All Dragon-Types' Universal Socializations
Universal territory lingo: Societies; Home ranges
-Societies: An all-encompassing term that includes territories ruled by a single dragon. This can include pods, tribes, matriarchies, kingdoms, empires, and all of the smaller territories ruled within them (i.e. clans within tribes; duchies within kingdoms, etc)
-Home ranges: geographical regions that are inhabited by solitary dragons of the same type but who do not have rulers (i.e. deserts are home ranges for poison-type dragons)
Universal Solitary and Social dragon Rankings: Elites; Commoners
-Elites: dragons who are significantly more powerful than average--without the need for a gemstone, or because they have obtained a gemstone.
-Commoners: dragons with average--or below average--power or skills.
Universal Social dragon Rankings: Leaders; Second-in-commands; Retirees
-Leaders: the highest ranking in a society. The acquisition of this rank varies per dragon type, so leaders may or may not be elites. Regardless, leaders outrank elites.
-Second-in-commands: the second highest ranking in society. This is usually the leader's mate or progeny. It can also be an anointed dragon in societies where leadership can be challenged, but is also common in societies whose unchallenged leader currently has no mate or offspring.
-Retirees: Elderly dragons who have aged out of their societal roles, or individuals of any age who have an acquired disability that no longer fit for their societal roles. In either case, both have been honorably dismissed of their roles, and are encouraged to share their life experiences with juveniles.
Universal Mate Lingo: Chosen Mates; Bonded pairs; Mated pairs; Cross-Pairings; Expecting-dragons; Ex-mates; Singles; Recipients
-Chosen Mates: Dragons who have successfully courted and agreed to mate with each other. Chosen mates may or may not have pair bonds, and may or may not become a mated pair. Chosen mates are often chosen for the sole purpose of reproducing.
-Bonded pairs: Dragons who have formed a pair bond but who may not have courted or mated yet.*
*a romantic relationship between two or more dragons, the dragon equivalent of humans’ boyfriends/girlfriends/unwed significant others
-Mated pairs: Chosen mates who share a pair bond, but who may or may not have reproduced.**
**the dragon equivalent of spouses.
-Cross-Pairings: bonded pairs between different dragon types. This is rare due to each types’ differing home ranges, and is often disapproved of by social dragons--or to a lesser extent, solitary dragons who share a home range--who exclude different dragon types from living in/near their homes. Cross pairings are less likely to become a mated pair or to reproduce because of this.
-Expecting dragons: Dragons who are pregnant and expecting to lay eggs.
-Ex-Mates: Dragons who split from a mated pairing that did have a pair bond at one point, who may or may not have reproduced.***
***the dragon equivalent of ex-wives/ex-husbands/ex-spouses. This is the same thing as a "former-mate" except the term is used by one to refer to another who was their previous mate, i.e. "He is my ex-mate" or "He is their ex-mate"
-Singles: A surviving mate*, former-mate**, or a bachelor/bachelorette/single***, any of whom is looking to court a potential mate.
*the dragon equivalent of a widow(er)
**the dragon equivalent of a divorcee. This is the same thing as an ex-mate, just one who has no past relationship with the recipient.
***The word "single" is a gender-neutral term encompassing all dragons who either don't form pair bonds and are seeking chosen mates, or who have never had a pair bond and are seeking to form one. This includes cisgender dragons, and individuals who may identify as agender, demigender, genderfluid, or who otherwise have no (consistent) gender preference.
-Recipients: The dragon who is being courted. The recipient has the ability to reject anyone they don't want in order to choose their ideal mate, regardless of how qualified the single is.
Universal reproduction: Courtship; Expectancy; Clutches; Hatching
-Courtship: while methods vary per dragon type, courtship is required for a dragon to be chosen as a mate.
-Expectancy: it takes an egg 45 days to develop inside its parent before it's ready to be laid.
-Clutches: Usually only one egg is fertilized each time a dragon successfully mates. More eggs can be fertilized after the first one, being carried at the same time. The number of eggs able to be carried at once is dependent on the carrying-dragon type's size and age.* The smaller the dragon, the smaller the clutch size.
*Younger adults of larger dragon types may not currently be able to carry as large of a clutch as when they're fully grown.
-Hatching: eggs usually take 45 days to hatch after they're laid
Universal age milestones: Body Language; Awareness; Understanding; Verbal Language*; Puppy Love; Pair Bonds; Courtship; Mating;
*Dragons' verbal languages are not vocabulary words, or words at all, they are nuanced vocalizations that are understood mostly through context. Complex 'words' are simply the best translation of those nuanced sounds.
-Body language: Hatchlings may understand facial expressions and pick up on key vocalizations at 2 weeks old.
-Awareness: Hatchings do not gain episodic memory until they are 1 month old, at which point they do fully recognize body language but may not understand the meaning of everything they hear.
-Understanding: Hatchlings will fully understand verbal language at 1.5 months old, and will naturally begin develop their verbal language from that point on.
-Verbal Language: fully developed naturally at 2 months old, and mastered by 4 months old.
-Puppy love: Pair bonds that are not as influential* and are subject to change inconsistently. Dragons may start to feel puppy love from 2–4 years old.
*The dragon equivalent of crushes.
-Pair Bonds: Dragons may begin to form real pair bonds at 5 years old.
-Courtship: Officially choosing a mate. Usually courtship isn't initiated by dragons under 6 years old**, but if dragons are already in a pair bond, this can be initiated sooner.
**the dragon equivalent of a young adult.
-Mating: Not usually attempted by dragons under 6 years old unless they've already courted. Not likely to be successful until ages 6 and up. Not always guaranteed to be successful.***
***Degree of success depends entirely on the individuals involved. Factors can include their age, their fertility, and which type of dragon they are; mates within a cross pairing may not be as physically compatible with each other regardless of fertility and age.
Pair bonds: Innate; Nonexistent; Developed; Waned
Pair bonds are the equivalent of falling in love. They can form between dragons long before or after the dragons become a pair. Sometimes the bond doesn't form at all, and sometimes a formed bond can wane or be severed.
-Innate: if a dragon type naturally falls in love with a chosen mate.
-Nonexistent: if a dragon type naturally doesn't fall in love with their chosen mate at all.* They may still be willing to reproduce with their chosen mate even if they are not in love with them, though.**
*This is commonly the case for solitary dragons, or individuals who may be aromantic
**Just like how aromantic humans may not be asexual, or just like how not all asexuals are opposed to having sex or children. Not falling in love does not mean that one is unhappy with their relationship or does not want to have children.
-Developed: If falling in love requires more than just courtship.
If a dragon type's pair bond is nonexistent, individuals may still develop the bond/fall in love if their chosen mate is/becomes someone special to them*.
*This is likely to be the case for individuals who may not be allosexual.
-Waned: if a dragon type who has a formed a bond can naturally fall out of love, usually allowing an individual who is unhappy in the pairing with their chosen mate to break up more easily.
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Earth dragon Tribes
Rankings: Chief; Deputy; Elites; Retirees; Mentors; Commoners
-Chief: the leader, and highest rank. In earth dragon society, anyone who can best the chief in combat has a chance at taking over this rank--however, whether or not the winning challenger is accepted as chief is determined by a majority approval by the commoners, for to be chief also requires a fair heart.
-Deputy: the second-in-command, and usually the one to take the place of the chief in their absence/death.
-Elites: Commoners who prove themselves significantly stronger or wiser than average will be awarded an 'elite' status and a gemstone to showcase it. Since gemstones are rare, there are only 3 elite positions, and any newcomer who's stronger than the weakest of the three will replace them as the third. Positions require two or more of the following attributes:
* Power: if an earth dragon is strong enough.
* Cleverness: if an earth dragon can compensate for strength or perseverance with strategy.
* Perseverance: A refusal to surrender until they succeed or until orders are given to.
* Endurance: if an earth dragon is able to physically and mentally withstand enemy attacks
-Retirees: Elders, or younger dragons who have been honorably dismissed of their roles due being replaced by more suitable candidates, or due to an acquired disability. All retirees are treated with the utmost respect.
-Mentors: Parents, or retirees who have been honorably replaced in their ranks. Both are responsible for training juveniles for societal roles.
-Commoners: earth dragons without a rank. Even though they may not stand out in the society, they still have power over who they accept as their chief. If the vote is a tie, the commoners with differing votes are allowed to contest one another, and the loser's vote is discounted until next time.
Commoner Roles: Guards; Patrolmen; Hunters; Nannies; Warriors
-Guards: earth dragons stationed on the outskirts of their territory, blocking the most common pathways to their society, usually in pairs. Guards are selected by their endurance--both of harsh weather and of potential enemies' attacks. One guard will defend while the other alerts the chief.
