An average girl born to an average family and given an average upbringing: Ghaliya was born in the Fort Hold region to simple cotholders who had one other child. It was this simple upbringing that gave the girl an appreciation of beautiful things, from the clothes the more prosperous holders' children wore to the way the sun painted the sky with colors as it set. She was a sweet child, quirky still, despite the ambitions that started to show themselves as she grew. And it was her mother's necessity-created hobbies of mending clothing and knitting that drew her first to the weaving craft.

Over the turns, she grew her appreciation of beautiful things into beautifully knit fabrics, detail-oriented embroidered items, and the occasional hand-sewn garment. She was an easy recommendation for the weavercraft, and at fourteen was whisked away to Southern Boll to the Hall to attend to her apprenticeship. Now, three turns later, she has been posted to Fort Weyr to further her apprenticeship and a new adventure begins.

Powder-soft blues encompass the expanse of this dragon's hide, the pastel hues creating the illusion that he is a being crafted solely of spun sugar and built to delight. As if sprinkled by the hand of a master confectioner, hints of deeper, robin's egg blue adorn slender head knobs and accentuate the slopes of iced neckridges. A roundness of feature and form lends a subtle sweetness and sense of whimsical youthfulness to the blunt snout, his gentle curves and almost 'chubby' cheeks. In contrast, his lines are lissome and long, the soft blue of his hide gradually fading to a near-suggestion of shade along his limbs and the length of his somewhat-shortened tail. His wings are long and tapered, composed of translucent blue 'sails that almost sparkle invitingly as if they were masterfully dusted just-so with the finest of candy-crystals.

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Enchantingly Exquisite Effervescence Egg

This rounded, densely compacted egg could still win the prize for being the most impossibly fluffy looking — if an egg could ever be textured as such. Pale hints of off-white are captured in cumulus-like sweetness, while subtle touches of bluish grey lend the puffs an illusionary, airy form. This is broken only by a thin, lightly browned crust where shell and sand meet. It doesn’t fail to give it an insubstantial look and the impression that it could float away with a strong enough breeze! Perhaps that is why it is partially buried?

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Hatching Messages

Wobble Message
Enchantingly Exquisite Effervescence Egg quivers gently, the fluffy looking shell shivering with a sweetly shy shudder. It is a subtle shimmy, something soft and serpentine enough to go unnoticed if one were not studiously staring at the sugar-coated shell.

Crack Message
Enchantingly Exquisite Effervescence Egg seems to realize it is falling behind, and gives a little rock and a little roll. This serves to send it shifting to its side in shimmering sands. Shuddering movements shake the shell, creating carefree spider-fine cracks that creep along the cumulus curves.

Hatch Message
Enchantingly Exquisite Effervescence Egg cannot continue long under such slow burning pressure and without much further fanfare, crumbles apart. Left in the ruinous mess of that once densely compacted egg is a momentarily stunned sugary-pastel blue hatchling. He takes in his new surroundings with a sort of whimsical wonder. What is all of this? No sense to lay there, there's opportunity abound! He is quick to his feet, even if he sways on uncertainly stable limbs, gait awkward and disjointed with not-quite orientated coordination for those first tentative steps. But does that stop him? Never!

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Impression Messages

Private
Did the sands just shimmer in your peripheral vision? Could be a trick! Is it a sign you're about to be overcome by the heat and the chaos of the moment? Don't blink too much; you might miss it, when those colors return again, imbuing everything about you with pastel-hued touch. Stone, sand and even the edge of a nearby Candidate's robe briefly hold an overlay of soft rainbow cast, there and gone. Then? A pillowy warmth, enfolding you in a hug that goes soul deep in depth and sparking love eternal in unbreakable bonds. « Giah! » He has found you and his delight is fathomless, a riot of sweetness and watercolors that now gently float into your mind, dream-like and whimsical and oddly nostalgic. « I knew it! I knew it right away that you and I were destined to be together! I'm your Zeherath! » Sure enough, it's a powder-soft blue hide that is aiming to lean into you, his adorably sweet-featured head tilted up in awed wonder and unquestionable, indescribable love in his gaze. « Why am I making a funny noise in the middle of me? Ooh, can we go figure it out!? » Together! A concept which brings such sweeping delight as to almost overwhelm the mind all over again.

