Candidacy |
Candidacy Information |
CANDIDACYThe term 'Candidate' is given to the young men and women who have been chosen to Stand on the sands when a dragon's clutch is Hatching, in order to present themselves as a viable life-mate to the new born dragons. While many view the title as a rank in and of itself, Candidacy is more of an additional title, as it only acts as a rank during the time the individuals are actively partaking in lessons - which begin the day following a gold dragons mating flight, and conclude the day of the Hatching.RequirementsAge Exceptions To be eligible for Search, young men must be between the ages of fourteen (14) and twenty-eight (28), while young women must be between the ages of seventeen (17) and twenty-eight (28). The ideal Search candidate will be aged around twenty, unmarried and/or un-promised as well as of sound body and mind. Family heirs will most often be overlooked, but rare allowances may be made.
Additionally, all Candidates must be of sound mind and body; they must be physically fit or willing to work towards a good physical fitness. They must be capable of flying as a passenger on a dragon without it causing them undue stress (a dragonrider afraid of heights is not going to be a very good asset to the Weyr). Potential candidates that are addicted to a substance (alcohol or hard drugs) will need to work with the Weyr Healer to become sober before they will be allowed to actively participate in Standing for a Clutch; how long they need to be sober for before Standing will vary between individuals and their substance abuse. Women who are pregnant past their second trimester will not be allowed to Stand for a clutch until their baby is weaned – the infant must be at least six months at time of weaning – but it is preferred that any woman looking to Stand be willing to take a weekly trip between on their Weyrlingmaster’s dragon in order to prevent having to go through birth in the early stage of Weyrlinghood. Candidates that Impressed prior to the Plague could Stand as young as twelve (12) and as old as twenty-eight (28).
Candidates that were Stolen were aged between seventeen (17) and twenty-eight (28). This was primarily because the Searchers were instructed to spirit away Journeymen. It is not possible for any current dragonrider to be created with outside age limits (eg, you cannot make a 40 year old greenrider who Impressed at ten years). However, you may purchase an Impression Token from the Store, which can guarantee Impression before the appropriate age, but no younger than ten (10), and no older than thirty-five (35) Female Impression Token: 10-16 and 29-35 In order to Impress outside the regular age requirements, you will also need to purchase a Stands Impression, explained below. Stands ImpressionGeneral Impression Stands Impressions can be purchased from the Store to use on any current character who is aged between fourteen (14) and twenty-eight (28) that is male, or seventeen (17) and twenty-eight (28) for a female. It guarantees an eventual Impression before the character ages out.
Stands Impression may be applied to any character that Impressed prior to the Plague, within reason - if we receive too many requests, they may be denied. Stands Impressions may not be applied to anyone who Impressed post Plague; it can only be obtained through a PC Clutch. Impression is the moment a dragonet and a candidate’s mind merge, to create a lifelong bond. The melding of the minds is instantaneous, and indicated on part of the dragon by a rainbow of colours displayed in their eyes; humans often express shocked disbelief before laughing, crying, or any other of a variety of emotional responses.
Baby dragons are intelligent, but new to the world; they learn to speak and how to act by drawing on the memories of their lifemate. It is by this means that they name themselves, often pulling a pleasant sounding combination of sounds from their new human lifemate’s mind; their name always ends in a ‘th’ suffix. Additionally, a dragonet will rename their young rider, contracting their name to a simple one or two syllable sound (eg, Fallarnon was shortened to F’lar – we do not approve of contractions like Felessan to F’lessan, a more appropriate contraction would be F’san) – they often choose a name their bonded had chosen out, but it is not a guarantee. For reasons undetermined, women do not receive this honour, though their name may be shortened to a syllable or two (eg, much like Olivia can be shortened to Liv). A clutch on the Sands does not guarantee a PC Hatching, and a PC Hatching does not guarantee an Impression. It should, first and foremost, be noted that World of Pern will never Impress more than FIVE PC candidates at a single Hatching, regardless of clutch size. Our reason for this is to keep Weyrling classes small and clean; NPC Impressed dragons can be adopted and join in classes, however. This doesn’t mean five PCs will Impress, that is simply our maximum. Fewer may Impress if we deem it appropriate, though we will do our best to see all five Impressions made at each PC Clutch. In order to have your Candidate Impress, you will need to fill out the Candidate Application (you will need to be logged in as your Candidate in order to create the application thread.). The more detail you are able to provide within the application, the better the match will be for your dragonet. While the colours of a clutch are pre-determined by the admin, each dragonet that Impresses is specifically crafted to fit the Candidate they will be bonded to; no dragon is ever pre-made and matched in a secondary manner. Once you’ve filled out your application, you simply need to get out there and have fun! Your Candidate Application can be updated at any time, just alert the Team that the changes have been made by posting a new reply in your Candidate’s thread. What happens when you Impress? » The Hatching Thread will be updated, but will retain a ?? for the Impression match » You will receive a PM from the Staff, with your dragonet’s information, including their name and their new [name][/name] code. » You can then post with your new dragonet! What happens when you don’t Impress? » Don’t be upset! There will be plenty more Hatchings in the near future, and your dragonet is no doubt among those numbers! Not Impressing is not a punishment, and it doesn’t mean you will never Impress! A lot of people even ask to Stand Only, which means they partake in all the Candidacy requirements, but don’t want a dragon… yet. » Play out your character’s response, their disappointment (or their relief!) and let the character grow from this bump in their life dreams. » Update your Candidate Application, and prepare yourself for the next Hatching! IC RulesOOC RulesIt is of the upmost importance, for their own wellbeing, that all candidates follow all rules issued to them by the Weyrlingmaster and his assistants. The rules are issued to keep candidates safe, secure, and to emphasise a positive experience. Breaking of the rules will result in appropriately initiated punishments, from a stern scolding through to permanent banishment from candidacy, should the crime be bad enough.
