#crackledrake

[dailytdp]

“Crackledrake”

Written by Kris James Illustrated by Caleb Thomas

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Wait you wrote some of the Dragon Prince's Reflections short stories? That's awesome, congratulations! What was that like and how much lore did the showrunners give you access to, or were you allowed to make your own additions to canon? 😃 Which ones did you work on if I can ask? Thanks!

Oop, this question came in while I was answering another one! I just went over which Reflections stories were my work here! tldr, most of the first volume and one in the second volume.

I worked with Devon on ideas to pitch, and then on crafting and polishing the ones that got approval. I only needed to know a little bit of lore from upcoming seasons in order to write the stories, but with the timeskip between S3 and S4, I necessarily had to know a few things, like "so it's been two years."

I did get a couple of references to look at, such as the design of the soul candle for "The Queen's Soul," since that was an asset they'd already created for the show. And I did get to watch an early version of the first episode of S4, for character/design/location/etc reasons. A picture is worth 1000 words, etc. But most of my stories were just little bubbles stuck on the side of the main plot bubble - as the Reflections series was originally pitched to be! It's full of treats and foreshadowy lil clues, but in the end it's just fun supplemental material for the extra nerdy to indulge in! So there was some freedom in pitching and writing, as long as it held to theme, and we had a lot of fun bringing these little moments to life.

Crackledrake is my favorite short story because I got to add the cute little ritual to Sunfire canon and created the lore behind it. It's inspired by the real-world tradition of snapdragon, so you can see I was super inventive with its TDP name there! I gave Janai and Amaya their own Xadian fruits and nuts, though, as they deserve. I can't say I did so with a straight face, though. My face was extremely gay about it, actually.

Rise Again was another of my pitches that got accepted, and writing it really helped me connect with Claudia in a way I hadn't before. I've felt differently about her ever since, and that wouldn't've happened if I hadn't gotten to spend time with her and give her Burnt Biscuit.

I think Changing of the Guard was already in the pitch lineup, but I was really excited to get to write for Soren and Corvus. I always enjoy when opposite personalities try to come together! I tried my best to add some angst into Corvus' backstory, but I had to trim it for length so he remains mysterious. But King Ezran's Belly Full of Jelly tart-eating contest is a thing I've put into the world, and I'm genuinely pleased with that. And then there's all the *waves Sorvus flag*. I just think they're neat! (and you're welcome)

[fandomestuff]

THAT WOMAN IS BLUSHING

JUST STRAIGHT GAY UP BLUSHING

THEY ARE SO SOFT AND SO IN LOVE HELP

[dailytdp]

“Crackledrake”

Written by Kris James Illustrated by Caleb Thomas

[beautifulterriblequeen]

What's your favorite piece of art you've ever made? (Or the first thing that comes to mind)

This is an impossible question to answer, but it's Crackledrake. It was one of my own short story pitches to Wonderstorm, and I had an indecent amount of fun making up the lil food ritual in it. 😇

Thank you, I love the sheer impossibility of this simple question.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Wait… did you really write Crackledrake???

I did!

[beautifulterriblequeen]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other creators to do the same 💕

I had to think this through for a while! So many layers to consider, gosh. But I think I'm gonna say Crackledrake.

I love all my soft Ruthari fluff - it kept me sane when too many things were burning down around me.

I love my plotty TDP actionfic twists because it just lights my brain up to draw that path through the middle of my brain and make characters walk it.

I love my unfinished massive rambling longfics because they held my hand for a really long time and walked with me and let me say whatever I wanted to say. I still - still! - really want to finish them! Always will. Technically could happen, right? Sure.

My WoW fanfics are basically Ruthari fluff 2.0 - me wading through my own dark stuff with the help of some fictional characters, and admitting a little more that things are in fact on fire. Which they are, so. Baby steps.

But Crackledrake? That was one of my pitches, among the stories that were selected for Reflections, and it turned out so so cute and soft and- Listen, if you've read my other stuff you know I like to use food as the comfort part of hurt/comfort, this is in fact a constant theme for me and it will not stop anytime soon, fair warning etc etc...

I. Love. Crackledrake. For a million reasons. I love it. It's soft, it's gay, it's foody, it's worldbuilding, it's a peek at one of those little moments that doesn't fit in a big ol' plot line but it covers a critical point in the characters' relationship, where a decision has been made and this is the result of that decision: inviting someone to eat with you. Offering someone a Crackledrake meal, it's an invitation of the heart, it's a confession of feeling and importance - at its very basic level, it says "you're important and I value you. Let me feed you and keep you alive."

But it can say a lot more than that, if you're subtle. And Amaya was paying very close attention! Very close indeed. Did you see Caleb's art of her blushing? Hhjhjgh. Adorable!

I love Crackledrake.