birthname. aerynn sylxina
nicknames.

herb head / plant princefor his extensive botany knowledge and overall love for things from within the earth's soil. the former title is mean-spirited and came from an unsubstantiated rumor that he was making drugs while the latter is oft said with an admiring sigh from his local fans. when he has a choice, he would much rather go by his name than any nickname, thanks.

birthdate. 01 / 01 (20)
class. owl

faceclaim. chwe hansol aka vernon (svt)
backup fc. kim mingyu (svt)
appearance.

smooth features blessed by clear skin and marred instead by smudges of dirt and dust. jet black hair in contrast to sharp eyes of grey buried in a book. plant stains on his long fingers and thin wrists. a rather average height given the appearance of length with his lean stature. a secret touch of freckles on his shoulders and the back of his neck from not shying from long hours under ths sun. various scars on his arms, wrapped in bandages, from his experiments with poisons growing up.

style.

standard uniform made out of place with the obvious stains of grass and dirt on the hems of his sleeves paired with a cheap yet sturdy knapsack that his family eventually replaces with a bag of better quality and fashion. stray leaves and such on his back or hair from when he took a nap out in the garden and couldn't quite brush it all off. (aka isaac minus the gloves.)

pos. unflappable, adaptable, modest

neu. honest, creative, curious

neg. guileless, obsessive, disorganized

aka. ravenclaw, istp-a: the virtuoso, neutral good

insp: mao mao (kusuriya no hitorigoto), midoriya izuku (bnha), ryuu (akagami no shirayukihime), ravenclaw posts ( 01 02 03 04 05 )

initially a pretty face covered by a book to be admired from afar but not to be associated with. dirt stains and smudges that mark him as someone from the lower class. learning he is technically a part of nobility then hearing contradictory rumors and attitudes over his upbringing and status in society.

obviously a love of plants and learning but total apathy towards almost everything else. brilliance and competence shining through even when he doesn't apply himself. dominance when he does. refreshing honesty without care for consequences. a very my-pace person who does what he wants.

mostly jumping into life with both feet and swimming as far as he can but in the direction he wants. taking notes and notes that will end up lost but he remembers it all anyways so it's ok. taking whatever comes his way without complaint. the inability to lie and a never-ending line of questions to answer.

surprisingly believing himself rather average in most areas. knowing how much he does not know. the ability to think outside the box but only because he can't seem to stay in the lines. a willingness to bend rules and talent in exploiting loopholes. wanting to know absolutely everything on a topic.

secretly recognizing the complexities of high society and understanding politics but not possessing the interest to go further in the field. a heart for those in the poorer districts and the belief that everyone should have access to a doctor. understanding of those who commit crimes out of desperation.

personally the world being a place full of things to learn and explore. the dull and obvious choice between what's interesting and not. loyalty to people rather than to a country. knowing that there is good (and bad) in everyone and everything. and why poisons? don't you mean, why not poisons? really.

summarily a literal genius who devotes himself to the fields that interest him, which happens to be plants and poisons. ignoring rumors because there's learning to be done. humility in knowing how much he does not know. the inability to lie but with the secret understanding of nuances in politics.

background.

once upon a time the story begins, as most stories do, with a princess who falls in love. she isn't actually a princess, but she is high nobility and the heiress to her family's estate. when she falls pregnant, she runs away with the love of her life while her twin brother - the ever responsible one - is on a business trip. it takes them nearly a year to find her and her lover, by which time she's given birth. perhaps if aerynn had been female, they would have taken him as well, but as it is, they take just her alone back to their estate, banning her lover and son from the entire city and the family's lands.

there was a boy aerynn grows up in an apothecary with his father at the edge of the courtesan streets and beginning of slums, the smell of herbs in the air alongside blood and perfume. his father allows him to watch and later practice his father's trade despite the types of clients that walk inside - from criminals of all sorts to courtesans both low and high. aerynn absorbs all the information, from the things his father makes and sells (including poison when money is tight) to what customers teach him - like how to pick a pocket from a teen and or how to hide an insult inside a compliment from an oiran.

