"Precious Metals" (please read before posting!!!)

[The Weyrleader]

I've put this here for one rather obvious reason: almost everyone wants a gold or bronze. On rare occasion I'll run into someone that doesn't, but more often than not everyone tends to chase after the "metallics". The question is, why?

To answer this, I'll have to go over several points:


1. "Greens and blues are too common." ..... And therefore we unfairly tend to think of those that end up Impressing them as being amongst the "common herd". For the most part, we don't like to think of ourselves as "common", we like to feel "special".

2. "Browns are boring." I've seen several polls online asking people what color dragon they preferred.... and 9 times out of 10, browns were the least favored. Even the greens are more popular than they are! Mainly, that's because dragons are described as having gem-bright hides.... and many find it difficult to envision brown as a bright, exciting color. Not to mention the fact that they don't have the maneuverability of the smaller colors, or the stamina of the larger ones.

3. "The bronzes and golds are the largest dragons, and bigger is better." Which, naturally, means that they look far more impressive than the "puny" greens and blues.

4. "The bronzes and golds are the smart ones. The greens are just stupid." ... And since it's said that "the dragon is the rider", people tend to see the color that their character Impresses as an indication of how those running the RP sees their character's intelligence. I have a real problem with this, but we'll get to that in a minute.

5. "Bronze and gold riders have authority over everyone else." Which gives you the perfect opportunity to boss everyone else around, and they have no choice but to listen.



Sometimes not all of these apply. For the most part, however, they ring true in most folks, even if they don't realize it. Many times, though, they also tie in with another minor problem, whch then turns it into a larger one:

A good number of folks write up characters based on themselves. After all, it's easier to write about what you're already familiar with..... and no one really understands you better than you do. That, and it helps to keep you from falling out of character, seeing as how you're basically writing about yourself. (Unfortunately, a lot of folks tend to do this to see what color they'd really Impress, and they're usually not happy with the answer they get.)

.......And when you add them up, you can see what the main answer is. Why does everyone want bronzes and golds? Because they're considered to be the Best Of The Best, and Impressing one would prove to everyone (including yourself) that you're the Best Of The Best as well. It would also pretty much guarantee that everyone would know who your character is, and life would be perfect.

The problem is, it's not true.  

[The Weyrleader]

Okay, now what could possibly be false about all of this so far? To answer, I'd like to go over a few of the more popular misconceptions that many folks seem to have.

1. "The bronzes and golds are the smart ones. The greens are just stupid." Yes, I mentioned earlier that I had a problem with this one, and now I'll tell you why. It's true. With firelizards, not dragons or their riders. Even in the books, the gold flits were described as being the more daring and clever, though certainly all the colors were trainable (making even the greens better than any housecat). But with the dragons, that's not always the case. I seem to recall an incident in "Dragonquest" that showed that the Weyrwoman of Telgar wasn't all that bright. And then we have Mirrim, doing rather well with only a green. So no, the color you Impress (at least in my RP) is not a subtle indication of your charrie's intelligence or lack thereof.

2. "Bigger is better." Really? Because the last time I looked, the smaller, lighter greens were far more maneuverable than the big, bulky golds. Why do you think the golds fly Thread on the lowest level? One reason is the flamethrowers that their riders carry. The other is their size. Their larger mass makes them an easier target for any strand of mindless Thread to hit. The greens, being much smaller, make smaller targets, and can swiftly dart out of the way.

3. "The bronze and gold riders have authority." Well, I don't believe that this is true of all bronzeriders, but it certainly seems to be with the golds. Mainly because, from the very start, the goldriders are trained to know how to run a Weyr. That way, the next time that a new Weyrwoman is needed, whoever finds herself in that spot next is (hopefully) prepaired for it. The bronzeriders, however, still have to prove themselves, or hope to fly the senior queen. Unless they're the Weyrleader, Weyrlingmaster, Wingleader, or Wingsecond, they're just another rider. Which, really, isn't all that bad, as it means less responsibility. Anyone Impressing a gold will be expected to take on some responsibitily, as will any bronze that assumes a positon of power. *is tempted to add a quote from "Spiderman"*

4. "With a gold/bronze, everyone will know who my character is." Not necessarily. The thing is, that really depends on how you RP. If you want the other members to know who you and your charrie are, then I suggest starting conversations where you can, gravitating toward any conversation that someone else is having that sounds interesting (without rudely interrupting, please), and making your character visible by posting them doing something (lessons, scrubbing, plotting mischief, etc.). You don't need a gold or bronze to make you visible, it's something that you need to do for yourself.

