bakerstreet | The Dragonriders of Pern AU Meme

The Dragonriders of Pern AU Meme

THE DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN AU MEME

WARNING: Contains situations of dubious consent, violence, and triggers. Click with caution.

Pern is a planet with an unusual problem. Every 250 years or so, orbits in the system bring the planet into a fifty-year shower of a substance they call Thread. Thread consumes every organic substance it comes into contact with, dissolving plastics, plants and people alike. It is stopped only by metal and stone. In order to combat this menace, the early colonists on Pern created dragons.

Now, thousands of years later, dragons are an ordinary institution. They carry passengers and transport messages, since they are able to go Between, a teleporting ability that produces several seconds of cold sensory deprivation every time it is done. They live in weyrs, places reserved solely for dragons, riders and support staff, usually in caves, often in volcanic areas in order to create warm grounds for egg-laying and hatching.

The dragons themselves bond with, or Impress, humans immediately upon hatching, creating a deep, psychic and very intimate connection. Dragons and humans are a pair, and they tend to bond based on personality, gender and sexual orientation. This comes into play during mating flights, when female dragons go into heat and fly away, requiring a male to catch her and mate mid-air. Often, sex between the riders of the mated dragons is not optional, no matter who the riders are or what they feel about one another. This creates a general atmosphere of sexual openness in the weyr.

That's a dragonrider's life. Skipping out to fight the latest shower of Thread, taking care of their dragon, hopping Between, and dealing with the occasional unwanted desires from a mating flight.

For more info, feel free to check out Wikipedia!

HOW IT WORKS:
1) Post with your character and canon. Feel free to take this opportunity to make a note about which sort of dragon your character would have, and any roleplaying preferences.
2) Tag around, and dragon this shit up.
3) Stick to canon, if you like; disregard it, if you like.
4) Have some goddamn fun with some goddamn dragons.

TYPE OF DRAGON
CANON:
Gold - the largest of the dragons and most rare, queens and egg-layers. Those who Impress a dragon like this generally end up in a weyr's leadership. These dragons canonically always have women as their riders.
Bronze - second largest, male; the gold's mating pool tends to draw from these. These dragons canonically always have men as their riders.
Brown - slightly smaller than bronze, male, steady and strong with a lot of endurance. These dragons canonically always have men as their riders.
Blue - the smallest male, and a somewhat awkward compromise between strength and small size/agility. These dragons canonically nearly always have men as their riders.
Green - quick, agile and flighty, without much endurance, making up about 50% of all canon dragon population. Female. Greens almost never lay any eggs, and lack much of a maternal instinct. These dragons may take riders of either gender.

NON-CANON/SLIGHTLY MODIFIED CANON:
(In case you'd like a few more options to play with.)
White - A mutation, but a surprisingly common one. White dragons have little to no sex drive, and are very small, but unusually intelligent and sometimes have strange and unique abilities.
Black/Dark Blue - Another rare mutation. These dragons can be of either gender, but are incapable of chewing firestone and producing flame. They tend to take dragonriders who are deceptive, sneaky, clever. They are often used as messengers or as night-riding spies.
Red - Female and medium-size, this dragon is a fighting dragon that does clutch, if not as numerously or as productively as the golds. They tend towards passion and strength, deep emotions that make them fervent fighters.
Yellow - Male, on the small side, jumpy and often somewhat thick-headed, yellows take longer to mature and are more difficult to train to work in groups, but once you do, the result is worth it. They are impulsive and brave and vicious.
Purple - Another dragon type that can be male or female. Small-bodied and huge-winged, this type is somewhat rare but ideal for long patrols. Their eyesight is famous and keen, so they're good spotters as well.
Other - If you have a particular idea, feel free to make up your own!

