Post by wolflover1458 on Aug 3, 2011 7:07:16 GMT -5
((Way too complex. Way too long. I'd shorten it but I'm not very good at that >.< (well, I could probably make a short version of his history)
Maybe I’ll switch to adoptable characters now))
Character Info:
Name: Copper
Age: 14 Turns
Gender: Male
Rank: Holdless
Family:
Copelar (Father) – Holdless (38)
Peranar (Mother) – Holdless (36)
Elaper (Brother) – Deceased (9, would be 18)
Analar (Sister) – Deceased (7, would be 16)
Pelan (Brother) – Deceased (1, would be 10)
Opanel (Sister) – Holdless (7)
Nacalar (Sister) – Holdless (4)
Appearance: The first thing that one may notice about him is that he is tiny. Of course, living with the Holdless, where food can sometimes be scarce, doesn’t really help. Whatever the reason, Copper is almost, almost five feet, but, sadly, is still technically only 4’11”. He also only weighs about 85 pounds or so, which is actually quite impressive, considering how skinny he tends to be (his mother believes his growth was stunted do to lack of nutrition in some way, which she vehemently blames on dragonriders). There is nothing else about his immediate appearance that is very interesting in the least. Even his hair is a simple shade of brown, not a light brown or a dark brown, but just brown. Much the same thing goes for his blue eyes, which can never really be called anything but blue. In fact, the only other interesting thing about his appearance may be the four scars down his back (which are very easily covered up and so go unnoticed) from his run-in with a wild feline.
He happens to be quite adept at forming expressions of annoyance. Copper has perfected his method of glaring at people, to the point that he can look at you and show, with no sound at all, exactly how much he disapproves of whatever you were talking about or being involved in. Perhaps it is a good thing that this makes it easy to tell when he’s annoyed, because you don’t always want to be around him right then. For such very undescriptive eyes, he has a way of seeming as though he can see straight into your soul, and has seen something very wrong with it.
Most of his physical aspects suffer due to his size, and he simply can’t compete with most people in just about any physical activity. It certainly doesn’t stop him from trying, but it does stop him from succeeding. Copper sometimes tries to push his physical limits, which can be extremely bad for his health, not that he cares too much. He isn’t very good about accepting defeat with these kinds of things, and he will almost happily overexert himself. Part of it is so he doesn’t show any weakness, and the rest is that he simply doesn’t want to be weak, and so doesn’t even want to admit to himself that he may not be able to handle something. This could be considered a redeemable quality, since it means he doesn’t give up easily, but it really is just more like stubbornness and stupidity than anything else, especially since he is well aware that he doesn’t have much strength or speed.
Being the small person that he is, Copper has inherited the agility that always seems to go with people like him. If he is nothing else, he can at least be nimble. He also does well at keeping his balance, and has good reflexes besides. It’s good that he can at least put these things together; otherwise he wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight against anyone. As it is, he has to rely on a sharp mind rather than brute strength, but it has been that way his entire life and he knows how to do things that way. It annoys him that he has to rely on defense for the most part, but he does live with it. Even if he has some complaints about it.
Personality: Copper is in an interesting kind of limbo, where he isn’t really an adult, and he isn’t really a child, but he isn’t really a teenager either. His personality contains some traces of all three at the moment. Perhaps the childish ones will die away within a few Turns, or perhaps he was always be hopelessly confusing. For the moment, he certainly does have some personality aspects that should probably belong to someone older than he is.
The most childish part of his personality is his emotional attachment to an inanimate object. And not only that, but an inanimate object that is nothing more than a representation of another inanimate object that meant something to him. This being the staff he was given when he was five Turns old, which has long since broken, but he has had several since, and all of them were as important to him as that first one. No matter how much he may have matured otherwise, he never got over that staff and what it meant to him. It symbolizes his life before the Holdless, and he also seems to see it as something that understands him. Copper has given his staff a certain amount of human qualities that it most certainly cannot possess, but as long as he believes that it, at least, is on his side, it doesn’t really matter how very inanimate it is. For Copper, it is far more than just a piece of wood, and he will be surprisingly protective of it if need be.
Most of his other childish traits have disappeared, and been replaced instead by those far more reminiscent to teenagers. One in particular is his short temper. Very short. You can simply say the wrong thing without even meaning it, and it could be enough to get him upset. And when Copper gets upset, he stays upset. None of this calming down after a little while and after you’ve explained you didn’t mean to make him upset. He’s been irked far too many times for that, and if you get him mad, you either need to stand up to him or just keep away. But don’t be indecisive. That just irks him more. He can usually only extinguish whatever anger he had by spending a while on his own. He has a good memory for everyone who annoyed him lately, and he doesn’t let them forget that they invoked his ire anytime soon. Eventually he just lets it go, but you might want to stay away from him for a few days if you get him upset. He can get relatively violent, mostly because he’s almost always carrying a heavy stick around.
He was also rather talkative as a young child. That bubble of enthusiasm was popped, however, and now he doesn’t say much at all. There are certainly plenty of things he has to say, there’s just nobody he wants to say it too. When he’s happy (which isn’t too often) he is relatively talkative. When he’s annoyed, he doesn’t say much at all, and when he’s trying to concentrate, his only response to any question will be a glare. Even background chatter that has nothing to do with him makes it hard for him to concentrate.
For the most part, he is a loner. This wasn’t always the case, of course, but it isn’t his fault. If people would stop annoying him so much, he could stop avoiding them. This is one aspect of himself that Copper doesn’t actually enjoy, because as much as people tend to annoy him, he will never gain any kind of respect by backing off from everyone. But every time he tries to get along with someone, they just annoy him and he goes back to being alone. He doesn’t really think of himself as overreacting, but he does wish either he could have a little more tolerance for other people (not likely) or that other people could just be less annoying (better idea).
Respect. The one thing that has plagued Copper ever since he realized he wanted it. Being an oddball for much of his time as a child, he never really knew what it was like to even have friends of any sort, not that he needed friends too much, since he learned quickly that the best person to associate with was yourself. Other people could be mean, and weren’t always trustworthy. They could betray you right when you needed them the most. But only people with serious problems ever did that to themselves. After many Turns of simply being by himself, Copper decided that he wasn’t satisfied with that. He certainly didn’t mind not putting his trust and confidence in other people, but he did want to be noticed. And not in a bad way, either. He wanted to be someone important, like the more successful of the Holdless, whom everyone revered because they had done, and were doing, some pretty important things. Copper decided he wanted to be one of those people. He’s confident enough to think he has it in him, and now all it will take is a few good chances, and then he can be respected too. Then, perhaps, he could be satisfied.
Dragons. Ah yes, the turmoil surrounding them is certainly deep. Copper, personally, has no hatred towards dragons. He’s actually neutral about them. It’s the riders he has a quarrel with. They’re the ones his mother is so deeply set against, and the ones that the Holdless always plan on attacking. For dragons, though, Copper has no hatred, and there is a reason. When he was younger, and he first learned about dragons, Copper was under the impression that they were huge, intelligent, and powerful creatures who were the rulers and guardians of Pern, and who were benevolent enough to allow humans to live where they were without bothering them. He dreamed of them as amazing creatures who could do anything, anything. If someone had shown up and asked him if he wanted a dragon of his own, the question would certainly have confused him, but he would have said yes without a second thought. He later learned about the existence of dragonriders, which brought his idea of dragons to an end. While he had to put together his own realizations of dragons (taking out some of the Holdless bias about them), he came to realize that they were not so powerful. In fact, they were weak. So weak, in fact, that they couldn’t survive unless they had a person to live with. And for some reason, instead of making him wish he could have his own dragon that would require him to live, he became quite annoyed with them. His thoughts about them were shattered, and he’d gotten in a bit of trouble for thinking of them like that. After he learned the truth about dragons, Copper lost his enthusiasm for them. He still has a certain respect for them, enough so that he would never kill a dragon if he had the chance. He doesn’t hate them enough for that. For him, they are simply a huge disappointment. He doesn’t have a problem with the riders being killed, because of the dragons are really so weak that they cannot survive without their riders, then they deserve to die.
