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#trying to practice colors and patterns for my dragons
carnivalcarrion · 2 years
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fancy cantaloupe dragon
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flowerandblood · 11 months
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A Winter Beauty (13)
[Aemond Targaryen x fem!Stark reader]
[warnings: smut, sex content, fluff]
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[description: Aemond and his family arrive at Winterfell for Rickon Stark's Name Day. There, Aemond meets his daughter, who arouses his desire. I changed some names and facts for the sake of the plot. Viserys is also slightly younger in this version.]
* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *
Previous and next parts: Masterlist
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Aemond sat with a book in his lap by the fireplace, wearing nothing but a nightgown and trousers. He stared thoughtfully at his young wife, who sat on the floor at his feet, embroidering her gown.
He admired the dexterity of her small hands, her patience and meticulousness. When she made a mistake, she ripped off part of the embroidery and started over, undaunted. She didn't speak to him while he read, allowing him to concentrate entirely.
He had to admit that apart from the moments in bed when she drove him mad with her siren song, giving him reason to think that she had indeed cast a spell on him, her character was gentle, cheerful and easygoing.
She respected his schedule and way of life, the many hours of training he practiced every day instead of spending time with her. He was glad that she understood his nature and didn't try to change him by force.
He was glad that she spent a lot of time with Helaena. He knew that she was a great comfort and support to his sister. He also guessed that she was helping his sister understand and prepare for what would happen to her on her wedding night. Aemond decided not to intrude on the subject, leaving it to the women.
He knew that his and Lady Stark's first time didn't look the way it should, being downright blasphemous. Nevertheless, he accepted that he had no regrets, that as far as the physicality between them was concerned, they were a living fire, worthy of a Targaryen and his consort.
He recalled with amusement Aegon's words on one of their stops to Winterfell, that Northern women were cool, aloof and dry between the thighs, compared to Southern women, without expression or sensuality whatsoever.
His wife was the definition of warmth, closeness, passion and impiety that drove him crazy. Her thighs always parted before him in anticipation, with desire on her face, her juices pouring from her like from a torn ripe fruit.
He felt a shiver run through him at the thought. Involuntarily, his hand reached for her beautiful black hair and stroked it. Y/N looked at him with a smile, surprised. Tomorrow was the wedding of Prince Aegon and Princess Helaena in the Great Sept.
"Since issi gaomā, ñuha dōna ābrazȳrys? (What are you doing, my sweet wife?)" He asked, his fingers playing with her curls. She flinched at the feeling. He knew she loved it when he stroked her head and hair.
She often asked him to do it, when they lay naked in each other's arms, it made her fall asleep almost instantly. He liked to show her his warm affection and devotion in this way, the tenderness he felt when he looked at her. Lady Stark smiled to herself, looking at the dress lying on her thighs.
It had a blue-violet tint that changed with the light. Lady Stark embroidered flowers in lilac color and twisting, intertwining green leaves, contrasting with the fabric itself. Aemond thought it looked beautiful and wondered when she would wear it.
“This is the dress I want to wear to the wedding tomorrow. But I have to hurry because I still have some work to do. The pattern is more complicated than I originally assumed.” She answered him without taking her hands off her work, passing the thread through the fabric and shoving it back into it.
Aemond stared at her, hypnotized. The thought that she already understood most of him when he spoke to her in Old Valyrian gave him great satisfaction.
He couldn't forget what she had done to him a few nights earlier. From then on, she sometimes called him her dragon, which embarrassed and turned him on at the same time. He knew that she had actually tamed him and his complex nature, that she could do with him whatever she wanted.
He noticed that she wasn't taking advantage of her new position, she could now call herself a princess, but she didn't. She confirmed in his eyes that she had not married him for her status or the status of her family. She married him because she wanted to.
He fell asleep on the couch sitting up, his book in his hands, waiting for her to finish her work. Lady Stark, however, had to embroider late into the night. She looked at him tenderly, seeing that he did not want to go to bed alone.
She tried to finish what she had to do as soon as possible so that he would not be in such an uncomfortable position. When she succeeded, she got up, walked over to him and touched his cheek gently. Aemond shuddered and looked at her with misty eyes.
"Māzigon naejot ēdrugon, ñuha valzȳrys. (Come to sleep, my husband.)" She said softly, smiling warmly. Her husband only grunted and sighed, getting up and letting her lead him to the bed. He lay down behind her and was immediately hit by her scent, the same as always, a mixture of lavender, flowers and herbs.
He felt his cock respond immediately, pressing against her impatiently, half asleep, with one eye closed. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and began kissing her neck. His hand slid slowly between her thighs, and Lady Stark drew in a breath.
"It's late, my husband." She whispered, feeling his fingers at her entrance, slowly massaging her clit, his other hand squeezing lightly against her soft breast. She could feel his cock pulsing rhythmically behind her, and she smiled at the thought that the mere closeness of her body made him unable to control himself even in his sleep.
He only grunted, spreading her slowly leaking wetness on her entrance. She already knew he wouldn't let her sleep until he was fulfilled with her.
Obediently, she parted her thighs slightly, and he made a low sound of contentment. He pulled up her nightgown, wondering at what right she was hiding even a scrap of her body from him. He didn't think about it for long, he guided the tip of his cock into her wet entrance and they both moaned as he slid inside her.
"Gaomas of zira ōdrikagon? (Does it hurt?)” He asked in a low, hoarse voice, his mouth adoringly kissing her bare shoulders, his source of desire and passion from the first day he saw her. They both started breathing faster.
"Daor, ñuha valzȳrys. (No, my husband)" She said, parting her lips slightly as she felt him immediately enter her deeply, to the end, they both let out a loud sigh of pleasure.
He held her thigh up, kissing her neck, his cock disappearing in and out of her at a slow, exciting pace, filling her to the brim, both throbbing with sensation.
His hand slid under her nightgown, squeezing her breast, teasing her nipple with his thumb, which instantly went hard. He knew she loved it when he did that, he knew how to light a fire in her and he used it.
When he felt her literally leaking, and her hips began to respond to his thrusts, sweet, soft moans escaped her lips, he decided he could speed up.
He began to thrust into her hard and fast, his body hitting hers with a wet sound, his hand from her breasts going down to her clit, massaging her gently and steadily, in contrast to his thrusts inside her, brutal and wild. He knew she loved the combination, that it drove her crazy.
"Oh, Aemond, yes, yes, yes" She moaned, impaling on his cock, bracing her hand on the armrest above her head, coming out to meet him with each thrust. He was thrusting roughly into her, until the end, throbbing harder and harder, her hot, tight cunt clutched him greedily.
They both moaned loudly, panting as he came hard inside her, her orgasm literally squeezed his semen out of him. They moved a little longer, his nose following her cheek, his lips pressing tender kisses on it, causing her to sigh in delight. She looked at him, beads of sweat running down her face. They kissed tenderly.
"Ivestagī nyke umbagon iemnȳ ao, dōna ābrazȳrys. (Let me stay inside you, sweet wife.)" He said softly and she blushed at the request. Once she shared her new knowledge with him, they both realized that for the next few days, until her moonbleed, the chances of her becoming pregnant were small.
Her husband had come inside her every night since then, and afterward he begged her to stay like that for a while. He ended up falling asleep inside her, holding her tightly. This time she couldn't refuse him either.
***
From the morning, the whole Red Keep was put to attention, everyone was tossing about in preparations. Lady Stark and Aemond left to meet her parents and brother, who had arrived at Kings Landing at dawn.
Y/N threw herself into Cregan's arms as soon as he dismounted. He grabbed her and spun her over several times as if she weighed nothing. He took her face in his hands, as if to check if she was okay, if she had lost weight or turned pale. All he could see on her face was a lively joy, her eyes burning.
"Does your betrothed treat you well, my sister?" He asked, amused and happy to see her, and she shuddered, remembering that she couldn't accidentally make the mistake of calling Aemond her husband.
Neither her brother nor her parents knew anything, and from what Aemond had told her, the king had no intention of making them fully aware of what had happened.
"Yes, my brother. I'm afraid I've fallen in love." She said softly, raising her eyebrows as if loving a future spouse was something strange and abnormal. Her brother laughed and kissed her hair tenderly.
Lady Stark then greeted her father and mother. Her mother hugged her tightly, amazed that although she had always been in control and never shown any violent emotions, she was now close to tears. She realized that both her parents missed her very much.
"I'm so glad you'll be back at Winterfell for a few more months." She said and Y/N swallowed softly, trying to smile. She and Aemond gave each other a furtive glance.
She knew Aemond wanted her to stay in King's Landing until their wedding, and he had persuaded his father to do so. Without seeing or touching her for four months, he would have completely lost his mind.
They walked together to the entrance to the castle, Y/N led them to their chambers so they could change and rest. There were still a few hours until the wedding, Lady Stark knew that she too had to change and prepare. She looked at Aemond and squeezed his hand as they stood alone in the corridor.
"I'll see you later, ñuha valzȳrys."
***
Even though they were married, officially they were still engaged, which meant that Lady Stark wasn't going to the wedding ceremony with him, but with her parents.
He was frustrated by this, used to her constant presence. He rode the carriage with his mother and father, Helaena and Aegon rode separately. Crowds cheered in the streets, colorful ribbons hung everywhere. Aemond, however, felt no joy at the thought of what awaited his sister that night.
He knew how he felt when Aegon took him to the brothel. Horror, shame and discomfort as a much older woman rode him, moaning loudly, forcing him to touch her breasts. He wasn't surprised now that he couldn't come then.
Add to that the pain a woman can feel when a man takes her against her will, it must have been a tragic experience, and he couldn't help her. He looked at his mother. He could see her staring thoughtfully out the window, and he was sure she was thinking exactly the same as he was.
They reached the Great Sept and stepped out of the carriage, the crowds greeted the king and queen with cheers. They moved quickly inside, their knights forming a safe corridor separating them from their subjects.
All the lords bowed before the king and queen. Aemond was relieved to see his wife. She looked like a goddess in her beautiful, shining dress. He shivered at the sight of her bare arms.
Her hair was loose, two long strands framing either side of her pale face and falling over her breasts. Her head was decorated with a silver, delicate crown of intertwined leaves and flowers, touching in the middle of her forehead. Chains with blue beads dangled delicately from either side of the crown, fastened at the back of her head.
She looked up at him, and only now could Aemond see her eyes turn sapphire through the colors of her dress. He swallowed silently, thinking that she had done it intentionally, just to please him.
He walked over to her and kissed her hand tenderly. He felt the frustration in his pants at the thought that this was the only kind of touch he could afford right now.
"My Lady." He said low, his eye dark and lustful. His wife smiled slightly, she could easily tell when he wanted her. In a way, she felt sorry for him that he would have to look at her like this for the next several hours without being able to touch her. His excitement, as usual, flattered her immensely.
Aemond stood beside her, his hands clasped behind him. Although he usually dressed all in black or with delicate emerald accents, today he was dressed in Targaryen colors. His robe was ruby black, and he wore an ornate belt with a dragon's head on it. Lady Stark thought she would tell him later, when he took her to bed, how much red color suited him.
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If you want to be tagged in the next parts, let me know. ~
@zenka69 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @namoreno @dreamlandcreations @darkenchantress @moira-strangle-me-please @yentroucnagol @cloudroomblog @thehumanistsdiary @a-beaverhausen @avadakadabra93
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dballzposting · 2 months
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OK so long story short the other day I was abusing the computers at my job to look up dragon ball characters and I came across THIS IMAGE of GOTEN that I found out was from DRAGON BALL AF which is a fan-made thing and idk . Dont worry about the details.