Public
Love Knows No Limits Blue Hatchling zips and darts again and again through the robed figures, never settling for long. He is confident in his searching, but not overly hurried, as though he's merely on his way to meet destiny at the appointed time — and enjoying the world around him while at it. Why not? It's there, isn't it? At last, that glimpse! And with a sing-song trill of delighted discovery, he bounds the last few steps toward the one he always knew was his, stopping just shy of knocking into a raven haired, apprentice Weaver turned Candidate as he aims to lean his body into hers.

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Personality

That's how long it took Zeherath to realize that you, Giah, were his forever: just one second. It was a matter of one single touch, one brush of his mind against the vibrancy of yours that allowed him to measure the beat of an eternity in the span of one single heartbeat, to know that you belonged with him and he wanted nothing so much as to belong with you.

From the beginning and until the end, Zeherath will forever remain a purveyor of youthful optimism. He will be the bright-eyed weyrling that seeks to do his very best, who will never quite lose that whimsical innocence that has him energetically and enthusiastically enjoying whatever life has to offer. He will always strive to see the best in people and bring out the best parts of you as well. He will seek the glass half-full, encourage you to pursue your wants and your delights, and he will endeavour to share all the beautiful reasons he finds to be happy in his life, in this moment, with those around him. But more importantly, he will endeavour to share all of this and more with you.

It’s so much nicer to focus on the beauty of this world, to acknowledge that, yes, bad things happen and no, they aren’t always fair but who wants to wallow in unhappy feelings when they could be spending quality time with the people who really matter? When you could be living, and loving, and laughing together? Certainly not Zeherath, who will cheerfully and unfailingly find something to be happy about. Whether that happens to be a spur of the moment tea party in the gardens (with you as the host, of course!) or taking time to admire those passing through the Bowl, there is always something that he will find, something that will delight him and give him cheer. Even better, then, that he is susceptible to the failings of a dragon’s memory, for it means that he finds wonder and curiosity in all things time and time again.

Zeherath is a gentle dragon, who wears his heart on his sleeve and is an undeniable force of good in this world. But just because Zeherath is good, that doesn’t mean everybody around him is as well-intentioned. That is a concept that is harder for him to grasp than almost any other — why he might have the forethought to temper his thoughts before speaking, but not all dragons (or people) extend the same courtesy in return. He wants to be loved (in the very draconic, platonic sense of the word) and to give love in return, and he finds it troubling when those around him fail to reciprocate the kindness he imparts so freely. At times it may be tough for him to understand what motivates others to speak so harshly, to treat him in a manner unbecoming of a friend when he has done nothing to deserve it - and it may be up to you, Ghaliya, to explain that sometimes things don’t have a reason and that there’s not always an explanation for why not everyone wants to be his friend. While he may learn to let unhealthy friendships go in time, he will always be ready to hear his worst critics out, to accept them with a willing heart and offer up another chance should they come seeking forgiveness.

He is quite the intelligent fellow, all things considered, and perfectly capable of engaging in philosophical debate, of divining wisdom from experience and joy from pain, but Zeherath chooses to focus on the whimsical wonders inherent to the world, chooses to believe that there is something good and worthwhile to be found in every moment, in everything, and he would rather let this be his truth than be consumed by the harsher, tumultuous aspects of reality. Of course, that doesn’t mean he can’t be serious when he needs to be or when you need him to be.

While Zeherath will never aspire to be the life of the party, he has a deep and abiding affection for his friends and will always make time for them. He loves to spend time in good company, whether it’s engaging in deep conversation, dissecting the events of an early morning training exercise gone awry, or simply being, finding joy in the warm familiarity of another’s presence and the shared comfort of a companionable silence. The joy of being together with those he loves will forever warm his heart, even if he’s only present in that togetherness from the sidelines. He’s also a surprisingly good listener, giving the whole of his attention to hearing whatever words are being said, to listening for those things that might go unsaid regardless of whether the speaker comes with a heavy heart or the vibrance of unfettered joy. He’s good at people, good at knowing when to offer advice or lend an ear, surprisingly intuitive even if he doesn’t always have the right things to say.

