Kebrin’s character plot hooks:
Here are some of the things that I see driving Kebrin during at least the first few adventures, as well as a few of his goals/dreams at the bottom:
- Homesickness, since this is his first time away from Ista Weyr for any length of time.
- Raised around adults, so surprisingly mature for his age – and has a hard time interacting with other kids.
- Kebrin isn’t reckless, but he could easily overcommit/bite off more than he can chew because he doesn’t want to show weakness or immaturity by backing down from a challenge.
- Overachiever, because he wants to prove that he’s worthy of his Weyr’s long and illustrious history – and because dragonmen are supposed to be better.
- Moral, so he could easily be drawn into conflicts that aren’t really his own simply because getting involved was the right thing to do (fighting bullies, helping out with injuries and accidents, etc.).
- Very proud of being a Weyrbrat from Ista Weyr, and will argue – and even gladly fight – to defend their honor.
- Avid reader, and will go through great efforts to acquire new books.
- Eager to learn more about the history of Pern, especially since so much seems to be piecemeal or completely lost.
- Desperately wants a whole Faire of Firelizards, because he knows for certain that they’re real (and has asked Headwoman Norilla about them) and because they’re a kid-sized version of the dragons he grew up around. He’s likely to go looking for eggs, if given any reasonable opportunity.
- If permissible, Kebrin would love to bring some of his friends with him back to Ista Weyr on one or more of their vacations to enjoy all that the island paradise has to offer. This might also be an ideal time to go hunting for Firelizard eggs.
- Even more desperately wants to stand the sands one day, but isn’t certain whether Ista Weyr’s Gold Queen will ever have another mating flight – and he’s not certain if children of one Weyr are still entitled to stand the sands at other Weyrs.
- Secretly, he dreams of one day serving as Ista Weyr’s Weyrharper – learning and recording their songs and history until the Weyr is no more, and he is assigned to another Weyr.
- Garoway is already fairly old, and he’s not going to live forever. Will he hold out as Harper of Ista Hold until Kebrin, his beloved Foster Son, can assume his mantle? How will Kebrin handle the loss of the man he has secretly come to think of as his father?
- Once we start jumping forward in time, I am eager to see how Kebrin handles the aging – and continued abandonment – of Ista Weyr. It’s human nature to assume that a place doesn’t change while you’re away, and Kebrin’s going to learn the folly of this the hard way. How is he going to take it when members of his extended family retire, leave for other Weyrs, die of old age, etc.?
- I would like to see Kebrin come into conflict with jealous Hold kids at Harper Hall, and/or develop a friendly rival – maybe another student who’s similarly driven to overachieve?
- I am also very curious to see how Kebrin’s first awkward attempts at love/lust/relationships turn out, considering he’s charming and a genuinely good kid – but from fundamentally different culture with vastly different views concerning life, love, and sex. Is it going to be sweet, an amusing comedy of errors, or something else entirely?