Holly's Southern Peanut Gallery

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Accepted:
R'ler of Green Sunath
Journeyman Leatherworker, Jr Weyrwoman Dairine of Golden Areuth

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R'ler's Profile

Status:Accepted
Show Us Your Colors

Name: Ryler (R'ler)
Rank: Greenrider
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Sexual Preference: Homosexual (VERY, VERY homosexual)
Wing: Black Wing


Give Us A Portrait

Appearance: R’ler obviously has a lot of holder in him… his skin is pale and prone to burning under Rukbat’s rays, despite the time he tends to spend in it. Thus, when he can he’ll usually attempt to stand in the shade, stay indoors, that sort of thing. When he has no other choice, his skin will turn a rather interesting shade of red for a few days, peel if the burn is bad enough, then go right back to pale without tanning. He’s so used to sunburns at this point that they rarely phase him from the discomfort, unless they’re particularly bad.

His hair is the color of sun-ripened wheat, gold with just a hint of brown underneath, and is just long enough for his bangs to get into his eyes and irritate him. His dragon often tells him that he should get it cut, but he rarely seems to find the time… besides, what’s the point? A week later it will be irritating him again.

Speaking of his eyes, they’re a rather bright, intense blue in color, but the emotion restrained in them often makes them seem somewhat dull, like a dirty sapphire that hasn’t been polished for longer than anyone can remember. However, when something or someone interests him, they light up and sparkle with a life of their own, oftentimes trying to convey emotion that R’ler can’t express, or won’t, depending on the situation.

Seeming to adhere to the ‘starving artist’ stereotype, R’ler is too thin for his five’ eight” frame, at least three of his ribs visible at any given point under his shirt. It isn’t that he can’t afford food now (he’s a rider after all), he simply doesn’t eat much, and pretty much everything he does eat gets burned off in some way or other. His entire musculature is wiry, slight but strong, making him look a few years younger than his nineteen turns… like a boy that hasn’t grown into his frame yet. While he doesn’t have the power of most men, he’s lightning fast when he feels the need to be, even if he doesn’t have any real fighting skills.

His clothing is made to cover his sensitive skin from the sun, mostly consisting of a white linen shirt over tan leggings, with a dark brown belt cinching the shirt at his waist. His footwear nearly always consists of light, comfortable boots in a sandy-brown color, laced up until they disappear underneath his pant-legs. Around his neck rests a small pendant on a thin strip of leather, a piece of amber the size and shape of a small chicken egg, with gold formed and attached to the stone to make it seem as if a little queen flit were hatching there and then. Other than the shoulder-knot, he’s rather easy to pass over based on his appearance, and can quite easily disappear into a crowd.


Personality: R’ler is one of those quiet-types… he much prefers sitting snuggled against his dragon’s flank, her wing shielding him from the sun, drawing to anything in the world… except maybe in the bed of a cute guy, but we’ll go there later. He’ll go entire days without talking to anyone except his dragon, and as he prefers to do that mind-to-mind, his voice often sounds rather raspy from dis-use.

His favorite thing to do is draw, usually with charcoal because colored paints and the like are too expensive for him. He’s a bit of a penny-pincher, being very money-conscious because of the circumstances that happened when he was younger, and has yet to lose the habit. Because of this, nearly all of the artwork that he’s ever done has been in shades of black, white, and gray, and he’s far better at that than in working with color. While drawing, he tends to tune out the outside world, and it can take several tries to catch his attention… Sunny once commented that an entire horde of pink, fuzzy tunnel-snakes could trample past and he wouldn’t notice.

However, the quiet demeanor and gentle, raspy voice belie the rather perverted streak running through him. R’ler has long accepted the fact that he prefers men well over women, and is quite comfortable in his sexuality. He has no problem making comments that would have most people blushing outright, and he’s been known to complement a complete stranger on their… assets. Most men tend to be torn between anger and flattery at being told they have a nice ass from the calmly smiling greenrider. Speaking of that, he nearly always has a soft smile on his face, and a slight quirk at the corner of the mouth can tell one his moods… if they learn to read the signs properly. A smirk can say many things with this man, a warm smile even more. His eyes, mouth, and hands are the most expressive parts of him.

