Post by Kouga on Sept 18, 2006 3:22:41 GMT -5
General Info
Dragon sex. It is one of the most fascinating aspects of Anne's dragons, and one of the most often debated. What exactly goes on? How does it work? How does it affect the rider?
First, gold dragons only mate for procreation. Green dragons are very amenable to being caught by whichever dragon catches them, but golds must have only the best. The pull of a gold dragon flight is overwhelming and powerful, and flights which pass over Holds have been known to cause sudden rises in birthrates, and many children with the same birthdays. Its actually a good thing that greens aren't so powerful...with sometimes two or three rising DAILY, Pern wouldn't get much done other than orgies.
Dragons will NEVER rise during fall. The day before, or the day after, certainly, but never the day of.
Dragon genatalia is located at the base of the tail. A common myth has arisen that they are located in the neck...and absurd thought if I'd ever heard one. Dragons twine necks as an affection thing - they aren't mating with their necks. The warmth of the sun is the impetus for flight, so mating flights just won't happen at night. The bronzes, being smaller than their queen, must win the flight either by trickery, or by simply outlasting her. She may be larger, with more stamina, but bronzes are slightly more maneuverable, and are also in slightly better shape from more active threadfighting. If you recall, M'hall's bronze caught Torene's queen by hiding behind a cloud, so the fastest bronze isn't always the winner.
Dragons mate much like eagles. When a male catches a female, he digs his talons into her shoulders to hold her. She will fold her wings, and he does the flying for the two of them. This is one of the reasons its so important that a gold flies as high as possible before being caught...they are falling, and if they don't separate before they reach the ground - *splat*. The longer they have to fall, the longer the dragon has to impregnate her, and the better the clutch will be. When the act is done, they separate.
Green Flights
A green rises to mate 3 or 4 times a turn. Green flights usually last approximately 10 - 30 minutes. She doesn't need to blood, unless its been a while since she's eaten. There is no need for her to fly far and fast like the gold. She's just mating for the pleasure of it. Green mating flights are generally fast and furious, and when its done, its done. The dragons don't usually form a lasting attachment, although it is not unheard of (Zaranth/Golanth from Skies of Pern). Male dragons don't have leftover emotions if they don't win the flight. They just go on about their business, although they'll probably need to rest.
Gold Flights
Golds rise to mate only once or twice a turn. Gold flights are longer, more spectacular, and have a greater pull than green flights. They last anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes, and the higher and longer the flight lasts, the larger the clutch will be. It also has an effect on the quality of the clutch. A short flight isn't long enough to produce a gold egg.
Golds will blood 1 or 2 herdbeasts, maybe three if its been a while since they've eaten. This is to provide them with the fast energy to maintain a long flight. It is important that they don't eat the herdbeasts they kill, because this can weigh them down and shorten the flight. It is also thought that a gold dragon who cannot fly is most likely infertile, but this is only a sepulation.
Though the pull of the gold flight is strong, males aren't forced to chase. It is a personal choice. During gold flights, weyrlings are sent to the depths of the weyr where they won't be affected by the flight and create complicated situations, because as the pull is so strong nearly all in the Weyr are affected. While no one but the gold's rider, and the riders opf teh male dragons who give chase have to have sex it is not unexpected that it should happen. Unlike a green flight the riders of the males who don't win often can't just drown themselves in some wine or the lake to fight it, no in most cases the urge to have sex is too strong and they are forced to act on it.
The Human Aspect
Now, there is the human aspect of the mating flight. When a dragon rises to mate, the rider becomes one with their dragon, and the act of mating is so all encompassing that often the rider of the female dragon has no idea who has won the flight of their dragon until after the fact. It is the opinion of the author that standins aren't feasible, the flight-lust is too encompassing for the rider to even care who they are with.
While the flight is occuring, the riders of the male dragons usually gather around the rider of the female dragon that is rising to mate, usually in a circle. That rider is usually unaware of who is around, though they may take a moment to check, once the flight has truly begun, they are riding with their dragon, and aren't paying attention to who is around.
There are no ill consequences of mating flights, other than the obvious emotional ones. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) don't exist on Pern, and so aren't an issue. Weyrbrats, the products of mating flights, are not stigmatized, and the riders not thought of as "loose." Mating flight sex is part of weyr life, an unavoidable one, and the riders must make concessions to their dragons. Weyrmating because of mating flights is not common (well, not on Anne's Pern) and riders understand that it just happens.
Greenriders rarely get pregnant as after riding fighting dragons for so long and flying between so often their menstrual cycle is disrupted, and makes it very difficult to get pregnant. Young riders have a better chance than older ones, simply because the exposure isn't as prolonged.
In the event a child IS born of a flight, the child stays with its mother for approximately two months, so she can nurse him, but among riders, the child is ALWAYS fostered after that time. That doesn't mean the rider's contact ends, its just that caring for a dragon and fulfilling dragonrider responsibilities takes up all of a rider's time, and there just isn't the time left over to care for a child. The fostering system was created so that children would always be loved, and never neglected because of a to-busy parent. Goldriders especially must foster, because of all the riders, they have the least amount of spare time.
So you want your dragon to rise?
~~Be sure your Green is over a turn, or that your gold is over two turns.
~~Be sure that if your dragon still has a Weyrling rider that the rider is mentally ready for their dragon to rise.
~~Then PM me with the name and color of your dragon & their rider.
If they are a gold be warned that it may take time for them to be able to rise depending on whether their clutch is to be played out on camera or not.
