FAQ: Mating Flights

Mating Flights are a normal part of life for mature dragons and firelizards, and usually follow a certain, predictable cycle.

Green dragons, though sterile, rise to mate every 8 to 12 sevendays, on average, with a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 16 sevendays between Flights. Gold dragons rise to mate at a far less predictable rate. Things such as a perceived need for more dragons in the Weyr / Weyrhold, whether it's a Pass or an Interval, or the approaching start of Pass can all have a major influence on how often a gold will rise. For example, Rynth, Rocky Crater's current senior queen, has been rising every 28 months on average since her rider became Lady Weyrholder. The average clutch size over that same period of time has been 12 eggs.

Green firelizards rise just about as often as their much larger cousins, about once every 3 months. And while they do lay small clutches, they are notorious for forgetting where they laid them. It takes a very diligent flit owner to lay claim to his / her green's eggs. Gold firelizards rise every 4 months or so, and produce clutches of between 3 and 10 eggs depending on what color male won the Flight.

For your convenience, the scheduled IC dates for dragon and firelizard Mating Flights are posted on the Flight list page. If you would like your dragon's assigned date(s) changed, please e-mail the BoD. 

Do I have to role play my gold dragon's Mating Flights?

Yes. All gold Flights need to be role played, however, sexual content of any sort is not required. Once the queen is caught, a fade-to-black until the "morning after" is perfectly acceptable.

Do I have to role play my green dragon's Mating Flights?

No. All green Flights are optional, as is the amount of detail you include should you decide to RP it. And if you'd prefer to skip the Flight and start with the post-Flight scene, that's fine too. Remember, no one is required to write anything even remotely sexual.

Do I have to role play my firelizard's Mating Flights?

Maybe. We only require those Flights that will result in an Impressible clutch of eggs to be role played. As flit Mating Flights aren't as all-consuming on their owners as dragon Flights are on their riders, human sexual content need not come into play should you decide to RP Flight.

What happens if my Weyrling's firelizard rises / chases?

Until their dragon rises / chases for the first time, a Weyrling is under strict rules to abstain from sex, or any other strong emotional experiences that might upset or harm his / her dragonet. Should your Weyrling's firelizard become involved in a Mating Flight, he / she should seek out a Weyrlingmaster, or some other adult who isn't involved in the Flight to serve as a distraction for the duration of the Flight.

My bronze / brown dragon has won a male-ridden green's Flight! What do I do now?

Umm... enjoy the Flight? Seriously, when a bronze or brown dragon is chasing a green, the rider's sexual preference is, more often than not, "greenrider". Flight-bisexuality is rather common in Rocky Crater's version of 10th Pass Pern. Weyrbred bronze and brown riders tend to be more comfortable with it than holdbred ones.

Stand-ins, while always an option for all parties involved, are rare. A stand-in needs to be arranged beforehand as once the green has been caught both riders will be too caught up in the Flight to think of anyone or anything else other than doing what their dragons are doing.

It should be kept in mind that during a Mating Flight the dragon side of the bond becomes the dominant one, and the rider merely complies with the dragon's primeval and feral need to copulate.

If A'rider wins my greenrider's Flight that makes them weyrmates, right?

Probably not. Writers sometimes use a Flight as a plot-point to springboard their characters into a weyrmating, but the winning of a Flight, in and of itself, doesn't make them weyrmates. Not even a Weyrleadership Flight ends in a weyrmating.

Weyrmated riders are only involved with each other's Flights, right?

Wrong. There's an expression among riders: Mating Flights don't count. Flight-sex with someone other than one's weyrmate isn't viewed as cheating on them. Jealousy on the part of the weyrmate is unlikely unless there are other issues in their relationship.

Who can win a Mating Flight?

Assuming that rank isn't involved, any bronze or brown dragon can win a gold's Flight. However, brown / gold Flights are rare with only 4 at Rocky Crater in the last two centuries. There are no known blue / gold Flights in Rocky Crater's history. A green's Flight can be won by any color male. Firelizard Flights, green or gold, can be won by any color male. In the case of a blue / gold Flight, there would be a very small clutch.

For more info, see Mating Flight Rules