Despite the fact that he may seem that way at first, he is not very shy at all, and is very much alright with pursuing a possible partner, whether they like other men or no. He won’t go so far as to grope and ask “Your weyr or mine?”, but he does make his intentions quite clear. However, though he chases many possible partners, he is afraid of commitment, and usually won’t pursue someone besides a tumble or two in the sack. His heart is closely guarded, and he tends to be mistrustful of those that want anything more than a casual friendship or a quick lay. Taming this one and getting him to commit is going to be one big headache, and for those that wish to try it… it’s been nice knowing you.


History: Rantier was a simple miner from a small hold not even important enough to warrant a name, young, a little arrogant, a bit on the dumb side, but otherwise a good man. He found love with a young trader woman when her caravan came through the town, and she ended up staying behind to marry the handsome young miner. Life with his new wife Surrile was happy, and Rantier was ecstatic when he found that they were expecting their first child. However, the pregnancy proved to be a hard one, and when the baby finally came, the birth proved to take too hard of a toll on poor Surrile… she bled out, and her son had to be cut from her belly. Her eyes had already lost the life in them before she ever got the chance to meet her newborn.

The new widower and father was understandably devastated, but he nevertheless worked hard and fast to find a wet-nurse for his son, who had been named Ryuou after Surrile’s father. Thankfully, a young holder woman who had recently become a mother herself took on the task, and young Menou began to nurse little Ryuou alongside her own daughter Madhea, who was barely a week older. Unfortunately, Menou’s husband wasn’t as open to the idea… a large fight erupted between the two, with her husband wanting her to stop nursing the baby boy and instead focus on their own daughter, and on giving him more children. Unable to comply, Menou left, taking baby Madhea with her.

When Rantier heard of what had happened, he immediately offered Menou a place in his small home, feeling guilty and that it had been him who had prompted the falling out. She gratefully accepted, and the two settled into a quiet life together. There was no real love, but there was a deep and steady friendship as they raised Ryuou and Madhea, who when they were old enough to understand the concept proceeded to declare themselves ‘Twins by fate, not by blood’.

As time passed, Menou eventually gave Rantier two more sons… Tideorous and Ryler. Together the four siblings grew, laughed, played, teased each other, and were basically just normal children. Of course, each displayed their own special set of skills… Ryuou proved to have a fine singing voice, Madhea was more interested in the art of healing (and woe to any ‘patient’ that didn’t obey the healer, as big sister had quite a temper and no qualms against giving a smack upside the head). Tideorous (or Tide, as he was nicknamed by his family) found joy in the simple task of baking, trying to take it to new heights with assistance from his patient mother.

And as for the baby of the family…

When Menou found a five-turns-old Ryler drawing in the dirt with a stick, she saved up some money to buy him a small sketchbook with real paper and a few charcoal pencils. Ryler was awed by the gift, and started to take drawing very seriously. Only his very best drawings would grace those pristine white pages! That sketchbook, and a succession of others, showed the slow but steady progress of his artwork as he grew and practiced, striving to become better with every picture. His bemused family got used to sitting still for an hour or so at a time while he practiced drawing them, it became common to see him around the holding, sitting in an out of the way spot busily sketching… artwork became his life.

When he was seven, Ryuou and Madhea both left for their apprenticeships to the Southern College. Because the family couldn’t afford a flitter egg (which tended to be quite expensive), plain old regular runner-messages had to do, but they were still able to keep in touch with their loved ones. When Ryler reached eleven, and Tide thirteen, Tideorous was searched to become a rider. A year later, after standing twice, he still hadn’t Impressed yet, and that was when Ryler lost touch with his siblings for reasons out of his control.

While thier small mining hold rarely had visitors, that didn't mean that they weren't welcoming when the band of rough looking travellers came through and asked for some lodging for the night. The miners were happy to provide, and even had a small party that night, with food and drink and much merryment to be had. Ryler, at thirteen, quickly grew bored with the situation and left for the surrounding southern forests, taking a knife with him for protection and his sketching materials so as to capture a particuarly nice scene he had discovered the other day by moonlight.

