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Name: Moira

Age: 16

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Craft: Glass-smith Apprentice

History: Moira's history is generally free of drama, danger, and excitement (at least to her knowledge). She would tell you that it is, in fact, boring. So boring. Unbelievably, mind-numbingly boring. More boring than filler episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. More boring than watching beige paint dry while Ben Stein narrates War and Peace in the background. It was, of course, never quite that boring, but leave it to Moira to consider anything less than "my head is on fire and I'm being chased by a runnerbeast whose head is also on fire" to be extremely boring.

Unknown to Moira, her mother was once a dragonrider. If Moira ever knew this, her jaw would hit the floor with such speed that it would be the first documented breaking of the sound barrier. It would leave a crater deep enough for a dragon to sleep in. It would probably shatter her skull and leave her face permanently frozen in an expression that can only be accurately described as: gonk

Her mother, Midera, was still a Weyrling at Ista Weyr, impressed to Green Onsanth when tragedy struck. It was not an uncommon tragedy. There was no foul play, no acts of malice, only an unfortunate combination of inexperience and bad timing. As beautiful as Ista was, it provided treacherous skies for a new rider and dragon. Onsanth was lost during a brutal storm, being unaccustomed to the rigors of flying in such turbulent weather. What was a routine lesson on flying between turned tragic when a sudden storm hit the coast hard. Midera, unable to hang on, was blown from her dragon. Onsanth plunged into Ista's stormy seas after her rider, determined to find and save hers. Midera was plucked from the water by another dragon, but Onsanth was not so fortunate. The green, young and unexperienced, went between in an attempt to escape the icy water.

She never came out.

The following weeks, months, and years were difficult, but in what she call the most unfortunate experience of her life, she eventually found the will to live a dragonless life. Having survived the following despair, she attempted to fill the the resulting emotional gap with family and children. Man after man, child after child. She frequently moved from place to place in search of whatever life might replace the loss of her dragon. It was an unsuccessful attempt, leaving Moira's mother a rather cold and distant individual. She handled her children in an almost military fashion, focusing on discipline and educating them in the usual subjects. In this way, she was able to channel her frustration. She often placed an educational spotlight of dragons and their vital roles in the history of Pern, hoping to somehow live vicariously through one of her children should they rise to her former rank.

After several years of constant moving, Midera eventually settled in Trine. She was getting too old to continue moving from Weyr to Weyr, and the thread of Threadfall made travel dangerous (when not outright impossible). It was in the Weyr that she saw the most likely chance of her children being able to experience the bond she longed to still have. Her children, however, were repeated disappointments. Of the six, only one before Moira stood as a Candidate, and he failed to impress until he was too old to stand. He, as was the case with many of Midera's children, went on to specialize in a craft but remains in the weyr. The others simply had no interest in Candidacy or had not be chosen to stand. Moira, however, has taken on the role with enthusiasm.

Moira became accustomed to taking care of herself and, in some cases, her siblings. Midera's children banded together to give one another the care that their mother was not always able to provide. The frequent moves instilled in Moira a sense of adventure and a knack for quick adaptation. She became eager for change and appreciated the freedom of not being bound in one place for very long. Because of this, life as a candidate is often difficult for Moira. While she will almost never shirk her responsibilities, she is a strong believer in personal freedom and has a problem with running off to do 'her own thing', whether she is supposed to or not.

Physical Description: Moira stands an even 5'. What she lacks in height, however, she makes up for in presence. Shoulders back, chin up, make eye contact; these were the things her mother constantly commanded of her. Her features are angular, her chin pointed; not unattractive, but calling her pretty would be a bit of a stretch. Intense would be a more appropriate description. Her skin is unusually fair for someone who spends a great deal of time outside, a consequence of simple genetics. If she spends an excessive amount of time outdoors, she just burns and peels, never getting the benefit of a tan. Thick, black hair frames her face, cut at jagged angles and falling just short of her chin in some places, well past her shoulders in others. The chunky cut gives the impression that she lost patience with her long hair and took a pair of scissors to it.

Her blue eyes are often shadowed by thick black brows which are almost perpetually drawn up in an inquisitive expression. Her lips are full, but her mouth is a bit small to properly fit the rest of her features, compounding her 'interesting' appearance. Not that you would notice, as they're almost always open to deliver some sarcastic quip.

Moira's frame is slender with only a slight bit of muscle tone gained from her usual chores of hauling forge materials and scrubbing heavy cooking pots. She could eat an entire runner beast each day and never gain a pound, leaving her little hope of ever obtaining the curvaceous, voluptuous form of an attractive woman. However, Moira has never considered this a disadvantage. While she might lack child-bearing hips to sway and thick lashes to bat, she finds her intelligence and wit sufficients for making her way in life.

Personality: Moira is a Carpe Diem kind of gal, and you can almost always find her engaged in some kind of activity. Very rarely does Moira do nothing, as idle hands drive Moira crazy and an idle mind.. well, Moira wouldn't know what it's like to have an idle mind. Hers is always go, go, go, even if the only thing to think on is the color of glass beads she plans to make in her Apprenticeship that afternoon. (Hint: Silver. The answer is always silver.)

Moira's personality is formed by equal bits of pride, a strong will, and a knack for sarcasm. She grew up with four brothers, and through that socialization she has learned how to stand her ground no matter how many noogies, wedgies, or dips in a pond she's given. Which is a lot. She is a strong believer in freedom and strength of will, and believes that caving to the will of others when you don't truly believe in what they're doing makes for a weak individual. It also makes for a dreadfully boring and unhappy life.

Moira has a tendency to voice her opinions even when they aren't asked for, especially in the presence of her peers. She is absolutely confident in her beliefs and in what she considers to be worth fighting for. If she speaks up, it is because she is 100% sure of what she is saying. There is no doubt in her mind, and not even the most well-composed, logical argument in the world is going to convince her that she's wrong about something that she has made up her mind on. There is no room for argument, and while she will listen to what others have to say, it is similar to the way a mother listens to a child trying to argue their way out of trouble. She'll nod, smile, and then dismiss them without arguing back. If they're disagreeing with her on something that she has put thought into, then it is quite obvious that they are wrong. There's no need to argue it, they're just wrong. Arguing only gives them false hope that she's taking their opinion into consideration.

Which she shouldn't, because they are wrong. No need to lose her temper when they're just wrong.

She is, as many teenage girls are, a bit too headstrong and sarcastic for her own good, and her dry sense of humor may mislead others to take her seriously at the wrong times. Moira tends to use humor as a shield, deflecting any situation that strikes deeper than she wants to be exposed. Nevertheless, she is a generally good-natured individual who is struggling to maintain her sense of freedom while living out her dream of becoming a dragon rider. Moira is willing, even eager, to be duty-bound to the Weyr through becoming a dragon rider, but desires the thrill and excitement of Impression to help her adjust.

Other: Moira drinks like a million cups of klah per day. The girl just loves her some klah.

Moira knows everything.

Moira wears more glass-bead bracelets than any human being has a right to. These are constructed mostly of misshapen beads, the failed products of her apprenticeship. However, Moira made those ugly and misshapen hunks of glass and she is damn proud of them.

If you know Moira long enough, she will probably make you a really ugly bracelet. She expects you to wear this really ugly bracelet. Why aren't you wearing her bracelet, huh? She made you that bracelet. She slaved over a hot forge for that bracelet. She burnt her fingertips for that bracelet so you put it on right this minute you wherry butt.

Whoa, I totally misread the front page, haha! My bad. =) I don't know how I managed to miss that! *scatterbrain*

I fixed it to turn it into a routine training accident.