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I thought it was soooo cool like put my chin in my hands and sigh lovingly. But also it was more of a rant-and-rave kind of adoration. Becasue I couodt beleieve how cool it was. Becasue here is why
Im super bad at deisgns or redesigns and sometimes I have epic ideas but if I don't then I don't. I think it would be stellar if we had a design for Goten & Trunks when they're older than GT and running the sword dojo. And I've tried to cook some up. But it vexes me for two reasons. First of all Dragon Ball deisgns when colored are gaudy and stupid looking. But also sometimes they use neutral colors. And they're eccentric and unique. And I try to mix all of these factors and the result Does Not Work. Becasue despite the plentiful love that I have for colors, I Do Not Understand Color Theory. Definitely not enough to push it to its limits like dragon ball does. My second problem is the actual clothes themselves. There is something wrong with me that makes it so that i eschew research like my life depends on it. I'm sure it's totally possible to gather a minimal understanding of what sorts of clothing / eras / disciplines certain dragon ball styles are based on, and to cross-reference that with what is actually depicted in dragonball, and come up with an outfit that gels. But I cannot do that. So yeah
This outfit featured here is so familiar yet unique enough to turn my head a bit. For an example. The yellow above his shoes. What is that. Don't answer that. I'm in love either way
THEY JUST ... PICKED TWO COLORS? That's it? THAT'S ALLOWED ????? Just TWO COLORS and only ONE of them isn't a dead-tone-neutral-non-color. Well I guess it's four colors, and still, only one (yellow) isn't a non-color (grey and white and black). I'M SO IMPRESSED !?!??!?!!??
The only idea that I had for post-GT Goten was FOR SOME REASON the visual flair of something long and sharply flowing off of him. Like a scarf, or a long sash, or a Dr Drakken style rattail. But I can't do all three. Becasue that's too much. But I like all three. So IDK what to do.
YEAH THEY WENT ON AHEAD AND GAVE HIM THIS SASH ON HIS HEAD. Sure. Go on ahead. Throw it on there. Looks good. Good contrast against his black hair. Makes it to you can draw his eyebrows over it and so he can emote clearly. SO GENIUS. So simple. I'm gobsmacked
HE'S COLORED LIKE A BUMBLE BEE ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!
My conclusion is that this is the best non-canon design of adult Goten that has ever been and we should all adopt it immediately from Dragon Ball AF. I am so stunned and impressed by the fact that he is wearing just grey and yellow. I have tried to break down all of Goten's canon outfits to find a pattern in the color schemes but I could not find one. But I can tell when it works for him or not and I don't understand how or why. I have at various points tried to design new outfits for him. I have experimented with yellow, teal, pink... Never really red because red only appears on two of his outfits in a minor way. More astutely because red is not really Him (like it is for Bura or Videl).
Definitely the most promising color I've found for him is Yellow. It's a sunshine-soulchild color. But I still haven't figured out how to practically incorporate it. For example, is it a predominate color or one of several? I've seen dragon ball outfits go either way. I definitely prefer the former becasue that's how I'm used to seeing it in my silly little western cartoons - every character has a color, don't they? And that's Their color. But this is dragon ball.
If you pull a warm yellow or pair it with orange, you are reminded of kid Goten and his orange gi. If you keep it colder or pair it with green, you get something reminding you of his EOZ "Goten Son" shirt. But what if you want something new? The next step in the evolution of Son Goten, but still unmistakably him? You would want to stay away from yellow and orange, becasue Trunks wears a lot of that himself. What about yellow and not a green bice, but a forest green? What about muddy non-colors? Dragon ball colors tend to be warm-shifted becasue it was the 90s, but you can work within that color range. But exactly HOW? What about yellow and pink? Teal? Aqua?? You can't use lavender (Trunks's color). And to be fair I have experimented with grey before, since he wears grey pants in DBS:SH. But I always tried to find other colors to shoehorn in there because I thought I had to. And what's really left...?
DRAGON BALL AF has the answers.
Yellow and GREY.
....THAT;S IT!!!!!!!!!!!
A mature grey. NO OTHER FLUFF.Just straight up. Yelloew and grey.
And he looks like a bumble bee. I love bumble bees. You love bumble bees. He loves bumble bees. We all love bumble bees.
I will close with a quote:
"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see." (Arthur Schopenhauer, 1788-1860).
THIS DESIGN IS GENIUS.
Thank You ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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biggestqiblifan · 2 months
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What the fuck?
You can't even draw.
What on Earth are those things?? Please stop trying.
Your little dragon crossovers are so childish! You just splash some color on and call it a day. Then you COMPLAIN about how HARD it was for you.
Boo hoo.
Grow up.
Ok, first of all fuck you.
Who the hell are you to say those things to me?
Listen ANON you're a coward. You hide behind your screen and anonymity, saying whatever shit you want and not caring, while I am out here just trying my best to not crumple.
You do not know the FIRST thing about me.
But, hey, its your opinion I guess.
Secondly, at least I try.
I am not the best at art, especially digital art. I'm NEW TO IT! I have never even TOUCHED a good art app! I use PAINT! I have to try make the most of it! And for your kind, kind information, I DO put thought into my drawings.
Prepare for a detailed info dump and for having your cowardly ass handed to you.
I think about the characters I'm drawing. They're personality, life, preferences. From there I begin shape.
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Lord Morgarath is a cold character. Most people associate him with like black and purple, the dark spectrum, so I worked those colours into it. But I also tried out the other end because it might make sense for him to be like that.
He didn't necessarily begin as evil.
The wings are a tawny-tanish colour speckled with black to show his corruption (they also look really cool). The horns are high and point up, to me they seem like it gives authority. His scales are intricate, portraying a life of extravagance. The spikes on his back are curved, sharp and cunning. Just like him.
(the golden helmet thingy just seemed like something dragon-him would wear)
All in all, he seems ready for battle.
Also, have you noticed the amount of detail I put in?
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No-one's going to notice that ruby! I don't even know how to draw a gemstone! But I put in the effort and gave it my best shot, because I care about my work.
Now, Halt is a different story.
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He may seem relaxed as shown with the eyes, they are half lidded for tiredness, and he just seems really calm, like he always does in the books. But who would have a deadly tail poised to strike if they were not alert?!
The tail has a stinger because he is deadly.
(The little pendant thingy that is holding his cape seemed like a suitable place for the Oakleaf Symbol of the Rangers)
I chose royal blue for him, because I just think in some messed-up part of my shithole of a mind that it suits him and his royal blood.
His entire body and like shape (idk, think of the head) is robust, sturdy and practical. Nothing fancy. But suited to survive.
I gave him like diamond-shaped shape patterns BECAUSE REASONS! The scale designs aren't very intricate either because he is a sort of simple man.
But yeah, I can't change your opinion, so there you go. Now you know.
I put work and EFFORT into these things! And besides, in what logic do you just smash colours together and get things like this?!
So in conclusion, you failed.
No, I will not stop trying, no I don't care what you say or think you are just one person, and yes, you utterly failed to make me feel bad about myself and ruin my day.
Have the day you deserve.
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arlechinav-blog · 1 year
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The Cult of the Winds
An adaptive or reconstructive overview from a Hellenic Polytheist perspective.
The Cult of the Winds: An Overview
There are a lot of variations to the Cult of the Winds, and I may be the only person who refers to them collectively as the Cult of the Winds so keep that in mind before you try to google this stuff. I will mark commonly used keyword terms in bold italics so you can better identify which terms are more likely to yield search results. I have my own jargon so it can get a little confusing. Usually people refer to each individual cult by its proper name, if it has one that marks it as something distinct from another. Zar & Gnawa are examples of living Cult of the Winds traditions while the ancient cults of the Kouretes & Koryvantes were also a part of that family tree in the past.  For example, the Zar cult has a few different named variations like: Zar-Hadra, Zar-Bori, Zar-Tumbra. But the vast majority of variations to Zar do not have special terms demarcating them as variations. They are all perfectly equal and valid. The named spirits and their personalities change from region to region and there are some color variations used to represent the courts, and threads (spirit songs) used to call the spirits can also be different from place to place. 
All variations in the wider scope of the Cult of the Winds form what I like to call the spectrum of normal. There is never just one right way to do something. Regional variations are all perfectly valid and help complete the picture of what this cult is all about and what it was designed to do. Having multiple variations of this cult to compare provides stable ground for establishing patterns. 
Background Information
Before I get too far ahead of myself, a little background on what the Cult of the Winds is and what the general associated classical Hellenic micro-pantheon is…
The Cult of the Winds spun out of the likely Bronze Age or even Neolithic ecstatic cave-based practices of a goddess that I usually refer to as the Mountain Mother. She has a lot of names and regional variations but the ones you would probably be most familiar with are Kybele, Ida, Rhea, or Magna Mater.
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A while back I created this little image to show the relationships and divisions between the 5 major ecstatic cults of the classical Hellenic world–as they appear to my eyes. The Cult of the Mountain Mother is the starting point for both the Cult of the Winds & the Cult of Divine Madness. And there is a very good reason for that. Both have features and ideological technologies that came directly from her cult practices. Features like using cymbals and clackers to control spirits. It is from the Cult of the Mountain Mother that we get the idea that spirits can be controlled by ringing metal against metal. This is still a major underlying principle in many ecstatic and even shape shifting traditions today and it is the reason that Christian churches ring bells and at least partially forms the underlying belief that fey or other types of nature spirits are repelled by cold iron.
In the Bronze Age, the spirit weapon of choice for her cult would have been either clay or Bronze, depending on exactly where and when we are talking about. With the Bronze Age Collapse came some very serious changes to the spiritual landscape of the pre-Hellenic world. The Mountain Mother had always had sons and daughters. One of those sons was an Eagle god who ruled over the sky and specifically the Winds. With the rise of iron technology, and the spiritual properties associated with iron, that god rose to prominence above the others. This would one day be Zeus.
The Storm God's father was a lightning god, associated with snakes in iconography. Snakes being code for so-so-so many spiritual concepts but in this context, largely the patterns that lightning and static make. That serpentine electrical arc. Eagle Storm God Son overthrew Storm God Snake-Dragon Dad and took his place in both sacred legend and in life. This granted him a very specific spiritual authority over pretty much everything--at least in the minds of his sorcerer priests. Ringing metal against metal was the method for establishing that spiritual dominance. Instead of using a sistrum or hand cymbals to do it, his early cult made the adaptation of using what we would recognize as gongs or shields.
This is where the cults of the Kouretes of Crete and the Koryvantes of Samothrace, Phrygia, and Euboea come into the story. The very early micro-pantheon of the god that would one day be popularly known as Zeus, was largely sky based. He ruled over the Winds as his own domain first and then eventually his priests used the same techniques to extend that influence and control over the other gods. The only deity he never really outranked, as far as these early cults were concerned, was that of his mother, the Mountain Mother.
The early Kouretes and Koryvantes practiced what would eventually come to be seen as sorcery and are pretty much the fathers of many, many later magical traditions. They were metallurgists, blacksmiths, who closely guarded the recipes and techniques used to smelt iron and various other metals and create alloys. At first these secrets were kept in the family, which allowed this to be an extremely exclusive closed practice. Eventually the technology did spread around and when they no longer had the monopoly on it, their practices lost some prestige.
They were an ecstatic cult that compelled Wind spirits but they also provided spiritual services to the public to diagnose which god was cheesed-off at a human being whenever someone felt spiritually tormented. They beat shields together to create a rhythm and danced wildly with swords and knives. Often taking injuries--a feature pulled directly from the practices of the Cult of the Mountain Mother. They chanted hymns to the gods in a special order of strict hierarchy, the same as they would have done for the Winds. Everything was about strict hierarchy with this cult. Everything in order, while the entranced dancers themselves whirled around in chaotic patterns.
