I'ril's Brown Jolth

Twilight's Dream Egg

Cobalt combs over this egg, dancing with streaks of violet and carmine and melding into a breathtaking twilight. Shadowy shapes and outlines can almost be made out, though the longer one studies it, the more it seems that objects lose their clarity in the descending dreamy dimness coating this squat egg. One white shape stands squarely out against the near-darkness, its spread wings representative of the light and ready to carry it aloft, heralding forth 'an aerial display by the firefly brigade' which swirls whimsically all about.

Egg Inspiration: "Twilight Time" by The Moody Blues

Twilight time, to dream awhile,
Unveils a deepening blue.
As fantasy strides, over colourfull skies,
The form disappearing from view.
In twilight time, dream with me awhile.
A nightingale plays a dark mellow phrase,
Of notes that are rich and so true.
An aerial display by the firefly brigade,
Dancing to tunes no one knew.

Hatching Message: Twilight's Dream Egg seems almost to bounce in its sandy cradle, lifting and resettling in several abrupt motions. After a few of these the cause becomes apparent - the infant dragon inside is bodily slamming himself against the inside of the shell's apex. The egg distorts with each shake until finally the top simply blows off, leaving the rest of the shards to fall away from a damp, startled-looking brown.

Brooding Blazed Brown

Sunset and flame blaze across the sleek hide of this young brown, fiery tones of red and sienna casting a warm, deep glow upon him from below. It is brightest over his wide, barrel chest and along the sinuous stretch of his tail, while smoke seems to wisp from those inner fires up onto darker neckridges and sooty wingsails. The curve of his neck and the play of muscle beneath his haunches holds the promise of later power to develop within this compact frame. Lithe limbs and long wings offer little opportunity for awkwardness, even in youth. Despite all this beauty, his most noticeable features are those which most lend him character: broad, long-toed paws tipped with pale, slender talons and large, protruding eyes that bug out from beneath smoky 'ridges.

Final Size: 30.5

Dragon Inspiration: "Piano Man" Billy Joel has produced an impressive library of popular music featuring piano and voice in a rock-and-roll context. Through his music, both in recording and in live performance, he has presented a seemingly very personal portrait of himself as man and performer. In the early years of his career he expressed stubborn, even fanatic opinions about himself and the world around him, touching on much of the culture in New York City, especially Long Island (where he grew up). His music was often powerful, his lyrics sometimes challenging or even belligerent. As he aged, his style mellowed; more of his inclinations for classical music began to come out in his piano lines and his lyrics began to reflect a more somber and reflective perspective on a life filled with curious and difficult romances, various personal challenges, global history and culture, and Joel's own child. Joel 'retired' from popular music in 1993 - or in any case, he put out his last all-new album at that time - but has continued to tour, often with Elton John, as well as writing and performing classical music. In the years since his 'retirement' he has devoted himself to various causes, including programs promoting music in education (an endowment fund in his name and Save The Music, among others).

Links: Billy Joel Biography, Billy Joel Gallery, Billy Joel Lyrics

Name: Jolth - You liked Jopth and you liked Molth. Jolth blends the two and hearkens to the sound of Billy Joel's last name. Neat, huh?

Mindvoice: Jolth's attention is deeply, almost painfully personal - as if everything he says, even the most careless metaphor, is private and important. The touch of his mind conveys his meaning with such simple precision that the art in his words and the detail in his imagery often slips by unnoticed. Blue and gray cloud his voice at times, ringing with haunting buoy bells. But when he's at his best - celebratory in the confirmation of his beliefs - he sounds like the burn of summer sun on the ocean, clarion clear and blinding in intensity.

Internal Impression Message: Suddenly, it all falls into place. You've been working at a few things that seemed important at the time - drying off, checking out your surroundings, making all of your feet (it seems like there's so many!) work as a team. But why you're here - it's been at the edge of your mind, something you can't quite grasp. Like an old uncle who's gotten up and gone to the kitchen, you knew you were looking for something, but you seemed to have forgotten just what. But with the slap of pain encroaching on the edge of your mind - /his/ pain - you're made aware. You've been looking for /him/, and there he is, and now all you need is to be with him. The ache of his injury is annoying now, certainly - but all that really matters is that you are together. You are his Iril and he is your Jolth. As this realization hits, so does everything else - his identity, his experience, his history. When the moment passes you're left reeling, in the proper number of feet, with the proper memories - and this new, amazing one to add to them, along with a burning fire in your stomach. << I am /so hungry/, >> your Jolth announces. Or was that you?

External Impression Message: Brooding Blazed Brown Hatchling startles and seems to focus on something, tipping his head up and to the side as if listening. Swiftly, he swaggers through the sand, tail describing a sinuous trail behind him. He veers toward a group of candidates, only to show off the gape of his maw in a huge yawn. Just as he's turning away, his jaw snaps shut, the clack of teeth meeting teeth echoing over the grounds. Sharply, he turns his head back toward one candidate in particular, one whose bloodied reflection whirls in the facets of hungry eyes.