who was a prince his father never denies him anything, even stories of his mother and her identity. so when his father is killed by a robber a few days after aerynn's twelfth birthday, he sends a letter to his mother, informing her of his father's death. he doesn't expect a knight to come a few days later to pick him up. aerynn declines, intent on continuing the apothecary. "if my mother wants me to join her at the estate so much, she can come pick me up herself," he challenges, summarily kicking the knight out. when the knight returns a week later with his mother, aerynn sighs and finally agrees.

sort of anyways the sylxina family is awkward but completely welcoming, betraying aerynn's expectations entirely. rather than hating him for being a bastard love child, they're curious about the man who won their now-head's heart as well as the child the two have and even apologize for how they had to kick his father (and him) out of the city. ("according to law, it was either that or death," one maid tells him with a sigh.) they try and befriend him, make him comfortable, and even try to educate him to show that they do consider him their heiress's son and a future heir. (for early favor, he thinks.)

but not really aerynn puts his foot down after his mother gives birth to a daughter and heiress. (because he isn't going to inherit anymore, and he is going to poison someone if they keep on trying to earn his favor still.) he tells them his future plan is to become a traveling doctor and scientist of sorts - healing and documenting plants while roaming all over the land. in contrast to his expectations, again, they support him entirely and offer to sponsor him for grecina. he declines but is won over by all the learning possible there. (he finally realizes the family is truly that kind-hearted. it took him two years.)

he went to school at fourteen, aerynn finds grecina academy to be more familiar than the sylxina estate. where the sylxina family is kind, those at the academy are more cunning - much like the courtesan politics he grew up learning with interesting similarities to the ruthlessness of the slums. the classes are interesting (or not), but he passes them all anyways. magic turns out to be natural for him to wield while medicine and healing are his passion. he makes a bit of a name for himself but no one messes with him outright after an incident during his first year where someone ate his poisoned food.

the sylxina family distantly related to the queen, they're high nobility and in charge of many bustling cities and ports. despite being kind, they're good at business and politics and initially welcome aerynn as an heir because their head has difficulties conceiving with her husband and their heir-spare is unable to have any kids after a poisoning attempt years ago. because of his refreshing honesty and eccentricities (and events), they end up fond of him despite themselves. they wish aerynn all the best but agree that he'd probably poison all of the upper class if he was forced to stay as an heir.

fun facts.

likes books, learning, plants, medicine, interesting things
dislikes politics, boring things, not knowing something
habits gestures while talking, fidgets with his fingers when he's thinking but can't write, tilts his head when confused
hobbies learning anything and everything, napping (usually in a tree or on the grass), reading anything factual or historical, experimenting with plants / poisons / cures / medicine, picking / growing / drying plants for medicine / poison / experiments

left-handed constant ink smudges on his hands as a result.
send me your location can be found mostly in the forest or greenhouse or anywhere with plants really. has a semi-secret garden of all sorts of plants - both harmless and not - within grecina. (it's well-known among students but not the faculty.)
sylxina aerynn grew up with the surname sylxina. his father used it even after his mother was taken away in remembrance of their love. when asked, they simply denied being related to the actual noble family because "nobles? here? really?"
secret animal whisperer probably more because he smells like plants than anything, animals are not at all afraid of aerynn and will be around him in the wild. (more a wary approach and see than an outright like of the weirdly-plant-loving human).
photographic memory surprises people when he remembers their name, face, etc because he doesn't seem like the kind of person to remember but always will. in actuality, doesn't forget anything...except taking care of himself instead of his plants.
lifestyle magic(?) because he lived with his dad, helped out around the house a lot. knows how to cook, clean, etc and is actually good at it. probably had a roommate at some point? currently has a miniature apothecary / lab in his room instead.
immune to most poisons, stimulants, depressants, etc the result of his experiments over the years. can recognize the most common ones by sight or (if hidden) taste / smell alone. will eat / drink things that are poisonous because they taste good but don't affect him anymore. (the cause of the incident.)
how do you even know? knows so many random and obscure facts that it's mind-boggling. has probably read every single book in the library at least once. if a field of study exists, he knows something about it; if it doesn't, he will probably still know something about it because he seems to know all.
chicken scratch has atrocious handwriting that his tutors weep over because it's totally illegible. when pages of his lost notes were first found around campus, people thought it was some kind of kid's doodles or crazy code but found out it was just his handwriting. he could write neater (like in the letter he sent his mother about his father's death), but he doesn't really see the point when no one but him is going to read it.
mind, body, spirit is skilled at plant magic, which no one is surprised about, but also uses water and earth magic since it's easier for class assignments. has terrible stamina and speed and overall would probably collapse than run a mile, thanks. is potentially capable of doing better (everyone swears he ran across the school without breaking a sweat because one of his experiments was ready) but has zero motivation to do so. in class assignments, mock battles, etc, aims to pass only. even so, everyone knows he's secretly the smartest kid in the class as evidenced by the time he debated with a professor - over a topic no one else could follow and needed another professor to arbitrate because they were getting heated - and won.

