Discussion Lizardmen plutonic displays of affection/congratulation

[Scalenex]

What is the Skink and/or Saurus equivalent of a hand shake, a high five, a shoulder clasp, etc?

 

[Dreadgrass]

That's actually an interesting point. Do they technically even do such things, or is it all just "part of the Great Plan" and just pre-ordained? I can see Saurus and Krox being too hard-wired into their roles to really acknowledge one anothers accomplishments, but Skinks and especially the devout sotek followers seem more expressive... Maybe their more vocal or even have a subtle change in skin colouration to suit mood like some lizards?

On another note, I can see slaan having very minimal reactions to anything. Kinda like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7ubKHAZZhc

 

[spawning of Bob]

Surely it would be a "high four"

 

[Walheim95]

I would love to see two saurus warriors headbutt after doing something awesome

 

[Soteks Prophet]

I imagine that saurus would roar at each other.

Bob: "we killed them - RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR"
John: "damn right - RAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRR"

 

[Scalenex]

That's actually an interesting point. Do they technically even do such things, or is it all just "part of the Great Plan" and just pre-ordained? I can see Saurus and Krox being too hard-wired into their roles to really acknowledge one anothers accomplishments, but Skinks and especially the devout sotek followers seem more expressive... Maybe their more vocal or even have a subtle change in skin colouration to suit mood like some lizards?

On another note, I can see slann having very minimal reactions to anything. Kinda like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7ubKHAZZhc

I agree that the Slann probably don't emote much but I prefer to think the lesser reptiles have emotions and dirives beyond robotic "Fulfill the Will of the Old Ones....". It makes more interesting stories that way. I have no interest at all in LM zombies....oh wait I do (I worked on some today). The living Lizardmen should not be zombie like though otherwise one can't tell them apart.

Surely it would be a "high four"

Mahrlect! You just reminded me that the zombie Skink Standard Bearer I made partially with Goblin bits requires me to ampute a finger!

I imagine that saurus would roar at each other.

Bob: "we killed them - RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR"
John: "damn right - RAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRR"

That's the human equivalent of yelling "WOOOOOO!" or "Ohhhh YEAAAHH!!"

notice the original post referred to nonverbal gestures.

 

[PlasmaDavid]

I like to think they're not just %100 robot servants of the Old Ones, rather they're the primary and "darling" race of the Old Ones. So they've been created because the Old Ones wanted to make life for the sake of living, not just as tools. To that end I can see at least Skinks being fully fleshed out sentient beings in their own right, albeit ones that have only ever known servitude to their gods.

 

[Scalenex]

Surely it would be a "high four"

What about tail slaps? By turning their backs to each other and making contact they signify that they know they will watch each other's back? A literal gesture to show the figurative meaning.

 

[IronJaw]

I think the tail slap would be the easiest way.

It's like a passing whack in the back/shoulder.

I can see a Scar vet running down a battle line, his tale hitting all the Saurus' - King-Theoden style.

"Sheilds shall be broken!"

 

[Qupakoco]

^^ That's a neat image. But the Scar-Vet would have to run behind the line of Saurus, right?

I recall in the 5th edition book the Skinks get all excited when they see the dragon tattoo on the back of Marco Columbo. I think they started getting jittery and chirping and stuff.

But personally, I think Skinks do something with their crests. Like flip them up or change the color somehow. Saurus I can see doing a fist-bump.


Speaking of tails, anyone think that Skinks drop their tails when they get scared?

 

[spawning of Bob]

While I am at it, perhaps some variation on this.

 

[Silverbolt]

Bob, my eyes, they burn!

Why, oh why, Artist of the Old Ones, do you mislead us now?!

 

[Mr Phat]

Speaking of tails, anyone think that Skinks drop their tails when they get scared?

thats a whole lot of tails with the new LD5 !

...


well...

The Slann when he nails a Fiery Convocation on a 40+ horde:



The only surviving Temple Guard after a Slann miscasts:



The Scar-Vet when his Cold One Warriors look to him to aprove a Charge


Any lizardman when he passes a test because of cold-blood


Skinks in a razordon hunting pack when *any unit* is about to charge


Saurus warriors after a grind (probably without the smiles)


The skink-priest which Lord Kroak just used as medium for multiple nukes

 

[IronJaw]

I laughed at the Batman and Clint Eastwood ones.

 

[Axolotyl]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jXD9JJD3fVA

This 1 hour documentary covers a lot of lizard "talk" from crests and dewlaps, like in skinks, to mouth gaping, body posture, head bobbing and mouth gaping like in saurus.....

Also colour change in skink is a primary form of communication as dictated by previous books

 

[Caprasauridae]

A hearty kick in the groin could be plausible. Just because they can...

 

[VampTeddy]

I thought of it as being completely still and silent, until the moment of engagement, and then dying out completely again.

If everyone does their job flawlessly as intended by the Old Ones, there should be no need for praise.

All have a part.

