Multiple bonding

efellai · Post by **efellai** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:52 am

I wish to ask who would be willing to allow characters who already have a dragon (or dragons who have already bonded to a character) to bond again. I now have a large number of giveaways, and I find it very difficult to get a story written for them in the institutions that they originally bonded at. I am happy, however, to do the work to get another dragon, which would provide story impetus, especially as I enjoy playing bonds-to-one off of bonds-of-the-other.

I know a lot of places still have it in their rules, written or unwritten, that this is not allowed. However, other than very traditional Weyrs, I will ask you—why? We aren’t on Pern anymore, Toto. These dragons are scarcely dependant on their bonds, as we have seen by the dramatic increase in unbonded/sponsored dragons, dragon-dragon bondings, and those who bond to ghosts, spirits, etc. who obviously cannot take care of their dragons physically.

Even if they do need a large amount of care, there are the non-dragonriders who could be employed to do various services for the dragons—it doesn’t have to be one small human say, oiling two 747s. This is what weyrfolk (or my equivalent) are for. Non-Pernese dragons also tend to be smaller—not always, but sometimes—so the care needed for them is less.

By sponsored and abandoned dragons, we have already shown that dragons can and will do for themselves, and can fight the Good Fight, whatever it may be, without plopping a human on their backs. The dragons of our worlds are intelligent and mostly independent creatures. They don’t need humanoid supervision.

There is no One True Bond. Abandoneds and those who have already multiple-bonded show this admirably. From stories around the Nexus, it is also evident that every dragon is not exactly harmonious in his or her or (insert other pronoun here) bonding. Rider and dragon fight, argue, hurt each other’s feelings, are too clingy or too distant, and otherwise act like real people. People can have more than one very close friend. Dragons just happen to be mentally attached. In addition to the lack of perfection here, bonds have become a lot looser—dragons don’t die when their bonds do, necessarily, and they aren’t sharing everything either. No-one’s head is going to explode from too much information coming in from the dragon bonds.

For me, I am finding it more and more difficult to come up with new candidate-characters. I know they are needed, but the inspiration just isn’t there. However, there are scores of dragonriders whose stories should be expanded—but that isn’t really helping the rest of the community. Bonding multiple dragons could be a good impetus to write more about the characters that are already there, bring life around the dragonry to light, and more closely intertwine the lives of characters. It is also a great thing for giveaway dragons who come with or who are required to have riders.

Think about the fighting ramifications. Instead of having one air-mobile creature essentially bonded to what amounts to a non-fighter/director type, riders or dragons could be in contact with their own miniature mental web. Coordination would go up, miscommunication would go down, and everybody knows where someone else is. For example, I have A’leil with his four dragons, one of whom is bonded to another dragon. They are dispersed fairly evenly among the Hands and the individual talons in each Hand. This way, communication between different units is exceedingly fast and easy.

As a character will soon point out at Moire, where Bad Things will soon happen, they need more dragonpower. However, they do not have the time or resources to train up more young riders. Why acquire new riders when you could send your *already experienced* riders out to bond? Or your already-experienced dragons? Dragons grow up much faster than humans in every dragonry I’ve ever seen. Young dragons going to Moire don’t need to learn how to fight Thread, or Ants, or Rampage plants, or any of the things they would be trained in on their home worlds. They must work within the parameters of what Moire needs.

So, anyway, if I could hear from the people who would like it, be okay with it, or who want to Just Say No, it would be lovely. Thanks for listening to the rant!

JKatkina · Post by **JKatkina** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:00 am

Multi-bonds are a-ok with me, and have been for a while. :3 If my rules say otherwise, it's just that I haven't updated them in a while....

Speaking of, I should do that.

Post by **DragonFlight** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:05 am

I believe this came up in discussion awhile back, and alot of people didn't have any issue with it.

I for one permit and sometimes encourage the already-experienced to bond again. Unless my clutches or litters or what have you specifically say single/new only (like the Citadel hydras did, cause the babies were possessive, though now that they're adults it's up to the writer) then I'm fine with it.

Mystic Dragon · Post by **Mystic Dragon** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:13 am

Yep. Fine with me. Of course, my dragons tend to be very independant to start with, so they don't mind sharing their partner with someone 'more needy'.

Astra · Post by **Astra** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:15 am

I'm fine with it at Draco Prime too, in fact, the concept of bonding is still fairly "new" to the Gecnawans so they are always willing to experiment with new methods of bonding. And yes, this did come up in conversation some time ago, and lead to my avatar character, Astra, acquiring a second bond ^_^

Kitsuneko · Post by **Kitsuneko** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:22 am

I've always been fine with multi-bonding. I just need to do it more with my own characters. >.>

Xenoqueen · Post by **Xenoqueen** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:39 am

Multi-bonding is entirely a go at the Destiny.

DNS · Post by **DNS** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:40 am

I think I've asked this question before, somewher.e in anycase, i remember it? but yes. >.> It was explained to me that a lot of people are fine to it, and from looking around, it seems the majority will accept it? there's a couple places i can think of specifically who won't, but that's only a few.
Of course, i could have my numbers skewwed.

