.:: Basic Information ::.

Name || Leonardo
Nicknames || Leo, Leon
Age || 26 (Born Mid summer; 1674)
Sign || Dragon
Sex || Male
Gender || Male

Herd || Breim
Rank || Echo
Previous rank(s) || Driven
Home || Living with his father in Nariah, Sirith
Patron god(s) || Argus

Talent || Imbuer
Blessing(s) || -

.:: Appearance ::.

Species || Pegasus
Breed(s) || North Swedish Horse/Connemara pony/Welsh cob/Morgan Mix
Color ||  Mealy Seal Brown

Leonardo is a relativity muscled horse who stands tall and strong on his legs. He is on the heavy side when it comes to weight though that's more to be attributed to his built than his weight. Leon's hair is almost always messy, the mane proving themselves to be untameable even when meticulously cared for. Goggles you'll find absent only on rare occasions as Leon considers them a precious gift which he received from Sato. He also has a red cloak which you'll only see him wear on rare occasions. He is rather sober when it comes to his taste of accessories, wearing little. He certainly is a horse that you'll notice coming by as his movements often are exaggerated and bordering on the theatrical. So does his speech. He has the tendency to speak loudly and if he gets excited he'll be hard to follow.

Accessories ||

• Goggles - All the time
  
• Red Cloak - Rarely you'll see him wear it
  

.:: Personality ::.

Leon in his core  ||

Leonardo is a rather intelligent horse. He has a passion for knowledge and is on a near constant quest to see more, learn more. He is observant and is quick to link ideas, his curiousness driving him to seek out information, test and experiment. He thinks a lot too, coming up with new ideas and insights by posing questions and mentally mapping out already acquired knowledge. Partially because of this he is quite flexible, quickly adapting to new situations. He isn’t prone to cling to old ideas either, rather accepting change and evolving as the world does. He generates tons of ideas and this has resulted into a creative strike. He loves making things with his telekinesis whether its artistic or practical. Seeing something grow until its definite form is an absolute pleasure for him. His life isn't always a walk in the park though, while he is intelligent, he sometimes has problems seeing how other horses think. He rationalises a lot and it is more often than not left confused and/or frustrated if other horses can't follow his way of thinking or just reject his arguments based on unclear feelings rather than facts. His habit to value mind over heart has led him to have a poor handle on his emotions, not always able to recognise and manage them. It is an area in which he lacks greatly, often running away from his heart, trying to ignore it.

Quite the thinker, Leon has the tendency to overthink things. He sees his own shortcomings, but sometimes finds himself unable to correct them, making him feel bad. He’s also quick to pick up on non-verbal cues from other horses and sometimes is struck by a sense of non-belonging in the herd. This leads him to be quite sensitive. He’s quick to be hurt and more often than not that leads to him having reacting with anger. This is because his ego is rather fragile, seeing how he’s highly reliant on the praise of others and needs tons of admiration and love to function properly. He basically needs to be needed or the world will come crashing down around him.

Leonardo is very passionate about things, getting very into things and giving them his all. This however also leads to him to sometimes  being flighty. When inspired he can suddenly be off to test or when curious he might jump between topics quicker than another can follow. He can often be caught up inside his own head and making a mess because in his enthusiasm he gets unstructured. Routine is absolutely not his thing either, ‘cause dull things don’t have that spark that light his heart.

Highly conscientious he has a hard time tolerating anything that he sees as not just and he will quick to jump in and defend those who he thinks are in need of it. He sometimes can’t phantom why others would willingly hurt others. He can get frustrated if others show to be dishonourable, often not able to grasp how other’s moral can be so off radar. It can make him tired and moody, not able to let go of things even if he has no control over them, as it puts a lot of stress on him. When it comes to his values, ideas and beliefs you'll see he's rather dogmatic in the way he presents them. This is because he spends a lot of time thinking and taking in facts before forming his own conclusions, therefore he is convinced his truth is the right one and it would take considerable arguments to make him change his mind.

