Flight Guide: Dragons, Firelizards, and Whers, Oh My!

[Masterharper]

A Shiny Introduction to Mating Flights and Runs

Mating flights are very common on Pern. Dragons, firelizards, and whers will all have or participate in them at some point in their life. This thread will discuss what happens during the mating flights, the IC effects on characters, and OOCly how we we want to handle these things.

Given this is a PG-13 shop, keep a bucket of Fade To Black paint with you, a whole lot of censor bars.
 

[Masterharper]

Dragon Flights

What is a Flight?: A mating flight is something every green or gold fire-lizard and dragon will participate in during their lifetime. When it's time for a female to mate, she will take flight, and any interested (and eligible) males and females will give chase to catch her.

The Signs: A dragons mood can change the closer she gets to rising. Sometimes they get flirty, other times aggressive and temperamental. It's different for every dragon, but their rider tends to learn the signs. These emotions and feelings can easily rub off on their rider, and can happen up to a sevenday before the flight.

When a flight is imminent the dragon is known to begin to glow. Depending on the dragon this could happen within a few minutes, to a few hours, to even a couple days before she's ready to rise.

Depending on whether or not it's a green or gold, when it finally is time to mate, their flights tend to be different.

Green Flights:

• A green usually does not usually blood a kill prior to rising, but sometimes it can happen. A green will blood before she rises if it has been a few days since they last ate and it usually is only one or two creatures, max. Like golds, a green should not eat the kill, for it will slow her down.
  
  
• Green flights tend only to last about 15 to 30 minutes. A green doesn't have the stamina for a long flight, even if she's blooded a kill.
  
  
• Green flights tend to be all about speed, as they're the fastest and most agile dragons on Pern.
  
  
• Greens can be chased by green, blue, brown, and bronze dragons. Greens & blues have a the advantage of being most able to keep up with a green, but brown, and bronzes are also known to win. It just comes down to the dragon/rider preference.
  
  
• Green flights tend to only affect those who participate in them with flight lust and wild emotions. This is a good thing, because if green flights affected the entire Weyr and neighboring Holds, nobody would be able to function or do anything else. Green flights are incredibly common, and in large and crowded Weyrs, are known to happen daily.
  
  
• Whites will not chase or show interest in mating, even when goaded on by others. The interest is simply not there.
  
  
• Greens will never lay a clutch of eggs. Whether they chew firestone or not, they are naturally infertile.
  
  
• Greens will rise 3-5 times a Turn.
  
  
• Multiple greens can rise at the same time without incident. The chasing dragons will simply follow their preferred green. Even if a green is particularly grumpy about sharing the sky, they will never fight over it.
  
  
• Green dragons may be interested in females, and might only rise once or twice a Turn--but they cannot be asexual beings. It is written into their genetic code. They WILL rise to mate, at least twice a Turn--and nothing they do about it will stop it. Even if you do not run a flight or mention it, it will be assumed to have happened. There is no getting around this. The only time a green would stop rising would be when she finally gets too old--so usually after 70 or 80 Turns, if not longer.
  

Gold Flights:

• A gold will always blood before flying. Blooding is common, and requires the rider to command her dragon not to eat the kill. If the queen gorges, she will be slowed down and the flight shortened, resulting in a poor clutch.
  
  
• Gold flights tend to last 30-60 minutes.
  
  
• Gold flights are all about stamina and cleverness. The higher and longer the flight, the larger the clutch. OOCly, as clutches are predetermined well before the outcome of a flight, the size of the clutch will be variable regardless of what happens during the flight itself ICly.
  
  
• Golds can be chased by green, blue, bronze and brown dragons. Bronzes tend to be the queen's standard mate choice, but it's not uncommon to see a few bold browns attempt to woo the queen. Gold eggs can be produced by both a bronze and a brown, though Pern believes bronzes have a higher shot in resulting in a gold egg.
  
  Blues and greens simply do not have the stamina to keep up with a queen. They will not catch a queen, and will not be considered by queen even if they managed to keep up with her. Generally, we ask that blue and green dragons fall out of the sky part-way through. That said, even bronzes and browns can fall out or fall back and don't always make it until the end.
  