Zeherath is surprisingly insightful, too! For all his whimsical, innocent ways, he is capable of finding a balance between every emotion inherent to a situation. This might be because he spends so much time listening, because he genuinely cares about how he can best make everybody around him happy without forcing them to compromise too much of themselves. His want to see others succeed, his willingness to listen to them and accept them as they are (even if he doesn’t necessarily understand them) is a study in sincerity. His staunch practice of that particular virtue translates here, manifesting in the quiet knowledge that sometimes there is no right answer and that’s okay. That doesn’t mean that there’s no answer, it just means that he will have to look harder to divine what that happy medium is. It’s in this vein that he, more often than not, seeks the path that offers the most in the way of cooperation. He is good at finding compromise, and this just might be one of those things that draws others to him.

One thing that he will carry with him from weyrlinghood into adulthood — an attribute that’s as endearing as it can be troublesome — is the fact that your Zeherath loves with his whole heart. He doesn’t do things in half measures, rarely stops long enough to think of what the repercussions might be for placing his trust in the wrong hands, or just how much hurt he may be inviting in when he opens himself up to disappointment time and time again. He wants to believe in the best parts of dragons and people, wants to believe that they are good and believing is what makes him him. Doubting is easy, never forget that, Giah; he wants to be a dragon that doesn’t. Even when he comes face to face with adversity, it does nothing to curb that effervescent zest for life he holds so dear, that drive to encourage those around him in the pursuit of their dreams with uninhibited enthusiasm. But there is no one he cherishes the victories of more than you, Giah. Your successes are his, your joy is his joy, and more than he rallies behind those who need his gentle words of encouragement, he rallies behind you.

Perhaps it’s not so surprising, then, to discover that Zeherath absolutely adores Giah's work as a weaver. Aside from his inherent encouragement of all the things that make you happy (and, let’s be honest, anything remotely Giah-centric at all), there is something about the romantic whimsy of crafting things by hand, something he can’t quite place his talon on about the soul-bearing nature of artistry that has thoroughly captured his heart. While he won’t be too pushy about it, Zeherath will delight in being involved — or at least spectating — as you construct and create, riveted by the entire process from conception to creation. And oh, if he should ever be consulted on the ideas?! His little hearts can’t handle the joy of it! This may require a bit of patience on your part, Giah, as Zeherath’s suggestions might be a little too unrealistic to be truly practical, at least in the beginning. Give him time, patience, and careful instruction, and he may just become your most prolific muse, developing an eye for the finer details of craftsmanship and his own tastes in varying aesthetics.

Which brings us to one last important note about your wonderful, supportive, too-sweet dragon: he is deeply loyal (to a fault) and far, far too trusting. It's going to be up to you, Giah, to keep from having his kindness exploited and taken advantage of time and time again because even if he realizes they are merely using him in selfish gain, he's just selfless enough to let them. He is quick to forgive and, even when he doesn't agree, at least attempts to understand every misstep those around him make, accepting that they are not perfect and allowing them to be themselves. This might make him seem weak to some, but the truth is that it takes just as much strength to walk away from a situation as it does to endure it, and your Zeherath believes. That's why sometimes it will fall to you to guide him away, because he isn't always good at extracting himself, and while he wants to believe in others, to find that good he knows to be inside us all, there's no one that he trusts so much as he trusts you. And that trust, that loyalty, is yours forever.

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Physicality

Zeherath is a floof. That’s right, we said it, a floof. He’ll hatch from his shell soft, both in color and in shape, and trust us when we say that the best descriptor that can be used to describe your newly-hatched Zeherath is ‘floofy’. While some hatchlings are born lean and supple, your Zeherath is all gangly legs and itty-bitty wings, the kind of itty-bitty wings that are disproportionate to his itty-bitty (as he will be perpetually) body, further impacted by an extra bit of softness around the middle that just might make you think he’s a baby birb bird missing wings. That’s okay though, because he knows, and you should know that this only makes him especially cuddly — which is fine by him, because who doesn’t love cuddles?! Bring on the cuddles! And then maybe the snacks… and more of that tea (for you) … and a nap.

As he grows, some of that extra ‘fluff’ (read: cuddliness) will fade away, his frame becoming sleeker and aerodynamic, those once too-long limbs filling into proportion as his rotund belly trims just a bit. Even those wings will stop looking so adorably awkward, shedding their itty-bitty disproportion to expand to a size more aesthetically appealing, perfect for breaking through his own limitations and executing a giddy array of flight-based acrobatics. He was made for it, after all and what else are wings for, if not for flight?

