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 Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 1:53 pm
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Name: Noska
Age: 22
Nameday: 3553.03.29
Sex: female
Sexual Orientation: bisexual
Weyr: High Reaches Weyr
Rider Rank: senior weyrling
Previous Rank/Craft: N/A
Physical Description: Her long brown hair is really Noska's crowing glory. She spends an inordinate amount of time caring for it and styling it. Not that she ignores the rest of her appearance. Even though she's lost the pale luminescence which had marked her early in her candidacy courtesy of all the time spent outdoors, Noska is careful to keep her skin clean and as blemish-free as possible, and always takes the time to apply kohl around her eyes, no matter what the plans for the day are (although it may be as simple as an outline of her eyelashes). Her eyes are a fairly unremarkable brown, her figure is about what one would expect from someone who was a candidate for three turns and then a weyrling, and her lips are full and red (because she deliberately bites them to make them appear so). It is important, she feels, to always look "on brand" (in other words, clean and good-looking enough to be mistaken for an authority figure, even if she doesn't have any actual authority).
Personality:
Noska's favorite stories growing up were those of strong weyrwomen who led their weyrs through tumultuous times, performed daring last-minute heroics, and died tragically in their lover(s)' arms. When the harper (not to mention her foster parents) tried to tell her that wasn't exactly how things usually went, and that the best weyrwomen tended to be those who prevented tumultuous times in the first place with good planning and sensible leadership she didn't want to hear it.
She still doesn't want to hear it. Dragonriders are heroes in Noska's mind. Always have been, always will be, and for as long as she can remember, Noska has wanted to be one. She wants to be immortalized in song alongside weyrwomen like Moreta and Lessa. That is basically the most important thing about her. That, and her fervent belief that she can be, if she simply patterns her life after theirs.
Noska actually believes that if she looks the part convincingly enough, everything else will fall into place. To that end, she takes great care with her appearance (because heroes are always attractive) and tries her best to embody the traits she values in a leader, like courage, optimism, generosity, and goodness.
As a teenager this meant she actually tended to speak in excessively florid language, like she'd walked right out of a tapestry or ballad, but after she was Searched the candidatemaster took her aside and told her to cut it out, it was weird and would not help her chances to Impress a dragon. She still tends to speak in what are basically quotable soundbites, which makes actually conversing with her feel a little stilted, but she's really toned it down a great deal in the last two turns.
Overall, it's not a bad strategy, except for the fact that Noska really doesn't like hard work, and really wants people to admire her. So when she's not instantly good at something, she tends to avoid doing it and when she is instantly good at something, she does it a lot. Preferably with an audience. The same goes for things she knows. If she doesn't know something, it's not important, but if she does know something, her hand will be waving in the air so the teacher will call on her and she will positively expound on the topic, no matter how far off-topic she may end up, or who she may annoy by butting into a conversation.
It is worth noting that Noska has never managed to internalize that it is possible to be brave while also being afraid, as long as you do the thing that scares you anyway. She's very good at doing things that scare her, but she believes the fact that she's afraid means she isn't brave. She does not think of herself as brave, and is very touchy about perceived implications that she is not brave or has not acted with courage.
Positive Trait List brave; well-intentioned; idealistic
Negative Trait List vain; show-off; lazy; gives a strong impression of phoniness
History:
Noska was a fosterling who bonded happily with her foster parents and siblings, but especially with the harper, who told the best stories, a thing she came to appreciate profoundly after a prolonged illness in her eleventh turn which kept her indoors for the better part of a turn, during which she was bored out of her skull with the mending and smallwork permitted to her, and had no other real responsibilities except to learn her lessons. It was during this period that she really became enamored of the idea of actually becoming a hero, instead of just listening to songs and stories about them.
After that, she started doing the hero thing, where she did her best to act like the leading lady in a ballad. By the time she was Searched at fifteen, that persona had more or less become the way she really thought of herself, but with the physical awkwardness that accompanied the onset of puberty (Noska was a late bloomer), she had begun to go overboard with it, using antiquated speech patterns that possibly no one had ever used and unnecessarily grandiose vocabulary. Being Search both reinforced the idea in her head that by seeming like a hero, she would become a hero, and also gave her an entirely new situation to adapt to.
