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!

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"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."

Kain thanked the gold for her help, munching on what she brought in between swigs of the wine. He tried his best to remain upright as she began on his back. So far, so good...? The ache was definitely lessened some by the drink. "I don't envy you that duty... especially since it means dealing with people like myself."

"People like yourself are not the worst," she admitted. "You will tell me honest and true what you intend. You will lie to yourself, yes, and push yourself foolishly, but you will tell me you intend to do so and that things must be done. I would worry more should you assure me you would obey, and rest, and recover, with every intent to lie." Those were the ones that needed to be watched more.

His back, to put it lightly, was a mess. And the original thread score along his front was little better. At least she was gentle in her scrubbing, though the waters tinged pink at each swab upon his back. "And better dragonriders, Lord, where a healer may be heeded, than a woman like myself among holders or lord holders. They are...unkind."

Kain would just keep silent on the couple of instances where he'd done something like that, going back out there when he was supposedly 'resting'. It wasn't as if it ever happened often! Honest!

He winced and made just a couple of silent pained gasps as she scrubbed, but he was thankful that the worst of it was dulled.

"I've no doubt of that... you're truly far better among us." His tone indicated that he had perhaps had his own issues with some certain lord holders.

She would have watchers on him. It was her policy to set one or two of her fire lizards watching over injured riders who had more drive than brains.

Just in case.

"Yes, far." she admitted softly. "It was a kindness for the weyrs to take me," scooped up on a candidate search no less. It was no matter she hadn't impressed, she'd carved her own niche for herself. "And while there are fools even here, often they are a softer, kinder sort. Lift your arms lord, as high as you might? I wish to see how deep the damage goes."

"I hope you don't think me much of a fool..." He feared he must be easily seen that way, considering his stubbornness. Although he certainly didn't think himself foolish.

Kain grimaced as he lifted his arms. It was a slow, pained motion for him to lift them by much, but he wasn't about to seem a weakling and not do so. He still didn't get them as high as normal, definitely impaired by injury.

"A stubborn fool," she noted easily. "But if such were a crime against man then there would be little left for us healers to fuss over." Indeed, she could accept it as long as it didn't get him killed on her watch.

Or didn't interfere with his recovery.

Hmmm, that wasn't good. She touched the top of his shoulder when it was alright to drop his arms into the water once more. "No flying for you for several weeks at least lord, I'm sorry. You are clean though, if we can get you from the waters."

Kain nodded, a bit morosely, at the thought of being stuck on the ground for so long. But it ached too much to put up as much protest as he otherwise would have.

"If you're truly sure about that..." It took him just as much caution to start moving along so he could get out of the water. Though it had certainly been soothing, and relaxing in there.

"Wounded as you are, Lord, flight would rip, and tear, and cripple you." Best he knew now just how very bad his life could get if he did not mind her. "And then you will be a teacher, or a stone runner for all your years." What better way to ensure the rider of a bronze took care? Bronze riders died in threadfall or they chose to retire to a calmer life.

They did not do well having said choice taken from them.

She waited at the end of the baths, holding a hand out to steady him as he rose. "You will sleep after this, lord, and that will be soothing as well. You may have fellis juice and numbweed now." The better to stitch and bandage him without overly much wincing.

It did seem to be important for him to hear that, because it actually did sink in. It truly was a fate worse than death to Kain, to think of a permanent injury taking him from the skies. He belonged up there, upon his dragon. There was nothing else he needed as much.

"Then for as long as needed..." He took her steadying hand as he carefully moved up and out of the bath. That numbweed would feel particularly good right now, finally, to dull the last of the remaining aches.

An important thing to note: healers didn't play fair. Pulling their punches usually led to dead dragonriders. By fair means or foul he was going to rest.

"That is well to hear, Lord, I will hold you to it." When they reached the edge of the bed she pushed him down gently, she had a back to work on...and he would no doubt do better laying down. "The wound on your chest I will get to in time but stitching is needed. Would you prefer fellis juice now so you might sleep through the care or would you prefer to be awake?" Either way there was the slather of numbweed!

That would be difficult to keep to that word, though he had no doubt she's ensure that it happened. He sighed lightly. "I don't mind being awake for now... I've no doubt you won't give me a choice before long anyway." He of course didn't look forward to wasting his time sleeping when it could be used for something productive, but, well, healers. They knew best about this sort of thing as much as he didn't like to admit it.

"If you can keep still while being stitched, lord, you are welcome to be awake." But if he wiggled too much she'd dump fellis juice down his throat until he choked! Her gold nudged the actual plate of food toward him, slowly, when he laid down, and Khemrys just chuckled at her fussy little firelizard. "Brace," for the freezing sting of numbweed!

"Ah..." Kain decided to avoid the food for now, though he at least appreciated the fire lizard's thought. He shuddered a bit, but otherwise sighed with relief at the pain being further numbed. "I feel better already..."

"You feel numb, Lord!" She laughed, correcting him. "And soon you will feel tugging." As she stitched him, and late,r far later there would be pain because no one could ever judge when numbweed wore off. It varied between injury and between person.

"If you attempt to press your 'feeling better' I shall have your dragon sit on you...or rather sit upon you myself until your dragon returns for his own tending!"

He grunted quietly, the tugging not exactly hurting, but just a weird, noticeable sensation. Kain was a tough, hardened warrior, but even he had his limits. He didn't like to admit such limits existed, clearly, but they definitely did.

"I have the feeling you truly will make good on your word..." And to make matters worse, Zephith really did seem to like her, and probably would take sides against him. "And an even worse feeling that he'll oblige."

"Ah, a bronze rider and wise," she noted lightly. "You would be surprised at how few take me at my word initially." To their folly really.

Poor patients.

"And as he cares for you greatly he likely might."

The bronze knew Kain's habits a bit too well, really, so tended to have no choice but to be the voice of reason for him.

"You both know me too well... I'll attempt to heed your word, but... I may need a reminder eventually." For it was all too likely that he'd forget in the heat of the moment and run off before he realized it had happened.

"I hardly know you at all," she admitted with a chuckle. "Healers guess very well, and they listen when others speak. I would hazard you do not even know my name, though I have seen you unclothed," she laughed in amusement, tying the last stitch in the back wound.

"The hip now lord," it probably didn't need stitching, but best to check!

"Ah, that's all too true." She really had guessed well about him and his tendencies. He winced a little, there was definitely some damage that moved along one of his hips. "Would this be a terrible time to ask it?"

Ah, one or two stitches, a shame, he had nice hips. "Still, lord, this is deeper than I thought," she gave another generous touch of numbweed before restringing her needle. "And that would depend on whether you truly wished to know and remember or just feel it is polite!"

At least Kain wouldn't be too bothered by the thought of having battle scars to eventually show off. On the contrary, it only proved his bravery and toughness. But that would be something he'd probably consider more later.

"Ah... I thought it felt somewhat deep..." He hadn't realized the extent of it, though. "I don't see why I wouldn't want to remember... you've helped me even though I've hardly been the easiest to deal with..."

Yes, but from a healer's point of few scars were a small failure. They could pull and inhibit, stiffen without car. They hindered future movement and while they were marks of survival...they were not best for the body.

It was some time before she could think through the shock of his question, hands moving automatically to stitch as necessary. Why would he not? "Because you ride a bronze, lord, and we are neither lovers nor friends. I do not lead any in the under caverns and the leaders and high wingmen do not know or recall any beyond those they must relay orders through." That was...simply the way of things.

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