By the classical Hellenic period, this wild cult had largely died down but was still held in very high esteem--same with the cult of the Mountain Mother. The ecstatic techniques and ideological technologies that it planted in the population also splintered off in different directions, working their way into the many cults of Dionysos. These cults of Dionysos existed from at least the Bronze Age onward so, to be clear, it was not the cult itself that came later but some of the adapted ecstatic practices that were brought in. The Cult of Dionysos shares a lot of features with the Cult of the Winds, including musical diagnosis and wild dancing to relieve spiritual torment, the use of cymbals--though some branches of Dionysos’ cult used metal while others used wooden clackers. Just an honorable mention for the Cult of Divine Madness before getting back to the Cult of the Winds.
Winds are demons. And I am not talking like the general daimon that could refer to nearly any kind of spirit. I mean a very specific type of bodiless spirit that is generally not the most helpful thing to humanity, yet they absolutely love to mess with humans. Like can't get enough. The idea is that since Winds have no bodies of their own, they like to inhabit the bodies of mortals that they take a liking to--usually someone that they think could give them the experiences and physical sensations that they crave. These mortals are referred to as Brides.
Bride is a genderless term. The closest word I could compare it to in modern English would probably be "bottom." Another code word that was fairly popular for this relationship in the classical Hellenic period would be translated as "horse." Horse is still used today in that same context in various languages where the Cult of the Winds can be found. So, when you go on Theoi in a minute and start looking up the Wind Kings and you see them mentioning horses, they're being very clever and whoever did the translating maybe did not understand that this was a code word for something. Double and even triple meanings to various terms were pretty popular in the classical Hellenic period. The stinkers.
When covertly speaking about the Winds, because talking about them directly is kind of seen as bad luck or an invitation for them to visit, they are usually described as being "above" and their mortal Bride as being "under" them. Which is why horse works so well. And you can see how this cult has influenced so many other spirit traditions in and adjacent to the Med by really exploring this concept. You see these key words used in spirit threads a lot. References to going underground, to diving down below, to being under water, to falling from somewhere. The act of trance itself is described this way, same with hypnosis and anesthesia. You are being "put under."
Not everybody who trances is automatically a Bride. A Bride is someone who has been through a ceremony that formalizes the relationship between mortal and possessing spirit. Those who are taken by a spirit are said to have been bitten, pricked, or pinched. The Bite is the vector of possession. It is how we go from happily lil mortal doodle-dooing through life to BAM!--married to a Wind (or to Dionysos. Similar concept but different cult).
In the Cult of the Winds, this relationship is largely not considered sexual or even romantic in any way. Winds just want to play with human bodies and have adventures while pretending to be human. A lot of them are not super smart and they don't fake being human very well. (You didn't hear that from me.) It would be cute if it wasn't also sometimes very dangerous. A Wind cannot be other than they are. Their nature is a set thing, it never changes. They may not be mean-spirited but they just do not comprehend the limitations of a human body. So the spirit-marriage ceremony is a way of keeping the wind from destroying their Bride. In between the Bite and the marriage ceremony there is a period of drama referred to as spirit sickness or possession illness. This represents the time frame when the possession has been introduced but there are not yet any restraints placed on the Wind so the mortal host's body suffers.
Possession illness is not just any ol’ thing. It is not a disability or a neurodivergence. It is a very specific thing and it is tightly regulated to prevent people who need medical and mental health care from being misdiagnosed. The very first thing a spirit master is going to ask when someone comes to them with their symptoms is, "Have you been to the doctor? Have you been to several?"
There is a chain of operations here. This cult is all about hierarchy and doctors are always at the top tier. A potential Bride should do everything in their power to get licensed medical help first. Then licensed psychological help. If both of those fail to yield a solution, the next step is to go to your official religious authority and see if they can help. Spiritwork is always a last resort. It is a lifelong commitment and a very big deal. Doing this also helps to provide proof of state through a process of elimination. If nobody else can figure out a solution to your ailment, then it improves the likelihood that the cause is a Wind.
No spirit master of any repute is ever going to sit down with a person, listen to their story, and tell them, "Yes, you have a spirit and this is their name!" That curdles my blood just thinking about it. That violates the heart of how these rituals function. Even the Kouretes & Koryvantes would never say such a thing right off the cuff. The afflicted must go through the diagnostic musical ritual. The afflicted is expected to lie completely still in a catatonic state until they hear the music of their possessing Wind (it is the same in Tarantella, which is a part of the greater cult of Dionysos, btw).
The living traditions surrounding the Cult of the Winds tend to be a little more old fashioned and stodgy than their Dionysian cousin traditions. They have their spirit threads (chants) and each one is tied to a named spirit. Tarantella is more of a musical free-for-all. There are no spirit names, just an ever-growing repertoire of spirit songs. Any new song that enters the Tarantella repertoire is fair game. So, there is so much more music to learn for Tarantella than for any of the Cults of the Winds.
If you are a lead musician for a variation of either tradition, you are in for a lengthy period of study. Say a prayer for your poor hands and voice. I'm kidding. It is actually a lot of fun to learn. Not everything serious in life is serious all the time. Well, I think it is fun. If you give it a shot and you feel your body fighting against it, it may be a sign to try a different role. It takes a whole team of people to effectively pull off these rituals. This is definitely not solo trance time…
Onward to the Winds!
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Time to introduce these guys. As I have already said, the Winds have a strict hierarchy. The cardinal directions (N, S, E, W) are considered the royals or kings of their respective directions. Just about every language has their own names for these beings. The kings do not take Brides very often and are sometimes barely involved in the rituals directly. This image here also provides 4 more names for the Winds who rule the directions in between (NE, NW, SE, SW). These are also nobles but they rank underneath the 4 kings.
Some traditions include nobles and some don't. Some have just the 4 kings. Some have 4 kings and 4 nobles. Some have 4 kings and 8 nobles. Something you may notice pretty quickly is the symbol that emerges from them. The compass. This compass will change design depending on which version of the cult we are looking at. It will have either 4, 8, or 12 spokes to the wheel. Later nautical traditions got really carried away with naming the Winds and you can find maps with all kinds of names. Way more than 12. All are valid but not all are part of a known ecstatic Cult of the Winds. But if you were to reconstruct something like this on your own, whatever traditional names you would want to put in there should be within the spectrum of normal. At least from my perspective. Each cardinal direction is associated with a greater court and a color. This is where it starts to get tricky. Different traditions use different colors. 
Speaking of confusion, the Winds who take Brides should not be thought of as directions. The directions are what rule, govern, and inspire them. The directions are their Lords--who they have to listen to and obey. Winds don't listen to just anyone. They only listen to their direct superior in the hierarchy. So, when you are reading a sacred legend about a Wind and the author describes them listening attentively and doing what they are told, whoever gave them an order is higher ranking than they are. (In classical Hellenic texts this is usually Iris and the author is displaying her rank in the spiritual hierarchy by describing how the 4 kings respond to her.)  
Instead of directions–which are the nobles–think of the average Winds as a collection of passions taken to an extreme. Each cardinal direction has their own type of extreme passion. It is a bit more nuanced than what I am presenting here but this is a good starting guide for building some understanding.
For the North it is Fear. 
For the East it is Distraction. 
For the South it is Obsession. 
For the West it is Lust.
There can be any number of Winds in each court. They do not have to be evenly matched with each other. Since they do not represent directions and instead represent extreme passions, there can be quite a lot of them. In more modern traditions like Zar and Gnawa, Winds are born, live, and die just like people do. I don't know if that was the case in antiquity. Basically if it is a passion that exists and someone created a name for it, there is probably a corresponding Wind. 
As I stated in the very beginning of this, Winds are just largely incompatible with human bodies. So, when I'm describing the worst of what they are and what they do, understand that this is what they would be like in their natural state before a Bridal ceremony. This is how they make their Brides sick and it is why these ceremonies exist to begin with. The ecstatic rituals are designed to bring harmony and peace to all involved. Once a potential Bride has gone through the Bridal ceremony, their Wind will be at peace within them. Each will have rules to follow in life to keep the other safe and content.
These rituals come from a time before Christianity took hold anywhere. And some aspects of Christianity evolved as a direct response to them. When early Christian writers talk about people trafficking with demons, this is at least a good chunk of what they are talking about. They viewed the propitiation of these types of spirits as evil and wrong and they presented an alternative to spending your life in a spirit marriage. That alternative was and still is exorcism. 
THE WINDS/ ANEMOI/ AETAI
The Winds are the living spirits of the wind itself. They represent pure thought, ideas, and whisperings of the mind as much as they represent the directions, gusts, and seasons they are tied to. The Winds are assembled into a strict hierarchy of Courts with each Court ruled by a King of that direction. The Four Wind Kings are the sons and subjects of Eos (Dawn) and Astraios/Aeolus (Prophecy/Astrology). Beneath them are the High Nobles and under those are the Low Nobles. 
The Kings: Boreas= North, Notos= South, Apeliotes= East, Zephyrus= West
High Nobles: Kaikas= North East, Eurus= South East, Skiron= North West, Lips= South West
Low Nobles: Meses=NNE, Euronotus= SSE, Libonotus= SSW, Thrasias= NNW
In each of the cardinal directions there are varying named and unnamed lesser winds who constitute the Court of that direction. Winds are closely associated with horses. Horses are often code for gods and spirits who take Brides (possess mortals). 
Each tier in the hierarchy of the Winds must answer to the tier above it. The Wind Kings themselves will answer to their parents, Eos & Astraios, as well as Iris on behalf of Hera, Zeus, & Zeus’ Mother (Rhea, Ida, Kybele–traditional names vary). In this they are compelled by the crashing of metal against metal, such as used in ritual music composed of metal bells, cymbals, sistrum, and shields.   
BOREAS is the King of the Northern Winds. As the North Wind, Boreas is associated with the Winter season and chill, icy winds that blow down from the Thracian mountains. Boreas is also associated with knowledge, fear, contemplation, leadership, and authority. 
OFFERINGS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Symbols: Conch shell. 
Colors: Purple or White. 
Animals: Horses. Winged Horses. 
Plants/Herbs: Root vegetables, purple winter flowers. 
Food/Drink: Mountain tea (Τσάι του βουνού). 
Offerings: Frankincense/ Livani. 
NOTUS is the King of the Southern Winds. As the South Wind, Notus is associated with the Autumn drenching rain and cruel storms that blow towards the Aegean from Ethiopia. Notus is associated with darkness, obsessions, deeply rooted passions and is closely tied to the traditions of Rhea/ Ida/ Kybele. 
OFFERINGS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Symbols: Knives, metal spade. 
Colors: Black or Dark Brown
Animals: Horses. Winged Horses.
Plants/Herbs: Rosemary, dark colored flowers, fragrant herbs.  
Food/Drink: Blood or wine. 
Offerings: Frankincense/ Livani
APELIOTES is the King of the Eastern Winds. Sometimes the name Eurus is used. The name of this Wind King is not as firmly fixed as the others because the Eastern Wind was added later. Originally there were only 3 Kings and the East was ruled by the Dawn or the Sun. As such, the Eastern Wind King is still associated with fire, warmth, and the plenty of the summer months. Apeliotes is also associated with mischief, distractions, pranks, daydreams, and leisure time. 
OFFERINGS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Symbols: Cornucopia. 
Colors: Orange-Red. 
Animals: Horses. 
Plants/Herbs: Harvest fruits and grains. 
Food/Drink: Spicy foods, hot drinks, beer, cider. 
Offerings: Frankincense/ Livani. 
ZEPHYRUS is the King of the Western Winds. As the West Wind, Zephyrus is associated with the thaw of spring, youth, love, and the first flowers of the season. Zephyrus is also associated with love, lust, jealousy, romance, music, and pleasant things. 