So with no joy over those creatures left, Copper turned to firelizards. Before he became respect-oriented, he decided that they, at least, were still cool. Why? Because they didn’t need to Impress to survive. They certainly weren’t as intelligent or powerful as dragons, but at least they weren’t as weak. To Copper, they seemed like the perfect role models for dragons. If only firelizards were as large and smart as dragons. Then his earliest thoughts about them could be real. That didn’t seem to be happening anytime soon, but he still felt a certain soft spot for the smaller reptilian creatures. He decided that, should he ever find a clutch of them, he would love to keep one. He was smart enough to know that this would just make him even more of an outcast among the Holdless, but he fantasized that, somehow, he could show them how great the firelizards were, even if dragons weren’t so awesome. Later, he decided he would rather be respected, and so gave up on the idea. Of course, he never ran into a clutch anyways, so it’s hard to judge what his reaction might have ended up being.
Due to his rather lonely nature, Copper also has an air of independence about him. Well, obviously someone that spends their time alone should learn how to do things on their own. Given the choice, he would much rather do something by himself than with others. This is not always the most efficient way to get something done, but it is the way that Copper prefers, and the way that he tends to work best. He finds it far easier to concentrate when he is by himself, and is far more creative while alone. Independence is a good thing in general, although Copper can take it to an unhealthy extreme.
There is a possibility he has leadership skills. It is only a possibility because he’s temperament wouldn’t make him a very good leader even if he does have the capability to be one. He certainly has some good points to him that could head in that direction, but unless he gets his bad temper under control he won’t be leading anyone around but himself. Perhaps time will turn him gentler, more intelligent, and more responsible. Then he might really be deserving of all the respect he wants. Or maybe he’ll just be a nuisance forever.
Most likely due to a combination of his childhood experiences and his temper, Copper is very brave. And it’s not a “when he wants to be” thing either. He’s brave all the time, he just sometimes prefers to not act on it. Generally, he won’t act on it for other people, but he’ll always be brave enough (and in some cases foolish enough) to stick up for himself. Yes, this does get to the point of recklessness. While Copper is usually smart enough to know how to act in certain situations so as to not do anything too stupid, when he’s angry all of that intelligence disappears, to be replaced with daring, but not really the good kind. Hopefully one day he can look back and reminiscence about how stupid he’d acted when he got really upset. Or maybe he will be reckless one time too many and get killed. Whatever happens, though, he is definitely brave, and it might worth having him around when you’re in danger. Copper is definitely not the kind of person to stand there paralyzed with fear while someone else is in danger. The only people he would not bother to rescue if they were in some life-threatening danger are someone who recently annoyed him greatly, and dragonriders. He still hasn’t sorted out how enthusiastic he is over the idea of getting to go out and try to kill dragonriders. Perhaps it won’t bother him, or perhaps he will find himself quite unable to actually kill someone himself. Watching them die would be different though. Then it wouldn’t be his fault, so he wouldn’t need to worry about it weighing on his mind. Watching some innocent (as in, no dragon) person die would definitely weigh on his mind, though.
Copper is both selfish and selfless. His conscious mind is nearly always selfish, while his unconscious mind can have some selflessness too it. Without this, he probably wouldn’t be reckless enough to save someone in danger. While there certainly is a part of him that cares about other people, it pales in comparison to the part of him that cares about Copper. He can get annoyed just seeing someone else being happy. And if someone else wants something that happens to conflict with Copper’s interests, he’s going to do what he can to make sure that he comes out on top. This tends to hold true even if it’s some younger child that wouldn’t stand a chance of besting him anyways. As long as it turns out the way he wants it, Copper doesn’t give much thought to what the other results might be. He also hates people trying to make him feel guilty about it. He just achieved what he wanted, why should he have to feel guilty about that? Why do other people have to matter so much?
He’s also terribly sardonic. Perhaps this should be expected, considering how he tends to act. Copper is very good with sarcasm, something that can make him very irritating. It’s a good thing his thoughts can’t be read, because Copper’s might be found to stretch to the point of ridiculousness.
Copper personality definitely seems to be turning him into someone getting ready to take on the world. Perhaps other people his age are still finding time to be kids, have fun, make mistakes, having other people to depend on and bond with. For Copper, though, the fact that he’s not yet that old or experienced doesn’t mean he isn’t ready to start acting more like an adult.
Hobbies/Skills: One of Copper’s best skills is his ability to completely avoid answering a question. Even a pointed, obvious question. He hates to lie, because if anyone ever found out he did, they would get mad at him, but he hasn’t got a problem with not giving all of the information, or implying something without outright saying it. Listen very close to what he says, and you will have to admit that, technically, it was not a lie, even if it wasn’t the truth. Lying is unacceptable for him, but he finds nothing wrong with twisting the truth around, especially to get out of talking about something he doesn’t want to talk about, or to annoy someone.
Another skill of his is sneaking around. It’s actually far easier than it sounds. The only thing you really have to do is keep quiet and make yourself seem normal, which can get you through crowds without anyone being able to say you were there because you were so easy to forget. If simply being out is bad, you just have to sneak out so no one sees you, which isn’t too hard when you’re small. Copper has never really had trouble with this particularly way of getting away. He doesn’t think twice about sneaking off much anymore, because it’s so absurdly simple for him. He’s always been able to do it well, and he can’t remember if he’s ever even been caught while sneaking around. Of course, if he were more noticeable perhaps it would be harder, but he is ridiculously easy to just glance over and then forget about.
He has practiced with using knives in combat for a while; he still needs more practice on it so as to improve even more, but he does have some skill with that. He also learned a little about how to use his staff for defense, although that is a very “last resort” kind of thing, since it would probably end with a broken staff.
Pets: His stick, of course. Ah yes, the all-powerful stick. Technically, it is a staff, but Copper always refers to it as “the stick” or “his stick”. During his life, he has owned quite a few of these. While the first one broke long ago, Copper always treated all of the others as though they were that same first staff, as though the spirit from the first one manifested itself in all of the others, and is simply the exact same object, just inside something else. The current one has lasted him for a while now, and he has grown quite attached to it. While it may not be a living, breathing creature that feels anything, he still has some protective emotions concerning it, and while he doesn’t mind whacking people over the head with it, he doesn’t want it to break. He takes care of it, making sure that it doesn’t get put under too much stress for it to handle. It was fashioned to be sturdy and last a while, and it’s done that so far. It is also the only large and somewhat-heavy weapon that Copper is willing to use (and he does occasionally think of it as a weapon, at least for defense if nothing else).
History: Unlike many of the Holdless children, Copper was not born that way. For five Turns, he lived in a cothold, one of many that were beholden to the Weyrs for protection. His parents were as proud as anyone could be to spend their time getting things ready for the tithe to be made to the Weyr. Sure, it was a lot of work on their part, just to give it to the Weyrs, but in return, they were promised protection from all the dangers that resided near them, and they hadn’t been attacked yet, so the Weyrs must have been doing a good job of keeping them safe. They never thought it might be because there was nothing to attack them, because they were smart enough to know that there were felines of some kind roaming around out there, and if they were hungry enough, or irritated or something, they might come roaming around near their house. Protection was a very wonderful thing to give something else up for.
For the most part, Copelar worked out in the fields liked many others did. He had learned from his father how to grow food. When there was a lax time, usually in winter, Copelar would instead spend his time with woodworking, something he was quite proficient at. While he made an efficient farmer, he was also a good builder, with both stone and wood, and he delighted in creating all sorts of things that were sturdy and could last, no matter what size they might be, or how ridiculous insignificant they really were. It was a little quirk of his that the rest of the family just learned to live with.
