Fellden App

PLAYER

NAME: Agnes
AGE: 30+
PREFERRED CONTACT: Plurk: Furikuchan
OTHER CHARACTERS: None.

CHARACTER

NAME: Shepherd Derrial Book (Birth name: Henry Evans.)
AGE: 58
CANON & CANON POINT: Firefly, Post-Death in Serenity.
RESERVATION LINK: HERE.
HISTORY:
http://firefly.wikia.com/wiki/Derrial_Book
https://firefly.fandom.com/wiki/Serenity:_The_Shepherd%27s_Tale
PERSONALITY:
Shepherd Book is always upfront about the fact that he has not always been a Shepherd. Whether this is a reminder to himself of the things he has done in the past, of a reminder to others that he is not to be underestimated, this is unclear. However, rather than burying himself in regret over the past, Book has found forgiveness and redemption through his faith. The goal of his mission is to try to bring that forgiveness and redemption to other people. He is not blind to the evils in the universe of his home world, but sees that state of being as an opportunity, that many others need the redemption that he has been able to find for himself. And, if someone can be redeemed after having been responsible for as large a catastrophe as the incident with the I.A.V. Alexander, then Book believes that redemption can be found for anyone.

Although Book is Christian, he is not of a specific Christian denomination, and he is not overly dogmatic. He certainly has no problem with the strong Buddhist influences of his world. Whether Christian, Buddhist, or something else entirely, Book thinks the key to a better life is to believe in something. His last words to Mal are, “I don’t care what you believe. Just believe it.” Belief is what leads a man to have a line, morals, and to decide what is and is not acceptable for their own behavior. Wandering for so long without belief, and letting the Verse take him where it would, was what led Book down the wrong path in his youth. So if he can prevent others from making his mistakes, he will.

Book finds his mission on board the Serenity to act as a moral compass of sorts for the crew. Although they live outside of the law, Book actually finds this world familiar to him, thanks to his own past running. He can’t prevent them from stealing, but perhaps he can prevent them from shooting anyone in the process. He has grown a belief in Captain Malcolm Reynolds, in particular, that he has the capacity to be a good man. Of course, in the world they live in, ‘good’ is a relative term. Book’s understanding of that idea, while not wavering on his own beliefs, is what keeps him a good influence on the crew.

While many preachers may shun people that do not live up to a Christian standard, Book sees his mission to be to sit with the 'sinners', to minister to them. He builds up a strong friendship in particular with Jayne Cobb, a man who would scandalize anyone of any morals just by being himself. But the two of them strike up a rapport as Book grows used to Jayne, and Jayne realizes that Book is not being truly judgemental to him. Most of Book's friendships aboard the Serenity follow this same pattern, with the other crew members testing their limits with Book, and continuing on when they find that he is not ready to condemn them.

Another relationship that is particularly telling of Book's character is his relationship with Inara Serra, the ship's Companion. He even jokes that he could stand and be judgemental towards her with plenty of sermons, but instead he finds a kindred spirit in Inara. The both of them are highly sensitive and emotional people, seeking to manage the emotions of the people that they encounter, whether through faith, or through intimate connection. Book always shows Inara the utmost respect, once he realizes her true calling.

Book has a particular paternal eye towards Kaylee and River, and even a little bit towards Simon. River represents a blind spot for Book, as she bounces between being very emotional, and being very logical and almost childishly straight-forwards. Book finds himself most often at a loss for how to aid River, because he cannot figure out what she needs. Does she need a parent, to help her manage her volatile emotions? A teacher, to help her learn new facts? She will not accept him as the Shepherd, as she seems, for now, almost immune to Faith. Yet, the two of them are very important to one another, even if they cannot find a very common ground.

Lastly, there is Book's relationship to Captain Malcolm Reynolds. In particular, Book sees a lot of himself in Mal, and his mission to specifically lead Mal to redemption may be a shadow of his own past coming back to haunt him. He will find himself drawn to other troubled individuals, and give his guidance, if it is wanted. His particular avenue of helping people is through Scripture, and he will never waver in his own beliefs, while he accepts the beliefs of others. But Mal, being like Book in his youth, finds any reason that he can to test his limits with Book. Mal insists that he doesn't need redemption, a viewpoint that young Book likely would have echoed. But Mal is too skilled, too good, too drawn to help people, for Book to just turn his back. It is only when Mal crosses the line and manipulates Book into using his faith in the middle of a job, that Book sees that spending so much time with Mal has truly begun to corrupt him. His own lines on morality have shifted too far, and he leaves the ship to go to Haven, to re-find those lines.

Despite his vows as a Shepherd, he will still not hesitate to use his previous training to aid the weak or defend the innocent. He will even assist in crimes, if he believes there is a greater good to be served. To Shepherd Book, doing good acts counts more than saying good words.

ABILITIES/SKILLS: A former soldier, Book is skilled both with a gun, and with hand-to-hand combat, although age has slowed him down considerably from his prime. Those are the skills he calls on only very rarely.
He has some skill as a mechanic, he is shown being able to assist Kaylee on the Serenity, and is a handyman at the colony on Haven. This sees far more daily use in his life on or off a ship.
Book’s left eye is a bio-optic camera. It is connected to his optic nerve, so he can still see, but it was previously sending a feed of everything Book saw to a group of Independence Resistance fighters. Even after the fall of the Independence movement, his eye has not stopped working, even if it is transmitting to nowhere now. He has had it for 26 years, and has gotten so used to it, that he doesn’t even consciously think about it being there anymore. It has no enhancements or digital overlay, it works just the same as a regular eye, but it happens to be synthetic. As a power, it is 'used' constantly. His vision would begin blurry in that eye and clear up bit by bit as the days pass.

INVENTORY/COMPANIONS: One leatherbound Bible. (Someone seems to have scribbled editings and commentary in the Book of Genesis.)

FACTION CHOICE: Court of Stars

REASON: Book has utterly become a man of Faith above all else. Not just Faith in God, but in people, and their inherent goodness. He has some level of Faith in Mal, that he is, deep down, a good man, thus, he remained with him for far longer than he should have, when reason would have told him to run. Book's skills are now applied towards advising people and managing other people's (and his own) emotions. While he is well-read, any knowledge he learns gets folded back into this overall goal. Even as he was dying, the most important thing he could do was give one last emotional appeal to Mal, to try to save the man.

TATTOO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columba_(constellation) Columba, the Dove, located on his left inner forearm, in a vivid purple.

SAMPLES

NETWORK:
https://fellmemes.dreamwidth.org/345.html?thread=13401#cmt13401
LOG:
https://fellmemes.dreamwidth.org/345.html?thread=362585#cmt362585
NOTES, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS:
Book is coming in post-death, so his arrival will be in the hospital wing, with a scar on his chest from the wound that originally killed him.