Approved by Tawny
Rider Name: J'ri (originally Jakarina)
Age: 31
Gender: female
Sexual Orientation: heterosexual
Rank: wingrider/wherholder
History: Jakarina was born in Benden Weyr never even knew her parents. She was told her mother was a visiting Harper who didn't want a child, and nobody was even sure who her father was. Probably a rider, though who was anyone's guess. She'd been left in the creche soon after birth with a name that was nothing like her mother's, and then the woman had left. That was all Jakarina was ever told, and she was never able to find out more no matter how hard she hunted and prodded over the years.
As a result, she was raised as a weyrbrat, and grew up in the creche like so many other children whose parents could not, or would not, care for them. She was treated well enough and was encouraged to think of all the other creche kids as her siblings, but something always seemed to be missing to her. She wanted a real family, with parents who were there to help her when she was sick or in trouble, take pride in her achievements, and make her feel loved. There just wasn't that sort of feeling with any of the creche workers, and she didn't feel particularly close with any of her fellow creche kids.
As she grew near the age where children picked a craft, she was encouraged to try a number of things and see if they appealed to her. And while she did take a turn at a number of places, none of them stuck with her, and usually she was reverted to usual weyrbrat chores after a short time. At 12 Turns she joined Candidate lessons because pretty much every weyrbrat did, and because she'd heard that having a dragon felt like having someone who loved you forever and would never leave. She stood for a few clutches, but was left standing and disappointed each time.
When she was in her mid-teens, her desire for someone to make her feel loved lead her to start looking for a boyfriend. Since she had grown up with most of the weyrbrats her age, it seemed strange to consider any of them as potential romantic partners, so most of her beaus were Candidates who had been searched for the various clutches, or occasionally passing Traders who would be staying around for a time. She tried spending time with a number of young men, seeing if any of them felt right, and even being receptive to the romantic advances of a few promising fellows. But eventually she lost interest in all of them and ended the relationship to start looking for a new fellow. Eventually one of her romantic dalliances led her to become pregnant, which she found far more exciting than any of the young men she'd met this far. When she told him of the pregnancy and her intention to raise the child, he promptly broke off the relationship. Jakarina didn't really mind (he was starting to feel stale anyway) and spent her time learning childcare with the creche workers in preparation for her child. After a normal pregnancy, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, who she named Jakkin. The boy was named strongly after herself and had nothing of his father, since the father would have nothing to do with him. Her boy was her world now, and she intended to give him at least some of the family she never had. She began working full time as a creche caretaker so she could be with him, giving up all Candidate lessons.
When Jakkin was a year old and Jakraina was 18, another clutch was laid. She was busy raising her boy and initially had no intention on Standing, but a friend who she'd been Candidates with her kept coming by to convince her otherwise. She was getting older, the friend said, and might not have another chance. Clutches were less frequent when Thread wasn't falling, and she might age out before the next clutch. And hadn't she said before how much she wanted to feel that incredible bond with a dragon?
Eventually the friend convinced Jakarina, and she rejoined Candidate lessons shortly before the clutch hatched. Once on the sands, she saw dragon after dragon Impress to other Candidates around her, just as had happened at every other clutch. She was starting to feel that she would be left again and her mind was wandering back to Jakkin. How was be doing right now? He wouldn't be at the Hatching of course, he was too young to understand it anyway. It was probably about nap time for him now, and did the other workers know the best tricks to getting him to sleep? She wanted to get back and make sure he was getting his rest...
It is commendable how you look out for your little one. Now let your Corbeth look out for you.Startled, Jakarina realized there was a green hatchling in front of her, a flawless combination of darker green with bright patches, overlaid with even darker stripes. And that perfect dragon was looking at her with rainbowed eyes, a new consciousness flooding into hers. With it came a feeling that she'd only ever felt while holding her baby boy in her arms, like someone holding her tight and never letting go; unconditional love. She immediately sank to her knees so she could hug her Corbeth around the neck, suddenly grateful she'd been convinced to Stand after all.
J'ri's new Weyrling lessons and her care of Corbeth meant that she was unable to keep raising Jakkin, so he stayed in the creche. However, she made sure to stay in his life as much as possible, stopping by the creche whenever possible to play with him, give him a small toy, let him show her something new he learned, and anything else she could do to let him know he was still a big part of her life.