Copelar and Peranar married young like so many other people, and very soon had their own children. While their life may not have been perfect, they lived well enough in the cothold. Both were used to that kind of life, and even the hardships of that kind of life was something they were used too. They really did plan to live out their lives as nothing but simple cotholders. It was what their parents had done, it was what they planned to do, and it was what they expected their children would do. It wasn’t a glorious life, no, but it was a necessary one. If there was no one in the cotholds, how could the rest of the continent support itself? The dragonriders would have to farm and grow their own food and such. It was best to have someone else around to do that sort of thing, and that was what they were there for. Sure, a better slot in life would be nice, but they were simple enough, and being protected by dragons from all sorts of dangers in the world.
Peranar had her first child soon after she was a married, and she named him Elaper. Not being very creative in her naming, she preferred to just grab parts of her name and Copelar’s name and put them together, without any mixing up of any sorts or adding any other letters in. That would have made it to darn confusing. It was simpler the way she did it. Elaper was just about as wonderful as any mother could hope (although perhaps Peranar’s opinion was biased). He was cute, bright, and curious. He learned to talk and to walk with no problems, and when he had a sister to share the house with when he was only two Turns old, he got along well enough with her, of course he was probably too young to understand any better. But to Peranar her children were turning out wonderfully, and she had to love that. Analar was shyer, perhaps, than her brother, but she was also quieter, less difficult to take care of, and not unenjoyable to look after.
Copper was their third child, and he was as healthy as his older brother and sister. He also proved to be highly curious, and loved nothing more than to try and follow his older siblings around; even when he couldn’t keep up with them, he still tried too. While there were times when life was harsh, there weren’t really any hard times, when just keeping everyone fed and healthy was hard to do. In fact, Copper and his siblings never really knew what it was like to be overly hungry, because they never suffered from a time when there simply wasn’t enough food, even if they did have to go on a bit less from time to time. Copper’s life was simple, even if he wasn’t old enough to understand that. He grew up hearing stories about dragons, and could instantly put a picture of them in his mind’s eye. It excited him to think about something like giant lizards that could fly and breathe fire and had to eat more than one herd-beast to feed themselves at one meal. Copper was also pleased that these beasts were benevolent enough to allow humans to continue peacefully living (he hadn’t accepted the concept of their being dragonriders yet, and believed that there were simply dragons roaming around by themselves). His idea about it was wrong, true, but it certainly made him excited. He was also too young, at four Turns, to understand the fuss his parents put on his younger brother, who was not so healthy like his siblings. Being unable to comprehend this, Copper got in trouble a few times when he complained about it.
A Turn passed by in much this fashion, although by the end of it Copper had learned to just ignore his younger brother, because trying to do anything with him only seemed to end with Copper getting in trouble. Peranar certainly spent less time with her other children while she was trying to keep Pelan healthy, not that she loved them any less then. It bothered her that her child was sick and she couldn’t think of a reason that might be. Why should he be any different? Something had changed in her simple life for the worst, and Peranar didn’t like it. She didn’t mind being very basic in her lifestyle as long as nothing terribly bad happened. But now it was, and it bothered her greatly. She had inherited some rudimentary knowledge of healing from her mother, but she still couldn’t quite figure out how to make Pelan healthy again.
It was after that Turn passed by that life went downhill. But it wasn’t slowly, gradually. No, rather than rolling down a hill, life jumped straight off of a cliff. Elaper and Analar, bored with the lack of attention they were getting one sunny summer morning, because Peranar was looking after Pelan and Copelar was out in the fields, decided to go exploring. They didn’t invite Copper along, because they knew that, as always, he would just slow them down and ask all sorts of questions. And, as always, he found out they had left not five minutes after they had and caught right up with them. They pretended to be exasperated; they were times when they actually had been annoyed, but by now they had grown quite used to the fact that he always managed to follow them everywhere, no matter when or how they snuck away from the house.
Usually, when they wandered off to go exploring somewhere, they just wandered around through the fields and said hi to Copelar when they saw him, or else went to see some of the other children around the cothold, or just wandered around there and look for pretty rocks to collect. Today, however, Elaper had decided that he didn’t want to do any of those things. He wanted to go into the forest. They weren’t allowed to go there, because everyone claimed there were all sorts of dangers lurking there. Elaper, of course, could hardly believe that anything would dare to hurt them when they had the protection of dragons on their side (Copper was very enthusiastic about this idea as well, although perhaps it was simply the idea of dragons). And, as he reasoned, as long as they didn’t tell anyone that they had gone, they couldn’t possibly get in trouble. As long as they had that logic, Analar agreed to go along with it. They made Copper promise not to tell anyone, and then they went off to go explore the forest. They had to make sure that no one was watching them when they left, of course, but other than that it was quite easy to sneak off.
Elaper decided almost instantaneously that the jungles of the Southern Continent were a purely awesome place, and he quite despaired of the fact that he’d never gotten to go there before. Analar (being only seven) thought that it was actually quite scary. Copper was more concentrating on not getting lost than actually looking around. None of them saw the feline that was so intently watching them. Until, of course, it leapt at them.
They might not have been found until much later had someone from the cothold not heard what sounded like a scream coming from the forest, and gone to investigate. That, in short, was how Peranar, already saddled with the stress of trying to care for a sickly baby, found herself with a nearly-dead five-Turn-old who was now her oldest living child. Luckily, she had the resources and skills necessary to keep him alive for the time being. Whether or not he would actually heal fully or even partially was another thing.
Since she didn’t want to lose Copper too, she did everything she could think of to take care of him. While this certainly paid off for him in the end, it was to the detriment of another. His younger brother, still sickly and weak, whose life had been slowly draining since the moment he was born, finally gave in to his sickness, and died but a few days after his siblings had. And that was around the time when Peranar went over the edge. Maybe it was because she had lost Elaper and Analar, or perhaps it was because she lost Pelan who she had spent so long looking after, or just the fact she lost him so soon after losing her other child, or the worry over whether Copper would ever be alright again, or perhaps all of them put together. But something clicked inside of her, and it turned her into almost a different person. She had spent her whole life doing everything to serve the Weyrs, she had watched her husband spend most of the Turn, every Turn, working to make sure he had something to give to the Weyrs. That was all for protection from the dangers they faced. And what did she have now? Three children gone, one gravely wounded. It was then that Peranar renounced the dragonriders. Disregarded everything she had ever thought of them, and decided they were unworthy of getting anything from her family, when they couldn’t be bothered to help her family in return.
In reality, the blame couldn’t possibly settle on the Weyrs. It was on the children who had run off when they knew they shouldn’t, or perhaps the parents who hadn’t kept a close enough watch on them. But Peranar was as likely to blame herself as she was to blame her dead children. But someone had to be blamed, and she choose the dragonriders. And she blamed them for everything, even for the fact that Pelan had been sickly. While she certainly couldn’t do anything about it then, when she was trying to make sure the one child she had left stayed with her, the thoughts inside her did not go away. She shared them with Copelar, the only other person she was sure she could trust to believe her in this. The rest of the cothold would probably think her crazy, but she now believed them to be the crazy ones. And as soon as Copper was better, she knew that she didn’t want to stay here, among people naïve enough to believe the dragonriders would ever do anything for them. Didn’t the fools realize they were just being used? Being stripped of everything they worked for, so the dragonriders could sit around, eating their food, using their products, and enjoy the comfort and safety of their Weyrs, while the cotholders were under constant threat by all sorts of dangers?
Peranar certainly did go through a rather frightening change, but she could justify it inside herself, and so she would never be the same person again. Her view had changed, and what she saw the world as now was something she could not just ignore. Instead, she simply let it sit in the back of her mind and fester while she doted on Copper, who continued to show improvement in his condition, which was something Pelan had never done. It gave Peranar heart to think that at least one of her children could recover from a weakened state. All the same, it was some time before Copper was fit enough to attempt to do anything again, and in the meantime his muscles had grown weaker, and he had to get back the strength in them. That was when Copelar, who had found himself quite unable to do much but watch, fashioned Copper a staff that he could use to help him walk, and before then, to simply put strain on his other muscles to make them strong again. He didn’t know at the time, of course, that Copper was going to become almost hopelessly attached to the staff, enough so that he refused to ever part with it, even after he no longer needed it.