OFFERINGS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Symbols: Spring Flowers. 
Colors: Warm Blues. 
Animals: Horses, scorpions.  
Plants/Herbs: Crocus, Hyacinth, Daffodils, and other spring flowers. 
Food/Drink: Sweet beverages, occasionally alcohol. 
Offerings: Frankincense/ Livani. 
*Winds are an integral part of spirit possession traditions of the pan-Mediterranean. Associated with disquieting passions that cannot be ignored. Surviving traditional practices relating to the Winds involve complex rituals of musical propitiation and spirit marriage wherein the Winds and their Courts take mortal Brides. 
Arlechina Special Notes:
The offerings and associations provided are just for the Wind Kings. The High and Low Nobles were not included in this write up because so much of the material available on them comes from living traditions and those really vary a lot from region to region, as we went over a bit previously. Some traditions include them and some do not. Offerings, associations, and names were also not provided for the spirits of each Court for similar reasons. Those will be similar to the Kings of their respective Courts BUT not identical. Each spirit has something very particular that they like and that literally can vary from Spirit House to Spirit House. 
A Spirit House is an individual group of humans who gather together to perform musical rituals of propitiation for the Winds and their Brides. For example, if we were to get together and go through these rituals, our individual group would be a Spirit House and we would have our own variations on these traditions for spirit names, threads (spirit chants), offerings, and associations based on how the spirits interact with their Brides in our specific house. Variation is normal but it does follow a spectrum of things that make sense and form unity with other Spirit Houses. This is why, even in antiquity, there would be many different names for the individual lesser Winds as spirits from place to place.
General Info on Spirit Possession
For those who are not familiar with what spirit possession traditions look like or how they function, it is a pretty consistent thing all over the world so there is a method/ series of techniques to doing it well. These same techniques are found in all of the Mystery Religions of the wider ancient Mediterranean as well as living traditions of that same region today. This makes it easier to understand the methods because there is consistency and continuity involved.
Firstly, these rituals are musical. There is a thread (spirit song) for every spirit that compels them to rise up in their mortal Bride and dance/ move. They go from dormant to suddenly very active when they hear their thread. Through their dancing they will portray who they are and what they desire. The Bride will wear the colors of their Wind groom (still a term linked to horses), and partake of the offerings the spirit has requested. So, while their music plays, they will eat and drink, use the tools associated with their Wind, and move in such a way as that Wind is known to move.
Spirit possession is not considered rare at all. It is in fact quite contagious and all gods and spirits who take Brides can and will take many at once. This includes the Cults of the Winds as well as the Cults of Dionysos and any other that follows this sort of format. Multiple spirits may even claim the same mortal Bride. Every single spirit marriage requires a separate contract/ agreement made between the Bride & the Wind. So, if you have three separate Winds over your head, you are going to have a very busy night during the course of the ritual.
These rituals are usually done at night in the living traditions that I am familiar with. And I seem to recall it was a complaint raised by detractors of spirit possession traditions in antiquity because, at least in a few hoity-toity minds, proper people don't get up to wild dancing shenanigans under cover of darkness. If it is truly good, then it should be done in the daylight! Eff that. The night time is the right time. 
This means that participants stay awake all night doing this. If you are a musician, gods help your poor hands and voice. This is partly why the living traditions are most active in the summer months--shorter nights! There is a practical reason for everything. It is also meant as a sort of catharsis--to journey into the darkness, confront spirits, and emerge in the dawn whole, healed, changed. This concept is reinforced in the classical Hellenic Cult of the Winds with Eos (Dawn) as their mother who compels them to step back and surrender their mortal Brides to their own lives, until the time comes to dance all night again. We dance under the stars of Astraios until the Dawn brings spiritual clarity and unity.
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excaive · 2 years
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I am ON MY KNEES begging you to explain some parasite lore! Jk, tho I would love to know!! Please
Since you asked I can explain a bit! :3
I've never really properly explained so I'll try and give an overview.
[if you haven't read my short comic Lasting Bonds, that gives insight into some parasite history also]
Parasites in my universe are Kin of Kqo'twec, also known as The Parasite God
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They're just a funky creature that might be a bit radioactive, don't worry about it. Being a parasite themself, they infected Keith Sun, gang leader of Black Orbit when they were bleeding out in a ditch lol lucky them.
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Kqo'twec and Keith at some point become interchangable. Funny how that works (points at my blog title)
Anyway!
Parasites are divided into two categories: Minor & Major
MINOR parasites are smaller parasites that give a few minor attributes - changing eye color, hair color, giving horns, sharp teeth, tails, claws etc. These are very low maintanance and practically everyone has at least one of some sort, but people don't think much of it bc it's just normal. They're just vibing and as long as you're chill with them and respect them, then the attributes will be maintained. These don't have like. a physical look or body to them (that can be perceived with the naked eye), they're kinda just the concept of giving abilities. Or I mean you can pull out a microscope and check them out, that's just A Shape.
MAJOR parasites are companions! They have a conscience and you need to work with them to maintain a good bond with them. That's ur life buddy. Their attributes are more connected with each other, if that makes sense. For example, transformative parasites are common - parasite that allow their host to physically transform into another form, fully or partially. A parasite could be like. snake adjacent and give you snake-like attributes. Slit pupils, scales, tail and fangs. Those are all attributes from that parasite.
Compared to minor parasites, you could have a couple of minor parasites that give attributes that aren't following the same theme. like you could have goat-like horns and a reptile-like tail, they're just coming from different parasites.
Minor and Major parasites can also compliment each other! If we go with the snake-like attributes again, you could get a minor parasite that could change the scale patterns or pupil shape. it's like pretty customizable lol
Speaking of customization, there are also Modified Minor & Major parasites. Currently it's mainly modified minor parasites on the parasite market bc it's kind of controversial modifying major parasites (but that's not stopping The Company from experimenting with it lol)
This is the major conflict in Black Orbit. It kinda fucks up the natural way of how parasites have been treated since Kqo'twec bestowed the knowledge of them onto the ancestors.
Modified parasites aren't healthy and some get packed with more attributes than they naturally can give + the general public begins to see them (minor parasites) as accessories they can switch out or discard rather than littol cool creatures that make you look dope, which worsens the bond between host and parasite, being very imbalanced - or not there at all. So they don't live that long and their attributes might be "weaker" or quickly fade (dull colors or like. brittle horns) ""luckily"" you can easily extract them and replace them at Parasite Clinics.
The only character with a modified major parasite that I've talked about is Cass. She has a dragon parasite, which. is a whole other can of worms tbh. It's in an artificial coma and its attributes are what is giving her the half dragon appearance and size (she's also full of minor modified parasites that made her beefy lol) so that's definitely not gonna bite her in the ass at some point! It's ok tho bc she's so sexy <3
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You might think 'wait isn't a dragon parasite just a transformative parasite then?' which isn't incorrect but. They're special little guys with other requirements than most parasites, and in the city of Sunjin (which the main conflict of Black Orbit takes place) they are not well understood and there's little information about them (well. outside of the B.O.A - the Black Orbit Archives which holds documents and practically the whole history of Kqo'twec's Kin, but only archivists/oathbearers have access to that place.) Keith is so mad about how reckless Cass is with parasites but. well..[gestures at this picture]
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I think that's enough for an overview!
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blorbologist · 10 months
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Which version (i.e the comics, cartoon, original campaign art, other fanart, etc.) of Percy and Vex do you typically visualize when you write your stories? Is that version of them your favorite?
Hi!! sorry this took so long - I wanted to compile the official art and really think through my answer.
A disclaimer that I usually default to drawing them fairly close to TLOVM's style, because it's simple and very visually distinct and I'm still learning to draw people. I think it's a very well done simplification of the characters that translates well to animation (though I do have my little quibbles with it)
Percy is pretty straightforward and doesn't vary much in my mind's eye; I love Vox Machina Origins and the new official art Percy, however I think both make him look a little too old and sexy for 'mid-early 20s' (I say, in my mid-early 20s tkrggkrtn). I also don't really like any red on him, though the new art is dark enough to still look nice. The stupid nerdy glasses are a must. He needs good boots - either his Spider Climb boots or just... good walking boots. IDK what TLOVM Percy is wearing but he won't get nowhere without being caked in mud. VM Origins Percy's host of belts and holsters is great (THIGH HOLSTER??? HI) and the pale coat lining + pants accent the hair nicely, though I also like new art/TLOVM Percy's dark look with the pale ascot.
My hot take is that I actually adore the TLOVM hair; it makes him look young and concerned with his appearance and really helps keep him from looking too Old. I dislike the green eyes though, had hopped so bad that they'd turn blue once Orthax was evicted or would be blue in flashbacks, but! Nope! Green for no clear reason! That's not a Whitestone color bby boy :C
EDIT: also the Orthax eyes and smoke are So Fucking Good absolutely insane of them to do that. very hot. very good. yes.
(also I'm sorry but I... really, really do not like the og art. It's just not my style. I'm not going to critique it, because I'm not a dick, but I can't imagine Vex falling for a Percy who looks like this guy?)
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Vex, though, I have less solid ideas about! I see her as being a lot more adaptable in her manner of dress - what needs repairs, what's too worn and needs to be tossed out, etc. vs Percy trying to cling to a singular Look more. I know she's the ~sexy~ one, but showing too much skin just isn't practical when out adventuring, and I'm happy much of her official art reflects that. She stays pretty well covered with some padding and leathers. And when not adventuring I think she has more fun with her day to day and fancy clothes, whereas Percy usually has that coat (He Coat) or something similar keeping his look somewhat constant.
Some things I am sure about: she's not fucking white good god. I personally darken Vex from her TLOVM colors a bit when I draw her. I understand a lot of white Vex art is from before she and Vax started getting darker official art, but I still cringe looking at it. Percy is the pasty whiteboy, Vex is mixed. Otherwise, hmm... I'm very attached to the blue feathers in her hair and some white fur thrown over one shoulder, as well as a host of belts and a thigh quiver + the braid being thrown over her shoulder. She Must have a flowy bit to her look (cape or that half-dress-thing in the post-timeskip art or whathaveyou) for maximum drama. Vex seems pretty willing to incorporate patterns and interesting fabrics into her look (poofy shoulders, stripes, that sheer thing) which I think is fun. I like her with black or hazel eyes, which I flipflop between liberally and depending on the fic rkgjnkrnkghn
The white dragon armor is a little difficult to design admittedly, but neither canon-ish look for it really Hit for me yknow.
Also I hate the TLOVM style of lips for women. It limits their expressiveness SO MUCH compared to the men which is such a robbery. I want more aghast and livid and screaming Vex. I would get it if she, specifically, had these, because she's The Hot One, but Keyleth??? Pike??? Come on.
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Again, this is all personal opinion as an artist with too few spoons to draw often + someone who finds both these characters incredibly hot and bisexual goals in their own way. I'm not gonna pick a fight with anyone over their interpretations (except whitewashing Vex. I'll fucking bite you)
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tendervulture · 1 year
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Tell me about the dragons please! ~Betelgeuse
Okay, you're going to have to be more specific, there are a LOT of dragons floating around in my blog. So many that the place is practically Dave and Busters. But I'll give it a shot.
My two main dragon fandoms are The Legend of Spyro and Wings of Fire.