-Patrols: guards who follow a route instead of being stationed. If someone enters earth dragon territory through an unguarded entrance, a patrolman is likely to spot them. They also work in pairs, but stay in proximity of one another in case one is targeted.
-Hunters: those tasked with catching prey for their society. They usually work individually, but more than one will hunt in different areas at the same time.
-Warriors: If a guard, patrolman, or hunter spots a threat, then warriors will be sent out to deal with it. Warriors are usually commoners with the most strength.
-Nannies: A nanny will watch over the eggs and juveniles while their parents are out. Nannies are usually retirees, or earth dragons who are expecting an egg, because neither can presently take on other roles.
Courtship: Offering; Acceptance; Contest; Victor
-Offering: A single may try to court a potential mate by offering to lock horns with them. Since an earth dragon's horns are S-shaped and face backward, horns can only be locked by the recipient if the offer is accepted.
-Acceptance: If the recipient is not interested, they will reject the offer. If they are interested, they'll accept the offer by hooking their own horns with those of the single.
-Contest: After they're locked, the victor is whomever successfully unbalances the other, or whomever manages to unhook their own horns, without causing harm to one another in either case. This contest showcases both parties’ strength, self-control, and adaptive skills to teamwork.
* Unbalancing: this method is similar to a game of tug-o’-war, except their horns are the ‘rope.’ The point is for both parties to measure each other's strength and self-control; causing harm during this contest is grounds for instant rejection. Stronger dragons who restrain themselves enough to win without causing harm are ideal for being chosen.
* Unhooking: This is the route a smarter and/or less powerful earth dragon may take, relying on skill with maneuvers to win the contest rather than strength. Skill is valued just as much as strength, so one who wins with this method as opposed to unbalancing is just as likely to be chosen.
* Adaptation: Neither contestant will inherently know which method the other will use. If a single adapts their methods to the recipient’s, this is a display of cleverness (if they unhook when the recipient pulls), teamwork (if they both unhook), or dominance (if they both pull).
-Victor: Regardless of who wins, it's the recipient's choice to accept the single as a mate. The contest itself is only used to help the recipient make that choice. If the victor is the
* recipient, in a fair contest, the single is likely to be rejected. However, if the recipient respects the tactics used during the contest, they may choose the single anyway.
* recipient, by intentionally causing harm, this is a very clear rejection of the single–but this is usually only done as a last resort to prove a point if the single had persistently offered to contest them after not accepting a rejection.
* single, in a fair contest, they are likely to be chosen.
* single, by way of tactics that do not appeal to the individual recipient, they will likely be rejected.
* single, if the recipient loses on purpose, this is a very clear way of choosing the single as a mate. Usually this is done if the recipient is already bonded with the single before the contest, and/or if the recipient is knowingly more capable of winning but wants to choose the single as a mate regardless in order to spare the single the embarrassment of losing in a fair contest.
Pair bond: developed; waned
-Developed: Earth dragons who have/are successfully courted will have a phase of being inseparable before they mate, during which time they either develop their bond, or they discover that they'd rather not develop one.
-Waned: If one or both mates in a pairing become unhappy, the pair bond may wane on its own, so they can break up to find more suitable mates. Breakups can be stressful if the
* the bond doesn't wane for the ex-mate who was left
* the ex-mate who left has a hard time developing a pair bond in the first place, meaning more breakups are likely to happen
* the ex-mate who left is accused of being promiscuous when trying to find a new mate.
Mates: A mated pair will usually reproduce yearly.
Expectancy: Nannies; Monitoring; Mentoring
-Nannies: When an earth dragon is expecting an egg, emotional stress can harm its development or cause it to be laid prematurely, so their roles temporarily become nannies for the duration of their expectancy.
-Monitoring: Earth dragon eggs have the most durable shells and can withstand any temperature, so the eggs do not require monitoring. The hatchlings do, though. As nannies, watching over others' hatchlings helps one prepare for parenthood, while also allowing said hatchlings' parents to return to their previous roles in society after laying.
-Mentoring: After the egg is laid, the parent is expected to return to their previous role. After the egg is hatched, retirees–usually the hatchling’s older relatives who are not expecting–act as the hatchling’s nanny and mentor while its parents are out. The parents may take over as mentors when they return from their roles for the day, and permanently once the juvenile is old enough not to need a nanny.
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Seer dragon Kingdoms
Rankings: Monarchs; Dukes; Barons; Counts;* Heirs; Regents; Nobles; Elites; Retirees; Commoners
*In this world, these titles can include individuals who identify as female/feminine, agender, demigender, genderfluid, or otherwise have no (consistent) gender preference. (Despite my research, I could not find suitable gender-neutral variations of these terms...)
-Monarchs: The royal family reigns over all of the seers of their country. Titles include King, Queen, or simply Monarch. This is the highest rank. They have inherited the role from their parents, continuing the bloodline of only the most powerful seers of their country. Only the monarch's progeny can permanently inherit this rank, although the rank be temporarily attained by unrelated nobles or regents by way of courting the monarch/heir.
-Dukes: the duke and/or duchess, and the 2nd highest rank. They rule over duchies/smaller regions within the kingdom, and are the second highest rank.
-Counts: a count/countess is the 3rd highest rank, ruling over counties within the duchies
-Barons: a baron/baroness is the fourth highest rank, ruling over societies within counties.
-Heirs: The selected progenies of royal blood including monarchs, dukes, counts, or barons, and who are of the same ranking as their parents. An heir will inherit their parent's rank when they come of age. Heirs are selected from their siblings based on their age and proportionate power.
-Nobles: The heir's siblings who are not selected as heirs due to their younger age. Nobles are not of the same ranks as their parents, but are still respected by those of lesser ranks than their parents. Nobles who wish to climb the ranks may
* attempt to overthrow their sibling to take the place of heir
* leave their homes to court heirs of similar-ranking parentage, earning a chance at becoming a regent.
-Regents: A royal rank attainable by nobles/elites outside of royal blood. Regents are the second-in-command to monarchs, dukes, counts, and barons, and are of the same rank as their commander. Sometimes, regents can be the mates of those who have the blood of royalty, although this will prevent them from gaining a royal title. Unlike their commanders, regents can be replaced at any time, usually
* by heirs when of age
* if the royal breaks up with them
* if a more qualified candidate overtakes their position
-Elites: The 5th highest rank, attainable by commoners. Seers who showcase significantly more power, wisdom, and/or connections than average will be given an 'elite' status. Elites are relied on by commoners who make connections with them to provide food, protection, and vision-interpretations--and commoners are encouraged by the promise of a mate if they work hard enough to earn an elite status by way of gaining
* Power: A seer with powerful magic can foresee more visions per session and/or distant futures. Physical power is necessary to hunt for the food shared in their society as well.
* Wisdom: A seer who is wise may have more accurate interpretations of any seer’s visions, including their own, which is beneficial for everyone in their society.
* Connections: If an elite seer has a connection to a commoner, they can foresee said commoner's future, so elites with many connections are relied on to foresee threats to their society as a whole, forewarning the monarch of any harmful futures to them.
-Retirees: Elders who have retired from their roles or ranks, either due to age, or due to an acquired disability. They are pampered and served by sitters.
-Commoners: seers without a rank. This can include juveniles who haven't earned a rank yet, or seers of any age who are too unqualified to attain a rank.
Commoner Roles: Scouts; Hunters; Foretellers; Sitters
-Scouts: commoners who don't have enough magic power to use foresight effectively, but compensate with physical strength. They are sent to investigate situations that may pose a threat.
-Hunters: commoners with balanced--but subpar--magical- and physical-power. They may not have enough magic to use foresight effectively, nor enough physical strength to offer protection against threats, but they compensate with their perceive ability, which lets them catch swift or stealthy prey.
-Foretellers: commoners who have connections to scouts and hunters. Foretellers don't have enough physical strength to join scouts or hunts, but compensate with enough magic to use foresight, minimizing a scout's risks and guiding hunters to prey by foreseeing their comrades' futures.
-Sitters: Seers who severely lack any power are servants to nobles, retirees, and ranked seers. Sitters may also be tasked with incubating ranked seers' eggs and babysitting juveniles. Sitters are often treated inhumanely by the ones they're forced to serve. If a sitter refuses to act as a servant, they may be exiled or killed--and are rarely missed in either case.
Courtship: Rankings; Choices; Assigned; Rejection
-Rankings: only nobles and seers between the 1st and 5th ranks are allowed to mate, and are only allowed to mate with seers of the same rank or nobility.
-Choices: In some cases, there are multiple suitable singles a ranked seer is allowed to court, so if a single gets rejected, they can try their luck with a different qualified recipient.
-Assigned: If there is only one seer who suits the single's rank, the two will be assigned to one another as mates by order of one in a higher ranking. Most seers will not object to this as they will not question a higher ranked seer's judgement, and are usually happy to have a mate at all.
