Name
Bantam Orpington
Age
27
Gender
Male
Role/Profession
Driver
Goose Breeder
What is your experience with this role?
Bantam has been training to be involved in anatinae since he was twenty-one years old, and completed his training when he was twenty-five. For two years he’s been breeding geese for show and battle, though his interest lies more heavily in veterinary services. Bantam has loved geese since he was a chick, and his father bred geese.
What do you think about the uprising?
Bantam’s point of view is that there’s always a solution - one that doesn’t involve violence, cannibalism, or large bonfires. Can’t everyone just sit in a circle and sing kumbaya? Or at least make a greater effort to avoid murder? That’s not to say the rebels are all wrong, but their methods greatly vex Bantam. He tries to see both sides of the issue.
What do you think about the king?
Bantam doesn’t like to share his opinions on political matters because he prefers to avoid argument, and so it may take some weaseling to find out exactly what he thinks of the king. Him being a soldier and from a wealthier middler family, though, one might assume he supports the king - plus he seems rather anti-violence.
Weapon
Bantam is really not much of a fighter, but when you’re in a situation like this it’s in your best interest to have a pointy thing to jab people with. Bantam can’t use many weapons so he’s opted for a small iron dagger with a broad handle for easy handling. The blade is like a pressed and sharpened cone, fat and roundish-looking. With no scabbard, Bantam has tucked the blade into his belt - which will probably mean it’s going to end up poking his butt at some point.
Appearance
Art by Freedom (275895)
Bantam is an Australorp rooster, and weighs 9 lbs with a height of about 27 inches. He has midnight black plumage with long, shining feathers and a full-bodied build. Over his black base is a bottle-green shine with hints of blue, visible mostly in the sunlight. His great neck and chest are puffed out and he has excellent posture and a chickenly elegant way of walking. His tail feathers arch up and over, and his wings are large and even-feathered, long enough to give him good goose grip and maximum dancing capacity. On his right wing, if you brush some feathers aside, you can make out a scar that looks suspiciously goose-beak-shaped. When his wings are folded by his side, they seem to disappear, making him look like some sort of flightless bird. His legs are strong and sturdy, like big grey sticks, and end in four toes: three in the front, one in the back. They’re speckled with dinosaur-like scales of dark grey. His beak is small and black, and often he wears a chicken smile on that beak. His comb, wattle, and face are bright red, clashing in severe fashion faux pas with his blue-green overtones. His comb is a bit jaggedy-looking but a good size. His wattle, on the other hand, is incredibly large. He has his father’s excellent genes to thank for this. It’s a big, magnificent, fleshy red wattle that rests upon his arched neck. A red “mask” around his eyes completes the redness of his general facial area. His eyes are rounded, slightly less round at the tops, and are pure black with a certain rooster’s gleam in them. He often wears charcoal towards the tops of his eyes to give them a more rounded look.
Bantam always dresses well unless he’s with his geese, in which case he might wear something more practical. But for the most part you can find Bantam wearing finer clothing. One thing that you will always find Bantam with, no matter the place or time, is his sunshade parasol. This parasol is made of paper and is a delicate thing, but Bantam takes special care not to damage it in any way. While the chickens of higher status might be found with servants to carry their fine parasols for them, Batam is left to carry his own. Made to match his blue-green shine, the parasol’s paper is dyed sea green, the delicate wood a light brown color. A pattern of winged ants in black adorns the paper, making the parasol far and away the most valuable item Bantam possesses. Bantam’s style of clothing, when given the opportunity to dress up, is colorful and loose. He often wears button-up shirts, and his shirts are mostly blue, green, or red. They’re either linen or wool. The necks dip down in a V to show off his puffy-feathered chest and the sleeves are loose and short, draping around his wings but not far enough to trip him up. Over this shirt he often wears a vest in a starkly contrasting color: a green shirt with a red vest is a favorite combination of his. He tucks his shirts into his pants, which are also loose and flowing. The fabric goes from where his shirt ends, with a hole cut for his tail, and hangs loosely around his little stick legs. A rumpled ruffle of fabric covers his tail, draping over it like a fabulous waterfall. He has a thin and small leather belt which loops around his waist twice and is done up by tying the two ends together. He wears a low, flat-topped capotain hat in black, with the brim dipping lower in the back, and a slit near the bottom allows him to wear an American Buff Goose feather in his hat. His feet are wrapped in strips of wool on very fancy occasions, and are tied bows in the back. He wears a little bronze ring on his left middle toe, and his wattle is pierced: he has two wooden beads and a teardrop-shaped jade hanging down from it, draped on his chest.