  
• Gold flights are very powerful. The emotions and lust that come from a queen tend to affect the entire Weyr and, should the flight happen over a Hold, can affect the Hold as well. It's not surprising to find a baby-boom in nearby Holds if a queen flight gets too close.
  
  
• Whites will not chase or show interest in mating, even when goaded on by others. The interest is simply not there.
  
  
• Golds will always lay a clutch of eggs after a mating flight.
  
  
• Golds will rise one to two times every five Turns, give or take. Sometimes longer, sometimes sooner. Just depends on how they feel.
  
  
• Golds should never rise to mate together. Should multiple golds rise they will fight to the death unless other queens can command and tear them apart. Even then, it might not work. To avoid the risk, when a queen rises to mate, all other goldriders must take their dragons and leave the Weyr until the Flight is over. Even if their queen has already had their flight, or is uninterested, it's better not to take the risk of a gold fight.
  
  The only exceptions are weyrling golds who have not yet graduated, golds who are guarding a clutch, and golds who are flightless.
  
  Queens should go very far away from the Weyr, at least two or three hours away in any direction, if possible.
  
  
• Queen dragons will NEVER be asexual or decide they aren't interested mating. It is built into their genetics. While they might not have interest in taking on a mate, or cuddling afterwards--there is no getting around that they were created to keep dragon kind alive.
  
  
• A Queen will only stop rising once she gets too old, usually somewhere between 50 and 80 Turns old. Some Queens seem to stop rising a little earlier than others. In other cases, a Queen will go an entire Pass. Signs that a Queen might be nearing the end of her ability to reproduce will be longer times between clutches, and smaller clutches.
  

Preferred Mates, Chosen Outcomes, & Dragonflights

A green or gold might have a preferred male to win her flight, or even a known mate, but Flights are very random and take just as much luck as they do physical prowess. A rising dragon cannot, and should not, expect to have the same dragon catch her--though there are some exceptions, just as there were in the books. Even by allowing predetermined winners OOCly, Goldriders and their players should not expect to have the same male win every PC flight.

Here are some reasons why a favored mate might not win:

The mate could be away from the Weyr when the dragon rises. Just because she's rising doesn't mean every dragon in the Weyr is available to chase, and sweeps and drills should not be abandoned due to a flight.

The preferred mate could be outwitted or outsmarted by a competitor.

The preferred mate could be injured at the time or unable to fly.

The preferred mate could get injured during the middle of the flight.

The preferred mate could be told by the Weyrleadership to stand down and allow new blood into the Weyr. (This happens in the books-- the Weyrleader's own son had caught too many queens, and was told to sit out future gold flights so other bronzes could pass on their genes.)

Just because a dragon pair is in love does not mean they will win the flight every. single. time. For gold riders, this means even if ICly they have a mate, we may ask that another dragon win the flight, or clutch-charts show other winners, or a flight be run open to other players. It's not a big deal in the Weyr. It doesn't mean they're not still mates. It is simply a fact of life.

New Rules for Queen Flights
If you plan on having a predetermined winner, you will NOT be allowed to run a PC flight. You will be asked, instead, to write it up ahead of time with the chosen winner. Then we will post it when it's time for your queen to rise. We WILL run a raffle then for players to enter a male competitor who had been there, and though they lost, will roll for our usual flight prizes.

If you do have a predetermined winner for a PC clutch, we may ask you utilize the RNG the next time you run a PC flight for that queen with at least two other players, as well as the favored mate, the next time they rise. This way, while the same dragon might win the next clutch if the RNG is kind, another player might at least get the opportunity to become a parent.

The same goes with clutch charts. The same dragons should not be winning every gold flight, lest the Weyrleadership request they stay out of the flight and stand down. Uta and Cheri might periodically look at the flight charts to see who might need to sit down--and this does include our own characters.

We will try to be flexible and not overly strict, but we do try to ask everyone to be understanding if we ask for a bronze or brown to sit a flight out; or for a predetermined pair to at least be understanding that they aren't guaranteed to win the gold flight, no matter the mate status.
 

