1) No Forcing TS -- It doesn't matter if you really want it, if the other person says no, that's it, finito. If a person doesn't feel right by being involved in TS, or is a minor, respect that. With the second case, it's just not allowed, and can get the MU* you're participating on shut down, end of story. A tasteful 'fade to black' does wonders in such a case, and can really open up an aftermath of RP.
2) Keep everything in the open -- This means: for females, if you are going to have your flight predetermined, tell beforehand, as in before the flight happens. If you write mail about the event, put it there. If you just snag riders whenever you're online, tell them before the blooding. Simply, it's polite. For males, it means letting the female know that you want to catch. It doesn't have to be in a huge neon sign, but just a simple page (the female may ask) that you wouldn't mind being considered. And on the same token, please tell her when you are just role playing the flight for fun. Nothing is worse for a female to tell someone she's chosen them to catch, only to get 'Oh, I was just in this for the role-play.' Not only is it disappointing, but it can cause bad feelings later on. Just be open.
3)ICly, there are green flights happening
several times a day. Even with a diminished Weyr such as in VP's timeline,
half of the 250 at Bahrain are greenriders. That mean about 125 greens
are cycling through proddiness, maybe one or two going up a day. Green's,
ICly, rise three to four times a Turn, Golds one to three times (right
now, VP's queens, OOCly and ICly, are rising twice a Turn. OOCly, that
means greens are rising every five to six RL weeks, Golds whenever needed
(Search, IC leaderships, and such can dictate when they rise), but usually
once every three months.
P L A Y E R S / R I D E R S O F F E M A L E D R A G O N S :
1) Flight Announcement -- There's absolutely no one right way to do this. Some people will announce by mailing whatever mailer is set aside for flights, stating a time, date, and other specifics about their flight. Others will see a good deal of males online, ask to see if any want to fly, and if there's enough interest, do it right then and there. A general rule of thumb is to try to set a time which is good for you /and/ the males.
2) Proddiness, et. al -- Proddiness, by far, can be the highlight of pre-flight role-play. It can be funny, serious, or just plain odd. Usually, this RP is public, right before the flight. However, once the flight begins, please move the proddiness to designated ground weyr. A flight can be a very high-charged, sexually tense time, not to mention a bit of a damper on any other RP that might take place in a public place. Just move it into a place where no one else will be disturbed. Besides, if you mav a flight pose, at least everyone in the room will know what you're talking about! Also, sometimes too much Proddiness can be aggravating or irritating. Too much of anything is not a good thing. Also, the female rider is only proddy supposedly a few days before flight at most. Not a 2 week thing. :)
3) Setting Parameters -- This means from setting ahead of time (ideally before the blooding) what you do and don't want to happen during a flight. If you have a preference for a certain color dragon and that is a deciding factor for you, say it. If it's predetermined, say it. If you're choosing via the RP you like best, or even by a coin flip, say it. If you have a theme in mind... you guessed it, say it. Basically, if you've got rules and regulations you want to set up, toss them out for everyone to see beforehand, so if anyone wants to pull out, change their status on catching,
4) Communication -- Set up a channel
beforehand to have all the males Player Dragons (if there are any) to join
so you will be able to toss out what rules and stipulations you've set
up for your flight, if there are any. This will give you the ideal communication:
you've got everyone there, without spamming everyone who isn't involved
with the flight. If you don't want to set up a channel, you can also, if
the RP within the flight weyr isn't IC, you can use that area as a 'channel',
letting the riders of the male dragons know what they need to know in the
beginning, and when to set up catch poses.
6) Flight Mechanics -- Usually,
though this is far from a rule, most female dragon riders set one male
pose from each rider for each female pose. For one, it cuts a bit on the
spam, though some don't care and just tell to pose away. In either case,
make sure your poses are coming out at an even pace. Except for deciding
when the catch poses are given, make sure you don't spend too much time
between your poses. With that in mind, alternate, if you can, between
flight poses, dragon communication poses (pro'ing), and flight weyr poses.
They can add new dimensions to the flight, and put in a sense of realism.
Also, make sure the flight isn't drawn out. Not a time issue, per se, as
some good flights can go past an hour, an no one involved would be the
wiser, but make sure you don't lose interest. Have fun... this isn't a
quiz, just a good time for all, and that means keeping an eye on how interested
the males are in the chase, OOCly. Also consider holding the flight in
a sky room that remits to a ground room so that those who can't get a puppet
or other view up there can see the flight if they wish. Again, a
suggestion, not a rule.
P L A Y
E R S / R I D E R S O F M A L E D R
A G O N S :
1) Making Flights -- Check out for flights. Usually, when a female dragon's rider wants to do a flight, they will try to schedule it ahead. Since is the is one of the few things that their rider can't do on-camera by herself, please make yourself available. This isn't to say you should make /every/ flight, just only when you can, and feel up to a bit of fun. And fun is a key part in flights, as it will keep you from becoming stressed out, and maybe sour over the whole even. If you're not going into the flight with the idea of having a good time in mind, sometimes it's a better idea just not to go rather than making other people unhappy too. Also, if you do commit to a flight and you've told people you'd be there. Please try to remember, a flight is a group effort and nothing frustrates a green rider more than having people say they are coming to a flight, then forget.
2) Knowing Terms -- When you get the signal from a female dragon's rider to join a channel, or she flicks on the OOC light in the flight weyr, make sure you hear the terms of her flight, if it's predetermined, or not. And if something isn't clear, /ask/. That by far will save everyone a lot of grief because everything's on the table beforehand.
3) Power playing -- In effect, don't pose touching, grabbing, or in essence catch the female /before/ she tells you. For that matter, don't pose bumping another male dragon out of the way, unless you've set it up with the other rider first. This can lead to a lot of bad feelings. In the first example, the female could either: a)Simply ignore you, b)Take the pose (but beware, the rider is probably going to be /very/ upset) and end the flight, or c)Attack the offending dragon, as a liberty was taken with the catch pose. In the second, the male could imply ignore, or attack. Put simply, don't power play. It can lead to a lot of hard feelings.
- A special note on dragon injuries
via Flight: While injury during mating flights is not unheard of, it's
not something that happens every flight. Injuries to a flight dragon is
a serious problem and it's best to avoid it. You should really ask on the
channel to make sure it's ok with the other people involved before posing
something like that, even if it's to your own dragon. Some people
wouldn't want the 'guilt' of causing someone else's dragon to get hurt,
etc. Basically, a flight should be a fun/funny/happy/exciting/thrilling
event and not a cause for grief. Just keep that in mind and it should
hopefully go well. :)