K'nex's True Blue Mate Brown Shirasuth

Clutching message

Stopping and starting, the next few eggs are guided through a maze of intestines, as Cadgwith, the evil Dr X, makes a creature or three… The first egg jerks noticeably, movement interrupted; stop-motion globe. Second comes a nightmare in twisted, labyrinthine curves, while all is soothed and rectified in the sweetly sinful darkness of a third, midnight-crimson shell, where creativity suavely mutates all it touches.

Egg Description

Streaks of glowing hues ripple in smooth streams 'cross the elongated globe, fire-orange, rose and crimson trails blazed by flashes of nascent light in a skillfully wound pattern of avenues against a backdrop of spires and towers suggested out of slate-blue shadows in the anthracitic gloom. Caressed by awed eyes from different view points, the lights appear to refract, to change, as crystal beneath the fire of dawn: blue shifts to green, gold to yellow, copper, vermilion. Rukbat's fires stand as the only rival to those of this egg, yet seen in said star's light, colors pale - giving the impression that by evening their true glory would be fully visible, if too swift for the roving eye to fully capture all the iterations of vibrant light.

Hatch message

Stop Motion Photography Egg ripples against the growing force of the Sands' heat, winding itself around in a slow twist that sends a spiderwork of cracks running swiftly along the shell. Slowly, carefully, the colors begin to fall: first blue, then green, then a shard of shimmering gold is ousted with a single poke of emerging claws and head. In the end, a mere moment of contemplative thought is had before True Blue Mate Dragonet steps out of the ruins and into life.

Description

Rich, ruddy brown drapes this stocky dragonet in intricate layers of storm-dark hue: it beats at his high whithers, drums lightly along his sides, and presses an insistant umber against his broad, powerful chest. His haunches shift with racy whorls of amber and white, chasing themselves down the length of his tail and returning to dapple the shadows of his underbelly. Sharper sienna taints the blunt 'ridges and wide face, save where sudden brightness etches gold around his 'knobs and flat, mesa muzzle. Wings, too, carry the backlit force of a savannah sunrise, burning just as deep as the intelligent flare of his inquisitive, whirling eyes.

Public Impress message

True Blue Mate Dragonet discards the studied pair, turning again to pick his way across the sands toward a trio. Xaner is sniffed at for a moment, studied carefully. But no.. this one is managing quite well. That other, though… the dragonet's attention is turned to Kezenex, eyes whirling faster in concern. /This/ one.. he needs help! It wouldn't do for one so confused to be so alone in the world. And True Blue Mate dragonet is just the one to fix that. With a soft creel, the dragonet plants himself directly in front of the herder, eyes turned upward to seek… Kez. His.

Private Impress message

Dust descends like a curtain to blanket your mind: dust, dust, everywhere, enough to almost be real. From a distance, drums begin to beat, and the curtain wavers, rippling with a hint of sun's gold that shoots through with a sudden brilliance and overpowers the Sands you stand on. Again, the duststorm shivers, more beams of that golden warmth banding together to push aside all sound and feeling save for the now slower, contented beat. « K'nex. » His voice comes as a relief, washing over you in soothing waves of aqua and blue that eddy contentedly around each thought that is him — is you — is suddenly both as he claims you as /his/. « Our lives await us. Come with me, your Shirasuth. »

Kezenex! Oh, Kez, you wonderful, wonderful person you! We have enjoyed you *so* much during Candidacy that we just had to keep you! Creating the dragon of your dreams was just a bonus gift. ;D We hope that Shirasuth is everything you could want of him — and remember, he is /your/ dragon, so feel free to use, not-use, tweak or throw away anything in this Inspiration. Welcome, K'nex, we're glad to have you!

Name Inspiration

We weren't entirely sure what sort of name we wanted to give you; you had left us plenty of openings, and so eventually Sora started looking through some online Japanese dictionaries. That's when she found it: Shirasuth, from the Japanese word "shiraseru" meaning "to advise". It seemed to fit, with your mentor-friend brown, and we think it makes the most lovely combination. K'nex, weyrling to brown Shirasuth; what luck!

