#mudwing headcanons

[campsiscreature]

Headcanon: wayyyy back in Pyrrhian history like soon after the scorching when the tribes were first taking shape mudwings had traditional family structures similar to most other tribes. However as time went on mudwing siblings often bounded closer with the clutchmates than their parents, and more and more sibs started becoming independent earlier, until eventually it was customary to let mudwing dragonets hatch in their own. However, there are still groups, primarily in the less contacted groups furthest from the castle that have started a “purity group” that rejects modern sibling culture and forces dragonets to stay with their parents. This is a system that goes against the evolutionary nature of mudwings for the past several thousand years at this point, but it’s like a status thing for these people. They think of themselves as special for adopting a different life style. I imagine it’s very cult-ish to an outsider. Contrary to popular belief, this does Not make them appeal more to the culture of other tribes because 1) at this point enough knowledge has been spread between the tribes that they are familiar with traditional mudwing hatchings and 2) these family units are usually not fun to be around, as mudwings simply aren’t use to living in parental families and it often results in a lot of hostility. They picked up popularity during the war of sandwing succession as a place to lay low if you refuse to fight or lost too many siblings and didn’t want to form a new unsibs group, but now that places like Possibility (and sanctuary but few mudwings are willing to travel that far, they also aren’t on super friendly terms with the skywings after they treaded them badly during the war) exist, the number of members is rapidly declining. This is leading them to start locking down on their rules and trying to prevent members from even hearing about normal mudwing practices if possible.

This post was supposed to be about my OC Olive since she was raised in this setting but honestly I got too into it and it’s just its own thing now oops

[simply-creature]

mudwing headcanons

(because i can and i have so many ideas for them (mostly involves their culture in general bc i like thinking abt dragon culture and shit)

In ancient times, MudWings often traveled to higher and colder areas. But they needed to stay warm to breathe their fire. Due to this, they developed hot meals to help stay warm. And since dragons would only eat things that tasted good, they started adding seasoning and ingredients other than meat into their meals. MudWings inadvertently pioneered the art of cooking.

MudWings form sibling troops with their hatching group. The bigwings, or the leader of the group, is the first to hatch and is the biggest and strongest. For their first few months, MudWings will survive on their own with their troop. MudWings lay their eggs during the spring, where the land floods and protects their dragonets from predators. Once the floods begin to reside, MudWing troops get to work finding a village. Once they do, they are taken to a school (usually run by an older sibling troop), where they learn Draconic, culture, customs, and the various jobs they can have. Sibling troops will typically choose their own names once they are a couple months old. Once old enough, a troop can choose to either join the army or work doing a different job. Most of the other jobs they pick are usually farmers, construction workers, or spear-fishers. If a sibling troop were to lose one or multiple of its sibs, it might “adopt” unsibs–those without sibling troops. 

MudWing homes are typically large mounds made out of dried mud and reinforced with clay. They sometimes have windows or openings dragons can see through (glass is expensive to make and buy–a rare commodity most can’t afford). Decorations within homes are sparse, aside from rugs or vases. Every hut usually has a furnace made out of mud bricks that they use to cook food. Some MudWings have kilns they use to fire clay pottery.

For fun, MudWings typically wrestle in mud-pits. Whoever is knocked down and stays down for a few seconds is the loser. MudWings will typically promise to do something of the winner’s choosing before a wrestling match. It can be anything from a hunt, to pottery, to cooking–anything goes as long as both parties consent. MudWings will also have fishing or hunting competitions, specifcally during the summer, where there is a surplus of prey. MudWings also play a sport they call mudball. Two teams face off–usually one sibling troop against another–and one team has to get the mudball to the goal while the other team tries to stop them. The mudball is made out of mud hardened by fire.

MudWings typically cover themselves in camoflauge for hunting, such as grass, moss, and dirt. They are ambush hunters, waiting for their prey to approach before bursting out of their hiding spot and catching it with surprising speed. 

In battle, MudWings are typically ground troops, as they can only fly in short spurts. They do anything from digging out trenches, traps, launching dirt and mud at enemies, to finishing off grounded enemies. They are also capable of shooting large balls of fire great distances, and are the only tribe capable of doing this.

MudWings don’t typically mate for life. Instead, whoever wants to breed in the fall. Males will wrestle to gain a female's attention. MudWing mothers will lay their eggs in a designated nesting ground in a nest mound they build themselves. The waters rise and protect the eggs from predators. 

[notchai]

mudwing headcanons

Why do you guys eat these up, my headcanons are so mediochre (haha ochre mudwing pun hehehe)

Anyways sorry if some of these are canon

Mudwing can have ram or ox horns, these are usually found on males

Mudwings have long tusk-like canines that protrude from their lips. Both males and females have them but males have longer ones. These teeth constantly grow until the dragon is elderly. They use these teeth for fighting (for mates) and hunting, which files them down.

