gender and sex: an essay about dragon Roles

[content warning for dragon mating habits and reproductive biology]

so i was reading the My Gender Is (Not) Human zine that came out a couple days ago, and in it there was a writing from a fellow dragon called Noel (blog is @opal-claws) who explained the 4 gender variations that existed in their species. it's a very interesting read, that describes the roles each dragon takes (which are Suitor/Prospect and settled/nomadic) and all the little facets of each one of them.

and i guess it got me thinking a bit. yes, my dragon species has two traditional sexes, male and female, but the majority of dragons dont have a "gender" as humans do. we are mostly agender, and only those dragons who have spent lives with humans have more traditional genders. being male or female doesnt matter in the grand scheme of things, and only if youre actively looking to mate. but even then, you dont even have to choose a partner of the opposite sex for it! because, at least with females, we are capable of having offspring without any kind of sexual contact (we are awesome like that). it's a process called parthenogenesis, and occurs in many species of lizards including komodo dragons. the end result of this process is a genetic clone of its respective parent, and the dragonet will always be female (of course, this leads to a bit of a loss in genetic variation, but its useful if you dont have any males available, or if youre a lesbian). there is also another option, at least in females (males really do get the short end of the stick in reproduction tactics, dont they?), of mating once with a male and "saving up" the seed inside of the cloaca so you can still lay fertilised eggs for many years without having to mate again.

but thats only the "biological" part. in dragon society, there are gender roles, but not in the way humans think of them. as i said, our genders are not tied to our sexes at all, and they are not influenced by reproductive habits either. our Roles are more about your function in society, what your instincts tell you to do. for example, my instincts are primarily of protection. im a solitary dragon, and my territory is always my number one priority. i patrol, i watch over it, i drive out possible intruders, and i never leave my forest. at the end of the day, i return to my den with my hoard and my nest, and just sleep until the next day. so id say my 'Role’ would be Protector. there are other types of dragons, like Provider (primarily a hunter, the one that brings resources for their mate or dragonets; very nomadic, they dont like to stay in one place for too long) and Carer (theyre by far the most social role; as the name implies, they are the primary carers of our young, but they also keep balance in a community).

as you can see, none of the Roles are related to the capability of producing offspring, as both males and females can have any Role; but you dont even have to have offspring at all to feel fulfilled in your Role! its just about what kind of dragon you are; your function in society.

just thought it was interesting.