, while he's not a stick, he's a bit on the thin side. His most handy attribute would be his thin fingers that seem a little long. The rest of his features are smooth, rounded, and all-around not very masculine. People would probably describe him as pretty rather than handsome. However, he's closer to what one would call androgynous than feminine. In contrast with his light skin, his hair is a dark flat gray rather than an actual black or silver. There are a few lighter strands here and there, but nothing prominent. It's cut asymmetrically so that while the right side is about an inch or so shorter than chin length, the other side is cut around the top of his ear. This difference in length is all the more noticeable by the fact the left side is usually kept brushed back. His bangs are always parted toward the right. They do curl a bit, but they basically blend into the length of that side. It's sort of an odd hairstyle, but one he pulls off well. The only really colorful aspect to his appearance would be eyes that are a saturated bright blue in color.
His choices in clothing color tend to follow the same pattern as his physical characteristics. Paean often sticks to grayscale with white being the most prominent. When he does have color, it's usually just accents of a bright blue that match his eyes well. He does have a few accessories, but all are worn on his left side. He has a silver ring on the ring finger of his left hand, a silver cuff on the top of his left ear, and a bright blue tragus stud in the same ear. His left eye is also a bit off in terms of vision, so he can almost always be seen wearing a round monocle to sharpen his vision. The monocle can be attached to his clothing somewhere by a silver chain decorated with beads of more blue and it's nosepiece has a stripe of that same color. Overall he is always flawlessly clean and tidy in terms of hygiene and other general upkeep. His nails will always be clean and clipped, and his clothing will always be tidy and ironed. This very clean look plays into the assumption that he's a bit of a germaphobe. That's partially true, but really he just hates feeling messy.
Strengths:
-Excellent physician - Of course. He knows a great deal and continues to study in the field. The combination of his knowledge and his gentle nature work well together.
-Good with quick decisions - This strength and the above go hand-in-hand. He's capable of remaining calm in difficult situations and he can think clearly when it comes to making emergency last minute decisions.
-Still mildly useful in direct battle - Learning battle tactics outside of medicine and surgery in order to be more rounded as a protector proved to be a little more difficult for him. While he is lithe and agile in terms of fitness, he doesn't excel in terms of physical strength. So, he developed tactics to avoid direct hand-to-hand combat when he can help it. Using his knowledge as a doctor, he put several indirect tricks up his sleeves which include things along the lines of making use of tranquilizers and so on.
Weaknesses:
-Nervous disposition - When not busy as a bee with his work, Paean can be terribly jumpy and clumsy. Some find it endearing, but others find it completely annoying.
-Reliant on people needing him - Terribly. The fact that people needed him seems to be the reason for his current situation in life, and he doesn't want that to change. He's terrified of the possibility of that changing now that the senshi have stepped back into the picture.
-The Queen - This is an obvious strength and weakness. Throughout his service to the royal family he grew a bit too fond of the Queen. While this is a good motivation for his complete loyalty to her, he's also at risk for doing some pretty stupid things to ensure her health and happiness, as well as doing something stupid to ensure his place by her side as her protector.
Dreams: For as long as he can remember, Paean has always just wanted to keep everyone happy and healthy. He's already at the top of a good field for that dream, so he feels quite accomplished. While he has thought about shooting for something more, he really doesn't know what that more would be at this point.
Habits: He's been accused of having a nervous tick because he can't sit or stand still for long. He doesn't twitch, but he always has to be doing something like tapping on a table, rubbing his earring, playing with his monocle, or clicking a pen. He wouldn't dare do something like chew his lip though. Constant tissue trauma can cause eventual cell mutation or infection, and that's never pleasant to deal with.
Background: When Paean awoke, he didn't panic like he was probably very capable of doing. He had no name or memory of any past, and he questioned everything with the curiosity of an infant. His lack of identity was certainly confusing for him and he just couldn't make things add up. He didn't know who or what he was, but he understood other things. He knew what a bird was. He knew that he had to brush his teeth everyday. He knew a language. He understood things that he knew required some amount of study. But he didn't even have a name? For that matter, what led him to believe he should have a name? The whole concept led him to fall into a pit of existential questions on not just who he was, but as to what he was. They told him he was human and just one that had given up his past for a greater present cause, but he had to prove it to himself. So, for his first few days awake he spent a great deal of time just examining himself and others to affirm some sort of comparison.
However, he wasn't really getting anywhere and he eventually just fell into believing what they told him. Someone who gave up his identity for the sake of the royal family? Well, alright then. It was a good enough reason for his lack of memory considering he had no proof for any other possibility. Without any more questions, he began his duties. He learned to love his work and eventually became extremely thankful for his situation even though he couldn't remember anything prior. He enjoyed the people he worked for and with, and he really felt like he was making a difference. And, most importantly, he adored the Queen. He grew to be a bit more than just protective toward Lady Serenity. Though he'd never dare speak a word about it, he formed an affection for her that he knew he shouldn't have. Sure, plenty of people loved the queen, but his fondness for her was a little more than just a platonic love for a monarch. What he thought to be just a silly infatuation persisted until he admitted to himself that he really did love her. But really, who wouldn't?
