T'jek! We're so happy to be impressing you to your Zieuxth! With any luck, we took what you wanted and crafted it together with the clutch theme to give you something that you'll truly enjoy! We wish you and your new buddy here all of the best. GOOD LUCK!

No, I Don't Need Any Help Egg

Oh, this egg. It's a dizzying array of lines on top of other lines, some intersecting while others run parallel. Red, green, yellow, blue. What do all of these lines mean? There are even snatches of numbers and words but they don't mean anything at all. And if you go around to the other side of the egg, it makes even less sense if that's possible. At the end you're left with a feeling of utter frustration. You're not sure what to make of this thing, but you know one thing for sure, you're not going to ask any questions about it. Because you got this, you're going to figure this thing out. All on your own. Without any help at all.

This egg was one that you didn't touch, T'jek. But that doesn't meant that Zieuxth wasn't in there, taking stock of you from across the sands. Your heart of gold brown could sense you, even if you weren't aware of it. It's not surprising at all that he was able to find you once he broke free of the shell.

Hatching Message

No, I Don't Need Any Help Egg still does not require assistance, thank you! I mean, it's just that all these lines, and the numbers, and ugh. Words. It's just… it's so frustrating! In fact, it makes the little hatchling inside just hopping mad that it can't figure this out all by itself! It WILL SUCCEED. For glory, and righteousness, and SOOOOOUUUUTHERRRRRRRRN! *crack* Yes!!! Success. Flung right out of the shell on a wave of victory is Baron of the Silver Skies Brown Hatchling.

Baron of the Silver Skies Brown Zieuxth

Untamed, deadly and beautiful. Pale shades of burnt sepia spill down from head to length of long, whipcord tail, accentuating the graceful lines of the curve of his neck and the sleek formation of a narrow body. A devilish temperament lurks in the long, angular face where a blunted snout draws the eye to overgrown top and bottom fangs. In between the vintage photograph coloring are allusions to deeper, more complex hues. A dark star and snip of amber is situated high on his handsome forehead and a dappling of rust covers the flanks of his belly. A fierce, nearly wild countenance holds sway over sharp, dangerous eyeridges and along the jagged edge of riveting neckridges. Not as broad as some, his wings are tight and sturdy with copper striations over tawny sails tipped with deadly hooked pinions. He's muscular, yet sleek with strong powerful legs smattered by speckles of mud and clay leading down to painfully sharp ebony talons.

Public Impression Pose

Baron of The Silver Skies Brown Dragonet suddenly perks up, his head twisting around as he directs a sharp gaze onto someone across the sands. Finally. There's an exuberance that fills his body and propels him forward, a definite spring in his step. He was about to go back to that trio of screaming girls, but now he knows that's not where he's suppposed to be. He's moving so quickly that for a second he almost looks graceful. Until he trips again and ends up in a mess of long, tangled limbs. But he made it to his destination, with big adoring eyes he touches his snout to the knees of one tall, pretty good looking guy.

Private Impression Message

A crackling, snapping, mechanical noise pulls you away from the sands. Faint at first, garbled and distant. It slowly grows, another unfamiliar noise struggling to reach you between all the interference and the wind roaring in your ears: dot-dot-dot daaash-daaash-daaash dot-dot-dot. And as you struggle to comprehend why it seems so urgent, the sensation of being hauled off your feet, whipped up into the air and settled into a seat takes away all semblance of normalcy of your former life. « ROGER.. I .. HIM. We… mission… T'jek. Call me Zieuxth, I… partner. » You can't hear every word as it's cut off. But you know one thing. You've suddenly got a mission, and a partner for life.

Egg Inspiration

Back in the day we didn't have GPS. We had a map or a road atlas or whatever or just directions written on a piece of paper. Your dad would be driving and damnit, he is NOT stopping to ask for directions.

Theme Inspiration

Hi T'jek! You gave us a lot to work with in your applications! The overall clutch theme was vacation destinations. We weren't quite sure what Zieuxth's should be at first when comparing all of the things you liked. Ultimately we settled for WW1 New York City. It wasn't the tourist trap then that it is now, but it still was a major port in the world and in the U.S. What really sold us on it was that Man O'War ran races at Belmont and Saratoga. While those aren't in the city, they are in the state of New York itself. And look, I'm from New York. We love us some OTB and horse races. Just saying. ;)

More seriously Eddie Rikenbaker chose to live for many years in NYC as well. On top of that, it was a huge mecca of activity during that time period. So while it may not be as prevalent in your dragon as the others, we tried to sprinkle it in there and use the time period as an overall influence in our writing.