5. "Golds and bronzes are more fun." Oh man, I would love to tell you just how WRONG that statement is! To be quite honest, the greens, blues, and some of the browns have more fun. Why? Because they're not sitting in the seat of power! They don't have to worry about all the little details that have to be addressed constantly, and so have more luxury time. Granted, you can have fun RP'ing a bronze or gold, but it takes a lot more work. Plus, the greens get a lot more nookie than the golds! (wink)

6. "Bronze and gold riders are loved by everyone!" *snorts derisively* Who are you kidding? Certainly not me! Because they've got all that authority over the others, they tend to be less liked, not more. I mean, honestly, could you imagine a general worker sitting down to a casual lunch with the CEO of their company? It's about the same with the green and blue riders trying to do the same with their Weyrleaders. I'm not saying that it would never happen, but it certainly wouldn't be very common. So, the poor goldrider would likely have, at most, two or three green or blue riders that might feel comfortable chatting with her over dinner.

7. "Creating a strait character will keep them from Impressing a green or blue." Weeeeeellll, not quite. Yeah, I know that golds and bronzes only Impress strait charries, but we need browns, blues, and greens too! If we had nothing but golds and bronzes, it would get boring pretty quick, and we'd be shut down. Plus, the greens are known for Impressing strait girls as well, and on here some blues do as well. I've had one girl ask me what would happen if her blue flew a green, and the rider was either a girl or a boy that didn't *ahem* like girls. The only possible answer I can think of is having the occasional strait male greenrider. Sure, he'd be more in touch with his feminine side, but he would still be strait. Plus, with girls riding greens, they'll need some strait blue- and brownriders to help them out, won't they?

8. "My life will be perfect if I get a bronze/gold, and ruined if I get a green/blue/brown." ..... *quirks an eyebrow* Oh, really? And exactly how did you jump to the conclusion that having an imaginary dragon would in any way change what happens to you in real life? Sure, it may affect you emotionally (disappointed, thrilled, etc.), but other than that it has no bearing whatsoever on how you run your life away from the computer. Remember, this is just a game! It's meant to be fun! No, we don't always get what we want (that's a basic fact of life, there!), but is it really so hard to try to make the best of what we have?

Yes, I know and understand that it's not easy to accept the truth, but it can't be avoided forever, either.....  

[The Weyrleader]

Okay, now that we've discussed that, are you sure that you still want the gold or bronze? Good! Get in line. But, before you run off to create the perfect character, please allow me to mention a few profiles that I've seen folks use before in their attempts to prove that only their charrie is worthy of such a great dragon:

1. The Runaway Drudge. Both of your parents were drudges, so naturally when you were born you were trained up to be the same. The problem is, you highly resent that, and somehow manage to single-handedly escape from such stark circumstances to reach the Weyr where some dragon is just bound to see your potential....

2. The Great Caregiver. There are many possibilities here. You may have been born to a large family, and since your parents were rather busy with other things, you were left in charge of raising all of your younger siblings. Or maybe you were charged with the care of the other little ones in the Hold. Maybe your job was to care for the old and infirm. Or perhaps it was your task to take care of all the animals, large and small. Whatever the case may be, the fact of the matter is that you're not only used to taking care of everyone around you, you're good at it.

3. A Life Of Hardship. You were abandoned on a doorstep, and the holders that lived there took you in and raised you as their own personal slave. As you grew older, they noticed how gorgeous you were becoming, and started talking of marrying you off to their oldest offspring. However, before that could happen, a stranger showed up one night looking for lodgings and ended up kidnapping you while everyone else was asleep....

4. Holdless. Raised on tablescraps and the kindness of others, you were never allowed to have a real childhood. Practically everyone looked down on you and your family, until the dragons found you...


......I think you see what I'm getting at here. Please allow me to mention now that anyone caught trying to write a profile that's supposed to be worthy of only a bronze- or goldrider will suddenly find themselves Impressing greens or blues. And yes, that includes the ones mentioned above.


There are a few other tricks I've seen folks pull before, including (but not limited to):

Being loved by all

Misunderstood by everyone

Born to power

Enchantingly beautiful

Extraordinary natural talent (dulcet singing voice, amazing artistic skill, etc.)

Smarter than everyone else around them

Unusual eye color / hair color (violet eyes, white hair, etc.)


...... Again, I believe that you see the point I'm trying to make here. To be honest, any one of these little things by themselves isn't so bad, but when so many are mixed together, it begins to look like you're setting yourself up to get one of the "metallic" shades, and I highly frown upon that.


Keep one thing in mind: Even if you do everything right, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will get a bronze or gold. Remember, almost everyone else will be attempting to do the same! And if you do get it, you're work has only just begun......

Good luck!