While Ryler was still away, and after the party had died down, with the holders going to their beds, the visitors revealed their true colors. They were a travelling band of bandits, and they proceeded to go from home to home, killing the holders in their sleep and taking their belongings. They were gone by the time the sun had risen, all of the valuables in tow.

Ryler had fallen asleep while out sketching, and was hurrying home, sure that his parents would be FURIOUS with him... but the scene he came upon made him wish that they were able to be. When he found the slain bodies of his parents, he went into a frenzy, screaming his rage and sorrow until his throat was hoarse, and crying himself into exhaustion as he clutched them.

Finally though, he realized that he couldn’t stay there… his parents’ bodies had grown cold, and he was now left to fend for himself. He was old enough to be taken on as an apprentice, but there was no one in the surrounding area currently taking on apprentices for anything he was good at. So, using thirteen-year-old logic, he decided that there would likely be people elsewhere willing to take him on.

When he was ten, he had started storing his drawing supplies under his bed, and he proceeded to spend several hours packing, gathering whatever the bandits had passed over that would see him through a journey. With his materials and the clothes on his back, plus a water-skin he had salvaged from a storage shed, he set out into the world.

Unfortunately, he was unable to get anyone to take him on as an apprentice in the holdings he passed through. Finally, when hunger had reduced him from a healthy weight to where several ribs were visible, he had a bright idea. If his drawings were good enough, he could probably sell them, right? He spent the next several days scrounging food from what was thrown out and drawing, taking great care to do the best he could. It wasn’t the greatest Pern had ever seen, but it was enough to earn him a couple marks. He ate well for the first time in weeks, and even better, he had found a profession of his own that he could excel at.

Realizing that no one would buy drawings of the same old things, and knowing that he would need new people to sell his art to, Rugiler kept traveling, going all over the southern continent (staying near the shores in the winter, and nearer the south pole in the summer) and drawing whatever seemed interesting. Of course, he kept working on getting better, his skills improving faster now that he had a true incentive instead of just pride. The best things that sold were pictures of the rare dragons that he sometimes would see from afar, but he drew anything and everything… plants, animals, people, buildings. All of it filled his sketchbooks. He made enough to get by and buy himself new supplies when his would run low, and that was enough for him.

At fourteen, he found his way to Taskin Hold and the Southern College, where he encountered his older brother and sister at their respective crafts. They were horrified to learn of what had happened to their parents, and implored him to stay, with Ryuou even trying to secure Ryler a place in the Harpercraft as an artist. However, by that point the blonde boy had come to like life on the road, and after a quick lesson from his older sister of some useful herbs for injuries and illness that he could find as he traveled in case of an accident (and some threats that he had better eat more or ELSE), Ryler continued his travels, blissfully content in his carefree lifestyle.

At fifteen, he lost his virginity to a male greenrider twice his age. Ryler was trying to cage a ride to a hold that would take him WEEKS to get there by foot, and that ended up being the payment, as he was low on marks at the time. Strangely intrigued by the whole matter, he decided further study was in order, and... well... let's just say that he LIKED this subject. Just as with his artwork, his skills improved there as well, and at this point he's rather proud of his 'horizontal dancing' abilities.

At sixteen Ryler wandered into Southern Weyr, and ended up coming face to face with Tideorous… now T’rous, rider of blue Koth. He had Impressed a year after the accident that left Rugiler orphaned, and was a searchrider now. After convincing his brother to stand (a process that took a good sevenday of pestering), just a few days later Rugiler walked off the sands as R’ler, rider of little green Sunath.

Unfortunately, T'rous wasn't around long to be proud of his brother. Less than a month after R'ler's Impression, he and his dragon were killed in a skirmish against the North. This left R'ler rather bitter towards the entire Northern Weyr, and determined to cause the northern riders as much pain as possible, to show them how it felt to lose someone precious to you.

When Sunath was old enough, she of course rose, and a brown ended up catching her. R'ler was quite happy with the outcome of the flight... until the next morning. Unfortunately for him, the brownrider wanted nothing to do with him, and made a rather public display of just where the poor greenrider could shove it.