The Legend of Spyro is essentially Lord of The Rings/Silmarillion but with Dragons, with the cosmic balance of light and dark being a focus and a ton of very important and dubiously canon lore never spoken of in game. The protag, Spyro, is the prophesied purple dragon who can wield all the elements and defeat The Dark Master/Malefor, who was locked in a Superhell dimension called Convexity for being too power-hungry. This is where Cynder comes in. Cynder and Spyro were part of a massive group of eggs destined to be born in the Year of the Dragon, meaning they could not only open superhell and free the Dark Master, but could defeat him too. Because dragon eggs are very important (and because dragons are presumably K-selected as hell, as they can live well beyond 200 years according to one developer's headcanon), the eggs were protected by four old gay dads: The Guardians. Ignitus is the sad orange one, Volteer is the ADHD yellow one, Cyril is the blue snooty one, and Terrador is the practical green one.
Anyway, the eggs all got massacred, except for Spyro, whose father figure/very probably father sent him down the river where he was adopted by dragonflies, and Cynder, who was eggnapped by the Dark Armies forces and exposed to dark energy to turn her into a giant adult dragon. Cynder then went on to massacre most of the dragon population. Anyway, Spyro and his adopted dragonfly brother Sparx went on to get into shenanigans and eventually free Cynder from her corruption through the power of Spyro's space radiation breath, Aether. Aether is the true element of the purple dragons and is the element all other elements come from. Cynder got turned back into a young dragon, though she ran off from the temple she, Spyro, Sparx and the Guardians were hiding out in because she had PTSD and was quite possibly being influenced by dark powers.
Anyway, some shenanigans on a pirate ship and an ancient library later, Spyro faced off against Malefor's top general, Gaul, the Ape King. Spyro accidentally got corrupted when a beam of tainted moonlight due to a lunar eclipse touched him while they were fighting and awoke his Super Powered Evil Side: DARK SPYRO. O No!
Anyway, Spyro killed Gaul, but whoops! The mountain is falling on them all! Using some time magic he got from the old librarian, Spyro froze himself, Sparx, and Cynder in a crystal to live to fight another day.
I'm getting tired, but let's just say the series ended with Cynder and Spyro fighting Malefor and saving the world after Malefor trying to break apart.
Very 2000's. Very grimdark. Very Evanescence. I love it so.
Wings of Fire is a novel series written by Tui T. Sutherland starting in 2012. The dragons from this series have fancy scale patterns unique to this species and external ears. There are 10 dragon tribes, 9 extant, 1 extinct, and there are humans.
Nightwings-The goth ones. Black and silver scales, starry wing undersides. They have mindreading, foresight, or both powers, depending on how many moons they were born under. Breathe fire.
Seawings-The fish ones-The ones with gills and bioluminescent scales. My favorites. No breath weapons.
Rainwings-The frilly ones. They have color-changing scales like a cuttlefish and venom that they spit like cobras.
Sandwings-The ones with the sails. Have a long sail of skin along their back and a barbed tail. Breathe fire.
Skywings-The dragoniest of them all. Long horns, nose horn, red or orange scales. Breathe fire.
Icewings-The fluffy ones (at least in my style). The spikiest and worst adapted to their environment in book canon. Breathe ice.
Hivewings-The racist bug dragons. Beautiful bodies, but their wings do not look strong enough to lift them off the ground. Stingers, stench emission, venomous bite.
Silkwings-The butterfly dragons. Look like sad kittens in canon artwork. No powers except spinning silk, including a special glowing, burning type called flamesilk, which is very rare.
Beetlewings-Extinct ancestor of Hivewings and Silkwings. Not much is known about them.
Leafwings-Planty winged dragons. Speak for the trees.
Edit: Mudwings-Cow-otter-croc dragons. Could be the coolest tribe if Tui focused on them more. Semi aquatic, can breathe fire if warm, can resist fire if born from a red egg. Family units are based on sibling relationships.
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abtheb · 1 year
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What are some pieces you're particularly proud of?
This is a really great question and I wanted to give it a thoughtful answer so it took a few days.
I'm most proud of the art I made when I first started learning Blender a little over two years ago so I could do gamejams with friends.
Very early on, I remember thinking that I wanted to save and keep all my progress so I could look back on it one day -- so I saved more or less everything I've ever made, in chronological/numbered order, so it's easy to look back fondly and get a snapshot in time of what I was making and how goofy it was.
This is the first thing I made after fumbling with Blender's sculpting tools, and realizing I could make muscly-men-shaped things and also bird-shaped things.
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I would try to keep sculpting things for a while and get super frustrated at my computer not being good enough to handle the files. Eventually this would nearly cause me to quit learning altogether, convinced that my computer was too underpowered -- not that I was working in absurdly high-poly without realizing it.
This attempted gimpsuit Bowser I tried making for a friend, for example:
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75 million triangles!!!
400mb!!!!
Not really knowing any better, it took me a long time and a lot of trial and error doing gamejams and working with my smarter, more wizardly gamedev friends to start getting an understanding of poly counts and optimization. Eventually, with a lot of practice and models, I would get better at working in low-poly - a style I really like. By comparison, my last model was 33,116 triangles (7mb)
I can tell from looking at my pile of projects that something clicked after our third gamejam. I started having a better understanding of how Blender worked as software, and how 3D modeling worked conceptually. At some point, I started seeing misc art ideas on tumblr etc. and thinking "i think I know how to do that!", and some of the time I actually could (or at least, a bootleg quality version of it)
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But the biggest turning point for me, and the closest I can get to answering the question about projects I am most proud of, were these two models.
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I had started playing Dragon Quest 11 some time before I started learning art, got bored/burned out on it, and unknowingly quit right before the big mid-point events of the game. It wasnt until a year or so later that I picked it up again, and immediately saw it with the noobie "cube eyes" I'd been developing over the last few months.
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I realized that the art style was beautiful yet simplistic enough that I could try and copy it, and was indeed able to make pretty decent versions myself (though unusably unoptimized it has to be said). It was also my first deep dive into Blender shaders, something which would take me another year or so to even scratch the surface of.
That moment not only empowered me a ton as an artist, but it also opened a whole new way for me to play and appreciate games that I had never experienced in my like 25+y of viddy gaming up to that point.
Honorable mention:
I went through a BOTW phase earlier in the summer when I replayed it looking for art to make. My eye crimes are buried deep in my #my art tag, but tldr I made a rito first, then zora, a goron... building up to the big man himself - whom I was afraid to try making because I was afraid I wouldn't do him justice.
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Kass was easily the most complicated model I had ever made until that point - involving handpainting his colors and patterns, a complex rig for animating both the body and the accordion, and just a lot of decor and misc outfit accessories. I cut some corners from the original design, but I was still really happy with both the result, and myself for being able to have achieved it.
Thank you for the ask!!
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As I exit the Wings of Fire community, I would like to similarly purge related art from my files. Therefore, I’d like to share the art I did of @spicyylemonss oc, Smoke, as part of a now scrapped Wings of Fire fashion post.
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Further notes under the cut.
Please note, these are all confined to their presentations during times of relative peace and prosperity- the recent wars mucked a lot of stuff up. This is also just the typical- tribes mingle and have their outsiders
Hivewing fashion: Stark contrasts. Harsh metals and leathers layered with light and airy fabrics. CON. TRAST. Soft bodies with sharp features, etc. Also muscles. Female hivewings are noticeably larger than males. So, most trans hivewings will simply carry themselves differently to show this. Some however, will try to dress larger or smaller. This included a terrifying fashion movement of mask and, among richer hivewings (both cis and trans), GIANT MASKS
Icewings: Though outsiders usually assume icewing fashion starts and ends with silver jewelry, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Outside of the circles, their fashion is all about leathers, pelts, and even bone! A rich and varied cloak of furs means an established hunter and crafter. They don’t need furs to keep warm (and prefer to feel cold), but that has yet to stop them. Their makeup and tattoo practices are some of the richest on the continent. Which makes sense, given how much bare skin they have in comparison to scales. A beautiful icewing, to icewings, is one solid color with neat, sharp features. Not ostentatious. Makeup is, in fact, one of the two main ways of denoting gender among icewings. In the middle of winter, a light blush on the nose is a typical denotation of feminity for middle circle dragons. If it works for reindeer, it works for icewings. The other first circle tribe method of determining gender is the horn carving- straight for masculine, hooked for feminine, curved for non-binary.
Leafwings: Lack of access to metallic and mineral products separates leafwing fashion drastically from the other tribes. Instead, they typically enjoy plants along with animal products. Their leather workers are legendary, but outside of the obvious there is little they waste when it comes to fashion. I say “animal products” because they truly will wear anything. During the tree war a former tailor stitched insect wings into their troops' clothes as an intimidation tactic. Seemingly to spite their neutral scales and show up the beetlewings of their continent, they are outrageously colorful at even the most minor events. Scale paints and dyes are popular sights. Some older leafwings paint dark patterns onto their scales to ensure they absorb more light for a little extra energy boost. The height of leafwing beauty is soft with two-tone features. They have found a creative usage for leaf-speech to telegraph their gender identity: decorating themselves with plants which correspond to their gender (ie outcrosser male/female plants for binary or selfer/asexual plants for non-binary). Essentially using plants to give themselves a 6th sense based pronoun pin.
Mudwings: Though they are a very casual tribe, this doesn’t mean they don’t know how to get dressed up. Bog iron, teeth, manicured body moss, wood carvings, small beads, and colorful clays are all popular accessories. Generally at parties a sibling group will contribute most of their jewelry to one sib (usually whoever they have elected is prettiest, as the case varies). This usually leads to flocks of understated sibs surrounding a sib drenched in every piece of jewelry, antlers, plants, and makeup they could find. Once you move into mudwing nobility, you start getting ridiculous. Mudwings tend to be pretty flowy about what’s pretty, but vibrant, strong scales is one of the few things they seem to agree on. Due to a tendency to be rather antisocial outside of their sibs, there isn’t much of a consistent gendered presentation among mudwings. But, within closer knit mudwing communities they’ll usually use colored clay to denote gender. Usually dark for feminine and light for masculine, but it does vary. It’s not particularly well designed for outsider’s use.
Nightwings: Absolutely LOVE glass. Not even the volcano could kill that. Crystals too, but glass especially. Clear pieces that appear empty in the right light and flash in better light. Ever functional too- they still need to melt into shadows. Perhaps the stories about hivewings being the descendants of Clearsight is true, given how their beauty standard is roughly the same. Contrast is key! Nightwings don’t have any notable fashion or dimorphic differences between genders, so they will typically just announce themselves. A touch bland, but it gets the job done. One notable prophet dedicated themself to validating others through their prophecies. Also mindreaders can and will mess you up for misgendering someone on purpose and I won’t protect you.
Rainwings: They enjoy keeping their talons busy, so anything that can be braided will end up being braided. The most seaworthy seawing could never tie the sort of knots and braids rainwings have invented out of boredom. Other than flora, they will “wear” any fauna they can convince to stay on them. Sloths are popular, but so are ball pythons and other small (or very, very large) reptiles. Happy, bright colors and complicated combinations are key. Which isn’t particularly healthy but hey! Rainwings lack any set social cues for gender, so usually they just rely on their rich gossip culture to learn about other dragons. With rising literacy and inter tribe mingling, more and more rainwings will literally just spell out their pronouns over their scales.
Sandwings: The Richest fashion culture. Their very much into picking up pieces of other tribe’s fashions, but they do have some unique styles. Tattoos, for one. Though there’s no tribe that can’t be tattooed, sandwings scales take particularly well to ink. They usually go for light fabrics and pelts that can easily be discarded. They don’t enjoy flying or burrowing with anything on. Cool colored stones are popular for their contrast, and some superstition about water. (Yes, this makes Quibli a punk.) Among working sandwings, deeper scales are preferred (rich sand is always darker). The sandwing aristocracy, however, considered it the opposite- pale, unblemished scales mean you’ve never had to work a day in your life. A new Queen might finally dissuade this one, however.