But when it was first given to him, he was positively delighted. He’d finally come to understand that, for some reason, Elaper and Analar were dead. He didn’t know what to think about the cause, but he could comprehend that it had happened, and it bothered him greatly, because sometimes he would look and around wonder where they had gone before remembering that they weren’t going to come back. The staff, however, gave him something to look after, to take his mind off of things, and to comfort him when he was scared. Soon after receiving it, he decided that it was his “stick” and would only respond to anything about it if it was addressed as such. It was not a staff, it was his stick. And he refused to hear otherwise. Old habits die hard, and he never really got over it later on, even with all the questioning over why he insisted it was something that it was obviously not. Even when it wasn’t the same staff that his father had given to him while he was lying in bed, unable to do much of anything, he still refused to think of it and refer to it as anything but a stick.
So while Copper did his best to try and become just like he had been, he spent the rest of the time confiding everything that was worrying him to the staff, which had become some kind of friend to him; someone who would listen to everything he said and not criticize or ask questions or anything of the sort. When he had healed enough that he could walk around, he always did so with his staff, and even when he was able to move around well enough without it, he still kept it around anyways. Eventually he did actually stop using it to help him walk (long after he had really needed it anymore) and instead he just took it with him everywhere, dragging it along behind him and using it to poke anything that interested (or annoyed) him.
After he had sufficiently healed thus far, Peranar decided it was time to finally do something about the way she had been feeling ever since she had lost her other children. Copper was almost six Turns old when Peranar convinced Copelar that the dragonriders would just have to take care of themselves without them. And the three of them headed out in search of the Holdless. Peranar only knew things about them in passing, but they sounded like exactly the kind of people she wanted to affiliate with: people who agreed with her that dragonriders were the bane of Pern. It also will probably not come as a surprise that Copper’s stick finally broke, after all the pressure he had put on it, a short while before they found the Holdless. He was so dejected over it that Copelar fashioned him a new one as soon as he had the time. That one, too, was destined to break, as were quite a few after, at least until he learned how to take care of it so it would last longer.
While Copelar and his wife and son were accepted into the Holdless, it was with some reservations, for one could never be sure if they had other motives, and it would be some time before they were given real trust. Copper in particular had a bad time of it. None of the other children were impressed when he told them that he, at least, thought dragons were cool. After some scolding and taunting, he was informed about the existence of dragonriders, which brought everything he had thought about dragons crashing down. Perhaps his parents would have done well to try and explain to him, but it never did seem essential. He became quite annoyed with dragons after that, because they were no longer the awesome, powerful creatures he had imagined them to be, but were instead weak. So weak, in fact, that they couldn’t even survive on their own. Copper could survive on his own. Why couldn’t something so much bigger and more powerful than him do it?
Even after he had this revelation and began to understand the thoughts of the other children some more, he had still had a rough time of it, more because he wasn’t born Holdless, and because he was tinier, and thus easier to pick on. Perhaps a time would come when everyone would decide to leave him alone. But before that time, he has to stick up for himself a lot. Peranar was often too busy with other things to look after Copper, especially once she had another child that she needed to take care of. Copelar was often either busy using his skills in crafting things to create something or going out with other Holdless to go raid places. After their arrival, he seemed to settle into the ideals of the Holdless more, and even found himself happy to be there.
So with his mother busy and his father busy, Copper was left on his lonesome, and eventually had to grow up, and grow up fast. The older he could be at a younger age, the more he would be able to look after himself. That is mostly the reason his personality became so very complex. He started to transition from a happy little child that talked too much into a person with one of the most effective evil glares of anyone, a very short temper, and a lack of voice usage. At the same time, he learned to do things on his own, which may not have been so bad of a thing if it wasn’t turning him into someone partially isolated from everyone else, simply because he couldn’t be bothered to associate with too many people. He was always boyishly fond of his staff, though. It was the one thing that connected him to his past life, and even if it wasn’t quite the same staff as that one had been, even the new ones were close enough. When he was alone, he was never really alone, because he had that reminder of what his life had been like, and what it could have been like if they hadn’t gone wandering into the forest.
He also developed an interesting affinity for firelizards. True, he didn’t get to see them very much. Usually they hung around beaches, and the wild ones would all disappear if they saw him, but they meant something to him all the same. They were like dragons, only better. If only they were larger. Whenever he got upset over something, whether it be someone was pushing him around or they just didn’t have time for him, he would sneak off into the forest (clearly he never learned) and, while he was wandering, he looked around, just in case he saw a firelizard. He partially hoped he would find a clutch, get himself a firelizard, and teach everyone that they could be useful. Of course, this was wishful thinking. Even though Copper knew that the Holdless would never accept anything that looked remotely like a dragon, he still wanted one for himself, at least. Not that he ever found much of anything, but he still always looked.
Things began to change as he grew older. The older Copper grew, the more lonesome he became, and this loneliness made him more determined to amount to something. None of the adults had much time for him, since he was just a child, so he couldn’t expect anything from them. And all of the children his age were either inclined to make fun of him, either because he was small or because he was different, or were simply too scared of the look he always had on his face to try and talk to him. He certainly didn’t try to make friends after a few Turns, and instead turned seemingly murderous if someone approached him. It was the best way to get them to leave him alone, and it worked for the most part. But he came to the realization that he didn’t want to be treated like that for the rest of his life, and he didn’t want to have to act that way. Copper didn’t feel that different from anyone else. He wanted to help them out. He had no love for dragonriders, even if he had no vendetta against the dragons themselves. He began to crave respect. He saw how the Holdless were treating their leaders, and he wanted to be up there with them. Copper would love to be looked at, not for what he looked like, but for his abilities.
This caused some changes in the ways he viewed things. Copper’s outlook on life changed from simply being on his own and trying to find his own way of enjoying himself, to doing everything he possibly could to be accepted by the Holdless, and perhaps one day prove himself too them. One of the first things to change was firelizards. Certainly, he still thought of them as interesting creatures, but he realized that if he did have one, it would ruin his chances of ever being accepted. He gave up on the childish idea of proving to everyone they were useful, and stopped thinking about them when he went out on his own. He also changed what he did for most of the day. Usually, he would just stay alone, or help out with whatever needed helping out. Obviously that was never going to earn him any bonus points, so he decided to do other things. He especially wanted to learn how to use small knives in combat. Copper didn’t like large weapons much, since they always seemed rather awkward too him, and if they were heavy he couldn’t always swing them around very well. He preferred learning how to use something small and light, like he was.
When he got tired of that, he could always try to use his staff for something. He still thought of it as a kind of friend that he shouldn’t just be waving around (and was also the one thing he wasn’t going to give up to get some respect). At the same time, though, he had to admit that using it as a weapon could have its uses, especially since he didn’t plan on carrying around swords. If he could at least use it to learn how to deflect something, that would be good enough. The problem here being that it was wood, and deflecting one thing could very easily be enough to shatter it, so he was very cautious with this idea. Usually, he found its usefulness as a weapon to simply be whacking people who were annoying him over the head to get them to stop (he broke one doing this once, but it was worth it).
He never bothered trying to do anything about his bad temper though. Partially because that would be difficult and he didn’t feel like trying, and partially because, with the Holdless, occasionally beating someone else up wasn’t really seen as a bad thing. It was more a sign of weakness to back off from a fight then to start one. And he got into enough fights when he was younger to know how to win them (unless there were weapons involved), or at least escape mostly uninjured.
Copper was a bit annoyed when he found himself stuck at the camp, even after he had turned thirteen, which was around the time the Holdless decided you were old enough to start helping out with other things. He didn’t know why, but he never seemed to get to go out and do anything much. Certainly, he could put the time to good use, but it also made him more determined to try and prove himself, because obviously he was not getting his point across strongly enough.
Upon reaching his fourteenth Turn, Copper was given a new staff by his father (the old one had broken some weeks before, but Copelar had been out doing things and unable to make him another one). This is the one that he is using currently, and he hopes that it will last a good while. Copper has learned a handful of useful skills, and a few not-so-useful ones. Someday, he’s going to prove himself. No one seems to want to let him right now, but he will. Even if he has to sneak out to go do something because no one wants to take him along. In the end though, it will all be worth it.
