I’anex’s Knight of the Old Code Bronze Feitoveth

Clutching Pose

Slip on, slip off…and this next egg slips out. Checkboard Slip-on Vans Egg is placed carefully in its own little hollow, the greenish-gold pausing to make sure it's lined up just so with the first egg. Must be absolutely geometrically perfect, you see, and time is lavished on the egg to make sure it is, until, with a final whuff at the egg, Isa decides to leave well enough alone with the dizzying egg, and she begins work on another small space within her circular depression…

Checkerboard Slip-on Vans Egg

On the creamy-tan base of eggshell, frustration is oscillation in terms of black and white - us and them. Surging, chaotic pits of darkness rage against the stage-light white they border and surround. Or is the bleary, dreary, bleached-shell normality blotting out a tessellation of darker, seedier patches? Black and white are not alone; smoky grays and dried-blood reds elicit an overall organic dinginess, urban crud, and rough-and-tumble ruddiness.

Hatching Message

Checkerboard Slip-on Vans Egg wiggles. It takes a step forward. It takes a step back. The heat below is blistering, and it can’t quite seem to find a comfortable position. A crack begins down the center, and then swiftly expands, elastic that stretches and splits into a hundred black-and-white-checked pieces. In the confetti shards, a dragonet stands, quietly collecting himself and observing the world that surrounds him with the air of one who’s taking mental notes. Well.

Knight of the Old Code Bronze Dragonet

Power exudes from the strong lines and robust curves of the bronze’s firm muscle and mass. Large feet are dusted in ash that gradually dwindles as the shade moves away from his thick talons, integrating into the dragon’s subdued, dusky bronze hide. Deep, dark brown cloaks his back, advancing along his small, blunt ridges to finally engulf his tail completely where stars burst and galaxies whirl gently in brilliant copper and gold over the dark void of his haunches and expand all the way down to the tip of the twisting tail. Luminous silver decorates his broad shoulders, where his ruddy, burnished bronze sails rise from. The same sterling wings flare out on either side of the angular, wedged head, behind his arresting gaze

Public Impression Pose

Knight of the Old Code Bronze Dragonet has noticed that the knots of nervously clinging candidates do seem to be divided down gender lines, oh yes. Debutantes at some grand royal ball, perhaps. He continues his purposeful wander, an absent quality to his eyes that could be puzzlement or could merely be the recall of stored-up memory. Eventually, he comes to Ruvenn and Eitanex, and settles back on still-sticky haunches, muzzle dipping so that he can consider the pair of them intently. There's something going on here; some strange, unaccounted for, unpredictable and, — after a quick assessment of Eitanex including a nosing at his still-mussy hair — dare we say somewhat unwanted sense that draws him to the youth. But, there's nothing for it, a drive's a drive, and while this one's new, it's quite unignorable. Money, Sex, Power… and Eitanex.

Private Impression Message

From nowhere, there is the sudden sense of a cool, efficient presence in your mind. Thoughts are sorted and shoved aside into new, orderly files, with the occasional quiet notation as to how this could be improved or that really ought to be worked on. And then, finally, the presence coheres into a personality, distinct and cool and quietly amused. Efficient silver coats his voice and seeps into the corners of your mind until there is no escape. He speaks with a determined will and a hint of resignation. « I'anex. I can see /this/ will take some work. I am Feitoveth, and you belong to me now. »


Eit, I’anex, there are no words for how much we love you. We’re over the moon that you wanted to ride with us, and we hope that your Illyan dragon is everything that you hoped for. We’re so excited to get to know you both.


Egg Inspiration

I may be the furthest thing from punk, but even /I/ know that even a closet full of Dickies and Dead Kennedys shirts isn't complete without a pair of beat-up checkerboard slip-on Vans (http://www.robertwayne.com/ProductImages/VANS/0011976m.jpg if you don't know what they look like). And because I'm an old fogie who likes to throw lots of allegory into descs - especially egg descs - there's a little punk lifestyle in there, with the whole dissatisfaction with the mainstream, the moshpit, the blood-and-dirtiness that is as attractive for being ballsy as it is repulsive for being… well, grody.

Description Inspiration

You asked for a not-too-shiny bronze - and here he is! The silver wing shapes on his head come from a description of Simon Illyan’s graying hair. The silver on the shoulders both serves to somewhat represent the twin Eye of Horus pins an ImpSec agent would have and follows the pattern on a magpie. The markings on his tail and haunches are galactic, also referencing the sci-fi Bujold books - they are also a reference to your parents' dragons. The starbursts are from Vespurath and the placement and whirls from Shirasuth.

