[Rider] R'gal of Brown Yihoth [Approved]

[Zaikt]

Name: R'gal.
Age: 30.
Nameday: 3546.05.17
Sex: Male.
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual.
Weyr: High Reaches Weyr.
Rider Rank: Wingrider.
Previous Rank/Craft: Weyrbrat.

Physical Description:
R'gal is a sunbleached, windblown mess at almost all times. His hair is a light dirty blonde that stands out against his deeply tanned skin, streaked with brighter highlights from far too much time outdoors, and he seems to have little to no concern for how he keeps it--if it gets in his face, he'll deal with that when it happens, but he's not incredibly fussed about handling it preemptively. His build is fairly average, even somewhat on the smaller side, and he seems to be designed more for agility than sheer strength. He stands at a somewhat respectable 5'10" and is easily dwarfed by his dragon, a fact that he doesn't seem to mind too much.
His face is sharp and angular, with high cheekbones and a hooked nose sitting proud despite the very obvious break it's sustained. R'gal is almost always smiling, smirking, or grinning, and his eyes are a pale violet that possess a certain captivating kind of twinkle to them. His ears are pierced, as is his septum, and he wears simple gold hoops in each. He often wears a few small strands of shell beads interspersed with turquoise, a common color in his outfits--he claims it goes perfectly with Yihoth's hide, and he's always dressing to complement his dragon. Generally speaking, his clothes are light and loose, with perhaps a little more exposed skin than is necessary. As a whole, they're usually in varying shades of bright blue with earth tones and creams to break it up a little better, and there's little in the way of fancy ornamentation to be found.
Personality:
A talkative, high-energy, thrillseeking man whose only sense of impulse control is his pushover of a dragon, R'gal is always on the go. He loves people and tries to always be in the middle of a crowd at all times, or at least in the presence of more than one person--how else is he going to socialize how he'd like? He wants to find all kinds of new and exciting ways to bring people together, but unfortunately isn't the best at keeping everybody's boundaries in mind, meaning he can sometimes go too far in his excitement. He's somewhat airheaded and finds it difficult to keep his focus in one place outside of high-stress situations, and in his downtime, can usually be found bouncing from one task to another until he manages to finish all of them.
He's most often in search of the most exciting, captivating thing out there, with no time to stop and relax--Yihoth does his best to get R'gal to chill out for a bit when he can, but for the most part, he's usually dragging them along on whatever adventure holds his attention at the time. He wants to get out there and do everything he can while he's got the opportunity to do so, figuring that there really is no time like the present; and besides, what's wrong with being impulsive? It just means he has less time to stress himself out by trying to overthink things, and he's of the opinion that his instincts serve him far better than his rationality ever has. They got him this far, anyway, and he thinks that gives them an excellent track record.

R'gal tries to live in the moment, preferring to keep the party rolling by not getting too overburdened by the past. Still, sometimes his thoughts get the best of him, and when the ball stops, he tends to isolate himself while he sorts through all the internal distress self-review brings. Looking back on his faults and flaws is a really good way to get himself depressed, and as a result, R'gal does his best to avoid doing that whenever possible. He's fully aware that he can learn from his own mistakes, but he can figure that kind of thing out without causing himself any undue angst, thank you very much. He's plenty resourceful enough on his own, after all.
Despite his best efforts, he still has to deal with some of the self-doubt and uncertainty he grew up with, and can second-guess himself if he lets himself have enough time to do so. Yihoth has been a great influence on him in that regard, considering the fact that they're inseparable and support each other extensively, but R'gal is prone to falling into pits of despair despite his happy-go-lucky outlook when he dwells on a few taboo topics for too long. First and foremost of these is his family--he's not on excellent terms with them, and is working to dig himself out of the hole he got himself into by trying to live up to their desires rather than his own. He's far more self-conscious than he lets on, and even though he's gotten quite good at covering it up, there's enough cracks in the facade to where it's noticeable if one looks closely enough.
Positive Trait List: Enthusiastic, optimistic, energetic, a social butterfly, accepting, basically a golden retriever.
Negative Trait List: Self-doubting, no sense of boundaries, overeager, foolhardy, doesn't take his own limits into account, doesn't look before he leaps.

History:
The son of a Bronze and Goldrider pair, R'gal had a lot of familial pressure on him to succeed. He was supposed to grow up to be the best of the best, according to his father's rules and expectations, and for the first decade and change of his life, did everything he could to try and meet those specifications. He couldn't disappoint them--he was supposed to be better than that, wasn't he? But no matter how earnest his attempts, young Rhegalem had never seemed to make the cut. True success in his father's eyes was always out of reach, always just a bit too much for him to make, and he never quite understood why.

He first stood on the Sands at 14, already well familiar with the process by now. He'd watched every Hatching he'd been able to make it to, staring on in open wonder as each dragonet burst forth from their shells--he wanted nothing more than to be out there with those Candidates, to Impress a dragon of his own. Maybe he'd be a Bronzerider like his dad--Bronzes were the best, weren't they? Aside from Golds, but Rhegalem knew his place. But before then, he'd endured the Touching with barely-restrained nerves, excitement turning into impatience turning into anxiety at all the what-ifs--he didn't even want to think about what would happen if he didn't Impress, or if he Impressed to a Green of all things. He himself didn't see the problem, but the expectations placed upon him demanded something greater.
There was one egg in particular that he'd been keeping an eye on. It was almost impossibly large, standing imposing off to the side as though it was judging him. Surely it held a Bronze, with that kind of presence. Would it be his Bronze? He'd glanced back and forth between the eggs and the Stands often enough to start giving himself a headache, running himself ragged with worry. When that monolithic egg began to shift and strain, however, all of his attention went straight to it, and he couldn't tear his eyes away.