examples of rumors about aerynn his father seduced his mother. his mother didn't want to be heiress and ran away, conceiving him while paying for something with her body. they picked him up on the streets and isn't really related to the sylxina family. he was adopted by blackmail of some sort. his family is pitiful and too kind for adopting him out of obligation. his family threw him away once they got an heiress. he grows and sells drugs. he killed his roommate for more room space.

RELATIONSHIPS.

mother illoria sylxina (41) sylxina head
loving, loud, calculating, social, headstrong 5 / 10

as much as illoria wants to make up for lost time and get closer to her son, she also knows she lost the right to mother him when she left him and his father - regardless of the consequences. instead, she tries to just love him and give what she can, to at least provide for him in a way that she couldn't before. she treasures what time they can spend together and has decided to not push for more than what he's willing to offer, but if offered, she would jump at the chance to act and be treated as aerynn's mother in a heartbeat.

aerynn, likewise, just doesn't know how to act with the woman who gave birth to him. although he's had older female figures in his life, none of them were quite like illoria (and those that were close were oiran), and his father fulfilled all parental roles for him anyways. he treats her more like an older sister than a mother, defaulting to the mixture of respect for her age and experiences and of clear i-don't-listen-to-you vibes he cultivated when talking to his father's clients. he can't see her as a mother but family? maybe.

stepfather reikorin sylxina (38) sylxina head's husband
reliable, supportive, scheming, cautious, impatient 4 / 10

reikorin was, honestly, displeased when aerynn initially came to the estate but unsurprised, given illoria's honesty. although their marriage was political rather than of love, they came to respect each other so reikorin knows he can't stop illoria's son from coming. aerynn becomes a breath of fresh air, so honest and hidden agenda that reikorin can't hate the male, especially given aerynn's distaste for politics. if anything, hearing aerynn's goal, reikorin respects his stepson. he mostly treats aerynn like a friendly acquaintance.

aerynn expected hostility or confusion from his stepfather, but the silent and subtle ignoring? he can deal with that. once he makes clear his personal plans, reikorin starts to treat him with more respect and overall friendliness but does not try to get close to him either. aerynn very much agrees with that sentiment, keeping it cordial and simple but definitely not trying to relate to the man who, quite honestly, replaced aerynn's father in his mother's life. the two can be summarized as polite tolerance of each other for illoria's sake.

uncle illorith sylxina (41) sylxina advisor
responsible, adept, quiet, sly, logical 6 / 10

the twin yet opposite of illoria in every way, illorith ironically regards aerynn with the same hesitance as his sister. though he wants kids that he'll never have, illorith is more than aware of his role in aerynn and his father's life and contents himself with being a responsible adult figure who establishes himself as someone trustworthy in illorith's life. he's willing to lecture aerynn and give him advice even when unasked but is also aware that he can't technically force aerynn to do anything more than listen to the lecture.

ironically, illorith's distance allows aerynn a little more comfort, since illorith doesn't seem invested in what aerynn's doing. aerynn isn't afraid to ask the man questions or for advice since he'll get a blunt yet thorough answer in contrast to illoria's hesitant, "which would he like to hear?" answer. rather than an older brother like illoria, aerynn treats illorith more like a professor of sorts - someone older and wiser who has answers but knows he cannot do more than give advice. (illoria is, to be honest, at least a little jealous.)

half-sister aellia sylxina (6) sylxina heiress
blunt, curious, observant, precocious, spoiled 5 / 10

in contrast to everyone's expectations, aellia loves her half-brother and is always trying to get his attention. she thinks he's brilliant and constantly asks him to come work for her when she becomes head. she doesn't necessarily want to be exactly like him, but she admires him. she also wants him to be closer to their shared mother and to, basically, be her older brother. for real. she knows he's awkward with her family and has heard the story but does not see what that has to do with her specifically, when she cares for him.