HIJINKS
1 - Threadfall. Time to get out there and burn this stuff before it manages to hit the ground. Hopefully you won't find yourself or your dragon in the path of this stuff. Otherwise, you might be out of commission for a while, and the scars never heal.
2 - Gather Day. It's a festival today! Get out there and spend some money, hear some music, and have some lovely food.
3 - Hatching. The candidates are ready, and those eggs look hard enough to break. Hatching could happen at any time. Are you ready for Impression?
4 - Feeding/Bathing. Dragons need a lot of taking care of. Whether it's feeding a hatchling an enormous basket of meat, taking a full-grown dragon out to hunt, or having a bath in the lake outside the weyr, keeping your dragon happy is a full-time job.
5 - Mating Flights. It's time. Your dragon is feeding on the blood of their kill, and they're about to take off. Who's going to catch them this time?
6 - Other. Wild card, if there's any other situation you'd like to explore!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

The browns had little of the finesse their Lady did, worry could push them to extremes...especially when an injured rider they had been set to guard started to list to the side. It was a terrible place to fall from, cold and bitter with ash in the wind and thread hungrily behind...

...was it any wonder when one of them flew in to give him a harsh peck to the shoulder? Better a peck now than testing the straps by falling!

Yes, that was much needed, and Kain sat up sharply at the pecking.

Are you certain?

Just a little farther... over there, if we can destroy that...

Zephith's reply still was quite skeptical, but he was willing to try, to make it just a little longer. Fire blazed out at the writhing Threads.

Sometimes a dragon needed to know when his rider was being a COMPLETE IDIOT. Don't think that EITHER of them were going to escape the healers wrath after this. Oh no.

At least the browns were more likely to stick to 'last orders heard' (guard this rider) than to get it in their heads to start scolding like the Gold would?

Kain was indeed very much aware that he lucked out in some sense, by not having a nagging gold along. His exhaustion and soreness were really starting to take more of a toll, and now the bronze was making his concern more evident.

"I'm... just fine... take out what's falling... up ahead... ah-"

He cried out as the pain intensified.

That made both the browns scream in fear and agitation, the sound blending eerily with the gouts of flame and the hiss of thread around them. The message they were sending to Kain and his mount though boiled down to an Extreme Desire to Be Home where Things Could Be Fixed.

They had a very devout belief that their mistress could fix anything really, loyal things that they were.

The bronze was definitely more open to the sensible ideas now. Kain's condition was getting more worrisome by the second. Especially when another bit of Thread lanced toward them, only a brief touch, but enough to get Kain groaning in pain.

I'm taking us back.

But... Ah...

He wasn't going to get much choice as they went between to get out of here.

The moment they were back over the weyr the browns lanced off like bolts to Khemrys. It wasn't long before the little gold showed up to hover near the large bronze's eye, chirping. Something about landing at their personal weyr instead of the bowl below.

It would be far easier to get Kain into a bed then, even if Khemrys had to wrestle with the fighting straps holding him alone.

Zephith did as instructed, wasting no time when it came to the sake of his rider. Kain was busy trying to repeat the words "I'm fine... I'm fine..." Not that anyone was going to believe him by now. It may have been as much to convince himself as anyone else.

They arrived and landed soon after.

And the healer wasted no time in arriving herself. She miiiiight almost have been expecting them to return before threadfall was over. She clucked softly when she saw the mumbling man up on his dragon, then patted Zephith's knee. "Lower if you are able Lord Bronze? I do not see him unstrapping himself and he is larger than I..." which would make a fall bad really.

"And once I have your gear off if you could eat and bath? I will sew your wing after such and you may both sleep well."

The Bronze was all too willing to cooperate, for his rider's sake. Zephith carefully lowered himself so that Kain was much closer to the ground than he would otherwise be.

"His wounds... ah... aren't too bad?" Kain would feel guilty indeed if it were his fault that his dragon was suffering any terribly injuries.

There's no need to be concerned about me, the dragon insisted. That wing was visibly troubling him, but his gaze was fixed on Kain at the moment, wanting to be assured that he'd recover.

Khemrys frowned slightly as she actually caught response. Odd, was it because she was touching the dragon or because her gold was perched on the bronze? Who knew! She'd have to think on it, see if it repeated itself..."He will be in good hands Lord Bronze, take care of yourself as I have instructed and I will get him cleaned and cared for before your return."

Kain, obviously, had no choice in the matter as she began working the fighting straps free. "You will both be fine, in time, though I may require you to sit upon your rider when he grows foolish again."

Kain pouted a little at the comment, especially since Zephith approved quite loudly of her idea.