Silkwings - Usually not super interested in fashion, honestly. At most they might use crystal powders to create an extra layer of glitter over their scales. They do, however, heavily engage in fashion to support others. What do I mean by this? Basically, when a silkwing develops any sort of visible disability or disfigurement, their community will rally to support them through all their means (but especially when it comes to fashion). You need something? Boom, the whole community is working out what craftspeople they need to hire. You just want support? Boom, a whole new community wide fashion movement to embrace you. It gets overwhelming very quickly, but they mean well. More colors is better, and Blue is considered very handsome. Also, colors and patterns which match the butterfly they're named for. There are some specific wing patterns associated with being male or female. Binary trans silkwings will typically paint or tattoo their chosen patterns, while non-binary silkwings typically have a preference for mixed or geometric patterns. They are also sexually dimorphic like hivewings (I wonder why?), but consider the mask thing a bit much. Which is a lot coming from the dragons who think fashion begins and ends with glitter.
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ariellewm · 11 months
Text
WIP Fantasy Novel - Character Profile: Calista Auralae/Cargalyn "Shadow Ranger"
!! Note: Please do not use my character in any fanfiction or roleplay. This MC (Main Character) is very precious to me and oldest of my creations. If interested in drawing her out, please ask for permission before doing so. !!
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Full Name: Calista Cargalyn Auralae
Aliases/Other Titles: Shadow Ranger, The Swift Wolf, Sis (from Luno), more TBA
Gender: Female
Race: Sapien (Human)
Age: 23
Height: 5'5 (165cm)
Eye Color: Cognac
Hair Color: Chestnut, long length usually tied up in a loose ponytail (sometimes in lagertha braids)
Skin: Fair with freckles around face and rest of body (has some scars along arms from creature encounters and one on the side of her neck that is hidden with clothing)
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About/Backstory
TBA
Personality
Down-to-earth and loyal to those she is familiar with. Calista despises those that hurt close loved ones or her friends and isn't hesitant on showing her stronger protective side. She'll take the shot or cut any enemy standing in her way.
The Shadow Ranger can be stubborn at times, especially when those point out her lack of sleep as of late. Even if they are concerned for her, she still performs her duties as a ranger. With lack of hours of rest, she's always on the move, always active and aware of her surroundings. She does find meditating helpful at times, finding a quiet spot where no one can bother her.
She's an observer, keeping to herself most of the time. Calista isn't also accustomed to being around nobility or highly respected people. The ranger is still civil and resourceful if needing her assistance. When out of her comfort zone, she can be seen standing still, pacing around the room, or fidget with their hands, depending on the situation.
Abilities\Skills
Archery - A highly popular skill that almost all rangers learn. It is the skill of using a bow to shoot arrows. Sometimes Calista likes to use flaming arrows, arrows coated in poison, or speed shooting in battles or target practice.
Swordsmanship - Skilled in sword fighting in combat. Calista owns two short sword falchions used to help cut through smaller trees, bushes, or attack her enemies. She doesn't always use them.
Melee One-On-One Combat - Fist and brawn, many rangers are taught to learn how to battle without weapons. Punches and kicks can help in any situation and even defense measures. She uses this as a last resort if all her weapons are not at her disposal.
Tracking - Rangers are taught how to track all sorts of things. It could be from carts, animals, or even people that make prints on the surface. Calista is the only ranger young enough to identify any sort of creature through claw markings or footprints made on the forest floor.
Riding - Most if not all rangers learn how to ride upon dragon horse hybrids (name of creature TBA) or other creatures that can help them get to places or into battle. Calista can not only ride these creatures but also upon dragon (Luno), giving her advantage in the air. She rarely rides on Luno, however, as sometimes the dense forests are hard for him to reach to Calista.
Hiding/Spying - Calista can easily hide within the trees and dense forest surroundings blending in. Sometimes her dark clothing gives her that advantage when spying on enemies or hiding in plain sight. She is praised by Edric for her spying tactics when on a mission as well. Hence, given the title Shadow Ranger by her leader and guardian Edric Vahouse. This is also useful while hunting for game.
Wardrobe Appearance
The average-built ranger tends to wear dark earth toned colors, to better blend in with the dense forest. Black tights, dark brown boots, dark green long-sleeved or short-sleeved shirts. Her clothing is light and as a ranger, she needs to be agile and swift. Sometimes Calista wears leather gauntlets with leaf patterns. Anything brightly colored she doesn't take a liking to (so don't try to force her). It's also noted that Calista absolutely hates wearing dresses of any kind.
Hidden under her shirts she keeps a leather stringed necklace with a wooden hollow pendant with intricate leaf designs. She has never taken it off. It's the only piece of jewelry she wears and hides it from view. It's also the only piece left from her mother before she died.
Her hair is either tied up in a ponytail or down. At one point her hair was short but decided to grow it out when many of the young ranger boys picked on her for having short hair. Her childhood friend Dinah would sometimes braid her hair in lagertha braids with beads and gold/silver.
Weapons
Calista's prized weapon would be her leather recurve bow, designed with leaf and forest patterns. She also carried two short sword falchions. Both are light enough to carry during missions or travel. Calista also carries a golden dragon crystal glass dagger given to her as a gift by Edric after her trials. It's small enough to hide behind her and she can switch it out if in danger. No one is aware of the dagger since it is hidden well from sight.
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Concept Art Designs of Calista
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Concept Art done by Shio
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Playlists
Inspired Spotify Playlists: TBA
Inspired YouTube Playlist: TBA
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akindofmagictoo · 9 months
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OC/Writing Art Asks! Hm... pick whichever OC is the tallest
marker, colored pencil, graphite, charcoal, palette, and creative!
hello!
my tallest character overall is i think Henry (6'6"), if we aren't counting dragons. tallest main character is Isi (6'3"), and tallest Hurricane main character is Theo (6'1"). i'll answer for a mix of them!
marker: what's one thing your character would never tattoo on their body, even if they were paid a million dollars for it?
Isi: anything rude or dirty
Theo: pretty much anything, but especially not if it's rude or dirty
coloured pencil: if given the choice, would this character splurge on an expensive (but potentially worthwhile) branded product, or buy a low-budget alternative even if the quality suffers?
Isi probably would if the quality was provably better. Theo might do, but is also not unlikely to settle for good enough. Henry probably wouldn't, but it depends on the product.
graphite: what's something decently common that your character does in a unique or different way?
Theo writes with his left hand, which might count.
here's a fun bit of worldbuilding I'm yet to put properly on Tumblr: Isi comes from a group of people for whom hair braiding is a valued practice, and different braids have different meanings. most importantly, they weave ribbons through their braids that indicate things like role or career, family ties, and important events like funerals or weddings.
charcoal: share any unique physical features about this character that are not scars or tattoos
well Henry is 6'6" so that in itself is pretty distinctive, but other than that i'm not sure.
Isi has vitiligo!
Theo has a port-wine stain on the side of his neck, which is almost heart-shaped if you squint at it just right. he also has a dimple :)
palette: list four of your character's primary skills, then share at least two ways these skills might blend or overlap
Theo has a good memory especially for books, is skilled at caring for people (medically and emotionally), is a good listener, and is a quick thinker.
these overlap in some fun ways. he's able to pull off a deception based on something he read in a book (good memory, quick thinker), and his quick thinking and well-read nature later means he banters very well once he's got his confidence up.
creative: free space! share something you've been dying to share about your writing!
see above with the Dragonsong worldbuilding! bonus fact: i'm thinking Isi's people are known as the Coast Folk.
i'm trying to work out if Isi is still wearing ribbons in her hair at the start of the story or not. she's definitely not wearing her family ribbons, that's for sure. her family aren't that wonderful. Sierra, her sister, has found/created her own family ribbon pattern, and later shares it with Isi.
artistic asks are here!
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lightvsdark18 · 1 year
Text
Twisted Wonderland- Endless Halloween Night
(Translation by Otome Ayui. I tried)
"Kate, Grim, wake up."
Alice opens her eyes to Berry hovering over her bed. She sits up and takes a deep breath of air. "What is it, Berry?"
"The dorm leader and vice of Diasomnia invited me and the other two ghosts to a Halloween party and we wanted you and Grim to come with."
"A Halloween party?"
"We will explain later, get dressed and head downstairs with Grim." Berry excitedly floats through the door, leaving her confused.
She turns to the creature and gently shakes him awake which he sleepy looks at her and she tells him they have been invited to another Halloween party. He questions why right now when he's trying to sleep and can it wait, then slowly falls back to sleep.
She rolls her eyes and stands up to get dressed, taking the creature in her arms and heading downstairs to the lounge. The voice of Lilia greets her with the company of the Ramshackle ghosts and the horned man who's sitting on the sofa.
"You're probably wondering what is going on," Lilia comments.
"Yeah, I thought Halloween is over since it's the next day." Grim sleepy rubs his eyes.
"Actually, it's still Halloween," the man starts to speak, "I ran into some unfamiliar ghosts after thr party ended and they expressed disappointment at missing our school's celebration. So I stopped time to keep it Halloween while we enjoy the second party I plan to hold for the ghosts who missed it."
Alice pauses while Grim is shot awake at hearing time has stopped. Lilia further explains where it will be held and wishing for the students to join them as well. "Care to join us?" Lilia offers the invitation.
Grim and her glances at one another, mentally asking the other what they thought. "I mean, I don't see why not." Alice shrugs her shoulders.
"Will there be food?" Grim, of course, asks that.
"Of course! It is a party after all."
"Then I'm in!" Lilia laughs at Grim's excitement.
"But first, you two need costumes." The man stands up from his seat.
"Oh, then me and Grim go-"
"No worries, please stay still." Magic sparkles from his hand and wraps around the two, covering them in a green light and adorning them in the same witch costumes but in green.
Alice lifts the cape to look at the design and see one dragon head pattern among the pumpkins and spider webs. Grim compliment how shiny his fur is now and paws her face.
"Since your dorm's personal theme is witches, I decided to change only the color to my dorm's green. Let's make our way to The World of Ghosts."
Everyone follows the two fae down the pathway to the school and inside the Mirror Chamber where Malleus opens the portal and steps into a black and white world. She carries the cat as they make their way through the different doors and paths, greeting other ghosts who are excited for the celebration.
Grim shakes in her arms at the unsettling atmosphere while Alice is unfazed. They enter a Grand Hall where the party will be held. Lilia walks the Ramshackle residents up the steps and explains more on their plans. The two will be playing a Halloween prank on some of the students to make the invitation more thrilling as he shows them a room on the side of the top floor.
Ramshackle will be hiding in the room once the students arrive to get a front row seat to the performance, maybe jump out and scare them or play as the damsels in distress who were captured by the evil ghosts possessing living bodies to add an interesting flare. She wrinkles her forehead at the suggestion and says she will think about it, then gets permission to explore.
Malleus sits at the pipe organ to practice and mumble to himself as he struggled. She stands in the middle of the Grand Hall and feels like everything is unreal to her, standing in a Grand Hall and waiting for a Halloween party to start with ghosts and wizards as its guests. She sits on a step and looks out to the large space, feeling her stomach growling at her. Grim feels the same.
"I figured you two would be hungry, reason why I brought this." Alex takes his hat off and reaches inside to pull out a bag of candy. "It's probably going be awhile until the party kicks off and we can't have your stomach growling the whole time."
He opens the bag and pulls out chocolate bars and hands it over to the creature and human. They happily eat the candy and feel a bit better, well, Alice feels a bit better while Grim wants more.
A few minutes have passed when the double doors swing open to reveal students of Night Raven College. The ghosts quickly drag the duo inside the room and wait patiently while listening. Grim is chewing loudly next to her.
