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 Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2019 7:11 pm
Nadry and Menankith
Nadry and her dragon, Menankith, are OCs from Echoes of Pern, a Dragonriders of Pern roleplaying group on Gaia Online and Discord.
Pern is a medieval/fantasy setting (albeit with sci-fi origins) where dragons are the primary defense against "Thread": in Pern canon, Thread is a sort of weird, long silver spore that falls to the planet and eats through anything organic, and can only be killed by burning, freezing, or drowning.
Pernese dragons are sentient, empathic, telepathic beings, who upon hatching bond to a human they are compatible with - in Menankith's case, this was Nadry.
Please follow Menankith's references carefully! Pernese dragon anatomy differs from that of more traditional dragons (and most depictions on the books' cover art were incorrect). He has enough refs that his anatomy should be pretty evident, but a couple of more obscure details: they have suede-like hide, with no scales; they bleed green; they have faceted eyes that change color according to their emotional state*. Other examples of Pernese dragons, also characters of mine from Echoes of Pern, include: x x x x
*yellow: anxiety, confusion; green: contentment, calm; blue: happiness, delight; purple: lust, love; orange: irritation, impatience; red: anger, hostility; gray: pain, sadness; white: fear Character Songs
Nadry:
"Touch The Sky" - Julie Fowlis
"Try Everything" - Shakira
"Sit Still, Look Pretty" - Daya
Menankith:
"Beast" - Nico Vega
"Uprising" - Muse
"Hero" - Tommee Profitt ft. Mike Mains
Pair:
"Heroes (we could be)" - Alesso ft. Tove Lo
Character Voices
Nadry
Menankith
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Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2019 7:29 pm
Nadry | Character Profileinspiration board Name: Nadry
Age: 18 (13.24.3556)
Sex: Female
Sexual Orientation: Assumed Heterosexual (actually leans bi)
Craft: None
Rank: Wingrider
Location: High Reaches
Physical Description:
5'4" in height, Nadry has grown into a fine feminine figure, in good physical shape but still soft in the right places. Once someone dismissed as plain, she's benefitted from Impressing a dragon, and the charisma and little 'something extra' that comes with it. Still, she's long since absorbed that she is utterly unremarkable, and still does her best to make up for it by dressing well. She keeps herself well-groomed, her black hair long and adorned with pretty accessories, and her clothes clean and properly mended.
Personality/History:
Polite. If she doesn't have something nice to say, she doesn't say it! (Well, most of the time.) Not that she doesn't necessarily think mean or inappropriate things, she just has a very good hold on her tongue. She treats everyone with habitual courtesy, no matter who they are, although she does become more formal about it when speaking to someone of authority - not that she's ever actually informal. Casual isn't something Nadry knows how to be, so in that respect, she can be a very distant individual; she doesn't know how to relax, which isn't conducive to getting to really know people and making friends. She doesn't realize that she's getting in her own way, however, and during Candidacy especially was continually dismayed by her lack of close friends, and a little jealous of those who had them. She did eventually form very close bonds with her fellow Candidates - and soon after fellow Weyrlings - G'ran and Ichta, and developed several other friendships within her Weyrling class...and a crush on one named C'lusi: disarmingly handsome, charming, a little bit older, and thus an almost inevitable crush for an inexperienced little cotholder girl. A crush who happened to already be taken, so of course she wrote it off and never pursued it (not that she would have regardless!). No one was more surprised than she when the interest she'd tried to keep to herself was returned - not only by C'lusi, but by his bronzerider beau R'shahar. They swept her up (rather literally), and they've been a trio ever since. Having lacked very close bonds for most of her life, and now disowned by most of her biological family, Nadry has proved prone to clinginess, with both her friends and her loves.
Nadry was raised to be a bit of a goody two-shoes, easily scandalized by rudeness and rule-breaking. People are supposed to be polite, to behave a certain way, and to follow the rules. Since Impressing to Menankith, however, she has learned to question some rules and expectations, particularly about how a 'lady' is supposed to behave and what they can achieve. However, if someone is rude or mean, she she can still become very flustered, and can lose her own cool and respond in kind.