You'll see black and white photo influences, specifically that unique light shade of brown they sometimes take on, in your desc itself:

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His mindvoice also directly borrows from things that were more commonplace during that time period. The part that I (Clementine speaking!) enjoyed the most was Keelie's use of the sports broadcaster over the radio. It's what I often think of when I imagine old baseball games being announced over a scratchy radio.

The first half of your dragon personality comes from Man O'War, the spirited sometimes temperamental racehorse. As he ages, he'll take on more of Rickenbaker's innovation, bravery and drive for success that he worked at his entire life. And of course, the planes. There's definitely some WW1 fighter plane worked into your brown.

And maybe you noticed from his description itself that they're in there too. Man O'Wars graceful yet powerful body (as well as a little fieriness from his spirit) as well as the shorter wings of that style airplane.

All in all, we hope that you enjoy your boy as much as we enjoyed writing him. He was a blast for all of us. As you can tell by just how many people in SearchCo worked on him. :D

Description Inspiration

Again you gave us ample material to work with. To begin, let's cover the range of colors that make up Zieuxth:

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He's paler brown, his range more in the washed out sepia tones you might find in old photographs.

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Does that star and snip up there look familiar, or no?

And of course, as we're sure you may have noticed, there are some definite Man O'War influences in his physical make up. Star and snip on the face and a spattering of the mud he must have had on his legs after racing. Zieuxth is muscular and sleek. An attempt at incorporating the more fierce aspects of his personality were attempted, just to give him a bit more character.

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The above is an Aeromarine 39, the kind of plane they flew during WW1. They're not so much with the big sweeping wings and neither is your Zieuxth. His are shorter, but not stumpy. They're going to be aerodynamic enough to get him up in the air and flying more than adequately as you'll soon see.

Name Inspiration

Zieuxth (From Puzieux - a place of one of Rickenbaker's air victories) - This name came to us pretty quickly! We wanted to give you something that fit in with WW1 and went to a list of locations where Rickenbaker fought! Arianne came up with this one.

  • Arianne: I say it Zee-uth. Because I like to do shit differently. XD
  • Clementine: I say it Zie-yuth, because I never know what to do with an X. :D
  • Keelie: Zee-oo-th, Zie-yuth
  • K'lir: I never know what to do with an X at the end of -ieu either. So I went to the online French pronunciation site and it said yee-uh. Therefore, I'd say Zieuxth as Zee-yuh-th.

You wanted a pronounceable name, so we present you with four different pronunciations. :D

Mindvoice

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Sepia colors Zieuxth's mindscape, like an antique photograph lit from behind.

You will find the images of Zieuxth's mindlink are beautiful and sepia-toned, like a slow-moving memory: his own brand of antique photographs. (I could use a Harry Potter reference here, but not gonna, because it's so much more prettier than those moving newspaper clippings from the Daily Prophet.) There is a brightness to the highlights, giving them a surreal kind of beauty, as if they were set on a light table. If the radio static inside his mind is strong (you'll learn more about that in a moment), especially in the beginning when you are learning together, the edges will vibrate, making them difficult to discern.

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They are accompanied by the faint scent of off-the-press-newsprint and fresh ink.

Never fear T'jek, Zieuxth can do full-color as well, so you two will be able to between without a hitch, but he has to work at it. It will require practice and focus to get the 'inks' just right.

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WW1 aircraft war radio.

On to that static we talked about…

It will begin as a crackle, a sudden hum that overtones his connection with you, like an old war radio or the whirr of a record player. The pop of changing dials can be heard right before and after he speaks, and the white noise varies during the duration of your connection. Sometimes it's so faint, you can hardly hear it. Other times, it makes his words difficult to discern, and you will have to ask him to repeat himself.

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An old radio. The design and lines are a bit like Zieuxth.

At the start, when he is a young colt dragon, sometimes the static will be so strong it will be difficult to understand him. Charades might become a thing, if the two of you are up for it. But don't worry, as he ages, he will get better at 'fixing the dials' so to speak.

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Telegraph machine.

