An idea that came to me just now:

The vast, VAST majority of the userbase does not use mane markings. They're generally considered a nuisance when trying the RMA (trust me, I know) and consequently, there are next to no mane marking specific applicators. Hell, mane markings don't even factor into a conversation about buying and selling lions-- that's how unpopular they are.

But, what if there we Combination manes that interacted with markings?

Basically, the idea is that the lion would have a Base mane color. However, they would also have a secondary mane color. This secondary mane color would show up in the place of mane markings should they be present on a lion.

For Example

Mane Color: Fulvous ( Flaxen )

In this case, the base mane would be Fulvous and the Secondary Mane would be Flaxen. Mane marks would show up as (for example) Flaxen Back Hair, Flaxen Crest, Flaxen Cowl, ect.

This suggestion would necessitate the creation of a Mane Marks specific column in the Lion's Appearance Page. In order to disturb the format as little as possible, I propose this be a switchable column where you can view the Markings or Mane Markings, rather than having 3 visible columns.


⭐ Mane Markings default to up to 5 slots.
⭐ Lions that do not have mane markings cannot pass them. In order for second generation lions with BO mane markings to occur, a lion would have to have them applied via the Marking Applicator in Oasis. All mane markings that pass successfully from a parent to a cub will switch to a non applicable color after a successful trigger.

EG 1:
Father has Copal Cowl (m-s1), Scoria Back Hair(m-s2); has Elysian Mane
Mother has Chocolate Half(m-s3); has Cloudburst Mane
Heterochromia Successfully Triggers (5% Chance)
Cub has Elysian Cowl (m-s1), Elysian Back Hair (m-s2), Elysian Half (m-s3); Has Cloudburst Mane Base. Cub is a g1 Het-mane

⭐ There will be a relatively cheap year round MB item in order to remove unwanted secondary mane colors. Individual unwanted markings will be removed with the Oasis Marking Remover. This item will completely erase all mane markings.
⭐ Like Sectoral Eyes, Secondary Mane colors are breed only. Lion Pairings will be able to roll with the mother's mane as the only color, the father's mane as the only color, and a 5% chance they develop heterochromia of the hair. From there, there's a 50% chance the one mane color will be the base mane and the other mane color will be the secondary mane. The reason the trigger chance is so low is to have a minimal chance of disrupting ongoing breeding projects. This chance is similar the Albino spawn chance (Albinos can spawn in any breeding).
⭐Heterochromatic maned lions have a 10% chance to also create heterochromatic-maned cubs. If the heterochromia does not trigger, then the cubs have a 40 (Father's base mane) / 40 (Mother's Base Mane) / 20 ( Father's secondary mane) chance to inherit mane colors.
⭐Heterochromatic maned lions can be bred together, in which case the trigger chance is 20%. The bases roll thusly. 35 ( Father's base [EG: Prune] ) / 15% (Father's secondary [EG: Noctis]) / 35 ( Mother's base [EG: Ebony] ) / 15% (Mother's secondary [EG: Pearl]). It is possible for a 4 cub litter to each end up with a different mane color!