#no graphic royan lazy

[noraryker]

BASICS

Name: Nora Ann Ryker

Gender & pronouns: Cis-Female, She/Her

Species: Human

Face: Amy Adams

Age: 39, October 29, 1980

PERSONALITY

Moral Alignment: True Neutral

Zodiac: Scorpio

Personality Traits:

Positive: Brave, Loyal, Determined, Passionate, Self-Reliant

Negative: Secretive, Judgmental, Cynical, Unforgiving, Obsessive

TV Tropes: Dark and Troubled Past, The Unfavorite, Amateur Sleuth,  Bully Hunter, The "I Love You" Stigma, Always Save The Girl (family edition)

HISTORY - TW: underage drinking, underage sex, drug use, alcohol poisoning, self-destructive behavior, 

There’s not a lot of things you could consider remarkable about Nora Ryker. Born the middle child in an upper-middle class family in Washington, she grew up comfortable - never wanting for food or clothing, but nonetheless dissatisfied. The middle child syndrome was strong in this one, as Nora often found herself fading into the background when compared to her older brother and younger sister. She received decent enough grades in the beginning, but not enough to compare with her younger sister's constant advanced classes. She might have placed silver at her district's cross-country running meets - but who would sit through that when her brother was going to state as star quarterback? Her parents loved her, they did, but between three kids and two full time jobs? They just didn't have time for the middle's tantrums. After a few years of struggling to make herself seen, Nora decided that if her parents weren't going to give her attention -  she would find it elsewhere.

Nora was twelve when a sophomore gave her her first taste of beer at a joint middle-high school track meet; and despite the way it tasted, she liked the impressed looks on her classmates’ faces. She learned early that the more daring you were, the more attention others would give you - and Nora couldn't get enough. Choked down gulps of beer graduated into quick shots of vodka, with Nora clenching her eyes to get past the burn in her throat. Liquor turned to weed when she hit eighth grade, and losing her virginity followed shortly after. She barely remembered the act itself. but she remembered the greedy, almost desperate way that he touched her. For that brief (brief) moment, she was the most important thing in the world to someone, and she loved it. As her siblings continued to try and earn their parents love and approval, Nora made it her mission to earn their disapproval. Boy, did she earn it.

If it was offered, Nora tried it. Liquor, drugs, sex - even harmless petty crimes, she did it all. Had anyone asked what prompted this change, she wasn’t necessarily sure that she could explain. All Nora knew was that the older she got, the more that void in her chest became harder to fill. By the time her parents noticed the changes in their daughter, it was too late. She started to push it overboard, sleeping with anyone (even her sister's boyfriend), and injecting anything into her body. She even wound up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning a few times. Her parents didn't handle their middle daughter the best either; the sounds of their past screaming matches still coming to mind every now and again. Once desperate for their attention, Nora now felt suffocated by them now. The more they pushed, the more she acted out, and the fights didn't end when Nora left for college either. All it did was turn into constant texts and phone calls.

Forestry was supposed to be a throwaway major, something to get her degree in so her parents would stop threatening to cut her off. Her adviser suggested it because she had grown up camping in the mountains, and Nora’s lack of interest was starting to wear on her. What no one expected was that Nora would fall in love with her major. The core classes were a boring joke, but the trips out into the wilderness actually eased some of the hollowness in her chest. She became less concerned with trying to earn love, and more concerned with the preservation and maintenance of parks. Nora couldn't seem to graduate fast enough -  with her overwhelming enthusiasm landing her an internship and then an eventual job with Mount Rainier's Park Service. She lost herself in those tall trees, going in one person and coming at another.

Truth be told, Nora doubts her life would have changed at all if it weren't for her niece showing up one day at her doorstep. Barely 16, Addison was all hard edges and secrets - filled with a type of emptiness that Nora recognized immediately. Of course, she was a little surprised by the arrival - Nora might have settled things with her sister over some past issues and visited every once in a while, but she'd never felt particularly close to her niece. Not initially. Still, she gave her a place to sleep, and a free meal whenever she wanted - without even batting an eye. Nora's sister seemed more than happy to leave her problem child with her problem sister.

With Addison, Nora understood that it wasn’t attention she was seeking but understanding. It’s what Nora had wanted in the end, after all. She never asked any prying questions, never stormed into Addison’s room to search for drugs, and most importantly - she didn’t demand answers to why Addison felt the way she did. Nora knew that it was a hard question. Truth be told, it was also nice having someone there to come home to as well. She was no longer the Nora fighting to find herself in other people, but every once in a while she’d still feel the barest traces of loneliness. She might not have sought to soothe herself with other people anymore, but it’d be a lie if she said having Addison around didn’t help her as well. The two of them formed an easy, silent companionship. Nora didn’t try to lock Addison down when she made the decision to leave, but a quiet part of her heart went with her.

Nora hasn’t let herself cry once about Addison’s disappearance - refusing to give in to despair. She can feel it flickering at the corners of her mind, but what good will crying do? Addison’s parents could spend their days praying for a savior and begging for their “baby girl” to come back, but Nora wasn’t just going to sit around. Nora was always one to act, and right now is no different. Her rougher edges might have smoothed out with time, but there’s still a hellion under her skin... and her trip to Blackrock isn’t going to be a short one.

CONNECTIONS:

*Note, Royan cannot think of any in-depth ones right now, so she's going to keep it short and sweet and just word vomit in a stream of consciousness.  If you had plotted a connection with the previous Holly and would like to keep it, please hit me up! I am open for anything

Any original ideas! As stated above, I'm open for anything! Bring the pain! Bring the drama! 

Roommates - She needs a place to stay. Motels are expensive and she knows she's going to be here a while so would anyone like to sublet to Nora?  [OPEN]

Bully Hunter - Nora hates bullies. She may not be the warmest person in town but Nora came to the rescue of this person, stepping in when something was going wrong.   [OPEN]

Coworkers - Luckily for Nora, being a former ranger has its perks in Blackrock. I was looking to have her transfer to this department to keep her money flow going so any other rangers, game warden, interns would be welcome connections  [OPEN]

The Pack - This one is really open to anyone in the pack, esp folks that were close to Addison. Despite being far away, I like to think that Addison still kept in touch with her aunt. Nora's been her confidante for so long, so I want to say she would have known maybe one or two names?  [OPEN]

Horny on Main - I have yet to be horny on main with either character, so if someone wants a one-night stand/sexual tension with Nora, I love it. Sex has always been a big distraction for her, so why the fuck not? Personally, though, I don't see Nora sleeping with anyone under 29-30 with light exceptions depending on the FC because some FCs just look too young for me to feel comfortable pairing with someone Nora/Amy Adams' age.  [OPEN]

SUSPICION - This person just really causes all the warning bells in Nora's head to go off. They know more than they're telling her, she's certain, and she will get the truth from her even if it kills them her.  [OPEN]

Short Connections I will keep adding to:

Drinking buddy.

Confidant - knows what she's going through and sympathizes with.