Blue and Green Revolution.

[ASTROLOGICAL!!]

(note: b/c i'm lazy, blues also include breaths and reds, and greens also include lashes and oranges.)

All right so this isn't too relevant yet, but I figure that maybe we can see the lower-ranks sort of get sick of being pushed around. IC, this has only been seen in one thread because we only have one active bronze rider and his name is Sir Asshat R'lar. If you do not know R'lar, feel free to read these two threads. He's basically my basis for this, though I'm sure our NPC princes are lovely people.

But that is not my point. My point is that there are perhaps issues that need to be addressed:

1) The fact that blues and greens cannot last a full fall, thus making it difficult for Wingleaders to rotate their wings in and out and thus decreasing the efficiency of Threadfighting.

2) The fact that bronze riders that are just plain wing riders assume that they are superior to even older green riders, plus the stereotype that blue/green riders are weaker of mind and character.

3) A third and optional thing is the idea of slut-shaming for female green riders and homophobia towards male green riders being a thing. This doesn't need to be explored in detail, but maybe brought up bitterly by one or two green riders and doesn't need to involve too much actual in-character displays of higher-ranks being assholes.


The entire buildup can be played out through NPCs and eventually we can all see as the blue/green riders rise up and demand their own fighting wings, using issue number one as a key argument. If blues/greens were their own wingleaders, then Bronze wingleaders wouldn't have to worry about rotating blue and green riders in and out and assigning schedules and gaps in the wing if one gets injured. The blue/green wingleaders can handle that situation on their own and fight Thread more efficiently.

With luck, the power can then lead to numbers two and three being decreased. It probably won't go away, but a conscious effort to remove the color = lesser person idea that some Weyrfolk tend to have can be their main goal. OOCly, it'll also encourage people to play lower ranks, since the general argument against playing "common" colors is that "they have no say."

Well, let's change that-- ICly, somehow. Anyone down?

[catnip]

Sounds like fun, though I'm curious where the brown ranks might fit into this revolution.

[Whim]

To add: I'd assume that slut-shaming for female blue riders happens just as much if not more than for female green riders, since blues chase more often than greens rise. Male blue riders seem in canon to be assumed to be gay or straight mostly depending on the book, so whether Cat's Paw assumes they're gay or not is up to discussion.

Also: I will add that I like this idea, and think that it could (as females make up a very significant number of the green and blue riders, unlike the brown riders that only have a small chance of becoming a wingleader to begin with) lead nicely into some female riders getting some feminist ideas as well, if we want that plot.

[ASTROLOGICAL!!]

Brown-ranks are considered second to bronzes and thus usually seen in a better light. It's considered not bad to impress to a brown, so i figure they aren't given any special treatment but aren't shoved into terrible positions either. They already get a chance to become wingseconds, something blues and greens don't ever see, and they can become Wingleader. Large browns can still chase and catch Queens, though rarely, so they have a chance at Weyrleader as well.

Oooh yeah, female blue riders would get it as well. And then they get sick of it and decide to overhaul the system. Down with misogyny! This plays nicely into the feminist plot, and will do a wonderful job of making the Weyr more equal-opportunity.

[Whim]

Mmhm. If we do want it to lead into the feminist plot, I'd say that at least at first, one of the major arguments against blue and green wings would be 'but there are so many female blue and green riders!' and 'one of them might become a wingleader!' and at first, while blue and green riders would be allowed to lead their own wings, female riders wouldn't. That could be skipped of course, since I think the weyrs are a little more equal than canon due to the presence (and acceptance) of female blue and brown riders, but if it does happen I think it would make the contrast very, very blatant, and very annoying for female riders who were involved in the initial movement.

[moonchilde]

I've always thought wingleaders leading for the full hours of fall seems unwise anyway.
Why not say they switch out halfway through from their position?
Someone with a fresh head is likely wiser as a leader, after all.
And then blues/greens switching wouldn't even be an issue.
Maybe wingseconds could swap with wingleaders, or maybe another wingleader, I dunno...

[redwerecat]

I'm down, I think. (And not just because this is a plot I love to explore...)
I know for a fact I'm deeply considering adding in a male greenrider, mostly because I CAN and love them to death, so if you EVER want someone to bitch about homophobic steyotypes, he'd be in. (I NPC him anyway, so even if I don;t make him, he can pass on info via his kid- heck, Siarryn/S'ryn's tendencies to sleep around may as well put him in the same situation... )

As for chromatic ranks switching out... huh. I kind of assumed that in a fall, a good wingleader already trusted his wing to tell HIM when they needed a reprieve, etc... so maybe bring up that some green/blue riders complaining about bad timing/planning, like a blue easily capapble of further duty being pulled early, or a green being forced to exhaustion because her wingleader would not let her switch out when she was tired... maybe a bit of abuse of power in that respect?

I fully support the idea of more power to 'lower' ranks. (I abhor the idea of 'high rankers are the only fun ones to play!' I love me my greens and blues...)

As for women wingleaders- well, hell, couldn;t that help lead into our pseudo-plotting of a feminist revolution as well?