It's a jungle out there, sometimes even the mighty fall
Name: Leon Meritt
Age- Believed to be 22, itās hard to keep track beyond the walls.
Position: Recruit
Appearance:
Leon has a rather rugged appearance for someone as young as he is. This, with little doubt, is owed to his time spent outside the walls. Everything from the light silver color of his hair, to the minimal and oftentimes rugged clothing he is accustomed to, and his manner of speech, seems defined by his former life. The male is a little taller than average, standing a proud 5ā11ā.
Upon first seeing Leon many might presume he is older. His silver hair and tan skin are like those found upon seasoned veterans. His stance too, is very rigid, and his well-toned and muscular body is like that of someone who spent years honing it to perfection. The reality, however, is much harsher; Leonās demeanor comes from spending years in a hellish environment everything about him was crafted in order to survive.
Leonās clothing is rugged, and well-worn, but not impractical. His pants are those of a Soldierās which suggests he either stole them, found them in the wilds, or killed a man for them. Shirts, are a little harder to find in the land beyond the walls. Thus, Leon wears a rudimentary cloak. While the color is garish and could potentially attract titans, most wildlife canāt distinguish between colors so it never harmed his chances hunting.
Haircuts, in the wild come only when one has time for them. As such, Leon attempted to keep it cut as short as possible. While he might not have had shears, he did have a rugged combat knife, and it would do the job in a pinch.
If there was one defining feature about Mr. Meritt, it would be the scar across his chest. This stain on his flesh came from one of the maleās only serious run-ins with a Titan. He earned this scar while escaping the clutches of a titan. The scar itself doesnāt hold as many memories as one might expect, but it does serve as a reminder to keep his wits about him.
Ultimately, Leonās appearance while forged in an unforgiving environment, would seem comforting. The maleās blue eyes have a shine that suggests the male still has hope, and while heās a very guarded individual, his appearance would almost never show much anger.
Personality
Leon has lived a life always on the outskirts of society. This has cut deep into his core, and secured him as a very self-sufficient person. As a young child Leon learned to scavenge what could be gathered. If life handed him lemons, he was to make use of the fruit, the peel and the seeds. This type of mentality most likely manifests itself with those who have very little. But this same personality trait sees that Leon will never be far from resources he absolutely needs.
The male is very daring. It takes a great deal of courage to go into the great unknown, and as a young teen Leon was willing to throw away his very life to escape the current situation. However this also went hand in hand with his daring persona. Leon is always searching for a challenge, and something new to conquer.
His self-sufficient nature also assured his survival in some of the harsher environments outside of the walls. If he needed to go somewhere, he learned the way. It has made him extremely adaptable as well, and helped him triumph over some of manās basic fears. The fear of height was one of the first to be let go of, when Leon learned that Titans seemingly never jumped for their prey. Just climb somewhere taller, and youād be safe.
As Leon has been away from society for an incredible amount of time, his mannerisms might seem very brash, but this is also because heās coping with still being a boy. At his heart, Leon never got a childhood like most, and some of his more wild instincts were certainly honed because of this. Itās easy to be a child forever, when society expects nothing of you.
The male makes a great listener, if nothing else. He enjoys tales of adventure most of all. His love of stories manifested itself from childhood memories, and have stuck with him as sort of a shelter in the storm. While out and about, Leon oftentimes made up his own stories to pass the time. This also leads itself to Leonās education. He has very little in terms of formal education. He was never enrolled in school, and thus he cannot read or write. He is however, a very good artist and would always utilize this to draw what was on his mind.
Lastly, there is something comforting about being around Leon. Heās very cool headed and collected, and has a very friendly nature. While his exterior might suggest that heās tough and could take on the world; anyone who got to know him earnestly, would find that heās always willing to share knowledge or stories, or just have fun.
Background
Leon grew up on the streets in Wall Maria. While some parts of the wall were fairly idyllic, closer to wall Rose the city was rather large, and encountered many of the problems of city life. Leon was born here, as far as he knew, and lived on the streets for the majority of his life. Every day was a struggle to obtain even the most basic of human necessities. However, there were those who took charity on young souls. Those in the church would often times give runaways clothing and shelter for a night. Merchants would give older products as well. Thus, a life could be hand forged out on the streets, but it was one which came with adversity.
