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Whiteriders, I feel, are a little misunderstood - not that this post is getting anywhere *near* the main two ppl doing the misunderstanding.
Firstly, I am most definately a whiterider. Yes, I laugh at, and make up, dodgy jokes. Yes, I spot double-entendres and so forth. Yes, I'm not particularly disturbed any more if a random from school decides to tell me all about their boyfriends. (context: would I be more disturbed if Melody has had sex, or has been taking drugs? answer: taking drugs, and I would be a little suprised if the first *wasn't* true, although maybe that's a little unfair.)
These things have not-a-lot to do with whiteriderishness.
Let's think back to the origin of the concept of whiteriderishness, with a quick recap dealing with dragons. Most dragon colours have a distinct personality, which shapes the rider after Impression. Not so with white dragons - they take their imprint from the rider, absorbing their memories and much of their personality. So, the grouping of characteristics called 'whiteriderishness' are not an arbitary selection due to the dragon's colour - they are a direct consequence of what makes one choose a white dragon, as whites unlike the other colours are chosen by the riders, whereas with the other colours the dragon chooses the rider.
The main driving force of a whiterider is fear.
Let's start with the less controversial, but less well-known aspect of this characteristic. The fear of faliure. One of the reasons to choose a white dragon is the fear that you're not, really, good enough for a dragon. That if you wait around on the Sands for one to pick you - they just might not. In fact, the whiterider convinces themself, they probably won't. Because of this, this and this - often, recursively, related to the fear of faliure itself! 'I'm scared that none of them will choose me, because they'll be able to seem I'm scared none of them will choose me, and therefore how inadequate I am.' And fear of faliure never goes away, because there are always higher standards to aspire to, to compare yourself against, to feel inadequate to.
Anyway, enough prevarication.
The catagorisation that drives the white-dragon-choice which most people pick on is the desire to avoid mating flights. This is what the adjective 'whiteriderish' is normally used about - it implies a general-purpose innocence and distaste with regard to the question of sex.
This is a misapprehension.
There's no real reason to be scared of mating flights on religous/ethical grounds. That's what bugs are for, or locking yourself away, or just plain control.
But whiteriders are afraid, all the same.
Whiteriders are afraid of themselves.
Firstly, I am most definately a whiterider. Yes, I laugh at, and make up, dodgy jokes. Yes, I spot double-entendres and so forth. Yes, I'm not particularly disturbed any more if a random from school decides to tell me all about their boyfriends. (context: would I be more disturbed if Melody has had sex, or has been taking drugs? answer: taking drugs, and I would be a little suprised if the first *wasn't* true, although maybe that's a little unfair.)
These things have not-a-lot to do with whiteriderishness.
Let's think back to the origin of the concept of whiteriderishness, with a quick recap dealing with dragons. Most dragon colours have a distinct personality, which shapes the rider after Impression. Not so with white dragons - they take their imprint from the rider, absorbing their memories and much of their personality. So, the grouping of characteristics called 'whiteriderishness' are not an arbitary selection due to the dragon's colour - they are a direct consequence of what makes one choose a white dragon, as whites unlike the other colours are chosen by the riders, whereas with the other colours the dragon chooses the rider.
The main driving force of a whiterider is fear.
Let's start with the less controversial, but less well-known aspect of this characteristic. The fear of faliure. One of the reasons to choose a white dragon is the fear that you're not, really, good enough for a dragon. That if you wait around on the Sands for one to pick you - they just might not. In fact, the whiterider convinces themself, they probably won't. Because of this, this and this - often, recursively, related to the fear of faliure itself! 'I'm scared that none of them will choose me, because they'll be able to seem I'm scared none of them will choose me, and therefore how inadequate I am.' And fear of faliure never goes away, because there are always higher standards to aspire to, to compare yourself against, to feel inadequate to.
Anyway, enough prevarication.
The catagorisation that drives the white-dragon-choice which most people pick on is the desire to avoid mating flights. This is what the adjective 'whiteriderish' is normally used about - it implies a general-purpose innocence and distaste with regard to the question of sex.
This is a misapprehension.
There's no real reason to be scared of mating flights on religous/ethical grounds. That's what bugs are for, or locking yourself away, or just plain control.
But whiteriders are afraid, all the same.
Whiteriders are afraid of themselves.