-Rejection: If a recipient rejects their assigned mate, they will be put in reserve until a new seer reaches the rank qualified for the assigned single. However, rejecting an assigned mate will often result in
* demotion to a lesser rank, either willingly or by command, but only if the rejection is expressed privately to their seer before the public finds out they have been assigned.
* societal retaliation, either by peer pressure to accept the assigned mate, or by harassment from those who deem the rejection of an assigned mate as treason. In this case, being demoted is not viewed as a 'worthy punishment' and the recipient may have no option but to leave their entire kingdom if they want to avoid the public scrutiny.
-Commoners: If a commoner is caught or even foreseen engaging in courtship, they are likely to be cast out of their society or killed.
-Sitters: if a sitter is caught trying to court the ranked seers they are tasked with serving, even if the recipient reciprocates, the sitter may be killed by the recipient's parents or by higher ranked seers who find out about it, and the recipient's involvement will usually be blamed entirely on the sitter--who wouldn't be alive to correct them.
Pair bond: Nonexistent; developed
-Nonexistent: Since the opportunity to mate is beyond their choice, the majority of seers tend to fall in love with the idea of mates, rather than their mates.
-Developed: Recipients who are not influenced by the idea of mates may prefer to develop pair bonds before choosing a single as their mate--which may be misunderstood as
* 'playing hard to get,' sometimes leading the single to double their efforts at courtship
* rejection, in which case the single and their kin might turn against the recipient for the perceived rejection.
* lying to avoid rejecting the single, since seers developing pair bonds "isn't natural."
Mates: A mated pair is expected to reproduce yearly, and higher-ranking pairs are encouraged to have larger clutches.
Expectancy: Roles; Sitters; Monitoring; Raising; Mentoring
-Roles: when a seer is expecting an egg, they are temporarily relieved of their duties to avoid mental stress or physical harm that could negatively impact the egg's development.
-Sitters: a sitter is assigned to serve and pamper the expecting parent is until the egg is laid. After the egg is laid, the parent is expected to return to their societal role.
-Monitoring: Sitters are required to incubate the egg after it's laid, and are responsible for monitoring the egg's survival while the parent is out.
-Raising: After the egg is hatched, the parents may or may not choose to be involved with raising their hatchling; the sitter will be tasked with raising it if the parents don't. The parents may decide not to raise their hatchling if
* they don't want to take time away from their duties
* they're expecting another egg by the time the first hatches
* they don't want to be a parent
-Mentoring: Younger retirees from the same rank as the parents are tasked with mentoring the juvenile. The parents may or may not decide to be involved with the mentoring.
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Water dragon Pods
Ranks: Elders; Parents; Singles; older Juveniles; Hatchlings
-Elders: usually the mated pair who formed the pod in the first place, or their eldest descendants who succeeded them. Elders command the most authority in a pod. They have life experience and use it to guide their pod to safety and direct their hunts. When the eldest dies, their position is replaced by their next eldest kin.
-Eldest kin: The next in line to lead the pod after the elders. They are usually the eldests’ firstborn who may or may not be in a pairing.
-Couples: bonded pairs who are too immature to start their own pods. The pair is usually made up of the eldest kin’s younger sibling, and a single from a different pod. Couples command authority over the juveniles in the pod–who are usually the eldest kin’s youngest siblings. Since couples are younger than elders, they typically have the energy necessary to keep unruly hatchlings in line and catch them if they swim out into danger. This taste of parenthood can either aid couples with
*learning how to manage their future pods and progenies
*changing their minds about wanting to start their own pods
*finding out that one or both of the pairs may not be a suitable mate (if they are unwilling to raise–or are incapable of raising–juveniles)
-Singles: subadults who may be the same age as–or younger than–couples, but are not in a bonded pairing. Singles are usually hunters, warriors, or deterrents, but are sometimes called to aid couples with wrangling unruly juveniles. They command authority over juveniles, but are less reliable caretakers since singles
* may leave the pod to join their newfound mate’s, or to start a new pod with their newfound mate.
* may not have the drive and/or instinct to properly take care of others’ juveniles.
* from other pods may have only joined their current pod in hopes of finding a recipient, with no intention of staying to raise others’ hatchlings.
-Older Juveniles: those 6-months of age and older. They are apprentices to all titles, trying to find where they fit within the pod. They command authority over hatchlings–their youngest siblings–but are ideally not allowed to supervise them without a caretaker present, since older juveniles may be peer pressured into getting into trouble with the hatchlings they are meant to keep out of it.
-Hatchlings: those under 6-months old, and the lowest rank. Hatchlings are never allowed to be alone or unsupervised, as they are known to wander off to explore the depths of vast oceans, into dark caverns of lakes or springs, or other dangerous places within their home range, driven by their curiosity–and sometimes by their want for alone-time if they often squabble with their siblings.
Titles: Hunters; Warriors; Deterrents; Caretakers
-Hunters: they follow the elders’ guidance to hunt in a group, bringing their kills back for the whole pod. Hunters have a balance of physical strength and magical power, making them both capable of defense and offense if they happen to encounter predators while on the hunt.
-Warriors: water dragons with more physical strength but who lack magical power. If there's only one in a pod, they are usually assigned to stay with the pod to both fight off potential threats, and to assist caretakers by wrangling any older juveniles who are misbehaving. If there's a second warrior in the pod, they may be assigned to assist hunters.
-Deterrents: Water dragons with more magical power, who may lack in physical strength. They specialize in ranged combat, such as using their storage ability to create strong currents against foes in water, or to shoot pressurized bullets of water at foes outside of water. They are tasked with protecting caretakers if there is only one deterrent in the pod, especially if there's also only one warrior who is actively on duty. If there is a second deterrent, they will be assigned to assist warriors. If there is a third, they will be tasked with aiding hunters.
-Caretakers: usually couples, or singles too young to take on other titles, who are tasked with watching over hatchlings and juveniles.
Status: Elites; Commoners
-Elites: Not a rank, since water dragons with significantly greater power than average (whether naturally or because of an obtained gemstone) may still command less authority than elders. What an elite title does help a water dragon with is
*contributing more to their pod
*attracting singles/potential mates
*protecting themselves from predators if they've newly left their pod
*being accepting into a single’s pod
*overtaking others’ territories by force
*staying on land for longer periods of time
-Commoners: Those of average or below-average capabilities. They are more likely to become singles in search of a new pod, or become loners if they get rejected by new pods or mates.
Courtship: Singles court by joining the recipient’s pod, where they will prove themselves capable of hunting, teamwork, and raising juveniles. Singles may be rejected if the
* recipient has no interest, regardless of the single’s capabilities
* single appears more interested in mooching off of the recipient’s pod than the recipient
* single’s capabilities do not meet the recipient’s standards
* recipient’s elders disapprove of the mate. In this case, if the recipient does accept the single, the recipient will be exiled from their pod.
Pair bond: Innate
Innate: When water types have/are successfully courted, the pairing falls deeply in love. This bond is generally a good thing that ensures the formation of new pods. But it can have negative effects if the pairing is too immature to leave their old pod to form their own, such as if
* the pair neglect their younger pod members in favor of each other
* one feels neglected when their mate is spending time with their pod instead of together
Since their pair bonds do not naturally wane, this can also lead to distress, such as if
* one repeatedly does something hurtful to their mate, but their mate is too bonded to break up with them
* one who's hurt does break up with their mate, but still feels bonded to them.
Mates: Happily paired water dragons usually mate for life and lay a clutch (averaging 3 eggs) yearly. If a water dragon desires a mate but cannot find one suitable, or has broken up with a mate, they may become depressed whether or not they have a supportive pod.
Expectancy: Nesting; Support; Monitoring; Mentoring; Pods
-Nesting: When a water dragon is expecting an egg, they relocate with their mate to a shelter closer to the shore/surface is easily accessed, such as near a basking rock–and that is where they nest. Support: an expecting water dragon can become more emotionally-driven, and to prevent stress that can negatively affect the egg’s development, they rely on their mate for support–both in a physical sense in terms of providing food, but also in the loving sense.
-Monitoring: When the egg is laid, it is usually in a safe hiding place or shelter, so both parents are free to hunt with each other and bond more in their free time between monitoring their egg. They never stray too far from the nest in order to fend off any predators who may target their egg. They may even make more eggs while waiting for the first to hatch, keeping all of their eggs in the same safe location.
-Mentoring: When the eggs hatch, the parents will continue to raise it near the shore until it learns how to swim and hold its breath–which doesn’t take long to teach.
-Pods: After hatchlings are capable of surviving underwater, the parents will bring them to either rejoin one of the parent’s pods, or into a new territory where the parents become the elders of their own pod that consists of themselves and their offspring/descendants.