This has left R'ler with a rather nasty aversion to commitment, and because of this he tries to not let male dragons catch his Sunath more than once or twice. After each of her flights, he developed a habit of slinking out of his partner's weyr before the sun was up. In this fashion (also going along with any of his wing's skirmishes in the north) he's spent the past decade or so of his life, and as it is he's perfectly content, thank-you-very-much. He visits his two surviving siblings often, and is a doting uncle to his nieces and nephews, though he continues to avoid his sister's questions of when he's going to 'Settle down and raise a family'.


-Parents: Father: Rantier, Miner, Deceased
Mother: Menou, Baker, Deceased


-Siblings: Father: Rantier, Miner, Deceased
Mother: Menou, Baker, Deceased
Older (Half) Brother: Ryuou – Journeyman Harper, 33
Older (Half) Sister: Madhea, aka Maddy – Journeyman Healer, 33
Older Brother: T’rous – Rider of Blue Koth (Deceased), 31


-Firelizards: None


V.I.D. or V.I.W
Name: Sunath
Color: Green
Age: 13
Appearance: Sunath is particularly small for a green, being about as little as her color gets. Add in the fact that she’s almost a completely uniform forest-green color, and she’s fairly plain as far as dragons go. The only variation is on her wings and tail, the former consisting of the webbing being a nice grassy-green color, with the same color in thin rings around her tail along the last couple of meters.
Personality: Unlike most greens, Sunath is very quiet and laid-back, downright gentle even. She’s a very mothering creature, often gently scolding her rider for not eating enough, staying out in the sun too long, etc. Even her voice reflects that gentle, mothering nature, as she only lets out a soft, clear bellow when it’s time to rise, which isn’t often for this little sweetheart. Other than that, the most noise that she’ll make is a soft croon or a purr-like rumble. She’s actually easily embarrassed (mostly due to her rider’s antics rather than her own), which makes her a unique green in and of herself. Sunny tends to be quite shy around male dragons, rarely speaking up around them, and usually going to find a quiet place to sun and cuddle with her rider.
History: Sunath was born in the last clutch that Southern's old queen had. One of the last to hatch, she took no time to lick herself clean as many hatchlings tended to do... she had to find Hers! Completely ignoring the girls, she ended up making a bee-line for the boys, accidentally knocking one over and gashing him up a bit as she shoved right through them in her haste to find the one she knew was there.
Ryler had been standing near the back of the group, rather bored since the hatching was winding down, when he was actually knocked over by the green, she was so eager to get to him. After a moment of confusion, the two snuggled together, and the newly named R'ler suggested to a mortified Sunath that she apologize to the poor boy she had stepped on. Thankfully, the other boy had just Impressed to the last blue of the clutch, so he wasn't very mad.
Weyrling training was uneventful for the pair, and they've settled into a normal life in Southern. ... Well, as normal a life as being a rider can be.


Other:
Fun Facts:
R’ler’s pet name for his dragon is Sunny, and according to him, he is the only one allowed to call her that. Sunath herself probably wouldn’t mind if anyone else did, though.
One inside joke that he’ll sometimes say is that Sunny is the only woman in his life (note, he does not say this around his sister, as she’d probably beat him up).
The pendant around his neck is one of a set of four, his three siblings have the others, all in different colors (T'rous's was taken between with him).
R’ler does not have much of a bodily tolerance for alcohol, and if he drinks enough he’ll develop amnesia as to all of the events that happened while he was drunk.
Due to the aforementioned lack of tolerance, he still isn’t sure where the tattoo on his left butt-cheek of a stylized Sunny coiled around a sparkling star came from.
R'ler's favorite food is strawberries, especially if they come dipped in chocolate.

[holly]

Dairine's Profile



Status:Accepted
Show Us Your Colors

Name: Dairine
Rank: Jr. Weyrwoman, Journeyman Leatherworker
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Sexual Preference: Heterosexual
Wing: *Coughs* No wing yet, of course.

