MontyLovering
SOC-3
Vargr view humans as sex obsessed monkeys.
Vargr females come into oestrous once a year. Outside of this period they have no interest in what might be termed recreational sex.
From a human point of view they make up for this in one week each year they are in oestrous.
During this week they are totally preoccupied by sex (although many elect to use contraception to avoid the consequences of it). This is not something they have no control of, they can continue with whatever duties they have as is necessary. But if able, Vargr females will quite unapologetically take the week of work when in oestrous - there is no shame in Vargr society about responding to natural and healthy urges. If they are in pair bond, their partner will normally take the week off too. For those free of entanglements, anywhere with a large enough Vargr population will have clubs designed to give female Vargr ample opportunity to enjoy themselves. In many such clubs the take on the door for charging male Vargr entry and from behind the bar is split between the females in oestrou, the owner and staff on a 5:2:1 share ratio - exactly the same split as practiced by Corsairs. This is regarded as totally natural by Vargr. For unattached female Vargr working on starships, if the crew are predominantly Vargr and the ship is in Jump space it's often regarded as a fortunate coincidence.
Vargr males can have sex at anytime of the year, but are not interested in recreational sex as only a Vargr female in season attracts their interest. Of course they are quite aware of this, enjoy sex, and will seek receptive females out.
This might make it sound like Vargr are strangely sexless outside of oestrous to humans but they are not, at least in human terms.
Vargr frequently display what a human would see as sexual behaviour towards each other (with little regard for the gender of the parties involved), as part of their struggle for power and charisma within their pack. This non-reproductive social pseduo-sexual behaviour can run the gamut from flirtation all the way through mounting, but not necessarily with penetration. They also display this behaviour in far more situations than humans tend to display sexualised behaviour in public as it’s not seen as sexual behaviour or shameful per se. by Vargr. Of course humans tend to feel rather uncomfortable is a Vargr asserts their dominance over a unruly member of their pack by dry humping them in a bar in Startown, but to Vargr it is normal behaviour and not something they avoid around other species. In fact overt sexual behaviour in Vargr only displays what humans might call shame or covert behaviour if it is between subordinate pack members who have been told to refrain for such activity by the dominant/s of the pack. The fact pack leaders exert this level of control is shocking to humans, but is seen as natural by Vargr - just as trying to get around such prohibitions is seen as natural.
Despite male Vargr being marginally larger than females, there was never any differentiation between what roles were open because of gender. The idea of gender roles is just odd to Vargr. Even in packs with a dominant pair of different sexes, the female is just as likely to be the most dominant of the pair as the male. The only difference are reproductive ones.
TL 0-4 Vargr the size of 'reproductive focus' packs will vary according to the abundance of food and resources. If there is a lack of resources, etc., then packs with a single dominant breeding pair will be common - other members of the pack will be discouraged from breeding, albeit not always successfully. If resources are abundant, then there may be several breeding pairs (the dominant breeding pair and subordinate breeding pairs) as well as subordinate females who breed without a bonded male, and subordinate non-breeders.
At these Tech Level, 'non-reproductive focus' packs built around a common form of employment are rare outside of military roles. Instead some packs with breeding pairs may be focused on a particular skill or industry, for example, construction, manufacturing, etc..
In TL 5-7 societies, many Vargr pack shrink to that of what humans would call extend families. These 'reproductive focus' packs have a dominant breeding pair and subordinate non-breeders who are the offspring of the dominant breeding pair. These subordinates tend to leave after they become mature to form their own pack with a single dominant breeding pair, or a 'non-reproductive focus' pack that is typically built around a common form of employment.
It is at these tech levels that Vargr begin to have simultaneous membership of more than one pack. They might be one of the dominant breeding pair in their family pack, a subordinate in a 'non-reproductive focus' company pack and a dominant in a 'non-reproductive focus' pack devoted to a leisure activity.
Above TL 8 technology allows breeding pairs with cubs to spend less time working and more time with the cubs. Larger reproductive focus' packs become common again, with a dominant breeding pair and multiple subordinate breeding pairs, subordinate breeding females without a bonded male and subordinate non-breeders.
In these packs cubs will always know who their mother is and spend significant time with her and her partner, but depending on their mother’s employment may spend much time with aunts or uncles who act as cubsitters.
'Non-reproductive focus' packs built around a common form of employment or leisure activity are also very common, as is membership of multiple packs.
In all these pack structures it is possible for a pack to have a dominant pair of the same gender; if this happens in a 'reproductive focus' pack it might be that other pairs breed, or that one or both of the dominant pair breed with subordinate females or males. It is also quite common for a pack to have a dominant male or female who is not in a pair bond as a pack leader.
Note that packs are pivotal to Vargr society. Vargr do not feel comfortable alone; they are extremely social. The idea of a young Vargr leaving their parental pack to go live in the big city in an apartment by themselves is horrifying. An employee is not just some random person but a member of the employers pack.
The Vargr pair bond is also worthy of note. Vargr do not have to be in a pair bond to live contented lives if they are in a well-led pack. Nor does a pair having cubs make them a bonded pair. But once Vargr have paid bonded, these endure far longer than in humans. This applies to both mixed gender and same gender pair bonds.