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Revealer dragon Matriarchies
Rankings: Matriarch; Heir; Beta; Elites; Mentors; Retirees; Sons*; Commoners; Singles
*AMAB, they will be treated as males regardless of their gender identity, which makes their experience in such a society even worse for them when their gender is constantly invalidated.
-Matriarch: the highest rank. This is usually the most powerful female* who is powerful enough to keep her position as the leader.
*AFAB; if the matriarch identifies as male or masculine, they are still qualified for this position. Matriarchs who identify as male/masculine, whether or not interchangeably, are known to be more kind and fair rulers than cisgender females.
-Heir: The matriarch's oldest daughter. If the matriarch only has sons, an unrelated female who is powerful enough may be assigned as a mate for the matriarch's eldest son, who wouldn't really have a say in the matter. If the son disapproves of this mate, the son will likely be exiled and his assigned mate will take his place as heir anyway.
-Beta: The second-in-command to the leader, who will rule in their absence/death until the heir is of age. Betas are usually the matriarch's mates.
-Elites: revealers who have mastery of their gemstones, and who have honed both their physical and magical skills. Elites are sorted into two categories based on skill:
1) Interrogators: elites who are summoned to reveal trespassers or enemies. They must know
* how to read someone's body-language
* what questions are the most important to ask
* how to utilize reveals and conceals effectively.
2) Trappers: elites who physically deter trespassers or enemies. They must know
* how to work with physics to set and trigger unique traps effectively
* how to predict an intruder's route to know where traps should be placed
* what kind of trap works for which type of intruder and environment.
* how to fight in close-combat.
-Mentors: Those who are more skilled than commoners but less so than elites. They are in charge of teaching the juveniles how to use their abilities and gemstones, how to set basic hunting traps, and how to behave so as not to upset their matriarch.
-Retirees: elders who have retired from their roles in society. Most of them watch over hatchlings--particularly their own grandchildren--when they are too young for mentors and while their parents are on duty. Retirees are often enriching the hatchlings with stories and history, but can do little else to help ones who are struggling, especially sons. Elders have little influence, even if they're the father of the matriarch.
-Sons: Sons are usually subservient to their mothers, grandmothers, and elder sisters. Sons are not allowed to
* express a dislike of their role in society
* act disrespectfully toward their female peers/family
* stand up for themselves if their female peers/family act disrespectfully toward them.
Punishment for these behaviors can increase in severity as the son gets older, ranging from
* lecturing hatchlings
* 'time outs' for juveniles
* 'isolation' for yearlings, which is temporarily leaving the yearling outside of their territory so they witness life without the matriarch's 'protection', a taste of exile.
* exiling adults.
If a son does remain obedient, they may receive recognition by way of climbing the ranks to an elite status, or have a chance at becoming beta.
-Commoners: revealers with no ranking and average use of their abilities. They are usually sent to collect food and check the hunting traps set be elites. They are often overlooked by ranked revealers.
-Singles: wanderers who are seeking mates and/or community. If they are a
* low-ranking female, they have a good chance of being accepted into the clan.
* high-ranking female, the matriarch may see them as either a threat to her elder daughter's position as heir and so will chase the single off, or the matriarch may find her to a be a suitable mate for her son, in which case the single will be given a chance in their clan to prove themselves loyal.
* a low-ranking male, they will likely be turned away.
* a high-ranking male, they are likely to be accepted if they prove their loyalty and service.
Commoner Roles: Foragers; Hunters; Lookouts; Warriors
-Foragers: Usually yearlings who are too young earn a rank, or commoners who lack both magical and physical power. Foragers gather plants and collect prey that are ensnared by elites' traps. They usually work in groups or with their mentors for safety. They may also catch small prey animals for hunters to use as bait.
-Hunters: Those with a balance of physical and magical power. They use their reveals to lure prey with the bait, and their strength to kill the prey.
-Lookouts: A take given to adults who lack physical strength but have better use of their abilities to reveal/conceal. They can use reveals to make intruders show themselves, and conceals to protect sensitive information if the intruder physically overpowers them for it.
-Warriors: adults who don't have great magical power, but who compensate with physical strength, often better at flight and close-combat than hunters and lookouts. They often accompany foragers for protection, hunters to assist in taking down stronger prey, and lookouts by flying swiftly to report what the lookout has discovered to their matriarch. Male warriors are the first ones sent to fight off intruders, since they are usually viewed as sacrificial.
Courtship: Service; Conceals; Reveals
-Service: If a single goes above and beyond to serve a particular recipient, this is usually an attempt to court them--more obviously if the single is female.
-Conceals: a single may choose not to conceal their insecurities around their recipient; this is to express that they trust the recipient enough to be vulnerable around them.
-Reveals: a single may allow themselves to be revealed by their recipient as a showcasing of trust and honesty.
Pair Bond: Developed; Waned
Developed: A single revealer has to work hard to earn to the love an approval of the recipient, but once it's earned, they two usually stay together for life.
Waned: If one in a mated pair is unhappy, their bond may wane. A female whose bond wanes may not hesitate to dump a male. A male with a waned bond isn't likely to breakup with their mate, however, because their mate may be the only one accepting of their vulnerabilities expressed during courtship. To have those vulnerabilities exposed by an ex-mate could make the male a laughingstock among their peers, ruining the male's chance of finding a new mate. If one unhappy continues to stay with their mate, their vulnerabilities may be used for their mate to emotionally manipulate or blackmail them into staying mates or tolerating mistreatment.
Mates: A happily mated pair will stay mated for life. They are not expected to reproduce. If a happily mated pair consists of one or both males, they may elope from their society to seek out better lives for themselves. Pairings involving males and females unhappy with their society may start a clan of their own.
Expectancy: Isolation; Support; Monitoring; Risks; Return
-Isolation: When a revealer is expecting an egg, the mated pair is usually isolated in a safe space in their territory outside of the society. This is to ensure a stress-free environment for the expecting revealer.
-Support: While the revealer is expecting, their mate protects and provides food for them.
-Monitoring: After the egg is laid, they remain in isolation until after it hatches, making sure that the hatchling's gemstone(s) do not endanger itself or others if it can potentially reveal societal members.
-Risks: The hatchling's gemstone may put the parents at risk by way of revealing potential threats around them, or revealing the parents. If a parent is revealed by their hatchling's gemstone, the parent may act on suppressed insecurities or dislikes of parenthood, leading them to abandon their hatchling in their isolated location and return to society without them. Nobody in society will question parents who return alone.
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Light dragon Empires
Rankings: Monarch; Heir; Grand Viziers; Prime Minister; Viceroys; Senior Ministers; Junior Ministers; Elites; Warriors; Medics; Retirees; Commoners
-Monarch: The emperor/empress/monarch. This is the highest status of all light dragons. They run the federation involving themselves and their allies, but monarchs are responsible for
* ruling only over their empire
* promoting light dragons to higher ranks, retiring light dragons from their roles, and appointing ministers
* reviewing and permitting their prime minister's plans of action. This is to ensure that ministers in charge of the federation do not overextend light dragons/their resources to allies.
* being present for special occasions involving light dragons, their allies, and events shared between them, symbolizing unity.
However rare their visits are, the monarch's presence can strike fear in the hearts of enemies, and bring a sense of safety to allies.
-Heir: The monarch's firstborn. They will inherit their parent's rank when they come of age.
-Grand Viziers: the second-in-command to the monarch, ruling in their absence until the heir is of age.
-Prime Minister: They double as military commanders. They are in charge of both managing the light dragons and the lower ministers. Prime ministers gain knowledge of what their allies need by listening to junior ministers, then come up with ways for senior ministers to provide for and protect their allies accordingly. Prime ministers are more present and directly involved than the monarch, but cannot give orders to lower ministers, nor promote or retire light dragons, unless they get their monarch's approval of their plans.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
-Senior Ministers: Light dragons who manage warriors, medics, gatherers, deliverymen, and lookouts, but only in relation to their allies. Senior ministers have two divisions:
1) Minister of Foreign Affairs: They tell gatherers what materials are needed, then have deliverymen bring those materials to their allies. They have lookouts keep watch over both while they are out.
2) Minister of Defense: Light dragons who train warriors, medics, and lookouts on how to assist their allies. This usually involves defense of allies against fire/wind/seer/shadow dragons.
-Junior Ministers: the light dragons who are tasked with visiting their allies periodically in order to gather information on their needs and to keep that information up to date.
1) Junior Minister of Foreign Affairs: Light dragons who act as peacekeepers between their own kind and their allies, doubling as light dragons' public relations officials. They befriend their allies and establish trust between them. Their job is to learn about their allies current needs and wants in terms of resources, as well as what current struggles they are facing.