Leon at work  ||

When working Leonardo is one of the most diligent horses you can find. Thanks to his passion, he's utterly devoted, working hard and enthusiastic. Once he starts something it takes the world crashing down for him not to follow through. It makes him loose track of time in middle of projects sometimes, forgetting to eat or sleep. He also has the tendency to make a mess while working. It takes a gentle but firm hand to keep him healthy at times, reminding him of the need for breaks. If you think that means he is the perfect employee however you’re in for a nasty surprise. Leon doesn’t take orders. He is highly independent and can’t stand doing things any other way than his own.

Stubborn, strong-willed and critical he’s definitely not someone you’d want on your hooves. In class he was not afraid talking back to teachers and questioning what they were saying for example. Putting him at the top of a team is more his thing, but even so he has his shortcomings, asking a lot of dedication and getting annoyed if others can’t catch up with what he’s doing. He is not afraid to comment and correct other’s faults either. On the bright side he also has a keen eye for other’s talents, able to put the right horse on the right job and help them grow. Even so he most often if not always works alone. He is rather harsh on himself as well, being quite the perfectionist and not wanting anything less than the best and getting frustrated if he can’t get things just right. He can waste a lot of time on details. Because he has the strong compulsion to provide help, he doesn’t just desire knowledge for knowledge, but also seeks to apply this knowledge for other’s to better from.

Leon on the social scene  ||

As earlier mentioned Leon has a rather fragile ego. Because he used to be ahead of horses his age and because the lack of understanding he is met with at times, Leonardo suffers from a certain feeling of alienation.
 It makes it sometimes difficult to get along with others and that in turn makes him feel like little horses actually understand him, if any at all truly do.
 Because it is something he has no grip on, he fervently tries to erase the feeling by getting as many connections in the herd as possible. He is always trying to create a niche for himself to fit into. Though he has many ties, they're very forced to him, approaching them like someone forging business relationships rather than friendships. He has learned to take on a front of smiles and witty words, networking in a way that would make politicians approve of him. He hopes that it'll become natural at one point, but he's not there yet.

The fact he has such a hard time connecting to horses, makes him a worry-wart when it comes to the horses he thinks of as family and friends, though he will do his best not to show it. As a kid he had a much harder time fitting in than now, feeling so different that he had no friends at all. Social contact was difficult for him and it eventually made him adopt a melodramatic attitude. It prompts him to at times act more like he’s preforming on a stage rather than going through everyday things, but old habits die hard. He finds amusement in it himself as it often makes him feel better seeing that he has an otherwise poor handle on his emotions. In general he pretends a lot in public, wanting to give off the impression that he thinks others will approve off.

Despite his inner struggles he usually manages to give off a good impression. He is very magnanimous in his behaviour, quick to give what he has and kind towards others. One might even say he caries himself with a certain sort of nobility, proud, firm yet caring when it comes to his approach of others. His heart is warm and he can’t stand not extending a caring hoof when it’s in his possibility to do so. The fact that he enjoys helping is not pretended at all, it's just something that's he's compelled to do by his conscience. He has a lot of values when it comes to his relationships. Honesty, respect and trust are big things to him and he shows great loyalty and care towards those he likes. If misled he will be angry, mostly with himself for not noticing before. He is a friend that can be relied on though and he would walk through fire for his work, family, friends and even herd as a whole. His friends are placed high on a pedestal and will enjoy his pampering.

.:: History ::.

As a Foal||

It all started with Miku. She was a bright young mare and I, Sato, had known her since foalhood. Our families knew each other well and we, both only child, became quick friends. Our families were both of the old generation, but Miku held love for the new and the unknown that drove her towards the new. Even so we stayed close, the regular disagreements about our views not able to even scrape the bond that we shared. It was as such it came as a shock that she, barely out of apprenticeship as a miner, expressed the want to wander. Her eyes glittered with a brightness that thoughts of our herd could not offer when she told about her wish to go and explore the world beyond our tunnels. I, fearful and mad, tried to sway her. Sirith was safe and the rest of the world was certainly not. There is a reason our ancestors came to live here. Besides, I didn't want her to go for myself as well, I would miss her too dearly. Her mind was set though and even had I said a million words, it would have not made a difference. Good bye's seemed so brief and insufficient as she left. Life went on and I had little hope to see my friend ever again. We mourned the loss as if she would have died.