Egg Inspiration

Stop-motion photography (the principle of capturing hours of motion on film) has produced some of the most striking images in the history of modern film. In principle, the egg was inspired by two things: the stop-motion reels taken in locations all over the world by 7ate9 studios in Moscow, New York and other major cities, and the pronounced blazing light-trail effect that the raver sees at a techno/rave party, which of course has inspired in itself two notable music videos and may be noted in the indie cult movie, "Groove." I personally thought it fitting for the modern theme, despite the fact that stop-motion photography in itself may now be replaced by digital animation. (written by Kiharu)

Description Inspiration

Shirasuth's description is entirely based on the idea of Australia, and all within. You gave us lots of room to maneuver, and so, with the requisite 'large' in mind, I started descing. When I think of Australian dirt (don't you think of Australian dirt, Kez? ;), I think red. That's the base colour of your brown — a rusty, ruddy brown. The white and amber symbols come from Uluru, a reddish rock covered in Aborigonal symbols that serves as a place for spiritual quests. Rocks are big, grounded, and so Uluru seemed a fitting inspiration for Shira's desc. Lastly, the bright tawny-gold colour of his wings comes from Australia's famed desert heat. Now, I know the African savannah is in .. well .. Africa, but it gets the imagery across just as well — a brilliance of warmed hue.

Mind Voice

Oh, K'nex. Shirasuth has such a rich mindvoice, layered and depthless. He has very fine control of his thoughts — after all, with the heat of his colours, wouldn't want to burn anyone away! (It would mean he couldn't study them later on. Ahem.) The Australian outback /lives/ in his tone; the ruddy reds and dusty browns, the rich oranges and blazing sun-gold, /they/ are what touch your mind. In the beginning, he may have a bit of trouble moderating himself, and don't be surprised if you end up feeling scorched a few days into Weyrlinghood. He's so eager, so excited, and when he is that dust storm whirls up, mixing with shafts of bright, bright gold that pierce through it to form his words. That is his touch: sunlight. When it's cold, he will warm you; when it's warm, it will carress you like no Rukbat could.

Not that he's all fire and brimstone! No, he understands that while /he/ loves fire, his lifemate can't live within it. And that's what gives his mindvoice depth. Shira entwines blues and greens within his thoughts — dusty sage and rosemary-greens, that tickle the thoughts like butterfly kisses and fan softly when he's excited. Blues that hush-hush gently upon sun-gold shores, sweeping away all the dust and leaving you to feel clean, clear (and under control! ahemahem. ;) and soothed by his love. He also is very, very articulate — pictures will be pictures, clear as any shot, and you'll have no trouble when you first starting betweening. With the accuracy of a scientist, he'll be sure to include every detail with the sharpness of a professional photograph.

One last note. Shirasuth *loves* to be called by nicknames. His own name is perfectly fine if one wishes to use it, but he'll enjoy any number of nicknames: Shira, Shirasu, Shi, Hira, Rasu, Su, Ras, Shu, Suth. And he likes to call /you/ by nicknames, too. Most commonly he'll call you Kez, or just Kex, but sometimes you may find yourself being called such interesting things as » trundlebopper « and » wherrytoes «. It's all very affectionate, of course. ;)

Scent

He smell of the outback at sunset, when the ground has been warmed all day and when there is an almost tangible scent to that stored sunlight. Dusty, too, something that no amount of cleaning will get rid of. But with the woven scent of sage and rosemary, and the cooler, almost-there tang of salty southern seas, his special aroma will be something you'll never want to get rid of.

Physicalities

Shirasuth is big. End of story.

Ahem. Of course not! ^_^ Shirasuth /is/ big, however. As a dragonet, he'll have all the growing problems that come with the package — at first, he'll just bulk up, growing bigger while staying the same proportion-wise. But as time progresses, his growing will start to get a bit .. disjointed. One week it will be his left wing, the next his right hindpaw will start to trip him up, and on and on until he again reaches a decent proportion — and then it will start all over again. Luckily, by the time flying comes, he'll be back to growing normally and just putting on weight. For Shirasuth is a heavy dragon; he's not just long, or tall, but he has muscle with his bulk, running power through his frame. He'll grow to be one of the largest in the Weyr, and the longest, too. (Makes it so much easier to Loom like his dam Cadgwith, though Shi's not usually predispose towards doing things like that.)