Intermingled with the static, we are sorry-not-sorry, to say, there is occasionally the unmistakable tapping of morse code. This tends to play behind some of his more urgent messages. For example, after an engaging flight at a visiting weyr, should the previously-unmentioned weyrmate be arriving home, he will not hesitate to send you an S-O-S. He will also weave this tapping code into his exchanges with other dragons, especially if his static is running high.

His voice is as rich and mesmerizing as warm butterscotch pudding. Usually he plays it no mind… until he is bored. Then you are in for a treat. You know those times he sits up on the highest ledges, just watching, waiting to see if anything happens, if anyone is in need of his aide? Or those long sweeps you two are sure to go on, once you join a wing? Should he (or you) ever become bored, this is when he will quietly announce to you the things that are going on in his sports-caster radio announcer voice.

Maybe there's a firelizard flight going on. If he's bored enough, he'll take a feather from your racing runner history cap and give each of those firelizards (not very creative) names… and send you the play-by-play.

Blue firefly bypasses brown biscuit, tipping his wing.

Hopefully you won't mind this too much. It isn't like he's going to do it a lot, as he'll want to be part of the action! Yet in weyrlinghood, when they are first learning to fly, and he is forced to wait impatiently it might go like this:

Blue comet (that's Nealdrith) takes to the sky. He shoots easily past brown rock (that's Ohanaveth), and he wins!

Wins what, he isn't sure. But his voice sure sounds cool. Provided the static doesn't break things up. Then it's more like:

Blue … to… sky… shoots … wins!

Did blue win? T'jek, if you're not right there (although you probably are during weyrlinghood) you MAY NEVER KNOW. Have fun with those dragon mutters statics before he learns how to control them!

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His anger begins like an airplane sounding overhead…

When his anger begins to brew, you will feel it in your body, like the calm before the storm. Remember the eerie quiet before those dust storms back at Igen? Like that. Then the sound of a WW1 airplane, could it be a SPAD S.XIII?, zooms overhead. When he's a baby, there is another sound, like the roaring of a baby lion, not too menacing… but look out! When fully grown, that sound grows too, and becomes more like the BOOM of a T-Rex. Enough to leave your ears ringing!

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The trumpet.

Sorry not sorry T'jek, but some mornings you are going to get the wake-up call of your life. You know that famous rise-and-shine trumpet call? Well, you are going to sleep in one day during weyrlinghood and Zieuxth is going to USE IT TO WAKE YOU UP. The first time it happens, you may wonder if it's J'rlen playing a prank on you. No, No. It's your dragon.

But Zieuxth's fondness for this particular instrument it isn't always unpleasant. He's going to use the cavalry charge before threadfall, to get you motivated! And when he's happiest, the faint sound of piano, trumpets and drums will accompany your mindlink too, just in the background, like a swing band is playing in a nearby club. At first you may wonder if you're hearing things, if someone is playing music. Again… did J'rlen take up the saxophone? No, it's just Zieuxth. Toe-tapping swing is his particular favourite, and you will hear it often. At this time a hint of pipe smoke will waft into the off-the-press newspapers… with maybe just a hint of whiskey.

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Memories from a lifetime ago.

As your bond grows, so he will begin to borrow images from your past, using his trademark Zieuxth sepia filter over them. Should you decide to work on trying to remember your memories and work on your amnesia, he will eventually be able to show you moments frozen in time that you have forgotten. Always there is a smell of pipe smoke about them, but unlike when he's happy, it is overpowering. The edges of the memories are burned, and it may sting your eyes to see them, but with enough work, if you squint at them long enough, hopefully things will return to you.

Physicalities

When Zieuxth first hatches from the egg, one of the things you're sure to notice is that he's all coltish leg and tail. He's quite uncoordinated for the first few weeks until he gets a better grip on how to move his extremities. You'll find that he'll stumble and fall, requiring you to get down on his level and untangle those long legs of his! In this, you and Iska will find a common ground, the two of you setting your lifemates to rights more often than the rest of your class.

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But where he differs from his blue brother is that Zieuxth is cute. He's like Ohanaveth in that there's something very 'baby' about him for quite awhile. His hide is soft, his eyes big and doe like. He won't take on that more fierce appearance until later on in weyrlinghood when he hits his 'teenage' phase and then matures into adulthood.