Bigwings are usually female, don't ask why just yeah

Bigwings have more armored scales then the usual mudwings, also bigwings tend to be more aggressive and territorial

There can be two bigwings in one clutch of eggs, when they are old enough they will fight (not to the death) the one that wins becomes the bigwings, the other is just ordinary

mudwings are pretty short but they are the heaviest tribes. Female mudwings are bigger than males

Mudwings have a second clear eyelid, so do Seawings

Mudwings are really good swimmers

Mudwings usually never banish their siblings. One of the only times mudwings will banish their siblings is in a royal egg clutch. If there is a male bigwings, they will banish him and make the female heir the bigwings instead

mudwings are a very social tribe. They love to sing, dance, and tell stories. Never trust a mudwing with a secret, soon enough their whole troop will know and then everyone will know.

Mudwings and skywings use goat horns before entering battle

Mudwings, like every fire breathing tribe is distantly related to Skywings

they are distantly related to Seawings too

Mudwings can have firescales, out of every fire breathing tribe it is incredibly rare. There has only been 1 mudwing firescales

Mudwing combat is usually ground based, they are masters at ambushes

mudwings have the strongest jaw out of every tribe. They can bite through trees and dragon bone and full force

they have thick talons and teeth

Their talons are slightly webbed

They have thick tails, but not as thick and as strong as a Seawings

they have crocodile like eyes

mudwings pick out their own names

mudwings can be red, green, yellow, bronze, gold, black, orange, tan, brown and sometimes dusty whites

mudwings have the weakest fire out of every firebreather, but it's perfect for cooking food

Mudwings use wooden beads, plants, stones for accessories

Almost every mudwing can cook and bake

Mudwings have pets dogs, snakes, gators, frogs and sometimes rats

they have frog like tongues

all mudwings either have an overbite or an underbite

More later

[fretgoon]

Inspiration hit me in the head with a brick. I see all these mudwing design head canons with them being VERY crocodilian (that it makes loads of sense) BUT WHAT IF THEY WERE SCRAGLY BOARS? Give them huge tusks and wispy fur and boom!!

[imnotsurewhatimdoinging]

Mudwing Holiday Traditions

During holidays, basically all Mudwings let their sibs paint their wings, usually with a handprint with markings around. Each sib will handprint on each wing, showing your bond as siblings. In the above drawing, you can see young mudwings partaking in the tradition for the first time.

The image below dipicts a Mudwing dancer. Dancing is something done by all Mudwings; its choreographed movement with your sibs, to show how in sinc you are. Other tribes say that Mudwing dancing is slow and snake-like, which in non-prejudiced terms, is to say it's not as fast, punchy or light as other tribes, but has fluidity and elegance. 

Well, not all Mudwing dances are elegant. Dragonets learning to dance of course don't have the same motor abilities, and many Mudwings simply want to move around and play rather than practice a whole choreographed dance. 

[wof-reworked]

Music in the Mud Kingdom

OK SO I’M NEVER GOING TO BE OVER THE IDEA OF BALKAN BRASS BAND STYLE MUDWING BANDS, IF NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO MAKE THIS CONTENT I GUESS IT’S ON MY SHOULDERS

-Because I’ve lost control of my life, I made a playlist of songs that give me Mudwing balkan brass vibes, which you can find >here< (please listen to it and tell me what you think I need someone else to geek out with)

-Mudwing band composition is very very lax, as long as you have at least one drummer, a handful of trumpet players, and maybe two mid horn players, that’s enough 

-Mudwing bands are also super lax on being, well, a band. In casual parties, the floor is usually open for other musicians who are skilled enough to join in

-Some of the tunes are very well known and old, and trotted out for parties, but a lot of is also new material

-Almost all of it is dance-able though!! It is celebration music after all

-A lot of the dances are typically accompanied with circle dances (I’ve talked about dragon dancing before >here<, basically think of overlapping wings instead of hands, takes a lot more intense ability to move in sync to maintain)

-Mudwing musicians compose their own music, building off of other songs to make their own versions and eventually morphing into their own distinctive songs

-You get A LOT of regional variations of the same tune, and no one can agree where it originally came from.

-The history of the music is a combination of Skywing military music, and Sandwing party songs (Mudwings and Sandwings have been bros forever YOU CAN FIGHT ME ON THIS, WHAT’S A LITTLE MOUNTAIN RANGE TO SEPARATE TWO HOMIES)

-In recent times there’s been a bit of a... class divide, for lack of better words, between brass bands from the capitol/the coast and the outer reaches of the Mud Kingdom

This is where I have to start talking about my headcanons for the Mud Kingdom, so it’s gonna get a little weird!!

-The center of the kingdom is actually where more of the wealth is centered, with poorer regions like the Diamond Spray Delta and Scavenger’s Den circling the area. 