<http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/madarivian/htpern/eitanexth.jpg>

Name Inspiration

You asked for a name based in Portuguese, and after much, much debating and trying (and cursing you and the Portuguese language), we came up with your Feitoveth. It comes from couple of words, first of all 'efeito' which means 'effect' (as in cause and effect). The 've' at the end is from 'verdade' which means 'truth' - the 'v' is also a part of 'cavaleiro', which means 'knight'.

Mindvoice

Illyan, famous for silken verbal venom, looked as though he couldn't think of anything to say scathing enough.
- Memory

Feitoveth is not chatty or flowery or elaborative; rather, he knows how to save his words and use a small amount to the best advantage. Why ramble on for a paragraph when you can say it in a sentence?

Similarly, while some dragons are partial to using images to accompany their speech - or even take the place of it, in some cases - Feitoveth uses hardly any. If there are any images that go along with his mindspeech, it's more a sense of silver and metal; smooth, rounded corners; perfect precision. He tends towards darkness and neutral colors of various silvers and grays when he speaks, although sometimes a little navy and sharp metallic tang will slip in when he feels particularly strongly about something. He is accurate to a fault in everything he does, and the way he speaks is no different. He will use the most direct words to say what he wants to, nothing more, and nothing less. If that isn’t clear enough to whoever he’s speaking to, he’ll accompany his words with a very direct picture so that you cannot possibly mistake his meaning.

His voice itself is even, steady, subdued, smooth and very easy to listen to. His words and tone tend to be short and clipped, even during friendly conversation, a part of his tendency to say more with fewer words. There's a faint echo that accompanies everything he says, like the effect of a man standing in a metal cargo bay. Woe on thee, if you upset him, though. His words will become a weapon against anyone who disappoints him or fails to live up to their potential and you will be subjected to this most of all. For you, I’anex, he believes there is no limit to what you can achieve - if you’ll only listen.

Scent

Feitoveth always has a faint scent - though more than likely, no one else will be able to notice it. But to you, he always smells like your best dress leathers, just back from the laundry, starched and pressed to look their best. It’s a clean smell, and a smell that somehow just seems to exude authority and capability.

Physicalities

Congratulations on your new puppy, I’anex! That is to say, for the most part your Feitoveth will grow like you’d expect a puppy to. He’ll start off bulky, pudgy and a bit clumsy in his movements. He has short arms and large feet what will plague him when he walks, as he’ll trip over them a fair amount of the time and this will be a little frustrating when he’s just trying to get from point A to point B. However, he will insist, not matter how much he trips, that he’s doing just fine, thank you. He’s not one for being questioned about his abilities to accomplish something.

After the first month or two, the pudgy look will disappear in favor of a more dashing, sinewy, muscular look. His legs will get longer, his tail and neck will stretch out and his body will develop a generally more proportioned feel to it, all in all. His torso also stretches out, to end up a bit long in proportion to the rest of him, and his feet will always remain just a little bit large - although, the closer he gets to his adult size, this will become less an awkward inconvenience and more just something he’s adjusted to on the ground. Still, his steps will always be very deliberate and a little bit stiff, more like a march than a walk, in an effort to move around easily on the ground.

In the air, he’ll have less trouble. True, his wings may seem a little bit undersized for all of his bulk, but that doesn’t seem to hinder him any. He still has the strength and endurance that bronze dragons are known for - although perhaps not quite as much in the air as larger bronzes with bigger wings - and is good in Fall, able to last the whole time with the possible exception of the rare, exceptionally long Fall, when he’ll get considerably weary at the end. Smaller wings afford him a little more maneuverability, though, than his larger and beefier brethren, and he’ll be sure to use it to his advantage whenever appropriate.

Feitoveth is on the smaller end of the bronze size chart, closer to brown, which is fine by him as he prefers to be somewhat in the background, watching and directing, rather than taking the full brunt of everyone’s attentions. His darker, greyer coloring helps with his ability to be overlooked by most, although the starscape across his haunches and tail is bright enough to attract more than a few casual glances. His markings will also change as he grows up. When he’s young, they’ll be small and dull - barely there - but the older he gets, the larger the starburst and whirl patterns will get, also increasing in contrast with the dark brown field upon which they lie. He may no longer be able to hide in subtlety anymore with those bright markings, but they will be beautiful.

