Meet Chi...
Name: 螭吻 Translation: Chiwen Gender: Male Orientation: Heterosexual Species: Dragon/Wolf Hybrid |
[In Chinese Mythology, the Chiwen (螭吻) is one of the nine Offspring of the Dragon, based on the traditional saying "Long sheng jiuzi 龍生九子" or, "The Dragon gives birth to nine young". They are very popular in traditional Fengshui architectural decoration. The Chiwen in particular is used to adorn rooftops and the tops of ridgepoles, since his role is to swallow evil spirits as they attempt to enter. Some also believed he could ward off fire, flood or typhoons.]
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Personality:
History/Background:
Hamartia [Fatal Flaw]:
Pride/Overconfidence
Quirks
He can breathe fire at will. He usually sneezes smoke, but sometimes he'll sneeze a tiny flame by accident.
He thumps his tail against the ground when he's impatient and has a tendency to spill things all over himself when he eats.
Hopes/Dreams
Chiwen has an ambition to fly all the way around the world, which came from a petty childhood skirmish in which someone bet him that he couldn't do it. It is unlikely that he will ever set out to realize this dream, but every time it comes up he tells himself he will.
Sense of Humor
He's not the wittiest but he's good at piggybacking off of other people's jokes. He has a deep, sincere laugh that is infectious. He tries not to be mean, but sometimes he forgets himself and makes a joke at someone else's expense. When somebody else takes a jab at him or a member of his family, he loses his temper quickly and is willing to fight for his honor.
- Chiwen's personality is a unique weave of elements from both sides of his lineage.
From his dragon ancestors he gets his courage and chivalry, and a burning need to protect his territory and loved ones. He will face any danger to keep evil away from his home. He acts with dignity and honor (which sometimes crosses the fine line into pride) and seldom turns down a fight. He has an inflated sense of his own fighting abilities, which have gotten him hurt on numerous occasions. However, he is respectful of all good souls and is merciful to those less powerful than he.
The wolf blood in his veins lends him a strong sense of family, a hunter's reflexes and respect for authority of the pecking order. Nothing is more stressful to him than the thought of his "pack" being in danger. He believes that sometimes individuals must sacrifice for the good of the whole. He is muscular and strong, with keen senses that allow him to smell danger (or food) from a mile away. He submits himself to completely to anyone he considers "above" him in the social order, but he also has no problem asserting his own authority over those "below" him.
History/Background:
- "Do you see the sun rising over the mountain, Chi?"
"Yes, Mama." Chiwen sat patiently with his wings folded, his crystal blue eyes gazing up at Mama. She was the most beautiful wolf dragon in the clan, at least in his eyes, with scarlet wings that reflected the sun and soft, tufted fur of deep red and gold. She sat down and wrapped her fluffy tail around his small body, which signaled to him that he was about to receive another lesson.
"In times of old, Chi, the sun had ten brothers just like him, and they all took turns shining light down on Earth. While one sun flew through the sky, all the rest roosted in a mulberry tree in the Eastern Sea." she explained. "But as the years wore on, the suns grew tired of waiting their turn and decided they were all going to fly in the sky at once. It grew very hot, with the light of ten suns beating down, and all the rivers dried up and the crops withered and burned, and all the creatures suffered."
Chiwen knit his brow together, looking perplexed and slightly horrified.
"But there was a human archer, dear one, who was very strong and very, very angry at the suns. His name was Hou Yi, and some tales say he was even a God. But when he saw all those suns flying together and causing destruction, he picked up his bow and arrows and he shot the suns down. One by one they fell, until there was only one sun left in the sky. Just as Hou Yi was nocking his last arrow, the Emperor came to stop him from killing the last sun, for then the world would be left in darkness."
"Is all that true, Mama?"
"What makes you ask that?"
"Because he must have had some real magic arrows to shoot so high. No matter how high I fly, I've never even got close to the sun! How did he do it?"
"Your wings will grow, dear, and you will fly farther than you ever imagined. But as for the story, it does not matter if they are true. They are our culture, and it is my duty to pass them to you, just as it will be yours to pass them on to your hatchlings one day." She watched Chiwen wrinkle his nose at the thought of having hatchlings one day. He was too young to even contemplate the idea. "Besides, what the legends teach us is important too. Every member of the community has a place and must perform their duty, or they will disrupt everything just like the suns when they abandoned their careful system. And even though Hou Yi was angry, it would have been wrong of him to forget to think in his anger, would it not? How would we live if he had shot down the last sun? Those are some pretty important lessons, are they not, my sweet?"
"Yes, Mama."
***
The story above took place when Chiwen was a hatchling; he is a young adult now. Chiwen grew up in a rocky cave in the Himalayas with his mother, father, and six siblings. He was brought up with both traditional Chinese dragon culture and elements of grey wolf mythology. His dragon community lives by the maxim "it takes a village to raise a child", and he considers each of the 20-30 dragon hybrids living in the area less of a town and more of a huge extended family. He loves and is loved deeply by all of them. They hunt sheep and raid nearby settlements, dividing the food evenly so that every dragon gets his fair share. Chiwen is proud to be a part of this group and would defend any member of it with his life. He also knows that they would do the same for him.
Hamartia [Fatal Flaw]:
Pride/Overconfidence
Quirks
He can breathe fire at will. He usually sneezes smoke, but sometimes he'll sneeze a tiny flame by accident.
He thumps his tail against the ground when he's impatient and has a tendency to spill things all over himself when he eats.
Hopes/Dreams
Chiwen has an ambition to fly all the way around the world, which came from a petty childhood skirmish in which someone bet him that he couldn't do it. It is unlikely that he will ever set out to realize this dream, but every time it comes up he tells himself he will.
Sense of Humor
He's not the wittiest but he's good at piggybacking off of other people's jokes. He has a deep, sincere laugh that is infectious. He tries not to be mean, but sometimes he forgets himself and makes a joke at someone else's expense. When somebody else takes a jab at him or a member of his family, he loses his temper quickly and is willing to fight for his honor.
Likes:
+ Having snowball fights with other young dragons. + Hunting + Sitting around the fire on a cold winter's night, listening to the elder's stories + Daydreaming + Getting into playful fights |
Dislikes:
- When he accidently sneezes fire and burns himself - Showing weakness - Losing arguments or fights - Saying he's sorry |