Le Petit Prince Egg

To dream is to imagine this watercolored egg, this planetoid of pale distant blue, this asteroid of imagination: small, round, and cherished. A pastel wash of faint royal violet splashes the shell with childish abandon, purple and blue beneath the occasional violent explosion of lava's gold and red; wispy tendrils of smoke curl and coil across the surface and twine silver around the weedy green of baobab trees. Along the top of the shell, a singular mark of beauty gleams as lonely as a solitary rose: pink, pale, mysterious and perfect.

Hatching Message

Hairline fractures flicker hesitantly from the pale crown to the widened base of Le Petit Prince Egg, splintering along the streams of magma and suggestions of steam curls in irregular active spurts before bursting outward all at once. A turgid pulse of translucent egg goo falls heavily out onto the sand an instant ahead of the dragonet previously encased within's tumble out onto the grit; all elbows, angles, and creels of affronted surprise at being shuffled loose from the comfort of his home so abruptly, Pudgy Sensitive Sweater Octavius Brown Dragonet has arrived.

Pudgy, Sensitive Sweater Octavius Brown Dragonet

A subdued expanse of ashen dust sprinkles from wedged snout to slender tail, wafting back across mottled sepia flanks and pale 'ridges to blend discretely into the creamy alabaster of a low-slung belly and narrow jaw. Gently splayed toes support agile limbs, faint bands of hushed cerulean carefully encircling nimble talons and accentuating alert eyes only to fade gently across svelte shoulders and tenuous wingspars. A cool, reptilian air is embodied in his coloring and stance, negated only by a strip of variegated warm hues along his throat. His elbows and knees slightly akimbo, there is a somewhat jerky nature to his movements that the soft texture of his hide and affable construction cannot quite smooth over.

Public Impression Pose

Pudgy, Sensitive Sweater Octavius Brown Dragonet is in no rush at all, moving slowly and deliberately to keep his limbs in careful order and his belly well above the hot sand underfoot as he looks carefully from candidate to candidate…Sniffing at a robe edge here, nipping and an exposed to there as he meanders across the sands towards Rysta and Crepe…Until…Eureka! His wedged snout prods gently into Crepe’s middle – his posture relaxing visibly with relief at having made a firm decision.

Private Impression Message

As if you have stepped into direct sunlight from the depths of a darkened cave, a radiant pulse of golden light surrounds and encompasses your mind, warming and relaxing as it settles into a blanketing expanse of comfortable maroons and earthy umbers. Pinpricks of brilliance still drift lazily along, recalling dust particles as they filter though the few shafts of tawny light that have managed to linger before finally dissipating and dispersing into the heavy scent of freshly brewed coffee - blending with that of cinnamon and cologne to permeate gently through your thoughts. « Yes, I think you will do nicely, Crepe. » There is a brief, considering pause as confidence builds, certainly smoothing scholarly edges into pleasantness. « In fact, I know you will. I am Delenioth. Shall we find something to eat? »

“AND AN EGG /WIGGLED/ AT ME.”

//Crepe! Crehpay! KRAPE. We love your energy, we love your eccentricity, and we hope that you will enjoy scratching Delenioth’s tummy as much as we’ve enjoyed putting him together for you. Welcome to the obscure ranks of High Reaches Weyr! //


Egg Inspiration

A classic and, I think, an amazing exercise in imagination. Its not really a happy book, and yet its… wistful? Wishful? Reminiscent of good things, about childhood, and the yearning for things that don't necessarily make sense to anyone else. Then there are the lovely drawings and watercolors, too, so simple and yet have left visuals in my head that have never gone away. I remember ‘Where the Wild Thins Are’, by Maurice Sendak, Milne's Winnie the Pooh books (The unDisney ones), The Velveteen Rabbit, and that fuzzy Caterpillar book, and, of course, Le Petit Prince. Before I could read, I remember it.

"If some one loves a flower of which just one example exists among all the millions and millions of stars, that's enough to make him happy when he looks at the stars. He tells himself, "My flower's up there somewhere… ." But if the sheep eats the flower, then for him it's as if, suddenly, all the stars went out. And that isn't important?…"

"Look up at the sky. Ask yourself, "Has the sheep eaten the flower or not?" And you'll see how everything changes… . And no grown-up will ever understand how such a thing could be so important!"

Theme Inspiration

Delenioth’s personality and appearance were based upon two main factors: The green anole lizard, and Spiderman’s classic arch nemesis, Dr. Otto Octavius…Pre-villainization, of course, since there’s really nothing evil or twisted about him. I also cheated a bit and went with Alfred Molina’s depiction of him in Spiderman 2, since the character is much more appealing – and much better rounded than his comic book counterpart. You asked for something that would fit Crepe like a glove – and what could possibly fit better than a cuddly, conversational reptilian with a thing for sensitive sweaters, tummy rubs, and offering outdated romantic advice?