why the heiress admires him - even if they do share one parent - is a thing aerynn too would like to know. he just treats her like an equal and doesn't hide the truth from her. why is she so excited about him? (he has no idea that everyone else talks down to her due to age and that only he does not shy away from sensitive topics with her, even pointing out when she has to form her own opinions about a subject.) he tries to see her in short bursts since she's like a whirlwind - powerful, attention-grabbing, and demanding.

bodyguard alphin zetherr (29) sylxina knight
loyal, straightforward, constant, stoic, silent 7 / 10

the knight who initially was sent to pick aerynn up, alphin takes pride in being a knight - a vassal under the sylxina family like his father and other ancestors before him. he treats aerynn with deference despite being older but also isn't afraid to give his opinion if aerynn is making a mistake. given the duty to protect aerynn whenever he is on sylxina lands, alphin takes his job seriously and has mastered the art of wrangling the plant-obsessed male when the experiment binges hit. bodyguard and nanny, other knights tease.

alphin is probably the closest to a friend aerynn can say he has. though they are not as particularly close as other typical friends, especially with alphin's clear deferential treatment of aerynn, alphin knows more about aerynn's plans and goals and opinions than anyone else. aerynn treats alphin as an actual older brother, going so far as to bicker with him though remaining respectful and turning it more into a knowledge vs experience sort of debate than anything. (aellia is jealous but takes advantage to call aerynn home.)

friend-ish valha reinmere (21) grecina student
creative, intelligent, passionate, sarcastic, withdrawn 6 / 10
fc: jang yeeun (clc)

probably because aerynn reminds her so much like an animal - honest and without further ambitions or tricks - valha views aerynn with...not necessarily like, but less hatred than other people. she thinks he's a good classmate who makes her life less complicated when they're partnered up for projects and assignments (though the number of those is less than she'd like given their differing classes). when she spots people attempting to mess with him, she'll purposefully stop them, calling up anger at them wth more ease.

aerynn knows valha and remembers her to be a great partner project who didn't mind that he wanted to reschedule when he found a new poisonous plant combination he wanted to try as long as he didn't reschedule again. if he one day slips an herbal remedy to help with monthly cramps into her bag one time, well, no one can prove it was him. (she totally knows it was him.) still, it's nice to have at least one classmate who thinks his interest in poisons is equally annoying as everyone else rather than just him being weird.

so, why did you enroll in the class you're in?

"for the plants," aerynn answers simply, head tilting to the side with clear confusion. "why else would anyone enroll in any class?"

mhm. mhm. how would learning these skills help you and your goals?

his eyes seem to light up, lips turning upward and turning him from just a pretty face into a highly attractive one. "in the future, i plan on creating a global almanac detailing plants and their various properties," aerynn declares without hesitation nor shame. "in order to do so, i believe learning what is already known will assist in the foundation of my journey. in addition, having magic and healing at my disposal will assist me in traveling to more remote and possibly dangerous areas of the land in search of these plants." he pauses, then adds, "if i need money or assistance from locals at any point, i suppose both of those skills will also assist me in earning currency or favor."

i see. so would you say you're loyal to your nation, or is there something more important to you than 'loyalty'?

he stares at the interviewer, as if waiting for something - a "it's a joke" perhaps - but when it doesn't come, he sighs. "what makes up a nation?" he asks, clearly seeking a particular answer. when it finally comes up (or when no one dares guess any longer), he continues. "a nation is made up of people who acknowledge and, to an extent, trust the authority of those who run the nation. however, people are humans, and humans are flawed, often putting themselves ahead of all else but wearing masks to perpetuate the lie that they are beautiful and selfless. being loyal to a nation is loyalty to leadership passing down a bloodline without ensuring the proper characteristics of a true leader willing to put the nation and its betterment first. such loyalty is foolish." aerynn continues to speak on the topic, his hands gesticulating to nothing in particular as he speaks. he ends with, "more important than mere loyalty to a nation is a self-verifying of the current leader and, if worthy of trust, giving your trust to them." he pauses. "ah, yes. more important to me than loyalty is knowledge and truth. loyalties change, but the truth never stays a secret no matter how many lies are told."

interesting. let's say a war were to happen, would you side with your nation? or perhaps the friends you make along the way?