-To the North-East of Queen Moorhen’s castle is the capitol of the Mud Kingdom (name suggestions welcome), where most of the wealth is concentrate as well as where most Mudwings live (give or take).

-The coastal region, due has their own musical traditions (drumming circles! Sailor music! Accordions!), and the capitol is, naturally, a melting pot of music from all over the Mud Kingdom

-From there you get a much more classical approach to the music, with performances being much more similar to typical concerts, and sheet music re-entering the equation

-This is just turning into another Mudwing Headcanon list I’m so sorry

No I’m not, suffer >:3c

-Besides arguments in the kingdom about musical integrity, you run into the bigger problem of Mudwing musicians from the capitol/the coast stealing music from Mudwings from the outer reaches of the kingdom and repackaging it as their own

-There’s also a smaller section of Sandwing brass performers, especially from Sandwings living around the mountains on the Mud Kingdom border 

I’ll talk about the dances later!!

[violetattack101]

Mudwing headcanons

-Mudwing’s are some of the best verbal storytellers, hands down. 

-Mudwing story telling parties are very much a thing, being a good way to have sib groups bond and interact, and can sometimes go on for over a day, complete with some hunting and play-fighting, most commonly among younger troops. 

-Think campfire stories, but much more dragons swapping stories through the night after a hunt together or something along those lines

-A lot of troops bond that way, planning a time to get together and share gossip and news

-It’s pretty much guaranteed if you give information to a Mudwing, it’s going to get around, in some way or form, possibly ending up as some tall tale along the way.

-Mudwing music mainly consists of drumming, with brass music playing over it(assuming dragons have the capabilities to create brass instruments). 

-Songs like this are common (if more or less complicated)

-Mudwing dancing is a lot of tail and leg motions, kicking, and moving to the beat with others (similar to the kinds of circle dances that can accompany this kind of music)

Here’s a link to one of the faster dances I found  + A slower and easier one, which I actually know how to dance T3T

I’m sorry I have a weakness for Mudwings dancing to Eastern European music ok

-Sandwings and Mudwings share the most in common for music and dances, and parties between the two of them were more commonplace before the war

-Skywing music is the other that comes close to Mudwing music, though Skywings have lost most of their musical talent as they’ve grown more militaristic.

-Much of Mudwing music comes from a mixture of Sandwing and Skywing music, being sort of mixed and mashed along the way to form what it currently is

-Mudwings are excellent at ambushes and guerrilla warfare, their scales allowing them to disappear into the background of their territory

-Most Mudwing battle plans boil down to lure their enemy into a choke-point or put them at a disadvantage, ambush them, and tank it out from there.

-Mudwings are probably the laxest on authority second only to the Rainwings, only really paying attention to the queen in times of war. 

-The downside to this is that a lot of crimes go unpunished on the grand scale, with most of the larger towns having their own form of authority. 

-Because of this, it’s not uncommon for a town to be made mostly up of younger/elderly Mudwings and dragons from foreign tribes, the younger/elderly ones for protection, and the foreign dragons because hey, it’s not as though the queen’s going to fly down from the sky and shoo you away. 

-The farther away from the palace you get, the more dilapidated and diverse the towns get

-Mudwing scale tones are second most varied, losing out only to Seawings (I'm not counting Rainwings because by technicality, theirs are unlimited colors). 

-The more Mudwing-looking hybrids can usually get away with being labelled as a normal Mudwing because of this

-Mudwings get better at swimming the older they get, with some Mudwing troops spending almost all their time in the water

-Mudwings also have third eyelids like crocodiles, it’s another feature they share in common with Seawings

-Mudwings have the strongest bite out of any of the other dragon tribes

-Mudwing names tend to be self-picked, sometimes with their big wing helping out. Some Mudwings go through multiple names before picking one they think suits them best

-Not gonna stop their sibs from teasing them a bit about trying out overly edgy names

- “Really, Black Widow? That’s what you’re going with here?” “Shut up, I think it sounds awesome.”

-Mudwings are omnivorous, and genuinely enjoy eating what fruits and berries they can find

-Mudwings have so few documented animus dragons they don’t actually care at this point. As long as the dragons aren’t magically reversing gravity or solving death, the Mudwings don’t care

[imnotsurewhatimdoinging]

Mudwing Family Records

Top: Sibs going into a family records building, possibly to update their status, possibly to find out who their ancestors were. 

Bottom: A Mudwing recorder writing on a clay tablet. Behind him are slots where tablets are sorted into. I imagine sibs get the same or similar jobs, whether or not some of them like it, so this guy is just mildly wishing he could do something else instead of clawing marks on tablets all day. 

This was another idea to keep track of Mudwing families, but I think the last name system does that well enough that this isn't really needed. Probably can be recycled as another tribes recording system though, idk