Maybe I’ll switch to adoptable characters now))
Character Info:
Name: Copper
Age: 14 Turns
Gender: Male
Rank: Holdless
Family:
Copelar (Father) – Holdless (38)
Peranar (Mother) – Holdless (36)
Elaper (Brother) – Deceased (9, would be 18)
Analar (Sister) – Deceased (7, would be 16)
Pelan (Brother) – Deceased (1, would be 10)
Opanel (Sister) – Holdless (7)
Nacalar (Sister) – Holdless (4)
Appearance: The first thing that one may notice about him is that he is tiny. Of course, living with the Holdless, where food can sometimes be scarce, doesn’t really help. Whatever the reason, Copper is almost, almost five feet, but, sadly, is still technically only 4’11”. He also only weighs about 85 pounds or so, which is actually quite impressive, considering how skinny he tends to be (his mother believes his growth was stunted do to lack of nutrition in some way, which she vehemently blames on dragonriders). There is nothing else about his immediate appearance that is very interesting in the least. Even his hair is a simple shade of brown, not a light brown or a dark brown, but just brown. Much the same thing goes for his blue eyes, which can never really be called anything but blue. In fact, the only other interesting thing about his appearance may be the four scars down his back (which are very easily covered up and so go unnoticed) from his run-in with a wild feline.
He happens to be quite adept at forming expressions of annoyance. Copper has perfected his method of glaring at people, to the point that he can look at you and show, with no sound at all, exactly how much he disapproves of whatever you were talking about or being involved in. Perhaps it is a good thing that this makes it easy to tell when he’s annoyed, because you don’t always want to be around him right then. For such very undescriptive eyes, he has a way of seeming as though he can see straight into your soul, and has seen something very wrong with it.
Most of his physical aspects suffer due to his size, and he simply can’t compete with most people in just about any physical activity. It certainly doesn’t stop him from trying, but it does stop him from succeeding. Copper sometimes tries to push his physical limits, which can be extremely bad for his health, not that he cares too much. He isn’t very good about accepting defeat with these kinds of things, and he will almost happily overexert himself. Part of it is so he doesn’t show any weakness, and the rest is that he simply doesn’t want to be weak, and so doesn’t even want to admit to himself that he may not be able to handle something. This could be considered a redeemable quality, since it means he doesn’t give up easily, but it really is just more like stubbornness and stupidity than anything else, especially since he is well aware that he doesn’t have much strength or speed.
Being the small person that he is, Copper has inherited the agility that always seems to go with people like him. If he is nothing else, he can at least be nimble. He also does well at keeping his balance, and has good reflexes besides. It’s good that he can at least put these things together; otherwise he wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight against anyone. As it is, he has to rely on a sharp mind rather than brute strength, but it has been that way his entire life and he knows how to do things that way. It annoys him that he has to rely on defense for the most part, but he does live with it. Even if he has some complaints about it.
Personality: Copper is in an interesting kind of limbo, where he isn’t really an adult, and he isn’t really a child, but he isn’t really a teenager either. His personality contains some traces of all three at the moment. Perhaps the childish ones will die away within a few Turns, or perhaps he was always be hopelessly confusing. For the moment, he certainly does have some personality aspects that should probably belong to someone older than he is.
The most childish part of his personality is his emotional attachment to an inanimate object. And not only that, but an inanimate object that is nothing more than a representation of another inanimate object that meant something to him. This being the staff he was given when he was five Turns old, which has long since broken, but he has had several since, and all of them were as important to him as that first one. No matter how much he may have matured otherwise, he never got over that staff and what it meant to him. It symbolizes his life before the Holdless, and he also seems to see it as something that understands him. Copper has given his staff a certain amount of human qualities that it most certainly cannot possess, but as long as he believes that it, at least, is on his side, it doesn’t really matter how very inanimate it is. For Copper, it is far more than just a piece of wood, and he will be surprisingly protective of it if need be.
Most of his other childish traits have disappeared, and been replaced instead by those far more reminiscent to teenagers. One in particular is his short temper. Very short. You can simply say the wrong thing without even meaning it, and it could be enough to get him upset. And when Copper gets upset, he stays upset. None of this calming down after a little while and after you’ve explained you didn’t mean to make him upset. He’s been irked far too many times for that, and if you get him mad, you either need to stand up to him or just keep away. But don’t be indecisive. That just irks him more. He can usually only extinguish whatever anger he had by spending a while on his own. He has a good memory for everyone who annoyed him lately, and he doesn’t let them forget that they invoked his ire anytime soon. Eventually he just lets it go, but you might want to stay away from him for a few days if you get him upset. He can get relatively violent, mostly because he’s almost always carrying a heavy stick around.
He was also rather talkative as a young child. That bubble of enthusiasm was popped, however, and now he doesn’t say much at all. There are certainly plenty of things he has to say, there’s just nobody he wants to say it too. When he’s happy (which isn’t too often) he is relatively talkative. When he’s annoyed, he doesn’t say much at all, and when he’s trying to concentrate, his only response to any question will be a glare. Even background chatter that has nothing to do with him makes it hard for him to concentrate.
For the most part, he is a loner. This wasn’t always the case, of course, but it isn’t his fault. If people would stop annoying him so much, he could stop avoiding them. This is one aspect of himself that Copper doesn’t actually enjoy, because as much as people tend to annoy him, he will never gain any kind of respect by backing off from everyone. But every time he tries to get along with someone, they just annoy him and he goes back to being alone. He doesn’t really think of himself as overreacting, but he does wish either he could have a little more tolerance for other people (not likely) or that other people could just be less annoying (better idea).
Respect. The one thing that has plagued Copper ever since he realized he wanted it. Being an oddball for much of his time as a child, he never really knew what it was like to even have friends of any sort, not that he needed friends too much, since he learned quickly that the best person to associate with was yourself. Other people could be mean, and weren’t always trustworthy. They could betray you right when you needed them the most. But only people with serious problems ever did that to themselves. After many Turns of simply being by himself, Copper decided that he wasn’t satisfied with that. He certainly didn’t mind not putting his trust and confidence in other people, but he did want to be noticed. And not in a bad way, either. He wanted to be someone important, like the more successful of the Holdless, whom everyone revered because they had done, and were doing, some pretty important things. Copper decided he wanted to be one of those people. He’s confident enough to think he has it in him, and now all it will take is a few good chances, and then he can be respected too. Then, perhaps, he could be satisfied.
Dragons. Ah yes, the turmoil surrounding them is certainly deep. Copper, personally, has no hatred towards dragons. He’s actually neutral about them. It’s the riders he has a quarrel with. They’re the ones his mother is so deeply set against, and the ones that the Holdless always plan on attacking. For dragons, though, Copper has no hatred, and there is a reason. When he was younger, and he first learned about dragons, Copper was under the impression that they were huge, intelligent, and powerful creatures who were the rulers and guardians of Pern, and who were benevolent enough to allow humans to live where they were without bothering them. He dreamed of them as amazing creatures who could do anything, anything. If someone had shown up and asked him if he wanted a dragon of his own, the question would certainly have confused him, but he would have said yes without a second thought. He later learned about the existence of dragonriders, which brought his idea of dragons to an end. While he had to put together his own realizations of dragons (taking out some of the Holdless bias about them), he came to realize that they were not so powerful. In fact, they were weak. So weak, in fact, that they couldn’t survive unless they had a person to live with. And for some reason, instead of making him wish he could have his own dragon that would require him to live, he became quite annoyed with them. His thoughts about them were shattered, and he’d gotten in a bit of trouble for thinking of them like that. After he learned the truth about dragons, Copper lost his enthusiasm for them. He still has a certain respect for them, enough so that he would never kill a dragon if he had the chance. He doesn’t hate them enough for that. For him, they are simply a huge disappointment. He doesn’t have a problem with the riders being killed, because of the dragons are really so weak that they cannot survive without their riders, then they deserve to die.