2) Junior Minister of Defense: Light dragons sent strictly on business to learn of their allies' strengths and weaknesses, the structure of their territories, and the enemies they face. They often assist both their allies' leaders and the prime minister with strategizing battle plans and escape routes to protect allies from their enemies and natural disasters.
-Elites: Light dragons who have significantly more physical and magical power than average. Elites my specialize in
* Restoration: Light dragons who lack physical prowess but compensate with excess magical power, able to use their 'true light' to restore things like gemstones, and to heal those who are gravely sick or injured. This is also helpful in combat against shadow dragons.
* Combat: Light dragons with balanced physical and magical powers, who specialize in the use of their heat rays and reflection abilities in ranged combat, as well using their tusks and claws during close combat.
* Long-distance communicators: Light dragons who lack both physical and magical strength, but compensate with their range of 'light flash' to signal their allies with morse code or shine spotlights on approaching threats.
-Warriors: Those without full use of magical abilities but compensate with brute strength. They specialize in flight, aiming tears, and close combat, pursuing persistent attackers from the skies and raining tears down on them so they're kept within sights of allies. They may also optimize the battlefield by way of their tears lighting up dark spots that enemies could potentially hide in for ambushes.
-Medics: Those who don't have enough power to heal grave injuries, but do have enough stamina to use 'true light' repeatedly when on the battlefield to prevent their comrades' injuries from becoming grave in the first place.
-Retirees: Those who have been honorably dismissed of their societal roles, usually elders. They act as mentors for juveniles, and often are in charge of pep talks by reminding light dragon ministers of why they have the dual monarchy with earth dragons in the first place. They stress the importance of alliances within the federation.
-Commoners: Those with average or below average skills, or juveniles too who haven't earned a rank yet.
Commoner roles: gatherers; deliverymen; lookouts
-Gatherers: light dragons tasked with gathering food and purifying waters within their own territory.
-Deliverymen: light dragons within the federation who are in charge of bringing food and materials to allies when necessary, and providing/purifying their waters.
-Lookouts: guards and patrolmen who keep watch over their own territories, or ones within the federation who may be stationed in ally territories when necessary.
Courtship: Quality Time; Acts of Service; Grand Gestures
-Quality Time: Light dragons who enjoy each other's company will spend more time together.
-Acts of Service: This can usually include ensuring the recipient's health by way of 'true light' and by also providing food and other necessities to ensure the recipient has everything they need.
-Grand Gestures: These gestures can vary per individual, and in grandiosity. But these are usually romantic gifts or surprises to make their love clear.
Pair Bond: Developed; Waned
-Developed: Light dragons only reproduce when necessary, due to their long life spans (because of 'true light' healing sicknesses and injuries) and their limited home ranges (they do not wish to overpopulate their homes). Therefore they are less likely to mate and form pair bonds in the first place. Those who value romance over starting families may choose a mate for the whole sake of bonding with them, though.
-Waned: Since light dragons in a pair bond do not typically mate/reproduce, they can easily fall out of love if it's warranted.
Mates: A happily bonded pair will stay together for life. They are not expected to reproduce unless it is the monarch who needs an heir. In the case of unnecessarily large clutches, some of the hatched juveniles may be sent to aid other light dragon empires when they're old enough.
Expectancy: Monitoring; Home duties; Nesting; Mentoring
-Home roles: Expecting light dragons who work within federations may be brought home for monitoring, where their roles will be temporarily switched to gatherers until their eggs have been laid.
-Monitoring: Light dragons who are expecting will regularly visit their medics to ensure their own health so their eggs can properly develop.
-Nesting: they may create protective nests for keep the eggs in after they're laid and until they hatch.
-Mentoring: Hatchlings are mentored by retirees--usually their (great+) grandparents--while their parents are on duty. When parents are not on duty, they will happily raise and mentor their own hatchlings. Since hatchlings outside of royalty are such a rare occurrence, a lot of unrelated light dragons might spoil/dote on juveniles.
Light dragon Alliances
* Earth dragons universally, because their mountain territories overlap with light dragons', and because this alliance is the monarch's way of making up for earth types losing their wings.
* Water dragons if they live in the mountain springs or close enough to the empire. Light types' lookouts can alert them to potential threats so they know when it's safe to leave their waters. Light dragons might only help more distant allied water dragons in the case of natural disasters that may drain or pollute their waters. 'True light' may be used to purify the waters of their home, and tears can be used to replenish their waters lost (i.e. during droughts).
* Fairy dragons if they live near the mountains (i.e. in the highland's flower fields). This alliance is more of truce not to target each other, and doesn't involve giving aid, mostly because fairy types are elusive solitary individuals who all have unique opinions on light dragons, ranging from neutrality to respect to hatred. A light dragon showing up to a fairy dragons' home range can be risky for everyone.
* Poison dragons only in specific instances. Light dragons very much dislike the lack of order among poison dragons as a whole; they do not have an established pecking order, so communicating their general needs comes across as a cacophony of different contradictory answers, so light dragons refuse to send junior ministers to poison dragons' home ranges anymore. The most the monarch will assist ally poison dragons with is fending off raiding fire dragons and preventing pandemics.
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Fairy dragon Socializations
Ranks: Elites; Medics; Warriors; Commoners
-Elites: The highest rank. These are fairy dragons who are significantly more powerful than average either naturally or because they have obtained a gemstone. Their extra power allows them to use persuasion more effectively, as well as to create more vivid delusions in those they hypnotize. Their antennae may have a farther range for detecting life forces. Elites may use their powers to fight back against predators, commanding respect from fairy types within shared home ranges. To be an elite without a gemstone requires one to have all three of the following:
* Range: being able to detect/empathize with a distant target. This may be honed to recognize individuals by their shape, life energy, and/or movements, allowing them to identify potential threats, especially recurring ones.
* Knowledge: Using empathy to learn their foes’ weaknesses to maximize the effects of their hypnotic delusions and persuasions. For example, if they sense their target grow scared in a specific situation, the fairy dragon can identify the source of their target’s fear and use their hypnotic powers to recreate those fears in their target’s mind.
* Power: having easier access to a target’s mind with their empathy and persuasions. This means they can also make more believable delusions, and their target may not be able to free their mind as easily because the target will not even be aware that their mind is being influenced.
-Medics: The second best ranking among fairy dragons. Medics may have range and/or knowledge, but lack power. A medic can hone their empathy to identify injuries and illnesses of distant targets or allies, and use their knowledge of natural remedies to effectively treat them. Their range/empathy may also allow them to gather knowledge from allies who have been attacked or traumatized, so medics may also act as a therapist, helping to heal the mind as well as body.
-Warriors: The lowest ranking. Warriors may have range and/or power, but lack the knowledge necessary to effectively use them. Warriors may be able to hold their own in direct confrontations by confusing their opponent with hypnotic delusions or influential persuasions, but causing confusion and buying time to escape are usually all they're capable of on their own.
-Commoners: a typical fairy dragon without a rank. Commoners may lack power and knowledge, but have decent enough range to detect food and avoid threats–the basics needed for survival.
Courtship: Traveling; Gifts; Choice
-Traveling: A single may travel to find a mate, or travel to find gifts for the recipient. On their travels, they may collect rare or valuable objects to use as gifts.
-Gifts: the objects a single offered can tell the recipient a lot about the single, such as
*Where they have gone to obtain the gift–showing the single’s bravery by traveling to locations that may be dangerous for fairy dragons, and their power by surviving those travels.
*How considerate they are, if their gift is something that's only of value to the recipient. This is a showcase of the single's knowledge or range; how they use their empathic abilities to learn their recipient's favorite things.
-Choice: Even if the recipient is impressed by the gifts and the single's capability of travel, the recipient may still reject them if they don't meet their standards in terms of personality or title, or if the recipient is simply not interested in choosing a mate in the first place.
Pair bonds: Nonexistent; Developed
-Nonexistent: Fairy dragons' elusive and solitary ways of life do not benefit from families staying together, therefore falling in love is not innate to them. After mating, the pair usually go their separate ways.
-Developed: If a fairy dragon does develop a bond with their mate, they may offer to share a home range and stay faithful to one another while still living apart.
* If the bonded pair doesn't need to worry about predators (i.e. if their environment provides safety, or if the pair includes elites capable of fending off predators), they may stay and raise their hatchlings together. If predators are an issue, but their bond is strong enough, the pair may relocate to a safer environment where they can stay together without being spotted by predators.
Mates: Since traveling to find a mate can be dangerous, they do not mate often. And because fairy dragons typically do not form pair bonds, they usually try for larger clutches before their mate leaves. Those who do develop pair bonds will mate yearly.
Expectancy: Nesting; Monitoring; Mentoring
-Nesting: A fairy dragon expecting an egg may become hypervigilant while wandering in search of a safe location to lay/hide their egg.