Personality

A knight is sworn to valor. His heart knows only virtue. His blade defends the helpless. His might upholds the weak. His word speaks only truth. His wrath undoes the wicked.
- Vow from Dragonheart

You asked for Simon Illyan, I’anex, and you’ve got him. Feitoveth is your knight of truth, defender of good and enemy of evil. He is truly a Knight of the old code, focused thoroughly on valor and honor - although, like the chess piece he’s named after, he’s not afraid to take something other than the straight path to reach his goals. He may not be the cuddliest of dragons, but he has a good heart and a good soul. He’s the quintessential officer, and he lives to serve - which he does, beautifully, with his weapons of choice: truth and duty.

In fact, your bronze has a rather overdeveloped sense of duty and responsibility. He has an amazing drive toward accomplishment and getting things done, but unlike other duty-driven dragons in the Weyr, he tends to go about it his own way. To the untrained eye, it may seem that Feitoveth is willing to do anything and everything to get the job done (and it’s true that he’s not above ignoring a rule or two here and there if he feels he needs to), but don’t mistake that for lacking morals. No, he has a well-defined personal code of what is right and wrong. It just so happens that it doesn’t always mesh with everyone else’s sense of morality.

Feitoveth is incredibly loyal - maybe even loyal to a fault. Be it to a person, a cause, a place, it doesn’t matter; he’ll have unwavering loyalty for as long as he’s needed - and in some cases, then some. Forever and always, though, his first loyalty is to you, I’anex, and nothing and no one will ever come between you two. Oh, sure, you’ll have your heated arguments and heavy disagreements, but you two are brothers in arms, and you never leave a man behind. He watches your back, and you watch his.

This undying loyalty to you is because he loves you, but it might be hard to see sometimes; it tends to present itself as an officer instructing a new recruit. Technically he may be 15 turns younger than you, but it seems like he’s a good twenty turns older - and you’ll never forget it, even when you’re both growing old together. With the type of sage wisdom that usually comes with age, and an authoritative manner that usually comes from years of experience, Feitoveth seems old even when he’s straight out of the shell.

The very young do not always do as they are told.
- Anteaus, Stargate SG-1

With his wisdom and experience, no matter if it’s from age or not, Feitoveth is your boss. He is not your best friend, although he will be friendly; he’s not a father figure, and he’s not even, quite, your mentor - he is in charge of and responsible for you, or so he feels. Like Illyan and Miles, Feitoveth gives the orders and you, I’anex, follow them. Or argue about them, or ignore them, or what have you. The point is, he gives them. Whatever protests you might have, he is confident that he knows better than you. And, well, somewhat unfortunately for your ego, he usually does. Which you might sometimes have to learn the hard way: « Imagine that, » he’ll reply dryly when you’ve failed at something, after ignoring his advice. And then he’ll give you one of those long stares. You know the ones. He’ll never come right out and say ‘I told you so’, but he gets the idea across all the same.

Illyan will not shame a great name, neither should I.
- Miles

His loyalty to the Weyr in particular and Pern in general, is almost as strong as his sense of loyalty to you. Feitoveth’s mind is quick and calculating, and he’s quite a talented strategist. Like the chess game of his hatching theme, your bronze can think twelve steps ahead. It’s a skill that’s more than useful in Threadfall - in fact, he will probably earn a reputation as a very talented Thread-fighter once he’s trained. As for training, he approaches it with a slightly frightening intensity. This will be most obvious and tiring during Weyrlinghood, naturally, but it won’t end there. Drills, sweeps - they’re all viewed as important, and he gives them his all, even if the rest of the wing is busy throwing spitballs at the Wingleader. He will likewise expect you to work hard at both training and work, and it’s an expectation that’s nearly impossible to escape. The thought of getting one of those withering stares from him if you haven’t tried your best should usually be enough to get you out of bed for pre-dawn sweeps. Sometimes, though, you may need to hold out against his will and pack it up and just go home. He will push you in training, and sometimes he’ll push you hard enough that he’ll over-do it a bit. He wants you to be the best you can be, and sometimes he forgets he can’t force you quickly to be that.

In chess, the knight can move first or can hold back until later. Your Illyan bronze is much the same; he is more than capable of jumping right into the fray, using his quick and logical mind to spot the places he's most needed and jump over anything in his way to get there. He is no coward, your bronze, and you’ll find that the only times he will shy away from getting something done involve awkward social situations or reporting bad news to someone he respects. On the other hand, he’s not in it for the glory or the prestige and is therefore equally willing to wait until he’s needed to provide backup or cleanup. He is equally at ease as a leader or the led.

