Approved by Leikkun

Name: Ollin
Real Name: Rue
Nickname: Olly, Shorty (by her Hall-friends)
Age: 19
Sex: Male
Real Sex: Female (impersonating her brother so she can live as a male)
(Note: With the exception of her history which explains how Rue became Ollin, she will be reffered to as Ollin in the profile)

Craft: Harpercraft, specialized in Scribing (did not partake in other harpercrafts)

Rank: Newly Appointed Journeyman (just walked the tables)

Physical Description:
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 120lbs
Hairstyle: Shorter than shoulder length, always with a bit of mess to it. Her bangs are parted in the middle and hang down nearly to her chin. She always keeps it short, fearing longer hair could make her look too feminine, and she'd be found out.
Hair Color: Dirty blonde (a browning blonde)
Eyes: Hazel (reflects brown indoors, and green outdoors)
Skin Tone: Caucasian (didn't go outdoors much, liked to spend time in the archives)
Build: Small, and lanky. Constantly being hounded to eat more and "put more meat on those bones". People always tease her as having a "baby face", since she doesn't have very masculine bone structure (though she wonders how long that excuse will last). Her friends also like to call her "Shorty", as she's the shortest of their group (and most boys her age). She's quite fortunate that the women in her family have never been very well 'endowed', making it easier to tape up her chest and still being able to breathe.
Voice: After many Turns of practice, she's able to have a passingly masculine voice, though still high-pitched compared to most males.

Personality: Ollin has always been the type of person that likes to be useful, and as long as she felt the task was useful, it didn't matter as much if other people thought so. She has always been a bit willful in this sense as well, though it was much worse in her younger Turns. As she's matured, she's learned to take things in stride, and do things she doesn't really like, with the promise to herself that afterwords she can indulge herself in other pleasures for a job well done.
History fascinates her in the sense that people still actually remember, even so many Turns after it happened, whether by word of mouth, or written documentation. It was this that lead her to want to become a Scribe in the first place, contributing to Pern by writing down its history for generations to come. In this way, her usefulness will extend far beyond her own lifetime, giving her a sort of 'immortality' (regardless of that fact that no one will know it was "Ollin" who wrote it down, she'll know, and that's what counts).
A lot of her life revolves around scribing, partially from her passion for the written word, but more so that she'll forget other worldly concerns. Like the fact that she'll never have a man court her (at least...not as a woman), or ever have children, or even be able to wear a pretty dress. Oh, how she envies those girls from Fort Hold at the Gathers who get all spruced up and beautified for the event. Though most people take her staring at the girls as being 'attracted' to them (she's gotten nudged by her buddies more than once for staring too long at the Lord Holder's daughter), the truth is she just tries to imagine herself in their place. She tries to dash away the thoughts when they enter her head, though every now and again she lets herself daydream of the life she'll never have because of the life she's chosen to live. One look at the vast archives of Harperhall is enough to ease away any of her worries.
Her one goal in life is to experience some manner of world-changing event on Pern and be the one to record it into history for all to read and learn about in the future.

History: When Rue was first learning to read, around the same time she started learning her Teaching Ballads, she refused, saying it was too boring and no fun. She would rather help the weavers and seamstresses in their mending, or the cooks in the kitchen, and constantly ran out on her lessons. Even though other children who disliked it suffered through the lessons, she was the only one who blatantly refused to learn. Her Hold's scribe heard of this, and decided to have a talk with her, trying to teach her the importance of at least learning to basic words that would help her in life. He took her to his archives, showing her the work he did writing down important information for the Hold to read and keep for records, even showing her some of the Hold's older documents that were used for reference on occasion. He taught her that while you could get information from word of mouth, using written information was far more detailed and trust-worthy, and could constantly be referred to without changing, unlike dredging up memories from the human mind. In this way, he told her, he was making the history of Pern, which people many Turns from now would come back to read, and find very important or useful.

Rue, always wanting to be useful and help with important jobs, always felt that wearing clothes and eating food were very important because people used them all the time, but now her eyes were open to the possibility of not just being useful now, but even being useful Turns after she had moved on, where people would look upon her work, which would be recopied when it started to fade, and last in the hands of people for many generations. Such grandeur thoughts whirled inside her head, and soon she began to relish learning to read, and after that, learning how to write. Although it was hard at first, she practiced hard, not only with a pen and hide (which were always used sparingly), but even with a stick in the dirt, or with utensils on a saucy plate. Her penmanship became superb, with even the old Scribe praising it for its cleanliness and legibility.