You can imagine it came as a surprise that, five years after she left, I found Miku standing at my door step. Argus knows how she found my new house, but she begged me to stay and not tell her parents she was back home. I didn't know how to feel, on one hoof incredibly happy and on the other totally bewildered. She was not alone you see. Her belly was well swollen. My friend was with child. I could hardly deny her and offered her a place to stay. Her request not to tell however was in vain because news in our herd travels fast. Word quickly went around that I, a young man at the time, was hosting a pregnant mare and those of old generation were quick to pick on on who. It was not long after that her parents came from their village to mine. What was supposed to be -in my eyes- a happy reunion quickly turned into a fight. Her parents were not happy to become grandparents in a way such as this and Miku refused to disclose any information on the father of the foal, saying it was not important. When they tried to make her come home to deliver the foal there she refused as well. Angry eyes were turned on me. As if I could kick her out! It was all very awkward, emotions running high. When they left nothing was settled. Though every now and then they asked updates on their daughter through letters, no more visit came. Miku would have denied them anyway. Her belly swelled to epic proportions and it was only a couple of months later a healthy foal came to the world. The foal looked like he could have been her copy if not for the little wings that hung against his flanks betraying another had been involved in it's makings. I was happy, ecstatic, immediately going out to sent word to her parents about the little colt. It was too late I realized she did only come to do that, deliver the foal to the herd she deemed safe. When I came back she was gone, the little colt fast asleep after the first milk he had received. A letter lay next to the little one, explaining how she never had planned to stay, her heart even in these few months having longed to wander. She could however not subject her child to the perils of the outside world and therefore entrusted him to her dearest friend. Me. I felt like screaming, but instead stood utterly still. I was in total shock. She couldn't do this to me! I had to work, I didn't even have a wife or a girlfriend, children were the furthest thing of my mind! And now I suddenly had to take care of a colt while my wayward friend went off, just like that? No way, no way, it was just a nightmare. The past months had gone so well, it had been like no moment had ever passed since she left. How could I have read the situation so wrong? I stood there for what seemed like hours, maybe it were only minutes. It took me the light whimpering of a little colt to pull me from my stupor. Leonardo she had named him in the letter. He was the distraction I needed to prevent me from completely loosing my grip on reality.

Her parents arrived days later, just like me in for a shock. I tried giving Leonardo to them at first. They were his grandparents after all and no doubt better equipped for raising a foal than I was. In some strange change of heart however they decided they should respect their daughter's wishes and leave the foal with me. I was completely incredulous. What had I ever done to deserve such thing? Begrudgingly and with much trail and error, I set to the task, having no experience whatsoever. I was worried sick the colt would end up a mess, being raised on artificial milk. Luckily our herd is a helpful one and even though my situation was anything but ordinary, my neighbour and herd mates helped were I fell short. Leon quickly grew on me, the boy endearing in the same way his mother was. His eyes especially reminded me of her, that curious little twinkle forever shining in it's depths. The annoyance of him being a bother shoved onto my shoulders quickly gave way and my fondness grew everyday until he was one day no longer the child of Miku and some stranger, but for all for all intents and purposes my son.

Leonardo grew quickly, going forward in leaps and bounds. He proved to be quite bright, ever fast in picking up on stuff. His language evolved quickly and his telekinesis he mastered before most horses his age. I must say I was quite proud. Problems started when Leon started to attended school. At first he was excited and eager, but that quickly turned. He complained about not wanting to go, suddenly feeling sick to the stomach or being too tired. His teacher reported he didn't pay attention in class, was rude and his contact with other foals was next to non-existent. I didn't understand what the problem was. At home he was normal at first, so I continued to sent him, but then the behaviour started worsening until eventually the happy colt was gone, replaced by an angry uncaring youth. Being at the end of my wits, the herd stepped in and after much talking it was eventually concluded: Leon was bored out of his mind. I was dumbfounded, not knowing how that ever could lead to such behaviour, but alas allowing him to do more difficult things helped. I took him to the shrines often where he read book after book. One time he got one on crystals and gems. It must have been the irony of fate that this seemed to catch his particular interest. Miku used to collect them. In a nostalgic whim I gifted him a piece of amethyst and so a new hobby began. That hobby however sent him in a direction I had never wanted him to go. My boy quickly took towards the new generation just like his mother and there was nothing I could do to stop this.