-Monitoring: Once the egg is laid, the parent immediately returns to their home, but will use their empathy to monitor their egg from a safe distance to ensure its survival before and after it hatches.
-Mentoring: If a parent senses their progeny in distress regardless of their age, the parent may visit to aid them
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Electric dragon Socializations
Ranks: Elites; Mated Pairs; Warriors; Commoners
-Elites: The highest rank. Elite electric dragons (with or without gemstones) can store a significantly higher amount of static in their fur, mane, and foot pads without
* overheating from it
* unintentionally overusing it
Elite electric dragons usually fall into one or both of these categories:
1) Grounders: those who will let overcharged passersby safely direct their excess of stored electricity into the elite. This is mutually beneficial since the elite get charged, while the grounding prevents the passersby from overheating or accidentally releasing too much voltage when unwarranted.
2) Warriors: Elites may use their abilities to protect their home ranges from predators. This is also beneficial to all electric types who live within that home range.
-Mated Pairs: The second highest ranking. Mated pairs can both charge and ground each other, often by way of intertwining their tails. A mated pair will have the shared power to fend off predators, creating a safer environment to lay eggs in.
-Warriors: singles who are aggressive and/or confident. They are usually fiercely protective of their territories within the home range, and aren't afraid to attack if it means defending it.
-Commoners: singles who are not aggressive or confident. Most of them just focus on survival or finding mates.
Courtship: Offer; Acceptance; Challenge; Spark; Choice
-Offering: Singles may offer a rhythm to the recipient by audibly tapping their feet or tails on the ground.
-Acceptance: If the recipient is not interested, they will reject the single by walking away. If the recipient is interested, they will accept the offering by audibly tapping along with the rhythm.
-Challenge: The single will then relinquish control of the rhythm to the to the recipient, who is free to change it sporadically. The challenge is for the recipient to gather and release electricity through their footpads by
-Dancing: to the recipient's rhythm. The style of dance will vary per individual. The standard is a tapdance since it's the most effective way for their footpads to gather static, and because the single may be too afraid to deviate from the standard. But those who can perform more unique or personalized dances may be more likely to get chosen if they don't mess it up.
Dancing to the recipient’s rhythm is a display of the single's ability to
* adapt to the recipient's changes in rhythm
* effectively gather electricity in a casual setting
* showcase their nimbleness
-Spark: When the rhythm ends, the single will release all of the electricity they had gathered from the dance in a spark to display their power.
-Choice: If the recipient
* remained interested, and was impressed by the end of the performance, they will likely choose the single by intertwining their tails.
* was bonded with the single already, they may purposely make the rhythm simpler as a clear way of choosing the single.
* purposely made the beat unrhythmic, this is a very clear rejection, but usually only to prove a point if they had previously rejected this particular single multiple times beforehand.
* lost interest during performance, they will stop the rhythm prematurely as a clear rejection.
* didn't like the dance, but did see potential in their spark, they may give the single a chance to try again.
Pair bond: Innate
-Innate: When electric types have/are successfully courted, the pairing falls deeply in love, becoming inseparable. This bond is generally a good thing since pairs benefit from grounding and charging each other, and frequent matings that result from such a deep bond ensure the survival of their species since they have many predators.
But since their pair bonds do not naturally wane, there can be negative effects such as if
* one repeatedly does something hurtful to their mate, but their mate is too bonded to break up with them
* the one who's hurt does break up with their mate, but still feels bonded to them.
* the one who's hurt severs their bond, but fears breaking up with them due to the lack of protection singles have
* one breaks up with their mate and manages to sever the bond, but is accused of being promiscuous by their ex-mate when trying to find a new mate. A rumor spread of promiscuity, even if it's untrue, can completely ruin the chances of one finding a new mate who will trust them to stay.
Mates: Electric dragons ideally mate for life, and will produce a single egg 4 times each year.
Expectancy: Nesting; Leaving; Returning
-Nesting: while an electric type is expecting, they make a nest hidden from predators, where they'll lay their egg
-Leaving: After laying, the parents will promptly leave their egg so that they don't draw a predator's attention to its hiding spot. Since electric types are solitary, their hatchlings do not need parental care.
-Returning: If the parents determine that their nesting area is still safe, they will return to it every three months to lay their next egg.
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Poison dragon Socializations
Ranks: Elites; Exceptionals; Commoners; Novices
-Elites: The highest rank, elites are poison dragons (with or without gemstones) who have significantly above-average venom yields and/or physical strength, either due to great genetics, experience, and/or training--or because they have obtained a gemstone. Their extra strength means they're more capable of flight to catch prey at higher altitudes, able to fight off stronger foes, while their venom yields let them spit venom at greater distances.
-Exceptionals: Commoners with above-average strength and venom yields, usually through a combination of good genetics, experience, and/or training.
-Commoners: Poison dragons with average strength and venom yields. Most of them just want to bask in the sun, so they usually dedicate a single day to hunting and drinking their fill of water. They then store their kills in a cache, and spend as many days as they can relaxing and eating from that cache until their food runs out, at which point they repeat the process.
-Novices: Commoners who have below-average strength and/or venom yields, usually due to a combination of
* genetics: if they simply didn't inherit any helpful dominant traits, so their abilities are physically limited. These novices are often deprived of resources by gatekeepers, so they may not live for too long without the help of rangers or higher-ranking mates.
* inexperience: This can include juveniles who are still improving.
* lack of training: Those who are not held back by age or genetics, yet simply do not care about improving their abilities. They often give novices in general a bad reputation among higher ranking poison dragons.
Titles: Rangers; Gatekeepers; Ranger-admirers; Gatekeeper-admirers; Neutrals
-Rangers: Exceptional or elite poison dragons who use their strength to maintain accessibility of natural resources to everyone in their home range, particularly by chasing off gatekeepers. They may believe that taking the necessary actions to obtain these resources without gatekeepers' interferences qualifiy as earning them.
-Gatekeepers: Exceptional or elite poison dragons who use their strength to defend resources from everyone, hoarding these resources for themselves. They may feel justified by believing that those incapable of earning resources by overpowering interferences do not deserve them.
-Ranger-admirers: Exceptionals, commoners and novices who revere rangers.
*Exceptionals who reached this rank through experience may be juveniles that aspire to become rangers.
*Commoners & Novices who inherited their rank and feel deprived by gatekeepers
*Novices due to inexperience can include juveniles who aspire to be rangers.
-Gatekeeper-admirers: Exceptionals, commoners and novices who revere gatekeepers.
*Exceptionals who have trained hard to earn this rank think that lower rankers only deserve what can earn regardless of interference--believing they should earn a higher rank to overcome any interference by 'training harder'
*Commoners who feel gatekeepers earned their claimed territories since they have the ranks to keep lower-rankers from them
*Novices due to inexperience can include juveniles who aspire to be gatekeepers.
-Neutrals: Poison dragons of any rank who do not have a strong opinion on rangers or gatekeepers.
* Elites & Commoners who may believe that everyone has the rights to their titles within their own rank. Neutral elites may offer their own excess resources to lower-rankers deprived by gatekeepers, but will not actively stand up to gatekeepers.
* Exceptionals who inherited their rank are not directly affected by gatekeepers' behavior since they can find resources elsewhere, and therefore don't take sides.
*Novices in their rank due to a lack or training may not care enough to form an opinion. Novices due to inexperience may be juveniles too young to form an opinion.
KEY: *Resources *Earning-Equivalences *Interferences
Just replace all of the matching colored words with those in the key to see more clearly where each individual's values lie.
Courtship: Quality Time; Sharing; Gifting; Grand Gestures
-Quality time: As solitary dragons, poison types don't innately desire companionship. If a single spends meaningful time with the recipient, even if there's no romance involved, this is a sign that they are interested in getting to know the recipient.
-Sharing: If resources are scarce, and a single shares theirs with the recipient who they've been spending quality time with, this action communicates that the single is willing to make sacrifices for the recipient.
-Gifting: When in more casual settings, if a single gives the recipient unique items they've found, this is more clearly an attempt at courting the recipient.
-Grand Gestures: if the gifts weren't a clear enough sign that the single is attempting to court the recipient, this final attempt--a grand gesture--will be. This gesture is usually something that has a lot of heart and effort put into personalizing it for the recipient to express how much they've gotten to know each other and to express the single's love for the recipient. They may even verbally confess their love along with this gesture, making it absolutely clear that they wish to pursue a romance.
Pair bonds: Developed; Waned
-Developed: Pair bonds take a while for a poison type to develop. Sometimes they fall in love without even realizing it.
-Waned: if one becomes unhappy with the one they've formed a pair with, or if a single who has developed that bond was rejected, the bond will eventually wane for both of them.
Mates: Poison dragons ideally mate for life, eventually living together, but they might not reproduce often depending on the safety of their environment.
