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hmmm. what are your thoughts on dragon size. tribe-wise, as compared to each other, and your headcanons on the main characters of each arc?
Before I move on to finalizing yesterday's and today's Smaugust submissions, lets change pace and grab a question to answer. I need a change of scenery for a bit.
Let's talk about dragon sizes and body shapes/types.
General tribe overview
My general thoughts on the size relations between different tribes would be something like this. This is based on average; you're going to have outliers in either direction based on the individual (i.e. Princess Burn is very large for a Sandwing, while Sunny is very small).
Mudwings are the largest of the Pyrrhian tribes by sheer body mass. They aren't always the tallest because their bodies are kind of squat and compact, but in terms of body weight they reign supreme at the top.
Skywings are the tallest, especially when sitting down, due to their long necks. They aren't particularly massive, in fact a lot of Skywings are very slender with long limbs and necks. But if you sit one down and constructed a cube around them, they would take up a lot of space, moreso than any other tribe.
Seawings come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they tend to be a bit heavier than you would think. In a way they are like a less extreme expression of Mudwings, not AS massive as them, as well as less compact. Kind of like a middle-ground between Mudwings and Skywings. What makes them a bit heavier is that their skin has a layer of blubber that insulates them from the cold of the ocean depths. The thickness of this layer is different between individuals.
Nightwings and Icewings lie somewhere in the middle of the size chart. In terms of mass they are roughly equal, but Icewings tend to have more elongated bodies and limbs while Nightwings are more broad and a little squat.
Sandwings are springy little bundles of wiry muscle. They like to keep their bodies close to the ground (making them look a little smaller than they actually are) and have powerful limbs for leaping on, around, and over opponents. If they were in D&D, their attacks would have the Finesse tag, allowing them to attack with Dexterity instead of Strength.
And lastly, Rainwings are usually small and light. This allows them to climb trees and sit on the topmost branches without their weight making them snap off. Their wings are also a bit smaller than those of other tribes; they're meant for short bursts of flight to help getting up on trees, while travelling long distances in the jungle is accomplished via use of wings AND tail in tandem. Their slight stature is part of the reason why so many other tribes dismiss them as weak and useless.
The Dragonets of Destiny
Clay is unquestionably the largest of his peers. He is enormous, even among Mudwings. I think he might have been the most massive thing in that cave under the mountain (weight-wise), and in a way Kestrel was lucky he was such a gentle spirit, because if Clay had decided to sit on her, there would have been very little she could have done. It's a bit silly they threatened Tsunami with hanging Clay from a stalactite, because the visual of Kestrel and Webs trying to carry him up there would have been comical.
Tsunami is, perhaps equally as unmistakably, the second largest after Clay. She clearly takes after her mother in terms of size and thus towers over a lot of other Seawings. While not as tall as Clay, her body is a bit longer and she has a very powerful tail. Most of her bulk is muscle, compared to Clay's roughly equal mixture of muscle and fat. I think she might actually be physically stronger than Clay, but is less durable than him.
Starflight might either be the third-largest, or fourth after Glory, depending on whether you measure by tallness or body mass. He might be the very definition of big-boned, appearing kind of plump but not actually being that fat. He didn't get a lot of exercise outside of Kestrel's mandatory drills, and he's not really in a rush to change that after escaping, so overall, he is quite out of shape.
Glory is what you could consider tall for a Rainwing, but she started out rather noticably underweight. This is because sunlight is a vital component to a Rainwing's metabolism, so her body couldn't get the amount of energy it needed while she was forced to live underground. This gradually got better as she went outside and got more sun time. She is still kind of thin now, but in a much healthier way.
And then Sunny is the smallest. She is just kind of petite, nobody knows why and it's not a health issue, it's just how she is wired. Maybe Stonemover's dad was really short and it skipped a generation.
The Jade Winglet + Peril
Carnelian is large and tough, being proud of her physique and aiming to be a career soldier, thus keeping herself in shape. Within the Skywing military I imagine there are two pervasive ideas of what "being in shape" means. Some train their entire body evenly, to fight strongly in the air, but also to remain formidable if they end up grounded (via wing injury, or having to defend a ground position). Others believe this is planning for failure and thus mainly train their wings while keeping the rest of their bodies light and easy to maneuver during flight. Carnelian is in the former camp.
Peril is very tall, lanky, and lean, with barely any defined muscle or body fat. This is because her fire scales affliction causes her body to consume vast amounts of calories to sustain itself, and thus she has trouble to build up any significant muscle mass or fat reserves. She would have to ingest two-to-three times the amount of food a regular dragon does to offset this, which she usually doesn't.
Winter is very toned and muscular compared to his peers (sans Carnelian), as is befitting for a royal Icewing. His tribe proudly identifies as a caste of elite warriors, so the idea of being physically frail is considered shameful and dishonorable. As a result most royals will exercise rigorously in their spare time to keep themselves in peak physical condition. Most Icewings pull this off while still looking refined and elegant. Winter looks a little broad and awkward compared to, say, his sister.
Moonwatcher is about average in terms of size. She has a bit of a curve to her due to growing up in an environment with abundant food, but underneath conceals a surprising amount of strength and stamina, owed to having to survive in the jungle on her own from a young age. She looks out of shape at a glance, but is anything but.
Umber's body type is a little atypical for a Mudwing. While still a bit broad, his frame is more wiry and light compared to his kin. He is also kind of short. His siblings can pick him up and carry him around easily.
Qibli is a bit taller than Umber and Moonwatcher, but much thinner and a bit scrawny. His frame is mostly wiry muscle with little body fat. He consciously keeps himself in shape to not be a burden to his queen, but not with the same intensity as Winter or Carnelian. He also doesn't eat enough to pack on a large amount of muscle. This suits him fine though, he is satisfied with where his body is.
Turtle was not graced with the same genes as Tsunami; he takes more after his father who was a bit on the average-to-small side. He also hates physically exerting himself and has a magical trinket that lets him double his food rations, so he is somewhat on the chubby side. Not quite obese, but noticeably plump.
Kinkajou is the smallest of her winglet, but manages to be barely taller than Turtle when she arches her back and stands on her toes (and Turtle intentionally hunches because he sees what she's doing and wants to please her). She is very slender and slight but has a surprising amount of stamina just because she is so full of energy and always runs around everywhere.
Whew... This took a lot longer than I anticipated, so I think I'm going to have to cut it here. Forgive me. I hope this is still entertaining and/or informative.
They are roughly in order from biggest to smallest, but it's very difficult to say in some cases. Like, comparing someone who is technically taller by height to someone who is shorter but has twice the body mass, where does one draw the line? I'm sure I've managed to find a middle ground here that pleases neither side.
If I wasn't so artistically drained and exhausted right now, I would draw a size chart or something.