The dragon that emerged was...not at all what he expected. It was a Brown, first and foremost, and a round, pudgy thing to boot, unsteady on his feet and quietly whining about the heat of the sands on his tender skin. Rhegalem looked away, turning his gaze back toward the rest of the eggs--surely this dragon would Impress someone and move on, and he could keep up the waiting game long enough to get himself through the last eight eggs.
The dragonet had given a soft, worried rumble as he walked through the Candidates, just as nervous as the rest of them. After a few moments that stretched on and on, he came to stand in front of Rhegalem, plopping himself down at the boy's feet and staring up at him despite all his fears.
I know I'm not what you wanted... he began, curling his tail tighter around himself. But if you'll have me, your Yihoth will do just as good for you as any Bronze would. Even better, if I can. Promise. Just...pick me, okay?

How could he deny Yihoth? The idea was absolutely unconscionable. Even with the looming threat of his family's rage on the horizon, Rhegalem still took Yihoth's soft face in his hands, reassuring him that yes, of course he'd pick him. Who else would he choose? No one else was like his Yihoth. He could feel the disapproval already, and was sure he'd never hear the end of it from his family. But Yihoth reassured him that everything would be alright, and with the Brown at his side, R'gal felt like maybe, just maybe, it would be.
With their Weyrling duties doing more than enough to maintain a healthy separation between R'gal and his family, the pair began to learn what their new life was like--and most importantly for R'gal, what life was like when he wasn't under his parents' thumbs. He began to come into his own, slowly stepping away from the intensely traditional views he'd been raised with at the first opportunity he was given. Yihoth grew and grew, becoming a titan of a Brown that could easily dwarf plenty of Bronzes; R'gal found some kind of delightful humor in this, and was completely exuberant about every single step of the Brown's progress. They grew into a solid pair of Wingriders, albeit maybe not incredible ones, given R'gal's spotty attention span and Yihoth's quiet anxiety, but they were good at their job, and that's what mattered. R'gal accepted them for what they were rather than what they could have been, eschewing any high expectations in favor of simply living.

And with Thread falling once more, all those pointlessly lofty ideals became even less important to him. The name of the game was survival now, and they were ready for it.

Other: He can hold his breath for a truly horrifying amount of time, and can do a handstand for a similarly long while without passing out. The second trick is not as useful as the first.


DRAGON
Name: Yihoth.
Age: 16.
Color: Brown.
Size: 84' (42' old scale.)
Physical Description:
Yihoth is an absolutely monumental dragon, built more sturdy than a mountain and with the sheer size to match. Everything about him is large, but with a soft, rounded edge to it, giving him the impression of a strongman-style build. His wings are particularly thick and broad, with a sharp taper to the wingsails that give him somewhat less maneuverability than he'd like. His headknobs are short and close to his skull, and his head is very square and blunt, almost reminiscent of a runner. Yihoth's tail is similarly short and stubby, and he's missing the very tip of it due to a round of Threadfall. He laments this semi-frequently, considering how little tail he had in the first place.
His hide is a rich brown, with darker points on his headknobs, the tips of his wings, his tail, down his spine, and at his feet. He's splattered with very light cream, almost white, splotches all over his body, much like a paint runner, and has a rather handsome coloration overall.
Personality: Quiet, loving, and considerate, Yihoth is a warm and open dragon who's always there to lend a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear when the situation calls for it. He's a friendly sort, and truly loves talking to others, even if some of what they say is a little too complicated for him to follow completely. While he does his best, he's not the brightest crayon in the box, but that's never stopped him before; all he asks is that people don't run him over with any incredibly in-depth philosophical discussions or calculations, and he'll probably be fine. He's fond of the simpler things in life, and can find joy in just about anything given a little bit of time.
He doesn't need all the high-energy, fast-paced entertainment that R'gal craves, but he doesn't mind it. He likes to get carried along by his rider's excitement, which makes it much easier to allow himself the opportunity to experience new things alongside His. All the same, Yihoth tries to stay a grounding influence rather than getting too completely swept up in the thrill of it all, serving as a port in the storm just in case things go poorly--he's optimistic that they won't, but it never hurts to be prepared either way.

Yihoth prides himself on his welcoming, hospitable nature, and is willing to bend over backwards to make people happy. At the end of the day, that's all he really wants--for people to be able to relax without worry, and to be safe, comfortable, and secure in where they are. He's a bit of a doormat, however, and is truly terrible at standing up for himself when he really needs to. His insistence on maintaining the happiness of others makes it hard for him to show his own backbone, and he can be taken advantage of unfortunately easily. He doesn't hold grudges or get angry, reasoning that it's a waste of time--besides, R'gal will do that for him on his behalf. That, and he's often far too busy nursing a bruised heart after such a betrayal to even remotely want to get back at whoever did him harm.
He's got a bit of a preoccupation with being enough, which drives the majority of his desire to please everyone else even at cost to himself--he feels as though he needs to prove his worth to everyone but R'gal, and while he's substantially better about hiding this insecurity than His is, it's still fairly clear after only a little while of interacting with him.

Dragon Art or Proof of Obtainment: [ yihoth! ]  

[Tsunake]

Approved!