But he is beautifully proportioned, K'nex, and when he finally finishes with his awkward growing stage, there won't be many a dragon who could match up with your Shirasuth. Every thing is just so, as it should be: a head that fits on a sinuous neck which into melds into the stocky, yet elegant curves of his torso and wings. His tail is just as long as it should be, and everything /fits/, even down to his unCadgwith-like toenails.

Shirasuth gets some of his fiery colouring from Orbyth, especially on his wings. Unlike Orbyth, however, Shira's strength of colour is that of the sun: his wings, especially, are almost gold, with only the faintest taint of honeyed tawny beneath that. He'll have little trouble with his wings, by the way, for they are quite strong, and sturdy 'sails span the perfect distance between each strong 'spar.

The rest of his form is a rich, ruddy brown that is as adhered to his grounded form as he is to you. It doesn't deviate; oh, sure, there are symbols and all that nonsense, every once and a while, but his base colour is that lovely red-brown with just a hint of fire to it to make him /glow/. For he does, you see. It might not be expected with a hide like his, but with just a little bit of oil and a good nights sleep, Shirasuth will /shine/.

There are a few interesting deviations in hue, though, about his form. The easiest to spot are the spiralling whorls of liquid yellow and a pastier white that pinwheel about his hinquarters, and then continue decorating his tail. They darken a little bit, and reoccur deep along his belly — around the hind part of his belly. These symbols will itch a little bit more than usual, and you'll be able to tell how he's feeling by their colour; if the symbols are bright, he's in fine fettle, while calamity or injury will gray them significantly.

Other itchy spots occur on his face, and will plague him the most of all. Especially where the gold is — it gilds his muzzle and caps his headknobs, but they will itchitchitch even when you and he are in your sunset years. His head is a bit sharper a red-brown, more sienna in shade — almost like makeup. But not quite. Shirasuth is, after all, a scholarly dragon. (Though he'll willingly try on various .. outfits .. if you, K'nex, wish it so.)

Lastly, there's movement. Shirasuth, unlike other dragons, walks. He doesn't trip, he doesn't stumble. He simply walks. It is in the air, though, that his true talent comes through — and he doesn't even try. For starters, there's his wings. With such beautiful colouring on them, they /shine/ with every swoop and sweep, making it very hard not to see their magnficence. But! Let's not forget the /way/ he flies. Shirasuth is elegant, graceful almost to a fault, making him seem much smaller than he really is. He has Plans. And he can maneuver himself amongst those Plans just as well as any blue. He has staying power with that grace, though, making him an excellent Threadfighter and one that will rarely, rarely ever burn out.

Personality

"I'm looking for someone."
"Looking? Found someone, you have." - Luke to Yoda, and Yoda's reply

K'nex, you've certainly found a true blue mate in Shirasuth. Your brown is always loyal and always there- he's the kind of lifemate who will linger in your head at every moment and eavesdrop on nearly every conversation. More so than most lifemates, he's always there. Why? Because he feels that you need guidance, of course! Shirasuth simply wants you to "be all you can be." Because of this, he'll be quick to correct you, and he'll always be full of advice and opinions on the right path to take. He gives thought to his actions, and expects you to do the same. Each option should be weighed carefully and tempered with common sense before a decision is made.

« K'nex.. do you /really/ think that we should leave the barracks looking like this? Wouldn't it be much better if we cleaned them, so they'll be nice when we come back? »

When he offers advice, it's only to "better" you. It's never with malice, though occasionally, Shirasuth's advice-giving may provoke a heated argument when you disagree, because he's also got a stubborn streak that's strong enough to match just about any adversary. Still, he's as quick to forgive and forget as he is to correct. The snappy comments provoked by your protests will be quickly lost in the wonder of some new discovery.

« K'nex … have you ever noticed how the sunset bounces off the mountains like that? ».

Around others, though, he's a bit shyer with his advice - other dragons will have to actively seek his opinion to get it. You, however, will have it whether you want it or not. Comes with the bargain of Impressing. Despite the fact that he's always anxious to help you find the right path, he'll defend you vehemently to anyone else - even when he doesn't agree with your actions.

