Summary

By now, you are adjusting to the requirements of dragon care and the constant mental presence of your lifemate. The mind link should be becoming a bit more normal to you now; you will be getting used to recognising which thoughts and sensations are your dragon’s rather than your own. The weyrlingmasters will be running you and your lifemate through exercises to help strengthen the link. These will include things like communicating to your dragon non-verbally (until now, most of you probably will have been speaking to them out loud), and having your dragon relay messages from another rider to you (by communicating with the other rider's dragon). However, it's understood that you will all progress at your own rate; some of you may be ahead or behind the majority of the class – it’s all good. You may also find that your lifemate is starting to assert himself forcefully, or become aware of communication difficulties. You’re expected to tell your weyrlingmasters about any problems: hiding it only lets problematic patterns become established. Between them, the weyrlingmasters have a lot of experience, and AWLM S'nar (NPC) specialises in this area.

As far as you're able, the Weyrlingmasters will try to get you started on some regular exercise this week.

You are still limited in what you can do.

  • You are totally responsible for feeding, bathing and oiling your dragon and cleaning their couch when they soil it. By the end of this week, they may be able to get as far as the midden piles in the bowl, in which case you may start training them to ‘go’ there – but it'll be a while before you're past the couch-mucking stage.
  • During the course of this week, you will start to be able to leave your dragons behind in the barracks for a short while, but you need permission from a weyrlingmaster to do this, which they'll only give once the dragon seems ready. (NPCs are available!)
  • Your food is still being brought to you in the barracks, but by the end of this week most of you will be able to get as far as the living caverns for a meal.
  • Limited chores around the barracks begin during this week.

RP Suggestions

  • Feeding, cleaning, bathing, oiling your dragon. Your lifemate is still the first priority — they are still babies with the associated concerns!
  • Continue getting to know your clutchmates and their dragons.
  • Adjust to sharing your mind. Talk to older riders and your clutchmates about the experience.
  • By now, you may be exhausted, especially if your dragon is one who gives you disturbed nights. Talk about how you feel, or seek solutions.
  • Chores begin. Support from the weyrfolk is gradually withdrawn during this week, and the class starts to take on responsibility for their living quarters: you'll have duties some days beyond keeping the area round your own cot and couch clean: cleaning meat bins, gathering laundry, filling water barrels, sweeping, mopping etc.
  • Explore a little further afield with your lifemate, and share their discoveries.
  • Start to encounter more people outside your class: you may have enough headspace for conversations by now. Or you may not.
  • First meal in the LC without your dragon (end of the week). Do you get to eat it before he/she needs you?

Milestones

  • Chores begin! Get used to 'em.
  • Leaving your dragon behind for the first time

Restrictions

  • No high emotion.
  • No sexual relationships.
  • No drinking.
  • Only weyrling staff, weyr leadership, and those with specific permission (e.g to teach a class, or dragonhealers) may enter the barracks.
  • Uniform of green and black to be worn at all times.
  • You can now leave your dragon for a short while (with permission), but must be able to get back to them quickly: no solo excursions to the beach!

Although the vast majority of your time should still be spent with your dragon, by the end of this week you will probably be able to go for brief visits into the caverns for a bite to eat or a bath. Remember, though, that if your dragon becomes panicked or worried, it's your duty to come right back out and see to them. No klah-sipping just yet.

WLM Guide

Some more formal classes start this week, but the focus continues to be on the new dragonpairs and their adjustment to their life together. RP with weyrlings about their individual mindlinks; give simple exercises; supervise dragon play and exploration. You could try some PT for the riders - but nothing that will take them away from their dragons.

Possible mindlink exercises:

  • Question and answer (Weyrling A gets their dragon to ask Weyrling B's dragon a question which B will answer and return the answer to A);
  • Message passing in teams - you could play ‘Bitran Whispers’ (‘Chinese Whispers’ / ‘telephone’ Pern style!), with the weyrlings arranged Rider, dragon, dragon, rider etc.
  • Tray game. Two dragonpairs work together. Each human has a tray and a sack of about 20 small objects: the two sacks should have the same contents. The two pairs separate so they can't see each other's trays. Rider A places one object on their tray, then tells Dragon A what it is. Dragon A tells Dragon B, who tells Rider B - who places the identical object on their tray. Then it's B's turn to choose. After a few turns, the trays should have the same objects on.

When running exercises:

  • The weyrlingmaster's job is to make sure that the exercises are understood before they begin. Make sure that everyone knows what's happening OOCly before proceeding ICly, so that all players involved can participate fully.
  • If you can come up with more exercises than those listed above, great! Just keep in mind that the dragons are only a month old at the start of the week, and even some of the stuff listed above will be pretty difficult; they probably aren't going to be playing mental chess with their riders just yet. Some simpler exercises than those listed above might be even better, and feel free to stick them up on the wiki.

There is always at least one Weyrlingmaster on duty in the barracks or training ground at this stage. Feel free to bring the NPC AWLMs into your classes.