A couple years later, when Corbeth was full grown and Jakkin was about 3, J'ri met a beastcrafter named Gerric who'd just moved to the weyr. She hadn't been looking for a boyfriend in Turns, but he was charming and clever and made it quite clear he liked her. After a time she found she liked him back and they started up a relationship which lasted far longer than any of her teenaged romances. Soon she had another son with him, who they named Jaric.
Gerric became J'ri's weyrmate, but J'ri still didn't have time to raise a child and Gerric insisted that the creche would do a better job of it than him, so Jaric and Jakkin stayed in the creche. J'ri still visited regularly though and brought Garric along when she could, so Jaric grew up knowing Gerric as "Daddy."
Many years later Gerric began an apprenticeship as a wherhandler, which J'ri was entirely supportive of. Whers where useful creatures after all, and she secretly wanted Gerric to have that hint of what it was like to be bonded to Corbeth, which she could never really pit into words for him. His training seemed to be going smoothly, but after a while he began to bring up strange idea with her, about how the weyr is full of inequality, and wouldn't she rather have Corbeth be recognized for her own talents instead of being "just another green"? Some of his arguments made sense to her, so he started to hinting about a group of people who were trying to do something about that inequality. Initially the ideas sounded good to her, but as he began to hint at some of the methods to be employed, she began to worry. It sounded far more violent and dangerous than she could approve of, and she worried about her boys. She was torn; should she stay here with her weyrmate and maybe try to convince him to stay away from this group, or leave to take her kids to safety? She experimentally suggested a time or two that she didn't like how violent some of the things sounded, but Gerric confidently responded that sometimes change just needs a firm push, and that things would be better for their whole family once the growing pains had settled. Since it seemed useless to try to convince him to turn back on this course of action, J'ri didn't pursue the subject and returned to fretting. Eventually she decided she wouldn't be able to get away safely with both her boys, and stayed to be able to watch out for them.
However, she didn't fight at all during the Revolution. Instead, when Gerric got word to her that it was about to start, she gathered up her boys and all the children she could find, sequestered them all in a remote classroom where Corbeth could help guard the door, and watched over them all to make sure they stayed safe. She spent much of the Revolution singing the loudest songs and playing the loudest run-around-and-yell-like-crazy games she could think of to try and drown out the sounds of fighting and keep the kids calm. Corbeth, however, sat directly in front of the door and stayed as still and silent as a statue. She only moved when a Revolution came across the room, and only to let her person know that her rider was guarding the small children within and did not want them disturbed. While Corbeth was kind of hoping that someone from the resistance would try and move her so she could fight them off, but J'ri was glad that Corbeth did not have to deal with any resistance, since only Revolutionists came by. The Revolution in Benden was over quickly, and any resistance was soon driven out.
Although J'ri, her dragon and her boys were all safe, her family did not make it out unscathed; Gerric had thrown himself into the thickest part of the fighting and was killed by it, and his recently bonded blue wher was so badly injured that he would have been crippled for life and had to be put down. Whers were work animals, after all, and a wher who could not work and was no good for breeding was not worth keeping. J'ri didn't try to hide how much she cried for him, and if some of her tears were for the dragons and friends who'd fallen in the fighting, who was to know?
Even though Gerric was gone and she didn't want to stay any more, J'ri was stuck with the Revolutionists. She could probably get herself out, but sneaking her boys away seems impossible, especially since they didn't stay together any more; Jaric was 10 and still in the creche, but Jakkin was 14, had started Candidate lessons and moved to their quarters. She tries to make the best of it while watching out for them as much as she can.
Description: J'ri has curly black hair, which she keeps trimmed to about chin-length. Her skin is fair with a clear complexion. Her grey eyes and a wide nose are set in a round face. She's about average height at 5' 6". She started to get chubby after birthing Jakkin, and while the rigors of being a rider slimmed her up some but is still a bit more thickset than would classically be considered pretty.
Personality: When J'ri was younger, the one thing she wanted more than anything was a true family, not just companionship. Once she found it in her children, dragon and weyrmate, she wanted to do anything she could to take care of them. Consequently, she's protective of those she cares for, particularly her little boys. She can't physically fight for them, since she's a pacifist and can't stand to hurt a person. Fighting Thread is different to her, since it's mindless and purely destructive, and her dragon does most of the work. She doesn't like to see Corbeth getting hurt any more than anyone else she cares for, but understands it's somewhat inevitable in Threadfall. She also has no combat training at all and could probably not defend herself in a fight. She would rather avoid such danger if possible, though she would throw herself in front of an attacker without a second thought if it would protect her kids.