Commander William Adama: The Cylons never asked us what we wanted. Welcome to the big leagues. : - Battlestar Galactica//

That said, he has natural ability as a leader. He may be comfortable taking orders, with no ego that pushes him to outshine others, but he has a commanding attitude that makes him a natural at leadership. He’s a good judge of character, able to make quick evaluations of the skills and personalities of those serving under him so he can use them to the best advantage - although not perfect. And if you don’t want the responsibility that Feitoveth might sometimes find himself with? Well, tough. We don’t all get what we want in life. Rest assured, though, that you won’t find yourself in that position unless Feitoveth thinks you’re ready for it. He’s confident in your abilities to lead and fight, even if it’s not always obvious amidst his scolding and ordering about - he’s confident in your abilities, after all, but not as much in your methods. The sense of trust in you, though, is always there in the back of your mind - even when you’ve just screwed up terribly. He has faith in you - not that he’d ever come right out and admit it.

When Feitoveth is wearing his leadership pins - be it as Wingleader, Weyrleader, Weyrlingmaster, or even captain of the Dragon Kickball Team - he’s even more quiet and reserved. Over time you’ll learn that it’s because he’s busy thinking ahead, planning moves. He works covertly, not sharing his plans with anyone else, sometimes not even you, until absolutely necessary. It’s always a bit hard to tell what’s going on inside his head, which might be a bit unnerving: you can tell he’s planning something, but what? And when?

I don’t think Illyan has a personal life.
- Miles, Memory

Feitoveth applies the same theories and habits to his personal life as he does to his working life. That is to say, he analyzes things, plans, sorts. He likes order in his life - and in yours, by extension. He can be hard to persuade to take time off, relax, and unwind. It’s like he’s unsure of who he is, if he’s not defined by his duty and responsibilities. He’ll take a break, if you push — escape to Southern for the afternoon, or play in that Dragon Kickball League — but he’s never quite as sure of himself as he is the rest of the time - he hesitates and seems a little more needy of your support.

However, you may find yourself suddenly seeking out Harpers to be friends with, or jaunting down to the Harper Halls on your days off. I’anex, your Feitoveth loves music. He likes sound in general and will happily listen to poetry and plays, but he especially loves music. He may even encourage you to try and take up an instrument, so you don’t have to leave the comfort of your weyr for the sound. He likes to watch things and people, performances and dancing at gathers in particular, although he’ll watch from a distance. In the spring, his favorite place in the world will be the alpine meadows, for all their color and scents - he has a keen nose, your bronze.

Despite these few loves of casual relaxing, it’s going to be difficult for Feitoveth to be born into the end of a Pass. He only has a few good fighting years before his job has suddenly become obsolete. For a dragon that sets his value by this job, it’ll be a bit of a shock. Sure, he knows it’s coming, and he’ll frequently talk to you about what your plans should be once Thread ends, but when it actually comes? Oh, woe, I’anex. It will be unpleasant - and you’ll have to carry him through it. Much like Illyan’s sudden loss of his memory chip and ability to work, Feitoveth will flounder. Duty and loyalty are just too important to him for him to let them go, even for a minute.

"Truth never damages a cause that is just."
- Mahatma Gandhi

Then there is Truth. Oh, truth. Above all else, Feitoveth believes in truth. His mind simply doesn’t comprehend the need for lies or falsehood. In fact, as far as you can tell, he doesn’t even possess the ability to lie. Especially not to you - and this will be unpleasant, at times. « The truth is easier than a lie, » he might frequently remind you, which is all well and good for him, who doesn’t have to worry about over-protective parents, sensitive friends, or nosy relations. Alas, no matter how many times you might try to explain to him that sometimes it’s easier to tell a little white lie, he’s not buying it.

"Truth stood on one side and Ease on the other; it has often been so."
-Theodore Parker

If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right, and Feitoveth isn’t going to allow himself, you, or anyone else to tell a lie just because it’s the easy way out. In fact, if the truth is hard, that’s all the better: you probably need some toughening up anyway.

Illyan half-sat on the edge of his desk, watching him. Watching over him, always. “You know,” said Illyan. “And you lied. To ME. In WRITING. In that damned falsified report, you pissed away… everything. I’d have mistrusted my memory chip before I mistrusted you. WHY, Miles? Were you that panicked?
- Memory

In a similar vein, Feitoveth has a disconcerting ability to see straight through any of your lies even more than Shirasuth always could - it helps that he’s truly in your head - and he’s always unhappy to discover your attempts. He takes it personally, no matter what it is you’ve been lying about. A relationship is based on trust, and there can’t be trust without truth, and truth is… Well, you’ve gotten the lecture from him a million times.