So with no joy over those creatures left, Copper turned to firelizards. Before he became respect-oriented, he decided that they, at least, were still cool. Why? Because they didn’t need to Impress to survive. They certainly weren’t as intelligent or powerful as dragons, but at least they weren’t as weak. To Copper, they seemed like the perfect role models for dragons. If only firelizards were as large and smart as dragons. Then his earliest thoughts about them could be real. That didn’t seem to be happening anytime soon, but he still felt a certain soft spot for the smaller reptilian creatures. He decided that, should he ever find a clutch of them, he would love to keep one. He was smart enough to know that this would just make him even more of an outcast among the Holdless, but he fantasized that, somehow, he could show them how great the firelizards were, even if dragons weren’t so awesome. Later, he decided he would rather be respected, and so gave up on the idea. Of course, he never ran into a clutch anyways, so it’s hard to judge what his reaction might have ended up being.
Due to his rather lonely nature, Copper also has an air of independence about him. Well, obviously someone that spends their time alone should learn how to do things on their own. Given the choice, he would much rather do something by himself than with others. This is not always the most efficient way to get something done, but it is the way that Copper prefers, and the way that he tends to work best. He finds it far easier to concentrate when he is by himself, and is far more creative while alone. Independence is a good thing in general, although Copper can take it to an unhealthy extreme.
There is a possibility he has leadership skills. It is only a possibility because he’s temperament wouldn’t make him a very good leader even if he does have the capability to be one. He certainly has some good points to him that could head in that direction, but unless he gets his bad temper under control he won’t be leading anyone around but himself. Perhaps time will turn him gentler, more intelligent, and more responsible. Then he might really be deserving of all the respect he wants. Or maybe he’ll just be a nuisance forever.
Most likely due to a combination of his childhood experiences and his temper, Copper is very brave. And it’s not a “when he wants to be” thing either. He’s brave all the time, he just sometimes prefers to not act on it. Generally, he won’t act on it for other people, but he’ll always be brave enough (and in some cases foolish enough) to stick up for himself. Yes, this does get to the point of recklessness. While Copper is usually smart enough to know how to act in certain situations so as to not do anything too stupid, when he’s angry all of that intelligence disappears, to be replaced with daring, but not really the good kind. Hopefully one day he can look back and reminiscence about how stupid he’d acted when he got really upset. Or maybe he will be reckless one time too many and get killed. Whatever happens, though, he is definitely brave, and it might worth having him around when you’re in danger. Copper is definitely not the kind of person to stand there paralyzed with fear while someone else is in danger. The only people he would not bother to rescue if they were in some life-threatening danger are someone who recently annoyed him greatly, and dragonriders. He still hasn’t sorted out how enthusiastic he is over the idea of getting to go out and try to kill dragonriders. Perhaps it won’t bother him, or perhaps he will find himself quite unable to actually kill someone himself. Watching them die would be different though. Then it wouldn’t be his fault, so he wouldn’t need to worry about it weighing on his mind. Watching some innocent (as in, no dragon) person die would definitely weigh on his mind, though.
Copper is both selfish and selfless. His conscious mind is nearly always selfish, while his unconscious mind can have some selflessness too it. Without this, he probably wouldn’t be reckless enough to save someone in danger. While there certainly is a part of him that cares about other people, it pales in comparison to the part of him that cares about Copper. He can get annoyed just seeing someone else being happy. And if someone else wants something that happens to conflict with Copper’s interests, he’s going to do what he can to make sure that he comes out on top. This tends to hold true even if it’s some younger child that wouldn’t stand a chance of besting him anyways. As long as it turns out the way he wants it, Copper doesn’t give much thought to what the other results might be. He also hates people trying to make him feel guilty about it. He just achieved what he wanted, why should he have to feel guilty about that? Why do other people have to matter so much?
He’s also terribly sardonic. Perhaps this should be expected, considering how he tends to act. Copper is very good with sarcasm, something that can make him very irritating. It’s a good thing his thoughts can’t be read, because Copper’s might be found to stretch to the point of ridiculousness.
Copper personality definitely seems to be turning him into someone getting ready to take on the world. Perhaps other people his age are still finding time to be kids, have fun, make mistakes, having other people to depend on and bond with. For Copper, though, the fact that he’s not yet that old or experienced doesn’t mean he isn’t ready to start acting more like an adult.
Hobbies/Skills: One of Copper’s best skills is his ability to completely avoid answering a question. Even a pointed, obvious question. He hates to lie, because if anyone ever found out he did, they would get mad at him, but he hasn’t got a problem with not giving all of the information, or implying something without outright saying it. Listen very close to what he says, and you will have to admit that, technically, it was not a lie, even if it wasn’t the truth. Lying is unacceptable for him, but he finds nothing wrong with twisting the truth around, especially to get out of talking about something he doesn’t want to talk about, or to annoy someone.
Another skill of his is sneaking around. It’s actually far easier than it sounds. The only thing you really have to do is keep quiet and make yourself seem normal, which can get you through crowds without anyone being able to say you were there because you were so easy to forget. If simply being out is bad, you just have to sneak out so no one sees you, which isn’t too hard when you’re small. Copper has never really had trouble with this particularly way of getting away. He doesn’t think twice about sneaking off much anymore, because it’s so absurdly simple for him. He’s always been able to do it well, and he can’t remember if he’s ever even been caught while sneaking around. Of course, if he were more noticeable perhaps it would be harder, but he is ridiculously easy to just glance over and then forget about.
He has practiced with using knives in combat for a while; he still needs more practice on it so as to improve even more, but he does have some skill with that. He also learned a little about how to use his staff for defense, although that is a very “last resort” kind of thing, since it would probably end with a broken staff.
Pets: His stick, of course. Ah yes, the all-powerful stick. Technically, it is a staff, but Copper always refers to it as “the stick” or “his stick”. During his life, he has owned quite a few of these. While the first one broke long ago, Copper always treated all of the others as though they were that same first staff, as though the spirit from the first one manifested itself in all of the others, and is simply the exact same object, just inside something else. The current one has lasted him for a while now, and he has grown quite attached to it. While it may not be a living, breathing creature that feels anything, he still has some protective emotions concerning it, and while he doesn’t mind whacking people over the head with it, he doesn’t want it to break. He takes care of it, making sure that it doesn’t get put under too much stress for it to handle. It was fashioned to be sturdy and last a while, and it’s done that so far. It is also the only large and somewhat-heavy weapon that Copper is willing to use (and he does occasionally think of it as a weapon, at least for defense if nothing else).
History: Unlike many of the Holdless children, Copper was not born that way. For five Turns, he lived in a cothold, one of many that were beholden to the Weyrs for protection. His parents were as proud as anyone could be to spend their time getting things ready for the tithe to be made to the Weyr. Sure, it was a lot of work on their part, just to give it to the Weyrs, but in return, they were promised protection from all the dangers that resided near them, and they hadn’t been attacked yet, so the Weyrs must have been doing a good job of keeping them safe. They never thought it might be because there was nothing to attack them, because they were smart enough to know that there were felines of some kind roaming around out there, and if they were hungry enough, or irritated or something, they might come roaming around near their house. Protection was a very wonderful thing to give something else up for.
For the most part, Copelar worked out in the fields liked many others did. He had learned from his father how to grow food. When there was a lax time, usually in winter, Copelar would instead spend his time with woodworking, something he was quite proficient at. While he made an efficient farmer, he was also a good builder, with both stone and wood, and he delighted in creating all sorts of things that were sturdy and could last, no matter what size they might be, or how ridiculous insignificant they really were. It was a little quirk of his that the rest of the family just learned to live with.
Copelar and Peranar married young like so many other people, and very soon had their own children. While their life may not have been perfect, they lived well enough in the cothold. Both were used to that kind of life, and even the hardships of that kind of life was something they were used too. They really did plan to live out their lives as nothing but simple cotholders. It was what their parents had done, it was what they planned to do, and it was what they expected their children would do. It wasn’t a glorious life, no, but it was a necessary one. If there was no one in the cotholds, how could the rest of the continent support itself? The dragonriders would have to farm and grow their own food and such. It was best to have someone else around to do that sort of thing, and that was what they were there for. Sure, a better slot in life would be nice, but they were simple enough, and being protected by dragons from all sorts of dangers in the world.