[Masterharper]

Shop Flight Rules

When can my dragon mate? Greens can mate 3-5 times a Turn, depending on her preferences. If you wish to write a flight, you are allowed to do so without asking. Please keep in mind the greens have a typical cycle-- if she recently had a flight you will want to wait a three to four months before she has another.

Golds can mate between every one to five turns (or longer) and this is considered normal in our Pern lore. We stretch this out because we want to make sure everyone who has an actively RPed adult gold can lay a clutch. That said, if we only have a small number of active golds, then they might clutch more frequently and it's still considered normal. Staff will approach you when it is your turn for your gold to have an IC mating flight and clutch. If you are active and wish to volunteer for clutch rotation you'll need to let us know. If you poof or go inactive, we will take your gold off clutch rotation and their flights will just be NPC'd and assumed to be happening.

Depending on how many active PC queens we have in clutch rotation, if your gold has already had a PC clutch/hatching, and there are other active queens who have not, then we may have to simply assume/NPC some of their future clutches to give the other active gold riders their chance for a PC clutch.

Once again, it is entirely up to staff to shake out who is allowed to rise, and when, for both High Reaches and Western Weyr.

For active, recently graduated goldriders, staff will approach you when your queen is ready for her first mating flight. We will only ever NPC it if you go inactive.

Do I have to run all the flights and RP them? Not at all! We will never force someone to run a mating flight! We will all assume that the dragon flights happened even if you don't RP them out.

Can I have an NPC Gold Flight but PC Cluthing/Hatching? Absolutely! Even if you want your gold to have a PC clutch and are eligible for it, when staff reaches out to you you have the option of running an Open Flight, a Closed Flight, or an Assumed Flight. (More on those below!) The Clutching, Touching, and Hatching will still need to be run, but we can skip right to announcing the winner/when it took place without going through the big chase.

How do I choose a winner? It all depends on how you want the flight to be handled. There are three options that you can choose when you're considering a dragon flight.

Assumed Flight
This is where nothing gets officially written out. Everything is assumed to have happened without incident: your dragon rose, was chased, was caught, and everyone had a good time.

These flights don't even have to be noted for greens, since they happen so frequently. In these cases you can either make up an NPC to have caught your dragon, or if someone has a PC/eligible rider & dragon, you can talk to them and see if they want to plot.

In the case of PC winners you must have the other players permission to have them win.

These flights can be referenced in RP, logged in journals, an are treated as if they truly happened. You can even skip all the fuss and just start a post-flight RP if you wish. You also don't have to mention it at all. It's all in good fun!

Inactive Queens, or golds who are not RPed, will be presumed to have Assumed Flights. Staff might periodically update the clutch chart with these assumed Flights. We also might choose to use one as an NPC Hatching.

Open Flight
In this case, the flight is open to all eligible riders/dragons, and you don't have a winner in mind. You're going to make folks role-play the chase, or somehow compete to be the winner.

Some might come up with a flight system or dice-rolls.
Maybe you randomize from the group.
Maybe you just decided a whim to let your dragon be caught by one the players.

However you wish to choose the winner is up to you, but it is entirely your choice, and everyone who actively participates is giving their consent to wind up winning. So you don't even have to ask the player -- if they have their dragon chasing then they are more than eligible to win, provided it makes sense. No blue or green will ever win during a gold flight, no matter the queen's personal feelings, and no white dragons will ever be caught participating in any gold or green flight.

Closed Flight
A closed flight is still RPed out, but there is a predetermined, pre-announced winner. The flight still happens and is RPed out, or can simply be noted, but if a Gold or Green has a predetermined winner they will NOT get to RP it out in an open fashion. This is a new rule change. In the case of a gold flight, this will need to be pre-written by the owner of the gold and the predetermined winner ahead of time--and it will be posted when it's time for her to rise.

The shop will still give away particpatory prizes by running a raffle for dragons who were assumed to have entered (Cheri or Uta will set this up), but ultimately, when the winner is predetermined, you will not get to run an Open Flight.

For a green flight, it will simply be treated as PRP.

No matter if it's a gold or a green, NO PLAYER should ever beg, harass, or threaten the rising dragon to choose them. Once a winner is chosen, the losing players should not make the winner or the gold/green player feel bad about their choice!

