Character Name: Linnea Norris
Gender: Female
Rank: Veterinarian In Training
Age: 19
Birthplace: Terra

Appearance: Linnea is tall, about 5'10". She has long red-brown wavy hair, green eyes, and a few freckles. She is full figured--not actually obese, but definitely carrying extra weight despite a fairly active lifestyle. Fortunately she is fit enough that it doesn't hinder her much. She has an even-featured face with a high forehead, long nose, and slightly squinty green eyes. Due to some American Indian ancestry (along with Irish and German), she tans rather than burns. Overall she is average-looking. She feels her hair is her best feature. She is not at all self-conscious about her unusual height--in fact, she enjoys the sense of security it gives her, particularly when dealing with men.

History: Max and Wilmetta Norris chose to come to Pern to practice their specialties in veterinary science and animal genetics, respectively. They brought their young daughter, Linnea, with them. They also brought their sons, Max Jr. and William. Linnea has always had a knack with animals and an interest in veterinary science, and she has long worked with both her parents, learning from them as she assisted them. This has been a happy arrangement all around, though Linnea's problems with attention and memory have hampered her in her learning process somewhat.

Linnea's father received several mentasynth-enhanced flit eggs both as a reward for his work in their development and because the scientist in charge of that project wanted him and his family to make detailed observations of their development, growth, and adaptation to the mentasynth enhancement. He kept an egg, gave one to Linnea (his oldest child) and gave one to his wife, promising his sons offspring from an upcoming clutch when available. Linnea's hatched out a rather small gold, while his parents received a bronze and a large brown.

Personality: Linnea has to work hard to keep her confidence up. She is hard working to an extent, especially when the task is of her choosing or for an obvious benefit, but because she has a short attention span, she has a very difficult time with repetitive or boring tasks. Veterinary medicine is perfect for her because of the vast variety of tasks associated with it, although she has to work very hard at learning all the required information because in addition to problems with attention and memory, she has a bit of a learning disability. If she gets to the point where she can master all the required skills and information, veterinary medicine will be a good career path. Linnea is somewhat mercurial and sensitive emotionally, which has caused her a lot of difficulty in her personal relationships. She still has some ways to go in terms of emotional maturity. She also tends to be naive, idealistic, and overly simplistic in the way she perceives the world. Her intelligence and general perceptiveness help her adjust and compensate for her emotionality. She loves to take care of her fire lizards, and they are well trained. She has a lot of interest in animal psychology and training methods, and in part this is why she feels she would be a valuable addition to the pool of candidates.

Family:
Father: Max Norris, Veterinarian, 54
Mother: Wilmetta Norris, Geneticist, 55
Brother: Will Norris, Apprentice Sled Pilot, 17
Brother: Max Jr., Student, Apprentice Cook, 14

If Your Persona Were a Song, the Title: I Can See Clearly Now

Hobbies: Linnea likes to make jewelry. She is skilled at compounding medications for animals. She has a good deal of background knowledge about veterinary science, genetics, and animal diets.

Pets: Periwinkle is a tiny gold, at the very small end of the size range for her color. She is an attractive rose gold hue with slightly brassier streaks over her withers and rump. Her physique is as dainty as her size would suggest. She will never be able to carry a large clutch of eggs, that much is certain. Her temperament is feisty and cheerful, and she likes to be the boss and have her nose in everything. She is quite affectionate with Linnea, and empathetic as well, since she is a menta. One of her favorite things to do is steal and hoard shiny things such as beads and little bits of foil or glittery junk. This can be frustrating for Linnea as Linnea sometimes works with beads that are large enough for the little gold to pick up.

Azul is an average-sized blue wild-type fire lizard. He is pretty much average in temperament as well, being friendly and reasonably attached to 'his' person for a non-menta. He is protective of Periwinkle, having been an adult when she was hatched and still retaining a sense of responsibility for her. He loves the water and swims at every opportunity.

Dragon's Name: Cherrith
Age: Infant (hatched 12.3.11)
Color: Gold
Physical Description: Cherrith is a large, well-proportioned hatchling with a shiny gold hide. It has a very slightly rose tint to it. The color pales on her belly and is darkest on her extremities, but there are no lines of demarcation--the color fades softly from shade to shade. She has a beautifully sculpted head and large, expressive eyes.

Personality: Cherrith is truly a drama queen. She exaggerates everything and dramatizes it. She loves to be the center of attention, and craves the spotlight. Every event and emotion is larger than life to her. Along with this, she has a wonderful appreciation of every new experience. She is fascinated by life and all of its wonders. Her relationship with her human partner is loving and supportive so far, although she complains a lot when she feels she is being neglected.