Peranar had her first child soon after she was a married, and she named him Elaper. Not being very creative in her naming, she preferred to just grab parts of her name and Copelar’s name and put them together, without any mixing up of any sorts or adding any other letters in. That would have made it to darn confusing. It was simpler the way she did it. Elaper was just about as wonderful as any mother could hope (although perhaps Peranar’s opinion was biased). He was cute, bright, and curious. He learned to talk and to walk with no problems, and when he had a sister to share the house with when he was only two Turns old, he got along well enough with her, of course he was probably too young to understand any better. But to Peranar her children were turning out wonderfully, and she had to love that. Analar was shyer, perhaps, than her brother, but she was also quieter, less difficult to take care of, and not unenjoyable to look after.
Copper was their third child, and he was as healthy as his older brother and sister. He also proved to be highly curious, and loved nothing more than to try and follow his older siblings around; even when he couldn’t keep up with them, he still tried too. While there were times when life was harsh, there weren’t really any hard times, when just keeping everyone fed and healthy was hard to do. In fact, Copper and his siblings never really knew what it was like to be overly hungry, because they never suffered from a time when there simply wasn’t enough food, even if they did have to go on a bit less from time to time. Copper’s life was simple, even if he wasn’t old enough to understand that. He grew up hearing stories about dragons, and could instantly put a picture of them in his mind’s eye. It excited him to think about something like giant lizards that could fly and breathe fire and had to eat more than one herd-beast to feed themselves at one meal. Copper was also pleased that these beasts were benevolent enough to allow humans to continue peacefully living (he hadn’t accepted the concept of their being dragonriders yet, and believed that there were simply dragons roaming around by themselves). His idea about it was wrong, true, but it certainly made him excited. He was also too young, at four Turns, to understand the fuss his parents put on his younger brother, who was not so healthy like his siblings. Being unable to comprehend this, Copper got in trouble a few times when he complained about it.
A Turn passed by in much this fashion, although by the end of it Copper had learned to just ignore his younger brother, because trying to do anything with him only seemed to end with Copper getting in trouble. Peranar certainly spent less time with her other children while she was trying to keep Pelan healthy, not that she loved them any less then. It bothered her that her child was sick and she couldn’t think of a reason that might be. Why should he be any different? Something had changed in her simple life for the worst, and Peranar didn’t like it. She didn’t mind being very basic in her lifestyle as long as nothing terribly bad happened. But now it was, and it bothered her greatly. She had inherited some rudimentary knowledge of healing from her mother, but she still couldn’t quite figure out how to make Pelan healthy again.
It was after that Turn passed by that life went downhill. But it wasn’t slowly, gradually. No, rather than rolling down a hill, life jumped straight off of a cliff. Elaper and Analar, bored with the lack of attention they were getting one sunny summer morning, because Peranar was looking after Pelan and Copelar was out in the fields, decided to go exploring. They didn’t invite Copper along, because they knew that, as always, he would just slow them down and ask all sorts of questions. And, as always, he found out they had left not five minutes after they had and caught right up with them. They pretended to be exasperated; they were times when they actually had been annoyed, but by now they had grown quite used to the fact that he always managed to follow them everywhere, no matter when or how they snuck away from the house.
Usually, when they wandered off to go exploring somewhere, they just wandered around through the fields and said hi to Copelar when they saw him, or else went to see some of the other children around the cothold, or just wandered around there and look for pretty rocks to collect. Today, however, Elaper had decided that he didn’t want to do any of those things. He wanted to go into the forest. They weren’t allowed to go there, because everyone claimed there were all sorts of dangers lurking there. Elaper, of course, could hardly believe that anything would dare to hurt them when they had the protection of dragons on their side (Copper was very enthusiastic about this idea as well, although perhaps it was simply the idea of dragons). And, as he reasoned, as long as they didn’t tell anyone that they had gone, they couldn’t possibly get in trouble. As long as they had that logic, Analar agreed to go along with it. They made Copper promise not to tell anyone, and then they went off to go explore the forest. They had to make sure that no one was watching them when they left, of course, but other than that it was quite easy to sneak off.
Elaper decided almost instantaneously that the jungles of the Southern Continent were a purely awesome place, and he quite despaired of the fact that he’d never gotten to go there before. Analar (being only seven) thought that it was actually quite scary. Copper was more concentrating on not getting lost than actually looking around. None of them saw the feline that was so intently watching them. Until, of course, it leapt at them.
They might not have been found until much later had someone from the cothold not heard what sounded like a scream coming from the forest, and gone to investigate. That, in short, was how Peranar, already saddled with the stress of trying to care for a sickly baby, found herself with a nearly-dead five-Turn-old who was now her oldest living child. Luckily, she had the resources and skills necessary to keep him alive for the time being. Whether or not he would actually heal fully or even partially was another thing.
Since she didn’t want to lose Copper too, she did everything she could think of to take care of him. While this certainly paid off for him in the end, it was to the detriment of another. His younger brother, still sickly and weak, whose life had been slowly draining since the moment he was born, finally gave in to his sickness, and died but a few days after his siblings had. And that was around the time when Peranar went over the edge. Maybe it was because she had lost Elaper and Analar, or perhaps it was because she lost Pelan who she had spent so long looking after, or just the fact she lost him so soon after losing her other child, or the worry over whether Copper would ever be alright again, or perhaps all of them put together. But something clicked inside of her, and it turned her into almost a different person. She had spent her whole life doing everything to serve the Weyrs, she had watched her husband spend most of the Turn, every Turn, working to make sure he had something to give to the Weyrs. That was all for protection from the dangers they faced. And what did she have now? Three children gone, one gravely wounded. It was then that Peranar renounced the dragonriders. Disregarded everything she had ever thought of them, and decided they were unworthy of getting anything from her family, when they couldn’t be bothered to help her family in return.
In reality, the blame couldn’t possibly settle on the Weyrs. It was on the children who had run off when they knew they shouldn’t, or perhaps the parents who hadn’t kept a close enough watch on them. But Peranar was as likely to blame herself as she was to blame her dead children. But someone had to be blamed, and she choose the dragonriders. And she blamed them for everything, even for the fact that Pelan had been sickly. While she certainly couldn’t do anything about it then, when she was trying to make sure the one child she had left stayed with her, the thoughts inside her did not go away. She shared them with Copelar, the only other person she was sure she could trust to believe her in this. The rest of the cothold would probably think her crazy, but she now believed them to be the crazy ones. And as soon as Copper was better, she knew that she didn’t want to stay here, among people naïve enough to believe the dragonriders would ever do anything for them. Didn’t the fools realize they were just being used? Being stripped of everything they worked for, so the dragonriders could sit around, eating their food, using their products, and enjoy the comfort and safety of their Weyrs, while the cotholders were under constant threat by all sorts of dangers?
Peranar certainly did go through a rather frightening change, but she could justify it inside herself, and so she would never be the same person again. Her view had changed, and what she saw the world as now was something she could not just ignore. Instead, she simply let it sit in the back of her mind and fester while she doted on Copper, who continued to show improvement in his condition, which was something Pelan had never done. It gave Peranar heart to think that at least one of her children could recover from a weakened state. All the same, it was some time before Copper was fit enough to attempt to do anything again, and in the meantime his muscles had grown weaker, and he had to get back the strength in them. That was when Copelar, who had found himself quite unable to do much but watch, fashioned Copper a staff that he could use to help him walk, and before then, to simply put strain on his other muscles to make them strong again. He didn’t know at the time, of course, that Copper was going to become almost hopelessly attached to the staff, enough so that he refused to ever part with it, even after he no longer needed it.