For the record-- Anywhere DNS runs is fine with it, so long as your other bonds don't mind. Actually, species like my Dead pets are more likely to be perfectly cool with it, since they're pack animals and form bond-packs. -nodyawns- but yes- ^^

edit, i was thinking on it more: actually, there's only one thing i wont do myself, and that's bond a bonded-dragon to another dragon. And that's myslef-- i.e, i'll bond a dragon like that in one of my agencies fine, it's just.. that would get REALLY confusing too fast for me. XP But hey, if other people can manage that kind of web, that's excellent for them. ^^

Shadow · Post by **Shadow** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:42 am

No argument from me. I'm fine with a lot of things. All I need to do is get MY template on my comp now that my mom's comp is back.

Shiolar · Post by **Shiolar** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 12:14 pm

I've been perfectly fine with multi-bonding for ages... Mirusii and Mirusii-mutts often prefer it, because they like living in groups. I prefer the idea of an entire group all bonded together, though... Like... a rider and dragon going off and adding a second dragon to the group, so they're all bonded to each other. Having a character bond a dragon, and then one of them going off and bonding another dragon without their first bond being involved seems kinda... weird to me. But that's as something I personally wouldn't do with my characters, as opposed to something I wouldn't allow at Mirus...

Course, with that said, I've got characters who I'd just feel weird having multiple bonds with... Ketrenal's a prime example of that... he and Kajashaji have a very close one-to-one bond that just wouldn't allow for another dragon to be involved... On the other hand, I've got characters who I really need to send out for more bonds... It's yet another thing on my list of things to do.

Shard · Post by **Shard** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 1:26 pm

Generally speaking my non-pernese will multiply bond whenver necessary or good for stories.

Dragonhope dragons won't - but that's not to say that descendants of those dragons who are *not still on Pern* would have trouble with it. It's a lot of fun to have multiples!

Heck, when I sent copper Yarpath to Rugan... oh yeah.

Multiple bonds are exceptionally fun.

So basically for my sites: anything except 'born at Dragonhope' would be fine for multiple bonds.

Silver Midnight · Post by **Silver Midnight** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 1:47 pm

I'll take them, if RoF ever opens again. :O

Mystic Dragon · Post by **Mystic Dragon** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 2:04 pm

XD Poor Rugan. I found it exceptionally hilarious when Drak came back and I got Fire too. That's who Rugan was originally meant to bond, then Mythicalae disappeared and I sent her off to Sea Sparkul. As for Yarpath, I don't know why but I saw his image once and knew he would be mine. Then Mythicalae comes back and, POOF!, three dragons for Rugan!

Shard · Post by **Shard** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 2:32 pm

Kinda like how I keep inflicting things on Engel.

He's now surrounded by like 14 dragons, minis and flitters of different breeds... heh.

One of my favorite though, for multiply bonding anything, was Karen Kenobi who I'd sent off originally for one of the Glenn dragon contests but that never happened at all. (Yin Yang dragon = teh perfect for her.) So to Calyeni she went, got her masculine and feminine sides. Then two giftie/giveaways later she's got the foursome of light, dark, male and female. I almost considered sending her for the Copper mini frenzy but that'd imbalance things...

Mystic Dragon · Post by **Mystic Dragon** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 3:34 pm

XD Actually, that Yin & Yang thing did happen. I sent in Ghost for that and was disappointed to see that the winner had next to nothing to do with Yin & Yang. She also never got the dragons up, so they were abandoned.

Shard · Post by **Shard** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 3:40 pm

Yeah - the readoption attempt later is what I was trying for.

I have Glenns. They need peoples. Otherwise it's kinda sad that I fought for so long to get em and no one wants them now... :/

DNS · Post by **DNS** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 3:42 pm

._. -newbiemoment- glenns?

edit-- nevermind, it's obviously something from Before My Time. -nods-

Mystic Dragon · Post by **Mystic Dragon** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:05 pm

>.> Kiiiiiiindanotreally. Shard's the expert on Glenn's. There's still a few agencies running, but not that actively I don't think.

Astra · Post by **Astra** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:11 pm

Glendragons are ooooooold. I remember the original site back in the day, and that was before Silvermoon Weyr but after Evala Weyr when I was experimenting with several non-pern agencies all of whom failed miserably. I've never adopted a glenn dragon before though i aways wanted one I was never quite inspired to write for one -- the requirements for glenn dragons always seemed somewhat weird for someone coming from the pern and pern-offshoot community and it seemed like a lot of the early glenn dragon site owners had a "Bitchy toward n00bs" air about them though I was 14 at the time so I could have just been paranoid. They're lovely images though and for the time when they came out they were downright godly.

Shard · Post by **Shard** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:46 pm

They're really cool. I wish there was a 4th image type, but there ain't.

Right now, http://www.geocities.com/planet_twenty_dragons/ has the clutch.

They're purty. They only really require a stats table and a brief bit about where it'll be staying or who with. I'm not going to be picky from people here. I'd love to continue giving them out, I've never done any but a couple birthday recolors. They have many half-blooded offspring out there, because I have run a couple of mine at frenzies.

They wouldn't mind double bonding, that I could tell.

Myrror · Post by **Myrror** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:55 pm

*pokes Astra* Now, if I had managed to snag three...

Too bad the images aren't there, I'd move the pages to my new site. At least archive.org has the text..

Post by **Dray** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 6:46 pm

I'm fine with it, since I'm mostly a hybridizer and so it's not entirely my say!

With Atuan dragons/mutts, I'd say no, however... or at least, I wouldn't much like it. :\ It's more of a mental-instability thing with them so, yes, somebody's head probably /would/ explode if there was more then one Atuan attached to a person. XD