While she can't protect people with strength of arms, she watches out for them in a more literal sense. She alert and observant, keeps an eye or an ear out for those she cares for and is ready to talk to them or those who might do them ill to stop such harm. She generally knows when to step in and stop her boys from doing something that might harm them, and when to step back and let them be (such as knowing what kind of rough play or personal risks are safe and healthy for them).
Since the revolution, she's been almost constantly worried. Some of her main worries are whether she did the right thing (Should she have tried harder to convince her weyrmate to take the boys and leave? Should she have just left with her boys anyway? Should she have warned her rider friends?), whether her boys will grow up safe, whether the revolutionists might punish her for not fighting in the Revolution, whether they might think she's not doing enough to help them now, and whether the revolutionists might decide dragons aren't worth tolerating after all and kick her out, or worse, try to hurt Corbeth. Corbeth is such a rock of stability for her that it's hard to imagine the dragon gone, but the fear of that possibility still creeps over her now and then. She tries to keep her head down and do useful, nonviolent work, even if that reduces her to basic chores. If it keeps her and her loved ones safe, she'll put up with it.
She still spends as much time as possible in the creche, overtly in order to continue to be in Jaric's life as mush as possible, but secretly to try and give the kids she cares for a perspective that's gentler than the violent policies that seem to have pervaded the wherhold. She especially makes sure that all the creche children know the good that dragons and riders have done over the Turns. She is not to overt about this, since she doesn't want to raise the ire or suspicion of the wherholders, but she does make sure to teach the creche children any of the Teaching Ballads that pertain to dragons, such as the Duty Song and the Ballad of Moretta's Ride. They are certainly not the only Teaching Ballads she makes sure they know, and they are mixed in with all the others, but they are quite firmly a part of her repertoire.
Pros: protective, watchful, gentle, nurturing, caring
Cons: pacifist, worried, puts others' safety over her own
Other: While not Harper trained, over the Turns J'ri has picked up mush of how Harpers teach children, and could probably instruct them in Teaching Ballads and other basic lessons if necessary.
Jakkin will be played by Thaliawen, I'll make a character application for Jaric later
DragonName: Corbeth
Age: 13
Colour: green
Description: [link]Personality: Corbeth is determined to support J'ri in everything the rider does. When J'ri has doubts and fears, she soothes her rider as best she can and encourages her to stay strong in her convictions. However, she provides no criticism or and makes any judgement herself on anything her rider decides. She just offers blind faith in her rider and follows her decision without question. In her mind, J'ri knows best in all things.
Corbeth sees her rider as someone who wantes to protect those she cared for but lackes the strength to do so, and she is determined to be that strength. And of course she wants to protect her rider above all. She is happy to do any fighting necessary so her rider doesn't have to. She can't hurt humans of course, but will put herself between humans and her rider, and will attack anyone else who threatens Hers. She is sometimes a little too eager to fight, and J'ri has to keep her in check and remind her that violence isn't always necessary. That's not to say she goes around picking fights; she just sometimes responds to confrontation with aggression.
Corbeth keeps herself fit and in fighting order; she joins drills diligently, works hard to perfect new maneuvers, and does not allow herself to overeat. She actually does not mind the new system of duels. She likes to watch the ones where dragons and/or whers participate, and keeps an eye out for their moves and strategy. She would not mind participating in a duel herself, but J'ri would never participate or allow Corbeth to.
Her speech is direct, to the point, and kind of blunt. She does not mince words or try to pretty things up when she has something to say. When J'ri needs comfort she might try to speak more gently, but usually she relies on her unwavering confidence to support her rider.
Flights are nothing special; she flies, she's caught, she forgets the guy and goes back to Hers. Sometimes it's a convenient way to release some pent-up aggression, but that's pretty much the only use she has for them. She has no use for courting; the time would be better spent doing something useful like protecting her precious people or flying drills.
Pros: supportive, protective, fit
Cons: blind faith, eager to fight, blunt
Other:Just so I don't lose the image link again, I will eventually be giving her
this flit.
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