He's been selected for HR. <3 If you have a particular appearance in mind, just shoot Chibi Sheepcat a PM and she'll colour him up on content blue lines.

Rider Name: M’darin
Rider Age: 26
Rider Gender: Male
Rider Sexuality: Homosexual, but trying to play it straight...

Rider History: Medarin was born at the Vintnercrafthall in Benden, to a journeyman couple who had no time for him, but that’s what fostering is for. He grew up happily enough under the loving care of a foster mother, with a crowd of rowdy foster-brothers. He was a loud child, prone to outbursts of emotion, whether it be temper tantrums or jumping for joy. For a while, his family entertained the notion that he might make a Harper, but it soon became clear that enthusiasm did not equal talent. In time he became a Vintner apprentice, like most of his brothers, but though capable, he didn’t have his parent’s passion for the work.

At 13, he was Searched. He was a little shocked, but his more observant brothers assured him that he would be far happier at Benden Weyr. Family and friends banded together to gift him a firelizard egg to celebrate. Medarin flourished at the Weyr, despite the disappointment of not Impressing straight away. The little brown firelizard kept his spirits up through several unsuccessful hatchings. He was not-quite 17 when Blue Kuridoth broke shell and chose him.

M’darin was popular with the other riders, preferring men to women, but quickly centred his interest on his fellow Weyrling D’tan, Green Alenth’s rider. M’darin was 19 when Alenth rose in her first mating flight, and Kuridoth flew her with unexpected skill for such a young male. And again the next time she rose. And the next.

And that was that. Kuridoth flew Alenth, and D’tan became M’darin’s weyrmate. For seven years. It was true love. M’darin never understood why it ended.

Just, one flight Alenth shied away from Kuridoth, turned towards a brown. Let it catch her. Anyone watching the flight could only conclude it was deliberate.

M’darin doesn’t remember who he went to after that lost flight, but they were kind enough to sense his mood and leave him a wineskin to keep him company when he woke. Later, when he sobered up, he tried to puzzle out what had gone wrong. Wasn’t his Kuridoth the fastest, most daring Blue in the sky? Didn’t he rival the browns for stamina, and even the bronzes for sheer style? Obviously, the problem wasn’t his dragon. It must be him.

He resolved to discuss the issues with his weyrmate as soon as the other man recovered from the mating flight. Whatever the problem was, he was sure they could sort it out. But D’tan never came back to their shared weyr. Gossip had him in the arms of three different riders in the sevenday since the mating flight. It was more than M’darin could bear.

Eventually, he managed to corner his former lover alone, but D’tan told him that it was his dragon’s choice, as Alenth had become unhappy always being flown by the same dragon. M’darin argued fervently that this didn’t mean they couldn’t still be weyrmates, but D’tan simply turned away. “I know you, you don’t know how to share. I have to do what’s best for my dragon,” he said.

M’darin was distraught, but of course the rest of the Weyr was unsympathetic. “Get over yourself or go back to the Hold” became a frequent taunt from the other riders.

The bluerider’s behaviour became increasingly erratic, butting into D’tan’s conversations, following him around, harassing his friends into praising him in front of his former weyrmate. His attempts to win back his lover became so extreme that it began to disrupt the rest of his wing, and even the wider Weyr. He attempted to garner sympathy, jealousy, even to bully the other rider to take him back. After the second fistfight broke out with D’tan's latest lover, kind friends confiscated M’darin’s belt knife, just in case. The last straw for D’tan was when M’darin attempted to serenade him at morning wing training. The last straw for the Weyrleader was when M’darin claimed to a horrified junior Weyrwomen that his blue could outfly the bronzes to reach her queen. For the sanity of the Weyr, the Weyrleader told M’darin to shape up or be transferred.

Unfortunately, M’darin saw transfer as the perfect solution. He could go to Telgar and catch plague and die... or, well, not die of course, because he could never leave Kuridoth, but at least get very sick so D’tan would fly in to nurse him back to health. He’d let himself be nursed, but only to spare Kuri the grief and cold of between.