But, when she was 10 Turns old, she realized that, as a female, she could never truly fulfill her passion. Her father was already hounding her to stop wasting the old Scribe's time, and start doing some real work (like working in the kitchens or with tailors). She wanted to be a scribe just like the man that inspired her, but scribing was a very important job in a Hold, and in a place like her Hold, where women were looked down a upon, it was too important of a job for a woman, when she could be cooking or sewing.

She cried in her bed that night with the realization hanging over her. Her brother, Ollin, only 1 Turn older than she, walked in on her, hearing her soft sobbing, and asked her what was wrong. She explained her dilemma, and he felt for her, since he also felt bound by his gender. His father expected Ollin to become a metalworker like himself, whereas Ollin would much prefer sewing elaborate and beautiful dresses for women (for that was his passion).

It was then that Ollin had an idea. Neither having gone through puberty yet, both being about the same height, and both looking a great deal like their mother (even Ollin had some of her feminine charm), he decided they should switch. Rue was appalled at first, but the more Ollin talked about it, the more he made it make sense. When at last he did convince her, she decided it had to be right away. Before going to bed, Ollin cut Rue's long hair, and even a bit of his own, until they were hardly discernible from one another.

In the morning, when their mother found out they'd cut their hair, quite atrociously, she severely berated and admonished them, then fixed their hair, giving "Rue" and more feminine cut than "Ollin", so she could tell them apart (after she complained for about 10 minutes she could scarcely tell one from the other). The plan in motion, they were smart enough to go on as the other had before in their work, slowly changing habits, until they had "switched" positions. Their parents were happy that "Rue" had finally taken to a more lady-like task of weaving, and didn't mind when "Ollin" said he found Rue's old work interesting and wanted to try it out himself.

The Hold scribe, noticing that "Ollin's" penmanship was remarkably similar to his sister's hand, especially when he had earlier showed no interest at all in scribing, easily figured out what the two had done, and kept their secret. He knew Rue's passion, which had even rubbed off on him a little when he had been teaching her the finer art of writing. He figured that if she was willing to go this far, to hide her own gender and identity, that he was in no position to stop her, and merely hoped she wouldn't be found out. Once she turned 12 Turns and a few folks became suspicious, he sent her off with his recommendation as an apprentice to Harper Hall to recieve training from the Scribemaster.

Ollin was quite fascinated upon arriving that there were quite a few women as journeymen. The mentality towards the place of women was vastly different than at her home Hold. Still, knowing that once she finished her apprenticeship she'd journey to other Holds as a scribe, and that they may have the same outlook on women as her old Hold, she remained posing as a male. It was a bit difficult at first (especially in the dorms when other boys undressed right in front of her), but she soon found her place, and even made a few friends. She worked solely with the Scribemaster, not having any kind of musical talent to speak of (though she could sing averagely enough). By the time she was 19, and already well acquainted with the archives (which she loved to browse during her leisure time, and even took to re-inking old fading documents she found interesting 'just for fun', which the Scribemaster always chuckled at), her apprenticeship with the Scribemaster was over, and she walked the tables to become a journeyman. She now only (im)patiently awaits to find out what Hold or Weyr she'll be assigned to.

She tries to keep in contact with her brother, Rue, who took her place, and was quite amazed to find out that at 16 he had married (to an old playmate of his no less, who thankfully was bisexual, and understood the pair's reasons for switching). Her brother often sends her clothing as a gift for her birthday, specially designed and woven by himself just for her. After hearing about her promotion to Journeyman, he actually sent her a gorgeous dress he'd had designed for her many Turns before. Ollin weeped when she opened the package, and as much as her head told her to send it back, or give it away, her heart just could not let the precious gift go. She still keeps it in a box as one of her most prized possessions, though she has never worn it (nor does she plan to).

Pets: N/A

Other/Talents: Ollin has the habit of writing things in the air with her finger when she wants to make sure to remember something (and it works!)

Will this character be a candidate? No

Picture: Ollin