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Egg hatches into a blue-winged adult if bred between 6:00 EST and 17:59 EST. Egg hatches into a rosy-winged adult if bred between 18:00 EST and 5:59 EST.

All CBs hatch as rosy-winged adults.

Solstice Dragons, or Holiday 2013 Dragons, are the all-female Holiday dragon released during the Holidays of 2013. As a limited-release dragon, they are only capable of producing more Solstice eggs during a brief period when the Holidays are celebrated in December. They can still be bred to all year round, producing the male's breed of egg. Each scroll is limited to 2 cave-born dragons of this breed, like all other Holiday dragons.

Under the legacy breed sort, these dragons sort as "Christmas 2013 Dragon" on a user's scroll. As of August 14, 2016, they sort using their Encyclopedia name of "Holiday Dragon (2013)". Blue-winged variants will sort after their rosy-winged counterparts, including hatchlings that would have grown into blue-winged adults.

Official Dragon Description[]

Egg[]

This egg emits a soft, heartwarming glow.

Hatchling[]

Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It’s very festively colored.

Mature hatchling[]

Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It’s very festively colored.

And look! It has grown wings! It must be close to maturing.

Adult[]

Holiday dragons are a very mysterious breed. They are only seen during winter, and even then it is hard to catch a glimpse of one. They are responsible for the general cheer that spreads during the holidays. In essence, they are the “Spirits of Winter.”

Sprite artists[]

Sprites[]

Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
Rosy variant Solstice egg Solstice hatchling Solstice rosy mature hatchling Solstice rosy adult
Blue variant Solstice blue mature hatchling Solstice blue adult
Spriter's Alt
JaziandCo and Odeen's alternate Solstice SA hatchling Solstice SA mature hatchling Solstice SA adult

Egg sequence[]

Stage 0 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Dead
Solstice egg Solstice crack 1 Solstice crack 2 Solstice crack 3 Solstice crack 4 Solstice crack 5 Solstice dead egg

Retired sprites[]

Temporary event sprites
Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
April Fools' Day 2022
Rosy variant
Solstice rosy adult AF 2022
April Fools' Day 2022
Blue variant
Solstice blue adult AF 2022
April Fools' Day 2022
Spriters' alternates
Solstice SA adult AF 2022
Retired sprites
Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
Retired dead egg Solstice dead egg retired

Encyclopedia entry[]

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Appearance/Basic Anatomy

  • Their hides are soft, supple, and covered with tiny iridescent blue scales, and they give off surprising warmth in spite of their wintry appearance.
  • Their bellies are counter-shaded with the same pale frosty color that freckles their wings and spine like snowflakes.
  • Their whiskers help them sense wind currents and impending weather as they fly.
  • As a dragon matures, she grows a dense mane of white fur along the underside of her neck and chest as well as a brush at the end of her tail, and some of the scales along her back and wings will turn brilliant, glittering gold.
  • Seemingly all dragons are born with a crown of branching, antler-like golden horns which are never shed and grow very slowly throughout their lives.
  • Eggs laid at night, infused with the energy generated by the annual solstice flight, will hatch and mature into dragons with brilliantly-colored wings.

Hatchling Behavior

  • Hatchlings spend most of their days curled up in one place to hide from potential predators.
  • Hatchlings are surprisingly warm to the touch, but their body heat does not melt the snow where they hide.
  • Hatchlings will normally stay with their sorority long after they reach adulthood, only leaving when the urge to wander takes them.
  • The orb of light between an adult Solstice’s antlers will not ignite until her powers have matured enough to sustain it.

Adult Behavior

  • They prefer to live alone or in small, tightly knit sororities of 2‒5 individuals.
  • Solstice dragons communicate with melodic chirps and croons.
  • They can be elusive to the casual observer, especially out of season.
  • They have been known on occasion to follow strangers that have gotten lost in winter storms, shielding them from the wind and curling up with them to keep them warm until the storm subsides.
  • For one week a year around the winter solstice, when the nights are longest, dragons will take to the sky at sunset and not land until dawn.
  • When a Solstice dragon dies, the orb of light will come loose from her antlers and slowly disperse into the sky.

Habitat

  • Actively seek out areas with colder climates and open skies
  • Found most easily in high mountain basins
  • During winter months they will fly and mingle almost anywhere.
  • They are most active at night, regardless of season.