What happens when the dragon is caught? In Pern dragons share an empathic and emotional bond with their rider. Flights are known to make their riders get all sorts of crazy with desire. Often, the rider gets so caught up in their dragons flight that they start to reflect/respond to what's going on with their dragon in the air.

i.e. Brekke became a snarling, ferocious, writhing woman when her gold got into a fight mid-Flight, shadowing what Wirenth was going through.

Most riders who get caught up in all that lust also wind up falling into bed with someone. Often it's the rider of the winning dragon, but not always -- sometimes they seek out their partner/lover, or even just a friend. In other cases, they might just seek out the first willing person they bump into, or have set up something in advance.

The only rule we have with Flights is that nobody is going to get pushed, pressured, or forced to sleep with somebody. Rape is not going to happen, and nobody is going to be forced to knock boots with anyone that isn't absolutely, without-a-doubt up for it.

Do not test us on this or push the limits. We are 0-tolerance rape here, so do not even try or have your characters get pushy.

Morning-after regret and drama and plots can still happen once all those dragon-emotions fade, but nobody should be taken advantage of or forced to sleep with someone just because of a flight.

Additionally, for individuals who are not interested in sleeping with anybody, a rider can fight the dragonlust. It requires some effort from the rider, and tends to leave them irritable, moody, and touchy, but it can be resisted if someone really doesn't want to participate. This includes anybody effected by the Flight, including the riders of the rising gold/green. While the green/gold rider still need to make sure their dragon finishes their flight without incident i.e. making sure they only blood, making sure the dragon makes it back home without hopping Between, etc. they genuinely don't need to participate in any of the after-party.

Okay, got it. So my dragon got caught, and now my rider is running off with someone else for post-flight shenanigans. Now what? Fade. To. Black. Once the dragon is caught, anybody who is going to participate in shaking off that flight lust by knocking boots needs to fade before things get too hot and heavy. This is a PG-13 Forum, so please don't push it.

Take it off-line if that's your thing, and then start an RP here that's the equivalent to the morning-after. No sexy times in this guild no matter if it's a rider or a dragon!

What if my character Impressed at a young age? In our canon a dragon won't rise to mate until the character is at leas 15 Turns. While we understand that's young in our mind, the Pernese are much more independent then on Earth and their taboos and morays are different. Children are already working or studying in apprenticeships by Turn 11, and in some cases already long on their own.

What if my dragon is flown by one of their clutchmates? This is normal. Really normal. In the books Mnementh, Canth, and Ramoth are all technically from the same queen, Nemorth, yet Ramoth and Mnementh have had no trouble mating or producing a healthy clutch of eggs.

Such breeding doesn't seem to have much effect on the dragons, and they don't seem bothered by it. It isn't considered taboo or strange, and pair-bonds between dragon born from the same clutch or family lines is quite normal.

Can my dragon be gay/take on a mate of the same sex? Yes. While it isn't book canon, we feel that dragons are sentient creatures with their own personalities, feelings, and preferences. Some might prefer the company of their own color or sex. Keep in mind that non-white female dragons will still have instinctual urges to rise, and non-white male dragons will still have instinctual urges to chase, but there is no rule saying that they aren't allowed to curl up with a mate of their choosing between flights. Two greens can be affectionate with one another, or a blue/brown pair protective of each other, and even a gold/blue might be found near inseparable between flights. Whatever floats their boat! Even whites, while they do not have any urge to rise or chase, can still show affection or have close ties to others. They may be asexual but that doesn't mean aromantic or desire to be without affection and attention.

One Last Reminder I said this in the previous post, but we thought it good to reiterate.

Please note -- no matter how much in love, or how dedicated a pair is, there is no guaranteeing the same dragon will catch a green or gold every flight. Certainly, some dragons will have a favored winner, but things happen.

The preferred mate could be injured or otherwise away from the Weyr by the time the gold or green risees.

The preferred mate could simply be outsmarted and outwitted and outperformed by the competition.

The preferred mate could get hurt during the flight.

The preferred mate could be told by the Weyrleadership to stand down and allow new blood into the Weyr. (This happens in the books-- the Weyrleader's own son had caught too many queens, and was told to sit out future gold flights so other bronzes stood a chance.)