« I'm sure K'nex had a /reason/ for missing the lesson. He's been so tired, you know. Maybe he's sick? »

As much as he wants you to be "perfect," /he/ is the only one allowed to question your actions or motives.

Your Shirasuth is based off of the Australian Aborigines, from his dusty mindvoice to his personality traits. The Aborigines believe in seeking wisdom, and much of their beliefs are based on what they call the Dreamtime. The Dreamtime is the time in which all things were created - and it's also a state they can reach to find the true understand of things.

In the Aboriginal world view, every meaningful activity, event, or life process that occurs at a particular place leaves behind a vibrational residue in the earth, as plants leave an image of themselves as seeds. The shape of the land - its mountains, rocks, riverbeds, and waterholes - and its unseen vibrations echo the events that brought that place into creation. Everything in the natural world is a symbolic footprint of the metaphysical beings whose actions created our world. As with a seed, the potency of an earthly location is wedded to the memory of its origin. The Aborigines called this potency the "Dreaming" of a place, and this Dreaming constitutes the sacredness of the earth. Only in extraordinary states of consciousness can one be aware of, or attuned to, the inner dreaming of the earth.
-Faces of the First Day: Awakening in the Aboriginal Dreamtime by Robert Lawlor

For more information on the Aborigines and the Dreamtime, check out http://www.crystalinks.com/dreamtime.html
For Aboriginal stories, visit http://www.artistwd.com/joyzine/australia/dreaming/, and if you'd like to learn a bit about the history of Aborigines, try http://www.ozramp.net.au/~senani/aborigin.htm. If you're /really/ up for some in-depth information, stop by http://www.aaa.com.au/hrh/aboriginal/.

To the Aborigines, family is very important - which is why Shirasuth is constantly striving to make you your very best. To him, you /are/ his family. You are his world. Now and then, however, Shirasuth may see fit to 'adopt' someone else into his circle. When he does, they'll get a bit of that unswavering loyalty as well, though no one will ever be as loved as you, K'nex.

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. - Carl Sagan

Shirasuth is conscientious and always aware of the 'right' thing, but he also has an insatiable curiosity - and sometimes these two things clash head on. He'll be constantly performing 'experiments', whether it's taking note of when the sun sets each day and comparing them or whether it's testing others to see how they'll react.

« K'nex … I wonder what'll happen if I just put this crawlie near Issryuith.. yes, I /know/ she doesn't like squirmy things, but I want to see … »

His conscience will keep him from pranking - and from approving of any pranking you might do. From time to time, however, if you phrase it /just/ right (« C'mon … don't you want to /see/ what Lyri does when she can't find her clipboard? It's a … test. If we see now, then we'll know how mad she'll get later. An experiment! »), you may get him to go along.

Every mystery solved brings us to the threshold of a greater one. - Rachel Carson

His curiosity lies especially with the nature of things. He wants to know /why/ things are the way they are, and what will happen if you change something just a little bit. You may find yourself coming home to a weyr full of tunnelsnakes, put there because « I wanted to see what would happen when they all got hungry. » If no satisfactory answer can be found, he's likely to create elaborate stories to explain why things are the way they are.

« Oh! K'nex! I know! The lake is there because once, a weyrling was not careful at all, and he flamed the snow on the mountain top. When it all melted and ran down, it made this big lake for us to swim in. That's why it's cold, too! » Nevermind how much sense his explanations make - he'll stick to them firmly unless a more believeable reason comes along.

A nether moon that waxed and waned whispering in shadow and light
presented a vision that haunts me like a persistent idea from dream
to dream, minute to minute, life to life.
We only seem to remember who we really are in our dreams.
In the awakening is the lessening.
Will we someday be able to understand what we cannot express?
Through expressing are we not creating an understanding?
-from "Observations" by Frank Andrick

Like most native peoples, the Aborigines pay close attention to the land they live in, since they rely on it to survive. Likewise, Shirasuth is always aware of the world around him - if you need to know what the weather's like or what stages Belior and Timor are in, ask him. Seasons, moons, tides, weather - he's attuned to them all, and he'll use that awareness to prod you even more.