She was absolutely the weird girl in her candidate class for nearly a turn, largely because she was such a dragonrider fangirl when she first arrived that it was just cringeworthy and awful for people to be around her for too long (unless they were dragonfolk who liked to be fawned over or similarly adoring weyrfolk). Fortunately, she outgrew that stage, along with the awkwardness of new puberty, and as she got comfortable in her own skin again and turned out to be moderately attractive, people either found it easier to put up with her or she felt she didn't have to try quite so hard to impress people. Either way, she did actually find a way to get along with folks, and the only real complaints she had about her life were that there were entirely too many unexciting things like work and lessons to do, and it was taking an awfully long time for her gold to find her.
She was twenty one when she finally Impressed, and to be perfectly honest, Impressing a green was a bit of a bump in her plans, as Noska had always seen herself in the role of a goldrider, but it took no time at all for Feslegenth to show her that they wanted the same things, and Noska quickly became convinced that they would accomplish those great things together. They'd just have to do them at Western Weyr!
Other: Although she was searched by High Reaches, Noska and Feslegenth intend to request a transfer to Western Weyr at some point in the future since they both imagine that there will be more opportunity for a green pair to advance there than at High Reaches. However, they first plan to be named wingseconds and then maybe even wingleaders. Obviously those are just their IC hopes. Also, both dragon and rider cannot be convinced that there isn't a magical turning point at which they will stop having to conform to a daily routine and be able to simply exist without drills or chores or anything mundane. They're in for a rude awakening. Also, this pair really isn't interested in overthrowing the hierarchy or anything like that. They aren't the sort to talk back or get into fights. They just want to make a positive difference in the world in a way that will make them famous forever without requiring a great deal of effort or personal sacrifice.
Theme Song: "A Million Dreams"
DRAGON
Name: Feslengenth
Age: 1 turn
Color: green
Size: 27'
Physical Description: On the larger end of the green scale and powerfully built, Feslegenth has more endurance than the average green, but is less maneuverable. As a weyrling she would overeat in the hopes that it would have an effect on her ultimate size as an adult, but as she's come into her last growth spurt she's going to have to cut that out, or else she'll get fat.
Personality:
Feslengenth is confident that she is destined for greatness. The fact that her hide is green is immaterial. She knows that she is magnificence itself, and is unshakable in her belief, after all, she is large, lovely, and bonded to the best person on Pern. She very much sees herself as a sort of ambassador for chromatic dragons, especially greens. Greens are great. She would have a sash made with that slogan embroidered on it and wear it everywhere if that was a thing people did on Pern. She would hand out buttons saying the same, and whenever she encounters people who believe differently, she treats it as a teaching moment, gleefully detailing all the wonderful things green dragons can do and have done and might do if given the opportunity. When she gets on her soapbox, it can be more than a little obnoxious, but her heart's in the right place.
Apart from her chromatic advocacy, Feslengenth is genuinely a kind and caring dragon who will go out of her way to check in on injured wingmates and likes to try to solve others' interpersonal problems by acting as a mediator. She will do this without being asked, but she loves to be asked. She loves to be asked for advice, as well, although she's happy to offer that for free, too. Honestly, Feslengenth is more than a bit of a busybody, and really enjoys having a cause to advance, but aside from her rider's goals and her greens are great campaign, she doesn't have a lot of dedication when it comes to things like causes (or grudges - she's very hard to make an enemy of) and tends to give up when things get too hard.
What she loves most, though is fighting Thread. Thread is the Enemy. She knows it is her purpose to destroy it, and she delights in it. Her willingness to stand up to authority is borne out in her fearlessness facing actually danger. Or, it would be if she didn't have a very vulnerable human being who she loves more than life itself strapped to her back. The fact that she shares Noska's desire to do good deeds and act heroically doesn't mean she doesn't fear for her much more helpless rider's safety when confronted with actual danger, which is something they will have to find some way to cope with. Once they get more comfortable, Feslengenth and Noska will be a great team, if not necessarily great team players because of their shared tendency to showboat.
It must be said that Feslengenth is not a paragon of perfection and open-minded wisdom. She is incredibly susceptible to the fallacy that if a person is good-looking they must also be a good person. Appearances matter to her not just because she is aware that she represents all green dragonhood, but because she simply likes to look nice and to be surrounded by nice-looking things.
Dragon Art or Proof of Obtainment: NPC Tea Contest
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