I imagine it as a cold, disciplined wall of complete silence, perfect order, perfect harmony, moving in sync towards the enemy, until the moment the gap is closed at which i imagined a complete instinctive takeover until the end of a battle (and by battle i mean the end of feasting upon the enemy dead). I guess that is kinda a cool high four, feasting on whatever you killed

(i believe it said in 6th or 7th edition book somewhere saurus eat their slain foes)

 

[novatomato]

oh boy, that prince george (hugh laurie) gif certainly brought of a guffaw.

After having watched (multiple times) the Life in Cold Blood series I always imagined saurus and skinks acting in many of the mannerisms shown within that series.
Skinks I see as flashing their crests in quick little bursts of movement and colour when they undergo moments of high emotion. A quick bright colour in a longer burst says "I am not impressed right now!" while a couple of quick bursts would imply "I am quite interested in this thing that is happening right now!"
Saurus I imagine are a very physical group. Tail wrestling, headbutting, biting. all quite controlled and done to incur the minimum amount of harm but always enough to get the message across.
Kroxigor I have always imagined to be very much like a mother crocodile with her little ones. Supremely gentle and affectionate. Seeing as they hang around nearly all day with the smaller (and very delicate) skinks they kind of have to be.

So, congratulating a job well done is something I see as thus:
Skinks, flash their crests with a certain rapidity, and/or make waving gestures with their arms (like a golden tree frog if I remember the species correctly)
Saurus would be a much more physical, something like gripping and shaking the congratulatee with either a fist or a bite.
Kroxigor might nuzzle the object of congratulations.


Those are just my thoughts based on what existing reptiles do but I can certainly imagine a fist bump taking precedence.

 

[Axolotyl]

The Skink seems to based loosely on a familly of lizards called Anoles, which are a small, delicate colour changing lizard familly from America.

Anoles change colour to blend, or to be seen to challenge intruders as a last resort, however their body language carries the most meaning. On sighting another anole, the space holder bobs its head up and down fast, a female will copy this action, but a male will tilt his head up, to expose his lighter coloured throat and commence a big deep series of head bobs. This allows the space holder to see who's coming, whils reminding relatively hidden.
Two females will stop now, if its two males Te space holder will copy this action, announcing "I am a male and this is mine" an effective challenge. If this is repeated the space holder will stand on tip ones and head bob, to make himself look big and menacing, if this does not impress he oe a series of push-ups, lifting his tail and head to appear as big as possible, you don't want to fight me!
For real threat displays and wooing the ladies, anoles have a little flap of skin called a dewlap under their throat, its like a skinks crest. When erally angry or really charming he can extend it to show off colours from white to crimson, the deeper the colour and more patterns are in it is a. Clear signal to all other anole just how healthy, big and testosterone filled he is, it also weirdos out predators who are trying to eat a tiny brown lizard that flashes red!

Bigger, more dangerous reptiles, such as Gila monsters, beaded lizards and monitors wrestle to establish strength and dominance, but don use claw and teeth. Other species which include iguanas and monitors, will stan side by side and "measure" before delivering whips with the tail.

Another direct threat is gaping with the mouth, most lizard species have startling coloured mouths, from purple, yellow, green and blue! Imagine an 8 foot tall man lizard opening up and all you see is a yellow hole with teeth! This is often fouled with a swaying gained walk forwards, this allows the lizard to wave its hea to the side a little so it can see you better, to make sure your at the business end!

Crocodilians show a remarkable ability to cast resonated sound through water, their collapsible lungs draw in enough air and so that the croc emits a loud shuddering exhalation, this actually makes the water ripple and dance along its back! Not only is this impressive but the sound can carry up to half a mile!

Other lizards merely smell..... Yeah they stink so bad it leaves a trail! Hog nose snakes can actually produce a smell so bad it resembles rotting meat, and the snake plays dead to back that up! Grass snakes just smell so bad you don't want to be near them!
Others smell to attract mates or leave warnings for rivals, fine for reptiles, not so much for adventurers! Many reptiles posses a forked tongue that they flick in and out, the tongue collects air particles, and in turn scents on the left and right side of the tongue. When the tongue is pulled back in, its put i to a pocket in the roof of the animals mouth called a Jacobson's organ, which can "taste" the smells, if its mostly on the right side of the tongue the animal will turn so that the "taste" is even and it knows that the smell is straight ahead. This is handy if you want to find your mates, or lunch, or if you want to avoid that predator or rival!

My unwilling subject, Blue, not the deepening of the body and throat "look at me im big" and the gape with yellow mouth "I have teeth and i will bite you" he also was swaying, which is chameleon for "I own this branch mother trucker!"

 

[Scalenex]

Thanks Axolotyl.

I knew real lizards would be a wealth of inspiration. I hadn't considered the effect of lizard sexes. Skinks, Saurus, and Kroxigor are androgenous though they are usually referred to with masculine pronouns.

Head bobbing can work as a polite greeting I suppose. Gaping mouths would be a great challenge for Sauri as you mentioned. I chatted with a friend online and he suggest slapping the ground with one's tail as being kind of like a salute to attention. That kind of works as a militarization of tail whipping for challenges.