« K'nex … don't you think you should put on a jacket? It's going to snow later. »

If there's one thing that fascinates him above everything else, it's fire. The Aborigines used fire to burn away the dead brush of the outback, creating open land for fresh plants to grow in. This encouraged the animals they hunted to graze there and made traveling easier. Like the Aborigines, Shirasuth will find flame to be a useful tool. He'll delight in the sight of Thread charring during Fall, and he'll most likely be the first of his weyrling class to manage a decent flamelength. Fire, however, is more than simply a useful tool to Shirasuth. You have a pyromaniac of a dragon on your hands. He'll take pride in the clear, sun-bright quality of his flame and bug you to help him practice while he's still learning. He'll be able to stare at the flames of your hearth fire for hours, watching them dance. You may even have to stop him now and again when his curiousity and his love of flames coencide.

« K'nex.. /please/? I just want to see what the tree would look like in the dark if I lit the top on fire. /Please/? » or
« K'nex, what do you think the fire feels like? Just stick a finger in and see, please? For me? I want to know. »

His passion for flame will extend to ThreadFall, and occasionally he'll get a little overexcited by the prospect of fighting. You may have to reign him in and remind him of his job. Once reminded, however, Shirasuth's careful thought pattern will serve him well. He'll have the stamina to last longer than the smaller dragons, and he'll often be the calm one warning others of impending danger. « Cerdith! Clump, to your left! » Only when he allows his love of fire to overcome his careful precision will you have any trouble with your fighting brown.

Mute shadows of
spectral mares
languidly race
above monopoly roofed
sand-boxed
hieroglyphics.
Splayed fingers of
horizon shine
bounce off
mammoth Rorschach
Simon figures.
Cumulus, stratus, nimbus
vie to paint
their ambient veils
within that "inverted bowl"
of endless canyons
and winking plains
of fuzzy-topped pyramids
and dimpled dunes.
We glide
into breathless time
encapsulated.
Seeking.
Perhaps
yearning for
a luminous
rebirth?
-"In Flight" by Margaret Rossi

Flights

When Shirasuth catches sight of a green or gold who's starting to shine, he'll be quick to notice, though he's certainly not the flirty type. Rather, he's one who will carefully consider the proddy one, and much thought will go into his decision to chase - or to sit by and watch. Flights are another great experiment to him, whichever course he chooses. When he does decide to take to the skies, his large frame and sturdy build will hold true to his grace, though greens can and will outmaneuver him on occassion. He's build for both types of flights, gold and green, and chases without restraint once he gets going. A green is worth just as much as a gold to him, and he'll let no one tell him otherwise.

Once he's up, he can keep going up.. and up, and up, and up … Often, his forethought will offer him an advantage as he plots exactly which thermal to glide in on. Only at the last minute will he give in to the hormones and emotions of a Flight, but when they come, they'll be enough to overwhelm you completely. No matter how many golds or greens he catches, however, Shirasuth is always loyal to you. Like a true boomerang, he will always return to you, K'nex, his one and only.

Credits

Dragon: Shirasuth
Colour: Brown
Name: Sora
Egg: Stop Motion Photography Egg
Egg Desc: Kiharu; Lis tweak
Dragonet: True Blue Mate Dragonet
Dragonet Desc: Sora; G'deon tweak
Messages: Sora; G'deon, Ciera tweak
Inspiration: Sora, Tatia
Puppetteer: Tatia

K'nex's brown Shirasuth
Harper's Tale: 30th PC Clutch
High Reaches Weyr

Pyrene's gold Cadgwith and Z'in's bronze Orbyth
July 29, 2001

Clutchmates:

Hiza (Hiliza) and green Issryuith
Loe (Loren) and green Ayamizureth
Lorsalia and green Yajisarath
Chelle (Mechelle) and blue Rhajath
Cris (Cristen) and blue Qelketh
Kh'ryn (Khory) and blue Zylpheth
Reiko and blue Cerdith
Rianne (Marianne) and blue Kearneth
Khena (Kinecha) and brown Mneoth
K'nex (Kezenex) and brown Shirasuth
Pae (Phea) and brown Uzasnyth
T'am (Tamber) and bronze Farleth
X'ner (Xaner) and bronze Nezdarvyth

Also, after the insp. was done, Tatia and I talked and decided the Shirasuth was very much like 'Sydney' from The Pretender and then we came to the conclusion that K'nex was very much like Broots from that same show.