He grows evenly throughout your time in the barracks until he inevitably hits his full size, a solid 62 feet. More or less, there's the occasional growth spurt. During that time you'll discover that those long legs of his are one of the worst places to have to oil. Because it's never enough. They're always itchy and they always seem to be losing flakes of skin. It's going to be a frustrating affair. Added to that, he's going to experience some growing pains in his dragon equivalent of shins. It will bother him particularly at night and you may end up obtaining a jar of numbweed from the dragonhealers to help alleviate his discomfort.

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Nail file anyone?

Another point of frustration will be how sharp his talons are. They're ridiculous. This will be less of a problem later on once he's regularly landing and taking off from a variety of surfaces. But initially you should be careful not to let him hook you with one of those things (or one of your clutchmates accidentally, sorry guys). While you're down getting numbweed for his shin splints, you might want to get a nail file too!

He's excitable as a younger weyrling too, always taking off and moving around. You're going to have your hands full with him until he settles down. There will be days you wish he was as laidback and relaxed as some of his clutchmates seem to be!

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That darker spot on his head, the one just between his eyes is his absolute favorite place to be scratched and rubbed. When he's just a hatchling, this might even put him to sleep if he has a full belly and is just on the cusp. But even for the rest of his long life, if he's having a particularly rough day and needs a little comfort, you'll find that paying some extra affection to that spot will have his stress levels going way down.

It could be said every dragon loves to fly. It's just something inherent in their nature, yeah? Zieuxth takes it to the extreme. He'll be one of the ones chomping at the bit (don't mind that pun) to get off of the ground and into the skies. Once he's gotten up there, it's like he's found himself a second home. You might have been worried that his shorter wings would hamper him terribly, but they don't. If anything they give him an edge on flying more dynamically and with greater agility. The downside of course is that despite being a larger brown, he doesn't have quite the endurance of some of the others his size. As you grow together you'll learn to make use of your advantages and minimize the shortcomings.

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He's not any more or less graceful than the rest of his siblings. They're all kind of bad at this flying with a passenger thing at first. Landings will be rough, but you'll overcome them. We hope that you're prepared to make some really extra strong riding straps because you're going to need them. Zieuxth is going to take you on a ride T''jek. So get strapped in and be ready for loops and figure eights and all of that exciting stuff.

When he hatched, he was an awkward if adorable dragonet. As an adult he's something a bit more fearsome. His muscles will fill in, the lines and contours of his body will harden and you'll be left with a mean thread fighting machine. One day towards the end of weyrlinghood, you'll turn around and notice that at some point he grew up. He's not a baby anymore. Sniff.

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When I look up and see the sun shining on the patch of white clouds up in the blue, I begin to think how it would feel to be up somewhere above it winging swiftly through the clear air, watching the earth below, and the men on it, no bigger than ants.
~ Eddie Rickenbaker

When he's not zipping around the skies of Southern for his own entertainment and joy, he's perched at the Star Stones, watching the comings and goings of the weyr. Keeping an intense, watchful eye on the rest of the weyr. He sits there as a silent guardian, not engaging in a tremendous amount of small talk with his fellow dragons, likely a trait he gained from his grandsire Denivoth. His interest in the people themselves is minimal, his attention is in the large sweeping details. Do things look calm? Is anything different now than it was before? While he might not be able to relay gossip (because he didn't think it was very important so he tuned it out) he'll be one of the first to notice any big changes. Fight in the bowl? Tithe train arriving late, things like that.

Now.

We've covered a lot. We've covered that he's sleek and he's aerodynamic. You'll never have quite the same oiling job as some of the others in his color class because he's built for flying. However, it is not all fun and games and awesome sport (well it is, but). Yes, he is amazing in the air, but there are some serious drawbacks.

What are they?

WELL. Glad you asked. For one, he is noisy as fuck once he's in the air. That first flight? You might just crash land because you'll be SO DISTRACTED by the roar of the air over his sleeker form and by the way his entire body VIBRATES once he's achieved elevation. You might question what the hell is going on, but soon you'll realize that it's just the way he's built. For some reason his wings - strong and fine, perfect really - cause an overall vibration that ripples through his body.

Zieuxth? LOVES it. Because it's the way it's meant to be, see. You? Well you'd better not be someone who gets airsick or just keep a bag handy. Especially for any passengers who are of a delicate stomach-variety.

