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 Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2020 10:10 pm
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Name: Niselle
Age: 19
Nameday: 3556.11.25
Sex: Female
Sexual Orientation: Heteroflexible
Weyr: High Reaches Weyr
Rider Rank: Weyrling
Previous Rank/Craft: Apprentice Beastcrafter (Hunter)
Physical Description: Niselle is a young woman prone to provoking double takes - not necessarily because of any kind of jaw dropping beauty, but simply because her appearance can be unexpected. The first thing that usually gets noticed is her fiery red hair, kept cropped short and with a curly texture that's nigh impossible to tame. Her olive skin and near-black eyes are entirely normal in comparison, and while her face could be called pretty, it's hardly her most striking feature. The second thing that's usually noticed about her instead is her stature. While she's a short woman, she's also one who is powerfully built - with broad, muscled shoulders and a healthy padding of chub that hints towards a woman who is accustomed to doing physical labor and has developed a frame to support it. And in a reflection of this, her sense of fashion is almost entirely practical. She isn't one to wear flashy cuts or expensive dyes, preferring instead durable clothes who can stand up to the demands of Weyr life and sturdy boots that won't wear down in a couple Turns.
Personality: Growing up in a big family helped shape Niselle into who she is from the very beginning, giving her a strong emphasis on the importance of family early on. To her, family is more than blood. Family is made up of the people you choose to invite into your life in every aspect, the people who uplift and support you unconditionally and for whom you do the same in return. And anyone who manages to find themselves among the group Niselle regards as family will find her support unwavering. Whether they need an empathetic shoulder and comforting words, a friend to encourage and offer advice, or an ally to fall on the sword for them - Niselle is happy to do whatever it takes to see her loved ones healthy and happy.
But Niselle is sometimes too willing to sacrifice of herself for her loved ones. She's always been the type willing to pick up extra odd jobs to earn a few extra marks to buy sweets for her siblings. The one willing to stay up late into the night to nurse a sick family member, and risk becoming exhausted and sick herself. More than once she's found herself tagging along on pranks that should have been simple enough, only to get caught and pipe up to take the brunt of the blame to ease the punishment on her companions. For her, at least, being assigned extra chores was far from the worst punishment imaginable. So taking the fall for someone else never seemed to bother her.
For Niselle is nothing if not diligent. She throws herself at every task assigned to her with her whole heart, whether it was learning how to properly make a noose trap to catch game alive or mucking out the weyrs of sick and injured dragons. She's never shied away from hard work, especially not when she knows the end result will pay off. And if she has to spend ten years of her life doing the same chores day in and day out, she'll consider it all worth it if there's any chance that a dragon waits for her at the end of it all. And truly, she's of the opinion that any good thing is worth both working hard for and waiting for if that's what it takes. For sometimes you can find other small joys in the waiting, and even bigger joys when your patience is at last rewarded.
This steadiness of her doesn't come without disadvantage, however. Niselle can be prone to digging in her heels when she is convinced she is right in something, and will rarely budge when she is certain her way is best. When she plants herself firmly enough, she is an immovable force, and if a loved one is dead set on something she knows is a terrible idea, she'll do everything in her power to convince them of such. Her will is not something to take lightly, and sometimes she can trample over those who are more passive without really meaning to. But it's never meant maliciously - Niselle only ever wants the best for those she surrounds herself with, and sometimes she just... Knows better than them.
The last thing worth mentioning of Niselle is that, beneath the steadfast and devoted outer layers lies a spark of adventure. There was a reason she so loved getting into mischief in her youth, after all - and it wasn't just the good fun of playing a prank on someone. There is a bit of a thrill seeker nestled deep in her heart, the kind of woman who would love nothing more than to fly fast and high and drop into free fall just to hear the wind rushing past her ears and feel her heart hammering in her chest. And perhaps it was this spirit that drives her ever onward towards becoming a dragonrider, towards the freedom of flight and the dangerous duty of calling herself someone who fights Thread.
Positive Trait List: Family oriented, supportive, diligent, patient, adventurous
Negative Trait List: Self-sacrificing, headstrong, willful, thrill-seeking
History: Niselle was the fourth child born to her parents - Journeyman Beastcrafter Kanismera and Master Healer Izielle of High Reaches Hold - followed shortly by her twin brother, Kaniel. In the end, she wound up being one of six children, with an eldest brother with no twin, another set of twin siblings preceding her, and one last single sibling born after her and her twin brother. While her family was larger than her parents had ever anticipated having, there was never any doubt that they adored each of their children. Niselle grew up surrounded by love, with plenty of siblings to find mischief with and parents who always encouraged her to pursue her passions.