But while all the rest of him might fall into pleasing symmetry as he grows into his talons and paws, there is one area in which your Zeherath will always be a touch ‘stunted’: his size. He isn’t ‘stunted’ in any medical sense of the word; he’s a perfectly acceptable size for a blue and healthy besides, but he will always be on the smaller side of ‘blue’. Zeherath is not terribly hindered by this! If anything, it lends him an advantage he wouldn’t have otherwise. Everybody has their time and their place, and he is fully aware of that. The truth is, he’s built for speed and agility, and while he might not be the most commanding presence to behold, he is graceful.

Flying great distances will never be in the cards for him, but that doesn’t bother him in the least. It’s already been established that different dragons were made to excel at different things — and long-distant flight is exactly what Between is for, right? Okay, so Between cuts out the beauty of discovery and observing each change of landscape while successfully depriving him of that freedom he finds in flight. If there’s ever a need (or a simple desire) to fly far from home without the convenience (and biting cold) of Between, he won’t be bothered by his limitations. After all, it’s a perfectly wonderful excuse to stop and enjoy the things that might be missed otherwise, had he been a stamina-affluent dragon and never bothering to land.

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Flights

Your Zeherath is a romantic beast in possession of a lot of heart. Unfortunately, that flare for romanticism doesn’t quite make it into any of his more intimate encounters with the ladies. Or, perhaps he shapes each interaction with too much of it. He’s a lover, not a fighter, and that means he’s prone to Casanova levels of seduction (the running away in the end every time, we mean, not necessarily the seduction part) than he is to peacocking alongside all of those other brutish suitors and trying to win over some lovely green with his talons. That is to say, when it comes to the art of seduction, we’re afraid Zeherath is a bit behind the mark. He will certainly appreciate the glow of an inviting green and be just as subject to the demands of his own biological instincts as any dragon come the time for flights. Zeherath finds himself enchanted for reasons he was wholly unprepared for and it may take a bit of time before he really gets the hang of this whole flight thing — and while he might not land you with a new awkward-morning-after partner as often as he possibly can, he’s certainly not exempt from those baser temptations.

It’s because Zeherath has such a genial personality, is so willing to engage and be engaged he just might develop a reputation as a bit of a charmer. His love of beauty and his potential to recite poetry (whether he invented the stanzas himself or not) does nothing to abate these suspicions. But it’s not always a drive to flirt that moves him; it’s just that he loves to share what he’s discovered of the world — in dragons, in people, in places and things. It’s an inevitability of chance that not all greens will appreciate such attention, less intrigued with words than actions and prone to blood-curdling moods besides. When Zeherath finds himself more fascinated with the beauty of the words and the prose than the glowing green for whom he’s meant to be reciting it, and she finds a cruel tongue with which to barb, those are the times you might find Zeherath retreating wounded and confused — but never undeterred from sharing his wonderful observations with the next beauty.

Whenever, if ever, he finds his stride in flights, Zeherath is likely to be a competent contender. He will possess a speed and agility that most might dismiss him of being capable of, if only because he does tend to be a bit more bookish than most. And for all that he is a lover and not a fighter, that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of bringing those talons and teeth into play; he simply prefers not to. He might not be the most exquisite fighter, but he’s a beautiful flyer! He is strong, and capable, once he finds the currents and takes to the skies. That’s not to say he will be every lovely lady’s cup of tea, the suavest, or the quickest or surest (thought he does have an ample amount of confidence, if only because he’s perfectly aware of his capabilities and limitations), but it would be foolish to count him out at every turn.

In those lucky moments when he happens to win a flight, he’s quite content to remain in the aftermath, to cuddle up with her long after the flight is over and well after you’ve come back yourself from the influence — but only if she should express that staying is what she wants of him. Zeherath will never turn down cuddles! He’s not one to shy away either, from conversation, from laughter and plans, and asking after « Tea tomorrow? » when he finds himself at rest with a green particularly jovial. But don’t worry, Ghaliya! He will not be hard to pull away from these dalliances, should you need him, because at the end of the day, you are his only-love.

