Character Name: William Norris, often called Will
Gender: Male
Rank: Student/Apprentice Sled Pilot
Age: 17
Birthplace: Terra

Appearance: William, or Will as he is often called, could best be described as potentially good-looking, but currently not there yet. He has very dark, straight hair that he likes to keep in a buzz cut. His eyes are green, like his father's and his sister's, and very expressive. American Indian ancestry has given him skin that tans easily, and his preference for outdoor activities keeps him that way. He has a high forehead, a long nose, and a longish chin, so his face appears almost too long. Fortunately he also has a fairly big head for his body size, so things balance out somewhat. Will is still growing, and he is rather awkward, gangly, and uncoordinated at present. Clearly he is growing towards his father's height. At this point he is about 5'10". His feet especially are large, long and narrow. He hasn't really muscled up to match his frame yet, and so appears somewhat unfinished. He does, however, have good posture, a confident walk, and general good health. At some point he could turn out to be quite a nice looking man.

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 children, Linnea, Will, and Max Jr. with them. All of them adapted quite readily to Pern, given that they had a taste for a more rural/agrarian lifestyle than could be afforded on old Terra. Will especially was delighted with his freedom and the many opportunities he had to work and play outdoors. The family had a modest allotment of stake acreage which allowed them to keep a variety of animals.

Will knew he didn't particularly want to follow his parent's career paths, though he did have a fondness for and a good rapport with animals. He found his niche with the sled pilots and began working with the apprentice pilot program when he was old enough. Fortunately, he had excellent reflexes and good hand-eye coordination, so he progressed quite well, to his delight and that of his family, who were supportive of his choice. Currently he is flying under the supervision of more experienced pilots, as well as continuing to learn sled maintenance and repair. He is also still using the simulators for extra practice.

Will's family life was pretty normal. He got along well with his parents and usually with his younger brother. He fought quite a bit with Linnea, in part because of how close they were in age, and in part because of some of their similarities in temperament (both of them had a pretty respectable stubborn streak). This improved as their career paths diverged and they were out of the house more.

Will's father received several mentasynth-enhanced flit eggs both as a reward for his work on their development and because the scientist in charge of the project wanted him and his family to make detailed observations of their development, growth, and adaptation to the mentasynch enhancement. Will received an egg, which hatched out a large, handsome brown dragonet which he named Merrick. Will is carefully raising and training Merrick, as well as making the requested observations and measurements.

Will is quite jealous of his sister's candidate status. He plans to become a candidate when he turns eighteen.

Personality: Will could best be described as a know-it-all, with all the arrogance that implies. He is very intelligent, like his parents and siblings, and believes he is the smartest of the bunch. He's pretty open about this. Of course it does little to endear him to them. Unfortunately, he approaches his friends and associates with the same high-handed arrogance with the sole exception of the sled pilots, whom he treats with marked respect that is almost funny in contrast to his normal behavior. He is at the stage in his development where he believes he knows everything and that the answer that is obvious to him is clearly the only answer. This makes him quite annoying to be around. Will tends to especially look down on girls, which is odd because his father shows a lot of respect for women. Underneath the quirky, know-it-all exterior is a sensitive young man who is somewhat lacking in self-confidence except in his intellect. In addition to his developing skill as a sled pilot, Will is talented in math and science. He pursues learning in those areas whenever he has a chance, taking classes and working with computer tutorials when possible. Will is fairly courageous. He knows that the sleds aren't infallible, and has lost several friends to collisions during Thread fighting. He is cautious and responsible as a pilot and follows orders from the experienced pilots he works with in order to minimize the risks. Still, he knows this occupation is risky at best.

Family:
Father: Max Norris, Veterinarian
Mother: Wilmetta Norris, geneticist
Sister: Linnea Norris, Apprentice Veterinarian
Brother: Max Jr., Student, Apprentice Cook

If your persona were a song, the title: Smarter than You

Hobbies: Will is developing his skills in the area of sled piloting. He also likes to play the gitar, though he doesn't have a great voice.

Pets: Name: Merrick
Color: Brown
Description: Merrick is growing into a large and handsome brown. He has a rich, chocolate-colored hide that darkens into deeper color approaching black on his face, wingtips, feet, and tail (almost like a Siamese cat). He is well proportioned with large wings and a relatively long tail.
Personality: Merrick is a spirited and energetic dragonet. He is endlessly curious about everything around him. He tends to get his nose and claws into things he shouldn't. Fortunately, Will has him well trained, so he is less of a nuisance than he might otherwise be.