And for the most part, aside from the occasional bit of mischief stumbled into with her fellow holdbrats, Niselle's life was peaceful.
The biggest event to happen to her family was when her eldest brother was Searched to stand at High Reaches, and went on to Impress a Bronze. The first time he was able to return home to visit, suddenly the world seemed so much bigger and full of possibilities. Up until then, Niselle had been working as an apprentice under her father, learning how to hunt live game to send to High Reaches as part of the Hold's tithe to stock their pens. But confronted with the very real possibility of becoming a dragonrider?
It was only to be expected that the next time a Searchrider came around, she and the rest of her siblings all but sprinted out to meet them - with their parents' blessing of course. And the remaining five siblings were successfully Searched and transported to High Reaches Weyr over two trips.
Niselle in particular took well to Candidate life, already used to the physical labor of learning to hunt game and capture it alive. And while neither she nor her twin Impressed on the first or even second clutch they stood for, she never seemed to let it bother her. Because she had set her mind to becoming a dragonrider, and even if she had to wait to Impress on the very last clutch she was still of age to stand for, she would.
She never expected Thread to return before she even Impressed.
It was an unexpected twist that turned her world upside down. Suddenly she got to see firsthand just how dangerous - how deadly being a dragonrider was. Even at High Reaches Weyr, where riders were still trained diligently for Threadfall, there were horrific injuries and deaths during that first fall. It was a rude awakening for her and her siblings to realize that being a dragonrider was no longer just a matter status and a fun new adventure. It came along with duty and very real potential consequences.
But even with the rather grim reality check, Niselle only doubled down after a brief period of realigning herself to this new reality. What kind of person would she be if she wussed out now and went back to a boring, if safe, life as a hunter in High Reaches Hold? Definitely not the kind of person she wanted to be!
So she stuck it out, standing for every clutch she could. And by the time Zenobiath's clutch was on the sands, she had stood for no less than eight previous clutches. Maybe even more - after four years as a Candidate during a Pass, it was all starting to blur together.
Other: Niselle has one firelizard from an egg gifted to her by her father not long after her eldest brother was Searched - green Mischief. In her younger years, Mischief often served as a lookout to warn her of approaching adults or potential tattletales when she and other holdbrats were setting up pranks.
DRAGON
Name: Uvaldoth
Origin of Name: Uvaldoth is named for Uvalde Doll, the 1965 and 1967 APHA National Champion Cutting Horse. Two of her children - Jose's Una Muneca and Doc Doll - went on to become top APHA performers as well. She was inducted into the American Paint Horse Foundation's Hall of Fame in 2012.
Color: Green
Inspiration: American Paint Horse
The American Paint Horse can trace its ancestry back to the horses brought to North America in the 1500s by Spanish explorers. It is believed that these horses most likely had Barb, Andalusian, and Arabian bloodlines and already sported the distinctive spotted and two-tone coloring their descendants are known for. Many of these horses ended up roaming wild across the continent, and were eventually adopted and bred by Native Americans.
When North America was colonized, British colonists started to introduce thoroughbreds to the gene pool, creating a sturdy working horse with a keen intellect that was steady on the trail. This continued until 1940, with American Paints sharing a gene pool with Quarter Horses up until the foundation of the American Quarter Horse Association, which excluded horses with too much white from its registry.
Despite this, the breed remained popular, and survived to see the formation of the American Paint Quarter Horse Association and the American Stock Horse Association - the two of which joined in 1965 to form the American Paint Horse Association which now maintains the breed's registry.
The registry counts approximately 100,000 members in roughly 40 countries around the world. The American Paint Horse is a very popular breed in part because it is suited to riders of all experience levels, and the breed excels in multiple equestrian sports, as working horses, and as all around general riding horses.
Personality: Uvaldoth is a dragon brimming with energy from the very moment of her hatching, bursting from her shell alongside her twin and charging towards a cluster of Candidates without much warning. It turned out well for her that time - she found Hers, after all - but this kind of energy and lack of forethought is something she seems to bring into her life every day. And it isn't for lack of trying, either. Even with the steadying influence of her rider, Uvaldoth has more energy than she seems to know what to do with, and is prone to making snap decisions without pausing to think things through.
