Aging on Vivarium is slightly altered, but only for the first few weeks of life. Our current system causes newborn pups to age twice as fast for the first IRL month of their life (1 day OOC = 2 days IC), this would make them 2 months IC after 1 month OOC. They will then remain 2 months old until reaching their actual 2 month mark OOC, they will then begin aging 1 day OOC = 1 day IC.
Below is a general chart for puppy development, this is to help our players understand their pup’s mental, emotional, physical, and verbal capabilities. It will also help show how the aging process works by breaking it down further.
Before you read any further, it’s important to note the different aging stages of the animals that call Mythris home. Puppies (or any young animals) will grow and develop quickly in the first few months. This means their age equivalent to human children will seem extremely rapid, but you’ll notice that it begins to slow down and plateau to a near standstill as they approach the age of one year. Wolves tend to have a long stretch of pre-teen and teenage months when compared to actual childhood.
Please note that while characters may come into Mythris at any age, those who are below 6 months will require a guaridan/caregiver to help support their development and survival. Players are able to choose a survival playstyle for their character below the age threshold, but may suffer IC consequences such as: illness, injury, and death should they be unable to find themselves a caregiver to support them. Please keep it realistic and have fun!
Appearance and changes:
Newborns are essentially fuzzy little opposites that cannot see, hear, or smell very well. All they know is the touch of their guardian and the taste of milk.
Average weight:
.5-1 pound / kg
Common milestones:
— Being born!
— Cry because they’re hungry
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Mute in the essence of actual speech, newborns may cry, whine, rumble, grunt, and make other natural sounds. These versions of communication are entirely driven by natural instinct and offer no real intelligence.
Appearance and changes:
Eyes and ears open, pups can now see very vague shapes in front of them and hear the muffled sounds of the world they live in. Their eye color is currently a blueish-gray. Milk teeth will grow in, allowing them to eat occasional, regurgitated meat.
Average weight:
3.5 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Milk teeth come in
— Try meat for the first time
— Eyes and ears open!
— Starting to babble
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
In addition to their usual grunts and sounds, pups will begin to learn how to make speech sounds! It’s still a bit too early for any words to form, but they’re getting the hang of babbling a bit.
Appearance and changes:
Slightly bigger and more capable of waddling around, pups can now see and ears open fully, allowing them to hear better than before. Their body is looking a little disproportionate with quickly growing paws and stumpy legs.
Average weight:
10 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— First trip outisde the den
— Baby's first word!
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to one year old humans, their speech is only developed enough to use small, simple words like mama and dada. They still primarily function on instinctual needs, but a healthy curiosity is budding and may lead to investigating new things.
Appearance and changes:
Their downy puppy fur is slowly being replaced by their adult hairs, making them appear less soft and floofy. They’ve begun to master the art of walking, as their legs have grown just enough to support this new, daily task of adventure.
Average weight:
13 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Regularly leaves the den with an adult
— Small, simple words are added to their vocabularly
— Weaning process begins
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to one and a half year old humans, having a vocabulary of around 20-60 words, primarily being things they encounter every day (den, sky, out, milk, eat, play).
Appearance and changes:
Walking has turned into running, balance is being improved every day as your puppy pushes their limits. While they roughhouse and explore, they’re still quite clumsy and may trip or tumble often. Their eye colors are no longer that foggy shade of blue and are beginning to reveal their adult shade!
Average weight:
15 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Pups begin to explore beyond the immediate den site
— Able to use small 2 word phrases to indicate needs or explain feelings
— Can eat small pieces of meat without regurgitation
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to two year old humans, their known vocabulary expands to around 50-300 words.They now use 2 word sentences to express their desires “go out” “mama play” “more food”. Larger words may not be possible to pronounce quite yet.
Appearance and changes:
Their coat is primarily longer, adult fur and they will heavily resemble their lifelong colorations and markings. Running, jumping, and climbing small structures is less challenging as their lanky legs and overgrown paws get put to good use.
Average weight:
40 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Can form sentences and ask questions, may still have trouble pronouncing words or using larger, complex words
— Welcome to the “What’s that?” “Why?” “How come?” stage
— On a primarily meat based diet
— Teething begins
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to 3-4 year old humans, their vocabulary will primarily consist of questions. They are escaping the easy life of instinct and general needs, their mind is now bursting with an insatiable curiosity. They will want to know the answers to everything, and will expect their guardians to explain it all. They will know around 250-500 words and speak in fuller sentences. Some sounds may still be hard to pronounce, such as th, sh, ch, r, s, l, y, z.
Appearance and changes:
Thicker fur, sturdier muscles, and new adult teeth! Your pup is looking less like a rat and more like a wolf each passing day. They’re also more proportional, with their torso’s starting to catch up to their giant feet and long legs.
Average weight:
50-70 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Observe hunting and other life skills from adults
— Milk teeth get replaced with adult teeth
— Form meaningful and more complex sentences
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to 5-7 year old humans, pups can hold more complex conversations and grasp the concept of survival lessons.