She asks the ghosts what is going on and gets the response of the students are cleaning the space by Lilia's direction, telling the two to stay put to not dragged into the cleaning. She quietly chuckles at that.
The two are soon found out, Lilia mischievous smiling at their bold move. She lifts her hands up and tells him she was told to stay put. He chuckles, admitting he didn't do anything of the work also. Malleus steps away from the pipe organ and stands behind the older fae, asking for Alice. She gets up and follows him to the other side of the first floor, turning to her to ask if she would share a dance with him during the party.
She blinks up at him, not expecting the request. "Um, sure. I don't see why not." He smiles, a little glee in his eyes.
"Then please wait for me until then."
Then Lilia pops up behind her and scares her. She clenches her chest as he laughs.
"Asking her to a dance?" She can sense the knife cat smile.
"There's between me and her, Lilia."
The older fae chuckles. "No need to get defensive, I'm only teasing." Malleus huffs and walks off.
"... Have you given him a name?
"What?" She turns to Lilia.
"He told me you don't know who he is and gave you permission to call him whatever you like. Have you thought of one?"
"Um, no, I haven't. I've been more focused on finding a way home than a nickname for a stranger. But also too I don't want to give him just a random name."
"Hm, there's something I have been wondering about, how did you get into the school? Night Raven College is an all-boy school and for people with magic, so how did you get accepted?"
"Um, I rather not say. It's complicated." He narrows his eyes like he is searching for something, then smiles.
"Okay." He turns away and heads downstairs.
~~~~
The double doors open to the last guests, ducking inside the room with her dorm and listening to what they are saying. The sounds of the pipe organ and Grim demanding she fix his bow or munching on more candy that the conversation got drowned out, especially someone's name.
Their heads peek out from the doorframe to watch the battle between the group and the horned man, shocked at fast and skillful the man is. Everyone fighting him are knocked down and pick themselves up, saying something she couldn't hear from the battling downstairs, except for the man's laugher which scares her a tiny bit and
"THE "HALLOWEEN TERMINATE TEAM" WILL NEVER LOSE!!!" Ace's shouting.
She chuckles at him. "First of all, we still haven't found Kate and Grim yet. If we give up now... they might start complaining." She frowns in annoyance at him and sees the cat run pass her, unable to stop him.
"Yes, just like this "ffgna~"... Wait, Grim?!" The group yells in shock. "You were safe the whole time!?"
"Huh? Of course," Grim response like it's obvious.
"... Not only that, doesn't his fur look shiny than usual?" Riddle questions when Alex appears behind the cat.
"Why did you jump out?! That was best part!" He shouts, unhappy at the surprise being ruined.
"Shut up, I'm so hungry I can't stand it anymore!"
"E-Even though you just ate a huge amount of candy we prepared for you? How large is the capacity of your stomach?!"
Riddle is seen speaking when a boy with silver hair comes up from the steps and speaks as well. Confusion is evidenced at the movement of their bodies and tone of the voices at three new ghosts speaking with them. It sounds heated even though she can't make out the words.
Berry and Cody quickly float over as she's left behind and stands beside the doorframe before joining the group. "And since it was gonna to be a rip-roaring party, we invited Grim and Kate to join us as well!"
"Hey guys." She raises her hand as a small wave.
"Kate!?" Ace yells, running over and grabbing her shoulders which surprises her, then he looks at Grim and back up at her. "So you two CHOSE to go to the World of Ghosts?"
"Yeah! I was told that would be food here, that's why I followed!" Grim chuckles to himself.
Ace sighs in defeat and lets go of her arms. "Do you even know how worried I was?!" His voice grows in anger.
"Hey, don't get angry with me. I thought a second party would be fun." She frowns.
"This whole ordeal was to hold another Halloween party, am I right?" Riddle can feel a headache coming on.
"I have written it in the invitation letter and had Lilia deliver it," Malleus answers.
"Eh, the card that we found at the door of Ramshackle dorm was actually made by you, young master!?... I-I didn't know that... I-I-I even said something rude..." a green haired boy doesn't seem okay.
"Well, it can't be helped... I thought it was a confession of crime too." Trey chuckles weakly.
"Crime? Why would you have that unsettling thought?" Malleus furls his brows in confusion.
"If you left such a letter at the door of an empty building, everyone will have the same thought!" Ace freaks out. "And the ghosts were attacking us! What do you mean by Halloween party? They were showing obvious hostility towards us!"
"Yeah, they suddenly appeared in front of us and threatened me." Riddle swings his arm. "Above that, when Ruggie was asking for directions, they yelled "it's a living human!" and started attacking us. It was obviously hostility! Are you still trying to say you just wanted to hold a Halloween party?"
The three ghosts speak up and thought they would like it since it's a popular game among the living, a escape game. Riddle gets upset since he never played a escape game and said he would have noticed it right away if he had played one.
Silver asks about the scream and Lilia responses that it was a hint since the rooms were soundproof with magic except for his scream. He plays it up as a joke but Silver isn't having any of it. He lectures the two culprits behind this whole thing, letting the possessed students attack them and how it could have ended badly because of the game the two were playing.
Then Lilia asks him if the ghosts stated not to harm the students and Malleus adds if they said it was the entertainment of the party, right?
The three ghosts then explains the hostility the students had towards them, stealing the mirror fragments or fighting them without letting them explain. The ones possessing the steering committee were famous actors and wouldn't harm to the body they were in, asking Silver if they attacked the steering committee.
Alice just stands there confused throughout the whole conversation, asking herself what the fuck is going on. Lilia grabs her and Grim, then dashes the downstairs to clear up the misunderstanding. The steering committee and students are fighting each other when Lilia pushes the two in front of a heated battle.
Jade swings his arm towards her and she thankfully ducks in time while Grim dodges a foot flying towards him. "Hey! We're not your enemies! Stop fighting!" Grim yells while hiding behind her leg.
"Yeah... what he said." A student on the floor says in pain.
"Oh dear, I may have gone too far." Jade doesn't look worried.
She goes over to the other feisty students and breaks up the battle they were having by pushing them away from one another or yelling at them to stop. It was troublesome, especially when they tried to hit her or refused to listen because of their bloodlust. Lilia and her had to grab and pull two students together who seem to hate each other and took the opportunity to fight.
The Grand Hall comes to life as the three climb the stairs in exhaustion with the students and the steering committee following behind.
"Good grief, it was hard calming down all the people who were burning with a fighting spirit," Lilia sighs and holds his head.
"I was hesitating because I didn't want to fight my dorm students," Kalim tells his sorrows, "but Kate and Grim came to help me!"
"You suddenly interrupted us in the middle of the battle, so I thought you wanted to become one of the ghosts too," Jade chuckles at his statement.
"We didn't! It was Lilia who pushed us out!" Grim complains.
"Before I knew it, I saw the angry face of my dorm leader in front of me," one student states, "I nearly fainted because of the beauty and horror!"
"Ugh, the scene of dorm leader stepping on us and laughing loudly... I feel like it will appear in my dream for a while." Another student shivers.
"We were being told that was the only way to get you all back, I have no other choice. It wasn't my real intention." Azul fakes guilt.
"I'm sure a part of you must have had that thought in your mind," Riddle responds, "looks like all of the students have returned to normal."
"The ghosts that possessed their bodies..." Silver asks and sees ghost guards floating around and gasping in joy at the Mirror Hall returning to its usual state.
The students who went through a lot of trouble are silence as the ghosts panic at the quiet air. Silver speaks up and tells them the students will share in on the celebration and enjoy the party with the ghost as a sign of friendship. And not wanting to end on a unpleasant note as "Halloween is a fun day for everyone."
The rest of the students wish to enjoy the party as well after the misunderstanding is now cleaned up. The mention of food is brought up and a chef ghost answers Ruggie's question with the tales of food all over the world and royal cuisines dating back 500 years ago.
Even though the ghosts caused a lot of trouble, it's still a party, why not live it up in The World of Ghosts.
"Now, let's dance until dawn. It's the start of a Halloween dance party!" Malleus yells and the mirror ball starts spinning and shinning the lights on the walls.
Malleus returns to the pipe organ as Lilia picks up and plays a electric guitar. Alice and Grim head down to the bottom floor and get some food for their starving bodies, savoring the delicious food and downing some water.
Grim is stuffing his face when Riddle approaches her and asks for a dance. She warns she can't dance as she walks on the dancefloor with the redhead. They dance a little bit before Cater steals her and twirls her around, then take a selfie together.
Everyone is dancing and eating, smiling brightly at the celebration in the Mirror Hall. Grim scans the room and sees how joyful everyone look while partying with the ghosts. He loudly comments on how he wants Halloween to continue tomorrow and everyone who heard him responds, "I WANT A NORMAL DAY TOMORROW!"
Alice laughs and shares a dance with Grim by picking him up and spinning in a circle as he laughs along. Deuce gathers up the courage to ask her for a dance and clumsily dance together, laughing and stepping on each other's foot or almost falling over.
She danced with her friends from Heartslabyul, a boy named Kalim and unexpected a boy named Rook. He compliments her like he is writing a poem and leads her through a graceful dance despise her not knowing how to.
Lilia finds her after she parts from Rook and is taken up the stairs to Malleus. "I believe he was the first one to offer you a dance." Lilia mischievous smirks as he pulls her towards the black haired man.
Malleus offers his hand and she takes it, warning him about her lack of experience but he doesn't seem to mind. They slowly sway along the music Lilia is playing, gently spinning her and guiding her.
He asks if she has been enjoying herself and she responds with yes. He smiles and spins her around again when Grim climbs the stairs and approaches them. He tells her he is tired from eating, dancing, eating, dancing that he flops down on the floor beside their feet.
"Hey, Kate... eat as much as you want while you still have the chance..." The creature curls up and slowly falls asleep.
She chuckles and picks him up, holding him like a big baby as Ace and Deuce calls out to her and climb the stairs that Malleus quickly leaves her side.
The ghosts announce to everyone the party will be ending and they will be returning to sleep until the next Halloween. Malleus asks if they enjoyed the celebration and the ghosts answer that they did, saying it was the most fun Halloween party they ever had. Even though it is ending, the night was fun and entertaining as the ghosts fade away and say a good bye.
The students question how they return to the school just for Malleus to tell everyone to look at the mirror ball and to not take their eyes off of it. The ball slowly becomes their eye's focus and white light covers their vision.
All of the students spill out of the mirror and collapse onto each other in a big pile. The adults turn in shock and relief of their arrival. Alice trips over the pile and turns her body to land on her back and hears the pile groan in pain.
Malleus steps out and tells Professor Trein he checks and has indeed returned all of the missing students. Professor Trein is confused at his statement when Riddle asks if it was still Halloween. Everyone get up and start running out of the school while Crowley question where they are going.
The morning sun rises in the distance. Halloween is finally over. They cheer in glee at the arrival of November 1st when the professors, Sam and Crowley finally catch up with them and Crowley demands they explain everything.
"Actually..." Riddle looks nervous since he forgot about the Crowley and the others waiting for them. However, Rook cuts in.
"It will be a long story. But before that, we need to take a rest now."
Silver adds, "yeah, the only thing I can say is we had a really fun Halloween with everyone."
"Yes, it was an unforgettable Halloween."
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cherokeegal1975 · 9 months
Text
The Grey, WIP: 7/7/23
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Well, I wish I had realized yesterday that by painting the base coats of the wings and then just fading out the references over the top of them, I could have saved myself some time and trouble. Now all I have to do is erase around the white wing and it'll be mostly done...save for some highlights I might want to put in.
This was a single image, then a doubled one because my graphics program has a tendency to merge all layers prematurely once in a while. A glitch that I'm not at happy about. I was just able to remove the bulk of the reference picture today. Look so much better without it there.