She absolutely hates to be dirty, and though she's learned to tolerate it, especially in the course of work that needs doing, she'll clean herself up at the very first opportunity. She is very appearance-conscious, and most of her spare marks will ultimately be spent on clothes and accessories; influenced by her changing views, growing confidence, and very stylish boyfriends, her style is gradually becoming less conservative. She's adapted fairly well to Weyr life, although she did have trouble adjusting to the very "loose" culture of Weyrs in terms of sex and relationships, due to her highly conservative upbringing and a resulting fear of the unknown. This has since been mostly left behind, although she will stick to her committed relationship, thank you.
Ultimately, Nadry is a teenager whose black and white world has gotten rather gray in the last few Turns, who's only just recently discovered a voice and the ability to make decisions, draw her own conclusions, and go her own way if she chooses, and she's still working on what to do with that. Fortunately, she has her dragon, Menankith, to help her along, and a mentor in the form of fellow brownrider and former mercenary captain, Illa.
Nadry was raised in a small cothold, the youngest in a line of six children, and the only girl. Her mother, who married at 15 and began having children soon after, never took up a craft, while her Tanner father supported them. Her mother was overjoyed at 31 to finally have a girl, and put a great deal of effort into raising her to be a proper young lady: demure, composed, and well-kept. Her family isn't wealthy by any means, but it was impressed upon her from an early age that while her dresses might not be the most expensive (nor she the greatest beauty, for that matter), she could at the very least take good care of them and look presentable. The result has been a rather fastidious, appearance-conscious young woman, who was expected to attract a suitor by virtue of being a respectable girl from a respectable family.
Three of her five brothers followed their father's example and became Tanners (the second took up Smithing and the youngest Woodcrafting), but the first and oldest was Searched as a Journeyman in Keroon and ended up a dragonrider in High Reaches. The opportunity to take up a craft was never presented to Nadry, nor did it ever really occur to her that she could; it just wasn't done in her family, or really in her cothold, aside from the midwife and an eccentric old herbalist. The latter was a pleasant woman, if odd, from whom she learned a few little things, but as she reached her teenage years her mother discouraged it. It was the first time in her life Nadry experienced any real discontent, but she obeyed and busied herself with more appropriately 'feminine' tasks as her mother began more seriously exploring possible matches for her.
When Nadry was 14, her second oldest brother's wife died giving birth to their fifth child, and suddenly the inevitability of marriage and children became terrifying and unacceptable. Nadry began sneaking off to visit the herbalist, Ellinis, again, though outwardly she continued to behave as expected. One day, when her oldest brother M'yk came to visit, as he did about twice a Turn, he brought a bluerider wingmate with him, whose dragon proceeded to point out that Nadry had potential. So it was that she was Searched and agreed to go, much to the ire of her mother. It was one thing for one of her sons to wind up in a Weyr, but her daughter? She was livid, but what was done was done, and there would at least be M'yk to look out for her...who was considerably less than thrilled about having that responsibility. The idea of his baby sister in a Weyr was horrifying to him.
When Thread appeared a Turn later, he was even less happy, and began trying in earnest to convince her to leave - go home, go to a Crafthall, do anything but Stand - but she resisted. Once she was given a choice in what she would do with her life, she was done letting everyone else make decisions for her. While the idea of fighting Thread was intimidating, the prospect of going back home to an empty future was far worse. At her first Touching, she took her time touching and greeting a few of the eggs, but after being 'proper' and paying her respects to the Queen egg, she went on to touch a medium-large, green-shelled egg that, by its size, and in this one immediately found everything she didn't even know she needed. Looking into her mind, the dragon inside the egg was horrified that she had been so stifled, always told what to think and do and be, and in the short time it had with her, tried to show her that that was wrong, and she could be whatever she wanted to be. There was only one problem: an egg that size would almost certainly hatch out to be a brown dragon, which in traditional High Reaches typically Impress to men. Lucky for her, when it came time for the eggs to hatch, the brown he hatched from the dark green egg proved to be anything but traditional, and chose her to be His.
Nearly two Turns have passed since, and while they still have a lot to learn, they're determined to prove themselves and grow into the heroes they know they're meant to be.
Clothing Notes:
Clothing is in the fantasy-medieval range, so nothing terribly modern. Nadry tends to prefer dresses and skirts to pants, and doesn't usually go for for anything really overtly sexy/revealing but might experiment a little. Another option for clothing is dragonriding gear - it's all thick, fur-lined leather, meant to cover as much as possible for protection both from Thread and from cold. This also includes a helmet and goggles, but those can be left off. Here is an example of riding gear by one of the founders of Echoes of Pern.