It was just another pathetic situation for him, because for obvious reasons he was powerless to say or do anything about it. He knew better and had more control than that. While keeping his true feelings hidden, he decided to express it in the only way he could: through his unyielding loyalty. He would do anything in his power to do anything she requested and make sure no harm came to her. He would keep her family well and happy no matter what the cost. Sure, this was something already assumed with his position, but his emotional attachment to it meant something that much more to him. Naturally, treating the princess exactly as a beloved princess should be treated followed along with his duties and goals. However, his views toward Helios have always been a bit more mixed. While he respected the King and always treated him with the same kindness he gave anyone else, an underlying jealousy kept him at more of an indifferent level.
Of course, he formed plenty other attachments within the time he can remember, only none were as close as his attachment to the Queen. He did his best to get along with most everyone in some way though, regardless of what they thought of him. It was that inclination for acceptance that really formed his apparent nervous disposition. As a doctor, it's always best to have patients that trust you and what you're doing. Though the only time he was really uncertain about how to treat other people was when it came to the other Star Sworn Knights. He always really desired to fit in with them and gain the same sort of respect that he gave them. More accurately, he hoped to gain their friendship, because he always saw that they did have more in common than others. Unfortunately, the same belief that they had a great deal in common also kept him at an insecure distance. He did not remember anything of his past, which was a questionable similarity between them that other guards lacked. However, unlike some of the others, he really didn't want to know what his past was like for many reasons. He wanted to focus on the present and the future, and he truly dreaded the possibility of their lack of pasts coming up in a conversation.
So, for the other five in his rank, he's always walked the social line of trying his hardest to be a friend toward them and sudden withdraw when whatever conversation so much as threatened to go deeper than small talk. This made his relationship with the Queen's other protector, Cratos, that much more awkward. He's thrilled to have a sort of partner with someone who has skills as impressive as Cratos's, but those same powers only added to the anxiety he already had. After all, he had secrets that were important to keep, and even just the slight possibility of someone else really seeing through him was not a pleasant thought.
Of Whom I Serve
Residing Power: Using the Cloth of Diana, Paean can mend and heal injuries.
Uniform Description: I think this is still pending?
Attack Name: He simply says the words 'Help me, please.' to activate the cloth.
Description of Attack: In emergency situations where immediate care is necessary, Paean will use the Cloth of Diana to wrap or cover the wound in question to the best of his ability. He then puts a light pressure on the cloth with his hand and focuses his energy to heal or mend the wound. Since this eats up his own energy, he usually only heals to the point where the patient will remain stable and heal naturally. Only in dire situations will he heal a wound fully. After all, an exhausted or unconscious doctor is like having no doctor around at all, and he's a capable medic with or without the cloth. The only exception to that rule would be when dealing with the Queen, of course. He's always willing to risk what he has to in order to make sure she's well as soon as possible.
Your Nickname / Alias: Cara
Your Contact Information: Email address is papillonverre (at) gmail.com and you can sometimes catch me on AIM which is BlackMageZizi. I have it set up to block people not on my buddy list, so if you'd like to message me just let me know and I'll add you. <3 Otherwise I love PMing.
How Did You Find Us?: RP ad communities on LJ! I actually was stalking around this board a few years ago and never joined. Now that it's up and running again, I figured I'd give it a shot.
Roleplaying Sample:
It was a pretty calm day. Nothing major was happening. There weren't even that many people coming to him with minor scrapes and boo-boos, so Paean was left with quite a bit of free time. With that excess of free time, he decided to help one of the other palace workers carry a pile of books back to their rightful place after seeing her struggling in the hallway. It was just one quick trip to the bookshelves in the other room. Nothing big, so it couldn't hurt and it was nice to be able to give someone a hand. They filled the silence between them with a bit of small talk, mostly about the people and things they passed on the way to the room. Then, when they finally reached their destination, some couple by the door were going back and forth with flirtatious comments for each other. Neither of the two said anything as they passed the scene to enter the location, but the girl Paean was helping couldn't resist cracking a smile. They started placing the books back in their homes on the shelves right away, but after a moment she looked over at Paean to break the silence once again.
"So, do you have someone special?"
"Me?" He looked surprised. When she nodded to let him know she really was talking to him, he quickly shook his head. It was certainly a personal question for her to ask out of the blue, but he tried not to look too bothered. "N-no, no one. My duty is to the Queen, after all. I don't have time for things like that."
By the expression on her face, he could tell she seemed confused. Was it really that strange? It's not like he was lying to her. She paused, but finally just shrugged and went back to placing the books on the shelves. "If you say so. I just thought maybe you were married or something since you wear that ring."
With that comment, the doctor gave a quizzical frown and looked down at the ring he was wearing. That was certainly something he never thought of before. Couples did wear rings, didn't they? It was rather funny how something so small could mean so much to some people. For him, though, it was just a ring. Just a simple silver band around his finger. He liked it because it fit him well and also fit under gloves easily thanks to its flat exterior. He certainly wasn't a vain person and he didn't have to wear it, but there was no harm in it. If nothing more, it was important for him to look nice for the Queen.
He didn't really remember when it came into his possession, but the fact he didn't remember just meant to him that it was definitely something insignificant. Paean was fairly certain no one had given it to him... though he didn't really remember purchasing it either. Maybe... maybe he owned it before-- He shook his head, dropping the idea before going over the possibilities it may lead to. If he didn't remember, then it didn't matter. That was all there was to it.
"It's just a ring," he nervously laughed in order to reassure her and also himself.