It’s not always clear if he’s able to see through your lies because of his link to your mind, or if it’s just an uncanny skill he has. On the one hand, he will frequently advise you if someone else is being untruthful: « I’anex, take care, he’s not telling you the whole story. » It’s a nice tool to have at your disposal - although he won’t let you abuse it, either. But on the other hand, there’s just no way to know if he catches everyone in their lies; it’s possible he’s just good at reading people. And while you don’t know from first-hand experience, you’ve been told by other riders that Feitoveth isn’t above giving other dragons a warning word or two about the danger of a lie. « Casseth! That is not the true nature of the Weyrlingmaster’s intents at all. Stop filling V’enn’s head with such inaccurate thoughts. »

“I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell."
- Harry Truman

Yes, Feitoveth likes the truth. Don’t think this is because he believes in sweetness, light and love, though. Oh no. He can fight with the best of them, if he feels like it. He just uses slightly different weapons. A well-timed truth can win an argument or defeat an opponent much more quickly than the most elaborate of lies, and Feitoveth won’t hesitate to use that to his advantage. He’s a master at timing, and the well-placed word.

Not that Illyan ever raised his voice; he tended to the devastatingly well-chosen word to convey his emotions…
- Memory

While he may not be the type to chat at length about his feelings and emotions, Feitoveth is certain to convey how he’s feeling through speech rather than action. No outbursts of anger, or sullen fits of sulking. One word and he’ll make it clear how unhappy he is with you, or the results of his latest flight. « This did not go as I had planned. » With one understated sentence he can let you know that he loves you. Nothing is dramatic or overdone, but simple fact and stated as such.

As such, he’s less than fond of any emotional displays or emotional outburst from you. He understands that you may not have the same ability to keep your feelings buckled down that he does, but there’s certainly no need to yell or cry or pace or fight. When you do any of these things, his approach is to sit silently and wait until you’re done, proceed as if you had explained the problem in a rational manner, and then do his best to help you sort it out. In fact, his calmness may make you feel embarrassed for the emotional outburst you just had. «Use your words,» he’ll say with utmost patience. He’s certainly not prone to outbursts himself; rather, if you - or anyone else - gets him truly angry, he’ll shake with the restrained rage and you’ll quickly find yourself with one blinding headache. Most of the time, though, he’ll be cautious and calm while helping you work through your problems.

Oh, and he’ll make sure you sort it out. Faranth forbid you leave a problem to fester, grow, and throw off the balance. You cannot have baggage weighing you down, not when you’ve got other more important things to take care of. Such as Threadfall, or whatever you may choose to do once it’s come to an end. Don’t forget, duty is almost as important to Feitoveth as truth is. No, anomalies in life - specifically the ones that can cause distractions and problems - must be eliminated. He’ll want your life to run as regular as a clock, with order and substance, and so it shall be.

Flights

Damn, but Illyan fights dirty when he fights. I'd never seen that.
- Duv Galeni, Memory

Typically, Feitoveth isn't the competitive sort. He's either a leader, or he's following the leader's directions, but he's never trying to oust others out of a spot. The one time when this changes is when he goes up in the air after a proddy female. Your bronze is an observant dragon; he'll keep tabs on who's doing what in general and that includes who's proddy or not - but he's not emotionally driven, and he's not going to fly after whoever, whenever. Nor, however, will he always listen to /you/ if you do or do not want him to fly, although he'd never do anything he thought would seriously hurt you.

In flight, he'll be logical and thoughtful. He'll be good at planning ahead, although he'll never be able to predict the more whimsical and willy-nilly dragons in flight, and they'll often out-maneuver him. Not being a particularly emotive dragon, Feitoveth will leave you well in control of yourself during flights - maybe a little scarily so if you're surrounded by people who are much less in control - at least until he catches. If he doesn't, he'll pull entirely into himself, calm and distant, and leave you feeling much the same way.

Credits

Name: K'nex and Zai
Egg Desc: Lis; G'deon tweak
Dragonet Desc: K'nex
Messages: Tatia; Wyn tweak
Puppeteer: Wyn
Inspiration: Zai and K'nex

Clutchmates:
Auryn and brown Animuth
Eshe and brown Strakath
Liza (Lizabet) and green Ikth
V’enn (Ruvenn) and green Casseth

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