Now, the second problem with his very aeroplane-ish shape - too bad Pern doesn't really have such things, because it would be a helluva lot easier to understand - is this leads to shorter neckridges. They stand out quite like jagged rivets, but they're short. So short, in fact, that this can cause some seating problems. Along the length of his neck, higher up, they're bigger, but just before the point where straps wrap around the body, they've practically petered out. Not entirely see, but enough that straps will be an… interesting endeavor to undertake. You'll have to do some problem solving to get the straps to stay.

It's entirely possible that your first ride on Zieuxth will end with you ass over end in the dirt when the straps slip and you lose your grip. Good thing you're on the ground! And the fall is relatively short!

As he grows, some of this will get better, but if you ever are in the business of having passengers… well. You'll need to get creative. Make no mistake, Zieuxth will have some thoughts on this.

"It's not working."

That's because you're using the wrong straps.

"I'm not. This is the same thing everyone else uses!"

Well. We're different.

Eventually you'll overcome this. Maybe you'll find ways to bolster the shorter neckridges with caps on them. Or maybe you'll find different ways to strap your straps. Either way, between the noise and vibration and the straps issue - he is an interesting cross between AMAZING in the skies and OMG WHAT IS HAPPENING in the skies.

But you're okay with that right? You don't mind a few bumps and bruises right?

We hope you don't, because Zieuxth is absolutely going to take you on a wild fucking ride.

SO YOU BETTER BE READY.

Personality

When he's initially hatched, there's no greater person in this world than you to him, T'jek. He stares at you with absolute adoration. You provide the food, the oil for his itchy hide. You untangle his legs when he stumbles and falls. Zieuxth loves you completely from the bottom of his great big giant heart. And underneath it all, that's never going to change. But there are going to be moments over the next turn that you might question it, he's going to push you to the end of your limits.

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When he phases out of being a cute, cuddly young dragon and moves into the 'teenager' portion of weyrlinghood, you're going to wish that you were allowed to take a drink. While he listens to the weyrlingmasters well enough, even the prickly Denivoth, he's going to be difficult with you. It's hard to tell at first where this pushback is coming from, because his bond to you means everything to him. It's complete, total and all consuming beyond anything else.

But there's rebellion, there's a fight against you as his rider. Zieuxth is bound and determined to be the master of his own destiny.

You are not the boss of me, T'jek.

Any suggestion from you that you're the one in charge, that you unilaterally call the shots will result in an immediate retaliation. Ordered him to take off? Informed him dinner was over now and not in five minutes? Pulled a 'because I said so Zieuxth'?

No.

He'll refuse to lift off from the ground. He'll rip off another hunk of meat. He'll do the opposite of what you demanded he do.

Now we can go.

I'll fight like a wildcat until they nail the lid of my pine box down on me.
~ Eddie Rickenbacker

But if you can get past this period in his life, you can get through just about anything else. And you will get through it. There will be lumps and bumps and no shortage of bruises, both physically and psychologically along the way. What he wants is a partner, he wants someone that's going to collaborate with him and eventually the two of you will fall into a groove together. But it's going to take a lot of blood sweat and tears along the way. And you're going to find that it'll take some bending on your part as well. Because Zieuxth is a dragon, a living and very intelligent being. Not one of the runners from your past life. Also it's going to help that he'll inevitably mature, he'll grow into an adult dragon and that will smooth out some of the rough edges.

His devotion to his clutchmates is going to be deep, ties that won't break just because of distance. While some of them may move on and forget about their siblings (dragons aren't known for their great memories most of the time), he'll remember the attachment. Even if they're not specific points in time, he's got an emotional bond there with them regardless. That sentiment won't always be reciprocated but some like Ohanaveth might appreciate his long term remembrance of them. Beyond weyrlinghood you may find that he takes to the company of them as opposed to some other random dragons that are hanging around the bowl.

And while the two of you develop a stronger, more intense bond as he matures, he'll begin to notice that there are patches of your memory missing. This is going to confuse him, your amnesia, particularly the empty space that's where Tobin would be. His brothers and sisters mean so much to him and that you might have the memories of one, locked up somewhere in your mind is going to frustrate and intrigue him. Expect Zieuxth to poke and prod at this possibly sore point. Maybe he'll peel a couple of layers off of that onion or maybe you'll put your foot down and make him stop digging. Just don't be surprised when he has questions about your life before him. Because he's going to be most interested.

