Name/Nicknames: Aidan O’Connor
Gender: Male
Rank/Position: Psychologist/Candidate
Age: 25
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland

Physical Description: Aidan stands 6’0” tall, weighs 180 pounds, and almost never smiles. Instead, his blue eyes and reddish-brown eyebrows are always pulled down in a thoughtful scowl as he contemplates his latest psychological theories. He’s got short, unruly reddish-brown hair (just a shade lighter than his eyebrows), and almond shaped eyes. He’s rather ‘square’ looking with a square jaw, broad shoulders, and fairly broad hips for a guy. He’s also got no waist to speak of. He dresses in sensible, but comfortable clothes, usually in neutral colors, and is always neat and tidy. He has a deep, soft voice with a faint accent to it that works to make his patients at ease with him right from the start. Aidan had no visible scars although he has several on his back, stomach, and legs from wrestling with his brothers.

Personality: Aidan is a serious, intelligent young man. He enjoys the research aspect of psychology a great deal, but what he really loves about it is getting to interact with people and help them through difficult or uncertain times in their life. He is neat and tidy and believes that there is a place for everything—and if it doesn’t have one, he’ll make one for it. His idea of fun is a quiet evening of discussion or study, or perhaps a game of cards. He learned how to play most sports when he was younger and got skilled enough to hold his own against his brothers, but isn’t really all that good and doesn’t enjoy playing them with anyone other than his family. He’s got a subtle sense of humor that he doesn’t show very often and that combined with his seriousness has earned him a very small circle of friends.

Background: He has two older brothers, one younger brother, and a younger sister, all of which he is very close to. His mother is a short, somewhat pudgy woman who is full of energy and affection, and his father is a tall, heavyset man who is firm but just as affectionate as Aidan’s mother. His mother is a skilled baker and his father is an equally skilled veterinarian. The family was all born and at least partially raised in Dublin before Aidan’s father decided to join the settlers bound for Pern. Aidan was thrilled with this change in their lifestyle and quickly adjusted to the idea.

When they arrived on Pern, Aidan soon grew to love science and discovery in a way that only an unexplored environment could create. By the time he hit the age of sixteen, he had narrowed his possible career choices down to two: Psychologist and Geneticist. After talking with professionals in each specialty, Aidan decided that psychology offered the opportunity for fresher discoveries; genetics was not evolving nearly fast enough for his tastes.

He’s spent the past several years studying under Ann, one of the colony’s more experienced psychologists. When the colonists split into two groups, all of his family remained in the south. As soon as the opportunity to be a Candidate came up, Aidan applied and got accepted. He believed that the experience of being a Candidate—and of being a dragonrider, if he were lucky enough to get one—would provide a wide variety of new experiences to evaluate from the psychological perspective. Although he has not attracted one of the dragons yet, he is enjoying collecting and evaluating ‘data’ that he is gathering from those who have been involved in the Dragon Project. He is also still feeling positive about the final batch of eggs.

Family/Friends:
Victor O’Connor/46/veterinarian/New Landing
Claire O’Connor/45/baker/New Landing
Garret O’Connor/26/geneticist/New Landing (married with two kids; Candidate)
Chase O’Connor/25/veterinarian/New Landing (married; Candidate)
Patrick O’Connor/19/apprentice geneticist/New Landing (Candidate)
Moira O’Connor/18/apprentice dolphineer/New Landing (Candidate)

Ann Crowley/46/psychologist/New Landing

Hobbies & Skills: He enjoys debates and ‘intelligent’ conversation and these would probably be listed as his hobbies. As far as skills go, he is rather good at connecting with a person, setting them at ease, and judging their character.

If your persona were a song, the title:

THIS IS WHERE I BELONG, by Bryan Adams
I hear the wind across the plain
A sound so strong - that calls my name
It's wild like the river - it's warm like the sun
Ya it's here - this is where I belong

Under the starry skies - where eagles have flown
This place is paradise - it's the place I call home
The moon on the mountains
The whisper through the trees
The waves on the water
Let nothing come between this and me

Cuz everything I want - is everything that's here
And when we're all together - there's nothing to fear
And wherever I wander - the one thing I've learned
It's to here - I will always....always return

Pets: Riley is a soft brown wild fire-lizard that reminded Aidan so much of his childhood dog that he named him after the long gone canine. He received him when his little sister stumbled across a wild nest and she thrust the egg into his hand just before it hatched. Riley is not a very smart fire-lizard, but is very sweet and loving, trying his best to do whatever it is Aidan wants him to do.