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I'm looking for some feedback on this rider idea. Questions and constructive crit are, of course, very welcome. Words of encouragement are also loved. :Heart: heart heart

Name: Br'dar
Age: 25
Sex: Male
Orientation: Bisexual
Craft: Dragonrider (Former Harper Apprentice)
Rank: Wingrider

Physical Description: Br'dar is slender and slightly less than average height, and you'd best believe he's sensitive about it. Standing at about 5'7, he's not really short, but he's close enough to take offense very quickly when his height is mentioned. He keeps his reddish-gold hair cropped close, no more than an inch long, not wanting to have to do more than run his fingers through it to keep it in order. A spattering of freckles over the bridge of his nose and across his cheeks draws attention to the fine lines of his face and his high cheekbones. His thin, sculpted lips look equally good whether smiling or sneering, and he's equally likely to be giving either expression at any specific moment. His eyes are a vivid blue-green, set beneath proudly arched brows and framed by almost-invisible red-gold lashes.

Br'dar is very fastidious- he keeps his clothing clean and in good order and is rigorously disciplined about his personal cleanliness. He prefers clothing that shows off his well-toned muscles, though he keeps it simple- he's never felt the need to dress ostentatiously. The last finger on his left hand is crooked, legacy of an accident during Weyrling training.

Added: Very fair, Br'dar does tend to burn in the sun- which, unfortunately, Ista has in abundance. The back of his neck and the tips of his ears, suffering the worst exposure, are a near-permanent reddish brown from constantly burning and re-burning, and he's usually a bit pink around the edges. He tries very hard to stay in the shade, and he tends to prefer duties like nightwatch which give him an excuse to stay out of the sun.

Personality: Br'dar is a man who knows what he wants, and has no qualms about going after it. His natural confidence (some would call it cockiness) endows him with a certain swagger, and his good looks often earn him admirers- something he definitely enjoys. He's smooth, and keeps most people at a good safe distance; he has acquaintances, not friends. He puts on a good show, laughing and flirting with his peers, relaxing with the occasional performance in front of a group, but it's all superficial. He seems likable, on a good day, but it's a rare person who feels close to him. He'll play the confidant if it suits him, but he'd take sutures without numbweed before he confided in anyone besides his dragon. That is for lesser individuals.

For all his swagger, however, he's very sensitive to jibes about his height and his build. Volatile and aggressive, he'll lash out hard at anyone he thinks has wronged him, and a certain tenaciousness (or pugnaciousness, depending on who you ask) means that he does not back down- even when he's wrong. He's also generally unrepentant about his indiscretions, handling the inevitable disciplinary actions with cool acceptance (and occasional arrogant amusement). Being possessed of a mercurial temperament, he can be perfectly pleasant one moment and cold the next, not always providing a reason for why. He's a terrible loser, taking a bad turn at cards as a personal affront, generally snarling about it for a few days. Worse still is losing at a competition involving his dragon- he's even more unpleasant if someone has dared to best her in speed or agility.

When it comes to taking orders, well, there are definitely people who are better at it. Br'dar doesn't give his respect easily. Only grudgingly will he accept instructions from a leader he doesn't consider suitable, and he'll undercut them where he can. When someone has earned his esteem, though, he'll support them with all of his pig-headed determination.

Br'dar is smart, part of the reason he was tapped for Harper Hall before he was Searched. He's got a good memory for facts and details, a solid (if somewhat merciless) ability to size up others and figure out their strengths, and a good head for plans. If he wasn't so temperamental, he'd make a decent leader. He's also musical, able to play several instruments and taking a deep satisfaction out of a well-written or well-played song. In the rare times that he's feeling introspective, he can be found down at the beach or under the trees, near his dragon, playing or composing.

If someone is persistent enough to break through his emotional walls, they'll find that Br'dar is fiercely protective of 'his' people. He's genuinely warm with those he cares about, though he's flat-out terrible at expressing the gentler emotions, tending to deflect with jokes or stumble over his words. And once you're in, you're in- it's hard to shake his loyalty if you've managed to somehow earn it.