When Batam isn’t dressing up, it’s probably because he’s working with his geese. There’s always the risk of getting trampled by the webbed feet of an angry goose, and what if your clothes get ruined? Not worth the risk. In this case, Bantam wears far more practical clothing. He loses the ring, the foot wraps, and the piercing (though he might opt for a lesser piercing - the geese will be impressed, at least). He wears plain clothing in darker colors so that stains don’t show up as well. Dark red’s always good in case a goose bites you. His pants and sleeves are a bit tighter, and he has no ruffles for his tail. A thick belt with a real buckle is much preferred, and he puts his parasol somewhere goose-proof. He keeps his hat but sometimes his geese get angry at the feather in it so he takes that out. Geese are so sensitive.
Personality
They say you can’t please everybody, but Bantam begs to differ - if you don’t count yourself, you sure can. He’s constantly conversing with the ladies, but not dedicated nor powerful enough to really pose a threat to the other roosters. He’s fancy enough to impress the upper class but his actual financial status helps him fit in with the middlers. He has fine clothing and a big wattle, but isn’t good-looking enough to piss anyone off. It’s the general impression that Bantam is a charming, delightful young rooster. He has an air of trustworthiness about him, and for the most part this is an accurate impression. His elegance and grace are as good as one could expect from a rooster with a parasol, and his wattle is just so . . . big. He’s always in a good mood, always willing to share and delighted to be of service. He may not always know how to do things, but at least everyone can get a good laugh watching him fail at stuff. He’s an active chicken who enjoys sports and long walks, but his physical strength leaves something to be desired. His feathers quiver with physical exertion when he wing-wrestles chicks, and his goose-wrangling abilities remind one of a tentative junebug. Bantam isn’t the kind to start fights, but he’ll end them - by running away. He readily obeys a stronger male and doesn’t attempt to take things over when he knows there’s someone more capable around. He doesn’t snipe back when he’s insulted, and doesn’t get involved in squabbles. In fact, for the most part he can be found in the company of ladies and heavily involved in their activities, letting the other roosters attend to their business without him. He’d rather make a delightful quilt than talk politics with skinny-necked roosters.
Bantam tends to spend more of his time with hens, and is an undeniable flirt. He shows interest in all hens around his age, no matter their looks, position, or disposition. But please, let’s give the women some credit here: it would take more than good looks and a few smiles to find a place in their hearts. What many find most attractive about Bantam is his immense respect for other chickens. He’s a polite and refined chicken, maybe not with the most up-to-date manners but a genuine gentleman. He’s helpful and straightforward, and while he shows no interest in long-term relationships, he’s very honest about this. He’s accustomed to rejection and takes it in stride, and if a hen isn’t interested in him he leaves her alone. He is far too refined of a rooster to lower himself to begging, bothering, or petty revenge. He’s nearly always willing to be friends with a hen he was rejected by or was once with, because Bantam is never a rooster who holds grudges. He might also be irritatingly comfortable around exes. He has an infinite ability to forgive which he thinks of as his best quality - what a great guy he is, he tells himself.