"I'll be all right..." Kain reached out a hand to touch his dragon's scales ever so briefly. They both tried to ignore how much that hand was shaking as he did so. Zephith gave Kain another glance, but seemed to calm down some after a moment.

You're in good hands.

I won't argue that for once.

The dragon moved aside, preparing to take off.

"For your pride, lord, I will pretend that was a wince," she noted, slipping an arm about his waist as his dragon stepped away. "And you are for the bathing pools yourself." To wash the ash and soot away to better show the damages.

besides, he would likely sleep for a while after and best to do so clean. "I would offer you a touch of dignity lord but I do not know if you were able to stand on your own."

The dragon wished him luck before taking off so he could go about cleaning off. Kain meanwhile was trying hard to not fall over. He was at least succeeding for the time being... but only just managing.

"I should be able..." He trailed off. "Should be" and the reality weren't matching up too well, and he was definitely needing to use her support right now.

She did appreciate him not falling over; really, he was a far heavier person than she was. "Should, Lord, had you returned sooner." SHAME ON HIM! "We shall see once you are undressed as to whether I will be joining you in the bathing pool.

No use having him drown after all.

He planned to try this upright thing for as long as he could manage. He was almost regretting what he'd done, but on the other hand, they'd gotten rid of so much Thread up there. They'd made a difference. Saved people. That's what mattered.

"But I... all right." Kain knew better than to argue, much as he wanted to. He was too weary to do much, and though he hated needing so much help, it wasn't like he could afford to refuse it.

Yes, and what happened next time? When he compromised his ability to fight in the next fall by pushing minor wounds into major ones?

"Then by all means Lord, into the bathing pools," he had a few moments to strip himself before she did so for him? At least he could be assured no other would hear of his undignified moments from her? She was one of the most closed mouthed healers in the weyr.

"Right, of course..." It was certainly good that no one else would need to know about this. This was bad enough for his manly pride, to be so weak right now.

Though it's a bit slow going as he starts undressing, wincing a great deal at even small movement. Ow.

Ah, yes, she thought that wound across his back would pull terribly through the shoulders. She clucked softly when she saw the wince and helped slide his damaged flight jacket off, followed by his shirt. The sleeves ever an issue when blood and sweat caked. Thankfully his pants were unlikely to cause him as much pain?

"The water will no doubt sting and burn lord, but we cannot get more numbweed on the wound until the wounds are clean."

The help was needed and appreciated, before he slowly went to slipping the pants off as well, taking his time with every movement. He would have to keep his tough demeanor in place once he was within that water.

"Very well... I should be able to handle it."

The gold, clinging to the braid the healer had woven her hair into since they last met, hummed in worry as she saw the full extent of the injury. The ones upon shoulder and back were worst, true, but that curl just over his hip would scar. There was no avoiding that. "I do not wish you pain," she admitted softly. "For now it is simply unavoidable. You can no more take fellis juice while in the waters than numbweed might stick well enough." Because the healer could not lift him from a bath when the juice knocked him out!

"Wine may take the edges of the pain, and that you may have if you wish?"

Kain almost refused, in some vain attempt to show how tough he was to face it without. But he was in just enough pain that any more might ruin whatever dignity he had left, and he wanted to cling to that little bit right now. So if it would help him keep his composure he would allow it.

"Yes... if you please... That would help considerably, I'm sure."

"Or at least well enough for your dignity?" she noted, turning to the tray she had brought up for him. "Into the waters, Lord, then wine for you as I work on that back." She settled on the edge of the pool, skirt hiked to her knees and feet dangling in the water as she waited with a goblet for him.

"Well enough for that, yes..." Kain sighed a little, but then began to get into the water. It wasn't done without considerable wincing, and he took his time to settle in. Once there, he reached for that goblet.

The goblet was close at hand, and Khemrys's little gold took it upon herself to start bringing tidbits over for Kain to nibble as he was able. "A healer never sees people at their best," she admitted, bracing her legs against his ribs gently to keep him from jerking as she bent forward to start cleaning his back. "Ever at their worst, their bitterest, and their pained. Forgive me if it makes my humor dark at times."

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