@Bad Society and culture are not the same as civilization. Civilization means settlements, economy, and social interaction outside of the family group. Given that the Great Dragon Migration only happens every fifty years, you can't assume that dragons being together is normal, either, since we saw them in special circumstances.

I'm not saying that there couldn't be a dragon civilization, but saying that there definitely is is a baseless assumption given the facts.

edited 21st Dec '12 1:38:34 PM by PerpetualLurker

@ Lurker: I think it's more of a baseless assumption that they don't have one than they do.

Given what conclusive evidence? Given you're trying to prove something exists that hasn't been shown to thus far, the burder of proof lies with you.

Based on the entirety of the episode Dragon Quest.

A migration that is stated to be a rare occurrence and thus an exception to typical dragon behavior is not a conclusive indicator of anything.

It was a different time then.

Tee hee.

Have you ever wondered how RD got her awesome sunglasses and how Fluttershy got Angel? Well, here's your awnser.

http://foxy-noxy.deviantart.com/art/Pegagifts-343948563

A migration that shows that dragons can interact perfectly well from day one of it. A migration that can't possibly be just about breeding because young dragons are there as well. A migration that shows that dragons communally watch over their young.

That "outlier" was a dragon getting pissed off that someone had shown up and started eating his hoard.

Also, they probably wouldn't give entirely into their greed because, as shown with Spike, it makes them stupid and single minded. Extreme power is nothing if it can't be properly wielded. So the dragons probably just push their power as far as they can without losing themselves. Those that overextend are probably dead.

@Bad None of that matters when they only get together twice a century. Also, remember that the supposed "outliers" we've seen elsewhere also participated in the migration and got along just fine, suggesting that they're not abnormal for dragons after all. Again, everything is inconclusive, so I err on the side of "it's not canon until the show shows it".

edited 21st Dec '12 1:57:18 PM by PerpetualLurker

@mars: Happy Hearth's Warming, Fluttershy! I got you an abusive boyfriend!

Wait...

@ Lurker: Then we're just going to have to agree to disagree because to me the show has already shown it.

@ Kuroi: A different reaction to Dragonshy's dragon.

edited 21st Dec '12 1:58:16 PM by Badwolfwho

a comment on this image hints at the greatest sitcom ever

You know, I would watch a show about Cadance and Shining Armor’s married life with Chrysalis crashing on their couch

"Need some triage?"

@Perpetual: The fact that they all do the migration to a specific place at a specific time implies that it's a planned thing. Add into it that the teenagers apparently knew each other beforehand I don't think it's a baseless assumption that they have some form of interaction outside of migration, even if it's quite scant. A society characterized by only interacting very rarely is still a society. Also, given that dragon naps can last a century, I doubt that having a migration "only" every fifty years seems like that long to them.

Also, I should note that an upcoming episode involves The Dragon Code as a plot point. The fact that it exists at all shows that they have some kind of society.

@Blissey: Why is that sitcom not already on television?

edited 21st Dec '12 2:01:38 PM by JapaneseTeeth

Again, I'm not arguing against society. I'm arguing against civilization. There's a difference. And I could easily be proven wrong later, and that would be fine. I'm just talking about what we know for a fact, without a doubt.

edited 21st Dec '12 2:02:30 PM by PerpetualLurker

"Civilization" is an extremely vague term, so unless we actually define it, we aren't going to get anywhere.

That said, I'm basically in the camp of "Our sample size is too small to draw any definitive conclusions for or against civilization". It literally consists of half a dozen characters, all of whom appeared very briefly and in a non-standard context.

Oh, I could wade in here, but I fear that we'd get bogged down.

@JT Which is what I've been saying the whole time. There's no evidence to say there is one, so we have to assume there isn't until proven otherwise. This is when talking about what is strictly canon, though. People can have whatever headcanon they want.

edited 21st Dec '12 2:10:20 PM by PerpetualLurker

I figure the dragons live alone except when they want to mate or fight each other for territory, like most solitary predators in reality. They don't build homes because they don't need them. They're scales are immune to lava, that means they've got little to fear from the weather. They probably just find a nice cave to use or dig one out themselves.

They've got a language, oral traditions, and some manner of cultural rules they tend to follow, but other than that they basically do what they want and leave each other alone.

Whether you consider that sort of life civilization or not is up to you.

Hilarious in hindsight.

@Syd Especially considering the other topic of discussion was how pony weddings would work.

Bad: But as Teeth pointed out, the sample size is too small. And aside from that, Spike was stealing and eating his stuff. I can't think of many people who would be okay with that and I can see this especially pissing off a species known for hoarding. In fact, the Dragonshy one had a similar reaction when Rarity tried to sneak off with some of his stuff.

I'm laughing at that.

@Perpetual: I agree to the point that we can't argue for or against its existence. I do think there are hints that there's a large infrastructure to dragon culture, but how far it extends and whether it qualifies as "civilization" is totally up for interpretation.