Despite his good qualities, Bantam is far from a perfect chicken. He may not like to start arguments, but he often does on accident anyway. He may be polite, but that’s only as far as his limited social skills allow. His remarks towards other chickens may be as harmless as giving them fashion tips or as catastrophic as giving them terrible life advice. Because Bantam loves to be helpful, he enjoys giving other chickens advice. Mostly unsolicited and unwanted, and rarely actually very helpful. His philosophies, while vague and unhelpful, are also rarely applicable to the situation. He often butts in with his help just to make himself useful, but his talents are another thing altogether. He seems under the impression that he’s good at everything. He’s a generally well-intentioned and excitable rooster, but he’s not actually an easy rooster to get close to. He makes an effort to make friends wherever he goes, but doesn’t put in the effort to keep them. His interactions with friends may be erratic and difficult to predict, and once the two begin getting close he often just stops communicating. He’s like this with a relationship too: he wants to go into it with the understanding that neither are serious, and if the hen starts getting serious then he can’t handle it anymore. Commitment is far from what he’s looking for from life.
Bantam’s two main talents are geese tending and dancing. Bantam, of course, works with anatinae, and he specifically breeds geese. He knows a great deal about geese and genetics specifically, and his interest in geese occupies some back part of his mind at all times. He likes to show off his geese to people, and his favorite thing in the world is when people ask for rides on his geese and he gets to guide them around while half-yelling interesting facts at the rider - geese are surprisingly loud. Around his geese is definitely when he’s most energetic, although he maintains a business aspect of goose-breeding because, after all, only chickens are sentient, could you even imagine anything else having thoughts and ideas? But he adores his geese and feels that they have strong emotions which are as close as a non-chicken is going to get to thoughts. Sometimes he has favorite geese who he keeps instead of selling. He’s also a good dancer, which is something that he taught himself. He always wanted to be a dancer after seeing professionals performing, though it never turned into anything. But he practiced hard as a chick and is still a good dancer today. He can’t play an instrument, so he’s always on the lookout for a chicken who can so they can collaborate.
Bantam is rather the dandy, but he believes that posture and clothing make a chicken more than their actual appearance (because then he would be screwed - black, green-blue, and red? A catastrophe). He has a good reputation for the most part, and he works hard to keep it that way. Of course, there will always be some chickens who will judge you for dating so many different hens, but Bantam just has to live with this. Bantam’s movements are fluid and calculated, which not only gives him the muscle control to control his geese but is also an important part of the way he presents himself. He dislikes having to wear common clothing, because he adores being noticed for his flashy clothing style. He likes to be seen as interesting or worth noticing, and this is the easiest way he knows. He also takes interest in the clothing choices of other chickens and may comment on this, for better or worse. This is one thing that he often makes suggestions on, and he likes to tell other chickens how he might tweak their fashion choices. Not higher-up chickens, of course. He’s no fool.
Despite his honesty and forthrightness, Bantam doesn’t like to share too much about himself. It’s not that he has much to hide or any part of his past he wants to hide. It’s just that when chickens start prying into that stuff, he feels like they’re getting too close and he does, after all, have an image to preserve. He doesn’t ask about other chickens’ feelings or stories, and doesn’t like to be asked about his. Instead, he prefers meaningless fluff conversations. If you want Bantam to leave you alone, the fastest way to do that is to start asking him intrusive questions. His feathers will puff out like an alarmed anime character and he’ll make a quick excuse to get away from you. He’s too dazzling for emotions. Whoever said chickens have to connect on a meaningful level? Bantam has been skimming his way through people’s lives without making a meaningful impression and he’s doing great.
Affiliations
Bantam often collaborates with other breeders, but he’s too young to be well-known in the breeding world and he’s not exactly an expert yet. His dad has a great client base but Bantam’s brothers have pretty much monopolized that. His friends come and go, as do his lovers, so he knows a lot of chickens but is close with none.
Group
Colette Eglantine Hennings O’Flintshell
"Gingerbread"
Bantam has done some goose breeding projects with Letty's husband, Boyne. He knows and likes the couple, and has been over to their house for dinner a few times. He gets along with Letty but doesn't know her well - she's a friendly acquaintance. She's also knowledgable about geese, which Bantam is very glad of in this group.
Bantam calls her Gingerbread after the dessert, popular among the wealthy but not any other classes. She gave him a small piece she'd made for the royal family when he came for dinner once, and he said the color was just like her feathers.
