How do you choose who to describe?

[Lurhstaap]

Like the title says, for those of you who write descriptions at all, how do you choose which dragons to write descriptions for? Do you only do your rares and other 'objectively' special dragons, or do you pick ones that are special to you even if they're not 'objectively' valuable (such as your first-ever dragon or your first gold even if it's messy and inbred). I know some of us will be going for all of them but I just have too many to approach it that way except perhaps as a writing exercise in coming up with personalities!

[Ruby Eyes]

When inspiration strikes, which is rarely enough So 3 of my zombies are described, and my Neglected is awaiting moderation. That's about it!

[Iside]

Only a couple of my dragons have descriptions. They are not "objectively" special dragons, but they are special for me.

 

The first is a female caveborn white. She is one of my first dragons, but especially the first I really wanted to create a lineage.

I decided to explicitly look for a cb white, to influence her female and to lifemate her with a cb magi dragon. She is one of my very few lifemated dragons. Also I gave her the surname "Whitetail", I kept all her 2nd gen offsprings and all their descendants that I kept are named "Whitetail" as well.

In her description I told her story and how she met her mate.

 

The other of my described dragons is her firstborn, a white dragon too.

[dragongrrl]

As the spirit moves me.

 

I'm as likely to write a description for a frozen hatchling as I am for an adult. Only one of my Silvers has an approved description, and my first GoN, but several of my Nocturnes, Ochredrakes, Embers, Deep Seas, Reds, Chickens and Crimsons have descriptions, as well as a number of the Mints, Vamps, Zombies, frozen hatchlings and my three NDs. They all tell some kind of story when they arrive on my scroll, but few actually end up being entered in to the queue.

 

At this point, I don't know which ones are still waiting, except for Hug Bug's, written more than a year ago. I haven't written any new ones in some time.

 

Maybe 50-60 approved and 4750 to write?

[Mathcat]

Sometimes it's as inspiration strikes, sometimes it's choosing someone using a random number generator (I keep a spreadsheet of all my undescribed dragons) and a prompt from my massive file of collected prompts/ideas, and sometimes it's picking a dragon to fill a gap in an established storyline.

 

I fell below 50% described very recently, but am hoping to get back up to 2/3-3/4 described one of these years. My long-term goal is to describe everyone, but that's not especially realistic as a short-term goal, given the sheer number of undescribed dragons.

[Yliah]

They are not "objectively" special dragons, but they are special for me.

^ This.

Some dragons have descriptions before they are even able to grow.

[BlackJade]

I am a very small clan of dragons(20-25)

 

Today I actually took it upon myself to name and describe all of them. Two hours later I was vary satisfied. All of my dragons have their own little stories and it is specified who their mates are(if they have a mate).

 

For bigger clans, Id recommend only naming significant dragons unless you get really bored or a spur of inspiration.

[angelicdragonpuppy]

I describe ALL OF THEM 8) (eventually. when I can. I am like 150 behind bleh ;A; )

 

But in terms of the ones that really scream to be described, it's usually ones with rare / interesting lineages (how would a dragon feel to be descended from the legendary thuweds? what's this dragon think of the fact that his father mated with other dragons than his mother, even though they were meant to be lifemates? this sweetling has a stone dragon momma, you know what that means--hot stone on sweetling action!), but if I'm reading breed descriptions and get a cool new idea as to how a dragon would deal with those traits (such as a striped river dragon mistaking shimmer eggs for the pearls they collect, or a desipis dragon going crazy from spreading itself over so many minds), then I'll describe random dragons from that breed, too!

[Ribombee]

I was describing all of my purebred coppers and blacks, but after waiting over a year for them to be approved by a mod and never seeing them get get further than player review approval, I lost all motivation to bother describing. If we ever get a dedicated description moderation team I'd probably start up again on my purebred lineages, but until then I fail to see much point in spending the time and effort.

[Denwayasha]

I have a handful of dragons whose names/breeds are references to book/movie/tv show/etc. characters, and most of those have descriptions that continue the reference (though edited around a bit to fit DC), but other than those I just describe whenever inspiration strikes. For example an interesting code or lineage might lead to a Day Glory drake who thinks she's an owl, or I'll tell the story of how a particular dragon earned its name. I also love the Describe-a-Dragon thread in Forum Games, and a lot of my pending descriptions were originally suggested there. ^-^

[The Flash]

Meh. I don't describe any of mine. Too much work.

[RWyvern]

Out of almost 2000 dragons only a very few are described. I describe the dragons I view as characters (like Gogumajiosu, Gogmazios, Gowdali, Aculeus...) and use in roleplays. Which ones I deem characters just tends to happen. I felt like using a Gemshard character so Rethete was given a description to accommodate that.

 

Most of them are still being approved though.

[Lurhstaap]

I was describing all of my purebred coppers and blacks, but after waiting over a year for them to be approved by a mod and never seeing them get get further than player review approval, I lost all motivation to bother describing. If we ever get a dedicated description moderation team I'd probably start up again on my purebred lineages, but until then I fail to see much point in spending the time and effort.

Don't despair! I've had some descriptions approved very recently. For example, one of my Plated Colossi (Trump) has an approved desc. It's slow, but it does happen!

[Knuckerbearer]

For me, I describe my dragons as inspiration for their personalities strikes. I actually tend to describe my rarer dragons less often because I am more finicky about trying to give them special descriptions! Description approval has been slow, lately; I have a few descrips that have been waiting for months now.

[Cireth]

As and when inspiration strikes.

 

I'll be on my scroll and think "I want to write a description I'll describe this dragon".

 

Sometimes because it's got a cool code or just because that dragon is there when inspiration strikes.

[pinkgothic]

I describe some by species:

 

- Neglected and Vampire dragons because I like the lore

- Gemshards because I have a naming scheme for them that screams 'describe me!' at me

- Arsanis (though I am super behind on this) because I love them to bits

- CB classic metallics due to their rarity

- Guardians of Nature due to their rarity

 

Some by circumstance:

 

- Historic stuff, e.g. Terebinth Aru'ak as the first recorded egg from a turpentine x moonstone pairing (all other reported pairings before Terebinth were refusals).

- Interestingly coded dragons, e.g. (Tmppr), (OFFoN), (thRyL), (H4CKT) a/k/a Mummelratz, (R4Mbi) a/k/a Rambi and (DASPw) a/k/a Das allerbeste Passwort

- Dragons that got mentions in other descriptions (often randomly or semi-randomly picked from my scroll while writing the other description, since said description demanded mentions), e.g. Mauncauld and Geleira

- Dragons whose names eventually inspired me to write an associated description, e.g. Crafted Stone, Tomas Nau and Apeirogon

- Dragons gifted to me by people who are known to write a lot of descriptions, e.g. Subvocal because the cavern lurker is offspring from dragons that are on herk's scroll.

 

Also, did I just spy some of my descriptions having gotten approved?! *goes through list* Edit: zomg. Try 'all of them'. @_@ Thank you, mods!

Edited June 21, 2015 by pinkgothic