Zieuxth is intelligent in a way that wouldn't exactly be classified as booksmart. He's not going to suggest that you sit around and read every book, study every chart or memorize all the lord and lady holders across Pern. He's going to want to learn by doing. You'll figure out those formations so much better by doing them as opposed to sitting and staring at some glorified dance chart. So expect to spend a lot of time outdoors with him, working on the how-to's of whatever lesson you're focused on.

The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Individuality and Independence.
~ Eddie Rickenbacker

He wants to be the best wingrider that the two of you can be. That doesn't end with just learning the requisite wing formations. He's going to want to take an active part in shaping your training. Because that training belongs to the both of you. Your Zieuxth has quite the eye for innovation and for recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of others in the air. It might surprise you when he comes up with some insight on how to fly better or to work in tandem with your wingmates. This is going to work out well for the pair of you if you find yourselves in a good relationship with your wingleader. He wants to be an asset, T'jek.

But his ideas won't be perfect every time. There are going to be days that his best isn't enough and his experiments won't work out well. There's going to be a sorrow in him then and he'll retreat back into himself. It'll be your job then to coax him out and remind him that not //everything/ can be a success. You'll have your ups and downs, the both of you.

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His dedication to his weyr is complete. This dragon is Southern all the way down to the tips of his talons and he'll never let anyone forget it. He's going to be suspicious of foreign dragons popping in around the time that Southern's golds are due to rise. And he's going to be steadfast in his resolve to fight thread, to burn it right down to the very last burrow in the ground. Like his overall clutch theme tie-in, NYC, he understands that thread is a threat that must be faced. And that there will be necessary sacrifices made to defeat the enemy. Lives will be lost, but Zieuxth is pragmatic about it.

If we did not fight, even more lives would be lost.

There is a peculiar gratification in receiving congratulations from one's squadron for a victory in the air. It is worth more to a pilot than the applause of the whole outside world.
~ Eddie Rickenbacker

While some of his clutchmates might not be too particular about what wing they go into or even what happens afterwards? Forget about that with him. He's going to have very/ strong opinions on what wing you're placed in. And as a brown, you've got a lot of options open to you. Ocelot's S&R efforts interest him, Lynx's extracurriculars pique his curiosity, he loves Serval's heart and there's something flattering about being tapped into Jaguar. The //Weyrleader's wing. Ultimately the wing is going to choose you. But that doesn't mean he's not going to spend way too much time analyzing where your strengths and weaknesses would best come into play.

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As an adult dragon he'll display just as much spirit as he did during weyrlinghood. But it's going to be tempered with the patience that comes with age and the two of you will have better developed your bond into a working relationship, an equal partnership. He remains brash and occasionally rough around the edges but it's good natured, ultimately He doesn't have a mean streak running through him. But he too enjoys a good joke, like so many of his clutchmates.

Life isn't all about fighting thread and being his best self, however. While everyone else is complaining about how hot Southern is during the summer? Zieuxth rather likes it. Summer means days laying out by the beach, watching people have cookouts and bonfires. And he rather likes it that the harpers and common musicians perform outdoors more often than not in the evening. He and Tyluveth will share a mutual appreciation for the fine arts, and you may notice them people watching together from time to time. He believes that all of that hard work you put in during drills, sweeps and fighting thread means you get to enjoy these happy moments when everything is at rest.

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While having a traditional family like a wife and kids is tricky for most riders if not impossible, that doesn't mean that he thinks you should forfeit the idea entirely. Some people manage to make the family thing work. So it's possible you're going to experience little nudges from him.

Come on, T'jek. Talk t' her. Won't kill ya.

He'll have opinions on the women in your life. Plenty of opinions. While you might think that the prettiest girl in the room is the one that deserves your attention, your dragon might have other ideas. What about the bright dragonhealer's assistant? She might be a little plain, but smarts count for something, right?

Zieuxth is going to push you, T'jek. He's going to challenge you everyday to be your best so that he can be his best. But at the end of the day? He's your lifemate. That same love and adoration he had for you when he hatched is going to remain for the rest of your lives together. Take heart in that if you take heart in nothing else.

Flights

Flights are going to be another point where you won't get what you want. When Man 'O War was on the track, he just knew he wasn't going to be beaten. So too will Zieuxth approach flights — whether green or gold. Unfortunately for you both, he will lose much more often than the proud stallion he was modeled upon; after all, Man 'O War only raced for 2 years! We definitely plan on you having your Zieuxth much longer than that.