It's especially egregious because she can think things through when she takes the time. In the moments she's burned off most of her energy and capable of finally slowing down, Uvaldoth proves herself to be a remarkably intelligent dragon. She picks up new maneuvers and wing formations easily, and for all her impulsive decision making, sometimes her quick thinking proves her well. She's the type of dragon with a mind that races constantly, focus hopping from one thing to the next, but when she does focus it's truly a sight to behold.
And nothing gets her focused more than competition. While Uvaldoth is capable of friendly rivalries, she also has a bad habit of setting herself up to compete against anyone and everyone, regardless of whether or not they're interested in competing with her. She's always pushing herself to do better, to be better than her peers. She wants to fly faster, rise higher, go farther, flame longer than any dragon she sets herself against, and is prone to wearing herself out in pursuit of competition.
But as competitive as she can be, she always puts those unrealistic expectations on herself. Outside of her self-imposed challenges, she is a friendly dragon who is capable of getting along with almost everyone. The pressure of competition may see her thriving, but surrounded by other dragons is where she flourishes - eagerly socializing with anyone willing to stop long enough to chatter with her. She could easily spent hours each day catching up with whoever came close enough for a quick hello, and lingered past her initial greeting to actually engage with her. And with her keen intellect, she remembers all the fine details of each of her friends, from whose favorite meal involves wherry to which dragons also favor her own favorite sunning ledge.
Positive Traits: Friendly, highly social, intelligent
Negative Traits: Competitive, hyperactive, impulsive
Size: 21'
Physical Attributes: Uvaldoth is on the shorter side of average length, but she has an overall strong and well-balanced body. While she is a bit heavier than most greens her size, a glance makes it clear that the extra bulk is all muscle - with most of it concentrated along her flight muscles and hindquarters. And her heavily muscled chest is perfect to support her wingspan, which is rather large for a green of her size, giving her excellent maneuverability.
Additional Notes: Uvaldoth is capable of powerful ground takeoffs thanks to the muscle in her hindquarters, and her well developed flight muscles allow her to rapidly accelerate to top speed. She is also capable of surprisingly tight turns for a green of her bulk. Unfortunately she has terrible stamina even for a green, and will need a firm hand to make sure she doesn't wear herself out early into Threadfall with fancy maneuvers.
She rises an average amount for greens - usually between three to five times a Turn, depending on how she feels. She welcomes all who'd like to chase her, even fellow greens - and frankly her fellow greens stand the best chance at catching her. She breaks out all her wildest acrobatics during her flights, wearing herself down quickly but making herself difficult to catch thanks to all her on the wing turns and agile maneuvers. Those who hope to catch her will have to impress her with their own feats of agility and acrobatics!
Out of all her clutchmates, she is closest to her twin, Wahokinth - although she also has a mild rivalry with him. They challenge each other to do better each day, and their biggest disagreement to date is over which of them is older. Uvaldoth will swear to her dying breath that it was her nose that came out of their egg first!
Why Me: Why do the tides follow the moons? Why does the sun rise and set? Why does the Red Star bring with it Thread? It all simply is, and for Uvaldoth, it simply is that Niselle is Hers. For who else could be Hers but Niselle? Willful Niselle, who can reign in the worst of her impulses. Thrill seeking Niselle, who she can share the joys of acrobatic flight with. Loving Niselle, who she can always rely on to talk with her until the small hours of the morning if that's what it takes to get her to sleep.
Uvaldoth chose Niselle for balance, to both smooth out her rough edges and to bring forth the parts of themselves that could be even greater. Much like her, Niselle doesn't let the dangers of Thread intimidate her, and is fully prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice if that's what is required of her. Her rider is the woman who can bring her to focus when she most needs to, who can guide her impulses where they are best served. A woman who won't look down on her for wanting to befriend everyone she possibly can, who will support her desire to challenge herself to be better every day. A diligent woman who doesn't shy away from work, and would be more than willing to work with her until finally her energy is spent and her mind is calm.
And in return she can give Niselle that ultimate joy of joys, to take her to the skies as her heart has always so truly desired.
Dragon Art or Proof of Obtainment: Giddy'up, Pardner: Twin Character Contest
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