History: Born Breidar, he was raised in High Reaches Hold, the son of a drudge and an unknown man. He was confident and precocious from a very young age, exploring the Hold almost as soon as he could walk. There was nothing he wouldn't try at least once, and he never backed down from a dare (which occasionally put him in situations he'd rather not admit to, now that he's older and slightly more sensible).

His closest friend was another young boy by the name of Toben. The two looked enough alike that it wasn't a stretch for them to assert that they were brothers, and assert it they did. Toben was slightly older, and better with people, and he fell quite naturally into the role of leader between the two of them, and Breidar happily followed him into misadventure after misadventure.

Unfortunately, as they got older the games grew more dangerous as the boys grew more bold. One afternoon a seemingly harmless prank out where the herdbeasts were kept exploded rather unexpectedly out of control, and Toben was trampled. He died three days later- three days in which Breidar barely ate and slept in the infirmary next to his friend. The day Toben died, Breidar wept for hours- the next day, nothing. He refused any offers of comfort, and any attempts to talk to him about it, insisting that he was fine, growing waspish and occasionally violent if someone kept at it. His found him pulling away, though on the surface he was the same as he'd always been.

It was shortly after the accident when a visiting Harper took an interest in him, and spoke to his mother about taking him to the Harper Hall for training. She agreed readily enough, and Breidar was happy to get away- people were still watching him, still whispering about the accident whenever they thought he wasn't near enough to hear. He'd had more than enough of it. He became an Apprentice Harper, displaying a strong musical aptitude and a knack for composition. He wasn't much for making instruments, but he could play them well enough, and he had a decent voice.

He was well on his way to completing an unremarkable Apprenticeship and walking the tables for Journeyman status when he was Searched. A relay-rider from Ista Weyr had come to deliver a message, and Breidar had stopped to admire her sweet-natured Green, not expecting that such a simple thing would mark yet another serious change in his surroundings. The Green, however, declared that he was rider material and absolutely insisted that he stand for the clutch that happened to be on the Sands at Ista. Figuring it wouldn't hurt to indulge the lovely dragon- and her lovely rider- Breidar agreed, assuming that the clutch would hatch, nothing would happen, and he'd be back at his lessons within the month.

Green Lylath had other ideas. The last egg to hatch in her clutch, she claimed Breidar as her own, which surprised him as much as anyone. Still, it was obvious he was entirely besotted with her, never showing even the slightest regret at abandoning his apprenticeship. Who needed Harper Blue when he had his perfect Green? He coddled the bright young dragon, heaping praise on her for everything from her unusually good memory for a dragon to the delicate way she ate.

His inability to resist a dare, however, nearly cost him everything not too much later. When Lylath was only just getting big enough to start carrying his weight, one of his fellow Weyrlings dared him to take his first flight out before they'd gotten that far in their training. He almost refused, but an accusation of cowardice from the daremaker, and Lylath's rather timid encouragement (she, of course, would support her Br'dar in anything he wanted to do) decided him.

Unfortunately, without the proper guidance, he didn't secure his straps correctly, and during Lylath's rather awkward takeoff, he fell. One hand got caught in the straps, which kept him anchored long enough for Lylath to get back down. His hand was badly mangled, however, and the healers were unable to completely repair it- the last finger on his left hand healed badly, twisted out of position. It made playing certain instruments much harder, but otherwise didn't impede his function too badly.

His punishment for that incident was the first he'd taken truly seriously, and was the worst he'd ever received; though the fact that he'd nearly gotten himself- and more importantly, Lylath- killed was worse. He kept to his absolute best behavior after that until they were out of training, not willing to take another chance with his dragon's safety, and the time passed relatively uneventfully.

He bounced from Wing to Wing once Lylath was old enough to be a part of one, his attitude and aggression tending to make enemies of the Wingleaders. He watched as the Weyr steadily grew more and more crowded, not entirely sure what to make of it. Aside from a few small fistfights, he's managed to stay out of trouble, and is simply doing his best to cope with the overcrowded conditions. He's still sulking over the fact that when a Greenrider finally made Wingleader, it wasn't him- not that he'd given it all that much thought before it happened.

Pets: None, Lylath is far too jealous of his attention for a flitt.