Give Us A Portrait
-Five Sentences equal One Paragraph-
Appearance: Dairine, much to her detriment, is short. Not extremely so, but she barely tops five feet even, and her lack of stature is a major sore point with her. With her height (or lack-thereof) comes as well a definitely scrawny build, with practically no hips or chest to speak of. More than once she's been accused of being a boy, another sore point with this one. Her baggy clothing doesn't help, mainly consisting of a pair of leggings a couple sizes too big and a tunic also a few sizes too large, which she belts at the waist. If one were able to somehow look underneath her clothes (without getting decked), one would find that she DOES have a figure... just not one to brag about. At all.
As far as looks go, she's rather on the plain side, not ugly, but not what one would call 'beautiful' either. The freckles dusted across her nose and cheeks could elevate her to 'cute' status... if anyone were brave enough to call her that. As it is, they tend to make her look younger than she actually is, and combined with her small size and build...
Yeah. You can see where I'm going with this.
However, the first thing that people usually notice about Dairine is her hair. Bright red and long, it used to be frizzy and completely untamable when she was younger, but now she usually manages to keep it pulled back into either a ponytail or a braid, with only the occasional stubborn strand escaping. Her eyes are often overlooked, being a plain gray color that tends to darken or lighten with her moods.

Personality: A cocky little brat. No, really. Despite her small stature, she'll glare down men several times her size, or at least try to. Add into it her high intelligence, and to be honest she's a bit of a pain to put up with if she doesn't think you're on the same level as her. She'll let you know it, too, the woman doesn't know the meaning of the word 'tact' it seems. Seriously, she has all of the subtlety of a brick to the head, and is brutally honest when it comes to others.
Despite her size, she’s a fierce fighter once you get her riled up, and won’t hesitate to break someone’s nose… and that’s if she’s going easy on them. She takes 'anal retentive' about her feelings to a whole new level, and the only creature she will open up to and really talk with is Gigo. When someone does try and get her to talk about herself (or change her), she'll do her best to flip the conversation around to her benefit, often resorting to insults. Guilt tripping hasn't worked on her so far, as she prides herself on not doing anything she'll feel guilty about later, if at all possible.
She tends to lose track of time easily, especially when working with her leather, and will often forget to eat, sleep, or even go to the bathroom when working on a particuarly stubborn piece. Often, it’s her flitter of all things that ends up reminding her to do all of this, and she tends to get a bit miffed when people point out how absent-minded she can be about things. All in all, she's probably one of those that you're safer off not messing with. Seriously, don't do it, it's bad for your health.
However, for anyone that she DID end up getting along with... Dairine is fiercely loyal and protective of her friends (*Coughs* What friends?). Because of the fact that she has trust issues, she has a hard time making friends. That, and don't tell her I put it here, but Dairine has a small shy streak that keeps her from approaching others. Often she'll go on the defensive when approached, which makes her come across as harsh.

