"Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional."
BASICS
RETIRE INFO: Retire
NAME: N'taen (Nataen)
GENDER: Male
PRONOUNS: He/him/his
ORIENTATION: Homosexual
BIRTHDATE: Winter 2744
AGE: 22 as of Summer 2767
LOCATION: Fort Weyr
OCCUPATION: Weyrling, Apprentice Healer
WING: N/A
APPEARANCE
EYES: Brown
HAIR: Dark brown
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 6'2", Lean and a little scrawny, but (slightly) stronger than he looks.
PLAY-BY: Art by Julia Brickley
FULL APPEARANCE: Nataen looks like the average Pernese individual. On Earth, he would appear of no particular ethnicity or race. His skin is brown, closer to south Asian in tone. His hair, a brown so dark it almost appears black, is worn in a shaggy mess. It has a natural wave to it, and is often a little tangled. His facial features are not especially noteworthy, generally describable as soft or round. Even the shape of his face is round, almost chubby or youthful. In contrast, his build is lean--even scrawny--which makes him look weak, and even malnourished. That said, he is a bit stronger than he looks, mostly from his time running around with his friends. His frame is naturally narrow, which only contributes to his scrawny appearance.
Nataen wears simple clothing. After living as a drudge child, it feels strange to wear anything more complex or ornate. He prefers earthy tones of practical, masculine outfits. Even now that he has money to spend, he would never buy any gather clothing--what's the point, anyways? He likes clothing with ample pockets, and has a tendency to just shove things into said pockets and forget about them.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY: confident, gossip, mischievous, playful, passionate, protective, impulsive, brave, forgetful, excitable, sarcastic, teasing, flirty, cheerful, energetic, disorganized
Nataen is a prankster at heart. He loves telling jokes, of course, but the best kind of jokes are pranks. Harmless pranks, really. He wouldn't want anyone to get physically hurt, after all, and would never be truly malicious...but if someone were afraid of bugs, and found that their jewelry box had been filled with them...well, that's fair game! He enjoys convincing others of things that aren't true, but never lies about important things. He might very well tell you one thing, when another is true--but once you know him well, his lies have a vital tell, as he nods his head more frequently when lying.
Certainly, he is mischief incarnate. He likes getting into trouble, really, and is a fan of both antics and shenanigans. At least he's playful, rather than intentionally harmful. He likes to tease others and joke around, and never seems to take anything seriously. Nataen is a bit immature, and in many ways, has never really grown up. He has the ability to be serious, of course, but prefers not to, and finds life to be more enjoyable when he maintains some level of immaturity. For all that, he's sweet, and cares deeply about people. He is the type to make sweet, sentimental gestures, but surprisingly, he gets embarrassed when told how sweet he is being. (Not that there's anything sweet going on when he's getting into trouble.)
One of Nataen's biggest flaws is how nosy he is. He wants to know everything that goes on, ever, and bonus points if it's juicy, delicious gossip. He doesn't mind rumors at all, and tends to stick his nose where it doesn't belong. While he rarely spreads rumors, people likely know him as someone who indulges in that sort of thing--whether for better or for worse. Despite this, Nataen is a good person. He has a good moral compass, and believes in helping others. Passionate, he sticks to his beliefs. Naturally, he's both opinionated and stubborn. He's a bit hardheaded, but he means well. He wants very much to protect and help others, but is often impulsive about it. He doesn't think things through, and just charges in headfirst. This could be seen as valiant or fearless--or perhaps stupid. Sometimes, this results in him causing new problems, rather than resolving them.
Naturally impulsive, Nataen spends any money he has without thinking twice, and follows his heart on every aspect of life. He can be a bit forgetful when it comes to day-to-day details, but is rather clever. He has a sarcastic streak, and is known to make quips, often teasing, about others and events. He can even be a bit flirty--though usually in his normal teasing way. That said, he's a generally cheerful and gregarious individual--friendly and approachable, if not especially kind in word. He's excitable, energetic, and usually happy. Get him talking about one of his many obsessive/passionate interests, and he could talk for days without even realizing the other person is bored. He's a bit disorganized, both in thought and his surroundings, and doesn't mind messes at all. Overall, he is quirky, weird, and different--traits he values in himself, as well as others. In fact, that contributes to his strong sense of self-confidence and worth.
Extremely loyal, Nataen would do anything for his friends and sister, and this defines him strongly.
