Name: Raiden (Raisin for those who wish to tease him)
Age: 19
Nameday: 3558.04.04
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: >.>; Girls are cute… he supposes.
Craft: Beastcrafter
Rank: Apprentice
Location: Western Weyr
Physical Description:
Raiden is, unfortunately for him and his ego, utterly adorable. Despite his athletic activities, he has a slender build, and stands at a mere 5'4. He does have muscle- just not muscle definition… And his punches can pack a wallop when he puts his mind to it. Alas, for all his grandstanding and hotheaded-ness, it's hard to take him seriously at first.
This young man hasn't quite shed his boyish youth or innocence. Grey blue eyes help express his discontent, along with an almost permanent frown and furrowed brows. His hair is strawberry blond, with hints of rosy gold and auburn, and were he to grow it long he might be called pretty (or mistaken for a young lady). As it is, he prefers it cut short and choppy, giving him the desperately desired wild and just-tumbled-from-bed look. He has an expressive face, and his smile is considered by many to be quite luminous and cherubic (rare as it might be).
He walks with long, purposeful strides and has more endurance than his slight build would first suggest. His complexion is peaches and cream, with a tendency to sustain sunburn in the western sun. His blushing is unfortunately very noticeable, and flustering Raiden is a pastime for many. He dresses in shirts, tunics and pants of earthy tones. He likes to imagine himself quite debonair and dashing, but achieves only a semblance of a boy trying too hard to be a man.
Personality:
A man with a thirst to prove himself and an explosive temper to match his drive, Raiden is a force of nature. He is easily provoked, his self-consciousness of his own appearance and ineptitude leading him to paranoia. This, in turn, causes him to misinterpret social cues from others as teasing- and Raiden will fight anyone who thinks he's weak or girly or bad at his work. No, he's serious. He will fight you. He's not quite had common sense knocked into him yet.
Raiden is fiercely protective of his family, especially his sisters. He holds a very outdated view of the world: women are delicate, precious flowers in need of protection- and no you had better not DARE flirt with his sisters, you beast. He's a white knight who can fight, but he is absolutely awfully misogynistic when it comes to understanding that women can handle themselves and have their own rights and freedoms too. He means well- he is just crotchety and hidebound on this particular topic. Oh, let them into any craft they choose, sure. Just make sure they don't have to lift anything heavy, or potentially injure themselves, or get sick. That's a man's duty: to protect them from harm and danger.
The transition from Hold to Weyrlife took time to adjust to, and left the young man reeling. He disapproves of the Weyr's 'loose' morals, and is very traditional in his approach to relationships and how the world should work. Despite this, he supports the Weyr's pro-colourist views- after all, he may seem small and harmless to some, but he can fight just as well as any man.
Raiden has a fragile ego, and ties a lot of his self-worth to his accomplishments and how others view him. He needs to succeed, or he will become crushed by the weight of his own fears. Ineptitude sets his blood boiling- moreso his own than others' (let them fail for all he cares). Unlike his twin, he wasn't gifted or naturally quick, and has had to work hard all of his life just to keep up, just to be average… With better and best dancing tantalisingly out of reach, Raiden has become a ball of self-criticism and frustration. He is very hard on himself, and will work himself to exhaustion just to improve. Fuelled by a desire to reach the top, the boy's natural competitiveness has been blown far out of acceptable proportions.
He struggles with conversation and social niceties, especially with anyone of the feminine persuasion. It's hard for him to relax around others, so used is he to being teased and bullied for his stature, but girls are a whole other kettle of fish… they're so pretty… And sweet. And nice. And they're always smiling and playing with their lovely hair. Faranth. Cue stuttering and sweating unless they have attained friend status, in which case he'll probably still be awkward but at least the sentences will be coherent. Probably.
This man loves his family, though his dad's more womanising ways is a little off-putting to him. He would sacrifice anything to keep them all safe, strengthening an already iron resolve. Raiden doesn't bawlk or falter in the face of danger: he merely screws up his courage and faces it head on, like many other things in his life.
Positive Trait List Protective - Courageous - Driven
Negative Trait List Hypercompetitive - Hidebound - Hotheaded
History:
Raiden and his twin sister, Cinaeden, were born to a loving woman by the name of Cinrae in a coastal Hold on the western continent. Their father was one of those absentee dragonriders so lauded and beloved in Harper tales, and committed to his Weyr- so the twins saw very little of N'den and his brown dragon Belengath. It was of little matter to boy-Raiden, whose childhood was framed in a small world of growing up protecting his sister and making a name for himself amongst the other holdbrats. Though they didn't have a father, their mother was hard-working and dutiful, and they never lacked for nourishment or love. Anyway, Raiden fully believed he could fill any role a father might! What did fathers do that was so special?