William Alaric Brewer II
Bantam and Alaric actually were fledglings together, and only a few years ago did they part ways to pursue their different specialties. Bantam's always admired (and maybe been jealous of) Alaric's strength and bravery, but he also knows he has the superior social skills. The two help each other, push each other out of their comfort zones, and are in general friends. Bantam doesn't often get close with roosters, but he gravitates towards Alaric because he's familiar and a good protector.
Calhoun O'Malley
Although Bantam doesn't really know Calhoun, he's perfectly willing to be friends with the boy. Although Bantam is older, he's still a bit flighty around Calhoun because of his proximity to the prince. He wants to be friends, but he's more like a fan and he would never want to talk about anything serious with Calhoun.
Jackie Coniferous Velta
Bantam thinks Jackie is a wonderful and lovely lady, and although she's a very professional chicken, he can respect that and not flirt too much when she's on duty. He just knows she's going to be adorable when she feels more free to be herself, though.
Prince Wyandotte Faverolles
He's a freaking prince! A prince with whom Bantam is sharing the same general space. He's driving a prince around! How is this not the most amazing thing that's ever happened to him? He would just love to be moticed by Wyan at all, but also never wants Wyan to look at him or notice him ever.
Patch Capon
Bantam doesn't really care much if a hen is masquerading as a rooster. If she's a hen, he's flirting. He thinks she's gotta be bold and quirky if she's pulling this off, and who wouldn't love a bold an quirky woman?
Pets
Bantam is too young to have a great number of geese - all of the good geese that his father bred went to his older brothers, and he only got one old one who bites everyone. He usually sells the geese he breeds, and hasn’t had to actually drive a goose since he learned how to. Two of his bred battle geese are being used for this journey: Lagle and Bezai. Their heritage is mostly Arzamas geese, but they’re slightly larger and less quarrelsome. They’re brother and sister.
Family
Mr. Orpington
Bantam’s father was always called Mr. Orpington by his family, and to be honest Bantam can barely remember his real name. He was a well-off goose breeder who bred for showings, and he was much too busy to have anything to do with his chicks. He gave the boys from his first clutch a lot of his geese for breeding, the boys from the second a few geese, and by the time the third clutch came around he was done giving away geese. Bantam doesn’t know too much about him.
Wati Orpington
Wati was Bantam’s mother, a very overworked chicken who made a great effort to keep the household running, get her chores done, keep up with social obligations, and spend time with her children all at once. As a result, “quality time” was mostly stuff like going with her to pick up strawberries for dinner. Relentlessly optimistic and scatterbrained, she would often mix her children up but loved all of them equally.
Beckett Orpington
Beckett is one of the few siblings who actually stuck in Bantam’s memory, because he was the one who mentored Bantam. He was their father’s least favorite out of the first clutch, and Wati forgot his name a lot. He was the one who pretty much raised Bantam, a friendly, sarcastic, and fun-loving rooster. He taught Bantam about breeding geese and gave him his first goose, though it was rather old and mean-spirited.
Clutch One
Beckett was part of the first clutch, who were born twelve years before Bantam’s clutch. There were nine of them in total, a rather small clutch. Most of them were already in apprenticeships when Bantam was born, and he’s only met them at family gatherings. Beckett was still in the house because he’d had a disagreement with his mentor and left, and Mr. Orpington was too irritated to pay for another mentor.
Clutch Two
The second clutch was born nine years before Bantam’s clutch. There were thirteen of them, and finances got a little more difficult around then. They were around when Bantam was born but all had gone by the time he was six, and he doesn’t really remember them. He can remember more of their names than he can of the first clutch, though.
Clutch Three
This clutch was an accident, and was born much after the first two clutches. There were eleven of them, including Bantam, and these were the chickens that Bantam grew up with and remembers. Seven were boys, four were girls. They sort of raised themselves and had the servants running after them. Most were apprenticed to the second clutch. Some were more of bullies, and honestly they could be nasty little chicks. But Bantam did have three brothers and one sister of whom he was very fond, and he still sees them sometimes.
Other
I never in my life knew how much I needed a chicken RP until now. Thank you so much for making this! I had a ton of fun and learned a lot about chickens.
Spring 
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