HISTORY
FAMILY:
-Father: Taenarr
-Mother: Vana
-Sister: Varr (fostered with, 3 turns younger)
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: N/A
BIRTHPLACE: Minor Hold near Fort Hold
HISTORY:
TW: Death, War
Nataen was born into a relatively happy family. Born at a minor hold under Fort Hold during the winter of 2744, Nataen was beloved by his two parents. Taenarr and Vana loved their son dearly, and when he was three turns old, Varr joined them. For a while, family life was nice. The young children learned with the others in the hold, despite the fact that their parents worked as drudges. Because of their parents' occupation, Varr and Nataen learned a respect for hard work and menial labor, and would never turn up their noses to it, or think themselves too good for it. From a young age, they learned the value of doing one's part and putting in effort to achieve.
Varr and Nataen were always close. He taught her all sorts of things--everything from reading, to stealing treats without being caught, to how to eat a bubbly pie in a way that made a maximum mess, to where to find the grossest bugs. In fact, Nataen's penchant for being annoying and leaving bugs in inopportune places lead to the children of the hold calling him 'Gnat,' a teasing but hardly affectionate name. Even if kids could be cruel, he still had his family. Overall, things seemed happy.
Taenarr and Vana wanted better lives for their children, as they worked as drudges to protect the family. Varr was a natural-born harper, and Nataen had the strength and interest necessary for the smithhall, but the two refused to separate. Eventually, a compromise was made. Nataen was tonedeaf, and Varr was weakly, but both could join the healer craft. After proving their worth, they became apprentices, sent to the healer hall when Nataen was eleven turns, his sister eight. Together, they worked hard, determined to do well for their parents. The two worked hard--they had little time for socializing, but they made some friends regardless, mostly friends as devoted and studious as them. Neither had much natural talent--and Varr's hands weren't especially steady--but they were quick learners and understood the conceptual and theoretical material well. For a while, they stayed at the healer hall, sending money back to their parents. Around this time, Varr, Nataen, and their new friends taught themselves to fight, and basically did parkour...because they were stupid kids, who apparently liked injuring themselves right before a big day in classes.
The friendships they'd made included others who, while hardworking, never quite felt like they fit in. Despite their loving family, Nataen and Varr knew they couldn't rely on anyone other than each other. They couldn't ask for anything more from their kind but older parents, who already worked so hard. They couldn't expect help or support from their mentors at the hall. And they certainly couldn't rely on any strangers. Both Nataen and Varr had often stuck out in social situations from a young age, being seen as 'strange' or 'different,' especially Nataen. (For several turns of his childhood, Nataen proudly put on displays where he would eat bugs, grass, and really anything that other kids dared him to eat.) The three friends they made, however, were different. It felt like everyone in the world fit into a nice, neat little puzzle, but those four didn't. Still, the mismatched pieces fit together, and got along well...if not, of course, mischievously. They did get into a lot of trouble, when not studying. Tin, as they were known, was the oldest, just half a turn older than Nataen, though Nataen was the self-proclaimed leader. Just a turn younger than Nataen was Buzz, Tin's little sister. Two months older than Varr was Spit. Spit, Buzz, and Tin were, of course, nicknames the group had come up with, and what they called each other. Nataen was called Gnat, though this time fondly, and Varr was called Vine. The nicknames, while silly, were important to the group, even if no one was willing to professionally call a journeyman 'Spit.' Nataen and Varr called the other by name, though, out of habit.
A letter from their mother arrived one day, informing them that their father was ill with the plague. Worried, the two rushed home, to see what they could do. It turned out, they were too late to save their father, and their mother had fallen ill when caring for him. They cared for her, but there was only so much they could do for her. It was too late--but they soothed her passing. Heartbroken and now orphaned, the two tried to move on with their lives, now that the family that meant so much to them was gone. It only made them feel more lost and helpless, with no one to depend on but themselves.
They returned to the healer hall, only to have a visiting greenrider search Nataen and Tin. Thrilled, Varr and the others--Buzz and Spit--transferred to Fort Weyr as well. While all five worked as healers, Nataen and Tin focused on being candidates. Every hatching they had--Varr, Buzz, and Spit were there, a ragtag team ready to cheer on their new family.
UPDATES
- Jumping around from Weyr to Weyr in hopes of Impression put a damper on his friendships, causing a growing distance that weyrlinghood would only increase.
- Vaheoth, a garnet, chose him at Nornth's first hatching.