Kuridoth thinks a change of scenery will cheer them both up.


Rider Personality: A creature of extremes, M’darin has a tendency to blow everything out of proportion, both good and bad. Over time, his mood-swings have mellowed into an almost harper-like dramatic flair, covering his real feelings with exaggerated speeches and gestures, but this doesn’t stop him from treating very nearly everything as if it’s the end of the world. He is impatient, almost neurotic, but rakishly charming when he feels like it, with an unfailing desire to impress.

At his heart, he’s an attention-seeker, but he’d rather have the devotion of a special few than wide renown. He has a tendency to become clingy, which he believes is merely being loyal. He truly does not understand why his lover left him, and a lot of his wilder whims have been curbed by the fear that he could lose his beloved dragon too. Kuridoth is constantly reassuring him that this will never happen, but the fear is very real to him.

Left alone, he can be prone to fits of depression which only his dragon’s reassurances can lift. He broods over everything that goes wrong, and especially about his beloved absent D’tan. In public, though, this depression is rarely visible, though at times he can become almost manic in his efforts to keep it hidden. He tries a little too hard, drinks a little too much, there’s a wild edge to his laughter. His latest façade since changing Weyrs is to pretend that he has no further interest in men, and he will be found actively, if awkwardly, chasing after female green riders, though even he isn’t sure what he’d do if a woman responded to his advances.


Rider Appearance: Like his blue, M’darin is built for speed, not strength. While fairly tall and toned, his build is stringy, lighter than many riders. He has scruffy brown hair that he allows to grow long, and a broad, dimple-prone grin. He’s got a scar on his back where a hatchling knocked him down, and faint burns on his left forearm from a firestone stunt gone wrong.

Dragon Name: Kuridoth
Dragon Color: Blue
Dragon Appearance: While not a large blue, Kuridoth is beautifully proportioned and very fast.

Dragon Personality: Generally a placid dragon, Kuridoth is a good foil for his rider’s drama. Easy-going and easily pleased, he nevertheless has a competitive streak that blazes through on occasions. He believes that there’s nothing he and his rider can’t accomplish together, no matter how remote the chances. His positive attitude and endless faith in his rider have brought M’darin safely out of his worst depressions. He is intelligent for a blue, and is often the voice of reason in the partnership, advising his rider when the man is too worked up to think logically.

Kuridoth was fond of green Alenth, but is not greatly worried by her leaving. There are, after all, plenty of other lovely greens for him to chase, and with his turn of speed he is confident he can run rings around the larger males. He doesn’t care to understand the gender preferences of human romance, and is choosing to see his rider’s current interest in girls as approval for him to chase any green he fancies, regardless of the rider’s gender. Which just proves his rider’s infinite kindness and generosity, giving up his own preference to let Kuridoth choose. His really is the best rider ever.


Why did this dragon choose this rider?: Kuridoth was attracted to the young Medarin’s strong emotions on Hatching day. The boy’s intensity and determination seemed a good match for the more laid-back dragon, ensuring that they would never lack for new challenges. The blue felt he would be able to ground his rider and smooth out his wilder moodswings, helping the boy to reach his full potential, while the boy would make sure things always remained interesting for them both. They could encourage each other to reach new heights, and together would have the focus and drive to tackle anything.

High Reaches or Telgar: Send him where you will. His former Weyrleader has arranged it.


Anything else? M'darin has two firelizards:
Brown Mal: M'darin's constant shoulder ornament since he was thirteen. Loyal and determined; Kuridoth's mini-wingsecond.
Gold Inara: An anniversary gift from D'tan. Once the most pampered flit in the Weyr, now M'darin can barely stand to look at her. Ignored by her owner, she is usually found draped around Kuridoth's headknobs, seeking reassurance that it's not her fault.