Username: Penultima
LoC Name: Sibelius (Named after the Swedish composer, Jean Sibelius)
Gender: Male
Element: Air
Allegiance: Neutral, with long-time pride ties
Rank: Was a Tracker in the pride, now a Nomad
Age: 265 years
Personality:
Outdoorsy and introverted, Sibelius is a nature nut, and would rather spend all of his time in the great outdoors among the trees and streams more than he would around other lions. He also loves music, especially understanding the mechanics of sound waves, vibrations, tones, rhythms, and beats. Along with music, he enjoys dancing, and loves to choreograph dances in his mind. These he'd be far too afraid of sharing, as he thinks they wouldn't be nearly as good or worthwhile as the dances he's witnessed and joined in in his life, but he likes to imagine the beauty that such dances could create if they were able to take place.
He has a bit of an inferiority complex, and is constantly comparing himself to the success of other lions, which always brings up memories of every failure or shortcoming of his to the forefront of his mind. He doesn't like this about himself, and is acutely aware of this shortcoming. He tries his best to not let it show, and put on a bit of a mask to preserve his dignity and social acceptance, which fools almost everyone rather successfully. If there's anything he's good at, it's putting on an act. He'd seen it so many times in the pride performances at festivals, dances and stories that tell many a tale to enchant a young lion's fantasies. Storytellers can manipulate voices and set the scene for the desired effect, and dances evoke strong emotional and even spiritual feelings. Sibelius learned to adapt these concepts into his day-to-day life, although he would never use manipulation for bad things or personal gain.
Overall, Sibelius is an independent lion, who mostly enjoys solitude with the breeze and meandering around the woods introspectively. He's a strong observer, and loves to watch and learn from nature, and other lions, and by doing so to learn by experience, rather than by rules and orders. He can often be found humming to himself, smiling at sunlight, and talking pleasantly to both strangers and friends as if he's the most confident and self-sufficient lion around. In a way, he's still in the process of "finding himself", and what his true passions in life are, which is why he's chosen to be self-sufficient and unaffiliated, and just wants to learn and take in experiences to figure out what his purpose in life is.
History:
To put it simply, Sibelius has always been a momma's boy. Not that he doesn't love his father, but he just never felt that super strong father-son connection that many young males do. He grew up in a typical family den on Lochren, exploring the outdoors and partaking in pride traditions with everyone else his age. Exploring in fields and woods, places where he could feel the wind in his mane, was his favorite past-time. He also quite enjoyed hearing the music of the many performing and artistic lions in the pride, and he always looked forward to when the pride would host any form of celebration. He was always extremely independent, and although he's very charming to adults and friendly to peers, he always bore a sense of loneliness; a separation from other lions that made him feel like he couldn't quite connect or be their equals. As sociable as he is, the deeper part of him is more withdrawn and self-sufficient. This is necessarily a bad thing, and Sibelius often quite enjoys his self-selected solitude, letting the thoughts whirr inside his head and seeing, smelling, and hearing all he can about his home planet, and always looking for a chance to explore the worlds beyond and satiate his intense wanderlust. He somewhat passively left the pride in his mid-200's, preferring instead to not be bound by laws and regulations, which he cares little for and find tedious and trivial. Despite this choice, he's still very much invested in the pride, albeit in a more passive way, and visits quite frequently to meet with his favorite lions and roam his favorite places.
Art:
Relationships:
Acacius: He and Acacius go way back. Having been born into the pride, Sibelius grew up in a nearby den to Acacius, and together they'd explore to their hearts content. Acacius, having the element of darkness, always preferred exploring the cave systems around them, and seemed to be able to find his way in them quite nimbly. On the other hand, Sibelius was too much of a clutz, and would constantly bump into stalagmites or whack his head on low entrances. Besides, the cool chill was never very fun for him, and he'd feel lost and a little anxious away from crystal clear skies and warm breezes. His idea of their best adventures included open fields and dappled forests, filled with the musical songs of wildlife and wind blowing through branches, and the soft babbling of refreshing brooks. Although out of his comfort zone, Acacius graciously joined him on these journeys, and even as their life pursuits drew them apart with age, Sibelius still reflects fondly on those happy memories, and the feeling of having a friend.