During those flights you might find yourself a little off-kilter since at the beginning there is near total silence, just the hint of a hum in the back of your head as anticipation builds. The roar of the crowd silenced and waiting with held breath for the starting gun of the big race. Then, they're off! Now is when you hear the roar though you're not sure where it's coming from. Is it from the many tiered stands within Zieuxth's mindscape? Or is it all around you as Captain Rickenbacker's Neiuport 28 or SPAD 8 streaks in, guns blazing? This is probably one of the few times Zieuxth is likely to take a swipe at another dragon. That can be forgiven, right? When he feels the catch is close the sharp stacatto or crackling static will intensify until success or defeat is accomplished.

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When he does lose a race … er, flight, you will hear that terrible static almost constantly in your head. It will be intense enough that you want to plug your ears but — that just won't help. You might hear garbled words through that static but it will be quite difficult to make out exactly what (or who) he's fuming about, you'll just want it to stop so you do anything you can think of to placate your ego-bruised brown wherever he has gone to sulk.

When he wins, however, you will hear the cheers as he dances with his belle-of-the-ball into the winner's circle to be garlanded with roses about his neck. The scent of bourbon and mint will waft on the breeze though it's all in your mind and the soft sound of WWI era love-songs sounding a bit tinny through that antique radio of Zieuxth's mind.

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When it come to winning a gold flight and the impending challenges of dragon fatherhood Zieuxth is largely unconcerned. It's not because he doesn't care about his prodigy, he mostly definitely does. But he doesn't stress about the subject either, he won't overly cling to the mother. He's an attentive mate to the gold out on the sands and will be a steadfast companion until the eggs break shell. How he behaves once they're off on the sands really depends on them. If his children are the sentimental sort, he's glad to indulge them but if they're not? He doesn't lose a lot of sleep over it.

Win or lose, Zieuxth's heart will always turn back to you, T'jek. Because you are the one he truly lives for.

Thread

Man 'O War won 20 of the 21 races he ran between 1919 and 1920. Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker had 26 confirmed kills during his WWI career. What do these two have in common? When the enemy was confronted, they overcame all obstacles in their path to reach victory.

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This is Zieuxth when it comes to Thread. He is a sleek racer, quick on the wing and acrobatically inclined. Perhaps he'd do well in Serval? When the wings array themselves to take on their ancient foe he will practically vibrate with energy, perhaps as much as the SPAD 8 did when Rickenbacker was getting ready for take-off. Once you are on the wing, his mind is focused on his task and will be evidenced by the softening of that interfering static in his mindtone. His words will be crisp and decisive and he will expect yours to be as well so that you two can work as a well oiled machine should.

Despite his focus and determination to 'win', there will come a time when you or your brown lifemate are scored. There will be an immediate squelch through that intercom between you two, swiftly cut off as Zieuxth skips between. It will be entirely up to you, T'jek, to be sure that you two can continue to fly because Zieuxth will become single-minded in his task and ignore injuries.

Once the race is run — or in your case, the Fall has ended — and he can return home, then will injuries be felt and tended. Losses mourned and hurts healed. Until the next time.

Flavor

Your song. More like songs:

I tried really hard to pick ONE that I liked. But I kind of felt like… this dragon was encompassed by more than just one. So I'm giving the playlist I found and it's what I listened to when I was writing your Zieuxth. ENJOY. :)

T'JEK! While we hope that we've hit all the high points, we understand that there may be things you want to change. And you should feel totally one hundred percent free to do so. These are all just suggestions and ideas. Please enjoy him! :)

Credits

Name: Arianne
Egg Desc: Clementine
Dragonet Desc: Clementine, Sa'mael
Messages: Arianne
Puppeteer: Clementine
Inspiration: Arianne, Clementine, Keelie, K'lir, Sa'mael

Clutchmates:
T'obi's (Talobi) Frosted Feldspar Bronze Tenayth
A'hali's (Halkarie) Sacred Mauna Kea Brown Ohanaveth
Iska's (Kasavi) Li Grand Zombie Blue Tyluveth
J'rlen's (Jorlen) Celestial Canopy Blue Nealdrith
N'dric's (Nedric) Delightfully Candy-Bright Green Caroseth

Harper's Tale's 74th PC Clutch
Southern Weyr's 5th PC Clutch
Clementine's gold Nemekhath and D'cen's bronze Raxsonath
23 June 2016