Description Inspiration

Delenioth’s appearance was based heavily on that of the green anole, with soft colors and round edges making him pleasant to look at even as the somewhat awkward construction of his athletic limbs keeps him from moving too gracefully on land. He’s not quite /fat/, really…You might say that he’s put together a little like a heavyweight boxer from the early twentieth century. Powerful and capable…but not all that concerned about having a six-pack to show off at the end of the day when he’s much cushier for you to lean against without one.

Name Inspiration

Delenioth was taken direction from the Latin “delenio”, which means to mitigate, to mollify, to soothe, and to charm. It’s easy to say, it flows nicely, and the definition is certainly apt once you get down to considering the dragon himself.

Mindvoice

Draped in dark, earthy browns and deep, velvety maroons, Delenioth’s mindvoice could only be described as easygoing. Though capable of a variety of highs and lows, the timbre voice itself tends to settle somewhere around the middle – the low, comforting warmth of his tone always there to support, and never to deride. Never will the touch of his mind be subtle – tact is not a talent that Delenioth tends not to possess – but it certainly isn’t intrusive. If he wants to know something, he will ask and trust in the answer he receives, though bright particles of concern might drift through his thoughts on occasion, giving him away even before he can rephrase his question in a firm effort to get a more in depth answer.

When ruffled or excited, the colors accompanying his mindvoice tend to drift towards either extreme – fall hues bleaching into pure white or eroding into darkness gradually depending entirely on his mood, making his true emotions readily apparent even when he’s busily trying to seem as if he isn’t bothered or particularly hyper.

Rather like a home that’s been well lived in for a long period of time, Delenioth’s thoughts are accompanied by a welcoming potpourri of familiar scents – some of which might even be drawn from your own memory before too long. Freshly ground coffee and cinnamon are ever present, but only strong when the brown is being stubborn – a faint hint of expensive whiskey occasionally detectable between whiffs of mustiness that may recall a closet full of old books and well-worn clothing when he’s feeling particularly laid back.

Physicalities

From the moment he hatches, he will be there for you to lean on, physically and emotionally – his particularly soft hide and hefty middle actually making him somewhat cuddly and comfortable to curl up with at night – particularly when he’s grown a bit and you don’t have to worry about his talons and tail getting in the way. Though he might try to appear aloof – particularly if you went so far as to attempt to cuddle him in public – he loves the attention, and may even lean against /you/ while he’s still young and learning to get along with his legs. Of course, this is a practice you will eventually have to convince him to outgrow to avoid having him squash you on accident – and the sooner the better, else you’ll end up with a horse-sized reptile sagging into your shoulders. Just be sure you pay extra attention to any dry spots that might develop in his hide as he grows. The fact that his hide is soft also makes it sensitive.

More apt to find a warm spot to sit and stay than he is to wander aimlessly around, Delenioth is aware of the fact that he isn’t the most graceful beast to ever cross land on foot. Built close to the ground, he can move quickly when he wants to, but never particularly elegantly – the angle of his limbs prompting him to move somewhat jerkily unless he’s allowed to take his time, particularly when conditions are muddy or snowy, and there are people watching. Each limb will be lifted and set down slowly…carefully…and still a little awkwardly until he’s full grown. By then, after plenty of practice, he’ll have worked out a system that allows him to get him where he wants to go reasonably smoothly.

In the air, however – and even in the water, Delenioth’s powerful shoulder and wing muscles allow him to move quickly and efficiently for long periods of time, his strength and endurance making him an ideal Threadfighter. With his lizard-like limbs tucked in close and the lack of hard edges in his build cutting down on wind resistance, he can snake in an out with the best of them, his powerful lungs and acute observational skills allowing him to take out large clumps or small flickers of Thread that might have otherwise slipped through the ranks.

Personality

A conspirator, a supporter, a mentor, and above all, a companion, never again will you be alone in the world with Delenioth at your side. He loves to hear you talk, and he loves to talk right back – his witty rapport and lax, affectionate demeanor making him a shoe in with the ladies…Which is fortunate, seeing as a good portion of your clutch and your friends impressed green dragons.

Intelligent and keenly aware of his surroundings, he’ll be curious from the start. Fortunately, his desire to figure out things for himself will keep him from bothering you with too many questions, but you might get an occasional complaint or comment from some of your fellow weyrlings about him staring before he learns how to be more subtly observant of the individual relationships they have with their own dragons. His intention isn’t merely to spy, however – but to find ways to make things better for them, which he does tend to have a talent for…the influence of which will not be spared on you by any means.

“ Parker… Now I remember you. You're Dr. Connor's student.
He tells me you're brilliant.”
[Peter looks flattered]
” He also tells me you're lazy.”

Though caring and sympathetic, he’s not really one to think highly of any excuses you might offer up for sleeping in late or not finishing your chores, either. From pushing your furniture around the weyr to make it easier to clean while you’re out « Sorry about the vase. I don’t think it really matched the couch anyway. » to offering somewhat outdated romantic advice (regardless of whether or not you think you need it), Delenioth will ever be questing to make you a better, happier, and more comfortable person once you’re out on your own.