General Rules; » Be respectful, polite and obedient It is up to you, the Player, to determine what types of rules your character breaks – if any. However, you, the Player, need to be aware that there will be In Character punishments brought down upon your Candidate’s shoulders should they be caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Which they probably will be. In order to make sure your Candidate isn’t going to be in more trouble than you are prepared to play, be sure to co-ordinate with your Weyrlingmaster or even the Admin Team! We’re here to help you and while we love In Character drama, we want everyone to be happy OUT of character, too. CANDIDATE CHORESCandidates are required to report for their chores every On Day. Chores are listed on the Bulletin Board. ICly, chores change as often as once a week and as irregularly as once every two or three weeks, depending on the Weyrlingmaster in charge of the class, and the number of Canddiates. It is the Candidate’s responsibility to check the Roster and know what they will be doing and to whom they are expected to report for the block of time. BarracksDining Hall & KitchenAll candidates are expected to maintain their own space within the Barracks, and as such, the community chore does not include cleaning the Barrack rooms.
» Cleaning the store rooms » Cleaning the community room » Cleaning the bathing chambers » Laundry duty, including cleaning chamber pots. » Replacing glows » Washing tables, chairs, floors of the dining hall
» Washing, drying and putting away dishes » Chopping meat, vegetables and fruits » Stirring pots, boiling water, bringing in more water » Cleaning the fire pits, feeding fires » Mealtime set up; carrying out plates, bowls, utensils InfirmaryLower Caverns» Sweeping and mopping floors
» Stripping and remaking cots » Laundry duty; washing bedding and gowns » Delivering meals to patients » Replacing glows » Inventory and restocking » Crèche duty
» Sweeping and mopping corridors » Cleaning guest rooms » Cleaning store rooms » Replacing glows » Inventory and restocking GroundsStables» Sweeping and repairing paths
» Mending fences of beast pens » General repairs of outdoor buildings » Scrubbing the Hatching Stands » Replacing outdoor glows » Garden care; trimming, weeding gardens » Chopping wood and restocking public piles. » Mucking out stalls; sweeping laneways
» Cleaning outdoor pens » Ferrying water to troughs; breaking ice in winter » Grooming and general care » Replacing glows » Washing and oiling saddles and bridles. CANDIDATE SCHEDULE
Candidacy Lessons take place on five out of seven days each week, with Candidates being divided into no less than three groups of ten, though groups may be as large as twenty, depending on the size of the clutch and how many Candidates have been brought in. Each group of Candidates has different lessons, chores and free time asignments to make sure that all aspects are covered across the board. On DaysOff DaysTIME
TASK
DETAILS
7am - 8am
Group Exercise
Commonly includes running, swimming, trust building tasks, games, etc designed to build strength of body and mind.
8am - 9am
Morning Routine
Breakfast, shower, etc
9am - 12pm
Morning Lesson
Reading, writing and arithmatic
12pm - 1pm
Lunch
1pm - 3pm
Afternoon Lessons
Practical lessons with the Weyrlingmaster's dragon, such as bathing, oiling, flying, learning dragon conformation
3pm - 5pm
Chores
As taken from the Chore List
5pm - 7pm
Evening Lessons
Usually a recap of the days previous lesson, Q&As, or special talks from dragonriders of various ranks.
7pm - 8pm
Evening meal
8pm - 11pm
Free Time
TIME
TASK
11pm
Lights Out
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