Expectancy: Nesting; Monitoring; Mentoring
-Nesting: When a poison dragon is expecting an egg, they search for a safe and hidden area to lay it in. When they find one, the expecting dragon will remain in hiding there while their mate provides them with food until the egg is laid.
-Monitoring: After the egg is laid, both parents will leave it safely hidden there, but will monitor it protectively from a distance to make sure it's not discovered until it hatches.
-Mentoring: Since poison dragons are solitary, hatchlings do not require parental care, so after the egg is hatched the parents usually leave the hatchling be while keeping tabs on it within their territory from a distance. They will rarely interact unless the parents need to rescue it.
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Wind dragon Socializations
Ranks: Elites; Commoners
-Elites: Wind dragons with significantly greater control of their abilities than average, with or without a gemstone.
-Commoners: wind dragons whose average--or below average--control of their abilities do not earn them a rank nor title. They spend most of their time traveling to find and hunt their own food. They rely on sirens to guide them to safe hunting grounds, and rely on rescuers to save them from unsafe grounds. If they're desperate enough for food, they may join a temporary flock of raiders.
Titles: Sirens; Rescuers; Raiders; Silents
-Sirens: Those who can amplify their voices to a very impressive volume or pitch. They can use this to
* communicate in an audible volume to anyone far away, usually by singing
* communicate in an inaudible pitch to fellow wind dragons at any distance
* amplify their voice to a dangerous pitch able to disorientate and/or physically harm a target
Sirens the most valued title, because their singing often lets their fellow kind know what lands are safe to retreat to during their travels.
-Rescuers: Wind dragons who heed the distress calls of ones injured or captive on land. Elites are the more abled rescuers to provide assistance in captive situations, but wind dragons of any rank can carry or lead the one distressed to a safe retreat.
-Raiders: Wind dragons who are brave enough to steal prey directly from predators. While any wind type may do this if prey is scarce, raiders prefer this method over hunting their own prey regardless of scarcity. Raiders may be addicted to the thrill, or simply find stealing caught prey easier than finding prey to catch. Raiders who do it for the thrill may or may not form temporary flocks of like-minded wind dragons to raid alongside them.
-Silents: Wind types who may not be as headstrong... but you wouldn't know about that--in fact, you wouldn't even know a silent exists because they're, well, silent. Silents are wind dragons who make full use of their volume control by silencing themselves completely. They also take advantage of their sight to track your movements from a distance and swiftly swoop in to steal before you have the chance to notice you were stolen from. Silents are skilled, but do not hold much rank socially, because they prefer to hide even from their own kind.
Courtship: Attraction; Reciprocal Altruism; Choice
-Attraction: Singles may be attracted to wind dragons of a specific title or coloring.
-Reciprocal Altruism: The single will routinely bring gifts or food to the recipient they find attractive
-Choice: the if the recipient
* is not interested in the gifts nor the single, they will yell at the single to leave them alone, clearly rejecting them.
* finds the gifts useful, regardless of their attraction to the single, they may choose the single.
* finds the gifts useless, but is attracted to the single, they may choose the single.
* finds the gifts useful and is attracted to the single, this is a guarantee to be chosen.
Pair bonds: Nonexistent; Developed
-Nonexistent: Wind dragons do not naturally form mate bonds, since staying in numbers is dangerous for them.
-Developed: if the chosen mates are mutually attracted to each other, they may lose attraction to anyone else, leaving them only attracted to each other to the point where they develop a pair bond.
*Pair bonds developed between wind types do not naturally wane.
Mates: A wind dragon and their chosen mate with no pair bond usually try for a clutch size of 3-4 eggs, and then separate, never to see each other again. Wind dragons who have developed a pair bond may still separate, but remain faithful and meet up to reproduce 4 times a year. Wind dragons who have strong pair bonds may choose to stick together despite the risks.
Expectancy: Nesting; Leaving
-Nesting: Wind dragons who are expecting to lay will find or make a nesting place in a warm area hidden from sight.
-Leaving: Since wind dragons are solitary, their hatchlings do not require parental care, so the parent will leave it and go on with life.
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Fire dragon Socializations
Ranks: Elders; Youths; Unsocialized Youths; Hatchlings
-Elders: Fully grown fire dragons. Because of their size, they are proportionately stronger than youths, but they may be less agile. Elders may spend their whole days snoozing, occasionally spewing methane gas that will suffocate nearby wildlife and birds or other dragon types who may be passing by, to later collect the corpses to eat before going right back to sleep.
If you interrupt their sleep, you're in for a world of trouble--unless you're a juvenile fire dragon in need of protection from a different dragon type. In this case, the elder will gladly make a snack out of the attacker, saving the juvenile in the process. In exchange, the juveniles may hunt and offer their fresh kills to the elder, who is happy to accept.
-Youths: Fire dragons who are not fully grown, and thus are smaller, but more agile, being able to freely fly, hunt smaller/more abundant prey, and travel at their own discretion. They range from hatchlings to subadults ~11 years old. Youths–particularly those under 8 years old–may be targeted by other dragon types who are fully grown, mostly because individuals of those types have made enemies with fire dragons as a whole.
-Unsocialized Youths: While fire dragons are solitary, they do share a home range, meaning they live individually around each other. For the most part, fire dragons coexist peacefully, but respect needs to be given in order to avoid conflicts. Disrespecting anyone can be dangerous if the unsocialized youth
*bullies a socialized youth, who tells an elder
*gets attacked by an elder for being disrespectful
*gets attacked for disrespecting an enemy dragon type
*lacks the protection from enemy dragon types because a disrespected elder refuses to save them
*gets exiled from the home range for being too disrespectful or for bullying.
-Hatchlings: as solitary dragons, hatchlings do not require parental care, but an unsupervised or unsocialized hatchling is very likely to get themself killed if they do not figure out how to behave.
Titles: Hunters; Providers; Protectors; Raiders
-Hunters: Youths who have a balance of physical strength and magical power. They take advantage of both by way of exceptional flight- and flame-range to hunt for themselves–and only for themselves.
This is an amount of independence that all fire dragons strive to have, thus it is the most coveted title.
-Providers: Youths who have more physical strength, who may be lacking in magic. Their focus on strength means they can fly farther to find prey, and kill bigger prey, which they then provide to elders and protectors in exchange for protection from fully grown enemy dragons–especially since flying so far from the home range makes the provider an easy target for enemy dragons to hunt or follow.
This isn't a coveted lifestyle, but it is the second more respected title, since it's mutually beneficial to everyone involved.
-Protectors: Youths who have more magic, but less physical strength. Their magic lets them specialize in ranged attacks, such as suffocating distant targets with their methane gas, and/or burning those distant targets by way of igniting the gas trail with their flames.
Unlike hunters and providers, a protector’s flight is limited due to a lack of physical strength, so collecting the distant prey they've killed can take a long time. Instead, they may focus on targeting outside threats such as enemy dragons, effectively protecting their home range in exchange for the food that providers give.
Again it's mutually beneficial for everyone, but due to a lack of independence, this isn't lifestyle isn't as ideal as Hunters and Providers.
-Raiders: Fire dragons of any age, though usually subadults 12 years and older, who opt to hunt or steal food from other dragon types’ territories. Raiders rely on their size and proportionate strength to overpower any smaller dragon types who try to defend their homes from the raids. One may become a raider for many reasons:
*if the prey in their home range is scarce
*If they're dissatisfied with the prey in their home range
*If they were exiled from their home range
*For fun, especially as a power trip.
This title is controversial, since it does display independence, but it is in no way to beneficial anyone but the raider, since it creates enemy dragons who may try to retaliate by way of attacks on fire dragons as a whole–especially unrelated youths like hunters and providers.
Statuses: Elites; Commoners; Novices
-Elites: Fire dragons that have significantly more strength and power than average, with or without a gemstone. This is not a rank, since they do not command as much respect as elders. This is not a title, since fire dragons take pride in their individual titles. An elite status is only valued in how much it makes one stand out amongst their peers with shared titles, since being outstanding in their titles is how they attract mates.
-Commoners: Fire dragons with average strength and power
-Novices: Fire dragon youths with below average-strength that doesn't earn them a title. They usually rely on serving elders in order to survive until they're older.
Courtship: Sparks; Competition; Wingspan; Flame Range; Ignition; Nonchalance; Backing out; Choice
-Sparks: A single will initiate courtship by breathing out sparks of fire, getting the recipient's attention. If the recipient is interested, they will breathe their own sparks in a
-Competition: recipients typically only choose mates who are just as skilled–or more skilled–than themselves, although standards per individual may vary. The competition requires displays of both the single and recipient’s
-Wingspan: Fire dragons will spread their wings as wide as possible, comparing wingspans. The longer their wings, the better.