“If you want to get a woman to fall in love with you, feed her poetry.”

While endearing, it’s an ongoing effort that does have some downsides – particularly when he becomes convinced of a particular tactic or effort to try. For instance, as something of a romantic, he might automatically assume that all men (humans included) must enjoy poetry when its read to them…Even if he doesn’t understand it enough himself to get past the pretty way the words sound when read aloud. And when you try to argue, you can fully expect him to simply push right on as cheerily as he can – a habit that makes it exceedingly difficult to disagree with him.

If you finally do put your foot down, he’s likely to get a little huffy about it. He might even physically puff out his chest and throat a bit to make himself look bigger, as if that might work to change your mind…When it really just makes him look a little ridiculous.

He’ll also get his feathers ruffled if he feels that you aren’t paying enough attention to him, to the point that he might actually get a little jealous if you ever find yourself romantically inclined towards someone else…even if he played a role in getting you together in the first place. On a related note, he likes to be recognized for his accomplishments, and can get frustrated if he feels the Weyrlingmasters (and eventually, your wingleaders) aren’t giving him enough credit for the work he’s done. Still, he never really gets angry – relegating his irritation to a few witty, sarcastic comments every now and again at their expense and leaving it at that, while seeking you out for reassurance that he /is/ really one of the most talented and smartest and best looking dragons out there…because, oh yes, he does have an ego that likes to be stroked, even if he does manage to suppress it most of the time.

“Before we start, did anyone lose a bunch of twenties rolled up in a rubber band? …Because we found the rubber band.”

Most of the time, however, Delenioth is as good-humored as they come, often striving to lighten the gravity of a situation with a bad joke or two even though he has the wit to be fairly amusing when he wants to be. It’s almost as if he does it to deliberately make himself look a little dorky – particularly around dragons of the female variety – but any suggestions that he’s trying to be cute will inevitably be innocently shrugged off as complete nonsense. « What do you mean, ‘ridiculous’? Any anecdote involving underwear and some sort of small, furry animal is going to be comedic genius. It’s practically guaranteed. »

As comfortable lounging around with a gaggle of his green sisters as he is any of his brothers, once they start to go proddy, Delenioth might be at a slight advantage. With a more intimate knowledge of their personalities, he will be intelligent enough to predict the courses they may take before the flight even begins. Rarely seeing reason to blood, he will tend to use that time to plot a course of action instead – arranging himself on the ground to get the best lift off possible, and often hanging a little back from the others at first so that he can take note of any patterns that might develop early in the course of the flight.

This is all, of course, over within the first few minutes. The rush of the flight will get to him quickly, and his plans will crumble into clever improvisation – any early advantage generally evened out in the course of things, so that his endurance is often his greatest advantage. He can make mistakes and still have power left to recover, which may lead to him coming from well behind the pack to pull off a surprise victory every once and a while.

“Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts.”

Queen flights are another matter entirely. More often than not, he won’t bother with plotting and planning at all, relying purely upon instinct and muscle power to get him where he wants to be in the air when he needs to be there. New, obscure tactics are often invented on the spot to suit a situation, though it’s unlikely that he’ll ever be able to remember enough of them later to make use of them again.

While it can’t really be said that Delenioth is a /picky/ eater, for logical reasons, his preference tends to lie in beasts that are clearly healthy and well fed. The more energy he can get from one meal, the less he has to spend obtaining more meals, and so on and so forth. He’s very down to earth about it, and he’s not a messy eater or an extravagant hunter. Everything is quick and simple to keep the herdbeast or wherry in question from suffering – and good luck trying to get him to try anything that wasn’t bred specifically for the purpose of eating. « I’m sorry Crepe, but would you want to eat a strange piece of meat that crawled in out of the mountains to settle on your plate? »

Something of a homebody, he’ll enjoy spending whatever time he has off lounging around in the bowl being social or relaxing back at your weyr, but he’s certainly not averse to exercise and exploration. Like the anoles he was partially based on, he’s not exactly averse to tummy rubs either – in fact, they’re his biggest weakness, and if you get good enough at them, you’ll be able to put him to sleep in minutes even when he’s at his most stubborn.

Sensitive but masculine, scholarly but relaxed, chatty but not annoying, pudgy but appealing, and confident but never snooty, Delenioth is happiest when you are happy, and overall, ego included, you’d be hard pressed to find a more pleasant dragon at High Reaches.

Credits

Name: X'ian, Vaeli
Egg Desc: Nuff
Dragonet Desc: X'ian, K'nex; Wyn tweak
Messages: X'ian; Wyn tweak
Puppeteer: X'ian
Inspiration: X'ian

Clutchmates:
A’ndros (Alexandros) and blue Hephaistionth (NPC)
O’don (Donis) and green Gwenegyth
Rhae (Rhaedyn) and green Phaodynth
M’rah (Mraleh) and green Lierdeth
Beagle (Beagallette) and blue Galapagoth (NPC)
Rysta and green Ulicaelth