Of course, anyone in Wall Maria knows what lies beyond the walls. A bountiful expanse of wilderness encompasses the walls. While it holds all of the bounties anyone would need for a stable life, it also comes with the greatest danger serving mankind. Titans. There were always tales of people running off into the wilderness in search of a better life, and never making it back. But these were just tales, no one would ever seriously ponder doing so, right? As a young teen, Leon had begun to pick up odd jobs to earn a days keep. It was never very much money but it was always enough for a loaf of bread. If he was lucky, he might also get a warm bed to sleep at night. But, sleeping away the night on a semi-full stomach was never enough to keep the thoughts of running away from his mind.
It would take three more years for Leon to finally make up his mind. At the age of 17, Leon had finally made up his mind. This was the age when the wealthy were interested in joining trades, as someone without such a luxury Leon had decided the meager wage, and food from the streets would not be able to support his lifestyle. From a cart which was selling basic trade goods Leon would steal a knife. Then it was a few days walk to the edge of the wall. Leon had saved up enough food for the journey to the wall, but none for the way back. This was to be an all or nothing venture.
Wall guards at Wall Maria are notoriously lazy. Nothing ever happens at this this end of the wall. It was the other side, near Rose, that they had to be on patrol for thieves, or those seeking a better life. As such, it was surprisingly easy to sneak out of the wall. Just wait for the portcullis to open up for a team of wounded soldiers entering, and anyone could make their escape. Almost immediately, Leon found himself surrounded by more space than he knew what to do with. Inside Wall Maria, it was almost impossible to see the walls unless you were close enough to them. Out here, however, there were no walls. Leon ran far, and dashed into the forest.
It has been five years since then. Five years of trials and more trials. Everything from escaping his first titan, to learning how to steal supplies from lost soldiers. The times have been tough on the young man, his hair changed color from a nice earthy brown, to the pure silver of a blade. While he grew up in the wilds, he learned to exist as a wild-man. But there was always some part of civilization trapped inside of him. Some longing to go back. It was probably because of this, that Leon tried to stay no further than 25 miles away from the town at any given time.
Likes
Leon likes tales of adventure and daring. He likes to test his mettle and he loves to engage in fist fighting, heās pretty good at it too. Anything that seems challenging, Leon is up to trying. He has sort of an endless determination for tough tasks. His frivolous likes include food, rock paper scissors, knives, and long walks through the woods.
Dislikes
Thereās a long list of dislikes, which Leon has. He dislikes having to rely on others. He dislikes doing things which heās not very good at, like trying to learn to read. He strongly dislikes societal norms and rules. And he hates being reminded of where he came from, as far as Leon is concerned, he is from the woods. His frivolous dislikes include, bossy people, talking to strangers, being asked questions about his personal life, and flirting with women (he's never had much practice.)
Strengths
Leonās truest strengths are survival skills, and overall knowledge of fauna, flora, and Titans. Heās seen quite a number, and his immersion into the wilderness is on a time span unheard of by modern society. However these strengths came at great personal costs, and they are skills that nearly anyone could develop over time. He is proficient with his combat knife, and heās good with his hands as well. Close-quarters combat he excels at.
Weaknesses
Leon is a fish out of water, he doesnāt know societal norms and customs. Heās not used to following laws or orders, and heās never led anything in his life. He is almost too daring, and has a very minimal sense of danger; as such he could easily make very stupid combat decisions. Leon has never before fought a titan, rather he has spent his life escaping from them and trying to learn their habits. He would find it absolutely foolish to attempt to kill a Titan, let alone to join the military and make this his very life.
Equipment
Before Leon enlists, he will have with him very rudimentary equipment. A haggard old cloak, and a combat knife being his most useful. He wears gloves that he has cut the fingers off of, they provide protection for the knuckles, and for the palm but little else.