Teenager to young adult ||

Even as a a young boy Leonardo talked an awful lot to adults instead of children his own age. No doubt that filled his little head with unhealthy ideas, but with my own job to work I didn't have the possibility to monitor him all day long. After stressing how important friends were he did some effort to make some friends -though I must admit not all horses were exactly kind- and went into puberty with a solid social base. Apprenticeship was a horrible time. Leon talked back to any mentor he got, being a know-it-all and questioning their methods. I did much apologizing during that time, none of them very happy with Leon's way of thinking. He didn't seem to quite understand of traditions just for what they were, so I tried to teach him more about that too. We went more in debt about how our herd came to be, why the traditions we had were important and why he should not question everything and just accept that some questions were not meant to be answered. That it was okay we had no answer to them for we trusted the gods in their makings. I don't think he really accepted what I was saying either, stubbornly sticking to his beliefs that clinging to the old without good reason would lead the herd to be stuck for eternity. It took many, many talks to eventually have him yield and admit we should learn from our past though and pass that knowledge on to the future. Even with that concession however, it didn't seem like any normal jobs within the ties of our herd was really cut out for him, much to my disappointment. He eventually expressed his want to go into the arts. I didn't know how to feel about that. I tried interesting him in my own job, told him a little more about the gods, hoping maybe a line of work as magi might catch his fancy, but to no avail. Maker it was, gems his main medium. I must admit he did make rather pretty things, embedding the things into vases and making wonderful gem-embedded pillars and walls. But it was just that, pretty, nothing more. It was certainly nice to look at but it didn't exactly contribute to our herd. Alright, at least I thought so. There were enough silly makers running around as was, making one crazy thing after another. I quite like our homes without the extra and rather unnecessary additions. I know Leon was quite annoyed with my opinion. We even had an episode in which he talk to me for several weeks after he embedded the space around my door as surprise and I wasn't... as happy as he no doubt had expected me to be. I didn't want my house to look like I was trying to flaunt something after all and Leon was rather upset and insulted. It was quite a harsh time, but eventually we made up. I'm quite sure the three hour tour around his favourite mining tunnels I sat through had something to do with it. Though he didn't have many who supported him aside from his about just as foolish friends, Leon didn't seem to mind and was happy. I slowly came to accept it was not just a face and had to admit to myself that, as long as he was happy, I would be happy too, no matter what I thought or said about his interests and preferences. No sooner had he started though or he came to me with a new career path in mind. Something had happened when embedding one of the gems and he had made an interesting conclusion. He had to study it better and so my son went from being a maker to a driven.

Young adult to adult ||

It was ridiculous as if the gods were taunting me. Just when deciding I might be okay with what my son had chosen for life it seemed like he was suddenly taking a new path altogether. I couldn't really follow him even though he tried to explain, eyes glittering just like his mother. From what I understood he had worked with magically imbued gems this time around, allowing the gems to shine in the dark like so many around our city. It seemed however there was some kind of difference between the different crystals he had used and it intrigued him to no end. It was just magic if you ask me, something better not to be toyed with. Those crystals and gems are gifted to us by the gods and I thought it dangerous to play around with. Some things are not meant to be discovered even those of new generation tried so hard. I expressed my concerns, but they again fell on deaf ears. I sometimes wonder if the gods forgot to place ears on that boy. Though it was only supposed to be a small research in materials for his arts, it soon turned into something greater than that. His attention shifted from arts to science and he left his barely started career of Maker behind in favour of becoming a Driven. I was sceptical with his seeming flightiness, but studying his field for about five years now, it seems he has finally settled. The boy is wild and needs guiding. More than once have I caught him forgetting to eat or sleep. One time I even found him passed out. I have long since moved to Sterling, not trusting him on his own, though he insisted on having his own house there. More than one meal is eaten at mine and I keep a spare bed just in case. We clash on a regular basis, our views making us not always see eye to eye. He has come to call me "old man", Dad a word I only hear on special occasions any more. I take comfort in the fact that he is not only buzzy doing his research, also going out and having a social life. I know he goes around lending a helping hand as well, assisting elderly and donating to the poor. At least there's something that he's learned from me and that's to take care of our herd. He is quite driven in his job. Where he normally can't live without good words, he carries on in his studies, going entirely on only the good praise and interest of his friends. I'm sure he believes one day the horses of our herd will see the brilliance behind what he works on and acknowledge his work with his gems. It is foolish, but I am happy if he is. I just fear that one day his studies won't be enough, that the herd won't be enough. That one day he'll leave me behind...just like Miku once did.

