- Name: Laelia
Age: 20 Turns
Sex: Female
Sexual Orientation: Lesbian
Craft: Blacksmithing
Rank: Apprentice
Location: High Reaches Weyr
Physical Description:
- Laelia stands at about 5’2”, but despite being short in stature, she is physically strong. Her body is incredibly muscular, and she is often covered in some form of dirt or grease. Her complexion is fair, a warm pale color spattered with freckles, and her hair is a fiery red. She wears it short, to about her shoulders, and often pulls it back as tightly as she can. Laelia’s eyes are a bright hazel, a ferocious mixture of green and brown. She has a single, vertical scar on her left cheek. Her facial expression often defaults to focused or angry, regardless of what she’s feeling at the moment.
Personality:
- If Laelia cares about you, there’s a fair chance you’ll never know it from gentleness. She is hyperfocused on whatever work she finds most satisfying at the moment, choosing to work toward her goals rather than her connections. She is physically strong but gentle, and she can spend a great deal of time studying when she is interested in a subject. Laelia speaks what is on her mind, and she is honest, regardless of how hurtful the truth may be. She is also very set in her opinions, and isn’t afraid to get into an argument with people because of them. But it’s not necessarily that she likes getting into trouble with other people - she just doesn’t like to go unheard. Because of her abrasiveness, Laelia frequently avoids social situations, choosing to watch her peers from afar rather than getting heavily involved in their affairs.
Despite this, Laelia does have a soft core, and makes her attachments to others in her own way. She is not entirely socially dysfunctional. She often eavesdrops on conversations and learns about her peers through that, and she will stand by those who need support when she feels it is necessary. She spent much of her childhood helping to raise her younger sister - and while that sister does not need her help anymore, Laelia’s tenderness makes its way around, if sparingly, often surprising people who expected nothing from her. For example, she may bring another Candidate who is studying hard some extra food, defend a peer from a bully verbally or physically, or comfort someone after a bad breakup. However, her friendliness is short-lived, and she will often recede back into herself following whatever the event is. Someone would have to be very determined to become Laelia's friend.
It was once Laelia’s dream to become a master blacksmith, but she made her decision to become a Rider when she was found on the Search. She often wonders what she is more proud of - that decision, or the life she left behind. Every day in Laelia’s Candidacy is a new test of patience and trust in herself, and she frequently considers going home. She lives her life from one Hatching to the next, hoping she’ll find her life partner sooner rather than later. Although she loved her life as a blacksmith, she always feels something gently pulling her to life in the Weyr. Plus, she’d never leave her sister.
Speaking of her sister, Sorcha is the source of most of Laelia’s unhappiness and inner turmoil. Laelia feels an unbreakable bond of love and protectiveness towards her baby sister, despite being in a self-induced constant competition with her. Sorcha is lovable and sweet without a bad bone in her body, and is never unkind to her sister. But she is everything Laelia wishes she could be. Sorcha seems to have everything handed to her on a silver platter - the approval of her father, a dragon - everything. Although the two have been at the Weyr for a little over three turns now, her sister impresseed almost immediately, causing Laelia to be rather bitter about her long-lived wait as a Candidate. Once Laelia has a dragon to impress upon, Laelia feels she’ll be free of the pressure she’s always put herself under, ready to carve her own path with the life partner she’s always needed.
Positive Trait List: Outspoken, motherly, protective, prideful, determined
Negative Trait List: Workaholic, shy, abrasive, overbearing, insecure
History:
- Laelia was born to a blacksmith and his wife who lived at Telgar Hold, the home of the official Smithcrafthall. Laelia’s father was a talented Journeyman of a smith, and she looked up to him from the moment she was old enough to. She never felt as deeply connected to her mother, but it was still devastating when her mother died in childbirth with her younger sister, Sorcha. Even so young, Laelia had a love-hate relationship with her baby sister. Their father had to juggle his profession and taking care of the girls, so as soon as Laelia was old enough to understand basic chores, she took on a fair amount of responsibilities. Although Sorcha had taken her mother away, Laelia couldn’t help but feel protective of the girl who had taken their mother away.
Once she became 8 turns old, Laelia began an apprenticeship for blacksmithing. Her father was incredibly proud, and Laelia excelled at the profession. She was strong and robust, and did not shy away from the heat of the forge. It was thought by her father that she would supercede him in the profession and become a Master, making history as the best smith of all time. Laelia was not quite so fanciful, but she was determined to do anything to make him proud of her.
Despite her talent, Laelia grew up to be incredibly envious of her sister. Sorcha was tall, thin, beautiful, delicate - all the things that Laelia secretly wished she could be, the traits of a marriable woman. The two sisters were so unlike each other, and Sorcha seemed to have her own idea of what having an older sister meant. Instead of looking up to Laelia as a role model, it appeared that she wanted to deviate and choose her own path. Despite being lazy, noncommittal, and a middle-of-the-road Jeweler, Sorcha began receiving all the love and praise from older women in the hold, and received what seemed to be the doting favor of their father. Men flirted with her, women befriended her, and Laelia simply faded into the background. The jealousy Laelia felt toward her sibling only made her pursue her work as a blacksmith harder, hoping to regain the attention of the people around her. After a while she withdrew from social situations, feeling that she didn’t want to be compared to her sister on any level. It was perhaps not the most logical course of action, but Laelia’s lack of self-confidence caused her to fold in on herself, becoming nearly reclusive and overly focused on her work.
When she was 17 turns old, a Search came to their hold. By some miracle, or perhaps a cosmic joke of some sort, both Laelia and Sorcha were among those chosen to become Candidates. Laelia considered refusing the request. Her entire future was within the blacksmith career. But regardless of her negative feelings toward her sister, she felt the urge to continue to protect her. Not to mention, she could potentially be saving the world if she became a Rider. When she approached her father about the issue, he told her simply to follow her heart, that there was no shame in choosing adventure, even for a little while. She packed a small bag and left to go to the High Reaches Weyr.
While there, Laelia threw herself eagerly into the studies she was assigned as a Candidate. Although she did continue to practice her smithing occasionally, she was surprised to find that she was interested in some of the subjects she had not been exposed to previously. However, her eagerness as a Candidate didn’t work out for her as well as it did her little sister. In the first Hatching the two attended, Sorcha impressed upon a dragon and was swept up into the life of a Weyrling. Three turns later, Laelia has yet to achieve the same thing. She often blames it on her own roughness and abrasiveness, but that dragon saw something in her at the Search, right?
Now, she considers quitting being a Candidate nearly every day, returning to her life as a smith and becoming a Master as her father predicted. Although Laelia has had a hard time managing to be friendly and happy about her life in counterpoint to her sister’s, she still holds out hope that she’ll make her father proud in this life she’s chosen.
Other: Laelia’s younger sister (Sorcha) has a finished character app that will be posted as soon as I have dragon art to work with!
Candidate Specific Questions
Do you want them to have an official Search RP? Nah!
Do you understand they will age every passing year regardless if you're there to RP the or not? Yes
Do you want them to have a possible Stands Impression? No