Avatars for Inspiration:
Art:
by shuravf
by istehlurvz
by Snegovski
by PanPan
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Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2019 7:33 pm
Brown Menankith
Written by Fated Fable
Colored by Mx Cherie
Origin of Name:
Menankith derives his name from the Mesopotamian ziggurat Etemenanki, which has been associated with the mythological tower of Babel. Alexander destroyed Etemenanki with the intention to rebuild it, but those plans did not come to fruition due to his untimely demise.
Inspiration:
The Tower is the 22nd Major Arcana card, and is associated with the planet Mars. Those who draw the Tower are often fearful of its portents, and they should be wary, for drawing the Tower signifies an abrupt upheaval in your life and expectations. Although this card is often viewed in a negative light, it can provide critical information that can aid the reader by removing the veil of false security, allowing them to see the world for what it truly is, rather than what they wish to believe it to be.
Personality:
One would think that Menankith had been forged in the fires of adversity for all of the personal flame and fervor that he possesses. He believes himself to be the equal of any Bronze, and is outraged by the arrogance displayed by many in the Weyr. Their echo chamber of self-congratulatory speech is a bubble that perpetuates an unjust system. This house of cards is unsustainable without the propaganda that they feed to hatchlings and Candidates alike. In reality, High Reaches Weyr are their own victims, taught as they teach others in a pattern of self-fulfilling prophecy. Until they can unchain themselves from this false dogma, they will doomed to repeat the mistakes of their forbearers.
On a personal level Menankith cannot stand the sort of self-deception that most people practice. He will do everything he can to ensure that his truth is spoken, that those around him are held to the standards that he, of course, sets. With all of the power of a bolt of lightning, the truth can set you free. Believing otherwise is only ultimately harmful and does not make for engagement in the world. While he is aware that he could move to Western Weyr and live happily there, unless his rider chooses to transfer he will likely find it very important to stick it out where he is. After all, a single pebble can make ripples across a lake. Perhaps his presence will help some of his brethren, and in his very fustian way he does want to be helpful.
Although difficult to approach he does not actually mean any harm. He just hasn't yet learned to use tact when dealing with others, and his patience is already strained by the goings on that he has observed. In his heart of hearts he is the every man, and he wants very badly to be a part of the world around him. With the right rider it is possible that he will be able to temper the sharpest edges, lending him a little more in the way of social acumen. He will never be so adroit as some who are happy to tell white lies in order to smooth things out. He is a deeply loyal beast, and although his friendship may be difficult to obtain, once it has been he will tear the world apart to keep his loved ones safe.
As observed in the Touching, Menankith has a truly kind heart, and deep reserves of strength. He gives freely of himself, knowing that the strength of a Weyr is in the group, not just the individual alone. He desires nothing more than to help bring others up from the ruts they've been cast into, to raise up those who have been quashed. He does not believe in the system, but rather in the people. Although he has observed goodness across every strata of society, he has found that those who need him comprise the lower rungs, and it is there that his attention has been fixed. He will follow his own star until it burns out, and even then he will fly blindly where it once led. If only he could find a way to convince the world that he is right, that no one should be shackled by tradition, if that tradition does not serve all equally.
Positive Traits: Loyal, intelligent, just
Negative Traits: Unrelenting, bitter, jaded
Adult Size: 35'
Physical Attributes:
Menankith is average in every way... physically, at least. He is far above average mentally-- this dragon is definitely a thinker, and he eschews systems of valuation in which being the largest or the strongest matters most.
Additional Notes:
He likes women, and he also likes to see oppressed parties turning the tables on their oppressors. He has a secret fondness for beautiful things such as jewelry and fancy riding tack.
Theme Song: Defying Gravity, by Stephen Schwartz and originally performed by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.
Why Me?
When Menankith looked inside of Nadry's heart, he saw a young woman bound by her family's expectations. A young woman who truly believed that she could not be a rider, could not be a hero, for that was not what women do. But that is exactly what women do. And with Menankith's help, Nadry has every bit the potential to become anything she sets her mind to. His desire to break down imposed barriers is implacable, and if Nadry lets him he'll take her far. He is someone that she can trust implicitly, someone who will never betray her. He can be her best friend, and her greatest advocate. Perhaps Nadry, with her command of rules and etiquette, can teach Menankith how to present himself so that others will understand his good intentions.
Art:
by Pachabel
by Pachabel
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