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Mindvoice

Zeherath’s mind is like a warm hug, wrapped in a cozy (and stylish!) sweater. It can be best described as all soft snuggles and cozy vibes, a sense of warmth and safety where you can sink in deep and instantly feel at home. His is a mind borne wholly of what nostalgia could be and a hefty dose of whimsy. Insubstantial wouldn’t quite be the right word either; it’s certainly there and vast, but it’s far too whimsical and dream-like to ever take solid shape for long. Imagery often drifts on by like clouds on an achingly clear summer sky, there and gone, though the impression of what he is getting at lingers strongest.

While he’s perfectly capable of constructing scenes with which to play through, his preferred preference is to use color to evoke emotional response and meaning. His thoughts and moods are often portrayed through watercolour-like imagery, often beginning with a singular drop to a dampened canvas where it expands with a life of its own or guided by his own mental ‘hand’ in gently unhurried strokes. They can often be trackable too, Giah, once you learn to read into the layers of subtlety; not that it will be difficult to glimpse the surface, but to plumb the depth? To figure out each way Zeherath may fold in so much meaning in so little? May take awhile (and he forgives and loves you all the same)!

A ‘happy’ Zeherath might fill his mind with sweet pinks and blues and pale yellows and greens so diluted they often meld over one another — or simply fade into nothingness. In contrast, excitement could find those pastel watercolours cranked up several notches until saturation brings them close to eye-blinding; an uncommon moment of sadness or upset might have colors leached from his mind, like the onset of an overcast sky and only the barest hints left to mark his mood. Few as those particular moments may be, once they pass, he will fill his space with soft rainbow-light once more.

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Inspirations

Ghaliya — or should we say Giah, now that Zeherath has found you! We’re happy to welcome you to weyrlinghood here in Fort and are excited to see how both of you tackle the next chapter in life together!

Our egg theme this cycle was … eggs! That’s right, eggs! Enchantingly Exquisite Effervescence Egg was based on egg whites … or more specifically, ‘cloud bread’ (but also meringue). The mind touches were a ‘writer’s choice’ and yet we all somehow largely went with music; for this egg, it was largely taken from the lyrics of the song Come Along by Cosmo Sheldrake.

You asked us to fit pastel aesthetics into his theme in your questionnaire and Zeherath certainly has many of those touches, wrapped up in a dash and sprinkle of other traits, some of which are borrowed from mountain bluebirds and pastel academia. His name proved to be the biggest challenge we faced and many were created and scrapped until we came upon this modified portmanteau of azul and cherub for your sweet, angelic blue. SearchCo has been pronouncing it ZEH-huh-rath (with a long 'a' as in apple) or ZEH-hah-rahth, but you may certainly say it any way you like best!

We hope that he is what you had envisioned for Ghaliya, but these are simply guidelines and he is yours to play as you desire! ♥

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Credits

Name: Zeherath
Created By: Egg by Th'ero; dragon by Alexa, F'inn, Inri, Lhiannon and Th'ero; egg image by Lhiannon
Impressee: Giah
Hatched: February 26, 2021
Fort Weyr @ PernWorld MUSH

Clutchmates

Fort Weyr's 27th PC Hatching
Alexa's gold Raaneth & D'ax's bronze Azirath

Family

Mother: She loves her mother to bits, but she doesn't understand her close-minded ways.
Father: Her father is an enigma to her. He is a traditional holder man, quiet, and doesn't show much affection.
Sister: She is very close to her sister, who is the taller, older, and less femme version of herself, in the farmcraft.

Friends

Aranthi: Whether she likes it or not, Ghaliya has chosen her as her friend.
Velorn: She kinda-sorta considers him a friend, but his frankness is a little terrifying.

Acquaintances

Tiridyn: Fellow candidate. She appreciates his viewpoint and style, and of course sugar-sweets attract.
Orrion: Another enigma. She can't quite figure him out.
Th'ero: She finds him fascinating, but mostly because he's her friend's father.
Lhiannon: She enjoys Lhiannon and her perspective.

1. Lea'teq - Tokyo

[https://youtu.be/qR4jvErGitg]

2. Eric Nam & Cheeze - Perhaps Love

[https://youtu.be/ES3wIAT5cWM]

3. Julie Fowlis - Touch the Sky

[https://youtu.be/PAD_E1kaYuY]

4. Heize - Can You See My Heart?

[https://youtu.be/3koAgaAkRvI]

5. John Legend & WENDY - Written In the Stars

[https://youtu.be/H4a-5BdZ5ck]

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