But when it was first given to him, he was positively delighted. He’d finally come to understand that, for some reason, Elaper and Analar were dead. He didn’t know what to think about the cause, but he could comprehend that it had happened, and it bothered him greatly, because sometimes he would look and around wonder where they had gone before remembering that they weren’t going to come back. The staff, however, gave him something to look after, to take his mind off of things, and to comfort him when he was scared. Soon after receiving it, he decided that it was his “stick” and would only respond to anything about it if it was addressed as such. It was not a staff, it was his stick. And he refused to hear otherwise. Old habits die hard, and he never really got over it later on, even with all the questioning over why he insisted it was something that it was obviously not. Even when it wasn’t the same staff that his father had given to him while he was lying in bed, unable to do much of anything, he still refused to think of it and refer to it as anything but a stick.
So while Copper did his best to try and become just like he had been, he spent the rest of the time confiding everything that was worrying him to the staff, which had become some kind of friend to him; someone who would listen to everything he said and not criticize or ask questions or anything of the sort. When he had healed enough that he could walk around, he always did so with his staff, and even when he was able to move around well enough without it, he still kept it around anyways. Eventually he did actually stop using it to help him walk (long after he had really needed it anymore) and instead he just took it with him everywhere, dragging it along behind him and using it to poke anything that interested (or annoyed) him.
After he had sufficiently healed thus far, Peranar decided it was time to finally do something about the way she had been feeling ever since she had lost her other children. Copper was almost six Turns old when Peranar convinced Copelar that the dragonriders would just have to take care of themselves without them. And the three of them headed out in search of the Holdless. Peranar only knew things about them in passing, but they sounded like exactly the kind of people she wanted to affiliate with: people who agreed with her that dragonriders were the bane of Pern. It also will probably not come as a surprise that Copper’s stick finally broke, after all the pressure he had put on it, a short while before they found the Holdless. He was so dejected over it that Copelar fashioned him a new one as soon as he had the time. That one, too, was destined to break, as were quite a few after, at least until he learned how to take care of it so it would last longer.
While Copelar and his wife and son were accepted into the Holdless, it was with some reservations, for one could never be sure if they had other motives, and it would be some time before they were given real trust. Copper in particular had a bad time of it. None of the other children were impressed when he told them that he, at least, thought dragons were cool. After some scolding and taunting, he was informed about the existence of dragonriders, which brought everything he had thought about dragons crashing down. Perhaps his parents would have done well to try and explain to him, but it never did seem essential. He became quite annoyed with dragons after that, because they were no longer the awesome, powerful creatures he had imagined them to be, but were instead weak. So weak, in fact, that they couldn’t even survive on their own. Copper could survive on his own. Why couldn’t something so much bigger and more powerful than him do it?
Even after he had this revelation and began to understand the thoughts of the other children some more, he had still had a rough time of it, more because he wasn’t born Holdless, and because he was tinier, and thus easier to pick on. Perhaps a time would come when everyone would decide to leave him alone. But before that time, he has to stick up for himself a lot. Peranar was often too busy with other things to look after Copper, especially once she had another child that she needed to take care of. Copelar was often either busy using his skills in crafting things to create something or going out with other Holdless to go raid places. After their arrival, he seemed to settle into the ideals of the Holdless more, and even found himself happy to be there.
So with his mother busy and his father busy, Copper was left on his lonesome, and eventually had to grow up, and grow up fast. The older he could be at a younger age, the more he would be able to look after himself. That is mostly the reason his personality became so very complex. He started to transition from a happy little child that talked too much into a person with one of the most effective evil glares of anyone, a very short temper, and a lack of voice usage. At the same time, he learned to do things on his own, which may not have been so bad of a thing if it wasn’t turning him into someone partially isolated from everyone else, simply because he couldn’t be bothered to associate with too many people. He was always boyishly fond of his staff, though. It was the one thing that connected him to his past life, and even if it wasn’t quite the same staff as that one had been, even the new ones were close enough. When he was alone, he was never really alone, because he had that reminder of what his life had been like, and what it could have been like if they hadn’t gone wandering into the forest.
He also developed an interesting affinity for firelizards. True, he didn’t get to see them very much. Usually they hung around beaches, and the wild ones would all disappear if they saw him, but they meant something to him all the same. They were like dragons, only better. If only they were larger. Whenever he got upset over something, whether it be someone was pushing him around or they just didn’t have time for him, he would sneak off into the forest (clearly he never learned) and, while he was wandering, he looked around, just in case he saw a firelizard. He partially hoped he would find a clutch, get himself a firelizard, and teach everyone that they could be useful. Of course, this was wishful thinking. Even though Copper knew that the Holdless would never accept anything that looked remotely like a dragon, he still wanted one for himself, at least. Not that he ever found much of anything, but he still always looked.
Things began to change as he grew older. The older Copper grew, the more lonesome he became, and this loneliness made him more determined to amount to something. None of the adults had much time for him, since he was just a child, so he couldn’t expect anything from them. And all of the children his age were either inclined to make fun of him, either because he was small or because he was different, or were simply too scared of the look he always had on his face to try and talk to him. He certainly didn’t try to make friends after a few Turns, and instead turned seemingly murderous if someone approached him. It was the best way to get them to leave him alone, and it worked for the most part. But he came to the realization that he didn’t want to be treated like that for the rest of his life, and he didn’t want to have to act that way. Copper didn’t feel that different from anyone else. He wanted to help them out. He had no love for dragonriders, even if he had no vendetta against the dragons themselves. He began to crave respect. He saw how the Holdless were treating their leaders, and he wanted to be up there with them. Copper would love to be looked at, not for what he looked like, but for his abilities.
This caused some changes in the ways he viewed things. Copper’s outlook on life changed from simply being on his own and trying to find his own way of enjoying himself, to doing everything he possibly could to be accepted by the Holdless, and perhaps one day prove himself too them. One of the first things to change was firelizards. Certainly, he still thought of them as interesting creatures, but he realized that if he did have one, it would ruin his chances of ever being accepted. He gave up on the childish idea of proving to everyone they were useful, and stopped thinking about them when he went out on his own. He also changed what he did for most of the day. Usually, he would just stay alone, or help out with whatever needed helping out. Obviously that was never going to earn him any bonus points, so he decided to do other things. He especially wanted to learn how to use small knives in combat. Copper didn’t like large weapons much, since they always seemed rather awkward too him, and if they were heavy he couldn’t always swing them around very well. He preferred learning how to use something small and light, like he was.
When he got tired of that, he could always try to use his staff for something. He still thought of it as a kind of friend that he shouldn’t just be waving around (and was also the one thing he wasn’t going to give up to get some respect). At the same time, though, he had to admit that using it as a weapon could have its uses, especially since he didn’t plan on carrying around swords. If he could at least use it to learn how to deflect something, that would be good enough. The problem here being that it was wood, and deflecting one thing could very easily be enough to shatter it, so he was very cautious with this idea. Usually, he found its usefulness as a weapon to simply be whacking people who were annoying him over the head to get them to stop (he broke one doing this once, but it was worth it).
He never bothered trying to do anything about his bad temper though. Partially because that would be difficult and he didn’t feel like trying, and partially because, with the Holdless, occasionally beating someone else up wasn’t really seen as a bad thing. It was more a sign of weakness to back off from a fight then to start one. And he got into enough fights when he was younger to know how to win them (unless there were weapons involved), or at least escape mostly uninjured.
Copper was a bit annoyed when he found himself stuck at the camp, even after he had turned thirteen, which was around the time the Holdless decided you were old enough to start helping out with other things. He didn’t know why, but he never seemed to get to go out and do anything much. Certainly, he could put the time to good use, but it also made him more determined to try and prove himself, because obviously he was not getting his point across strongly enough.
Upon reaching his fourteenth Turn, Copper was given a new staff by his father (the old one had broken some weeks before, but Copelar had been out doing things and unable to make him another one). This is the one that he is using currently, and he hopes that it will last a good while. Copper has learned a handful of useful skills, and a few not-so-useful ones. Someday, he’s going to prove himself. No one seems to want to let him right now, but he will. Even if he has to sneak out to go do something because no one wants to take him along. In the end though, it will all be worth it.