History: Dairine's start in life... wasn't so great. Her mother died while giving birth to her, bleeding out despite the fact that her baby was small (she got her size from her mother). Her father, grieving over the loss of his wife, decided that the newborn was both an unwelcome reminder of his loss, and too much for a man to look after. As such, it wasn't much of a surprise when Dairine was dumped in the closest orphanage.
Growing up, she was one of many children, and like all of the rest, never recieved any love, or even much attention. There were too many children, most of them orphaned from the war between the dragonriders, and not enough caretakers. There was never enough money to go around, and food was often scarce. When a child grew sick, they would have to rely on folklore medicine and the sometimes kindness of a healer willing to look after them for free... which wasn't often. It was no surprise that the weaker children didn't always make it.
Thankfully, Dairine wasn't one of those. Despite the fact that she was undersized, she was healthy and strong, a rambunctious youngster that soon became known for getting into scuffles with older boys twice her size.
Dairine figured out early on that the orphanage was doing so poorly due to lack of money, and was determined that she wouldn't spend the rest of her life living like that. To a child's mind, things were simple. Those who knew things and had the learned skills to work made money. Those who didn't...
She wouldn't let herself be one of the latter.
And, of course, the best place in the world to study was Benden College, a fact that even the south agreed on. Of course, it would require a lot of money to make the trip there, and she had no illusions about anyone else providing it. As such, from the time she was a child she started working towards her goal, saving up as much money as possible doing any odd task she could get someone to hire her for. She learned a good work ethic early on, working hard to finish her jobs quickly while doing them well at the same time.
When Dairine was eight, one of the other children found a clutch of fire-lizard eggs that were about to hatch, and brought them back to the orphanage. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to sell them for some much-needed income, and so the eggs were quickly distributed to the children and workers, with the kitchens being raided for anything edible to a new-born fire-lizard.
Dairine had merely been standing off to the side and observing, as she had a habit of doing, when an egg was pressed into her hands, along with a dried fish. Before she could protest that she didn't WANT a fire-lizard, she had a very hungry little brown hatchling in her hands. Not having much choice in the matter at that point, Dairine ended up with Gigo as her constant companion. The fact that he was able to take messages for her and whoever paid her certainly helped her slow but steady saving, though.
When she was ten, a short job with a local leatherworker proved that she was good with her hands, and had a small feel for being able to work with the leather. More temporary jobs followed, and over time she gained more and more experience at the craft, eventually to the point where she decided to major in it once she was able to head off to Benden.
Finally, when she was almost thirteen, she had saved up enough to pay for her passage to the north. With the recommendation of the local branch of the Leathercraft safely tucked away, and taking all that she owned, which was enough to fit into a pack on her back, she took a ship north. She payed off part of her passage by working along the way, and the rest of the way either walked or hitched rides with trader caravans, also paying her way by working.
After studying at Benden College for about five years, she earned her Journeyman status as a Leatherworker, and the College sent her to nearby Benden Hold, so as to get some practical experience. After all, there's only so much one can learn there, and true experience comes from truely doing one's job. Dairine is firmly set on attaining her Mastery in her craft, and isn't exactly planning on any deviations from that.
... Too bad for her, ne?

-Parents: Mother: Sanya, deceased (died eighteen years ago)
Father: Kevan, 39, whereabouts and status unknown.
-Siblings: None.
-Firelizards: Gigo
-Color: Brown
-Appearance: A smaller than average brown fire-lizard, he has a leather harness with his name and the name of his owner on a brass plate attached to it. His only unusual marking is a small patch of white on his chest, maybe the size of a man's thumbnail. Other than that, he's rather unremarkable.
-Personality: Like most browns, Gigo is very laid-back and gentle. Being food-motivated like all fire-lizards, Dairine has managed to train him in a variety of simple tasks, such as transporting messages and fetching small objects. Most of the time, however, he can be found either curled up napping (usually in a spot of sun or on his person's shoulders), or playing with the local children. Unlike his rider, Gigo adores kids, and will play with them any chance he can get.

V.I.D.


Name: Areuth
Color: Gold (EFCC22)
Age: Hatchling
Appearance: Areuth, like her mother, is small, as golds go, but her hide is brighter and paler, and her build is sleeker and leaner. With a long neck and long tail, she is very whippish in appearance. She holds her chin proudly and arches her neck elegantly. Her build is delicate and feminine, and a pale line runs from the tip of her nose straight down to the end of her tail, a far lighter gold than the rest of her hide.
Personality: Areuth is surprisingly calm, for a gold, and relatively sensible. She is not subtle, though she lacks the rudeness of her mother, and is rather fond of flirting, something not often seen in golds. Indeed, Areuth is female, and she both knows and indulges in this fact. There is strength in it, and she knows it and does not hesitate to abuse it. She is very short on patience, and despite her surprising calm, when irritated, she is swift to lash out. When that happens, Faranth protect the victims, because she does not hesitate to draw on her rider's (not inconsiderable) anger. Every now and then, Areuth can display bouts of astonishing empathy.

Other:
Fun Facts:Her red hair is the one thing about her appearance that she likes.
She is NOT a morning person, and requires at least three cups of klah and an hour or so to wake up fully.
Due to not eating many sweets or using sweetener in her klah, Dairine has very little tolerance against sugar, and once a mischievous child spiked her morning klah with several scoops of sweetener. The results were, needless to say, similar to a squirrel on crack.
Dairine's favorite game is chess, and she loves playing against a skilled opponent.
Due to the fact that she grew up in the South, Dairine didn't really experience cold until she got North. She HATES winter.