[-| Group history|-]

Chapter II ||

TBA

Chapter III ||

TBA

Chapter IV ||

TBA

.:: Relationships ::.

[-| Family |-]

Mother || Miku
Father || Unknown (biological); Sato (adoptive)
Siblings || -

Significant other || -
Offspring || -

[-| General |-]

Leonardo' relationships can be found on his relationships tracker.
If you are interested in having a particular relationship with him, note me or drop a comment here.
Particular relationships I'm looking as well existing characters tied to him for adoption for can be found in this journal.

[-| Romantic |-]

Orientation || Heterosexual though he has convinced himself he can't know for sure
Relationship status || Single
Open to ||

( ✔ ) Long term relationship
( ✔ ) Short term relationship
( x ) Open relationship
( x ) Quick fling
( ✔ ) Unsure

Preferences ||

( ✔ ) Give him his two A's: Attention & Approval
( ✔ ) Challenge him on an intellectual level
( ✔ ) Be passionate & confident
( ✔ ) Have fun and have a cute laugh
( x ) Belittle him
( x ) Spend a lot of romantic attention on other horses
( x ) Be an idiot all the time
( x ) Do all the stuff that goes against his principles

.:: Additional information ::.

   [-| Views & Beliefs |-]

The gods || Leonardo isn't particulary religious. Though he respects the gods and does 'social' praying, they're far from his mind most of the time. For Argus he has a special respect as his dad or "old man" regards the god highly and you might find Leonardo swearing by him at times. He doesn't hold a particular like or dislike for the other gods.

Stigma || Being part of the new generation, believes innovation and progression to be the herd's future. It's not like he despises the old generation, but he believes them to be 'old minded' and likes new things.

Other herds || Leonardo doesn't hold the general distrust most horses hold over other herds. Though he has a certain sense of underlying caution, they also fascinate him, being not very involved in the topic of other cultures. Outsiders that live in Breim and vagabonds that frequent their herd a lot often 'welcomed' by him as if they were born Breimians themselves.

   [-| Familiar information |-]

Name || Ruby
Age || 2 months
Gender || Female
Species || Red panda

Personality || Scheming | Meek | Joyful | Clean | Nervous | Curious

Ruby is... something else as Leonardo may call it. Though she is a meek and nervous ball of fur, avoiding confrontation whenever she can and jumpy in the face of anything remotely scary, she also has a more devious side to her. She isn't afraid to act and mislead to get (or also avoid) something, often using her cute fluffy exterior as a ruse to get away with stuff. Leonardo can get quite annoyed when she does that. Luckily she is quite cleanly, often seen tidying up around Leon's home, and her curious joyful attitude makes Leonardo like having her around, even when he's buzzy working on his research. You can find her fetching things he requests as well.

The way we met ||
Leonardo bought her from a Vagabond trader after getting highly insulted at the little female panda being kept in an according to him too small cage. The trader tried to explain to him that it was because the panda had a tendency to 'borrow' costumers' and his own valuables, but Leon would have non of it. After a little -okay, maybe big and dramatic- speech on familiar welfare Leonardo bought her with discount.

