Changeling Kahz (Ready)

[Blueblood]

Name: Kahz, no more, no less

Gender: Male

Age: Just entering "stallionhood"

Species: Changeling

Character Color: His exoskeleton is matte black, and it scuffs easily

Mane/Tail/Other: His mane is a rather unremarkable shade of brown, and his tail is just an extension of his exoskeleton. His eyes are sea-grey, though, and always look out at the world intensely.

Physique: Small and thin to begin with, and not quite the right shape. His left hind leg is shorter than the other, giving his gait and poise an overall crooked appearance.

Occupation: No one as yet really trusts him to assign him to anything in particular, but despite the others' lack of faith in him, he perseveres in whatever he can convince anyone in the hive to let him do (or in whatever he's convinced them he has permission to do.) One day, he hopes to become an Officer and Tactician.

Unique Traits: The first thing an observer is likely to note about Kahz, besides his weak looks, is his hyperactivity. If not given something to occupy his energy, he tends to bounce off the walls and hang down from the ceiling, talking rapidly all the while. It has to be said, he thinks about as fast as he talks, and despite his ugly looks, he can be quite charming, mostly due to personable nature and intense presence. He has a degree of magnanimity unusual in the Hive, which has not won him a strong reputation among some changelings. Physically, of course, he's practically a nonentity, and a power of quick decision also lands him into trouble, due to a lack of foresight.

Personal History: Kahz was born during a very bad time for the Hive. Love harvests had dropped to an all-time low, and several of the grubs became malnourished if the parents hadn't been able to meet quotas. Such was the fate of poor Kahz, and the lack of proper nourishment at that young an age crippled his physical development.

This did not make for an easy early life, and whether his peers and instructors gave him pity or contempt, most of them really expected anything from him. Thanks to his persistency, and absolute eagerness to be an overachiever in absolutely any task won him a group of "friends," who at least derived amusement by seeing what sort of dares they could get him to do.

One of their favorites was to suggest ever more ridiculous disguises for him to use and attempt to infiltrate pony society. One of the most memorable ones was that of an old, ugly, homeless pony, which the older grunt assured Kahz would be a "snap," while snickering behind his hoof. Never one to leave a challenge un-escalated, Kahz made himself into a crazy hobo with a Megaphone, who would stand on a box in Manehattan's Central Park and yell whatever came into his head.

He was absolutely amazed at how invisible other ponies would make him when he did this. They would go out of their way to not acknowledge his existence, and just hurry past him. Quickly seeing the use of this, the grunt who suggested it then used Kahz as a cover for whatever needed to be done in the field, either as a distraction or a cover. When their instructor found out about this, however, he had an absolute fit and put a stop to Kahz's outside ventures immediately. After that, however, the changeling had a way of taking an unorthodox view to any problem, and a somewhat more complex idea of how ponies acted and reacted to each other.

He went through the rest of his life, soaking up whatever instruction or information he could get his hands on about anything, though with so few changelings willing to give him a chance, he had a lot of time to think. He mostly stayed home throughout both the failed invasions, but neither of them really diminished his respect for Queen Chrysalis. In fact, he will often say, to anyone who listens, that most of her admirers underrate her. It is her ability to inspire that impresses Kahz the most, the way in which she was able to take a group of dejected, slunking emotion thieves and fill their hearts with fire and self-respect. Whatever the outcome of her policies, to him, her legacy is secure.

Character Summary: Given his background, there is a surprising lack of hatred or meanness about him. He regards them as luxuries he cannot afford; making enemies in the Hive would ensure his existence was miserable, and probably short. Without charming looks or an impressive physique, he has to rely on knowledge and understanding of others' character to manipulate them into doing what he wants, which gives an overall impression of 'niceness' about him. He wouldn't describe himself as nice, but he does defend his attitude towards any that would call him weak: "Contempt is not a strength. If you despise your enemy, you cannot understand him; and if you do not understand him, you cannot destroy him."

If you're willing to give him the time of day, he is quite gregarious, and willing to help you out in absolutely anything, no matter how menial the task. He will always be watching and learning, both about you and the work at hand. He strives not to disappoint, and will always err on the side of overdoing a thing.

His loyalty to Queen Chrysalis is unshakable, but not uncritical. He has often lain awake at night, and thought through everything he'd heard about the failed invasions, trying to figure out when, where, and how they went wrong, and what could have been done to prevent it. After the first time he voiced his opinion on such matters, he learned quickly to keep them to himself, so as not to be branded a "traitor." It has to be said, that he has a sympathy for bold, audacious moves, and Chrysalis' plans are both, whatever one may think of the quality of brains behind them.

Kahz hides a deep and existential anxiety he's never been quite able to escape, no matter how rapidly he moves. His sense of self-worth, like most changelings, lies in his service to the Queen and to the Hive, but he's not had any real opportunity to do anything to that end. Given his lack of obvious strength, he feels this pressure rest heavily upon him, and has nightmares from time to time about being deemed finally useless by Chrysalis and kicked out of the Hive. He really has no idea how he would live outside of the only family and society he knows...

[Armony]