Appearance and changes:
Your pup now just looks like a mini version of a normal wolf! A sleek adult coat with more muscle mass accentuating their adult-like appearance, they’re almost in their pre-teen phase.
Average weight:
55-80 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Hunting lessons begin
— Able to have complex conversations with adults, but is still a child
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to an 8-9 year old human, you speak with adults with ease but your real world inexperience shows. However, you are grasping knowledge with ease as you prepare for your fast approaching adulthood. Things like hunting and patrolling are becoming a hands-on activity.
Appearance and changes:
Pups are almost indistinguishable from adults, they are only slightly smaller and lack the filling muscle mass. They are mostly able to keep up with adults but run out of stamina quicker.
Average weight:
60-95 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Pups begin to hunt alongside adults
— Can hunt smaller animals alone
— May speak with a manner of maturity but is still a child
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to an 11-12 year old human, adults may discuss more serious, less “kid friendly” topics with you as they introduce you to the harsh realities of the world. A prime time for pup’s to take up an apprenticeship, practicing things they wish to excel in. They will begin to shadow hunts and help when possible.
Pups no longer need a guardian to survive, though it is still highly recommended!
Appearance and changes:
Known as “the period of slow growth” you pup will no longer have life altering changes every month, at least not with their appearance! They will begin to grow taller and gain weight very subtly. Pups are now able to match adults in pace and almost have the same stamina levels as a mature wolf.
Average weight:
70-120 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Welcome to your angsty teenage phase
— Independence heavily develops
— Better understands real world discussions and can form logical opinions, but still young and inexperienced
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to a 13 -15 year old human, you feel like you are no longer a child (of course, you’re wrong). Wolves this age may challenge themselves, attempting to push past their limits and prove that they are mature and experienced enough to handle anything (wrong again). A strong sense of youthful independence may form.
Characters now count towards pack numbers and qualify as official members!
Appearance and changes:
The first step into real adulthood; as a yearling your character can match an older adult with ease. Capable of hunting, defending, and carrying your own weight, you can now integrate into a pack as an official member.
Average weight:
80-130 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Puberty
— Discovering sexuality
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to a 16 year old human, the mind and body are syncing in a way that has never happened before. New urges and curiosities regarding intimacy are beginning to surface. Puberty can be a confusing and scary time, resulting in some embarrassing scenarios that will haunt you for the rest of your life.
Characters can now conceive and have litters, but please read the [link for breeding info] guide for a better understanding of what this means
Appearance and changes:
Their growth has pretty much stopped, if anything they may only do a bit more filling out over the next few months. Their features have entirely lost their soft, puppy charm. Wolves are fully sexually mature and can now reproduce!
Average weight:
80-130 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— First heat
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to 18 human years old - welcome to “adulthood”, while they are technically classified as adults, the world is still new to them and they are rather inexperienced with most things. Emotional intelligence is still maturing, but you’re almost there! AFAB characters will likely have their first heat cycle and AMAB characters will experience the effects a heat can have on them.
Appearance and changes:
Wolves are entirely done growing at this point, and have reached official maturity.
Average weight:
90-140 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Face the world by yourself, good luck!
— File taxes
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Equivalent to 21 human years old - while they were an “adult” before, this is when emotional maturity truly develops. They are looking at the world with the fresh, mature, and semi-experienced eyes of adulthood.
Appearance and changes:
Wolves are entirely done growing at this point, and have reached official maturity. Their weight and build may fluctuate depending on their lifestyle or time of year.
Average weight:
90-140 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Find a partner
— Start a family
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Adults now have a speech pattern unique to them and contain their own personal mannerisms and quirks. You are officially your authentic self, living life in whatever way you want to. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Appearance and changes:
As age catches up to them, subtle changes will begin to become more apparent. Bright, vibrant eyes may look dull, fur will grow a bit more coarse, and muscle mass will start to disappear with your lack of youthful vigor, making you appear skinnier.
Average weight:
70-120 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Become grandparents
— Retire from ranks in packs
— Tell the youth "Back in my day" stories they don't wnt to hear
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
Congratulations, you’ve now acquired Grandma/pa Energy™️. You are officially an elder, full of lifelong knowledge and experiences. As an older individual, you may offer profound advice and guidance to those who need it. You also suddenly call everyone that is at least two years younger than you a “youngin”.
Appearance and changes:
Many at this age will be skinny, frail, and/or suffering from some type of ailment. Painful joints and weak bones may affect you, or you may lose your sight and/or hearing. I won’t lie, it’ll get rough. Your body is shutting down, preparing for a nap beneath the earth
Average weight:
60-100 pounds / kg
Common milestones:
— Arthritis
— Tooth decay
— Befriend the grim reaper
Speech, intelligence, and behavior:
You’ve lived a full, potentially happy life, and now you’re ready to rest. Your energy just isn’t what it used to be, causing you to nap more often. With your age perhaps you’ve lost your filter, speaking in an unhinged, candid manner to those that interact with you. Nothing says world's best great great great grandma quite like yelling at little Susie about your dinner being too tough to chew.