"if possible," he answers after thinking on the question, "i would prefer not to pick a side at all. death and suffering may be inevitable, but there's no reason we should do the job of the devil for him." he stays silent, clearly lost in thought. "if i had to pick..." he trails off after minutes of quiet, fingers fidgeting on constant motion. "i would probably help my friends." after a few seconds, he adds with a frown, "but i imagine the continued bloodshed would render my healing useless...would it be a kindness to allow them to fall in battle early, or to give them continued hope of survival to see the end of the war?"

birthname. xerxes ateria
backup li. another applicant
class. owl

APPLICATION. here
FACECLAIM. jeon wonwoo (svt)

theme song. "i like me better" lauv (here)
love story.

dawn the two know of each other in the vague, "i hear rumors about you" kind of way but no further. they have met in class before, but aerynn doesn't see what a prince would want with him and focuses on his plants instead. it surprises him, then, when he hears xerxes call out to him one day, waking him from a nap in his not-so-secret garden. aerynn does not know why xerxes decides him of all people, but when xerxes demands asks aerynn tutor him, aerynn says yes. eventually.

morning they don't immediately fall in love. it takes time for xerxes to see how aerynn lights up about plants and how he humbly denies compliments only to turn it back to the speaker, pointing out a topic that they are skilled in. it takes time for aerynn to see past xerxes's acerbic demeanor to the kindness hidden underneath and to realize that his national pride is not blind faith but an acknowledgement of how far its come and how far he wishes for it to go. it takes time, but they do.

afternoon aerynn isn't fully sure how it happens, because people are selfish and unreliable but he thinks xerxes isn't. he starts looking forward to spending time with the prince who hides kindness under demands in contrast to the expected hidden goal under flattery he grew up seeing. he begins to find his mind wandering - xerxes's hands against his, xerxes's eyes crinkling in joy, the curve of xerxes's neck flushed by the sun - and doesn't connect it until xerxes presses their lips together.

evening after the moment, aerynn places his feelings near immediately, and after several flustered minutes, their relation is no longer just tutor-student or mere friends. aerynn is still a plant-obsessed future-healer who intends on traveling all over, but at least for this moment, he's just another boy in love who found someone who makes him want to trust others again. (if xerxes's status as prince makes him nervous for any assassin attempts, aerynn eating xerxes's food first is coincidence.)

midnight aerynn making xerxes slow down and want to enjoy life - including learning - rather than rushing straight to ruling. xerxes allowing aerynn to trust and care by being both kind and not. the two of them not as "you're my other half" but as "you make me want to be a better me when i'm with you." (if xerxes needs to have an heir, a queerplatonic relationship where aerynn is aual and makes an exception in their monogamy purely for xerxes to have the heir he needs.)

comments. hey, friends! i came across your story and felt like writing an app so here he is. i hope you like him. if you have any questions about him, feel free to ask. especially the personality section since writing in that style is a bit of an experiment for me. i left the love interest section pretty open, but if you want ideas like on who flusters who and how or if the academy knows / finds out and what happens, i have plenty; just let me know. anyways, i hope you like him, and i hope you enjoy writing the story. looking forward to it!

scene suggestions.

plant prince aerynn and his plants. (just anything with his plants.) aerynn who eats / drinks poisonous things and freaks people out. (bonus points if it wasn't supposed to be poisoned or his, and he has to tell people he accidentally ate something poisoned that was meant for someone else.) aerynn and animals. aerynn being a genius but not caring about classes. aerynn's notes. aerynn getting a letter from his family and having to think up replies. aerynn's surprising household skills.

aerynn and xerxes aerynn being an awkward, oblivious idiot until the end. aerynn eating / drinking everything of xerxes's first to poison test. xerxes's reactions initially (to aerynn just stealing his stuff) and after he finds out the reason. aerynn convincing a bunny that's always near the edges of his garden to let xerxes pet him. aerynn suggesting one day that xerxes develop a resistance to poisons and other drugs "just in case." aerynn not caring about xerxes's scar but aerynn suddenly worrying about xerxes's reactions to his scars if xerxes hates the one on xerxes's arm. aerynn meeting xerxes's friends.