As he grew older, his sister's natural talent began to shine, casting a shadow over him. It was hard to stifle his petty, jealous urges, especially when the harpers praised and adored her for her many skills and aptitudes. Raiden was the sort to muddle his ballads, and his letters were not really legible most of the time. He tried so hard to be good at writing that he would give himself headaches, but the letters would never behave themselves on the wax tablets he used.
Worse still, as he grew he was always the shortest boy amongst his peers, and consequently a target for those with more malicious intentions. It didn't help that his mother loved his hair, and wanted him to grow it out long. On more than one occasion Raiden took a pair of scissors to it in anger, and ruined it. He was a cute child, the aunties would tell him… Over and over again. It was enough to make him scream. He didn't lose his temper with adults- no, that was how you got into a world of trouble… But he was merciless when it came to the other holdbrats who teased him. Raiden didn't know the definition of restraint, and more than once came home bloody and bruised for the scraps and trouble he found.
Harper lessons weren't for him, and there was inference that he find some manual labour to occupy him until he was old and grey. Raiden stubbornly pushed his way into a beastcraft apprenticeship. Their Hold didn't have the herds of Keroon or Western, but the coastal trade included livestock, and Raiden learnt herd management and basic healing skills from a Journeyman posted there.
Life as he knew it changed forever in his fourteenth Turn. He was down at the dock, managing a fresh arrival of herdbeasts, when silver rain streaked the horizon. The beasts whipped themselves into a frenzy as their instincts screamed at them to escape; Raiden was thrown into the water in the confusion. This saved him.
The screams that followed left Raiden terrified. He found cover beneath a natural rocky outcropping, watching Thread hiss and writhe and die as it touched the waters nearby. His survival was a matter of sheer luck. Raiden didn't know how long he waited, but in those helpless candlemarks he wished he truly was his father, or that his father was there to save them all… Paralysed, fraught thoughts escaped into a fantasy of becoming a one-man dragonrider army…
Eventually, the screaming and panic stopped. Raiden picked his way back to the Hold proper, horrified by the carnage Thread had left. Ruin awaited him… Later on, he was told his mother had perished as she had ran to the docks to find him- a dagger in his heart, slowly twisting. At least his beloved sister Cinae had survived, having been at lessons inside all day.
N'den arrived as soon as he could, and the two traumatised children were taken to Western Weyr to live with him and his dragon. Weyrlife was so very different to Hold life, and the culture shock hit Raiden hard. He discovered he had more siblings too- amongst them an older half-sister Bionden, who took them under her wing and cared for them as their mother once had. Raiden hated the way people seemed to treat each other so liberally- and certainly they should be more courteous and polite towards his sisters.
Still- here were new opportunities for those willing to face danger and put their lives on the line to protect Pern. Raiden stood for Search and became a candidate. He didn't Impress, but he was bull-headed enough not to care. Turns passed, spent between chores, his Beastcraft, Candidacy and getting to know his new family. He knew his calling was to fight Thread- ever since that day, and the pain of losing his mother… it was all he wanted out of life.
At sixteen, he was fortunate enough to receive a firelizard egg from Bionden as a Turnday gift. It hatched into a beautiful, pale blue creature he named Ghost. Ghost became a steadfast friend and a fierce guardian, often intervening before Raiden's temper got the better of him. He squabbled less now that he was at the Weyr, but he still had issues with those who picked on him for his stature or lack of skill.
Each day, he continues to try his hardest in an effort to redeem himself, and save what has been lost.
Other:
Father: N'den (Nyalden) of Brown Belengath (intended to be played by Magnadearel)
Mother: Cinrae (deceased)
Half-Sister: Bionden (+11, candidate, played by Magnadearel)
Twin sister: Cinaeden (Candidate/Healer, played by Nilah44)
More adoptable siblings!
Candidate Specific Questions
Do you want them to have an official Search RP? No
Do you understand they will age every passing year regardless if you're there to RP the or not? Yes
Do you want them to have a possible Stands Impression? Not currently
- - - > Please keep in mind that Stands Impressions are very rare. This means that not everybody will get an opportunity to have a surprise Impression, and you lower your chances of being picked by a dragonet. Given the character is not ICly an official Candidate, they will need a reason to be at the Weyr of their choice long-term, or at least for every Hatching.
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