Just because a dragon pair is in love or are mates does not mean they will win the flight every. single. time. For gold riders, this means even if ICly they have a mate, we may ask that another dragon win the flight, or clutch-charts show other winners, or a flight be run open to other players. It's not a big deal in the Weyr. It doesn't mean they're not still mates. It just happens.
 

[Masterharper]

Firelizard Flights

Firelizard Flights are very similar to dragon flights. There are some differences, though!

The Signs: Both green and gold firelizards will rise to mate one to four times a Turn. It just depends on the individual, whether or not she's wild or bonded, her overall health, and her environment.

When a flight is imminent, like dragons, the firelizard will to begin to glow or shine. Unlike dragons, who might start to glow up to a few days before they rise, a firelizard will probably only begin to glow between a few hours and a few minutes before her flight.

Firelizard Flights:

• Gold and green firelizard flights are similar to dragons. Both gold and green firelizards are swift and agile, though a gold might have more stamina for a longer flight.
  
  
• Owners of firelizards might feel a small effect of their rising flit due to the mental connection, but it is nowhere near as strong as the dragonlust riders experience. It is easy to disregard and ignore, and in some cases, might not be felt at all.
  
  
• Like dragons, firelizards have designated mates. Greens can mate with blue, browns, or bronzes. Golds can mate with bronzes and browns.
  
  
• Gold and bronze pairings can result in a queen egg being laid. Gold and brown pairings have a slim chance yielding a gold egg.
  
  
• Greens can mate with any of the colors but will never produce a gold egg, and tend to spawn few bronzes.
  
  
• Golds are very territorial and will chase off their golden daughters once they get old enough to become competition and a threat. As it stands, individuals may Impress multiple fire-lizards, but can only Impress one queen. If someone were to accidentally Impress two queens, they would likely squabble and fight until one was driven off. Even firelizard breeders only have one queen.
  
  
• In the wild, gold and green clutches tend to be laid in sandy places and along beaches. It isn't unusual for green firelizards to forget about their eggs once they are laid, but every green is different. Golds tend to be considered better mothers, but again, this can vary depending on the queen. Wild firelizard clutches have high mortality rates no matter the clutch mother, given the threat of parasites, tunnelsnakes, and wherries.
  
  
• Firelizards who have Impressed a human will lay their clutch wherever it best suits them in their current environment. Some place warm is imperative. Some might lay them outside, while others might decide your bed furs are warm enough.
  
  
• It takes about a month for a fire-lizard clutch to hatch. In the wild the fair will feed the hatchlings and the babies will Impress to the rest of the fair, or whoever first happens to feed it. In captivity, the eggs are often sold to all of the Pernese population. They are the closest thing a Holder or Crafter might get to having a dragon, and are always in demand.
  

While you can have your green- or gold- firelizard fly at any given time in the shop, please keep in mind that they do have cycles and they should be consistent. Any clutches or eggs referenced are completely NPC and should only be mentioned in passing, and never given away to any PCs or staff-possessed NPCs.

We will open Firelizard Breeding Raffles for eligible pairs. Staff will determine winners (usually through a RNG) and then secretly roll to see what size of clutch, and colors, the pair will produce. After the firelizards are colored up, eggs will be dropped, and the owners can then decide which eggs they wish to keep, and which ones they gift to others.

Individuals can keep up to two eggs per clutch. Any remaining must be given away to other Gaians.
 

[Masterharper]

Wher Runs

Wher Runs are very similar to dragon and firelizard flights. There are some differences, though!

The Signs: Both green and gold whers will mate but it is rare, and might only happen once every four or five Turns.

As the whers are nocturnal and photophobic they do not glow.

Furthermore, there is a high sterility and infertility rate among whers. For adult whers given out, you will have to roll a fertility roll to see whether they can breed or not. Even if they cannot breed, the whers will still have instincts for runs.

Wher Runs:

• Gold and green runs are similar to dragons. Instead of flying, though, the whers will chase one another on land. It's best to watch out!
  