-Flame Range: They'll breathe fire (without the aid of methane gas) directly at the sky, showcasing their natural range. The farther the range, the better.
-Ignition: the final and hardest stage of the competition. This involves making a trail of methane gas in a unique pattern, and then igniting that trail with their flames. The more intricate the pattern is, the better.
-Nonchalance: This isn't part of the competition, but is a factor in getting chosen. Nonchalance is how well a competing dragon handles losing each part of the competition. This shows
*the losing dragon has enough self-confidence for their pride not to be wounded if they lose or don't get chosen.
*the losing dragon’s independence; they are fine by themselves without a mate
*that the winning dragon is safe to reject a nonchalant loser; they won't have to worry about being attacked or harassed by the loser for rejecting them.
*either dragon that the one who isn't nonchalant is either desperate for a mate, or overly aggressive–both of which are fair grounds for a nonchalant dragon to back out of the competition before a victor is decided, for their own safety.
-Backing out: A losing dragon withdrawing from the competition is the safest option for them if the winner is aggressive. It's a respectful rejection that leaves no losers, so nobody's pride will be injured.
-Choice: Only the recipient gets to choose if they want the single as a mate. Unlike other dragon types, though, both the recipient and the single have the ability to reject one another. If the recipient
* wins every stage of the competition, they are likely to reject the single
* wins ⅔ of the competition, they may not may not take the single's nonchalance into consideration to balance the scale and choose them.
* is at a tie with every stage of the competition, this is ideal, and both will likely choose each other.
* wins ⅓ of the competition, they may either choose the single, or be rejected by a single who lost interest
* loses all of the competition fairly, but never backed out of it, they may choose the single–or be at the mercy of the single if the losing recipient still rejects them.
* is fully capable of winning, but instead loses the competition on purpose, this is a clear way of choosing the single without damaging the single's pride.
Pair bond: Non-existent; Developed
-Non-existent: Fire dragons do not naturally develop pair bonds, mostly because
* they take so much pride in solitude, and because their hatchlings do not require parental care.
* a developed pair bond doesn't naturally wane for a fire dragon, which can result in depression if only one of the chosen mates has formed a bond; they will lose their pride in solitude and become desperate for reciprocation, which would drive their chosen mate even farther from them, as well as deter other singles from giving the bonded individual a chance even if they manage to sever their bond.
-Developed: Pair bonds can naturally develop between two individual fire dragons if
*they are physically compatible with each other in terms of strength, skill, and magic; especially regarding the traits that would be competed against during courtship.
*If a duo spend a lot of time together in their home range, especially as juveniles who may not have an elder present to protect anyone, the duo is likely to rely on each other. This reliance can cause a pair bond to develop, especially if the reliance extends to adulthood.
*If their titles require a reliance on one another, such as Protectors with Providers, or to a lesser extent Raiders with Hunters.
Mating: Fire dragons court each other during one time of year, but sometimes court more than once during that time. Chosen mates usually try for a clutch before going their separate ways. The size of the clutch may vary depending on
*how suitable their chosen mate is. Those who scored a tie in each stage of the competition during courtship are the most suitable pairs android area likely to form a clutch of up to 30 eggs before separating.
*how many suitable mates are found for them to choose; unsuitable mates may be those who drastically lose the competitions of courtship. In some cases, if the winner is aggressive, they may only produce one egg.
*In the case of smaller–or nonexistent–clutches, either parent may or may not attempt courtship with a new mate immediately after separating from their first ones until they make a clutch of their preferred size.
Expectancy: Hostility; Caching; Nesting; Leaving; Socializing
-Hostility: Fire dragons who are expecting eggs may become more hostile toward anyone who approaches them. This is usually to ensure the safety of themself and their eggs’ development.
-Caching: Expecting fire dragons may cache food, especially around their nesting place.
-Nesting: They may nest in craters or caverns formed around their volcanic homes, where they will leave their eggs after they're laid.
-Leaving: As solitary types, their hatchlings do not require parental care, so the parent is free to leave their eggs and go on with their life.
-Socializing: Earning the respect of their peers and the older fire dragons in their home range, who will offer their alliance or protection in exchange. After the eggs hatch, the hatchling must figure out how to be socialized in order to survive.
*If their parents stick around to socialize them, the hatchling will have a much greater chance at survival
*The majority of hatchlings–who have absent parents–will be socialized the hard way: by getting attacked if they disrespect others.
*If a fire dragon juvenile who is not yet socialized gets attacked by enemy dragon types, they likely will not have any protection from their peers or elders, and thus are often killed by said enemies.
*if the fire dragon never learns how to socialize as they grow older, and especially if they're disrespectful–whether or not they intend to be–then they may end up killed by their own kind or exiled from their home range.
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Shadow dragon Socializations
Titles: Alterants; Camos; Phantasms; Mergers
-Alterants: Shadow dragons who specialize in ‘body-alterations.’ Alterants can temporarily resize their whole bodies and/or add to their base forms by temporarily growing unique appendages (wings, sticky hands/toes, fins, gills, claws, horns, etc). They can hunt larger prey in more diverse locations of any brightness, even underwater, and can hold their ground against predators. They may or may not be lacking in other abilities, though.
-Camos: Shadow dragons who specialize in color-changing to camouflage in open spaces that don't have cast shadows. Camos are even able to move freely without drawing attention to themselves. The only thing they can't do in bright environments is see, for their eyes are blinded by brighter light, and opening their eyes can make them noticed by their targets. Therefore Camos rely on their sensitive hearing to detect targets–even if it's just by listening to their target’s breathing to see if they're sleeping–and their sensitivity to light sources so that their own cast shadows are out of their targets’ sights even while on the move.
-Phantasms: Shadow dragons with mastery of their ‘shadow puppetry,’ which they use to create illusory ‘ghosts’ to distract predators or scare them off, usually with the goal of stealing their targets' prey and/or keeping their territories safe. Phantasms mainly stick to brighter environments that have tons of cast shadows they can puppet or hide in.
-Mergers: Shadow dragons who specialize in ‘shadow merging.’ They may only unmerge to hunt unsuspecting prey, or to steal prey from predators. They usually strike at night or in darker environments and then swiftly retreat back into the shadows before the targets have a chance to react.
Statuses: Elites; Commoners
-Elites: those with significantly more power than average, either naturally or due to an obtained gemstone. This amount of power lets them combine two or more titles, making them forces to be reckoned with.
-Commoners: those with a balanced skill set but with average–or below-average–power.
Courtship: Color-changing; Body-Alterations; Attraction
-Color-changing: A shadow dragon changing their colors to stand out against their environment is a sure way to catch the attention of potential suitors. Once an interested single arrives, they may also show off their color-changing but for camouflaging into the recipient's environment instead, showcases their stealth. If both are interested, both may then use
-Body-Alterations: as a single's way of showing off their adaptability to the recipient's environment, and as a way for both the single and recipient to show off potential combat skills. This may or may not include friendly sparring.
-Attraction: if they are physically attracted to one another based on all of the above, they will likely choose each other.
Pair bond: Nonexistent; Developed; Waned
-Nonexistent: Since shadow dragons as a whole depend on stealth to survive, developing a pair bond is dangerous for them since they're likely to be mass hunted if they stick together, so pair bonds are not natural for them.
-Developed: shadow dragons who are attracted to one another's skills are likely to develop a pair bond, but not one as intense as those who have on innately. Bonded pairs may remain faithful while still living apart. Pairs who bonds are stronger may risk living together, often relocating to safer environments if necessary to minimize risks.
-Waned: Because a developed pair bond may not be as intense, it can easily wane if the bonded pair
*needs to separate to stay safe in their environment
*no longer finds their mate suitable
*is otherwise hurt by/unhappy with their mate
Mating: Shadow dragons may lay a single egg up to 4 times a year. They usually go their separate ways after mating, but may stay together if they are bonded. If the chosen mates are the same AGAB, they may use their body alterations to temporarily create the tools necessary to reproduce, although reproduction may be difficult between two AMABs if neither are alterants or elites (since they may not be able to hold their altered state long enough to fully develop an egg otherwise). If chosen mates are bonded, they may be content together whether or not they reproduce.
Expectancy: Caching; Nesting; Guarding; Mentoring
-Caching: an expecting shadow dragon may stock up on food they then hide near their nesting place to eat until they lay
-Nesting: they usually choose nests darker environments, usually caves or caverns, where they are less likely to be found by predators
-Guarding: after the egg has been laid, the parent will leave the nesting site, but will be protective of it. They will actively guard their egg from a safe enough distance until it hatches.
-Mentoring: As solitary types, their hatchlings do not require parental care. However, parents who remain in the home range of their hatchling may offer it advice or protection when warranted. Bonded parents who live together may opt to raise their hatchlings from the start.