The Dragonriders of Pern AU Meme

[cerebel]

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!

Comments

[dragoon_pride]

"Ah... truly, I see what you mean." And yet, she'd seen him in such a vulnerable state of need. It seemed only fair to exchange as much as names. Besides, there was another consideration... "I've no doubt I may need to return to your care in the future. I may as well know your name for when that need arises."

[homeless_pard]

"Ah, of course," the small gold flipped her wings back and settled into grooming her claws as Khemrys worked, a better indicator of the healer's mood. That would be a logical reason to give a name, true, though oddly she wasn't certain she wished to be at any rider's beck and call. There was safety in anonymity. "You may call upon me as Khemrys then, lord, and I shall be fair vexed with you should you place yourself in danger simply as an excuse."

[dragoon_pride]

Kain certainly didn't intend to take advantage of her. If anything, he was one to avoid seeing healers unless forced to, or in a situation where he simply could not physically get away from them. He nodded. "And you may call me Kain. I'll try to avoid being wounded next time out there."

He wouldn't be able to avoid danger entirely, so he couldn't promise that.

[homeless_pard]

"Your courtesy aside, Lord Kain, forgive me if I hope we do not meet on such terms often." Just saying. Hah, three stitches in that hip should do it! As long as he moved carefully until he was healed and kept from pulling them!

"Now eat, please, before you sleep. Else you will wake with a headache from the fellis juice and a temper I don't doubt."

[dragoon_pride]

Kain would try not to have to meet her like this again, but knowing his luck, and the ferocity with which he met all battles, every Threadfall... well.

"Ah. Right... You certainly don't want to deal with me in such a state." He at least started making an effort to eat a little more, then.

[homeless_pard]

She would rest content if he decided to share a meal with her some night in the commons below, sans injury. She had few enough people she spoke to regularly. Still and all..."You have yet to swing upon me lord. You control yourself well through pain." Even numbed pain!

Her little gold was delighted he was eating though! WATCH HER BRING MORE!

[dragoon_pride]

Kain certainly wouldn't mind doing so, it would be the least he could do.

"I suppose I'm far too accustomed to pain, so I've learned to live with it as a regular companion..." Bearing it was somehow a way of showing how tough he was as a man. At least that was how his father had raised him.

He gave the gold a bit of a look when she brought along more. He wasn't sure he could stand too much more at present, but, well, he'd humor her...

[homeless_pard]

She would appreciate the company honestly.

Still..."That is a poor thing to tell a healer, lord," she sniffed, bandaging another wound beyond the hip that did not need stitching. "Pain serves a purpose and should not be such that you grow accustomed to if you may avoid it. Feh. Men.

AND THE GOLD WAS TRYING TO HELP AND DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO ACTUALLY BANDAGE HIM! Just wait until he woke up in pain though...she knew how to push a numbweed pot closer....

[dragoon_pride]

It truly was a bad man-habit, the result of being overly prideful to the point where he would rather bear pain than go complaining to some healer. He was here right now because he'd been caught essentially, and couldn't have physically gotten away. Still... he wouldn't want to end up unable to go up there with his Bronze.

"I'll keep that in mind... believe me, I'm grateful for what you're doing now..." Yes, even grateful for the gold's help.

And I had company after being sick *facepalm* DID NOT FORGET YOU!

[homeless_pard]

There was a point where pride could not be allowed to get a person killed. HEALERS UNDERSTOOD THIS. And while she might try to safe guard some pride, excess was treated harshly.

And with fellis wine. Unconscious riders could hardly fight for their pride now could they?

"I do thank you lord, I would hate to see my work undone. It may make me quite angry with you." She might be teasing though!

no worries! <3 I know how it is when things get busy!! I AM ALL FOR CONTINUING EVERYTHING OF COURSE.

[dragoon_pride]

Kain was definitely the type of person who needed frequent reminders to not let his pride get so in the way it led him to ruin somehow. Knocking him out was always a strategy that worked, even if he disapproved!

"I'd not want to risk your wrath, trust me." Healers were always the worst when they were annoyed with you... Kain definitely had experience with that.

Continuing always and forever! <3

[homeless_pard]

She might make it a habit to check upon him then; ensure that he was taking care of himself while shouldering the burdens of the world!

"As well you should," she noted, adding another layer of numbweed over the hip stitches before drawing away enough to give him a bit of personal space. "A healer ever knows how to harm, it is the flip to healing." One little recognized honestly.

"Though I am disinclined to such. The reach of my wrath is unconsciousness in healthy means rather than harm,that I swear."

yaaaaay! I love finding people with the same habit of TAGGING FOREVER as I do

[dragoon_pride]

It would only help, for Kain was in need of reminders to take care of himself, sometimes, being as prone to pushing himself as he is. He nods at her words.

"I'm relieved to hear that." Glancing at the areas she's stitched up, he can see that she's done well at repairing those wounds. "And relieved that you're so skilled at your work..."

Stories don't wrap quickly, so why not run forever? :)

[homeless_pard]

"Were I not, lord, the scarring would harm you later when you flew yet again," she noted. That which limited movement prevented proper ducking under thread...which led to dead riders.

"Now you may rest as you must and I will care for your bronze should he be ready to return here for care." Finally there was something the browns could do! Watch them wheel off to go fetch a dragon!

yes, so much agreed! <3

[dragoon_pride]

He considered what she said. "Ah... I suppose that's true." Even if he figured a scar here and there added manly character. Still, healers always did tend to think differently about that, didn't they?

"I doubt I'll be in need of too much rest, at least..." No, he would probably be in need of a lot more than he thought, but Kain wasn't about to admit to that.

Re: yes, so much agreed! <3

[homeless_pard]

"Take it from one who knows a body better than you, lord, that it is true," she was well acquainted with the fact. And should he care to question her he could ask the elder riders and those who could no longer ride at all...

...or was that too close a glimpse of mortality for him?

"And I do not doubt you will rest a great deal in the coming days. Call your dragon lord? I fear my browns will confuse him with their babbling." They were talky little things when away from her!

[dragoon_pride]

It was probably something he needed to see and get in his mind so that he truly understood. Kain sighed, definitely feeling a strong weariness after the whole ordeal. But he could at least give assistance by calling to his dragon, letting the bronze know they were ready.

...Just promise not to side with her against me, ever, was the last little thing that Kain added as they communicated.

I don't know that I can do that.

"He's on the way."

[homeless_pard]

To be fair to the bronze it was hard not to side with a healer when they were making sense! After all healers were where the numbweed came from and a wing operated on it's numbweed stores.

"Well and good lord, thank you. I promise to care for him well so you may rest now."

[dragoon_pride]

Indeed, Zephith was already making his way over, soaring in toward them to find a good area to make a landing. Kain looked over at him.

"See, I'm far better now." Almost well enough to return to battle, I'd say, he added.

I wouldn't go that far... the healer will have none of it, after all.

Oh. Looked like he would be stuck resting, after all.