Diet

  • Most of their diet consists of berries, tubers, and stripped tree bark
  • Will also scavenge from other dragons’ kills in lean times
  • Some once believed they consumed only on moonlight and fresh fallen snow

Trivia[]

  • There were several ungendered stage 2 hatchling glitches during the initial release of this dragon (see gallery below). Since then, the glitch has been fixed and all affected hatchlings were replaced with female hatchlings.
  • In 2014, the blue-winged sprite was at first introduced as the new sprite for all bred Solstices (meaning only cave-born Solstices were intended to have the rosy-winged version). But since many users were disappointed to find that the colorful wing pattern was no longer available for bred dragons, TJ and Odeen arranged the time-based method of determining wing color.
  • On December 19, 2016, the Solstice mature hatchlings received a sprite update to include a new rosy-winged version. This was added in after an almost 2 year suggestion discussion thread via the DC Forums, as users struggled to be able to obtain the adult versions they wanted due to human error on part of time zone calculations and the abandoned page changing egg times.

Additional information[]

Solstice Dragon concept


Height: 1.5m (5ft) at the withers
Length: 5m (16.5ft)
Wingspan: 6.5m (21.3ft)
Weight: 500-550kg (~1100-1200lbs)
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Basic Anatomy: Solstice dragons' hides are soft, supple, and covered with tiny iridescent blue scales, and they give off surprising warmth in spite of their wintry appearance. Their bellies are counter-shaded with the same pale frosty color that freckles their wings and spine like snowflakes. Their whiskers help them sense wind currents and impending weather as they fly. As a Solstice dragon matures, she grows a dense mane of white fur along the underside of her neck and chest as well as a brush at the end of her tail, and some of the scales along her back and wings will turn brilliant, glittering gold. Seemingly all Solstice dragons are born with a crown of branching, antler-like golden horns which are never shed and grow very slowly throughout their lives. An orb of pure, warm light shining from the center of a Solstice dragon’s crown marks her transition into adulthood.
---
Behavior: Solstice dragons prefer to live alone or in small, tightly knit sororities of 2-5 individuals. They vocalize little, communicating mainly through a dragon’s innate telepathy and voicing their moods with soft crooning sounds, trills, and chuffs.

The orb of light burning between a Solstice dragon’s antlers has a calming effect upon any creature the light touches, and basking in its glow can lift one’s spirits even from the deepest depths of despair. These wise and affectionate creatures have been known on occasion to follow strangers that have gotten lost in winter storms, shielding them from the wind and curling up with them to keep them warm until the storm subsides.

For one week a year around the Winter Solstice, when the nights are longest, Solstice dragons will take to the sky at sunset and not land until dawn, their crowns shining like beacons in the darkness as they cavort among the stars. Many who look upon the spectacle find renewed hope, knowing that with the flight of the Solstice dragons the days will soon begin to lengthen and warmth and light will return to the world with the changing of the seasons.

When a Solstice dragon dies, the orb of light will come loose from her antlers and slowly disperse into the sky.
---
Habitat: Wild Solstice dragons actively seek out areas with colder climates and open skies and thus are found most easily in high mountain basins, but during winter months they will fly and mingle almost anywhere.
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Diet: Omnivorous. Most of their diet consists of berries, tubers, and stripped tree bark, but during lean times or when preparing to breed they will scavenge from other dragons’ kills or hunt live prey for the extra protein and fat that it provides.
Odeen (Forum Post)
  • Regarding the introduction of the Blue-winged variant:
The original Solstice Dragon had blue wings. That was how I envisioned the breed, and the sunrise wings were only added very late in the design process on a whim and originally intended only to appear on the spriter alts. Jaz and I decided to submit both the colored and blue versions to TJ to decide which of them he wanted to release because I liked both equally; he liked both, too, so we came up with a way for both to be used.

I want to make it clear that the blue is not a "stripped down" version of the CBs. It is what the Solstice dragon was meant to look like: a wintry blue sky with creeping frost, snowflurry markings, and a crown of warm light promising an end to the cold. The CB version is not a souped-up version of the blue, either. I like both equally, or I would not have offered both.
Odeen (Forum Post)
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