I was going to do a half gold and half silver halo, but with all that black and white, there's need for more splashes of color. So, the halo will be solid gold and have red jewels set into it. The flames will also add some color as well as the lady's skin. A nice brown. Her hair will be black.
References for the bits I need to see are still there, just invisible at the moment. Except for the frame design. I'm doing my best to eliminate anything I copied from online as fast as possible. Except for the wings of course. I need those.
I will lighten the hue of the cloak; I usually start dark and work lighter then darker again in spots as I go along. I even have brushes that will do fabric textures. I think I might try that. In spite of the need for more color, I still insist that the cloak be grey. Maybe I can add some patterning or something. I'll think about it.
Anyway, I never meant this drawing to look like a playing card. In fact, the main elements of the drawing just showed up randomly in my head when I wasn't really thinking of anything particular. But I liked what I saw, so I'm drawing it.
Yes, I know I'm cheating a lot. This is because sometimes I have trouble translating what's in my mind onto canvas. I can draw the human figure but haven't had a lot of practice at it. Nor do I have a lot of practice drawing clothing. It was just easier to find what I needed online to help me out this time. I don't know who all the artists are who put out all these free resources for me to use. Though angelic figures are common, I can say with confidence that this idea is uniquely mine. Just for the fun of it I did a general search image for a moment and found lots of angels, but nothing exactly like mine. So, there's that.
I can and to draw freehand. I'd do it more often than I have been lately if I had more time. My time off is sporadic at best/worst. Given the choice, I'd spend more time doing everything in my head. Taking a few hours a day just to draw. I can do a solid three hour session of drawing before my brain gets tired and I have to take a break. I rarely get that time lately.
Ugh. This is devolving into a bitch session. I won't do that here. Anyway, when this is completed, people who are into games like Dungeons and Dragons or similar games may use this character as part of your game. Just ask me first because I want to know about it. Give me credit for the design. No, you may not sell it. I need the profits far worse than you do.
I came to think of The Grey as a kind of judge for contests and legal issues...and maybe other things. She knows there's more than one facet to every story, there isn't just pure evil and pure good. There's always those shades of grey. And she's an excellent and fair judge. A living personification of justice and a powerful force for the good side. My mind had to work on this for a while as I drew her "card." Because originally, she had no story, no meaning. I'm still inviting people to have an open interpretation of her character however.
I can also see this as a big poster over someone's bed simply because it looks cool. It would be a nice decoration, especially if it turns out as nice as I want it to.
I'd appreciate it if no one used my idea until it was completed. I might make some changes along the way that I won't know about until I get there. Not that I think anyone will really. Every offer of free resources I put out gets ignored. I don't know why.
I will also post this on Redbubble when it's done and send a link. I can't seem to completely let my optimism go even though I'm aware that no one wants to buy my artwork. I don't know why.
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sylviareviar · 1 year
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Cards
Hello friends I am currently on a major Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's high and therefore want to duel people, but here's the catch...
I also want to RP as my character, Sylvia, and I want to use The Weather Painters. But I also strongly dislike Link Monsters. So for the sake of some fics I've posted to Wattpad (because I am attached to them, but not proud of them), I've made some fake cards and am trying to make them balanced. (Also please don'tbe mad at me for this. They're my comfort fics and I like to think I could make some decent cards... If you don't want to do any practice duels/RP with my character because she's a self-insert or because of these cards, I completely understand. I've simply gone in too deep and would like someone to indulge with...)
Here are some examples of my cards. Please keep in mind, since I made these with 5D's (and their respective World Championships series video games) in mind, I also would like to use the rules of the TCG according to the anime/games at the time. (No Xyz or later Extra Deck Monsters, Dark Synchro and Tuners are okay, players draw a card even on the first turn, no extra zones, etc.) This is not canon to my character, nor should it have to be canon to yours if you don't want it to be. I just need someone to gush to ;-;
(Also by the way, I switched out the Google search artworks I had for the art on these characters to just generic stock photos or blank/patterned color just in case, because I don't want to claim what the artists made as my own. I'm working on my own rendition of the artworks I want to see. It won't be in the same style because I don't know how to replicate it, but when I'm done, I might post them up here.)
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The only The Weather Tuner Monster: The Weather Painter Wind, who is a stand-in for the color red (or Crimson, because the overlap is too good to ignore). As such, she has no attack or defense points and is only one star, making her perfect for the dragon of my character, who is an artificial Signer (no, I'm not making this up, it was actually in the video games. It's not canon, which means it's fair game to play with >:D )
Upon re-reading her effect, I think I'll edit it, actually. Just remove the entire second part of her effect.
"This card cannot be used for the Synchro Summon of a Monster besides a Synchro "The Weather" Monster, and can only be used for Synchro Summoning. Once per turn, during the Standby Phase of the turn after this card was banished from the field to activate a "The Weather" card's effect: You can Special Summon this card."
From now on, that's the new effect of Wind.
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The reason Wind has no ATK or DEF is to balance out this card, which I thought would be interesting to treat like a canvas of its own. Despite being a Dragon-type Monster, it's still a part of "The Weather" archetype, as it represents the sky--a canvas for the Weather Painters--as a whole. I like to imagine that as the guardian of the fairies, it has six wings, one of each canon Weather Painter's colors, and one or two of them will light up based on which ones were used to create its total ATK and DEF. For example, if Rain and Cloud were combined with Wind to create Sky Dragon, its ATK would be 1200 + 1500 = 2700 and DEF would be 1400 + 1000 = 2400. Or Snow and Thunder could make 1700 ATK and 2200 DEF. And so on. You could also just use Aurora if you wished, making its ATK and DEF 2200 and 2000 respectively. It's a 7-star monster because all of the Weather Painters except Aurora are LV 3, Aurora being LV 6. With just one star on Wind, that makes Sky Dragon fit into the pattern as a Signer Dragon.
(Another big plot point of my character is the power to make new cards, by the way, but it only works for her archetype and it's very, very difficult to do because if I make her make too many, I would skew the balance of the archetype too much)
Also the dragon's ability does not prevent people from destroying the Weather Painters in battle, which is decently easy to do because they're not super powerful anyway.
I also have...
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I just put her usual Link Summoning conditions as Fusion conditions instead, and since she no longer has Link markers and now has Defense Points, I tried to balance her out by making it so her effect works on the two spaces on either side of her. Since this is essentially a replica card, I figured it was okay to use the official Rainbow art as the artwork here, since I'm pretending the Link version doesn't exist. I also have a Synchro version of Moonbow, which I've tried to do something similar with.
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The text didn't fully appear on the card. Sorry about that.
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I admit this one may be a bit overpowered... If you think I should change it, please let me know. (I made this with several Fusion monsters in mind, because fused weather conditions as well as blended colors are such a cool thing to play with and I really think the Weather Painters deserve to have an amazing palette of colors; that's why it says 2 or more, despite Rainbow actually having 3 as a summoning condition.)
(I also made a custom version of The Weather Forecast, but only so that it mentions Extra Deck "The Weather" Monsters instead of just Link ones.)
These are all the cards I'm most comfortable sharing. I have maybe two more I'd be willing to share, too, but they're support cards and may also make the deck overpowered (since I made them a long time ago) so I decided against revealing them.
If you're okay with these, please let me know. I've been craving someone to share these with for a long, long time.
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tortricidae · 2 years
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Company Learned
The Hidden Garden proves continually to be the perfect place to gather once the fields where the cook outs are too overrun with prying eyes and nosy ears to function comfortably. This is where Habanero and Critter decide to hang out while waiting for one of the other members of their ragtag group of nobodies to show up spouting about some grand plan or some kind of easy to implement attack pattern or some other type of plan that would actually make the thing they are about to do a successful run.
Habanero is often the one to point out how plans won’t work even though this is not canon to his character at all because he is fully aware that he is a minion and minions don’t really get to do stuff like that without being taken out back and shot for insubordination. He knows none of this is canon mainly because Clover mentions it frequently, as if this is supposed to erase the anxiety of existence. Like, he did just relative days ago learn that he is not real, and that his real self is something incomprehensible.
That by attacking Poseidon, that he was going to die in the worst kind of way. He will be forgotten by the only being who probably knows about him, and then he will cease to exist on every level, including the conceptual. That’s some heavy shit and he doesn’t really know how to deal with it, because he can’t deal with it. It would not fulfil the terms and conditions.
Presently, he is supposed to be digging for treasure. He has his shovel at least, and is partially motivated to listen to Critter, but Critter doesn’t even have anything new for him to do so it’s just a waiting game while he watches other dig holes and get taken by the aftermath of a god’s anguish. It’s hard to swallow, so he doesn’t. It’s not even a reflex he needs anymore.
“You got nothin’ for me at all?” he says somewhat sadly to Critter, who has taken up residence in a fold of cloth around his neck. “Thought you were supposed to be some kinda genius or somethin’.”
Critter, who either cannot talk or refuses to (Habanero reckons it’s the second one on account of Crabbots being able to bend reality and whatnot), is sleeping quietly. It seems that even the reality warping god pets need to sleep sometimes, and Habanero isn’t upset, mainly because he would also like to sleep, but if he does now then he will likely wake up to a fresh day, and the longer he can drag it on, the more likely the others will be able to finish what they are doing. Recruiting each other or dealing with the madness or whatever.
He honestly isn’t sure which is worse for him, but he is not going to dwell on it for much longer, because he is not going to be afforded the time. Not really.
He figures now is as good a time as any to try to take a gander at that object he found. He’s been studying the gun to the best of his ability and all he has been able to manage is that it looks like a weird shell weapon, and it only shoots when he imagines that it is a real gun. The bullets are variable as well, but they are mostly dependent on his ability to focus on firing the damn thing, which is a lot harder now that he’s not in danger anymore and can clearly see that the gun is fake. It looks like a toy and it’s goofy colors and construction do nothing to help him reverse the damage already done.
“Figures I’d ruin my only chance.”
“Who are you talking to?”
Habanero looks up and sees Pepper standing at about eye level. She is so small compared to him that even when he’s sitting down, he practically dwarfs her. She looks unhinged, and he always thought so because she looks as though she is moments away from going absolutely feral and mauling people. And while he is also capable of looking like he’s about to maul people, it’s been happening a lot less recently. Probably because of the whole just being a figment of a god’s imagination thing that he is probably not going to come to terms with in this episode of Dragon Ball Z.
“Myself,” Habanero says, upset. “I’m allowed to do that.”
Pepper shrugs. It’s a dismissive shrug because she is so focused on the task at hand and Habanero is not upset by it. He doesn’t want to get into it. “Did you find anything useful?”
It’s Habanero’s turn to shrug and he rolls out the unfathomable object that is impossible to comprehend. “This is what your little fish man pointed out to me. Not sure if it’s gonna work if you don’t think it will.”
“It will,” Pepper replies without hesitation.
“What makes you so sure,” Habanero snaps. “This sounds like a suicide mission to me.”
“It is,” Pepper says, again, without hesitation. It’s scary how calm she is. “We are not real. We are a figment of a mad god’s imagination and if we do nothing then our real selves pay the price. There is no room for being scared or self serving. We’re going to die anyway. It’s a matter of if we are going to let our real selves go down with us or not.”
“This is a bunch of nonsense.”
“Well you figure you have two choices. You already went off and found the treasure. So what do you think that means for you?”
“Am I not allowed to process this? Have a little time?”
Pepper shook her head. “It is not my fault you were slow on the uptake. We do not have time to have an existential crisis. Or fi you are going to have one, do it after Poseidon is gone.”
“You really are a hardass.”
“I’m not real. It doesn’t matter what you think I am.”
And Pepper leaves without another word.
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