  
• The whers bonded will likely feel the effects of the Run. It's stronger than that of a firelizard, but not nearly as strong as a dragons. Chances are the wher-handler will feel moody and proddy up to a few days before their wher runs, but every case is different.
  
  
• Unlike dragons, whers can mate with any of their species.
  
  
• Gold and bronze pairings can result in a queen egg being laid. Gold and brown pairings have a slim chance yielding a gold egg. Gold and blue pairings have no chance of yielding a gold egg.
  
  
• Greens can mate with any of the colors but will never produce a gold egg, and tend to spawn few bronzes.
  
  
• Whers tend to produce small clutches, with up to half of the eggs duds. They make a nest in a den, away from the light, and will guard it fiercely. Wild whers will kill on sight, and are a danger on Pern. Bonded whers are still fierce and potentially hostile, which is why anyone hoping to Impress one needs to convince the mother to part with one of her eggs.
  
  
• When a prospective wher handler does get a wher egg, they must ensure they feed it right away when it hatches. To bond with it, they also must blood themselves to it -- by allowing the wher to drink their own blood. Once that happens, the bond is made, but it will require work. If a wher handler neglects their wher, it might reject the bond and go wild, or bond to someone else.
  

While you can have your green- or gold- wher run at any given time in the shop, please keep in mind that they do have very long cycles and for fertile whers, their clutches are tiny at best.

We will open Wher Breeding Raffles for eligible fertile wher pairs. Staff will determine winners (usually through a RNG) and then secretly roll to see what size of clutch, and colors, the pair will produce. After the whers are colored up, eggs will be dropped, and the owners can then decide which eggs they wish to keep, and which ones they gift to others.

Individuals can keep one egg per clutch. The rest must be given away to other Gaians.

Dragonriders cannot impress a wher.
 

[Uta]

Dragon Flight Addendum

We'll add these to the above rules but for now, Echoes of Pern would like to add a few house rules when it comes to flights! Given our dergs are a little flexible, we're making the following changes:

In many cases, dragons who prefer their same sex, can still get involved in flights, or find a partner of their choice. We do have rules about it, though.

Greens: May be chased by greens, blues, browns, and bronzes. They may also be won by any of those colors should the green prefer! Golds might love a green, but their natural instinct is to do the rising, not the chasing. No matter if a queen is interested, she will not chase or catch a green. They can all snuggle on a ledge later, though.

Greens are able to chase fellow greens, or (for a short while) a rising queen. Where she can catch a green, she cannot catch a gold! The green likely won't even be able to stay in the entire flight, because a gold just has too much stamina. A green will never chase a blue, brown, or bronze.

Golds: Golds may be chased by bronzes, browns, and ambitious blues, and greens. She can be caught by bronzes and browns only. Blues and greens will likely be worn out, and a gold's breeders instinct won't allow those colors to be truly considered.

Additionally, golds will never chase. Sorry, we feel that instinct just isn't present in the color. They were created to do the rising, and that's exactly what they'll do.

Blues, Browns, & Bronzes: They may chase any greens or golds they see fit, but blues are not allowed to catch golds. The golds likely will wear the blue out long.

Blues, browns, & bronzes will never rise themselves, but for those who are not interested in ladies, they can sort of piggy-back on a female's flight. This means they participate in the flight, but likely are there only to try to catch (or be caught) by one of the losing participants, depending on how they feel.

Note: Please make sure that there are dragons in the flight who are actually interested in the rising female before bringing in your male-loving-males! Flights are meant to be fun, but we would like to ensure that a rising lady finds herself with actual interested partners.

Additionally, please be respectful of the flight, and don't have your male try to steal the show or limelight. They are chasing, after all, even if their eyes are on a different prize. Just because your male is chasing, please understand there's no guarantee any of the losing males will be interested in your dragon.

The same can be said if you send a green after another green. Please do not be insulted or upset if the green in question does not choose your lady. Not all greens are open to the idea, after all.

Whites: Still have no desire to rise or chase. But some might happily cuddle on a ledge to watch.

- - -

Like a queen flight, there is no need to ask to pull in a character to chase. Just understand that the person running the flight might not be interested in your character, or they might not stand a shot at winning no matter how good you roll. Flights are for everyone, but each dragon has his or her own preferences.