Gold/Queen
Golds are the largest and are the queens of the dragons. They do not chew firestone and fight thread in the low-flying 'queens wing' with flame-throwers instead. Queens are the only dragons that lay eggs and only when they rise to mate and are caught by a bronze. The longer and higher the flight the better the clutch. The women who ride them are given the title 'lady' and are treated as high-ranking lady holders. The rider of the senior queen, which in this case is the queen to establish the Weyr, is the Senior Weyrwoman and wields considerable power and responsibility, most importantly of which is to keep the records for the Weyr. Queens only impress females. (female, usually 40-45 meters)
Bronze
Bronzes catch queens. They are the second-largest of the dragons and among the fighting dragons have the greatest staying power. They command the greatest respect and have the same rank as a lord holder. Additionally, the rider ofthe bronze which catches the Senior Queen is the Senior Weyrleader and is responsible for much of the running of the Weyr. Most wingleaders are bronzes and their riders. Bronzes only impress males. (male, usually 35-40 meters)
Brown
Browns are not quite as big and powerful as bronzes. They tend to be wingseconds and though they and their riders command respect, no special title is given them. Browns themselves tend to be more sane and more likely to take matters into their own hands if they think their riders are making poor decisions. They chase greens in flight and usually impress males. (male, usually 30-37 meters)
Blue
Blues do not nearly have the stamina of a bronze or brown, but they are much more manuverable and are better at dodging thread. Blues are considered the best dragons for search purposes and are very empathic. Blues chase greens and will impress to males of either sexual persuasion and very rarely females. (male, usually 24-31 meters)
Green
Greens are also female, but they do not clutch. They rise to mate but their chewing of firestone leaves them sterile. Which is probably a good thing because if they did clutch all of Pern would be up to their eyeballs in green dragons. Greens are incredibly mobile and nimble, but may have to take breaks during fall to rest. They impress to either girls or boys, though more often than not the boys are homosexual or bisexual. (female, usually 20-26 meters)
Size Class Chart
You'll notice a size-class designation on each dragon page. They correspond with this scale, the overlaps being appropriate. Only bronzes and browns of size-class W5 may fly queens… and only bronzes may fly senior queens.
Gold | D5 | D4 | D3 | D2 | D1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bronze | Z5 | Z4 | Z3 | Z2 | Z1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brown | W5 | W4 | W3 | W2 | W1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Blue | L5 | L4 | L3 | L2 | L1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Green | G5 | G4 | G3 | G2 | G1 |
Eye Color Chart
Blue/Green - contentment/happiness
Red - hunger or mating lust
Yellow - fright
Orange - danger
lavender/purple - stress/sadness
grey - sick and/or listlessness
These are just a guideline, but if you deviate from them you better put an explanation of the emotion being shown in the post.