Other/Talents: Br'dar's brashness occasionally translates into foolishness, making him fairly easy to manipulate- he doesn't know when to back down or say 'no' to a dare or a bet.
He's very good at spotting other people's strengths and weaknesses, making him fairly good at organizing people- when he's not alienating them with his temper.

Igen/Ista: Ista



DRAGON

Name: Lylath

Color: Green

Physical Description: Lylath is a slender Green, on the small side. Her base color is a soft spring green, with a dark emerald-green dorsal stripe extending from nose to tail-tip. Smaller stripes of the same shade fade down from the stripe over her shoulders and ribs, looking a bit like smudged chalk lines off of the main stripe. Her legs have a similar striping, with vibrant emerald running down the front of each, and streaked stripes running horizontally toward the rear. Her tail seems disproportionately long, which makes her a tad ungainly on the ground, but allows her to seem to almost pirouette in the air.

Personality: Lylath is a nervous, flighty dragon, prone to fits of self-doubt. She's sweet, but shy- she never talks to people who aren't her rider, and she likely won't talk to other dragons unless they speak to her first. Her memory is particularly keen for a dragon, and she's quite clever- unfortunately, that keen memory allows her to remember any slight mistakes she makes, which she immediately presumes to be far out of proportion to what they were.

Timid straight out of the shell, her first words to Hers practically begged for reassurance: “Your Lylath needs you, Breidarmine, if you think she is good? Lylath would very much like to be good!” That set the tone between Br'dar and Lylath, with the Green constantly second-guessing herself, needing assurance from Br'dar a dozen times a day. Fortunately, Br'dar's impatience and temperament never seemed to extend to her, and he's happy to give her the reassurance she needs. She has a tendency to follow Br'dar around like an overlarge puppy whenever he's out of the Weyr, or in parts of the Weyr large enough for her to access. She stays as close as she can when he's not, pacing around the edges waiting for him to reemerge.

Small and slender, with her overlong tail, Lylath is very quick and very agile in the air, though her endurance leaves much to be desired. She constantly worries about falling behind, and works extra-hard to remember exactly how wing formations ought to work to make up for it.

Her fears of inadequacy lead Lylath to exert every possible effort for anything Br'dar asks of her, or even thinks of asking of her- a trait which given Br'dar's inability to back down, has occasionally been troublesome. She would never think to doubt anything he asked, and any failure they suffer as a team, she insists is her fault- no matter how many times Br'dar tells her otherwise.

Very possessive of her rider's affections, Lylath balks at the very idea of him acquiring a flitt, absolutely convinced it would somehow replace her. She's much nicer about people who Br'dar interacts with, though since he doesn't generally get close to them, she hasn't had her nerves overly tested in that regard. Still, she likes people, even if she's shy of them, and children hold a certain delight for her. Where she'd shy away from an adult or older teen who tried to touch her, she'll happily lie down to allow small children to crawl on her. She remembers names and faces rather well, and odds are if she's been introduced to a person more than once or twice, she'll recognize them.

Among the few times Lylath seems to relax are Flights- the shy, nervous female suddenly becomes coy and coquettish, and she uses her nimbleness to quite literally fly circles around potential suitors. It is the only time she doesn't worry about Br'dar's opinion- she will fly the male she likes, and Br'dar will simply have to deal with the other rider. She has little interest in taking a permanent mate- it's far too much worry for her tastes, and they'd only stray anyway.

Other: Her long tail sometimes causes her to trip herself if she turns too quickly on the ground.


Why these two?: It was clear from the start that shy, easily startled Lylath would need someone both gentle enough to coddle her and bold enough that her nerves wouldn't hold them back. Br'dar was exactly that someone, willing to lavish her with the attention she needed and reassure her of her worth, and too confident and cocky to allow anything to slow him down. Br'dar, in turn, needed a gentling influence to curb his recklessness and encourage him to settle out and open up. Lylath's gentle, timid nature required him to take a more cautious pose. Added: Beneath the stark differences between the two, both Br'dar and Lylath share a need to get things done right. They each want to be the best they possibly can be at what they try, and they both take it hard when they fail. They are bound and determined to prove themselves, to each other and the world at large.

-Smiles- Thanks, Tawny, I appreciate it! I've added a bit of commonality to them, hopefully it'll help them make more sense together.