Temperament

Weyrling:
This much can be said for those first days with Jolth: you'll know right away what people mean when they say someone's met their match. Sure, there's some smugness in that cliche, some comeuppance in the idea that finally there's someone who not just stands up to you but who also often wins the standoff. With the deep affection and respect that you share, both of you might find yourselves caving at times that surprise you. Of course, with Jolth there'll always be another round - and you get your share of wins too; he's not above listening when you have a good point to make, and in youth he'll be willing to let you prove him wrong. You're his elder, after all - and hungering for knowledge as he does, he's all too glad to learn from you. He's a forceful personality, an 'angry young man' with a lot to say and a lot to believe in, and it's the strength of his identity that, at first, made it so hard for you to separate your self from his.

Even so, he is stubborn. Aside from the bred-in obeisance to his queens, his will bends only to you - so if you want him to obey the Weyrlingmaster you'd better be prepared to repeat all of those instructions as if they're your own truest wish. He's not an intentional troublemaker, but he does like to do things his own way and he does prefer to reserve effort rather than expend it. There's more to this than simple slacking, however. Often, the core reason for his reluctance is a belief that the work itself is wrong or inefficient. He may have radical ideas about what you'll learn together and how it applies to the world you now live in - born to fight Thread, he excels at the skills required, but he's far too socially conscious to take that talent for granted. << How is any of this useful, >> he might complain in early days. As he matures, that refrain may change: << Can't this be used for something relevant? >> And when something relevant comes to mind, be sure he'll let you - and anyone else who will listen - know.

Adult:
As he matures, Jolth will mellow; the rough edges will turn smooth and his manner will eventually have a certain ironic polish to it. Self-aware to a fault, he may develop a somewhat self-effacing sense of humor, but is never above taking himself seriously to make a point. He'll learn how better to express his perspective, as well as gain a sense for the proper time and place. Eventually he'll begin to turn his natural skills in problem-solving to the tasks of a riding pair rather than the concerns of a youth rebelling against authority - this transition marks the beginning of his awareness that as a dragon and rider, in many ways you /are/ authority, and that with that honor comes responsibility. The social concerns he's held since hatchlinghood all come into focus at this time, and instead of complaining he realizes now the possibility of doing something about them.

He is absolutely talented at self-expression, and this will become all the more clear as he grows older and becomes more introspective. While he lacks the very human desire to fix his artwork in some permanent form, he can spend a whole afternoon perfecting an invented image in his mind, then convey it to you or another dragon in all its richness and emotional detail. Sometimes these meditative periods are deeply necessary, allowing him a little personal time among all of his very extroverted concerns about social issues. It can be tiring, being so aware - and for you, too, because it's you he'll come to when he decides that the laundresses have too much work on their shoulders or that the nannies need more help providing structure for the rowdy children they're tasked with caring for.

Flight:
Jolth will early on begin to show signs of a special appreciation for the female form. His own looks might not win admiration in like kind, but once in a while there's bound to be some green who finds his large eyes endearing or who just adores his rough-hewn rumble. Perhaps his outgoing, yet contemplative nature is attractive - or perhaps what it is about him that attracts these occasional ladies will always be a mystery.

When it comes time for a female to actually rise, whether or not she finds him comely is unlikely to be a matter of major concern for Jolth. Especially as a young dragon, he'll chase readily, without any special consideration for the difference between the tiny fleeting greens and the great soaring queens. In fact, in his first few flights he's quite likely to be too excited by the prospect of what's ahead to give any thought to technique; regardless of how she flies, he goes sailing after at full bore, putting his every ounce of energy into speed. With age and experience, however, he'll at least come to realize that to capture agile, tricksy greens he might wish to employ different techniques than he does when trying to outlast the lengthy, draining marathon of a gold.

Should he manage to complete one of those marathons as victor, he may be a bit surprised when you - or his new mate - reminds him that eggs will result, which he'll likely be expected to tend. Such things hardly come to mind in the heat of passion! But for the right gold, he'll be a doting father and companion while the clutch matures. For any female, queen or green, he might occasionally express this kind of devotion, but such pairings are not built to last. Usually he and his mates drift apart in time - if they aren't torn apart by the inevitable interruptions of flights and duty first.

Wing:
He has the potential to be every part your partner, assisting with work both political and practical. As long as he believes in what you're doing, the vast reserves of his creative energy are yours to tap for any meaningful project or assignment. Should you find yourselves reporting to a leading pair whose views contradict Jolth's, however, there's nothing but trouble ahead - he is confident enough to challenge leadership if he feels the topic is important, and he's not above performing at an absolute minimal level as a kind of protest if he's required to do work he feels is inappropriate, irrelevant or unjust. It is absolutely important to him to be working toward common goals, /good/ common goals, for the benefit of man- and dragonkind. But when the ends suit him, he has the means - all of the struggle you had with him in weyrlinghood pays off in a dragon who's utterly capable both in formation and on solo missions, who flies with agility and power in balance, who knows when to be subtle and when to play up strength.

In time, Jolth's strength of belief along with his problem-solving skills may make him capable of leadership among dragons. Should the pair of you be placed in a leadership post, you may find that he pushes you to meet his expectations - and to act upon his beliefs. He's no politician, but he's more than willing to work hard to effect change when he feels it's appropriate, and that includes trying to alter /your/ perspective. If you have power of any kind, you can expect that he'll be interested in using it to effect social change. Such focus extends to the region, even the world - but it starts close to home, where he's the one who'll be worried about the health of his older wingmates, the one pushing for new exercise and health programs to keep old dragons (and riders) limber and fit.

Credits:

Egg: T'bay
Description: V'lano
Hatchling: V'lano
Puppeteer: Gerand