   [-| Other|-]

Likes || Mental sparring and debates, nature and natural occurrences, gems, feeling rich, art, praise
Dislikes || Beating around the bush, close-mindedness, feeling helpless, clutter, routine and repetition

Drive || Curiosity & Ego
Goals in life ||

[ ] To be remembered when he's no longer around

[ ] To be on the top of his field

[ ] To be praised and respected by his fellow horses

[ ] To find lasting love

[ ] To be able to buy anything he wants

[ ] To unravel all the mysteries of gems and their imbuement

[ ] To convince his old man of his work

[ ] To have a LOT of friends

Facts ||

• Still dabbles in art, he can't help it. Gems are his medium.
• Has a vast base of knowledge sitting in that head of his.
• Keeps a little aviator style hat in his house. It doesn't fit any more, but he's sentimentally attached to it.
• Totally intense, he's either in work mode or relaxing mode and can make swift and abrupt shifts between the two.
• Feels best when he can get a lot of attention when having fun. He can be charming, but small talk isn't his forte though.
• Will get mad at horses who mistreat their companions. Is know to buy animals from traders who use cages, only to set the animals free afterwards.
• Is aware Sato is not his actual father, though the subject never came up. He chooses to ignore it for his own piece of mind.
• Can exhaust himself till the point of getting sick and fainting. Needs some guidance on that part.
• Places his closest friends on pedestals and can overlook their flaws, becoming gullible and unseeing. Dangerous combo with being sensitive as it prevents him from seeing bad things from coming.
• Sometimes goes around doing 'volunteer work' meaning helping any horse who might look in need of it.
• Has a lot of flair, loves talking in metaphors, writes poetry though not the best and has a particular sense of humour.
• Sometimes find himself to be suddenly sad and melancholic with no clear lead up. Feels estranged and not understood at such a moment.
• His flighty curiosity 'causes him to know a lot about different subjects, but little in depth. He has been trying to change that though, but he has difficulty picking. Gems are his only thing that are currently somewhat fixated. For the rest things are still up in the air and ever changing with time. For his nature study field for example he has jumped between topics of health, natural behaviour, animals, mental health, plants, environment, geology, sky lights, basic chemical reactions in the horses' body, tremors, ... Everyone who remotely dives into the subjects would easily surpass his base though.
• Leondardo's study with gems entails which kinds are best for which kinds of imbuements in terms of strength and length of the imbuement. He also studies many variables such as the age of the gem, it's size, the horse imbuing it, consequences of linking up gems, etc.

.:: Roleplay Information ::.

[Time zone]  UTC/GMT +1/+2*

 * Please note that my country works with summer/winter time. For the exact time please check this website

[Role play availability]

Notes: Preferred

  Forum: Extra earnings, yay! - Poke me if I forget for a bit

Comments: Depends*
Google docs: I tend to forget it exists, doesn't work to well with my phone and I have no idea how to make one myself
Skype: Idem as with docs. I'm willing to try if you poke me at times though!
Chat: Can't work with that, sorry
*maybe if provided with an artwork/journal specifically for the RP or for group Rp's

[Maturity level ] I'd like to be able to submit things in the group. A heads-up before pulling anything would be appreciated.

[Roleplay Example]

Taken from Starborn-Alignment

Leonardo looked on in amazement as the young Aodhian monarch spoke, presenting their herd with the legendary creatures of which he had only heard in tales and books. He turned away from the food stand, trying to get a better look, thinking the stall keeper would surely hand over the food to Ciel. Their king spoke, accepting the gift and filling Leon with thrill. This. This was it, no doubt. The start of peace, a moment that would go down into history and he was privileged enough to attend it. But it all ended in a moment. Gone was the excitement, replaced by confusion and just the slightest bit of panic as an ear deafening boom resounded and a bright light blinded him. It took a couple of moments for both his sight and hearing to return and by the time it did, horses were already pushing and screaming, panic taking hold of the crowd in the explosion's aftermath. Leon tried to keep his place, but was inadvertently swept away by the crowd, separating him from Ciel. He vehemently prayed the stallion would be all right in his current state. He took note of the pygmy dragons, who had escaped in the commotion, and the crumbled building, trying to make sense of what had just happened. A sense of panic again clawed at his heart, seeing the damage done by the explosion and he asked Argus to make sure that please no horse got hurt. He willed himself to stay calm, knowing panic would only make the situation worse. Looking around to see if he could find his old men, his eye fell on something else. A shadow between the nearby buildings, moving about in an awfully suspicious matter. His skin prickled as his eyes locked onto it, feeling himself moving forward. Something was off and as he steeled himself to push into its direction, his curiosity whispered for him to find out what was up.
 

Leonardo and art (c) me
Reference sheet belongs to the group Starborn-Alignment