Gyles Hawkins 2025
Vargr females come into oestrous once a year. Outside of this period they have no interest in what might be termed recreational sex.
From a human point of view they make up for this in one week each year they are in oestrous.
During this week they are totally preoccupied by sex (although many elect to use contraception to avoid the consequences of it). This is not something they have no control of, they can continue with whatever duties they have as is necessary. But if able, Vargr females will quite unapologetically take the week of work when in oestrous - there is no shame in Vargr society about responding to natural and healthy urges. If they are in pair bond, their partner will normally take the week off too. For those free of entanglements, anywhere with a large enough Vargr population will have clubs designed to give female Vargr ample opportunity to enjoy themselves. In many such clubs the take on the door for charging male Vargr entry and from behind the bar is split between the females in oestrou, the owner and staff on a 5:2:1 share ratio - exactly the same split as practiced by Corsairs. This is regarded as totally natural by Vargr. For unattached female Vargr working on starships, if the crew are predominantly Vargr and the ship is in Jump space it's often regarded as a fortunate coincidence.
Vargr males can have sex at anytime of the year, but are not interested in recreational sex as only a Vargr female in season attracts their interest. Of course they are quite aware of this, enjoy sex, and will seek receptive females out.
This might make it sound like Vargr are strangely sexless outside of oestrous to humans but they are not, at least in human terms.
Vargr frequently display what a human would see as sexual behaviour towards each other (with little regard for the gender of the parties involved), as part of their struggle for power and charisma within their pack. This non-reproductive social pseduo-sexual behaviour can run the gamut from flirtation all the way through mounting, but not necessarily with penetration. They also display this behaviour in far more situations than humans tend to display sexualised behaviour in public as it’s not seen as sexual behaviour or shameful per se. by Vargr. Of course humans tend to feel rather uncomfortable is a Vargr asserts their dominance over a unruly member of their pack by dry humping them in a bar in Startown, but to Vargr it is normal behaviour and not something they avoid around other species. In fact overt sexual behaviour in Vargr only displays what humans might call shame or covert behaviour if it is between subordinate pack members who have been told to refrain for such activity by the dominant/s of the pack. The fact pack leaders exert this level of control is shocking to humans, but is seen as natural by Vargr - just as trying to get around such prohibitions is seen as natural.
Despite male Vargr being marginally larger than females, there was never any differentiation between what roles were open because of gender. The idea of gender roles is just odd to Vargr. Even in packs with a dominant pair of different sexes, the female is just as likely to be the most dominant of the pair as the male. The only difference are reproductive ones.
TL 0-4 Vargr the size of 'reproductive focus' packs will vary according to the abundance of food and resources. If there is a lack of resources, etc., then packs with a single dominant breeding pair will be common - other members of the pack will be discouraged from breeding, albeit not always successfully. If resources are abundant, then there may be several breeding pairs (the dominant breeding pair and subordinate breeding pairs) as well as subordinate females who breed without a bonded male, and subordinate non-breeders.
At these Tech Level, 'non-reproductive focus' packs built around a common form of employment are rare outside of military roles. Instead some packs with breeding pairs may be focused on a particular skill or industry, for example, construction, manufacturing, etc..
In TL 5-7 societies, many Vargr pack shrink to that of what humans would call extend families. These 'reproductive focus' packs have a dominant breeding pair and subordinate non-breeders who are the offspring of the dominant breeding pair. These subordinates tend to leave after they become mature to form their own pack with a single dominant breeding pair, or a 'non-reproductive focus' pack that is typically built around a common form of employment.
It is at these tech levels that Vargr begin to have simultaneous membership of more than one pack. They might be one of the dominant breeding pair in their family pack, a subordinate in a 'non-reproductive focus' company pack and a dominant in a 'non-reproductive focus' pack devoted to a leisure activity.
Above TL 8 technology allows breeding pairs with cubs to spend less time working and more time with the cubs. Larger reproductive focus' packs become common again, with a dominant breeding pair and multiple subordinate breeding pairs, subordinate breeding females without a bonded male and subordinate non-breeders.
In these packs cubs will always know who their mother is and spend significant time with her and her partner, but depending on their mother’s employment may spend much time with aunts or uncles who act as cubsitters.
'Non-reproductive focus' packs built around a common form of employment or leisure activity are also very common, as is membership of multiple packs.
In all these pack structures it is possible for a pack to have a dominant pair of the same gender; if this happens in a 'reproductive focus' pack it might be that other pairs breed, or that one or both of the dominant pair breed with subordinate females or males. It is also quite common for a pack to have a dominant male or female who is not in a pair bond as a pack leader.
Note that packs are pivotal to Vargr society. Vargr do not feel comfortable alone; they are extremely social. The idea of a young Vargr leaving their parental pack to go live in the big city in an apartment by themselves is horrifying. An employee is not just some random person but a member of the employers pack.
The Vargr pair bond is also worthy of note. Vargr do not have to be in a pair bond to live contented lives if they are in a well-led pack. Nor does a pair having cubs make them a bonded pair. But once Vargr have paid bonded, these endure far longer than in humans. This applies to both mixed gender and same gender pair bonds.
Gyles Hawkins 2025
