[Dragonbraved] Hatching 447!

[Concinnity Blaise]

A dragonless wherhandler would definitely be a neat concept! I support that. Otherwise, it might have been a temporary injury or something they've since overcome?

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Well, he'd have to wait for the next clutch, but I think it'd be interesting to play him just as is for a while. Would an ex-dragonrider also go through the regular candidate type training to get a wher?

[Concinnity Blaise]

Y, but they have mossssst of the skills and knowledge they'd need already, so it's fast-track training.

[TawnyAngel]

*Falls in* XD Tiring day was tiring!

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Cool, just wanted to check if I'd be able to get him through it in time for the next wher clutch (if you have a plan for one anyway). Since I'd like to play him as not a candidate at first and then doing all the decision makingy stuff and all that, but if it meant that I'd definitely miss the next clutch I'd avoid it.

*Pats Tawny*

[Concinnity Blaise]

There will definitely be more wher clutches in future! <3 You almost certainly won't miss the next one, it won't be for a little while.

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

That's alright then. Would've just ended up facepalming if I'd put him up for like a 6 months IC month journey and then for it to turn up there was one in the works for like just before he'd be ready or something. xd

As a side note open to everyone: If someone's dragon died in the first fall, do you think now would be too soon for them to consider impressing a wher? It'd have been about 3 turns by now I think.

Rethought, I think it might be closer to two.

[Concinnity Blaise]

I feel like I've accomplished something this evening.

It's been about two and a half turns, so... I think it depends on the individual? Certainly, I can see (and I'm guessing this is a pretty common IC stereotype) someone rushing to try and reconnect with *anything* to fill the void, and that being encouraged somewhat because... well, no-one likes the potential alternatives.

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

emotion_8c

I just spent over an hour reading about PTSD.

[Concinnity Blaise]

Oh geeze, I bet @_@ On a related note, I was kind of laughing and/or incensed at an aside in Dragonseye to the tune of 'women are more likely to survive losing their dragon because they can have babies to make up for it'.

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Well I figured that if I was gonna write someone who'd gone through extreme grief I better know what I'm doing to some degree.

...
That's right, we numb the pain by popping out substitutes. Then get upset and have another one when it doesn't fill the void.

Basically my plan for him so far is that for the first several months he kind of secluded, did the path of destruction thing. Then, eventually, agreed to see a mind healer and is now at a stage where he can function a lot of the time, but he still has slip ups and things. This being the time that someone suggests maybe rebonding would be a good idea to give him some kind of purpose since he was a weyrbrat who never had another goal in life. Kinda sucks.

[Concinnity Blaise]

Haha, I was more 'oh damnit McCaffery bless your heart but really stop idealising motherhood like that guys can't find anything similar through fatherhood??'.

Just to let you know, mind-healing is very much an art that’s in it’s infancy to non existent - mental illness isn’t very much respected or understood, and Pern’s attitude to mental health can vary from kind (but not necessarily helpful, in a ‘let’s bleed him to rebalance his humours!’ sort of way) attempts to help to outright hostility and misunderstanding. The trauma of losing a dragon is probably a lot better understood/sympathised with in the Weyr then anything else, but mindhealing (where there are actually any practitioners) can be veryveryvery variable in it's helpfulness and the amount of respect people have for it!

Also, it sounds like an awesome idea. (and thanks for doing the research as well, I appreciate it. If you've got any helpful links, I'd love to add them to the sources and resources - I know I've got *an* article on PTSD in there, but more is good! Although I tend to get sucked down an internet rabbit hole when I start doing it...)

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Well yeah there's that too. She had some interesting ways of viewing things.

Ah, that might require some rethinking then. I suppose I could have him have been supported by friends and such to get through it. At least being in a Weyr I imagine he would have a lot of support when he eventually considered crawling out of his pit. Crawling also being dragged. I think before I get him written up, but after I have a basic life layout, I'm gonna pop up a thread in the OOC to campaign to get him some 'people who would have known him' like squiremaster, wingmates, clutchmates etc to add a more personal touch to his suffering.

[Concinnity Blaise]

That sounds like a good idea - depending how old he is, I'd definitely be happy to throw a character or two that way! :'D

[magnadearel]

*Flops* So much to do and none of it what I want to do. Dilemmas.