Dragon sex. It is one of the most fascinating aspects of Anne's dragons, and one of the most often debated. What exactly goes on? How does it work? How does it affect the rider?
First, gold dragons only mate for procreation. Green dragons are very amenable to being caught by whichever dragon catches them, but golds must have only the best. The pull of a gold dragon flight is overwhelming and powerful, and flights which pass over Holds have been known to cause sudden rises in birthrates, and many children with the same birthdays. Its actually a good thing that greens aren't so powerful...with sometimes two or three rising DAILY, Pern wouldn't get much done other than orgies.
Dragons will NEVER rise during fall. The day before, or the day after, certainly, but never the day of.
Dragon genatalia is located at the base of the tail. A common myth has arisen that they are located in the neck...and absurd thought if I'd ever heard one. Dragons twine necks as an affection thing - they aren't mating with their necks. The warmth of the sun is the impetus for flight, so mating flights just won't happen at night. The bronzes, being smaller than their queen, must win the flight either by trickery, or by simply outlasting her. She may be larger, with more stamina, but bronzes are slightly more maneuverable, and are also in slightly better shape from more active threadfighting. If you recall, M'hall's bronze caught Torene's queen by hiding behind a cloud, so the fastest bronze isn't always the winner.
Dragons mate much like eagles. When a male catches a female, he digs his talons into her shoulders to hold her. She will fold her wings, and he does the flying for the two of them. This is one of the reasons its so important that a gold flies as high as possible before being caught...they are falling, and if they don't separate before they reach the ground - *splat*. The longer they have to fall, the longer the dragon has to impregnate her, and the better the clutch will be. When the act is done, they separate.
Green Flights
A green rises to mate 3 or 4 times a turn. Green flights usually last approximately 10 - 30 minutes. She doesn't need to blood, unless its been a while since she's eaten. There is no need for her to fly far and fast like the gold. She's just mating for the pleasure of it. Green mating flights are generally fast and furious, and when its done, its done. The dragons don't usually form a lasting attachment, although it is not unheard of (Zaranth/Golanth from Skies of Pern). Male dragons don't have leftover emotions if they don't win the flight. They just go on about their business, although they'll probably need to rest.
Gold Flights
Golds rise to mate only once or twice a turn. Gold flights are longer, more spectacular, and have a greater pull than green flights. They last anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes, and the higher and longer the flight lasts, the larger the clutch will be. It also has an effect on the quality of the clutch. A short flight isn't long enough to produce a gold egg.
Golds will blood 1 or 2 herdbeasts, maybe three if its been a while since they've eaten. This is to provide them with the fast energy to maintain a long flight. It is important that they don't eat the herdbeasts they kill, because this can weigh them down and shorten the flight. It is also thought that a gold dragon who cannot fly is most likely infertile, but this is only a sepulation.
Though the pull of the gold flight is strong, males aren't forced to chase. It is a personal choice. During gold flights, weyrlings are sent to the depths of the weyr where they won't be affected by the flight and create complicated situations, because as the pull is so strong nearly all in the Weyr are affected. While no one but the gold's rider, and the riders opf teh male dragons who give chase have to have sex it is not unexpected that it should happen. Unlike a green flight the riders of the males who don't win often can't just drown themselves in some wine or the lake to fight it, no in most cases the urge to have sex is too strong and they are forced to act on it.
The Human Aspect
Now, there is the human aspect of the mating flight. When a dragon rises to mate, the rider becomes one with their dragon, and the act of mating is so all encompassing that often the rider of the female dragon has no idea who has won the flight of their dragon until after the fact. It is the opinion of the author that standins aren't feasible, the flight-lust is too encompassing for the rider to even care who they are with.
While the flight is occuring, the riders of the male dragons usually gather around the rider of the female dragon that is rising to mate, usually in a circle. That rider is usually unaware of who is around, though they may take a moment to check, once the flight has truly begun, they are riding with their dragon, and aren't paying attention to who is around.
There are no ill consequences of mating flights, other than the obvious emotional ones. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) don't exist on Pern, and so aren't an issue. Weyrbrats, the products of mating flights, are not stigmatized, and the riders not thought of as "loose." Mating flight sex is part of weyr life, an unavoidable one, and the riders must make concessions to their dragons. Weyrmating because of mating flights is not common (well, not on Anne's Pern) and riders understand that it just happens.
Greenriders rarely get pregnant as after riding fighting dragons for so long and flying between so often their menstrual cycle is disrupted, and makes it very difficult to get pregnant. Young riders have a better chance than older ones, simply because the exposure isn't as prolonged.
In the event a child IS born of a flight, the child stays with its mother for approximately two months, so she can nurse him, but among riders, the child is ALWAYS fostered after that time. That doesn't mean the rider's contact ends, its just that caring for a dragon and fulfilling dragonrider responsibilities takes up all of a rider's time, and there just isn't the time left over to care for a child. The fostering system was created so that children would always be loved, and never neglected because of a to-busy parent. Goldriders especially must foster, because of all the riders, they have the least amount of spare time.
So you want your dragon to rise?
~~Be sure your Green is over a turn, or that your gold is over two turns.
~~Be sure that if your dragon still has a Weyrling rider that the rider is mentally ready for their dragon to rise.
~~Then PM me with the name and color of your dragon & their rider.
If they are a gold be warned that it may take time for them to be able to rise depending on whether their clutch is to be played out on camera or not.